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<DATE>2008-06-12</DATE>
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<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<P><PB REF="1" MS="y">
Several Works OF <HI>Mr.</HI> IOHN MURCOT, That Eminent and Godly preacher of the Word, lately of a Church of Chri&s;t at <HI>Dublin</HI> in <HI>Ireland.</HI></P>
<LIST>
<HEAD>CONTAINING,</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>I.</HI> Circum&s;pect Walking, <HI>on</HI> Eph. 5. 15, 16.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>II.</HI> The Parable of the ten Virgins, <HI>on</HI> Mat. 25. <HI>from</HI> ver. 1. <HI>to</HI> ver. 14.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>III.</HI> The Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;s hath healing in his wings for Sinners, <HI>on</HI> Mal. 4. 2.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>IV.</HI> Chri&s;ts Willingne&s;s to receive Humble Sinners, <HI>on</HI> John 6. 37.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Together with his Life and Death.</P>
<P>Publi&s;hed by Mr. <HI>Winter,</HI> Mr. <HI>Chambers,</HI> Mr. <HI>Eaton,</HI> Mr. <HI>Carryl,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Manton.</HI></P>
<P>With Alphabetical Tables, and a Table of the Scriptures explained throughout the whole.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>R. White,</HI> for <HI>Francis Tyton,</HI> at the three Daggers in Fleet-&s;treet, near the Inner-Temple Gate. 1657.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the Right Honourable the Lord De|puty <HI>FLEETWOOD,</HI> and the Lord <HI>HEN. CROMWELL.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>My Dear and ever Honoured Lords,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THough you love not applau&s;e, nor I can give titles to men, le&s;t in &s;o doing, my Maker &s;hould cut me off; Yet mu&s;t I perform my duty to God and to you, in bearing witne&s;s to the truth as it is in Je|&s;us, and effectually and exemplarily dwels in you. Your piety, faithfulne&s;s, zeal towards God, tenderne&s;s to the Saints, in whom is <HI>aliquid Chri&s;ti,</HI> your ardent love to the faithful Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, and to this our dear Brother departed, with his dearly beloved con&s;ort and children, challengeth no le&s;s at my hands; who was my Partner and Fellow-helper in
<PB REF="3">
the work of the Mini&s;try, an earthen Angel, and an heavenly Mortal (that I may &s;o &s;peak;) of whom I may &s;ay, (as the Apo&s;tle of that Brother) his prai&s;e is in the Go&s;pel throughout all the Churches: I have &s;el|dom known of his years a head better hearted, or heart better headed: The enlargement of who&s;e heart was the enlargement of his abilities: He was a burn|ing and bright &s;hining &s;tar in the Firmament of our Church: holy for Doctrine and Piety, but &s;hining with a borrowed light from the Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, (which he was very &s;en&s;ible of.) For he did not offer to God that which co&s;t him nought, but gave up him|&s;elf wholly to the Mini&s;try of the Word and Prayer, and the Lord was with him: Who did not only (as he &s;aid) lay it on but with a warm hand rub it in. I have &s;ometimes thought (when I have come into the Con|gregation) that the Church-meeting-place was filled with the &s;moke of Gods pre&s;ence; &s;uch a power there was that went along with the word: for he fir&s;t did, then taught, and taught and did again. <HI>Acts 1. Mat.</HI> 5. living over in the week time, that which he preached to others on the Lords day; (as the Prie&s;t did of the Shew-bread which was &s;et upon the Table, which none but them&s;elves might feed upon) his life being a Com|mentary <NOTE PLACE="marg">Non loqu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">nur mag<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a &s;ed vi|vimus.</NOTE> upon his Text: and doubtle&s;s the Word is as efficacious to a gracious di&s;pen&s;er, as to any of his hearers. This is that which made his Mini&s;try &s;o effi|cacious, <HI>Mat. 21. John</HI> wrought no Miracles, but (acting in a way of Righteou&s;ne&s;s) he was more pre|valent than if he had wrought Miracles; for to obey is more than to work a Miracle, (as <HI>Luther</HI> &s;aid:) Hence it was that in him all Miracles (almo&s;t) met in one; the blind &s;ee, the deaf hear, the dumb &s;peak, the
<PB REF="3">
lame walk, the leapers are cured, and the poor are evan|gelized, <GAP DESC="foreign">, and turned into the mould of the Go&s;pel, not only the word delivered up to them, but they delivered into the form of the word. His &s;tyle did <HI>(pi&s;catoriam &s;implicitatem olere)</HI> &s;avoured of Fi&s;her-like &s;implicity, (as <HI>Chemnitius</HI> &s;aid) he did not &s;ore aloft in high expre&s;&s;ions, &s;hooting over his hearers, but did conde&s;cend to the capacities of the meane&s;t, which is an excellence in any: A gari&s;h attire doth not become a cha&s;t matron, neither doth the affectation of humane eloquence become a grave &s;ober Mini&s;ter of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; as much affection as you will, but no affecta|tion, for nothing affected affects, <HI>nihil affectationum afficit; aeger non querit medicum eloquentem &s;ed &s;anan|tem.</HI></P>
<P>We &s;ay of a Diamond, <HI>quicquid ab&s;conditur perditur,</HI> what&s;oever is hid of it is lo&s;t; tho&s;e Rethorical flou|ri&s;hes are like the painted gla&s;s in the windows, that make a fair &s;hew, but hinder the light: therefore (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.) becau&s;e the Go&s;pel is glorious, we u&s;e plainne&s;s of &s;peech.</P>
<P>But that which was the glory of all in this our dear Brother, was this (I may boldly &s;ay) his labours were crowned with the conver&s;ion of many &s;ouls; which is an evident &s;ign of the truth of the Mini&s;try by which they were converted: He was &s;weete&s;t (as Chri&s;t) towards his latter end, for he was not as a &s;taff behind the door, but being planted in the Hou&s;e of God, and enjoying Communion with many precious Saints, he grew fa&s;t: whereas many with <HI>Thomas, Joh,</HI> 20. 24. ab|&s;enting them&s;elves, have fallen &s;hort of that intimate Fellow&s;hip and Communion with Chri&s;t they might have attained to. But he was not like <HI>Jo&s;huah's</HI> Sun that
<PB REF="4">
&s;tood &s;till, nor <HI>Hezekiahs</HI> Sun that went back; but like <HI>Solomons</HI> Sun, &s;hining more and more to the perfect day; neither did he &s;et in a cloud (as many that have ecclip|&s;ed Gods glory, and therefore he ecclip&s;eth theirs) but &s;ets gloriou&s;ly in this world, and ri&s;eth (I am per&s;wad|ed) more gloriou&s;ly in another; therefore well may I cry out, (bitterly lamenting his death) as that Pro|phet did, <HI>My father, my father, the chariots of</HI> I&s;rael, <HI>and the hor&s;emen thereof;</HI> or as <HI>David</HI> concerning his &s;on <HI>Ab&s;alom, O my &s;on Ab&s;alom, my &s;on! my &s;on Ab&s;a|lom! would God I had dyed for thee! O Ab&s;alom, my &s;on, my &s;on!</HI> for I may truly &s;ay, it hath been no &s;mall trouble to me, that the Lord &s;hould take away this emi|nent in&s;trument in the prime of his daies, and leave me behind (being a dry barren tree, and declining fa&s;t) as the dre&s;&s;er of his Vineyard: but as in the means of grace, God grants them to &s;ome that will not make u&s;e of them, but denies them to others that would, (for his waies are un&s;earchable) even &s;o he takes away &s;ome more hopeful in&s;truments, and leaves behind &s;uch as are le&s;s hopeful.&mdash;To prevent that <GAP DESC="foreign">, incident to many, that we might live above all, having our hand upon the &s;tern of duty, and our eye on the Star Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>My Lords, I pre&s;ent to your &s;erious view, this piece of this our dear Brother, tran&s;cribed by his beloved Con&s;ort, which (though it hold forth the &s;tate of the Virgin-Church to come in the latter daies) yet is it very &s;uitable to the pre&s;ent times, in which you may &s;ee, like <HI>Peters</HI> Cock, he claps his wings, and calls upon <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2. 26.</NOTE> others to waken out of their drunken &s;leep. When the Cocks begin to crow, the day begins to dawn, when the Cocks crow young and old, we &s;ay its clear day:
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but when they ha&s;ten to their roo&s;t (with the &s;weet chirping birds, <HI>Cant.</HI> 2.) night draws on: Now the Lord look back upon us as he did upon <HI>Peter:</HI> And give us to remember our Rulers, even &s;uch as have been (as <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"> e&s;t &s;ub&s;tantivum <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> appears by the words following) our Rulers; and have taught us the Word of the Lord again and again, con|&s;idering the end of their conver&s;ation, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> for a&s;&s;ured|ly, the living &s;peeches of dying Prophets live for ever, <HI>Zach.</HI> 1. Their word took hold, that is, it did pur&s;ue, overtake and &s;eize upon that generation. And &s;o will the word of this our dear Brother fa&s;ten upon many a &s;oul (if not to his &s;alvation) certainly to his eternal de&s;truction, who if he were alive again, would he not &s;peak as now (though dead) in this pre&s;ent di&s;cour&s;e he &s;peaketh? Oh! re&s;t not &s;atisfied with the Lamp of profe&s;&s;ion, but get the oyl of &s;aving grace into the ve&s;&s;els of your hearts, and go forth to meet the Bride-groom, that when he cometh, whether at midnight, cock-crowing, or at the dawning of the day, you may not be found &s;leeping, but may enter in with him. Its &s;aid of <HI>Arrius,</HI> that as his errour, with the &s;ad effects thereof, &s;pread after his death, &s;o his torments were in|crea&s;ed in hell; for the Lord will render to every man not only according to his doings, but according to the fruit of his doings: If &s;o (as I believe it is a truth) O then! would we add to this our Brothers Crown, and make it more ma&s;&s;ie, and fuller of tho&s;e choice pearls another day, let us remember, and forget not what by him was done and taught; but &s;ay, (as &s;he &s;aid) Lord lay up this for me, that whenever I have occa&s;ion to make u&s;e of it, (as when not) I may &s;o remember it, as that I may practi&s;e, and be ble&s;&s;ed in my deed.</P>
<P><PB REF="5">
But I detain your Lord&s;hips too long, I &s;hall con|clude with my hearty prayers to the Lord, that as he hath made you eminently in&s;trumental, &s;o he would take plea&s;ure in you both, to make you more and more in&s;trumental in the hand of Chri&s;t, (which next to our &s;alvation, is one of the greate&s;t priviledges in this life) and lengthen out your daies, that you may return &s;lowly to heaven; which is the humble de&s;ire of,</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>My Lords,</SALUTE> <SIGNED>Your mo&s;t devoted &s;ervant,
Sam. Winter.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD>The Epi&s;tle to the READER.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Curteous and Chri&s;tian Reader,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THou ha&s;t here pre&s;ented to thy view &s;ome Sermons o&s; Mr. <HI>John Murcot,</HI> whil&s;t he lived, a precious In&s;trument in the hand of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, a Workman that needed not to be a&s;hamed: And now being dead, yet &s;peaketh by the&s;e and his other labours.</P>
<P>Concerning the Author, he was (according to his years) of an exact judgement; which appeared,</P>
<P N="1">1. In the choice of apt Subjects, with re&s;pect to the per|&s;ons and times wherein he lived; as he aimed at the &s;et|ting up of Chri&s;ts intere&s;t and the welfare of his people, &s;o he &s;ingled out arguments an&s;werable, upon the improve|ment whereof he &s;pent his be&s;t thoughts: as might be in|&s;tanced in the&s;e and &s;everal other pieces of his.</P>
<P N="2">2. In all his undertakings he laboured to di&s;cover to poor creatures the vilene&s;s of &s;in, Gods free Grace, yet ne<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> the prejudice of Go&s;pel-obedience: in the promoting
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whereof he laboured very much, knowing the great re|lactancy of fle&s;h and blood thereto.</P>
<P N="3">3. His wi&s;dom appeared in his care and tenderne&s;s, in that with the di&s;covery of &s;in he always joyned the near|ne&s;s of Mercy: as he ca&s;t down with one hand, &s;o he rai&s;ed up with the other: a Bonerges, and yet a &s;on of con|&s;olation: <HI>and oh how tender and humble towards poor troubled doubting &s;ouls!</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. In the healing and preventing of breaches among Brethren, he was admirable: the Lord gave him wi&s;|dom above his years.</P>
<P N="2">(2) As he was exact in judgement, &s;o was he full of af|fections: how warm were they, lying in the very bo&s;om of his Ma&s;ter, which appeared in his melting frame of Spi|rit ordinarily, and in his thir&s;t to draw down notions, that floated in the brain, to the heart and feeling, wherein he was exceedingly &s;ucce&s;sful.</P>
<P N="3">(3) As for conver&s;ation, he was not only &s;potle&s;s, but active in good, in his &s;tudies a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">dlabours, wherein as he was abundant and unwearied (which probably helped to &s;horten his life, that when his body came to conflict with the di&s;ea&s;e, he had not &s;trength to overcome) at all other times doing or receiving good; of whom it may be truly &s;aid, that he did <HI>Epilcopum agere &amp; vivere</HI> act and live a true Mini&s;ter of Je&s;us Chri&s;t: ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Bradford</HI> connted that hour lo&s;t wherein he did not &s;ome good with his tongue, pen or pur&s;e. It was the commendation of ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Hooper,</HI> that he was &s;pare of Dyet, &s;pare of Words, and &s;pare&s;t of Time.</P>
<P>The&s;e things being committed to another hand, we &s;hall forbear; the &s;cope of this Epi&s;tle being to acquaint thee with the grounds of publi&s;hing the&s;e Sermons, and to intreat thy candid interpretation and acceptance of our endeavours therein.</P>
<P><PB REF="6">
<HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> The &s;atisfying of the longing de&s;ires of &s;everal, &s;ome of whom eminent not only in Place, but Piety, that their hearts may be refre&s;hed, &amp; their memories &s;trengthen|ed by reading what they formerly heard with much de|light.</P>
<P>2. The general acceptation of the Author, even with all &s;orts in tho&s;e places where he lived or was known.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> The &s;ea&s;onablene&s;s of the Subject: it being an Antidote again&s;t the raigning of that mo&s;t dangerous evil of the times, Formality: the mo&s;t &s;atisfying them|&s;elves with the bare Lamp of Profe&s;sion, not regarding the want of oyl in their ve&s;&s;els: and the be&s;t too apt to be nodding when the cry is made: and with the Apo&s;tles, mo&s;t &s;leep when it mo&s;t concerned them to be watching; which renders this Subject, not only of pre&s;ent, but la&s;ting u&s;e and benefit.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> The manner of handling, which is &s;olid and &s;piritual, &s;o that the ingenuous Reader may find in this Lamp, not only light to direct him, but heat to warm him when he is a cold, and a Cry to awaken him, when he is a&s;leep.</P>
<P><HI>Fourthly,</HI> The Authors exactne&s;s in penning them: as if Providence, contrary to his approved mode&s;ty, had de|&s;igned them for publick view, which thou ha&s;t here, as they were left in his own private notes: and you know, <HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> That writing and &s;peaking have their &s;everal Graces, they were publikely delivered with much advantage. <HI>Second|ly,</HI> They are &s;et forth after his death, and you know cha|rity is due to Orphans: the Authors more then ordinary growth in a few years, a&s;&s;ures us, that had he lived to have revi&s;ed this Work, it would have been much more dige&s;ted and refined.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> Being left in Characters, in the tran&s;cribing
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whereof, by the mo&s;t diligent and exact, &s;ome mi&s;takes are almo&s;t unavoidable, &s;o that the&s;e may challenge allowance, being tran&s;cribed by the Authors deare&s;t relation, who ac|quired the knowledge of his Character after his death.</P>
<P>Wherefore we intreat thee good Reader to bear with what might have e&s;caped upon that, or our own accompt, which we &s;hall willingly own, judging it our duty to prefer the Pub|like, and eternal good of &s;ouls to our own names, for who&s;e &s;ake as the Pretious Author be&s;towed much of his oyl in the trimming of this Lamp, &s;o we have &s;et it up in view, be|&s;eeching the Father of Lights, to ble&s;s and own it with like &s;ucce&s;s and entertainment in the hearts of tho&s;e that &s;hall read it, as he did when it was at fir&s;t preached: Re|maining (Chri&s;tian Reader)</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thy friends in and for the Truths &s;ake,
<LIST>
<ITEM>Samuel Winter.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Robert Chambers.</ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the Christian reader">
<PB REF="7">
<HEAD>Chri&s;tian Reader,</HEAD>
<P>_MY De&s;ign in the&s;e few lines to thee, is not to com|mend the work that is here pre&s;ented to thy view; I &s;uppo&s;e it will &s;ufficiently commend it &s;elf. And if it &s;hould be otherwi&s;e, it is not I, nor any other, who by a bare te&s;timony can add to the Merit of it. For though I mu&s;t ingenu|ou&s;ly confe&s;s, that &s;ince it was left with me, I have not had time to read it exactly, nor could I keep it longer in my hands, to &s;a|tisfie my &s;elf that way, without &s;ome injury, having been con|fined in my retaining of it with me, to a certain time. Yet &s;o far as I read, I have ob&s;erved, that with much &s;atisfaction to my &s;elf, which I judge may be acceptable to others, both to in&s;truct them, as al&s;o to awaken, quicken, refre&s;h, &amp; comfort them; &s;o that tho&s;e who are wi&s;e, and will diligently ob&s;erve what they read, may be greatly edified thereby. My intent is rather to &s;peak of the man, (that precious &s;ervant of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, Mr. <HI>Murcot,</HI> who now is taken to his re&s;t, in that near Communion which he enjoyes with, and in his ble&s;&s;ed Head) then of any particular work of his. I fir&s;t knew him when he lived in <HI>Wirral,</HI> near <HI>Che&s;ter,</HI> and there was rea&s;on that I &s;hould be familiarly acquainted with him, at that time, both becau&s;e he was Preacher at a place, and al&s;o to a people there, to many of whom my &s;elf in former times &s;tood related, till the violence of the then prevailing Prelates ex|pul&s;ed
<PB REF="8">
me thence; and al&s;o becau&s;e he took to wife from among us, Mrs. <HI>He&s;ter Mar&s;den,</HI> well reputed of by us, and who now &s;urvives him, a &s;erious Mourner, under the heavy lo&s;s of him. He was while he lived there, the glory of that Countrey. A very quick, and lively, and powerful Preacher he was, and mighty in prayer. Eminent for piety, gravity, and holy innocency: warm|ing and heating the hearts of the Saints by his doctrine and life; a con&s;iderable part whereof, he &s;pent in holy Communion with them: And over-awing and &s;ilencing the re&s;t of men where he lived, by his wi&s;e, grave and harmle&s;s conver&s;ation. Dearly loved he was by &s;ome, and greatly reverenced by others. But in <HI>Ireland,</HI> e&s;pecially in the chief City thereof, <HI>Dublin,</HI> (to which place he went, when he left <HI>Wirrall,</HI> and where he ended his daies) he became like <HI>Jonah</HI> his Gourd, he &s;prung up as it were in a night, his growth was wonderful in that place: he fil|led that City, (I may &s;ay in &s;ome &s;en&s;e) that Land, with his &s;hadow: his fame went abroad through the whole Countrey, and reached to many parts of this Nation al&s;o. And when the Providence of the Lord carried me over thither (which was about twelve moneths &s;ince, and about &s;ix moneths after he had fini&s;hed his cour&s;e, though my &s;tay there was but for a little moment, yet) I met with the &s;weet &s;avour of his precious name, which was like an oyntment poured forth in all places where I travelled. God was (doubtle&s;s) very remarkably with him, for a great work was done by him in a &s;hort time, as it is clearly witne&s;&s;ed by all good people that live there. He &s;pake the Word of God, as one who was much with God, and indeed he had alwaies much inward clo&s;e Communion with God in &s;e|cret, before he revealed any thing of him or from him openly. He &s;tudied the peoples di&s;tempers, and found out, that formality was the great epidemical di&s;ea&s;e among profe&s;&s;ors, as indeed &s;o it is every where in this declining age: And he was wi&s;ely guid|ed in the choice of &s;uch &s;oul-&s;earching Scriptures, by which he might then &s;eparate the Sheep from the Goats, the wi&s;e Virgins from the fooli&s;h, which will be Chri&s;ts work hereafter. In a word (for prolixity is not &s;o &s;uitable for one who now pre&s;ents all upon report, there being all the while he lived there, a Sea be|twixt him and me) he was a mo&s;t indu&s;trious vigilant Pa&s;tor, and a mo&s;t au&s;tere and &s;elf-ob&s;erving Chri&s;tian. And this Crown
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of glory the Lord put upon him, which few others have had the honour to wear; he was like a ri&s;ing Star, ever to his death in a ri&s;ing State, increa&s;ing in &s;piritual height and &s;tature every day, and grew more eminent and excellent in his gifts, graces, labours, u&s;efulne&s;s and profitablene&s;s continually; and he lived, not to be at a &s;tay, much le&s;s to decline, but when he was neare&s;t heaven, the Lord carried him thither. He may be reckoned among the Lords Worthies, of whom the world was not worthy. The Lord hath taken him, but his remembrance will not be &s;o &s;oon gone. He will live while any that knew him &s;hall live; and afterwards al&s;o, if the Lords ble&s;&s;ing &s;hall accompany the rehear&s;al of his life and death, and his Sermons Printed, in &s;uch &s;ort as his ble&s;|&s;ing hath attended the pa&s;&s;ing and &s;pending of his life, and his dying, and in the preaching of &s;uch Sermons: All which were greatly &s;anctified to the people that beheld and heard them. Now that it may be &s;o, &s;hall be the earne&s;t prayer of,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thy real friend to &s;erve thee in the Lord,
Sam. Eaton.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the Christian reader">
<PB REF="9">
<PB REF="9">
<HEAD>Chri&s;tian READER.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_I</HI> Never knew the Author of this Work in Per&s;on while he lived, but being dead, I know him by his Picture, and that the Picture of his better and more noble part. The fir&s;t Part of this Book is formally &s;o, being a very exact draft of his whole Life, and the image of his in|ner. Man in all the Divine Colours, Lights, Lineaments and beauties of it. Few men have found &s;uch a Pen|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">il to draw them, and few Pencils have found &s;uch a man to draw. He was but a little while in the world, but he lived long, el&s;e he had never yielded true Materials for &s;o long a Hi&s;tory of his Life. The following Parts of the Book are vertually &s;o, I mean the Picture of his better Part, or the image of his mind: in which, though dead, he yet &s;peaketh, and breatheth through every Page and Line, Truth and Holine&s;s, Zeal for God, and Compa&s;&s;ion to the Souls of men, his own Ta&s;ts that the Lord is Gracious, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">is longing De&s;ires to make others partake of the &s;ame Grace, which him&s;elf had ta&s;ted. Read the Book, and therein you have the Soul of a faithful Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel copied out.</P>
<P>It is an amazing Providence to &s;ee many unprofitable Drones, Idol Shepherds, blind Guides, Men who&s;e Graces are not at all di&s;cernable in their lives, and who&s;e gifts are &s;aple&s;s, Spiritle&s;s, and upon the matter u&s;ele&s;s in their Mini&s;tery, live to old age, and wither upon the Stalk; while others of &s;hining Graces, of lively Gifts, and of unwearied Indu&s;try in the Lords Vineyard, are cropt off in the very blooming, and as &s;oon as &s;hewed to the world, called out of it. <HI>But who may &s;ay to God, what do&s;t thou? He is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his Soul de&s;ireth, even that he doth. He performeth the thing that is appointed for us, and many &s;uch things are with him.</HI></P>
<P><PB REF="10">
But though we have nothing to &s;ay <HI>to God, the mo&s;t wi&s;e God,</HI> about this di&s;pen&s;ation; yet this &s;aith much to <HI>Man.</HI> This &s;aith much to <HI>Ireland,</HI> whither God &s;ent this burning and &s;hining light; Have not they much cau&s;e to con&s;ider how they prized it, how they im|proved it, &s;eeing God put it out &s;o quickly, and gave them &s;o &s;hort a &s;ea&s;on to rejoyce in it? <HI>That he preached &s;o few years to them, &s;hould be to them an everla&s;ting Sermon.</HI> And this que&s;tion &s;hould come thick upon the heart of that Church there, which was the Candle&s;tick in which God placed this light; why was it &s;o? why was it &s;o? why hath the Lord removed our Teacher into a Corner (the very Grave) &s;o that our eyes cannot &s;ee our Teacher (who was al&s;o a Pa&s;tor after his own heart) any more? Was he enough in our hearts? or was he too much there? We may forfeit our enjoyments by too high, as well as by too low an e&s;teem of them; and by looking too much upon means, provoke God to hide it from us. But whatever moved the Lord to take him from you, it well becomes you to be thankful that you had him (though but for a &s;hort &s;ea&s;on) in per&s;on among you, and that &s;o much of him (this mant le which fell from him as he was a&s;cending) is gathered up, and left with you and other Churches, as his Monument and Memorial for ever.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Jo&s;eph Caryl.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the good reader">
<PB REF="10">
<HEAD>Good Reader,</HEAD>
<P>_IT is often &s;een that good men die &s;oone&s;t, our tran|&s;lation to heaven is delayed only till our fitne&s;s to enjoy heaven, a&s;&s;oon as we are <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Col. 1. 12.</NOTE> <HI>meet</HI> for that ble&s;&s;ed inheritance, we are gathered in <NOTE N="&dagger;" PLACE="marg">Iob 5. 26.</NOTE> <HI>like a &s;hock of Corn in its &s;ea&s;on:</HI> &s;ome ripen for heaven apace, and are taken out of the world &s;ooner then others, now it is pitty that all their fruit &s;hould die with them; Chri&s;t &s;aith to his Apo&s;tles; <NOTE N="&Verbar;" PLACE="marg">Iohn 15. 16.</NOTE> <HI>I have ordained you to bring forth fruit, and that your fruit &s;hould re|main:</HI> Intending (I &s;uppo&s;e) not only their <HI>reward in heaven,</HI> and the <HI>continuance of Believers,</HI> begotten by them to God, who in a very commodious &s;en&s;e are the <HI>&s;urviving fruit</HI> of their labours, but al&s;o <HI>their Doctrine</HI> con&s;igned to the u&s;e of future ages by writ|ing: The writings of the Apo&s;tles (I confe&s;s) are more nece&s;|&s;ary then tho&s;e of private men, as making up the <HI>Canon</HI> and <HI>rule of Faith,</HI> but yet the explications of <HI>ordinary Pa&s;tors and Teachers</HI> have their u&s;e and benefit, and it is a commendable dili|gence in them that <HI>gather up the fragments</HI> of good men, <HI>that no|thing be lo&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>It plea&s;ed God to call up this worthy &s;ervant of Je&s;us Chri&s;t to heaven betimes, it were pitty that the Sermons coming from &s;uch a warm and affectionate &s;pirit, &s;hould die away with the breath in which they were uttered; as his <HI>fruit remaineth</HI> (I hope) in the
<PB REF="11">
hearts of many that heard him, &s;o is it wrapt up in the&s;e papers by the diligence of his &s;urviving friends, to pre&s;erve it from peri&s;hing and forgetfulne&s;s.</P>
<P>Its an happine&s;s, though not to be <HI>hoped for,</HI> yet to be <HI>wi&s;hed for,</HI> that none would write in this publick way, but <HI>very holy,</HI> or <HI>very learned</HI> men, who either from their <HI>profounder knowledge</HI> of the my&s;teries of godline&s;s, or <HI>inward acquaintance</HI> with the work|ings of the Spirit, are mo&s;t likely to <HI>improve</HI> or <HI>keep alive</HI> the Do|ctrine of God in the Chri&s;tian world; this worthy in&s;trument thou wilt find to be a man by no means of <HI>di&s;picable abilities,</HI> but chiefly excelling in <HI>a gracious heart,</HI> and <HI>much inward experience</HI> in the things of God; and though <HI>deep &s;peculations,</HI> and <HI>lu&s;cious language</HI> is not here to be expected, yet many whol&s;om and heart|warming truths, delivered in a grave and unaffected &s;tile, which (if my hopes deceive me not) will be of great u&s;e to quicken this dull and carnal age to a greater &s;tudy and vigour of holine&s;s; and there|fore (being de&s;ired) I could not but recommend the&s;e Sermons, to thy be&s;t acceptance; I am.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Covent-Garden, <DATE><HI>this</HI> 19. of <HI>Jan.</HI> 1656.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Thine in the Lords work,
Tho. Manton.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="encomia">
<DIV2 LANG="grc" TYPE="poem">
<PB REF="11">
<HEAD>De. Authore.</HEAD>
<LG>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign"></L>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign">.</L>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign"></L>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign">.</L>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign">,</L>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign">.</L>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign">,</L>
<L><GAP DESC="foreign">.</L>
<BYLINE>Per Tho. Gloverum, Warwicen&s;is Scholae Ludimagi&s;trum.</BYLINE>
</LG>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 LANG="lat" TYPE="poem">
<HEAD>De Eodem.</HEAD>
<LG>
<L>FAllor? an ip&s;e tuo Murcotte per omnia vives</L>
<L>Saecula, cum terris corpus inane jacet?</L>
<L>Dignus es aeterna, qui, laude, feraris ad a&s;tra,</L>
<L>Cui novi terras vix peperi&s;&s;e parem.</L>
<L>Mortuus es Murcotte, at &s;aeva morte triumphas,</L>
<L>Quem non Lethaeis &s;ors dare quivit aquis.</L>
<L>Membra licet jaceant tri&s;ti re&s;upina &s;epulchro,</L>
<L>Facta tamen nolunt &s;aecula &s;era mori.</L>
</LG>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 LANG="eng" TYPE="poem">
<PB REF="12">
<HEAD>Per Eundem.</HEAD>
<LG>
<L>CHri&s;tian come hither, read, and reading mind,</L>
<L>And thou &s;halt here, a Directory find.</L>
<L>A light indeed, but borrowed from heaven,</L>
<L>Which will direct to keep thy foot-&s;teps even.</L>
<L>While&s;t that a dark&s;om wilderne&s;s we tread,</L>
<L>The fiery Pillar, will us &s;afely lead.</L>
<L>See, here's a Pillar, on which who ca&s;ts his &s;ight,</L>
<L>Shall &s;ee a flame, out-&s;hining all fal&s;e light.</L>
<L>Through which, maugre the &s;pight of mankinds foe,</L>
<L>He &s;hall to the coele&s;tial <HI>Canaan</HI> go:</L>
<L>Where that Star &s;hines now in perfection,</L>
<L>Which &s;parkled here for Saints direction.</L>
</LG>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>per me,
Tho. Glover Warwicen&s;is Scholae, Ludimagi&s;trum.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="Scripture index">
<PB REF="12">
<HEAD>The Table of the Scriptures opened and explained in this Volumn.</HEAD>
<P><TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>Gene&s;is.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label">Chap.</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Ver.</CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Page.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>7</CELL>
<CELL>120</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>17</CELL>
<CELL>12</CELL>
<CELL>487</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>25</CELL>
<CELL>8</CELL>
<CELL>329</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>Exodus.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>13</CELL>
<CELL>490</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>16</CELL>
<CELL>25</CELL>
<CELL>370</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>20</CELL>
<CELL>20</CELL>
<CELL>553</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>32</CELL>
<CELL>12</CELL>
<CELL>395</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>34</CELL>
<CELL>7</CELL>
<CELL>636</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>Leviticus.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>19</CELL>
<CELL>23</CELL>
<CELL>89</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>25</CELL>
<CELL>41</CELL>
<CELL>517</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>42</CELL>
<CELL>ibid.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>44</CELL>
<CELL>487</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>45</CELL>
<CELL>530</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>46</CELL>
<CELL>ibid.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>Jo&s;hua.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>430</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>18</CELL>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>296</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>2 Samuel.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>16</CELL>
<CELL>523</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>9</CELL>
<CELL>13</CELL>
<CELL>219</CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="13">
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>1 <HI>Kings.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>13</CELL>
<CELL>394</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>22</CELL>
<CELL>29</CELL>
<CELL>159</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Nehemiah.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>8</CELL>
<CELL>10</CELL>
<CELL>341</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Job.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>22</CELL>
<CELL>393</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>26</CELL>
<CELL>326</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>8</CELL>
<CELL>07</CELL>
<CELL>558</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>16</CELL>
<CELL>00</CELL>
<CELL>066</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>19</CELL>
<CELL>27</CELL>
<CELL>137</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>21</CELL>
<CELL>from 7, to 9</CELL>
<CELL>133</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>31</CELL>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>364</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>21</CELL>
<CELL>236</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>33</CELL>
<CELL>26</CELL>
<CELL>182</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>P&s;alms.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>245</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>091</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>18</CELL>
<CELL>23</CELL>
<CELL>235</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>36</CELL>
<CELL>08</CELL>
<CELL>340</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>40</CELL>
<CELL>6</CELL>
<CELL>532</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>51</CELL>
<CELL>17</CELL>
<CELL>281</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>75</CELL>
<CELL>8</CELL>
<CELL>344</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>76</CELL>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>193</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>84</CELL>
<CELL>7</CELL>
<CELL>561</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>92</CELL>
<CELL>12</CELL>
<CELL>560</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>94</CELL>
<CELL>7</CELL>
<CELL>402</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>111</CELL>
<CELL>10</CELL>
<CELL>p. 81 See this in the fir&s;t &s;ubject, <HI>Cir|cum&s;pect walking.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>119</CELL>
<CELL>59</CELL>
<CELL>76. See this in the fir&s;t &s;ubject, <HI>Circum|&s;pect walking,</HI> &amp;c.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Proverbs.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>26</CELL>
<CELL>315</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>14</CELL>
<CELL>367</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>27</CELL>
<CELL>61 See this in the fir&s;t &s;ubject, <HI>Circum|&s;pect walking,</HI> &amp;c.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>9</CELL>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>353</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL><HI>ibid.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>357</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>12</CELL>
<CELL>10</CELL>
<CELL>396</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>24</CELL>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>605</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>26</CELL>
<CELL>23</CELL>
<CELL>399</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Eccle&s;.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>9</CELL>
<CELL>558</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Canticles.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>7</CELL>
<CELL>81 See this in the fir&s;t &s;ubject, <HI>Circum|&s;pect walking.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>419</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>10</CELL>
<CELL>350</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL><HI>ibid.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>158, 168, 184</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>160, 161</CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="13">
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>I&s;aiah.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>442, 443</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>6</CELL>
<CELL><HI>ibid.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>13</CELL>
<CELL>399</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>6</CELL>
<CELL>10</CELL>
<CELL>296</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>17</CELL>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>559</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>27</CELL>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>634</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>35</CELL>
<CELL>8</CELL>
<CELL>088</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>40</CELL>
<CELL>29</CELL>
<CELL>634</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>50</CELL>
<CELL>10</CELL>
<CELL>241</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>103, 225, 242</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>60</CELL>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>414</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>61</CELL>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>496</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>62</CELL>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>048</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Jeremiah.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>185</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>13</CELL>
<CELL>25</CELL>
<CELL>321</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>17</CELL>
<CELL>09</CELL>
<CELL>269</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Ezekiel.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>34</CELL>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>442</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>44</CELL>
<CELL>9</CELL>
<CELL>088</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Ho&s;ea.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>19</CELL>
<CELL>074</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>7</CELL>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>105</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>14</CELL>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>85, 86</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>633</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>9</CELL>
<CELL>115</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Amos.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>395</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Jonah.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>144, 151</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Micah.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>405</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Zephaniah.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>17</CELL>
<CELL>48</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Zechariah.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>9</CELL>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>506</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Malachy.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>411, 429</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>431, 434</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>436, 438</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>478, 558</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Matthew.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>8</CELL>
<CELL>62 See in the fir&s;t &s;ubject, <HI>Circum|&s;pect walking,</HI> &amp;c.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>7</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>16</CELL>
<CELL>242</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>9</CELL>
<CELL>15</CELL>
<CELL>035</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>13</CELL>
<CELL>6</CELL>
<CELL>415, 434</CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="14">
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>13</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>31,</CELL>
<CELL><HI>&amp;c.</HI> 562</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>16</CELL>
<CELL>24</CELL>
<CELL>594</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>18</CELL>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>579</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>19</CELL>
<CELL>22</CELL>
<CELL>381</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>22</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>36, 53</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>19</CELL>
<CELL>497</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>24</CELL>
<CELL>28</CELL>
<CELL>672</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>37</CELL>
<CELL>173</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>45</CELL>
<CELL>3</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>25</CELL>
<CELL>from 1. to 14 Paraphra&s;ed.</CELL>
<CELL>from 5 to 18, 33</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>103</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>119, 140, to 144</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>6</CELL>
<CELL>197</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>7</CELL>
<CELL>221, 240</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>8</CELL>
<CELL>262, 286,</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>9</CELL>
<CELL>301, 314</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>10</CELL>
<CELL>319, 325</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>338, 363</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>377</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>12</CELL>
<CELL><HI>ibid.</HI> 391</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>26</CELL>
<CELL>29</CELL>
<CELL>342</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>40</CELL>
<CELL>145</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>45</CELL>
<CELL>176, 182</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>27</CELL>
<CELL>46</CELL>
<CELL>245</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Luke.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>78</CELL>
<CELL>415</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>18</CELL>
<CELL>528</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>7</CELL>
<CELL>47</CELL>
<CELL>610</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>21</CELL>
<CELL>493</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>22</CELL>
<CELL><HI>ibid.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>12</CELL>
<CELL>29</CELL>
<CELL>513</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>39</CELL>
<CELL>208</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>17</CELL>
<CELL>26</CELL>
<CELL>151</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>27</CELL>
<CELL><HI>ibid.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>18</CELL>
<CELL>17</CELL>
<CELL>582</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>19</CELL>
<CELL>42</CELL>
<CELL>273, 279</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>24</CELL>
<CELL>45</CELL>
<CELL>021</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>John.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>9</CELL>
<CELL>417</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>678</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>6</CELL>
<CELL>37</CELL>
<CELL>655</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>38</CELL>
<CELL>669</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>39</CELL>
<CELL><HI>ibid.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>45</CELL>
<CELL>653</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>8</CELL>
<CELL>32</CELL>
<CELL>484, 566, 605</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>33</CELL>
<CELL>481</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>34</CELL>
<CELL>491</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>10</CELL>
<CELL>17</CELL>
<CELL>368</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>12</CELL>
<CELL>32</CELL>
<CELL>672</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>14</CELL>
<CELL>21</CELL>
<CELL>394</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>17</CELL>
<CELL>9</CELL>
<CELL>41</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>13</CELL>
<CELL>350, 533</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>20</CELL>
<CELL>23</CELL>
<CELL>401</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Acts.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>21</CELL>
<CELL>8</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>96</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>9</CELL>
<CELL>7</CELL>
<CELL>654</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>18</CELL>
<CELL>25</CELL>
<CELL>62. See in the fir&s;t &s;ubject of <HI>Circum|&s;pect walking,</HI> &amp;c.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>20</CELL>
<CELL>26</CELL>
<CELL>679</CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="14">
<ROW>
<CELL>26</CELL>
<CELL>18</CELL>
<CELL>270</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Romans.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>128</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>15</CELL>
<CELL>485</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>6</CELL>
<CELL>7</CELL>
<CELL>492</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>17</CELL>
<CELL>499</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>22</CELL>
<CELL>542</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>7</CELL>
<CELL>13</CELL>
<CELL>548</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>14</CELL>
<CELL>61. See in the fir&s;t &s;ubject of <HI>Circum|&s;pect walking,</HI> 488, 512</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>15</CELL>
<CELL>394</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>25</CELL>
<CELL>239</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>10</CELL>
<CELL>18</CELL>
<CELL>438</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>13</CELL>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>167</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>1 <HI>Corinthians.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>514, 612, 643</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>99</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>7</CELL>
<CELL>14</CELL>
<CELL>92</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>29</CELL>
<CELL>173</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>15</CELL>
<CELL>52</CELL>
<CELL>200, 202</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>2 <HI>Corinthians.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>17</CELL>
<CELL>303</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>44, 68</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Galathians.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>6</CELL>
<CELL>483</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>485</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>23</CELL>
<CELL>500</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>24</CELL>
<CELL>486</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>17</CELL>
<CELL>238</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Ephe&s;ians.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>13</CELL>
<CELL>576</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>8</CELL>
<CELL>495</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>15</CELL>
<CELL>53, 55, 57</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>63</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>16</CELL>
<CELL>See in the fir&s;t &s;ubject of <HI>Circum&s;pect walking.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>18</CELL>
<CELL>355</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>6</CELL>
<CELL>667</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>363</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>14</CELL>
<CELL>253</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>18</CELL>
<CELL>022</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>20</CELL>
<CELL>056</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>10</CELL>
<CELL>243</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL><HI>Collo&s;&s;ians.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>24</CELL>
<CELL>127</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>250</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>15</CELL>
<CELL>493</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>19</CELL>
<CELL>569</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>1 <HI>The&s;&s;alonians.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>16</CELL>
<CELL>7, 200</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>1 <HI>Timothy.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>15</CELL>
<CELL>639</CELL>
</ROW>
<PB REF="15">
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>Hebrews.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>416</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>039</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>24</CELL>
<CELL>502</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>16</CELL>
<CELL>62</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>11</CELL>
<CELL>40</CELL>
<CELL>433</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>12</CELL>
<CELL>13</CELL>
<CELL>665</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>17</CELL>
<CELL>285</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>James.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>337</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>19</CELL>
<CELL>461</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>1 Peter.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>630</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>16</CELL>
<CELL>540</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>19</CELL>
<CELL>436</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>18</CELL>
<CELL>309</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>249</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>9</CELL>
<CELL>619</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>2 Peter.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1</CELL>
<CELL>5</CELL>
<CELL>624</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>12</CELL>
<CELL>328</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>17</CELL>
<CELL>250</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>18</CELL>
<CELL>249, 604</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>1 John.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>20</CELL>
<CELL>104</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>24</CELL>
<CELL>24</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>351</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>9</CELL>
<CELL>12</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>3 John.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>618</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>Jude.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>12</CELL>
<CELL>589</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>Revelation.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>4</CELL>
<CELL>146</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>21</CELL>
<CELL>128</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3</CELL>
<CELL>2</CELL>
<CELL>257</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>21</CELL>
<CELL>9</CELL>
<CELL>36</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>22</CELL>
<CELL>15</CELL>
<CELL>363</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<P>The Errata's following begins at <HI>The Parable of the ten Virgins.</HI> PAge 2. line. 30. blot out <HI>not;</HI> p. 3. l. 29 for <HI>fa&s;t you,</HI> read, <HI>as fa&s;t as you;</HI> p. 29. l. la&s;t, for <HI>her own,</HI> r. <HI>our own;</HI> p. 71. l. 9. blot our <HI>for;</HI> p. 75. l. 22. for <HI>we choo&s;e,</HI> r. <HI>will choo&s;e;</HI> p. 87. l. 5. for <HI>to fit loo&s;e,</HI> r. <HI>to fit loo&s;e;</HI> p. 105. l. 10. for <HI>bidden arts,</HI> r. <HI>hidden parts;</HI> p. 106. l. 23. for <HI>fall,</HI> r. <HI>fill;</HI> p. 115. l. 12. for <HI>All prore&s;&s;ions,</HI> r. <HI>All proce&s;&s;ions;</HI> p. 117. l. 13. for <HI>widows ca&s;e,</HI> r. <HI>widows cru&s;e;</HI> p. 126. l. 34. blot out <HI>thou;</HI> p. 165. l. 3. blot out <HI>and;</HI> p. 188. l. 37. for <HI>he a&s;leep,</HI> r. <HI>be a&s;leep;</HI> p. 225. l. 17. for <HI>i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> is,</HI> r. <HI>is it;</HI> p. 561. l. 29. for <HI>decy,</HI> r. <HI>decay;</HI> p. 428. l. 7. for <HI>Maditation,</HI> r. <HI>Moditation;</HI> p. 609. l. 32. for <HI>though be, r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> though he.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<GROUP>
<TEXT>
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="15">
<P>MOSES IN THE MOUNT: OR, The beloved Di&s;ciple leaning on <HI>Ie&s;us,</HI> S bo&s;om.</P>
<P>Being a Narrative of the Life and Death of Mr. <HI>John Murcot,</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Go|&s;pel, and Teacher of the Church at <HI>Dub|lin.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Written by a Friend.</HI></P>
<P>Prov. 7. 10. <HI>The memory of the ju&s;t is ble&s;&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by <HI>Robert White,</HI> for <HI>Francis Tyton,</HI> at the three Daggers in Fleet-&s;treet, near the Inner-Temple Gate. 1657.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="16">
<PB REF="16">
<HEAD>The Epi&s;tle to the Reader.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Chri&s;tian Reader,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THOU mai&s;t haply be offended that I bring upon the Stage, and pre&s;ent unto thy view the meer &s;hadow of a man, and not the li|ving &s;ub&s;tance: Sit but a while, and thou &s;halt &s;ee &s;omething pa&s;s before thee, worthy thy ob&s;ervation. I mu&s;t needs acknowledge a di&s;paraging di&s;proportion betwixt this Copy and the Ori|ginal: Had I drawn his Picture, while&s;t alive, I might have de&s;cribed his perfections in more re&s;embling Chara|cters; but doing it &s;ince his death, it cannot be expected I &s;hould draw him in any other, then dead colours. His Graces were more lively, and &s;parkling in their exerci&s;e and opera|tion, then in this faint and langui&s;hing Repre&s;entation. However, &s;omething I was willing to do to revive the memo|ry of our departed friend, and to make him known unto tho&s;e, who have not yet heard of him by the hearing of the
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ear. Reader, thou ha&s;t here a bright Torch, that had much flame and but a little &s;moke, and more matter for thy imita|tion, then caution. Be a follower of him, who followed the Lord fully, and having done his work, is gone to receive his wages, and to take up his place about the Throne. Gods glo|ry, and thy &s;piritual advantage are in the eyes, and aim of,</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Dublin, <DATE><HI>the</HI> 10^t^h^. <HI>of</HI> October 1655.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>thy &s;ouls friend,
J. G.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
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<HEAD><HI>Mo&s;es</HI> in the <HI>Mount; OR,</HI> The beloved Di&s;ciple leaning on <HI>Ie&s;us</HI>'s Bo&s;om.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Being a Narrative of the life and death of Mr. <HI>Iohn Murcot,</HI> Mini&s;ter of the Go&s;pel, and Teacher of the Church at <HI>Dublin.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>_THE children of God are not without cau&s;e &s;tiled his Workman&s;hip, his Build|ing. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2. 10. 1 Cor. 3. 9.</NOTE> Every particular Believer is a little living Temple, and made the Habitation of God through the Spirit, &s;uch honour have all his Saints.</P>
<P>Chri&s;tian Reader, I am about to pre&s;ent unto thine eye a curious Piece, a &s;tately Structure, framed by the hand of Free Grace, in the Survey of which, much of the wi&s;dom, and goodne&s;s of God will be eminently con&s;picuous. I have &s;everal wel-furni&s;hed Rooms to lead thee to, but mu&s;t fir&s;t pa&s;s through the Porch and
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Preface, the grounds of my undertaking, and &s;o make the fa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rer way for the en&s;uing Relation.</P>
<P N="1">1. It hath not been a thing novel, and unheard of in the Church of God, in &s;uch a way as this, to tran&s;mit unto Po&s;teri|ty the Names, Memories, Gracious Conver&s;ations of eminenter Saints, e&s;pecially Mini&s;ters, who in their &s;everal Sphears and Ge|nerations, have &s;hined like &s;tars of the fir&s;t magnitude, &s;tream|ing and i&s;&s;uing&punc; forth a more then ordinary and illu&s;trious Light.</P>
<P N="2">2. The lives of morally&punc; hone&s;t Heathens are both recorded, and read with profit, not only by fellow pagans, but by us Chri|&s;tians. Who knows not that <HI>Plutarch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> lives have in them many things &s;erving for Caution and Imitation? More advantage doubtle&s;s will redound by reading the lives of the Evangelically, &s;piritually, and really religious.</P>
<P N="3">3 We have the warrant of &s;acred Writ, which (being not only Doctrinal but in a great part Hi&s;torical) doth much in|courage to a Practi&s;e of this Nature. The 11. Chap. of the Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Hebrews,</HI> you will find to be an Epitome of the lives of the Fathers. Now where we have the Spirit of God go|ing before, we may well follow after.</P>
<P N="4">4. The extraordinary &s;trictne&s;s, exemplary &s;everity, unwea|ried indu&s;try, and activity of this man of God in the waies and work of the Lord do exceedingly excite and &s;trongly provoke to make him thus publike, and to propo&s;e the holine&s;s of his life, and comforts in death, for the direction and con&s;olation of tho&s;e, who&s;e faces are &s;et towards <HI>Sion,</HI> and to whom this ac|count of him &s;hall come.</P>
<P N="5">5. That God may have the glory of what he had done in him in a way of gracious di&s;coveries and manife&s;tations, of what he had done for him in a way of clear providences, and encou|raging di&s;pen&s;ations, of what he had done by him in giving &s;ucce&s;s unto his labours, and letting him &s;ee the travel of his &s;oul, to his no &s;mall &s;olace and &s;atisfaction.</P>
<P N="6">6. That the Name of &s;uch a Plea&s;ant Plant, and fruitful Bough might be pre&s;erved fre&s;h&punc; green and verdant in the me|mories of Gods people, e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ough him&s;elf be withe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed, lopt off by the hand of death, and fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> a while laid in the du&s;t.</P>
<P>As <HI>Abel,</HI> &s;o other Saints, though dead, may yet &s;peak, and be
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made known. And O what a glorious thing is it, when departed &s;ouls are lodged in <HI>Abrahams</HI> bli&s;sful bo&s;om, and dead bodies intombed in living Sepulchres, &s;ending forth a &s;weet and refre&s;h|ing &s;avour into the no&s;trils of &s;urviving friends! A flower may &s;mell &s;weet after it is cropt, and a way made for the Sun to &s;hine after it is &s;et.</P>
<P>Mr. <HI>John Murcot,</HI> (the Hi&s;tory of who&s;e life is now to be related) was born in the antient Town of <HI>Warwick,</HI> of Pa|rents con&s;iderable for their Extraction, more for their &s;hining and pious conver&s;ation.</P>
<P>His Fathers name <HI>Job Murcot,</HI> who applyed him&s;elf to the &s;tudy of the Law, which brought him in a competent and com|fortable &s;ub&s;i&s;tence, though &s;ince humbled by the calamitous inconveniences of the&s;e di&s;tracted times, who&s;e various revolu|tions have occa&s;ioned a wa&s;ting and undoing unto many.</P>
<P>His mothers name before her marriage with his Father, was <HI>Joan Town&s;end,</HI> of rai&s;ed parts, and eminent piety, the happy mother of an hopeful &s;on, the renowned Root from whence apppeared and &s;prouted up this fair and flouri&s;hing Branch, planted by the Rivers of water, who brought forth his fruit in his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ea&s;on, his leaves did not wither, and what&s;oever he did, the Lord made it to pro&s;per.</P>
<P>His Parents were con&s;cientiou&s;ly careful of his education, made it their bu&s;ine&s;s to &s;ea&s;on him with &s;ound and &s;olid Prin|ciples in his young and tender years, which he greedily &s;uckt in, as having an early thir&s;t after God; and he, who er&s;t while hung on his Mothers brea&s;t for milk, now hangs on her lips for in&s;tru|ction.</P>
<P>His Parents perceiving in this their young <HI>Timothy</HI> an ardent de&s;ire to be intimately acquainted with the Scriptures, and in order thereunto, with Academical learning were very prone to contribute their endeavours towards the ripening of the&s;e hopeful Buddings and promi&s;ing Beginnings, and therefore in the fir&s;t place committed him to the care and tuition of an able and godly School-ma&s;ter, Mr. <HI>Dugard,</HI> who in&s;tilled in&s;tructi|on both with his lips and life, de&s;irous to make him not only a Scholar, but a Chri&s;tian; Its hard to &s;ay <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> which was more di|ligent, and indu&s;trious, the Ma&s;ter in teaching, or the Scholar in learning. Time was not mi&s;pent and prodigally expended
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in the eager pur&s;uite of childi&s;h vanities; he ran at his fir&s;t &s;et|ing out, and did not lazily loiter when he &s;hould be minding his work; yea, when other boyes would be &s;porting and playing, he would be &s;tudiou&s;ly retired, &s;olitarine&s;s and meditation being unto him in&s;tead of recreation.</P>
<P>Being competently furni&s;hed for the Univer&s;ity, his Father &s;ent him to Oxford, where he continued his former diligence in his &s;tudies, under the conduct and over&s;ight of Mr. <HI>Button,</HI> his faithful and religious&punc; Tutor in <HI>Merton</HI> Colledge. About two years after his thriving abode there, the Kings Forces po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed them&s;elves of <HI>Oxford,</HI> put all things into an hurry, and ingaged the &s;tudents in &s;uch perplexing &s;nares, that Mr. <HI>Murcot,</HI> to di&s;|intangle him&s;elf out of the&s;e uncouth inconveniences, fled from <HI>Oxford</HI> di&s;gui&s;ed, and repaired to the Hou&s;e of Mr. <HI>Leigh</HI> of <HI>Budworth,</HI> an antient, grave, able and learned man, and Mini&s;ter of that place; and there &s;tudied hard both day and night, al|lowing him&s;elf but four hours for &s;leep, &s;o intent was he upon his Book, and &s;o wholly taken up with religious Exerci&s;es. The cloud being blown over, he repaired the &s;econd time to the Univer&s;ity, and his former diligence which cau&s;ed the eyes of many to fix and fa&s;ten on him, as perceiving &s;omething more then ordinary in him, and expecting more than ordinary from him. Though means and maintenance were now very &s;hort, yet it did not di&s;courage and cau&s;e him to de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;t. he did not unbend the Bow and &s;lacken the &s;tring he &s;till &s;tood an end to his Oar, and with wonted diligence pro&s;ecuted his &s;tudies, it being his meat and his drink to do his Fathers will. Having taken his de|gree, he returned to his old friend Mr. <HI>Leigh,</HI> and was &s;everal waies u&s;eful to him, who now called upon him to appear in publike, which he did not without much fear, and trembling, as being con&s;cious to him&s;elf of his own inabilities for &s;o pon|derous an employment, and loth to put to his &s;houlders, le&s;t he &s;hould &s;ink under the burden. But being pre&s;&s;ed and egged on by his friends and a Call from the Inhabitants of <HI>A&s;hbury,</HI> he entred into the Lords Vineyard, put his hand unto the Plough, and was ordained a Mini&s;ter at <HI>Manche&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"></HI> He profe&s;&s;ed (to u&s;e his own words) that he was drawn as a Bear to the &s;take, <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">How &s;park|ling is know|ledge, when &s;et off with the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">oll of a mode&s;t &s;elf depre&s;sion? Ignorance checkered with Impudence, is all the &s;tock that many confident Predicants &s;et up withall.</NOTE> com|plaining,
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and often bewailing his want of a &s;ufficient &s;tock of Univer&s;ity learning.</P>
<P>The Lord was plea&s;ed to own him in his fir&s;t attempts and endeavours, giving him a &s;eal unto his Mini&s;try, by the conver&s;i|on of two e&s;pecially, who being awakened by his &s;ound Do|ctrine, &s;mart expre&s;sion, and powerful delivery, &s;adly bemoaned them&s;elves and mourned over their lo&s;t condition, even in publike.</P>
<P>From <HI>A&s;hbury</HI> (a call being cleared up) he removed to <HI>Ea&s;tham</HI> in <HI>Woral,</HI> and gained mightily upon the affections of many, e&s;pe|cially&punc; the godly, who&s;e hearts began betimes to be knit unto him, and here likewi&s;e the Lord was plea&s;ed to water his labours with the dew of his ble&s;sing.</P>
<P>But me thinks I &s;ee a black cloud ari&s;ing; this bright &s;tar, who &s;hined full clearly, and comfortably unto others, is now him&s;elf eclip&s;ed, and He, who was a skilful Pilot to direct others through the &s;plitting Rocks and &s;wallowing Gulphs, is now him&s;elf plunged into the great deep; the Lord per&s;ecutes him with his tempe&s;t, and makes him afraid with his &s;torm, all his waves, and his billows go over him. But what might be the oc|ca&s;ion of &s;o &s;ad a de&s;ertion? 1. <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">O the &s;tu|pendious &s;tu|pidity, and di&s;mal block|i&s;hne&s;s of tho&s;e, who ha|ving contract|ed the guilt of mo&s;t mon|&s;trous and abhorred vil|lanies, are yet as &s;en&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;s as &s;tocks, as hard as rocks, and complain not of any &s;tir|rings and gripes of con &s;cience!</NOTE> The folly and the vanity of his youth, though not &s;tained wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h irruptions into gro&s;&s;er evils. 2. His too far yielding at <HI>Oxford,</HI> with tho&s;e impo&s;itions, which grate upon con&s;cience and &s;courge it with &s;evere remor&s;e. 3 The Lord would hereby ripen him, and make him the more fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> for him&s;elf and &s;ervice. He mu&s;t be fro&s;t-bitten, that &s;o he may be the more mellow, and his fruit of a more delicious ta&s;te.</P>
<P>There are no Preachers &s;o experimental, &s;piritual, powerful, couragious, awakening, convincing converting compa&s;sionate, comforting, as tho&s;e who have pa&s;&s;ed through the Pikes, and have been &s;orely bat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ered with &s;howers of Hail-&s;tones.</P>
<P>There are none &s;o expert at binding up the broken bones, as tho&s;e who have been broken upon the wheel, and made to roar out by rea&s;on of the di&s;quietne&s;s of their hearts.</P>
<P>They know how to &s;peak a word in &s;ea&s;on unto him that is weary, who have them&s;elves been weary and heavy laden, &s;ighing full &s;adly, and groaning full heavily under the cold, hill, clouding and cutting expre&s;sions of Gods di&s;plea&s;ure.
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They know how to &s;peak peace unto di&s;tre&s;&s;ed con&s;ciences, who have them&s;elves been &s;oundly frighted with the &s;ounding of the Trumpet, and the Alarm of War.</P>
<P>There are no Trees &s;o firmly rooted, as tho&s;e that have been &s;orely &s;haken, and made to bow and bend with the &s;tormy wind and tempe&s;t of the wrath of the Almighty. The &s;cales many times &s;tick &s;o clo&s;e even unto the Seers eyes, that they will not be rub'd off but with a rough hand, and a &s;harp file.</P>
<P>But will the Lord contend for ever, will he be alwaies wroth? <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 57. 16.</NOTE> Surely no, and that le&s;t the &s;pirits &s;hould fail before him, and the &s;ouls that he hath made. There is a lifting up after a ca&s;ting down. The Lord turns for him his mourning into dancing, gives unto him beauty for a&s;hes, and the garment of prai&s;e for the &s;pirit of heavine&s;s, and with a &s;oft hand wipes away the tears from his &s;woln eyes.</P>
<P>The in&s;trumental means of &s;cattering the darkne&s;s and di&s;tre&s;s that lay upon him and of re&s;toring the former beams of light, with which he was wont to be refre&s;hed, were the reading of Mr <HI>Tho. Goodwins Child of Light walking in darkne&s;s,</HI> and other of his Treati&s;es: So that now we have the Lord &s;hining on him in a way of con&s;olation, as he on others in a way of in&s;truction, and information.</P>
<P>About the 25. year of his age, being re&s;olved to change his condition, and di&s;cour&s;ing with a friend about it, there was pro|po&s;ed unto him <HI>He&s;ter,</HI> the daughter of Mr. <HI>Ralph Mar&s;den,</HI> (Mini&s;ter of <HI>We&s;t-kerby,</HI> of note, and u&s;eful in his generati|on) whom he afterwards took to him to be the companion of his life.</P>
<P>But before the con&s;ummation of the marriage, the people of <HI>We&s;t-kerby,</HI> (Mr. <HI>Mar&s;den</HI> departing this life) gave him a call, which upon examination and &s;upplication, being found to be of God, was complied with.</P>
<P>The &s;eed of Go&s;pel: coun&s;els being &s;own with a diligent hand, did not long lie buried under the clods, but &s;prang up, and put forth it &s;elf in vi&s;ible fruit, wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ch was a farther clearing of the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">all, and chearing of the heart of this pains-taking Husband-man.</P>
<P>Its no new thing for external and bitter afflictions to accom|pany the &s;weet honey of Go&s;pel-con&s;olations. How often do
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da&s;hing &s;howers fall upon mellifluous Hives, and the faire&s;t flowers that grow in Gods Garden? How often are the labouring bees a&s;&s;aulted with a tempe&s;t while&s;t abroad, and bringing home provi&s;ions again&s;t the en&s;uing winter? What more u&s;ual then Sun-&s;hines, mixed with blu&s;tring winds, and wetting rains?</P>
<P>Two Villages of the Pari&s;h of <HI>We&s;t-kerby</HI> are &s;orely vi&s;ited <NOTE PLACE="marg">So &s;parks fly over from <HI>Dublin.</HI></NOTE> with the Pe&s;tilence, and the Lord &s;catters abroad the black to|kens of his di&s;plea&s;ure, the product of which was many fa&s;ts, tears, prayers, importunate reque&s;ts, that the Lord would &s;hew unto his people, why he thus contended with them.</P>
<P>Mr. <HI>Murcot</HI> hath his ears opened to in&s;truction. This thundering Providence awakens him to a more exact &s;crutinie, and narrower &s;earch into his heart and waies, and is now per|&s;waded that he had been too lax and general in the admini&s;tra|tion of the &s;ealing-Ordinances, &s;o that he re&s;olves to forbear, and draw back his hand unle&s;s the known godly will combine, which occa&s;ioned many Fa&s;ts, Conferences, Debates: How|ever he per&s;everes in preaching work, and waits on Provi|dence, to &s;ee how the Lord will di&s;po&s;e and encline the peoples hearts.</P>
<P>An Iri&s;h Lord quartering at <HI>We&s;t-kerby,</HI> being bound for <HI>Ireland,</HI> was ob&s;erved to be a prodigious &s;wearer, belching out <NOTE PLACE="marg">Zeal.</NOTE> mo&s;t horrid Oaths in great abundance. Tidings are brought to Mr. <HI>Murcot</HI> in the morning as he is going to celebrate a &s;olemn Fa&s;t. The work of the day being over, Mr. <HI>Murcot</HI> being late|ly with God in the Mount, and now grown warm in his cau&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ex. 32. 19.</NOTE> and quarrel, is impatient of brooking the&s;e high di&s;honours that were done unto his Maje&s;ty. Wherefore taking with him a friend he rides the &s;ame night &s;ix miles to a Magi&s;trate, pro|cures a Warrant; the trembling Con&s;tables at fir&s;t are a&s;toni&s;h|ed to think of approaching in &s;uch a way to guilty greatne&s;s; but being animated by Mr. <HI>Murcot,</HI> they &s;erve their Warrant, which provoked a new rage to the multiplying of fre&s;h oaths, even without number, to the great amazement of the &s;tanders by. Notwith&s;tanding the boi&s;terous menaces, and outrage of this great man, his hor&s;es were &s;eized on, and kept, till he paid 20 which was employed as a &s;tock for the poor of the Pari&s;h, &s;o wickedly liberal was this Lord unto them. This ex|emplary Act of Ju&s;tice procured and pro&s;ecuted by Mr. <HI>Mur|col's</HI>
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active zeal, &s;o danted and overawed his Lord&s;hip, that du|ring his abode there, he held his mouth and tongue, as it were with bit and bridle.</P>
<P>The pr&s;ence of a &s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> puni&s;hing Magi&s;trate hath in it a co-er|cive and re&s;training vertue, &s;o that the mo&s;t debanched and pro|fligate &s;ons of <HI>Belial</HI> are afraid, and confined with n &s;ome bounds of moderation; who, if remote, and at a di&s;tance, they lift up their heads with a mighty confidence, and finding the reins lye loo&s;e upon their &s;houlders, ru&s;h into all manner of wickedne&s;s, as the Hor&s;e ru&s;heth <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nto the battle. Mr. <HI>Murcot</HI> wanted the advantage of a Mag&s;trate upon the place, had no other &s;word to fight withal &s;ave that of the Spirit, yet &s;uch was his Integrity, Gravity, Au&s;terity, and his Activity in informing and exciting Mag&s;trates to puni&s;h Offenders impartially, that the people round about him had an awe and dread of him, and dur&s;t not la&s;h out into publike, extravagant, &s;candalous cour&s;es.</P>
<P>Great re&s;ort was had unto him to heal the Breaches and com|po&s;e the differences betwixt di&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">enting and di&s;agreeing Brethren; which grateful and acceptable work, did exceedingly heighten him in the peoples e&s;teem, and pre&s;erved them from greater animo&s;ities, and di&s;tances, by going to Law. If the Peace|makers be pronounced ble&s;&s;ed, he mu&s;t needs be &s;o upon this account. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 9.</NOTE></P>
<P>It was a common Practi&s;e in tho&s;e parts; to have Ales, as they called them, <HI>alias</HI> Good-fellow meetings, in which the night was con&s;umed in rioting and drunkenne&s;s: the creatures abu&s;ed, God mo&s;t &s;hamefully di&s;honoured, and men and women there met together, drawn into &s;ingular inconveniences, which di&s;orders were a &s;word in the bones, and a &s;harp thorn in the tender eye of this waking watchman.</P>
<P>One revelling night, he and a godly neighbour <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Cap.</HI> John|&s;on.</NOTE> went to the Con&s;tables, ingage their a&s;si&s;tance, advance, and before them entred the hou&s;e, or rather the den of Dragons, at who&s;e approach and pre&s;ence, the rabble rout &s;catters like a mi&s;t be|fore the ri&s;ing Sun. Some run affrighted out of doors, and leave their! Ale behind them, others hide in &s;ecret places: The flight was &s;o full of confu&s;ion, you would have thought it occa&s;ioned by the incur&s;ion of an enemy, and that their
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lives were rather invaded, then their Pur&s;es and Reputa|tions.</P>
<P>One onely of the company a&s;&s;umes the confidence to &s;tand it out, and having a brow of bra&s;s, thinks to out-face both &s;acred <NOTE PLACE="marg">W. Fi&s;her.</NOTE> and civil Officers, and &s;aith, Shall I fear <HI>Murcot?</HI> Calls for more beer, and in a bravado drinks to him, who pledg'd him with a &s;tern &s;ilence, and frowning a&s;pect. The names of the Ring|leaders and Capital Offenders are returned to the Ju&s;tices, and they con&s;trained to pay their impo&s;ed fines.</P>
<P>But did this &s;on of impudence (who dares thus affront Gods Mini&s;ter) thus e&s;cape? Though the &s;ickne&s;s at that time was comfortably abated, and the family to which he related, not in the lea&s;t tainted, yet, this man is very &s;hortly after vi&s;ited, and by that &s;ignal &s;troak from the hand of the Lord, hurried out of the Land of the living.</P>
<P>The following Sabbath Mr. <HI>Murcot</HI> cho&s;e a &s;ubject to treat on, &s;uitable to the preceding tumultnary agitations and tran&s;a|ctions, laid before them the blackne&s;s of guilt contracted, and the dreadfulne&s;s of wrath de&s;erved, (their fines being but part of payment, and an earne&s;t-penny of an after-reckoning) and was &s;o &s;evere and cutting in his Rebukes, that they cau&s;ed in the Congregation &s;trong pangs of affection, and unwonted tran&s;por|tations. The guilty &s;hrink down into their &s;eats, like affrighted birds into their hollow trees: many melted into tears of profe&s;&s;ed repentance.</P>
<P>A maid, by her ga&s;tly countenance and trembling hands, gave cau&s;e to think, that the arrow of conviction was &s;hot through her liver, and &s;tuck fa&s;t in her &s;ides; and indeed &s;o it did, and pro|ved the happy occa&s;ion of her after-conver&s;ion.</P>
<P>Being &s;till un&s;atisfied with the pre&s;ent con&s;titution of his Con|gregation, he had &s;everal meetings with the people, and plainly told them, that he could not live without the Ordinances; nor admini&s;ter them as formerly: to which &s;ome (unwilling to be brought to the Te&s;t, and new-moulded) replyed, that he might then take his liberty, and be gone: Yet the godly are loth to part with him, and he as loth to part with them; but an amicable accord cannot be accompli&s;hed, and therefore he re&s;olves to weigh anchor, and &s;pread his &s;ails to the leading gale of Provi|dence.</P>
<PB N="8" REF="22">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="9" REF="22">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" EXTENT="1 page">
<P><PB N="10" REF="23">
An invitation from <HI>Bellfa&s;t,</HI> in the North of <HI>Ireland,</HI> under many hands, as al&s;o from <HI>Dublin,</HI> from the Commi&s;&s;ioners of Parliament, urgeth him to a removal, and draws forth &s;erious con|&s;iderations of the matter, whether it might not be of God, and con&s;equently to be followed with an ob&s;equious pro&s;ecu|tion.</P>
<P>A company of godly per&s;ons live in a Pari&s;h, who are de&s;irous to enjoy the Oridinances appointed by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to be ob&s;er|ved by his people, thereby providing for their comfortable growth (while under imperfection,) being convinced that the years pa&s;t wherein they have lived without them, are more then &s;ufficient, and fearing the guilt of &s;inful neglect doth already lie upon them: But yet are not &s;atisfied to hold Communion in them with &s;uch a promi&s;cuous A&s;&s;embly, but only with a &s;mall number in compari&s;on: the mo&s;t being &s;uch as they &s;ee not how they can be admitted by any rule of Chri&s;t; for the Mini|&s;ters &s;ub&s;i&s;tence there is al&s;o a particular dependance upon every one in the Pari&s;h: And having good ground (from an earne&s;t of the Spirits of the mo&s;t of the Pari&s;h, already much di&s;reli&s;h|ing any &s;eparation of them as the vile from the precious, and from experience of mo&s;t &s;ad, unutterable, and di&s;honourable breaches made by the like attemps el&s;ewhere) to conclude, that if all &s;uch as are unfit be deba<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">'d, they will be exa&s;perated, at lea&s;t &s;o far as to withdraw the maintenance; and &s;uch as are fit, will be found too few to afford comfortable &s;ub&s;i&s;tence to the Mini&s;ter: and therefore if they &s;hould attempt to enjoy the Ordinances in &s;uch a manner, in &s;uch a place, it would in all probability pro|cure a &s;udden di&s;&s;olution of them, to the great di&s;honour of God, and triumphing of wicked men: The premi&s;es judiciou&s;ly and impartially weighed, the Que&s;tion is, Whether it be more &s;uit able to the mind of Chri&s;t for &s;uch godly per&s;ons to look out el&s;ewhere, where they may comfortably enjoy the&s;e indi&s;pen&s;|able appointments of Chri&s;t, or to run &s;o apparent and eminent an hazard of di&s;honour to Chri&s;t, by their &s;udden di&s;&s;olution up|on enjoyment of them in &s;uch a Pari&s;h.</P>
<P>Your judgement and &s;piritual grounds that mo&s;t poi&s;e your own &s;pirit are de&s;ired.</P>
<P><PB N="11" REF="23">
This bright &s;tar hath not long to &s;hine in that part of the Firmament, where he&punc; was at pre&s;ent fixed, yet before his de|parture, and transfu&s;ion of his Beams to the neighbouring Pro|vinces, there appears a formidable, and blazing Comet at <HI>Che&s;ter,</HI> one Mr, <HI>Knowls,</HI> who exerci&s;ed as publike Preacher to the Gar|ri&s;on there, and in publike Sermons, private conferences, and by a manu&s;cript by him framed, denyed Je&s;us Chri&s;t to be the mo&s;t high God. Several in the City, profe&s;&s;ing godline&s;s, are danger|ou&s;ly in&s;nared, and &s;wallow down that poi&s;on, which will turn to gall and worm-wood in their bowels. Mr. <HI>Marcot</HI> with others, e&s;pecially Mr. <HI>Eaton,</HI> labour to e&s;tabli&s;h the people in the truth received, and to pluck up that &s;tinking weed, which began to &s;pread and fa&s;ten its contagious roots. Upon complaint made, the flaming fire-brand is removed, yet left behind him tho&s;e unquencht &s;parks that break forth into fre&s;h flames.</P>
<P>Some godly in <HI>Che&s;ter</HI> being embodied, and wanting a Pa&s;tor to take the charge of them, expre&s;s their de&s;ires of enjoying Mr. <HI>Murcot,</HI> who is &s;ent unto, and reque&s;ted to preach among them by way of trial, and in order to his future e&s;tabli&s;hment, but withal, intreated not to intermeddle in the pre&s;ent Contro|ver&s;ie, or engage again&s;t Mr. <HI>Knowls,</HI> le&s;t his &s;ettlement &s;hould be ob&s;tructed, and the de&s;ires of the godly fru&s;tra|ted.</P>
<P>Yet &s;uch was his zeal for God, and love to the truth, &amp; &s;o tran|&s;cending his own private concernments, and the re&s;pects of men, that preaching on that Text, <HI>Thou knowe&s;t all things, &amp;c.</HI> he vin|dicated the Deity of Chri&s;t from tho&s;e vile a&s;per&s;ions, and ab|horred <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 21. 17.</NOTE> calumniations that were ca&s;t upon it, and by the dint of argument, battered down the bla&s;phemous &s;ugge&s;tions of contra|dicting Gain-&s;ayers, to the exa&s;peration of tho&s;e that were tainted, and not as yet convinced of the errour embra|ced.</P>
<P>The day that he preached, Captain <HI>Whitworth</HI> invited him to dinner; &s;ome conte&s;ts aro&s;e by rea&s;on of his preceding &s;mart di&s;cour&s;e, in&s;omuch that one in a fury and di&s;content ro&s;e up from the table, and reproachfully reviled him with the unbe&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">m|ing expre&s;&s;ion of fooli&s;h and ignorant. Mr. <HI>Murcot</HI> in obedi|ence to Scripture command; doth not render reviling for revile|ing, but &s;eriou&s;ly, and &s;adly &s;aid, I am &s;o; but as for you, the Lord
<PB N="12" REF="24">
give you an humble frame, which meek and mild an&s;wer &s;o far convinced and &s;ilenced his Adver&s;ary, that he quietly &s;ate down at the Table again.</P>
<P>The&s;e har&s;h Ocurrences; and uncomfortable incounters, put a period to all Overtures concerning his removal to <HI>Che&s;ter,</HI> &s;o that now he &s;aith, I will be gone to <HI>Ireland.</HI> I cannot live without the Ordinances at <HI>We&s;t-kerby,</HI> nor like a <HI>Salamander</HI> in the fire at <HI>Che&s;ter.</HI></P>
<P>His debate concerning a tranfretation to <HI>Ireland,</HI> is now ripe|ned in to a re&s;olution. Wherefore, taking his leave of his people, he imbarques him&s;elf in a &s;mall ve&s;&s;el, though others of con&s;ider|able For<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e and Burden pre&s;ented, the rather, becau&s;e &s;he was bound directly for <HI>Dublin,</HI> when others intended to make an halt at the Ile of Man, which was now to be a&s;&s;aulted, and in order thereunto, a Fleet, and &s;ouldiers prepared.</P>
<P>Being near Holy-Head, the wind, though not contrary, be|gan to ari&s;e and grow impetuous, and was but a degree below a down-right &s;torm; &s;o that the ma&s;ter thought it mo&s;t&punc; conveni|ent to ca&s;t Anchor under the &s;helter of a rocky Iland, till the force of the wind &s;hould be &s;omewhat abated. Mr. <HI>Murcot</HI> is de&s;ired by &s;ome godly Pa&s;&s;engers, to pre&s;ent their condition be|fore that God in prayer, who is the Hope of the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the Sea, which he did, with inlarged affections and de&s;ired &s;ucce&s;s. The wind is pre&s;ent|ly confined and made a Pri&s;oner to Omnipotency, and no won|der; A more g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ateful Gale comes blowing into Gods bo&s;om, from the Region of a devout heart.</P>
<P><NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Though the Ocean bubble and boyl like a pot, yet the falling tears, of con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ite, &s;elf-condemn|ing Chri&s;tians do &s;uddenly a&s;&s;wage the Seas ri&s;ing roughne&s;s, and check its mu|tinous, and menacing motions.</NOTE> The groaning Gu&s;ts and &s;welling Surges are hu&s;ht into &s;i|lence and calmne&s;s, when once the &s;oft, and &s;weet breathings of the Spirit approach the ears of the Holy one of <HI>I&s;rael.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Jonah</HI>'s prayer was a line to pluck him up out of the deep; Mr. <HI>Murcots,</HI> a bladder to keep him, and many others from &s;ink|ing into it.</P>
<P>The night coming on, it was re&s;olved to put to Sea, hoping by the morning-light, they would be near the Bar&punc; of <HI>Dublin,</HI> and by this means be &s;ecure from tho&s;e Piratical Rovers, who were now abroad, and much infe&s;ted the Coa&s;t.</P>
<P>As they are thru&s;ting into the <HI>Bay</HI> of <HI>Dublin,</HI> a &s;hip is e&s;pied near the head of <HI>Hoath,</HI> and not without cau&s;e &s;u&s;pected to be
<PB N="13" REF="24">
an enemy, for it pre&s;ently made towards them, and as they pre|pare to flie, their Rudder is unhanged, and they in danger of be|ing made a Prey, but diligence being u&s;ed, it is again fa&s;tened; and before the Adver&s;ary approach &s;o near, as to make them feel the force of his &s;harpened claws, he hath his Rudder al&s;o unhang|ed, which being &s;et to right again, the Lord took away his heart, that he cea&s;ed to pur&s;ue, and gave over the cha&s;e; and this he confe&s;&s;ed, being two daies after taken by a Man of War, belong|ing to the Parliament.</P>
<P>Drawing near to the Bar of <HI>Dublin,</HI> which as yet had not wa|ter enough to warrant a &s;afe pa&s;&s;age over it; a &s;mall ve&s;&s;el which was there at Anchor weighs, as fearing a &s;urpri&s;al, and flies, when none pur&s;ues. Much of God will be &s;een by con&s;i|dering what this little bottom was, and in what condition its trembling Pa&s;&s;engers were. A ve&s;&s;el of four guns &s;et &s;ail from <HI>Lever-pool</HI> water the &s;ame tyde, with this Mr. <HI>Murcot</HI> was in, but did not ca&s;t Anchor at <HI>Holy-Head</HI> as &s;he did, but cho&s;e ra|ther to keep to Sea, by which means they fell into the hands of an hungry Pirate, who lay in wait to de&s;troy. Their four guns are not of force &s;ufficient to beat off the a&s;&s;aulting enemy. In the conte&s;t &s;ome powder is fired, &s;everal Pa&s;&s;engers are blown up into the air, and fall into the Sea, both Elements, as it were, con&s;piring their ruine, the one by &s;corching, and the other by &s;uffocation. Others are mi&s;erably wounded, rent, torn, mang|led, who being taken out, are put into this &s;mall ve&s;&s;el, which the Man of War had by him.</P>
<P>How free is that grace that &s;aves &s;ome, while&s;t others are de|&s;troyed; and keeps their feet from running into that &s;nare, in which others are intangled to their undoing?</P>
<P>The Lord hath more work for Mr. <HI>Murcet</HI> to do, and therefore he &s;hall not dye, but live, and declare the Name of the Lord.</P>
<P>Arriving at <HI>Dublin,</HI> he is ho&s;pitably and kindly entertained by Sir <HI>Robert King</HI> in his own hou&s;e, who conduced much towards his coming over.</P>
<P>A while after, ob&s;erving with a &s;trict eye the Church at <HI>Dub|lin,</HI> and approving its &s;oundne&s;s in doctrine, and &s;everity in di&s;|cipline, he a&s;&s;ayed to joyn him&s;elf unto them, and was readily em|braced,
<PB N="14" REF="25">
they unanimou&s;ly and chearfully giving unto him the right hand of fellow&s;hip.</P>
<P>And now like a &s;lip placed in a rich &s;oil, he &s;prouted up apace, which appeared by a vi&s;ible increa&s;e of Gifts and Graces. His leaves were not only broad and beautiful, but his fruit was fair and full, and of proportionable dimen&s;ions. His Spikenard &s;ent forth the &s;mell thereof to the refre&s;hing of many, and his &s;mell was as the &s;mell of a Field that the Lord had ble&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>Preaching on a Fa&s;t-day before the Commi&s;&s;ioners of Parlia|ment, he got cold, and by a dangerous Feavour was brought to the brink of the Pit. Being in a very great and ill-portending &s;weat, his Phy&s;itians gave him over, as thinking that his life and &s;weat would expire and cea&s;e together, but the Lord had mercy on him, and therein on many others, e&s;pecially his ab&s;ent wife, who was not yet come to him. The means of his Recovery this: His Nur&s;e &s;eeing him in &s;uch a deplorable condition, re&s;olved to try her skill, and commit the &s;ucce&s;s unto God; wherefore mingling &s;ome Sack with his broth, &s;he gave it him to drink, with which his wa&s;ted &s;pirits are refre&s;hed, his &s;weat leaves him, and with it his di&s;ea&s;e.</P>
<P>The Commi&s;&s;ioners of Parliament having occa&s;ion to go into the We&s;t, take him along with them, as knowing that he would be of u&s;e to them, and to the &s;everal places through which they were to pa&s;s; and indeed &s;o he was, leaving a &s;weet &s;avour be|hind him upon the &s;pirits of many.</P>
<P>Being at <HI>Cork,</HI> his continuance and fixing there was de&s;ired and reque&s;ted, e&s;pecially by the godly, who afterwards employ|ing Mr. <HI>Walter Cooper</HI> (who&s;e affairs called him up to <HI>Dublin)</HI> by him made a &s;olemn addre&s;s to the Church, and importunate|ly intreated a &s;upply out of their &s;tore. The matter is debated, the Lord &s;ought in the thing, but no inclination appears of part|ing with him. But above all, Mr. <HI>Murcot</HI> addre&s;&s;eth him&s;elf in private to a more &s;erious and penetrating con&s;ideration of the matter. Some few of tho&s;e many particulars which he &s;pread before the Lord, and weighed in the Ballance of the San|ctuary, are here pre&s;ented, for the re&s;t are unhappily lo&s;t.</P>
<P><PB N="15" REF="25">
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label">Encouragements to continue &s;till at <HI>Dublin.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Di&s;couragements.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1. <HI>ENjoyment of the Ordi|nances.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>1. VN&s;uitablene&s;s for &s;o po|pulous a place, by rea|&s;on of his youth and weakne&s;s.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2. <HI>Plentiful conver&s;e with many fellow-Chri&s;tians, and their watchful eye over him, which being young he need|ed.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>2. Haply not having an inte|re&s;t in the affections of the Generality of Gods people.</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE></P>
<P><TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label">Encouragements to go to <HI>Cork.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Di&s;couragements.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>1. <HI>THeir great need and extream want.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>1. WAnt of the Ordinan|ces there.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>2. <HI>Their ardent de&s;ire to en|joy him.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>2. &V;nfitne&s;s to engage in matters controver&s;al.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>3. <HI>The pre&s;&s;ing importu|nity of the Commi&s;&s;ion|ers.</HI></CELL>
<CELL>3. His heart not enclined af|ter &s;eeking God.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
<CELL>4. Want of &s;uch a Magi&s;tra|cy at <HI>Cork,</HI> as would publikely and profe&s;&s;edly own the waies and wor&s;hip of God, and back the Mini&s;try of the word by its Po|wer and Authority.</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE></P>
<P>In vain doth a Mini&s;ter preach up the morality of the Sab|bath, and the nece&s;&s;ity of a religious ob&s;ervance, if the Magi|&s;trate draw not forth the &s;word of Ju&s;tice, and &s;everely puni&s;h its prophane violators, who either lie lurking in blind corners, and &s;wine-like prefer a little na&s;ty puddle before the clear and cry&s;taline waters that-flow from under the thre&s;hold of the San|ctuary,
<PB N="16" REF="26">
or like &s;o many vagrants, and vagabonds in the earth, wander up and down the high-waies, and fields, being more de|lighted belike with the &s;inging of hedge-birds, then with the tinckling of their feet, who bring the glad tidings of peace.</P>
<P>What avails it to invade drunkards and &s;wearers with a whole &s;quadron of Scripture arguments, if a Magi&s;trate, &s;eeing and hearing their villanous outrage, be not pre&s;ently awakened and &s;tartled into an holy indignation, and unbended re&s;olution to make them &s;mart for their offences, and by this means pre&s;erve from future e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ormities?</P>
<P>Its &s;ad, when a Ju&s;tice of Peace &s;hall take his denomination from holding his peace, when he &s;hould &s;peak and plead for God, and from being at peace with &s;in, and &s;inners, who&s;e whori&s;h foreheads, and brazen brows &s;hould be battered into a more mo|de&s;t &s;oftne&s;s, and who&s;e unruly hands and feet &s;hould be bound and hampered with the cords of the Law?</P>
<P>O, that <HI>P&s;alm</HI> 101. might be &s;eriou&s;ly peru&s;ed, and con&s;cien|ciou&s;ly practi&s;ed by men in power. I might then expect the &s;a|vour, and face of Religion in tho&s;e Places that are now over-grown with unbounded Barbari&s;m, and rooted Prophane|ne&s;s.</P>
<P>The re&s;ult of all is briefly this, a Re&s;olution to continue &s;till at <HI>Dublin,</HI> unle&s;s taken off by a clearer Call then this.</P>
<P>Some time after <HI>Jo&s;eph Eyres</HI> came out of <HI>England</HI> to <HI>Youghall</HI> upon the account of his own per&s;onal concernments, and ro&s;ol|ved after the expiration of &s;ome moneths to return to <HI>London,</HI> but preaching occa&s;ionally at <HI>Cork,</HI> the inhabitants de&s;ire his &s;tay and exerci&s;e of his Mini&s;try among&s;t them, and &s;o much the rather, becau&s;e at that time the Mini&s;ters of the County of <HI>Cork</HI> were generally articled again&s;t. A Petition was pre&s;ented to the Authority there, which to the &s;adning of the &s;ouls of the righteous, met not with a de&s;ired compliance. However Mr. <HI>Eyres</HI> was ingaged to continue there, till addre&s;&s;es &s;hould be made to the &s;uperiour powers at <HI>Dublin.</HI></P>
<P>In order hereunto, a Fa&s;t is appointed, Dr. <HI>Worth,</HI> Mr. <HI>Hac|ket,</HI> and Mr. <HI>Eyres</HI> preached and prayed, the product of which was, an unanimous Re&s;olution in the people to &s;end Mr. <HI>Mark Taylor,</HI> (a man of known integrity, zeal for God, and love to
<PB N="17" REF="26">
the Truth) to <HI>Dublin,</HI> with a Petition to the Commi&s;&s;ioners of Parliament, the tenour of which was an humble reque&s;t, that they might have Mr. <HI>Murcot</HI> and Mr. <HI>Eyres</HI> &s;ettled among&s;t them. The Commi&s;&s;ioners are more inclinable to Mr <HI>Murcots</HI> removal then the Inhabitants of <HI>Dublin,</HI> who are loath to part with a clear and &s;teady light in times of di&s;traction, confu&s;ion, and doleful defection from the Truth. Wherefore the City Peti|tions the Authority for his &s;tay, yet are willing to &s;pare him for two moneths; &s;o that Mr. <HI>Taylor</HI> hath his company down to <HI>Cork,</HI> and the people of that and other places the benefit of his Mini&s;try; who&s;e doctrine dropping as the rain, and di&s;tilling as the dew, cau&s;ed a greenne&s;s, and verdure to appear upon &s;ome parched mountains of Pride, Vanity, Prophanne&s;s, and a Re|flouri&s;hing in &s;uch precious plants, as were now in a langui&s;hing condition, for want of the&s;e refre&s;hing &s;howers, which after a time of drought, were the more welcome to them, and the more fruitfully improved by them.</P>
<P>During the time of his abode at <HI>Cork,</HI> and vi&s;ible &s;ucce&s;s there, an unhappy Accident fell out, whereby the minds of the attentive people, (who now began to look about them, and to mind the things belonging unto their peace) were wofully di&s;tracted, and the free progre&s;s and pa&s;&s;age of the Go&s;pel im|peded, and that was his engagement with Dr. <HI>Harding</HI> about Infant-Bapti&s;m, an account whereof take under his own hand, &s;ent in a letter to a friend in <HI>Dublin.</HI></P>
<Q><TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="discourse">
<PB N="18" REF="27">
<HEAD>A brief Narrative of the di&s;cour&s;e between Dr. <HI>Harding,</HI> and Dr. <HI>Worth,</HI> and my &s;elf, and the occa&s;ion thereof.</HEAD>
<P><HI>FOrmerly. Dr.</HI> Worth <HI>and &s;ome others, had a conference with Dr.</HI> Harding <HI>and &s;ome others touching infants Bapti&s;m, and being not &s;atisfied herewith, Dr.</HI> Harding <HI>did provoke Dr.</HI> Worth <HI>to a further debate about it. And to omit many other pa&s;&s;ages not worth the mentioning, &V;pon</HI> Thur&s;day, May' 19. <HI>after my Sermon at</HI> Peters, <HI>Dr.</HI> Harding <HI>publikely produced a Que&s;tion, (which before he had &s;ent to Dr.</HI> Worth) <HI>and bore the people in hand; he was willing to di&s;pute it with Dr.</HI> Worth, <HI>and that Dr.</HI> Worth <HI>was unwilling; though indeed the Que&s;tion was &s;uch a confu&s;ed heap, that it is no wonder if neither Dr.</HI> Worth, <HI>nor any other rational man would undertake it:</HI> viz. <HI>Whether the practi&s;e of Dr.</HI> Worth <HI>and other pretended Mini&s;ters of Je&s;us Chri&s;t in</HI> England, Scot|land <HI>and</HI> Ireland, <HI>in &s;prinkling of Infants, were according to the mind of Chri&s;t, and &s;o be proved and approved by the Primitive Churches; or to this purpo&s;e I am &s;ure for all the &s;ub&s;tantials of it. If Dr.</HI> Worth <HI>undertake this, then every rational man &s;ees; what confu&s;ion he is involved in; if not, then the people mu&s;t believe he de|clines di&s;puting with him. It is doubtful Dr.</HI> Harding <HI>did not much matter which way it had gone, he had his ends either way. I conceive Dr.</HI> Worth <HI>declined his Que&s;tion as &s;tated by him&s;elf, and offered to di&s;pute upon either of the&s;e two:</HI> viz. 1. <HI>Whether any Infants ought to be baptized, holding the Affirmative. 2. Whe|ther per&s;ons duly baptized in infancy, ought to be rebaptized, when adult, holding the Negative. Dr.</HI> Harding <HI>refu&s;ed both, and no|thing would &s;erve him but his confu&s;ed heap of Que&s;tions in one; A known fallacy. After much conte&s;t</HI> Pro <HI>and</HI> Con: <HI>I was griev|ed to &s;ee &s;o little Candor, as I conceived in Dr.</HI> Harding, <HI>and took the boldne&s;s to reque&s;t of him to &s;atisfie the Congregation; that to the fir&s;t of the two, he would &s;ay I or no. When Dr.</HI> Worth <HI>pre&s;t him to it many times, he would not an&s;wer, no &s;ooner had I &s;poken, but he &s;aid, To Mr.</HI> Murcot <HI>he would &s;ay No, that is, That no in|fants
<PB N="19" REF="27">
were to be baptized; And to &s;atisfie the Congregation, would maintain it again&s;t me&punc; though not again&s;t him. This much troubled me, it being &s;o be&s;ide my intention, and again&s;t my re&s;olution, to turn a&s;ide from the main work to any thing of this nature; And indeed it did, I doubt, (through the &s;ubtilty of the wicked one) put that Sermon put of the Peoples minds, and prevent them of another the next week; I did long refu&s;e it, telling him, He did but now chal|lenge all men, and why not undertake Dr.</HI> Worth <HI>as well as me, except he fought for Victory more then Truth? but at la&s;t I yielded to undertake it, with Dr.</HI> Worth, <HI>though I mu&s;t be the Forlorn&punc; The next</HI> Thur&s;day, <HI>that is,</HI> May 26. <HI>as I remember, was &s;et for it, the Que&s;tion was agreed upon then a week before, and the manner of managing it, by way of Syllogi&s;m, not long di&s;cour&s;es, which lead peo|ple into a maze. The time came, and yet (notwith&s;tanding former agreements in the face of the Congregation) there was &s;o little can|dor &s;hewed, as that two hours I am confident were &s;pent before I could bring him to agree to the Que&s;tion and manner of di&s;co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r&s;ing it; A &s;ad Omen what the i&s;&s;ue was like to be! All that he urged for the Negative (which according to promi&s;e, at la&s;t I prevailed with him to defend) was, That there was no Command or Example; or thus, No In&s;titution, Warrant nor Example for it in the Go&s;pel;</HI> ergo, <HI>It was an&s;wered, There was expre&s;s warrant for Bapti&s;m in the Go&s;pel, and con&s;equential warrant for the circum&s;tance of time, the age of the &s;ubject. After a cavil (rather then an Arg<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|ment) that for the time, it mu&s;t be in the womb, or after Birth, and then before the eighth day, or upon it, or after it, which were as ea&s;ily an&s;wered as &s;aid; the re&s;ult was, he denyed my con&s;equential Go&s;pel-Warrant for the time, and truly this was all he had to &s;ay again&s;t us there.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Now I was put to prove a con&s;equential Warrant for Infants Bap|ti&s;m from the Go&s;pel, I fir&s;t laid down,</HI> Mat. 28. 19. <HI>to argue from a Scripture, &amp; argued that from thence there was warrant to baptize all Di&s;ciples what&s;oever, and Infants were Di&s;ciples.</HI> Ergo. <HI>I put not the Arguments in form in this Narrative: much cavilling there was about Di&s;cipling; He would have it only &s;uch Di&s;ciples as could learn, and that Infants were not made Di&s;ciples according to</HI> Mat. 28. <HI>Dr.</HI> Worth <HI>urged according to that before, if the word there <GAP DESC="foreign">, &s;ignifie all Di&s;ciples what&s;oever, then Infants are &s;uch as are there intended, but the former is true;</HI> Ergo. <HI>Here Mr.</HI> Hacket
<PB N="20" REF="28">
<HI>unadvi&s;edly tore a piece of the paper upon which the Arguments were written, thinking he had torn off only a Syllogi&s;m of his own which he had written, not willing to appear in the di&s;pute in writ|ing; it &s;eems &s;ome little of Dr.</HI> Hardings <HI>writing was on the other &s;ide, or of mine, which Mr.</HI> Hacket <HI>&s;aw not, el&s;e I believe he would not have torn it. At this the Dr. takes occa&s;ion to break off, crying out of Perfidiou&s;ne&s;s, which the Lord knows, was nothing but an Ignorance; I am &s;ure to me it was &s;o.</HI></P>
<P><HI>He knew the be&s;t time to give over, even before we came to the pitch of the Controver&s;ie, &s;o the people went away as much un&s;ati&s;|fied as they came, except it were of the want of ingenuity in carry|ing of it on. I am &s;ure, I was not a little troubled we &s;hould tire our &s;elves and the people in &s;ix hours di&s;cour&s;e to &s;o little purpo&s;e; I hope it will be a warning to me for the future. The Dr. being full at &s;to|mack, the la&s;t Lords day in the morning at</HI> Peters <HI>names a Text,</HI> Heb. 6. <HI>beginning, laies it a&s;ide, in&s;tead of a Sermon, calls for ink and paper, writes down the following 13. Arguments for Infants Bapti&s;m, profe&s;sing (I &s;uppo&s;e, el&s;e I know not to what end he took that pains) to maintain the Negative again&s;t all the&s;e grounds; thus he entertained the Congregation he had, to the wearying of &s;ome of them, and &s;ent the paper, either to Dr.</HI> Worth, <HI>or in his ab&s;ence to me, but with no intimation to what end, as I remember, the Ar|guments are as followeth.</HI></P>
<LIST>
<HEAD>Paedobapti&s;. A&s;&s;ert.</HEAD>
<ITEM>1. Circumci&s;i &s;unt baptizandi.</ITEM>
<ITEM>At&mdash;g&ograve;</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Di&s;cipuli (<GAP DESC="foreign">) <HI>&amp;c.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>At&mdash;g&ograve;</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. <GAP DESC="foreign"> <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Oritic. S. 5.</NOTE> bapti|zandi.</ITEM>
<ITEM>At&mdash;g&ograve;</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Familiae&mdash;</ITEM>
<ITEM>At&mdash;g&ograve;</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. Sancti.</ITEM>
<ITEM>At&mdash;g&ograve;</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. Foederati.</ITEM>
<ITEM>At&mdash;g&ograve;</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. Sanctificati.</ITEM>
<ITEM>At&mdash;g&ograve;</ITEM>
<ITEM><PB N="21" REF="28">
8. Filii Dei.</ITEM>
<ITEM>At&mdash;g&ograve;</ITEM>
<ITEM>9. Chri&s;tiani.</ITEM>
<ITEM>At&mdash;g&ograve;</ITEM>
<ITEM>10. Haeredes Regni.</ITEM>
<ITEM>At&mdash;g&ograve;</ITEM>
<ITEM>11. Privilegiati, &s;eu privi|legio peculiari &s;upra caeteros; <HI>the next word I cannot read.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>At&mdash;g&ograve;</ITEM>
<ITEM>12. Traditio &s;eu con&s;uetudo.</ITEM>
<ITEM>At&mdash;g&ograve;</ITEM>
<ITEM>13. Promi&s;&s;um (<GAP DESC="foreign">.)</ITEM>
<ITEM>At&mdash;g&ograve;</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P><HI>The&s;e I received about half an hour before I went to preach in the afternoon, which (though &s;ome di<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">traction to my thoughts) I re&s;olved to &s;ay nothing to, but to mind that I prepared for the peoples greater edification; only by way of Preface, I let the people know I had received &s;uch a paper of Arguments for Infants Bapti&s;m; &s;ome whereof. I owned, and &s;ome not, but in the General I &s;aid what was &s;aid of</HI> Bellarmine, <HI>That he had brought more arguments again&s;t him&s;elf then he could-an&s;wer, &s;o I thought of the&s;e; and c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">utioned the people to beware what Doctrine they did embrace, and gave &s;ome other &s;uitable coun&s;el to them. And &s;o I fell upon my in|tended Sermon. This is the true &s;tate of the matter for the &s;ub|&s;tance, which I thought good to &s;end, conceiving there might be occa|&s;ion for it there.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>J. M.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>The allotted time of his continuance at <HI>Cork</HI> being expired, he returned to <HI>Dublin,</HI> to the great rejoycing of tho&s;e, who&s;e very hearts were glued to him, and who&s;e thir&s;ty &s;ouls longed after him. A friend asking him in what mea&s;ure the Lord had ble&s;&s;ed his labours as to conver&s;ion-work, and the gaining in of &s;ouls to God; he an&s;wered, That at his fir&s;t coming to <HI>Cork,</HI> he to his joy knew &s;ome, and heard of others, who&s;e faces were &s;et to|wards <HI>Sion<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> and began to enquire after the Lord, till the bone of di&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ntion was ca&s;t in, with which the people were wholly taken
<PB N="22" REF="29">
up, and then with a &s;orrowful countenance, and with eyes and hands lifted up to heaven, &s;aid, The Lord pardon me that ever I yielded to that wrangling di&s;pute.</P>
<P>Though <HI>Cork</HI> hath not his per&s;onal pre&s;ence, yet hath it a large &s;hare in his affections, &s;upplications and endeavours for its good, which he manife&s;ted by procuring an Order for the repairing of <HI>Chri&s;t-Church,</HI> and &s;etling Mr. <HI>Eyres</HI> in it.</P>
<P>The &s;ickne&s;s beginning to break forth afre&s;h at <HI>Dublin,</HI> the Commi&s;&s;ioners of Parliament &s;end to the &s;everal Churches to humble them&s;elves before the Lord, and to return to them an Ac|count of what lay upon their &s;pirits as the provoking and procu|ring cau&s;e of this &s;mart expre&s;&s;ion of rekindled di&s;plea&s;ure. The &s;ociety Mr. <HI>Murcot</HI> was related to, drew up their dige&s;ted thoughts in certain Queries; the mo&s;t remarkable are here an|nexed.</P>
<P N="1">1. Whether denying, neglecting, flighting, and countenan|cing of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ghters of Mini<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ters of the publike Ordinances of God, be not an <HI>Achan? Exod. 4. 24. 5. 3. Lev.</HI> 26. 15, 25.</P>
<P N="2">2. Whether endeavouring to &s;upplant the Mini&s;try under pre|tence of all the Congregation of the Lords people being holy, every one of them, <HI>Numb.</HI> 1. 6. 2, 3. 5. 21, 22. (in oppo&s;ition whereunto, <HI>Aar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n</HI> is called the Saint of the Lord, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 106. 16. &s;o <HI>Deut.</HI> 33. 11.) and abu&s;ing the Mini&s;try, be not a means to bring wrath without remedy, 2 <HI>Chron</HI> 36. 15. which abu&s;es are declared in the defence of the <HI>Worce&s;ter&s;hire</HI> Petition, e&s;pecially in the Preface thereof: And whether if Magi&s;trates keep &s;ilence, they do not thereby make the &s;in their own? 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 3. 13.</P>
<P>Mr. <HI>Murcot</HI> is cho&s;en with others humbly to pre&s;ent this Re|pre&s;entation; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Courage.</NOTE> which he did with a re&s;olved, and clear confi|denee, as knowing the cau&s;e was Gods, and truth worth the owning.</P>
<P>Shortly after, the Church at <HI>Dublin</HI> (the Lord being &s;ought unto by &s;olemn fa&s;ting and prayer) with extraordinary chear|fulne&s;s, and unanimity, <HI>nemine contradicente,</HI> cho&s;e him to be their Teacher; which being propo&s;ed to him, he at fir&s;t expre&s;&s;ed his loathne&s;s to bow with his back to &s;o great a burden; yet took time to con&s;ider of the matter, which he &s;pent in private Fa&s;ting, Prayer, and clearing up his Call by an impartial preponderation of all con&s;iderable circum&s;tances: an account whereof under his own hand you have here annexed.</P>
<Q><TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="consideration">
<PB N="23" REF="29">
<HEAD>Jan. 31. 1653.</HEAD>
<P>The Que&s;tion, Whether I &s;hould an&s;wer the peoples Call to be Teacher?</P>
<LIST>
<LABEL>For the Affirmative</LABEL>
<ITEM><LIST>
<ITEM>1. The Pa&s;tors weakne&s;s in body, and the peoples need thereby.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The Church al&s;o increa&s;ing.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Their unanimous con&s;ent in choice of me, after &s;olemn &s;eeking of God for it.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<LABEL>For the Negative</LABEL>
<ITEM><LIST>
<ITEM>1. My being a man of &s;uch uncircum|ci&s;ed heart, and &s;uch polluted lips, as the Lord knoweth, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. My being &s;o weak and not able to convince Gain-&s;ayers, a very child in managing controver&s;ies, if they ari&s;e in the Church, e&s;pecially in &s;uch a Congre|gation.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. My ignorance what a Teacher is.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. My being but a Novice, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3. 6.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>But doubts,</P>
<P N="1">1. Whether in the&s;e former Objections I do not mind more the prai&s;e of men then the prai&s;e of God, becau&s;e of my weak|ne&s;s in parts.</P>
<P N="2">2. Whether it be not the burthen without any outward re|ward, which &s;ticks &s;o hard? If there were a great outward re|ward, how would it then prevail with me?</P>
<P N="3">3. Whether it be love to Chri&s;t, to indent as I may &s;ay, and thus much I will do, and no further?</P>
<P N="4">4. Whether God may not call fir&s;t, and fit afterwards. Yet it was &s;o with <HI>David,</HI> &s;o with <HI>Saul</HI> at fir&s;t, and &s;o <HI>Solomon</HI> had his Spirit of wi&s;dom given him afterwards; and have not we the like priviledge to ask and have, as he had? <HI>Mat. 7. 7. Paul</HI> was ready to go or do what God would have him, before he had re|ceived the Spirit, <HI>Act.</HI> 9.</P>
<P N="5"><PB N="24" REF="30">
5. Whether God may not call, and I not &s;ee it? as <HI>Samuel, 1 Sam.</HI> 2.</P>
<P N="6">6. Whether I may not be willing enough, and yet &s;eem thus unwilling, which is great hypocri&s;ie?</P>
<P N="7">7. Whether I could be willing to have another &s;et up rather then my &s;elf, and therefore as unworthy as I judge my &s;elf, yet I may judge my &s;elf better then he?</P>
<P N="8">8. Whether the evil frame of heart hath not been upon me &s;ince my denyal of it? and the thoughts of yielding, are they not plea&s;ing, and when any thing produced to the contrary of my mind, doth it make me &s;mile and lighten my heart? Whether out of pride, and delight to hear others good opinion of me, and de&s;ire towards me; or whether out of a &s;ecret hankering after the thing, notwith&s;tanding my oppo&s;ing it; or whether from the Lord, is doubtful?</P>
<P N="9">9. Whether the people are not better Judges of my gifts then my &s;elf?</P>
<P N="10">10. Whether all this di&s;couragement be not through unbelief of the Promi&s;es, as in <HI>Mo&s;es? Exod.</HI> 6. 12, 30.</P>
<P N="11">11. Whether this be not hypocri&s;ie: Before being called, for|ward enough, and when called, how backward, even as <HI>Mo&s;es? Exod.</HI> 2. 13. 4. 10. 6. 12, 30.</P>
<P N="12">12. Time was, when I entred upon this work with a very wicked heart, much more wicked, ble&s;&s;ed be his name for his pre|&s;ent grace, and yet not humbled for this to this very day as I ought I doubt.</P>
<P N="13">13. Yet notwith&s;tanding he hath manife&s;ted him&s;elf to give a better heart in &s;ome mea&s;ure then before; as I hope, and why not now if I undertake more, may he not do more as well as be|fore? O he did not give me up as &s;ome others, who in the like condition have undertaken this work!</P>
<P N="14">14. I have been (as it were) checkt, What, wilt thou not venture thy &s;elf upon Je&s;us Chri&s;t? and then the Lord made me willing to do it.</P>
<P N="15">15. To get &s;trength again&s;t corruption&punc; is not likely to be done by turning the back upon any work of his.</P>
<P N="16">16. And is it not better I &s;hould peri&s;h by corruption or tem|ptation in doing the work of Chri&s;t then not? But can any peri&s;h that in truth give up them&s;elves to his work?</P>
<P><PB N="25" REF="30">
Wedne&s;day, <HI>Feb.</HI> 22. meditating upon that of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> that he &s;aid, Send by whom thou wilt &s;end, God was angry. Such <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ex<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 4 13, 14.</NOTE> thoughts I had, God might te&s;tifie again&s;t me, by leavi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">g me to bla&s;phemous, horrid thoughts, and an untoward frame of Spirit. When he had an&s;wered him that Objection touching his want of eloquence. Now &s;aith he, when he was angry with him, Is not <HI>Aaron</HI> thy Brother? he is a man of eloquence, and he will be glad to meet thee.</P>
<P>So in this God hath joyned &s;uch an one as was able through grace to do that, I doubted my &s;ufficiency mo&s;t in; that is to &s;ay, the managing controver&s;ies. And then telling him they are dead that &s;ought thy life, which was the Core. So, who knoweth but this fear of oppo&s;ition may be taken away&punc;</P>
<P>So upon 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9. 17. If I do it will<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ngly, I have a reward, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>And upon 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 5. 2. Taking the overlight, not of con&s;traint or nece&s;&s;ity, but a willing mind.</P>
<P>And <HI>John</HI> 21. Love&s;t thou me? feed my &s;heep; did &s;omewhat bow my &s;pirit to a re&s;olution to clo&s;e with it.</P>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P>Having (though with &s;ome reluctancy at fir&s;t) taken upon him the over&s;ight of the Flock of God, he led them forth into green pa&s;tures, by the &s;ides of the plea&s;ant waters, and fed them, not with husks (as many do) but whol&s;om food: Careful he was to pre&s;erve the poor Lambs of Chri&s;t from infection, &amp; depredation.</P>
<P>If any &s;heep <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">as &s;tragling from the fold, he would reduce, and bring it back again; if weak, he would take it up in his bo&s;om, and carry it upon his &s;houlders. His bowels were rowled within him, and did exceedingly melt and yern towards tho&s;e for whom Chri&s;t &s;hed his blood.</P>
<P>The Lord having fixt him in the Firmament of the Church, he proved not a wandring &s;tar; his regular motion kept others with|in compa&s;s. He was not a cloud without water, as appeared by the flouri&s;hing growth of many Chri&s;tians, who &s;ate under the honey drops that di&s;tilled from his lips.</P>
<P>How did he thir&s;t after the &s;alvation of &s;ouls, and how anxi|ou&s;ly inqui&s;itive after the &s;ucce&s;s of his labours? It did not &s;a|tisfie him that the &s;eed was &s;own, fruits mu&s;t appear, or el&s;e his heart is mightily troubled within him, and little comfort taken in the comforts of this life.</P>
<P>It was an heart-breaking unto him, that the hearts of &s;inners
<PB N="26" REF="31">
were no more boken; their dry eys would cau&s;e his to overflow with briny tears.</P>
<P>The Lord did not give up his Mini&s;try to the cur&s;e of a mi&s;|carrying womb and dry brea&s;ts. He was able to &s;ay, Lo here am <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2. 13.</NOTE> I, and the children whom thou ha&s;t given me.</P>
<P>Surely in labours he was more abundant then many others, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Car. 11. 23.</NOTE> as his Clo&s;et, Pulpit, be&s;ides many other places can well te&s;tifie. Recreations he declined, &s;o loath was he to be accounted a loyterer, or idler in Gods Vineyard. Having put his hand unto <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 9. 61.</NOTE> the Plough, he did not at any time &s;tand &s;till he looked not back he &s;ate not down in the cool and gentle &s;hade, but was always in an erect po&s;ture, and continually pre&s;&s;ing forward, contented to bear the burthen, and the heat of the day, as knowing that the time of refre&s;hing was &s;hortly to come from the pre&s;ence of the Lord.</P>
<P>So eagerly bent was he upon his work, that when &s;eriou&s;ly &s;etled to it, his nece&s;&s;ary and appointed food was frequently neg|lected, wife, children, and other Relations not taken notice of. If any refre&s;hing was urged, he would &s;ay, This is not the way to get my Fathers work done.</P>
<P>The Subjects that he pitcht on were u&s;ually adapted and ac|commodated to the temper of the Times and his own condition, as Preaching both to others and him&s;elf. It did not &s;atisfie him that&punc; Truth was Preached, unle&s;s it were &s;ea&s;onable and &s;uitable. The Sermons that he Prcached, he throughly dige&s;ted before hand, and made them his own by a deep impre&s;&s;ion of them, not only on his memory, but affections; &s;o that he &s;till &s;pake from the heart to the heart. They, who beheld him in a Pulpir, with a &s;piritually di&s;cerning eye, thought the place to be (as it were) filled with &s;moak, and &s;ignal expre&s;&s;ions of the Di|vine Pre&s;ence.</P>
<P>The growing and prevailing Corruptions of the Times he &s;trongly oppo&s;ed. Errors, though countenanced by great Ones, were not ba&s;ely baulked, and pa&s;&s;ed by in &s;ilence. The mi&s;car|riages of tho&s;e in high Places were &s;ure to meet with a &s;evere and &s;harp rebuke.</P>
<P>He often bewailed, and greatly mourned for the evil, and dangerous con&s;equence of corrupt men called to the Mini&s;try, who daub with untempered morter, and &s;lightly heal the wound that is made with a faithful hand.</P>
<P><PB N="27" REF="31">
When &s;ecure and &s;leepy &s;inners are at any time awakned by a &s;tirring and a &s;oul-&s;earching Mini&s;try, and complain of the terrors of the Lord that &s;et them&s;elves in battle array again&s;t them; the&s;e mi&s;erably-mercifull men, with an oyly tongue la|bour to lick them whole again, and skin over the &s;ore; they make it their de&s;ign to bind up the broken bone, without putting their patients to any pain, per&s;wading them that Mini&s;ters now|adays are too &s;evere, &s;our, &s;trict, &s;treight lac<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, and fright &s;illy folk (who do not under&s;tand them&s;elves) with Bug bears, and Sear&punc; crows. For a Wa&s;pi&s;h and inraged con&s;cience thy provide a &s;weet and &s;tupifying &s;op, and &s;o lay it to &s;leep again. Thus are men flattered into a good opinion of them&s;elves, when in the mean time they are in the gall of bitterne&s;s, and in the bond of iniquity Wo and alas<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> that ever men &s;hould be thus contentedly cheated of their &s;ouls, and prefer their pre&s;ent ea&s;e before their future &s;afety!</P>
<P>He, who was cho&s;en a Ruler in the Church, was &s;o in his Fa|mily, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 3. 5.</NOTE> which he ruled well, and diligently in&s;tructed in the know|ledge of Chri&s;t. He prayed twice a day with his Family, and expounded &s;ome portion of Scripture, and in the&s;e exerci&s;es u&s;ually expended an hour and an half at a time. <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">They are great enemies to their own comfort, who live in the neglect of this Ordinance; and whil&s;t the Congregati|on is trum|peting out Gods prai&s;es, &s;it like mo|pi&s;h mutes, with a di&s;|contented eye and cloudy countenance; as if the mu|&s;ick which they hear were howling ra|ther than Singing.</NOTE> In Singing he was much tran&s;ported, and even lifted up, and delighted much in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 63. and 103.</P>
<P>He was with <HI>Paul,</HI> in fa&s;tings often, and that, not only when publickly required, for he was herein often ingaged upon the account of his own per&s;onall concernments, and condition.</P>
<P>In preparations for Fa&s;ts, as well as in the celebration of them, he was very &s;olemn and &s;evere, as will afterwards more plentifully appear. Food on &s;uch days he ta&s;ted not till late at night; if any offered, it was entertained with di&s;like in his very looks. In Prayer, at all times, e&s;pecially then, he was copious, in|larged, &s;piritual, powerfull, to the melting of the Congregation into tears and &s;ighs.</P>
<P>His love to the Ordinances was very great, and his heart did even break with longing after that of the Supper; and in prepa|ration for it, he would unbowel him&s;elf before the Lord, and be very &s;trict in the duty of &s;elf examination. <NOTE N="&dagger;" PLACE="marg">He was far from the opinion and temper of tho&s;e whom the very thoughts, much more debates of ha|ving their poor Babes Baptized, do &s;trangely tran&s;port with rage and an high indignation <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">in&s;t any that &s;hall attempt it.</NOTE> When his children
<PB N="28" REF="32">
were Baptized, and had the Seals of the Covenant impre&s;t upon them, he would wonderfully rejoyce, thereby declaring a &s;weet refre&s;hing and full &s;atisfaction.</P>
<P>With the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t,</HI> he had rather be a door keeper in the Hou&s;e of the Lord, then dwell in the Tents of wickedne&s;s. One day in Gods Court was better then a thou&s;and el&s;ewhere.</P>
<P>He would cheerfully chirp, and &s;weetly warble out his high|&s;trained Notes, when (with the Swallow) neer Gods Alta; but would mourn like a Dove, and chatter like a Crane, when the waters of the Sanctuary were dammed up, and did not freely flow forth; he would droop and hang the wing, though under the broad &s;preading guords of carnal contentments.</P>
<P>He abridged and cut him&s;elf &s;hort in the u&s;e of the warranta|ble contentments of the pre&s;ent life. He was unwilling to launch out too far, le&s;t he &s;hould lo&s;e the &s;ight of his Harbor, and a &s;torm ari&s;e ere he got in again.</P>
<P>He was loath to &s;wallow down large mor&s;els for fear of an en|&s;uing &s;ur&s;eit, and di&s;mal dolefull di&s;tempers that might thence ari&s;e. He knew that the faire&s;t full-blown Ro&s;e was not without its grieving thorn, and that a &s;cratching Bryer lay lurking under the blooming leaves, and therefore he pa&s;&s;ed over the mo&s;t flowrie and fragrant walk with an ha&s;ty and trembling foot.</P>
<P>He was none of tho&s;e whom the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of, that mind earthly things. His work was his wages. His de&s;ign was not to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. 19.</NOTE> &s;pread his roots in the earth, and to &s;ecure a carnal intere&s;t by corrupt compliances. His mouth was not gagg'd with a wedge of gold, or his lips &s;own up with the &s;ilken thread of pre|ferment.</P>
<P>Being po&s;le&s;&s;ed of the pearl of price he thought him&s;elf rich enough; and having food and raiment he was therewithall con|tent. If any thing con&s;iderable were providentially ca&s;t in, it <NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Tim. 6. 8.</NOTE> was not greedily gaped after, and extorted by much pre&s;&s;ing importunity and incroaching crouching attendances.</P>
<P>The things which he po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, he was ignorant of, as not wil|ling to intermiddle at all in the matters of the world, that &s;o he might in a more &s;erene way and maner have his conver&s;ation <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o.</NOTE> in heaven, from whence he expected the Saviour.</P>
<P>Chri&s;t was &s;o fair and full in his eye, that in compari&s;on of
<PB N="29" REF="32">
him, all other enjoyments, though &s;welling to a mountanous bulk, were but motes and molehills. He admired not the beauty of any Ro&s;e, &s;ave that of <HI>Sharon.</HI> The flower-planted without hand was lovely in his &s;ight, and &s;weet unto his &s;mell.</P>
<P>He ta&s;ted &s;uch &s;urpa&s;&s;ing and heart-ravi&s;hing &s;weetne&s;s in communion with Chri&s;t, that the edge of his appetite to the things of the world was exceedingly blunted and rebated.</P>
<P>The love of God being &s;hed abroad in his heart by the Holy Gho&s;t, he valued not the favor or the frowns of the children of men. Whil&s;t others had their beilies cleaving unto the du&s;t, he almo&s;t loathed to touch it with his feet; &s;o far was he from panting after the du&s;t of the earth.</P>
<P>He preferred grave contentments, and &s;olid delights before the fleeting and tran&s;cient titillations of the exterior &s;en&s;es. How much better are the whol&s;ome &s;everities of Religion, then the ful&s;ome &s;atisfactions of the fle&s;h?</P>
<P>His heart and hands were mightily inlarged in a way of cha|ritable contribution, even to con&s;iderable &s;umms, when the ne|ce&s;&s;itous condition of others called for &s;peedy &s;uccours and &s;up|plies. <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 9. 2.</NOTE> What he gave was not grudgingly, but of a ready mind. He did not &s;ay, Come again, and to morrow I will give thee, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov 3. 28.</NOTE> when he had <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t by him: He gave liberally, and &s;owed bounti|fully. He ca&s;t h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s bread upon the waters, knowing that after <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 11. 1.</NOTE> many dayes he &s;hould find it.</P>
<P>His meekne&s;s was remarkable, as knowing it was his glory to pa&s;s by an offence; the reproaches of rayling <HI>Rab&s;hak<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hs</HI> he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 19. 11.</NOTE> thought not worth the taking notice of. He was not ea&s;ily &s;tirred up to anger, but had a &s;weet calm in his &s;pirit, though &s;ometimes blown upon by the &s;urly winds of unhand&s;ome pro|vocations. Pa&s;&s;ionate expre&s;&s;ions fell not from him though na|turally of an har&s;h and ha&s;ty temper. He would not &s;ay I will do unto the man as he hath done to me, but cho&s;e rather to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prev. 24. 29. Rom. 12. 20, 21.</NOTE> do good for evil, and melt (rather then exa&s;perate) his adver|&s;aries, by heaping up coals of kindne&s;s upon their heads.</P>
<P>Humility is not without cau&s;e &s;tiled the grace of graces, as be|ing that which adds a lu&s;tre to them, and makes them the more orient, and re&s;plendent. He who is low in his own e&s;teem, is high in the e&s;teem of God and good men. Pride (the prevailing &s;in of the Profe&s;&s;ors of this age) is that which doth darken,
<PB N="30" REF="33">
&s;ulley, cloud our otherways laudable endowments; it is that worm which makes the greene&s;t gourd to wither, and the faire&s;t flower to lo&s;e its native beauty. Self-depre&s;&s;ions (provided they be &s;incere) are always attended with exaltations and plentifull <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 5. 6.</NOTE> &s;upplies from the fountain of all grace and goodne&s;s.</P>
<P>Humility was Ma&s;ter <HI>Murcot&punc;</HI> &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ning grace, which though low in its &s;elf, it was taller then the re&s;t by the head and &s;houlders. So<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e ex<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">re&s;&s;ions of it are the&s;e that follow.</P>
<P N="1">1. His mean thoughts of him&s;elf, though his gifts, graces, performances rendred him con&s;iderable, yet the e&s;teem which he had of him&s;elf was very &s;mall. His face did &s;hine as that of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> to the dazling of others eys, yet he &s;aw it not him&s;elf, nor could endure to be told by others that it did &s;o, but would cry out of a &s;nare.</P>
<P N="2">2. His high thoughts of others gifts and graces, though po&s;&s;ibly coming &s;hort of his. The proud man looks upon others enjoyments and attainments with a cloudy and di&s;contented eye&punc; which in Ma&s;ter <HI>Murcot</HI> drew forth commendations and &s;erious thank&s;givings unto God.</P>
<P N="3">3. His conde&s;cending to men of low degree, who&s;e company and conver&s;e he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">dained not, e&s;pecially if godly. He delighted not to be bu&s;ily buzzing about the Chambers and Tables of great men, but could &s;weetly &s;olace him&s;elf with the &s;ociety of the meane&s;t Chri&s;tian.</P>
<P N="4">4. His temptations to pride and puffings up, were not a few, having the high and bo&s;ome re&s;pects of great and &s;mall; the applau&s;es, commendations, gratulations of the generality of the people, and great &s;ucce&s;s of his labours. When others would be lifting him up, he &s;till croucht. and lay low. He was none of tho&s;e whom a freer acce&s;s, and a more open bo&s;ome, a kinder glance, and a more favourable nod from great men, &s;well with &s;elf-conceit and p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ff up into a lofty di&s;dain of their poor bre|thren, &s;o that they mu&s;t not be approacht without much com|plementall ob&s;ervance, and cringing incurvations.</P>
<P N="5">5. His garb had nothing of vanity and gaudry in it. The vile raiment was more plea&s;ing to him then &s;ilks, &s;attins and plu&s;h|coats.</P>
<P>He was none of tho&s;e Court-preachers, who&s;e extraordinary &s;prucene&s;s, gay apparrel, and bridling deportment are &s;hrewdly
<PB N="31" REF="33">
&s;u&s;pected to be nought el&s;e but the frothy ebullitions of a proud and vain &s;pirit.</P>
<P>He was no Borderer upon Religion, dwelling only in the out|fields, and confines of godline&s;s, but was admitted into its in|teriour, and &s;ecret rece&s;&s;es. Religion indeed was his bu&s;ine&s;s, which he pro&s;ecuted with all his might. The world had but a &s;mall portion of his time and a very &s;lender intere&s;t in his affections. He was grown as dexterous in the exerci&s;e of grace, and in the &s;ucce&s;sful promoting, and carrying on of the holy life, as others are in growing rich, greatning them&s;elves, and providing for Po&s;terity. He was afraid of digging in the earth, le&s;t a cold damp &s;hould ari&s;e to dimm his light, and &s;uffocate his cele&s;tial comforts. His con&s;tant commerce was with heaven, and &s;urely that trade which he drove was for rich commodities.</P>
<P>He adventured his all, and was ble&s;&s;ed with daily returns, to his un&s;peakable advantage</P>
<P>Though he were a &s;tranger in this earth&punc; yet he was not &s;o to his Saviour, or him&s;elf, which will plainly appear, if you con&s;i|der what his daily practi&s;e was for &s;ome years before his death.</P>
<P>He kept an exact Diary of his own life, in which he was very curious and methodical; in one Column, or &s;ide of the page he would &s;et down the <HI>Good,</HI> in the other, oppo&s;ite again&s;t it, the <HI>Evil.</HI> His intention doubtle&s;s was, never to make, either the whole or any part of it publick, yet judicious Chri&s;tians appre|hending that &s;everal Pa&s;&s;ages in it may tend very much to the edification of others, &s;ome choice flowers growing here and there in this &s;pacious and odoriferous garden, I have pickt up, made into a Po&s;ie, and do here expo&s;e them to publick view.</P>
<P><TABLE>
<HEAD>One day in&s;tanced in as a ta&s;te.</HEAD>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Good.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Evil.</HI></CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>In morning Clo&s;et duty not altogether without his pre&s;ence; &s;tudied my Sermons, not altoge|ther without him, ble&s;&s;ed be his Name.</CELL>
<CELL>My heart but in a li&s;tle&s;s frame this day.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>In evening Clo&s;et duty, by way of preparation very &s;weet meltings, and outgoings of my &s;oul after the Lord, ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord.</CELL>
<CELL>Yet &s;ome di&s;tractions.</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE></P>
<PB N="32" REF="34">
<P N="1">1. He was very ob&s;ervant, not only of the Out-breaches of &s;in, but of its internal <HI>&s;tirrings</HI> and more &s;piritual <HI>actings;</HI> The very thoughts of his heart, if irregular, he carefully recorded, and bit|terly bewaited.</P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<P><HI>O my proud thoughts ri&s;ing and bubbling up this day!</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. He &s;et a watch, not only before the door of his lips, but before the door of his heart al&s;o, with which he took unwearied pains, being indeed the Fort-Royal, either of Chri&s;t, or Satan.</P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. This day I could not get my heart in tune, though I took an hour, or two hours pains with it.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Endeavouring &s;ome hours with my heart, and yet alas, it remained very untoward, I could do little or nothing.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Through mercy I de&s;ire a clean heart.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Time he accounted precious, and improved it to &s;piritual purpo|&s;es, and the be&s;t advantage.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>This day up early&mdash;or,</ITEM>
<ITEM>This day lay long &s;luggi&s;hly.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Read 4. Hebrew Chapters with notes profitably.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Read 60. pages in Dr. <HI>Pre&s;ton.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Studied my Sermons.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="4">4. <HI>The &s;ight of &s;in did exceedingly &s;adden.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. In examination of my &s;elf, <HI>March</HI> 9. 1652. Through mercy I have a &s;ight and &s;en&s;e of my &s;ins, and am affected, and pained under the burthen of my daily wants.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In clo&s;et-duty much humbled for the &s;ins of the day before, and melted.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Many wandrings, to the burthen of my &s;oul.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="5">5. <HI>The &s;inful adherences of the be&s;t duties he recorded with regret, and &s;adne&s;s of &s;pirit.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Not altogether without him in duty, though but dry, and
<PB N="33" REF="34">
&s;ome wandrings of heart in duty. At Supper-Ordinance, ah my wandrings, In prayer poor, and in preaching!</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In morning clo&s;et-duty I could do nothing, my heart ve|ry untoward&mdash;full of vain thoughts in the evening me|ditation, which put me out of order.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. In afternoon prayer before Sermon but little affected, and though my &s;elf had little enlargement this day, yet I per|ceive it was profitable to others: God would hide pride from mine eyes.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Di&s;tracted, and formal in &s;inging.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="6">6. <HI>Powerful a&s;&s;i&s;tance in holy &s;ervices he gratefully recorded.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<P>In Baptizing of my &s;on <HI>Job,</HI> my heart much drawn out in prayer.</P>
<P N="7">7. <HI>Yea, the lea&s;t income and a&s;&s;i&s;tance was not pa&s;&s;ed by in &s;ilence.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<P>Not altogether left in evening clo&s;et-duty.</P>
<P N="8">8. <HI>The ebbings and flowings of the Spirit he di&s;tinctly con&s;idered.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<P>In the morning clo&s;et-duty, not &s;o much of his pre&s;ence as in the evening clo&s;et-duty, though indeed much melted, af|ter &s;ome pains taken with my heart.</P>
<P N="9">9. <HI>Diabolical injections he dete&s;ted with highe&s;t indignation, again&s;t which, he was a reverberating wall of bra&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<P>This day pe&s;tred with bla&s;phemous and horrid thoughts, to my loathing&mdash;to my wounding&mdash;O horrid&mdash;O abominable!</P>
<P N="10">10. <HI>To the di&s;tre&s;&s;ed he gave friendly vi&s;its.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<P>Spent this day in vi&s;iting a condemned man, and divers widows in &s;ickne&s;s and &s;orrow.</P>
<P N="11">11. <HI>He made God the ultimate end of all his actings.</HI></P>
<PB N="34" REF="35">
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<P>Though much mixtures of &s;elf, yet I de&s;ire to make God the great end of all my duties, preachings, prayers.</P>
<P N="12">12. <HI>He was wholly at the di&s;po&s;e of God, contented to follow the conduct of Providence, even through thorny waies.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<P>I hope I am made willing to come to him through any con|dition, any tribulation, taking up the Cro&s;s.</P>
<P N="13">13. <HI>When any &s;piritual di&s;temper was upon him, he would pre&s;ently inquire into its cau&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<P>What may be the cau&s;e of my &s;treightne&s;s and deadne&s;s now?</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Haply, not being &s;o thankful for enlargements, when I had them.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Haply, becau&s;e I cannot bear &s;uch enlargements, I have not humility enough.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Haply, becau&s;e I &s;atisfie my &s;elf with them, and not follow that which I preach.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Haply, a &s;pirit of envy again&s;t others.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. Haply, I more affect to have the hearts of the people, ther the heart of God.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. Becau&s;e I want love to poor &s;ouls, and may mind more the &s;etting forth my &s;elf, then edification.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. Haply, becau&s;e I mind more enlargements, and gifts, then grace.</ITEM>
<ITEM>8. Haply, becau&s;e I do not take the fitte&s;t time, when my heart is in the be&s;t frame for &s;tudy.</ITEM>
<ITEM>9. Haply, becau&s;e more troubled at the want of enlargement, then at all the &s;ins which have cau&s;ed it.</ITEM>
<ITEM>10. Haply, for want of &s;earching Scriptures, diligently, con|&s;tantly.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="14">14. <HI>Succe&s;s of labours; O how &s;weet and &s;olacing!</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<P>The 14. day; His pre&s;ence with me in preaching and prayer very much, ble&s;&s;ed be his name: Several touched by
<PB N="35" REF="35">
that Sermon, as the Nur&s;e and my maid, and Mrs. <HI>Taylor,</HI> and my &s;i&s;ter <HI>Ha&s;tings</HI> her maid, who came to me after|wards. A &s;weet pledge of his pre&s;ence; and &s;ince I hear di|vers others were &s;tirred through much mercy at that Ser|mon.</P>
<P N="15">15. <HI>He was much inlarged in a way of thankfulne&s;s for mercies received.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. In my journey from <HI>Cork</HI> to <HI>Dublin;</HI> neer the pa&s;&s;age to the <HI>Long Iland,</HI> not looking to my hor&s;e, he was ready to &s;tep down a deep precipice, near the Sea. Watchle&s;s over my thoughts that day.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Afterwards at <HI>Clemell</HI> I had like to have run up into an in|fected hou&s;e, but the Lord prevented me. I had much &s;weetne&s;s in Communion with God before.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Delivered from fire in my &s;tudy, which lay &s;mothering un|der the harth three daies undi&s;covered.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. The maid <HI>Eli&s;abeth</HI> &s;et fire on the bed with the child in it, which if the Lord had not prevented, all had been con|&s;umed. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prevented by his coming out of his clo|&s;et at 11 clock in the night.</NOTE></ITEM>
<ITEM>5. My wife and children wonderfully pre&s;erved, two Bricks falling down the chimney, they &s;itting by the fires &s;ide.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="16">16. <HI>The Lord God he made the object of his ardent de&s;ire and de|light.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<P>Before the Supper, upon examination, I could find none in heaven or earth, I did de&s;ire in compari&s;on of God.</P>
<P N="17">17. <HI>He &s;ought not happine&s;s in him&s;elf, or any other creature.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<P>Through mercy I renounce my own merit, and all things in the world as an happine&s;s, and therefore re&s;olve to &s;eek the chief Good in Gods favour in Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="18">18. <HI>Chri&s;t was high in his e&s;teem, and the dearly beloved of his &s;oul.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<PB N="36" REF="36">
<P>Through mercy I de&s;ire to prize the Lord Je&s;us above all, that he may be precious to me, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. 6.</P>
<P N="19">19. <HI>In preparation for Fa&s;t-daies, he would unbo&s;om and unbowel him&s;elf before the Lord: He did not only skim off the uppermo&s;t froth of his heart; but would &s;earch every nook and crany, and fetch up mud from the very bottom.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. O how proud, and apt to be lifted up upon all occa|&s;ions!</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. How envious again&s;t others!</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Of late I have been very dead and formal in all &s;ervices, publike and private.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Very backward to any &s;ervice of God, not con&s;trained by love.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. Very trifling away my precious time.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. Very &s;luggi&s;h, <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Awake O &s;leepy &s;l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">g|gard, and let not the ri&s;ing Sun find thee fl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t on thy back, and when the great eye of the world is up and open, let not thine be &s;hut, me thinks its bright and penetrating raies &s;hould &s;catter that cloud of &s;leep and &s;ecurity that hangs upon thy dull and depre&s;&s;ed brow. Knowe&s;t thou not O drow&s;ie drone, that thou ha&s;t a great deal of work to do, and but a little time to di&s;patch it in?</NOTE> not up early about things of &s;o great weight.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. But negligent in preparation to holy duties, publike and private.</ITEM>
<ITEM>8. How empty and vain in di&s;cour&s;es, and unprofitable?</ITEM>
<ITEM>9. How di&s;tempered in hearing publikely, and in conferences with the Church?</ITEM>
<ITEM>10. Vile thoughts, even in the time of reading, and meditati|on, which are deep hypocri&s;ie.</ITEM>
<ITEM>11. Yet back-&s;lidden, even &s;ince the la&s;t Lords Supper.</ITEM>
<ITEM>12. Yet little pure love to the Saints, as Saints.</ITEM>
<ITEM>13. Yet not a &s;en&s;ible heart of the di&s;honour of Chri&s;t in the&s;e times.</ITEM>
<ITEM>14. Yet not a tender, nor believing heart in holding out the word of reconciliation.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="20">20. <HI>In preparation for the Supper-Ordinance he would bring him|&s;el&s; unto the Te&s;t, and to &s;ay the truth, was very clear in the di&s;|covering, and making out of his own condition, being well acquain|ted with the way of Gods dealing with the &s;oul, and with the way of the &s;ouls clo&s;ing with Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="37" REF="36">
In&s;tance, <HI>April</HI> 3. 1653. upon &s;earch I find,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. My &s;elf an undone creature.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That the Lord Je&s;us &s;ufficiently &s;atisfied as Mediator, the Law for &s;in.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. That he is freely offered in the Go&s;pel.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. So far as I know my own heart, I do through mercy hear|tily con&s;ent, that he only &s;hall be my Saviour; not my works or duties, which I do only in obedience to him.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. If I know my heart, I would be ruled by his word &amp; Spirit. Behold in a few words the &s;umme and &s;ub&s;tance of the Go|&s;pel.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="21">21. <HI>The Lord ble&s;&s;ed his enquiries with gracious returns, when he &s;et him&s;elf &s;eriou&s;ly to clear up his intere&s;t in him.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance, <HI>October</HI> 30. 1652.</P>
<P>As I was que&s;tioning and &s;earching whether I were a child of God or no, me thought this was &s;uddenly &s;poken in me, or to me: If I be not thy Father, what am I then to thee? Am I an enemy to thee? which did much affect and melt my heart through much mercy.</P>
<P>In preparation for the Lords Supper, <HI>Jan.</HI> 1. 1652. as I was upon the &s;ame Que&s;tion within my &s;elf, whether I was a child of God yea or no, me thought this was &s;ugge&s;ted within me: If I be not thy <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ather, why do&s;t thou follow me &s;o hard, and breath after me? which al&s;o did much affect my heart at that time.</P>
<P N="22">22. <HI>He got ground on his corruptions, and his grave-cloaths fell off apace, while he was yet alive. Several daies I find good recorded, and no evil.</HI></P>
<P>In&s;tance,
<TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL ROLE="label"><HI>Good.</HI></CELL>
<CELL ROLE="label">Evil.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL>In morning read a long Hebrew Chap|ter&mdash;in clo&s;et-duty, not altogether with|out his pre&s;ence, &s;tudied for my Sermons, and the afternoon &s;pent much, what in prepara|tion of my &s;elf for the Lords Supper, and not altogether without his pre&s;ence, for ble&s;&s;ed be his name, he humbled me, and melted me in the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ight of my own vilene&s;s.</CELL>
<CELL>&nbsp;</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE></P>
<P><PB N="38" REF="37">
About 7. weeks before his <HI>tran&s;lation,</HI> returning from <HI>London,</HI> he found his Family in a langui&s;hing condition by rea&s;on of a fea|vouri&s;h di&s;temper which had crept in among them. It being the Lords wont to &s;end &s;ome forerunning waves to da&s;h again&s;t, and wet us, before he &s;end that <HI>mountainous</HI> one, with which he will overwhelm us. His younge&s;t child &s;ave one, departs this life on <HI>Friday</HI> night, being the 11. of <HI>Nov.</HI> 1654.</P>
<P>How often are the little Lambs taken from the &s;ides of their dams, from whom they received life, and carried to the place, where they met with their deaths? An hopeful branch mu&s;t be lopt off, before the Root it &s;elf dry up, and wither.</P>
<P><HI>Saturday</HI> morning that Chapter came to be read in cour&s;e, which contains <HI>Davids</HI> Fa&s;ting and mourning for his child whil&s;t it lived, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Comparing his own condition with that of <HI>David,</HI> he &s;aid, <HI>Davids</HI> mourning went before, but mine mu&s;t follow af|ter. The duties of the Family being over, he retires again into his &s;tudy, keeps the day as a Fa&s;t, and being awakened by this af|fliction, is put upon &s;erious &s;elf-reflexions, and &s;earching endea|vours to find out the cau&s;e of this &s;mart-&s;troke of Gods hand, an account whereof, taken out of his Diary, you have as fol|lows.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>God taking away my little babe <HI>Job, November</HI> 11. 1654. Searching my waies, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>1. Not returning according to his multiplyed mercies to us, not thankful enough, the heart not endeared to him.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. More lax in watching over my thoughts.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. A fooli&s;h &s;tupidity, and &s;ecurity before this blow from the the Lord&mdash;far from waiting for changes&mdash;<HI>Jonah-</HI>like, fa&s;t a&s;leep.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. An unnatural heart to him, and the re&s;t,&mdash;in&s;en&s;ible of his pains.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. Grown very &s;light in the Lords &s;ervice; though wofully di&s;tracted, and dead in every duty almo&s;t, yet not &s;en&s;ible of it, nor humbled under it&mdash;had lo&s;t of that &s;piritual|ne&s;s, and heavenly-mindedne&s;s, once I had through grace.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. Partial affection to the &s;ons, more then to the daughters, therefore God took this away, and &s;mote the other.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>His wife would have had the Funerals deferr'd till <HI>Munday,</HI> but he would not give way, &s;aying I have other work to do to+morrow.</P>
<P><PB N="39" REF="37">
At even the people being come together, he accompanied the Corps unto the grave, into which he was ob&s;erved to look very wi&s;hly, as if he had been curio&s;ly looking for a re&s;ting, place for him&s;elf, &s;hortly to lye down in, and had thus be&s;poken his dead <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 2. 23.</NOTE> child, I &s;hall &s;hortly come to thee, but thou &s;halt not return to me.</P>
<P>Coming home, he was very rai&s;ed and chearful, and comfort|ed his wife, with this &s;aying among many others; Come love, he has but got the &s;tart of us.</P>
<P>It being my work to track him, and tread upon the print of his heels. I mu&s;t follow him, even through the valley of the &s;ha|dow of death, which was not &s;o frightful to him in its approach, as to me uncomfortable in its de&s;cription.</P>
<P>The time of his departure is at hand, and no wonder; He was ripe betimes, and therefore gathered, and taken into Gods Gra|nary. He had done his work, and mu&s;t therefore go to receive his wages; and this I may be bold to &s;ay, that he did God more &s;ervice in a little time, then many others, who&s;e line of life was twice as long as his. He cannot be far off from his center, becau&s;e of the &s;wiftne&s;s of his motion.</P>
<P>He was alwaies much upon the wing, but towards his latter end, he was wont to &s;oar very high, and took many a turn in Paradi&s;e every day, and would be often hovering about the Ca&s;e|ments of the Star-chamber; which having delightfully peept and pryed into, he came down again, though not without much re|gret and grief, yet &s;olacing him&s;elf with this con&s;ideration, that he &s;hould &s;hortly meet the Lord in the air, and then be ever with the Lord.</P>
<P>During the time of his pilgrimage, and abode in the Lords Vineyard, he &s;erved his God, and his Generation with all his might. He ran fa&s;ter then others, and was therefore &s;ooner out of breath. He &s;crewed up the peggs &s;o high, that the &s;trings of his &s;everal faculties crack, and can hold out no longer. He did with &s;o much vehemency and contention of &s;pirit, continually &s;tir up him&s;elf to take hold on God, and followed &s;o hard after him, that he &s;unk under the burden of his own endea|vours.</P>
<P>His late journey to London heated his blood, and di&s;po&s;ed his already-wa&s;ting body to a dangerous di&s;temper, which di&s;covered <NOTE PLACE="marg">Nov. 19. 1654.</NOTE>
<PB N="40" REF="38">
it &s;elf on the Lords day in his forenoons Sermon, which (after his return from the Congregation) he laboured to conceal from his wife, by endeavouring to eat, though it were much again&s;t his &s;tomach: &s;he perceiving &s;ome alteration in his countenance, and carriage, &s;aid, You are not well, pray preach not again; to whom he replyed, away, away, hinder me not: Whereupon he retired to his &s;tudy, and adventured to preach again in the after|noon, though with &s;ome difficulty, and apparent &s;ymptoms of &s;ickne&s;s in his very vi&s;age. It was upon the &s;pirits of &s;ome, that this was the la&s;t time they &s;hould ever hear him: One &s;eeing and ob&s;erving him in his return, &s;aid, Thou art almo&s;t in heaven, I &s;hall never &s;ee thee more.</P>
<P>The Text which he preached on that day, is con&s;iderable&mdash;<HI>P&s;al. 4. 6. There be many that &s;ay, Who will &s;hew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.</HI> The former part, <HI>viz.</HI> the enquiry, <HI>Who will &s;hew us any good?</HI> he fini&s;hed in the fore-noon, and urged &s;everal arguments, why men ought to &s;it loo&s;e from all things that are here below: His <HI>expre&s;&s;ions</HI> argued in him <HI>affections</HI> di&s;ingaged from matters dreggy and terrene: One foot is off the earth already, the other will be &s;o too &s;hortly: He takes his flight from earth to heaven, and in the afternoon made entrance on the latter part of the ver&s;e: <HI>Lord lift thou up;</HI> &amp;c. a &s;uitable &s;ubject for him to &s;peak to, who was now about to enter into the gloomy horrours of the grave. Tho&s;e bright, refulgent beams of heavenly light, are never more &s;ea|&s;onable, then when we are upon the borders of the Land of darkne&s;s. Ten glorious fruits and effects of the lifting up of the light of Gods countenance he held forth; the heads of which, becau&s;e of the &s;pirituality of the matter, and being the words of a dying man, and experienced&punc; Chri&s;tian, you will find in the <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><LIST>
<ITEM>1. It pro|duceth a calm, a quietne&s;s in the &s;oul a|gain&s;t all di|&s;tracting fears O he is come, &s;aith a Mar|tyr, and death was nothing to him&punc;</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. It is the mo&s;t real good in heaven or in earth, other goods are vain and empty, this is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ound and &s;o|lid, this is bread indeed, and no delu&s;ion, as the world and Satan would per&s;wade.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. It brings-with it all manner of good, which way &s;oever God turns,, all the creatures that depend on him, turn.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. It &s;ea&s;ons pro&s;perity to us, it mel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eth out the &s;weet&punc; and giveth us the marrow and fat|ne<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s of it.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. It will &s;ea&s;on the bittere&s;t cup of affliction; the valley of the &s;hadow of death will be&punc; but as another place, <HI>Hab&punc;</HI> 3.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. It will work effectually deliverance out of affliction.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. It will make us more then Conquerors, Triumphers, <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. 31.</ITEM>
<ITEM><PB N="41" REF="38">
8. It is of a teaching nature, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119. 125. When the Lord &s;hines on our Readings, Stu|dyings, Meditating&punc; then we are taught indeed.</ITEM>
<ITEM>9. It melteth the heart kindly in a mans bowels, though as hard as an Adamant, as the lightning melteth the &s;word, the &s;cabbard being untouched. There is no &s;tanding before the power of Gods anger, or his love, <HI>Zech.</HI> 12 10.</ITEM>
<ITEM>10. By this the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">oul groweth up from &s;trength to &s;trength; terror and &s;orrow doth weaken the &s;oul exceedingly. The joy of the Lord is his peoples &s;trength. Where will men ripen, if not in the Sun&s;hine?</ITEM>
</LIST></NOTE> Margin.</P>
<P>Judicious Chri&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ans plainly perceived him at that time to be wonderfully rai&s;ed, and his &s;preading &s;ailes to be &s;weetly &s;welled with the powerful breathings of the Spirit, for he &s;pake more like one neer the Throne, and in the company of Angels, then one in a Pulpit, and &s;urrounded with mortalls.</P>
<P>At even, the people (according to their accu&s;tomed manner) came crouding and thronging to Repetition. His wife in vain per&s;waded him to di&s;mi&s;s the A&s;&s;embly: in repeating his Sermons, Singing and Prayer, he &s;pent about two hours time.</P>
<P>At Supper he did eat a little with his wife, and that chearfully, yet complained of an unu&s;ual heavine&s;s in his head, and &s;orene&s;s in his eys, when endeavou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing to lift them up, and took little re&s;t the en&s;uing night.</P>
<P>The next morning &s;eeing that he mu&s;t be &s;ick indeed, he ble&s;|&s;ed the Lord, that he found him in his work. The Phy&s;itian be|ing &s;ent for, and con&s;ulted with, &s;aid, he had got cold, and was feavori&s;h: the &s;econd night is pa&s;&s;ed over with as little re&s;t as the fir&s;t.</P>
<P>A day of Thank&s;giving in private for his own return from <HI>London,</HI> and his wives late &s;afe delivery, was de&s;igned to be ce|lebrated about this time; the con&s;ideration of which occa&s;ioned &s;ome &s;adne&s;s, whereupon to his wife he &s;aid, This is &s;ad love, this looks as if the Lord would not accept of an Offering of prai&s;e from our hands: And then he called for the Notes of a Thank&s;|giving Sermon, preached long before by Doctor <HI>Jones</HI> on that pa&s;&s;age of <HI>Hezekiah,</HI> Who rendred not unto the Lord accord|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chro. 32. 25.</NOTE> to the benefit.</P>
<P>The third day, as a choice Chri&s;tian friend, who came to vi&s;it him, was di&s;cour&s;ing with his wife, he fell afleep, and two or three hours after awaking, he called for his wife, who coming to him, and kneeling down upon the beds &s;ide, he fixed his eys
<PB N="42" REF="39">
on her, and &s;aid, do&s;t thou know that place, I will give them the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 2. 15.</NOTE> Valley of <HI>Achor</HI> for a door of hope? Who &s;aid, yes. He further asked her if &s;he k<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ew the meaning of it, who expre&s;&s;ing her apprehen&s;ions, he &s;aid, yea, there it is and then a little nodding his head, and pointing with his finger at her, &s;aid, Rem<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">mber this Our valley of trouble &s;hall be our door of hope.</P>
<P>About the fifth day, in letting blood he fainted, and with a low voyce &s;aid, What means this? it was not thus with me at Sir <HI>Roberts Kings.</HI> To his wife looking upon him, he &s;aid, Now Love; it is a weaning time. He was more careful of Gods Service then of his own attendance, cau&s;ing the &s;ervants to leave him, that &s;o their duty to God in ways of wor&s;hip might not be neglected.</P>
<P>The &s;eventh day, being the Sabbath, he inquired who carried on the work, and &s;eemed to affect retirement, and &s;ecret con|ver&s;e with God upon his own day. Mo&s;t part of the &s;econd week was pa&s;&s;ed over in a &s;ilent &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, and quiet waiting on the Lord.</P>
<P>The thirteenth day in the morning, being Saturday, his pains were very violent for an hour and half, and extorted from him that doleful complaint, Lord how long? Ah, my bowels, my bowels, I have grieved bowels, this &s;peaks much; I have wanted bowels, I have not been &s;o pittiful towards others.</P>
<P>The Doctor being &s;ent for, and &s;taying longer then was ex|pected, he &s;aid, Lord give us help from trouble, for vain is the help of man. At night he was much refre&s;hed, chearful all night <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 60&punc; 11.</NOTE> and prone to di&s;cour&s;e, and prai&s;ed without any complaining, and withall &s;aid, I would have given the whole world for &s;o much ea&s;e in the morning.</P>
<P>The Lords day in the morning the Doctor coming to him, and looking on him, wept, to whom Ma&s;ter <HI>Murcot</HI> &s;aid, How is it with me? Doctor: You may do well Brother, I hope, if you can get any &s;leep. Ma&s;ter <HI>Murcot:</HI> Tell me true, how is my Pul&s;e? Doctor: I confe&s;s it is but bad, but you may do well if you can &s;leep, which he indeavoured a while, (though in vain) by clo&s;ing his eys. To his wife looking &s;adly on him, he &s;aid, Love, can&s;t thou pray for <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">leep for me, what &s;ai&s;t thou? to which her &s;welling grief permitted her not to return an&s;wer. The rumou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of his weak condition being &s;pread abroad, a Doctor was &s;ent
<PB N="43" REF="39" MS="y">
from my Lord Deputy, to &s;ee if there were any hope of life, who &s;peaking to him, he &s;aid, Doctor, I am &s;pent with &s;weating. To his Si&s;ter he &s;aid, and that without any amazement and pe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|turbation of &s;pirit: Si&s;ter, I mu&s;t now tell you, I am not for this world and then lifting up him&s;elf, he &s;aid, Lord remember me, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 20. 3.</NOTE> how I have walked before thee in &s;incerity, with all my might. He wi&s;hed the Sabbath were over, that &s;o he might do &s;omething about his Will, though little were to be done. His wife &s;eeing &amp; hearing the&s;e pa&s;&s;ages, &s;aid to him, Now I &s;ee that you know that you mu&s;t leave us. He an&s;wered, yes Love; whereat &s;he weeping, he exhorted her to a Re&s;ignation, to which &s;he an&s;wered, The Lord hath enabled me to &s;urrender you up heartily; at the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ear<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ng of which he lifting up his hands, ble&s;&s;ed the Lord. To h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">fe he &s;aid, ha&s;te ha&s;te Love, for my time is very &s;hort, and withall told his Si&s;ter, I &s;hall not reach midnight. Then lifting up himfelf, he &s;aid, the&s;e raptures tell me I mu&s;t be gone quick|ly. The con&s;ideration of his approaching re&s;t did wonderfully revive. The Me&s;&s;enger of the Lord whi&s;pered him in the ear, and told him his Father had &s;ent for him home, which happy tidings made his heart to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eap for joy within him. The glimmer|ings of the white Throne, of the Lamb &s;itting on that Throne, and of the glorious troops of Saints and Angels all in white about the I <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rone, with the apprehen&s;ions and confident a&s;|&s;urance of his bearing a part in the Mu&s;ick, of their Hallelujahs, cau&s;ed in him &s;ublime elevations, and &s;pringing exultings of &s;pirit in a body depre&s;&s;ed, and bowed down with pinching pains, and the agonies of an approaching death. He is now in the Cut|fields of <HI>Emanuels</HI> Land, and is gotten almo&s;t to the top of the Mount, and his &s;oul, impatient of delaies, is ready to leap out of the crazy and declining Cottage of mouldring Fle&s;h.</P>
<P>Paper being brought, he began thus; I re&s;ign my &s;pirit into the hands of the Father of Spirits, and into the bo&s;ome of my dear Lord, &amp;c. To this there were but three or four lines more added, for he was in ha&s;te and longed to be at home.</P>
<P>To his wife (having in a very &s;hort &s;pace di&s;patched his Will) he &s;aid, Bury me in &s;ilence, without Funeral Sermon, I will have no manner of pomp; but was per&s;waded to yeild to the intreaties of his wife, as to a Sermon.</P>
<P>As his children were called for, Doctor <HI>Winter</HI> came in to
<PB N="44" REF="40">
vi&s;it him, who unexpectedly &s;eeing death in his face, &s;aid, with a loud and lamenting voice, Brother <HI>Murcot</HI> are you leaving us? who with unaltered countenance, &s;aid, Yes, and de&s;ired him to pray quickly. His children being brought, he &s;aid to his elde&s;t, Will <HI>He&s;ter</HI> be a good child and &s;erve the Lord? His &s;on being pre&s;ented, he expre&s;&s;ed him&s;elf thus, The Lord break thy &s;tub|born heart. When the little one hanging on the mothers bre&s;t was expo&s;ed to his &s;ight, he lift up his hands, and &s;aid, The Lord ble&s;s thee. Being put in mind of his &s;ervants, he affectionately and even &s;milingly looked up upon one, whom he had been in|&s;trumental to convert, and &s;aid, <HI>Be&s;s</HI> hath a better Ma&s;ter, the Lord be with thee <HI>Be&s;s.</HI> The children being taken away, and his wife coming to take her la&s;t leave and final farewel of him, he alone lift up him&s;elf and ki&s;&s;ed her. Dr. <HI>Winter</HI> de&s;iring an inte|re&s;t in his prayers, he &s;aid, The Lord &s;trengthen you for the double work that now lies on you, and withal de&s;ired him to pray with him; which he did in a mo&s;t pathetical and doleful manner, groaning out his reque&s;ts unto God. The people, though de&s;ired, are loath to leave the chamber, and hang &s;o thick on the curtains, bed-po&s;ts, hangings, doors, having not the power to leave their dear and departing friend, &s;o that he is in danger of being &s;mothered, and dying before his time.</P>
<P>Drawing near his end, his &s;i&s;ter &s;aid to him, Are you in chari|ty with all the Lords people, though differing from you? Who lifting up his eyes affectionately, &s;aid, Yes; She de&s;iring him to manife&s;t it by his la&s;t reque&s;t, he lifted up his hands and reque&s;t|ed, that all the Lords people might be one, as his way was one.</P>
<P>Then &s;tretching out his arms, and lifting him&s;elf up, he &s;aid with a loud and &s;hrill voice, Lord Je&s;us draw me up to thee: which &s;weet expre&s;&s;ions, by a frequent and fervent repetition wa&s;ted his &s;pirits, &s;o that afterwards he lay in &s;omewhat a &s;ilent po&s;ture, waiting for his change, which was now neer at hand.</P>
<P>About nine of the clock he breathed out his &s;oul into the bo|&s;om of Chri&s;t, and quietly &s;lept in the Lord.</P>
<P>The <HI>Wedne&s;day</HI> following, being the appointed time of his in|terment, great was the confluence of people, who attended the corps unto the grave. The Lord Deputy <HI>Fleetwood</HI> followed the
<PB N="45" REF="40">
Body, after him the Council, then the Maior, Aldermen, and Ci|tizens in &s;uch numerous troops, that the like hath not been u&s;ually &s;een in <HI>Dublin.</HI> Dr. <HI>Winter</HI> preached his funeral Sermon, on <HI>Heb. 13. 7. Remember them which have the rule over you, who have &s;poken unto you the word of God, who&s;e Faith follow, con&s;i|dering the end of their conver&s;ation.&mdash;</HI>Upon the face of the whole Congregation &s;ate a black cloud of &s;orrow and di&s;con&s;o|lation, being not able to vent it on that doleful and uncomfortable occa&s;ion into &s;howers. The Body being brought unto the place of burial, the &s;adned &s;pectators and &s;tanders-by &s;ighed him into his grave, and mingling his du&s;t with their moi&s;t tears, depart|ed and left him in his bed of re&s;t.</P>
<P>Relation I would willing back with Exhortation. A few words of &s;piritual advice in the clo&s;e of the whole may be of u&s;e, though from an inferiour hand.</P>
<P>And fir&s;t to you, my Brethren in the Mini&s;try, I addre&s;s my &s;elf, and earne&s;tly intreate you in the bowels of Chri&s;t Je&s;us our Lord to remember, That you are not only Church-Officers, but Chri&s;tians. Spend not your whole time in reading books, and &s;tu|dying other men; you will do well to &s;tudy your &s;elves, and to be acquainted with the frame of your own hearts. The way which you point out unto others, walk in your &s;elves, and con|&s;cientiou&s;ly practi&s;e the duties which you pangatively pre&s;s. Be|ware of beams in your own eyes, while&s;t you are diligently <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 3.</NOTE> plucking motes out of your brothers eyes. Let not your own cloathes be full of du&s;t, when you are bru&s;hing other mens backs. Its not hand&s;om for us to be alwaies &s;weeping before the doors of others, and picking up the lea&s;t offen&s;ive &s;traw, while&s;t huge heaps of dunghil filth lie before our own doors unremoved. It <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 23. 4.</NOTE> opens the mouths of oppo&s;ites, when we are taken notice of, to bind heavy burdens on other mens &s;houlders, we in the mean time refu&s;ing to touch them with the lea&s;t of our fingers. Know we not the pleadings of many at the la&s;t day, <HI>Have we not preach|ed</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 22, 23.</NOTE> <HI>in thy name, and in thy name ca&s;t out Devils?</HI> whom yet Chri&s;t will &s;purn from his pre&s;ence, and ca&s;t forth as an everla&s;ting ab|horring.</P>
<P>What though <HI>Judas</HI> had the grace of Apo&s;tle&s;hip, &s;o long as he had not grace with his Apo&s;tle&s;hip? It was a wi&s;e cour&s;e that
<PB N="46" REF="41">
<HI>Paul</HI> took, and de&s;erving imitation, who did beat down his own <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 9. 27.</NOTE> body, le&s;t having preached unto others, he him&s;elf &s;hould be|come a ca&s;t-away. What though Satan fall down from heaven like <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ightning before us, if he be not ca&s;t out of our hearts? We have more rea&s;on to rejoyce in having our names written in the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10. 20.</NOTE> Lambs book of Life, then in having the Devils &s;ubject to us. O while&s;t we pa&s;sionately endeavour the &s;alvation of others &s;ouls, let us have an eye of tender regard unto our own. One hint more at parting,&mdash;We cannot be too often put in mind of that which is our proper work, and doth mo&s;t neerly concern us to be bu&s;ied about: <HI>viz.</HI> Reading, Exhortation, Doctrine. Let <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 4. 13.</NOTE> not our Sabbath-daies di&s;cour&s;es &s;avour of the tire&s;om di&s;tracti|ons of the preceding week; giving the People occa&s;ion to &s;ay, That if we were le&s;s earthly and carnal, our di&s;cour&s;es would be more heavenly and &s;piritual. The ingrateful world many times puts us to our &s;hifts to get a &s;ub&s;i&s;tence, yet let us take heed of too deep and unnece&s;&s;ary engagements in matters &s;ecular, that are heterogeneal and excentrical to our employment. Its incon|venient, and gives occa&s;ion of di&s;gu&s;t to be &s;een &s;o often in the &s;treets, and found &s;o &s;eldom in our &s;tudies. It &s;hould not &s;atisfie that &s;omething is done by us on the Lords day, to &s;top the cla|mours of con&s;cience, and the Congregation. It becomes not tho&s;e who &s;hould &s;erve God with all their might, to offer unto him that which co&s;t them nothing. The more pains we take in private, the more rational and methodical &s;hall we be in publike. Tho&s;e Ser|mons are mo&s;t affectionate, and melting, that are written with &s;weat and tears as well as Ink. Saple&s;s and &s;ucce&s;sle&s;s u&s;ually are tho&s;e di&s;cour&s;es, that are the blu&s;tring inforcements, and yawning exactations of lu&s;ty lungs, and not the clear and elaborate di&s;til|lations of a judicious, and working brain. A loud &s;ound of words may make the ears to tingle, and cau&s;e a blind, and confu&s;ed agi|tation of the affections to little purpo&s;e; but the Under&s;tanding and Rea&s;on are not captivated but by clear and &s;olid arguments. As for di&s;gorging that which lies uppermo&s;t, on the top of a &s;quezy &s;tomach, under the notion of the immediate, and un|doubted dictates of the Spirit; that hath been &s;ufficiently explod|ed by able pens, as being apparently repugnant to &s;ound Rea&s;on and Religion.</P>
<P>Chri&s;tians, I would likewi&s;e caution and advi&s;e in a few words.</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="47" REF="41">
1. Flatter not your &s;elves with fallacious and ungrounded hopes of being &s;aved upon ea&s;ie terms. Religion knows no re|ward without a preceding work. Expect not to ride in a trium|phant Chariot, unle&s;s you fir&s;t tumble in &s;weat and du&s;t. Lazy Lozels &s;hall be &s;courged, when conquering combatants &s;hall be crowned. Chri&s;t hath told you, that the way is narrow, and the Gate is &s;traight; and therefore turn the deaf ear to the contrary <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 14.</NOTE> &s;ugge&s;tions of tho&s;e, who would fain per&s;wade you, that the way is broader, and the Gate wider then Chri&s;t hath made it. The Saints of old took no more pains then was nece&s;&s;ary, who in|&s;tantly &s;erved God day and night, in order to obtaining the pro|mi&s;ed, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 26 7.</NOTE> and purcha&s;ed inheritance. Our way is up-hill, no coming thither without panting.</P>
<P N="2">2. Be not di&s;couraged becau&s;e of the unavoidable difficulties of Religion. Let not the high hills, and the ragged rocks over which you mu&s;t climb, fright you into a benumming deadne&s;s, and irre&s;olution. Lay not a&s;ide your Oars, though the wind and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ide be again&s;t you. Are not others &s;afely landed, who were a&s;&s;aulted with the like oppo&s;ition, and therefore why &s;hould you de&s;pond?</P>
<P N="3">3. Though I propo&s;e the exemplary life of this holy man, as worthy your imitation, yet I would have you look higher: Fol|low him no farther then you &s;ee him following Chri&s;t. It was a laudable height, and pitch in Religion which he attained unto, and which the generality of Profe&s;&s;ors come &s;hort of; Yet I do not urge you to &s;ail after him, and &s;teer the &s;ame cour&s;e, with the neglect of your Compa&s;s. Let your eye be upon the never-er|ring rule of the word. The mo&s;t Seraphical, and be&s;t of Saints on this &s;ide heaven, have &s;ome dro&s;s mixed with their gold, &s;ome water with their mo&s;t &s;parkling and generous wine. I would not have you to be holy only, as this or that man is holy, whom you conceive to be more then ordinarily excellent, and one of tho&s;e who are in the highe&s;t form of the School of Chri&s;t. Let Chri&s;t alone be Pattern, which you will exactly imitate, and the Copy that you will write after. He was a Copy without blot, and a Lamb without &s;pot.</P>
<P>The mo&s;t &s;hining and &s;piritual part of Mr. <HI>Murcots</HI> life, is taken out of his Diary, or daily account of him&s;elf in writing: The like Practi&s;e I would pa&s;sionately per&s;wade. Its numerous
<PB N="48" REF="42">
advantages will recompence the pre&s;ent toyl. Me thinks &s;uch Arguments as the&s;e &s;hould be cogent, and con&s;training.</P>
<P N="1">1. Self-acquaintance. A prime point of wi&s;dom is the know|ledge of a mans &s;elf. If he be accounted wi&s;e, who is well ver&s;t in State-affairs, and hath in his mind formed characters of the mo&s;t noted men of his times: If he be reputed wi&s;e, who is ac|quainted with the nature of Angels, and elementary Bodies; who knows the my&s;terious motions, and influential operations of the &s;tars, and can give a de&s;cription of the &s;everal birds that flie in the air, of all &s;orts of bea&s;ts that move upon the face of the earth, and of the unnumbered kinds of Fi&s;hes that &s;wim in the great and wide Sea; then much more wi&s;e mu&s;t he needs be, who by much &s;earching hath acquired the knowledge of him&s;elf.</P>
<P>The benefits of this &s;elf-acquaintance would be de&s;ervedly con&s;idered.
