of rejection of Jesus Christ must needs bee a dreadful sin because Jesus Christ is so great a wonder as you have heard The Sixth SERMON ON The Excellency of Christ Isaiah 9.6 And his Name shall bee called Wonderful NOw wee come to the Application of all which is the work of this exercise Application First Certainly Jesus Christ is little known in the world if this bee hee this great wonder of the world Oh how little is Christ known Christ is but a meer Notion and Imagination to most people in the world you heard the very sound of this name and how Christ came into the world to save sinners but I appeal unto your consciences when were your hearts taken with the admiration of the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ hath Christ been made the greatest wonder in the world unto you some of you have seen many wondrous works of God some of you perhaps in the Seas or abroad in other Countries or if not there yet you have seen the Heavens and the Earth at which you many times wonder but when did God dart light into your spirits to cause you to see so much of Jesus Christ as made him to bee the great wonder of all his works certainly that soul knows not God nor Christ savingly that knows him not as the wonder of the world it is impossible that such a poor creature as man is should come to understand such great mysteries of godliness as are in Christ in any measure but must needs admire at the glory of that great work and say with acclamation Oh the height and depth and breadth and length of the glory of God his Wisdome and Mercy and Truth and Power Many Notes of Trial there may bee of Faith but I know not any one more familiar than this is at least negatively it must needs bee a true Note that is that there cannot bee Faith without it namely if the heart hath not been taken up with the wonder of Christ so as all the wonders in the world have been darkened in the soul in comparison of Jesus Christ Secondly If Christ bee so great a wonder then O how vile a thing is it for the hearts of men to prefer any base filthy lusts before Jesus Christ when God hath manifested him in that wonderful way unto the children of men and so much of his glory in him yet that their hearts should bee taken off from him and every base lust to bee preferred before him Oh how just must the condemnation of such bee for ever wee may take up that complaint that there was in Psal 106.7 Psal 106.7 Our Fathers understood not thy wonders saith the Psalmist So the truth is as our Fathers did not so few there are that understand the wonders of the Lord in Jesus Christ and therefore every thing is preferred before him with what infinite indignation must God needs look upon that wretched soul that shall prefer every base lust before Jesus Christ I remember a speech of Chrysostome speaking of that Text That our vile bodies shall bee made like unto the glorious body of Christ saith hee were all the world turned into tears yet they were not sufficient to lament the misery of that soul that forsakes Jesus Christ his heart was so much taken with the excellency of Jesus Christ that hee thought it impossible to lament the misery of the creature that should forsake him and so St. Paul having his heart filled with the glorious Mystery of Christ hee breaks forth with this dreadful curse Hee that loveth not the Lord Jesus Christ let him bee Anathema Maran-atha as if St. Paul should say having his spirit filled with the glory of Christ Oh what shall God manifest so much of his glory in his Son and shall base wretched vile creatures prefer their lusts before him and have their hearts taken up with other vain things and not love the Lord Jesus Christ let that soul bee cursed with a bitter curse saith Paul such a soul doth deserve indeed to bee cursed with a bitter and an eternal curse that shall hear so much of Jesus Christ and how God hath revealed himself in that wonderful way in his Son and yet that soul shall not bee willing to forsake a base lust for all the good there is in Jesus Christ let that soul bee cursed with a bitter curse It deserves above all creatures to have the most bitter curse to bee upon it to all eternity certainly the more glory there is in Christ the more dreadful will the condemnation of wicked men bee This is the condemnation that such glorious light is come into the world and men chose darkness rather than light How many hear of Christ and minde little but onely have a noise they hear some strange things of Christ and let them pass by and think there is little reallity in what they hear but the onely real comfort is in satisfying of the flesh in the lusts of it In Act. 13.41 Act. 13.41 wee have an excellent Scripture for the reproof of such that hear the Gospel and minde it not Beware therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold yee despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your daies a work which yee shall in no wise beleeve though a man declare it unto you It is spoken concerning Christ as appears in the verse before And by him all that beleeve are justified from all things by which yee could not bee justified by the Law of Moses Now then it follows Beware therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish as if hee should say you hear the Gospel about the glorious way that God hath to reconcile sinners to himself to justifie sinners but in the mean time your hearts do close with your own Conceits and your own waies with the Law of Moses and think by your own good meanings and your own good works that you shall do well enough and shall stand before God but saith the Apostle Beware lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the Prophets Behold yee despisers and wonder you perhaps when you hear such things declared unto you you account it strange doctrine and you stand and wonder what the meaning of those things should bee but as you wonder so you do despise you condemn it as a strange thing that you were not wont to hear heretofore and as a thing you cannot understand the reason of this is the usual guize of carnal hearts when they hear any doctrine though there bee never so much of God in it and of the Mystery of the Gospel that is revealed in it yet if they understand not the reason of it if it appear to them as a new thing they wonder indeed but they despise withall and condemn it and slight it and pass it over as they did St.
lest hee should have his portion in these outward things and here should bee all hee breaks forth in this expression fearing lest God should give him his portion here I did saith hee protest to God with all my power and strength that hee should not put mee off so with these things hee would not bee content with them that is the first Use Little cause to envy at the men of the world for the truth is it is but a poor pittance they have and they have made a most miserable bargain If you should see one that professes himself to be a Merchant and hee should venture many thousand pounds but bring home nothing but a fair painted bauble for children to play with would you envy it to him Just thus it is with the men of the world they flatter and please themselves with their baubles but their souls are gone in the mean time Secondly Wherefore in the second place let all those that do seek to get the world in those waies wherein they are like to lose their souls let them lay this Scripture to heart and O that God would settle it upon their spirits that you might when you awake in the night season think of it when you walk up and down when you are in your shops in your business think but of this Text I remember I told you in the beginning of one that counselled one of the Kings of Portugal to think of this Text a quarter of an hour every day O that you would every time you awake especially you that have been seeking after much of the world think seriously of this Scripture Am not I the man or woman that have hazarded my soul for seeking after somewhat of the world hast thou never sought to gain any thing of the world in a way of sin and to this day thy heart not thorowly humbled for it nor repented it may bee not to this day made restitution hath not the eager pursuit after the things of this world taken thy heart up so much that thou hast not favoured the things of God and eternal life thou lookest upon the things of the world as if they were the onely realities but for spiritual things they are imaginations have not the things of this world so taken up thy spirit as made thee to have sleight thoughts of spiritual and heavenly things hast not thou blest thy self in the injoyment of these things though in the mean time God hath not made known to thee the riches of his Kingdome yet thou hast thought thy self to have enough in the enjoyment of what thou hast hast not thou often when thou hast been at the Word had thy thoughts and spirits about the things of the world as the things suitable to thee but the things of the Word thou hast not relisht yea and any thing in the Word that hath come close to that covetous corruption of thine thy heart hath secretly derided it there are no men in the world that do more secretly condemn and deride the things of God spiritual things than worldly-minded men In Luk. 16.14 wee read that Christ preaching to the Pharisees against their covetousness and telling them That no man could serve two Masters but either hee will hate the one and love the other or else hee will hold to the one and despise the other yee cannot serve God and Mammon saith Christ You cannot think to have your hearts set upon the world and your gain and yet serve the Lord but if your hearts bee set so upon your estates you will make bold with God you will venture upon the waies of sin for the gaining of the things of this world but mark The Pharisees also who were covetous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 heard all these things and they derided him the word in the Greek is They blew their noses at him as a man when hee scorns and derides another hee will sâ—ew it by his nose so they in a kinde of speaking in their nose in a jeering scorning way they derided Jesus Christ that talk'd after this fashion What that a man cannot serve God and Mammon too that a man cannot look after the things of the world and the things of God too Carnal hearts they do hear things in Religion as unsavoury things whose hearts are after the things of the world And so not onely for Riches but for thy Credit Hast thou not often ventured to lye to save thy credit in something and hast been more troubled when thou hast been discovered in any thing that makes against thy credit and esteem than in the sin that thou hast committed against God Now by such kinde of evidences it is clear that men injoy the world in such a way as wherein they are like to lose their souls to all eternity and now Oh do but look upon your estates that you have and do but think what they cost you and little comfort you will have in them It is observed of David when hee did long for the waters of the Well of Bethlehem and there were men ventured their lives to get him the water when it came to him hee would not drink of it Oh it is the price of blood so when thou lookest upon thy estate and fittest at thy table and seest that thou hast more there than other men and lookest into thy Chest and there thou hast plenty of Garments and thy children are fine and brave and the like these are pretty things for a while to please the fancy with I but what do they cost as hee that would reckon his cloath hee reckons that the dying and the spinning it cost him so much I but what cost the wooll why that was his own and hee accounted nothing of that So such and such things that thou hast what do they cost they cost thus much and thus much I but hath not thy soul gone into the bargain and canst thou have pleasure in it when it cost thee so dear as it hath Psal 31.6 the spirit of holy David rises up in indignation against such men as these are I have hated them that regard lying vanities My spirit cannot but with indignation and abomination rise up against them what that men should follow after vanity when there are such glorious things to bee followed after when there is the blessed God and the glorious Riches of Grace and Salvation that are revealed in his Word that may take the hearts of the children of men and yet they follow after vain things men that have immortal souls capable of eternal communion with the Lord in the highest Heavens for them to follow after vanity and satisfie themselves in such things I hate them saith David certainly it is the curse of God that is upon the hearts of men that suffers them to follow after such things and especially in the times of the Gospel when such glorious things are revealed to their souls I say the curse of God is upon them Isa 44.20
fear God why if you fear God if it bee the right fear of God you will fear God more for what you see in God himself than for any works of God than for any works of his judgements or threatnings and the like And so in the desires of the heart after God why where the heart is gracious it works after God for himself and not for his gifts It is an argument of a false love a whorish love for the wife to love her husband for that shee shall have by him and not to love his person more And so it is a sign of a base slavish spirit for a childe to love his fatheâ— because hee gives him meat and drink and cloaths and will leave him an inheritance and not rather to love the very person of his Father so the heart is but false with God that loves God and that desires after God more for any thing that God doth than for what God is and as these workings of heart love and fear and desire are more in respect of God himself than of his works so praises of God and delighting in God where it is from true grace it is more from what the soul sees in God than from the manifestation of all the glory of God in all his works for Praise the Name of the Lord For his Name is excellent his glory is above the earth and heaven but wee shall let this pass The main Point in the Text which wee are to pitch on is this That God is a most excellent being above all things Doct. 2 This is the work that now I have to do to endeavour to present God in the excellency of his being to you onely you must by way of caution know before wee do begin That God dwells in that light that is unapproachable 1 Tim. 6.16 That it is but little that wee do or can know of God And before wee begin to set forth the excellency of Gods being to you you must know that there is infinitely more than either the tongue of Man or Angel can express when wee have done all wee can there is more in God that is beyond what wee can say or Angels could preach unto you I say more than the glorious light of the Sun is more than a little glittering of a gloe-worm in the night more than all the Sea is beyond and above a spoonful a drop of water And further by way of Caution you must know this that it is impossible to set before you the excellency of Gods being and yet to speak so as every thing should bee plain to every one Many things in the opening of Gods Nature to you must needs have some difficulty in them because the subject that wee are speaking of is so high above us especially it must needs bee difficult to unclean spirits to spirits that have alwayes been groveling below in the dirt to drousie spirits that think nothing to bee excellent but onely to eat and drink and satisfie their flesh when they hear the excellency of Gods Being set out unto them it must needs bee an argument above their reach it cannot bee expected that it is possible to speak so as their hearts should close with what is said to apprehend it But howsoever wee do not know what God may do in going along with his word how hee may come by his Spirit even to those that are