compared with ver 13. In ver 10. There the Lord Threatens that He will bring Evil upon the House of Jeroboam and will Cut off from Jeroboam c. Well but this must not come presently the Lord would not presently bring the Evil upon them but He would stay till He had taken away one out of the Family ver 12 13. Arise thou therefore get thee to thine own House and when thy feet enter into the City the Child shall die And all Israel shall Mourn for him and Bury him For he only of Jeroboam shall come to the Grave because in him is found some good thing towards the Lord God of Israel in the House of Jeroboam Mark How God takes notice of any in a wicked Family If there be but any one a Child that hath some good thing in it because but some good thing the Lord takes special Notice of such a one in the Family Therefore though his House should be Destroyed yet this Child must be taken away first Because in him there is found some good thing towards the Lord God of Israel Mark It is but some good thing and towards the Lord God of Israel and a Child but this was in the House of Jeroboam Let there be but a Child that hath some good thing in a wicked Family the Lord takes special Notice of it and there may come a Blessing upon the Family even for the sake of such a one The Reason of it is Because if there be any in a Family that Entertains the Gospel there the Lord hath the Glory of His Name that He doth most rejoyce in It cannot but please the Lord to have the Glory of His Name to be owned in a Family and held forth And if there be but any one in a Family that shall Entertain the Gospel who knows what good such a one may do If there be one in a Family to hold forth Christ here is a Way and Means to draw others to the Love of Christ If God Convert the Husband he may draw the Wife or if God Convert the Wife she may draw the Husband 1 Cor. 7. 16. For what knowest thou O Wife whether thou shalt save thy Husband Or how knowest thou O Man whether thou shalt save thy Wife It is spoken in the Case of Unbelievers where one was an Unbeliever and the other God had Converted And in that Case the Question was Whether they were to stay one with another one being an Infidel and the other a Believer Yea saith the Apostle For what knowest thou O Wife whether thou shalt save thy Husband Or thou O Husband whether thou shalt save thy Wife And so I say What knowest thou O Child whether thou mayest save thy Brother or Sister Or thou O Servant whether thou mayest save thy Fellow-Servant And if thou be so then how vile are they that shall Malign and Oppose Scorn and Contemn any in a Family when God doth begin to work any good upon them We know it is ordinary That if the Lord begins to strike one Soul in a Family the Child or the Servant with some Work of His Spirit that they begin to Inquire after the things of God and to Entertain the things of the Gospel his Brother will scorn him or Sister or Fellow-Servant will deride him Perhaps his Master that Lov'd him before will now Hate him and be ready upon all occasions to shew Displeasure against him Yea perhaps the very Father out of whose Loyns the poor Child comes will deride him What shall we have of you now O you are grown so Precise that now you will be Spoil'd and good for nothing And so perhaps the Mother out of whose Womb it came will now Hate it But O thou wretched Parent thou shouldest rather Bless God that God begins to work in thy Family that He begins to work upon one that came out of thy Loyns for thou do'st not know but that this Child may do thy Soul goood Thou wert the means for the Natural life of it who knows but God intends to make this Child to be a means for thy Eternal Life And so wretched Master and Mistress in a Family that shall less regard a Servant when God begins to work upon their Hearts than you did before And you whom God is pleased to begin to Reveal the Blessed things of the Gospel to and to give your Hearts to Entertain them and yet you Live in wicked Families Do you Labour to be Blessings to the Family Improve what God hath given you for the good of the Family And do you Walk so as to manifest the Power of the Gospel that your Souls doth Entertain that you may Live convincingly in the Family where you Live And though they do Hate and Scorn you for the present yet with your humble Walking they may be forced to say Verily God is Working upon this Servant and God is Working upon this Child It should be the Care of Children or Servants or Wives or Husbands that live among such as are Wicked when God begins to Work upon them they must be very careful to hold forth the Glory and Beauty of the Gospel in their Lives to Convince those that they Live withal And you that are in such a Family if God doth begin to stir any in the Family do you Improve them to the uttermost you can And howsoever you may think there is little in it yet when God begins to stir the Heart of one Salvation may be come to the House and the Lord doth expect that you should Improve that Work of His upon your own Hearts or otherwise your Consciences will Terrifie you another day O I saw God working upon my Fellow-Servant or Brother or Sister but I neglected it otherwise my Soul might have had good And so much for that Note If the Son of Peace be there your Peace shall rest upon it That is upon the Family The last Note is Go saith Christ and into whatsoever House or City you enter do thus and thus And if the Son of Peace be there your Peace shall rest upon it That is You shall be made an Instrument of good unto them so as to bring the glorious Peace of the Gospel unto them From whence the Note is this That it is a great Encouragement to the Ministers of the Gospel to think what abundance of good they may do if God shall be but pleased to Bless their Ministry Christ did foretel both His Disciples and Apostles that they were like to have hard Work of it in the Carrying of His Name abroad in the World But for their Encouragement He tells them this Go your way and Preach and if there be any Son of Peace your Peace shall rest upon it As if He should say You shall be made a glorious Instrument of doing good unto them and let this be your Encouragement And indeed it is a great Encouragement for any Minister of God to Venture his very Life
be enough to us that we hope that we have that Grace which possibly may bring us to Heaven at last but we should labour to have that Grace that may reign in the Heart now and bring all into a due Order As in a Family when the Governors are Wise you shall have them if there be but the least Disturbance speak but a word and all is quiet And you shall have other Families that where the Reins of Government are loose if there be but a little Disturbance it grows more and more and to such a height that it 's tedious for one that hath a quiet Spirit to be in the Family and so it is in the Heart though the best hath some Disturbance But now where Grace Rules and Governs it stills all presently without any great ado But now in other men though they have some Grace yet if the Heart begins to be in a Disturbance it 's a long time before it can be quieted My Brethren I have gone through these Points briefly and you will say 'T is a harder thing to do this than to speak it It 's true it is yet some of the Saints have done it They have through the Mercy of God been brought to these things that have been spoken and it 's possible to be done Some have attained it and there is strength enough in Christ for the weakest to attain it And He delights as much to Communicate His strength in helping of His poor Servants in the times of Affliction as at any time Consider what hath been said in these several Truths and lay them up against the Day of your Affliction that you may say It is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good A Sermon Phil. 1. 21. For to me to Live is Christ and to Die is Gain THis blessed Apostle Paul had in the Course of his Life many things befel him that seem to be very Cross much Opposition great were his Sufferings even unto Bonds And much hard Usage he had not only from open Enemies but from false Brethren whose Spirits were full of Envy against him And who can stand before Envy They were vexed to see how his Ministery prevailed in the Hearts of People to see what great Esteem he had how precious his Name was among the Saints They knew not what course to take to Darken him and therefore among others some of them would set upon Preaching Christ as well as he and see what they could do that way they would be as forward as he Well saith Paul all this makes for my Good and I rejoyce in it so be it I may be any occasion that Christ may be Preached whether of Good-will or Envy I am glad Christ is made known by this and this shall turn saith he to my Salvation to the Glory that I expect from Christ and with Christ That shall be furthered by it so long saith he as Christ is Honoured I shall never be ashamed No matter what becomes of my Body of my Life so that Christ may be Magnified in my Body whether it be by Life or by Death For to me to Live is Christ and to Die is Gain And this is the Coherence of the Words Here then we have a Man of brave Resolution of a truly Noble raised Spirit while other men are Grovelling here in the World in seeking Contentment unto the Flesh Here 's the Spirit of Paul raised above Life and Death To me to Live is Christ to Die is Gain To me to Live is Christ You have it in your English only so To Live and to Die But those that understand the Original know that besides the Word that signifies To Live There 's an Article in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And besides that word there 's an Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that if you would have it Translated according to the Propriety and Elegancy of the Greek it is thus To me the thing that is to Live is Christ and the thing that is Death is Gain As if he should say That thing that you call Life is nothing but Christ If Christ may be Magnified in me if I may be of any Service for Him any way then I am content to Live but if so be that He may be no more Served by me here let me Die and I shall lose nothing by that neither For that same thing you call Death the thing that People keep such a stir about and are so scar'd withal That to Die it 's nothing to me but that which will be Gain So that the words they speak out the frame of Gracious Heart blessing it self in Jesus Christ both in Life and Death To me to Live I 'll not make any curious Definition nor raise more Points than I shall go through at this time and the Points will be nothing but the opening of the Text in both Parts First That a true Godly man accounts Christ to be his Life And Secondly To a Godly man Death is Gain For the First To me to Live is Christ That same thing that you call life It 's Christ all is wrapt up in him I account nothing Life but Jesus Christ As for my natural Life that 's no way considerable but so far as Christ is in it Christ is the life of the Saints It 's more indeed then if he should say Christ is my life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the thing that is to live is Christ It 's a greater Elegancy than to say Christ is my life Christ is the life of the Saints First in this That they are by him freed from a Legal death Every man by nature is under the Curse of the Law he is a dead man as we say of a man that is condemn'd he is a dead man dead by the Law But now the Saints in Christ are dead to the Law Gall. 2. 19. But they live to God they are freed from that Legal death and so Christ brings life to them Secondly Christ is the principle of Spiritual Life in them It 's Christ that brings me to the Fountain of Life that unites my Soul again to God and puts me in a principle of Life to inable me to live to God and to injoy communion with him I in my self am as a dead Carkass without Jesus Christ To me to live is Christ Thirdly Christ is the preserver of this life of mine Notwithstanding all the corrupt and silthy and dead stuff that is in me yet Jesus Christ preserves this life in me And then in the Fourth place which I take to be the chiefe meaning of what the Apostle intends To me to live is Christ that is the great comfort of my Life that 's Christ A man doth not live except he hath Comfort in his Life For so the Scripture calls Life when a man hath Comfort Joy and Contentment in his Life Psal 38. 19. But mine Enemies are lively so you have it in your Books Mine Enemies are living so you
may Translate it the meaning is this Mine Enemies are Jolly and Jocond in their wayes And so it follows And they are strong They are Jolly and Jocond in their wayes and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied There 's a like phrase in Eccles 6. 8. For what hath the Wise more than the Fool what hath the Poor that knoweth to walk before the Living That is before the Rich men that have all Comforts in their Lives to Live bravely according to their hearts desire What 's the Wise more than the Fool All things comes alike to them and there 's no great difference in their Lives And what hath the word hath is not in the Original but what a Poor that knoweth to walk before the Living If a Poor man hath but Health of Body and hath but Ability to work and Wisdom to carry himself and order his Affairs why he can walk before Rich men and can live a Comfortable life before them Before the Living that is before the Rich that have all things to Live bravely in the World So that 's the meaning of Life in Scripture not only in opposition to Death but to Sorrow and Trouble Now saith the Apostle To me to live is Christ Will you take Life in this sense that is for a Comfortable a Contented a Joyful life Why I have it saith Paul Where had Paul such a Joyful and Contented life For alas look upon him in the Course of his Life and he suffered almost as much as ever man did sometimes he wanted Bread and he wanted Clothes to cover the Nakedness of his Body and whipt like a Rogue and yet he accounted himself to live a brave life notwithstanding all this But where lay all this In Christ I find it all made up in Christ whatsoever I want in the Creature whatever is cast upon me whatever Scorn and Imprisonment whatever it be that here I suffer yet I find it all made up in Christ and in Him I have as comfortable a life as a mans Heart can desire That 's his meaning by this same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in Christ because I am Imployed in the Service of Jesus Christ And I bless God that Christ hath Honour by me that I do the Work of Christ and so To me to live is Christ That 's the Fourth thing Fifthly To me to live is Christ that is Christ is the end of my Life So you have the Five particulars 1. I am by Christ freed from a Legal Death being Dead by the Law 2. Christ is the Principle of my Spiritual Life 3. The Preserver of it 4. The Comfort and Contentment of my Life 5. The end of my Life Thus to me to live is Christ But because these two last are the two chief that I verily believe are intended here by the Apostle I will a little open them more than the former Now to shew how Christ is the Comfort and Contentment of a Christians Life that I 'll shew unto you in several particulars Though he hath not Comfort as others have though he hath not such a Table and such Comings in as others have yet he hath a life more comfortable than others As First The very Contemplation of Jesus Christ it is incomparably Sweet and Comfortable to a Gracious heart For what doth a Godly man see in Christ In Christ I see the Brightness of the Glory of the Father I see the Character of the Ingraven Image of God the Father in Him When I look upon the World it 's comfortable it 's comfortable to the Eye to behold the Light But there I see but the Foot-steps of God but in Christ I see the Face of God the Face of the Living and Eternal First-Being of all things That I behold in Him and this is Life to me It 's Eternal Life to know thee O Lord and thy Son whom thou hast sent into the World 2. O the sweet Influences of the Grace of God that I feel out of His Fulness do I receive and Grace for Grace I have the flowings of the Water of Life into my Soul daily and therefore Christ is to live to me 3. I have the Love of God shed abroad into my Soul O the Beams of the Love of the Eternal God that are shed abroad in my Soul by Christ and those Beams of Gods Love they are Life to me 4. In Him I have an Interest in all the Treasures of the Riches of the Grace of the Infinite God they are all mine they are all made over to me in Jesus Christ 5. And then fifthly In Him I have blessed Rest and Satisfaction to my Soul for my Eternal Estate I am sold for Eternity in Him 6. And then in Him I have the Joy of the Holy Ghost shed abroad into my Heart and it is the comfort of my Soul to see Him Honoured any way more than to enjoy any good to my self 7. In Him O the Communion that I have with Him is more than Life those lettings out of my Heart to Him and those lettings out of His Heart again to my Soul What is it It 's more than a Thousand Lives unto me 8. In Him I have the Conveyance of all the Good that God the Father Conveys to the Hearts of His Saints in order to Eternal Life and therefore O the Comfort and Contentment my Soul hath thereupon And then He is the end of my Life To what purpose do I live if it were not in order to Him For He is the first that God did aim at in all his Works Ab extra and therefore Christ is called the First-begotten of all He was the first in Gods Intention yea the Scripture saith in Ephes 3. 19. All things are by Him and for Him Now if Christ be the End of all the Works of God the Father God in all that ever He aim'd at in His Councils from Eternity He did aim at the setting up of the Honour of Christ and at His own Honour in Him and by Him Therefore surely He is my Life He is that I aim at He is the End of my Life And all the Glory that God the Father hath from all His Creatures it is through Him Ephes 3. 21. Then while I live to Him I serve the greatest Designs that God the Father hath I am useful unto God in the greatest Designs that ever He had from Eternity or ever shall have and therefore for me to live is Christ Thus you have the opening of what the Apostle saith Now then by way of Application for this In the first place Learn to Examine your Hearts from this what your Life is Examine in this thing what is your Life Whether you can say as the Apostle here did To me to live is Christ What do you account your Lives to be It would be a very near Point if God would but help you to understand it and seriously to weigh it I say What do you account your Lives
