but now the Lord hath put a vaile of flesh upon himselfe by incarnating his owne Son now we may make bold The use of this is First Is it so that Christ hath the seven Spirits of God Then what hath he not He is an all sufficient Saviour He is Gods Steward God hath put all his goods into his hands No man can be assured of any thing that is good but by comming unto him All things are delivered to me of my Father Mat. 11. 27. That is I have all my fathers goods in my hand Favour Pardon Mercy Grace Comfort Heaven it selfe yea and his holy Spirit and all I have the distributing of them all He is the store-house whither all needy soules are to goe He is full of all manner of good things as John saies Of his fulnesse have we al received Joh. 1. 1â— Looke what grace any of the Saints have they have it all of him he is Gods Conduit-pipe the Lord opens himselfe only in him he is the tap he lets out Gods Blessings and Graces and Spirit like a sluce Hee is the Lord Treasurer of Heaven and Earth As Joseph in Egypt if any one would have Corne they must goe to Joseph for it if they came to Pharaoh but for a pecke or a gallon presently he sent them to Joseph so the Lord sends all that will have any drop of mercy to his Sonne if yee will not goe to my Sonne yee shall not have one drop yee shall dye in your sinnes This is my welbeloved Sonne sayes hee looke yee heare him hearken to him obey him be ruled by him bow down unto him doe as he bids you if ye anger him and will not stoop unto him if your hearts will not burst if your minds will not off from the world and other things and be wholly intent unto him if yee slight him and suffer vain things to draw away your affections and thoughts and meditations from him there is no redemption for you No Salvation but onely by beleeving in his name he hath all the seven Spirits of God no Spirit of Grace at all can be had but onely of him he was the Rocke that Moses must stand on that the glory of Gods goodnesse might passe before him Secondly Another use is hath Christ the seven Spirits of God then wee are without excuse if wee be without the Holy Spirit of God Christ hath him to give and yet how few will seeke him of Jesus Christ as Christ sayes Yee will not come unto me that yee might have life Joh. 5. 40. That is if yee would come unto me I would make your dead hearts to live I would quicken you to all goodnesse I would powre my Holy Spirit upon you But you will not come unto me for it This makes us without excuse That Christ hath the Spirit in him for all that have a minde to him and wee have no minde How few among you to this very day have gotten yet Gods Holy Spirit Yee pray but yee have not the spirit of supplieation to pray by to lift up your hearts to enliven your desires to be able to wrestle with God to any purpose no Spirit of grace stirring in you When ye come to the house of God ye heare Sermons but the Holy Ghost does not fall upon you to make them effectuall and mightie in operation to convert you to God to knocke off your base lusts yee are dead in all holy duties voide of all Heavenly graces dull to every good thing even as the Body without the spirit is dead Nay the Spirit of the world dwelleth in most men tying and glving them to the things here below and will not let them savor and rellish the things of Heaven Whereby they cannot cease from sinne nor work the works of God Rare is that man now-a-dayes that hath the Holy Spirit of God remaining in him in any measure nay if people were asked whether they have the Spirit of God yea or no their owne Conscience could answer No they have not they never felt any such Divine ghuest their earthlinesse and lumpishnesse of heart in all the ordinances of God their unaquaintednesse with God their unsettlednesse and nakednesse and blindnesse in all the wayes of peace plainely does declare it and yet they will not come unto Christ that they might have life he hath the seven Spirits of God and yet they cannot finde in their hearts to be instant and earnest with him when Pharaoh appointed Joseph to distribute corne to all comers Goe to Joseph sayes he Gen. 41. 55. the Text sayes all Countries came to Joseph for Corne because the famine was sore in all lands But God hath appointed his own Sonne to be a dispencer of the Spirit and there is a sore want of the spirit every where in all Townes and Parishes and yet hardly any will come in Certainely this is the condemnation that men intend their pleasure and their profits and every outward thing and never seeke to Jesus to have the Holy Spirit of God For First many of us have hard hearts that cannot melt at our owne sinnes nor the publike provocations whereby God is provoked nor the generall calamities of the Church our hearts are like a stone and wee are not affected nor can be affected no relenting at the Word no bleeding in any other good dutie nothing moves us the spirit could soften yea and take the stone away and Christ saies hee would give him unto us if we did desire him I will put a new Spirit within you and take the stony heart out of the flesh Ezek. 11. 19. Hee hath spirit enough in him to doe it and yet we will not sue to him but in a feigned manner and so a hard heart possesseth us still which marres all our familie-duties and all that wee doe in the publike assemblies nothing comes of all that wee doe If our foolish hearts would come downe to be fervent after Christ this might be be remedied He hath the seven Spirits of God for the nonce But a spirit of slumber bewitches us and and nothing can awaken us to this very day Never was there a more hard-hearted time never more hard-hearted Christians nummed and past feeling wishing indeed the things mought be mended but never putting forth our hand to have them mended Secondly scarce any of us can pray but in a blunt-hearted-wise our prayers never stirre Heaven never give so much as a lift to any of our lusts neither are they any whit answerable to the miseries that are on us whether Personall or Nationall the spirit could helpe us and enlarge us as Paul saies of the good Romans Yee have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby yee cry Abba Father Rom. 8. 15. and Christ hath this Spirit in his hand to give But we would rather sit woulding and yawning then be downe on our knees before God Every one almost hath heavy things that he is consciencious of terrible guiltines horrible
is upon mee saith hee Esa 61. 1. that is hee is powred upon mee that hee may run down upon all them that come to be my members If Christ indeed had not come if God had not made him Vehiculum Spiritus if God had not put his spirit upon Christ like water in a Fountain to run out upon all that will hold their hearts under him then wee might have some excuse Lord â— wee know not where to have the Spirit But the Lord hath told us where wee may have him Wee may have him in his Son Jesus Christ Thirdly Wee cannot plead wee cannot tell how to have him For as yee know where to have him so yee may know how to have him too and yee all doe know if wee had a heart wee may have him foure waies First By the hearing of the Word you will say yee have heard the Word many times yet yee never received the holy Spirit yet I answer that 's certain but it is because yee doe not come to it with a greedy yerning heart with an open eare and a willing minde to bee guided by it For if ye came thus with this minde yee would quickly have the spirit Lord tell mee any thing I doe unfeignedly desire for to doe it reprove any thing in mee I doe sincerely desire to leave it Come thus to the Word I dare say thou shalt not bee one quarter of an houre without the spirit as Christ saith Turn yee at my reproof behold I will powre out my spirit un to you Prov. 1. 23. You will say this is strange and have I heard so many Sermons and never got the spirit yet I you never heard Sermons with an honest heart You shall see Cornelius and his company got the spirit at the first Sermon that they heard when Peter Preached the Holy Ghost fell on all those that heard the Word Act. 10. 44. How so yee may read there in the Context O saies Cornelius Wee are all here present before God to heare all things that are commanded thee of God Ver. 33. Now if wee have the Word daily preached and wee get not the holy spirit of God wee are without excuse Secondly By Prayer if wee did pray faithfully unto God wee should have the holy spirit as Christ saies If ye that are evill can give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him Luk. 11. 13. You will say yee have prayed many a time and often and yet yee finde no such thing and no marvaile when a mans heart prayes onely by the by but if yee made it your businesse from day to day if yee would seek for him as for life and look upon it as more necessary then life it self then yee should quickly speed But when yee will give God the blinde and the lame and your hearts run a whoring after other things Heaven is not the main of all your care and study the Lord knows a hollow heart and can tell how to deny it none shall have his spirit that doe not desire him above all things and labour after him above all things and use all manner of meanes for him The Spirit of God is a great gift and wee must know its an infinite mercy to obtain him and therefore wee must seek him accordingly They that get him doe not goe dreamingly to work Thirdly By repentance this is another means to obtain the Holy Ghost as the Lord saith Rent your hearts and not your garments and turn to the Lord your God c. Joel 2. 13. what followes And after that I will powre my Spirit upon you saith hee ver 28. Never think to have Gods holy Spirit and live after the flesh or goe on in a forme or a carelesse way not onely drunkennesse and whoredome and capitall sins keep him out but any other lusts and corruptions that the heart clings unto Rent your hearts then let your drowzie doings pain you at the heart let all your security and unbeleef and luke warmnesse whereby yee part stakes with God let all these bee a burden unto you and you heavy laden with them this is the way-making for the Spirit of Gods comming in Fourthly Take no deniall let not ill-successe beat you off this is that which thrusteth back thousands They find little successe at the first and so they give over But Beloved this is it howsoever wee finde cold successe in our holy labours at the first yet wee must goe on though wee doe not finde our lusts die though wee doe not finde that speeding in Prayer that wee could wish that prevailing in our endevours that wee doe desire yet still wee are to goe on and still wait upon God in abounding in our care untill the Lord grant us better successe The hard successe that we have must not hinder us as the Apostle saith Let us not bee weary in well-doing for in due time wee shall reap if wee faint not Gal. 6. 9. That is let us not bee discouraged with hard successes or any other such like thing certainly if wee goe on wee shall speed When the Wisemen came seeking for Christ at Jerusalem they had no good successe there they did not finde him there yet they would not return back without him But they went down to Bethlehem and sought for him there When the Church had sought Christ in her bed shee had no successe for that time I sought him sayes shee but I found him not Cant. 3. 1. What would shee give over because of her bad successe at the first No shee trudged out into the Lanes and the streets she enquired of the watchmen and still shee had little or no successe But the Text saith shee would never give over till she litt upon him Beloved wee must take heed of this It is the impatience of mens hearts if they cannot finde a blessing at first dash they will seek no further then they strike into a former or a worse condition In the first of Haggai yee may read that when the Jews had been hindered by Cambyses from building of the Temple for a fit they gave over Because they had no successe they would build no more but fell a building their own houses ver 4. yee know it was their sin and the Lord plagued them for it Therefore Brethren it must bee our care although wee doe not speed at the first not to slacken or give in As Isaac would still bee building Wells hee built one and that had no successe hee built another and that had as bad still there fell out strife what then did he give over so No hee never would have done till the Lord gave him a Rehoboth a Well that there was no striving about Gen. 26. 22. so wee should never bee quiet untill the Lord give us his holy Spirit though wee doe not feele his workings in us at the first no bad successes though never so many should make
wretch leave they will have their owne wayes doe the Ministers of God what they can We can get none to be awakened none quickened none stirred none startled to any purpose Setting aside here one and there one that truely obeys the voyce of Gods servants the whole countrey lying in ignorance of God in the privation of his Spirit unreconcilednesse with heaven voydnesse of faith emptinesse of grace and life the nakednesse of an outward profession having no true quickening within nay the most in grosse wickednesse drunkenesse company-keeping unrulinesse disorder uncleanenesse lasciviousnesse covetousnesse mocking at the pure in heart malicious alienation of spirit against the holy wayes of God Nay since we have spoken to them in the name of the Lord yet none will hearken to any effect that their soules may live Fourthly therefore I pray you let me adde one use more doe but consider how the Lord taketh this at our hands that his Ministers are thus vilipended They are in more danger of their liberty for reproving then the wicked for committing of their sins Are his Ministers his Embassadors then he will never endure that his Embassadors shall bee abused When the King of the Ammonites had abused Davids Embassadors that he sent him in love 2 Sam. 10. Ye know what it cost it cost above 40. thousand mens lives The Romans slue the Illyrians and the Tarentines for mis-using of their Embassadors and as Cicero sayes our Ancestors sayes he for this very thing destroyed all Corinth For alas how could Princes deale with one another if Embassadours should not goe safe and be hearkened unto Therefore Embassadors must be regarded When Scipio Africanus tooke a ship full of Carthaginians though he meant to rifle all they had yet when they said they were Embassadors he would not meddle with them True they were not they did but counterfeit that so they might escape But yet you may see how inviolable Embassadors were the least indignity offered to them was punisht as if it had beene offered to the person of that Prince that they did sustaine Well then how doe we thinke will the Lord take it at peoples hands that his Embassadors are abused and disobeyed that people will not diligently come to them and acknowledge their errands and yeeld obedience to him no Nation under heaven hath had more Embassadors from Heaven then we have had and though some have hearkened to them yet for the most part they meete with Ammonitish dealings they are disfigured and mocked and laded with indignities denyed to deliver their message every paltry rascals complaint admitted against them none walke in so much danger as they none more shot at then they scarce any will heare them and submit to their Embassage and those few that doe are counted the only factious people and pestilent fellows in the land O what wrath is there against us for these things For this very cause the Lord plagued all Judah even because they would not listen to Gods Embassadors that he sent to them earely and late as the Prophet speakes Jer. 29. 17 18 19. Thus sayth the Lord of Hoasts Behold I will send upon thee the sword the famine and the Pestilence and will make them like vile Figges that cannot be eaten they are so evill and I will persecute them with the sword with the famine and with the Pestilence and I will deliver them to be removed to all the Kingdomes of the earth to be a curse and an astonishment and an hissing and a reproach among all Nations whither I have driven them Mark now what is the reason why God would doe thus Because they have not hearkened to my Word saith the Lord which I sent unto them by my servants the Prophets rising up early and sending them but yee would not heare sayth the Lord. This was the reason why God would plague them so grievously because they would not listen to his Embassadors that he sent them for their good The like we reade of the ten Tribes the Lord powred his vengeance on them too for this very reason because they would not heare his Embassadors therefore the Lord cast them out of his sight and flung them away from being his people and hee would never be their God more the place is 2 King 17. 13 14 15. The Lord testified against Israel Judah by all the Prophets Seers saying Turne ye from your evill wayes and keepe my Commandments and my Statutes according to all the Law which I commanded your fathers notwithstanding they would not heare but hardned their necks like to the neck of their Fathers and did not beleeve in the Lord their God and they rejected his Statutes and his Covenant that he made with their Fathers Mark this was the cause why the Lord was so angry with them and removed them out of his sight Because they would not doe as his Embassadors did command them in his name Now as God hath let out his fury upon them for not attending to his Embassadors so he hath done and daily doth and will yet more doe upon us For though for temporall Judgements God be patient and forbearing beyond all admiration we feele yet no Sword no Famine no Pestilence we may be astonisht to see how long suffering he his O if we had the grace to consider of it neverthelesse the Lord is effusing out upon us the very dregges of his Cup he fats us up for his eternall ire he hath done converting of our hearers he hath done blessing of our Sermons he hath made us Loammies and Toruhamahs turned us into a generation of his wrath You whose eyes God hath opened whose hearts God hath inclined unto him whose Consciences God hath purged and Sanctified and made you Saints Blesse him and praise his holy name and make more of his infinit grace and goodnesse For it is to be feared God will now adde no more to your mumber he delivers people now to a reprobate sence he resolves to be revenged on our land in fire and Brimstone for the contempt of his glorious Gospell that hath beene preached so long a time He lets men fill up the measure of their sins that those that are filthy may be filthy still those that are drunkards may be drunkards still those that are led with their lusts shall be so still to the intent that he may bring upon the world all the fiercenesse of his spirituall and everlasting wrath and that he may revenge the quarrell of his Covenant and the labors of so many Embassadors whom he hath sent unto you and ye would not heare O that this might move some of your soules that so ye might prevent this dreadfull judgement and be plucked out like Brandes out of the Burning Fifthly Another Use is are Gods Ministers his Embassadors then they must Preach no mercy at all unto such as wilfully stand out against Jesus Christ When Antony was a Rebell O sayes Tully it is not fit to send him
know that already and no body will deny it we are Christians I answer this is the hypocrisy of men hearts their hearts will confesse it to be a truth but in their workes they do deny it The Prophet David speakes of men that were in the visible Church of God aswell as we and that would confesse this truth aswell as we and yet he sayes of many an one of them He hath said in his heart God hath forgotten he hath hid his face he will never see it Psal 10. 11. And the truth is this is the cause of all the boldnesse of people to goe on in their sinnes or to yeeld to sinne at any time they put this out of their bosomes that God sees them As Ezekiel speakes the land is full of blood the City is full of perversnesse for they say the Lord hath forsaken the Earth and the Lord seeth not Ezek. 9. they say so in effect they put God afar of and they doe not consider that hee sees them Beloved there 's none of us all but hath need that this truth shoud be urged upon us that God beholds all iniquity and evill we can never doe amisse but he takes notice of it Thirdly another use is is it so that God sees all mens sins Then this is a terror to all that goe on with a selfe condemning heart O consider what the Apostle sayes if our heart condemne us God is greater then our heart and he knowes all things 1 Joh. 3. 20. q. d. if we have a selfe condemning heart how much more shall we find a selfe condemning God If our own heart can find us out if that can find out our worldlines or our irreverence or our carelesnesse of God how much more wlll God find us out He knowes all our sins better then we our selves and therefore O let us quake all of us to goe on with a selfe-condemning heart it is a bad badge it is a prodigious token of the fearefull judgement of God if wee doe not get our sins done away by the blood of Jesus Christ and by his sanctifying Spirit God will finde us out for hee knowes what we are and what wee doe daily and how we live every day and howre Againe this is a terror to them that are Hypocrites If God could not see a rotten heart he should speed as well as the best O but sayes God I the Lord search the heart J try the reynes even to give every man according to his wayes and according to the fruit of his doings Jer. 17. 10. and therefore wo be to such as are otherwise within then they seeme to be without without they are painted sepulchers but within they are full of rottennesse they professe godlinesse but they suffer within a Worldly spirit a guilty conscience a vaine minde an unbelieving heart no love of God no zeale to his glory no feeling of the Churches misery no compassion with the Saints no delight in them that feare God indeed and yet they will goe for Christians forsooth God sees all their workes and will unmask them in his due time either in this world or in the world to come and will poure everlasting contempt on them Fourthly this is comfort to good people for if God see all mens sins then he sees all mens goodnesse much rather what a comfort is this in prayer to consider that he that searcheth the heart knowes what is the minde of the spirit Rom. 8. 17. Hee knowes all thy groanes Hee knowes all thy desires what a comfort is this when ever an honest soule is put to it soundly in temptation when the soule is accused by Satan hardly thought on by men and God lets bitter temptations to come on I say what a comfort is this that God knowes all the good things that are in man all ones affections all ones endeavours ail ones combats against sinne all ones griefes for corruption as Peter sayd Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee Joh. 21. 17. Peter was put to it soundly at that time But yet this was his comfort that God did know all things Hee had many tokens of Gods gracious goodnesse about him hee had love to Jesus Christ hee had deepe desires to doe all that hee bade him O sayes hee and thou knowest it Againe this is an excellent comfort in time of affliction When Iob was in affliction and his friends scorned him then did hee goe and poure out his Teares unto God and this was his comfort Behold my witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high Job 16. 19 20. Againe this an excellent encouragement to serve God in these bad and sinnefull times people generally never looke after God nor holinesse the World lookes after their pleasures and their profits and preferments and friends and the like but Religion and Devoutnesse and Godlinesse of living few people looke after that as though God did not regard what people doe Now beloved when wee heare that God sees all that men doe and markes it and will call all men to accompt what an encouragement is this to serve God as David sayd to Solomon Know thou the God of thy Fathers and serve him with a perfect heart for the Lord searcheth all Hearts and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts 1 Chron. 28. 9. Againe what a comfort is this against false accusations Hee knowes all our innocency when our Neighbours say all manner of evill of us Hee knowes wee doe that in simplicity which others thinke wee doe out of a sinister respect or out of pride or popularity or for applause What a comfort is this when wee can appeale to God as Paul sayes the Lord knowes that J lye not as David sayes I have not refrained my lips from Preaching thy Righteousnesse O Lord thou knowest Psal 40. 9. Hee knowes the uttermost endeavours and desires of our hearts is to be as good as wee seeme though the World take us for Hypocrites Hee knowes wee be true men that reverence every power that is of God though the World esteeme us factious and humorous Little does the World thinke what the Saints doe every day what wrastlings with God what conflicts in their mindes they indure this is sufficient the Lord knowes Againe what a comfort is this if wee desire to know our sinnes God is able to shew them unto us Hee can open our eyes to behold them for our humiliation that wee may say with the Prophet I know mine owne iniquities and my sinne is ever before me if we want a right sight of our sinnes at any time it is but going to God Hee knowes them all hee can helpe us to see them aright Fifthly does God know all mens sinnes then this should make us afraid to doe evill at any time or in any place yea in the secretest wee can never do any evill but God will spy us out wee cannot have a thought in our heart but hee does discerne it nor