<Q><P N="1">1. Its of con&s;equence to know what our condition is, as to life and death, and upon what terms we &s;tand in order to &s;alvation. Being daily weighed in the Ballance of the San|ctuary, we &s;hall find whether or no we are too light. Its good to prevent tho&s;e mi&s;takes, which being not di&s;covered, may prove the lo&s;s of our &s;ouls.</P>
<P N="2">2. When thou finde&s;t lu&s;t prevailing, with apparent de|caies and declinings in grace, here's an occa&s;ion admin&s;tred for godly &s;orrow to vent it &s;elf, by pouring forth penitential tears before the Lord.</P>
<P N="3">3. If thou &s;ee&s;t the plea&s;ant plant of grace to thrive, and flouri&s;h, and overtop the &s;tinking weeds of thy corru|ptions; and if thou feel the Sun-&s;hine of Gods favourable face in Chri&s;t, warming and chearing thy heart; here's fewel laid in for the fire of thy joy to burn and blaze. The&s;e rare expre&s;&s;ions of mercy, provoke thee to thank&s;ulne&s;s, and to &s;ing aloud of Gods goodne&s;s.</P></Q></P>
<P N="2">2. Prevention of evil. The con&s;ideration of this, that the evil which falls from us mu&s;t be recorded by us, and that for this end, that we might thence take occa&s;ion to loath and abhor our &s;elves in du&s;t and a&s;hes, will lay a re&s;traint upon us, and be as a bridle in our mouthes, to check the in&s;olency of unruly lu&s;t.</P>
<P N="3">3. Accounts le&s;s confu&s;ed when we come to dye. He that makes even with God every day, will find his death-bed work to
<PB N="49" REF="42">
be comfortably lightned and le&s;&s;ened. He that delaies and puts off the remembrance of his waies; and calling him&s;elf to an account till he come to be tormented with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with &s;trong pain, will find him&s;elf in an unmeet po&s;ture for a work of that nature. If our &s;ickne&s;s be not &s;uch, as to extort loud out-cries and hideous exclamations, yet it will be &s;ure to oppre&s;s, and bow down with a dull and heavy un|chearfulne&s;s.</P>
<P>Self-examination is a &s;olitary duty, and requires a calm, and undi&s;turbed retirement. Now the curtains of a &s;ick-bed are often opened, and the langui&s;hing Patient &s;eldom at re&s;t. The weeping wife, lamenting children, &s;orrowful &s;ervants, bu&s;ie Phy&s;itian, con|doling vi&s;itants, mu&s;t all be heeded and hearkened to, and an&s;wers returned to their enquiries; &s;o that our time is taken up in medi|tating on our pain, and relating it to others. Doubtle&s;s, health and a clo&s;et are mo&s;t convenient for &s;elf-reflexions, which if pro|cra&s;tinated till the la&s;t period of our lives, are rarely attended with a real conver&s;ion, and turning to God in truth and &s;incerity. How &s;eldom are dying men new-born? and they added to the Church, that are going out of the world? The &s;ins of departing &s;ouls come crouding and thronging in &s;o thick upon them, &s;o that a di&s;tinct con&s;ideration of them cannot be taken; and now mens former golden dreams of heaven, and high-flown hopes of after|happine&s;s, vani&s;h like &s;moak, and leave behind them in their &s;tead, de&s;pair, de&s;traction, confu&s;ion, con&s;ternation, and a certain fear|ful expectation, and looking for of fiery indignation to devour.</P>
<P>O that men were wi&s;e, that they would remember their latter ends, and while&s;t the light &s;hines, provide for the daies of dark|ne&s;s, for they are many.</P>
<P>The Devil hath a jealous eye upon all Engines that might pro|bably batter his Kingdom, loo&s;en his hold, and weaken his inte|re&s;t: be&s;ides, the fle&s;h loves to be abundantly favoured, and therefore I expect that objections again&s;t this cour&s;e, of calling our &s;elves to account daily, will be multiplied.</P>
<P>Object. 1. <HI>The work &s;eems to be attended with many thorny, and inextricable difficulties; hence mens loathne&s;s to take it up.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. He that withdraws his neck from the yoak of Chri&s;t becau&s;e of its pinching weight, is unworthy of Chri&s;t. In vain do men hope to be &s;aved, who provide for their own ea&s;e, when
<PB N="50" REF="43">
Chri&s;t is calling upon them for &s;ervice. Never expect to look him with comfort in the face, unle&s;s you re&s;olve to be indefatigable in his work.</P>
<P>2. Do not men upon a worldly &s;core take abundance of pains in ca&s;ting up their accounts? Will not the practi&s;e of many mer|chants ri&s;e up in judgement again&s;t them&s;elves, and others at the la&s;t day? They can ri&s;e early, &amp; &s;it up late, and immure them&s;elves in their clo&s;ets and counting-hou&s;es, and there at large &s;et down their receipts, and disbur&s;ments. Marriners, when at Sea, &s;et down in their Diurnals, every turn of the wind, and when it be|gan, how many hours, nay minutes the &s;hip &s;ailed &s;uch a point of the Compa&s;s, and how many another; yea, though they &s;leep but half the night, yet they mu&s;t find time to do this, becau&s;e their lives lie at the &s;take, and the &s;afety of the whole is concern|ed. How come &s;ouls trow to be at &s;uch a low and cheap rate, that the &s;afety and welfare of the Body &s;hould be preferred be|fore them?</P>
<P>3. It is better to take pains then to run the hazard of &s;uffer|ing eternal pains.</P>
<P>4. The greate&s;t part of the difficulty lies in the Porch: when you are once entred into the Hou&s;e, you will not repent of the pains you have taken, but find encouragement to take more. A clear di&s;covery of a mans condition hath in it much of &s;atisfa|ction.</P>
<P>Object. 2. <HI>Multiplicity of unavoidable worldly occa&s;ions by &s;ome may be pretended for their omi&s;&s;ion of this duty: they have not time; and lei&s;ure enough to do as others do.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. One thing only is nece&s;&s;ary, other things are but convenient. Its nece&s;&s;ary that you have grace, and be &s;aved; not &s;o that you be rich, and advanced to an high degree in the world.</P>
<P>2. Le&s;&s;en your bu&s;ine&s;s, and contract your occa&s;ions with|in a narrower compa&s;s. Have le&s;s to do in the world, that &s;o you may have more time to &s;pend in a devout retirement.</P>
<P>Believe it Chri&s;tians, Time is a precious Talent that mu&s;t be reckoned for: See therefore that you husband it to the be&s;t ad|vantage. Be &s;ure you re&s;erve the morning, and evening for con|ver&s;e with God, and communing with your own hearts, not neg|lecting a watchful jealou&s;ie over your &s;elves all the day.</P>
<P>Religion is not a little ob&s;tructed by unnece&s;&s;ary vi&s;its, frothy
<PB N="51" REF="43">
di&s;cour&s;es, un&s;aint-like gamings and Pagani&s;h pa&s;times. Take heed of being late abroad out of your own hou&s;es. It becomes not tho&s;e who profe&s;s they look for, and ha&s;t unto the coming of the Lord, to come &s;tumbling home, and to be groping for their doors at midnight, when they &s;hould rather be in the &s;ecret chamber, dre&s;&s;ing and making them&s;elves ready again&s;t the mar|riage-Supper of the Lamb.</P>
<P>I am bold to affirm, that reading the Scriptures, in&s;tructing our families, praying to God, and &s;inging prai&s;es to his name, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> make &s;weeter mu&s;ick in his ears, then the ratling of Tables, and the &s;huffling of Cards, the <HI>bane</HI> of great mens hou&s;es, and it were well if the infection had not diffu&s;ed it &s;elf to multitudes of in|feriour families.</P>
<P>The plain truth of it is, men and women for the generality of them, chu&s;e not God for their chiefe&s;t good, they make not him the object of their delight, their rejoycing is not in Chri&s;t Je&s;us; Religion is a &s;aple&s;s, yea a &s;our thing unto them, and hence it is that they turn a&s;ide to vain &s;ports, and &s;en&s;ible delights.</P>
<P>If you find your hearts aver&s;e to the practi&s;e of a Diary, yet let me intreat and ingage you to make tryal of it for a few daies; do not ob&s;tinately decline a cour&s;e which you have no experi|ence of.</P>
<P>But if you are re&s;olved through grace to take up, and per&s;e|vere in the practi&s;e of the duty propo&s;ed, beware that it do not degenerate into a cu&s;tomary and empty formality. Re&s;t not in the bare doing of the thing, but pro&s;ecute the work in order to its ends, which are &s;piritual and of un&s;peakable advantage.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
<TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="work">
<PB REF="44">
<PB N="53" REF="44">
<HEAD>CIRCVMSPECT Walking, A Chri&s;tians Wi&s;dom.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Ephe&s;. 5. 15, 16.</BIBL>
<Q>See then that you walk circum&s;pectly, not as fools, but as wi&s;e, Redeeming the time, becau&s;e the dayes are evil.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THE Apo&s;tle in this Chapter, according to his manner, doth build upon the faith in Chri&s;t Je&s;us to ju&s;tification, the Doctrine of good works, and a holy conver&s;ation, and matters of morality. In this Chapter he devideth that his Doctrine, as I may &s;ay, into <HI>Ethicks,</HI> and <HI>Oeconomicks,</HI> rules more generally concerning the framing, the conver&s;ations of all; and rules more &s;peciall and particular to Family ralations: This he had begun in the former Chaprer, ver. 17. <HI>This I &s;ay there|fore, and te&s;tifie, that ye walk not as other</HI> Gentiles <HI>walk, in the vanity of their mind.</HI> The Apo&s;tle de&s;cends to many Particulars in that Chapter, and carrieth on the Exhorta|tion in this Chapter wherein our Text is: The general Propo&s;ition &s;till being &s;uppo&s;ed, That the Saints ought to be adorned with all manner of vertue, and to keep them&s;elves un|&s;potted of the world; he exhorts them to a freene&s;s of pardoning
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one another, wherein thy had the Example of God, and it would declare them to be his dear children, in the fir&s;t ver&s;e of this Chapter: then to love; and walking in love, not in heart only, but it mu&s;t be expre&s;&s;ed actually, as Je&s;us Chri&s;t expre&s;&s;ed his love to us in giving up him&s;elf for us; then he dehorts them from &s;everal vices, as fornication uncleanne&s;s, covetou&s;ne&s;s, fil|thine&s;s, fooli&s;h &s;peaking and je&s;ting, which are not convenient; yea, the&s;e are things will exclude from the Kingdom of heaven. Let no man deceive you with vain words, as if there were no &s;uch danger in &s;uch a loo&s;e walking; tho&s;e are vain words be|lieve it, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>For the&s;e things the wrath of God cometh upon the children of di&s;obedience,</HI> therefore it is no light matter I deal with you about; therefore the Apo&s;tle concludeth, <HI>be not therefore partakers with them;</HI> partake not of the &s;ins of the children of di&s;obedience, le&s;t you ta&s;te of the wrath which cometh upon their heads for the&s;e their iniquities. The Apo&s;tle goeth on to back this his Admonition, that they be not drawn away with the error of the wicked, with many arguments. As be|cau&s;e now their condition was changed, they were men of other principles; no marvel if heretofore, while they were darkne&s;s, they walked as children of darkne&s;s, and did work and had fel|low&s;hip with the unfruitful works of darkne&s;s; but now they were children of the light, and therefore mu&s;t walk as they were; and they were fruits of the Spirit now they mu&s;t bring forth; they were goodne&s;s righteou&s;ne&s;s and truth; be&s;ides, it is the part of godly men, and good children to approve them|&s;elves to God, and &s;ubmit to him in all things; be&s;ides; the works of darkne&s;s are unfruitful, and &s;hameful; it is a &s;hame to &s;peak of the things they do in &s;ecret: they were &s;uch in them|&s;elves, and they will at la&s;t be revealed to the confu&s;ion of the authors of them; to all which he addeth a te&s;timony from Scripture, that God doth generally every where call upon men to ari&s;e from their &s;leep and death in &s;in, and he is ready to enlighten them; he &s;peaks no more but what the Scripture of old did &s;peak; &s;ome difficulty is in this Ver&s;e, but it is be&s;ide our purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>Now the words of the Text are, as I may &s;ay, a Repetition, and re-inforcing the general Propo&s;ition, <HI>That the Saints ought to have their conver&s;ation adorned with every vertue, or grace,
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and the fruits of them, and to keep them&s;elves pure and innocent, and free from the corruption of the world:</HI> From all the former Arguments, he laies down by way of Inference and Conclu&s;ion this charge in <HI>v.</HI> 15. <GAP DESC="foreign"> therefore becau&s;e &s;o and &s;o, as you have heard; See to it, <HI>That you walk circum&s;pectly;</HI> the Argu|ment inforcing, it is in the following words, <HI>not as fools, but as wi&s;e;</HI> It is a part of great wi&s;dom to walk circum&s;pectly; And from the general in the 16. ver&s;e, the Apo&s;tle de&s;cends to a par|ticular and &s;pecial piece of this circum&s;pect walking, and a no|table evidence of this wi&s;dom, <HI>and that is the redeeming the time,</HI> and backeth this with a &s;trong argument, <HI>becau&s;e the days are evil.</HI></P>
<P>Without any further &s;tay in the Porch, let us now enter the Hou&s;e, and view &s;ome of the rooms of it; there are many things note-worthy in the words; the fir&s;t that I &s;hall take up at this time is this; <HI>It is a duty Chri&s;tians are &s;trictly charged with, to walk circum&s;pectly.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct. 1.</NOTE></P>
<P>Here it will be requi&s;ite to enquire what is meant by this <HI>Cir|cum&s;pect walking;</HI> and then Secondly, to make it good, that it is a duty &s;o &s;trictly charged upon the Saints; and Thirdly, why it is &s;o; and then Fourthly, Apply it.</P>
<P>For the fir&s;t, What it is to <HI>walk Cirrum&s;pectly:</HI> Here we have the Ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ter and the Manner of a Chri&s;tians conver&s;ation; the Matter that is expre&s;&s;ed, by a Walking, which indeed doth com|prehend all the actions of a Chri&s;tian life, in conformity to the Law and Will of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which is the Way; nothing more ordinary then to expre&s;s a Chri&s;tian cour&s;e by a walking, and &s;ometimes by a running in a race: but by a walking here it is ex|pre&s;&s;ed, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 17. 1. 2 Kin. 20. 3. P&s;al. 1. 1, 2.</NOTE> and indeed this doth include all a mans actions; his &s;piri|tual actions towards the Lord, they are a part of this walking, their praying, meditating, hearing, receiving, conferring, living by faith, all the&s;e are his &s;piritual actions.</P>
<P>Secondly A mans civil conver&s;ation al&s;o cometh under this walking; for the Rule and Will of Chri&s;t hath an influence over that, to bound it, and limit it. There is no calling which is lawfull but a man may therein abide with God, if it be never &s;o mean; and this is another part of the walking: while men are diligent|ly imployed in their particular Callings, out of obedience to his holy command, they are in their way, and walking to
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heaven as well as when they are in the &s;piritual part of the walk, and &s;o much the more, while they have &s;piritual hearts in this walk, ever and anon taking a turn in heaven, and having <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. 20.</NOTE> their civil conver&s;ation in heaven, <GAP DESC="foreign">, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith.</P>
<P>Thirdly, even mens natural actions are a part of this way al&s;o; of the Matter of this walking as eating drinking &s;leeping&punc; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 10. 16.</NOTE> &amp;c. when they are u&s;ed with moderation, and an end to befit us only for our &s;piritual and civil conver&s;ations; when men eat and drink for &s;trength, and not for lu&s;t, for drunkenne&s;s, and eat in due &s;ea&s;on, as to whet when the Sythe is dull; &s;o that even the&s;e actions are a part of the walk al&s;o, and that it is to be taken in this latitude, will appear, if we con&s;ider the particulars the Apo&s;tle pre&s;&s;eth them too here, as parts of that walking.</P>
<P>Now to walk, you know, &s;peaks a motion; it is oppo&s;ed to &s;tanding, or lying, or &s;itting &s;till; the whole world lieth in wickedne&s;s, and moveth not hand nor foot; they have their grave-cloaths upon them, are bound hand and foot, and are <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 1. 1.</NOTE> melting away in their lu&s;ts, and therefore they walk not towards heaven; there is a &s;itting in the &s;eat of the &s;cornful when men have taken up their re&s;t in &s;in, and are at the height, that they &s;corn the Travellers Zion-wards, with their faces thither; in|deed there is a contrary walking to this <HI>walking in the coun&s;el of the ungodly, in the way of &s;inners,</HI> a walking with &s;inners hand in hand, <HI>having fellow&s;hip with the unfruitful works of darkne&s;s;</HI> but that motion is from other principles even the fle&s;h, and this from the Spirit; and by other rules, the cu&s;tome of this world, to which they are conformed, the examples of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 5. 12. R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">m. 12. 2.</NOTE> &s;inners, the commands of their tyranical lu&s;ts, and for other ends, both of the Walk, and the Walker in it; the Walk, the end of tho&s;e ways is death; there is a way which &s;eemeth right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death; and the end of the Walker is to chear his heart, and to &s;atisfie his lu&s;ts: but this walk we &s;peak of is a contrary motion to that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 14. 12.</NOTE> of the world.</P>
<P N="2">2. There is a <HI>terminus &agrave; quo,</HI> from whence they walk, and that is from &s;in, and &s;elf, and Satan, and &s;inners, and the wrath which <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2. 19. Ephe&s;. 5. 12. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Cor. 6. 17.</NOTE> is to come; but &s;pecially from &s;in they walk: this is the &s;cope of all their ways, to get above &s;in.</P>
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3. There is a <HI>terminus ad quem,</HI> and that is to God in Chri&s;t, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 26. 17.</NOTE> as a holy God, and a ble&s;&s;ed God, that we might enjoy him as &s;uch, from hell to heaven; and therefore conver&s;ion (when men are fir&s;t turned, their po&s;ture is turned) it is called a turning them from the power of Satan unto God.</P>
<P N="4">4. This motion is a progre&s;&s;ive motion, that is to &s;ay, a man goeth forward in it, not round about, as a hor&s;e in a Mill, and is at night, where he was in the morning, but as a hor&s;e or Traveller upon the Road, which rids his ground, he getteth <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 7. 1. P&s;al. 8. 4.</NOTE> ground every &s;tep; and &s;o &s;hould we go on toward perfection daily, die to &s;in daily, get &s;omewhat further off it, and to the world, and get nearer to heaven daily; we &s;hould &s;ee to it that we grow from &s;trength to &s;trength.</P>
<P N="5">5. It is a con&s;tant motion, for a man that walks to &s;uch an end of a Journey, he giveth it not over until he come to the end of it; &s;o &s;hould we con&s;tantly be moving until we come to the end of our faith, the &s;alvation of our &s;ouls.</P>
<P N="6">6. A plea&s;ant motion to a man that is cured of his lamene&s;s, and is no longer a Cripple, as by Nature we are; the way is plea|&s;ant, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 3. 17. Matth. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> Walks are for delight, and &s;ure the ways of Wi&s;dom are plea&s;antne&s;s, and her paths are peace, <HI>the yoak is ea&s;ie, the bur|then is light,</HI> and &s;o much, that though the Saints by rea&s;on of the &s;ouls dependance upon the body in its actings and its being bound up, as I may &s;ay, under &s;ences which are weak, and can|not hold out long. I &s;ay, by rea&s;on of this they are weary in the ways of God, yet not weary of them, but they are plea&s;ant to them, his commandments are not grievous to them; but this is not the thing which I intend to &s;peak to from the words, but rather the exactne&s;s and circum&s;pection in walking; <HI>See then that ye walk cicrum&s;pectly,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then to this exact walking, there mu&s;t go a rule, he that walks exactly walks by a rule, <HI>ad amu&s;&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> as the Carpenter, if he work accuratly, doth all by rule and mea&s;ure: when men walk, as I may &s;ay, in a frame, and cut by a thread, not rove out their lives, they have a clue in this dark world, and by that they walk, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle to the <HI>Galatians, As many as walk by this rule, peace be on them, and on the I&s;rael of God,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6. 16.</NOTE> <GAP DESC="foreign">; Hence the Scripture, the Law of God which is the rule of holy walking, is called Canonical, being a
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&s;traite rule, they are right words, words of righteou&s;ne&s;s, given by one Shepheard, &s;uch as will not lead us crookedly; &s;o then this is the fir&s;t, that of a mans own con&s;cience at the be&s;t, is but <HI>regula regulata,</HI> and at the wor&s;t is but a <HI>blind guide,</HI> and a <HI>leaden rule,</HI> that is ea&s;ily bowed, and &s;et to countenance the crooked|ne&s;s of a mans own ways to the Law and to the Te&s;timonies, if he would walk exactly.</P>
<P>Secondly, There mu&s;t be knowledge to under&s;tand and know this&punc; Rule and Wi&s;dom, rightly to apply it to the direction of our ways, el&s;e we cannot walk exactly; to walk exactly, is to walk wi&s;ely, as you have it here, <HI>not as &s;ools, but as wi&s;e,</HI> of which afterward; but for the pre&s;ent we may note That a fool <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 12. 10. Colo&s;. 4. 5. Mat. 10. 16.</NOTE> cannot walk cirum&s;pectly, and therefore the Apo&s;tle &s;o often pre&s;&s;eth it upon the Saints, that they &s;hould walk wi&s;ely, <HI>Walk in wi&s;dom,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>towards them which are without: be wi&s;e as Serpents,</HI> &s;aith our Saviour: I &s;ay there mu&s;t be a knowledge of the way of the rule, el&s;e how &s;hall our &s;teps be mea&s;ured by it? how &s;hall a man tred and keep to the path he knoweth not? and therefore &s;otti&s;h ignorance of the Will and Way of Chri&s;t, is an ill preparative to this exact walking; can a blind man walk exactly or circum&s;pectly that cannot &s;ee which way he goeth? it is an hundred to one but he turneth and goeth another cour&s;e; but this is not all, there mu&s;t be a right application of the rule to our actions; it is not every one that hath his rule, that knoweth how to u&s;e it; it is a good part of the Architects skill to u&s;e his Rule well and his Plum, and by them to di&s;cern exactly the frame of his building, yea, to direct it when he is building; &s;o here, there mu&s;t be wi&s;dom: how &s;adly do men and women of lively affections for God mi&s;carry for want of wi&s;dom? Zeal without Knowledge is no exact walking, it hurrieth a man vio|lently not giving time to con&s;ider whether right or wrong; &s;o <HI>Saul</HI> had a zeal for <HI>I&s;rael</HI> and <HI>Judah,</HI> and in that zeal &s;lew the <HI>Gibeonites.</HI> which were of the <HI>Amorites,</HI> but now in Covenant <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 21. 1, 2. Rom. 10. 2. Phil. 3 <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. Eccl. 7. 16.</NOTE> with <HI>I&s;rael;</HI> his zeal out-ran his wi&s;dom: and &s;o the <HI>Iews</HI> had a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge; and &s;o had the Apo&s;tle him&s;elf concerning zeal, per&s;ecuting the Church; he thought verity he ought to do many things again&s;t that way, <HI>Acts</HI> 26&punc; 9. and the time &s;hall come, <HI>men &s;hall think they do God
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good &s;ervice if they kill you;</HI> &s;o then there may be a being righteous over-much, which is forb dden; not as if the Lord did in his Word allow a loath&s;ome lukewarmne&s;s, a dete&s;table in|differency and neutrality in the ways of God, &s;o as that men &s;hould abate &s;omething of their &s;trictne&s;s, and &s;toop and ac|commodate them&s;elves to the exigence of the hard times they live in; but the meaning is, that a man &s;hould moderate his zeal, and temper it with godly wi&s;dom, whereby knowing how to apply the rule to his condition, and walking with caution, he may avoid much danger, which otherwi&s;e he would unnece&s;&s;ari|ly involve him&s;elf into; as &s;ome of the Martyrs that would thru&s;t them&s;elves upon &s;uffering, when they need not; they are as Sheep in the mid&s;t of Wolves, therefore <HI>be wi&s;e as Serpents,</HI> and yet <HI>innocent as Doves;</HI> a hard le&s;&s;on I mu&s;t needs acknowledge, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10. 16.</NOTE> and great need of a more then ordinary help of Gods Spirit to di&s;cern their duty here in particular ca&s;es and actions: you &s;ee how <HI>Paul</HI> in&s;inuates into <HI>Foelix,</HI> he would not make him his enemy if he could avoid it&punc; keeping a good con&s;cience; and &s;o <HI>Iacob</HI> to his brother <HI>E&s;au,</HI> how much Court&s;hip he u&s;eth, he &s;tands not now upon the terms with him, but how humbly he &s;ubmits him&s;elf to him; and was it not better, then to have ruffled with him, and provoked him to his hurt?</P>
<P>Thirdly, To walk exactly, circum&s;pectly, is to keep clo&s;e, and not to warp from the &s;traight path, becau&s;e others do err.</P>
<P N="1">(1.) He will not do as the mo&s;t do, to follow the multitude is no rule to him; though the greate&s;t part of men run headlong to the pit of de&s;truction, and the way to hell be thronged as broad as it is, and &s;ome &s;inners can &s;carce have room to go together in it; this is no warrant to him; he walks not exactly that re&s;igneth him&s;elf up to follow the &s;teps of the mo&s;t in his journey, whether his way and theirs lye together or no; &s;o far as their way lyes together he can walk together with them, but when they part, fare them well, he is for them no longer; &s;o may we in things civil, yea, and many externals of holy wor&s;hip which are com|mon to Saints and &s;inners, walk together, have fellow&s;hip with them, but when their ways depart, we mu&s;t &s;hake hands with them, if we would walk exactly: it is carele&s;s, loo&s;e, heedle&s;s walking, when a man &s;hall follow his company more then his way; <HI>Noah was upright and walked with God, though all fle&s;h</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen, 6. 9.</NOTE>
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<HI>had corrupted their way,</HI> that was no warrant for him to do it; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 6. 9.</NOTE> and though he was likely to be derided for his &s;ingularity, it matters not, he mu&s;t mind his way, though he be alone in it, ra|ther <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Num.</HI> 14. from 6. to 10.</NOTE> then wander for company &s;ake; and &s;o <HI>Lot</HI> and <HI>Caleb,</HI> a man would have thought tho&s;e many waters ru&s;hing as they did (I mean the peoples violence drawing one way) had been enough, &s;pecially con&s;idering with what rage it was, threatning to &s;tone him, to have born one poor <HI>Caleb</HI> and <HI>Io&s;hua</HI> down the &s;tream; no, they had another &s;pirit, they mu&s;t bear up again&s;t it, let the hazard be what it will in &s;uch a ca&s;e, they are called to it, this is exact circum&s;pect walking; except men be circum&s;pect indeed, they are in danger many times to be drawn a&s;ide by fol|lowing the company of others.</P>
<P N="2">(2.) Yea, exact walking excludeth al&s;o the following the ex|amples of the Saints any further then they follow Chri&s;t: and here is yet more need of circum&s;pection, for when we have &s;ome eminent Saints per&s;ons in admiration, we are apt many times to be pinning our faith upon their &s;leeve, and dancing after their pipe, to take their examples in the gro&s;s, and by it to be led into gro&s;s mi&s;takes; &s;o the weak brethren looking upon the &s;tronger, the more knowing, as fit to be their guides, and &s;eeing them eat things offered to Idols, becau&s;e they knew an Idol was nothing, this incouraged them to do the &s;ame, though they made a breach upon their con&s;ciences by it: here now through weakne&s;s they mi&s;took their way and warped; that might be law|ful for the &s;trong that might not for the weak, which &s;tumbled whether they might eat them or no, yet they would venture up|on it, leaning upon the examples of the &s;trong, and &s;o they went a&s;ide: &amp; you know what force the example of <HI>Peter</HI> had to draw <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal 2 12, 13, 14.</NOTE> others in, when he di&s;&s;embled, and did not <GAP DESC="foreign">, but halted, as I may &s;ay, between two, he vvould eat vvith the <HI>Gentiles,</HI> but when &s;ome came down from <HI>Iames,</HI> then he withdrew, &amp; &s;o many of the <HI>Iews,</HI> and <HI>Barnabas</HI> al&s;o was drawn away by their di&s;&s;i|mulation; but <HI>Peter</HI> was to be blamed, as the Apo&s;tle hath it; he compelled by his example, the <HI>Gentiles</HI> to vvalk as the <HI>Iews</HI> did, and yet him&s;elf being a <HI>Iew,</HI> did vvalk vvith the <HI>Gentiles</HI> before; and they were to be blamed for being drawn a&s;ide, they did not vvalk uprightly, as the vvord is before; therefore <HI>Paul</HI> propounds his example, not vvithout its limitation, <HI>Be ye followers of me, as I
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al&s;o am of Chri&s;t;</HI> now this is exact walking indeed, to follow the <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11. 1.</NOTE> &s;oot&s;teps of the flock, of the Saints, both before us, and con|temporary with us; yet where they run out of the way, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 1. 8.</NOTE> over the hedge &s;et about us, not to follow them, which requi|reth much circum&s;pection indeed. This is the third.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Exact walking, is when a man mindeth not only the external part of the rule, but the very in&s;ide and &s;pirit of the rule; he mindeth, and eyeth, and endeavoureth to come up to it, and &s;o the word in its notion &s;eemeth to import, <GAP DESC="foreign"> from going from the bottome to the top of the rule: <HI>the Law is &s;piritual,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle: It <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 14.</NOTE> is &s;piritual brethren, reaching the very inwards of our &s;ouls, the frame and di&s;po&s;ition of our hearts, all the very fir&s;t motions of the &s;oul, before any tickling by them, or con&s;ent to them; tho&s;e come under this rule; and therefore a man that walks ex|actly, he labours to an&s;wer the Law in this, and he is labouring <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 64. 5. Rom. 12 8. Gal. 6. 1.</NOTE> with his heart to bring it to &s;uch a frame as this, and therefore he &s;etteth not up his re&s;t, as mo&s;t do, in an outward conformity to the Law of Chri&s;t, except he can get his heart framed by it, nor will an inperfection in the frame of his heart &s;atisfie him, and therefore nothing but the re&s;urrection of the dead will be his re&s;t, this is to walk exactly, accurately indeed; and &s;o in duties, to mind not only the matter, but the manner and circum|&s;tances; it is not enough to work righteou&s;ne&s;s, except he rejoyce and work righteou&s;ne&s;s; to give, except he do it with &s;inglene&s;s of heart, &s;implicity and chearfulne&s;s: it is not enough to pray, except he do it in the Spirit, and with affection, and faith, and fervor of Spirit: it is not enough to admoni&s;h, reprove, except he do it in &s;ea&s;on, with bowels of compa&s;&s;ion, and Wi&s;dom, and di&s;cretion, &s;o tempered as that it may not mi&s;carry through &s;uch a defect in them. O this is to walk exactly indeed.</P>
<P>Fifthly, To walk exactly then, is to carry an even cour&s;e to|ward heaven, not to walk at peradventures; and by fits and &s;tarts, making many balks in our obedience; it is to follow God, and to follow him fully; when we will not leap over an hedge to avoid a foul &s;tep, but keep to the way that is &s;et before us, &s;o in the <HI>Proverbs, Turn not to the right hand nor to the left;</HI> the meaning is not, that no man walks exactly if he live not without <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 4. 27. Deut 5. 32&punc;</NOTE> &s;in (for in many things we offend all) but by &s;uch a backwardne&s;s
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vve mean &s;ome eminent; notable mi&s;carriage, to the wounding of their con&s;ciences, or di&s;honour of God, and offence of others, this is to vvalk exactly: indeed God doth not &s;tand too &s;trictly with his people, the tenure of vvho&s;e cour&s;e is vvithout &s;uch balks and notable turnings a&s;ide, though &s;ometimes they may fall in &s;uch a manner and degree, yet he acconnts them exact vvalkers, as <HI>David,</HI> and <HI>Peter,</HI> and <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Hezekiah,</HI> and the re&s;t: the meaning therefore is, that the tenure of a mans life is to be vvithout &s;uch eminent fallings, or he cannot pa&s;s for an exact vvalker vvith God; and vvhen ever a man &s;o fals in that particular, he doth not <GAP DESC="foreign">, as <HI>David</HI> vvas upright, except in the matter of <HI>&V;riah;</HI> &s;o then this is the Fifth, an exact vvalking is an even vvalking; he that ploweth exactly doth not every foot make a balk.</P>
<P>Sixthly, He that vvalks exactly, doth make it his work &s;o to vvalk; if a man be taken up vvith other things in his mind, and it be intent upon them, how unevenly doth he vvalk? he is &s;ome|times upon this &s;ide, and then upon that &s;ide of the vvay, up and down, and many times lo&s;eth his way, and heedeth it not; but now if a man make his Journey his bu&s;ine&s;s, he is intent upon it, and looks about him at every turn, and every turning, le&s;t he &s;hould go vvrong: &s;o to vvalk exactly then, doth imply a vvatchfull eye, a trembling heart fearing at every turning, le&s;t he &s;hould mi&s;s h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s vvay; &s;o <HI>David, I &s;aid I would take heed to my ways, le&s;t I &s;hould go wrong</HI> &s;o then to vvalk exactly, is to lay our <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 39. 1.</NOTE> &s;trength, our might, our vvi&s;dom, and all to it, to keep our vvay, &s;o the word is u&s;ed of <HI>Apollos,</HI> he <GAP DESC="foreign"> being fervent <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 18. 25.</NOTE> in &s;pirit, diligently he taught the things of the Lord; there it noteh not &s;o much the exactne&s;s, &amp; accuratene&s;s of his skill, but of his diligence and indu&s;try, for he knew only the Bapti&s;m of <HI>Iohn,</HI> that is to &s;ay, the Doctrine of <HI>Iohn</HI> and his Admini&s;tration; and &s;o <HI>Herod</HI> is &s;aid to inquire, <HI>Go and &s;earch diligently for the young child, &amp;c.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, &s;earch exactly, diligently, pry into every corner, turn every &s;tone, u&s;e all means, &s;earch from <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 2. 8.</NOTE> bottom to top to find him: &s;o then to vvalk exactly, is to make it a mans vvork, bu&s;ine&s;s, to lay out his indu&s;try in this vvork; if he can but keep in the vvay of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the vvay to heaven, it is enough.</P>
<P>Now for the &s;econd thing to make it good, that it is a duty &s;o
<PB N="63" REF="49">
&s;trictly charged upon the Saints; me thinketh this Scripture it &s;elf is a full te&s;timony, there needeth no further proof but yet a word or two more: you find in that of the <HI>Hebrews</HI> the Apo&s;tles ex|hortation, make &s;traite paths to your feet, &s;traite &s;teps, or make <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 13.</NOTE> &s;traite, paths with your feet, which may appear to others that are to follow you, as you follow Chri&s;t; tread with a &s;traite foot, and by a &s;traite rule; and in that of the <HI>Proverbs, Pon|der the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be e&s;tabli&s;hed;</HI> weigh <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 4. 25.</NOTE> your &s;teps before you take them, weigh them every grain and &s;cruple in the ballance of the Sanctuary: walk you <HI>Su&s;pen&s;o pede, Look before you leap,</HI> look, and look again, this is the way to have your goings e&s;tabli&s;hed; and here in the Text, &s;ee how it is charged upon them <GAP DESC="foreign">, &s;ee to it, it is a word of &s;trict charge, as we u&s;e to &s;ay to men, Well, &s;ee you do &s;uch a thing, &s;ee you fail not then: &s;o &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, &s;ee to it, <HI>that you walk</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 5. 15.</NOTE> <HI>circum&s;pectly;</HI> it is not an indifferent thing nor of &s;mall moment, but of great concernment; &s;ee to it, look to your &s;elves&punc; and then that particle <GAP DESC="foreign"> increa&s;eth the charge al&s;o, <HI>See how ye walk exactly,</HI> or <HI>how exactly you walk;</HI> it is not the reflect act that is here commanded, that they &s;hould view their ways, and &s;ee how exactly they did walk, this is not directly here commanded, and immediatly; though more remotely, as it conduceth to this exact walking, it may be here commanded, but that particle doth intend the charge and heighten it; but &s;o much for the proof.</P>
<P>The third thing is, why this duty is thus charged upon the Saints, to walk &s;o exactly, circum&s;pectly.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, becau&s;e they are children of the light, and therefore &s;hould walk as children of the light; they &s;hould walk exactly, without rowling out of the way, without &s;tumbling in the way, becau&s;e they have light; they that are in the darkne&s;s, and know not whither they go, no marvell, if at any time they &s;tumble into the way of God, yet they as ea&s;ily &s;tumble out again; it is but &s;uitable to them not to keep their way; but now ye are in the light, and therefore &s;ee that you walk accurately; you have a light to your paths, and a lanthorn to your &s;teps, therefore or|der your &s;teps aright, make them &s;traite; therefore &s;aith <HI>Era&s;mus,</HI> he well &s;aith <HI>videte,</HI> becau&s;e nothing is &s;een in the dark but; <HI>Beza</HI> thinketh this is more &s;ubtilly then need.</P>
<P><PB N="64" REF="50">
Secondly, Becau&s;e their &s;teps are more eyed and taken notice of then other mens, both by God him&s;elf and by other men; fir&s;t, the Lord him&s;elf; his eye runs to and fro, beholding the evil and the good, but &s;pecially in his own people, he takes notice of them how they carry it, and he takes notice of the mo&s;t inward &s;piritu|all part of their hearts; of the frame of their hearts, and there|fore let them look to it, walk circum&s;pectly in regard of him. Secondly, In regard of men, (1.) There are many out of the malignancy of their hearts, do &s;eek &s;ome advantage again&s;t the people of God, they watch for your halting, as the Prophet <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 20. 10.</NOTE> &s;peaks, they would have &s;omewhat to accu&s;e the brethren with, to be&s;patter Religion with, and therefore like their father the Devil, if they cannot be <GAP DESC="foreign">, accu&s;ers, they will be <GAP DESC="foreign">, fal&s;e accu&s;ers: But oh! how glad is Satan, and what &s;port is it to &s;inners to trap the people of God? to take them halting and walking with an uneven foot, though it is &s;port to none but de|vils, and devili&s;h &s;inners, take that by the way; they were ene|mies of the Lord that did bla&s;pheme, though: <HI>David</HI> had given <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 12. 14. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">er. 20. 10.</NOTE> them cau&s;e; report &s;ay they, and we will report it concerning <HI>Ieremy,</HI> &s;ome evil or other again&s;t him; how much more if any thing fall from them which is ju&s;tly blame worthy; O, a Can|dle upon an hill cannot be hid, a &s;pot upon white is ea&s;ily &s;ee<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</P>
<P>Secondly, in re&s;pect of men, who are &s;candalized by their un|even walking, and tho&s;e either good or bad men. (1.) Some of the Saints they are &s;candalized, that is to &s;ay, there is a &s;tumbling block laid in their way whereat they &s;tumble, either thereby they are incouraged and imboldened to follow their &s;teps, though they &s;in again&s;t the Lord, and &s;o they fall: and this is <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 10. 32.</NOTE> &s;ad, (though a child of God cannot &s;ure be &s;o wicked as to intend the falling of others, or drawing others into &s;in) but his example (as <HI>Balam</HI> did) who put a &s;tumbling block wittingly and wick|edly&punc; before <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> taught the King of <HI>Moab&punc;</HI> to intice <HI>I&s;rael</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2. 14.</NOTE> by their women, and they would draw them to Idolatry, where|upon great wrath came forth again&s;t them; this is hardly to be found but in a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> <HI>Balaam,</HI> and better a&punc; Mill&s;tone were hanged about his neck that &s;hall do any &s;uch thing, and he &s;unk into the &s;ea, never to ri&s;e again; or el&s;e the thing in its own nature is matter of offence, and occa&s;ions them to &s;in, as the &s;trong bro|hers
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eating things offered to Idols in the pre&s;ence of the weak hat made &s;cruple of it, yet thereby were imboldned to &s;in; but <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 8. 9, 10, 11.</NOTE> if it draweth not to &s;in, yet it may be a grief to the hearts of them that God would not have &s;adned: God is exceeding tender of his peoples comfort, and therefore he hath written &s;omuch; the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 14.</NOTE> &s;cope of all which is, that they might have con&s;olation, and their joy might be full, and therefore if we by uneven walking grieve the hearts of the people of God, &s;urely we are like to &s;mart for it; it is a vexation to the righteous &s;oul of <HI>Lot</HI> to behold the un|clean conver&s;ation of the wicked, but it is a grief and bitterne&s;s, doubtle&s;s much more to the people of God to &s;ee the mi&s;carri|age of a <HI>David,</HI> a <HI>Peter,</HI> and to hear the reproach wherewith <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> they reproach the way of Chri&s;t, which fall upon them conti|nually.</P>
<P>Secondly, Not only good men, but evil men are indangered to be &s;candalized by it, and to be prejudiced again&s;t the ways of &s;trictne&s;s and exact walking with God, becau&s;e they that profe&s;s <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 4.</NOTE> it, do &s;o mi&s;erably mi&s;s it: we &s;hould walk wi&s;ely towards them that are without, left we fright them away from Chri&s;tianity, as the Papi&s;ts by their Idolatry are an offence to the <HI>Iews</HI> to keep them off from coming in to Chri&s;t, becau&s;e they are exceeding tenacious now of the &s;econd Commandment (God having purged that iniquity from them by a &s;eventy years captivity, and much longer &s;ince) and &s;o by their cruelty to the <HI>Gentiles</HI> where they go to convert them, they are an offence to them; and little doth a child of God know, if he fall, as <HI>David</HI> did, how many may &s;tumble upon him, and fall head-long into hell, never come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t upon this account.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Becau&s;e we have all of us erring hearts, and natu|rally we love to wander; and if the Lord have healed that affecti|on, that now it is wrought out of us, yet we are apt to wander, therefore &s;o often compared to &s;heep, <HI>I have gone a&s;tray like a lo&s;t &s;heep; O &s;eek thy &s;ervant, &amp;c. We all like &s;heep have gone a&s;tray;</HI> and therefore it is the more needful to be charged upon us home and deeply, becau&s;e we are &s;o prone to turn a &s;ide; it is a people that have alway erred in their hearts; though they were his people in Covenant external, yet they erred in heart; who can &s;ay he <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. I&s;a. 53. 6. P&s;al. 95. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"></NOTE> doth not find many inclinations in the heart bent to back&s;lide &amp; go out of the way, and therefore it is needful to be pre&s;t upon us &s;o much, to walk exactly, and &s;ee to it.</P>
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Fourthly, becau&s;e there are &s;o many by-paths whereinto they may &s;tep awry; truth is one, but fal&s;hood is manifold, there is error on the right hand, and error on the left, and but one &s;traite path before them, therefore it is two to one but they mi&s;s it, and therefore they had need to u&s;e double diligence, and be pre&s;&s;ed to it, to walk circum&s;pectly, to &s;ee they be exact in their ways.</P>
<P>Now for the U&s;e then; Fir&s;t, it is to &s;hew us, that among the <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> much profe&s;&s;ion of Chir&s;t that is in the world, there is very little power, very little exact and circum&s;pect walking; men profe&s;s to walk with God, but it is at a great di&s;tance, they are &s;trangers to him, and he to them, and no marvel.</P>
<P>The &s;econd U&s;e, and that I will a little in&s;i&s;t upon, &s;hall be a word of Reproof, and that of divers &s;orts; and as the Lord be|ginneth his rebukes for &s;in at his own Hou&s;e, <HI>Judgement begin|neth at the hou&s;e of God;</HI> &s;o will I fir&s;t give the alarm to them, a word of Reproof to them: Alas! how far &s;hort do the people of God come of this duty? it is intollerable pride in the Papi&s;ts, that &s;tand upon their tiptoes, and talk of their works of Super|errogation, as if they had done more then God had commanded; and it is wretchle&s;s carele&s;ne&s;s in us, that we keep not nearer to what he hath commanded; I &s;peak not now of the many errors the mo&s;t vigilant and clo&s;e walking Chri&s;tian will, alas, to his grief, find him&s;elf guilty of, when he maketh a diligent mea&s;uring of his actions by that rule, but I &s;peak of the carele&s;ne&s;s of Chri|&s;ti ans walking, wherein doubtle&s;s they might come up nearer to God, if they did but &s;tir up them&s;elves ever and anon, but we are idle, we are idle, and make many an idle complaint to God that w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> are unable to do any thing; which is true, if we con&s;ider our &s;elves apart from Chri&s;t, <HI>Without me ye can do nothing,</HI> but <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 15. 5.</NOTE> through him we may be able to do all things, and if we be re|newed in our inward man, what is this but a powerful propen&s;ity of the Mind and Will towards God, and that which is according to <HI>God?</HI> It is not to be doubted, but if Saints would but take more pains with their hearts, they might have many a better frame to &s;erve the Lord, and they &s;hould not offer &s;o many tattered &s;acri|fices to him; and if men would be but per&s;waded to the painful part of Chri&s;tianity, they may get their pa&s;&s;ions of lu&s;t more &s;ubdued, which break out, to the di&s;honour of God, and &s;hame
<PB N="67" REF="51">
of Chri&s;tianity, and therefore ju&s;tly are we to be reproved; if men would a little better ca&s;t their occa&s;ions; and husband their time, they need not be in &s;uch &s;traits, &s;o often to neglect, or &s;lubber over their prayers. And for civil things, do you walk circum&s;pectly as you might, if you made it your work and &s;tudy in things lawfull: might not Chri&s;tians have more regard then they have to the conveniency or inconveniency? I am &s;ure the <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6. 12.</NOTE> Apo&s;tle had, and therein he followed Chri&s;t, and therein he is to be our pattern, and &s;o what is of good report and prai&s;e worthy; me thinketh it is &s;ad when there is no care unto our hearts of the&s;e things: might not Chri&s;tians walk at a clo&s;er &s;cantling in point of offence? the Apo&s;tle would deny his liberty <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 8. 13.</NOTE> in things lawful (and haply we would think nece&s;&s;ary too) as the eating of fle&s;h, rather then offend his weak brother; and we many times care not, &s;o we may have our wills, how many we offend: and &s;o in natural things, eating, drinking, &s;leeping. Chri&s;tians, I doubt we generally too much indulge the fle&s;h, even to the loading of our minds, and dulling our &s;pirits for higher things; how cometh it to pa&s;s Sabbaths are &s;pent &s;o &s;leepily, but becau&s;e &s;ome wil not allow them&s;elves nor theirs competent re&s;t; the world incroacheth upon God, or el&s;e they load them&s;elves with the creatures, &s;o that they cannot hold up their heads, ei|ther they are over-worked, or over-charged with &s;urfetting and drunkenne&s;s, doubtle&s;s, this is reducible to tho&s;e great evils; well, the Lord reprove us for it, for we are very guilty, we walk very loo&s;ely in compari&s;on of the examples of &s;ome of the Saints; yea, I do verily think there is many a poor blind Papi&s;t will ri&s;e up in judgement again&s;t many of us that are Profe&s;&s;ors, that have more light then they.</P>
<P N="2">2. It is a word of Reproof of another &s;ort, that in&s;tead of walking exactly with God, following him fully, their hearts are devided; &s;ome there are that have the name of Chri&s;tians, and yet altogether neglect the hone&s;t and harmle&s;s conver&s;ation among men, and are altogether taken up with &s;ome &s;mall duties of Wor&s;hip and &s;hews of Religion; as the Proverb hath it, Angels in the Church, and Devils in the Hou&s;e, Devils in their Callings, &s;uch were the Idolatrous <HI>Iews;</HI> the Prophets with one voyce do te&s;tifie again&s;t them, for this thy cried, <HI>The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, are the&s;e,</HI> &amp;c. but con&s;idered
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not that they made this Temple of the Lord a Den of Thieves, a Sanctuary to defend them, a cover and cloak for their wicked|ne&s;s; and &s;o the Prophet again, <HI>This people draw near me with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 7. Mat. 15. 22. I&s;a. 29. 13.</NOTE> <HI>their mouths, honour me with their lips, but are far from me,</HI> and the conver&s;ation al&s;o which an&s;wers more to their hearts then to their lips, it is the very counterpane of their hearts u&s;ually. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> this an exact circum&s;pect walking? do you think thus to impo&s;e upon the holy one of I&s;rael? doth not he regard, think you, what your dealings are between man &amp; man? and how you carry it in your Families, in your Shops, as well as in the publike alto|gether? this is very reproof worthy; our Saviour thought it &s;o, and all the Prophets thought it &s;o; and O that he would &s;peak this to every carnal Go&s;pellers heart this day.</P>
<P>Again &s;econdly, There are others that are all for morality and hone&s;ty of conver&s;ation, they give every one their own, they are not injurious, they are no extortioners with the Pha|ri&s;ee, they are no drunkards; but for the wor&s;hip of God, they know nothing what it meaneth, to wor&s;hip in Spirit and truth; this is not an exact walking with God, the&s;e things you &s;hould <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 18. 11.</NOTE> do, and not leave the other undone, el&s;e you follow not God fully; indeed there is many a Morali&s;t, that is rather an Athei&s;t then a Chri&s;tian; but I will not &s;tand upon this: <HI>Pour out thy, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Again thirdly, There are a &s;ort that neither fear God, not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 10. 25.</NOTE> reverence man, and yet will not indure but to be called Chri&s;ti|ans; for the wor&s;hip of God, if they come at it in the publike, there are their bodies, but their hearts are gone; they come to &s;ee, and be &s;een, to mind faces and fa&s;hions, and &s;o &s;in and trifle away the Ordinances of God; in their hou&s;es nothing but hel|li&s;hne&s;s, all their words full of deceit and poy&s;on, their ac|cents are oaths, it is all the empha&s;is and grace they think of; their &s;peech, their lives, what are they but rottenne&s;s, and fraud, and pride, and over-reaching? they have no regard to right or wrong, good report; or evil report, all actions are alike to them, being pa&s;t feeling, and under a reprobate &s;ence; they can|not judge of good or evil, but call evil good, and good evil. Is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 4. 8. Rom. 8. 1.</NOTE> this <GAP DESC="foreign">, to walk uprightly, exactly? Ah &s;urely brethren, if it be exactne&s;s, it is of the devils coyning; when men teach their tongues to &s;peak fal&s;ly, as in Shops many do, and make nothing of it, and teach their hands to work deceit and wickedne&s;s, this
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is to walk exactly with the devil, to walk as other <HI>Gentiles</HI> do, who&s;e hearts the God of this world doth mightily work to their <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 4. 17.</NOTE> own de&s;truction: the Lord rebuke this power of &s;in where ever it is.</P>
<P>Again, It may &s;erve to reprove another &s;ort, and tho&s;e are they who are &s;o far from walking circum&s;pectly or exactly, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 69. 12. Gal. 4 29. Gen. 21 9.</NOTE> that there is nothing more the object of their &s;corn and con|tempt then this, it is the drunkards &s;ong, as <HI>David</HI> was; and &s;o preci&s;ene&s;s and &s;trictne&s;s of walking is ordinary; the world cannot bear the burning and &s;hining conver&s;ations of &s;ome of the Saints; they are &s;o cuttingly reproved by them, that with tho&s;e Heathens, they cur&s;e the Sun, that by its &s;hining doth &s;corch them. It is no new thing, the &s;eed of the Serpent did alway per&s;ecute the &s;eed of the Woman; and he that was born after the fle&s;h, per&s;ecuteth him that was born after the Spirit; even &s;o it is now, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle: and &s;o it is now may we &s;ay: <HI>I&s;mael mocked I&s;aac,</HI> and is it not &s;o &s;till? or if it be not &s;o bold a &s;in as formerly, it is becau&s;e the times, not &s;inners hearts are changed; they malign them &s;till, watch for their halting; report, &s;ay they, and we will report it: well, remember this. you that are &s;corners at &s;trictne&s;s, and circum&s;pect and exact walking with God, you are &s;et down in in the &s;corners chair, the Lord <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 20. 10. P&s;al. 1. 1.</NOTE> be mercifull to you; for few that arrive to that pitch, and take up their re&s;t in &s;in, that are therein &s;etled, are brought on to Chri&s;t: you are the Ring leaders in the way which leads to de&s;truction; this is another.</P>
<P>The next U&s;e then &s;hall be a word of Exhortation to us all; If it be a duty &s;o much lying upon us, then to buckle our &s;elves <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Prov.</HI> 19. 16. He that de&s;pi|&s;eth his way &s;hall die.</NOTE> to it, to walk exactly: O &s;ee to it, I charge you all, and the Lord lay the charge upon mine own &s;oul: as you will ever lift up your faces without &s;pot, and with comfort at the day of your &s;ummons, and appearing before the Judgement &s;eat, &s;o walk circum&s;pectly; I know none of our hearts but they do, or may, accu&s;e us of much unevenne&s;s in our walking: do you know it brethren, and will you dare to continue in it? I may not de&s;cend to particulars: but do not your hearts &s;mite you for loo&s;ene&s;s of &s;pirit towards God? hanging back often, neglecting, &s;huffling and cutting with God, putting him off with any thing? and is not this a cur&s;ed thing, to do Gods work negligently? to bring a
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female when he have a male, doth not your hearts &s;mite you for this? you do not take heed to your ways, le&s;t you &s;in with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 48. 10. Mal. 1. 14.</NOTE> your tongues; there is much fal&s;hood therein, lightne&s;s and fooli&s;hne&s;s, (if not poy&s;on and de&s;truction there,) nor to your feet, they make ha&s;te to vanity, you &s;hun not occa&s;ions of &s;in, as you would an infected per&s;on or family: O &s;urely if it were not &s;o an importunate duty, the Apo&s;tle would not &s;o charge it upon Chri&s;tians, that make Chri&s;tianity their bu&s;ine&s;s, to walk &s;o exactly: but a little to move us to it, I will add &s;ome few Con&s;iderations, and then &s;ome words <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">f Direction, which you may look upon as an Appendix of this U&s;e, or el&s;e as a di&s;tinct Application of this Point.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t Motive, Con&s;ider that the way wherein you walk is all over&s;pred with &s;nares and nets to trap you, and that your ways. (1.) To trap you in &s;in. (2.) To trap you for &s;in. Fir&s;t. To trap you in &s;in; had not the Bird need to he wary and heedfull, and make good u&s;e of her &s;ences to di&s;cover where &s;he may light without danger, when every place is full of Limetwigs? is there an hook under every fair baite, and had not the fi&s;h need to take heed how &s;he biteth or nibleth, le&s;t &s;he be taken? this is the ca&s;e, there is a truth, and a great one in it; there is nothing we have to do with, either towards God, or to|wards men, or towards our &s;elves, but there are many temp|tations accompanying it, and particular conditions have their particular temptations; and if we be not very circum&s;pect and exact, it is a thou&s;and to one but we mi&s;carry, we are &s;nared and taken, and carried away captive to &s;ome vain imagination, to &s;ome high thought, to &s;ome ba&s;e lu&s;t, and there kept in &s;trong holds, and it may co&s;t us &s;omewhat before we be relea&s;ed again; the world was never more full of &s;nares then now brethren; for be&s;ide the ordinary &s;nares in our trading, profe&s;&s;ion, or way of gaining; Lord, how many &s;nares are there? it would be an in|finite work to trace them through in all our relations. Snares, they are apt to &s;teal away our hearts, if lovely and de&s;irable, or el&s;e to occa&s;ion much &s;in another way, if otherwi&s;e; in Reli|ligion never &s;o many, never more &s;eandall by the falls of eminent Profe&s;&s;ors, never were there more various pretences to the Truth, more fal&s;e ways, and every one pretending to the Truth, &s;o that it is &s;omewhat difficult to find a &s;olution for that
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Que&s;tion, what is Truth? never was the world more full of witche|ries then now, more powerful in its enticements then now; it is hard to bear the frowns of it upon the truth, but more hard to avoid the imbraces of it, and the &s;miles upon error and fal&s;hood; if they think it be the way to thrive, to be of this or <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 44. 16.</NOTE> that opinion, men to whom gain is godline&s;s, they will rather burn incen&s;e to the Queen of heaven, and tell the Lord to his face, that his Prophet is a lying Prophet to &s;peak again&s;t their way of wor&s;hip, which brought them in &s;o much; they had their corn, and wine, and oyl then, and therefore they would not be beaten off by a <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord</HI> to the contrary; will the Silver Smiths let <HI>Diana</HI> go upon ea&s;ie terms? and will <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 19. 24.</NOTE> not men &s;tickle for a way of fal&s;hood, if thereby come in their gain and preferments? and will not all the world follow that way almo&s;t? had we not need to walk exactly then, to take heed where we tread? be&s;ides, if there were nothing but our own hearts, they are as &s;nares and nets to us; how ea&s;ie is it for us to be intangled in the cords of our own &s;ins, our own pride, and &s;elf-confidence, and &s;elf-love, doting upon our &s;elves, and a world of iniquities, each of them being a &s;nare? Oh brethren, if you did walk among pits, and pits covered from your eys, if men did walk upon a bog ready to &s;ink every &s;tep, how would they walk <HI>Su&s;pen&s;o gradu?</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, The nece&s;&s;ity of it to the end; if we would reach the end of our faith, the &s;alvation of our &s;ouls, it mu&s;t be by an exact walking, it is not a little form of godline&s;s without the power, &s;preading it &s;elf through your lives will do it, el&s;e tho&s;e in the 7. of <HI>Matthew</HI> had had a &s;ufficient plea for them&s;elves; el&s;e the Phari&s;ees had not been much out, when they under a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 24. Mat. 23. 14.</NOTE> pretence of long Prayers devoured widdows hou&s;es, but they were mi&s;erably mi&s;taken. Dear friends, be not deceived; let no man deceive you with vain words, and tell you the way to hea|ven is broder then it is; it is a narrow way, and it is up the hill, and if you will come to heaven, you mu&s;t not think that any by-path will bring you to it; that there is any nearer cut then the Lord hath made, <HI>Many &s;hall &s;eek to enter, and &s;hall not be able,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 13. 24.</NOTE> and what if that prove any of our ca&s;es, who never were &s;en&s;ible of &s;uch a duty, in &s;trict, clo&s;e, exact, circum&s;pect walking, how w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ful will our conditions be? men &s;eek to enter, but they will
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not &s;trive, they will walk hand in hand with the people of God' but they will not walk exactly, they will take a liberty to their &s;pirits, though their &s;ouls peri&s;h by it.</P>
<P>Thirdly The difficulty of the way &s;hould put us upon exactne&s;s; it is a narrow way: there is a nece&s;&s;ity, you heard before, if you <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 27. 13.</NOTE> mi&s;s it, you &s;ink and peri&s;h; but men think it is ea&s;ie to find and keep, but this is ignorance; our Savio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ur &s;aith it is a &s;traite way, <GAP DESC="foreign">, an afflicted way, or a way cru&s;hed clo&s;e together: a man cannot tell almo&s;t how to mi&s;s the way to hell, he may wink, and walk thither, he needeth no light to his feet; the way of the wicked is as darkne&s;s, and while they are in that darkne&s;s, they may be &s;ure they are in the way to de&s;truction; and he that is but a fool &amp; bungler at the &s;ervice of &s;in, is not ingenuous, may make a &s;hift to come thither; how ea&s;ily to tumble down the hill? but to recover a mans &s;elf, to get up the hill, this is the la|bour indeed. It is narrow, and then it is not &s;uch a beaten path, and therefore not &s;o ea&s;ie found: &s;ome track there is, but it is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 1. 8.</NOTE> not &s;o beaten and beautified with the feet of the &s;hining Saints, as to be ea&s;ily di&s;cerned, but it is rather a way in the ayr, and indeed none can &s;ee it untill he be in it, and therefore there is a nece&s;|&s;ity of exactne&s;s, circum&s;pection in walking; if a man have a hard way to find, be upon a great plain, or a wa&s;te howling Wilderne&s;s, where there is no way beaten, and among enemies, in danger to be de&s;troyed, this man had need look well about him, to walk exactly indeed.</P>
<P>A third Motive may be becau&s;e <HI>Iniquity abounds, the love of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24. 12.</NOTE> <HI>many waxeth cold:</HI> and therefore from hence it is that there are &s;o many offences, &s;o carele&s;ly given and &s;o ea&s;ily taken; if <HI>Peter</HI> and the men of Knowledge have no more love then to walk &s;o <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 2. 13. and 14.</NOTE> offen&s;ively, have no more tenderne&s;s of others, what need had the weak then to walk wi&s;ely, circum&s;pectly, le&s;t you be drawn away with the di&s;&s;imulation of a <HI>Peter,</HI> as <HI>Barnabas</HI> was, he looked not &s;o well to his &s;teps as he &s;hould: as on the other hand, if you &s;lip and fall, and walk not wi&s;ely, if thy foot &s;lip and thou &s;tumble, there are few that are &s;o &s;piritual and full of love, as with the &s;pirit of meekne&s;s to re&s;tore thee again; it is too too apparent even in the eminente&s;t Saints; they are rather <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6. 1.</NOTE> ready to a withdrawing, a ca&s;ting off communion, and fellow&s;hip, and therefore thou had&s;t need, who ever thou art, to walk
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wi&s;ely and circum&s;pectly, el&s;e thou wilt be in danger of giving offence to &s;ome of the little ones, and woe be to him by whom offences come; or el&s;e thou mai&s;t be in&s;nared and &s;tumble upon others mi&s;carriages and &s;o thy &s;oul be de&s;troyed, or in danger of it, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks; will not that man walk warily that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6. 1.</NOTE> hath &s;tumbling block upon &s;tumbling block, is in a rough way? and if he tread a&s;ide, is in danger to put out a joynt, or break his bones&punc; &s;o it is here.</P>
<P>Fourthly, How much honour hath God by a circum&s;pect con|ver&s;ation? hereby is my Father glorified, if ye bring forth much fruit, <HI>Let your light &s;o &s;hine before men, that they may &s;ee your good works, and glorifie your father which is in heaven;</HI> hath he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 15. 8.</NOTE> put &s;o much honour upon all the Saints, as to make them one with him&s;elf through his Son, make them &s;ons and daughters, Kings and Princes in all lands, heirs apparent to the Crown of glory, and &s;hall not we honour him? Oh how &s;weet and com|fortable a condition is it, when the ways of God are well &s;poken of by rea&s;on of any of us? and how uncomfortable when they are evil &s;poken of by rea&s;on of any of our uneven walking? O be tender of the Name of God, and be at &s;ome pains the more to look to your ways, that he may be lifted up, and exalted by you: O therefore cut off hereby all occa&s;ions from them that &s;eek occa&s;ion, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of him&s;elf, therefore he would abridge him&s;elf of his liberty &s;omewhat; and the Go&s;pel is glo|rified much by &s;uch a circum&s;pect walking; an Art or Science is then honoured, vvhen a man is perfect and exact in it; &s;o is the Go&s;pel, which teacheth this holy walking; vvhen vve come up to <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 11. 12.</NOTE> it, we honour the Rule vvhereby vve vvalk, that &s;hining &s;peaks the beauty of the Rule, that ye may a dorn the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Fifthly, You may by thismeans draw others to a liking of the vvays of God; the beauty of holine&s;s, the more vi&s;ible it is, the more attractive; vvhat maketh &s;inners think &s;o vvell of their own condition, and &s;o meanly of Religion, vvhen pre&s;t upon them? they &s;ee nothing more in the Saints then in others they are as carele&s;s of thir &s;teps, make as many balks as others, keep no &s;tricter a vvatch over the door of their lips, have no more com|mand of their tongues then others, there appears no more can|dor, ingenu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ty, &s;elf-denial then in others, but vi&s;ibly as griping, covetous, peevi&s;h, revengeful as others; this is not the way to
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vvin any; this is the vvay to drive away the Roes and Harts that are looking towards a vvay of God, but quickly frighted away. What knowe&s;t thou, O vvoman, but thou mai&s;t by thy heavenly conver&s;ation, &s;trict circum&s;pect vvalking gain thy husband? and thou husband thy vvife, and parents your chil|dren, and children your parents, and ma&s;ters your &s;ervants, and &s;ervants your ma&s;ters, and one neighbour may gain another; and vvill not this add to the vveight of your crown? O there|fore <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 7. 16. 1 Pet. 3. 2.</NOTE> I be&s;eech you, vvill you re&s;olve upon it.</P>
<P>Now in the next place, a vvord of Direction, vvhat cour&s;e to take; alas, vve are like children, mu&s;t be taught to go, vve know not vvhat foot to &s;et forward in this great vvork. I &s;hall therefore in the fir&s;t place give you a vvord of direction. Fir&s;t, beg of God to mix this vvord vvith faith in your &s;ouls, that you may believe it to be &s;o great, vveighty, important a duty; labour to get a heart &s;en&s;ible of your vvandrings, uneven vvalkings, how far you have been vvide of this narrow vvay, both before and &s;ince you have vvalked Zion-ward, and &s;o to be humbled under them; for you mu&s;t here plough up before you plant; your cour&s;e will hardly hold if you &s;et forward with a purpo&s;e to walk more exactly, except you be &s;en&s;ible how great the evil of turning a&s;ide, or loo&s;e walking hath been: well then, begin at the right end, and &s;ee how you have (it may be) for a long time, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 14. 10. P&s;al. 95.</NOTE> not only wandered from the way, but loved to wander; you have not only erred, but you have erred in heart; you have had the Law of error in your heart, as the Saints have the Law of Chri&s;t in theirs; and this indeed is the height of Rebellion and fro|ward walking; it is frowardne&s;s indeed this provoked the Lord to &s;hut them out of <HI>Canaan,</HI> yea, he, &s;wear they &s;hould never enter; and if it hath not been &s;o with thee, for this very cau&s;e, O how &s;hould this abounding grace which hath made the diffe|rence, melt thy heart to pieces before the Lord! and that would be a good preparative to a circum&s;pect walking for the future; the Wormwood and the Gall remembred how evil a thing and bitter it is, that you have &s;o departed from the Lord; and the &s;traite path will be a notable help to keep you clo&s;er to him for the time to come.</P>
<P>Secondly, Set your &s;elves always as in his pre&s;ence, &s;o the <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16. 8.</NOTE> P&s;almi&s;t did walk as in his &s;ight; if ever the Scholler will write
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exactly, it is while his Ma&s;ter is looking on; or the &s;ervant work exactly, it is when the Ma&s;ters eye is upon him. O if we could but have our eye ever up to the Lord upon all occa&s;ions, as the P&s;almi&s;t &s;peaks, how circum&s;pect would it make us? the eye of a <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 25. 15.</NOTE> holy &s;evere man, how would it awe us? we would not entertain &s;uch thoughts, &s;uch ends as we do, if men were but privy to them; why, now vve forget the Lord; O therefore brethren, be you vvith God, abide with him in your hearts and conver&s;ations <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 7. 24.</NOTE> what ever they be; and if we be vvith him, he vvill be vvith us, and this is the vvay to vvalk uprightly, <GAP DESC="foreign">, as in <HI>Noah</HI> his ca&s;e; and vvhen did <HI>David</HI> carry him&s;elf vvi&s;ely, but vvhen the Lord was vvith him? and this vvas the rea&s;on of it, he &s;et God before him, and vvalked vvith God, and God vvalked vvith him, and that pre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ence vvill be &s;ure to keep us in the vvay.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Let the Word of God dwell richly in you, in all vvi&s;dom and under&s;tanding; It is not enough to have the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3. 6.</NOTE> Scripture in your hou&s;es, except you have the Word hid in your hearts, that you might not &s;in again&s;t God; vvithout light a man cannot di&s;cover the &s;tumbling blocks, or the turnings and vvindings of his way, but it is a thou&s;and to one but he mi&s;&s;eth it: a man cannot be an exact dealer, if he have not the rules of his art, or trade exactly; men would be ignorant of nothing therein, le&s;t they &s;hould be over-reached and deceived; and yet how contented are we to be ignorant here of much of Gods mind, without which we cannot keep his way, nor walk circum|&s;pectly. I hope you do, many of you, &s;tudy as well as read the Scriptures, and hide it in your hearts, for this end, that you may be filled with a full a&s;&s;urance of under&s;tanding: this is another: how often do we &s;tep out of the way and know it not? and how <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2. 2.</NOTE> often do we &s;tand pau&s;ing, and lo&s;e much time? when we &s;hould walk and work, we are then to enquire, and to learn, and know not which way to turn, to the right hand or the left, and all becau&s;e we have not our &s;ences exerci&s;ed, by rea&s;on of u&s;e, to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 5. 14.</NOTE> di&s;cern between good and evil.</P>
<P>Fourthly, If you would vvalk exactly or circum&s;pectly, you mu&s;t often apply the Rule to your vvays, to &s;ee what &s;uitable|ne&s;s there is between them, how they corre&s;pond? it is not a mea&s;uring at the fir&s;t &s;etting out vvill &s;erve your turn, you mu&s;t be often mea&s;uring, as an Architect, he vvill often u&s;e his Plum-Line
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or rule, if you would make &s;traite and exact work of it; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 4. 25. P&s;al. 119. 59.</NOTE> ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be e&s;tabli&s;hed; do you think once for all vvill &s;erve the turn? no, <HI>David</HI> did think upon his vvays, and turned his feet unto his te&s;timonies; the word there for thinking <GAP DESC="foreign"> noteth &s;ome accuratene&s;s in &s;urveying a mans life; the word &s;ignifieth, curiou&s;ly to devi&s;e, as cunning Artificers, becau&s;e &s;uch devi&s;es are the work of the thoughts: &s;o then he did with great exactne&s;s think upon his ways, &s;tudied to find out every error to an hairs breath, and &s;o <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 19. 28.</NOTE> to frame his cour&s;e: and why &s;hould not the godly make as cu|rious vvork of it in holine&s;s, as &s;inners do in &s;in? and this is the very rea&s;on vvhy men do often mi&s;s their vvay, they do not often inquire vvhat the rule is vvhereby they vvork, and for vvhat end they do this or that: this is to look round about us: as a man, if he go on, and there be many turnings, and never look backward nor upward to &s;ee vvhither his cour&s;e be &s;traite, it is five to one but he goeth out of his vvay, ye &s;hould have &s;aid, vvhy do vve per&s;ecute him? &s;o they &s;hould have &s;aid, but &s;o they did not &s;ay; they &s;hould have inquired for vvhat end they did it, by vvhat rule; &s;o the Jews in their blind rage again&s;t Chri&s;t, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 23. 34.</NOTE> alas, they knew not vvhat they did: look to thy foot then in thy &s;piritual and thy civill conver&s;ation: in thy &s;piritual, and offer not up the &s;acrifice of fools, for they know not that they do evil, make ra&s;h vows, and then break them, and think to put it off, by &s;aying, before the Angel it was an error: this is the &s;acri|fice of fools, they inquire not before hand what they do; and &s;o in your civil conver&s;ation, inquire what, and why you do this, or <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 5. 6.</NOTE> the other action, that the end be holy, and the rule holy, even the Word of the ever living God, and then there is hope you will go &s;traite: A fools bolt is &s;oon &s;hot, they neither mind the art of &s;hooting nor the mark, and therefore never hit the mark: how came it to pa&s;s the Jew swere &s;o bruiti&s;h in their adultery and Idolatry, to wor&s;hip Stocks and Stones? why, &s;aith the Text, <HI>None con&s;idereth</HI> in his heart, <HI>neither is there knowledge and under&s;tanding to &s;ay, I have burnt part of it in the fire,</HI> yea, al&s;o, <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 44. 15.</NOTE> <HI>I have baked bread upon the coals thereof, I have roa&s;ted fle&s;h and eaten it, and &s;hall I make the re&s;idue an abomination? and &s;hall I fall down to the Stock of a tree? he feeds on a&s;hes,</HI> a deceived heart <HI>hath turned him a&s;ide that he cannot deliver his &s;oul,</HI> nor
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&s;ay, is there not <HI>a lye in my right hand?</HI> &s;o a deceived, a bewitched heart, with &s;ome plea&s;ant lu&s;t, or &s;omewhat that men are bent and &s;et upon, turns them a&s;ide, they cannot deliver their &s;ouls, they cannot &s;ay, is there not a <HI>lye in my right hand?</HI> and if they could but &s;ay thus, and examine their ways, lay their &s;teps to the rule, they would walk more orderly.</P>
<P>Fifthly, In every &s;erious undertaking, enquire of God, &s;eek his face, in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he &s;hall direct thy paths; but indeed here is the mi&s;ery of it, we will fir&s;t re|&s;olve what we will do, and then go and enquire of God, which <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 3. 6.</NOTE> is to mock him to his face. <HI>David</HI> went among the Phili&s;tians of his own head, without inquiring of God, and what came of it we &s;ee; he was gotten out of the way, and many a &s;na<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e was he taken in, and many a &s;tumbling block did he fall upon, before he returned into the way again; how hard was he put to it, to <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 27.</NOTE> tell lyes to <HI>Achi&s;h,</HI> to di&s;&s;emble, and put hm&s;elf on to fight with them again&s;t I&s;rael; but that the Lord did wonderfully deliver him: never poor man was in a greater &s;traite; at other times he did beg of God to direct him, and he did lead him, and upheld his goings, <HI>O that my ways were directed,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>to keep thy Sta|tutes.</HI> Without his Spirit (though we have the rule of the Word <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. 5.</NOTE> yet) we cannot rightly apply it to our particular ca&s;es and acti|ons, and therefore we had need to go to him.</P>
<P>Sixthly, Be &s;ure we look to our humility, to keep our hearts low before the Lord, for tho&s;e are they he will teach his way; <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 25.</NOTE> the more humble a man is, and the lower thoughts he hath of him&s;elf, the more circum&s;pect will he be; this humility is oppo|&s;ed to that confident rage of &s;ome men; <HI>A prudent man looks well to his goings; but a fool rageth and is confident: This I &s;ay,</HI> &s;aith <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 14. 16.</NOTE> the Apo&s;tle, <HI>that every one of you think of him&s;elf not more highly then he ought to think, but to think &s;oberly, according as God hath</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12. 3.</NOTE> <HI>dealt to every one the mea&s;ure of grace:</HI> When a man is &s;o confi|dent, he knoweth his way as well as any can tell him, and there|fore he will enquire of no man; this man of all other is mo&s;t likely to go a&s;tray, therefore look to this.</P>
<P>Seventhly, Take heed of Squint eyed ends, for they will draw a&s;ide the heart, the affections, the feet of the &s;oul; if we look not &s;traite before us, but alway looking on one &s;ide, it is not likely we &s;hall make &s;traite &s;teps to our feet; therefore &s;aith the Wi&s;e
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man, <HI>Let thine eys look &s;trait on; and thine eye-lids look &s;trait before thee;</HI> to the mark of the price, as the Apo&s;tle aimed at that; look <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 26. 27.</NOTE> &s;trait before you, to the &s;trait rule, it is to walk before you, and this is the way to keep your &s;elves right in the way, this is the way, not to turn to the right hand nor to the left; they were <HI>Jehu</HI> his ends which drew him&s;elf&punc; a&s;ide: afterward, to counte|nance and &s;et up the &s;ame Idolatry which he him&s;elf had de&s;troy|ed, or el&s;e to continue &s;ome Idolatry, though he de&s;troyed &s;ome.</P>
<P>Eighthly, Take heed of halting between two, of going to a kind of neutrality, as the Jews were guilty much in this kind; <HI>If God be God, follow him, and if Baal be God, follow him;</HI> little bet|ter <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Kings 18. 21. Heb. 12. 13.</NOTE> were they that vvould reconcile us and the Papi&s;ts together by a commi&s;&s;ion, for this haltingwill draw us out of the vvay by degrees; make &s;trait &s;teps to your feet, le&s;t that which is lame be driven out of the way and not healed; away then with comply|ing with the times and parties, vvho&s;e vvays vve judge to be fal&s;e, any further then the Law of Chri&s;t, the Law of Love re|quireth us to own them, vvalk vvith them.</P>
<P>Ninthly, Foreca&s;t vvhat temptations and &s;nares you may meet vvith in the vvay of God, le&s;t if you meet vvith more then you <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 8. 20.</NOTE> expected, you be overtaken by them; therefore our Saviour tells the man vvhat he vvas like to tru&s;t to, <HI>The Son of man had not where to lay his head;</HI> you mu&s;t foreca&s;t to meet with many tribulations in the way to heaven: if you dream of a vvay &s;trewed vvith Violets and Ro&s;es, and find Briers and Thorns, what a &s;ore di&s;couragement vvill this be, and a temptation to for&s;ake the vvay, to turn a&s;ide from following the Lord? ex|pect then that you may be a&s;&s;ailed by the frowns, yea, and &s;miles of the vvorld, vvhich is more dangerous of the two; that you may lo&s;e friends, relations, the love of all, and be hated of all men, for the name &s;ake of Chri&s;t, the more exactly you walk; for the vvorld cannot bear too great a lu&s;tre and glory of holine&s;s in any; expect this, it vvould be no &s;trange thing to you then, no more then you look for, and then it vvill not be &s;o dangerous to thru&s;t you a&s;ide from following the Lord.</P>
<P>Tenthly, Labour to arm your &s;elves vvith a &s;trong per&s;wa&s;ion of the Al-&s;ufficiency of God, to keep you in, and deliver you <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 17. 1.</NOTE> from the threatning evils you may meet vvith in your vvays, and
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of the Al-&s;ufficiency of his goodne&s;s, to be your exceeding great reward, though you have but little with righteou&s;ne&s;s here in this world; and then brethren, you will hardly be drawn to the right hand, or to the left; what is the rea&s;on that fear turns many men a&s;ide? and it is very ingenuous to find out <HI>diverticula,</HI> as <HI>Calvin</HI> &s;aith; and as you &s;ee in the ca&s;e of <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>Abraham,</HI> when he lyed to &s;ave his wife; and &s;o <HI>David</HI> when he &s;pake untruly to <HI>Abimelech</HI> the Prie&s;t fir&s;t; and then afterward to <HI>Achi&s;h</HI> King of <HI>Gath,</HI> as you have it in the Story, in the fir&s;t Book of <HI>Samuel,</HI> his fear overwhelmed him, he had forgotten his rock, the Lord Je|hovah: and &s;o for God, would men be &s;o full of &s;elf-&s;eeking as they are, if they did believe that God were able to make an abundant recompence to them, though they had little in the world for their &s;ervice of him? it is a very plain ca&s;e, <HI>Abraham</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 14. 23.</NOTE> would not take from a thread to a &s;hoo latchet of the King of <HI>Sodoms</HI> goods, they &s;hould not &s;ay they had made <HI>Abraham</HI> rich, he had God was an al-&s;ufficient portion to him: O<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">if men were of this &s;pirit of faith in Gods al-&s;ufficiency, the &s;miling world would very little prevail to draw any a&s;ide to the thri|ving &s;ide, or opinion, as I doubt it is; well then, labour for this per&s;wa&s;ion, and you &s;hall find it a wonderfnl &s;upport to keep us upright in our goings, which is a great part of this circum&s;pect walking.</P>
<P>Alas, But you vvill &s;ay, this is a difficult duty indeed to walk thus exactly, and as I may &s;ay in a frame; and if this be &s;o, who then can walk the ways of God, if there mu&s;t be this &s;trictne&s;s? To this I an&s;wer.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Plead not the difficulty again&s;t a duty, for difficult duties mu&s;t be done&punc; by how much the more difficult, by &s;o much the more excellent; and vvhat el&s;e were the difference between the form and the power; between a Saint and an Hypocrite, if the Saint did not take up the mo&s;t &s;trict inward &s;piritual diffi|cult &s;ervices, as well as the more &s;light and out&s;ide, and overly? lay the nece&s;&s;ity then in the other&punc; ballance again&s;t the difficulty, and &s;ee which will weigh down the other.</P>
<P>Secondly, Suppo&s;e thou be weak and find thy &s;elf far &s;hort of this duty, yet there is no rea&s;on thou &s;houlde&s;t be di&s;couraged, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 12. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> but lift up the hands that hang down, and &s;tir up your &s;ouls to it, and buckle to the work, there is nothing &s;o hard, but diligence
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will overcome, &s;pecially if you con&s;ider the condition thou art in, if thou be in Chri&s;t, for then thou ha&s;t a fulne&s;s of &s;trength in Chri&s;t, <HI>through him,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>I am able to do all</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil 4. 13.</NOTE> <HI>things;</HI> and why not thou as well as the Apo&s;tle? is there not as much fulne&s;s now, and is not Chri&s;t as free to communicate it now, as then only? thou &s;itte&s;t down di&s;couraged, and wilt not go to the Fountain for relief. Again (2.) In Chri&s;t thou ha&s;t all the Promi&s;es, <HI>Yea and Amen;</HI> now how many &s;uch promi&s;es are <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Sam. 2. 9.</NOTE> there? He will give the Spirit to them that ask, and he keepeth the feet of his Saints, and &s;uch as have no might he will renew their &s;trength, and they &s;hall run and not be weary, and walk <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 35. 8.</NOTE> and not faint, and the way-faring man (though a fool) &s;hall not err therein in this way of God, which is ca&s;t up; you let the&s;e precious Promi&s;es lye dead; why do you not improve them, plead them with the Lord? Say then with the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>O that my ways were directed to keep thy Statutes:</HI> &s;ay to him, Lord, thou require&s;t a circum&s;pect, an exact walking before thee; <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. 5.</NOTE> there are &s;o many &s;tumbling blocks and &s;nares within and with|out; and I am &s;o fooli&s;h and weak, I am ignorant of Satans de|vi&s;es, I cannot order one of my &s;teps to avoid them thy promi&s;e is, the fooli&s;h &s;hall not wander; thy Promi&s;e is to give &s;trength to them that have no might; I am the poor creature that hath no might, to will is pre&s;ent, I would fain walk thus circum&s;pect, but how to perform it I find not. O &s;ee if the Lord do not con|de&s;cend to take you by the arm, and to teach you to go, and to keep you clo&s;e to him&s;elf in his ways, and in every re&s;pect be as good as his word to you, and at the end, him&s;elf be your exceeding great reward for your &s;o walking before him.</P>
<P>We have done with the Apo&s;tles Exhortation to walk wi&s;ely, now we come to the Argument he enforceth it with; <HI>Not as fools, but as wi&s;e; Sapientia prim<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, &s;tultitia carui&s;&s;e;</HI> the Apo&s;tle &s;etting the contraries one again&s;t another, would make it the more clear and emphaticall, and therefore this maner of &s;peaking is of|ten u&s;ed in Scripture: If we &s;pake to one part, the other will fol|low by the rule of contraries, and we &s;hall in the enlargement meet with it by way of Doctrine.</P>
<P>The Doctrine therefore is this, <HI>It is an Effect, and an Argu|ment,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctrine.</NOTE> <HI>a Proof of Christian Wi&s;dom indeed to walk circum&s;pectly, exactly:</HI> If you would approve your &s;elves to be wi&s;e memas you
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profe&s;s your &s;elves to be, then walk circum&s;pectly, exactly, this is one of the highe&s;t demon&s;trations of it you can give,</P>
<P>I &s;hall endeavour to prove this by &s;ome Scripture, and then &s;hew in &s;ome particulars how it is apparently wi&s;dom thus to walk, and then make &s;ome Application of it.</P>
<P>For the proof of it, there are many Scriptures which make it appear: walk wi&s;ely toward them which are without, redeeming <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 4. 5.</NOTE> the time: where exact and circum&s;pect walking towards them which are without, le&s;t we offend them, drive them away from Chri&s;t, prejudice them again&s;t the ways of Truth, is called a walking wi&s;ely; there is great need of wi&s;dom then to all other parts of this circum&s;pect walking; it is of the like force with that of the Spou&s;e, <HI>I charge you by the Roes and Harts of the field that you &s;tir not my beloved before he plea&s;e;</HI> &s;tir him not by any un|&s;ea&s;onable <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 2. 7.</NOTE> importunity, nor by any provocation drive him away, for if you do, this will be offen&s;ive to the Roes, creatures ea&s;ily frighted away&punc; that are wild, and but beginning to be tamed; now this is wi&s;e walking; and that of the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t, The</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 111. 10.</NOTE> <HI>fear of the Lord is the beginning of wi&s;dom; and a good under&s;tand|ing have they that keep his commandments, his prai&s;e endureth for ever; the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wi&s;dom;</HI> this is the head, the top of wi&s;dom, the principal part, for this compre|hends the fir&s;t part of the <GAP DESC="foreign"> or rule, that is to &s;ay, that which guides us to a right wor&s;hipping of God in Spirit and in Truth, which is the fir&s;t thing; this is the <GAP DESC="foreign"> the godline&s;s the Scripture &s;o often maketh mention of; to be exact in this, is the beginning, the fir&s;t born of wi&s;dom, and the end of wi&s;dom is to keep his Commandments, all his Commandments, re&s;pecting man and God; or el&s;e fear of God is put for the inward principle of obedience and keeping the Commandments, for the real de|mon&s;tration of it in a holy and righteous conver&s;ation: which way ever you take it, a good under&s;tanding they have that keep them; &s;o that it is an effect and argument of wi&s;dom; <HI>Be wi&s;e now therefore, O ye Kings, be instructed ye Judges of the earth;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 2. 10.</NOTE> they are u&s;ually, or would be wi&s;e men already; I but there is one piece of wi&s;dom that the Laws of men teach not, but the School of Chri&s;t, and that is, <HI>Ki&s;s the Son, le&s;t be he angry, &amp; ye peri&s;h from the way, or in the way;</HI> and &s;o another Scripture &s;aith, <HI>This &s;hall be your wi&s;dom in the &s;ight of the Nations, if ye
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keep the Commandments of the Lord, they &s;hall &s;ay, &s;urely this Nation is a wi&s;e and under&s;tanding people; I will beleave my &s;elf wi&s;ely in a perfect way,</HI> &s;aith the <HI>P&s;almist;</HI> if ye walked in a perfect <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 4. 6.</NOTE> way and exactly, it would be wi&s;e walking indeed; and therefore you &s;hall find, that all grace and ability, and &s;trength, whereby we <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 101. 2.</NOTE> are enabled to walk the ways of God aright, it is called Wi&s;dom; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 4. 5. &amp; 7.</NOTE> get Wi&s;dom, get Under&s;tanding; Wi&s;dom is the principal thing, and what is this, but an ability to walk the ways of God exactly? no more for proof.</P>
<P>For the further confirmation of this Doctrine, take the&s;e Con&s;iderations.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, It is wi&s;dom to propound a right end, to chu&s;e the chief good for his chief end, is a principal part of wi&s;dom: the Hea|thens profe&s;&s;ing them&s;elves wi&s;e, they became fools; they <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1. 22.</NOTE> thought they were able by the creatures to run up to the fir&s;t being, and &s;o the fir&s;t and chief good; but wofully they were mi&s;taken. A fool he is that works for no end, as many men do, they bowl away the greate&s;t part of their lives, without any mark that they aim at that is good; this is the folly which is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. 13.</NOTE> bound in all mens hearts; it is wi&s;dom then to have a mark whereat men aim in all their actions, and to have this mark the chief good, the right end whereto all &s;hould he directed, to make him who is the <HI>Alpha</HI> the <HI>Omega;</HI> it is no &s;mall peice of wi&s;dom; The eys of a fool are in the ends of the earth, but <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 17. 24.</NOTE> wi&s;dom is before him that hath under&s;tanding; here, and there, and every where, vvhen they &s;hould be fixed upon &s;ome mark or &s;top to which all &s;hould be directed, as the Apo&s;tles vvere, he had his mark in his eye &s;till, and they &s;hould let their eys look right on; this is wi&s;dom indeed. Now this is one, peice of exact walking and a main one too, thus to eye the fir&s;t and chief good, that is to &s;ay, God him&s;elf for our la&s;t end, to propound him to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 4. 25.</NOTE> our &s;elves, as the center of our &s;ouls, wherein alone we can re&s;t with &s;atisfaction; <HI>Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth I de&s;ire in compari&s;on of thee;</HI> this was a wi&s;e man <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73. 25.</NOTE> indeed: this is the fir&s;t: Wi&s;dom con&s;i&s;ts in the provi&s;ion of the end.</P>
<P>Secondly, To provide and make u&s;e of the right means to this end in general, is another piece of this Wi&s;dom; the wi&s;e mans eys are in his head; if a man have never &s;o good an end, and yet
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know not which way to compa&s;s it, nor how to go about to gain <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 2. 14.</NOTE> it, this is a fool&punc; when a man hath the mark in his eye, to &s;et the byas the wrong way, and &s;o to go clear off this end, argues <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 10. 2.</NOTE> not skill but weakne&s;s, his heart is at his left hand; and indeed herein is mo&s;t evident the power of Wi&s;dom, to di&s;cover the right means for &s;uch an end as will make a man happy, and to know how to make u&s;e of them, and accordingly to improve them for that end: the Wi&s;dom of the prudent, is to under&s;tand <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 14. 8.</NOTE> his way; now who is it that doth this, but the circum&s;pect exact walker? others, they turn the byas another way, &s;ome to pro|phanne&s;s, others to here&s;ie, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> they tread not the track at all, as if a man intending to go South-ward, takes his cour&s;e quite North|ward, clean contrary. So men intend heaven, but their cour&s;e bends hell-ward: &s;ure this is folly: no, no, Je&s;us Chri&s;t is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and he alone, and therefore this is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 14. 6.</NOTE> Wi&s;dom brethren, to know who is the Wi&s;dom of the Father, to come to him, clo&s;e with him, walk in him, as we have received him.</P>
<P>Thirdly, It is Wi&s;dom, and great Wi&s;dom for men then to take the neare&s;t way, and ea&s;ie&s;t way to a thing; Labour in vain is not the character of a wi&s;e man; that doth <HI>movere, &amp; non pro|movere<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">;</HI> now it is labour in vain to go a further way about, or a wor&s;e way to an end, when there is a nearer and better; <HI>fru&s;tra fit per plura, quod fieri pote&s;t per pauciora;</HI> how many miles doth a Spaniel run in his excur&s;ions to no purpo&s;e, whereas if he kept clo&s;e after his Ma&s;ter, he would not, nor need to tyre him|&s;elf &s;o much nothing near; and &s;o it is with many a &s;oul that doth follow Je&s;us Chri&s;t indeed, but they follow him not clo&s;ely, do rove and ramble many times, and then are fain to come in again to the way by the weeping cro&s;s, the by-paths being rough and har&s;h, and full of pricking bryers and wounding thorns; no &s;urely, brethren, the rule of holy walking is the &s;trait|e&s;t path that leadeth mo&s;t directly to heaven, there is no nearer way then God hath there chalkt out for us; and therefore the exact walker that keepeth clo&s;e&s;t to this rule, to walk according to this rule, he goeth the neare&s;t way; men dream they have a nearer and an ea&s;ier way then this &s;trict and &s;trait path, but alas, it is but a dream, when they awake they find they are far wide from the vvay, and therefore are drawn vvith much pains, much <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 13. 13.</NOTE> heart-breaking to return again, before they can go on in the vvay
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to God to heaven; fooli&s;h children they are that &s;tay long in the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 13. 13.</NOTE> place of breaking forth of children; we do ob&s;truct our own mer|cies, and make a great deal of vvork for repentance and tears, vvhich might have been avoided if vve had vvalkt circum&s;pectly vvith God; and then in that time vvhich vve have &s;pent, and that &s;trength laid out upon our returning again, vvhat a con&s;iderable progre&s;s might vve have made further in the vvay of God? as in the ca&s;e of <HI>David:</HI> vvas it his vvi&s;dom, think you, or his folly vvhen he turned a&s;ide out of the vvay, fetched a <HI>vagarie,</HI> a com|pa&s;s, I <HI>have done very fooli&s;hly,</HI> &s;aith he in that place, I have gone out of the plain and plea&s;ant paths of vvi&s;dom into this <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 24. 10.</NOTE> rough and thorny vvay, and now I have gotten a thorn in my foot, a vvound to my &s;oul; and &s;o he did in the matter of <HI>&V;riah:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 107. 17.</NOTE> fools, becau&s;e of their tran&s;gre&s;sion are afflicted; now the cir|cum&s;pect exact vvalker, that keepeth clo&s;e to God, he avoideth all the&s;e excur&s;ions, much of this trouble and &s;orrow; and is not this a notable peice of wi&s;dom?</P>
<P>Fourthly, It is vvi&s;dom for a man to &s;uit and &s;hape his cour&s;e according to the exigence of his condition: Ye are, &s;aith our Saviour, &s;ent as Sheep among Wolves, therefore be wi&s;e as Serpents; that is a vvi&s;e Sheep, that being among many Wolves, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10. 16.</NOTE> &s;o carrieth it as to e&s;cape their mouths and cruelty; the people of God do vvalk among Lyons, their vvay is full of Lyons, roaring Lyons, &s;eeking vvhom they may devour. Now for a man &s;o to vvalk as to avoid the&s;e, and yet to keep his vvay, this is vvi&s;dom indeed: you have heard before, how full of &s;nares and &s;tumbling blocks and offences there are in the vvay; this is the exigence of every believers condition, &s;ome more &s;ome le&s;s; now is not this wi&s;dom, &s;o to carry it, as in &s;uch danger, neither to give offence, nor take offence? to keep his foot out of the &s;nare vvhen he walks among them? O &s;urely, this is vvi&s;dom in|deed; had not a man need of much wi&s;dom that hath the eys of &s;o many enemies upon him, watching for his halting, ready to blaz<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n his infirmities, catching at &s;omewhat they may make a reproach, accu&s;e him to the Powers, overthrow him? this is the manner of the world, as to the outward man; and this is the continual working of Satan by &s;in, and all his in&s;truments, as to the inward man; now he that carrieth his Cup &s;o even in &s;uch a ca&s;e, as to keep the favour of the King, and avoid ruin, is he
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not a wi&s;e man? and &s;o here in re&s;pect of the favour of the King of Kings; and who is this that doth it, but the exact walk|er with God? <HI>Noah</HI> had as perver&s;e a Generation to walk among, as any, and doutle&s;s as many &s;nares, a world full of temptation, and yet he walked with God, kept his favour, was &s;aved in the Ark, and brought to the enjoyment of him&s;elf; this was wi&s;dom indeed.</P>
<P>Fifthly, It is Wi&s;dom for a man to do that in its &s;ea&s;on or time, which if neglected, he will afterwards wi&s;h had been done; and to omit that, which aftterward, he will wi&s;h had not been done. It is a great part of Wi&s;dom, to know the &s;ea&s;on for an action, <HI>For every thing is beautiful in his &s;ea&s;on:</HI> there is not a man that now liveth and heareth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s; 12. 1.</NOTE> this word, but would when he cometh to die, wi&s;h he had remembred his Creator in the days of his youth: much &s;in had been prevented then, &s;ome provi&s;ion had been made for his eternal &s;tate; do you think the young men that chear them&s;elves in their own vanities, when they come to judge|ment, and to &s;tand before the con&s;uming fire, ready to burn them up as &s;tubble, they will not wi&s;h, O that they had fled youthful lu&s;ts, O that they had lived more by rule then by lu&s;t! but alas, then it is too late: now is it not great Wi&s;dom, while men have the day, to work and walk? becau&s;e the night cometh, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 9. 4.</NOTE> wherein no man can work: <HI>Stultorum e&s;t dicere non putaram:</HI> I had never thought that my day was &s;o near to an end, as now I find it; now the circum&s;pect walker he hath the light; and maketh u&s;e of it while he hath it, becau&s;e he knoweth he &s;hall not alway have the light to work by, nor walk by; <HI>He that gathereth in harve&s;t is a wi&s;e &s;on;</HI> that is the &s;ea&s;on for gathering; for a man to neglect that time, and let winter <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 10&punc; 5.</NOTE> come on, which will &s;poil all his harve&s;t, and to &s;ay, I had not thought this year had been &s;o far &s;pent, is very gro&s;s folly: well, this is another.</P>
<P>Sixthly, It is wi&s;dom to go through &s;titch with a work, if it be a thing worth the while: what thine hand findeth to do, do it with all thy might, (that is to &s;ay) not by halves, care|le&s;ly: what folly is it for a man to take &s;ome pains for an end, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 9&punc; 10.</NOTE> and for want of a little more to lo&s;e all? a man draweth the
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bow, &s;eemeth to take aim, but for want of a little more care and exactne&s;s, mi&s;&s;eth the mark and lo&s;eth all: this is the ca&s;e of hy|pocrites, they take much pains for heaven, they &s;eem to run as fa&s;t as any, and keep as much ado in the way of God as any, they pray often and much, and hear, and receive, and for want of a little more, they fall &s;hort and peri&s;h, becau&s;e they look not to the frame of their hearts, their uprightne&s;s before God in it, and di&s;allow not them&s;elves in their halting, and therefore they lo&s;e all, and their &s;ouls, and all, is not this fol|ly? who did more then the Phari&s;ees for Heaven, and tho&s;e in the &s;eventh of <HI>Matthew?</HI> But they wanted one thing more, they bu&s;ied them&s;elves about many things, but the one thing more they neglected, and therefore mi&s;carried; for a man to run, and wre&s;tle, and &s;trive, and yet to mi&s;s the prize for want of a litle care, to &s;trive lawfully, a little exactne&s;s and acuratene&s;s in the manner as well as the matter of their work|ing, this is folly: alas, how many are there that &s;eek to enter, as the fooli&s;h Virgins, but becau&s;e they add not a little more, and &s;trive to an agony, therefore they are not able thus to &s;eek; this is to lo&s;e all their labour.</P>
<P>Seventhly, Another Argument is this: It is Wi&s;dom that takes a cour&s;e for the fulle&s;t enjoyment of the la&s;t end, the chiefe&s;t good; there are, it is believed degrees of Glory in Heaven; all the Saints &s;hall &s;hine, but &s;ome like Stars, &s;ome like the Sun, one Star differs from another in Glo|ry; every one &s;hall have a man&s;ion, and un&s;peakably <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15&punc; 41.</NOTE> Glorious, but they are not every one that &s;hall &s;it on the right hand, and on the left hand of Chri&s;t in his Kingdom. It is a great Reward indeed that diligent Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t have, that are &s;o indeed: Chri&s;t is &s;aid to have a thou|&s;and, and they two hundred Sheckels, the Keepers of the Vineyard, (that is to &s;ay) a fifth part of what he hath&punc; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 8. 12.</NOTE> Indeed in other goods, we have le&s;s good in them, and a mixture of &s;nares, &s;pecially in our time of fle&s;h and weakne&s;s to weild them aright, they are not &s;o de|&s;irable in the highe&s;t degree. <HI>David</HI> was loth to be the Kings Son in-Law; <HI>Seemeth it to you a light thing, to be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"></HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 18. 23.</NOTE> <HI>Son in-Law to a King?</HI> it is a greater burthen then yo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">
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are aware of, to carry it an&s;werably to &s;uch a condi|tion; Favourites places are &s;lippery and dangerous, many envious eyes are upon them, to watch their halting, much ado to keep the heart humble in &s;uch a ca&s;e; but now this good, the chief good, there is no &s;nare in the fulne&s;s of enjoyment of him, but the more fully, the more hap|py; the more Grace, the more Glory; and therefore for a man to take up with le&s;s here, is not Wi&s;dom, but folly and great weakne&s;s; therefore the Apo&s;tle puts them on, <HI>That they &s;hould not lo&s;e any thing of what they had wrought, that they might have a full reward;</HI> and &s;o <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h. 2.</NOTE> neglect not, &s;lubber not over your &s;ervices, be exact in them, lo&s;e not &s;o many Prayers, &s;o many Sermons, &s;o many Sacraments as you do, when you do them &s;o care|le&s;ly, for want of a litle acuratene&s;s you lo&s;e them, and lo&s;e of your reward; for there is fruit redounding to your account in the day of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Eighthly, It is a piece of Wi&s;dom al&s;o for a man to make &s;ure his title to an inheritance, if worth the having; who would be &s;o fooled as to neglect this among men, where the good is &s;carce worth the looking after? now here is an inheritance incorruptible that fadeth not away, an inhe|ritance <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1. 4.</NOTE> of the Saints in light and glory: and is it not wi&s;dom to make it &s;ure, not to be at uncertainties? &s;ure you will all conclude it is: now this is the way, and no other, cir|cum&s;pect, exact and diligent walking; do all diligence, it is <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1. 10, 11.</NOTE> not an idle, loo&s;e profe&s;&s;ion Brethren, that is accompanied with a&s;&s;urance, no, but a diligence there mu&s;t be, a work|ing, and working out, and with fear and trembling; there mu&s;t be an adding to Faith, Vertue, &amp;c. for if you do <NOTE PLACE="marg">v. 5, 6, 7, 8.</NOTE> the&s;e things ye &s;hall not fall, and an entrance abundantly &s;hall be mini&s;tred into the everla&s;ting Kingdom. Now what wi&s;e Ma&s;ter of a Ship would come into his harbour tattered, and torn, full of leaks, and ready to &s;ink, if he might come in with the &s;ails filled, in a gallant manner, which he may do by an acuratene&s;s of &s;tearing a right cour&s;e to avoid the rocks and &s;ands? who would chu&s;e to go through a nar|row wicket, as it were, hard and &s;harp, when he might have
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a wide door opened to him? O brethren, it is wi&s;dom to make your calling &s;ure, every man in di&s;tru&s;t will tell you &s;o, and when you come to die and look death in the face, your &s;ouls will &s;ay, that it is wi&s;dom indeed then to have a&s;&s;urance: well, an exact walking with God is that way to procure it: let men &s;ay what they will of peace and a&s;&s;urance, while they walk loo&s;ly they mu&s;t give me leave to &s;u&s;pect all that I know, that &s;in will undo our peace, if we carele&s;ly fall in|to it.</P>
<P>For the Application of this then.</P>
<P>In the fir&s;t place it may &s;erve to wipe off that &s;landero<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s imputation of <GAP DESC="foreign"> the fal&s;e accu&s;er of the Brethren, and of the wayes of God, and of God to us, that he ca&s;ts upon Religion, as if it were a thing that were be&s;otting, it made men fools; this is a &s;lander the Devil hath gotten much by, and therefore he u&s;eth it much; men are loth to be accounted fools, and think that to take upon them the &s;trict cour&s;e of Religion, is the next way to it; they could never have the liberty, nor the free u&s;e of their wits, and wi&s;dom, and policy, nor the free u&s;e of the Creature, nor the good that is in them any more; Bre|thren, this is fal&s;e; it is the greate&s;t wi&s;dom in the world <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ure you will &s;ay, to be wi&s;e to Salvation; to be wi&s;e to a little Popularity and Fame by o&s;tentation of Science, fal&s;ly &s;o called, to be wi&s;e to get a good E&s;tate in the World, to grow rich, this is a poor thing; Brethren, but to be wi&s;e to Salvation is that will &s;tand a man in mo&s;t &s;tead, when for all his other wi&s;dom, and the effects of it, he &s;hall be at his wits end; Be&s;ide, indeed this is the way to be wi&s;e for a mans name, for a mans E&s;tate; for his Po&s;terity al&s;o; for who is it that giveth power to get wealth? is it not the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 8. 18.</NOTE> Lord? and is not circum&s;pect walking before him to all wel|plea&s;ing, the way to be ble&s;&s;ed? ble&s;&s;ed in basket, ble&s;&s;ed in &s;tore? and if he blow upon it, and cur&s;e it, you may &s;ow much, and it will come to nothing, you may put it <NOTE PLACE="marg">Hag. 1. 6.</NOTE> into a bag, but there are many holes, out of which it will
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run; &s;o many lu&s;ts unhealed, &s;o many holes; and for his name, you are mi&s;taken, it is to be righteous, their name &s;hall be had in everla&s;ting remembrance, it &s;hall be embalmed; the name of the wicked rotteth, and &s;tink|eth, the remembrance of them is loath&s;om; Wi&s;dom it <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 10 7.</NOTE> &s;elf is folly to a fool, and &s;o is the Wi&s;dom of God to Salvation, fooli&s;hne&s;s to the wi&s;e men of the World; but this their way and judgement is their folly; and no greater evidence of folly, then to judge the ways of God fooli&s;hne&s;s. Well, the fooli&s;hne&s;s of God (as you count it) is wi&s;er then men; you think it is foo|li&s;hne&s;s to &s;pend &s;o much time in the &s;ervice of God, le&s;s ado would &s;erve the turn, as the Heathen <HI>Seneca</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1. 25.</NOTE> derided the Chri&s;tians, that they lo&s;t the &s;eventh part of their time, (that is to &s;ay) the Sabbath, becau&s;e they &s;pent it not in the &s;ervice of the world and vanity, as they did; and &s;o do you, when a man is diligent and exact in his times and hours, &s;pends &s;o much time in waiting upon God, you think he is a fool, he will be a beggar, but when you and he come to lye upon a death-bed together, then tell me, who is the fool: as very a fool as he was, thou wilt then wi&s;h thou had&s;t been &s;uch a fool; and oh that thou mighte&s;t die his death! So if &s;ome be tender, and &s;cruple at the taking an unju&s;t gain in his trading, that which others can ea&s;ily &s;wal|low, they think this man is a fool, he will never do any good with his Trade, he will be a beggar. Alas, they know not that a little with Righteou&s;ne&s;s, with a good Con&s;cience, is better then great Revenues without Right; a little with Gods Ble&s;&s;ing, which maketh rich, giving contentation, and giving the &s;weet of Mercy, making them give down their &s;weet to them, is better then much without it; and when thou ha&s;t heaped up Gold as the du&s;t, and Rayment as the clay, and withall, ha&s;t gotten a wound in thy Soul, a worm in thy Con&s;cience, the rot and canker eats into thy &s;oul, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iames 5<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">.</NOTE> what ha&s;t thou gotten? who will be the wi&s;er man? when the &s;ins whereby thou ha&s;t gotten this, begin|neth,
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to &s;tare like &s;o many devils in thy face? though thou ha&s;t builded thee an hou&s;e, a fair hou&s;e and chambers <NOTE PLACE="marg">Hab. 2. 11.</NOTE> by wrong, and he that dwels in a tent, is contented with a meaner condition, with a good Con&s;cience, when the &s;tone beginneth to cry out again&s;t thee, out of the wall, and the timber out of thy chambers, and thy ears are full, and thy heart full of the cry of thy &s;ins and guilt whereby this hath been gotten, who will prove the wi&s;e man then? O &s;urely Religion maketh not men fools.</P>
<P>Secondly, It may be a word of retortion, and &s;erve to fa&s;ten the folly then upon the wi&s;dom of the World; Wordlings think the people of God fools for their pre|ci&s;ene&s;s, but the Saints know them to be fools; will ye believe when the Lord &s;peaks? do not harden your hearts now, and &s;ay, thou &s;peake&s;t fal&s;ly in the name of the Lord. Read that pa&s;&s;age of the Apo&s;tle, and tell me what you think then; <HI>The Wi&s;dom of the World is fooli&s;h|ne&s;s with God;</HI> is not God the only wi&s;e God, and do <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 3. 19.</NOTE> you think the Lord can be mi&s;taken? though we that are poor weak creatures, like your &s;elves (may be) mi&s;-judge, yet &s;ure the Lord cannot; he is wi&s;dom it &s;elf, and it is fooli&s;hne&s;s with God, he judgeth it &s;o; and believe it, they are wi&s;e, whom he maketh wi&s;e; and they are fools, and that is folly whom he accounteth &s;o; by the rule of con|traries it followeth; if to walk circum&s;pectly, be to walk as wi&s;e men, then to walk loo&s;ly and at large, is to walk as fools, according to our Text; I will give you but two or three Demon&s;trations of their folly, it may be the Lord will convince &s;ome poor creature of the folly of his ways.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, It is folly for men to pitch upon a wrong end, to place their happine&s;s in any thing but the chief good indeed; now this is evident enough, too plain, that men of the world they do place their happine&s;s in worldly things, they have their god to wor&s;hip as well as the Saints; The lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h, the lu&s;t of the eye, and pride of life, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 2. 16.</NOTE> to which the Apo&s;tle reduceth all that is in the World, their plea&s;ures, their riches, their honours, the&s;e are
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their ends, to which they drive on all their de&s;igns, and here they re&s;t and &s;it down, and look no farther many of them; now is not this a gro&s;s mi&s;take and grievous fol|ly, to end &s;o low as the earth, and what the would can afford? which will appear, if we con&s;ider, 1. That <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12. 20.</NOTE> none, nor all the&s;e things will run parallel with the &s;ouls to eternity; therefore if they could make a man happy as long as he enjoyed them, yet afterward they would then encrea&s;e his mi&s;ery, when they leave him, <HI>fui&s;&s;e faelicem mi&s;erum;</HI> It is peri&s;hing bread, uncertain <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6. 27.</NOTE> riches, many times they make wings, and are gone, even he him&s;elf outlives them; a mi&s;erable happine&s;s that a <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6. 17.</NOTE> poor mortal creature can out-live; if not, yet the &s;oul out-lives them; he can carry nothing away with him, &s;aith the Text; the poor &s;oul mu&s;t appear in its nakedne&s;s before <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he Lord Judge at that day of appearing, after death, and &s;oul and body to eternity after the Re|&s;urrection &s;hall never be the better for them; alas, the remembrance then of your plea&s;ures, and honours, and riches will be but a &s;ting to your &s;ouls to eternity, that &s;uch enjoyments you had, and u&s;ed them no better. 2. As they continue not, &s;o while a man can keep them, they cannot, they do not &s;atisfie the &s;oul; if any man could, <HI>Solomon</HI> might have pickt out an happine&s;s out of them, when he had &s;o much wealth to procure them, &s;o much wi&s;dom to improve them, &s;o gave him&s;elf to find out; but the &s;um is, vanity of vanities; not only vain, but vanity; and vanity of vanities, and all is va|nity; the greate&s;t vanity, they are empty, there is no &s;ub&s;tance in them, they will not &s;atisfie the &s;oul; there is no &s;utablene&s;s between &s;uch earthy things and a &s;pi|ritual being, nor equality between their greate&s;t va&s;tne&s;s and the largene&s;s of a &s;oul; they can never fill it, and therefore it can never re&s;t, but the more a man hath, the more he <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73. 22.</NOTE> would have &s;till; drinking doth but increa&s;e their thir&s;t; and therefore well might the P&s;almi&s;t bebea&s;t and befool him&s;elf for &s;etting &s;uch an e&s;teem upon them. So foo|li&s;h was I and ignorant, and even as a bea&s;t before thee,
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when he thought them to have more in them, then they had, and therefore that they were the happy men that flouri&s;hed, and it was in vain for him to clean&s;e his heart, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Secondly, If they &s;hould, or do propound a right end, yet they mi&s;erably mi&s;carry in the means towards this end; For, Fir&s;t, There are &s;ome that are wi&s;e to do evil: but to do good, they have no knowledge at all; and if men make God and Heaven their end, is this <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 42. 22.</NOTE> the way to it? will the way to the devil, and the way to hell bring a man to Heaven? and yet this is the cour&s;e that mo&s;t men run, as if men would be &s;aved by con|traries, and were Chri&s;tians by antiphra&s;es, becau&s;e they are mo&s;t unchri&s;tian; &s;urely Brethren, the Spirit of God and the Scriptures every where hath determined &s;in to be folly, and calleth &s;inners fools, therefore we read of working folly in I&s;rael &s;o much now; if one part of Wi&s;dom be to aim at the right end, &s;urely Wi&s;dom agreeth notwith it &s;elf, if this be another part of Wi&s;dom, the Wi&s;dom to do evil, which indeed is improper|ly called wi&s;dom; but it is a cur&s;ed skill and ingenuity which men have, whereby they are more indu&s;triou&s;ly wick|ed; this is &s;o far from Wi&s;dom, that it is the very height of folly.</P>
<P>Again, Secondly, It is the Wi&s;dom of the World to get a name of Chri&s;tianity, and therewith &s;atisfie them|&s;elves; take the power who will, &s;o they have the name, and pa&s;s for Saints; gain is their godline&s;s, and when they have gotten the gain by it, the Godline&s;s they care not to walk in, but in their plea&s;ures of &s;in; the <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6. 5.</NOTE> &s;hew of Religion is profitable, but not the reality, it is burthen&s;om; is not this folly with a witne&s;s? can the Shadow be profitable, and not the Sub&s;tance? the Shell and Husk, and not the Kernel? can that be pro|fitable, who&s;e Prai&s;e is of men, and not that who&s;e prai&s;e is of God?</P>
<P>Again, As the top, and crown, and quinte&s;cence of their folly; they are wi&s;er in their own conceit, then &s;everal
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men that can render a rea&s;on, as he &s;paaks of the &s;lug|gard; and &s;uch are all tho&s;e that will not be at pains for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 26. 16.</NOTE> God and for Heaven: if men might devote all the flower of their youth, the ripene&s;s of their age and &s;trength to &s;in, and when they come to die, have Heaven drop in their mouthes, many would be &s;aved; but if they mu&s;t be at &s;uch pains for it, walk &s;o circum&s;pectly, &s;trictly, in a frame, by rule thus, and be exerci&s;ed in morti|fication, renewing their repentance, &s;o much ado with &s;earching and trying their ways, they think the wi&s;e&s;t cour&s;e is to &s;it &s;till; it is better &s;leeping in a whole skin, and &s;even men that can give a rea&s;on, are not &s;o wi&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 12.</NOTE> as they; let Mini&s;ters &s;ay what they will, they will not be|lieve but they are the wi&s;er men of the two; O he that is thus wi&s;e in his own conceit, there is more hope of a fool, then of him; well then, if the world pa&s;s for fools, they are the fools indeed in grain; and when Saints and &s;inners, the &s;trict walker with God, and the formal Hypocrite &s;hall appear before the Lord at the la&s;t day; then (if before you will not believe) you &s;hall know who were the wi&s;e men, and who were the fools.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>Then let Wi&s;dm be ju&s;tified of her children;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat&punc; 11. 19.</NOTE> you that are the true &s;ons of Wi&s;dom, and not ba&s;tards, and pretenders, ju&s;tifie Wi&s;dom then, though all the world run a contrary cour&s;e, and count it folly to walk thus circum&s;pectly; do you count it your Wi&s;dom, as the Lord counteth it, to be &s;trict and exact in your walk|king; no matter though the world &s;tigmatize you for fools, that you neglect your concernments other wayes &s;ometimes, to gain a nearer approach to Chri&s;t, if the Lord judge you wi&s;e men; the argument is very &s;trong: for what man can bear the imputation of folly; in|deed every man would be wi&s;e, <HI>Vain man would be</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob&punc; 11. 12&punc;</NOTE> <HI>wi&s;e, though he be born like a wild A&s;&s;es Colt;</HI> but the Saints methinks, that know in &s;ome mea&s;ure what the Wi&s;dom which is from above doth mean, &s;hould labour to approve them&s;elves wi&s;e men indeed, by a circum&s;pect walking with God. And you that profe&s;s the Name of
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Chri&s;t, though it may be not all of you, in truth you would be wi&s;e, though you walk not circum&s;pect|ly; &s;hall I be&s;peak you in the Prophets words, how &s;ay you, we are wi&s;e, and we have the Law, &amp;c. when you <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 8. 8.</NOTE> walk not by this rule; Ah take heed you prove not fooli&s;h Virgins when all is done: it is not Wi&s;dom to dal|ly with Religion and with God, he will not be mocked. Then you that are wi&s;e indeed, and do in a good part walk exactly, &s;hall I beg of you, that you would yet more and more labour to approve your &s;elves wi&s;e men and wo|men, in a great exactne&s;s of your walking, avoiding all appearance of evil; as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks, in following <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 1. 22.</NOTE> after whaever is comely, of good report; you know what the Wi&s;e man &s;aith, A man that is in reputation for Wi&s;dom, that pa&s;&s;eth for a wi&s;e man and a clo&s;e-walk|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 10. 1.</NOTE> Saint; a little folly is like a dead Fly in the Box of Oyntment that maketh it &s;tink; by how much the more the Lord hath done for you this way, be &s;o much the more careful: O it is this Wi&s;dom that will make your faces &s;hine, Brethren: &s;o it did the face of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 8. 1.</NOTE> <HI>David,</HI> but a little folly in a <HI>David,</HI> what a blemi&s;h it ca&s;ts upon it, and what a reproach and blemi&s;h upon the beautiful way of holine&s;s?</P>
<P>O then, I be&s;eech you Brethren, Labour to cea&s;e from your own Wi&s;dom: for indeed this is folly, and contra|ry to the Wi&s;dom of God; <HI>He that hearkneth to coun&s;el, is wi&s;e:</HI> It is a &s;ad thing when the People of God are not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 12. 15.</NOTE> advi&s;able, are &s;o full of &s;elf-will and &s;elf-wi&s;dom that they cannot cea&s;e from it; &s;o <HI>David</HI> in numbering the people, he had good coun&s;el given him, though by a man far enough inferiour to him&s;elf in &s;pirituals, but was not advi&s;able, and what a blot did he bring upon him|&s;elf? <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 3 18.</NOTE> we profe&s;s to give up our wils and wi&s;doms to him, and yet when it cometh to the pinch many times, we mu&s;t have our wils, and we mu&s;t have our own con|trivances go forward, or el&s;e we cannot aquie&s;ce; I &s;aid in quietne&s;s and confidence &s;hould be your re&s;t, <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 30. 5.</NOTE> but you would not.</P>
<P><PB N="95" REF="65">
Again, Then beg this Spirit of Wi&s;dom more earne&s;t|ly, greater mea&s;ure of it, for it is he that giveth Wi&s;|dom to walk exactly; this Wi&s;dom from above, which is pure, and peaceable, and gentle, and ea&s;ie to he in|treated, &s;o that a child may lead &s;uch a man or woman, if <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5. 16.</NOTE> he pre&s;ent any thing of light and God to them: And then Brethren, when you have the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, in the Power of this Spirit of Wi&s;dom, let it pre|vail over your own wils, and your own opinions of your own ways, &s;ubject all to him, and you &s;hall find that he will guide you by his coun&s;el, and afterwards receive you to Glory. Thus much for this Ob&s;ervation.</P>
<P>The&s;e were his la&s;t Lecture-Sermons, the la&s;t words; viz. <HI>Redeeming the Time, becau&s;e the dayes are evil,</HI> He &s;tayed not to fini&s;h.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="work">
<PB REF="66">
<PB N="1" REF="66">
<HEAD>The Parable of the ten Virgins.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Mat. 25. <HI>from the</HI> 1. v. <HI>to the</HI> 14. v.</BIBL>
<Q><P>Then &s;hall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened unto ten Virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the Bridegroom.</P>
<P>And five of them were wi&s;e, and five were fooli&s;h.</P>
<P>They that were fooli&s;h took their lamps, and took no oyl with them:</P>
<P>But the wi&s;e took oyl in their ve&s;&s;els with their lamps.</P>
<P>While the Bridegroom tarried, they all &s;lumbred and &s;lept</P>
<P>And at midnight there was a cry made, behold the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him</P>
<P>Then all tho&s;e Virgins aro&s;e, and trimmed their lamps.</P>
<P>And the fooli&s;h &s;aid to the wi&s;e, give us of your oyl, for our lamps are gone out.</P>
<P>But the wi&s;e an&s;wered, &s;aying, Not &s;o le&s;t there be not enough for us, and you, but go ye rather to them that &s;ell, and buy for your &s;elves.</P>
<P>And while they went to huy, the Bridegroom came, and they that were ready, went in with him to the marriage, and the door was &s;hut.</P>
<P>Afterward came al&s;o the other virgins &s;aying, Lord, Lord, open unto us.</P>
<P>But he an&s;wered, and &s;aid, verily I &s;ay unto you, I know you not.</P>
<P>Watch therefore, for ye know not the day, neither the hour, wherein the S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">fman cometh.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_A Parable is a repre&s;entation of &s;ome truth to the un|der&s;tanding, under &s;uch things as are obvious to to the &s;en&s;es, and familiar to us in our ordinary u&s;e, and experience in the Go&s;pel, yea the Scriptures Old and New, are full of them. I lift not to trou|ble you, to &s;peak much to their Nature, but <HI>I under&s;tand,</HI> they be a <HI>kinde of a &s;imilitude, as the Parable,</HI> Chap. 24. 32, 33. <HI>Learn a Parable</HI> of the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ig-tree, when it putteth forth leaves and the bran|ches
<PB N="2" REF="67">
are yet tender, the Summer is nigh ye know, it was a thing <HI>familiar</HI> to them in experience; <HI>&s;o likewi&s;e ye,</HI> when ye &s;ee the&s;e things come to pa&s;s, know it is near, even at hand. A metaphor is <HI>a &s;imile</HI> contracted into one word, an <HI>allegory,</HI> a continued <HI>metaphor,</HI> and a <HI>Parable</HI> much what of the &s;ame nature. Some|times they hold out a truth more clearly, and &s;ometimes more darkly; if the <GAP DESC="foreign"> only be given, or <HI>laid down,</HI> the truth is concluded more <HI>ob&s;curely,</HI> and lies hid under the broad leaves of the &s;imilitude. As, of the <HI>Sower,</HI> that <HI>went forth to Sow,</HI> (which you know the <HI>Di&s;ciples under&s;tood not,</HI> untill our Saviour had <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13. 3. &amp; 4.</NOTE> <HI>opened it to them,)</HI> &s;aith he, to you <HI>it is given to know the my&s;teries of the Kingdom,</HI> but to them it is not given, therefore he &s;peaks <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 11. 13.</NOTE> to them in Parables, in &s;uch a manner delivering them, as that thereby the truth is more &s;hadowed, though it be clear when it is explained, <HI>that &s;eeing they might &s;ee, and not perceive.</HI> It is a Judgement to a people, to have teaching in &s;uch a manner as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 14 &amp; 15.</NOTE> darkens the truth, &s;o as <HI>they cannot under&s;tand.</HI> Now he <HI>explain|eth it to the Di&s;ciples,</HI> and &s;heweth them what is meant by the &s;e|veral <HI>&s;orts of ground which</HI> received the Seed, the &s;ame Seed; but none <HI>brought</HI> forth (except one) to perfection. Now (&s;ay his <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 19. &amp;c.</NOTE> Di&s;ciples) &s;peake&s;t <HI>thou plainly, and &s;peake&s;t no Parables?</HI> &s;o (&s;aith he) I <HI>have &s;poken to you in Parables,</HI> or Proverbs, but now I <HI>will &s;hew</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 16. 25.</NOTE> <HI>you plainly of the father.</HI></P>
<P>Now this <HI>being delivered</HI> to his Di&s;ciples <HI>privately,</HI> (as you have it, <HI>Chap.</HI> 24. for they came privately to him to ask <HI>him the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 24. 3.</NOTE> <HI>&s;ign of his coming, and when the de&s;truction of</HI> Jeru&s;alem <HI>&s;hould be,</HI> which he had immediately before prophecyed of:) he <HI>continueth</HI> his &s;peech to them throughout that Chapter, and continueth it in this, thererefore he &s;peaks &s;omewhat more plainly, and clearly, not only <HI>laying down the propo&s;ition,</HI> but the <HI>reddition.</HI> He not not only <HI>&s;peaks of the ten Virgins,</HI> but tells them, what it is that is compared to them, even the Kingdom of Heaven.</P>
<P><HI>It is a field more large then ordinary,</HI> and therefore <HI>that we lo&s;e not our affections</HI> in it, and be not out of breath before we get over it, I &s;hall endeavour to &s;peak with more <HI>brevity,</HI> to the things therein couched, which are doctrinal and practical; though me thinks the great variety that is in it, &s;hould <HI>prevent a nau&s;cat|ing of it.</HI></P>
<P><HI>For the cohaerence of the</HI> words, you &s;ee they are a <HI>continnation of
<PB N="3" REF="67">
our Saviours</HI> Sermon to his Di&s;ciples occa&s;ioned by their reque&s;t, that he would tell them, when tho&s;e <HI>things &s;hould be, Jeru&s;alem</HI> &s;hould be &s;o ruined, as not <HI>a &s;tone &s;hould be left upon a &s;tone; and what &s;hould be the &s;ign of his comming,</HI> and of <HI>the end of the world!</HI> Haply they might think they would not be much &s;epa|rated in time, and thererore they wra<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t them up in one que&s;tion, to our Saviour. He an&s;wers them in this <HI>Chapter,</HI> &s;omewhat to the one, <HI>and &s;omewhat to the other,</HI> I cannot <HI>&s;tand at large</HI> upon this, I &s;hould detain you too long from the Text. But he tels them <HI>whatever &s;ign were given them, yet the day and hour of his coming, no man did know.</HI> And therefore <HI>it lay upon them to watch,</HI> le&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 24. 37.</NOTE> it &s;hould find him in a <HI>&s;ecure condition,</HI> as in the <HI>daies of</HI> Noah, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And therefore exhorts them <HI>all to watch.</HI> We know <HI>not</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 42, 43.</NOTE> <HI>when the thief will come,</HI> be ready for him alwaies, watch, for he will come in an hour, ye think not. And then &s;heweth them <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 44.</NOTE> the happy e&s;tate, <HI>of a &s;ervant, a faithful and wi&s;e &s;ervant,</HI> whom his <HI>Ma&s;ter hath &s;et as a</HI> Ruler <HI>over his hou&s;hold,</HI> to give them <HI>meat in due &s;ea&s;on.</HI> Which &s;eemeth &s;pecially to concern the con|dition of the Di&s;ciples <HI>which were to be &s;et over the hou&s;e of God,</HI> which is the Church of Chri&s;t, and to break the bread of life to his people, <HI>happy is that Servant,</HI> whom his ma&s;ter when he com|eth, <HI>&s;hall find &s;o doing,</HI> in the &s;implicity of his &s;oul. <HI>When my Sa|viour cometh,</HI> would ye have him find me idle (&s;aith <HI>Calvin) oportet epi&s;copum concionantem mori.</HI> Oh to be &s;pent for Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Ma&s;ter &s;pare thy &s;elf,</HI> was the <HI>envious mans coun&s;el,</HI> when he <HI>whi&s;pers that into Mini&s;ters ears,</HI> and can lull us a&s;leep with &s;uch a requiem: he knoweth what he hath to do, <HI>while they &s;lept he &s;owed tares.</HI> Surely <HI>brethren we have been very &s;leepy, el&s;e there</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 13. 25.</NOTE> <HI>would not have been &s;o many tares</HI> &s;own. And he &s;howeth <HI>them the &s;ad condition of them.</HI> if they pre&s;ume upon the delay of his <HI>coming,</HI> and eat and drink with the drunken, and <HI>beat their fellow &s;ervants,</HI> bite and devour one another. Ah <HI>dear friends,</HI> if Je&s;us <HI>Chri&s;t &s;hould now come,</HI> would he not find many of us thus doing? But now, as <HI>he had quickened them up to watch for his appearing,</HI> to be doing their work, &s;o now he <HI>inculcates</HI> the &s;ame not only <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 13.</NOTE> upon them, but upon all in the words of the Text, as <HI>appears (v. 13.) by the application of it,</HI> watch therefore <HI>for ye know not the day</HI> nor <HI>the hour</HI> wherein the <HI>&s;on of man cometh.</HI></P>
<P>For, <HI>the &s;cope of it</HI> which <HI>I think meet fir&s;t to</HI> hint to you, I
<PB N="4" REF="68">
conceive it to be this; To &s;tir up all that profe&s;s Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and that <HI>have their hope</HI> not in this world, but in the world to come; to look to <HI>their &s;tate and condition</HI> that they be &s;ure to be ready and prepared for him, that they make &s;ure of &s;uch a <HI>viaticum,</HI> as will carry them through <HI>life and death,</HI> and <HI>to per&s;evere,</HI> that they may be crowned, and when they <HI>have &s;uch a &s;tate,</HI> to <HI>continue watching</HI> and waiting for his appearing; but the main is per&s;eve|rance; that they be &s;ure to have &s;uch a work of grace wrought upon them, not to re&s;t without &s;uch (I &s;ay) as will hold, lea&s;t they fall &s;hort of the glory of God. This is the general &s;cope, which being under&s;tood, we mu&s;t know that <HI>every particular is not to be &s;queezed too &s;ore,</HI> lea&s;t it give blood in &s;tead of milk. And <HI>yet &s;ome interpretation of the main things</HI> we may <HI>with &s;obrietie</HI> (as the Lord &s;hall enable) expound. Our Saviour is <HI>a Pre&s;ident,</HI> ex|pounding the Parable <HI>of the &s;ower,</HI> &s;hewing us what is meant by <HI>the &s;eed</HI> falling by the high-way &s;ide; the &s;tony ground, the thorny, and the good ground. And &s;o in that of the tares, telling us; <HI>who is the &s;ower,</HI> and what is the &s;eed; the good &s;eed, and <HI>the Tares, and the Reapers,</HI> the <HI>Angels, the harve&s;t,</HI> the end of the world, <HI>and the field,</HI> &amp;c. And therefore by that little mea&s;ure we have received of the &s;ame &s;pirit, we may humbly adventure to &s;peak &s;omewhat to the main things in this <HI>parable.</HI></P>
<P>Herein <HI>is held forth to us</HI> the relation and <HI>mutual deportment</HI> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t to his Church, and his Church to him, both <HI>in this life</HI> which is the <HI>way,</HI> and at death and Judgement which is the end; and therefore that which <HI>concerneth</HI> him, and that which concern|eth the Church towards him; being even as the warp and wafe of the <HI>parable,</HI> we will con&s;ider them a little apart, and run each of them apart to their end, as far as the Lord enables us, and not confound the con&s;iderations of them.</P>
<P>Only <HI>before I proceed</HI> to that, we mu&s;t know, that the <HI>parable</HI> or <HI>&s;imilitude is taken from</HI> the manner of &s;olemnizing <HI>Nuptial</HI> rites, which it &s;eemeth by &s;ome very learned to have been thus carried on, that is to &s;ay, When two per&s;ons were e&s;pou&s;ed, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">de &s;ure each to other, and the time of the &s;olemnizing the marriage come, the <HI>man came to the hou&s;e</HI> of the Spou&s;es Parents <NOTE PLACE="marg">Plut. Problem.</NOTE> to take her; <HI>the time u&s;ually in the night, and aged men, and grave accompanied the man, and Matrons the woman,</HI> and with <HI>&s;olemni|ties of prayers,</HI> &amp;c. they did it wherein the Chri&s;tians are &s;aid to
<PB N="5" REF="68">
imitate <HI>the Jews,</HI> and if all things be <HI>&s;anctified by the word, and by</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 4. 5.</NOTE> <HI>prayer;</HI> me thinks that &s;hould be but an unholy marriage that <HI>is kept without them;</HI> that by the by. Now <HI>when he returned</HI> and <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>So</HI> Grotius.</NOTE> took the Bride with him, then it <HI>&s;hould &s;eem the younger men and Virgins</HI> did meet them in the <HI>night with Torches,</HI> among <HI>the Ro|mans</HI> and others; <HI>with Lamps among</HI> the Jews, who had not the u&s;e of &s;uch Candles or Torches. And <HI>there is &s;omewhat &s;eemeth</HI> to favour this of their meeting of him in his return, in that place of <HI>Luke, Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning,</HI> and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12. 25.</NOTE> ye your &s;elves <HI>like unto men that wait for their Lord when he will re|turn from the wedding;</HI> that when he comes and knocketh, <HI>they may open to him immediately;</HI> there is a Simile of men waiting at night with loins girded and lamps burning, that <HI>when their Lord cometh from</HI> the wedding, to return home, <HI>to bring his Bride</HI> with him, they may be ready to open when he knocks; a little difference there is from this here, The Syr. and the vulgar Lat. <HI>here do add the Spou&s;e, to the Bride-groom;</HI> that they met her as well as him, and &s;ome <HI>others have &s;o read it,</HI> and of great name al&s;o; and if &s;o, that would more make for this under&s;tanding of the manner of the marriages among tho&s;e people, whereto there is a re&s;pect in this Similitude. <HI>I will not &s;pend time about that,</HI> though others do conceive that otherwi&s;e, they <HI>went to meet the Bridegroom accom|panying the Bride,</HI> as <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 45. The <HI>Virgins her companions,</HI> &s;hall be <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 45. 14.</NOTE> <HI>brought to the King in raiment of needle-work;</HI> and &s;o they meet|ing him, brought him into the <HI>Bride-Chamber,</HI> and <HI>young men I find</HI> (not old in Scripture) to have been companions of the Bride-groom; as in <HI>Samp&s;on his wedding,</HI> they <HI>brought him thirty young</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 14. 11.</NOTE> <HI>men</HI> to be his companions; <HI>the&s;e were children of the Bride-Cham|ber,</HI> which <HI>rejoyced with the Bridegroom;</HI> however it was, they <HI>met him it &s;eemeth in the night,</HI> and with Lamps, to light them&s;elves <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 19. 15.</NOTE> and others, and this is the ground of the Simile, <HI>the prota&s;is.</HI> Now the Kingdom of Heaven is compared to this.</P>
<P>But that <HI>I may the more methodically</HI> open it, (leaving <HI>the Ap|plication</HI> of it to be taken in, in the u&s;es of &s;ome of the Doctrines, from the words) I <HI>will begin with that</HI> which is &s;poken of Chri&s;t him&s;elf: And then that which is &s;poken of the Church, and as briefly as I can, paraphra&s;e it as I go, that I may reach &s;ome point to be handled at this time.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, the <HI>Bridegroom Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> is &s;et forth by that rela|tion <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 2.</NOTE>
<PB N="6" REF="69">
of <HI>one ready to con&s;ummate</HI> the marriage, with &s;uch as he hath <HI>e&s;pou&s;ed, he is the Bridegroom.</HI> T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e <HI>Lord Je&s;us</HI> (brethren) <HI>by the Go&s;pel</HI> goeth a wooing to all the world without any re&s;pect of per|&s;ons, be we high or low, rich or poor, more or le&s;s &s;inful, leprous, poor, defiled, naked, indebted, impri&s;oned, loath&s;om, na&s;ty, never &s;o; his ambition is to win our hearts, to gain our con&s;ent, to e&s;pou&s;e us to him&s;elf: Well, <HI>when he hath done this,</HI> and hath <HI>ob|tained,</HI> then he cometh to make up the marriage.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Concerning him, it is &s;aid that he tarried;</HI> came not &s;o &s;oon happily as ordinary. <HI>It is likely that their</HI> marriages were before midnight, u&s;ually the beginning of the night; and to that, there may be a re&s;pect in this expre&s;&s;ion, he <HI>&s;tayed &s;omewhat longer,</HI> for it is &s;aid, <HI>the cry was at midnight, v.</HI> 6. So the <HI>Lord Je&s;us may</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 6.</NOTE> <HI>&s;tay &s;omewhat longer</HI> haply <HI>then is expected.</HI> It is &s;aid by them in the <HI>Revelations,</HI> the &s;ouls <HI>under the Altar cry out, how long Lord, holy and true.</HI> It may <HI>be the expectations of &s;ome</HI> of the Saints are for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 6. 10.</NOTE> his appearing &s;ooner to take them to him&s;elf, they have a de&s;ire to be <HI>di&s;&s;olved and to be with him,</HI> and to them it is a <HI>tarrying</HI> long. And to <HI>&s;inners it is a tarrying,</HI> they think Je&s;us Chri&s;t lingers his <HI>hour of a Judgement,</HI> and a re&s;urrection, but the&s;e are things <HI>afar</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> <HI>off.</HI> And therefore they affected not them much, except a man could <HI>preach, as if Chri&s;t</HI> in <HI>flaming fire</HI> to render vengeance, were at their backs, <HI>it affecteth them not</HI> at all: All <HI>things continue with you &s;inners</HI> as they were, and where is the <HI>promi&s;e of his coming?</HI> A <HI>promi&s;e to the people</HI> of God, a <HI>threatning to &s;inners</HI> and hypocrites <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. 17.</NOTE> it is, as <HI>Janus</HI> is &s;aid to have two faces, and as that in <HI>Gen.</HI> 3. the <HI>&s;eed of the woman</HI> &s;hall break <HI>the Serpents head,</HI> a promi&s;e and a threatning both in one. Now &s;inners they are bold, <HI>to eat</HI> and drink with the drunken, <HI>until he</HI> come and &s;weep the &s;econd world away with fire, as the fir&s;t was drowned with water; this is the &s;econd.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>the cry that goeth before his coming,</HI> which <HI>Calv.</HI> &s;aith <HI>is metaphorically</HI> put for the &s;uddenne&s;s and unexpectedne&s;s of his coming, becau&s;e when any great thing cometh upon a people <HI>at unawares,</HI> they u&s;e to make <HI>a cry for tumult,</HI> and it may be &s;o hap|ly that then being <HI>unready they cry out,</HI> as when people <HI>are &s;ur|prized</HI> by an enemy, they cry out, <HI>O arm; arm, make ready,</HI> pre|pare to meet them; <HI>but thinks</HI> it rather is a <HI>Voice that goeth</HI> before the Bridegroom, which <HI>indeed is a quickning</HI> to them that are his
<PB N="7" REF="69">
indeed, that were not ready altogether, and it cryeth, make ready, prepare, for he is coming; and <HI>this may be interpreted divers waies.</HI> Whether there <HI>were any &s;uch thing</HI> in the rites of their marriages, I know not, but for that it is not much material; the compari&s;on holds in the main.</P>
<P>(Fir&s;t) Then <HI>there is a cry by the Me&s;&s;engers</HI> of Chri&s;t: <HI>they cry, prepare the way of the Lord;</HI> prepare your hearts to <HI>meet the Lord.</HI> We are exhorted, commanded <HI>to cry, and cry aloud,</HI> that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 3. I&s;a. 58. 1.</NOTE> we <HI>may awaken &s;inners,</HI> for that is the ca&s;e here, as afterward you will find. Cry with <HI>a Stentors</HI> voice, <HI>ut Stentora vincas,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Trap</HI> upon it. Alas all will not rai&s;e lazy &s;inners, we <HI>may cry our hearts out, but who believeth our report?</HI> we tell you, <HI>the Judge &s;tands at the door, Chri&s;t is at hand,</HI> it is not long before you mu&s;t appear before him, and if you be not ready, you are like to be &s;hut out; you believe it not.</P>
<P>(Secondly) A Cry of <HI>Affliction,</HI> e&s;pecially that vi&s;itation which is the fore-runner or <HI>harbinger</HI> of death: that cry from the <HI>Rod hath a voice,</HI> and that voice <HI>is Gods voice, he &s;peaks in it,</HI> and it is <HI>not an ordinary voice, but a crying voice;</HI> the word, <HI>it whi&s;pers,</HI> the loud <HI>crying of the word, is but a whispering,</HI> in compari&s;on <HI>of the voice of God in</HI> the Rod: it cryeth, hear the Rod and who hath <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mica. 6. 9.</NOTE> appointed it: Mind it, <HI>if a Judgement be upon a City,</HI> (is there any evil in a City, and he hath not wrought it?) it cryeth to the whole City louder then <HI>Jonah</HI> did, repent, repent, for you may peri&s;h and come to the tribunal within le&s;s then 40. daies, or hours: <HI>So every di&s;ea&s;e</HI> in a family cryeth to the family, cryeth to the per&s;on, prepare, make ready, that we need not &s;uch a me&s;&s;age as the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> brought to <HI>Hezek. the voice of God</HI> in the Rod cryeth, <HI>prepare, make ready,</HI> for he is com|ing; here is a blow that the Tabernacle of Clay is ready to tumble, and <HI>then &s;oul,</HI> where wilt thou appear, if thou be not ready? Or el&s;e,</P>
<P>(Thirdly,) <HI>by cry, it may be meant,</HI> as <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. Theophyl. Jer. Hilary, Aret.</HI> and others under&s;tand it, <HI>of the la&s;t trump of the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 4. 16.</NOTE> <HI>arch-Angel,</HI> Ari&s;e ye dead, and come to Judgement: this will be &s;uch a cry Brethren, as will make all the world ring of it indeed; that will pierce to <HI>the bottom of the deep,</HI> to make it give up its dead, <HI>to the bowels of the earth,</HI> to make it give up its dead. Then <HI>&s;hall all ari&s;e,</HI> the <HI>dead in Chri&s;t &s;hall ri&s;e fir&s;t.</HI> Well this cry go|eth
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before, or accompanyeth this coming of the Bride-groom.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>Then he cometh.</HI> For the heavens now mu&s;t contain him <HI>until the Con&s;ummation of all things, and then he will come to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Acts</HI> 3. 21. &V;ntil the time of the re&s;titu|tion of all things.</NOTE> <HI>judge quick and dead;</HI> he that &s;hall come, <HI>will come; though</HI> he &s;eem long to the people of God, he that &s;hall come will come: then mockers &s;hall know where the promi&s;e of his coming is, <HI>they &s;hall know</HI> their Judgement lingers not, nor damnation &s;lumbereth not. <HI>He will come</HI> &s;oon enough for all, too &s;oon for many poor crea|tures: the Lord grant none of us be found in our &s;inful condi|tion.</P>
<P>Fifthly, <HI>The time is at midnight:</HI> The <HI>Jews</HI> have <HI>a tradition,</HI> that the coming of <HI>Chri&s;t to Judgement will be at midnight;</HI> and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 6.</NOTE> hereupon the Primitive Chri&s;tians, it &s;hould &s;eem, did u&s;e to watch all night the <HI>Eve of the Pa&s;&s;-over,</HI> expecting his coming, as <HI>Jerom</HI> reports, &s;aith <HI>Beza,</HI> but to be wi&s;e above what is rea&s;on, you &s;ee whether it leads men in the dark, for what is more directly again&s;t our <HI>Saviour his own</HI> words; Of <HI>that day and hour know|eth</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 24. v. 36.</NOTE> <HI>no man; no not the Angels</HI> in heaven, but my father only. At midnight, with re&s;pect to the &s;olemnity of the marriage, that is to &s;ay, <HI>later</HI> then u&s;ually, and therefore unexpected, when all was &s;i|lent, <HI>nocte intempe&s;t&acirc;;</HI> when deep &s;leep u&s;eth to &s;eize upon men. <HI>The man of the hou&s;e, at midnight his eyes are &s;ealed</HI> up with &s;leep, and <HI>when he lea&s;t dreameth of the thief,</HI> then he cometh, and &s;ur|prizeth him. <HI>So the Lord Je&s;us,</HI> like a thief in the night, when <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 24. v. 4<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> men u&s;ually are lea&s;t aware, mo&s;t uncompo&s;ed, and unfit for his coming for the mo&s;t part.</P>
<P>The re&s;t of his actions in this Parable, will come in under the other part, which is the Church, for you have in the gene|ral;</P>
<P>(Fir&s;t) the <HI>&s;ubject</HI> of this compari&s;on, the <HI>Kingdom of heaven,</HI> and what that is I &s;hall not need here to &s;peak much of, it hath various expre&s;&s;ions in Scripture; It is not I conceive here taken <HI>for the Kingdom of glory,</HI> for there are no fooli&s;h Virgins mem|bers of that Kingdom: No, <HI>nor the Kingdom of grace which is within the Saints,</HI> for the &s;ame rea&s;on. Nor yet for the <HI>Admini&s;tra|tions of the Kingdom,</HI> as &s;ometimes it is taken; But it is taken here, <HI>for the vi&s;ible Church</HI> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, wherein &s;ome are wi&s;e, &s;ome are fooli&s;h. Some hold out, &s;ome fall <HI>&s;hort of heaven,</HI> and the glory
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of God, and &s;ome are crowned, enduring to the end; and thus much for the opening of that expre&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>(Second) <HI>thing in general</HI> to be noted, is, <HI>the time:</HI> Then &s;hall the Kingdom of heaven be likened, compared or &s;hall be like; then, when? even <HI>when the Son of man</HI> &s;hall come, Brethren, to <HI>&s;olemnize the marriage</HI> with &s;uch as he hath here e&s;pou&s;ed to him&s;elf; then, when <HI>we come to appear</HI> before him all together, it &s;hall mo&s;t evi|dently appear to be &s;o. But in a &s;ort, it is &s;o in every mans parti|cular Judgement <HI>at his death, or di&s;&s;olution,</HI> there is a <HI>Specimen</HI> given to the <HI>truth of this parable;</HI> and this appears from the <HI>con|nexion</HI> of this Chapter with the former; the la&s;t ver. of the former Chapter he <HI>&s;peaks of cutting in &s;under</HI> that <HI>evil &s;ervant,</HI> that pre|&s;uming upon <HI>the Ma&s;ters delay,</HI> &s;hould beat his fellow-&s;ervants, and eat and drink with the drunken; he &s;hall cut him in &s;under, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 24. ver. 51.</NOTE> and give <HI>him his portion with hypocrites;</HI> where is <HI>weeping and gna&s;hing of teeth for ever: Then &s;hall the Kingdom of heaven be likened to ten Virgins.</HI> And though then the &s;pirits of many <HI>ju&s;t men be already made perfect, and many hypocrites already in the ever|la&s;ting chains of darkne&s;s;</HI> yet becau&s;e they have been <HI>members of the vi&s;ible Church</HI> in a &s;ort, all &s;uch may come under &s;uch a con&s;i|deration, at the great and terrible day <HI>of his appearing,</HI> when the <HI>&s;heep &s;hall be &s;et upon his right hand, and the goates on his left hand,</HI> as you have it in the latter end of this 25. Chapter.</P>
<P>Now for <HI>the Church vi&s;ible,</HI> compared to ten Virgins: There are two &s;orts brethren in a vi&s;ible Church, &s;uch as are Saints indeed, and do <HI>enjoy the Lord Je&s;us,</HI> and have that Kingdom of God, even righteou&s;ne&s;s, peace and joy in the Holy-Gho&s;t within them; and &s;uch as are only &s;o, <HI>nomine tenus,</HI> they go for &s;uch with men, who cannot &s;earch the heart, ought not to judge the heart immediate|ly, but <HI>tenderly,</HI> and alway with the greate&s;t favour, to judge of men: Now <HI>&s;uch is this Kingdom</HI> of heaven here mentioned: And therefore we will con&s;ider what is &s;aid of them two waies; ca&s;t it two waies, haply <HI>it may appear the more</HI> clearly and di&s;tinctly to our under&s;tanding.</P>
<P>(Fir&s;t,) <HI>We will con&s;ider</HI> what in the parable is <HI>common to them both,</HI> to Hypocrites, and Formal Profe&s;&s;ors, with real Saints, who po&s;&s;e&s;s and enjoy Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>(Secondly) We will con&s;ider <HI>what is peculiar to either</HI> of them, and &s;et <HI>contraria juxta &s;e,</HI> they wil give light each to other, and this briefly.</P>
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<HI>Fir&s;t then for the things wherein they agree,</HI> or which are com|mon to Saints indeed, with Saints in appearance only, or &s;eeming and real Saints. They are <HI>all of them called Virgins,</HI> not in com|mendation of virginity, as <HI>Jerom</HI> did childi&s;hly conceive, as <HI>Calvin</HI> noteth. <HI>But to Virgins</HI> they are compared, either only becau&s;e in the <HI>marriage &s;olemnity</HI> the Virgins u&s;ed to go forth to meet the Bridegroom, and bring him to his Chamber; So here they mu&s;t go forth to meet the Lord Je&s;us. <HI>Or el&s;e there is more in it,</HI> and I know not but we may con&s;ider Virgins according to their &s;tate and condition here. Now the Church is &s;o called, or compared to Virgins, not in re&s;pect of their glorious <HI>unconquered outward</HI> con|dition, as <HI>&s;ometimes in Scripture,</HI> even &s;trange Nations, yea Idola|ters are called Virgins, as <HI>Zidon,</HI> thou <HI>&s;halt no more rejoyce</HI> O thou <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 23. 12.</NOTE> oppre&s;&s;ed Virgin daughter of <HI>Zidon,</HI> ari&s;e pa&s;s over to <HI>Chittim,</HI> there al&s;o &s;halt thou have no re&s;t. So <HI>Babel, Come down and &s;it in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 47. 1.</NOTE> <HI>the du&s;t</HI> O Virgin daughter of <HI>Babylon;</HI> thou that as a Virgin ha&s;t hitherto abode in thy fathers hou&s;e in a glorious beautiful conditi|on, thy pomp and glory now come down. And &s;o <HI>Egypt,</HI> go up to <HI>Gilead</HI> and <HI>take balm</HI> O Virgin daughter of <HI>Egypt,</HI> in vain &s;halt <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 46. 11.</NOTE> thou u&s;e many medicines, <HI>thou &s;halt not be healed;</HI> (though the Papi&s;ts make this a note of the Church, the glory and outward <HI>&s;plendor</HI> of it; that is quite cro&s;s to that of our Saviour, in the world ye &s;hall have tribulation, and how often have they been &s;catterd by Per&s;ecution.)</P>
<P>Nor <HI>yet are they called Virgins</HI> becau&s;e of <HI>their priding them|&s;elves, and &s;etting</HI> forth them&s;elves, as Virgins <HI>with their Orna|ments.</HI></P>
<P>Nor <HI>yet in re&s;pect of the fir&s;t Con&s;titution</HI> of the Church of Chri&s;t, when they were all, <HI>or mo&s;t of them Virgins.</HI> There were 12. and but one of them a Devil: But I conceive, <HI>It re&s;pects the condition</HI> of the vi&s;ible Church, as then it &s;hall be <HI>&s;pecially.</HI> And what is that? how are they compared to Virgins? <HI>Specially in the&s;e two things.</HI></P>
<P>(Fir&s;t) Becau&s;e all <HI>that profe&s;s the Lord Je&s;us</HI> and become vi|&s;ible S^t^s, they profe&s;s <HI>to renounce their Idols;</HI> the <HI>Apo&s;tle &s;aith, that he turned them from Idols to the living God.</HI> Now Idolatry in Scri|pture <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 1. 9.</NOTE> is counted you <HI>know, whoredom,</HI> if they have <HI>been married to</HI> the Lord, owning his Covenant; or el&s;e fornication, nothing more ordinary; it is enough to hint it to you, and therefore when there
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is a renouncing of <HI>Idolatry,</HI> there the Scripture looks upon them as Virgins; So when <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>I&s;rael</HI> had played the <HI>Har|lot,</HI> that is to &s;ay, had wor&s;hipped and &s;erved Idols, God chargeth their &s;piritual whoredom upon them. But when they <HI>reformed, as Judah did;</HI> you know in many Kings daies <HI>Jeho&s;haphat, Hezekiah,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 19. 21.</NOTE> &amp;c. And <HI>in the daies when Sennacher.</HI> came up again&s;t them and bla&s;phemed them; the <HI>an&s;wer the Lord gave to Hezek.</HI> by the Pro|phet was this, the <HI>Virgin daughter of Zion hath de&s;pi&s;ed thee;</HI> now having renounced her Idols, he &s;o <HI>calls her,</HI> and having betaken her &s;elf to the <HI>&s;haddow</HI> of his wings alone, from thence, from the hole in the rock, <HI>&s;he de&s;pi&s;ed the A&s;&s;yr.</HI></P>
<P>And (&s;econdly) <HI>Becau&s;e al&s;o, now taking upon them</HI> the profe&s;|&s;ion <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2. 20.</NOTE> of Chri&s;t, they e&s;cape <HI>and forego the pollutions of</HI> the world, then gro&s;s &s;candalous &s;ins <HI>they for&s;ake, even Hypocrites</HI> as well as others, in which re&s;pects they may be called Virgins, though their hearts be not right with God.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>they had all of them Lamps;</HI> they took their <HI>Lamps,</HI> &s;aith the text; they have all of them a Profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t, they make a &s;hew before men. The <HI>Lamps</HI> I cannot take for any thing inward, but <HI>meerly</HI> &s;omewhat <HI>outward,</HI> appearing unto men, they <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10. 10. Mat. 5. 16.</NOTE> are Chri&s;tians <HI>outwardly</HI> all of them: Even tho&s;e really, believers with the heart they do <HI>confe&s;s Chri&s;t</HI> with the mouth to &s;alvati|on, they are not a&s;hamed to own him before men, and <HI>their light</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim 3. 5.</NOTE> <HI>of good works and knowledge &s;hines before men,</HI> that <HI>the world may &s;ee it,</HI> there is the light of the <HI>Lamp.</HI> And truly herein hypocrites may go far; they have <HI>a form of godline&s;s,</HI> and as glorious a form as any others, and they do as <HI>many good works,</HI> materially good <HI>as others</HI> do; and &s;o they have <HI>a light &s;hining before men</HI> as well as others. So the <HI>Phari&s;ees,</HI> you know they made as many prayers, did as much <HI>Alms, fa&s;ted as often as others,</HI> made a glorious &s;hew, here are Lamps.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>their lamps it &s;eemeth were burning</HI> all of them. Con|cerning the wi&s;e Virgins there need be no Que&s;tion of it. But for the fooli&s;h, I think it will be gathered from that where they com|plain, that their <HI>Lamps were gone out, extingui&s;hed;</HI> though it is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 8.</NOTE> true, they were not fed with <HI>a right principle,</HI> and therefore they went out, yet they did burn, they made a &s;hew of heat and light al&s;o before men, as <HI>Jehu</HI> you know did, he &s;eemeth to make a greater blaze in his zeal for God, then <HI>Elijah</HI> him&s;elf did; And
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&s;o for light al&s;o, knowledge <HI>aboundeth many times</HI> brethren in an hypocrites head, <HI>a clear head,</HI> and a muddie heart, <HI>a &s;ound head,</HI> as the notion, and a rotten heart may be together; well, this is the third, I ha&s;ten.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>They all took them and went forth to meet</HI> the Bride-groom; they all have <HI>their faces Zion-ward,</HI> heaven-ward, to meet Je&s;us Chri&s;t, only the hypocrites they have faces one way, and row another way, as the Mariners do; this I take to be their &s;eeming <HI>to make for heaven all of them,</HI> and the one to be as fair for it as the other, for they go as it were hand in hand to <HI>meet the Bridegroom,</HI> yea a hypocrite may go far indeed in <HI>externals,</HI> as far as a child of God, as afterward <HI>we &s;hall have occa&s;ion</HI> to &s;ay; you may have your faces <HI>Zion-wards,</HI> and &s;eem to go forth to meet the Lord Je&s;us, and yet mi&s;carry.</P>
<P>Fifthly, <HI>When he delayed his coming until midnight,</HI> they <HI>all</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 5.</NOTE> <HI>&s;lumbered and &s;lept.</HI></P>
<P>We mu&s;t not under&s;tand this of giving up them&s;elves to &s;ecuri|ty, and the <HI>wallowing in the &s;inful plea&s;ures of the world,</HI> the plea|&s;ures of &s;in for a &s;ea&s;on. For this cannot &s;ute with the truth of grace, and therefore <HI>cannot agree to the wi&s;e Virgins, he that is born</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Ioh. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. 9.</NOTE> <HI>of God &s;inneth not,</HI> cannot <GAP DESC="foreign">, not work &s;in, <HI>but his work is righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> though he may have many by-blows in his work, many <HI>mi&s;-carriages, yet his work</HI> is righteou&s;|ne&s;s.</P>
<P>Nor can it for a great part &s;tand with the very <HI>profe&s;&s;ion of a hypocrite,</HI> to <HI>return again to the pollutions</HI> of the world, which <HI>once he had e&s;caped,</HI> &s;ecretly; haply he may rowl a <HI>&s;weet mor&s;el</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2. 22.</NOTE> under his tongue, and be loth to part with it, but the <HI>pollutions of the world,</HI> which are open, like wallowing in the myre, will not &s;tand with their profe&s;&s;ion, therefore this is not meant by &s;lumbering and &s;leeping, but either,</P>
<P>(Secondly) Is meant by it <HI>the &s;leep of death</HI> in part, for death is no <HI>more to the Saints, though it be a &s;leep, and a killing &s;leep to hypo|crites:</HI> our friend <HI>Lazarus</HI> &s;leepeth; or el&s;e,</P>
<P>(Thirdly,) <HI>Al&s;o partly</HI> a &s;ecurity and heavine&s;s which groweth upon the Saints, on this &s;ide death, and me thinks the words &s;eem to carry much for this, there are two words, they &s;lumbered, <GAP DESC="foreign">, and they &s;lept <GAP DESC="foreign">, and the <HI>latter</HI> &s;eemeth to be more then meerly <HI>Expo&s;itory</HI> of the former. The <HI>former &s;ignifieth</HI>
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only a little drow&s;ine&s;s when a man doth nap or nod a little, as a man &s;it<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing, or &s;tanding may &s;ometimes, but pre&s;ently awake, <HI>aliquando bonus dormitat Homerus. But then</HI> the &s;leep is a deeper &s;ecurity, when the eyes are altogether clo&s;ed, and a man is fa&s;t, though &s;ome &s;leep fa&s;ter then others do; &s;ome <HI>&s;et them&s;elves to &s;leep,</HI> they give them&s;elves to it, others are overtaken with it, <HI>it &s;eizeth</HI> upon them like an armed man &s;ometimes, <HI>and herein they agree,</HI> the Saints and hypocrites, formal and powerful profe&s;&s;ors of Chri&s;t, they all &s;lumbered and &s;lept, they <HI>were all it &s;eemeth overcharged with the cares of this world,</HI> or &s;omewhat or other, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 21. 34.</NOTE> that their watch was down, and they were &s;urprized And <HI>alas Brethren,</HI> if the day of the Lord Je&s;us &s;hould come upon us al|mo&s;t any day, would it not <HI>find us &s;leeping,</HI> or <HI>if not &s;leeping, yet &s;lumbering</HI> at lea&s;t; but of this more afterwards.</P>
<P>Sixthly, <HI>They all aro&s;e &s;aith the text when the cry came</HI> at mid|night. It was high <HI>time then to awake,</HI> as &s;ouldiers that watch for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 6.</NOTE> an enemy; they fall a&s;leep, &s;et &s;ome to watch, &s;uddenly there is an out-cry, <HI>an alarum,</HI> O how quickly are they rai&s;ed! If the la&s;t <HI>trumpet be the cry,</HI> it &s;hall rai&s;e all <HI>both hypocrites</HI> as <HI>well as Saints,</HI> only the dead in Chri&s;t &s;hall ri&s;e fir&s;t, be awakened out of the &s;leep of death. <HI>If the cry</HI> be the Mini&s;try of the word by &s;ome &s;mart vi&s;itation, it will <HI>rouze them all,</HI> let hypocrites be as &s;ecure of their condition as they will, they &s;hall have a <HI>time of awaken|ing,</HI></P>
<P>Seventhly and la&s;tly, <HI>They trimmed their Lamps.</HI> Some &s;ay only the wi&s;e Virgins trimmed their <HI>Lamps,</HI> for the fooli&s;h had only dead <HI>Lamps, &s;uch as gave no light,</HI> &s;hining before men, but why then <HI>are they &s;aid to be extingui&s;hed</HI> or to be gone out? Beloved, the words of the Text carry it for all, they all aro&s;e and trimmed their Lamps, the copulative joines both &s;entences together, and therefore the univer&s;al reacheth the latter part as well as the for|mer, except there were &s;ome limitation. It &s;hould &s;eem, Brethren, that <HI>hypocrites may make as fair a &s;hew</HI> and deceive them&s;elves, or being <HI>deceived by their own hearts,</HI> even very long, <HI>to the very la&s;t,</HI> they <HI>thought now to ari&s;e with Samp&s;on,</HI> and &s;hake them&s;elves, when they have been &s;leeping upon the lap of their <HI>Dalilah,</HI> but alas their <HI>Lamps were out,</HI> they trimmed them, and &s;tirr'd them up to &s;ee if <HI>they would burn any longer,</HI> but <HI>they were gone out,</HI> or go|ing out as &s;ome render it. <HI>A &s;ad thing, Brethren,</HI> for us to <HI>deceive
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your &s;elves</HI> even to the very la&s;t ca&s;t until there be no remedy. O what treacherous hearts have we!</P>
<P>Eighthly, <HI>They agree al&s;o in the number,</HI> here in <HI>the Parable,</HI> five were wi&s;e, and five were fooli&s;h, for this we mu&s;t remember what was <HI>premi&s;ed,</HI> that every particular is not to be <HI>&s;queezed</HI> and pre&s;t too &s;ore; nor can we conclude from hence an equal number <HI>of re|al Saints,</HI> or painted hypocrites in the Church, no more then where there are <HI>Chap.</HI> 13. three <HI>evil &s;orts of ground,</HI> and but one <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13.</NOTE> good; we can c&ograve;nclude <HI>that there are three to one</HI> un&s;ound pro|fe&s;&s;ors <HI>who receive the word,</HI> to one hone&s;t <HI>and good heart,</HI> which bringeth forth fruit to perfection, there may be more, there may be le&s;s, our Saviour <HI>in the general tells us,</HI> many are called, but <HI>few</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 20. 26.</NOTE> <HI>are cho&s;en;</HI> he might therefore here haply have &s;ome re&s;pect to the number of Virgins which <HI>might accompany the Bride; which &s;ome &s;ay were five,</HI> becau&s;e the number con&s;i&s;ts of the fir&s;t equal, and the <HI>fir&s;t unequal number,</HI> even two and three, becau&s;e in a marriage, a <HI>&s;uperiour and inferiour,</HI> male and female are joyned together, but that is a nicity; <HI>however this we may</HI> take up from it <HI>in the general,</HI> that there are &s;ome <HI>which are not what they</HI> pro|fe&s;s, &s;ome are fooli&s;h, and &s;ome are wi&s;e in the Church.</P>
<P>Now <HI>I come to &s;peak &s;omewhat</HI> to that which is di&s;tingui&s;hing in the Parable, between formal and real profe&s;&s;ors of Je&s;us Chri&s;t in this Kingdom.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t <HI>then in the general, the one are fooli&s;h, and the other are wi&s;e;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 2.</NOTE> all are not wi&s;e that are within the Church, there are &s;ome fools. Why, but is it folly then for any man <HI>to pro&s;e&s;s Chri&s;t?</HI> No, it is <HI>not folly &s;imply</HI> con&s;idered in it &s;elf, <HI>but a duty</HI> to confe&s;s him, and hold him out before men; but to <HI>&s;tick here is folly,</HI> as we &s;hall &s;ee <HI>more hereafter,</HI> ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord that there are &s;ome wi&s;e, though there be many fooli&s;h, &s;ome that will not <HI>be put off with forms</HI> nor &s;hadows, but mu&s;t have the <HI>&s;ub&s;tance, the bread of life;</HI> and not husks, they will not &s;atisfie them. O that we were every one of us &s;uch, Brethren.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>The fooli&s;h, they took no oyl in their ve&s;&s;els,</HI> though their Lamps burned, &amp; afterward were <HI>extingui&s;hed,</HI> when they &s;hould <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 3 and 4.</NOTE> &s;tand them in &s;tead to enter with the Bridegroom, they had no oyl: <HI>What is meant here by oyl,</HI> and what by <HI>ve&s;&s;els?</HI> for the fir&s;t &s;ome &s;ay one thing, &s;ome another, &s;ome as the Papi&s;ts, &s;ay good works is the oyl which is <HI>the life of faith,</HI> without which it is
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dead, which is as if a man &s;hould call the flame of a Lamp, the oyl that <HI>feeds</HI> it; therefore, Brethren, according to the Scripture expre&s;&s;ion, el&s;ewhere, by oyl <HI>I under&s;tand the &s;aving grace of the &s;pirit of Je&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI> true ju&s;tifying faith, repentance, <HI>never to be repented of, and love out of a pure heart;</HI> unfeigned faith, un|feigned <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Iohn 2. 20. And many other places.</NOTE> repentance, unfeigned love, and indeed all the graces of the &s;pirit. The&s;e are they that <HI>feed the flame</HI> in the <HI>Lamps</HI> of the Saints; whatever <HI>hypocrites have</HI> which maketh a <HI>flame,</HI> and their <HI>Lamps</HI> do burn by it, of which more afterward, becau&s;e I would not &s;tay you too long in the opening of it, this they wanted, they cared not to make &s;ure of this, to have this true &s;aving grace; &s;o they <HI>had but as much as</HI> would make a blaze among men, that they might be &s;een to have <HI>Lamps</HI> burning and &s;hining as well as others, the re&s;t they cared not for.</P>
<P>(Secondly,) <HI>For the ve&s;&s;els;</HI> &s;ome &s;ay the <HI>Lamps</HI> they had no oyl in them; but me thinks the Text <HI>di&s;tingui&s;heth between the Lamps</HI> and the ve&s;&s;els, they took no oyl with their <HI>Lamps,</HI> he doth not &s;ay in them, but with them; and the next ver&s;e, the wi&s;e took oyl in their ve&s;&s;els with their <HI>Lamps,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, it is of a large extent, but it &s;ignifieth, &s;omewhat believed, the Lamp: It is likely they had &s;ome ve&s;&s;els they carried about <HI>with them, full of oyl,</HI> that when the <HI>Lamp</HI> needed, they &s;upplyed it &s;till, el&s;e it would go out, &s;o here, the ve&s;&s;el may be <HI>meant the heart,</HI> brethren; a truly <HI>contrite heart, is the ve&s;&s;el</HI> into which the Lord <HI>pours the oyl</HI> of his grace and &s;pirit, and hence there is a con|tinual &s;upply, <HI>like the oyl</HI> in the Cru&s;e it fails not. <HI>Now this</HI> the fooli&s;h they cared not for, <HI>but they had &s;omewhat</HI> at pre&s;ent that would make their Lamps burn; for <HI>holding</HI> out, they foreca&s;t not for that, therefore provided no oyl in their ve&s;&s;els, no true &s;ound, &s;aving, durable grace, in their hearts; the Lord grant, Brethren, <HI>this be not the ca&s;e</HI> and condition, of many a glorious profe&s;&s;or among us, our age hath given, as <HI>large</HI> a te&s;timony to this truth, as ever time did.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>When the cry came, and they went</HI> to trim their Lamps all of them, <HI>the fooli&s;h Virgins Lamps were gone out, ver&s;e</HI> 8. The wi&s;e, their <HI>Lamps had need</HI> of triming, as the <HI>Lamps</HI> of the <HI>San|ctuary</HI> were to be trimed every day, <HI>every morning</HI> they gather &s;ome dro&s;s and filth which would dim the light, but now the <HI>others they were quite gone out,</HI> when they had mo&s;t need of them,
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they failed them: And indeed, <HI>&s;uch a thing is an empty profe&s;&s;ion,</HI> it will not carry a man through all conditions, as we &s;hall have oc|ca&s;ion to &s;peak afterward.</P>
<P>O how &s;ad a condition will every hypocrite be in, when he falls under &s;uch a di&s;appointment of his hope, then which to a rea&s;on|able creature, there cannot be a greater vexation, he thought he was as fair for heaven as another, and yet when all cometh to all, <HI>in the hour of need, the Lamps quite extingui&s;hed,</HI> put out in <HI>ob&s;cure</HI> darkne&s;s, the beginning <HI>of that utter</HI> darkne&s;s where their portion is like to be for ever.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>The fooli&s;h Virgins then are</HI> on the <HI>begging hand,</HI> and the wi&s;e on the <HI>denying hand,</HI> and they &s;end them to buy of them that &s;ell: Here I know not, that we are to pre&s;s every particular; as <HI>if the fooli&s;h</HI> were &s;o fooli&s;h as to beg grace of the wi&s;e, to have a part of others, <HI>except the Papi&s;ts,</HI> who will have no other Church of Chri&s;t but them&s;elves by no wi&s;e, and <HI>then that, to go to</HI> their <HI>Merit-mongers</HI> and <HI>Indulgencers,</HI> and the Church-trea&s;ure for righteou&s;ne&s;s, rather then to Je&s;us Chri&s;t. <HI>Nor is it any har&s;hne&s;s,</HI> if the Saints deny them, for alas brethren, it <HI>is not in them to</HI> give, le&s;t <HI>they have not enough</HI> for them&s;elves and them al&s;o; there is no <HI>&s;uper-erogating</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">. Some &s;ay, the &s;peech is defective, an <HI>ellip&s;is</HI> of the refu&s;al, and the rea&s;on <HI>only is here given;</HI> others read it thus, lea&s;t <HI>there be not enough for you and us,</HI> go to <HI>them that buy;</HI> and &s;o there is no &s;uch defect, the &s;en&s;e is the &s;ame, <HI>Who is it that &s;elleth but Je&s;us Chri&s;t indeed,</HI> and that <HI>without money and without</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. 55. 1.</NOTE> <HI>price,</HI> as you have it in that place of <HI>I&s;aiah?</HI> But we <HI>may look up|on this an&s;wer,</HI> not as <HI>a monition,</HI> or &s;erious advice what to do, but <HI>ataunt</HI> rather, a derifion of them, <HI>go to them that buy:</HI> and &s;o it &s;uites wonderful well with the <HI>Papi&s;ts: now go to your Merit-mongers</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> King. 8. 27.</NOTE> to buy. So <HI>Eliah, cry aloud he is a God,</HI> either in <HI>a jour|ney,</HI> &amp;c. So the Prophet to <HI>Babylon,</HI> threatning ruine upon her, thou art wearied in the multitude of thy coun&s;els, <HI>let now thy A&s;trologers, Star-gazers, monethly progno&s;ticators, &s;tand up</HI> and <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 47. 13.</NOTE> <HI>&s;ave thee</HI> from the&s;e <HI>things that &s;hall come upon thee.</HI> That which is plainly and undenyably <HI>held forth to us</HI> therein is, <HI>that the fooli&s;h</HI> Virgins are to &s;eek their grace, when they &s;hould u&s;e it; then they &s;ee <HI>they have none,</HI> whatever they deceived them&s;elves with before, <HI>the Lord grant this</HI> prove not our condition to any of us.</P>
<P>Fifthly, that <HI>while they are thus unready for the appearing of
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Chri&s;t,</HI> and go to buy, the re&s;t <HI>that had oyl,</HI> that are ready, enter into <HI>the joy of their Lord;</HI> when once the time cometh, there is no longer <HI>delay,</HI> but as many as are ready he takes in with him, and then <HI>the door</HI> is &s;hut; it is &s;hut again&s;t all tho&s;e, that are <HI>un|ready,</HI> have <HI>their work</HI> to do; when their time is gone, when they expect <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> glory, they want their grace, when they <HI>would have the Crown&punc;</HI> they <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> begin their race. Ah Brethren! if this prove the condition of our &s;elves, &s;ad will it be with us, that <HI>others &s;hall</HI> enter in, that we thought in no better a condition <HI>then our &s;elves,</HI> and our &s;elves &s;hut out becau&s;e we are not ready; he will not then <HI>&s;tay</HI> any longer, he hath waited upon us long enough.</P>
<P>Sixthly, <HI>Yet the fooli&s;h Virgins,</HI> though they have no oyl, and their <HI>Lamps be out,</HI> they <HI>come and they cry, Lord, Lord;</HI> they cry <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 11.</NOTE> with earne&s;tne&s;s to have <HI>the door opened.</HI> Ah Brethren! you that <HI>now content your &s;elves</HI> with a meer formality, and nothing will &s;tir you up <HI>to be zealous</HI> and to amend, then <HI>you will cry either at your death-bed,</HI> at that &s;ummons, or <HI>at the judgement, O Lord, Lord,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 22.</NOTE> <HI>open to us,</HI> the <HI>&s;trange pre&s;umption and confidence</HI> in poor &s;inners hearts, though they <HI>know they have no oyl,</HI> yet will expect to enter into heaven, though they know they have loytered and <HI>trifled away their time of</HI> getting grace, yet they <HI>would have admittance,</HI> they would <HI>have heaven in</HI> the end, though they care not for <HI>working out</HI> their &s;alvation with fear and trembling, they leave <HI>that to others</HI> to do, <HI>yet expect the &s;alvation</HI> in the end as well as they. And &s;ee how far hypocrites may go, they come to <HI>the very gate,</HI> and there they <HI>cry, Lord, Lord,</HI> open to us, but, all in vain.</P>
<P>Seventhly, <HI>The an&s;wer the Bridegroom giveth them: Verily, I &s;ay unto you, I know you not;</HI> there is need of an <HI>a&s;&s;everation</HI> to pre&s;s it upon them, their confidence was &s;o high that they <HI>&s;hould enter</HI> in with the Bridegroom: What? <HI>take all that pains to provide</HI> Lamps, to take them to <HI>go forth to meet him,</HI> to rai&s;e them&s;elves <HI>up to trim them, yea afterward, to go out to get oyl,</HI> and yet &s;hut one; this will hardly down with them? <HI>Verily,</HI> &s;aith our Saviour, <HI>what|ever you may pre&s;ume upon,</HI> and vainly hold up your hearts with, be a&s;&s;ured, I know you not. <HI>O this is a word will kill the &s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;t</HI> hearted &s;inner, when it <HI>cometh to the pitch!</HI> and the mo&s;t &s;wel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">g confident hypocrite <HI>in the world, it will make his heart &s;ink within
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him</HI> like a &s;tone; <HI>I know you not,</HI> and therefore there is no rea&s;on I &s;hould <HI>let you in, I never knew you; though they had neglected to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 23.</NOTE> <HI>acquaint them&s;elves inwardly</HI> with Chri&s;t, to <HI>procure his favour,</HI> for that is the knowledge; <HI>Words of under&s;tanding</HI> with the he|brews, are <HI>pregnant</HI> and carry, or are big with <HI>affection</HI> al&s;o <HI>I know you not,</HI> &s;o as <HI>to approve</HI> you: to favour you &s;o <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">y, as to admit you. Yea, <HI>I never thus knew you:</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>have I known,</HI> &s;aith the Pro|phet <NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos 3. 2.</NOTE> concerning <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> that is to &s;ay, &s;o known as acknowledge, owned, favoured. Now I &s;ay, <HI>the hypocrites will &s;crape acquain|tance with Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> O they are the people, and they have &s;erved him, <HI>and wor&s;hipped him, and kept Sabboths</HI> to him, and Preached <HI>in his name,</HI> and heard <HI>him preach,</HI> and now not know them! This <HI>how &s;trange</HI> will it prove to many a poor creature? <HI>A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">+ble&s;&s;ed &s;ouls that know the Lord Je&s;us, or rather are known of him!</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 2. 3.</NOTE> And &s;ad is the condition of &s;uch as &s;hall thus be <HI>&s;haken off by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and &s;haken into hell indeed.</HI></P>
<P>You <HI>have the Parable, though many more things</HI> might have been <HI>ob&s;erved to you,</HI> and by a curious eye, more di&s;tinctly to you. Yet <HI>pro modulo</HI> I have endeavoured to make it plain to you. And I hope &s;o plain, as that now every under&s;tanding is able to take up many <HI>Doctrinal Ob&s;ervations,</HI> from them <HI>thus explained.</HI> For <HI>the Ap|plication,</HI> or inference, from all, <HI>Watch therefore, for you know not.</HI> That we <HI>&s;hall make u&s;e of</HI> likely in &s;ome of the Applications, of &s;ome of the ob&s;ervations from the words.</P>
<P><HI>There is much variety in them,</HI> and I had hoped to have reach|ed one, <HI>at lea&s;t from</HI> the <HI>connexion</HI> of this parable, <HI>with that which goeth before,</HI> he <HI>inculcates</HI> the &s;ame thing upon them, by another parable, which he had taught them immediately before.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t Doctrine <HI>&s;hall be from the con&s;ideration of the words,</HI> with <HI>what went before;</HI> much of the former Chapter was &s;pent <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct. 1.</NOTE> before, in &s;tirring <HI>them up</HI> to watch for the appearing of Je&s;us Chri&s;t <HI>by a double Argument.</HI> Taken from the end of &s;uch as watch, <HI>the end of &s;uch men</HI> is ble&s;&s;edne&s;s and peace, ble&s;&s;ed is the man, whom the Lord &s;hall find &s;o doing. And the end of &s;uch as watch not, but pre&s;ume <HI>upon his delay,</HI> to give liberty, and the reins to their lu&s;ts, they that have time enough to repent, <HI>he will come in a day he thinketh not off,</HI> and will <HI>cut &s;uch a &s;ervant</HI> a&s;un|der. Beloved, the former <HI>Arguments,</HI> the uncertainty of his com|ing,
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<HI>&amp;c.</HI> one would have thought, now, here had <HI>been enough</HI> &s;aid upon this <HI>argument, for what</HI> could be <HI>more plainly</HI> &s;poken, and what more cuttingly, and pre&s;&s;ingly, then this? <HI>Are there any weightier Arguments,</HI> then lif and death: the be&s;t of lives, even <HI>a life of ble&s;&s;edne&s;s,</HI> and the wor&s;t of deaths, a <HI>portion with hypo|crites,</HI> who have the Free-hold, <HI>and &s;ink deepe&s;t</HI> into the lower|mo&s;t pit: and there is no que&s;tion, there was no affection want|ing in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, when he &s;pake to his Di&s;ciples, and <HI>therefore it may &s;eem</HI> con&s;iderable, and it is &s;o &s;urely; that &s;ometimes he is plea&s;ed to pro&s;ecute the &s;ame Argument again all along through this whole <HI>Parable,</HI> and the next is not much unlike it nei|ther.</P>
<P><HI>It is requi&s;ite</HI> to <HI>inculcate</HI> and beat upon hearers the &s;ame <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct. 2.</NOTE> truth, the &s;ame things again and again. Surely, if it had not been &s;o, the Lord Je&s;us would <HI>have &s;pared this pains,</HI> he did all things <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 37.</NOTE> well, and as he was no niggard, &s;o he was no <HI>prodigal</HI> of his pains; if he would not have the <HI>Fragments of the bread</HI> to be lo&s;t, he would never <HI>crumble</HI> away the bread of life in vain, to no pur|po&s;e; but that there was a <HI>nece&s;&s;ity</HI> for it, and <HI>&s;ure we may follow his example</HI> &s;afely herein, for there is nothing extraordinary in it, but rather a great conde&s;cention in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;tooping to the weakne&s;s, and <HI>nece&s;&s;ity</HI> of his hearers, his Di&s;ciples; <HI>he &s;pake as never man &s;pake,</HI> and therefore if it had been &s;ufficient at any <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 7. 46.</NOTE> time, or for any per&s;on to <HI>tye</HI> them&s;elves up to &s;uch a &s;trictne&s;s of &s;peaking, as never to repeat the &s;ame things again, &s;urely it had been &s;ufficient for him, who <HI>&s;pake as never man &s;pake, with that Authority, and Maje&s;tie, and commanding efficacy,</HI> many times; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 29.</NOTE> but yet you &s;ee he is plea&s;ed to go over and over, things again and again, and to <HI>inculcate, and beat things upon his Di&s;ciples.</HI> We <HI>need not go</HI> further then our Saviour his example for it, for as he &s;aid of <HI>Goliahs &s;word, there is none, to that.</HI> So there is no pattern to this of Chri&s;t, the great <HI>feeder of his people with knowledge and under&s;tanding,</HI> who &s;tands <HI>and feeds them,</HI> in the &s;trength of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mica. 5. 4. I&s;a. 40.</NOTE> Lord. And I doubt not, but many of you can make it out, from many other in&s;tances, in his example, how he did often <HI>beat the &s;ame things upon his Di&s;ciples; how often doth he pre&s;s upon them that of humility; Learn of me, I am meek and lowly? And except</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 11. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">9. 18. 3.</NOTE> <HI>you be converted and become as little children, ye cannot enter into the Kingdom, and &s;o in his wa&s;hing his Di&s;ciples feet. How much ado
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hath he with them,</HI> to beat upon them, that his Kingdom was not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 13. 10. 12. 14.</NOTE> of this world, but &s;piritual; they <HI>would be fitting &s;ome on his right hand, &s;ome on his left hand,</HI> and he told them often, his Kingdom was not of this world, that he <HI>came to &s;uffer, and not to raign among men,</HI> and &s;o how often doth he pre&s;s it upon them, the Doctrine of love one to another, or takes not up with once, one <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 20. 21.</NOTE> <HI>exhortation, as if that would an&s;wer the end of his coming,</HI> to <HI>reveal to his Di&s;ciples</HI> the whole coun&s;el of God, which he had heard of his father: no but again and again, he pre&s;&s;eth it upon them. <HI>It is given as a command to Parents, I wi&s;h, we that are parents,</HI> and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 6. 6.</NOTE> <HI>have children,</HI> who <HI>have &s;ouls either to be</HI> &s;aved or peri&s;h, would remember it, thou <HI>&s;halt whet the&s;e things upon them</HI> &s;aith the Text, the&s;e <HI>things which I command thee this day &s;hall be in their heart.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 1. 66. P&s;al. 1. 19. 11. Col. 3. 16.</NOTE> I, if we were of <HI>Maries &s;pirit,</HI> to lay up the words there: or <HI>Davids, to hide the Commandements in our hearts:</HI> or took <HI>Pauls advice,</HI> let the word dwell richly in us, if we <HI>had a trea&s;urie</HI> there, we &s;hould have, <HI>to draw forth continually,</HI> as occa&s;ion &s;erveth: And <HI>thou &s;halt teach them diligently unto thy children, and &s;hall talk of them when thou &s;itte&s;t in thy hou&s;e,</HI> and when thou walke&s;t <HI>by the way,</HI> when thou <HI>lye&s;t down, and when thou ri&s;e&s;t up,</HI> &amp;c. diligently teach them, the word is, whet them upon them; It is not the <HI>drawing the knife over the</HI> whet-&s;tone once, that will &s;et an edge upon it, but often, again and again. The be&s;t of us are <HI>too like children in under&s;tanding,</HI> and had need of it, or at lea&s;t many of us.</P>
<P><HI>I &s;hall give a few Arguments</HI> to con&s;irm it, and then Apply it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>The under&s;tanding is very dull in many:</HI> though there be &s;om it may be more acute, to whom it may be <HI>a dulling</HI> to beat their earsoften with the &s;ame things; yet for the mo&s;t part, Brethren, we are <HI>dull</HI> of under&s;tanding, childrens <HI>capacities</HI> we have; you know the <HI>Di&s;ciples</HI> were &s;o, our <HI>Saviour</HI> upbraideth them with it, and yet <HI>they were good men,</HI> do you <HI>not yet under&s;tand;</HI> are ye <HI>al&s;o yet</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 15. 16.</NOTE> <HI>without under&s;tanding?</HI> And when he was ri&s;en from the dead, he expounded the Scriptures, the Prophets concerning his death and re&s;urrection; <HI>alas until he opened their under&s;tanding,</HI> though he had <HI>often told them this,</HI> had preached it to them <HI>again and again,</HI> and even before his death <HI>immediately,</HI> and alas, <HI>yet they under|&s;tood not, until he opened their minds. But you</HI> will &s;ay, this <HI>was be|fore
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the pouring out of the &s;pirit,</HI> there was more need then, but that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 24. 45.</NOTE> unction, that teacheth us all things, was given in &s;o large a mea|&s;ure, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> I an&s;wer, It is true the <HI>&s;pirit is given now in a larger mea&s;ure,</HI> and therefore the greater &s;hame is the dulne&s;s of our <HI>capacities</HI> many of us, I &s;peak not of all, Brethren, <HI>neither of them that</HI> are &s;trong men and women in Chri&s;t, nor yet of &s;uch as hap|ly natural incapacity is a great hindrance to. But were we not many of us, <HI>much wanting</HI> to our &s;elves in reading, <HI>meditating</HI> on the word of truth, we might be much more apprehen&s;ive then we are; <HI>we are in a &s;trait</HI> indeed, for &s;ome are &s;o acute, that we can &s;carce touch lightly enough upon things, lea&s;t they <HI>nau&s;eate,</HI> others are &s;o dull, we <HI>cannot dwell long enough upon them</HI> almo&s;t, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 3. 1, 2.</NOTE> to make them under&s;tand &s;omething. Well this is the fir&s;t Argu|ment.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Becau&s;e men are exceeding &s;low to believe things. O fools, &s;aith our Saviour,</HI> and <HI>&s;low of heart to believe</HI> the things which <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luc. 24. 25.</NOTE> the <HI>Scriptures,</HI> &amp;c. Concerning <HI>the Me&s;&s;iah,</HI> how he <HI>mu&s;t be re|jected,</HI> and cut off, and ri&s;e again the third day. Might he not up|braid our <HI>Congregations,</HI> brethren, in the like manner; how often have we heard the &s;ame things, and it may be, given a&s;&s;ent to the truth of the &s;ame, but yet are <HI>&s;low,</HI> to believe! And this Argu|ment will &s;tand good again&s;t the acute&s;t hearers, though they <HI>may out-run</HI> the &s;peaker haply in apprehen&s;ion, they may be &s;low|paced enough in believing. Now it is true, it is not all our <HI>incul|cating</HI> and <HI>pre&s;&s;ing the &s;ame truths upon men,</HI> that can work their hearts to believe, until the arm of the <HI>Lord be revealed</HI> to them; <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 5<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> yet we know not when, and how far he may reveal his arm: It may be a little at one time, and a little at another; <HI>Agrippa</HI> hear|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 26. 28.</NOTE> <HI>Paul once di&s;cour&s;e of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> was almo&s;t per&s;waded, <HI>haply if he had</HI> had another <HI>opportunity</HI> to hear the like things again, it <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 24. 25.</NOTE> might have proved a through work: <HI>Felix trembled</HI> at the <HI>fir&s;t Sermon upon Judgement</HI> to come, if he had heard it the &s;e|cond time, who can tell how far it might have wrought? This the &s;econd.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>Alas</HI> Brethren, <HI>our memories are &s;uch leaking ve&s;&s;els,</HI> we are full of <HI>chinks, hac illac difluxerimus,</HI> and therefore <HI>as from thence</HI> the Apo&s;tle infers, we &s;hould <HI>give the more diligent</HI> heed to the things which are &s;poken, <GAP DESC="foreign">, lea&s;t we run out <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2. 1.</NOTE> So &s;hould we al&s;o inculcate the &s;ame truths again: <HI>who is there
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that hath not woful experience</HI> of this, <HI>other things</HI> evil and vile, they have &s;uch impre&s;&s;ion <HI>upon our memories; O how much ado is it</HI> to raze them out, injuries are <HI>graven upon us,</HI> even as with the pen of a <HI>Diamond, vain words,</HI> wicked &s;peeches, we have <HI>heard long &s;ince, we cannot forget:</HI> but a thing that is good, O how much ado there is to remember it? had not a <HI>riddle</HI> need often to be put into the water, it will hold nothing el&s;e? <HI>be not forgetful hearers of the word, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle,</HI> but doers of the &s;ame; <HI>how many of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 5. 25. Mat. 13. 14, 19.</NOTE> <HI>us are even high-way &s;eed hearers!</HI> The word is gone from us, be|fore we are out of the&s;e doors, or <HI>the mo&s;t part of it.</HI> So the fowls of the Aire, the evil &s;pirits, they &s;teal away the word from us; &s;o that we had as much need to hear it again, as when we came. O &s;aith <HI>Peter</HI> as long as I live, <HI>I will put you in remembrance. To</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1. 13.</NOTE> <HI>do good and to communicate forget not,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle; no Que&s;ti|on they had been taught that le&s;&s;on again and again, and yet they were apt to forget, and therefore the Apo&s;tle goeth over it again to them, to put them in remembrance.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>It is requi&s;ite becau&s;e our</HI> affections are &s;o <HI>dull;</HI> they <HI>had need to be often quickned,</HI> therefore <HI>whet the word upon your, children:</HI> It is not one whet, that will edge a dull knife, but over and over with it <HI>again and again,</HI> as many times in Scripture a <HI>re|petition of a thing</HI> (in prayer, in preaching) &s;peaks the affecti|ons of him that delivereth it, &s;o it &s;tirs the affections of the hear|ers, <HI>Phil.</HI> 4. 4. &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, rejoyce in the <HI>Lord alway, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Phil.</HI> 3. 18. I told you often, and now tell you weeping, <HI>with more affection then before.</HI></NOTE> <HI>again</HI> I &s;ay rejoyce, is that a <HI>tautology,</HI> or a vain repetition? no, &s;ure the <HI>Apo&s;tle was not guilty</HI> in that kind, but <HI>it was needful,</HI> to &s;tir the affection to the duty; our <HI>hearts</HI> indeed are <HI>like &s;o many dead Seas,</HI> and it is not a little breath once upon us, that will move, but when the wind <HI>pa&s;&s;eth often, and &s;trongly</HI> over us, then it may affect us haply; the word is therefore <HI>compared to the words of the wi&s;e, which are like goads, not the words of fools,</HI> who are no ora|tors, &s;en&s;le&s;s, and know not what belongs to the Art of &s;peaking rightly, <HI>but the words of the wi&s;e are like goads,</HI> &s;harp, and they are to be often u&s;ed, <HI>we are like oxen in duty,</HI> creatures that will often need <HI>to be pricked up,</HI> therefore the metaphor is u&s;ed; there|fore <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 12. 11.</NOTE> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>I put you in remembrance</HI> of the <HI>things you knew before, and were e&s;tabli&s;hed in, even to &s;tir you up;</HI> there is <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1. 13.</NOTE> need of quickening the affections; a man may deliver the &s;ame truth haply more &s;tirringly, one time then another, and the &s;pirit
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may breath in it, one time more then in another, and then the af|fections are &s;tirrd indeed to purpo&s;e; that is a fourth: <HI>Gutta cavat lapidem non vi &s;ed &s;aepe cadendo.</HI></P>
<P>Fifthly, <HI>becau&s;e of the uncon&s;tancy of our hearts,</HI> if we be a little affected with a truth at one time, <HI>how long doth &s;uch a frame</HI> con|tinue upon us? <HI>David was &s;en&s;ible how fleeting</HI> the frame of our hearts are: And therefore though him&s;elf, and his people, were in <HI>as &s;weet a frame</HI> as any we read of almo&s;t, when they <HI>offered with a perfect heart,</HI> willingly, and &s;o willingly, as that <HI>David re|joyced in it,</HI> and ble&s;&s;ed the Lord <HI>for it, that they had hearts &s;o to do;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Chron. 29. 18. Ver. 9. and 17.</NOTE> this was a precious frame indeed, yea <HI>David</HI> rejoyced at the wil|lingne&s;s of others, <HI>not envied at it,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>that the Lord would keep this frame</HI> for ever, Keep this upon the <HI>imagination, or figments</HI> of their hearts <HI>for ever.</HI> Alas if he keep it not, it is gone pre&s;ent|ly; <HI>now upon Eagles wings</HI> &s;oring, by and by, with our bellies <HI>cleaving to the earth, P&s;al.</HI> 119. 24. thy te&s;timonies are my de|light, and 25. <HI>v.</HI> my belly cleaveth&punc; to the du&s;t. And therefore, <HI>the words of the wi&s;e, they are as goads</HI> and nails, nails to take hold, <HI>and fa&s;ten things together,</HI> that <HI>they may abide,</HI> and if they <HI>be driven to the head,</HI> yet how quickly may it be <HI>loo&s;ened again,</HI> is there not need of the &s;ame hammer to fa&s;ten it again, therefore &s;aith the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter, though you be e&s;tabli&s;hed in the pre&s;ent truth already,</HI> yet <HI>I Judge</HI> it meet to <HI>&s;tir you up,</HI> by <HI>putting you in remem|brance.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1. 13.</NOTE></P>
<P>Sixthly, <HI>becau&s;e we are &s;o &s;low to do what</HI> we know, which in|deed is the main thing, we do <HI>but build Ca&s;tles in the Aire,</HI> Brethe|ren, if we hear and do not, and yet who is clear in this point? yea how often <HI>may we</HI> hear a practical truth, pre&s;t upon us, before we practi&s;e it? yea when <HI>we are convinced</HI> to do it, and <HI>re&s;olved we will,</HI> and yet with the <HI>Son in the Go&s;pel,</HI> I go Sir, but he went not; now this <HI>is the Learning indeed,</HI> a man hath never learned a le&s;&s;on <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 21. 30.</NOTE> <HI>in Mu&s;ick,</HI> or learned a Copie, until he hath practi&s;ed it, and can do it. Ah dear friend, do not <HI>our hearts blu&s;h &s;ometimes,</HI> when we con&s;ider how often we have <HI>had this watchfulne&s;s</HI> pre&s;&s;ed upon us, and yet how little have we done to bring our hearts to it? And &s;o <HI>for weanedne&s;s</HI> from the world, for <HI>&s;elf-denyal,</HI> for any other duty almo&s;t; and therefore it is requi&s;ite, Brethren, that the &s;ame things, &s;hould be <HI>repeated and inculcated;</HI> but &s;o much for the Argu|ments.</P>
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For the <HI>Application of the Doctrine:</HI> It <HI>is a plea</HI> then <HI>for a</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e. 1.</NOTE> <HI>&s;tanding Mini&s;try</HI> in <HI>the Church</HI> of Chri&s;t according to that of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>he hath &s;et &s;ome Pa&s;tors, &s;ome Teachers,</HI> for the <HI>perfecting</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4.</NOTE> <HI>of the Saints;</HI> and <HI>al&s;o,</HI> while there are &s;o <HI>many nece&s;&s;ities</HI> upon them as you have heard, how are they perfect? So &s;aith <HI>Peter,</HI> I <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1. 12.</NOTE> will not <HI>be negligent</HI> to put you alway in <HI>remembrance of the&s;e things,</HI> though <HI>you know them, and be e&s;tabli&s;hed</HI> in the pre&s;ent truth, <HI>yet I think it meet as long</HI> as I live in this <HI>Tabernacle,</HI> to &s;tir you up by putting you in remembrance. <HI>Alas</HI> Brethren, &s;uppo&s;e you are many of you &s;o well acquainted with <HI>the my&s;teries of faith</HI> as <HI>that you need not to be further in&s;tructed</HI> in the&s;e things; yet it is a <HI>Peters</HI> duty you &s;ee, <HI>I think it meet or ju&s;t</HI> to put you in <HI>remem|brance,</HI> yea and as long as I live to do it, though I have nothing now to pre&s;ent you with, and <HI>though you be e&s;tabli&s;hed</HI> in the pre&s;ent truth, yet I mu&s;t put you in remembrance. They that <HI>de|&s;pi&s;e</HI> prophe&s;yings under <HI>that pretence</HI> that they <HI>have an unction</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 5. 20. 1 Iohn 2. 20.</NOTE> them&s;elves within them, which teacheth them all things, I doubt they will find by woful experience, <HI>they quench the &s;pirit</HI> of God in them&s;elves (and what in them lies) al&s;o in others by weakning their hands, but who is like to pay for that?</P>
<P>(Fir&s;t,) Remember but that of the Apo&s;tle <HI>John</HI> in that &s;ame place, <HI>you have an unction whereby you are taught all things;</HI> what need <HI>John</HI> then to have written this Epi&s;tle to them? you will &s;ay, or &s;ome may &s;ay, <HI>he might have &s;pared the pains,</HI> that unction of <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh 2. 21.</NOTE> theirs is a <HI>&s;uper&s;edeas</HI> to him, and all other Mini&s;ters what&s;oever, they have no need of them; what &s;aith he, I <HI>write not the&s;e</HI> things to you, <HI>becau&s;e you know them not,</HI> but becau&s;e you know them. <HI>It is for confirmation, for quickning;</HI> there is need enough of it, el&s;e &s;ure the &s;pirit of God in him would <HI>not have wa&s;ted &s;uch pre|cious pains</HI> upon them. The <HI>The&s;&s;alonians</HI> have no need that he write to <HI>them touching Brotherly love, they were nearer perfection, then, for ought I &s;ee</HI> the Churches of Chri&s;t now are, <HI>love is the ful|filling of the Law,</HI> and therefore had le&s;s need of the <HI>Apo&s;tles pains</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> The&s;. 4. 9.</NOTE> in writing to them; <HI>but yet you &s;ee he</HI> be&s;toweth it, and &s;urely not in <HI>vain; he exhorts them to abound more</HI> and more, to continue <HI>in well-doing</HI> to <HI>encourage them, and &s;trengthen their</HI> hands; this is none of the <HI>lea&s;t works</HI> of a Me&s;&s;enger of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>(Secondly,) <HI>Here</HI> is a <HI>pattern for the Teachers</HI> of Gods peo|ple: Let <HI>it not be grievous to you,</HI> brethren, &s;ometimes to beat the
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&s;ame things upon the people, if that mans wi&s;dom might be heard to &s;peak, <HI>and carnal rea&s;on,</HI> it would &s;ay it becometh not an <HI>exqui|&s;ite</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. 1. <HI>Ver&s;e</HI> 18. 1 Cor. 5. 9.</NOTE> <HI>Orator</HI> for men to <HI>in&s;i&s;t</HI> too much, nor too often upon the &s;ame things, <HI>That is implyed</HI> in that of the <HI>Apo&s;tle, to me it is not grievous, to others</HI> haply it might; It is not more <HI>tedious</HI> to a curi|ous ear, then it is to a quaint tongue, to &s;peak the &s;ame things again and again, but let us not <HI>con&s;ult with fle&s;h and blood</HI> in the&s;e things, but tread in the <HI>&s;teps</HI> of our Saviour; <HI>Surely there was ne|ver &s;uch a trea&s;urie of wi&s;dom and knowledge as was in Chri&s;t; in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3. 2.</NOTE> <HI>him were hid all the trea&s;ures of wi&s;dom</HI> and knowledge, and it had <HI>been ea&s;ie for him &s;till to have brought out of his trea&s;urie things new and not any old.</HI> But you &s;ee what manner of Preaching is his to his own Di&s;ciples. We are called upon in <HI>Timothy</HI> to exhort <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 4. 2.</NOTE> <HI>with all long &s;uffering and Doctrine,</HI> and be in&s;tant in &s;ea&s;on, out of &s;ea&s;on. <HI>Aug.</HI> would rather &s;peak broken La<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> then the people &s;hould not under&s;tand, and <HI>he would have Preachers pre&s;s</HI> a point <HI>upon their hearers,</HI> until they might even read the <HI>print</HI> of it in their faces; think not a light touch will do it.</P>
<P>And <HI>yet let me not be</HI> mi&s;taken here neither, <HI>for I mean not here|by to make a Cloak</HI> for any Mini&s;ters idlene&s;s or &s;loathfulne&s;s, who <HI>therefore may dwell longer then is meet</HI> upon a thing, <HI>or often go</HI> over with a thing, becau&s;e they will not be at more pains to bring forth <HI>new as well as old,</HI> no, far be it from me, the Apo&s;tle giveth us <HI>another rule, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, be thou in <HI>them that thy profiting may appear to all.</HI> A <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 4. 14, 15, 16. Mat. 13. 52.</NOTE> Scribe <HI>in&s;tructed to the Kingdom of heaven, brings forth both new and old: but if there be</HI> need to pre&s;s things harder or more then ordinary upon people, let <HI>it not be grievous to us;</HI> it mu&s;t not then be a carnal &s;elf-love, love <HI>of our own ends,</HI> but the <HI>love of our poor &s;ouls,</HI> and their <HI>profiting that mu&s;t lead</HI> us to it, el&s;e it is nothing; <HI>for you, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, it is &s;afe that I write the &s;ame things;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. 1.</NOTE> and <HI>what was that?</HI> even the <HI>warning them of fal&s;e Teachers, it was &s;afe</HI> for them to hear it again, and it was no &s;uch plea&s;ing &s;tring for the Apo&s;tle to <HI>harp</HI> upon, but yet becau&s;e it was &s;afe for them, he denyed him&s;elf in that: <HI>If the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t</HI> do &s;ometimes more then ordinary &s;trike upon that vain, <HI>in&s;truct ten|derly, it is nece&s;&s;ary</HI> &s;urely, or they think it &s;o, el&s;e it is no &s;uch plea&s;ing thing.</P>
<P>(Again) <HI>there is much wi&s;dom to be u&s;ed</HI> al&s;o by us, in pre&s;&s;ing
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the &s;ame things, <HI>making a difference between</HI> per&s;ons and per&s;ons upon whom, lea&s;t <HI>we grieve or dull &s;ome,</HI> in&s;tead of quickening them, therefore the <HI>Apo&s;tle he doth with a kind of mode&s;ty,</HI> u&s;e this freedom with them, he <HI>acknowledgeth indeed,</HI> that <HI>they did know the things</HI> he writ, he would not have them think, he took <HI>them to be &s;o ignorant,</HI> or to be &s;o <HI>fickle and wavering, but they were e&s;ta|bli&s;hed</HI> in the pre&s;ent truth, and yet &s;aith he, <HI>I hold it my duty</HI> &s;ometimes to put you in remembrance, and to &s;tir you up. So <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1. 12, 13. It grieved Pe+ter when Chri&s;t came over &s;o often with it, Love&s;t thou me? Ioh. 21. 17.</NOTE> <HI>John, not becau&s;e you know not,</HI> but becau&s;e you know the&s;e things, therefore I write to you, 1 <HI>John</HI> 2. And &s;o the Apo&s;tle, <HI>you need not that I write to you concerning brotherly love,</HI> you do love one another, <HI>but continue in it, abound in it</HI> more and more. See how &s;weetly doth he <HI>in&s;inuate into</HI> them; if he had to deal with other people, he knoweth how to &s;peak after another manner, to <HI>come with a rod,</HI> if there were need.</P>
<P>Again, there is <HI>much wi&s;dom to be u&s;ed in the dre&s;&s;ing the &s;ame truth again</HI> and again, for <HI>the truths</HI> which you are nece&s;&s;arily to know, they are not for number infinite, and you will ea&s;ily find, if you con&s;ider the Scripture, how the &s;ame truths <HI>are propo&s;ed to</HI> us in the Scripture, <HI>an 100. waies,</HI> &s;everal waies, <HI>becau&s;e the Lord knew our frame,</HI> that naturally, we would have &s;omewhat new, and were affected with variety, therefore he giveth us the &s;ame truths, <HI>under divers dre&s;&s;es,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, &s;aith the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 1. 1. Eccl. 12. 10.</NOTE> Apo&s;tle, the <HI>Preacher cho&s;e not acceptable words,</HI> though It <HI>would not feed</HI> that itching humor that is in <HI>&s;ome, yet I would al|low as much as love and prudence</HI> examined together would advi&s;e, <HI>becau&s;e of the weakne&s;s and frame of men;</HI> and if one therefore diver&s;ly dre&s;s the &s;ame truths: <HI>omne tulit punctum:</HI> will the Lord <NOTE PLACE="marg">They had the &s;ame manna, but were al|lowed to dre&s;s it diver&s;ly.</NOTE> &s;eal this in&s;truction to &s;uch of us as it concerneth. And, Brethren, pray for us <HI>that we may be wi&s;e-hearted,</HI> and know how to <HI>fit</HI> our &s;elves, and <HI>bait</HI> the hook, <HI>&s;o as it may be mo&s;t drawing.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, It <HI>may &s;erve to humble us for our dulne&s;s</HI> then, and tho&s;e many <HI>other defections</HI> which are the ri&s;e of this nece&s;&s;ity to beat the &s;ame things upon us again and again. <HI>Dear friends, we &s;wallow much</HI> every Sabboth, every opportunity, how little <HI>doth incorporate</HI> with us, how <HI>little abideth</HI> with us, what <HI>pains is the Lord fain</HI> to take with us, <HI>line upon line, and precept upon precept,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 28. 10.</NOTE> <HI>here a little and there a little,</HI> in &s;ea&s;on, out of &s;ea&s;on, and yet, Brethren, how little the better are we for it. May we <HI>not all of us
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lay our hands upon our hearts;</HI> is it not <HI>matter of humbling,</HI> we &s;hould <HI>put the Lord and his Me&s;&s;engers</HI> to &s;o much pains with us, and be yet little the better for all? <HI>O let us magnifie the long-&s;uf|fering of God,</HI> and ble&s;s him for the long-&s;uffering of his <HI>&s;ervants with us, that he is plea&s;ed to follow us up and down</HI> with this and that nece&s;&s;ary truth! <HI>It may be thou ha&s;t heard &s;ome</HI> things which now thy &s;oul hath the experience of, thou would&s;t not loo&s;e for a world, and many a time thou <HI>ha&s;t heard them,</HI> but it hath been like water &s;pilt upon the ground; and at la&s;t, the <HI>Lord hath fa&s;tened the nayl</HI> to the head, if it had had but one blow, it would not have &s;tuck.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>It may caution</HI> us, brethren, again&s;t <HI>nau&s;eating</HI> Di|vine <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4. 3. 1.</NOTE> truths, becau&s;e they are &s;o often beaten upon us, it may be the &s;ame things; It is <HI>&s;afe</HI> for you, brethren, it is good for you, if you know <HI>the things belong to your peace,</HI> &s;ay not then, <HI>occidet mi&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ros crambe repetita Magi&s;tros:</HI> What <HI>&s;hall the Di&s;ciples</HI> &s;ay to Chri&s;t becau&s;e he &s;o pre&s;&s;eth them to watch <HI>for his appearing,</HI> here is nothing but harping upon one &s;tring, nothing but watching and watching pre&s;t upon us, we would have &s;omewhat el&s;e, we are weary of this? No, but rather continue, O &s;ure it is needful, <HI>our dulne&s;s calls for it,</HI> and it is much tenderne&s;s that he will not give us over until he hath wrought it upon our &s;pirits. Should the <HI>Philippians</HI> ca&s;t it in <HI>Pauls teeth,</HI> he <HI>had told them often of tho&s;e</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. 18.</NOTE> unruly ma&s;ters, that they had heard enough of that? O no, now <HI>he tels them with tears, with more melting then before,</HI> the &s;ame thing in a more affected manner, they had no rea&s;on to lothe. <HI>It was the great &s;in of the I&s;raelites</HI> you know, <HI>they had manna every morning.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 21. 5.</NOTE> this was their daily bread; at la&s;t <HI>they grew weary of it, nothing but this manna: our &s;ouls loatheth this light bread; for a while</HI> it was excellent and delightful, but after a while <HI>they loathed it;</HI> It &s;eem|eth it had not a ta&s;te to &s;uite every mans <HI>palate, what</HI> was mo&s;t <HI>de|lightful to every one,</HI> as &s;ome thought, then they would not have loathed it; <HI>but they might dre&s;s it divers waies,</HI> and yet they loathed it; this <HI>was a lu&s;t</HI> which put <HI>their mouthes out of ta&s;te, and &s;o far, as that they prefered Garlick and Onions before it.</HI> It is no|thing to be taken with the word, <HI>when a Teacher is</HI> as one that <HI>plaies skilfully</HI> upon an in&s;trument, toucheth every &s;tring, and in <HI>&s;uch a manner as</HI> the variety maketh &s;weet melody, but this harp|ing upon <HI>one &s;tring is not &s;o plea&s;ant:</HI> here is a <HI>tryal of your</HI> love to
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the word as it is the word, whether in its nakedne&s;s and <HI>&s;implicity</HI> you can love it, and though you have <HI>nothing but the word,</HI> and the word <HI>the &s;incere milk.</HI></P>
<P>Another Caution <HI>&s;hall be this, to take heed of that humour which reigns in abundance</HI> among us all, <HI>affecting novelties. O &s;uch itching ears would</HI> not have &s;uited with our Saviour his manner of Preach|ing! they have the <HI>&s;ame again and again</HI> from him: <HI>A new light,</HI> though it be but a Comet, draweth more eyes <HI>after it then the Sun,</HI> becau&s;e he daily runneth his cour&s;e, this is a great vanity in mens minds, and truly it is &s;o in &s;piritual things; <HI>A new Doctrine, Oh how it bewitcheth men!</HI> as that did the <HI>Galathians;</HI> it is more <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3.</NOTE> then ordinarily taking with us, el&s;e the power of darkne&s;s and errour had not been &s;o great in our daies as it hath been, and <HI>truly when we begin to be weary of the eternal Go&s;pel,</HI> which <HI>never waxeth old,</HI> and cannot away with the <HI>&s;ame things</HI> after we have once heard them, which argues we receive not the love of the truth, <HI>imbrace it not</HI> becau&s;e of it &s;elf, but <HI>its dre&s;s or its novelties,</HI> or &s;ome &s;uch <HI>accident:</HI> we are in the very <HI>high-way to delu&s;ion;</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith. I am &s;ure, <HI>Antiquity</HI> was the commendation of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;. 2. 10, 11. Rom. 1. 2.</NOTE> <HI>Apo&s;tles Doctrine even to the Romans</HI> them&s;elves, he <HI>brought no new Go&s;pel</HI> but what was from the beginning. Is it not <HI>the &s;ame &s;pirit &s;urely</HI> that works &s;o <HI>mightily among us, whereby men would com|mend any thing for its novelty?</HI> It is horrible <HI>pride both in Preachers and Teachers; Lucifer-pride,</HI> and a &s;trong <HI>&s;avour</HI> of the old <HI>Adam,</HI> that rather then we <HI>will be confined</HI> to a cour&s;e, and dwell upon &s;uch things as have been received as truths in Je&s;us, we <HI>will have &s;omewhat new,</HI> or el&s;e we will to our own inventions for it: <HI>the Lord deliver us from &s;uch a &s;pirit.</HI></P>
<P>And la&s;tly, <HI>brethren, it is nece&s;&s;ary that the &s;ame things</HI> be thus <HI>inculcated</HI> upon us, then &s;urely we may hence learn, that there is <HI>&s;omewhat more for us</HI> to learn &s;till in every truth <HI>we hear, it may</HI> be often we have heard <HI>&s;uch a duty</HI> pre&s;&s;ed, &s;uch a &s;in <HI>de&s;cried,</HI> there <HI>is &s;omewhat in it,</HI> that God meeteth thee, it may be everywhere with the &s;ame <HI>me&s;&s;age,</HI> they <HI>&s;poke with one mouth</HI> the &s;ame thing to thee; Is there not cau&s;e to fear? Surely that is one con&s;ideration; and <HI>the Lord in mercy</HI> to thee will not let thee alone, but one Bell in <HI>Aarons ring</HI> &s;ounds <HI>louder, then all the re&s;t in thine ears.</HI> Surely, &s;urely, there is &s;omewhat unhealed that every one <HI>thou comes near doth grate upon.</HI> It may be, brethren, <HI>to come a little nearer,</HI> thou
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ha&s;t long heard of coming to <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> that thou mighte&s;t have life, and thou ha&s;t been as <HI>much woed and intreated</HI> as many others, and thou art even weary of this le&s;&s;on. What ado is here about coming to Chri&s;t, what do we not come to him, do we not follow him? <HI>Ah dear friends!</HI> It is <HI>the work of your whole lives,</HI> and why may it not be the <HI>work of our whole lives?</HI> yea it is to be feared, thou with <HI>whom &s;o &s;weet a word reli&s;heth no better,</HI> that thou ha&s;t never known the worth of it experimentally. <HI>Be not deceived,</HI> brethren, you may be mi&s;taken, and far enough off from him, when you think you come to him&punc; <HI>but &s;uppo&s;e you</HI> are come to him, may you <HI>not draw nearer</HI> then you are come; <HI>have you not many back-&s;lidings?</HI> Do you not mi&s;s a &s;troke &s;ometimes, and are <HI>carryed down the &s;tream,</HI> the Lord knoweth how far: and had you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>need of hearing</HI> then of coming to Chri&s;t, renewing your acquaintance with him? <HI>Alas Brethren,</HI> if many of us <HI>had not had</HI> this truth beaten upon us often, we had never come <HI>to him,</HI> can&s;t thou tell how often <HI>thou had&s;t in the Go&s;pel</HI> a crucified Chri&s;t held out to thee; before thou <HI>had&s;t a heart to look on him, and mourn over him, and over thy &s;elf,</HI> who&s;e hands have been <HI>imbrued</HI> in his blood, here thou <HI>ha&s;t &s;een him here crucified,</HI> and there crucified, in this Sermon and that Sermon, in this Sacrament and that Sacra|ment; and <HI>yet al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s!</HI> thy <HI>&s;ullen heart</HI> would not bleed; now if thou had&s;t never heard of him more, it <HI>had not been pre&s;t</HI> upon thee any more, <HI>what had become of thee,</HI> if notwith&s;tanding all this <HI>thou had&s;t been</HI> &s;ealed up in hardne&s;s and unbelief for ever. <HI>What narrow-mouth'd</HI> bottles are we receiving, <HI>now a drop and then a drop,</HI> though much be poured out, many times <HI>little &s;taies,</HI> or if our heads <HI>fill, our capacities being large,</HI> apprehen&s;ions quick, and <HI>memories &s;trong,</HI> how little is <HI>it that &s;inketh any further,</HI> there <HI>is need of pre&s;&s;ing and boring, and un&s;peakable mercy it is,</HI> if at la&s;t the pa&s;&s;age <HI>between head and heart be opened,</HI> that &s;o what <HI>we have known</HI> long it may be; <HI>yet now</HI> we may come <HI>to know</HI> after <HI>another manner,</HI> even as <HI>we ought to know it,</HI> not to <HI>be puffed, but humbled,</HI> to be warmed, <HI>melted,</HI> changed by it.</P>
<P>How <HI>often Brethren, have we had the Doctrine of love</HI> pre&s;&s;ed upon us, even as <HI>John</HI> had <HI>nothing el&s;e</HI> in his mouth almo&s;t, my <HI>little children love one another, my little children love one another;</HI> when he <HI>could not go,</HI> as the &s;tory &s;aith of him: and can we hear it &s;o often, but there is &s;omewhat yet <HI>to learn that we have not
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learned,</HI> may we not <HI>grow in it, abound in it more and more,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith to them, even the <HI>The&s;&s;alonians?</HI> Ah where is a heart <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 4. 9, 10.</NOTE> <HI>wherein it abounds,</HI> love to Chri&s;t, love to his people, <HI>a little un|likene&s;s to our &s;elves</HI> in a thing of no great moment, <HI>is able to quench our love,</HI> &s;o far it is from being as &s;trong as death; a little earthly enjoyments, <HI>a hou&s;e, a wife,</HI> a company of &s;weet children, pretty taking vanities, they have &s;uch a hold upon our hearts, <HI>that they &s;tifle our de&s;ires,</HI> to be di&s;&s;olved, and to be with Chri&s;t, O we &s;ee not, nor have learned how far better it is to be with him! is <HI>there not more to be learned</HI> by us all, in this point? <HI>And if we can or do</HI> love the Saints in <HI>whom the Image of Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> is, <HI>alas may</HI> we not do it more <HI>fervently then we do?</HI> if there be &s;ome fervor ap|pearing, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1. 22.</NOTE> <HI>may we not do it</HI> with a purer heart, meerly becau&s;e Chri&s;t hath loved them, who <HI>is the beloved of our &s;ouls?</HI> what meaneth el&s;e <HI>our having the faith of Chri&s;t</HI> with <HI>re&s;pect of per&s;ons,</HI> what meanth el&s;e our loving men more for their gifts, then <HI>for their gra|ces,</HI> for the common then the &s;pecial in&s;piration of the &s;pirit upon them? <HI>Do we not know men after the fle&s;h?</HI> and yet, haply are ready <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 16.</NOTE> to be wearie of the <HI>Doctrine of</HI> love; What needeth &s;o much ado to pre&s;s it upon men, the Lord &s;hew us our &s;hortne&s;s and humble us under it?</P>
<P>But <HI>I will come a little nearer to the purpo&s;e,</HI> in the <HI>Text and the thing</HI> in hand, which lies before us, the Ordinance to which &s;ome of us are now called, <HI>for this of watching for the appearing of Je|&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> I might have rai&s;ed indeed a clo&s;er ob&s;ervation, and more particular when I had fini&s;hed this, but I would <HI>not hold you too long</HI> upon this, which is but the coherence of the words we &s;hall likely meet with it, before we have done with the Parable. And that is the <HI>nece&s;&s;ity of pre&s;&s;ing this</HI> great duty of watching for the <HI>appearing of Chri&s;t,</HI> much upon people, for this is the thing here our Saviour <HI>&s;o muchin &s;i&s;ts upon,</HI> and often in many other places, <HI>What I &s;ay to you, I &s;ay to all, watch;</HI> And &s;o <HI>Luk.</HI> 12. 35. Surely <HI>there is</HI> &s;omewhat more in it, then ordinary; The duty <HI>is more &s;piritual, then ordinary, and then our carnal hearts</HI> are as hardly drawn to it, as a Bear to the &s;take: It hath many a time, I know been pre&s;t upon us all, to get ready, and &s;tand ready, <HI>to wait and watch for his appearing;</HI> Have we done it? How many of us, brethren, if Chri&s;t &s;hould come this day would be found &s;leep|ing, &s;ome <HI>dead a&s;leep upon the lap of the plea&s;ures, and honours, and
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riches</HI> of this world and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 words"> to be di&s;turbed, we never <HI>dream</HI> of his coming; Would men, think you, if they had learned this le&s;&s;on, <HI>dare to multiply incumbrances</HI> in the world upon them? and with &s;o much diligence, be ca&s;ting out their roots <HI>in the world;</HI> as if they would never be pluckt up, as if their portion were here <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 21. 34.</NOTE> below? <HI>how often have we been warned in the name of Je&s;us who&s;e the warning is,</HI> take heed your hearts be <HI>not over-charged with &s;urfeting, and drunkenne&s;s, and cares of this life, and that day take you at unawares?</HI> hath this &s;unk with us? have we made con&s;ci|ence any of us, to ea&s;e our &s;elves of any <HI>unnece&s;&s;ary incumbrances,</HI> that we might wait upon him without di&s;traction? <HI>What day al|mo&s;t,</HI> brethren, goeth over any of <HI>our heads, or what hour of the</HI> day wherein we <HI>&s;hall be ready</HI> to open, if he <HI>&s;hould knock</HI> for us? <HI>Alas &s;ome of us, brethren, care not</HI> how long he defers his coming, if he would never come, we <HI>&s;hould be the better plea&s;ed,</HI> for <HI>our hearts tell us,</HI> it will be a woful day to us, we <HI>have no oyl in our ve&s;&s;els,</HI> we have no grace in our hearts, nor any <HI>do we look after, we know we are not in him,</HI> nor are we <HI>&s;olicitous</HI> to be found in him, we are for our <HI>building, and planting,</HI> and rejoycing in our youth|ful vanities, and leave the&s;e <HI>&s;erious things</HI> to melancholly Spirits. Ah dear friends, had not <HI>this truth need</HI> to be pre&s;t upon you? <HI>your danger is great;</HI> if you <HI>could as ea&s;ily</HI> put by the coming of Chri&s;t, as you can make a &s;hift to &s;mother <HI>the thoughts of it, your hearts indeed</HI> might chear you, and your condition were &s;omething like: <HI>But he will come;</HI> and though you be a&s;leep in the <HI>Arms of your lu&s;ts, know that your judgement &s;leepeth not,</HI> and your <HI>condem|nation</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2. 3.</NOTE> <HI>&s;lumbereth not.</HI> And make what <HI>ha&s;te you can</HI> to be rich, or to be honourable (and &s;uch per&s;ons <HI>are not innocent)</HI> make what ha&s;t you can in your career of &s;inning, it <HI>travels as fa&s;t you,</HI> and will be &s;ure to meet you at the <HI>gates of death</HI> and hell, if not &s;ooner. But it <HI>may be, we think</HI> we have <HI>done this great work,</HI> we are through grace acquainted <HI>with the Lord Je&s;us,</HI> and his &s;pirit, which hath effectually wrought <HI>in us to believe</HI> in his name, to love him, the main is done with us, and therefore &s;ure we may have more liber|ty then others now: <HI>Is it &s;o?</HI> but is this all that mu&s;t go to watch for his appearing, do we not find our hearts <HI>thru&s;ting</HI> away from us that day; and our hands fail, and &s;ecurity <HI>&s;etzeth upon us?</HI> the Di&s;|ciples were in danger to be &s;urprized as well as others: Is <HI>there any of us</HI> &s;o liveth as that we could readily and <HI>cheerfully meet the</HI> Lord
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Je&s;us <HI>at an hours</HI> warning, a daies <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> and who knoweth he &s;hall have &s;o <HI>much to &s;et his hou&s;e in order?</HI> O there is need to pre&s;s this duty upon us all, brethren, be our condition what it will we have yet <HI>&s;omewhat to learn</HI> of it, and &s;hall have, let us hear it as often as we can; But I will leave what further may be &s;aid unto its proper place, in the handling the Parable.</P>
<P><HI>A word or two to the pre&s;ent occa&s;ion, we are many of us</HI> now cal|led <HI>to this &s;ealing Ordinance:</HI> And though we have been often &s;tirrd up and taught our duty concerning it, <HI>is there not need to chafe</HI> the oyl in upon our hearts, our affections &s;till? Alas how often have we heard, that what <HI>it findeth it &s;ealeeth;</HI> And yet do we not dare to come &s;ome <HI>of us with hard hearts,</HI> with covetous hearts, uncircumci&s;ed hearts, <HI>I would not &s;peak, brethren, to grieve the heart of any,</HI> the Lord would not have grieved, as they that have lea&s;t cau&s;e will be mo&s;t &s;adly <HI>a&s;&s;ayling them&s;elves with con|demning thoughts;</HI> but the Lord grant there be none found among us guilty <HI>kind.</HI> As often as <HI>ever we come we hear</HI> how dangerous a thing it is <HI>to come unworthily prepared to it,</HI> and yet the Lord <HI>know|eth</HI> how often we have <HI>thru&s;t in here</HI> &s;ome of us, <HI>without a wedding</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Cor. 11. 30.</NOTE> <HI>garment;</HI> And that you have not been <HI>bound hand and fooe;</HI> bound up in our grave-cloaths, and ca&s;t out of his &s;ight for ever, it is un|&s;peakable mercy; <HI>O that this might melt us</HI> and humble us! and though ble&s;&s;ed be <HI>his holy name,</HI> I believe there are many <HI>poor trembling &s;ouls,</HI> who go about the&s;e things with <HI>trembling hearts,</HI> lea&s;t they &s;hould mi&s;carry, and grieve him, and bring his blood up|on their heads, I doubt there may be <HI>&s;ome of us found</HI> who&s;e hearts are far from &s;uch a frame; had we not need then <HI>to be put in mind</HI> and remembrance again and again of the&s;e things? It may be we have <HI>faith and love to Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> it may be we have humility and &s;elf-loathing, it <HI>may be we have a mourning &s;pirit</HI> over our &s;ins that have <HI>grieved the Lord Je&s;us,</HI> put him to all that grief for us, it may be we have a thankful heart; but are <HI>the&s;e graces now in acti|on,</HI> are they <HI>upon the wing?</HI> how often have we been minded there|of, that <HI>we mu&s;t be actually prepared?</HI> Alas! alas haply &s;ome of us have not taken the pains with our hearts which we might, and which others would have <HI>done if they had had the hearts</HI> which we have, <HI>haply &s;ome</HI> of us have been &s;triving, but in our own &s;trength. and have done little, <HI>haply others</HI> may have been <HI>helped in the pre|paring</HI> our hearts <HI>to &s;eek him herein,</HI> but by our pride or <HI>carnal
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confidence, have lo&s;t our frame again.</HI> It may <HI>be &s;ome of us</HI> bre|thren have <HI>not</HI> been very <HI>negligent,</HI> but yet not &s;o diligent as we ought, <HI>O brethren!</HI> how needful are <HI>the&s;e things! bear with</HI> me if I <HI>do pre&s;s</HI> you to them, it is not <HI>tedious</HI> to me, becau&s;e I hope it is &s;afe for you, <HI>O! that I could do it,</HI> with &s;uch a &s;pirit, and <HI>&s;uch bowels,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle did! the Lord <HI>&s;et it upon all</HI> our hearts, we are exceeding <HI>dull</HI> to believe, and more <HI>dull to practi&s;e,</HI> and do his will <HI>revealed to us;</HI> Though <HI>the good be our own,</HI> the glory onely his. But I <HI>will not in&s;i&s;t</HI> any further here, <HI>the Lord give us under|&s;tanding</HI> and believing hearts.</P>
<P><HI>Now for the words of the Text.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The Kingdom of Heaven is</HI> like to ten <HI>Virgins which went forth to meet the Bridegroom.</HI></P>
<P><HI>I &s;hall begin according</HI> to the former method. And <HI>fir&s;t &s;peak</HI> concerning Je&s;us Chri&s;t with re&s;pect to his Church. And touch|ing him there are many things in this Parable. <HI>Fir&s;t he is the Bridegroom. 2. His delay of his coming. 3. The cry before his coming. 4. The coming.</HI> 5. The time <HI>of his coming,</HI> at Mid|night.</P>
<P>To begin <HI>with the fir&s;t,</HI></P>
<P>The Bridegroom, <GAP DESC="foreign">; <HI>However it be</HI> that the <HI>&s;cope</HI> of the parable be to &s;tir up all men that profe&s;s the Lord Je|&s;us to a <HI>per&s;everance in watchfulne&s;s,</HI> to &s;tand ready for his com|ing, which being apprehended, there is no nece&s;&s;ity of pre&s;&s;ing each particular in the parable, yet I conceive, according to our Saviour. <HI>His opening</HI> of other parables, we may in&s;i&s;t upon the chief things therein, as where HE <HI>would let us &s;ee what</HI> need we had to take heed What, or How, or Whom we Hear, by the parable of the &s;everal &s;orts of Ground, receiving the <HI>&s;eed</HI> of the Word, he not onely tells us the <HI>difference</HI> of the Grounds, but <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13. 37, 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> 39.</NOTE> what the <HI>&s;eed is,</HI> and who the Sower is, or el&s;e in that parable of the good &s;eed and <HI>the Tares,</HI> he tells us particularly what is meant by each. And <HI>therefore I mu&s;t not here pa&s;s over</HI> this <HI>of the Bride-groom. The Virgins went forth to meet the Bridegroom.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The note will be</HI> The relation <HI>between the Lord Je&s;us and his peo|ple,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct&punc;</NOTE> <HI>He is the Bridegroom,</HI> and &s;tands in that relation to his people. that this is &s;o, we need go no further, <HI>then this parable,</HI> for who
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el&s;e is it that cometh, and with whom they that are ready, <HI>do enter into the M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rriage, then Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who is our life,</HI> who appear|ing, <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver. 10.</NOTE> <HI>we &s;hall appear with him in glory.</HI> Again <HI>the fooli&s;h virgins cry</HI> to him <HI>Lord Lord open</HI> to us. Who is the Lord, but Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as will appear by comparing this with that &s;peech of our Saviour. <HI>Not every one that</HI> &s;aith to me, Lord, Lord, &s;hall enter, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 22.</NOTE> but he <HI>that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.</HI> Many will &s;ay to me, <HI>Lord, Lord,</HI> have we not <HI>prophe&s;ied in thy Name,</HI> in who&s;e name, but <HI>in the name of Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> and in thy name <HI>ca&s;t out devils,</HI> who&s;e name, but the name of Je&s;us Chri&s;t? A|gain, <HI>who is it</HI> that pa&s;&s;eth the doom and <HI>Sentence</HI> upon poor &s;ouls, but Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who &s;hall judge both quick and dead, he &s;aith <HI>I know you not,</HI> in this place, depart from me, for I know you not. I never knew you, in that place of <HI>Matthew. Again in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 23.</NOTE> <HI>the winding up of all,</HI> in the Application we <HI>have an</HI> explication of this part of the parable, Watch therefore <HI>for ye know not the day n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r hour wherein Son of man cometh,</HI> and who is this Son of man that cometh &s;o uncertainly: <HI>but the Bridegroom,</HI> for whom the Virgins watched a while, but he not coming the time they thou ht, they fell <HI>a&s;leep,</HI> and were found unready; therefore watch, and who <HI>is the &s;on of man,</HI> but the <HI>Lord Je&s;us?</HI> You know he often calls him&s;elf &s;o in the Go&s;pel. <HI>I &s;uppo&s;e this is</HI> the mo&s;t &s;olid and near proof of the Doctrine. <HI>Which is fetched out</HI> of the parable, yet a parallel place or two more, I will add to it, in that place of <HI>John,</HI> where he <HI>an&s;wereth his Di&s;ciples,</HI> who &s;eemed to envy at it, that all the people followed <HI>Chri&s;t, and not their Ma&s;ter,</HI> O &s;aith he, <HI>he that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3. 29.</NOTE> but the friend of the Bridegroom &s;tandeth and heareth his voice and rejoyceth. <HI>I am not the Bridegroom,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>but onely his friend,</HI> for I have <HI>not the Bride,</HI> &s;he is not mine, but his; I have <HI>onely prepared</HI> a people for Chri&s;t, being a voice crying, <HI>prepare</HI> ye the Lord his way, make <HI>his paths</HI> &s;traight, but he is the Bride-groom, who hath the Bride; that is to &s;ay Je&s;us Chri&s;t, for the <HI>compari&s;on is between him, and the Lord Je&s;us,</HI> onely &s;o he giveth the honor to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and is willing to be Out-&s;hone by him, as the morning-&s;tar, by the Son when it ari&s;eth, appeareth not a|ny more. <HI>But one more, and that</HI> is of <HI>Matthew,</HI> when again the Di&s;ciples of <HI>John,</HI> being in <HI>a mourning condition,</HI> as it &s;hould &s;eem for their Ma&s;ter, now in the <HI>Paw of that Lyon</HI> that crafty