the Gospel in the Heart and for the Heart to keep it It is a very great and close Mercy a greater Mercy than to have Christ to be Born of the Body of a Woman in Luke 11. 27. And it came to pass as He spake these things a certain Woman lift up her voice and said unto Him Blessed is the Womb that Bare thee and the Paps which thou hast Sucked But He said Yea rather blessed are they which hear the Word of God and keep it Those that when they have heard the Word of the Gospel and shall keep it in their Hearts and not let it Vanish away from them but keep it I say in their Power and Life upon their Hearts they are rather Blessed than the Womb was Blessed that Bare Jesus Christ or than the Paps were Blessed that gave Jesus Christ Suck I suppose there is no Woman here but would account her self a blessed Woman if her Womb had Porn Jesus Christ and if her Paps had given Jesus Christ Suck Now here is a greater Blessedness than this for a Woman to hear the Word of the Gospel Preached unto her and to have this Word of the Gospel to rest in her Heart and for her to keep it in her heart in the Power and Life and Efficacy of it this Woman now hath a greater Blessing than if she had Born Jesus Christ in her Womb. Surely it is a great Blessing to have the blessed things of the Gospel to be kept in the Soul after the hearing of them And further A great Mercy because there is such a wonderful Power in the good things of the Gospel and therefore it must needs be a great Mercy to have those things abide upon the Heart They have such a mighty power to work good upon the Heart a mighty Convincing power they have to Convince any Soul in the World Let a Man or Woman be never so Wicked or Prophane yet there are such blessed Truth in the Gospel that is enough to Convince his Soul I say though it be never so vile and to take his Heart And we have little Cause to fear the working upon the Hearts of People only if we could but procure this that those things that we Speak might but abide upon their Hearts If we were but sure that what we Deliver in the Name of God would but abide upon their Spirits we need not fear the working upon any Soul Living let them be never so Vile there is such a mighty Power and Efficacy in those blessed things of the Gospel when they come to be Revealed And so there is a mighty Comforting power to Comfort the Soul with such Consolation as is Infinitely above all Consolation that ever it was Acquainted withal before There is a mighty Power to resist any Temptation If the Truths of God were but kept in the Soul we might make little of all Temptations in the World The Devil could have little hope to prevail with any Temptations if the Word of the Gospel did but abide upon the Heart of a Man or Woman that doth hear it This is the advantage that the Devil hath at any time when one hath been hearing of the Word if he knows that the Word is past from them and it doth not abide then he can come with Temptations and makes no question of prevailing But if the Devil knows that those Truths do abide and rest upon the Soul the Devil can have little hope to prevail The Peace of God shall keep your Hearts Fro Resi shall Guard your Hearts It shall be as a Troop of Horse to keep you from Temptations from the power and strength of Temptations You complain and say O that you would do better but Temptations are so strong that they prevail upon you Why are Temptations so strong It is because thy Soul is not acquainted with the Blessed and Glorious things of the Gospel and the Power and Life of them doth not abide upon thy Spirit And likewise the Truths of the Gospel O they have a mighty deal of Power to cleanse your Hearts 1 Pet. 2. 20. There you have mentioned the Power of the Knowledg of the Gospel when it abides in one that might be an Hypocrite and therefore not of that Efficasie that the true saving Knowledg is Yet Observe what is said there For if after they have escaped the Pollutions of the World through the Knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Now then If that Knowledg have such a cleansing Power O what Power then hath the true saving Power of the great things of the Gospel and the Glorious things of it to Cleanse the Heart Yea If those Truths do abide upon the Spirits they have a Transforming power they have a power to change the Heart into the same likeness According to that Scripture 2 Cor. 3. 18. But we all with open face beholding as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Now this Gospel of the Lord is nothing else but the good things of the Gospel We behold them and that as with open Face as we do behold the Gospel of the Lord. And what then We are changed into the same Image Oh! this is a Blessed abiding it is a Blessed thing for the things of the Gospel to rest upon the Soul Why Because they have such a Power in them to Change the Heart to Transform the Heart into the very Image of them and the Truths of the Gospel have the clearest Image of God upon them the Glory of God is Imprinted upon the Truths of the Gospel Now that these should rest upon the Spirit it must needs be a great Mercy Another is this It is that which makes them indeed to be Saving All those Blessed things of the Gospel that are Revealed they never come to be Saving until they come to rest upon the Soul to be got into the Heart and there to dwell and rest Mark that Scripture in James 1. 21. Wherefore lay a part all Filthiness and Superstuity of Naughtiness and receive with Meekness the Ingraffed Word which is able to save your Souls Mark Receive with Meekness the Word But how The Ingraffed Word which is able to save your Souls The Word of God can never save your Souls till it comes to be an Ingraffed Word Now these things I premise to shew you the Excellency of this that so I might have the more ground for an Exhortation by and by To labour to keep the Word of God I mean those Truths of the Gospel that at any times comes to be discovered to you Now by way of Application as brief as may be First In the First place Hence we see cause the Ministers of the Gospel especially see cause bitterly to Lament the want of this in their Auditory ordinarily It 's true There are few that are faithful Preachers of the Gospel but they do find that
and to do or Suffer any thing in the World though but upon this Supposition That if God shall be pleased but to Bless my Ministry then the Lord shall make me an Instrument to bring Peace to that place even Peace between God and their Souls to be the Means to Convey all the good unto them that Jesus Christ hath Purchased by His Blood This seem'd to be the Encouragement that God gave to Jeremiah in Chap. 36. And that was in another kind Jeremiah was to go and reveal the Threats of God but Mark what his Encouragement was in ver 3. It may be that the House of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them that they may return every man from his evil way that I may forgive their Iniquity and their Sin Saith the Lord to Jeremiah Go about this Work though it be a hard Work and let this be your Encouragement It may be Though but upon a may be The House of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them that they may return every man from his evil way that I may forgive their Iniquity and their Sin Now if this were Jeremiah's Encouragement surely a greater Encouragement it is for a Minister to go and Preach the Gospel upon a meer May be that there are some that shall Entertain the Gospel And we find it was Paul's Encouragement in divers Scriptures as I might shew you but that 's most Notable in 2 Tim. 1. 10. But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ who hath Abolished Death and hath brought Life and Immortality to Light through the Gospel Whereunto I am appointed a Preacher and an Apostle and a Teacher of the Gentiles Mark saith He The Gospel reveals Jesus Christ who hath Abolished Death and hath brought Life and Immortality to light And saith he God hath appointed me to be a Teacher of this For the which Cause I also suffer these things I am content to go on in this Work of the Gospel whatsoever I suffer What Is this the Errand that I am sent about to go and Preach the Gospel that brings Life and Immortality to light Let me Suffer what can be I am content to go on in this Work O It is a glorious Errand that I am sent about If it please God I speed but upon one Soul O it were worth my Life So the excellent Fruit that should come upon the Entertainment of the Gospel is here given to these Disciples for their Encouragement in the Ministry Now what is it that should Encourage the Heart of a Minister in his Work more than these Three things First That he shall be an Instrument to glorifie God Secondly An Instrument to do good to Souls Thirdly He shall have a Crown of Glory so much the more These Three things are the greatest Encouragements in the World to any gracious Heart First That he shall be an Instrument of the Glory of God For one to live to be Instrumental of the Glory of God must needs make his Life comfortable whatsoever he suffer Now there can be no such Glory that any Creature can be made a greater Instrument of than the Glory that God hath from Souls that are Sav'd by Jesus Christ It is the highest Glory that God hath from all His Creatures that there should be some Souls that should understand Jesus Christ that should admire at Him should glorifie God in Jesus Christ It is the highest Glory that God doth Injoy in Heaven next unto the Glory that He hath in Himself and in His Son that is in the Trinity But for the Glory that He hath Ab extra from His Creatures that is the highest Glory that ever God had or shall have Now for the Lord to make a Man to be an Instrument of this To bring some Souls to be Eternally Glorifying God for Jesus Christ O It is worth all a Mans Strength though he should shorten his Life Seven Years yet if there be but One or Two Souls brought by his Ministry that shall Injoy the good things in Christ this is well worth the Labour and Pains For indeed in this the Lord doth honour Men more than Angels The Lord hath not put the Angels in Heaven upon such an Honourable work as this to be the Embassadors of God and Christ for Reconciliation The Lord hath not committed the Word of Reconciliation to Angels to go and Preach that in an Ordinary way They are not Deputed by Christ to be as His Officers We never read of any such thing in the Word of God though they be sometimes Appointed to be Ministring Spirits for the good of Gods Elect to Help them to Comfort them to Avenge them of their Enemies but we never read that the Word of Reconciliation was Committed to them and to the Ministers of the Gospel And therefore there is no such Glory that they can bring to God as the Lord is Pleased to make Man to be an Instrument of In this the Lord doth Honour Man more than the Angels that he shall be Appointed to be the great Ordinance under Jesus Christ for the bringing of Souls unto Jesus Christ and so the bringing of them to Magnifie the Infinite Riches of the Grace of God in Christ to all Eternity Now Is not this worth any ones Labour and Life O what Encouragement is this whatsoever one suffers in it Secondly Can there be next unto this a greater Encouragement than to be an Instrument of good to our Brethren of good to Mankind Those are the most happy Men in the World that are the most Useful for Mankind that the Lord shall be Pleased to make Use of for the good of Mankind and therefore it should Teach all to be as Serviceable as they can to others For the Happiness and the true Comfort of a Mans Life it doth not depend in this That he can get an Estate and go Brave and Fine and Eat and Drink of the best but it is in this That the Lord will make him useful in his place an Instrument of good to others It is a very Comfortable thing for any that are Chief in a place where they Live that the Lord makes them Instruments of the Civil good of the places where they are Of the good of the People for their Bodies to keep them in Peace and Order But to be Appointed by God to be an Instrument of Soul-good of Eternal good this is a higher Priviledge that God doth grant in His Mercy to some And it might be a mighty Encouragement the Considering of this What saith Saint James speaking to Christians to Encourage them to Labour to do good to their Brethren Brethren If any of you do erre from the Truth and one Convert him Let him know that he which Converteth a sinner from the Errour of his Way shall save a Soul from Death and shall hide a multitude of sins Let him know saith he that he
to it Why lest he be angry lest the Son of God be angry The anger of the Son of God is a dreadful anger the Anger of God the Father is dreadful and yet the Anger of the Son of God in some respect is more dreadful as the Anger of the Holy Ghost is most dreadful of all because the Scripture saith The sin against him can never be forgiven And next Kiss the Son and that because there is so much Mercy in the Son therefore if he be rejected his anger is so much the more dreadful And lest you perish in the mid-way that is when you hope to live many years to have many more Merry-meetings with your Companions and do not think your selves to be nigh to perishing saith the Text In the mid way the Lord comes upon such when they least think of it The Lord comes upon many and cuts them off in the middle of their years This Consideration no question it was in part that caused Saint Paul when the Lord Christ was Revealed to him that he dared not put off a day no saith the Text Gal. 1. 15 16. When it pleased God who seperated me from my Mothers Womb and called me by his Grace to reveal his Son in me that I might Preach him among the Heathen immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood immediately as soon as ever God was pleased to reveal Christ to me or in me I did not confer with flesh and blood that is I dar'd not so much as Reason about the difficulty of the way or what I should suffer if I took this course I dar'd not go to my Company and take their Advice and Counsel No saith he but as soon as ever the Lord was pleased to reveal Christ in me I presently went about the Work and so in the 26th of the Acts where he tells the story of his Conversion speaking of Gods revealing himself to him in that glorious way of a Vision Whereupon O King Agrippa I was not disobedient to the Heavenly Vision the very first Vision I presently submitted to Paul he fell down and said Lord what wilt thou have me to do upon the first manifestation of Christ unto him O do you take heed that you be not disobedient to the Heavenly Vision perhaps together with the Ministry of the Word the Lord may grant to some of your Souls a Vision that is he may come with his Spirit and shew some of the Glory of his Son to you O be not disobedient to the Heavenly Vision but immediately yield to it and confer not with flesh and blood O but you will say this is hard you come at first and say Peace to us but this is very severe to tell us how quick the Lord is But Observe it It is but severity to those that put off Mercy then if you love Mercy so well what need you fear this Severity But further Know that upon your receiving of the Gospel the Lord will be as quick with you in wayes of Mercy as he is in Judgments to those that do reject it You will say How quick will the Lord be in the wayes of his Mercy Thus quick that upon thy receiving the Gospel and Believing the very first instant of thy receiving it thou shalt be delivered from all thy sin the guilt of all thy sin thou shalt be made as clear from the guilt of sin as the Child that is new born and more clear a great deal How quick is God now Yea thou shalt be made as clear from the guilt of all thy great sins that thou hast committed I say as clear from the guilt of them as the Saints are in Heaven and this at the first moment of thy Entertaining of Jesus Christ thou shalt be as clear as Abraham Isaac and Jacob thou shalt be equal with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the point of thy Justification yea in regard of any guilt of sin thou shalt be as unspotted before the Lord as the Saints are in Heaven O the Lord is willing to be quick with you in wayes of Mercy Now then consider of both Here we set Life and Death before you we know it is not in Mens power indeed but we know God doth use to Bless his Ministry so as to convey power by his Ministry God is quick both wayes upon Entertaining he is quick in wayes of Mercy presently to clear the Soul from all those horrible Wicked Sins that thou hast been guilty of and if thou shalt reject it then thou may'st fear that the Lord will be quick with thee another way O consider what hath been said in this Point and in this Text and the Lord give you understanding FINIS Doct. Appl. Obs Exhort His house being visited it was thought he was Dead Doctr. Doctr. Appl. Vse Doct. 2. Doct. 3. Reas 1. Appl. Doct. 2 Doct. Appl. Doct. 2 Appl. Doct. 3. Reas Doct. Doct. Doct. 1 2. 3. Appl. Doct. Appl.