us weary But still wee should goe on a seeking of the holy Spirit of God Thus as wee know where to have the Spirit of God namely in Christ so wee know how too and therefore wee are without excuse if wee suffer our selves to bee void of Gods holy and blessed Spirit this is the second use Thirdly another Use is to you that doe indeed complain of great want of the Spirit here you see where yee may have supplies even from our Lord Jesus Christ hee hath the seven Spirits of God They labour to know Christ more and more this is the way to have more and more of the Spirit as the Apostle saith That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give unto you the spirit of wisdome and revelation in the knowledge of him Ephes 1. 17. Get the knowledge of Christ more and more and thus the spirit shall come to thee more and more It is said of the Indian Gymnosophists that they would lye all the day long looking upon the Sun in the firmament so should Christians doe they should lye looking upon Christ the more spirit still they shall have if they doe so First May be ye want spirit to make you know the Lords will you finde your selves backward from day to day little or no heart to Gods Commandements look up to Christ and say Lord there is enough spirit in Christ and hee hath it for all them that doe want and would have the same O give mee some together with him as hee sayes I will put my Spirit into you and cause you to walk in my statutes Ezek. 36. 27. q. d. look up to mee I will doe this for you Secondly May bee yee want strength yee have many temptations and you have no strength to resist them they come in upon you like the breaking in upon you may bee yee are tempted to deny all and to say yee have nothing in you sometimes yee are tempted to give over all saying it is but a folly I shall one day bee damned and I were as good give over now as to doe it afterwards when it will bee worse and yee have no strength to hold out sometimes yee cannot meditate yee cannot pray yee are fain to break off in the midst with base feares with security and vain hopes you are tempted to doe as the world does and yee have no strength to oppose them Look up to Christ yee know the Spirit of Christ is a spirit of power and strength 2 Tim. 1. 7. and hee hath him for you Look up to him then and cry for his strong spirit Who knowes may bee you may bee able to say in the end as Paul does I can doe all things through Christ that strengthens mee Thirdly May bee yee want boldnesse to call God your Father yee are in a quandary whether yee should call him so or no yee are afraid hee is none of your Father and that yee are none of his adopted ones yee shall but blaspheme him to call him your Father or to expect of him a childes portion Look up to Christ hee hath such a spirit in him whereby yee may cry Abba Father Gal. 4. 6. Fourthly May bee yee want life and quickning you finde your selves very dead even as the Church of Sardis in this place I know thy works that thou art dead Look up to Christ as here hee does bid thee hee hath the seven Spirits of God and hath that which will quicken thee Christ himself when hee was naturally dead hee was quickned by his own spirit 1 Pet. 3. 18. That very spirit can quicken thy spirituall deadnesse to every good word and work His spirit is life and that will make thee lively though thy heart bee little better then a Timber-logge in duties yet if that spirit get within thee it will make thee agile and active in every good thing It is a horrible thing to see how little Christians know of Jesus Christ though they have been thought to know Jesus Christ so long a time yet they doe not know him Christ takes this very ill as hee told Philip Have I been so long time with you and hast thou not known mee Philip Joh. 14. 9. Christ could bee even angry with him for learning him no better what little spirit is there in Christians now adaies a signe though they have been a long time a learning Christ yet they hardly know him For if wee knew him Brethren wee could not bee at enmity with the holy Spirit Wee doe not look up to Christ You will say what is it to look up to Christ in all your wayes I Answer It is to follow Christ as where John said Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world The Text sayes That two of his Disciples went away and followed after Jesus Joh. 1. 36 37. O thought they is hee the Lamb of God does hee take away the sins of the world wee will follow him then John bade them look at him and they followed after him that is they lookt at him indeed as a man looks at one whom hee follows when a man so looks up to Christ that hee follows him when a man sees him his onely meanes to bee happy and godly and in the favour of God the onely meanes to doe well and to bee well and desires indeed to follow after him this is to look up to Christ when a man labours sincerely to follow the counsell and direction of Christ in all his wayes Hee bids him to deny himself and that is the thing that hee labours for Hee bids him to repent of all his sins and to ply himself to all Gods holy paths and to rely upon him for strength and acceptance and mercy and pardon and every blessing What-ever thing hee looks for at the hands of God hee sets himself to follow Christs counsell and to expect it in him If hee see his sins hee looks up to Christ and there hee sees his death to defray them when hee sees what power they have over him hee looks up to Christ for his Spirit to subdue them in the use of all those meanes that hee hath appointed Prayer Meditation Watchfulnesse Striving Purposing Endevouring and Fighting against all the lusts of his flesh And wherein soever hee failes hee labours to bee humbled and yet to look still up to Christ for forgivenesse and more help against another time This is to see the Son of God Every one that sees the Son hath everlasting life Joh. 6. 40. This is to look up to Christ to beleeve in Christ to have Christ to bee in Christ to dwell in Christ and Christ in him But you will say I am afraid I never lookt up to Christ then I never yet had him for I have not his holy spirit how shall I know whether I have the holy spirit I Answer first I will tell thee what bee not signes and then secondly what bee signes First What bee
not signes there are foure signes that people take to bee signes and are not First a civill Life when a man is a mercifull man kind to the poore quiet and peaceable among his Neighbours gentle affable courteous well-conditioned These are no signes of having Gods holy Spirit True they are very commendable and they that have the Spirit of God must have them and better than them But a man may bee without the holy Spirit of God and yet have all these Paul shews that the very Barbarians shewed him no little kindnesse they kindled him a fire though they were meer naturall men Act. 28. 2. Our Saviour Christ shews that some are chaste by nature that are born so so many are temperate by nature and loving by nature and meek by nature patient by nature therefore these are no supernaturall graces these are no signes of the holy spirit Secondly the profession of Religion This is no signe of the Holy Spirit neither for many professe they know God and yee are reprobate to every good work Tit. 1. 16. that is many professe Religion they will heare the Word they will have prayers in their families they will be of the better side in their Parish where they are if there be any godly ones they will be of their Company if they can and seeme to to doe as they doe and yet they have a carnall heart they doe very good workes every day but they have a Reprobate and unapproved heart in them They doe not doe them right Thirdly Every kinde of repentance is not a signe neither we read that Pharaoh Confessed his sin and desired the prayers of Gods people Exod. 9. 27. Saul wept for his sinnes 1 Sam. 24. 16. Judas made restitution Esau bought repentance with teares The world think certainly these were times of Gods Spirit no no They were onely Common effects of the spirit The wicked may in a sort repent of their sinnes and beat them downe too but the truths is they doe not mortifie them Like as if a man should come into a garden and see how a mole hath cast up the earth and made a fowle stirre in the Alleyes and in the Garden knots if hee tread it onely downe with his foote and doe not kill the Mole anon after it will be as bad as before so many wicked men may doe they may beat downe their sinnes every day but they rise up still as bad as before now they beat them downe and so their lusts like the Mole cast up againe Thus the Mole is not killed This is no signe of the Spirit But a godly heart he kils the Mole he mortifies his sin indeed new Moles may breed and cast up again but he riddes his soule more and more Fourthly Every kind of faith neither is not a signe of Gods holy Spirit yee know the stony ground Believed Luk. 8. 13. Secondly Now for those signes that be First When a man is soundly convinced of his sinnes This is an act of Gods holy Spirit Joh. 16. 8. When a man hath the unction from the Holy one The Text sayes that abides for ever where it is The anointing which yee have received of him abideth in you 1 Joh. 2. 27. Secondly When a man hath had a sound prick for his sins this lets in the Holy Ghost as Peter told his hearers That were prickt in their hearts Act. 2. 37. he told them they should receive the Holy Ghost Thirdly When a man hath had an unsatisfiable desire of reconciliation with God as it is said of Paul that when hee was rightly toucht by the spirit indeed hee could neither eat nor drink Act. 9. 9. hee could not be quiet till Ananias came and told him hee was reconciled with God Fourthly When a man is another and a new creature Whosoever is in Christ is a new creature 2 Cor. 5. 17. the Spirit of God where ere Hee is Hee is a new spirit and Hee carries with him a new heart Ezek. 36. 26. Hee works a thorow change and hee renews minde will and affections inclinations memory appetite members and all Hee does not onely new-plaster them over but hee pulls a man quite down and builds him up a new habitation of God as Christ told the Centurion if I come I will heale thy servant so if Christ doe once come with his spirit into any mans heart hee heales it hee works a mighty mutation in that man into another man as Paul tels the Corinthians Yee were drunkards but now yee are washed yee were railers yee were adulterers yee were covetous yee were unrighteous But now yee are washed 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11. As Paul sayes I was a blasphemer and I was a persecuter but blessed bee God now I have obtained mercy Now I am not the man that I was I was a lyer but now blessed bee God I have the lip of Truth I hated them that were godly but blessed bee God now they are the dearest people to mee in the world Fifthly when a man does supernaturall good things naturall good things a naturall man may doe without the holy spirit of grace when you see a man list up a hundred or two hundred pound weight you will say I this hee may do by nature But if you should see a man lift up five thousand pound weight you will say there is more then nature in him so beloved when you see a man loves sin and comes to bee vaine and cannot abide to bee strict if hee bee strict a little hee is soon weary of it and layes it aside you may know this man hath not the spirit of God in him but if yee see you love holinesse and hate every evill thing that nothing humbles you so much as sin nothing takes you up so much as how to please God now yee may know the spirit of God is in you Why This is above Nature This then is another Use Lastly Hath Christ the seven Spirits of God to give them to all that will come unto him then what may Christ say to them that are contented without him that have no care at all to come at him that like not his government that will not draw water at his Well Hee hath taken paines to procure a stock of grace for them to provide Merits enough for them a salve broad enough for all their sores spirit enough to powre into all their hearts and when hee hath done all this they regard other things more than him Truely he may say as David did when he was told of Nabals churlish answer Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the Wildernesse 1 Sam. 25. 21 Even so may Christ say surely in vain have I suffered for these men in vaine have I come out of my Fathers bosome for them in vain did I die upon the crosse They will have none of my ware they respect not my graces they will not come at mee for my holy Spirit c. Revel 3. 1. And
that we know can't abide them Which among us when we pray and have base roving thoughts would not be ashamed that a man should see our thoughts rove which of us that are unsetled and dead-hearted would not blush that men had a casement to see how dead he sits at a Sermon and how dead at a Sacrament how dead in other of Gods Ordinances what base and impure thoughts sometime doe arise in his minde if he did thinke that any man should see them he would not hardly be able to shew his face among men Let but an adulterer that is naught with a whore have but a few men or but one man come and take him in the act O how it will gall him and vex him to be seen 〈◊〉 as Iob speakes if one know them they are in the terror of the shadow of death Job 24. 17. they abhorre the light they cannot abide to be brought out to be knowne Now beloved if this be our disposition by nature that we cannot abide that so much as a man should know us nay not a child of six or seven yeeres of age then O what a terror is it that the God of Heaven and Earth should know us that he should see all our lusts all our sinnefull and vile thoughts all our uncleane and noy some affections all our by ends and carelesnesse of God! O what a powerfull thing is this to worke upon the heart except it be delivered up to a reprobate sense to sleight God and care lesse for him then for a little Boy or a mortall man so then yee see this is a powerfull meanes to work upon a soule to know that God knowes all his workes though the Woman of Samaria stood jesting and playing and contesting with our Saviour a good while yet when she perceived that he knew all her villany this burst her heart O saies she this is no other then Christ he hath told me all that ever I did Joh. 4. 29. The use of this is First here we see they are desperato that this point cannot worke on its certaine they are gracelesse that can heare that God sees all their workes and yet it does not purge them from day to day it s an evident argument that a man contemnes God and makes nothing of him When David had shewed that the wicked care not for Gods eye they make a matter of nothing of it tush God does not see Psalm 19. 11. say they that is they knew he saw indeed but they made nothing of it as long as men did not see them they counted Gods seeing as nothing now marke what followes wherefore doe the wicked contemne God Psalm 13 Secondly is it so that this is such a powerfull meanes to worke upon our hearts let us not harden our hearts but let us consider of it that it may cut between the bone and the marrow and devide between the soule and the spirit God sees all our workes This point should fall upon our hearts like the almighty hand of God as it did upon Job I know thou canst doe every thing and that no thought can be hid from thee Job 42. 2. REVEL 3. 1. That thou hast a name that thou livest and art Dead WE are come to the subject matter of this example and First we meet with the reproofe that Christ gives to the Church of Sardis the reproofe is either in generall I know thy workes i e. I know them all to be starke naught for the generall and then in particular first their hypocrisie thou hast a name that thou livest secondly their deadnesse indeed and art dead The generall reproofe we spake of the last day I know thy workes and there ye heard that God knowes all the sinfull courses that any man takes he is privy to every mans sinnes though men carry them never so closely and cleverly yet he knowes them First he sees all mens sinfull actions as Elihu speakes his eyes are upon the wayes of man and he sees all his goings there is no darknesse or shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves Job 34. 21. 22. people cannot get out of his sight they cannot sinne so in private but he seeth them they may goe into a secret roome and shut every living creature out but they cannot shut God out Secondly he knowes every syllable that men speake I have heard what the Prophets said they prophecy lies in my name Ier. 23. 25. the Lord can tell what men speake under the rose looke what the King of Aram spake in his bed chamber he could tell Elisha As Enoch speakes he knowes all the speeches that wicked men speake and will have them up at the day of judgement against them Thirdly he knowes every sinfull thought that is in mens hearts as Moses sayes God saw the wickednesse of man was great upon the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually Gen. 6. 5. though mens thoughts be slie things and are out of mens eyes and Angels eyes and Devils eyes yet they are not out of his eye he sees what men thinke Fourthly he knowes all that ever a man hath done as the woman said of Christ come see one that hath told me all that ever I have done Joh. 4. 29. Fifthly he knowes all the evill that ever men will doe hereafter the Lord told Moses what Pharaoh would doe before he went to him I know he will harden his heart and will not let them goe Exod. 3. 19. while the Children of Israel were in the wildernesse he knew what they would doe when they came into Canaan I know their imaginations even now before I have brought them into the Land which I sware to give them Deut 31. 21. Sixthly he knowes all the evills that men would doe in such and and such circumstances he knew Abimelech would have taken Sarah if he had not hindred him he knew that the men of Keilah would betray David if David should stay there 1 Sam. 23. 12. he knowes what a rich man would doe if he were poore what this or that poore man would doe if he were rich one dies in his infancy he knowes what he would have done if he had let him live to be a man her 's a man that lives in a good family and may be carrieth himselfe very squarely but the Lord knowes what he would doe if he lived in another place Seventhly the Lord knowes mens dispositions their natures their qualities their projects their intentions he knowes how many are rotten though they professe never so much he knowes mens persons he knowes vaine men Iob. 11. 11. I told you the reason of this First because he is omniscient and knowes all things his understanding is infinite Psal 147. 5. let a man set as good a colour as he can upon his wicked devices God can discover him let a man have never so many excuses though
life of Eloqution so I may say of preaching affections are the life of preaching now by affections I doe not meane feigned and forced affections they are no affections indeed but when a man preaches so for the matter and manner indeed affectionate matter and with a true affected heart that he may move the hearts of men as one says the world is now full of knowledge as a drunkard is full of wine that his stomack is not able to digest so I say people have more knowledge then they can well digest the stomack wants heat to concoct it for their good as Rodolphus Agricola speakes any man that hath learning may teach but to move the heart and affections it requires more a great deale This is lively preaching when a Minister sets himself to be in mens bosoms what alively preacher was the Apostle Paul you may see by his dealing with Agrippa he made the Kings heart even yearne againe with his speaking the King confest how his speaking worked within his bosom almost thou perswadest me to be a Christian Act. 26. 28. so you may see by the Galatians his preaching did not onely convert many of them but those whom he did not convert he did wonderfully work upon their hearts that they could have be contented to have pluckt out their eyes have given them to him Gal. 4. 15. such a lively preacher was he in the second of Judges that when he preacht he set all the people a melting a weeping like little children that had been beaten Judg. 2. 4. 5. I grant it may be the best and liveliest Ministers under heaven cannot do so now peoples hearts are more hardned But yet though we cannot undertake to move any one mans heart that 's the worke of God yet our Ministry may be lively First by labouring to make the things that we preach as it were lively before peoples eyes as the Apostle preached Christ crucified even as if he were crucified before his peoples eyes Gal. 3. 1. so Moses had a very lively Ministry the Text sayes he set before them life and death he laboured to preach with that evidence as if he had set before their eyes life death heaven and hell good and evill when a Minister preaches in the evidence and the demonstration of the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 4. when he labours to bring the Gospell plainly to mens hearts a man may teach the Gospell but it is not preaching except he set it lively forth and labour to make people see it this is the truth and this is your sinne against that truth this is the doctrine and thus you faile in the doctrine this is the threatning of God and thus you lye under the threatning otherwise they heare a Sermon as if it did not concern them Secondly coming to particulars generals are but dead we see they leave people dead people have a hundred tricks to put them off but when a preacher comes to particulars he either quickens or slayes he convinces either to life or to death when a Minister layes the truth at every mans doore he presses it upon every mans heart he meets with many a put off he makes every conscience say I am the man except they be asleep or their minds are a wooll-gathering he darts into his hearers faces a view of their particular estates he toucheth their copy-hold he confutes their false pleas and knocks off the fingers that would be applying of a promise when it does not concern them puts it onely upon the soule to whom it does belong This is lively preaching that gives to every soule his due terror to whom teror comfort to whom comfort belongs milk to the Babe strong meat to the grown oyle to the bruised and a sword into the hard heart a whip for the Horse and a Bridle for the Asse and a rod for the fooles back Prov. 26. 3. application is the life of preaching this serves to condemne such a one this serves to confute such a one this serves to comfort such a one when a Minister does as Paul sayes divide the word aright 2 Tim. 2. 15. Thirdly by worrying of people out of their sinnes when a Minister will not let people be quiet in any of their sinfull courses when he labours daily to vex their guilty consciences and to turne them from day to day as the two witnesses did Rev. 11. 10. that they may say we cannot be quiet for this man he makes me sit upon thornes when a Minister labours to make hell to have every vile wretch and heaven and the promises to have every honest heart c. Fourthly by being pittious and affectionate towards the poore people to let them see how we pity their condition as we should doe what we can to make them feele their damned estate as also with bowels and compassion labour that they may see we doe pity them therefore preaching sometimes is called lamentation in Scripture Ezek. 19. 1. it may be people then may say what a beast am I how does our Minister pity us he mourns over us and bewayles us what a wretch am I that I doe not bewayle mine own case O beloved what a wofull thing is it that any of us should perish to be damned for ever in hell to lye in eternall paines what a pity is this is it not much better ye should embrace the good word of God and beleeve and take Jesus Christ and be willing to doe any thing he would have you to doe then to lye by it for ever in the paines of hell for the pleasures of sinne for a season alas it is for want of bowels that we doe no more good Fifthly by being deeply affected with the word of God laying nothing on peoples backs but what we lift up upon our owne shoulders speaking the truth from the bottom of our hearts uttering the word of God with feeling and with a contrite spirit O if we could drop our Sermons as dew down from heaven on our people this would be lively preaching indeed as the Prophet Ezekiel did he dropt the word of God upon Ierusalem Ezek. 21. 2. so if our Sermons did come droping downe from us as if they dropt downe from heaven O how coldly doe our Sermons come from our mouthes we doe not preach as if the word came downe from heaven as if our hearts were no higher then our pulpits Lastly by getting the Lord to goe along with our Ministry for it is not our preaching it self that hath any life no it is but a dead letter as Micha sayes I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord Mich. 3. 8. REVEL 3. 2. And art Dead THese words as ye heard have a twofold relation one to the Angell of the Church in Sardis thou art dead thy Ministry is dead there 's no life nor heat at all in thy Ministry it is no stirring Ministry thou art dead another to the Church it self thou art