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Fox <HI>Herod,</HI> they had cau&s;e to <HI>mourn and fa&s;t,</HI> if by any means they might prevail, for his deliverance, as the <HI>Church afterward</HI> made continua! &s;upplication for <HI>Peter.</HI> Now they &s;aw not the Di&s;ciples of Chri&s;t to <HI>fa&s;t and mourn,</HI> and therefore they had a <HI>little emulation at them,</HI> and <HI>were quarrellous,</HI> and complaining to our Saviour, Why do we and the Pari&s;ees <HI>fa&s;t often, but thy De|&s;ciples fa&s;t not. Our Saviour</HI> again an&s;wers, How can the chil|dren of the Bride <HI>Chamber mourn,</HI> while the <HI>Bridegroom is with them,</HI> but the days are coming when <HI>he &s;hall be taken</HI> from them and <HI>then &s;hall they mourn.</HI> Is it &s;it or <HI>convenient for</HI> them to mourn while he is with them, for that <HI>is meant by (they cannot)</HI> the <HI>im|po&s;&s;ibility</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 9. 15.</NOTE> &s;et forth <HI>interrogatively,</HI> for the <HI>Affirmative interroga|tion,</HI> hath the force of a &s;trong Negation, Can they, <HI>that is, in no wi&s;e,</HI> they cannot mourn, the meaning is, it is not &s;uitable, <HI>it is not convenient,</HI> &s;o <HI>Nazianzen.</HI> It is rea&s;onable that they &s;hould now mourn. You all know <HI>who are meant by the children</HI> of the Bride-Chamber, <HI>even the Di&s;ciples,</HI> and the Bridegroom is Je|&s;us Chri&s;t, who yet a little while was with them, <HI>and ere long &s;hould</HI> be taken away from them, and then &s;hould be a time of mourning to them. But I will not here <HI>&s;tay you longer,</HI> the re&s;t of the Scriptures <HI>we &s;hall con&s;ider,</HI> in the opening of the Point to you.</P>
<P>The Bridegroom, <HI>being a relative,</HI> mu&s;t have a <HI>Correlate</HI> and <HI>that is the Bride.</HI> And therefore fir&s;t we will &s;peak a little to that, <HI>who this Bride is,</HI> for it &s;eemeth not to be intimated in the Text, but the Bridegroom to &s;tand alone. And then a word or two to the per&s;on, and quality of the Bridegroom.</P>
<P><HI>For the Bride, the Text &s;eemeth</HI> not to &s;hew her to <HI>our view, for here only, the kingdom of God,</HI> the Church vi&s;ible, is compared to ten virgins, &s;ome wi&s;e, &s;ome fooli&s;h, and this may &s;eem <HI>hardly to be the Bride,</HI> for the fooli&s;h you &s;ee, <HI>they are di&s;owned,</HI> and Je&s;us Chri&s;t certainly <HI>e&s;pou&s;eth</HI> none to be his Bride, but he communica|teth of him&s;elf to them, who is <HI>the wi&s;dom of the Father,</HI> and hath all <HI>trea&s;ures of wi&s;dom</HI> and knowledge in him; and therefore <HI>his &s;pou&s;e, can not be the fooli&s;h virgins,</HI> they have no fel|low&s;hip with him in his wi&s;dom. <HI>And for the wi&s;e,</HI> though it be &s;aid they <HI>entered with him</HI> in <HI>to the marriage,</HI> yet they are here &s;poken of, <HI>but as virgins which are companions to the Queen,</HI> as it is in the 45. <HI>P&s;al. v.</HI> 14. which in <HI>weddings it &s;eemeth</HI> did accom|pany the B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ide to bring her to the Bridgr. but the&s;e were not the &s;pou&s;e, and therefore it may &s;eem there is nothing here intimated
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of the Bride which is the <HI>correlate</HI> of the Bridegroom. We an&s;wer, In <HI>propriety</HI> of &s;peech indeed, the Bride is the Queen, and the Virgins <HI>her companions</HI> they are not one and the &s;ame, but in the&s;e <HI>tropical</HI> &s;peeches they may be one and the &s;ame, and are &s;o doubtle&s;s, for <HI>herein we</HI> mu&s;t <HI>know</HI> that the Church, and people of God <HI>admits</HI> of <HI>notions,</HI> of divers relations unto divers conditions As in <HI>another Parable,</HI> where the Communications of Chri&s;t to his people are &s;et forth by a <HI>Marriage Fea&s;t</HI> as afterward we &s;hall <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22. 2.</NOTE> &s;hew you, here you know the King <HI>prepareth a fea&s;t for his Son,</HI> that is to &s;ay, <HI>for Je&s;us Chri&s;t a marriage fea&s;t</HI> it is <GAP DESC="foreign">, a mar|riage it &s;elf, though by that be meant a marriage fea&s;t, now <HI>many gue&s;ts were invited,</HI> and <HI>they make this and that excu&s;e,</HI> at la&s;t he retcheth them in from the <HI>high-way &s;ides,</HI> and <HI>heals</HI> the poor &s;cat|tered <HI>contemned</HI> Gentiles, brought in when the <HI>Jews refu&s;ed, here is the communication</HI> of him&s;elf to them as a Church vi&s;ible, for &s;o it mu&s;t be under&s;tood becau&s;e there was one there <HI>without a wedding garment;</HI> It &s;eemeth there was a cu&s;tom to put on their be&s;t apparel, &s;omewhat &s;uitable to the occa&s;ion. Well, the re&s;t they had &s;uch a garment. But if this be but a marriage fea&s;t for Chri&s;t and the Bride, What are tho&s;e Gue&s;ts then that are invited to it? It &s;hould &s;eem they are not the Bride her &s;elf. Why tru|ly here the An&s;wer is the &s;ame, in this <HI>Tropical</HI> &s;peech they are one, and the &s;ame, though here they be not con&s;idered as &s;uch. And &s;o in <HI>our Text the real</HI> believers, aand Saints in truth, are &s;et forth <HI>by the wi&s;e virgins,</HI> and all <HI>&s;uch have Chri&s;t, and Chri&s;t hath them</HI> as the Bride, onely <HI>here they are con&s;idered</HI> indeed according to the compari&s;on, as <HI>the virgins her companions</HI> which <HI>go forth to meet</HI> the <HI>Bridegroom.</HI> Yet <HI>indeed and in truth they</HI> are the Bride her &s;elf. <HI>And</HI> he &s;aid in that place of the <HI>Revelations,</HI> Ble&s;&s;ed are they <HI>who are called to the marriage &s;upper of the Lamb,</HI> and &s;o <NOTE PLACE="marg">R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">v. 19. 9.</NOTE> called as to come to it, but if they were not the <HI>&s;pou&s;e,</HI> had not an intere&s;t in the Bridegroom, as &s;uch, truly there would <HI>be no hap|ne&s;s in it</HI> to behold him, and not to enjoy him; and therefore this is <HI>but the &s;ame thing</HI> with that in the <HI>New Jeru&s;alem;</HI> the ho|ly <NOTE PLACE="marg">R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">v. 31. 29.</NOTE> City, <HI>coming down from God,</HI> even out of heaven as a Bride a|dorned for her husband, and the <HI>Angel &s;aid,</HI> come and <HI>I will &s;hew thee the Bride the Lambs wife,</HI> where <HI>the Bride and Gue&s;ts</HI> are one and the &s;ame &s;urely, onely con&s;idered under a divers notion, ac|cording
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to the nature of the &s;imilitude or compari&s;on, and &s;o it is in this place. Yea, that which <HI>&s;eemeth farther</HI> off in the compa|ri&s;on of the <HI>prothe&s;is</HI> in the <HI>apodo&s;is</HI> cometh as near, that is to &s;ay of <HI>young men, the friends of the Bridegroom,</HI> the children of the Bride Chamber, they al&s;o are a part of the Bride, for they are the&s;e Virgins al&s;o, though in the compari&s;on male and female are di&s;tingui&s;hed, yet in Chri&s;t, no difference.</P>
<P><HI>Well then, the&s;e virgins,</HI> the <HI>wi&s;e virgins,</HI> though con&s;idered here onely as <HI>accompanying the Bride,</HI> the Queen, to the Bride-groom, <HI>Yet they are the Bride her&s;elf</HI> indeed, now herein <HI>is the my&s;tery</HI> of the Saints communion with Chri&s;t <HI>tran&s;cendent and wonderful,</HI> that though they be marryed to him, yet they are <HI>virgins</HI> &s;till; It is true <HI>an e&s;pou&s;al</HI> of a virgin deflours her not, but &s;he continueth &s;o, until the con&s;ummation of the marriage, though the Jews had another manner of cu&s;tom, &s;ometimes to <HI>e&s;pou&s;e</HI> by <HI>copulation;</HI> though afterwards it was <HI>forbidden with them.</HI> See <HI>Goodw. Antiq. Jud.</HI> yet when the Saints have the ful|le&s;t, neare&s;t <HI>marriage, communion</HI> with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, yet <HI>they are virgins,</HI> yea the purer <HI>their virginity is,</HI> then the Idols of their hearts, <HI>they are fully clean&s;ed from,</HI> according to that Go&s;pel-pro|mi&s;e, I will clean&s;e them from all your <HI>Idols,</HI> then it is done fully. And <HI>this is the virginity of the Saints,</HI> it lyes in their union and fellow&s;hip with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and none el&s;e; thus &s;aith <HI>Theophil.</HI> from <HI>Chry&s;.</HI> is a wonder that &s;he &s;hould <HI>be marryed,</HI> &amp; yet a virgin and the more, for marriage communion, the Church with <HI>J. Chri&s;t</HI> the purer her virginity is, the more perfectly is &s;he clean&s;ed from Idols and all uncleanne&s;s. The <HI>truth is</HI> brethren <HI>we are never</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">The High Prie&s;t to m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">|ry only a V<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> gin. Lev. 21. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> <HI>virgins, until</HI> we come to be <HI>e&s;pou&s;ed</HI> to him, <HI>but all filthy forni|cators</HI> and unclean per&s;ons, <HI>wallowing in our filthine&s;s,</HI> and now when once the Lord Je&s;us lays hold upon us for <HI>his, we begin to be virgins,</HI> where again <HI>the tran&s;cendency of grace</HI> above nature, which is the ground of the compari&s;on, if it reacheth not the thing compared to it. And <HI>&s;o though they go a whoring afterward from the Lord Je&s;us,</HI> play the <HI>Harlots,</HI> as he <HI>complains</HI> of <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> you know often in the Prophets, that is to &s;ay by go|ing <HI>after other objects of wor&s;hip,</HI> then him&s;elf, other lovers, yet <HI>when they return</HI> to their <HI>own husband again,</HI> why <HI>then they become virgins.</HI> Now though <HI>Judah</HI> had been wofully <HI>corrupted with Idolatry</HI> in <HI>the days of Ahaz,</HI> that <HI>Ahaz.</HI> There is a brand &s;et
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upon him worthily by the &s;pirit of God, for he corrupted the people above mea&s;ure, <HI>&s;hut up</HI> the <HI>doors of the Hou&s;e of God,</HI> had <HI>Altars in every corner</HI> of the City in the <HI>open places,</HI> as the Phari|&s;ees prayed <HI>in corners,</HI> the places where many &s;treets met, <HI>impu|dent</HI> whoredoms in the face of the Sun, they di&s;covered their &s;in as Sodom, yea, they <HI>cut in pieces,</HI> many of the ve&s;&s;els of the <HI>Temple, and brought in &s;o much filthine&s;s</HI> into it, as that they <HI>were &s;ixteen days clean&s;ing it.</HI> Now they played the <HI>Harlot,</HI> and there|fore wrath was again&s;t them, and all I&s;rael for that. But now when <HI>in Hezekiah</HI> his days, the doors of <HI>the hou&s;e were opened,</HI> they repented, he called upon them to turn to their God, <HI>&s;et up his pure wor&s;hip again, though to his own co&s;t and charge, for the daily</HI> burnt Sacrifice, a high <HI>example for godly</HI> Princes, you have the <HI>memorable &s;tory</HI> in 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> Well now when <HI>Sennacherib cometh</HI> up again&s;t them, &s;aith the Lord, <HI>The virgin daughter of Sion</HI> hath de&s;pi&s;ed thee before an <HI>Harlot,</HI> an impudent one, commit|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cron. 29 30.</NOTE> abominations in the very corners of the &s;treets, now the vir|gin daughter of Sion, here is <HI>indeed wonder upon wonder</HI> in this, but I doubt I &s;tay too long upon the&s;e things.</P>
<P>The next <HI>thing is the Bridegroom,</HI> The Per&s;on that &s;tands now in relation to the Bride, who is it, but the <HI>Lord Je&s;us, Immanuel</HI> God with us, Married to us in our nature taking that upon him&s;elf, It is no <HI>mean Per&s;on</HI> brethren that is the Bridegroom, but he who is <HI>God equal with the father,</HI> and counteth it no robbe|ry <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 2. 6.</NOTE> to be equal with him. He who is the &s;hining forth <HI>of his fa|thers</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">b. 1. 3.</NOTE> <HI>glory,</HI> the <HI>expre&s;s image of his fathers</HI> per&s;on, this is he bre|thren. What &s;hall I &s;ay brethren, Alas, I doubt <HI>I &s;hall di&s;honour him</HI> by &s;peaking of him.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>If you look upon his birth, who can declare his generation,</HI> It is that, people do much look at, in their marriages, and there is <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">3 8.</NOTE> &s;omewhat in it; though happily, not &s;o much as men place in it among men, but here there is very much, <HI>He is the Son of God.</HI> The <HI>Jews</HI> lookt upon it as &s;o <HI>high above him,</HI> &s;eeing no farther then <HI>Haman,</HI> that they <HI>cryed</HI> out of <HI>bla&s;phemy, that he made him|&s;elf equal with God,</HI> he is the Bridegroom then, the Son of God, his <HI>own Son, as the Go&s;pel hath it, his onely begotten Son;</HI> He w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o by a divine, infinite, incomprehen&s;ible communication is <HI>one in e&s;|&s;ence</HI> and nature with his father, <HI>he it is (brethren)</HI> that is the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 32.</NOTE> Bridegroom. We, by <HI>Birth,</HI> what are we? but the ba&s;e&s;t, our <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3. 16.</NOTE>
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<HI>Father</HI> an <HI>Amorite,</HI> our <HI>Mother</HI> an <HI>Hittite,</HI> yea a &s;eeed of <HI>evil doers, a generation of vipers,</HI> wor&s;e then worms, and the vile&s;t; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 16. 3.</NOTE> And <HI>yet the Lord Je&s;us the Bridegroom</HI> bearing &s;uch a relation, to &s;uch as we, and taking us into &s;uch a relation to him&s;elf.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>If we look upon his beauty brethren, Alas!</HI> if we turn our <HI>eyes towards it,</HI> we <HI>are dazled, a beam or two he &s;heweth</HI> us in a gla&s;s darkly indeed, that <HI>yet</HI> rightly under&s;tood, would amaze us; as to behold the <HI>glory of the Sun reflected by a gla&s;s,</HI> or a piece of <HI>bur|ni&s;hed mettal,</HI> it dazleth us, we cannot behold it, when he &s;aith, he is the <HI>&s;hining forth of his fathers glory</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> the &s;hining <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 1. 3.</NOTE> forth of his fathers glory, which con&s;idered as God-man, is a glorious expre&s;&s;ion of his beauty. But con&s;idered as he is <HI>the Son of God,</HI> it falls much below it, for the beam of the Sun, though <HI>never &s;o glorious,</HI> is far below the e&s;&s;ence of the Son, but he is, one in e&s;&s;ence with the father, <HI>He is as God-man,</HI> the expre&s;s Cha|racter <HI>of his fathers per&s;on.</HI> A poor dull <HI>carnal</HI> eye that lookt no farther <HI>then the veil of fle&s;h,</HI> and &s;aw him <HI>a man of &s;orrow, ac|quainted with grief,</HI> his vi&s;age <HI>marred more then any mans</HI> as he <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 53. 4.</NOTE> &s;aith, Smitten of God, or a &s;mitten God, alas, there was no beau|ty to be &s;een why <HI>he &s;hould de&s;ire him.</HI> But <HI>his beauty is inward,</HI> he is <HI>white and ruddy, the chief among ten thou&s;and,</HI> either his <HI>di|vinity</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant 5. 10.</NOTE> <HI>and Humanity,</HI> or his fulne&s;s <HI>of Grace, and his bloody Me|rits</HI> in <HI>a &s;weet exact mixture. O how beautiful</HI> do they make him, he is <HI>fairer then the &s;ons of men!</HI> If that beauty will carry it, he <HI>is the very Paragon of Heaven.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. For <HI>Riches</HI> there is none <HI>like to him.</HI> This is a great allure|ment you know indeed, <HI>for the mo&s;t part</HI> men do marry the gold and riches of the world rather then the per&s;on, though this <HI>be a madne&s;s;</HI> an <HI>Heir to a great e&s;tate</HI> likely will not need a wife, <HI>Why, the Lord Je&s;us is heir of all things,</HI> all things in <HI>Heaven and Earth.</HI> He is the <HI>onely Son of God,</HI> the heir apparent of heaven he is, being the Son of God, &s;o that what ever we want, it will be abundantly &s;upplyed in him. <HI>Abraham his &s;ervant</HI> wooing &s;aith, his Ma&s;ter <HI>was rich, and had onely one Son,</HI> and he heir of all. <HI>Gen.</HI> 24. 35&punc; 36.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>If Honours will do it</HI> for that is <HI>&s;omewhat which much takes with men,</HI> he is no <HI>le&s;s then a King,</HI> and no mean one, he is the <HI>King of Glory,</HI> a <HI>glorious King</HI> indeed, as he is called in that P&s;alm, Yea the <HI>King of Kings; and Lord of Lords,</HI> Rev. 17. 14. A mo&s;t
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high and eminent Kingdom, who hath all other <HI>Kings at his command,</HI> a hundred &s;even and twenty Provinces were a <HI>great Dominion,</HI> but not onely all the <HI>Kingdoms of the earth are the Lords and his Chri&s;ts,</HI> but <HI>by him Kings rule,</HI> and Princes decree Ju&s;tice, it is by his permi&s;&s;ion, any of them exerci&s;e their power.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>For Power as well as Authority,</HI> and <HI>Maje&s;ty,</HI> he it is that can <HI>do what he plea&s;eth,</HI> he is indeed the <HI>Mighty God,</HI> and what then can &s;tand in his way. <HI>He is our Maker,</HI> and <HI>there is much</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 9. I&s;a. 54. 5. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>in that,</HI> thy <HI>Maker is thy Husband,</HI> thy Redeemer, the <HI>Lord of Ho&s;ts</HI> is his name; <HI>thy Maker,</HI> he that <HI>gave thee thy beeing when thou hadde&s;t none,</HI> by a <HI>word of his mouth.</HI> O here is power in|deed! he that could give us a <HI>&s;piritual being</HI> by the &s;ame word, there, is yet more power, for in the fir&s;t there was no <HI>repugnancy</HI> but here there is, <HI>he is the Lord of Ho&s;ts;</HI> It was much to <HI>I&s;rael</HI> to con&s;ider who was <HI>their Husband, even the Lord of Ho&s;ts,</HI> he that could Redeem them out of <HI>Egypt,</HI> &s;ink all their enemies in the Red-Sea, go as a <HI>Captain</HI> before them, drive out the <HI>Canaanites,</HI> notwith&s;tanding their <HI>Iron Chariots,</HI> the <HI>Anakims,</HI> that <HI>were a terror</HI> to them. He now was their Husband <HI>He is a man of war,</HI> and a mo&s;t mighty man of valour, for that <HI>Goliah</HI> him&s;elf which <HI>defies</HI> the Armies <HI>of I&s;rael, is nothing</HI> in his hand, the roaring <HI>Lyon,</HI> is nothing in his hand, he can <HI>tear him in pieces,</HI> and brui&s;e him under his feet, even as a Lyon tears a Kid. It is very much brethren, this to commend the Lord Je&s;us to us, he can fight our battels for us, &s;o that if <HI>we can but &s;tand &s;till</HI> we &s;hall &s;ee the &s;alvation of the Lord.</P>
<P N="6">6. For <HI>a lovely &s;weet di&s;po&s;ition,</HI> which is none of the <HI>lea&s;t de&s;ira|ble things</HI> in a Husband; O never was there like to Je&s;us Chri&s;t for <HI>di&s;po&s;ition,</HI> he is <HI>love it &s;elf,</HI> and <HI>tenderne&s;s it &s;elf, bowels and com|pa&s;&s;ion it &s;elf! there is many a one,</HI> though they have beauty and riches, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d <HI>honours, and birth and power</HI> in an Husband; yet if there be <HI>an un&s;uitable</HI> di&s;po&s;ition, there be rigidne&s;s, and <HI>har&s;h|ne&s;s,</HI> it imbitters all; O do but ob&s;erve how <HI>&s;weet a di&s;po&s;ition</HI> he was of, &s;o far from har&s;hne&s;s to his people, that he melteth o|ver <HI>his very enemies that refu&s;ed him,</HI> Ah that <HI>thou ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t known in this thy day</HI> &amp;c. O how he is <HI>touched with our infirmities, affli|cted</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10. 42. Heb. 4. 15.</NOTE> <HI>in our afflictions!</HI> A woman that hath &s;uch a husband, what a &s;weetning is it to all her afflictions; <HI>If love</HI> will do, he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ll ne|ver
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take any other cour&s;e, never any e&s;trangement of him&s;elf from a &s;oul, here <HI>is a Bridegroom indeed. But I will not &s;peak any further,</HI> Brethren, you have heard much, and much better of the excellencies of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, then I am able to &s;peak to you; this onely for the &s;econd thing.</P>
<P>There <HI>are yet to be con&s;idered</HI> the Cau&s;es, which according to their &s;everal influences, <HI>concur to the making up of this relation</HI> between Chri&s;t and the Church, of a <HI>Bridegroom and a Bride,</HI> whichwhen I have &s;poken &s;omewhat to, I will pro|ceed.</P>
<P N="1">1. Then, <HI>The Father, he giveth them to his Son,</HI> and the Son to them. This is above compari&s;on, though the Father of the Vir|gin give her, give his con&s;ent, and <HI>&s;o the Parents of the Son,</HI> they give their con&s;ent. But here is God the Father who doth all, he <HI>giveth his &s;on for his people, and to his people,</HI> as you have it in that place, <HI>he &s;o loved the world</HI> that he gave <HI>his onely begotten</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3. 16.</NOTE> <HI>Son,</HI> that <HI>who&s;oever believeth</HI> in him <HI>might not peri&s;h,</HI> but might be brought in to the neare&s;t unity with him, <HI>might have life ever|la&s;ting,</HI> in <HI>communion with him.</HI> If thou had&s;t known <HI>the gift of God,</HI> &s;aith he to the woman of <HI>Samaria,</HI> and who &s;aith to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 4. 10.</NOTE> thee give me drink, or, And he giveth us to his Son, that is to &s;ay, as many as were <HI>in his purpo&s;e of grace, thine they were, and thou gave&s;t them to me;</HI> they were thine not &s;o much by <HI>Crea|tion,</HI> for he &s;peaks of many that yet were not created, nor are <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 17 9.</NOTE> to this day likely, created, but in the <HI>purpo&s;e of grace</HI> they were h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s, and as <HI>ab&s;olute &s;overaign</HI> over all, &s;o they were his to do with them as he plea&s;ed, to have made them <HI>ve&s;&s;els of di&s;honor</HI> if he had plea&s;ed; as <HI>Ananias</HI> was it not thine own, <HI>mighte&s;t thou not have done</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 5.</NOTE> <HI>with it</HI> what thou woulde&s;t? So here, <HI>we were the Fathers as Sove|raign,</HI> all of us and <HI>his Chri&s;ts,</HI> not onely &s;o, but in his <HI>purpo&s;e</HI> of grace he gave them to his Son, to be his <HI>Spou&s;e,</HI> his wife.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>But yet Alas they would be under the hands of &s;in</HI> and Satan <HI>in&s;laved</HI> in an Iron Furnace, hard bondage, <HI>he mu&s;t redeem them, if he will have them, they are &s;old under &s;in and</HI> Satan, the Prince of this world; therefore he mu&s;t pay the price, they were <HI>ob|noxious</HI> indeed to his Ju&s;tice, <HI>or would be in time; and therefore</HI> he mu&s;t provide a <HI>&s;atisfaction</HI> or el&s;e <HI>they could not be &s;et clear.</HI> It was the manner in &s;ome Countries brethen, <HI>to give Dowries for
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their wives,</HI> to buy them before they had them, quite contrary to what is among us, <HI>Ask me never &s;o much dowry, &s;aith Sechem,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 34. 8, 11, 11.</NOTE> <HI>and I will give it, he was now in love with the Virgin,</HI> and nothing was too much for her now; &s;o here the Lord Je&s;us, as <HI>well as his Father,</HI> he before the world was, fore&s;aw what a happine&s;s it would be to <HI>poor Creatures,</HI> and what a glory and joy to him&s;elf, and them for ever <HI>one in another,</HI> and therefore <HI>he delights now</HI> in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 1. u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t.</NOTE> the <HI>habitable parts of the earth in the &s;ons of men.</HI> O now what ever is required I will give, if <HI>I mu&s;t take fle&s;h,</HI> an infinite conde|&s;cention, I will do it, as if a Prince &s;hould &s;ay, if <HI>I mu&s;t be cloathed with rags;</HI> yea with <HI>clods, yea with worms,</HI> I will, rather then I will go without &s;uch a <HI>poor worm</HI> to be my &s;pou&s;e, <HI>If I mu&s;t part with my deare&s;t blood,</HI> and <HI>extend</HI> it to the <HI>la&s;t drop,</HI> I will; <HI>Ask me any Dowry,</HI> yea if I mu&s;t give my &s;elf for them, who am God, and equal with thee, <HI>as well as</HI> afterward man, I will do it, <HI>my kingdom for them, my glory for them,</HI> my blood for them, O <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph 5. 25.</NOTE> brethren the Lord <HI>Je&s;us is worth a hundred thou&s;and worlds!</HI> well he will buy us, he hath done it, at a dear rate. Indeed <HI>David</HI> bought <HI>Michal</HI> at a dear rate, by the death of the Phili&s;tims, and afterward <HI>two hundred foreskins of the Phili&s;tins,</HI> it plea&s;ed him well, what is this brethren: <HI>If David mu&s;t have parted with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 18. 25.</NOTE> <HI>his life for her,</HI> have been &s;o much deba&s;ed, as to have lived a poor de&s;pi&s;ed contemptible life for her, <HI>a h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">wer of wood, or drawer of water,</HI> or ground at a Mill, or to have been as <HI>Job</HI> continually, a <HI>man of &s;orrows,</HI> and upon the dunghil, this had been &s;omewhat, but nothing to this of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Satan was there <HI>&s;pou&s;e, bought at &s;o low a rate</HI> as the Church of Chri&s;t was. <HI>I have read of &s;ome that mu&s;t not marry</HI> a woman until they <HI>had killed an ene|my, and other</HI> until they <HI>had killed, or overcome their Corrivals,</HI> and happily this might be hard: But the <HI>Lord Je&s;us,</HI> he <HI>mu&s;t grapple with his Corrival</HI> the Law, the former Husband as the A|po&s;tle cals it, as it is the <HI>&s;trength of &s;in,</HI> and &s;lay that, and take <HI>away the Cur&s;e,</HI> &amp; break the <HI>commanding power,</HI> the &s;treaming power of the Law, before he could take us to be his. And &s;o he mu&s;t grapple <NOTE PLACE="marg">Colo&s;. 2. 15.</NOTE> with <HI>principalities and powers,</HI> and &s;poyl them,, <HI>and lead captivi|ty captive, &s;catter</HI> him in his temptations, <HI>break him in his poli|cies, undermine him in his depths</HI> and methods, over-power him, in his malice, he mu&s;t de&s;troy <HI>all the&s;e enemies.</HI> Yea more then all this the <HI>wrath of his father that</HI> was again&s;t us, and again&s;t
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which <HI>there was no &s;tanding,</HI> he mu&s;t interpo&s;e, and <HI>&s;creen</HI> us from it, and O! <HI>How it &s;corched him,</HI> though he quenched it! As the <HI>Pa&s;&s;eover was roa&s;ted</HI> in the fire; &s;o the <HI>Lord Je&s;us our Pa&s;&s;eover, was even roa&s;ted</HI> alive in the di&s;plea&s;ure of his Father.</P>
<P N="3">3. Then <HI>he cometh a wooing, for when all this</HI> is done brethren, we are unwilling it may be to have him, are well contented to continue <HI>with our former</HI> Husband, to be <HI>yet under the Law,</HI> and the commanding power of &s;in, and &s;ee no <HI>&s;uch beauty in him,</HI> as to de&s;ire him, nor any &s;uch freedom and <HI>comfort in being</HI> one with him as to de&s;ire that. Yea <HI>if we be</HI> convinced a little of this, yet happily our wills or hearts are not towards him; and there|fore he is <HI>fain to w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o us,</HI> when all is done; <HI>him&s;elf came in the days of his fle&s;h,</HI> and what was his work before his &s;uffering, but to wooe poor creatures to accept of him. How did he wooe the woman of <HI>Samaria, If thou had&s;t known</HI> &s;aith he, the Gift of God, thou would&s;t have asked him in&s;inuating, there was more <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 4. 10.</NOTE> in him then &s;he yet &s;aw, as appeared when he told her her &s;ins, what they had been? How often would I <HI>have gathered thee, Jeru&s;alem, Jeru&s;alem,</HI> &s;aith he; O I have been ready to &s;pread my Skirts over you, but you <HI>would not:</HI> Sometimes intreating, <HI>&s;ometimes lamenting</HI> their condition; <HI>&s;ometimes di&s;plea&s;ed</HI> at the hardne&s;s of their hearts. It is much for a King to come a <HI>wooing him&s;elf,</HI> a <HI>great King. They u&s;e to &s;end,</HI> as <HI>David</HI> to <HI>Abigail, Abraham,</HI> to <HI>Rebecca:</HI> but here, he cometh him&s;elf <HI>a long jour|ney,</HI> from Heaven to Earth, and <HI>contented to take on him the form of a &s;ervant,</HI> that we might not be dazled with his glory, and no pains doth he refu&s;e. How did <HI>he go up and down on foot until he was weary?</HI> Ble&s;&s;ed Saviour, he was weary at the well there by <HI>Samaria,</HI> and all was that he might <HI>everywhere wooe</HI> and intreat poor creatures to accept of him. And 2: not onely <HI>by him&s;elf,</HI> but <HI>by his Me&s;&s;engers,</HI> now he is <HI>in his glory:</HI> now he &s;ends by his Me&s;&s;engers to this end. You &s;ee <HI>Abraham</HI> his <HI>&s;ervant went to take a wife</HI> for <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> and <HI>David</HI> his &s;ervants, went to <HI>Abigail.</HI> So brethren, do the Me&s;&s;engers of Je&s;us Chri&s;t his <HI>paranymphs</HI> or <HI>pronubi.</HI> They &s;peak now a good word for Je&s;us Chri&s;t; &s;o <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 11 2.</NOTE> the Apo&s;tle, I have <HI>e&s;pou&s;ed you</HI> &s;aith he to one Husband. <HI>Such are friends of the Bridegoom,</HI> as <HI>John was,</HI> that did what he could to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3. 29.</NOTE> bring the people to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, even the people of the Jews, and would fain have had all the <HI>people</HI> to clo&s;e with him. But</P>
<P N="4"><PB N="44" REF="88">
4. In <HI>this e&s;pou&s;al to</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t, we are to <HI>con&s;ider &s;everal things,</HI> what is done 1. By <HI>the &s;pirit, he is indeed the great wooer,</HI> He is <HI>&s;ent forth to convince</HI> of righteou&s;ne&s;s and of &s;in, the bur|then of the work lyes upon the Spirit, and happy it is for us that it doth &s;o, for how fruitle&s;s would our <HI>endeavours</HI> be to you, el&s;e brethren, we might &s;pend our &s;elves, and be &s;pent, and when all is done complain, We have <HI>&s;pent our &s;trength in vain, for I&s;rael is not gathered,</HI> How &s;ad for you? How uncomfortable for us? No no, the great per&s;wader is the Spirit: he cometh and <HI>he openeth the eyes,</HI> and then the poor &s;oul &s;eeth, O he is <HI>aere alieno obrutu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> &s;o <HI>deep</HI> indebted to the Ju&s;tice of God, that <HI>whatever he can do or &s;uffer</HI> to pay it, eternity is little enough to pay it in, O now for a Husband, now how happy a creature &s;hould I be if &s;ome that were able to bear the debt would di&s;charge it, would take it up for her. He then <HI>in&s;inuates</HI> &s;omewhat further, and <HI>convinceth</HI> of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, that <HI>there is enough in Chri&s;t</HI> if we owed a thou|&s;and Talents more, O <HI>then that I had it &s;aith the poor &s;oul:</HI> O he is willing, <HI>he is willing</HI> &s;aith the Spirit; therefore he <HI>is Preached</HI> to every creature. Thus if this Arm of the Lord were <HI>not re|vealed, our</HI> report of Chri&s;t would never be believed. But what <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 53. 1.</NOTE> then do the Mini&s;ters do?</P>
<P><HI>Yea their word, the word of Faith</HI> which they preach, it is the <HI>vehiculum Spiritus.</HI> It is that wherein the Spirit breatheth. It <HI>is the &s;pirit</HI> brethren, ordinarily <HI>in the Law</HI> which convinceth of &s;in, or the <HI>Go&s;pel preached legally,</HI> as the great aggravation of mens &s;ins; and it is the &s;pirit in the <HI>Go&s;pel preached Evangelically</HI> as that which holds forth a ran&s;om, a propitiation for &s;inners, whereby the Spirit convinceth of righteou&s;ne&s;s. Where, <HI>as in a gla&s;s</HI> the Spirit of Chri&s;t doth hold out The beauty, excellency, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 3. 18.</NOTE> love, and loveline&s;s of the <HI>Lord Je&s;us,</HI> which is mo&s;t tran&s;cen|dent and ravi&s;hing to the &s;oul that &s;eeth it, but a little more par|ticularly then.</P>
<P N="1">1. The <HI>Spirit by their word ordinarily,</HI> not excluding other means, though the Spirit alway is the great wooer, and worker in this kind. I &s;ay the Spirit, by their word doth work to the <HI>revealing</HI> of a poor creature, breaking that enmity that was in the heart to Je&s;us Chri&s;t: So the Apo&s;tle, <HI>I have e&s;pou&s;ed you to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 C<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">. 11. 2.</NOTE> <HI>one Husband,</HI> &s;o we read it, which <HI>Beza</HI> di&s;alloweth not, but he readeth <HI>optavi, Era&s;mus adjunxi,</HI> the word is <GAP DESC="foreign"> I
<PB N="45" REF="88">
have joyned them to the Lord &s;aith he, <HI>Era&s;. vel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t ea quae gluti|ne aut ferrumine comittuntur,</HI> but yet me thinks, &s;aith <HI>Beza,</HI> the the word <GAP DESC="foreign"> that I might pre&s;ent you as <HI>a pure virgin</HI> to one Husband, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> confutes is, <HI>&s;peaking afterward</HI> of a nearer joyning to Chri&s;t then now, <HI>therefore he readeth it I have fitted you</HI> for the Lord, wherein</P>
<P N="1">1. Is a <HI>reconciling of the per&s;ons to Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> We be&s;eech <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 10.</NOTE> you &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>be ye reconciled to God.</HI> In Chri&s;ts &s;tead we do it, as if <HI>he did be&s;eech you him&s;elf,</HI> we pray you be reconciled and O that we could do this brethren! but with &s;uch bowels as the Lord Je&s;us, or as this Apo&s;tle did. <HI>We are &s;oon an&s;wered,</HI> and take a denyal of you for you <HI>practice a denyal,</HI> and we are too ea&s;ie <HI>to take it. O I be&s;eech you</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, be you reconciled. Alas poor &s;inners, you are enemies to Chri&s;t, and how will an e|nemy be marryed to an enemy while &s;uch, <HI>you think you are not enemies,</HI> and you are not &s;o indeed, in word, and profe&s;&s;ion; but in your deeds you are enemies. <HI>You do nothing but wound</HI> and tear his name, and are you not then enemies, you <HI>hate the &s;trictne&s;s of his ways,</HI> and his people that walk in them, and are you not ene|mies; <HI>you are in love with your &s;ins,</HI> which were the very &s;peare at <HI>his heart</HI> the <HI>knife</HI> that butchered him, and are not enemies? <HI>Ah!</HI> how many &s;uch here this day, Now our work is to intreat you fir&s;t to be reconciled, as for his part <HI>he is ready to forgive,</HI> and forget all, and to look upon you, as if you had <HI>never had offended him,</HI> if you had but hearts given you towards him as his is to|wards you.</P>
<P N="2">2. Not onely, <HI>but then there is the e&s;pou&s;ing</HI> brethren, and that is when there is a <HI>mutual promi&s;e pa&s;t</HI> between the Lord <HI>Je&s;us and the &s;oul,</HI> he will be a <HI>Husband to thee,</HI> and marry thee to him&s;elf, and thou wilt <HI>be faithful to him,</HI> wilt never follow other lovers any more, Thou wilt be his, and his alone, if he be plea&s;ed to be thine. <HI>Now the Go&s;pel which we preach is the word of this faith.</HI> It is indeed the &s;pirit brethren, which is <HI>received</HI> by the hearing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3 2.</NOTE> of faith, by the word of faith, as the Apo&s;tle &s;pake, that doth per|&s;wade a &s;oul to this, to clo&s;e with him, to take him, upon his own terms. <HI>He will be his virgin now for ever.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>There is yet further an adorning her,</HI> when &s;o <HI>e&s;pou&s;ed,</HI> and &s;o fitting her for him to be pre&s;ented him <HI>a pure virgin.</HI> That I might <HI>pre&s;ent</HI> you, not only cha&s;te, but <HI>all manner of purity,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">
<PB N="46" REF="89">
and this is nothing el&s;e brethren, but <HI>the integrity and uprightne&s;s</HI> of the &s;oul, the abounding of the &s;oul with all the graces of the &s;pirit, wherein there is a growth by <HI>degrees.</HI> And this is the work of the <HI>&s;ervants of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> a part of their <HI>fitting of them for him</HI> To labour, <HI>to carry on his work</HI> &s;o in his peoples hearts, that they may be adorned and meet for &s;uch a Bride-groom.</P>
<P><HI>There are but two things more to be hinted,</HI> before I come to the Application of this. And the next is <HI>The manner of this e&s;pou|&s;ing</HI> or betrothing, but before that we mu&s;t note, That as there was a <HI>betrothing</HI> of virgins &s;ome time, before the compleating of the marriage which cu&s;tom is commendable, you know <HI>Jo&s;eph had Mary e&s;pou&s;ed to him, before he took her</HI> to his family, as compleat|ly <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 1. 14.</NOTE> and fully. So among the Heathens, <HI>al&s;o placuit de&s;pondi nu|ptiis hic dictus e&s;t dies,</HI> &s;aith the Comic. <HI>Terent.</HI> only to <HI>the faith</HI> of the marriage. Now they were <HI>counted by the people of God,</HI> and by the Law, man and wife, Husband and wife (*). It was <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Deut.</HI> 22. 23. Lat. Alex. Gen. Dier. l. 2. <HI>Page</HI> 58. One promi&s;ing ano|ther, were cal|led Spon&s;us &amp; Spon&s;a.</NOTE> death for them <HI>to violate that betrothing</HI> as well as <HI>if they had been</HI> never &s;o compleatly <HI>and &s;olemnly marryed,</HI> whereby it appears God would have them look upon it as a perfect marriage, though <HI>the con&s;ummation of it</HI> were not until afterward the taking of her home, and &s;olemnly engaging <HI>de pre&s;enti</HI> as they &s;ay. So here, the con&s;ummation of this marriage is <HI>deferred</HI> a while, as you have it <HI>in the very</HI> Text at la&s;t, at midnight the cry was, <HI>Behold the Bridegroom</HI> cometh, and they that were <HI>ready went in with him to the marriage,</HI> that is to &s;ay into heaven. Then when <HI>I|&s;aac</HI> took <HI>Rebecca</HI> and brought her <HI>into his Mothers Tent,</HI> and be|came <HI>one with her</HI> more neerly, &s;he became his wife indeed &s;o hereafter, <HI>when he takes us into his fathers hou&s;e</HI> brethren, when he takes us into Heaven, <HI>there is the marriage</HI> con&s;ummated in|deed.</P>
<P>But <HI>for the manner of his e&s;pou&s;als,</HI> Fir&s;t, <HI>remember this</HI> in all He doth it freely. For alas Brethren, what can the Lord Je&s;us, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 16. Not great, Deut. 7. 7. Nor good, Jo&s;. 24. 23. they were Idolaters.</NOTE> now if he come into the Congregation this day, &s;ee in any of us that he would <HI>take for his &s;pou&s;e,</HI> what can he &s;ee in us, there is nothing de&s;ireable nor lovely <HI>in us, we are like</HI> poor Infants ca&s;t <HI>out in our blood; not wa&s;hed, nor &s;alted,</HI> but &s;tinking, loath&s;om, <HI>the navel not cut nor bound up,</HI> ca&s;t out to the <HI>loathing of our per&s;on.</HI> Ah Brethren! while poor &s;inners are in their &s;ins, they &s;mell not <NOTE PLACE="marg">So 1 Sam. 12. 22.</NOTE>
<PB N="47" REF="89">
the loath&s;omne&s;s of their &s;ouls, they have <HI>&s;tinking no&s;trils,</HI> to which the &s;avour of &s;in is &s;uitable; and therefore they &s;mell it not, we are as per&s;ons that have been long in a filthy <HI>Jakes</HI> or Dungeon, and by continuance of it, we feel it not, it is &s;o habitu|al, <HI>or</HI> indeed connatural to us, but now bring a man out of this place, a <HI>little while,</HI> and put him into it again, O then how loath|&s;om it is to him, yea, <HI>bring him to the door</HI> of it, O it is ready to <HI>&s;ink him,</HI> &s;o it is in this ca&s;e, you <HI>&s;ee it not, poor creatures,</HI> O that &s;uch of us, as the Lord hath made &s;in loath&s;om to, could tell <HI>how to pitty you,</HI> but &s;ure you will finde it &s;o, if ever the Lord Je&s;us do e&s;pou&s;e you, he will fir&s;t let you know what you are, to whom he doth this, Alas, <HI>what can he &s;ee in us</HI> brethren, or hath he &s;een in any of us, that he &s;tands in this relation to, for birth, you have nothing but <HI>ba&s;ene&s;s, The Devil is our Father, and his works we will do.</HI> I mean as to corruption that is within us, whence is it, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 8. 44.</NOTE> but from Satan. For <HI>Beauty,</HI> there is none, but all deformed <HI>wounds, and brui&s;es, and putrified &s;ores,</HI> full of corruption, that &s;tink and are <HI>loath&s;om,</HI> and what beauty can there be in &s;uch a <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 1. 6.</NOTE> per&s;on. <HI>Alas!</HI> our <HI>hands</HI> are <HI>withered,</HI> as to any thing that is good, and our <HI>Legs</HI> are <HI>Lame</HI> throug <HI>Hypocri&s;ie, we halt between two,</HI> we are very <HI>Criples</HI> indeed; no &s;trength, not &s;o much in our <HI>Ankle-bones</HI> as to &s;tand upon our Legs. We are <HI>blinde</HI> and can|not &s;ee, <HI>deaf</HI> and cannot hear, <HI>pride</HI> like a <HI>Tympany</HI> &s;wells us. <HI>All</HI> manner of <HI>deformities</HI> gathered into one are the very <HI>picture</HI> of a poor &s;inner, O brethren, who could affect &s;uch a creature were not this free, altogether free. <HI>We mu&s;t have &s;omething</HI> or el&s;e we cannot take a per&s;on into &s;uch a relation. we mu&s;t have <HI>beauty and parts, and birth, and wealth, and wi&s;dom</HI> and what not. we are blacker then Ethiopians, <HI>more bruiti&s;h</HI> then fools, <HI>viler then the earth, poor and naked and mi&s;erable,</HI> and what not, and O that ever the Lord Je&s;us &s;hould take &s;uch as we are, in &s;uch a con|dition, well this is the fir&s;t.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>He doth it &s;o willingly as to rejoyce in it:</HI> It may be it may make a man more &s;erious and Melancholly, in &s;uch a condition, if he be &s;en&s;ible of the weight of the things he goeth about, but now the Lord Je&s;us knowing the <HI>i&s;&s;ues of things,</HI> and that it will be e|ternally happy for the poor &s;oul, and he &s;hall <HI>have glory in it;</HI> he doth it, and not onely &s;o, but he <HI>rejoyceth in it,</HI> even <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s a Bride-groom <HI>rejoyceth over his Bride,</HI> as the Prophet hath it. The <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 62. 5.</NOTE>
<PB N="48" REF="90">
words of the Text are very Emphatical, <HI>as a young man marryeth a virgin,</HI> &s;o &s;hall thy &s;ons marry Thee, he &s;peaks of the Church <NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 13. 24. Mar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h, that is to &s;ay, made to dwell.</NOTE> of the <HI>Jews their &s;ons,</HI> &s;hall abide with her, as one that marrieth another, and dwells with her, and they &s;hall not be removed: but a <HI>young man marryeth a virgin, a cho&s;en young man, the freely</HI> cho&s;en <GAP DESC="foreign"> happily becau&s;e they u&s;ed to choo&s;e young men for <HI>expl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">its in war,</HI> or <HI>otherwi&s;e</HI> as being of more &s;trength and activi|ty, <HI>&s;uch an one marrying a virgin, not an old man, a virgin,</HI> nor a young man marrying a widow or Ancient woman; but a young man, a virgin, &s;o an <HI>old man,</HI> an <HI>old woman,</HI> the rea&s;on of it is that hereby <HI>God might &s;et forth how every way</HI> (there being a &s;uitable|ne&s;s to give full content and &s;atisfaction) <HI>he rejoyceth therefore over his people</HI> he thus e&s;pou&s;eth as <HI>a young man</HI> over his virgin, his Bride that he marryeth; therefore &s;he is called <HI>Heph&s;ibah,</HI> my <HI>delight is in her,</HI> and <HI>Beulah, &s;he is marryed.</HI> And this, if it <HI>be not full enough, take another place,</HI> and it is that of <HI>Zeph,</HI> where he prophecyeth in like manner of the re&s;toring of <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> and Gods <HI>taking her again</HI> after &s;he was put away, as it were, the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Zeph. 3. 17.</NOTE> Lord thy God in the mid&s;t of thee <HI>is mighty,</HI> he will &s;ave, he will <HI>rejoyce</HI> over thee <HI>with joy,</HI> he will re&s;t in <HI>his love</HI> he will joy over thee <HI>with &s;inging.</HI> Minde you, <HI>he will rejoyce over thee with joy,</HI> that is to &s;ay, <HI>exceedingly rejoyce,</HI> as in another ca&s;e the friend of the Bridegroom, <HI>rejoyceth with joy</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> he rejoyceth with joy, that is to &s;ay GREATLY, yea he will <HI>re&s;t in his love,</HI> he <HI>is fully &s;atisfied and contented,</HI> yea rejoyceth <HI>with &s;inging,</HI> an out|ward expre&s;&s;ion of it. How many expre&s;&s;ions are here where|by he would have us <HI>know the largene&s;s of his heart</HI> towards us in this his e&s;pou&s;ing any of us to him&s;elf, and Alas! all little enough <HI>to poor trembling &s;ouls,</HI> to rai&s;e a drooping &s;pirit to believe any thing of this kind, and it is not onely a fla&s;hy ungrounded <HI>empty joy,</HI> but he will rejoyce over &s;uch a &s;oul to do them good, <HI>I will rejoyce over them to do them good,</HI> as if he had &s;aid it is the very joy <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 32. 41.</NOTE> and rejoycing of my heart to do you good. Though you think happily that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is <HI>hard to be intreated,</HI> and you <HI>have &s;ought</HI> him long, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and you finde little, O entertain <HI>not &s;uch</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 30. P&s;al. 35. 27.</NOTE> <HI>thoughts,</HI> for &s;urely he doth rejoyce over his people to do them good; but &s;o much for that.</P>
<P N="3">3. He doth it brethren; &s;o <HI>firmly in every respect to all after-claps, being provided for,</HI> it &s;hall <HI>never be broken,</HI> There is many <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 65. 18, 19.</NOTE>
<PB N="49" REF="90">
a man, <HI>e&s;pou&s;eth</HI> a wife, and happily through weakne&s;s of the <HI>di&s;po&s;ition, or &s;ome di&s;ea&s;e,</HI> or the like, which afterwards being di&s;|covered, <HI>procures a di&s;reli&s;h,</HI> and happily breaks all or the like, but I will a <HI>little in&s;i&s;t upon this</HI> becau&s;e it is very con&s;iderable, and therefore.</P>
<P N="1">1. The Lord Je&s;us <HI>he doth it in &s;uch a way, as that &s;ure he will be,</HI> that <HI>Ju&s;tice &s;hall be &s;atisfied to the utmo&s;t in the behalf of a &s;oul, whatever the debts brethren</HI> have been <HI>if 10000 Talents,</HI> whate|ver the offences have been, you have been guilty of; which hap|pily <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3. 25, 26</NOTE> may lie &s;ore upon you: O you <HI>are afraid of the ju&s;tice of God, he is ju&s;t</HI> and dreadful, and though he may forbear me for a while, thinketh the poor doubting &s;oul; yet he may after|ward come upon me for all, and what will become of me then? no, the Lord Je&s;us he hath before-hand &s;atisfyed all that can be <HI>demanded,</HI> he hath <HI>paid to</HI> the uttermo&s;t for them, <HI>being a Saviour to the utmo&s;t,</HI> all the black and <HI>bloody bills chargeable upon thee,</HI> were <HI>charged upon him.</HI> It is true indeed hrethren, if this con|tract <HI>or e&s;pou&s;al between Chri&s;t</HI> and the &s;oul; were made <HI>without provi&s;ion</HI> of &s;atisfaction to ju&s;tice, he might come UPON THE SOUL AFTERWARDS and break and undo all again, but our Saviour is wi&s;er in his negotiations then &s;o: he hath fir&s;t cleared all as to the merit; <HI>and having taken &s;atisfaction in his &s;on,</HI> and given him an acquittance, <HI>being well plea&s;ed in the Lord Je&s;us,</HI> he can|not now again return upon thee for arrearages, that is a great and rich Scripture indeeed, <HI>he came to be a propitiation</HI> then <HI>through</HI> faith in his blood, that God might be ju&s;t, <HI>the ju&s;tifier of them that believe, that he might be ju&s;tifier,</HI> and yet &s;o as him&s;elf be ju&s;t, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3. 23.</NOTE> not onely in fulfilling his promi&s;es of Chri&s;t his coming; but be ju&s;t, that is to &s;ay, his <HI>ju&s;tice fully &s;atisfied,</HI> and yet his infinite mercy take place.</P>
<P N="2">2. That <HI>he is real in what he doth,</HI> he doth not mock <HI>and delude</HI> poor creatures, indeed a man that is variable, and changeable as <HI>the &s;hadow,</HI> he may make a <HI>&s;hew of much love,</HI> and carry on a <HI>Match far,</HI> and when all cometh to all, ca&s;t her off; and take up other re&s;olutions; but the Lord Je&s;us, &s;urely he is real in what he doth: indeed God hath much ado with us many times to per|&s;wade us to this, that he meaneth as he &s;aith, and we &s;hall finde him full as good as <HI>his word</HI> and his offers, becau&s;e alas! we judge him by her own uncon&s;tancy, becau&s;e our hearts are &s;o hollow,
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we <HI>think his may be al&s;o,</HI> but remember his <HI>thoughts are above our thoughts, and his ways above ours,</HI> &s;aith the <HI>Lord I will</HI> betroth <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 55. 8.</NOTE> thee unto me, I will betroth thee to me, and again the third time <HI>he repeateth it, I will, I will, I will,</HI> as the &s;oul is ready to &s;ay, O <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s; 2&punc; 19, 20.</NOTE> O &s;ure he will not look upon me, &s;uch a one as I! yea I will, I will &s;aith he; yea <HI>notwith&s;tanding all</HI> your mi&s;-doings, I will, <HI>your unkindne&s;&s;es</HI> I will, <HI>your jealou&s;ies</HI> of me, I will, your <HI>back-&s;li|ding, I will betroth thee</HI> to me.</P>
<P N="3">3. It is done <HI>with that wi&s;dom and Council,</HI> that it will never <HI>be overthrown. Coun&s;el</HI> is &s;o called from a word &s;ignifying to Found, becau&s;e it is the <HI>foundation of actions,</HI> that which is done ra&s;hly, <HI>and unadvi&s;edly</HI> many times, men are fain to come off with a <HI>non putaram,</HI> to retreat with &s;hame, or when through weak|ne&s;s they cannot <HI>&s;ee through&punc; things.</HI> Now this is not to be thought of Je&s;us Chri&s;t Brethren, for he is the <HI>wonderful Coun|&s;eller,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 9.</NOTE> the wi&s;e God, a God of under&s;tanding and wi&s;dom, and, by him actions <HI>are weighed,</HI> yea his own actions are <HI>weighed:</HI> his <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 2, 3. D<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc; 32. 4.</NOTE> choice of <HI>&s;ome per&s;ons,</HI> to life <HI>and glory, it is the coun&s;el of his will, not onely his will,</HI> but the coun&s;el of his will; he doth it with &s;uch wi&s;dom as fore&s;eeth all the events. It was not a ra&s;h thing that God brought I&s;rael into the Land of Canaan, no he did it with Coun&s;el; and therefore he &s;aith <HI>that he knew what they would do</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut 3. 1. 21.</NOTE> <HI>before hand.</HI> Ah! (may a poor &s;oul think,) the Lord Je&s;us in|deed hath made love to me, but did he think, I would be &s;uch a wretch under all this his love: I would carry &s;o unkindly towards him; yea, he knew this, and <HI>con&s;idered it</HI> before hand. <HI>He did &s;it down brethren, &amp; from eternity con&s;ider</HI> what it would co&s;t him, <HI>the bringing of &s;uch &s;inners</HI> as thou art to glory, that <HI>many a grief,</HI> he mu&s;t have, many a &s;lighting of his love, many a kick <HI>in his very bowels,</HI> Jeru&s;alem <HI>would wax fat and kick again&s;t him,</HI> he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32. 15.</NOTE> knew this, and yet notwith&s;tanding he re&s;olved upon it, he would go through with his work, if <HI>he could not have</HI> born the&s;e things brethren <HI>and covered them,</HI> he would not have made love to us, if he could not have taken us with all our <HI>weakne&s;s and im|perfections,</HI> for he would undertake nothing that he could not bring to pa&s;s, that were weakne&s;s; therefore <HI>he is &s;aid to do it in judgement al&s;o.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. It is <HI>with that faithfulne&s;s, that the Lord Je&s;us will not onely not c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">&s;t off,</HI> when once he hath taken a &s;oul &s;o near him in this relati|on,
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<HI>but his heart being once pitched,</HI> it is <HI>never removed more,</HI> it is <HI>not</HI> with <HI>him as it is with men,</HI> for however when once we have betrothed per&s;ons, we are ingaged by the <HI>Law of God</HI> to take them, and our Con&s;ciences do bind us, though it may be, be|tween the <HI>e&s;pou&s;al</HI> and marriage; though there be not a ca&s;ting off, yet there may &s;omething intervene, that may carry away the heart, &s;o that the heart is not &s;o towards her as before, and the per&s;on could be <HI>content to be loo&s;e,</HI> if it were not that he is <HI>intang|led</HI> i <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 2. 16. He hate<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> put|ing away a|mong men. Ho&s;. 2. 19.</NOTE> &s;uch <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ands, he cannot break, but <HI>now it is otherwi&s;e</HI> with the Lord Je&s;us, his <HI>heart if once pitched,</HI> is never removed more, if he loveth, he loveth to the end. <HI>It is for ever that he betrotheth,</HI> when he betrotheth. Alas! there is little comfort, or &s;weetne&s;s in injoyment of &s;uch near relations, if their hearts be not to|wards one another. It is true they may live together and do du|ties one toward another outwardly, but if the heart be gone, there is little comfort in it, &s;o it cannot be with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, He may indeed <HI>&s;ometimes &s;u&s;pend</HI> the outward <HI>acts</HI> if I may call it &s;o, and <HI>withhold</HI> him&s;elf &s;ometimes, and not give that free communi|on of him&s;elf to the &s;oul, but yet his heart all that while, is ne|ver <HI>the further off,</HI> his heart is never gone, <HI>which is indeed, all in all. One of the Churches eyes at any time will ravi&s;h his heart</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 4. 9.</NOTE> <HI>that he cannot well hold longer,</HI> from revealing him&s;elf again to the &s;oul, after he hath withdrawn.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>For after-&s;innings there is al&s;o a trea&s;ury of pardoning mercy laid up,</HI> there is a <HI>trea&s;ury of Merit</HI> which he hath expended <HI>to purcha&s;e mercy for us,</HI> which is <HI>alway before the father,</HI> not on|ly <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 130. 4. There is for|givene&s;s with thee, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Heb 9. 24.</NOTE> for the <HI>&s;ins pa&s;t, before we believed, but for all after, &s;ince the pardon</HI> is purcha&s;ed already, though <HI>it be not applyed,</HI> nor the &s;ins pardoned before <HI>they be committed, yet there is forgivene&s;s with God,</HI> there it is, and ready <HI>to be i&s;&s;ued forth, as occa&s;ion &s;erveth:</HI> And he <HI>him&s;elf at the right hand of the father</HI> continually <HI>i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e|ceding for</HI> the Application of it. <HI>Whereby he is able to &s;ave us to the uttermo&s;t.</HI> Brethren if we could &s;ay thus far, or thus <HI>far he</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb 7. 25.</NOTE> <HI>can help and &s;ave,</HI> and there is forgivene&s;s indeed, <HI>our hearts might fail us,</HI> but it is to the uttermo&s;t, to all perfections, or all end, <GAP DESC="foreign"> And <HI>yet let not gracele&s;s &s;inners abu&s;e this,</HI> but <HI>rather fear him &s;o much the more,</HI> there is forgivene&s;s with thee, <HI>that thou may&s;t be feared,</HI> not that we may wax wanton under it.</P>
<P><PB N="52" REF="92">
<HI>Againe, on the other hand. He maketh the &s;oul al&s;o to clo&s;e</HI> with him, and <HI>give it &s;elf up con&s;iderately and in truth</HI> &s;in|cerely.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Con&s;iderately and not ra&s;hly the &s;oul giveth it &s;elf to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, promi&s;eth</HI> to be his: the love of <HI>J. Chri&s;t Con&s;traineth us be|cau&s;e</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 14.</NOTE> <HI>we</HI> thus <HI>judge</HI> if <HI>one dyed, then were all dead.</HI> It is the act of the judgement, convinced, <HI>that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is the chief of ten thou|&s;and,</HI> that he <HI>is onely lovely,</HI> altogether lovely, of <HI>our nece&s;&s;ity</HI> of him, of his <HI>all-&s;ufficiency</HI> to an&s;wer our wants, and onely &s;uffici+ency, his <HI>willingne&s;s</HI> to accept of us. No depth of earth, no judgement, no rooting, in it &s;elf, <HI>Mat.</HI> 13. There is many a poor creature for a fla&s;h, a <HI>&s;udden motion, hath &s;ome velleities,</HI> &s;ome <HI>wi&s;hings and wouldings,</HI> but this is a &s;erious and judicious clo&s;ing with him, promi&s;ing to be his, to take him for <HI>better for wor&s;e,</HI> to go through with him <HI>in all conditions, if he go to pri&s;on,</HI> to go with him, <HI>to death, to go with him.</HI> And he only can work up the heart to this.</P>
<P>Then &s;econdly, <HI>It is in &s;incerity as well as thus judiciou&s;ly, he loveth truth in the inward parts;</HI> and therefore looks at the heart <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51. 6.</NOTE> more then at the outward. <HI>Alas!</HI> how often did <HI>I&s;rael</HI> turn to the Lord, <HI>but fainedly, not &s;incerely.</HI> But now the Lord, his people indeed give up them&s;elves to him <HI>cordially,</HI> though it be <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 30. 10.</NOTE> <HI>but weak,</HI> yet it is in truth <HI>their re&s;ignation</HI> of them&s;elves to him, and taking him for theirs, <HI>not for by-ends, or</HI> reports, but for him&s;elf, not for <HI>riches, honours, a name,</HI> any thing; but for him|&s;elf, <HI>no not onely for peace,</HI> but for him&s;elf who is the Prince of peace, no <HI>nor meerly, for the grace and glory which cometh by him,</HI> but for him&s;elf. <HI>To love a man,</HI> and choo&s;e him meerly <HI>for his wealth,</HI> or his honor, which a woman &s;hall have by him, it is <HI>fal&s;e and di&s;&s;embling, &s;he</HI> loveth him not indeed: no, it is the per&s;on that <HI>&s;he would have,</HI> if it be in truth, let the other <HI>accompli&s;hments</HI> be le&s;s or greater, <HI>&s;o the &s;oul,</HI> O thy &s;elf, thy &s;elf, give me <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 30.</NOTE> <HI>or el&s;e I dye,</HI> What wilt thou give me if <HI>I go Chri&s;t le&s;s,</HI> wilt thou give me <HI>a name, riches, a portion</HI> in this world, a <HI>fellow&s;hip</HI> with thy people in the Ordinances, yea <HI>grace it &s;elf,</HI> if it may be given without Chri&s;t, O none but him, none but him. Well, thus now thy Lord <HI>works a poor &s;oul to clo&s;e with him,</HI> &s;o that choo&s;ing Chri&s;t <HI>for him&s;elf;</HI> while we have him, we are well enough. If a man follow him for <HI>Loaves,</HI> when they cea&s;e, farewell Chri&s;t; or
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for riches, or pro&s;perity, when that cea&s;eth all is gon: They will not <HI>go to pri&s;on with him,</HI> they will not <HI>&s;uffer with him,</HI> no they never intended it, but to have &s;uch a Chri&s;t as to be kept from tho&s;e things. Well, this is not &s;incere, nor upwright, which is wrought, in every heart, whom the Lord doth thus <HI>e&s;pou&s;e</HI> to him|&s;elf, which may &s;erve for a word of tryal to us all.</P>
<P><HI>I have onely a word to &s;peak to the &s;olemnity of the Marriage-Fea&s;t:</HI> you &s;ee Marriages u&s;ed to be made with fea&s;ting, it being <HI>a time of rejoycing,</HI> &s;o <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> he made a <HI>Fea&s;t &s;even days, that</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Judg. 14. 10.</NOTE> was the manner it &s;eemeth, and &s;o <HI>Laban</HI> &s;aith to <HI>Jacob, fulfil her week,</HI> the <HI>&s;olemnity of the Marriage.</HI> And our Saviour him&s;elf <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen 29. 22.</NOTE> was <HI>at a marriage-fea&s;t, at the fir&s;t miracle that he wrought.</HI> And though this fea&s;t it &s;eems, was rather at the compleat marriage then the <HI>e&s;pou&s;al,</HI> yet this Fea&s;t is at his <HI>e&s;pou&s;al,</HI> and continueth until the con&s;ummation; and yet a greater fea&s;t to be expected. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh, 2. 1. 10.</NOTE> <HI>The Kingdom of Heaven</HI> &s;aith our Saviour, is <HI>like a King that</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 3. 4.</NOTE> <HI>made a Marriage-Fea&s;t</HI> for his &s;on, and bid the Gue&s;ts. Here he &s;peaks. (I take it) of the admini&s;trations of grace in the vi&s;ible Church of Chri&s;t, for one was there that had not a wedding-gar|ment. <HI>O Brethren, A Fea&s;t of Fat things, of Wines on the Lees, well refined,</HI> a Fea&s;t the Lord maketh, &s;aith the Prophet. <HI>Their</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 25. 6.</NOTE> <HI>Fea&s;ts were rather</HI> in drinking, then eating; and therefore they had their name in Hebrew <GAP DESC="foreign"> A drinking, a Fea&s;t, &s;o <HI>Aha|&s;uerus</HI> fea&s;t, a drinking. And &s;o the Greek <GAP DESC="foreign"> a drinking <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;t. 1. 3.</NOTE> together; &s;o here brethen, &s;uch <HI>dainties</HI> are provided as eye <HI>hath not &s;een,</HI> nor ear heard, <HI>nor can enter into the heart of man,</HI> as a man that never <HI>ta&s;ted hony,</HI> though he <HI>may hear &s;peaking of it,</HI> cannot conceive what it is. <HI>Eat my friends,</HI> and drink ye, yea <HI>drink abundantly</HI> &s;aith he in the &s;ong. <HI>It is ob&s;erved by &s;ome,</HI> that Matthew <HI>calls it a dinner,</HI> and Luke <HI>calls it a &s;upper,</HI> both <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 5. 1.</NOTE> indeed, for we <HI>dine and &s;up with him,</HI> and he with us in the Admini&s;trations of his grace, and tho&s;e <HI>&s;weet communions that</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22. 4. Luke 14. 16.</NOTE> <HI>we have with him,</HI> while he &s;itteth with us at the <HI>Table,</HI> as not long &s;ince you heard. Yea we have <HI>continually</HI> brethren &s;uch as are believers indeed <HI>have continual meat at his Table,</HI> as <HI>Mephibo&s;heth at David his Table,</HI> a <HI>dayly portion</HI> the <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 9. 7.</NOTE> things of the day in its day, &s;o we our daily refre&s;hings from his pre&s;ence, &s;o <HI>Jeconiah had his portio<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n from the Kings Table dayly.</HI> Some &s;ay the dinner is here but <HI>the &s;upper</HI> in Heaven, and this not comparable to that, now we have flagons, but there will be
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&s;prings and Rivers, or rather an Ocean of wine to all eternity, here we <HI>drink and take in the comfort,</HI> there the <HI>comfort takes in</HI> us, we <HI>enter into the joy,</HI> becau&s;e it cannot enter into us. O ble&s;|&s;ed is he that &s;hall be brought brethren to the &s;upper of the <HI>Lamb forever</HI> and forever.</P>
<P><HI>La&s;tly,</HI> The <HI>con&s;ummation of this marriage, when the Bridegroom cometh,</HI> to take his Bride to him&s;elf, to take her now from <HI>among the pots,</HI> wherein &s;he hath lien; to take her now nearer to <HI>him&s;elf, to his bo&s;om indeed,</HI> now &s;he hath had &s;ome &s;miles from him, to <HI>keep the heart alive, now and then</HI> a Ki&s;s, but then continual embraces. Now and then <HI>he hath met with her, here and there, and then withdraw</HI> again, but then we &s;hall be al|way in the glorious light of his countenance. <HI>O Brethren! If a &s;mile from Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> will <HI>&s;weeten</HI> the <HI>bittere&s;t cup of Affliction</HI> here below; yea, very gall <HI>and wormwood,</HI> it will &s;weeten <HI>the mouth and fill us with comfort:</HI> what will it be then, when nothing <HI>but pouring out of love upon the &s;oul to eternity?</HI> and when there &s;hall be no bitterne&s;s at all to <HI>abate it,</HI> and <HI>no mixture,</HI> no <HI>inter|ruption,</HI> no <HI>fear of lo&s;ing that &s;weet</HI> and ravi&s;hing communion with him: Oh heaven will be Heaven indeed! But &s;o much for the Doctrinal part.</P>
<P>Now for the Application.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t then I pray you let us be more &s;erious</HI> in taking notice of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e. 1.</NOTE> great <HI>tran&s;cendent love of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> to &s;uch as we are; <HI>that we</HI> &s;hould be made <HI>a &s;pou&s;e</HI> to him. O brethren what conde&s;cention is this, he being &s;o high, and we &s;o <HI>low,</HI> &s;uch <HI>poor abject</HI> creatures. A|las, <HI>conception</HI> fails us brethren, compari&s;on fails us, for there is no proportion between an infinitely glorious God, and vile du&s;t and a&s;hes. Who <HI>regardeth</HI> a drop of <HI>a Bucket,</HI> or thedu&s;t of the bal|lance, they are poor contemptible things, who de&s;ireth a poor <HI>worm,</HI> or an <HI>Ant,</HI> every one, <HI>trampleth</HI> them underfoot, and think|eth he doth them no wrong, though he never gave them no being; alas brethren, we that are le&s;s then nothing, in <HI>compari&s;on</HI> of him, that he &s;hould &s;et his love upon us, and become <HI>e&s;pou&s;ed</HI> to him|&s;elf, how &s;hall we conceive of it, much le&s;s &s;peak of it. You would think it much for one of you brethren, one of <HI>us</HI> to have our hearts drawn out thus to a poor abject forlorn maid, lying in the &s;treet, that we mu&s;t take her to a nearer relation, to a <HI>bo&s;om-com|munion</HI> and fellow&s;hip, this were &s;trange, but for a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rince to do &s;o, is yet more &s;trange; but all is nothing to this of the Lord
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Je&s;us to our &s;ouls. It was <HI>Conde&s;cention</HI> for the Cedar to <HI>marry</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 14. 9.</NOTE> <HI>the Thi&s;tle.</HI> as it was ambition for the Thi&s;tle to &s;eek to the Cedar, <HI>O &s;uch thoughts,</HI> if they ri&s;e, they <HI>are even &s;tifled,</HI> in the very birth! A <HI>begger will</HI> not fall in love with a King, <HI>&s;he thinketh</HI> it is impo&s;&s;i|ble to compa&s;s it, there is no hope; and therefore no de&s;ire: and truly I think it is as rare for a King to fall in love with a begger, he is <HI>&s;o far above her,</HI> and hath objects more <HI>&s;uitable to him&s;elf to &s;et his love upon,</HI> &s;o that it would be one of the wonders of the world, if <HI>&s;uch a thing &s;hould be,</HI> why brethren much more then this, is acted dayly; <HI>while the Lord Je&s;us</HI> the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, maketh love to &s;uch poor <HI>worms as we are,</HI> and yet it is not wondered at. It is true, we think our &s;elves &s;ome|thing; and therefore we are the le&s;s taken with it. <HI>Tell a Pha|ri&s;ee</HI> how great Conde&s;cention it is, for the God of Heaven to <HI>&s;et his</HI> love upon his &s;oul, <HI>he believeth no &s;uch things,</HI> nor the Pa|pi&s;ts neither; Nor many a poor hypocrite: Alas, they think they have &s;omewhat <HI>that de&s;erveth him,</HI> I, &s;ome beauty is in us, <HI>that the Lord &s;aw;</HI> and &s;o it was meet for him to lay out his love up|on us, proud wretches that we are; it is well we have an infinite|ly conde&s;cending love, yea and powerful that can overcome our pride, <HI>and &s;wallow</HI> it up, and love not onely poor creatures, no|thing-creatures, but &s;uch as fal&s;ly <HI>&s;uppo&s;e them&s;elves</HI> &s;omewhat, when they are nothing, el&s;e what would become of many of us. Well, &s;ure it is becau&s;e we know not our &s;elves, or know not what this love means; el&s;e we &s;hould all of us ea&s;ily &s;ub&s;cribe to this.</P>
<P>2. <HI>That he would be</HI> at &s;uch <HI>a price</HI> for &s;uch, for <HI>alas</HI> brethren <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> who would lay down his life, almo&s;t for the cho ce&s;t of per&s;ons; though &s;ome, in an <HI>Agony of Pa&s;&s;ion,</HI> and di&s;content, have made them&s;elves away for them, they have doated upon, yet here was &s;ome proportion between the per&s;ons loving, and loved; yea happily the per&s;on loved, might be the <HI>more eminent per&s;on;</HI> and therefore might <HI>&s;tand off and</HI> a man when he doth this, alas he is beloved him&s;elf; he is wrapt by the violence of his pa&s;&s;ion <HI>out of his choice,</HI> his under&s;tanding and judgement <HI>dethroned,</HI> and then the Affections like wild hor&s;es: O whither will they not hur|ry a man, but in &s;uch a ca&s;e, a man is not a man; but now in &s;o|briety of minde con&s;ider it, <HI>and who would lay down</HI> their lives and dye for the <HI>obtaining the rare&s;t creature</HI> in the world for <HI>a
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&s;pou&s;e,</HI> &s;urely none, O no: <HI>Skin for skin</HI> &s;aith the Devil, and though a man imagine more to be in what he hath never injoyed then <HI>he findeth by experience</HI> in what he hath had the flower and cream of, yet notwith&s;tanding if a man be him&s;elf, he will prize his life above all; <HI>but if he would dye,</HI> would he dye a mo&s;t &s;hame|ful death? to have his life taken away by the mo&s;t <HI>violent de&s;tru|ctions</HI> and convul&s;ions of minde &s;o &s;trongly working upon the body, as <HI>to moulder it away by</HI> degrees; &s;urely hardly any man would ever venture in &s;uch a ca&s;e as this. <HI>Alas! What is this?</HI> to what the Lord Je&s;us <HI>hath willingly undertaken</HI> for worms, what man would dye for a worm, that it might live, and he might have it <HI>put in his bo&s;om,</HI> or rather <HI>would be contented to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ay down his bo|dy, take up the form of a worm,</HI> and therein dye the mo&s;t mi&s;era|ble death, that he might <HI>have worms</HI> &s;aved from death, and be his neare&s;t relations for ever: O doth not this tran&s;cend the love of Angels, brethren, <HI>Alas! what is this to what</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath paid for poor <HI>worms,</HI> at the be&s;t, <HI>&s;inful du&s;t and a&s;hes,</HI> and that we might <HI>live, and live in union</HI> and fellow&s;hip with him&s;elfe for ever; Ah Brethren, if God would but make us &s;en&s;ible what <HI>we are at the wor&s;t,</HI> and what <HI>the Lord Je&s;us underwent</HI> in &s;ome mea|&s;ure, for <HI>apprehend it fully we cannot;</HI> but &s;uch as have ever ta&s;t|ed what it <HI>is to &s;ip of the</HI> cup, may apprehend more then others, <HI>what dregs were at the bottom,</HI> a drop how doth it put the &s;oul into an <HI>Agony,</HI> upon the rack that thou <HI>would&s;t choo&s;e death ra|ther</HI> then life, O what then was the whole cup brethren? that he <HI>&s;hould undergo</HI> this: and &s;hould with his <HI>mo&s;t precious blood</HI> be willing to purcha&s;e &s;uch poor <HI>abjects,</HI> forlorn Creatures, to be <HI>a &s;pou&s;e</HI> to him; yea, with <HI>his blood</HI> drawn from him, through the very <HI>pores of the body,</HI> by the very <HI>di&s;tractions of his &s;oul,</HI> and wre&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ling with wrath: O was there <HI>ever grief like this,</HI> that the father put him to, and was <HI>there ever love like this</HI> brethren? O that we had hearts indeed to admire it!</P>
<P>3. That <HI>after all this is done, he &s;hould be at &s;uch pains to bring us to him&s;elf, to wooe us,</HI> to come him&s;elf, to &s;end us his me&s;&s;en|gers, to <HI>&s;trive with us by his Spirit:</HI> as you know he &s;trivd long with the <HI>old world, and &s;trived long with the I&s;raelites in the wilder|ne&s;s: and many of our &s;ouls can</HI> &s;ay it by experience, he hath &s;tri|ven <HI>long with us</HI> by his &s;pirit, when we have <HI>been convinced,</HI> our ways have been folly, and mi&s;ery; and yet we would not yield:
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how hath he <HI>followed us up</HI> and down <HI>with motions</HI> of his &s;pirit, and waited to be gracious, and all, but <HI>to have our con&s;ent</HI> to take him for ours. Dear friends, who are we, <HI>that the Lord Je&s;us</HI> &s;hould thus <HI>ambire,</HI> make &s;o much ado with us, to have our con|&s;ent to take him, to accept of him for a Husband. O what <HI>de&s;perate enmity</HI> is in our hearts again&s;t him, that there mu&s;t be &s;o much ado to overcome it. <HI>You would think that</HI> poor begger either <HI>a very crooked</HI> cro&s;s piece, full of bitter hatred again&s;t a Prince or Noble-man, that <HI>&s;ues</HI> to her with all the <HI>intreaties</HI> that can be, <HI>&s;ends me&s;&s;enger</HI> after me&s;&s;enger, <HI>cometh him&s;elf</HI> and be&s;eecheth her to accept of him; and yet &s;he will not: no, is &s;he well, where &s;he is de&s;ireth not, either you will &s;ay, <HI>&s;he believeth not what he &s;aith,</HI> that it is in <HI>reality,</HI> it will not enter into her heart to think he is real, he is &s;o far above her; though he tell her he knew that, is &s;en&s;ible of it; yet maketh love to her, meerly be|cau&s;e he will, and his <HI>heart</HI> is <HI>towards her,</HI> not <HI>for any thing</HI> in her &s;elf, &s;he believeth not; or el&s;e that &s;he is a <HI>de&s;perate enemy</HI> and hater of &s;uch a Noble-man, and would rather <HI>peri&s;h there,</HI> or <HI>langui&s;h</HI> in &s;uch a condition as an abject, then accept of him: O this is the <HI>condition of many of us, brethren,</HI> &s;ome poor <HI>deject dun|believing</HI> &s;ouls; <HI>alas! their hearts,</HI> even fail within them to hear that J. Chri&s;t &s;hould make love to them, O it canot be &s;ure to &s;uch <HI>a worm, &s;uch a wretch,</HI> &s;o poor, <HI>&s;o filthy,</HI> &s;o full of rags &amp; vermin, &s;o <HI>full of &s;ores</HI> and wounds, full deeply indebted, &s;o deformed and loath&s;om every way: O they know not how to receive this. Others they are <HI>even &s;tout and proud,</HI> and care no more for the&s;e things, then if Je&s;us Chri&s;t had &s;aid nothing at all; as for them, they are well enough, if he will let them alone; they de&s;ire not to mend their conditions, by clo&s;ing with him. Now brethren, to both the&s;e how doth the Lord Je&s;us apply him&s;elf: Never were there <HI>more powerful</HI> Arguments u&s;ed, and never more pow|erfully pre&s;t, then he pre&s;&s;eth them, and that with more <HI>dili|gence,</HI> and patient waiting upon us, and <HI>O what love,</HI> what man|ner of love, is this that all this floweth from!</P>
<P>A <HI>little to touch</HI> upou each of them, brethren, happily <HI>the Lord may be plea&s;ed</HI> to breath in them <HI>to &s;ome poor &s;oul,</HI> and as he doth at other times thus: &s;o this day, brethren: Even to you, he is pleading with you for this very end, that &s;ome poor &s;inners would be per&s;waded to clo&s;e with him.</P>
<P><PB N="58" REF="95">
Fir&s;t then, The <HI>Arguments</HI> are the mo&s;t pre&s;&s;ing, that we are capable of indeed: For he &s;etteth <HI>before us Life,</HI> and <HI>Death;</HI> life, if we <HI>clo&s;e with him;</HI> death if we refu&s;e him, reject him. <HI>It is not a thing wherein</HI> we may <HI>choo&s;e or</HI> refu&s;e, and no wrong to our &s;ouls; no brethren, but he tells us, let our condition be what it will, be we as dead as we may; if we <HI>clo&s;e with him,</HI> we &s;hall be quickned, there is warmth enough in his bo&s;om to revive us; there are &s;pirits enough in his love, to fetch us again. O we &s;hall live; <HI>condemnation &s;hall</HI> be taken away, for there is no condemna|tion to them that are in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, our bolts and <HI>&s;hakles</HI> &s;hall be removed, the obligations of our &s;ouls to the Ju&s;tice of God, it &s;hall cea&s;e,: O brethren, here is the ca&s;e now, a poor <HI>condem|ned woman</HI> ready to peri&s;h, the <HI>Prince</HI> hath &s;o much compa&s;&s;ion on her, that he intreats her but to accept of him, to be e&s;pou&s;ed to him; <HI>promi&s;e him marriage, if &s;o: he will pardon all</HI> that is pa&s;t, <HI>&s;he &s;hall have her life,</HI> Is not this a pre&s;&s;ing Argument<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>doubtle&s;s</HI> it is, to &s;uch a one as this, when death is even pre&s;ent to her, before her face, is ready to be turned off the Ladder, and now, an offer cometh, O if you will but <HI>Marry the Prince you &s;hall be &s;aved, though before &s;he refu&s;ed,</HI> and the Argument had not &s;uch force in it, becau&s;e the thing was at a di&s;tance, yet now <HI>you would think</HI> her de&s;perate indeed, that &s;hould refu&s;e it. So bre|thren, the <HI>Lord Je&s;us</HI> he doth at other times; yea, and when the &s;oul is as it were on the wrack; <HI>upon the Ladder,</HI> under &s;trong <HI>convictions,</HI> the Sentence is received, and it is even going forth to execution, O now here is life and death before thee, wilt <HI>thou now marry me,</HI> be a <HI>&s;pou&s;e</HI> to me, &s;aith the Prince, the Lord Je&s;us, the King of Kings? Are not the&s;e pre&s;&s;ing Arguments.</P>
<P>2. Again, another he u&s;eth <HI>is his precious blood,</HI> that he hath not thought too dear for us: O brethren, when <HI>he be&s;eecheth us</HI> by &s;uch an Argument as this is, <HI>by the Mercies of God,</HI> as the A|po&s;tle hath it, will it not turn all that is within us to him? If a man though but inferior to a woman, <HI>&s;hould &s;hew &s;o much love,</HI> as to <HI>ex|po&s;e</HI> his life, to <HI>hazard</HI> for her, would it not be &s;trong a Argument when he <HI>cometh to wooe her,</HI> O remember my life, my blood is not dear to me, that it may go well with you, will not this move her, theres a heart of &s;tone, it mu&s;t needs be &s;o? Why truly brother this is the <HI>Argument every time</HI> that <HI>you have Je&s;us</HI> Chri&s;t held out Crucified before your <HI>faces,</HI> O do you not hear, how every
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wound &s;peaks to you, as well as for you to the Father. <HI>O &s;inners</HI> why are your hearts no more towards me, have I not dyed for you, <HI>my blood, my life was not dear</HI> to me, <HI>for your &s;akes, If you will not believe me, Behold my hands and my feet, yea, my &s;ides and my heart, look upon me in the Garden, trace me</HI> there, where it trickled down <HI>my weary body,</HI> and &s;ee how I have loved you: and will you <HI>&s;till refu&s;e me,</HI> will you <HI>&s;till think that my heart is not to|wards you,</HI> or &s;hall your hearts not <HI>yet be towards me?</HI> Yea, have I not been willing to lo&s;e, the light of my fathers countenance, to be under a defection, to be eclip&s;ed, for you, which was &s;o much the purer, though nothing &s;o dear to me as his love, and it were upon me in the greate&s;t heat and glory, and my heart mo&s;t af|fected with it; yet to &s;uffer an eclip&s;e for you, and <HI>will you not clo&s;e with me,</HI> will you not be per&s;waded?</P>
<P>3. Again, <HI>once more in the mo&s;t pre&s;&s;ing manner,</HI> and powerful, he <HI>followeth us up and down with the&s;e Arguments.</HI> O, with what <HI>bowels,</HI> how do they <HI>y<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rn</HI> over us every &s;tep he followeth us, O <HI>why will you dye,</HI> why will you endure the everla&s;ting chains, to pay the uttermo&s;t; further, when I offer you <HI>my merits,</HI> my &s;a|tisfaction for all your debts. Look upon him weeping over <HI>Jeru&s;alem; O Jeru&s;alem, Jeru&s;alem,</HI> O with what affection, that is the <HI>edge</HI> indeed of an invitation! O if he <HI>were now Preaching</HI> to you, I believe brethren, <HI>he would do it with bowels.</HI> And &s;o did <HI>Paul,</HI> that <HI>Saint</HI> in whom grace did &s;o abound, and to him, O he warned them day and night with tears. <HI>O why will ye dye:</HI> will ye not believe, will you not <HI>clo&s;e with me,</HI> can you find in your hearts to <HI>&s;light me,</HI> &s;et light by my love, that is &s;o drawn out to|wards you, O what love is here brethren!</P>
<P>And then with what <HI>diligence and patience,</HI> often he would have done this, and wayts long, <HI>How many years,</HI> have &s;ome of us, been thus be&s;ought, to clo&s;e with <HI>a Crucified Chri&s;t!</HI></P>
<P>Again &s;econdly, This <HI>may &s;erve for ever to keep us low,</HI> if love work kindly &s;o it works, it <HI>melteth down the heart,</HI> the very moun|tains, high and <HI>towring thoughts and imaginations flow at his pre|&s;ence;</HI> you &s;ee how it humbled <HI>Abigail</HI> when <HI>David</HI> &s;ent to woo her, &s;he bowed her &s;elf with <HI>her face</HI> to the earth, and &s;aid behold let <HI>thine hand mayd be</HI> a &s;ervant to wa&s;h the feet of the &s;ervants <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 25. 41.</NOTE> of my Lord. A Spou&s;e to <HI>David</HI> Gods Anointed; I am not worthy: let me <HI>be a &s;ervant, not worthy to wa&s;h his feet,</HI> yea the
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meane&s;t &s;ervant, a <HI>&s;ervant to his &s;ervants</HI> to <HI>do the meane&s;t offices</HI> for them, to wa&s;h their feet. <HI>So Ruth,</HI> when <HI>Boaz</HI> took but no|tice of her <HI>and &s;pake kindly of her,</HI> Whence is it &s;aith &s;he <HI>that my Lord &s;hould take knowledge</HI> of me, who <HI>am but a &s;tranger, yea</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ruth. 2. 10, 13</NOTE> <HI>thou ha&s;t &s;poke</HI> comfortably <HI>to me or to my heart,</HI> though I be not like one of thy hand-mayds. It is true <HI>the Lord would not</HI> up|braid his people with what they have been, nor doth he ever do it, yet they &s;hould keep it before them continually to keep them low. So <HI>he &s;aith he will betroth his people, after their going a whe|ring from him,</HI> there is much in that expre&s;&s;ion, and one thing a|mong the re&s;t <HI>is conceived</HI> to be this, by Mr. <HI>Burroughs</HI> upon <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> That he would forget her former unkindne&s;s and unfaithfulne&s;s, and &s;he &s;hould be now not onely as <HI>an unfaithful wife received</HI> again, but <HI>Marryed as a virgin,</HI> as if &s;he never <HI>had departed.</HI> But though the Lord will <HI>not upbraid us,</HI> as <HI>James</HI> &s;aith, yet we &s;hould keep upon our hearts the &s;en&s;e of our former vilene&s;s, when the Lord fir&s;t met with us, <HI>in the way of his love,</HI> &s;o <HI>Paul</HI> doth I am &s;ure. God <HI>never tells them,</HI> after the fir&s;t time, Why <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">am. 1. 5.</NOTE> per&s;ecute&s;t thou me, he never told him afterward he <HI>had been a per&s;ecuter,</HI> and what a bla&s;phemous wretch he had lived. But <HI>Paul</HI> by the <HI>&s;pirit of grace</HI> and power in him, he often looks up|on his feet, upon what he had been, and that kept him in &s;o &s;weet an humble frame, O I am <HI>le&s;s then the lea&s;t Saint.</HI> Shall the thoughts of love from <HI>David</HI> &s;o humble <HI>Abigail,</HI> and from <HI>B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">az,</HI> &s;o humble <HI>Ruth,</HI> and &s;hall not this love of Je&s;us Chri&s;t infinitely greater then all, humble &s;uch poor <HI>filthy creatures</HI> upon whom he hath &s;et his love?</P>
<P>Thirdly. <HI>Let us hence</HI> take notice then, of the many precious priviledges of the Saints. We live much below them, becau&s;e we &s;tudy them not, keep not the reli&s;h of them upon our hearts, I mean endeavour not &s;o to do, the Lord give us hearts now lifted up to him.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, <HI>As many as by</HI> believing are <HI>e&s;pou&s;ed</HI> to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, they are <HI>one with him</HI> in the <HI>neare&s;t union.</HI> Surely it is not for no|thing, that the H. Gho&s;t delights &s;o to &s;et forth the believers <HI>rela|tion</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5.</NOTE> to Chri&s;t, by this of a <HI>&s;pou&s;e</HI> to a husband, you know that this is the neare&s;t union among men of one per&s;on to another. Kindred are near a man, his children, his brethren, they are u&s;ually <HI>called their bone, and their fle&s;h;</HI> as the men of <HI>Judah</HI> &s;pake to <HI>David,</HI>
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we are thy fle&s;h and thy bone, but this is a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> a greater di&s;tance, but now in Marriage two per&s;ons that were &s;trangers one to ano|ther, never &s;aw the face one of another, <HI>within a little while,</HI> by this Ordinance of <HI>God, are brought</HI> to &s;uch a nearne&s;s, as that Father, and Mother, and <HI>Children if they had</HI> any before, <HI>yet they are not &s;o near</HI> to them; <HI>they &s;hall leave Father and Mother,</HI> and be joyned to their Husband; here <HI>this union</HI> is the &s;tran|ger, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 2. 24. Eph. 5 30. &amp; 31.</NOTE> by how much greater the <HI>di&s;tance between the per&s;ons</HI> were, and how much the clo&s;er the union is now <HI>it is made;</HI> the di|&s;tance was great, whether we re&s;pect the <HI>dignity of the per&s;on,</HI> there was no proportion, <HI>a King and a Beggar</HI> are but a &s;hadow, and a dark one too; to &s;et forth this, <HI>a King and a worm,</HI> to take it, and lay <HI>it in his bo&s;om,</HI> is nothing to this, but chiefly in re&s;pect of <HI>enmity</HI> of mind; alas that &s;uch as we are, at the <HI>deadlie&s;t feud,</HI> haters of God and of Chri&s;t, not only &s;trangers but enemies <HI>through evil works,</HI> that tho&s;e &s;hould be brought &s;o <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1. 21.</NOTE> near to Chri&s;t, as to be made one with him, this is &s;omething in|deed. An <HI>impotent and weak enemy,</HI> that could do nothing again&s;t him, not &s;o much as move any longer then he upheld us, and yet we &s;hould be look't upon; indeed a potent enemy happily in policie, may be <HI>concerned to &s;uch an union,</HI> but a weak enemy rather, would be trampled under foot.</P>
<P>But then <HI>the nearne&s;s of the union;</HI> man and wife are one fle&s;h &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, but he that is <HI>joyned to the Lord is one &s;pirit,</HI> The <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6. 17.</NOTE> union of &s;oul and body is nearer <HI>then of man and wife,</HI> if too bo|dies could be acted by one and the &s;ame &s;oul, this were a near <HI>union</HI> indeed; Why, the Lord Je&s;us and the &s;aints are <HI>one</HI> and the &s;ame <HI>Spirit,</HI> whereby they are knit together in love, this is <HI>a near union indeed.</HI> Is this a light thing, a &s;mall thing to be made &s;o near the Lord of life and glory; <HI>even the Children of</HI> I&s;rael, <HI>a peo|ple near to him,</HI> who is like them that have Chri&s;t &s;o near them, of that are &s;o near him.</P>
<P>Secondly, There <HI>is a &s;weet Communion and Fellow&s;hip</HI> ari&s;eth upon this, a ble&s;&s;ed imparting; now of all his <HI>fulne&s;s</HI> to &s;uch a &s;oul, all that is <HI>Chri&s;t's is now yours, his righteou&s;ne&s;s yours,</HI> therefore the Holy City <HI>the name</HI> of it is called <HI>the Lord our righ|teou&s;ne&s;s.</HI> Now his <HI>honour is yours,</HI> where he is King, you are Queen, as in the old cu&s;tom with the <HI>Romanes</HI> they u&s;ed to &s;ay, where you are <HI>Caius,</HI> I am <HI>Caia,</HI> &s;aith the woman, where you
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are Lord, I am Lady: be the poor Creature never &s;o contempti|ble, yet marrying with a noble per&s;on it dignifieth her, with a rich per&s;on it enricheth her, becau&s;e &s;he hath an intere&s;t in all. But beloved, that (though this be matter enough <HI>to in&s;i&s;t</HI> upon; if I could enlarge things for fear of being too <HI>tedious)</HI> There is <HI>a &s;weet inward fellow&s;hip-</HI>Communion, between the Lord Je&s;us and the &s;oul, that others know nothing what it meaneth; the Lord Je&s;us is more <HI>open hearted to them,</HI> his &s;ecrets are with them, they are the hidden Manna, and they again are <HI>mo&s;t free, to power</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 25. 14.</NOTE> <HI>out their &s;ouls,</HI> to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, into his bo&s;om, <HI>to power them out like water;</HI> as he will hide nothing from <HI>Abraham;</HI> &s;o <HI>Abraham will hide nothing from him,</HI> &s;uch a confidence hath the poor <HI>Be|lieving &s;oul,</HI> that he &s;peaks boldly, freely, <GAP DESC="foreign"> with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb 4. 16, Come boldly to the Throne of grace.</NOTE> &s;peaking all, &s;o the original word properly imports; that <HI>which none el&s;e</HI> in the world &s;hall know, they will make known to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, they can be more free with him, then any other. And not only becau&s;e he already knoweth <HI>the heart as I conceive,</HI> but out of a &s;weet confidence they have in him, and experience <HI>of his bowels</HI> yerning over poor &s;ouls in &s;uch a Condition, &s;o that if he knew not all that was in their hearts; they would out of this <HI>freedom open it to him.</HI> Yea the Lord <HI>Je&s;us he dyed our death,</HI> and <HI>grieves our griefs,</HI> and we ri&s;e his re&s;urrection, and rejoyce in his rejoycings, he partaketh with us, yea indeed bears the heavier end, and all indeed of our mi&s;eries, and we <HI>partake of his joys,</HI> the oyl of gladne&s;s we <HI>are anointed</HI> with. But this is the &s;e|cond. <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm 45.</NOTE></P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>another is the cohabitation of Chri&s;t</HI> with his people, I will dwell <HI>with them,</HI> and I <HI>will walk in them,</HI> when the new <HI>Je|ru&s;alem comes down from heaven,</HI> the Church of the Jews &s;hall come in; then he will e&s;pecially dwell in them, then the Taber|nacle of God is with men, but now <HI>&s;aith the Apo&s;tle,</HI> that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 7. 5. He is held in the Galleries. 2 Co. 6. 16.</NOTE> <HI>Chri&s;t may dwell in your hearts by</HI> faith, though he be ab&s;ent in|deed in &s;ome re&s;pect, at the <HI>right hand of his father, ab&s;ent in body,</HI> yet he is pre&s;ent in &s;pirit, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith of him&s;elf, as he would have us to be in Heaven, have our <HI>hearts there,</HI> and &s;o to <HI>dwell there, to have our conver&s;ations there,</HI> our <HI>love there,</HI> and where the heart is there the man is, <HI>Animus non e&s;t ubi animat, &s;ed ub i amat,</HI> well, we then dwell with him, and he <HI>dwels with us, with</HI> him will <HI>I dwell &s;aith</HI> the Lord. It is a <HI>Marriage duty</HI>
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to dwell one with another, and if a believer have an unbelieving <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 6. 16.</NOTE> yoke-fellow, if he or &s;he will live with the believer they mu&s;t not put them away, they mu&s;t <HI>not depart</HI> from them; &s;o it is here, the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5. 29.</NOTE> Lord Je&s;us dwels with his people, and this is no &s;mall priviledge to the <HI>Husband</HI> the Bridegroom at hand, alway ready to pity and <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 12.</NOTE> compa&s;&s;ionate us in our &s;ufferings within or without. But this the third.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>he nouri&s;heth and cheri&s;heth them.</HI> No man <HI>hates</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 1. 3.</NOTE> <HI>his own fle&s;h</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, but he <HI>nouri&s;heth it and cheri&s;heth it, as you have it</HI> there in <HI>Nathan's parable</HI> one poor <HI>Ewe Lamb</HI> and he laid it in his bo&s;om, and it did eat of his <HI>bread and drink of his cup,</HI> by which are meant all manner of &s;upplies tenderly and free|ly mini&s;tred to a yoke-fellow, as afterward by the opening of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 40.</NOTE> parable it appears well, <HI>now</HI> thus doth the <HI>Lord Je&s;us</HI> dwell with us, as many as believe, he cheri&s;heth us, and nouri&s;heth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 23. 37.</NOTE> us.</P>
<P N="1">1. He lay's his <HI>people in his bo&s;om.</HI> The Church is &s;aid to <HI>lay</HI> him <HI>between her brea&s;ts,</HI> which only is an expre&s;&s;ion of her love to him, <HI>not</HI> for that he needed any cheri&s;hing from thence as <HI>David</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 4. 2. Luke 22. 15. Math. 26. 29. I&s;a. 53. 11.</NOTE> did from <HI>Abi&s;hai,</HI> when he was old he mu&s;t have a young <HI>virgin, to keep warmth in</HI> him. This is the ca&s;e here, if we had not &s;uch cheri&s;hing from Je&s;us Chri&s;t alas brethren we &s;hould quickly be <HI>benummed</HI> and <HI>frozen</HI> and <HI>&s;tiff</HI> and <HI>unfit</HI> for any &s;ervice he calls us to where &s;hould the &s;pou&s;e in her fainting <HI>&s;wouning fits</HI> lye, but in her <HI>Husbands bo&s;ome,</HI> this the Prophet &s;etteth forth in another &s;imile, of a &s;hepheard, <HI>the Lambs that are feeble,</HI> and are not able to go or drive the pace of others, he puts them in his <HI>bo&s;om</HI> &s;aith the Text, thence they may gather heat, and &s;o the <HI>Chicken</HI> from the <HI>wings of the Hen,</HI> there is warmth and cheri&s;hing, &s;o the &s;on of righteou&s;ne&s;s, when they are <HI>&s;pread over a &s;oul,</HI> there is <HI>healing</HI> and <HI>&s;trength in them.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. But <HI>then they eat of his bread and drank of his cup,</HI> when he was upon Earth, you know he did <HI>eat and drink with his Di&s;ci|ples,</HI> he de&s;ired to eat that <HI>Pa&s;&s;over</HI> with them. O ble&s;&s;ed are they that eat bread with him at his Table, in his Kingdom! he &s;peaks of <HI>drinking wine new with them:</HI> that which is a refre&s;hing to them, is a refre&s;hing to him as I may &s;ay, what is the &s;atisfacti|on of a &s;oul brethren, but when he <HI>eats the fle&s;h of Chri&s;t and drinketh his blood;</HI> when he <HI>feeds</HI> upon tho&s;e <HI>real</HI> dainties; and
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what is the <HI>&s;atisfaction of Chri&s;t,</HI> but to &s;ee this, He <HI>&s;hall &s;ee his Seed,</HI> and be &s;atisfied to &s;ee his <HI>mercy</HI> and <HI>his bowels,</HI> the precious <HI>fruits of his death</HI> and re&s;urrection, <HI>made over to a &s;oul,</HI> to &s;ee them living <HI>by Faith</HI> upon them, and eating and drinking abun|dantly to their &s;ouls &s;atisfaction, this is the &s;atisfaction of the &s;oul of the Lord Je&s;us al&s;o: well he nouri&s;heth them, it is the Saints priviledge; a man will not feed &s;trangers continually at his Table, nor enemies, but when once this relation is made up, this is the <HI>re&s;ult;</HI> O what <HI>filling</HI> is to the <HI>hungry</HI> and thir&s;ty &s;oul, they &s;hall be &s;atisfied!</P>
<P>Fifthly, <HI>(which &s;hould have been before this,)</HI> he will <HI>purify his Church,</HI> his &s;pou&s;e, the more Communion he hath with her, the more pure &s;he is, what is humbling in other Marriages, is <HI>advancement</HI> in this ble&s;&s;ed Marriage. It is &s;aid that the virgins <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h. 2. 12.</NOTE> which <HI>were to come</HI> to King, <HI>Aha&s;hur,</HI> were <HI>to purify them&s;elves</HI> before they came to him, much ado there was to purify them with <HI>oyl of Myrrh,</HI> which they &s;ay was to make the skin &s;mooth, to clear the beauty, to free them, from <HI>Wrinckles,</HI> and to keep it from decaying. <HI>The &s;weet Odours were</HI> to make them delight|ful in their &s;avour, to make them lovely to the eye of a man, &s;o <HI>curious</HI> they were; but the ca&s;e is <HI>otherwi&s;e</HI> here. Alas, he is fain to put his <HI>comeline&s;s upon</HI> us, el&s;e we <HI>&s;hould not have beauty</HI> at all that he &s;hould <HI>de&s;ire us,</HI> as you have it, in <HI>Ezek.</HI> 16. And therefore the Apo&s;tle to the <HI>Ephe&s;ians,</HI> he gave him&s;elf for his Church <HI>that he might purify it.</HI> Though <HI>we were na&s;ty, &s;lutti&s;h, loth&s;om</HI> creatures before, the Lord Je&s;us will not have us conti|nue <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5. 25. &amp; 27.</NOTE> &s;o, but <HI>wa&s;h us in that fountain, opened for &s;in and uncleanne&s;s,</HI> that <HI>Jordan</HI> with us to wa&s;h away our Lepro&s;y: And therefore he him&s;elf <HI>came by water, as well as by blood.</HI> Alas! <HI>what &s;hould the Lord Je&s;us do</HI> with us bretbren, if we &s;hould <HI>retain</HI> our <HI>&s;wini&s;h di&s;po&s;ition</HI> to <HI>wallow in the myre?</HI> and then think to come and lye down in his bo&s;om. No, he cannot away with this: <HI>he mu&s;t wa&s;h away this di&s;po&s;ition,</HI> and hath done it for all that are his, that now they &s;hall no <HI>more delight in</HI> &s;in, but if they mi&s;carry <HI>now it</HI> &s;hall be their grief as well as it is his, he purifieth his people: <HI>A &s;ad word to &s;uch, as</HI> yet <HI>mallow in</HI> their uncleanne&s;s, <HI>a &s;ign</HI> they have nothing to do with Chri&s;t. An encouragement to poor Creatures who labour under <HI>the loth&s;omene&s;s of their corruptions,</HI> he gave him&s;elf that he might <HI>purifie to him&s;elf a Church,</HI> he can
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do it, he <HI>will do it,</HI> his blood doth lye in pawn, he will not lo&s;e the price of his blood, <HI>nor &s;hall his people lo&s;e</HI> &s;uch mercies as this, which co&s;t the heart-blood, whatever they go without, they &s;hall not go without this.</P>
<P>Sixthly, <HI>He will make them fruitful, Marriage-communion</HI> is a fruitful communion. This is the general complaint of the peo|ple of God, of their barren hearts and <HI>empty lives,</HI> but he will make them fruitful, he will not have <HI>a barren &s;pou&s;e,</HI> whether we &s;peak collectively, or di&s;tributively of the Church of Chri&s;t. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4. 24.</NOTE> <HI>Collectively, Jeru&s;alem which is above, is the mother of us all,</HI> a way, that is barren, and God doth not own with bringing in <HI>&s;ouls to Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> hath cau&s;e to fear, whethether <HI>in &s;uch a con&s;titu|tion</HI> they be the Church of Chri&s;t, yea, or no: It is true the Gen|tiles before they were marryed, <HI>had no children:</HI> and the Jews that <HI>were the marryed wife,</HI> when God was ca&s;ting her off, grew very barren, but now <HI>more are children of the unmarryed,</HI> then of the <HI>marryed woman</HI> &s;aith the Lord. <HI>But it is clearer to us to &s;peak di&s;tributively,</HI> he will make us fruitful, <HI>When a man is mar|ryed to the Law, which is the &s;trength of &s;in</HI> as the Apo&s;tle calls it, O how fruitful is he in <HI>works of darkne&s;s, and &s;hall not Je&s;us Chri&s;t be as vigorous</HI> and fruitful a husband, as the Law can be, and &s;in can be? Let <HI>Sarahs womb be as dead as it may,</HI> yet he can make her fruitful, <HI>Let a mans heart be as dead</HI> to good works as you <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 12.</NOTE> can imagine, <HI>he can renew</HI> &s;trength again as he did <HI>Abrahams and Sarahs.</HI> If <HI>he &s;peak the word,</HI> a green tree is withered; if he &s;peak the word a barren tree is fruitful, the Apo&s;tle his expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>we are dead to the Law,</HI> &s;aith he, and &s;o free, from <HI>our former husband</HI> that we might be marryed to another, even to <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that you might bring forth fruit unto God,</HI> &s;ee what riches of <HI>fruitful|ne&s;s, or &s;eeds of it</HI> are in the womb of that one Text, <HI>God is able to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 9. 8&punc;</NOTE> <HI>make all grace abound towards you,</HI> that ye alway, having <HI>all-&s;uf|ficiency in all things may abound to every good work,</HI> minde you, here is good works, <HI>and abounding</HI> in them, that is more; yea <HI>in every good work,</HI> good works of all kinds, and abounding in them all. And whence cometh this, <HI>he is able, to make grace abound to|wards you,</HI> though if you had but a <HI>Ci&s;tern,</HI> you <HI>might be drawn dry,</HI> or the &s;tream; yet <HI>there is a fountain</HI> which continually <HI>o|verfloweth, he is able to make grace abound;</HI> yea all grace abound, <HI>that you &s;hould have all things, and all-&s;ufficiency in all things; yea,
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and alway have it &s;o,</HI> that you may abound: O brethren, there is more riches in &s;uch a promi&s;e, then in a thou&s;and worlds, if we could <HI>but live by faith</HI> in &s;uch a promi&s;e, we &s;hould be <HI>fuller hand|ed, and freer hearted,</HI> and more <HI>abound in good works</HI> of all kinds. Well, this is the &s;ixth.</P>
<P>Seventhly, <HI>He will pre&s;ent them to his Father without &s;pot or</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph 5 27.</NOTE> <HI>wrinkle, or any &s;uch thing,</HI> a glorious Church as there it is; now a|las! Brethren, the Saints &s;ometimes <HI>lye among the Pots,</HI> here the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of the top of the Saints perfection, that which is <HI>due,</HI> or which they are capable of. There &s;hall be no privation any more, we are now but <HI>changing into his image,</HI> from glory to glory, then he will bring us to his father in full brightne&s;s of glo|ry. If the Church on earth brethren, the glory of the Bride be &s;o great, as to be compared in her <HI>primitive purity</HI> to the glory of the Sun, a woman cloathed with the Sun, <HI>what will it be when Chri&s;t &s;hall appear with him in glory?</HI> No deformity &s;hall there then be brethren, but the Church &s;hall be altogether lovely. But here further, by &s;pot or wrinkle are meant the &s;tain and deformi|ty of &s;in onely; or el&s;e the deformity of &s;in, and &s;uffering both, <HI>Of &s;in,</HI> if <HI>&s;o then, by &s;pot we may under&s;tand any greater &s;tain</HI> or blemi&s;h, by wrinkle <HI>any le&s;s deformity,</HI> by &s;pot <HI>a gro&s;s &s;in,</HI> by wrinkle <HI>an ordinary infirmity.</HI> Or el&s;e by &s;pot any <HI>&s;inful work,</HI> by wrinkle <HI>any failing</HI> even in good works, there &s;hall be nothing but uprightne&s;s, <HI>or el&s;e as &s;ome,</HI> even Mr. <HI>Caryl</HI> making a double <HI>Metaphor;</HI> yet to the like purpo&s;e, there &s;hall be no deformity which <HI>u&s;ually followeth age,</HI> in <HI>things and per&s;ons.</HI> In things an <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> 16.</NOTE> old garment is u&s;ually &s;potted and defiled: In per&s;ons, <HI>wrinkles u&s;e to deform them,</HI> you know the moi&s;ture con&s;uming <HI>the skin &s;hrivels</HI> up, and the beauty is gone; now &s;aith the Lord, there &s;hall be none of all this, <HI>no &s;uch deformity,</HI> no old things, all <HI>&s;hall be done away, and all things &s;hall become new,</HI> they &s;hall be like the <HI>pure&s;t garment,</HI> in its glo&s;s and lu&s;tre, like <HI>the pure&s;t face,</HI> in its flower, no deformity at all. Or el&s;e <HI>by &s;pot, we may</HI> under&s;tand <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 17. 12.</NOTE> <HI>&s;in,</HI> and <HI>by wrinkle, &s;orrow,</HI> and &s;o we know, that &s;orrow will dry up the bones and marrow and moi&s;ture, my fle&s;h and my skin, he hath made old, that is to &s;ay, by rea&s;on of &s;orrow, it wrinkles the face, breaks the beauty, <HI>&s;arrows</HI> the Cheeks, brings deformity up|on <NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam 3. 4.</NOTE> the greate&s;t beauty; now there &s;hall be no &s;uch thing, &s;in <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 6<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">.</NOTE> <HI>there &s;hall be none, all pardoned;</HI> yea, all far <HI>removed,</HI> none inhe|rent,
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as you heard before, all glorious, no deformity, no vilene&s;s and then <HI>no &s;orrow neither</HI> to abate our fulne&s;s of joy, but a merry heart, a <HI>joy to &s;wallow up, now the wings &s;hall</HI> be covered <HI>with &s;ilver</HI> and feathers <HI>with yellow gold,</HI> yea tho&s;e very afflictions where|with we have been racked, &s;hall work out an <HI>exceeding and far more exceeding</HI> and eternal <HI>weight of glory,</HI> &s;pecially if they be for Chri&s;t, here is a priviledge indeed brethren, nor <HI>any &s;uch thing,</HI> any thing which them&s;elvs or others may <HI>&s;u&s;pect</HI> to be a &s;pot, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>But then, <HI>his pre&s;enting them to his father,</HI> this is after the man|ner of men, you know <HI>I&s;aac</HI> took his <HI>&s;pou&s;e,</HI> and pre&s;ented her to <HI>his father, and brought her into his mothers Tent,</HI> &s;o will the <HI>Lord Je&s;us</HI> pre&s;ent <HI>his Church to his father,</HI> here is my &s;pou&s;e now <HI>in that glory which I have</HI> put upon her, the price of my blood, <HI>this is my glory,</HI> and he will <HI>not be a&s;hamed to confe&s;s his people,</HI> to own them for his Bride, before his father at that day, and then <HI>he will bring them into his fathers hou&s;e,</HI> there to abide with the Lord for|ever; there to be &s;wallowed up of his love, and likene&s;s, forever|more. <HI>O ble&s;&s;ed &s;oul</HI> that <HI>labours now under a body of &s;in,</HI> and death and art <HI>loath&s;om</HI> in thine eyes! lift up thy head, this day <HI>draweth nigh,</HI> every &s;pot <HI>&s;hall be done away, yea there &s;hall be nothing like a wrinkle</HI> upon thy &s;oul, O <HI>what will this be to the &s;oul,</HI> that is weary of &s;in indeed!</P>
<P>4. <HI>&V;&s;e of the Doctrine</HI> &s;hall <HI>be then to teach us the Dignity, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 4.</NOTE> <HI>Duty of a Go&s;pel-Mini&s;try. Their dignity,</HI> they are &s;uch as are intru&s;ted with this great work, to <HI>fit a &s;pou&s;e to Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> to re|concile her to him, to e&s;pou&s;e her to him, they are no ordinary &s;ervants, the Lord <HI>&s;ends about</HI> &s;uch works, yea even you &s;ee <HI>Ele|azer</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 24.</NOTE> was no mean &s;ervant, the ruler of the hou&s;e. Princes &s;end their <HI>Emba&s;&s;adors</HI> to treat about Marriages for them. So we &s;aith the Apo&s;tle in <HI>Chri&s;ts &s;tead,</HI> as if he <HI>did be&s;eech</HI> you. To be the friends of the <HI>Bridegroom, is no &s;mall priviledge,</HI> but I will <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3. 28.</NOTE> not &s;tand upon this, but rather a word or two of the Duty, you may &s;ee how great it is, that you may be the more moved to pray for them.</P>
<P N="1">1. Then <HI>the Duty lyes in this, that we woo for Chri&s;t,</HI> and not for our &s;elves, he that <HI>hath the Bride, is the Bridegroom</HI> &s;aith <HI>John but the friend of the Bridegroom</HI> envyeth him not that happine&s;s, but would further it what <HI>he can,</HI> and that is his rejoycing, this
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<HI>my joy is fulfilled</HI> &s;aith he, that people come in to Chri&s;t. It is a &s;ad thing brethren, when we &s;hall be found at the day of account to have &s;poken, it may be, but one word for Chri&s;t, and two for our &s;elves; the Apo&s;tle tells us of &s;ome that &s;hould ari&s;e in the Church of <HI>Ephe&s;us, &s;peaking perver&s;e things to draw Di&s;ciples af|ter them,</HI> I pray you mind, <HI>to draw Di&s;ciples after them,</HI> not after <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 20 30.</NOTE> Chri&s;t. It is &s;ad, I &s;ay, when men &s;hall compa&s;s the Sea and Land to make a Pro&s;elyte to <HI>an Opinion,</HI> much pains laid out this way, and when all cometh to all it &s;hall prove but Copper, and not gold; but Je&s;us Chri&s;t is little beholding to them: or if we preach Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>and intend our &s;elves,</HI> to lift up our own names, and not the name of Chri&s;t: O this is great unfaithful|ne&s;s, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul,</HI> &s;peaking of that Corinthian Church much like ours, I am of <HI>Paul,</HI> &amp;c. were you baptized <HI>into the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 3.</NOTE> <HI>name of Paul, was he crucified for you,</HI> &amp;c.? Alas &s;aith he, I have done nothing but wooed you for Chri&s;t, e&s;pou&s;ed you to one <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Cor. 1. 13.</NOTE> Husband, and not to &s;o many. The children <HI>of the Bride-Cham|ber are never</HI> called together to pro&s;titute the Bride to them; but to rejoyce, and <HI>celebrate</HI> the Marriage with more &s;olemnity. Yea by how much the greater honor it is to have the <HI>charge of the Bride,</HI> by &s;o much the greater &s;in it is <HI>to deal fal&s;ly with Chri&s;t</HI> in it, and to draw them after our &s;elves, when we &s;hould draw men after the Lord Je&s;us.</P>
<P N="2">2. Their Duty is, <HI>to pre&s;ent them to the Lord Je&s;us as a pure virgin,</HI> having <HI>e&s;pou&s;ed</HI> them to one Husband, now to watch o|ver them, to take &s;uch care of them and pains with them, that <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Cor. 11. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> having e&s;caped the pollutions of the world, they may not <HI>return any more to them, but be kept pure;</HI> and holy to the Lord; and therefore &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>I am jealous</HI> over you with a godly jealou&s;ie, jealou&s;ie is a kinde of fear, <HI>&s;orrow and anger; It is the rage of a man</HI> &s;aith <HI>Salem:</HI> indeed it doth as it were rai&s;e a man above him&s;elf, carry him out of him&s;elf; therefore &s;aith the A|po&s;tle, bear with me if by rea&s;on of my earne&s;tne&s;s, I &s;eem to be <HI>out of my &s;elf,</HI> it is for your &s;akes, I am jealous for you &s;aith the Apo&s;tle. And what was the matter, they were in danger to be &s;educed by fal&s;e Apo&s;tles; to be <HI>corrupted from the &s;implicity of the Go&s;pel of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and this was that the Apo&s;tle was jea|lous over them for; and &s;urely brethren it is commendable and imitable, I plead not for pa&s;&s;ion and wild-fire, but a holy zeal
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for the glory of Chri&s;t, the well-fare of &s;ouls, <HI>we ought not to be cold</HI> but zealous jealous for you brethren if in danger of <HI>&s;educing</HI> at any time, this is a large duty indeed, we are apt to &s;leep, e&s;pe|cially if &s;ang a&s;leep by the delu&s;ions <HI>of weakne&s;s and mildne&s;s</HI> and love, fal&s;ly &s;o called, and then the mi&s;chief is done, but enough of this. I hope you &s;ee, there is cau&s;e enough to pray for us.</P>
<P>5. <HI>Another &V;&s;e then &s;hall be tending to the wooing of &s;ome poor</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 5.</NOTE> <HI>&s;ouls,</HI> this day to accept of the Son of God, the Lord Je&s;us, and of his love, and to make up the match with him, this is our work indeed. And O that it might pro&s;per in the hand of a poor un|worthy &s;ervant and <HI>friend of the Bridegroom,</HI> this day; you have heard <HI>Who he is, and What he is;</HI> you have heard already the glo|rious priviledges which ari&s;e from a clo&s;ure with him; yea how often have you heard the&s;e things, and yet you are <HI>coy,</HI> and hang back. I am come this day brethren to tell you, the &s;um of the me&s;&s;age is, <HI>that the Lord Je&s;us</HI> is willing to have you, if you be willing to have him. How long &s;hall the Lord Je&s;us <HI>follow you with the&s;e mercies,</HI> the price of his mo&s;t precious blood; and yet you &s;light him. <HI>What can you de&s;ire,</HI> that is not to be had in Je|&s;us Chri&s;t. <HI>If you would have beauty, he is the chief of ten thou|&s;and. If you would have riches, you &s;hall have all things with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 5. 10. Rom. 8. 27.</NOTE> <HI>Chri&s;t, how &s;hall he not with him give us all things?</HI> Would you be <HI>honourable,</HI> tho&s;e are truely honourable that God honours? now he will honour them that will honour him and honour his Son. And wherein is he and his Son honoured, but in this, if we believe in his name, give him the glory of his mercy and faith|fulne&s;s, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">at I were able to &s;peak of him, &s;o as that you might &s;ome of you fall in love with him this day, <HI>Shall I a little &s;tir you up to this!</HI></P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t, If you have him not, you are like to live and dye under that cruel husband,</HI> the Law and Sin, the Law as it is the &s;trength of &s;in which is the cruelle&s;t <HI>bondage in the world,</HI> the Law 1. It com|mands <HI>a mo&s;t ab&s;olute obedience and conformity to it &s;elf,</HI> there mu&s;t not be the lea&s;t turning a&s;ide to the right hand, or to the left, not a lota be mi&s;&s;ed, <HI>all things obeyed, and continued in, and that upon pain of an eternal cur&s;e,</HI> cur&s;ed is every one that continueth not in <HI>every thing which is written to do it,</HI> it is a mo&s;t rigorous <HI>exacter</HI>
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of obedience to its cominands, there is <HI>no pitying,</HI> no &s;paring, as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3. 17.</NOTE> there is now in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, he <HI>pityeth and &s;pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eth, as a father his &s;on,</HI> as a husband <HI>his &s;pou&s;e.</HI> If a man could from his youth up keep all, and but mi&s;s it in a word, in a vain thought <HI>all his life time,</HI> there is no pity, no &s;paring, it condemneth to the lower|mo&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ell. O what a condition are you in, &s;inners, upon whom all your breaches of this Law doth lye! 2. It <HI>is a cruel bondage;</HI> becau&s;e it giveth <HI>no &s;trength,</HI> if it did impo&s;e never &s;o much, if it did give <HI>any &s;trength,</HI> it were &s;omething. It is true we had &s;trength which God gave us at the fir&s;t, until we <HI>wantonly</HI> fell, and broke our bones, &amp; &s;o brought weakne&s;s upon our &s;elves, but now in this condition, yet, we are <HI>under the Law</HI> as a husband, which will <HI>command peremptorily,</HI> but giveth us no power, like the the <HI>Egyptians</HI> task-ma&s;ters, they would have them make <HI>bricks, and yet give them no &s;traw;</HI> and yet the Law <HI>is holy ju&s;t and good.</HI> Now the Lord Je&s;us, what he commandeth, he giveth &s;trength to perform. 3. It <HI>admitteth of no&s;urety,</HI> we mu&s;t do it our &s;elves obey to the utmo&s;t our &s;elves, or el&s;e be ruined to the utmo&s;t, peri&s;h to the utmo&s;t, <HI>cur&s;ed is every one that continueth not in eve|ry thing,</HI> one man, cannot be accepted for another, the &s;oul that &s;inneth it &s;hall dye. And 4. <HI>Yea more then all this, It provokes us</HI> as we are corrupt to break it, as <HI>a bank again&s;t a &s;trong &s;tream</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3. 10.</NOTE> it maketh it &s;well and rage, <HI>the motions of &s;in which were by the Law,</HI> this is by the Law, but <HI>not from the Law, but from our cor|rupt hearts,</HI> but &s;in takes occa&s;ion by the commandment, <HI>nitimur in vetitum cupimu&s;que negata</HI> like wild A&s;&s;es Colts, when the law <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7, 5.</NOTE> cometh to <HI>yoak us, and hamper us,</HI> we <HI>break the y<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ak,</HI> and the bands, as the Prophet &s;peaks, will not endure to be held. Now is not this a &s;ad condition, to be under &s;uch a hus<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d as this; and yet how many of us are in <HI>this ca&s;e,</HI> and contented &s;o to be? Well, remember brethren, the end of the&s;e things will be <HI>bitter|ne&s;s and death, that is the wages.</HI></P>
<P>2. <HI>Another Motive,</HI> may be this, he is ready to clo&s;e <HI>with you,</HI> if ye be ready to clo&s;e with him, be you what you will, never &s;o vile in your own eyes, for it may be this is the di&s;couragement of many; they would rather <HI>then their lives,</HI> have the Lord Je&s;us for a husband; but alas, <HI>there is no beauty in them;</HI> he is the <HI>chief of ten thou&s;and,</HI> and they are the vile&s;t of ten thou&s;and, the chief of &s;inners, he altogether lovely, they altogether loath&s;om;
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He is white and ruddy, they are black and bloody; <HI>lying in their blood</HI> and filthine&s;s, ca&s;t out to the loathing of their per&s;ons, and what hope can they have that he will accept of them? very great hopes brethren, for this is the <HI>tenour of the Go&s;pel</HI> to be <HI>preached to every Creature,</HI> without exception or <HI>Limitation,</HI> and every one that believeth in him, cometh to him, <HI>he will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t out,</HI> if he would, what had become of <HI>Paul or Mana&s;&s;eh, &s;ay not then, Alas I am poor</HI> and mi&s;e|rable, and naked, yea <HI>Leprous</HI> and filthy, and therefore it is not for for &s;uch a one as I, to think on Chri&s;t; indeed, thou can&s;t not think of him, until he, fir&s;t think of<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hee, nor work towards him, until his heart hath been working towards thee, and is not that demon&s;trate that he is willing to receive thee, to make a match with thee, <HI>though we be worms, and no men,</HI> have cau&s;e to cry out, if we were never &s;o <HI>holy, Lord, what is man</HI> that thou art &s;o <HI>mindful of him,</HI> as to vi&s;it him with &s;uch &s;alvation, make him &s;o near thy &s;elf in thy &s;on. Yea &s;urely he is willing, <HI>he would not have moved</HI> towards thee el&s;e, he doth not u&s;e to mock poor Crea|tures to make them <HI>believe his heart</HI> is towards them, and when their heart echo again and &s;ay thy face Lord will we &s;eek, then to &s;hut up his bowels, and &s;hut out their de&s;ires. Brethren, <HI>take heed of too</HI> much being alive to the Law, for that &s;eemeth to be the &s;avour of our &s;pirit, while unworthine&s;s is the <HI>ob&s;truction</HI> to our coming to Je&s;us Chri&s;t: we mu&s;t be dead, brethren, to the Law and the righteou&s;ne&s;s thereof, all our performances and be&s;t duties, el&s;e we cannot live to Je&s;us Chri&s;t: <HI>The Lord Je&s;us never matched with a Creature becau&s;e it was worthy</HI> of him, of &s;o near an union with him, for alas, what creature, being but a crea|ture, can be wotthy of &s;uch an union with the <HI>Lord of life and glo|ry.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3. 2.</NOTE> No, no he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">akes an <HI>Ethiopian</HI> and wa&s;heth her clean from her filthine&s;s before he hath done with her, nothing but that <HI>fullers &s;ope will fetch out the &s;pots.</HI> Yea I will &s;ay one thing more, that the Lord Je&s;us never&punc; Matched with any that <HI>thought them&s;elves worthy</HI> of him, there is an encouragement to &s;uch poor drooping &s;o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, <HI>did</HI> Paul <HI>think him&s;elf worthy of Chri&s;t?</HI> nothing le&s;s nor any of the Saints. He <HI>that will not have Chri&s;t freely,</HI> is never <HI>like to have him,</HI> I will love them freely &s;aith he; No, &s;aith many a proud &s;inner, thou &s;halt not love us freely, <HI>we hope to approve</HI> our &s;elves worthy of thy love, I tell you brethren &s;uch a &s;oul hath not known what the meaning of grace is to this day, Well,
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then remember, <HI>be you as unworthy as you</HI> can, in your own ap|prehen&s;ion, <HI>all the mercies of God,</HI> purcha&s;ed by the <HI>blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> they are freely offered and tendered to you this day, to thee man, to thee woman, that art viler then the earth in <HI>thine own eyes,</HI> yea to hard hearted &s;inners, that &s;ee not them&s;elves, they are tendered to <HI>melt them down,</HI> and if this will not do it, nothing will do it. <HI>O that I could &s;peak of the&s;e bowels, with &s;uch bowels as</HI> &s;ome of your hearts might be &s;tirred, and moved this day, but &s;o much for this &s;econd!</P>
<P>3. Motive, <HI>the Lord Je&s;us is not only willing</HI> thus to <HI>communi|cate him&s;elf to poor &s;inners,</HI> but it is his <HI>delight &s;o to do,</HI> It is the <HI>&s;atisfaction of the &s;oul of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> when he beholdeth the pre|cious mercies purcha&s;ed by his blood accepted of by poor &s;inners <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 53. 11. Iohn 3. 15.</NOTE> and to work mightily in them and to them. <HI>He &s;hall &s;ee his Seed and &s;hall be &s;atisfied;</HI> the father is &s;atisfied, and the &s;on is &s;atisfied, <HI>when</HI> they behold this, this is all that <HI>they expect,</HI> the father for his love, &s;uch a love, as the world cannot <HI>paralel,</HI> a <HI>Sic</HI> without a <HI>Siout,</HI> God &s;o loved the world, It <HI>is all he expecteth</HI> that tho&s;e mercies which he hath purcha&s;ed &s;hould be freely be be&s;towed upon, and freely accepted of by poor &s;inners, and it is the <HI>&s;atis|faction of Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> al&s;o, it is all he expecteth of us, I &s;ay the continual &s;treaming of that fountain opened for &s;in and <HI>for un|cleane&s;s</HI> they are as if <HI>he had &s;aid,</HI> I have enough for all my pains, my <HI>&s;weat, my agony,</HI> my eclip&s;ing, <HI>for the pangs of hell</HI> in my &s;oul, for my death, and blood and burial, all the contempts powred <HI>out upon me,</HI> and the &s;orrow <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">endured, though there <HI>was never grief</HI> like mine, yet this is enough &s;aith he, he &s;hall be &s;atisfied, if he do <HI>but &s;ee poor &s;inners</HI> to receive him, and &s;o become his Seed, clo&s;e with him <HI>and &s;o become his spou&s;e,</HI> for it is the &s;ame thing, though clothed with a diver&s;e Metaphor. Brethren, i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> may be, <HI>you would &s;atisfie Chri&s;t</HI> another way, you would do this and that for him, Labour as abundantly as you can, be as holy as you can, perform your duties in as lively a manner as you can: but when you have done all, if you hang your peace and com|fort upon this, and not in your free acceptance of Chri&s;t: and with Chri&s;t, you &s;eem yet to be marryed to the Law, and not to Chri&s;t, <HI>or at lea&s;t</HI> you turn a&s;ide to your former Husband, a Co|venant of works, this is a <HI>di&s;&s;atisfactiou to Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> as if there were not riches of grace in him to &s;wallow up all your unwor|thine&s;s.
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O Brethren that the Lord would per&s;wade <HI>your hearts this day,</HI> what a delight and &s;atisfaction it is to him to &s;ee poor &s;inners come and lye at his foot and willing to receive him, to match with him, notwith&s;tanding their unworthine&s;s!</P>
<P>4. <HI>Con&s;ider but how little a thing will do</HI> the deed, and <HI>e&s;pou&s;e</HI> thee to the Lord Je&s;us, Alas you will &s;ay, you find it a hard thing to believe, as hard a thing as to keep the Law. It is &s;o, in re&s;pect of our &s;trength, but many they <HI>mi&s;take,</HI> and think ex|cept they have &s;uch and &s;uch a &s;trength of faith they have none at all, nor do not clo&s;e with him nor he with them. If they could &s;ay <HI>with Thomas</HI> my <HI>Lord and my God,</HI> or with the <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 45. 22.</NOTE> &s;pou&s;e, <HI>my beloved is mine and I am his,</HI> then there were &s;ome <HI>encouragement</HI> indeed. Brethren if it <HI>be but as a grain of Mu&s;t|ard&s;eed,</HI> it will do the deed, look upon me all <HI>ye ends of the earth and be ye &s;aved;</HI> A look upon <HI>a woman to lu&s;t after her is Adulte|ry</HI> in heart, it is a <HI>heart union</HI> of two to one fle&s;h, for it is yet the heart, <HI>the mind that &s;eeth more then the eye;</HI> the eye may look upon many things, and di&s;cern nothing di&s;tinctly if the mind be upon another thing, &s;o here; why &s;hould <HI>not a look after Je&s;us Chri&s;t to de&s;ire him,</HI> when the <HI>&s;oul hath a &s;ight of him pa&s;sing by</HI> in his Glory. <HI>O that he were my Husband!</HI> O that I were Mar|ryed to him! that he <HI>would accept of me!</HI> O happy &s;ouls that en|joy &s;eeking communion with him! This, Brethren at the fir&s;t, is <HI>enough to make a Match</HI> between us. As the Lord Je&s;us is willing to have thee, art <HI>thou willing poor trembling &s;oul to</HI> have him? have him thou &s;halt, yea thou ha&s;t him already though this &s;aith mu&s;t grow up to a greater mea&s;ure, happily, before thou ca&s;t <HI>di&s;cern it or have the comfort of it.</HI></P>
<P>Only le&s;t any <HI>&s;hould be mi&s;taken, I will here give a word</HI> or Direction or <HI>Caution.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t; take heed of <HI>thinking thou art willing</HI> when thou <HI>art not,</HI> for as there are many poor drooping &s;ouls who think they are not willing to have Chri&s;t when it is that their <HI>&s;ouls do ever break for longing</HI> after, &s;o on the other hand <HI>there are many will</HI> &s;ay, If this be all, it is an ea&s;ie matter, <HI>we are all willing to have Chri&s;t,</HI> O that you were brethren! if you were willing to have him, <HI>&s;ure you would</HI> make more after him then you do, many of you, he may go whither he will, you never mi&s;s him, never troubled for want of him. Believe it, you are not willing to have him,
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there goeth more <HI>to a willingne&s;s in &s;incerity,</HI> then you are aware of. And then on the other hand, tho&s;e which are willing <HI>are ready to think&punc;</HI> Alas, they <HI>cannot finde their hearts</HI> willing, they are afraid they may deceive them&s;elves; But <HI>what is it</HI> man that maketh thee walk &s;o heavily, &s;o carefully, &s;o droopingly? is it not the want of Je&s;us Chri&s;t? <HI>what is it that thy &s;oul cryeth out</HI> for to God, <HI>early and late?</HI> &s;o that heaven and earth is full of thy &s;ighs, and groans, and tears: is it no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>for Je&s;us Chri&s;t?</HI> What is the rea&s;on that thy &s;oul followeth &s;o hard after God? if thou be not <HI>willing to have him.</HI> What is the rea&s;on el&s;e, that all com|forts wherewith thou <HI>abounde&s;t</HI> yield thee no &s;atisfaction, they are nothing to thee? No, thou mu&s;t have Chri&s;t or el&s;e thou dy|e&s;t, and yet thinke&s;t thou are not <HI>willing to have him.</HI> O &s;urely brethren, here is a willingne&s;s, <HI>take him, take him then poor &s;oul, Behold his arms are</HI> open to <HI>embrace thee, his heart is open to re|ceive thee! O embrace him, clo&s;e</HI> with him, and take the com|fort of it that thou mai&s;t walk cheerfully before him for ever!</P>
<P>2. Again, Be &s;ure Brethren <HI>that you choo&s;e Chri&s;t:</HI> and not <HI>&s;omewhat el&s;e in&s;tead of him, Choice</HI> is an act of the rea&s;on, and judgement, and &s;o mu&s;t we <HI>proceed upon</HI> judgement, mature con&s;ideration of things, <HI>el&s;e it will never hold,</HI> we &s;hall mi&s;take the object, take &s;omewhat el&s;e for Chri&s;t. Or el&s;e if we <HI>pitch upon the Object</HI> it will be &s;o &s;lightly, as not to make a <HI>Marriage|clo&s;ure:</HI> The Apo&s;tle &s;aith the <HI>Love of Chri&s;t con&s;traineth us be|cau&s;e</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;. 2. 19.</NOTE> <HI>we thus Judge,</HI> if <HI>Chri&s;t dyed for all, then were all dead,</HI> there is an object of Judgement going before the con&s;training of that love of Chri&s;t, &s;o &s;ome under&s;tand that, I will <HI>e&s;pou&s;e,</HI> or betroth thee to my &s;elf in Judgement, <HI>not only on his part,</HI> but on <HI>our part,</HI> it &s;hall be in Judgement, u&s;ually the Affections, or pa&s;&s;ions the&s;e are <HI>violent,</HI> like a Land-flood, yet having not a &s;pring to feed them, they are quickly dryed up.</P>
<P N="1">1. Then, Be <HI>&s;ure you choo&s;e not the pro&s;perity you expect</HI> to ac|company Chri&s;t in&s;tead of him. How many followed him for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 6. 26.</NOTE> the loa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es, they were not in love with Chri&s;t, but the loaves, they loved their own bellies, and not the Lord Je&s;us as the A|po&s;tle <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 3. 58.</NOTE> &s;peaks. And therefore our Saviour deals plainly with men? At the <HI>fir&s;t, you dream of</HI> outward <HI>felicity</HI> if you have me, <HI>you are deceived</HI> &s;aith our Saviour, the <HI>Foxes</HI> have holes, <HI>the birds of the
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Air ne&s;ts, &amp;c.</HI> If <HI>that men did</HI> certainly know they <HI>mu&s;t &s;uffer per&s;ecution</HI> for the name of God, the name of Chri&s;t, as <HI>all that will live godly in</HI> this world, mu&s;t do it more or le&s;s: I doubt this would quench tho&s;e wi&s;hes and <HI>velleities</HI> that &s;ometimes they have towards Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Do not <HI>mi&s;take</HI> if you have him, you <NOTE PLACE="marg">In Rom. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> mu&s;t expect <HI>trouble with him,</HI> troubles within, and troubles without, &s;uch as you never likely met with before: and if you cannot be <HI>willing to take him with his reproaches,</HI> his poverty, his nakedne&s;s, his impri&s;onments, you are not worthy of him.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Be &s;ure you choo&s;e not his graces,</HI> or any thing but him&s;elf <HI>primarily,</HI> many would have him, but what is it they <HI>mind or eye? that they might have peace,</HI> and comfort, and pardon of &s;in, and this and that priviledge; but they do not <HI>pitch upon Chri&s;t</HI> him&s;elf primarily as the fountain. Well then labour to fall in love <HI>with his per&s;on,</HI> to &s;ee &s;ome <HI>excellency in</HI> Chri&s;t, that you apprehend not before; O! <HI>when the &s;oul</HI> hath his beauty, <HI>loveline&s;s to know him,</HI> that the fulne&s;s of the <HI>Godhead is in</HI> him, that he is the expre&s;s image or Character of his <HI>Fathers Per&s;on,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 1. 3.</NOTE> then to chu&s;e him upon &s;uch grounds <HI>and deliberates</HI> is likely <HI>to hold. This is the rooting, Brethren,</HI> which the word of grace hath in the heart; the depth of earth whereupon a well poy&s;ed judgement <HI>we choo&s;e the Lhrd Je&s;us;</HI> that we &s;ee &s;o much in him of worth, that <HI>we are now &s;atisfied;</HI> come life, come death, come poverty, <HI>come per&s;ecution,</HI> come what can come, there is enough in him to make up all: until we come to this, <HI>Brethren explicitly</HI> or <HI>implicitly, it</HI> will hardly hold. O <HI>therefore Brethren labour to &s;tudy Chri&s;t</HI> and his excellency, whereby he is the chief of ten thou&s;and, Beg of him to manife&s;t him&s;elf to you, that you may judiciou&s;ly choo&s;e him.</P>
<P>U&s;e 6. <HI>Shall be for exhortation</HI> to the people of God, &s;uch as the Lord hath given <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ower to <HI>believe in the Lord Je&s;us</HI> and <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 6.</NOTE> clo&s;e with him&punc; <HI>he hath made you willing to have him,</HI> and upon his <HI>own terms</HI> you &s;hould be exhorted in that.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>To labour to make it<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ure</HI> that you <HI>have the match made</HI> up between Chri&s;t and your &s;ouls; for <HI>he lo&s;eth much of his honour,</HI> and your &s;ouls the comfort of your condition in a great part, be|cau&s;e you are not &s;ure it is &s;o. <HI>Surely he is willing to</HI> &s;eal it up
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to you <HI>with the privy &s;eal,</HI> the &s;eal <HI>of his Spirit witne&s;&s;ing, to</HI> your &s;pirits that you are his: Yea, and he hath promi&s;ed too in that place, where he <HI>betrotheth his people to him&s;elf; I will &s;ay to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 2. 23.</NOTE> <HI>them, you are my people, and ye &s;hall &s;ay, thou art my God.</HI> Thou can&s;t not &s;ay <HI>he is thy beloved,</HI> or thy beloved is thine&punc; and thou art his: <HI>but ob&s;erve,</HI> he <HI>hath promi&s;ed</HI> that he&punc; will &s;peak fir&s;t to thy &s;oul, and <HI>&s;ay thou art mine,</HI> and then the <HI>&s;oul</HI> &s;hall &s;ay, <HI>thou art mine, my husband, my God;</HI> for the thing expre&s;&s;ed by both is the &s;ame. There are many othe promi&s;es of the <HI>like ki<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d, why do not we</HI> let them lye <HI>dormant, and do not put</HI> them in &s;uit more earne&s;tly in the Court of heaven? were we not much wanting <HI>to our &s;elves</HI> herein, it would be much more comfortable for us then it is?</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Yea though thou ha&s;t not</HI> thus <HI>far a&s;&s;urance</HI> that it is &s;o, and the <HI>match made up</HI> between thee, and the Lord Je&s;us, yet take heed of a iealous heart of him, as if <HI>he were unwilling</HI> to match with thee, or <HI>as if he were off and on,</HI> and did but mock thee, becau&s;e thou finde&s;t it not in &s;o full a mea&s;ure as thou woulde&s;t, what will more <HI>grieve him</HI> then this? what could he have done more <HI>then he hath done,</HI> to manife&s;t his willingne&s;s to receive all that come to him, that are <HI>made willing</HI> through grace to receive him? You <HI>have his promi&s;e,</HI> which u&s;ually among hone&s;t men, is as good as their Bond and we <HI>build</HI> upon it: And <HI>what do you make of Je&s;us Chri&s;t?</HI> is he not upright, and ju&s;t, and true? hath he &s;aid it, and will he not make it good? <HI>hath he not &s;aid,</HI> as many as come to him, <HI>he will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t out,</HI> and is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">is word worth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 5. 37.</NOTE> nothing? <HI>indeeed if a man fail once in</HI> his word, we will hardly tru&s;t him the &s;econd time, and if ever &s;inners or Satan can come forth and &s;ay, that the Lord Je&s;us made a promi&s;e, and was not as good as his word, then you may indeed have a jealou&s;ie of him <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Ioh. 5. Ephe&s; 4. 30.</NOTE> but they cannot, they cannot, the Devil will <HI>tell you, his promi&s;e of the &s;eed</HI> of the woman breaking <HI>the Serpents head,</HI> he hath <HI>felt</HI> to his wounding: and his promi&s;e of Satans falling down like lightning, and there is not a &s;inner in hell can <HI>charge the Lord Je&s;us</HI> with breach of promi&s;e. But it may be this is not enough to poor unbelieving &s;ouls, therefore you &s;hall <HI>have it written,</HI> and &s;ealed, <HI>and witne&s;&s;ed,</HI> there are witne&s;&s;es in <HI>heaven and upon Earth,</HI> and &s;eals: the Sacraments, the broad &s;eal, and privy <HI>&s;eal of the &s;pirit,</HI> yea there <HI>is an oath al&s;o to make it good,</HI> what would
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you have more? what can you de&s;ire more then this? would you &s;ee the work done, why is not the <HI>giving up of Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> to the death for &s;inners, the <HI>greate&s;t part</HI> of the work? <HI>Sure if ever,</HI> he would have baulkt there, and yet you &s;ee it &s;tuck not: <HI>O therefore be not jealous of him,</HI> who hath &s;o freely and &s;o large|ly <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 1. 75.</NOTE> laid out him&s;elf for &s;inners.</P>
<P N="3">3. Now then <HI>ye that are Saints indeed love the Lord Je&s;us.</HI> O love the <HI>Lord ye his Saints:</HI> None have &s;uch rea&s;on to love him, as they that have ta&s;ted of his love; if there be any <HI>ingenuity</HI> in <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 31. 23. P&s;al&punc; 91. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">4.</NOTE> us, love will beget love as one flame begets another; be|cau&s;e he <HI>hath &s;et his love upon me,</HI> &s;aith the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t,</HI> therefore I will deliver him: <HI>if we could</HI> love the Lord Je&s;us more, we &s;hould be delivered more from tho&s;e evils we mourn under: How <HI>lamentable</HI> a thing is it, how much love have we for Creatures, and how little love for Je&s;us Chri&s;t? did Husband or Wife die for us? ran&s;om us from the <HI>pit and hell?</HI> I hope there are &s;ome of his people (believe it) that have <HI>more affection for</HI> Je&s;us Chri&s;t, then <HI>ever they had for the Creature. Ah ble&s;&s;ed &s;ouls!</HI> how infinitely are you engaged to him, for &s;o fully <HI>&s;eizing upon your hearts!</HI> O who are you, that you &s;hould be <HI>able, thus</HI> en|tirely to love the Lord Je&s;us, and admitted to it! but thus it is, and <HI>magnifie his</HI> Name. But alas, for the mo&s;t part, the com|plaint of <HI>the people of God is, they cannot love him.</HI> O labour to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deu. 30 6.</NOTE> get tho&s;e <HI>carnal affections mortified, the fore-skins of our heart taken</HI> away, and our <HI>heart circumci&s;ed, and then we &s;hall love him:</HI> you <HI>have a promi&s;e, improve it</HI> for that end. If we could but &s;pare <HI>time to &s;et our &s;elves</HI> to it, to <HI>&s;tudy his heart towards us,</HI> and ours towards him, his excellency and loveline&s;s, we could not but love him. <HI>O beg the &s;preading abroad of</HI> his love, <HI>&s;heding</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5. 5.</NOTE> <HI>it abroad,</HI> not only upon our under&s;tandings but our affections; for no further then he <HI>&s;heds it,</HI> will it &s;pread; it <HI>will &s;tay in the brain,</HI> in the under&s;tanding; if the pa&s;&s;ages <HI>between head and heart</HI> be not opened by him, we &s;hall never be affected and war|med by it.</P>
<P><HI>Alas you will &s;ay,</HI> our <HI>di&s;tances</HI> are &s;o great that kils our love: No brethren, that cannot be, the <HI>di&s;tances</HI> are not &s;o great now: for the relation <HI>between Chri&s;t and thy &s;oul,</HI> if thou believe&s;t, is the neare&s;t relation: <HI>he is one Spirit with thee,</HI> and therefore there is not &s;uch a di&s;tance; and though in <HI>re&s;pect of dignity and
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worth there be a di&s;tance,</HI> yet remember, now we are <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> part of him&s;elf, and <HI>partake with him</HI> of his dignities al&s;o: but however <HI>love knoweth</HI> not that over-much <HI>aw</HI> and re&s;pect as to kill it, but it will be working towards the per&s;on beloved; <HI>Mary Magda|len</HI> loving him holds him by the feet and weeps over him. If a Prince will <HI>marry a begger,</HI> &s;urely he will take it <HI>well, and ex|pecteth it,</HI> to be loved of her, and he would not be plea&s;ed with &s;uch <HI>a dejection</HI> in re&s;pect of her own vilene&s;s <HI>as to qua&s;h her love, yea</HI> brethren, me thinks the <HI>meaner we &s;ee our &s;elves, the more we &s;hould love him;</HI> for what can we do el&s;e but love him, we have <HI>nothing el&s;e</HI> lovely or de&s;irable but our love, our hearts: there|fore Oh love him, and abundantly love him <HI>O ye Saints</HI> of his, whom he hath &s;o loved.</P>
<P>Alas, <HI>But our love is little in compari&s;on</HI> of his love to us, and this di&s;courageth us. It is true, What proportion between the drop of a Bucket and the <HI>ocean,</HI> Some there is, but there is none between the <HI>largene&s;s</HI> of Chri&s;t his heart toward us, and ours towards him. But &s;hall our love peri&s;h and dry up, be|cau&s;e there is not as much in <HI>the little limbeck,</HI> as in the fountain, in the river, as in the &s;ea. He is love it &s;elf brethren, and there|fore we mu&s;t be contented to fall infinitely below in love: but <HI>let us love him</HI> according to our mea&s;ure. <HI>Again, if there be the whole heart</HI> to love the Lord Je&s;us, it is as much <HI>proportionably</HI> for us, if we could reach it, as it is for him to love <HI>us with his whole heart,</HI> as he is <HI>plea&s;ed to expre&s;s it.</HI> The Creature is <HI>infi|nitely le&s;s then Chri&s;t,</HI> and therefore mu&s;t needs have <HI>infinitely le&s;s love to him, then he hath to us,</HI> but yet there is nothing <HI>wanting</HI> where there is <HI>Totum:</HI> therefore rather it &s;hould pro|voke us. He <HI>hath loved us fir&s;t,</HI> a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d loved us more abundantly then we can love him: therefore labour to get our hearts as much enlarged as we can in love towards him, though <HI>we fall &s;hort of</HI> what we might attain to: he <HI>will make up imperfections,</HI> there is <HI>love enough in him,</HI> and there is the advantage of his love <HI>being above ours,</HI> that he can <HI>cover tho&s;e imperfections</HI> in our love to him, which if he had not more abundantly, then he could not do.</P>
<P><HI>What &s;hall I &s;ay more,</HI> Love is that which commandeth all, it draweth <HI>all the affections along with it</HI> which way ever it turns, thither the <HI>de&s;ires</HI> are bent, there is the hope fixed, there the
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<HI>delights</HI> are <HI>qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> amat, amat, &amp; nihil aliud novit.</HI> She that <HI>loveth, loveth,</HI> and knoweth nothing el&s;e. <HI>O how &s;hall we not</HI> be able to do any thing again&s;t &s;in for Chri&s;t? if <HI>we loved him &s;o entirely</HI> then <HI>our hearts would be</HI> in Heaven, we could not grufle as many of us do then, we &s;hould be more <HI>tender of his name,</HI> and of his honour, then now we are? but alas! I am not able to pre&s;s the&s;e things home, the Lord &s;et them home: <HI>You mu&s;t love him</HI> brethren, el&s;e you will have little joy of your communion with him which is to endure to eternity.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>Labour to rejoyce in him</HI> and in his love, rejoyce in <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 33. 1.</NOTE> the Lord O ye <HI>righteous</HI> &s;aith the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>Rejoyce in the Lord, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle,</HI> and again I &s;ay rejoyce, it is a duty of that moment, <HI>he cannot leave it,</HI> he goeth over and over with it, do not think I am mi&s;taken when I bid you rejoyce, becau&s;e happi|ly your condition may <HI>be afflicted other ways,</HI> again I &s;ay rejoyce, I am &s;till of the &s;ame mind. The Lord Je&s;us <HI>rejoyceth over you,</HI> as &s;ad thoughts as you have <HI>concerning your &s;elves:</HI> he rejoyceth, over you, he is glad to communicate his love, and &s;hall not we rejoyce then in the receiving of it? <HI>Can the Children of the Bride-chamber mourn while the bridegroom is with them</HI> &s;aith our Saviour? it is not &s;utable to their condition, <HI>when he &s;hall be taken away,</HI> then they &s;hall mourn: <HI>I deny not</HI> Brethren: but if the Lord do withdraw him&s;elf; we &s;hould <HI>lament</HI> after him, and &s;eek him &s;orrowing, as <HI>Mary the Mother of Je&s;us did,</HI> and the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 2. 48.</NOTE> more love we have received, if we grieve him, this will be the more grief of heart: but if you that have his pre&s;ence in a &s;weet manner, and yet hang the head, and droop, as if our joyning <HI>to the Lord had been the</HI> undoing of our &s;ouls; So pen&s;ively and &s;adly we many of us walk, that indeed we are a &s;hame and di&s;ho|nour to the Lord Je&s;us. If you &s;hould &s;ee a Virgin <HI>e&s;pou&s;ed to</HI> a man, and &s;hould from that day forwad never hold up her head, but <HI>walk heavily,</HI> what would you think? &s;ure &s;he apprehends &s;he hath made an ill choice, her expectations are fru&s;trated: therefore Brethren look to it, that we rejoyce; <HI>if the Children of the Bride-chamder cannot mourn, but rejoyce to hear the voice of the Bridegroom</HI> much more then the Bride. <HI>The Lords takes plea&s;ure in the pro&s;perity of thy &s;oul,</HI> and why &s;hould&s;t not thou <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> 23. 37<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ake plea&s;ure in the pro&s;perity of thy own &s;oul, being made one with Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
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5. <HI>Look to it that you be faithful to the Lord Je&s;us as a Bride</HI> when once <HI>e&s;pou&s;ed,</HI> if &s;he turned a&s;ide to another, <HI>it was death,</HI> they were looked upon as in a marryed &s;tate and condition, <HI>indeed the truth is,</HI> when the Lord hath truly e&s;pou&s;ed his &s;oul to him&s;elf, <HI>he hath done it</HI> in faithfulne&s;s, and maketh the &s;oul faithful to him, that in the <HI>great Article of the Covenant</HI> they <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 44. 17.</NOTE> never deal fal&s;ly with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that is to &s;ay, they choo&s;e not another Saviour; another Lord, under who&s;e dominion to put them&s;elves con&s;tantly; yet there may be &s;ometimes to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, even in his own people. If that once it cometh to this, <HI>that we imbrace &s;in and con&s;ent to it,</HI> and take any <HI>delight in it,</HI> this is to <HI>play the harlot with Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> O <HI>take heed</HI> of this brethren indeed <HI>the heart is all</HI> that he looks at, how we <HI>&s;tand affected to tho&s;e evils</HI> which yet remain! if <HI>Paul have a body of death,</HI> yet he delights not in it, <HI>but groans being burtheued,</HI> this he accounts not unfaithfulne&s;s; but when a mans heart beginneth to &s;it <HI>loo&s;e from the Lord Je&s;us,</HI> to be almo&s;t indifferent, he could &s;ometimes in a fit of wretched <HI>carnality</HI> be <HI>content</HI> to have another Lord to rule over him, to be free from Chri&s;t. <HI>O! this the Lord looks at,</HI> and he will &s;earch out, this will move him to jealou&s;ie; therefore take heed of this, <HI>a woman may do as much</HI> &s;ervice and &s;eemingly as readily to her husband as before, but yet <HI>her heart be gone,</HI> and &s;he could be contented to be loo&s;e, this <HI>is heart-Adultery,</HI> this the Lord Je&s;us in us brethren, looks at as &s;uch; <HI>if we &s;erve him,</HI> and do duties but in &s;uch a manner that we could even be conten|ted to be at liberty, it is not right; <HI>take heed of provoking the Lord Je&s;us,</HI> le&s;t it prove in the end that he never knew us indeed. Labour to be faithful then in this, in the main.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>In managing all he puts into our hands, be faithful.</HI> The heart <HI>of her husband doth &s;afely tru&s;t in her.</HI> It is the <HI>commenda|tion of a woman of a thou&s;and</HI> in the Proverbs, &s;he will be im|proving. It may be you have not <HI>&s;o much to turn</HI> as others have, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 31. 11.</NOTE> others have ten times more parts, and opportunities to do good, let them look to it, they have ten times as much to an&s;wer for, and mu&s;t do ten times as much; but <HI>thou may&s;t be as faithful in a little</HI> as they in a great deal. <HI>One &s;ervant is a Steward</HI> in the family, hath all under his hand; and another he is a poor under-&s;ervant, hath &s;ome mean &s;ervice committed to him, why now he <HI>may be as faithful</HI> in his place, as the other in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb, 12.</NOTE>
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his: <HI>Mo&s;es was faithful in all the hou&s;e of God,</HI> he had a great command; <HI>Caleb might be as faithful for what was committed</HI> to him <HI>following God fully</HI> as the Text hath it, <HI>&s;ay not then,</HI> If I were a Magi&s;trate, a Mini&s;ter, a publike per&s;on, had &s;uch opportunities to do <HI>good I might</HI> do much, but I am an <HI>ob&s;cure per&s;on:</HI> Well, be <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 10. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">. 20</NOTE> thy condition what it will be, thou <HI>may&s;t do good,</HI> and be faithful in thy place according to what thou ha&s;t received, thy lips may drop <HI>like a hony-comb,</HI> and feed many, and <HI>like choice &s;ilver, and in|rich</HI> many, though <HI>thou be never &s;o mean,</HI> and &s;o for <HI>the Family,</HI> and up and down, where ever thou come&s;t, look that thou be faithful to do all from Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and to do all to him, that thou <HI>rob him not of the glory</HI> of what he hath done for thee, and by thee, for then thou art not faithful.</P>
<P>6. <HI>Another Exhortation</HI> &s;hall be then <HI>to de&s;ire the coming of the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> 6. Rev. 21. 2, 9.</NOTE> <HI>Bridegroom, the Spirit and the Bride &s;ay come,</HI> the &s;pirit in the bride <HI>breathing in her,</HI> as it is in the <HI>Revelation, they &s;ay come,</HI> We looke upon the day of death, as if it were the day of divorce from the Lord Je&s;us for the mo&s;t part, truly for them that are out of Chri&s;t, it is no marvel if it be a King of terrors to them, but to the Saints me thinketh, who look for the <HI>appearing</HI> of the Lord Je&s;us to con&s;ummate the marriage between them, it &s;hould not be &s;o <HI>terrible as it &s;eemeth</HI> to be to the mo&s;t of us, and to this end take ye <HI>here brethren,</HI> at the marriage fea&s;t he turns <HI>our water into wine,</HI> but in heaven our <HI>wine into &s;pirits,</HI> and <HI>&s;etteth them a flaming,</HI> our love flaming to all eternity.</P>
<P>7. <HI>Exhortation,</HI> which is <HI>to look to our Ornaments,</HI> to get them <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 7.</NOTE> ready, why do we hang back, but becau&s;e we are not ready, we have <HI>&s;omewhat or another unready,</HI> &s;till, our work is not done, can a <HI>maid forget her Ornaments, or a Bride her attire,</HI> yet my people have <HI>forgotten me? As a Bride adorneth her &s;elf with her Jewels,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 2. 32. I&s;a. 61. 10.</NOTE> &s;o he hath cloathed me with the garments of &s;alvation, he hath covered <HI>me with the robe of righteou&s;ne&s;s. Eleazer</HI> put <HI>jewels</HI> upon <HI>Rebecca</HI> before &s;he came to <HI>I&s;aac;</HI> and therefore the &s;pou&s;e is called <HI>Callah</HI> in the Original, becau&s;e of her per|fect adorning, therefore look to this brethren, that you be adorned, O every day put on your Ornaments and make <HI>ready for his appearing,</HI> for while your hearts are out of order, your Spirits out of frame you are not fit to <HI>meet the
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Lord Je&s;us;</HI> and therefore you will hang back; but &s;o much of this Exhortation.</P>
<P><HI>The la&s;t Application</HI> will be a word of <HI>comfort to &s;uch</HI> as through grace have <HI>yielded up them&s;elves</HI> to the Lord Je&s;us, or are <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 8.</NOTE> de&s;irous or do &s;o, to be <HI>e&s;pou&s;ed</HI> to him according to the &s;everal conditions of &s;uch creatures, there may from hence be a various and &s;trong con&s;olation admini&s;tred from this Doctrine.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Then alas!</HI> you will &s;ay withal your &s;ouls you clo&s;e with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, there is nothing you more gladly undertake, but you know he is a righteous God, <HI>mo&s;t ju&s;t and mo&s;t pure</HI> of eys, and therefore he will &s;urely be di&s;plea&s;ed with you, and you &s;hall have little com&s;ort, yea you do finde that your fruitle&s;ne&s;s of walking doth provoke him; and therefore you are afraid &s;ooner or later, he will ca&s;t you off, before you come to enter with him into the marriage, <HI>O I &s;hall one day fall</HI> by the hand of this <HI>Pride,</HI> of this <HI>uncleanne&s;s,</HI> of this lu&s;t or the other. For An&s;wer to this remem|ber. 1. <HI>That the Lord when he doth betroth, he betretheth fore|v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r,</HI> and he doth <HI>it in faithfulne&s;s,</HI> &s;o that if the <HI>&s;aithfulne&s;s of Je|&s;us Chri&s;t could fail who hath e&s;pou&s;ed thee:</HI> thou mighte&s;t mi&s;|carry. <HI>Men indeed after e&s;pou&s;als</HI> if they <HI>di&s;cover any deformity</HI> which they knew not before, may be <HI>apt</HI> to <HI>change</HI> their minds, yea &s;ometimes where there is no cau&s;e at all but their own fickle|ne&s;s and changablene&s;s; but there is no variablene&s;s, nor <HI>&s;hadow of turning</HI> with him, <HI>hath he &s;poken it,</HI> and will he not perform it? <HI>I will never leave thee,</HI> &s;aith he to <HI>Jacob until</HI> I have <HI>performed all the good which I have &s;poken concerning thee.</HI> But a little more fully to open it. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 28. 15.</NOTE></P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>I &s;ay, by way of Conce&s;&s;ion,</HI> he may &s;ometimes be angry with <HI>his &s;pou&s;e,</HI> or at lea&s;t withdraw him&s;elf, properly he is not angry at all, nor &s;ubject to any pa&s;&s;ion, but he may behold that in his people, for which he may <HI>&s;ometimes put them to a little grief,</HI> and make them believe that he will ca&s;t them off, <HI>as</HI> you have <HI>it in ma|ny of the P&s;alms,</HI> he may frown, <HI>and hide his face</HI> from his people, but as on their part, every withdrawing from him is not a <HI>breach of the marriage-Covenant:</HI> &s;o neither is every withdrawing of his refre&s;hing pre&s;ence, a <HI>breach of his Covenant, yet when he doth &s;o</HI> withdraw brethren, alas his <HI>heart works towards his people</HI> as to <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 30. 18.</NOTE> <HI>Ephraim, I do earne&s;tly remember him &s;till,</HI> he <HI>may give his people
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&s;harp words &s;ometimes,</HI> which will be a cutting to the &s;ouls that are deeply in love with him, but they go to his own heart as well as they do to theirs; <HI>here is the difference brethren,</HI> between our with|drawings from him, and his withdrawings from us that are his people, <HI>our hearts are many times gone</HI> in a great part to &s;it loo&s;e from him, <HI>though not altogether</HI> for the Church when &s;he &s;lept, <HI>her heart waked,</HI> but now <HI>with him it is otherwi&s;e,</HI> his heart is never gone in the <HI>lea&s;t from his people,</HI> onely he may <HI>&s;peak &s;ometimes</HI> a bitter word to them, but all this while his heart is full of &s;weetne&s;s and love to them, this is one.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Remember this al&s;o as a pillar of the former,</HI> that he hath builded and founded this <HI>e&s;pou&s;al</HI> and union between him and his people <HI>&s;o &s;ure,</HI> as that it can never be &s;haken; upon the <HI>freene&s;s of his grace;</HI> and therefore it <HI>cannot be moved.</HI> Upon his <HI>full know|ledge</HI> of what <HI>we would be,</HI> indeed, if the Lord Je&s;us had not known what <HI>fruitle&s;s froward creatures we would prove,</HI> how un|thankful, how unkind, it had been &s;omething, for a poor doubting &s;oul to have fed his fears with: but he knew long before brethren and if <HI>he had &s;een</HI> that he had not had <HI>bowels enough</HI> to &s;wallow up all our unworthine&s;s, he would <HI>never have made love to us,</HI> for he is God, and his work is perfect, he would never have begun ex|cept <HI>he had been able to lay</HI> the top-&s;tone: Again <HI>the &s;atisfaction of the Ju&s;tice of God</HI> is to the full, this is that which amazeth, and alrighteth many a poor &s;oul; they forget them&s;elves and look up|on their failings, as tho&s;e which <HI>expo&s;e them to divine vindicative ju&s;tice,</HI> which is a great mi&s;take, for that <HI>was once fully &s;atisfyed in Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and he is <HI>well plea&s;ed in him</HI> with all that can bring him in their arms, if we can <HI>but come to God</HI> with Je&s;us Chri&s;t in our arms, <HI>he hath no more</HI> to &s;ay to us, <HI>all is made even in Chri&s;t,</HI> there was never &s;uch a declaration of the Ju&s;tice of God, <HI>as in gi|ving his own &s;on,</HI> to be a ran&s;om, a &s;acrifice once for all, and the Apo&s;tle &s;aith <HI>it was to declare the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God;</HI> therefore he was given to be a <HI>propitiation</HI> for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, there God appeared righteous indeed, that the flames of hell <HI>mu&s;t kindle upon his &s;on,</HI> yea and <HI>burn to the lowermo&s;t hell</HI> in a &s;ort, that he might be &s;atisfyed, that ju&s;tice might <HI>for ever lye &s;till and be &s;i|lenced,</HI> as to his people, it is <HI>more that Chri&s;t &s;uffered,</HI> then if thou and ten thou&s;and &s;uch as we are, &s;hould &s;uffer to eternity, <HI>we</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3. 25</NOTE> <HI>could never have paid</HI> the utmo&s;t farthing, which <HI>he paid to the uttermo&s;t,</HI> el&s;e he could not have &s;aved us <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>be&s;ides,</HI>
<GAP DESC="missing">
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we &s;hould have been long paying that we payd, <HI>he at once payd</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 7. 25.</NOTE> <HI>all,</HI> and therefore this Marriage is &s;o founded brethren upon this &s;atisfaction of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that it cannot be &s;haken. Yea</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>As to that of afflicting his people, and frowning upon them, he is not forward to it, he is not &s;trict to mark what is done ami&s;s,</HI> to take notice of every <HI>&s;lip</HI> and failing, if he were we &s;hould never <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 130. 3.</NOTE> have comfortable moment; no, <HI>he is rather</HI> &s;trict to mark what is good in us, what <HI>beauty there is in us,</HI> if there be but one beau|ty or fair place in the mid&s;t of many <HI>&s;pots, his eye and his heart</HI> is rather upon that, as &s;ome <HI>ob&s;erve in that of Sarah,</HI> there is but <HI>one good word in her &s;peech</HI> calling <HI>Abraham Lord,</HI> all the re&s;t <HI>&s;a|vours of unbelief,</HI> and yet the <HI>Holy Gho&s;t takes notice of that.</HI> So <HI>Rahab Jo&s;. 2. 4, 5. Heb.</HI> 11. 31. Alas what mi&s;erable mangled Services do we offer up, to our own eys there is not any thing de|&s;irable that is ought. Well, <HI>if there be but one &s;igh,</HI> one groan, in &s;incerity, he is more ready to take notice of that then of all your failings; and <HI>therefore is not forward</HI> to put his &s;pou&s;e and people to grief, <HI>O he is full</HI> of kindne&s;s and tenderne&s;s to us.</P>
<P>Yea 4. <HI>It is ob&s;ervable that he is &s;aid to rejoyce over his</HI> peo|ple continually as a Bridegroom over a Bride, <HI>not onely his heart</HI> is con&s;tant to them, <HI>but it is con&s;tant</HI> in the &s;ame <HI>fervor of affecti|on</HI> towards them, a Bridegroom rejoyceth exceedingly over his Bride, though happily afterward he is not &s;o much affected, for <HI>it is our natures</HI> the imperfection of them, that <HI>new things affect</HI> us more then old, <HI>now with God there is nothing new nor old,</HI> but his heart is the &s;ame, and &s;o is <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t his heart;</HI> he rejoyceth o|ver his people continually as a Bridegroom over his Bride, not as a man over his wife, but as a <HI>Bridegroom over his Bride,</HI> now &s;urely if a man <HI>do afterwards cool in his affections</HI> towards his wife and <HI>could be content</HI> to be &s;eparated from her, yet <HI>upon the day of e&s;pou&s;al</HI> or Marriage, he will not be induced to it, he rejoyceth over his Bride: Why &s;uch is Gods heart and Chri&s;t his heart con|tinually to his people. But &s;o much for this:</P>
<P><HI>Therefore the Lord help us to conclude,</HI> from tho&s;e promi&s;es, <HI>however it be,</HI> however he <HI>may &s;peak again&s;t us,</HI> &s;ometimes, and act &s;o, as it &s;eemeth to <HI>us to be again&s;t us,</HI> as <HI>Jacob</HI> &s;aith, all the&s;e things are again&s;t me, yet <HI>he will not part with any &s;oul,</HI> he hath <HI>e&s;pou&s;ed</HI> to him&s;elf: <HI>Aha&s;huerus may put away the Queen up|on a &s;eeming &s;corn,</HI> or contempt, refu&s;ing to come at his command when he was in is cups; but brethren, though it may be thou
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ha&s;t and thou <HI>do&s;t many times &s;light the call of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> thou wilt not come, nor follow him when he would have thee; thou &s;halt follow him in darkne&s;s, <HI>and lament after him,</HI> when he is withdrawn; but he will <HI>not put away.</HI> It is &s;aid in that of <HI>Mal.</HI> the <HI>Lord hates putting away,</HI> it is true, it is fir&s;tly intended there of <HI>mens putting away their wives,</HI> but &s;urely if he hate it in us, he will not admit it in him&s;elf, though <HI>it is true, he is above all Law given to us,</HI> yet he hath <HI>&s;et forth this my&s;tery of his union</HI> with his Church, by the <HI>Marriage-union, I &s;hew you a my&s;tery</HI> &s;aith the A|po&s;tle, but I &s;peak concerning Chri&s;t and his Church. <HI>And as it holds in love, and cheri&s;hing,</HI> and nouri&s;hing, and not hating; &s;o why not in this, that he hates putting away, the Lord cannot ad|mit of &s;uch a thought <HI>of putting away</HI> &s;uch a &s;oul, if Satan <HI>would move for it,</HI> the Lord hates it, and hates him for it. Be of good chear therefore thou poor drooping &s;oul that ha&s;t received him, accepted of his love, clo&s;ed with his wooing and intreating thee to be reconciled and given up thy &s;elf to him, a&s;&s;ure <HI>thy &s;elf he will never</HI> put away any poor &s;oul.</P>
<P>Ob. <HI>Alas! but you will &s;ay,</HI> this is little comfort, though he be thus <HI>unchangeable, yet I may change</HI> and break the Marriage-Cove|nant with him, or I have done it, I fear; and therefore in &s;uch a ca&s;e he may put me away, and yet not change, for the change is in me. For this brethren remember, It is not the back-&s;lidings of his peo|ple, that can undo the match made between him and them, did <HI>not I&s;rael go a whoring after other Gods, and is not that the breach of the Marriage-Covenant,</HI> he &s;peaks there of that Church, <HI>a man will not receive his wife again,</HI> likely in &s;uch a ca&s;e, <HI>yet return again to me, &s;aith the Lord, and I will receive you.</HI> If that the Lord had not fore&s;een <HI>tho&s;e back-&s;lidings in his people, it had been &s;omewhat, if Chri&s;t had not fully &s;atisfyed the father for them</HI> as well as for o|ther &s;ins, it had been &s;omething, if upon this <HI>account, there were not forgivene&s;s,</HI> laid up in &s;tore enough with God for the&s;e things it were &s;omwhat indeed. And it is <HI>very ob&s;ervable brethren</HI> (I &s;peak the more, becau&s;e I know that poor creatures in this condition they are full of jealou&s;ies and fears, and all that can be &s;aid is lit|tle enough to quiet and comfort) <HI>[fir&s;t&punc; ob&s;erve that the Lord &s;peaks</HI> over and over, and over again, <HI>I&s;rael</HI> had back-&s;liden in that Prophe&s;ie of <HI>Ho&s;ea, as appears</HI> ch. 14. 4. <HI>I will heal their back-&s;lidings.</HI> Well, now they could hardly <HI>believe that God
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would receive</HI> them again, they were &s;o <HI>confounded they had nothing to &s;ay;</HI> therefore he <HI>puts words into their mouths</HI> in that chapter, teacheth them what to &s;ay, <HI>but ob&s;erve in the &s;econd chapter, I will betroth them, &s;aith God, I will, I will.</HI> you have it no le&s;s then three or four times, which <HI>&s;peaks the certainty and ardency</HI> of affection in doing the thing in an&s;wer to their doubtings, <HI>I will do it, &s;aith the Lord.</HI> Alas &s;aith the poor &s;oul, it will not &s;ink with me, that after <HI>&s;uch Apo&s;tacy</HI> and back&s;lidings he will receive it: <HI>I will do it, &s;aith the Lord again.</HI> O! I cannot believe it &s;aith the &s;oul; <HI>I will do it</HI> &s;aith he again. Yea 2. <HI>Ob&s;erve there</HI> that he will do it, and <HI>e&s;pou&s;e</HI> them, <HI>betroth them</HI> again; as one very well hoteth, he &s;aith not, <HI>he will receive them,</HI> as a man may recive his Adulte|rous wife again, <HI>but I will betroth them, &s;aith the Lord, as if they were virgins,,</HI> pure, and un&s;potted, the <HI>Lord will receive them,</HI> not upbraiding them with their going a whoring from him, <HI>&s;o the virgin daughter of Sion,</HI> you have heard they <HI>are called upon</HI> their repentance, as if they never <HI>polluted them&s;elves,</HI> &s;o that if the <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 19. 21</NOTE> Lord give thee but a repenting heart, thy <HI>back-&s;lidings will</HI> be as if thou had&s;t never <HI>&s;tarted</HI> from him, and from <HI>final departing, he will keep them,</HI> I &s;ay, he will keep them; here is the difference be|tween this e&s;pou&s;al, and tho&s;e between men and women, there, if the mans heart continue faithful, happily hers may fall off, and never clo&s;e again, and there is an end of the matter, but here the Lord Je&s;us, his heart is not onely toward his people, but he keep|eth their hearts with him, that they &s;hall not depart, <HI>It is the ve|ry tenor of the Covenant of Grace, I will put my fear into their hearts, and they &s;hall not depart from me,</HI> as long as God is faithful, and the Covenant of Grace &s;tands, they &s;hall not depart, let Satan, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 32. 4<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">.</NOTE> and &s;ophi&s;ters &s;ay what they will.</P>
<P><HI>Then in the next place this being made good,</HI> there is a &s;pring of comfort ari&s;eth from this, and that is in re&s;pect of troubles and cro&s;&s;es, afflictions and lo&s;&s;es, the fading vanities of the world. Thou <HI>maye&s;t lo&s;e thy dear husband,</HI> that is as dear as thy life, <HI>But thy Maker is thy husband,</HI> if thou believe, and thou can&s;t not lo&s;e him, nor he will not lo&s;e thee. Thy dear children, they are but fading flowers, that <HI>even wither in the hand</HI> and peri&s;h in the u&s;ing, as all the&s;e <HI>outward comforts do,</HI> but here is a comfort, <HI>never fades, thou may&s;t be afflicted happily</HI> with the cooling of the affections of dear relations to thee; <HI>why the Lord Je&s;us his heart</HI> is
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at the &s;ame pa&s;s alway to thee, it is alway, a day of e&s;pou&s;al with him, he <HI>rejoyceth continually as a Bridegroom over his Bride.</HI> Me|thinketh brethren, whatever your troubles are, <HI>inward, or out|ward,</HI> here you <HI>may relieve</HI> your &s;elves; by having recour&s;e to your intere&s;t in Je&s;us Chri&s;t your Redeemer and your husband, if you believe in him. But I will not &s;tand any longer upon this Doctrine.</P>
<P><HI>I had now thought</HI> to have gone on, with what is &s;poken <HI>concer|ning Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> according to the fir&s;t propo&s;al of a method. But it may happily be as well, if not better to many under&s;tan|dings <HI>to take things as they lye</HI> in the Text, and therefore I &s;hall &s;o do.</P>
<P>Then &s;hall <HI>the Kingdom of Heaven</HI> be likened to <HI>ten virgins,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> which took their Lamps and <HI>went forth to meet</HI> the Bridegroom.</P>
<P><HI>For the Adverb of Time,</HI> Then <HI>I &s;hall</HI> happily <HI>&s;peak</HI> &s;omewhat <HI>afterward.</HI> The Kingdom of Heaven, that <HI>is to &s;ay, the vi&s;ible Church</HI> I might in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;t upon it and &s;hew you, that the Church <HI>vi&s;ible is a Kingdom,</HI> and that <HI>Chri&s;t is the head of this Church,</HI> the King of the <HI>Saints,</HI> and not onely ruleth the Saints which re|ally believe, by his word and &s;pirit which abide, and dwell in them: but al&s;o <HI>he ruleth</HI> his Church vi&s;ible <HI>by his word and &s;pirit,</HI> and Ordinances, all the Admini&s;trations of the Kingdom. <HI>But that Kingdom</HI> hath been lately &s;poken to by a brother, therefore I will wave that.</P>
<P><HI>I might al&s;o &s;peak &s;omething</HI> to the <HI>heavenline&s;s</HI> of the Kingdom <HI>the Kingdom of Heaven,</HI> and &s;hew you how it is heavenly in its Original in divine Laws, In&s;titutions, and many other ways; But <HI>you had it</HI> held forth largely, by a better hand; therefore I will not trouble you again with the&s;e things &s;o &s;oon.</P>
<P>It <HI>&s;hall be likened to ten virgins.</HI> There is another <HI>Note</HI> which floweth clearly (I think) from the words, and that is this.</P>
<P>The <HI>vi&s;ible Church for the matter,</HI> is <HI>made up of vi&s;ible Saints:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct.</NOTE> that this is &s;o, will appear from the very Text it &s;elf. <HI>Fir&s;t, It &s;hall be compared</HI> to ten virgins, he &s;aith not <HI>to a mixed multitude,</HI> or to 10 women, five wherof are virgins, and 5 <HI>harlots</HI> or <HI>&s;trum|pets,</HI> but to 10 virgins, and what that word doth import, I believe you remember &s;ince the words were opened to you, &s;uch are <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;&s;. 1. 9.</NOTE> turned from <HI>Idols</HI> to the living God, as he <HI>&s;peaks of the conver&s;ion
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of the The&s;&s;alonians,</HI> according to the judgement of Charity, for el&s;e &s;o far as a profe&s;&s;ed &s;ubjection <HI>to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and renouncing</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2&punc; Pet. 2. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">0.</NOTE> them reacheth, he &s;pake according to a judgement of verity, for that they did profe&s;s, and &s;o <HI>e&s;caping the pollutions</HI> of the world, for&s;aking gro&s;s and loo&s;e cour&s;es, and profe&s;&s;edly &s;ubject them|&s;elves to the rule of the government of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. To &s;uch <HI>the Church vi&s;ible</HI> is here compared, and the <HI>mo&s;t</HI> the Lord &s;peaks of <HI>his relation to his people,</HI> it is after the manner of men, under &s;uch &s;imilitudes as we can conceive of, and as we may be led by, as by a clew <HI>into the under&s;tanding of the deep my&s;teries</HI> of faith and &s;alvation.</P>
<P><HI>But if any will think</HI> or &s;ay this is <HI>not a &s;ure bottom</HI> to build &s;uch a truth, or point upon: <HI>becau&s;e the virgins,</HI> here are not con&s;idered as virgins; <HI>but as per&s;ons</HI> accompanying the Bride, going forth to meet the Bridegroom: I &s;hall fir&s;t &s;ay,</P>
<P>That as they are not onely <HI>con&s;idered as virgins,</HI> &s;o neither is the con&s;ideration of their virginity to be waved, for as in the <HI>&s;imilitude u&s;ually,</HI> they were tho&s;e virgins which did <HI>accompany the Bride,</HI> &s;o I &s;uppo&s;e in the <HI>Apodo&s;is</HI> now of the compari&s;on, we are to look for &s;omewhat which may an&s;wer that virginity, <HI>And you finde it</HI> in Scripture to be an&s;wered by tho&s;e things I have pro|po&s;ed, that is to &s;ay, <HI>their for&s;aking Idolatry,</HI> turning to the true God, and their renouncing their former prophane conver&s;ation. And then &s;econdly, I &s;ay this is not the only bottom in the Text, whereupon it is builded.</P>
<P>For in the <HI>&s;econd place be&s;ides that they are called Virgins, or compared to virgins,</HI> they are al&s;o &s;aid to take <HI>their Lamps,</HI> and &s;urely if we mu&s;t expound what is meant by the <HI>Lamps:</HI> we <HI>can under&s;tand and nothing</HI> le&s;s by it then a vi&s;ibility of <HI>Saint&s;hip.</HI> But if this <HI>will not carry it neither,</HI> methinketh the</P>
<P><HI>Third &s;hould be undenyable, they went forth to meet the Bride-groom,</HI> that is to &s;ay, they went <HI>forth from home, and forlook their fathers hou&s;e and mothers</HI> they &s;et upon their <HI>journey</HI> heavenward, <HI>Zion-ward</HI> to meet Je&s;us Chri&s;t who is the Bridegroom, who will ere <HI>long come to take</HI> the Bride unto him&s;elf. There are many <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 35. 8. Izek. 44. 9.</NOTE> Scriptures will &s;peak fully to the proof of this. Some prophe|&s;ies there are, as that in the <HI>Prophet I&s;aiah;</HI> there he &s;peaks <HI>of a high-way</HI> &s;hal be ca&s;t up, and <HI>the unclean &s;hal not pa&s;s over it; Again none uncircumci&s;ed in heart or fle&s;h &s;hall enter into his Sanctuary;</HI>
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this applyed, not only to the times of their returning from <HI>Ba|bylon,</HI> but to the Go&s;pel-times; What can it &s;peak le&s;s then this Brethren? that <HI>no vi&s;ible,</HI> unclean creature, &s;hall ever enter in|to the Church of Chri&s;t? It &s;hould con&s;i&s;t of vi&s;ible Saints, <HI>This is plain</HI> by the <HI>tares</HI> and the wheat, <HI>which, while</HI> in the blade are are &s;o like, they <HI>hardly di&s;cernable</HI> in tho&s;e Countries as <HI>Jerom</HI> &s;aith, And <HI>&s;o by the Apo&s;tles,</HI> wherefore el&s;e do they call them ho|ly to the Saints which are at <HI>Corinth,</HI> at <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> &amp;c, but either <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13. 25.</NOTE> they were all <HI>&s;uch vi&s;ibly,</HI> and in the judgement of charity, or el&s;e ought to have been &s;uch? <HI>Mi&s;take not, I &s;ay,</HI> not that none &s;hould be a member of a Church, but he that is a real Saint and &s;hall be &s;aved, for then there could be no Church wherein we could walk or admini&s;ter, or receive any ordinance <HI>de fide,</HI> be|cau&s;e we know not who are &s;uch, nor cannot know, <HI>as I con|ceive,</HI> nor have any rule to make an <HI>infallible judgement</HI> of any man, but only probably to conclude concerning the &s;tate and conditions of men, that which is <HI>invi&s;ible</HI> to us, it is true, its vi|&s;ible to God and that which is vi&s;ible to him, is <HI>invi&s;ible</HI> to us. But vi&s;ible Saints &s;urely they ought to be.</P>
<P><HI>Now for the further opening</HI> of this, what I mean by <HI>vi&s;ible Saints,</HI> and Saint-&s;hip, I &s;hall endeavour to lay it down in the&s;e particulars, as plainly <HI>as I can</HI> to your under&s;tand|ings.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Then it is requi&s;ite to Saint-&s;hip,</HI> that there be a <HI>&s;epa|ration to God from the world;</HI> that is holine&s;s whether in things or in per&s;ons when they are &s;eparated to God for any &s;pecial u&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 10. 14. &amp; 15.</NOTE> of his, they are called holy, <HI>Common and unclean, are converti|ble tearms,</HI> as you have in it in the Acts; <HI>and as appears</HI> by the &s;anctifying of the <HI>Vineyards and Orchards;</HI> when the <HI>Lord had</HI> had the fir&s;t-fruits of them, then they them&s;elves, and <HI>others had the free u&s;e of them;</HI> the word in the original is they <HI>polluted, or</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 20. 6. Lev. 19. 23.</NOTE> <HI>prophaned them,</HI> the common u&s;e of them is di&s;tingui&s;hed thereby from the holy u&s;e whereby they <HI>were &s;eparated</HI> before from them to the Lord: whether per&s;ons <HI>&s;eparated to them&s;elves</HI> to the Lord; <HI>acti agimus;</HI> the Lord turns them and they are turned; or whether they be <HI>altogether pa&s;sive</HI> (as in the fir&s;t work of God we all are) if it be a &s;eparation to God; <HI>this is a Holine&s;s, a Saint-&s;hip;</HI> he writeth to the Saints in the Church in &s;uch a place, &s;uch as he hath <HI>e&s;pou&s;ed</HI> to Chri&s;t, they were &s;et apart to
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him: &s;o the <HI>Congregation of I&s;rael</HI> are &s;aid to be a holy people to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 19 5. Numb 24 9. Iohn 15 19.</NOTE> the Lord their God, becau&s;e God <HI>had &s;eparated</HI> them to him|&s;elf above all other people, this is &s;o notably known, that it were to wa&s;te time to prove it. <HI>So I have called you out of the world &s;aith our Saviour,</HI> It is equivalent to that of the Apo&s;tle, called to be Saints, or Saints by calling. But if this fir&s;t <HI>be de|fective</HI> and reach not happily every &s;cruple that may ari&s;e con|cerning <HI>this. Su&s;pend</HI> your judgements until you hear the re&s;t which will help to clear it.</P>
<P>2, The <HI>means of this &s;eparation</HI> and holine&s;s to God, it's a Co|venant of grace, it is true there were many things &s;eparated to <NOTE PLACE="marg">VVhich Co|venant is the Go&s;pel preached.</NOTE> God among the <HI>Jews</HI> by a Ceremonial in&s;titution, tho&s;e <HI>Carnal</HI> ordinances and commandments as the Apo&s;tle cals them, and from among them &s;ome per&s;ons were more &s;pecially <HI>&s;eparated to God</HI> as His in a more near &s;pecial manner for that &s;ervice he had appointed them to, &s;o <HI>the fir&s;t-born</HI> you know were &s;eparated to God from among all the children of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> they <HI>were holy</HI> to him, not as if they were <HI>really</HI> more &s;anctified then the re&s;t, but <HI>&s;eparated</HI> to a nearer &s;ervice and u&s;e, and &s;o the <HI>Levites in&s;tead of them</HI> afterward, and the <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> they <HI>were &s;eparated</HI> in a &s;pecial <HI>manner to mini&s;ter</HI> before the Lord, wherefore <HI>Aaron</HI> is called <HI>the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 116. 6.</NOTE> <HI>Saint of the Lord,</HI> not as if there were not men as holy as he, as <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Caleb,</HI> and <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> but he was &s;pecially &s;eparated to that &s;ervice of drawing near to God, and this <HI>is by a kind of Co|venant, the Covenant of the Prie&s;thood,</HI> &s;o <HI>Nehemiah</HI> in his <HI>impre|cation</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 13. 29. Numb. 25. 13.</NOTE> <HI>again&s;t tho&s;e Prie&s;ts</HI> which had married &s;trange wives. <HI>Mana&s;&s;eh</HI> the brother of <HI>Jadduah,</HI> the &s;on of <HI>Abjada,</HI> the &s;on of <HI>Eli&s;hib</HI> Marryed, the &s;on in Law of <HI>Sanballat,</HI> Remember thou, O my God (&s;aith he) <HI>becau&s;e they have defiled the Prie&s;thood and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek 16. 8. Numb. 24. 9. Amos 3. 2.</NOTE> <HI>the Covenant of the Prie&s;thood, which Covenant you have in that of</HI> Numbers, <HI>he &s;hall have it,</HI> that is to &s;ay the <HI>Prie&s;thood, and his &s;eed after him, even-the Covenant of an everla&s;ting Prie&s;thood.</HI> But this is <HI>not that &s;eparation we &s;peak of,</HI> but that Covenant whereby God takes a people <HI>to be his, a peculiar people</HI> to him|&s;elf which he doth by Covenant, he enters <HI>into Covenant with them,</HI> and they become His &s;eparated to him. And therefore <HI>I&s;rael was &s;eparated from all the Nations round about</HI> by vertue of this <HI>Covenant,</HI> and made to dwell alone, <HI>you only, have I known &s;aith the Lord,</HI> and abundance of &s;uch expre&s;&s;ions there are:</P>
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3. <HI>Then as here is</HI> a twofold being in Covenant with God, &s;o there is a <HI>twofold &s;eparation</HI> to God and a <HI>twofold Saint-&s;hip, Fir&s;t that which is</HI> invi&s;ible and &s;aving, When the Lord giveth to poor &s;ouls <HI>really</HI> to embrace Je&s;us Chri&s;t in the Covenant of grace that <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Iohn. 5. 6. Levit. 14. 5.</NOTE> maketh good the ab&s;olute part of the Covenant to them, the <HI>Lord Je&s;us the great undertaker,</HI> both on his fathers part and on our part tho&s;e are &s;uch as are <HI>&s;prinkled</HI> with the blood of the Covenant, from all their guilt, and the water mixed with <HI>the blood, as Chri&s;t</HI> came by water and blood, &s;o they are clean&s;ed from all their uncleane&s;&s;es, <HI>el&s;e no entring into heaven.</HI> Nothing that defileth cometh thither, Now that &s;uch as the&s;e are Saints, can be no que&s;tion, <HI>this is Gods &s;etting apart him that is Godly for him&s;elf,</HI> P&s;al. 4. 3. <GAP DESC="foreign"> or as &s;ome <HI>read wonderfully &s;et apart,</HI> him that is Godly for him&s;elf, for there is no &s;uch wonder, or my&s;terie in the world as this; now the&s;e are the Saints indeed, that already have things which accompany their own &s;alvation, But <HI>&s;econdly, there are others that</HI> are only externally and vi&s;ibly in Covenant, that is to &s;ay, they are &s;o far intere&s;ted in the <HI>Co|venant</HI> of <HI>grace</HI> as that thereby they are taken by the Lord to be|long to <HI>his family, his hou&s;e-hold,</HI> to partake of the priviledges thereof, to &s;hare in <HI>his provi&s;ion</HI> for his family; the <HI>fat things of his hou&s;e,</HI> in his Protection in a &s;pecial manner, and his gui|dance, yea and the life eternal al&s;o is conditionally promi&s;ed to them, <HI>if they believe</HI> and repent, if they <HI>will but con&s;ent,</HI> and clo&s;e with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the Mediator of that Covenant. Thus every profe&s;&s;or, though but <HI>formal, is &s;eparated in a &s;ort co-incident,</HI> for tho&s;e that are really and invi&s;ibly &s;eparated to God, <HI>they are vi&s;ibly</HI> &s;o al&s;o but not <HI>vice ver&s;a</HI> univer&s;ally. So grace is di|&s;tingui&s;hed <HI>into grace freely</HI> given, and grace which maketh ac|ceptable, which are partly co-incident, for all grace which ma|keth acceptable: for common gifts and graces are freely given, &s;o it is here. <HI>Now tho&s;e are they</HI> (brethren) <HI>that I here intend,</HI> whether grown per&s;ons which profe&s;s this Covenant, or infants of &s;uch, who are within the compa&s;s of the Covenant for this purpo&s;e, whom I under&s;tand by vi&s;ible <HI>Saints, or per&s;ons vi&s;ibly holy,</HI> or <HI>vi&s;ibly &s;eparated</HI> or &s;et <HI>apart to God,</HI> that is to &s;ay &s;uch per&s;ons concerning whom we <HI>have Scripture grounds to Judge</HI> according to Charity and to hope that they are Gods, becau&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 29.</NOTE> <HI>&s;eparated to him,</HI> by vertue of his Covenant.</P>
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<HI>That they are thus holy, It is plain</HI> from many Scriptures. <HI>Paul</HI> in his Epi&s;tles to the vi&s;ible Churches of <HI>Corinthians; Galatians, Ephe&s;ians,</HI> and the re&s;t, to <HI>the Saints at &s;uch a place,</HI> Saints by ca&s;ting, Saints by a <HI>vi&s;ible &s;eparation</HI> to God from the world; otherwi&s;e we cannot believe, but there were many of them that were never really &s;anctified. And &s;o, that Children of &s;uch <HI>are Saints</HI> in &s;uch a &s;ence, <HI>mind but that one place, El&s;e were your Children unclean, but now they are holy.</HI> Not <HI>Legitimate,</HI> for then the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks not truth: for they are lawfully begot|ten, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Cor 7. 14.</NOTE> though the father and mother, be <HI>not &s;anctified</HI> one to another, as if both be unbelievers. Nor yet holy to ap|pearance, that is to &s;ay, they might have an <HI>holy u&s;e</HI> of them; for I find not <HI>holy taken alone,</HI> without re&s;pect to the per&s;on to whom they are &s;aid to be holy. As <HI>for in&s;tance,</HI> To the believer <HI>all things are pure;</HI> to &s;ay all <HI>things are pure,</HI> without <HI>mea|tioning the per&s;on</HI> to whom they are &s;o, is not the Scripture-man|ner of expre&s;&s;ion; and &s;ince it is &s;o many hundred times <HI>taken alone,</HI> not in connexion, &s;ometimes <HI>with re&s;pect to God</HI> expre&s;ly for per&s;ons &s;o &s;eparated to him, why we &s;hould not &s;o under|&s;tand it here, for my part I &s;ee not. <HI>For Application of this,</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Then they are too blame &s;urely Brethren:</HI> If the <HI>vi&s;ible Church</HI> do con&s;i&s;t of <HI>vi&s;ible Saints,</HI> vi&s;ibly &s;eparated <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> to God, that is to &s;ay, &s;o as there is ground for us to be|lieve and hope well of their eternal &s;tate, <HI>I &s;ay they are too blame,</HI> that &s;o carry the affairs of the Church of Chri&s;t wherein&punc; they are, as <HI>to make no difference between the pre|cious and the vile,</HI> no difference between the Church and the world, between the Sheep of Chri&s;t, and dogs <HI>and &s;wine.</HI> Is it nothing to have the body and blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t openly <HI>pro&s;tituted</HI> to &s;uch as though <HI>indeed they have the name of Chri&s;ti|ans,</HI> yet their lives, to every <HI>one that knoweth</HI> them, deny that they have any thing to do with Chri&s;t; <HI>No purging out the old Leven,</HI> and therefore no likelihood to be a <HI>new lump,</HI> O that we <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Cor. 5. 7.</NOTE> were &s;en&s;ible what a guilt is contracted every where by this means! <HI>Alas! Let the people of God</HI> take the <HI>greate&s;t pains</HI> with their <HI>hearts to draw</HI> near to &s;uch an ordinance as the Lords Supper, and they &s;hall have cau&s;e to pray with <HI>Nehemiah,
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The Lord &s;pare us according to the multitude of tender mercies.</HI> And with <HI>Hezekiah, The Lord be merciful to every</HI> one that <HI>hath</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 13. 22. 2 Chron. 30. 18. &amp; 19.</NOTE> <HI>prepared his heart to &s;eek the Lord, though he be not prepared accord|ing to the preparation of the Sanctuary;</HI> but when without any care, it &s;hal be <HI>promi&s;cuou&s;ly</HI> given to <HI>Drunkards, Swearers,</HI> openly pro|phane wicked wretches to the <HI>bane</HI> of their &s;ouls, to the provoking God to bring&punc; wa&s;ting judgements upon the place and people where &s;uch things are done. Surely it is time to look about us, O! <HI>that we</HI> (who can do no more but mourn for the&s;e things) <HI>had &s;uch a &s;en&s;e</HI> of the <HI>di&s;honour of the Lord Je&s;us, and abu&s;e of</HI> his love and grace upon our hearts, as to mourn! And O that &s;uch <HI>of us as have power</HI> in our hands to command a Reformation <HI>in this kind, the Lord</HI> would per&s;wade the heart, that there is &s;uch a power! <HI>Hezekiah</HI> and <HI>J<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;iah</HI> not only commanded the true wor&s;hip <HI>to be &s;et up,</HI> and turned the people from their <HI>Idols to the trne God,</HI> but they commanded <HI>the purifying the Temple,</HI> a type of the Church of Chri&s;t, and <HI>purifying</HI> of the Prie&s;ts and People, that they <HI>&s;hould not pollute</HI> the Ordinances of God, And this example of theirs is commended, and &s;urely it was done as they were <HI>types</HI> of Chri&s;t, except they were types of Chri&s;t as they were Magi&s;trates, and if &s;o, it would follow we &s;hould have no <HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> at all; <HI>For Chri&s;t the &s;ub&s;tance being come</HI> the thing typified, what &s;hould we do with the &s;hadows any more.</P>
<P>2. <HI>Then on the other hand,</HI> they <HI>are to be blamed al&s;o, who are &s;tricter</HI> then the <HI>Lord Je&s;us would have them,</HI> in their <HI>admi&s;&s;ions to Chri&s;ts fellow&s;hip and communion;</HI> All <HI>vi&s;ible Saints</HI> he would have admitted <HI>to communion</HI> and fellow&s;hip with his people in their &s;everal <HI>&s;ocieties;</HI> that is to &s;ay, they <HI>&s;eeking to joyn them|&s;elves</HI> to them. <HI>Now here</HI> indeed there is a difference of appre|hen&s;ions, and <HI>I purpo&s;e</HI> not to enter into <HI>di&s;qui&s;ition</HI> of &s;uch things at this time and in this place; <HI>Mens charity</HI> may do &s;omething indeed to moderate them, but its not that which <HI>is to be the judge,</HI> but the Scriptures; what rules are there laid down according to which we ought to own per&s;ons, <HI>as belonging to Chri&s;t</HI> his vi|&s;ible kingdom, that is to &s;ay &s;uch as profe&s;s and contradict <HI>not their profe&s;&s;ion.</HI> But &s;urely it <HI>is blame-worthy,</HI> if that upon <HI>ni|ceties and trifles</HI> in <HI>compari&s;on</HI> we &s;hall di&s;-own &s;uch as <HI>truly fear the Lord,</HI> &s;o far as we can judge of them. And truly Brethren,
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I de&s;ire to &s;peak it with a &s;pirit of <HI>tenderne&s;s to them, they are in|jurious in this re&s;pect,</HI> who do <HI>deny Infants of Believers</HI> any room in the bo&s;om of the Church: for <HI>they are holy,</HI> they are <HI>external Saints, and &s;eparated to God,</HI> and it is apparent, that <HI>once they were members of the Church of Chri&s;t,</HI> a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d by vertue of a Covenant of grace, <HI>I will be thy God and the God of thy &s;eed,</HI> which he that de|nyeth any more to be <HI>comprehended</HI> in then a <HI>temporal ble&s;sing,</HI> when God &s;aith <HI>he will be their God;</HI> I would pity them, and pray for them that they <HI>might come to them&s;elves</HI> again: for then &s;ure they would judge otherwi&s;e. <HI>Now if they were &s;uch, once members</HI> of that Church with which <HI>we are one now:</HI> for &s;o &s;aith the <HI>Apo&s;tle plainly,</HI> the Gentiles are <HI>made one</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 2. 14.</NOTE> with the <HI>Commonwealth of I&s;rael,</HI> we are graffed in among the <HI>branches;</HI> how <HI>cometh it</HI> to pa&s;s, they &s;hould be all <HI>ca&s;t off,</HI> and cut off <HI>from the Olive,</HI> and not a &s;yllable of it mentioning any &s;uch thing in Scriptures, no <HI>account given</HI> to the world of it, and <HI>that it &s;hould be in &s;uch a time,</HI> when the fulne&s;s of <HI>grace was re|vealed in Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> for grace came by him, and now there &s;hould <HI>be le&s;s grace</HI> come by him, and narrower priviledges to the Church, <HI>will hardly be under&s;tood,</HI> I think.</P>
<P>The third <HI>Doctrinal from the words, will be this; In the vi&s;ible</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctrine 3.</NOTE> <HI>Church there are &s;ome good, &s;ome bad:</HI> Ordinarily they were not all wi&s;e virgins <HI>that the kingdom of heaven</HI> is compared to, but five wi&s;e, five fooli&s;h: All within the vi&s;ible Church are not wi&s;e to &s;alvation, <HI>Five of them were wi&s;e, five were fooli&s;h.</HI> The proportion of the wi&s;e to the fooli&s;h, five to five, in the Parable, is not concluding that there are as many good as bad in the Church: <HI>there may po&s;sibly be</HI> a vi&s;ible Church where there are none <HI>bad,</HI> but I doubt there is none &s;uch found: there were but <HI>twelve Di&s;ciples,</HI> and one was a Devil, and all the <HI>parables</HI> where|our Saviour holdeth out the nature and &s;tate of the <HI>vi&s;ible Church</HI> to us, is, we find there is <HI>a mixture:</HI> So in the Parable of the <HI>Sower,</HI> there are four &s;orts of ground to which the <HI>king|dom</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 3. 19.</NOTE> <HI>of heaven is compared,</HI> and but one of them brought forth fruit to perfection; <HI>the &s;tony Ground it was quickly &s;corched;</HI> from the <HI>&s;andy ground &s;prings up quickly,</HI> and withers as &s;oon; the <HI>thorny ground</HI> holds out longer, and <HI>endures happily</HI> the <HI>&s;corching
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of the Sun,</HI> the Per&s;ecution, and yet is choakt, when all is done. And &s;o the <HI>Parable of the tares &s;own</HI> in the field, they grow up <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ve. 24. &amp; 25.</NOTE> with the Corn, and it &s;eemeth by the ancient report even, <HI>Jerom,</HI> are &s;o <HI>like it while in the blade,</HI> that they can be hardly di&s;cerned from it; but there they grow, and partake of <HI>the juice</HI> of the earth, and fatne&s;s of the &s;oyl, and are <HI>green and flouri&s;h,</HI> and yet at la&s;t are &s;ingled out for fire. And &s;o the <HI>Barn-floor,</HI> there is wheat, and there <HI>is Chaff</HI> lying together, until he who&s;e fan is in his <HI>hand &s;hall throughly purge it, and then</HI> the &s;eparation being made, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat 3. 12. Mat. 23. 47. Rom. 9. 6.</NOTE> Woe to the <HI>Chaff,</HI> but at pre&s;ent, &amp;c. And &s;o the <HI>draw-net, though it gather together</HI> &s;omewhat naught which is to be ca&s;t away, yet while under water, it is hidden. And &s;o the Apo&s;tle, <HI>All are not</HI> I&s;rael that are of <HI>I&s;rael: Some are I&s;rael</HI> that are <HI>of I&s;rael,</HI> but all are not: Some are of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> though they be not the <HI>I&s;rael</HI> of God, that &s;hall inherit the heavenly <HI>Canaan.</HI> I <HI>hope it is needle&s;s</HI> to wa&s;te more time in heaping up of Scriptures to make it good.</P>
<P><HI>The ground may be becau&s;e</HI> the Church here below, the vi&s;ible <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;on&punc;</NOTE> Church which admitteth of members, hath <HI>not an infallible &s;pi|rit</HI> to di&s;cern the deep hypocri&s;ie that is in mens hearts: or if they had, do I think they were to u&s;e it, <HI>but &s;erve Gods holy ends</HI> in following Chri&s;t his example, who &s;uffered <HI>a Devil,</HI> though <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 6. 70.</NOTE> <HI>a white one, he was indeed</HI> in the likenes of an Angel of light, yet he did &s;uffer him in his family until it broke out into &s;candal! There is much in this one rea&s;on, 1. <HI>What deep hypocri&s;ie</HI> may lurk in the hearts of men, under a <HI>plau&s;ible</HI> profe&s;sion: &s;o that men can &s;u&s;|pect nothing many times, as you &s;ee <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira, Si|mon</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 5. 8.</NOTE> <HI>Magus</HI> and others: <HI>Judas</HI> carried it <HI>&s;o cunningly,</HI> and &s;eem|ed &s;o zealous and <HI>full of charity: O why was this wa&s;te,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>when the Spirit of</HI> Chri&s;t <HI>went with his &s;pirit,</HI> and &s;aw his fetches <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 11. 6.</NOTE> and deep ends, he &s;aid it becau&s;e he <HI>had the bag,</HI> and was a thief, the more he had to row in, the more bold he might make with it, and it would the le&s;s be mi&s;t, but his <HI>paint</HI> was &s;o exact, and &s;o near the life, that the Di&s;ciples took him to be as real as them|&s;elves any of them, rather &s;u&s;pecting them&s;elves then him, his heart was too deep, for them to fathom, Becau&s;e 2. <HI>They had not &s;uch an infallible &s;pirit</HI> given, nor have any of the Churches now &s;uch a &s;pirit given whereby to know the &s;ecrets of mens
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heart, nor do I find that the Apo&s;tles had &s;uch a &s;pirit given them, now and then indeed they had &s;ome &s;ecret things and actions re|vealed to them, but not that incommunicable property of God <HI>to &s;earch the heart,</HI> I the Lord <HI>&s;earch the heart and try the reins. Peter</HI> indeed, had that private action and fal&s;hood of <HI>Ananias</HI> re|vealed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 5.</NOTE> to him, and from thence he concluded, Sathan <HI>had filled his heart</HI> in that he lyed again&s;t the Holy gho&s;t: but what is this to the &s;earching of the heart? and <HI>this that was revealed,</HI> was but for an act now and then, in <HI>Acts</HI> 10. He knew not that there were men &s;ent for him from <HI>Cornelius, until the Spirit of</HI> God told him, and revealed it to him: &s;o that he had not that knowledge which he <HI>had of &s;ecret things,</HI> not made known in an ordinary way by &s;en&s;e, he had it not <HI>habitually</HI> but by &s;everal acts; <HI>Or if they had &s;uch a</HI> &s;pirit, which none can prove, they did not act by it in <HI>admitting per&s;ons,</HI> for then &s;uch as tho&s;e would never have been admitted. Yea, 3. <HI>If the Church had &s;uch a &s;pirit,</HI> it is very likely &s;he were not to act <HI>by it in admi&s;&s;i|on: For our Saviour</HI> him&s;elf though he <HI>knew whom</HI> he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ad cho&s;en, and <HI>knew from the beginning</HI> who <HI>&s;hould betray him,</HI> yet he did admit him that he knew would prove a Devil; and therefore he <HI>acted therein</HI> according to his <HI>humanity,</HI> and to leave us a pattern, that though we may <HI>&s;u&s;pect</HI> happily &s;uch or &s;uch a per&s;on, and <HI>not &s;avour them according</HI> to that <HI>di&s;cerning which God hath</HI> given us of the &s;pirits of men, yet if not <HI>&s;candalous not to reject them,</HI> making &s;uch a profe&s;sion of Chri&s;t as according to charity and Scripture-rules we ought to hope well of. And <HI>methinks</HI> there is &s;omewhat <HI>in that Parable of the tares,</HI> though while in the blade they were &s;carce di&s;cernable from the wheat, yet <HI>it &s;eemeth</HI> by the Parable, that now <HI>they were come to &s;uch a growth,</HI> as they did di&s;cern them, <HI>therefore came with that Que&s;tion,</HI> whether they &s;hould pluck them up, and yet he <HI>would not have if &s;o:</HI> they were not <HI>thorns and thi&s;tles,</HI> and &s;uch as would <HI>altogether choak the Corn,</HI> though they might hinder it: if only Hypocrites though <HI>di&s;covered,</HI> if they can be <HI>di&s;covered</HI> without propha|ne&s;s and <HI>&s;candal,</HI> they are <HI>not to be pluckt up</HI> from among the good Corn, and hence it is <HI>that there are good and bad</HI> in the vi&s;ible Church though the bad &s;eem to be good <HI>all are Virgins,</HI> but all are not wi&s;e virgins.</P>
<P><PB N="97" REF="114">
<HI>For the Application of this, We may hence take notice</HI> of the great <HI>indulgence</HI> of God, and the <HI>largene&s;s of his</HI> grace, and the riches of his patience and long-&s;uffering to poor Creatures, in <HI>that he takes many</HI> as his own, within the verge and comprehen|&s;ion of <HI>this his Covenant,</HI> that <HI>never really</HI> partake of the &s;aving <HI>benefits of the Covenant.</HI> So you <HI>know it was with</HI> I&s;rael, <HI>though they were as the &s;and of the &s;ea, yet a remnant &s;hould be &s;aved.</HI> All <HI>are not I&s;rael that are of I&s;rael,</HI> that is true: and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 9. 27.</NOTE> yet they are of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> though they be not <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> that is as true; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom 9. 6.</NOTE> Now that the Lord &s;hould admit of &s;uch to be of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> that never were nor are like to be <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> this is largene&s;s of bounty. Alas! <HI>how many wild Olives are graffed in among the branches</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11. 17.</NOTE> which remain and partake of the <HI>fatne&s;s of the Olive,</HI> the <HI>privi|ledges, and ordinances,</HI> and gifts of God be&s;towed on his Church for edification, and <HI>yet &s;hall be ca&s;t out,</HI> as branches broken off dryed and withered, <HI>&s;hall be taken away</HI> as barren, and unprofi|table, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11. 22.</NOTE> and burn for ever; if thou continue not in this goodne&s;s thou &s;halt be cut off. It is not the manner <HI>of men to plant</HI> &s;uch in their vine yards as they know will bring forth nothing but leaves, no fruits <HI>but &s;owr, the grapes of Sodom,</HI> and yet this the manner <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32. 32. &amp; 34.</NOTE> of God to &s;uch as <HI>&s;hall be ca&s;t out</HI> into utter darkne&s;s, yet &s;hould be admitted to be the <HI>children of the kingdom.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>That he owneth many</HI> as <HI>&s;eparated to him&s;elf</HI> in &s;uch a way <HI>before they come to own him,</HI> and though they dwell under his &s;hadow and &s;hine, and in droppings, and dew of heaven, yet a long time bring forth nothing, <HI>do nothing but abu&s;e his grace,</HI> and <HI>this riches of his goodne&s;s,</HI> and yet at la&s;t notwith&s;tanding <HI>all he &s;hould go</HI> on <HI>to &s;eparate them</HI> to a nearer holine&s;s to him&s;elf, &s;eize upon their hearts, put another <HI>principle</HI> and <HI>&s;eed</HI> into them, whereby they <HI>&s;hould be fruitful</HI> for the time to come. Ordinary experience teacheth us this, how many years many a poor for|mal Profe&s;&s;or hath walkt under the means of grace and pa&s;&s;ed for <HI>a Saint,</HI> and yet hath been in the gall of bitterne&s;s: but the Lord out of his infinit mercy and rich grace hath healed him afterward; It is no que&s;tion it is the ca&s;e of &s;ome, that that very grace which they have &s;o long hypocritically <HI>pretended to and abu&s;ed, was</HI> that at la&s;t which &s;eized upon them.</P>
<P><HI>Why but you will &s;ay this is no priviledge</HI> nor mercy to be <HI>mem|bers of Chri&s;t his vi&s;ible Church,</HI> if we therein enjoy not Chri&s;t,
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and for our Children to be owned as tho&s;e &s;eparated to Chri&s;t, and yet <HI>though Children of the kingdom,</HI> and be ca&s;t out, for none <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 8. 12.</NOTE> are like to &s;ink <HI>&s;o low</HI> into hell as tho&s;e which are <HI>ca&s;t out of the kingdom,</HI> &s;uch as <HI>&s;o often abu&s;e</HI> mercies <HI>and Go&s;pel-grace</HI> tendered to them?</P>
<P><HI>I an&s;wer,</HI> It is true, the <HI>name of the Lord our God is great and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 28. 58.</NOTE> <HI>fearful,</HI> as in that place of <HI>Deuteronomy,</HI> And the nearer a people have been drawn to Chri&s;t within the compa&s;s of this Co|venant of Grace, and afterward peri&s;h, the deeper will they &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nk: <HI>tho&s;e will burn with a witne&s;s,</HI> that are cut off from <HI>the Vine. the vi&s;ible Church of the Olive,</HI> as unprofitable, dead and barren branches: Yet it is a priviledge, and a great act of grace <HI>to be of the Olive,</HI> Is it nothing to <HI>be one of Gods hou&s;hold or fami|ly,</HI> to be under <HI>his provi&s;ion, his protection,</HI> and guidance in a &s;pe|cial manner, <HI>to be in the &s;tate of &s;eparation to God</HI> of old; and &s;ealed up therein to God by <HI>Circumci&s;ion? It was profitable much every way the Apo&s;tle &s;aid.</HI> Yea I will &s;ay more, That the <HI>greater force</HI> a thing hath to <HI>aggravate</HI> the condemnation of poor Cre|atures, the greater the mercy is. Shall we &s;ay the Preaching of the Go&s;pel <HI>is not a mercy? becau&s;e this is the condemnation</HI> indeed, <HI>that light is come into the world.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3 19.</NOTE></P>
<P>The <HI>&s;econd u&s;e may</HI> be to help the people of God <HI>over a &s;tumbling</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 2.</NOTE> <HI>block,</HI> which may be an offence to them happily in &s;ome Churches of Chri&s;t: either &s;uch as <HI>them&s;elves walk</HI> with, or others, <HI>It may be there are &s;ome,</HI> in &s;uch or <HI>&s;uch</HI> a Church, who&s;e &s;pirits <HI>thou can&s;t not &s;avour,</HI> thou ha&s;t them in <HI>&s;u&s;pition,</HI> and therefore thou can&s;t not be free to have fellow&s;hip with them; Or if thou be in Fel|low&s;hip, thou art ready to withdraw upon &s;uch an account: <HI>Fir&s;t, be &s;ure to take heed of making breaches</HI> in thy love: It thinketh no <HI>evil,</HI> hopeth all things that are hopeable, And do&s;t thou know <HI>how much &s;moke there may be with &s;ome fire:</HI> how much corruption and <HI>a&s;hes</HI> there may be, and yet &s;ome fire? Therefore take heed of judging the &s;tate <HI>and Condition</HI> of men, where they are not in the cour&s;e of their lives prophane and &s;can|dalous. 2. <HI>Much more take heed of that dividing and &s;eparating upon &s;uch</HI> an <HI>occa&s;ion</HI> as this: for did not <HI>our Saviour</HI> walk with his di&s;ciples, though he <HI>knew Judas</HI> a devil, and doubtle&s;s it was more a grief to him, then it can be to us, the <HI>le&s;s holine&s;s,</HI> the
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le&s;s evil <HI>will grieve,</HI> and a man is more tender; there mu&s;t needs be all tenderne&s;s where there is no &s;in to harden it. O then let <HI>us arm our &s;elves with the &s;ame minde.</HI> There were great abu&s;es in the Church of <HI>Corinth</HI> and yet he &s;tirreth not them up to divi&s;ion, but love rather.</P>
<P><HI>Why but you will &s;ay when they become &s;candalous,</HI> what &s;hould we do then? <HI>Why then the Church ought to deal with them judici|ou&s;ly,</HI> to enquire into them, <HI>admoni&s;h them, cen&s;ure and ca&s;t them out,</HI> if the other preparative means, with waiting upon God in <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 5. 11.</NOTE> them will not do it, <HI>That is clear</HI> in the <HI>ince&s;tuous per&s;on,</HI> and again, <HI>If any that is called a brother be a drunkard or a rayler,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>with &s;uch a one no not to eat,</HI> it is clear, whether they might &s;o with|draw from him, before <HI>the Church had cen&s;ured him under tryal,</HI> I think not, for then, he was to be <HI>as a heathen,</HI> in re&s;pect of <HI>communion,</HI> and yet not accounted an enemy, but e&s;teemed as <HI>a</HI> brother, now, truly if the Church be &s;o over-run with this hem|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">k, for <HI>want of weeding like the &s;lothful mans vineyard</HI> over-grown with thorns and thi&s;tles. Through the &s;loth of the Church and officers, the ordinance of <HI>excommunication</HI> &s;o neg|lected, that now they are grown &s;o corrupt, as there is no way lef<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> according to the rule of Chri&s;t to purge them; what other means is left in &s;uch a ca&s;e but <HI>withdrawing,</HI> I do not under|&s;tand.</P>
<P>3. <HI>It may teach us notwith&s;tanding</HI> the &s;ad condition of &s;uch <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 3.</NOTE> as <HI>continuing members</HI> of the vi&s;ible Church, <HI>yet remain in an un|regenerate &s;tate,</HI> happily we all look upon our &s;elves to be members of the Church of Chri&s;t; but have we this grace in our hearts, <HI>this oyl in our Lamps,</HI> we have a name and profe&s;&s;ion, but <HI>can we &s;ay that Chri&s;t is in us the hope of glory?</HI> If not brethren, our <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 23. 27.</NOTE> condition is &s;ad&punc; indeed we are a people that happily the world <HI>can lay nothing to our charge,</HI> we may put the <HI>be&s;t &s;ide outward like painted &s;epulchers,</HI> but <HI>what is within? what is within?</HI> but rottenne&s;s remember, that, though men cannot judge <HI>your hearts, but hope the be&s;t</HI> of you brethren, <HI>yet there is one which &s;earcheth the heart, and judgeth the heart,</HI> and of you according to your hearts, <HI>though his Di&s;ciples cannot finde out Judas, yet our Saviour</HI> would finde him <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 15. &amp; 2. 18.</NOTE> out <HI>at la&s;t,</HI> h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s eys are <HI>like a flaming fire.</HI> Let your hypocri&s;ie be as deep as it may, it &s;hall not be hid from the light, nor from the &s;corching heat thereof</P>
<P><PB N="100" REF="116">
<HI>Yea con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly</HI> brethren, that <HI>tho&s;e things you glory mo&s;t in,</HI> and pillar up your &s;elves with, they will be your ruine if you remain in this condition, and that is the Ordinances, you have the Covenant preached, and &s;ealed to you, from time to time, and communion with the Saints, you think this is enough, you cannot <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 8. 31.</NOTE> mi&s;carry, <HI>the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord,</HI> you tru&s;t in <HI>lying words,</HI> for they will deceive you, may you not <HI>be children of the Kingdom, and yet ca&s;t out,</HI> yet, will not this be the thing which will &s;ink you, <HI>that you have been children of the king|dom, and yet fall &s;hort of the kingdom.</HI> You <HI>come to the fea&s;t, for the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e is a wedding fea&s;t,</HI> the Go&s;pel and the Ordinances are, where|of, &s;ee pag. 106. which you are to under&s;tand <HI>all the admini&s;tra|tions</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a 25.</NOTE> of the grace in the Kingdom, the Go&s;pel-Ordinances <HI>this is the fea&s;t of fat things,</HI> the fat things of heaven, you may be ad|mitted <HI>to this fea&s;t,</HI> to all the Ordinances, <HI>not a di&s;h upon the table, but you may eat of it, But alas!</HI> brethren, if you <HI>be yet in the gall of bitter<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;s,</HI> though you go for &s;weet Chri&s;tians, all <HI>turns to gall and poy&s;on to your &s;ouls.</HI> It is impo&s;&s;ible for &s;uch a man or &s;uch a woman, <HI>ever to come worthily</HI> to partake of the Ordinances, a <HI>child of God hath</HI> much ado with his heart to bring it into frame, <HI>to get the &s;pirit fixed,</HI> to &s;ing <HI>and give prai&s;e, to prepare his heart, and much pains many times,</HI> and the work done but in a little part <HI>yet there is mercy to accept,</HI> where we do our be&s;t, there is <HI>habitual</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 57. 7.</NOTE> preparation, there are the <HI>graces of the &s;pirit,</HI> and there is Chri&s;t <HI>put on by faith</HI> for righteou&s;ne&s;s and holine&s;s, but the graces <HI>are not &s;o lovely,</HI> &s;o &s;tirred up, and much ado, to blow away the a&s;hes, and they <HI>flye about our ears</HI> &s;ometimes, that we even lo&s;e our &s;elves in the work. <HI>But yet God will be mercifull,</HI> and cover our &s;hortne&s;s if we reach but this, the &s;en&s;e of our unpreparation, and be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">bled for it. But now <HI>thou that art a hypocrite,</HI> and an un|regenerate man, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 2. 16.</NOTE> thou <HI>can&s;t never be prepared</HI> to come to hear, to receive the Supper, and &s;o <HI>they prove the &s;avour of death to death,</HI> thou ha&s;t no promi&s;e thou can&s;t build upon, but that they will be thy <HI>bane, Alas poor &s;oul!</HI> how many times ha&s;t thou drunk the <HI>cup of the Lord,</HI> and it hath been a cup of <HI>deadly wine</HI> to thy &s;oul, <HI>thou ha&s;t eaten</HI> and drunken <HI>thy judgement and condemnation</HI> &s;o of|ten, that thou art even &s;tupifyed and pa&s;t feeling it is to be feared, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11 31.</NOTE> it not onely argues a de&s;perately hard heart <HI>to come and look upon Chri&s;t crucifyed, held out in tho&s;e Ordinances, as our meat and
<PB N="101" REF="116">
drink to nouri&s;h us, and not to relent;</HI> but it hardens us &s;o much the more. Thou may&s;t yet come oft ento receive the Supper of the Lord, but as <HI>often as thou do&s;t it,</HI> thou do&s;t but more deeply poy|&s;on and fill thy &s;oul. <HI>O! Brethren, that the Lord would let us &s;ee</HI> this day whether this be our condition, <HI>and we have rotten hearts covered</HI> over with a glorious profe&s;&s;ion, that we might not dare to draw near, for we cannot have a <HI>Wedding-garment</HI> upon us brethren: if we have not the <HI>habits of grace,</HI> if we have not Chri&s;t for righteou&s;ne&s;s and holine&s;s, how can we act that grace which we have not? Thou art fit for any thing el&s;e, but for the wor&s;hip of God, thou art fit for thine own occa&s;ions, and fit to &s;erve the Devil, to be at his beck, but not to wor&s;hip God in tho&s;e Ordinances, remember, remember brethren, though <HI>you may have &s;omewhat now to an&s;wer us, when we preach this word, and to an&s;wer your own con&s;ciences,</HI> and can make <HI>a &s;hift to &s;ilence them</HI> when they tell you though you have a profe&s;&s;ion and name, and are reckon|ed among the Saints, yet you <HI>never were born again,</HI> never did put on Chri&s;t indeed, you cannot have <HI>a wedding garment,</HI> though you may brethren deceive your &s;elves and us, and take this and that, for a wedding-garment, <HI>when the Lord Je&s;us &s;hall come, and ask you how come&s;t thou in hither without a wedding garment,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 20. 12, 13.</NOTE> thou <HI>had&s;t not a dram of grace, thou never putte&s;t me on for righte|ou&s;ne&s;s</HI> in believing, how came&s;t thou hither, how <HI>dur&s;t thou be &s;o bold</HI> as to draw nigh to <HI>my table, to meddle with my precious blood</HI> and body broken for &s;inners, when thou hadde&s;t not a wedding garment on: you <HI>&s;hall then be &s;peechle&s;s,</HI> it &s;hall be &s;o <HI>evident, O take him bind him hand and foot,</HI> hang the&s;e <HI>Ordinances and privi|ledges</HI> which he hath &s;o long <HI>abu&s;ed, my blood and body</HI> which he <HI>hath eaten and drunk</HI> that is to &s;ay <HI>Sacramentally,</HI> the <HI>&s;igns of them,</HI> as <HI>tho&s;e in</HI> 1 Cor. 10. <HI>they did all eat the &s;ame &s;piritual meat,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10. 3, 4.</NOTE> &amp;c. and yet mo&s;t of them peri&s;hed, &s;ink him, &s;ink him, he hath <HI>trampled my blood under his foot, counted it an unholy thing,</HI> el&s;e he would <HI>never have cared to have come with an unholy heart to it, therefore</HI> now, <HI>I will trample his &s;oul</HI> in my fury unto the lower|mo&s;t hell, <HI>O! how this will</HI> &s;harpen the teeth of the gnawing <HI>worm,</HI> to eternity; <HI>O how this will inrage the flames</HI> of tho&s;e e|verla&s;ting burnings; <HI>therefore con&s;ider this your &s;ad condition,</HI> let it be a terrible word to you, the Lord give you hearts to tremble at it.</P>
<P><PB N="102" REF="117">
And in the la&s;t place, <HI>Let us take heed how we re&s;t and lean</HI> upon a profe&s;&s;ion and a name. Methinks there needs no more Argu|ments to move us, then what hath been &s;poken already; What folly is it for a man to hang his weight upon that which he is told will break, and then he <HI>falls into an irrecoverable gulf,</HI> O! that we had that alway &s;ounding in <HI>our ears!</HI> in the &s;eventh of <HI>Mat. Lord, Lord, open to us, we have done this and that, heard thee preach, done wonderful works;</HI> they were vi&s;ible Saints &s;urely at lea&s;t, <HI>and yet he calls them workers of iniquity,</HI> which they might <NOTE PLACE="marg">ver, 22.</NOTE> do in &s;ecret acts with <HI>pretences for God,</HI> but intending them&s;elves. What if <HI>Simon Magus</HI> had had <HI>that power to give the gift of the Holy Gho&s;t,</HI> and had done it, <HI>and repleni&s;hed</HI> his pur&s;e by it, for likely he that would have bought it, would have been as ready to have &s;old it again; he might have pa&s;t for a Saint, but what would his end have been? O Brethren con&s;ider your <HI>latter end,</HI> the Lord teach you that one point of wi&s;dom, that &s;o <HI>in time <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> may flee from that wrath to come.</HI> But &s;o much for this Doctrine al&s;o.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="103" REF="117">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Ver&s;e 3, and 4.</BIBL>
<Q>And they that were fooli&s;h, took their Lamps, and took no oyl with them. But the wi&s;e took oyl in their ve&s;&s;els with their Lamps.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_WE may read a wi&s;e man or a fool in his actions, and &s;o here, the <HI>fooli&s;h took no oyl with their Lamps,</HI> and what more fooli&s;h then that? For the o|pening of the words, I &s;hall not need to &s;ay much: <HI>by the Lamps I under&s;tand</HI> here a pro|fe&s;&s;ion of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, a name, a &s;hew, the A|po&s;tle <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 2. 15. Iohn 5. 35. Iohn 12. 6. I&s;a. 50. 10.</NOTE> &s;peaks of the Saints as light-bearers, they &s;hould be burning and &s;hining lights, as <HI>John</HI> was. <HI>Light</HI> there is, and &s;ometimes appearing heat, even in formal profe&s;&s;ors, as you &s;ee in the ca&s;e of <HI>John,</HI> how <HI>zealous for God.</HI> And <HI>Judas,</HI> a man would have thought him zealous, when he &s;aid, <HI>Why is this wa&s;te,</HI> but it is like the light of the glow-worm, touch it, and it hath neither light nor heat, they are indeed &s;parks <HI>of our own kindling,</HI> as it is in that place of <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> the &s;parks there may be the action of Devotion, and Duty, which may be elicited, or e|duced by the help of nature, and of education, and cu&s;tom; the con&s;cience being enlightened by the Law of God in &s;ome mea&s;ure and &s;elf-love, working &s;omewhat in men, will put them on to do &s;omething to quiet their Con&s;ciences; but alas the&s;e &s;parks quick|ly go out, and the <HI>Lamp</HI> is put out in ob&s;cure darkne&s;s; There may be al&s;o &s;omewhat of <HI>Common-grace,</HI> &s;ome enlightning of the minde, and &s;ome kinde <HI>of affection,</HI> as the &s;econd ground, <HI>re|ceived</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 6. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. Act<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> 2. 41. Ez<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">. 33. 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> &amp; 32.</NOTE> <HI>the word gladly,</HI> and <HI>Herod heard John gladly,</HI> but a great difference between the&s;e, and the Di&s;ciples who receiveed the word gladly, the one rejoyced happily in that which in the word is &s;uitable to a carnal appetite, as the Eloquence, as tho&s;e in the Prophet <HI>thou art to them as one that plays on an In&s;trument,</HI> but the
<PB N="104" REF="118">
other rejoyced in that of Chri&s;t which is therein found. So the <HI>Bee,</HI> is plea&s;ed with the <HI>Flower,</HI> the <HI>Sheep</HI> with the <HI>Blade,</HI> the <HI>Bird</HI> with the <HI>Seed,</HI> and the <HI>Swine</HI> with the <HI>Root.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But new for the oyl in the ve&s;&s;els,</HI> what is that? <HI>The fooli&s;h took no oyl in their ve&s;&s;els with their lamps.</HI> By this I under&s;tand bre|thren, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Ioh. 2. 20.</NOTE> <HI>the oyl of the Spirit, ye have received an anointing,</HI> the Spi|rit of grace, and the grace of the Spirit of Chri&s;t, the Spirit dwel|ling in us; there is a Cru&s;e opened, that will never be drawn dry, <HI>like the Fountain of waters, or Rivers &s;pringing up with eternal</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 4. 14.</NOTE> <HI>life,</HI> it never &s;ails. By this then I under&s;tand <HI>the true &s;aving work of grace in the heart;</HI> a receiving of the Spirit of grace, the Spirit of Chri&s;t by faith as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks, <HI>by the hearing of faith,</HI> by the Go&s;pel, the word of faith, which was ble&s;&s;ed, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3. 12.</NOTE> to the working of &s;aith, in your &s;ouls. Now this &s;pirit works faith, and <HI>that works by love,</HI> and that never fails, but is perfected in heaven, &s;o <HI>humility, &s;elf-denyal,</HI> and all tho&s;e graces. And not onely the graces of the &s;pirit, but <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 13. 8.</NOTE> this Spirit of grace dwelling in the Saints, which continually &s;upplyeth their wants, &s;o that the Lamp &s;hall not go out for|want of oyl.</P>
<P>From the words thus under&s;tood, this note will ari&s;e. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct. 4.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>He that contents him&s;elf with a profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t, without the real &s;aving work of grace upon his heart, is a fool; but he that looks to the main thing, the getting grace in his heart, as well as making a &s;hew before men, is a wi&s;e man. Profe&s;&s;ion</HI> without the enjoyment of the Spirit of grace, is but <HI>folly,</HI> I will put them both together, that contraries may the better illu&s;trate one another, <HI>juxta &s;e po|&s;ita,</HI> and if either of them be proved, both of them are proved; for they will infer each other, by the rule of contraries. No|thing is more ordinary in Scripture, then to call &s;inners <HI>fools,</HI> &s;in|ners of all &s;orts are <HI>fools, committing wickedne&s;s,</HI> is <HI>committing folly in I&s;rael,</HI> but no <HI>fool to the wi&s;e fool, wi&s;e in his own conceit, there is more hope of a fool then of &s;uch a man,</HI> and who are u&s;ual|ly more wi&s;e in their own conceits, then formal profe&s;&s;ors are? <HI>he that hideth hatred with lying lips is a fool,</HI> he that <HI>hideth hatred</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 26. 12.</NOTE> <HI>to God,</HI> a rotten heart with lying lips, whereby he profe&s;&s;eth much <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 10. 18.</NOTE> love to him, and carryeth a fair &s;hew, <HI>he</HI> is a fool <HI>in grain.</HI> If we would know where wi&s;dom beginneth, or what the <HI>&s;um of wi&s;|dom
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is,</HI> the wi&s;e&s;t of men &s;hall tell you, <HI>the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wi&s;dom,</HI> or the <HI>&s;um of wi&s;dom,</HI> &s;ome read it &s;o. And <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 9, 10. P&s;al 111. 10.</NOTE> &s;o <HI>Job</HI> who was no child in <HI>Chri&s;tianity,</HI> to man he &s;aith; <HI>to fear the Lord that is wi&s;dom, and to depart from evil that is under&s;tand|ing:</HI> Mark you, Whatever men place wi&s;dom in, or <HI>folly</HI> in, <HI>this</HI> is the very &s;um of wi&s;dom to <HI>fear God, fear</HI> is put for all grace, <HI>a manfearing God,</HI> and <HI>e&s;chewing evil,</HI> was the highe&s;t character, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 28. 28.</NOTE> the Lord gave of <HI>Job.</HI> It is indeed the root of all that <HI>good</HI> we do, and evil we avoid; and I will and but one Scripture, <HI>in the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hiddenarts, thou &s;halt make me to know wi&s;dom,</HI> it is one thing to be wi&s;e headed, and tongued, and another to be wi&s;e hearted; <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51. 6.</NOTE> and therefore in Scripture nothing more ordinary then to &s;et forth wi&s;dom that is true indeed <HI>by the heart, God</HI> him&s;elf is &s;aid <HI>to be wi&s;e of heart. Fooli&s;h creatures, Eph. a &s;illy Dove, without a</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 7. 11.</NOTE> <HI>heart.</HI> They may have <HI>head</HI> enough, notion enough, <HI>fla&s;hing light,</HI> appearing to others enough, but they are without a heart, they have not the great work there, a <HI>new head,</HI> and an <HI>old heart,</HI> a <HI>full head</HI> and an <HI>empty heart,</HI> a <HI>light</HI> and <HI>burning</HI> profe&s;&s;ion, and a dark dead and cold heart, he that takes up in &s;uch a condition is a fool, an errant fool.</P>
<P>For the further clearing of this, I &s;hall enquire a little where|in the nature of wi&s;dom and folly lyeth, and then &s;hew you how it is Applicable in truth unto this profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t, without the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of him.</P>
<P>Wi&s;dom then I conceive may con&s;i&s;t of the&s;e three generals, 1. <HI>In the obtaining what we want,</HI> the good we want; and ther|fore come &s;hort of happine&s;s, becau&s;e we want it. 2. <HI>In the keeping</HI> the good we have, when once we have it: And 3. In avoiding the evil we fear, which would render us mi&s;erable, in the&s;e three things I take it, wi&s;dom con&s;i&s;ts.</P>
<P>Now to &s;peak a little to each of the&s;e, and &s;ee how we may prove the formal profe&s;&s;or by his defect, and falling &s;hort in each them, in all of them; and for the fir&s;t, <HI>the obtaining of the good we want to make us happy,</HI> Alas you know brethren, we are all fallen &s;hort of the glory of God, and by nature are without him, and without Chri&s;t in the world, and have not the things which <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom, 3. 23&punc;</NOTE> accompany &s;alvation, neither, <HI>he</HI> then is a wi&s;e man in general <GAP DESC="foreign"> who knoweth tho&s;e principles, and ends which are uni|ver&s;ally nece&s;&s;ary to a mans good, his chiefe&s;t, and mo&s;t general
<PB N="106" REF="119">
good. So that there are, I conceive, three things in this re&s;pect under this head, and &s;o proportionably under the other, which go to the compleating of wi&s;dom.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t there mu&s;t be a knowledge of the end,</HI> and a <HI>propounding of this end to a mans &s;elf,</HI> an end you know is nothing, but that which is good: either really &s;o, or appearingly &s;o; for that is the object of the Will goodne&s;s, as truth is the object of the Minde, and under&s;tanding, a man cannot <HI>appetere malum,</HI> as it is <HI>malum,</HI> and be a man, to delight in evil as it is evil, is <HI>diab<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lical,</HI> to delight in &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n or folly as it is plea&s;ant, as it is &s;uitable to the corrupt na|ture, to the &s;oul, the Will crooked and deprayed, this is humane, becau&s;e though a man do thus p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">opo&s;e &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n as his <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nd,</HI> yet not as it evil, but as it is good, to his corrupt judgement and Will, that is to &s;ay &s;uitable, and convenient to him. An &s;o &s;or &s;uffering, there is no man living can prevail with him&s;elf, to be willing to be mi|&s;erable, they would be happy. Well then it is good which is the end, either real or apparent. But now here, in this &s;piritual wi&s;dom, and <HI>folly,</HI> we mu&s;t under&s;tand his end &s;uitable, that is to &s;ay, under&s;tand it of the mo&s;t &s;upreme principle and ultimate <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Eccle&s;. &punc;1. 15.</NOTE> good, and that is God, for what good el&s;e is there, that can indeed make the &s;oul happy, but God in Chri&s;t; for that good which mu&s;t make ble&s;&s;ed, it mu&s;t be commen&s;urate to the &s;oul, &s;o as to be able to fall, and &s;atisfie it, el&s;e the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e will be &s;omewhat wanting &s;till, and alas for all other goods below God, it may be &s;aid, that which is <HI>wanting cannot be numbred.</HI> Now there are two things con&s;iderable in the &s;oul of a man, e&s;pecially to which there mu&s;t be an an&s;werablene&s;s in the end, which is to be followed unto injoyment, el&s;e the &s;oul cannot be happy.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t is <HI>the va&s;t capacity and comprehen&s;ion of the &s;oul,</HI> to which there mu&s;t be an <HI>an&s;werable fulne&s;s,</HI> in the <HI>object,</HI> and the <HI>end,</HI> el&s;e the &s;oul cannot re&s;t upon it as its Center, and happine&s;s, and this we may take notice of e&s;pecially in tho&s;e two faculties of the Under&s;tanding and the Will, the Affections, they are but as it were the &s;everal motions of the Will, a kind of Appendix to it. Now to the&s;e two faculties, in the &s;upreme and ultimate end there mu&s;t be an an&s;werable <HI>ratio veri &amp; boni,</HI> great enough to fill or &s;atisfie the under&s;tanding or <HI>mind,</HI> that hath for its object truth, and not one truth, or another, <HI>but all truth,</HI> it is not &s;atis|fyed with the partial di&s;coveries of truth, or here and there a
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little, but it would have all, now the Lord is the highe&s;t, and the be&s;t <HI>in genera vari,</HI> he is truth it&s;elf, as well as being it &s;elf, and other things are no further true, then they have &s;ome pro|portion to him, which they al&s;o have from him, therefore the mind having gotten &s;uch an Object as this to dwell upon, where|in it may be &s;wallowed up, and &s;atisfied with truth, it hath its perfection.</P>
<P>2. <HI>The will</HI> that hath for its <HI>Object good,</HI> and it is not content with a partial good, here and there a little, but it would receive all good, now the Lord he is good, and there is none good but God, he is the &s;upream good, the greate&s;t good, and the la&s;t <HI>in genere boni,</HI> all goodne&s;s in the Creature whether honour proportiona|ble, or delightful, or plea&s;ant good, alas what is it? but a little reflection of his glory upon the Creature, a little &s;park of his kindling, a little drop to the ocean, but this is but an&s;werable to the capacity, and comprehen&s;ion of the &s;oul.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> there is al&s;o the <HI>everla&s;tingne&s;s of the &s;oul;</HI> it liveth for ever, and therefore a &s;hort good though never &s;o full, is not commen&s;urate unto it, there mu&s;t be <HI>certitudo aeternae fruitionis,</HI> which as well as <HI>fruitio incommutabilis boni</HI> to make up a ble&s;&s;ed|ne&s;s <NOTE PLACE="marg">lib. 11. cap. 13.</NOTE> which is the end, the &s;oul propo&s;eth to it &s;elf. So <HI>Aug. de Chro.</HI> for <HI>fui&s;&s;e &s;elioem mi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">erum.</HI> It is the depth of our mi&s;ery, we are now ca&s;t down &s;o low, becau&s;e we were once &s;eated, rai&s;|ed &s;o high in honour &s;o near to God, and yet if we might &s;pend but a time in h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aven, and enjoy&punc; God, and afterward for&s;ake that habitation, this world would be the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ell of hels, unto &s;uch a &s;oul, but there is an everla&s;tingne&s;s in the good it&s;elf we enjoy, and in our enjoyment of that good We<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> this then is the great end, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o know and to propound to a mans &s;elf, to &s;et as his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> as his mark, is a part of wi&s;dom, he that doth great things, takes much pains for poor ends is a fool, the end &s;peaks a man a wi&s;e man or a fool; as much as any thi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">g&punc; But</P>
<P>2. <HI>Then</HI> there are the <HI>means</HI> to be u&s;ed for the attaining of that end, that is the next thing. If a man have never &s;o right an end, and yet know not what means to u&s;e for that end, or u&s;e them not aright, he is a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ool, not a wi&s;e man. As now, a man would have health and he knoweth not, that phy&s;ick will avail him, it is all one to him, a cup of poy&s;on, or a purging potion
<PB N="108" REF="120">
is all one to him, or if he have the means, and u&s;e them not, or not aright, and &s;o in any other thing what&s;oever, I briefly wrapt up the other two in this place. <HI>Now</HI> to this great end the enjoyment of God, the means what are they but more immedi|ately the clo&s;ing with Je&s;us Chri&s;t by faith in his blood, for he is not received but in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, nor to be enjoyed but in him and through him, Now &s;ince we have lo&s;t the image and glory of God, it would not prove good to us to enjoy him, if it were po&s;|&s;ible for us &s;o to do, that is to &s;ay it would not be &s;uitable to us as we are corrupted, heaven would be hell to a wicked man, if he could enter into that holy place a while. And therefore there <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2&punc; 12.</NOTE> is a nece&s;&s;ity, that we clo&s;e with Je&s;us Chri&s;t that in him we may be brought near, being reconciled through the blood of his cro&s;s and the enmity &s;lain that is in our hearts again&s;t God, and a new nature put upon us, the heart changed and made conformable to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3. 10.</NOTE> God, that image, and likene&s;s re&s;tored, which con&s;i&s;ted in knowledge, righteou&s;ne&s;s and true holine&s;s, that now to enjoy God in the fulne&s;s and holine&s;s and joy, it is &s;uitable to this new man wrought in us by Je&s;us Chri&s;t; &s;uitable to that &s;piritual <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 24.</NOTE> Chri&s;t which is founded in us, and &s;o is good to us, therefore this is the great means, I &s;ay the clo&s;ing with Je&s;us Chri&s;t for righ|teou&s;ne&s;s, and reconciliation and holine&s;s, that heaven may be &s;uitable unto us, that we may al&s;o by him be changed, and made fit, and able to bear the weight of glory which is there to be put upon us. More mediately and remotely: now the means of grace, the Go&s;pel and ordinances thereof, wherein God is reveal|ed in Chri&s;t, therein he is revealed for righteou&s;ne&s;s for holine&s;s, he is preached therein in the Covenant, and that &s;ealed up to us in the other ordinances, And all the means of grace are helpful for this end. Well, now before I go any further, Let us &s;ee the wi&s;dom and folly of a pretender, and a real Saint, that is a virgin <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1. 17.</NOTE> indeed.</P>