be full when they can tell how to pick out the temptation to enjoy the thing and yet avoid the temptation There are some because they hear there are many temptations in the enjoyment of the comforts of the Creature they think there is no way but to fling away the Creature As that Aristippus because he saw that so many were hurt by their wealth he cast his money into the Sea saying I will drown you least you should drown me Now this is not to learn how to be full that is because I would avoid the temptation not to enjoy the comfort and the blessing as many men and women through weakness and tenderness of conscience being afraid that they shall get hurt by the use of the Creatures that God doth give them Upon that they deny themselves abundance of comfort in the Creature that they should have Now though God may accept of their desires to honour him and of their fearfulness of sinning against him but yet this argues a great deal of weakness The strength of a Christian is to enjoy Gods Creatures to take the use of that that God doth afford to take out the sweetness and yet to avoid the temptation to take away that that 's good and cast away that that is naught As there 's many kind of Meats which you may not eat all of them and a child who must either have all or none you will not give it meat that hath something mingled with it that is naught because he knows not how to pick it out But now one that hath understanding he knows how to pick out the good and fling away the naught and not to fling it all away because there 's something that is naught as well as good Now that 's the third thing and there 's very few that understand this Lesson but they must swallow down all without thinking of any temptation that is annexed to the fullness that they do enjoy Fourthly Then doth a man know how to be full when he can have all that he doth enjoy under his command and he can have the command of his own spirit in what he doth enjoy As thus when he is not a slave to what he hath but he makes what he hath a slave to him Some men that are rich you say they have such possessions the truth is their possessions have them rather than they their possessions they are under their possessions But now Then a man knows how to be full when all that he hath he makes his underling he makes his servants he makes it to be serviceable to him and he can command any thing that he hath according as there is use of it He will never be a servant to his servant It 's a sordid disposition for any man or woman to be a servant to their servant but now to your Estates you will be a servant they shall command you and your Credit and you will be a servant But it 's a sign you know not how to be full As a man doth not know how to rule if he will be under his servant so he doth not know how to be full except he hath a command over what he doth enjoy in the world yea and a command over his own spirit in the use of what he doth enjoy That 's thus When a man or woman can let out as much of his heart to the Creature as is useful and no more and can call it in again when there is cause As ordinarily people do not let out their spirits a little to joy but they let them out so as they have no command over their spirits but they have lost the command of their spirits they cannot call in their spirits again to be serious and humble and to be mourning for sin when God calls them to it As now for instance when you say you will be merry and go and visit your friends and have good cheer God gives you leave to do so if you know how to make use of this But now Do not you let out your hearts so far as you cannot call them in again you let them out so that when you should come at night to go and humble your souls before God in prayer your hearts are light and vain and you have no command over your spirits at all and perhaps the next day you are worse for it It s just with your hearts as with little Children let them have but their wills a little while and you shall have no rule over them for many dayes many weeks after So when you let your hearts have liberty a little while to rejoyce in the Creature you have little command over your hearts for many weeks after Now you may be merry Religion keeps not one from mirth but yet so as to have a command over our spirits that I can call my heart in again when there is occasion I will rejoyce in the Creature I but I will reserve my chief joy for something else there is something else that I am to rejoyce in more than in the use of the Creature If you let out your heart so when you rejoyce in the Creature as you make it your chief joy your onely joy your joy is not right But it is not so with the heart that knows how to be full Fifthly Then hath a man or woman learned how to be full when they can so use the creatures of God as yet they are in a readiness to part with all their comforts if God will call for them If I enjoy comfort but in such a manner as my heart lies down before God ready prepared to give up those comforts that I do enjoy whenever God will have me Then I have learned to be full When a man or woman shall have their hearts taken so with the Creature as they cannot leave them whatever comes of them They must preserve their Estate now having had full Estates and lived full handed they cannot live meanly rather venture upon sin or any thing in the world to preserve their Estates O how is it possible for a man as hath had such bringing up as I saith one now to be put to straits that I can scarce have bread And upon this the hearts of men rather then they will come to part with the comforts of the Creature when God would have them they will keep them as it were whether God will or no. O thou hast not learned how to be full If thy heart were right in thy fulness thou wouldst take the comfort of the Creature when God gives them But Lord If thou hast use of them any other way here I am do with me what thou pleasest The Lord gives and the Lord takes and blessed be the Name of the Lord. I 'll take them as long as thou wilt have me and when thou wilt sanctifie thy Name in my want Lord take them We are too eager upon the Creature when our hearts cleave to it and we cannot be taken
these things but to have the effectual working of these things upon the heart that 's not so easie To sanctifie Gods Name in the Fire Carnal hearts they have many poor things to help themselves in their Afflictions They say this It is my ill Fortune this befel me and another saith this This befals all Men one or other it 's common Others say thus We must we cannot help it and we must submit to it Another thinks thus Why I hope it will be over These are poor Reasonings to work upon the heart in the day of Affliction But now a gracious heart should get up higher above all these It is the Lord and there look into the Counsels of God and seek to know the Mind of God and to sanctifie the Name of God O Grace my Brethren hath many Excellencies in it but among other things this is not the least That it hath such a mighty Power to help Men in the day of their Affliction a mighty Power to sweeten the heart and to take away the sting and evil of all Afflictions and to carry the Soul on comfortably in the time of all Dangers and Trials O labour to have this wrought upon your hearts For by this you will manifest much Beauty in Grace much Excellency in Grace it will be a means to Convince all that are about you All those that profess Godliness should labour to behave themselves so as to do that that others cannot do in the time of Affliction They should then shew what Grace can do As David in another Case said to the King of Achish Thou shalt see what thy Servant can do So now in the time of Affliction a gracious heart should put it to this Come let 's see what Grace can do And certainly this will be the way for removing of Afflictions sooner when the heart is brought thus to yield unto the Lord Wherefore that you may bring your hearts to this in the day of your Affliction labour in the constant Course of your Life to Converse much with God Those that walk with God according to the Text that you know I am upon and Converse much with God in the day of their Health why their hearts will in a kind of Natural-way work up to God in the time of Affliction then the Thoughts of God will be as suitable to thee as Fire is to Fire Fire ascends up to Fire because of the suitableness of the Fire that is here to that that is above Why so the heart will work up to God in a kind of Natural-way because God is so suitable to the heart the heart having so much Converse with God in the day of Prosperity And labour throughly to Convince your hearts of this thing That there is no Good in any Creature but only in the Reference that it hath to God There is no Good in Health in Liberty in your Names in your Lives in your Estates any further than they have some Reference to God the infinite first Good the chief and high Good It 's an easie matter in a way of Reason to Convince any one that this is a Truth But now to have this Principle indeed wrought upon your heart not only to say so in a way of Arguing but I account in my Soul of no good in any thing further than it hath reference to God As now I have for the present Health of Body Where doth the good of the Health of my Body lie It is That while I have Health I have Ability to serve God and be useful in the place where God hath set me I have an Estate Wherein lies the good of it It lies in this That by this I may be Instrumental for God more than others If I Live Wherein lies the good of Life Why that I may be useful to the Church in the way wherein God hath set me Now when the heart is principled in this then if God takes away my Health then it seems God hath no further use of my Health for the present but would rather Honour Himself in another way upon me why now there is no good in my Health And if God take away my Estate then he would rather Honour Himself in the exercise of my Humility and of my Patience If God takes away my Life then God will rather have His Honour from my Soul to joyn with Angels and Saints in Honouring of Him that way rather than in Imploying of me any further in this World Such a Principle as this is would mightily help the heart in the day of Affliction Certainly our Happiness doth not depend upon what we have here in this World The reason why the heart is so troubled in the time of Affliction it is because of this That Men and Women look upon their Happiness to consist in the enjoyment of these things O no thou Dishonourest the Name of Christ and thy holy Profession to think that thy Happiness should depend upon such poor things as these are Surely Jesus Christ hath not come to shed His Blood and to purchase Happiness for the Saints and when all comes too it should be so poor as to depend upon all the uncertainty that we have in this World No no thy Happiness lies hihger Thy Life is hid with Christ in God If a man hath a Jewel worth many Thousands and his House should be on Fire why though he loses the Lumber and Stuff in the House yet if he be sure the Jewel is safe he is quiet Now the Saints they may be sure that they are safe for Eternity and therefore it is not much what other things be Oh consider of these things and work them upon your hearts That 's the Second Point But a word or two of the other that is That that which seems ill to us may seem good to God It is the Lord let Him do what seemeth Him good Certainly for the present it did not seem very good to Ely If that Ely's judgement had been askt of those things Ely would have said that they had been very sad I but as I remember Luther once said when he was Condemn'd and Rail'd upon at Noremberg saith he There 's one thing Concluded at Noremberg and another thing Concluded in Heaven In Heaven there 's not the same Judgment of my Cause as at Noremberg And so it may be said concerning Affliction There 's one thing many times Concluded in my Wretched Weak Foolish and Unbelieveing Heart and another thing in Heaven One thing concluded in the world and in mens rumours and another thing in Heaven It 's some comfort to a man though he hears rumours abroad in the world if then he can have his own heart to contradict them If he had nothing else to think but this Well that that 's spoken in the World is one thing and that that I find in my heart is another that 's comfortable But this is greater comfort Thou art my portion saith my Soul saith the
Delights he knows not how to deny himself in them but now a Man that hath another Life beyond this he can deny himself in these things 2 Cor. 14. 11. See what the Apostle saith there concerning himself For we saith he who live are alwayes delivered unto Death for Jesus sake that the Life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our Mortal Flesh Even this Mortal Flesh that must Die ere long in suffering for Christ here it doth manifest the Life of Christ And is it not a greater good to us to have our Mortal Flesh to manifest the Life of Christ than to have our Mortal Flesh to live here a Natural life We would be loath to have this flesh of our Bodies to be dead flesh While we are willing to suffer for Christ this flesh of ours doth manifest the very Life of Jesus Christ Therefore the Saints are dead to the World but they are alive to Jesus Christ But thus much for this first Part To me to live is Christ And to die is Gain To whom Christ is to live to them Death is gain The more we enjoy Christ and live to Christ here the more gainful will death be to us and the more shall we be able to look upon death as Gain And here we have a Scripture if we had no other sufficient to prove the Immortallity of the Soul How could death be Gain unto the Apostle if so be that the Soul should die together with the Body Indeed Christ would be Gain for another Life hereafter that is at the Day of Judgment there Christ would be Gain And those that do deny the Immortallity of the Soul yet they are not so vile as some take them To think that Man should Die like a Beast and there 's an end of him and that there shall be no Resurrection No But those that do deny the Immortallity of the Soul they say That though the Soul dies with the Body yet at the Day of Judgment both Soul and Body shall rise again and live for ever But all they deny is this That the Soul between Death and the Day of Judgment shall live They think that the Soul between Death and the Day of Judgment shall die and then by the Almighty Power of God they shall be both raised again That 's their Opinion But though it be not so bad as some would make it yet an Opinion false For this Text shews that Paul was in a straight he knew not whether to live or die but that was the conclusion that it was better for him to die for then he should be with Christ He could not mean that when he was dead he should be with Christ when the general Resurrection comes but he must needs mean that he should be with Christ immediately after his death and enjoy another manner of communion with Jesus Christ than he did here while he was living And it is upon this account that he saith It is gain for him to die Why Paul enjoyed much communion with Jesus Christ here and though he had some sin in him yet considering the Grace he had and the Service he did for Christ certainly it were better for him to live than to be in a condition where he should enjoy nothing of Christ and do no Service for Christ But the Apostle lookt upon the State of death before the day of Judgment to be a better Estate than that he had while he lived Though saith he I have the Grace of Christ and I do Service for Him yet there is a better condition between Death and Judgment If my Soul were gone from my Body it would be in a better Estate than now it is To me to die is gain and so you have it in 2 Cor. where the Apostle speaks of his departing out of the Body in Chap. 5. Therefore we are alwayes confident knowing that whilst we are at Home in the Body we are absent from the Lord. We are confident in verse 8. I say and willing rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord. So that 't is apparent that upon the Souls absence from the Body it is present with the Lord. Now if the Soul did die as the Body doth it were not present with the Lord no not so much as when it is in the Body But now the Apostle saith That when it is out of the Body then it 's present with the Lord and when it is in the Body it is absent from the Lord. And so it is upon this Ground especially that the Apostle saith That to him to die was Gain Because he should be absent from the Body but present with Christ which is best of all To be with Christ it is more than to have Christ with us The difference lies here For us to be with Christ it is for us to be brought to Christ where He is like Himself in all His Glory and Excellency and for us to enjoy Him in a proportionable way But now for Christ to be Immanuel God with us it is for Christ to come down as it were to us and to manifest so much of Himself as is sutable to our condition Therefore Christ humbles Himself to come to be with us For there He is a Man of Sorrows He is with us sutable to our Mean and Low condition but when we come to be with Him we are there sutable to His High and Glorious condition There lies the difference Mark The Apostle doth not here say To me to die is Gain Upon this Ground Because I shall be delivered from my Troubles As a great many are ready to think it were well for me to be Dead If they be but a little discountented their outward Trouble makes them willing to go out of the World Yea and if their Bodies be weakly and their Stomachs gone and cannot Eat as others do or Sleep as others do or are very Poor and Live in a mean Condition they are weary of this World Now to think death Gain upon such a poor Ground as these is not according to the Spirit of Paul Paul suffered as much as many of you do for outward things in this World and yet he did not desire to die O then I shall be Afflicted no more be Persecuted no more in the World no but when I die I shall be with Jesus Christ and shall enjoy Communion with Him and it 's this that makes me look upon Death with comfort and in this respect it's Gain Though Paul had enjoyed all the World at will yet he would have accounted Death to have been Gain to him And though Paul was a Man of great Esteem among the Saints though Persecuted by others yet death was Gain to him Yea though Paul enjoyed all Ordinances yet Christ was Gain to him And though he did a great deal of Service for Christ as I verily believe there was never any Man since the World was made did more Service for Jesus Christ