of the weakest capacity therefore I shall endeavour to do that that is my work that is to shew you somewhat of God what an excellent being hee is and so leave the work of the Spirit of God to himself to make known those things that shall bee propounded and to settle them upon your hearts Wherefore then God is an excellent being above all things First Hee is and there is none else besides him The truth is wee can scarce say that any thing is but God Exod. 3.14 When God came to Moses to send him to Pharaoh and Moses would know the Name of God hee bid him say I am that I am I am hath sent mee and God only describes himself thus unto Moses I am I am a being and so the name Jehovah is a name proper to God that signifies Gods being Now might Moses say Lord is this a name that will distinguish thee from any thing else to say I am cannot any man say so I am but yet God gives this name of his as his proper name meerly I am a being and I am that being that I am and that is all the name God would tell Moses when Moses did desire to know so much of him and how hee might express him that did send him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am that I am Vt haereditare faciam id quod 〈◊〉 est from thence comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 essentia substantia For indeed Gods being it is that that is proper and all other creatures in comparison of this God have but a shadow of being therefore in Prov. 8.21 saith Wisdome there that is Godliness I cause to inherit substance the words are translated by the Learned that which is Grace carries to God and so by Grace being carried to God wee come to inherit that which is as if all the while wee inherited any thing in the world wee did not inherit that which is God himself properly is So in Isa 45.5 6. I am Jehovah and there is none else besides mee There is nothing that hath a being besides mee that is not such a being as we shaâ—l further open yea and in comparison no being therefore in Isa 40.15 17. Wee have a most excellent expression of the excellency of Gods being in comparison of all other things All the Nations of the world they are as the drop of the bucket and as the small dust of the ballance in comparison of God Yea they are all nothing less than nothing What an expression is here take all the Nations of the world put them all together they are all but as the drop of the bucket that you shall see hang a little at the bottome but as a little dust of the ballance how soon may you take your finger and wipe off the drop of the bucket why so even all Nations of the world may as soon perish in respect of God yea as if the Holy Ghost had said too much when hee compared the Nations of the world to God as if hee should say what did I say they were as the drop of the bucket and as the small dust in the ballance nay they are nothing at all nay and I must go lower they are less than nothing And thus you see the Name of God is alone excellent because indeed hee is such a being as in comparison of him there is nothing that is worthy of the name of a being That 40. of the Prophecie of Isaiah when you come home it will bee a good Chapter to read in your Families to set out the greatness of God
the Law compared with the glory of the Gospel That that which was made glorious now had no glory by reason of a greater glory that is come So I may say in this case the things of the world that were glorious in thine eyes before yet now they are not glorious but all darkned because there is a greater glory that now comes and shines in upon thee If a man had lived in a dark Dungeon under the ground all the dayes of his life and never had the glimpse of any light whatsoever never since hee was born if on a sudden a candle should bee brought to him hee would admire at that glory but now if this man should afterwards bee brought into the world and see the glory of the Sun the glory of the candle would bee nothing to him So the men of the world because they live as it were in darkness they have some comforts in the creature and they think them to bee glorious for they know no better But that soul that hath had a sight of God comes to see that all things in the world are but darkness to him There is nothing can disingage the heart of a man from the creature so as a sight of God You have a notable Scripture for that how a sight of God doth dis-ingage the heart of a man from the creature in Act. 7.2 And hee said Men Brethren and Fathers hearken The God of glory appeared unto our Father Abraham when hee was in Mesopotamia before hee dwelt in Charran and said unto him Get thee out of thy Country and from thy kindred and come into the Land which I shall shew thee And so hee shews how Abraham was content to forsake all his friends and Country Why the God of glory appeared to him it is said upon this when the Holy Ghost would shew what it was that brought Abraham out of his Country that took off his heart from all his friends and Country to go into a strange Country saith the Holy Ghost The God of glory appeared to our Father Abraham Let a mans heart bee never so much glewed to any contentments that are here in the world let but the God of glory appear to that man and all things are vanity then the heart quickly comes off from any thing And indeed though there may bee many arguments that may make men and women to deny themselves very much the use of creature-comforts yet the heart is never throughly taken off till the God of glory appear to the soul A notable example of self-denial it that of Moses Moses that might have had all the riches and glory of Egypt might have been next to the King himself an heir for so some write that Pharaoh had no son and that Pharaohs daughter did adopt Moses to the end that hee might bee an heir to the Crown and yet Moses that had all riches and the treasures of Egypt at command yet hee forsakes aâ—l but though hee forsook all for a while yet you will say did hee not repent him afterward No saith the Text Heb. 11.27 By faith hee forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the King for hee indured as seeing him that is invisible that was the thing that did it it made Moses forsake all the riches of Egypt and indure to go on and never repent him for making such a choice What was the great thing that did take Moses off from the creature It was the sight of God that God that was invisible My brethren the sight of God it puts a mighty magnanimicy upon a mans heart there is nothing great to a great spirit nor nothing can greaten the spirit of a man or woman so as the sight of the great God no men and women in the world have such great spirits as those that have seen the great God And the oftner any one hath the sight of the great God I say the greater will such mens and womens spirits bee they are raised to that height that all the world will not satisfie such a soul for the portion of it And this again in the fourth place may bee a Note of Trial whether ever you have seen God alone to bee excellent Hath it taken off your hearts from the creature Hath it ingaged your hearts fully to God himself that you can say There is none in heaven Psal 73.25 nor none in earth that I desire in comparison of thee In the fifth place Is Gods Name alone excellent Oh my Use 5 brethren study to know God then Labour to search into this Excellency so far as wee may and God gives us leave God hath revealed much of himself to us in the Scripture and in the book of the creature and God expects that what is revealed of him in the Scripture and in the book of the creature that the rational creatures Angels and Men should labour and search to know There is nothing so sweet so amiable so lovely so delightful unto a rational creature if it bee purged from the filthiness and corruption of sin as the sight of the infinite first being of all things Why here is concluded all excellent sights whatsoever some men are takeâ— with such a sight to behold fair buildings and others to behold brave pictures one with one thing and another with another Oh but the sight of God hath all sights in it that may delight the soul and give content to the heart of Man or Angel and therefore labour to know the excellency of God You poor creatures that have minded little all this while but meerâ—y to understand your Trades and how you may get a shilling or two to provide for your families Oh but know there is a higher obâ—ect for you to busie your thoughts and hearts about Learn to know this God who alone is excellent and bee not discouraged at those things that have been spoken though they are above thy reach at first yet if your hearts bee pure and cleansed from filthinesse you have the promise in Matth. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God It may bee you that are poor people you can never come to get learning to have the knowledge of Arts and Sciences and such things I but if you have clean hearts you are blessed in this God saith you shall see him Labour to study God and labour to know God more Psal 91.14 Mark how acceptable it is to God for his creature to labour to know him I will set him on high because hee hath known my Name Thy Name O Lord alone is excellent and thy glory above the heavens and earth And I will set him on high because he knows my Name Oh saith God yonder is a poor creature that above all things in the world desires to know mee hee hath had a little glimpse of â—y glory and oh how earnest is his heart to know mee I will reveal more of my self to him and then I wil set him on high because hee
stoop down to pry into those things of the Gospel Great is the mystery of godliness in Christ Jesus Oh there are many glorious mysteries of godliness in Jesus Christ And such things as eye hath not seen ear hath not heard neither can enter into the heart of man to conceive as the Scripture saith in 1 Cor. 2.9 yea they are revealed onely by the Spirit of God that searches all things yea the deep things of God the Spirit that searches the deep things of God must reveal the things of the Gospel unto that soul that ever comes to the knowledge of them It was a work of the Spirit of God to instruct Bezaleel and Aholiab in those Arts of Workmanship to work in Brass and the like it is a work of Gods Spirit to shew a man the reason of the things of nature but now when Gods Spirit comes to reveal Christ to the soul for it is the Spirit of God that searches the deep things of God this puts an emphasis upon it shewing that the things of the Gospel are deep things they are things that onely are revealed by Gods Spirit and not by an ordinary work of Gods Spirit but by an extraordinary work of the Spirit of God that Spirit that searches the deep things of God must declare these things to any soul that comes to the understanding of them His Name is Wonderful Now surely hee that God spake so much of before hee came into the world hee that so many wise men and Prophets did so long to see hee that was the expectation and joy of the whole Church of God from the beginning of the world before hee came hee that was so typified out by all the Sacrifices and Types of the Old Testament by the Temple that was the wonder of the world at that time Hee that when hee came into the world had his birth solemnized by the Angels a heavenly Quire singing Doxologies Hee that had upon his first coming the wise men from the East coming to worship him surely hee must bee some wonderful one some great one and therefore as wee read of the people in Luke 1.66 when they saw and heard of such strange things at John Baptists birth the Text saith All they that heard them laid them up in their hearts saying What manner of Childe shall this bee So when wee hear of these things that were done by way of preparation to the coming of Christ for some two thousand years together and such great things that were done upon his coming surely it must needs bee some wonderful one What manner of Childe is this that is given to us wherefore then as wee read of Moses in Exod. 9.9 when hee saw that wonderful sight in the wilderness the bush burning and not consumed saith Moses I will go and see what yonder great sight is So wee may well say when Christ is propounded thus Wonderful and God himself gives him this Name let us take off our thoughts from all other things and turn aside to see this great sight to see what this Wonder is Therefore for the opening of this Wonder that is in Christ to shew you how Christ is Wonderful and how well hee may challenge this Name and how proper this Title is to him to bee called Wonderful I shall open it in these several particulars First Christ is wonderful in his Natures Secondly Christ is wonderful in his Person Thirdly Hee is wonderful in the manner of his Incarnation Fourthly Hee is wonderful in the wonderful work that hee came for into the world the wonderful things that hee came to do Fifthly Hee is wonderful in his Anointment in his Offices Sixthly Hee is wonderful in his admirable Indowments Seventhly Hee is wonderful in his glorious Miracles that hee wrought Eighthly Hee is wonderful in that great glory of God the Father that appears in him Ninthly He is wonderful in the work of his Humiliation Tenthly Hee is wonderful in his Conquest Eleventhly Wonderful in his Exaltation and the degrees of it Twelfthly Wonderful in his Saints Lastly hee is wonderful and shall bee wonderful in the highest heavens in the Church Triumphant and in all these regards wee shall see what a wonderful Saviour wee have and what kinde of thoughts wee are to have of Jesus Christ As certainly for the want of the right understanding of God and the low thoughts and apprehensions wee have of him the Name of God is little sanctified among us so for the want of the right understanding of Jesus Christ Oh how little is the Name of God sanctified in the mysteries of the Gospel wee have the word God wee can say that God made us and so the word Christ and wee hope to bee saved by Jesus Christ But oh how far are wee either from apprehending God such an infinite and glorious God as hee hath already though very darkly been set out unto you and so before wee have done though it bee but in a Sermon or two you will finde that your thoughts of Jesus Christ have been too low and too mean Oh that wee could by any means heighten your thoughts upon God and Christ that you may know the Lord and his Son whom hee hath sent into the world First Christ is wonderful in his Natures These Heads that I have propounded they all might bee largely insisted on but I think it best at first to give you a short view of things and to present them together as briefly as I may Wonderful in his Natures for hee is God and man our Saviour is God and so hee is set forth unto us afterwards the Mighty God and is not this a wonderful thing that mankinde fallen from God should have no less Saviour than the Mighty God himself If all the Angels in Heaven and men in the world had undertaken to have been the Saviours of one soul they could never have done it they could never have accomplished what they had undertaken such is the state of man as if ever hee bee saved hee must have a Saviour above the Angels above all the strength that there is in all the Angels in heaven and creatures in all the world hee is that God that you have heard of whose Name is alone excellent whose glory is above the heavens and earth but that wee should bee saved onely by God may seem to some to bee no such great wonder who can save us but God I but know that here it is not God putting forth an Attribute to save us but it is God undertaking this relation of a Saviour and God putting himself in another condition as it were and taking upon him our nature therefore that is that indeed that makes the wonder God-Man Theanthropos 1 Tim. 3.16 Great is the mystery of godliness God was manifested in the flesh This is a wonderful mystery that there should be such a word Theanthropos God-Man is the greatest wonder that ever there was in the world that there should bee such a