<P N="1">1. Then for the end, though mi&s;erable man would be happy, yet we mi&s;s it in the end, and if we mi&s;s the end, all our endea|vours are nothing: <HI>Now a child of God,</HI> his end is God, as he is <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73. 25.</NOTE> a glorious God&punc; and as he is a good God, and here is wi&s;dom in|deed, that is to &s;ay, he aimeth at this, to glorine God, to exalt him, that he may be glorified in him, as well knowing, that the glory of the Lord is that wherein his own good, and &s;alvation is
<PB N="109" REF="120">
wrapt up, for wherein are the riches of his glorious grace mani|fe&s;ted, but in the pardoning and <HI>&s;ubduing of iniquity? O for thy names &s;ake pardon mine iniquity, for it is great;</HI> for his names &s;ake, <HI>Who is like unto thee, a God pardoning iniquity tran&s;gre&s;sion and &s;in.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 25. 11. Mic. 7. 18. &amp; 19.</NOTE> <HI>And then the &s;alvation of his &s;oul,</HI> he is wi&s;e, that is wi&s;e to &s;alva|tion, that is wi&s;e for him&s;elf indeed in the main thing. You &s;ee a man wonderful indu&s;trious, takes great pains, runs and rides, is very earne&s;t, and what is his end in this, to have a flea to catch a butterfly? You would judge this man a &s;ool, the end will recompence the laborious u&s;e of the means; <HI>Now a formal pro|fe&s;&s;er,</HI> he will keep as much a do as another happily, be at as much pains in duty, &s;pend as many hours in private happily &s;ome may be of <HI>J<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hu</HI> his &s;tamp, and &s;train as long as it will hold; but what is it for? Alas, they &s;eek a poor empty &s;elf, they would have a name, they would have their zeal for God &s;een, they would have their ends &s;atisfied, it is the way to flouri&s;h. What pains did they take to follow Je&s;us Chri&s;t up and down, and all was for the loaves? a poor end. Suppo&s;e the end be a little &s;topping the mouth of a clamarous con&s;cience for the pre&s;ent, a poor end. Is not this folly, to &s;hoot &s;o high and aim &s;o low? But happily it will not be &s;o ea&s;ie to convince hypocrites that they mi&s;s it in the end, though for my part I think it is that which we ordinarily mi&s;s it in; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek 7. 5. Ho&s;. 10. 1.</NOTE> <HI>did you at all fea&s;t to me &s;aith the Lord?</HI> or <HI>fa&s;t to me, did you not bring forth fruit to your &s;elves?</HI> which are infinitely too low; to be our own end, for when we enjoy the mo&s;t we can in our &s;elves as our end, we gra&s;p no-thing but &s;in and emptine&s;s, wind and mi&s;ery to eternity,</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Then for the means,</HI> which you &s;ee what they are, immedi|ately Je&s;us Chri&s;t clo&s;ed with mediate, the ordinances wherein he is held out. Alas, herein they do fearfully mi&s;s it, though they profe&s;s him, As will appear in many particulars.</P>
<P N="1">1. They do not choo&s;e the right <HI>means</HI> for the attaining the <HI>end</HI> wherein a great part of their wi&s;dom lies, this <HI>is life eternal to know Je&s;us Chri&s;t whom thou ha&s;t &s;ent;</HI> this is the <HI>means</HI> and the way to it, and indeed a part of it, the &s;uburbs of heaven. Now alas brethren, there are &s;o many things, which are &s;o like to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; and &s;o many acts like to the embracing of him, that they are deceived, and &s;o they mi&s;s of the <HI>main means and fall &s;hort of the end, &s;imile &amp; mater erroris.</HI> A man mi&s;&s;eth his way and takes another way, lay near it and was like it, and he runs and takes
<PB N="110" REF="121">
pains to come to the journeys end, but alas it never will bring him thither, he is out of the way, Je&s;us Chri&s;t is the way, as wel as the life, now there are fal&s;e Chri&s;ts which men make to them|&s;elves; there is much bad like to good, and much error like to truth, one man he thinketh a drunken Chri&s;t will &s;erve his turn; a cove|tuous man, he thinketh Chri&s;t and his &s;ecret lu&s;ts will &s;tand toge|ther, though his profe&s;&s;ion and open &s;inning will not &s;tand toge|ther, he thinketh he may have Chri&s;t in his heart and &s;in regard|ed there, though he cannot have holine&s;s in his profe&s;&s;ion an ap|pearance of it, an open prophane&s;s there, as if &s;in would bet|ter agree with Chri&s;t, then his profe&s;&s;ion. Some think they have a Chri&s;t made up all of pardons, no matter for holine&s;s at all, let them live as they li&s;t, no matter for walking in him, yet he is &s;o merciful, if they can but cry have mercy it will do the deed, though they wallow in their uncleanne&s;s all their lives, &s;ome they are on the other hand, that make to them&s;elves a holy Chri&s;t, not minding his pardoning mercy, O if they can but do this and that, they walk uprightly with men, they &s;erve God, none more con&s;tant at the ordinances then they, private and publike, and therefore &s;urely Chri&s;t is theirs; <HI>not remembring with</HI> Nehemiah, <HI>the Lord &s;pare me according to thy great mercy,</HI> or multitude of mercy, even when he had done &s;o eminently for God. Alas, brethren what pitiful mi&s;takes are the&s;e? Many are ready to think, if they have but now and then a little affections &s;tirring at a Sermon, O &s;ure they have Chri&s;t, if they have but a little velleity &s;ometimes, a wi&s;hing and woulding, this mu&s;t go for Chri&s;t, how prone are we to &s;ub&s;titute any thing in the room of Chri&s;t? Now a man that would live, and &s;hall eat dirt or coles in&s;tead of bread, you would think that man a fool; or a man <NOTE PLACE="marg">N<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h. 13. 22.</NOTE> that would be rich, profe&s;&s;eth that is his end, and he bags up in|deed, but what is it? dung and dro&s;s, &s;tones and tra&s;h, would you not count this man a fool? this is the condition of every formal profe&s;&s;or of Je&s;us Chri&s;t: they do indeed fix upon &s;omething but it is tra&s;h; it or if any thing better, their duties, their holine&s;s it is tra&s;h, it is dung in&s;tead of Chri&s;t, this is the fir&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Now,</HI> for the &s;econdary means, <HI>the means of getting Chri&s;t,</HI> which is the more immediate means and way to his enjoyment of God, which is the happine&s;s of the Creature, herein indeed
<PB N="111" REF="121">
mo&s;t ordinarily the folly doth appear, and therefore I &s;hall here con&s;ider &s;everal particulars.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>To u&s;e means to get any thing, and not &s;ea&s;onably is folly,</HI> to u&s;e them too late, for a man that is deadly &s;ick he will not be per&s;waded to take <HI>Phy&s;ick</HI> untill he be pa&s;t recovery, &s;uch a man is a fool that &s;o long will lean to his own under&s;tanding; and &s;o for meat, a man that will fa&s;t &s;o long until he cannot eat at all, this is the very ca&s;e in this place, you &s;ee they did not ever neglect <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 10. 1.</NOTE> to get <HI>oyl in their lamps in their ve&s;&s;els,</HI> they were very inqui|&s;itive, <HI>&s;ought it of the wi&s;e virgins, and went to buy it of them that &s;old, but alas it was too late.</HI> Would you not count that man a fool, that hath provi&s;ions to make for his family the week follow|ing, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 3. 1, to the 6.</NOTE> at the Market, and he goeth, but it is when all is done, and &s;hops &s;hut up, and there is no more place to buy any thing. So here, and &s;o the <HI>Manna, if they went to &s;eek Manna upon the Se|veath day there was none to be had, yea if daily they went not to &s;eek it in the morning, but &s;taid until the Sun were hot, there was none to be had, it was gone.</HI> there is a &s;ea&s;on for every thing the wi&s;e man &s;aith: <HI>and every thing is beautiful in its &s;ea&s;on, he that ga|thereth in Summer is a wi&s;e man,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Solomon:</HI> he that maketh <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 10. 5.</NOTE> hay while the Sun &s;hineth. It is a &s;ad piece of folly, that a man &s;hould have his grace and his Chri&s;t to get, when he &s;hould u&s;e them, when we come to dye, and have five times as much need of Chri&s;t as in our life-time for the mo&s;t part, that then we &s;hould be to get Chri&s;t, and have tri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">led away the day of grace in flou|ri&s;hes and &s;hews, in taking of Chri&s;t, and had him not in our hearts.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>To have means for the getting of Chri&s;t, and never make u&s;e</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 17. 16.</NOTE> <HI>of them;</HI> there is folly indeed; <HI>wherefore is there a prize in the hand of a fool and he hath no heart to it,</HI> he is a fool that hath an opportunity to make him&s;elf for ever and hath no heart to it, to improve it, <HI>redeeming the time</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle; that is, <HI>to walk</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5. 15, 16.</NOTE> <HI>circum&s;pectly not as fools, but as wi&s;e;</HI> what would many a poor Creature in hell give, for &s;uch an opportunity of grace as we have? <HI>Yea if the Go&s;pel were preached to</HI> Tyre, <HI>and</HI> Sidon <HI>they would have repented long ago,</HI> &s;aith our Saviour, but you have the opportu|nity in your hands, but you have no heart to it at all, this is &s;ad. To &s;ee a man feed upon husks, and dirt and &s;o peri&s;h, when he hath no bread to eat, is a pitiful &s;ight, but this is nece&s;&s;ity not folly,
<PB N="112" REF="122">
but here is bread to eat, <HI>that we might live,</HI> and yet we neglect to gather it; or to eat it, content our &s;elves with husks and tra&s;h is not tl is folly, <HI>and this is the condition of every formal profe&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r?</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>They re&s;t in the means &s;hort of the end,</HI> and that is grievous <HI>folly,</HI> the means of grace, whereby Chri&s;t is to be gotten, and Chri&s;t in us revealed to grow, and increa&s;e, if we re&s;t in the&s;e means, whether we have Chri&s;t yea or no, it is great folly, what man is there that would &s;o do. But there is more in this, for this preferring, and prizing, and lifting them up above Chri&s;t will be our condemnation, &s;etting up any of them in&s;tead of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>But enough of this, <HI>The Second</HI> thing, or point of <HI>wi&s;dom is in keeping that which we have,</HI> the good we have, that is a chief point of wi&s;dom indeed, <HI>Nonminor e&s;t virtus,</HI> do you not count him a fool that takes great pains to get an e&s;tate, to get much, and is as lavi&s;h of it, takes no care to keep it, when he hath done lets one run away with one p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, another with another part, why now here is the ca&s;e, an hypocrite, a formal profe&s;&s;or, a fooli&s;h <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">5. 19.</NOTE> virgin hath &s;omething, he hath common grace, happily he hath many duties and &s;ervices, but all the&s;e will be taken away from him; he cannot keep his <HI>garments,</HI> nor doth he take the cour&s;e to keep them, for he that would keep the&s;e things mu&s;t look after &s;omewl at more, the power of Chri&s;t within to inable to improve the&s;e to his glory, el&s;e he that <HI>hath not,</HI> from him &s;hall be taken, <HI>even that which he hath,</HI> you have <HI>leaves of profe&s;&s;ion,</HI> the&s;e &s;hall be taken away. But the</P>
<P>Third thing is more con&s;iderable, and that indeed I think will prove comprehen&s;ive of the two points, and of <HI>wi&s;dom;</HI> and that is to <HI>avoid carefully the evil which they fear,</HI> the greater the evil, the greater &s;hould be the fear of it, if he be a wi&s;e man: Now the evil, which we will &s;peak of, &s;hall be the <HI>Soul-Evil,</HI> which mu&s;t needs be the wor&s;t <HI>corruptio optimi e&s;t pe&s;&s;ima,</HI> and evil by how much the more de&s;tructive it is, by &s;o much the more wi&s;|dom is requi&s;ite to avoid it, and by how much the more eminent it is hanging our head, this evil brethren is not the lo&s;s of outward <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 6. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> things which are peri&s;hable, not the &s;uffering of temporal trou|bles, the&s;e may run into the &s;oul of a <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> and a <HI>Job,</HI> and they triumph over them, their ble&s;&s;edne&s;s will be above all the&s;e, they have oyl at top, but what is it then.</P>
<P N="1">1. The <HI>Malum damni,</HI> the great evil of lo&s;s, is the lo&s;s of a
<PB N="113" REF="122">
precious &s;oul, that nothing is able to purcha&s;e but the <HI>blood of Je|&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> if the blood of Je&s;us do not deliver thy &s;oul, there re|maineth no more <HI>Sacrifice</HI> for &s;in, <HI>if thou fall &s;hort of this,</HI> which is already offered, <HI>O what &s;hall a man give in exchange for his &s;oul,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 16. 26.</NOTE> when it is once lo&s;t, &s;hal he give ten thou&s;and Rivers of oyl, or gol|den Mountains, or the <HI>fruit of his body!</HI> Alas, all this is nothing to the lo&s;s of the &s;oul, and what is the lo&s;s of the &s;oul, but the lo&s;s of the <HI>face and favour of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> for ever; that is the death of the &s;oul, which is the &s;ouls lo&s;s; <HI>to be &s;eparated from him,</HI> the lo&s;s of the beauty of the &s;oul, and the <HI>end of it, to &s;erve him,</HI> and be <HI>glorifyed with him.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>The inflicting of the heavie&s;t &s;uffering,</HI> is the <HI>poena &s;en&s;us,</HI> that is to &s;ay, when God poureth out the burning coals of his wrath upon the naked Con&s;cience, whipping the naked and galled Con|&s;cience <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 90. 11.</NOTE> with Scorpions to eternity, <HI>O this dwelling with devouring fire, and everla&s;ting burning without a &s;hadow, will make the &s;in|ners</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 33 14.</NOTE> <HI>in Sion afraid, and fearfulne&s;s &s;urprizeth the hypocrites; O it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God,</HI> Heb. 10. 31. <HI>According to his power, &s;o is his wrath, as is the man, &s;o is his might, &s;aid he of Gideon,</HI> as is the ability &s;o is the arm, to lay hea|vy <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10. 8.</NOTE> &s;troaks, not to di&s;patch us as he &s;aid, but to &s;ink for ever, <HI>he is able to de&s;troy both &s;oul and body in hell.</HI></P>
<P>Now the means to avoid this evil are the &s;ame that before, no other way in the world, but to get into the City of refuge; if they re&s;t and &s;tay by the way, this evil will &s;eize upon them, and their blood wilbe upon their own heads. <HI>But wherein doth a formal profe&s;&s;ors folly, and a Saints wi&s;dom</HI> appear in reference to this.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>He that fore&s;eeth not an evil</HI> coming upon him, is not &s;o wi&s;e as he &s;hould be, <HI>the prudent man fore&s;eeth the evil, and hideth him|&s;elf,</HI> this providence is a great part of prudence, for a man to &s;ee <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 22. 3.</NOTE> a mi&s;t no further then under his feet, like the bea&s;t, is a great folly, a wi&s;e man hath his eye in his head; do you think that man that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 24.</NOTE> buildeth his hou&s;e upon the &s;and, did fore&s;ee the &s;howers, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> a hou&s;e they mu&s;t have, &s;omewhat to &s;hade them from the weather; but here is the folly, to build upon &s;uch a foundation, not fore&s;ee|ing what is like to befall it, <HI>O that my people were wi&s;e, that they</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32. 25.</NOTE> <HI>would con&s;ider their latter end:</HI> they &s;it not down and con&s;ider, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. If they have now and then a hint of it, <HI>yet</HI> they make no
<PB N="114" REF="123">
provi&s;ion again&s;t it, as it is likely Hypocrites have &s;ome grudg|ings &s;ometimes, and &s;ome di&s;coveries of their hypocri&s;y, rotten|ne&s;s of their hou&s;es they have builded, and yet they heed it not, this is wor&s;e: is not this great folly? yea, how often are you warned and awakened, and yet you will not &s;tir? if a man &s;hould &s;ee a &s;torm coming that will de&s;troy his hou&s;e, except he for|tifie it, and &s;hould not care, were not he a fool? <HI>they</HI> will&punc; not hide them&s;elves from the &s;torm.</P>
<P N="3">3. It is folly, rather to run a hazard of a greater evil that is future though certain, then to undergo a much le&s;s evil, though pre&s;ent: as for in&s;tance a man would rather venture his life una|voidably, then he would take &s;uch a bitter potion; the <HI>young</HI> man in the Go&s;pel that went far, he would notwith&s;tanding venture his &s;oul, rather then his e&s;tate? and is not this the Con|dition of many formal Profe&s;&s;ors? Alas brethren! if a little re|proach or per&s;ecution for Chri&s;ts &s;ake come, and the way of Chri&s;t be a di&s;graced way, they count the riches of <HI>Egypt,</HI> greater trea&s;ure, then their &s;ouls and heaven, and therefore ven|ture all upon it: O this is folly!</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Yea</HI> a man that would lo&s;e a far greater good to gain a le&s;s, is a fool: <HI>and what &s;hall a man gain, if he get the world and lo&s;e his &s;oul?</HI> and what &s;hall an Hypocrite get by his clo&s;e ways of unrighteous gaining: if he lo&s;e his &s;oul? will it countervail it, if laid in the balance together? What will you gain, if you have never &s;o much reputation for wi&s;e and holy men, which is the thing you &s;eek likely, many of you <HI>&s;eek honour one of another,</HI> and lo&s;e the &s;oul in the mean time, gape at the &s;hadow, and lo&s;e the &s;ub&s;tance? O this is a folly with a witne&s;s, that will part with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 5 44.</NOTE> Gold for Counters, with Pearls for Pebbles! and yet &s;uch is the Condition of a formal Profe&s;&s;or of Chri&s;t. If this be &s;o, then a man that contents him&s;elf with a profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t without the enjoyment of him is a fool, and the contrary is a wi&s;e man, then,</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t, We &s;ee that God and the world are of two minds:</HI> O that men would be but per&s;waded <HI>that this is folly!</HI> but the world counteth this the greate&s;t <HI>folly</HI> that can be <HI>to make &s;o much ado about the &s;oul-affairs,</HI> to trouble them&s;elves &s;o much about the intere&s;t in Chri&s;t, <HI>they</HI> are the wi&s;e men that have heads deep and large to compa&s;s their de&s;igns for the world, and to have a pro|fe&s;&s;ion
<PB N="115" REF="123">
of Chri&s;t, the thing may be of &s;ome u&s;e, but the thing it &s;elf it is but a burthen: they will never trouble them&s;elves with a <HI>Lamp,</HI> and a <HI>Ve&s;&s;el full of Oyl,</HI> be&s;ides it is enough to have a <HI>Lamp;</HI> But &s;urely Brethren, the Lord judgeth otherwi&s;e you &s;ee who is the fool in Chri&s;ts &s;en&s;e; and what will it avail if a man the world account him a wi&s;e man, and he him&s;elf deem him&s;elf a wi&s;e man, and Je&s;us Chri&s;t accounteth him a fool? he never giveth names for nothing: they are &s;ure to an&s;wer them &s;ooner or later, the ea&s;ie&s;t cour&s;e Brethren, is not the wi&s;e&s;t, then the Sluggard were the wi&s;e&s;t man.</P>
<P>2. It may &s;erve <HI>to reprove and convince us of much folly then that is among us: Stultorum plena &s;unt omnia,</HI> all Prore&s;&s;ions are ful of fools, and none more, then the Profe&s;sion of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> for the higher the end, the greater the folly in pretend|ing to it, and mi&s;sing of it. I doubt brethren, all the Congre|gation are full of &s;uch fools as the&s;e are, it appears to be &s;o in the Prophets time; <HI>Who is wi&s;e,</HI> &s;aith he, and <HI>he will con&s;ider the&s;e</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 14. 10. I&s;a. 50. 10.</NOTE> <HI>things,</HI> &amp;c. and <HI>Prudent,</HI> and <HI>he &s;hall know them? Who is wi&s;e?</HI> by this interrogation there is implied a paucity of them as in that, <HI>Who is there among you that walks in darkne&s;s, and &s;eeth no light?</HI> they are not very ordinary; &s;o again, <HI>Who hath believed our re|port,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 53. 1.</NOTE> <HI>and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?</HI> May I not take up the Prophets complaint now, and &s;ay, <HI>who in this Congregation is wi&s;e! who &s;o wi&s;e</HI> as to con&s;ider their latter end to provide for it? not to re&s;t in a name, in a profe&s;sion; <HI>Some I doubt</HI> not but there are, who are able to produce their Evidences, <HI>Chri&s;t in them the hope of Glory;</HI> but are they &s;o many as were to be wi&s;h|ed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1. 27.</NOTE> brethren; do you not take up &s;hort of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t?</HI> re&s;t in the means as you have heard before.</P>
<P>3. <HI>Then it &s;hall &s;erve to &s;tir us up, to awaken us to look about us:</HI> for that is one thing al&s;o which that interrogation imports, to &s;tir us up to <HI>Con&s;ider our wayes,</HI> and our Condition and State; <HI>Whether we have this oyl in our ve&s;&s;el</HI> as well as in the <HI>Lamp,</HI> &s;ure|ly Brethren; For Motives,</P>
<P>4. This is a very pre&s;sing one which our <HI>Saviour</HI> covertly giveth in the Text, <HI>they were fooli&s;h virgins</HI> which took no <HI>oyl,</HI> and the Prophet <HI>Who is wi&s;e, and he will con&s;ider the&s;e things?</HI> for men would not be counted fools of all things, men had rather be wicked and counted &s;o, then be counted fools; and will rather
<PB N="116" REF="124">
&s;hew their wit in froth, and je&s;ts, and over-reaching, then be counted fools, you know the affectation of wi&s;dom was the fir&s;t temptation, and ever &s;ince, <HI>vain man would be wi&s;e, though he be</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ibb. 11. 20.</NOTE> <HI>born like a wild A&s;&s;es Colt:</HI> we are mo&s;t &s;tupid Creatures, and yet would have a name to be wi&s;e, and are indeed contented to be fools in Gods account, rather then we would not be wi&s;e men in our own account, and the account of the world, de&s;perate fools! this is <HI>cum ratione in&s;anire,</HI> if any thing be. O brethren, if we would be wi&s;e indeed, take the advice of wi&s;dom it &s;elf, or the wonderful Councellor, take heed of re&s;ting in this Condition, without <HI>oyl in your ve&s;&s;els:</HI> he is wi&s;e indeed that is wi&s;e in the latter end, <HI>that thou may&s;t be wi&s;e in the latter end:</HI> he that liveth in reputation of a wi&s;e man, he thinketh him&s;elf &s;o, and dyeth a fool in the account <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 19. 20.</NOTE> of God him&s;elf, and all others, this is the fool in grain; the more care to get and keep our ve&s;&s;els full of oyl, the more wi&s;er we &s;hall approve our &s;elves.</P>
<P N="2">2. Dear friends, Con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly now, <HI>You think you follow Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and your Lamps are burning? but what a &s;ad di&s;ap|pointment will it be and confu&s;ion?</HI> For hope di&s;appointed confounds a man, as it is in <HI>Job: they are confounded becau&s;e</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 6. 20.</NOTE> <HI>they hoped:</HI> you hope for heaven now, if you be di&s;appoint|ed, and your <HI>Lamps</HI> go out in ob&s;cure darkne&s;s ju&s;t when you have the mo&s;t need of them: O how will you be able to bear it!</P>
<P>O <HI>therefore</HI> whatever you do, labour to get this oyl, make &s;ure of this brethren: never give the Lord over, follow him up and down in all the wayes of grace, until thou have gotten thy ve&s;&s;el full, thy heart filled with grace, with his fear, his love, with hu|mility, &s;elf-denial. O look to it, that <HI>thou clo&s;e with Chri&s;t,</HI> that you do not mi&s;take &s;omewhat el&s;e in&s;tead of him, beg the Spirit Brethren, <HI>to be &s;trengthened with might by his Spirit in the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. 3. 16. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Cor. 9. 8.</NOTE> <HI>inner man,</HI> that <HI>Chri&s;t may dwell in your hearts by faith, and you may have all grace to abound towards you, and in you, that having an al-&s;ufficiency alway in all things, you may abound in every good work,</HI> your hearts being ful, there being a <HI>Spring to eternal life:</HI> that your <HI>Lamps</HI> may never be put out, but you may appear wi&s;e in your <HI>latter end,</HI> which trieth indeed which are the <HI>wi&s;e,</HI> and which the <HI>fooli&s;h Virgins.</HI> O be diligent in improving all the
<PB N="117" REF="124">
Ordinances for that end, <HI>received ye the Spirit by the works of the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 2. 3. Exod. 16. 13. Num. 11.</NOTE> <HI>the Law, or by the hearing of Faith?</HI> You have heard it is the dew wherein the <HI>Manna</HI> de&s;cends, it is the <HI>vehiculum, we</HI> come to hear all of us, O take heed how you hear, with what hearts you come before him, and how you attend to this word, do you know in what part of it the Spirit will de&s;cend, will come upon the heart, at which Sermon, in which part of the Sermon? O brethren if we come with ve&s;&s;els full, conceited with <HI>Pride,</HI> full of <HI>Earth</HI> &s;topped up with the world, how can we ex|pect this <HI>oyl</HI> &s;hould be poured into us? therefore <HI>Come,</HI> labour to bring your <HI>empty ve&s;&s;els</HI> to the Lord in his Ordinances: for it <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings 4. 3, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> ul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> is ob&s;ervable as long as there was an <HI>empty ve&s;&s;el,</HI> the <HI>oyl</HI> run, in the widows ca&s;e, and &s;o it would be here, he never &s;ent a poor empty broken Spirit, a poor Creature, poor in &s;pirit to come humbled and trembling in &s;en&s;e of its wants, and worthle&s;ne&s;s he never &s;ent them away empty, when the ve&s;&s;el is full, he will not pour out the <HI>oyl,</HI> it would be lo&s;t, there is no room to receive it.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>Labour to number your days</HI> brethren, <HI>that you may apply your hearts unto wi&s;dom,</HI> to this wi&s;dom, to &s;alvation: this <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 90. 20.</NOTE> is a rich piece of skill, that is not to be learned but in the &s;chool of Chri&s;t, to number our days. Con&s;ider the &s;hortne&s;s of our time, how &s;hort, we cannot tell, for ought we know this night, he was a fool in grain in the Go&s;pel, who put off the day of death &s;o long, <HI>thou ha&s;t goods laid up for many years, Eat, drink</HI> and be merry. <HI>I,</HI> but what was there laid up for eterni|ty? was there any Grace laid up to carry him through death? no, not a jot: <HI>thou fool this night &s;hall thy &s;oul be taken from thee,</HI> and then who&s;e &s;hall the&s;e things be? the&s;e are things which in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 22. 19.</NOTE> them&s;elves are not, either they take wings and are gone, as a flock of Birds&punc; in a mans ground, or el&s;e they are taken from them, and leave them to they know not whom: <HI>for naked mu&s;t they return thither,</HI> to the grave which <HI>Job</HI> had in his mind, and happily pointed at it in that &s;peech, he was a fool that put off the thoughts of death for many days upon the greatne&s;s of his riches, which could not profit him in the day of wrath, nor day of death neither; but now this wi&s;dom if the heart be applyed to it, will provide &s;omewhat that will carry them through: they will pro|vide &s;ome oyl in the ve&s;&s;el that &s;hall not fail, &s;omewhat to follow
<PB N="118" REF="125">
them when they are dead, to enter with them into the Marriage of the <HI>Lamb,</HI> A man may number his days, and think of his death, and wi&s;h it much, &amp; yet if God teach him not to make this u&s;e of it, it will not be: O therefore beg of him &s;uch a heart, &s;o to number them, as that you may apply your hearts to this wi&s;dom, if death be &s;o near, eternity at hand, there is entering with him into the Marriage, or being &s;hut out for ever O what need had we then to be&s;tir our &s;elves, get this oyl, this grace in the heart; for indeed we &s;hall find brethren, <HI>though</HI> we may <HI>live</HI> by a <HI>form,</HI> we cannot <HI>dye</HI> by a <HI>form of Godline&s;s,</HI> but it mu&s;t be the <HI>Power</HI> of it, that mu&s;t carry us through death.</P>
<P><HI>It may be a further In&s;truction to us, then &s;urely there mu&s;t be a great change in us to this true wi&s;dom:</HI> for alas, <HI>we are born like wild A&s;&s;es Colts,</HI> none more &s;tupid; An A&s;s, a wild A&s;s, a wilde <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 11. 12.</NOTE> A&s;&s;es Colt, what more bruti&s;h? now this mu&s;t be a wonderful change, to make &s;uch a man wi&s;e to &s;alvation: but what is too hard for the grace of the Almighty, we are fools by nature, and yet we have a conceit we are wi&s;e, affect wi&s;dom, and becau&s;e we would be wi&s;e, we ea&s;ily believe we are &s;o, &s;elf-love bribing our judgements al&s;o: but now when God cometh to work in us, he emptieth us of our own wi&s;dom fir&s;t, and our conceit of wi&s;|dom rather, for indeed the wi&s;dom of the <HI>fle&s;h</HI> and the <HI>world</HI> is <HI>fooli&s;hne&s;s</HI> with God; but the conceit of wi&s;dom is much, this <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 3. 19.</NOTE> mu&s;t be captivated, tho&s;e high thoughts, and we mu&s;t become <HI>fools</HI> that we may be wi&s;e: there mu&s;t he a great change indeed, which alas many a Profe&s;&s;or never had experience of.</P>
<P><HI>Be not &s;atisfied,</HI> nor contented then to u&s;e the Ordinances of God which are the means more remote from the end, until you find and feel that the Lord Je&s;us doth in them embrace your &s;ouls, and your &s;ouls embrace him: until you feel this oyl pour|ed into your hearts, until you find your &s;elves changed into his image, your hearts coming in to a better frame thereby, and kept in a holy frame thereby in &s;ome mea&s;ure: is it not better to try now, then he tried by his <HI>hand</HI> at death, when there is no place to get it, &amp;c?</P>
<P>Alas you will &s;ay, how &s;hall we know we have this oyl of grace in our hearts? It is a notable way Brethren, to know it by the overflowing of it, when it abounds you &s;hall &s;ee it, as it is &s;et forth; the pre&s;&s;es bur&s;t out with new wine, then it di&s;covers
<PB N="119" REF="125">
it &s;elf: the rea&s;on why we &s;ee it not, nor cannot &s;ee it, is be|cau&s;e we have yet &s;o little of it, <HI>thought it be a Well &s;pringing up</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 3. 10. See Iob. 1. 10. His &s;ub&s;tance is increa&s;ed, the Original is, it breaks out.</NOTE> <HI>to eternal life:</HI> yet while it is low and much <HI>mud</HI> it is hard to di&s;cern it: but doth it &s;pring up when the ve&s;&s;el is filled with oyl? you &s;hall &s;ee it is there, and have the comfort of it. O but this is little comfort to them that are weak you will &s;ay. Why pre&s;s forward, forget the things which are behind, <HI>Sloth|fulne&s;s</HI> and <HI>Ea&s;e</HI> are not the way of comfort and peace, <HI>but the diligent hand which maketh rich.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Again,</HI> ye know <HI>grace</HI> is &s;et <HI>forth by oyl,</HI> as it &s;oftens and &s;weetens, &s;o we <HI>&s;hall find that operation of it in the &s;oul;</HI> doth it change thy nature from har&s;h, and crooked and perver&s;e, to <HI>&s;weet and gentle,</HI> this is a fruit of this &s;pirit a con&s;equent of this annointing. And &s;o it will be uppermo&s;t, what it is that lies highe&s;t in thy &s;oul, which thou lifte&s;t up, Is it this?</P>
<P><HI>Ha&s;t</HI> thou ever been upon &s;erious examination, and do&s;t thou make God thine <HI>end,</HI> thy <HI>happine&s;s?</HI> Can&s;t thou &s;ay, <HI>Whom have I in heaven but thee,</HI> &amp;c? the world is not thy end.</P>
<P><HI>And then for Je&s;us Chri&s;t do&s;t thou clo&s;e with him?</HI> ha&s;t thou ever believed? rouled thy &s;elf upon him, by faith receiving him, and the &s;pirit by faith, this is the <HI>oyl,</HI> here is a <HI>fountain, a cru&s;e</HI> that will never fail, a <HI>&s;pring &s;pringing up to eternal life.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Ver&s;e 5.</BIBL>
<Q>While the Bridegroom tarryed they all &s;lumbered and &s;lept.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THe Coming of Chri&s;t is compared to the coming of a <HI>Bride-groom</HI> to take his Bride who cometh with the <HI>Virgins</HI> her Companions to meet him: Now the&s;e &s;olemnities u&s;ed to be per|formed at the beginning of the night: but here in the Prothe&s;is of the &s;imilitude, it &s;eemeth (which was more then u&s;uall) he delayed until midnight, he came not at the time expected, and they were ready for his coming and going out to meet him. but he came at a time they looked not for him: when their wait|ing was at an end, they fell a&s;leep, and then the Cry goeth before him, behold he cometh. You have heard already who is the
<PB N="120" REF="126">
Bridegroom, Je&s;us Chri&s;t: <HI>Here</HI> we have his coming, the delay of it, and the occa&s;ion which the wickedne&s;s of &s;ome and the weak|ne&s;s of others took from hence to fall a&s;leep: It was abu&s;ed for an occa&s;ion to the fle&s;h. A double Note from the words, but of the fir&s;t only at this time.</P>
<P><HI>The Lord Je&s;us doth delay his coming,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, I &s;hall a little prove it by &s;ome Scriptures parallel, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct, 5.</NOTE> then open the terms, confirm it by Arguments, and apply it by u&s;e to our &s;elves.</P>
<P N="1">1. Then for the Scripture-proof, take that place where our <HI>Saviour</HI> &s;tirreth up his di&s;ciples to watch, they knew not what <NOTE PLACE="marg">Met. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 48.</NOTE> hour their Lord cometh, of which hereafter if the Lord will. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is that &s;ervant</HI> which being &s;et over the hou&s;hold <HI>to give meat in due &s;ea&s;on, &s;hall be found &s;o doing:</HI> but now if the wicked &s;ervant &s;ay in his heart <HI>my Lord delayeth his coming,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>and begin to beat his Fellow-&s;ervants, and eat and drink with the drunken,</HI> here you &s;ee there is a delay, and from hence this wicked &s;ervant takes encouragement to lay the reins upon the neck, &amp; to run to all maner of exce&s;s, the very &s;ame you repeated by <HI>Luke,</HI> therefore it &s;hall &s;uffice to name that, I will <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12. 45.</NOTE> add but one Scripture-more, which happily may be of more u&s;e then any of the&s;e to &s;ome perceiving judgements, for happily you will &s;ay this is but a bribed judgement of &s;ome wicked per&s;ons bribed and blinded by their Lu&s;ts, indeed there is not &s;uch a de|lay, which indeed is a great part true, for the delay is for the mo&s;t part, to be mea&s;ured by our weakne&s;s and &s;hortne&s;s, as after|ward will appear: yet &s;omewhat there is of a delay, and that you &s;hall find in the Apo&s;tle to the <HI>The&s;&s;alonians, Let no man de|ceive you by any means;</HI> be not <HI>quickly removed,</HI> or <HI>&s;haken in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;. 2. 2.</NOTE> <HI>mind,</HI> or <HI>troubled,</HI> whether by <HI>Spirit,</HI> or by <HI>Word,</HI> or by <HI>Letter</HI> as from us, as the day of Chri&s;t <HI>is at hand,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">: <HI>but there mu&s;t fir&s;t come a falling away, &amp;c.</HI> which is fulfilled in the great Antichri&s;t the Pope who &s;its in the Temple of God, as God, &amp;c. Yet the other Apo&s;tle &s;aith, the Judge &s;tandeth at the door. <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Grudge not one at</HI> another, com|plain <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iames 5. 9.</NOTE> not one of another: for the <HI>Judge is near at hand</HI> ready to judge you all for it, So &s;in lyeth at the door, that is to &s;ay to be near at hand, It is no contradiction to that: <HI>that the day of the Lord</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4. 7.</NOTE>
<PB N="121" REF="126">
<HI>is not at hand:</HI> for that is the day <HI>wherein he hath appointed, where|in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;h. 5. 24. Acts 17. 31&punc;</NOTE> <HI>he will judge the world in righteou&s;ne&s;s by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given a&s;&s;urance to all men, in that he rai&s;ed him up from the dead.</HI> If this judging which is near, is a temporal Cha&s;ti&s;ement, he would lay upon them, as if when children are envying one another, quarrelling and grudging one at another, accu&s;ing one another, and falling out one &s;hould move them to forbear; and by this Argument, take heed your Father is at door with a rod in his hand, and he will judge you all: So he <HI>judgth the people that they might not be condemned with the world.</HI> I thought good to &s;peak thus far, le&s;t that &s;eeming <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 22.</NOTE> contradiction might trouble any, &s;o much for the proof. The &s;econd thing will be to open the terms and</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t, What is meant by coming? the coming of Chri&s;t:</HI> This will open the particle of time in the fir&s;t ver&s;e, <HI>then &s;hall the Kingdom of Heaven be likened,</HI> &amp;c. the &s;ame Key will open both. <HI>To omit then any other opinion of it,</HI> I under&s;tand it either <HI>of the coming of Chri&s;t to a particular &s;oul,</HI> which is no &s;ooner &s;e|parated from the body, but cometh to judgement. <HI>Now Chri&s;t</HI> may be &s;aid to <HI>come,</HI> he <HI>cometh to put</HI> the &s;ickle to &s;uch as are ripe for it, <HI>he cometh to gather into his barn, if they be wheat,</HI> or el&s;e <HI>to burn</HI> them up with unquenchable fire. Or el&s;e, 2. And rather <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3. 4.</NOTE> <HI>of the day of Judgement,</HI> that great day and appearing <HI>of our Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who is our life, when his people &s;hall appear with him in glory:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 11. 3.</NOTE> which day will find many alive who &s;hall then be changed, before they enter in with him, and which day will find doubtle&s;s many in deep <HI>&s;ecurity and formality to have their work to do.</HI> And for tho&s;e that are then dead, and &s;hall be rai&s;ed up, it will find them in that &s;tate wherein <HI>they lay down in the du&s;t,</HI> either <HI>of faith</HI> or <HI>unbelief,</HI> and accordingly either they &s;hall be <HI>&s;hut out</HI> or admit|ted to the Marriage. And methinks this doom of our <HI>Saviour, I know you not</HI> which is parallel to that, <HI>Mat. 7. 23. Depart from me you workers of iniquity, I know you not:</HI> which &s;urely doth agree to <HI>none, except</HI> it be at the day of <HI>death,</HI> or the day of <HI>judgement: for any other time I will not trouble you with any thing about:</HI> And &s;o much for this fir&s;t.</P>
<P>2. <HI>Now for the delaying:</HI> What is <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> more backward then the <HI>Church</HI> to this <HI>union,</HI> that <HI>they go forth to meet him,</HI> and &s;eem <HI>forward,</HI> and he <HI>delays his coming?</HI> for what will make
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more ha&s;t then love? will it not bring him upon Eagles wings? yea, riding upon the clouds, and wings of the wind? and how are we to under&s;tand this of his <HI>delay of his coming?</HI> or what is he an idol-Chri&s;t, that is taken up in a journey, or any other bu|&s;ine&s;s, as to forget his <HI>&s;pou&s;e,</HI> and neglect her to come &s;peedily to make up the match, to bring her into his Fathers hou&s;e, this were indeed agreeable to a poor finite forgetful Creature, but not to Je&s;us Chri&s;t. <HI>Yea more then this: Is he</HI> not &s;aid to <HI>come quickly</HI> in divers places? and how &s;tands that with the <HI>delay</HI> of his coming? See that place in <HI>Luke</HI> in the Parable of the unju&s;t judge, overcome with the widows <HI>importunity, though he neither cared for God, nor regarded man: yet</HI> becau&s;e of her <HI>importunity,</HI> he would avenge her of her adver&s;ary, how much more God, who is love it &s;elf, and tender of his people as the apple of his <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32 27.</NOTE> eye, who is mo&s;t <HI>ju&s;t,</HI> and mo&s;t <HI>faithful,</HI> and who doth indeed fear the wrath of his adver&s;ary after the manner of men, being tender of his people and of his own name, le&s;t he &s;hould reproach his name, and that reproach with ruin fall upon his people, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev 6. 10.</NOTE> be&s;ides all this being importuned by them, as the <HI>&s;ouls under the Altar,</HI> crying continually, <HI>how long Lord, holy and true, wilt thou not avenge our blood upon the inhabitants of the Earth:</HI> why &s;aith the Text, <HI>&s;hall not God avenge his own Children which cry day and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 18. 7, 8.</NOTE> <HI>night to him, though he bear long with them,</HI> that is to &s;ay, with their <HI>enemie, I tell you, he will avenge them &s;peedily,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>&s;peedily, in a trice, a moment,</HI> by and by, according to that of the Apo&s;tle, <GAP DESC="foreign"> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 37.</NOTE> <HI>quantulumcunque</HI> how <HI>little &s;oever, as little as may be, and he will not tarry. How hang the&s;e things together?</HI></P>
<P><HI>For the clearing of this,</HI> it is nece&s;&s;ary to &s;ay &s;omething: And fir&s;t I will &s;hew you, in what <HI>re&s;pect he is not &s;aid to delay,</HI> or it is denied that he doth delay his coming; but it is &s;hort, and quick|ly, and then 2. In what re&s;pect he is &s;aid to delay his com|ing, and then come to the argumentss</P>
<P>2. Then <HI>he is not &s;aid to delay his coming in re&s;pect of his own eternity,</HI> wherein all the differences of time are &s;wallowed up and appear not at all, there is no time long, or &s;hort in eternity, there is not <HI>prius,</HI> or <HI>po&s;terius</HI> there, and therefore the Apo&s;tle in this argument &s;peaks in this wi&s;e, know &s;aith he to them that were ready to mock, becau&s;e it was &s;o long before the <HI>promi&s;e
<PB N="123" REF="127">
of his coming</HI> was fulfilled for the glorious liberty of the <HI>Sons of God</HI> from under their iron <HI>yokes</HI> put upon them by their per&s;e|cutors: why &s;aith he, <HI>God is not &s;lack, as &s;ome count &s;lackne&s;s</HI> or tardine&s;s, <GAP DESC="foreign">, who reckon it according to Days, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet 3. 8.</NOTE> and Months, and Years, and Ages,: no &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, alas, <HI>a thou&s;and years are but as one day to the Lord</HI> to eternity, eterni|ty doth not bid us with the <HI>unju&s;t Steward,</HI> &s;it down and write 50 for an 100 but a thou&s;and for one 366000 for one, for it is to one day, that a thou&s;and years are compared to in <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 90. 4.</NOTE> eternity, and &s;o one day as a thou&s;and years, it is as long as a thou&s;and years with him, which we cannot conceive of, becau&s;e we are not able to reach to eternity. Now <HI>if Sentence again&s;t an evil doer</HI> be deferred but a day, we count this a &s;wift witne&s;s again&s;t &s;uch a mans &s;in: as <HI>in the day thou eate&s;t thereof, thou &s;halt</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 2. 17.</NOTE> <HI>dye the death:</HI> but if it be a thou&s;and years, it is all one with God: So that though to us poor finite Creatures, who number actions according to days and months, it may &s;eem a <HI>delay,</HI> yet to God it is not: for all <HI>times pa&s;t, pre&s;ent, and to come,</HI> are pre&s;ent to him, it is but one eternal <HI>nunc</HI> or <HI>now,</HI> and therefore there is no delay <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> in that re&s;pect.</P>
<P>2. <HI>Yet</HI> further <HI>there is no delay, but he cometh quickly,</HI> &s;udden|ly, very &s;peedily <HI>in another re&s;pect: Becau&s;e he doth not &s;tay longer then the appointed time:</HI> Hab. 2. 3. <HI>the vi&s;ion is for an appointed time, it will not tarry:</HI> then we are &s;aid to delay properly, when there is a time prefixed for &s;uch a thing, and we keep not touch, but &s;tay longer, this is properly delaying. Now you know <HI>there is a day appointed, wherein he will judge the world in righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 11. 37. Mat. 24. 36.</NOTE> <HI>by the man whom he hath ordained,</HI> there is a <HI>a day &amp; an hour which no man knoweth</HI> indeed, and therefore men but do proclaim their vanity in gue&s;sing at it; the <HI>times</HI> and <HI>&s;ea&s;ons</HI> it is not meet for us to know which the Father hath kept in his own power. Well then <HI>this day</HI> now he will not out-&s;tay, not a day longer will he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 1. 7. Exod. 12. 41.</NOTE> &s;tay; but come quickly, very &s;peedily, the very &s;elf <HI>&s;ame day,</HI> as the <HI>very &s;elf &s;ame day he came to deliver I&s;rael, and to judge their Enemies.</HI> The people might indeed think it long whiles they were in bondage, groaning, that he delayed his com|in, yet he did not, for if the day appointed before had <NOTE PLACE="marg">The like may be &s;aid of death and judgement. Iob 14 5.</NOTE> come &s;ooner, he had delivered them &s;ooner he keeps touch to a day.</P>
<P><PB N="124" REF="128">
3. <HI>He doth not delay his coming,</HI> that is to &s;ay, &s;o as to omit the <HI>&s;ea&s;on</HI> of it, for every <HI>thing is beautiful in its &s;ea&s;on,</HI> there is a &s;ea|&s;on to &s;uffer the <HI>enemies of his Church</HI> to ride over <HI>their heads,</HI> and there is a &s;ea&s;on to bring them under their feet again, and give them their necks to trample upon, there is a &s;ea&s;on to permit them to eat up his people as they eat bread, and to make them&s;elves drunk with the blood of the Saints, and there is a &s;ea&s;on to give them blood to drink, for they are worthy. You know if a man <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 95. &amp; Heb 4. 7.</NOTE> omit his &s;ea&s;on for any thing, he may never have another, he is lookt upon as a &s;lack negligent per&s;on, as now, he that puts off his gathering of harve&s;t from Summer to winter, &s;o to <HI>day if you will hear his voice,</HI> there is a time <HI>limited,</HI> a &s;ea&s;on of getting grace, which if omitted, and put off by delays, we &s;hew much hardne&s;s of heart, and little wi&s;dom to think we &s;hall do that to morrow, which we have not heart to to day, men think God is &s;lack, when indeed he is onely patient, and they are ignorant, and &s;ee it not; but for the <HI>&s;ea&s;on</HI> he doth it mo&s;t opportunely for his own glory, and the good and &s;alvation of &s;ouls; as will appeare in the Ar|guments of the Doctrine. But I will not anticipate my &s;elf.</P>
<P>4. <HI>He</HI> doth not delay, as &s;ome men may count delays or &s;lack|ne&s;s, <HI>as if he would never come,</HI> they are ready to think, <HI>becau&s;e judgement is not &s;peedily executed, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">u&s;h the Lord &s;eeth not,</HI> he re|gardeth <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 94. 7.</NOTE> not what they do, he watcheth not over their &s;in, he will not bring them into judgement for the&s;e things, and &s;o think he is ju&s;t &s;uch a one as them&s;elves: Why? becau&s;e when they are offended, happily except they take revenge when they are moved at the fir&s;t they forget it afterwards, and never &s;et them|&s;elves in cold blood to it, though many mens malice is much more durable, a little tract of time will not do it out: though we &s;hould go to &s;chool as children in this re&s;pect, but I &s;ay If it be not pre&s;ently, we judge the Lord, and mea&s;ure him by our own thoughts, if he hold his hands for any while, our hearts are <HI>fully &s;et in us to do wickedly,</HI> we are ready to think he will not come at all to witne&s;s again&s;t our wickedne&s;s, or formality, and <HI>luke-warmne&s;s</HI> in his ways, but thus he will not delay. And &s;o much for the <HI>Negative.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Secondly, then for the Affirmative, In what &s;en&s;e he is &s;aid to de|lay his coming,</HI> and</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>In re&s;pect of the long time between his fir&s;t and &s;econd coming,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 8. 7.</NOTE>
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his appearing it is long, enduring many ages and generations, <HI>ma|ny believers dying in faith, and not receiving this promi&s;e of his &s;econd</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11. 13. 1 Pet&punc; 1. 11.</NOTE> <HI>coming,</HI> as tho&s;e did, who were before his fir&s;t coming, they lookt for him from age to age, <HI>and the Prophets &s;earched what, and what manner of &s;ins tho&s;e were which they &s;pake of,</HI> they did a little pierce into them, as much as they could, they might think it long that the promi&s;e made to <HI>Adam</HI> &s;o many ages before, &s;hould yet be unful|filled: And &s;o the coming of Chri&s;t the &s;econd time, it is long be|tween 1600 years already, but this is not &s;o properly a delaying; but &s;urely his delaying of his coming is to be under&s;tood ac|cording to our apprehen&s;ions of it, and not according to his de|terminations who hath appointed the time, and &s;taies not a jot longer, and hath appointed it according to the Coun&s;el of his own will with admirable wi&s;dom in the be&s;t &s;ea&s;on.</P>
<P N="2">2. Then he is &s;aid or may be &s;aid to delay his coming, <HI>becau&s;e our daies are &s;hort, and we are ready to reckon upon it according to our daies;</HI> it is many daies indeed, and many years before he cometh to take a poor weary &s;oul to him&s;elf, and becau&s;e he is poring upon the daies, and upon the years and moneths, therefore he thinketh it is very long, and tedious the delay; and therefore the Apo&s;tle doth meet with this covertly, in that of <HI>Peter, be not ignorant of this one thing,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>that one day is with the Lord as a thou&s;and years, and a thou&s;and years as one day;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3. 8.</NOTE> Alas, if we number by daies, which are &s;hort and nothing, it <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 90. 4.</NOTE> will &s;eem a delay indeed, but if we look upon eternity, wherein a <HI>thou&s;and years are but as a day,</HI> then it is but &s;hort: but this is un|der&s;tood by the oppo&s;ition it hath to that which went before, therefore the le&s;s of it here.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Becau&s;e of the &s;hortne&s;s of our patience,</HI> alas it is very &s;hort, the Apo&s;tle to the Hebrews doth exhort them to hold out again&s;t per&s;ecutions, <HI>to hold fa&s;t their confidence which hath recompence of reward.</HI> Alas, but it is tedious thus to run through fire and wa|ter, to have wave upon wave, and billow upon billow, why it is true &s;aith the Apo&s;tle! <HI>But you have need of patience, that when you have done his will you might receive the promi&s;e,</HI> the promi&s;e of his coming, the apearing of Chri&s;t who is our life: Alas but can we endure it? O it is long! No &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>for yet a little while, and he that &s;hall come will come, do not think it long,</HI>
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think not he is &s;lack, <HI>he will not tarry.</HI> O brethren, a man un|der a hard bondage, groaning as the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> did in <HI>Egypt,</HI> think|eth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 35, 36, 37. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ab. 2. 3. P&s;alm 13 1. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">v. 6. 10.</NOTE> every day &s;even until he be delivered, and therefore the Pro|phet exhorts them <HI>to wait for the vi&s;ion which was for an appointed time, it would not tarry,</HI> by the medicine you may gather the nature of the malady, <HI>it was impatience under their bondage and trouble,</HI> and therefore you find &s;o many &s;ad complaints in the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t, how long Lord,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>how long wilt thou forget me for ever,</HI> &amp;c. and &s;o the &s;ouls under the Altar, <HI>how long Lord, holy, and true, wilt thou not avenge our blood?</HI> And &s;o under &s;piritual pre&s;&s;ures, &s;uppo&s;e <HI>temptations</HI> from without, or inward pre&s;&s;ures, a body of &s;in, and death, we are ready to cry out, <HI>how long Lord, how long?</HI> How did <HI>Job</HI> long for death, he had &s;uch weari&s;om nights, and moneths of vanity, when God made him po&s;&s;e&s;s <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 7. 3</NOTE> the iniquities of his youth. Well in this re&s;pect al&s;o he may be &s;aid to delay, <HI>according to our apprehen&s;ions.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>In re&s;pect of the importunity of our de&s;ires,</HI> as well as <HI>impatient|cy</HI> under <HI>afflictions,</HI> this is an impatiency too, and might be a branch of the other, but a man that hath not that pre&s;&s;ure upon him, yet if he be deeply in love with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and with his appearing, O how importunate are his de&s;ires after it, &s;o that as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 19. Heb. 10. 36. Hab. 2 3.</NOTE> the Apo&s;tle calls it, there is an <GAP DESC="foreign"> a looking out after it, with a neck or head &s;tretched out, as a man that looks for a thing &s;tirring up him&s;elf, &s;tretcheth out his neck, lifteth up his head, that he may &s;ee as far as he can, looking many a wi&s;hly look after the thing he de&s;ires, or per&s;on he de&s;ires. The proverb is true in this ca&s;e <HI>etiam celeritas in de&s;iderio mora e&s;t,</HI> And in this ca&s;e now, a man is ready to think there is a delay when there is mo&s;t &s;wiftne&s;s, when God is a mo&s;t &s;wift witne&s;s for, or again&s;t &s;uch a per&s;on, our de&s;ires run before it u&s;ually, and &s;o it &s;eemeth to <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 63.</NOTE> &s;lack and come behind, <HI>O when &s;hall I come and appear before him in Sion,</HI> Not only, <HI>Lord now lette&s;t thou thy &s;ervant depart,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>but, O how long wilt thou thou keep me pri&s;oner in this Tabernacle of clay!</HI> Now in all the&s;e re&s;pects, he may be &s;aid to delay <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 17. 13.</NOTE> his coming, but &s;o much for the opening of the <HI>Doctrine.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Now for the Arguments.</HI> I &s;hall &s;peak a little to them. And the Fir&s;t may be this. <HI>The time is appointed for his coming, he hath appointed a time wherein, &amp;c.</HI> which he will not antici|pate, &s;o neither will he &s;tay beyond it. the</P>
<P><PB N="123" REF="129">
<HI>Second</HI> &s;hall be this, it is to excerci&s;e his peoples patience, to inure them to bear, <HI>patience works experience, and experience hope,</HI> the richer the patience is, the richer the experience is, and the nearer we come to a full a&s;&s;urance of hope, the riches of it, Now the exerci&s;e of patience the &s;pirit breathing in it to his <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam 5. 11. Rev. 13. 10.</NOTE> people, is that whereby it groweth, and increa&s;eth with the in|crea&s;es of God, the patience of the Saints, is one of their greate&s;t exerci&s;es, and therefore the Lord takes much pains with his peo|ple to make this jewel in their Crown &s;hine gloriou&s;ly, Con&s;ider the patience of <HI>Job,</HI> &amp;c. behold here is the <HI>patience and faith of the Saints,</HI> and in another place it is u&s;hered in with a <HI>Behold.</HI></P>
<P>Now, God will have our patience have its perfect work, be as long and as broad as the tryals are, And therefore he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 8. 15.</NOTE> delaies his coming in that &s;en&s;e as you have heard, this waiting for the <HI>reward after we have done the will of the Lord is harder</HI> then the other, <HI>of bringing forth fruit with patience.</HI> Another ground &s;hall be;</P>
<P>3. <HI>That the mea&s;ure of the &s;ufferings of Chri&s;t may be filled up in us, the Apo&s;tle is &s;aid to fill up in his body the mea&s;ure of the &s;uf|ferings of Chri&s;t,</HI> that is to &s;ay, there is a proportion of &s;uffer|ings, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1. 24,</NOTE> for the body of Chri&s;t to undergo, and he in his body fil|led up his mea&s;ure, in a great part, not as if they were more righteous, but his people being &s;o nearly united to the head, as that they and he make one Chri&s;t, therefore the &s;ufferings of his people are called <HI>the &s;ufferings of Chri&s;t,</HI> now there is a means to be filled up, and this he will have filled, becau&s;e <HI>the&s;e le&s;s af|flictions, which are but for a moment, they work</HI> out &s;aith the Apo|&s;tle, not meritoriou&s;ly <HI>a far more exceeding, and eternal weight of glory, he was made perfect through &s;ufferings, and &s;o mu&s;t his</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4. 17. Heb. 2. 10. Rom. 8. 17.</NOTE> <HI>&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ns which he bringeth to glory be made perfect through &s;ufferings,</HI> and drink of the brook in the way, <HI>and &s;o lift up their heads, &s;uf|fer with him, and then be glorified with him,</HI> now if there were not <HI>&s;uch a time</HI> as we count a delaying of his coming, there would be no room for this.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>That the fulne&s;s of Chri&s;t may come in,</HI> for there is a <HI>fulne&s;s</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 1. 23.</NOTE> <HI>of Chri&s;t,</HI> as <HI>the Apo&s;tle</HI> cals it, both of Jews and Gentiles, as the &s;everal members of his body make up the fulne&s;s of his bo|dy, and it is not compleat, if any of them be wanting, there is &s;ome of its perfection wanting, indeed it is a glorious honour he <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3. 9. Rev. 6. 11.</NOTE>
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puts upon the Saints, and dear affections he &s;heweth, and a near union, that he accounteth him&s;elf not perfect without them, un|til they be come in; &s;o this is the an&s;wer the importunate cry of the &s;ouls under the <HI>Altar receive, how long Lord holy and true?</HI> do&s;t <HI>thou not avenge us, and judge our enemies? there were white robes given them, and it was &s;aid to them they &s;hould re&s;t yet for a little &s;ea&s;on until their fellow-&s;ervants al&s;o, and their brethren al&s;o which &s;hould be killed as they were, &s;hould be fulfilled.</HI> If a man bid many gue&s;ts to a Fea&s;t, they mu&s;t &s;tay until they all come to &s;it down together. As Chri&s;t is imperfect, that is to &s;ay, without his fulne&s;s with his body, &s;o is the &s;oul in a &s;ort without its body; and as the Lord de&s;ires the work of his hands, as <HI>Job</HI> &s;peaks, touch|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 14. 15.</NOTE> the Re&s;urrection, <HI>thou &s;halt call, and I &s;hall an&s;wer,</HI> &amp;c. the &s;oul may de&s;ire al&s;o that work of his hands, to be re-united again in the Re&s;urrection, a pledge, and an earne&s;t whereof they have in heaven, not onely Chri&s;t the head his glorious body, but <HI>Enoch</HI> and <HI>Elias.</HI> Now there may be much de&s;ire happily for this com|ing of Chri&s;t, that this may be made up, but as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith in another ca&s;e, <HI>God hath provided a better thing for us, that they</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11. 40.</NOTE> <HI>without us &s;hould not be made perfect,</HI> &s;o they without the re&s;t, the fulne&s;s of Chri&s;t &s;hould not be made &s;o compleatly perfect. Well then, the fulne&s;s of Chri&s;t mu&s;t come in, that day &s;hall not come, until there be not one &s;oul more to come in, which belongs to his fulne&s;s; that is the fourth. <HI>This rea&s;on indeed onely con|cerneth the great day of Chri&s;t his coming.</HI></P>
<P>5. <HI>To give time and &s;pace to men to repent, and to work out their &s;alvation in, I gave her &s;pace to repent,</HI> &s;aith the Lord to that wo|man, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2. 21.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;he repented not.</HI> Whether we under&s;tand this of a mans particular <HI>day,</HI> or the <HI>great</HI> and <HI>general day,</HI> it is true; Why is not <HI>Sentence &s;peedily executed upon &s;inners?</HI> Why is it! that they might repent, <HI>de&s;pi&s;e&s;t thou,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>the riches of his goodne&s;s, and long-&s;uffering to thee,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>not knowing the goodne&s;s of God, his long-&s;uffering hath his tendency</HI> in it to <HI>lead to repentance,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2. 4.</NOTE> being given for that end, <HI>Mora &s;pon&s;i poenitentiae tempus e&s;t: Hilar&punc; can.</HI> 27. So our <HI>Annot.</HI> So that this will leave &s;inners without any excu&s;e. If there had not been &s;uch a delay, they had had no time to repent, and they might have &s;aid &s;o for them&s;elves; but now they have no pretence, they &s;hall be all of them <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>condemned of them&s;elves.</HI> And for the Saints and people of God, it is <HI>that they might have time,</HI> and &s;pace <HI>to work out their &s;alvati|on
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with fear and trembling, to work it out</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Alas they mu&s;t be converted and become as little children,</HI> or el&s;e they cannot <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 18. 3.</NOTE> enter into the kingdom of heaven; now there is much indu&s;try, and pains required, to bring the heart to this meetne&s;s for heaven and therefore he delays his coming: As for in&s;tance. If a Bride-groom too &s;oon come upon his &s;pou&s;e, that he knoweth hath a hou&s;e full of filthine&s;s, and na&s;ty places to trim, and make hand|&s;om, and her &s;elf to trim, and deck and adorn; he will &s;tay a while, give her time to make all pure, and clean, and fit for him, and <HI>then he cometh,</HI> and this is another.</P>
<P>6. <HI>That the mea&s;ure of &s;in and &s;inners may be filled up,</HI> there is a fulne&s;s of Satan as well as of Chri&s;t, a fulne&s;s of &s;in as well as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 15. 16.</NOTE> of holine&s;s, you know he would not give <HI>Canaan</HI> a type of heaven, to his people <HI>I&s;rael, becau&s;e the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full,</HI> he could not give them <HI>Canaan</HI> but he mu&s;t de&s;troy them, and therefore he would fir&s;t have their mea&s;ure full, their <HI>Ephah full, and then &s;ink them with a talent of lead.</HI> So here there is a fulne&s;s of Satans kingdom, a fulne&s;s of &s;in, upon which when he cometh, he will come to pour out the fulne&s;s of his wrath, and to tread them down in his fury for ever; therefore he &s;tays a while until they have filled up their mea&s;ure. He did not ca&s;t the Jews out of &s;ight, until they had filled up their mea&s;ure, <HI>by per&s;ecuting of the truth,</HI> and the Saints, which is a wonderfully filling &s;in in|deed, that quickly fills the bag to the mouth, and then it is &s;ealed they per&s;ecuted the truth, that they might fill up the mea&s;ure of their &s;ins always; and then you &s;ee he came again&s;t them, <HI>Now when all the ve&s;&s;els of wrath are formed,</HI> and they are fitted to de|&s;truction, <HI>then he cometh</HI> as to receive <HI>his bride,</HI> &s;o to <HI>&s;lay his ene|mies with a flaming &s;word,</HI> and furious indignation, <HI>that would not</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 2. 16.</NOTE> <HI>clo&s;e with him.</HI> This another.</P>
<P>7. <HI>That the promi&s;es may be fulfilled, which are many of them yet to come, and to be fulfilled,</HI> as the prophecy of <HI>Babylons falling,</HI> the tenth part of the City, even <HI>Rome,</HI> which &s;ome judicious com|pute to be ju&s;t the tenth part of what formerly it was. The ru|ine of <HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> the bringing in of the Jews the &s;eed of <HI>Abra|ham</HI> his friend, from all corners of the world whether they are driven through his di&s;plea&s;ure, and the fulfilling tho&s;e many glo|rious things which are &s;poken of the <HI>City of God, the new Jeru&s;a|lem which cometh down from heaven,</HI> which many of the Saints do
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expect, yet to be fulfilled when <HI>Satan &s;hall be bound for a thou&s;and years,</HI> &s;urely a tittle of this word &s;hall not fall to the ground, not <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 87. 3.</NOTE> the word of promi&s;e, <HI>heaven and earth may fall, but this word of God cannot fall,</HI> it mu&s;t be fulfilled. The Lord Je&s;us will be con|tented, to be without his fulne&s;s until then, and the glory of that fulne&s;s until then; and therefore for this cau&s;e, his coming &s;hall <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 40.</NOTE> be delayed, he came once out of heaven with much readine&s;s, <HI>Lo I come, I come,</HI> though to dye, to lo&s;e his life, his peace, his com|fort, the &s;avour of his father; rather then the prophe&s;ies &s;hould not be fulfilled as we have it often, <HI>that it might be fulfilled,</HI> &amp;c. He will be without his bride in fulne&s;s for a time, and they mu&s;t be without him in fulne&s;s for a time until the re&s;t of the prophe&s;ies be fulfilled. <HI>O how he glorifieth his word above all his Name.</HI></P>
<P>8. La&s;tly, Happily to <HI>edge our de&s;ires after the day,</HI> you know the withholding of a de&s;irable thing for a time, doth much draw out the de&s;ires, as the drawing away the bait from the fi&s;h, draw|eth it after it, and truly all the ways the Lord takes with us are little enough to put us on to de&s;ire <HI>that day.</HI> But &s;o much for the confirmation of the Doctrine, before it was &s;aid, therefore it &s;eemed long, becau&s;e we <HI>de&s;ired it importunately:</HI> Now therefore we de&s;ire it becau&s;e it &s;eemeth long, and &s;o our de&s;ires after his appearing <HI>do feed them&s;elves, by adding this oyl to the flame,</HI> even the length of the tarrying, which doth partly ari&s;e from them|&s;elves: &s;o &s;ome things are mutually cau&s;es one of another, as the Ice re&s;olveth it &s;elf into water, and again the water into Ice; the vapours a&s;cending into Clowds; and the Clowds into vapours a|gain, after they are emptyed upon the earth. So&punc;</P>
<P>The U&s;e of the Doctrine &s;hall be fir&s;t by way of reproof, <HI>to convince us of &s;in, in abu&s;ing this truth,</HI> which nothing is more <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> ordinary among men, they dare not utter it with their mouths, but this they &s;peak in their hearts, <HI>the Lord delays his coming, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24. 48, 49</NOTE> <HI>therefore they begin to eat and drink with the drunken, to beat their fellow-&s;ervants,</HI> they will neither work them&s;elves, nor let others work that would; Mark how the Evangeli&s;t brands &s;uch a man, calling him <HI>an evil &s;ervant,</HI> or an <HI>hypocrite,</HI> and indeed brethren, It is not as if there were any thing in the nature of a delay, to work &s;uch a carele&s;ne&s;s in us, for if he came more &s;peedily, what is the language, <HI>Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we &s;hall dye,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">2.</NOTE>
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whether he be a &s;wift witne&s;s again&s;t men, or whether he tarry, all is one; <HI>if he do not &s;peedily execute</HI> the Sentence which is pa&s;t upon men, evil doers, <HI>their hearts are fully &s;et in them to do wicked|ly;</HI> and if he do threaten to come &s;peedily, and avenge him&s;elf <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 8. 11.</NOTE> upon them, <HI>let us eat and drink, for to morrow,</HI> &amp;c. forgetting the after-clap, <HI>that after death cometh judgement,</HI> do not then pre|tend brethren this for your &s;elves, and lay the fault upon God as <HI>Adam</HI> did, and all the &s;ons of <HI>Adam</HI> are ready to do. Say not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9. 27.</NOTE> then, If God had threatened, as he did <HI>Niniveh, Yet forty days and Niniveh &s;hall be overthrown, yet forty days and thou &s;halt come to judgement,</HI> &s;inner thou would&s;t have repented as well as they did: no: but as <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;peaks to the rich man in the parable, <HI>if they will not believe Mo&s;es and the Prophets, they will not believe though one ro&s;e from the dead.</HI> So in this ca&s;e, if thou wilt <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iona<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> 3. 5.</NOTE> not repent and believe, though the coming of Chri&s;t, do tarry a while; I will be bold to &s;ay thou would&s;t not repent if thou &s;houlde&s;t know that within forty days, or forty hours, thy &s;oul &s;hould be taken from thee, the fool in the Go&s;pel, when he thought he had many years before him, and goods laid up for them, he nouri&s;hed his heart as in a day of &s;laughter, and when it was told him, <HI>that this night his &s;oul &s;hould be taken from him,</HI> do you think the fool had &s;o much wi&s;dom to repent, we read it not, nor do I &s;ee any cau&s;e to think it. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12. 19.</NOTE></P>
<P>A &s;econd &s;ort, which are to be reproved or convinced of &s;in; are <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3. 3, 4. I&s;a. 29. 1. 4</NOTE> &s;uch as mock at the coming of Chri&s;t. It is a prophecy of the la&s;t days, <HI>in the la&s;t days there &s;hall come &s;coffers, walking after their own lu&s;ts,</HI> &s;aying, where is the promi&s;e <HI>of his coming, for &s;ince the fathers fell a&s;leep, all things continue as they were &s;ince the beginning of the world; That the&s;e are the la&s;t days,</HI> if we had no o her <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 22.</NOTE> Argument, <HI>the impudence of many now adays denyinng re&s;ur ection and judgement, and any &s;uch things as the&s;e are,</HI> are too clear a proof of it, Ob&s;erve, <HI>Where is the promi&s;e of his coming,</HI> a pro|mi&s;e to the people of Chri&s;t, for he cometh to give them the Crown of righteou&s;ne&s;s, <HI>having fought their fight, and fini&s;hed their cour&s;e,</HI> &amp;c. but a threatning to the &s;inners of the world, as <HI>that the &s;eed of the woman &s;hall break the Serpents head.</HI> Well, you tell us of a glorious appearing of Chri&s;t, but where is it? we &s;ee no alteration, all things continue as they were, there is no &s;ign of &s;uch a coming, O what wretched Athie&s;m is in the
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heart brethren, that becau&s;e the hand of God doth not pre&s;ently &s;eize upon us, therefore we make a mock at it, thinking there is no &s;uch thing, O this unbelief is the ground of all departing from God, do not your actions proclaim <HI>this,</HI> that you expect not his coming, you rather make a mock at it, you make &s;o light a mat|ter of &s;in, of the mo&s;t horrid &s;ins:</P>
<P><HI>Yea &s;ome that &s;eem not to Que&s;tion his coming</HI> (though I think that is the ground of it, their &s;ecret unbelief that there will be any &s;uch, or no) they do even provoke the Lord, and <HI>pluck him out of his place,</HI> they challenge the God of heaven that &s;ay, <HI>Let him make &s;peed, and ha&s;ten his work that we may &s;ee it, and let the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 5. 19.</NOTE> <HI>coun&s;el of the holy one draw nigh and come, that we may know it,</HI> that we may feel it, for we fear it not, this is the language of the men, that declare their &s;in like <HI>Sodom,</HI> heed it not, &s;tout-hearted &s;inners, that &s;et God at defyance, bid him do his wor&s;t, they will abide all that cometh, rather then they will part with their lu&s;ts, wherein they walk as the Apo&s;tle hath it; they would fain &s;ee who &s;hall controul them, who &s;hould cut their Cart-ropes, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 12. 4.</NOTE> Cords <HI>of vanity, wherewith they draw iniquity,</HI> and toyl, and tear them&s;elves like hor&s;es in the drudgery of &s;in, Well I will &s;peak <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 5. 18.</NOTE> a word or two to all the&s;e, it is a terrible one indeed, the Lord give us trembling hearts at it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>However long it &s;eems to &s;tay, it will come before thou art ready for it,</HI> and for all this gallantry of &s;pirit that &s;inners cloath them&s;elvs with, the &s;toute&s;t-hearted &s;inner that heareth this word when <HI>that cometh &s;hall quake and tremble.</HI> What cared <HI>Bel&s;haz|zar</HI> for the God of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> he thought it was nothing, to carou&s;e in the ve&s;&s;els of the Sanctuary; but you &s;ee, with two or three words writing, what an Agony it wrought him into, <HI>Amos 5. 18. You de&s;ire the day of the Lord,</HI> poor creatures, <HI>you do not know the day of the Lord is darkne&s;s and not light,</HI> your hearts will dye with|in you like &s;tones, when it cometh upon you: Ob&s;erve it bre|thren, u&s;ually tho&s;e that are the mo&s;t &s;tout-hearted, in &s;etting the Lord at defiance: are mo&s;t dejected when it cometh; I, will the Athei&s;t &s;ay, if this were true, that this day would ever come, it were &s;omething, but we &s;ee no appearance of it.</P>
<P><HI>Why</HI> Brethren, are you &s;uch <HI>Athei&s;ts?</HI> I hope there is none &s;uch here, but will own the Scriptures to be the word of the li|ving
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God, and how often have you it there written, <HI>he hath</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 17. 31.</NOTE> <HI>appointed a day wherein he will judge the world by Je&s;us Chri&s;t: and God is not &s;lack as men count &s;lackne&s;s, as &s;ome count it, as if he would never come;</HI> believe it, believe it Sinners, <HI>your judge|ment lingers not, and your damnation &s;lumbereth not,</HI> but travels as fa&s;t as you do, and it will meet you one day, and &s;eize upon you. O if God &s;hould &s;end &s;uch a hand to write upon the wall of the <HI>Taverns,</HI> where men are carouzing, &amp;c. <HI>mene mene,</HI> thou art <HI>weighed, &amp;c. this night &s;hall thy &s;oul,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Deut.</HI> 5. 5. He that believeth not the&s;e things is an <HI>Athei&s;t&punc;</HI> indeed, wor&s;e then the <HI>Devil</HI> him&s;elf, who <HI>believeth and trembleth, James</HI> 2. 19.</P>
<P><HI>But me thinks rea&s;on it &s;elf &s;hould evince it,</HI> and teach us, <HI>that the fir&s;t Principle of all things made him&s;elf the end of all things: He</HI> that is fir&s;t mu&s;t al&s;o be the la&s;t; and therefore &s;uch as would not &s;erve that end, and honour God here, he will honour him&s;elf upon them; he mu&s;t needs be righteous, and give every one ac|cording to his works; Now Sinners do not receive according to their works many times here, but they are lively and grow old, and are mighty in power, <HI>their &s;eed are e&s;tabli&s;hed before them,</HI> &amp;c As it is in that place of <HI>Job, their hou&s;es are &s;afe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them, they have no changes, and therefore they fear not God; they &s;pend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave;</HI> that is to &s;ay, without any tedious &s;ickne&s;s, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 21 7, 8<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">.</NOTE> &s;uch as <HI>Job</HI> had, and therefore they encourage them&s;elves in their <HI>evil</HI> ways; they &s;ay, what profit is there if we &s;hould pray unto him, we pro&s;per as well as any, who is <HI>the Almighty</HI> that we &s;hould &s;erve him? <HI>Let him depart from us, for we de&s;ire not the knowledge of his ways,</HI> whereas a <HI>Job,</HI> a <HI>Paul</HI> that are <HI>upright, fear|ing God, e&s;chewing evil, exerci&s;ing them&s;elves to keep a con&s;cience void of offence toward God, and toward men: they &s;hall be plagued every morning; God &s;hall take them by the neck and &s;hake them to pieces, and pour out their gall</HI> upon the ground, and break them <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73. 14. Iob 21. 30.</NOTE> with breach upon breach. Now brethren, if Sinners were not re&s;erved to a day of judgement and de&s;truction, that they &s;hould he brought forth to the day of wrath, how would the Lord be righteous and ju&s;t? <HI>it is a righteous thing with God to render tribu|lation to them that trouble you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">but to you that are troubled, re&s;t with us. Again,</HI></P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> Remember this, <HI>Thou de&s;pi&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> the riohes and long &s;uffer|ing</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;. 1&punc; 6.</NOTE>
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<HI>of God, not knowing that this goodne&s;s leads thee to repentance:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2. 4.</NOTE> <HI>It hath</HI> a tendency thereto; God is not &s;lack, but is <HI>long-&s;uffering to us,</HI> not willing any &s;hould peri&s;h, he <HI>waits to be gracious;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 3. 9.</NOTE> <HI>Sinners,</HI> he giveth you &s;pace to repent; though he tell you not how long that &s;pace &s;hall continue, <HI>that while it is called to day you might hearken to his voice;</HI> Now in&s;tead of turning to the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 4. 7.</NOTE> Lord, you de&s;pi&s;e this his <HI>patience;</HI> let him wait upon whom he plea&s;eth, you de&s;ire him not to wait upon you; <HI>but let the day of the Lord come that you may &s;ee it;</HI> becau&s;e you pro&s;per, and <HI>your bre&s;ts are full of milk, and your bones watered with mar|row,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 21. 24.</NOTE> as it is in the Original; you make a &s;coff at the judgements of God, and <HI>mock at all his terrors,</HI> as if nothing concerning you: What is this but not only to break the <HI>yoke of Chri&s;t</HI> and his <HI>Cords</HI> of obei&s;ance, but the <HI>Cords</HI> of a man, and of love, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 11. 4.</NOTE> wherewith he draweth &s;inners towards Repentance? <HI>it followeth in the text,</HI> that &s;uch men <HI>trea&s;ure up wrath again&s;t the day of wrath,</HI> after their own hardne&s;s and <HI>impenitent heart:</HI> let them put off the day of judgement as well as they can, they do <HI>trea|&s;ure</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2.</NOTE> up wrath again&s;t the day of wrath, <HI>trea&s;ures of wrath</HI> are abundance: he &s;tores up trea&s;ures as we do &s;in: God &s;eals up &s;uch mens &s;ins among his trea&s;ures indeed; you fill up many bags, and apace, as a few great &s;tones will fill a bag over little &s;tones will do; nothing heightens your &s;ins more then this, the <HI>de&s;pi&s;ing</HI> the <HI>goodne&s;s,</HI> and <HI>patience,</HI> and <HI>forbearance of God, riches</HI> and <HI>trea&s;ures</HI> of goodne&s;s and long-&s;uffering, abu&s;ed and perverted to a wrong end, to encourage your hearts to &s;trengthen your hands to &s;in: <HI>Swell</HI> the trea&s;ures of the di&s;plea|&s;ure which hangs over your heads every moment. <HI>Ah dear friends,</HI> that God would give &s;ome poor hard-hearted Sinner a trembling heart at this word, I doubt it is &s;ome of our ca&s;es; do you know what you do, Sinners? you heap up &s;in, <HI>they</HI> are gon over your head, I, <HI>that is not al, you trea&s;ure</HI> up wrath again&s;t the day of wrath; that day, when all the <HI>trea&s;ures</HI> &s;hall be bro|ken open, <HI>the Sluces</HI> opened, and <HI>the tyde of &s;treaming vengeance</HI> &s;hall carry away poor &s;inners to <HI>that bottomle&s;s gulf;</HI> O who may abide this day! <HI>No,</HI></P>
<P>Nor do not think, <HI>You</HI> &s;hall have wor&s;e then other men, and you hope not &s;o bad; you never yet &s;inned as &s;ome others have done; you ble&s;s God you are no Drunkards, nor Extortioners;
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you never &s;inned as <HI>Sodom,</HI> nor as <HI>Gomorrhah;</HI> &s;uppo&s;e &s;o, <HI>Yet it may be more: tolerable for them, then for many of us,</HI> who &s;hall de&s;pi&s;e this long-&s;uffering of God, and the riches of his goodne&s;s to us. <HI>The Lord of that &s;ervant</HI> that encourageth him|&s;elf to &s;in, upon his Lord his delaying his coming, <HI>he will come in a day when he looks not for him, and he will divide him a&s;under:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat 24. 49, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">0.</NOTE> Either rend his &s;oul from his body whether he will or no, <HI>this night &s;hall thy &s;oul be taken from thee;</HI> Sinners are not willing to part with the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r &s;ouls, and no marvel when they behold <HI>hell from beneath moved for them.</HI> Or el&s;e he will &s;eparate them from him|&s;elf, and the Congregation of his people for ever; <HI>they &s;hall not &s;tand in the Congregation of his people,</HI> though here they were <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 1. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> mixed together; Or el&s;e he will bring upon him the mo&s;t exqui|&s;ite tormenting evils, as men &s;awn a&s;under, or as <HI>Agag,</HI> or as they, <HI>Dan.</HI> 3. 29. So in the <HI>Evangeli&s;t, And give him his por|tion with Hypocrites,</HI> as &s;ome glo&s;s it; they are the free-holders of hell, the lowe&s;t place they have; for <HI>&s;imulata &s;anctitas duplex iniquitas:</HI> and therefore they &s;hall receive double, even according to their deeds. See brethren, we may be his &s;ervants in name and profe&s;sion, and he may commit to us the Stewards of|fice al&s;o, and if this be our own end (a &s;ad word for us as well as for you, for loo&s;e, and contentious, and ungodly Mini&s;ters) and yet notwi&s;tanding peri&s;h with deepe&s;t de&s;truction, if we de&s;pi&s;e this long-&s;uffering toward us.</P>
<P>3. <HI>Again, It reproveth</HI> &s;uch as of prophane&s;s of their &s;pirits, upon every &s;light occa&s;ion will be calling upon God <HI>to judge them;</HI> appealing to him, nothing more ordinary in prophane mens mouths then this, <HI>the Lord judge them.</HI> Yea more fearful indeed, &s;o fearful that I hardly think the Devil him&s;elf would &s;o &s;peak, for <HI>they believe and tremble that God would damn them:</HI> calling for that day upon every little vexation, when men &s;u&s;|pect them or cen&s;ure them for any thing they would clear them|&s;elves, and to that <HI>end</HI> u&s;e &s;uch fearful imprecations as the&s;e. <HI>Ah, wo be to them that &s;ay, let the day of the Lord come,</HI> what if the Lord &s;hould take &s;uch men at their word, and put an end to his long-&s;uffering, and &s;ay, <HI>Well judge thee I will, this hour thy &s;oul &s;hall be taken from thee,</HI> would they not be in an other <HI>Note?</HI> you need not call for it; it will come fa&s;t enough.</P>
<P>4. <HI>It reproveth &s;uch as out of a conceit, they have of their own
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innocency, they will be calling for that day: Job</HI> him&s;elf was blame-worthy <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 23. 3, 4, 5.</NOTE> that he pre&s;&s;eth &s;o much upon this: <HI>O that I might come to him, where I might find him, that I might come even to his &s;eat, I would order my cau&s;e before him, and fill my mouth with argu|ments: I would hear the words which he would an&s;wer me, and un|der&s;tand what he would &s;ay unto me.</HI> And &s;o again <HI>Chap. 13. Withdraw thine hand far from me, and let not thy dread make me afraid; then call thou, and I will an&s;wer thee: charge</HI> upon me what thou can&s;t of wickedne&s;s or prophane&s;s, and I will clear my &s;elf; <HI>or let me &s;peak, and an&s;wer thou me:</HI> let me be the Plaintiff &s;aying out the &s;ad condition of my &s;oul, and do thou an&s;wer me; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 13. 22.</NOTE> ju&s;tifie thy proceedings with me. Though he did well to retain his integrity, and ju&s;tifie that before men, yet it was too much boldne&s;s to offer to enter into judgement with God, and &s;o ear|ne&s;tly to de&s;ire that day. Alas brethren! when he &s;hall bring to light the depths of our hearts that we never &s;aw, who &s;hall &s;tand before him at his coming, thus to lay us open, if he enter in|to judgement with us indeed?</P>
<P>5. <HI>It reproveth</HI> another &s;ort, and tho&s;e are they, that when <HI>their Con&s;ciences are a little galled, happily by the Word,</HI> or &s;ome other way, <HI>they are ready to cry out for the day of the Lord;</HI> they think mans judgement and mans day is very hard and har&s;h, and hope to be relieved by this day of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI> doth the <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 4. 5.</NOTE> Lord make his Mini&s;ters &s;ometimes &s;ons of <HI>thunder?</HI> and is not he the Father, the God of <HI>thunders?</HI> then is your day brethren, &s;o dreadful that you cannot bear it, if while he &s;itteth to purge as a <HI>refiners</HI> fire, you be &s;corched with that, &s;o that you cannot abide the day of his coming; do you think to help your &s;elves by putting your&s;elves upon the everla&s;ting burnings? It is true, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">er. 23. 92.</NOTE> the word of God is a fire, and if it get into a &s;inners Con&s;cience, it will &s;corch and burn, and make the &s;oul even f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y again; but what is this to the flaming vengeance wherewith the <HI>Lord Je&s;us &s;hall be clothed, when he appeareth</HI> and his coming is? you <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 4. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. and as an edged &s;word.</NOTE> think we handle you roughly &s;ometimes, and you &s;hall find more tender u&s;age from the <HI>Lord Je&s;us;</HI> O he is more merciful, full of bowels, indeed he is &s;o, infinitely more merciful: but you will find him to be infinitely ju&s;t as well as merciful: <HI>Sinners,</HI> he hath a <HI>Go ye Cur&s;ed,</HI> as well as <HI>Come ye ble&s;&s;ed,</HI> to pronounce, he will handle you more weightily then Creatures can, if you be not
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ready for his appearing; If you cannot bear the &s;moke of the, bottomle&s;s pit, over which you are held it may be &s;ometimes, will it be a mending your condition to leap out of the &s;moke into <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10 31.</NOTE> the fire? <HI>It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God;</HI> therefore it may &s;erve to reprove &s;uch as would ha&s;ten this day of the Lord, and yet can have no hope the Lord knoweth in the <HI>Evil</HI> day.</P>
<P><HI>The next &V;&s;e &s;hall</HI> be then <HI>to &s;tir us up every one to wait for this</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 2.</NOTE> <HI>day, this coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;pecially the people of God: You</HI> that hope for mercy in that day, as he prayeth for the hou&s;e of <HI>One&s;iphorus;</HI> what &s;hould we do, but <HI>wait for it? Yet</HI> indeed it may reach the Condition of all, whether good or bad. <HI>If he de|lay</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 1. 16.</NOTE> his coming, <HI>then wait for his coming;</HI> Onely the waiting of the people of God is &s;omewhat of a different nature; And therefore let me &s;peak a little di&s;tinctly to the waiting <HI>of the Saints of God for that day,</HI> wrerein there are two or three things included as &s;everal branches of this duty.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>There mu&s;t be a love and de&s;ire to this coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and this pre&s;uppo&s;eth that that day, and the <HI>coming</HI> of it will be good to the people of God; for we cannot love or de&s;ire, or will any thing <HI>evil</HI> under the formality of <HI>evil,</HI> be a good day, a day of tran&s;cendent gladne&s;s of heart, when the <HI>Bride</HI> &s;hall be taken by the <HI>Bridegroom, pre&s;ented to his father without &s;pot or</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5. 27.</NOTE> <HI>wrinkle or any &s;uch thing;</HI> when there &s;hall never be any e&s;trange|ment between the <HI>Lord Je&s;us</HI> and the <HI>&s;oul</HI> any more, never any withdrawing, any clouding, any di&s;turbance of peace any more: will not this be a good day, when our <HI>grace</HI> &s;hall be all glory? <HI>then &s;hall we appear with him in glory?</HI> And therefore <HI>Job</HI> &s;peaks <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3. 4. Iob. 19. 27.</NOTE> after this manner: <HI>I know that my redeemer liveth, &amp;c. in my fle&s;h I &s;hall &s;ee God whom I &s;hall &s;ee for my &s;elf, and mine eyes &s;hall behold,</HI> and not another, therefore it is the &s;ame body by the which, and not a new one which never had union with the &s;oul before; <HI>though my reins be con&s;umed within me,</HI> &s;o we read it, that is to &s;ay, though <HI>inwards</HI> as well as <HI>outwards</HI> are con|&s;umed in the grave, <HI>yet I &s;hall &s;ee him;</HI> but <HI>though</HI> is not in the O|riginal, and therefore it may be read <HI>without, my reins are con&s;um'd within me:</HI> the <HI>reins</HI> are the <HI>&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> of the de&s;ires, <HI>therefore</HI> I have &s;uch de&s;ires after that day, that <HI>even my reins</HI> are &s;pent in them, and
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con&s;umed by them, this is going forth to meet him indeed: It is not every Chri&s;tian that can de&s;ire this, but &s;uch as are ready for his appearing whereof afterwards. But then Secondly,</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>In this waiting there is an Act of faith al&s;o to be put forth, ca&s;t not away your confidence</HI> that believe there will be &s;uch a day, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Hab. 2. 4.</NOTE> it is certain though it be future, though we &s;ee it not, yet be|cau&s;e he hath &s;aid it, therefore believe it: and if we &s;o believe, we &s;hall not make ha&s;t, that is to &s;ay, more ha&s;t then is meet, <HI>pre&s;s hard forward toward the Mark,</HI> Phil. 3. 13. 14. we ought to do, but we &s;hould not take any indirect cour&s;e to bring our &s;elves to it &s;o much the &s;ooner, as <HI>&s;ome</HI> by a di&s;patching them&s;elves un|der <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 28. 16.</NOTE> a temptation when faith is overwhelmed, or el&s;e by &s;uch cruel macerating of the body to beat it down, that the frame of it &s;hould be quickly be di&s;&s;olved; though we &s;hould be weary of the body of <HI>&s;in,</HI> and we cannot well be weary of it, yet faith now &s;hould eye that glorious liberty of the &s;ons of God, and it maketh it pre&s;ent: <HI>It is the &s;ub&s;tance of things hoped for:</HI> it giveth it a being already, and therefore this al&s;o is implied in this wai|ting. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11. 1.</NOTE> And then</P>
<P N="3">3. In this waiting brethren, for his appearing which is pro|per to the Saints, <HI>there is a patient continuance in the waiting, a pati|ent continuance in well-doing</HI> the Apo&s;tle mentioneth, there &s;hould <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2. 7.</NOTE> be <HI>de&s;ires,</HI> not a fit and &s;tart, but a Continuance in them, and &s;o a drawing out the acting of faith, believing that day will come which &s;hall put an end to all our fightings without, and terrors within, <HI>when we have need of patience when we have done</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 37.</NOTE> <HI>all that we might receive the</HI> recompence, <HI>the</HI> promi&s;e of tempta|tion, whether inward, or outward; our <HI>patience</HI> is put to it very &s;ore, <HI>yea</HI> and in a fit of ravi&s;hment with Chri&s;t; <HI>then we would have no delay,</HI> but in <HI>heaven we would</HI> be even that very moment, and tho&s;e holy, flames are <HI>&s;weet:</HI> but yet if the Lord &s;ee it good for <HI>Paul</HI> to continue in the Body, and he mu&s;t yet undergo more for Chri&s;t before he come to <HI>raign with him:</HI> why he is &s;atisfied, and &s;o ought we to wait patiently for this his appearing. <HI>The Virgins waited</HI> it &s;hould &s;eem, and were forward and ready, but their patience held not out as it &s;hould: therefore labour for this. But then</P>
<P><HI>Secondly, For the waiting of Sinners. Wait for this day, for it will it come though it be delayed,</HI> and you know not how &s;oon
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it will come upon you. Now your waiting mu&s;t be of ano|ther &s;ort.</P>
<P N="1">1. With <HI>fear and trembling,</HI> that which a man fears he expect|eth in &s;ome &s;ort as well as what he hopeth for: O that this dreadful &s;ound were but in the <HI>ears</HI> of Sinners wherever they went, there is a day coming, which will pay for all your plea|&s;ures of &s;in, when God &s;hall pluck your &s;weet mor&s;els out of your belly, and turn your &s;tolen waters, and bread eaten in &s;ecret, which were plea&s;ant and &s;weet to you, into the poy&s;on of A&s;ps. O do not &s;ay, <HI>you are at an agreement with hell, and with the grave:</HI> for alas that agreement &s;hall <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a 28. 15.</NOTE> be broken, the grave &s;hall receive you, and re&s;erve you for this day of wrath, and then give you up, it will not hide you from the wrath of the <HI>Lamb, hell</HI> will open for you: <HI>Faelix</HI> trembled, when <HI>Paul</HI> di&s;puted of <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> and <HI>temperance,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 24&punc; 25.</NOTE> and <HI>judgement</HI> to come; this day of <HI>Chri&s;ts coming</HI> how terrible will it be to fooli&s;h Virgins? O that all &s;uch would tremble be|fore the Lord: fear it, fear it, it is coming upon you, it lingers not, <HI>he is not &s;lack!</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. In order hereto you mu&s;t labour to believe it, it is an <HI>Ar|ticle of our faith:</HI> we profe&s;s the <HI>re&s;urrection of the dead,</HI> which is <HI>either to life or condemnation:</HI> and thou that live&s;t in <HI>&s;in,</HI> can&s;t ex|pect <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh 5. 29.</NOTE> no other but a re&s;urrection to <HI>Condemnation.</HI> But alas! men do not believe this; <HI>Devils</HI> are afraid of that day to which they are re&s;erved in chains of darkne&s;s, when they &s;hall have their full cup given them to drink. Ah dear friends! that the Lord would &s;ingle out &s;uch as he would per&s;wade this day from the terrors of the Lord, <HI>to fly-from this wrath to come,</HI> to <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 11.</NOTE> make ready for this day that is a coming: <HI>wherewith I &s;hall wind up all,</HI> I &s;hall &s;ay to this doctrine. <HI>The la&s;t word therefore is of</HI></P>
<P><HI>Exhortation,</HI> &s;ince <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t doth delay his coming, That we</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e la&s;t.</NOTE> <HI>would make good u&s;e of the time:</HI> he giveth us time and &s;pace to repent. <HI>The people of God</HI> they have need to make u&s;e of this time: have we not work enough to do, before we can expect to be glorified with him? how many of us have a world of iniquity <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2. 23.</NOTE> to &s;ubdue? how far are we from being as little children in malice and humility, &s;uch we mu&s;t become, our <HI>Cour&s;e</HI> is far from being <HI>fini&s;hed.</HI> O brethren, <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> will adopt us to him&s;elf, and
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we by the Spirit are to do it, that we may be meet &s;pou&s;es to him, then it will appear that we de&s;ire his coming indeed, if we lay out all your might to prepare for it; if the <HI>heart</HI> be <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lutti&s;h,</HI> and &s;o we let it lie, if we neglect our ornaments, are carele&s;s, put them not on, be not decking our &s;elves, how can we &s;ay, we love his appearing, even the appearing of the Bride-groom?</P>
<P>But then 2. <HI>How much more have Sinners to do?</HI> It is true, <HI>he delays his coming,</HI> and &s;o he hath a great <HI>while</HI> in re&s;pect of thee: how many years hath he waited upon <HI>thee</HI> to be gracious to thee, and yet thou are where thou wa&s;t at fir&s;t? <HI>Ah dear friends!</HI> if <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> find you that profe&s;s his name in your blood at that day, what will become of you? <HI>Will you have time to repent, if you repent not?</HI> it will not be the time of love, but of di&s;plea|&s;ure: it had been better for you, you had never had &s;uch warn|ing: O do <HI>not de&s;pi&s;e the riches of his goodne&s;s, and long-&s;ufferings towards you:</HI> O con&s;ider your ways, and the Condition of your &s;ouls at the la&s;t, and turn to the Lord your God with all your hearts, and not feignedly clo&s;e with <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t; get oyl into your Lamps, and into your ve&s;&s;els,</HI> for why will ye die, why &s;hould that day come upon you before you are ready for it? <HI>O make ha&s;t Brethren, you are this day warned to fly,</HI> that is to &s;ay, with all &s;peed <HI>to ha&s;te away from the wrath to come:</HI> for <HI>judgement lin|gers</HI> not, it will not &s;tay beyond the appointed time, even your own appointed time, for <HI>the number of your moneths are with God,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 14.</NOTE> it will not &s;tay a jot longer; now you do not know whether this may be the day, the night, this Sabbath the la&s;t, this warning the la&s;t: therefore lay hold upon the opportunity. O that the Lord Je&s;us would &s;eize but upon &s;ome of our hearts, that we might make a good <HI>&V;&s;e</HI> of this delay! And O ble&s;s his name, and let us all admire his goodne&s;s to us, that he doth delay his coming, that we have time and &s;pace to repent, to work out our &s;alvati|on in, and that until all the fulne&s;s of Chri&s;t <HI>be come</HI> in. It <HI>is his long-&s;uffering, not willing we &s;hould peri&s;h, but come to repentance.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3. 9.</NOTE> O that we were thus wi&s;e, that we could thus con&s;ider our latter end. But &s;o much for this Doctrine.</P>
<P><HI>THEY ALL SL&V;MBRED AND SLEPT. Here I &s;ay, you have the occa&s;ion which the fle&s;h took</HI> from the delay or carry|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;er&s;e 5.</NOTE>
<PB N="141" REF="136">
of Chri&s;t to <HI>&s;lumber, and &s;leep all of them, both wi&s;e and fooli&s;h.</HI> Some have under&s;tood it of <HI>the &s;leep of death, that they al dyed, good</HI> as well as <HI>bad,</HI> but this cannot be &s;o, for it is not true, under&s;tand the coming of Chri&s;t which way you will, If for his coming to the univer&s;al judgement; it is not true, for all &s;hall not &s;leep, but &s;ome <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15. 51&punc;</NOTE> &s;hall be changed as the Apo&s;tle hath it. If we under&s;tand it of his particular coming, to &s;ummon us to appear before him: It is le&s;s true, for when the &s;ummons cometh, it is before we dye. Death indeed is his Me&s;&s;enger, or Serjeant; and therefore they are not dead, before he cometh to fetch them, be&s;ides it is not &s;o u&s;ual to &s;et forth death by a double expre&s;&s;ion, of &s;lumbring and &s;leeping, but rather &s;leeping onely. Be&s;ides this &s;lumbring, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 13. 35, 36.</NOTE> &s;leeping here, is noted as a failing in the wi&s;e virgins as well as the fooli&s;h, if I under&s;tand it aright, for it is the privation of that <HI>watchfulne&s;s,</HI> which is injoyned, and wherewithall is wound up in the clo&s;e, and by this parable he &s;heweth us the &s;ad inconveni|ences of <HI>&s;leeping and &s;lumbring,</HI> and the incidency of it to us; and therefore exhorts us to watch. Now &s;ure, to dye is not any fault, when we are called to it, but an appointment of God for us to dye, to &s;ubmit to which, to be willing to which is a grace, and not a &s;in. Again, in this parable there &s;eemeth to be &s;ome time for the getting of oyl, or at lea&s;t for them to u&s;e &s;ome endeavours to get it though it be in vain, which may be indeeed after a &s;ummons to death, there may be &s;ome little time which a hypocrite may think to improve to get grace, though it pro&s;per not, but after death, there remaineth nothing but judgement. The particular fir&s;t, and afterward the general.</P>
<P><HI>The time</HI> of their <HI>&s;leeping</HI> is con&s;iderable indeed, and that is it &s;eemeth to be <HI>ju&s;t a little before their Lord cometh,</HI> the L. Je&s;us, for it was the cry that wakened them, <HI>Behold the Bridegroom cometh.</HI> Whether we look upon this coming of Chri&s;t to be <HI>his la&s;t and ge|neral coming,</HI> &amp; &s;o under&s;tand the <HI>ten Virgins collectively for al the vi&s;ible Church, then found on earth;</HI> it is con&s;iderable <HI>that they &s;hall generally be found &s;leeping,</HI> you know <HI>how the Evangeli&s;t</HI> &s;etteth forth in the former chapter, wherein the <HI>Di&s;ciples ask him when tho&s;e things &s;hall be, and what &s;hall be the &s;igns of his coming, and of the end of the world.</HI> When <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> &s;hould be de&s;troyed, when he would come gloriou&s;ly by his Spirit, and word prevail|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24. 3.</NOTE>
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over the world, &s;uddainly like lightning pa&s;&s;ing from one end to the other, as &s;ome under&s;tand that. Or whether we make that coming of Chri&s;t, and the end of the world all one; It &s;hould &s;eem this is to be referred to the an&s;wer, to the <HI>third, the end of the world, as it was in the days of Noah, they were eating and drinking,</HI> and never minded, were carele&s;s, and a&s;leep, until the world was in a <HI>flood</HI> about them; <HI>note here, in the end they &s;hall be a&s;leep, alike &s;ecure and drow&s;ie,</HI> and as little look for the end of the world until all be on a flame about their ears. And Satans letting loo&s;e after <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 20. 7.</NOTE> the thou&s;and years being impri&s;oned, &s;eemeth to &s;peak &s;ad work he will make among men, immediately before the la&s;t end. Or if we under&s;tand it di&s;tributively of each Saint, as &s;ometimes in the &s;ame Scripture the H. Gho&s;t &s;peaks of the Church collectively and di&s;tri|butively <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 1. 4.</NOTE> <HI>draw me, we wil run after thee,</HI> &s;o here the Virgins, <HI>they all &s;lumbred and &s;lept,</HI> and &s;o they might do, if they did it &s;ingly, near the time of his approach to each of them to take them to him&s;elf for ever, or &s;eparate them from him&s;elf for ever, which is the ca&s;e of the fooli&s;h virgins. I &s;ay it is alike con&s;iderable, and may give us ground of a note of ob&s;ervation by and by. It is true indeed &s;ome under&s;tand that in the beginning <HI>they went forth to meet the Bridegroom,</HI> by a Prolep&s;is, or Anticipation, as if they did not go forth at all to meet him <HI>until after the cry was made,</HI> but I cannot &s;ee the rea&s;on of it. They would have it, <HI>that Chri&s;tians are ve|ry apt to be &s;leepy</HI> in the beginnings of their faith, and work of faith which indeed may be &s;o: but methinks that doth not &s;o well &s;uit with the time of fir&s;t-love, which the Scripture often mentioneth, men are u&s;ually mo&s;t forward then, and mo&s;t watch|ful and wakeful then. Nor do I know any inconvenience but <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2. 4.</NOTE> they might &s;leep in the way in their journey going forth to meet the Bridegroom; and methinks the tarrying of the Bridegroom being interpo&s;ed between their &s;etting forth towards him, and their &s;leep doth plainly argue it, if we may argue from the&s;e things, but they will argue as much for the one way as for the o|ther; &s;o that I would rather take it thus.</P>
<P><HI>And however</HI> it be, that with particular circum&s;tance be not to be too much &s;trained, when we have the &s;cope of the Parable, yet remember that this we are now upon is the <HI>main thing,</HI> if I under|&s;tand it aright, for <HI>this &s;leeping here is the privation of that watch|ing which is a duty &s;o often and &s;o much pre&s;&s;ed upon the Di&s;ciples</HI>
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in the former chapter, and this and many other places, and this appears to be the &s;cope by our Saviours winding up all in that <HI>Exhortation, therefore watch, for ye know not what <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">our he will come,</HI> the fooli&s;h virgins and wi&s;e, both were too fooli&s;h in this, when he tarryed they &s;lept, and while they &s;lept he came; and what prejudice it was to them afterward, likely you may hear more fully; therefore &s;aith our Saviour <HI>watch. Therefore,</HI> this if I do in&s;i&s;t a little upon it, I hope it will not be ami&s;s, it being the &s;cope of the Parable.</P>
<P><HI>They all &s;lumbred and &s;lept,</HI> here it will not be ami&s;s for the fur|ther opening the words to tell you <HI>What kind of &s;leep this is, and the degrees of it;</HI> for the <HI>kind,</HI> you mu&s;t know brethen, we are <NOTE PLACE="marg">As Gen. 15. fell upon <HI>A|braham.</HI> Mat. 26. 40.</NOTE> not &s;peaking of a bodily &s;leep, whether ordinary, or extraordi|nary, from a natural, or a &s;upernatural cau&s;e &s;uch deep &s;leep as fell upon &s;ome, though the Di&s;ciples were much blamed for their &s;leeping, when they &s;hould have watched, and prayed; I take it their natural &s;leep was not there con&s;idered, but as an effect of their &s;piritual &s;leep; their &s;ouls were a&s;leep, and thence they &s;lept when they &s;hould have been praying, to have been a com|fort to Chri&s;t in that his Agouy: but we are now to &s;peak of a <HI>&s;piritual &s;leep, the &s;leep of the &s;oul.</HI> Indeed the &s;oul con&s;idered as a &s;piritual being, in its natural capacity, properly never &s;leepeth, but the body: It is never weary of its actings, but the body is; which it u&s;eth as its in&s;trument, as it never groweth old, &s;o it never groweth &s;leepy; and therefore we do not con&s;ider the &s;oul nei|ther in a natural capacity, onely as it is a &s;piritual being, but in a &s;upernatural capacity, that is to &s;ay, as it hath &s;ome divine quali|ties put upon it, whereby it acts and works towards God, and to|wards Chri&s;t, as natural Agents act by their qualities, the fire by its heat, &s;o the &s;oul by its faith, and by its love, and by its humili|ty. So then, we are here con&s;idering not a naked &s;oul, but a &s;oul as it hath either in reality or el&s;e in appearance put on Chri&s;t for <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s, and for holine&s;s, is rai&s;ed up from that death in &s;in, to a li<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e of grace or love to God. Now this &s;oul &s;o con&s;idered</HI> a|las &s;ometimes <HI>it fals a&s;leep.</HI> So much for the <HI>kind of &s;leep.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1. 30<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE></P>
<P><HI>For the degrees of the &s;leep,</HI> here they are two <GAP DESC="foreign"> two words, and of two &s;ignifications, as indeed our own En|gli&s;h words do plainly di&s;tingui&s;h, you know to <HI>&s;lumber,</HI> is much le&s;s then to <HI>&s;leep</HI> in our experience of it, to <HI>&s;lumber,</HI> is when a
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man onely doth <HI>nap</HI> or <HI>nod,</HI> he is not fa&s;t a&s;leep as it were, be|tween &s;leeping and waking, a little thing waketh him; now he is awake, and then is <HI>napping</HI> again, but not &s;o fa&s;t as to have the &s;en&s;es altogether &s;ealed up, as in a &s;leep; then it is otherwi&s;e, there mu&s;t be much ado to wake a man, when he is in &s;uch a &s;leep. So it is in this ca&s;e, <HI>This &s;piriritual &s;leep,</HI> there are <HI>degrees,</HI> a <HI>napping,</HI> and <HI>nodding;</HI> now a&s;leep and then awake again, we are neither awake nor a&s;leep, there are interruptions &s;ucce&s;&s;ively in our &s;leeping and waking: But when a man is a&s;leep, he goeth on a|way with it, continueth &s;o great a while, &s;leep hath &s;eized upon him, lockt him, and &s;ealed up, and made him &s;ure as I may &s;ay, <HI>which what it is,</HI> &s;hall farther be opened by and by, onely here let us take up the Doctrinal Ob&s;ervations from the words, which &s;hall be onely the&s;e two.</P>
<P><HI>The people of God which are wi&s;e to &s;alvation,</HI> as well as <HI>fooli&s;h</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct. 1.</NOTE> <HI>formal profe&s;&s;ors are lyable to &s;lumber, and &s;leep, the be&s;t men and women are lyable to it.</HI></P>
<P><HI>That the Saints may fall into &s;lumbering and &s;leeping, when they</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> <HI>had mo&s;t need to be awake,</HI> as you &s;ee in this ca&s;e. Happily I may handle them di&s;tinctly, if I &s;ee it may not be too tedious.</P>
<P>For the fir&s;t, <HI>that the be&s;t of the Saints,</HI> &s;uch as are <HI>wi&s;e to &s;al|vation, yet may &s;lumber and &s;leep,</HI> I think there needeth not much to be &s;aid by way of confirmation, you &s;ee this is plainly the heart of the Parable we have in hand, or el&s;e I know not what it is; <HI>Jo|nah</HI> you know he was fa&s;t a&s;leep in the &s;ide of the &s;hip, it was bo|dily <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ionah 1. 5.</NOTE> &s;leep indeed, but it was an effect of this &s;piritual &s;leep that was upon him, his graces were now &s;leeping, his fear of God, a|gain&s;t whom he had &s;inned in running away from him, and his <HI>&s;elf-denyal,</HI> the&s;e were a&s;leep, and made him &s;o &s;ecure, that though they were in a &s;torm he feared it not, as a drunkard that &s;leepeth upon the top of a Ma&s;t, in greate&s;t danger, and &s;eeth it not, nor &s;o much as dreameth of it, and it is thought by &s;ome al&s;o that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Zech. 9. 1.</NOTE> <HI>Zachary</HI> that good Prophet who had &s;o many vi&s;ions from the Lord, that he was drow&s;ie and &s;leepy notwith&s;tanding, more then was meet, <HI>his mind</HI> as well as <HI>his body,</HI> but there &s;hall be no que|&s;tion made of the Di&s;ciples, they were the be&s;t of men then alive, they were fir&s;t cho&s;en out of the world, the world is a wilderne&s;s
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they were as a garden inclo&s;ed; therefore the be&s;t con&s;idered in re|&s;pect of others, and yet you find how often our Saviour endea|vours to &s;tir them up to watchfulne&s;s; <HI>What I &s;ay to you, I &s;ay to all; watch, watch and pray.</HI> And how much in the&s;e chapters, &s;urely it argues they were lyable to &s;leep, they were prone to it, el&s;e that le&s;&s;on would not have rung &s;o much in their ears. Or would <HI>David</HI> have come over &s;o often with that, <HI>quicken me O Lord according to thy word, quicken me according to thy word;</HI> but that he found him&s;elf going, <HI>napping</HI> and <HI>nodding.</HI> But if we will <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. 25, 37. &amp; 40.</NOTE> go to the <HI>Chri&s;tian of Chri&s;tians, the flower in the garden inclo&s;ed,</HI> there were three Di&s;ciples that were favourites, it &s;eemeth that the Lord Je&s;us took with him as witne&s;&s;es of his <HI>transfiguration</HI> be|fore, and now to his pa&s;&s;ion and Agony; yet notwith&s;tanding, the&s;e <HI>favourites,</HI> when they &s;hould watch with Chri&s;t, <HI>they fall a|&s;leep,</HI> their &s;ouls were a&s;leep in a great part; and therefore their <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26. 40.</NOTE> bodies al&s;o were a&s;leep. However our Saviour &s;aith, the &s;pirit is willing, but the fle&s;h is weak; the &s;pirit is in part weak, and un|willing; el&s;e if perfect, it would have kept them awake, there is a willingne&s;s, and unwillingne&s;s; and for an act the unwillingne&s;s <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 21. 18.</NOTE> may prevail again&s;t the willingne&s;s, as in this ca&s;e: <HI>Peter</HI> &s;hould be <HI>carryed whether he would not, and yet &s;ure he would;</HI> there his willingne&s;s prevailed: but I will not &s;tand any longer, onely note you here brethren: one thing farther is this; that they fell a|&s;leep the &s;econd time, and the third time after they had been re|proved for it again and again, and that &s;harply that they had no|thing to &s;ay; <HI>they knew not what to &s;ay,</HI> &s;aith the Evangeli&s;t, and yet they fell to it again; if the&s;e were &s;o apt to fall a&s;leep, &s;ure then much more &s;uch poor weaklings as we are in compari&s;on of them.</P>
<P>Well then, if any one further enquire, <HI>What this &s;lumbring and &s;leeping is;</HI></P>
<P><HI>By &s;lumber and &s;leep,</HI> I under&s;tand brethren the unbending the bow of our &s;ouls, as &s;leep is a ce&s;&s;ation of the animal actions of a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 14. 40.</NOTE> living creature, by the ob&s;tructon of the animal &s;pirits, by the abundance of vapours ordinarily, there are &s;ome other ca&s;es, but this is not &s;o much for our purpo&s;e. <HI>Slumbring</HI> is when there is a little &s;horter failing, or ce&s;&s;ation of the actions of a living crea|ture, when the &s;en&s;es are binding, as I may &s;ay, but they break through it, and &s;o awaken the per&s;on doth; there is a double
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principle in man, in every child of God I mean; there is a corrupt and regenerate part, there is <HI>fle&s;h</HI> and <HI>&s;pirit,</HI> as you have it in that of our Saviour, <HI>the &s;pirit is willing, but the fle&s;h is weak; the fle&s;h lu&s;teth again&s;t the &s;pirit,</HI> and the <HI>&s;pirit</HI> again&s;t the <HI>fle&s;h; this fle&s;h, this corrupt</HI> part we may not unfitly brethren re&s;emble to the <HI>va|pours,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. P&s;al. 5. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">7.</NOTE> that continually ari&s;e from the <HI>&s;tomach</HI> toward the <HI>head.</HI> And the <HI>Spirit</HI> to the <HI>Nerves,</HI> the in&s;truments of action, <HI>the gra|ces of the &s;pirit</HI> are the <HI>nerves of the &s;pirit</HI> indeed: and by &s;ome of them, as by the nerves the continual &s;upplies of grace, and fulne&s;s of Chri&s;t the head, where the fulne&s;s of the animal &s;pirits are, is communicated to all the parts, to the &s;trengthening of all graces, that is to &s;ay by our faith. Now this being &s;o, I take it then a man <HI>&s;lumbers,</HI> and <HI>&s;leeps, When his corrupt part doth either with a le&s;s, or a thicker &s;team of lu&s;ts &s;eize upon</HI> (as I may &s;ay) <HI>and hin|der the graces of the &s;pirit from doing their work,</HI> from acting, <HI>&s;pecially that grace of faith</HI> which indeed doth derive from the <HI>head Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the &s;pirits lively influences;</HI> therefore not un|fitly is corruption compared to <HI>wet moori&s;h places,</HI> a moori&s;h <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">en|ni&s;h heart</HI> that is full of &s;uch corruption, or a body full of &s;uch hu|mors you know is much more &s;leepy then another.</P>
<P><HI>Well then to bring it to an i&s;&s;ue, when &s;in &s;o fully prevails over us, as to damp the graces of the &s;pirit, either for a &s;horter time,</HI> it being quickly di&s;pelled, <HI>there is a &s;lumbring, or for a longer time, there is</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> <HI>a &s;leeping; aliquando bonus dormit at Homerus.</HI> So that brethren when ever we are called to act any grace of the &s;pirit, and we do it not, though it be but for an act, that is as I may &s;ay a <HI>&s;lumbring</HI> though you may quickly recover your &s;elves; If it be for more <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">0. 25.</NOTE> acts, or continue any time, it is a <HI>&s;leep. Thomas his faith</HI> was a|&s;leep, he would not believe, his unbelief prevailed much, &s;eized upon his faith, bound it as I may &s;ay; and &s;o <HI>ignorance and blind|ne&s;s prevailing over the under&s;tanding.</HI> But for <HI>faith,</HI> methinks that is plain, <HI>When the &s;on of man cometh,</HI> whether it be to that ge|neral day, or any particular day of avenging his people, <HI>&s;hall be find faith upon the earth? faith in act</HI> to believe this, alas people will be a&s;leep, their faith &s;urprized: and &s;o for love, which is a|nother <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 18. 8. Rev. 2. 4.</NOTE> grace, it is prophe&s;ied of the latter times, <HI>the love of many &s;hall wax cold: the Church of Eph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;us had lo&s;t her fir&s;t love,</HI> &s;he was fallen a&s;leep, <HI>this is the active grace,</HI> faith works by it, <HI>now this action cea&s;ed;</HI> as in a man a&s;leep, his members langui&s;h, and
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hang down, and are not fit for any action, &s;o their <HI>love waxed cold.</HI> And &s;o when in&s;tead of a <HI>holy vigilancy</HI> there creepeth a &s;ecurity on a people, which is a main ingredient into this &s;piritual &s;leep, as the virgins here, they were all &s;ecure, they looked not for the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. And &s;o when in&s;tead of a <HI>fer|vency of &s;pirit in &s;erving God:</HI> a deadne&s;s, a dulne&s;s creepeth up|on <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12. 11.</NOTE> men, <HI>they pray</HI> as if they prayed not, if it be but for an act, it is <HI>&s;lumbering;</HI> now they are dead, and then they are lively it may be next time, and then they are dead again; <HI>this is &s;lumber|ing, napping and nodding:</HI> Now they can act their faith, and then they cannot; now they can avoid this &s;in and that, and then they cannot; but are overtaken by it, this is <HI>&s;lumbring:</HI> and alas bre|thren, are we <HI>not all of us lyable to this?</HI> Yea, it may be the&s;e things &s;eize upon us more violently, <HI>we not onely offend in many</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 3. 2.</NOTE> <HI>things,</HI> but continually lying &s;ecure, continue in &s;uch a dull li&s;t|le&s;s frame, little or no actings or &s;trivings of <HI>faith,</HI> or <HI>love,</HI> or <HI>fer|vency,</HI> or wayting for Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and his appearing, <HI>this is &s;leep|ing.</HI> Well, I wi&s;h we had not too general, and too good proof of it by our own experience.</P>
<P><HI>You have had already in this part of the di&s;cour&s;e, the general rea&s;on of this &s;leepine&s;s</HI> of the Saints re&s;pecting our &s;elves, and that is the <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>a &s;eed of that Poppy-&s;eed</HI> which lays us &s;o often a&s;leep, <HI>a filthy heart, &s;treaming continually filthy gro&s;s va|pours,</HI> which clog and &s;eize upon our graces, and hold them pri|&s;oners as I may &s;ay for a time, that we cannot act them: But I will a little more particularly de&s;cend to &s;peak to &s;ome ca&s;es.</P>
<P>Not to &s;peak of <HI>that vindicative hand of God</HI> upon &s;ome, when in vindicative ju&s;tice <HI>he &s;endeth upon men a &s;pirit of &s;lumber, and of &s;leep;</HI> for I hardly think that is competent to the Saints, though <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11. 8.</NOTE> to hypocrites, it may; yet tho&s;e are not they, I am mainly to &s;peak to in this di&s;cour&s;e, but of other cau&s;es, And</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, A cau&s;e of it may be this, <HI>&s;loathfulne&s;s</HI> it ca&s;ts men into a deep &s;leep: It is &s;o in naturals, and it is &s;o in &s;pirituals; <HI>a &s;loath|ful</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 19. 15.</NOTE> <HI>man,</HI> that will not labour, the vapours gather, and becloud, and bemi&s;t him, that he cannot break through them, but they &s;eize upon his &s;en&s;es, and hold him pri&s;oner a great while, and if he be &s;tirred, <HI>yet a little &s;leep, a little &s;lumber, a little folding of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 24. 33.</NOTE> <HI>the hands to &s;leep,</HI> that is the &s;lothful mans gui&s;e, and as the door turns upon the hinges up and down, &s;o the &s;lothful man doth
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upon his bed, Labour and pains taking, it di&s;pels the vapours, &s;catters them, and &s;o they clear up, &s;o it is here: a <HI>&s;loathful &s;pirit</HI> is the immediate forerunner of <HI>this &s;leep;</HI> therefore the Apo&s;tle exhorts them, <HI>not &s;loathful in bu&s;ine&s;s, fervent in &s;pirit, &s;erving</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12. 11.</NOTE> <HI>the Lord.</HI> And you &s;hall finde brethren, when he that had one talent given him, he improved it not; the Lord calls him a <HI>wic|ked,</HI> and <HI>&s;loathful &s;ervant:</HI> Alas, his &s;oul was a&s;leep, and his talent laid to&s;leep in a Napkin; well this is one cau&s;e, if we have oppor|tunities in our hands to do good, and we do it not, as the Apo|&s;tle <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25. 26, 30</NOTE> exhorts us to do; we are <HI>&s;loathful.</HI> A man that is <HI>idle,</HI> &s;hall have very much ado to <HI>keep him&s;elf from &s;leeping;</HI> a won|der <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 4. 21.</NOTE> brethren, if we be not all a&s;leep, we have &s;o many opportu|nities to do good, &s;uch talents put into-our hands, <HI>&s;ome of us, mo&s;t of us,</HI> and yet do &s;o little with them.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Another cau&s;e of &s;leeping may be wearyne&s;s,</HI> you know <HI>the &s;leep of the labouring man is &s;weet;</HI> &s;o you &s;ee <HI>Si&s;era,</HI> after he <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. The&s;. 3. 13.</NOTE> was toyled and &s;pent with his <HI>fighting and flight,</HI> he was ready to lye down to &s;leep pre&s;ently&punc; &s;o brethren, it is in this ca&s;e, when we have run a while in the race that is &s;et before us, or fought a|gain&s;t our corruptions, toyled hard; if we &s;it down when weary we are a&s;leep pre&s;ently; O &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>be not weary of well-doing,</HI> if you be, you will fall a&s;leep! this we find in the ca&s;e of them in the Hebrews, they were <HI>hara&s;ed and per&s;ecuted grievou&s;|ly, their faith and patience,</HI> were even tyred out, alas their hands therefore were weak, and knees were feeble, their members began to <HI>langui&s;h, and &s;leep to &s;eize upon them.</HI> Sometimes when we toyl all night, and take nothing, we &s;pend, and are &s;pent, we are apt to be weary brethren, and then it is two to one but we fall a&s;leep; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 12.</NOTE> That is another cau&s;e of this &s;leep.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Another <HI>Cau&s;e</HI> may be <HI>the fal&s;e que&s;tions which men make, the mi&s;taking of things, a man mi&s;taking the day for the night;</HI> he &s;lumbers it may be, and thinketh it is night; or the day is not at hand he &s;leepeth; this is clear I think in the pre&s;ent ca&s;e; <HI>What made the virgins thus to give &s;leep to their eys, and &s;lumber to their eye-lids?</HI> they thought their Lord would not come yet, he de|layed his coming, and likely they thought he would do &s;o &s;till; and therefore thought they might &s;leep, or el&s;e atlea&s;t they might think, while he delayed his coming, it was no great matter whether they &s;lept or waked, it would be of little availment to
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them; and therefore they even laid them down formally to &s;leep; <HI>O how ea&s;ily are we lulled a&s;leep with &s;uch mi&s;takes as the&s;e!</HI> now how <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.</NOTE> fal&s;e was this in the mean time, for there is much to be done while he tarryes, <HI>to wayt for him;</HI> to have our <HI>lights burning,</HI> our <HI>lamps trimmed,</HI> our <HI>ornaments ready,</HI> to wait for him until he come; for we &s;hall be paid for our wayting, as well as for our our working, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12. 35, 36, 37.</NOTE> and then we &s;hould be ready to open to him whenever he comes: this another.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Another cau&s;e or occa&s;ion at lea&s;t of this &s;leeping, what is it but a letting down our fear and care; if we &s;erved the L. continually with a holy trembling as the P&s;almi&s;t cals upon us, we &s;hould hardly &s;leep, a man that hath a trembling heart, &s;leep pa&s;&s;eth from his eys; or a man that hath his head f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ll of cares, and his heart al&s;o; they will keep him waking: &s;o <HI>Jacob, his</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 31. 40.</NOTE> <HI>&s;leep departed from his eys: O the care he had of Labans &s;heep! he &s;lept not, Ah how far &s;hort</HI> are many of us, that have <HI>the charge of the &s;lock of Chri&s;t, purcha&s;ed with his precious blood,</HI> for we &s;leep, &amp; let the <HI>Wolves</HI> come, <HI>&s;leep,</HI> and let the envious man &s;ow tares. <HI>Paul,</HI> O how watchful a man washe, how diligent? <HI>he warned them</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act 26. 31. 2 Cor. 11. 28.</NOTE> <HI>night and day with tears;</HI> what was the matter? <HI>O the care of all the Churches were upon him.</HI> Why brethren, we have every one the care of our own &s;ouls; yea and of one anothers, we ought to watch over one another, &amp; tender one another; to walk fearfully le&s;t we be &s;tumbling-blocks one to another, hurt one a|nother; we are our brothers keepers, and if we have this care upon us lively of our own &s;ouls and others, it will keep us waking: <HI>The rich mans abundance will not &s;uffer him to &s;leep,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 5. 12.</NOTE> he is afraid of lo&s;ing it; a man that hath a great charge about him, and walks through woods and dangerous places, he is afraid of every one he meeteth, le&s;t he be robbed, he will hardly &s;leep: <HI>O you have precious &s;ouls to lo&s;e</HI> brethren! And &s;ome of you have grace to lo&s;e; which may in part be lo&s;t in its own nature, it is loo&s;eable; being but a creature depending continually upon a di|vine &s;upply, <HI>as the Ray upon the Sun:</HI> If there be now &s;uch a care as this, it will keep the &s;oul awake; but now if we grow confident and bold, and do not fear alway; we are then falling a&s;leep: &s;o it is, &s;ee it plainly in the Di&s;ciples that went with Chri&s;t into the <HI>garden,</HI> to behold his Agony, they were wonderfully heavy a&s;leep; the &s;oul was a&s;leep, their graces were not upon
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the wing, what was the matter? if you mind it, they were the men that above all others had been mo&s;t confident and &s;ecure, and had expre&s;&s;ed it before; <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aid, <HI>that though all men &s;hould de|ny him he would not:</HI> and when our Saviour told him, <HI>he &s;hould deny him,</HI> he was &s;o blinded with his confidence now, that he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26. 33, 34 38.</NOTE> would not believe Je&s;us Chri&s;t, but rather believed him&s;elf, and his own folly; he &s;aid he would rather dye for him, then de|ny him: Well, when it cometh to the pinch, he falls a&s;leep; <HI>Ah Peter, &s;leepe&s;t thou, thou</HI> of all other men, methinks &s;hould&s;t have waked with me, <HI>wilt thou dye with me, and yet cannot wake but fall a&s;leep?</HI> not one hour wake with me, <HI>thou,</HI> &s;uch a confident man; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">k 14. 37.</NOTE> and yet when it cometh to the pinch, <HI>fall a&s;leep?</HI> And the two &s;ons of <HI>Zebedeus</HI> with him, they were very confident, <HI>they would &s;it on the right and left hand of Chri&s;t in his kingdom, Why can you drink of the cup I am to drink of? Yea</HI> &s;ay they, <HI>we can: and be</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> 20. 20, 21 22.</NOTE> <HI>baptized with the bapti&s;m I am baptized with? yea, they could.</HI> Now tho&s;e are the men above others that are a&s;leep: Who can tell, but if &s;ome other of the Di&s;ciples that had been lower in their own thoughts, and had walkt more tremblingly before him, but they might have waked when tho&s;e &s;lept? This ano|ther.</P>
<P>Fifthly, <HI>Stupifying the head, the &s;en&s;es, with &s;ome injury,</HI> it will lay a man a&s;leep, yea more then ordinarily, into a <HI>&s;woun,</HI> &s;o that he feels nothing; as for in&s;tance, let a man have a great blow upon his head, it &s;tonyeth him, he fals a&s;leep under it, he can feel nothing; now his &s;en&s;es are lockt up, as if in a dead &s;leep; it is &s;o here, a great &s;in brethren, it &s;tupifies a mans con&s;cience, it <HI>maketh him pa&s;t feeling</HI> for the pre&s;ent in a manner; we would hardly think it, it may be we would think that men are rather apt to fall a&s;leep, that have none of tho&s;e great &s;ins, but onely of an ordinary nature; they are apt to &s;lumber, and that great &s;ins <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 12.</NOTE> would rather awaken men, and &s;tir mens Con&s;ciences; indeed it may be they may put a man to &s;ome more torment a little at pre|&s;ent, but afterward they do &s;tupifie; <HI>the deceitfulne&s;s of &s;in ma|keth hard,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, &s;pecially if it lye unrepented of a while; do you not &s;ee how <HI>David</HI> lay in a dead &s;leep a great while, upon that his fall, in the matter of <HI>&V;riah,</HI> all his &s;en&s;es <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 52. 15.</NOTE> clo&s;ed up, he could not open his mouth to &s;peak to God; <HI>O Lord open thou my lips, and my mouth &s;hall &s;hew forth thy prai&s;e:</HI> And &s;o
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<HI>Jonah his &s;in</HI> was very great, <HI>running away from God to Tar&s;hi&s;h, when he &s;ent him to Niniveh,</HI> and who more &s;leepy then he in the ve&s;&s;el? <HI>up, why &s;leepe&s;t thou, thou &s;leeper,</HI> &s;aid they; alas the poor Mariners lookt upon them&s;elves as lo&s;t men, he feared nothing, he was a&s;leep, <HI>Con&s;cience a&s;leep, Soul a&s;leep, Fear a&s;leep,</HI> he was benummed with that great blow he had given his &s;oul, he was more &s;leepy, and heavy then natural men them&s;elves; their Con|&s;ciences were &s;ooner awaked by the hand of God then his was, a fearful condition. Now be not mi&s;taken brethren, <HI>I mean</HI> not by great &s;ins, only &s;uch as are gro&s;s in our own account, but the greatne&s;s of a &s;in lies in the <HI>liking of it;</HI> indeed if there be a <HI>liking</HI> or <HI>love</HI> to a greater &s;in, it maketh it &s;o much the greater; but if there be a le&s;s &s;in, it maketh it very great, even greater then the act of another &s;in, that for the act is greater then it.</P>
<P>Sixthly, <HI>Another Cau&s;e you know is &s;urfeting and drunkenne&s;s, Exce&s;s in the u&s;e of the creatures,</HI> we u&s;e to &s;ay, <HI>loaden bellies, leaden heels, the bellies being full, the bones would have re&s;t;</HI> It is &s;o in nature, and &s;o it is with the &s;oul: <HI>Lot,</HI> when he was drunk, he fell a&s;leep, and &s;lept &s;o deeply, that his daughters played the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen&punc; 9. 33.</NOTE> harlots with him, and knew nothing neither when they ro&s;e, nor when they lay down; truly brethren, <HI>the drunkenne&s;s of the mind</HI> ca&s;ts men a&s;leep, if a man be <HI>drunk with erroneous principles of loo&s;ne&s;s,</HI> it ca&s;ts him into a &s;leep, pre&s;ently the head is giddy with it; but chiefly if a man be drunk with pa&s;&s;ions, or drink, or &s;ur|fet of the delights of the creature, abu&s;ing the world in u&s;ing of it, this was the &s;leep of the old world, they never dreamed of the flood, they believed it not at all: <HI>Why? they eat, they drink,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 17. 26, 27.</NOTE> <HI>they marryed, they gave in marriage.</HI> There is no Copulative between the words in the Text, which they call an A&s;yndeton, as if there were no di&s;tance of time between one and the other; <HI>they made it their work and bu&s;ine&s;s to give them&s;elves to the&s;e things.</HI> And &s;o it will be at the la&s;t day, when Chri&s;t &s;hall come; <HI>This is the &s;leeping then &s;urely,</HI> in a great mea&s;ure, <HI>this day came upon the fooli&s;h virgins, yea, and wi&s;e too</HI> unawares; and why might not this be a great part of their &s;leeping, or a <HI>Cau&s;e of it, they thought now they had made &s;ure of the main work,</HI> they might give them&s;elves a little more liberty then before, and might bu|&s;ie them&s;elves in the world as well as others, and &s;o were exce&s;|&s;ively
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taken up with it, and then the day of the Lord cometh un|awares. Therefore our Saviour giveth this caution, <HI>take heed</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke&punc; 12. 34.</NOTE> <HI>your hearts at any time be not overcharged with &s;urfeting and drun|kenne&s;s, and the cares of this life, and that day come upon you at un|awares. Alas men</HI> are too bu&s;ie in the world to mind the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, or to wayt for him, they are <HI>drunk;</HI> and therefore fall a&s;leep, <HI>drunk</HI> with <HI>delights,</HI> with <HI>love to the&s;e things,</HI> care about them, they have more then their load as we &s;ay of men drunk, and therefore they &s;leep. I wi&s;h this were not the &s;in of the Saints them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Seventhly, <HI>Another Cau&s;e</HI> may be <HI>the company of &s;leepy ones,</HI> this may be the ca&s;e, at lea&s;t to &s;ome, and it is not unlikely but the fooli&s;h virgins, and wi&s;e walking together; the fooli&s;h might give &s;uch an example, and the wi&s;e not wi&s;e enough to avoid: but would &s;leep for company, and &s;o it is &s;till in the vi&s;ible Church <HI>becau&s;e iniquity &s;hall abound, the love of many &s;hall wax cold,</HI> &s;ome <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24. 12.</NOTE> think this may be hinted in that place, but &s;ure it is that examples are very potent, <HI>plus vivitur exemplis,</HI> &s;pecially if a per&s;on be in repute, a man of name or renown among the Saints, a brother or a &s;i&s;ter, who&s;e prai&s;e is in the Churches if &s;uch a one as this &s;hall grow <HI>earthly</HI> and <HI>carnal,</HI> and that carnality and earthline&s;s, damp the &s;oul, and bring a deadne&s;s upon the graces, why how many wil be ready to think they may &s;ure let the rayns as loo&s;e as they, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 2. 14.</NOTE> may &s;eek after the world as well as they. <HI>Peters</HI> example you &s;ee, when he di&s;&s;en bled, what a force it had; thou compelle&s;t the Gen|tiles to live as as do the Jews, by his example he did it when the Jews came down from <HI>Jeru&s;alem;</HI> therefore <HI>David</HI> complains in|deed <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> 20. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> of the <HI>example</HI> of wicked <HI>wo is me,</HI> &amp;c. And &s;o <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> complains <HI>w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> is me, I dwell among a people of uncircumci&s;ed lips, and I am &s;uch my &s;elf;</HI> and they help it forward, but indeed the examples o&punc; loo&s;e, and cold, and &s;leepy Profe&s;&s;ors are <HI>more mi&s;chievous,</HI> e&s;pecially <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">am. 6. 5.</NOTE> if they have been more <HI>lively,</HI> and <HI>in&s;en&s;ibly</HI> decline, and decay, becau&s;e, we have the le&s;s &s;u&s;picion of them; and therefore <HI>they</HI> are notable <HI>quench-coals</HI> indeed. This is another ground.</P>
<P>Eighthly, And the la&s;t I &s;hall &s;peak to &s;hall be this, from all the former, <HI>When the Lord his holy &s;pirit is grieved by all the&s;e,</HI> he withdraweth <HI>his &s;pirit,</HI> and then we <HI>fall fa&s;t a&s;leep,</HI> and alas if a man be waked out of a dead &s;leep, except there be one watching by him, or one that hath a Lethargical di&s;temper apt to prevail
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upon him, except he hath &s;ome to &s;it by him to keep him awake, he falls a&s;leep; <HI>and &s;uch pains is the holy Spirit at, &s;itting up with us to keep us awake;</HI> Now if we do grieve him, and he depart from us, pre&s;ently deep &s;leep fals upon us like an armed man, and we cannot re&s;i&s;t, &s;o the Di&s;ciples had grieved the &s;pirit of God by their &s;elf-confidence, nothing more; and therefore he leaveth them: well, he will &s;ee what the end of this their tru&s;ting in lyes will do, and he letteth them fall again, and again, and you &s;ee how woful &s;leepy and drow&s;ie they were, <HI>they could not watch one hour,</HI> they fell a&s;leep again and again, three times after a|nother, though they were &s;harply reproved for it, they were prickt, and provoked to awake, but it would not do; alas, the <HI>Spirit was withdrawn from them:</HI> Thus much &s;hall &s;erve for the Arguments.</P>
<P>For the U&s;e then brethren in the fir&s;t place, <HI>May it not</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> <HI>&s;erve to humble us,</HI> &s;urely this is one end of Gods leaving his peo|ple to &s;uch a drow&s;ie frame, that they may be humbled; as it was in the ca&s;e of his Di&s;ciples, he would make them know how weak they were, if he did but depart from them, as confident as they were; how &s;hould we be a&s;hamed of our &s;elves? as a &s;ervant when he &s;leepeth, when he &s;hould be about his bu&s;ine&s;s, and is reproved for it; alas, he is confounded, he hath nothing to &s;ay for him&s;elf, &s;o the Di&s;ciples, <HI>they wi&s;t not what to &s;ay,</HI> &s;aith the Text, What, are you now &s;aith our Saviour, a&s;leep? now, when it is a time to exerci&s;e your graces, and to pray if ever you will pray, are you now a&s;leep? <HI>He that &s;leepeth in harve&s;t, is a &s;on</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">k 14. 40.</NOTE> <HI>that cau&s;eth &s;hame to him&s;elf and others,</HI> it is a time of work, and to be lazing and drow&s;ing upon the bed, it is a very &s;hameful thing indeed.</P>
<P>O that the Lord would lay this as a <HI>Plai&s;ter</HI> upon our <HI>Souls,</HI> as <HI>many as are drow&s;ie,</HI> or have been drow&s;ie, or &s;leepy, to hold the <HI>Plai&s;ter on;</HI> though it be a &s;marting <HI>plai&s;ter,</HI> yet better it is for us to have &s;ome &s;mart, then to dye of the <HI>Lethargy,</HI> better be cupped and &s;carified, and anything: Ah, when God cures &s;in by &s;in, it is a &s;marting cure, like the curing of a poy&s;oned wound, with more poy&s;on, or fetching out of fire with more fire, where|in the &s;everene&s;s of the Phy&s;ician appeareth, and his love to us, who had rather we &s;hould &s;mart then dye; well, be <HI>humbled for
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what we have done,</HI> if this work be &s;ome &s;mart unto us, our many &s;leepy Sermons, Prayers, &s;loathfulne&s;s, &s;ecurity, we have been; and it is well if we be not upon our beds now, this very day, if our &s;ouls be not a&s;leep: If you be, the Lord humble you for it, as he humbled his own Di&s;ciples, that this may be your care.</P>
<P>But not onely &s;o, <HI>But let us all take notice of, and be humbled for our great pronene&s;s to &s;lumber, and &s;leep. Water the root</HI> bre|thren: If we be awake, and have not lately been overtaken, yet remember <HI>we have the root within us,</HI> water that with our tears, be humbled before the Lord for it, yea labour we to walk continual|ly humble before the Lord for the &s;ight and &s;en&s;e of it; it will ap|pear how apt we are to fall a&s;leep, if we con&s;ider that whatever our condition is, we are apt to it. <HI>For a pro&s;perous &s;tate,</HI> this is like a rocking, and &s;inging to the &s;oul; how quickly did the Church fall a&s;leep in <HI>Con&s;tantine</HI> his days, in his lap, and the child in the mothers lap, <HI>Outward pro&s;perity,</HI> inward pro&s;perity. Was not <HI>David</HI> &s;lumbring when he &s;aid, I &s;hall never be moved; and &s;o <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 29 18. P&s;al. 30 6.</NOTE> <HI>Iob, I &s;aid I &s;hould dye in my ne&s;t;</HI> what not onely when he had an outward flouri&s;hing condition, but when he had &s;uch a &s;trength of grace, as to inable him to do much for God, to walk upright|ly with him, to be fruitful in good works, <HI>then, I &s;hall dye in my ne&s;t, I &s;hall multiply my days as the &s;and,</HI> he was even going then: O this is matter of humbling indeed brethren, that when we &s;hould be putting forth the fruits of his love unto our &s;ouls, we &s;hould drop a&s;leep!</P>
<P>But then a man would think this is more natural now, to fall a&s;leep in the Sun &s;hine, and in the mid&s;t of the &s;weet refre&s;hings of the &s;pirit of God, <HI>as mu&s;ick and delightful things,</HI> which do <HI>mulcere,</HI> they do per&s;wade &s;leep, if we have not &s;omewhat to keep awake. But a man would think now that an <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">our of trouble and affliction (except it be &s;o great as to &s;tupifie it) &s;hould rather <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 77. 3.</NOTE> keep a man awaking, as the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>thou hold&s;t me waking,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>in the night:</HI> Now the Di&s;ciples, they were in an hour of <HI>temptation,</HI> and a great grief, and trouble, and though they knew now their Lord was ready to depart from them, and now <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 22. 45.</NOTE> entering upon his agony: <HI>yet</HI> alas how dead, and lumpi&s;h were they? <HI>they fell a&s;leep:</HI> though there may be &s;ome natural cau&s;e for grief of the &s;oul, to make the body heavy, as it &s;eemeth to be ren|dered as a rea&s;on; <HI>for they were &s;ad, they were heavy with grief.</HI>
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Yet methinks this &s;hould &s;o much the more have quickned their &s;pirits; But alas brethren, we are even &s;o prone to &s;leep, that if the &s;pirit of the Lord do not watch with us continually to keep us awake, we &s;hall &s;leep, if it be on the top of a Ma&s;t: <HI>Little dream men!</HI> And this is the ca&s;e of us all, as you &s;ee in <HI>Ionas;</HI> O that this were much upon us, that God would humble us for this, the very inclination of our hearts to &s;lumber, and &s;leep, and lazine&s;s, whereby he is robbed of his glory, and our &s;ouls much of our comfort, and the profit we might gain, as will afterward appear.</P>
<P>A little further to amplifie this U&s;e: Surely brethren, <HI>It is mat|ter of great mourning to look upon the &s;ad effects of mens &s;leeping among us,</HI> look without us, look within us, look into the <HI>Church,</HI> look into our <HI>Families,</HI> look into our own <HI>hearts,</HI> and do you not finde brethren, that generally there hath been a &s;leeping, O <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 24. 30.</NOTE> the Lord reprove us for it, and &s;hame us out of it, as he did his own Di&s;ciples! Is not the Church of Chri&s;t, the Vineyard of the Lover-run with Weeds, with Nettles, and Hemlocks, and poy&s;o|nous weeds which do even kil the good plants? When was <HI>the face of this field, the Church of Chri&s;t in England and Ireland,</HI> &s;o over-grown with &s;uch weeds, when was there &s;uch a face of things? It is true, it is not long &s;ince the <HI>Wilde-Boars of the Wood</HI> did wa&s;t, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 80. 13.</NOTE> and &s;uch as would have pluckt, and rooted it up, and laid it wa&s;te, had not the Lord wounded them; but now, how doth it &s;warm with <HI>little Foxes</HI> that &s;poyl the Vines, which <HI>have tender grapes;</HI> and is there much difference between plucking up a Corn field by <NOTE PLACE="marg">Caut. 2. 15.</NOTE> the roots, and letting it be over-grown with weeds unto chaok|ing! How cometh this to pa&s;s? Surely brethren, the rea&s;on is becau&s;e we have &s;lept, <HI>While men &s;lept the enemy did this: Magi|&s;trates, who are the keepers of the Lord his Vineyard, they have &s;lept</HI> &s;urely, the good Lord pardon it, and open their eys, they have not <HI>kept the Vineyard,</HI> but expo&s;ed it to the evil man to do what he would in it: they have drunk in that un&s;ound principle many of them, <HI>that they have nothing to do about the Church and Kingdom of Chri&s;t;</HI> and this like a poy&s;on of <HI>Poppy</HI> or <HI>Opium,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 1. 6.<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> hath laid them fa&s;t a&s;leep as to this; if God had not watched over his Vineyard, better then men that have the charge of it, what had become of it before this? Were it not a &s;ad thing think you for a nur&s;ing father to have no more care of his Charge, then to
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let any one who would come into the <HI>Nur&s;ery,</HI> go in and out, and bring what poy&s;on he would with him, and give it when, or to whom he plea&s;ed; would this be a di&s;charge of his duty? this <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 49. 23.</NOTE> is a &s;ad nur&s;ing. Well, &s;ure I am, <HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> are <HI>Nur&s;ing fa|thers,</HI> and ought to be &s;o, and if it be not their duty as much to hinder the poy&s;oning, as <HI>to further the feeding of the Church,</HI> I do not under&s;tand. Well, they have &s;lept, they have not kept the Vineyards of the Lord.</P>
<P>For <HI>Mini&s;ters, they have &s;lept al&s;o &s;urely,</HI> they have not been &s;o diligent, they have not &s;een afar off when the evil hath been com|ing, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13. 25.</NOTE> and given warning of it; O how did <HI>Paul</HI> warn the people day and night with tears! for he knew that after his departure <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 20. 31.</NOTE> grievous Wolves would come in; where hath there been almo&s;t, &s;uch a &s;pirit as this of <HI>Paul?</HI> doubtle&s;s brethren, there have been &s;ome <HI>who have &s;tood in the watch-Tower,</HI> and have &s;een <HI>the&s;e things and have blown the Trumpet.</HI> O but there hath not been <HI>that ten|derne&s;s of doing of it,</HI> it hath not been done in that lively manner as it &s;hould be, it may be if there had been more mourning in &s;e|cret then for the&s;e things, if they would not hear, it might have been otherwi&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>And have not the people of God been to blame,</HI> are not they <HI>the remembrancers of God as well as his Mini&s;ters, yea that make menti|on</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 62. 6.</NOTE> <HI>of the Lord,</HI> or are <HI>his remembrancers, and have not they &s;lept, while men &s;lept,</HI> the enemy hath done this, Indeed we are apt to eye the mi&s;carriages of others, and impute the &s;ad condition of the Churches to this per&s;on, and that per&s;on, to the <HI>male admini|&s;tration</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 8. 6.</NOTE> <HI>of Magi&s;tracy and Mini&s;try,</HI> and &s;urely they are not ex|cu&s;able before the Lord, but all this while we forget <HI>to &s;mite upon our thighs, and cry out, Ah what have we done?</HI> that the Vine|yard of the <HI>Lord Ie&s;us</HI> is thus overgrown with weeds; <HI>have we not given the Lord re&s;t?</HI> he would have us give him no re&s;t, we have let him alone, that is to &s;ay, we have not even wearyed him with our complaints, our &s;ighs, and tears, and groans, and pray|ers of faith; whence doth deliverance come u&s;ually but from the prayers of &s;uch as are Princes with God, it may be &s;ometimes we pray a little, and &s;ometimes are affected with it; but we fall a|&s;leep again, and give the Lord re&s;t, <HI>hath not he the hearts of Ma|gi&s;trates in his hands,</HI> and cannot he turn them as the Rivers of water, whither&s;oever he will? and &s;o the <HI>hearts of Mini&s;ters,</HI> can
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he not giue them &s;uch a &s;pirit, as day and night <HI>to warn the peo|ple with tears:</HI> O &s;urely, if we did &s;peak le&s;s to men, then &s;ome|times we do happily, and <HI>more</HI> to God, it might do better. But then the <HI>Prayers of Faith are wanting,</HI> we are ready to de&s;pond; our hands hang down when our hopes are not lively, and there|fore no marvel if iniquity abound and prevail: <HI>&s;urely</HI> brethren, there is a general <HI>&s;leeping</HI> among us.</P>
<P><HI>The &s;ad effects in our own Families:</HI> what &s;ad work is there many times, and all for want of <HI>watching? Parents a&s;leep, Ma&s;ters a&s;leep,</HI> act not their <HI>Faith</HI> in <HI>Prayer:</HI> for their in a relations, it may be, and therefore they mi&s;carry many of them manner. But to come nearer, Alas brethren <HI>in our own &s;ouls,</HI> what a &s;trang temper are we in many times, not fit for any thing! O how doth Corruption grow upon us as <HI>pride,</HI> and <HI>pa&s;&s;ion,</HI> and <HI>Earthline&s;s,</HI> and what is the rea&s;on? <HI>we &s;leep,</HI> but though we <HI>&s;leep, Satan</HI> never <HI>&s;leepeth?</HI> O how doth he watch &s;uch an op|portunity to water his plants in our hearts when we are a&s;leep? alas, can we tell how often brethren, <HI>we have lo&s;t our frame of heart when the Lord hath humbled, and melted, and enlarged our &s;ouls,</HI> Our <HI>Wine</HI> is quickly turned into <HI>water</HI> again, and we know not how we lo&s;t it: Surely brethren, <HI>we were a&s;leep,</HI> and then what &s;ad Lamentings there are after the Lord again, till we come to our &s;elves? <HI>Well,</HI> the Lord make us &s;en&s;ible of it, both for our <HI>own &s;ouls,</HI> and <HI>for the Churches of Chri&s;t:</HI> If the Lord <HI>Ie&s;us</HI> &s;hould come to us brethren, as he did to his <HI>Di&s;ciples,</HI> now and <HI>reprove us, and ask us; what are ye all a&s;leep, could ye not watch with me one little while?</HI> How comes it to pa&s;s that your <HI>Churches,</HI> your <HI>Families,</HI> your hearts are <HI>&s;o choakt with tares and weeds?</HI> What could we an&s;wer him, &s;hould we have a word to &s;ay for our &s;elves? <HI>well</HI> the Lord affect our hearts with it: &s;o much for this <HI>&V;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The next u&s;e of the point &s;hall be a di&s;tingui&s;hing word between</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 2.</NOTE> <HI>the &s;leep of Formali&s;ts,</HI> &s;inners, and the <HI>&s;leep</HI> which is <HI>incident</HI> to the Saints, <HI>the people</HI> of God: <HI>the wi&s;e Virgins &s;lept their &s;leep,</HI> and the <HI>fooli&s;h theirs:</HI> and however in the expre&s;&s;ion there &s;eems to be no difference, yet there is a difference &s;ure between them to be found; for it may be, this may trouble &s;ome poor &s;ouls; who may think becau&s;e they <HI>&s;leep,</HI> therefore <HI>they are</HI> &s;urely of the
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<HI>fooli&s;h Virgins:</HI> And others may be emboldned, and their hands &s;trengthened: <HI>What the be&s;t &s;leep</HI> as well as others, therefore though this be my Condition, yet all <HI>&s;hall be well:</HI> I would therefore add a word, or two to this.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t, Then remember this: Sinners at the be&s;t, and Hypocrites at the be&s;t, their hearts are a&s;leep,</HI> and the <HI>Saints</HI> at the wor&s;t, <HI>their hearts are awake;</HI> indeed in naturals we u&s;e to &s;ay, when a per&s;on is ready to drop <HI>a&s;leep,</HI> his <HI>heart</HI> is <HI>a&s;leep</HI> already, but it is not &s;o in Spirituals with the people of God: <HI>Judas</HI> when he was at the be&s;t that ever he was, before he di&s;covered his covetou&s;ne&s;s in the bu&s;ine&s;s of the poor, he was un&s;ound at the <HI>heart,</HI> his <HI>heart</HI> was dead, indeed it is a <HI>dead &s;leep</HI> that is upon their <HI>hearts;</HI> and <HI>yet</HI> he walkt up and down, as men in a deep <HI>&s;leep</HI> &s;ometimes will do in a &s;trange manner, but his <HI>heart</HI> was <HI>a&s;leep;</HI> Now <HI>Peter</HI> he he fell a&s;leep too in the matter of his denial of Chri&s;t, but his <HI>heart</HI> was awake: though the <HI>&s;en&s;es</HI> were clo&s;ed up for a time, yet when the <HI>Son of righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> broke forth upon him, lookt upon him, you &s;ee he pre&s;ently waked; <HI>&s;o</HI> the <HI>Church, I &s;leep, but my heart wakes;</HI> in the deepe&s;t <HI>&s;leep</HI> of the <HI>Church</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> the <HI>heart</HI> is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 5. 2.</NOTE> awake, there are divers apprehen&s;ions of this; Some under&s;tand it thus, <HI>I &s;leep, but my heart wakes,</HI> that is to &s;ay, <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> who is as the <HI>heart</HI> to the <HI>Church,</HI> the <HI>&s;eal of life, and vital &s;pirits, he wakes,</HI> or el&s;e taking the <HI>Church Collectively, &s;he &s;leepeth,</HI> but the <HI>heart waketh,</HI> that is to &s;ay, <HI>&s;he</HI> may mi&s;carry in &s;ome le&s;&s;er matters as <HI>External,</HI> but in the <HI>main,</HI> the <HI>fundamentals,</HI> the <HI>heart of religion,</HI> in <HI>that</HI> &s;he never fals altogether. But we &s;hall &s;peak to it as it re&s;pects par|ticular per&s;ons as wel as the general, as doubtle&s;s it doth: <HI>I &s;leep, but my heart waketh: the Church was Lazy, and drou&s;ie, &s;lumbred and &s;lept,</HI> but <HI>yet</HI> not &s;o: but that the <HI>heart</HI> was awake, it was not a dead <HI>&s;leep,</HI> and this will appear if we con&s;ider two or three things.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>The Church then hath a Con&s;cience not altogether pa&s;t feel|ing but in fome mea&s;ure awakened: and then 2. The will and af|fections not altogether lo&s;t and gone in &s;uch a Condition. 1. Then</HI> the <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> that hath <HI>yet</HI> &s;ome &s;tirring, and that will ap|pear: becau&s;e, 1. <HI>The Church here knew the voice of her beloved even when &s;he was a&s;leep,</HI> when he came, and <HI>called to her my love, my dove, my undefiled open to me:</HI> She now <HI>knew the voice of Chri&s;t,</HI> &s;o, many a drou&s;ie &s;oul that is &s;lumbering and &s;leep|ing, knoweth the hints and motions of the Spirit which he hath,
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but alas hath not power to <HI>obey:</HI> for <HI>&s;leep</HI> hath &s;o overcome them, &s;ecurity hath &s;o &s;eized upon them, that though they hear, yet they do not, as me thinks in that very bu&s;ine&s;s of <HI>Je|ho&s;hai,</HI> which I have thought &s;trange of, when his <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> was awake, he would hear the <HI>voice</HI> of the Lord: in <HI>Micah,</HI> he <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 22. 29.</NOTE> thought all the re&s;t of the Prophets of <HI>Baal</HI> were fal&s;e, he would have the Word of the Lord from the mouth of a true Prophet; a man would have thought now he &s;hould have done it pre&s;ently, being an upright hearted man al&s;o, no: yet if you read the text, you &s;hall find he went with <HI>Ahab</HI> notwi&s;tanding: <HI>here</HI> he had a <HI>Con&s;cience awake</HI> plainly, but yet he did not obey: he was &s;o far engaged now to <HI>Ahab,</HI> not only in affinity, but his word was out, and his honour at &s;take: and though Con|&s;cience likely might <HI>check</HI> him for the thing, as well as put him on to enquire of a true Prophet, <HI>yet</HI> tho&s;e Lu&s;ts now, <HI>love</HI> to his own honour, and carnal intere&s;t, and affection laid him <HI>a&s;leep,</HI> he went up notwith&s;tanding, well this is the ca&s;e in this place. <HI>Can</HI> we not many of us &s;et our <HI>&s;eals</HI> to this truth? how often in a fit of &s;ecurity have we had Convictions and Checks? we have heard the voice of Chri&s;t: <HI>open to me my love,</HI> let my word have roo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> in thee, this thou do&s;t is not plea&s;ing to me; O <HI>why wilt thou &s;hut me out,</HI> &amp; <HI>deal</HI> &s;o unkindly with me, &amp; yet your per&s;ons <HI>a&s;leep?</HI> though we hear many things, we heed them not much: but turn upon our beds, as the door upon the hinges, and cannot get off.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Con&s;cience</HI> is &s;o awake u&s;ually in the people of God, as to <HI>tell them they are a&s;leep,</HI> they have &s;omewhat &s;ecretly whi&s;per|ing them in the <HI>ears,</HI> that they are not in the <HI>right way,</HI> they are &s;lothful or &s;luggi&s;h. <HI>David</HI> I think was in a deep <HI>a &s;leep,</HI> as any that we read of, yet I can hardly think but <HI>David</HI> had this within him &s;ome grudgings and mi&s;givings, that all was not well with him at that time: But becau&s;e happily this may be common to <HI>them with Hopocrites</HI> except they be very fa&s;t <HI>a&s;leep,</HI> indeed, therefore I will rather in&s;i&s;t upon the third.</P>
<P N="3">3. I &s;ay u&s;ually the People of God as they know they are <HI>a&s;leep,</HI> when they are <HI>a&s;leep, &s;o they complain of it,</HI> they re&s;t not; &s;o que&s;tionle&s;s &s;inners do u&s;ually, there is nothing di&s;turbeth them, &s;o far as to complain of it: <HI>I &s;leep</HI> &s;aith the <HI>Church, but my heart is awake,</HI> it appeared the heart was awake indeed, becau&s;e <HI>&s;he complained</HI> of it, as a man that is droufre, and
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cannot keep his eyes open, he naps and nods it may be, and wakeneth again; or if he apprehend him&s;elf in danger, to have any pre&s;&s;ing bu&s;ine&s;s upon him: if he <HI>&s;leep</HI> longer it is unquietly, his mind is troubled with the thing, and it wakes him often, and he would&s;hake it off, but cannot: <HI>laborio&s;ius dormiunt quam vi|gilant:</HI> &s;aith one, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o our <HI>Annot.</HI> So the <HI>Con&s;cience&punc;</HI> might then when <HI>a&s;leep, la&s;h them:</HI> &s;tir them up many times, tel them, they do ami&s;s, prick them for it, Nowan <HI>Hypocrite</HI> will hardly com|plain of his &s;leepine&s;s, not in reality, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">f it be a practice that may <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">et him off with men to be <HI>whining</HI> and <HI>complaining,</HI> he will com|plain happily more to men, then to the Lord; but this poor Creature that <HI>&s;ears</HI> the Lord: his <HI>&s;leep,</HI> O it lieth like <HI>lead</HI> at his <HI>heart,</HI> he groans under it!</P>
<P>But then for the <HI>Will</HI> that al&s;o is awake in part, when a Child of God &s;leepeth: It was &s;o with <HI>Paul, the thing I would not,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 15. 19.</NOTE> <HI>that I do;</HI> this is mo&s;t evident in their <HI>&s;lumberings, they</HI> take a <HI>Nod,</HI> and then up again, and would <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ake it on: they would rather be doing the will of the Lord, then thus <HI>lazing</HI> and <HI>&s;leeping.</HI> But now many a <HI>Hypocrite</HI> a <HI>formal profe&s;&s;or;</HI> he &s;leepeth, and he loveth to &s;leep, whether he &s;leep, or whether he wake u&s;ual|ly it is all one to him, whether lively, or dead, in the &s;ervice of God, &s;o be it: he doth his task, for the manner of it, he heedeth it not much: but the Child of God would not <HI>&s;leep,</HI> though he be overtaken with it, it is again&s;t his will.</P>
<P><HI>Yet</HI> 2. I will not &s;ay, but the <HI>Will</HI> of a Child of God may be in fault &s;ometimes in part too, and how great a part is hard to &s;ay: as the <HI>Church</HI> &s;he lies <HI>&s;leeping</HI> upon her bed, it appears <HI>her Will</HI> was too blame: for &s;he did as <HI>as I may &s;ay,</HI> &s;et her &s;elf to <HI>&s;leep</HI> compo&s;ed her &s;elf, as men u&s;e to do that would <HI>&s;leep, lye down, put off their cloaths, &s;eparate them&s;elves from thoughts</HI> which might di&s;turb them, <HI>wink with the eyes,</HI> they would <HI>&s;leep:</HI> &s;o the <HI>Church</HI> here had put off her Clothes, and <HI>wa&s;hed</HI> her <HI>feet, that</HI> was a cu&s;tom in the <HI>hot Countries.</HI> before they went to re&s;t, and lay upon the bed: Now by this it appears that &s;he was <HI>willing to &s;leep: yea,</HI> when the <HI>Lord Je&s;us</HI> called upon her to <HI>ari&s;e,</HI> &s;ee how many frivolous excu&s;es &s;he had, as if &s;he could not put on her Clothes again, and could not defile her <HI>feet</HI> again, as if it would be a defilement to her to come to <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> Some think it is meant of &s;ome declining from the doctrine of Ju&s;tifi|cation
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by Chri&s;t only, <HI>She had wa&s;hed her &s;elf,</HI> and now to come to Chri&s;t only, would be a defiling of her. But happily it is on|ly accommodated to the &s;imilitude: A Boy when he is Ioth to ri&s;e, how many excu&s;es will he have; he wants this, and that, and twenty things; &s;o very ingenious are we, when the will &s;etteth the under&s;tanding a work indeed, to find out excu|&s;es: <HI>&s;o</HI> the <HI>People</HI> of God how loth they are to come to it, through the hypocri&s;y of the heart: when God had rou&s;ed <HI>David,</HI> he had a <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 32.</NOTE> mind to &s;leep &s;till, he was loth to come to confe&s;s his &s;in: but God would not let him alone, prickt him up, until he was &s;o &s;ore galled and wounded, he cryeth out <HI>in the di&s;quietne&s;s of his &s;oul,</HI> and yet would not up: I &s;ay the Children of God may be <HI>faulty in his will</HI> in a great part, <HI>yet</HI> afterward u&s;ually it co&s;ts them heart &s;mart for it; as it did the <HI>Spou&s;e</HI> here, of which afterward. Now an Hypocrite his will is fully engaged u&s;ually, though he may have &s;ome <HI>Convictions</HI> of Con&s;cience, <HI>yet</HI> the <HI>Will</HI> is to &s;in: <HI>Yet a little &s;leep, a little &s;lumber, a little folding of the hands to &s;leep,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 4. 23.</NOTE> he &s;triveth not again&s;t it, but yieldeth up to <HI>&s;leep,</HI> and is again&s;t them who would awake him out of it, rather then again&s;t him|&s;elf for &s;leeping. And though a Child of God, that is but in part willing to &s;leep, may at pre&s;ent not take it &s;o well, until he be throughly awaked, of a man that &s;hould rou&s;e him up, yet afterward he will count &s;uch a man his greate&s;t friend: well then, <HI>here</HI> is the fir&s;t thing, <HI>Hypocrites at the be&s;t their hearts are a&s;leep;</HI> as the Saints are not, but at the <HI>be&s;t</HI> they are <HI>lively,</HI> their <HI>Wills</HI> are-<HI>&s;tirring:</HI> and the <HI>Saints</HI> at the <HI>wor&s;t,</HI> their <HI>hearts</HI> are <HI>awake</HI> more or le&s;s, though the <HI>Hypocrites hearts</HI> be <HI>a&s;leep</HI> So then, the <HI>Hypocrites &s;leep</HI> when he &s;leepeth, is a through &s;leep, <HI>&s;en&s;es, and heart,</HI> and all, inward and outward and all: the <HI>Saints,</HI> their &s;leep is but outward, they have &s;omewhat alive within, <HI>the &s;eed of God abideth within them,</HI> which keepeth them from &s;uch a deadly &s;leep. <HI>Hypocrites</HI> can &s;leep no further then <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 3. 9.</NOTE> they were awaked before, and that they do u&s;ually altogether: now their hearts were never awaked throughly: but the Child of God doth not &s;leep &s;o far as he was awaked, that is to &s;ay, all that was awaked doth not fall a&s;leep again.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Another Difference may be this; <HI>The one &s;leepeth not, until he hath gotten the main work in &s;ome mea&s;ure made &s;ure,</HI> gotten <HI>oyl</HI> in the <HI>ve&s;&s;el:</HI> the <HI>wi&s;e Virgins</HI> would not &s;leep until
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they had <HI>oyl</HI> in their <HI>ve&s;&s;els;</HI> then happily they might think, though they &s;hould nap a little, they had that <HI>Cru&s;e</HI> of <HI>oyl</HI> which would not fail, their <HI>Lamps</HI> would not go out in ob&s;cure darkne&s;s, which yet was dangerous pre&s;umption. But now the <HI>fooli&s;h Virgin</HI> &s;leepeth, and &s;oundly too, though &s;he had no <HI>oyl</HI> at all in the ve&s;&s;el: <HI>Ah dear friends!</HI> that is a &s;ad &s;ign, when a man can fall fa&s;t <HI>a&s;leep,</HI> and knoweth not but that he is in the hands of his enemy, and before he awakes, a &s;word may be in his bowels; when men can give &s;leep to their eyes, and <HI>&s;lumber</HI> to their eye-lids, I mean, be as deep in &s;ecurity, and lazy, and li&s;tle&s;s as any, though they have no <HI>Chri&s;t in them the hope of glory, but in the gall of bitterne&s;s and bond of iniquity,</HI> this is a <HI>Hypocrite</HI> in|deed. Now a Child of God happily may at the beginnings of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 2. 16.</NOTE> grace <HI>nap</HI> and <HI>nod,</HI> and happily &s;ometimes fall <HI>a&s;leep,</HI> I will not &s;ay it cannot be &s;o, but I think ordinarily it is not &s;o: for you have it in the Scripture all along, when once tho&s;e in <HI>Acts</HI> 2. and the <HI>Jaylor</HI> were awaked, and &s;aw where they were, even in their blood, did they &s;leep again, until they had &s;ome a&s;&s;urance of their Conditions? <HI>No:</HI> O they run up and down as men in a trembling frame, <HI>O what &s;hall we do? what &s;hall we do? is there no hope for us? no healing by this Je&s;us whom we wounded? no &s;al|vation by this Je&s;us whom we have made away?</HI> and u&s;ually, truly Brethren; I do think that as it is with <HI>&s;in,</HI> the <HI>weaker</HI> it is when it &s;truggles for life, (as it is with all other things) and hath little life in it, is ready to dye, it &s;triveth and &s;trugleth &s;o &s;trongly as if it were nothing but life, <HI>mor&s;us morientium:</HI> &s;o when life is little and weak, it is &s;o earne&s;t for the increa&s;e of it &s;elf, and &s;trengthening it &s;elf, that it appears to be all life, and none more vigilant and lively u&s;ually then <HI>young Chri&s;tians;</HI> their life is little and <HI>young,</HI> and therefore as <HI>young</HI> Children, they would&punc; be alway at the brea&s;t. So it is here.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> another difference may be this, <HI>that though both their &s;leeping may be alike di&s;honourable to Chri&s;t among men who take notice of it, yet the one is not &s;o dangerous as the other:</HI> this fol|loweth upon the former, which may indeed rather &s;erve as to prick, to &s;tir and rou&s;e up men then, as a <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>to judge of our &s;leeping.</HI> The Hypocrite maketh as glorious a profe&s;&s;ion as the <HI>Saint,</HI> &s;eemeth to be as active, and &s;tirring, and vigilant as any, as who &s;eemed more awake then <HI>Judas</HI> when he pleadeth for the
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poor, <HI>yet</HI> alas, God knew the bottom of the bu&s;ine&s;s: but I &s;ay, <HI>they making</HI> &s;uch a profe&s;&s;ion now when they fall a&s;leep, it is as much to the di&s;honour of God, as if a real Saint do fall <HI>a&s;leep,</HI> as now for in&s;tance, &s;uppo&s;e two, <HI>one wi&s;e, one fooli&s;h,</HI> they fall into &s;ome <HI>giddy opinion</HI> of the times, O <HI>let him that thinketh he &s;tand|eth take heed le&s;t he fall!</HI> or el&s;e both grow worldly, co|vetous, griping, or vain, indeed ca&s;t off the ways of Gods wor|&s;hip, the great Apo&s;tacy of our times. Now I &s;ay, this is alike di&s;honourable to God: but it is not alike <HI>dangerous,</HI> for the one he &s;leepeth, and his &s;leep proveth the <HI>&s;leep of death,</HI> as the <HI>fooli&s;h Virgins</HI> did; for though they were rou&s;ed with the <HI>Cry,</HI> Con|&s;cience was a waked it may be, <HI>yet</HI> their <HI>hearts</HI> were never rou&s;ed up out of their &s;leep; they were <HI>dead-hearted</HI> from the begin|ning, and &s;o they remained: <HI>they never did ari&s;e from the dead, that Chri&s;t might give them life:</HI> the one when he waketh, hath <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ep he&s;. 5. 14.</NOTE> neither <HI>oyl</HI> nor <HI>Lamp,</HI> neither <HI>reality</HI> nor <HI>profe&s;&s;ion,</HI> the other hath both; though the <HI>Lamp</HI> want triming, there is not that <HI>lively expre&s;&s;ion</HI> of <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> in their <HI>Conver&s;ations</HI> as &s;hould be, and therefore the <HI>light</HI> needeth <HI>&s;nuffing; the</HI> one hath the root under ground: but the other neither root, nor branches: &s;o that you &s;ee there is a difference between the &s;leeping of the Child of God, and the &s;on of Satan, the <HI>wi&s;e,</HI> and the <HI>fooli&s;h Virgins.</HI></P>
<P><HI>The third &V;&s;e</HI> of the Doctrine may be this; If &s;o be the <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 3.</NOTE> people of God may thus &s;leep; <HI>Then</HI> brethren, It may be a <HI>warn|ing</HI> word to us all, to <HI>take heed</HI> of it, to avoid it, if it fall upon us, I mean the people of God, it will prove bitterne&s;s in the latter end. Do you believe this, that you are lyable as well as others to &s;leep? that you have the &s;eed within, you have tho&s;e Lu&s;ts, &s;uch foul hearts, which with their &s;team, are in danger to benight you every morning, every day: do you believe this? and do you believe it is a part of folly, the folly of the <HI>wi&s;e Virgins,</HI> to &s;leep? what need more to be &s;aid to you concerning the&s;e things? will not you avoid that which you judge evil?</P>
<P><HI>But becau&s;e we have to do with poor &s;leepy Creatures, who&s;e &s;ouls it may be are roady to drop a&s;leep, even when they are hearing this,</HI> let me a little &s;ot it on, the Lord make the impre&s;&s;ion by his own &s;pirit, and bore your ears, &amp; &s;eal in&s;truction to all our hearts.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Then con&s;ider brethren,</HI> that <HI>if once we fall a&s;leep, we lo&s;e our
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di&s;cerning between good and evil</HI> in a great mea&s;ure: the Saints that are of experience; <HI>they have their fen&s;es exerci&s;ed to di&s;cern between</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 5. 14.</NOTE> <HI>good and evil:</HI> you may happily wake in your &s;leep, but your eyes are &s;hut, brethren, and it is a wonder of mercy, if you do not da&s;h your &s;elves to pieces upon this rock of offence, or that rock of offence, this &s;tone of &s;tumbling, &amp;c. as men in their &s;leep &s;ometimes will get up, and climb indeed to the top of the hou&s;e, and are they not in great danger of breaking their necks? would you not pitty &s;uch a man? O &s;uch is the Condition of a Child of God that hath a &s;leepy &s;oul, a &s;oul in a deep &s;leep: <HI>thou wilt be ready to judge evil good; and good evil: Jonah</HI> his &s;oul was <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ionah 49.</NOTE> a&s;leep, that &s;in of his laid him a&s;leep, though a good man: and do you not know how &s;adly he mi&s;&s;ed it? <HI>I do well to be angry, yea even to the death:</HI> what could <HI>Gain</HI> almo&s;t have &s;aid wor&s;e then he did, in this fit? A man in a &s;leep cannot di&s;cern light from darkne&s;s, neither of ta&s;ts, nor &s;mels, all is one to him; when once <HI>Peter</HI> was a&s;leep, he could deny and for&s;wear the Lord-Je&s;us: <HI>David</HI> in a &s;leep he cannot di&s;cern between the chance of war&punc; and down-right murther; between &s;hewing kindne&s;s to his faithful &s;ervant, one of his worthies in <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and making his Neighbour drunk, a &s;ad Condition! <HI>A&s;a</HI> in &s;uch a time when he was a&s;leep, as appears clearly a little before, his <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 16. 10.</NOTE> <HI>&s;aith</HI> was lively, and he could relie upon God for the ruin of the <HI>Ethiopians, Lybians,</HI> yet now he relies upon <HI>Benhadad,</HI> King of <HI>Syria;</HI> to help-him again&s;t the King of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> even <HI>Ba&s;ha</HI> he was a&s;leep &s;ure, that for&s;akes God to relie upon an enemy, and takes &s;uch an evil Cour&s;e to wi&s;h him to break his Covenant. <HI>Then</HI> the Lord &s;ent <HI>Hanani,</HI> the Prophet telling him plainly he had done very fooli&s;hly, he would not bear it; he would not be rou&s;ed out of his &s;leep, brought to repentance: Claps the Prophet in Pri&s;on, oppre&s;&s;eth the people: O what will a man &s;tick at, brethren, when he cannot di&s;cern between good and evil: where the &s;en&s;es are clo&s;ed? what will not a blind man run upon, and yet a good man al&s;o? and this leads to a &s;econd.</P>
<P N="2">2. When a man is once a&s;leep, alas brethren, <HI>the pa&s;&s;ages be|tween head and heart, they are ob&s;tructed, that nothing almo&s;t that he heareth will awake him.</HI> So <HI>David,</HI> when he was a&s;leep, you &s;ee how &s;adly he carryed it; he went to the Ordinances que&s;tion|le&s;s in the hou&s;e of God from time to time, or likely he did &s;o,
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and yet he lay in that condition for all that, alas the word of God &s;unk not with him at all; you know you may call upon a &s;leepy per&s;on that is fa&s;t, many times, again and again, and and he an&s;wers not: or if it move him a little, or &s;tir him, alas he under&s;tands it not, he heareth a &s;ound which troubles him, but he under&s;tands it not, and &s;o returneth to his re&s;t again, this is the very ca&s;e of a poor &s;oul a&s;leep: you hear indeed, but as if you heard not; as a man that hath his mind taken up with another thing, he heareth, but he heedeth not: &s;o a poor &s;oul a&s;leep goeth from Ordinance to Ordinance, from Sermon to to Sermon, and heareth: but the word &s;ticks in the ear, it reach|eth not the heart ordinarily, and is not this &s;ad, brethren? Who would willingly be in this Condition, that knoweth what it is to have a <HI>fellow&s;hip</HI> with God, <HI>heart-Communion</HI> with God in his Ordinances?</P>
<P N="3">3. Another <HI>Motive</HI> may be this; <HI>The poor &s;ervice God is like to have from us then, when we are a&s;leep:</HI> &s;ome indeed he may have, but it will be &s;o poor as if none at all: what kind of &s;ervice will that man do his Ma&s;ter, that is ready to drop a&s;leep every &s;tep he goeth? as <HI>David,</HI> what &s;ervice did he do the Lord while he lay in that deep &s;leep? alas, his mouth was &s;topped, he was not able to &s;hew forth the prai&s;e of God, until he had opened it. And the rea&s;on is plain, <HI>becau&s;e the graces of the Spirit,</HI> though they be within us; it may be there is the root of the matter, there are the habits; yet we cannot exerci&s;e them; A man a&s;leep hath life, and he breatheth, but what Acts can he do which may advantage him&s;elf or others? how can a man pray, when he cannot act his faith, nor act his love, nor his zeal, and fervency of Spirit, but all are a &s;leep? Ah what weak &s;ervice hath the Lord from many of us upon this ac|count!</P>
<P N="4">4. Another Con&s;ideration &s;hall be this: <HI>the un&s;ea&s;onablene&s;s of the thing;</HI> Every thing is beautified by the <HI>&s;ea&s;on,</HI> and if it be <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13. 13&punc;</NOTE> out of <HI>&s;ea&s;on</HI> it is uncomely: <HI>It is not a walking hone&s;tly,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>hone&s;tly,</HI> or <HI>comely, to &s;leep</HI> now: brethren, it is enough for <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">in|ners <HI>that are of the night, that never <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aw the day-&s;tar appear, nor the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s ari&s;e upon them,</HI> for them to lie &s;leeping now, it is &s;omething <HI>&s;uitable; for they that &s;leep,</HI> &s;aith the A|po&s;tle, <HI>&s;leep in the night, and they that are drunk are drunk in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> The&s;. 5. 7.</NOTE>
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<HI>the night: the night</HI> was for <HI>&s;leep</HI> naturally, and&punc; therefore man goeth forth <HI>to labour, and to his work until the evening. So</HI> in <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 104. 20.</NOTE> &s;pirituals, it is mo&s;t un&s;uitable to &s;leep in the day-time: bre|thren, if you believe you are of the day and not of the night, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>We count him a Drone,</HI> a <HI>Lusk,</HI> or <HI>Lurden</HI> that &s;hall &s;leep in the day-time&punc; It was <HI>David</HI> his fault to be upon the bed in the day-time&punc; And &s;o likely <HI>I&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">bo&s;heth</HI> except the Cu&s;tom of the place, being hot might excu&s;e it: Well then hath the Lord in in finite riches of grace brought <HI>thee</HI> out of the dark night, made it day with thee, when it is night with many fa|milies and poor &s;ouls about thee and wilt thou make it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ight by &s;leeping? it is <HI>un&s;ea&s;onable,</HI> it is enough for them that are in darkne&s;s to &s;leep.</P>
<P>Again, 2. <HI>Con&s;ider, It is the time wherein you are called upon, to act for God, and for your own &s;ouls; It</HI> is not only the <HI>day,</HI> but the <HI>time for work:</HI> It is our <HI>harve&s;t</HI> brethren, wherein &s;hould lay up, not for many years, as the <HI>fool</HI> in the <HI>Go&s;pel</HI> &s;aid, but for <HI>eternity; trea&s;ure up grace for eternity:</HI> lay up a good foundation for the time to come. O how richly laden are &s;ome of the Saints over others are, that have made a profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t as long as they live: what is the rea&s;on, why they have <HI>&s;lept,</HI> while they &s;hould have gathered? <HI>he that gathereth in Summer, is a wi&s;e &s;on, but he that &s;leepeth in harve&s;t is a &s;on that cau&s;eth &s;hame:</HI> there the one is oppo&s;ed to the other: <HI>that &s;oul</HI> will cloth him|&s;elf <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 10. 5.</NOTE> with <HI>&s;hame</HI> and <HI>Confu&s;ion</HI> one day, that <HI>&s;leepeth</HI> in <HI>harve&s;t, in the time of labour:</HI> wherefore doth the <HI>Bridegroom</HI> tarry, but to give you &s;pace to repent, <HI>to work out your &s;alvation</HI> in: and in&s;tead of working, &s;hall we <HI>&s;leep</HI> out this time? and will it be Com|fortable in the end? will it be comfortable, if in&s;tead of la|bouring in the vineyard, we <HI>&s;leep</HI> all the <HI>heat</HI> of the day? what account &s;hall we make, when we come to receive the re|compence?</P>
<P>3. <HI>Yet more un&s;ea&s;onable it is al&s;o:</HI> If you con&s;ider, <HI>that u&s;ual|ly the time of this falling a&s;leep is after a good while conver&s;e, and walking with</HI> God, <HI>then</HI> men fall a napping, <HI>the wi&s;e vir|gins they had their oyl,</HI> and <HI>their Lamps</HI> burning, it is true, they had provided for the main, and it is likely went forth to meet him, but in the way, the nearer they came to their journeys end: for there mu&s;t be &s;ome good competent time &s;ure, before
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they would conclude that the <HI>Bridegroom</HI> tarried, and then they lay a&s;ide all, and fall a&s;leep; Remember that of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>knowing</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13. 11.</NOTE> <HI>the &s;ea&s;on</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>that now it is high time for you to awake, for now is your &s;alvation nearer then when you believed:</HI> Now is the <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>to awake out of &s;leep,</HI> now is <HI>&s;alvation nearer.</HI> What is the meaning of this? the meaning is, now is <HI>the mo&s;t un&s;ea&s;onable</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil 3. 13.</NOTE> <HI>time</HI> of all other, for you to be a&s;leep: <HI>now you &s;hould pre&s;s hard forward:</HI> now ju&s;t at your journies end, as a <HI>Traveller:</HI> or a man in a <HI>race,</HI> holds up his head all the way, and maketh &s;peed, and when he is near the journies end, and &s;hould lay hold upon the <HI>goal,</HI> that then he &s;hould &s;it down and <HI>&s;leep,</HI> this is un&s;ea&s;onable, and utterly un&s;afe, if he expect to obtain by his running: Ah brethren, &s;ure you would obtain, el&s;e why did you run: if you expected not a reward? Now may I not &s;ay with the <HI>Apo&s;tle, you did many of you run well:</HI> but who hindred you? how came it to pa&s;s you dropt a&s;leep? or are you inclining to it? O take heed, it is not &s;afe at the <HI>end</HI> of your <HI>race, the night is pa&s;t, the day is come,</HI> or the night, the time of this ignorance: for our <HI>life</HI> is compared to the vi&s;ion of God in heaven, may well be com|pared to a night, and <HI>that</HI> to day: <HI>well</HI> this day is at hand, it is nearer, then when you began to believe: for that is the meaning of that Phra&s;e, as &s;uch a King reigned, that is to &s;ay, began to raign, ordinarily in Scripture: <HI>Well</HI> then, it is utterly un&s;ea|&s;onable, therefore let me beg of you brethren, and the Lord pre|vail with our hearts to <HI>take heed of it.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Fifthly,</HI> Another <HI>Con&s;ideration</HI> &s;hal be this <HI>that while you lay your &s;elves to &s;leco, you lo&s;e God, and Chri&s;t, you lo&s;e their pre&s;ence:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 20.</NOTE> when the &s;oul open to <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t, he cometh in, and the father, and Holy Spirit with him,</HI> and they bring their dainties with them, and abundantly refre&s;h the &s;oul with his <HI>love</HI> which is bet|ter then <HI>wine,</HI> and as long as the &s;oul doth give him entertainment, and followeth to improve its Communion with him, he will &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ay&punc; but truly brethren, if we &s;leep, he will not then tarry, but he takes his leave, and leaveth us &s;leeping; and alas before we are aware, we have lo&s;t him, and know not where to find him. It was <HI>Samp&s;ons</HI> ca&s;e, alas his &s;trength was in the pre&s;ence of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 16. 19.</NOTE> God with him, when he departed, he was as as another man, he lies down upon <HI>Dalilahs</HI> lap, and then he fals a&s;leep, and at la&s;t he was robbed of his &s;trength, God was departed from him, he
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he had many forewarnings, but he was bewitched with a <HI>Lu&s;t,</HI> it did &s;o impri&s;on his rea&s;on, that he could not &s;ee what he was to do: at la&s;t he wi&s;t not that God was departed from him, he went thinking to &s;hake him&s;elf as at other times, but alas his <HI>&s;trength was gone.</HI> Ah brethren, if a man have a <HI>Dalilah,</HI> it is <HI>&s;ive to one,</HI> but &s;ooner, or later, it will <HI>lull</HI> him <HI>a&s;leep,</HI> and if it can but get him a&s;leep, it is ea&s;ie to get away the Lords pre&s;ence from him, and he know it not, untill afterward.</P>
<P><HI>Sixtly,</HI> Another <HI>Argument</HI> &s;hal be not only <HI>that,</HI> not only when <NOTE PLACE="marg">He may &s;peak once, yea twice, yet man regardeth it not, Iob 33. The Di&s;ciples were reproved time after time.</NOTE> we fall a&s;leep, we not only lo&s;e the Lord <HI>Je&s;us,</HI> and the pre&s;ence <HI>of his Spirit, but we then &s;hall keep him out al&s;o, the &s;en&s;es are locke up.</HI> A Servant fa&s;t a&s;leep, when his Ma&s;ter cometh home, he may knock long enough before he open to him: why? alas he is a&s;leep, herein indeed is the exceeding <HI>riches</HI> of his grace, that though we grieve him by our &s;lighting of his pre&s;ence, and Communications of him&s;elf to us, &s;o as to fall a&s;leep in the mid&s;t of them, that he will abide no longer, <HI>yet</HI> his <HI>heart yearns</HI> toward us, and his <HI>Love</HI> per&s;wadeth him to return again to the &s;oul, and he will try again, if we will let him in, but we are a&s;leep: <HI>Be|hold I &s;tand at the door, and knock:</HI> it is wonderful indeed, that he &s;hould do &s;o, but &s;o he doth, and how long doth he &s;tand at &s;ome of our hearts, when we by a &s;leepy &s;pirit grieved him away? how long doth he tarry, before we open? you &s;ee, in the Ca&s;e of the <HI>Church, I &s;leep, but my heart waketh: open to me,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 5. 2.</NOTE> <HI>my love, my dove, my unde&s;iled:</HI> how &s;weet compellations he u&s;eth? though thou ha&s;t &s;hut me out <HI>like</HI> a <HI>kind love, yet my love open to me, my Locks are wet with the dew of the night;</HI> much he endures before we open, and do but ob&s;erve, when &s;he knew it to be his voice, yet &s;he hath many excu&s;es: <HI>I have put off my Coat,</HI> &amp;c. and all this while he &s;tays, but what unkind dealing is this? when by his word he knocks, alas, it &s;inketh not, any fur|ther then the <HI>ear,</HI> there it dyeth: <HI>knocks by the voice of his Spirit,</HI> and by <HI>rods,</HI> and <HI>afflictions,</HI> &s;ometimes, and yet we keep him out, <NOTE PLACE="marg">M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">a 6. 9.</NOTE> this is the &s;ixth.</P>
<P><HI>Seventhly, When we fall a&s;leep, we little know how longwe &s;hall lie in that Condition,</HI> therefore take heed of it: O when <HI>David</HI> fell into that <HI>&s;leep,</HI> how long did he lie in it&punc; nine months at lea&s;t, and he might have lain nine years, except the Lord had taken a more then ordinary cour&s;e with him; <HI>So the Patriarchs;</HI> how
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long did they lie in their <HI>&s;leep,</HI> and their Con&s;ciences neve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> awaked until their affliction? this is clear in the very ca&s;e of the <HI>Church</HI> in the <HI>Canticles;</HI> how long did he call, and call again, and wait upon her, and yet &s;he is not awaked? a little &s;tirred &s;he is, but alas lies down again, as a man half awaked, until at la&s;t, he was pre&s;&s;ed to come nearer to her, to put his hand in at the hole-of the Lock, and then at la&s;t &s;he got off her bed with much ado. Fir&s;t, He was fain to come nearer to her, with <HI>&s;ome inward touch</HI> and <HI>offer of his grace</HI> offering, as I may &s;ay, with his <HI>hand</HI> to open the <HI>bolts</HI> wherewith her heart was bolted again&s;t him: and <HI>then</HI> &s;he waked, and not before; <HI>you &s;ee the&s;e virgins here &s;lept un|til the Cry came,</HI> and how long they &s;lept, who can tell? O it is a &s;ad thing brethren, to be &s;o long without <HI>Communion</HI> and <HI>Fel|low&s;hip</HI> with the <HI>Lord Je&s;us;</HI> to be &s;o long under weakne&s;s and inability to exerci&s;e our graces, that we can do nothing but poor weak <HI>&s;ervice:</HI> &s;o long to keep out <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and when do we know that he will come &s;o near to us, as throughly to awake us, what if he &s;hould never do it, until our dying day? what a <HI>&s;ad end</HI> would that be!</P>
<P><HI>Eighthly, Remember</HI> this brethren; <HI>though you may think of ca&s;e in &s;uch a Condition of &s;leeping, it will be no ca&s;e to you, but trouble:</HI> for u&s;ually, what is the r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;on we unbend our bows, loo&s;e the Cords? we think we may have ea&s;e, take on more ea&s;i|ly and fairly for heaven then we have done, now the main part of our work is done: we have gotten the <HI>oyl</HI> in our <HI>ve&s;&s;els,</HI> and a little a&s;&s;urance it may be of his love, therefore now we may take our ea&s;e, and &s;o fall <HI>a&s;leep; believe</HI> it brethren, it will be a <HI>little ca&s;e</HI> to you, and it will appear, if you con&s;ider the&s;e two or three things.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>While</HI> you are in that &s;leep, if you be believers indeed, <HI>you will not have ea&s;e:</HI> what di&s;tempered &s;leeps do men <HI>&s;leep,</HI> that are in continual fear? or that &s;hould not &s;leep, and know they &s;hould not &s;leep, it will hazard their lives: is their &s;leep &s;weet ordinarily? &s;urely no: when a man &s;leepeth, and in his &s;leep is terrified with dreams, how unquiet is he? truly a believer, he never &s;leepeth <HI>heart,</HI> and all; if he did, it were &s;omewhat like: now a Hypocrite doth, he &s;leepeth heart, and all: that is fir&s;t a&s;leep, that never was awake, and therefore he may take more plea&s;ure. But alas the <HI>Child</HI> of God all the while he is off from
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Chri&s;t, and the enjoyment of him, he is like a &s;tone from its center, like an <HI>Iron</HI> pluckt from the <HI>Load&s;tone,</HI> that hath yet a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ingering towards him, will not re&s;t until it return to him again, &s;o it is not quiet altogether; <HI>therefore</HI> of all men the people of God are the verie&s;t fools, when they give way to &s;in, or lie <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 85. 8.</NOTE> down upon the lap of &s;inful delights, and fall a&s;leep; becau&s;e they have a &s;till principle within them, which is kept awake; a <HI>&s;eed</HI> of God which &s;till interrupteth them, and they cannot take their fill of delight, nor re&s;t in &s;in; <HI>therefore</HI> to them <HI>it is re|turning to folly, when once peace is &s;poken to them.</HI> I appeal to the experiences of all the Saints, whether when they are in a &s;leepy frame, a fit of &s;ecurity hath &s;eized upon them, the pre&s;ence of Chri&s;t is departed, whether they have that re&s;t and quiet in their &s;pirits: <HI>it is an uncomfortable condition to them.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e u&s;ually when his people are in &s;uch a Condition, the Lord is &s;ain to take &s;ome <HI>violent cour&s;e with them, more</HI> then he <HI>would to awake them;</HI> &s;o that not only their &s;leep is trouble&s;om, but their awaking is al&s;o <HI>&s;ad to them. Here,</HI> there is a <HI>Cry made, whether it be by the voice of the word lifted up, terrible</HI> threatnings! <HI>Or whether</HI> the <HI>voice of his</HI> rod which <HI>cryeth:</HI> it is terrible, it is not a &s;till <HI>voice</HI> happily will do it; but it mu&s;t be <HI>&s;omething</HI> that will make <HI>both our ears to tingle,</HI> as it was in <HI>Elias</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 3. 11.</NOTE> ca&s;e; poor man he was a&s;leep, a <HI>Lu&s;t</HI> had &s;o be&s;otted him, that is to &s;ay, <HI>his carnal affection to his Children;</HI> he honoured them above God, that love devoured his love, and <HI>eat</HI> up his <HI>zeal</HI> for God, and the <HI>Lord warns</HI> him, &s;endeth a Prophet to him, and tels him what he was like to tru&s;t to, <HI>he</HI> had &s;et his Con&s;cience a little to work before: &s;o far as to <HI>reprove them:</HI> But if nothing el&s;e will do it, awake him throughly, <HI>What then? I will do a thing that &s;hall make both the ears of him that heareth it, tingle;</HI> It &s;hall awaken him, and awaken others; <HI>the boring</HI> of the <HI>ear</HI> may co&s;t us &s;omething he will give us an <HI>alarm,</HI> a &s;trong one at lea&s;t, if he do not beat up our Quarters, where we lie lurking. And you that are &s;ouldiers, and have been in this Condition, hath it been comfortable to you when you have been &s;o beaten up? I think not, &s;ure: O what hurrying then, and terrour is upon eve|ry man, when he is &s;o &s;urprized! So nothing el&s;e would do to the Brethren of <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> and therefore God brought them into that di&s;traction they were never awaked until now. If men
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will not awake with calling, we u&s;e to take them, and &s;hake them, and u&s;e them more hardly. <HI>The Lord cals</HI> brethren, <HI>you have the voice of the Turtle, the joyful &s;ound of the Go&s;pel among you:</HI> If we awake not, <HI>what will he do? he will take you by the Neck, and &s;hake you awake:</HI> and truly brethren, the Lords &s;hakings are terrible &s;hakings; <HI>he</HI> will &s;hake the &s;oul into a trembling and a&s;toni&s;hment. <HI>What</HI> was the rea&s;on that the Lord followed <HI>Jonah with a &s;torm? he was a&s;leep, his Con&s;cience</HI> and Soul a&s;leep, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ionah 1.</NOTE> and no ea&s;ie means would awake him; the Lord was fain to let loo&s;e his hand upon him, and by a terrible <HI>tempe&s;t</HI> to awake him; &s;ure I am, <HI>this</HI> will not be comfortable.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Afterwards,</HI> It will not be quietne&s;s nor re&s;t to your <HI>&s;ouls,</HI> the <HI>Di&s;ciples</HI> you &s;ee, when they had <HI>&s;lept,</HI> their <HI>&s;leep</HI> had &s;o ma|ny <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 14. 40.</NOTE> <HI>reproofs:</HI> how were they a&s;hamed of what they had done? <HI>they wi&s;t not what to an&s;wer him,</HI> were fain to hang the head; It is a di&s;qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eting to a mans &s;pirit, to be covered with &s;hame and confu&s;ion; O when &s;hall he come, and upbraid the &s;oul with his &s;lothfulne&s;s! <HI>What, is this thy love to me now? is this thy kindne&s;s to thy friend? is this thy faith and zeal</HI> for me, that thou ha&s;t fallen a&s;leep, and &s;lept &s;o long as thou ha&s;t done? <HI>was my Love and my Communion no more worth?</HI> is this the e&s;teem thou putte&s;t upon it, to fall a&s;leep in the mid&s;t of it? <HI>will you have a word to &s;ay to Je&s;us Chri&s;t now in &s;uch a ca&s;e?</HI> will it not be confu&s;ion to us? O brethren, It may be, we may bear the &s;hame, and reproof of &s;uch a <HI>&s;leeping</HI> fit upon our backs all our days. Be&s;ides, can it chu&s;e but be a very great di&s;traction to us, that when we are awaked, and &s;lept out our time, and &s;ee then that now Chri&s;t is at hand, the day of his coming is here, and we have our work to do in a great part, our <HI>Lamps</HI> to trim, will not this be a di&s;traction to us? if we do e&s;cape the de&s;tructi|on of that day, when a &s;ervant that hath a hou&s;e to make ready, &s;leepeth away his time, and by and by tidings come, his Ma&s;ter is at hand, and the hou&s;e is unready to receive him. O what a hurry and confu&s;ion and di&s;traction is he in then, and what fruit hath he then of his &s;leeping? it ends in bitterne&s;s, and trouble, and di&s;ea&s;e, and therefore Brethren, as we tender our peace, our Comfort, take heed of &s;leeping.</P>
<P>Alas you will &s;ay, what &s;hould we do to keep our &s;elves from this &s;leeping&punc; &s;ince it is &s;o dangerous? I &s;hall propound a few <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> to you.</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="172" REF="152">
1. <HI>Then take heed of the beginnings of declinings. Ari&s;totle re|ports, the Lyons of Syria</HI> bring forth the fir&s;t year five whelps, the next, four, the next, three, and &s;o on, until they come to a barrenne&s;s; like <HI>Mandrobulus</HI> in <HI>Lucian,</HI> who offered to his god the fir&s;t year gold, the &s;econd, &s;ilver, and the third, no|thing; See <HI>Trap</HI> upon <HI>Mat.</HI> 24. 13. If we would avoid <HI>&s;leeping,</HI> we mu&s;t take heed of <HI>&s;lumbering,</HI> of <HI>heavine&s;s,</HI> of any thing in|clining to it; Do you not mind whether <HI>your Love</HI> be as hot in <HI>prayer,</HI> as fervent as heretofore? if there be a rebatement of it, <HI>fear it; you are going to &s;leep;</HI> Ob&s;erve your &s;elves brethren, Is not your <HI>Love grown</HI> much colder, then it was, <HI>becau&s;e iniquity doth abound?</HI> &s;o that you have prejudices &s;o many, <HI>love is eaten</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24. 12.</NOTE> out! O that the Lord would help you to look to it at the be|ginning!</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Take heed of compo&s;ing,</HI> or <HI>&s;etling your &s;elves too ea&s;ily, this</HI> will provoke to &s;leep; O <HI>do not put off your Garments,</HI> with the <HI>&s;pou&s;e!</HI> Men that would not &s;leep, will hardly put off their <HI>Clothes,</HI> nor lay them&s;elves upon a <HI>bed.</HI> Not as if Saints did lo&s;e the <HI>habits of holine&s;s</HI> or <HI>grace;</HI> But the <HI>Acts,</HI> the outward garments they may &s;ay a&s;ide, and &s;o &s;etle them&s;elves to &s;leep: It is vain for a man to hope to be kept waking in &s;uch a ca&s;e: <HI>O take heed of loving ea&s;e, wo be to the n that are at ea&s;e in</HI> Sion, <HI>Bre|thren!</HI> If you be any thing <HI>acquainted with the times,</HI> or <HI>your own hearts,</HI> you will find enough to <HI>exerci&s;e</HI> you.</P>
<P><HI>Keep in Action; acts</HI> di&s;pel the vapors which per&s;wade &s;leep: O brethren, <HI>time &s;hall come,</HI> when we &s;hall have our <HI>graces continually in act;</HI> why &s;hould we not breath after this, <HI>even up|on earth:</HI> get as near to it as we can.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Take heed of putting off the day of the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> that &s;eemeth <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ere to be the immediate cau&s;e of the <HI>Vir|gins</HI> &s;lumber and &s;leeping; while the <HI>Bridegroom</HI> tarryed, they <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 29. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">8. P&s;al. 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 6.</NOTE> thought they might have time enough likely, they might take a nap<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> unbend a little, if we would avoid &s;leeping, labour to keep fre&s;h that upon our &s;pirits, <HI>the appearing of the Lord Je&s;us, a love of that appearing,</HI> and <HI>a fear</HI> of an un&s;uitablene&s;s to that ap|pearing when it &s;hall be; O brethren, that we could once at|tain to <HI>Jobs</HI> pitch <HI>to wait for our change every day; all the dayes of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">&punc; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">4. 14.</NOTE> <HI>our appointed time!</HI> I doubt, &s;ome of us can &s;carce &s;ay that we <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ait</HI> for it any day, <HI>we</HI> put it off, and therefore no marvel if we
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<HI>&s;leep.</HI> It is that which is <HI>pre&s;ent</HI> which mu&s;t affect us, &s;uch is our Con&s;titution: things though never &s;o certain, and though ne|ver &s;o de&s;irable on the one hand, or never &s;o dreadful on the other, <HI>yet they affect not,</HI> except they be pre&s;ent, &s;ome way, or other; pre&s;ent in our <HI>thoughts,</HI> in our <HI>expectations, pre&s;ent</HI> to our <HI>faith, which is the evidence of things hoped for:</HI> as once King <HI>James</HI> &s;aid, &s;uch a man <HI>Preacheth,</HI> as if <HI>hell</HI> were at his back, ready to &s;wallow him up, that will keep a man awake; either the <HI>joy of heaven</HI> &s;et before us, and as I may &s;ay continually pre&s;ent, <HI>the coming of Chri&s;t,</HI> Or <HI>el&s;e,</HI> the <HI>terrors of everla&s;ting burnings,</HI> the immediate Con&s;equent of this day: O who can &s;leep that hath the coming of the Lord fre&s;h upon his &s;pirit!</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Take heed of Pride and &s;elf-confidence; You &s;ee</HI> brethren, <HI>that hath laid the very Watchmen,</HI> them&s;elves <HI>a&s;leep, the three chief, Apo&s;tles. If Samp&s;on</HI> had not re&s;ted upon his own &s;trength, would he when he had &s;o many <HI>warnings,</HI> have committed him|&s;elf again, to the <HI>Lap</HI> of his <HI>Dalilah?</HI> &s;urely no.</P>
<P N="5">5. In the next place, <HI>take heed of exce&s;s in the u&s;e of lawful things:</HI> O &s;aith our <HI>Saviour, take heed your hearts be over-charged</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 21. 34.</NOTE> <HI>with &s;urfetting,</HI> or <HI>drunkenne&s;s,</HI> and <HI>the cares of this life,</HI> that will quickly lay a man to &s;leep! <HI>You know the thorny ground went far,</HI> and yet though it endured <HI>Per&s;ecution,</HI> and the Cup of trembling could not carry away the &s;oul, <HI>the Cup of delights in the world, it laid them a&s;leep; the Sun</HI> did not burn them, but the <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 7. 29.</NOTE> <HI>thorn choakt them: Licitis perimus juvenes, the time is &s;hort</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>it is rowled up,</HI> as a <HI>Mariner</HI> near his port <HI>rowleth up his &s;ails,</HI> or as a piece of cloth rowled up; one turn more; and we are turned into the grave; <HI>What then? It remaineth, that they that buy, be as if they po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed not, and they that have inheritances by Lot</HI> al&s;o, be as <HI>if they enjoyed them not; they that have wives, as if they had none; for the fa&s;hion of this world,</HI> the <HI>Scheme,</HI> the <HI>Mathematick figure of this world pa&s;&s;eth away.</HI> Was it not this which ca&s;t <HI>Solomon</HI> into &s;uch a &s;leep? He offended by <HI>women,</HI> though the wi&s;e&s;t King. <HI>So Mat. 24. 37. They eat, they they drank,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, as <HI>&s;ome</HI> ob&s;erve; It is a word u&s;ed mo&s;t properly of <HI>bea&s;ts,</HI> living &s;en&s;ually in the delights of the &s;le&s;h; they feed them&s;elves without <HI>fear,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle <HI>Jude</HI> hath it, <HI>out of mea&s;ure,</HI> and &s;o in <HI>time, there is a &s;ea&s;on for all things,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>make not provi&s;ion for the &s;le&s;h,</HI> &amp;c. O that there were <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">&punc;</NOTE>
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more &s;obriety brethren, and moderation among us, appearing among us: there would not <HI>be &s;o much &s;leeping.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>Take heed of any &s;in unrepented of, of continuing in it;</HI> for &s;urely <HI>that will damp</HI> the &s;oul, and ca&s;t it into a &s;leepe, as you &s;ee in the cafe of <HI>Jonas, David,</HI> the brethren of <HI>Jo&s;eph:</HI> O &s;pecially of &s;uch &s;ins, as <HI>&s;tupifie, and &s;eal, and harden, &s;ins</HI> of a high hand, and again&s;t <HI>light,</HI> again&s;t <HI>mercy</HI> with a high hand, the&s;e are dan|gerous.</P>
<P N="7">7. <HI>Be often &s;tirring up your &s;elves,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks to <HI>Ti|mothy, &s;tir up the grace of God that is in thee, the gift in thee,</HI> as fire under the a&s;hes; A man that is drou&s;ie, had need to &s;hake him&s;elf, as <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> did. Ah brethren, there is a <HI>carnal mind</HI> in <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 1. 6.</NOTE> us all, which is <HI>death,</HI> it <HI>deadens</HI> all that is good within us; And except we do often &s;tir up our &s;elves, labour to keep upon our hearts &s;ome quickning Con&s;iderations, to pre&s;s them home, to hold them to the &s;oul, we &s;hall, do what we can, we &s;hall <HI>&s;leep,</HI> or at lea&s;t &s;lumber: And beg with <HI>David, O quicken me according to thy word!</HI> Alas, <HI>life is his,</HI> and <HI>all quickning and renewing grace is his;</HI> therefore we &s;hould lye much before him for this mercy, if we would not &s;leep indeed. So much for this U&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>The next &V;&s;e of the Doctrine &s;hall be an awakening word.</HI> It <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 4.</NOTE> may be brethren, many of us that have this word alas, <HI>are a&s;leep, and had need to be &s;haken, and O that the Lord would even do it for us!</HI> Alas, It is not our word will do it, it dyeth in the <HI>Ear,</HI> and goeth no further, as a bullet who&s;e force is &s;pent dyeth, reacheth not the mark, except the Lord add an Almighty force to it, it will do nothing. But I &s;hall endeavour alittle this work by of|fering &s;ome con&s;iderations to you. <HI>You that lye upon your beds.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. Remember, in the fir&s;t place <HI>that if Je&s;us Chri&s;t come, while you are in this &s;leep, you will be found unready,</HI> what do you think that a &s;leeping, will put your hearts into frame, to meet the Lord Je&s;us with? Surely no: One of the&s;e two things will be|fal you, <HI>either your works</HI> will be quite undone, you will have your <HI>grace to get,</HI> when you &s;hould enter into glory, or never; Or el&s;e if you have it not to get, you will not have it in its bright|ne&s;s, and lu&s;tre, as Ornaments upon you; ready to open to him, to enter with him; either <HI>your Lamps will be out, or el&s;e they will be to trim, when you &s;hould enter;</HI> O that the Lord would inforce
<PB N="175" REF="153">
this Argument, and his own exhortation! <HI>Luke 12. 35. Stand ready therefore, with your loyns girded, and your Lamps burning, wayting for his coming, that you may be ready?</HI> Do you think this can be comfortable to you?</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Do but con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly, what danger we are in when we &s;leep,</HI> when we give &s;leep to our eys, and &s;ettle our &s;elves to it, when we &s;trive not again&s;t it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>The Phili&s;tims will be upon us,</HI> as they were upon poor <HI>Samp&s;on; If Satan,</HI> and our <HI>hearts</HI> can but &s;ing us a&s;leep, then <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 16. 19.</NOTE> the <HI>Phili&s;tims are upon us,</HI> as they were upon him, and at la&s;t you &s;ee how &s;adly they de&s;troyed him; <HI>you</HI> &s;ee what danger <HI>Saul</HI> was in when he was a&s;leep; <HI>David</HI> might have taken his life from him. And <HI>Si&s;era</HI> by a poor woman peri&s;hed, when a&s;leep. And <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 26&punc; 7.</NOTE> &s;o <HI>I&s;hbo&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">th,</HI> when a&s;leep. Surely brethren, the devil never lulls us a&s;leep, believe it, but he hath &s;ome de&s;perate de&s;ign upon us, which he cannot do when we are awake. What danger were the Di&s;ciples in, when they were &s;leeping when they &s;hould have <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg 4. 26.</NOTE> prayed? they were ju&s;t entring upon the <HI>pikes,</HI> and they were a|&s;leep; and &s;ee what fearful work there was, they were all &s;catter|ed from him: and <HI>Peter,</HI> how fearfully he denyed him! Could Satan think you ever have brought <HI>Lot</HI> to that wickedne&s;s, if he had not been fa&s;t, in a deep &s;leep? It was &s;trange <HI>&s;leepine&s;s in him to drink &s;o much of the wine;</HI> Exce&s;s overthrew him. Surely brethren, if ever there were <HI>an hour of temptation, this is one;</HI> If it might be tolerable at any other time, yet not at this: <HI>for hell is broke loo&s;e, the devil is come down, and hath great wrath, becau&s;e his time is &s;hort:</HI> O how he hunts after poor &s;ouls, and who are &s;o like to be drowned as poor creatures a&s;leep!</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Then God u&s;ually doth for &s;ake a &s;oul, if he fall a&s;leep;</HI> As you &s;ee in the <HI>Canticles her beloved was gone,</HI> he wayted upon her a great while, &s;he would not awake; when &s;he got up, he was gone: O what a &s;ad ca&s;e was <HI>Saul</HI> in, <HI>When God had for&s;aken him,</HI> an&s;wered him not by <HI>&V;rim,</HI> or <HI>Thummim,</HI> and the <HI>Phili&s;tims were upon him,</HI> it made him out of his wits almo&s;t! <HI>Ah dear friends</HI> If the Lord being provoked by our unkindne&s;s, giving our &s;elves <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 28. 6.</NOTE> to &s;leep, do let loo&s;e &s;in, this or that lu&s;t upon us to worry us. And him&s;elf depart, and &s;tand, and &s;ee, what the latter end will be; this will be &s;ad, thou crye&s;t to him, he will not hear; but is as one a&s;leep to thee, becau&s;e thou wa&s;t as one a&s;leep to him. O what will you do in this day!</P>
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Thirdly, <HI>Then he is lea&s;t able to act grace, when he hath mo&s;t need of it;</HI> becau&s;e the &s;pirit is withdrawn from him: Je&s;us Chri&s;t is departed from him, he cannot re&s;i&s;t a &s;leeping, he hath no &s;trength. A weak woman may drive a nayl through the Temples of a mo&s;t valiant General then. O what advantage hath Satan again&s;t us, and &s;in again&s;t us! The lea&s;t temptation then, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> too hard for us, we have no &s;trength to re&s;i&s;t, come what will come, we are naked to receive the thru&s;t; And but that the Lord &s;tays the hand of Satan, that it &s;hall not reach the heart; how quickly would he give &s;uch &s;leeping &s;ouls their deadly wound!</P>
<P>3, Con&s;ider yet further, <HI>how we put the Lord Je&s;us to it,</HI> to prick us, and &s;tir us up le&s;t we &s;hould lye &s;leeping, and <HI>&s;leep the &s;leep of death.</HI> They &s;ay the Eagle will prick and beat her yong ones, out of the Ne&s;t; el&s;e they would be lazy and &s;leep there. Well &s;urely brethren, If love, and &s;weetne&s;s will not do it, <HI>gall</HI> and <HI>vinegar mu&s;t: awakened we mu&s;t be, for &s;ure we cannot go to heaven in a &s;leep;</HI> and how terrible will it be, if we put him to it thus <HI>to teach us by terrible things in righteou&s;ne&s;s and mercy?</HI> It is <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 65. 5.</NOTE> <HI>faithfulne&s;s</HI> and <HI>mercy</HI> to us, he will be at the pains with us. And then brethren, let me but add this only.</P>
<P><HI>When the Lord Je&s;us &s;hall deal thus with us, we</HI> that now are &s;o fa&s;t a&s;leep, <HI>we may &s;leep then; if we could</HI> there will come &s;uch a day upon us &s;urely, if the Lord do not in tender compa&s;&s;ions <HI>awaken</HI> us before hand. It is a bitter ironical reproof, the Di&s;ciples had need of &s;uch &s;harpne&s;s in the reproof, for milder words would not do: <HI>&s;leep on now, &s;aith our Saviour, it is enough,</HI> what did our <HI>Saviour</HI> allow them to &s;leep? &s;urely nothing le&s;s, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26. 45.</NOTE> &s;pecially all this time; for that his next words are, <HI>ari&s;e, let us go hence, behold, they are at hand, who betray me,</HI> why then they could, have little li&s;t or lea&s;ure to &s;leep; but our <HI>Saviour</HI> doth with a holy mocking of them, (as I may &s;ay) <HI>Well, you have been &s;leeping all</HI> this while, now <HI>take your re&s;t,</HI> now <HI>&s;leep if you can, now you &s;hall have your hearts &s;o full of cares and fears, and be &s;obe&s;et with temptations, you &s;hall have little li&s;t to &s;leep.</HI> A righteous hand upon them for their &s;luggi&s;hne&s;s; as the <HI>young</HI> man, <HI>rejoyce O young man in thy youth,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>and let thine heart chear thee, but re|member</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 11. 9.</NOTE> <HI>for all this, God will bring thee to judgement.</HI> Well brethren, as light as you may make of this, <HI>you that love &s;leep,</HI> and give your &s;elves to &s;ecurity, when this day cometh upon you
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it will make your hearts <HI>ach. The Lord</HI> per&s;wade us of it; I <HI>de&s;ire not the woful day</HI> to any of you, but rather that you may <HI>e&s;cape.</HI></P>
<P>Again, Another <HI>&V;&s;e</HI> of the <HI>Point</HI> may be, then for &s;uch as are kept through the Almighty grace from this <HI>&s;leeping;</HI> it may be, when others are <HI>&s;leeping</HI> about <HI>thee,</HI> one in this corner, another in that, thou <HI>art lively,</HI> thy graces are kept in vigor, <HI>thy &s;weet communion with Chri&s;t maintained: O how much, how infinitly art thou engaged to the Lord Je&s;us? magnifie his grace;</HI> How many con&s;iderations here, might be heaped up, to heigthen your pray&s;es, <HI>that the high pray&s;es of God might be in your hearts and, mouths.</HI> As</P>
<P N="1">1. To con&s;ider; <HI>Its meerly free mercy that maketh this diffe|rence</HI> between <HI>thee,</HI> and the mo&s;t <HI>&s;luggi&s;h</HI> Profe&s;&s;or, mo&s;t &s;loth|ful &s;leepy Profe&s;&s;or. For it is not &s;urely brethren, becau&s;e they have improved the grace which thou ha&s;t received, better then others have done; it may be, others have received more grace, and walked as diligently as thy &s;elf, and yet notwith&s;tanding left to &s;ome fearful <HI>fall,</HI> to &s;tupifie, or deaden them a&s;leep. O magni|fie his grace, that thou art thus far kept again!</P>
<P N="2">2. To con&s;ider, <HI>How much mi&s;ery and &s;in, thou do&s;t hereby avoid?</HI> the lo&s;s of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and his pre&s;ence, &amp;c. O it is un&s;peakable! for what &s;in, what temptation, will not take with a poor &s;oul, when he is in this drou&s;ie condition? As <HI>Lot</HI> in his <HI>&s;leep,</HI> what would he not do? the &s;oul a&s;leep, and in &s;ecurity, what would he not do? the things that now the <HI>&s;oul</HI> abhors the thought of them, if thou had&s;t been left to &s;uch a &s;leep as this is, thou would&s;t have made nothing of, as wel as others; as you &s;ee in the fearful example of <HI>many apo&s;tatizing Profe&s;&s;ors in the&s;e days,</HI> that have walked very &s;trictly before, which &s;urely, as it &s;hould mini&s;ter matter of <HI>holy fear</HI> and <HI>trembling</HI> to us; <HI>&s;o</HI> of great <HI>pray&s;es to the Lord.</HI> And then the mi&s;ery to awaken us, to put us to tho&s;e di&s;tractions, which have been already &s;poken to. <HI>Be|&s;ides,</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. To con&s;ider, <HI>What great advantage thou ha&s;t now above many others. Thou</HI> ha&s;t the <HI>pre&s;ence of God which others want, thou</HI> ha&s;t <HI>the light of his countenance, thou</HI> ha&s;t many a <HI>&s;weet communi|on with him,</HI> which <HI>others want,</HI> being left to this <HI>&s;leepy</HI> con|dition,
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they have &s;lept away their <HI>harve&s;t;</HI> thou art kept awake to gather in the Summer. <HI>O how rich in grace</HI> may &s;uch a &s;oul grow, if he do but know his <HI>&s;ea&s;on</HI> and <HI>opportunity!</HI> and are not the&s;e great matters <HI>of prai&s;e?</HI></P>
<P>Again in the next place; then brethren if we be &s;o apt to <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 6.</NOTE> <HI>&s;leep; Let us con&s;ider one another, to provoke, to &s;tir up, &s;uffer not one another to &s;leep:</HI> Indeed brethren, &s;o far as we are defective in this duty of <HI>love</HI> one to another, &s;o far we our &s;elves are <HI>a&s;leep.</HI> O <HI>be</HI> ye followers of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and be full of love, as he was, he cometh to his Di&s;ciples, and findeth them fa&s;t <HI>a&s;leep;</HI> what doth he do, <HI>let</HI> them alone, or refu&s;e Communion with them? no: he &s;tirreth them up, giveth them a reproof to provoke them, and he doth it again, and again, and again; And &s;o in the ca&s;e of <HI>Peter,</HI> he did you know, look upon him, otherwi&s;e what had become of him? &s;o he would not let <HI>Jonas,</HI> or <HI>David</HI> go in their Conditions, but &s;endeth a Prophet to one, and &s;endeth a &s;torm after the other to awake him, and afterward cometh him&s;elf. And &s;o the <HI>Church</HI> in the <HI>Canticles,</HI> &s;ee how he cals upon her there, and afterward cometh nearer; <HI>O Brethren,</HI> that I might be counted worthy this day to &s;peak one word home to &s;ome poor &s;leeping &s;oul to awaken you; either a word of <HI>love,</HI> or a word of <HI>terror!</HI> I have &s;poken both, but will you remember this as a duty? Doubtle&s;s we have occa&s;ions before us every where; do we not know many lazy, &s;leepy Chri&s;tians? do we not judge them to be &s;o? where are our bowels towards them? <HI>why</HI> do we not &s;hake <HI>them,</HI> do our endeavour, would we not be &s;orry to &s;ee them <HI>for&s;aken of Chri&s;t</HI> altogether as to their &s;en&s;e, and &s;adly lamenting after him? would we not be &s;orry to &s;ee them <HI>battered</HI> and brui&s;ed with the temptations of Satan, in this &s;leepy condition? are they not in danger? &s;hall we &s;ee them lie as a prey ju&s;t ready for the <HI>Devils</HI> mouth, and not endeavour to &s;tir them up to remove that drowfie frame from them? the <HI>Lord</HI> help us brethren <HI>&s;uch as are more wakeful</HI> among us; for I believe &s;ome there are, that the Lord hath magnified his grace towards exceedingly in this re&s;pect. O how can you improve your mercy better then thus; <HI>by &s;tirring up others, that they may enjoy</HI> the &s;ame <HI>&s;weetne&s;s</HI> in <HI>Communion,</HI> and clo&s;e <HI>fellow&s;hip</HI> with the <HI>Lord,</HI> as your &s;elves do! But thus much for this U&s;e al&s;o.</P>
<P><PB N="179" REF="155">
<HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 7. Then, <HI>Let us be tender in judging one anothers Condition;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 7.</NOTE> judge not a mans &s;tate by the pre&s;ent frame that is upon him; <HI>Come into a Garden in Winter,</HI> and there is no appearance of any <HI>flowers,</HI> the roots are within the ground, &s;hall we conclude therefore, there are none? no; &s;o in this ca&s;e, there may be a &s;leeping habit of grace though it be not in act, the &s;oul is not able to act it for the pre&s;ent. As the <HI>wi&s;e Virgins,</HI> (though it was a part of folly for the wi&s;e <HI>Virgins</HI> to &s;leep) yet we may not without great wrong to them, and the grace of Chri&s;t in them, call them <HI>fooli&s;h Virgins;</HI> there is a va&s;t difference between them. If a man &s;hould have made a judgment of <HI>David</HI> in his back&s;liding; what would he have thought of him? or of the Di&s;ciples, when they were &s;o heavy at &s;uch a time as that was; and that, after they had been reproved for it, and &s;tirred up, again and again, <HI>we</HI> would have judged likely; O &s;ure it would prove a deadly <HI>Lethargy,</HI> or there were &s;carce any hope concerning them! O <HI>no,</HI> &s;aith our <HI>Saviour,</HI> though he reproved them &s;harply, <HI>yet</HI> &s;ome <HI>&s;ugar</HI> he mixed with the vinegar, <HI>the Spirit indeed is wil|ling, but the Fle&s;h is weak;</HI> he did not un&s;aint them, becau&s;e of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26 4<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> their &s;leepine&s;s; no more &s;hould we; And indeed brethren, the difficulty is &s;o great to di&s;tingui&s;h between a <HI>&s;leep,</HI> and <HI>death</HI> in &s;in &s;ometimes, that we had need to &s;u&s;pend, and be exceeding ten|der in judging. <HI>Phy&s;icians</HI> them&s;elves have much ado &s;ometimes to di&s;cern whether there be life in the body, they are much put to it, and yet it appears there is life, therefore let us be tender in judging, leave it to him who can di&s;cern whether the life be within them yea, or no.</P>
<P><HI>La&s;tly,</HI> A word of <HI>Comfort</HI> to the poor people of God, that <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 8.</NOTE> alas find them&s;elves very apt to fall a&s;leep, and &s;hake them&s;elves with <HI>Samp&s;on,</HI> again and again, and yet are apt to lie down up|on the lap of a <HI>Dalilah</HI> again: they know not what to think of them&s;elves, whether they can be alive to God, having hearts &s;o de&s;perately &s;leepy. <HI>Yea,</HI> it may be, though they have lo&s;t the <HI>&s;weet &s;melling pre&s;ence of Je&s;us Chri&s;t many times by their &s;leeping,</HI> yet they have &s;lept again, and cannot keep them&s;elves awake; <HI>his &s;miles</HI> have been many times turned into &s;harp rebukes, their <HI>honey</HI> into <HI>gall,</HI> and &s;ometimes <HI>by terrible things in righteou&s;ne&s;s,
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they have been awaked,</HI> and <HI>yet</HI> they are &s;leeping again: &s;ometimes they have been confounded and a&s;hamed, and have had nothing to &s;ay when the Lord hath rebuked them, and <HI>yet</HI> they are a&s;leep again? O what can I think of &s;uch a Condition as this! I do be|lieve the <HI>Clo&s;ets</HI> of &s;ome poor Creatures, can bear witne&s;s to many a &s;ad complaint of this kind. <HI>Well</HI> I an&s;wer to this,</P>
<P><HI>Far</HI> be it from me brethren, to &s;ow pillows under any mans Arm-holes, or to make a bed for any to &s;leep upon: <HI>the Lord</HI> forbid, there &s;hould be a heart &s;o wicked, as to make &s;uch an u&s;e of what is to be &s;aid to &s;uch poor di&s;couraged &s;ouls! <HI>We are</HI> in a &s;trait indeed, <HI>we cannot</HI> give a <HI>Saint</HI> their <HI>portion,</HI> but the <HI>wicked</HI> are <HI>&s;natching at that,</HI> nor the <HI>wicked</HI> their portion, but the <HI>Saints</HI> are <HI>catching</HI> at that; &s;pecially di&s;couraged hearts, and many times applying all to them&s;elves that never was intended for them. But if any <HI>dare abu&s;e</HI> it, be it upon them; I mu&s;t &s;peak a word of refre&s;hing to poor &s;ouls, that are even wear<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed with a <HI>lazy</HI> &s;leepy <HI>heart.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. Then remember this; <HI>That it is po&s;&s;ible for a man or woman that is truly in the &s;tate of grace, yet to be overtaken with &s;leep;</HI> therefore it is a <HI>Conclu&s;ion</HI> without any good premi&s;es, that &s;ure thou art no Child of God, no wi&s;e <HI>Virgin,</HI> becau&s;e thou art &s;o often &s;lumbering, and &s;ometimes fa&s;t a&s;leep; As carnally &s;ecure Creatures do deceive them&s;elves, <GAP DESC="foreign"> concluding be|cau&s;e the <HI>wi&s;e Virgins</HI> &s;lept, therefore they are wi&s;e <HI>Virgins,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ames 1. 22.</NOTE> though they &s;leep; &s;o on the other hand, do the people of God deceive them&s;elves by a like fal&s;e rea&s;oning, concluding <HI>they are fooli&s;h Virgins</HI> certainly, becau&s;e they <HI>&s;leep.</HI> All are not <HI>wi&s;e</HI> that were <HI>a&s;leep,</HI> for &s;ome were <HI>fooli&s;h;</HI> and therefore the carnal creature may &s;leep the &s;leep of the <HI>fooli&s;h;</HI> all were not <HI>fooli&s;h</HI> that were a&s;leep, and therefore thou may&s;t be a wi&s;e <HI>Virgin,</HI> and yet overtaken with &s;leep: they both agree in&punc; &s;leeping, or &s;lumbering; it is common both to <HI>wi&s;e</HI> and <HI>fooli&s;h,</HI> therefore thou can&s;t not make it a <HI>di&s;tingui&s;hing,</HI> or differencing <HI>note of thy Condition</HI> which is common to both &s;orts; Only the degrees and circum&s;tances, the antecedents and concomitants of this <HI>&s;leep,</HI> are tho&s;e which di&s;tingui&s;h, as you have heard, and I hope, remember, <HI>the wi&s;e</HI> if they <HI>&s;leep, u&s;ually</HI> get <HI>oyl</HI> into their <HI>ve&s;&s;els</HI> fir&s;t, they &s;leep, but they &s;leep by candle-light, they &s;uffer not their <HI>Lamps</HI> to go out, <HI>they &s;leep, but their
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hearts weak,</HI> &amp;c. Well, it is po&s;&s;ible though thou &s;leep, thou mai&s;t be a wi&s;e virgin.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>How knowe&s;t thou, thou &s;leepe&s;t?</HI> and how cometh it to pa&s;s that it is a burthen to thee? Thou complaine&s;t of it, and to &s;uch onely we &s;peak brethren, I mu&s;t tell you &s;uch as yield not up to it, &s;uch as love not &s;leep, but it is tedious to them; but whence is this? Surely it is, becau&s;e thy heart is awake, as the &s;pou&s;e &s;aith, this is not a total &s;leep: O thou ha&s;t cau&s;e to ble&s;s the Lord that he hath kept &s;o much as thy heart awake, that &s;leep hath not &s;eized upon all; If once the heart be a&s;leep all is gone, therefore be thankful for that, that there is any thing kept awake, <HI>thy Will, thy Affections.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. I, you will &s;ay, if I could &s;ee my heart is awake it were &s;omething, but my hear &s;ure is a&s;leep, my confidence doth not much trouble me for it, my will hath been to blame; for I have even &s;etled my &s;elf to &s;leep, thrown my &s;elf upon my bed of &s;e|curity, &s;hut the windows, winked with my eys, put off my cloaths, I have &s;lighted and neglected tho&s;e acts of holine&s;s from time to time, of wor&s;hip, or which &s;hould have been as my gar|ments upon me; therefore &s;ure I am willing to &s;leep: yea more, he hath often &s;tirred and moved by his &s;pirit to awake me, and I have drow&s;ed and turned like a door upon the hinges, with the &s;luggard ready to cry <HI>a little &s;leep, a little &s;lumber, a little folding of the hands to &s;leep.</HI> O &s;ure my heart is a&s;leep as well as my &s;elf! I I cannot &s;ay with the Church, <HI>I &s;leep but my heart waketh;</HI> O what &s;hall I &s;ay, or what &s;hall I do? I an&s;wer, however it may be thy Will hath been in fault, and a&s;leep in part, if it be not a|waken in a good part, how come&s;t thou to be thus &s;en&s;ible of thy &s;leeping, and &s;lugg &s;hne&s;s of it, what mean all tho&s;e &s;ad and lamentable moanes thou make&s;t to the Lord in &s;ecret, if thou be not &s;en&s;ible of it? I hope it is &s;o with &s;ome of us; Are we not then &s;en&s;ible? O &s;ure the Will is not altogether a&s;leep! yea the prevailing part is awake.</P>
<P N="4">4. Remember this for thy comfort, If thou can&s;t not &s;ee clear|ly, as happily under di&s;temper, thou can&s;t not, neither thy heart be a&s;leep, or awake <HI>yet the Lord Je&s;us knoweth it,</HI> and he will ac|knowledge it; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25.</NOTE> O, he is &s;trict to mark what is good, if but a lit|tle &s;park in much &s;moak, or under much a&s;hes, when to all mens thinking the life is gone, he &s;eeth there is &s;omewhat alive, and a|wake
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within, a <HI>Seed of God</HI> within, and he will take notice of it, for the comfort of his poor people; If ever in any example, we would have thought men had &s;lept, <HI>will,</HI> and all; we would have thought &s;o of the Di&s;ciples, that notable example, that being &s;o often &s;hakt with &s;uch &s;harp, and &s;hameful rebukes; yet they <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26.</NOTE> &s;hould forth with be a&s;leep again, as if they had not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">heeded <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> at all, yet at la&s;t when they came to them&s;elves and could &s;leep no longer, for the enemies were upon them: Now <HI>&s;leep if you can,</HI> le&s;t this &s;hould too &s;orely a&s;&s;ail them, that they had &s;lept &s;o &s;oundly under &s;uch awaking means as they had, and be &s;wallowed up of to much grief. O &s;aith our Saviour, <HI>the &s;pirit indeed is willing but the fle&s;h is weak!</HI> he knew their Con&s;ciences would be ready to load them, and Satan would help forward their overwhelming grief, <HI>they wi&s;t not what to &s;ay to him,</HI> nor for them&s;elves; and therefore our Saviour him&s;elf letteth them know that there was &s;ome willingne&s;s within them, the &s;pirit was willing, but the fle&s;h was weak, and that he took notice of it, and <HI>accepted according to what they had, and not according to what they had not,</HI> where there <NOTE PLACE="marg">2&punc; Cor. 8. 12.</NOTE> is a willing mind. O here is comfort indeed, to have to do with &s;uch a Ma&s;ter, &s;uch a father, &s;uch a Bridegroom, as both know|eth, and that little willingne&s;s that is in &s;incerity in his peoples hearts not to &s;leep, though they them&s;elves could not &s;ay &s;o, he puts an an&s;wer into their mouths, to Satans accu&s;ing, and the &s;mitings of their own hearts, and a plea in their mouths to him|&s;elf, to prevail with him for pity, and &s;paring of them!</P>
<P>Remember this, that though &s;leep and &s;lumber, and many woful interruptions are in thy &s;ervice of God, yet remember Je&s;us Chri&s;t he hath &s;erved without any &s;uch &s;lumbrings, and &s;uch imperfecti|ons, and this is <HI>thine, he will render unto man, if he do acknowledge to God he hath &s;inned,</HI> that is to &s;ay <HI>freely, feelingly, faithfully ac|knowledge</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 33. 26.</NOTE> <HI>it.</HI> Ah brethren, it was a time of prayer, and a duty for the Di&s;ciples to pray, when our Saviour prayed; but they were all a&s;leep! if now their righteou&s;ne&s;s, peace, and &s;alvation had depended upon them&s;elves, where had it been? or if Je|&s;us Chri&s;t had &s;lept as well as they, where had it been? but he was wre&s;tling, and praying for him&s;elf, and for them in him&s;elf, at that time he never was heavy in his prayers, he never fell a&s;leep, nor &s;lumbred neither, with this &s;piritual &s;lumber, he fulfilled all righteou&s;ne&s;s to a tittle. O then remember this brethren, <HI>this mu&s;t
<PB N="183" REF="157">
be the ground of our grace, and comfort,</HI> you mu&s;t have it in ano|ther, and not in your &s;elves. And magnifie this rich grace of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that hath laid up for &s;uch poor &s;leeping &s;in|ners, &s;uch a watchful Ordinance.</P>
<P N="6">6. Another word may be this, though it be true, in thy &s;leep thou art in great danger, as you heard before, which indeed is enough to alarm us continually; <HI>yet if we do &s;trive and &s;tir up our &s;elves,</HI> a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d yet are overcome, though &s;ore again&s;t our wills; and &s;o are in danger of &s;ome deadly blow, are weak, and feeble, and the lea&s;t temptation may &s;mite us to the ground, much more then dreadful temptations; and without all que&s;tion, Satan never lulls us a&s;leep, but he hath a de&s;ign upon us, to take away our <HI>life,</HI> our <HI>God, our Chri&s;t, our peace, our comfort, our &s;trength from us; Yea to &s;mite us to the ground at once, and &s;mite us no more.</HI> As <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 26. 8.</NOTE> <HI>Abi&s;hai</HI> &s;aid to <HI>David, and as he begged he might have leave,</HI> &s;o doth the Devil even beg; O how fain he would have leave to &s;mite us then, as he moved the Lord again&s;t <HI>Job,</HI> &s;o continually <HI>this accu&s;er,</HI> and enemy who&s;e work it is to devour! O when he findeth &s;uch a prey, how edged is his appetite, but remember <HI>this for thy comfort,</HI> and &s;ay not, <HI>&s;urely Satan will &s;mite me to the heart at one time or another,</HI> poor trembling &s;oul, <HI>the Lord that keepeth I&s;rael, and watcheth them, he never &s;lumbreth nor &s;leepeth!</HI> Indeed <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 121. 4.</NOTE> if the Lord had &s;lept, as we are apt to think he doth when he with-holds from us his quickening, or comforting pre&s;ence for a time, and were apt to cry out as I may &s;ay to awake him, yet he never &s;leepeth, he watcheth and wards many a &s;ecret thru&s;t, and blow, that when we are a&s;leep, poor creatures we cannot be a|ware of, and though thou maye&s;t grieve him by a &s;loathful &s;pirit, and he may make thee &s;mart other ways for it, yet &s;urely he wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l not give up the life of dear Saints, the price of this life of his dear dear <HI>Son, to the will of Satan;</HI> No, they were bought at too dear a rate.</P>
<P N="7">7. Again, O what a comfort it is to a <HI>child of God, that he hath to do with &s;uch a Chri&s;t, &s;uch a Bridegroom, the wi&s;e Virgins belong to,</HI> are e&s;pou&s;ed to, <HI>as when they do &s;leep, is willing to take &s;o much pains to awaken them!</HI> This indeed it &s;hould grieve us &s;o much the more; <HI>that we &s;hould put him to it,</HI> yet it is a comfort, and no weak one neither, <HI>that he is willing to be at &s;uh pains, with us; to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 5.</NOTE> <HI>awake us.</HI> How long doth he &s;tand at the door and knock, before
<PB N="184" REF="158">
they will open, they lye a&s;leep &s;till, he cals them with the &s;weete&s;t compellations, <HI>My love, my dove, my undefiled, O thou dear and precious &s;oul, it is I thy dear Saviour, It is I whom thy &s;oul loveth, wilt thou ri&s;e, and open to me! I am wet with the dew of the night, can&s;t thou finde in thy heart to put me to &s;tand without, and indu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e the cold and the injuries of the night, and weather, and keep me out of thy heart the place which I have cho&s;en for my habitation, and where|in is all my delight?</HI> O what workings of his bowels are here, one would think this were enough to awaken! No, yet &s;he &s;hifts, and maketh excu&s;es, and very frivolous ones, as people will, when they are not very willing of a thing; Well, now a man would have thought, the <HI>Lord Je&s;us might have been ju&s;tly grieved</HI> &s;o as to depart, and leave her &s;leeping. No, &s;aith the Text, <HI>He came nearer, and put his hand in at the hole of the door,</HI> Poor &s;ouls, he &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">eth that the &s;pirit is willing, the fle&s;h is weak, that is to &s;ay, <HI>So far as carnal, we are weak,</HI> the &s;trength of the fle&s;h, maketh us weak and nothing el&s;e will do; therefore he is <HI>fain to come and take her by the heart,</HI> to touch her heart, to begin to unbolt the door him&s;elf: <HI>he cometh in &s;ome nearer, &s;weeter, powerful breathings of his &s;pirit within,</HI> that now &s;he is overcome and ri&s;eth, <HI>he would never let her alone, until he had awaked her.</HI> O this is his cour&s;e, he continually holds with poor &s;ouls in the like condition, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">onnot many a &s;oul in this Congregation, &s;eal to this truth! I believe they can brethren, though &s;ome of us happily have not known it. Now it is true brethren, it is meet the &s;pou&s;e &s;hould &s;mart a little, for this her wretched &s;leepine&s;s, for her &s;lighting of his call, and &s;hutting him out, it is meet &s;he &s;hould now, when awake follow him, and not finde him for a while, it co&s;t her &s;omething; and infinite rich mercy that he would ever be found of her again: alas brethren, it was more grief to Je&s;us Chri&s;t to behold his poor &s;pou&s;e going up and down mourning after him, then it was to her to follow him; and therefore that was a part of his pains: and after all this love, he mu&s;t him&s;elf awake poor &s;oul, if that will not awake it; as &s;ometimes it will not, or at lea&s;t &s;o much as he holdeth out <HI>will not awaken?</HI> why then happily he &s;eeth it nece&s;&s;ary <HI>to follow Jonas with a &s;torm,</HI> put him into the belly of hell, do you think this was any delight to him? Surely no, to hear the cry of his poor people that was in the bel|ly of hell, or out of the deep wherein they &s;ink, out of the Dun|geon