Therefore surely it 's Gain to die for a Godly Man 7ly Further It 's Gain in this respect When they receive immediately they shall receive all United in one and all together They shall have such Influence from Christ as hath all Good united in one Beam of Excellency and so receive it all together As now a Man may take the Quintesence of several Herbs there 's this Herb hath this Virtue another another and a third a third but now if you Still all these Herbs together you will have the Virtue and Quintesence of all in one Drop So Christ here scatters His Excellencies one in one Creature another in another but when we come to enjoy Him immediately then we shall have all in one because all His Excellencies whatsoever is united in one in Him Eighthly Further all our Good shall be in continal Act. Here we have a great deal of Good in the Habit but now when we come to have this Immediate communion with Christ there all our Graces shall be Acted continually The Sun you know how it doth Act the Earth whatsoever there is in the Earth it draws it forth and makes it flourish So the Presence of the Sun of Righteousness Oh how Gloriously will it Act all our Graces In Numb 17. 7. We read of Aarons Rod it Blossom'd And the Text saith It Blossom'd before the Lord. When the Souls of the Saints shall be before the Lord and be in the Presence of the Lord Christ O they shall Blossom and Flourish and all their Graces shall Flourish in a most Glorious manner Ninthly And then lastly We shall enjoy what is in Christ without any Intermission What 's the reason of any Intermission here But something that comes between Christ and our Souls But now when there shall be nothing between Christ and the Soul then there will be no Intermission That Sweetness and Comfort thou hast in communion with Christ at any time thou shalt have it at all times And how good is that O saith many a Soul could I have but the communion with Christ at all times as I have at some times O that would be comfortable Now when the Soul hath Immediate communion with Christ it shall have it at all times What 's the reason of Ecclipses It is the Interposition between the Moon and the Sun or some Interposition between the Sun and us So our Ecclipses of the Light that we have from Christ it is some Interposition Take away the Interposition and then there will be no Intermission Now put all these together and is it not Gain to Die and to be with Christ Now by way of Use It is Gain thus to be with Christ Hence then If it be Gain for one that doth so much Service for Christ as Paul did surely than those that are Believers and are made little Use of in any Service for Christ they will get by their Death Paul was a Man that one would wonder how the Churches could spare him he did so much for Christ and yet Paul would get by Death If thou beest a Believer thou shalt have thy Immediate communion with Christ as Paul had Alas here while thou Livest thou hast but little communion between Christ and thee and doest Him but little Service in the World Then why should you so much desire to Live in the World that have nothing to Countervail the Trouble that you have and the Sin that is committed in the World O surely it will be gain for you Secondly Hence it follows That it is a Self-denial to a Believer to be willing to Live here in the World You will say If it be so much Gain why should any be so desirous to Live It 's this first Nature will have its work though in their Judgments they are convinc't that it 's better to be with Christ yet the Body will be working and the Affections will follow the Body very much Further Though they be convinc't that it is Gain yet God lays a Tie upon them to preserve their Lives as long as they can here in this World in Obedience to God They do desire to avoid Dangers and Preserve their Lives It is not for them to be where it is best for them to be but to be where God would have them to be and therefore God doth charge them to seek to Preserve their Lives and to go on till He Himself shall Dissolve the Body and Soul It 's God that is the Lord of our Life and as God gave us our Lives so it is He that must take them away and not any Body else But yet I say there is some Self-denial in it We must look upon our selves here as in a very Low and Mean condition in comparison of what we hope to be within a while after Therefore observe this one Note Those that do believe the Gain of Death they had need Labour what they can to countervail the Forbearance of the Gain by somewhat or other If a Man hath a great Gain and it comes not in his present Possession he thinks What shall I have for my Forbearance You will say What is it that any Believer can have in lieu of his Forbearance of that Gain Truly the most Excellent thing is this that he may do Christ Service while he Lives Now then Is that the main thing O learn from hence to be of as much use in your Lives as possibly you can for you have nothing else to speak of in Forbearance of that great Gain Why Lord I expect to enjoy Thee for ever before long but thou art pleased to Prolong my Life here for a while in the mean time I meet with many Temptations and Troubles and Vexations and much Sin I have But yet Lord thou knowest it 's my desire to Honour Thee and Serve Thee and through Thy Mercy I am some way or other Serviceable to Thee in the Place where Thou hast set me and Lord this is the thing contents me while I am absent from Thee Thirdly Hence we see the great Difference that there is between the death of a Believer and the death of a Wicked Man I shewed you I remember in the death of an Ungodly Man when the siery Serpent comes with his Sting and takes him in his Natural Estate Death is not Gain to such a one O no death takes away all his Gain But now death is the greatest Gain to the Saints That 's an excellent Scripture you have in 1 Cor. 3. the latter end Whether Paul or Appollos or Cephas or the World or Life or Death or Things present or Things to come all is yours In Christ Death comes to be made yours Death is part of the Possession of the Saints O the difference between the death of the Saints and the death of Wicked and Ungodly Men Do but put two Men a Wicked Man and a Godly Man lying both together upon their Death-Beds you must take a wicked Man that hath an enlightned
come among them But Thirdly Ministers are to bring the Message of Peace to a People The great Errand that a Minister of the Gospel comes about it is to bring Peace it is to be a Messenger of Peace unto you And indeed the Ministry of the Gospel doth many times bring outward Peace unto a People When was there ever a Kingdom upon the Face of the Earth that hath had longer continuance of outward Peace than England hath had And the Reason why our outward Peace is taken from the Kingdom for the present it is because the Ministry of the Gospel hath been Rejected and the Sword comes to Avenge the Covenant of the Lord it comes to Avenge the Rejection of the Gospel of Peace and if we reject the Gospel of peace God saith we shall not have outward peace for our State If we will not imbrace peace for our Souls we shall not have outward peace for our Bodies But though the Ministry of the Word bring you outward peace many times yet the main thing it is to bring is Spiritual peace Peace be to you As if the Apostles should say We are come unto you from the Great God of gods to be the Embassadors of peace for your Souls to Preach unto you the Doctrine of Peace between God and you This is the great Errand that we come about Peace be to you And saith the Apostle To us is committed the Word of Reconciliation That 's the great thing that is committed to Ministers to Preach to a People the Word of Peace The Work that they are sent about it is to Treat between God and man upon Terms of peace It is I say to Treat with your Souls for peace that you might come to have peace with God that a Blessed peace might be made between God and you This is the great Errand that they come about and whatsoever they Preach to you else if it be to shew you what your miserable Condition is yet it is in order to this still To bring peace to your Souls And indeed all Faithful Ministers are careful of this to shew at the very first what their Scope is it is to bring them to Life and Salvation But that in the next point But this certainly ought to be their Scope whatsoever is Preached it must Aim at the great Treaty between God and their Souls for Reconciliation Our Scope when we come to Preach unto you it is not so much to Civilise you to enveigh against Notorious crying Sins Drunkards and Whore-Masters and Thieves and Blasphemers though according as we meet with these things in the Road we are to speak against them But suppose we should cry out against these sins this were good and we had cause to bless God for it I but we had not done our Work the great Work that we are to do it is to Treat with your Souls about peace with God to shew you how the Enmity that is between your Souls and God naturally is to be taken away that so there may be a blessed Reconciliation between God and you This is the great Errand of the Ministers of the Gospel unto a People and if this be the Errand of it Then what an Honourable Work is this to set Man about And the truth is it is in some regard a more Honourable Work than ever Angels were sent about God doth not send the Angels about this Work to Treat with Mankind about Terms of Peace with God They are made Ministring Spirits for the good of Gods Elect and are made by God to be Executioners against Wicked men But we never Read that God hath committed the Word of Reconciliation to Angels God hath not appointed them to be the Preachers of Peace to People therefore it is the most Honourable Work that ever Creature was set about to come to a place and say Peace be to this place in the Name of God And being it is such a Work as this O how Detestable and Vile and Cursed is Laziness or Idleness in any one that should profess himself a Minister of the Gospel What Come about such a Work as this to be an Embassador of Reconciliation from the Great God of Heaven and Earth O he should have his Heart and Thoughts taken up about this Night and Day he should be Studying how he should Manage this great Work that God sends him about to poor People And O how acceptable should the Ministry of the Gospel be unto you You need not fear any hurt it will do It is but to Treat with your Souls about peace with God there 's all that is intended in this Ministry Do not fear it though things sometimes are spoken that you apprehend to be Terrible to you yet all tend to this end To bring peace unto you Therefore as the Prophet in Isa 52. 7. saith How beautiful upon the Mountains are the Feet of him that bringeth good Tidings that publisheth peace O his very Feet should be beautiful in your Eyes This Scripture the Apostle doth quote in Rom. 10. 15. How shall they Preach except they be sent As it is written How beautiful are the Feet of them that Preach the Gospel of Peace Here it is That bring good Tidings So indeed the great Work of the Gospel it is nothing else but a good Message good Tidings and so our English word is to the same effect good News good Tidings And certainly did People but understand what the Scope of Christ were to carry things about so in the wayes of His Providence to bring Ministers of the Gospel to Preach peace to their Souls It could not be but they should open their very hearts unto them We read of Noah when he sent forth his Dove after the Ark had been a long time upon the Waters the Dove brings an Olive Branch to the Ark and Noah puts forth his hand and takes in the Dove The Ministers of the Gospel are as this Dove and they come with an Olive Leaf in their Mouths and they do not get it from the Wilderness but they take it from Paradice they bring it from the Scriptures from those Blessed things of the Gospel that are revealed in the Word and bring it to your Souls Now therefore you should open your hearts and take in the blessed Message of Peace and Reconciliation And then further If so be that this be the great Work of the Ministers of the Gospel what a vile World is this that can hardly bear with the Ministers nor Ministry of the Gospel but accounts them to be great Disturbers of the places where they Live So they did to the Prophets and Apostles Elisha Art not thou the troubler of Israel And so of Paul He was said to be a Pestilent fellow The Apostles were said to turn the World up side-down And so Luther he was said to be the very Trumpet of Rebellion so he was called by Ungodly men It is not a New thing for the World to have
such an Esteem of Ministers of the Gospel And what do they do It is only Preaching peace to the Souls of Men. But Lastly If this be so That the Errand is to bring Peace to your Souls Then hence you Learn what you are to come for when you come to hear Sermons you hear that at such a time there is such a Sermon or a new Man there is come among you and you come to hear what he can say or you hear that in such or such a place there is a very witty Man and of Excellent parts and you come to hear what he can say But alass you deceive your own Souls all this while You should come with a Disposition of Spirit I am now going to hear the Doctrine of Peace between God and my Soul to attend upon the Ministry of Reconciliation this day And though the very word be not spoken of Peace yet the Word that doth tend to the making peace between God and my Soul And indeed when you feel the Ministry of the Gospel working of your Hearts into peace with God then hath it had the true genuine proper Effect upon your Hearts that God hath appointed it for But if you only shall sit under the Ministry of the Word and it may be only Gain some further knowledge in the things of Religion that you never knew before or be inabled to Discourse of something in Divinity more than you could before What 's this to the Fruit of the Ministry of the Gospel No But can you say Blessed be God the Lord hath made known to my Soul what my Estate was by Nature The Lord hath opened to me the Doctrine of Reconciliation The Lord hath shewn to my Soul how I am to make peace with God and that in another manner of way than ever I thought of I come now to see it to be another manner of Mistery of Godliness than ever I imagined before Can you say so now Hath the Gospel had this end of it upon your Hearts O then it hath had the Effect that the Lord doth send it for And thus much for the Third Note of Observation That the Work of Ministers is to bring Peace the Message of Peace to People Observ 4. The Fourth Point is this That the Ministers of the Gospel are to offer Peace unto every one For so you have it Into whatsoever House ye enter say Peace be to it Offer terms of Peace to it If you come to a place where there are the most Notorious sinners of all yet offer peace to them Though they be the most Prophane and Ungodly people that should Live yet offer peace to them Though they be Old sinners that have Liv'd a long time in most vile sins yet offer peace to them Into whatsoever House you come you have a Command to offer peace in the Name of God even to them For my Brethren the Merit of Christ it is of such infinite value that we may if we knew what the meaning of that is comfortably offer peace to the most Notorious vile sinners that do Live upon the Face of the Earth We read of Christ that He would have His Disciples to go and Preach in the High-wayes Mat. 22. Saith Christ unto His Servants Go your wayes into the High-way and as many as you shall find bid to the Marriage Into the High-wayes to Note those that were the most Unlikely the most Vile and Wicked Go unto them and bid them to the Marriage And in the last of Mat. 15. Go saith Christ into all the World and Preach the Gospel to every Creature They might say Lord perhaps we shall meet with some that are most Notorious Villains and Blasphemers and Prophane and Ungodly Creatures Must we Preach the Gospel to them I Go and Preach the Gospel to every Creature Into any place whatsoever you come you shall offer Peace unto them I but you will say This may harden many in their prophaneness If God would have His Ministers offer Peace to the most prophane People that are Then may some prophane one say I hope we shall do well enough then To that I answer The Lord will venture this The Lord is so desirous of Magnifying His Grace to offer it to those that belong to His Election as that He will venter the Hardning of other men If they will be Hardned saith God let them be Hardened And so Though a Minister ought to be as Careful as he can to prevent all Stumbling Blocks yet certainly he is to Venter the Hardning of many Hundreds rather than not to Preach the Gospel of God to any one Soul He should more regard the Offering of the Gospel of Peace in hope that there are some few that belong to Gods Election than to fear the Hardning of many Hundreds And if you should be Hardned by the offer of the Gospel of Peace there could be no greater Brand of your Rejection and that will make it appear that you are no such Son of Peace I but then may some say that are more Civil and Fair What if God send the Gospel to the most prophane surely there is no question but God will have mercy upon us for He doth appoint His Ministers to offer the Gospel of peace to the worst I but know what Christ saith That the Publicans and Harlots did enter into the Kingdom of God rather than the Scribes and Pharisees God offers to the worst yea many times makes it more effectual to the worst than He doth to some that are more Fair and Civil in their Conversations because indeed they do not see the need that they have of Peace I suppose you would think it to be one of the most Hard and Harsh things in the World if you should be told that all of you naturally were Enemies to God and yet there is nothing more plain in the Scripture than this Now because it is so hard to convince Civil men of this therefore they are not so soon wrought upon as prophane ones are Wherefore then my Brethren if this be so it is an Encouragement First to Ministers when they come to any place never to be troubled whatsoever people they be if he come to Preach to them and offer the Gospel of Peace to them for who knows but those that are the Worst and Vilest ones may come in and embrace the Gospel of Peace may be Vessels of Mercy and may hereafter stand and admire at the Riches of Gods Goodness and may live Eternally to Bless His Name for this blessed Peace that is made between their Souls and Himself And Secondly All you that do hear this Point stand for the present and admire at Gods Goodness that ever this should be so that ever you should hear such a Truth as this is that Christ would have His Ministers offer Terms of Peace to the Worst in the World I say Admire at this Goodness of Christ and especially you that are prophane ones stand and wonder