for his conscience he called it up every day he was active about it so that the stirrings that are in wicked men they are none of theirs but Gods meerly to pull them out of the bottomlesse pit if it might be in the meane time his conscience is as dead as himselfe Thus ye see what the life of the conscience is First there is a relative life of conscience the conscience is alive when the man is alive Secondly the conscience is alive when it makes duty so that it makes the man do his duty too when it does not onely check for evill and accuse for evill and condemne for evill and prompt a man that he should take heed of evill but it make a man doe his duty in all these so also when it does not onely urge a man to that which is good and excuse him and approve him but in all these it makes him doe his duty too so likewise when it counsels it does not onely counsell and dictate what is to be done and what not but it so does all these particulars that it makes the man to doe his duty in sincerity from day to day This is alive conscience Now that this is the live conscience I prove it unto you by five Arguments 1. Because conscience was made not onely to doe all these acts but to make a man to doe his so that when conscience does its own acts never so much that 's nothing to the life of conscience does thy conscience check thee and smite thee does it whisper never so much in thee this is no Argument it 's alive except it make thee to be obedient unto God Conscience was given man for this purpose and therefore then onely is it alive when it is for this purpose in thy Bosome when David would get up out of his temptations you may see how he got up by conscience I communed with my owne heart and my spirit sayes he made diligent search Psal 77. 6. that is he communed with his conscience what he knew about God and so got himselfe up this is thy consciences office to tell thee what thou hast heard out of the word and that is not all but to lead thee guide thee as the helme does the Ship It is given thee to be thy keeper as he sayes J was upright before him and I kept my selfe from my iniquity Psal 18. 23. that is this is my iniquity this is the sinne that I am most inclined to I must keepe my selfe from that Thus his conscience was his keeper under God Secondly another argument is because this is the way whereby godly people doe their duties their conscience makes them doe their duty it makes them beleeve it makes them feare God it makes them eschew evill and doe good from day to day Blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits Psal 103. 2. when the Prophet would doe this duty he made his conscience presse it soundly upon him to doe it so when he would waite upon God he set his owne soule and conscience upon him to make him to doe it waite on the Lord be of good courage he will strengthen thy heart waite I say upon the Lord Psal 27. 14. Thirdly another argument is this is the description of those that have a live conscience they are such as make themselves doe their duties continually as the Apostle sayes He that hath this hope in him purisieth himselfe even as he is pure 1 Joh. 3. 3. that is he is a man that makes himselfe doe his duty his owne soule and conscience sayes thus unto him Christ is a pure Christ and I must be like him as ever I hope that he will bring me into his kingdom and this makes him doe his duty he purisieth himselfe even as he is pure I could quote abundance of places to prove this Fourthly another argument is when God speakes to any that are alive from the dead to doe their duties towards him he bids them make themselves to doe their duties on this manner so Saint Paul sayes Having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the sight of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. that is goe and aske your owne soule and conscience what have I not these and these promises why then I must labour to be cleansed from all manner of sinne I must perfect holinesse in the feare of God now sayes he let us make our selves doe our duties thus Nay fifthly when God speakes to them which are yet dead and would turne them home unto him he bids them doe thus in regard of the meanes turne your selves and live you Ezek. 18. 32. that is Let your owne soules and consciences consider this is the way to live ye cannot be saved without turning as ever I would live for ever I must be turned from all my sinfull courses make your selves doe your duties in this manner that is use all the meanes that the Lord hath given you to use make your selves goe about it not as though any man hath free will to turne himselfe But he speakes of the use of all meanes that he puts into your hands make your selves to use them nay no soule can ever look to be saved except he doe not onely let his conscience check him and tell him thus and thus his duty is but also let his conscience make him doe his duty too so that this must needs be the life of the conscience when it does not onely doe its owne duty to check and to whisper but also it makes a man to doe his The use of this is first then we see here how few have live consciences for people have consciences that doe onely tell them they should be more carefull they should give over such and such sins they should beleeve and they should be zealous and they should be more setled but O how few have consciences that make them doe their duties Numb 15. 40. that ye may remember and doe all my commandements and be holy unto your God REVEL 3. 1. And art Dead WE are come to speake of this necessary point when is a man quickened up towards God and all his holy wayes We have shewed you three things concerning this already First what the life of the minde is Secondly what the life of the heart is Thirdly what the life of the conscience is Now there remaines two more the one is the life of the memory the other is the life of the affections Fourthly then what is the life of the memory for the memory too may be dead and the memory may be alive First the memory may be dead when a man may be remembers if ye aske him a thing he can tell it aske him of a Sermon he can tell the Text and the points and the particulars that were delivered in the Sermon but here 's all it 's a dead memory he never remembers it to
and then the promise is to them in these words They shall walk with me in white that is I will give them the grace of repentance and I wil keep them unspotted unto my heavenly Kingdome and glory And he addes a reason in these words For they are worthy not as though they did merit repentance and glory no but they are worthy in Christ and Christ hath made them meet to be made partakers of this mercy Thus you see the matter of the Epistle The fourth and last thing is the conclusion of the Epistle and that is in the fifth and sixth verses He that overcometh shall be cloathed in white raiment c. In which words we have the conclusion of the Epistle and it consists of two parts First a promise to every one that overcometh He that overcomes c. Secondly a precept to command every gracious Saint to attend to these things The promise First it is to be considered to whom it is made it is made to him that overcometh that is ye know there is to be a holy warre against all manner of sin and all temptations and all the policies of Satan and all the alluring baits of the world and all the inclinations of the flesh Now he that overcomes all these which is no other but one that is born of God who alone is able to overcome He that overcomes this is the party to whom it is promised Secondly what it is that is promised Here bee three things that are promised to him that overcomes First White raiment He shall be clothed in white raiment that is he shall be preferred to everlasting blessednesse and hee shall walk in triumph in a conquerours robe Secondly a permanent and lasting name in the Booke of life I will not put out his name out of the Book of life that is there be many hundreds that are written in the book of life in the judgement of men and in the hope of men but in the end the Lord blots them out he makes it appeare that their names are not there But this man shall never bee blotted out thence As he hopes his name is enrolled there so it shall for a certain appeare to be enrolled there and it shall never be crossed out Thirdly Christs confessing of that mans name before his Father and his holy Angels And I will confesse his name before my Father and his holy Angels that is I will acknowledge him to be mine Thus you see the first thing the promise which is made to him that overcomes The second part of the conclusion is a precept to command every gracious Saint to attend to these things and that is in the sixth verse He that hath an eare to heare let him heare what the Spirit saith unto the Churches Of these in their order and first of the Inscription And to the Angel of the Church of Sardis write By the Angel he means not the Angels of Heaven no nor the Angels of the bottomlesse pit he does not mean the Angels of heaven because they are perfectly holy they have no sinne in them Now the Lord Jesus speakes of such an Angel here as hath much sinned for he reproves him exceedingly Neither does he mean any Angel of the bottomlesse pit because they are perfectly evill they have no spirituall goodnesse at all in them Now the Lord Jesus speaks of such an Angel here whom though he reproves for many things amisse yet he commends him too for some gracious things and therefore he can be Angell of the bottomlesse pit It remains then that a Metaphoricall Angel is here understood and that is the Minister of the Church Now as the Angels are called Ministers Blesse ye the Lord all ye his Hosts ye Ministers that doe his pleasure Psal 103. 21. So the Ministers are called Angels An Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim c. Judg. 2. 1. that iâ— a Minister Phinehas or some Prophet or other as it seems came and preached unto the people The point then is this That Ministers are to be Angels as it were They are Angels in some sense 1. Angels are Spirits yee know they are spiritual substances as the Psalmist speaks He maketh his Angels spirits Psal 104. 4. they are spirituall creatures their communion is spirituall their food is spirituall their delights are spirituall their affections minds are spirituall so a Minister though he be a Body as well as his people yet he should be a spiritual man I confess every true Christian is spiritual as the Apostle sayes If any man be overtaken in a fault ye that are spiritual restore such a man in the spirit of meeknes Gal. 6. he speakes to every true Christian he is a spirituall man But a Minister should more especially be spirituall nay our own phrases will rise up in judgement against us if we be not spirituall Doe not we call our selves the Spiritualty as though the people were carnall in comparison of us Now if we should be more carnall then they out of our own mouthes the Lord will condemne us The truth is many of us may be called spirituall men if we will but we are mad spirituall men as the Prophet Hosea speakes The spirituall man is mad Hosea 9. 7. Mad spirituall men indeed when we are nothing lesse then what we professe our selves to be when we are spirituall men in a mockery yee know what a mock is brought up upon this name people call a spirituall Pig that is the poorest of all the ten that hath no substance in it that is given to the Minister so many of us are spirituall in a mockery having no reason why we should be so tearmed but onely because there is no substance in us no goodnesse no holinesse at all in us whereas we should exceed others in it We should be spiritual in a special manner we should be like animae separatae like spirits sequestred from bodily things taken up with spirituall affaires holding forth the fruits of the spirit we should be as Angels in our Parishes labouring to draw people from all their carnal courses endeavouring to breed in them a savour and a relish of all the things of the spirit of God our Sermons should not be onely moral but spiritual our carriage should be a spiritual walking where we come our discourse should be spirituall we should be like a company of spirits for so the Apostle calls us Try the spirits whether they be of God 1 John 4. 1. that is try your Ministers whether they be of God yea or no whether their doctrine be the doctrine of life that wil make the soul live whether their conversation be after the spirit lest ye follow a false guide whether their Ministery be the Ministery of the spirit If any man think himselfe to be a Prophet or spirituall 1 Cor. 14. 37. We cannot think our selves Prophets except we be spiritual men When our courses are carnal we sin
company dare talk of their roguery before them as Amnon before Jonadab Jonadab ask't him what he ailed he was so sad O sayes he I would fain lie with my sister Tamar 2 Sam. 13. 4. He knew before whom he was if Jonadab had been a godly man he durst as well have eaten his own tongue as have told him his base lust A godly man the very presence of him would have made him ashamed and to have bitten in his lips When a minister is unsent of God no body does respect him out of conscience they care not for his words whereas when a minister is sent this makes him as an Angel of God when others call him all to naught the conscience of many will plead for him as we see there of Jeremy O this man is not worthy to die for hee hath spoken unto us in the Name of the Lord Jer. 26. 16. There 's never a sent minister but if he come in trouble except peoples consciences be seared with a hot Iron they wil speak for him in their bosomes Alas why is he put down Why is he imprisoned Why is he opposed He hath spoken to us in the name of the Lord. So that this is the second wherein all ministers should agree they should be all sent of God not contenting themselves with the calling of man without being also called of God Thirdly they must all agree in the matter that they preach the same word is delivered unto all ministers to preach Preach the word 2 Tim. 4. The same Gospel the same Truths the same Duties the same Commandments the same Promises the same threatnings Ye know there is one God and one Faith and one Baptisme one Lord Jesus Christ there is but one way of life one gate to heaven one salvation one Bible Now every minister must agree in this You know all men are by Nature the children of wrath in a damned estate now all Pulpits should agree in this every minister labouring to bring their people to a sight of their misery by sinne every minister should shew his people what cursed creatures they are untill they be converted and renewed every Minister should presse the evill of sin and open the wiles of Satan the guilt of the conscience the spiritualnesse of the Law the necessity of humiliation and repentance and amendment of life that there is no mercy but in Christ no salvation but by Christ except people take him to live in their hearts by faith All ministers should let their people know the terror of the Lord the strictnesse of Gods judgements the inseparable connexion of mercy and a godly life that no profane person can enter into Gods Kingdome no hypocrite no meer civill man that a form of godlinesse will not serve turn that none but Saints shall stand at Christs right hand at the last day All ministers should preach what a narrow path there is to Paradise how few there bee that find it that saving grace cannot stand with the reign of the least lust that people must be pure and holy what ever the world think of purenesse and precisenesse and strictnesse yet without this no flesh shall be saved If all pulpits sounded with these truths and all ministers cried those aloud would lift up their voyces like a trumpet and not spare what a land should we have The want of unity in this matter is the cause that wickednesse does so much abound a drunkard a whoremaster a muckworm may come to a Sermon and goe away with hope that he shall have peace When ministers make the pulpit a scaffold in which like Masters of Defence they play their prizes blazon their own wits descant upon their text as though the Scripture were a Rattle for children and fools to sport with tossing it to and fro hither and thither as boyes at a Tennis when they go about to amaze their hearers to mount aloft to be in their high phrases and coyned words more like Mimicks and Comedians then Ministers when they search into moath-eaten Friers affect allegories would fain be thought Linguists and interlace a many of allegations of Latin and Greek sentences which a School-boy might doe with a Polyanthea or if they speak plain they skim the truth of the Scriptures and never dive deep to the edifying of the soule May be they will preach good morall matter But a man may goe to hell though he doe as they teach people may heare them a thousand times and no man made to cry out What have I done They preach of repentance but then they open it so slightly that a man may repent as they say and be damned they preach of faith in Christ but they make it so broad that thousands have it and sink into the bottomlesse pit with it they preach that sin must be forsaken and a good life must be led but they handle it in that wise that their hearers may doe as they say and yet have no more grace then a reprobate nor so much neither Now beloved the unity among brethren should be this to agree in the right matter of preaching that the word may be carved to all as their need is that they may see their own cases that they may understand the wiles of the Devil the fallacies of their own evill hearts the counterfets of faith and repentance and new obedience and that they may not be cousened with them This is the third thing Fourthly they should all agree in the true manner of preaching That which our Saviour sayes of hearing Take heed how yee heare Luke 8. 18. he means of preaching too let your Ministers take heed how they preach Beloved we that are the Ministers of God we are to labour to turn Lions into Lambs and to transform the heart of man to breed new creatures unto God and therefore it is not every kind of preaching will serve the turn 1. Then Ministers should agree in preaching with the demonstration of the Spirit and of power as Paul sayes not with the wisdome of words lest the crosse of Christ be made of no effect 1 Cor. 1. 17. q. d. If we should preach wit and learning eloquence then the death of Christ would be of no effect that is no man would be converted Christ would be offered to none therefore we must preach nakedly to flash the naked word into mens consciences that they may see Thus saith the Lord against their sinful courses thus saith the Lord of their estates this reproofe is from the Lord this threat is from the Lord thus saith the Lord you are a wretch this is thy sin and this is thy cursed condition and it is the Lord and not I that does affirm it It is said of Christ that he preacht with authority and not as the Scribes Matth. 7. 29. What is it to come with authority When a man speakes from God to the consciences of men as when a Constable comes in the name of a King I
wee desire to doe what wee are commanded to doe wee shall have enemies enough in the world Our Tribe is a hated Tribe Of all Offices the office of a reprover is the most unwelcome Paul was counted an enemy because hee told the Galatians the truth Micaiah was hated because hee dealt truely with Ahab people love their lusts as their members yea as themselves Ergò of all men wee are most hated Every man is beleeved in his own profession but wee People do not hate Taylors that make them a good garment nor a Shoo-maker that makes them a good Shooe nor a Cook that makes them a good Feast nor a Phisitian that makes them a good potion nor a good Lawyer that makes them a good suite though these doe but provide for the body and yet wee that provide for peoples soules if wee make them a good Sermon that would save their soules for ever so they would obey it wee are hated for our labour Ergò when Moses came to speak of Levi that were the Ministers of Israel hee prayes God that God would deliver them out of the hands of their enemies Lord smite through the loynes of them that hate him Deut. 33. 11. I say wee have many enemies in the world and therefore wee had need to hang together who ever bee at oddes wee should stick close Our message is hardly beleeved and therefore wee had need to bee all of one minde The word which wee preach is adverse to flesh and blood and therfore wee had need all joyntly to obey it otherwise how doe wee think that wee shall perswade any others Force the more united the more strong O if we would all joyn forces in one wee might make all our Parishes quake all the wicked round about their very hearts would bee ready to faile them if every Pulpit did rowze them If they could come in no Church but they were made to sit upon thornes I verily beleeve few would have any heart to goe on in their evill doings Thirdly another Use is how wee see it is a very usefull and a profitable thing that one good Minister should now and then come and help another and preach for another that our people may see our consent that wee all preach the same thing and that is not our private preaching but all the Ministers that are of God are just of the same mind This made the Apostle whensoever hee was to write to a people that hee knew would bee somewhat backward to beleeve them hee would joyne other Ministers with him as consenting together with him Indeed when hee wrote unto Timothy he would not doe it for hee knew that hee did not need hee knew the faithfulnesse of his heart But when hee writ to the Corinthians where false Apostles had been and had made many of them to doubt hee joyned Sosthenes with him as it were confirming the same thing 1 Cor. 1. 1. when hee wrote to the Galatians hee told them hee had Peter on his side and Barnabas and Titus and James and John and how the Apostles gave unto him the right hand of Fellowship Gal. 2. 1. 9. Hee writing to the Philippians hee joynes Timothy with him Phil. 1. 1. And so writing to Philemon about a thing that though hee hoped Philemon would doe yet because hee knew he might have many carnall reasons against it hee joyns another with him Philem. 1. This is of very good use when one good Minister comes and backs anothers Ministery For as it is with men-pleasing Ministers that make as if the way to heaven were easier than it is people hope that other Ministers will come and confirming it make it good Ezek. 3. 6. O they love such a Doctrine alife and they hope there will be moe of that minde So when they heare a strict Minister that delivers the Word to them as it is and as they shall finde it at last day tush this is so uncooth that they hope that it is but the opinion of their precise Minister and that no body else is of his minde Now when God shall bring a cloud of witnesses it is I say of very good use I confesse that when a Minister speaketh the truth though no body else come to set it on besides him hee shall bee a witnesse against all the people that will not beleeve and vext at the voyce of his preaching Noah condemned all the world albeit there were none but hee But yet symphony and agreement and the consent of the Ministers of God is an Ordinance of God when it may conveniently bee had Thus I have spoken of this second point of Doctrine of the unity of Ministers To the Angell of the Church in Sardis I acknowledge this point is not so much for the generall profit of you all But you must bear with me for handling of it Wee shall come now to you ere long For I am sure if any portion of Scripture may doe us good in these dead times the Treating of this Epistle may And yet it is not lost time to speak unto the Ministers if by any meanes I may provoke my self and my Brethren to the abounding in the unity of the Spirit and of Faith and heart and minde for the further spreading and enforcing of good Revel 3. 1. And unto the Angell of the Church in Sardis write these things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead And unto the Angel of the Church in Sardis write YEE have had two Doctrines from hence concerning Gods Ministers I told you there is one more and then I have done and so will proceed The Doctrine is this That a Minister may bee in fault that the people are dead that they have no more heart to good things that they are so ignorant so cold so ungodly so worldly so vain as they are I say the Minister may bee in the fault The point is very clear from this place The Lord being to reprove the people here of Sardis for their deadnesse in Religion he directs his reproof to their Minister To the Angel of the Church in Sardis write I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead Hee accuses the Minister for the deadnesse of the Church that was committed to his charge hee meanes the Church but hee speakes to the Minister You will say how doe yee prove that hee means the Church I Answer there be three places that doe manifest the same The one is Revel 1. 4. There John tells us that hee indeed writes to the Churches for that in the inscription of every Epistle the Minister onely bee named John to the seven Churches in Asia So that this latter is sent to the Church that is in Sardis John meanes it to the Church and not onely to the Minister A second place is Rev. 1. 11. what thou seest write to the seven