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where he ca&s;ts them to awake them: Surely no, and &s;o for <HI>David</HI> his condition, he was &s;o heavy in a &s;leep <HI>his bones mu&s;t be broken,</HI> &amp;c. Is this any delight to him? no: &s;urely brethren it is a grief to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and a part of his pains which we put him to, rather then he &s;hould lo&s;e our &s;ouls: but here is the com|fort, he will be at much pains to awaken us.</P>
<P N="8">8. And la&s;tly, It may be now thou art heavy, and &s;leepy, and napping, at every <HI>turn,</HI> there is a time when thou wa&s;t more dili|gent more wakeful, could&s;t &s;erve the Lord with more in&s;tance and intention of mind, and O, thou recounte&s;t that, as a happy time, and thy &s;adne&s;s and mi&s;ery, thou ha&s;t lo&s;t that frame of heart! O, how far art thou from it! Well, remember this, <HI>that the Lord he doth remember the love of thy <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;pou&s;als, the kindne&s;s of thy youth,</HI> which &s;ome expound of their kindne&s;s to God in the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 2. 2.</NOTE> wilderne&s;s; which if it be &s;o, as divers under&s;tand it, then it is the more con&s;iderable; <HI>When thou followed&s;t me in the wilderne&s;s,</HI> how did they follow him, was it not <HI>with murmurings and rebel|lion every foot</HI> almo&s;t, yet God remembreth this, <HI>even the love and affection &s;hewed in following him through &s;uch an uncouth place.</HI> O what a depth of bowels are here <HI>to cover, and forget all their re|bellion,</HI> and to remember their <HI>love!</HI> or el&s;e, <HI>I remember the love, I &s;hewed to thee then;</HI> however it be, we may make u&s;e of it; for what great love doth the Lord &s;hew then in <HI>giving a heart to love him, and follow hard after him,</HI> not to <HI>&s;lumber and &s;leep, for love will keep awake,</HI> it being full of &s;olicitous fear? <HI>Who are we &s;aith</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Chron. 29.</NOTE> <HI>David, that we &s;hould have a heart to offer &s;o willingly?</HI> The Lord will remember this, which it may be the pre&s;ent &s;en&s;e of thy &s;leeping, and &s;loathfulne&s;s hath blotted out of thy remembrance, it is before the Lord.</P>
<P N="9">9. <HI>One more,</HI> and that is this. <HI>He will likely by this heavine&s;s, and &s;loathfulne&s;s of thine, take occa&s;ion to do thee good by it, cure and heal thee:</HI> for will not the &s;hame and &s;orrow which he ca&s;ts upon a &s;oul for &s;leeping, keep him more awake for time to come? When once they were awaked, as with the Di&s;ciples, they &s;hould have little li&s;t to &s;leep afterward. Or el&s;e happily, hereby he would heal the pride and &s;elf-confidence which thou art full of, and then which nothing more grieveth him I know thou would&s;t count it the greate&s;t favor, and would&s;t be willing to undergo &s;ome &s;mart; yea much, &s;o be thou might&s;t be delivered from tho&s;e grieving
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evils of thine own &s;oul, it is the excellency of that heavenly Phy|&s;ician, to cure &s;leep with &s;leep, poy&s;on with poy&s;on, &s;in with &s;in, though it may be matter of &s;adne&s;s to us, to put him to it, to grieve him&s;elf &s;o much with us.</P>
<P><HI>And for the general condition of the Church, and people of God, It is matter of mourning indeed, that there is &s;uch a general &s;leep|ing, and &s;uch &s;ad effects of it every where; Magi&s;trates, Mini&s;ters and People, they all &s;leep; and let the envious man do what he will in many places. Here is the comfort, that he that keepeth I&s;rael never &s;lumbreth nor &s;leepeth. By this means our temptations are increa&s;ed indeed, for fal&s;e. Teachers</HI> they are a temptation, and a &s;hrewd one too, <HI>and how dangerous, when we are a&s;leep.</HI> Yet re|member he that permitteth it, he never &s;leepeth. Ah brethren! <HI>If the Lord had not kept the Vineyard,</HI> better then men have done, what had become of it? long ago it had been a Wilderne&s;s and de&s;olation. Doth he not &s;ee the de&s;igns of Satan and Anti|chri&s;t, and all their fetches and &s;lights to wind in them&s;elves at the back door? and <HI>doth he not laugh them to &s;corn, the Lord &s;hall have them in deri&s;ion?</HI> If men will not take the little Foxes that &s;poyl the grapes, he will in his own time; and they will finde it mo&s;t fearful to fall into the hands of God. <HI>He hath long &s;ince</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob. 18. 10, 11.</NOTE> <HI>&s;et the bounds of the &s;ea, which check the prowd waves thereof,</HI> though a man would wonder, when he beholds the mighty mountains, and &s;welling &s;urges of the &s;ea, that it &s;hould not o|verflow all, but the poor light loo&s;e &s;and, and plain ground, he maketh a check to it, <HI>hitherto &s;hall ye go and no farther.</HI> Can we &s;ufficiently wonder that the earth &s;hould be founded upon no|thing but onely his word of command? Well, <HI>He hath &s;aid he will make manife&s;t their folly to all men, and they &s;hall proceed no farther;</HI> and though he &s;eem to &s;leep &s;ometime; becau&s;e his <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 3. 9.</NOTE> people give him re&s;t concerning the&s;e things, yet &s;urely he doth <HI>wake, he never &s;lumbers nor &s;leepeth,</HI> and he will not permit the&s;e things further, then he will work his own glory, and his peoples good out of them. O therefore <HI>give him no re&s;t, you that are his remembrancers, keep not &s;ilence until the Lord make it appear to all the world that he did not &s;lumber nor &s;leep, until he awake as a Gyant refre&s;hed with wine, and &s;peak, and command all the&s;e tongues that &s;peak lyes in his name, into an everla&s;ting &s;ilence!</HI> Amen.</P>
<P><PB N="187" REF="159">
The next Doctrine &s;hall be this: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>We are apt to &s;leep, when we had mo&s;t need to be awake.</HI> This is rai&s;ed from the <HI>circum&s;tance of time,</HI> or the &s;ea&s;on, if I may call an un&s;ea&s;onable time a &s;ea&s;on; <HI>when they-&s;lept,</HI> it was ju&s;t be|fore the cry came, which &s;ummoned them to meet the Bride-groom coming, and wakened them at once. The Propo&s;ition is univer&s;al you &s;ee, the &s;ubject is univer&s;al, and &s;o is the predicate: for the &s;ubject, the Saints, the real Saints are apt to &s;leep, the Text it &s;elf proveth it beyond contradiction; for it is &s;poken of the wi&s;e virgins, which is comprehen&s;ive of all the Church of Chri&s;t, except the fooli&s;h; <HI>the fooli&s;h they &s;lept,</HI> and no marvel, but all the que&s;tion would be of the <HI>wi&s;e,</HI> &s;pecially at &s;uch a time as this: but the Parable plainly holds it out, <HI>they all &s;lumbred and &s;lept,</HI> and if they did it actually, &s;ure there was an aptitude, a di&s;|po&s;ition to it; I know none can plead exemption, except they can be of the Church of Chri&s;t; and yet not come under the notion of fooli&s;h or wi&s;e Virgins. But the difficulty, and indeed all that will be worth the time to prove, will be the univer&s;ality of the Predicate, they are apt to &s;leep, when they had mo&s;t need to wake; that is to &s;ay, when&s;oever they had more need to awake, then at another time, then they are apt to &s;leep. This I know not how to prove better, then by an Induction of particulars, here is one in the Text, and there is the like aptitude found of their &s;leeping at all other times of need; therefore we conclude it &s;o general, that they are apt to &s;leep, when they had mo&s;t need to awake.</P>
<P>For this time in the Text, I think hardly any will que&s;tion it: for men to be &s;leeping when they &s;hould be making ready, and &s;tand ready for the appearing of their Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t: Is to be &s;leeping when they have greate&s;t need to be awake: the car|nal mind indeed will be ready to &s;ing a <HI>requiem</HI> to it &s;elf, and &s;ay it is no matter, &s;o we have but a warning a little before he come, that we may have time to trim our Lamps before he come, though we be found &s;leeping; but &s;urely brethren the &s;piritual part will judge otherwi&s;e, that there is great need to be waking at the lat|ter end of the race, when they &s;hould lay hold on eternal life; <HI>Now</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13. 11.</NOTE> <HI>is high time,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>to awake, your &s;alvation is nearer.</HI> If ever there be need to have our ornaments on, our graces in a
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lively frame, and much in act; then is the time, if ever men would run in a race, towards the latter end of it is the time to &s;pur harde&s;t; it is a needful time, then it is a time of acting grace of &s;pending grace, of u&s;ing all you have, you &s;hall have exerci&s;e enough likely for it; and therefore then to have our graces to trim and fu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">bi&s;h up, as it will be if we &s;leep: &s;urely this is to &s;leep in a mo&s;t needful time, and yet this, the Saints are yet apt to brethren: how many do we &s;ee growing more heavy, and dull, le&s;s life, and vigour, and power to act their graces then be|fore?</P>
<P N="2">2. Again, another time <HI>of greate&s;t need to be awake, is when there are the choice&s;t communications of Chri&s;t to the &s;oul, to be had,</HI> that is awake and ready to receive them, every one &s;ure will conclude this is a time of greate&s;t need; for if we &s;leep out &s;uch a &s;ea&s;on as that, <HI>what may we lo&s;e!</HI> It may be that which we &s;hall never have opportunity to have again while we live: So the Di&s;ciples, when they &s;hould have beheld Chri&s;t in his glory, he was praying, and took up his Di&s;ciples, tho&s;e three favourites to pray with him, well he was praying, and as he prayed, <HI>the fa|&s;hion of his countenance was altered, and his rayment was white and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 9. 32.</NOTE> <HI>gli&s;tering, and two men; Elias and Mo&s;es talked with him, but Pe|ter and they that were with him, were heavy with &s;leep, and when they were awake, they &s;aw his glory,</HI> &amp;c. But how much of this fight did they lo&s;e before they were awake? O Prayer is a &s;peci|al duty, and how doth the heart drow&s;e for the mo&s;t part, when it &s;hould come to it! and when doth the Lord u&s;ually reveal more of his glory; when doth he u&s;ually make more of it to pa&s;s by a poor &s;oul, or company of his people, then in their pray|ing? therefore if at any time they had need to be awake, this is the time; but you &s;ee brethren, they them&s;elves were a&s;leep that were the choice of the Di&s;ciples, and what they lo&s;t, they were not like to recover, they were not like to &s;ee &s;uch a &s;ight again: &s;o much of his glory again. And truly brethren, ordinary ex|perience teacheth us, &s;ome of us I believe, that in the &s;pecial Or|dinances of grace wherein Je&s;us Chri&s;t is held out Crucifyed, held out in his loveline&s;s and glory; there our hearts are mo&s;t apt to he a&s;leep and drow&s;ie, and much ado, to keep them up to any thing. How many are we, &s;ometimes in Prayer, get but off the legs, and we are lively enough for any thing el&s;e, when there is mo&s;t need, we are apt to &s;leep.</P>
<P N="3"><PB N="189" REF="160">
3. <HI>After the greate&s;t di&s;coveries of grace, and of Chri&s;t to a &s;oul,</HI> after the <HI>mo&s;t melting, warming Communion, and fellow&s;hip with Chri&s;t.</HI> As now after this <HI>tranfiguration</HI> when they had &s;een this glory pa&s;&s;ing by them, a man would have thought this &s;hould have ravi&s;hed them &s;o, as to have kept them awake; <HI>Yea,</HI> after they had the <HI>Supper</HI> in the iu&s;titution, and no que&s;ti|on, brethren, but there was a pre&s;ence an&s;werable to the In&s;ti|tution, and for the honour of the In&s;titutor; as when him&s;elf was <HI>baptized, the Spirit came upon him;</HI> O &s;ure, if the bodily pre&s;ence were there, the &s;piritual would not be wanting! he would exalt that <HI>New Te&s;tament-Ordinance,</HI> or <HI>&s;eal</HI> above the other; and not likely, but he would do &s;o, that the Di&s;ciples might even take notice, <HI>that he was leaving the one,</HI> and taking up the other in&s;tead of it. At the Dedication of the <HI>Tabernacle,</HI> and of the <HI>Temple,</HI> the glory of God <HI>filled them,</HI> and I cannot believe, but there was a wonderful, glorious pre&s;ence at the De|dication of this Ordinance, if I may call it &s;o; <HI>well</HI> then, after &s;uch <HI>di&s;coveries</HI> of Chri&s;t, brethren &s;uch warnings, to lie down and <HI>&s;leep,</HI> how dangerous is it to <HI>catch</HI> cold after &s;uch a heat? how will it grieve the Lord to &s;ee &s;o much grace laid out in vain upon us in a great part, if we be &s;leeping &s;o quickly again? And it appears, that <HI>Peter</HI> he had his <HI>Love,</HI> and <HI>faith</HI> much heigthned, but here was the mi&s;take he re&s;ted too much upon it, upon what he had received: O &s;aith, he, <HI>though all men for&s;ake thee, I will not deny thee,</HI> &amp;c! <HI>Yet</HI> alas you &s;ee, when he &s;hould have prayed with Chri&s;t, and &s;o the re&s;t, there in his agony in the <HI>Garden,</HI> he fals a&s;leep <HI>again,</HI> and <HI>again,</HI> and <HI>again:</HI> &s;o dead a&s;leep, nothing would keep him waking. O how prone are the be&s;t of men to &s;leep, when we had mo&s;t need to wake! after the riche&s;t di&s;co|veries of Chri&s;t, when we had mo&s;t need to be mo&s;t lively, to improve the grace we have received, to return <HI>love</HI> for <HI>love,</HI> even then, we fall a&s;leep, the Di&s;ciples, as eminent as any, did it, &s;ure then, they were apt to it; And if <HI>they, then,</HI> &s;urely then any of the <HI>Saints</HI> are apt to it now.</P>
<P N="4">4. Another time of great need of <HI>waking</HI> for the <HI>Saint is the hour of temptation, when that cometh upon them;</HI> If ever Soldiers had need to be awake, it is, <HI>when the enemy is upon them,</HI> when they are be&s;ieged, when they are ready to &s;wallow them up. <HI>What need</HI> had <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> to have been awake, <HI>when the Phili&s;tins</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 1. 6.</NOTE>
<PB N="190" REF="161">
<HI>were upon him;</HI> and he had experience of it, again, and again, and yet you &s;ee how &s;ecurely he <HI>&s;lept?</HI> And &s;o the <HI>Di&s;ciples, it was the hour and power of darkne&s;s</HI> that now was come upon them, and if ever they would be awake, <HI>now</HI> was the time. Our <HI>Saviour</HI> al&s;o warns them of their danger; <HI>O watch, and pray, le&s;t</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 22. 53. Mar. 14. 38</NOTE> <HI>ye enter into temptation;</HI> you never were in &s;uch danger as now; you are be&s;et with <HI>temptations,</HI> will you be in danger of <HI>re|proach for my names &s;ake,</HI> even by and by; your <HI>enemies</HI> are <HI>ev<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n</HI> upon you already, re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">dy to apprehend me, and yet notwith&s;tanding all this danger, they <HI>&s;lept</HI> mo&s;t &s;ecurely; &s;urely no man will deny, but the <HI>hour of temptation is one of the dread|fulle&s;t times</HI> to watch, or be awake; have we not found it by &s;ad experience? have we not had exerci&s;es of faith in &s;uch an hour? for all the &s;trength of our <HI>Patience,</HI> and <HI>&s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to his will, exerci&s;e</HI> for all <HI>our love,</HI> and all our graces, and is not this a needful time then to have them ready at hand to us, and if we had not, how &s;adly &s;hould we have been foyled, and God di&s;honoured? <HI>yea,</HI> hath it not been &s;o with many of us in &s;uch an hour? we have fallen, been wounded, wounded his Name, and our own names, and our own &s;ouls, and all, becau&s;e we were a&s;leep? <HI>&s;ure,</HI> if any other, this is a needful time: and yet truly, this is &s;o ordinary, that when doth <HI>an hour of temptation</HI> come upon the people of God, that it findeth them waking, &s;tanding with <HI>loins girt with &s;trength,</HI> ready to receive it? we are u&s;ually mo&s;t &s;leepy at &s;uch a time.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>After we have fallen by our former &s;leeping, then</HI> there is great need of being awake; for alas brethren, the deceitfulne&s;s of &s;in is &s;uch, that except it be pre&s;ently repented of, and con|fe&s;&s;ed, it hardens the <HI>heart,</HI> and &s;o long we continue in a grie|ving condition to the Lord; Therefore there is need to be awake; and yet u&s;ually after falling, <HI>we</HI> are apt to &s;leep; and how long we &s;hould &s;leep, if we were left to this <HI>&s;leeping evil,</HI> we know not. <HI>Peter</HI> had his fall: O what need had he quickly to have repented! but poor &s;oul he was a&s;leep, and therefore in&s;tead of repenting, he acts the &s;ame &s;in over, and over again, and in a more fearful man|ner; If he had been awake at fir&s;t, he had not committed that &s;in likely; if he had been then awake, he had not then repeated it, but he goeth on, being in a &s;leep; Ah it was high time to awake him! for who knoweth what he would have done, if the
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Lord Je&s;us had not lookt upon him. And &s;o <HI>David,</HI> O what need had he to have been awaked after his adultery, that his <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 12.</NOTE> hard <HI>heart</HI> might not have been more hardened, and his &s;oul ex|po&s;ed to more thru&s;ts and wounds, and Gods Name more di&s;ho|noured; but alas, he is fa&s;t a&s;leep! And &s;o the ca&s;e of <HI>Jonah,</HI> he had avoided that &s;ad di&s;temper of madne&s;s and pa&s;&s;ion, if he had been awake; but it &s;eemeth though he had been in the belly of hell, he was not throughly awaked from his former &s;leep, in his former rebellion, and therefore he rebels yet more, and more, now I &s;ay, <HI>after &s;in, we are</HI> apt to be a&s;leep, when we had mo&s;t need to be awake. It is &s;ad brethren, to con&s;ider what a frame the hearts of Gods own people will be in &s;ometimes; and what <HI>guil</HI> there is? as in <HI>David,</HI> that they will not confe&s;s their &s;in, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 32.</NOTE> when God hath di&s;covered their folly in part, but will cloak, and &s;hift, and excu&s;e, and <HI>ne&s;tle</HI> them&s;elves to &s;leep again, when they are a little awaked; O when had they more need to repent, to rou&s;e them&s;elves? for when are they more expo&s;ed to the rage of Satan? and yet <HI>then</HI> they &s;leep.</P>
<P N="6">6. Another time, when we had greate&s;t need to be awake, <HI>we</HI> are apt to &s;leep, and that is, <HI>when we &s;hould be a comfort and refre&s;hing to others in their troubles and &s;orrows.</HI> Surely our <HI>Saviour</HI> took his Di&s;ciples up into the <HI>garden,</HI> that they might pray with him and <HI>for them&s;elves;</HI> and to have been with them <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26.</NOTE> praying, would have been a little comfort to him: therefore he came &s;till, after he had been &s;trongly wre&s;tling, a while &s;triving in prayer, even to an agony, to them he came as I may &s;ay, to have refre&s;hed him&s;elf; as it was the Apo&s;tles joy, and comfort <NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Ioh. 4. 1 The&s;. 3. 8.</NOTE> to &s;ee his Children in the Go&s;pel to walk &s;tedfa&s;tly with God and keep the faith; <HI>now we live, if ye &s;tand fa&s;t;</HI> &s;o it would have been a comfort to Chri&s;t at this time; but alas, all comfort for&s;akes him, <HI>he cometh again, and again, and findeth them &s;leeping;</HI> he &s;weat that bloody &s;weat, and in&s;tead of wiping it away, they laid more load upon him to increa&s;e it. <HI>O mi&s;e|rable Companions</HI> in affliction were they, <HI>mi&s;erable Comforters were they,</HI> they were <HI>a&s;leep.</HI> Truly &s;o it is with us brethren, <HI>when we &s;hould comfort one another with the comforts we have had of God,</HI> we have them to &s;eek, we have nothing to &s;ay; Or when by our <HI>lively conver&s;ation;</HI> and &s;tanding fa&s;t, and being e&s;tabli&s;h|ed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n the <HI>pre&s;ent truth,</HI> in the&s;e back&s;liding days, to the comfort
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and joy of them that Chri&s;t hath &s;et over us; we are &s;leeping, and our foot &s;liding, into this, and that fal&s;e way, and this is another great time of need. But I hope enough hath been &s;aid, many more particulars might be produced; I doubt not, to &s;hew that it is a like, in other <HI>ca&s;es</HI> of greate&s;t need, we are apt to fall a&s;leep.</P>
<P><HI>The Rea&s;ons are from the de&s;perate deceitfulne&s;s of &s;in, and our hearts, and the cunning, and malice of Satan,</HI> to do us mo&s;t hurt, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t Application, Then</HI> &s;ure there is no &s;uch thing as perfecti|on <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e. 1.</NOTE> in this life, as &s;ome would have it, if we be thus prone to &s;leep, and when we had mo&s;t need to be awake; <HI>yea</HI> rather it argues great imperfection, even in the be&s;t of the Saints that have a <HI>heart</HI> &s;o untoward, and apt to be in the wor&s;t frame, when it <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. 13.</NOTE> &s;hould be in the be&s;t. To be out of frame at any time, to be &s;leeping at any time, argues imperfection, and weakne&s;s, and wearine&s;s, and therefore the Angels are <HI>called Watchers,</HI> where|in they approach nearer to the glorious perfection of God, <HI>who never &s;lumbreth, nor &s;leepeth;</HI> but to be out of frame <HI>then,</HI> when of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 4. 17.</NOTE> all other times, we had mo&s;t need to be in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rame, &s;heweth we are far from perfection; that Corruption is &s;trong and cunning, and the Devil without, knoweth how to improve it to our great di&s;advantage, either unbefitting us for <HI>doing good</HI> when op|portunity is offered, or for <HI>receiving Good,</HI> when the heart of the <HI>Lord</HI> is mo&s;t widely opened.</P>
<P>This &s;hould be matter of <HI>deep humiliation to us all, that we are &s;o apt to &s;leep, when we have mo&s;t need to be awake.</HI> The other <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 2.</NOTE> <HI>Doctrine</HI> gave us a <HI>humbling word,</HI> but <HI>this much more:</HI> If we con&s;ider the&s;e <HI>two things.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>The more grace we have received, the wor&s;e we grow, turn the grace of Chri&s;t into wantonne&s;s;</HI> for u&s;ually at the fir&s;t, when the &s;oul is awaked out of its dead &s;leep, <HI>O how hard it followeth</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 132. 4.</NOTE> <HI>after God,</HI> it giveth no &s;leep to its <HI>eyes,</HI> nor &s;lumber to his <HI>eye-lids!</HI> until he find out a place for the Lord, <HI>an habitation for the mighty God of</HI> Jacob <HI>in the &s;oul. Well,</HI> it is true, the Lord hath done &s;omething for that poor &s;oul; he hath opened his <HI>eyes</HI> to &s;ee the <HI>want of Chri&s;t,</HI> and touched his <HI>heart</HI> &s;o, that now he
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followeth him, and cannot but follow him; this is un&s;peakable mercy. But now when the Lord hath done much more for the &s;oul, hath poured upon it his <HI>Spirit, given the oyl of gladne&s;s,</HI> as well as of grace, that then it &s;hould fall a&s;leep; the <HI>more en|gagements of Love the Lord Je&s;us lays upon the &s;oul, the more li<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t|le&s;s, the more lazy</HI> it &s;hould grow? The <HI>Apo&s;tle</HI> took it un|kindly, and well he might, <HI>the more he loved them, the le&s;s he</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 12. 15.</NOTE> <HI>was beloved;</HI> and this could not but &s;hame them, if they had any <HI>ingenuity;</HI> and may not the <HI>Lord Je&s;us</HI> take it as unkindly, that the <HI>more</HI> he <HI>loveth us,</HI> the <HI>le&s;s</HI> he &s;hould be <HI>loved of us,</HI> as his love groweth hotte&s;t, our love &s;hould grow colde&s;t! O for a &s;piritual <HI>ingenuity,</HI> that we might lie down in &s;hame before the Lord continually for this; O what ungodly <HI>hearts,</HI> &amp;c. and how unkind, may poor creatures be, and are they, who have received greate&s;t kindne&s;s from him? <HI>Paul labored more abundant|ly, becau&s;e grace bad more abounded toward him, then others.</HI> We are prone to it, if we be not left to it; the more grace we <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Cor. 15. 10.</NOTE> have received, the more li&s;tle&s;s to grow, which ari&s;eth <HI>no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> from the <HI>nature of grace,</HI> but from <HI>&s;elf-confidence,</HI> and <HI>re&s;t|ing</HI> in our receivings, which lays us fa&s;t a&s;leep; a man that hath one <HI>talent,</HI> improveth it; but he that hath ten, lays it to &s;leep, &amp;c.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>What a &s;hame</HI> is it for us, that when we have mo&s;t <HI>need to act our grace,</HI> we have the <HI>lea&s;t u&s;e of it;</HI> for what was grace given us for brethren, but for <HI>action,</HI> not to lie <HI>idle,</HI> and ru&s;t for want of u&s;ing, but to <HI>exerci&s;e</HI> it for <HI>his glory,</HI> our own <HI>comfort,</HI> and <HI>others</HI> good; Now how do we fall &s;hort of the&s;e ends, when we can|not u&s;e it in our greate&s;t need, is in tho&s;e times before mentioned; how would a man be a&s;hamed, that is, or &s;hould be a man of his hands, and when there is not &s;uch need, he can <HI>&s;ence</HI> and u&s;e his hands <HI>exactly</HI> to defend him&s;elf, or offend his enemy; but when he cometh to it indeed, that his life is in danger, he is in a deep <HI>&s;leep,</HI> as the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> &s;peaks, <HI>and none of the men of might find their hands.</HI> A man is very rational at all other times, only <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 76. 5.</NOTE> at a pinch, when he hath more then ordinary need of it, he is a very child, and can do nothing, this is a great &s;hame. The Saints that have received much grace, and therefore &s;hould act &s;trongly for God, what a <HI>&s;hame</HI> is it, that when <HI>temptation</HI> com|eth, or when any more then ordinary occa&s;ion to exerci&s;e
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their <HI>grace,</HI> they are like Children &s;leeping in their Cradles, can do nothing.</P>
<P><HI>Then,</HI> If this be &s;o; <HI>Let us learn never to tru&s;t our hearts, when they at the be&s;t, in their highe&s;t frame, mo&s;t &s;piritual, mo&s;t en|larged;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 3.</NOTE> Alas, they are like a deceitful Bow, it &s;eemeth firm, un|til you come to draw it; but when you have need of it, draw it, it will deceive you, fall a&s;under; <HI>he that tru&s;toth in his own heart, is a fool,</HI> &s;aith the wi&s;e man; and who more likely to know then <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 28. 36.</NOTE> he, who be&s;ide the Spirit whereby he &s;pake, had had experience what a &s;ad thing that <HI>&s;elf-confidence</HI> and &s;ecurity had been? how fatal it had proved to him&s;elf? be &s;ure brethren, if there be any time more then another that we need our hearts to be pre|&s;ent, or graces to be in act, they will be a&s;leep; our corrupt part will cloud them, and bear them down. Do but ob&s;erve it, if it be but <HI>to watch one hour with Chri&s;t in an holy duty,</HI> as <HI>prayer,</HI> or the <HI>like:</HI> It is &s;trange, but it is true, <HI>our hearts will be le&s;s pre|&s;ent then,</HI> then at any thing el&s;e; <HI>Let</HI> the duty be done, or be|fore it begin, and you &s;hall not be troubled with &s;uch a &s;tream of vain, and impertinent, if not <HI>&s;inful thoughts,</HI> but once go about <HI>this duty;</HI> and O how do they thru&s;t upon the &s;oul? and how lively &s;ometimes, (when there is not &s;o much need) are the af|fections? and how dull, and flat are they then? <HI>therefore tru&s;t not any frame you have at any time received;</HI> for indeed it will prove a broken <HI>reed,</HI> even <HI>grace</HI> it &s;elf, if you <HI>lean</HI> upon it, it will <HI>fail</HI> you, and pierce you al&s;o.</P>
<P><HI>Then</HI> what need had we brethren, <HI>to ply the Throne of grace, to &s;it down by the fountain, and fulne&s;s of life, and quickning influ|ence,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 4.</NOTE> <HI>even Je&s;us Chri&s;t. David</HI> did even when he was at the be&s;t frame, as in <HI>penning</HI> the 119. <HI>P&s;alm:</HI> when do we find more fla|ming <HI>affections</HI> towards God, and <HI>Heaven,</HI> and his <HI>Law,</HI> and <HI>Wor&s;hip,</HI> &s;o &s;trong as to break through all oppo&s;itions of men, and Satan, and Corruption? and yet how &s;en&s;ible was he of his falling flat, even in the mid&s;t of &s;uch a rapture? <HI>O quicken thou me, quicken thou me according to thy Word,</HI> &s;aith he; alas this vigor will not continue, except thou &s;upply it with continual re|fre&s;hing, and renewing of &s;trength. And &s;o in that place, <HI>O that thou would&s;t keep this upon the imagination of the thoughts</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. 29.</NOTE>
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<HI>of their hearts for ever;</HI> alas, el&s;e he knew if there were a like occa&s;ion for a <HI>free &s;pirit in the &s;ervice of God,</HI> and his <HI>Temple,</HI> it would be far from them. <HI>O therefore ply the throne of grace</HI> bre|thren, <HI>live by the faith of the Son of God: Faith</HI> will draw water out of the wels of <HI>&s;alvation.</HI></P>
<P>And O what need had we <HI>to keep in with the Spirit of grace, le&s;t he leave us in a time of need!</HI> It is true, when we aprrehend a danger, or an <HI>hour of temptation coming,</HI> and the &s;oul be any thing awake, O then, what <HI>mean</HI> it will make for the <HI>pre&s;ence of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 30.</NOTE> <HI>the Spirit?</HI> but brethren, he deals with us, as we deal with him; If when we have <HI>peace,</HI> and a <HI>calm,</HI> and in our or|dinary waking we &s;light him, and &s;it loo&s;e to him, believe it, in our time of greate&s;t need he may ju&s;tly &s;tand at a di&s;tance from us, and let us &s;ee what our own &s;trength is, and what can we do without him? O therefore, let us take heed of <HI>grieving</HI> this holy Spirit, which is <HI>that Spirit that watcheth with us to keep us awake,</HI> le&s;t if he withdraw, we fall a&s;leep, when of all other times we had mo&s;t need to be awake.</P>
<P><HI>Fifthly, Then</HI> what have &s;ome of the <HI>people</HI> of God to <HI>ble&s;s him for, and to rejoyce in the Lord, for that he hath kept them awake,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 5.</NOTE> <HI>&s;pecially in the time of need? it is double, and treble mercy.</HI> You heard before it is <HI>matter of great prai&s;es to be kept awake ordinari|ly.</HI> But in an <HI>hour of temptation to be kept awake, watching and praying;</HI> &s;o that when others have entred into <HI>temptation, thou</HI> ha&s;t been delivered: O what mercy is this, and <HI>whence</HI> is it that the Lord doth &s;o highly favour thee more then others of his <HI>peo|ple?</HI> So when he hath in his Ordinances &s;ometimes been, as I may &s;ay, <HI>transfigured before us,</HI> and when others have been a&s;leep, have &s;een nothing of it at all, or very little; thou ha&s;t been <HI>kept</HI> awake all the while. O that we could tell how to &s;et a price up|on &s;uch a mercy as this? how &s;ad a lo&s;s would it have been, if thou had&s;t &s;lept away &s;uch a <HI>&s;ea&s;on</HI> as others have done? that haply thou mighte&s;t never have &s;een again? what had the <HI>Di|&s;ciples</HI> lo&s;t, if <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> had &s;uffered them to &s;leep all the while of <HI>his transfiguration? &s;omewhat</HI> they &s;aw of it, and by that they &s;aw they might gather the better what they had lo&s;t; it may be thou ha&s;t lo&s;t &s;omething in &s;uch a time by &s;leeping a while, but hath he awaked thee to &s;ee the re&s;t? Oh that
<PB N="196" REF="164">
God would help to <HI>prize</HI> our <HI>mercies,</HI> to ble&s;s and magnifie him for it.</P>
<P>Sixthly, in the la&s;t place then, <HI>if we find our &s;elves growing &s;e|cure, and &s;lumbring and &s;leeping, &s;u&s;pect there is an hour of great</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 6.</NOTE> <HI>need to watch, to be awake, at hand.</HI> Either <HI>the day of our appear|ing</HI> before the Lord Je&s;us, which is a time of greate&s;t need, and if Satan can but get us a&s;leep again&s;t that day, he knoweth in likelihood we may &s;et in a cloud, which will be di&s;honour to Chri&s;t, di&s;comfort to his poor people; or el&s;e <HI>&s;ome hour of tempta|tion is coming,</HI> and his de&s;ign is now to <HI>lull</HI> us a&s;leep, that he may the more deeply wound us, take his <HI>aim better,</HI> where to hit us, and if he might have his will, to &s;mite us once for all. O &s;u&s;pect, if <HI>Dalilah &s;pread her lap for us;</HI> If the <HI>delights of the world</HI> do open their bo&s;om for us to lye in, and begin to &s;ing &s;weetly in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 16.</NOTE> our ears, and charm us? <HI>O take heed, rou&s;e up your &s;elves with Samp&s;on,</HI> before hand, as he did it afterward &s;till, until he was ta|ken indeed, <HI>the Lord being departed from him,</HI> a &s;ad end of his &s;leeping. But &s;u&s;pect there is &s;ome de&s;ign in hand upon us, the aym is to get away God and Chri&s;t from us, <HI>our peace, our holy frame</HI> from us, to bring <HI>the Phili&s;tims upon us.</HI> Or el&s;e that there is &s;ome glorious manife&s;tation of God towards us in his Ordinan|ces, he is about to cau&s;e his glory to pa&s;s by, and the envious man and our wretched hearts would &s;ain rob us of it; therefore &s;u|&s;pect our &s;elves, if we finde we are growing thus &s;leepy, that there is &s;ome time of need neer at hand for our waking, for we are exceeding apt to &s;leep, when we have mo&s;t need to wake. But &s;o much for this Doctrine.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="197" REF="164">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Ver&s;e 6.</BIBL>
<Q><GAP DESC="foreign">.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IN this Ver&s;e we have Chri&s;t his preparatory to his coming. In the next ver&s;e, Its influence upon tho&s;e unprepared virgins, towards a preparation of them&s;elves for his coming, and their own meeting of him.</P>
<P>In this preparation you have 1. A cry; which is laid down, fir&s;t in general, or fir&s;t it is declared <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>that there was a cry. 2. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> what this cry was; Behold the Bridegroom cometh,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>And then the &s;ea|&s;on</HI> of it in the &s;econd place, it was <HI>at midnight. A Cry</HI> was made at his fir&s;t coming, there was a <HI>forerunner,</HI> and that was <HI>John</HI> the Bap|ti&s;t, and he was <HI>the voice of one crying in the wilderne&s;s,</HI> an earne&s;t, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 3. 3.</NOTE> zealous, loud &s;peaking, <HI>prepare ye the way of the Lord.</HI> And now at his la&s;t coming there is a like preparation of his way, <HI>there was a Cry made. Calvin</HI> thinketh the Cry here is put metaphorically for the &s;uddene&s;s of his coming, or that it may be under&s;tood &s;o, becau&s;e when any great thing cometh upon a people &s;udden|ly, they make a &s;tir, a tumult, it di&s;compo&s;eth them. Or as Children, or Scholars, that are all out of their places, and at their &s;port, their Father or Ma&s;ter cometh upon them &s;uddenly; O what a &s;tir there is, an out-cry, <HI>the Ma&s;ter is coming, the Fa|ther is coming!</HI> Or when an <HI>Enemy</HI> &s;urprizeth a place, <HI>cometh</HI> &s;uddenly, <HI>beateth up their Quarters,</HI> there is a <HI>Cry; O hor&s;e, hor&s;e, arm, arm,</HI> they are here upon us. But I know not what <HI>Rea|&s;on</HI> thus to under&s;tand it of the &s;uddenne&s;s of his coming, the <HI>Effect</HI> being put for the <HI>Cau&s;e;</HI> becau&s;e before the <HI>&s;uddenne&s;s</HI> of his coming is &s;et forth in the <HI>&s;ea&s;on</HI> plainly, as hereafter &s;hall appear; <HI>he came at midnight.</HI> I rather therefore take this for a <HI>Cry</HI> by &s;ome <HI>me&s;&s;enger of</HI> God, as a <HI>fore-runner of his Sons appearing,</HI> or <HI>coming to his people,</HI> either to take them to the marriage, or &s;hut them out of the marriage for ever.</P>
<P>The <HI>Doctrine</HI> briefly will be this; <HI>The fore-runner of the com|ing</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr.</NOTE> <HI>of Chri&s;t, is a Cry. At midnight a Cry was made.</HI> It is likely that this is &s;poken by way of <HI>accommadation</HI> to the <HI>Pro|the&s;is</HI>
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of the &s;imilitude, as the manner of Marriages then, <HI>when</HI> the <HI>Bridegroom</HI> was coming, likely there was &s;ome <HI>me&s;|&s;enger</HI> going before, to prepare them that were with the <HI>Bride,</HI> to meet him that there might be no confu&s;ion when he came, &s;o here in the <GAP DESC="foreign"> of the &s;imilitude, the profe&s;&s;ors of Chri&s;t and the world, they are unready for the mo&s;t part, and in a &s;leep: And therefore <HI>this fore-runner goeth before</HI> the coming of the Bride-groom, to give them warning that they pre|pare, &amp;c.</P>
<P>That <HI>this</HI> is &s;o, <HI>the Text it &s;elf</HI> is &s;o expre&s;s, I think it not very needful to prove it further by Scripture, but &s;hew you that it is his cour&s;e in all his comings to &s;end &s;ome me&s;&s;enger before him to prepare his way, to make way for his coming; his coming to particular <HI>Judgments,</HI> as with the old world, he &s;ent his <HI>harbinger Noah,</HI> a Preacher of <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> and every blow of the <HI>work|men</HI> upon the <HI>Ark</HI> was a Cry, and might have been as a <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2. 5. Heb. 11. 7.</NOTE> dreadful &s;ound in the ears of the world, he being the warning; the <HI>Ark</HI> mu&s;t be &s;o long, an hundred and twenty years in building, the report of it then might go over all the world in that time, for ought I know. Was not <HI>Lot &s;ent</HI> to <HI>Sodom</HI> before their ruin, <HI>Jonah</HI> to <HI>Niniveh,</HI> crying <HI>yet</HI> fourty days, and it &s;hall be overthrown; But I will not &s;tand upon this, you &s;ee it is &s;uitable to his former proceedings in coming to judge any people, or de|liver his own among them, and de&s;troy the re&s;t, which will be the <HI>effect of this coming of his.</HI></P>
<P>Only here, let us note &s;omething <HI>concerning this coming of Chri&s;t,</HI> in a word or two; for I will not dwell upon the&s;e things, having di&s;patched the main things in the <HI>Parable</HI> already for the mo&s;t part, and 2. Something touching this <HI>Cry,</HI> what it is, and 3. Something concerning them both, <HI>relatively</HI> con&s;idered, one re&s;pecting the other.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>For the coming of Chri&s;t,</HI> which is the <HI>&s;ub&s;tance</HI> of the <HI>Cry,</HI> as you heard before, <HI>either it is his coming at la&s;t to judge the</HI> world, to gather the Saints together, and carry them into the Marriage as one <HI>&s;pou&s;e,</HI> topre&s;ent them to his father, the purcha&s;e of his deare&s;t blood which we mu&s;t &s;urely under&s;tand here to be principally meant. And 2. The coming of Chri&s;t to a particular <HI>&s;oul,</HI> or people to gather them <HI>either to the &s;pirits of ju&s;t men made perfect, the a&s;&s;embly of the fir&s;t-born, the general a&s;&s;embly,</HI> or el&s;e to
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&s;eparate them from the congregation of the <HI>righteous;</HI> here in|deed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 23. P&s;al. 1. 5.</NOTE> they live mixed, as in the fir&s;t <HI>P&s;alm,</HI> but then the <HI>&s;inners &s;hall not &s;tand in the congregation of the righteous;</HI> but then the <HI>wheat</HI> goeth one way, and the <HI>Chaff</HI> another, the <HI>Gorn</HI> one way, the <HI>Tares</HI> another, the good fi&s;h in the <HI>Net</HI> one way, and the weeds, and tra&s;h drawn in the Net another way. Before the <HI>fooli&s;h</HI> Virgins might be counted <HI>wi&s;e,</HI> it may by many as well as the <HI>wi&s;e, yea</HI> happily the only wi&s;e, and the <HI>wi&s;e Virgins</HI> the <HI>fooli&s;h;</HI> but now he cometh to make a difference, and lay it open to the view of all, which are which.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>For the Cry:</HI> It is to be noted, that the <HI>force</HI> of the <HI>word</HI> imports a <HI>&s;trong</HI> voice, &s;uch a voice happily as would <HI>Stentora vincere,</HI> there is a <HI>&s;till</HI> voice, and a <HI>loud</HI> voice; a <HI>Cry</HI> is, when the voice is lifted up, when the throat is extended, as I may &s;ay, when per&s;ons are hard of hearing, <HI>I&s;a. 58. 1. Cry with the throat;</HI> Or it is to be extended to a great di&s;tance, <HI>there is a Cry</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 58. 1.</NOTE> <HI>made.</HI> So then, <HI>this</HI> is no ordinary voice or warning, but a <HI>loud Cry,</HI> a <HI>&s;hrill</HI> &s;ound, that is to be the <HI>fore-runner of Chri&s;t</HI> his coming.</P>
<P>But then, <HI>What this Cry is,</HI> that is here &s;poken of, will be the &s;ubject of a further enquiry? <HI>Why?</HI> &s;urely brethren, we mu&s;t under&s;tand it according, or &s;uitable to our expo&s;ition of the <HI>coming</HI> in this place.</P>
<P>If we take his <HI>coming</HI> here, to be <HI>his general coming to judge the world, then</HI> the <HI>Cry</HI> may be one of the&s;e two, and both of them are fore-runners, though the one is more immediate then the other.</P>
<P N="1">1. Then, <HI>The preaching of the Go&s;pel to all the world, their &s;ound is gone forth into all the world. The Go&s;pel</HI> of the <HI>Kingdom</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24. 14.</NOTE> mu&s;t fir&s;t be preached to all the World, and then &s;hall the <HI>end be;</HI> it mu&s;t be for a <HI>witne&s;s</HI> to all Nations; <HI>this</HI> is a <HI>&s;ound,,</HI> a <HI>Cry,</HI> and the &s;ub&s;tance of the <HI>Cry</HI> is, <HI>behold he cometh, go forth to meet him; he</HI> that is the <HI>Bridegroom,</HI> that hath purcha&s;ed with his precious blood a <HI>peculiar people</HI> to him&s;elf to be his <HI>&s;pou&s;e,</HI> even as many as &s;hall <HI>believe</HI> in his <HI>name.</HI> Therefore go forth to meet him, make ready for his appearing, when he &s;hall come to fetch his <HI>Bride,</HI> &s;ee to it that you be found in the number, <HI>this Cry</HI> is to go <HI>forth into all the world,</HI> But this is further off. But,</P>
<P N="2"><PB N="200" REF="166">
2. <HI>The voice of the Archangel; for the Lord him&s;elf &s;hall de|&s;eend from heaven with a &s;hout, with a &s;hout, with the voice of the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 4. 16.</NOTE> <HI>Archangel, and with the Trump of God, and the dead in Chri&s;t &s;hall ri&s;e fir&s;t;</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>a &s;hout, Beza</HI> &s;aith it is taken from Sea|men, or the like, who when they are pulling an <HI>Anchor,</HI> or Cable, with one voice cry together, and pull together, as I may &s;ay a <HI>Hertamen,</HI> &s;tirring up one another to pull; &s;o this will be a <HI>&s;hout</HI> happily of all, or many of the company which come with <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t, crying out, O he is coming, make ready for him;</HI> or what ever it be, &s;ome &s;hout there will be, or like the &s;hout of men ready to &s;et upon, and de&s;troy their <HI>enemies. The Archangel is chief,</HI> there being <HI>orders</HI> it &s;hould &s;eem among them, <HI>he</HI> doth as I may &s;ay, cry before the re&s;t, and in&s;tead of the re&s;t, and <HI>Calvin</HI> maketh this expo&s;ition. The <HI>Trumpet</HI> al&s;o whatever it be &s;ounds, to &s;ound forth the maje&s;ty of the appearing of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI> i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> is the loude&s;t &s;ound that is made with in&s;truments, I think, and u&s;ed much in <HI>I&s;rael</HI> in the gathering together their holy, and civil, and martial-A&s;&s;emblies, and for preparation to <HI>warn. Well, this</HI> will be a Cry that all the <HI>world</HI> will ring of, <HI>the</HI> very dead in their graves &s;hall hear it, <HI>they that are in the grave, &amp;c.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 5. 28.</NOTE> Not while they are <HI>dead,</HI> nor be quickned by any vertue of a Creature, as this Cry is, but the power of Chri&s;t <HI>then</HI> going forth, and rai&s;ing them up, they may be &s;aid to hear it, or at lea&s;t they are rai&s;ed at that time; <HI>The trumpet Calvin</HI> mentioneth <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 15. 52. Calv. H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ll.</NOTE> unto the <HI>Corinthians,</HI> to be nothing el&s;e but metaphorical, the voice of the <HI>Angel,</HI> the loud Cry, which &s;hall be by the <HI>Angel</HI> formed; As a <HI>General</HI> by <HI>Trumpet</HI> cals together his <HI>Army,</HI> &s;o God will <HI>cite</HI> all the world to his Tribunal; or as at Mount <HI>Sinai,</HI> to the giving the <HI>Law,</HI> one people were called together with a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 19. 16.</NOTE> loud noi&s;e, or trumpets, <HI>&s;o</HI> much more when all the world &s;hall be called together, the Maje&s;ty and terror of the appearing of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>If we take it here brethren, <HI>of his particular coming</HI> to parti|cular &s;ouls, to gather them to him&s;elf in part before that day; which I know not that it can be excluded from being a part of his meaning, then the voice, the cry, is otherwi&s;e to be under&s;tood.</P>
<P>1. Then, It may be meant of the warning words which the Lord giveth his people by the Mini&s;try of the Go&s;pel every
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where in his Churches: &s;pecially indeed brethren, this hath been the voyce of all the Me&s;&s;engers of Chri&s;t ever &s;ince his fir&s;t com|ing, <HI>that he will come, and come quickly, his la&s;t and general com|ing</HI> will be quickly, but his coming to us particularly will be&mdash;quickly. Now the importunity of them that call upon us to re|pent, to prepare for the coming of Chri&s;t to our &s;ouls by death, when we are like to receive our doom for our everla&s;ting &s;tate, <HI>this may be meant, cry aloud, &s;pare not, lift up thy voyce.</HI> Or el&s;e, <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 58. 1.</NOTE></P>
<P>2. <HI>Happily &s;ome Afflictions,</HI> God opens the mouth of &s;ome rod, &s;ome heavy vi&s;itation, <HI>the rod cryeth, as it is in that place of Mi|cah,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mic. 6. 9.</NOTE> whether it be the affliction, the &s;ickne&s;s, or &s;troke whereby the Lord takes men away, this cryeth to men, repent: O prepare to meet the Lord Je&s;us, he is coming, he is now even at the door; therefore go forth now to meet him, as <HI>Hilarian</HI> chid his &s;oul out, <HI>egredere O anima, egredere.</HI> Sometimes the Lord &s;endeth a long and a loud cry, a grievous, and heavy vi&s;itation upon many of us, yea upon his own dear children, as I have known &s;ome, the Cry hath been, <HI>he is coming, go forth to meet him, make ready;</HI> Or if it be a &s;troke that he removeth again, before we go hence, and we recover &s;trength again: yet the Cry of it is, <HI>Behold he cometh, go forth to meet him,</HI> for we know not whether death be not in the cup of affliction we drink at any time.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Then for the relative con&s;ideration of the Cry, with re&s;pect to his coming, whereof it is a warning: It is to be con|&s;idered, whether it be &s;o immediate, yea or no, as there can be no time of preparation after it, which &s;eemeth not to &s;uit with the parable here. It &s;eemeth by the parable, if I may in&s;i&s;t &s;o much upon the&s;e particulars, 1. That there was &s;ome time be|tween the cry and his coming, as there is &s;ome time between the Harbinger, and the coming of his Lord, who&s;e way he prepareth; becau&s;e the Virgins here &s;eem to have &s;ome time to trim their Lamps, even the wi&s;e virgins; and for the fooli&s;h, it &s;hould &s;eem by the parable they had &s;ome time to trifle away, in buying, or going to a&s;&s;ay it; but this I will not pre&s;s, or urge too much, onely &s;ure it is, that the wi&s;e virgins being found a&s;leep, after the warning, had time, and a heart given them to prepare to trim them. And therefore, If we under&s;tand it of them which &s;hall be found alive at the la&s;t day, remember this: Some it may be will not be &s;o a&s;leep, and yet need &s;ome preparation too. Some may
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be a&s;leep, and therefore will need &s;ome preparation. Now it is &s;aid, that at the voice of Chri&s;t then coming with his Trumpet, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 4.</NOTE> <HI>tho&s;e that are alive, &s;hall not prevent them that are a&s;leep,</HI> go to heaven before them, <HI>But the dead in Chri&s;t &s;hall ri&s;e fir&s;t,</HI> and what time there will be for it, or whether in a moment, I am not able to determine: Or whether they &s;hall in a moment be chan|ged, &s;oul and body, that are alive, and &s;o made ready to enter with him into glory? Or whether there &s;hall be time for the working of it, I cannot &s;ay, but if their Lamps want trimming, their graces want furbi&s;hing, they &s;hall have it. But if by the cry then you under&s;tand the Go&s;pel preached, then they may have time enough. 2. If there be time between the cry, and his coming, to take his own to him&s;elf, it &s;eemeth not to be much; but how much, or how little we cannot &s;ay: If the cry be the &s;ickne&s;s, or me&s;&s;enger of death which is &s;ent to them; there is u|&s;ually &s;ome time, and not very much given, &s;ometimes more, &s;ometimes le&s;s. And &s;o were the word importunately pre&s;t, an awakening word, to rouze the poor &s;ecure people of God, there may be more or le&s;s time between this cry, and Chri&s;t his taking them to him&s;elf, but &s;ome time it &s;eems there is for their trimming of their Lamps. But &s;o much for Explication.</P>
<P><HI>The Arguments now, wherefore there is &s;uch a cry before the com|ing of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>The great rea&s;on is clear here in the Text; <HI>It is becau&s;e men are a&s;leep, many of them,</HI> both <HI>real Saints</HI> and <HI>formali&s;ts,</HI> they are <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;. 1.</NOTE> a&s;leep, and deep a&s;leep; and therefore there cometh a cry to a|wake them, it is not an ordinary voyce will do it, but a Cry. <HI>Some Boanerges, a &s;on of thunder;</HI> to rai&s;e poor &s;leepy &s;inners, that he may not take them in a &s;leep. Let not men think, though now they have a &s;til voyce of the word, and they can make a &s;hift to &s;leep notwith&s;tanding, they are Sermon-proof. If this will not awaken, he vvill have another cry that &s;hall avvaken them, <HI>he will roar upon them out of heaven, thunder upon them,</HI> but he vvill vvaken them. While men are a&s;leep, they are not fit to meet the Lord Je&s;us in his coming to judgement, whether it be to <HI>acquit</HI> them, or to <HI>condemn</HI> them: If it be in mercy, to take them to him&s;elf; while they are in a &s;leep, they are not fit to meet him
<PB N="203" REF="167">
<HI>their Ornaments are laid a&s;ide, their Lamps want trimming,</HI> as the Text hath it there; and therefore they mu&s;t be awaked. Be&s;ides, they are not fit to take notice of the infinite, and un&s;earchable riches of his grace manife&s;ted therein to them, in gathering them to him&s;elf; if we &s;hould be called for in &s;ome f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ame that we are in &s;ometimes, truly we &s;hould not be able to take comfort in our meeting with him, nor would he have any glory in our departure; and therefore u&s;ually he doth awake his people, &s;tir up their gra|ces, that they may &s;hine, and be active when he cometh to ga|ther them; and then if he come in judgement, as again&s;t the&s;e <HI>fooli&s;h virgins,</HI> to blow out their Lamps in ob&s;cure darkne&s;s, ex|cept they be awake in &s;ome mea&s;ure, and their Con&s;ciences open|ed, they will not be &s;en&s;ible of it; but when the Con&s;cience of an hypocrite is a little rouzed; O what fearful pre-apprehen&s;ions there will be of the di&s;plea&s;ure of Chri&s;t! they are not fit to re|ceive the &s;entence of condemnation, except their Con&s;ciences were rouzed; and therefore the Lord doth oftentimes, if not alway, awaken the Con&s;cience; the heart was never awake, but alway a&s;leep; but the Con&s;cience hath been a&s;leep, and now it mu&s;t be awaked, <HI>ut &s;entiat &s;e mori;</HI> It never troubled the <HI>fooli&s;h virgins,</HI> though their Lamps were gone out, all the while they &s;lept, and if they had dyed in that &s;leep, they had as certainly peri&s;hed; but not &s;o &s;en&s;ibly, nor &s;o &s;everely, as <HI>knowing</HI> the terrors of God which belong to them before; and the Lord will have them to lie down in the confu&s;ion of their &s;ouls, for their folly, in re&s;t|ing them&s;elves contented with a profe&s;&s;ion, without the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;i|on of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; without this oyl in their ve&s;&s;els.</P>
<P>Another ground may be, <HI>for the Maje&s;ty of the coming of Chri&s;t</HI> that there may be the more reverence, and <HI>awe of his Maje&s;ty,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;. 2.</NOTE> therefore he hath a Me&s;&s;enger going before his face, as Princes u&s;e to do; and happily in their Marriages of great per&s;ons, there might be &s;ome &s;uch thing, &s;urely this is one rea&s;on wherefore he cometh at the la&s;t day, one piece of the glory of his appearing, <HI>the voice of the Arch-Angel, the Trumpet of God;</HI> &s;o the cry that goeth before, it is much for his honour and Maje&s;ty, that all the Me&s;&s;engers he &s;ends Either Afflictions, or Mini&s;ters, all their Me&s;&s;age almo&s;t to his people is <HI>to prepare for his coming, to fit them for that appearing.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="204" REF="168">
<HI>To render hypocrites inexcu&s;able,</HI> &s;ince they have a cry going before them to awaken them out of their &s;leep, to &s;et them a|work <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;. 3.</NOTE> to get their grace, <HI>this oyl in their ve&s;&s;els,</HI> they might have &s;aid if they had been taken a&s;leep; why if they had had any war|ning, they would have done as others did: but now they are a|waked, rouzed by this cry; and yet alas, they cannot get this oyl in their ve&s;&s;els, they &s;lept away their opportunity, <HI>the Go&s;pel mu&s;t be preached for a witne&s;s to all Nations;</HI> and now they can have no cloak for their &s;in, for their unreadine&s;s for his appearing, the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24. 14.</NOTE> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ord will manage his affairs &s;o, as that every mouth may be &s;top|ed, and confe&s;s before him.</P>
<P><HI>That none of his own may be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">left;</HI> therefore he &s;endeth a Cry before him, for none that are unfit for entrance with him into the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;. 4.</NOTE> Marriage, &s;hall enter into it; <HI>no &s;oul &s;hall go to heaven in a &s;leep;</HI> they are not fit for it, as you heard before, nor when he cometh will he wait upon any; now is the time <HI>of waiting to be gracious</HI> to poor &s;ouls, then is the time of recompence, either love or di&s;|plea&s;ure: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e will not tarry then; and therefore it is &s;aid here in the Text, <HI>tho&s;e that were ready went with him in to the &s;upper of the Lamb, into the marriage, tho&s;e that had their Lamps trimmed, and the door was &s;hut;</HI> if the Saints them&s;elves &s;hould not be found ready in &s;ome mea&s;ure, he would not then &s;tay; love is impatient of delay, <HI>then;</HI> now he would not lo&s;e any, and there|fore he is long-&s;uffering, and patient, long before he cometh; for that very end, becau&s;e he would have none of his peri&s;h: &s;o al|&s;o for the &s;ame rea&s;on doth he thus warn them by a Voyce, a Cry, to rouze them, awake them, le&s;t if they &s;hould be found un|ready, they might mi&s;s of entring with him.</P>
<P>For the Application:</P>
<P>Then brethren let us take notice of the <HI>goodne&s;s</HI> and <HI>tenderne&s;s of the Lord</HI> to his own people, in awakening them, though it <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> may be it may di&s;ea&s;e them a little at fir&s;t, to have &s;uch a cry in their ears, as not to &s;uffer them to &s;leep when they would ne&s;tle them&s;elves upon their pillow; he is loath to leave them behind, he will not lo&s;e any of them, and therefore he rouzeth them: <HI>If Je&s;us Chri&s;t had left his Church</HI> in <HI>Cant.</HI> 5. Or his Di&s;ciples
<PB N="205" REF="168">
&s;leeping, and gone his ways, their condition had been &s;ad. If death had come upon poor <HI>David,</HI> while under that guilt in the matter of <HI>&V;riah,</HI> and in &s;o deep a &s;leep, how &s;ad had his condi|tion been? and &s;o for <HI>Jonas,</HI> if the belly of hell had been his grave, the belly of the Whale, and he had not been awaked out of that &s;leep, what had become of him? he had mi&s;carryed for ever, or at lea&s;t he had &s;uffered great lo&s;s; and therefore it is much tenderne&s;s in the Lord to his poor people, that he will not let them &s;leep, but he rouzeth them up.</P>
<P N="2">2. How ea&s;ie &s;hould this make, and how &s;hould it &s;weeten the &s;evere&s;t of Gods dealings with us, to awake us? Suppo&s;e we have a dreadful &s;ound in our ears, when nothing el&s;e will do it, <HI>the terrors of God di&s;played, and &s;et in battle array again&s;t our &s;ouls, God writeth bitter things again&s;t us,</HI> and all little enough <HI>to awaken us,</HI> we are &s;o &s;ecure it may be; <HI>It mu&s;t be the lowder voyce of the rod that mu&s;t do it, if other means will not; and this &s;eemeth</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 15. 21.</NOTE> <HI>not joyons, but grievous at pre&s;ent, but it brings forth the peaceable fruits of righteou&s;ne&s;s. O! the end will be &s;weet,</HI> when the &s;oul thereby &s;hall be awaked, and kept awake, and ready for the ap|pearing of the Lord Je&s;us. I know the people of God would <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 11.</NOTE> not for a world that day &s;hould come upon them and finde them in &s;uch a frame, &s;o heavy; &s;o li&s;tle&s;s, &s;o untoward as they are &s;ome|times, and know not how to &s;hake it off; I, but give the Lord leave to &s;hake it off, bear then the Cry, though it be loud &s;ome|times, and &s;eem offen&s;ive, if this be the end, to awaken thee: O why &s;hould&s;t not thou bear it thankfully and chearfully?</P>
<P N="3">3. If there be a Cry going before his coming, <HI>Then brethren &s;ee whether or no you have not had this Cry in part &s;ounding in your cars, and what u&s;e you have made of it, hath it awaked you, or not? The Go&s;pel,</HI> it is here the voyce of the watchmen, that continu|ally &s;tir you up, and tell you the day of Chri&s;t is coming, is at hand; If not the general, yet your particular day, the day of his coming to our &s;ouls particularly cannot be far off: <HI>this is the daily cry in our ears;</HI> and O that we could cry lowder, and lift up our voyce with more affection to your &s;ouls; but as &s;uch poor worms are able, we cry to you, <HI>we are me&s;&s;engers &s;ent before his face, the Cry is, behold he cometh, go forth to meet him: Now bre|thren where are you? Are you upon your beds &s;till? How many have been awaked by this awakening word, the terrors of the Lord
<PB N="206" REF="169">
again&s;t them that &s;leep? Have you done any thing to your further &s;itting for heaven?</HI> Can you with comfort go forth to meet Je&s;us Chri&s;t, open to him when he knocks? Surely you have not made u&s;e of this Cry that hath been made; Ah, how many are &s;leep|ing as deeply as ever, and do not yet dream of his coming, though they know not but that he is at the door, and this night their &s;ouls &s;hall be taken from them!</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Then how &s;hould this &s;tir us up every one to attend to the cry that is made,</HI> and obey it; now you have the cry made in the word, <HI>this is our preaching, to awaken you.</HI> Look not upon Ser|mons only as the affectionate di&s;cour&s;e of a poor creature that wi&s;heth well to your &s;ouls, but look upon it as the <HI>warning word of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> as the Cry that goeth before his pre&s;ence, after|wards him&s;elf w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ll come, and that &s;peedily, and how &s;oon you know not, and as he findeth you then, &s;o it will go with you. O that the Lord would &s;peak by his Spirit, and rattle you up a little poor &s;leepy &s;ouls, <HI>both wi&s;e and fooli&s;h virgins,</HI> not that I de&s;ire the grief of yours or mine own &s;oul, for if I make you &s;orry, who is it that mu&s;t make me glad, but you that are made &s;orry by me? as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith: Yet dear friends, as I hope, I could be contented rather to be &s;haken out of a &s;leep my &s;elf, then be found &s;leeping at the coming of Chri&s;t; &s;o had I rather it &s;hould be with you: how &s;hall I be&s;peak your poor &s;ouls this day? I would fain prevail with one poor &s;oul, to &s;hake off this drow&s;i|ne&s;s and &s;loath, and &s;leepine&s;s that is upon us; <HI>O ari&s;e, ari&s;e,</HI> for your &s;ouls &s;ake, for your peace &s;ake, as you tender your comfort, now you hear the Cry going before him; think with your &s;elves &s;ometimes, <HI>Can you look Je&s;us Chri&s;t in the face with &s;uch a frame of heart as you have every day? O ari&s;e, ari&s;e, will &s;uch &s;leepy &s;ouls be fit to &s;ing Allelujahs to eternity to God? O ari&s;e, ari&s;e Deborah</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 5. 12.</NOTE> <HI>to &s;ing prai&s;es to the Lord, awake then that &s;leepe&s;t, you cannot el&s;e be fit for heaven:</HI> this the fir&s;t.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider &s;econdly, If this Cry will not awaken you, <HI>you &s;hall have a more dreadful &s;ound in your ears,</HI> haply ere long &s;ome &s;ad <HI>blow</HI> or <HI>affliction,</HI> as there in <HI>Job, Elihu</HI> &s;aith <HI>God &s;peaks once, yea twice, but man regardeth it not;</HI> often, but to no purpo&s;e; what then? <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 33, 14, to 19.</NOTE> <HI>Why then he cha&s;teneth him with pain, and the multitude of his bones with &s;trong pain, and openeth his ear, and &s;eals in&s;truction to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">oring of his ear co&s;ts him &s;omething;</HI> Why will you put
<PB N="207" REF="169">
the Lord to it to &s;peak lowder, and more terribly to you? for if you belong to him, <HI>awaked</HI> you mu&s;t be, or if you do not, awaked you &s;hall be &s;ome way or other; and <HI>if this will not do it,</HI></P>
<P>3. <HI>Death &s;hall do it,</HI> and O how &s;ad will it be for a man to go on &s;ecurely, and not to behold his unfitne&s;s for the appearing of Chri&s;t, until ju&s;t he be upon him? but if that will not do it, <HI>Sure I am the everla&s;ting burnings will awake you &s;inners,</HI> if you never wake until then. O the Lord forbid you &s;hould have hearts &s;o de&s;perately hardened from his fear, as never to awake until there be no remedy, no providing for your eternal &s;tate. O therefore <HI>ari&s;e, ari&s;e</HI> as tho&s;e Virgins did here in the Text; yea, though they were but formal profe&s;&s;ors, yet they aro&s;e, their Con&s;ciences were awaked, and &s;omewhat they did, though they fell &s;hort; what will become of you then, that never ri&s;e, but will &s;leep, let the Lord Cry, and though the trumpet &s;ound lowd|er and lowder; you look at the terrors of God, as <HI>the hor&s;e that ru&s;heth into the battail,</HI> looketh at fear, that which is a fear to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 39. 22.</NOTE> others. Ah dear friends, it is no mocking at the&s;e things, <HI>your precious &s;ouls lye at the &s;take;</HI> therefore as you love them, beg of God a heart to tremble at this his Cry which is going out before him; <HI>how did all the Congregation tremble when the Lord &s;ounded</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 8. 6.</NOTE> <HI>upon Mount-Sinai at the giving of the Law?</HI> do but think how terrible the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t will be, to avenge him&s;elf up|on &s;inners that <HI>violated this Law,</HI> and are not found in him! O this will &s;urely awaken you when you &s;hall have little li&s;t to &s;leep <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 19. 16.</NOTE> or re&s;t any more for ever. But the Lord give you rather to hear this Cry, to have it &s;ounding in your ears continually; <HI>that you may recover &s;trength before you go hence, and be no more &s;een, that with the wi&s;e Virgins, having your Lamps trimmed, you may go in with the Bridegroom into the Marriage.</HI></P>
<P><HI>FOR THE SEASON</HI> of this coming of Chri&s;t, its preparation to it, <HI>It is at Midnight;</HI> a time later then they thought of, and &s;ooner then they expected; it is &s;poken by way of accommodation to the Parable, as the other was before, <HI>they fell a&s;leep,</HI> the Virgins did, and in the deepe&s;t of their &s;leep the Bridegroom cometh, they are rai&s;ed up to meet him. Note from hence.</P>
<P><PB N="208" REF="170">
<HI>That Je&s;us Chri&s;t his coming to many poor &s;ouls will be at Mid|night, Or his coming ordinarily is at Midnight.</HI> What this com|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr.</NOTE> is you have heard before. <HI>All the difficulty here is to under|&s;tand what is meant by Midnight.</HI> Some have taken it properly for the <HI>Midnight,</HI> that part of the natural day, when the Sun is farthe&s;t off us, and when it is darke&s;t in the night; and <HI>Jerom</HI> is &s;aid to report it for an A. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">radition, <HI>that Chri&s;t &s;hould come at Midnight,</HI> and becau&s;e it is fir&s;t in the order of nature to know the day, before the hour; therefore the day was pitched upon, and that was <HI>the even of the Pa&s;sover,</HI> when it is &s;aid, <HI>that the Primitive Churches did watch con&s;tantly yearly that night,</HI> ex|pecting it, whereby it &s;hould &s;eem they knew not the year, but every year &s;tood upon the watch at the &s;ame time; but methinks the year is fir&s;t in order to be known before the day, and the day before the hour; but &s;urely this was vain, and a mi&s;take of theirs, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24. 36.</NOTE> for our <HI>Saviour</HI> &s;aith, <HI>that of that day and hour knoweth no man.</HI></P>
<P>Therefore we &s;hall under&s;tand it here by way of Accommoda|tion to the Parable; and fir&s;t then <HI>at Midnight &s;iguratively</HI> may import in the fir&s;t place <HI>an unknown time,</HI> it was not revealed be|fore hand <HI>at what time he would come;</HI> our Saviour &s;aith, <HI>If the good man had known when the thief would have come, he would have kept his hou&s;e from being broken; of that day and hour knoweth no man,</HI> &s;aith our Saviour, &s;peaking of his coming in general: it is a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12. 39.</NOTE> &s;ecret thing, belonging to God, he keepeth it in his own power, as he &s;aith there in the fir&s;t of the <HI>Acts.</HI> And for the particu|lar <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> day of his coming to us, it is not known to men for the mo&s;t part; indeed <HI>Hezekiah</HI> his ca&s;e was extraordinary, to have his li|mits &s;et him &s;o long before, to know the number of his days &s;o long before hand, el&s;e ordinarily the people of God know not the time, or very little before they depart, or be called for. As the&s;e Virgins here, when they were a&s;leep; alas they knew not what time it was that the Alarm came, <HI>the Midnight is u&s;ually the mo&s;t unknown time,</HI> or at lea&s;t a time wherein the coming of Chri&s;t is mo&s;t unknown, for to that indeed the ignorance is ra|ther to be referred, though per&s;ons a&s;leep at midnight know not the time of the night, nor any evil, which is ready to &s;ur|prize them at that time.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>The mid&s;t of a mans life is &s;uch a time, as the coming of
<PB N="209" REF="170">
Chri&s;t is not looked for:</HI> Now this is more then the former, for though they had not known the time; yet they might have wait|ed, and expected every hour when he would have come; but they, becau&s;e it was uncertain, looked not for it: <HI>in a day he looked not for him,</HI> Luke 12. 46. It is likely they had looked for it, but their waiting was wearyed, they went forth to meet him at fir&s;t, with their oyl, and Lamps, the wi&s;e Virgins, until they thought it long, for it is in re&s;pect of their opinions, that he is &s;aid to de|lay his coming, as you have heard; Well, now their watchful eys were &s;ealed up with &s;leep, &s;o that he came later then their expe|ctations, and he came &s;ooner then their expectations al&s;o, for they were &s;urprized by the Cry, before they were aware, ju&s;t as a &s;er|vant that hath in the beginning of the night expected his Ma|&s;ters coming home, and a good while waited for it; now he giveth over looking for him, &s;o his Ma&s;ter cometh after his wait|ing, and yet before it too, for when he is at his re&s;t, and before he awakes again to return to his waiting for his Ma&s;ter, he cometh upon him, this is the very ca&s;e: a child of God it may be at the beginning when the impre&s;&s;ions of God upon the heart are &s;trong and fre&s;h, he expecteth the day of Chri&s;t his coming hath it much in his eye; but after awhile, when he &s;eeth he com|eth not, he letteth down the watch, and groweth more remi&s;s by far, and when he is in the depth of that &s;leep, before he renew his watching likely, the Lord Je&s;us cometh upon him.</P>
<P N="3">3. A little more particularly, which is but the beating out of the former, <HI>he cometh at the midnight of mens lives,</HI> that is to &s;ay, at &s;uch a time of their lives, as they neither hoped for it, nor feared it, for the expectation of the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t doth diver&s;ly affect men, according to the different conditions of their &s;ouls, if they be &s;uch as are ready for it, for his appearing habitu|ally ready, and actually ready; that is to &s;ay, &s;uch as have his grace in their hearts, oyl in their ve&s;&s;els, and that grace doth not lye &s;leeping there, but it is in act, and lively, and the affection flaming towards heaven, and the eye upon the recompence of re|ward, &s;uch a man, he <HI>will act his hope for that day, look for it with hope,</HI> and with de&s;ire, becau&s;e he expecteth then <HI>a Crown of glo|ry, a fulne&s;s of joy un&s;peakable, everla&s;ting bo&s;om-communion with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 6, 8.</NOTE> <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t; knowing al&s;o, that while he is pre&s;ent in the body, he is ab&s;ent from the Lord,</HI> his looking for the appearing of the Lord,
<PB N="210" REF="171">
is I &s;ay with hope and de&s;ire, becau&s;e it is the day of his raigning, the accompli&s;hment of it, <HI>when the God of peace &s;hall brui&s;e Sa|tan perfectly under his feet,</HI> with who&s;e temptations it may be, he is even wearyed out, and therefore as a labouring man <HI>longs for the &s;hadow of the evening,</HI> &s;o doth he de&s;ire it: Now a child of God, he may have the root of this grace of hope, for the coming <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">, as <HI>Thcophil.</HI> Rom. 8.</NOTE> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; but while he is a&s;leep, <HI>his hope is not in act when it &s;hould be, he doth not &s;tretch forth the neck</HI> as one earne&s;tly ex|pecting it, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>he doth not lift up his head becau&s;e his re|demption draweth near, and his &s;alvation is nearer now then it was when he believed,</HI> alas his hope is a&s;leep with him. <HI>A woman e&s;pou|&s;ed</HI> expecting her Husband to come and Marry her, de&s;ires the day, but in the mean time falls a&s;leep, then her de&s;ires and hopes cea&s;e, looks not for him all that while, and in that time he cometh.</P>
<P><HI>On the other hand they fear it not neither,</HI> for they are a&s;leep, and &s;o their expectation cea&s;eth; as pri&s;oners, they fear the coming of the Judge, they have a dreadful &s;ound in their ears, and fear ex|ceedingly when the Judge will come to deliver them up to the tormentors, to the execution, Sentence being pa&s;t upon them; but if they fall a&s;leep now, their fear cea&s;eth if their &s;leep be fa&s;t; &s;o a man that dwells in a place of danger for robbers, he may ex|pect them and fear; and yet if after a while of waking, they come not, he falls a&s;leep, he fears them not then, as he would do if he were awake, <HI>in an hour he thinketh not of it,</HI> Luke 12. So wick|ed&punc; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12. 40.</NOTE> men and hypocrites, formal profe&s;&s;ors, if they be con&s;cious to their conditions at any time, as when an hypocrite hath his Con&s;cience inlightned at fir&s;t, why then &s;urely there cannot but be a fearful expectation of the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t to judge them; but when once they fall a&s;leep, tho&s;e impre&s;&s;ions they had, wear off by degrees, then they fear not, though they have as much cau&s;e as ever they had; &s;o then, the Midnight is a time not expected.</P>
<P>The Arguments whereby this may be confirmed. Fir&s;t, <HI>It is for his own glory,</HI> to come in &s;uch a time, <HI>unknown. The glory of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;. 1. Prov. 25. 2.</NOTE> <HI>God is to conceal a thing, but the honour of Kings is to &s;earch out a matter;</HI> here is an oppo&s;ition of per&s;ons and actions; the per&s;ons oppo&s;ed are <HI>Kings,</HI> and the <HI>God of Heaven, the King of Kings; the honour of Kings,</HI> is to &s;earch out a matter, they are men
<PB N="211" REF="171">
of poor, &s;hallow apprehen&s;ions, and little knowledge; and therefore they had need to &s;earch to finde out a matter; but now the Lord he is an infinite un&s;earchable wi&s;e God, and he know|eth all things, and it is for his honour to keep &s;ome things &s;ecret, that he may be admired, reverenced, adored, his un&s;earchablene&s;s acknowledged. No further then he plea&s;ed, were the my&s;teries of him&s;elf and his &s;o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> revealed to the ages before, nor now at this day, much he hath re&s;erved for another time and place; and that is, the time of his coming, his own &s;ecret, which belongs to him, he hath kept in his own power, and it is for his honour &s;o to do. And this is the fir&s;t.</P>
<P>2. Therefore he will come &s;o &s;uddainly and unexpectedly, as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;. 2.</NOTE> I may &s;ay, at Midnight, that many, yea the mo&s;t of men, <HI>that men might learn to watch,</HI> to be alway ready; this is abundantly proved, by the many exhortations of our Saviour to his Di&s;ciples to watch, inforced by this very Argument; <HI>therefore al&s;o be ye</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">at 24. 44.</NOTE> <HI>ready, for in &s;uch an hour as ye think not, the &s;on of man cometh, even as a thief in the night.</HI> In the foregoing Ver&s;e: <HI>Behold I</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 16. 15.</NOTE> <HI>come as a thief,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>ble&s;&s;ed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, le&s;t he be found naked, and they &s;ee his &s;hame.</HI> Whether this be under&s;tood of his la&s;t coming or no, if any coming of Chri&s;t, being &s;uddain, unexpected, uncertain, it &s;hould teach us to watch; and is not this the U&s;e which our Saviour maketh of it in the thirteenth ver&s;e of this Chapter? And &s;o in that Epi&s;tle to the Church of <HI>Sardis, If therefore thou &s;halt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief.</HI> The rea&s;on why he tells us he will come <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3.</NOTE> like a thief, &s;uddainly, in the time lea&s;t &s;u&s;pected, is to deter men from &s;leeping and &s;ecurity; for if they lye to &s;leep, it will be &s;uch a &s;uddain &s;urpri&s;al, but if they watch and be ready, it will not be &s;o unexpected, and this is a rea&s;on, I &s;ay, wherefore the Lord keepeth it &s;ecret and uncertain when he will come, <HI>that men might watch.</HI> As <HI>Cae&s;ar,</HI> it is &s;aid of him that he would never let his &s;ouldiers know the time of his removal, or the time of his On&s;et, <HI>&s;cil. &V;t paratum, &amp; intentum momentis omnibus quo vellet &s;tate educeret.</HI> So the Lord Je&s;us, who is <HI>the Captain of our &s;alvation,</HI> he letteth not us know when it will be, that we might <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2. 10.</NOTE> expect it alway. If men &s;hould know that Je&s;us Chri&s;t would come to call for them but &s;ixteen years hence, or &s;ix years; alas, how
<PB N="212" REF="172">
bold would they make with him ordinarily, and &s;pend five of the &s;ix in vanity, if not more; and truly &s;uch is the corruption of our hearts al&s;o, that that very thing which our Saviour, who well knew the con&s;titutions of men, and what might be the mo&s;t like|ly Argument for watchfulne&s;s, lays down this, <HI>of the uncertainty of it, unexpectedne&s;s of it,</HI> if men &s;leep, &s;urprizing them, yet we will make bold, and venture at all, in &s;o much that he &s;eldom com|eth to a &s;oul, and findeth him <HI>watching.</HI></P>
<P>3. <HI>To make his coming like an evil &s;nare to &s;inners, to hypocrites.</HI> So it is in that place of <HI>Luke, take heed your hearts be not over-charged</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rea&s;.</HI> 3. Luke 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 35.</NOTE> <HI>with cares of this world,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>and that day come upon you as a &s;nare;</HI> A &s;nare you know, is a &s;ad thing, and that which &s;ud|dainly <NOTE PLACE="marg">E<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e&s;. 9. 12.</NOTE> and unavoidably &s;eizeth upon the poor bea&s;t or bird; <HI>they are taken in an evil &s;nare,</HI> when they are &s;leeping, and &s;o brought to ruine, this is the ca&s;e, it cometh on them like a &s;nare, like a Net, from on high, <HI>as &s;nares rained from Heaven,</HI> no avoyding them; or <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 line"></NOTE> el&s;e as a &s;nare hid, when men think nothing, or the bea&s;ts are at their prey, and delighting them&s;elves in that, before they are aware the foot or neck is in the &s;nare, and there is no breaking of it, it is too &s;trong a &s;nare.</P>
<P>4. Then u&s;ually hypocrites and &s;inners are at the wor&s;t, and the <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ea&s;. 4.</NOTE> people of God after their awaking, and &s;tirring up, will be at the be&s;t; &s;inners at the wor&s;t, when they have &s;etled upon their Lees in &s;ecurity, and &s;leep for a while, <HI>the fooli&s;h virgins never <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d a heart awake towards God;</HI> their heart never an&s;wered that Call, <HI>Awake thou that &s;leepe&s;t,</HI> their eys indeed were opened, and they walk<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> up and down as men may do when the heart is a&s;leep; <HI>they had their Lamps,</HI> &s;ome &s;hew, &s;ome formality, but now when this day &s;ur|prizeth them, all is gone, their form peri&s;heth, or at lea&s;t will &s;tand them in no &s;tead, their Lamps were gone out; and therefore this is the very nick of time wherein the Lord Je&s;us will &s;urprize hy|porrites, and give them their recompence of reward. <HI>The peo|ple of God that &s;leep,</HI> it is true they are unready when the Cry cometh, but O how will this humble them, to be found &s;leeping, and what is the top of the Ladder but humility? when will the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">oul be fitte&s;t to e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">alt Chri&s;t but then? and &s;o when their Lamps are trimmed up again, they will &s;hine more bright then before, and therefore then al&s;o will be a time for his coming to them.</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="213" REF="172">
1. Then by way of <HI>Application,</HI> this may inform us how it cometh to pa&s;s &s;o many in the mid&s;t of their plots and purpo&s;es <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> are taken away, without any hope in their death; &s;urely every man would be happy, they would have heaven, but they think it is time enough to look after that when they have nothing el&s;e to do. O if they had compa&s;t &s;uch a thing, &s;uch a Land, and &s;uch a Hou&s;e, gotten &s;uch an inheritance, then they would lay down the&s;e things, and prepare for heaven! and &s;o the milk of their brea&s;ts, and marrow of their bones, they lay out upon their youthful Lu&s;ts, and think their old age time enough to mind tho&s;e &s;erious things; But the day cometh upon them at una|wares, and &s;natcheth them away in his wrathful di&s;plea|&s;ure, in the mid&s;t of their endeavours for the world, plucks them away from their place, and it knoweth them no more. <HI>Go to, ye that &s;ay, we will go to &s;uch a City, and buy,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iames 4. 13.</NOTE> <HI>and &s;ell, and get gain;</HI> whereas they know not what is in the <HI>womb</HI> of a day; hence it is, that &s;o many peri&s;h from the way, they are cut off in the mid&s;t, and never reach their expectations, and &s;o remedile&s;ly peri&s;h. This day cometh upon them as a <HI>&s;nare,</HI> when they are &s;itting like &s;o many Birds, pluming them|&s;elves, feeding, and &s;porting, and &s;inging, it cometh upon them, and they are carryed away to their place. Ah dear friends! what &s;otti&s;h, &s;tupid, and &s;trange pre&s;umption po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth poor &s;inners hearts, as if they were of the Coun&s;el of God, as if they knew the number of their Moneths before hand, as <HI>Hezekiah</HI> did, and there|fore might make bold to lavi&s;h out week after week upon their lu&s;ts? do you know whether this night the <HI>&s;nare</HI> will come upon you? O that Sinners could but lay the&s;e things to heart, that they might not peri&s;h like <HI>Bea&s;ts overtaken i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> an evil &s;nare:</HI> but this is but the fir&s;t.</P>
<P N="2">2. It will be a <HI>word</HI> of <HI>Reproof</HI> of the boldne&s;s of &s;ome, who <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 2.</NOTE> take upon them to know the time, and many wanton wits have dared to &s;port them&s;elves in &s;o &s;erious a thing, to foretell the <HI>year,</HI> one placing it upon 1533. others upon 1657. <HI>Al&s;ted. Chronol. 1494. Pi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">us Mirandula;</HI> upon 1905. <HI>Nicol. Cu&s;a|nus,</HI> upon 1700. and many others; See <HI>Trap</HI> upon <HI>Mat.</HI> 24. 36. Many whereof time hath already refuted, the grounds are weak of many of them, this is to be wi&s;e above what is written,
<PB N="214" REF="173">
<HI>vain man would be wi&s;e,</HI> and herein he &s;heweth him&s;elf a wild <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 11. 12.</NOTE> <HI>A&s;&s;es Colt</HI> indeed, to pry into the &s;ecret which God hath kept in his own power; <HI>no, no,</HI> it is unknown, the day, and hour, the longer, or &s;horter time, there is no limiting of it by us, it will be at midnight, when men lea&s;t &s;u&s;pect ordinarily, but <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 17.</NOTE> enough of that.</P>
<P N="3">3. It may teach us further, <HI>that when we lea&s;t expect it, it is</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e</NOTE> <HI>likely to be neare&s;t to us;</HI> a man would think this &s;hould be a &s;tartling word to all poor &s;leeping &s;inners; <HI>you</HI> put away the <HI>evil</HI> day, the day of the Lord far from you; it is never <HI>nearer</HI> to you than then; never are men u&s;ually more unfit for that day, then when they put it far from them, and never is it u&s;ually more near to them, then at that time. It is ob&s;erved in nature, that u&s;ually before an <HI>Earthquaeke</HI> cometh to &s;wallow up men, there is a great <HI>calm;</HI> the air is quiet, and the wind lies, before the great rain fals. <HI>When</HI> was the <HI>Old World</HI> more near de&s;truction by that day of judgement from the Lord, then when they thought lea&s;t of it, put it farthe&s;t off, were mo&s;t &s;ecure. It is ob&s;erved, the <HI>Flood</HI> came in the Spring-time, when the Spirit of God, began to renew the <HI>face</HI> of the <HI>earth,</HI> they had as fair, a hopeful, a fruitful <HI>year</HI> as before; though there was one doubting <HI>Noah</HI> among them that dreamed of a dry winter, <HI>yet</HI> when they were mo&s;t &s;ecure, mo&s;t deeply &s;ecure, then the <HI>Flood</HI> came; when things were in their prime, and their hopes of corn, and wine, and oyl in their flower, the <HI>Flood</HI> came, and &s;wept them away. And &s;o <HI>Sodom,</HI> when the Sun aro&s;e upon it, what fairer ground of hope? of a fair day doubtle&s;s they expected it: they put off the day, but <HI>then</HI> it was neare&s;t to them. So <HI>Lai&s;h,</HI> &s;ecure be|fore ruin, and <HI>Agag; &s;o</HI> when they <HI>cry peace, peace,</HI> they <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 18. 9. 1 Sam 15. 1 The&s;. 5. 3.</NOTE> &s;hall do well, God proclaims war again&s;t them by his Me&s;&s;engers. Think of it brethren, with your &s;elves; how &s;tand your hearts affected, in re&s;pect of this day? are you not &s;ecure? do you wait for it, believe it? the le&s;s you fear it, the more cau&s;e you have to fear it; or the le&s;s hope, and love, and de&s;ire, and waiting there is in any of us to it, the more cau&s;e we have to fear it; for it u&s;ually &s;eizeth upon men at midnight. Is it not <HI>mid|night</HI> with &s;ome of us? do&s;t not thou &s;leep thy <HI>fa&s;t,</HI> thy <HI>dead &s;leep?</HI> nothing will awake thee, thou make&s;t a mock of all the&s;e
<PB N="215" REF="173">
things: The Lord give you but an eye to &s;ee, for the <HI>&s;nare</HI> is even coming upon you, it is neare&s;t to &s;uch per&s;ons of all others.</P>
<P N="4">4. It will be a <HI>word</HI> of <HI>Terror</HI> then, to all hypocrites and forma|li&s;ts, <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e</NOTE> and all &s;inners, in that this day of the Lord will <HI>&s;urprize</HI> you and come upon you at unawares. What maketh death &s;o terri|ble to poor &s;inners when they come to it, but the judgement which followeth it? &s;o that let a &s;inner have warning of it, and it is terrible, but when it cometh upon a &s;udden and unexpected this exceedingly addeth to the terror of it, it amazeth, a&s;toni&s;h|eth. O what a terror mu&s;t it needs be to the old world! that when their hopes were in the &s;pring, in their verdure, then all on a &s;udden, the world was on a flood, the fountains of the deep and the clouds above con&s;pired to &s;wallow them up; And will it not be, think you, as great an a&s;toni&s;hment, when the world at the end &s;hall look for nothing le&s;s, and before they are aware the world &s;hall be on a flame about their ears? O then <HI>the &s;inners</HI> in Sion <HI>will be afraid, and fearfulne&s;s will &s;urprize the hypocrite!</HI> put <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 33. 14.</NOTE> as good a face upon it now as you can. How terrible is a &s;udden &s;torm upon the poor Mariners? which they never lookt for, they are all inveloped in darkne&s;s; the clouds and &s;eas &s;eem to come to|gether. How terrible was the coming of <HI>Gideon</HI> upon the <HI>Mi|diani<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 7. 19.</NOTE> on a &s;udden at midnight, when all a&s;leep likely, to &s;ee and hear &s;o many Trumpets blowing, &s;o many pitchers clatter|ing, &s;o many Lamps burning! &s;uch a <HI>cry, the &s;word of the Lord and of Gideon,</HI> all on a <HI>&s;udden!</HI> O how terrible it was, it put them be&s;ides them&s;elves, they knew not what to do, they thru&s;t <HI>their &s;words in one anothers bowels!</HI> O that we had but hearts to believe how terrible a day it will be to us, if it overtake us as a &s;nare. Yea &s;urely it will have &s;omewhat of amazement, terror in it, to the people of God them&s;elves that &s;hal be found &s;leeping, with whom it &s;hall be midnight, in re&s;pect of &s;ecurity; And though they may avoid the ruine and de&s;truction of the day, they &s;hall have a &s;hare in the di&s;traction and terror of it, but poor &s;inners, poor hypocrites, poor formali&s;ts &s;hall have the ama|zing terror, and never come to them&s;elves, never recover them|&s;elves, but peri&s;h for ever by it.</P>
<P N="5"><PB N="216" REF="174">
5. <HI>Then knowing the terror of the Lord we per&s;wade men to this</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 2 Cor. 5. 11.</NOTE> <HI>watching,</HI> which is the main thing intended in the <HI>Parable.</HI> And concerning which you have heard &s;omewhat already, having &s;poken &s;o largely to the Privation or defect of this watching, in the &s;lumbering and &s;leeping of the Virgins; Nor do I intend to in&s;i&s;t largely upon this watching here, only here I &s;uppo&s;e it mo&s;t naturally falls into this main part of the Parable. <HI>Watching</HI> here, is as much as diligent taking heed to our &s;elves <HI>that that day come not upon us at unawares;</HI> As a man that watcheth again&s;t an enemy is &s;urprized, he takes diligent heed: &s;o our <HI>Saviour, take heed to your &s;elves that that day come not upon you as a &s;nare,</HI> &s;o take heed to your &s;elves, and the <HI>flock over which the Lord hath made you over&s;eers,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Watch</HI> therefore, &s;aith he, for after my departure <HI>grievous wolves will enter.</HI> As a party of &s;oldiers, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12. 34.</NOTE> when they would take diligent heed to them&s;elves, le&s;t they be &s;urprized by their <HI>enemy,</HI> they watch, they expre&s;s it that way; &s;o here <HI>then, The Exhortation</HI> is brethren, to us all, <HI>To take diligent heed to our &s;elves, le&s;t we be &s;urprized by the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI> for we know not when he will come, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 20. 31.</NOTE> there is no determined time, and if we take not diligent heed, it will come upon us <HI>unawares.</HI></P>
<P>You have had &s;ome of the <HI>Motives</HI> to pre&s;s this duty here|tofore, or the <HI>Caution</HI> again&s;t &s;leeping; I pray you remember, how you cannot be too often put in mind of them; &s;urely our <HI>Saviour</HI> cometh over with it &s;o often, again, and again; you have heard the <HI>danger you are in</HI> while you <HI>&s;leep.</HI> But we will rather take up a Con&s;ideration or two from hence.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t, the difficulty of the duty, &s;o continually</HI> to take &s;o <HI>diligent heed; If the good man had known what hour the thief would have come,</HI> he might more ea&s;ily have <HI>watched</HI> to have prevented him; it is much more ea&s;ie to hold out &s;uch a watch for a while, then con&s;tantly, now every hour being in danger, becau&s;e we know not what hour he will come, this is more difficult; which &s;hould not di&s;courage us, but whet us on to double <HI>diligence. Jam per periculum anim<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Alexandri;</HI> It is an ea&s;ie thing to be a Chri&s;tian as many are, <HI>lazy droans, li&s;tle&s;s, &s;leepy</HI> Profe&s;&s;ors, that alas, alas, would &s;carce ever be found upon their watch, when ever he &s;hould come; But it is a matter of <HI>great difficulty,</HI>
<PB N="217" REF="174">
and will <HI>work all your faculties</HI> to the <HI>utmo&s;t,</HI> to <HI>watch</HI> for his appearing.</P>
<P>2. <HI>The dreadfulne&s;s of the thing;</HI> if you be &s;urprized would you have <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> find you with your ornaments laid a&s;ide, find you naked? how will you hold up your heads, and look him in the face? either you will peri&s;h with the fooli&s;h Virgins, (and I doubt that will prove the portion of many of our &s;ouls) or el&s;e you will be &s;aved; but you mu&s;t run through fear, through &s;ome &s;hame, confu&s;ion, di&s;traction, when you are taken unawares. Be&s;ides, you <HI>are not of the night, but of the day,</HI> &s;aith the <HI>Apo&s;tle, that that day &s;hould not take you at unawares, 1 The&s;.</HI> 5. 5. And otherwi&s;e, <HI>we give not God the end of his di&s;pen&s;ations,</HI> which is that we might watch.</P>
<P><HI>What then &s;hould we do?</HI> &s;urely brethren, <HI>There</HI> are two things <HI>&s;pecially</HI> for us to do, according to the <HI>&s;cope</HI> of this <HI>Parable,</HI> which our <HI>Saviour</HI> thus applyeth, becau&s;e the <HI>fooli&s;h Virgins,</HI> and the <HI>wi&s;e,</HI> both by their &s;leeping &s;uffered &s;uch lo&s;s; the one lo&s;t all their <HI>precious</HI> &s;ouls, all the world not being able to recover them; the other lo&s;t their <HI>comfort,</HI> and <HI>&s;weet peace,</HI> and <HI>quiet,</HI> and had much coniu&s;ion in their latter end, the &s;oul being in a hurry to make ready; when it &s;hould go forth to meet the <HI>Lord Je&s;us,</HI> &s;hould have nothing el&s;e to do but to dye; Therefore this <HI>watching</HI> being <HI>oppo&s;ed</HI> to both their &s;leeping, <HI>I conceive</HI> there are two things &s;pecially in it.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t, That you be &s;ure to have your oyl in your ve&s;&s;els ready,</HI> that we have <HI>grace</HI> in our <HI>hearts. Take heed to your &s;elves dili|gently then in the name of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that you give not &s;leep to your eys, nor &s;lumber to your eye-lids;</HI> give not the Lord, nor your &s;ouls re&s;t, until you have this Communication of Chri&s;t to your poor &s;ouls; how many poor hearts that hear this word, have not a dram of grace? though you have long had a name to be Chri&s;tians, yet that hath been all, Brethren, What do you mean? can you dye comfortably, hopefully, except you have grace in your hearts, this <HI>oyl,</HI> this <HI>Spirit</HI> of grace dwelling in you? will any thing el&s;e enable you to lift up your faces before him, but his righteou&s;ne&s;s and holine&s;s made over to you, imputed unto you as an <HI>Inner,</HI> and <HI>Outward Garment,</HI> or Cloathing? I have hope of you you would not prove <HI>Fooli&s;h Virgins,</HI> and that you are not &s;o carele&s;s as not to regard whether you be found to have
<PB N="218" REF="175">
grace, yea, or no; If there be any &s;uch, let me tell &s;uch a man, his Condition is next to de&s;perate; the Lord &s;mite &s;uch &s;inners hearts; but if you do not care, there will come a time when you will care, and every vein in your hearts will ake, when you &s;hall find, alas, you have trifled away your time, your day you had to get grace in, and now you have none; Do you think bre|thren, to go to heaven without grace? mu&s;t there be a <HI>wedding garment</HI> to his <HI>Supper</HI> here, and mu&s;t not there much more be a <HI>wedding Garment</HI> upon them that come into that neare&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22. 12.</NOTE> <HI>Fellow&s;hip</HI> with the <HI>Lord Je&s;us</HI> for ever? Do poor &s;inners eat, and drink judgement to them&s;elves, if they come without grace to the Supper? O brethren! do you think he will endure you to enter, if you have not grace to &s;it with him at his Table to eter|nity? No: believe it, <HI>Sinners &s;hall not &s;tand in the Congregation</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 15.</NOTE> <HI>of the upright;</HI> O that the Lord would per&s;wade you! How far are many of us from the <HI>Apo&s;tles</HI> temper! <HI>he counted all things dung and dro&s;s,</HI> not worthy his thoughts in compari&s;on of being found in <HI>Chri&s;t;</HI> and do not we count the&s;e things dung and dro&s;s in compari&s;on of the world? if it were not &s;o, &s;urely men would lay out &s;ome of their care, &s;ome of their thoughts &s;ome of their time for the getting Chri&s;t and grace.</P>
<P>2. <HI>We mu&s;t labour al&s;o to have our graces, to get and keep our graces in act, in a lively frame,</HI> our hearts flaming towards the Lord continually; the wi&s;e Virgins they &s;lept, and while they &s;lept, they could not <HI>watch;</HI> now they had grace in their hearts, but they kept it not in u&s;e, in exerci&s;e, as they &s;hould have done, and therefore they underwent much inconvenience, as you have heard; and therefore our <HI>Saviour</HI> exhorts us to <HI>watch, to take di|ligent heed,</HI> that we run not the like hazard with them, no more than with the fooli&s;h virgins: Therefore labour to get your <HI>graces lively:</HI> how &s;hould we think with our &s;elves often when we find a li&s;tle&s;s f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ame growing upon us: O what would my Condition be, if the Lord Je&s;us &s;hould come this day to my poor &s;oul? <HI>Labour to keep your faith</HI> lively, <HI>your Love</HI> lively, &s;o your <HI>humility</HI> and <HI>&s;elf|aba&s;ing,</HI> that you may exalt him.</P>
<P>But alas, you will &s;ay, how can we do this? we are poor, imperfect creatures, and therefore can we be alway acting our graces? is it likely we &s;hould keep them alway in act? that is enough for Angels, and glorified Saints to do, who are therefore called <HI>watchers.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="219" REF="175">
I an&s;wer to this; It is true, it is not required we &s;hould always be acting of grace, for then we &s;hould be able to do nothing el&s;e; then we &s;hould neither &s;leep, nor follow the works of &s;ome of our callings, which require the intention of the mind as well as the labour of the hand, therefore that is not the meaning, nor indeed were we able to do it, our &s;pirits would fail us. But how then?</P>
<P>Why, <HI>We mu&s;t be acting our graces when we are called to act them,</HI> when ever is a time; <HI>Mephibo&s;heth</HI> eats bread continually at <HI>Davids</HI> table; not that he did nothing el&s;e but eat, without any <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 9. 13.</NOTE> intermi&s;&s;ion, but at meal-times he did eat continually. <HI>Note</HI> bre|thren, we &s;hould &s;ee to it, that upon all occa&s;ions we act our <HI>graces,</HI> upon every temptation wherewith we are a&s;&s;aulted, we &s;hould act our <HI>faith,</HI> upon every tryal our <HI>patience,</HI> upon every manife&s;tation of him&s;elf to us to act our <HI>love,</HI> and <HI>humility,</HI> and <HI>thank-fulne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>But &s;pecially in our drawings nigh to him, then &s;ee to it that we have our graces in act; which alas, how &s;ar &s;hort do we fall of, as in our daily performances, prayers, publike, &s;ecret; So, meditating, reading, hearing, receiving the Lords Supper, if we would have them bright, we mu&s;t exerci&s;e them at the&s;e times, how &s;hould we now renew our repentance, in <HI>wa&s;hing</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 26. 6.</NOTE> <HI>our hands in innocency,</HI> as clean as if wa&s;hed in innocency it &s;elf, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 35.</NOTE> and &s;o compa&s;s the <HI>Altar</HI> of God? How &s;hould we as <HI>Jacob</HI> his family, be&s;ides putting away their <HI>Idols,</HI> change their <HI>garments</HI> al&s;o! we &s;hould labour to get cloathed with another <HI>Spirit,</HI> another <HI>frame</HI> then ordinary, when we come before him <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12. 43. Mat. 25. 26.</NOTE> upon the&s;e occa&s;ions. It is &s;aid concerning the <HI>Steward,</HI> which &s;pecially concerneth the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t; <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is that &s;er|vant, whom his Ma&s;ter &s;hall &s;ind &s;o doing, giving every one their portion in due &s;ea&s;on;</HI> A &s;lothful &s;ervant is a wicked &s;ervant, our Saviour &s;aith, he that receiveth grace in vain, improveth it not, <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 64. 7.</NOTE> &s;tirreth not up him&s;elf to lay hold upon Chri&s;t, upon &s;pecial oc|ca&s;ions; &s;uch as are on foot upon &s;uch a day as this, <HI>oporte<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Epi&s;copum concionari,</HI> &s;aith one eminent in his time. The Lord hath given his Spirit to all believing people, they have the ha|bits of <HI>grace,</HI> and he giveth it them as a &s;tock to trade with, as prin|ciples to act for him in their places; <HI>O ble&s;&s;ed is that &s;ervant whom his Lord &s;hall find &s;o doing;</HI> he &s;aith not, whom his Lord
<PB N="220" REF="176">
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hall find with grace in his heart, but <HI>&s;o doing; acting his grace.</HI> Ah ble&s;&s;ed &s;ouls, whom he &s;hall find praying, keeping up tho&s;e duties in a lively manner, whom he &s;hall find receiving the <HI>&s;eal|ing Ordinances,</HI> and with a <HI>wedding Garment</HI> upon him, a <HI>lively</HI> frame of &s;pirit fit for it. <HI>You have the Spirit of Chri&s;t dwelling in you, if you be his,</HI> and will you let &s;uch a precious principle lie idle, it is given to <HI>mortifie, to &s;anctifie; O ble&s;&s;ed &s;oul that &s;hall be found &s;o doing, even by the Spirit, to mortifie the deeds of the Fle&s;h;</HI> &s;urely bre|thren, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom 8&punc; 13.</NOTE> nothing will keep us more awake, then <HI>action</HI> will; if we be found &s;leeping, it will not be comfortable to us, therefore look to the acting of your graces, I be&s;eech you.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>Labour to love his appearing &s;o, as that we may wait for it;</HI> for indeed if we love it not, we &s;hall be apt to put the thoughts of it far from us, labour either to <HI>love</HI> it, or <HI>fear</HI> it, ac|cording to thy Condition; if thy <HI>Calling</HI> and <HI>Election</HI> be made &s;ure, <HI>if thou knowe&s;t the things freely given thee of God,</HI> then be a&s;hamed that any thing in the world &s;hould lie &s;o near thee, <HI>as not to de&s;ire to be di&s;&s;olved, and to be with Chri&s;t;</HI> renew the&s;e de&s;ires day by day, nothing but the greater glory of God &s;hould make us willing to be here; indeed <HI>action</HI> for Chri&s;t and his ho|nour is of a high nature, and ought to have great weight with us, as the Apo&s;tle hath it; but yet methinks the burthen of &s;ins &s;hould make us groan for it; methinks if we have an eye upon the recompence of reward, the joy that is &s;et before thee, that full enjoyment of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> there &s;hould be a greater de&s;ire to be with <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> knowing you are ab&s;ent; now where there is &s;uch a de&s;ire, and &s;uch a groaning, &s;urely that day will not come upon them &s;o unexpectedly and ter|ribly.</P>
<P>If we have not this a&s;&s;urance brethren, methinks then the <HI>fear</HI> of this day of Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hould hold us in &s;uch bondage all our lives-long, it &s;hould &s;o keep us awake, we &s;hould have little mind to &s;leep, if we labour to keep upon our hearts fre&s;h&punc; our own Condition, but we &s;hould be up, and <HI>working to make our calling and election &s;ure,</HI> and &s;o we might be found doing; and &s;urely brethren, that poor &s;oul trembling, that thus follows hard after Chri&s;t, if the day come upon him before he have this a&s;&s;urance, yet &s;hall it be more comfortable to him, then to a man that hath had more peace, and fals a&s;leep in the lap of it, and &s;o is overtaken.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="221" REF="176">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Ver&s;e 7.</BIBL>
<Q><GAP DESC="foreign">, &amp;c.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IN the former Ver&s;e, we have a preparative Cry, <HI>behold the Bridegroom cometh;</HI> In this Ver&s;e we have the effect of it in part, which is general to them all, both <HI>wi&s;e</HI> and <HI>fooli&s;h;</HI> then when that cry was made, that dreadful &s;ound was made in their ears, it &s;tartled them, row&s;ed them out of their &s;leep, they aro&s;e from their bed of &s;ecurity, and one as well as another; all tho&s;e Virgins, tho&s;e he had been &s;peaking of, all tho&s;e that &s;lept, which were wi&s;e as well as fooli&s;h, and fooli&s;h as well as wi&s;e. And that it is thus generally taken, it is further plain; becau&s;e afterward he cometh to divide them, and <HI>the fooli&s;h &s;aid unto the wi&s;e;</HI> while they were both a&s;leep, the one could not &s;peak, nor the other hear; but now they were all row&s;ed, they univer&s;ally particle, <HI>they all aro&s;e, and trimmed,</HI> &amp;c. It hath influence upon both parts of the Predicate. <HI>The words</HI> are a plain Propo&s;ition; <HI>the Subject</HI> is the Virgins; <HI>the univer&s;ality</HI> of the Subject, <HI>all of them,</HI> tho&s;e Virgins that were a&s;leep before. That which is &s;poken of them, is double; <HI>they aro&s;e, and they trimmed their Lamps.</HI> And we have al&s;o <HI>the time when</HI> they did this, <HI>then, then when the Cry came,</HI> they heeded not what Condition their <HI>Lamps</HI> were in be|fore.</P>
<P>There are two things mainly noteworthy in the ver&s;e, according to the two &s;orts of Virgins, which divide this univer&s;al; <HI>all tho&s;e Virgins,</HI> they were <HI>wi&s;e</HI> and <HI>fooli&s;h;</HI> &s;ome of them were Virgins in deed, the other in profe&s;&s;ion and appearance &s;uch; now it is very con&s;iderable concerning them both. That the Hypocrite &s;hould ever ari&s;e out of &s;uch a deep &s;leep, con&s;idering that his heart was never awake, is a matter worth our noting; and that he that had nothing el&s;e but a Lamp, and that even now wearing out, yet &s;hould be trimming of it up for heaven; On the other hand, and it is as ob&s;ervable, that the Child of God hath his Lamp to trim now at &s;uch a time as this is, when the Cry is come, he is &s;ummoned to meet the Lord Je&s;us, who is near at hand. Accordingly, I &s;hall take up a double Ob&s;ervation from the words.</P>
<P><PB N="222" REF="177">
<HI>That an Hypocrite, a formal Profe&s;&s;or may go very far towards</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr. 1.</NOTE> <HI>heaven and &s;alvation.</HI> And I think this droppeth like honey from the comb, without cru&s;hing, or wrong to the Text.</P>
<P><HI>That a Child of God may have his Lamp to trim when he &s;hould</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr. 2.</NOTE> <HI>u&s;e it.</HI></P>
<P>The fir&s;t of the&s;e, A Hypocrite may go very far, his Pro|fe&s;&s;ion may carry him a great way, and yet fall &s;hort at la&s;t. You &s;ee here in the Text, God doth not pluck away the vizard at fir&s;t, but letteth them proceed; he could have di&s;covered them when he plea&s;ed: they take up their Lamps, and they go forth to meet the Bridegroom; more then many will be per&s;waded to, that will hardly &s;tir a foot for Chri&s;t, they continue &s;o doing, until the Bridegroom tarried &s;o long beyond their expectation; then in|deed they fell a&s;leep, then they row&s;ed again, and trimmed their Lamps. All the&s;e put together, which are in the Text, will make it appear, that a Hypocrite may go far, and fall &s;hort: <HI>A Doctrine</HI> never more need for to be pre&s;&s;ed then now: And therefore though you have heard, not very long &s;ince much concerning it, and much more then I am able to &s;peak, and better for the matter, yet let me al&s;o put you in remembrance of the&s;e things brethren, and the Lord open all our eyes in a thing &s;o nearly concerning us all. I &s;hall therefore propo&s;e what I have to &s;ay by way of proof of the Doctrine in &s;everal heads or degrees whereto a Hypocrite may reach; the Lord give us all under&s;tanding in them.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, a Hypocrite, he may have much knowledge, much light, a head full of notion, and this is one thing nece&s;&s;ari|ly imported in the Lamps which the fooli&s;h Virgins had. Some have thought their Lamps were dead, they had no flame, no light, nor heat at all, but I &s;ee no rea&s;on of it; for it is &s;aid their Lamps were gone out, which argues they were in before; but I think this will hardly be denied, but a <HI>Hypocrite may be a man of much knowledge;</HI> do you not &s;ee it in the <HI>Phari&s;ees?</HI> were they not men of much knowledge and under&s;tanding, able to teach others? they had <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>'s Chair, and &s;o the Scriptures, the Doctrine of the Law, men of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 23. 2.</NOTE>
<PB N="223" REF="177">
great knowledge, and yet our Saviour brands them for Hypo|crites; that is, an <HI>a&euml;ry</HI> religion that lies in the head. So the <HI>Jews,</HI> the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks to them by way of conce&s;&s;ion, yielding to them what they had, but &s;hewing them where they fell &s;hort; <HI>thou art a Jew, and re&s;te&s;t in the Law, and make&s;t thy boa&s;t of God:</HI> as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2. 17. to 21.</NOTE> we do now, make our boa&s;t of Chri&s;t, that we are Chri&s;tians, and cannot bear it, to be accounted otherwi&s;e; <HI>and knowe&s;t his will, and approve&s;t the things that are more excellent, being in|&s;tructed out of the Law;</HI> there is the principle of their knowledge, not a light within them by nature, but to the <HI>Law,</HI> and to the <HI>Te&s;timonies;</HI> they had their light from thence, and &s;o well grown in knowledge, that they were confident <HI>that they were guides to the blind,</HI> and therefore had no need to be blind them|&s;elves; <HI>a light to them which are in darkne&s;s, an in&s;tructer of the fooli&s;h, a teacher of Babes.</HI> And not only he is confident of it, but the Apo&s;tle yieldeth it, <HI>that he had the form of knowledge, and of the truth in the Law,</HI> and then he rea&s;ons <HI>ex conce&s;sis; thou which teache&s;t another, teache&s;t thou not &s;elf?</HI> &amp;c. We glo|ry in the&s;e days, as much in our light as ever they did; never &s;uch times of light, though for my part I cannot &s;ee but much that pa&s;&s;eth for light, is gro&s;s darkne&s;s; but &s;uppo&s;e it be &s;o, there may be light enough, a &s;hining Lamp, and yet but a fooli&s;h Virgin; <HI>&s;urgunt indocti, &amp; rapiunt coelum, &amp; nos cum doctrinis, &amp;c.</HI> I know it is true, where a people are void of knowledge, they mu&s;t needs peri&s;h; <HI>God will not be merciful to them,</HI> I&s;a. 27. <HI>He hath a controver&s;ie, becau&s;e there is no know|ledge</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 27. 11. Ho&s;. 4. 6.</NOTE> <HI>of God in the Land,</HI> Ho&s;. 4. <HI>and where no vi&s;ion is, the people peri&s;h;</HI> they peri&s;h for want of knowledge, which cometh by vi&s;ion, and yet it is not knowledge alone will &s;tand them in&s;tead; the Devils are called, <GAP DESC="foreign"> and that for their knowledge, and yet are <GAP DESC="foreign"> for their malice; thou may&s;t have enough then to light thy <HI>Lamp,</HI> and yet have no <HI>Oyl</HI> in thy ve&s;&s;el; remem|ber this.</P>
<P>Secondly, A <HI>Hypocrite</HI> may have not only <HI>knowledge, but his affections may be &s;tirred al&s;o;</HI> he may be warmed in the Lamp, before it be extingui&s;hed; there was heat as well as light. Some have light without heat, &s;uch are meer notions; others have heat without knowledge, and this is not good &s;o far; but the Hypocrite he may have light, and he may have heat and af|fection
<PB N="224" REF="178">
al&s;o, and yet be a fooli&s;h Virgin when all is done. Let me &s;peak a little to &s;ome affections, among many others, which they may have. As,</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>They may have &s;orrow for &s;in,</HI> being convinced of it, and what it expo&s;eth them unto; How doth <HI>Darius,</HI> when he had &s;igned the <HI>Decree</HI> again&s;t <HI>Daniel,</HI> and his kingdom lay at &s;take, his people would rebel, if he executed not the <HI>Decree,</HI> he la|boured to deliver him, he was &s;orry for what he had done, and he could not re&s;t, nor &s;leep that night, and early in the morn|ing cometh with a lamentable tone to him: <HI>O Daniel, &s;ervant of the living God, art thou yet alive?</HI> There may be a &s;pirit of bondage to fear, or witne&s;&s;ing to a man that he is in a con|demned &s;tate, which is not &s;ucceeded with a Spirit of Adoption: <HI>Sinners,</HI> you may have your Con&s;ciences &s;o galled &s;ometimes with the Law, that you cannot re&s;t, but cry out of &s;in; O &s;in, &s;in, what a bitter thing is &s;in; yea &s;o far may this &s;orrow prevail, that it may make you vomit up your &s;weet mor&s;el, make you make re&s;titution with <HI>Ju|das;</HI> God may &s;o fire the Coal, you cannot hold it in your bo&s;om any longer: the fire of Gods wrath upon <HI>Judas,</HI> even melted his pieces, they were too hot for him to hold, and yet but a <HI>Judas</HI> &s;till: And I tell you brethren, this is much, a &s;trong effect of tho&s;e troubles.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>There may be &s;ome de&s;ires,</HI> and &s;eemingly earne&s;t de&s;ires af|ter things really good, and which bring to &s;alvation: as tho&s;e there in that place of <HI>John,</HI> were they not much af|fected, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6. 44.</NOTE> when they cried out, <HI>Lord evermore give us of this bread?</HI> As very a wretch as <HI>Balaam</HI> was, yet he had his wi&s;hings and wouldings: <HI>O that I might die the death of the righteous,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>O how beautiful are his Tabernacles,</HI> &amp;c. he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 23. 10.</NOTE> &s;eemeth to be taken with them, or de&s;ires to enjoy that <HI>commu|nion</HI> and <HI>fellow&s;hip</HI> with them in their Ordinances: how beauti|ful are they? And the <HI>young man</HI> in the Go&s;pel, had he not good de&s;ires? and is it not &s;aid, our Saviour loved him for that good that was in him, though not with that &s;pecial love of pitty to &s;ave him, that we read of? his de&s;ires carried him out far, and yet never reach heaven; I doubt not brethren, but many of us this day have &s;ometimes &s;ome good de&s;ires, and you would have it go well with your &s;ouls; you may cry out &s;ometimes with the
<PB N="225" REF="178">
multitude, <HI>O Lord evermore give us this bread,</HI> you would be loath to part with the Ordinance of Chri&s;t, it is good; but all this may be in you, and yet you may be hypocrites, fooli&s;h Virgins; O that you could lay it to heart.</P>
<P N="3">3. There may be al&s;o &s;ome hope, we read often in <HI>Job,</HI> of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 8. 13. 14.</NOTE> hope of the <HI>Hypocrite;</HI> he hath certainly an hope for heaven, el&s;e he would never be at &s;o much pains, as many a Hypocrite is at, as you &s;hall hear afterward; would the fooli&s;h Virgins, think you, have done &s;o much as they did, if they had not had a hope? when hope expireth, all endeavour giveth up the gho&s;t with it.</P>
<P N="4">4. There may be al&s;o <HI>a joy and delight in holy things,</HI> as tho&s;e that kindled a fire of their own, in that place of <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> &s;aith the <NOTE PLACE="marg">&s;a. 50. 11.</NOTE> Text; <HI>They walk in the &s;parks of their own fire,</HI> that is to &s;ay, <HI>they delight them&s;elves in it.</HI> And &s;urely brethren, the <HI>Gala|thians,</HI> when they would have pluckt out their eyes for the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4. 15.</NOTE> Apo&s;tle, they had no ordinary rapture upon them; and yet alas, how did they apo&s;tatize &s;ome of them? And is is not &s;ad, to &s;ee in our days many, that the Mini&s;ters of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, whom he hath made in&s;truments of God to their &s;ouls, they have been as dear to them as their eyes, and what is it come to with ma|ny of them? are they not come to ca&s;t off all? what &s;hall we think brethren, of &s;uch, in &s;uch ca&s;es? According to the hope, &s;o is the joy; if the hope be &s;ound, &s;o is the joy; if <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12. 12,</NOTE> the hope be fal&s;e, &s;o is the joy which &s;prings from it; the Lord hinders it not haply, doth not damp, and overca&s;t the &s;oul; and O how Satan endeavours to water &s;uch a plant as that is! for what more available to lay a &s;oul a&s;leep then this? <HI>he hath joy in holy things,</HI> this is an high attainment indeed, <HI>they take delight in approaching to God.</HI> And we read in <HI>Heb.</HI> 6. that &s;uch as fall <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 58. Heb. 6.</NOTE> away, <HI>may have a ta&s;te of the joy of the world to come;</HI> &s;uch a <HI>temporary faith,</HI> the light of it doth convince, and &s;hew us things worth the rejoycing in, and then a fal&s;e hope of a <HI>title</HI> to them, when it is no &s;uch matter; it will rai&s;e the &s;pirit to rejoyce; Well, this is no ordinary pitch of affections, and yet but a Hypocrite; the &s;tony ground received the word with joy, and they rejoyced in <HI>John Bapti&s;ts light for a &s;ea&s;on; Thou art un|to them</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13. Ezek. 33.</NOTE> <HI>as one that hath a plea&s;ant voice, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. There may not onely be tho&s;e affections and others, but the fervor of them; a mans affections may &s;eem to be boyled up
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to a great height: <HI>Zeal for God</HI> &s;eemeth to be much, this is <HI>Jehu</HI> his ca&s;e, how hot and zealous was he for God? and &s;o <HI>Judas</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings 10. 16.</NOTE> &s;eemed very zealous of good works, when he would have had the box of oyntment &s;pilled. <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira</HI> &s;eemed to have more heat of love then others, to &s;ell their po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions to be with the forwarde&s;t, and yet you &s;ee what became of them; and &s;o may we brethren. Not but that zeal is exceedingly to be com|mended, and lukewarmne&s;s is the mo&s;t loath&s;om temper to the Lord, he will &s;pue &s;uch a man out of his mouth; yet there may be this fire, which is not of Gods kindling. The fal&s;e Apo&s;tles did zealou&s;ly affect tho&s;e Chri&s;tians to whom the Apo&s;tle writeth, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4. 17.</NOTE> they &s;eemed to be men of more then ordinary love, and warm affections to their &s;ouls; but yet they were but fal&s;e Apo&s;tles, they did it enviou&s;ly, to work the Apo&s;tle out of their hearts, &s;o to hinder this work among them. Well remember this, &s;uch as are more forward then others are, there may be heat, as well as light, and yet but fooli&s;h Virgins, but hypocrites&punc; when all is done.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>An hypocrite, he may be careful in avoiding much &s;in;</HI> not only in an imperfect will, which is overcome by an intere&s;t, &s;uch as <HI>Herod</HI> and <HI>Darius</HI> had, who were wretches, though not &s;o pro|perly hypocrites; but an hypocrite may go as far as they &s;urely, they may forgo their Idolatry and gro&s;s wickedne&s;s, as <HI>Simon Magus</HI> left his Sorceries; and the&s;e virgins, therefore they are <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 8&punc;</NOTE> called virgins, though fooli&s;h virgins likely, though I will not build much upon it; but yet we &s;ee the unclean &s;pirit may go out of a man for a time, and yet enter again; he may for&s;ake his gro&s;s pollutions, and yet return to that folly again, wallowing in them as the &s;wine and the dog, in that &s;econd of <HI>Peter;</HI> there is an <NOTE PLACE="marg">2&punc; Pet. 2. 20.</NOTE> e&s;caping the pollutions of the world, and yet notwith&s;tanding a returning to them again; he that &s;tole, &s;tealeth no more: I was a drunkard may &s;ome one &s;ay, but now I thank the Lord I am none; I was a filthy wretch, but now I am filthy no more, this is very far, and yet all this may be but hypocri&s;ie&punc; a profe&s;&s;ion and no more, in the end we may appear to be fooli&s;h Virgins.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>An hypocrite may have conflict within him&s;elf con|cerning &s;ins, that others can take no notice of,</HI> and this is more then the former; there may be an inward&punc; regretion and re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ctan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y again&s;t our &s;ecret evils; the Con&s;cience being inlightened and di|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ng, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ho&s;e vain thoughts &s;hould be abandoned; this pride of
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heart is loath&s;om again&s;t God, it quarrels with the Affections and Will, if it be a &s;in a man would keep, and &s;o there is a bu&s;le in the &s;oul, and many of us may mi&s;take our &s;elves, and think it is the lu&s;ting of the fle&s;h again&s;t the &s;pirit, and the &s;pirit again&s;t the fle&s;h in us, when it proveth nothing &s;o.</P>
<P>Fifthly, They may al&s;o do much, many duties &amp; &s;ervices, be much in action, not Napkin up their Talent, but act, and act much, as the fooli&s;h virgins, you &s;ee they went as far as the wi&s;e, for ought appears, &s;tep for &s;tep. Did not <HI>Judas</HI> act as well as the re&s;t, fol|lowing Chri&s;t up and down, going forth to preach the Go&s;pel as well as the re&s;t? did not <HI>Jehu</HI> act in an high manner for God? <HI>Come and &s;ee my zeal for God,</HI> he did much more then many would <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 24.</NOTE> do. And did not <HI>Joa&s;h</HI> reform much in <HI>Jehoiadah<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> time? he was zealous for the Temple of the Lord, and blamed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Prie&s;ts, they were not &s;o forward as him&s;elf was, and yet what <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d he at the la&s;t? have we not fearful examples in our own times, how many diligent Chri&s;tians, as they &s;eemed to be, and yet alas how went they out? yea truly I will &s;ay one thing more, &s;ometimes there may be a doing, very great &s;elf-denying actions: Was not that a &s;elf-denying action of <HI>Rehoboam,</HI> and far greater then this of <HI>Jehu?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 11. 4.</NOTE> he had an Army ready to fight with I&s;rael when they revolted, 180000 fighting men, and yet when the word of the Lord came and told him it was of God, and bid him cea&s;e, he obeys, though a kingdom lay at the &s;take, and he was in &s;o fair a po&s;ture for it; and yet he is but a <HI>Rehoboam</HI> &s;till, and one that for&s;ook the Law of <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 12. 1, 2&punc;</NOTE> his God when he was &s;trengthened, though before he made much of the &s;ervants of the Lord.</P>
<P>Sixthly, <HI>An hypocrite may have the a&s;&s;i&s;ting, inlarging pre&s;ence of God with him in his &s;ervice.</HI> They had preached in the name of Chri&s;t, his pre&s;ence had been with them al&s;o, and yet you &s;ee they are ca&s;t out: It is &s;aid of <HI>Saul,</HI> that he had another &s;pirit <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 22.</NOTE> given him from that day forward, a &s;pirit to gift him for the go|vernment, and when God had rejected him and his &s;ervice, the &s;pi|rit departed from him, and an evil &s;pirit vexed him; he had a more then ordinary pre&s;ence of God with him, and yet but a <HI>Saul,</HI> a <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 10. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> wretch; many a Mini&s;ter that preacheth your &s;ouls to heaven and &s;alvation, may peri&s;h him&s;elf: he may have great gifts given, and much of Chri&s;t his pre&s;ence with him in the exerci&s;es of them, and yet peri&s;h for all this. As the <HI>Nur&s;e,</HI> though for the pre&s;ent eats
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dainty fare, not for her own &s;ake, but the &s;ake of the great mans child whom &s;he nur&s;eth: So may it be with us, the Lord prevent us with his loving kindne&s;s. And you that are Chri&s;tians, God may give you a gift of Prayer, a gift in conferring, you may be eminent therein, God may a&s;&s;i&s;t you much therein; It is for his peoples &s;akes that he will build up thereby, refre&s;h thereby, your &s;elves may peri&s;h notwith&s;tanding. O brethren, Is not this fa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> that an hypocrite may go?</P>
<P>Seventhly, <HI>He may hold out very long,</HI> and yet in the end prove but an <HI>hypocrite,</HI> and this is the &s;adde&s;t of all the re&s;t, and this you &s;ee plainly here in the Text, the fooli&s;h Virgins had well nigh gone to the end; when the Cry came they were found with the wi&s;e, indeed in a &s;leeping condition, but they were as for|ward as they for externals, had not their Lamps gone out; it is &s;trange to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">der that <HI>Judas</HI> &s;hould be &s;uch a rotten creature at the heart, and yet &s;hould follow him &s;o far; many of his Di&s;ci|ples were quickly offended at him and went backward, and never walked with him again, but <HI>Judas</HI> went far; it may be we may think the better of our &s;elves for our continuance &s;o long in the ways of God&punc; it is good if it be right in the root, &s;o that it hold o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t to the end&punc; Hypocrites may hold until they come, as I may &s;ay, within the &s;ight of heaven, or the p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ice of the <HI>Goal,</HI> and then they tyre, and give up: <HI>Joa&s;h,</HI> how long did he continue follow|ing God? it was a long pa&s;&s;ion, con&s;idering it was not a new na|ture in it that was the principle&punc; a torrent without a Spring to feed it, to run very long indeed; and &s;o it may be with many a poor &s;oul: do but con&s;ider under this head two things.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>They may continue and weather out a per&s;ecution,</HI> endure the &s;torm, and yet peri&s;h in a calm; may have indured per&s;ecution for Chri&s;t his &s;ake, for his name and cau&s;e, and yet alas, fall &s;hort: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13.</NOTE> as for in&s;tance, the third &s;ort of ground, it was not &s;corched with the Sun when it was up, but continued, and yet alas, brought not forth fruit to perfection, for the Thorns choaked it; he not on|ly withers like the Bull-Ru&s;h, before other hearts, but &s;ome|times like a tree, he continueth and abideth the heat of the Sun, <HI>Job</HI> 8. 17. And that <HI>Alexander</HI> that indured &s;o much for the Apo&s;tle, hazarded his life for him, <HI>Act.</HI> 19. 32. is thought by &s;ome to be that <HI>Alexander</HI> which did him much evil, of which he complains 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 14. And have we not too much &s;ad te&s;timo|ny
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of it in our days, &s;uch as indured much affliction and per&s;e|cution from the oppo&s;ers of Gods people, yet now have turned their backs upon that truth for which they &s;uffered.</P>
<P N="2">2. Con&s;ider yet further, they may continue &s;o long, as though they fall a&s;leep with the wi&s;e Virgins, yet to ri&s;e again with them, they may be deeply &s;eized on by &s;ecurity; and a man would think that then an hypocrites profe&s;&s;ion &s;hould come altogether to an end, he &s;hould never open his eye more; and yet you &s;ee the fooli&s;h Virgins after this, the Cry awaketh them as well as the wi&s;e Virgins, and they be&s;tir them&s;elves as well as the wi&s;e, to trim their Lamps; their Con&s;ciences had been awaked before, though their hearts were never throughly awaked; Some Will and Affections they <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ad, but never through, and prevailing again&s;t the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">le&s;h; well, that which was awake, fals a&s;leep, and yet it holds out to be awaking again, and trimming up their Lamps again, as if none were more likely, nor fairer for heaven then they, until they find upon the tryal, alas they were going out. Well then brethren, we may continue <HI>through changes of times, through changes of our own hearts,</HI> we may have <HI>&s;leeping fits,</HI> and ri&s;e again out of them, and &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ir up our &s;elves, <HI>trim our Lamps,</HI> and yet prove but <HI>fooli&s;h Virgins.</HI></P>
<P>Eighthly, a fooli&s;h Virgin, or an Hypocrite may carry it &s;o, <HI>as that the Saints have a good e&s;teem of them,</HI> yea, the mo&s;t &s;earching of Gods people, as &s;ome have a more piercing eye, and can &s;ee further into an Hypocrite then others can, as the ca&s;e may &s;tand; but indeed &s;ome hypocri&s;ie is of &s;o fine a thread, that it doth <HI>e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> fingere aciem oculorum,</HI> &s;ome Hypocrites are double and treble guilt, &s;o that they are not &s;o ea&s;ily di&s;cerned to be copper, until it come to wear off, and it holds long; the Di&s;ciples of our Saviour, even he that lay in his bo&s;om, could not di&s;cern who was the Traitor by any thing that appeared; they had as good thoughts of <HI>Judas,</HI> as they had of them&s;elves, there was their &s;implicity and love, and yet he proved but a <HI>Judas, he walked with them, ate the Pa&s;&s;over with them, if not the Supper with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 27. 23.</NOTE> <HI>them. Thus we may have a name to be alive</HI> among the people of God, and yet be but dead; as it is &s;aid of that Church in the <HI>Re|velations.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 2.</NOTE> And &s;o the wi&s;e Virgins you &s;ee, walked hand in hand with the fooli&s;h, they pa&s;s for all alike; and no marvel, when a man hath &s;o much <HI>knowledge,</HI> &s;uch good and &s;tirring <HI>af|fections,</HI>
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&s;o full of <HI>action</HI> for Chri&s;t, walks &s;o unblamably, &s;uffer for Chri&s;t, hold out &s;o long, no marvel if the people of God in love, which thinketh no evil, do judge well of &s;uch per|&s;ons.</P>
<P>Ninthly and la&s;tly, they may al&s;o upon all the&s;e grounds fore|going have a very great confidence of the goodne&s;s of their own condition; the fooli&s;h Virgins had admittance into the fellow&s;hip of the wi&s;e, walked with them, with their Lamps burning and &s;hining; we find not that they &s;u&s;pect them&s;elves at all, until at la&s;t they awake out of this &s;leepy condition of theirs, and then they &s;ee their Lamps are gone, or going out. I deny not, but an hypocrite may &s;ometimes be &s;elf-condemned, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of Hereticks, <HI>after the fir&s;t and &s;econd admonition reject,</HI> for <HI>fundamentals</HI> are &s;o clear, that if he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">earken not to the fir&s;t, and &s;econd admonition, according to the Rule of Chri&s;t, in clearne&s;s, and meekne&s;s held forth, then he mu&s;t needs be <GAP DESC="foreign">, con|demned of him&s;elf. <HI>If our own hearts condemn us,</HI> &s;aith the Apo|&s;tle, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">it. 3. 11.</NOTE> <HI>God is greater then our hearts.</HI> But yet others may go on, and not &s;u&s;pect them&s;elves. <HI>There is a Generation,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Solomon, that are pure in their own eyes, (as they judge of them&s;elves) yet are not wa&s;hed from their filthyne&s;s.</HI> It is worth the noting, that all the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 30. 12.</NOTE> Di&s;ciples were more forward to doubt their conditions then <HI>Ju|das,</HI> for they all asked, <HI>Is it I Lord, is it I?</HI> and our Saviour was <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">7. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> fain to &s;et it on with a terrible threatning, <HI>It were better for that man that he had not been born:</HI> and then he cometh out with it, <HI>Ma&s;ter is it I? thou ha&s;t &s;aid it,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t; if he &s;u&s;pected him&s;elf before, yet he kept it clo&s;e however. The hypocrite may hold fa&s;t his duties, gifts and performances, as his hou&s;e when it beginneth to totter; he may hold them by his teeth as it were; as the godly man holds the practi&s;e of them, and will not let them go, &s;o a hypocrite holds his confidence in them, and will not let <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ob <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">5.</NOTE> it go. The world giveth him a good te&s;timony, the Saints they bear witne&s;s to him, Satan he applauds him, his own heart flat|ters him, no marvel if he build a confidence upon all this; and therefore the fooli&s;h Virgins here, how confident were they, not only not &s;u&s;pecting their condition all this while, but when they &s;aw that their Lamps were out, yet they go and cry for mercy, with what confidence, <HI>Lord, Lord open to us;</HI> though now they &s;aw they had been hypocrites all their daies, yet &s;o high were their
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hopes and confidence. You &s;ee then Brethren, a hypocrite may go very far. So much for the Doctrinal part.</P>
<P>For the Application then of this Doctrine: <HI>How &s;ad is their condition,</HI> if a man reach to all this, and yet fall &s;hort of heaven? <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> What &s;hall we &s;ay of many of us, <HI>that have nothing almo&s;t of all this to &s;ay for our &s;elves;</HI> have not &s;o much as Lamps, &s;o much as a profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t? It is true, we have the name of Chri&s;t upon us, but what have we el&s;e? If a man may have &s;o much know|ledge and fall &s;hort, what &s;hall we &s;ay to &s;uch as have no know|ledge of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as &s;otti&s;h and ignorant as if they never had heard of Chri&s;t, of heaven or hell almo&s;t? It is true, a le&s;s mea&s;ure of knowledge, for the quantity, may prevail more upon a mans heart, then a greater &s;ometimes; but where there is no knowledge of God, Je&s;us Chri&s;t will come in a terrible man|ner again&s;t &s;uch as know him not, as well as tho&s;e that obey not his Go&s;pel. It may be you have &s;ome knowledge, yet alas, where is your affection? you fall &s;hort of hypocrites in that: how ma|ny in this Congregation, that never knew what one heart-pang for &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n meant? do not di&s;&s;emble before the Lord, did&s;t thou ever mourn either Legally or Evangellically? And &s;o for de&s;ire, have you thus de&s;ires toward the Lord and his waies? are they &s;uch a delight to you? thou ha&s;t heard his word many a hundred times, and did&s;t never ta&s;te any &s;weetne&s;s, any &s;avour or reli&s;h in it at all. Say, are not many of us &s;o far from delighting to draw nigh him, it is the mo&s;t burthen&s;om day in all the week, the Sab|bath is, we care not how &s;eldom it cometh; but I hope better things of you in this particular for the mo&s;t part. If you have &s;uch affections, do you not, many of you, wallow in your filthy|ne&s;s? Indeed it is &s;trange to &s;ee how &s;ome men have a tongue to &s;peak for Chri&s;t, &amp; &s;eem to be wonderfully affected with any di&s;|honour put upon him, and to be great di&s;puters for his Ordinan|ces and Sabbaths, ready to flie in the faces of them that &s;peak again&s;t the&s;e things, and yet them&s;elves are very Sinks and Puddles of uncleanne&s;s; will be drunk, will be filthy, will &s;wear, and lie, and come and &s;tand before the Lord, as if they were delivered to do all the&s;e things: what will become of thee? if a fooli&s;h hypocrite &s;hall peri&s;h, where wilt thou appear? It may be, if thou avoid the&s;e gro&s;s &s;ins, thou make&s;t nothing of a &s;ecret
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lu&s;t, &s;o be thou can&s;t hide it from the eyes of men, thou de&s;pi&s;e&s;t the pre&s;ence of the Lord with thee in thy &s;ecret place.</P>
<P>Again, it may be thou ha&s;t done &s;omething for Chri&s;t, but thou could&s;t not &s;uffer for him, but turn, and &s;hift, and deny him before men: O, far before thee have many gone, and yet peri&s;hed, ne|ver reached heaven. It may be thou art &s;o gro&s;s, that even the people of God them&s;elves can di&s;cern thy hypocri&s;ie, and thy own heart may condemn thee: Well, if others that have out-&s;tript thee in the&s;e things fall &s;hort, where wilt thou appear? thou come&s;t behind the Phari&s;ees far enough, and they enter not, they fall &s;hort; what will become of thee? If the Virgins, be|cau&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins, are not thought meet to enter into the Marriage-Supper, the door is &s;hut again&s;t them; What wil become of thee that art an arrant &s;trumpet-&s;oul, that ha&s;t thy gods, thy Idols to wor&s;hip, thy gold, and thy belly, thy &s;port and pa&s;times, to which thou devote&s;t thy &s;elf, &s;o that thou can&s;t not come un|der the notion of a Virgin? O that the Lord would make men &s;en&s;ible! If &s;uch as take all this pains for heaven fall &s;hort, what is like to befall them that never &s;et foot forward towards it?</P>
<P>Then, It may &s;erve to &s;tir up every one of us, that heareth this word this day, <HI>to take heed, be not high-minded, but fear,</HI> as the <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 2.</NOTE> Apo&s;tle &s;aith. You &s;ee how far a hypocrite may go; It may be further then many of us have gone; what need then had we to look to it, <HI>that that we have, and that we do, be in &s;incerity and upright|ne&s;s;</HI> for then it will hold out with the wi&s;e virgins. To you that make a profe&s;&s;ion of Je&s;us Chri&s;t and of his waies, I direct this Exhortation to you e&s;pecially: And I &s;hall back it with the&s;e two or three arguments; and then propound &s;ome few con&s;iderations to be made u&s;e of here in the tryal.</P>
<P N="1">1. Then con&s;ider brethren, <HI>What ever men judge of you, or you judge of your &s;elves,</HI> through mi&s;takes &s;ometimes, <HI>yet God he &s;eeth through all.</HI> It may be, the cobweb is &s;o thick woven, that the piercing eyes of the mo&s;t judicious child of God cannot &s;ee through it, but God can &s;ee through it. And &s;o the foundation of the hou&s;e, he &s;eeth to be upon <HI>Sand,</HI> when it may be the people of God cannot di&s;cern it. We are exceeding apt, &s;ecretly to ble&s;s our &s;elves when the people of God think well of us; and if we may be but admitted into their fellow &s;hip, we are well;
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it is a thing to be eyed in its place, but to make this our re&s;t, is de|&s;perate; alas, they have &s;o much to do at home with their own hearts, they cannot have &s;o much time to pry into the actions of others; <HI>nor if they do, to enter into the heart of any;</HI> and charity binds them to think the be&s;t, where there is no di&s;covery to the contrary; but what if all the Saints &s;hould admire thee, and look upon thee as a mo&s;t precious glorious creature? Yet the Lord &s;ees thee to be but dung, and dro&s;s, and rottenne&s;s: Men look upon the out-&s;ide of the Sepulchre, God pierceth to the rotten|ne&s;s within, <HI>his eyes behold the evil and the good;</HI> let it lie never &s;o deep, the ends, God di&s;covers them; <HI>Did you at all fa&s;t unto me,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 15. 3.</NOTE> <HI>&s;aith the Lord? no, but to your &s;elves.</HI> So the Phari&s;ees, they had covering upon covering to hide their rottenne&s;s with, but all would not do; <HI>they had their long garments, long prayers,</HI> and many good actions which they did, and much <HI>zeal</HI> which they &s;eemed to have; and yet God &s;eeth through all this, and calls them wretched hypocrites when all is done, and tels them for what end they did it, to <HI>devour widows hou&s;es, and to be &s;een of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 23.</NOTE> <HI>men.</HI> So God &s;aw the Idols of their hearts, though the Prophet could not. Our Saviour knew their hearts, <HI>and would not tru&s;t him&s;elf unto them.</HI> Would it not be a confu&s;ion to you, if the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 14.</NOTE> people of God &s;hould &s;ee your hypocri&s;ie? how would you hold up your heads before them? Ah brethren, how will you lift up your faces before the Lord then, who &s;earcheth the hearts? If you be found with no oyl in the heart, in the ve&s;&s;el, only a Lamp, a &s;hew, he can, he will &s;earch it out, and that your &s;ouls &s;hall one day know. And therefore it concerneth us now to &s;earch.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>The great danger of hypocri&s;ie</HI> in profe&s;&s;ion in the&s;e daies, <HI>now the times &s;mile upon it,</HI> for indeed, let hypocrites pretend what they will, <HI>they are &s;en&s;ual,</HI> and it is their belly they &s;erve, and not the Lord Je&s;us, and therefore as the times &s;way, you &s;hall have them bow; <HI>where the loaves were, there tho&s;e hypocrites would be,</HI> they followed not the Ordinance, the bread of life for it &s;elf, but for the loaves, they &s;ubjected it unto their bellies; the Bull-ru&s;h will not grow, except it have much mire and water; no more will an hypocrite, except he hath his advantages ordinarily, though &s;ometimes they may go through per&s;ecution; yet that is &s;omewhat more then ordinary. O how <HI>Judas</HI> loveth the bag, more then the Ma&s;ter, it was that that kept him &s;o clo&s;e to Je&s;us <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 8. 11.</NOTE>
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Chri&s;t: he had a &s;weet place of it while he had the bag. WelL, If ever mens &s;ouls were in danger of being undone by <HI>hypocri&s;ie, now is the time Brethren;</HI> And now it is the more hard to di&s;cern whether we follow <HI>Chri&s;t for the leaves, yea <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r no:</HI> therefore upon that account al&s;o, we had the more need to &s;earch and try our hearts, whether we be &s;ound at the bottom or no.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>The danger of the cure,</HI> if we be pocrites: Indeed in this re&s;pect the condition of a prophane man is better then a clo&s;e hypocrite, his di&s;temper is more apparent, and his own con&s;cience cannot but judge him of many things; but now many times a hypocrite &s;eeth not his hypocri&s;ie, though &s;ometimes he do: it may be at the fir&s;t if he had hearkened to the voice of his con|&s;cience charging him with hypocri&s;ie in this and that, he might have kept it tender; but &s;mothering it, at la&s;t it groweth &s;ilent and harder &s;eared, and the eyes by degrees are blinded, &s;o that he &s;eeth not his di&s;ea&s;e. 2. It is &s;o like to uprightne&s;s of heart, that it is &s;carce di&s;cernable to the Phy&s;itian that &s;hould be in&s;trumen|tal to heal it: <HI>Morbus vix &s;anabilis,</HI> &s;aith one, <HI>qui &s;anitatem imitatur,</HI> and then when it is di&s;cerned, there is much more goeth to the healing of an hypocrite, then another &s;inner; he mu&s;t fir&s;t be emptied of him&s;elf, whereof he is full; he mu&s;t be untaught, before he can be taught any thing of Chri&s;t. 3. If he do &s;ee his di&s;ea&s;e, he is u&s;ually unwilling to have it healed, he liketh it better to keep his lu&s;ts, &s;ecretly to have the delight of them, and plea&s;ure of &s;in &s;ecretly, and yet the &s;hew of godline&s;s. Like a &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">urdy Rogue, he hath a &s;ore, and he knoweth it well enough, but he careth not for having it healed, becau&s;e it is his Plow; it is that which brings in his profit or advantage, by moving others to commi&s;eration; but many times, &s;uch per&s;ons as the&s;e dye of their wounds, and when the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> would have them healed, they are fo&s;tred &s;o and corrupted, there is no healing of them. The Lord grant it prove not the ca&s;e of our &s;ouls.</P>
<P>Why, but you will &s;ay, how &s;hould a man know then (If a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Object.</NOTE> hypocrite be &s;uch an one that may go &s;o far) whether he be an hypocrite or no? for it may be you will &s;ay, for ought I perceive, an hypocrite is gone &s;o far that I doubt I &s;hall hardly reach it. For an&s;wer to this, I &s;hall &s;ay the&s;e few things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, for matter of affection, for knowledge, I think we <NOTE PLACE="marg">An&s;w.</NOTE> can hardly make that <HI>Characteri&s;ticon,</HI> becau&s;e it is common to
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both; and when men &s;peak of it as a <HI>practical knowledge, an humbling knowledge, a warning knowledge,</HI> &amp;c. The&s;e are the effects of it. But knowledge con&s;idered as knowledge, it is alike, though the Spirit of the Lord do &s;hed it abroad upon &s;ome mens hearts and affections, &s;o that it works there mightily, and re|maineth impri&s;oned in &s;ome mens heads and under&s;tandings. Therefore for the Affection, I cannot &s;tand to give account of every affection &s;poken of before, but for <HI>That of mourning for &s;on,</HI> which is &s;pecially con&s;iderable, you have heard a heart may be troubled for &s;in, and it is que&s;tionle&s;s true. But how &s;hall we know then, whether our trouble for &s;in be right or no, or whether we be hypocritical therein? Truly Brethren; <HI>If ever we could look upon Je&s;us Chri&s;t crucified by his &s;ins and for them, with &s;uch an eye of faith, and &s;o mourn over him crucified by us,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Z<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">h. 12. 10.</NOTE> <HI>and yet for us;</HI> this &s;urely none el&s;e can work, but the &s;pirit of grace, it is a &s;pecial fruit of it, in that 12. of <HI>Zach.</HI> It may be thou ha&s;t been a poor creature, much vexed with thy &s;ins, and weary by rea&s;on of them, and weary of thy groa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ing and trouble; <HI>but ha&s;t thou ever had a &s;ight of Chri&s;t crucified, and mouraid over him whom thou ha&s;t crucified? This is the bitterne&s;s indeed, that a hypocrite cannot reach unto.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, Though an hypocrite may avoid many &s;ins, <HI>yet he will have &s;ome lu&s;t,</HI> &s;ome <HI>Dalilah,</HI> &s;ome little one, and his &s;oul &s;hall live. <HI>Now if a man regard any iniquity in his heart,</HI> be it ne|ver &s;o plau&s;ibly maintained, have he never &s;uch fair pretences for what he doth, that man is a hypocrite, and God will not hear &s;uch a mans prayers. <HI>If I regard iniquity in my heart, God will not hear my prayers. Judas</HI> mu&s;t have his covetou&s;ne&s;s, he could <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 6. 18.</NOTE> forego all other. <HI>Herod</HI> mu&s;t have his &s;i&s;ters daughter, all el&s;e he can forego. If there be any one lu&s;t, wherein thou &s;pare&s;t thy &s;elf, keepe&s;t it under thy tongue, be it never &s;o &s;ecret, thy heart is not right. It may be a man would think, that the &s;in of his con&s;titution he may give him&s;elf a little liberty in, and this is thy plea, <HI>It is my temper,</HI> to be vainly merry, a mans temper to be wanton, to be fooli&s;hly je&s;ting, and men will plead their nature for it; why truly &s;o might <HI>Job, he made a covenant with his eyes: David, I kept me from mine iniquity,</HI> whether the &s;in of his na|ture, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 18. 23.</NOTE> or his pre&s;ent condition, that is to &s;ay, <HI>revenge upon his ene|my, when he had him in his hand.</HI> So the &s;ins of a mans place, <HI>Job
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kept him&s;elf from them all;</HI> he did not oppre&s;s, wrong his man <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 31. 21.</NOTE> &s;ervant, de&s;pi&s;e his cau&s;e, oppre&s;s the poor when he had his help ready&punc; in the gate to have &s;ided with him. If men &s;hall in any ca&s;e, though they have never &s;o urgent temptations, allow them|&s;elves in any &s;in; &s;urely &s;uch men are hypocrites and no bet|ter.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>an hypocrite will do much,</HI> but he will not do all; he never <HI>hath re&s;pect to all the commandments of God.</HI> Why but you <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. 6.</NOTE> will &s;ay, No more can the mo&s;t upright man upon the earth do all. <HI>Not Legally, but Evangelically he may, he may aim at all; though the Commandment be exceeding broad, he may &s;earch after all, that he may do them, he may endeavour it, though he cannot reach it, I have a re&s;pect to all; and where he cometh &s;hort, that is his burthen, that is matter of mourning to him.</HI> Take it in two or three particulars, that I enlarge not too much.</P>
<P N="1">1. It may be an hypocrite will be wonderful &s;trict in the duties of the fir&s;t table, which we call ordinarily religious duties, as praying, reading, hearing, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But you &s;hall find him very &s;light and &s;lack in the duties of the &s;econd. Tho&s;e in the 7. of <HI>Matth,</HI> they would Preach and Prophe&s;ie in Chri&s;t his name, but yet they would work iniquity with both hands. <HI>Judas</HI> would pray with Chri&s;t, Preach for Chri&s;t, receive with Chri&s;t, but he would then couzen and defraud, made no con&s;cience of &s;ecret thievery. And it is very plain in that fir&s;t of <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> who were more forward then they in their &s;acrifices, abundant in their wor&s;hip, multi|tude of their burnt-offerings and &s;olemn a&s;&s;emblies, but in the mean time their hands were full of blood, they made nothing of <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;a. 1. 10. to 17.</NOTE> that. And is it not &s;o with &s;ome of us, we are frequent in hear|ing, frequent it as much as others, and yet notwith&s;tanding make nothing of the duties of the &s;econd table, drunkenne&s;s is nothing, though wine be raging; make nothing of railing, reviling, of covetou&s;ne&s;s, which is Idolatry; he will hardly make a Covenant with his eyes, as <HI>Job</HI> did: maketh nothing of uncleanne&s;s, if not outward in act, yet contemplative, of a wandering eye, and wandring heart; and &s;o of deceit. O this is dreadful, let not that man deceive him&s;elf, certainly he is an hypocrite, and though he may go far, yet he will be &s;ure to fall &s;hort.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>An hypocrite in his obedience, he will be much about little incon|&s;iderable things.</HI> Some ceremonious things, or the like, more then
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the weighty matters of the Law; &s;o the Phari&s;ees, they for&s;ooth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 18. 28.</NOTE> would not come into the Judgement-Hall, becau&s;e it was the preparation to the Pa&s;&s;-over, le&s;t they &s;hould be defiled, and not fit for the Pa&s;&s;-over; but they made nothing of the greate&s;t mo|ral pollution that could be, of fal&s;ly accu&s;ing the mo&s;t innocent per&s;on, and pro&s;ecuting him to the death, this they made no|thing of: and &s;o they &s;crupled not to give thirtie pieces of Sil|ver, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 23. 23.</NOTE> as a price for Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that they might bring him to death, but when they had done, they would not ca&s;t it into the Trea|&s;ury. The Papi&s;ts, they make much ado, it is a grievous offence to violate one of their fa&s;ting daies enjoyned by the Pope, but to murther Chri&s;tian Princes under the notion of Hereticks, they make nothing of that; this is the condition of many a poor crea|ture, Mint, Annice and Cummin they mu&s;t tythe, the&s;e externals and ceremonials; a Gnat they &s;train at, but a Camel they can &s;wallow.</P>
<P N="3">3. Another thing in their obedience is this; an hypocrite, he can be contented to take up the ea&s;ie part of Chri&s;tianity ordinarily, but not the difficult, that which is more inward and laborious: they can come to hea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the word, to confer with the peo|ple of God, to receive, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But the inward part, the great duty of &s;elf-examination, alas they are &s;trangers to it, that high duty of &s;piritual contemplation, that of keeping their hearts with all diligence, becau&s;e out of it are <HI>the i&s;&s;ues of life,</HI> this they are <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 4. 23.</NOTE> &s;trangers to, they cannot down with the&s;e things; to forgive in|juries from their brethren, this is a hard duty, to love their ene|mies, yea to love them that think meanly of them, de&s;pi&s;e them, as well as tho&s;e that think more highly of them, this is no ea&s;ie duty; here the hypocrite will give others leave to take up this part ordinarily: truly Brethren, Search and &s;ee, is it not &s;o with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 44.</NOTE> &s;ome of us&punc;</P>
<P N="4">4. Another con&s;ideration is this, <HI>An hypocrite maketh not Je&s;us Chri&s;t his la&s;t end,</HI> he doth all for &s;elf-ends. Who do &s;eem to be more Religious then the great Que&s;tioni&s;ts of the times u&s;ually? yet the Apo&s;tle tels us, <HI>if they con&s;ent not to the whol&s;om words,</HI> even the words of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and the Doctrine which is according to godline&s;s, <HI>he is proud, knowing nothing, doting about</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Tim. 6. 5<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> <HI>Que&s;tions and &s;trife of words, whereof cometh envy, &s;trife, rail|ings, evil &s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">i&s;in<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> and perver&s;e di&s;putings, of men of corrupt
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minds, and de&s;titute of the truth, &s;uppo&s;ing that gain is godline&s;s;</HI> there is the root of all this Brethren, of all this zeal and contention, &s;uppo&s;ing that gain is godline&s;s; was not this the argument whereby the Devil would have proved <HI>Job</HI> an hy|pocrite? <HI>if thou touch all he hath, he will cur&s;e thee:</HI> doth he &s;erve <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 1.</NOTE> thee for nought? he hath &s;elf-ends in it. O &s;urely brethren, if our hearts condemn us, and tell us <HI>We work for our penny in the Vineyard of the Lord,</HI> we &s;erve for our <HI>penny,</HI> it is not right; it may be we may pretend the glory of God, and may &s;eem to take a right aim for God and for Chri&s;t, but like a deceitful bow, we turn a&s;ide, and have &s;omewhat el&s;e in our eye that &s;etteth the wheels awork, when the glory of Chri&s;t will not; O this is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 8. 7.</NOTE> gro&s;s hypocri&s;ie. So tho&s;e in <HI>Mat.</HI> 7. they prophe&s;ied in the name of Chri&s;t, but not for his name, but for them&s;elves; and though a child of God may be pe&s;tered with &s;uch thoughts creep|ing in upon him, yet he &s;uffers them not to lodge with him, but whippeth them, and giveth them their pa&s;s, he mourns under them, prayeth for pardon of them, and healing and &s;ubduing of them.</P>
<P N="5">5. Another thing is touching the conflict which the &s;oul may have with &s;in. How may we know whether that be right or no? An hypocrite may have &s;ome regret doubtle&s;s in &s;inning, until he hath hardened his con&s;cience &s;o by cu&s;tom, that he is pa&s;t feeling.</P>
<P>Do but mind the&s;e two things. 1. Where the quarrel lies, where the battle is fought; <HI>Is it between the under&s;tanding, the judgement, or the con&s;cience convinced, and the will?</HI> or is it between the <HI>will</HI> and the <HI>will,</HI> the <HI>affections</HI> and the <HI>affections?</HI> the former may be in an hypocrite, the other is not. <HI>Peter</HI> had this conflict be|tween his <HI>will</HI> and <HI>will,</HI> he &s;hould be carried whether he would not, that is to &s;ay, to be martyred; Why then, if he were alto|gether <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 21. 18.</NOTE> unwilling, how could he be a Martyr? No, he was <HI>willing,</HI> and yet <HI>unwilling;</HI> there is a <HI>lu&s;ting of the Spirit, and a lu&s;ting of the fle&s;h;</HI> it is not for nothing that the Holy-Gho&s;t expre&s;&s;eth it in tho&s;e terms, he doth not &s;ay the &s;pirit judgeth one thing, and the fle&s;h lu&s;teth after another, <HI>but there is lu&s;ting on both &s;ides, the fle&s;h again&s;t the Spirit, and the Spirit again&s;t the fle&s;h, and tho&s;e</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5. 17.</NOTE> <HI>two are contraries;</HI> and they are in the will and affections, and therefore as contraries, they mu&s;t needs fight until one be &s;ubdu|ed;
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the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>with his mind he &s;erved the Law of God,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. <HI>ul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI></NOTE> <HI>and with his fle&s;h the Law of &s;in;</HI> but mind, there is not meant the <HI>under&s;tanding as di&s;tinct from the will,</HI> as &s;ometimes it is under|&s;tood, but it is under&s;tood of the regenerate part &s;et in oppo&s;iti|on to the corrupt part in the &s;oul, and the one fighting again&s;t the other, &s;o that the things we would do, we cannot do many times. Con&s;ider then, Is it thus with thee? carnal affection carryeth thee out this way, but thou ha&s;t not only a judgement to the contra|ry, but thy <HI>affections</HI> and <HI>will</HI> carryeth thee to the contrary, and thou art not alway overcome, but ordinarily prevaile&s;t: O this is a &s;ign of an upright heart.</P>
<P>2. Con&s;ider in this conflict al&s;o another thing, <HI>Whether you <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e not treacherous, alway holding on the &s;ide of &s;in.</HI> So an hypocrite will be; he hath &s;ome regret again&s;t &s;in its true, but yet he favours it, and would willingly excu&s;e for it, palliate and plead for it; and O how glad &s;uch a man is, when he hath but any Scripture that will &s;eem to make for it, that he may have but liberty for his lu&s;t; as a co|vetous man, O how he is more then ordinarily plea&s;ed with tho&s;e Scriptures which &s;eem to make for it; and &s;uch a man holds in with &s;in, and will not come to the light, but hates it, is willingly ignorant of &s;ome things, <HI>libenter ignorantur, ut liberius peccent.</HI> Is it thus with us brethren? believe it, if it be, we have cau&s;e to fear all is not right with us, we are un&s;ound at the heart, and though we may go far, yet the end will be rotten|ne&s;s.</P>
<P>Again la&s;tly, <HI>See to it whether we love anything el&s;e more then Chri&s;t:</HI> If Hou&s;e or Land, or Father or Mother, or neare&s;t relati|ons, or life it &s;elf more then Chri&s;t, we are hyporcites &s;ure, and this is a thing will not be &s;o ea&s;ily known, &s;pecially by &s;uch as with <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eter, denyed him, being a&s;hamed of him;</HI> it may be upon a &s;light account; O happy is he that can afterwards &s;ay as <HI>Peter, Lord,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10. 37.</NOTE> <HI>thou knowe&s;t all things, thou knowe&s;t I love thee;</HI> though I dealt &s;o unkindly and unfaithfully with thee for the time pa&s;t, yet now &s;ure I am <HI>I love thee,</HI> and that love preferred Je&s;us Chri&s;t before his life. If the heart be but upright, if there be never &s;o little at fir&s;t, yet it will grow, it will continue, the Seed of God will abide. And if never &s;o much, if the heart be not right, it will fall &s;hort of heaven, as the&s;e Virgins, they went far. Well, the Lord give us under&s;tanding in the&s;e things.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="240" REF="186">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Ver&s;e 7.</BIBL>
<Q>&mdash;<GAP DESC="foreign">.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>WE have done with the former member, that is to &s;ay, <HI>the fooli&s;h Virgins trimming their Lamps,</HI> going &s;o far in a pro|fe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t, and yet fail when all is done. Now we are to con&s;ider the &s;econd member included in this general; and that is, <HI>that Believers are now to trim their Lamps;</HI> the wi&s;e Virgins were now to do it as well as the fooli&s;h; the real, as well as the formal profe&s;&s;or. I will only briefly note two things from this clau&s;e of the Ver&s;e.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>That though a Believers profe&s;&s;ion may decline and grow low, and that towards his latter end,</HI> or after he hath long profe&s;&s;ed Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>yet it is not altogether extinct;</HI> it wants trimming in|deed, but it is not out with the fooli&s;h Virgins.</P>
<P>2. <HI>When this profe&s;&s;ion groweth thus low, it is the Believers duty to renew it, to trim up his Lamp.</HI></P>
<P>Of the fir&s;t in the fir&s;t place, wherein are comprehended three notes, which for brevity &s;ake I wrap up into one; partly, be|cau&s;e &s;ome of them have near affinity with what hath been alrea|dy delivered; and partly, becau&s;e I would not dwell too long up|on the Text.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, <HI>That a Believer his profe&s;&s;ion may decline and grow low, and need a renewing. 2. That it may come to this pa&s;s after he hath long profe&s;&s;ed,</HI> or near the time of his Calling for. And 3. <HI>That yet notwith&s;tanding it is not extinct</HI> altogether, as the profe&s;&s;ion of the fooli&s;h is, of which afterwards. A word or two briefly to each of the&s;e.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>That a Believers profe&s;&s;ion may decline;</HI> which is &s;omewhat of kin to what we &s;poke before, and therefore the le&s;s here. <HI>The Lamp may grow low.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, <HI>The light which appears to be in the Saints may grow low.</HI> It may admit of mixtures, &s;ometimes of darkne&s;s which much dimmeth the light. I mean they may be much corrupted in their judgements, and turned a&s;ide from the &s;implicity of the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t; this is clear in the <HI>Galathians</HI> their <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;e, <HI>ye</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5. 7.</NOTE>
<PB N="241" REF="186">
<HI>did run well, who hindred you,</HI> what was the matter? It was an errour and a gro&s;s one crept in among them, to &s;et up the Law and <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> with Chri&s;t, as nece&s;&s;ary to Ju&s;tification and Salvati|on: <HI>What a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">mi&s;t is here about the Lamp? this made it twilight with them.</HI></P>
<P>2. <HI>The light&s;omne&s;s and joy of faith,</HI> this al&s;o may wear away in great mea&s;ure, yet not altogether; the faces of the Saints do &s;hine by a reflexion of the countenance of God upon them, as the face of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> did, when he had been with God in the Mount; but alas, though they walk long in the light of his coun|tenance, may it not be lo&s;t&punc; as we find the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> complaining, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>Re&s;tore unto me the joy of thy &s;alvation:</HI> he had it before, but now he had lo&s;t it, both which are implyed in that word <HI>re&s;tore:</HI> And do we not find it in that 50. of <HI>I&s;aiah, Who is there among</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 10.</NOTE> <HI>you that walks in darkne&s;s and &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eeh no light?</HI> Where is the light|&s;omne&s;s of the Lamp then? the plea&s;ant paraphra&s;e upon the works of the grace of Chri&s;t in their &s;ouls, &s;o that they can &s;ee nothing at all. Look what comfort it is to have a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ight or a Lamp in the darke&s;t night; &s;uch comfort it is to have the &s;miling pre|&s;ence of the Lord. But now this is lo&s;t, <HI>thou did&s;t hide thy face,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 30. 7.</NOTE> <HI>and I was troubled;</HI> Gods face was clouded, and his face was covered.</P>
<P>3. <HI>Believers,</HI> as they may lo&s;e in a great mea&s;ure <HI>their joy of faith,</HI> &s;o may they lo&s;e <HI>their confidence of hope,</HI> &s;o that they may be ready to &s;ay many times, <HI>their hope is even peri&s;hed from the Lord, and hath God forgotten to be gracious, and will he be merciful no more?</HI> this you may &s;ee in many ca&s;es of the Saints. <HI>David, I &s;hall one day peri&s;h by the hands of Saul.</HI> O I &s;hall never &s;ee <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 27. 1.</NOTE> through this world of wickedne&s;s that is in mine heart, but &s;ooner or later, I &s;hall be &s;wallowed up by it.</P>
<P>4. A Believer may lo&s;e the degrees of tho&s;e graces which are radical, and which indeed more principally are like the oyl in the ve&s;&s;el, yet that may grow low, and then no marvel if the Lamp which is fed by them do grow low al&s;o. As that of their faith, how low may they grow in faith? Indeed our Saviour hath pray|ed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 22. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> that their faith fail them not altogether; but in a great part it may, decline. We &s;ee it in <HI>A&s;a,</HI> one while he could tru&s;t in God when a great hoa&s;t of the <HI>Ethiopians</HI> and <HI>Lybians</HI> come again&s;t him. By &amp; by, when he was not &s;o hard put to it, he re&s;ts upon the
<PB N="242" REF="187">
King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> for which the Lord reproveth him by the Pro|phet. <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Chro. 16. 8.</NOTE> Where was <HI>Peters</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aith when a little carnal fear turned him a&s;ide in &s;o &s;ad a manner? and indeed it is the want of faith in the people of God, that is the very root of all tho&s;e turnings a&s;ide from the <HI>Fountain</HI> to the broken <HI>Ci&s;tern,</HI> from God to the creature: And &s;o that of <HI>love</HI> as well as <HI>faith, faith works by love,</HI> and this al&s;o may de<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">line. You find the Church of <HI>Ephe&s;us, She</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2. 4.</NOTE> <HI>had left her fir&s;t love;</HI> and that Angel of the Church al&s;o, he had it may be heretofore been full of love to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and that love very laborious in feeding the Flock of Chri&s;t, but now his love was <HI>remitted.</HI> May not every mans heart Seal to this, that the Love of his E&s;pou&s;als to the Lord Je&s;us, the love of our <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 2. 2.</NOTE> youth, tho&s;e &s;pringing affections are gone?</P>
<P>5. Another is this, <HI>A Believer may lo&s;e the fervor of all tho&s;e holy affections that he hath had,</HI> his de&s;ires, his delight and joy, his anger and hatred again&s;t &s;in, loathing and abomination; time hath been, we <HI>could have cryed out for the living God&punc; their &s;ouls break for the longing they had to God;</HI> but now the Chariot wheels drive more heavily. We have felt &s;ometimes the <HI>babe &s;pringing in the womb;</HI> but now we can hardly feel in, our affections langui&s;h towards Je&s;us Chri&s;t. <HI>Solomon</HI> once had a zeal for the hou&s;e of God, when he laid out him&s;elf in building a hou&s;e for his name, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">&punc; King. 11. 33.</NOTE> but what was become of that zeal when he could build a hou&s;e to <HI>Chemo&s;h</HI> the God of the <HI>Moabites;</HI> in favour of his <HI>Moabiti&s;h</HI> wives where was his zeal then? So <HI>Laodicea</HI> was grown luke-warm, theywere hot at fir&s;t.</P>
<P>6. <HI>The outward acts of grace, they may be remitted;</HI> which in|deed are a great part of the profe&s;&s;ion. It is not a bare confe&s;&s;ing Je&s;us Chri&s;t the Lord&punc; with the mouth, that maketh a profe&s;&s;ion, but a &s;uitablene&s;s of conver&s;ation, walking in Chri&s;t Je&s;us the Lord; now there may be remi&s;&s;ion of the&s;e acts. The acts of a moral man; which he elicits from the power of nature by moral precepts, or the power of Education, are called &s;parks, in that of <HI>I&s;a.</HI> which are of a mans own kindling; &amp; the works of holine&s;s &amp; <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 50. 11&punc;</NOTE> righteou&s;ne&s;s in the Go&s;pel, is called <HI>the light of a Believer,</HI> which &s;hines before others, and is indeed the main thing, <HI>let your light &s;o &s;hine before men; that they may &s;ee your good works.</HI> Now I &s;ay, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 16.</NOTE> a Believer, he may have interruption in this <HI>remi&s;&s;ion,</HI> in this he may either neglect them, or el&s;e do them in a &s;light manner, and
<PB N="243" REF="187">
that ordinarily. So the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks to the <HI>Philippians, that</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4. 10.</NOTE> <HI>their care again towards him had flouri&s;hed,</HI> by which is implyed it had flouri&s;hed before, but now it had langui&s;hed and faded, they had not put it forth for him as they might have done; but now it revived. As a man in a fit of pa&s;&s;ion hath not the u&s;e of his rea&s;on; &s;o the be&s;t of the Saints when the <HI>wills</HI> or <HI>lu&s;ts</HI> of the fle&s;h prevail, (as they may in the be&s;t) they have not the u&s;e of their &s;piritual part. But &s;o much for the fir&s;t thing. I am brief, becau&s;e I have had occa&s;ion to &s;peak much what to the &s;ame purpo&s;e be|fore.</P>
<P>The &s;econd will be this, <HI>That the&s;e declinings may be in the peo|ple of God, even near their end, and the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> This will be ju&s;tified by the Parable, here the cry cometh which rou&s;|eth the wi&s;e Virgins, and when they awaked and came to them|&s;elves, their con&s;ciences were awaked, then they &s;aw that their Lamps wanted trimming, they burned low; when they &s;hould burn the brighte&s;t, they are dim &amp; dull; you need not much to be &s;aid for the proof of this part of the Doctrine, for of <HI>Solomon</HI> after he had lived long, and followed God, and had had extraor|dinary <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 11. 9.</NOTE> appearances of God to him again and again, publike and privately; yet when he was old, &s;aith the text, and &s;hould have grown better, he then began to love many wives, and then fell to countenance Idolatry, which is a blemi&s;h upon him to all po&s;teri|ty. And &s;o you &s;ee it in <HI>A&s;a</HI> his ca&s;e, a good man, and a man ve|ry forward and diligent for the reformation; and yet in his la&s;t daies, &s;ee how many failings are noted of him, his unbelief, re&s;t|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 16. 10.</NOTE> upon an arm of fle&s;h, his impri&s;oning the Prophet that repro|ved him, his going to the Phy&s;itians and not to God, his oppre&s;|&s;ing of many of his people; the lower he ran, his day ran, the more dregs he ran, he ran not cleare&s;t at the bottom. So <HI>Samp|&s;on,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Judg. 15. 20. Ch. 20. v. 16.</NOTE> &s;ome twenty years after he had been overtaken with a Phi|li&s;tian woman, and likely repented of it; yet twenty years after, he goeth in to an harlot there. And the</P>
<P><HI>Rea&s;on</HI> is plain for this, becau&s;e that <HI>grace at the be&s;t, when it is</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.</NOTE> <HI>at its perfection, it is but a creature,</HI> and depending upon God as the beams upon the Sun, and as the &s;tream upon the Fountain, and therefore no longer then he is plea&s;ed to feed it, will it &s;ub|&s;i&s;t; let our ve&s;&s;el be never &s;o full of oyl, our hearts never &s;o full of grace, yet it depends upon the Lord Je&s;us and his fulne&s;s; and <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Chron. 29.</NOTE>
<PB N="244" REF="188">
the Spirit, like the two Olive trees that empty the golden oyl in|to the ve&s;&s;els, <HI>uphold me with thy free Spirit,</HI> &s;aith the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t.</HI> And, <HI>O that the Lord would keep this upon the frame or imaginati|on<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> of their hearts for ever. Thou maintaine&s;t my lot, P&s;al.</HI> 16. <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.</NOTE> Now if he withdraw and forbear to empty out of that fulne&s;s upon us, let our conditions be what it will, alas grace will lan|gui&s;h, our Lamps will burn dim.</P>
<P>2. Becau&s;e (truly many times) <HI>this is the time the people of God grow mo&s;t &s;ecure,</HI> they have long followed hard after God, and now they think they may &s;lack their pace a little; we are ex|ceeding prone to &s;et up grace received in &s;tead of Chri&s;t; when our mountain is made &s;trong we lean upon it, whereas we &s;hould only lean upon our beloved; as the Church. And then no marvel if he let us &s;ee, to our &s;orrow, that grace is but a creature, and lo&s;eable in its own nature; the child getteth mo&s;t falls, when it thinketh it can go it &s;elf without any holding; and this much for the &s;econd.</P>
<P>The third thing is, <HI>That though the Lamps of the wi&s;e Virgins come to want trimming,</HI> to burn low and dim, and at &s;uch a time as this, <HI>yet they are not put out;</HI> which is the complaint of the fooli&s;h Virgins in the following ver&s;e. The <HI>declen&s;ions</HI> of a godly man, at the wor&s;t they are recoverable. An emblem of this, was the fire upon the <HI>Altar in the Sanctuary,</HI> it never went out after once <NOTE PLACE="marg">Levit&punc; 6. 12. and 13.</NOTE> it was kindled. It is &s;aid of the good womans Candle, <HI>it goeth not out by night;</HI> &s;he may &s;leep it may be, but it is by Candle-light; as per&s;ons that intend to ri&s;e again, and haply not to &s;leep long, will &s;leep by a Candle. Believers may fall a&s;leep, and the Candle may burn dim, but yet it goeth not out. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 31. 18.</NOTE></P>
<P>Indeed it is true, a child of God his profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t may be at &s;uch a low ebb &s;ometimes, as &s;carce to be vi&s;ible. A candle in the &s;ocket &s;ometimes will burn &s;o low, that a man would think it were even out, but it ri&s;eth again. So we would have thought <HI>Peters</HI> profe&s;&s;ion had given up the gho&s;t, when he denyed and for&s;wore his Ma&s;ter, in &s;uch a &s;ad manner. And &s;o <HI>David,</HI> his profe&s;&s;ion was very low. And &s;o &s;ome of the Martyrs that &s;ub&s;cribed a re|cantation, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Trapp</HI> his Com. place of Apo&s;t.</NOTE> as <HI>Cranmer&punc;</HI> So <HI>Tho. Whittle</HI> and <HI>Benbridge, Bilny</HI> and others, <HI>Fullers lives,</HI> pag. 122. now we could hardly &s;ee the light, yet it broke forth again, and &s;hone gloriou&s;ly in them all.</P>
<P><PB N="245" REF="188">
Again, It cannot be denyed but that a child of God may de|cline and lo&s;e divers degrees of grace, which for ought we know he may never recover again, never have his Lamp trimmed up as it was before; but yet, it never goeth quite out.</P>
<P>And &s;o for comfort, they may live and dye haply, without the light of his countenance, and yet their Lamps burning. Our Saviour him&s;elf dyed without the &s;en&s;e of the Love of his Fa|ther, he had his &s;upporting pre&s;ence, but not that &s;weet refre&s;hing pre&s;ence, <HI>My God, my God, why ha&s;t thou for&s;aken me?</HI> for this is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 27. 46.</NOTE> not nece&s;&s;ary to the being of a Chri&s;tian, as to believe with the heart, and confe&s;s with the mouth is, in per&s;ons grown.</P>
<P>Now that it is &s;o, that their Lamps do not go out, neither the light nor heat altogether, nor the acts of holine&s;s and righteou&s;|ne&s;s towards God and towards men, are not altogether lo&s;t and laid a&s;ide. It will appear,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t by Scripture, <HI>the path of the ju&s;t is as a &s;hining light, which</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 4. 18.</NOTE> <HI>&s;hineth more and more to the perfect day;</HI> Some interruptions there may be, but yet it &s;hineth more and more; the Sun runneth his race, though now and then a cloud intercepts his comfortable beams from the earth. And that of the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t, his leaf &s;hall ne|ver</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 1. 3.</NOTE> <HI>wither,</HI> the leaf is the profe&s;&s;ion, he &s;hall not wither but be green. An hypocrite indeed like a Bull-ru&s;h will wither, as we &s;hall &s;ee by and by, when the mire and the water fails; but a child of God withers not. There are two Conditions which u&s;ually wither mens profe&s;&s;ion, but the child of God &s;tands it out in both. 1. In a pro&s;perous &s;tate, that u&s;eth to choak the word; they that will call upon God in the day of di&s;tre&s;s, <HI>in their afflictions wil &s;eek him earne&s;tly,</HI> yet when his hand is taken away, they no more <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 5. 15.</NOTE> remember&punc; the Lord their Saviour; but a child of God now in his pro&s;perous condition, he lo&s;eth not his profe&s;&s;ion altogether, though the Lamp may be damped, yet not extingui&s;ht. And 2. For adver&s;ity, that indeed is a trying time: <HI>all this is come up|on us, yet have we not dealt fal&s;ly in the Covenant;</HI> will the hypo|crite <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 44. 17.</NOTE> alway call upon God? he will not call upon God alway, nor wait for him. Yea, the time of affliction u&s;ually is an advan|tage to the people of God; if ever their Lamp burn brighter then another, it is in the dark and cold night of per&s;ecution and af|fliction; a Torch, the more knockt again&s;t any thing&punc; the more it burns.</P>
<P><PB N="246" REF="189">
Secondly, <HI>Becau&s;e they have within them a Spring of oyl that feeds the Lamp,</HI> therefore it goeth not out. It is &s;et forth in ano|ther metaphor in that place of <HI>John, out of his belly &s;hall flow Ri|vers of water, &s;pringing up to eternal life.</HI> Now where there is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 7. 38.</NOTE> this within, the flame will live while there is oyl to maintain it: It is like fire in a mans bo&s;om, he cannot carry it &s;o &s;urely, but it will di&s;cover it &s;elf as fire in the bones, as the Prophet &s;peaks of the word of God. And,</P>
<P>3. <HI>Becau&s;e that cru&s;e of oyl is continually &s;upplyed by the Spirit,</HI> and from the fulne&s;s of Chri&s;t, therefore it never fails. If the oyl in the ve&s;&s;el could fail, then the Light in the Lamp might fail, but it fa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ls not; and why? not becau&s;e it is not peri&s;hable in its own nature, being but a creature, but <HI>becau&s;e it is kept by the power of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1. 15.</NOTE> <HI>God; we are kept by the power of God to &s;alvation;</HI> alas, if it were in our keeping, we &s;hould quickly, with the Prodigal, run our &s;elves out of all, as we do in a moment lo&s;e the mo&s;t precious frames the Lord is plea&s;ed to put upon us, but it is <HI>kept by that power, none is able to pluck them out of this hand of the Father &amp; the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 10. 28.</NOTE> <HI>Son.</HI> Sin is &s;trong indeed, &s;trong lu&s;ts; and Satan is &s;trong, a Lyon, a Dragon, a Prince of the power of darkne&s;s; and Armies of lu&s;ts he hath warring in our members, a great &s;trength, and all the&s;e pluck at us, but they cannot pull us out of this hand of Chri&s;t. And thence it is that their Lamps are not put out in ob&s;cure darkne&s;s. O how fain would Satan blow out the Candle, that we might walk in the darkne&s;s, not knowing whither we go; but it is held in the hand of Chri&s;t, and it is above the reach of his poy|&s;onous breath to do it. A damp of lu&s;ts from our own hearts, if any thing would do it, this would, and it maketh them burn ve|ry dimly and blew many times, but yet cannot overcome; the Lamp may want trimming, but it is not out.</P>
<P>For the Application then of this Doctrine. If it be &s;o, <HI>that Be|lievers are &s;ubject to &s;uch declinings,</HI> yea when they &s;hould be at <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> the be&s;t, in their latter end, when they &s;hould bring forth fruit in old age, that then they may be ready to wither, or in a great part, the leaves, their profe&s;&s;ion may change colour, and lo&s;e its greenne&s;s: What &s;hould this teach us all in the fir&s;t place, <HI>but to take heed of placing our confidence in any thing which may fail us.</HI> If any thing on this &s;ide the Lord Je&s;us him&s;elf might be
<PB N="247" REF="189">
tru&s;ted in, it might be grace, for there is not any other &s;o near approach to God, without which <HI>Angels</HI> were but <HI>Devils,</HI> the very perfection of <HI>Saints</HI> and <HI>Angels;</HI> And yet becau&s;e it hath its imperfections, therefore it is not to be tru&s;ted to. Nothing indeed is more &s;piritual then <HI>grace,</HI> the choi&s;e&s;t communications of the eternal &s;pirit to the Creature, but yet con&s;idered in com|pari&s;on with the God of <HI>grace,</HI> it is but fle&s;h, if it be re&s;ted upon; the &s;tronge&s;t mountain, that a man would think &s;hould never be &s;haken, yet &s;in and Satan, if the Lord permit, can get under it, and blow it up. Yea, if our grace were perfect, yet we might not re&s;t in it, becau&s;e yet it hath its comparative im|perfections, it &s;elf being but a derivative, and dependent Being upon the God of grace at the be&s;t; it is but a &s;tream, a beam, though nearer the Sun, and nearer the Fountain; and but the water of a Ci&s;tern, and if whole before, yet this re&s;ting upon it, would make it a broken Ci&s;tern. Well then bretbren, if our profe&s;&s;ion flouri&s;h never &s;o, if it be &s;pring time with you, tru&s;t not in it; for there may come a fall after this &s;pring, there may come a time of &s;corching heat may make you wither, in a great part at lea&s;t. Though your Lamp burn, and &s;hine never &s;o gloriou&s;ly, and the light be great which ari&s;eth from the&s;e &s;parks of Gods kindling, you &s;ee it may come to want trimming, to burn more dimly, therefore tru&s;t not in it.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>It &s;hould teach us then to live by faith, in re&s;pect hereof.</HI> Alas brethren, we are withering every moment; if we have not waterings every moment, what would become of us now? whence mu&s;t this come, but from the fountain of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> the <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a 27. 3.</NOTE> eternal &s;pring and fulne&s;s which is in Je&s;us Chri&s;t? <HI>Of his fulne&s;s we receive,</HI> &s;aith the <HI>Evangeli&s;t:</HI> What made the difference be|tween <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 1. 16.</NOTE> the re&s;t of the Di&s;ciples, their profe&s;&s;ion of him, and <HI>Pe|ters?</HI> all their Lamps were damped in that <HI>hour</HI> and <HI>power of darkne&s;s,</HI> it was &s;o great and gro&s;s; but his was almo&s;t gone and giving up. And for tho&s;e acts, the flame was even out, but that the Lord blew it in again by the breathing of his &s;pirit, <HI>O La|bour to live by faith in Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> for preventing grace then, that we may not be removed from our &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;s. The Apo|&s;tle had a &s;trong per&s;wa&s;ion, <HI>that neither life nor death,</HI> the inti&s;e|ments <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.</NOTE> of the one, nor the terrors of the other, <HI>&s;hould &s;eparate him from the Love of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> O it was that love he hung
<PB N="248" REF="190">
upon! You &s;ee that grace it &s;elf, which is the oyl in the ve&s;&s;el, which &s;eeds the <HI>Lamp,</HI> is lo&s;eable, and therefore much more the external fruits and effects of it. Now if the power of God do not keep us we are gone, therefore we mu&s;t hence learn to live by the faith of the &s;on of God, as the Apo&s;tle did, not by &s;en&s;e nor what we fee<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">; though never &s;o much, yet that mu&s;t not be our life, or <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 14. 19.</NOTE> if never &s;o little, that mu&s;t not be our death, but &s;till live by faith in the &s;on of God, who liveth for ever, and therefore his people &s;hall not dye, nor their Lamps be put out in ob&s;cure dark|ne&s;s.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Con&s;ider then, have we not declined?</HI> have not our Lamps <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 20. 20.</NOTE> burned much clearer then now they do, hath not our light been clearer then now it is, and our warmth been more then now it is? this is matter of humbling to us. Have we not received much mix|ture of error in the&s;e erting times? we cannot imagine how much darkne&s;s it brings upon our Lamps, to have one error mixed with much truth. Be&s;ides, may not the Lord Je&s;us &s;ay to us all, <HI>I have &s;omewhat again&s;t you all, in that you have left your fir&s;t love?</HI> Time was, when you were zealous for the hou&s;e of God, and it <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">v. 2. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> did even eat you up; now you are grown to a <HI>Gallio</HI>'s &s;pirit, care not for the&s;e things; Now we &s;eek our own things, and ne&s;t our &s;elves in &s;ecurity, it is well with us, and therefore we con&s;i|der not the danger poor &s;ouls are in, by &s;uch as go up and down with the power of delu&s;ion, few mourners in <HI>Zion</HI> for the&s;e things. If the Church were under per&s;ecution, it is likely we &s;hould lament; truly I look upon its pre&s;ent &s;tate as more de|&s;tructive to it; &s;o many Vipers <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ating at the very heart, and bowels of Religion; where is our burning of zeal for God again&s;t the&s;e things? &s;ure it &s;hould humble us.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>We &s;ee that Believers may decline,</HI> and the&s;e times do give an abundant proof of it; how many that have been as burning and &s;hining lights, have been benighted, and inveloped in the mo&s;t Egyptian darkne&s;s, entertaning the mo&s;t de&s;perate opinions, walking after their own Lu&s;ts; and yet afterwards have been re&s;tored? O how &s;hould this make us fear before him! <HI>be not high-minded, but fear;</HI> here thou &s;ee&s;t one, and there another, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11. 20.</NOTE> their lamps next to a being quite extinct, yet thou ha&s;t light and heat maintained; O boa&s;t not thy &s;elf, lift not up thy &s;elf, but fear before the Lord: humility indeed is a kind of a nur&s;e of the gra|ces,
<PB N="249" REF="190">
<HI>con&s;ervatrix virtutum,</HI> as <HI>Bernard</HI> &s;aith. If he &s;pared not the Angels in their pride, will he &s;pare thee? A <HI>Novi&s;e</HI> is in danger of falling into the condemnation of the Devil, in danger of be|ing puffed up; <HI>He giveth grace to the lowly, but re&s;i&s;teth the proud.</HI> Some do ob&s;erve that word, <HI>be ye cloathed with humi|lity,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 3. 6.</NOTE> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>be ye cloathed;</HI> the word cometh from a word &s;ignifying a knot, becau&s;e it ties all together (as I may &s;ay) and &s;o <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 5. 5.</NOTE> knitteth the graces together, as pearls upon a Bra&s;let, if the knot be broken, they are quickly lo&s;t. It is indeed brethren, the thief in the candle, the great wa&s;ter; the Moth in the cloath con&s;umeth it, and &s;poyleth the beauty and &s;trength of it. It is the worm at the root of the <HI>Guord,</HI> it will &s;mite it, and we &s;ee it by &s;ad experience, when men grow &s;o proud, and pretend to Angelical perfection in our days, they fall as low as hell, and bruti&s;h be&s;tiality in their lu&s;ts. O therefore let us labour to walk humbly with God, <HI>be not high-minded;</HI> though at pre&s;ent we &s;tand, and flouri&s;h, and &s;hine, and burn, we are liable to de|clinings.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>If we be &s;o liable to declinings, then it &s;hould teach us &s;o much the more to be diligent in improving.</HI> I am &s;ure the Apo&s;tle giveth it as a pre&s;ervative again&s;t declining and apo&s;tatizing; <HI>But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI> grow in grace, and in knowledge; knowledge is that whereby the Lord doth reveal him&s;elf to his people, from grace to grace, as you have it in that place of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>whom behold|ing</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3. 17, 18.</NOTE> <HI>as in a gla&s;s,</HI> &amp;c. But ob&s;erve here, <HI>keep your &s;elves,</HI> that is, <HI>fall not from your own &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;s;</HI> and how &s;hould this be? One means is to grow in grace; If we would not have our Lamps burn dim and low, we mu&s;t labour to &s;upply them, &s;o as they may increa&s;e; <HI>the path of the ju&s;t is as a &s;hining light, which &s;hineth</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 4. 18.</NOTE> <HI>more and more to the perfect day;</HI> and the <HI>wind</HI> of that Spirit, <HI>which bloweth where it li&s;teth,</HI> it ri&s;eth higher and higher, as &s;ome note. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 3.</NOTE> O &s;ee to it then, ordinarily while the fruit is in growth, the leaves wither not, nor the fruit fals, except in &s;ome great &s;torm or wind. Labour to grow then, fir&s;t in bigne&s;s, then in &s;weetne&s;s; grow more mellow, &s;weet, full of love, humili|ty and &s;elf-denial.</P>
<P N="6">6. <HI>If we be &s;o liable to decline, it &s;hould teach us to avoid all tho&s;e things which tend to a declining,</HI> el&s;e we &s;hall never avoid
<PB N="250" REF="191">
the thing it &s;elf; <HI>we mu&s;t take heed of &s;leeping then;</HI> for though our Lamps be never &s;o bright when we begin to &s;leep, when we awake, they will burn low, if not extinct, and will have great need of trimming up. <HI>Security</HI> is the undoing evil in all things; where was the joy of <HI>Davids</HI> faith when he began to be &s;ecure? <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 30. 7. Take heed of putting off the day of his appearing, that will gender to &s;ecurity, and that &s;ecurity will bring a neglect of our Lamps, and then they will grow low and decline.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Take we heed of fal&s;e Teachers, try the Spirits, whether they be of God or no;</HI> they have a &s;trange influence upon the life and liveline&s;s of mens profe&s;&s;ion; were they not the&s;e that hindered the <HI>Galathians? Ye did run well, who hath hindered you? who hath bewitched you, that you &s;hould not obey the truth? Ye did run</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5. 7. and 3. 1.</NOTE> <HI>well,</HI> in the <GAP DESC="foreign">. the ra&s;e wherein they had Lamps or Torches; <HI>but who hath hindered you?</HI> The Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter</HI> maketh it the imme|diate cau&s;e of the back&s;liding, and declining at lea&s;t, if not utter apo&s;tacy: Beware, &s;aith he, le&s;t ye al&s;o being led away with the error of the wicked, and <HI>fall from your own &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;s,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3. 17.</NOTE> is to be carried out of his way, to go with another; the power of error is greater then we are aware of. The Apo&s;tle &s;peaks thus, <HI>This I &s;ay, le&s;t any man deceive you</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>with enticing words beguile you.</HI> They have cunning <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2. 4.</NOTE> craftine&s;s, <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>cogging with the die, Satan changing him&s;elf in|to an Angel of light,</HI> and his Mini&s;ters into Mini&s;ters of light, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 14.</NOTE> cogging with the <HI>die,</HI> like cunning and deceitful Gam&s;ters: how ea&s;ie is it to deceive the hearts of the &s;imple, <HI>yea the hearts of his,</HI> but that they are kept by that power? But a great way they may prevail, and &s;o we may lo&s;e our &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;s; <HI>and therefore take heed what &s;pirits we give ear to.</HI> Alas, do we not &s;ee in our days, what fearful work Satan hath made among Profe&s;&s;ors? how many have their Lamps quite put out, that went for zea|lous Chri&s;tians, are become meer Athei&s;ts? how many have &s;uffered a great abatement in their zeal, and vigour, and life, and clo&s;ene&s;s of walking with God by this means? O therefore take heed of fal&s;hood at the beginning.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Take we heed of learning their ways, by conver&s;ing with dead-hearted Profe&s;&s;ors,</HI> where there is not that life and power, that light and heat, but a cold, luke-warm frame; for &s;uch as our
<PB N="251" REF="191">
Company is, &s;uch &s;hall we be in a great mea&s;ure; why, mu&s;t men <HI>make no friend&s;hip with an angry man, le&s;t he learn his ways?</HI> And truly brethren, a formal Profe&s;&s;or, a loo&s;e Profe&s;&s;or, that hath little of the power of Godline&s;s upon him, he is a quench-coal, and by degrees you &s;hall find your &s;elves growing to a more li&s;tle&s;s indifferency, then before; therefore though you may pity them, pray for them, &s;tir them up, and provoke them as occa&s;i|on &s;erveth, yet that inward familiarity, as to lie in their bo&s;oms, which will be followed with a conformity to them, take heed of, you &s;hall find it will work a declining.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>Take heed of deceiving our &s;elves with fal&s;e mea&s;ures and weights.</HI> The Apo&s;tle tell us of &s;ome that compared them&s;elves <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 10. 11.</NOTE> with them&s;elves, and were not wi&s;e; or comparing them&s;elves with &s;ome others, which are haply behind them, this maketh them &s;lack So the Church of <HI>Laodicea,</HI> what was the rea&s;on <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 17.</NOTE> of their lukewarmne&s;s? they lo&s;t their love, the heat and burning of their Lamps were gone, whatever light they had, why they thought they were rich, and had need of nothing, they needed not that eye-&s;alve to buy of Chri&s;t, nor gold, nor raiment. O this is the de&s;perate undoing &s;in indeed, when men think now, O they ble&s;s God they are rich, it is for others to pre&s;s forward, they need not walk &s;o painfully as others, their corruptions are more &s;ubdued then others, <HI>Si dixi&s;ti &s;uf&s;iciat, perii&s;ti.</HI> See Phil. 3. <HI>I forget what is behind,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P N="5">5. <HI>Arm your &s;elves again&s;t the &s;miles, and di&s;couragements of the world,</HI> for though like <HI>Samp&s;ons</HI> foxes, they look with their faces contrary waies, yet the effect is one and the &s;ame; not to fire, but to quench that light and heat that is in a believer, for the &s;miles of the world are her embraces, &s;he doth u&s;e to &s;mother with them, and as I may &s;ay, overlay a &s;oul; <HI>when</HI> Davids <HI>mountain was made &s;trong, and by Gods favour too,</HI> then he began to <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 30. 7.</NOTE> be &s;ecure, to fal a&s;leep, and his Lamp was almo&s;t gone, <HI>when God hid his face from him,</HI> his comfort was lo&s;t in a great mea&s;ure. How many <HI>Demas's</HI> are there, which for&s;ake the work of Chri&s;t for this <HI>pre&s;ent world&punc;</HI> yea, indeed many that can endure the frowns of <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 4. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> the world, yet are overcome by her &s;miles; Je&s;urun <HI>kicked not,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32. 15.</NOTE> <HI>nor forgot the God of her &s;alvation, &s;o much as when &s;he waxed fat.</HI> So in that of <HI>Nehemiah; they took &s;trong Cities, and a fat land,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">N<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">. 9. 15, 16.</NOTE> <HI>and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed hou&s;es full of all, wels digged, vineyards, and olive-yards,
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and fruit-trees in abunndance; &s;o they did eat, and were filled, and became fat; and delighted them&s;elves in the great goodne&s;s; notwith&s;tanding they were di&s;obedient, and rebelled again&s;t thee, and ca&s;t thy Law behind their backs, &amp;c. and &s;lew the Prophets which te&s;tified again&s;t them.</HI> O wat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h again&s;t this, take heed we do not abate our earne&s;tne&s;s after more and more of Chri&s;t, le&s;t while <HI>we are panting like the Hart after the water brooks,</HI> we take up with a drop, for all the Creature-comforts in the world are no more, and our thir&s;t after &s;pirituals be more cooled, and we &s;o|lace our &s;elves under our Guord, in&s;tead of the <HI>Aple-tree,</HI> the &s;weet &s;hadow of Chri&s;t. And to this end, alway keep fre&s;h up|on your hearts the love of Je&s;us his &s;miles; when the Diamond is pre&s;ent, the Load-&s;tone cannot draw.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>Arm we our &s;elves again&s;t the frowns of the world;</HI> di|&s;couragements we mu&s;t expect to meet with &s;ooner or latter, &s;pecially if we do not like a hollow-hearted bulru&s;h bow and bend, and comply with every thing, a notable embleme of an Hypocrite; If we &s;tand firm like an Oke or Cedar, we &s;hall feel &s;trong gu&s;ts; It may be &s;ome of us have known what they meant&punc; and &s;ome have had experience of their weakne&s;s to bear up again&s;t them. O how &s;hould this humble us, and make <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s double our watch! Satan will rai&s;e a &s;torm, if the Lord per|mit him; thinking on a &s;udden to blow out our Lamps, but we mu&s;t arm again&s;t it, and be &s;ure to go on, though it be weeping; As the Milch-kine that carried the <HI>Ark</HI> up from the <HI>Phili&s;tins</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 6. 12.</NOTE> to <HI>Bethlehem,</HI> they had their Calves left at home, which were a &s;trong avocation, and yet &s;aith the Text, they went &s;trait for|ward, lowing and lamenting after their Calves, but yet they went forward. It may be we may be put to it; as that Marque&s;s of <HI>Vioum</HI> in <HI>Italy,</HI> even <HI>Galeacius,</HI> that for&s;ook hou&s;e, and lands, and wife, and children&punc; and all for Chri&s;t. It may be we cannot do it without &s;ome reluctancy, yet it mu&s;t be done; it may be we &s;hall have many di&s;couragements from our own hearts, &s;trong temptations, violent temptations; haply more then ever yet we have had, &s;o that we cannot go on but weeping and wail|ing&punc; yet re&s;olve upon it, by his grace, however we will go on; &s;uch a well-grounded re&s;olution, often renewed with a waiting upon the Spirit for his &s;trength to perform it, will carry a man on far.</P>
<P N="6"><PB N="253" REF="192">
6. <HI>Be &s;ure not to neglect the Ordinances of Chri&s;t, nor be &s;light in the u&s;ing of them.</HI> And one of the two I doubt we are often guilty of, and therefore we may thank our &s;elves for much of the deadne&s;s that groweth upon us daily: the&s;e are the <HI>golden Pipes,</HI> whereby this <HI>Oyl</HI> is conveyed continually from the <HI>Lord Je&s;us,</HI> for the keeping our <HI>Lamps</HI> alive and lively. Would you not wither, but continue your verdour and greenne&s;s? you mu&s;t <HI>keep clo&s;e to the waters of the Sanctuary; they &s;hall be like Trees</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. 3.</NOTE> <HI>planted by the rivers of water, his leaf &s;hall never fail; he that delights in the Law of God, meditates in it day and night,</HI> there is private conver&s;ation with God. <HI>And they that are planted in the hou&s;e of the Lord, &s;hall flouri&s;h in the Courts of our God, yea in old</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 92. 13.</NOTE> <HI>age they &s;hall flouri&s;h, and b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing forth more abundantly,</HI> when ma|ny times it is the declining time. A diligent, careful, &s;erious u&s;e of all the Ordinances, with an eye to faith, &s;eeing through them all, but as empty pipes without his pre&s;ence to fill them, this ex|ceedingly conduceth.</P>
<P N="7">7. <HI>Be &s;ure your aim be as high as heaven, and the perfection</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal 6.</NOTE> <HI>which &s;hall be at the re&s;urrection of the dead.</HI> So the Apo&s;tle, <HI>N<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t that I count that I have attained, but I pre&s;s hard forward,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I hil. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> and all his diligence was, <HI>that he might attain the re&s;urrection of the dead;</HI> by a Metonymie of the Adjunct, it is put for the per|fection of that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e at the re&s;urrection; &s;ee how high he aimed at, and therefore he did not langui&s;h, nor loi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">r, nor &s;tay in what he had received, <HI>but pre&s;&s;ed hard forward toward the mark of the pri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e of the high calling;</HI> he that aimeth &s;hort, even at &s;o much as will &s;erve his turn, and compa&s;s his de&s;ign, when he hath done that, there is an end. But I a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">m at <HI>perfection,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, and &s;o &s;hould we if we would keep our Lamps alive, never re&s;t.</P>
<P N="8">8. <HI>Be much in prayer;</HI> pray hard for the &s;upplies of his Spirit, he hath promi&s;ed them if we ask; importunity will prevail if we be Strangers, much more, if Children; it is the &s;pirit, that keepeth all alive, and therefore pray for more and more of this Spirit of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. See how <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> followeth the Lord with reque&s;t upon reque&s;t, when he had been in the <HI>Mount,</HI> and &s;een <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 33.</NOTE> him face to face; one would think this was enough to have &s;top|ped his mouth for a great while; no &s;ooner was he come down, but he is praying for the guidance of that good Spirit, <HI>O Lord,
<PB N="254" REF="193">
&s;hew me the way where in thou would&s;t have us to go;</HI> well, God grants him this, this &s;atisfieth him not, but he mu&s;t have Gods pre&s;ence with him, an <HI>Angel</HI> would not &s;erve his turn, but his pre&s;ence he mu&s;t have, and when this was granted, this would not &s;erve his turn neither, but then, <HI>O Lord &s;hew me thy glory: Pray|er</HI> is the riche&s;t trading for heaven: <HI>Build up your &s;elves, praying in the holy Gho&s;t.</HI> Ah it is the prayer of faith that fetche<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h in rich &s;upplies from the Lord continually. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iude 20.</NOTE></P>
<P N="9">9. <HI>Take heed of grieving this good Spirit then, when we have his pre&s;ence, by any willing tran&s;gre&s;sion:</HI> this grieveth him, our <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 4. 30.</NOTE> unthankfulne&s;s, and &s;lighting of him, minding the world; grieve him not, for if he depart, be &s;ure our Lamps will be but in a &s;ad taking.</P>
<P N="10">10. <HI>Then every day we mu&s;t be trimming;</HI> the <HI>Lamps of the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 30. 7.</NOTE> <HI>Sanctuary</HI> were dre&s;t or trimmed every day, he made them well, as the Original word &s;ignifieth, they were di&s;ordered; burning every night, there was &s;omewhat wanting oyl, and rai&s;ing the week likely, and removal of dro&s;s from them, which they might contract; <HI>he dre&s;t them, and made them ready every morn|ing;</HI> the morality implied in this Type, &s;urely is this; that we &s;hould daily dre&s;s up our Lamps, they will need it every day; renew our repentance, renew our re&s;olutions, our walking clo&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">r with God, to love him, &amp;c. daily endeavour to draw nearer to him; neglect your Lamps but a week or &s;o, and &s;ee what fearful work there will be.</P>
<P>Again, &s;uch then as can &s;ay with <HI>Mo&s;es, they have lived thus long, and their &s;ight fails not, nor their &s;trength, &amp;c.</HI> They have great cau&s;e to ble&s;s the Lord.</P>
<P>But though a Child of God is thus apt to decline his profe&s;&s;i|on, thus apt to grow dim, his Lamp to want trimming, <HI>yet it never goeth altogether out:</HI> And what u&s;e &s;hould we make of this.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>It reproveth that opinion of falling away utterly from ju&s;tify|ing and renewing grace;</HI> the condition of all believers is here &s;et <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e.</NOTE> down by the &s;tate of the <HI>wi&s;e virgins,</HI> their Lamps indeed did de|cay, and &s;uffer an impairing, but not altogether dye; No, this &s;pring of grace, once &s;prung in the heart, &s;prings up to eternal life, though &s;ome interruptions there may be; did he pray that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 7. 38. Luke 32. 32.</NOTE>
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<HI>Peters</HI> faith &s;hould not fail him, and did he not pray for all believers? indeed his faith did as near fail him, as ever mans did, but yet it revived again, and &s;o <HI>David,</HI> and others.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Yet do not abu&s;e this Doctrine of grace,</HI> as our hearts are ex|ceeding apt to do: If we cannot fall away utterly, then if once, Be &s;ure, we have the root of the matter in us; if once we have <HI>Oyl</HI> in our ve&s;&s;els, it will never be altogether &s;pent, our Lamps will never be blown out. This is dangerous and next to de&s;perate; and therefore the Apo&s;tle in a like ca&s;e, with a kind of abhorren|cy at the thought of &s;uch a thing, &s;peaks thus; <HI>&s;hall we continue in &s;in, that grace may abound? God forbid;</HI> becau&s;e he hath made <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 1.</NOTE> us partakers of the &s;ure mercies of <HI>David,</HI> that will never fail, &s;hall we therefore neglect our worthy walking of them? it argues a very ungodly frame of heart where this is to be found. We &s;hould the rather be encouraged, our hands &s;trengthened, to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> 12.</NOTE> work out our &s;alvation with &s;o much the more earne&s;tne&s;s; were it not a very unchild-like and wretched frame of heart for a child to &s;ay: Well, I know my fathers heart towards me, let me do what I will, he will not ca&s;t me out of doors, his inheritance is &s;ure; he may haply be mi&s;taken, and prove him&s;elf a Ba&s;tard and not a Son: And &s;o it is here, Gods Children have all of them &s;uch child-like di&s;po&s;itions in them, as they will hardly dare to make &s;uch an u&s;e of &s;uch a rich trea&s;ury of grace. Or if they do, <HI>they are like to &s;mart for it.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>A word of &s;trong Con&s;olation to many a poor drooping &s;oul; If once thou have but grace in thy heart, the oyl in thy Ve&s;&s;el,</HI> it is ne|ver lo&s;t again, though in its own nature it be lo&s;eable. Thou art afraid &s;ome temptation or another from Satan, the world, or thy own heart will blow it out; &s;ome bla&s;t or other will wither thee; O thou &s;halt never be able to keep thy Lamp burning in the mid&s;t of &s;o many contrary winds of lu&s;t and corruption; but though thou can&s;t not keep it alive, the Lord can do it, and he will do it. Indeed while the Virgins &s;lept, for any care they took of their Lamp, it might have gone out; but the Lord kept it burning though it were but low, and needed dre&s;&s;ing. Be of good courage then, poor drooping foul, and he &s;hall &s;trengthen thy heart; did&s;t thou ever know of any that had this oyl in their ve&s;&s;els, that had the real work of grace upon them, that did quite extingui&s;h and dye? &s;urely thou did&s;t not. If the Lord
<PB N="256" REF="194">
do but &s;eal it up to thee, that thou art one of the wi&s;e Virgins; believe it for thy everla&s;ting comfort, <HI>thy Lamp &s;hall never be put out in ob&s;cure darkne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>What &s;hall we render to the Lord for this un&s;peakable grace towards us?</HI> how hath he lifted up our condition above innocen|cy it &s;elf in <HI>Adam?</HI> he was made liable to fall away, and the Lord did not engage him&s;elf to keep him; we are made now in the &s;econd <HI>Adam</HI> in a &s;urer Condition, we have a better tenure in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which is the root of our &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;s and &s;tand|ing; <HI>becau&s;e he liveth, we &s;hall live.</HI> If Je&s;us Chri&s;t could die any more, then might the Saints that are in him, dye again al|together, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 14. 19.</NOTE> when once they are implanted into him. <HI>O he liveth for ever,</HI> and that Spirit of Chri&s;t which liveth and dwelleth in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb 7. 25.</NOTE> his people, it never dyeth and faileth, and he hath made it the very <HI>tenure of his Covenant, he will put his fear into their hearts,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 32. 40.</NOTE> <HI>that they &s;hall never depart from him.</HI> We it may be that know not what it is to be almo&s;t gone and blown out, at the brink of ob|&s;cure darkne&s;s, know not what that mercy is; but &s;uch as have been made to believe that God would ca&s;t them into the bottom|le&s;s pit, that he would utterly de&s;troy them, and for&s;ake them, O how &s;weet a truth mu&s;t this needs be! <HI>that though their fle&s;h and heart fail them, yet God will never fail them,</HI> whatever he <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73. 26.</NOTE> may &s;eem to do for a &s;ea&s;on; but &s;o much for this Doctrine.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Doctrine is this: <HI>When a Believers profe&s;&s;ion grow|eth</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr. 2.</NOTE> <HI>&s;o low, and he is declined, &s;pecially at &s;uch a time, it is his duty to trim his Lamp, to renew his profe&s;&s;ion, to look after a re|&s;toring.</HI> So here, <HI>they aro&s;e, and trimmed their Lamps,</HI> when the Cry came; and this did the wi&s;e Virgins as well as the fooli&s;h. Concerning the fooli&s;h Virgins I have nothing here to &s;ay, nor &s;hall I trouble my &s;elf, or you with what haply might be &s;poken of the Hypocrites trimming his Lamp, wherein it differs from the Believers. The wi&s;e Virgins trimming, I have &s;poke the la&s;t-day to that purpo&s;e, &s;hewing how far they might go. But I will &s;peak here to the wi&s;e Virgins, becau&s;e I would not dwell too long upon the&s;e things.</P>
<P>So you find <HI>Solomon:</HI> his declinings were great, and that at his latter end; but he aro&s;e again, and repented, as appears by his Book of <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;tes,</HI> and <HI>Proverbs,</HI> &amp;c. written after this
<PB N="257" REF="194">
his back&s;liding, as is generally conceived. And &s;o the Church of the <HI>Philippians,</HI> their love and care of the Apo&s;tle &s;uffered a nip|ping, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4. 10.</NOTE> a winter, and had cea&s;ed to flouri&s;h as formerly, but they re|newed it again; <HI>It hath flouri&s;hed it again,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle: <HI>Eurychus</HI> may fall down, and almo&s;t beat his life out of him, but it is &s;till in him, and there mu&s;t be means u&s;ed to draw it forth, as there is pains taken with Trees that have a fit of barrene&s;s come upon them; Spiritual life runs to the heart, and there ap|pears little or nothing without, &s;ometimes; as conquered men do from their outworks to the Tower; but it mu&s;t be brought forth again, we have a command for it, to tho&s;e two Churches in the <HI>Revelations, Sardis had a name to live and was dead;</HI> likely the mo&s;t of them were dead, and yet there were &s;ome things re|maining, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 2.</NOTE> which were ready to die, and the&s;e mu&s;t be &s;trengthened, the things which remain, which were ready to die; for their works were not perfect before God. O it was hypocri&s;ie that did eat them out of their life of Godline&s;s, its a con&s;uming thing indeed. And &s;o the Church of the <HI>Laodiceans,</HI> their love was waxed <HI>Luke-warm, neither hot, nor cold,</HI> neither dead altogether, nor lively; now &s;aith the Lord, <HI>be zealous therefore, and repent.</HI> But you will ask me here,</P>
<P><HI>What it is to trim the&s;e Lamps that is here required?</HI> I will &s;peak but to two or three particulars.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, <HI>In the trimming of the Lamp, there is u&s;ually a &s;upply of the Oyl, if it wanted;</HI> as when it hath burned long, if it be not &s;upplyed, the oyl being &s;pent, it will not live, except it be &s;up|plied. And it was high time for the&s;e Virgins now to be awaked hereunto, they might el&s;e have &s;lept until all had been &s;pent, and the Lamp had gone out, as well as the fooli&s;h; grace being but a Creature, it liveth by a continual &s;upply of the Spirit of grace, the fir&s;t cau&s;e of it. So then <HI>in the trimming of the Lamp,</HI> there mu&s;t be a fetching in of more grace, a recour&s;e to the fulne&s;s that is in Je&s;us Chri&s;t; for the Lamp is ready to langui&s;h or dye el&s;e for want of oyl.</P>
<P>2. <HI>There is a &s;tirring up al&s;o of the grace which doth remain,</HI> &s;ome oyl remaineth, that mu&s;t be made ready, the ready pa&s;&s;age between the Ve&s;&s;el and the Lamp, the heart and the conver&s;ation; it mu&s;t indeed be cheri&s;hed; for being little, haply it is ready to dye, like a &s;park among much a&s;hes, <HI>&s;tir up the gift that is in thee, there is none that &s;tirreth up him&s;elf to lay hold upon</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 1. 6. I&s;a. 64. 7.</NOTE>
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<HI>God.</HI> The wick in the Lamp mu&s;t be rai&s;ed, it being burned low, &s;o it is in this ca&s;e. It may be, in &s;uch a declining conditi|on of a poor &s;oul, there is more grace lying deep, and low, lying a&s;leep in the habit, more then the &s;oul is aware of; this mu&s;t be &s;tirred up, faith &s;tirred up, and love to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and his people &s;tirred up.</P>
<P>3. <HI>In the trimming of the Lamp, there is a taking away the filth, and the dro&s;s that it gathers, and &s;nuffing the wick which would hinder the light and burning of it, that it would be very dull and dim.</HI> Now what is this brethren, but the <HI>putting away tho&s;e ini|quities, repenting of tho&s;e evils;</HI> whatever they have been that have thus far prevailed again&s;t their profe&s;&s;ion, that <HI>&s;ecurity,</HI> that <HI>carnality,</HI> that <HI>&s;elf-confidence,</HI> tho&s;e things which laid them a&s;leep, which choaked the Lamp, that it could not burn. Whenever we are under any declining, do but &s;earch and &s;ee, <HI>commune with your own hearts,</HI> and you will find there is &s;ome evil which lies clo&s;e, &s;ome &s;oil we have gathered, and hereby the &s;pirit of grace hath been grieved, and he is departed from us. Now this &s;nuff mu&s;t be taken off, deal not gently with it, this filth and dro&s;s mu&s;t be removed, if we would trim up our <HI>Lamps.</HI></P>
<P>For the Application then of this briefly in a word.</P>
<P><HI>It may &s;erve to &s;tir us up every one to this duty; If our Lamps</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> <HI>be at pre&s;ent, or &s;hall hereafter come under any declining.</HI> Alas brethren, do we not &s;lumber and &s;leep often, and neglect all this while the trimming of our Lamps, and will they not quickly burn low and dim, and need a <HI>&s;erious trimming of them?</HI> I doubt this duty will be incumbert upon us, and required of us oftner then we are aware of. Do we know how &s;oon the <HI>Bridegroom</HI> will come? his voice goeth before him, we have often heard, but have we trimmed our Lamps to this day, are our profe&s;&s;ions more glorious then formerly? <HI>And for Motives hereunto, con|&s;ider,</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Such a re&s;toring is a thing feizable, hough the duty be</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Note.</NOTE> <HI>thine, yet the work is Gods:</HI> he engageth to help, yea to do it in|deed, <HI>he re&s;toreth my &s;oul,</HI> &s;aith <HI>David, and it is for his own name</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 23. 3.</NOTE> <HI>&s;ake;</HI> for the glory of his Grace. <HI>David</HI> had many decays and back&s;lidings, witherings, and faintings, but God re&s;tored
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his &s;oul &s;till; and he is as ready to do it for his people now, as ever he was; therefore do not &s;ay, alas this is a work too difficult, or hard, or there is no recovery; my Lamp is &s;o near extinct, as there is no hope for me; he that kindled it at fir&s;t is able to re&s;tore it. It is indeed a work of &s;ome difficulty, and will co&s;t you &s;omething, but yet it is fei|zable. <HI>Peter</HI> was at as low an ebb as ever poor Believer was; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">k. 16. 11.</NOTE> what was become of his profe&s;&s;ion? and yet <HI>Peter</HI> is recovered, and after the recovery owned as eminently as any of the re&s;t, and more for his Comfort. The lo&s;t groat was found again, and the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 15. 6, 9, 24.</NOTE> lo&s;t &s;heep was found again. And &s;o the Prodigal Son, he ran far, and lavi&s;ht away his Patrimony, and yet he is re&s;tored again; the winter may deform the face of the earth, but the Spirit of God can renew it again in the <HI>Spring;</HI> now he hath promi&s;ed to give this Spirit, and he &s;endeth forth his Spirit to find out the lo&s;t Child, the lo&s;t &s;heep, and therefore there is encouragement.</P>
<P>2. <HI>Con&s;ider, until this be done, you are not fit for Heaven,</HI> nor to enter with him, you are not ready: the wi&s;e Virgins trimmed their Lamps, and then they were ready, &s;aith the Text, <HI>and they that were ready went in with him;</HI> happy creatures that are found ready with their Lamps burning at that day of his appearing, which we know not whether it may be at hand. A wicked man is not fit for heaven upon any terms, it would be a place of no re&s;t unto him, no more then the Air is to the fi&s;h, or the water to a man, they are not con-natural; and truly no more is a gracious man fit for heaven while his Lamp wants trim|ming. Heaven is the inheritance of the Saints in light, and is he fit for it that is even going out in darkne&s;s? O no, the Lamp mu&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1. 12.</NOTE> be &s;hining and burning bright, or el&s;e there is no &s;uitablene&s;s to heaven.</P>
<P>3. <HI>Hereby God will have much more glory by you then otherwi&s;e he is like to have;</HI> for minde you, it is the &s;hining of our Lamps, the glory of our conver&s;ations, &s;uitable to our profe&s;&s;ion, that gi|veth occa&s;ion to the men of the world to glorifie him; &s;o &s;aith our Saviour, <HI>Let your light &s;o &s;hine before men, that they may &s;ee your</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 16.</NOTE> <HI>good works, and glorifie your father which is in heaven:</HI> This is all the Lord expecteth, that he may be acknowledged, and have the glory of all his grace of us; we have the &s;weet and comfort, and
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everla&s;ting advantage of it; and it cannot but be upon every be|lievers heart to glorifie God, it is indeed the end of our coming into the world; now we cannot glorifie him &s;o, while our Lamps burn &s;o low, we are under declinings, but when we are fruitful and abound in it, as our Saviour &s;aith, <HI>herein is my father glorifi|ed, that ye bring forth much fruit;</HI> this is that which God is glori|fied <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 15. 8.</NOTE> by. It may be, we have &s;ome few good works; but they are but a few, and &s;o few, that &s;carce any can take notice to glorifie God for them; methinks this &s;hould &s;tick much with us. Specially the nearer we come to glory our &s;elves, the more &s;hould we mind the glory of God, the more zealous &s;hould we be for it. O be|gin to lay about us to glorifie him here, learn the work of heaven for ever, if not before, yet at lea&s;t now we are ready to reap the wages of heaven, the glory and joy un&s;peakable, and Rivers of plea&s;ures for evermore.</P>
<P>4. Con&s;ider, Is it not a &s;hame for us brethren, <HI>who&s;e &s;alvation is much nearer now then when we believed,</HI> began to believe that our light &s;hould not be more dim, our heat more abated, our zeal for God, the fervor of our affections; &s;urely it is a very great &s;hame: as if the nearer we come to the enjoyment of God, the le&s;s de|&s;irable he were; time hath been when we have &s;ome of us fol|lowed hard after God, it is well if we have mended, or held on our pace; the time hath been haply when our Conver&s;ations have been bright, and a beauty of holine&s;s appeared in them, and others have taken notice of it, and glorified God; it is well if we be not grown Luke-warm. O what a &s;hame is this, the nearer we come to the Sun to be the colder: hath not the Cry pa&s;&s;ed and awaked us, and do we not finde that our Lamps are dim, and we are in our profe&s;&s;ion very low? O look to it, that our la&s;t days be our be&s;t days, and we go not out like a &s;nuff.</P>
<P><HI>But you will ask me, what &s;hould we do to trim up the&s;e Lamps of ours?</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>You mu&s;t remember from whence you are fallen,</HI> look up to the top of the hill where once you were, and now you are undi&s;|cernably <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2. 5.</NOTE> tumbled to the bottom, you know not how: O how much ground have you lo&s;t, &s;earch and try brethren: Com|mune with your hearts: Con&s;ider your ways, as <HI>David</HI> did, and turn to the Lord. It will exceedingly &s;hame us, and that &s;hame be a &s;pur to us to con&s;ider how far &s;hort we are
<PB N="261" REF="196">
of that love, that zeal, that diligence and clo&s;ene&s;s of walking.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>We mu&s;t repent of it,</HI> we mu&s;t be humbled for our former mi&s;carriages, our declining to lo&s;e our fir&s;t love; the more love we have received, the le&s;s we return to him again: Is not this unworthy? Be&s;ides, how much might we have honoured the Lord, if our light had &s;hone before men, if there had been a Maje&s;ty of holine&s;s alway upon our conver&s;ation, &s;uch as &s;ometime hap|ly there hath been, and is not this matter of humbling?</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>Then we mu&s;t do our fir&s;t works,</HI> It is not a &s;orrow on|ly for our mi&s;carriage that is enough, but we mu&s;t do our fir&s;t works; If we have been zealous before, and now are become Luke-warm, be zealous and amend, do our fir&s;t works; we have <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 19.</NOTE> been more diligent and clo&s;e in our walking with God, now we are more remi&s;s, we mu&s;t remember whence we are fallen, and do our fir&s;t works. O why &s;hould we not labour to exceed the love of our e&s;pou&s;als, when we followed &s;o hard after him? <HI>our &s;ouls panted as the cha&s;ed Hart after the water-brooks;</HI> and this it may be before we had many hints of his love, &s;ome &s;ight of him likely, el&s;e we &s;hould not follow him, &s;ome touch upon our hearts, as in <HI>Eli&s;ha</HI> his ca&s;e, and <HI>Sauls;</HI> the people who&s;e hearts God touched, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 10. 26.</NOTE> they followed, but did one ta&s;te of his love? then draw thee out &s;o earne&s;tly; and now thou ha&s;t had many a &s;mile, many a &s;weet refre&s;hing from his pre&s;ence, many a Ring broken between Je&s;us Chri&s;t and thy &s;oul, and wilt thou not now be as diligent and as earne&s;t in following after him? it is the nature of true Grace, that as it cometh from heaven, it will never cea&s;e until it reach to hea|ven again.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>We mu&s;t beg earne&s;tly of the Lord to work this and all our works in us and for us;</HI> It is he that re&s;tored <HI>David</HI> his &s;oul when it was even lo&s;t; and &s;o he doth ours: he maketh them to return when they are even giving up; O give him no re&s;t, <HI>until he &s;end forth his &s;pirit,</HI> and give thee to be filled with that &s;pirit, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 23. 3.</NOTE> with might in the inner man, that thou mai&s;t burn and &s;hine, and the fulne&s;s and fruitfulne&s;s, the burning and brightne&s;s of thy conver&s;ation may be a witne&s;s to all that behold it, that of a truth the Spirit of Je&s;us Chri&s;t is in thee. He is wonderful ready to help in &s;uch a ca&s;e above what we can conceive; for it is he in|deed, in ca&s;e of &s;uch back&s;lidings, that puts words into his peoples <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 14. 1.</NOTE> mouths, when they have nothing to &s;ay, and cannot look up, nor
<PB N="262" REF="197">
hold up the head for &s;hame, nor look their God and Father in the &s;ace, they have &s;o grieved him, and &s;hamed their profe&s;&s;ion; yet then the Lord puts words into their mouths, in that fourteenth of <HI>Ho&s;ea;</HI> It is the very ca&s;e of the Prodigal, for he was a Son, and therefore calls God Father in his return, denyeth not the re|lation, nor calls it in que&s;tion, notwith&s;tanding his unworthy, car|riage towards him, but he had mi&s;pent all, as &s;adly as thou ha&s;t done likely; and yet when he came and returned, his Eather giveth him the meeting, and runs and falls upon his neck and ki&s;|eth him, and was ready to make up all again; therefore go to him, be earne&s;t with him, and &s;ee if he make not your Lamps to &s;hine again gloriou&s;ly; and &s;wallow up that glory in his greater glory, his pre&s;ence for ever.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Ver&s;e 8.</BIBL>
<Q>And the fooli&s;h &s;aid unto the wi&s;e, give us of your Oyl, for our Lamps are gone out.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IN this Ver&s;e we have another part of the Parable, wherein we have, upon the awakening of the con&s;cience of the&s;e hypo|crites and formal profe&s;&s;ors, and the di&s;covery of their conditi|on, their reque&s;t to the godly, their Application of them&s;elves to them, and the rea&s;on of that reque&s;t. The reque&s;t, <HI>Give us of your oyl;</HI> the rea&s;on of it, <HI>for our Lamps are gone out.</HI> The rea&s;on be|ing fir&s;t in order of nature, as the cau&s;e of the other, the root from whence the reque&s;t doth &s;pring, we will begin to &s;peak a little to that.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>They are extinct,</HI> or they are going out, and yet we have not a &s;upply to keep them alive, they are gone; and for their own part, they had no oyl in their ve&s;&s;el to do it with; the Note from this Clau&s;e is,</P>
<P><HI>An hypocrites profe&s;&s;ion will not carry him through all Conditi|ons.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctrine.</NOTE></P>
<P>The&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins made a &s;hift to &s;atisfie them&s;elves, and
<PB N="263" REF="197">
blind the world with their Lamps which they carryed, and went as far with them a great while as the wi&s;e did, but the end is that which differenceth per&s;ons conditions; as the Holy-Gho&s;t &s;peaks by the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t, Mark the perfect man, behold the upright, the end of that man is peace;</HI> he doth not &s;ay, mark the perfect man; for in his life time he hath &s;uch a di&s;tingui&s;hing Character; his life is peace, and the other is trouble: No, but the end, whatever his life hath been before, <HI>his end is peace.</HI></P>
<P>This is a clear ca&s;e, his profe&s;&s;ion will not carry him through all conditions, and that for the&s;e two rea&s;ons. One of them will be &s;ure to meet with them all; for either, 1. Their profe&s;&s;ion fails them before the day of death, and &s;o carries them not through; or el&s;e, 2. At death.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, ordinarily; I think it is a truth, that a formality, or pro|fe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;tianity, if there be no more, doth fail a man, and is di&s;covered to others and to him&s;elf, &s;o that though he hath re&s;t|ed upon it, and made it his hope heretofore, yet now it fails him: Here you &s;ee it is the very ca&s;e, when the cry came to prepare them, to awake them, that they might fit them&s;elves for his ap|pearing; which is infinite mercy that he did not rather &s;urpri&s;e them while they were in this &s;leep and &s;ecurity: Now I &s;ay, be|fore the Bridegroom him&s;elf came actually to fetch them that were ready, it is di&s;covered to them&s;elves, and they &s;ee they are hypocrites. And it is di&s;covered to others that their Lamps are gone out, they are them&s;elves made the Publi&s;hers of their own &s;hame therein. You know <HI>Judas</HI> was di&s;covered, unmasked be|fore his death, and laid open to be what he was indeed; a thief, a wretch, a traytor. And &s;o tho&s;e many Di&s;ciples that followed Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>he knowing their hearts not to be right,</HI> delivered &s;uch a trying word as gave them offence, <HI>and they went backward, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 6. 66.</NOTE> <HI>walked with him no more.</HI></P>
<P>And the Rea&s;on of this is very plain, <HI>Becau&s;e they have not a &s;pring within to feed their profe&s;&s;ion.</HI> As far as the &s;pring they have, or the wet, or mire, they move by little; as far as that will carry them they will go, but then not a &s;tep further. A bea&s;t, and a &s;ervant, or a child follow a man; the one followeth him for a bottle of hay, &s;o &s;oon as he laies that down before him, he go|eth no further after him; but the &s;on followeth him home, and will not be &s;hut out by any means. As haply now, while Religi|on
<PB N="264" REF="198">
thrives, he will be on the Sun-&s;ide of the hedge, where it is warme&s;t, he is a Summer-bird; &s;uppo&s;e now a time of tribulati|on <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 27. 10.</NOTE> come for the <HI>word &s;ake,</HI> will he abide? No, <HI>he withers as the &s;andy ground,</HI> in the 13. <HI>Matth. Will he delight him&s;elf in the Al|mighty, and alway call upon God?</HI> No, their profe&s;&s;ion are like <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 6. 15.</NOTE> <HI>Jobs</HI> friends, deceive him in the day of trouble; as a brook, and as the &s;tream of a brook they pa&s;s away, like a loud flood, make a great &s;hew, run very fiercely, carry all before it for a time, but it is pre&s;ently dryed up, becau&s;e it hath no &s;pring to feed it; as &s;ome note, that in <HI>Peru</HI> there is a diurnal-River, which runs in the day with a great &s;tream, but in the night the channel is dry, be|cau&s;e in the day the Sun melteth down the Snow upon the Moun|tains, and that maketh a great &s;tream, but in the night it cea&s;eth. In grace now it is otherwi&s;e, there is a principle within, there is the Spirit of grace dwelling in the hearts of Believers, and this &s;upplyeth them continually; there is a new nature, and that is a thing durable. But,</P>