for clodders of blood to trickle down ☜ never was Garden watered as this Garden now who would not have accounted this a Wonder of all Wonders Here upon this ground lyes groveling the Son of God the same God that made the heavens and earth lyes here in trouble and anguish of his Spirit while hee sweat clodders of blood certainly there was some great matter upon the Spirit of Christ at this time Wee know it by experience a Porter when hee hath a great burden upon his body hee carries it while hee sweats again Oh but when you see Porters sweating under their burdens remember Jesus Christ sweating under the burden of sin Besides that other expression If it bee possible let this cup pass from mee and then the second time and the third time to do it again Why the Martyrs have gone chearfully to their deaths whose deaths have been as cruel as the death of Jesus Christ and more cruel for the outward part of it but here even the great Champion from whom all the Martyrs that ever were had their strength hee when hee comes to dye If it bee possible let this cup pass from mee saith hee certainly hee saw that which the Martyrs never saw Hee suffered in his Soul Fourthly Christ hee suffered these things from his Father that makes the wonder greater and so his sufferings greater hee did not suffer onely from wicked men and devils men indeed they are like themselves malicious the devils are like themselves cruel I but Christ hee might have looked up to his Father and have said But oh blessed Father Matth. 3.17 thou hast said from heaven that I am thy well-beloved Son Christ would have accounted it no great matter to have suffered from men or devils so bee it that his Father had shined upon him Oh no but here is the wonder and the greatest thing for Angels and men to admire at that God the Father hee inflicts these sufferings with his own hand upon him and the chief sufferings of Jesus Christ they were inflicted by the very hand of God the Father himself for a King to come and take his own childe and scourge him and put him to death with his own hand wee would say There was never such a thing heard of yet thus it was in the work of our Redemption God the Father takes Christ with his own hands and puts him to death For hee made his Soul an offering for sin it was hee that bruised him If you read Isa 53.10 you shall finde it was the Father that did it And that was typified in Abrahams coming with his knife to sacrifice Isaac his Son was not that a wonderful thing that story of Abraham Isaac must bee sacrificed and Abraham to sacrifice Isaac his onely Son with his own hands what a strange history is that but that was but the type here is the Antitype here God the Father takes his Isaac his onely Son Christ and sacrifices him himself surely there was some great thing to bee done that God the Father should do it thus himself Fifthly Not onely God hee comes himself upon him and inflicts these evils but hee doth not spare him at all You will say If God himself must bee the Executioner and come and lay his hand upon him hee will lay his hand gently upon his own Son Nay when Jesus Christ the Son of God came to take our sins upon him the Father would not spare him one whit but le ts out the fulness of Justice upon him le ts out his Justice to the full Rom. 8.32 it is said That God spared not his own Son certainly if God would have spared any one would have thought it should have been his Son Oh here behold the Justice of God the Father that when his own Son takes sin upon him and that by imputation hee must pay to the uttermost farthing to Justice yea though hee prayed with strong cryings and tears as in Heb. 5.7 Though it is true the Father did carry him through yet in this God would not spare him notwithstanding any of his cryes but hee must suffer to the uttermost and pay the uttermost farthing that Divine Justice did require for the satisfying of it for mans sins Many poor creatures think that having to deal with God who is a mercâ—ful God though they have the guilt of great sins upon them yet if they cry out to God for mercy that God wil spare them why art thou dearer to God than Jesus Christ was thy sins are thine own his was but by imputation yet when hee cryed hee must not bee spared What thoughts must the Angels in Heâ—ven have upon this when they see him whom they knew to bee the eternal Son of God under the hand of the Father and the Father not so much as to spare him in any thing Certainly if wee do not know these things or beleeve them if wee think to put off God lightly if wee think that a few cryes to God at last will bee enough to cause God to spare us and pass by all our sins do but know God in Christ and a thousand of thy vain thoughts about God and the pacifying God for thy sin will vanish away and come to nothing did wee but know God aright in Jesus Christ Sixthly Yea but yet further there is a further wonder in this humiliation of Christ God did not spare him I but when God deals thus with his Son will hee leave him For one to suffer much yea and though it bee much from God yet so long as they may have the presence of God with them that God doth not leave them it is not so much But in all these sufferings God the Father leaves him this is that is exprest by that speech that wonderful speech of Christ upon the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee There was never a speech spoke in this world that had matter of so much admiration as that speech of Jesus Christ that was the eternal Son of God Matth. 27.46 in the middest of his sufferings that hee should thus cry out certainly hee did not mistake what Christ apprehended to bee was wee many time may apprehend that God hath forsaken us when there is no such thing but certainly Christ was never deceived in his apprehensions but what hee did apprehend it was true But now what this forsaking of God was it is a very hard thing a great mystery which is too deep for us to dive into but that there was a forsaking and that hee was not deceived but that hee apprehended was real that must needs bee granted or otherwise wee must grant that Christ was deceived which would bee blasphemy for us to say Seventhly Yea again yet further the wonder in Christs humiliation was this that all this Christ foresaw and yet did willingly undertake it to save mankinde see what the heart of Christ in his sufferings towards his elect ones was that rather than hee
from the dead that is that look as the first fruits did sanctifie all the rest and all were consecrated in the first fruits being offered to God So all the elect ones in Christs Resurrection did rise again I say vertually in him and it was a pledge of their Resurrection the Resurrection of their souls spiritually to life here and their Resurrection to eternal life and so wee are to exercise our faith upon Christs Resurrection this is the mystery of godliness in Christs Resurrection and hence is that known place in 1 Tim. 3.16 Without controversie saith the Text great is the mystery of godliness God was manifested in the flesh justified in the Spirit A wonderful mystery there is in godliness why what mystery God was manifested in the flesh the Son of God came and took our nature upon him that was wonderful but this is as great a wonder as the other Justifyed in the Spirit it is all one as by being justified upon his Resurrection by the power of the Spirit hee was quickned and life was put into him and so hee rose again and thereby was declared before all the world to bee justified to stand acquitted from all the charge of our sins that was upon him and so if you compare that place Justified in the Spirit with that in 1 Pet. 3.18 Put to death in the flesh but quickned by the Spirit that is by the power of his God-head hee was quicked upon his Resurrection now that that one Apostle saith quickned another saith justified to shew that when hee was quickned that is rose again by the power of his Deity then both hee and all the elect ones stood just in the presence of God acquitted of all their sins and this is the mystery of godliness There is abundance in every one of these but it is not my purpose to handle the Resurrection of Christ or his Assention but meerly to give you a little glimpse of the mystery of godliness that there is therein that you may understand him aright so as you may bee able to exercise your faith upon him not onely Dying and Humbled but Conquering and Rising Christ Wonderful in his Ascention And for the Ascention of Christ into heaven the manner of it was wonderful There comes a cloud and carries him up and the Disciples stands gazing it was a wonder to bee gazed at the Ascention of Jesus Christ body and soul into heaven in that glorious way But especially if wee consider that Christ ascended likewise as our head ascended into heaven as the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies And it is said that wee are set together in heavenly places together with Christ so you have it in Eph. 2.6 And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in â—hrist Jesus For Christ went as in our names to take possession of heaven this is the mystery of godliness in Christs Ascention Hee went up to Heaven but hee went in the name of the Elect to take possession as a man that hath bought house and lands may have one appointed by him to go in his name to take possession of the house and land Jesus Christ in the name of all the elect from the beginning of the world to the end went up unto heaven to take possession there and on purpose to prepare Mansions for them against their coming Thus wonderful was Christ in his Ascention Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father And in heaven Christ sits at the right hand of the Father thereby declaring that God the Father was well-pleased with all that hee hath done because hee sets him at his right hand after Christ had made an end of all his work hee is said to sit down in Heb. 10.12 This man after hee had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever sate down on the right hand of God hee had done his work and God the Father approves of him and so honors him in setting him at his right hand and there gives unto him all power to rule together with himself as you heard in his Kingly Office and there hee is to make Intercession continually for his Elect and hath that weight of glory put upon him that is possible for humane nature to have put upon him that is the meaning of sitting at the right hand of God these four things are meant by it First When hee came to heaven God the Father that hee might acknowledge that his Son had fully done the work that hee was sent into the world about hee doth honour him by setting him at his right hand Secondly Hee gives unto him all Authority and Power to Reign together with himself Matth. 28.18 Thirdly There hee is as the High Priest to make Intercession for his Saints to bee their Advocate continually at the right hand of the Father to make Intercession for them Heb. 7.25 And then fourthly It is to signifie that Christ hath the highest degree of glory that it is possible for humane nature to bee capable of Therefore you must not understand the right hand of God in a corporeal way as if God had right hand or left but sitting so in those four respects as I have named And all these make Christ a wonderful Redeemer hee that shall come up to God the Father in Heaven and to have God own his being fully pleased with what hee did upon the Earth and there setting him upon his own Throne to reign with him and there to bee for ever to make intercession for the Saints and to have the height of all glory to bee bestowed upon him Certainly this is a wonderful Redeemer Christ wonderful in his coming to Judgement And then Christ shall in a wonderful manner come to judge the world again then hee shall come to bee admired indeed so you have it in 2 Thes 1.10 2 Thes 1.10 When hee shall come to bee glorified in his Saints and to bee admired in all them that beleeve Those that do beleeve in Christ they see him to bee wonderful now they do admire at him but when hee shall come again in glory at the great day then hee shall appear so wonderful as they shall all stand admiring and saying Well wee indeed heard that our blessed Saviour was the wonder of the world and wee saw so much as made us admire at his glory but wee never thought that wee had had such a glorious Saviour as now wee see wee have wonderful and glorious is Jesus Christ now but when hee shall come with his thousand thousands of Angels and when there shall bee such a wonderful change in the world the Elements melt with fervent heat and the Heavens depart like a scroul and the Heavens and Earth shaken and all the Princes and Monarks in the world and all the children of men appearing before him Oh wonderful then shall hee bee in his attendance and then in his own person Wonderful shall hee bee then in the
Pauls Doctrine What will this babler say hee brings us news of a strange God and the like so these are things that people are not acquainted withall and so they cast them off and despise but mark saith the Text Take heed beware lest this come upon you that you shall behold and wonder and despise and perish too for I work a work in your daies a work which you shall in no wise beleeve though a man declare it unto you there shall bee the great Counsels of God revealed in your daies and in your Congregations there shall bee revealed those Counsels of God whereby God intends to save many souls and here and there God will make known these things to save poor souls but you in the mean time being conceited of your own understandings or your own Civil Righteousness that you are not so bad as others and that you are in a good case and in a good condition all this while and upon a conceit you hear and wonder and despise but you shall perish and shall never come to beleeve those great things that God in your daies shall reveal for the salvation of the souls of others and this is a most dreadful curse that is upon the hearts of many men and women that hear the great things of the Gospel as it is said in the second of the Acts that they spake the wonderful things of God and yet there was some that did but mock this is the condition of some that their spirits secretly despise and contemn those things that they should adore such things as upon the hearing they should even fall down upon their faces and adore God in the beholding of them and yet I say slighting of them and resting to their own waies and conceits here is the curse of God upon their hearts that though they hear them yet they shall not beleeve them I work a work in your daies a work that you shaâ—l in no wise beleeve though a man declare it unto you saith the Holy Ghost this Scripture is very much fulfilled in Congregations where the Gospel comes to bee preached Thirdly But further in the third place If Jesus Christ bee so great a wonder certainly then the misery of mankind is very great it follows from hence if there bee such need of so wonderful a Redeemer Oh the dreadful breach that sin hath made between God and man that required such a wonderful work of God to make it up this is that that God would have you have a right understanding of and have serious thoughts about it God would not have sinful wretched man to think the breach between God and him is a light matter a little thing No when the Lord hath sent his Son into the world and hath declared him to bee thus wonderful when the Lord shews what a wonderful glorious work of his there is in his Son for the saving of mankind hee thereby doth declare unto you and would have you know it that the breach that your sin hath made between God and your