more and more As Solomon saith Where there is no vision the people perish Prov. 29. 18. that is where preaching is defective the people die they are spiritually dead in trespasses and in sins Can a man live without bread or without food no more can people live without constant preaching The Word is the bread of life now when this is not broken unto people they must needs dye Mark how Zachary describes them that are without preaching They are such as fit in darknesse and in the shadow of death Luk. 1. 79. that is they are blinde and ignorant and livelesse dead while they live they are wicked and abominable in the power of Satan under the wrath of God strangers from the life of God such Ministers as doe not preach constantly they are soule-murtherers they are guilty of their peoples blood they doe not give them that which should quicken them up unto eternall life they should quicken them up unto newnesse of life but they doe not they should powre in the words of eternall life into their hearts but they doe not people are naturally dead to Prayer and dead to communion with God and dead to all holinesse they have no heart to purenesse and righteousnesse of walking and such Ministers doe not study to revive them Secondly as a Minister may bee the cause of his peoples deadnesse by his not Preaching so he may be the cause of their deadnesse by his Preaching when the manner of it is dead Preaching may be dead in the manner of it 7 waies First When it is too generall when they preach onely in generall That which wee say is very good for the generall but wee doe not apply our selves to every particular mans Conscience this â—eads peoples hearts Beloved it is particular Preaching that does people good When Nathan told David Thou are the man 2 Sam. 12. 7. this stirred Davids heart When Peter had said to his hearers Yee have crucifyed Christ Act. 2. 36. This prickt them to the heart Generall preaching cannot quicken First because generalls cannot act Actio est singularium as wee say It s onely a particular works Let a man preach home and in particular and this will work on the hearers This made Michah a powerfull Preacher when hee preached particularly to his peoples Conscience Truely I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord and of judgement and of might to declare unto Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin Mich. 3. 8. this made him a powerfull Prophet to quicken up his people because hee told every man his sin and smote every man conscience for his transgression No man is stirred till hee feeles his case laid open till hee sees the Minister beates upon him and hit him till the Minister treads hard upon his toes hee will never cry out Secondly Generall Preaching leaves the Sermon to the people to apply it now the people will never apply it while the world stands Nay David himself would not apply as long as Nathan dealt with him in generall as long as Nathan was speaking of a man in the clouds a rich man that had wronged a poore man Davids heart was as whole as a fish till hee came to Thou art Him Now hee cries out I have sinned Nathan was fain to make application For David would never have done it else Will a truantly Boy ever whip himself the Master may lay the rod before him but except the Master lay it on hee will goe scot-free if hee can The words of the wise are as goods and as nailes fastened by the Masters of Assemblies Eccles 12. 11. Mark the Masters of Assemblies must fasten them into the post lay the nailes by the post it self will never knock them in So though the Sermon bee never so good a naile yet hee must knock it in the people will never doe it The Prophet Jehu must come and say to Jehosaphat Shouldst thou help the ungodly Wrath is upon thee from the Lord 2 Chron. 19. 2. Hee fastened in the naile though Jehosaphat were a good man yet the Prophet knew he would not do it Nay people are so farre from applying the word unto themselves that they will apply it to any body else rather than to themselves the Minister met with such a one to day there was a lesson for him But none will say this was for mee and I am a vile wretch and vengeance hangs over mee unlesse I doe amend and therefore certainly generall Peaching is a dead manner of preaching Thirdly Generall Preaching is confused when Ministers tell people they must repent and beleeve and serve God and bee godly and carry themselves well in all their places and callings When they doe thus in generall this is like as if the trump should give an uncertain sound like the noise in a battle a confused noise as the Prophet speaks Esa 9. 5. Like the confusion in Ephesus Great is Diana of the Ephesians they kept a great stirre Act. 19. 32. the Text saith The assembly was confused and the more part knew not wherefore they were come together so while wee preach onely in the generall Great is the Lord Jesus Christ and wee are great sinners and great is the need of repentance but wee neither tell the people how nor when nor who nor what may bee our Sermons may keep some pudder in mens Consciences but people have no distinct edification they goe away and say O it was a very godly Sermon I pray God give us grace to follow it But no man is the better They heare admirable things about repentance but they are not taught how to goe about it there they are at a losse They remember gracious things about the serving of God and about a good Conscience and the like But they know not how in the earth to set about these things to any purpose if ever wee would quicken our peoples hearts wee must let them see distinctly the will of God concerning them the particular means and helps and signes of it the particular motives and Arguments to it the particular circumstances of it the particular hinderances lets and impediments of doing of it and you can never doe the will of God as long as yee doe thus and thus and this course will break your neck this practise of yours will bee your utter undoing when people heare distinct Preaching this doth them good if any thing will Generall Preaching is like the setting of good Physick before the Patient without giving him directions for the taking of it Fourthly Generall Preaching is deceitfull Est dolus in generalibus as wee say there is deceit in the generalls wee Preach that people must love God and feare him and thank him and they must bee new men and they must leave their sinnes and they must Pray and hear the Word and they must doe every thing to Gods glory Now mark what deceit there is in such preaching as this this is in the generall People goe away and
about it and dig deeper and deeper Still as the heart beares it selfe he is to come with more and more supplies out of the Word against it It is a strange thing to see how deepe Ministers have gone and yet people arme themselves against the Word of God and are not converted by it Tell them they must be new Creatures they confesse it and though they be none yet they have many faire colours to hope they are Tell them of Communion with God and fellowship with his sonne Iesus Christ and Heavenly-mindednesse and hatred of all sin love to universall obedience plucking out their right eyes looking at the Glory of God not to trust in their performances to go out of themselves People make a shift to have something to answer all All these things they hope they have done in some measure Now when Ministers goe on and on and do not goe further and further this leaves such people dead It is said of a Preacher that is wise that he still teaches the people knowledge Because the Preacher was wise he still taught the people knowledge Eccles 12. 9. That is people could never come to him but still hee made them know more and more You will say how can a Preacher doe thus I Answer if a Preacher bee well studied in his own heart and in the Book of God this will help him to doe it For still as hee sees further into his own heart still hee will see further into the Word of God and let out more and more light It is said of Christs Ministery That in it the light did spring up Matth. 4. 16. So this is a true Ministery indeed when the light springs up in it Yee know in a Spring the water springeth up more and more now when a Minister goes on in a track and does not doe thus this is a deading Ministery This is the third thing Flat Preaching leaves people dead Fourthly Cold Preaching too when a Minister preaches coldly when the Word floweth coldly from his mouth When a man hides the affectionatenesse of the Word from the people by the coldnesse of his uttering of it Beloved the Word is full of affections what a deale of affection is there in all the Truthes of the Gospel they are all steept in the warm blood of the Son of God there is affection in the promises they proceed from the tender bowels of God Affection in the threatnings they all issue from the infinite wrath of God against sin The Word of God is as fire Jer. 23. 29. Now when a Minister shall preach the Word coldly hee preaches the Word otherwise then it is Hee does as much as in him lies to hide the affectionatenesse of the Word from the peoples hearts Suppose the Town were all on fire would yee not count the man a ridiculous man that should come to us and tell us a cold story Sirs let mee tell you a thing there is a great fire in the Town and I verily think it may burn all the Town and you should doe well to goe and quench it This man tells us so indeed but would not you count him a fool for telling us such a thing in a cold carelesse manner as if it were a small matter Nature teacheth us another course in such a case Fire fire help O help for the Lords sake water water in all haste Alas alas wee are undone quickly quickly run for ladders run for buckets run for wet cloathes ah you lazie villaine run apace for iron hooks and the like Thus nature teaches to deliver such a truth that does so neerly concern us affectionately So it is here Brethren what weighty things does the Word contain Truths that our very bowels should yern and wee should powre out our affections in the Pulpit that wee may shew by our delivery what they are Now when this is not done this deads peoples hearts They fit as quiet at a Sermon though they heare of matters of life and death eternall life salvation and damnation Yet they sit like blocks in their seats as though it were no great matter Why they hear one standing in the Pulpit as though hee were saying his lesson wicked people will not beleeve they are going to hell though wee tell them they will not beleeve the waies of Jesus Christ are so good as they are though wee tell them It is a pretty story of Demosthenes when one told him that hee was beaten and mis-used by such a man it seemes hee told it very dreamingly and coldly shewing no affection at all Why saith Demosthenes hath hee beaten thee I doe not beleeve it No saith the man and so the man was as it were in a great passion I am sure thus and thus hee did to mee and doe not you call this beating Nay saith Demosthenes now I beleeve hee hath beaten thee indeed Now you speak as yee had been beaten as yee say So when a Minister preaches unto people in a dreaming manner though the things bee never so weighty yet they will not beleeve them He saith in a cold manner that Drunkards are in a bad case and such and such persons are in a sad condition and saith yee must repent or you will all perish But people heare him speak so frigidly of these things that they will not enter into their hearts If these things were preached as they should bee it would make people quake It is said of our Saviour That when hee was teaching the Disciples hearts burned within them Luk. 24. 32. Did not our hearts burn within us when c. Keckerman makes that to bee the meaning of St. Matthew where hee saith that our Saviour Taught with Authority and not as the Scribes that is saith hee hee did not preach coldly but with life and zeale and this went with Authority Now the manner of Preaching is cold two waies and so dead First When it flowes not from the heart for then it is unlikely that ever it will goe unto the heart Pectus facit esse disertos The heart is the best Oratory as Paul saith What doe you weeping and breaking my heart Act. 21. 13. they spake so heartily and affectionately and meltingly to him this burst his very heart In the 17 of Acts the 16 verse it is said Pauls spirit was stirred in him to see all Athens given to Idolatry Hee was inwardly moved in his own heart in his preaching unto them Now if you look into the 34 verse of that Chapter how this quickned some there Dionysius and Damaris and some others cleaved unto him that is hee preached so movingly that he made their very soules cleave unto him Why hee spake from his heart There bee many clamorous Preachers saith Galvin who declame against the sinnes of the people and thunder against them make as though they had a great deale of zeale and yet never move a jot because themselves have a dead heart and a secure heart the people see through their actings that they
are not moved themselves and therefore this does not move them neither when people can see through a Minister that hee does not preach out of his owne heart this deadeth their hearts God bade Ezekiel eate the Book c. Secondly The manner of preaching is cold when the Sermon is not delivered in a lively manner when hee preaches dully and bluntly The Apostle shews in the first of the Colossians that Epaphras did a great deale of good in his Ministery at Colosse Now in the fourth of the Colossians and the 13 verse the Apostle saith hee was a zealous Preacher I bear him record saith hee that hee hath a great zeale for you But when a Minister hath a cold delivery this is a great hinderance to the Word You will say how can this bee Is it not the same word whether preached coldly or with heat Yes it is But the Word hath two things in it first the bare naked truth secondly the fatherly affectionatenesse of God in the same Now a zealous Minister le ts the people in some measure see both But a dull Ministery holds out the one and hideth the other Again though the Word onely convert it is not the Minister that works but the Word yet the Minister is appointed of God to bee a meanes to draw peoples attentions to the word Now when hee does it in a cold manner the people are the more apt to let fall their intentions and not mark it Thus you see how a Minister may bee guilty of the deadnesse of his people two waies first by his not preaching at all Secondly by his dead manner of preaching There is one more yet remaines and that is Thirdly by his dead life and conversation an evill life in the Minister makes preaching seem vile When hee makes it appear by his course that hee makes no conscience of framing his life according to his own teaching Is strict in the Pulpit and dissolute in the street I confesse many are ready to quarrell with the lives of their Teachers without cause as the false Apostles with Paul as though hee were carnall 2 Cor. 10. 2. But when a man will bee a Minister and yet walk like men hating to bee reformed and running into the same excesse of riot with others how doth this harden peoples hearts and deadeth the Doctrine it self it makes preaching seem but a â—oy When a man will seem to perswade to that which hee neglects himself and to cry out against that of which himself doth make a common practise Let no man despise thee sayes Paul unto Timothy You will say how shall that be Be you an example unto them that Beleeve 1 Tim. 4. 12. But I am prevented of time There is nothing that more deads a mans Ministery then this when the people know in their Consciences that the Minister is as vile as one of them Let him preach never so excellent things they will say alas alas wee know hee loves his penny hee loves the pot hee is not right no more then one of us But I am forced to give over The use of this is First Is it so that a Minister may be the cause why the people are dead Then here we see the reason why the Devill is so busie to poyson Ministers He knowes if he can poyson Them he can quickly poyson all the Parish well-neare Simon Simon Satan hath desired to sift thee Luc. 22. 31. when Joshua was exercising the office of the High-Priest Satan stood at his right hand Zach. 3. 1. The Devill is like the Syrians O sayes he fight neither against small nor great save only against the King of Israel If they could slay him they knew they should quickly take his Armie so if the Devill can take the Minister he cares not If he can make him a worldling or a drunkard or a Drone or a Pluralist that is it he desires The deading of one Minister deads a 100. others if he can be a lying spirit in a Ministers mouth he is able to deceive 200. at once Secondly Here we see that Ministers of all men should have a care to be quickned For if we be not quickned Brethren our guiltinesse is very great we shall involve many others in our sinne It will go hard with every private person that is dead to all goodnesse He cannot be saved he cannot escape the second death How then can a dead Minister escape that hath not onely his owne deadnesse to answer for but also the deadnesse of all his people What sayes the Lord to the Ministers of the dead Churches of Sardis Repent Repent sayes he lest I come against thee as a theefe in an hower before thou art aware Rev. 3. 3. And therefore let vs be awakened that wee may be quickned Beloved the times now are very dead and it is wee that are the Ministers of the Church have let this deadnes in our not being watchfull our not being lively and stirring in our places our not being quickened O what wrath hangs upon us if we doe not labour for life that we may communicate it unto our people The common deadnesse up and downe should be an argument unto us to excite us When Elisha saw the badnesse of the Church in his dayes he was very earnest to have the spirit of Elias doubled upon him 2 King 2. 9. We have need of a double spirit of the good Ministers of God that were before us the dayes doe require it never was there more deadnesse then now is There are not many that professe holinesse at all but of them that doe O how many are dead and without life now who should bee a meanes to quicken people but wee Thirdly This should teach good people to pray for their Ministers the more quickned the Ministers be it is the better for them But if they be dead the infection will descend downe into you When Paul and Silas went out to preach the Text sayes They were Commended by the Brethren to the grace of God Act. 15. 40. Fourthly This should be an exhortation to us of the Ministery that wee would take heed unto our selves and to all the Church of God that is committed unto our charge that we would rouze up our selves and specially now when there was never more need When the children of Israel were about to goe backe againe into Egypt the Text sayes how Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the Congregation of Israel to beseech them to forbeare Num. 14. 5. They were so mightily affected with the peoples sinne that they fell upon their faces before them q. d For the Lords sake and for your own soules sake Take heed of this sin What! will you pull all Heaven about your eares Will you provoke the living God against you O my Brethren take heed what yee doe so wee should doe we should labour to be affected with our own and our peoples deadnesse Wee should call upon them to be quickned
Asia Now hee speaks of the Holy Ghost in the same number because that one and the same Holy Ghost is severally and intirely powred upon them all The Spirit of God was in Ephesus and the Spirit of God was in Smyrna and the Spirit of God was in Pergamos and so in Thyatira and so in Sardis and Philadelphia and Laodicea and therefore hee calls him the seven Spirits of God though hee bee but one and the same Spirit Thirdly hee calls him the seven Spirits of God by a common Metalepsis of putting the effects for the cause because there bee many and sundry gifts and graces of the holy Spirit of God the number seven being put to signifie the perfection of them and the universallnesse of them Now that the seven spirits of God are nothing else but that one and the same holy Spirit of God is plain out of Rev. 1. 4 5. John to the seven Churches in Asia Grace bee unto you and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come and from the seven Spirits which are before his Throne and from Jesus Christ which is the faithfull witnesse Which words are Saint Johns saluting of the seven Churches in Asia wherin hee wishes them all grace from the blessed Trinity q. d. Grace bee to you and peace from God the Father and from the holy Spirit of God and from the Lord Jesus Christ the faithfull and true witnesse Calling the Father which was which is which is to come and the Lord Jesus Christ the faithfull and true witnesse and the Holy Ghost the seven Spirits of God It is the very self same salutation that Paul uses in all his Epistles in effect saving that this is more full and more lofty and august Now then by the seven Spirits of God hee cannot mean any creature or creatures as Angels or so but hee must needs mean the Holy Ghost because hee prayes for grace from the seven Spirits of God which no creature is able to give Yee know God onely can give grace God onely is the Authour of all grace Hee onely can justifie and sanctifie and quicken and give a man eternall life as James Every good and perfect gift commeth from above Jam. 1. 17. It were Idolatry in John to wish to the Churches grace from the seven Spirits of God if hee meant by them any Angels or any other creatures Wee might worship the Angels if they were able to give us grace wee might pray to them and serve them and feare them and adore them if they could bee the Authours of grace to us Now this is Idolatry Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve Matth. 4. 10. Of him and through him and to him are all things to whom bee glory for ever Amen Rom. 11. 36. Yee know it is the glory of God to bee the Cause of all grace Now what saies God I am the Lord that is my Name and my glory will I not give to another Isa 42. 8. Well then you see what is here meant by the seven Spirits of God even the holy Ghost himself that one the same holy Spirit of God These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God that is these things saith Christ that hath the holy Spirit of God to give him to whomsoever hee pleases Not as though that were all that Christ hath the holy Spirit of God for so Paul had the holy Spirit of God I suppose also that I have the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 7. 40. so Peter and David and all the Saints all the people of God have the holy Spirit of God nay a man is dead in trespasses and sins and is a meer carcasse like a dead body without a soule that hath not the holy Spirit of God therefore that is not all the meaning of it that Christ hath the holy Spirit of God for so all the children of God have him and are quickned by him up to all goodnesse But Christ hath the holy Spirit of God that is hee hath him to give to whomsoever hee pleases But it may be objected is it not God the Father that gives the holy spirit to all his poore children I Answer Yes it is very true Hee hath him to give to whomsoever hee is pleased to give him for the Holy Ghost is his Spirit as well as Christ hee flowes from them both And therefore saith our Saviour How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him Luk. 11. 13. so that the Father gives the holy spirit to whom hee will but it is in Christs name Christ is the store-house of this gift When the Father gives his holy spirit unto any man it is onely in Christs name as himself speaks The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name Hee shall teach you all things Joh. 14. 26. Mark it is onely in Christs name Well now wee see the point That Christ onely hath the Holy Spirit of God to give to whom hee pleases If any poore creature would fain have the holy spirit of God to be in him hee must come to Christ for him Though the barrell bee never so full of good Wine yet when it is hoopt round about if one would have any hee must draw it at the tap so Beloved the Lord hath hoopt himself up from men hee hath closed himself up from all men by reason of mens sins hee hath shut himself up no man can have any of his holy spirit but hee must come and draw it at the tap hee must come to Jesus Christ the Lord vents himself onely in him as Christ saith hee that beleeveth on mee as the Scripture hath said Out of his belly shall slow rivers of living water What is that this spake hee of the spirit which they that beleeve on him should receive Joh. 7. 38 39. Mark Christ is the tap yee must come to him by true beleeving or yee cannot receive any of Gods holy Spirit Hee only hath him to give to them that doe imbrace him From him proceed all the graces of the Spirit that any men doe injoy This is his Roialty as being the only King and Head of the Church and the opened fountain that all that would bee saved must repaire unto Hee is the beginning of the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost proceedeth from him as hee is the Son of God and as hee is man hee is anointed with him The Spirit of the Lord is upon mee saith he Luk. 4. 18. Ho every one that would have him come unto mee for him Away with your sins and take mee abhorre all your own waies see what damnable creatures yee are in your selves whether your lusts and corruptions carrie you what will become of you if yee goe on in your own paths if yee would have grace and mercy and life and salvation come to mee The Spirit of the Lord is upon mee to powre him upon