<P>Secondly, If it fail not before death, as here it doth, yet &s;ome pa&s;&s;ions being longer then &s;ome, <HI>Joa&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> held out long, yet he was di&s;covered before death; but &s;uppo&s;e they continue longer, yet <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chron. 24.</NOTE> u&s;ually they will not carry them through death; men may make a &s;hift to live by a form, but they cannot dye by a form: indeed affliction opens many mens eyes to &s;ee that they were but rot|ten; counterfeit gold will not endure the fire, or not the &s;eventh fire at lea&s;t, fire is of a &s;earching nature, and yet notwith&s;tand|ing &s;ome they pa&s;s this tryal, and are not di&s;covered until death, and then it fails them. If <HI>Balaam</HI> dye his own death, and not the death of the righteous, what a mi&s;erable creature will he be? <NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 23. 10.</NOTE> And death doth open many mens eyes: O what labouring is there then many times to be &s;pared a little, <HI>that they may recover &s;trength before we go hence and be no more &s;een.</HI> All the life <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 39. <HI>ult.</HI></NOTE> time they thought all was well, but now they find they are deceived, their Lamps are gone out. O brethren, the valley of the &s;hadow of death is full of &s;uch damps, as every Lamp will not endure, every profe&s;&s;ion will not abide, but it overcometh them. But haply they may go down quietly, and go away with confidence in their con&s;cience; a &s;trange confidence have many poor blinded hypocrites, who&s;e con&s;ciences are &s;ear|ed, Yet,</P>
<P><PB N="265" REF="198">
Thirdly, Be &s;ure brethren, It will not carry them through the Judgement; after the death the Judgement; we may make a &s;hift to pa&s;s through this world, and haply delude our &s;elves, and think all is well; and through death, and yet never dream of our mi&s;ery; but if we be hypocrites, be &s;ure that a form will not endure to appear in Judgement, before the <HI>ever la&s;ting burn|ings, the con&s;uming fire.</HI> There the Lord will examine mens hands, what ever their profe&s;&s;ions have been, and their hearts; as it is &s;aid of <HI>Tiberius,</HI> when he examined a fellow that pretended to the Crown, he was &s;o confident and cunning, he could not trap him in his words; at la&s;t he examined his hands, and finding them hard with labour, he found him to be but a &s;ervile mechanick fel|low; he was then &s;o &s;tartled, &s;aith Mr. <HI>Caryl,</HI> that he had no more to &s;ay. So the Lord will examine mens works then, and the principles of their works from which they acted, and they &s;hall be forced to confe&s;s they are hypocrites, and their mouthes &s;hall he everla&s;tingly &s;topt, <HI>depart from me ye workers of iniquity;</HI> you tell me ye have preached in my name, or prophe|&s;ied, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> let me &s;ee your hands, you are workers of iniquity.</P>
<P>For the Application then, <HI>What a terrible word to all formal profe&s;&s;ors,</HI> who have only a Lamp, a form of godline&s;s, but deny the power of it in heart and in their conver&s;ations. Let all &s;uch, if any &s;uch be here pre&s;ent, know,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Your profe&s;&s;ion will fail you &s;ooner or later.</HI> You think when you have done &s;o many duties, you have acquired &s;uch gifts, and &s;uch &s;uppo&s;ed graces of the &s;pirit, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">w all is well, the&s;e are enough to lift you up to heaven, a Tower, a Ladder that will reach to heaven. But alas, it is not &s;o, it is but a Ca&s;tle build|ed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 22.</NOTE> in the air, they are lying words you tru&s;t in, who cry, <HI>The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord are the&s;e.</HI> You are his people, and have his Ordinances; a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 8. 14.</NOTE> fine web a &s;pider weaves, takes great pains, &s;pins it out of her bowels; but alas, it never cometh to any thing, it will not make a garment to cover their nakedne&s;s from the Lord Je&s;us. Hypo|crites re&s;t in a formality, and &s;ome ob&s;ervances of the Law, as if it were their hope that &s;hould &s;ecure them from all &s;torms and in|juries what&s;oever, but alas it will not, the&s;e things will fail.</P>
<P>Secondly, Is it not worthy ob&s;ervation al&s;o, that an hypocrite, if he go to decay in this life, his hypocri&s;ie be di&s;covered, he decaies
<PB N="266" REF="199">
quickly, &s;uddenly, more &s;uddenly then another man ordinarily; therefore he is compared to a Bull-ru&s;h, that withers before any other plant when they are once bla&s;ted &amp; cur&s;ed; as God doth cur&s; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 8. 12.</NOTE> them many times, alas the next day they are gone and withered; as the tree that was dryed up by the root, which the Di&s;ciples won|dered at; a &s;ad thing <HI>to-have leaves without fruit, a form without</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 11. 21.</NOTE> <HI>power;</HI> the withering cur&s;e doth light upon them &s;oone&s;t, &s;ooner then prophane per&s;ons, and how quickly are they withered? they are like the gra&s;s upon the hou&s;e top, that withereth before it groweth up.</P>
<P>Thirdly, It will be &s;ure to &s;ail a man when he hath mo&s;t need of it; as in <HI>the hour of temptation, the hour of affliction, the hour of death, and the hour of judgement;</HI> in all the&s;e u&s;ually it fails as a man, &s;tanding him in no &s;tead<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">; as the brooks run in the winter when there is no need of them, but in Summer when the tra|veller is ready to peri&s;h for thir&s;t, then are they dryed up, in that place of <HI>Job:</HI> Like the Apples of <HI>Sodom;</HI> if a man come to touch them, would be refre&s;hed by them, they turn to du&s;t: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 6. 15.</NOTE> poor creatures think they have faith until an hour of temptation or affliction; when they &s;hould act it, then they have none: So they think they have love and bowels, but when an opportunity is offered, and they have mo&s;t need of them, then they fail; like the hou&s;e there in <HI>Matth.</HI> 7. It was builded as fair to &s;ee to as ano|ther, as the wi&s;e mans hou&s;e, and &s;erved him while it &s;hone up|on his Tabernacle, but when once the &s;torms aro&s;e, the winds came, and the waves beat again&s;t it, alas it fell, and great was the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 25.</NOTE> fall thereof.</P>
<P>Fourthly, that which will &s;et an edge upon all the former, is the &s;ad di&s;appointment of the hypocrite or formali&s;t in all this, for his hope is cut off like a &s;piders web; there are two Pillars he leans upon, as <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> upon the Pillars in the hou&s;e; the <HI>Jachin</HI> and <HI>Boaz:</HI> What are they, <HI>but the good things of this world, and life eternal;</HI> and alas, both fail him. For the good things of this life, they many times leave him; the mire and the water which made the Bull-ru&s;h to grow, they are dryed up, &amp; what is become of his hope then? he leans, laies hold on his hou&s;e, and is loath to&punc; let it go; but let him hold it as fa&s;t as he can, yet down it <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> 8. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">5.</NOTE> mu&s;t go, when the Lord cometh to manife&s;t his di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t him.</P>
<P><PB N="267" REF="199">
Secondly, For things eternal, tho&s;e he expecteth, and is as high, until he be di&s;covered to him&s;elf, in his expectation of hea|ven <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 29. 8.</NOTE> as any other; but alas, he is but in a golden dream all this while, as an hungry man dreameth he eateth, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> but it is no|thing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 8. 14.</NOTE> but a fancy, when he awakes he is never the fuller, but ra|ther vexed &s;o much the more, being di&s;appointed; for a man to have his hope cut off, is the greate&s;t cut in the world, nothing breaks the creatures heart more then this. O how great hope may a Mini&s;ter be rai&s;ed to, being an in&s;trument in the hand of God to &s;ave others, that he al&s;o &s;hall be &s;aved; they them&s;elves have means to ca&s;tout the Devil, and &s;hall they go to the Devil? It is indeed the very empha&s;is of damnation to be ca&s;t down from <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 22.</NOTE> &s;uch a height of hope, to be &s;o near to heaven in their hopes, and yet mi&s;carry.</P>
<P><HI>O, how &s;hould this make us afraid of hypocri&s;ie and formality, which is ready to creep upon us?</HI> how bitter a thing is it in the end to hypocrites, yea to the people of God in their way, when God opens their eyes to behold it in its colours? therefore let us be exhorted every one of us to take heed of it, le&s;t it be found in &s;uch prevalency among us, as to denominate us hypocrites: be|lieve it brethren, If we be hypocrites, our duties will not com|mend us to God, be they never &s;o many, never &s;o plau&s;ible, be|cau&s;e our hearts are not changed, which is a notable &s;ign of an hypocrite; he doth much duty, but never reacheth to a better heart, is not changed from glory to glory; but he pray|eth and &s;inneth, and weepeth and &s;inneth, getteth no &s;trength again&s;t corruption.</P>
<P>Again, an hypocrite, he will re&s;t and lean to his duties, he leans to his hou&s;e, which is of his own building. Now truly Bre|thren, true grace where it is, if we &s;hould lean to it in&s;tead of Chri&s;t, it would not &s;tand, much le&s;s a counterfeit; the believer he re&s;ts upon God alone, his pre&s;ence in the Valley of the &s;hadow <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 23. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> of death, not upon his hou&s;e, upon the web of his own weaving, but would be found in Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>And la&s;tly, how much comfort is here to a poor child of God, though it may be he flouri&s;h not &s;o, and have not &s;uch a glorious &s;hew and formality, &s;uch a compleat form of godline&s;s as ano|ther, yea his own con&s;cience beareth him witne&s;s before the Lord, that his heart is right before him, and he hath a power of grace
<PB N="268" REF="200">
upon his heart, to &s;ubdue that to the Lord. Surely brethren, it is much rather to be cho&s;e; a little &s;pring, then a great &s;welling torrent, for there is a living principle, it will continue and hold out, it will not dry up in the day of drought and di&s;appoint our hopes, but as great Rivers in their heads are &s;mall &s;treams many times, &s;o here it will increa&s;e and grow from one degree to ano|ther, to a place of broad Rivers, until it empty it &s;elf into that fulne&s;s, and &s;o of glory to all eternity: Look to the truth of it Brethren, if there be oyl in the ve&s;&s;els; you &s;ee the wi&s;e Virgins, though they had their Lamps to trim, yet they were not gone out; but &s;o much &s;hall &s;erve for this Doctrine.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign"> Having con&s;idered already, <HI>that a form of godline&s;s without the power</HI> will not carry the hypocrite through all condi|tions, it will fail him &s;ooner or later; I am now to con&s;ider of their <HI>reflection</HI> upon this failing of their Lamps, <HI>They were out, and they &s;aw that they were out;</HI> and thence it is that they go a begging for oyl; the note I will rai&s;e from hence &s;hall be as comprehen&s;ive as may be, we will ha&s;ten; It is this,</P>
<P><HI>Though an hypocrite may long be hiding him&s;elf, yet at la&s;t, when</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctrine.</NOTE> <HI>it is too late, he &s;hall be di&s;covered to him&s;elf;</HI> this is the very ca&s;e of the fooli&s;h Virgins in this place. There will be two or three things con&s;iderable if we take the Ob&s;ervation a&s;under. As fir&s;t; <HI>That an hypocrite may long lie hid from him&s;elf. 2. That at la&s;t he &s;hall be di&s;covered to him&s;elf. 3. That ordinarily this is when it is too late.</HI></P>
<P>For the fir&s;t, <HI>That they may long lie hid from them&s;elves;</HI> this is plain from the Parable, for how long did the fooli&s;h Virgins walk with the wi&s;e, and thought their penny as good &s;ilver as theirs all this while? but they were a&s;leep; they had good thoughts of <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 30. 7.</NOTE> their condition, el&s;e they would have had little lift to &s;leep; the wi&s;e Virgins would hardly have &s;lept if they had not had &s;ome a&s;&s;urance, <HI>their mountain had not been made &s;trong by the favour of God;</HI> and the fooli&s;h, as fooli&s;h as they are, would hardly have &s;lept, if they had not had a good opinion of their conditions: If their con&s;ciences had been awaked, and their worm gnawing; could they have &s;lept if they had &s;een their danger, now to have their portions with hypocrites, being &s;uch them&s;elves? In that
<PB N="269" REF="200">
place formerly mentioned, you have &s;een, the hypocrite hath a hope until it be cut off, and his confidence is great, <HI>he leans up|on</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 8. 14, 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>his hou&s;e; as the fooli&s;h builder in the Go&s;pel,</HI> he thought his hou&s;e a good &s;ecurity again&s;t all &s;torms what&s;oever. And &s;o doth many a poor <HI>Formali&s;t</HI> think his form of godline&s;s, the green gourd &s;haddow enough from the <HI>everla&s;ting burnings.</HI> Did <HI>Ju|das</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 26, 27.</NOTE> &s;u&s;pect him&s;elf? he was not &s;o jealous of him&s;elf, as it &s;hould appear by the &s;tory, as the re&s;t of the Di&s;ciples were, but was la&s;t in the enquiry. And it is likely enough, <HI>Jehu</HI> when he pro|claimed his <HI>zeal</HI> for God, &s;pake as he thought, poor man; what was <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26. 25.</NOTE> under tho&s;e broad leaves of that profe&s;&s;ion, yet appeared not. As <HI>Hazael, Is thy &s;ervant a dog?</HI> It may be if one had told <HI>Jehu</HI> how afterward he would play the wretch and the carnal Polititi|an, and build the things he now de&s;troyed, or do Gods work to the halves, no farther then his own intere&s;t led him, he would have thought as &s;trange as <HI>Hazael</HI> did.</P>
<P>Now the grounds of this may be &s;uch as the&s;e, in a word or two.</P>
<P>1. <HI>The depth of our own hearts;</HI> hypocri&s;ie, of all other works of darkne&s;s, <HI>hateth the light,</HI> and therefore if there be any more deep and remote corner of the heart then another, there it lurks. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 3. 19.</NOTE> O &s;aith the Holy-Gho&s;t, <HI>the heart of man is deceitful above all</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 17. 9.</NOTE> <HI>things, and de&s;perately wicked, who can know it?</HI> the mo&s;t &s;harp and &s;trong &s;ight, the mo&s;t eagle-eyed creature in the world can|not find it out to the bottom: indeed Brethren, there is darkne&s;s and depth enough in every one of our hearts to deceive all the world; the mo&s;t piercing di&s;cerning &s;pirits are blinded and de|luded&punc; as Juglers, they &s;ay, can ca&s;t mi&s;ts, and make a man believe &s;trange things, when it is nothing &s;o; but that is not &s;o much, but the depth of the cunning of the heart is &s;uch, that they can deceive them&s;elves. It is great cunning to deceive others, but if that cunning be yet out-witted, and be deceived by it &s;elf, this is more. Yea, I will &s;ay it Brethren; with a holy re|verence, that if any thing in the world could lie hid from God him&s;elf, it would be the cunning heart of a &s;inner: If there be more difficulty, or could be, in Gods di&s;cerning one thing then another, here it would be, and therefore his knowledge of the heart, is &s;et forth by a <HI>&s;earching</HI> of it; indeed he knoweth all things, but after the manner of men he &s;peaks; if
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men cannot ea&s;ily find a thing, it lies hid in the darkne&s;s, in &s;ome corner; then they mu&s;t &s;earch, as &s;earching for the lo&s;t groat; or el&s;e if they would find out any thing to perfection, then they &s;earch: So here it noteth the perfection of Gods knowledge of the heart, and withall the difficulty of the finding out the heart, though not to him&s;elf; yet after the manner of men, if any thing were difficult to God, this would be. <HI>If any man &s;eem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, his Religion is in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam 1. 26.</NOTE> <HI>vain, he deceiveth his own heart;</HI> he is a cunning Jugler indeed, that can juggle him&s;elf into a belief of his own juglings, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>2. <HI>From the &s;ubtilty of Satan:</HI> All his care is to keep a poor &s;oul in ignorance of its condition; and how doth he be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ir him|&s;elf he knoweth, if once the di&s;ea&s;e be di&s;covered, it is in a way to be healed, and therefore it is &s;aid of &s;inners altogether in dark|ne&s;s, <HI>that they are under the power of Satan;</HI> to turn them from <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 26. 18.</NOTE> darkne&s;s to light, and from the power of Satan to God; while they are under darkne&s;s, they are under the power of Satan, he can lead them whither he plea&s;eth, for they know not whether they go, as the wi&s;e man &s;peaks. And that is the rea&s;on &s;urely, that Antichri&s;t, that fir&s;t-born of the Devil, by might and main keepeth his Pro&s;elytes in the dark, takes away the Key of know|ledge from them; he knoweth if once the light &s;hould break in upon them, it is very great hazard but they would break out from him, from that bondage and &s;laverie that they are in to him; therefore Satan will be exceeding indu&s;trious, and how will he fill a poor creatures heart with fal&s;e rea&s;onings concerning his Con|dition? O if there be any &s;tirring or conviction at any time, how doth he labour to lick them whole again, to make up the breach the Word hath made in their con&s;ciences, him&s;elf will turn Preacher and pretend to the tongue of the Learned to &s;peak a word in due &s;ea&s;on, and put on the garb of an Angel of light, and preach <HI>peace, peace;</HI> O he is a cunning dauber, &s;pecially ha|ving our hearts on his &s;ide, and therefore as ready to be beguiled, as he is to deceive us.</P>
<P>3. <HI>From the &s;imilitude of a form of godline&s;s, to the godline&s;s it &s;elf.</HI> It is true, life cannot be pictured, but yet a man may be drawn &s;o to the life, as by a dim &s;ight, or by the help of a mi&s;t ca&s;t before the eyes, and wires whereby &s;uch poppets may move,
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we can &s;carce di&s;cern it from a man. <HI>Similitude</HI> is the mother of mi&s;takes, therefore the <HI>Romans</HI> made their <HI>Ancilia</HI> &s;o like to that which they &s;ay fell from heaven, that if any might &s;teal it he might &s;eem to one to be mi&s;taken: how like brethren is gilded bra&s;s to gold? how like may a <HI>Bri&s;toll-</HI>&s;tone be to a pearl? how like to a Saint was <HI>Judas?</HI> the Devil is Gods Ap<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, and he will imitate his work. And therefore for &s;incerity it &s;elf he hath a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> counterfeit; which looks as like it as can be. As when men &s;hall &s;eem mo&s;t &s;elf-denying for Chri&s;t, or forgo all, and give away all they have to the poor, as if they would become <HI>mendicants</HI> indeed, this is very much, and yet they might do this, <HI>give all to the poor, and give their body to be</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 13.</NOTE> <HI>burned,</HI> and yet not have love to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; can there po&s;&s;ibly be more love &s;hewn then in this? and yet you &s;ee there may be counterfeits in that al&s;o. This is the third Argument.</P>
<P>And they do from hence deceive them&s;elves. Such as will run <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam 1. 22.</NOTE> from Sermon to Sermon, and with much &s;eeming delight hear the word of God, are affected, moved; but they do it not, de|ceiving them&s;elves with a paralogi&s;m, a fal&s;e rea&s;oning, for they are ready to conclude, O &s;urel &s;hould not have &s;uch a de&s;ire to be up early and &s;eeking after Chri&s;t, as they think, though indeed they &s;eek him not, nor his face, but &s;omewhat el&s;e in the Word; they &s;hould not delight in approaching to God, as you have heard, if there were not theroot of the matter in us; but they look not at the doing of the Word, the main thing, and therefore <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 58.</NOTE> they delude them&s;elves with this &s;elf-rea&s;oning. So the fool build|ing his hou&s;e upon the &s;and from the foundation upward, they are as like one another as can be, and as likely to &s;tand out a &s;torm, and therefore they rea&s;on from hence, &s;urely they &s;hall hold out; if the wi&s;e mans hope will &s;helter him, theirs will &s;helter them. But alas, here is a paralogi&s;m, they look not at the different foun|dations, the one upon the rock, the other upon the &s;ands; the one receiving Je&s;us Chri&s;t, but as Je&s;us it may be; the other as Je&s;us and Lord: the event &s;heweth, that a deceived heart was their undoing.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Becau&s;e alas, <HI>the hypocrite u&s;ually is not much in &s;earching of him&s;elf.</HI> Surely, if Gods knowledge of the heart be &s;et forth to us as a &s;earching of it, it will imply &s;o much; we &s;hould &s;earch our hearts, el&s;e we &s;hall never know them, for he
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&s;peaks after the manner of men, with a &s;pecial re&s;pect to the heart-knowledge; there they &s;earch as men do for hid trea&s;ures, for what they would find, and lyeth &s;ecret. A cunning cheat looks like an hone&s;t man, until he be &s;earched into, and throughly <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ed, a &s;light examination will not find him out; and &s;o truly will ma|ny a rotten heart go for an hone&s;t and good heart, until there be a &s;earch: Hypocrites are like Sepulchres, which appear not; they are fair and beautiful, being painted without, but it appears not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 23. 27.</NOTE> what they are within; if you would &s;ee what a Sepulchre is indeed, you mu&s;t break it up, and down into it with a Candle, &amp; &s;earch it out; there you &s;hall find loath&s;om rottenne&s;s, &amp; dead mens bones. Now I &s;ay, an hypoerite oridinarily is not diligent in this work, and therefore his heart deceiveth him&s;elf, and this ari&s;eth from &s;e|veral grounds. Haply, 1. He is too &s;loathful, he is not one of the diligent laborious Chri&s;tians that will take pains in this work. If an overly view of mens hearts would do, every one would &s;earch, but to rifle every corner of their hearts, and when the heart turns the back <HI>tergiver&s;atur,</HI> is loath to an&s;wer to the Que|ries which are put to it, but flings an hundred waies up and down, and no hold of it at all; now in &s;uch a ca&s;e he is a diligent Chri&s;ti|an indeed that will not be ba&s;tled, but will urge it home upon the heart, and will have an an&s;wer better or wor&s;e; and thus from time to time an hypocrite will hardly take pains in this great work; and therefore no marvel if his heart deceive him, and he be hid form him&s;elf. 2. Haply, he is confident of him&s;elf, as in the place of <HI>Job;</HI> and who almo&s;t are men of more flouri&s;hing hopes then the hypocrites? were there any deadly doubt of their <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 8. 15.</NOTE> condition, then the Phari&s;ees; and yet were there any more rotten then they were? they thought if there were any men &s;hould go to heaven, they were the men; men of &s;uch knowledge as they were, and &s;uch duties and &s;trict lives as they were, was it po&s;&s;ible they &s;hould mi&s;carry; and you &s;ee how bold they are to plead it at the la&s;t day, as in that 7. of <HI>Matth.</HI> Now that which a man thinketh he hath already, or thinketh he is &s;ure of, he will not trouble him&s;elf to enquire after it, it is but needle&s;s labour: If a man be &s;ure, as he thinketh, he hath his groat, he will not light a Candle and &s;eek it. 3. Becau&s;e haply they have &s;ome|times &s;ome of them mi&s;givings of heart; &s;ometimes hypocrites may, and therefore they may be loath to come to &s;earch, they
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&s;u&s;pect them&s;elves, &s;ome do, and yet not &s;o &s;trongly, but that they have a fal&s;e hope to ballance their fear, and to prevail. A Bankrupt, he that &s;u&s;pects it, hath no mind to ca&s;t up his accounts, he had rather do any thing; they may, I &s;ay, &s;ome of them lave &s;uch mi&s;givings, which though they be not &s;o clear as to amount to a knowledge condition, and to put them on to a recovery out of it; yet they may be enough to make them loath to &s;earch. A man is loath to &s;earch his coyn, he &s;u&s;pects he &s;hall find many bad pieces there, and haply thereby prove him&s;elf but a beggar; finding all bra&s;s in&s;tead of gold. A man is loath to take up the grave-&s;tone, he may &s;u&s;pect what he &s;hall find within, which he is not very willing to &s;ee it may be, nor to endure the &s;tench of it, and there|fore plea&s;eth him&s;elf with the paint and outward beauty of it, and therefore no marvel if it be hid from his eyes.</P>
<P>Fifthly, <HI>It is a righteous hand of God upon hypocrites,</HI> they are even paid in their own coyn; that &s;ince they have deceived others with fair &s;hews and pretences, and endeavoured, as I may &s;ay, to deceive the Lord him&s;elf, that they &s;hould deceive their own &s;ouls, and &s;hould be hid from them&s;elves; that they may go on the more &s;ecurely, until they &s;ee by woful experience, that they are tumbled into the pit. And &s;urely this was one of the things which were hid from <HI>Jeru&s;alems</HI> eyes, <HI>the things which belonged to her peace;</HI> the fir&s;t, i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> not the chief thing, was the knowledge of her &s;elf, <HI>Luke</HI> 19. 42. is a choice place; of &s;aving as well as moral knowledge; now they had neglected their time, <HI>implyed;</HI> the hy|pocrites drew near God with their mouths, when their hearts were far from him, thinking to put off God with &s;uch Idol-wor|&s;hip, as if he had not been a God which &s;earched the heart, and could find it out; therefore the Lord tels them; well, &s;aith he, now the things which concern your peace are hid from your eyes, and this is one of them among the re&s;t, <HI>the knowledge of Chri&s;t, the remedy</HI> is the other main thing. O it is a fearful hand of God brethren, when he giveth them up to blindne&s;s of mind, &s;o that they &s;hall di&s;cern nothing which concerneth them, and &s;o not know their own conditions: if the Lord hide, who can find? as if he &s;earch, who can be concealed? But &s;o much for this fir&s;t thing.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>At la&s;t he &s;hall be di&s;covered to him&s;elf:</HI> He &s;hall &s;ee him&s;elf to be but an hypocrite, this is many times &s;o. I mean not only in hell, mens eyes &s;hall be opened, but at death, or before
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death many times the hypocrites eyes are opened to &s;ee him&s;elf what he is. It is true, &s;ometimes he may go down in peace to the grave, &s;uch a peace as Satan, and an hard heart and &s;eared con|&s;cience gives; but yet you &s;ee here in this Parable, that before the coming of the Bridegroom, they &s;aw their Lamps were gone out, and that they wanted oyl, the great work, the grace in the heart, which before they cared not for. I will not pre&s;s it too far, and &s;ay, that becau&s;e all the fooli&s;h Virgins here &s;ee that their Lamps were gone out, therefore all hypocrites and formal profe&s;&s;ors be|fore their death, are di&s;covered to them&s;elves as well as to others, that they are but hypocrites, but it is &s;o many times, and ordina|rily; &s;urely el&s;e I know not what can be the meaning of this part of the Parable; was it not &s;o with <HI>Judas?</HI> was it not di&s;covered to him when he was detected, and his con&s;cience &s;o wounded that he could not but go and proclaim him&s;elf a wretch, a traytor to his Ma&s;ter before all the Court? if he were &s;o blinded before, by lu&s;t, by covetou&s;ne&s;s, as not to &s;ee what he did, yet now his eyes were opened, he &s;aw what his condition was; and the terrour of it was &s;uch, that he went and hanged him&s;elf.</P>
<P><HI>But how and when doth the Lord di&s;cover hypocrites to them|&s;elves?</HI> Why truly brethren, haply in <HI>the hour of affliction,</HI> then the Alchymie gold being not able to endure the &s;eventh fire, di&s;|covers it &s;elf what it is; &s;o the hypocrite, <HI>will he pray alway?</HI> Or in the general, by any other means whereby the Lord bla&s;ts their profe&s;&s;ion, and maketh it wither, then they come to &s;ee it was but a gourd, under who&s;e &s;hadow they delighted them&s;elves; &s;o you &s;ee God doth bla&s;t their profe&s;&s;ion. Here it was not until their Lamps were gone out that they &s;aw it, that they wanted oyl; while they could &s;parkle &amp; walk in the light of their own &s;parks, &amp; think all is well with them; while they can maintain their profe&s;&s;ion, and keep up duties, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> haply, they &s;ee not the hypocri&s;ie lies hid under tho&s;e broad leaves, but when they wither, &amp; they become as trees twice dead, then haply they come to &s;ee it. Not that alway tho&s;e who&s;e profe&s;&s;ions wither, do &s;ee the~&s;elvs to be hypocrites neither, for they may turn down right prophane, as many poor creatures have done, and returned <HI>with the &s;wine wa&s;hed, to the wallowing in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ude 20.</NOTE> <HI>the mir<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> and grow pa&s;t feeling, the con&s;cience much &s;eared and <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2. 20.</NOTE> hardened; but yet many times this is a means whereby God doth di&s;cover hypocrites to them&s;elves; &s;ometimes they have had
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&s;omewhat of a pre&s;ence of God, and now they have none, <HI>now their leaf fals;</HI> now as <HI>Saul,</HI> they have no an&s;wer from God, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 19.</NOTE> neither by Vi&s;ion nor Prophet, and now they &s;ee the woful ca&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam 28. 6.</NOTE> they are in; now they are pluckt, as I may &s;ay, of their plumes, their nakedne&s;s appears. Not that a child of God may not want his pre&s;ence, and a great while too, but there is then a &s;ickne&s;s of love for him, a mourning after him ordinarily, or a &s;ad complaint that they cannot mourn after him; but an hypocrite, he findeth a want of the former pre&s;ence, and his heart is little or nothing troubled for it, he is contented to let it go.</P>
<P>Secondly, It may be &s;ometimes <HI>without any &s;uch affliction;</HI> yet the Lord may di&s;cover to an hypocrite that he is no better, that he is rotten at the heart; though the guilt wear not away, yet he can &s;hew the &s;oul that it is but Alchymie; though the paint of the Sepulchre continue, and be not wa&s;hed away, he can &s;hew a man that he is an Hypocrite; not but that a Child of God may think him&s;elf an Hypocrite, &s;ometimes under temptation, but he is not &s;o; but when God revealeth it to the &s;oul, he &s;etteth it on with an evidence indeed that it is &s;o.</P>
<P>But why doth the Lord then di&s;cover Hypocrites before the day of the di&s;covery of all things? why truly it is,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>That they might have a ta&s;te of that bitter Cup which they are to drink the dregs of to all eternity;</HI> the Hypocrites Cup, if any be more deep then other, this is it; and if any more deadly dregs in it, this is it. Now God will kindle a beginning of hell in their con&s;ciences, that as the Saints have &s;ome fore-ta&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s of hea|ven, and the joyes to be revealed, to &s;weeten their Cup of af|fliction, &s;o Hypocrites might have &s;ome of the gall and worm-wood, to imbitter all their delights in this world. What com|fort <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 27.</NOTE> had <HI>Judas</HI> of his thirty pieces of &s;ilver, when God opened his con&s;cience, and let him &s;ee his condition? what an hypocritical, di&s;&s;embling wretch he had been, to betray the Lord of life and glo|ry with a ki&s;s, a &s;ign of love, and a bloody traiterous heart; to &s;ell his Saviour, whom he had followed &s;o long, and acted by com|mi&s;&s;ion from him &s;o long, and his Ma&s;ter that had never done him hurt, but good, <HI>to &s;ell him, the Lord of life and glory, for thirty pieces of Silver?</HI> O this could not but gall, and cut him to the heart! the Devil helped him to a booty indeed, but God added this &s;orrow with it. Indeed of all &s;ins, God hath not re|vealed
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him&s;elf &s;o terribly again&s;t any in Scripture as this; and therefore when the &s;oul cometh to &s;ee it, that hath any know|ledge of the terrors of the Lord di&s;played again&s;t it, he mu&s;t needs be for the pre&s;ent in a hell above ground; <HI>this &s;hall they have of my hand, &s;aith the Lord, they &s;hall lie down in &s;orrow;</HI> Yea, and &s;ometimes he anticipates their death, and they live in &s;or|row, and wo, and mi&s;ery; God doth (as I may &s;ay) &s;et a mark upon them, as upon <HI>Cain.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>That they might be warnings to others for ever, to take heed of Hypocri&s;ie;</HI> for when men that regard the work of the Lord, and con&s;ider the operation of his hand, &s;hall behold a <HI>Judas</HI> hanged up in Gibbets, being made a <HI>Magor Mi&s;&s;abeb</HI> to him&s;elf; doth it not preach aloud this Caution, to take heed, and beware of hypocri&s;ie? <HI>the&s;e things,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>were</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10.</NOTE> <HI>written for our en&s;amples, that we might not do as they did;</HI> &s;o are the&s;e things acted for our en&s;amples, that we might take heed; or, if they have not &s;uch terrors, but their profe&s;&s;ions are bla&s;ted only, and wither, and they prove fearful creatures, their latter end wor&s;e then their beginning; is not this a warning written in Capital Letters, that he that runs may read? O take heed of rottenne&s;s at the root, for all our fruit will give <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 5. 24.</NOTE> up as the du&s;t, as the Apples of <HI>Sodom,</HI> we &s;hall wither and come to nothing, and go out like a &s;nuff, as well as them, if we be not &s;ound at the heart.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>It may be a &s;tumbling block to &s;ome others, who are ready to receive any prejudice again&s;t the ways of Chri&s;t, and therefore they &s;hall have a block to &s;tumble upon.</HI> O here you &s;ee what becometh of this preci&s;ene&s;s and flouri&s;hing profe&s;&s;ion of Religion, it is all but rottene&s;s at the root, it is better to take on fair and &s;oftly; a &s;oft pace in religion, &s;aith the Morali&s;t, or civil, hone&s;t Man; as good continue in a meer wallowing, as being wa&s;hed, to enter into it again; yea better, &s;aith the profane man, and therefore he &s;atisfieth him&s;elf in his carnal &s;tate, which is wo&s;ul; for &s;uppo&s;e &s;ome profe&s;&s;ors wither, yet do all? Some, they keep their leaf, it &s;hall never fail; &s;ome lo&s;e their verdour, but recover it again; and what if &s;ome wither? will you therefore <HI>offend again&s;t the generation of the upright?</HI> &s;aying, they are all of the &s;ame &s;tamp. God forbid. It is a &s;ad thing, to con&s;ider how many poor hearts are hardened in &s;in upon this
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very account, which addeth to the Hypocrites doom; but what if a di&s;covered Hypocrite be &s;o vile, the condition &s;o dangerous? is not their own as dangerous? if thou be prophane, and a worker of iniquity, there is no more entrance into glory for a Dog or Swine, then for a Goat; no more for workers of iniquity, that profe&s;&s;ed|ly commit iniquity, then for them who profe&s;s longer, do much in his name, and yet when all cometh to all, they are found but workers of iniquity, though &s;ecretly; but &s;o much for the &s;econd. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 22.</NOTE></P>
<P>The third and la&s;t thing con&s;iderable in the Ob&s;ervation, is, <HI>That many times it is too late, when Hypocrites are di&s;covered to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6. 9.</NOTE> <HI>them&s;elves;</HI> this is plain in the Parable; for the fooli&s;h Virgins all the time of the getting oyl in their ve&s;&s;els, they complain not, not &s;ee their want of it, nor the going out of their Lamps, but only when it was too late; for before they could get it, the gates were &s;hut.</P>
<P>We mu&s;t not here under&s;tand it generally of all Hypocrites, as if none might be di&s;covered to them&s;elves, while there is hope, and &s;o as to recover them&s;elves; for then it would follow, they &s;hould none of them be pardoned; <HI>for the Lord Je&s;us is the Prince exalted to give repentance and remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins;</HI> Now if <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 5. 31.</NOTE> they never come to know them&s;elves to be guilty of this great evil, even their hypocri&s;ie, how &s;hould they repent of it? and if they repent not of it, how &s;hould it be pardoned? It is true indeed, there may be hypocri&s;ie in a Child of God, which he may acknowledge only in the general among his &s;ecret &s;ins, which he knoweth not of; but I think, where hypocri&s;ie is &s;o raigning a &s;in, as to denominate a man an Hypocrite, he mu&s;t &s;urely come to the knowledge of it, and acknowledge it before the Lord, or el&s;e how can he hope of pardon for it; now I &s;ay, there is pardon for all manner of &s;ins, only that again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t excepted; and therefore &s;ure, &s;ome Hypocrites God doth unca&s;e&punc; and unmask, and rip up, and &s;hew them the abomina|tions of their hearts, that they may mourn over them, and mourn after Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and loath them&s;elves for it, and &s;o be pardoned; therefore remember this, le&s;t if God &s;hould come now, and open any painted &s;epulchre, any rotten-hearted Hy|pocrite among us, when we &s;ee our wound, we &s;hould faint away; for though many times it is &s;o, <HI>that God di&s;covers it not to Hypocrites until it be too late,</HI> yet &s;ometimes he doth, and the
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<HI>&s;in</HI> in it &s;elf is pardonable; therefore there is hope concerning this thing in <HI>I&s;rael.</HI></P>
<P>But for the making good this a&s;&s;ertion, con&s;ider, either they are di&s;covered not until judgement, or el&s;e not until death, or el&s;e not until <HI>their day of grace <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e expired</HI> many times, though it be before death.</P>
<P N="1">1. If they be not di&s;covered to them&s;elves until <HI>judgement,</HI> God never reproveth them of their hypocri&s;ie, and &s;ets it in order with all its circum&s;tances, and aggravations, until the day of judgement, <HI>when the &s;ecrets of all hearts &s;hall be di&s;played,</HI> and all the na&s;ty corners of &s;inners &s;ouls, all the hidden things of darkne&s;s, then &s;urely you will all acknowledge there is no remedy; it is pa&s;t help; there remaineth nothing then, <HI>but a fearful look|ing for of their doom;</HI> and &s;ome may go down in peace to the grave, (that is to &s;ay) not a peace of God, but of Satan; a &s;e|curity and &s;tupidity of con&s;cience, knowing nothing of their fearful condition, which others al&s;o which are not &s;o much as Hypocrites, may do.</P>
<P N="2">2. If it be not di&s;covered until the day of <HI>death,</HI> or the time of <HI>deaths</HI> approach; then, though not alway, yet ordinarily, I be|lieve it is too late, and that is not a time that ordinarily&punc; God is found, or will be found; for indeed, if it were, then there would very few peri&s;h out of the vi&s;ible Church; every man almo&s;t, ex|cept a very de&s;perate, ignorant, prophane wretch will have God, and Chri&s;t, and mercy in their mouths, and many liftings up of eyes and hands, though they do but di&s;&s;emble, and flatter him with their mouths; as is proved by too ordinary experience; come to many a poor creature upon his death, and you would think him a Saint, a true penitent, and that if God would re&s;tore him, &s;ure he would never return to his folly again; but alas, alas, experience proveth how quickly &s;uch men return to their vomit again, to their wallowing in the mire again, and lay out their &s;trength, and time, and meats, and marrow, and money, and all upon their lu&s;ts, with as much eagerne&s;s, if not more then before, and prove very Devils incarnate; or at lea&s;t; grow as li&s;tle&s;s and lazy in &s;eeking God after their re&s;toring as they were before, though in the time of vi&s;itation, <HI>then they would &s;eek him early,</HI> and nothing but &s;eek him&punc;</P>
<P N="3">3. He may di&s;cover Hypocrites to them&s;elves before death
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likely, and yet many times the time is pa&s;t; for the under&s;tanding of which, brethren, we mu&s;t know that every Profe&s;&s;or, and all profe&s;&s;ing people, who have the means of Grace, the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s ri&s;ing upon them in his Ordinances, whether he ari&s;e upon them in their hearts, or no, <HI>this maketh a day of grace;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 19. 42.</NOTE> <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> had her day, as you have it in that of <HI>Luke.</HI> Now this day may be conceived to be either revealed, &s;o as that we may judge of it according to Scripture, or el&s;e &s;ecret, which God hath re&s;erved to him&s;elf. The revealed is u&s;ually bounded by the time of a mans life, or the continuance of the means of Grace to a people at lea&s;t: all that while according to our e&s;timation, Gods patience waiteth upon men, upon formal Profe&s;&s;ors, to &s;ee, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 1. 7.</NOTE> if they will repent, and amend. Or el&s;e 2. There is a &s;ecret day which God hath kept in his own power, (that is to &s;ay) he re&s;olveth with him&s;elf; however, it may be the means of Grace may continue longer to a people, yet if they &s;tand it out &s;uch a time, &s;o long, he will never make them available to their &s;ouls. So the Jews in that their day, <HI>O that thou had&s;t known,</HI> &s;aith our Sa|viour, <HI>in this thy day, but now they are hid;</HI> mind you, <HI>now</HI> they were hid, they &s;hould never have a &s;ight of them; though they might have the means of Grace, the Go&s;pel preached to them yet longer, as they had, <HI>yet the things which belonged to their peace, were hid from their eyes.</HI> And &s;o it may be with an Hypocrite, for ought I know, the Lord may open an Hypocrites eyes, convince him that he is an Hypocrite, and yet the time be pa&s;t of his re|covery. So the <HI>fooli&s;h Virgins,</HI> you &s;ee their <HI>Lamps</HI> went out in ob&s;cure darkne&s;s irrecoverably, though there &s;eemeth by the Parable, to have been a further time before the judgement, a time wherein they did u&s;e &s;ome impertinent and improper en|deavours for their re&s;toring; they went to the wi&s;e Virgins, and them that &s;old, of which afterward; not to Je&s;us Chri&s;t that was hid from their eyes, or el&s;e if they did, it was to no pur|po&s;e; you &s;ee they mi&s;&s;ed their aim, and then brethren, one of the&s;e two things will be the effect of it. Either,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>The heart will &s;ink and die within them through &s;ome de&s;pair;</HI> either when God hath opened this wound in their Con&s;ciences, they will die of it; their life, and &s;ouls will go out at the wound, as you &s;ee in <HI>Judas</HI>'s ca&s;e; he could not &s;o much as look to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that he might be &s;aved; but his heart was &s;unk within
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him, when he &s;aw how he had played the wretch with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;elling his Saviour for &s;o &s;mall a price, when he had pre|tended &s;o much love to, and to value him at a &s;o low a rate. Or el&s;e,</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>The heart will grow de&s;perately hard, and Con&s;ci|ence &s;eared afterward,</HI> that it will be pa&s;t feeling, and &s;o commit all iniquity with greedine&s;s; and yet with a brazen face, and with the highe&s;t confidence, come, and cry, Lord, Lord, open to us, as it is here in the Parable, and in the &s;eventh of <HI>Matthew;</HI> after a thaw, it will freez harder again, and then Con&s;cience will be covered with a &s;tone, as it &s;aid in <HI>Job.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;urely brethren, the rea&s;on is plain, why the Lord doth not ordinarily di&s;cover Hypocrites in his Church until it be too late; <HI>for a ju&s;t recompence of their hypocri&s;ie;</HI> his &s;oul abhorreth hypocri&s;ie more then any thing; their Sacrifices, and &s;olemn meetings are an abomination to him, he is even weary to bear <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 1.</NOTE> them; why? becau&s;e they drew near him with their mouths, honoured him with their lips, but the heart was wanting; that which God looks at as all in all, in our &s;ervices; and therefore they were like dead carka&s;&s;es, however garni&s;hed with many, pretty, &s;weet flowers, <HI>common gifs,</HI> and very taking manner of per|formances of them, yet they are but dead Carka&s;&s;es, and there|fore he abhorrs them; and therefore no marvel, if he &s;eal up men under &s;uch a Condition until it be too late. The Lord intendeth not mercy to &s;uch a &s;oul, &s;uch a people, though their own hy|pocri&s;ie and iniquity intervene as the immediate cau&s;e of the exe|cution of this purpo&s;e, and therefore it is, that he letteth them walk in their own &s;parks, the light of them plea&s;e them&s;elves with their Lamps, their profe&s;&s;ion, until they have trifled away the &s;ea&s;on of grace: A &s;ad con&s;ideration for Hypocrrites.</P>
<P>For Application of this; <HI>Then it may &s;erve in the fir&s;t place for a &s;tartling word to all formal Profe&s;&s;ors;</HI> the Lord make it an <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> awakening word. I doubt I &s;peak to many &s;leepy &s;ouls; our voice is not loud enough to pierce the ear in the heart, and therefore, O that he would do it. Brethren, if I &s;eem unchari|table to you, it is my love to your &s;ouls, it is for your &s;akes, el&s;e I have no &s;uch delight to &s;peak things &s;o cutting and wounding as the&s;e are, I fear brethren, in &s;uch a multitude of Profe&s;&s;ors, that
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many of us have no more but a form of Godline&s;s, and many of us not &s;o much; but I &s;peak not &s;o much to them. You &s;ee that five of them were fooli&s;h, and they had nothing but Lamps, a Profe&s;&s;ion; I cannot conclude from the equality of number, that there are as many wi&s;e as fooli&s;h, or no more fooli&s;h then wi&s;e; but many fooli&s;h there are, that we may conclude, and yet we expound it according to the Analogy of faith, they are more by many then the wi&s;e. You may then brethren, be very confident of your e&s;tate, re&s;t as &s;ecurely as if you had the greate&s;t a&s;&s;urance of your Condition; the fooli&s;h Virgins &s;lept as &s;ound|ly as the other, &s;u&s;pected their Conditions no more then the other, nor &s;o much neither in all probability. You think, bre|thren, that becau&s;e you conform to Gods Ordinances, you have &s;ome knowledge, and there is the light of the Lamp, though it may be but little, a Glow-worm, or the Moon, no heat in it, no affections to Je&s;u; Chri&s;t, you never felt your hearts burn within you when he conver&s;ed with you: never knew what it was to be &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ck of love for him, to delight in him, and yet you are &s;ecure, and think all is well with you becau&s;e you hear, and read, and keep the external part of Sabbaths, though you know not what it is to &s;an|ctifie it in your hearts, you think all is well: Alas brethren, I pray you con&s;ider, did not <HI>Judas</HI> follow Chri&s;t up and down, and did more then many of us have done, &amp; yet at la&s;t appeared to others; and him&s;elf to be but an hypocrite? though I di&s;commend not, but encourage you to do the&s;e things, and to abound in him, yet let me tell you, and O that God would &s;peak it to your hearts: you may do it, and much more, and yet be but Hypocrites: God looks not &s;o much at the multitude of your &s;acrifices, as he doth at the frame of the heart, the truth in the inward parts, at the <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 5<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 17.</NOTE> &s;acrifice of a broken and contrite &s;pirit, that is to &s;ay, a heart made truly &s;en&s;ible of its own vilene&s;s and emptine&s;s, &s;o that it expecteth nothing for it &s;elf, but lies at Chri&s;ts foot for healing and mercy, and mourns after him. Now I pray you brethren, you that are &s;o confident of the goodne&s;s of your condition, in the mid&s;t of all your Sabbaths you keep, and duties you per|form, have you ever found &s;uch a heart, yea or no? O that the Lord would awaken you: yea, are there not &s;ome that ground their confidence upon their own &s;ecurity, becau&s;e they never doubted, never &s;u&s;pected them&s;elves; they can ble&s;s God for it,
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they have alway had a good heart towards God, and they never had cau&s;e to &s;u&s;pect their hearts and affections towards him, and &s;hall they begin now? Brethren, let me tell you, this is a truth in <HI>Je&s;us,</HI> that a notorious Hypocrite may go on long, and never que&s;tion his condition; yea, it is rather the &s;ign of an Hypo|crite, that he never did que&s;tion his condition. Was <HI>Judas</HI> ever the better for his backwardne&s;s to que&s;tion his conditi|on, becau&s;e he was the la&s;t that we read, put the que&s;tion, <HI>Lord, Is it I?</HI> Surely no, he was a <HI>Judas:</HI> the Lord pitty you, for you know not the danger you are in, poor, confident, &s;ecure Creatures; You may take your &s;elves to be &s;weet Chri&s;tians, and yet be in the gall of bitterne&s;s, and the bond of iniquity; your Lamps may burn long, and yet no oyl in the ve&s;&s;el, and at la&s;t go out; and then you will cry out with the fooli&s;h Virgins, alas, our Lamps are gone out, our profe&s;&s;ion is gone, it will &s;tand us in no &s;tead now.</P>
<P N="2">2. Another word &s;hall be an Exhortation to us all then, <HI>If it be thus, that an Hypocrite may thus long lie hid from him&s;elf, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 2.</NOTE> <HI>yet at la&s;t be di&s;covered, and that when it is too late. O how &s;hould this quicken us Brethren, to work out our &s;alvation with fear and trembling! O be not high-minded, but-fear.</HI> You &s;ee the&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins they had a glorious profe&s;sion, and we may in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 2. 12. Rom. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 20.</NOTE> our dayes come to the like pa&s;s, and when di&s;covered, be made a <HI>Magor Mi&s;&s;abeb.</HI> O fear, and tremble before the Lord, le&s;t this prove our own condition; how &s;hould we be much in the great duty of &s;elf-exanimation and &s;earching, whether we have mi&s;giving hearts, or no? yet let us &s;earch, if we have mi&s;|giving of heart, that it is not right with us; O how inexcu&s;able &s;hall we be, that we were &s;o lazy, we would rather venture our immortal, precious &s;ouls, then take a little pains to &s;earch, and &s;ecure their condition? Is there any man that &s;u&s;pects his e&s;tate, that will think much of his pains, to &s;pend day after day, and time after time, to &s;earch into it, and if it be po&s;sible, to &s;ecure it? Why what account do we make of our &s;ouls, brethren, that we can be &s;o wretchedly carele&s;s of them? do you believe you have &s;ouls? do you believe they are immortal? do you believe it brethren, that they &s;hall live for ever in the enjoyment of God, or el&s;e in unexpre&s;sible mi&s;ery? do you believe, brethren,
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that hypocrites &s;hall have the deepe&s;t damnation? And do you &s;u&s;pect your &s;elves to be hypocrites? and yet will not be per|&s;waded to be at a little pains with your deceitful hearts? yea, much pains and often, to &s;ecure the eternal welfare of your poor, and yet precious &s;ouls?</P>
<P N="2">2. Suppo&s;e you do &s;upect your &s;elves to be hypocrites, how do you make a &s;hift to quiet your con&s;ciences? do they not trouble you? are your hearts &s;o de&s;perately heardned that you have no di&s;quietne&s;s &s;eizing upon you? can you enjoy your &s;elves? I believe you mu&s;t needs then &s;ometimes have a terrible apprehen&s;ion of wrath approaching, why will you not &s;earch? It may be you may find your condition better then you expect|ed, and &s;o may live more comfortably and &s;weetly then now you can; while you have &s;uch a &s;u&s;pition of your &s;elves, your condi|tion may be &s;afe, but cannot be comfortable, and you cannot be &s;atisfied without this comfort in re&s;pect of your outward con|dition: Is that &s;o great in your eyes and this &s;o little? O for &s;in and &s;hame let us &s;et a higher value upon the&s;e things, be more afraid of lo&s;ing our &s;ouls, then of lo&s;ing the world.</P>
<P>But then &s;ee if thou be confident of thy condition; either this confidence is well grounded or groundle&s;s, and whether &s;oever it be, there is great need of &s;earching &s;till. If well grounded, Brethren, yet we mu&s;t know that the renewed &s;earching and di&s;covery of the &s;oundne&s;s of our confidence, and the truth of our condition, is that which will renew our joy in the Lord; our thankfulne&s;s to him, for the impre&s;&s;ions of the&s;e things upon our hearts, they are apt to wear away with time, and therefore if we would keep them fre&s;h upon our hearts, the &s;weetne&s;s and &s;afety of our condition, that our hearts may be more enlarged toward the Lord; then we mu&s;t be often peru&s;ing our evidences, and the grounds of our confidence.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides, alas Brethren, how much doth daily intervene, which is enough to darken and cloud all; if we do neglect this great work of &s;earching, it may be within a while our hearts will be &s;o over-grown with weeds, that we &s;hall not di&s;cern the root of the matter within us; &s;o much a&s;hes, that we &s;hall &s;carce find the fire; O therefore keep up this inward difficult differencing duty of a diligent impartial &s;earch and trial of our &s;elves.</P>
<P>And then if we be confident upon no good ground, we had
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mo&s;t need of all to &s;earch; yea, and how &s;hall we come to know the grounds whereupon we are confident to di&s;cern them clear|ly, except we &s;earch? it may be thou mai&s;t upon the &s;earch find, that thy condition is dangerous, thou art but a Formali&s;t; is it not better then that thou &s;hould&s;t know it, then be ignorant of it? is not the knowledge of the di&s;ea&s;e half the cure, if it be cura|ble? is it not better to di&s;ea&s;e thy &s;elf a little now, then to go to hell in a golden dream?</P>
<P>Again, the time mu&s;t come that thou mu&s;t know it, when it is remedile&s;s, if thou know it not; there is nothing hid that &s;hall not be revealed; do not think your Figleaves will always hold before the everla&s;ting burnings they will quickly &s;corch and burn, and then your nakedne&s;s and &s;hame and confu&s;ion &s;hall &s;wallow you up. s<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">it not better for a man to know his wound before it prove incurable? &s;urely it is.</P>
<P>Again con&s;ider yet further the higher your confidence is now, the lower will your hearts &s;ink when you come to &s;ee your di&s;appointment; a fools Paradi&s;e, the Proverb hath it, is the wi&s;e mans hell: you are fooli&s;h Virgins, and plea&s;e your &s;elves with a light of your Lamp, and can take as much delight as any other upon the be&s;t grounds: remember Brethren, it will be the cutting of your &s;ouls a&s;under, when you &s;hall find too late, that you were &s;o befooled out of your immortal &s;ouls. You have had heretofore many of you the &s;igns and marks whereby you may judge in &s;ome mea&s;ure of your condition, make u&s;e of them, and the Lord give you to under&s;tand wi&s;dom in the hid|den part. But when you have done all, this is the re&s;ult, that you cannot find but your hearts are right with him. <HI>B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">g of God to &s;earch you,</HI> for indeed he only can &s;earch the deep things of a <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 139.</NOTE> mans heart, as it is in that 17. of <HI>Ier.</HI> and &s;o the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> tells him, <HI>Lord, for ought I can di&s;cern thou ha&s;t made me willing to part with all iniquity for Chri&s;t, to receive him as my Lord, but my heart is too deep for me, O do thou &s;earch me and try me, that if I be not willing, thou woulde&s;t di&s;cover it to me: If I be, that thou would&s;t &s;eal it up to my &s;oul; that which I know not &s;hew thou me, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Le&s;t any poor &s;oul &s;hould gather di&s;couragement from hence, who&s;e portion di&s;couragement is not, I wil &s;peak a word to <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 3.</NOTE>
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&s;uch to &s;tay their hearts. Some will be ready to &s;ay, alas, <HI>If this be &s;o, then &s;ad may be my condion,</HI> for ought I know; I may long be hid from mine own iniquities, and yet at la&s;t come to &s;ee I am an hypocrite and rotten.</P>
<P N="1">1. Con&s;ider it may be &s;o indeed oftentimes, and it may not be &s;o; look not only upon the black and terrible part of the cloud, but upon that which may prove a door of hope to thy poor &s;oul, therefore be up and doing, &s;earching, that thou mai&s;t find out the uprightne&s;s of thy heart; and then be &s;ure, though thou mai&s;t &s;ee afterward much hypocri&s;ie in thy heart, thou &s;halt never &s;ee thy &s;elf to be an hypocrite truly. I deny not but a child of God may come in an hour of temptation to misjudge his condition, and mi&s;take him&s;elf for an hypocrite, when his heart may be &s;ound towards God; but if once &s;ound, <HI>for ever &s;ound;</HI> thou never wilt lo&s;e it again, only be &s;ure thou run not away with mi&s;takes concerning thy &s;elf.</P>
<P N="2">2. If thou do now or hereafter &s;ee thy &s;elf an hypocrite, yet there is hope concerning this thing to recover and re&s;tore thee out of this condition; though hypocri&s;ie be a dangerous &s;in, yet it is not de&s;perate.</P>
<P N="3">3. For the di&s;covery of it when it is too late, which &s;ome may catch at, and &s;ay, I, here is a word indeed, a killing word to my &s;oul: for I cannot but &s;u&s;pect or judge my &s;elf an hypocrite, now I &s;ee my condition, though I have been led by a deceived heart all this while, therefore &s;ure now it is pa&s;t time, for God ordinarily di&s;covers hypocrites to them&s;elves when it is too late.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, be &s;ure thou make not a fal&s;e judgement of thy &s;elf, that thou be not now under an hour and power of dark|ne&s;s, when thou can&s;t not judge aright of thy condition, thou mai&s;t upon the &s;earch be able to approve thy heart upright to the Lord, though now thou take thy &s;elf for an hypocrite, be not ra&s;h in &s;o &s;erious and everla&s;ting a concern|ment as this is.</P>
<P>2. Thou bewaile&s;t it, mourne&s;t under it, and this is no &s;ign of the time being pa&s;t; u&s;ually then God &s;eals up men under hard|ne&s;s, if they &s;ink not into di&s;pair. Why, but did not <HI>E&s;au</HI> that &s;old his Birthright, when the Ble&s;&s;ing was gone, &s;eek it with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 17.</NOTE> many tears? yea, he &s;ought the Ble&s;&s;ing, but he &s;ought not Re|pentance;
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they were not tears of repentance for his wickedne&s;s and prophanne&s;s in &s;elling his Birthright, if they had, likely he had not mi&s;carried; thou mourne&s;t, and what is the matter? It is for thy hypocri&s;ie: O thou would&s;t fain have a chan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ged heart, a right &s;pirit renewed in thee, this thou breathe&s;t after, this thy &s;oul breaks for longing for: be not di&s;couraged brethren, this is no &s;ign the time is pa&s;t. But ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord, and magnifie his grace towards thee, that he hath not let thee go on any further untill the time might have been exp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">red, and the door of hope &s;hut again&s;t thy &s;oul; thus of this Doctrine.</P>
<P>The next thing is the Que&s;tion or Reque&s;t that the fooli&s;h made to the wi&s;e, <HI>Give us of your oyl, for our Lamps are gone out, &amp;c. Give us of your oyl.</HI> This &s;hort Que&s;tion is a double demon&s;tration of their folly. Fir&s;t, that they had their oyl, their grace to get at &s;uch a time as this, when they &s;hould have been ready to have entred in with the Bridegroom. Secondly, that they &s;ought to the creature, and not to Chri&s;t for it. <HI>Give us of your oyl.</HI> From the fir&s;t we may note thus much.</P>
<P><HI>It is very great folly to put off the getting of grace untill the la&s;t:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Doct.</HI> Math. 6. 33.</NOTE> <HI>Seek ye fir&s;t the Kingdom of God and the righteou&s;ne&s;s thereof, and the&s;e things &s;hall be added,</HI> &s;aith Chri&s;t, the Wi&s;dom of the Father. Say our own hearts, &s;eek fir&s;t the world and the plea|&s;ures of &s;in, and afterwards the Kingdom of God when there is no more content to be taken in the&s;e things; thus we walk con|trary to God, to Chri&s;t, and therefore &s;urely that is folly. They are fooli&s;h Virgins indeed that had their oyl to get, when if ever, they &s;hould u&s;e it. I will not &s;tay upon it to give you more Scripture; But a few Con&s;iderations by way of Arguments, which if not &s;ingly, yet put together, I doubt not will amount to a demon&s;tration of this folly.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, this &s;hall be fir&s;t, <HI>It may be had;</HI> though it be difficult, yet it is not impo&s;&s;ible, you &s;ee many daily (&s;ome at lea&s;t) do obtain it: Labour in vain, we count him a fool that will take it upon him to wa&s;h an <HI>Ethiopian,</HI> to wa&s;h a Boyl, it will never be white or clean; &s;o if this were in vain it would &s;peak men to be wi&s;e that do neglect it, delay it, put it off; however it is true, God knoweth who is his according to his
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purpo&s;e of grace, that we are not to eye, but look at what is be|fore <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 11. 28. Zech. 1 3. 1. Revel. 22. 18.</NOTE> us, in Scripture Rule, we are called upon to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to look to him, He is lifted up upon the Pole of the Go&s;pel, he is held out Crucified before our eys, there is a Foun|tain, and not &s;ealed but opened Fountain for every one that will; there is enough in the Fountain, and it is freely &s;et open to every one that will, to come and take of it freely; indeed if this were not &s;o, there might be &s;ome &s;hew or colour for mens put|ting off, or neglecting the getting their grace; but it is to be had brethren, and is expo&s;ed to every one; Proclamation is made to every creature without any exception.</P>
<P>2. That which is only worth the having in compari&s;on, to neglect this; the getting of this is folly: you would count him a fool in grain that &s;hould have an Inheritance offered, or a rich Cabinet of Jewels, but he &s;hould plea&s;e him&s;elf with picking Straws, hunting Butterflies, or &s;ome &s;uch toys, this is childi&s;h folly, the&s;e are not worth the labour (the pains) truly brethren, all things you pur&s;ue while you neglect this, put off this, they are no better; what is the Chaff to the Wheat? what is the Shadow to the Sub&s;tance? what is the Fancy to the Reality? and all the world is no more; with much fancy it is &s;aid <HI>Agrippa</HI> appeared, this meat that peri&s;heth, the fat and &s;weet of all the creature delights, they are but &s;hadows to &s;et forth the &s;ub&s;tance, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 25. 23. 1 Cor. 7. 31. P&s;al. 63. 5. Prov. 11. 13.</NOTE> <HI>My &s;oul is filled as with m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rrow and fatne&s;s,</HI> this is really &s;o: Yea truly brethren, a form of godline&s;s, though it be light of carriage, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n empty thing, and &s;o may be had with more ea&s;e and le&s;s interruption to the &s;tream of mens hearts, which run natural|ly another way, yet it is empty and not worth the having, and that poor hypocrites will know in the day of wrath&punc; when they &s;hall find that this will profit them no more then riches, and therfore as the Wi&s;e man &s;peaks <HI>Wilt thou &s;et thine eys upon that which is not?</HI> &s;o much more here a form of godline&s;s, it is not, it hath no being: you would count him a fool that &s;hould chu&s;e the Shell before the Kernel, a Core before an Apple. Well brethren, the&s;e are the things that are worth the having. O it is precious; You have heard how precious a Chri&s;t we may have, and from him ari&s;eth the preciou&s;ne&s;s of Faith, the preciou&s;ne&s;s of Love, and the preciou&s;ne&s;s of the Promi&s;es; a dramm of Gold, a &s;park of a Diamond, is worth an hou&s;eful of dung and dro&s;s; and
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&s;uch is all the world, yea, and a form of godline&s;s, and all things el&s;e, to a &s;piritual di&s;cerning eye; therefore &s;ure he is a fool that &s;hall be ever laborious, &amp; &s;o expen&s;ive <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aying out his mony his time and &s;ub&s;tance upon that which is not bread, will not profit; upon dung and dro&s;s, and let his gold and pearls pa&s;s. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3 8.</NOTE></P>
<P>3. It is that which mu&s;t be had of nece&s;&s;ity, <HI>It is that one thing nece&s;&s;ary,</HI> without which there is no &s;eeing of God, without grace no glory, no heaven <HI>in heaven;</HI> if it be not begun upon earth no <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 10. 42.</NOTE> holine&s;s, no happine&s;s: There lies upon you all brethren, an undi&s;pen&s;able nece&s;&s;ity to get grace, to have it, if ever you be &s;a|ved; &s;ure we do not believe this, el&s;e we could hardly &s;o put it off; you mu&s;t have Chri&s;t, you mu&s;t have Faith, you mu&s;t have Love and obedience brethren, or el&s;e you are condemned; you <NOTE PLACE="marg">So <HI>Lazarus.</HI></NOTE> may go to heaven though you be not rich, though you be not great, though you be not of a name among men, which are things men do &s;o greedily gape after; but you can never go to heaven without grace, without Chri&s;t enjoyed; yea, you may go to heaven without &s;o much guilt as &s;ome have, &s;uch gifts in Prayer, in &s;peaking, &s;uch great endowments of a lower nature, but you cannot be &s;aved without you have this true gold; you mu&s;t have bread or el&s;e you peri&s;h, you may live without &s;awce, but you mu&s;t have bread; what &s;hut the I&s;raelites out of <HI>Ca|naan</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 3. 18.</NOTE> but their unbelief? and what will &s;hut us out of heaven but our unbelief? and &s;o con&s;equently the want of all other grace.</P>
<P>4. Another Con&s;ideration will be this; it is &s;o nece&s;&s;ary a thing, as that all things el&s;e will but help to &s;ink us, all is vain without it, our Priviledges will &s;ink us, our outward mercies, or Church mercies, and Go&s;pel mercies will but &s;ink us &s;o much the lower, as you heard well lately. It were better you had never taken up Lamps, then to have no oyl in your Ve&s;&s;els; bet|ter you had never had the form, if you have not the power as well as the form; was not <HI>Judas</HI> a more mi&s;erable wretch then &s;uch <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iames 1. 26.</NOTE> as never owned Chri&s;t? he is the &s;on of perdition with a witne&s;s, an heir of hell: that which now &s;inners mo&s;t glory in, will prove intolerable to them another day: Ah, wo to Church-Mem|bers, wo to formal Profe&s;&s;ors above all others, wo to &s;uch as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 10. 15.</NOTE> hear, and read, and pray, and receive, and have not Chri&s;t; above all men in the world, the&s;e are the fools, becau&s;e they
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lean upon that which will not only fail them, but wound them, &s;ink them &s;o much the deeper; and neglect in the mean time that which &s;hould make tho&s;e things u&s;eful to them, and for the glory of God and their own eternal peace.</P>
<P>5. It is that which will not alway be to be had, and therefore to delay is very great folly; indeed if it were a thing of no value, a thing that men might not mi&s;carry in, though they go without it, it were not &s;o much matter: or yet, though it were a thing &s;o ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ary, if they might have it when they would, or had their wills at their command, that it were alway to be had, a man were not to be &s;o deeply condemned for his neglect, but &s;o it is brethren the Market is not alway; He that in one place &s;aith, <HI>Ho every one that thir&s;teth come,</HI> &s;aith in another <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 55. 1. Ioh 12. 35.</NOTE> place, <HI>O Ieru&s;alem Ieru&s;alem, that thou had&s;t-known in this thy day;</HI> It is but a day brethren, and will not la&s;t alway, <HI>the night will come wherein no man can work:</HI> why, is not this a great piece of folly then when men know the Trea&s;ury wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l not alway &s;tand open, though now it do&punc; nor the Fountain alway be open though <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 18. Heb. 12. 17.</NOTE> now it is; and yet will content them&s;elves with their dry bottles and empty pur&s;es in a poor condition as the Church of <HI>Lao|dicea:</HI> &s;urely brethren, God will not alway be mens &s;inning|&s;tock, nor always waite upon them to be gracious, though now he do, and then con&s;ider, is it not fo ly to put it off?</P>
<P>6. Yea, I will tell you brethren, It is that which will not long be to be had by us if we lay not hold upon it; It was not long after the I&s;raelites came in out of <HI>Egypt</HI> before the Lord de|nounced <NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 4. 30. and 34.</NOTE> again&s;t them, <HI>Said in his wrath they &s;hould not enter into his rest;</HI> though he bore their manners indeed afterward, yet they had quickly lo&s;t their hope of <HI>Canaan.</HI> Believe it brethren, God is now more &s;wift and more peremptory in his determina|tion again&s;t &s;ouls in the&s;e days of Go&s;pel-light then heretofore; <HI>O how &s;hall we e&s;cape if we neglect &s;o great &s;alvation!</HI> &s;aith the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2. Rev. 3. 20.</NOTE> Apo&s;tle; your judgement is nearer then when you had no pro|fe&s;&s;ion, no name; If a man continue a wild Olive, or prove an empty branch, he will not be long endured: now if men did be|lieve this, &s;ure they would count it gro&s;s folly to trifle away the &s;ea&s;on, &s;pecially being &s;o &s;hort a &s;ea&s;on, and &s;o uncertain a &s;ea|&s;on; who can tell if he putoff Chri&s;t, how &s;oon his heart &s;hall be &s;ealed up, and the everla&s;ting doors of his &s;oul have locks and
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bolts to clap upon them, that they &s;hall never lift them up to receive the King of glory, and then they are undone for ever.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t U&s;e then will be to reprove us all of this folly as many as are guilty; how many poor gracele&s;s &s;ouls hear this Word this <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> 1. Luke 12. 19.</NOTE> day? you think you are the wi&s;e men who by your wits can live, and by your indu&s;try increa&s;e your &s;elves for the world; but if you will believe God rather than your own deceitful hearts, or Satan, <HI>you are fools;</HI> was he not a fool that provided &s;o indu&s;tri|ou&s;ly for many years, when he had not a day to live? <HI>This night &s;hall thy &s;oul be taken away from thee,</HI> and not one thought nor act of care for eternity, nor for his precious &s;oul, though he might be &s;ure he mu&s;t live to eternity, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 49 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. and 13. you hope that your &s;elves or el&s;e your hou&s;es &s;hall continue for ever, which maketh you &s;o indu&s;trious to build, &amp; inlarge, and beautifie them, and fill them with trea&s;ures; Ah poor creatures, that &s;pin their bowels out to make a Cobweb, &amp; one &s;troke with a Wing &s;weeps it quite away, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 39 6. In vain do men trouble them&s;elves, get|ing goods and know not who &s;hall enjoy them, whether them|&s;elves &s;hall enjoy them one day, or whether any of theirs &s;hall enjoy them a day; but you are &s;ure that you mu&s;t indure an eter|nity, your &s;ouls mu&s;t la&s;t whether your hou&s;es do or not, either with God, or &s;eparated from him, and yet you generally neglect them; are we not fools? are not the mo&s;t part of us &s;uch fools? many deal with God thu: &s;o youth, they mu&s;t take their plea&s;ure; in old age they will not take &s;o much pains, as <HI>Diong.</HI> when he took the golden cloak from <HI>Apollo,</HI> &s;aid, <HI>This garment neither agreeth with Summer nor Winter, in Summer it is heavy, in Winter it hath no warmth, &amp;c:</HI> but becau&s;e men have &s;ome &s;ecret re&s;erves of others, that they think will bear them out, they can ward off many &s;uch blows as the&s;e, they never reach their hearts, be|cau&s;e they have a privy coat of Male, &s;ome carnal rea&s;onings or other wherewith they oyl their &s;pirits, that this Ink will not &s;tick, will not take impre&s;&s;ion: therefore I will inforce this U&s;e with &s;ome Con&s;iderations, which I intend as to cut off the very &s;inews and &s;trength of a Formali&s;ts &s;ecurity.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>We have not one day at command,</HI> this is that which men do not believe, they think they have much time before them,
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&s;pecially tho&s;e that are young; and indeed old &s;inners dote in this point as well as others, they always think they may live a year longer &s;till, if they were never &s;o old, yea, they promi&s;e them&s;elves long life, and then they cannot but believe them|&s;elves, they have &s;o good an opinion of the faithfulne&s;s and wi&s;dom of their hearts; but alas, do you not know the num|ber of your moneths is determined, and have you one day at <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 14.</NOTE> command? <HI>Guido Bituricen&s;.</HI> reports that one inviting <HI>Me|nodamus</HI> to a Banquet to morrow, he asked him why he did in|vite him to morrow, he dur&s;t never promi&s;e him&s;elf to morrow, expecting death every hour; we are but a breaths di&s;tance from eternity; who can &s;ay he hath &s;uch an intere&s;t in the di&s;pen&s;a|tion of God, as to &s;ay he &s;hall live unt ll to morrow? who can &s;ay, that is in unbelief, but he &s;hall be in hell before the morn|ing light, before another Sabbath, do you not believe this? wherefore was that written, <HI>Thou fool this night, &amp;c.</HI> but for our learning, that &s;inners might hear and fear. Men have not lei&s;ure to provide for their &s;ouls untill they have filled &s;uch a bagg, compa&s;&s;ed &s;uch an e&s;tate, then they &s;hall be at lei&s;ure, <HI>They mu&s;t go to &s;uch a City, and buy and &s;ell, &amp; get gain;</HI> but what <NOTE PLACE="marg">James 4. 13.</NOTE> if in the mid&s;t of all that thou be cut off and have not grace, what will become of thee then? you cannot command a day; Can you &s;ay with <HI>Io&s;hua, Sun &s;tand &s;till and ha&s;ten not;</HI> or <HI>Sun go backward;</HI> will the Lord hearken to your voyce as he did to theirs, that &s;o you may have a little time when your gla&s;s is run, to work out your &s;alvation with; O that ever we &s;hould be &s;o vain to believe our own hearts without the lea&s;t ground in the world, and not to believe God&punc; where there is all the rea&s;on and arguments, and all the experience in the world to confirm it.</P>
<P>Secondly, Remember this brethren, <HI>We have not God at com|mand,</HI> the Spirit bloweth not where we, but were it &s;elf li&s;teth; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3. 8.</NOTE> therefore Millers and Mar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">iners will not lo&s;e the wind, they have it not in their fi&s;t. This is a deep deceit in the opinion, that lays men to &s;leep, they are &s;o &s;ecure, putting off the main Work, they dream they have God and grace at command, as if he were bound to give them grace and heaven when ever they &s;hall think they have enough of &s;in; O no brethren, he will not be commanded by us; no &s;ure: will he be alway intreated by us? there is a time when he will not be found. It is not
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your Lord, Lord, open to us, that will move him, if once the door be &s;hut again&s;t you; <HI>Then &s;hall they call, but I will not an&s;wer&punc; they &s;hall &s;eek me early, but &s;hall not find me;</HI> and what rea&s;on is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 1 28.</NOTE> there you &s;hould expect God &s;hould be at your beck when you have &s;o long re&s;i&s;ted his Spirit in his Word and his Spirit &s;tir|ring and moving upon your hearts, whereby he hath &s;triven and taken pains with you, when the Lord had his bo&s;ome ope<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, his wing &s;pread, his hands &s;tretched out, his voyce lifted up, his Emba&s;&s;adors &s;ent to woo you you would not know when the grave and hell &s;hall &s;wallow you up, or open for you, and you think you can have God at your call; believe it, believe it, He will not be found, He is not at your command.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Remember this, <HI>That you have not your hearts at command neither,</HI> you cannot alway move towards God; this is u&s;ually a re&s;erve to &s;inners again&s;t the fear of the other; <HI>though God be not at our beck, yet he hath promi&s;ed if we return and repent, he will accept, be it when it will;</HI> I, but what com|fort is this, except men believe thatthey can return when they plea&s;e they can receive Chri&s;t and clo&s;e with him at any time; Can you &s;o? Surely brethren, if this were &s;o&punc; no man would hardly go to hell that is convinced there is a Chri&s;t to be had, and &s;alvation through him, and him alone: O be not mi&s;taken, you know not your &s;elves; how many re&s;olutions of reformation have many of you broken? you &s;ee you cannot command your hearts, <HI>Ep<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">r im</HI> was &s;en&s;ible of it, <HI>O turn thou me, and I &s;hal be turned&punc;</HI> can you think a good thought of your &s;elves? what <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 31. 18.</NOTE> &s;olly is it then for men pre&s;uming upon their own &s;trength, which is none, to neglect the &s;ea&s;on when the Lord offers his Spirit and grace, yea, and &s;triveth with us by his Spirit many times, and yet we will not, but put it off.</P>
<P>Then it may &s;erve to &s;tir us up every one to cut off all delaies <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e. 2.</NOTE> what&s;oever; and now brethren, while it is called to day, to get this oyl in your Ve&s;&s;els, that you may not have it to do when you &s;hould in the greate&s;t extremity u&s;e it: Alas brethren, I am a child and cannot &s;peak, and O that the Lord would per&s;wade by his Spirit this day: now &s;ince he hath given you another Sab|bath, and another opportunity to be called upon; what doth the Lord yet &s;ay unto thee? <HI>Seek his face, will you not be clean, will you not clo&s;e with Ie&s;us Christ, O when &s;hall it once be? O</HI>
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an&s;wer the Lord, and &s;ay, to day Lord Je&s;us, to day will we clo&s;e with thee, we will put it off no longer; ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord that hath not taken the advantage again&s;t us, and put an end to our day of grace long &s;ince: O admire that mercy, and now im|prove it, lay hold upon the opportunity.</P>
<P>Shall I a little &s;tir you up to this?</P>
<P N="1">1. Con&s;ider I pray you, and believe that it is the greate&s;t de|&s;ign of Satan to fool us out of our &s;alvation, to draw away from us day after day, untill we have not one day more to live; when God cries <HI>to day, to day, to day, If you will hear his voyce, harden</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 3. 7.</NOTE> <HI>not your hearts:</HI> who is it think you that crieth to morrow, to morrow, that <HI>Corvina vox,</HI> as <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> calls it, <HI>Cras, cras?</HI> Surely it is Satan that Lier, that will not &s;tick to contradict the Lord: and what is the devills intent in this think you? doth he mean you &s;hall repent to morrow, as he &s;aith? no I warrant you but when to morrow is come, it will be to morrow &s;till, and the next day, it will be to morrow &s;till; and O how this plea&s;eth him to &s;teal away our precious time, and rob us of our lives, our day of grace, and our &s;ouls at once. If you be ignorant of this device of Satan know it this day for a truth; The devil ca|reth not if all the world were &s;uch Chri&s;tians in the future ten&s;e, <HI>Semper vic<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">,</HI> as <HI>Seneca</HI> &s;aith, but never live indeed; they will, and they will, but never do it; the Lord make you wi&s;e to di&s;cern this cunning craftine&s;s of the wicked one.</P>
<P N="2">2. Do but con&s;ider, <HI>How long a day of grace you have had many of you already,</HI> you have even grown old under the means of grace, and yet are to begin to get grace; me thinketh this &s;hould &s;hame us, and warn young, ones, for it is likely many that are older thought they would repent and believe and clo&s;e with Chri&s;t long enough before this, but that to <HI>Morrow</HI> never came; if we had any &s;hame in us, it might wound us and &s;hame us that Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hould waite &s;o long upon us, and we never had a heart to give him any entertainment yet to this day; If many a poor &s;oul had had but half the patient waiting upon them, what would they have been long before this?</P>
<P N="3">3. Though you delay the getting your grace, remember that <HI>your Judgement lingers not, nor Condemnation &s;lumbreth not, it</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2. 3.</NOTE> <HI>cometh on apace,</HI> whether you go towards heaven or no; there is a &s;et time to every poor &s;oul wherein he &s;hall get grace, or el&s;e
<PB N="294" REF="213">
not for ever; and how doth this ha&s;ten upon you, do you know how near it is? and there is a &s;et time for <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">udgement to &s;eize upon you, if you be found without grace: O therefore be exhort|ed, now while it is called to day; there will be no Manna found upon the &s;eventh day; if you get it not before, you are undone, they found it &s;o by experience.</P>
<P N="4">4. Do not expect brethren to have a &s;econd day of grace if you trifle away one; if once the Apo&s;tles &s;haked the du&s;t off their feet again&s;t a people, &s;ad was their condition; when the Apo&s;tles turned away to the <HI>Gentiles,</HI> and the Sun &s;et among the <HI>Jews,</HI> did it ever ri&s;e again? &s;urely no. Though we have a day, yet re|member it is but a day, and one day, and no more: if we let it &s;lip we are und one, becau&s;e we &s;hall never have a &s;econd day: <HI>Foelix</HI> put off <HI>Paul&punc;</HI> when he was &s;o far wrought upon, as to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 24. 25.</NOTE> tremble, he put him off untill a fitter opportunity, but it never came for ought we read; well, if the Spirit do move, and &s;tir, and &s;trive with thee, take the opportunity, &s;trike while the Iron is hot, thou do&s;t not know but this may be the la&s;t hour of the day with thee, and that thou &s;halt never feel any &s;uch breathings more, but thy heart &s;hall ever be like a dead Sea, and &s;eared, and pa&s;t feeling any more.</P>
<P N="5">5. Untill then all our &s;ervices are abomination to God; let our profe&s;&s;ions be what they will, and let us think as well of our conditions as we can, believe it breth en our Prayers, our. Hearings, our Receivings are abomination: what do we do here to receive the Supper, if we have no grace, no faith, no love, no repentance, can we be prepared? do we not imbrew our hands in the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t? and is not this an abomination? were not the Sacrifices of the <HI>Jews</HI> abomination, as if they &s;lew a man, as if they cut off a dogs neck? was, or could this be accep|table? <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. 66. 3.</NOTE> did not his &s;oul hate the&s;e things? and what are our &s;a|crifices but the &s;laying and crucifying Je&s;us Chri&s;t Ah, while we come with ungratious hearts to tho&s;e Ordinances, O how of|ten hath many an hypocrite had his hand in the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t? every &s;uch &s;ervice and duty he performeth to God; and is not this &s;ad? is it not high time to look about us?</P>
<P N="6">6. La&s;tly, If at la&s;t you do come to get Chri&s;t, and God will waite upon you &s;o to the la&s;t as to overcome you at the la&s;t, and you &s;hall not mifcarry: Suppo&s;e it be &s;o, though this is not
<PB N="295" REF="213">
ordinary that men &s;hould &s;o de&s;perately pre&s;ume upon it, yet it cannot but be a grief and wound to you then to remember how you have &s;pent your &s;trength in &s;in and upon your lu&s;ts, &amp; now have little or no time remaining, little &s;trength to lay out upon his &s;ervice; to te&s;tifie your love to the Lord Je&s;us; &s;urely this will be a burthen: And therefore brethren, as you tender your &s;ouls welfare, as you would not be cheated out of your &s;ouls, and held in a &s;ools Paradi&s;e until it be too late, or at lea&s;t untill you lo&s;e your comfort much of it, which otherwi&s;e you might have. O now while it is called to day will you hearken to the voyce of him <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. 60.</NOTE> that &s;peaks from heaven, even Je&s;us Chri&s;t, ha&s;t thou not as much need to make ha&s;te as <HI>David</HI> had? <HI>I made h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;te and delayed not to keep thy righteous iudgements;</HI> ha&s;te not thou as much need as <HI>Paul,</HI> he went pre&s;ently, con&s;ulted not with fle&s;h and blood, but <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">orthwith went to preach the Go&s;pel; the Di&s;ciples forthwith, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal 1. 16. Mat. 4&punc; 0. I&s;a. 21. 12. P&s;al. 118. 2. and 3.</NOTE> &s;aith the Text, <HI>Left their Nets and followed Je&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI> if they had lingered, who can tell whether &amp;c. O therefore let me be&s;peak to you in tho&s;e words of the Prophet, <HI>If you will inquire, inquire, return come;</HI> tho&s;e that either mockingly, or el&s;e fearfully asked, <HI>Watchman what of the night what of the night, &amp;c.</HI> when will this burthen come upon us? we &s;ee it not, yet your morning cometh, and al&s;o the night; though you have a morning of flouri&s;hing and light, yet the night as &s;urely followeth it, as the night doth the day; therefore if <HI>you will inquire, inquire, return, come:</HI> how many expre&s;&s;ions here are to &s;hew the vehemecy of the call? O come now, now, now away, come away, come away; the dul|ne&s;s of them to whom it was made, <HI>if you will inquire, inquire;</HI> every man will pretend a willingne&s;s to have Chri&s;t and grace, and they will inquire after heaven <HI>if you will inquire, inquire;</HI> then &s;aith he, now or never, if you mean to e&s;cape, lay hold up|on &s;alvation before it be pa&s;t, and no recalling of it; the word <HI>Inquiring:</HI> &s;ignifieth an earne&s;tne&s;s; this inquiring, like the bubling up of a Pot through heat; &s;o then, it may be that God puts fire under thy con&s;cience, and it beginneth to bubble, &amp; thou art re&s;t|le&s;s; now if thou wilt ever inquire, inquire after Chri&s;t, and grace, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor 6. 2.</NOTE> for this is the expected time, this is the day of &s;alvation: while he thus moveth by his Spirit, there is hope he will be found; there|fore as you love your &s;ouls, trifle not away &s;uch a precious &s;ea&s;on.</P>
<P>There are three or four Con&s;iderations that I would propound to you, at tending to the furtherance of this work.</P>
<P><PB N="296" REF="214">
Fir&s;t, <HI>That you labour with God and your hearts, to &s;hake off your <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">loathfulne&s;s;</HI> men would have grace and heaven, but they would have it drop into their mouths; they would have Chri&s;t, but they will not follow him, nor follow hard after him; you &s;ee many of the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> when they were on the other &s;ide <HI>Jordan,</HI> could have been contented for their ea&s;e &s;ake, to have continued where they were, if God would have let them alone; they had &s;o many enemies to encounter, and &s;uch a <HI>Jordan</HI> &s;welling to pa&s;s through, they had little mind to it; and when they were on the other &s;ide, gotten over <HI>Jordan,</HI> what did they do? Up &s;aith <HI>Jo&s;huah.</HI> Many years after they came over <HI>Jordan</HI> (&s;ome &s;ay <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo&s;h. 18. 3.</NOTE> &s;even years after <HI>Judah</HI> had their lot, as long as the whole Land was in conquering) and had conquered a great part of the Land; <HI>why are ye &s;lack to go up and po&s;&s;e&s;s the Land?</HI> they were contented now to have &s;itten &s;till, and taken their ea&s;e; and truly, I doubt it is &s;o with many, they are afraid if once they begin to &s;tir and to clo&s;e with Chri&s;t, O they &s;hall have their lu&s;ts, their &s;ins about their ears, temptations thick and threefold; it may be &s;ome have found &s;ome &s;uch thing when they have begun to &s;tir, and there|fore they are willing to take their ea&s;e.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Be &s;ure you mi&s;s not an opportunity you might enjoy;</HI> do you know where or when the Spirit of Chri&s;t will breath? Lie at the hou&s;e of mercy, thou knowe&s;t not when it may come to thy turn to be put into the water; O hear, and hear as for your lives, and think with thy &s;elf when thou heare&s;t, that this voice of God &s;ounds in thy ears, <HI>O to day, to day, if you will hear his voice.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>Take heed of hardening your hearts,</HI> as the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 95. 7. Heb. 3. 7.</NOTE> &s;peaks, <HI>harden not your hearts.</HI> It is &s;aid of the people to whom that Evangelical Prophet was &s;ent, <HI>that they made their ears heavy:</HI> God &s;aid, make their ears heavy, becau&s;e they them&s;elves had <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 6. 10.</NOTE> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hut their own eyes, clapt to the windows, and would not admit the light; like the deaf <HI>Adder,</HI> which they &s;ay, &s;toppeth one ear with her tayl, and clo&s;eth the other to the ground, le&s;t they &s;hould hear the Charmer, and &s;o be taken. Ah Brethren, are we not guilty in this kind? we &s;top our ears, if we come to hear, we fill them full of prejudice, or el&s;e we re&s;olve what we will do be|fore we come; we re&s;olve not to be taught by any Mini&s;ter of them all, we are at a period concerning our &s;ouls; and &s;ome are
<PB N="297" REF="214">
&s;o de&s;perate as to &s;peak &s;uch words as the&s;e are haply, or think &s;o; if they &s;peak them not, all the arguments in the world &s;hall not per&s;wade them to leave their profitable &s;ins, or their plea&s;ant lu&s;t, they will put it to the venture. O Brethren, how ju&s;t is it with God, when men harden thir own hearts, e&s;pecially if they have any &s;tirrings and convictions within, how ju&s;t is it with God to &s;ay Amen to &s;uch re&s;olutions; you will not hearken to my voice, well, you &s;hall never hearken to my voice: you will have your lu&s;ts, well, you &s;hall have them, and judgement and damnation to boot, <HI>Acts 7. 51. they alway re&s;i&s;ted the Holy-Gho&s;t,</HI> and <HI>Ezek.</HI> 7. and 9. and 12. <HI>they hardened their hearts like an Ada|mant.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 7. 51.</NOTE></P>
<P>4. <HI>Ca&s;t away from you, Brethren, tho&s;e nets and &s;nares which in|tangle you, and hinder you in this great work;</HI> as the Di&s;ciples did their nets when Chri&s;t called them, <HI>they left all and followed him;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 4. 28.</NOTE> I mean not that every Chri&s;tian is called to leave his imployment, but &s;uch as are called to be Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, I think are called to ca&s;t away worldly incumbrances altogether: but thou mu&s;t take heed they hang not &s;o fa&s;t upon thee as to hinder thee, be &s;ure thou &s;it loo&s;e to the world, it will el&s;e &s;ooner or later be a pull-back to thee. O for &s;uch a re&s;olution as <HI>Jerom</HI> had, <HI>If his Father were weeping upon his knees, his mother hanging about his neck his Brethren, &s;i&s;ters and kindred all with lamentation intreating</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark. 10. 50.</NOTE> <HI>him to forbear, he would ca&s;t down his Mother, and trample upon his Father, run over them all to go to Chri&s;t.</HI> Do as <HI>Bartim.</HI> then, <HI>Doth he call thee? off with the Cloak, away with that which hinders thy running to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; every weight, and the &s;in which &s;o ea&s;i|ly</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 1.</NOTE> <HI>be &s;etteth us,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith. If we come with the world rooted in our hearts, it is five to one but we &s;hall be tryed as the young man in the Go&s;pel was; and as that other was, <HI>the Foxes have holes,</HI> &amp;c. you hear no more of that forward man afterward.</P>
<P>O but we are young, and therefore we may have time enough before us, it is time enough for us to look after grace many years <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 19. 27. Mat. 18. 20.</NOTE> hence. No my brethren, it is your duty <HI>to remember your Crea|tor in the daies of your youth,</HI> while the milk is in your brea&s;ts, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ec<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">l. 12. 1.</NOTE> and you have &s;ome &s;trength to lay out upon Chri&s;t: The fir&s;t-fruits were not to be delayed to be paid, <HI>Exod.</HI> 22. 29. A young <HI>Samuel</HI> &s;ea&s;oned &s;o young, a young <HI>Timothy,</HI> they may be emi|nent
<PB N="298" REF="215">
&s;ervants of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, when others at the &s;ame years are but beginning to enter upon the work. Be&s;ides, is not thy life as uncertain as anothers? do you not &s;ee that young men dye even as the old? and young men are like to peri&s;h as well as old, if they be not found with oyl in their Lamps? and young men may enter with the Bridegroom as well as old, if they be found ready. And therefore I pray you, for Chri&s;ts &s;ake, do not &s;o deceive your &s;elves, but while it is called to day, young and old, hearken to this voice of God, and put no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> off this main work any lon|ger.</P>
<P>Alas, but you will &s;ay, <HI>my ca&s;e is the ca&s;e of the&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins, I have long made a profe&s;&s;ion, and I have my grace to &s;eek, and therefore there is no hope for me, a gray-headed &s;inner, who have tri|fled away my time.</HI></P>
<P>You know &s;ome were called at the 11. hour, Brethren, and in|dured not the heat of the day with others, and yet mi&s;carried not; while the day of grace la&s;ts there is hope, and while the Lord knocks by his Spirit and Word there is hope, that to us appears to be a day of grace; and that thy &s;pirit is moved, is yet a further Argument. And therefore be of good courage, if he have given thee a heart now at la&s;t to look after him; and though thou lin|gered&s;t with <HI>Lot,</HI> until God was even fain to pull thee out of the burning, the everla&s;ting burnings; thou ha&s;te &s;o much the more cau&s;e to magnifie the grace of Chri&s;t toward thee, that he would after &s;o much abu&s;e of the day of grace, look upon thee at all, and when thou wert as a dry &s;tick, no &s;trength nor vigour to &s;erve him at all; therefore God could have no eye at thy &s;er|vice, nor any thing thou wert like to do, but meerly to exalt his grace, and therefore for ever thou mai&s;t more ea&s;ily <HI>Conquer</HI> over-that temptation of re&s;ting in any thing in thy &s;elf, priding thy &s;elf in any thing of thine own, and give him the glory of all, in an humble walking before him.</P>
<P><HI>The &s;econd demon&s;tration of their folly is, that they went to the creature for grace; They &s;aid to the wi&s;e, give,</HI> &amp;c. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr.</NOTE></P>
<P>It is a note or point of great folly to &s;eek unto the creature: when men have neglected to &s;eek to Chri&s;t, then to go to the creature for grace; you &s;ee this is the practi&s;e of fooli&s;h Vir|gins;
<PB N="299" REF="215">
how far we may urge this, I cannot tell, but me thinks we do not put it too far, if we may &s;tand upon it at all; Whether they would now at la&s;t, being &s;en&s;ible of their want of the oyl in the ve&s;&s;el, the grace in the heart, they would have &s;ome of that oyl which they had in their ve&s;&s;els; or whether only &s;omewhat to make their Lamps burn as they did before, it appears not, nor yet what their highe&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nd was in it, appears not; if they aimed not at the highe&s;t end, Gods glory, and their own &s;alvation, as the <HI>ultimate</HI> end, then they were gro&s;ly fooli&s;h in that re&s;pect; for to mi&s;s the end is the mo&s;t fundamental point of errour and folly; but if they be &s;uppo&s;ed to aim right, yet there is this Argu|ment of their folly in the very Text, which &s;hall be all I will &s;ay for the confirmation of it.</P>
<P>They take not the right means for the accompli&s;hing that end, and therefore they are fooli&s;h; for wherein doth folly con|&s;i&s;t el&s;e but chiefly in this; they find not out or u&s;e not the right means, for the attaining of a right end. Now was this a right means, to go to the creature, to the wi&s;e Virgins for oyl? <HI>Give us of your oyl;</HI> this argues either de&s;perate ignorance, that they knew <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 1. 16.</NOTE> not whither to go to get oyl, that they were ignorant of the <HI>Fountain</HI> of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> the fulne&s;s that is in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, from which fulne&s;s his people receive grace for grace; and &s;uch blindne&s;s as this to be in men that profe&s;s Chri&s;tianity, it is very &s;trange, and argues great &s;tupidity and folly; or el&s;e if they did know it, they had no heart to go to him, they would not; if they could get it otherwi&s;e well and good, and bring oyl to him, they had hope of acceptance, but they would have none from him, and this would argue a wor&s;e kind of blindne&s;s: But of the&s;e things we will not &s;pend our conjectures, nor in &s;uch uncertainties. Whatever the ca&s;e is, &s;ure it is, that they went not to him, but to the crea|ture for their oyl; from the Sun to the beam, from the fountain <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> 2. 17&punc;</NOTE> to the &s;tream, and &s;o to the broken Ci&s;tern: and is not this folly?</P>
<P>This then will teach us thus much, <HI>That the Papi&s;ts are as like the&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins as they can look;</HI> poor creatures, tho&s;e merit-mongers and money-changers that fill the Temple of God; do not &s;ome of them &s;ell, and others buy their pardons and indulgences? do they not go to the Church-trea&s;ure of merit, to make up what is wanting of their own, and not to Je&s;us Chri&s;t
<PB N="300" REF="216">
in the hour of their nece&s;&s;ity? I know not what &s;ome of them may do, and &s;ome others I believe may be wi&s;er in this thing, but &s;urely many poor creatures are led away with this wicked error; I cannot call it better. Surely Brethren, If any be the fooli&s;h Virgins to the life, the Papi&s;ts are, &s;ome of them, if they be true to their Principles.</P>
<P N="2">2. It may &s;erve to reprove many among our &s;elves, that put off all the work which concerneth their &s;ouls; live as if they cared not for God, nor regarded him at all; the people of God, and Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t are the object of their &s;corn or di&s;regard, they &s;leight them above others; but when an hour of de&s;tructi|on cometh, O then, when they are ready to dye, the Mini&s;ter mu&s;t be &s;ent for, and he mu&s;t &s;peak a word of comfort, right or wrong; they are ready to think, I doubt, that as much is in it, as in a Popi&s;h Ab&s;olution, according to their conceit then, as if it were in their power, or they were in Chri&s;t's &s;tead to give them grace; they hang much of their confidence upon them: This is ju&s;t like the fooli&s;h Virgins. Brethren, the Lord deliver poor &s;ouls from &s;uch an end as God made with them, as you have it in the Parable here. It is the way indeed to &s;top our mouths, to hang too much upon any creature.</P>
<P N="3">3. It may be we are a little better in&s;tructed many of us, then <HI>to think that men can give grace;</HI> But it may be we expect it from Ordinances, which alas are but empty pipes, though they be gold|en and precious pipes; this <HI>opus operatum</HI> &s;ticks clo&s;er to us, then we are aware, many of us, I doubt. If men did not look for it from Ordinances, would they not labour to bring better frames of heart with them, and bring the Lord along with them to the Or|dinances, that his pre&s;ence might fill them? Well, let us take heed of this Brethren, &s;it not down by broken Ci&s;terns, for they all &s;ay it is not in us, <HI>the Word &s;aith, and Prayer &s;aith, and Receiving &s;aith, it is not in us, we can give no more then we have, we are but the means.</HI> And therefore let us all learn to be wi&s;e in this point to &s;alvation, go where it is to be had, to the Fountain, his fulne&s;s, <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t is the Olive Tree,</HI> he that emptieth him&s;elf in|to the golden pipes: O therefore in all our wants of grace make out to him, eye him in every Ordinance; the <HI>fatne&s;s</HI> and <HI>&s;weet|ne&s;s</HI> mu&s;t come from the root and not the branches, therefore look to it, Brethren, that <HI>we be in him, abide in him, live by faith
<PB N="301" REF="216">
in him, in Ordinances above them.</HI> Yea, when we have mo&s;t re|fre&s;hings in them, remember who it is that hath filled them, le&s;t when all is done, we prove our &s;elves but fooli&s;h Virgins.</P>
<P>But &s;o much for this Doctrine.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Ver&s;e 9.</BIBL>
<Q><GAP DESC="foreign">&mdash;</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>HEre we have the wi&s;e Virgins an&s;wer to the fooli&s;h Virgins reque&s;t; their reque&s;t was, that they might have &s;ome of their oyl, becau&s;e their Lamps were gone out; to this the wi&s;e Virgins an&s;wer; wherein we mu&s;t note concerning the reading of the words, they may be read two waies, either by way of redun|dancy, <HI>yi&eacute;lding to the cutting</HI> off that <HI>particle</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>[but] go you rather to them that &s;ell;</HI> and then the words are read thus, <HI>le&s;t there be not enough for you and us, go you rather to them that &s;ell:</HI> Or el&s;e by way of <HI>Elyp&s;is</HI> they are read, and then the defect is to be &s;upplyed, as in our tran&s;lation, <HI>not &s;o, le&s;t there be not enough for you and us; not &s;o,</HI> are not expre&s;&s;ed in the Original, but are &s;upplyed, as you &s;ee they are written in another Character: Such defective &s;peeches are ordinary in Scripture, as in that of <HI>Abraham</HI> and <HI>Sarah,</HI> when <HI>Abimilech</HI> asked him, <HI>What &s;ai&s;t thou,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 20. 11.</NOTE> <HI>that thou ha&s;t done this thing? and he &s;aid, becau&s;e I thought that &s;urely the fear of God is not in this place, and they will &s;lay me for my wives &s;ake:</HI> here &s;omewhat is to be &s;upplyed, <HI>his re&s;olution to di&s;&s;emble his wife,</HI> that is concealed and &s;uppo&s;ed, and only the rea&s;on expre&s;&s;ed; and &s;o it is here. Now which way ever we read the words, the &s;en&s;e is the &s;ame &s;till, and in both, the deny|al is implyed, and but implyed, yet nece&s;&s;arily implyed, for with|out it the &s;en&s;e is not full nor clear: as if we &s;hould read them thus, <HI>le&s;t there be not enough for you and us, but go and buy for your &s;elves;</HI> there is not a compleat &s;en&s;e; but read them either of the other waies, and the &s;en&s;e is full and plain, as by adding the denyal, as in our Bibles, <HI>not &s;o, le&s;t there be not enough;</HI> or el&s;e by cutting off that (but) that <GAP DESC="foreign"> thus, <HI>le&s;t there be not enough
<PB N="302" REF="217">
for us and you, go and buy for your &s;elves:</HI> here the denyal is im|plyed al&s;o, and mu&s;t be under&s;tood. But becau&s;e generally they are read as in that tran&s;lation, by the mo&s;t learned and godly, as <HI>Beza, Grotius.</HI> So then the denyal being here nece&s;&s;arily &s;uppo&s;ed and &s;upplyed, from thence I would take up this Note.</P>
<P><HI>They that go to the Saints for grace, for oyl, are like to have&punc; a denyal.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct.</NOTE></P>
<P>Here at la&s;t they went to them; when they had &s;pent their time and opportunity of getting grace, they go to the wi&s;e Vir|gins for grace; but they were too wi&s;e to give an yielding an|&s;wer to &s;uch a reque&s;t. Indeed &s;o far is that rock, the Lord Je|&s;us, higher then we, that we are exceeding prone rather to take up nearer, and any where, ready to hang our hopes upon every hedge. You &s;ee the <HI>Prodigal,</HI> as long as ever he could hold out, he would never come unto his Father. The poor man in the Co&s;pel <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 17. 16.</NOTE> brought his child to the Di&s;ciples fir&s;t, to have him healed, before they went to Chri&s;t, until they found them empty, that they were Phy&s;itians of no value, healing was not in them; and &s;o it is with us all: If we can have grace by any other means, we would not come to Chri&s;t, &s;uch is our natural enmity again&s;t him, &s;uch is our de&s;pondency many times when we come to be &s;en&s;ible of our condition. But alas, every creature, if they un|der&s;tand them&s;elves, mu&s;t needs &s;ay, <HI>it is not in me to&punc; give,</HI> as <HI>Peter</HI> &s;aid in another ca&s;e of healing, <HI>Why look you upon us, as if we</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 3. 12.</NOTE> <HI>had healed this man by our holine&s;s.</HI> But let me give you &s;ome few con&s;iderations to make it out; and then we will apply it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, <HI>It is above their fulne&s;s;</HI> though many a child of God have a great fulne&s;s of grace indeed, <HI>be ye filled with the Spirit, and not with wine,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle; and &s;o <HI>that you may</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 3. 19.</NOTE> <HI>be filled with all the fulne&s;s of God:</HI> there may be an abounding of grace, yea of all grace towards them, that in all things, alway, they might have an all-&s;ufficiency, though I think there are but very few that here below do know by experience &s;uch a fulne&s;s, by comprehending the <HI>height, and depth, and breadth, and length of this love of Je&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI> but &s;uppo&s;e every child of God be thus filled, every wi&s;e Virgin &s;ooner or later, yet it is not a ful|ne&s;s of redundancy, that is to &s;ay, &s;uch a fulne&s;s, as that from it
<PB N="303" REF="217">
there can be &s;pared any thing for another, as we &s;hall add by and by. It is but the fulne&s;s of a Ci&s;tern, not of a Fountain, which can &s;till &s;hed abroad, and be full &s;till; <HI>So it plea&s;ed the Father that all fulne&s;s &s;hould dwell in Je&s;us Chri&s;t: All fulne&s;s, that of his ful|ne&s;s</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1. 19.</NOTE> <HI>we might receive grace for grace; Of his fulne&s;s, he is the ful|ne&s;s of the Sun, the fulne&s;s of a Sea, of a Fountain,</HI> and &s;uch is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 1. 16.</NOTE> no creatures fulne&s;s, there can be no redundance.</P>
<P>Secondly, As their fulne&s;s is not enough, &s;o al&s;o have they not a <HI>&s;trength and power to communicate of their grace to another,</HI> no more then a man can devide and part his life between him and another that is dead, it is above his power, and therefore in Scri|pture u&s;ually it is called a <HI>new creature,</HI> to &s;hew us the great tran|&s;cendent power, whereby Je&s;us Chri&s;t is formed in a &s;oul: It is <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 17.</NOTE> the Fathers proper work, through the Son, by the Spirit; the Fa|ther giveth it, the Son purcha&s;eth it, the Spirit applyeth it and works it; <HI>Create in me a clean heart, O God, renew a right Spirit</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51. 10.</NOTE> <HI>within me,</HI> &s;aith <HI>David; holine&s;s is a creation, and peace is a crea|tion, he will create the fruit of the lips, peace, peace;</HI> a creation is <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 57. 19.</NOTE> of nothing, or &s;omewhat utterly unfit to receive &s;uch a form or being, &s;o that the fruit of the lips they are weak, and cannot reach &s;uch an effect, it is Gods Almighty power, and <HI>the &s;ame</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 1. 19. <HI>&amp;</HI> 20.</NOTE> <HI>power that rai&s;ed up Je&s;us from the dead,</HI> that mu&s;t rai&s;e a dead &s;oul to believe in Je&s;us Chri&s;t. When <HI>Rachel</HI> would have of <HI>Jacob</HI> that which was beyond his power to give, he &s;aith, <HI>Am I</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 30. 2.</NOTE> <HI>in Gods &s;tead, that I &s;hould give thee children?</HI> So may the people of God and Mini&s;ters &s;ay to &s;ome &s;ometimes, who come to them as if they could give them peace or comfort, and expect that as &s;oon as ever they &s;peak a word, pre&s;ently all their doubts and fears &s;hould be quelled and &s;ubdued; <HI>no, no,</HI> it is too heavy a weight you lay upon them; it is a thing above their reach. This the &s;econd.</P>
<P>Thirdly, If they were able to do it, <HI>they have no authority, no commi&s;&s;ion to do it,</HI> and therefore they may not do it; Je&s;us Chri&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 61.</NOTE> was annointed for this very end, to do the thing, <HI>I come to do thy will O God,</HI> in the 40. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> and what is that will? <HI>Why, that none that the Father hath given him &s;hould be lo&s;t or peri&s;h, but his blood and Spirit &s;hould be given to them;</HI> grace and glory &s;hould be gi|ven to them; <HI>this is the will of God, even your Sanctification,</HI> and <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 4. 3.</NOTE> this will he came to do, it was that the Father de&s;igned him to;
<PB N="304" REF="218">
to deliver his people from their &s;ins, therefore was the &s;pirit poured out in &s;uch a full mea&s;ure, yea without mea&s;ure upon the head of this our high-Prie&s;t, that it might run down to the very skirt of his garment, to the very lowe&s;t Chri&s;tian that belongs unto him. It is not every member in the body, nor any other, but <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 123. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"></NOTE> the head which is made the &s;eat of the <HI>animal Spirits,</HI> to com|municate them to the lea&s;t and lowe&s;t member: Now it is not what men are able to do, but what they have <HI>Commi&s;&s;ion</HI> to do, that is <HI>authentick:</HI> If they were able, there is no Commi&s;&s;ion, the Lord Je&s;us only came Authorized to open the Pri&s;on doors, <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 61.</NOTE> to Preach deliverance, and to give deliverance to the Captives. This the third.</P>
<P>Fourthly, If all the&s;e did concur in men, <HI>yet they might want a heart when all is done,</HI> and then all the re&s;t would avail little to us in our nece&s;&s;ity; and though it be true, the Saints do retain bowels of mercy, and do put them on, and <HI>long-&s;uffering and pa|tience,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 20. 10.</NOTE> yet alas, how &s;hort-no&s;trilled are the be&s;t of the Saints, in compari&s;on of God: <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> his patience was at an end, yet the weake&s;t man, and had often interceded for them; yet ye Re|bels, mu&s;t we fetch water out of the rock for you? though the murmuring was not again&s;t him, but again&s;t God. If a &s;inner put off getting grace and coming to Chri&s;t until the la&s;t, our pa|tience will hardly hold out &s;o long, <HI>let the power of my Lord be great, as thou ha&s;t &s;aid,</HI> &amp;c. herein our weakne&s;s doth much ap|pear, we are ready to ca&s;t off and give up men if they come not in quickly, and if afterward they do come in, we are ready to &s;hut our hearts again&s;t them. But if there were a heart, yet there is no power, and that will an&s;wer all; therefore <HI>if we go to the creature for grace, we are like to have a denyal.</HI></P>
<P>Before we apply this, or el&s;e as a part of the Application, &s;hall be to &s;peak &s;omewhat by way of &s;atisfaction to a doubt. This &s;eemeth to cro&s;s the Scriptures; are not the Saints bound to com|municate one to another? <HI>to do good, forget not;</HI> is not this of a larger &s;en&s;e, then meerly giving a little of our e&s;tates to them, if in want? So again, <HI>when thou art converted, &s;trengthen thy Bre|thren,</HI> &s;aith our Saviour to <HI>Peter;</HI> and, how can you &s;ay then, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 22. 32.</NOTE> that if we go to the Saints for grace, we are like to have a de|nyal?</P>
<P><PB N="305" REF="218">
To this I an&s;wer, the Saints may and ought to communicate their experiences to others, as their nece&s;&s;ity requireth; <HI>the humble &s;hall hear hereof and be glad;</HI> how? when his &s;oul made <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 34. 2.</NOTE> her boa&s;t in God. And &s;o again, the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> as a type of Chri&s;t, <HI>He brought me up out of the horrible pit, out of the mierie clay, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 40. 3.</NOTE> <HI>&s;et my feet upon a rock, and e&s;tabli&s;hed my goings; he hath put a new &s;ong in my mouth,</HI> &amp;c. And what then? <HI>Many &s;hall &s;ee it and fear, and &s;hall tru&s;t in God:</HI> And &s;o &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>That</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 1. 4.</NOTE> <HI>ye may comfort others with the comforts wherewith your &s;elves are comforted of God;</HI> this is doubtle&s;s a duty, to communicate our experiences, and al&s;o to exhort one another while it is called to day, as the Apo&s;tle hath it; and to reprove one another, this is a duty, but this is far from giving of grace: For the more di&s;tinct <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 3&punc; 13. Lev 19. 17.</NOTE> under&s;tanding therefore of this note, only two or three par|ticulars.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>For any merit of our works we cannot give,</HI> for indeed there is none at all. If we de&s;erve any thing at the hands of God, it <NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3. 22.</NOTE> is wrath and ruine, it is meer mercy we are not con&s;umed every time we approach this con&s;uming fire with our filthy garments upon us, becau&s;e his compa&s;&s;ions fail not; when we have done all commanded, if we could do it, <HI>we are but improfitable &s;ervants;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 17. 10.</NOTE> but alas, how infinitely &s;hort do we fail of what is commanded in many things; <HI>in all things we offend all,</HI> for who doth any thing as he &s;hould? <HI>&amp; our &s;ufferings of this life are not worthy to be com|pared to the glory:</HI> there mu&s;t be a proportion in merit, now they are light, that is weighty, they are for a moment, that is eternal, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 18.</NOTE> <HI>and a far more exceeding and eternal weight.</HI> Now no man can give that which he hath not.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>The glory of our works;</HI> That we cannot give away that is the Lords, <HI>that others may &s;ee them, and glori&s;ie your Father which is in heaven, Mat.</HI> 5. 16.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>The influence of them upon others hearts.</HI> That, we cannot give neither, we may <HI>&s;peak and do, plant and water, but it it God that giveth the increa&s;e;</HI> the husband-man may plough, and &s;ow, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 3. 6.</NOTE> and harrow, but he cannot give the rain of heaven, former and later, he cannot give power to the &s;eed to dye and ri&s;e again, it is beyond his reach; who can touch the heart but the Lord, he is the God of the Spirits, who&s;e dwellings are with our &s;pirits e&s;pecial|ly, and he can fa&s;hion them as he plea&s;eth, but this is not in our
<PB N="306" REF="219">
power, and therefore no marvel if they that go to the creature for grace, they mi&s;s of their purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>For the Application; this reproveth then the Papi&s;ts, who take <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> upon them to give, or which is wor&s;e, <HI>to &s;ell grace, to &s;ell merits, to &s;ell pardons of &s;ins pa&s;t, yea and for &s;ins to come al&s;o;</HI> are the&s;e like wi&s;e Virgins, they would not take upon them to give any of their oyl to the fooli&s;h; if any were wi&s;er then others, me thinks they &s;hould be afraid to buy and &s;ell heaven, and pardon, and merit; the Church of <HI>Rome</HI> indeed is not like the wi&s;e Virgins: This gave &s;uch offence to <HI>Luther,</HI> he could not brook it, but it was a great occa&s;ion of his ca&s;ting off the Antichri&s;tian yoak.</P>
<P>Do but con&s;ider two or three things, wherein it may appear how much they are too blame in this re&s;pect.</P>
<P N="1">1. They take upon them the office of Chri&s;t, intruding in|to tho&s;e things which are above them; he inviteth, <HI>Come to me,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 11. 28.</NOTE> <HI>and I will give you re&s;t; I coun&s;el thee to buy of me wine and milk without money, or money worth.</HI> No, &s;ay they, come to us, to our trea&s;urie of merit, though they pretend to make the blood of Chri&s;t the <HI>&s;ub&s;tractum,</HI> the bottom of their trea&s;urie; which to me, maketh the matter &s;o much the wor&s;e, the abu&s;e of the name <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 17.</NOTE> and blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t to &s;o high a wickedne&s;s, as &s;elling and buying pardons for money, being mo&s;t abominable. Chri&s;t calls poor &s;inners to him, and they call them to them, &s;o that they u&s;urp the power and authority of Chri&s;t. Let them &s;ee to it.</P>
<P N="2">2. Yea that which is given freely by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, they would &s;ell for money; for money they would &s;ell pardons for never &s;o many years to come; &s;trange prodigious fopperies are there re|ported concerning them; <HI>Without money, and without price;</HI> but <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 5. 1.</NOTE> they will have money for their Pardons &amp; Indulgences: Was not this a Declaration infallable, that <HI>Simon Magus</HI> was in the gall of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 22. 18.</NOTE> bitterne&s;s and bonds of iniquity, becau&s;e he would have bought the gifts of the Holy-Gho&s;t for money; yea the power of gi|ving the gift of the Holy-Gho&s;t to others, and is it not more dan|gerous then; to buy or &s;ell the grace of God? that which is &s;a|ving <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 8. 23.</NOTE> for money; to pretend to it, for do it they cannot. <HI>Simon Magus</HI> his great guilt was this, that he would have the power
<PB N="307" REF="219">
of giving the gift of the holy Gho&s;t, as the Apo&s;tles had, that &s;o he might make a rich trade of it, to &s;ell it to others, as he him&s;elf had bought it; and truly tho&s;e that will buy in &s;uch ca&s;es, will not &s;tick to &s;ell: O how much more then are the&s;e men in the gall of bitterne&s;s, that &s;hall &s;ell grace, &s;ell pardons, &s;ell merit for money! Surely the wi&s;e Virgins refu&s;ing to give, would much more have abhorred this, to &s;ell the Gifts of the holy Gho&s;t for money? What got <HI>Gehezi</HI> by making that which was <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings 5. 25.</NOTE> free, mercenary.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>They wrong the Saints exceedingly,</HI> &s;uch as were &s;o indeed, who&s;e merits they pretend to &s;ell; for if they were wi&s;e Virgins, they had none to &s;ell; if they were fooli&s;h, none can que&s;tion it, but they had none at all; and if they were wi&s;e, and had never &s;o much, yet they had none to &s;ell, none to give. Surely God is not more tender of his Name in any thing, then in his Grace, not more tender of wrong any where, then here, and his people are not more tender, or &s;hould not be more tender any where of wronging him, then here in his Grace. And therefore &s;urely tho&s;e that are Saints indeed, will be little beholding, they &s;hall have little thanks for their labour.</P>
<P N="4">4. Be&s;ides that, <HI>They do but delude poor &s;ouls,</HI> and &s;o bring their blood upon their heads; alas poor deluded creatures! they make account they are enriched out of a trea&s;ury of the Church, and their iniquities are done away, and to their woful and everla&s;ting confu&s;ion, they will find one day, this hath but increa&s;ed their guilt and condemnation. Wo be to them that go down to hell with the blood of &s;o many poor deluded Creatures upon their heads; the Devil deludes men, makes them believe he giveth them great things, great &s;ums of money, and when all comes to all, they prove but leaves; thus do they carry on poor &s;ouls in a golden dream, until they awake in hell, in remedile&s;s ruine. Well, If there be any &s;uch here, that heareth this word, I would advi&s;e them and intreat them, to take the Apo&s;tles advice to <HI>Simon Magus, O pray, if it be po&s;&s;ible, that</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 8. 22.</NOTE> <HI>this thought of your heart may be forgiven;</HI> it is, that you &s;hould either buy or &s;ell, give or receive from the Creature this Grace which is proper to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and to him only to give: you have infinitely wronged a gracious Saviour, you had need to bleed over him, to mourn over him, to be deeply humbled indeed for it.</P>
<P><PB N="308" REF="220">
Again, <HI>How &s;hould we then ble&s;s the Lord, that we are de|livered from this Antichri&s;t, darkne&s;s and bondage; that it is given to us through rich grace, to &s;ee this, that we &s;hould not go to the Creature, but to Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> Our Fore-fathers were under this bondage brethren, many of them, and &s;o might we be, but that Grace hath made the difference; and what had be|come of us then? he hath &s;hewed us wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s good, and what is right, when they are left in Egyptian darkne&s;s; and what is the be&s;t thankfulne&s;s for this brethren, but to improve this <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 1. 16</NOTE> our privledge, that we have a Fountain, fulne&s;s to go to, who cannot, who will not &s;ay that he hath nothing for us, that he hath but enough for him&s;elf, for he hath enough for us all, being the Olive-tree, the fountain, the Sun of righteou&s;|ne&s;s. What &s;hould we do; but make u&s;e of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> and much u&s;e of him? he hath much to give, he hath a fulne&s;s of great redundancy, and he hath a commi&s;sion to give it, and power to conveigh it, and a heart as long as his power, and commi&s;sion to give, and to give freely to every poor Creature that cometh. If you go to men brethren, you are like to have a denial; the wi&s;e Virgins, they &s;ay they have it not to give; if any be &s;o fooli&s;h and proud, as to think they have any to give you, and you &s;o fooli&s;h as to believe them, alas you are but deluded; but the <HI>Lord Je&s;us</HI> will neither deny you, nor delude you, you &s;hall have, if you come to him, <HI>buy wine and milk,</HI> yea this <HI>oyl</HI> of grace, yea you &s;hall have abundantly, <HI>he came that his people might have life abundantly; Eat and drink</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 55. 1. Ioh. 10. 10. Cant. 5. 1.</NOTE> <HI>abundantly my friends,</HI> &s;aith he there in the <HI>Canticles, and freely &s;hall you have it without money, or moneys worth;</HI> be as poor as as you may be, it is all one, you &s;hall have enough to en|rich you, and no delu&s;ion, but a reality. O who would not then go to the fountain, rather then to a dry bottle, a broken ci&s;tern, wherein no water is! you &s;hall have a denial from the Creature, but Chri&s;t never denied any that came in the &s;en&s;e of his wants, and waited upon him for &s;upply; and &s;o much for this.</P>
<P><HI>Le&s;t there be not enough for you and us;</HI> they might well doubt indeed, whether there would be enough for them&s;elves and them, for even now their own Lamps had need of a &s;upply; though the form of words &s;eem to carry a doubtfulne&s;s in them,
<PB N="309" REF="220">
there might be enough, and there might not; yet I cannot be|lieve, but the wi&s;e Virgins knew full well, and &s;o they do know at this day, that there is not enough for them, and others; This is mo&s;t &s;utable to the Analogy of Faith in other Scri|ptures.</P>
<P>The Doctrinal Note from thence, will be this; <HI>There are none have any &s;urpl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;age of Grace, or more then will &s;erve their own turn.</HI> They have none to &s;pare, <HI>le&s;t there be not enough for you and us;</HI> and that this is &s;o, other Scriptures plainly &s;peak; <HI>If the righteous &s;carcely be &s;aved,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle; the righteous, be <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 4. 18.</NOTE> he as eminent as he may in righteou&s;ne&s;s and holine&s;s, yet he is &s;carcely &s;aved, &s;o as through many difficulties, many a hard pull he hath, when all is ready to fail him, but that God never fails him, el&s;e all were gone; <HI>His fle&s;h and his heart fails</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73. 26.</NOTE> <HI>him many times; Strive to enter in at the &s;trait gate,</HI> &s;aith our Saviour, <HI>for many &s;hall &s;eek to enter, and &s;hall not be able.</HI> Sup|po&s;e that &s;ome men &s;trive more then others, yet all will be little enough, <HI>they &s;hall hard and &s;harp be &s;aved; they have none to &s;pare; he that gathered much had nothing over;</HI> &s;aith the Text, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 13. 24.</NOTE> concerning the <HI>Manna;</HI> though &s;ome are more indu&s;trious, pain|ful Chri&s;tians then others, yet they have nothing over: the very Angels in Heaven, that have &s;uch a fulne&s;s as no Creature on earth yet hath, yet they cannot &s;pare a jot of their fulne&s;s, though they be &s;o full; not a jot of their holine&s;s; how much <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 16. 18.</NOTE> more we then?</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Let a man begin never &s;o yong, to look towards heaven,</HI> as young <HI>Timothy,</HI> and young <HI>Sam.</HI> and yet they &s;hall not have any more then what is nece&s;&s;ary for them&s;elves to have; a man would think, he that beginneth &s;o yong, &s;hould in time grow to be exceeding rich in faith and good works, that if there were any works of &s;upererrogation, the&s;e &s;hould be the men; but yet we find not in Scripture any of them in &s;o high a &s;train. 2. If a man be never &s;o earne&s;t, diligent and forward, zealous for God, though he &s;erve the Lord in&s;tantly night and day, yet &s;hall he have no grace <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 26. 7.</NOTE> to &s;pare. <HI>David</HI> was a man of &s;trong affections, as mo&s;t Chri|&s;tians, and as warm they were toward God, as &s;trong were his <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 63. 2.</NOTE> de&s;ires after him, and love to him, as will appear by his &s;piritual breathings, and was as much in following after God, and after grace; in &s;o much that when he was debarred from the Taber|nacle,
<PB N="310" REF="221">
and Ordinances, where he u&s;ed to behold the goings of God, the way of God, his glorious power and grace; when &s;hut out from the&s;e, how &s;adly doth he take on? you may &s;ee then by the &s;tir and di&s;quietne&s;s of his heart in the interruption, that he was &s;trongly bent to follow after Chri&s;t, and yet at the clo&s;e of all, had he any to &s;pare? Yea, 3. Let a man continue &s;o to the end, if it were po&s;&s;ible, without any interruption in his growth, and yet he &s;hall have no grace to &s;pare; had the Apo&s;tle any to &s;pare, who was a man labored as abundantly as any other? <HI>yea, more then they all, and yet he was nothing,</HI> and when all was done, <HI>he would be found in Chri&s;t, not having his own righte|ou&s;ne&s;s upon him, he had not yet attained the re&s;urrection from the dead.</HI> But then, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3.</NOTE></P>
<P>2. For the opening of the Point, let us note this al&s;o; <HI>That though a Chri&s;tian may have more gifts of Grace then may be &s;uf|ficient for Salvation, yet he never hath more, e&s;pecially &s;aving grace, then is needful.</HI> I mean he hath none to &s;pare; a man indeed haply might &s;pare &s;ome of his gifts, but none of his Grace; though it is true, whatever Talents the Lord be&s;toweth to fit a man for his Condition, his place, he &s;hould be an&s;werable to the Lord, and &s;o they are nece&s;&s;ary to the fruit|ful carrying on of his Calling or Condition, yet to heaven they are not &s;o nece&s;&s;ary; but all the Grace a man hath, is nece&s;&s;ary for him, &s;o nece&s;&s;ary, as he can &s;pare none: e&s;pecially that Grace which is more particularly a mans own (if I may &s;o call it) and that is, <HI>&s;incerity and uprightne&s;s of heart;</HI> others do partake with us in the &s;weet effects of the other Graces, of faith and love, &amp;c. but the &s;incerity of all without the re&s;t, are nothing: this is more e&s;pecially our own, and who is there that could ever &s;ay, <HI>that he had &s;o much uprightne&s;s of heart, that he could &s;pare any of it?</HI> can a man &s;pare any of his life? this is the life of Religion and Grace.</P>
<P>3. Another thing to make this out, will be this: <HI>The greate&s;t Grace where it is given, u&s;ually hath the greate&s;t corruption to wre&s;tle with;</HI> a &s;pring-tyde of Grace, a &s;pring-tyde of Corrupti|on: &s;trong workings of the &s;pirit, &s;trong lu&s;tings, of the fle&s;h, and &s;trong temptations, &s;uch as many of us never knew what they meant: &s;o that a Child of God indeed that is proved, know|eth that he hath little enough for him&s;elf, though it may be God
<PB N="311" REF="221">
hath given him more then to many others; where &s;in abounds, Grace abounds: may there not be temptations to exerci&s;e the &s;tronge&s;t Faith? Some <HI>Goliah-</HI>lu&s;t, or another, which requireth all their faith, and humility, and patience, to encounter with it; we never turned Gods trea&s;uries of temptation, to know what he hath in &s;tore for poor &s;ouls.</P>
<P>4. <HI>Let a Child of God have never &s;o much Grace here, yet he</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3.</NOTE> <HI>fals &s;hort of the re&s;urrection of the dead;</HI> &s;hort of that pitch which he ought to aim at. Indeed if men could reach this fulne&s;s of the mea&s;ure of the &s;tature of Chri&s;t, and go beyond it, then there might be &s;ome thoughts of having &s;omewhat to &s;pare; but until then, we are alway on the wanting hand, &s;ure, alway under emptine&s;s. Now though &s;ome be &s;o bold, as to plead for a perfection in our days, we &s;ee by a divine hand upon them, they are let loo&s;e to all manner of wickedne&s;s, and except that were the perfection, I under&s;tand not what perfection they are capable of.</P>
<P>5. When they have attained to the top and pitch, (brethren) yet alas, <HI>if God &s;hould enter into judgement with us, we &s;hould ne|ver be able to &s;tand, as you have it;</HI> therefore the Apo&s;tle would <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 143. 2.</NOTE> be found in him, when he had done all; &s;urely then brethren, if when all is done, there is &s;uch an imperfection, incompleatne&s;s, as to ju&s;tification, and eternal life, that we mu&s;t go out of all, deny all, as we have heard, then no man &s;urely hath any grace to &s;pare.</P>
<P>For the Application then, <HI>It is a reproving word to as many as</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e.</NOTE> <HI>are ready to think they have enough.</HI> The Papi&s;ts tell us of works of &s;upererrogation, and I believe that piece of Popery may cleave to &s;ome of us fa&s;ter then we are aware; but let us take heed of it; when we begin to be &s;o full, as we think we run over, and could &s;pare any of what we have, and we may therefore &s;it down and breath us. Believe it, this is the way to make the Cru&s;e of oyl give over running; as long as they had an <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings 4. 5.</NOTE> empty ve&s;&s;el, the Cru&s;e ran, but when all were full, it gave over; God will not in vain pour out this precious oyl of his Spirit, to have it lo&s;t upon proud Creatures, and bury the Glory of his Grace in an unthankful, proud heart. That Ancient could &s;ay, and likely by experience, <HI>Si dixi&s;ti, &s;ufficit, perii&s;ti;</HI> and may not many of us &s;ay &s;o, did we ever get good by it? it
<PB N="312" REF="222">
is the ready way to go backward, to tumble to the bottom again, when we think we are got high enough, higher then this or that Chri&s;tian; the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>God re&s;i&s;ts the proud, but he gives Grace</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 5. 5.</NOTE> <HI>to the lowly.</HI> The Heathen could &s;ay, even <HI>Plato,</HI> that a proud man is void of God, without God, <HI>God is far from his thoughts,</HI> and he is far from the favour of God; and indeed &s;o it is, God knoweth &s;uch a man afar off, at a di&s;tance, he &s;hall have no <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 138. 6.</NOTE> clo&s;e familiar communion with God. Well, the Lord reprove us, as many as are guilty in this kind.</P>
<P>2. It may &s;erve then, <HI>to pre&s;s with the Apo&s;tle forward toward the mark of the prize,</HI> &amp;c. O how lazy are mo&s;t Profe&s;&s;ors! who <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. 13. 14.</NOTE> walk as if they never cared whether they reach perfection, or the fulne&s;s of the mea&s;ure of the &s;tature of Chri&s;t; as if we were unwilling to grow too like heaven, for fear we &s;hould be taken from this earth &s;ooner then we are willing to depart. O what earthly, heavy, drow&s;ie &s;pirits have we! how &s;lowly do we drive? What, is heaven nothing in our eye? the enjoyment of Je&s;us Chri&s;t nothing to us, that we make no more ha&s;te toward him? O then, as the <HI>Martyr</HI> &s;aid, <HI>ha&s;te after as fa&s;t as we can;</HI> Take heed of &s;uch a thought, <HI>you have been diligent long enough, you may now &s;lack your pace, you are pretty well for one;</HI> believe it brethren, nothing will &s;ooner quench the &s;pirit then this: no|thing will &s;ooner damm up the fountain, and &s;hut out the light; you can never have too much; It may be you have (through rich mercy) what carrieth you (in &s;ome mea&s;ure) through your pre&s;ent condition, you know not what you &s;hall meet with: believe it, before we die, we &s;hall have exerci&s;e for every degree of our Grace, our Faith, our Love, we &s;hall have no|thing over. It may be with thy mea&s;ure, which is le&s;s, thou mai&s;t make a hard &s;hift to get to heaven; but why &s;hould we not all pre&s;s after a more abundant entrance into Glory, which <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1. 11.</NOTE> will be much more for the Glory of his Grace, and much more for the comfort of our &s;ouls? Well then, place that behind you brethren, which we have attained; as <HI>Jehu</HI> in his furions march cau&s;ed the Me&s;&s;engers, as he reached them, to turn behind him &s;till, and &s;o went on; let not our eying what Grace we have received, be any further then to thankful|ne&s;s; take heed of poring on them to pride, for that is the way to decline; who knoweth how much one thought of pride doth ca&s;t
<PB N="313" REF="222">
us behind hand, if the Lord take the advantage, <HI>for he re&s;i&s;teth the proud above all others;</HI> ca&s;t them behind then, &s;tay not, re&s;t not until we come to the re&s;urrection of the dead. And then,</P>
<P>In the la&s;t place, It may be an encouragement to &s;ome poor trembling hearts, who it may be, when they hear this word, are ready to lament them&s;elves. If this be a truth, that they that have mo&s;t grace, have none to &s;pare; what a condition then are &s;uch as I in, who have &s;o little? If they have occa&s;ion to u&s;e all, and little enough &s;ometimes: What will become of me, who have &s;o little, like a grain of Mu&s;tard-&s;eed? If the Cedars of <HI>Lebanon</HI> have no &s;trength over much, but are ready to be blowed up by the roots, all they can do is but to &s;tand to the utmo&s;t: <HI>What &s;hall &s;uch a brui&s;ed reed as I do in the contrary winds of temptation and corruption?</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, <HI>do not judge ami&s;s of thy condition,</HI> thou thinke&s;t &s;uch a one is &s;o &amp; &s;o eminent for grace, an Oke of <HI>Ba&s;han,</HI> a Cedar; God judgeth not as man judgeth, thou may&s;t have more <HI>humility,</HI> and more <HI>love</HI> to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; there may be more &s;incerity &amp; truth in the inward parts, in a poor creature, that hath little parts or gifts to make a glittering to dazle the eyes of men; Herein lies the &s;trength or weakne&s;s of the &s;oul indeed; Look to this then, and gaze not &s;o much upon glorious outward appearances.</P>
<P>2. <HI>Remember that thou are not accepted for the greatne&s;s of thy grace inherent.</HI> God doth not give his Spirit and &s;uch graces, in a greater and a &s;maller mea&s;ure to &s;ome then to others, and then accept accordingily; he accepteth in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and every poor believing &s;oul doth enjoy whole Chri&s;t, his righteou&s;ne&s;s fully im|puted to them: Therefore this is your acceptance, and herein you are alike, ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord, that in this, which is the main thing, he maketh no difference between the &s;trong and the weak, though one man may more &s;trongly and clearly apply him, and have more of the comfort, yet thou may&s;t with a trembling hand, hold him as &s;urely; or rather he will hold thee, if thou can&s;t not hold him, for the imbraces are mutual between Chri&s;t and a poor believing &s;oul.</P>
<P>3. If thou have not &s;o much as another, thou &s;halt not likely have &s;o great tryals, &s;o great things to do with it, <HI>thou &s;halt not be tryed above what he will enable to bear, and he will make a way to e&s;cape al&s;o.</HI> If his grace be &s;ufficient for thee in all conditions,
<PB N="314" REF="223">
what matter is it? only pre&s;s hard after more and more, what|ever thou ha&s;t reached too; and at la&s;t thou &s;halt attain the <HI>end of thy hope, the &s;alvation of thy &s;oul, and in due time thou &s;halt reap, if thou faint not.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Ver&s;e 9.</BIBL>
<Q>&mdash;<GAP DESC="foreign">.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>HEre is the third part of the an&s;wer of the wi&s;e Virgins to the fooli&s;h Virgins que&s;tion: Which is not to be under|&s;tood as a &s;erious advice from the wi&s;e to the fooli&s;h, directing them to the ready cour&s;e to procure oyl to them&s;elves; except we could under&s;tand by them that &s;ell, Je&s;us Chri&s;t, or Father, Son and Spirit, who &s;elleth, and would have us buy of him <HI>with|out money and without price, I&s;a.</HI> 55. 1. for the Bridegroom, Je&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;eemeth to be di&s;tingui&s;hed here from them that &s;old, ac|cording to the meaning of the wi&s;e and fooli&s;h Virgins here; but for that I &s;hal leave it. If that may be the meaning of the wi&s;e Vir|gins, &s;urely the fooli&s;h Virgins under&s;tood it not; for it appears not that they went to him to buy, but u&s;ed &s;ome other imperti|nent endeavours; as they went to the wi&s;e Virgins before, and not to Chri&s;t. Here is little ground for Papi&s;ts to bottom their Do|ctrine of <HI>per&s;everance</HI> to be attained by their own indu&s;trie and pains; for alway <HI>his</HI> price is not <HI>comprehended</HI> from <HI>being,</HI> if it be from God, from Je&s;us Chri&s;t; it is alway excluded, <HI>Come buy without money, or without price,</HI> as before, except they purcha&s;e it of men. But we may under&s;tand the&s;e words, as many godly, learned do, for an <HI>upbraiding, a mocking, an Ironical con&s;ent,</HI> as there are many in&s;tances in Scripture; <HI>Rejoyce O young man in thy youth, and let thy heart chear thee; but remember, that for all the&s;e things God will bring thee to judgement.</HI> And &s;o that of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 11. 9.</NOTE> <HI>Elijah, he is a God, cry aloud, he is either in a journey, or talking,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 18. 22.</NOTE> <HI>or &s;ome &s;uch thing, that he cannot hear.</HI> And &s;o <HI>Micaiah</HI> &s;pake to <HI>Ahab, Go, and pro&s;per, and the Lord &s;hall deliver it into thy hand.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 22. 15.</NOTE> And that of Je&s;us to his Di&s;ciples, <HI>&s;leep on now, take your re&s;t,</HI> which <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26. 45.</NOTE> is Ironical. So as when <HI>Ahab</HI> would be humoured, the Prophet
<PB N="315" REF="223">
&s;peaks after his mind; if &s;o, as it &s;hould &s;eem, he might perceive he &s;pake not as he meant, <HI>how long &s;hall I adjure thee to &s;peak nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord?</HI> So the&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins, they would have their grace from a creature, and the wi&s;e an&s;wered them according to their humour, and Ironical|ly yield to them, to &s;end them to others, though them&s;elves had none to part with; <HI>Aug. Ep.</HI> 120. and <HI>Calv.</HI> &s;o under&s;tood them; and &s;o doth <HI>Beza</HI> and our <HI>Annot.</HI></P>
<P>The Note I would briefly hint to you from hence is this;</P>
<P><HI>That &s;uch as trifle away the day of grace, and are not &s;erious in the work of getting grace, the time &s;hall come when they &s;hall have</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct.</NOTE> <HI>none to pitty their mi&s;ery.</HI></P>
<P>If men may expect pitty or compa&s;&s;ion from any; it is either from the Lord, who is a God of bowels, and <HI>un&s;peakable, un&s;earch|able compa&s;sions:</HI> Or el&s;e from the people of God, who as the <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 86. 15.</NOTE> children of God, do put on bowels of compa&s;sions, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks, <HI>they are cloathod with bowels,</HI> &s;o that their compa&s;&s;ions are eminent, and to be &s;een by them that have to do with them; but <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3. 12.</NOTE> yet the time may come brethren, if you now neglect &s;o great &s;alva|tion as is offered to you, held out by Je&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elf the Son of God, &s;peaking from heaven, not fro~ the earth, <HI>that you &s;hall have no pitty from the Lord;</HI> no nor from his people: from God, that is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2. 3.</NOTE> plain. I will but name it, becau&s;e it may &s;eem impertinent to the Text; yet if it &s;erve to no other purpo&s;e, it may &s;erve to &s;hew us, that the Saints, if they do not pitty in &s;ome ca&s;es, where it is evi|dent the day of grace is pa&s;t, and men have wretchedly &s;inned it away, that they have the Lord for their pattern for it, therefore I mention it; <HI>Then &s;hall they call, &s;aith the Lord, and I will not an|&s;wer, they &s;hall cry,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>I will mock when their fear cometh, and laugh at their calamity; Prov.</HI> 1. 26. It is &s;poken after the man|ner of men, and &s;heweth the heavy aggravation of their mi&s;ery, that the Lord &s;hall be &s;o far from pittying them, that he &s;hall laugh at them. So in the 2. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> where the Annointed of God is lifted up upon <HI>Zion,</HI> there are &s;ome that will not be bound, will not have him to reign over them, count it a bondage, and a grie|vous one indeed, <HI>the Lord &s;hall laugh at them, he &s;hall have them</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 2. 4.</NOTE> <HI>in deri&s;ion.</HI> But for the people of God, they expect it may be to
<PB N="316" REF="224">
be pittied in &s;uch a condition by them, but they may meet with nothing but a mock, though a holy one; and indeed there is need of much holine&s;s, and in act too, to mock and not to &s;in; So here you &s;ee, and &s;o the Prophet by a &s;pirit of Prophe&s;ie, <HI>go and buy of them that &s;ell.</HI> But le&s;t this may &s;eem to be ground enough to build it upon, becau&s;e it is of doubtful interpretation. therefore take another Scripture, where he &s;peaks of the De&s;tru|ction of per&s;ecutors of the people of God, &s;uch as <HI>Doeg</HI> was, and there is the like rea&s;on for hypocrites, when di&s;covered undeny|ably, and their Lamps gone out; as here, <HI>the righteous &s;hall &s;ee it</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 52. 5.</NOTE> <HI>and fear, and laugh at him;</HI> when God &s;hould de&s;troy him for ever, and pluck him out of his dwelling place, and root him out of the Land of the living, <HI>then the righteous &s;hould &s;ee it, and laugh at him,</HI> have him in a holy deri&s;ion; yet with an holy awe of that glorious and fearful God, who was &s;o ju&s;t in his judge|ments upon him.</P>
<P>And is it not ju&s;t with God it &s;hould be &s;o, When &s;uch hy|pocrites have in their hearts de&s;pi&s;ed the <HI>long-&s;uffering, and pati|ence,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;on.</NOTE> <HI>and tenderne&s;s of the Lord waiting upon them;</HI> and made a mock and a jea&s;t, it may be, at the intreaties of God, at the ear|ne&s;tne&s;s of the Saints, and their pre&s;&s;ing &s;o hard forward, that now them&s;elves in extremity &s;hould be mocked at by the people of God them&s;elves?</P>
<P>This may be then in the fir&s;t place, a <HI>warning-word</HI> to all &s;uch trifling profe&s;&s;ors, as all the while Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;tretcheth out <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> his hands to them, even all the day long, they will not come to him, they will &s;it under the &s;hadow of their own gourd, while it is green, and not under the &s;hadow of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; they will &s;it by their own bottle, their own ci&s;tern, and not come to the <HI>Fountain which is opened for &s;ins, for uncleanne&s;s.</HI> Remember Brethren, there will come a day upon you, wherein (to the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ez<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">k. 13. 1.</NOTE> cutting and wounding of your &s;ouls) you &s;hall be &s;ent to tho&s;e empty things for comfort. Papi&s;ts will not now be per&s;waded but there is enough for them in their Church-trea&s;urie, and lay out their money upon them; but when the Lord &s;hall &s;hew them their trea&s;ure is empty, there is nothing in it, it will not reach to pay the uttermo&s;t farthing, no no<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> one farthing will it reach to
<PB N="317" REF="224">
pay, then will the Lord and his people &s;end &s;uch poor deluded &s;ouls to their Merit-mongers, to their indulgences; Now go to your trea&s;urie of Merit, for &s;ome &s;ucker and r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lief; now go to your dry bottles, &s;ee if there be any drop of water there to cool your tongues, your inflamed &s;ouls with the di&s;plea&s;ure of the Lord. As the Lord in the day of his peoples dei&s;truction, &s;ends them to their Idols which they doted upon; in a mocking way at their callings, <HI>I will &s;ave you no more, go to your Idols, your gods that have eaten the fat of your &s;acrifices,</HI> &amp;c. You have made lies <NOTE PLACE="marg">Judg. 10. 14. Deut. 32. 37.</NOTE> your refuge, now go and &s;helter your &s;elves under them; now go and &s;ee whether your <HI>gourds</HI> will &s;hade you from the &s;corch|ing of the everla&s;ting burnings? O how this will grate and gall a guilty con&s;cience, every &s;uch word will &s;peak confu&s;ion and hell to the very heart of a &s;inner, and this is that you mu&s;t expect. You that now cannot down with a &s;earching powerful Mini&s;try, <HI>can abide the &s;hining, but not the burning of a John Bapti&s;t,</HI> that will deal faithfully with you; but you mu&s;t be daubed and bol|&s;tered up, you mu&s;t have &s;uch as will &s;peak <HI>peace, peace</HI> to you, right or wrong; the time will come when God &s;hall &s;hew you that this hath been the ruine and undoing of your &s;ouls; and then in contempt and &s;corn you &s;hall be &s;ent to them, <HI>Go now to your Para&s;ite-Preachers;</HI> when the con&s;oience is all on a flame, and you &s;ee your Lamps are gone out, and the Bridegroom is ready to come, and there is but a &s;tep between you and hell&punc; Ah the woful condition of &s;uch a &s;oul! then may the Lord and his people &s;ay, Now go to your daubers, now &s;ee if they can heal your breaches, &s;ee if they can bind you up, if they can cool you and quench you? <HI>you &s;hall have it of Gods hand to lye down in &s;orrow:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a 50. 11.</NOTE> and then &s;ee whether your daubers with untempered morter, &s;hall lull you a&s;leep? O how grievous will this be from the Lord, when they &s;hall have nothing but deri&s;ion from him, and from his people! Now, the people of God will pitty you, and pray for you, but the time may come, if you know not the things which belong to your peace in this your day, that they &s;hall laugh at you, they &s;hall in a mock, a holy &s;corn, &s;end you to your fal&s;e refuges for help; <HI>Go to them that buy,</HI> go to your flatterers, &s;ee if they can com|fort you.</P>
<P><PB N="318" REF="225">
2. This then is a comfort to the people of God, that are now guided by the holy Spirit to go to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to the <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 2.</NOTE> Fountain indeed, to hang their &s;ouls upon him, repleni&s;h them&s;elves &s;till from his fulne&s;s, as it is in that fir&s;t of <HI>John;</HI> becau&s;e Brethren there will come a day of di&s;tingui&s;hing be|tween &s;uch as have made the Lord their hope, their &s;trength, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 1. 16.</NOTE> and &s;uch as have dallyed and trifled; and as the one &s;hall have a mock from God, and from his people; the Believer that hath been u&s;ed to make the name of the Lord his refuge, he &s;hall then find acceptance, find a free acce&s;s, <HI>What time I am afraid,</HI> &s;aith the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t, I will tru&s;t in thee;</HI> do&s;t thou not love <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 56. 3.</NOTE> to be flattered? would&s;t thou have thy &s;oul dealt faithfully with, and not <HI>gently,</HI> as is &s;aid concerning <HI>Ab&s;olom;</HI> happy art thou: when others &s;hall be &s;ent to their broken Ci&s;terns, thou &s;halt be admitted to the <HI>Fountain,</HI> to the <HI>fulne&s;s of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> to which thou u&s;ually had&s;t recour&s;e: as the wi&s;e Vir|gins here, <HI>they trimmed their Lamps,</HI> they got a new &s;upply of oyl; but the fooli&s;h are &s;ent to them that &s;ell, to their flatterers, their Mountebanks, their money-changers, to &s;ee what they can afford them.</P>
<P>In &s;uch a time as this, thou &s;halt come to the true <HI>Phy&s;itian,</HI> to the high-trea&s;urer of <HI>heaven,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="319" REF="225">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Ver&s;e 10.</BIBL>
<Q><GAP DESC="foreign">&mdash;</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>HEre it &s;eemeth they had no more wit then to go to buy of them that &s;ell.</P>
<P><HI>How difficult is it to beat a man off his creature-confidence and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr.</NOTE> <HI>refuges which he hath for his &s;oul?</HI></P>
<P>For the&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins here, they had kindled &s;parks of their own, and walked in the light of their own &s;parks a great while, and all that while it was an exceeding hard matter to per&s;wade them to the contrary, but their penny was as good &s;ilver as other mens; to per&s;wade a painted hypocrite, while his paint la&s;ts, that he is but a Sepulchre, and full of rottenne&s;s, and no re&s;ting in that conditlon, is as hard, as to per&s;wade a man that looks up|on his money baggs, he is a beggar. But now a man would have thought when this Lamp had gone out, and they &s;aw their &s;parks of their own kindling would not endure to eternal life, that then they &s;hould have bethought them&s;elves of a <HI>higher</HI> born flame, a higher principle that would endure to get that oyl, and that fire from heaven that would a&s;pire, and never re&s;t until it reached heaven: my meaning is, that when they &s;aw the profe&s;&s;ion and form which they could by their indu&s;trie and parts work out of them&s;elves, went out and failed them, they &s;hould have thought of going to a higher principle, but what do they do? they go to the creature you &s;ee, to the wi&s;e Virgins for oyl, &amp; there they have another repul&s;e; they had none to &s;pare for them: By this a man would have thought they might have taken a hint, that &s;ure it is not to be had then from the creature, we mu&s;t look higher; if any creature could furni&s;h us, <HI>tht wi&s;e Virgins,</HI> the Saints indeed could furni&s;h us; but we have knockt at their doors, and it is not to be had there. And do they now bethink them&s;elves of going to Chri&s;t? no, not at all. Let it be con&s;i|dered yet further, that they had a very &s;harp blow, to rap their fingers off the creature, which a man would have thought &s;hould
<PB N="320" REF="226">
have made them afraid of ever laying hold upon an arm of fle&s;h again, for this Irony, or holy mock of them, <HI>go to them that &s;ell,</HI> if they under&s;tood it &s;o, was a reproof as full of Vinegar as can be. As that of our Saviour, <HI>&s;leep on, now,</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>take your re&s;t; now they are at hand, let us go hence;</HI> they had little li&s;t to &s;leep <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26. 45.</NOTE> after &s;uch a reproof as that: and yet we &s;ee the&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins are &s;o &s;tupid, that this mock of them, it beateth them not off at all, but to the Creature they go &s;till, to try whether there be any oyl to be had among them that &s;ell; the flatterers and merit-mongers, they think not of going to Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>And whence doth this appear brethren? but fir&s;t, From our corrupt nature, which hath departed from the Lord, and is now ful of enmity to him, and is loth to return to him; &s;o proud we are, that as long as we can find any thing in our &s;elves, we will go no further; but when we &s;ee our own gourd is withered, our tor|rent is dried up, &s;uch is the enmity of our wretched hearts to God in the way of his Grace, that we would go any whither for &s;uccour rather then to God, to Chri&s;t; <HI>the Jews would not</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 5. 40.</NOTE> <HI>come to Chri&s;t, that they might have life;</HI> they might have it for coming for, but they would not, they would take any pains in their own works; men will rather put them&s;elves to any pen|nance, mortifyings and maceratings of the fle&s;h, as the Papi&s;ts &s;ome of them do; will be at any charge for their indulgences, from men, rather then they will go to Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Thus the Lord complains of his people, <HI>that they did wander from mountain to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 50. 6.</NOTE> <HI>hill,</HI> expecting help here and there, but forgot God their re&s;t|ing place. The Raven would not return to the Ark, if &s;he could get a place to re&s;t any where upon the earth, though the Dove had no re&s;t any where el&s;e but in the Ark. Ah what woful na|tures <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 8. 7.</NOTE> have we brethren! &s;o contrary to the God of love, and fulne&s;s of bowels and compa&s;&s;ions; &s;urely we can &s;ee nothing in him, wherefore we &s;hould be &s;o aver&s;e, but the pride and re|bellion of our own de&s;perately wicked hearts; how &s;hould this exceedingly humble us!</P>
<P N="2">2. Not only <HI>nature,</HI> but it &s;hould &s;eem, <HI>they were accu&s;tomed to it al&s;o,</HI> and that increa&s;ed the natural inclination to it; at fir&s;t their &s;parks were of their own kindling, they would have fire out of their own flint, and oyl from within: well, this failed you, &s;o they went to the wi&s;e Virgins, and were habituated in it, it was a
<PB N="321" REF="226">
rooted evil, and well watered; and therefore no marvel, if at the very la&s;t, they thus go to them that &s;ell, <HI>Can the Ethyopian change</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 13. 23.</NOTE> <HI>his skin, or the Leopard his &s;pots? no more can ye that are accu&s;tomed to do evil, learn to do well;</HI> here is a fir&s;t nature, and a &s;econd nature, nature upon nature, and what is harder to carnality then nature, while it remaineth unchanged? <HI>naturam expellas,</HI> &amp;c. You may keep a Woolftame, and train him up like a Dog to follow you, but he will retain his woolfi&s;h nature &s;till, and if he have occa&s;ion, will manife&s;t it; where a Creature hath been u&s;ed to betake it &s;elf for refuge, thither will it go in time of need, the Chicken to the wing, the Conies to the rocks, the Fox to her holes, and the Child of God to the rock; <HI>what time I am afraid,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 56. 3.</NOTE> <HI>I will tru&s;t in thee,</HI> as before; and poor Hypocrite to the Creature, this or that, &s;omewhat in him&s;elf, or &s;omewhat in &s;ome other, as you &s;ee: for this he is accu&s;tomed to, to go to his prayers, to the opinion of flattering per&s;ons, &amp;c.</P>
<P N="3">3. Another rea&s;on may be this, in Profe&s;&s;ors that have long re&s;ted in a formality, and now at la&s;t come to &s;ee their nakedne&s;s, God plucks off their plumes, letteth them &s;ee they are naked, and yet they go not to Chri&s;t, it may be, <HI>becau&s;e he holds their eyes,</HI> hideth this wi&s;dom from their eyes: alas, <HI>if the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16. <HI>ul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Lord &s;hew us not the path of life</HI> brethren, <HI>we can never find it out our &s;elves,</HI> we &s;hall grope at noon-day, though we have never &s;o <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 19. 41.</NOTE> much glorious light about us, and Chri&s;t be held out never &s;o plainly to us: we &s;hall grope and wander, and never have a heart to come to him, as it is &s;aid of the <HI>I&s;raelites, God did not give you to this day, a heart to under&s;tand.</HI> O &s;aith the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>Teach</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 24. 4. P&s;al. 86. 11.</NOTE> <HI>me thy way, and I will walk in thy truth.</HI> Now God and Chri&s;t, in a ju&s;t di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t us in &s;uch a ca&s;e, may hide him&s;elf from us, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d will not be found: either we &s;hall not have an heart to &s;eek him at all, or el&s;e not an upright heart to &s;eek him, and therefore though we &s;eek him, he will not be found.</P>
<P>As this &s;hould teach us all to be humbled before the Lord for wickedne&s;s and aver&s;ene&s;s of our hearts to Chri&s;t, that we will not come to him, &s;o long as we can get a drop out of our dry Bottle: we will not come to the Fountain, but wander up and down, and weary our &s;elves to &s;eek re&s;t anywhere then in Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Ha&s;t thou been a Prodigal, and ha&s;t thou known this by experience? ha&s;t thou &s;hifted, and &s;huffled, and lick<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> thy &s;elf
<PB N="322" REF="227">
whole as often as thou could&s;t, and born it out by head and &s;houlders, the Convictions thou ha&s;t had &s;ometimes, when thy Lamp hath been dying? O how &s;hould this teach thee now, if the Lord have, notwith&s;tanding this, &s;hewed thee the path of life, &s;hewed thee the Fountain, the Olive, whence the oyl is to be had indeed: this &s;hould teach us I &s;ay, to loath our &s;elves: Ah wretch, wretch that I am, that &s;hould carry &s;uch a heart toward Je&s;us Chri&s;t!</P>
<P N="2">2. It may &s;erve to <HI>advance and magnifie the ju&s;tice and mercy of the Lord: on Hypocrites ju&s;tice and &s;everity, that &s;ince they have loved to wander from Creature to Creature, and would never come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> Now at the la&s;t, when they mu&s;t come to clo&s;e with him or never, <HI>he &s;hould be hidden from their eyes:</HI> Is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 14. 10.</NOTE> not this a righteous, a &s;evere hand? are they not paid in their own coin? the Lord grant we fall not any of us under this &s;troke of Divine ju&s;tice, to be left and given up to a wandring heart, <HI>becau&s;e we love to wander.</HI> O methinks, this &s;evere hand of God upon them, lying upon them to the very la&s;t, &s;hould affright poor Formali&s;ts, that have nothing el&s;e but a few broad leaves to be their refuge: when the&s;e wither, what will you do? what mu&s;t &s;hadow you from everla&s;ting burnings? you will &s;ay Je&s;us Chri&s;t; but do your hearts &s;ay &s;o indeed? and why do you not now make &s;ure to clo&s;e with him? for if you wander thus up and down from Creature to Creature, who knoweth whether he may not make you examples of his di&s;plea&s;ure, and &s;uffer you, yea, give you up to wander, as tho&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins, that you &s;hall never be able to look after him, becau&s;e he will never look after you again.</P>
<P>And then it &s;erveth to magnifie the mercy and grace of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that notwith&s;tanding this be the natures all of us, and we practi&s;e accordingly, and have made many a poor &s;hift likely to quiet a guilty, accu&s;ing, galled Con&s;cience, &s;ometimes with one, &s;ometimes with another &s;hift, &s;ometimes with a duty, a prayer or tears; O if we could but weep for our &s;ins, all would be well; this would make a calm, and we are at peace; &s;ometimes the opinion of others, or &s;ometimes our own opinion of holine&s;s and our &s;elves, to which we have done all that we have done it may be. Well, that after all this, now the Lord Ie&s;us after &s;o long being &s;lighted, and &s;uch forms, and duties, and fig-leaves, and any
<PB N="323" REF="227">
broken Ci&s;terns, empty Bottles, and husky vanities, preferred before him, that yet he &s;hould manife&s;t him&s;elf to &s;uch, to any of us, and give us that true oyl of Grace in the heart, whereby the &s;infulne&s;s and emptine&s;s of all our former &s;hifts have been di&s;covered to us. O what &s;hall we render to the Lord for his love! behold what manner of love is this, that will overcome all our &s;lighting of him, that will not let us alone under our fading gourds, until he bring us under his own &s;hadow, and never &s;uf|fer us to wander up and down from him any more; have our &s;ouls ta&s;ted of this his love? <HI>O ble&s;s him, magnifie him, make your boa&s;t in God, let the humble hear thereof, and be glad, live</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 34. 2.</NOTE> <HI>his prai&s;es;</HI> what, can you do too much for him who hath thus loved you? but &s;o much for this.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign">. <HI>Here we have had the &s;ad &s;urpri&s;al of the&s;e poor Creatures, that have their Grace to get,</HI> at the la&s;t they are taken, before they are ready for Chri&s;t; for alas, their Lamps ware out. Let men put off the coming of Chri&s;t as long as they will, and trifle away their day of Grace, though he tarry a while, yet he that &s;hall come, will come, and will not tarry. Well, now he cometh.</P>
<P>But that is not all neither, <HI>he cometh upon them, not only while they are getting their Grace, but while they are &s;eeking up and down to the creature for it, and never look at him at all;</HI> and this maketh it &s;o much the &s;adder indeed, <HI>when Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hall come to judgement,</HI> particular or general, to find men with their backs upon him&s;elf, and their faces upon their formalities and profe&s;&s;ion, upon their flattering fal&s;e Teachers, that at a venture cry peace, peace, though there be no ground; will it not be &s;ad brethren? The Lord help us every one to look to it, for I intend not to &s;tay upon this; either we are &s;uch as &s;eek our oyl of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, we live by faith in him; or el&s;e we &s;eek to the Creature, we hang our hopes upon &s;omewhat el&s;e; if &s;o, whatever it be that relieveth us in the time of our trouble on this &s;ide Je&s;us Chri&s;t, this is the ob|ject of our whoredom; Now &s;hall the <HI>Bridegroom</HI> find us in the very act of whoredom, playing the whore, in departing from him, and will this be peace or comfort to our &s;ouls? How will you lift up your faces before him? brethren, how can a Woman that pretends faithfulne&s;s to an Husband, if he take her in the very act, how can &s;he hold up her head to him? O the confu|&s;ion
<PB N="324" REF="228">
and amazement will be upon us, if Je&s;us Chri&s;t find us in the like Coudition! can you think how poor creatures will hang the head, and be filled with their &s;hame, <HI>whether &s;hall they cau&s;e their &s;hame to pa&s;s from them?</HI></P>
<P>O then brethren, If you have neglected the day of Grace, and while oyl hath been offered you, and that upon ea&s;ie terms, <HI>without money, and without price,</HI> and now you be convinced of your want of it, becau&s;e you know not how &s;oon it may come upon you. <HI>Let me beg of you, that whenever he cometh, he may not find you going up and down to buy of the Creature, but coming to him, waiting upon him,</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle did) <HI>that you may be found in him;</HI> hence the poor thief upon the Cro&s;s found mercy, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3.</NOTE> though it were at the la&s;t. O take heed of deceit here, for every one will &s;ay, that they have no other hope but in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and him they wait upon all the day: O that it were &s;o brethren; but I doubt he will find many of us going to buy, when he com|eth, and not of him, but of them that &s;ell; then they are run|ning to their flattering para&s;itical Preachers, then they mu&s;t have an ab&s;olution, a comfortable word, though they have lived never &s;o wretchedly, as if a few comfortable words of a daubing Moun|tebank, would transform them from Devils incarnate, into Saints in a Moment, which is not much better (if any thing) then the Prie&s;ts mumbling over the bread and wine, to change it into the body and blood of Chri&s;t. Then when Chri&s;t is coming, the <HI>Bride-groom</HI> cometh; doth he not find many running then to a prayer, then to a Sacrament? if they can but have that, they think they are &s;ecure enough; poor ignorant creatures! what is this, but to go and buy of them that &s;ell, in&s;tead of going to Je&s;us Chri&s;t? Well &s;urely, as this will much concern him to find men &s;o un|dervaluing him, who is a Saviour to the utmo&s;t, to go any whe|ther, rather then to him; &s;o will it be confu&s;ion to your &s;ouls, if you be found in the very act; there will be no denying, no excu|&s;ing of it; you will have nothing to &s;ay for your &s;elves; therefore let us be warned to take heed of this. But &s;o much for this.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="325" REF="228">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Ver&s;e 10.</BIBL>
<Q>&mdash;<GAP DESC="foreign">.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IN this Ver&s;e you have a twofold ob&s;ervation of the coming of the Bridegroom: His coming is, to make a full di&s;tinction and &s;eparation between the precious and the vile, the end is the differencing thing, <HI>Mark the perfect,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>the end of that man is</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 37. 37.</NOTE> <HI>peace;</HI> hypocrites and real believers promi&s;cuou&s;ly go in and out in this Church Militant, this heaven upon earth; but now there &s;hall be a difference put; to &s;ome the door of heaven is opened, and they enter, to others it is &s;hut, it is clapt again&s;t them.</P>
<P>We will in the fir&s;t place a little con&s;ider the fir&s;t, <HI>they that were ready went in with him unto the Marriage.</HI> There are divers things Note-worthy in this little clau&s;e; I &s;hall but briefly run over them. 1. <HI>Some then it &s;eemeth are ready for entrance into glo|ry. 2. Such as are ready do enter. 3. That they enter with Chri&s;t, with the Bridegroom.</HI> And 4. <HI>That this glory is &s;et forth by a Marriage, or a Marriage-Fea&s;t,</HI> as the word el&s;ewhere imports, of which afterwards.</P>
<P>I will wind up the two fir&s;t into one Note or Doctrine.</P>
<P><HI>That &s;uch as are ready when Chri&s;t cometh, do enter into</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr&punc;</NOTE> <HI>glory.</HI></P>
<P>This is &s;ufficiently clear from the Text, the Parable &s;etting forth the &s;tate of all the Saints as they &s;hall be differenced from hypocrites at the day of their appearance before Chri&s;t, for it is the Kingdom of heaven is here compared to the Virgins, <HI>the Church vi&s;ible, to the wi&s;e and fooli&s;h, the Church invi&s;ible to the wi&s;e Virgins,</HI> &s;o I under&s;tand it. Now the&s;e wi&s;e Virgins, they were ready prepared for the entrance in to the Marriage, though the fooli&s;h were not; <HI>they that were ready,</HI> that is to &s;ay, all the wi&s;e Virgins, <HI>they entred in;</HI> &s;o that this reacheth the condition of Gods people in all times and ages, who are a part of this King|dom;
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The I&s;raelites, when God had proved and prepared them, by enuring them to the wilderne&s;s, to &s;o many hard&s;hips, then they entred into <HI>Canaan.</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> not before fourty years; they wan|dered before they mu&s;t enter, but when once prepared they en|ter. So the Apo&s;tle, when he had <HI>fini&s;hed his cour&s;e, and fought the good fight,</HI> then he was ready to enter, and he entred into glo|ry; therefore it is, that it is &s;aid of the righteous, <HI>he is gather|ed like</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 4. 7.</NOTE> <HI>a Shock of corn in his due &s;ea&s;on:</HI> that is to &s;ay, when it is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 5. 26.</NOTE> fully ripe and ready to the &s;ickle; a wi&s;e husband-man will not reap the field while it is green and unready, no more will the Lord gather his Saints to him until they be prepared; they mu&s;t hang in the Sun &s;o long, and endure the nipping of cold and injuries of weather &s;o long, until they be ready, and then they are ga|thered.</P>
<P>Two things I &s;hall do before I come to the Application. Fir&s;t, a little inquire <HI>what is meant by this readine&s;s;</HI> and herein indeed only put you in mind of what you have heard in a great part, while I have been upon this parable already, and all of it doubt|le&s;s at other times you have heard again and again; but I would put you in remembrance, as is nece&s;&s;ary; and then, 2. <HI>The argu|ments to confirm this point,</HI> and &s;o to the Application.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, <HI>a man is ready,</HI> or this is a part of it, <HI>when he hath gotten this oyl in his ve&s;&s;el,</HI> without this no readine&s;s; though the fooli&s;h Virgins be awaked after their long profe&s;&s;ion and falling a&s;leep; yet you &s;ee they are unready, and are all in a hurry, as people unready u&s;e to be; when the Bridegrom cometh, they are going to them that &s;ell, <HI>that they might buy oyl,</HI> therefore they were unready; my meaning is Brethren, untill a man hath re|ceived from the Lord the &s;pirit of holine&s;s to dwell in him, to be a living <HI>Cru&s;e</HI> of oyl that never fails, to be a &s;pring of grace in his &s;oul, to water, and refre&s;h, and &s;upply him in all his conditions, a man is not ready to enter. <HI>Paul</HI> was <HI>a cho&s;en Ve&s;&s;el,</HI> but though he: was a &s;trict man, (I pray you mind it Brethren) I doubt &s;tricter then mo&s;t of us, the &s;tricte&s;t &s;ect of the Phari&s;ees, and touching the Law blamele&s;s, at lea&s;t in the Phari&s;ees &s;en&s;e, in the outward ob&s;ervance of the Law, which is more then many can &s;ay. Well, now when the Lord meeteth him going to <HI>Dama&s;cus,</HI> If he had called for him out of the world, had he been ready <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 14.</NOTE> for him? &s;urely no&punc; woful had been his condition: there mu&s;t then
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be a holine&s;s, without which there is no &s;eeing God. This is one thing then, he that hath the root of the matter in him, the &s;eed of God in him, he is ready in part, &s;o far he is prepared.</P>
<P>2. There mu&s;t be al&s;o the brightne&s;s &s;hining, the activity of the <HI>graces,</HI> they mu&s;t be in act, or &s;tirred up and bettered before we can be ready, for the wi&s;e Virgins were not ready, though they had oyl in their ve&s;&s;els, becau&s;e their Lamps were not trim|med, their oyl grew low, mu&s;t be &s;upplyed, therefore they go about that work in the fir&s;t place; If Chri&s;t had come and given them no warning, but taken them &s;leeping, they had been all un|ready, therefore you &s;hall find &s;till in Scripture, the graces of the Saints &s;mell &s;weete&s;t, and be mo&s;t lively u&s;ually toward their latter end: When was <HI>Paul,</HI> or <HI>David,</HI> or any of them more &s;weet? <HI>they mu&s;t &s;tand with their loins girded and Lamps burning, el&s;e they are not ready altogether.</HI></P>
<P>3. <HI>There mu&s;t be mortifying of corruption,</HI> a &s;ubduing of ini|quity in a good part, in how great a mea&s;ure is hard to &s;ay: It is true, at the fir&s;t when we believe, &s;in hath its deadly wound, but it many times recovers in a great mea&s;ure, and &s;trugleth hard for life; it mu&s;t have many a thru&s;t, a blow by the &s;word of the Spi|rit, wielded by the hand of faith before it will die. When our Saviour &s;aw how lively that pride and ambition was in his Di&s;|ciples, he telleth them, they mu&s;t be converted, and <HI>become like little children,</HI> in re&s;pect of that emulation, <HI>before they could enter</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 28. 3.</NOTE> <HI>into the Kingdom of God.</HI> When &s;in had gotten &s;uch a hand over <HI>David,</HI> had he been fit to have dyed then, to have entred into glory then? though I believe it ca&s;t him not out of the &s;tate of grace, yet it laid him in a &s;woon, and prevailed much again&s;t him; now was he ready to enter while &s;in was &s;o &s;trong? &s;urely no: <HI>We mu&s;t fir&s;t overcome, before we &s;it down with him in his Throne; we mu&s;t fight the good fight,</HI> of which this is a great part; and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 21.</NOTE> how low the Lord will have our corruptions brought, and how much deadned he will have the root of &s;in, before he tumble down the walls of the&s;e Tabernacles of clay, we are not able to &s;ay.</P>
<P>4. A man is never ready until he can go out of all this, <HI>and the main thing with him is to be found in Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> &amp;c. This is indeed the fir&s;t and la&s;t, upon the matter, of all, for Chri&s;t is all; we are ready then to go in to our heavenly <HI>Father,</HI> when we have
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our elder Brothers garments upon us, when we have put on Chri&s;t, which is for holine&s;s, as you have heard, &amp; for redemption from our &s;ins, our vain conver&s;ations, our fooli&s;h and hurtful lu&s;ts. But withall, if we have him not on, and girded clo&s;e to us for righteou&s;ne&s;s, we are not ready; if we have him on, but he &s;itteth loo&s;e upon us; therefore you &s;hall find this was the main thing the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> minded and &s;trove after, <HI>that he might be found in Je&s;us, not having his own righteou&s;ne&s;s upon him,</HI> he &s;peaks of the day of death and appearing before him, the re&s;urrection, that he may be found then in Je&s;us. When we have done all, if we de|ny not all, we undo all again, this only will terminate the &s;ight of the Father, he will &s;ee through all other coverings what&s;oever; therefore the Apo&s;tle prayeth that <HI>One &s;iphorus may find mercy in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2. 16.</NOTE> <HI>that day.</HI> It is mercy then that mu&s;t &s;tand us in &s;tead, even when we have done all. Remember this brethren as a fourth part of this readine&s;s.</P>
<P>5. <HI>A fini&s;hing our work;</HI> &s;o our Saviour, <HI>I have fini&s;hed my work,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Joh.</HI> 17. 4, 5. and thus <HI>Paul; I have fini&s;hed my cour&s;e,</HI> &amp;c. 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 7. And thus <HI>David, Acts</HI> 13. 36. &s;erved his ge|neration, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Now the&s;e are the readine&s;&s;es for an entrance. But we mu&s;t know that &s;ome of the Saints have not only an entrance, but <HI>an entrance is mini&s;tred to them abundantly into glory,</HI> they go with <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. 11.</NOTE> a full &s;ail, not only make a &s;hift; though it is true, they have no oyl to &s;pare from them&s;elves, for they can &s;pare none of their abundant entrance, it is that wherein God is mo&s;t glorified in them, and this they cannot part with, and them&s;elves have great|e&s; comfort in. Now this is not common indeed to all Believers, I pray you mind that, le&s;t any poor &s;oul &s;hould be cau&s;ele&s;ly di&s;|couraged, becau&s;e he findeth not that readine&s;s for it, to which afterwards we &s;hall &s;peak.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, <HI>to this abundant entrance into glory,</HI> as a readine&s;s or preparation, <HI>there is required, be&s;ides a faith in Je&s;us Chri&s;t for righteou&s;ne&s;s, holine&s;s, redemption, a knowledge reflecting,</HI> whereby they know that it is thus with them; many a poor &s;oul hath the &s;alvation of God near him, and Je&s;us Chri&s;t in their arms, and knoweth it not, and is weeping after Chri&s;t when he &s;tands by him, as he did <HI>Mary;</HI> and it may be, if they &s;hould now die, they would think them&s;elves undone, the terrours of God are ready
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to cut them off, the fear of what would become of them; and yet they &s;hall have an entrance into glory too, they would not mi&s;carry, but they pa&s;s as through a narrow pinching wicket: But now a man that hath a per&s;wa&s;ion, he hath an <HI>abundant en|trance into glory;</HI> there mu&s;t be then to this readine&s;s, <HI>a making the calling and election &s;ure, by adding faith to faith, and grace to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1. 9, 10.</NOTE> <HI>grace,</HI> as it is in that place of the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter.</HI> Then when <HI>Si|meon</HI> had gotten Je&s;us Chri&s;t into this arms of his faith as well as of his body, and &s;aw his &s;alvation with the eye of faith, as well as of the body, then he cryeth out, <HI>Lord, now lette&s;t thou thy &s;ervant depart in peace.</HI> Now he was ready to enter into glory. And &s;o the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 2. 29.</NOTE> Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> had &s;uch a per&s;wa&s;ion, and therefore he was ready, <HI>henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of glory,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>2. There goeth many times, if not alway, to this abundant entrance, as a readine&s;s or preparation to it, <HI>an earne&s;t waiting of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 14. 14. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> hil. 1. 21.</NOTE> <HI>the &s;oul for its change, a de&s;ire to be di&s;&s;olved and to be with Chri&s;t, which is far better:</HI> There is many a poor heart when the body of death weigheth them down, and tryeth them, <HI>groan earne&s;tly,</HI> and could be contented to dye, that &s;in might dye with them. As <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> &s;aid, <HI>let me even dye with the Phili&s;tians,</HI> if no other way will de&s;troy their lu&s;ts. But alas, when they are to &s;eek in point of <HI>a&s;&s;urance,</HI> they look upon death as a dark pa&s;&s;age that leadeth them they cannot tell whither, this maketh them fly back, this kills tho&s;e de&s;ires, nippeth them as &s;oon as they put forth, they come to no maturity: But now when a man hath the right art of believing, notwith&s;tanding his body of death he groans under, as the Apo&s;tle, that yet he is per&s;waded through Chri&s;t it is pardoned, and &s;hall be utterly di&s;&s;olved and not hinder him, then he can ble&s;s the Lord, and de&s;ires with <HI>Paul</HI> to be di&s;&s;olved. So many of the <HI>Patriarks</HI> it is &s;aid of them, <HI>they dyed full of daies,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 4. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">om. 7. 24. Iob 42. 17. Gen. 25. 8.</NOTE> <HI>&s;atisfied with daies;</HI> that is to &s;ay, <HI>they lived as long as they de&s;ired,</HI> they had now a de&s;ire to be at home, knowing that while <HI>they are pre&s;ent in the body, they are ab&s;ent from the Lord,</HI> from that near, and &s;weet, and full Communion with him, whereof they have had a little ta&s;te and earne&s;t, but if they know not that they &s;hall be pre&s;ent with him by departure&punc; but for ought they know, more &s;eparate from them, no marvel if they go to death with drawing back.</P>
<P>Yet I deny not, but <HI>a child of God may be ready before he de&s;ire</HI>
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<HI>it; And may de&s;ire it before he be ready for this entrance.</HI> I &s;ay, a child of God may be ready before he de&s;ire it, as in the ca&s;e be|fore mentioned (and upon other grounds, as <HI>Hezekiah</HI> and <HI>Da|vid, that I may declare thy power to this generation)</HI> may be rea|dy <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 71. 18.</NOTE> and not have &s;uch an a&s;&s;urance, but he is not ready for an <HI>abundant entrance,</HI> until the Lord come with a full &s;ealing of his love to his heart.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>He may de&s;ire it before he be ready,</HI> as in &s;ome pa&s;&s;ionate impatient fit, as <HI>Elijah, 1 King.</HI> 19. 4. weary of his life, the King per&s;ecuting him, and thinking he &s;hould fall by his hand, would have God take away his life from him, but he had not yet done his work. And &s;o <HI>Job,</HI> God had not yet done with him, he mu&s;t pa&s;s through more changes, and pro&s;per and flouri&s;h again, and hold forth his name to that generation before he departed, he had not done his work. But I &s;peak of the &s;erious, &s;ettled, well-grounded frame of a Believers heart, upon a &s;ound per&s;wa&s;ion of the Love of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and a knowledge that he hath fini&s;hed his cour&s;e, then for &s;uch a one to wait for his change, when the ble&s;&s;ed hour will come, is a part of readine&s;s for an <HI>entrance, an abundant entrance into glory.</HI> But this is not the portion of every child of God; many Suns &s;et in a Cloud, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>For the &s;econd thing, which are the arguments of the point, they are &s;uch as the&s;e. Fir&s;t, <HI>becau&s;e el&s;e Gods work would be in vain,</HI> he hath prepared <HI>an inheritance for the Saints,</HI> a Kingdom <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 5.</NOTE> prepared before the world was; and his work upon our hearts, what is it but to prepare us for this Kingdom? as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks, <HI>he that hath wrought us to this &s;elf-&s;ame thing, is God,</HI> he hath wrought us to it, there is no &s;uitablene&s;s between heaven and an ungracious heart; a glorious Kingdom, and a vile filthy &s;pirit; therefore the Lord takes much pains with us to purge us to him&s;elf, to purifie us, to adorn us with the rich graces of his Spi|rit, and all is to work us to heaven, to &s;alvation, to prepare us for this entrance, and therefore when God hath done this, &s;hall his work be in vain? &s;urely no: not a &s;oul that is &s;o wrought up by the Lord to a heavenly frame, and temper, and nature, that &s;hall mi&s;s of an entrance, when it is thus prepared, el&s;e Gods work were in vain, the greate&s;t work of God.</P>
<P>2. <HI>Becau&s;e el&s;e the Lord Je&s;us would fail of his purcha&s;e and
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prayer for his poople,</HI> who did buy us at &s;o dear a rate as his own mo&s;t precious blood; was it think you, to &s;uffer us for ever to be at &s;uch di&s;tances from him, whom he &s;o dearly loved? did his love to us draw him out of heaven to us, and will it not (think you) draw us to heaven to him? he will not have his Spou&s;e that he hath redeemed with his blood, to be ab&s;ent from him any longer then is needful for his Fathers glory and their good. It is a fruit of his death and of his prayer, <HI>Father I will, that where I am, there</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 17. 24. Chap. 14. 3.</NOTE> <HI>they may be,</HI> for they are the <HI>fulne&s;s of Chri&s;t,</HI> and he account|eth him&s;elf, as I may &s;ay, imperfect without them: and therefore he will have them there. Indeed Brethren, &s;o dear is the heart of Je&s;us Chri&s;t to his people, that he would not &s;uffer &s;o long an ab|&s;ence, at &s;o great a di&s;tance from them, but that there is a nece&s;&s;i|ty in it; though at his fir&s;t pitching his love upon us, he looks at nothing, but notwith&s;tanding all blackne&s;s, and deformity, and loath&s;omne&s;s, his love overcometh all: Yet before they come to this Communion and fellow&s;hip with him, they mu&s;t be purified with <HI>&s;pices</HI> and <HI>odors,</HI> as tho&s;e were for the King of <HI>A&s;&s;yria,</HI> and for other holy ends.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Becau&s;e el&s;e the promi&s;e of God, and hope of the Saints would</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6</NOTE> <HI>fail, and heaven and earth &s;hall &s;ooner fail, then the word of pro|mi&s;e.</HI> Chri&s;t hath promi&s;ed not only to give life, but eternal life; God hath promi&s;ed to give not only grace but glory; there is a Crown laid up in the purpo&s;e and promi&s;e of God, and if they &s;hould mi&s;s of this, they would be made a&s;hamed of their hope; now this cannot be, the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> prayeth, <HI>that he might not be</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 84. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> <HI>a&s;hamed of his hope,</HI> which is virtually a promi&s;e, it &s;hall not be; never any yet were di&s;appointed that hoped upon right grounds&punc; Indeed if men make Promi&s;es to them&s;elves of heaven, let them live after the imaginations of their hearts; or whether they truly believe or no, their own promi&s;es may fail, but Gods promi&s;es never fail, nor a lively hope founded upon them.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>That the poor, weary, to&s;&s;ed, afflicted people of God may have re&s;t in the bo&s;om of the Father and the Son, and holy Spirit, there</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 4. 9.</NOTE> <HI>remaineth a re&s;t to the people of God,</HI> they have not their re&s;t here, expect it not; but either from within, or without, or both, we have our troubles; the world ca&s;teth them out as the off-&s;cour|ing of all things, they are the de&s;pi&s;ed, hated, mocked people; the <HI>&s;ong of the drunkard, the laughing-&s;tock of the world,</HI> and there|fore
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becau&s;e they ca&s;t them out, the Lord will receive them. If we have not per&s;ecution without, we &s;hall have our exerci&s;es, what between corruption and temptation, and &s;ometimes the terrors of God, and &s;en&s;e of his wrath, &s;ometimes breaking bones, hiding his face from us; there is no re&s;t until we come to enter with him; now we lie among the pots, but then we &s;hall indeed be made glorious, like the wings of a Dove in &s;ulne&s;s. Now this is agreeable not only to the truth, but the goodne&s;s, tenderne&s;s, bowels of the Lord to his people, that his poor af|flicted People &s;hould re&s;t with him&s;elf, when he hath by the&s;e filings, and &s;courings, and &s;iftings, and turnings up and down made them meet for the inheritance of the Saints in light. So much for the Arguments.</P>
<P><HI>For the Application of this, that they that are ready do enter into Glory.</HI> Fir&s;t, it &s;erveth to &s;hew the ble&s;&s;ed condition that the diligent, lively, prepared &s;oul is in; heaven Gate is ready to re|ceive &s;uch a &s;oul: the bo&s;om of <HI>Abraham,</HI> of Chri&s;t opened ready to receive him, he &s;hall enter; they have this priviledge, that many that profe&s;s Je&s;us Chri&s;t have not; <HI>many &s;hall &s;eek to enter, but &s;hall not be able,</HI> that &s;trive not, as he doth: <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed is that &s;ervant</HI> (&s;aith our Saviour) <HI>that his ma&s;ter &s;hall find</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 13. 24.</NOTE> <HI>watching, &s;hall find ready for his coming:</HI> why he will not leave <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12. 37.</NOTE> any &s;uch &s;oul behind, they &s;hall all enter into glory: how ble&s;&s;ed a condition this is, may appear by many con&s;iderations more.</P>
<P>2. <HI>Such a &s;oul as this cannot be &s;urprized, &s;o far as he is ready, he is never &s;urprized:</HI> &s;urprizals are terrible: if Je&s;us Chri&s;t had come without any warning upon the wi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e Virgins while &s;leeping, it had been terrible to them, though they might have entred with him al&s;o; but if we be ready, that day will not take us at unawares: indeed if a child of God be once ready, he cannot be altogether &s;urprized more, though in part he may, if he carry it not the better; he will be &s;till habitually ready, if not actually; &s;o the fooli&s;h Virgins were not. They &s;till have the root of the matter, though it may be under ground, and hid from their eys, and is not this a ble&s;&s;ed thing? as often as you think of the com|ing of Chri&s;t, to think, now let my Saviour come when he plea&s;eth; I am through rich grace ready for him. A &s;ervant,
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when his work is done, a Spou&s;e, when her ornaments are put on, and the hou&s;e trimmed, and all ready for her Bridegroom, <HI>now come when he will, I am ready for him;</HI> before the thoughts of his coming are trouble&s;om and painful, now they are plea&s;ant and delightful.</P>
<P>3. <HI>When death comes, how &s;hall they lift up their heads with comfort, becau&s;e their Redemption draweth near;</HI> O how will they be able to welcome death, welcome Je&s;us Chri&s;t, welcome the kingdom of heaven! it is their entrance into a kingdom, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 21. 28.</NOTE> though it be bitter indeed, and terrible to the wicked, and though there be &s;ome reluctancy in nature again&s;t death, and a <HI>Paul would rather be cloathed upon, then di&s;&s;olved;</HI> and &s;ince it is the birth of &s;in that brought it into the world, no marvel if <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 4.</NOTE> Grace it &s;elf have no delight in it, yet con&s;idering that it is an entrance (though narrow and pinching) into Heaven, into Glory: the Saints that are ready for it, they can bid it welcom. As a poor, weary, to&s;&s;ed Marriner can bid his Port welcome, though there may be &s;ome fear of Rocks, or the like in his landing.</P>
<P>4. <HI>Are they not ble&s;&s;ed &s;ouls that &s;hall enter, that now all their di&s;tances between them and Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hall be done away?</HI> now he whom your &s;ouls loved and longed for, yea, your &s;ouls have many times broken within you, for the longing for him, now he cometh to take you to him&s;elf, that you may be with him, near him, alway in his bo&s;om. Is not this a ble&s;&s;ed Condition? what tends all your &s;triving, and running, and fighting, your wre&s;tling, praying, and weeping to, but this? now the end of your hope, the &s;alvation of your &s;ouls cometh upon you: ble&s;&s;ed, yea for ever ble&s;&s;ed is &s;uch a &s;oul: if Chri&s;t and heaven, the Father, Son, and Spirit enjoyed in an un&s;peakable bo&s;om-communion, will not &s;peak a man ble&s;&s;ed, nothing will: but thus much for this fir&s;t.</P>
<P>2. <HI>Then methinks brethren now we &s;hould be putting the que&s;tion to our own hearts now, whether we be ready or no?</HI> O here is ble&s;&s;edne&s;s <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e. 2.</NOTE> indeed! you cannot but judge that man or woman (though a man of &s;orrow while in the world) haply through temptations, and a heavy body of death, yet that &s;hall enter in Glory when all is done; &s;ure you cannot but judge this man a ble&s;&s;ed man, that is ready for it, for he, and he only &s;hall enter. And can it be
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but you &s;hould reflect now, and enquire of the Lord, and of your own hearts? Lord, am I ready for this coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, or am I not? for one of the two I am; Dear friends, I &s;hall not u&s;e any more arguments to you, but the&s;e two or three con&s;iderations.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>How uncertain this coming of Chri&s;t to you, to call for you, is?</HI> do you know when he will appear? do you know brethren, whether you &s;hall be warned again, called upon again to pre|pare for his coming? this may be the Cry, it may be the Cry is pa&s;t with many of you already: is it not high time to awake, to look about you, to con&s;ider whether you be ready or no?</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>To con&s;ider, That there will be then no time given to pre|pare.</HI> If you be ready, well and good, you enter; if not, you are &s;hut out, as afterward we &s;hall &s;peak. O then, how can we &s;atisfie our &s;elves, and quiet our Con&s;ciences with an ignorance, how it is with us? It is high time &s;urely brethren, to en|quire.</P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Except we do enquire, we are not likely to take a cour&s;e to make ready:</HI> he that thinketh he is ready, or careth not whether he be ready or no, if he be unready; now he is like to be un|ready, for &s;uch a man will not &s;et about the work. O that the Lord would therefore per&s;wade you this day to con&s;ider with your &s;elves, <HI>are you ready, or are you not?</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>There is very great need of this enquiry, becau&s;e alas, many are ready, and think they are unready, and then cannot have the comfort of their Condition, except they come to &s;ee to it in &s;ome mea&s;ure.</HI> 2. Others are ready, and know it, but are not &s;o thankful for it, have not the &s;weetne&s;s of their condition &s;o fre&s;h upon their &s;pi|rits, becau&s;e they do not oftentimes review their condition. 3. There are many that are unready, and think them&s;elves ready: and O how is it likely it &s;hould be better with them, until they come to know how the ca&s;e &s;tands with them? will any go to buy Gold that they might be rich, or white Rayment that they might be cloathed, untill they &s;ee they are poor and naked? &s;urely no. 4. Others are unready, and though their hearts mi&s;|give them they are unready, yet they care not much for it; or el&s;e, they know not how it is with them, and they are contented to be ignorant. Now except the Lord per&s;wade us all brethren, to look into our &s;tate, it is never like to be better with us: &s;uch as
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we are, &s;uch &s;hall we be found at the appearing of Chri&s;t, yea, eve|ry day farther and farther off.</P>
<P>Therefore &s;hall I beg of you brethren, that you would con&s;ider it, &s;et &s;ome time apart, it is the weightie&s;t bu&s;ine&s;s you have to do in the world; you will have a time for all other nece&s;&s;ary things, your eating, drinking, managing your civil affairs; and is the &s;oul-concernment the lea&s;t, that you &s;hould &s;o &s;light it? Well then, wil you this day retire your &s;elves, deal effectually with your hearts? what if this night you &s;hould be taken away, or you &s;hould never &s;ee Sabbath more, are you ready for the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t? I doubt our hearts would an&s;wer no; alas, our work is to do: alas, how many poor &s;ouls that have not a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Zech. 12. 10.</NOTE> week, a moneth haply to live, yet have not one dram of Grace! O put that que&s;tion, have you this oyl? have you the Spirit of Grace and Supplication given to you? <HI>have you Chri&s;t dwelling in you, and transforming and changing you into his image from Glo|ry</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 3. 18.</NOTE> <HI>to Glory?</HI> Ah dear friends, what mean our loath&s;om conver|&s;ations then? what mean the vilene&s;s of our hearts, the ful|ne&s;s, and rottenne&s;s, and &s;in that is there? are you mortified in any good mea&s;ure, or no? It may be you have for&s;aken the pollutions of the world, but is the heart of &s;in killed, hath it its deaths wound, out of which continually the life and &s;pirits of &s;in are emptying, are you weary of it? do you loath it, and your &s;elves for its vilene&s;s? O do not deceive your &s;elves.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>Are your Graces lively?</HI> It may be thou ha&s;t a &s;park, but it is buried in the a&s;hes. Indeed I doubt brethren, the&s;e times of pro&s;perity to the Church, bury more Chri&s;tians alive, then any days that ever we &s;aw: why now, are we ready? are our Lamps burning, our loins girded? O how active, and &s;tir|ring, and lively are the Graces of the Spirit in &s;ome, over they are in others! you are &s;o far unready for the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and &s;o far it will be uncomfortable to you; be&s;ides, <HI>do ye live by faith above all this for righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> el&s;e we are not ready? Is this the top of all, <HI>that we might be found in him?</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) &s;earch and &s;ee, take heed, you have to do with de&s;pe|rately wicked and deceitful hearts.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>Are we ready for the abundant entrance?</HI> how few of us have this per&s;wa&s;ion? our calling and election is not made &s;ure; we do not know what would become of us, if God &s;hould
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call for us: how can his coming be comfortable to us? we are &s;o far from waiting for his coming, that every thought of it goeth cold to our hearts; that which &s;hould mo&s;t warm us, re|fre&s;h us. O brethren, let me beg of you for Je&s;us &s;ake, no longer to &s;light this great and nece&s;&s;ary work; give your hearts no re&s;t, until you &s;ee whether you be ready or no. Suppo&s;e you &s;hall find your &s;elves unready, it is better to know it in time, then when it is too late: now there is hope, if you be not ready, you may obtain mercy: you may make the more ha&s;te to get ready, that that day may be a ble&s;&s;ed, a comfortable day to your &s;ouls.</P>
<P>3. Then brethren, <HI>If we be not ready for his appearing, &s;hall I</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 3.</NOTE> <HI>beg of you brethren, for Je&s;us &s;ake, and for your poor &s;ouls &s;ake, that you would now re&s;olve whatever bu&s;ine&s;s be done, you would not leave this at &s;ix and &s;evens.</HI> It is the one thing nece&s;&s;ary you have to do: nothing will yield you a dram of comfort, nor arm your hearts again&s;t the fears of death, but this; nothing will give you entrance into Glory, but this. Indeed if riches would be an entrance, or he that keeps the doors, and openeth, and no man &s;hutteth, could be bribed with the multitude of gold, it were &s;omewhat for men to heap it up as the du&s;t, and raiment as the clay; if men were admitted according to their glorious apparrel, or if the riches of the head, and trea&s;uries of humane knowledge would do it, Scholars might do well to &s;pend all their time in &s;earching after that, and none, or little or none to make ready for the appearing of Je&s;us Chri&s;t: but &s;urely brethren, &s;urely you will find, <HI>nothing will find an entrance, but readine&s;s for his coming.</HI> The Lord give you believing hearts this day: how un|wearied are men for other things which are trifles, and will not profit, and not one hour in an hundred &s;pent &s;eriou&s;ly with their own &s;ouls? And though &s;ome men have more time then others, yet &s;urely brethren, he that is mo&s;t bu&s;ie, mu&s;t find time for this great work, or mi&s;earry. O therefore labour, pre&s;s hard after it, u&s;e all means po&s;&s;ible, you mu&s;t take pains brethren; &s;uch unready hearts as we have, will not be had in readine&s;s without much and con&s;tant pains-taking: As a Garden that is quickly overgrown with weeds, it mu&s;t be taken pains with again and again; &s;o here, &amp;c. And &s;o in keeping an hou&s;e clean
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and ready, there mu&s;t be pains taken with it. Ah brethren, ex|cept your &s;ouls follow hard after Chri&s;t, you will never find him to your comfort. The Lord touch your hearts, and then you &s;hall find him.</P>
<P><HI>Again, you will &s;ay, Why I hope I am ready; Well then labour to maintain this readine&s;s.</HI> Alas, how &s;oon is the &s;weete&s;t frame lo&s;t? think not, I have now done the main work, therefore you may take more liberty then other men, now you may indulge your &s;elves, take more ea&s;e, more liberty about the world, then other men. Alas brethren, how &s;oon will the world, and cares of it overcharge you? how hard a thing is it <HI>to buy, as if you po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ed not, to u&s;e it, as if you u&s;ed it not? and if you be overcharged</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 21. 34.</NOTE> <HI>with the cares of the world, this day will overtake you at unawares.</HI> Yea, I tell you brethren, if that day take you at unawares, as I doubt, if it &s;hould come at any day upon us, it would take many of us when we are overcharged: O ea&s;e your &s;elves of &s;ome of your burthen, have no more to do then will give you leave to maintain your communion with God, and make &s;ure of the main thing, <HI>to get your &s;ouls ready, and keep them ready for the appearing of Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> O that we would be per&s;waded to this end, to have every day &s;ome conver&s;e with this his coming, and to labour to work the thought of it upon our hearts, that accordingly we may be affected with it, as we find our &s;elves ready or unready, and &s;o be carried out to make provi&s;ion for it.</P>
<P><HI>And how &s;hould we willingly &s;ubmit to any dealings of God with us, that tend to make us ready.</HI> Therefore the Apo&s;tle would have them <HI>count it all joy, when they fell into many temptations or</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iames 1. 2.</NOTE> <HI>trials;</HI> this is the knocking of the torch, this is the &s;nuffers which mu&s;t take off the wick of our Lamps, and &s;o trim them up; we &s;hall find one day, we have more cau&s;e to be thankful for our afflictions, if &s;anctified, then for the contrary di&s;pen&s;ation: I do verily think there is nothing here below helpeth us forward more. And labour to &s;ee all working together for this great end, that we may be found ready at the appearing of the Lord Je&s;us. And labour for a readine&s;s, for an <HI>abundant entrance into Glory.</HI> As the Apo&s;tle exhorts them.</P>
<P>And though at pre&s;ent thou can&s;t not find thou art ready, be not di&s;couraged, for thou may&s;t be ready in a good part, and for
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the main, and yet not know that thou art ready: only &s;tick not here, let not fear &s;o overcharge thee, as to hinder thee, and weaken thy hands, but make it thy work with thy whole might, <HI>to make ready for his coming, pray hard, &s;tudy thy heart much, &s;tir up thy &s;oul, and the graces that are there;</HI> though much corruption do appear, &amp; the a&s;hes fly about their ears in this &s;earching, yet &s;earch and try, and yet not &s;o much blow the little &s;park as to blow it out, but labour to cheri&s;h it, increa&s;e it; O Lord increa&s;e our faith; then corruption will down, then communion with Chri&s;t will ri&s;e higher and higher, for it is with us indeed according to our faith; therefore whatever we do, take heed of what weakens our faith, of di&s;couraging, de&s;ponding thoughts, &s;tudy promi&s;es, the ne|ce&s;&s;ity of God in Chri&s;t: O the un&s;earchable trea&s;ures of com|fort that are in every promi&s;e, in every letter of his Name! Labour to live by faith brethren, and as that groweth, all the re&s;t will come on; and thou wilt come at la&s;t to be &s;en&s;ible that thou do&s;t believe, to feel it, and know it, and then thy readine&s;s for Chri&s;t will be more then ordinary, and thy entrance abun|dant into this Glory.</P>
<P>The next thing we are to con&s;ider in this coming of Chri&s;t, is, <HI>that they went in with him to the marriage,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 10.</NOTE> The note will be this.</P>
<P><HI>That &s;uch as are ready for the coming of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, they go in with him to the Marriage with the Bridegroom.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr.</NOTE></P>
<P>Here is to be noted then. 1. <HI>The Marriage;</HI> and 2. <HI>The going in with Chri&s;t the Bridegroom to the Marriage:</HI> and &s;ome what &s;aid for the opening of them. And then we &s;hall confirm the Doctrine, and apply it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>The Marriage here, what is meant by that?</HI> Here then by <HI>Marriage,</HI> we may under&s;tand a <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t, the con|&s;ummation of the Marriage, and the Marriage-fea&s;t,</HI> made in token of joy: nothing was more ordinary then this, at Mar|riages to make fea&s;ts. As in the example of <HI>Samp&s;on,</HI> at his Marriage they made a fea&s;t. And &s;o <HI>Laban</HI> made a fea&s;t of &s;even <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iudg. 14. 10.</NOTE> daies long for the Marriage of his daughter, <HI>fulfill her week, and then I will give thee the other al&s;o.</HI> And &s;o again in <HI>Cana</HI> of <HI>Galilee,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 29. 20.</NOTE>
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you &s;ee they were at a Marriage-fea&s;t. So now at the <HI>Mariage of the Lamb; of the Lord Je&s;us, there is a fea&s;t, a Marriage-fea&s;t:</HI> Yea, but you will &s;ay, this is not ground enough to under&s;tand here by the <HI>Marriage, a Marriage-fea&s;t,</HI> for they are di&s;tinct things: It is true, they are di&s;tinct, but yet in ordinary practice they were not &s;eparated one from another, but went &s;o together, that u&s;ually in Greek and Latin, the <HI>Fea&s;t</HI> is comprehended under the word for <HI>Marriage,</HI> if not principally &s;ignified in many places. So in that of <HI>Laban, he made a Fea&s;t,</HI> &s;aith the &s;eventy Interpreters, <HI>he made a Marri|age. So there was a Marriage in Cana of Galilee,</HI> (that is to &s;ay) a <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t</HI> was made there. And &s;o it &s;eems the Syriach renders it u&s;ually in the New Te&s;tament by a <HI>Fea&s;t;</HI> as <HI>Grotius</HI> upon this place, and <HI>Matthew</HI> in the beginning noteth. Therefore here by <HI>Marriage,</HI> we will under&s;tand a <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 2.</NOTE> So <HI>E&s;ther 1. 3. The King made a Marriage-fea&s;t.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Now the Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a Fea&s;t,</HI> both the kingdom of Grace, and the kingdom of Glory. The kingdom of Grace is a <HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> and a rich <HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> full of royal dainties, as you may find by &s;everal Scriptures; In that of <HI>Matthew, The</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22. 4.</NOTE> <HI>Kingdom of Heaven &s;hall be compared to a certain King, who made a Marriage for his Son,</HI> which the <HI>Syriach</HI> well terms a <HI>Mar|riage-fea&s;t</HI> or <HI>Banquet,</HI> which <HI>Matthew</HI> cals a <HI>Dinner,</HI> and <HI>Luke</HI> cals a <HI>Supper;</HI> and indeed it is both, for the <HI>Father, Son, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 14. 16.</NOTE> <HI>Spirit do come in, and dine and &s;up with us;</HI> they do continually eat bread at his Table, as <HI>Mephibo&s;heth</HI> did at <HI>Davids</HI> Table, 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 9. 7. So it is clear, <HI>Behold I make a Fea&s;t of fat things, of wine on the Lees, a Fea&s;t to all Nations;</HI> what is that, but the Go&s;pel <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 25. 6.</NOTE> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and the Ordinances thereof, and Chri&s;t held forth in them to be a <HI>Fea&s;t</HI> to every one that will come to him, as the carka&s;s is to the Eagles; as the Lord &s;ometimes in Scripture invites the fowls of heaven to a <HI>Fea&s;t he maketh for them,</HI> (that is to &s;ay) <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24. 28. Ezek. 39. 17.</NOTE> <HI>to the dead carka&s;&s;es of his enemies;</HI> but here, <HI>to the carka&s;s of his Son, who is &s;lain for Sinners, a crucified Chri&s;t is the carka&s;s, he is the fatted Calf indeed, he is the kidneys of the wheat, the fat,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32. 14.</NOTE> <HI>the fine&s;t of it: his fle&s;h is meat indeed, and drink indeed.</HI> Now this mu&s;t be &s;piritually under&s;tood, not carnally; <HI>the Kingdom of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 14&punc; 17.</NOTE> <HI>Heaven is not in meat and drink,</HI> much le&s;s in eating and drinking the fle&s;h and blood of Chri&s;t, carnally, as the Papi&s;ts &s;ay,
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but &s;piritually: <HI>It is joy, peace, and righteou&s;ne&s;s, joy in the holy Gho&s;t,</HI> here is the <HI>Fea&s;t.</HI> If here below we mu&s;t know that this <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 14. 17.</NOTE> Fea&s;t may be lookt upon, either according to the externals, or el&s;e the internals of it; and yet in both re&s;pects &s;piritual; <HI>The Jews that fell in the wilderne&s;s, did all eat the &s;ame &s;piritual meat, and drink the &s;ame &s;piritual drink and yet they fell in the wilderne&s;s.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10.</NOTE> The ordinances, the word, the &s;ealing ordinances, bapti&s;m and the Lords &s;upper, &s;itting at the Lords Table, the&s;e are the externals of the <HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> that many Carrion-Crow may come to. And you &s;ee there in the Go&s;pel, <HI>He that had no wedding garment upon him, yet came to the Fea&s;t;</HI> Sure he went no further then the exter|nals, you &s;ee <HI>he is ca&s;t out into utter darkne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>Now this may be called the <HI>Marriage,</HI> or the <HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> becau&s;e here below they are nece&s;&s;ary for us as &s;igns of that &s;piritual communion; the Lord &s;eeth it good we have the&s;e royal dainties thus repre&s;ented to us by vi&s;ible, &s;en&s;ible things, becau&s;e of our weakne&s;s; and to magnifie his own conde&s;cending Grace to us, to make that my&s;terie of &s;alvation by a crucified Chri&s;t, which all the rea&s;on in the world cannot fathom; and that <HI>which neither eye hath &s;een, nor ear heard,</HI> yet in a &s;ort vi&s;ible to the eye, and to be perceived by the ear, that we might even in <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 64. 4.</NOTE> this &s;acramental &s;en&s;e even touch, and ta&s;te, and handle (as I may &s;ay) the word of life.</P>
<P>2. As they are &s;eals and pledges of this &s;piritual communion, being &s;eals of the Covenant of Grace whereof Je&s;us Chri&s;t is the &s;um and &s;ub&s;tance, it &s;ealeth it up to a believers Faith, and &s;o &s;tands us in great &s;tead: And,</P>
<P>3. It is a means of our &s;piritual communion, the Conduit|pipe that runs wine, the di&s;hes that hold the dainties, though but gold, as Kings and Princes u&s;e to be &s;erved up in &s;uch State, yet it is not them we feed upon, they are but the means, the <HI>vehicu|la,</HI> and therefore becau&s;e they have &s;uch a re&s;pect to our &s;piri|tual communion with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, they may be &s;o called.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, the internal communion with Je&s;us Chri&s;t is that indeed which is the <HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> the <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t,</HI> even here below, to eat and drink the fle&s;h and blood of the Son of God, which giveth life, and maintains life; this is the <HI>Fea&s;t, Eat and drink, yea drink abundantly,</HI> &s;aith the Lord; I &s;hall be &s;a|tisfied abundantly with the goodne&s;s of thy hou&s;e; abundantly <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 5. P&s;al. 36. 8.</NOTE>
<PB N="341" REF="237">
&s;atisfied, watered, inebriated with the fatne&s;s of thy hou&s;e: what is that? not meerly with the Ordinances, no; but with Chri&s;tin them, <HI>beholding his might and glory in the Ordinances,</HI> the mighty prevailing of the Spirit of Chri&s;t again&s;t our unbelief, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 106. 4.</NOTE> to quiet all our doubtings, O it is this, <HI>to &s;ee the good of the cho&s;en of the Lord;</HI> tho&s;e choice inward refre&s;hings which the poor believers have from the pre&s;ence and powerful workings of Chri&s;t in them, to the joy of faith, and to &s;trengthen again&s;t corruption, to &s;trengthen for action, for &s;uffering his will, this is that they cry out after, <HI>even after the living God, to enjoy him.</HI> And all this is but the Kingdom of God below, this is but the fir&s;t cour&s;e, as I may &s;ay, of this fea&s;t.</P>
<P>For &s;econdly, <HI>The Kingdom of glory as well as the Kingdom of grace;</HI> which is that now I am to &s;peak to; <HI>this is a fea&s;t, a Marriage</HI> here called, that is to &s;ay, a Marriage-fea&s;t; for what is the Kingdom of grace here below, but a foreta&s;te of heaven? as <HI>Grotius</HI> upon <HI>Matth.</HI> 22. &s;aith. As in the <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t at Cana of Galilee,</HI> contrary to the u&s;ual manner, our Saviour kept his be&s;t wine la&s;t; &s;o it is here, as by and by we &s;hall &s;ee here the wine, the &s;pirits indeed. But a little to prove this by a Scripture or two, that it may appear plain, <HI>ye that have continu|ed with me in my temptation, I appoint to you a Kingdom, as my Fa|ther</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 22. 29, 30.</NOTE> <HI>hath appointed unto me, that ye may eat and drink at my table, in my Kingdom: So many &s;hall come from the Ea&s;t, and from the We&s;t, and &s;hall &s;it down with</HI> Abraham, I&s;aac <HI>and</HI> Jacob <HI>in the King|dom</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 8. 11. Exod. 32. 6.</NOTE> <HI>of heaven;</HI> &s;it down, <GAP DESC="foreign">, their table je&s;ture, <HI>Joh.</HI> 12. 2. they that &s;it at the Table are Gue&s;ts: But now eat|ing and drinking in Scripture many times do &s;ignifie a fea&s;ting; and &s;o it is here to be taken: and let it be noted by way of fur|ther <NOTE PLACE="marg">Judg. 9. 27.</NOTE> proof, that the Jews did not ordinarily drink wine, except at their fea&s;ts, and then they did drink abundantly, if the ob&s;erva|tion of &s;ome be true, as <HI>Pi&s;cator</HI> in his <HI>Schol.</HI> upon <HI>Math.</HI> 26. 29. cited by Mr. <HI>Brin&s;ly;</HI> but whether &s;o or no, &s;ure we are, they did u&s;e to drink more liberally then, <HI>eat the fat and drink the &s;weet,</HI> when it was a good day or a merry day to them; <HI>for his heart was merry, his heart was good;</HI> and the &s;adne&s;s of the heart was <NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 8. 10.</NOTE> called the <HI>evil of the heart</HI> in the Hebrew often; in&s;omuch that the ordinary word in the Hebrew for a fea&s;t, is a drinking, <GAP DESC="foreign">. So in <HI>Aha&s;huerus</HI> his fea&s;t is called, and <HI>Labans</HI> fea&s;t is
<PB N="342" REF="238">
called a drinking; and it appears by the abundance of wine our <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 29.</NOTE> Saviour made at the Marriage-fea&s;t at <HI>Cana</HI> of <HI>Galilee.</HI> There|fore you &s;hall find that the fea&s;t which Chri&s;t maketh is a fea&s;t of <HI>wines on the Lees well refined; come and buy wine and milk without</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 25. 6.</NOTE> <HI>money, and without price.</HI> And &s;o for this Kingdom of heaven, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26. 29.</NOTE> this Marriage-fea&s;t at the height, is called a drinking of new wine with them in the Kindgom of the Father, that is to &s;ay, the King|dom of glory, called his Fathers Kingdom; becau&s;e at that day, that is to &s;ay, at the day of the re&s;urrection, he will give up his di&s;pen&s;atory Kingdom to his Father, <HI>that God may be all in all:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 15. 24.</NOTE> And for other rea&s;ons, but I mu&s;t not &s;tay upon that. Well, here he will drink new wine with them, which is nothing el&s;e but a periphra&s;is of this fea&s;t, this <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t in heaven. The cup of ble&s;&s;ing, the cup of con&s;olation, the cup of health or &s;alvati|on is the fea&s;t of Chri&s;t here below:</HI> but this now mu&s;t be drunk new in the <HI>Kingdom of his Father;</HI> there will be a new fea&s;t of wine, a <HI>fea&s;t of new wine.</HI> And &s;o much for the proof of this.</P>
<P>Now we mu&s;t under&s;tand Brethren, <HI>that this fea&s;t in heaven</HI> is not any corporal thing, I hope it is needle&s;s to tell any of you this; the heathens dream of an <HI>Ely&s;ian-</HI>field, and the <HI>Mahometans</HI> of their carnal delights after death, tho&s;e are poor husks, that will not &s;atisfie a &s;oul of a child of God here, they are &s;ordid and in|finitely below a heaven-born &s;pirit; no, it mu&s;t be &s;omewhat of as high a nature as the &s;pring from whence they come. Why you may judge what it is in the General Brethren, though particular|ly we know not what we &s;hall be: What is the Kingdom of hea|ven here below, <HI>but righteou&s;ne&s;s, and peace, and joy in the Holy-Gho&s;t, the &s;weet and &s;piritual communion with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom&punc; 14. 17.</NOTE> <HI>fellow&s;hip of his death and &s;ufferings, life and re&s;urrection,</HI> whereby we are in part changed into his Image? that a man liveth upon will change him ordinarily, therefore the King, you know, would have the children in <HI>Dan. fed with a portion of his meat;</HI> generous|&s;pirited wine, will beget more and better &s;pirits then cour&s;e and cold, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> So here, by <HI>this communion we are changed in part,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2&punc; Cor. 3. 18.</NOTE> though alas, in how little a part. But now in heaven Bre|thren, <HI>the &s;ame communion heightned,</HI> it &s;hall be &s;o powerful, as that we <HI>&s;hall be like him indeed; then &s;hall we be like him,</HI> this we know, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle.</P>
<P><PB N="343" REF="238">
I will in&s;tance in a few things Brethren: <HI>Then will there be the love of Chri&s;t manife&s;ted to us.</HI> It may be thou ha&s;t had thy heart touched with him, and thou knowe&s;t not what aileth thee, poor &s;oul, but follow him thou mu&s;t, thou can&s;t not give him over, <HI>thou art &s;ick of love for him;</HI> but thou ha&s;t &s;carce ever had a good <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 1. 2.</NOTE> look from him, little of his love, or as thou thinke&s;t, none. Now Brethren, will it be the Love of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t to us, that will be the fea&s;t indeed, <HI>O thy love is better then wine;</HI> it is better, it is &s;pirits, it is life, it is that which giveth life, and keepeth life, and fetcheth life again when it is even going; this then is the fea&s;t, the love of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t to thy poor &s;illy &s;oul, that thou looke&s;t upon as neglected by God, and neglected by men, <HI>no man careth for thy &s;oul.</HI> Believe it Brethren, you that follow Chri&s;t thus, you &s;hall have a time of making out his love to you, and this will be the fea&s;t, the Love of God will an&s;wer all the dainties that can be devi&s;ed, a compleat fea&s;t, it is virtually all. Even among men you &s;ee, <HI>Love will turn a dinner of hearbs into a fea&s;t;</HI> O how much more then where Love it &s;elf is the filling of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 15. 17.</NOTE> every di&s;h!</P>
<P>2. <HI>The &s;ouls joy in this love,</HI> not to &s;peak of the &s;ouls returns of love again, and prai&s;es, <HI>hallelujahs</HI> to eternity, which are the fruits; <HI>but the joy in this Love,</HI> it con&s;i&s;ts here in joy, in that place to the <HI>Romans;</HI> can it cho&s;e but be joy to a poor &s;oul think you, to &s;ee the heart of the Father. <HI>opened to us in Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> his <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 14. 17.</NOTE> bowels of Love all &s;hed abroad upon us? therefore the <HI>Kingdom of heaven</HI> is &s;o expre&s;&s;ed by joy, <HI>enter thou into thy Ma&s;ters joy,</HI> or the joy of the Lord. But to &s;peak a little to &s;oul-heightning <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25. 23.</NOTE> con&s;iderations of this fea&s;t in tho&s;e particulars, that we might get our hearts in love with heaven, with this fea&s;t.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t con&s;ider, It is now Brethren to be more immediate, then here below, it is new wine, the mo&s;t excellent in its kind, that is re&s;erved until the la&s;t; the excellency of this fea&s;t of wine in hea|ven will appear by this among other con&s;iderations: That the Communion &s;hall be more immediate, <HI>Dulcius ex ip&s;ofonte, waters are mo&s;t &s;weet out of the Fountain immediately; now God &s;hall be all in all when the Kingdom is given up to him,</HI> he &s;hall be in&s;tead of <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15. 24.</NOTE> all Ordinances; Now indeed the <HI>Conduits</HI> run wine, and we may drink, and that freely, but yet it is not &s;o immediately, we are indeed not fit for &s;uch a condition; we mu&s;t make u&s;e of them un|til
<PB N="344" REF="239">
he come again, u&s;e the&s;e &s;hadows and types; So that the com|munion is not &s;o immediat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <HI>N<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e &s;ee him not as he is, but then we &s;hall,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> more through a gla&s;s darkly,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 3. 2. 1 Cor. 13. 12.</NOTE> and &s;ullyed gla&s;s by our polluted breath our corrupted hearts do &s;ully Ordinances, el&s;e we &s;hould &s;ee him much more brightly then we do; but there &s;hall be no more need, <HI>but face to face.</HI> If the beauty of Chri&s;t his love do take us &s;o, when we have but dark hints of it, as a face in a dim gla&s;s: O what will it be when we &s;hall &s;ee him as he is? we &s;hall not need the pipes any more, but even go to the <HI>Fountain,</HI> the <HI>Rivers,</HI> the <HI>Seas of Love.</HI></P>
<P>2. <HI>More &s;incerely, it is now altogether without mixture:</HI> Alas Brethren, we now eat the Lord Je&s;us our Pa&s;&s;-over, and feed up|on his love, but all the while it is with &s;owr herbs, there is a mix|ture of grief when we look upon our crucified Saviour. Cruci|fied by us and for us, and &s;o his love is better then wine now to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 1. 2.</NOTE> us; but alas, there is &s;ome gall or Vinegar mixed with it; &s;ome &s;in, &s;ome temptation, &s;ome affliction without, that weakens the comfort the &s;oul might take in the love of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. But in heaven there &s;hall be none Brethren, no mixture at all, <HI>here the Lord giveth us a cup of trembling to drink,</HI> a cup of mixture: <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 75. 8.</NOTE> that is to &s;ay, ready prepared wine, and his people drink round of it u&s;ually, and he &s;eeth it nece&s;&s;ary; there mu&s;t be &s;ome Acrimony, &s;ome &s;alt to keep us from corrupting, before we come to our glorified &s;tate, and &s;o be able to bear that his love without any mixture at all of the contrary; No anger, the meat &s;weet, the &s;auce &s;weet, the wine &s;weet, the bread &s;weet.</P>
<P>3. <HI>More fully,</HI> infinitely more fully; if I may &s;o &s;peak of that which a finite, though a glorified creature is capable to receive: Now we have a drop or two Brethren, but then our fulne&s;s, then the narrow-mouthed vials &s;hall be enlarged to receive more fully, and to expre&s;s more fully to Je&s;us Chri&s;t again in his high and everla&s;ting prai&s;es. What is that which cometh through the Con|duit to the Fountain? the Sea it &s;elf. Ah Brethren, here we are at a lo&s;s, we do not know what the Lord hath to pour out upon us, the fulne&s;s of his Love in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;o as that we &s;hall be &s;wallowed up. It is &s;o much here, that the Apo&s;tle admireth it, <HI>behold what manner of love is this, that we,</HI> poor worms, <HI>&s;hould be called the &s;ons of God?</HI> then they &s;hall admire much more; but <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Ioh. 3. 1.</NOTE> alas, the mea&s;ure doth not appear, <HI>it cannot enter into the heart of
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man,</HI> it is too narrow, and the love too great, it cannot enter into his heart to conceive: Some of the Saints have had &s;o much of love manife&s;ted, and joy in that love, that they have been fain to beg of God to hold his hand, they could hold no more; and &s;o great, as to quench the flames, that they could not hurt nor pain them, they could feel nothing; O &s;ure this was a flood, that <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.</NOTE> could put out &s;uch flaming torments. But yet this is nothing, it appears not what we &s;hould be, <HI>at thy right hand there is fulne&s;s</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25. 23.</NOTE> <HI>of joy;</HI> and &s;o much, as that the Saints are &s;aid <HI>to enter into it,</HI> it cannot enter into them, they are &s;wallowed up; O this will be a full fea&s;t indeed; here there will be an abundant drinking. And it mu&s;t needs be &s;o, Brethren, if we con&s;ider;</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>What it is that maketh this fea&s;t;</HI> or fir&s;t, <HI>that it is a fea&s;t;</HI> it is not an ordinary meal: Now you know men at a fea&s;t do more liberally provide for their friends here below, it is a fea&s;t indeed, but nothing to this.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Who provideth this fea&s;t;</HI> it is not a poor mans fea&s;t, but the fea&s;t of a King; &s;uch a fea&s;t you &s;ee <HI>Aha&s;huerus</HI> made for his Princes; now a King will make a fea&s;t like a King; Princes have <NOTE PLACE="marg">He&s;t. 1. 3.</NOTE> their names from liberality and free, <HI>with a free &s;pirit, thy Princely &s;pirit,</HI> all tho&s;e as a King did <HI>Arauna</HI> give to the King, <HI>li|berally,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 24. 23.</NOTE> <HI>freely;</HI> it was a great gift freely given. So here, it is a King that maketh this fea&s;t; Kings u&s;ually have larger, more noble &s;pirits, as they have larger pur&s;es, and therefore at their fea&s;ts they u&s;e to &s;hew the Magnificence, and glory of their Kingdom. And &s;o doth God here Brethren; A King, yea the King of heaven, the King of glory, the King of Kings, and King of Saints, he will &s;hew the glory of his Kingdom, and his magnificence, the excellency of his greatne&s;s in making this fea&s;t; therefore &s;urely there mu&s;t needs be fulne&s;s of <HI>love</HI> and <HI>joy.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>It is a fea&s;t,</HI> not an ordinary, but a Marriage-fea&s;t, and &s;uch u&s;ed to be more then ordinary al&s;o, being a time of greate&s;t re|joycing; you &s;ee the Marriage fea&s;t at which Chri&s;t was, what an abundance of wine there was turned from water by our Sa|viour; if you compute it, it will appear &s;ome 300. gallons <HI>full;</HI> &s;ix water-pots, holding three mea&s;ures a piece or two, and each mea&s;ure an hundred pints; very great &s;tore indeed.</P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>It is a fea&s;t, a Marriage-fea&s;t,</HI> not only for a &s;ervant or friend being married, but for a Son, the only Son, a Son and heir
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of all, a beloved Son, mo&s;t dearly beloved; all the&s;e &s;urely will exceedingly heighten the con&s;iderations of the fulne&s;s of the fea&s;t brethren, the fulne&s;s of that love which &s;hall there be manife|&s;ted, and of the Believers joy in that love; the&s;e things are height|ned to us in that place of <HI>Matthew:</HI> Indeed the very fea&s;t here <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25. 34.</NOTE> in the Go&s;pel is heightned by the&s;e con&s;iderations; but much more then this. Yea,</P>
<P N="5">5. Con&s;ider yet further, <HI>It is a Marriage-fea&s;t,</HI> for which pre|paration hath been making from eternity, God hath been provi|ding for it, <HI>Come ye ble&s;&s;ed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom pre|pared for you before the world;</HI> in the&s;e things he would have us &s;urely to under&s;tand the decree and purpo&s;e of &s;uch a thing: And withal, <HI>we may note the greatne&s;s and magnificence of the fea&s;t.</HI> You know men if they would royally entertain a Prince, they make provi&s;ion long before, and as long as they can, to get all about them, the rarities that the earth or Sea affords, &s;pecially if a King be the provider. O Brethren, the Lord hath been laying in, as I may &s;ay, this wine, preparing it for us from eternity: therefore &s;urely it will appear in an un&s;peakable fulne&s;s.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, <HI>It will be more con&s;tantly, without interruption; and la&s;t|ingly, without any end:</HI> No interruption at all; here we have our vici&s;&s;itudes, now we have a &s;weet cup, <HI>a draught, a full draught,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 2. 5.</NOTE> <HI>a flagon,</HI> it may be to &s;tay us when we are &s;ick of love; by and by we have nothing but our wormwood and our gall to chew upon; now we can behold him, have a glorious view of him, and our hearts ravi&s;hed with it; by and by he is upon the Cro&s;s nailed by our &s;ins, and we cannot but look upon him with a mourning eye. But there, Brethren, &s;hall be no interruption, nothing but eating and drinking this Love of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t. All his thoughts will be love to us, and all our thoughts love and joy: no room for one &s;igh, for one tear of &s;orrow, for one groan any more: and then, it is not for a term, and then to end, but it is for ever, <HI>at thy right hand there are plea&s;ures for ever|more.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16.</NOTE></P>
<P>For the time when, and the place where this &s;hall be; It will be at that day in the Kingdom of the Father: It will begin at the &s;ouls going <HI>to the &s;pirits of ju&s;t men made perfect;</HI> it goeth to Chri&s;t, <HI>this day thou &s;halt be with me in Paradi&s;e;</HI> it goeth to the bo&s;om <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26. 29. 2 Tim. 4. 8. <HI>and</HI> 1. 12.</NOTE> of the Lord Je&s;us, to <HI>Abrahams</HI> bo&s;om; and beginneth this fea&s;t.