unto you there is something to be opened unto you about your miserable state by Nature for it is impossible to open the Doctrine of Peace and Reconciliation without the opening of that And that may well be Justified That though the First thing should be to say Peace yet before this can be opened at large unto People they must come to know what their Natural state is There is some that would at First and at Last say Peace and would have nothing else Preached and crys out against Preaching of any thing of the Law of God which is meerly through their Ignorance in not rightly understanding the Nature of the thing For though at First we are to open this Peace yet when we come to open it this hath that in the very Bowels of it that will shew the most woful Condition of man by Nature that possibly can be As for Instance Peace between God and us Why what are we Enemies Is there an Enmity between God and us Yes that comes here We cannot open the meaning of this Peace but if we come once to open it we must of necessity fall upon the Doctrine of Mans state by Nature and shew what a Breach sin hath made between God and the Soul And what infinite need there is of such a Redeemer that we could no other way be redeemed but that we must have such a Saviour that must be both God and Man Now when we come to open the Nature of this it must needs shew you what your miserable Condition is by Nature But a word or two for the Application of this God doth appoint His Ministers at First to come to you and to make the proffer of Peace unto your Souls then it should teach you presently to be willing to come and close with that Message Gods Heart is sofull of Mercy towards you as at the very First He will have this offered to you then your hearts should likewise come in as well to God and at the very First come in and close with that blessed Offer of Grace and Mercy O it is a great Encouragement to a Minister when People come in at the very First offer We have a notable Scripture for this in Psal 18. 44. Mark As soon as they hear of Me they shall obey Me. That 's indeed a blessed thing that when a People comes to hear of Christ and of the Doctrine of Reconciliation that as soon as they hear of it they shall come in presently and Obey that a Minister shall find his First Labours to be Fruitful and Effectual I could tell you of one as in 2 Cor. 12. the beginning And so I could say That I knew one Twenty Years ago or more that at the very First day of Preaching of the Doctrine of the Gospel of that Truth unto a People at the First day God pleased to bring in a Soul and continue him to this very day and make him a Godly Gracious and Holy man that was a desperate and prophane wicked Wretch before O that it might please God to Incourage the Hearts of His Ministers so that at their First coming to People they might find some Fruit of their Labours For one that is Faithful and comes among a People he looks after his Ministry and considers what he doth and what Effect that hath and so doth give account to God of what Effect that hath upon the Hearts of People And O what an Incouragement is this and how Honourable to a People if a Minister of God shall give up this account and say Lord as soon as ever thou didst send me among such a People they did begin to hearken after the Doctrine of Peace and began to Consider what it was that was spoken And they were exceedingly Hopeful by their Attention and by other wayes they have given exceeding good hope that they have received the Doctrine of Peace that Thou didst send me about And those certainly are most to be Honoured that do First come in though it's true if men come in at the last Hour there is a possibility to get to Heaven but those that come in at the First they are the most acceptable to God Mich. 7. beginning My soul desired the first ripe fruit So the Soul of God doth this day long after the First Fruits of every Minister that comes among you O He looks into this Congregation to see where shall be the First Fruits of the Ministry of such a one and of such a one that comes among you in Rom. 16. 5. It is spoken to the Honour of Epenetus That he was the First fruits of Achaia unto Christ O Epenetus he is one that God did Honour for He was the First fruits of Achaia unto Christ And it is the Honour of England that it was the First Kingdom that profest Christian Religion by the Authority of the Publick Magistrate and God hath some special regard to England to this very day I make no Question for that And so in any place when God comes to them and offers the Conditions of Peace I say they that come First in upon this First offer will be most acceptable unto God Therefore do not defer and think I may come in at last and before I die time enough But if God be so timely with thy Soul that He would have His Ministers so begin with thee do thou Answer to God and begin with this God betimes and especially you that are young ones do not you reject it O when God shall come to thy Soul and say Peace be to thee I say take heed of rejecting the First offer For you that are young what though you may be guilty of much Vanity and Folly other wayes yet it may be you have not been guilty to this very day of rejecting the offer of the Gospel O take heed of Contracting that guilt upon you Know if you do it will make you a great deal harder and that guilt will be a great deal worse than of all your other sins besides therefore come in betimes as we read in Mark 10. 17. There comes a young man running to Christ and saith Good Master what shall I do to Inherit Eternal Life He was a young Rich man a Gentleman one that had great Possessions and the Text saith he came running to Christ O that God would perswade young ones and those of Quality seeing the Lord is pleased to begin with their Souls that they would hasten and come running to Christ to know what are the Terms of Peace and Reconciliation as it is said concerning John Baptist in Mat. 11. 12. The Text saith And from the dayes of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffered violence and the Violent take it by force The meaning is this Because that this great Doctrine of Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand was not Preached before John Baptist He was the First that came to Preach this in the plainness of it in a Gospel way
come with their hearts filled with hope that there are Sons of Peace in that place and there is nothing that can incourage a faithful Minister of the Gospel to spend his time in Studying and Opening of the Mysteries of Grace more then this that he comes with his Heart filled with hope that there are some Sons of Peace in that place O do not frustrate this expectation It is a vile thing for the Ministers of the Gospel to come to any place but to gain Sons of Peace And indeed upon this expectation the heart of a faithful Minister who understands what the meaning of Peace with God is cannot but be drawn forth towards a People why he comes with this expectation and he looks after his Ministery to see what becomes of it O therefore do not frustrate the Expectations of your Ministers in this Do not give them occasion to make their Complaint that they have spent their Strength in vain Yea and further As it is the Expectation of the Ministers that Preach so it is the Expectation of all the Saints of God None of Gods People that know a place that hath Liv'd in Darkness and Blindness before but if they see the Lord by His Providence carrying the Ministry of the Gospel with Power in that place they think thus with themselves Whom is it that the Lord intends good unto Surely the Lord hath a Mercy to such a People And they will wait to see who it is that God will pitch upon O likewise Do not frustrate the Expectation that the Angels themselves in 1 Cor. 11. a place I suppose you know where the Women are to be Covered because of the Angels It doth appear by that Text that the Angels are in Congregations when a Congregation is met together to hear the Word of God Preached and for other Accounts there the Angels are Met And I make no question but this place is as full of Angels as of Men and they are here present and do look upon our Behaviour and wait for the time when God will be pleased to Work upon the Hearts of some or other O to what Family to what particular Soul doth God intend good unto O that we might know it that we might have Joy in Heaven For so the Scripture tells us That at the Conversion of sinners there is Joy in Heaven and surely they wait for it O that we might see the Ministry of the Gospel work effectually upon Souls that so we might joy for it And now let every particular Soul reason thus with it self What is it so that there is hope that there may be some Sons of Peace why may it not be I though vile though a very wretched Creature Yet I hear that the time of Ignorance God winks at only now He calls to Repent If I feel God beginning to jogg my Heart now I may be the Man or Woman that the Lord intended from all Eternity For we are to know that which God doth now in time is no other than He did determine from Eternity And I say if you feel your Hearts stirred and wrought upon by the Ministry of the Gospel you may know that God did intend you in particular And Christ when He did Pray to God the Father for this acceptable time that you were particularly intended in that Prayer of His and you are not excluded to be saved any more than any and therefore it may fall upon you Perhaps in a Family it may fall upon the poor Servant or Child and the others may be left But some or other it is like it will fall upon And my Brethren If this be so if there be hopes when the Gospel comes to be Preached that there are Sons of Peace in that place it is a most Cursed thing for any to stand to oppose the Gospel when it comes to any place It is very seldom but some or other will be Railing and Crying out against it But take heed what thou dost Wilt thou stand against God to cross God in such a blessed End as this is It may be the Lord hath some Souls in that place He intends Eternal good unto And wilt thou stand out against that and cross God But especially take heed you do not oppose the Gospel in any place where there is not only a remote hopes but it comes to be Nearer and Fuller than it was before and there is some real Manifestation that God intends Good unto some O take heed of thy Opposition of it there This was the Reason that Paul was so mightily provok'd when Elimas came to resist his Ministry of which you may read in Acts 13. There was one Sergius Paulus which sent for Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear the Word of God Now this Sergius Paulus was a Chief Man in the place where Paul Preached he was the Deputy and there was good hopes that God would Convert his Soul And Elimas the Sorcerer he stood and opposed and sought to turn away the Deputy from the Faith Now when Paul was in so good a hope that he should gain not only a Soul but a publick Man that might do a great deal of good O the Spirit of Paul was mightily provok'd He looks upon Elimas and sets his Eyes upon him the Text saith and and said O full of all Subtilty and all Mischief thou Child of the Devil thou Enemy of all Righteousness wilt thou not cease to pervert the Right Wayes of God c. Paul was a Man of a very Quiet and Meek Spirit and yet mark how full of Passion he was at this time O this provok'd the Spirit of Paul he was not able to bear it We never read that Paul was so troubled when they Persecuted him when they put him into Prison But as if Paul should say Do with me what you will put me into Prison do what you will with my Carcass but do not frustrate my Expectation in Gaining a Chief Man that may do a great deal of Service for God When he was but in fear that he should be frustrated of his hope he was not able to bear it And certainly nothing can go so near to the Heart of any Faithful Minister as that there should be any to stand to frustrate his hope of Gaining of Souls Perhaps in a Family if one or two doth but go to hear the Word the others will be Scorning and Jeering and one Neighbour will be Scorning at another and all to frustrate the Hopes of God of His Ministers and of the Saints and Angels But know when thou do'st any thing to oppose the Ministry of the Gospel thou do'st set thy self what in thee lies both to frustrate the Hopes of God and His Ministers and His Saints and Angels and thou wilt find this to be a hard work thou do'st but Kick against the Pricks And thus much for this Point we come now unto the next That good Hearers of the Gospel are called the Sons of Peace
If the Son of Peace be there They are sometimes called The Children of the Kingdom as in Mat. 13. there they have that Title given unto them Those that are good Hearers of the Word in the Parable that you have about the Seed Those that Imbrace the Gospel and are the good Hearers of it they are the Sons of Peace and that in a Five-fold regard First Because they are such as are ordained to Peace as the Son of Perdition one that is appointed to Perdition Secondly They are those that do attend upon the Gospel of Peace as in Mark 2. 19. The Children of the Bride-Chamber those that do attend upon the Gospel Thirdly Because they are Obedient unto the Gospel As the Sons of Belial are Sons of Wickedness so the Sons of Peace such as yield Obedience unto the Gospel of Peace Fourthly The Sons of Peace because they are Begotten by the Ministry of the Gospel Fifthly Because they are such as shall Inherit the Peace of the Gospel therefore Sons of Peace There is somewhat that every one of these may afford unto us but I take the first Three are principally meant therefore of the other I shall speak of but a little by the way The First is Because they are appointed unto that Benefit of the Gospel of Peace So that from thence the Point is this That all those that are good Hearers and Entertainers of the Ministry of the Gospel that comes to any place they are such as are appointed from all Eternity to enjoy the Peace of the Gospel Judas was not more a Son of Perdition than such a one is a Son of Peace That is There was no more Evidence that Judas was appointed to Eternal perdition than there is certain Evidence that such a one is appointed from all Eternity to enjoy the Benefit of the Gospel I shall give you these two Scriptures for it the first is in Acts 2. latter end And the Lord added to the Church that is Converted to Himself made His Gospel effectual daily such as should be saved such as were appointed to be Saved And another Scripture there is which saith That all those which were ordained to Eternal Life believed But above all I will give you this one Scripture in 1 Thes it is a most excellent Text for this purpose and a mighty Encouraging Text to all those that shall be found good Hearers of the Gospel Chap. 1. 4 5. Knowing Brethren beloved your Election of God We know that you are those whom God hath Eternally Elected How do you know that Were you in the Counsel of God in Gods Treasury to know what His Thoughts were How can you tell the Election of God Mark The Words following doth give you the Reason for what He saith knowing your Election of God For our Gospel came not unto you in Word only but also in Power Indeed when the Gospel comes to a place if it comes in Word only unto a Congregation they come indeed to hear and flock to hear what a Man can say This is no Argument of a Mans Election but when it comes not only in Word but in Power when you begin to feel the Power of the Word upon your Hearts Though you come it may be at first out of Curiosity and Novelty and took notice of nothing that would be done but when you came there the Gospel took hold upon your Spirits and over-powered your Hearts Now by that you may know that you are one that are appointed unto the Benefit of the Gospel of Peace that you are Elected of God Those Souls that feel the Power of the Gospel upon them may know certainly that they were Elected from all Eternity As if God should Speak from Heaven and say Such a Man or Woman they are Elected from all Eternity we may now as well doubt of that Voice as we may doubt of a Man or Woman that hath the power of the Gospel upon their Hearts So that is appears by this Text that where there are good Hearers of the Gospel they are the Sons of Peace that is appointed for all Eternity to have the benefit of Peace And there are these particulars in this First They may know that the Lord had Thoughts upon them in particular before the World was yea that the Lord when He saw the great Lump of Mankind before Him He set apart these for the Praise of His Grace in Christ for ever Left others and set apart these Yea They may know that there were Transactions between the Father and the Son about their Souls in particular from all Eternity Yea you may further know That God the Father did give them unto His Son from Everlasting For so Christ saith That those come to Him whom the Father hath given Him There are a certain Number that God the Father hath given to Jesus Christ to Redeem from all Eternity and said to Him Son take these Souls and do you undertake for them And He hath made Answer Father I do undertake to Satisfie Thy Wrath and Justice for them Now were it not a blessed thing to know that when there were such Transactions between the Father and the Son that thou wert mentioned in particular that God the Father did give thee by Name to His Son Certainly if thou beest an Entertainer of the Gospel thou mayest be certain of this thing Further Thou mayst know this As God the Father did give thee to His Son so He did make a Promise to save thee There was a Covenant between the Father and the Son for thy Salvation according to that Text in Tit. 1. 2. That Scripture speaks of a Promise of Eternal Life before the World began How could there be a Promise before the World began To whom could it be made When there is a Promise made there must be some body to receive it Surely it was The Promise was between the Father and the Son from all Eternity concerning thy Soul in particular Yea and further Thou may'st know That when God did send His Son to take Mans Nature upon Him He sent Him into the World to have a care of thy Soul as well as any others Yea and further That when God did from all Eternity appoint that at such a time and place such means should be for good that He did likewise Aim at thee And indeed many may see the Work of God wonderful this way Thus those that are good Hearers of the Gospel they are the Sons of Peace in this First regard because they are appointed by God unto the Benefit of the Peace of the Gospel from all Eternity And it may be a mighty Encouragement unto those who do begin to feel the Gospel to be powerful upon their Hearts Secondly The other is A Son of Peace that doth attend upon the Gospel That is when the Ministry of the Gospel doth come he doth make it his care to make preparation for it he doth come to hear the Gospel as a matter of