own souls it is a wonderful breach certainly were the Misery of man no other but such as the power of Angels as the power of any meer creature could help out of Jesus Christ had never come into the world there had never been such a wonderful work of God to redeem man But now when you hear that the way of God to redeem man is so wonderful you have cause to lay your hands upon your hearts and say Oh the depth of misery that my soul is fallen into Oh the desperate disease of my soul that must have such a wonderful cure Oh that ever the great and infinite God should work so wonderfully for the salvation of such a poor wretched creature as sinful man is My Brethren wee do not sanctifie the Name of God in the great thing that God would bee sanctified in except wee have right apprehensions of the dreadful breach our sin hath made between the Lord and our own souls that so wee might have right apprehensions of this wonderful work that God hath done for the salvation of man-kind this is the reason why God so many times doth bring sinful creatures into so great straights into the very gulf of despair oftentimes before hee reveals the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ unto them It is I say because the Lord would have his name sanctified in this wonderful work of redemption by Jesus Christ that the sinner might bee prepared to stand and admire at the wonderful glory of God in Jesus Christ And there is nothing in the world that God looks so much for as this to be sanctified in these wonderful things that hee hath done for man-kind in Christ and if wee have but slight thoughts of the breach that our sin hath made certainly wee cannot but have slight thoughts likewise of the work that God hath done to deliver us from our sin Thou thinkest thy sin to bee a light matter but know that when thou hast sinned against God there must bee the most wonderful work of God to reconcile thee to himself that ever God did from all eternity or will do to all eternity this is the greatest wonder his sending of Jesus Christ into the world know therefore the depth of thy misery by this if God should have devised as it were from all eternity how to have manifested the wonderful misery of man-kind no greater could bee found than this wonderful work of his in the redemption of man-kind This is a third And then Fourthly Is Jesus Christ the great wonder of the world hence then all Beleevers have exceeding cause of rejoycing in the hearing of what Christ is what a wonderful Saviour they have Let the children of Zion rejoyce in their King Rejoyce in this First That God hath so honoured you as that hee hath wrought so wonderfully for your salvation certainly as thy redemption is so art thou that is there is some reflection of the glory of thy Redeemer upon thee how hath Goâ— honoured thee before his Angels and how honourable shalt thou bee hereafter when it shall appear to all the world that the Infinite God did so gloriously work for the saving of thy soul God looks upon all the Kings of the Earth as worms Yea all the Nations of the earth as the drop of the bucket and the dust of the ballance as nothing less than nothing You see how meanly God values all the Nations of the Earth But when hee speaks of his Son that is thy Redeemer His Name shall bee called wonderful saith hee hee is wonderful in the eyes of God the Father thou that hast such a wonderful Redeemer as this is certainly thy condition must needs bee comfortable But Secondly The main comfort that Beleevers may have from this glory of Christ as hath been opened to you is this that hereby they may see Jesus Christ as a full object for their souls to rest upon whatever their condition bee thou hast
as if there were no other saved in all the world but thy self yet Jesus Christ will manifest himself wonderful in thy salvation for indeed that is that that hee aims at to bee wonderful in the salvation of his Saints in bringing them unto glory and that is the comfort of all Beleevers from this title of Christs being wonderful But now then as thy comforts art great from this title so thy duties should bee some way proportionable too thou shouldest therefore honour God the Father of Christ as a wonderful Saviour Labour therefore first to search into this deep mystery of the Gospel Oh what a shame is it that those that do profess themselves Christians should understand so little of Jesus Christ this is that that God expects I say that wee should study the Gospel search into the Gospel that wee may see more of Christ the more wee see the more still wee shall wonder for Christ is an infinite depth and the more wee search into him the more wee shall see cause to wonder In the first of the Ephesians mark what a prayer Paul makes for the Ephesians in the 17 and 18. verses hee told them before that hee did not cease to give thanks for them making mention of them in his prayers to what end 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 Hee doth not onely pray that they might have some knowledge of him but that they might have a Spirit of Wisdome and Revelation in the knowledge of Christ and this from the God of our Lord Jesus Christ and from the Father of Glory Mark what titles hee gives to God when hee prayes for them that they might have the knowledge of Jesus Christ it must bee the God of our Lord Jesus Christ that must do it and the Father of Glory God doth never shew himself to bee the Father of Glory so much as when hee gives the knowledge of Jesus Christ to a soul then God doth make himself to appear indeed to bee the Father of Glory And further The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that yee may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his Inheritance in the Saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who beleeve And in the third of the Ephesians from the 14 verse to the 20. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ of whom the whole Family of Heaven and Earth is named that hee would grant you according to the riches of his Glory to bee strengthened with might by his Spirit in the Inner-man that Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith that yee being rooted and grounded in love All this now is but a preparation to what hee would desire further and that is this That so you may bee able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that yee might bee filled with all the fulnesse of God This is a most admirable Scripture surely the Spirit of Christ filled the heart of Saint Paul and such kind of Scriptures as these are mighty strong Arguments to evince the Scripture to bee the Word of God when wee read such passages as these that have a spirit in them beyond the spirit of any man certainly it was beyond the spirit of any man to expresse himself in such a manner That hee bowed his knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ that they might comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth length depth and height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that they might bee filled with all the fulnesse of God and that is that which I would especially observe that Christians should not content themselves with a little knowledge of Christ but they should labour to comprehend what is the length breadth depth and height they should labour to dive into the Mâ—steries of the Gospel as it is said of Moses when hee saw that wonderful work in the wildernesse saith hee I will now turn aside and see this great sight you have it recorded in the seventh of the Acts and 31. vers There appeared to him in the wildernesse of Mount Sina an Angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush When Moses saw it hee wondred at the sight and as hee drew near to behold it c. Hee had a sight of it at a distance and yet so much as hee wondred at it and then hee drew near and the Lord spake to him So it should bee with us wee have some sight of Christ but is it not at a distance wee hear a Minister speaking of Christ to us the great wonder of the world and it may bee at the hearing wee are ready to think there is somewhat in Christ beyond what wee have apprehended heretofore I but I beseech you Brethren let it not passe away so those things that have been spoken concerning Christ God will require an account of and know it is a dangerous thing to have the glory of Jesus Christ to pass by any soul and to do it no good If wee had been preaching to you of Moral Virtues or any deep discourse about any point save about Jesus Christ there had not been so much danger of letting it passe without profit but when God sets before you the glory of his Son know there is a great deal of danger upon the hearing of such things without profit therefore you had need say upon the hearing of such things as Moses said That you will draw near you will go and pray over these again and beseech the Lord that hee would reveal these things unto you Pray with David O Lord open mine eyes that I may see the wonderful things of thy Law By Law there is meant those things that were revealed in the Word of God and surely upon our hearing what God hath revealed in his Word wee have cause to pray with more earnestnesse Lord open our eyes that wee may see the wonderful things of thy Gospel but mark When Moses drew near Then God spake to him and revealed himself further to him If Moses had stood wondring at this sight and went no further it may bee hee had not had God revealing himself so clearly to him but when hee draws near then God speaks to him So if your hearts bee taken with what you hear of this wonderful Saviour and then you draw near and take pains in your closets by meditation and prayer to see what is the meaning of this wonder Why Lord shall I hear of such things and not understand them they are things that do nearly concern mee and shall I not understand them If you labour to draw near God will speak and reveal further of his mind to you But further of
low old and young What shall it profit any one to gain the whole word and to lose their own soul I have read of one that gave counsel to John King of Portugal that hee would repeat this Text to himself and spend one quarter of an hour in the meditation of it What shall it profit a man if hee gain the whole world and lose his own soul and that hee would make the words of this Text to bee the cloze of his prayer continually What shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul This was wholesome counsel and certainly the tight meditation and understanding of this Text would bee of admirable use to every soul You have in the words these two things plainly hinted First That there is in every man a soul a spiritual substance besides what is visible and sensible And secondly That this soul of man is more worth than all the world it hath that excellency that if a man gains all the world and loses that when hee hath cast up his account hee may put his gains in his eye hee shall finde himself a miserable creature Wee might make more divisions or subdivisions of the words but I will content my self onely with those two things and speak chiefly to the latter Now to make way for that I will speak a little of the former What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his soul his Soul Every man hath a soul a rational spiritual substance beyond that that is visible or sensible in Job 32.8 But there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understanding There is a spirit in man besides the bodily substance that you see there is a spirit in man such a spirit as is capable of the inspiration of the Almighty to give understanding c. And in Gen. 2.7 it is said That God formed man of the dust of the earth and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life Here is another manner of mans-creation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 than of other creatures God did but say of other creatures let them bee Let the earth bring forth creeping things c. And it was so But when hee comes to man hee forms man out of the dust of the earth that is for his body and for his spirit hee breathes into his nostrils the breath of life I have read of a people that would not bee perswaded that there was any difference between beasts and them And truly there is somewhat to do to perswade carnal hearts of any great difference between a beast and them in relation to God or to another life But certainly there is a spirit in man there is somewat beyond that body of thine that is visible which doth infinitely concern thee to look to For first Wee see that there are actions in men that are beyond that which concerns the body at all And therefore surely there is a spirit in man besides what the body is the highest actions of men are such as do not concern the body as thus The knowledge of the heavens the knowledge of Angels of spirits what hath the body to do with such things the knowledge of the mysteries of the Gospel and the conversing with them they are abstracted notions from all kinde of bodily substances the knowledge of God and Christ yea the very knowledge of Mathematical notions many notions there are in Arts and Sciences that are abstract from all bodily things certainly then there is a spirit in man beyond that bodily substance that doth appear common with the brute beasts Yet secondly There is a power in man to curb his body to deny himself of that which is most suitable to the body saith Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Subactum seu dejectumpremo in captivitatem reduco vel ut alii contundo Prov. 23.1 2. 1 Cor. 9.27 I keep under my body and bring it into subjection Surely there is somewhat in man that is above the body that hath so much command of the body as it appears the spirit of man hath to beat down the body If thou beest a man given to thine appetite when thou sittest at the table of a great man put a knife to thy throat a man is able to curb his appetite though the body hath never so strong a desire to such and such things yet the soul of man is able to curb his body and deny it Matth. 18.8 9. If thy right hand offend thee cut it off or thy right eye offend thee plâ—ck it out There is a power in man to deny the body that which it desires never so much which a beast cannot that cannot deny that which is suitable to his sense every way except therebe some stronger sensitive thing to take him off But man is able to deny his sense when there is no sensitive object before him to take him off By that dominion that the soul of man hath over his body hee is able to curb his body and to deny his body therefore surely there is a spirit in man 3. Again That which the Scripture makes the chief actions of man to consist in which have any reference to God is such things that are done by somewhat beyond the body Whatsoever a man doth if it bee but onely the body that is exercised and sense it is not acceptable to God 1. Tim 4.8 Bodily exercise profiteth little saith the Scripture and 1 Cor. 13.3 What if I give my body to bee burnt A man may give his body to bee burnt there all the senses may concur in it and yet if there bee not a spirit in man to act this upon any higher ends and grounds than any thing that is bodily can reach unto it is worth nothing it is not regarded Fourthly There is a spirit in man beyond this bodily substance for when this bodily substance is decaying mouldring away there are many thoughts in a man about an eternal estate and more fresh and lively sometimes when the body is mouldring away than ever there was before there are no creatures but Angels and men that take any cognizance of an eternal estate that take any thoughts about what is to come hereafter Now we say Nature doth nothing in vain Deus natura nihil aguâ—t frustra surely God would not have put such kinde of workings in man about another condition after this body shall moulder away but that there is somewhat that doth concern some other part of man besides that bodily substance of his Fifthly and then lastly There is certainly a spirit in man beyond his bodily substance for wee know that there are real pains and torments upon a mans spirit The burdens of conscience in the reflex act that a mans conscience hath upon himself summoning of him to appear before the great God Though a mans body be in never such health and hath all outward accommodations about