you that yee may bee saved I say Christ is anointed with him the Lord hath given him his Spirit in abundance hee hath enough spirit to infuse into all that lay hold upon him as John saith God hath not given the Spirit by measure unto him Joh. 3. 34. No hee hath the holy Spirit without measure hee hath all store of spirituall graces to afford to them that lack a Treasurie of all heavenly blessings to inrich all his poore distressed Members The Reasons of this Point why Christ onely hath the holy Spirit of God to give where hee will are three First Because there is none but hee that God is well-pleased in God is out with all the sonnes of men by reason of sin and wickednesse they are all hatefull unto him they are odious in his sight and the whole world cannot make him and them friends again that ever hee should give them grace and favour much lesse his holy Spirit There is none in whom God is well-pleased but in his Son This is my well-beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased Father and Holy Ghost Both came and rested upon him saying This is the onely Hee in whom I am well-pleased Mat. 3. 16 17. q. d. If yee get him to bee your Advocate take him and come unto mee with him then I will bee friends with you hee may help you with reconciliation with mee hee may get mee to give you my holy Spirit I am well-pleased in him and in none but him This is one Reason so that Christ onely can put his holy Spirit into thy heart and so send thee to his Father As Paul put a loving mediating letter in Onesimus his pocket and so sent him to his Master then hee will bee well-pleased with thee when thou haste Christs Letter of commendation about thee then thou mayest goe to God from day to day and bee accepted with him None can doe this for thee but onely Christ hee onely can put a mediating Letter in thy hand hee onely can give thee the intercessions of his holy Spirit Thousands goe to God in mans duties from day to day and because they are without this Christ hath not given them his holy Spirit therefore they are not accepted God is not pleased with them they pray without his spirit they cry God mercy without his spirit they seek to enter in without his spirit and so they are not admitted Now when a soule comes to Christ God is well-pleased with Christ and therefore Christ can give him this love-token Christ can give him the holy Spirit and so hee shall bee admitted into favour with God God is well-pleased in him As Pharaoh was in Joseph and therefore Joseph could present his Brethren unto Pharaoh Gen. 47. 2. If any bodie else had presented them they should never have found favour but Joseph could put acceptance upon them Pharaoh was well pleased in him So God is well pleased in his Son and therefore he can doe it and none but He. Secondly Another Reason is Because the Holy Spirit of God will never enter into man more except Gods Justice be satisfied God is resolved he will not put up those indignities that men offer unto him except they bring with them one in whom his wrath is appeased As Saint John sayes The Lambe slaine hath seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God Rev. 5. 6. That is hee hath satisfied Gods Justice and therefore he hath the Holy Spirit of God so given the Holy Spirit of God will goe to those men that he hath satisfied Gods justice for I say the Holy Spirit of God will not goe to any man without satisfaction if any one will shew him satisfaction then the Spirit of God will say I will goe where you will have mee onely let mee have satisfaction Now Beloved Christ onely can say to the Holy Spirit come a-long with me to this man here 's a satisfaction unto Justice Therefore he only hath the Spirit at his dispencing And therefore if any man would have Gods Holy Spirit he must bring the Lambe Divine slaine with him to God Lord here I have the Lamb slaine and now let me see thy face now let mee have thy Spirit as David said to Abner bring me Michol or never thinke to see my face 2 Sam. 3. 13. q. d. never come to me except thou bring mee my Michol with thee The bringing of Michol with him this might helpe him to see the Kings face So Beloved when a man getteth the Lord Jesus Christ and brings him with him to God this may helpe him to Gods Holy Spirit Bring him along with thee and thou shalt see my face thou shalt have my holy Spirit Neither will God send thee his Holy Spirit neither will the Holy Spirit come to thee otherwise Christ onely hath him to give Have Christ and have him Thirdly another Reason is why Christ hath the Holy Spirit to give Because he is flesh of our flesh and Bone of our Bone and wee may goe to him hee is the fittest to have him to give because he being man aswell as wee wee may make bold to goe to him My Brethren wee are not able to goe to God for any thing much lesse for his Spirit wee are not able to looke upon him immediately as a man is not able to looke upon the Sun-Beames in their strength specially if hee have sore eyes But let him get a Scarfe or a Cypresse and now hee may Now the Sun-beames will shine upon him through the Cypresse and not hurt him The Scarfe is able to convey unto him the Sunne-beames without dazling of him So beloved Christ is able to convey the Holy Spirit of God into any man our sore Consciences may look up to God through him he moderates Gods looke hee can make us looke God in the face in a comfortable manner Now we may aske any thing of him even his Holy Spirit and he will give him as the Apostle sayes By him we have boldnesse Eph. 3. 12. O beloved they are great things that we need We have need of such great matters that when the Conscience is awakened it can have no hope to obtaine that God should pardon such vile wrecthes as we that he should accept of such poore services as ours that he should love such filthy ones as wee are that he should give us a Kingdome and his owne Holy Spirit to enliven us to establish our hearts to be an earnest of Heaven to us how can we hope he will give us such infinite mercies Now the Lord hath put all these Blessings into the hands of his Sonne Jesus Christ that is flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones Now we may boldly goe to him for them As Moses when his face shone Aaron was afraid to come neare him Exod. 34. 30. Therefore hee put a vaile over his face Now Aaron and others were able to come nigh him so before none were able to come to God for any thing
mis-givings self-condēnings uncertainties about his later end doubtfulnesse whether any thing be sound yea or no and yet no heart of prayer no strainings after Christ to have the Holy Spirit of him Nay tittle tattle is preferred before comming about Christ and every idle busines more takes up our thoughts then how we may injoy Jesus Christ Thirdly where is the man well-neer that is holy some indeed are civill and not very many no not of them that would bee held for Professers For what Civility Honesty is there when people are palpably proud and palpably covetous and palpably malicious and spightfull and envious but put case many be Civill yet holinesse is hardly any where to be seene Where are any that are mortified unto sin Crucified to the world Pilgrims on earth Heavenly-minded taken up with God The Spirit indeed is a Spirit of Holinesse Rom. 1. 4. And Christ hath him to give but hee cannot have our custome We are not thirstie after such matters Fourthly Where is the Communion of Saints a Theme I spake of the last Sabbath day We are all like unto Ephraim Ephraim hath mixed himself among the people Hos 7. 8. that is they had no Communion of Saints there among them They were a mish-mash people there was a Chaos and a confusion and a medly among them If there be any that beare the name of Saints They are like Lambs feeding all alone in a large place Like Israel when they are scatterd Hos 4. 16. Lambes withour flockes Birds without mates As if they were all frighted asunder No Communion of Saints no Communion of graces nor duties nor hearts nor affections I confesse if we had the Holy Spirit of God we would make a communion among us As Paul sayes The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all Amen 2 Cor. 13. 14. He would make a Commuinon among us and Christ hath him too and there we might have him but we care not for him which is a most fearefull thing a signe of horrible deadnesse and livelesnesse in good as it is with the boughes of a tree when they are dead they fall off but they hang together as long as they are alive Though communion of Saints be an Article of our faith yet we let it dye We see in nature if we sling any meat to a Hen presently shee cluckes for all her Chickens to have part So looke what graces we get we should impart what we can the Lord hath appointed mutualgiving good example unto one another edifying one another exhorting one another admonishing one another comforting one another conferring one with another supplicating one with and for another As it is said Luke 5. 10. That Simon and James and Iohn were partners in their fishing looke what fishes they caught they divided among one another so Christians should be partners What they get at a Sermon they are to impart What they get in prayer or at Sacraments or in affliction there be others that should be partners with them as the Apostle sayes Looke not every man on his owne things but every man also on the things of others Phil. 2. 4. O sayes he if there be any fellow-ship of the Spirit thus it must be that is the Spirit would breed this fellowship and communion among you Now Beloved where is this holy Spirit to be had but in Christ I say wee are without excuse if we doe not get the Holy Spirit of God Because Christ hath him for us if we would resort to him and therefore wee can have no plea. First Wee cannot plead wee have no need of the holy Spirit of God what need wee have him as long as wee beleeve there is such a one Is it needfull wee should have him I that it is why else did God make his Son to bee the dispenser and the distributer and communicater of him O Beloved the Lord hath done this because wee cannot bee saved without the holy Spirit of God would wee bee regenerated and born again wee cannot without the Spirit That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit Joh. 3. 6. Wee can never bee spirituall without the Spirit of God none but spirituall men and women shall enter into the Kingdome of God Drunkards and adulterers and lyers and muck-worms and better men than they are carnall men Now to bee carnally minded is death but to bee spiritually minded this onely is life and peace so that wee cannot plead that Again Wee cannot bee justified without the Spirit of God Yee may say O wee hope to bee justified onely by Faith in Christ True but if yee have not the Spirit of God yee have no Faith none have true faith in Christ till first they have the holy Spirit of God and therefore it is called the spirit of Faith that is a spirit inclining a man unto Christ bowing of the minde and heart and soule to all heavenly things in Christ no man can bee justified without this as Paul tells the Corinthians But yee are sanctified yee are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 6. 11. Again Yee cannot have free-will to doe the will of God without the holy Spirit of God I confesse by nature no man hath free-will I but if yee bee not more then nature yee cannot bee saved Yee must have free-will to all the waies of God or yee cannot bee saved Now yee never can have this without the Spirit of God Can yee mortifie every wicked lust can yee resist the devill every day can yee keep out the world and ward off the temptations of the flesh yee can never doe it while the world stands in a holy course without the holy Spirit of God Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. Mark there is free-will to all these things that man hath liberty to doe supernaturall things that hath the Spirit of the Lord and no man else Again Yee are none of Christs if yee have not the holy Spirit of Christ that is the Mark hee brands all his sheep with as a man saies when hee heares tydings of any of his sheep saith hee if they bee mine they have such a mark they have an A. and a B. on the left side or so so saies Christ if they bee mine they have my Spirit if any man have not the Spirit of Christ hee is none of his Rom. 8. 9. Hereby wee know that hee abideth in us saith John by his Spirit which hee hath given us 1 Joh. 3. 24. so that wee have need of the spirit and therefore this cannot bee our plea that wee have no need wee have such need of Gods holy Spirit that wee cannot bee saved without the having of him Secondly wee cannot plead wee know not where to have him For Christ saith hee hath him to give to all that will receive him The Spirit of the Lord
digest it neither have they any minde to concoct it therefore mark there what follows Behold the daies come saith the Lord that I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water but of hearing the words of the Lord ver 11. that is you are more afraid of a famine of bread yee would bee more troubled if you had no Bread to eate nor liquour to drink you care not so it bee not that famine But think what you will I will send you a worse famine than that a famine of hearing of Gods Word Yee shall have Preaching little enough Little enough food for your soules seeing yee will bee filthy yee shall be filthy seeing ye will be heartlesse towards heavenly things ye shall bee heartlesse yee shall be hardned yee shall be let alone and the blinde shall lead the blinde and both shall fall into the ditch the wicked shall lead the wicked wicked Ministers the wicked people and both shall perish together and then though yee would never so fain have a Sermon that may come to the Conscience yee shall be long enough before yee shall hear it Yee shall starve for want of spirituall knowledge starved to death for want of life Seared in your sins yee shall have no Sermons to dispossesse you of Satan no teaching to purge your hearts to humble your soules before God or to minister the Spirit unto you yee are weary of the sound Ministery of the Word therefore ye shall not bee troubled with it This then is another sign that God will take away those few Stars that are yet remaining And then woe bee to you Fourthly when there are hardly any sonnes of peace that the Ministers peace may light upon then the Lord bids them pack away Like the Market folkes when they see their Commodities lie upon their hands they take up their Commodities lie upon their hands they take up their Commodities and goe home O say they people will give nothing they will not give our price wee and our children will have them for our own selves rather then wee will part with them for nothing So they goe away so Gods Ministers goe away when the Market is dead no Customer will come to their stalls So Paul and Barnabas went away from the Jews Yee put off the word from you and therefore lo wee turn unto the Gentiles Act. 13. 46. q. d. yee will have none of it wee have offered it to you and we were bid to doe so but ye put it off from you therefore fare yee well Die in your sins So people now put off the word of God our Doctrine sinks no where almost one puts it off from him another puts it off from him Like as the Cities of the Philistims did with the Ark. The men of Ekron they cryed out and doe you bring it to us and so the men of Ashdod said and it shall not abide with us 1 Sam. 5. 7. Every one put it off they would have none of it Fifthly when people oppose they are so farre from repenting at the preaching of the Word that they fall to oppose and to mis-use the bringers of it as the Jews did Saint Paul The Text sayes Hee shook his rayment at them and told them your blood bee upon your own heads and away hee went Act. 18. 6. when people lay their heads together how they may heave out the Minister many times God gives them leave for to doe it that they may bring evill on their own heads the Lord lets them have their cursed wills to their own utter destruction and condemnation Sixthly when God hath sent all his Ministers that ever hee means to send Hee sent one Minister and they would not hear him hee sent another after him and they would not hearken to him neither a man would wonder surely God will send no more well may be God in his great goodnesse sends another good man and he does what he can but the people will doe wickedly still Yea but when God hath sent all that Hee means to send now he will send no more as God did with Judah I have sent unto you all my servants the Prophets rising up early and sending them saying return from your evill wayes but yee have not inclined your eare unto me Jer. 35. 15. when God had sent all then hee would send no more You will say how can this bee a signe when God hath sent all that he means to send who can tell that I Answer Beloved God may shew it plainly that God hath sent even all that he means to send when he blocks up the way that more cannot bee suffered to come to us then those that are come when such courses are laid that ne're a faithfull one more is permitted to enter when Gods faithfull ones are forbidden to Preach as Paul sayes They forbid us to Preach When people will have Pashur's and not Jeremiah's When there be Laws made Look yee speak no more in his name When they say to the Seers see not and to the Prophets prophesie it When the good Levites are made to goe away and to leave their own places as it was in Jeroboams time 2 Chron. 11. 14. Again when the shadows wax long it is a signe that the Sun is going down The reason why God will take away all his Starres when matters are come to this passe is First because it is but lost labour and Cost cast away to administer phisick to such patients whose diseases are desperate my Brethren God is a wise phisician and he knows whom hee hath to deale with when hee sees men rend in pieces his Prescripts and pull off his plaisters and vomit up his wholesome potions that he gives them for their good he gives them up for gone hee will bee their Physician no longer This was the reason why God did leave Judah Thy disease is incurable Jer. 30. 12. Secondly because it is not only lost labour but it is worse then lost to let such people have the Ministery of the word it makes them much worse Why should yee bee smitten any more yee will revolt more and more Esa 1. 5. why should yee bee preacht to any more yee will c. Thirdly Because if men will needs goe on in their sins God would rather they should doe so without his word then with it as a husbandman if the ground bee stark barren he would rather never plough it and sow it with seed then to have it barren after the seed sown when people will needs bee wicked God would rather have them doe all their wickednesse out of his sight then in it I will cast you out of my sight Jer. 7. 15. God cannot abide to look upon a people that will have their own wayes they anger him more when they commit all their wickednesse under his Word God looks towards a people when hee sends them his holy Word hee looks upon them to doe them good
am an Embassadour of the mystery of the Gospel though I be in bonds Secondly Have some Ministers such a commission from Christ then let them learn how to behave themselves in their function My Brethren Christ hath committed unto us the custody of his own power and authority and therefore we are to exercise it in his name our commission is to charge the great men of the world Charge them that are rich in this world that they bee not high-minded 1 Tim. 6. 17. True we are your servants for Jesus his sake and wee are to be humbled and to wait upon men of lowest degree and to condefcend unto men of meanest capacity and there is a time when wee should for loves-sake intreat but the truth is too wee have power to charge and command These things command and teach 1 Tim. 4. 11. These things speak and exhort and rebuke withall authority Tit. 2. 15. We must not betray the power and majesticall simplicity of the Gospell of Jesus Christ We have Christs owne power and authority in our ministery and therefore wee are to command you in his stead as ever you will answer Christ before his Tribunall at last day neglect not those things which we preach to you from him Now we command you Brethren in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that yee withdraw your selves from every brother that walkes disorderly and not after the Tradition which hee received of us 2. Thes 3. 6. True we are inferiors to Kings and Princes and Magistrates and the Nobility and Gentry of the land There be thousands and thousands that are our Betters in all civill respects but our Embassage is above all The Lords own Power and Authority goes through the ministery as a Trunk As the King may send a Command to the greatest Nobleman of the Kingdome by the hand of a meane man and he is to hearken to it though the messenger in himselfe be his underling yet his message is above him and he looses his head if he despise it So beloved we are over you in the Lord that is in regard of our message Though we be your inferiors and some of you be our betters and wee are to stand with Cap in hand to you yet ye loose your soules if ye will not heare us and obey our Embassage We must not bow to your humors nor make the Spirit of Christ in the Gospell to bend and comply with human lusts If Princes and Potentates were by we must not spare their sins Nathan deales roundly with King David Thou art the man Jehu with King Jehosaphat wrath is upon thee from the Lord because thou hast helpt the ungodly We must let all the world know that Christ whom wee preach is above them all wee must not prostitute Christs Scepter no not at a Monarchs foot If we be men-pleasers we are not the servants of Christ We must not suffer Christs word to be bound whosoeuer is our hearer whether high or low We defie popish Divinity that exalt their Antichristan Clergy above the civill Magistrate Belarmines Martin is but a foysted story But yet in this sense we are above all the Kingdomes of men as God sayes Behold I have put my words in thy mouth and loe I have set thee this day over Nations and Kingdomes to plant and to root up to build and to throw downe Jer. 1. 9. 10. Let no man thinke we are saucy though we reprove the greatest of you all as long as we doe it in Christ and from Christ we are the mouth of the Judge of quick and dead and he will make our words good The meanest Sergeant in the Kings name dares arrest the greatest Duke So my Brethren we come in the Kings name in Christ his name and therefore we must not be afraid of your faces As Paul told Philemon I have great authority in Christ to command thee that which is convenient Philem. 8. We have great authority to command every one of you to doe your Duties towards God and man We have Christ for our Author and therefore he will be a wall of Brasse to us We are his Embassadors and therefore our Message is with great power Thirdly Have we this Commission from Jesus Christ then this may serve to condemne all such as doe not obey our Ministery Though wee have all this authority the very power of Christ himself in our mouthes that equally binds King and Begger Yet who obeys our commands who stirres who repents who submits himself unto our commission we have called for humiliation but no man will humble himself We have cryed for reformation and amendment of life but no man relents wee have read our commission every week unto people we shew them our Letters Patents from the Lord Jesus Christ and they are counted as idle tales by the most O what an indignity is this unto our Lord Jesus Christ we are his Embassadors and your standing out against us is not against us but against him and he will repay it O sayes the Apostle if any man obey not our word By this Epistle note that man 2 Thess 3. 14. q. d. note him with a brand of infamy note him as a Rebell against Jesus Christ look upon him as a wretched miserable creature take heed of him avoid him withdraw your self from him point at him yonder goes a wretch that will not obey the voyce of his teacher excommunicate him from your company have as little to doe with him as you can Be ye shie of such a man certainly there is great wrath hangeth over him So Beloved if any obey not our word note such persons note such parishes note all such families the wrath of heaven hangeth over them their stubbornnesse and hardnesse of heart is not against us but against the Lord. These are notorious Townes notorious people that have Christs Embassadors among them and yet will not be obedient and yet how is our Embassage made nothing of if Kings onely and Princes and Lords and great men should make nothing of it we should not so much wonder because they are greater men then those that God sends his Embassage by and yet if they were wise and knew what they did they durst not doe as they do but every base fellow stops his eare and hardens his heart against the God of Heaven and earth and will not obey our word nay men can hear their sins ripped up and the Anathema's of Christ spread before their faces and not blush They can heare that those very sinnes they live in doe separate from God do adjudge them to hell and shew them to be under the blacknes of darknesse and the sentence of damnation they can see it showne them out of the word which they cannot deny for their hearts though they would never so faine and yet they will not repent nor returne that they may have mercy Not one drunkard will leave nor one Mocker leave nor one Covetous person nor one gracelesse
Embassadors of Peace to treat with him of Peace as Theseus said once Goe sayes hee and tell Creon Theseus offers thee a gracious offer Yet I am pleased to bee friends if thou wilt submit This is my first message But if this offer prevaile not look for me to be up in Armes So Beloved Gods offers of peace have been made already again and again and they have been rejected Now his Embassadors must cry Armes Blood and fire and pillars of smoak At the first God dealt with us as Tullus with his Enemies Quae verbis componere potuit armis non decrevit as long as hee could reconcile them with his word they should not have his blows So the Lord hath dealt with us at the first he perswaded us with the promises of his Word now seeing no more can be gotten in that way hee will have his Ministers lay the axe at the rootes to hew down and to destroy and to slay people with the sword of his lips Doe not wonder when we preach hell and damnation to all rebellious soules You will say here is nothing but judgement Preachers send us all to the devill they preach as if they would drive us to despaire they should put in except wee repent I Answer it is enough now to understand it when the Gospel hath been a long time in a place Gods Embassadors must hold out the black flagge when Tamberlane had hung out his White flagge and that would not doe and his Red flagge and that would not doe neither then he hung out his Black flagge Now look for no mercy So Christs Embassadours should doe When Paul knew that the Gospel was contemned in Corinth the white and red flagge had ceased to doe good You see how hee hung out his black one Know yee not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdome of God Bee not deceived No idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor railers nor covetous shall ever inherit the Kingdome of God 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. He does not put in now except yee repent no no now look for no mercy So the Apostle John The fearfull and unbeleevers and whoremongers and lyers shall be cast into the Lake that burnes with fire and brimstone Rev. 21. 8. hee does not put in except ye repent if we should bee ever putting in except yee repent and concluding with mercy upon condition of repentance what would hard-hearted people say O wee had a terrible Sermon to day but the Preacher gave us comfort in the closure he had a sweet bit at the last and thus they heale all again Nay when people grow once to be stubborn then Prophets have been so farre from putting in except yee repent or any other tearm of mercy that they used to meet with the peoples presumption of repentance So Jeremiah and Ezekiel and others they threaten destruction to the wicked and they adde this above all though they cry for mercy nay though they fast and could get Noah and Samuel and Job and Daniel to pray for them yet they shall have no mercy q. d. ye think to avoid these judgements by repenting another day no no when yee cry for mercy yee shall not have it When a Nation or a Parish or any people grow perverse and have rejected the sweet tenders of mercy Gods Embassadors are to look upon such wretches as rebels no indenting with them more no tearms of peace more as the Law sayes with Pirates and Traytors and Rebels the Law of Armes is not to bee observed as Baldus speaks they have broken the league as Florus speaks when Spartacus the Rebell desired an Embassage of peace hee would faine have Crassus contract a league with him Crassus scorned the motion when Talfarinas that egregious Robber and Traytour sent an Embassador with treaty of Peace to Tiberius the Emperour Tiberius took it with indignation that hee should bee so sawey with him No Embassage of peace is to be made with rebellious wretches wee need not put in except yee repent when we are to deal with such No no when ye grow once to despise reproof see you to that True if yee doe repent who knows what God will doe Though Crassus would not parlee with Spartacus about peace yet when hee did repent indeed hee received him to mercy So will God doe with you But in the mean time know that the God of Heaven is at defiance with you and all the curses in his Book are directed against the face of you Yee have played the deaf Adder against the gracious tenders of mercy from day to day and therefore see your damned condition The Embassadors of Christ have not one tittle of mercy of you if we could see you melt and cry out and down on your knees and your hearts turn and your spirits sink down before God then wee might say something unto you therefore Brethren if the Ministers of the Gospel doe daily preach more and more judgement doe not think much they ought so to doe Sixtly and Lastly one Use to you that feare God and beleeve his Embassadors and are besought by them Let me say to you as the Prophet Isaiah said Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voyce of his servants that walketh in darknesse and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Esa 50. 10. that is bee of good comfort though all the world and all the devills in hell bee against you yet bee of good cheare what although yee meet with never so many temptations and feares such a fogge of them that ye can see no light yet it shall assuredly goe well with you Though others have not come in at the preaching of the Word ye have Howbeit others will not reform will not see the Lords hand lifted up they will not acknowledge their sins and sinfull doings and damned case yet ye have Yee have seen it and felt it and run to the throne of Grace and have sought the Lord according as Gods Embassadors have directed you out of his Word yee have feared God and obeyed the voyce of his servants though others make a mock of such as will be ruled by Preaers tush they shall not curb mee sayes one and they shall not controll mee sayes another What does hee think to lead mee in a string Yet yee doe fear God and yee dare not stand out against the preaching of his servants yee desire that yee may ever practise their Word and lead your lives according to it what ever others doe Bee of good chear sayes the Prophet The Lord is your God and doe yee stay your selves on him the Doctrine that God hath sent unto you by the Ministery of his servants is the only Doctrine of Salvation and therein yee shall finde eternall life Revel 3. 1. These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres THese words are the Subscription of the Letter unto the Angell