great Moment and when he doth come to hear he doth bend his whole Soul to attend to what is heard and he dares not give liberty to the wandering of his Thoughts And he doth charge his Memory with such and such truths to think of these whatsoever he doth forget And here 's now a Son of Peace as the Children of the Bride-Chamber they are such as do attend there So he A Son of Peace attends upon the Ministry of the Gospel Now by this Second thou mayst know the First thou mayst know whither thou beest a Son That is whither thou beest one that from all Eternity wert set apart by God the Father to obtain the Peace and Benefits of the Gospel But Thirdly The Son of the Gospel is to be as an Obedient Child To come with a Resolution when he comes to hear the Word Whatsoever the Lord shall this day make known of his Mind unto me the Lord knows that I would fain yield unto it I come with this Resolution every time I come to hear the Ministry of the Gospel This is now a Son of Peace that comes with such a Heart resolved to be Obedient unto it 2. He doth open his Understanding and is easily Convinc'd of those Truths that he doth hear Revealed in the Ministry of the Gospel he doth not stand Opposing of them 3. He doth open his Heart to accept of the Conditions of the Covenant when the Lord Reveals the Doctrine of the Covenant of Life and Peace the Soul doth open it self to admit of the Conditions of the Covenant Lord Speak thy Servant hears Reveal what Thou wilt my Soul is here ready and willing to accept of the Covenant whatever it be Further He doth give up himself to be Moulded by the Gospel according to that Phrase in Rom. 6. 17. The Doctrine into which ye were delivered So it is in the Original that is There is a delivering of the Soul up to the Ministry of the Word as the Mettle is to the Mould to be Fashioned by it So here a Son of Peace doth give up his Soul to be Moulded by the Word whatsoever he was before yet here he is now ready to give up his Soul to be Fashioned to be Framed by the Word Here 's a Son of Peace Further He doth in his Conversation Act what he doth hear in the Ministry of the Word and he doth indeavour to Live according to the glorious Gospel that he doth hear and he doth Labour to become the Gospel So that one may know in such a ones Family and in such a ones Life a mighty deal of Alteration And again Such a one as is Begotten by it is not only Obedient but indeed there is the work of Regeneration wrought and therefore he may be called a Son saith the Apostle I have Begotten you by the Gospel And so by the Word of Truth you are Begotten Abundance of Scriptures might be for this Those that the Gospel works Savingly upon the Gospel doth not only stir their Hearts but put a new Life into them They live by new Principles by new Rules they find a mighty Power in the Gospel to Beget them again And such as these are are Sons because they are Heirs of the Gospel Children of the Kingdom But that we shall have more use of in the other place when we speak of the Blessing of the Gospel that shall be upon them Now to Apply these in a few words The good Hearers of the Gospel are the Sons of Peace O what a blessed thing it is to be the Sons of Peace Better to be the Son of Peace than a Monarch than of the greatest of the World better to be this Son of Peace than to injoy all the World If the Lord should give thee the Inheritance of all the World He doth not do so much for thee as when He makes thee to be a Son of Peace It may be many of you were Born very mean and you are like to Inherit but little of this World but if the Lord work upon your Hearts in the Ministry of the Gospel that which comes by this makes you blessed Creatures for ever For by this means you come to be the Sons of the Living God You come to be the Children of Life and Co-heirs with Jesus Christ O how Industrious should Ministers of the Gospel be to Beget such Sons of Peace to God St. Paul in Gal. 4. he tells the Galatians there that he did Labour and Travel in Birth till Christ was formed in them My little Children of whom I Travel in Birth again until Christ be formed in you A Faithful Minister of the Gospel doth even Travel in Birth that he might beget Sons of Peace to Jesus Christ And O the Blessedness of this Work for God to set Men on Earth to this Work to Beget Sons of Peace If we should Beget you to be Children of the Bond-woman it were somewhat that is to strike fear into your Hears by the Terror of the Law I but to Beget you to be Children of Peace and of the Free-woman this is a great deal more This is such a Work as it is that which doth satisfies the Soul of Jesus Christ when He sees it It satisfie His Soul for all His Sufferings As in Isa 53. 10 11. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him That is It pleased God the Father to bruise Jesus Christ For this is an Evangelical Chapter When thou shalt make His Soul an Offering for sin Mark He shall see His Seed He shall prolong His dayes and the Pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand He shall see some Children Born unto Him some Sons of Peace But Mark He shall see of the Travel of His Soul and shall be satisfied So that when there is a Son of Peace he is the Fruit of the Travel of the Soul of Jesus Christ and he is the Fruit at the Second hand of the Travel of the Souls of Gods Ministers their Souls Travel as you heard before in Paul but that not so much He is the Fruit of the Travel of the Soul of Jesus Christ the Soul of Christ Travels with this Birth and this Work of God upon the Heart of such a one it is the Fruit of this Travel of the Soul of Christ And Mark further And He shall be satisfied As if the Holy Ghost here should say Let but Jesus Christ see a Soul brought in to Himself let Him but see any Begotten to be the Sons of Peace Christ saith I am satisfied for all the Blood that I have shed for all my Sufferings I have been willing to come from the Bosom of my Father to take your Nature upon me and I did endure the Withdrawings of my Father when I cried My God my God why hast thou forsaken me I was made a Man of Sorrows and my Father did Bruise me and my Soul was made an Offering for sin But now What will satisfie the Soul
Judgments of God shall be abroad in the World they shall be in a secure Condition they shall be free from all they shall be built upon the Rock when Tempests and Storms shall be abroad to Sink others they shall not be stirred for they shall have peace with God Your Peace that is even peace with all Creatures they shall have the blessing of that peace too Whereas before all the Creatures of God were as the Hosts of God His Armies ready prepared to Avenge the Quarrel of God upon them Every Creature as it were crying unto God Lord send me Lord send me that I may strike this Sinner that I may strike this Blasphemer this unclean Wretch and this prophane Wretch and if God would but give Commission to any one Creature it would presently be their Destruction But upon their entertaining of your Message there shall be Peace between them and all Creatures so as no Creature in all the World shall ever be able to do them hurt Though they shall Live in the midst of an evil World yet this shall be their Condition That all good Creatures shall be made useful to them for good and there is no evil Creature shall ever be able to do the least evil to them And again They shall have a peace of Conscience whereas before their Consciences were ready to flie in their faces And they indeed sought many wayes and means to quiet their Consciences but could never get any true quiet of Conscience But upon their entertainment of your Message their Consciences shall be pacified in the Blood of the Messiah therefore bid them be of good comfort their Consciences shall be able to answer all Accusations that can be laid against them For so the Scripture tells us of the Answer of a good Conscience 1 Pet. 3. 21. Thus Let the Devil let Temptation charge upon one that is reconcil'd to God what they can A good Conscience through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is able to answer all Accusations and Temptations This shall be the Peace that shall be upon them And Fourthly The Word of God shall be at Peace with them They shall have Interest in all the Promises that are in the Word of God the whole Word shall speak nothing but good unto them Whereas before the Word of God was full of Terror and came against them as their Enemy but now all that is in the Word shall be Peace unto them If the Son of Peace be there This is the Peace that you shall bring upon them Peace with God and with the Creatures and with their Consciences and with the Word And then O the Blessing that is upon all the Entertainers of the Gospel O the happy Condition that the Entertainers of the Gospel are in This my Brethren is the Reason why there are some that do prize the Gospel and their Hearts are so much upon it Do not blame them they find this good in it They find the Blessing of the Gospel upon them And therefore though you feel not the sweetness and good that there is in it and so neglect it their Souls feel it and they bless themselves in their God and bless the Lord that ever they heard of the Gospel Certainly There are many Thousands this day in Heaven Blessing God that ever they heard of the Gospel because of the Blessings that they do partake of by and through the Gospel Object You will say I but there are many that are the Sons of Peace and the Entertainers of the Gospel and yet they do not feel the Blessing of this Peace they are as much troubled as any are Answ To that I answer They have certainly that which is the Matter for Peace and their trouble comes for want of Understanding it Others have Matter for Terror and their peace comes for want of the knowledg of what Matter for Terror there is It 's true they have not for the present the full sense of this Blessing of peace though they have that which will bring it at last As for Instance When the blustering Tempestuous Winds do cease the Waves of the Sea do not presently cease from their tumultuous Working and Roaring and Noise and yet that which was the Cause of their Working that 's gone So here Those who Entertain the Gospel they presently upon the Entertaining of it have the Tempest over there is no more Tempest of the Wrath of God against them but yet there may be some Trouble in their Spirits but it will be allaid within a while because that which is the Reason of their Trouble that certainly is over And therefore a strong Argument here you have to Entertain this blessed Gospel that is sent among you When you hear it Preached you hear what it brings to you it brings all the Good that Christ hath purchased with His Blood This it offers to you And can the World offer to you as much as this comes to Can there be any thing to draw your Hearts away from it that shall be Equal with this Good Certainly This is the Peace that is Infinitely above all Earthly things What would not we do to purchase a good and sure Peace here in the Kingdom If we account a firm and sure peace to be so sweet would not we be willing to lay down our Lives Certainly That Man or Woman cannot be accounted to be a good Member of a Common-wealth that should not be willing to lay down their Lives in such times as these to purchase a sure and firm peace But now here the Gospel preaches to you another manner of Blessing than this outward Peace The Gospel holds forth unto you that peace that was purchased to you by the Blood of the Son of God It was such a Peace that Christ thought his own Blood not too dear to lay down for the purchase of this peace of the Gospel It is that Peace that passes all understanding a Soul peace an Everlasting peace and therefore you should come to hear the Gospel as the great Ordinance of God that is appointed by Him to bring this Glorious peace unto your Souls Do not come meerly to hear what a Man can say or to hear the Gifts and Abilities of a Man or to get a few new Notions and the like But when you come to attend upon the Gospel come I say unto it as the great Ordinance that is appointed by God to bring peace to the Souls of those that He doth intend Eternal good unto And this is to come in a right way and manner to the Preaching of the Gospel This I say is to have a right understanding of what Good there is in the Gospel And if any of your Souls have had a peace before you have come to a right understanding of the Gospel know that all that peace is Naught it will Undo you you will never have any good by it You have had peace in your own Spirits a great while and you bless God
Doing Do not content thy self with Affections and Resolutions but fall a Doing and that doth mightily settle the Truth when it comes once to be Practised As now in a Temptation the Temptation is not settled until the Devil hath got something done according to the Temptation and when something is done then the Temptation settles So concerning the Truths of the Gospel a Man it may be hath some Resolutions and Desires but till there be somewhat done some Duties set upon some Reformation in thy Way and Life the Truth doth not settle but the doing somewhat according to what thou do'st hear that doth mightily settle the Truth upon thy Soul O think thus There is such and such a thing made known to me O it may do my Soul good for ever And if you did but keep those things that you hear they would do your Souls good they would do your Souls good in time of Affliction If the Truths of the Gospel did rest upon your Hearts they would Comfort you then So it was with David I had perished in mine Affliction but thy Word did Comfort me So if you would lay up that which you hear when you come upon your Sick-beds or in any Trouble it would mightily help you and comfort you O these Truths of the Gospel would be very good Companions when you are in your Journey or in your Business they would Commune with your Hearts And O what Comfort would they be unto your Souls So we read in Prov. 6. 21. Bind them continually upon thine Heart So I may say What Truths of the Gospel you hear bind them continually upon thy Heart and about thy Neck when thou goest it shall Lead thee when thou sleepest it shall Keep thee and when thou awakest it shall Talk with thee When you awake in the Night season you Toss up and down upon your Beds and know not what to think upon but had you kept the Truths of the Gospel they would Talk with you yea you might Converse with Jesus Christ even as you lie in your Beds And if they did rest in your Hearts then when Death did come they would be Comfortable then they will be sweet one day Ask a Dying Soul what Peace with God is worth How many have lain upon their Sick and Death-Beds and then remembred O the sweet Truths that once I heard I would give a Thousand Worlds I had them again O that they did but come now at this time to my Heart with as great a power as they did at such a time Now that you might have those Blessed things of the Gospel to Comfort your Hearts keep them now And besides They will be a Means to make you to be very useful to others What 's the Reason why Men and Women when they go to Visit their Sick Neighbours they are so Barren in their Conference they say How do you And God comfort you and so I but what have you of the Doctrine of Reconciliation with God and the way of Attonement with God What have you to help their troubled Consciences and to pacifie them Can you bring unto them any Truths you have heard You have Liv'd under the Ministry of the Gospel a long time what is become of them If you had been a Child of Peace then you would have been able to have carried these things unto your Sick Neighbours and to have done a great deal of good unto them But alas You go with a barren Heart and carry nothing at all And why Because the Truths of the Gospel have not abode with you O how full should our Hearts be with Jesus Christ if but one Truth every Sermon we heard did rest in our Hearts And take but this one Meditation along with you the Blessed things of the Peace of the Gospel are such as if ever I be Sav'd I must be Praising of the Name of God for unto all Eternity Now shall I not Labour that they should rest upon my Heart here seeing they must be the Matter that I must Bless the Name of God everlastingly for And thus though I have past some things over you have had the Substance of what I intended to Speak of And that is That those that are the Sons of Peace have this Blessing upon them They have not only the sudden apprehensions and flashes of Affection in being moved with the Glorious things of the Gospel but all the good things of the Gospel abides and rest upon them Sermon IV. Luke 10. 6. Your Peace shall rest upon it c. THe Third Note from the Blessing that here the Entertainers of the Gospel shall have is this That where there is but any one in a Place or in a Family that shall Entertain the Gospel the whole Family shall be the better for that one And the Note is Raised from this Particle It Your Peace shall rest upon it He doth not say Your Peace shall rest upon him only though that 's true It shall rest upon him principally But he saith Your Peace shall rest upon it That is If a Son of Peace be in the Family your Peace shall rest upon the Family that is there shall be some good come unto the Family by reason of any one Son of Peace that 's there If there be but one that doth Entertain the Gospel the Family may come to have a Blessing by that If it be but a poor Servant or poor Child that shall receive the Gospel there may come a great deal of good to the Family by such a Servant but if it be a Governour of the Family then the Blessing will be more For we find in the Gospel often where the Governour of the Family Believed it is said that the whole Houshold did believe and were Baptized And we find often in the Gospel of Believing Families and indeed there is a greater Blessing of God upon a Family where the Governours are Believers than we are aware of A Blessing I say upon the Family That let there be any Governour or any that is a Son of Peace the Family is the better for it God many times will spare them the rather because of them In Isa 65. 8. Thus saith the Lord as the new Wine is found in the Cluster and one saith Destroy it not for a Blessing is in it So will I do for my Servants sake that I may not Destroy them all Many times in a place where there are a great many Ungodly ones yet if there be but a few that are Godly as the new Wine in the Cluster the Lord saith Destroy it not for a Blessing is in it There are some good Grapes there though a great many Rotten ones and a Blessing is in it and therefore Destroy it not So saith God many times of a Family where there are some good ones Destroy it not saith God for a Blessing is in this Family It is very observable that which we read concerning the House of Jeroboam 1 Kings 14. 10.