him as musick good cheer friends estate yet there is that horror and torment in his spirit sometimes through the consciousness of the guilt of sin that hee is not able to bear nay were there not somewhat beyond this bodily substance certainly this could never bee verily then there is a spirit in man and hence therefore you see that there is somewhat doth concern you all beyond your present outward and bodily condition Let no man think that hee hath provided well for himself when hee hath provided mony and house and lands and good chear and cloaths and such kinde of things do not think that thou art happy in that for these are things that concern thy outward man there is still another substance in thee that thou art to look after that takes little notice of such things as these are Neither do you think that you have provided well for your children when you have provided an estate an inheritance somewhat to leave them know that there is another substance in your children besides that outward bodily substance you look upon Do you see a fine feature comely parts comely countenance and your children finely cloathed I but know there is a spirit in that childe besides that bodily substance that you are to look to Certainly man is very far fallen from God that none scarce takes notice of his own spirit We do not only naturally live without a God in the world so as to know little of that infinite divine Spirit that is the first being of all things but wee live without the knowledge of our own spirits of our own souls Truly few men there are that know their own souls As a man by his eye sees things that are without him but he doth not see his own eye so by the soul wee come to understand many things without us but yet how little do wee understand of our own souls well might the Psalmist therefore complain and say in Psal 49.20 Man that is in honour and understandeth not is like the beasts that perish God did indeed make man at first in honour but now hee is become like the very beasts hee doth minde little or nothing more than the very beasts themselves hee blesses himself if hee hath but content for the body for a while as if there were nothing else concerned him I appeal unto your consciences in this thing whether the uttermost sphere of your thoughts have been any further than meerly within the compass of bodily content If you should come to a beast and talk to it about Trades and titles of honour and Arts and Sciences and such kind of things why what is all this to a beast Give a beast hay or corn and such kinde of things that are suitable to it and it mindes that more than it doth any high notions that you are able to tell it and truly thus it is with sensual men even as the Atheist who saith in his heart That there is no God so a kinde of Atheism there is in their hearts to say they have no souls that there is no difference between them and the brute-beasts hence it is that they savour spiritual things so little Tell carnal men of the excellency of the Name of God Tell them of Jesus Christ how wonderful hee is of the wonderful mysteries of the Gospel and of the things of eternal life they are dry things to such a one hee savours them not Tell him of money and meat and drink and sports and cloaths and such kinde of things they are suitable unto him there is some savour in them but for the great things of the Kingdome of God and of eternal life there is no savour at all in them and thus far is man fallen from God and lives for the most part as if so bee hee were capable of no higher good but meerly to eat and drink and live for a while here like a beast Thus doth the Devil gull and deceive most of us Now my brethren this is a work that I have undertaken and it concerns as much the Ministers of God to shew unto you what you are your selves what God hath made you as to shew you what God is and what Christ is that you may come to understand your selves you can never come to know your reference unto God untill you come to know what God hath made you this is therefore my scope in this Scripture to shew unto you what God hath made you and that you have souls within you and souls of exceeding great worth I will not say infinite for none is infinite but God himself but more worth than all the world than all the creatures that God hath made except the Angels in heaven The souls of the children of men are most excellent creatures did but a man or woman consider seriously that they have souls in them beyond their bodies it would raise them up a little But this next Point that is the main and principal Doct 2 Did they but know the worth of their souls it could not but raise them very high above those poor empty vanities that they have minded all this while Therefore there is in man not onely a soul but that that is more worth than all the world that if it should bee lost that man that gained the whole world would bee a great loser in his bargain Know therefore this that there is not the poorest man or woman living nay not the poorest childe that lyes begging a crust of bread at your door but this childe hath a soul in it that is more worth than heaven and earth this poor ragged tattered childe that lyes in rags I say crying at your threshold and begging a peece of bread it hath a soul in it that hath greater excellency than the Sun Moon and Stars than all the Heavens than the Sea than the Earth put all the creatures in the world together that are under Angels the spirit of this poor childe hath more excellency in it than all these things and that is the thing that I am to make out unto you Why natural life hath more excellency in it than any creature that hath no life I remember Austin saith of a Flye because it hath life that it hath more excellency in it than the Sun its self because though the Sun bee a glorious creature yet it hath no life in it life in the meanest creature hath a greater excellency than any thing else that hath not life But now the soul hath the highest natural life that is and capable of the highest happiness that any creature is capable of and therefore more excellent than all the world But that wee shall come too in its order The excellency of the soul may bee discovered first In the relation it hath to God The Excellency of the Soul discovered 1 In its relation to God God doth challenge a peculiar relation to the spirits of men and therefore in Heb. 12.9 â—od is called the Father
an ill-favouâ—ed dirty leather case but will have a curious silver case for it Now because the Lord did make a curious peece the soul of man which was the master-peece of Gods creation next to the Angels therefore hee puts it into a very curious case this shews the excellency of those spirits that are within us howsoever they are now defiled with sin yet thus they were made at first When we are speaking to men about their own excellency one would think that then they should attend I have spoken of God and Christs excellency they may seem to bee things above you But now I am speaking of your own excellency what you are and what you are capable off Oh remember this you poor people and others for as wee shall shew afterwards you have souls as excellent as the greatest men in the world And there is nothing to the contrary but you may have that spiritual substance of yours filled with so much good as is infinitely more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds if you have hearts to look after it The Second SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matth. 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul I Shall adde one thing more which shews the excellency of the soul in the relation that it hath to God and that is this That it is satisfied onely with God himself there is nothing can fill the soul of man to satisfie it but God himself For the true object of mans understanding it is not this truth or the other truth but truth in general and the highest truth and that is God and the object of this soul it is not this or that good but good in general the highest and the chiefest good and that is God Let all the creatures in the world present themselves before the soul of man to bee the portion of him Mans soul would say these are not the things that can satisfie mee saith Austin Lord thou hast made us for thy self and our heart is unquiet till it comes unto thy self and this is the excellency of mans soul it is above all creatures it is a vertue in the soul of man to have a holy kinde of pride to think all creatures in the world to bee too little to bee the portion of it and God takes this well hee likes it well that we should know our own souls so far that wee should have this kinde of pride of spirit as wee may so call it or rather a right elevation of spirit to look upon all creatures in the world as too low and too mean to bee the portion of one immortal soul Many other things were delivered about the excellency of mans soul that so you might know something of your worth that you are too good to bee slaves to the Devil and it is good for you to know your own worth in this thing that so your hearts might bee elevated above those bare things that you sought to have your happiness in all those that ever have had true wisdome have accounted souls to bee very precious I remember Zozomen the Ecclesiastical Historian saith of the Martyrs that they suffered torment in their bodies as if they were other folks bodies and not their own they lookt not upon them as any part of themselves but on their souls as themselves and so you finde it in Scripture that it is the soul of man that is a mans self Compare for this my Text in Matthew with Luke 9. where you have the same speech of our Saviour setting out the excellency of a mans soul In the one it is What will it profit a man if hee gain the whole world and lose his own soul In the other it is If hee lose himself this is all one the losing of a mans soul and the losing of himself for a mans self it is his soul as for the body it is but the case it is but the out-side and so indeed some of the Heathens accounted their bodies Anaxarchus Tunde tunde Anaxarchi follem Anaxarchum enim non tundis when hee was beaten in a Mortar to death by the Tyrants hee calls to them Beat Beat as long as you will you beat but the outward part of Anaxarchus it is but the vessel in which hee is The Devil himself hath high esteem of souls the Devil cares not so bee it hee may gain mens souls what they have for their bodies the Devil doth not envy any wicked man to prosper in this world to have a healthful lusty body and to have stature and strength and beauty But now if hee sees that there bee any means for the good of their souls hee envies that may the Devil have but their souls hee cares not what they have otherwayes But wee come to the application of this first point in my Text Of the excellency of mans soul And the first Use is this Use Surely then wee ought to look upon every childe of man with some reverent respect and honour there is not the poorest childe as I told you the last day that lyes crying at your doors for a crust but hath a soul in it more worth than heaven and earth And the consideration of this should make us look upon the meanest childe servant the poorest body with an honourable esteem and respect how ever the glory of their souls bee darkned for the present yet they have still in them such souls as are capable of a kinde of infinite good more than all the other works that ever God made except the Angels do not look upon your servants that are under you with scorn and contempt do not use them doggedly as if they were brute-beasts Remember though you bee a Master a Mistress a Governour you are a Governour of one that hath an immortal soul more worth than all the world A good man saith the Scripture is merciful to his beast and surely then a good man will bee merciful to one that hath an immortal soul and it may bee an immortal soul better than his Governour how many have more respect to Dogs to brute-beasts than they have to servants and children and poor people who have immortal souls I have read of the Turks that though they bee noted for most cruel people to men as you heard of their cruelty to those in the Gallies yet they are very pittiful to brute-beasts and therefore they will give alms and stipends out of charity to maintain brute-beasts withall and there is a story of a youth that abusing a bird that had a long bill was like to have been stoned to death in the street they did so hate cruelty to those kinde of creatures though they bee cruel to men Many have this Turkish disposition that are dogged and cruel to those of their own kinde to those that have immortal souls together with themselves though pittiful even to brute-beasts
most men for one to pray thus for them Oh Lord give them such bodies as they have souls it were as much as to say Lord Let that body bee blasted let it bee filled with diseases let it bee filled with rottenness let it consume away let it bee a noysome and loathsome body for his soul is so The souls of most men are filled with diseases are noysome and loathsome in the eyes of God It is a happy thing my brethren to have better souls than bodies that was the happiness of Gaius and so it would bee your happiness if you could say so you have great care of the bodies of your children I but have you a greater care of their souls if you have it would bee an excellent sign that God hath made you to understand what true excellency means It is a great question among Divines and among Philosophers too about the propagation of the soul how it comes in whether by the Parents or immediate creation truly there is one argument that it is not like to come in by the Parents because wee see that there is scarce any Parents that have any care of the souls of their children but altogether caring that their bodies may bee fine and that they may bee brave and as they look at their children so they look at themselves they love their bodies to the uttermost to make provision for the flesh but no further What a deal of do would there bee if when any of your children goes abroad or husband or wife If you should hear that they have gotten a fall and broke their legs or arms but now when you go abroad and fall into sin and get a wound to your souls as every sin it gives a deadly wound yea such a wound as onely the blood of Jesus Christ is able 〈◊〉 cure it and there is nothing made of all this as if wee were nothing but lumps of flesh Oh have a care of your souls and labour to love them and make them to bee your Darling you had need have a care of them for as they are precious so they are tender as it is with Watches and curious Instruments those that are most curious are the easiest hurt the very air will put them out of temper and so the souls of men because they are things so excellent they are things of a very curious nature and a little thing wil hurt them As a little thing will hurt the eye for that is a more excellent member than your finger or leg so the soul is a more excellent part and therefore it is that that is most in danger to bee hurt and mischiefed yea and to perish and if your soul perishes your body will follow after what will become of that if your soul bee lost and perish but the onely way to love your bodies well and aright it is to love your souls The Third SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matth. 