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But the <HI>fulne&s;s</HI> of it is not until the glorified body &s;hall be united to the glorified &s;oul, and then both together &s;hall be filled with this fulne&s;s of love, and fulne&s;s of joy to all eternity.</P>
<P>For the place, <HI>It is in heaven,</HI> where Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;itteth at the right hand of the Father: There <HI>Stephen</HI> &s;aw him, and there he abideth, <HI>where he is, there the Saints will be;</HI> &s;ome think this is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk 22. 12.</NOTE> typified probably by the upper Chamber where they did eat the Pa&s;&s;-over and the Supper; but no more of that.</P>
<P>Now the &s;econd thing cometh under hand, that is to &s;ay, <HI>That they go in with the Bridegroom to this fea&s;t.</HI> Wherein the&s;e things will be con&s;iderable.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>How he brings them in unto the fea&s;t.</HI> And then,</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Why it is &s;o.</HI> And then &s;omewhat to the Applica|tion.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, he may be &s;aid to bring them in, and they to go in with him into the fea&s;t, <HI>becau&s;e he is the meritorious cau&s;e of their entrance into glory:</HI> As he is the entrance of a Believer into the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2. 18.</NOTE> grace wherein we &s;tand, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks, &s;o al&s;o into the glory. There is no acceptance with the Father, no acce&s;s, but in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5. 2.</NOTE> and through Je&s;us Chri&s;t; as a poor creature hath no admittance into the pre&s;ence and table of a King, but that the &s;on takes him by the hand and leads him in; the Lord Je&s;us then is the merito|rious cau&s;e, <HI>he went to prepare a place for us.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 14. 2.</NOTE></P>
<P>Secondly, he doth now, as I may &s;ay, <HI>when a &s;oul is brought to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">His a&s;cention and return to fetch them.</NOTE> <HI>heaven,</HI> after the manner of men, I may &s;ay, <HI>he doth receive it, and &s;o pre&s;ent it;</HI> they go in with Je&s;us Chri&s;t. But,</P>
<P>Thirdly, And chiefly at the la&s;t day, at that day he &s;hall come again with his glorious Angels, to gather all the Saints together, and &s;o to bring them to his Father, <HI>to deliver the Kingdom up un|to him, to pre&s;ent them as a Spou&s;e without &s;pot, or wrinkle, or any</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5. 27. 1 The&s;. 4.</NOTE> <HI>&s;uch thing; thus he &s;hall appear the &s;econd time without &s;in, to them that look for him, and &s;o they &s;hall for ever be with the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, He brings them unto the Marriage, they go with him even into tho&s;e joyes, unto that eternal bli&s;s and glory he leads them into, and there &s;itteth down with them at the Mar|riage-fea&s;t, eating &amp; drinking with him <HI>this new wine in the King|dom</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9. 28.</NOTE> <HI>of the Father;</HI> It is not only his bringing of them, or their going in with him into the place where the&s;e glorious manife&s;ta|tions
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of God &s;hall be for ever, but even into the very depth of tho&s;e di&s;coveries, and there he &s;itteth down with them.</P>
<P>For the Arguments, Be&s;ides that none el&s;e could do it for us, as you heard.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>His faithfulne&s;s to them requireth it,</HI> He hath promi&s;ed he will never leave them, until he had fulfilled for them all the good that he hath &s;poken; now this is &s;poken, that he will give <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6. 54.</NOTE> them glory as well as grace, that he will give them eternal life, and rai&s;e them up at the la&s;t day, el&s;e he were not a faithful High-Prie&s;t nor a faithful Saviour, if he &s;hould leave them &s;hort; you know it was his la&s;t Will and Te&s;tament, in that place of <HI>Ioh</HI> 17. and will he &s;ee his own Will and Te&s;tament violated? <HI>Father, I will that where I am, they &s;hall be al&s;o;</HI> now they can|not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 17. 24. Ioh. 6. 39, 40.</NOTE> come to be where he is, except he bring them with him, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks, they &s;hall enter in therefore with him; ha|ving undertaken to &s;ave them, he will do it to the utmo&s;t: yea, it is the will of his Father al&s;o, which he hath undertaken to &s;ee fulfilled, therefore how can he be faithful except he make it good to the utmo&s;t? this is one.</P>
<P>2. <HI>His own Communicative,</HI> He is not willing to be alone in the enjoyment of this glory wherewith he is glorified with the Fa|ther, he would not ingro&s;s tho&s;e delights and plea&s;ures which are at the right hand of the Father for evermore, but would <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 14. 16.</NOTE> communicate them to &s;ome; now he is in heaven, and his people upon earth, yet he would not be alone in tho&s;e comforts, but though him&s;elf mu&s;t &s;it at the right hand of his Father, yet he &s;endeth the Spirit the Comforter to his people, to give them a ta&s;te, an earne&s;t of tho&s;e joys of that Fea&s;t that is to come; indeed &s;o much joy, that it is un&s;peakable and full of glory to many of the people of God: many Saints are, as I may &s;ay, in heaven upon earth; the Lord Je&s;us would not eat and drink abundant|ly, and let his people have none, that were unkindne&s;s indeed; where there is little goodne&s;s in a creature, as all in the crea|ture is but little in compari&s;on of him, <HI>Job</HI> would not eat his <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 31. 17.</NOTE> mor&s;el alone; &s;o will not he Lord Je&s;us, but he will have his people to go in with him to the Fea&s;t, to the Marriage, and drink wine with him, as you have it in the <HI>Canticles, He hath eaten his honey and honey Comb, and drank his wine and milk,</HI> and what <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 5. 1.</NOTE> then? <HI>Then drink ye, O my friends; yea, drink abundantly, &amp;c.</HI></P>
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3. <HI>Becau&s;e they have &s;et their love upon him,</HI> therefore he will put this high favour and honour upon them; as it is in the <HI>P&s;alms, Becau&s;e he hath &s;et his love upon me, therefore</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 91. 14.</NOTE> <HI>will I be with him, and deliver him, and honour him; with long life will I &s;atisfie him, and &s;hew him my Salvation.</HI> Give him to injoy it, and not only here but hereafter: The Saints they do love the Lord Je&s;us, every one of them, their hearts are &s;et upon him, and they cleave to him with full purpo&s;e of heart in all conditions; as the Di&s;ciples did, they continue with him in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 22. 29.</NOTE> his temptations; in his poor condition, in his impri&s;oned con|dition; therefore he appointeh them to &s;it down with him: And &s;o you know they are not every one that is admitted to a Marriage Fea&s;t, they were the friends of the Bridegroom, or of the Bride: there were thirty young men attending <HI>Samp&s;on,</HI> the&s;e were at the Fea&s;t among others: And &s;o, who goeth to the Kings Banquet of wine, but the Kings Favorite, even <HI>Haman?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;ther 5. 5.</NOTE> he goeth along with him, he puts it upon him as a great honour; and this is the glory of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the honour which he doth to the man whom he delights to honour, who hath &s;et his love upon him, even to bring him in to the Fea&s;t, the Marriage Fea&s;t; he hath not been a&s;hamed of him before men, nor will the Lord be a&s;hamed of him before men and Angels, and his Father, though while he was here below, it may be a man full of infirmities; &s;o the Saints are called his friends in many pla|ces: <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chro. 20. 7. Mat. 12. 50.</NOTE> <HI>Abraham my friend: Ye are my friends, Ioh.</HI> 15. and &s;o his Mother, and brethren, and &s;i&s;ters they are called the&s;e are the Favorites which mu&s;t needs be at the Marriage Fea&s;t.</P>
<P>4 <HI>For his glory as well as for theirs:</HI> Indeed his glory is theirs, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 16.</NOTE> and theirs is his; now the Lord Je&s;us cometh to be made glorious in his Saints, when the light of the Saints &s;hines before men, and they &s;ee their good works, he is glorified; the vertues of him that calls them out of darkne&s;s to light are &s;hewed forth: but alas, this is with &s;o many cloudings &amp; interruptions, it can &s;carce be called a glory; <HI>He &s;hall come to be glorified in his Saints,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle; will not the fulne&s;s of the Saints being brought <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2. 9. Ephe. 1. 2. and 3.</NOTE> in, be his glory? they are called <HI>the fulne&s;s of Chri&s;t;</HI> &s;o that he accounteth not him&s;elf full without them, but to be, as I may &s;ay, imperfect, without &s;ome of his Members; now at that day he will bring them all, and then he will be glorified indeed in them
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more fully then ever; then the general a&s;&s;embly of the fir&s;t born <NOTE PLACE="marg">H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">b. 12. 23.</NOTE> being gathered together, how much honour will he have in it? that by his death, by his blood he hath redeemed &s;uch an innu+merable company, that he hath by his Spirit &s;anctified them, kept them alive, cheared them, comforted them, rai&s;ed them, and brought them together, and put &s;o much glory and beauty upon them all; herein he will be much glorified: and that every one of them &s;hall have to the full, be filled even to admirati|on of him; will not this honour him exceedingly, acknowledge and hold forth the glory of his grace before his Father and <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;. 1. 10.</NOTE> Angelsglorified?</P>
<P>5. <HI>He will exceedingly rejoyce in them,</HI> as well as they in him; he &s;pake tho&s;e things, made that prayer in the world, <HI>that they might have his joy fulfilled in them&s;elves:</HI> his joy <HI>efficienter,</HI> and his joy <HI>&s;ubjective,</HI> for herein he did and doth rejoyce exceeding|ly, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 17. 13. Luke 22. 15.</NOTE> &s;urely according to his de&s;ire to <HI>communicate</HI> with his people, which is according to his &s;trength of Love to them, will be his joy in the <HI>communi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n,</HI> therefore &s;aith he, <HI>thy love is better then wine;</HI> to &s;ee his own love take &s;uch an impre&s;&s;ion upon our hearts as to draw out our love to him, this is a great joy to the Lord <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 4 10.</NOTE> Je&s;us. I de&s;ired with de&s;ire <HI>to eat this Pa&s;sover with you,</HI> &s;aith he to his Di&s;ciples; great de&s;ire, &s;o great joy: &s;o &s;aith he, <HI>I have eaten my honey and honey comb:</HI> he doth, as I may &s;ay, feed upon the graces of his people, that is to &s;ay they are plea&s;ing, delight|ful <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 5. 1.</NOTE> to him, even when there is mixture in them. O what will it be then when there &s;hall be no honey comb, no wax, no imperfecti|on, when grace &s;hall be glorious: will it not be his joy and delight to pour out of his love, and manife&s;t him&s;elf in the mo&s;t open glorious manner to his people, and then to behold them, to be filled with love, &s;wallowed up of this love, and filled with this joy? yea, &s;wallowed up with that al&s;o, to &s;ee their faces to &s;hine gloriou&s;ly with grace, and joy, and comfort unconceiveable O this will be joy to him!</P>
<P>6. <HI>Becau&s;e indeed the Saints they are ready to enter in with him;</HI> they are his Spou&s;e, though here con&s;idered only as Vir|gins waiting upon the Bride, yet they are the Spou&s;e; and &s;ure, if any mu&s;t be brought to the Marriage Fea&s;t, the Spou&s;e mu&s;t be there, the Angels &s;hall be rather attendants; the Saints &s;hall &s;it down with Je&s;us Chri&s;t at his Table as his Spou&s;e for
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ever: as the poor man in the Parable, his wife is compared to an Ewe Lamb, which did lie in his bo&s;ome, and eat and drink with him; &s;o &s;hall the Saints &s;urely, becau&s;e of this relation of theirs <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 12. 3.</NOTE> to the Lord Je&s;us. Ah, ble&s;&s;ed are ye Believers, ye that are ready for the appearing of the Lord Je&s;us.</P>
<P>Again, <HI>Now the Saints are made ready for this glory;</HI> now we are not able to bear it old Bottels will not hold this new Wine that he will drink with them in his Fathers Kingdom: &s;trong Duties were too &s;trong for the Di&s;ciples then in their minority, as I may &s;ay, how much more the Duties of heaven, everla&s;ting Hallelujahs, and admiring of God in Chri&s;t: therefore they mu&s;t be changed before they can be fit for that fea&s;t; a little joy now would &s;wallow us up, &s;o as to unfit us for any thing: Alas, the Apo&s;tle, like a wi&s;e Nur&s;ing Father, would not give &s;trong <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 3. 1.</NOTE> meat to babes, they could not bear it: and &s;o our Saviour, when upon the earth, they could not bear many things, therefore he fed them with milk; if you &s;hould give &s;trong meats to children, and wine, what would &s;ooner ruine them? therefore &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>I &s;peak the Wi&s;dom of God in a M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">sterie among</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 2. 6. 2 Cor. 12. 4.</NOTE> <HI>them that are perfect,</HI> yet he had &s;ome things which he &s;aw in his Vi&s;ion that he could not, or might not utter to them; likely they could not bear them. You &s;ee I&s;rael could not indure to behold <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> face when it had but a beam of the divine glory within the cloud reflected upon him; and the glory of the Angel a&s;to|ni&s;hed <HI>Iohn&punc;</HI> &s;o eminent a man in &s;aith, and love and holine&s;s: therefore I &s;ay, we &s;hall then be fitted for this Communion; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 34. 33, 34.</NOTE> the old Bottles be made new, the capacities of &s;oul inlarged, the mouth opened wider then we can conceive, and the body rai&s;ed in power. It mu&s;t be an extraordinary &s;tomack, brethren, that can continually &s;it at a Fea&s;t and d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ge&s;t it and never be &s;atiated; therefore it is that the Marriage fea&s;t, the fulne&s;s of it, is re&s;erved for heaven, and heaven is &s;o compared in Scripture.</P>
<P>For the U&s;es of the Doctrine, Fir&s;t then, Behold what maner of love the Father hath loved us with, that we &s;hould be made the Favorites, a people &s;o near to him, that he will take any of us with him into the Marriage. The Apo&s;tle admireth the con|dition of the Saints for what they have in hand already: <HI>What manner of love is this, that we &s;hould be called the Sons of God?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 3. 2.</NOTE>
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that is to &s;ay, made &s;uch; his Word is operative, he cals things that were not, as if they were; but &s;aith he, this is not all, it doth not yet appear what we &s;hall be, <HI>until Christ who is our life</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 4. 17.</NOTE> <HI>appear, then &s;hall we appear with him in glory:</HI> the Saints in hea|ven, though their apprehen&s;ions, as well as the re&s;t of their ca|pacities &s;hall be inlarged, heightened, perfected, yet &s;hall not be able to comprehend the depth of the river of plea&s;ures at the right hand of God, no more then a Ve&s;&s;el that is put into the Sea can comprehend the Ocean, and therefore they &s;hall admire it, then the Lord Je&s;us &s;hall come to be admired in all the Saints, their fulne&s;s will be un&s;peakable, greater then that of the Saints <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;. 1. 10.</NOTE> here; though &s;ometimes they are filled with Joy un&s;peakable and full of Glory; yet alas, in both conditions far &s;hort of com|prehending it, therefore we &s;hould admire it, <HI>Such things as eye hath not &s;een, nor ear heard, nor can enter into the heart of man, God hath prepared:</HI> Do you not &s;ee how <HI>Haman</HI> glorieth in it, <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 64. 4.</NOTE> though he had little cau&s;e, if he knew all, that he among all the Courtiers was invited to the fea&s;t of Wine to the Queen; he ac|counted it an high favour, a &s;ignificative te&s;timony of his e&s;pecial love to him above others. Ah brethren, you that are Saints in|deed, let me &s;peak to you all in the words of the Angel to <HI>Mary, you are highly favoured of God,</HI> you &s;hall all be admit|ted to this Marriage Fea&s;t; be thou as poor in outward conditi|on as may be, and as poor in Spirit as may be, never &s;o low in thine own thoughts, thou &s;halt enter into this Marriage Fea&s;t; thou thinke&s;t with the poor Publican, Thou art not worthy to come near the place where his honour dwels, nor lift up thy eys towards heaven, nor be reckoned among his people, nor come to his Table here below: Well, be thou as vile as thou can&s;t in thine own eys, <HI>thou &s;halt enter with the Lord Je&s;us into the Marriage Fea&s;t,</HI> if thou be ready for his coming. O admire this Love! the Lord help poor weak creatures unbelief in this point, that they may admire it; what, will he admit &s;uch a one as I? &s;uch a vile creature? &s;uch a grieving creature to his holy Spirit? yea, &s;uch as he hath once pitched his heart upon to love them, they &s;hall enter with him into this fea&s;t: Saith <HI>Mephi|ho&s;heth, What is thy &s;ervant, thou &s;houlde&s;t look upon &s;uch a dead</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 9. 8.</NOTE> <HI>dog as I? &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>2. If this be &s;o, that the &s;tate of Glory, or Kingdom of glory,
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into which the Saints enter with Chri&s;t, is &s;uch a Marriage-fea&s;t, it &s;hall be an invitation then to poor &s;inners to this Fea&s;t, this Marriage: <HI>Wi&s;dom hath builded her hou&s;e, hewn out &s;even Pil|lars, killed her bea&s;t, mingled her wine, made it ready, a cup of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 9. 1, 2.</NOTE> <HI>mixture,</HI> that is to &s;ay, <HI>a cup made ready, and now &s;ends forth her Maidens to cry, turn in ye &s;imple ones, &amp;c.</HI> O that the uncircum|&s;icion of our hearts, that are the Me&s;&s;ngers may not hinder: but the Lord Je&s;us by us, brethren, doth invite you &s;inners to this fea&s;t. he would fain have his Table full of gue&s;ts, how welcome would he make man, woman, and child; if they would but come, he would ca&s;t out none that cometh to him; no, no, in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6. 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> any wi&s;e what&s;oever, as I have told you &s;ometime from the Text. But for the better under&s;tanding of this Exhortati|on. I will note two things, and then a little further pre&s;s it upon us</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, That we do not invite you to this Fea&s;t, this Marriage in heaven, to enter in with Chri&s;t, continuing &s;uch as you are, in your blood and uncleanne&s;s; but we do fir&s;t invite you to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t here on earth, that &s;o you may enter in with him into the Marriage; your union with Chri&s;t, and your communion with him mu&s;t begin upon earth, though it end in heaven; and this communion here is two-fold, though both &s;piritual; it is internal, and, external; internal, a fellow&s;hip with the Father in the Son, a fellow&s;hip with Chri&s;t in his death, the power of it, that we may dye to &s;in, and be free from the condemnation. God will not have this Marriage-Fea&s;t for his Son in heaven filled with Goal Birds, condemned creatures, &s;uch as have their bolts and fetters upon them, the na&s;tine&s;s of the pri&s;on upon them, the evil &s;avour of their &s;ins upon them, &s;uch as have their pri&s;on cloaths, their rags, by the exacte&s;t righteou&s;ne&s;s that ever creature performed. upon them; no, no, you mu&s;t fir&s;t come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, have the&s;e bolts knockt off, He it is that loo&s;eth the pri&s;oners; you mu&s;t fir&s;t have your <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ilthy garments taken away from you, and be robed with the royal apparrel, &s;uch as is put upon them whom the King of Heaven delights to honour with &s;o near an aporoach to him&s;elf for ever: you mu&s;t have the &s;avour of his Oyntments anointing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Zech 3 2.</NOTE> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">our head, his Spirit poured out upon you fir&s;t brethren; as they u&s;ed to annoint their heads with &s;weet oyl at their &s;ea&s;ts,
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before you can come to that fea&s;t, &s;inners, do not think you &s;hall croud into heaven in the condition you are in; but be per&s;waded in the Name of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, fir&s;t to come to him, to get your hands and hearts, and all wa&s;hed in innocency it &s;elf, in the blood of the &s;potle&s;s Lamb, el&s;e believe it, there will be no entrance for you.</P>
<P>(2.) There is an external communion al&s;o, which men that have no more but a profe&s;&s;ion may have: eating the &s;piritual bread, and drinking the Sacramental fea&s;t brethren, which the Saints ought to come to, have communion with; the Lord Je&s;us and his people will, until he come again; it is not an indifferent thing, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 10. 1 Cor. 11. 24. Acts 15. 9. Mat. 26. 29.</NOTE> <HI>Do this in remembrance of me;</HI> and as often as you do it, ye keep in remembrance the Lord his death until he come; Now brethren we do immediatly invite you to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to clo&s;e with him, that you may be wa&s;hed and clean&s;ed through faith in his blood&punc; and have your hearts purified by faith in him, and then to this Sacramental Communion with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which is a &s;ign and pledge of this Marriage-fea&s;t in heaven, as plainly our Saviour tels his Di&s;ciples, <HI>I w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ll hence|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">th drink no more of this fruit of the Vine, until I drink it new with you in my Fathers Kingdom.</HI> Well, this is but the fir&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly brethren, that by your now coming in to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, you do, as I may &s;ay, take up your room in your places before hand at his Table in his heavenly Kingdom: In which re&s;pect the Saints now are &s;aid to &s;it together in heavenly places, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe&s;. 2. 6.</NOTE> and hereby you will come to have fellow&s;hip with the Lord Je&s;us in his Re&s;urrection and A&s;cention, and his Work in hea|ven, which is, to prepare a place for his people (and as I may &s;ay) to keep it for them; and as one &s;weetly expre&s;&s;eth it wri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|ing as I may &s;ay every ones name over his Man&s;ion, over his Place, even with his own blood, that none &s;hall take it from them over their heads: If Je&s;us Chri&s;t prepared not a place for you <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 4. 2.</NOTE> in heaven now, brethren, you will find no room at his Table.</P>
<P>Therefore now brethren, Let me pre&s;s this Exhortation upon you, that you would come to him, now, even now, while it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s called to day, it is his voyce brethren that &s;peaks to you; O that your ears were bored to hear, the fatted Calf is killed, the Lord Je&s;us is Crucified for &s;inners, the Wine is mingled, all is ready, there wants nothing now but your coming to Dine and
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Sup with Je&s;us Chri&s;t: yea, indeed but your opening to him, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 20.</NOTE> he knocks, he will come to you, to fea&s;t with you, bring his royal dainties with him, and his wine of the Kingdom, his Royal Wine with him. O his love, which is better then wine, if you will but open to him; O do not <HI>nectere moras</HI> now; can the Lord Je&s;us, brethren, find in his heart to have his blood poured out, to become royal Wine indeed, full of &s;pirits, &s;weet and cor|dial to a poor fainting &s;oul, to give his own fle&s;h to eat? which is bread indeed, it is virtually all dainties: therefore the Scrip|ture &s;etteth it forth by Wine and Milk, and Honey, and Bread, and Marrow, and Fatne&s;s, the fat of the Kidni<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s of the Wheat, by Apples and Flagons: Is he willing&punc; brethren, to be the Fea&s;t to be fed upon, and &s;hall we not come? O therefore come where the Carka&s;s is; follow not your Carrion any more, the &s;tir<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">king loath&s;ome delights and plea&s;ures of &s;in for a &s;ea&s;on: <HI>Be ye no more drunk with wine, but be ye filled with the Spirit of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ephe. 5. 18. P&s;al. 36. 8.</NOTE> <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle; be Inebriated, as &s;ome read it; abun|dantly &s;atisfied with the goodne&s;s of his Hou&s;e, and with the flowings of his heart towards you poor &s;inners.</P>
<P>But me thinketh now I hear the returns that &s;inners make to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to this invitation; &s;ay &s;ome, I have a fea&s;t al|ready, <HI>Stoln waters are &s;weet, and bread eaten in &s;ecret is plea&s;ant,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 9. 17.</NOTE> and &s;hall we for&s;ake the&s;e delights we have in the world for we know not what? Ah poor &s;ouls, you know not what you &s;ay, if this be the language of your hearts. If you mouths were not much out of ta&s;te, you would never judge &s;in a &s;weet thing; a poor child of God that hath his ta&s;te healed, though but in part, he drinketh nothing in the world &s;o bitter to him as &s;in, that which goeth down &s;o merr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ly with many. Were not the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 11. 5.</NOTE> I&s;raelites mouths much out of ta&s;te, when they preferred their Onions and Garlick, &s;tinking things of Egypt, before their &s;weet, their heavenly Manna, their Angels bread, fit for them to eat, or which came by their Mini&s;try.</P>
<P>(2.) Remember this brethren, though it be &s;weet to the ta&s;te, it turns to bittere&s;t gall; as the Wi&s;e man &s;peaks of wine that moveth it &s;elf aright, it &s;parkles, is lovely, &s;weet to the ta&s;te, at la&s;t it biteth like a Serpent, and &s;tingeth like an Ad<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">er. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 23. 27.</NOTE> Behold &s;uch are all the delights of &s;in; and whether you believe it or no now, you &s;hall be &s;ure to feel it after a little &s;ea&s;on, for
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your plea&s;ures are but for a &s;ea&s;on. So that you know not what you &s;ay, if any thus excu&s;e him&s;elf for coming.</P>
<P>Again, Shall you change for you know not what? Indeed you do not know, <HI>for eye hath not &s;een, nor ear heard, neither can it enter into the heart of man to conceive,</HI> before he hath had expe|rience of it him&s;elf. O that I might but per&s;wade you brethren <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 64 4.</NOTE> to make a tryal, and if you do not find one days communion of Je&s;us Chri&s;t be not worth a thou&s;and with your companions in &s;in, then believe not this Go&s;pel any more; there is much &s;weetne&s;s indeed in the brea&s;ts of the world, to a wordly Pal|late: O what drink, golden drink do poor Earth-worms drink? and this is their Nectar. Believe it brethren, if the Lord do but bring you, and &s;et your mouths to the wounds of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;et your mouths to the &s;weet promi&s;es of pardoning grace, and purging mercy, to draw from them &s;trong con&s;olation, you will find the other but Gall and Wormwood to you. O let them peri&s;h, &s;aith <HI>Galeac.</HI> and his money with him, that preferreth all the world before an hours communion with Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>I pray you therefore do not excu&s;e your &s;elves with them in the Go&s;pel, <HI>I have bought this, and that, and I cannot come,</HI> I <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 14. 18. Phil. 3. 8.</NOTE> have &s;o many <HI>Cu&s;todiums,</HI> I cannot mind the&s;e things, I have &s;o much to do in the world, and it is to be minded. A poor ditch|water, that is preferred before this Wine of the Kingdom; will dro&s;s and dung, meat and husks, which is Swines meat, nouri&s;h your &s;ouls to eternal life? make as much account, brethren, of the&s;e things as you will, to &s;light now the matters of eternity, time will come when you would give all the fruit of your la|bours, if it were a thou&s;and times more, for one &s;ight of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, one ta&s;te of his love, one hours communion withhim, before you go hence, and be no more.</P>
<P>Alas, But &s;ome will &s;ay, I am a poor &s;inner, the vile&s;t filthy creature, lame, and blind, and have all my life time been feeding with Swine upon husks, and &s;will, and tra&s;h, the&s;e de|lights of &s;in and plea&s;ures of the world, O my days are con&s;umed in &s;in; and doth he invite &s;uch as I? and may I come? Yea, bre|thren, you find the poor, lame, and blind from the hedges and high-ways &s;ide were invited to his fea&s;t; if you come but to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22&punc; 10.</NOTE> Je&s;us Chri&s;t, he will open the eys of the blind, he hath eye|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">alve for you, and he will be legs to the lame, and cloathing
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to the naked, if you do but come to him, put on Chri&s;t. It is not any other infirmities, (which will abide upon the be&s;t of Gods people in part) that can exclude us, or ca&s;t us out, but only the want of the wedding Garment; if a man be never &s;o well fur|ni&s;hed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13. 14.</NOTE> otherwi&s;e as he thinketh. O therefore come Brethren, the <HI>Fea&s;t</HI> is made for &s;uch as you, you are invited to it; the &s;imple, the man void of under&s;tanding, (that is to &s;ay) the &s;inner, for &s;in is folly in Scripture-phra&s;e; you are invited to turn in this <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 9. 4.</NOTE> day to the <HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> the <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t</HI> which is begun here upon earth, but will end in heaven, therefore be not di&s;couraged.</P>
<P>Ah but you will &s;ay, I have no &s;uch appetite to the Fea&s;t, to hunger and thir&s;t, and is there any invited to come to it, but &s;uch as have an appetite? what &s;hall they do there? I an&s;wer, no marvel thou ha&s;t no great appetite, until thou ha&s;t more communion with him, if thou ha&s;t had any: And no marvel, if thou ha&s;t no appetite, if thov ha&s;t never been with Je&s;us, for thou ha&s;t &s;o long lived upon tra&s;h, that it takes away the &s;to|mack to the &s;weete&s;t and whol&s;ome&s;t food in the world. But withal remember this, who ever will, is invited to come, bre|thren, and take freely. It may be thou do&s;t not find, poor &s;in|ner, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 22. 18.</NOTE> &s;uch a &s;trong de&s;ire, &s;uch a breaking of &s;oul for longing; but ha&s;t thou a Will? would&s;t thou have Chri&s;t, would&s;t thou have his body, this meat indeed; this blood, this drink in|deed; this wine of the Kingdom, and begin this <HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> this <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t</HI> upon earth; why do&s;t thou not take him then? come, and take it freely; O that this might be the day of his power, to many of your poor &s;ouls, <HI>that you might become a</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 110. 3.</NOTE> <HI>willing people,</HI> that you might have a heart to clo&s;e with him, to take him upon his own terms, that you might begin your hea|ven upon earth, your communion with Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>I will but add one word more, and that is this; <HI>It is no indifferent thing, whether you clo&s;e with this invita|tion or no?</HI> there is a nece&s;&s;ity lies upon you to come to <HI>the Marriage-fea&s;t,</HI> except you re&s;olve upon it to peri&s;h for ever; <HI>God he was wroth, and &s;ent forth his armies to de&s;troy, &amp;c.</HI> Ah what gna&s;hing of teeth will there be to poor &s;inners in hell, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 22.</NOTE> when they &s;hall &s;ee their neighbours, who heard this Go&s;pel with them, <HI>&s;it down with Abraham, I&s;aac and Jacob at the table of Chri&s;t in his kingdom, and them&s;elves ca&s;t out!</HI> Ah bre|thren, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 8. 12.</NOTE>
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I beg for you a believing heart, you mu&s;t either fea&s;t with Chri&s;t, or &s;tarve for ever with Satan and his Angels, and then not a drop will be had to cool your tongues; now flagons <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 16. 24.</NOTE> are tendered you, now wine and milk without money and price, now rivers of plea&s;ures at Gods right hand, and fulne&s;s of joy is promi&s;ed you, is held out to you, cometh a begging to you; Ah then, then brethren, &s;hall you beg for a drop, and &s;hall not have it; rivers of burning brim&s;tone will be your bathing, when the Saints are &s;wallowed up of tho&s;e rivers of plea&s;ures at his right hand; then will you be chewing upon your gall and wormwood, then will you be breaking your teeth upon your gravel, when the Saints are drinking this new wine in the king|dom of their Father with Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Ah think of it brethren, think of it; you have now your good things, many of your eyes &s;tand out with fatne&s;s, you &s;pend a world upon your lu&s;ts, live like Epicures, wantonizing in the abundance of your enjoyments; how woful will that &s;entence be! <HI>Son, remember, thou in thy life time had&s;t thy good things,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 16. 5.</NOTE> <HI>and now thou art tormented;</HI> had&s;t thy wine and drinking unto drunkenne&s;s, now the &s;tings of it abide upon thee; the Saints have their wor&s;t fir&s;t, and the be&s;t kept until the la&s;t; but you have your con&s;olation in this world, and the wine of a&s;toni&s;h|ment <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 6. 24.</NOTE> will be your portion for ever, if you will not be per|&s;waded. Therefore take your choice brethren, I &s;et life and death before you, and con&s;ider of it, <HI>How will you e&s;cape, if you neglect this great &s;alvation?</HI> you may now be received to the Fea&s;t, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2. 3.</NOTE> the door &s;tands open, it will not alway be &s;o, it will be &s;hut again&s;t you. O how will you an&s;wer it another day before the Lord Je&s;us, if you now trample under foot his blood, and precious offers of his Grace, though by the hand and mouth of a poor worm like your &s;elves?</P>
<P>Thirdly, Then Brethren, <HI>let as many as have received power</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e.</NOTE> <HI>to believe in the Lord Je&s;us,</HI> and &s;o are admitted to the beginning of this <HI>Marriage-&s;upper</HI> upon earth, to inward fellow&s;hip with Je&s;us Chri&s;t in the Graces of his Spirit, and merits of his death and re|&s;urrection, <HI>labour brethren, to prepare your &s;elves for this Fea&s;t in heaven, by feeding heartily upon the&s;e dainties upon earth;</HI> the more men eat and drink, the more their &s;tomacks are extended
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u&s;ually, and the more they will receive; &s;urely it is &s;o in &s;piri|tuals, the more a &s;oul feeds upon Chri&s;t, and the more abun|dantly he drinketh, the more he may, it enlargeth the de&s;ires; <HI>Hitherto</HI> (&s;aith our Saviour) <HI>you have asked nothing,</HI> little or nothing; <HI>Ask, and ye &s;hall receive, that your joy may be full;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 16. 24.</NOTE> the more abundantly the &s;oul is &s;atisfied with the goodne&s;s of the hou&s;e of God, the more will the mouth be opened to receive; now, as our capacities do enlarge, &s;o much the more fitter are we for this <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t.</HI> O therefore let us not come to the table of the Lord brethren, this &s;ign and pledge of that <HI>Marri|age-fea&s;t</HI> in heaven, but with mouths opened, &s;ouls enlarged, that we may eat and drink abundantly, he that cometh hungry, will hardly go away without his fill; we come with narrow hearts, mouths half-opened, and therefore go away with little or nothing.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>This &s;hould much edge our de&s;ires after Heaven, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e.</NOTE> <HI>the glory that is to be revealed:</HI> it is a fea&s;t, who is not willing to go to a <HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> if he be hungry and pinching? and yet alas, how backward are we for heaven? how do we hang back? it is a &s;ign we have little de&s;ire after that fulne&s;s of communion with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, all is not right with us, we are not ready, when we can be contented to &s;it down by the pipe, and may go to the fountain, to the rivers, the ocean of un&s;peakable delights in the Lord. O therefore brethren, eye heaven more, and the Glory of it, this <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t;</HI> the eye affecteth the heart; though it is true, it doth not appear di&s;tinctly what we &s;hall be, yet &s;ome hints are given, whereby we may conceive how tran&s;cendent the delights of heaven will be above all we enjoy below. What <HI>Solomon</HI> dehorts men from as an occa&s;ion of lu&s;ting after wine; <HI>look not upon the wine when it is red, when it giveh his colour in the cup,</HI> moves it &s;elf aright, when it &s;parkles, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 23. 27.</NOTE> hath a pure colour, if you look, you will be enticed by it. But here is a <HI>fea&s;t</HI> of wine, of new wine, more excellent, tran&s;cen|dent, full of &s;pirits and vigour; look upon it brethren, with the eye of faith, and &s;erious contemplation; &s;ometimes behold how it &s;parkles, what a &s;pirit there is in this wine, that to all eternity maketh the Spirits of the Saints to exult, and triumph in his glorious prai&s;e, a duty &s;o far above our cold and heavy frames here below. O methinks this &s;hould &s;omewhat quicken
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us, and rai&s;e our de&s;ires to heaven, to be with Chri&s;t, drinking this wine new with him, in his kingdom, that here we drink only &s;acramentally; and the&s;e are not deceitful meats, your expectations cannot be &s;o high of heaven, but you &s;hall find abundantly more to admire.</P>
<P>Fifth U&s;e &s;hall be a word of comfort and encouragement to the <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e.</NOTE> people of God according to the nece&s;&s;ities of their various con|ditions, if &s;o be that the Saints &s;hall enter in with Chri&s;t unto the <HI>Marriage,</HI> unto this <HI>Fea&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, <HI>Here is matter of encouragement again&s;t the troubles and afflictions the Saints meet with in the world, and from the world.</HI> It is true, this is a time wherein at pre&s;ent the world &s;miles upon Religion, but they are but like the Crocodiles &s;miles, ready to devour them notwith&s;tanding, yea indeed, her very embraces are killing. But if times &s;hould but turn a little, the world would be the world &s;till, it hates the Saints, and it would di&s;cover it &s;elf, what it is, more plainly then now it doth; the times will not bear ho&s;tility again&s;t the people of God: but &s;uppo&s;e &s;uch an hour of temptation may come upon us, this may encourage us again&s;t it (brethren): What though the world may give you gall and vinegar to drink, as they did to Je&s;us Chri&s;t before, you are now going ready to enter in with the <HI>Bridegroom</HI> to the <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t</HI> of new wine, and drink with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 2. &amp;c.</NOTE> him at his Table in the Fathers kingdom to eternity. Indeed brethren, there is &s;o much refre&s;hing to a poor creature in this <HI>Fea&s;t</HI> of wine on the lees upon earth, in the Church, in this poor and dark communion with him, that it is enough to allay the bittere&s;t cup which God puts into his peoples hands to drink; witne&s;s this comfortable Prophe&s;ie, <HI>Though you have the bread of afflictions, and water of adver&s;ities, yet will I not remove your Teachers any more into a corner; give wine to him that, &amp;c.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 30. 20.</NOTE> Prov. 31. 6. <HI>This will &s;weeten all;</HI> one ta&s;te of honey and &s;weet|ne&s;s at the end of the Rod, (and all wicked men are but Gods rod to cha&s;ten his people) I &s;ay, this ta&s;te enlightneth the eyes, reviveth the poor drooping fainting &s;oul; Ah what are the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 22. 28.</NOTE> joys of Heaven then! Again, &s;uppo&s;e it be not a per&s;ecution for righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;ake, but it is from the hand of God for thy &s;ins that thou &s;marte&s;t; yet this brethren, methinks if our hearts
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were more upon it, would allay the &s;mart; there will be a time, when there will be no room for one &s;igh, nor one groan more, no interruption will be in your joy. Yea, &s;uppo&s;e it be &s;in that mo&s;t troubles thee now, and temptation, and this is a bit|ter thing indeed to a gracious heart: O remember brethren, that in the <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t</HI> there will be a &s;wallowing up of all the&s;e things.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>It may be encouragement to a poor &s;oul that longs, and pre&s;&s;eth hard after a fuller communion and fellow&s;hip with Chri&s;t,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 17.</NOTE> <HI>and cannot reach it;</HI> but &s;till let them attain to what they can, their de&s;ires are higher, and reaching after more; and that de&s;ire <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim 2. 12.</NOTE> &s;peaks emptine&s;s in part, and hunger, and that hath pain, the &s;oul mu&s;t needs be re&s;tle&s;s in &s;uch a condition. O remember brethren, there will be an entrance into the <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t,</HI> where you &s;hall ever be with the Lord, you &s;hall be ever drink|ing with him this new wine in his Fathers Kingdom, at his King|dom: &s;uppo&s;e there be not that to &s;atisfie and fill thee, in the pipe (though the Conduits run wine, and the Ordinan|ces be a fea&s;t of fat things) &s;till thou would&s;t have more; there brethren, your de&s;ires will be &s;wallowed up, your enjoyments will be above your de&s;ires. I know it is a &s;ight of Chri&s;t crucified &s;itting with us at the Table, which is the reviving of the poor &s;oul; but alas, he quickly lo&s;eth that poor imperfect glimp&s;e he had of him; but there &s;hall thy eye be &s;a|tisfied with &s;eeing him in his glory, and thine ear with hearing his ble&s;&s;ed voice: there &s;hall thy &s;oul be filled indeed, and alway filled, becau&s;e alway &s;wallowed up in this fellow&s;hip and com|munion with the Lord Je&s;us.</P>
<P>3. <HI>It is matter of encouragement to &s;uch, as it may be, are not admitted to every di&s;h, or every cour&s;e in this Fea&s;t of fat things, this Marriage-fea&s;t upon earth;</HI> it may be the people of God may not be &s;atisfied in &s;ome, to admit them, though the Lord have received them, it appears not to them; it may be their own &s;pirits are not free to enjoy them in &s;uch a way as they are to be had in the places where they live, &s;ome &s;tum|bling block or other is in the way, which they cannot get over, and &s;o they mourn after them, but cannot enjoy them. O that God would remove all &s;tumbling blocks, and help his people &s;o to prize them, as not upon every &s;light matter to be kept from
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them: but &s;uppo&s;e thou can&s;t not come poor &s;oul, and yet thy &s;oul longs for them, and haply more then many that do enjoy them, if thou could&s;t without &s;in. Be of good comfort, though it is true, thou mai&s;t lo&s;e many a &s;ight of Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;itting with his people at the round table, and thou knowe&s;t not what thou lo&s;e&s;t, yet if it <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 1. 12.</NOTE> be meer tenderne&s;s of Con&s;cience which keepeth thee off, and not perver&s;ene&s;s, thou ha&s;t &s;ure much of the inward fellow&s;hip and communion with Chri&s;t, otherwi&s;e he can, if he plea&s;e, &s;upply it otherwi&s;e; but however, though not admitted among men, thou &s;halt enter in with Chri&s;t unto the <HI>Marriage-&s;upper</HI> for ever, and this will make amends for all. Though far be it from me to &s;trengthen any mans hands in the neglect of the Ordinan|ces of Chri&s;t on earth, and take heed, that our excu&s;es will &s;peak loud enough for us in Gods ears, whatever they do in mans. But if thou can&s;t not be admitted to the pipe, Is it not a comfort that thou &s;halt be admitted to the fountain, to the &s;ea? O me|thinks this &s;hould put on &s;uch above others, make a vertue of nece&s;&s;ity, and &s;o much the more long for his appearing to thee, that thou may&s;t enter in with him to the <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly and la&s;tly, <HI>It may &s;erve to allay the bitterne&s;s of death:</HI> It is a bitter thing, not only to the wicked; it is bitter, it mu&s;t needs, having the &s;ting of &s;in in it, and being a trap-door, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 15. 32.</NOTE> (as I may &s;ay) to let them &s;ink or drop into the everla&s;ting flames, this mu&s;t needs be bitter: But to the Saints it is in &s;ome &s;ort bit|ter al&s;o, nature is di&s;&s;olved by it: it is the fruit of &s;in, and we find by continual experience of the Saints, that there is a hang|ing back; But methinks, this con&s;ideration, <HI>that it is an entrance into this Marriage-fea&s;t,</HI> &s;hould much &s;weeten it to a child of God. Our Saviours death was the bittere&s;t that ever was en|dured, O it was a deadly cup, but this was it that &s;weetned it, the con&s;ideration that he &s;hould drink this new wine with his people in his fathers kingdom, there fea&s;t with him for ever: <HI>for the joy that was &s;et before him, he endured the Cro&s;s;</HI> &s;o brethren, do but &s;et before you continually this joy, this pouring out of this love <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 2.</NOTE> of Chri&s;t upon your &s;ouls, tho&s;e immediate, &s;incere; full, con|&s;tant, and eternal delights of your &s;ouls in the light and love of the Father, and of the Son, and &s;ee if it &s;wallow not up the bit|terne&s;s of death unto you? But &s;o much for this Doctrine.
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&mdash;<GAP DESC="foreign">. Here is the &s;econd Con&s;ideration of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 10.</NOTE> this coming of the <HI>Bridegroom,</HI> a doleful con&s;ideration it is to all &s;uch as were not ready, <HI>for the door was &s;hut;</HI> what is the &s;ence of &s;hutting the door in the Parable, I &s;uppo&s;e is ea&s;ily under&s;tood, (that is to &s;ay) an entrance is denied to them that were with|out; as well as they that were within, were &s;hut in by the &s;hut|ting of the door. But I conceive that is the thing meant here; the &s;cope of the Ver&s;e being to &s;hew the different end of a believer and an hypocrite; the one is received into the <HI>Marriage-fea&s;t,</HI> the other is &s;hut out, the door is clapt again&s;t them.</P>
<P>The Doctrine will be a &s;ad word; it is this, <HI>That the Gate of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr.</NOTE> <HI>heaven, or the door will be clapt again&s;t all formal Profe&s;&s;ors, and fooli&s;h Virgins that are not ready to enter with Chri&s;t;</HI> for this is implied in the other part of the words; <HI>they that were ready, en|tred with Chri&s;t into the Marriage, and the door was &s;hut;</HI> upon whom? &s;urely upon them that were not ready for that his com|ing; whatever hopes they are big with, now they prove abor|tive. There is a door of entrance into Heaven, and an outer door, (as I may &s;ay) which I may call a door of hope, which the Hypocrite hath not, when it cometh to a pinch, not a well-grounded hope, <HI>The wicked is driven away in his wickedne&s;s, but the righteous hath hope in his death.</HI> There is a door of hope <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 14. 32.</NOTE> to him, but none to the wicked; but his hope which he had before, many times at death, is like the giving up of the Gho&s;t; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 11. 20: Rev. 22. 15.</NOTE> <HI>without are dogs, &amp;c.</HI> either filthy per&s;ons, &s;uch as with the Dog returneth to the vomit again, after their &s;orrow, and vo|miting up their &s;weet mor&s;els; &s;uch as with the Dog are &s;ome|times <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Pet. 2. 22.</NOTE> &s;in-&s;ick, and &s;eem to repent, to vomit up the bottom of their &s;tomacks, but return to it again with delight after their repentance, and tears, and prayers; the&s;e are &s;hut out. Dogs al&s;o, who are they, but &s;uch barking, biting, foul-mouth'd, fal&s;e Teachers? &s;uch as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of, <HI>Beware of Dogs, evil workers, of the conci&s;ion;</HI> beware of &s;uch as would bring in the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. 2.</NOTE> circumci&s;ion as nece&s;&s;ary to Salvation; beware of the&s;e, they are Dogs, though they may &s;eem never &s;o zealous and holy, have a &s;heep-skin upon them, they are Dogs, and Woolves, and all manner of workers of iniquity, as <HI>Sorcerers, Whoremongers,
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and Idolaters, and who&s;oever loveth and maketh a lye.</HI> Why, you will &s;ay, the&s;e are not Hypocrites &s;ure, they are down-right profane per&s;ons? brethren, a man may live in the&s;e &s;ins many of them, and yet carry a fair &s;hew, but the <HI>gate &s;hall be &s;hut again&s;t them,</HI> whoever they be. As for Adultery, or whoring, though men be not guilty of the outward act, is there not heart-adultery? is there not contemplative wickedne&s;s? again&s;t which <HI>Job</HI> re&s;olveth, <HI>I made a Govenant with mine eye, why &s;hould I think upon a maid? he that lu&s;teth after her beauty in the heart, commits</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 31. 1.</NOTE> <HI>adultery with her in his heart;</HI> yea brethren, by the thoughts, the very &s;pirits (as I may &s;ay) and oyl of &s;in are &s;queezed out, or extracted, as in a Limbeck, and that is more deadly and dange|rous; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 6. 25. Mat. 5. 28.</NOTE> a man may eat a thing, and do him no great hurt, but the oyl of it is deadly, haply. So the Murtherer, it may be many a man that hath a form of Godline&s;s, never imbrued his hands in blood, but his heart hath been &s;teeped in blood, full of envious and malicious thoughts, he can with wi&s;hes and de&s;ires of revenge and malice murther and bury all his neighbours. And &s;o, though it may be we make no pictures of Images, or fall down before them, to give them any ab&s;olute or relative wor|&s;hip, yet we have Idols in our hearts, we love money, are cove|tous it may be, and this is idolatry, and fall down to our own parts, our own gifts, and live in this, like it well; the&s;e bre|thren, &s;hall have the door &s;hut again&s;t them, and &s;uch as love and make lyes, though officious lyes, to help others; nothing more ordinary in mens Callings and Shops, then to lye, and &s;peak fal&s;ly for a little advantage; and yet it may be have a co|lour, and a &s;hew of Profe&s;&s;ion, and allow them&s;elves in the&s;e things; <HI>They &s;hall be &s;hut out,</HI> the door &s;hall be clapt again&s;t them; <HI>many &s;hall &s;eek to enter, but &s;hall not be able.</HI> No marvel, for the Gate is not only &s;trait, but &s;hut again&s;t them; it is &s;trait, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke&punc; 13. 24.</NOTE> when it &s;tands open in mens lives, and they will not &s;trive, and therefore fall &s;hort. But now this &s;trait Gate is &s;hut again&s;t them, and therefore they cannot enter. But &s;o much for the proof of this Doctrine; I &s;hall not &s;tay long upon it, nor indeed is it needful, having &s;poken before to their &s;urprizal.</P>
<P>Only a word or two brethren, for the opening of the Point, and then to confirm it, and then &s;ome &s;hort application of it to our &s;elves. For the opening of it, <HI>What is meant by the unrea|dine&s;s
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here &s;uppo&s;ed?</HI> for it is again&s;t them that the door is &s;hut; <HI>And then the &s;hutting of the door,</HI> what is meant by that? Fir&s;t then, <HI>What is meant by this unreadine&s;s?</HI> I hope you have not altogether forgotten what was &s;poken lately to the readi|ne&s;s of a poor creature to enter in with Chri&s;t to heaven, which if you remember, you may ea&s;ily conceive what it is to be un|ready; we will not &s;peak to the readine&s;s for an abundant en|trance, but only for an entrance into heaven, and you remem|ber they were &s;uch things as the&s;e.</P>
<P>1. <HI>There mu&s;t be a pardon of a mans &s;ins, a righteou&s;ne&s;s of faith in the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, el&s;e a man is never ready;</HI> Eve|ry <NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 13. 1.</NOTE> unbeliever therefore is unready, let him be as &s;pecious in his &s;hews and pretences as he may, yet he is unready, he is in his &s;ins condemned, &amp;c. <HI>Joh.</HI> 3. And though the Gate of mercy, and the kingdom of Grace <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">and open for &s;inners to come to Je|&s;us Chri&s;t, yet the Gate of Heaven, whereby an entrance is made into Glory, &s;tands not open to any, but &s;uch as are par|doned, have the robes of their elder Brother, the Lord Je&s;us, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 8. 21.</NOTE> upon them. Ah how &s;ad a word is that of the Jews, <HI>ye &s;hall die in your &s;ins;</HI> then &s;urely brethren, they are not ready for hea|ven, <HI>the door will be &s;hut again&s;t them.</HI></P>
<P>2. <HI>There mu&s;t be a dying to &s;in, as well as a pardon of &s;in, before we can be ready;</HI> as you heard; the roots mu&s;t be wither|ed before the wall be tumbled down; therefore every unmorti|fied man or woman is unready. Hear this word of the Lord, ye who&s;e Lu&s;ts are yet in their full &s;trength, your pride and hardne&s;s of heart, and &s;en&s;oriou&s;ne&s;s, your loo&s;ene&s;s and wan|tonne&s;s, <HI>you that walk with a froward mouth, and perver&s;e lips,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 6. 12. &amp; 18.</NOTE> <HI>who&s;e hearts devi&s;e mi&s;chief, who&s;e feet make ha&s;te to do evil;</HI> it is an ill &s;ign that the old man is mortified, you are an abomi|nation to God, as the wi&s;e man &s;peaks, and will he not clap the door again&s;t all &s;uch workers of iniquity? <HI>no evil can dwell with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 5. 4.</NOTE> <HI>God.</HI> Ah brethren, you that cheri&s;h that old man of &s;in, (as I may &s;ay) rub him, and chafe him, and pour wine, and &s;trong drink into him, <HI>aqua vitae,</HI> and &s;pirits into him; by your meditations of &s;in, vain thoughts, lu&s;tful, proud, pa&s;&s;ionate thoughts nouri&s;h your &s;ins ordinarily, and &s;o blow up the coal into a flame, you are far from mortifying your lu&s;ts: in&s;tead of bringing water and the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to kill your &s;ins, you bring to the
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flame: well, all unmortified per&s;ons are unready, let our profe&s;|&s;ion be what it will, the door will be clapt upon &s;uch, I mean &s;uch as are altogether unmortified, have done nothing in the work. I know a child of God may not be &s;o mortified as he &s;hould, and &s;ometimes for &s;ome acts may cheri&s;h &s;in, u&s;e the bel|lows to the fire within, but it co&s;ts him bitterne&s;s afterward; he liveth not in &s;uch a cour&s;e: If he do, it is good for him to be jealous of him&s;elf how the ca&s;e &s;tands with him.</P>
<P>Thirdly, He is unready that hath no real holine&s;s put upon him, without it <HI>none &s;hall &s;ee God;</HI> he knoweth his <HI>prima facie,</HI> as I may &s;ay, he can &s;ee the image and comeline&s;s upon a &s;oul if it be <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 14.</NOTE> there: If not, he will not own any ba&s;tards, any &s;uppo&s;ititious chil|dren, changelings that Satan laies in the lap of the Church, as I may &s;ay, and rocks in the Cradle of &s;ecurity, but the Lord will &s;hut the door again&s;t them. This real holine&s;s, you know what it is, <HI>a conformity to the will of God in our under&s;tandings,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 1. 5.</NOTE> <HI>light as he is light, and no darkne&s;s in him.</HI> In our <HI>wills</HI> and <HI>affecti|ons,</HI> conformity to his will revealed to us. A holy di&s;po&s;ition of heart to do his will, &s;uffer his will, and delight in it; which occa|&s;ioneth our grief when we cannot; well, this is holine&s;s. Hear this then ye that never mind the will of God, purblind ignorant creatures, &s;tubborn rebellious creatures, you that have iron &s;in|news and brazen faces, which refu&s;e to return or to be a&s;hamed, though the Lord do blazen your iniquities before you continual|ly by his Heralds, which cry aloud, and teach <HI>Jacob</HI> their tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ions, and <HI>I&s;rael</HI> their &s;ins, and &s;pare you not, nor &s;pare them|&s;elves, yet you refu&s;e to return, and to be a&s;hamed to conform to <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 58. 1.</NOTE> the will of Chri&s;t; you never were brought to that &s;weet &s;ubmi&s;|&s;ive frame of <HI>Paul, Lord, what would&s;t thou have me to do?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts. 9.</NOTE> Well, believe it, thou art unready, the gate will be clapt again&s;t thee.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Then others are unready; And who are tho&s;e? Such as have received work to do, <HI>and they have not done it,</HI> men of no action for Chri&s;t; then the Apo&s;tle was ready, and our Sa|viour, when they had done their work he gave them to do: Chri&s;t had wrought out a perfect righteou&s;ne&s;s for his people, and therefore he went up to heaven, <HI>and the world &s;eeth him no more,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 16. 8, 9.</NOTE> and this the Spirit convinceth the world of; if he had not done that work perfectly, heaven would not have held him: Remem|ber
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this then Brethren, <HI>they are unready that have not done their work, whether Magi&s;trates, Mini&s;ters, or private people:</HI> He giveth to his &s;ervants, &s;ome five talents, &s;ome ten, &s;ome two, &s;ome one; mind you, he that had but one, haply out of envy at others who had more, or dejection and di&s;couragement, or thinking he had little, and therefore could do little good with it, hid it in a Napkin, and did not trade with it; and therefore, <HI>was the gate open to him?</HI> No, <HI>thou wicked and &s;loathful &s;ervant, &s;aith the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25. 26.</NOTE> <HI>Ma&s;ter to him,</HI> &amp;c. and &s;o he is ca&s;t off; <HI>the merchandi&s;e o&s; wi&s;dom is better then the merchandi&s;e of &s;ilver, and the gain thereof then</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 3. 14.</NOTE> <HI>fine gold:</HI> that is to &s;ay, the great gain and improvement that cometh by u&s;ing the wi&s;dom and knowledge, the gifts and graces which God giveth us; <HI>O the tongue of the ju&s;t is as choice &s;ilver, and the lips of the righteous feed many.</HI> Do we do our work Bre|thren? <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 10. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">0, 21.</NOTE> or have we never &s;et &s;troke in it? God hath given &s;ome charge of &s;ouls, how little have they done in it? Ma&s;ters of Fa|milies have the charge of children, of &s;ervants, their &s;ouls, you have done nothing, you have gifts and parts enough for every thing el&s;e. Well Brethren, &s;uch &s;hall be &s;hut out al&s;o.</P>
<P>Now to &s;hew you two or three &s;orts of per&s;ons, who will like|ly be unready in &s;ome, or all the&s;e re&s;pects.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, <HI>all &s;uch as tri&s;le away their time in the world,</HI> &s;pend|ing their &s;trength for that which profiteth not, <HI>labouring for the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 14. 18.</NOTE> <HI>meat which peri&s;heth, which will not endure to eternal life:</HI> you &s;ee the world was that which kept them from coming to the Fea&s;t in the Go&s;pel, one could not have while, another could not have while: a man cannot have two trea&s;ures, except he had two hearts, two contrary trea&s;ures, earth and heaven both; and <HI>where the trea&s;ure is, there will the heart be al&s;o;</HI> therefore Bre|thren, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 6. 21.</NOTE> while men are &s;o altogether taken up with the world, they cannot but neglect the main thing, and &s;o are found unready. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">et worldlings hear this word and tremble, if any others be likely to be found unready, <HI>you are the men.</HI> Even the people of God them&s;elves, if they be unready in part, it is the world likely will put them out of order, off the hinges; <HI>take heed,</HI> &s;aith our Saviour, <HI>your hearts be not at any time overcharged with the cares of this world,</HI> becau&s;e there is no time but that day may overtake <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 21. 34.</NOTE> you, and then you will be taken unawares; therefore much more a man that is drowned and buried in the world, he will be &s;ure to be unready.</P>
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Secondly, <HI>Such as do but dally with God, and Religion, and the things of eternity;</HI> they &s;pend them&s;elves and their &s;trength to feed a formality, to put forth broad and plea&s;ant leaves, and there is all; but for faith, and repentance, and the great works of a Chri&s;tian, they &s;car&s;e ever meddle with them at all; they go to the creature here with the fooli&s;h Virgins, go to the opinions of others, to the graces of others, to their flattering para&s;ite Preachers, to be &s;eared and daubed up; &s;uch as the&s;e are likely to be found unready, none in more danger then a formal pro|fe&s;&s;or.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>Such as fail in the mid&s;t of their Chri&s;tian cour&s;e,</HI> as you &s;ee the&s;e Virgins did; u&s;ually &s;uch are hardly recovered again, for you &s;ee how they wandered up and down from moun|tain to hill, from creature to creature, and come not to Je&s;us Chri&s;t. So in the Go&s;pel, <HI>when the unclean &s;pirit is gone out of a</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 12. 43.</NOTE> <HI>man,</HI> &amp;c. Such are like to the <HI>Laodiceans, &s;pi&s;ed out of the mouth of God,</HI> which none returneth to again; the Dog returneth to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 17.</NOTE> the vomit, but not a man; our time is fruitful in experiences of this kind; you &s;ee the door is here &s;hut again&s;t tho&s;e Virgins which failed, I mean it of a total Apo&s;tacy, not partial declinings; &s;uch the Saints them&s;elves had, the wi&s;e Virgins, but the other lo&s;t all, true &s;aving grace they had none, their form, their pro|fe&s;&s;ion, it went out, and then they were in darkne&s;s, could not expect the coming of their Lord with their Lamps burning. So much for the opening of it.</P>
<P><HI>The door is &s;hut,</HI> the meaning of this is no more, <HI>but that an entrance into heaven is denyed unto them that are not ready,</HI> there is no man&s;ion made ready for them that are not made ready for the&s;e man&s;ions: the Lord Je&s;us he is the door into the Church, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 14. 2.</NOTE> the Kingdom of grace, and into the Kingdom of glory, as you have beard, <HI>they that enter, mu&s;t enter in by Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> have ac|ce&s;s by him; now he will &s;hut the door, that is to &s;ay, &s;hut up his bowels and tender mercies for ever; though they have been <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 10. 17.</NOTE> opened to poor &s;inners here upon earth, then they &s;hall be &s;hut up, he will have no more compa&s;&s;ion on them, <HI>but when they cry and call, &s;hut out their prayers;</HI> they have clapt the door of their hearts and lockt them again&s;t him, and now will he &s;hut up <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 1. 28.</NOTE> his heart, and lock it again&s;t them for ever. Time was when the Jews might have found Je&s;us Chri&s;t, but now, &s;aith he, <HI>ye &s;hall &s;eek
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me, and &s;hall not find me, but &s;hall dye in your &s;ins.</HI> Indeed Bre|thren, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 8. 21.</NOTE> the door may be &s;hut again&s;t a man here on earth, after Gods waiting upon a people to be gracious to them, <HI>he &s;ware in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 95. 11.</NOTE> <HI>his wrath, they &s;hould never enter into his re&s;t,</HI> which was a type of heaven. And &s;o tho&s;e that were invited to the fea&s;t, <HI>they &s;hall not ta&s;te of my dainties,</HI> &s;aith the King, <HI>for they are not worthy;</HI> If men refu&s;e and reject the Go&s;pel, either profe&s;&s;edly or in pra|cti&s;e, no marvel if the Lord turn the key of heaven gates upon them, and they be &s;hut out, without any more hope for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22. 7, 8.</NOTE> ever.</P>
<P>For the Arguments to confirm this a little.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>Becau&s;e this fea&s;t in heaven admitteth no Gue&s;ts without a wedding garment, without holine&s;s no entrance into heaven, no man</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 14. Ioh. 17. 3.</NOTE> <HI>&s;hall &s;ee the Lord, except the Lord Je&s;us have known them, and they have known him, which is life eternal:</HI> for &s;o the Apo&s;tle puts them together, <HI>we know that we know him, or rather are known of him,</HI> el&s;e Brethren, there is no entrance, <HI>he knoweth no man,</HI> will acknowledge none then, but with a wedding-garment here, in the admini&s;trations of the Kingdom of grace; a per&s;on may creep into the fea&s;t withont the wedding-garment indeed, for the word preached, it is for all, but the di&s;tingui&s;hing Ordi|nances men may be admitted to haply, though they have no wedding-garment, as you have it in that place of <HI>Matthew,</HI> but he &s;hall not abide there, but &s;hall be ca&s;t out, <HI>he will bind him hand and foot, and ca&s;t him out;</HI> though he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eaveth the admittance <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22. 11, 13.</NOTE> of them into the vi&s;ible Church and vi&s;ible communion in his or|dinances to us, who can judge but according to appearance and by the rules of charity; yet him&s;elf cometh and vieweth the gue&s;ts, and who are fit to be owned as the gue&s;ts of heaven, that &s;hall have entrance there, he who&s;e eyes are a flame of fire, or like it, piercing into the inwards of our &s;ouls, to &s;ee what our &s;pi|rits are cloathed with. And if he takes it &s;o ill of them that creep into the Communion of his Saints and Ordinances here below without a wedding-garment; Surely then, he will never admit any to this fea&s;t of new wine to eternity, without &s;uch a wedding-garment.</P>
<P>Secondly, Another Argument or Con&s;ideration to make this out, may be this, <HI>they that are unready &s;hall not enter,</HI> the door &s;hall be &s;hut upon them, <HI>becau&s;e they have neglected, de&s;pi&s;ed the
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Lord Je&s;us, who is the door, and hath the key of David,</HI> and open|eth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 7. Rom. 10. 21. I&s;a. 65. 2.</NOTE> and &s;hutteth, therefore now, they &s;hall be rejected; the door hath &s;tood open all the day long, <HI>all the day long hath he &s;tretched out his hands to a rebellious and gain-&s;aying people; he would have gathered them, and they would not,</HI> therefore now he will not; now he will de&s;pi&s;e them, as they have de&s;pi&s;ed him, and there is all the rea&s;on that can be, that they that would have none of Chri&s;t, by whom alone there is acce&s;s to the Father and to this glory, that he &s;hould have none of them neither; they have re&s;i&s;ted the motions of his Spirit, the Holy-Gho&s;t offering to convince them, and now he will re&s;i&s;t them, clap the door again&s;t them.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>Becau&s;e now the time of our working and Gods waiting is at an end;</HI> God hath long waited to be gracious to us, but now there is an end of waiting, he &s;eeth it would do no good, as long as &s;inners could for &s;orrow, or pain, or death, hold their vani|ties, keep their &s;ins, their &s;weet mor&s;els, they would never &s;pit them out, therefore <HI>now he will wait no more;</HI> though men were unready when Chri&s;t cometh, yet if he would &s;tay a while longer, wait a year longer: O if it might be but a Sabbath, but a day, what new creatures would men become? they will promi&s;e fair: No, no, the time of waiting is done, he will not &s;tay a jot, they have had warning enough, the cry hath pa&s;t before him often enough, <HI>Behold the Bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him,</HI> but you have not taken the warning; now when he cometh and receiveth his own which were ready for him, no more waiting, the door is &s;hut. Though here in the Kingdom of grace God may be <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 13. 7, 9.</NOTE> intreated to &s;pare a barren tree or Vineyard a year or two long|er, yet when the time of waiting is at an end, and he &s;eeth no|thing will do, he will down with them by the roots, into the fire with them; &s;o it is no time for us to work then, to think of put|ing on Chri&s;t then: if we would gather Manna, it mu&s;t be upon the &s;ix daies, there was none to be found upon the &s;eventh. If we under&s;tand this of the day of the re&s;urrection from the dead, then it is clear, as the <HI>tree falleth &s;o it lyoth, either hell-ward or</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 16.</NOTE> <HI>heaven-ward:</HI> But if of the time of death, truly Brethren, how ever this may &s;ometimes through the exceeding riches of his grace be a time of repentance and faith to &s;ome, yet ordinarily it is not &s;o. Alas they have enough to do to bear the weakne&s;s upon them, they can mind little el&s;e; or if they do return, it is
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but feignedly for the mo&s;t part, with <HI>Judas;</HI> and u&s;ually, when a &s;inner hath &s;o long trampled under foot the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the Lord giveth them up to hardne&s;s of heart, that they &s;hall never repent or believe, <HI>&s;eeing, they &s;hall &s;ee and not perceive,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 6. 9.</NOTE> &amp;c. <HI>lea&s;t they &s;hould be converted and he &s;hould heal them,</HI> as it is there in the <HI>Revelations, Let him that is filthy be filthy &s;till, let him</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 22. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">1.</NOTE> <HI>that is an hypocrite, be an hypocrite &s;till,</HI> this is fearful indeed. So much for the Arguments.</P>
<P>For the Application, Then Brethren, <HI>What have we all of us to ble&s;s the Lord for, that yet the door is not &s;hut again&s;t us,</HI> as we may hope; indeed if God have &s;ealed up any heart under hard|ne&s;s, becau&s;e of its long re&s;i&s;ting the Holy-Gho&s;t, woful is his condition: but doth he not breath now and then, and &s;tir and &s;trive, that is a good &s;ign he hath not done with thee yet, his waiting and &s;triving time is not over, <HI>he hath not given thee over yet,</HI> &amp;c. What have we to ble&s;s the Lord for? what are our lives Brethren good to us for in any re&s;pect be&s;ides, but that we might work out our &s;alvation, make &s;ure of God, and Chri&s;t, and heaven, get our wedding-garment on, put on the Lord Je&s;us for righteou&s;ne&s;s and holine&s;s, that our nakedne&s;s may not appear, for heaven will not bear the nakedne&s;s of a &s;inner; now, though &s;inners have neglected this opportunity, alas how many of us have we are exceeding bu&s;ie, making provi&s;ion for our lu&s;ts, our pride, our luxury, our backs, our bellies, provi&s;ion for our wives, our children, but none for our poor &s;ouls; and yet not|with&s;tanding this, he waiteth, the door &s;tandeth open: If you had many of you been cut off a year or a moneth ago, and the grave had &s;hut her mouth upon you, would you not have found heaven &s;hut again&s;t you, and hell opening her mouth wide for to &s;wallow you up? Yea Brethren, if this day he &s;hould come, Ah I fear, I fear, Brethren, as &s;ecure as many of us are now, and &s;ure of our conditions, we &s;hould find the gate clapt again&s;t our &s;ouls: O therefore Brethren ble&s;s the Lord, admire his patience and long-&s;uffering, that yet draweth out our day of grace, that yet holdeth his bowels open, his arms open to receive us. This is the fir&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly, Then it may &s;erve to lay before us the doleful con|dition of poor trifling creatures, trifling profe&s;&s;ors, that not|with&s;tanding all the ado they make with their Lamps, trimming
<PB N="372" REF="253">
of them, and going up and down to buy, <HI>they are found unready, the door is clapt again&s;t them;</HI> the Lord grant that none of your poor &s;ouls may ever &s;ee that woful day Brethren, you will then know to your bitterne&s;s and &s;orrow, what it is to &s;in away a day of grace, an opportunity, while the door &s;tood open to receive you: Ah &s;urely there will nothing wound poor &s;inners more then this, the time was, I might have been happy, I might have had heaven, the bowels of the Lord Je&s;us &s;tood open to me as well as to others, but now alas it is pa&s;t; did it make the Lord Je&s;us weep for <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> and was not her condition &s;ad then, and will it not make your hearts bleed? O &s;ure it cannot be, but every <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 19. 42.</NOTE> &s;uch thought to <HI>E&s;au,</HI> prophane <HI>E&s;au,</HI> poor <HI>E&s;au,</HI> when the ble&s;|&s;ing was gone he &s;ought it with tears, every thought &s;ure of this time was, <HI>I might have had the ble&s;&s;ing, but wretch that I was, I &s;inned it away, I de&s;pi&s;ed it, preferred a me&s;s of pottage before it, and therefore now there is no recovery of it.</HI> Every thought &s;ure in hell, that heaven gate did &s;tand open to you &s;inners, you had as fair offers of grace and as long a &s;ea&s;on and opportunity to clo&s;e with Chri&s;t as others, but now they are gone, will fetch blood from your very hearts and &s;ouls: O the condition is &s;ad and dole|ful!</P>
<P>Thirdly, It &s;hall be a word of Exhortation to us all, that we would lay the&s;e things to heart, It may be we have not &s;o much minded them; If this be true Brethren, <HI>What need had we to look to it, that we be found ready to enter?</HI> which is an Exhortation. I have already pre&s;t upon you, there is a promi&s;e left of entering, &amp; a threatning al&s;o that &s;ome &s;hall not enter, even as many as are not ready; you &s;ee it here by the wi&s;e Virgins who enter, and the fooli&s;h again&s;t whom the door is &s;hut; and the Apo&s;tle to the <HI>Hebrews, Take heed le&s;t any of you fall &s;hort through un|belief,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 3. 18.</NOTE> as tho&s;e fell &s;hort; the Apo&s;tle maketh that u&s;e of it, to warn the <HI>Hebrews,</HI> though Di&s;ciples in profe&s;&s;ion, and many of them doubtle&s;s in reality &s;uch; &s;o here from this example, I de&s;ire Brethren, both mine own and your hearts may be quickned to look about us, le&s;t when all comes to all, we have the gate of hea|ven clapt upon us.</P>
<P>1. Then you that are yet in the gall of bitterne&s;s and the bonds of iniquity, have yet your filthy garments upon you, your rot|ten <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 8.</NOTE> filthy rags of your own &s;ervices, duties, prayers, alms, as if
<PB N="373" REF="253">
tho&s;e were a wedding-garment; you that are more profane it <NOTE PLACE="marg">Zech. 3.</NOTE> may be, and cloath your &s;elves with violence, as with a Cloak, and with cur&s;ing, as with a garment; and &s;o for all manner of <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73. 6.</NOTE> prophane per&s;ons, I would beg of you for Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;ake this day, you would con&s;ider this doleful word, <HI>the gate will be &s;hut again&s;t you, if you be found unready for the appearing of Chri&s;t.</HI> Now there is none of you but your con&s;ciences will tell you, that <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 109. 18.</NOTE> you are not ready for it; can a drunkard, a &s;wearer, a bla&s;phe|mer, be ready for the coming of Chri&s;t? can you hold up your heads &s;inners, when he appears, and look him in the face with comfort? Ah no. Either men believe not this coming of Chri&s;t to them, or el&s;e becau&s;e it is not pre&s;ent, they put it far from them, therefore they are not affected with it. O that I could preach this day Brethren, as if hell were at &s;inners backs, as if the Lord Je&s;us were at your backs now ready to call for you out of this world, that you may be a little &s;tartled. That I would beg of you, &s;hall be this, that you would without any more <HI>ifs</HI> and <HI>ands,</HI> without any more delaies, &s;et about this work, to make ready for his appearing, le&s;t the gate be clapt upon you; you have too long delayed it already, therefore now, if ever, &s;et about the work.</P>
<P><HI>What would you have us to do?</HI> you will &s;ay; I an&s;wer Bre|thren, without any more delay, <HI>to con&s;ider your waies, and turn to the Lord, to repent that you may believe, and believe that you may repent.</HI> O that you might have hearts to believe this terrible threatning, that &s;o your hearts might be &s;haken (&s;inners) out of your &s;ecurity; for this is the rea&s;on you make nothing of all the&s;e things, you do not believe that there will be a &s;hutting out, or you do not con&s;ider it, and that your &s;elves are as likely to be the men that have the door &s;hut upon you as any others; O therefore learn this day, a nece&s;&s;ity of believing, if you would not be &s;hut out, a nece&s;&s;ity of repenting; you &s;ee they were &s;hut out by rea&s;on of unbelief. I know what an&s;wer your hearts <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 3. 19.</NOTE> will make to this, If believing will do it, you will never be &s;hut out, for you do believe, and will believe, and have believed; alway you have had a good heart, and a good faith towards God and Chri&s;t; Brethren, I tell you, that you never lookt upon the Brazen Serpent for healing, if you were never wounded; It is for them thatare wounded. You that are all faith now, before
<PB N="374" REF="254">
God have touched your hearts, and &s;et your &s;ins in order be|fore you; if ever God come and &s;hew you your guilt, there will be nothing but doubting, and fears, and terrors; It is an evi|dent &s;ign to me, that a &s;inner never did believe, becau&s;e he mak|eth &s;o light a matter of it: No, no, Brethren, you do not come to him indeed: the door &s;tands open now, and you are invited to come and enter in by the door, by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, into the Marriage-fea&s;t, but you do not come to him; O therefore be exhorted &s;in|ners, now while the door &s;tands open, to come and enter in, <HI>take heed you fall not &s;hort by your unbelief;</HI> and then upon this faith in Je&s;us Chri&s;t will follow a Go&s;pel-repentance, a melting and mourning over the Lord Je&s;us, who&s;e love and bowels you have abu&s;ed, and the love of Je&s;us Chri&s;t will con&s;train you to another cour&s;e of life then you have led, quite contrary, you will not be the &s;ame men: O break off your &s;ins by righteou&s;ne&s;s, be abrupt <NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 4. 27.</NOTE> in your repentance, in greate&s;t ha&s;te; men think it is hard to break off in the mid&s;t of &s;uch a de&s;ign for the world, or &s;uddenly to leave their companions in &s;in, but by degrees they will do it; <HI>O break off,</HI> &amp;c. Again,</P>
<P>Secondly, For you that have &s;omewhat more then ordinary of a profe&s;&s;ion of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, I beg of you to look to it Bre|thren, that you have the main thing, le&s;t when all comes to all, the door be &s;hut upon you, as upon tho&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins; me thinks if we did but con&s;ider how many poor &s;ouls of great hope have gone out and &s;unk under &s;uch a &s;ad di&s;appointment as this is, it were enough to &s;tartle us all: O look to your footing Brethren, for Je&s;us &s;ake look to your Evidences, the day is com|ing, that if we be not ready, there will be no entrance for us, let us pa&s;s for what we will here among men. I cannot &s;tand to pre&s;s the&s;e things, I have already &s;poken much to the &s;ame purpo&s;e before.</P>
<P N="1">1. I pray you con&s;ider, that upon this moment of time, (for our lives in compari&s;on of eternity are no more) a hand breadth, a &s;hadow, a vapor, nothing; you that have lived thirty, &s;ixty <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 39.</NOTE> years in &s;in, now it is pa&s;t the &s;ea&s;on you have had in your plea|&s;ures, what is it but like a dream when it is pa&s;t? but as &s;hort as this time is, <HI>upon it depends eternity;</HI> he hangeth the heavye&s;t weights upon the weake&s;t wires: O Brethren, me thinks if men did but believe this, and it were pre&s;ent now and then upon their
<PB N="375" REF="254">
thoughts, <HI>there is an eternity to be enjoyed or lo&s;t, an eternity to be endured or avoided, an endle&s;s happine&s;s or endle&s;s mi&s;ery;</HI> this &s;hould make you &s;ee to it, to make &s;ure you be ready, le&s;t this gate be &s;hut upon you: Brethren, you live to eternity, and you dye to eternity; how careful was that Painter of every line, very exact, took much time to draw a piece, O &s;aith he, <HI>Eternitati pingo.</HI> As you live here, &s;o &s;hall you live to eternity: If in &s;in, Brethren, you &s;hall lye down in an eternal bed of &s;orrow, in everla&s;ting burnings &s;hall your &s;ouls be rouled up together; if you make it your work to make ready, to be found ready for his appearing, there is an entrance into everla&s;ting joyes, a fea&s;t which never &s;hall have end.</P>
<P N="2">2. Though time be &s;hort whereupon eternity depends, yet you have time Brethren, though it is true, none but the pre&s;ent time be yours, that which is pa&s;t is gone, that which is to come, you know not what it may produce, whether you &s;hall &s;ee it or no, but you have a time, <HI>now while it is called to day;</HI> Ah Bre|thren, &s;ome of us have had a long day, our day of grace hath had already, &s;ome &s;ix, &s;ome &s;even, &s;ome eleven hours, and yet it is day with us, we have not wanted time, but we have wa&s;ted it, trifled it away, but &s;ince yet there is time, let this &s;tir us up: <HI>O the long-&s;uffering of God &s;hould lead you to repentance:</HI> Ah ble&s;&s;ed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2. 4.</NOTE> are your ears, for they hear, and your eyes, for they &s;ee; Bre|thren, they &s;ee a crucified Chri&s;t held out before you, with his arms &s;tretched out all the day long ready to receive you, they &s;ee the door open, &s;tand open for poor &s;inners to come: Your ears, they hear the joyful &s;ound, now you are called upon, and intreat|ed to be reconciled, to believe. Well, you cannot &s;ay, &s;inners, another day, but that the Lord gave you &s;pace to repent, &s;pace to make &s;ure of heaven, but you neglected it.</P>
<P N="3">3. This opportunity and &s;ea&s;on, it is headlong, it &s;taies not<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, maketh ha&s;te; and to keep pace with your &s;ea&s;on of grace, you mu&s;t make ha&s;te, and if it be once lo&s;t, it is never recovered again. O therefore Brethren, with the greate&s;t ha&s;te I beg of you, to &s;et about this work, le&s;t at la&s;t you cry out, all too late, all too late, as it is &s;aid of a Lady that likely &s;pent her time vain|ly; but when &s;he came to her death-bed, O then &s;he lamentably cryeth out, <HI>O time, time, a world of wealth for a moment of time, an inch of time.</HI> Opportunity is bald behind, there is no hold to
<PB N="376" REF="255">
be taken of it, only by redeeming it; double your diligence, if you have lo&s;t a great part of your &s;ea&s;on; have you been idling and loytering a great part of the harve&s;t? Now therefore lay about you &s;o much the more earne&s;tly, for the opportunity can|not be recalled when once it is pa&s;t, that is the third. O what would the damned, that have been damned from under &s;uch means and mercies as you enjoy, give for one of their Sabbaths, for one of their Sermons, for one of the many daies you enjoy! but it is pa&s;t help.</P>
<P N="4">4. Con&s;ider Brethren, <HI>If the door be &s;hut by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, none el&s;e can open it;</HI> and he will not him&s;elf open it any more, and what will become of you then? It may be &s;inners think this is not &s;o &s;ad a word, <HI>that the door &s;hall be &s;hut,</HI> they think they can bring a golden key of their own that &s;hall open it: No, no, be|lieve it Brethren, it is the key of <HI>David</HI> only that can open and &s;hut this door, and this Je&s;us Chri&s;t alone hath the Wards of, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 7.</NOTE> your keys are not fitted for this lock; he &s;hutteth therefore, and <HI>no man openeth,</HI> none el&s;e what&s;oever openeth: Nor will he open it him&s;elf any more to them, he knoweth full well upon whom it is that he &s;hutteth the gate; he knoweth who are, and who are not his; who are ready, and who are not. O therefore Brethren, I be&s;eech you con&s;ider it, now while you have time, before it be too late, while there is hope concern|ing this thing; O let not the world, Brethren, nor your &s;inful plea&s;ures eat out all your time, con&s;ume your &s;ea&s;on of grace, ex|cept they could open the gate of heaven for you; if they could, it were &s;omewhat indeed for men to baffle &s;o with Chri&s;t, and trifle away their &s;ouls as they do; but if you will not believe, nor be per&s;waded by any thing which in &s;o much weakne&s;s can be &s;aid, nor by what is delivered in a better manner by others, you &s;hall &s;ee it to your &s;orrow, when you come to heaven gate and find it &s;hut again&s;t you. O then you &s;hall know Brethren, what it was to have &s;uch a warning, <HI>to flee from the wrath to come, and not have a heart to embrace it.</HI> Thus much for this Application, and this Doctrine.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="377" REF="255">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Ver&s;es 11, 12.</BIBL>
<Q>Afterwards came al&s;o the other Virgins, &s;aying, Lord, Lord, open to us; but he an&s;wered and &s;aid to them, verily I &s;ay unto you, I know you not.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>I Would take up two or three brief Notes from the&s;e words.</P>
<P><HI>That men may come very near to heaven, and yet be &s;hut out, ne|ver enter into heaven.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr.</NOTE></P>
<P>Which, though it be much what the &s;ame with a former ob&s;er|vation, I will &s;peak a few words to it here, if it were nothing el&s;e but to refre&s;h your memories, and but a word or two of it. It is plainly taken up from the Parable here, the fooli&s;h Virgins they kept their Lamps burning long, until the very point of the Bride-grooms coming; yea not only &s;o, but when the door was &s;hut and others received, which whether it be at the day of judgement, or at each particular &s;ouls particular day, we will not now enquire; but yet they come (mind you) after all this, and they bounce again&s;t heaven gate, as I may <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ay, they cry, <HI>Lord, Lord, open to us;</HI> they would have heaven, and come to the very gate, as I may &s;ay, and they &s;eek it of Je&s;us Chri&s;t too, and they are very earne&s;t in it, the doubling of the expre&s;&s;ion imports; it is not a cold frozen prayer, &s;uch as many an hypocrite, yea &s;ometimes many a child of God puts up, but an earne&s;t cry, <HI>Lord, Lord, O Lord &s;ave us, &s;hut us not out, &s;ave us, we peri&s;h, we &s;ink, hell opens her mouth to &s;wallow us up, O quickly open to us, or we are gone.</HI> Did not <HI>I&s;rael</HI> come out of <HI>Egypt,</HI> and march through the wilderne&s;s, and through many difficulties, and enemies, and tem|ptations there, and come to the very borders of <HI>Canaan, and yet fell back again,</HI> were turned into the wilderne&s;s again? <HI>the Lord &s;ware they &s;hould never enter into his re&s;t: Many run,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>but all obtain not;</HI> yea &s;ome do run to the very la&s;t, un|til <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 9. 24.</NOTE> they be even within &s;ight of the Goal, and yet there &s;ink and peri&s;h. So <HI>Joa&s;h</HI> did, he ran far, and yet fell &s;hort when all was <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Chro. 24. 2.</NOTE>
<PB N="378" REF="256">
done. And when many fell back from Chri&s;t, <HI>Judas</HI> continued with him, the Bag its likely kept him more then Chri&s;t; but he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 6 66.</NOTE> continued until the very la&s;t, and then peri&s;hed. There was but one &s;tep, as I may &s;ay, between the young man in the Go&s;pel and heaven, he went very far, did much, he had kept all tho&s;e things from his youth; yet there was one thing wanting, which he could <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 19. 20.</NOTE> not reach too; our Saviour convinced him thereby how &s;hort he was, and had need of a Saviour; but we find not that he came to him any more: How near was <HI>Ananias</HI> to the Kingdom of God? he profe&s;&s;ed Chri&s;t in tho&s;e per&s;ecuting times, owned him, but it &s;eems his love of the world and di&s;tru&s;t was not killed; he went far as well as others, to &s;ell all he had, and to lay it at the Apo&s;tles feet, a very great piece of &s;elf-denyal, only a little re|&s;ervation in hypocri&s;ie you &s;ee, carried him a&s;ide, and he peri&s;h|ed. To make this a little better appear, con&s;ider,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>That the light and principles of nature will carry a man very far;</HI> how far did many of the Heathens go? how Saint|like would they &s;peak? and how heroically and &s;elf-denyingly would they act many times? Yea, and &s;ome of them in their whole cour&s;e, to the &s;hame of mo&s;t Chri&s;tians; the &s;parks of our own kindling will ri&s;e and flie upward, but yet they fall &s;hort: <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 27.</NOTE> Becau&s;e alas, 1. It leads us not to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and by his own &s;trength no man &s;hall prevail for heaven, but he mu&s;t lay hold upon the &s;trength of God in Chri&s;t. The Doctrine of Je&s;us Chri&s;t is a my&s;terie hid from ages, from all people, but where the Lord is plea&s;ed by the preaching of the Go&s;pel to make manife&s;t the &s;avour thereof. Now there is no other name, but the name o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Je&s;us Chri&s;t whereby men can be &s;aved. 2. Becau&s;e alas, there is not any of them but they <HI>hold the truth in unrighteou&s;ne&s;s;</HI> though <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 4. 11.</NOTE> they do much, yet they have a light more abundant in them then they walk up to. It is impri&s;oned in their under&s;tandings, not &s;hed abroad upon their hearts, &s;o that they could &s;ee nothing but folly and that which is wor&s;e. And &s;o every one mu&s;t needs be condemned of his own heart.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Common grace and gifts of grace, that will carry a man very far, there is a ta&s;te of the heavenly gift, and the powers of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 6. 4.</NOTE> <HI>the world to come;</HI> and this will &s;eem to enliven and warm the af|fections, and carry out a man to do great things; as tho&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins had, and &s;o <HI>Ananias,</HI> and others.</P>
<P><PB N="379" REF="256">
Thirdly, with all the&s;e, <HI>a mans &s;ecret fal&s;e ends concurring, help to carry on a man far. Judas</HI> had the bag, which he loved more then Chri&s;t, and as long as he had the bag he was well enough, he could follow on; &s;o long as there were loaves to be had by follow|ing Chri&s;t, what multitudes follow him, and throng upon him? Our Saviour knew their deepe&s;t ends, though haply they &s;aw them not; their hearts were too deep for them&s;elves, but not for him. So many ends, &s;o many &s;prings and weights there are upon <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6. 26.</NOTE> a man, which will add &s;omewhat of &s;trength to him in his cour&s;e; they are indeed the marrow of the bones that moy&s;ten them, and give life and vigor to his actions. So it may be a man cannot keep his con&s;cience quiet, it is rou&s;ed a little, and is dogged, and &s;narls, and it will not be quiet, except he &s;top the mouth of it with &s;ome duty and &s;ervice, and following the waies of God as to the externals. And &s;o a mans glory and honour, &s;pecially when Religion is in repute, it is a di&s;honour to be e&s;teemed otherwi&s;e; mens reputations will carry them further then we are aware of. Yea, if the waies of God were di&s;countenanced, yet a man may go far in them upon this end, to have his name much &s;et by, as a couragious heroical &s;pirit, he may &s;uffer much, and yet not love Je&s;us Chri&s;t: It is then, love to him&s;elf, to his honour, or &s;omewhat el&s;e that is the ground of it; but alas, Brethren, when all this is done, it may carry a man near the Kingdom of heaven, but he &s;hall fall &s;hort. And that upon the&s;e two con&s;iderati|ons.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, becau&s;e, though they may come near Chri&s;t, and haply delude them&s;elves, and think they have him, <HI>yet they never were in|gra<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ted into him;</HI> and hi&s;torical faith and temporarie, that will com|ply with the times, a man may have, and miraculous too, and yet never implanted into Chri&s;t; and then, though a man may come near the Kingdom of heaven, yet if be he Chri&s;tle&s;s, he is undone, he mu&s;t needs be &s;hut out. The Lord will in giving tho&s;e gifts, tho&s;e common gifts of the Spirit to men, honour him&s;elf by them; he will have glory, but they may never have the comfort of them, they may tend to their further &s;inking and condemna|tion.</P>
<P>Secondly, becau&s;e that all tho&s;e things, though precious in them&s;elves, yet <HI>they never change a mans heart,</HI> it remaineth the &s;ame &s;till, &s;o they never do him real &s;piritual good; <HI>Judas</HI> a tray|tor,
<PB N="380" REF="257">
a Devil, though it appeared not to men, becau&s;e cloathed over with &s;o many common gifts and graces. And &s;o <HI>Ananias</HI> his heart was not throughly changed. Alas Brethren, the giving of the&s;e gifts to men, whereby they do much, as a gift of prayer, or a gift of prophecying, or preaching, whereby they do much, and pa&s;s for eminent per&s;ons with men, they are but like flowers laid in a window, as Doctor <HI>Pre&s;ton</HI> compareth them, they grow not; Or el&s;e, as outlandi&s;h plants removed into another Coun|trey, they grow not, they pro&s;per not, becau&s;e the &s;oil is not changed; the grace they have doth not <HI>redundare in per&s;onam,</HI> make their per&s;ons good, no more then a pearl in a &s;wines &s;nou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, changeth the nature of the &s;wine; the pearl is a pearl and preci|ous, but the &s;wine is a &s;wine, and filthy in her di&s;po&s;ition. And &s;o beauty in a whori&s;h woman, it is beautiful and lovely, but &s;he is neverthele&s;s whori&s;h and abominable; and therefore notwith|&s;tanding all the Attainments of a man by nature, by common grace, by his own ends, which will carry him very far, put a great lu&s;tre upon him, &s;eem to bid fair for heaven, carry a man after the things of God to the very la&s;t, it may be, yet it will not change a man, and therefore no admittance for him, he is &s;hut out when all is done.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then Brethren, If a man may go &s;o far and yet fall &s;hort, <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> What will become of them that never &s;et foot forward toward heaven to this day? It is true, many come to hear the word now and then, or con&s;tantly; I make account this is but little, when it cometh to the doing, the practi&s;ing: What have you done to this day many of you? the young man in the Go&s;pel did all <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 19. 20.</NOTE> tho&s;e things, he thought, and that from his youth, and yet you &s;ee he fell &s;hort: Thou never did&s;t any of tho&s;e things, thou never did&s;t love the Lord thy God, wor&s;hip him as thou ought|e&s;t, make&s;t nothing of renting his name in pieces, of prophaning his day: what el&s;e meaneth &s;o many idling, &s;o many &s;porting them&s;elves, &s;o many walking up and down, &s;o many drinking up|on the Sabbath-day? thy parents, thou never did&s;t honour them; thou ha&s;t been an unclean wretch, injurious, thy tongue taught to tell lyes and &s;peak folly, a covetous wretch. Brethren, what do you mean? &s;ure you will never come &s;o much as near the Kingdom of heaven: If any peri&s;h, you are the &s;inners are &s;ure
<PB N="381" REF="257">
to peri&s;h. They fell &s;hort that came to <HI>Canaan,</HI> what will be|come of you that never came out of <HI>Egypt?</HI> if you are yet by your fle&s;h-pots, your Garlick and Onions of <HI>Egypt,</HI> and will not be beaten off your loath&s;om delights of the fle&s;h, your mirth, and company, and gaming, and dicing, and drabbing, and drink|ing: <HI>Mu&s;t a mans righteou&s;ne&s;s exceed the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the Phari&s;ees, or he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God;</HI> Do you be|lieve <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 20.</NOTE> this Brethren? What will become of thee then, that art &s;o far from what they did? they prayed often, much, and long; they fa&s;ted often, they gave much alms, paid tythe of all; they were no extortioners, nor unju&s;t, but thou art &s;uch a one; they were no drunkards, but thou art a drunkard; they were no un|clean adulterers, but thou art one; and yet they fell &s;hort, and where wilt thou appear? the Lord &s;hew you how unlikely you are for heaven.</P>
<P>Secondly, this &s;heweth al&s;o the woful condition of hypocrites, <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 2.</NOTE> they carry a &s;air &s;ail, and &s;eem it may be to be driven with as fair a gale as any; only there is a Leak &s;pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ng in the bottom, and they &s;ink, or rock them&s;elves ju&s;t in the very harbour; this is the &s;adde&s;t of all the re&s;t, many a &s;torm they have ridden out, they have indured many a wave, and to &s;plit them&s;elves in the very harbour, within &s;ight of the land; as a man mi&s;carrying ju&s;t at the gate of the City of <HI>Refuge:</HI> O how high mu&s;t &s;uch mens hopes have been! and how low will their hearts &s;ink now when &s;o <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ad|ly di&s;appointed? hope &s;o di&s;appointed maketh a&s;hamed, con|foundeth the &s;oul: as <HI>E&s;au</HI> his hopes were at the highe&s;t, when he came with his Veni&s;on to his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ather; this will kill the heart. O Brethren, above all others, hypocrites will be cloathed with the deepe&s;t confu&s;ion, becau&s;e they have been men of the faire&s;t hopes for heaven. Therefore it is &s;aid, <HI>he went away &s;orrowful;</HI> for it mu&s;t needs be &s;o, for he was a man of more light then <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 19. 22.</NOTE> others, and &s;urely had a conviction that Je&s;us was the Me&s;&s;iah, &amp; that it would be advantagious to have him, and therefore coming <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job. 27. 9.</NOTE> &s;o near to him, and yet put back, <HI>he went away &s;orrowful:</HI> ano|ther man would have made nothing of &s;uch a repul&s;e: hypocrites have great enlightnings, and they have had <HI>a ta&s;te of the heaven|ly gift,</HI> as I may &s;ay, as <HI>I&s;rael</HI> had a bunch of grapes to ta&s;te the &s;weetne&s;s of <HI>Canaan,</HI> and encourage them to go in to po&s;&s;e&s;s it. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 13. 23.</NOTE>
<PB N="382" REF="258">
O this, when God turned them back into the wilderne&s;s for their rebellion, that they &s;hould peri&s;h there, was a great aggravation of their mi&s;ery; if they had never come &s;o near it, and never ta&s;ted of it, they had not known what they had lo&s;t, what they had deprived them&s;elves of. So here &s;urely Brethren, hypocrites have many a ta&s;te, they have &s;ome glimmerings of heavens light and glory, &s;omewhat they have to draw them on to the very borders, therefore for them to be turned off here and &s;hut out, O &s;ure it will much aggravate their mi&s;ery: Ah wretch that I was, to come &s;o near, take &s;o much pains for heaven, and yet that I &s;hould mi&s;s it, will be the doleful ditty of hypocrites to eter|nity.</P>
<P>Thirdly, It may teach all young beginners, that are now, as I may &s;ay, &s;tarting in the race that is &s;et before us, <HI>that you look to it,</HI> Brethren, <HI>you be &s;o furni&s;hed as to be able to run &s;o as to obtain;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 9. 14.</NOTE> you are now launching into the deep, O look to it there be not a privy leak &s;omewhere, though it be but &s;mall, yet it may make a &s;hift to &s;ink you even at the very haven of heaven. Ah dear friends, it will be worth your pains to look into the truth of your condition, though it co&s;t you many an hour, many a hot and cold fit, yet give it not over, be &s;ure of this one thing, that you be bottomed on Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and have his Spirit to dwell in you, his fear put in you according to the Covenant of grace, and then you &s;hall never depart from him, you &s;hall never fall &s;hort. If once you be but in him, you &s;hall enter in with him; the rea&s;on why the&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins entred not, <HI>they were not in Chri&s;t,</HI> they had nothing but their own account, their own profe&s;&s;ion, and what they could rap and rend, and get from the creature: alas, this was nothing, though it might carry them thus far, it would not make way for their entrance into glory; therefore let me beg of you to make this one thing nece&s;&s;ary &s;ure, neglect this, and all is nothing.</P>
<P>Fourthly, It may teach all of us, even &s;uch as have not only begun, but gone far, taken much pains for heaven, to tremble and fear, le&s;t for want of a little more, we fall &s;hort. Ah dear friends, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 3.</NOTE> if we would offer violence to heaven, it mu&s;t be while we are here, when the door is &s;hut it is too late; therefore now let us pre&s;s, and &s;pare no pains, and look to the&s;e two things.</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="383" REF="258">
1. <HI>That what we do, we do it in Chri&s;t, and for Chri&s;t;</HI> el&s;e what do we differ in our work from the gli&s;tering Sinners among the heathens? And,</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>That our hearts be changed, and made better, and growing liker heaven every day then other, el&s;e they will nothing avail us at all;</HI> we &s;hall be &s;hut out notwith&s;tanding all our prayers, preaching, gifts, performances, priviledges; nothing but an in|tere&s;t in Chri&s;t, and an heart &s;anctified by him, will give entrance into heaven; but &s;o much for this Doctrine.</P>
<P>Another Note I will take up from the Virgins crying to God, now when they &s;aw the Gate of heaven &s;hut again&s;t them.</P>
<P><HI>That the hearts of &s;inners are full of &s;elf-confidence and pre&s;um|ption;</HI> That they could have an heart to cry to Je&s;us Chri&s;t to open <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr. 2.</NOTE> the door to them when it was &s;hut, it is &s;trange pre&s;umption and boldne&s;s indeed, for they had not one word to &s;ay for them|&s;elves, why they &s;hould have entrance, but only, Lord, Lord, open, &amp;c. in re&s;pect of any pleadings of Faith, or the Cove|nant of Grace they were dumb, not a word of this, but if they had any thing to &s;ay, it was &s;uch as tho&s;e in <HI>Mat.</HI> 7. had to &s;ay for them&s;elves; he had preached in their &s;treets, and they had eat and drunk in his pre&s;ence; &s;o here, Lord, Lord, open to us; why, we had Lamps burning until a little before thy ap|pearing; we walked in fellow&s;hip with them that are truly ad|mitted now into thy pre&s;ence; we have endeavoured to get &s;ome oyl to renew our Lamps, though alas, they found none; but however they would have heaven: this is very &s;trong impudence, and confident pre&s;umption that is in the hearts of Sinners; the Lord Je&s;us turns them off, and they will not be turned o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">f, now they will offer violence to the kingdom of heaven, when it is too late.</P>
<P><HI>Whence ari&s;eth this? Haply out of the ignorance where|upon heaven is to be had, upon what conditions; or el&s;e out of the pre&s;ence of their eternal mi&s;ery;</HI> now they &s;ee they are &s;ink|ing to hell, they begin to cry out for opening of heaven Gate to them, now the Gate is &s;hut upon them, they never cried before: but I will not in&s;i&s;t upon this.</P>
<P>Only a word or two of Application: Fir&s;t then, it is no mar|vel <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e. 1.</NOTE>
<PB N="384" REF="259">
brethren, if &s;inners are &s;o full of boldne&s;s and pre&s;umption; now let us tell them, that we will &s;et life and death before them, as you have had it &s;et before you many a time, every Sabbath, every opportunity almo&s;t, alas, they care not for it, they hang out a flag of defiance again&s;t God, they have made a covenant with death, and an agreement with hell, and this they make ac|count &s;hall &s;tand, let the Lord &s;ay what he will; though he tell them, he will break that Covenant, he di&s;anulleth it in the day he heareth it; for both they and death are under his command, and therefore he may di&s;anull their Covenant, he is Soveraign over them all; yet they believe it not, they rage, and are confident, for when the very overflowing &s;courge cometh upon them, they are &s;o confident to go, and cry to God, when they &s;ee the very gate of mercy &s;hut again&s;t them: O &s;ay &s;inners, here we &s;hall have peace, though we walk after the imaginations of our own hearts, to add drunkenne&s;s to thir&s;t; tho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">gh God have told &s;uch men, <HI>His anger &s;hall &s;moke again&s;t that man,</HI> yet they are confident <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 29. 19.</NOTE> nothing will drive them to &s;eek a Chri&s;t, to make their peace with him, to accept of deliverance; and no marvel, for when they &s;ee the mouth of hell opened for them, and the belly of hell moved for them, and the gates of heaven &s;hut again&s;t them, and they have no Chri&s;t to appear in, yet they have the face and boldne&s;s, as to cry, Lord, Lord, open to us.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>It may teach us to have an holy jealou&s;ie, and an holy pitty over poor creatures that can be, and are upon their death-beds, &s;o confident, &s;o pre&s;umptuous, they can come to God without a Chri&s;t, having all their life long trampled his precious blood under their feet, re&s;ted in their formalities, and yet can cry out then to God to open to them, as if thy were the only Saints upon earth, and were the only men of faith.</HI> Ah brethren, &s;o they may do, and yet be but fooli&s;h Virgins; how have they carried it in their lives: they would never be per&s;waded to call upon God morning and evening, to pray in clo&s;et, in family, to make &s;ure of Chri&s;t, and yet now they will not &s;tick to appear and cry for heaven without him. O this pre&s;umption will not pro&s;per, though be|lieving alway pro&s;per; you may have the Gate of heaven &s;hut upon you, your &s;ouls &s;hut out for ever, and yet in your extre|mity have a Lord, Lord, in your mouths, therefore look to it betimes, before hand; but enough of this.</P>
<P><PB N="385" REF="259">
The third Note of Doctrine is this; <HI>Though men will not come</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr. 3.</NOTE> <HI>to Chri&s;t for Grace, yet they will come to him for Glory.</HI> While Je&s;us Chri&s;t is di&s;pen&s;ing the Grace of the Kingdom, they neglect him and his Grace, they are bu&s;ied about &s;omewhat el&s;e; but when he is to di&s;pen&s;e the Glory of his Kingdom, then every one will come to him; <HI>Luke 14. 18. They cannot come, but now they will come.</HI> This is clear in the pre&s;ent ca&s;e: The&s;e fooli&s;h Vir|gins, they would not come to Chri&s;t for Grace; for you &s;ee how many times they were beaten off from the Creature, and yet they fa&s;tned again, when their Lamps failed, which were &s;parks of their own kindling, or el&s;e &s;ome common work at mo&s;t; then they went to the wi&s;e Virgins, not to Chri&s;t; when they repul&s;ed them, &s;ent them away empty, they went to them that &s;old, they would by no means come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, not a word of that; and yet now the Glory of the Kingdom is to be di&s;pen&s;ed, you &s;ee n ow they cry Lord, Lord, open to us: if they had taken this cour&s;e before, and cryed, Lord, Lord, when their Lamps were gone out, O Lord, now we &s;ee our own &s;parks dye before they reach heaven. O pardon this our Hypocri&s;ie, and O give us of thine oyl, thou art the Olive-tree, pour out of thy oyl into our ve&s;&s;els, as they went to the wi&s;e Virgins, and this in truth of heart, they had had oyl, they had been ready, and en|tred with Chri&s;t; no, but they would not; and &s;ee now, when the Gate was &s;hut upon them, now they cry, Lord, Lord, open to us; they would not come to him for the wedding Garment, but they would be beholding to him to let them in to the <HI>Fea&s;t</HI> without one; though heaven would have held them but a little while, if they had entred in that condition. So the Jews, <HI>They would not come to Chri&s;t, that they might have life;</HI> that they <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 5. 40. 7. 34.</NOTE> might have the life of Grace, and then the life of Glory; but they would come to him to have the life of Glory. <HI>Ye &s;hall &s;eek</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 17.</NOTE> <HI>me, and ye &s;hall not find me, but &s;hall die in your &s;ins.</HI> This is <HI>E&s;au's</HI> ca&s;e: prophane <HI>E&s;au,</HI> he would not keep his birth-right when he had it, nor &s;eek it again when he had lo&s;t it, but the ble&s;&s;ing he would have without the birth-right; he could part with the birth-right for a me&s;s of pottage, for his lu&s;t rather then extreme hunger, (as &s;ome think) but the ble&s;&s;ing, he could &s;eek it with tears.</P>
<P><PB N="386" REF="260">
The grounds of this are &s;uch as the&s;e; Fir&s;t, <HI>Becau&s;e it is a principle indelebly written in nature, to will happine&s;s the end in general;</HI> (that is to &s;ay) happine&s;s is not that which cometh under deliberation and matter of choice at all, but only the means that tend to that end: no man living can po&s;&s;ibly prevail with him&s;elf to be willing to be mi&s;erable: it is as natural as for the fire to fly upward, or the &s;tone to decline downward. A <HI>Ba|laam</HI> would die the death of the rigteous, he would go to hea|ven when all is done, notwith&s;tanding his Sorceries and Enchant|ments again&s;t <HI>Jacob,</HI> and Divinations again&s;t <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> A man would think &s;uch a wretch as he, that would have cur&s;ed <HI>I&s;rael</HI> fain, if God would have hearkened to him, a deadly enemy he was to them, that he &s;hould &s;carce have de&s;ired to come where they &s;hould be; As I have heard of &s;ome who&s;e &s;pleen hath been &s;o great again&s;t the people of God, that if they came to heaven, they would never come thither; &s;uch are wor&s;e then <HI>Balaam, yet he would die the death of the righteous.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Becau&s;e of the woful ataxie and di&s;order that is in all our &s;ouls, whereby we are in all things prepo&s;terous, in all things that are &s;upernatural;</HI> in things purely natural and civil we do not expect the end without the means, none but fools and mad men do it. A man would live and have his health, this he de&s;ireth, therefore he will eat, you cannot per&s;wade him to &s;tarve him&s;elf with hunger; he will take phy&s;ick, though never &s;o loath&s;om, ne|ver &s;o bitter to him, &amp; what ever it co&s;t him, <HI>skin for skin, and all he hath, he will give for his life;</HI> this is the highe&s;t end he hath in the&s;e things; but now in &s;pirituals there is nothing but confu&s;ion, the end we do confu&s;edly aim at, we would have it; doubtle&s;s there is not the verie&s;t unbeliever that heareth this, this day, but would have heaven, and you cannot with all the arguments you can bring, make him willing to peri&s;h in an everla&s;ting &s;eparation from God, if he under&s;tand any thing what he &s;aith; yet he would have this without the means, without this union and fellow|&s;hip with the Lord Je&s;us, whereby he may be made meet for it.</P>
<P>3. <HI>Becau&s;e of mens unbelief and unacquaintance with the my|&s;terie of &s;alvation, the my&s;terie of free Grace in Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> they do not believe that a man mu&s;t come to Chri&s;t for Grace, or el&s;e they can have no Glory from him; <HI>That he is the way, the truth,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 14. 6.</NOTE>
<PB N="387" REF="260">
<HI>and the life;</HI> they think he will &s;ave them upon any terms; he came to be a Saviour of &s;inners, and &s;inners they are, and a Savi|our he is, and therefore let Mini&s;ters &s;ay what they will, they think if they have but time to cry Lord, Lord, though it be when the Gate is &s;hut, as the&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins, it will do. Ah brethren, if the fooli&s;h Virgins had been acquainted with this, that they mu&s;t have their oyl from Chri&s;t, or el&s;e they &s;hould never hold out, nor enter with him; would they not in&s;tead of tho&s;e trifling, impertinent endeavours, made &s;ome application to him all that while? but they &s;aw it not, it was hid from their eyes; <HI>The Lord will give Grace and Glory,</HI> and never will he <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 84. 11.</NOTE> give Glory &s;ure, if he give not Grace. O for hearts to believe this, it would be a cure of this di&s;order.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>Becau&s;e of the enmity that is in our hearts again&s;t Grace,</HI> nothing is more contrary: wherevever Grace cometh, there is a continuall quarrel between it and &s;in: the holy Gho&s;t when he cometh to dwell in a heart, he knoweth he mu&s;t have no peace there, but continually lu&s;t again&s;t the fle&s;h, and endure <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5. 17.</NOTE> the lu&s;tings of the fle&s;h again&s;t it &s;elf. O brethren then, where a heart is altogether in &s;in, what an enemy is it to Grace, and to Chri&s;t, as the Author of Grace? (&s;o &s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>you, while you were enemies in your minds through</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1. 21.</NOTE> <HI>wicked works, hath he reconciled:</HI> now a man will hardly come to an enemy to help him, except he be in very great &s;traits in|deed: as when men are &s;inking into hell, then they will come to Chri&s;t for entrance into heaven: for then their mi&s;ery is pre&s;ent and imminent, they &s;ee there is no avoiding of it: hell is at their backs, the avengers of blood are now upon them, ready to hurry them away to de&s;truction: therefore now it is high time for them to cry, Lord, Lord, open to us: but while they can but keep the&s;e things at a di&s;tance, put off the thoughts of heaven and hell, they care not for coming to Chri&s;t at all: yet as great as their enmity is, it may be overlaid by the pre&s;ent apprehen&s;i|ons of their nece&s;&s;ity and danger they are in if they come not to him; and this is that brings in any &s;oul to Chri&s;t for Grace here, while he is di&s;pen&s;ing Grace, until the Lord let the Sinner &s;ee his &s;ins in order before him, &s;ee the hand-writing upon the wall again&s;t him, <HI>Mene, Mene,</HI> until God write his condemnation upon his Con&s;cience in bloody Cha|racters,
<PB N="388" REF="261">
and vi&s;ible, that he that runs may read it; he careth not for coming to Chri&s;t for Grace, and &s;o for heaven; if a man neglect all this, yet when God &s;heweth him the rivers of burning brim&s;tone, &s;heweth the teeth of the worm which is ready to fa&s;ten upon him, opens a mans ears to hear Satan come jingling with his chain to fetch his &s;oul, to tear it away whether he will or no: O then, though he hath no mind to go to Chri&s;t, now he will go and cry, Lord, Lord open to me.</P>
<P>Why, <HI>But you will &s;ay, If he be &s;uch an enemy to Grace, and to Chri&s;t, as di&s;pen&s;ing Grace, is he not much more an enemy to Chri&s;t, as glorious, and receiving &s;inners to Glory?</HI> Yea bre|thren, I believe for my part, that they are &s;uch enemies to an heavenly work, a glorious &s;tate, that if they were admitted with &s;uch hearts as they have, it would be a weary place to them, they cannot endure the reflection of the &s;un upon a burni&s;h'd &s;oul&punc; how will they endure the face of the Son of righteou&s;ne&s;s him&s;elf? but the &s;ence of their danger, and looking upon heaven as a place of freedom from the torments of the condemned, not as upon an holy place, wherein Grace is made glorious, therefore they de|&s;ire to enter; alas, what would the&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins have done there, if they had entred in this unready condition? heaven would have been too hot to hold them; but freed they would be from mi&s;ery, happy they would be, poor creatures, though they mind not that the happine&s;s of heaven is &s;uch, as if they had not had Grace fir&s;t to make them meet for it, it would have been no happine&s;s to them. What is more tedious to them then the Glory of Holine&s;s upon the Saints, then &s;piritual communion with God? they cannot bear this. All delight ari&s;eth from &s;uit|tablene&s;s between the object and faculty, and all grief and trouble from the un&s;uitablene&s;s of the object and faculty, and tru|ly Grace glorified is &s;o much the more un&s;uitable; but yet I &s;ay, they apprehending that mi&s;ery is approaching, would go any wihther for &s;helter.</P>
<P>Fifthly and la&s;tly, <HI>Becau&s;e now they can keep their lu&s;ts no longer, therefore now they would have heaven;</HI> as long as the &s;in|ner can keep his lu&s;t, he will be for no other Ma&s;ter nor Lord, he cares for no other plea&s;ure; the plea&s;ures of &s;in are the fools paradi&s;e to the wanton, and &s;o is &s;port and pa&s;time to the young gallant, they care not for any thing &s;erious. If men could keep
<PB N="389" REF="261">
the world for ever, they would never de&s;ire to come to heaven; they could be contented to have their heaven upon earth; their inward thought is, <HI>they &s;hall continue for ever, they call their hou&s;es after their own names,</HI> and they think as they would have it; now <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 49. 11.</NOTE> when they &s;ee they can hold the world no longer, now they would have heaven; therefore they care not for Grace, &s;o long as they can have their fill of the&s;e delights; if men be Hypocrites, clo&s;e Hypocrites, have no open prophane&s;s or lu&s;t, yet &s;ome &s;ecret <HI>Dalilah</HI> they have that they delight them&s;elves with; but when the pangs of hell begin to catch hold upon men, when their con&s;ciences do catch of the fire of hell, and this to flame, they &s;ee they are going, and there is no other way with them but one, and being at the brink (as I may &s;ay) the flame catcheth upon them, as it did tho&s;e Executioners in <HI>Daniel,</HI> then, O for heaven; Lord, Lord, deliver us, &s;ave us.</P>
<P>For the Application, <HI>This may &s;erve then in the fir&s;t place to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e. 1.</NOTE> <HI>ju&s;tifie the Lord Je&s;us:</HI> let him be for ever clear when he judgeth, and ju&s;tified when he &s;peaks, though he &s;peaks condemnation and everla&s;ting &s;eparation from him&s;elf, to many men at the la&s;t day, or at his coming to Summon; <HI>if you call then, and he an|&s;wer you not,</HI> if you cry, Lord, Lord, open to us, and he give you this an&s;wer, <HI>I know you not,</HI> blame your &s;elves, you cannot but ju&s;tifie him; why, becau&s;e you might have had heaven and &s;al|vation in his ways; <HI>If you had &s;ought early, you &s;hould have found,</HI> but you never &s;eek him, until the Gate be &s;hut again&s;t you; as long as you can keep the world, and your lu&s;ts, you will not come unto him, that you might have Pardon, might have grace, that you might live for ever; now your &s;ins leave you, the world leaves you, or you mu&s;t leave the world, they are ready to take away your &s;ouls from you, now you will come and cry, Lord, Lord open to us, is it not ju&s;t and righteous if he ca&s;t you out?</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>It may &s;erve then to humble us brethren, all of us, before the Lord;</HI> for this is the frame of all our hearts by nature, though the Lord Je&s;us &s;o loved &s;inners, that nothing was too dear for them, even to his very life and blood, and yet we are all of us &s;o unkind to him again, that we would never come to him, we would not be beholding to him, through the pride of
<PB N="390" REF="262">
our hearts, until we cannot &s;ub&s;i&s;t without him, and then we will come, though it be too late; &s;o that upon the matter Brethren, we do but make Je&s;us Chri&s;t our &s;inning &s;tock all the dayes of our lives, and yet when we can &s;in no more, we would &s;erve our own turns upon him meerly, we would have entrance into hea|ven by him, we de&s;ire him not for any loveline&s;s that is in him, or in the Grace which is revealed by him: Is not this great cau&s;e of humbling? As &s;uppo&s;e a Prince that <HI>deperit virginem,</HI> a poor, ragged, filthy creature, and he even dies for love of her: &s;o be that &s;he will but come and take him, &s;he &s;hall have all the privi|ledges of a wife; his honour &s;hall be hers, his crown hers, his beauty hers: &s;he &s;hall be like him al&s;o, be &s;he as uncomely as &s;he may, he will put off his comline&s;s upon her: no, &s;he will not hear of coming to him at all, until at la&s;t, &s;he is even peri&s;hing, and then cometh, and would have his Glory, but not him&s;elf, meerly to &s;erve her &s;elf upon him. O this is great unkindne&s;s! <HI>do you thus requite the Lord, ye fooli&s;h people and unwi&s;e?</HI> And thus it is with all us, until the Lord mightily change us.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>It may &s;erve to convince us of our folly herein:</HI> folly is a thing we cannot endure the imputation of: But what greater folly is it, then brethren, to di&s;-joyn the end from the means, &s;pecially where the end is &s;o nece&s;&s;ary to be had to hap|pine&s;s, and the means &s;o ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary to that end? &s;urely then this is gro&s;s folly: he is a fool that would have health and &s;trength, and yet will not eat, nor drink, nor &s;leep, nor recreate, will not u&s;e the means: well brethren, you would have heaven every one of you, you would have this ble&s;&s;ed &s;late after death, we are carried to it with a natural <HI>impetus,</HI> the end is nece&s;&s;ary, we mu&s;t enter or peri&s;h for ever. 2. This means is as ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, when the door &s;tands open, while his bowels and bo&s;om are open and ready to receive us, for when the door is &s;hut, there is no remedy; we may enter, if we come while the door is open, afterward we cannot. Now is not he a fool in grain, that will trifle when the door &s;tands open, and even goeth a begging to poor &s;inners, and yet think to enter when the door is &s;hut? Ah Brethren, this folly fils every &s;inners heart: What is the rea&s;on el&s;e &s;o few are per&s;waded, while it is called to day, to come, <HI>to &s;eek him early, that they may find him? You are wi&s;e for the world,</HI> and men will
<PB N="391" REF="262">
&s;peak well of you, if you do well to your &s;elves; but you are fools in Gods account, in the account of Saints and Angels, they &s;peak not well of you; witne&s;s the Fool in the Go&s;pel, that &s;pent him&s;elf for vanity, and neglected his &s;oul, which that night was to be taken from him. O that the Lord would &s;o convince us, that we might not dare to linger and trifle away our day of Grace, le&s;t when we come to cry, the door be &s;hut again&s;t us.</P>
<P>4. Hath the Lord &s;o far &s;hewed us this our folly, as now while the Gate &s;tands open, to make ready, to get our oyl, not to put it off until it be too late? <HI>O ble&s;s his name, magnifie that Grace of Je&s;us Chri&s;t towards us: when others are mourning, ye may rejoyce; when others howl for &s;orrow of heart, you may &s;ing for joy of heart; when others are crying, Lord, Lord, you &s;hall be &s;inging everla&s;ting Halelu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ahs.</HI> Thou would&s;t have Grace as well as Glory, thou would&s;t have Chri&s;t, and none but Chri&s;t, with him all things el&s;e &s;hall be given in; and thou would&s;t have him poor &s;oul, thou thinke&s;t it long before thou have him; why, whence isit that thou art not trifling away thy time, going to them that &s;ell? whence is this, but from the free mercy of the Lord towards thee? magnifie him, give him the glory of it for ever and ever.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>Ver&s;e 12.</BIBL>
<Q>But he an&s;wered and &s;aid, verily I &s;ay unto you, I know you not.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>HEre is the &s;ad Cata&s;trophe of all the hopes of the Hypocrite in the Parable, and that wherewith I &s;hall conclude my thoughts upon this Text; they would not be beaten off, though the door was &s;hut again&s;t them; they come and bounce again&s;t it, with a Lord, Lord, open to us; to you, who are you, that I &s;hould open the Gate now it is &s;hut upon you? upon what ac|quaintance &s;hall I do this for you? you are &s;trangers to me ve|rily, I &s;ay unto you, I know you not. In this &s;imilitude is held
<PB N="392" REF="263">
out to us the doom of Hypocrites, and &s;uch as are not found ready for the coming of Chri&s;t; Or if you will, rather the rea|&s;on of the doom; the door was &s;hut upon them, before they are excluded heaven, there is no entrance, there is a repul&s;e; and here the rea&s;on of it is given, as there in <HI>Mat. 7. Depart from me,</HI> &s;aith he, which is equivalent, it is as much as the &s;hut|ting the door at lea&s;t, if not more; the &s;ame rea&s;on is there given for it, <HI>I know you not.</HI> So that here &s;eems to be two or three things note-worthy in the&s;e words: I will &s;peak briefly to them, and di&s;mi&s;s all, winding it up in one application.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, <HI>That many that profe&s;s to know Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and to be his people, yet are not known of him;</HI> he knoweth them not.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Such as he doth not know, &s;hall not enter;</HI> the door is &s;hut again&s;t them; and when they plead to have it opened, they have a denial, which is pre&s;uppo&s;ed, and (as I may &s;ay) included in the exceptive particle <HI>but; Lord, Lord, open to us, But he an&s;wered, I know you not;</HI> therefore I will not open the door to you.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>Whatever formal Profe&s;&s;ors may delude them&s;elves with, as if known of God, then it &s;hall be declared to them, that he knoweth them not.</HI></P>
<P>For the Fir&s;t, <HI>That many that profe&s;s Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and to know him, yet are never known of Chri&s;t;</HI> That this is &s;o, I think the Text is as clear as the noon-day; as for the&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins, they did go forth to meet the Bridegroom, had their Lamps, took pains to trim them when they were out, and you &s;ee they have a Lord, Lord, in their mouths, at the very la&s;t, and yet &s;aith our Saviour, &s;aith the Bridegroom, <HI>I know you not;</HI> do but add that other Text, and there will need no more proof; and that is in <HI>Mat. 7. Many &s;hall &s;ay unto me at that day, Lord, Lord, open to us;</HI> ju&s;t as here, as if the door was &s;hut upon them there as well as here; but what is it they plead? O &s;ay they, <HI>We have prophe&s;ied in thy name, and done many wonderful works, wrought miracles in the name of Chri&s;t; thou ha&s;t eat and drank in our &s;treets;</HI> &s;urely prophecying and working miracles in the name of Chri&s;t, will amount to as much as profe&s;&s;ion of him; they mu&s;t needs have his name called upon them, that could do &s;uch things in his name: and yet mark the return, <HI>Depart from me, I never knew you:</HI> never knew you, not before time, nor
<PB N="393" REF="263">
&s;ince the world began did I know you; but chiefly I never knew you, (that is to &s;ay) when your profe&s;&s;ion was at the highe&s;t, when your Grace was mo&s;t green upon the hou&s;e-top, then I knew you not, therefore now I know you not.</P>
<P>Here I &s;hall only endeavour to open to you what is to be un|der&s;tood by Chri&s;ts knowing of a &s;oul, and &s;o come to the next Note from the words, becau&s;e I would ha&s;ten to an end.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, it is not to be under&s;tood, as if the Lord did not under|&s;tand the wayes of an Hypocrite, and &s;ee the clo&s;e contrivances of his heart, as if he did not know who they are: and properly to &s;peak of knowledge, it is not the paint of the &s;epulchre can hide the rottenne&s;s within from his al-&s;eeing eye; it is not the fair <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 17. 9.</NOTE> leaves that can deceive him, and cover the rottenne&s;s of the root from him; did he not under&s;tand <HI>Judas</HI> from the beginning, and knew he was a white Devil, a &s;on of perdition, though he fol|lowed him as his Saviour? well were it for Hypocrites, if in this &s;en&s;e the Lord did not know them; and &s;urely their hearts do &s;o conclude with tho&s;e Athei&s;ts in the P&s;alm, <HI>The Lord be|holdeth it not, and is there knowledge in the mo&s;t high?</HI> but thus <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73. 11.</NOTE> he doth know them, and that appears plainly by his not knowing of them, as afterwards we &s;hall mention; and that appears by his declaration to them, <HI>that he knoweth them not;</HI> he know|eth full well to whom he &s;peaketh this fearful &s;entence, but this is but the fir&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>Yet after the manner of men,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> yet we mu&s;t under&s;tand it, <GAP DESC="foreign">, he may be &s;aid not to know them. I know you not, you are &s;o deformed and di&s;-figured, &s;o utterly unlike the men you were when you came out of my hands, that I know you not. As <HI>Jobs</HI> friends when they came unto him, his vi&s;age being &s;o marred with the affliction, it is &s;aid, <HI>they knew him not;</HI> which &s;ome under&s;tand as a weak affirmative, (that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 2. 12.</NOTE> is to &s;ay) they &s;carce knew him; is this <HI>Job</HI> their ancient friend? Is this <HI>Naomi?</HI> they &s;carce knew her to be the &s;ame per&s;on that formerly, &s;he was &s;o altered; paint will exceedingly deform <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ruth 1. 19.</NOTE> them that u&s;e it, they &s;ay; but &s;ure I am, Hpyocri&s;ie is the greate&s;t deformity, it is the picture of Satan, <HI>who changeth him|&s;elf into an Angel of light,</HI> and therefore after the manner of men, we may look upon this &s;peech of Chri&s;t as thus, I know you not, you have &s;uch &s;trange apparrel on, you have
<PB N="394" REF="264">
&s;uch paint, &s;uch deformity, &s;o ugly have you made your &s;elves, I know you not.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>He is &s;aid not to know them, in that he doth not ap|prove of them;</HI> in this &s;en&s;e knowing per&s;ons and things is often taken, <HI>P&s;alm 1. The Lord knoweth the way of the upright,</HI> the righteous, he approveth of it, though this be not all in that ex|pre&s;&s;ion, as by and by you &s;hall &s;ee; but this is one thing, <HI>He deligheth in his way, he knoweth his people,</HI> at the la&s;t day, as he knoweth not Hypocrites, and this is part of it, <HI>Well done, good and faithful &s;ervant,</HI> &amp;c. he approveth of them. And &s;o the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 25. 21.</NOTE> Jews, that is, <HI>One inwardly and circumci&s;ed in heart, who&s;e prai&s;e</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2. 29.</NOTE> <HI>is not of men, but of God;</HI> he is approved to God, and approved by God. So the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul, That evil which I do, I allow</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 15.</NOTE> <HI>not;</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, I know not, (that is to &s;ay) I approve not of it. I judge and condemn my &s;elf for it; I would not do it, becau&s;e I allow not of it: and to come nearer, even to the &s;ame u&s;e of the expre&s;&s;ion, applyed to God him&s;elf, <HI>They &s;et up Kings, but I</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 8. 4.</NOTE> <HI>knew it not,</HI> &s;aith the Lord, it was not by me, by my advice, I approved not of it; <HI>They would needs have a King, and I yielded</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 11. 13.</NOTE> <HI>to them indeed, but it was in wrath and di&s;plea&s;ure;</HI> I never knew it, (that is to &s;ay) never approved of it: el&s;e he did under&s;tand it, and reproved them for it al&s;o at that very time by the Prophet <HI>Samuel.</HI> And by <HI>Jeroboam,</HI> though there was his di&s;po&s;ing hand in it, and in a way of providence he gave the ten Tribes to him, yet he approved not of their revolting; the people had no com|mand from him, nor did they &s;tay for it, to &s;eparate from the hou&s;e of <HI>David.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>He is &s;aid to know men, when he not only approveth of them in their wayes, but loveth and favoureth them;</HI> and not to know them, when he doth not love them nor favour them: as we are &s;aid to know God, when we love him, and keep his commandments; &s;o he is &s;aid to know us, when he loveth us; and &s;o that may be under&s;tood, <HI>He that loveth God, is known of God;</HI> (that is to &s;ay) is loved of him, favoured of him: <HI>For he</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 8. 3.</NOTE> <HI>that loveth me, my Father will love him, and I will love him, and manife&s;t my &s;elf to him.</HI> In the Hebrew Verbs of knowledge, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 14. 21.</NOTE> affection is included: and the ground of this &s;eemeth to be, be|cau&s;e we know Love breedeth familiarity, and familiarity breed|eth knowledge and acquaintance: and &s;o on the contrary, where
<PB N="395" REF="264">
no love, there is e&s;trangedne&s;s, and that ends in a not knowing of a Per&s;on; &s;o then, he knoweth not many that profe&s;s, (that is to &s;ay) he loveth them not.</P>
<P>Fifthly, <HI>This knowing here &s;poken of, may be al&s;o an owning of them for his own; an acknowledging of them: You only have I known,</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>of all the People and Nations of the earth, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos 3. 2.</NOTE> <HI>therefore I will not pa&s;s by you unpuni&s;hed;</HI> (that is to &s;ay) I have owned you of all the families upon the earth: you have been taken for my family: I have owned you, and therefore you &s;hall be &s;ure to be vi&s;ited with the &s;tripes and rods of men, not to de&s;troy. So &s;aith he to <HI>Mo&s;es, I know thee by name;</HI> (that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 32. 12. &amp; 17.</NOTE> is to &s;ay) I acknowledge thee, and own thee in a neer manner indeed; therefore that place of <HI>Amos</HI> is no more then that of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>I cha&s;ti&s;e every &s;on whom I receive:</HI> this knowing them <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 6.</NOTE> then, may be &s;uch an acknowledging of them for his own, they never were his children, never given of his Father, nor came to him, and therefore he acknowledgeth them not as his in &s;o near a relation.</P>
<P>Sixthly, <HI>He knoweth them not by experience,</HI> (as I may &s;ay) he hath had no experience of them, they never came to him, to touch him, that vertue might go forth from him to heal them, and pardon them, and therefore he knoweth them not, (that is to &s;ay) he never had a touch of faith from them, whereby they are &s;aid to know him, for then he &s;hould have known them, and have known that vertue went forth from him to heal them; he had no acquaintance with them, <HI>they never acquainted them|&s;elves with him, but their hearts were alway e&s;tranged and far from Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> though they drew near with their lips, their hearts never touched one with another; they re&s;ted in &s;omewhat el&s;e, as <HI>gifts</HI> and <HI>miracles,</HI> and therefore he knoweth them not by experience of communion with him, and letting out his healing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 23.</NOTE> power upon them.</P>
<P>Seventhly, and la&s;tly, <HI>He knoweth them not,</HI> (that is to &s;ay) <HI>he careth not for them, nor their &s;ouls, to defend them, &s;ave them: let them do what they will, be regardeth them not:</HI> As in that fir&s;t P&s;alm, <HI>The Lord knoweth the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly &s;hall peri&s;h:</HI> by the oppo&s;ite, there it appeareth, that Gods knowing the way of the righteous, is to keep it from peri&s;hing, the antecedent including the con&s;equent many
<PB N="396" REF="265">
times in the Hebrew, and &s;o the peri&s;hing of the way of the un|godly, the Con&s;equent including the Antecedent, his not know|ing of their way, or el&s;e it is all on<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, <HI>Thou ha&s;t known my &s;oul in adver&s;ity;</HI> this is one part of the meaning, thou ha&s;t had a care <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 12. 10. Ioh. 10, 27.</NOTE> of me in &s;ix and &s;even troubles, to &s;ee that no more were laid on then I could bear, to keep me that the Spirit that thou ha&s;t made did not fail &amp;c. &s;o the righteous man knoweth the life of his bea&s;t <GAP DESC="foreign"> he knoweth it, he is tender of it, to keep it; and &s;o &s;ome un|der&s;tand that, <HI>my &s;heep hear my voyce, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give them eternal life, I will know them to eternal life;</HI> now many profe&s;&s;ors he knoweth not, that is to &s;ay, he regardeth them not what becometh of them, let them &s;ink or or &s;wim, &s;hift for them&s;elves, take their own cour&s;e, he regard|eth them not.</P>
<P>Now who the&s;e are among profe&s;&s;ors that the <HI>Lord knoweth not,</HI> I believe you ea&s;ily under&s;tand; they are &s;uch as are meerly formal, have a Lamp and no Oyl, a form and no power. But &s;o much for this fir&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly, The next Note from the words, you may remem|ber was, <HI>That &s;uch as he knoweth not, &s;hall never enter into this Marriage-Fea&s;t,</HI> the door is &s;hut upon them; and th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s is given as a rea&s;on, wherefore our Saviour would not open it to them upon their crying Lord, Lord; but he an&s;wered and &s;aid, <HI>I know you not,</HI> there is no rea&s;on you &s;hould expect to have the door opened, <HI>for I know you not;</HI> and &s;o in that of <HI>Matthew,</HI> if he know them not, he &s;ends them away from him, <HI>Depart from me, for I know you not.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Becau&s;e many that profe&s;s Je&s;us Chri&s;t, yet are very &s;trangers to him, and he to them, and therefore they &s;hall not have the door opened to them, they never knew him, nor he ne|ver knew them, there was never any acquaintance; now &s;trangers that we never &s;aw, who u&s;eth to admit to a Marriage-fea&s;t; they are the familiars and favorites; if Je&s;us Chri&s;t knew them not, &s;urely they are &s;trangers, for he knoweth all his own chil|dren, his own &s;heep, let their condition be what it will, under never &s;uch de&s;ertions and cloudings, and que&s;tionings of his love, he knoweth them: A woman may forget her children, but God cannot forget his people, if once acquainted with them; he writes their names before him; yea, upon his very heart they are writ|ten,
<PB N="397" REF="265">
whither nothing can come to blot them out; now many a profe&s;&s;or is a meer &s;tranger to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, though he throng upon him, yet never toucheth him, he never had a &s;ight of Chri&s;t, a touch of him, is a &s;tranger to the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t, to the holine&s;s of Chri&s;t, to the joy, and peace, &amp; Kingdom of grace, and therefore &s;urely he will not admit them, he knoweth them not it is no place <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">or &s;trangers, but <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">or favourites; they mu&s;t be friends of the Bridegroom, that mu&s;t hear his voyce, &amp; behold his bea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ty, &amp; rejoyce in it for ever, which every profe&s;&s;or, alas is not.</P>
<P>Secondly, Becau&s;e of the pride of heart, which indeed is the great root of the former e&s;trangedne&s;s of many a profe&s;&s;or from Chri&s;t, and Chri&s;t from them; what was the rea&s;on the Prodi|gal would feed upon husks rather then go to his Father? O his &s;tomack was too big to acknowledge his failing to his father, as long as ever he could hold out; and you &s;ee it plainly in the poor woman that had &s;pent all &s;he had upon the Phy&s;itian, a &s;tout heart would not down while &s;he had a peny. And &s;urely you &s;ee you &s;ee here the&s;e fooli&s;h Virgins, they never went to Chri&s;t for oyl, but up and down where they could beg or buy of any body, they were too &s;tomachful and &s;lout; &s;o the Apo&s;tle, <HI>They &s;ubmitted not to the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t,</HI> as if it were an <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10. 2. and 3.</NOTE> act of &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion and &s;elf-emptying indeed, as it is to clo&s;e with the righteou&s;ne&s;s of another, to be righteous and &s;tand be|fore the Lord in; this they would not do, they would have heaven by their own works, or never have it: &s;o the fooli&s;h Virgins would have oyl &s;owewhere &s;hort of Chri&s;t&punc; or they would go without, and &s;o they do. Ah, we are proud beggers, proud of rags filthy rags; and the Lord knoweth the proud indeed, but it is afar off, he will never admit them to the neare&s;t com|m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nion with him&s;elf for ever, therefore he will not open to them. This is the ca&s;e of many a profe&s;&s;or, who will &s;pin his own web, and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">lk by &s;parks of his own kindling, and not by the light of God, they will to their Herb to heal them, and not to Chri&s;t the Phy&s;itian of their &s;ouls; and therefore if they be &s;o &s;tout, let them take what followeth, he will not regard them, he knoweth them not near, as his friends, but afar off.</P>
<P>Thirdly. They are all of them workers of iniquity, and there|fore he will not know them; he approveth them not, he careth not for them, he will not admit them. <HI>David</HI> that had but a
<PB N="398" REF="266">
&s;park of the holine&s;s that is in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the holy one of God, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 101. 4. 119. 115.</NOTE> and God equal with his Father, he would not know a wicked per&s;on, <HI>Depart from me ye workers of iniquity,</HI> away with you, I am not company for you, I am a companion to all that fear God, both &s;mall as well as great, though he were a King; and a vile per&s;on he contemned, be he as great as he would, away with him from me, what communion can light &amp; darkne&s;s have? can they dwell together? &s;urely no: <HI>Depart from me, I know you not, ye workers of iniquity;</HI> into that holy place none that defileth can enter: now in this we may under&s;tand two things. (1.) That they do work iniquity, &s;ome &s;in they live in, if not many, notwith&s;tanding their profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t, and therefore they are workers of iniquity. (2.) That the very form of godline&s;s and all their &s;hew, is but a working of iniquity.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, they are workers of &s;ome iniquity or other, and that either, in an outward gro&s;s manner, as gro&s;s hy|pocrites, or el&s;e more clo&s;ely and inwardly, as clo&s;e hypocrites, and yet they are workers of iniquity, and the Lord Je&s;us will not know them, nor own them. Fir&s;t then, for gro&s;s hypocrites &s;uch as have their hands full of blood, full of bribes, their hou&s;es are builded by wrong, and their chambers by unrighteou&s;ne&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> and yet they ble&s;s them&s;elves in being a people to God; &s;urely the Lord will not away with this: &s;uch are the gro&s;s hypocrites, among us, that will all the week long make a trade of lying in their &s;hops, in their callings, of &s;wea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ing &amp; for&s;wearing, of drun|kenne&s;s and adultery, and come and wipe their mouths with the Harlot, and &s;ay, <HI>hey have done no wickedne&s;s,</HI> they are pure in their own eys, yet not wa&s;hed, &amp;c. come upon the&s;e days and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 30. 20.</NOTE> &s;it before the Lord as his people, as if they were delivered to do all the&s;e abominations; the drunkard will not believe, nor the &s;wearer, but they are as good Chri&s;tians as any, though all have their infirmities, and theirs are no more; well, th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">e are lying words you tru&s;t unto, they will deceive you; for &s;aith the Lord, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 30. 12.</NOTE> <HI>I will not hear when you make many prayers, your hands are full of blood;</HI> God doth not regard the &s;ervices of &s;uch a people; he examineth mens hands, to &s;ee if they be hard with labouring in their iniquities, <GAP DESC="foreign">, if &s;o, it is not your words <HI>that are &s;mo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|ther then oyl,</HI> that &s;hall &s;erve your turn, <HI>Quid verba cum &s;acta videam?</HI> to cry Lord, Lord, and yet go and &s;erve, and drudge
<PB N="399" REF="266">
for the Devil, as if he were their good Lord; will not the Lord &s;earch this out? O &s;urely he will not know &s;uch a per&s;on as this.</P>
<P>(2.) It may be it is more &s;ecret; there is not an hypocrite but <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 66. 18. 58. 2.</NOTE> he regardeth iniquity in his heart, and in heart he works wicked|ne&s;s, if not with his hands; it may be he may wa&s;h his hands with <HI>Pilat,</HI> but not his heart. O how do mens mouths water after the plea&s;ures of &s;in, <HI>the &s;toln waters and bread eaten in &s;ecret;</HI> if <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 9. 17.</NOTE> they dur&s;t do it for fear of being di&s;covered and a&s;hamed before men, or for a galled con&s;cience&punc; a &s;ecret lu&s;t, a &s;ecret wound which bleedeth inwardly, is not &s;o vi&s;ible, is as deadly as any other; now, I &s;ay, be it never &s;o &s;ecret; let <HI>Judas</HI> cover his Trea&s;ury never &s;o clo&s;e, and <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira</HI> their double dealing, their covetou&s;ne&s;s, it is to no purpo&s;e; burning lips and a wicked heart, are like a Pot&s;herd covered over with &s;ilver <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 26. 23.</NOTE> dro&s;s, it maketh a glorious &s;hew, burning of lips with love, much love &s;hewed with it, but the heart is wicked, and there|fore ba&s;e as a Pot&s;herd, a ve&s;&s;el of di&s;honour fitted to di&s;tructi|on, and &s;hall never enter into glory, but be da&s;ht in pieces.</P>
<P>But Secondly, the very form of godline&s;s, though in it &s;elf materially it be good, yet as they u&s;e the matter, to make it a cloak for their &s;in, a fair skin over, a belly full of Garbidge and <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 1. 13.</NOTE> filthine&s;s, it is iniquity; <HI>it is iniquity &s;aith the Lord, even your &s;o|l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">mn meetings, Incen&s;e is an abomination to me, I am weary to bear them.</HI> What was the matter? why, they did but flatterwith their mouths, their hearts were not with him, therefore the Lord hated it; this is working iniquity, working out a form of godline&s;s with much pains, and &s;ticking there; the prayer of the wicked is &s;in, it is an abomination, it will amount to no more then to filthy garments, filthy rags; and in the&s;e brethren, the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 28. 9.</NOTE> Lord will not know us: O no, workers of iniquity &s;hall not dwel with him, Dine and Sup with him in heaven, the fea&s;t of new Wine, he will not open to them; and what greater iniquity then hypocri&s;ie? <HI>Simulata &s;anctitas, duplex iniquitas;</HI> an hypocrite when he thinketh he is at the be&s;t, is at the wor&s;t, then his hypo|cri&s;ie is at the height, and God will not admit any, he knoweth them not.</P>
<P>Thirdly. Not our part of the Conclu&s;ion: that at that day it &s;hall be declared openly to hypocrites, that the Lord Je&s;us
<PB N="400" REF="267">
knoweth them not; that is to &s;ay, that he owneth them not, not|with&s;tanding all their &s;eeming delight in his ways, and their fol|lowing of him in a profe&s;&s;ion yet this is the doom they are like to receive, <HI>He knoweth them not;</HI> this is al&s;o plain from this Text, and al&s;o from that in <HI>Mat. 7. At that day,</HI> that is to &s;ay, the day of general Judgement, or the day of death, which is every particular &s;ouls. Dooms day they &s;hall &s;ay, <HI>Lord, Lord, &amp;c.</HI> and then will I &s;ay to them, <HI>Depart from me, I know you not,</HI> I never knew you.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, Why is this &s;o, that at that day many Profe&s;&s;ors &s;hall have this doom <HI>I know you not, I never knew you;</HI> it &s;hall be thus declared from the mouth of the Lord Je&s;us him&s;elf; it may be taken from the Office of Je&s;us Chri&s;t to be Judge; God hath appointed to judge the world at that day by one, even by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and therefore he &s;hal pronounce the Sentence either with his own mouth, or the mini&s;tration of Angels; but rather <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 17. 31.</NOTE> me thinks with his own mouth this word &s;hal go forth, which &s;hal be as a flaming two edged Sword to enter into the bones &amp; bow|els of &s;inners, and divide them in &s;under for ever here &s;inners are &s;hut up under &s;in, they have chains of darkne&s;s upon their hearts already, and hypocrites are lyable to this condemnation, and are held with the cords of their &s;ins, and then &s;hall be the time of the doom, therefore then it &s;hall be declared; a Pri&s;oner fear|eth what the &s;entence may be before he cometh to the triall; and &s;o hypocrites &s;ometimes may have &s;ome foreta&s;te, &s;ome fearfulne&s;s may &s;urpri&s;e them, but they skin it over again; but now it &s;hall be declared by the Judge him&s;elf, he knoweth them not, and therefore they mu&s;t depart from him.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>For a confirmation of the words of his &s;ervants, and an everlasting rebuke of their unbelief of his Word by them;</HI> for this hath been the me&s;&s;age of Chri&s;t to formali&s;ts in the mouths of all his Me&s;&s;engers, your form of godline&s;s will not carry you through all conditions, it will fail you &s;ooner or latter; your fig leaves will not &s;hadow you from the everla&s;ting burn|ings, the hope of the hypocrite &s;hall peri&s;h and give up the Gho&s;t, God loatheth no &s;ort of &s;inners more, though they take them&s;elves to be highly favoured, yet they are deeply ab|horred of God; yet alas, there is &s;carce an hypocrite but hath his &s;hifts to put by an hundred &s;uch thru&s;ts as the&s;e, by the Sword
<PB N="401" REF="267">
of the Spirit, the Word of God, and he hath a deceived heart within him, telling him he hath fruit as well as leaves, though it be not fru<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t found from him, and he hath had &s;o many te&s;timonies of his love to him, he cannot conclude he is a per&s;on abhorred of God, his hopes are high, he will not believe, not a word fa&s;teneth upon him, and he is apt to think the Mini&s;ter too &s;traite when he goeth to the quick, and tels them, if any iniquity be regarded in the heart, the heart is not right with God, they will not believe, but keep their &s;in, and doubt not of their &s;alvation: well now the Lord will da&s;h this pre&s;umption of theirs, the height of unbelief, though they will not &s;ee their hypocri&s;ie, and their forlorn condition, now he will make them &s;ee; if the &s;ervants word will not convince them, his &s;hall, and confound them al&s;o, therefore he pronounceth it with a <HI>Verily I &s;ay, &amp;c.</HI> that in the &s;inners own con&s;cience he may be ju&s;tified: you &s;ee, let Mini&s;ters &s;ay what they can, be they never &s;uch <HI>Bonerges,</HI> thundring from heaven upon men, yet they will not be beaten off, but at the very la&s;t come bouncing at the gate of heaven, with a <HI>Lord, Lord, open to us.</HI> The Mini&s;ters have often enough told them, that when they cry, the Lord would not hear them, they would but appear before the everla&s;ting burnings to be con&s;umed; they will not be|lieve, and therefore now the Lord Je&s;us him&s;elf he &s;peaks, he declareth it, and with a full conviction to their con&s;ciences; for he with his Word reacheth the &s;oul and con&s;cience, &s;o that now their confidence mu&s;t needs be da&s;hed, not a word more hath a &s;inner then to &s;ay for him&s;elf; and to confirm the words of his &s;ervants, his faithful Me&s;&s;engers, they have &s;poken as much as this cometh to before, and it hath been &s;lighted, they thought God would be more merciful then tho&s;e bloody Mini|&s;ters are, who wound and &s;pare not; but the Lord will now make them know that who&s;e &s;ins they retain, <HI>clave non errante,</HI> by a right application of the threatnings and terrors of God, not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 20. 23.</NOTE> one word of theirs &s;hall fall to the ground, but that they had the mind of Chri&s;t what ever you thought of them; that is ano|ther Argument.</P>
<P>Thirdly, For a Declaration and Vindication of his own Wi&s;dom, and Ju&s;tice, and Holine&s;s; his Wi&s;dom in that now hy|pocrites &s;hall &s;ee there was nothing could be hid from his eys, he knoweth through and through, even when they made the
<PB N="402" REF="268">
mo&s;t dazling profe&s;&s;ion to the eye of the world, that his piercing eye &s;aw through all this, &s;aith the &s;inner there in that <HI>P&s;alm,</HI> and it is the language of all hypocrites in heart, <HI>Tu&s;h, the Lord</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 94. 7.</NOTE> <HI>&s;eeth not, neither doth the God of</HI> Jacob <HI>regard it?</HI> doth he look to the thoughts, to a mans ends, the &s;ecrets of his &s;oul? if he carry fair outwardly, will not this pa&s;s the te&s;t? yea with men: but thou &s;halt know hypocrite, that thou ha&s;t not to do with men, but with God; you may juggle &s;o, as to ca&s;t a mi&s;t before mens eyes, but not before his; and though you think you can, yet he will now manife&s;t it, that you have all of you been a deceived peo|ple, who have thought to deceive him; he will now appear to be a God of wi&s;dom, and one that &s;earcheth your hearts, and will recompence into your bo&s;oms the very &s;ecrets of your iniquity. And &s;o his ju&s;tice and holine&s;s; becau&s;e an hypocrite hath flou|ri&s;hed long, and hath had the u&s;e of many common gifts, and flouri&s;hed in the eyes of men, made a great &s;hew, and God hath born with much patience; Ju&s;tice hath been, as I may &s;ay, a&s;leep, but now he will repay them into their own bo&s;oms; and &s;o his ho|line&s;s, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 50. 21.</NOTE> they thought God was &s;uch a one as them&s;elves, but he will reprove them, and &s;et their &s;ins in order before them. Now he will keep &s;ilence no longer, that it may appear how he hateth all their hypocri&s;ie that hath been fathered upon him, and men have looked upon them as Saints, yet now his holine&s;s will endure no longer, but &s;hake them off; they &s;hall now &s;ee that &s;uch impure hearts he cannot away with, to dwell with them, though with much patience he did bear them here, yet that he never knew them here, never owned them, cared for them here in the very height of their profe&s;&s;ion.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>Becau&s;e now is the &s;eparating time, nothing is hid that &s;hall not be made manife&s;t,</HI> &s;aith our Saviour in another place, though chaff may go for wheat, and gilt for Gold, and alchimy for gold, and dro&s;s and tin for &s;ilver, now they &s;hall be &s;eparated, it is high time now to unmask the hypocrite, he hath long enough deluded him&s;elf and others, now therefore he will make it known, him&s;elf will declare it, to put an end to their fal&s;e imagi|nations: but enough for this.</P>
<P>Now to wind up all in a word of Application: In the fir&s;t place, <HI>then it &s;hall be a terrible word to all Formali&s;ts, all gro&s;s and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e.</NOTE>
<PB N="403" REF="268">
<HI>clo&s;e hypocrites;</HI> the Lord &s;earch you out this day, and make it a word of terrour, a &s;haking in your bones, that you may be &s;ha|ken off your &s;ecurity. There are two or three things you &s;hall &s;ee that are terrible to you herein, It is your portion, I mu&s;t de|liver it to you. Let not any poor trembling child of God catch at the dogs portion, no more then the dogs &s;hould at the chil|drens bread, God would not have &s;uch &s;adned, nor would I &s;peak any thing to the grief of &s;uch as God hath wounded. But for Hypocrites and Formali&s;ts let me &s;peak it: 1. He knoweth you. 2. Therefore he doth not know you, becau&s;e he knoweth you. And, 3. He will not know you at that day.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I &s;ay, <HI>He knoweth you;</HI> that is to &s;ay, he under&s;tands you, there are windows of Chry&s;tal into your brea&s;ts, <HI>all is na|ked before him with whom you have to do;</HI> it may be you are a little affected with hearing the death of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that &s;o in|nocent a per&s;on &s;hould be &s;o unworthily, treacherou&s;ly and cruelly handled, and now you take your &s;elves to be <HI>&s;uch as have received the Spirit of grace and &s;upplication,</HI> and mourn over Chri&s;t whom you have crucified; and it is nothing but a natural tenderne&s;s, that would be as much affected or moved with hearing any &s;ad &s;tory of another per&s;on: Believe it Brethren, whether you &s;ee this deceit or no, the Lord knoweth it. Your ends are deep in your actions which &s;eem to be for Chri&s;t, and with much &s;elf-denyal &s;ometimes, and yet even then in that &s;elf-denyal, there may be an end for &s;elf at the bottom, the com|manding wheel that &s;etteth all a work; it may be this is too deep for any other to di&s;cern, or for your &s;elves &s;ometimes, yet the Lord &s;eeth it, he knoweth all the depth of your heart. You pray, and fa&s;t, it may be, when you are in any di&s;tre&s;s, but little think it is for carnal end, for your corn, and wine, and oyl; that you howl upon your beds, you little think, <HI>when you pray and &s;eek after God,</HI> it is for ends meerly that you might &s;pend the&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 7. 14.</NOTE> things upon your lu&s;ts, that you may appear to be &s;ome body, be e&s;teemed among men, be of e&s;teem among the Saints. Well, Brethren, carry it as covertly as you can, &s;o that your own &s;ouls are juggled into a delu&s;ion it may be, <HI>yet be not deceived, God is not mocked;</HI> men are apt to be deceived, and think that their &s;e|crets of &s;inning, <HI>their bread eaten in &s;ecret,</HI> their mor&s;els under the tongue &s;hall never be di&s;covered, but the Lord &s;eeth all this, he
<PB N="404" REF="269">
knoweth you throughly, <HI>he &s;earcheth the hearts, and tryeth the reins of the &s;ons of men.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>becau&s;e he knoweth you, therefore he doth not know you, he approveth not of you;</HI> it may be men do approve of you, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 106. 4.</NOTE> your prai&s;e may be among the Churches, among the Saints, but yet your prai&s;e may not be of God, he loveth you not, &s;avours you not with that favour that he bears to his people; indeed &s;ome love Je&s;us Chri&s;t had to the young man in the Go&s;pel that was but near to the Kingdom of God, he doth not di&s;allow of a form and profe&s;&s;ion, it hath its u&s;e, the leaves of the trees of righteou&s;ne&s;s they may be for healing to others; an holy profe&s;|&s;ion, and walking to the appearance of others, may <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 47. 12.</NOTE> win others to Chri&s;t, and yet a man may peri&s;h when all is done; and a profe&s;&s;ion may &s;erve as a Motive to quicken up them&s;elves to look to the power; if the power of godline&s;s be not good and nece&s;&s;ary, why do men take up a form? and if it be good, why re&s;t they in a form and neglect it? but if there be no more, he will not know &s;uch a man, he doth not know him.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <HI>What ever you dream of now, he will pronounce that &s;entence upon you at that day, O that dreadful &s;entence, that he knoweth you not, he never knew you.</HI> Ah dear friends, if the Lord would but &s;ingle out any one of us, and tell us we are the men, what agonies would it put us into? Ah Brethren, this will make &s;inners ears tingle to hear this word from the Lord <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 33. 14.</NOTE> Je&s;us: O let fearfulne&s;s &s;urprize the hypocrites; yea I tell you, this will make your hearts to bleed, and your heart-&s;trings crack within you, this will pierce you through with the &s;orrows of hell. Ah dear friends, if the voice of his Me&s;&s;engers, di&s;cour&s;ing of righteou&s;ne&s;s, temperance, and Judgement to come, be &s;o great as to make a <HI>Foelix,</HI> a great man, a &s;tout hearted &s;inner tremble that was not converted. O what will it be when the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 24. 25.</NOTE> &s;entence is pronounced again&s;t them from the Lord him&s;elf? for while you hear Preachers, though it be terrible when the con|&s;cience is opened, yet there is a Cordial at hand, but when once pronounced by the Lord Je&s;us, there is no more remedy; if one word from the Lord Je&s;us, when the Souldiers came upon him, and he asked them whom they &s;ought, <HI>I am he,</HI> &s;aith he; this &s;truck them to the ground; &s;ouldiers in &s;uch Garri&s;ons in Coun|tries <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 18. 6.</NOTE>
<PB N="405" REF="269">
kept by the &s;word they were won by, u&s;e to to be men of &s;toute&s;t &s;pirits, that would dare &s;ometimes the very Devil him|&s;elf, and yet one word from Je&s;us Chri&s;t's mouth &s;truck them to the ground. O Brethren, &s;urely this word of &s;entence will &s;peak men not to the ground, but to the lowermo&s;t pit: It will &s;peak them dumb forthwith, that they have nothing to &s;ay for them&s;elves; It will &s;peak them into confu&s;ion and amazement, it will &s;peak them into the flames of hell in a moment: <HI>O this roaring of the Lyon of the tribe of</HI> Judah, <HI>who may abide? If the Law was &s;o terrible in the giving, what will it be in the execution?</HI> You read how the Mountains &s;hook, &amp; <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> him&s;elf trembled, <HI>but the &s;entence of the Law is nothing to the &s;entence of the Go&s;pel, as this condemnation of hypocrites will be;</HI> it is to men that have <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 7. 32.</NOTE> in appearance owned Chri&s;t, followed him, done much in his name, and yet he will profe&s;s <HI>he never knew them,</HI> they pretended acquaintance with him now, but he will never own them.</P>
<P>You then Brethren, that have only a &s;emblance of holine&s;s, you &s;eem to have &s;omewhat, and have nothing, then &s;hall be ta|ken from you that which you &s;eemed to have, then your vizard will be pluckt off; you pretend to be friends of Chri&s;t, and of his people, to be his Father, Brethren and Mother, but now will he profe&s;s he knoweth you not; you that preach in the name of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and do not preach for his name, for his glory, but for your own; he will not own you, he will &s;ay to you, he know|eth you not, you re&s;t in this your form, this you are ready to plead, and not &s;tay your &s;elves upon him, he will not know you, O but we do lean upon the Lord: &s;o you &s;ay, but mark that of the Prophet, you lean upon the Lord, and &s;ay, <HI>the Lord is among</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ca. 3. 11.</NOTE> <HI>us, and yet they build up Sion with blood, and Jeru&s;alem with iniquity, the heads thereof judge for reward; and the Prie&s;ts teach for hire:</HI> that is to &s;ay, their tongues may be hired to &s;ay any thing, pa&s;s any judgement right or wrong, and yet lean upon the Lord; &s;ay you lean upon the Lord, and yet will be drunk, &s;wear, lye, cheat, over-reach, be filthy and unclean, allow your <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">elves in <HI>c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">mplative wickedne&s;s,</HI> be &s;ure the Lord will not know &s;uch. <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 66. 18.</NOTE> You that <HI>regard any iniquity,</HI> never &s;o little, never &s;o &s;ecret in your hearts, believe it, the Lord will not own you, he will not know you, he will not here own you, much le&s;s will he when it cometh <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o the judgement. It may be thou maye&s;t &s;oar a higher pitch in
<PB N="406" REF="270">
re&s;pect of parts, and gifts, and confidence, and pretend to live higher then other men, as many men of higher di&s;pen&s;ations, they &s;ay now do; but yet as the Eagle, when at the highe&s;t pitch, hath a learing eye after her prey below; &s;o have they &s;uch a learing eye, a lingering heart after their iniquity, and their mouths water at it, but for &s;hame. O &s;urely, Je&s;us Chri&s;t will never own &s;uch, fear and tremble at this word, as many as it con|cerneth. O how will &s;uch &s;ouls be filled with amazement, when they made no other reckoning but to come to heaven; if any men in the Countrey &s;hould be &s;aved, a man would have thought they &s;hould have been the men; <HI>they have done much, &s;uffered much,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 13. 2.</NOTE> <HI>wrought wonders, &amp;c.</HI> and yet when all comes to all, <HI>the heart was never right with God, and therefore the heart-&s;earching Judge will never own them, never care for them, become of them what</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 7. 22.</NOTE> <HI>will, he will never know their &s;ouls.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, then it may be for a &s;earching word to poor crea|tures; <HI>O be not deceived, God is not mocked, he knoweth a</HI> Balaam <HI>to be a</HI> Balaam, <HI>though he profe&s;s never &s;o much love to</HI> I&s;rael: <HI>And O</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6. 9.</NOTE> <HI>if he would give me a hou&s;e full of gold and &s;ilver, I cannot go be|yond the Word of the Lord; And O that my latter end might be as his:</HI> Yet the Lord can &s;ee he is but a wretch for all this: therefore Brethren, I beg of you, that it may be a &s;earching word to us all, <HI>Whether ever we have known him, or be known of him;</HI> have you <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6. 7.</NOTE> ever touched him with the touch of faith, for the pardon of your &s;ins, for the healing of your corruptions? and have you found healing come from him, yea or no? have you known him, the power of his death, the power of his life, and Spirit, yea or no? <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4. 9.</NOTE> If you have not the Spirit of Chri&s;t, you are none of his, who&s;e ever you be, and he will not own you be &s;ure, Brethren, for his &s;ons, for his friends, to admit you to the fea&s;t, except you be his indeed. Ah dear friends, I doubt many of us will be found <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 9.</NOTE> with the fooli&s;h Virgins, following after the creature, re&s;ting in &s;omewhat el&s;e be&s;ide the Lord Je&s;us. Do not think your crying Lord, Lord, will do it, this you may do, and fall &s;hort; did not <HI>Judas</HI> come with his <HI>hail Ma&s;ter, and ki&s;s him,</HI> and yet his heart full of trea&s;on again&s;t him? was this his kindne&s;s to Je&s;us Chri&s;t? and do not many of us ki&s;s him, &s;alute him with a ki&s;s of love, and homage or obedience in &s;hew, and yet in our lives deliver him up to be &s;courged by our loo&s;ne&s;s of carriage, that there is
<PB N="407" REF="270">
no difference between us and other men, open the mouths of the wicked, and this con&s;tantly, and without a returning to him, will he own &s;uch a &s;oul think you? O how can we be contented to be uncertain in our conditions, le&s;t when all is done, we &s;hould be di&s;owned, &s;hut out at that day.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Then Brethren, let us all labour and be exhorted to it, to &s;tudy to approve our hearts to God, more then to men; a needful le&s;&s;on to us all, and it will be our wi&s;dom &s;urely; for alas, what if men know us, and own us, and favour us as Saints, and precious people, and Je&s;us Chri&s;t will not know our &s;ouls, will this countervail? O Brethren &s;ee to it, that your prai&s;e be <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 2. 29.</NOTE> not of men but of God! O how apt we are to be lifted up and cheared if men think well of us! and dejected if we &s;uffer in their brea&s;ts, if they di&s;own us, to be ca&s;t out of their hearts, would go to our hearts it may be, and we could not be quiet. Alas, what is this to that fearful &s;entence, <HI>I know you not:</HI> If Chri&s;t di&s;own us, what is it if all the Saints &s;hould own us? and if he own us, what &s;hould it di&s;courage us, though they none of them own us. <HI>O labour to be more inward Chri&s;tians, and build your comforts upon the &s;ure mercies of</HI> David <HI>in Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> No matter what is the ri&s;ing way in the world, which is the ri&s;ing Sun; Look to the mind of Chri&s;t, keep a con&s;cience void of of|fence toward him, and make this your work, to be found in him when all is done, not in your gifts, not in your duties, not in your graces, but in Chri&s;t. O &s;uch a &s;oul knoweth the Lord Je|&s;us, and &s;uch a &s;oul is known of him, and &s;hall be known to all eternity.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Here is an encouraging word to poor doubting &s;ouls; It may be they are ready to pa&s;s this fearful &s;entence up|on them&s;elves, &s;ooner then many a wretched hard-hearted hypo|crite, to whom it properly belongs; No matter man, though thy gifts be not &s;o great as another mans, thou can&s;t do little, or ha&s;t not tho&s;e &s;weet refre&s;hings and enlargements which another hath; Is thy heart approved to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, can&s;t thou approve thy &s;oul to him, <HI>that thou love&s;t him?</HI> as <HI>Peter, Lord thou knowe&s;t that I love thee;</HI> though it may be not &s;o much as other Saints do, nor &s;o much as the great things he hath done for thee call for; yet thou love&s;t him, and would&s;t fain love him more; <HI>be of good</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 8. 3.</NOTE> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">, for thou art known of him: If any man love God, he is
<PB N="408" REF="271">
known of God.</HI> A <HI>Judas</HI> may be an open profe&s;&s;or of Chri&s;t, and come to him in the day. And a poor <HI>Nicodemus</HI> at the fir&s;t, dare but come in the night it may be, and was a very &s;hallow Scholar in Chri&s;t's School, which is the di&s;couragement of many a poor &s;oul. And <HI>Judas</HI> in the mean time a renowned Teacher of others, and yet behold how the one betrayes the Lord Je&s;us, and the other &s;ticks to him when he was dead, and profe&s;&s;eth him openly <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 19. 39.</NOTE> at &s;uch a time as that, when there was mo&s;t di&s;couragement again&s;t it. O therefore, Brethren, though your grace be weak and little at the fir&s;t, if there be the root of the matter in thee, if thou can&s;t approve thy heart thou love&s;t him, there is nothing in heaven nor in earth thou woulde&s;t have in compari&s;on of him, though thy infirmities be many, temptations be many, thou art a poor wearied creature, it may be with thine own heart, <HI>be of good comfort, the Lord Je&s;us hath already owned thee, and he will own thee in that day.</HI> And me thinks, Brethren, as on the one hand when &s;uch bold confident &s;ouls, that make no other reckon|ing but of &s;alvation, but they reckon without Je&s;us Chri&s;t, when they meet with &s;o &s;ad a di&s;appointment; in &s;tead of an admittance, they meet with <HI>I know you not:</HI> O how will their hearts dye within them! So on the other hand, when a poor, trembling, doubting <HI>Thomas,</HI> that it may be knoweth not what to think of him&s;elf nor his condition, he is &s;earching, and trying, and praying, and fa&s;ting, and humbling, &amp; running, and pre&s;sing hard forward, and can get little ground of his corruptions, which much di&s;cou|rageth him. O he walks tremblingly, le&s;t he &s;hould receive this fearful &s;entence at the la&s;t, <HI>that the Lord Je&s;us knoweth him not, hath never had any thing to do with him;</HI> notwith&s;tanding all his profe&s;&s;ion, &s;in is in &s;trength, corruption prevails, though it is the bitterne&s;s of his &s;oul. O when &s;uch a poor doubting crea|ture that haply many times looks for nothing but a fearful &s;en|tence, <HI>depart from me,</HI> &s;hall have this pronounced, <HI>O come thou poor &s;oul, I know thee, I have known thee from the beginning of the world; though thou ha&s;t been doubting of my love, yet I know thee; though thou ha&s;t been made black with affliction, and thy vi&s;age &s;o marr'd, as others knew thee not, refuge failed thee, no man cared for thee, for thy &s;oul, yet I know thee; though thou ha&s;t been wounded</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 142. 4.</NOTE> <HI>with many &s;ins, many temptations, and walked under many a di&s;|couraged heart, yet I know thee.</HI> O how will this be as everla&s;ting
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life from eternal death, to &s;uch a &s;oul&punc; So that the &s;oul &s;hall now have now more place for doubting, the &s;atisfaction &s;hall come with a <HI>mandamus,</HI> he will &s;peak &s;alvation to the heart, that it cannot refu&s;e it, <HI>the de&s;ire accompli&s;hed is a tree of life,</HI> as hope deferred is a &s;ickne&s;s of heart, but now where a man could <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 13. 11. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">9.</NOTE> &s;carce act hope, as it is the ca&s;e of &s;ome poor creatures; O when the Lord &s;hall again&s;t their hope, own them, and that to eternity, it will be un&s;peakably &s;weet, this will fill them with fulne&s;s of joy and glory for evermore.</P>
<P>But &s;o much for this Time and Text.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="work">
<PB REF="272">
<PB N="411" REF="272">
<HEAD>CHRIST the Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, hath healing in his wings for &s;inners.</HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL>MAL. 4. 2.</BIBL>
<Q>But unto you that fear my name, &s;hall the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s ari&s;e with healing in his wings, and ye &s;hall go forth and grow up as Calves of the &s;tall.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P><HI>_MAlachy</HI> is the proper name of this Prophet, it &s;ig|nifieth an Angel or Me&s;&s;enger, only with the ad|dition of (') as is u&s;ual when common names are made proper. He is not &s;o called, as if he were an Angel incarnate, as &s;ome have imagined, nor ye<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> as if he had his revelation by Angels. But haply the name might be put on him without <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">foreknowledge of what the Lord would call him unto&punc; haply <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Prophetical Spi|rit it might appear that God would make h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Me&s;&s;enger: But however, &s;uch an one <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e was and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">mporarie with <HI>Nehe|miah,</HI> becau&s;e he exhor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> to the building of the Temple, as <HI>Haggai</HI> and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> tho&s;e corru|ptions among the Jews, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> the la&s;t, &s;hew|eth to have been among <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> over the Jews, as marriage with <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ng
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the tythes, <HI>Chap.</HI> 3. 8. Depravation of Divine wor&s;hip, <HI>Chap.</HI> 1. 13. and 2. 8. And that this is the la&s;t of the Prophets, they them&s;elves acknowledge, therefore he admoni&s;heth them that they &s;hould take heed to the Law of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> keep that, they might expect no more Prophets until the great Prophet, the Lord Je&s;us come (and <HI>John</HI> his fore-runner). God did in <HI>Baby|lon</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 74. 9.</NOTE> cau&s;e Vi&s;ions to peri&s;h from among them in anger. There is none to tell when this calamity &s;hall end (&s;aid they in the <HI>P&s;al|mi&s;t)</HI> and now again he cau&s;eth it to cea&s;e from them; that their expectations of the Me&s;&s;iah, that great Prophet, and of <HI>Elias</HI> his fore-runner might be rai&s;ed, and that by the want of Prophecy they might be the more ready&punc; to receive Chri&s;t that great Prophet, and to prai&s;e him when he &s;hould be revealed; the Law and Prophets Prophecy until <HI>John; Zech.</HI> and <HI>Elizab.</HI> and <HI>Simeon,</HI> and the <HI>Bapti&s;t,</HI> were &s;o immediately before him, that they rather &s;hewed him, pointed at him come, than prophe&s;ied of his coming.</P>
<P>After he had reproved tho&s;e corruptions among them (as you hear) he threatneth &s;piritual Judgements on them: he tells them their expectations would be fru&s;trated, they looked for the day of the Lord, as if that would heal all their troubles: No (&s;aith the Prophet&punc;) it &s;hall be &s;uch a day as you dream not of: they looked for peace, but behold trouble; for light, but behold dark|ne&s;s; they looked for a day of &s;hadowing from the di&s;plea&s;ure of the Lord, but behold (&s;aith he) the day of the Lord &s;hall burn like an Oven. What day this is, is very much que&s;tioned, &s;ome would have it to be the day of the la&s;t Judgement only, and &s;uitably they under&s;tand the ri&s;ing of the Sun of righteou&s;|ne&s;s to be his la&s;t appearing, that <GAP DESC="foreign">, illu&s;trious appearing: But this &s;eemeth not to be the <HI>All,</HI> if it be intended here; but this &s;eemeth not to be a time for growing up as Calves; now is the time of perfection in glory. Nor yet &s;econdly do I take it on|ly of the day of their calami<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y, when they &s;uffered &s;o much under the Grecians, Kings of <HI>Syria</HI> and <HI>Egypt,</HI> the <HI>Seleucidae</HI> and <HI>Lagidae&punc;</HI> (the two leggs of that Image in <HI>Dan.</HI> as &s;ome un|der&s;tand <NOTE PLACE="marg">Da<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 2. 33, 41, 42.</NOTE> it.) though this al&s;o might partly be meant: But this day I under&s;tand to be the time of Chri&s;t's appearing and mani|fe&s;tation to I&s;rael; which to &s;ome would be a day of grace and rejoycing indeed, to others a day of gloomyne&s;s (according to
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that in this third Chapter; <HI>The Angel of the Covenant &s;hall &s;ud|denly</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3, 2.</NOTE> <HI>come into the Temple, but who may abide the day of his com|ing? and who &s;hall &s;tand when he appeareth? for he is like the Re|finers fire, and like Fullers Soap.</HI> And (alas!) the mo&s;t of them would be found but dro&s;s, and &s;tubble, which mu&s;t be purged away, they could not abide the fire. So when they rejected the Lord Je&s;us, how fearful a day came on them? who could abide it? At the de&s;truction of <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> 1100000. &s;lain, (be&s;ide near 100000. taken captive) This day burned like an Oven; O! a devouring fire it was: &s;o fearful a thing its to have a day of grace, a day of Chri&s;t come on a people, and yet they &s;leight it and reject it: Greate&s;t love rejected, turns into greate&s;t di&s;|plea&s;ure; flaming love into flaming wrath; heat of affection into a burning of an oven, a furnace. Hear and tremble (Brethren) at this, we who now have a day of Chri&s;t, and a day of grace, le&s;t we find it in the end &s;uch a day as this, &s;o terrible to us.</P>
<P>But now, le&s;t tho&s;e mourners in <HI>Zion</HI> (that did wait for the con&s;olation of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> did fear the name of the Lord, were tender, and did tremble at this his word) &s;hould be di&s;couraged; he opens here a creek to let them in to hide them&s;elves; provi|deth a &s;hadow, a skreen to &s;et between them and this con&s;uming fire, in the words of my Text, <HI>But unto you that fear my name, &s;hall the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>ari&s;e with healing in his wings: Ye that tremble at my word &s;hall not be &s;corched, nor this &s;mell of the fire pa&s;s on you; as it was with the three children.</HI> The day of the Lord &s;hall be a wounding to others, but it &s;hall be a healing to you: they &s;hall be ca&s;t into a burning oven as &s;tubble or hay, <HI>but ye &s;hall go forth and grow up as calves of the &s;tall.</HI></P>
<P>So that the words are nothing el&s;e (as I conceive) but a Co|venant of grace tempered into a cordial for poor drooping Spi|rits, which might now be ready to faint to hear how terrible a day this day of the Lord would be, which they had expected, promi&s;ing them&s;elves &s;o much happine&s;s in it, and their expectati|ons &s;hould not be fru&s;trated, he would not make them a&s;hamed of their hope.</P>
<P><HI>But unto you that fear my name,</HI> &amp;c. Here is Chri&s;t promi&s;ed (who is the Covenant, the &s;ub&s;tance of it, the mediator, the
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&s;urety of it) and with him all things el&s;e: <HI>Syn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">hdochi</HI> under|&s;tood in the&s;e few things here implyed and expre&s;&s;ed, as light, and healing, and liberty, and growth, going on from &s;trength to &s;trength, growing fat, and flouri&s;hing, pro&s;perping into a King|dom, yea an everla&s;ting Kingdom. The Text then you &s;ee (being the &s;umm of the Covenant of grace) mu&s;t needs be a bundle of promi&s;es made to &s;uch as fear the Lord. I may not &s;tand to open each of them, until I come to &s;peak particularly to them, le&s;t I hold you too long in the porch, and we not be able to view any of the inner rooms of the Text, &s;o full of &s;weetne&s;s and comfort.</P>
<P>Therefore fir&s;t we &s;hall &s;peak to that promi&s;e of Chri&s;t, <HI>unto you that fear my name &s;hall the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s ari&s;e with healing in his wings;</HI> and yet before we &s;peak to the promi&s;e it &s;elf, &s;ome|thing we mu&s;t &s;ay to the notion under which he is repre&s;ented in this promi&s;e, and that is <HI>a Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s;</HI> from whence we will ob&s;erve this Note.</P>
<P><HI>That the Lord Je&s;us is a Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr.</NOTE></P>
<P>There are two things (Brethren) here to be cleared. Fir&s;t, that he is a Sun to his people. And &s;econdly, a Sun of righteou&s;|ne&s;s, and what is meant by that.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, for that he is a Sun; if it be granted that its he who is here meant, there need not much more to be &s;aid to make it good. And that its a particular promi&s;e of Chri&s;t-God, manife|&s;ted in the fle&s;h (&s;urely) none will que&s;tion: for who el&s;e is it that's that good Phy&s;itian that can give healing but he? <HI>I am the Lord</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 15. 26.</NOTE> <HI>that healeth thee;</HI> but that will appear better afterward. Let me add for the pre&s;ent a Scripture or two more to back this with, That Chri&s;t is held forth to us in Scripture, under the Metaphor of a Sun, ari&s;e and &s;hine (&s;aith the Lord to his people in their low and afflicted &s;tate) he commands <HI>Babylon</HI> to come down, <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 60. 1.</NOTE> &s;o he would have his people to lift up their hearts, ari&s;e out of the du&s;t wherein they had wallowed: Why, what is the mat|ter? thy light is come, the glory of the Lord is ri&s;en on thee: and who is this but the Lord Je&s;us? is it not he that was given <HI>to be a light to lighten the Gentiles, to be the glory of his people I&s;|rael?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 2. 32.</NOTE> the Sun is the glory of the heavens and earth, when it
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breaks out, it maketh a glorious day, and every thing glorious who&s;e beauty before did not appear, yea puts glory on things that had none before; its &s;trange to &s;ee (Brethren) things how glorious (even over-dazling the eyes) they appear, when the Sun &s;hines on them, which have little or no glory at another time. And here in the &s;econd ver&s;e, darkne&s;s &s;hall cover the earth, and gro&s;s darkne&s;s the people: But the Lord &s;hall ari&s;e on thee. Well, its he that is that light, that is that glory of the Lord. Add but that place in <HI>Luke,</HI> where he is &s;aid to be the day-&s;pring from on high, vi&s;iting us through the tender mercies of our God: its true, the word there is <GAP DESC="foreign">), which &s;ignifieth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 1. 78.</NOTE> either the ri&s;ing of the Sun mo&s;t ordinarily, or el&s;e the place of the Suns ri&s;ing, the Ea&s;t; or el&s;e &s;ome render it, a branch that did ari&s;e out of the root of <HI>Je&s;s.</HI> But me thinks that is not &s;o agree|able to the &s;cope of the place, for the next words are, to give light to them that &s;it in darkne&s;s: therefore we may here note, that the day-&s;pring, or ri&s;ing of the Sun, is put for the Sun it &s;elf by a Metonymie, and the Sun by a Metaphor put for Chri&s;t, he is the Sun, which ri&s;ing, maketh it day; yea &s;ome there are that would have it under&s;tood of the Sun at noon-day, of the ri&s;ing of the Sun to the meridian, where it &s;hineth mo&s;t gloriou&s;ly and mo&s;t hot, according to that in <HI>Matthew,</HI> where the Sun ri&s;eth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13. 6.</NOTE> they wither that &s;pring up quickly, and have no root; that is, the Sun ari&s;ing to its height, then it &s;corcheth and withereth. And this I will not altogether reject here, becau&s;e this &s;eemeth to be &s;poken then comparatively, becau&s;e the promi&s;e is made here to the comfort of &s;uch as did then fear the Lord, and may after|ward fear him, which could not be, except the Lord Je&s;us this Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s had had &s;ome influence on them; therefore this may &s;eem to be meant of his ri&s;ing to the height of the in|crea&s;e of his glory, when manife&s;ted in the fle&s;h. I mean the glo|ry of light manife&s;ted to us, though it were his own diminution: but haply more of this afterward. Now I will con&s;ider it only ab&s;olutely, that he is this Sun. The Lord is a Sun and a &s;hield, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 84. 11.</NOTE> and how can he &s;o be, except it be in Chri&s;t, as God was in Chri&s;t reconciling the world to him&s;elf? So of a con&s;uming fire, he <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 19.</NOTE> becometh a refre&s;hing Sun to his people, in his influences on them.</P>
<P>But wherein is Chri&s;t &s;aid to be a Sun? We might follow the
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Metaphor very far, yet not too far neither. We abhor that dotage of the <HI>Manichees,</HI> who &s;aid Chri&s;t's body went no further then the Sun, but there it was incorporated, on which account they wor&s;hip the Sun. But we will a little in&s;tance in two or three particulars, wherein the re&s;emblance holdeth between Chri&s;t and the Sun.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the Sun is one, and therefore called <HI>Sol</HI> from <HI>Solus,</HI> he on|ly hath the ruling of the day a&s;cribed to him. And &s;o, Brethren, the Lord Chri&s;t is one, though he be two natures, yet he is but one Chri&s;t, one per&s;on; though he be God and man truly, yet he is but one Je&s;us, one Mediator between God and man, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, he &s;peaks of him as man, not excluding the God-head: but to &s;uit to the weakne&s;s of poor unbelieving creatures, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 2. 5.</NOTE> we may go the more boldly to him, the di&s;tance between us now being not &s;o great, he having taken part of fle&s;h and blood, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2. 14.</NOTE> whereof the children, his poor people, are partakers. Its true, many fal&s;e Chri&s;ts there have been, and &s;ome there are now in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 24. 14.</NOTE> our daies; but the&s;e, alas, they are but blazing Comets, make a little &s;treaming light for a while, and fall into a filthy &s;lime at la&s;t. There are al&s;o &s;ome <HI>Parelii</HI> (as they call them) images of the Sun made in a cloud, fitly di&s;po&s;ed for &s;uch a reflexion of his beams. But alas! how &s;oon do the&s;e images and appearances vani&s;h, as &s;oon as by any di&s;turbance the clouds cea&s;e to be &s;o di&s;po&s;ed; the Image of a beauty in a gla&s;s, in water, is far from the beauty it &s;elf: So do all fal&s;e Chri&s;ts, and fal&s;e Saviours who|ever vani&s;h. He is but one.</P>
<P>Secondly, the Sun is the glory of the heavens. Moon and &s;tars have their glory, but one &s;tar differs from another in glory; but there is none like to the glory of the Sun. O! the Lord hath <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15. 41.</NOTE> put the excellence of glory on the Lord Je&s;us; he is the <GAP DESC="foreign">, the &s;hining forth of his Fathers glory: he &s;peaks <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 1. 2.</NOTE> here of Chri&s;t as incarnate, as the glory of God did &s;hine in the face of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> &s;o that the people could not behold; &s;o now the glory of the Lord &s;hineth in the face of Je&s;us Chri&s;t (as the <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4. 6.</NOTE> Apo&s;tle hath it) &s;o that we cannot behold it, it dazles our eyes &s;tedfa&s;tly to behold this his glory, as it doth to behold the Sun in <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1. 14. The wi&s;dom and power of God.</NOTE> his glory: Here is the glory of his grace, the glory of his wi&s;|dom, of his mercy, his power, and all in Chri&s;t: he is the glory (as it were) of divine attributes, they all &s;hine forth in him,
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each with his peculiar glory. The Temple, the glory of the Lord filled it, &s;o that they could not &s;tand before him to mini&s;ter &s;ometimes. So, Brethren, now the Lord hath placed his name in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, he hath filled him with his glory: therefore (&s;aith the Prophet) <HI>the glory of the Lord is ri&s;en on thee:</HI> that is, Je&s;us <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 60. 3.</NOTE> Chri&s;t is manife&s;ted to thee: was not his glory &s;o great as to con|found <HI>John,</HI> though a ve&s;&s;el fitted to be filled with tho&s;e glorious revelations from-him? He fell at his feet as one dead at the &s;ight <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 1. 15, 16, 17.</NOTE> of him in that vi&s;ion. How glorious is an Angel, that the very &s;ight of him was an a&s;toni&s;hment to <HI>John?</HI> what is the Lord of the Angels? If the Moon be &s;o glorious, what is the Sun?</P>
<P>Thirdly, the Sun is full of light in it &s;elf, and filsall things capable of its light, and yet hath never the le&s;s; the twinkling Tapers of heaven, they have each of them their light, &s;ome more &s;ome le&s;s: and the Moon hath much light, and giveth much; but what's borrowed light? Fir&s;t, &s;he hath it not in her &s;elf, nor in &s;uch abundance as the Sun hath. So its here, the Saints they are lights of the Sun (as our Saviour &s;aith) but alas! like poor <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 14.</NOTE> candles that burn dim, and &s;ometimes through the thickne&s;s of the damps of corruption in our hearts, burn blew, and are ready to go out for the mo&s;t part<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> but as the light in the &s;ocket, &s;ome|times up and &s;ometimes down, and every moment a man would think it would go out&punc; the Angels and &s;pirits of ju&s;t men made perfect, are like &s;tars &s;hining more gloriou&s;ly and con&s;tantly: But alas! nothing to the Sun, he &s;heds the light abroad through|out <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 23.</NOTE> the whole hemi&s;phere at once: Set up many lights at once in a dark night, they will give light but a little way, and how poor and weak a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">light, &s;o that when the Sun &s;hineth they appear not at all; and that the Sun &s;hould &s;o long fill the world with his light and have never the le&s;s, this is admirable. But this is but a &s;hadow (Brethren) to the light of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; he is the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 1. 9.</NOTE> true light, that is, &s;uch a light as that nothing el&s;e de&s;erveth to be called a light in compari&s;on of him; as far as the &s;ubject is re|cipient, a glorious &s;pirit is before a vile body, &s;o far is the light of Chri&s;t in its own nature above the Suns light. And then for fulne&s;s there is no compari&s;on, though there be hardly any thing obvious to ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;en&s;es (which are to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">et in light to the under&s;tand|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">) that is more glorious, and &s;o is more <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">it to &s;et forth the
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Lord Je&s;us his fulne&s;s of Light by. Light maketh manife&s;t all things; and that that maketh things manife&s;t is the Light: now <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5. 13.</NOTE> the light of the Sun, its true, di&s;covers much, that before it aro&s;e appeared not; but its po&s;&s;ible to hide from its light (Brethren) in the depths of the earth, in the bowels of man, it di&s;covereth not any of tho&s;e, much le&s;s the &s;ecrets of hearts, there's no &s;uit|ablene&s;s between &s;uch a cau&s;e and &s;uch an effect. But the Lord Je&s;us, he &s;earcheth all the deep things of men, the very Marrow <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 4. 12.</NOTE> of their bones (which is the deepe&s;t, and hath the mo&s;t coverings upon coverings) he &s;earcheth them. So doth Chri&s;t the ends of men, which are the mo&s;t hidden u&s;ually in all their de&s;igns, they are deep as the Marrow in the bones, cloathed over with fle&s;h, and skin, and bones, pretence upon pretence, but Chri&s;t this Light is &s;o piercing, that there is no hiding any thing from it.</P>
<P>Fourthly, The Sun, his Tabernacle is in heaven; there he made a Tabernacle for the Sun; there is the &s;eat of the eye of the world, from whence he views all that is under his Govern|ment; <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 19 4.</NOTE> there is his Palace, and from thence he di&s;penceth light and influence. So, Brethren, its with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, he hath his Tabernacle in heaven, that is, in his Church, (for &s;o oftentimes the Church is called) there the Lord placeth his Tabernacle; as he &s;aith of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> of old, <HI>I will place my Tabernacle among them,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Lev. 26. 11.</NOTE> <HI>and dwell in the mid&s;t of them.</HI> He walks in the mid&s;t of the gol|den Candle&s;ticks to behold them, to be nigh them, to di&s;pence of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 1. 13.</NOTE> his light to them, and of his influence. So doth the Sun commu|nicate of his light to the Moon, and to the Stars in heaven, and to the inhabitants upon earth. We are not to under&s;tand all this of Chri&s;t his per&s;on meerly, but Chri&s;t, as held out in his Ordi|nances, in his Church, therefore he is &s;aid by the Church to make manife&s;t the mercy and wi&s;dom of God; his Ordinances are the raies and beams (as afterward we &s;hall &s;peak, when we come to open that part of the Text.) But his Tabernacle is the Church, thence he &s;hines forth on many others, as the earth is lightned by the raies from heaven.</P>
<P>Fifthly, From the warming of the Sun; how cold and frozen are tho&s;e Northern parts of the world, becau&s;e remote from the Sun? how cold is the hemi&s;phere when the Sun is &s;et for a time? <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ow warm when it &s;hines&punc; So the Lord Je&s;us it is that's the
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Author of heat; the Winter is pa&s;t, the Summer is come, the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 2. 11. 12.</NOTE> rain is over, the flowers appear on the earth, and the voice of &s;inging of birds heard: that is, Chri&s;t is revealed in the power of his love to poor &s;inners; this is that which warmeth the cold|e&s;t heart when we are frozen in our affections; and as waters frozen up, cannot run this way nor that way, &s;o we can do no|thing, nor move towards God. Then, Brethren, its a &s;ight of the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s, the Lord Je&s;us, a hot gleamfrom him that thaws all, and melts all, warmeth all again: and therefore in this re&s;pect al&s;o, he may be compared to the Sun.</P>
<P>Sixthly, becau&s;e of influence (which may be, they &s;ay, where there is no heat nor light at lea&s;t) and therefore Philo&s;o|phers tell us, that by the influence of the Sun, the gold is con|cocted in the bowels of the earth, whither its light cannot come. And this is that (Brethren) that calls forth the fruits of the earth, that in the winter for fear of cold were retired, the &s;ap recoiling to the root, there to be pre&s;erved until a &s;ea&s;on for it: Now the Sun, the heat, and warmth, and influence thereof calls it forth again; &s;o that the gra&s;s, and fruits, plants and herbs, put forth, bud and blo&s;&s;om (as we &s;ee it in the &s;pring) &s;o the face of the earth is renewed. And &s;o its in this ca&s;e, the Lord Je&s;us <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 104 30.</NOTE> from heaven &s;hineth forth, and conveighing &s;ecretly the power|ful influences of his Spirit, and of the Word to poor &s;inners (though they were as dead and dry &s;ticks before, as trees that are &s;tarven with the fro&s;t, and &s;eem dead) then they put forth again, then they grow green and flouri&s;hing, then the heart of a &s;inner that was little worth before, becometh a golden Vial full of odours, its concocted, then the &s;pices flow forth in the garden inclo&s;ed.</P>
<P>Seventhly, the Sun di&s;pels the mi&s;ts and fogs which are un|whol&s;om, would poi&s;on the air; yea, and thick clouds which would muffle up the Sun from us, we know this by daily expe|rience. So doth the Lord Je&s;us (Brethren) all the mi&s;ts, fogs, and clouds of &s;in, he di&s;pels them for his name &s;ake, he blots out the tran&s;gre&s;sions of his people as a cloud. Its the very heat (Brethren) of the love of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that con&s;umeth, (as <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 44. 22.</NOTE> I may &s;ay) melts away tho&s;e clouds, that they intercept not our communion and fellow&s;hip with him. O! there is not a day, but the &s;treamings of our filthy hearts would gather into a thick
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cloud and cover his face from us, were it not that the warm beams of his love did continually di&s;pell them and &s;catter them; we &s;hould never enjoy the light of his countenance an hour toge|ther, if it were not for this; and for his names &s;ake he doth it. And &s;o the cloud of &s;orrow, let the di&s;ea&s;es of the people of God be what they will, never &s;o great and black clouds they are com|pa&s;&s;ed about with; their day is a day of gloomine&s;s and thick darkne&s;s, how come the&s;e to be di&s;pelled? is it not the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s breaking forth on poor &s;inners that doth it? one &s;ight of Chri&s;t as reconciled to him puts an end unto all.</P>
<P>Eighthly, the Sun is the cau&s;e of the &s;weet intercour&s;e be|tween the earth and the clouds, and the clouds and the earth: for its the Sun that exhales the vapours from the earth, and draweth them up into the middle region of the air, and there with the cold of the air its conden&s;ed into a cloud, and hangs until it be di&s;&s;olved, and render it &s;elf to the earth again to make it fruitful: and &s;o the dew is in like manner begotten, only is not far lifted up above the earth, and with the cold of the night is congealed into little drops, and &s;o &s;weetly di&s;tills. So the Lord Je&s;us, he draweth out the hearts, the affections of his people in prayers, &s;weet breathings after him&s;elf; and the&s;e prayers come down again &s;ometimes on the &s;ame &s;oul, &s;ometimes on another place: they fall, but abundance of &s;weetne&s;s, and ble&s;|&s;ing, and mercy is poured out by this means on poor creatures, whereby they become fruitful.</P>
<P>Ninthly, The Lord Je&s;us may be compared to the Sun, for that the Sun Giant-like rejoyceth to run his race, and who can turn him back? alas! all the clouds that gather about the Sun, that to our apprehen&s;ions might haply &s;eem to threaten a blotting of it out, a clogging of it, they are all below it. Its true, prayer once did hold him in his cour&s;e, and it looks like a word of com|mand, <HI>Sun &s;tand thou &s;till:</HI> and &s;o prayer may do much with Je|&s;us <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo&s;h. 10. 12.</NOTE> Chri&s;t, but not hinder him in his cour&s;e, riding on in his tri|umphant charriot, conquering and to conquer, enlightning poor dark places and people. Before we come to the other, we will a little apply this to our &s;elves.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then (Brethren) if the Lord Je&s;us be a Sun, then they <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE>
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that have this Sun ri&s;en on them, they are children of the day; if the Sun be up, it mu&s;t needs be day; and is not the Sun up Brethren, among us? is not the Lord Je&s;us gone forth as a Gyant to run his race among us? we now have a day of Grace among us, and how long, or how &s;hort it may be, I know not; Brethren, it &s;eemeth to be declining in &s;ome re&s;pects, and the &s;hadows of the evening growing low; O that we would be per&s;waded, and &s;tirred up to do the work of our day, in this our day! our great work, <HI>which is to work out our &s;alvation with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 2. 12.</NOTE> <HI>fear and trembling.</HI> I doubt, if the Sun &s;hould &s;et, and the night come on you, wherein no man can work, you &s;hould have <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4. 5.</NOTE> this work yet to do many of you, e&s;pecially, brethren, you in|to who&s;e hearts the Lord Je&s;us, this Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s hath &s;hone. O how &s;hould you walk as children of the day, <HI>not in &s;urfetting and drunkenne&s;s!</HI> I mean not with meat and fire only, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13. 13.</NOTE> but with any creature-comforts, and delights on this &s;ide Chri&s;t; away then with all the works of darkne&s;s, all practices which did &s;uit better with the times of ignorance and blindne&s;s and now walk as becometh the light and the day, that the Sun may not be a&s;hamed to behold you.</P>
<P>Secondly, Such as the Lord Je&s;us then hath not ri&s;en on, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2.</NOTE> they are yet in darkne&s;s, children of the night, and walk at un|certainties, know not whither they go. Alas, many a poor &s;oul thinketh he is as &s;ure to go to heaven, as he is to die, when he is in the very rode to hell; only &s;ome go in the broad trodden path, open prophane impudent &s;inners; &s;ome &s;teal thither behind the hedge; they are going to hell, but in a clo&s;ure, walk hidden from others and from them&s;elves. Many night-Birds there are among us, children of the night indeed, though in one re&s;pect many of us may be &s;aid to be children of the day, becau&s;e Je&s;us Chri&s;t in the di&s;pen&s;ation of the Go&s;pel is held forth unto us, as they are &s;aid to be the children of the Kingdom; yet in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 1. 16.</NOTE> re&s;pect of the inward revealing of Chri&s;t in the heart, I doubt many of us are &s;trangers to it; though we fly about in the light, yet we are but Owls and Bats, darkne&s;s agreeth better with us; our &s;ouls are full of darkne&s;s, our works are nothing el&s;e but works of darkne&s;s. How &s;ad a con&s;ideration is this Brethren, that in the mid&s;t of light we &s;hould be children of darkne&s;s! <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> noon-day, when the Go&s;pel is at the heighth, and Chri&s;t, the
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Sun as it were at the meridian, we &s;hould be &s;tumbling and groping as at midnight, not knowing whither we go.</P>
<P>Then thirdly, As there is this difference of per&s;ons where Chri&s;t cometh, from them where he cometh not, &s;o it is in fami|lies <NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> and people. Brethren, what a &s;ad people and family is that where they are all in Egyptian darkne&s;s! Je&s;us Chri&s;t is not ri&s;en unto any &s;oul among them, they know him not experi|mentally, but they are all in blindne&s;s: Alas, none can help ano|ther, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 10. 23.</NOTE> the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> and <HI>Egyptians</HI> (though they dealed among one another) in one family there was light, in the other there was nothing but gro&s;s darkne&s;s that might be felt. O who would live in &s;uch a family! who would not ha&s;te out of &s;uch a condition? you would think that a &s;ad conditioned hou&s;e, that the light of the Sun and warmth of the Sun never entreth into, of all places you would not live in it: this is is nothing brethren, to the total ab&s;ence of Chri&s;t, where neither Husband, nor Wife, nor Fellow-&s;ervant, nor Children, none of them have had the Lord Je&s;us &s;hining into their hearts; <HI>Gro&s;s darkne&s;s &s;hall cover the earth,</HI> (&s;aith the Prophet) <HI>But on Zion &s;hall the Glory of the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 60. 2.</NOTE> <HI>Lord ari&s;e.</HI> Look into what families, brethren, you put your &s;elves: no man would content him&s;elf to live in a dungeon con|tinually; that family is wor&s;e where Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath never come.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Then take notice how &s;weet a condition it mu&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">4.</NOTE> needs be, to have an union and fellow&s;hip with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, e&s;pecially where that fellow&s;hip is con&s;tant: truly light is &s;weet, <HI>And it is a plea&s;ant thing to behold the Sun</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Solomon):</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 11. 7.</NOTE> but alas, that is nothing to a &s;ight of Chri&s;t! poor &s;inners in a dark condition, when they become &s;en&s;ible of it, will tell you what its worth to have a glimp&s;e of Chri&s;t, of the light of his countenance: poor creatures that for half an year together are without the Sun, will tell you how &s;weet a condition it is to have the Sun &s;hining on them. <HI>Mary Magdalen</HI> will tell you, (when &s;he wanted her Saviour, her Lord) with many tears, what a want it is, and what a joy to have his pre&s;ence. O what light is there in that &s;oul: what joy, what peace, what comfort, what warmth, what melting over the Lord Je&s;us! it is a little heaven on earth indeed, this enjoyment of the Lord Je&s;us.</P>
<P>Fifthly, We may hence learn then brethren, whence cometh all <NOTE PLACE="marg">5.</NOTE> our light, and all our warmth, and all our fruitful influences,
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whereby we &s;pring forth, and bring forth abundantly, it is from the Lord Je&s;us. Thy heart was as very a dungeon as any, full of darkne&s;s and bugs, frogs and &s;erpents, and how came it to be lightned, but that the Sun of God was plea&s;ed to &s;hine on thee, yea into thy heart more then another, and freely with his pre|&s;ence to &s;catter tho&s;e lu&s;ts thy &s;oul was full of before. Art thou enabled &s;o much as to bud, to think a good thought? its from hence, becau&s;e that the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s hath ari&s;en on thee; thou ha&s;t received &s;ome influence from him: doth it come to a blo&s;&s;om, a good word, holy communication? its from the &s;ame principle: doth the fruit knit and grow up into a ripene&s;s, increa&s;e into an holy action, an holy walking with God, whence is it but from the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s? doth the Marigold open? its according to the heat of the Sun <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Peter</HI> mel<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s becau&s;e Chri&s;t looks on him. 6. Gal. 1. 2, 20. Not I, but the Grace of God in me.</NOTE>: do our hearts open? are our hearts enlarged? hence it is (Brethren) forget not the foun|tain, we are apt to think, the &s;parks are of our own kindling, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Sixthly, Then (Brethren) we &s;hould hence learn to whom, to your all give the Prai&s;e, the Glory of all. Let the Moon and Stars then fall down before this Sun, as it was in <HI>Jo&s;ephs</HI> dream: they &s;hine but with a borrowed light, and the borrower is &s;ervant to the lender. How do the Birds each morning chant and chirp, when their little &s;pirits are revived by the Sun ri&s;ing on them? and &s;hall our mouths be &s;ealed up, when the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s hath vi&s;ited our hearts, quickned them, enlightned them? The Stars you know appear not when the Sun ari&s;eth in his Glory: O dear friends, &s;o &s;hould we when the Name of Chri&s;t cometh in competition with our names, not appear, be con|tent to be nothing, to decrea&s;e, &s;o he may increa&s;e; Let him have the Glory of all.</P>
<P>Seventhly, Then (Brethren) learn to prize the Lord Je&s;us, <NOTE PLACE="marg">7. P&s;al. 89. 15. I will walk in the light of his countenance.</NOTE> &s;et a true e&s;teem on him: &s;hould we want the Sun for one moneth, what a value &s;hould we &s;et on it? it is true worth in|deed, brethren, to value things by their enjoyment, rather then by their <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ant: now thou ha&s;t the Sun-&s;hine it may be, many a &s;weet refre&s;hing warming from the Lord Je&s;us, O prize it; every one is looking at and admiring a Comet, but who con|&s;idereth the Sun? who admireth that? prizeth that? how much ado hath the Lord Je&s;us with us to bring us to this? he is fain to put us in a dungeon, to make us bear the iniquities of our
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youth, to hide his face, to make us walk in darkne&s;s, before we will prize it; what a grief is this to him? is it not a trouble to our &s;elves? and what a folly is it Brethren, to grieve the Lord Je&s;us, and grieve our own &s;ouls, when we might &s;ave all this? O labour then to do it; beg &s;uch a heart of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Eighthly, Then Brethren, &s;hut not the windows again&s;t the <NOTE PLACE="marg">8.</NOTE> &s;hinings of this Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s: &s;ometimes the Lord Je&s;us getteth within a &s;inner for all his fence and guard, light cometh in at &s;ome chink, beginneth to di&s;cover the condition in which he is, &s;heweth him the filthy vermine that are ready to run away with his &s;oul, that the heart &s;warms withal, that he &s;aw not before: and yet alas, he maketh a &s;hift to clap to the win|dow, to &s;mother the light with both hands, puts it away, he de&s;ires not the pre&s;ence of it; this is a &s;ad condition, when men are ignorant, and will be ignorant; when the Lord Je&s;us would <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 51. 9.</NOTE> have healed them, and they would not be healed; O how can&s;t thou tell, whether ever thou &s;halt be healed till thou die? O take heed Brethren, of this! it is the way to bring the blackne&s;s of darkne&s;s on you, to provoke God to clap the everla&s;ting chains of darkne&s;s on you, wherein you may be re&s;erved to the la&s;t day. Oh it is a &s;ad &s;aying, that, <HI>Let him that is ignorant, be ignorant &s;till;</HI> the time may come, when the hour of darkne&s;s &s;hall fall on your &s;ouls at the day of death, that you <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 14. 38.</NOTE> would give a world then but for a glimp&s;e of that light you now &s;hut out, and fence your &s;elves again&s;t; when your works of dark|ne&s;s and &s;ecret plea&s;ures of &s;in (for who&s;e &s;ake you have done it) do fly in your face, buffet you, ready to tear your throat out, hale you before the judgement-&s;eat of Chri&s;t, O then for a &s;ight of Chri&s;t, but he is far from you; no, he would have enlightned you, but you would not; <HI>Therefore now the things which belong to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 19. 42.</NOTE> <HI>your peace, are hid from your eyes.</HI> He might pitty <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> and weep over her, but alas her condition was pa&s;t cure; I would the condition of many a poor &s;oul here were not &s;uch; yea Bre|thren, the people of God them&s;elves, take heed of &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ing out the light of this Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s; for what will become of the light in the room, when its fulle&s;t of light, if the windows be clapt too? will it not be cut off? will it not become a dun|geon? we complain many times of a dark, and &s;ad, and dead condition: the truth is, Brethren, we have &s;hut him out, we
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have thought; Oh now we are full, now we have knowledge and heat enough; we have been &s;o warmed with the influence of Chri&s;t on us, now it matters not for altogether &s;o &s;trict a walking, now we have gotten the light of his countenance; this is a &s;ecret fro|wardne&s;s of our hearts, and then he is provoked to withdraw, and alas, we are in darkne&s;s again. Therefore take we heed Bre|thren, how we hide the face of God in Chri&s;t from our &s;elves by &s;uch wantonne&s;s under the beams of Grace.</P>
<P>Ninthly, Then Brethren, learn we not to re&s;t in the common <NOTE PLACE="marg">9.</NOTE> influences of this Sun, the Lord Je&s;us he &s;hineth on the good and bad, Brethren, but he &s;hineth only on the heads of &s;ome, but into the hearts of others (as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith) the <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4.</NOTE> pa&s;&s;ages between the head and the heart are opened, and the light &s;eizeth on the will and affections, as well as the under|&s;tanding; the Sun may &s;hine on thee, thou may&s;t have much knowledge, and an head full of notion, and yet be but a weed; for it &s;hines on the weeds as well as on the flowers; on the dunghill as well as on the garden; the dunghil never &s;avours &s;o bad, as when the Sun beateth mo&s;t on it. O what &s;teams are there then, enough to poy&s;on a man! Ah Brethren, the &s;hining of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, on &s;ome poor &s;inners, what doth it but rai&s;e &s;teams of lu&s;t within? men are more vile, more wicked, their guilt greater, their condemnation &s;urer, their &s;ins more loath&s;om to God then any others; therefore &s;tay not here (Brethren) except we find that the light we receive from Je&s;us Chri&s;t do &s;catter our lu&s;ts, for they will not endure the light that is &s;aving indeed: except thou find that it change thee indeed, and transform thy heart into his image from Glory to Glory: if thou find thou art rather changed from di&s;honour to di&s;honour, from one vile affection to <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 3. 18.</NOTE> another, (<GAP DESC="foreign"> the Apo&s;tle cals them) all the light thou ha&s;t received, is nothing. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom 1. 26.</NOTE></P>
<P>Tenthly, They are not friends to Chri&s;t then Brethren, that <NOTE PLACE="marg">10.</NOTE> would make more Suns then one; what, is not the Lord of Glo|ry a glo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">s Sun enough? is there not a fulne&s;s of light in him; &s;ufficient for us all? a fulne&s;s of heat and influence in him for us all, but we mu&s;t be flattering our &s;elves and others into a ri|val&s;hip with Chri&s;t? how gro&s;s are the Papi&s;ts in this point? making the Saints their mediatour of &s;atisfaction and interce&s;|&s;ion both? I do them no wrong: they are the words of their
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<HI>Mi&s;&s;all,</HI> praying for pardon by the merits of their Saints, and praying to them to intercede for them: yea and to the Virgin to command her &s;on; O horrid! but in them its not &s;o much, becau&s;e either they are in Egyptian darkne&s;s, and denied the means of light, <HI>or given up to &s;trong delu&s;ions to believe a lye;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;. 2. 11.</NOTE> but for us that have the light of the knowledge of Chri&s;t in &s;uch a rich manner among us, and yet have a Pope in our bellies, the indignity is much greater to Je&s;us Chri&s;t: how prone are we to &s;et up our own works, as our Saviour? who can &s;ay his heart is clean, and throughly purged from this evil? O that we were but a&s;hamed of it, and were able to &s;ay that we do it not in our hearts; for then its not &s;o deeply chargable on us, (as I doubt) its on many of us. Therefore take heed of this Brethren, of &s;etting up any &s;park of our own kindling (or of his kindling) in us, in defiance to the Lord Je&s;us, in oppo&s;ition again&s;t him, or partner&s;hip with him in our &s;alvation, in our comfort, or peace, or joy of faith: if we do, and give him not the whole, we do much di&s;honour him, and &s;hall find that we much wrong our own &s;ouls. No readier way (Brethren) to bring an eclip&s;e, then when the Moon wil be interpo&s;ing between the Sun &amp; the Earth.</P>
<P>Eleventhly, What enemies are they then to Je&s;us Chri&s;t and to <NOTE PLACE="marg">11.</NOTE> Mankind, that would pluck the Sun out of the Firmament? would we not account him a de&s;perate enemy that would en|deavour it? and are they any better? are they not much wor&s;e, who would pluck away our Chri&s;t from us? whether they be &s;ins, or lu&s;ts within, which do indeed rather cloud or eclip&s;e at mo&s;t. But there are &s;ome who would even pluck him out of his throne that the Father hath &s;et for him in Heaven, in his Church, &s;uch as deny the Lord that bought them, &s;uch as will not yield him to be the mo&s;t high God, equal to the Father; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil 2. 8.</NOTE> though Chri&s;t counted it no robbery, they count it a robbery for him be equal with him. Can a creature-Chri&s;t be a &s;ufficient Chri&s;t to give light, and life, and healing to poor &s;inners? will this ever &s;atisfie any tender con&s;cience, quiet any trouble<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ul? let it go then for a damnable here&s;ie, and let us abhor it, and beware of it; for nothing is &s;o gro&s;s, but in the&s;e times Sathan <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2. 1.</NOTE> finds &s;ome vent for it; and bewail it (Brethren) that ever any poor creatures that expect &s;alvation by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;hould at|tempt &s;uch an high indignity again&s;t him? what is it but to ki&s;s
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him with <HI>Judas,</HI> and yet to betray him? with <HI>Joab</HI> to ki&s;s the Son, and yet to &s;tab him? he that would bring the Sun down to the light and condition of the Moon, were a wretched man, but this is nothing to the ca&s;e in hand.</P>
<P>Twelfthly, Then admire (Brethren) the tender mercy of the Lord that would give us &s;uch a Sun, the Lord Je&s;us, the Sun of <NOTE PLACE="marg">12.</NOTE> righteou&s;ne&s;s! if he had left the world in a Chaos at fir&s;t, and never commanded the light to &s;hine out of darkne&s;s, never &s;et any Sun in the Firmament, who could have charged any thing on him? But he knew what a mi&s;erable world it would it be with|out the Sun, and how little of the beauty, and excellence, and perfection of his works, and wi&s;dom would appear, if there were no Sun. But here (Brethren) &s;hining forth more of his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">enderne&s;s and bowels unto poor Sinners in a dark and dead con|dition, through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day-&s;pring from an high hath vi&s;ited us; here are the &s;oundings of his bowels toward us indeed, when we were forlorn and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke. 1. 78.</NOTE> helple&s;s in our &s;elves, to cau&s;e this day-&s;pring from on high to vi&s;it us. And truly for us in this Land, how long have we had the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s ri&s;en on us? and that yet it is not &s;et, that he is not altogether eclip&s;ed by the world of iniquity; that he hath &s;tood &s;till (as it were) and not ha&s;tened to a &s;etting; this is un&s;peakable mercy, admire it, ble&s;s the Lord, be filled with his prai&s;es!</P>
<P>Thirteenthly, Brethren, Then let us be exhorted to &s;et our <NOTE PLACE="marg">13.</NOTE> &s;elves in the warm Sun. I mean, to wait diligently on the Lord Je&s;us in his Ordinances, for the&s;e are the Orb in which he moveth in his Church, the Heavens, and doth, as it were, wheel about the Church in them, as the Sun in the Orb, to communi|cate his light, and heat, and influences; and therefore its ob|&s;ervable, that <HI>David</HI> &s;aith, <HI>I had rather be a door-keeper in the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 84.</NOTE> <HI>hou&s;e of God, then dwell in the tents of wickedne&s;s;</HI> why, &s;aith he, The Lord is a Sun, and a Shield, Glory, and a Defence round about them, therefore he would be a door-keeper in the hou&s;e of God; becau&s;e there, and then, and to them, he is a Sun in a &s;pecial manner. O Brethren, have you not experience of it? where and how come in your warmings on your &s;pirits? is it not in the Ordinances of Chri&s;t? doth he not breath there, and feed there with his people? if a man &s;hould be &s;o