than by the dreadful Threats of the Law For the Gospel shews that sin makes such a dreadful Breach between God and the Creature that only the Son of God made Man and put under a Curse can make up the Breach again In the Red-glass of the Blood of Jesus Christ that is Preached to you in the Ministry of the Gospel the evil of sin is more fully discerned than in the bright Crystal-glass of the Law that doth discover somewhat but this shews you more It shews you that those beloved sins of yours that you have Imbrac'd and have had a great deal of Sweetness and Gain by O they are such Snakes and Vipers in your Bosom as makes such a Breach between God and your Soul that only the Son of God paying an Infinite price for the Satisfying for these can take away from you And further The Gospel doth discover more to Debase a Man than any thing can possibly be Imagined There is nothing that doth more discover that which may Abase Men and bring them Low and make them Vile in their own Eyes than the Gospel Why The Gospel doth shew unto them that they are by Nature the Enemies to God It is the Gospel doth discover that because it is the Doctrine of Reconciliation and it doth discover that all a Mans Righteousness is nothing his own Righteousness is nothing in point of Salvation for Justification that whatsoever Righteousness a Man hath by common Gifts by his good Nature it will not serve his turn in the Day of Jesus Christ he may perish notwithstanding It takes a Man off from all his Civil Righteousness and so makes him to be as a vile wretched Creature before the Lord and one that must lie upon meer pure Mercy or else must perish to all Eternity whatsoever he thought himself he must be taken from his own bottom even from that which his Soul Imbrac'd and was as dear unto him as his own Soul he must be taken from all O now this is a hard saying and who can bear it The Gospel doth teach Self-denial that we must deny our own Excellency every beloved Lust and to be nothing in a Man 's own Eyes I indeed it is the first Lesson of the Gospel saith Christ If any man will follow me let them deny themselves Now Men naturally are Proud and Haughty and what for them to come and appear before the Lord as vile wretched Caitiffs in themselves and to have all their Righteousness to be counted as filthy Rags now to see that they must be Sav'd by a Righteousness that is above them and beyond them and without them O this is very hard The Gospel requires Conditions that are very hard to Flesh and Blood that we must be willing to Sell and part with all for Christ as the wise Merchant did And besides It is a very high Mystery a thing that is above the reach of any Natural Man living and People Generally are of Slight Vain and Proud Spirits Now being partly Slight and Vain and partly Proud they will not bend their Minds to dive into those things that they are not presently able to read It is that Mystery that the Angels do stoop down to pry into and it requires a great deal of pains to behold the Glory of God in it Now the Vain and Drossy and Proud hearts of Men and Women they pass it over lightly because they see no present need of it They Thrive and injoy their Estates and they are well enough for the Flesh and all things that are Savory to them they have according to their hearts desire and what need have they to trouble themselves Many other things might be named to shew that when the Gospel comes to places why it is not entertained Quest But you will say Why doth God send it God knows it will not be entertain'd it is not with God as it is with us to go to a place at paradventures It is said If they hear them There can be no Ifs with God God knows every thing Now if God knows that before a Man comes it will not be entertain'd why doth God send it Answ 1. To that I Answer First That Gods Wayes and Judgments are Unsearchable and past finding out in this thing For indeed there is nothing wherein God doth appear more Wonderful in His Wayes and Judgments past finding out than in this in sending the Gospel sometimes to a place where He sees it will not prevail and denies it to another place where He sees that if it were among them it would be likely more to prevail You will say This is strange and yet this is certain This is the Administrations of God that sometimes God denies the Gospel to a place where He doth see that if He sent it they would Entertain it more and sends it to another place where He sees they will not Entertain it Now to make this out by Scripture that Text is clear for it in Mat. 11. 21. Wo unto thee Chorazin Wo unto thee Bethsaida for if the mighty Works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sydon they would have Repented long ago in Sack-cloth and Ashes It is a strange Speech almost as any one that is in Scripture Here 's Chorazin and Bethsaida have the Gospel sent to them and they did not Entertain it Saith Christ If the Works that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sydon they would have Repented and yet I denied it to them and sent it to you Now there can be no Reason given of this but only this The Judgments of God are unsearchable and His Wayes past finding out Gods Mercies are His own the Gospel is His own and He will send it where He pleases Secondly But then Secondly The Lord sends His Gospel For though perhaps it be rejected for the generallity yet there may some one Soul Entertain it among a People that shall so much reject it and for the sake of that one God may send it God may send Ministers to a Congregation to spend their very Heart and Strength and Life and it may be may intend some one or two Souls that are as unlikely as others perhaps some one or two poor Servant or Child and it is worth the Life of any Man if he may be Blest to call home one or two in his Life time You know the Lord lets it Rain and the Intendment of the Rain it is to Water the Earth but abundance of it falls upon Tiles and Stones but likewise it falls upon your Beds in your Gardens and the Intendment I say is for the benefit of the Ground So the Ministry of the Gospel Gods chief Intent is for the good of Souls though God causes the Ministry of it to be generally The Gospel is Preached to Congregations and for the generallity it doth but as it were Rain upon the Tiles and Stones I but there are some Beds that have some good Seeds in them and
I indeed am cast into a Dungeon but the Gospel will prevail all the persecutions of Wicked men all the scorn that is cast upon the Gospel by them shall not take away the edge and power and life of the Gospel but that shall continue as much as ever all the rage of Hell and Devils and Tyrants shall not take away the power of the Gospel Indeed they may restrain such and such men in the Preaching of it but after they are dead and rotten and roaring in Hell the Gospel shall prevail We find it so at this day ever since Christ came the Gospel hath been opposed by Ungodly men yet it doth remain in as much life and vigor and power as ever it did and I have no cause to question but it will prevail ere long more than ever it did in the World though its true sometimes we find Ministers Preach Sermon after Sermon and there are but few converted to the Gospel what shall we think that therefore in hath lost the power of it No Gods time is not come When the time of God shall come to call home those that belong to his Election of Grace it shall appear that the Gospel shall arise in power and glory and prevail in the World again therefore let 's never despair but that the Gospel will prevail in the World as at first when as there were but a few poor Fishermen to Preach it and all the World was enraged against it the Emperors and Princes of the Earth was enraged against it and yet these poor Fishermen did subdue a great part of the World by the power of the Gospel therefore let not us be discouraged for when Gods time is come it shall prevail in a glorious manner more than ever And so as it is with the Gospel so it should be with the Professors of it If God be dishonoured by other yet let not your edge be taken off but do you continue in the power and life and vigor as much as ever Now the second part which is the main that I intend and that is the dreadful threatning of those that do reject the Gospel only take this one point there are these Three First That where a people reject the Gospel God may justly take it away from them yea they are in danger to have it taken from them It shall return Secondly Such shall not have the blessing of the Gospel upon them this shall be their doom as they shall lose the Ministry of it so they shall be cast out from the blessing of it And then Thirdly which is yet the principal of all and that is That God will deal very quick with those that do reject the Gospel Your peace shall return no more ado there 's an end of them These are the Three things in this sentence against those that are not the Sons of Peace where the Gospel is preached But a little of the First we will leave the other First That where a people do reject it and that presently for so it is when you come to a House and offer it if they do not embrace it let your peace return again Christ here compares his Disciples unto Chapmen that should go and offer rich Wares they have Diamonds and Precious Stones things worth Thousands and they come perhaps to poor Country-people and open their Cabinet of Diamonds and Precious Stones and make offers to them but they do not know the worth of them they will bid nothing for them Now when he sees that they reject and despise them saith he give me my Wares again and so he packs them up again and away he goes for saith he this is not a people that is fit for such things as these are so saith Christ you are such Chapmen I send you abroad with the most rich pearl of the Gospel to go and shew the excellency of it to people and to offer it to them and the truth is I require thus much of them that if they would have this Pearl they must sell all Now the Ministry of the Gospel comes and they are ignorant of this Pearl that they have brought this rich Commodity They can tell them indeed that here is an exceeding rich Pearl but this is the tenor that you must be content to part with all for this Pearl that is thus First you must actually lay down and renounce every beloved sin Secondly you must enter into Bond as it were with God that whensoever he calls for your Estates your Liberties your outward Peace and Comforts that you have in the World shall be at Gods dispose Thus you enter into Bond as in your dealing for Commodities when you see a great and rich Commodity you lay down somewhat for the present and give Bond for the rest to be paid when it shall be called for When you go to buy Pedling things there you lay down all at first and no entring into Bond but when it is a great Purchase then there is a little laid down for the present and entring into Bond for the rest Now certainly in this Bargain of the Merchant there is first a laying down for the present thy Lusts thy Sin as if the Soul should say O Lord let me have my part in Christ in this glorious Peace of the Gospel as for any wayes of sin that I have lived in heretofore Lord I renounce them and will not live in any way of known sin Lord grant me thy Grace to do it Indeed this is the way of the Hearts coming in at first I but saith God I will not only have thy sin renounc'd but thy Estate and Liberty and Life at my dispose and thou shalt enter into Bonds to lay down all yes Lord this is the very English of the Covenant The Soul seeing the glory of God in Christ saith the Soul Lord I will not only renounce my sin but Lord whatsoever I am whatsoever I have whatsoever I can do shall be at thy dispose and here I enter into Bond Lord that is I Covenant and Vow and bind my self by the strongest Bonds that a poor Creature possibly can do that whensoever thou shalt call for any of my Estate of my Liberty or my outward Comforts when thou shalt call for my Life Lord they shall be at thy dispose Now have you sold all have you thus bought the Pearl When we come to bring the Pearl of the Gospel to you have you embrac'd it O if our Ministry prevails this hath been the frame and working of your hearts but if not our Ministry hath not yet prevail'd with you but when your Hearts begins to work thus then our Ministry begins to work to purpose in your Souls But we may come to most People and open the Pearls of Christ and open the Ministry of Reconciliation and they will do neither of these Two neither lay down any thing for the present renounce no known Sin and as for Entring into Bond to have their
Estates and Liberties and Lives and all to be at Gods dispose so as they are resolved that they will never enjoy any of them but only in God and for God O how far are People from this No they love their Estates too much and they will see what they shall have before they part with them And thus that all the Ministers of the Gospel Preach unto you concerning God and Christ are but meer Notions but we are sure our Money and Estates have something in them and so their Hearts embrace this present World and reject Jesus Christ and do you so Well saith God Pack up your Commodities again I have no more People in this Place therefore go and carry them some-where else there is another People that will know the worth of these things there is a People in the World that will be willing to renounce their Lusts and to give up all that they have unto me if they may have but this Gospel preached to them therefore go somewhere else Just as we Read of the Apostles in the Acts 13. 46. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold they were not daunted and said It was necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you but seeing ye put it from you and judge your selves unworthy of Eternal Life lo we turn to the Gentiles Indeed you are the Jews and in Profession the only People of God for the present and therefore we were to come to offer it at first to you but seeing you judg your selves unworthy of Eternal Life that is if you by your carriage do manifest that you are a People no wayes suitable to this glorious Gospel then we turn to the Gentiles we will pack up our Commodities and go to some others that will buy it and indeed if there be any thing in the World that makes a Faithful Minister go from any Place it is the rejection of his Ministry Other things are no such Arguments as this is and if there be any thing can Warrant it this as much as any thing by vertue of this Scripture and by vertue of my Text Let your Peace return to you again and be gone to some other Place We know the Scripture saith that Pearls are not to be cast before Doggs and Swine And indeed when Men shall prise their Swinish Lusts before the Pearl of the Gospel all the good that is tendred to them in Jesus Christ what are they in Gods esteem but as Swine and why should Pearls always lye before them that they should trample them under-foot and therefore the Lord would have his Light to be removed God Warrants his Ministers in some Cases so to do But let people know that this is a dreadful condition if this should fall out concerning them If the Lord should begin to make a tender of the Mercy of Christ to a People or particular Souls and if God should take it away again that Soul or People is in a most dreadful condition Perhaps you think you may spare it well enough but know if you can do well enough without the Gospel the Gospel can do well enough without you when that is taken away from a Place the very light of that Place is taken away there is double darkness I remember I have read of the Christians in Chrysostoms time howsoever people now make little esteem of the preaching of the Gospel yet the Christians were so affected with Chrysostom's Ministry the Story saith that when he was silenced by a Wicked Empress they did profess That they would rather have the Sun withdraw the beams of light from the World then that the mouth of John Chrysostom should be stopt they saw so much good in his Ministry he preaching Christ to them that if it were put to their choice whether they would be without the beams of the Sun or his Ministry they would rather chuse to be without the beams of the Sun than his Ministry It 's true we are not to arrogate such things to any particular man now we do not speak to that end no but to the Ministry it self What if God take away a faithful Ministry we do not speak of any particular men that are sent to Preach the Gospel to you But certainly if God take away the clear light of the Gospel indeed that Gospel that opens Jesus Christ and the way of Salvation and Eternal life to your Souls O what if God take away that from you either take that from you or you from that that you shall never come to hear the Mysteries of it opened more but instead of the glorious things of it you should hear some pleading for Ceremonies Cross or Surplice or Cringing and that should be the Chaff that you should be fed withall I say when God takes away this from a People he takes away the light from them and leaves them in darkness It is not such a fruit of Love and Mercy from the Lord to give fruitful seasons and to bless you in your Trading as for the Lord to send the Ministry of peace among you to open the unsearchable Treasures and Riches of Jesus Christ that 's the special Token of Gods love to such a place and when that 's removed then the special note of the love of God is removed and when he takes away that he takes away the Bread of life from you and therefore the absence of the Word is called a Famine We read of the poor people in Egypt they came and sold all that they might have Bread It may be some of you complain of great Taxations and want of Trading and your Estates decay and the like I but doth not God recompence this with a more plentiful use of the Gospel than ever he did before and doth not this Recompence you for the trouble that you suffer and the loss of your Estates I make no question but there are many Souls since the beginning of this Parliament that are now in Heaven that were alive and did suffer much for a while but are now in Heaven and blessing God for these Two or Three Years and I know no greater Argument of a Carnal Base and Vile Heart than this for them to be alwayes complaining of the loss of their Estates and not to think it at all made up with the liberty of Gods Ordinances and with the more clear light of the glorious Gospel that shines among them whereas did the Gospel take your Hearts indeed you would bless God It 's true Lord my Estate is less than before but Blessed be thy Name that we live to hear Jesus Christ and the way of Life and Salvation opened further to us than heretofore If God should take you away perhaps then your Consciences would accuse you and say we had an Opportunity wherein we heard Jesus Christ opened to us in his Natures and in his Offices O had we taken that time how happy had it been for us Further Perhaps Carnal Hearts may think it
shall command your Children to observe to do all the words of this Law Mark it Why what 's the matter v. 47. For it is not a vain thing for you because it is your life It may be some of them when they heard Moses declaring the Law of God they would be ready to think it is a good Law and Moses doth well in telling of us the Law but there is no great consequence of it how our Hearts be taken with it O but saith Moses do not you come to hear the Law upon such tearms but set your Hearts upon what you hear Why because it is your life Much more cause have the Ministers of the Gospel thus to say when they come to preach Jesus Christ to a people Set your hearts to what is delivered When they come and say Peace be to this place to this People the Doctrine of the Gospel be preached to them O set your hearts to what is delivered Why for it is your life When you come to Hear a Sermon you should come so as to consider that your Life may lye upon that Sermon for ought you know and the rather look to it because the Lord with whom you have to deal is a great God and a God that will not be dallyed withal and trisled withal but if you disobey the Message of the Gospel the Lord may deal very quick with you and that let 's me into the Last Point which now we are to finish this Text in and that is this That those that shall not Entertain the Gospel the Lord will deal very quick with them Your Peace shall return again the Lord will not stand long about the matter I in the naming of the point have already spoken of a Scripture or two Now is the Axe lay'd to the root of the Trees when John Baptist came to Preach the Kingdom of God And that in the Last of Mark v. 16. Go and Preach saith Christ to his Disciples he that believes shall be Saved he that believes not shall be Damned The Lord Christ tells how quick the Lord will be with those that shall not entertain the Gospel and there are many Texts that are very full for this purpose and because it is a great Point and that it should strike much upon your Consciences therefore I will present it in the fulness of the Evidence of Scripture That place that you have in Matth. 10. it is just parallel to this in Luke 10. there where Christ sends his Apostles forth as he doth the 70. he gives the same Directions in effect but mark here Saint Matthew goes farther than Saint Luke Let your Peace Return to you and whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words when you depart out of that House or City shake off the dust of your feet Verily I say unto you it shall be more tollerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgment than for that City See here the quickness of God with those that do reject the Gospel So in John 3. that is very famous for this in ver 18. He that believeth on him is not Condemned but he that believeth not is Condemned already You will say he is Condemned already because his Natural Condition is such that he is under Condemnation No but I take it the Scripture doth aim at something further He is not only Condemned by reason of his sins against the Law but he is condemned already because he hath not believed on the Name of the only Begotten Son of God How could he Believe in the Name of the Only Begotten Son of God before ever he heard it but here it is spoken of Light that is come into the World for so it follows in ver 19. And this is the Condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil That is when Christ shall come to be preached to any People and they will not believe presently there is a sentence of Condemnation that 's the meaning of the Text he is Condemned already the Lord is very quick with such And in Acts 17. 30. a place famous And the Times of this Ignorance God winked at He saw and would not see as it were he overpast that but Now saith he that is Now when Christ comes to be Preached Now he Commandeth all men every where to Repeent as if he should say Look to your selves that you Repent now whatsoever you did before though you could prophane Sabbaths before look to your selves now though you were vain and superstitious and carnal take heed now to your selves as if the Holy Ghost should say The Lord is willing to pass by all that was before but for rejection of his Son look to that he will not pass by that so easily that One sin so easily as he will pass by all the other All the sins that men have Committed all their Lives before may more easily be past by than that one sin of Rejection of the offer of Grace by Jesus Christ Now he calls all men to Repentance And then a third Text is that in 2 Cor. 2. a Text that I made use of the last Day for another purpose For we are unto God a sweet Savour of Christ in them that are saved and in them that perish to the one we are the savour of Death unto Death What 's the meaning of that It is somewhat a strange phrase and expression we are the savour of death unto death Savour of death I take the meaning of the phrase to be thus he compares his Ministery that was the Ministry of the Gospel unto those things that had a mighty efficacy in them a strong vertue so strong as their very savour was enough either to kill or to make alive As there are some things so strong as the very sent of them can kill a man or even raise a man from a Sound so saith the Apostle our Ministry to sin is the savour of death unto death it is a deadly savour to them Thus you may see that the Ministry of the Word it hath a mighty quickness in it one way or other either from Heaven or Hell to Save or to Destroy And another Scripture we have in Heb. 4. there the Apostle speaking of the Word the Word of the Gospel for certainly that 's that that he speaks of v. 12. For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged Sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of Soul and Spirit and of the Joynts and Marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the Heart The Word of the Gospel whensoever it comes to any Congregation it is no dull matter you may not look to sit dully under that but it is a quick Word it will either slay thy sin or slay thy Soul one of the two it must slay one and that quickly And in Heb. 6. there the Apostle compares
an Offer to them of the Blessed things of Christ to enter into his Rest for so it is apparent that the Apostle doth apply it to the Blessed things of the Gospel If I say when the Lord shall discover these things unto them they shall not Enter into this Rest but they shall pretend a great many difficulties O the Way is so strict and hard and they shall suffer so much and upon this do refuse the Land of Canaan the Blessed things of Jesus Christ then is the time if ever to Swear against a Soul that it shall never be made partaker of Jesus Christ Now then I had thought to have opened the Point further in three Particulars First to shew what the dealings of God doth use to be with such in what way he deals so quick with them Secondly the Reasons of it and Thirdly to have Answered some Objections about this but I shall give you but a Word or two of each and so come to the Application For the First The way of Gods dealing with such it is either as you heard the last Day to take away the Ministry from them that he doth sometimes or if not so the Lord passes a sentence against them They shall not taste of my Supper and so a man may live a long time under the Ministry of the Word under a Sentence Or further That sometimes the Lord gives him up to himself to his own hearts lusts for this the Gospel is the Counsel of God for so it is called in one of the Evangelists Now mark what Gods dealings was with those that rejected but his Counsels in Psalm 81. I gave them up to their own hearts lusts and they walked in their own counsels And that famous place in Rom. 1. from the middle of it there the Apostle shews that those that did reject but the very light of Nature God gave them up to a Reprobate sense much more those that shall reject the light of the Gospel that 's the way of God to give them up sometimes to the power of their sin as if God should say they will have none of Christ nor of my Grace and Mercy their Hearts are set upon their Lusts Lust take them such a lust of uncleanness take them such an earthly Lust take full possession of them The Lord gives them up to their own Hearts Lusts the Lord saith of them He that will be filthy let him be filthy still as you have it in Revelations the last he that will be filthy let him be filthy and let him have the satisfying of his Lusts to the uttermost And sometimes it is to cut them off by some extraordinary and fearful Judgment the Lord many times appears most dreadfully against them The Reasons that should have spent me a great part of the time and it might very well require a whole Exercise to have Opened to you why the Lord is so provok'd against this Sin rather than another Sin whatsoever it be For the Opening of the great Evil that there is in the Sin of Unbelief and Rejection of the Gospel you that understand any thing must needs know that it must require a very large time to open it all But in a very few Particulars take them thus You that reject the Gospel you sin against the greatest Mercy that ever God tendred to Creatures he never tendred such a Mercy to the Angels that sinned against him as to you Indeed here are the bowels of Gods mercy as the Scripture calls them the tender bowels of Gods mercy Now to sin against the Gospel it is to spurn at the very Bowels of God Many men speak of Mercy and desire to hear much of Mercy O but you had need look to your selves when you hear much of Mercy for when you hear of Mercy your Souls lye at the stake one way or other God deals more quick with those that hear much of Mercy than he doth with others One Sermon of Mercy rejected may send a man nearer to Hell by far than ten Sermons of Judgment Though you should not reform after many Sermons of Judgment yet they do not make your condition so dangerous as one Sermon of Mercy and therefore you had need at any time when you hear Mercy Opened to you you had need have your Hearts shake the more and tremble to think thus Lord here 's a Sermon upon which my Soul doth more lye than it may be Ten Sermons before yea perhaps than any that ever I heard in all my life Thou comest to hear a Sermon of Mercy and goest away and sayest O what an Excellent Sermon is this it was a Sermon of the most Mercy that ever I heard in my life I say Was it so then thy Soul lay more upon that Sermon than upon any that ever thou heardest in thy life Mercy is such an Attribute which God doth put such a price upon that it is resolved he will revenge the Wrong done to his Mercy Whatsoever God doth bear with he is resolved he will not bear the Abuse of his Mercy and therefore you had need look to it when you come to hear of Mercy especially the Mercy of the Gospel There is a great deal of Mercy in Gods Works I but when he comes to Preach Jesus Christ to thee there 's Mercy of another Nature there look to thy self If thou dost dally and trifle with Gods Mercy then thy condition will be most Dreadful I 'll name these one or two Arguments to thee because when thou sinnest against the Offer of the Gospel then thou sinnest against the help of thy Soul the means to do thee good The preaching of the Gospel it is as a Board after Shipwrack for every poor Soul is as a man that hath suffered Shipwrack and he is in the midst of the Sea upon a Board of the Ship and there 's all his help Now were it not a mad thing for this man to put off this Plank from him when he hath no other help Now we are ready to be swallowed up of the Sea of Gods Wrath and now God casts in a Plank to waft us to the Shore if possibly may be Or rather thus The Offer of the Gospel it is like the casting of a Rope into a River unto a man that is in danger of Drowning There is a man that is fallen into the Thames and you cannot get him up but you will get a line and throw it into the place where he sunk and there is no way for him to be Sav'd but only that Now if such a man put off the time from him what help can there be of that man Thus it is all Men and Women naturally they are even ready to sink into the Bottomless Gulf of Eternal Misery this is thy condition Now the Lord in Mercy sends his Ministers to come and make an Offer of the Gospel and cast a line to Congregations and make this Proclamation In the Name of God every Soul that will