of Sardis containing a description of Christ from whom the Letter is sent Now Christ is here described according to the matter in hand from two royalties of his first That he hath the seven Spirits of God that is he hath the giving of the Holy Ghost and all his gifts and graces to whomsoever he pleaseth Secondly that He hath the seven Starres that is hee hath the disposing of the Ministers of the Church And this I told you is to bee meant divers wayes Christ is said to have the Ministers of the Church five wayes First hee hath the sending of them they have their Mission from him Secondly hee hath the delegating of them they have their Commission from him Thirdly bee hath the gifting of them they have their abilities from him Fourthly hee hath the prospering of them they have the successe of their labours from him Fifthly he hath the keeping of them they are put into a place continued or removed they have their liberty from him and when they are put downe or silenced it is he that does doe it The two first I have handled already first that he hath the sending of them Secondly that he hath the delegating of them I come now to the third Hee hath the gifting of them look what good gifts and abilities they have they have them all of him As Paul sayes Hee hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3. 6. and this was one of the ends of his Ascension as the Apostle sayes Hee ascended up on high and led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men Ephes 4. 8. that is this was one end of his ascending up to Heaven that hee might send down gifts unto his Church Now what gifts does hee mean True hee sends gifts to all his true Members but he meanes the gifting of his Ministers as it follows And hee gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastours and teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery and so forth ver 11 12. And the truth is it is not without cause for of all men wee that are the Ministers of Jesus Christ have need of singular and rare gifts and abilities First To open the Scriptures the Scriptures are a great deep and they have under the Letter much admirable spirituall matter encouched and many things are hard in them as Peter sayes And a Minister is to open them and to give out the sense as it is said of the Priests They read the Law distinctly and gave out the sense and made the people to understand the Reading Nehem. 8. 8. Now if a Minister have not gifts from Jesus Christ what madde work will hee make the Scripture will bee a clasped book unto him and a Fountain sealed up Like the Philistines that in three daies could not expound Sampsons Riddle It is said of Christ that he opened the Scriptures Luk. 24. 32. The Scriptures are shut and contain Mysteries folded and lapped up now the Minister had need of abilities to open them Secondly To Teach as a Minister is to open the Scriptures which requireth great gifts so he is to teach the people out of them to draw Doctrines out of the same and this requireth great gifts too to informe the judgement to let out the light of the Word to scatter the beames of the Sun of righteousnesse abroad to dispel the darknesse of mens minds to shine round about them in spirituall knowledge This is a work of much ability as the Apostle speaks to Timothy the things which thou hast heard of mee the same commit thou to faithfull men who shall bee able to teach others 2 Tim. 2. 2. and therefore it is called Prophecying Despise not Prophecying that is despise not Teaching a man had need of a speciall gift to be able to Prophesie so if a man would be a Teacher when Nicodemus would expresse what an able Teacher Christ was sayes hee Thou art a teacher come from God A man had need to be one that hath been with God that would teach aright There is a gift of fitnesse and aptnesse without which a man cannot doe it The servant of the Lord must bee apt to teach 2 Tim. 2. 24. the Apostle tells us there bee heapes of naughty teachers in the world a good teacher is a rare man it cannot bee without all wisdome as hee sayes Teaching every man in all wisdome Col. 1. 28. we are to teach people the learning of the holy how to know God how to fear him and love him Wee are to teach people how to pray how to walk in all holines and righteousnes of living the great things of Gods Law the deep things of the Spirit the mysteries of eternall life to open the wiles of Satan the mistakes of the hearts of men the many by-wayes of the soule ye know sin is covered over with pleasures and profits and carnall reasons and evasions and we are to lay it out naked as indeed it is Gracious and godly courses seem grievous and irksome and uncouth and vile and needlesse and we are to discover the inward pleasure and commodity and necessity and glory of them and therfore wee have need of abilities Thirdly to Convince yee know how the heart does use to put off the Word and if it meet with a doctrine or a reproof or a precept that it does not like it will deny it it will cavill and carp O it is false as Johanan and others said to Jeremiah it is false you doe not say true wee will never beleeve it When wee paint out a drunkards damned estate he is ready to gainsay it or an adulterers he is ready to except people contradict such passages of the Word as are against their lusts and they give us very little better then the lye many times therefore a Minister should bee able to convince that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gain-sayers Tit. 1. 9. when people are subject to condemn us for harshnesse and hard sayings and that we doe not preach placentia enough we must be able to use some speech that cannot be condemned Tit. 2. 8. when a Minister preaches weakly Sermons like wide nets or rotten threads that the Birds may get through or break this is not able preaching as Zwinglius said of Carolostadius when he heard him disputing weakly against consubstantiation O sayes he I am sorry that so good a cause should have such a weak defendant It is said of Apollos that hee mightily convinced the Jewes Stephen the University-men there that came huddling about him they were not able to withstand the Spirit and the wisdome by which hee spake Act. 6. 10. it is the promise of our Saviour I will give you a mouth and wisdome which all your adversaries shall not bee able to gainsay or resist Luk. 21. 15. Fourthly to move the affections Ministers have need
is all our preaching and dressing up of our Sermons like the riging of the sayles that 's nothing except the wind blow The Spirit of Christ is the winde except hee blow upon you we are nothing the tampering on the Organs is nothing but when the breath comes then there is musique So we may keep adoe to turne your hearts but till God breath into you there is nothing done True the preaching of the Gospel is a very powerfull thing I when Christs arme goes along with it it is the sword of the Spirit but if the Spirits arme be not with it we may brandish it here every week and doe little as Scanderbagge said One hearing what mighty feats Scanderbagges sword had done sent for it and when he saw it he made nothing of it Is this the Sword that hath done such great exploits what 's this Sword more than other swords O sayes Scanderbagge I sent thee my sword but not my arme that did handle it So my Brethren the word which wee preach is but Christs sword God sends you his sword many times when he keeps his arme to himself and so nothing is done So then we are nothing and therefore all successe is of Christ First our wills are nothing to doe it we may will to doe you good but Converts cannot bee made by our wills as the Evangelist sayes Joh. 1. 13. Secondly our paines and labours are nothing we may labour and take paines but look Esa 49. 4. Thirdly our gifts are nothing who had better gifts than Christ had as hee was man and yet that would not doe it Joh. 12. 38. Fourthly our Prayers are nothing they may doe something sometimes but except God be pleased to give successe they are nothing Jeremiah prayed Jer. 14. 7 8 9. yet the Lord told him that should not doe it ver 11. Secondly the Conversion of Soules is a supernaturall work we that are Ministers preach to make men new creatures to turn Leopards into Kids as if we should preach to make Blackamores white the dead alive which is a work for God alone to doe and therefore the successe must needs be from him Alas what are we able to doe as the Apostle sayes You are Gods wormanship in Christ Jesus created to good works Ephes 2. 10. we are his instruments that 's true indeed but yee are his workmanship you are the Epistle of Christ administred by us Writen not with Inke but with the Spirit of the living God 2 Cor. 3. 3. The Epistle of Christ but ministred indeed by Christ his is the hand wee are but the pen when we bid you repent and beleeve and be holy and godly and heavenly minded men deny your selves be dead to the world and alive to God come out of Satans power come into Christs Kingdom it is like Ezekiels bidding of the dead bones to gather flesh and stand up living men All the successe must needs be of God And therefore what does this teach us The Use of it is First That we that are the Ministers of God can but make tryall whether we can convert our people or no as the Apostle speaks proving if at any time God will give them repentance 2 Tim. 2. 25. so it is in some of your Bibles so we must make proofe we must try come into the Pulpit every week and try sharpen our nailes as sharp as we can and strike them as farre in as we can and so try often try as the wiseman speaks in another case In the morning sow thy seed and in the evening let not thy hand rest for thou knowest not whether shall prosper this or that or both Eccle. 11. 6. So Jeremiah did hee would try first hee went to the poorer sort to see whether they would hearken unto him when he had no successe there then thought he I will try the great men I will get mee to the great men Jer. 5. 5. we should make assayes we doe not know may be God will give us good successe we must make assayes as it is said of Paul and Silas That they assayed to goe into Bithynia but the Spirit suffered them not Act. 16. 7. O thought they here bee a great many soules in this Countrey we will try whether there be any for Christ yea or no. Indeed they found that they had no successe in their attempt But they made an assay though Secondly This teacheth us to wait though we have not successe presently yet we should wait all successe is from Christ and therefore it is fit we should wait for it and therefore a Minister is commanded to be patient The servant of the Lord must be gentle to all men apt to teach patient 2 Tim. 2. 24. q. d. he hath not the successe in his own hands to have it when he will no though he doe no good yet nor yet hee must be patient He is not apt to teach poore people else except he be patient as he is not fit to teach a dull Schollar that is over-hasty And therefore my Brethren though we have lost all our labour hitherto on the most of you yet now again we speak to you come will ye yet go to heaven come are ye yet in the minde to hearken and obey wee come to you once more will ye yet c. as Jeremiah sayes Woe unto thee O Jerusalem wilt thou not bee made clean when shall it once be Jer. 13. 27. Beloved wee are dull Schollars in Religion and people are hard to take their learning in this kinde and therefore if we would be apt to teach wee must be patient what though we see no good yet this must not make us out of heart or to grudge our paines we must bee patient still wee are to think may be the next time I preach God will give me good successe Isaiah and Paul gave not over though they had cause to complain Thirdly This may serve to condemn all the world whether the Gospel comes and specially us hereabouts that doe not let Ministers have any good successe you will say how doe I make this use of it If all the Ministers successe be from Christ then one would think this were an excuse unto people I answer no the meaning of the Doctrine is this that the people are so contrary to the Word such enemies to the wayes of Jesus Christ that a Minister can look for no successe except the Lord turn their hearts This is the meaning of the point Does this excuse any what does your enmity against Christ and all goodnesse afford you any excuse nay this aggravates your sin Now this is the meaning of it As Saint Paul when he spake how little successe he and all the rest of his fellow-Apostles had hee layes the blame upon the people All the day long I have stretched out my hands against a disobedient and a gainsaying people Rom. 10. 21. So the Prophet Isaiah from whom these words are taken complaines of the unfruitfulnesse
2. 2. Secondly Another Vse is does Christ use to blesse and prosper his true Ministers then let us labour to get this blessing of him Let us seek to him to give us good successe O how eager is Paul every where in prayer to God for good successe Thirdly Another Vse is if we have not the successe that we could wish let us not bee discouraged as the Prophet Isaiah sayes My labour is with the Lord though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be glorious Esa 49. 4 5. The Husbandman looseth by an ill crop I but if wee bee faithfull wee shall not loose though our crop be never so ill if we have plowed well and sown well no matter what the crop bee wee shall have our pay If I preach and you repent not it shall never repent me of my paines I will preach still For though my preaching be not a sweet savour yet it shall bee to God even in thee and thou shalt smart for it and therefore let us not cease working many a draught the poore fisher man makes and takes nothing yet hee leaves not off many a time is the net of Preaching shot forth and yet none converted thereby So it pleaseth God to exercise the patience of his servants Yet still the work must bee followed and the Lords leisure must be waited for Oftentimes the net taketh fish and they slip out again So there bee many that seem to be pulled in by the Gospell neverthelesse they slide away again Again there is oftentimes brought in into the net that which is yet good for nothing when it is got there comes in frogges and weeds and a great deale of trash which in the end are cast away and yet for love of the fish the fisherman is content to hale all in that hee can So Beloved wee draw in many hypocrites many that prove nought and yet for hope of good fish wee must still bee a labouring and may be wee may have a good Harvest yet though yet wee see little likeli-hood Bee not weary of well-doing sayes the Apostle for mee shall reape if wee faint not Gal. 6. 9. Fourthly another Vse is to you that you doe not wilfully stand out to deprive us of good successe The shrewdest turn you can doe your poore Ministers is to deprive them of the joy of their labours the way to rejoyce them is to imbrace the Gospell they preach it will bee heavy for you when wee shall groane to God that we could not perswade any of you If thou wilt not now hear that which may profit thee thou shalt heare one day that which shall make thy heart ake Goe ye cursed into everlasting fire O remember Sodome and do not stand out against the Ministers that come from Jesus Christ to you Revel 3. 1. These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres HAving done with the inscription of this Epistle To the Church that is in Sardis write wee came to the Subscription containing the person from whom the Epistle is sent The Lord Jesus Christ who is here described from two Royalties of his First that he hath The seven Spirits of God that we have handled already Secondly that he hath the seven Starres or the Ministers of the Church This we have almost finished too wee shewed you that Christ is said to have the Ministers of the Church five wayes First hee hath the sending of them they have their Mission from him Secondly hee hath the delegating of them they have their Commission from him Thirdly hee hath the gifting of them they have their gifts and abilities from him Fourthly he hath the prospering or not prospering of them they have their successe from him All these foure I have spoken of already Now remains the fifth and the last hee hath the disposing of them the placing of them in a Town the continuing of them or removing of them the holding of them up or the pulling of them down as the Apostle speaks Hee hath the key of David hee openeth and no man shutteth and he shutteth and no man openeth Rev. 3. 7. that is he hath all power in the Church to place it or displace it To settle it or to transplant it to prescribe or not prescribe to absolve or to condemne to save or to destroy to give Ministers liberty or to take it away As Christ telles the Minister of Philadelphia I have set before thee an open doore and no man can shut it Rev. 3. 8. good Ministers shall have Liberty to preach in their stations as long as he pleases and they never can be hindred till he is pleased so to permit it or appoint it So when Paul was at Ephesus though he had never so many adversaries there that would faine hinder him if they could Yet as long as Christ gave him an open doore to preach and to do good none of them all could withstand him A great doore and effectuall is opened unto me and there are many adversaries 1 Cor. 16. 9. First Christ hath the placing of his Ministers As he saith to Ieremiah I have set thee So Christ sayes to all his true Ministers I have set you God hath set to all men the bounds of their habitations Act. 17. 26. that one man shall dwell here another there one in this Parish another in that Parish How much more does he appoint unto his Ministers their habitations that John the Baptist shall be in the Wildernesse of Judea Titus shall be in Creete Epaphras shall be at Colosse Epaphroditus at Philippi Timothy at Ephesus and the like Nay he is no Minister of Christ that is not of Christs placing As the Apostle speakes Take heed unto your selves and to all the flocke over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers Act. 20. 28. Over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers He is a true Minister to this or that Congregation that can say that the Holy Ghost hath made me an overseer to them The Reason is first Because no man is a Pastor or a Shepheard to any sheepe that did not enter in by the doore into those sheep He that entreth in by the doore is a shepheard of the sheep Joh. 10. 2. Now who is this doore but Jesus Christ I am the doore saith he By me if any man enter in he shall be saved As it followes there in the ninth verse As he is the doore no man can enter into the Ministery rightly but by him He must have his Letters of Orders from him So he is the doore into any flocke and if a man have not institution and induction from him he is no Shepheard of the flocke Nay Christ tells him flatly he is a theefe and robber and a hyreling When the Danites askt the Levite in Mount Ephraim who brought thee hither What makest thou in this place Judg. 18. 3. ye know he put himselfe there he sought for the place himselfe and it was
company of hypocrites and teachers of vanities what are these Preachers wee see little good they doe what becomes of all their Preaching factions and odde opinions in one Towne and dissolutenesse and all manner of licensiousnesse in another If the whole world should let us alone I verily feare God himselfe would put us down immediately in the end So many scandals so many thousand offences are given every day that its a wonder wee stand as we doe That the Lord of heaven lets any Minister in England come into a Pulpit more nothing but pride and self-conceits and selftrustings and feared consciences dead hearts and profanenesse unlesse it be a very little handfull O Beloved if where preaching is it were honoured as it ought to bee and obeyed as it should if people would doe as we teach I dare be bold to affirme wee might Preach long enough If our Townes would sweetly reforme set up good Government root out all disorders and cursed abuses live like Christians indeed be humble and sober and loving and dutifull to God and Man Giving to Caesar the things that are Caesars and to God the things that are Gods If we would feare God and honour the King Reverence Gods Courts obey the voyce of his servants love Christ and his word above our appointed food this would lengthen the Ministery of the Land this would bee a meanes for the establishing of Gods Kingdome among us Christ would never repent that ever hee sent his Gospell unto us where wee have some wee should have more where we have more wee should have a hundred times more as the Apostle Peter sayes Who is he that will harme you if yee be followers of that which is good 1 Pet. 3. 13. Thirdly Another Use is is it Christ that takes away Ministers either by death or restraining or by any other way Then let it bee a meanes to exhort us to repent of our sinnes that Christ may still give a doore of utterance to his Ministers that they may still speak in his name This should move us to seek God When Peter was cast into prison O what fasting and crying and praying was there to God for him till hee was restored again Act. 12. 5. they did not goe to Herod to restore him No they knew Christ was hee that tooke him from the Church whoever were the instrument therefore they sought to Heaven for him again if any peoples Ministery bee gone this is the best way to fetch them again Paul knew this to bee true and therefore when hee was in prison at Rome hee writes to Philemon thus I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you Philemon v. 22. Nay hee is so confident that if people would but cry hard for him to God that hee should quickly bee enlarged Nay sayes hee prepare mee a lodging for I trust that through your prayers I should be given unto you q. d. I make no question but I shall out of prison if you will but bee earnest with God So also it seems the Authour to the Hebrews was restrained from Preaching Now mark what an exhortation hee uses Pray for us sayes hee and I beseech you the rather to doe this that I may bee restored unto you the sooner Heb. 13. 18 19. Thus I have finished this part of the Description of Jesus Christ That hath the seven Starres in his hand and the whole Subscription too These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Starres I come now to the Epistle it self I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead but of this more c. REVEL 3. 1. And unto the Angel of the Church in Sardis write These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven starres I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead I know thy works c. Revel 3. 1. I know thy workes c. YE have heard two things concerning this Epistle First the Inscription that declareth the person to whom it was sent To the Angel of the Church in Sardis write That is it was sent principally to the Minister of the Church in the Town of Sardis and also to the Christians that were in that Church Secondly the subscription that declareth from whom it was sent These things saith hee that hath the seven Spirits of God and the seven Stars that is it was sent from Jesus Christ Now we come to the third thing and that is the subject matter of this Epistle which consists of three things First a Reprehension of the sins of the Minister and the body of his congregation Secondly a Direction or the shewing of the remedy for the curing of their sins Thirdly a Commendation of some particular persons in that Congregation that were not carryed away with the sins of the times The reprehension is either in generall I know thy works that is I know them all and I know them to be stark nought for the most part what-ever they seem they may seem to be very good but I tell you plainly I know them all what they be q. d. Generally they are stark nought And then in particular hee instances in two first the sin of hypocrisie or seeming to be good Thou hast a name that thou livest Secondly the sin of deadnesse of heart But thou art dead This is the reprehension or the reproof Then follows the Direction or the shewing of the remedy for he does not reprove them out of any ill will but for their good And therefore he prescribes them a remedy and the remedy is twofold The first is to strengthen the things that remain that are ready to dye v. 2. q. d. as many of you as are not quite and clean dead stir up your selves quicken up your hearts and this is first illustrated by shewing how they should doe thus Be watchfull sayes he q. d. that 's the reason why ye languish on this fashion and ye will languish more and more because yee are not watchfull therefore be watchfull and then it is urged by rendring a motive to use this remedy For I have not found thy workes perfect before God that is thou art hardly sincere a jot thou art full of hypocrisie and formality and thou wilt lose all thy labour if thou dost not look well about thee therefore shake up thy self and strengthen the things c. this is the first remedy The second remedy is to repent v. 3. and this is amplified by shewing how and that is two wayes 1. Remember how c. i.e. consider how thou hast been taught and bewail thy declinings for thou art horribly departed from what thou hast heard out of the Word 2. Hold fast i.e. so bewaile thy warpings and degeneratings that thou mayest get up again and hold thee fast there when thou art up Now lest they should neglect the using of this remedy the Lord Jesus sharpens his speech with