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul I Shall speak something unto a Use that was mentioned the last day and that was this If God hath given unto us such precious souls Oh then let not us dishonour our souls Dishonour them Why how may a man dishonour his soul 1 Why first when hee lives idlely and makes no use at all of it any more than if hee had but the soul of a Brute Psal 24.5 speaking of him that had not lift up his soul unto vanity I remember the old Latin Arius Montanus turns it Hee that hath received his soul in vain And indeed most people do receive their souls from God in vain or to no purpose they make no more use of them than the Philosopher said of the Swine that had his soul onely as salt to keep the flesh from stinking there is all the use many men make of their souls onely to keep their bodies from smelling and from corruption Secondly Wee dishonour our souls when wee imploy them about low and mean things unworthy of them and make them to bee the chief things that wee imploy them about It is the misery of man so to do that I spake of before and it is the sin of man so to do How many men that have such precious immortal souls as these are know no higher good to imploy them about than to bee it may bee all day or night in shuffling a pair of Cards or casting of Dice or at Tables there is the highest good that they know how to imploy their souls about What a poor mean low thing is this what a dishonour to such a soul as this If so bee any of you have servants that are of good breeding good parentage that are of excellent parts that have lived long with you that have skill in your Trade if you should set them to do nothing but pick straws they would account it a great dishonour put upon them Truly what do you with these precious immortal souls of yours that are so much worth even more than the world but imploy them in such poor things even to pick straws as it were if a man should have pearls that every one of them were worth a Kingdome and hee should know no other use to make of them than to stop holes in Mud walls one would think it as to bee great folly in him so a great dishonour put upon those pearls that are of so much worth why your souls are more worth every one of them than all the Pearls and Kingdomes in the world and for you to do nothing else but spend the strength of your souls about gathering of a little dirt together here in this world it is a great dishonour to your souls Wee have a story of Domitian that was a great Emperour and yet hee had such a low and mean spirit as that hee would spend the greatest part of his time in catching of Flies This is recorded of him as an argument of the lowness and meanness of his spirit unworthy a man of so great a dignity Oh so our souls that God hath made so high and put such glory upon what are they busied about in most people I remember Gregory Nyssen hee tells of some and among others of Origen to bee of that opinion that the souls of men were made altogether at the first Creation and lived glorious spirits till they sinned against God and all those that sinned against God were thrust into the bodies of men as into a prison and those that did not sin they â—ive still with God in glory And Jerome as I remember in his 32. Epist speaks of that opinion that did prevail and wee finde Plato though a heathen hee speaks of the souls of men and thought that they were made altogether before their bodies if not from eternity These men they thought the souls of men so precious as that they could not come
if men had but enlightened and stirring consciences how easie would it bee for men and women to see themselves in a restless condition and to conclude that if these things be the truths of God then I am in such a condition and though I do not know what God may work for time to come yet if I should now die my soul would bee lost eternally and so that other place in Rom. 8. They that live after the flesh shall die that is perish eternally if your hearts bee after the flesh after fleshly things and they are the things that you minde and if you would speak as in the presence of God you cannot but acknowledge that the things of the flesh are the things that do take up your hearts that are the adequate objects of your spirits and you think your great good and contentment lies in them so that if so bee you might but live alwaies in this world and have those contentments to the flesh as you desire you would care for nothing else but your hearts would bee fully satisfied this is living after the flesh now the Scripture tells us clearly that those that live after the flesh thus shall die It is your great care that the flesh bee satisfied and it is Gods threat that when you make it thus your great care to satisfie the flesh that you shall die so that this is a perishing condition unto you Seventhly Yea further what soul soever is but under the dominion of any one lust that soul if it should now depart would certainly bee lost Not onely such as live in all kind of sins that the constant course of their lives is in every kind of sin but if there bee but any one reigning ruling sin if there bee but any one sinful way that God hath convinc'd thy conscience of to bee a sin and yet because of gain or delight or pleasure or honours or respects thou dost go on in a constant course and way and practice of that sin though it bee but one sin so that thou art a slave to any one lust certainly this soul of thine if God works no ootherwise upon it than yet hee hath done will certainly be lost and that is clear out of Rom. 6.14 For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under grace I would reason from this Scripture thus what soul soever is not under grace under the covenant of grace and under the mercy that there is in that covenant that soul if now it should depart must perish eternally but whosoever is under the dominion of any one sin is not under grace for the Scripture plainly saith That sin shall not have dominion over us if wee bee under grace If our souls bee in such an estate as they bee under the grace of the Gospel then there must not any one sin have dominion over them there may some sin dwell there but not reign there there is a great deal of difference between sins being in the soul and ruling over the soul Quest You will say then What is it for sin to have dominion Answ When sin shall set up a kind of Throne in the soul and give Laws as a King and thou shalt obey It is one thing for an enemy to come with violence and take possession and hurry one on to do that one would not do and another thing to bee subject and to yeeld to the laws and commandements of sin Now sin hath dominion when it is as a King upon his Throne that thou yeâ—ldest subjection unto it and for the satisfying of thine own lusts thou art willing that this sin should rule over thee Now that you may know a little further for the meaning of this sin and Jesus Christ cannot have dominion both together Then thus far wee may go safely that except Jesus Christ hath dominion over you then sin hath But how shall I know whether Christ hath dominion I will but appeal to you in this plain and familiar kinde of expressing of my self canst thou say as in the presence of God that seeth and searchest thy heart O Lord thou knowest that I have given up my heart to the Rule of Jesus Christ I would put this to every soul here present and I beseech you weigh it for wee are speaking of matters of life and death of salvation and damnation now therefore I put this unto you and think of it canst thou appeal to God in the sincerity of thy heart and say Lord thou art the seer and searcher of all hearts and thou knowest that though I have many weaknesses and infirmities and am often overcome by temptation yet thou knowest that I have given up my heart to the obedience of Jesus Christ and I do give it up and it is that that my soul desires above all things that Jesus Christ may rule in it that Christ may have dominion that his Laws may bee set up and if I knew any more of the mind of Jesus Christ whatsoever it cost mee thou that knowest all things knowest I would submit unto it and if there bee any thing that is against the mind of Jesus Christ if it bee but known to mee thou knowest that my heart is against it and I would rather than a world that I were delivered from the power of it canst thou speak thus as in the presence of God and certainly a Christian though a weak Christian can appeal to God in the sincerity of it and is able to venture its self upon such an appeal to God And if there bee not this dominion of Jesus Christ then there is the dominion of sin and then thou art not under grace therefore if God doth not more in thy soul than hee hath done thou shalt perish for ever and that man or woman that can sleep quietly so hath a strange pillow to sleep upon It is reported of Augustus Caesar that hearing of a Gentleman that was much in debt hee sent to buy his pillow saying Surely there is a great deal of virtue in that pillow that such a man could sleep on who was so much in debt Truly I may say so it is a strange kinde of pillow that men can sleep upon who are in such a condition that if God do no more for than hee hath done would certainly perish Eighthly But further That man or woman that hath not yet had such a change wrought by the power of the Spirit of God as is a new birth a resurrection from death a new creation that soul if it now depart would certainly perish Certainly every one of you as you come into the world as you are by nature your souls are in a lost estate and in such a lost estate as except the Lord make such a change in your heart as is a new birth by which you come to bee born again as is a new resurrection by which you come to bee raised from the dead as is a new creation
by which you come to bee a new Creature certainly you perish till this bee wrought in your hearts by the power of the Spirit you are in a perishing condition there is nothing more plain than this in Scripture You know what Christ saith to Nicodemus Verily verily I say unto you except a man bee born again John 3.3 hee cannot see the Kingdome of God Therefore it is not enough that it may bee thou livest somewhat better than heretofore thou hast done It may bee when thou wert a young man thou wert wanton or unclean and prophane and abroad in the fields and in wicked houses on the Lords day I but now thou hast more wisdome and understanding and now thou dost not so this is well and good and this is to bee encouraged I but what is this to such a mighty change as to bee born again If so bee that your bodies had no other kind of soul than that that is of sence and afterwards a rational soul should bee put into it what a mighty change would there bee in that body before they could onely see and hear and feel but now having a rational soul they can understand understand reason understand the waies of men this is a mighty change and truly there is as mighty a change when God puts a new life into the soul and doth regenerate it making it partaker of the divine Nature and even to come to live the life of God according as the Scripture phrase is Now this must bee in every soul that must bee saved and if the time bee not come that this regeneration is wrought then certainly thy soul is yet in a perishing condition God knows onely what hee doth intend to do hereafter but for the present thy soul I say is in a perishing condition The first work that God made that is the work of Creation by sin was quite spoiled Now Jesus Christ the Son of God that is his honour and his work to rear up a new world and that is a better world a great deal than the former world was and the special creatures of this world they are his Saints and the new Creation in their hearts now this is the condition of a converted soul it is made a new Creature All old things are done away 2 Cor. 5.17 Thou that livest in thine old waies and art altogether for thine old customes and what shalt thou do contrary now to what thy Fore-fathers did and thou thy self hast done all thy life time and the like oh this is a dangerous kind of reasoning why thou must bee a new Creature and all things are to become new in thy soul thou must know that the Old Man is dead in thee and that the New Creature is reared up in thee or else thou canst not know that if thy soul should this night depart but that thou shouldest bee an undone Creature for ever Yea Shall I yet say further because it is a point of a wonderful consequence for men and vvomen to put themselves to it I fear that there is many men and vvomen here that yet all their lives time have not put this question to themselves What are the tearms betvveen God and mee vvhy I hope that God vvill vvork grace in mee I but vvhat hath God done is it so vvrought at this present that if I were this moment to die I were in a safe condition and the hazard of my miscarrying to all eternity were over A man may joyfully go thorow all conditions in this world if hee were able to say well vvhatever befall mee in this world yet my condition is such that I know the hazard of my miscarrying for ever blessed bee God that is over Oh that people would but put this question to themselves In what estate am I now it if I were to die this instant Ninthly Wherefore then another thing is this That soul that yet hath not gone beyond those that the Scripture doth brand and note for Hypocrites or Reprobates if thou hast yet no more wrought in thee than the Scripture shews that they had then certainly if thou shouldest now die thou must needs perish As now the Scripture holds forth these examples Pharaoh confessing his sins The Lord is Righteous saith Pharaoh and I have sinned Saul I have sinned against the Lord. Ahab Hee humbled himself in sackcloath and went softly when the Prophet threatned Gods anger against him The Scripture tells you of the stony-ground which received the Word with joy Of Herod That hee heard John Baptist gladly and reformed many things Of Judas Hee came and acknowledged his sin and brought again the thirty peeces that hee had gotten by it and cast it down yet these of which the Scripture thus speaks all of their souls were lost for ever and yet I say they went thus far Now it concerns us very nearly to look to our selves and not to think wee are safe upon every sleight apprehension if the Scripture holds forth such examples that went thus far and yet vvere lost vvee had need bee careful to examine our state To vvhat end do you think doth God set dovvn these examples of vvicked men vvhose souls vvere lost and shevv you hovv much good they did certainly this vvas Gods end that men and vvomen might not flatter themselves vvith every little good thing that they do but that they should bee ferious and very solicitous in the examination of the estate of their souls hovv the terms are betvveen God and them this vvas Gods end in it and this being Gods end vvee are to make the use of it that God did aim at in holding forth these things in his Word unto us Oh therefore do not satisfie your selves vvith a little do not say if I should novv die this night and no further vvork vvrought yet I hope the vvork is so far wrought that my soul will not bee lost The Seventh SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul Quest BUt you slay wee must go further How shall a man know that hee is gone further than those whose souls are lost Answ To that I vvould briefly ansvver thus Canst thou say vvith David Lord thy Word is pure therefore doth thy servant love it I beleeve not one of these could say so Lord God Thy Word is a pure Word I see a holiness and beauty in thy Word and therefore my soul doth close vvith it because it is pure this is further than any of them vvent David could say so Saul could not nor Ahab could not nor Herod could not the stony-ground and Herod rejoyced in it but it vvas not from the purity of it that they did rejoyce for then they vvould have rejoyced in all the Word of God every part of Gods Word being pure and holy Secondly They could not say thus That they did prize Jesus Christ for a Sanctifier as