feeth wickednesse also will not he then punish it Job 11. 11. The reasons of this point that God knowes all mens sinnes and sinfull courses hee knowes all that they ever have done or doe doe or will doe or can doe or would doe are First because God is infinite in knowledge as David sayes his understanding is infinite Psal 147. 5 as the Prophet Esay sayes ther 's no searching of his understanding Isa 40. 28. well if he be infinite in Knowledge what can a poore Creature keepe close from him who can hide his iniquities from him who can set such a colour upon his wicked devises that hee can not discover them let a man excuse himselfe may be his excuses may passe currant among men but God must needs know the falsenesse of his excuses and that they are but Fig leaves men may pretend what they will and deny what they will with an impudent forehead and set a good face upon what they will and this may goe unperceived among men but Gods understanding is infinite and therefore hee knowes all that men do he knows how every man stands affected unto him he knows how people come to Church and whether they meane to doe what they have been taught whether they meane to reforme what they have been reproved for for He is infinite in Knowledge and therefore he is privy to all the sins of men Secondly as he is omniscient so he is omnipresent he is present every where whether can any Creature goe from his presence if hee goe into Bed or Chamber or Closet or Street or high way or Alehouse or Drab-house home or abroad hee can go howhere but where God is and how can hee doe ought but God must needs see him God himselfe argues on this manner Can any hide himselfe in secret places that I should not see him 〈◊〉 not I fill Heaven and earth sayth the Lord Jer. 23. 24. qâ—d if I be every where I must needs be able to see every where Thirdly the Lord is omniprovident as I may so speak hee hath a hand either in the making of all things or at least in the permitting and disposing of all things All that is good hee does it himselfe or else it cannot be done All that is evill hee must permit it to be or else it cannot be committed nothing is done without his concurrence or sufferance therefore he must needs know all mens sins he knowes what hee hath suffered to be or does suffer or will suffer not so much as the sinnes of men can fall out without him as Peter speaking of Judas his sinnes and the Iewes and Pilats and Herods they did nothing but what he knew they would doe why they did nothing but what his Hand and Counsell determined before to be done Acts 4. 28. therefore he knew the Jewes would be betray Christ he could tell the Prophet Zachary diverse hundred yeares before that hee would take 30 pieces of Silver to doe it He could tell the Prophet Esay that they would fmite him and buffet him that they would reck on him among transgressors he could tell the Prophet David that they should pierce his hands and his Feet and that they should offer him Vineger to drinke the Lord knew all these sinnes of yours why because hee had decreed them True hee did not decree that hee would make them commit them but he decreed that they themselves should be the agents of them it should be meerly their fault their covetousnes their malice their men-pleasing their wicked disposition I but he ordred these things and therefore he must needs know them The drunkard could not hold up the cup to his mouth if God had not intended to preserve his armes and his mouth at that time hee could not goe to the tipling house but that God intended to continue him his feet and his health no man could thinke a wicked thought nor speake a naughty word but that God upholds his heart and his tongue in the interim if God should forbeare his goodnesse to them he would be speechlesse and not able to thinke so much as any thought at all and this aggravates mans sinnes that hee hath need of Gods goodnesse at the same time and yet that he should sin against his Maker Fourthly the Lord knowes every mans sinnes because he hath a Candle in every mans bosome hee hath made mens hearts on that wise that he hath a Candle in them all Yee know there is a spirit in a man that we call conscience that is Gods Candle as Solomon sayes The spirit of man is the Candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly Pro. 20. 27. well if he have a Candle shining in every mans bosome what can there be hidden in the darke nay he knoweth mens hearts and wayes better then they knew them themselves as the Physitian can better judge of his Patients body then himselfe Christ knew Peters unbelieving heart when he knew it not himselfe though all men be offended in thee yet will not I Christ knew he would be offended in him that very night so hee knew Hazaels wicked life when the man that owned it would not believe it is thy servant a Dogge sayes he that I should be so wicked yet he knew he would be so wicked and cruell and therefore God can bring to a mans minde a thousand things that he never dreamt of before many a man deceives himselfe all his life time But when hee comes to sicken and die then God shewes him what he is and what he hath done and now he sees he is a damned wretch and yet before though all the Ministers in England had told him so much hee would not have believed it Fifthly he must needs know every mans sins because he is the Judge of all the World and he is to judge every sinner according to his deeds now if hee should not know all his sins he could not judge righteous judgement The Judge must know all secrets otherwise he cannot well judge Now beloved God is a righteous Judge and therefore no sin can scape him God shall bring every work into judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evill Eccl. 12. 14. True it is he shall not want witnesses in the day for conscience shall be a thousand witnesses yet it is needfull that himselfe should have perfect knowledge of all the actions of men For why is conscience so ready to accuse a man when it is awakened it is onely because it is conscious that God knoweth all its doings now if God had not perfect knowledge himselfe conscience would not witnesse all then neither could it make a sinner confesse all But Gods knowing all this is it that will make conscience to speake truth The Psalmist being to dispute against a company of Atheisticall people that sayd tush God shall not see Psal 94. 7. marke how hee reasons against them He brings
they passe for currant among men yet God sees what they are men may pretend what they will and deny what they will and set an impudent forehead and face on the matter and go unperceived among men but they cannot goe unperceived by Allmighty God his understanding is infinite Secondly as he is omniscient so he is omnipresent he is everywhere whether can any creature goe from his presence if he goe into the street or ale-house or drabhouse or his house or his closet or his privy chamber he can goe nowhere but where God is and therefore how can he doe ought but God must needs see him can any hide himselfe in secret places that I should not see him doe not I fill Heaven and Earth saith the Lord Ier. 23. 24. Thirdly the Lord hath his providence in every thing nothing is done without his concurrence or sufferance if it be good it is done by his assistance if it be evill it cannot be done without his permission and disposition therefore he must needs know every thing He knew whether the Devils should enter into the herd of swine for they could not enter in untill he suffered them he knew all that Iudas and Pilate and Herod and the Jewes and the High Priests did against Christ because they did nothing but what his hand and counsell had determined before to be done Act. 4. 28. Fourthly the Lord knowes every mans sinnes because he hath a candle in every mans bosome The Spirit of man is the candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly Prov. 20. 27 that is a mans conscience that 's the Lords Candle well if Hee have a Candle standing in every mans bosome what can bee done there in the darke Fifthly because He is judge of the whole World O Lord of Heasts that judgest righteously that tryest the Reines and the Heart Jer. 11. 20. Hee could not judge every man righteously else A man may doe well and yet seeme to doe evill againe a man may doe very evill and yet seeme to doe well yee know the heart is all in all now if God did not know all mens hearts all mens lookes and aymes and intents and meanings the circumstances and every thing that men doe Hee could not judge every man according to his workes as hee will for a certaine Hee will judge every man according to his works and therefore Hee knowes what every mans workes bee The use of this was First To confute Averroes and others that say that God does not know mens sinnes O say they God sees all things by looking on himselfe now there is no such thing to be seene in himselfe Beloved here you see that this is a blasphemous Doctrine for God knowes what ever men are or thinke or speake or doe or have done or shall doe or would doe in any case and though sinne be not in God yet the suffering of it is in God and Hee may suffer it in his just judgement and wisdome though the commiting of it be wicked yet his suffering of it is good and just The Eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the evill and the good Pro. 15. 3. But I let this passe Secondly to condemne the most sorts of men that doe not consider of this truth for though men will grant that God knowes all the evill that they doe yet this vile Atheisme is lurking in mens hearts they either make God as the Epicures hold that hee sits in Heaven and regards not what men doe or at least God will not require it Psal 10. 13. they doe not charge this truth on their hearts This is the cause that men are so daring to doe evill Thirdly this is a terror to all that doe evill This is a terror to them that have condemning hearts as John sayes if our heart condemne us God is greater then our hearts and Hee knowes all things 1 Joh. 3. 20. againe this is a terror to all Hypocrites if God could not see a rotten heart then a Hypocrite should speed as well as the best But God sees what men are seeme they what they will He sees what they be Fourthly this is comfort to good people for if God see all mens sinnes then Hee sees all mens goodnesse what a comfort is this in Prayer to consider That Hee that searcheth the Hearts knowes what is the minde of the Spirit Romans 8. 27 Hee knowes all thy groanes and sighes though thou canst not utter what thou wouldst in Prayer yet Hee knowes what thou wouldst have What a comfort is this in temptation in the midst of the accusations of Satan when a man is pitifully put to it in spirituall conflicts that God knowes what is in us all our secret affections our mournings after him our private seekings of him all our hidden meanings to him all our combats against sinne all our griefes for corruptions as Peter sayes God thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee Joh. 21. 17. Peter was put to it soundly at that time yet this was his comfort that God did know all things and as Hee knowes more evill by us then our selves so He knowes more good by us then our selves Againe what a comfort is this against the nick-names and false judgings of wicked men Hee knowes all our innocency when men say all manner of evill of us Hee knowes wee doe that in sincerity which men thinke wee doe in Hypocrisy Hee knowes our simplicity when men judge that wee doe it out of by and sinister respects what a comfort is this when wee can appeale to God as David sayes the Lord knowes that I lie not as David sayes I have not refrained my lips from preaching thy Righteousnesse O Lord thou knowest Psalme 40. 9. little does the World think what the Saints doe every day what wrestlings with God what goings out unto him they have this is a comfort the Lord knowes Againe what an encouragement is it to serve God in these bad and sinnefull times People generally never looke after God nor holinesse as though God had forsaken the Earth most people are of the minde that if a man bee precise hee is little the better and if hee be not so precise as some be hee shall never be the worse for that as though God cared for no such matter Beloved when wee heare that God sees all that men doe and markes and will call all men to an accompt what an encouragement is this to serve God as David sayes to Solomon Know thou the God of thy Fathers and serve him with a perfect Heart for the Lord searcheth all Hearts and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts 1 Chron. 28. 9. This was the first pont And then the Second point was this The consideration of this that God knowes all our workes is a powerfull meanes to all Gods elect to doe them good and to quicken them and to make them take heede of all
was Sauls judgement of him Thus the Saints have a nick name put on them the World thinkes they are Hypocrites and that they have sinister ends in what they doe and whereas they make such a shew it is but in Hypocrisy that they may deceive and that they may have a Name for Religious people so that the World would faine put downe the having of a Name But that is a Devillish use wee must not make such a use of this point No the Lord does not finde fault with Sardis for having of a Name that they lived but that they had this Name when as they were dead if they had beene alive the Name to be alive had beene well well then what use must wee make of this point The First Use then is this to shew the misery of the Church of Rome which hath a Name to live and in their owne judgement and a great part of Christendome is the onely true Church but in the judgement of God it is dead and therefore starke naught some say its a body full of diseases and whose throat is cut but yet the heart pants and life is therein But the truth is it s starke dead and hath no manner of spirituall life What though they have the Sacrament of Baptisme so had Edom circumcision and yet they were never counted a Church of God And what 's a Seale to a blanke what though they have the Scriptures among them and the Articles of our Creede that does not make a Church for Ptolomy and all Aegypt had the Bible and yet that did not make them a Church if the Scriptures might have their owne sense it were another matter but they oterturne it with their exposition and make it in their sense to be a fardell of Doctrine of Divels and what though Antichrist bee said to sit in the Temple of God yet his Body is a Synagogue of Satan There is no life in that Church But to come neerer to our selves This may bee said of them of our Churches too and of our Congregations they have onely a Name to live though wee might live well enough for wee have the Doctrine of Life in many places yet in regard of our conversations for the most part wee may say it is but onely a Name For how does sinne reigne among us everywhere Coveteousnesse Profanesse fulnesse of Bread Lust Security as it were in Noahs time deadnesse of heart Formality now where such sinnes doe abound there the power of godlinesse must needs bee away generally our Assemblies content themselves with an outward profession if they goe so farre they have but a Name to live True wee are a Church so was Sardis though shee had hardly any thing but a Name yet shee was a Church as Saint John shewes washed in the Bloud of Jesus Christ Revelations 1. 4 5. for they had a few Names that were so but the body had onely a bare name so it is with us wee are not nullifyed from being a Church for God hath his chosen among us though they bee very few here one and there one that live indeede and in truth yet the Bodies and Bulkes of our Congregations have onely a Name if that no Discipline no good Order no thorough Reformation nay Cages of uncleane Birds nay such as professe better then the multitude little better then titular and morall Christians Nay are not all things almost growne to bee a sole Name What is the Preaching almost but the bare Name of Preaching For conversion of Soules where is it the pulling people out of the Kingdome of Satan where it it a thousand Sermons may be and hardly one wrought upon wee may be sayd to be fishermen but it is turned only into a name for when doe we catch any So for hearing of the Word True it is very common and yet not so common as it ought to bee for many care little whether they heare or no. But that that is there 's hardly ought left but the Name for who heares with trembling who mingles his hearing with faith who drinkes the Word as the Earth doth the Raine who does what hee heares without which all hearing is no better then an empty Name So for comming to the Sacrament is not that made a name too setting a side the Name of a Sacrament now and then what have wee else who feeds upon Jesus Christ who comes to the increasing of his Faith who hath Faith at all that it may bee increased Who comes to it with preparednesse who sits at the Lords Table with a Wedding Garment who goes away nourished up any more unto eternall Life without the which all our Sacraments are but naturall things So for holy Conference unlesse it bee the Name of it what is there of the thing it selfe left may bee a few cursory words of goodnesse before wee part but no quickning of one another up no exhorting of one another no comforting of one another or admonishing one another nay wee are growne to bee ashamed of these duties and for Prayer but that wee take Cushions and fall downe on our Knees and say a company of Confessions and Petitions there is little else done Come wee to the Graces of Gods Holy Spirit without the which a man is Dead in trespasses and in sins c. as Faith Repentance peace of Conscience and Love c. Secondly another use is of terror against us doe wee thinke that the Lord will endure this at our hands Hee hath endured it too too long but Hee will not suffer it alwayes Hee hath a Spirituall thunder-clappe that Hee lets slye against this sinne The vile person shall bee no more called liberall nor the Churle bee said to bee bountifull Isaiah 32. 5. That is the Lord will unmaske all such persons Hee will plucke of all their Names and they shall have a Name fit for their natures and Hee will doe this First in their owne Consciences if wee will not bee awakened to bee as wee have a Name to bee the LORD will make our owne Consciences to call us Reprobates as wee are and then what will our Name doe us good when our owne Consciences shall tell us wee are naught and condemne us in our Bosomes what shall wee bee the better for our Neighbours judging well of us Our Neighbours may bee thinke wee Pray well what a poore thing is this when Conscience shall say no our Neighbours may hope wee stand upon good ground when Conscience shall say no Men call us godly and Conscience shall say nay but yee are not What a shame was it to the Iewes when they were convicted by their owne Consciences Joh. 8. 9. It is not the Name of joy and holinesse that will give their Consciences true Peace no no Conscience knowes another name is sit for us Unbeliefe and Ungodlinesse and Hardnesse of Heart Secondly againe Hee will doe it in the judgement of others if wee rest in a Name the Lord will
how apt are people to forget any thing that is good to put off any thing that should pull them downe before God and therefore we should labour to help our poore people that if it be possible we may stop them from going downe into the pit Fifthly we should labour to make the things that we preach as if it were lively before peoples eyes as the Apostle preacht Christ crucified to the Galatians even as if he were crucified before their very eyes Gal. 3. 1. so Moses had a very lively Ministry the text sayes he set his points before their very eyes I call heaven and earth to record against you this day that I have set before you life and death blessing and crusing Deut. 30. 19. marke he set before their eyes life and death heaven and hell he preached so evidently that the people might see as it were with their eyes the things that he preached this is lively teaching as the Orator sayes Hypotyposis is an excellent meanes to perswade when the speaker does as it were point before the hearers eyes when he represents the things he speakes of this is preaching in the evidence and the demonstration of the spirit 1 Cor. 2. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when a Minister demonstrates his points and this it is this is the sinne and this is the case and this is the misery and thus it stands with you when he labours to make people see it and they must needs see it unlesse they be wilfull and shut their eyes otherwise people heare a Sermon as if it did not concerne them there 's a man in the pulpit and they heare what he says but they never consider how deeply it concernes them Sixthly we should be truly affected with the word of God our selves laying nothing on our peoples shoulders but what we lift upon our owne we should speake the truth from the bottom of our hearts uttering the word of God with feeling and with a contrite heart we should be heavenly as the word is that lip and heart and word may be all a like O if we did drop downe our Sermons as dew downe from heaven on our people this would be a lively preaching indeed as the Prophet Ezekiel did He dropt the word of God on Ierusalem Ezek. 21. 2. if our Sermons did come dropping downe from us as if they dropt downe from heaven O how homely doe our Sermons come from our mouthes as though they never were higher then the pulpit we doe not preach as if the word came dropping down from heaven and therefore people doe not look up to heaven while they heare their mindes are no higher then our pulpits whereas if we had heavenlier hearts and lippes it would more quicken a thousand times or at least be a sitter instrument to quicken Seventhly and lastly we should get the Lord to goe along with our Ministry for it is not our preaching it selfe that hath any life nay it is but a dead letter as it issues from us if we were such men that had the Lord going along with us throughout all our Ministry what a deale of profit would there be in our Ministry as Micha sayes I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord Micha 3. 8. But I let this point passe thus ye have heard the words as they have relation to the Ministry of the Church in Sardis Thou art dead that is thy Ministry is dead Now I come to the words as they have relation to the Church it selfe Thou art dead Thou art a dead people though thou hast a name to live yet thou art dead that is thou art outwardly reformed thou hast goodly order'd congregations good sober civill and faire carriaged people all professing the true religion and frequenting the good Ordinances of God yet thou art dead that is thou art even as good as nothing the doctrine hence is a dead Christian is as no Christian at all Ye know we are all dead by nature in trespasses and in sins that is we are alive to the workes of the flesh and to the world but dead towards God And a true Christian is he that is made dead unto sinne and the world but alive unto God as the Apostle Paul sayes Likewise reckon ye your selves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God through Iesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6. 11. this is a true Christian that so leaves his sinnes and so takes up the worship and service of God that he is dead to his sinnes and alive towards God now when a man it may be leaves his sinnes after a manner and takes up the profession of Gods Service and yet he is alive still unto the flesh and dead towards God this is just nothing By dead I meane things first deadnesse of guilt when a man is guilty of any offence that is death by the Law he is said to be a dead man therefore every man hath sinned against God which is death by Gods Law so that every man is dead by nature when a man is pardoned of God then he is alive again and therefore it is called justification of life Ro. 5. 18. now when a man is not pardoned of God he is dead though he have never so many hopes and conceits of forgivenesse thought to apprehend himselfe to be pardoned yet as long as God hath not pardoned him indeed he is a dead man Secondly deadnesse of minde when the minde is Ignorant of God in regard of saving knowledge when a mans minde is without saving understanding then his minde is said to be dead true saving understanding is the life of so many mindes as David sayes give me understanding and I shall live Psal 119. 144. then my minde shall be alive sayes he then I shall know thee aright now let a man have never so much knowledge and learning yet in divine things is otherwise and have nothing his minde is still dead he is a dead man to all the things of God he cannot see God in all his wayes no more then a dead man he cannot minde God he may minde earthly things but he cannot minde God nay though he can mind learning divinity learning learning about God yet he cannot minde God his minde is dead to such savoury knowledge even as dead as a dead man he knowes not how to pray to God as a childe to his Father he knowes not how to doe any duty in a godly gratious manner his minde is as dead to these things as a simple Country-mans is to Latin or Greeke or Hebrew Thirdly deadnesse of heart when the heart is not inclined towards God then we say it is dead towards God and all goodnesse though he goe to good duties every day yet as long as the heart is not inclined to them it goes about them in a dead manner when a mans heart is once inclined towards God now it begins to be alive towards him as David sayes the heart
heare with life use the ordinances in publike and private with life the naturall life that is in the soule it turnes it to God it turnes the man about as a ship is turned on the Sea that sayled before towards North now it sayles towards South So when grace comes into the soule ye know the man had life afore but it sayled towards the world and the things of the world but when grace does come in it makes it row and sayle and steere towards God so that when a Christian is dead he is as no Christian at all Secondly a dead Christian hath not Christ dwelling in his heart by faith he is no Christian indeed that hath not Jesus Christ dwelling in him by a truly and a lively faith It is the indwelling of Christ that makes one a true Christian now when Christ does dwell in any man Christ is a quickening spirit as the Apostle speakes the second Adam was made a quickening spirit 1 Cor. 15. 45. that is Christ he is the second Adam he is a quickening spirit where ever he dwels he quickens all the soule He makes it dead to that which by nature it was alive to and alive to that which by nature it was dead to he inclines the soule unto God he infuses a principle into it to shine with life towards God he does more and more hale the strength of the soule towards him though he doe not doe it at all once yet he does it more and more now when a man is still dead to God and all goodnesse he hath not Christ dwelling in him by a lively faith for if he were in once though the soule may complaine still of deadnesse as commonly those that are alive complain most of deadnesse yet it hath a supernaturall quickening and it shall have more and more Thirdly a dead Christian was never yet soundly wrought upon by the word the word of Christ is a word of life and it quickens where it doe effectually work and therefore though such a one have heard a 1000 thousand Sermons he never fed upon them in all his life as Christ sayes If any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever Joh. 6. 51. it is better then ordinary bread ordinary bread indeed if a man have a naturall life it will feed it and preserve it But if a man be dead it will not revive him But the word of God is such a bread that as it feeds a spirituall life in them that have it so it is able through the eternall spirit to quicken the dead it is able through God to put life into men that never had any and it does so to all that are of God sooner or latter now when a man is dead it 's a plaine signe that the word hath not yet wrought upon that man it may be it hath shaken him many a time yea but if he be yet dead it never wrought upon him soundly the oracles of God are lively oracles as Steven cals them Acts. 7. 38. they make their hearts lively that they come to worke soundly on though they were never so dead to God and good things afore yet now they waxe lively they make their hearts to receive a divine strength that now they waxe able in some measure to live towards God to hunger and thirst after God to delight in the seeking of him be their lusts never so mighty now they can compose themselves to oppose them and to swimme against the streame now they can pray and they cannot abide to have blockish hearts in that nor in any other duty they have a life that resists that same deadnesse that dwelleth in them So then this is another reason that a dead Christian is as good as no Christian at all the word hath never wrought soundly on that Man The use of this is first if the dead Christians in Sardis be as good as nothing what are the riff-raffe in the Towne that are not so much as Christians in name if a dead Christian be rejected of God what 's a dead drunkard a dead whormonger a dead prophanling if one that walkes in good courses be refused because he is dead in them then what shall become of them that will not follow good courses at all if such that are Saints to them cannot be saved where shall they appeare it is said that Christ loved the goodly fine carriaged young man Mark 10. 17. Christ is never said to love a drunkard a prophane wretch no he regards one that carries himself in a sayre civill honest way more then all the world besides except onely his own children and therefore if he counts meer civill men stark naught how much more does he thee that art a very beast compared with them thou art so vile that we that are men doe know thou art in a fearefull estate nay the Lord pronounes a woe upon them that dare speake well of thee these sinnes are to be punished by the Iudges if thou hast lived in Israel thou shouldst have been put to death a drunken Son should have been stoned an adulterer a fornicator should be burnt a blasphemer should be brained to death Thy sinnes are so palpable that pillaries and stockes and prisons and gallowes should be thy fare if thou wert well served Thou art not onely dead for the manner of thy life but for the matter too not onely the Saints doe abhorre thee but all that have any civility in them doe loath thy filthy doings and would not doe as thou doest no no for a world as Solomon sayes such as thou art are not onely dead but in the depth of hell Pro. 9. 18. There be many though they be not right yet they are so much reformed that the Saints of God cannot say but that they may be good Christians But thou art so foule that he that hath but one eye may see the devill leads thee there be some that a man may be to blame for judging them wicked but he that judges thee other wise hates his own soule poor creature does thy foolish heart promise thee hopes to finde mercy alas the devill does but lead thee in a string he knowes well enough though he will not let thee see it there is no mercy for them that goe on still in their wickednesse Thou hast not so much as a name that thou livest how dead then art thou Thou art dead and rotten and stinkest not onely in the nostrils of God but of all that have any common grace in them Others may be in a damned condition for all their profession but to be sure thou art in a damned condition there 's nothing between thee and hell but onely the poore thread of thy life How canst thou keep out of hell that canst hardly keep out of the Ale-house O heare this ye that have not so much as any face of Religion See the word of the Lord and thinke upon it for your good if ye have any
give you an acquittance when ye pay in onely wash duties clipt obedience if ye served God with life conscience would give you an acquittance when ye have prayed it would give you an acquittance when ye have done a dayes worke in his harvest it would acknowledge the receipt of it well done good and faithfull servant it is well done in some measure This made Paul full of life every day Herein doe I exercise my selfe to have always a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men Act. 24. 16. that is I doe not onely goe on in good duties both towards God and towards men but this I doe always I do even exercise my selfe that I may have an acquittance from mine owne conscience when I have done that my conscience may give me a true discharge well done I have done well in some measure now as long as we are dead-hearted and hollow in Gods wayes our conscience can never give us a discharge no marvell that so few of us have Peace of conscience when we are so dead-hearted as we are if we would stirre up our selves to serve God with all heart and life we should have Peace but till this will be once we can never looke to have Peace and comfort Fourthly Though we have comfort in time of prosperity yet we cannot have comfort in affliction if we be of a dead heart how many are there that seeme to have comfort while they are well but when they come to be sick and at deaths doore then they are all to peeces then they see they have no grace no faith no good cards to shew then they are stript stark naked then their conscience sees what they are O I am a wretch how have I deceived my self so beloved though we have comfort in time of prosperity yet if we be dead-hearted we can have no comfort in affliction As David sayes this is my comfort in affliction thy word hath quickened me Psal 119. 50. when the word of God hath quickened our hearts and made us lively in all manner of goodnesse this will yeeld us comfort in affliction But if we be dead to all spirituall wayes though we scramble up hopes now they will not hold when affliction comes now what a fearefull thing is 't we shall all come to affliction ere long for man is borne to trouble as the sparks that fly upward as Job speakes nay we know not how soone man knoweth not his time as Solomon speakes but as the Fishes are caught in an evill Net so are the Sonnes of men snared in an evill time when it falleth suddenly on them And God onely knowes what sore afflictions we may have the Cup of affliction is in Gods hand and he tempers it and powres it out as his pleasure is I say what a fearfull thing is it not to have comfort then then we have most need of comfort and if we have not comfort then we are utterly undone now my brethren it is not a dead dull profession will yeeld us comfort then Let us thinke of this as God sayes What will ye doe in your day of visitation to Whom will ye flye for helpe then Isa 10. 3. so may I say though ye can be quiet and comfortable enough now in the dayes of health and peace your deadnesse does not trouble you now but what will ye doe in the dayes of visitation doe but consider what a sorry comfort ye shall have then assuredly a dead heart will assord not a syllable of true comfort then Fifthly we can never blesse God with a dead heart a dead heart is not able to affirme upon any good ground that God is his or that the promise is his or that Christ is his the soule knowes Christ is a quickening spirit and they that have him are quickened up by him the promise is a promise of life and they cannot be dead that are the possessors of it we cannot blesse God either for love or mercy or grace or any thing else when we would blesse God for any of these things the deadnesse of heart it will be objected to us O I am so dead that how can I hope that these things belong unto me Let my soule live and it shall praise thee Psal 119. 175. when the soule is alive towards God then it can praise God then it knowes all the good it hath it hath it in mercy doubting and deadnesse doe ever goe together or it 's a great marvell And indeed what is deadnesse of heart towards Christ and all his holy Gospell but a secret doubting whether it have any part in it or no as when a poore man sees a rich treasure it does but dead him the more because he sees no interest he hath in it if he could see he had an interest in it this would quicken up his heart and put it out of it's dumps And is not this now a miserable condition when a man cannot praise God if he pray it is but in a sorry manner no life no heart at all But for blessing and praising of God that he cannot doe at all except he be in a fooles paradise and dreame of a false gift This is a dreadfull condition when we are hindred from that which God most delighteth in what is there that more delighteth God then to blesse him and praise him The Lord sayes we never honour him otherwise who so offereth me praise he glorifieth me Psal 50. 23. now we can never offer God praise except our heart live Sixthly Religion is a very irksome thing unto us as long as we are dead-hearted what is it that takes away the grievousnesse of it but a lively heart when the heart is dead it must needs be very tedious very tedious to be thinking of God to be meditating of death or the world to come to be imployed in prayer to be constant in the humbling of the soule or the abstaining from our naturall inclinations to be discoursing of repentance or studying of Gods heavenly Kingdome to be imployed in the word or to goe through dirty and frozen wayes to it to goe and repeate it in our Families or to urge it upon our hearts O what weary tedious duties are these when the heart is a dead heart This is the reason why the world lets them all generally alone and never troubles their hearts with them at all because they have no life in them and many that are better minded fend them very tedious because they are dead-hearted as Solomon sayes correction is grievous to him that forsaketh the way Prov. 15. 10. now as long as we are out of the way of life while we are dead-hearted we forsake the right way and therefore correction is grievous unto us nay all the commandements of God are grievous unto us does a dead heart rejoyce to goe to Prayer nay generally he is loth to goe to it is he glad that the Sermon Bell rings is he glad at an opportunity
Joh. 1. 4. in him we live and move and have our being and therefore it is a great sinne not to be thankfull to him for our naturall life David blesses God for his naturall life very often life is a very great blessing a poor thing that hath life a living dog is better then a dead Lyon A man will give skinne for skinne and all that he hath for his life I am sure many of us may be very glad of life for if it were gone now we should be in hell and therefore we had need to make much of our naturall life yea every houre of it least we dye before we be converted and brought home to God But this is not the life that we doe speake of we speak of spirituall life and God is the author of that more especially when a man is alive towards God he is the onely cause of it He spiritually moveth our hearts by the holy Ghost and begets us againe after a strange and an inessable manner by joyning his spirit to our spirits his minde to our mindes and his will to our willes he revives all the powers of the soule with his presence and therefore this life is called the life of God which the world are strangers to and aliens from being alienated from the life of God Eph. 4. 18. so likewise it is called the life of Iesus 2 Cor. 4. 11. He onely is the author of it Thus ye see the efficient cause of it Secondly the Instrumentall cause of this life is true faith this is the ligament that couples this life and a man together that now he is said to be a living man ye know God is the onely living God they that are not united unto him remaine in the congregation of the dead now faith unites a man unto him faith is the having of him He that hath the Sonne hath life and he that hath not the Sonne hath not life 1 Joh 5. 12. when a man cleaves unto God by a true and lively faith this man hath life as Moses sayes That thou mayst love the Lord thy God and that thou mayst obey his voyce and that thou mayst cleave unto him for he is thy life Deut. 30. 20. Though a man hath not that strong faith that some have whereby he hath a cleare evidence of Gods love and favour in Jesus Christ though a man have not this faith yet if he have a faith of adherence and cleaving unto God this man is a living Christian this man is joyned unto the true life This is the true God and even life and therefore whosoever cleaves to him hath life if he will not away from him he will still seeke him still pray unto him still make him his refuge though he have no feelings that is not it if a man will never give over seeking of God He beleeves God is the fountaine of all life and peace and grace and comfort and Gods way is the onely way he beleeves himselfe is a cursed wretch in himselfe and that all hope is in Christ now if this man have such a faith whereby he adheres though with never so much weaknesse this man is a live This is the faith whereby a Christian lives as Paul sayes the life that I live I live by the faith of the Sonne of God Gal. 2. 20. Thus ye see the Instrumentall cause of it Thirdly now for the parts of it The parts of it are three The first part is the life of Justification ye know every man by nature is a dead man as a malefactour that hath committed an offence that is death by mans Law we say he is a dead man so we have all offended God from the womb which is death by Gods Law and therefore we are dead men now when God hath justified a man freely by his grace when God hath given him a pardon in Christ Jesus now he is a live man and therefore Justification as ye heard is called Iustification of life Rom. 5. 18. now beloved this life is not in the man that does live but in Christ that he lives by this life supposeth no life in this party no it lookes upon him as a dead man in himself But God counts him alive in Jesus Christ as the Apostles sayes Christ is our life Col. 3. 4. q d this life is not in us but in Christ so that this life denominats aman alive as Christ denominated the demosel alive that was yet dead The Damosell is not dead sayes he Matth. 9. 24. ye know the Damosell was dead at that time when Christ said so and yet he said she was not dead because he had life for her she had life in him now when he raised her up then she had life in her too And so I come to the second part of this life and that is the life of Sanctification and this life is in him that doth live for though he were dead before to all goodnesse and holinesse and alive unto sinne yet now he is made dead unto sinne and alive unto God as the Apostle speakes likewise also reckon ye your selves to be dead indeed unto sinne but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6. 11. this life is called the life of grace and new obedience when a man is quickened up to all the wayes of God you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2. 1. and this is the quickening that I would faine open to you The third part of this life is the life of joy and comfort ye know when a mans eyes are opened to see his sinnes and his damned estate by reason of them the Law comes and that kils him his very heart dyeth in him now when God propounds to him a Saviour and causes him to beleeve in him this revives his heart againe this yeelds him some joy and comfort so that true joy is a life too we may see this in the Children of God let their joyes and comforts be all gone this makes them all amort this makes them very heavy and sad as if they had no life at all in them as the Church sayes Wilt thou not revive us againe that thy people may rejoyce in thee Psal 85. 6. Now my brethren all this is onely by way of preface to come then to the question what is it to be a quickened Christian a Christian that hath not onely a name to live but is dead dead towards God dead to all good duties no But is quickened up to them I answer that as death is taken in a metaphoricall sense when we say such a one is dead to God dead to the holy ordinances of God we doe not meane properly dead as if he were naturally dead and had no soule in his body but we take it in metaphoricall sense so is life here to be taken too namely for the activenesse of a thing when a thing is not active we use to say it is dead as
is deep in the heart so if thou beest alive towards God God is in the deep of thy heart the word is deepe in thy heart nor like the salt water in the Sea onely on the Top. Ye know what became of the Seed that wanted depth of the earth Matth. 13. 5. so it is with the heart when the word does not get into the depth of it it never quickens in it The heart may be so farre towards goodnesse as to bring a man to good duties a dayes it may bring one to Sermon or to Prayer to others of the Ordinances of God and other good courses but what 's all this as long as it is dead the life lies in the bottome of the heart look what the bottome of the heart stands unto that 's a man alive unto then thou art alive towards God when the bottom of thy heart is unto him when thou labourest to obey him from the bottome of thy heart when thou callest upon him from the bottome of thy heart like Sugar at the bottome of the Cup stirre up the bottome the best is at bottome so thou must stirre up the bottome of thy heart the heart is a deep thing Psal 64. 6. though religion be on the top yet if the world be in the deepe thy heart is dead towards God as it is with a puddle it may be cleare at the top faire water at the top but there 's nothing but mudde at the bottome Secondly there be flitting Acts of the heart be they never so deep in the heart yet if they doe not stay there the heart is dead still Solomon sayes of his Father he said unto me let thy heart retaine my words keep my Commandements and live Prov. 4. 4. though the word does stirre neere so much for the present this is not life except thou retaine it and hold it fast a man may have many flashes of life in him but as long as the heart does not keep them it remaines dead they that seeke the Lord the heart shall live Psal 22. 26. that is when it is not a flash but it is an Act that abides by a man the heart is stedfastly set towards God now his heart lives now when people are moved onely by fits they are humbled by fits and startled by fits their righteousnesse is like a morning dew ye know there the dew is every morning but all the day it is gone may be when morning comes there it is againe but all the day it is gone It is true there may be horrible offs and on s in the Children of God to the confounding of their faces before God But I doe not speake to discourage them But let us take heed we may have admirable flashes of life fits of humblings fits of enlargements fits of selfe-denyall sits of great eagernesse after God the heart may be towards God for a sit a false heart as the Land of Israel their heart was firmely towards him for a sit they remembred that God was their rock and that the high God was their redeemer but their heart was not right with him they were not stedfast in his Covenant Psal 78. 37. mark it was but a fit like Esays crying for a fit This is a poore argument of life then no no the flitting acts of the heart may be no acts of life Thirdly there be wouldings and wishings in the heart and these cozen the world more then any other these they thinke verily are effects of true life First because these are not in the outside of the heart but lye or at least seeme to lye very deepe in the heart it is very certaine that many naturall men would give the whole world if they had it as they doe verily conceive that they had true grace that they were Saints that they could leave their sinnes that they were in a childe of Gods case they deeply wish it it is a profound would in their hearts and therefore now when they see such yearnings in their hearts they doe verily apprehend this is life certainly Hence it is that they will say they would from the bottome of their hearts serve God they have nere a lust but they would full faine have God deliver them from that indeed they confesse in their consciences if they might have a 1000 worlds they cannot give it over I but they would faine they could and thus they deceive themselves because this act seemes to be from the depth of their heart this fancy you may see to be in mens hearts out of Mich. 6. 6. 7. where ye see though they could not finde in their hearts to walke humbly before God to live justly and righteously yet they would give thousands they could O say they what would not we give for the sin of our soules no question but they thought they were alive but God told them they were not Secondly another reason why they thinke this is a token of life is because this is no flitting act neither But they have these wouldings every day nay you can never come to them but still they have these they would doe well nay they would doe as well as the best thus they hope they have a fountaine of living water in them that springeth up daily thus it was with them in the Prophets they seeke me daily sayes God Isa 58. 2. they thought it was their every dayes work to serve God and where they did faile they thought they could say they would doe better they sought the Lord daily Thirdly because they finde that this is attributed to the Saints as the Apostle sayes ye cannot doe the things that ye would Gal. 5. 17. nay the Apostle Paul himselfe speakes it of himselfe the good that I would doe that doe I not and the evill which I would not doe that doe I Rom. 7. 19. So that thus they argue now when they finde this same woulding in their hearts and cannot doe as they would O say they I may say with the Apostle the good which I would doe that doe I not I cannot doe as I would Thus they hoodwinke their owne soules It is very true these be the Saints groanes and a part of their sighing towards God that they cannot doe as they would this makes them a burthen to themselves and so againe when they finde themselves disturbed and limited and straightened by their flesh this is a comfort to their soules and an argument of Gods infinite goodnesse unto them that they can unfeignedly say they would doe better they doe please him in some measure through his grace and they would please him better they doe some good by his heavenly spirit and they would doe more they doe resist every sinne and they would resist it more This is very true But yet how many a thousands lul themselves asleep in security by the fancy of this thing The heart may put forth daily wouldings and be as dead as a carcasse to all the workes of