many ignorant people that pervert the Word to their own destruction If God bee not merciful to them therefore why should wee pray or read or hear or use any means let us lay aside all wee can do nothing wee are dead in sins and the like Now wee are to know that though nothing can bee done by us till God bring us into a state of grace and salvation that is acceptable so as certainly shall bring us to Heaven yet if it bee but that that shall stop us in the contrary way a little it is worth our labour If it be but that that any way may tend towards the bringing of us unto any means that may do us good why it is worth our labour and all our pains but especially if wee consider this that though wee are not able to do that that shall save us yet God is pleased often to convey his strength to those hee doth intend to save through the use of those means rather at that time when they do improve their natural abilities than at that time when they sit idle and do nothing and therefore you must bee up and bee doing Wee read in the Gospel concerning the young man that I told you came to Christ and inquired what hee should do for eternal life Christ profest to him that hee was not far from the Kingdome of Heaven hee was not so far as others It is true if a man abuses his doing and rests in his doing that sets him as far from the Kingdome of Heaven as prophane ones and therefore Publicans and Harlots may enter into the Kingdome of Heaven as soon as Scribes and Pharisees But there may bee many actions done by a common assistance of Gods Spirit that may bring some nearer to the Kingdome of Heaven than others and the denial of such a thing as that is would bee an extream boldness in any for they are the very words of Christ to the young man That hee was not far from the Kingdome of Heaven and therefore notwithstanding your inability and notwithstanding the things that wee do are not the things that save us yet wee have ground enough to put on men and women to do Now the meaning of this great question is this What is the way that God ordinarily takes to bring men and women to salvation by or how should I follow God on in his way that is a certain truth of the Antients Though God made thee without thee yet hee will not save thee without thee God works upon us as upon rational creatures and therefore it doth concern all the children of men that would have their souls saved to observe the work of God and to stir up what is in them to joyn with the work of God in the way of salvation and certainly whatever conceits there are to the contrary they are not onely foolish but extream dangerous and Satans policy and cunning is exceedingly much seen in them A further thing that I would premise before I come to particulars is this when I speak of any thing that should bee done I prescribe no particular order knowing that the works of God are various And sometimes God stirs up a soul to do one thing and sometimes to do another thing but take them in what order you will yet wee must name them for memory sake in some order and God expects them from you and you are to joyn with God in those works if you would have your souls to bee saved The great Question of what wee should do to bee saved answered First If you would have your souls saved do you joyn with God in what hee hath revealed to you concerning your lost condition labouring to understand those truths clearly that are delivered in the Word concerning the lost condition of souls by nature and to work those truths upon your hearts to bee sensible of them Those whom God intends to save hee shews unto them what this salvation is hee shews them from what it is they are to bee saved that so they may not run away vvith the meer word Salvation and saving of souls now God reveals this in his Word and when hee intends to save a soul hee doth by his Spirit stir it up to joyn with the Word of God and work those things upon its self so as to bee made sensible of them As thus the soul being solicitous how it should come to bee saved it searches the Scripture and there it findes how wee are by nature the children of wrath there it findes that God had made man according to his own Image at first but man hath sinned against God and broken the covenant upon which his eternal state did depend and in the sin of the first man all men have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God and now are conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity so that there is a most dreadful breach between God and the soul and that man by nature is become an enemy to the Infinite God That now hee hath the seeds of all kind of sin in him and that all his life while hee continues in his natural estate here is nothing else but a fighting against God a flying in the very face of God Hee findes that by sin hee is brought under a most dreadful curse the curse of the Law and that hee is bound over by the bonds of the Law even to death to eternal death as the wages of sin these things the soul findes in Scripture now if thou wouldest bee saved when thou findest God revealing such things labour thorowly to convince thy soul of the truth of them and are these things so indeed is this my condition am I thus and thus naturally Oh what good then will it do to mee to have all the world and bee in such a condition as this is Oh my soul when wert thou sensible of this condition dost thou walk as it becomes one that is sensible of such a lost estate as this is Oh! labour to drink in these truths and to work them upon thy heart and cry to God to set them home upon thy spirit to make thy soul thorowly sensible of them as hee uses to make those whom hee hath a purpose to save Here 's the first thing And yet one thing about this further is That you must come to a conviction not onely of your lost estate but of your inability to save your selves and the inability that there is in all creatures in Heaven and Earth to save them that thy fall from God is so dreadful that all the created power in Heaven and Earth cannot help thee yea and that thou thy self now art unable to help thy self to save thy soul bee convinc'd thorowly of this This was the way that Christ took with the young man hee tells him of the Law first and then afterwards because hee was conceited that hee had fulfilled the Law and done it Christ puts him upon a duty that might convince him
any more that doth it but it is a satisfaction to justice a price paid for the soul no soul is ever saved but it is saved in the way of a price that is paid for it and this thou must acquaint thy soul with which thousands of people are ignorant of yet they hope to bee saved but how they will pray to God that they may bee saved and that God would have mercy upon them and is here all certainly this is not the way of the Gospel but the way of the Gospel it is that that reveals unto the soul the price that is paid for a soul even the blood of Christ That in Christ the great Mediatour of the second Covenant there is a perfect satisfaction to Gods Infinite Justice this indeed is a great part of the Mystery of the Gospel this is the saving truth of the Gospel and thou must acquaint thy soul with this truth if thou bee saved And when thou hearest of this truth perhaps thou canst not understand it for the present Oh then thou hadst need go to God in secret and bee crying to him that hee would reveal this truth unto thee But you will say it is not our crying It is true it is not meerly our crying but there is something of God further But God hath made many gracious promises of answering our cries and now that so hee may make good his promises hee will further reveal this Mystery of the Gospel to thee that there is a necessity of satisfaction to divine Justice for thy sin that hath brought thy soul into a lost condition Secondly And further A necessity of a perfect Righteousness wee will not speak of any thing controversal about it which way it comes to bee applied but this all will grant that there is a perfect Righteousness that wee have need of the way of salvation is a perfect Righteousness thou must have a surety that must have a perfect Righteousness for thee Thirdly And then the way of salvation is this it reveals an absolute necessity of the Application of the satisfaction and Righteousness of Jesus Christ the Application of that that it must bee made thine some way that thou must have thy part and share in it by thy union unto Christ and by being made one mystically with him through Faith so that the soul is not meerly saved through mercy Nor thus that Christ hee hath come and done such and such things and therefore saith God the Father for the sake of Jesus Christ I will save thee for hee hath satisfied mee by what hee hath done No but there is somewhat more I confess it is true in the conclusion wee are saved for the sake of Christ but it is by our union with Christ wee are united to Christ and made one with him and so what Christ hath done for our salvation is tendred up to the Father as ours wee being one with Jesus Christ so that now if thou shouldest know thy miserable estate by nature and thereupon inquire after salvation and cry to God that hee would bee merciful unto thee that is not enough but the Gospel reveals further Suppose thou comest to know more than thou canst understand by the light of nature but yet the Gospel doth reveal to thee that not onely thou must bee saved by Christ but thou must bee united to Christ by Faith there must bee a spiritual marriage between the Son of God and thy soul thou must have Christ to bee a head and thou a member hee thy husband and thou his Spouse thou must inquire after this union and that is the way of beleeving and the substance of the Apostles words to the Jaylor when hee cryed what hee should do to bee saved why saith hee Beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt bee saved It must bee through Jesus Christ the great Mediatour of the second Covenant by thy beleeving in him and being made one with him that thou must come to bee saved Fourthly And then the Gospel it reveals further as necessary to salvation a necessity of Regeneration of being born again of having the Image of God renewed in the soul by the Spirit of Jesus Christ of being a new Creature the want of which if the soul should now depart it must certainly perish under but now if it come to bee saved it must have this revealed to it for in the Gospel there is held forth the great work of God in begetting that soul anew to himself that hee doth intend to save in putting a new life into it in sending the Spirt of Jesus Christ into it whereby it lives and acts and works being now carried on not by its own spirit but by the Spirit of the Son of God this is necessary to salvation to do acts of Regeneration so Christ tells Nicodomus hee must bee born again and this onely the Gospel reveals and thus our souls should labour to acquaint themselves with the great things of the Gospel and as the wise man saith concerning instruction in Prov. 4.13 Take fast hold of instruction let her not go keep her for shee is thy life So I say of these instructions that are revealed in the Gospel keep them for they are your lives do not think that God though hee is infinitely merciful yet that hee will save souls any other way for God hath set this way and it is an infinite mercy that wee are to admire at and adore and praise his Name for that there may bee salvation any way and if there may be salvation any way oh you poor wretched children of men know that you should be restless till you come to understand further that one way Oh that wee could make it to bee the great business of our lives to search into the Gospel and finde out these things for it is through this that we come to have eternal life Fifthly A fifth rule for the salvation of your souls If God hath put it into your hearts to seek to have them saved you must walk with fear and trembling before the Lord all the daies of your lives the fear of God must bee mighty and strong upon your spirits if you would bee saved and you must labour to keep the fear of the great God upon your spirits that place is famous for this in Phil. 2.12 Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure As if the Holy Ghost should say you had need walk with fear before the Lord for the truth is hee hath you at such infinite advantage as you are not able to stir one foot to do any thing for the deliverance of your souls from eternal wrath without the work of God upon you you had need take heed what you do that you do not provoke this infinite God that hath you under his feet that you are able to do nothing towards your salvation if hee withdraw
of the Scripture how doth the hopes of those that shall bee saved arise Why they rise thus either by reading or hearing something out of the Word of God and God darting some light some truths into their souls through his Word they come to receive it and there it lies working in them till at length their souls relish it and they taste the sweetness of the Word and come to have comfort in it and so through patience and comfort of the Scriptures their hope comes to bee raised the Scripture in raising hopes first it works patience it usually beats down the soul first and speaks hard things to it and the soul that God over-powers to himself it is willing to lye under the power of the Scripture and bee patient notwithstanding the Scripture doth reveal such hard things and puts it upon never such hard duties the heart I say yeelds to it and at length the soul comes to finde sweetness out of the Scripture and so hopes comes to bee raised that is the soul sees some eternal truth out of the Word of God the truth of God himself that is eternal a divine truth that it dares venture its eternal estate upon and upon this it doth raise its hope it is able to give an account from some place of the Scripture upon what grounds it doth hope I hope that God will shew mercy to mee and save my soul in the day of Christ will some say I but what ground have you for your hopes Now if your hopes bee right then there is somewhat in this Book of God to bee shewed as the ground of this and indeed you can have but little comfort of your hopes except you bee able to hold forth some Scripture of other upon which you build your hopes for when you say you hope you may not mean that you think and aâ—e perswaded that it is so but what Scripture have you for iâ—â—â— you will say what Scriptures have any to ground their hopâ—s of salvation upon what Scriptures a great many I will give you but this one that many have to ground their hopeâ— upon Rom. 8.1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit Upon this now saith a soul that God brings to himself What doâ—h God say in his Word that word upon which my soul stands and must bee cast one day for eternity that those that are in Christ Jesus shall never bee condemned I but who are they such as walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit such as the bent of whose hearts and the indeavours of whose souls are not after fleshly things the comforts of this world but after spiritual things such whom the Lord hath made to be sensible of spiritual things and such as the Lord doth act and guide by his holy Spirit in their waies and conversations God saith such shall never be condemned then upon this I will build my hopes for I feel that the Lord hath been pleased to work so on mee as to bring mee to Jesus Christ to see him to close with him and to relye upon him and I feel the fruit of the Spirit of Christ in mee that whereas before I walked after the flesh and spiritual things I did not savour now I finde that the lusts of the flesh are mortified and I should wrong the grace of God if I should deny the actings and the guidings of the Spirit in my soul and therefore I will build my hopes and rest upon this Scripture And the more any soul rests upon any Scripture if it rests truly the more shall it finde the power of that Scripture upon it Therefore you shall know the difference between an hypocrites resting upon Scripture and one that rests through the work of Gods Grace an Hypocrite rests upon such a Scripture and conceits that his heart is according to the Scripture but now hee doth not finde that the more hee rests the more his heart is wrought upon by the Scripture and daily grows to bee liker and liker to the Scripture to come nearer and nearer to what is required in the Scripture but now when a gracious heart doth rest upon Scripture it findes that daily it doth grow nearer and nearer to the Scripture and that works daily more and more upon it and indeed this is the way to grow in sanctification and to make our hearts like to the Scriptures Fall upon several places and let your souls rest upon them for eternity and so you will finde your hearts to grow more and more like to those Scriptures and the power of those Scriptures will appear more and more in your hearts and conversations This is the way of the Saints that have hopes to bee saved Secondly Again those hopes that are to be rased are hopes that are not wrought in the soul by the power of the Holy Ghost in the forenamed Chapter The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in beleeving that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost That hope that is right for salvation is such a hope as is wrought through the power of the Holy Ghost Now then that hope that is in men and women which is born with them and hath lived with them all their daies that springs from the root of nature for so that that is born with us and grows up with us all the daies of our lives I say it springs from a root of nature and so the hopes of most people they are no other but such as springs from a root of nature come from one to another and ask them do you think to bee saved I I hope so how long have you hoped so ever since I can remember I thank God I I thought so it is a hope that springs out of the root of nature and therefore you have had it alwaies whereas the true hope of the godly for salvation it is a hope wrought in their hearts by the Almighty power of the Holy Ghost And I appeal to you now what Almighty power of the Holy Ghost have you felt in your hearts to raise up those hopes that you have in you For certainly the grace of hope hath a difficulty in it as well as any grace whatsoever now all people almost finde an easiness in that but here the Scripture makes it to bee the glory of the Holy Ghost to raise hopes in any creature therefore those hopes that arise from a root of nature that are not wrought by an Almighty power of the Holy Ghost in the heart must bee rased down Do but put your souls to this question I have hopes to bee saved but Lord how are they wrought what power of the Holy Ghost hath been in my heart to raise these hopes Suppose there were no Holy Ghost as they said in the Acts that they had not so much as heard whether there were any Holy Ghost or no
yet might not I have such a hope as I have in Gods mercy Oh the hope that will bring to salvation is such a hope as is raised by the power of the Holy Ghost Now if our hopes bee raised by the power of the Holy Ghost then they will have much of the Holy Ghost in them and sutable to your hopes so doth the Holy Ghost come into your hearts and dwell in your hearts and if it comes in and dwells in your hearts then it doth inlighten your hearts it doth act and guide you you are lead by the Holy Ghost in your way Now can you say that in the course of your lives it is the Holy Ghost that guides you that you are carried on by the Holy Ghost and not by your own spirits It is true the best of all may bee acted by their own spirits in some time of temptation but for the course of their lives they are acted and guided by the Holy Ghost their lives are such as those that live by them may say here is one that is acted and guided by the Holy Ghost Now can you say so certainly if you have true hopes for salvation it is raised by the Holy Ghost and if it bee raised by the Holy Ghost it doth act your lives in the waies of holiness Thirdly Those hopes must bee rased down that are not lively hopes and purging hopes I will put them both together That are not lively that you have in 1 Pet. 1.3 Blessed bee the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead Here is a great deal in this Scripture First that the hopes of the Saints are lively hopes that is a hope as is mightily working in them it will not suffer their hearts to lye dead in any way of wickedness Indeed it may bee with the hearts of the Saints as it is with a fountain of living water that may have some dirt cast into it but it being a living spring it works out that dirt so the children of God that have some lively hopes may have some dirt cast in by temptation some sin I but if their hopes bee lively it will work it all out And mark you are begotten therefore you see that the hopes of life and salvation it is that that is not bred with us as I spake before but it is that that follows from our new birth And this is by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead The power and the virtue of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead being in the soul and putting a new life into the soul begets it to this lively hope And then it is a purging hope 1 John 3.3 And every man that hath this hope purifieth himself even as hee is pure Mark you think what need men bee so pure and strict are there none of you that ever have scorn'd at purity and preciseness and holiness if you have consider of this text upon which your souls lies every man that hath this hope that is to see Jesus Christ and bee made like unto him hee doth here in this world purifie himself as Jesus Christ is pure that is hee doth make Jesus Christ to bee his pattern in all that hee doth and aims at no less purity than the very purity of the Son of God hee doth aim at it hee makes it his work though hee cannot come fully to it and that very hope that is in him doth work him to this Now what hopes you have had that are not such must bee rased down to the ground if ever you would bee saved at last The Ninth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul Matthew 16.26 For what is a man profited if hee shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul Question YOu will say Rased down to the ground what is that Answ By that I mean this First You should bee willing to seek to God and that earnestly that hee would never let you bee at quiet in any false hope be earnest with God in prayer O Lord I see that the matter of my salvation is a matter of infinite consequence if I should mistake if I should miscarry in it it had been better for mee never to have been born O Lord therefore help mee in this thing above all that I may never rest my salvation upon any false hopes that so I may not at the last bee disappointed of my last hopes bee earnest thus with God and bee willing to know the worst of your selves Lord if thou seest the work bee not yet done let mee know it let mee know it now before it is too late It is better to know that yet the work is to begin while you have time to work than to know it after when the time is gone And then bee willing to examine your hopes to lay them to the rule of the Scripture and that very narrowly And if you finde your hopes cannot stand with the Word then resolve thus with your selves the work is yet to bee done the very laying of the foundation of that great work of the saving of my soul it is to begin I but you will say God forbid this wee have not lived all this while to begin to lay the work for the saving of our souls now that were an ill thing indeed O I would to God it were not so but this very thought that some have that they are not now to begin the â—aying of the foundation in saving their souls is that that doth destroy them whereas though a man or woman have lived many years yea though they have been Professours of Religion yet if upon examination they can finde that the saving work of God is not wrought in their hearts and upon that can conclude Lord it is to begin for ought I know I must begin the work again and better it is to begin twice than bee damned once therefore whatsoever becomes of mee I will begin again this were a good sign Suppose you should begin again and it may bee you thought too ill of your selves for it may bee there was some truth in your hopes or hearts that you could not see yet there is no great danger in this that that was good will hold though you do not see it it is the safest way for men and women therefore to bee willing to begin often yea and sometimes it is the best and the readiest course for people that have lost their evidences for salvation and they can see no clear evidences out of Gods Word to settle their hearts upon for the great matter of their salvation I say it is the readiest way for them to do as if they were to begin again rather than to spend time in looking out their old evidences as a man perhaps that hath lost his evidences may have them renewed with less charge and cost than hee can
Heaven The Spirit of God which is like unto the Dove in the Ark perhaps it comes into thy heart once and it comes in again and thou sendest it out again but take heed of sending it out the third time lest it should never come in to thee again Gen. 6.3 but that the Lord should say Spirit never strive more with such a soul Oh when God begins to stir it doth concern you to say with Samuel Lord speak for thy servant hears You that have been forward heretofore and have lost the work of Gods Spirit you had need look about you for it is a dangerous thing to draw back My soul saith God Heb. 10.38 shall have no pleasure in those that shall draw back And if the soul of God will have no pleasure in thee how shall thy soul bee saved Twelfthly Whosoever would have their souls saved let them take this course account the preciousness of the time of your lives to consist in this that it is a day of salvation account it therefore a mercy of God that your lives are continued upon this reason not because you may get great estates and live and have your pleasures and delights but because God hath appointed the time of mans life here in this world to bee the time to provide for his eternity few men and women in the world know how to judge aright of the preciousness of their time the time of their lives and that man or woman that comes to know aright how to judge of the preciousness of this time of life and of what doth depend upon it such a one is in a good forwardness to salvation Thirteenthly The last thing that I shall Name is this bee sure to go with those that go in the safest way and the straightest way many of you you question about many things that others do whether they need do so or no why can none bee saved but those that do so but I appeal to your consciences do not you think the strictest way of godliness is the safest way for salvation now if it bee the safest if you did but understand the infinite consequence of the salvation of your souls there need bee no other Argument to perswade you to any strict way of godliness but this whatever it bee whether absolutely necessary or no I am sure it is the safest way and I am sure there was never yet any upon his sick-bed that did repent him that hee was too strict and too precise but I have known many that have repented them of being too loose and too careless Now in a matter that is of great consequence you will bee sure to take the safest way If there bee any people in the world that walk so as your consciences tell you they are in a more strict way than others more holy more close to God more self-denying more faithful it doth concern you to inquire after those and to walk after those and joyn with them surely those that go on in the safest way for the salvation of their souls those I will make a pattern to mee I will not look what the common course of the world and the generality of the world doth The Scripture tells us that There are but few that shall bee saved And therefore the fewness of men shall never discourage mee bee they never so few bee they never so mean If I am perswaded in my conscience it is the safest way that is the way that I will walk in and surely it is the way for the soul to have comfort at the great day when it shall appear before the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ I beseech you consider of this if you were all now to appear before Jesus Christ to have your eternal estates determined of in what mens conditions would you wish your selves to be in if it might bee at your liberty and Christ should say now I am to pass the sentence of eternity upon you for your salvation or damnation now what kind of mens estates would you wish your selves to be in who would you rather be like unto who would you venture most upon to be dealt withall according as your consciences do think they are most like to bee dealt with I am perswaded if this were the case most loose and prophane and ungodly men would run and cling unto those that now they scorn and contemn unto those that walk with the most strictness and holiness in their conversations Certainly if you would do so Then it is your wisdome to do so Now that which will bee true then certainly is true now and therefore that is a good way for the helping to save your souls to joyn with those that walk in the strictest and the holiest way to do that now that if you were to die you would wish you had done and to bee with them now that if you were to have the sentence of eternity past upon you you would wish you had been withall But this shall suffice for what is to bee said concerning that great Question about the preventing the loss of our souls and what wee should do to bee saved Now for the conclusion you have heard divers things already about the way and direction for the saving of souls I suppose when first the Question was raised every one of you would bee greedy to hear an answer There was never a one in this place but would fain have his soul saved eternally what do you mean to do now what are your thoughts there hath been a question and I have indeavoured in the Name of God to answer it Now this is that that I desire of you even before you sleep get into the presence of God alone and give in your answer to God what you mean to do are you resolved upon it will you ingage your souls now to God this evening that that little time that hee will let you live in this world that your indeavours shall bee according to those particulars that have been opened unto you Oh blessed bee God if this bee but in any one soul but can any one think that among such a multitude as this is but that the Lord would bee pleased to dart some thing or other into one or more Let mee conclude at this time as the servant of Naaman said to him when the Prophet gave him direction what hee should do to bee cleansed hee began to bee angry and was loath to do what the Prophet bid him why saith his servant to him My Father If the Prophet had bid thee do some great thing wouldest thou not have done it how much rather then when hee saith to thee wash and bee clean So I say to you considering what the worth of your souls is and the danger there is of your eternal miscarrying how if God should have said this That so your souls may bee saved I require of every one of you that you should for forty fifty years lie as a head-block at