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peevi&s;h as that he would not have the Suns influence, except he did &s;hine in his chamber, did move there, or &s;hine on the earth, or move there, were he not mo&s;t ju&s;tly deprived of them? Here Brethren, here in the Word preached and heard, in the Seals, and Prayer, and all the Ordinances of Chri&s;t he will be found of his people, and above others in private; be much in maditation of the &s;weetne&s;s, the riches of his love to poor Sinners, &s;uch as thou art, this is to &s;et our faces Brethren; towards the Sun. O how will this clear the eyes of an Eagle indeed, one that is gloriou&s;ly born of heaven, though Owls are blinded by it? How will this (Brethren) darken the beauty and glory of all things here? You complain of earthline&s;s, and you are fa&s;t glewed to the world. O beg of God, that he would turn your eyes toward him&s;elf, toward the Lord Je&s;us; behold this Sun in his &s;trength and glory, and &s;ee if this do not make all things el&s;e dull to you, to have no excellence in them, in compa|ri&s;on of Chri&s;t, that you &s;hall cry out, none but Chri&s;t, none but Chri&s;t. O Brethren, this would make us &s;parkle, like Diamonds, lying under the influence of the Sun: its for want of this that Chri&s;tians are like Diamonds in the dirt; this will make us &s;parkle, as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> face did &s;hine; this Brethren, is the way to contract the beams as in a burning gla&s;s, and &s;et the heart on fire with love to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; then our affections will flame, then &s;hall we be a zealous people of good works; otherwi&s;e not.</P>
<P>Fourteenthly, Ari&s;e then and &s;hine, thou poor fearing &s;oul, <NOTE PLACE="marg">14.</NOTE> that lie&s;t in the du&s;t, be inlightned, lift up thy eyes thou that langui&s;he&s;t, and thy &s;pirit is ready to faint within thee, thou art even dying, and could&s;t with fears of thy condition: Oh thy light is come! is not the Sun in the Firmament, though he may be clouded from thee? what though there be much darkne&s;s in thee of ignorance, of di&s;comfort, thou walke&s;t in darkne&s;s and <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 60. 1.</NOTE> &s;ee&s;t no light, the Sun may be up, though it appear not? it may be day with thee (poor &s;oul) and thou a child of light and of the day, though thou beholde&s;t not the Sun, nor the b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ms from the Sun; if thou ha&s;t not the light of the Sun, the light of his countenance, thou may&s;t have the influence of the Sun not|with&s;tanding, that reacheth the parts where the light cometh not. And be not di&s;couraged at the enemies of Chri&s;t: what though the clouds of ignorance, errour, prophane&s;s and ido|latry
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gather together, and &s;eem to threaten the Sun? Alas, how &s;oon can he di&s;pel them, con&s;ume them with the brightne&s;s of his glorious appearance? what if the Dogs do bark at the Moon, the Church, or at Chri&s;t, the Sun? will that hinder him in his cour&s;e? what though the People when they are &s;corched with the heat of the Sun (as &s;ome Pagans are) do cur&s;e the Sun? can they hinder his cour&s;e? O no: as a &s;trong man he will run his race, and who &s;hall hinder it? and tho&s;e that will not be made fruitful he will burn up and con&s;ume; therefore be not di&s;couraged; and thou that ha&s;t much deadne&s;s, and coldne&s;s, and hardne&s;s, be not di&s;couraged, there is influence enough in Chri&s;t, go to him, labour to act faith on him, &s;et thy &s;elf under his influence, wait on him in his Ordinances, and &s;ee if it come not into thee, to warm, to melt, to make fruitful in the work of the Lord.</P>
<P>Now for the &s;econd, which is, that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s. But le&s;t I &s;hould dwell too long on the Text, if&punc; I &s;hould at large handle every part, therefore I will rather &s;um up &s;everal things in one Ob&s;ervation, and its this.</P>
<P><HI>&V;nto them that fear the Name of the Lord, the Sun of righte|ou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall ari&s;e with healing in his wings, or d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">th ari&s;e with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctr.</NOTE> <HI>healing in his wings.</HI> Wherein I will labour to unfold &s;eve|ral things, and then come to the Application of all to our &s;elves.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, What is meant by them that fear the Lord? here in this place of the Prophet, I conceive by the coherence of the Text, that hereby are meant &s;uch, as when the Prophet had de|nounced the fearful threatnings of Judgement, <HI>The day of the Lord to be as a fire; oven, to con&s;ume the &s;tubble, &amp;c.</HI> they were afraid, they feared the Lord and his judgements; they were apt to be too much di&s;mayed at it; but he tels&punc; them, that to them it &s;hould be a day of healing, and liberty, and light, and refre&s;hing to his people. The people of God may, and ought to be afraid of the judgements of God, when they hang bound up in a black cloud, but yet in the womb of a threatning; and &s;o <HI>Jo&s;iah was afraid, and rent his clothes, and humbled him&s;elf,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings 22. ch. 11. 19.</NOTE> <HI>his heart was tender, and he did tremble at this fearful word, the judgement threatned again&s;t Hieru&s;alem.</HI> A &s;tout, &s;tubborn,
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brawny, hard heart never melts nor moveth, but &s;uch as tho&s;e are afraid; or el&s;e if judgement do break out, and the decree bring forth, the clouds pour out upon Sinners, then they are afraid. So <HI>David was afraid of the judgement of God executed on</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. 120. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Chr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n. 21. 30.</NOTE> <HI>&V;zzah, and afraid of the Angel of the Lord.</HI> Now to &s;uch as the&s;e, the Lord promi&s;eth a Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall ari&s;e with healing; &s;uch fear hath torment in it and angui&s;h, and therefore hath need of healing; but is this to be re&s;trained either to their per&s;ons, or to their conditions? &s;urely no: the pro|phe&s;ies are Divine, they are of the nature of the author, with whom 1000 years are but as one day, therefore we are to allow to them a greater latitude, &s;uch as is agreeable to them, they are not fulfilled punctually at once, but have &s;pringing accompli&s;h|ment, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Bacon</HI> ad|vancement of Learning. li. 2. p. 121.</NOTE> and germinant throughout many ages, though the height or fulne&s;s of them may refer them to &s;ome age; and of all other prophe&s;ies, it is mo&s;t true of that of Chri&s;t, with re&s;pect to the &s;aving vertues of his blood to his people; therefore for per&s;ons we mu&s;t not confine it to them, no nor for things, to that &s;ort of fear which &s;eemeth to be meant by the &s;eries of the con|text; but this as all other promi&s;es of God are applyable to any condition of poor creatures, to which its &s;uitable. As that of <HI>Jo&s;huah, I will, never leave thee,</HI> is applyed to want in outward things, and to encourage them to walk without covetou&s;ne&s;s. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;h. 1. 5. Heb. 13. 5.</NOTE> Therefore;</P>
<P>Secondly, Fearing of God, may be meant &s;uch as God hath begun to work on, hath convinced them of &s;in, and of wrath by rea&s;on of &s;in; there is a fear wrought in &s;uch an heart, as the poor Jaylour came &s;pringing in and trembling; and the three <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 16. 29. Acts 2.</NOTE> thou&s;and in <HI>Acts</HI> 2. To &s;uch as the&s;e the Promi&s;e may be apply|able, <HI>That Chri&s;t will ari&s;e on them with healing in his wings;</HI> though I know not that its to be taken in any equal latitude with this fear, for there may be &s;uch a conviction and fear, and yet haply never any healing for them.</P>
<P>3. Such as fear the Lord and his Goodne&s;s (as the Prophet hath i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">) <HI>Such as fear his Name,</HI> though he him&s;elf be in Heaven, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 3&punc; 5</NOTE> and they cannot &s;ee him face to face, as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> did; they &s;eek not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">t &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">gns of his pre&s;ence, though they &s;ee him but darkly and through a gla&s;s: though they &s;ee him not, being invi&s;ible, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">et by his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> they know him; and the greate&s;t part of his
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name is Mercy (as you have it in <HI>Exodus)</HI> and his name &s;peaks <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 24. 6.</NOTE> his nature, <HI>the Lord, the Lord God, gracious and merciful, long-&s;uffering,</HI> &amp;c. O! &s;uch as the&s;e, they &s;hall have the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s ari&s;e on them; if they have but little, yet they &s;hall have more: Some they have had, el&s;e they could not be fearing him in &s;uch a manner as this is, for this indeed is a part of the Covenant of grace made good to them already, that he will put his fear into their hearts; and this here is nothing el&s;e but the di&s;|playing of the &s;ame Covenant of grace to his people. Alas! many times the people of God that fear his name, are under cloudings, &s;ometimes in re&s;pect of temptation to &s;in, they are &s;ore pe&s;tered with them: Sometime the prevailing of &s;in over them, to the darkning and di&s;quieting of their &s;ouls: Sometime they are in darkne&s;s and &s;ee no light, and yet fear the name of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 50. 10.</NOTE> Lord. Now to &s;uch as the&s;e the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s will ari&s;e with healing in his wings.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, what is meant by the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s? That Chri&s;t the Covenant is meant, I told you before; but for a rea&s;on of this title, why a Sun? you have heard at large. But the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s, why &s;o called, is a further que&s;tion; and for an&s;wer to this, let me &s;peak a few words.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, One rea&s;on may be becau&s;e of his perfection; there &s;hould nothing be wanting in him, he &s;hould have all perfections which were ju&s;t and fit for &s;uch a Mediator to have; and &s;o &s;ome think there is a Hebrai&s;m in the words, <HI>the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s; the righteous Sun, the ab&s;olutely perfect Sun:</HI> and this is a truth, in this Sun there was no &s;pot, no wrinkle, no darkne&s;s, no defi|ciency of glory, of light, of heat, of influences, of pains in wheel|ing about his Church continually for their &s;upply and refre&s;hing; but this is not all.</P>
<P>Secondly, Becau&s;e in him the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God was emi|nently con&s;picuous, therefore he may be called the Sun of righte|ou&s;ne&s;s; Some imperfect foot&s;teps of righteou&s;ne&s;s there are in the creature, of holine&s;s and conformity to God, &s;ome lineaments of his Image, but very naked, they want their filling up, and garni&s;hing with colours, and will do while we are in the body: and there are &s;o many blots, and blurs, and &s;tains, that it &s;carce appears many times; witne&s;s the choice&s;t examples of the Saints, as <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> if you look on him at the water of <HI>Meri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ah,</HI> you
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would &s;carce have thought him &s;o meek a man; and &s;o <HI>David</HI> in <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 106. 32. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Sam. 19. 29.</NOTE> the matter of <HI>&V;riah,</HI> and his dealing with <HI>Mephibo&s;heth.</HI> The&s;e were &s;hadows ca&s;t on the beauty of Chri&s;t in them, that it was not &s;o con&s;picuous; the gla&s;s is dimmed, and defiled, and &s;o not &s;o tran&s;parent: but now the Lord Je&s;us is a pure gla&s;s of divine attributes and perfections, and therefore of this righteou&s;ne&s;s here &s;poken of. And &s;econdly, con&s;picuous in him was the vin|dictive righteou&s;ne&s;s of God; it is true his ju&s;tice is manife&s;ted in calling &s;inners to an account, as he did the Angels, the Sodomites, the old world, and us in our times, his dealings do &s;peak him to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 2. 6.</NOTE> be a ju&s;t God: but never any &s;o much as his dealing with Chri&s;t, though a Son, and equal with him in all e&s;&s;ential glory; yet if he will be &s;urety for poor &s;inners, he mu&s;t as it were for a time vail his glory with raggs of fle&s;h, becau&s;e the children partake of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">b. 2. 14.</NOTE> &s;ame; and though the Son of his incomprehen&s;ible love, yet if he will &s;o appear under the &s;ins of his people, he &s;hall find them like a poi&s;oned garment, inflamed with wrath, he mu&s;t drink up the cup to the bottom, though he were amazed at it, and com|pa&s;&s;ed about with fear, &s;urrounded with fear (as the Evange|li&s;t hath it) <GAP DESC="foreign">, though it co&s;t him a bloody &s;weat, put <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 14. 34.</NOTE> him into an agony. A &s;trong potion (Brethren) that ca&s;ts the Lord of Life and Glory into &s;uch a &s;weat as this, though it lay him under reproach and &s;hame, cloud Gods face from him, co&s;t him the very blood of his heart, and all the joy&punc; of his &s;oul for a time; though he put up &s;trong cries and tears, God will not be intreated to let the cup pa&s;s from him, not &s;pare him at all. O! here the Ju&s;tice of God is con&s;picuous in him. (Brethren) ne|ver <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 26. 39, 42.</NOTE> was there &s;uch a pattern of righteou&s;ne&s;s in God as this, that he would not &s;pare &s;in, though in his deare&s;t Son of his love. O then! &s;hall &s;ons by adoption think to make bold with &s;in, and not &s;mart for it in &s;ome mea&s;ure? Take heed you watchle&s;s, care|le&s;s walkers before God. O! what &s;hall become of poor &s;inners then, that are never the better for all this, who&s;e &s;ins &s;hall be charged on their own account? Did it amaze the Lord Je&s;us? With what hearts do you think (&s;inners) you &s;hall be able to look an angry God in the face, when his flaming indignation &s;hall &s;tream forth on your &s;ouls to all eternity? O! think on it &s;in|ners, and tremble: but this by the by.</P>
<P>Thirdly, He may be called the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s, as I con|ceive,
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as he is the fulfilling of all the promi&s;es that were made of him. The Lord made many promi&s;es, <HI>as the &s;eed of the woman</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3. 15.</NOTE> <HI>&s;hall break the &s;erpents-head;</HI> and that in <HI>Abraham, in his &s;eed all the Nations of the earth &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed; and that a Virgin &s;hould conceive and bear a &s;on, who&s;e name &s;hould be Immannuel, God with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 7. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>us;</HI> &s;ignifying the union of natures in his per&s;on.</P>
<P>Now if Chri&s;t had not come according to the promi&s;e, where had been the truth of God his righteou&s;ne&s;s? and therefore &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, it was to declare his righteou&s;ne&s;s for the re|mi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, that are pa&s;t, through the forbearance of God; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3. 25, 26.</NOTE> when all the Fathers had believed in him to come, and to be re|vealed, they dyed in faith, not having received the promi&s;es, that is, not having &s;een Chri&s;t come in the fle&s;h for the accompli&s;h|ment of their redemption, though afar off they beheld them and embraced them: <HI>Abraham</HI> &s;aw his day and was glad. Now what had become of the faith of all the&s;e, grounded on the faithfulne&s;s of God who had promi&s;ed; they without us, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, were not made perfect, though through forbearance <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11. <HI>ult.</HI></NOTE> (as it were) their &s;ins were pa&s;&s;ed over; yet they would have returned on them again, if Chri&s;t had not come according to the promi&s;e; and therefore herein now Chri&s;t may be &s;aid to be the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s; but this concerneth mo&s;t his fir&s;t appearing in the fle&s;h, though for the&s;e ends and purpo&s;es, for which he doth ari&s;e unto every poor believing &s;oul. Now therefore he is the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s in this re&s;pect al&s;o, as well by his ari|&s;ing on any &s;oul that &s;tands in need of him now, as by ari&s;ing on them then: for if God &s;hould fail in any of them which he hath given to Chri&s;t, where were his righteou&s;ne&s;s? This is the third.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Another con&s;ideration wherefore he may be called the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s, is this, becau&s;e he is the meritorious cau&s;e of our ju&s;tification in the &s;ight of God, therefore he is cal|led, <HI>the Lord our righteou&s;ne&s;s;</HI> he was &s;et forth (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) for a propitiation through faith in his blood, called <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 23. 6.</NOTE> the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God, as he accepteth of the &s;atisfaction of Chri&s;t, as God in Chri&s;t paid the price of it, even the blood of God (as he imputeth it to us, or for Chri&s;ts &s;ake doth not impute our &s;ins on us) <HI>Enter not into Judgement</HI> (&s;aith the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t)</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 143. 2.</NOTE> <HI>with thy &s;ervant, for in thy &s;ight &s;hall no fle&s;h be ju&s;tified; not by
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the works of the Law, but by the blood of Je&s;us:</HI> in this re&s;pect he is called a Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s.</P>
<P>Fifthly, in that he doth by his influences on the hearts of his people work on them a &s;imilitude, a likene&s;s to him&s;elf, to his Fa|ther, and &s;o beget an inherent righteou&s;ne&s;s, putting inward prin|ciples and &s;eeds into their hearts, from whence flow all manner of holy conver&s;ation; in this al&s;o he is the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s: the Apo&s;tle is clear in this, he is made of God to us wi&s;dom, righteou&s;ne&s;s, &s;anctification and redemption; which &s;anctifica|tion <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1. 30.</NOTE> is &s;ometimes called in Scripture righteou&s;ne&s;s. So, he hath cho&s;en us in him to the adoption of Sons, that we might be holy and unblamable, that by him we might be brought to &s;uch a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 1. 4, 5.</NOTE> &s;tate and condition, by beholding him, by lying in his beams with our faces towards him, with open face. Now all &s;hadows, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 3. 18. 2 Cor. 5. 2. Made &s;in that we might be m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">de the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God in him.</NOTE> and ceremonies, and vails, (&s;uch as in the Legal admini&s;tration of the Covenant of grace were on him) being taken away, we are changed into his Image from glory to glory. In all the&s;e re|&s;pects he may be called the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s: and thus much for the &s;econd thing.</P>
<P>The third then, What is meant by the ari&s;ing of this Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s on them? if we under&s;tand it with re&s;pect to the people of God, of tho&s;e times that feared his name; then it can|not be under&s;tood (Brethren) as if that Chri&s;t had never &s;hi|ned on them: for, how come they then to fear the Lord, if he had not yet owned them as his people in Covenant? but it mu&s;t be under&s;tood thus, that they &s;hould behold him in a more glo|rious manner ari&s;ing; they that &s;hould live to &s;ee the day. Many waited for the con&s;olation of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> as <HI>Zach.</HI> and <HI>Simeon,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 2. 25.</NOTE> and many others, who could not have done it if they had had no influence from Chri&s;t on their hearts; therefore we mu&s;t &s;ay, that even among the Jews, yea and before, many of them had a dawning of light, had &s;ome glimmerings of Chri&s;t, he did &s;hine through all the darkne&s;s and &s;hadows of the Ceremonies: Chri&s;t was held forth in them all, but only as the beauty of the picturre is in the &s;hadow. But now we have the very image of the things, (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle.) So that this ri&s;ing on them (Brethren) <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 1.</NOTE> may be as the ri&s;ing of the Sun to &s;ome height, rather then his fir&s;t appearing: for I find that in the Go&s;pel of <HI>Matthew,</HI> &s;o the word <GAP DESC="foreign"> is rendered. When the Sun is ri&s;en, it wither|eth: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13. 6.</NOTE>
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that is, when its up and at an height, then it wither|eth.</P>
<P>So now, (though before they had the dawning, I &s;ay, &s;ome &s;cattering beams fore-running the glory of the Sun) yet now <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 10. 10.</NOTE> they &s;hould have it in greate&s;t glory, for he came that his people might have light and might have it more abundantly.</P>
<P>But now to us (Brethren) on whom he hath &s;hone &s;o long, he may be &s;aid to ri&s;e, as he breaks through any clouds of dark|ne&s;s, on us, as the Martyr at the &s;take cryed out, <HI>Son of God &s;hine on me:</HI> he meant, that he &s;hould &s;hew him the light of his coun|tenance, break in on the heart with more light and warmth, whereby he might be armed again&s;t that tertible death he was to encounter with; and the Sun in the Firmament broke out in a glorious manner through the thick clouds, as an Emblem, if not an earne&s;t of the other; and a vi&s;ible evidence or te&s;timony to the &s;tanders by, that it &s;hould be &s;o. So that now I conceive, when on any poor &s;oul in his fir&s;t agonies, the throws that he hath to bring forth the child Je&s;us, his troubles of heart for &s;in, and thick darkne&s;s on him the Lord Je&s;us breaks forth on the &s;oul with a glorious di&s;covery of his love, yea with an hint of his love, its ari&s;ing on him; and &s;o as the increa&s;e of the glory of his people <HI>I&s;rael:</HI> the glory of his people <HI>I&s;rael</HI> is called his ari&s;ing on them; &s;o where the Lord doth in a more eminent <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 2. 32..</NOTE> manner appear to his people, either after de&s;ertion in re&s;pect of comfort and peace, or after de&s;ertion in re&s;pect of holine&s;s, there he may be &s;aid to ari&s;e on them. And thus much for the third.</P>
<P>The fourth thing is, what is meant by the wings of this Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s? this is &s;o much the more difficult, by how much the more Metaphors it is cloathed with, one on another: For fir&s;t, the natural Sun is &s;aid to have wings. And &s;econdly, then this Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s being compared to the natural Sun, is al&s;o &s;aid to have wings; that we may therefore a little unfold it, let us fir&s;t &s;ee what are the wings of the Sun, the natu|ral Sun, and for that we mu&s;t know it is Metaphorical: the raies, the beams of the Sun are &s;aid to be the wings of the Sun; we read of the wings of the morning, wherewith the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 139. 9.</NOTE> would flie away to the ends of the earth; what is that but the dawnings of the day? the eye-lids of the morning, as <HI>Job</HI> calls <NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 3. 9.</NOTE>
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it: the fir&s;t breakings of light, when the Sun peepeth above the Horizon, the raies and &s;treamings of light &s;cattered before the appearing o&s; the Sun: the Sun is as it were the eye of heaven, governing and viewing the earth; and the dawning of the day is as it were the eye-lids, opening before the eye do appear when it awakeneth. So <HI>Caryl</HI> and <HI>Mercer.</HI> they are called the wings of the Sun, (as is conceived) for &s;everal rea&s;ons.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, becau&s;e as wings and feathers compa&s;s, clothe and adorn the fowl who&s;e wings they are; &s;o the rayes do clothe, and com|pa&s;s, and adorn the Sun as it were; how naked would a bird be without his feathers? and how naked would the Sun be without his raies and beams?</P>
<P>Secondly, becau&s;e of the &s;wift motion of the Sun, not only in his diurnal cour&s;e, as in <HI>P&s;alm 19. He rejoyceth as a Gyant to run his race:</HI> but no &s;ooner is the Sun up, but he doth in a manner &s;pread his raies to all the Hemi&s;phere, as a bird quickly when &s;he ri&s;eth &s;preadeth her wings abroad; and therefore the <HI>Egypitans Hieroglyph.</HI> of the Sun, was a fowl &s;preading long wings every way.</P>
<P>Thirdly, becau&s;e the wings of a fowl, are tho&s;e under which &s;he gathereth her young, cheri&s;heth them, refre&s;heth, warmeth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 23. 27.</NOTE> them, that they may grow and increa&s;e: So here, the wings of the Sun are tho&s;e whereby the creatures in their kind are healed and cheri&s;hed; as you know how the body will be benummed, and langui&s;h with the cold of the night: when the Sun beams come to beat on it again, how doth it quicken and revive?</P>
<P>But now for the wings of the Lord Je&s;us, what are his wings as he is the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s? whatever an&s;wers to this Sun-beams are his wings; and what are the&s;e? In a word then, I take them to be the Word and Spirit e&s;pecially; not excluding other Ordinances of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, but the&s;e e&s;pecially; yea (truly) the Spirit in the Word, and in other Ordinances of Chri&s;t, I take to be the&s;e wings here &s;poken of. The Spirit in the Word, even whereby he cometh and preacheth to men, even to them that were a&s;ar off from Chri&s;t, is &s;aid to come and preach peace; by which al&s;o (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) that is, by the Spirit, he went and preached to the Spirits in pri&s;on, that now are in pri&s;on, but not <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ph. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. 17.</NOTE> when he &s;ent to preach to them; the Spirit of Chri&s;t in the Word which <HI>Noah</HI> preached to them (who was a Preacher of righte|ou&s;ne&s;s)
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the Lord Je&s;us went and preached to them: I &s;ay, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 3. 19.</NOTE> the&s;e are the wings of our Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s; and &s;o they are called haply for divers rea&s;ons.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that the&s;e proceeding from him, even as the raies of the Sun, which are his wings, proceed from the Sun, as the Sun &s;ends forth his beams and influences in a powerful manner; &s;o Chri&s;t &s;ends forth his light and his truth, the Spirit as a per&s;on in the Trinity proceedeth from him as from the Father, but as to his <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 43. 3.</NOTE> office, to be an enlightening Spirit, a quickning Spirit, a comfort|ing Spirit; &s;o he proceedeth from Chri&s;t; <HI>I will &s;end you the Com|forter</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 15. 26.</NOTE> <HI>from the Father;</HI> he poured out of his Spirit on his Apo|&s;tles and many others, who were to go forth in his name, and preach the Go&s;pel to the Nations; and the Word he &s;ends it <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 1. 16.</NOTE> forth, out of his mouth proceedeth a two-edged &s;word, which is his Word.</P>
<P>Secondly, as the beams &s;upply the ab&s;ence of the Sun, &s;o doth the Spirit of Chri&s;t &s;upply his ab&s;ence; therefore while he was yet pre&s;ent, the Spirit was not yet given, not poured out in that ful|ne&s;s; but when he was to go, he comforts his Di&s;ciples with this, that if he went, he would &s;end them the Comforter, another <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 14. 16.</NOTE> Comforter; him&s;elf was one, and he would &s;end them another, and that was his Spirit, and he &s;hould lead them into all truth, bring all things to their remembrance, and be their Comforter, and help their infirmities, and &s;o &s;upply the ab&s;ence of Chri&s;t. Yea better then if he him&s;elf were with them; as we u&s;e to &s;ay, the Sun is come into &s;uch an hou&s;e, when the beams thereof are come in, which do &s;upply the ab&s;ence of the Sun, and better it is for us to have the beams, then the Sun in our hou&s;es.</P>
<P>Thirdly, becau&s;e of the &s;wiftne&s;s of the opening of the glory of Chri&s;t to the la&s;t ages of the world. O! how &s;wift are the beams of the Sun in a moment darted from heaven to earth, and over-&s;pread the whole Horizon? So the Lord, his Word being quickned by the Spirit, doth run very &s;wiftly (as the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 147. 15.</NOTE> hath it) in how &s;hort a time (as the age of the Apo&s;tles) did it over&s;pread the Horizon, gotten as far as <HI>Rome,</HI> and how mightily did it prevail, though the Jews did contradict, and bla&s;|pheme, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 19. 20.</NOTE> and endeavour to take off the wheels of his Chariots, yet it went on never the &s;lower for that, it grew and multiplyed;
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Converts unto the face of the Church were as thick as the morn|ing dew on the face of the earth, which is generated by the <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 110. 3.</NOTE> Sun.</P>
<P>Fourthly, as the beams of the Sun carry light, and heat, and refre&s;hing along with them to the poor langui&s;hing earth, and other creatures, &s;o doth the Spirit and the Word, and the Spirit in the Word carries light with it; <HI>thy Word is a light to my feet;</HI> and indeed it is not Chri&s;t con&s;idered alone, but as he is held out in the Go&s;pel that is here re&s;embled to the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10. 18.</NOTE> as I told you before; their &s;ound is gone forth into all the earth; that is, of them that preached the Go&s;pel of peace and recon|ciliation through Chri&s;t. And for heat; O! how doth many a poor creature come under an Ordinance with an heartle&s;s mind, cold and dead, and his heart doth burn within him, while the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 24. 32.</NOTE> Lord by his Spirit hath communion with him in tho&s;e Ordinan|ces? and what refre&s;hings do ari&s;e to a poor weary &s;oul, when the Lord createth the fruit of the lips, peace, peace, certain un|doubted peace, he doubleth it for empha&s;is: that peace which <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 57. 19.</NOTE> pa&s;&s;eth under&s;tanding: and it &s;hall &s;urely be &s;o, and &s;uddenly too, not long, he delights not to hold poor &s;ouls in anxiety &amp; trouble, only what he &s;eeth needful for their humiliation, fetching them off them&s;elves and &s;in, and making Chri&s;t &s;weet to them indeed, that he may be precious to them. Other rea&s;ons might haply be given, why the Spirit, and Word, and Ordinances are compared to the Sun, which are the wings thereof, but this &s;hall &s;uf|fice.</P>
<P>The fifth thing, what is meant by healing, and indeed this is large, and as large as our &s;piritual maladies are: &s;ome &s;ay, there is nothing more whol&s;om then the Sun; where it cometh with its beams, how doth it purge the air wherein we breath, con|&s;uming the noy&s;om vapours that ari&s;e, and would infect it quick|ly, purging the earth from its dregs, or el&s;e we &s;hould quickly find the offen&s;ivene&s;s of it? So the Lord Je&s;us by the breaking forth of his Spirit in the Word of Truth, doth heal the air, con|&s;ume and &s;catter the venomous errors of men, wherewith we &s;hould quickly be all poy&s;oned, were it not for this, that be makes manife&s;t their folly to all men, and they proceed no further. He heals the waters, the waters of the Sanctuary: how often have they been polluted, yea poy&s;oned by &s;ome, and the Lord hath
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healed them again by his Spirit. Again, he heals the earth of its barrenne&s;s; in Winter the earth &s;eemeth to be langui&s;hing, and all things withered and dead, when the Sun returneth how doth it heal it? To its here (Beloved) it is the Word and Spirit that opens the earth, moi&s;tens the earth, &s;weetly refre&s;heth it, calls forth the fruits thereof: The fruits of the Spirit they are called, as the fruits of the earth are called, the precious fruits, put forth by the Sun and by the Moon (which &s;hines by a derived influ|ence <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 33. 14.</NOTE> from the Sun:) how precious are the fruits of the Spirit, (Brethren) love, meekne&s;s, joy in the Holy-Gho&s;t, humility, &s;elf-denyal, the&s;e are the precious fruits put forth by the Sun, the Lord Je&s;us, by his Word and Spirit beating upon our barren hearts; indeed he maketh the barren Wilderne&s;s to become a garden of God. Again, he healeth, he reviveth the &s;pirits which langui&s;h and are ready to go out, as the poor Birds that in the Winter are hard put to it, and &s;ome lye you hardly know where, as if they were dead or dying: when the Sun returneth, how doth it refre&s;h and revive their little &s;pirits that were left be|fore? The night brings a heavine&s;s and burthen along with it to the body, but the morning, when the Sun ari&s;eth, how doth it enliven and lighten? Oh! &s;o its in this ca&s;e, many a poor &s;oul can &s;ay by experience, that when darkne&s;s hath been long on them, they have no light, no comfort, no refre&s;hing, no breath|ing of the Spirit to their apprehen&s;ions in his Ordinances on their hearts. O&punc; how have hands hanged down, and their knees feeble, and knock one again&s;t another for feeblene&s;s, and that which was within them was ready to dye: But now, no &s;ooner hath the Lord Je&s;us, the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s looked on them, but they have had their ankle-bones &s;trengthened, the joy of the Lord is their &s;trength, as <HI>Neh.</HI> 8. but I intend not here much <NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 8. 10.</NOTE> to expatiate, only the&s;e two or three things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, the fir&s;t thing in this healing which is brought un|der the wings of the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s, is pardon for our &s;ins; <HI>who forgiveth all-thy iniquities, and healeth all-thy di&s;ea&s;es:</HI> the&s;e are exegetical one of another, or may &s;o be looked on. Sin <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 103. 3.</NOTE> (Brethren) cuts off a creature from God, and &s;o maketh a wound, which now is healed and made up when they are pardon|ed; <HI>Make the heart of this people fat, and let their ears be heavy; their eyes clo&s;ed, le&s;t at any time they &s;hould &s;ee with their eyes, or</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13. 15.</NOTE>
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<HI>hear with their ears, or under&s;tand with their hearts, le&s;t they &s;hould be converted, and I &s;hould heal them:</HI> which <HI>Mark</HI> reads <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 4. 12.</NOTE> thus, <HI>le&s;t they &s;hould be converted, and their &s;ins be forgiven them.</HI> So then forgivene&s;s and healing are all one; and its one thing &s;urely included, in that of the Prophet <HI>Ho&s;ea, I will heal their back-&s;lidings, I will love them freely;</HI> the ju&s;tification freely by <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 14. 4.</NOTE> his grace, (as the Apo&s;tle calls it.) Poor &s;inner, thou that ever knewe&s;t what &s;in was, what a wound it was to thy &s;oul; knewe&s;t that thy pardon is a healing to thee. So then this ari&s;ing with healing in his wings, is by his Spirit in his Word; he conveyeth the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the merit thereof, maketh it over to the poor &s;oul that believeth, to the doing away of all the guilt. So as a Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s, properly he healeth: and this is the fir&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly, He taketh away al&s;o the angui&s;h and trouble that did ari&s;e from &s;in to the &s;oul; as when a wound is healed, you know the angui&s;h and &s;mart is taken away, though while it is healing, (it may be) when &s;earched and tented, there will be &s;mart and &s;ore, yet afterward its taken away by degrees: I know &s;ome of you have felt, and haply &s;ome at pre&s;ent may feel the grief of your wounds. O! how they will throb, and beat, and burn, and &s;mart &s;ometimes: broken bones are nothing to a broken heart, nor the broken fle&s;h any thing to a broken bone: the Lord heals the broken in heart, he bindeth up their wounds; <HI>I have &s;een his waies, and will heal him, &s;aith the Lord;</HI> he &s;peaks to <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 147. 3.</NOTE> the condition of a poor di&s;con&s;olate &s;oul under the wrath of God: <HI>He was wrath and &s;mote him, yea he hid him and was wrath:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 17. 18, 19.</NOTE> O how this troubles a poor &s;oul! he cannot but have his heart full of darkne&s;s, and terrour, and trouble, that hath the face of God hidden from him; well, &s;aith the Lord, though he did walk frowardly before me, gave me not my ends in &s;miting him, yet I will heal him: and wherein doth this healing con&s;i&s;t? Alas&punc; in re&s;toring joy and comfort to him; the poor &s;oul now was over-whelmed with &s;orrow, his heart now was ready to &s;ink and fail within him, and le&s;t it &s;hould &s;o do, he will heal him; and how is this but by his Word and Spirit therein, which is the comforting Spitit, he will create the fruit of the lips, peace, peace to him. Here is a healing indeed, the healing of broken hearts, and bro|ken bones; its the work that the Father &s;ent the Lord Je&s;us for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 4. 18.</NOTE>
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into the world, in an e&s;pecial manner, that he annointed him for, poured out the Spirit upon him, annointed him with the oyl of <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 61. 1, 2.</NOTE> gladne&s;s above his fellows, that he might &s;peak in due &s;ea&s;on, that he might bind up the broken &s;pirits: Now the Lord Je&s;us, Bre|thren, our dear Saviour, he delighteth to do this will and work of his Father. O! he loveth to be doing with broken hearts: And O that we had &s;ome work for the Lord Je&s;us this day, he is among us now, to &s;ee if there be any heart in this condition, that he may heal us; its his delight to do it. Well, this is a &s;econd, he hath his cordials, as well as his purgatives, his lenitives as well as his corro&s;ives.</P>
<P>Thirdly, he cometh with healing under his wings, as to take away the angui&s;h, &s;o al&s;o to purge away the filth of it, to heal the running putrifying &s;ore, that it may not run, and defile, and pollute all that a man taketh in hand: <HI>How much more</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>&s;hall the blood of Chri&s;t purge our con&s;ciences from dead</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 9. 14.</NOTE> <HI>works, that we may &s;erve the living God.</HI> With corro&s;ives he eats down the proud fle&s;h and the dead fle&s;h; he dryeth up the bloody i&s;&s;ues: then the per&s;on was healed when &s;he touched Chri&s;t, but the hem of his garment. This is that which troubles many a heart more then the guilt of their &s;ins; and indeed the returning and recoyling of &s;in on them again and again, occa&s;ioneth the que&s;ti|oning of their peace and comfort that they have had. O, how one cryeth out of this &s;in, and another of that &s;in, and walks heavily and &s;adly! Well, the Lord Je&s;us he will ari&s;e with healing under his wings for all the&s;e di&s;tempers.</P>
<P>Fourthly and la&s;tly, another healing is the taking away his an|ger manife&s;ted in outward calamities or di&s;ea&s;es in a people or per&s;on, <HI>I will heal their back-&s;lidings and love them freely, for mine anger is turned away:</HI> either to turn away the affliction, or at lea&s;t the anger, which is the &s;ting; the inflamation of any afflicti|on what&s;oever, if it be but an itch, a &s;cab, if it be fired with the anger of God, it &s;hall be enough to con&s;ume and de&s;troy: the Lord challengeth it as a priviledge, <HI>See now, that I, even I am he, and there is no God with me, I kill and I make alive, I wound and I</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32. 39.</NOTE> <HI>heal, I wound their comforts, wound their peace, lay them a ga&s;ping, a dying; art thou not he that kelled'&s;t</HI> Rah. <HI>and wounded the Dragon?</HI> So <HI>Job,</HI> he maketh &s;ore, and bindeth up, he woundeth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 5. 18.</NOTE> and his hands make whole. <HI>Come &s;ay they, let us return to the
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Lord, for he hath torn and he will heal us, he hath &s;mitten and he will bind us up, after two daies will he revive us, and the third day</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 6. 1.</NOTE> <HI>we &s;hall live in his &s;ight;</HI> Healing upon the returning of poor &s;inners is a choice mercy indeed, and all from him, their returning in order to healing, and the healing unto returning. <HI>Behold I will bring it health and cure, I will cure them, and return to them abun|dance</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 33 56.</NOTE> <HI>of peace,</HI> after be had threatened to de&s;troy them in his an|ger by the <HI>Caldeans;</HI> So then it may be (Beloved) that the trouble of &s;pirit thou ha&s;t had for &s;in, God hath laid his hand on thy family, on thy per&s;on, and all little enough to bring down the pride of thy heart, and to take away the iniquity of thy cove|tou&s;ne&s;s, and wean thee from the creature. Well, he will return if thou return to him, he will return, he will heal thee; or at lea&s;t take away the anger that inflameth the Vi&s;itation (which is a kind of healing; Brethren) though we are kept under it. But thus much for the&s;e particulars touching healing.</P>
<P>You &s;ee then, what it is that is held forth in this Doctrine, <HI>That Je&s;us Chri&s;t will ari&s;e unto them that fear his name, with healing under his wings:</HI> that is to &s;ay, by his Word, and Spirit, and other Ordinances, conveigh to them pardon, and clean&s;ing, and peace, and comfort, and freedom from calamities, or the evil of them; and I hope it is &s;ufficiently proved by the &s;everal par|ticulars; there have been many Scriptures produced to prove it in each particular; therefore we will not any longer in&s;i&s;t on that part, but come to the Application, which will be di|vers.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, we may take notice (Brethren) hence, what a compre|hen&s;ive evil &s;in is, for if we &s;peak of healing (which is the <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 1.</NOTE> main thing in this Doctrine) it mu&s;t needs lead us, being a rela|tive to &s;ome di&s;temper or other, that is, to be healed, whether it be a di&s;ea&s;e, or whether it be a wound, or both, for di&s;ea&s;es many times are cau&s;ed by wounds; that its a di&s;ea&s;e, a wound might ea&s;ily be proved in the fir&s;t place, as by that of the Prophet, <HI>The whole head is &s;ick, and the whole heart faint, from the Crown of the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 1. 5, 6.</NOTE> <HI>head, to the &s;ole of the foot, nothing but wounds, and brui&s;es, and putrifying &s;ores.</HI> O! how loath&s;om are the&s;e &s;ores! do we not read of the plague of the heart, a hard heart, the &s;tone in the heart; in that place of <HI>Ezekiel,</HI> where he &s;peaks of his people <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 34. 4.</NOTE>
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under the notion of a flock to be fed and guided? the di&s;ea&s;ed have ye not &s;trengthened, neither have ye healed that which was &s;ick, neither have you bound up that which was brokon, di&s;ea&s;ed and &s;ick. I might here by an enumeration of particulars, &s;hew that every &s;in almo&s;t, according to Scripture analogy, is a di&s;ea&s;e; To begin with the head, Brethren, is not blindne&s;s a di&s;ea&s;e? and is not ignorance a blindne&s;s of the mind, whereby we are <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 18.</NOTE> alienated from the life of God? (Dear friends) con&s;ider it, how many among us, poor creatures, are groping at noon-day? the light that is in them is darkne&s;s, and O how great is that darkne&s;s! and is there not al&s;o a &s;elf-conceipt and pride, whereby we think <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12. 3.</NOTE> of our &s;elves above what we ought, and from hence it is that we grow more in the head than in other parts, a dangerous di&s;ea&s;e; there is much knowledge among many of us, but little heat, little warmth on the heart, little holy walking according unto it: Ob|&s;tructions between the head and the heart, is none of the lea&s;t di&s;ea&s;es among us. Is there not corruption of Judgement? and is it not a dangerous di&s;ea&s;e? if we had never thought &s;o before, our times would have taught us this, the lepro&s;ie in the head, a man of un&s;ound principles is leprous, and one of the wor&s;t kinds al&s;o. O, what a <HI>vertigo</HI> hath taken many! they run round, until they be giddy, and fall, and break them&s;elves. Be|loved, there are &s;trong carnal rea&s;onings in our heads, whereby almo&s;t, we will make any thing good that we would have for|ward; we &s;hall make it &s;eem rea&s;onable, that we may, <HI>cum ra|tions in&s;anire.</HI> Go from the head to the heart, and &s;ee, is there not a &s;tone there? and that is none of the lea&s;t di&s;ea&s;es: is there not a plague there? O what hardne&s;s of heart&punc; and what &s;tub|borne&s;s, and what frowardne&s;s of heart there is? we might in|&s;tance <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 8. 38,</NOTE> in many: (Brethren) are there not eyes full of adultry, like fleams grown over them, which do blind? are there not <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2. 14.</NOTE> pearls in the eyes, when the world is dear to us? what is our covetou&s;ne&s;s el&s;e? and what is envy but a blood-&s;hotten eye, which proceedeth from a heart full of vexing? and is not lu&s;t a feavour, yea an ulcer on the liver, or a dart thru&s;t through it? and what is rotten communication, which men make no more of, and vain and fooli&s;h di&s;cour&s;ing, but the rottenne&s;s of a grave, but the rottenne&s;s of lungs breathing forth continually? O, how &s;ome mens tongues are &s;et on fire of hell! can utter nothing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 3. 6.</NOTE>
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but bla&s;phemies and oaths at every word. But we might be endle&s;s if we &s;hould go to particulars. How many of us have a dead pal&s;ie, pa&s;t feeling, commit all uncleanne&s;s with greedine&s;s? (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle). Sinners, you little think what you are do|ing, while you are going on in a way of &s;in: as alas, are not many of you this day in this condition! you are either con|tracting or &s;trengthening the di&s;ea&s;es of your &s;ouls, making fre&s;h wounds in your con&s;ciences. Ah! how lamentable were his con|dition that were wounded head and heart, full of &s;ores putrify|ing, that the very &s;ight of him, and &s;avour of his wounds were enough to make all others ubhor him! yea, he is &s;o far from &s;eeking remedy, he wounds him&s;elf more and more, maketh them deeper and deeper, increa&s;eth his di&s;ea&s;es, he careth not how much he inflameth them; this is the condition of every poor &s;in|ner you &s;ee: O! what &s;ad creatures are we, that have &s;o many &s;ickne&s;&s;es on us, and each of them deadly; and how much more many then together? and if we feel nothing at all: he that is in the mo&s;t deadly pal&s;ie or lethargie feels nothing at all, would be let alone, cannot endure to be &s;tirred, becau&s;e that maketh him &s;en&s;ible of his condition; O! &s;uch a mans condition is very dangerous: and is not this the ca&s;e of our &s;ouls Brethren? O! what malignity is in &s;in? the poy&s;on, and filthy|ne&s;s, and hurt of all di&s;ea&s;es and wounds are little enough to &s;et it forth by: and how &s;en&s;ible are we of a wound, of a di&s;ea&s;e of the body? &amp; how in&s;en&s;ible of the di&s;ea&s;es of the &s;oul? Well, in or|der to a healing, the Lord give us a feeling. But this is but the fir&s;t.</P>
<P>But a little further to open the nature of &s;in on this occa&s;ion, which our Doctrine admini&s;ters to us; that which is to be heal|ed, you have heard is &s;in, and that which needeth healing is either a di&s;ea&s;e or wound (they are correlatives) that you have heard already; it is therefore compared to many &s;orts of di&s;ea&s;es, wounds, and putrifying &s;ores, and brui&s;es: But now I will &s;peak a little (Brethren) to the ill qualities and con&s;equences of &s;in, con&s;idered as &s;uch; which may tend to turn our hearts again&s;t it for the time to come.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, there is pain and angui&s;h in mo&s;t di&s;ea&s;es, and in every wound and brui&s;e, and e&s;pecially in cankerings, fe&s;tered &s;ores; this is a proper pa&s;&s;ion of a di&s;ea&s;e, to have pain; and tru|ly, Brethren, &s;o hath every &s;in a pain with it fir&s;t or la&s;t; it is
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true, the cup of plea&s;ures goeth down merily with Sinners, but when its down, it is a cup of trembling to them: do but look on <HI>Gain,</HI> when he had &s;inned in pouring out his Brothers blood, he quenched his bloody thir&s;t, but kindled a fire in his bowels, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 4. 13. 14.</NOTE> which did con&s;ume him; Oh every one that meeteth me, will kill me; fear hath torment, (as <HI>John</HI> &s;aith) and &s;ee how full of fears a poor &s;inner is! <HI>The wicked flee, when none pur&s;ueth;</HI> the very &s;tones and bea&s;ts being at enmity with them, they fear they &s;hall be murthered by each of them. And how did <HI>Foelix tremble, when Paul di&s;puted of righteou&s;ne&s;s, temperance, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 24. 25.</NOTE> <HI>judgement to come;</HI> as long as they can keep out the &s;ight of God, as they think, they are well: But bring a Sinner, and &s;et him, as it were, in the face of God, let him but look on him as a righte|ous Judge of all the world, and mo&s;t mighty to execute his plea&s;ure on Sinners, and then tell me, whether the &s;toute&s;t hearted-&s;inner do not quail, as u&s;ually at the hour of death? for truly for the mo&s;t part, men &s;eldom &s;eriou&s;ly eye their con|dition before then. How did the Jaylour &s;pring in trembling, (in the <HI>Acts)</HI> Ah the Sinners in Sion are afraid, <HI>Fearfulne&s;s hath &s;urprized the Hypocrites; who among us &s;hall dwell with the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 33. 14.</NOTE> <HI>devouring fire? who &s;hall dwell with everla&s;ting burnings?</HI> Alas, the &s;tubble will not endure before the fire! no more can &s;inners endure to look on God, as a con&s;uming fire, it maketh the very heart ach, except altogether hardened from his fear to behold him; becau&s;e they know them&s;elves guilty, and lyable to tho&s;e burnings. <HI>There is</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>a certain fearful look|ing</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 27.</NOTE> <HI>for of judgement and fiery indignation which &s;hall devour the adver&s;aries.</HI> Can a poor condemned Pri&s;oner look on the Iudge, think on the Tree on which he mu&s;t be hanged, on the fire but with fear and trembling? <HI>Can Bel&s;hazzar read his &s;entence on</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 5. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> <HI>the wall, the hand-writing, but with terrour, his knees knocking one again&s;t another?</HI> Ah Brethren, methinks Sinners that are yet in their &s;ins, &s;hould not read a leaf in the Bible, (each leaf concerneth him, is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> doom) but he &s;hould even &s;mite his thighs together, there is &s;o much terrour and fear ac|companying &s;in: <HI>Memoria te&s;tis, ratio index, timor carnifex,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Bern.</HI> As the Saints have &s;ome antipa&s;ts of Heaven, a bunch of Grapes before they come to <HI>Cannan,</HI> an earne&s;t of that joy un&s;peakable and full of Glory &s;o doubtle&s;s Sinners they have
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&s;ome hours of darkne&s;s coming on them, &s;ome wrings and gripes of a guilty con&s;cience, that &s;ometimes made &s;ome of them run to an halter, to a &s;word for ea&s;e; none knoweth the hell of a guilty con&s;cience, but &s;uch as have felt it. Oh the wrackings, the di&s;tortions of the Soul! The pulling of the very heart in pieces, and the rending of the very Bowels in pieces, with the&s;e impri&s;oned pa&s;&s;ions in the Soul!</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, Even in &s;inners that repent (Brethren) though the wound be then healing, there is pain al&s;o you know: Now the Lord Je&s;us cometh in mercy to rouze the &s;oul, to &s;hame it out of its evil cour&s;es: and is &s;hame nothing? a man cannot hold up his head, he is confounded: ye are now a&s;hamed, (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) of the things which ye have done before: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 21.</NOTE> can you look back on your former vain and filthy conver&s;ation, and your hearts not be a&s;hamed, your con&s;ciences not be a&s;hamed? there is inward &s;hame and confu&s;ion, though it appear not outwardly. So in that place of <HI>Ezekiel, Thou &s;halt remem|ber thy ways, and be a&s;hamed, that thou may&s;t remember, and be</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ez<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">k. 16. 61, 63.</NOTE> <HI>confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, becau&s;e of thy &s;hame, when I am pacified toward thee.</HI> There will be a godly &s;orrow which works repentance, and never was there any re|pentance without &s;orrow; there's a pricking of the heart, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 7. 10.</NOTE> pricking in the reins, <HI>Acts</HI> 2. 37. There is no re&s;t in the fle&s;h by rea&s;on of the &s;in and broken bones, <HI>That the bones which thou</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51.</NOTE> <HI>ha&s;t broken, may rejoyce.</HI> Is it not &s;in that turns away the face of God? and what then can ari&s;e to the &s;oul but trouble? <HI>Thou did&s;t hide thy face, and I was troubled.</HI> This is the fir&s;t thing, there is pain in &s;in and trouble, it troubles our hearts, and troubles our hou&s;es, as it did <HI>Cains;</HI> troubles the City and Coun|try, troubleth <HI>I&s;rael.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, In &s;in (Brethren) or accompanying it, there is weakne&s;s and indi&s;po&s;edne&s;s, when its but growing on us, it &s;eizeth on the &s;pirits, the vigour fir&s;t. So how lazie and li&s;t|le&s;s are we for divers days bef<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e it do appear? and much more afterward. <HI>Morbus</HI> is <GAP DESC="foreign"> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Galen.</HI> Ari&s;t. Ethic. lib. 1. c. <HI>ult.</HI> cited by Regn. on Ho&s;. pag. 77.</NOTE> <GAP DESC="foreign">. How wonderfully doth &s;in unbefit us for duty? we even move to it as an arm or foot out of joynt; when a man endeavours to bow it one way, it falls quite another way&punc; <GAP DESC="foreign">
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<GAP DESC="foreign">. Lu&s;t; where they are in prevalency, they are like to wens in a mans body, which &s;uck up the &s;trength &amp; nouri&s;hment; that which &s;hould &s;upply the re&s;t of the members, it turns to its own &s;welling. So doth pride turn that which &s;hould humble us, that which would inflame our hearts, and melt us, to it &s;elf, and &s;o weakens us, keepeth our love at an under, that we cannot &s;o livelily &amp; vigorou&s;ly &s;erve the Lord. <HI>We complain of our weak hands and feeble knees, our indi&s;po&s;edne&s;s to the &s;ervice of God:</HI> believe it, this is the rea&s;on of it, <HI>&s;in unmortified,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 12.</NOTE> <HI>this makes men reprobate to every good work:</HI> men of no judgement, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 1. 16.</NOTE> no dexterity at all to it; <HI>When we were without &s;trength, Chri&s;t died for the ungodly, and while we were yet Sinners, Chri&s;t dyed</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 5. 6. &amp; 8.</NOTE> <HI>for us;</HI> they are convertible terms, a &s;ick man, a lame man, a wounded man, we cannot expect they &s;hould walk, or work, or run in a race, it utterly unbefits us for any thing that is good; this is a &s;ad evil that is in &s;in, as a di&s;ea&s;e or wound.</P>
<P>Thirdly, There is filthine&s;s and deformity in &s;in al&s;o: O what a &s;ight it were to &s;ee a poor creature full of running &s;ores from <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 1.</NOTE> head to foot, all running and rotting; what filthine&s;s is here, and and deformity? So when a poor &s;oul hath a lu&s;t, a &s;ore running, and never cea&s;ing, how &s;ad a condition is this? Brethren, how &s;trangely will a fit of &s;ickne&s;s change a per&s;on, that the rare&s;t piece of beauty in the world, quickly becometh a ga&s;tly &s;ight, every part contracting its deformity from the &s;ickne&s;s, all withered and &s;hrivelled, joynts loo&s;ed, the eye dead and dull, the face thin, the knees feeble, the hand trembling, and what not; Brethren, if the Lord open our eyes to behold in the gla&s;s of the word, the deformities of &s;in and filthine&s;s, as we may &s;ee the loth&s;omne&s;s and ugline&s;s of a di&s;ea&s;e, we &s;hould for ever be haters of it; but I will &s;ay no more to this head, That &s;in is a di&s;ea&s;e, a wound.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e 2. May be then to put us on to be more &s;erious in viewing our &s;elves in the gla&s;s of the Word, the Law of God, that we may &s;ee</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e.</NOTE> <HI>what creatures we are, and loth our &s;elves;</HI> our wounds are &s;o many that we are all one wound, and all one di&s;ea&s;e, there is no &s;ound part in us; how pale and lean do our &s;ouls &s;ometimes look with envy at others? how are we &s;welled with pride? how great and unweildy are our bellies with this? O how do &s;ome of
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our bellies cleave to the very du&s;t! we are bowed down, as the woman in the Go&s;pel. O how lamely do we walk in the ways <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 13. 11.</NOTE> of God, halting between two, have a double object, and one foot in the wayes of God, and another in the way of &s;in; alas, how many wounds have many of us, that we never &s;earched to this day? if we did but know them, it would pluck down our fea|thers, the proude&s;t of us; and for &s;ome of us, we have great need of this admonition, becau&s;e alas, until we &s;ee our &s;elves wounded, &s;ee our deformities, we &s;hall never care for healing, for having his comeline&s;s put upon us; no, nor can the people of God put a rate upon the mercy, nor the rich, exceeding rich Grace of God in Chri&s;t, whereby they are healed, except they have before their eyes, the many wounds and running &s;ores they are healed of; <HI>When Paul &s;aw that he was the chief of the Sinners, then he advanceth the free Grace of God, that it had abounded, yea</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 1. 15.</NOTE> <HI>&s;uperabounded;</HI> which a &s;oul cannot admire the Lord for, except he &s;ee, and behold how &s;in hath abounded. O then let us be all per&s;waded to this duty, to eye our &s;elves more often, more &s;eriou&s;ly, <HI>in the gla&s;s of the Law of liberty,</HI> the Law of Chri&s;t, and therein &s;ee how often, how grievou&s;ly we offend him; &s;ee what deformities are upon us, that it may be admired how the Lord can love &s;uch as we are, and Sinners that are yet, in &s;in, that they may be willing to accept of pardon and deli|verance in and through Chri&s;t; for truly we are not any of us willing, until we be reduced to extremity; then the Marriner or Merchant will ca&s;t out his goods, when there is nece&s;&s;ity for it, but not before. Therefore let all of us be per&s;waded to this duty in the &s;econd place.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Let us be in&s;tructed in this truth, that healing is not in us. <HI>I am the Lord that healeth thee,</HI> &s;aith God to <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and therefore <HI>the Lord promi&s;eth the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall ari&s;e with healing in his wings,</HI> which were needle&s;s, if healing were in our &s;elves; &s;ome creatures, if wounded, healing is in them&s;elves, as &s;ome fi&s;h are &s;aid, if wounded, to heal them&s;elves with their own &s;lime; a Dog licks him&s;elf with his tongue. Brethren, &s;ins are not &s;uch wounds as will heal them&s;elves of their own accord; neither as if a man have a &s;light cut it may be, he heedeth it not, it heals of it &s;elf; believe it, the lea&s;t &s;in, the lea&s;t wound thou make&s;t in thy con&s;cience, in thy &s;oul, it will
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not heal it &s;elf, nor will a lu&s;t heal it &s;elf, and wear away of its own accord, as &s;ome di&s;ea&s;es will, though no phy&s;ick be ad|mini&s;tred. It is a deadly di&s;ea&s;e, it &s;eizeth upon the vitals, and then you know it is a matter of great difficulty and skill to cure it; no nor can a man cure him&s;elf: if he could, to what end did the Lord Je&s;us undergo all? why <HI>he was &s;mitten for our tran&s;|gre&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ns,</HI> if we could have been healed by any &s;trength of our own? no, we were without &s;trength, when Chri&s;t dyed for us, as the Apo&s;tle bath it, and as to other things, &s;o to this great work; did the Lord do any thing in vain? much le&s;s then would he do the greate&s;t thing that ever be wrought in vain; alas, who <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 61. 1.</NOTE> can pardon &s;ins but he? who can bind up the broken in &s;pirit, but he who was &s;ent into the world for this very end? who can pour wine and oyl into the wounds, but the good <HI>Samaritan?</HI> who can give re&s;t for the angui&s;h of the wounds but he? we cannot heal our &s;elves; if the very marrow of our bones were di&s;tilled into continual tears, and all our moy&s;ture, it would not make a balm to cure a wound of &s;in, nor a cordial to &s;upport in one &s;wooning fit; there are many con&s;iderations wherefore we cannot do it; and therefore the Lord in pity and bowels to|ward us, &s;ent us his Son to be our Phy&s;itian, becau&s;e we poor &s;ick creatures need the Phy&s;itian, which we &s;hould not, if we <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 15. 18.</NOTE> could heal our &s;elves; our wound is incurable, and refu&s;eth to be healed by us.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, alas, We know not our di&s;ea&s;es, our di&s;tempers; you know a di&s;ea&s;e is half cured, if curable, when it is known in the cau&s;e; if a Phy&s;itian mi&s;take the di&s;ea&s;e, and mi&s;-applications accord|ing to his mi&s;take, quite contrary to the di&s;ea&s;e, this is the ruin of the Patient; &s;uch Phy&s;itians are of no value, and &s;uch &s;hould we all be, and are; <HI>For we cannot know our &s;ins, nor the plague of the heart; who knows his errors?</HI> if we di&s;cover one lu&s;t, that it breaks out in &s;uch a manner, that it cannot be hid, yet there is ten for <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Kings 8. P&s;al. 19.</NOTE> one that we never &s;aw; and how can we then heal them? now the Lord Je&s;us &s;eeth our hearts through and through, and knoweth all the malig<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">y and poy&s;onous humours that lye there, and therefore knoweth how to purge them out; we know them not.</P>
<P>Secondly, We have no de&s;ire to have them healed at all; we <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">w not what healing means, being not &s;en&s;ible naturally of
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our di&s;tempers, and &s;ores that are upon us: no man de&s;ires that he knoweth not. We think we are in health and &s;trength of &s;oul, in as good a condition as any, need nothing, and yet are <HI>poor, and mi&s;erable, and blind, and naked,</HI> ju&s;t like a poor man, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 17.</NOTE> the &s;trength of his di&s;ea&s;e works him off his &s;en&s;es, (as we &s;ay) he thinkeeh he is well as ever in his life, when alas he is drawi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">g nigh the chambers of death, his di&s;ea&s;e is &s;o much the more dange|rous. Brethren, &s;in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">s our heads with &s;uch fumes of pride and &s;elf-confidence, and carnal rea&s;onings, that we are ready to conclude all is well with us, and I doubt many of us whom this concerneth, will put it away from us upon this very account; <HI>We are whole, need not the Phy&s;itian,</HI> &s;o we have no de&s;ire to be healed; the tender of a plai&s;ter by another to a man that think|eth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 9. 2.</NOTE> he hath no wounds, it is ridiculous, they are more ready to mock at it, then receive it; &s;o far are Sinners from providing an healing for them&s;elves, becau&s;e they are not &s;en&s;ible of their need of it, they de&s;ire it not. <HI>Depart from us, we de&s;ire not the knowledge of thy ways,</HI> we are well enough without it; yea more, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 21. 14.</NOTE> we have no de&s;ire to be healed, becau&s;e we are in love with our di&s;ea&s;es; not as a man that hath an i&s;&s;ue, he knoweth doth him good, would not have it &s;topt; but we have many bloody i&s;&s;ues of &s;in, and becau&s;e of the plea&s;ure, and delight, or pro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t, or humour, or &s;ome things, we plea&s;e our &s;elves with them, for we are loath to part with them. <HI>Augu&s;tine</HI> him&s;elf was loath to be healed &s;o &s;oon of his lu&s;t, not yet Lord, not yet, &s;aid his heart, when he prayed for healing; the di&s;ea&s;e hath &s;eized upon the will it &s;elf, &s;o that it is plea&s;ed and taken with the &s;ickne&s;s, the ill &s;a|vour of our wounds, the &s;tench of them is &s;weet to us, while we have a &s;tinking no&s;tril, and therefore no marvel if we can ne|ver heal our &s;elves; there is need of this Lord Je&s;us <HI>to come with healing under his wings.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, We do reject healing and the Phy&s;itian; <HI>When he</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 23. 27.</NOTE> <HI>would have healed us, we would not be healed;</HI> therefore much le&s;s can we do it our &s;elves. <HI>I would have purged thee, and thou</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 24. 13. Prov. 1. 21.</NOTE> <HI>wa&s;t not purged, &amp;c.</HI> Brethren, how often hath the Lord Je&s;us called upon us all, and have we not many of us as often refu&s;ed? <HI>Hath he not &s;tretched out his hands all the day long?</HI> all the day of Grace, which hath continued long with us, and we have been a rebellious, a di&s;obedient people, <HI>we would none of his coun&s;el;</HI>
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either it is too mean, as <HI>Naaman</HI> &s;aid when he was bid to go and wa&s;h in Jordan &s;even times and he &s;hould be clean&s;ed, <HI>What, are</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 5<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> <HI>not Abana and Phar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ar, Rivers of Dama&s;cus, better then all the waters of I&s;rael?</HI> &s;o proud du&s;t and a&s;hes, the Lord opens a foun|tain for &s;in and uncleanne&s;s, proclaimeth to every poor &s;inner, who ever will let him come, let his di&s;ea&s;e be what it will, bathe in this Fountain, he &s;hall be healed: what &s;aith the proud &s;inner, are there not waters of our own, will not our own repentance do it? we are very backward, through the pride of heart, to re|ceive even gratis, as that proud Papi&s;t &s;aid, <HI>He would not have heaven gratis;</HI> this Pope is in all our bellies; therefore the Apo&s;tle calls it a &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion <HI>they would not &s;ubmit to the righteou&s;ne&s;s of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> <HI>God in Je&s;us Christ;</HI> So we look upon the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t as an unholy, a contemptible thing, will not tru&s;t wholly to this grace; or el&s;e if not too mean, yet the way that God go|eth to work with a &s;inner to heal him, it is too &s;evere, a bitter potion they mu&s;t take down: what, mu&s;t we &s;o much bewail our &s;elves, mu&s;t we &s;earch and try our ways, rake in our wounds? this we cannot indure, this will co&s;t us much &s;mart and angui&s;h, as it did <HI>David,</HI> and <HI>Peter,</HI> and <HI>Ephraim;</HI> poor fooli&s;h crea|tures! we had rather dye of our wounds, then to have them &s;earched, far from that temper of <HI>David</HI> we are <HI>Search me, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 139. 23.</NOTE> <HI>try me;</HI> though &s;ome of us, I hope, have been &s;o exerci&s;ed in the work of &s;earching and mortification, that we can many times &s;ay with the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t, Lord &s;earch us,</HI> but alas, many of us it is otherwi&s;e with, we come not to the light le&s;t our deeds <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 3. 20.</NOTE> &s;hould be di&s;covered, it would &s;hame us; you know <HI>Ahab</HI> could not indure to hear of his &s;ins, he hated <HI>M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">caiah,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King 22.</NOTE> and that cur&s;ed principle is in all our hearts; we would be hu|mored and daubed, and have the hurt of our &s;ouls healed &s;lightly, becau&s;e we cannot dige&s;t the &s;everity and &s;harpne&s;s of the medicines; we are afraid of the wrings and gripes, the Prayers, the Fa&s;tings it will co&s;t us, and therefore we are ene|mies to it.</P>
<P>4. If we were never &s;uch friends to it, if we would never &s;o fain be healed, it is not in our power, it is above the &s;phere of our activity; if the &s;tripes had been laid upon us, which were laid upon Chri&s;t when he was whipped with Scorpions; alas, every
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blow would have cut us in &s;under, and given us our portion in that lake that burns with fire and brim&s;tone for ever. You &s;ee brethren, that they fetched blood at every blow of our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour, who was equal with his Father, having an infinite Power and Spirit to uphold him; and yet, O how he ran down with blood, dropping upon the ground! when the world was to be drowned and overwhelmed, all the veins of the earth were, as I may &s;ay, opened; &s;o now the Lord Je&s;us, when his Spirit was overwhelmed and amazed, as I may &s;ay and the Lord in a manner <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 14. 33, 34.</NOTE> would now &s;wallow him up, <HI>My God, why ha&s;t thou for&s;aken me?</HI> all the voins, the channels of his body were opened: O how the blows did even almo&s;t fetch away the &s;oul of our Saviour! witne&s;s that Out-cry: what had become of poor man i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> this had been laid upon him? Be&s;ide, who can pardon our &s;ins? is there any but God that can pardon &s;ins? and is not this a great <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 85.</NOTE> part of healing? who can &s;peak peace but he? He will &s;peak peace to his people, he can do it with one word of his mouth; he cre|ateth the fruit of the lips, peace, peace; a&s;&s;uredly he createth it peace: who can &s;ubdue a lu&s;t? all the maceration of the body, that the frame of Nature will bear, will not do it; as it is &s;aid of <HI>Hierom,</HI> though his hair did even &s;tand upright with fa&s;ting and lying upon the ground, yet all would not do to &s;ubdue concupilcence; he &s;hould have taken Gods way, and then his help would have come in; no, no, I will &s;ubdue their iniqui|ties, they are too &s;tiff-hearted for any but the Lord Je&s;us; none <NOTE PLACE="marg">M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">c. 7. 18.</NOTE> could break the heart of &s;in but he, by being broken him&s;elf for our iniquities; nor can any do it to death, though wounded, and bleeding, and the heart be broken, but he him&s;elf; it is above the creatures power: therefore we &s;ee what poor helple&s;s crea|ture we are there is need of the Sun of rightcou&s;ne&s;s to ari&s;e with healing; all our influences upon our own hearts will not heal the lea&s;t di&s;temper.</P>
<P>The third U&s;e &s;hall be then, to &s;hew us the great nece&s;&s;ity that we all of us have of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; <HI>The whole need not the Phy&s;itian, but they that are &s;ick,</HI> but the &s;ick need it: now <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 5. 3.</NOTE> alas, what is the world but a great Ho&s;pital full of di&s;ea&s;ed creatures? here lies one &s;ick of the Stone, another of the Pal&s;ie, a third of a Drop&s;ie, &s;ome Lunatick, out of their &s;en&s;es, &s;ome
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of the Gangrene of Error, which is dangerous for in a few hours it creepeth to the heart: men &s;leight the Phy&s;itian while they are in health, but once &s;ick and wounded, then how welcome is he! what need had the poor Traveller, that fell among theeves, that left him wounded and half dead, of the <HI>Samaritan,</HI> that came and poured in wine and oyl; alas, what had become of him if <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 10. 30.</NOTE> God had not &s;o ordered it for him? when a poor I&s;raelite was wounded with the fiery Serpent, though he might not &s;o much heed the Brazen Serpent before, yet now he &s;eeth his nece&s;&s;ity <NOTE PLACE="marg">Num. 12.</NOTE> o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> looking to him, that he might be healed, his nece&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">y would promp him to it&punc; if the poor blind man do but hear of Chri&s;t pa&s;&s;ing, O how &s;en&s;ible he is of his nece&s;&s;ity and cryeth out to him <HI>Je&s;us thou &s;on of David have mercy upon me;</HI> but here is the mi&s;ery of it, the di&s;ea&s;es and &s;ickne&s;&s;es of the &s;oul are &s;tu|pifying <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 18 37. Ephe. 4. 19.</NOTE> they &s;eize upon the vitals and &s;pirits in &s;uch a violent manner, that if not at fir&s;t yet after a little while they are pa&s;t feeling. and therefore our great work is to bring poor creatures to a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ence of their condition, until then they will not accept of the glad tidings of life and &s;alvation by Je&s;us Chri&s;t; how ever this argues our nece&s;&s;ity of Chri&s;t to be &s;o much the greater; thou feele&s;t not that thy hearti &s;tony and hard, and therefore thinke&s;t that when the &s;ad condition of &s;uch a &s;inner is di&s;play|ed, it belongs not to thee at all&punc; alas, thou art &s;o much the harder; tell &s;uch &s;tony creatures they have need of the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t to di&s;&s;olve this Adamant, he being the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">oat &s;lain for us as well as the Lamb; for the Pa&s;&s;over might be either a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 12. 5.</NOTE> Goat or a Lamb, and the Lord Je&s;us is our Pa&s;&s;over; thou thinke&s;t this concerneth thee not: alas, poor &s;inner, thou ha&s;t &s;o much the more need of the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. How doth a tender-hearted Phy&s;itian pitty his patient that he &s;eeth de&s;pe|rately &s;ick, and yet &s;o &s;tupified as that he will not be per&s;waded of his condition; and O that we could look upon you, and &s;peak to you &s;inners with &s;uch hearts! when we tell you of the plague of the heart, a mo&s;t deadly di&s;ea&s;e; you know when the infection getteth to the heart, in that di&s;ea&s;e, there is &s;carce any remedy for it: &s;o it is with &s;inners: and yet alas, how hard is it to per&s;wade them of this! they are in as good condition as any, they have no more plague &s;ore upon them then another: dear friends remember it, the plague is in all our families, the&s;e di&s;ea&s;es
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are in all our families, and in many of our own &s;ouls; and whether we &s;ee, it or &s;ee it not, there it is, and our nece&s;&s;ity of Chri&s;t is &s;o much the greater, by how much the le&s;s &s;en&s;ible we are of it; he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 9 41.</NOTE> that &s;aith he &s;eeth, when he is blind, had the mo&s;t need of a care of all others; he had fir&s;t need of a cure of his e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">or, his mi&s;|judging of his condition, and then a cure of his di&s;ea&s;e, what &s;ad moan would Parents make if they had all their children lying of the &s;ickne&s;s, what out-cries would there be as in <HI>Egypt</HI> when one in a hou&s;e was dead? and yet alas poor &s;inners &s;ee not that their children are born leprous, all over leprous, filthy, and yet they &s;ee it not: O brethren, what need there is of Chri&s;t to come to all our hou&s;es, for Salvation to come to all our families, to heal and cure our &s;ouls, our children our &s;ervants that are all de&s;perately &s;ic of &s;ome di&s;ea&s;e or another!</P>
<P>Fourthly, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hen &s;uch as to this day have never been healed, the Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;s hath never ari&s;en with healing in his wings, there is no healing to be had from under the wings of Chri&s;t: know men will be apt, either to play the Empericks upon them&s;elves, or el&s;e to go to &s;ome Mountebank or another; but alas, they are Phy&s;itians of no value, healing is not in them, the poor creature may &s;pend all upon &s;uch Phy&s;icians, and yet be never the near when he hath done&punc; the poor woman in the Go&s;pel, &s;ince her bloody i&s;&s;ue continued &s;o long it argued &s;he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 8. 43.</NOTE> never came to Chri&s;t all this while, if &s;he had, &s;he had been healed long ago: thy &s;ores run as violently as ever, and that continually polluting all thy ways truly <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">his is an argument that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hri&s;t hath not ari&s;en upon thee for when he ari&s;eth upon a &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ul, he doth it with healing in his wings; brethren. it may be you have lain at the waters a great while, but you have never been put into them; you ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> have lived where Chri&s;t hath been preached, but it is the Spirit that is the main thing that carrieth the healing vertue from the Lord Je&s;us, and until he come and breathe in the Ordinances, they are nothing, brethren what &s;hall I &s;ay to you, is it not the condition of the mo&s;t of us? are not our lu&s;ts as &s;trong and lively as ever they were? are we not as blind wretches groping at noon day, &s;ome of us, as ever we were? are not our hearts as hard as ever? yea, hard|er, for the &s;tone increa&s;eth and groweth day by day; are we not as licentious, as loo&s;e, as proud as ever? why &s;hould this
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be, ifyou had any thing to do with Chri&s;t? it is a &s;ign that &s;uch a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 9. 21.</NOTE> &s;inner hath never touched Chri&s;t to this day; for no &s;ooner did the woman touch him, but vertue came from him; the lea&s;t touch of faith doth it: O what a faithle&s;s generation are we then! O how many of us are in this condition! what a &s;ad thing is it that we &s;hould thus throng upon Chri&s;t, and &s;o few touch him? but one poor woman in a whole throng come and &s;teal a touch of Chri&s;t, <HI>O if &s;he might but touch him, &s;he &s;hould be healed;</HI> and &s;o haply now in a Congregation, there cometh in one poor trembling &s;inner, with his affections &s;tirred, his de&s;ires are up, O if I may but touch him, I &s;hall be well; when for the mo&s;t part that is not our error. Now dear friends, what have you been doing all this while, have you eat and drank in the pre&s;ence of Chri&s;t? have you heard his Word and Go&s;pel wherein he is lifted up, as the healing Serpent, &s;o many years, and yet not healed? have you &s;o often received the Lord his Supper, the outward part of it, and yet are not healed? what, have you been praying, and reading, and coming to hear, until you have one foot in the grave, and yet not healed? what have you been doing all this while, that you have never got a &s;ight of Chri&s;t, a touch of him to this day, that you might be healed? Ah, &s;ure you have &s;pent your time, your money upon the Phy&s;itians that cannot heal you, you have gone to the Di&s;ciples in &s;tead of Chri&s;t, you have expected healing from the Ordinances them&s;elves, and expected it haply from us in whom healing is not; as they lookt upon the Apo&s;tles, <HI>Why look ye upon us, as if we had done</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat 7. 16. Act. 3. 12.</NOTE> <HI>this by our own power?</HI> O no, it is Je&s;us Chri&s;t alone can heal, and therefore if you are not yet healed, he did never ari&s;e upon you to this day: It may be &s;inners will be ready to &s;ay, what if Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath never ri&s;en upon us, is that &s;uch a great mat|ter? Indeed I doubt we make a light matter of it; but I will tell you what a great matter it is, you are yet in your &s;ins, and it is a very great hazard but you may die in your &s;ins; if he never ri&s;e upon thee, thou &s;halt undoubtedly die in them; and is this nothing? O but you will &s;ay, God is merciful, it is his nature to be merciful, he triumpheth in exalting that perfection, and making it glorious: It is true, brethren, but it is in Chri&s;t, all light and healing is from the Father, but he hath filled the Son now with inlightning and healing influence, &s;o that they who
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will have it, mu&s;t have it from the Son, he hath all power com|mitted <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 11. 27.</NOTE> to him, all the medecines are his now, and the power of applying them is &s;o, that he heals whom he plea&s;eth; therefore dream not of it, you that are wicked tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors, that have not your &s;ins healed, that God will be merciful to any but in Chri&s;t; O but we may have our &s;ins healed though it be not yet; It is true, thou mai&s;t be healed, and this is &s;omewhat: but con&s;ider what a cold comfort this would be to a man that had the plague &s;ei&s;ed upon him in a violent manner why, faith he, it may be heal|led, and yet alas, be never looks after the Phy&s;itian, nor <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e Phy&s;i|tian after him, but groweth wor&s;e, and wor&s;e, and yet he may be healed: It is true, if the Lord do not cut thee off before, thou mai&s;t be healed; or if God &s;wear not in his wrath thou &s;halt never enter into his re&s;t; or &s;ay to thee, thou &s;halt never be healed: O the&s;e &s;ecret things belong not to us; the Father hath put them in his own power, and we pre&s;ume upon our cour&s;es of &s;inning, as if we knew them, were privy to them, and knew certainly that we &s;hould have a day of grace, an hour of mercy; this is de&s;perate, if thou die in this condition, with all thy run|ning &s;ores upon thee, from head to foot, no &s;ound part, but loath&s;ome wretches; what, do you think the Lord Je&s;us will put &s;uch into his bo&s;ome? Well con&s;ider this for the fourth Application of the Doctrine: Such as are not healed of their lu&s;ts, they have never had Je&s;us Chri&s;t ari&s;ing upon them as yet, they never knew Chri&s;t to this day; let our knowledge be what it will, our parts be what it will, our &s;eeming following Chri&s;t be what it will, and thronging upon him never &s;o much, we never yet touched him, he never yet &s;hined upon our &s;ouls; O how many &s;uch poor&punc; Chri&s;tle&s;s &s;ouls hear this Word this day!</P>
<P>5. Then, let us labour to rai&s;e our &s;pirits in admiration of the riches of grace in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, given to poor &s;inners, to provide a healing for us; that when we had faln from the height of mercy, or rather grace and goodne&s;s, and &s;o had all to be broken and brui&s;ed our &s;elves, broken our b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nes, that he &s;hould provide a healing for us, when we could never think of &s;uch a mercy; what were we more to him then Angels? if he had let us all lye under our broken bones, under the wounds we had made in our &s;elves, and di&s;ea&s;es we had contracted, who could have had
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any thing to &s;ay again&s;t him for it? this the Apo&s;tle maketh an argument of his love, and it is doubtle&s;s a heightening of it, to con&s;ider how free it is, that their wounds &s;hould not be cured, and ours healed, when both alike curable to him? and con&s;ider|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2.</NOTE> that they might have been much more &s;erviceable to him, then we being creatures of a more glorious, active nature then we are; yet he took not hold of the nature of Angels.</P>
<P>But con&s;ider we fir&s;t the infinite di&s;proportion between the Phy&s;itian and the Patients: were it not wonderful conde&s;cention for a K<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">o come off his Throne, to buckle him&s;elf about the bu&s;ine&s;s <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">eal a worm that hath been trodden upon? O it pitti|eth him to &s;ee them bleeding, and therefore he maketh it his bu&s;ine&s;s to cure them; brethren, you would think this &s;trange, but this is the ca&s;e; yea, this is but a &s;hadow, <HI>Iacob</HI> is but a worm, and that the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings &s;hould de&s;cend from his Throne, from heaven, di&s;robe him&s;elf, as I may &s;ay, put <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 44.</NOTE> on rags, and all to have to do with the wounds and di&s;ea&s;es of poor &s;inful du&s;t and a&s;hes, worms and no me<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> Brethren, my tongue is not able to expre&s;s it; we would thin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> a great mat|ter, &s;uch of us as live in the highe&s;t honour, wear &s;oft raiment, are delicate in all things, to take up a poor creature in the &s;treets, that is full of &s;ores, ca&s;t out to the loathing of his per&s;on, to &s;earch the wounds, have to do with tho&s;e loath&s;ome &s;ores; O what love were this! it may be we could be content in pitty to give money for others to do it, but to do it with our own hands, there is the trial&punc; and yet this creature is of our own kind: but what are we to the Lord, or to his Chri&s;t? who would do this for a Dog, for a Viper, a Serpent, a Toad, if wounded, if &s;ick and di&s;ea&s;ed? can we conceive what tenderne&s;s it mu&s;t be above what we have; it may be we would not kill or de&s;troy &s;uch a creature, but if otherwi&s;e hurt, would we heal them? O herein is the love of God to poor &s;inners! high above our thoughts, as <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 55. 8.</NOTE> heaven is high above the earth: alas, we are more ready to tread upon Serpents and Dogs, we would ca&s;t them out, put them away from us, it is but a dog. Ah, dear friends, what are we that are &s;trangers from the Covenant of Promi&s;e, as we are all, until he entereth into a Covenant with us? we are as dogs, as he &s;peaks to the <HI>Syraphinitian</HI> woman, all &s;uch unclean creatures; yea, we are a generation of Vipers, as full of venom
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of &s;in as a Toad is full of poy&s;on, and that is our nature as &s;oon as we are born; yet alas, the Lord Je&s;us would not have &s;uch as we to peri&s;h but rather then it &s;hould be &s;o, he him&s;elf would become our Phy&s;itian: O here is rich grace!</P>
<P>Secondly, In that the Lord Je&s;us like a Son of righteou&s;ne&s;s indeed, doth not &s;tay until the poor &s;inner, the patient do &s;end for him, do come to him, but he is the fir&s;t in the motion; you know Phy&s;itians of eminency and worth, do not u&s;e to go up and down to be&s;peak their patients, to proclaim it up and down who hath any work for them; no, they are too hi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> that: if any will have to do with them, let them find the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">out, let them waite upon them; Mountebanks u&s;e to do &s;o, they mu&s;t hang out a bu&s;h, el&s;e it will not be known that they profe&s;s they can do any thing; pardon the compari&s;on, for our Saviour com|pareth his coming to the coming of a Thief; and if a Moun|tebank be no better; yet the compari&s;on is tollerable by that of our Saviour him&s;elf, I &s;ay, he will rather come to &s;inners then that they &s;hall mi&s;c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">; he came to &s;eek and to &s;ave that which was lo&s;t: for alas, the lo&s;t creature never will &s;eek him, but wander, and lo&s;eth it &s;elf more and more, therefore we are compared to wandring &s;heep, <HI>we all like &s;heep have gone a&s;tray,</HI> yea, the very Saints them&s;elves when once they have been found, yet will <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 19. 10. I&s;a. 53. P&s;al. 119.</NOTE> lo&s;e them&s;elves again, as <HI>David, I have gone a&s;tray like a lo&s;t &s;heep, &s;eek thy &s;ervant;</HI> el&s;e we &s;hould never find the way to Chri&s;t again; dogs and &s;uch kind of creatures, if lo&s;t, will find the way home, again, but a &s;heep will not; &s;o when we are ut|terly lo&s;t, <HI>Repent, for the Kingdom of God is come unto you.</HI> &s;aith our Saviour; O repent and turn, for the Go&s;pel, and the grace <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 3. 12, 28.</NOTE> of the Go&s;pel is come to you; the Kingdom of heaven goeth a begging, as I may &s;ay, cometh and knocketh at this door, and that door; at this family and that, to &s;ee if they will give enter|tainment to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, whether they will be healed, <HI>this day is Salvation come to thine hou&s;e,</HI> &s;aith the Lord to <HI>Zacheus;</HI> it came to him before he came to Chri&s;t; though he did indeed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 19. 5.</NOTE> run a little for curio&s;ity &s;ake before Chri&s;t, to &s;ee his per&s;on, yea, our Saviour inviteth him&s;el<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> to him, he invited him&s;elf to come to his hou&s;e; &s;o, did not the Lord Je&s;us come to &s;eek <HI>Paul,</HI> and where did he find him but in blood, up to the ears, even the blood of the Saints? may we not &s;et to our &s;eals to
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the truth of this? <HI>That he is found of &s;uch as never &s;ought him;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 65. 1.</NOTE> may we not &s;ay truly, that alas, our own &s;ouls, and our own fami|lies were poor, dark, ignorant, hard-hearted creatures, that never thought of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, until he fir&s;t came and brought healing to us the Son doth not &s;tay until he be called up, but he ri&s;eth of his own accord upon the world; Brethren, the Lord Je&s;us <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 23. 4.</NOTE> this day, though by the mouth of a Babe, and uncircumci&s;ed creature in heart and lips, doth invite you, all is ready, and then he cals, this is a part of the me&s;&s;age I have from Chri&s;t this day, and it is a &s;weet one, to invite every poor wounded Sin|ner, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 15. 19, 20.</NOTE> ev<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> poor di&s;ea&s;ed creature to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t for healing; and O that I could be&s;peak you, as he him&s;elf would be|&s;peak you, were he upon earth, with &s;uch a melting heart and &s;ence of your condition. <HI>O why will ye die?</HI> is the expo&s;tulation <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 18. 31.</NOTE> of the Lord Je&s;us; why will you die of your wounds, of your plague-&s;ores? here is balm for you, here is healing for you, if you will but accept of it; O do not &s;light it, do not run away from the Phy&s;itian; Hath the Lord Je&s;us been at all this pains to procure&punc; a medicine, and &s;hall we ca&s;t it away, and &s;light it?</P>
<P>Thirdly, Here is the riches of the Grace of God toward poor Sinners, that though we cannot tell our Phy&s;itian what we ail, yet he knoweth our di&s;ea&s;es, and from him it is that we are convinced of our condition in this re&s;pect; Phy&s;itians are not able to &s;ee into the inward parts, into the veins, the arteries, the liver, the heart, but they judge according to outward &s;ymptoms, or according to the Patients relation of his di&s;ea&s;e, and how often do they mi&s;carry and mi&s;take? but here is &s;uch a Phy&s;itian, he &s;o heals, as that he knoweth all our di&s;ea&s;es, he needs not feel our pul&s;e to &s;ee how they beat, he can tell where there is a poor burthened &s;oul, or a &s;in-guilty &s;oul, knoweth all the guilt, and ta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es notice of it fir&s;t, and from his own notice of it, takes oc|ca&s;ion to heal it. <HI>I have &s;een his ways, though he was walking</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 57. 17, 18.</NOTE> <HI>on in the &s;tubborne&s;s of his heart, though he were &s;mitten, he &s;aw not his own ways, how froward they were, nor his own heart, how hard it was;</HI> but &s;aith the Lord, <HI>I have &s;een his wayes&punc; and I will heal him;</HI> Alas, how long might <HI>Paul</HI> have been before he had known his di&s;ea&s;e, except the Lord Je&s;us had opened it to him, come and convinced him of it: and &s;o in the ca&s;e of <HI>Da|vid</HI> and <HI>Peter.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="460" REF="297">
Fourthly, Yet further con&s;ider the riches of Grace, Sinners, herein to you, herein held forth in that, notwith&s;tanding all our unkind dealing with him, yet he giveth not over the work; would not an able Phy&s;itian take it ill, that his Patient &s;hould go away from him, and run to a cheating Mountebank, and prefer him before him? were not this enough to lo&s;e a Phy|&s;itian? Alas, do we not all do &s;o? <HI>He &s;tretched ont his hands all the day long to a gain&s;aying and rebellious people;</HI> one runs to one <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 65. 2.</NOTE> thing, another to another; <HI>The Prodigal to his husks, rather then to his Father; and the poor woman to her Phy&s;itian of no <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">lue, ra|ther then to Chri&s;t;</HI> if Sinners can make a &s;hift to lick over their &s;ores with a good tongue, a &s;mooth tongue, crying peace, peace, where there is no peace; a &s;ad condition, when Con&s;cience is quieted upon mi&s;taken grounds; if they can quiet it with a little duty, they are well; if they can skin over their wounds, they are well enough; they will &s;tick any where, rather then come to Je|&s;us Chri&s;t; and yet for all this, he is ready to heal them. O, how do Per&s;ons be&s;ide them&s;elves abu&s;e their Phy&s;itian? many times fly in their face, and &s;o do Sinners; now the Lord Je&s;us cometh with his cordials in one hand, his purgatives in the other hand, ready to purge, to clean&s;e, to heal us, and we fly in his face, u&s;e him mo&s;t unkindly; and yet for all this, he is not overcome, giveth us not over, until he hath healed us of this, and all the re&s;t of the di&s;tempers of our &s;ouls. O how do you think the Lord Je&s;us can endure to be kicked in the very bowels, to have his blood trampled under foot by poor Sinners, that he cometh to heal! and yet he doth endure it, and for all this healeth them. Is not all this unkindne&s;s? what can move him to give us over? &s;urely many of us are able to &s;ay it, that if his bowels had not been un&s;earchable, we have &s;o often grieved him, and kicked again&s;t him, even &s;ince he had to do with our &s;ouls in a way of healing mercy, that we had been un|done for ever. Oh here is un&s;earchable mercy, we wound him, and grieve him, and yet he heals us: we &s;leightly e&s;teem of him, of his blood, of his mercy, of his love, even while he is pouring it out upon us, and he &s;o dearly loveth us, that his blood is not too dear for us, no nor his Spirit, nor his bowels, nor any thing; O here is rich Grace indeed to poor froward-hearted Sinners!</P>
<P>5. Herein the riches of Grace doth appear to poor Sinners,
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that it is not the multitude, nor the depth, nor the loath&s;omne&s;s of our wounds, or deadline&s;s of our di&s;ea&s;es, that di&s;courageth him, to make him turn his back upon the work, and let us alone. O &s;aith the Phy&s;itian, when he cometh to &s;uch a Patient, he hath the plague, it is &s;eized upon his heart, upon his vitals, it is pa&s;t my ski<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">, it is but labour in vain, if the &s;pots appear, there is no hope, no healing; but now the Lord Je&s;us, he never m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">dleth with a Sinner, but he hath the plague in his very heart, not only the &s;ores running upon their tongues, and upon their hands, but in their very hearts, and all the blood, and &s;pirits poy&s;oned, and yet he is not di&s;couraged, he takes it in hand: truly &s;ome of us, if we con&s;ider how deeply rooted our <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n&s;ts were in our very hearts, it is matter of admiration, that ever we were healed; and though for the pre&s;ent there are, it may be, grudgings of the old di&s;ea&s;e, whereby we are a grief to him, and a grief to our &s;elves, yet that the plague is cured at the heart, or curing rather; alas, do you think the Lord Je&s;us did not know what a weary hand he &s;hould have with us before he began with us? he knew what ulcerations would be continually breaking out that mu&s;t be lanced and &s;earched, and yet never turned his back upon his work upon this account; when the Chyrurgion meeteth with a <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 1.</NOTE> poor creature, that is full of wounds, and brui&s;es, and putrifying &s;ores, that have never been opened, nor mollified, but a long time have fe&s;tered and rotted; O, &s;aith he, I am not able to en|dure to have to do with &s;uch a Patient, the very &s;tench of his wounds and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ores is &s;uch, I am not able to bear it; Brethren, this is nothing to &s;in, the mo&s;t loath&s;om running &s;ores are no|thing to the rottenne&s;s of &s;in: O, <HI>it is the &s;uperfluity of naughtine&s;s,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iames 1. 19.</NOTE> it is the very &s;cum of &s;cums, the very excrement of the Devil: now how can we think that Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hould endure the &s;tench of our loath&s;om &s;ouls, full of running &s;ores? and yet he doth it, when he cometh to heal us, he never yet gave over any that he undertook to heal, becau&s;e of the greatne&s;s, the multitude, the loath&s;omne&s;s of his di&s;ea&s;es; I know poor mi&s;giving hearts will be ready to &s;it down and mourn, as poor creatures without hope, when they con&s;ider how many their &s;ores are, their di|&s;ea&s;es are. O what loath&s;om running &s;ores, bloody i&s;&s;ues! and they are loath&s;om to our &s;elves, that &s;ee little or nothing of them, and that have a &s;tinking no&s;tril, their minds whereby they con|ceive
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of things, are impure them&s;elves, and &s;o cannot apprehend them as &s;o loath&s;om; but the Lord Je&s;us that &s;eeth them to the bottom, knoweth the venom of them, the loath&s;omne&s;s of them to the full. O &s;ure they are much more to him, &s;ure he will never have to do with &s;uch a rotten &s;oul as mine, &s;aith one; &s;uch a rotten heart, &s;uch a wretch, &s;o be&s;otted with the world, as I have been, &s;o unclean a wretch as I have been; this is a mi&s;take, the riches of Grace in Je&s;us Chri&s;t would never be &s;o made ma|nife&s;t, the exceeding abundance of Grace, if he had not to do with &s;uch &s;inners as thou art in thine own apprehen&s;ion; with a <HI>Paul,</HI> a <HI>Mana&s;&s;es,</HI> a <HI>Magdalen,</HI> with the chief of Sinners; O &s;ay not your ca&s;es are de&s;perate, there is no healing for your wounds; nothing maketh a Sinners ca&s;e de&s;perate, but his own de&s;pairing, his final unbelief, his de&s;pair of the mercy of Chri&s;t, the faithfulne&s;s of Chri&s;t in this great undertaking of poor Sin|ners.</P>
<P>Sixthly, O what tenderne&s;s is manife&s;ted in the manner of the cure! and it mu&s;t needs be &s;o, when bowels them&s;elves are the con&s;titution of the Phy&s;itian; where love it &s;elf, and compa&s;&s;ion it <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">elf &s;etteth the Phy&s;itian awork. Brethren, can you ima|gine when a Father is a Phy&s;itian, and hath a poor di&s;ea&s;ed child, or wounded, cryeth out for healing; can you imagine with what an heart he goeth about it? if it would do the cure, he could be content to endure all the lancings, take down all bitter potions; O every grone and out-cry of his Patient goes to his heart, he is &s;o tender; by the&s;e affections the Lord is plea&s;ed darkly to &s;hadow out to us his heart toward us; <HI>Even as a Father pit|tieth his children, &s;o the Lord Je&s;us pittieth them that fear him;</HI> that <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 103. 13.</NOTE> are wonnded in any kind, either in their peace, or in their holi|ne&s;s. But this will appear, if we con&s;ider but a few particu|lars.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, In that he him&s;elf hath taken the bittere&s;t part of the phy&s;ick; O the wormwood and the gall! they went into his bowels; the Lord Je&s;us doth not delight to cure by lancings, by &s;earings, and canterizings; no: but he took down him&s;elf the purge that &s;et him upon &s;uch a &s;weat as you know; alas, it would have drunk up every drop of our blood, and moy|&s;ture, and marrow, that we &s;hould never have &s;een through it; this he takes him&s;elf, him&s;elf is lanced you know by the Soldiers,
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and from thence came water and blood, the ingredients of the healing medicine for poor Sinners for ever, being rightly tempered: like a tender Mother, if the child be &s;ick, it mu&s;t be purged; &s;he her &s;elf takes the purge, endures the wrings of it in its working, that the effect may be &s;uckt by the child who lies at the brea&s;t; this is but a re&s;emblance of this rich Grace in Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Brethren, we &s;ee, if men were our Phy&s;itians, what they would pre&s;cribe us, their purgations, and pilgrims, whippings, macerating our fle&s;h, until they bleed and die; but the Lord Je|&s;us doth not &s;o; if either the Phy&s;itian or the Patient mu&s;t die in this ca&s;e, rather then the poor, di&s;ea&s;ed, wounded Patient &s;hall die, the Phy&s;it<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> him&s;elf dieth, that we might live, that his blood might be our cordial, his fle&s;h, our dyet, and his blood our dyet-drink, that continually by little and little might heal us; O what manner of love is this! Brethren, who would do &s;o? let a Father but examine his heart and &s;ee, could he do &s;o for his child? though a Mother may take down much bitterne&s;s for her child, yet would &s;he be content to open a vein, to bleed to death, to redeem its life when ready to peri&s;h? I know <HI>David</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 18. 33.</NOTE> in his pa&s;&s;ion &s;aid, <HI>Would God I had dyed for thee;</HI> but if <HI>Ab|&s;alom</HI> had been alive, and in cold bood he had been put to it, I que&s;tion, though his affections were &s;trong to his Son, but they would have been as &s;trong to him&s;elf; Self is a mans neare&s;t friend; but now the Lord Je&s;us you &s;ee, did it for his poor &s;inful people, yea for &s;trangers, for enemies: Brethren, con&s;ider of it, If any of us were Phy&s;itians, here is a poor wounded creature lies in the way, as the poor man in the Go&s;pel, <HI>fell among thieves, left wounded and half-dead,</HI> which of us now could find in our hearts to open our own veins, and be emptied of all our blood and li<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e, that &s;uch a poor wretch might be &s;upplied? now this the Lord Je&s;us doth for &s;uch Sinners as we are; Brethren, if there mu&s;t be pouncing and pricking, he endures it: lancing, he endures it; contu&s;ion, he endures it; <HI>For he was wounded for our tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, brui&s;ed for our iniquites, the cha&s;ti&s;ement of our</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 53. 5.</NOTE> <HI>peace was upon him, and through his &s;tripes we are healed:</HI> his &s;tripes are not the bodily buffetings, his crown of thorns, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2. 24.</NOTE> &s;uch things were nothing in compari&s;on: no, it is the la&s;hing of his &s;pirit, the wounding of his &s;oul, the travel of his &s;oul, the agonies, wre&s;tlings with his Fathers di&s;plea&s;ure to an agony,
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when God laid on him &s;o heavily, that he was ready to faint and &s;ink, and his &s;oul almo&s;t fetched at every blow. O dear Saviour, that ever the cure of &s;uch &s;infull du&s;t and a&s;hes &s;hould co&s;t thee &s;o dear, and we &s;o little prize it! But,</P>
<P>2. That which he pre&s;cribes to us, though there be &s;ome bit|terne&s;s in it, yet no more then mu&s;t needs; it may be a &s;prink|ling from the top of the <HI>cup of trembling,</HI> which may put us into a fear and trembling, &s;o much as he &s;eeth needfull to imbitter &s;in to us: it is true, if love were perfect here below, while graces are imperfect, and our ingenuity perfect; the looking up|on a crucified Chri&s;t for us, would be the greate&s;t imbittering of &s;in to us in the world; but we are very dull an<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ow of heart, and therefore a little ta&s;te we mu&s;t our &s;elves, that we may gather from thence what the Lord Je&s;us indured for us: we that never felt what a wounded Spirit meant, and what the clouding of the face of God from us meant, though we may hear of the &s;uffer|ings of Chri&s;t, we are not able to be &s;en&s;ible of them, and &s;o not to prize that love as &s;trong as death; but when a poor creature hath had a drop or two of &s;calding wrath fall upon his con&s;cience, a la&s;h or two, though gently, upon his &s;pirit, that maketh him roar in the di&s;quietne&s;s of his <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">oul: O thinketh he then, if a drop or two be &s;o full of terror and amazement, what then was the whole Cup? what was the dregs? how &s;hould I have born that, if my ble&s;&s;ed Saviour had not taken it off for me? That which did &s;o parch him who was the Green Tree, that he &s;aid he thir&s;t|ed, &s;urely would have con&s;umed the dry: If he were as a Bottle dryed in the &s;moak, it would have con&s;umed us to a&s;hes: If it made Him &s;weat in &s;uch a manner, it would have altogether di&s;&s;olved our frame, that we &s;hould have peri&s;hed for ever: O <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 54. 8.</NOTE> if a little wrath, when God hideth his face be &s;uch a Hell in ma|ny &s;ouls, What a Hell then had Je&s;us Chri&s;t in his &s;oul, when wrath was poured out to the utmo&s;t? for he was not &s;pared a jot. And then to make us out of love with &s;in, wherein doth lie the very heart of the core and of the cure, &s;urely &s;uch are the bowels of God in Chri&s;t, that as he delighteth not in the death of a &s;inner, &s;o neither doth he delight in bringing the crea|ture to life, through &s;o much bitterne&s;s and grief, if any other means would &s;o effectually work us out of love with &s;in as this; for the Wi&s;e God &s;urely would take the mo&s;t effectual cour&s;e; it is all needfull, el&s;e he would never do it.</P>
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Why, but you will &s;ay, that hatred of &s;in is never kindly, ex|cept the love to Je&s;us Chri&s;t be the ground of it? ye that love the Lord hate evil; this takes the ingenuous &s;pirit off from Omi&s;|&s;ions and Commi&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>It is true, but yet con&s;ider brethren, wherefore do we love Him, but becau&s;e he loved us? when his love is revealed and ma|nife&s;ted, this warmeth, melteth the heart, indeareth the &s;oul to him; until the Lord Je&s;us be plea&s;ed to open and unfold his bowels of love to a &s;inner, he will never love him; now whereby &s;hould we e&s;timate the love of Je&s;us Chri&s;t to poor &s;inners, but by the un&s;earchably rich <GAP DESC="foreign"> he paid for them? O the price of every drop of that ble&s;&s;ed blood that run trickling down to the earth, e&s;pecially if it be con&s;idered by what means it was &s;queezed out of him, this &s;etteth a rate upon his love; it is not love in word, but in deed and in truth; if nothing el&s;e will be a price to redeem them but his blood, it &s;hall go; he is not dear of it to the la&s;t drop; yea not to part with it by opening a vein, but to have it extract out of the veins by the pores of his body: O by the un&s;peakable weight of wrath upon his Spirit! Now how can we judge of this, except we have had a little ta&s;te of it our &s;elves? when we are put into a little &s;weat in our own wre&s;tlings with the di&s;plea&s;ure of God, O then we &s;ee what our Saviour indured for us: If a man would &s;et the highe&s;t e&s;timate upon love among men, this &s;hould be the rate of it; would they willingly have the face of God in Chri&s;t hidden from them for a year or two for the deare&s;t friend they have in the world? you that have felt what this la&s;h|ing of your Spirit is, that your breath was even gone at every blow, and you were ready to peri&s;h, and you had fainted ex|cept you had believed &s;ome &s;ecret undi&s;cerned &s;upport. Tell me, would you redeem the life, yea the &s;ouls of your deare&s;t friends that you had in this world by lying under a wounded Spirit, ha|ving a Hell kindled in your &s;ouls that &s;hould burn all your days? I cannot tell, I know dear Friends will do much one for another: O &s;aith one, I could lay my hands under their feet to do them good: O I could redeem their lives with my own, <HI>Would God I had died for thee!</HI> and haply becau&s;e he &s;aw he was in &s;uch a &s;ad condition for his &s;oul; but <HI>David,</HI> would&s;t thou have been con|tent <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 42 7.</NOTE> to roar all thy days in the di&s;quietne&s;s of thy &s;oul, to have his waves and billows to go over thee, not to wade in the &s;hal|lows,
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but to be in the depths, to be overwhelmed with the di&s;|plea&s;ure <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 88. 6.</NOTE> of the Lord, and that for <HI>Ab&s;olom?</HI> if &s;o, it is much, but it is nothing to this of Chri&s;t; therefore this is the true&s;t e&s;timate we can take of his love, and &s;urely the higher our thoughts are, and deeper of the love of Chri&s;t, and the larger, the greater will be our hatred of &s;in, our loathing of &s;in, which when it is wrought, the cure is wrought; what, &s;hall I play with the knife that hath pierced the heart of my Saviour? Shall I harbour that in my bo|&s;om that was the &s;ting of my ble&s;&s;ed Saviour, the poy&s;on where|of-drank up his Spirits? &s;urely no.</P>
<P>And then Secondly, This will heighten our love to him, and we &s;hall be loth to grieve him when we love him: O he hath in|dured enough already for me, he ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h been wounded, yea &s;o wounded, as to be all over gore for my-&s;ins, and &s;o much, as to be but all one wound, and &s;hall I grieve him more? I am per&s;waded that the experiences of all our hearts that ever ta&s;ted of his love, will &s;ub&s;cribe to this, that this is the great rea&s;on of our &s;o often grieving of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, becau&s;e we have &s;o little impre&s;&s;ion upon our hearts of his love to us, and con&s;equently &s;o little love to him; either we never had a &s;trong impre&s;&s;ion, or el&s;e by de|grees it doth wear out, and &s;hould be renewed by a &s;erious con|templation of the&s;e things which we neglect, and that is the rea|&s;on; el&s;e we &s;hould be very tender and fearful of grieving him after the manner we do daily.</P>
<P>But then Thirdly, our own &s;mart under the &s;ence of his di&s;|plea&s;ure will do &s;omething: do you think that the remembrance <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">am. 3. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">9.</NOTE> of the wormwood and gall will not do &s;omething, make &s;inners afraid to meddle with &s;in, and all little enough too? &s;o the Fa|ther, when the childe walks frowardly, takes him up, <HI>Ile make you remember my fingers a good while,</HI> &s;aith he; &s;o the Lord deals with his people, but this is nothing to what the Lord Je&s;us in|dured for us; he had the brunt; he broke the waves of the di&s;|plea&s;ure of his Father, who is the rock of our &s;alvation; though we that are lifted up upon that rock, may be under water &s;ome|times by tho&s;e waves, yet the force of them is broken upon Je|&s;us Chri&s;t, el&s;e they would da&s;h us to pieces, having not co-a&s;&s;i&s;t|ance enough to break them. If ever <HI>Peter</HI> were &s;olicited to de|ny Je&s;us Chri&s;t again, do you think that the remembrance of this, O how dear it co&s;t me, was not an awe upon him? and &s;o for <HI>Da|vid;</HI>
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after tho&s;e dolefull complaints from him, while under the &s;en&s;e of his fathers di&s;plea&s;ure; do you think he was not more afraid of &s;tollen waters, though &s;weet, and bread eaten in &s;e|cret, though plea&s;ant, after God had kept him awhile, &s;hut him up, as I may &s;ay, <HI>in the Chambers of death,</HI> made him walk there awhile, to make him know what he had done in &s;inning away the light of his countenance?</P>
<P>But Thirdly, That which he him&s;elf pre&s;cribeth, even the bit|tere&s;t of it, it is no more then he enables the creature to bear; if he do lance our wounds, and put us to &s;ome grief, withall he gi|veth a Cordial that &s;tays us from &s;inking; it is true, a right hand cannot be cut off, nor a right foot, a man cannot be di&s;membred, but there will be &s;ome angui&s;h and trouble; nor a lu&s;t mortified, but it will co&s;t us &s;ome heart-aking, but then he quickly &s;tanches the bleeding, keepeth the heart from &s;inking, fainting, he will not &s;uffer us to be tryed above what we are able, but maketh a way to e&s;cape; he doth not leave us altogether without his pre&s;ence <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10. 13.</NOTE> when we are in the dark, though we &s;ee him not; I &s;ay, if it were not for this, I know the lot of <HI>Judas</HI> and <HI>Cain</HI> would fall upon every &s;uch &s;inner, nor will he keep it a jot longer upon us then he will lengthen out our patience. But what is all this Brethren to what our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour hath taken down for us? If dark|ne&s;s be &s;o &s;ad to us, who never had but a glimp&s;e of the light of his countenance, what was it that the Lord Je&s;us felt then, that had it in that fulne&s;s the creature was capable of, and propor|tionably greater, by how much the more iniquity was laid to his charge? So that in a word, it is our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour that was wounded, and we healed; all that is done to us is but as a &s;cratch with a pin to tho&s;e wounds of his; he felt all tho&s;e wrings and pangs, and we have the effects of the working of the Phy&s;ick; is not this un&s;earchable riches of Grace, that we &s;hould be heal|ed after &s;uch a manner as this!</P>
<P>Seventhly, He doth all this mo&s;t freely, expecteth no reward, as Phy&s;icians you know do: the poor woman in the Go&s;pel &s;pent all that &s;he had upon the Phy&s;icians, but when &s;he came to Chri&s;t, he asked her nothing, only willingne&s;s to accept of delive|rance, to believe his power, his willingne&s;s to &s;ave, and this is no|thing to a reward; yea, and it is he him&s;elf that giveth the wil|lingne&s;s to be healed; he went up and down throughout the Sy|nagogues
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and the villages, healing all their di&s;ea&s;es; was it not the free&s;t gift that ever was given, to give him&s;elf, his life, his blood a ran&s;om for poor &s;inners? alas, he knew we had nothing to give him, and yet he cometh neverthele&s;s freely; for all he aimeth at is, that his grace may have the glory, and be made glo|rious, and the poor&s;inner may be &s;aved; and therefore whether they have any thing or nothing, it is all one; yea, if there be any thing that the creature looks upon, as his money, the Lord Je&s;us is &s;o far from taking it as a reward, that there is nothing hinders him more then this; it is one of the great di&s;ea&s;es indeed of the &s;oul, this holy &s;elf, that Je&s;us Chri&s;t cometh to heal; poor &s;inners are full of &s;ores, wounds, and brui&s;es, and putrifying &s;ores, full of corruption, every one hath his bloody i&s;&s;ue: now our du|ties, <NOTE PLACE="marg">I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aiah 64.</NOTE> or holine&s;s, which &s;inners &s;ometimes &s;o much &s;tand upon, the Apo&s;tle thought them gain once; they are but as the filthy clouts upon our &s;ores, that are <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ull of the runnings of our &s;ores, as men&s;truous cloaths, defiled with our bloody i&s;&s;ues: we think to plai&s;ter our wounds with them, to &s;alve our con&s;ciences with a few duties, but alas they come off like filthy clouts from run|ning &s;ores, and are the&s;e a reward for the Lord Je&s;us? When a Phy&s;ician cometh to heal a per&s;on of the Plague, O &s;aith he, I will reward you, you &s;hall not take all this pains with me for no|thing; you &s;hall have the rags that come off my &s;ores, for your pains: Is not the Phy&s;ician much beholding to him think you? So it is here, we have nothing but &s;uch rags to give the Lord Je|&s;us, and alas they mu&s;t be wa&s;hed clean in his blood; our &s;er|vices healed as well as our &s;ouls, before they be worth any thing: therefore I &s;ay, he him&s;elf freely prepareth the Lances to open the wounds, convinceth the poor creature of his condition; he him&s;elf takes the pains to open the vein, to empty the creature of him&s;elf, to cure him of that Plethory: He it is tempereth the Phy&s;ick, is at the charge of it; O the riche&s;t Cordials in the world! tempered of his own blood and water, by his own Spirit, to &s;upport the poor creature when ready to faint: he &s;itteth over his people, even as a tender Father over a weak wounded childe, and with what a heart you may imagine; he provideth Me&s;&s;en|gers of his own to be with them, to mini&s;ter to them, to watch over them, and him&s;elf is alway at hand. Ah dear Friends, that ever the Lord Je&s;us &s;hould &s;et &s;o high e&s;teem upon poor &s;inners,
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when we were in &s;uch a loath&s;om condition, as that he would dwell in fle&s;h, and take part of fle&s;h and blood, that &s;o he might have &s;omewhat to make a re&s;torative of, a healing medicine of, that we might not peri&s;h; one drop, every drop of his mo&s;t precious blood, with re&s;pect to the value which the God-head put upon it, is more then if a world of pearl could be decocted into a cordial; and yet he &s;pared it not: that he &s;hould vi&s;it &s;in|ners with this &s;alvation, with his corro&s;ives, his cordials, with his healing vertue, and power, and his heart, &s;o ready to put it forth from time to time; this is un&s;earchable riches of grace, to do all this freely. Yea,</P>
<P>Eighthly and la&s;tly, it will appear in this, that the Lord Je&s;us brings his heart full, and his hands full of reward with him to a poor &s;inner, &s;o that he will be but healed; you &s;ee fooli&s;h chil|dren when they have fallen and wounded them&s;elves, they mu&s;t be hired to let the Father or the Chyrurgion heal it, put a plai&s;ter upon it; but cryeth out as undone, had rather do any thing then be healed; but alas, who would do it to a &s;tranger? it may be thou &s;ee&s;t a poor leprous creature lie langui&s;hing at thy gates, and thou can&s;t heal him, but he is not willing; either he is in love with his di&s;ea&s;e, or di&s;tru&s;ts your good will, or faithfulne&s;s, or &s;omething, but he is not willing to be healed: now where is there a heart &s;o full of tenderne&s;s as to be willing to offer him a reward? I will give thee thus much, or thus much, if thou wilt but let me heal thee, for I pitty thy condition: Brethren, a King and his &s;ubjects fall out, they rebel again&s;t the King in the war, the &s;ubject is wounded even to the death, except there be more then ordinary care taken of him; now the King, his heart re|lents, he cometh to him in the pri&s;on, and doth not upbraid him with his unkindne&s;s, nor pride, nor &s;tubbornne&s;s, but intreateth him he will give him leave to heal him, that he will but &s;uffer his wounds to be &s;earched, to be healed, to be clo&s;ed, &s;o that he may not peri&s;h, he will pardon all that he hath done ami&s;s, begs of him to accept of him, he will make him the &s;econd man in the King|dom, he &s;hall be near to him, if he will but &s;uffer him&s;elf to be healed: Is not this rich mercy indeed, is there any &s;uch <HI>Paragon</HI> to be found? Surely no: but lo, this is in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and more, for he not only promi&s;eth a reward upon our healing, but maketh the poor creature willing al&s;o, willing to part with his
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lu&s;ts; and to &s;peak the truth, I take this to be the greate&s;t part of our healing, when a poor &s;inner that was in love with &s;in before, loved his lu&s;ts as much as his life; O his merry companions were as dear to him as his very eye, or his right hand, he could no more part with one then the other, and &s;o his gain of unrighteou&s;ne&s;s. Now when the Lord by propo&s;ing of objects, which have a great force, but that is not all, but by a &s;weet and yet powerful bowing of the heart, maketh the poor creature willing to be healed; &s;o that now he cryeth out with <HI>Augu&s;tine, How long Lord, how long? this man is in a great mea&s;ure healed, and this is the work, and yet he rewardeth for this, promi&s;eth a Crown, giveth grace, and glory, glory with him&s;elf, fellow&s;hip with him, to lye in his bo|&s;om to all eternity.</HI> O here is un&s;earchable riches of grace! Bre|thren, I have only, if &s;o much, brought you to the vein where the&s;e riches lie. O that you would dig a little by &s;erious con|templating upon it. You will find more then I am able to &s;peak.</P>
<P>Sixthly, Another U&s;e &s;hall be this, to warn us that we do not upon this &s;core, becau&s;e that Je&s;us Chri&s;t will ari&s;e <HI>with healing under his wings upon poor &s;inners;</HI> therefore to make bold with &s;in; it is no great matter, the healing vertue of Chri&s;t will be &s;o much the more magnified. O how de&s;perate is this! would you not think that man were out of his wits, that upon pre&s;umption upon the skill, and tenderne&s;s of the Phy&s;itian, &s;hould without any care how, or where, wound him&s;elf, and ga&s;h him&s;elf, he hath a Phy&s;itian that will heal him; you that dare be &s;o bold <HI>to &s;in, that grace may abound,</HI> and make work for Je&s;us Chri&s;t, know this, this day, you know not what the grace of Chri&s;t meaneth, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 1.</NOTE> that make &s;uch a u&s;e of it: how did this &s;tir the Apo&s;tles &s;pirit? <HI>God forbid:</HI> he doth, as I may &s;ay, recoil; as a man &s;tartled at &s;ome horrid &s;ight. O the Lord forbid you &s;hould &s;uck &s;uch poy&s;on out of &s;o &s;weet a flower! This concerneth two &s;orts of per&s;ons; Fir&s;t, &s;uch as yet never knew what this healing vertue of Chri&s;t is, only by the hearing of the ear, they hear the Lord Je&s;us is able to heal the mo&s;t de&s;perate wounds, and that he is willing, and therefore they make bold to continue in &s;in, they may go on to inflame the reckoning a little higher yet, it is all one with Chri&s;t to pardon millions as mites, to &s;wallow up mountains as mole|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> it is true, if thou re&s;pect his power; but how do&s;t thou
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know that he will do it for thee, &s;inner? or what hope ha&s;t thou, or can&s;t thou have while it is thus with thoe? Its true, if &s;inners do not &s;in away the day of grace, he is willing; but did ever Je|&s;us Chri&s;t tell thee that thou &s;houlde&s;t be healed particularly, though thou go on rebelling again&s;t him, wound upon wound up|on thy poor &s;oul? Surely no, be not deceived &s;inners, the&s;e are the in&s;inuations of the wicked one, this is &s;uch Go&s;pel as the Devil preacheth, when he preacheth Chri&s;t as an Angel of light, but in the clo&s;e, you will find the Law in&s;tead of the Go&s;pel; &s;uch pre&s;umption and &s;ecurity u&s;ually endeth in di&s;pair, the time may come, that you that make &s;o little a matter of it, may cry out and roar, O your wounds, you refu&s;ed to be healed; what if the Lord then &s;ay to you, your iniquities &s;hall never be healed, you &s;hall dye in your &s;ins; what will become of your pre&s;umption then?</P>
<P>Secondly, it concerneth the people of God, that have had it may be &s;ome experience of this healing vertue of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that have a long time been groaning under the loath&s;omne&s;s and angui&s;h of their wounds, and now at the la&s;t are healed through abundant grace. O take heed of returning to folly any more; will you make bold with &s;in, that have known what it co&s;t our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour, and what it co&s;t your &s;elves? what it co&s;t him, when as he would him&s;elf purge our iniquities; he took the Phy|&s;ick, and thou enjoy<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t the cure; but is it no more to us. Bre|thren? the heavine&s;s of his &s;oul to the death; mu&s;t he bleed to death, that we might not bleed to death, that our bloody i&s;&s;ues might be &s;topt? did it co&s;t him an ecclip&s;e of the light of the countenance of his Father, and wilt thou make &s;o light a matter of it? walk &s;o watchle&s;ly as we do, to go on to grieve him, as we do &s;ome of us? O it is the want of keeping that fre&s;h upon our hearts, what the cure of it co&s;t, that is the great cau&s;e of our &s;o often relap&s;ing. And &s;o we forget what it co&s;t our &s;elves; it is &s;trange that the burnt child doth not dread the fire: do&s;t thou not remember when the Lord came to &s;earch thy wounds, what it co&s;t thee when he went to the bottom of them? O do&s;t thou not remember the &s;tench of them, when he came to pluck off the hard cru&s;t grown upon them, and let thee &s;ee and be &s;en&s;ible of the filthine&s;s in them? is this forgotten, that thou make&s;t no more of &s;in? O do&s;t thou not remember the time when thou wa&s;t even
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weary of thy &s;elf, a burthen to thy &s;elf, thou could&s;t not re&s;t ma|ny a weary day and night, it co&s;t thee many an aking heart, and yet now &s;o &s;oon art making wounds again, making work again for Chri&s;t? Surely this is very ill requital of all that riches of grace. Or what, can we heal the breaches we make upon our peace by our <HI>recidivations</HI> when we plea&s;e? It is true, if a man had his <HI>panacea</HI> in his pocket, that whatever di&s;ea&s;e he fell into, whatever wound he &s;hould make upon him&s;elf, he could cure it again when he plea&s;ed, it were &s;omewhat like, there were &s;ome colour; but have you the trea&s;uries of grace in your own keep|ing? have you? or hath any man a pardon in a box, as the poor deceived Papi&s;ts are grievou&s;ly mocked? Surely no; Alas, we can make wounds, but we cannot heal them, we can make a &s;hift to break our faces and bones, but we cannot heal them again, it is in his hand; and will it be for our comfort then, to grieve him by &s;uch carele&s;s walking? what if he re&s;olve to grieve thee, and give thee enough of thy back-&s;lidings? Will it not be bitter|ne&s;s in the latter end? though he may heal it, it may co&s;t thee ma|ny a throb and much &s;mart for this wantonne&s;s; Brethren, take <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 14. 14.</NOTE> heed of this: O &s;ickne&s;s is chargeable, it may co&s;t thee mourning all thy daies.</P>
<P>Seventhly, Then let it be for Exhortation to us all, that we get under the influence of this Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s. Sinners, we have all of us need of the Phy&s;itian, for there is never a whole &s;oul among us, though to our own apprehen&s;ion &s;ome of us think it is well with us, yet it is not, <HI>we are full of wounds, the whole head is &s;ick, the whole heart is faint,</HI> the Lord Je&s;us hath <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 1.</NOTE> &s;ent me to tell you where you-may have healing, and to per&s;wade you to come to him; but alas, I am a child and cannot &s;peak. Where is there healing to be had you will &s;ay? you know that as well as you can be told; why then, how cometh it to pa&s;s that you come not to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, he hath &s;et open the Store-hou&s;e, the Trea&s;uries of pardoning-mercy, and healing-mercy, inviteth all that will to come, and yet you come not? Surely, either you do not believe this report, or el&s;e you do not believe your need of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. O con&s;ider what hath been &s;aid to that part, and the Lord help you to believe, and per&s;wade you to come to him, for indeed it is he that mu&s;t draw, and make poor &s;inners willing to come, or el&s;e they will never come to him, only he doth draw;
<PB N="473" REF="303">
one way is by propo&s;ing the object, by holding out a crucified Chri&s;t for them. And therefore let me a little propo&s;e &s;omething to you to per&s;wade you to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="1">1. Your need of Chri&s;t you have &s;een; for we are all wounded, yea even to the death, bitten with fiery Serpents, the venom whereof inflames our &s;ouls, and therefore a Phy&s;itian we mu&s;t have or el&s;e dye: Now there is no healing in any other, but through his &s;tripes; if you know of any other Saviour that can deliver, can heal you, take him; follow after him; but I mu&s;t tell you, when you have &s;pent all, you mu&s;t be fain to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t for healing; and is it not better to come before you have &s;pent all upon other Phy&s;itians that cannot cure when all is done? O that &s;inners could but believe this! I tell you truth, Bre|thren, a Plai&s;ter of any thing el&s;e; made of our own &s;orrow, or tears, or righteou&s;ne&s;s, or good works, or what&s;oever, it is &s;o far from being a healing, that it will venom the wound more, and maketh yet further work for Je&s;us Chri&s;t, if re&s;ted in as a cure. I &s;ay, you may make a &s;hift to &s;top the Orifice of the wound with a balm of your own procuring, but all the while the &s;ore eats into the &s;oul &s;o much the deeper, wrankles within. O now the Lord Je&s;us, he beginneth at the bottom, and &s;o heals it up; &s;ay not then, <HI>Are not</HI> Abana <HI>and</HI> Pharpar, <HI>Rivers of</HI> Da|ma&s;cus, <HI>better then all the waters of</HI> I&s;rael? <HI>when we mu&s;t go and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 5. 12.</NOTE> <HI>wa&s;h in</HI> Jordan <HI>if we be healed.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Con&s;ider this, the longer you conceal your wounds and hold off, the wor&s;e will it go with you; for either the Lord will let you go on and never heal you, but let you langui&s;h away in the&s;e waies of &s;in you plea&s;e your &s;elves &s;o much in; or el&s;e if he do, the longer the wound is wrankling the wor&s;e it will be, the harder it will go when it cometh to be &s;earched; when <HI>David</HI> had turned his back upon Chri&s;t for &s;o long in the matter of <HI>&V;riah,</HI> it co&s;t him &s;omewhat, it made him roar when the Phy&s;ick came to work, the Lord withdrawing from him haply as long. O that while you are called to day, &s;inners, now while healing is tendered, you would accept of it! the Lord make you will|ing.</P>
<P N="3">3. Do but con&s;ider, what thronging there was to Chri&s;t for healing of their bodily di&s;tempers, they brought them from all <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 6. 19.</NOTE> parts to him, &s;uch as could not come them&s;elves; and would
<PB N="474" REF="304">
there not be the like now if he were upon earth? O how would poor Creeples &s;et the be&s;t foot forward to come to him, and &s;uch as had di&s;ea&s;ed creatures, Lame, Blind, Pal&s;ie? <HI>&amp;c.</HI> O how would they take them&s;elves bound to bring them to Chri&s;t for healing? and what, is the body more then the &s;oul, Brethren? You would think you were undone if you were lamed, and could not &s;tand upon your legs; why this is nothing to have a heart and a heart. Such a man is lame, one leg &s;horter then another, or walks with one foot in an higher way, and the other in a lower, and &s;o halts, and is this nothing? O, what would a tender mother give now, if &s;he had all her children and &s;elf under the plague at once, or lying of the &s;tone or gout at once, one cryeth, and another cry|eth, never pain like theirs. What would a mother give now for &s;uch a Phy&s;itian, and how ready would &s;he be to carry them to him? what is this to the plague of the heart, and the &s;tone in the heart? and yet no out-cries at all, nor care at all, nay the Lord Je&s;us cometh him&s;elf, is fir&s;t in the thing, vi&s;its with his &s;al|vation, moveth, intreateth to accept of pardon, of healing, and yet you will not; what &s;hall I &s;ay more, Brethren?</P>
<P N="4">4. Con&s;ider, that the Lord Je&s;us is mo&s;t freely willing to heal poor &s;inners; do you think if the Lord Je&s;us had not been in good earne&s;t, and hearty in the work of &s;alvation of poor &s;inners, he would have prepared &s;uch co&s;tly cordials, made up of his own &s;pirits and his own blood, that &s;o no di&s;ea&s;e might be &s;o deadly, but the &s;overaignty of the Medicine &s;hould be as lively? Surely no; did he ever refu&s;e any that came to him for healing in the Go&s;pel, for healing of the body, but rather while they came for healing of their bodies, he did <HI>ex &s;uperabundanti gratia,</HI> heal their &s;ouls; they came to ask crums of him, as the poor woman, and he giveth them the childrens bread, his fle&s;h and his blood to eat and to drink, to be food and Phy&s;ick to heal and nouri&s;h them; you have heard at large, <HI>that none that come unto him he will in any wi&s;e ca&s;t out.</HI></P>
<P>Therefore, Brethren, let me beg of you to labour with the Lord, and with your own hearts, and never give it over until he hath brought you, and &s;et you directly under the beams of this Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s: for the more direct they are, the more power they have, you know the rea&s;on: beams of the Sun in winter will not heal the earth of its barrenne&s;s and frozenne&s;s,
<PB N="475" REF="304">
but its bound up: and &s;o &s;ome may have &s;ome glancing influ|ence from Chri&s;t, &s;ome kind of ta&s;ts, and yet notwith&s;tanding not amount to an healing, though to an e&s;caping of the polluti|ons of the world, outward acts, yet it is not healed to the bottom; there are &s;ome lu&s;ts indeed, that are like &s;ullen weeds, that will not live except it be in the &s;hade and darkne&s;s, as in wells, and pits, and the like, where the Sun cometh not; and therefore, wherever the light of the Go&s;pel cometh, the&s;e are pre&s;ently done away. Some things are &s;o gro&s;s, as if there be but a glim|mering of light di&s;covered, they fly away, will not endure it; but there are &s;ome &s;ecret lu&s;ts lie &s;o clo&s;e to the heart, have ca&s;t out their roots &s;o there, and are &s;o fa&s;tened in the &s;pirit, that ex|cept the Lord Je&s;us do &s;hine in his &s;trength into &s;uch a &s;oul, they will never up, they will never wither nor dye, nor the &s;oul be healed; but thus much for the Exhortation.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, I &s;hall &s;peak a word of refre&s;hing to &s;uch as tremble at this Word, and every Word of God; are indeed &s;en&s;ible of their condition by rea&s;on of &s;in, and many &s;ad complaints they make; I may imagine, but the Lord heareth the moan that every poor &s;inner maketh over his wounds, and over his di&s;ea&s;es, be|fore the Lord; as you &s;hall have a poor creature that feels he is wounded, the heavy groans he fetcheth, one cryeth out of the broken arm, another of a wounded head, a third of the &s;tone, a fourth of the plague: O how it throbs and &s;marts, when the Lord opens &s;inners eyes to &s;ee what they have done, which they never &s;aw before, thus it is with them: Why now poor &s;inner, is this thy ca&s;e, do&s;t thou &s;ee and know thy wound? know this day, there is healing for thee, ca&s;t not away thy hope; for &s;o poor creatures are ready to &s;ay, is there any healing for me? there was never wound &s;ure &s;o deep as mine. O never was there di&s;ea&s;e &s;o loath&s;om, &s;o full of pain as mine! yea, here is a promi&s;e, <HI>the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall ari&s;e with healing in his wings upon them that fear him;</HI> and now thou beginne&s;t to be afraid of him: though before thou knewe&s;t him, thou made&s;t nothing of rebelling again&s;t him, yet now thou do&s;t: as they &s;ay, bring a man that is guilty of anothers murther before him, he will bleed afre&s;h. So the Lord Je&s;us, when a poor &s;inner, guilty of his blood, &s;uppo&s;e the wor&s;t, and this is that which wounds thee now, why his blood will i&s;&s;ue afre&s;h to heal poor &s;inners; what is it that thou art
<PB N="476" REF="305">
troubled with, is it in thine eyes, is the eyes of thy under&s;tanding darkened? he will heal this: how ready was he when the blind men cryed to his that they might receive their &s;ight? you know he healed them. What, would&s;t thou have thy memory healed of its &s;lipperine&s;s and treachery? he will heal that, he hath done it for many a one in a &s;trange manner. What is it? thy thoughts it may be are wandering and vain, he will heal that; what is it? thy love it may be is full of di&s;&s;imulation, is not out of a pure heart, and not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ervent as it &s;hould, he will heal that; and for thy will, of its pronne&s;s to &s;in, this &s;in, that &s;in, thy own iniquity, he will heal that: and &s;o for the Ira&s;cible part, he will heal thee of tho&s;e fears, and troubles, and inordinate pa&s;&s;ions, vanities, lu&s;ts, and vain de&s;ires.</P>
<P>O but &s;aith one, my di&s;ea&s;e is a Relap&s;e, I have found &s;trength again&s;t &s;uch or &s;uch a lu&s;t, but I have fallen back again! Be it &s;o, he will heal their back-&s;lidings: though it be true, if any &s;ins be <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 14. 4.</NOTE> talents, the&s;e are they. Yea, he will forgive an hundred talents as well as thirty pence; back-&s;liding is a kind of compound of all &s;ins; &s;o much the &s;adder it is, by how much there is a &s;lighting and undervaluing the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, wherewith we have been purged and clean&s;ed; but is this thy trouble (as this No|vatiani&s;m is in every poor troubled con&s;cience) to que&s;tion, Whether ever God will pardon or heal, if they fall after repen|tance? though I mu&s;t tell you, u&s;ually it co&s;ts them more &s;mart; yet the Lord will heal even &s;uch as the&s;e; what, was not <HI>Davids</HI> &s;in a back-&s;liding, and <HI>Peters</HI> a back-&s;liding? the mo&s;t fearful &s;in; and the mo&s;t remarkable &s;ins pardoned and healed, were back-&s;lidings, only thou mu&s;t be content to endure &s;omething for the healing of tho&s;e fearful wounds thou ha&s;t made in upon thy &s;oul, for there is no wound cured in a moment, nor without any an|gui&s;h; and all that he laies upon thee is nothing, the &s;mart is nothing, though the plai&s;ter lie long upon thee before it be heal|ed, to draw the &s;ore to a head, to break it, to draw it, to heal it, there&punc; will be &s;ome time, but he will heal thee poor &s;inner; if he have made thee weary of this &s;in, de&s;irous of healing in|deed.</P>
<P>And for you that are crying out of broken bones, it may be there are &s;ome who&s;e condition this is, <HI>that do fear the Lord, and obey the voice of his &s;ervants;</HI> it is the greate&s;t fear of thy &s;oul to <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 5<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE>
<PB N="477" REF="305">
di&s;plea&s;e the Lord, to grieve him, happy &s;oul with whom it is thus; but thou art over-ca&s;t, thou art clouded, thou &s;ee&s;t no light, thy bones are broken, thy &s;pirit is wounded, O who can bear a wounded &s;pirit? Be of good chear man, remember this, hath he not promi&s;ed it, <HI>that he will ari&s;e upon them that fear the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 18. 14.</NOTE> <HI>Lord with healing in his wings?</HI> he will heal tho&s;e broken bones, and the fle&s;h wherein there is no &s;oundne&s;s by rea&s;on of thy &s;ins, he will heal it, and he is doing of it, though thou art not &s;en&s;ible of it; he pittyeth thee, and knoweth how to pitty thee, for him&s;elf was ecclip&s;ed, though the Son of righteou&s;ne&s;s, that he might know how to pitty them that &s;uffer in the like kind for the time to come; he knoweth thy frame, what thou can&s;t bear, and he will not let thee &s;ink O thou of little faith<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> though he may fright thee, as he did his Di&s;ciples, the cloud will be over again, only thou mu&s;t wait for him; he knoweth what it is to be without the light of his Fathers countenance as well as thou, and he knoweth what thou can&s;t bear; therefore be not di&s;couraged man: and be&s;ide, thou ha&s;t his promi&s;e for it, only look to it, that thou fear him, that thou put not forth thy hand to iniquity, that thou &s;ay not with that wicked King, <HI>Why &s;hould I wait for the Lord any longer? he that &s;hall come, will come, in the be&s;t &s;ea&s;on.</HI> When the mercy will be mo&s;t &s;weet and &s;ea&s;onable, him&s;elf may have mo&s;t glory by it, and thy &s;oul mo&s;t refre&s;hing.</P>
<P>O but &s;aith another, I am not healed I doubt then, for alas, I find, though haply I break not out as before, to uncleanne&s;s actually; yet I have eyes full of adultery &s;till, I find the di&s;po&s;iti|ons, and inclinations, and yieldings of my heart &s;trong to mine own iniquity &s;till, &s;ome to one and &s;ome to another. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">or an&s;wer to this: Is this thy burthen, thy grief that it is &s;o? do&s;t thou loath thy <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">elf for it? do&s;t thou hate it? would&s;t thou fain have it rooted up? thou art healed in the greate&s;t part, there is the core fetched up from the bottom, though the wound be not altogether healed up, it is the work of longer time then haply God hath been dealing with thy &s;oul; but be of good chear man, lay thy &s;elf under the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s, labour to improve the Co|venant of grace, wherein he &s;hines mo&s;t gloriou&s;ly; he hath promi&s;ed he will circumci&s;e thine heart, and thou &s;halt be able to love the Lord with all thine heart, and that he will &s;ubdue all ini|quity <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 30. 6.</NOTE> for thee; and &s;ee if he be not as good as his word in his own time, which is the be&s;t time.</P>
<P><PB N="478" REF="306">
We have already endeavoured to open the main promi&s;e in this bundle, and apply it, with what advantage the Lord and your own hearts can tell; you have heard at large that Je&s;us Chri&s;t is a Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s, and that he will ari<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e with heal|ing in his wings upon them that fear him. So that there is Chri&s;t promi&s;ed, light, and heat, and healing, reviving and quickning promi&s;ed, and through him. And now we are come to &s;peak to the liberty which is promi&s;ed with Chri&s;t, which is none of the lea&s;t con&s;iderable Appendices of our ju&s;tification through his blood, and though you have not long &s;ince heard &s;omewhat up|on this &s;ubject, however, if you hear but the &s;ame things, the Spirit of the Lord may breath where and when it plea&s;eth, we may meet with him &s;ometimes in hearing the &s;ame things, that at another time he hath not been found in.</P>
<P>&mdash;<HI>And ye &s;hall go forth:</HI> This is principally, as I told you, &s;poken to the Jew; to the Jew fir&s;t, but al&s;o to the Gentile; as all the Go&s;pel promi&s;es, they were fir&s;t preached to the chil|dren of the Kingdom, when the Gentiles were &s;trangers from <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2. 13. 2 Cor. 1. 20.</NOTE> the Covenant of promi&s;es; but now the Lord hath made them nigh in the blood of his Son that were afar off; in Chri&s;t all the promi&s;es are Yea and Amen to them, as well as to the Jews; I told you at the fir&s;t, that we are not to confine promi&s;es made to times and per&s;ons, except by unavoidable nece<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ity, where the matter promi&s;ed is &s;uch, and the promi&s;e &s;uch as can agree to no other time or per&s;on; no per&s;ons or peoples condition can become like to theirs to whom the promi&s;e is made, or are not capable of the thing promi&s;ed, as the promi&s;e of the Me&s;&s;iah to come of <HI>David; and that in</HI> Abrahams <HI>&s;eed all the Nations of the earth &s;hould be ble&s;&s;ed,</HI> &amp;c. therefore this is a promi&s;e concerning all the people of God, as their conditions become alike, yea all that fear the Lord in any of the&s;e &s;en&s;es we have already &s;poken to.</P>
<P>By going forth here, &s;ome under&s;tand, a going forth of this life, or a going out of the grave, which is a pri&s;on indeed to &s;ome, though not properly &s;o to the Saints, but a place of repo&s;e until the appearing of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; So <HI>Alap.</HI> citing <HI>Tert.</HI> and <HI>Jer.</HI> the rea&s;on is, becau&s;e they took that which is &s;poken of the day of the Lord in the foregoing ver&s;e, of the day of Judgement, <HI>That day which &s;hould burn as an Oven;</HI> but I do rather con|ceive that it is not meant of the day of the la&s;t Judge|ment,
<PB N="479" REF="306">
but the day of the fearfull de&s;olations of <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> out of which yet the Lord did deliver and &s;ave his own people; and the rather I conceive &s;o, becau&s;e of the growing up like Calves of the Stall, promi&s;ed afterward: now if that be the day, there is no room then to grow any higher, to &s;pread any further, but as the tree is cut down &s;o it lies; there is then in the words a pro|mi&s;e of an inlargement from under re&s;traint, wherewith their &s;pi|rits were bound up, as I may &s;ay, and were impri&s;oned, and this we &s;hall &s;ee (I hope) is very great; only take here the note of ob|&s;ervation from the words.</P>
<P><HI>The Lord Je&s;us ri&s;ing upon a &s;oul, brings inlargement to that &s;oul</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Doctrine.</NOTE> <HI>or people,</HI> ye &s;hall go forth. <HI>For the pro&s;ecution of this I &s;hall pro|po&s;e this Method. Fir&s;t, give you the</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>the</HI> quod, <HI>that it is &s;o, Secondly, the</HI> quid, <HI>what this inlargement is which cometh&punc; along with Je&s;us Chri&s;t to a Believer. Thirdly, the</HI> quare <HI>why it is &s;o: And Fourthly, the &V;&s;e of the Point.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t then for proof of this, peru&s;e a Text or two in that E|vangelical Prophet, who doth very eminently hold out Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>I the Lord have called thee in righteou&s;ne&s;s:</HI> there is the Call of Chri&s;t: <HI>And I will hold thee by thine hand,</HI> or, <HI>hold thine hand:</HI> there is the &s;upport of Chri&s;t in that great work: and will keep thee, <HI>and give thee for a Covenant to the people; for a light of the Gentiles:</HI> He is indeed the Spirits of the Covenant; the marrow of the Go&s;pel; the very Spirits of all the promi&s;es is Chri&s;t; the &s;peech is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">igurative. Well, but what is he to do? <HI>To open the blinde eyes; to bring out the pri&s;oners from the pri&s;on,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 42. 7.</NOTE> <HI>and them that &s;it in darkne&s;s out of the pri&s;on-hou&s;e.</HI> Minde you therefore, the Lord Je&s;us was willing, as I may &s;ay, to be impri|&s;oned in our body, if I may &s;o &s;ay; or if not, in other re&s;pects he was in pri&s;on, that he might &s;et his people free, bring them out of the pri&s;on: even as <HI>Paul</HI> when he might, would not go free, except they came and fetched them out of pri&s;on. So here, &s;inners would never go out, except the Lord Je&s;us came and fetched them out. A Prince for Rebellion ca&s;ts his Subjects in|to pri&s;on, in the dungeon, there they lie, and would lie and rot there, their &s;tomack is &s;o great, they will not ask for deliver|ance; nay, if they would, they cannot &s;et them&s;elves free; the
<PB N="480" REF="307">
Prince cometh with his own hands, knocks off the bolts, breaks the bars &amp; gates, and bids them follow him: &s;o the Lord Je&s;us doth for &s;inners. So again, in that place of <HI>John, If the Son make you</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. 32.</NOTE> <HI>free, ye &s;hall be free indeed:</HI> there is much liberty and freedom, and you will not hear of your being in bondage; but &s;aith our Saviour, to &s;et at Liberty is not the work of every one: it is the Son that only can make you free; and if he make you free, you &s;hall be free indeed. The Lord Je&s;us you know came into the world, not only to <HI>work out &s;alvation</HI> for his people, but to preach the &s;alvation he did work out: not only to &s;hed his blood, but to preach remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins through his blood, as the Apo&s;tle hath it, <HI>How &s;hall we e&s;cape, if we neglect &s;o great &s;alvation?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2. 3.</NOTE> Which at the fir&s;t began to be &s;poken to us by the Lord, and after|ward by tho&s;e that heard him: &s;o that he him&s;elf preached &s;al|vation; he him&s;elf did work it out, for no other name is given un|der heaven: now he preacheth this as a main part, <HI>The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, becau&s;e he hath anointed me to preach good ti|dings unto the meek, he hath &s;ent me to binde up the broken hearted;</HI> He was anointed, there is his Office; and becau&s;e anointed as a Prophet to preach it, therefore the Spirit of the Lord was up|on him, poured out without mea&s;ure, he was gifted and fitted for it; which though &s;ome under&s;tand of <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> as well as of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> yet of <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> but as the type: Well then, to <HI>proclaim</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 61. 1.</NOTE> <HI>liberty to the Captives,</HI> and <HI>the opening of the Pri&s;on to them that are bound.</HI> Now &s;urely if this be the &s;ub&s;tance of his preaching, where he cometh and revealeth him&s;elf inwardly to a &s;oul, in a &s;oul, giveth him&s;elf to a &s;oul, there mu&s;t needs be a going forth out of the pri&s;on, out of the bondage, wherein the poor &s;oul was held: &s;o we have it in that place, &s;aith the Lord again, even as in <HI>chap.</HI> 42. &s;o <HI>chap.</HI> 49. of <HI>I&s;aiah, I will pre&s;erve thee, and give thee for a Covenant of the people, &amp;c. That thou maye&s;t &s;ay to the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 49. 8. &amp; 9.</NOTE> <HI>pri&s;oners go forth, to them that &s;tand in darkne&s;s, &s;hew your &s;elves:</HI> and it is no more with God but <HI>dictum ac factum,</HI> his words are operative words; mark you, they &s;hall Go forth when the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s ari&s;eth upon them; his Commi&s;&s;ion is his work, for to &s;ay to the Pri&s;oners, <HI>Go forth;</HI> if he bid <HI>Lazarus</HI> come forth, he cometh forth; he calls the things that are not, as if they were; commands light out of darkne&s;s, and &s;o commands Deliverance and Liberty for his poor people that are bound: I
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hope none will &s;ay this is all Old Te&s;tament proof; for this is Go&s;pel as clear as the Sun, and to take away all ground of a ca|vil, read but <HI>Luke,</HI> and you &s;hall finde this is the very Text our Saviour preacheth upon to the Jews; tells them, that day this Text was fulfilled, that is to &s;ay, that he was the anointed of the Lord; the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, becau&s;e he was ap|pointed to preach the Go&s;pel to the poor, to heal the broken heart|ed, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of &s;ight <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 4. 18. &amp; 21.</NOTE> to the blinde, and to &s;et at liberty them that are brui&s;ed; but I may not wa&s;t any more time, it is but burning day light to hold a candle to the Sun: It is written with a Sun-beam, except you &s;hut your eyes you mu&s;t needs &s;ee it.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing, Is the <HI>quod,</HI> what this inlargement, or freedom is that is here promi&s;ed? and truly this is a large que|&s;tion, and wherein mo&s;t of our work will lie: each of us in the general acknowledge a &s;lavery, a bondage we are under, from which the Lord Je&s;us doth &s;peak to his people to go forth, yea brings them forth; but we have not a di&s;tinct under&s;tanding of it: and alas, I am the meane&s;t of them, who make it their work to pre&s;erve knowledge; yet as I have received, I &s;hall endeavour &s;omewhat this-way to open the nature of this liberty.</P>
<P>That we may the more clearly proceed, we mu&s;t di&s;tingui&s;h of freedom or liberty into Civil and Spiritual; Civil, is a freedom of ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s per&s;on from &s;ervitude of men, &s;o that he &s;hall no more be under <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he yoke; and thus the Jews mi&s;under&s;tood our Saviour when he &s;pake of freedom; <HI>If the Son do make you free, you &s;hall be free indeed:</HI> why &s;aid they, <HI>We are the &s;eed of Abraham,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 8. 33.</NOTE> we are free-born, and we never were in bondage to any man; they meant &s;ure they were never particularly &s;old for &s;er|vants to any, el&s;e bred in bondage to any to be their &s;ervants, not meaning their publick &s;tate, but private, el&s;e they much did forget them&s;elves; for they had often been in captivity and bon|dage, as in <HI>Egypt</HI> and <HI>Babylon,</HI> and at pre&s;ent under the <HI>Romans;</HI> but this is not the liberty we chiefly aim at, nor may we extend it to this bondage, any further then it is a cur&s;e: now we know the Apo&s;tle tels us, that if a man be called, being a &s;ervant, care not for it, for &s;uch an one is the Lord his Free-man, neither bond <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">or free: is there any difference? they are all one in Chri&s;t; therefore our Saviour did not come to break all yokes off the
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neck of Servants, or to deliver all &s;uch relations; no, but it is meant here &s;urely of a &s;piritual Liberty, a freedom of the &s;oul from its thraldom; nay him&s;elf cometh to be a &s;ervant; did he not rather &s;anctifie &s;uch a condition and relation then abo|li&s;h it?</P>
<P>Secondly, Then taking it for &s;piritual Liberty, that is to &s;ay, a freedom from Spiritual evils, the &s;ubjection whereunto is a bon|dage to the poor creature; we mu&s;t know yet further, that we may take it either in a larger, or in a more re&s;trained &s;en&s;e; in a more re&s;trained, only for that liberty and freedom which the Saints have ever had through the Lord Je&s;us, &s;ince the Covenant of Grace was preached to them, and they clo&s;ed with it; for we mu&s;t know that ever before Chri&s;t came in the fle&s;h, Believers believed in him to come; they had a liberty through him as to the main parts of it, and nece&s;&s;arily to &s;alvation, though haply not in that degree that now ordinarily Believers indeed have that freedom: but there were &s;ome yoaks upon them then, which now we are delivered from, they are broken from off the necks of the Saints; yea, and &s;uch as were pinching yoaks indeed, but yet le&s;s con&s;iderable by far, then tho&s;e from which they were de|livered and &s;et free; &s;o that now we &s;ee there is a larger liberty, and more glorious, which the &s;ons of God have; which will bet|ter appear when we come to &s;peak to the parts of it, only this I thought good to premi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e, lo&s;t any &s;hould think that liberty be|gan only when Chri&s;t was revealed in the fle&s;h; for it was the &s;malle&s;t part that then was added, though, I &s;ay, the other li|berty from the &s;ore condemning, de&s;troying bondage of the &s;oul they had before, haply is now heightned to believers; and &s;o much by way of premi&s;e.</P>
<P>For the opening of this &s;piritual Liberty, we &s;hall con&s;ider, 1. Its Subject. 2. Its Cau&s;es. 3. Its Parts, exten&s;ive and inten|&s;ive, if we may &s;o &s;peak, that is to &s;ay, the degrees of it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then for the &s;ubject of this Liberty, they are all Chri&s;ti|ans that are &s;o indeed; therefore it is called Chri&s;tian Liberty, not only from Chri&s;t the Author, but from the Subjects, they are Chri&s;tians, Believers, both <HI>Jews</HI> and <HI>Gentiles,</HI> Bond or Free, Male or Female: <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, which is above, is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4. 24.</NOTE> free, which is the Mother of us all; all &s;uch then as receive the Go&s;pel, as the poor are &s;aid to do, all tho&s;e upon whom the Sun
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of righteou&s;ne&s;s doth ari&s;e, they are &s;et free, they do go forth: for the partial &s;ubject of this liberty, that will better appear when we come to &s;peak of the parts of this liberty; &s;ome are for the free|ing the minde, &s;ome the will, &s;ome the con&s;cience, &s;ome the whole man, but of this afterward.</P>
<P>Secondly, Then for the cau&s;es of this liberty which is here promi&s;ed, we &s;hall &s;peak to &s;ome of them.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, The principal efficient cau&s;e is, the Father, Son, and Spirit; the work of the Trinity <HI>ad extra,</HI> are individed: the Father it is that cals us to liberty; <HI>Ye are called to liberty,</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>u&s;e it not as a cloke to the fle&s;h. I marvel</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5. 13. c. 1. 6.</NOTE> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>that you are &s;o &s;oon removed from him who hath called you into the Grace of Chri&s;t unto another Go&s;pel.</HI> The Apo&s;tle meaneth the calling to liberty, which he cals the Grace of Chri&s;t; and that Doctrine of the fal&s;e teachers that would &s;ub|ject them again to the Law and Ceremonies, and to that bondage, &s;ubvert their liberty, he cals it another Go&s;pel. And for the Son, we have it: <HI>If the Son make you free, you &s;hall be free in|deed; and &s;tand fa&s;t in the liberty wherewith Chri&s;t hath made you</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 8. 36.</NOTE> <HI>free:</HI> fal&s;e Brethren came to &s;py out our liberty, which we have in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, that they might bring us into bondage. And for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal 5. 1. c. 2. 4.</NOTE> the Spirit, it is as clear: <HI>The Law of the Spirit of life in Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death:</HI> the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 2.</NOTE> mighty, powerful working of the Spirit, is called the Law of the Spirit, as the powerful operation of Sin, is called the Law of Sin; and &s;o in that place, <HI>where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liber|ty:</HI> and &s;o the Spirit of Adoption it is, that &s;uccedeth the Spi|rit <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 3. 17. Rom. 8. 15.</NOTE> of Bondage, and &s;etteth us free from that Bondage.</P>
<P>Secondly, The impul&s;ive cau&s;e is meerly his <GAP DESC="foreign">, his good plea&s;ure, yea, his tender mercy, his bowels: So it is in the Ori|ginal, <HI>The bowels of our God, whereby the day-&s;pring from on high hath vi&s;ited us:</HI> there is the ari&s;ing of the Sun of rightou&s;ne&s;s upon <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 1. 74.</NOTE> us, and the effect of it you have before: <HI>That we being delivered from the hands of all our enemies, might &s;erve him without fear in holine&s;s and righteou&s;ne&s;s, &amp;c.</HI> It is not mi&s;ery is the mo|tive only, el&s;e he would do it for all as well as &s;ome, for we are all of us in the &s;ame bondage naturally, one as well as ano|ther.</P>
<P>Thirdly, The meritorious cau&s;e is the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t,
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no le&s;s then the blood of the Kings &s;on is the price of the liberty of poor Slaves in bondage: this mu&s;t needs be tender mercy in|deed, rich love indeed: &s;o &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>That through death he might de&s;troy him that hath the power of death, that is, the Devil:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2. 14.</NOTE> no le&s;s then a Kings ran&s;om is paid for the liberty of every poor creature that is made free, and therefore he took upon him fle&s;h and blood; becau&s;e the children were partakers of the &s;ame, that he might die for them, and to deliver them that for fear of death were in bondage all their life-time, of which more afterward; we are now &s;peaking to the meritorious cau&s;e the price of his pre|tious mercy, even the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Fourthly, The means of conferring or conveiging this liberty to poor Sinners, is the Go&s;pel of liberty, the Covenant of Grace held out in the Go&s;pel is the means; and this is plain in many places; As in that of <HI>I&s;aiah, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 61. 1.</NOTE> <HI>therefore he hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the Captives:</HI> if <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 42. 7.</NOTE> ever any preaching was the Go&s;pel, Chri&s;ts preaching was, and the Covenant, who him&s;elf was given to be the Covenant to the people: &s;ure he would preach nothing but that, or in &s;ubordina|tion to that, as he doth preach the Law too, as would ea&s;ily appear: but we may not digre&s;s: and &s;o in tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> other place of <HI>Luke,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 4. 18.</NOTE> where either that or &s;ome of the fore-cited places in <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> are quoted: <HI>Ye &s;hall know the truth,</HI> (&s;aith our Saviour) <HI>and the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 8. 32.</NOTE> <HI>truth &s;hall make you free:</HI> by truth there, I take it is not meant indefinitely, any truth whatever, no, nor a &s;criptural truth, but the Go&s;pel of truth, which is called the truth: <HI>Grace and Truth came by Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> it is &s;uch a truth, &s;o pure and precious: <HI>For his word is like Silver tryed and purified &s;even times:</HI> (that is <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 12. 6, 7.</NOTE> to &s;ay) his Promi&s;e, therefore he concludeth, <HI>That the Lord will keep them, he will pre&s;erve them for ever:</HI> and &s;o pretious, &s;o confirmed by miracles, that all other truth &s;carce de&s;erveth the name of truth in compari&s;on of it: either it is not &s;o pure, but hath &s;ome dro&s;s, or el&s;e not &s;o pretious. O they are preti|ous Promi&s;es indeed! as the &s;oul knoweth right-well, when he cometh to &s;tand in need of a Promi&s;e, and the &s;weetne&s;s of it he &s;ucks out, and it letteth down the &s;weetne&s;s of it upon the &s;oul; but take a parallel Scripture to &s;hew that Go&s;pel is called the truth: The Apo&s;tle &s;peaks plainly, <HI>For the hope which is laid up
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for you in heaven, whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the Go&s;pel:</HI> and again to the <HI>Ephe&s;ians, In whom al&s;o ye tru&s;t|ed,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1. 5. ver. 13.</NOTE> <HI>after that ye heard the word of truth, the Go&s;pel of your &s;alva|tion, in whom al&s;o after ye believed, ye were &s;ealed with the holy Spirit of Promi&s;e.</HI> So that this is the truth then, the knowledge whereof &s;hall make us free; where the Spirit of Chri&s;t is, there is liberty; that is clear, as you heard before; Now how is the Spirit given but by the Go&s;pel? <HI>Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of Faith?</HI> which is that hearing of Faith <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3. 2.</NOTE> by the Word of Truth; the foregoing Ver&s;e, even that which held forth a crucified Chri&s;t to them, hearing of Faith, not the rumour of Faith, but hearing is &s;uch an hearing, as whereby a man believeth; and Faith by a Metonymie, is put for the Word of Faith, as the Go&s;pel is called &s;ometimes, becau&s;e Faith there|by is begotten; now by this the Spirit is received, and therefore liberty cometh; and therefore the Go&s;pel is called <HI>the mini&s;tration</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 3. 8.</NOTE> <HI>of the Spirit,</HI> in that place of the Apo&s;tle, becau&s;e therewith the Spirit is given and mini&s;tred to poor creatures; whereas the Law works Bondage and Wrath, <HI>Therefore Jeru&s;alem is free, which is above;</HI> (that is to &s;ay) the Church builded upon the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 4. 15.</NOTE> Covenant of Grace is free, is the Mother of us all, but enough of this; The Go&s;pel is the outward in&s;trumental cau&s;e.</P>
<P>Fifthly, the inward in&s;trumental cau&s;e or Con. as &s;ome will have <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3. 2.</NOTE> it, which I &s;hall not now di&s;pute; that is faith, whereby we clo&s;e with this Covenant; it is the Word of Faith and hearing of Faith, (that is to &s;ay) of the Go&s;pel, &s;o as to work Faith, whereby the Spi|rit is given which brings liberty to the &s;oul. Alas, many hear the Go&s;pel of liberty which we preach, and few do receive it, few believe it; for it appeareth by woful experience, we are yet in bondage, we have never gone forth to this day, many of us, though we have had as much preaching of the Go&s;pel as any other; <HI>Jeru&s;alem that now is,</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle cals it) <HI>was in bondage</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4. 25.</NOTE> <HI>then,</HI> though they had the Go&s;pel preached among them a great while, they believed not; except the Spirit therein be con|veyed, the Go&s;pel is but a dead letter as well as the Law, and a deadly letter al&s;o: and &s;o much for the cau&s;es of this liberty or freedom which cometh by Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>The third thing under this head, is the parts of this liberty or freedom, which we &s;hall con&s;ider two ways. Fir&s;t, Exten&s;ively,
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in their latitude<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> And &s;econdly, Inten&s;ively, in the degrees of each of the&s;e parts in its latitude. But that we may the better under&s;tand it, we mu&s;t know that liberty is a relative, and re&s;pecteth &s;ome bondage, &s;ome impri&s;oning or &s;hutting up, from which this liber|ty is a deliverance, <HI>ye &s;hall go forth:</HI> and therefore to &s;et off the lu&s;tre of this glorious liberty, it may not be ami&s;s to run a paral|lel between them. That there is &s;uch a bondage under which every poor creature without Chri&s;t, is held, we &s;hall at pre&s;ent pre&s;uppo&s;e, though afterward haply I &s;hall come to prove it: I would not here too far digre&s;s before we come to &s;peak of the parts of the bondage, to which the parts of liberty will be oppo&s;ite and corre&s;pondent. I &s;hall &s;ay in a few words, &s;omething to the Author of this Bondage and Tenure of it, and but a word or two.</P>
<P>For the Author of this bondage under which poor creatures are without Chri&s;t altogether; and in part al&s;o many times when they are under Chri&s;t, and under Grace.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Some part of it is to be a&s;cribed to the Lord, &s;o far forth as it is meerly vindictive, or an inflicting of a ju&s;t penalty upon Sinners for &s;in, &s;o far we may a&s;cribe it to God, as will more plainly appear in the following Con&s;iderations. <HI>The Law</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4. 24.</NOTE> <HI>which genders to Bondage, it is his Law, and holy, and ju&s;t and good, though it gender to Bondage:</HI> nor will it follow, becau&s;e we are delivered form it, therefore it was an evil in it &s;elf, but only <HI>per accidens,</HI> by rea&s;on of our corruption, and &s;o the Spirit of Bondage which in &s;ome is vindictive, when he binds and ham|pers a Sinner with the cords of his &s;in, haply never intending that he &s;hall &s;ee through tho&s;e terrors to his comfort; this is from him, and ju&s;tly; or el&s;e if it be in order to a &s;ettlement, to a peace, to an Adoption, a Son&s;hip through Chri&s;t, as pre|parative to the receiving of Chri&s;t, this is from him; and &s;o &s;everal other parts of it are from him under this Con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>Secondly, But &s;o far forth as any part of it is &s;inful, there it is from Satan, and from our own evil hearts: for darkne&s;s cannot come from the light, nor can any thing unclean come from that which is altogether pure, no more then a clean thing can pro|ceed from an unclean, as the bondage under &s;in, which more at large afterward we &s;hall di&s;cu&s;s.</P>
<P>Secondly, For the tenure: for being in bondage, we are in
<PB N="487" REF="310">
bondage to &s;ome per&s;on properly; to &s;ome thing impro|perly, and by a kind of <HI>Pro&s;opopeia</HI> we are &s;aid to be in &s;uch a bondage; now there is &s;ome Tenure (as I may &s;ay) wherein they do hold us in bondage, there are three or four tenures (if I may &s;o call them) whereby we are thus held under Bondage, until Je&s;us Chri&s;t come to &s;et us free. Fir&s;t, A Sale&punc; Secondly, By Birth. Thirdly, By Captivity or Conque&s;t. Fourthly, By Tyranny and re&s;ignation of them&s;elves up to &s;uch a va&s;&s;allage: but a word or two to each of them.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, There is a Bondage by Captivity, when People are taken Captives; this is &s;o common, there is none can be ig|norant of it. What are the <HI>Turks</HI> Gally-&s;laves but the prey of their piracies? all is fi&s;h that cometh to the net; &s;o it is in this ca&s;e; This is one Part of the Tenure, we are taken captive by Satan even at his plea&s;ure; <HI>Of whom a man is overcome, of the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2. 16&punc;</NOTE> <HI>&s;ame is he brought in bondage;</HI> this is the military Law, the Pri|&s;oners were ever the Conquerours &s;laves; we have &s;een it but too evidently with our own eyes, we have born witne&s;s to it in our dayes, wherein there hath been &s;o much leading into ca|ptivity, and &s;o much complaining in our Land; So Satan he <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 144. 14.</NOTE> hath overcome us in our fir&s;t Parents, we were overcome, and ever &s;ince he holds fa&s;t his hold he had of us; and though he let Sinners enjoy a little chain &s;ometimes, &s;o that they are ready to think they are at liberty, yet alas he takes them alive at his plea|&s;ure; <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2. 26.</NOTE> you &s;ee a bea&s;t of prey &s;ometimes &s;o &s;portful as to play with the prey, and, let it go a little, it runs, and thinketh it is free; but alas all this while it is under the command of the bea&s;t of prey; as <HI>Pharoah</HI> would let <HI>I&s;rael</HI> go, &s;o they would not go far, he fetcheth them in when he plea&s;eth.</P>
<P>Secondly, There is al&s;o a Bondage by Sale, as you know <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> was &s;old into Egypt for a &s;ervant; and nothing more ordi|nary then &s;elling and buying of &s;ervants; he is bought with thy money, &s;aith God to <HI>Abraham, Gen.</HI> 17. 12. &amp; 13. (di&s;tin|gui&s;hing of &s;ervants) he mu&s;t needs be circumci&s;ed, whereby it appears, they had a more ab&s;olute power over them, then they had over other Servants bought of any &s;tranger, which is not of thy &s;eed; thy bond-men and thy bond-maids &s;hall be of the Hea|then, not of thy brethren, <HI>Of them &s;hall ye buy bond-men and bond-maids, Levit.</HI> 25. 44. The&s;e were to be even as a Po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion
<PB N="488" REF="311">
to them, <HI>ver.</HI> 25. and their power was &s;o ab&s;olute over them, that though they &s;mote them with the hand or a rod, &s;o <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 21. 21.</NOTE> that they died, if they continued a day or two before, they mu&s;t not be puni&s;hed for it, for they were their money, which was &s;omewhat an hard bondage to them; truly brethren, thus it is, <HI>We are &s;old under &s;in,</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith) &s;peaking of him&s;elf, who <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 14.</NOTE> was not altogether freed from this bondage, he was &s;old under &s;in, being carnal, (that is to &s;ay) in part, as in that fir&s;t of the <HI>Corin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hians, They are called carnal, that were as Babes in Chri&s;t;</HI> &s;o far as &s;in prevailed, &s;o far the bondage did appear, he was &s;old in the fir&s;t tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion. Now there is another &s;elling where|by a man doth &s;ell him&s;elf to commit wickedne&s;s, as you know <HI>Ahab</HI> did. <HI>Paul</HI> did not now &s;ell him&s;elf, but was under the former &s;ale, and in &s;uch a bondage he could by no means alto|gether <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 21. 20.</NOTE> free him&s;elf from; he could not &s;hake off his chains and weights that did hang upon him by rea&s;on of this bondage; but now Sinners, they &s;ell them&s;elves. Such as <HI>Ahab, Ha&s;t thou found me, O mine enemy?</HI> &s;aith he to <HI>Elijah: I have found thee, becau&s;e thou ha&s;t &s;old thy &s;elf to work wickedne&s;s in the &s;ight of the Lord; and &s;o the I&s;raelites are &s;aid to &s;ell them&s;elves to do evil in the &s;ight of the Lord, making their Sons and Daughters pa&s;s through fire, &amp;c.</HI> Now by this Sale, the Sinner pa&s;&s;eth him&s;elf over into the power of him that buyeth him, yet more and more fully. <HI>Quod venditur, tran&s;it in pote&s;tate ementis:</HI> The Devil knew the mean|e&s;t of his, the price he pays, a little plea&s;ure of &s;in, a little profit; he cares not how often there be a bargain between him and the &s;oul of a Sinner; a man that for a little pelf will venture and hazard his &s;oul, he &s;hall have it, or el&s;e it &s;hall co&s;t the Devil a fall; I &s;peak not of Witches &s;elling them&s;elves to Satan, for the accompli&s;hment of &s;ome lu&s;t, to &s;atisfie &s;ome di&s;|content, but of every lew and wicked Sinner; he little knoweth what he doth, that goeth on in a cour&s;e of Sin; every new tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion and &s;atisfaction to the fle&s;h is a new price, (as I may &s;ay) laid down in your hands for your &s;ouls to become &s;laves to the Devil. O how many times hath he bought many of us! and have we &s;old our &s;elves to do evil in the &s;ight of the Lord? the ambitious man for the &s;atisfaction of his lu&s;t, &s;els him&s;elf to commit wickedne&s;s; as the covetous you &s;ee in <HI>Ahab,</HI> to have his de&s;ire, would not &s;tick to murther, to
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&s;uborn witne&s;&s;es to &s;wear fal&s;ly; the ambitious per&s;on would not care to &s;wim through a Sea of blood to the Throne, they are &s;laves to the wor&s;t of Tyrants, a lu&s;t; it would make a man tremble to read the fearful things that are done upon this ac|count, &s;pecially by the <HI>Ottomans,</HI> the great Turk, who rivits him|&s;elf in the Imperial Throne, with the bones of his murthered brethren, as one expre&s;&s;eth it. O how dear a rate do men give, who &s;ell their precious &s;ouls for a &s;purt of plea&s;ure, for the plea|&s;ures of &s;in for a &s;ea&s;on, they are not alway in &s;ea&s;on neither; or a little profit of &s;in, a little unju&s;t gain, they pay not twenty, nor an hundred years purcha&s;e, but if the Lord do not intervene with the purcha&s;e of the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, they pay eternity for it, and when they have &s;o &s;old their &s;ouls to commit wickedne&s;s, what can they give, or what would they give in exchange for their &s;ouls again? a world full of honours, and plea&s;ures, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 16. 26.</NOTE> profits then, alas, would be nothing to part with, if they might but have them redeemed, when it is too late; this is another way whereby &s;inners come into bondage.</P>
<P>Thirdly, By brith al&s;o there is a bondage; as you know the children of them who were taken captives were captives, they were &s;old them&s;elves, that were &s;old, and with them their chil|dren, therefore &s;uch &s;ervants as the I&s;raelites bought with money, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 14. 14.</NOTE> how many &s;o ever they did beget in their families, they were all &s;ervants and bond-men; &s;o <HI>Abraham</HI> had &s;o many &s;ervants train|ed, born in his own hou&s;e, 318. <HI>I had &s;ervants born in mine hou&s;e,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Solomon.</HI> The I&s;raelites indeed, if they did &s;ell them|&s;elves through poverty, or became &s;ervants, they did continue <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 2. 7.</NOTE> until the year of jubilee, but mu&s;t not be ruled over with rigor, as they might rule over &s;trangers, nor mu&s;t be kept as bond-men for ever; but the &s;trangers they might buy of them, and leave them as a po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion for ever to their children, that is to &s;ay, both them and their children; they might buy, and &s;o &s;ell them again, and leave them to their children, and therefore all born in &s;uch a condition were bond-&s;ervants; &s;o we find in that place when our Saviour told them they &s;hould be free indeed, if the Son made <NOTE PLACE="marg">Lev. 25. 46.</NOTE> them free; why &s;aid they, <HI>We are</HI> Abrahams <HI>&s;eed, and never were in bondage by birth;</HI> we are free, not as the &s;eed of the <HI>Canaanites,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 8. 33.</NOTE> who were bond-men, and they never were in bondage to any, they were not &s;old as &s;ervants; poor blind creatures could &s;ee no <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2. 12.</NOTE>
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further then a civil bondage or liberty. Now truly Brethren, thus we are all of us bond-men and women by birth, being all &s;trangers from the Common-wealth of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and Covenant of promi&s;es (as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks) they are the children of the pro|mi&s;e only, that are free. We are all the children of wrath by na|ture, not a mothers child of us free-born; if any by nature &s;hould have been free-born, &s;urely the &s;eed of <HI>Abrah<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">m</HI> according to the fle&s;h; but our Saviour tells them their liberty was but imagi|nary; if the Son did make them free, they &s;hould be free indeed; this is the third.</P>
<P>Fourthly, by tenure and u&s;urpation there is a bondage al&s;o; as we &s;ee it in the ca&s;e of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> in <HI>Egypt,</HI> they were bond-men in <HI>Egypt,</HI> and they made them &s;erve a hard bondage, it is called <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 1. 13.</NOTE> <HI>the hou&s;e of bondage;</HI> they made them &s;erve with rigour, &s;o &s;aith the text, in all manner of &s;ervice; the de&s;ign of the King being to weary them out by degrees, and yet to advantage him&s;elf by their &s;ervice, while they were wearying out, this was their wi&s;e dealing with them, le&s;t they &s;hould be too hard for them; and truly of this nature is the bondage wherein the people of God them&s;elves are in part, though the Devil have no title to them, the price being paid for them to the ju&s;tice of the Father, yet he as a tyrannical <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aylor, loath to let them go, and therefore he loads them with chains, laies heavy temptations upon them, and &s;in rageth to lo&s;e its &s;ervant, and therefore tyrannizeth, <HI>and the Law in the members carryeth captive to the Law of &s;in,</HI> and this is one great grief to the poor child of God, that though &s;in do not raign in their mortal bodies, yet it tyrannizeth over them, and with a &s;trong hand many times holds them down, &s;o as that they are not able to &s;tir hand nor foot: but more of this afterwards.</P>
<P>Now for the parts of this bondage, with which the parts of that liberty or freedom we are to &s;peak of will run parallel: We &s;hall devide this bondage into the&s;e two general parts, it is either to &s;in, or el&s;e to the black concomitants, which are very many; we &s;hall particularize &s;ome of them, and thereby our liberty will the more plainly appear.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then for &s;in, it is clear we are in bondage to &s;in, either to|tally or in part, all of us by nature altogether in bondage, for we are &s;old under &s;in; and though it be true, that &s;in is only a
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privation of good, and di&s;po&s;ition to evil, and &s;o properly can|not be &s;aid to rule over us, yet by a <HI>pro&s;opopeia</HI> we are &s;aid to be in bondage to it, therefore we are &s;aid to <HI>be &s;old under &s;in;</HI> &s;old <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 14.</NOTE> under it, and therefore in Scripture it is, that &s;in is called an old man, corrupt according to deceitful lu&s;ts, and this old man it is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 22.</NOTE> that hath the poor &s;inner under his power, and ruleth him with &s;ubtilty. O they are deceitful lu&s;ts, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">he coun&s;els of &s;in, the fetches, and tricks, and devices, depths and methods of a &s;inful heart, who knoweth Brethren? he carryeth it &s;o &s;lily, that many think them|&s;elves <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2. 29.</NOTE> at liberty, as free-men as any the world hath, yea &s;o free, as to promi&s;e to others liberty, and yet them&s;elves in the mean time are the &s;ervants of &s;in; and not only &s;o, but the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> are Laws of &s;in which carry a &s;trength with them, and the poor creature under them mu&s;t obey them; and the&s;e Laws are nothing el&s;e but the wills of the fle&s;h, as the Apo&s;tle calls them, an arbitray <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2. 3.</NOTE> government here beginneth and takes it ri&s;e. <HI>Hoc volo, &s;ic ju|beo,</HI> &amp;c. &s;aith the imperious per&s;on. If a &s;inner begin to que&s;tion what rea&s;on there is in &s;uch an act, he is prompt|ed to &s;in, bloweth out the candle; <HI>hoc volo,</HI> &amp;c. let my will be a rea&s;on, I will have it &s;o. So many lu&s;ts, &s;o many wills, and is it <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 17.</NOTE> not a bondage to be under the&s;e? Ye were, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, the &s;ervants of &s;in, but now ye have obeyed from the heart the form of Doctrine delivered unto you; and &s;o in &s;everal other places: <HI>who&s;oever committeth &s;in,</HI> &s;aith our Saviour, <HI>is the &s;ervant of &s;in.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 8. 34.</NOTE> You talk of being <HI>Abrahams</HI> &s;eed, and never being in bondage, this is nothing to my purpo&s;e, I &s;peak of a bondage to &s;in, and he that commits it is the &s;ervant of it; he that works it indu&s;tri|ou&s;ly, is a drudge to his lu&s;ts, as alas, how many of us are? and he that curiou&s;ly works it is an Arti&s;t. O with what art can &s;ome <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 13. 14.</NOTE> mon lye, and cheat, and cozen, and play the hypocrites! the&s;e are the &s;ervants of &s;in. O when one fulfills the lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h, and of the mind, maketh provi&s;ion for the fle&s;h to &s;atisfie the lu&s;ts thereof! This man is a &s;ervant of &s;in: the lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h, the lu&s;t of the eye, the pride of life, the love of profits, the love of plea&s;ures, and the love of pride, when men give them&s;elves up to &s;atisfie the&s;e, &s;tudy their lu&s;ts, how to fulfill them, this is a bondage under &s;in with a witne&s;s.</P>
<P>Now ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord, the God and Father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who hath delivered us, as many as believe, from
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this bondage, &s;o the Apo&s;tle breaks out pathetically, <HI>Thanks be</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 17, 18.</NOTE> <HI>to God that ye were the &s;ervants of &s;in, but ye have obeyed from the heart the form of Doctrine delivered unto you;</HI> now &s;aith he; <HI>be|ing made free from &s;in, ye became the &s;ervants of righteou&s;ne&s;s;</HI> and this is &s;et forth by our death to &s;in; <HI>ye are dead,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle to the <HI>Col. and your life is hid with Chri&s;t in God;</HI> now death <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3. 3. Iob 3. 19.</NOTE> puts an end to all bondage <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> as <HI>Job</HI> &s;peaking of it, <HI>the &s;mall and great are there in the grave, and the &s;ervant is free from his Ma&s;ter. A woman,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle (&s;peaking of &s;in, of the Law with re&s;pect to &s;in, as afterward we &s;hall &s;peak &s;omewhat) <HI>&s;he is bound to her husband as long as he liveth, but if he be dead, then &s;he is free.</HI> So it is in this ca&s;e, death breaks all the iron yoaks and bra|zen gates, therefore &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>he that is dead is freed from</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 7.</NOTE> <HI>&s;in;</HI> not as the vulgar and &s;ome read, <HI>is ju&s;tified,</HI> as if our <HI>ju&s;ti|fication</HI> and <HI>&s;anctification</HI> were confounded; for here the Apo&s;tle is &s;peaking of our Sanctification, or the death of &s;in, crucifying the old man, of being buried with Chri&s;t in body, and &s;o dead to &s;in; now &s;aith he, he that is dead, is free from &s;in; the Con. is comprehended in the Antecedent, he is freed actually from &s;in, <HI>Sin &s;hall not have dominion over you,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>no iniquity &s;hall have dominion over you.</HI> Thus believers are freed from &s;in, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 14.</NOTE> whereas before we were under a cruel bondage; you that have ex|perience of this liberty, what it is to be freed from your former lu&s;ts which you &s;erved, fooli&s;h and hurtful lu&s;ts; the Lord teach you to prize it. <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6. 9.</NOTE></P>
<P>But &s;econdly, now for the Con. of this bondage to &s;in, there are many and very dreadful, which every poor &s;inner is under, which are al&s;o as parts of this bondage.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, hence it is that we are in bondage unto Satan, that we are under his power, that we are in bondage by nature to him, as the Jaylor, it is clear, the Spirit that now rules in the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2. 2.</NOTE> hearts of the children of di&s;obedience: he rules there, &s;etteth up his throne there; &amp; &s;ervice to &s;uch a Ma&s;ter cannot be a freedom, but a bondage, a cruel one. A Ma&s;ter that delights now natural|ly in nothing but mi&s;chief; though it be but to &s;wine, yet he <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2. 26.</NOTE> would do mi&s;chief, much more then to poor &s;inners; and there|fore he is &s;aid <HI>to lead captive poor creatures at his plea&s;ure, to take them alive;</HI> and indeed, it is the Devil that binds the pinching yoak upon us, his loins are laid upon the back of a poor &s;inner,
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and his being the Tyrant, doth help the former <HI>pro&s;opopeia,</HI> whereby bondage is a&s;cribed to fo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, <HI>Zech.</HI> 1. 15. <HI>the heathen helped forward;</HI> &amp;c. Not as if &s;in would not work and keep the creature in &s;ubjection, or were a dead Law of it &s;elf, and mu&s;t have a Prince, a King to put it into act; no, no, if there were no Devil to aggravate our bondage, we &s;hould find the rage of lu&s;t very great, and their commands very peremptory, but yet however he is not idle, he &s;tirreth up, and endeavoureth to en|rage our lu&s;ts more and more; the Devil &s;tirred up <HI>David</HI> to number the people: Why alas, <HI>David</HI> had that pride and fle&s;hly confidence in him that was ready enough to provoke him to it, but the Devil helped it forward, his concurrence with &s;in maketh it the more powerful; as the Spirit of the Lord acting our graces, &s;o doth the Devil al&s;o, though with &s;ome difference, act our cor|ruption: was it not the Devil that filled <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 5.</NOTE> their hearts? he had filled them as his throne, and &s;o had laid the commands of &s;in, of their lu&s;t, of their carnal fears, that they were over-born by them: and &s;o he entred into <HI>Judas</HI> after the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 22. 3.</NOTE> &s;op: he came to our Saviour, and he found nothing in him, and yet he would vex him with his temptations notwith&s;tanding: but alas for us, he can come within us, he hath matter enough to work upon, and he can come within us to the very fancy, and there &s;ecretly work: now the Saints, they are delivered from this Con. which is a part of the bondage al&s;o; he rules no more in them, for they are not the children of di&s;obedience; our Saviour &s;aw when the Go&s;pel went forth to be preached, Satan falling like lightening from heaven, he came down with a witne&s;s, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10. 18.</NOTE> was dethroned, ca&s;t out: the &s;trong man armed holds all in quiet po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, that is to &s;ay, Satan holds the heart of poor &s;inners quietly, while he hath his armour, their ignorance, and this car|nal rea&s;onings, and corrupt affections, and &s;tubborn wills, while <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk 11. 21, 22.</NOTE> the&s;e are his, he is &s;afe enough; but now let the Lord Je&s;us come and take away the armour, change the heart of a poor creature, and then alas, he is &s;poyled of all; therefore he is &s;aid to &s;poil principalities &amp; powers, &amp; to make an open &s;hew of them. So that he hath led captive; taking captivity actively or pa&s;&s;ively: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2. 15.</NOTE> actively, he hath led him that did lead his people captive, now <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 8.</NOTE> captive him&s;elf: or el&s;e pa&s;&s;ively, tho&s;e were led captive by Satan; now the Lord Je&s;us hath captivated them to him&s;elf, brought
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them under his own dominion. Satan cannot now any more challenge them as his own, nor rule over them as his &s;laves, and this is another piece of this liberty, <HI>to go forth of the paw of this Lyon, the jaws of this rouring Lyon, that goeth about &s;eeking whom he may devour.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, another part of this bondage is the guilt of &s;in, which is an obnoxiou&s;ne&s;s to the wrath and di&s;plea&s;ure of God, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh 3. 18, 36.</NOTE> whether the creature <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eeth it, or &s;eeth it not, he is under condem|nation, his guilt is the Obligation which bindeth him over to an|&s;wer it at the great day of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as you &s;ee offenders are bound over to an&s;wer it at the A&s;&s;izes or Se&s;&s;ions; this is guilts work in re&s;pect of the &s;oul; now we look upon a guilty per&s;on that is bound over as a pri&s;oner, if he go under bayl he is under a bondage by rea&s;on of this guilt. So it is here, the Law of God <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3. 23.</NOTE> is that which &s;huts up a &s;inner, as it is in that place of the Apo&s;tle; &s;o that we are, as I may &s;ay, in pri&s;on; and a man under guilt, whether he &s;leep, or whether he wake, he is a guilty per&s;on and under bondage; &s;pecially, if it proceed &s;o far as to a condemna|tion, as it is in this ca&s;e, every unbeliever is condemned already in the Court of Scripture; for God doth mannage in this liberty concernments of our &s;ouls by a Law, by a Law he acquitteth or condemneth, and &s;o unbelievers are under this bondage al&s;o; from this now every child of God is &s;et free, <HI>there is no condemna|tion to them that are in Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> their guilt is done away, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 1.</NOTE> their &s;urety hath &s;atisfied ju&s;tice, hath paid the debt, laid down the price, and therefore all being cleared, the poor creature is &s;et free from that part of his bondage. Is not this an un&s;peakable freedom to have all the guilt of our &s;ins that ever we commtited taken away? but this is but the &s;econd.</P>
<P>Thirdly, another Con<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> is this, the darkne&s;s which from &s;in ari&s;eth, and is, as I may &s;ay, chains upon the &s;oul, and no &s;mall part of this bondage; Dungeons you know are u&s;ually dark places, and therefore darkne&s;s is put for the pri&s;on, &s;ome|times, as a <HI>Synonyma,</HI> to bring out the pri&s;oners out of pri&s;on, in that place of <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> and them that &s;it in darkne&s;s out of the pri&s;on-hou&s;e; and &s;o again, <HI>that thou mai&s;t &s;ay to the pri&s;oners, go</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 40. 7.</NOTE> <HI>forth; and to them that are in darkne&s;s, &s;hew your &s;elves:</HI> The dark|ne&s;s you know impri&s;oned them in <HI>Egypt,</HI> no man &s;tirred out of his place, none went forth nor came in by rea&s;on of the dark|ne&s;s;
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and &s;o the night impri&s;oneth men, &s;hutteth up their works and employments, <HI>night cometh when no man can work,</HI> which is the night of darkne&s;s, by removing the Go&s;pel; or el&s;e the night of death: Now when the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s ari&s;eth upon a &s;oul, he &s;hall go forth of this darkne&s;s or pri&s;on.</P>
<P>Here it will be enquired what is meant by this darkne&s;s, which is a part of this bondage. Fir&s;t, by darkne&s;s, I mean a &s;tate of ignorance; <HI>gro&s;s darkne&s;s covereth the earth,</HI> &s;aith the Prophet; <HI>ye were &s;ometimes darkne&s;s, but now are ye light in the Lord;</HI> that is to &s;ay, &s;o dark as that nothing but the ab&s;tract would <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5. 8.</NOTE> &s;uffice to &s;et forth their condition. Now truly, ignorance may well be lookt upon as a bondage, for it is the very beginning, the principal of all our bondage, and therefore when the Lord &s;peaks of delivering a poor &s;inner from the power of &s;in, he &s;aith, <HI>who hath delivered us from the power of darkne&s;s, and tran&s;lated us</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1. 13.</NOTE> <HI>into the Kingdom of his dear Son:</HI> mind you, <HI>from the power of darkne&s;s,</HI> darkne&s;s is the power of Satan, he is the Prince of the power of darkne&s;s, as &s;ome render that place: were it not that &s;inners are blind-folded, do you think they would be led by <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph 2. 2.</NOTE> Satan into &s;o many horrid things? O if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; <HI>Father forgive them, they know not what they do.</HI> Alas, the <HI>Panther</HI> hideth his head when he allureth the bea&s;ts, the &s;weetne&s;s of his &s;mell, or beauty of his <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 23. 34.</NOTE> skin, only the <HI>Drag</HI> is &s;aid to flie from him, <HI>I&s;id. li.</HI> 12. 2. See <HI>Mead</HI> upon <HI>Revel.</HI> p. 2. p. 52. Alas, they &s;ee not the head, which is ready to affright them and devour them; and not only is it the ground of this bondage, but of all the re&s;t; how cometh it to pa&s;s that poor &s;ouls are plunged into &s;uch de&s;perate gulfs of de&s;pairing, and &s;uch breaking bondage in that kind, but becau&s;e they are held in ignorance, they do not come to know the Father and Je&s;us Chri&s;t whom he hath &s;ent, he keepeth them in ignorance of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">John 17.</NOTE> promi&s;es, the &s;weet and precious promi&s;es of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. O dear friends, it is impo&s;&s;ible, were it not for our ignorance of that love of God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and that riches, exceeding riches of grace that is in him, and his thoughts that are above our thoughts, that there &s;hould be &s;o many cloudings, &s;uch fear|ful plunges as many poor &s;ouls are put unto, yea many times even after they are once delivered from them; why now I &s;ay, when the Lord Je&s;us cometh, ari&s;eth upon a &s;oul as the Sun of righteou&s;|ne&s;s,
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he di&s;pels this ignorance, di&s;covers &s;in in its own colours, and indeed wor&s;e it cannot be &s;et forth in; therefore the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, that <HI>&s;in might appear to be &s;in;</HI> and then he opens the trea|&s;uries <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 13.</NOTE> of the Promi&s;es of the Covenant of Grace, to let a poor &s;inner &s;ee there is enough for him there: though his &s;ins be great, yet mercy is tran&s;cendantly greater: if he have mountains to be covered, the Lord hath a &s;ea to &s;wallow them up; if multi|tudes of &s;in, there is multitude of mercies: there is love, which will cover a multitude; and &s;o by di&s;covering him&s;elf thus, and our &s;elves to our &s;elves, he by degrees &s;etteth the creature at Li|berty from tho&s;e fearfull apprehen&s;ions of God, and from that delight in &s;in, which formerly he had taken; &s;o that now no longer will he &s;erve it. But a little more&punc; plainly, take a Scripture or two for it, in that of <HI>I&s;aiah, To proclaim liberty to the captives, the opening of the pri&s;on to them that are bound;</HI> the opening of <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;al. 61. 1.</NOTE> the pri&s;on, &s;ome read it &s;o, and &s;o do our Tran&s;lators, though it is acknowledged by the learned among us, that the latter is no where el&s;e u&s;ed in this &s;en&s;e for the pri&s;on, nor for the prey, as &s;ome others u&s;e it; and therefore &s;ome do take the word to be but one, and render it <HI>om<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">im<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">do apertionem,</HI> &s;o that the doubling of the Letters here are Emphatical, and by way of <GAP DESC="foreign">, though then <HI>Manaph</HI> here remaineth as a difficulty, for words &s;o doubled u&s;e not to be &s;o joyned together: &s;o that &s;ome would have it here nothing el&s;e, but a very large opening of their eyes, and &s;ay that it is u&s;ed mo&s;t properly, if not con&s;tantly, of the opening of the eyes: and &s;urely this is the way of Gods deliver|ing his Captives, and agreeable to the text here; the Sun ari&s;ing in the morning opens the eyes, &s;etteth the &s;en&s;es at liberty from <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;al. 42. 7.</NOTE> that pri&s;on of darkne&s;s they were in in the night; and el&s;ewhere it is manife&s;t in that of <HI>Luke 4. 18. To preach deliverance to the captives,</HI> and <HI>recovering of &s;ight to the blinde:</HI> and again the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>The Lord loo&s;eth the Pri&s;oners, he openeth the eyes of the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 146. 8.</NOTE> <HI>blinde;</HI> therefore <HI>Paul</HI> was &s;ent to open the eyes of the blinde, and turn them from the power of <HI>Satan</HI> to God, and from dark|ne&s;s <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 26. 8.</NOTE> to light; for we mu&s;t know that this bondage is of the &s;oul, the faculties thereof, and chiefly the will: Now the Lord when he cometh to deliver us, dealeth with us as with men; and there|fore, fir&s;t opens the eyes of the mind, and draweth us with the cords of a man, with arguments over-powring our rea&s;on, and
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then, with the cords of love, &s;weetly thereby inclining our hearts, and bowing our wills, and then the poor creature come|eth forth out of this bondage; before we &s;ee we are in pri&s;on, or &s;ee the loath&s;omne&s;s of it, the darkne&s;s of it, we are in love with it, and will not go forth.</P>
<P>But Secondly, This darkne&s;s comprehendeth another, and that is Error, or rather this ari&s;eth from the other, and therefore we &s;hall &s;peak to it apart, <HI>Ye err, not knowing the Scripture, nor the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 22. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>power of God;</HI> he &s;aith not, ye err, not knowing immediate Re|velations, but not knowing the Scripture; for there the light is in the Lanthorn, if we will behold it; now this error, of what kind it will be, it is a &s;nare of the Devil, and therefore it is a bondage. The Apo&s;tle there &s;peaks of Heretical Doctrine, held by &s;uch as do perver&s;ly oppo&s;e them&s;elves again&s;t the Mini&s;ters of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who hold out the truth as it is in Je&s;us. He &s;heweth how <HI>Timothy</HI> is to carry him&s;elf to them, in meekne&s;s, in&s;tructing them that oppo&s;e them&s;elves; if God peradventure will give them repentance, to the acknowledgement of the truth; Re|pentance is a turning from &s;in to God, and to the contrary <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> Grace or Vertue, and that is the acknowledgement of the truth; therefore their &s;in was &s;ome corruption of the truth, and that they may recover them&s;elves out of the &s;nare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will, out of the &s;nare of the de|vil; a &s;ad &s;nare it is: if the devil can but get &s;o far within a man as to dazle his eyes, to blinde them, he may lead them whither he will; if he can but corrupt their judgement, e&s;pecially in funda|mentals or practicals, then they are his own, they are fa&s;t enough, he carryeth them captive, takes them alive even at his plea&s;ure. Now our liberty from this part of bondage al&s;o is by the ari&s;ing of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 16. 13. Ioh. 1. 2, 20.</NOTE> the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s upon us; the Spirit maketh us free, as he is a &s;pirit leading his people into the truth; not only the notion, but the practi&s;e of it al&s;o; &amp; we have an anointing, whereby we know all things, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, &s;peaking of Antichri&s;t: it is needle<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s for me to &s;peak to you of him, you have an anointing will teach you to avoid th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e his errors: O happy is that &s;oul, that hath &s;uch a Guide! &s;uch a Leader to lead him forth out of pri&s;on; even as the Angel went before <HI>Peter,</HI> el&s;e between &s;leep and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 12. 18.</NOTE> wake, hope and fear, he might haply have mi&s;t his way. So the Lord Je&s;us cometh and giveth his Spirit, and bids the &s;oul go
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forth: alas, whether &s;hould they go? they know not the way, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 14. 6.</NOTE> as <HI>Thomas</HI> &s;aid; why &s;aith he, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ollow me, I will lead you, as he in his word hath therein revealed him&s;elf, and maketh it out by his Spirit to his people.</P>
<P>Fifthly, There is another part of bondage, under a &s;lavi&s;h obedience, that is to &s;ay, &s;uch an obedience to the Law of God, as nothing but a &s;lavi&s;h fear is the principle of it; and truly, this puts on men to do many things; they know it is written, <HI>Cur&s;ed is</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3. 10.</NOTE> <HI>he that continueth not in every thing that is written in the book of the Law to do it:</HI> Now this &s;ticks with the poor &s;oul, God re|quireth me to love him with all my heart, with all my &s;oul, with all my &s;trength; and if I do not, I am cur&s;ed; therefore now he buckles a little to it, as far as &s;uch terrors will carry him; but alas, he is not able to do it; like a &s;lave that doth his task, while his Ma&s;ter &s;tands over him with a rod; or becau&s;e he is &s;ure to be beaten, if he do it not; not out of any love to the Ma&s;ter, nor to his &s;ervice at all, what a grievous bondage is this? Let but any Apprentice, that hath a hard Ma&s;ter, whom he &s;erveth meer|ly out of fear, as the Egyptians did their task, becau&s;e if they did them not, they mu&s;t be beaten: and this maketh the yoke very heavy and unea&s;ie, al&s;o it pincheth exceedingly. Now when the Lord Je&s;us cometh to a &s;oul, he breaks this yoke, the Law <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4. 24. &amp; 3. 13.</NOTE> genders to bondage; the cur&s;e of it hath the very &s;eeds of bon|dage in it: Now I &s;ay when the Lord Je&s;us cometh, ari&s;eth upon a &s;oul, letteth him &s;ee that he hath undertaken for him, not only the cur&s;e of the Law, being made a cur&s;e, but hath &s;et his love upon him, hath paid all the debt, will take him to be his &s;on, no more as a &s;ervant; O now when the &s;oul beginneth to be &s;en&s;ible his condition is changed, that he is a Son, and now hath not a cruel hard Ma&s;ter to &s;erve, but a Father that will pity and &s;pare where he falleth &s;hort of his duty, let him do his be&s;t; this doth much facilitate the work, maketh the yoke ea&s;ie, and the burden <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 11. 28.</NOTE> light, his Commandments are no more &s;o grievous to the &s;oul, as they were before: Now the Law of Chri&s;t is a perfect Law of Liberty to him; before it was a Law gendring bondage; for alas, before it was only preached to the ear, and that under the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 1. 25.</NOTE> penalty of &s;uch a cur&s;e, now it is written in the heart; now there is an eccho in the &s;oul re&s;ounding, <HI>Thy will Lord will I do,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;al. 40.</NOTE> when he &s;peaks any thing; as the Law of love was upon the
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heart of Chri&s;t, in the work of our Redemption; now his Law is in our hearts, and therefore we delight to do his will in &s;ome mea&s;ure, <HI>I delight in the Law of God after the inward man,</HI> as the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 22.</NOTE> Apo&s;tle &s;aith; as a Servant it may be for a while under his Ma&s;ter hardly u&s;ed, yet afterward he changeth his manner of dealing with him, offers him great immunities, it may be, to be of a Ser|vant, Son in Law to the King: O now the Servant will be bo|red, he will now become a willing &s;ervant, and not be dragged to obedience by terrors and fears any more, but willingly yieldeth up his members weapons of righteou&s;ne&s;s to holine&s;s: now the <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 40. 6. Exod. 21. 5. &amp; 6. Rom. 6. 19. P&s;al 110. Rom. 6. 17.</NOTE> &s;ervice is hearty and free; his people &s;hall be a willing people in the day of his power: O &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Ye were the &s;ervants of &s;in, but now thanks be to God, ye have from the heart obeyed the form of doctrine delivered to you:</HI> from the heart, that is to &s;ay, out of love, it cannot el&s;e well be from the heart; for whom we dread with a &s;lavi&s;h fear, we hate, and while the &s;oul looks up|on God, as &s;uch a Judge, as a cruel Ma&s;ter, and his Law a cruel, bloody Law, nothing but blood and ruine to them that come not up unto it, there is a hatred of God, it is impo&s;&s;ible to love him, or his &s;ervice; and then the &s;ervice &s;uch a man doth, it is not from the heart; a man may &s;erve &s;in, and yet do &s;ome &s;ervice to God out of a &s;lavi&s;h fear, as mo&s;t unbelievers do; therefore they pray, and therefore they read, and therefore they do many things, and yet &s;erve &s;in; but they never obey from the heart, until this work be done, the Law of love be written in their &s;ouls: now you &s;hall go forth, you &s;hall obey no more out of fear, but out of love: this is a Fifth.</P>
<P>Sixthly, From the terrors and fears before a mans conver&s;ion, which u&s;ually &s;eize upon the creature, in order to it; for truly, before the Lord hath to do with our hearts, we are &s;o dead a&s;leep with the opium of &s;in, that there mu&s;t be &s;omewhat to rou&s;e us, to awaken us; u&s;ually there is a &s;pirit of bondage, which works fear and dread, and terror in the &s;oul, that is to &s;ay, when the Spirit of Chri&s;t, breathing in the Commandment, maketh &s;in ap|pear to be &s;in, exceeding &s;infull, and opens &s;ome of the terrors which &s;in doth breed in it, witne&s;&s;eth to the poor creature, that he is in a &s;tate of condemnation, that there is no way but one with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 15.</NOTE> him: O now the &s;oul beginneth to be amazed, and &s;tartled, and knoweth not what to do! this runs him to the heart: he had
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many afflictions and troubles in the fle&s;h before, never any came &s;o near as this; and no marvel, becau&s;e the Spirit&punc; of Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath wounded him at the very heart. Brethren, the Law of God is, as I may &s;ay, an <HI>Habeas Corpus,</HI> or rather <HI>Animam,</HI> appre|hends, or claps up a &s;oul, as I may &s;ay, puts him in pri&s;on; and therefore the Apo&s;tle u&s;eth that expre&s;&s;ion; mind you, the Scri|pture hath concluded all under &s;in <GAP DESC="foreign"> hath &s;hut us up together, all concluded under one pri&s;on&punc; in one dungeon, that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3. 23.</NOTE> the promi&s;e, which is of Faith of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, might be given to them that believe; but before Faith came, we were kept under the Law: I pray you minde it, we were kept as in a Garri&s;on, as the Learned interpret it, <GAP DESC="foreign">; and again, <GAP DESC="foreign">, be|ing &s;hut up together unto the Faith, which &s;hould afterward be revealed: it is ju&s;t as it is with a Prince, he proclaimeth Pardon to all his Rebellious Subjects, but withall he &s;endeth out his Me&s;|&s;engers, his Pur&s;uivants, to apprehend, throw in pri&s;on, keep un|der Bolts and Shakles as many of them as he can apprehend; this is not contrary to his mercy, nor proclamation of Pardon, but in order to it, &s;ubordinate to it, that &s;o his Pardon, offered might be accepted, they might &s;ue for it: So it is here, the Law doth thus &s;hut up a &s;oul, as I may &s;ay; as when there is an High-way open for a man to walk in, but he will go another way, there it is hedged up; at la&s;t he is &s;o hedged in, he cannot tell which way in the world to get out again: O then! if he could but finde the open way, he would go in it: So it is in this ca&s;e, the Lord ma|keth this terror and this bondage a means to their inlargement. Ah ble&s;&s;ed Pri&s;on! that is only to make poor creatures willing to be at liberty; well, now this the Lord Je&s;us when he cometh and revealeth him&s;elf to a &s;oul, he brings him out of the&s;e la|byrinths of fears and terrors; letteth the poor creature &s;ee, that him&s;elf is the way, and the only way; he hath undertaken the work for his people, only if they will believe, though they have no &s;trength in them to do any thing, nor to extricate them&s;elves from the difficulties they find them&s;elves in, by rea&s;on they can|not fulfil the Law; yet he is the mighty one upon whom help is laid, and withal letteth them under&s;tand how his bowels do yern over them, and how his heart is open, ready to inlarge them; and &s;o per&s;wadeth them to clo&s;e with him; and then they go forth when faith cometh; &s;o Chri&s;t is the end of the Law, and the
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<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aw a School-Ma&s;ter to bring us to Chri&s;t: But that is but the Sixth.</P>
<P>Seventhly, Another part of this bondage, is tho&s;e after-claps of fears and terrours, that after Chri&s;t hath been revealed to, and in a &s;oul, may befall the creature; alas, you find it &s;o, they may be clapt up afterward in the pit of noi&s;e, the horrible pit, and be in the deeps, and in darkne&s;s; and like <HI>Jeremiahs</HI> dunge|on, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 40. 2.</NOTE> &s;ink in the mire, where there is no &s;tanding, they feel no bottom of their mi&s;ery, their fears are overwhelming; or like <HI>Jonahs</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 88. 6.</NOTE> Whales belly, they are in the belly of hell, and all the waves and billows of God go over them: O this is &s;ore bondage! however it be true, that the Spirit of God is never any more a &s;pirit of bondage to them, to witne&s;s to them they are children of wrath <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 16.</NOTE> afterward, yet he doth not &s;ay but they may have bondage again; and all fear hath torment, and is bondage to the Spirit, it doth fetter it, and &s;hut up and contract the &s;pirits exceeding|ly. Now I &s;ay, the darkne&s;s of a mans own heart, which doth naturally gender, fear, and Satan to help, and the frowns of Gods di&s;plea&s;ure for the pre&s;ent, though he do not witne&s;s any more that a man is a child of eternal wrath and di&s;plea&s;ure, the&s;e may bring the poor creature into &s;ad perplexities; Well, yet the Spirit of the Lord Je&s;us when he cometh, brings al&s;o liberty with him from this bondage; <HI>David</HI> will tel you &s;o; and <HI>Heman</HI> will tell you &s;o: do but con&s;ider what conditions they were in? how came they to be delivered? <HI>O lift up the light of thy countena nce upon me;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 4. 15.</NOTE> Son of God ari&s;e upon me, &s;hine upon my &s;oul, and then I &s;hall be healed. <HI>O re&s;tore to me the joy of thy &s;alvation, make me&punc; to hear joy and gladne&s;s,</HI> &amp;c. Well, the Promi&s;e doth extend even to this bondage al&s;o, and to this may we refer the next: I will &s;peak of it di&s;tinctly.</P>
<P>Eightly, There is another Bondage, and that is the fears of death and judgement, whereby many a poor creature is kept in Bondage all the days of their lives; (as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith in that to the <HI>Hebrews)</HI> to which I will &s;peak a few words; <HI>He came;</HI> (&s;aith the Text) <HI>and took part of fle&s;h and blood, that through death be might de&s;troy him that hath the power of death</HI> (that is to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2. 14.</NOTE> &s;ay, the Devil) <HI>and deliver them that through fear of death were all their life-time &s;ubject to Bondage.</HI> Brethren, death it &s;elf is a terrible thing, the <HI>Simplex</HI> could &s;ay, but hardly could he
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tell the rea&s;on of it; for them that have no fear of God before their eyes, but have put out the eye of rea&s;on, and live like Bea&s;ts, giving up them&s;elves to commit wickedne&s;s with greedine&s;s, though while they can keep off the apprehen&s;ions of death, they may go on merrily, but when that &s;eizeth upon them, it marrs their mirth, it maketh a change in their faces, and they are not: now truly death is not &s;o terrible in it &s;elf con&s;idered, but that the &s;toutne&s;s of a mans &s;pirit, &s;pecially where there is no other con&s;ideration of it, he may overcome it, and live above the fears of it, as the Heathens &s;ome of them did; but now a man that knoweth indeed what death is, not only a di&s;&s;o|lution of the union between the &s;oul and body, taking down this mouldring Tabernacle, but a Serpent with a &s;ting it is, where <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1. 15. 5, 6.</NOTE> &s;in and guilt lies upon the &s;oul; it is the beginning of &s;orrows, the arre&s;t of the &s;oul to judgement to come, to receive its doom for all its bloody evils he hath been guilty of. The wordling is not willing to give up his &s;oul, O he knoweth, he can never an|&s;wer for his wa&s;ting of his &s;pirits, and &s;pending his time to lay up trea&s;ure here, and in the mean time neglecting his &s;oul and Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and tenders of Grace; he knoweth this well enough, and therefore he will not yield up his Spirit, they &s;hall take it from him, as it is in the Parable; <HI>This night &s;hall thy &s;oul be taken from thee:</HI> and &s;o for any other &s;in; and now I &s;ay this maketh death <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 12. 20.</NOTE> terrible, and by rea&s;on of the&s;e fears of death, men that have any &s;ight or &s;en&s;e of their condition, they are in Bondage all their lives long, yea, even the people of God them&s;elves are in &s;ome mea&s;ure under this bondage; and according to the mea&s;ure of the di&s;covery of Chri&s;t to them, and the power of faith in them, is this fear, and this bondage broken, and the Lord Je&s;us came for this end, to deliver them: alas, before his coming the Saints may be &s;pecially meant here, who had indeed the knowledge of Chri&s;t to be crucified for Sinners, and beheld him crucified, though darkly in the &s;acrifices, &amp;c. and in the promi&s;e from the foundation of the world, but yet notwith&s;tanding they had not that confidence u&s;ually, but there was more room for doubtings and fears, becau&s;e they died &s;till without the accompli&s;hing of that promi&s;e; now though &s;uch as had an extraordinary mea|&s;ure of faith and a prophetical &s;pirit, might &s;ee this clearly, and &s;o it might rai&s;e them much what above this bondage, yet ordina|rily
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I believe it was not &s;o, that they had &s;uch clear conviction of the freene&s;s of grace, and the abundance and riches of it in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and therefore it did not &s;o f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lly quiet their Spirits in re&s;pect of fears of death and judgement, they did not &s;o clearly &s;ee the &s;ting pluckt out; therefore the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, tho&s;e Sacri|fices, though they did hold out Chri&s;t, could not make the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 1. &amp; 14.</NOTE> comers thereunto perfect, and therefore they were often repeat|ed; But now the Lord Je&s;us he hath by once offering, for ever perfected, compleated their &s;alvation, and therefore you &s;hall find, that the Apo&s;tle and others do &s;o triumph over death, and the grave, and &s;in, as we hardly find any before the coming of <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15. 56.</NOTE> Chri&s;t; and it mu&s;t needs be &s;o, becau&s;e now the Spirit, which is the liberty of the Saints was poured out in a greater mea&s;ure, and therefore we may under&s;tand this of a general &s;tate of the Saints before the coming of Chri&s;t; the ari&s;ing of this Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s indeed, hath &s;hone into the very chambers of death them&s;elves, to let us &s;ee tha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> there is not that real terrour in it, that otherwi&s;e, except him&s;elf had gone through it, and broken the bars of it, and pluckt out the &s;ting, and &s;anctified it as a pa&s;&s;age to our Glory as well as to his own, we &s;hould &s;till have been in as great bondage as they were in this re&s;pect, and there|fore <HI>Simeon</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Lord, now lette&s;t thou thy &s;ervant depart in peace according to thy word:</HI> now he had embraced the Lord <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 2. 29.</NOTE> Chri&s;t not only in his bodily arms, but had a clearer di&s;covery al&s;o of him to his &s;oul doubtle&s;s: and the &s;ence may help faith al&s;o.</P>
<P>But then &s;econdly, According to the mea&s;ure of the faith of his people is the degree of their liberty from this bondage; alas, it is terrible to many of us, yea, &s;uch as do believe; but their faith is weak, and the per&s;wa&s;ions of &s;en&s;e are &s;trong, and hold down the &s;oul many times, but the Lord Je&s;us came to deliver his people al&s;o from this bondage, and according to the degrees of his manife&s;ting him&s;elfto the &s;oul, will the &s;oul go forth from the&s;e fears: and though <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> died doubtful whither he &s;hould go, and yet cried out, <HI>Ens entium, &amp; cau&s;a cau&s;arum mi&s;erere mei;</HI> Yet the Apo&s;tle, and tho&s;e that attained that pitch, <HI>to know that when our tabernacles are di&s;&s;olved, we have an hou&s;e eternal in the heavens:</HI> to know, <HI>the &s;ting of death, and victory of the grave is &s;wallowed up by Je|&s;us</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 1.</NOTE> <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> it left its &s;ting in his &s;ide; to know that when we
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are di&s;&s;olved, we &s;hall be with Chri&s;t; and know how much better that will be to the &s;oul, that is well &s;tudied in the&s;e things, and grown &s;trong in the faith that is in Je&s;us, he will de|&s;ire to be di&s;&s;olved and to be with Je&s;us; O here is a going forth now, a liberty and freedom indeed, by the ari&s;ing of the Sun of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 1. 23.</NOTE> Righteou&s;ne&s;s upon us.</P>
<P>Ninthly, A freedom or liberty from the Govenant of works; What &s;aith the Law? <HI>Do this and live: continue in every thing that is written;</HI> now when the &s;oul cometh to &s;ee how &s;pirittual the Law is, and how earnal he is, and &s;old under &s;in, that it binds not only the thoughts, but the de&s;ires of the heart, that there mu&s;t not be &s;o much as a vain thought pa&s;s through his &s;oul, but if there do, this Covenant knoweth no mercy; alas, this keep|eth the poor creature under much bondage, and trouble, and doubting concerning his condition; now we mu&s;t know that this is not a bondage of Gods putting upon us, (though he gave us the Law) but of our own making; the Lord gave the Law with Evangelical purpo&s;es, it was added becau&s;e of tran&s;|gre&s;&s;ion; it was added, that the Covenant of Grace, that it might convince poor creatures of their condition by &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n, and not to be their Saviour, or a Covenant of life to them; <HI>When the Commandment came, &s;in revived, and I died:</HI> (&s;aith the A|po&s;tle) <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal 3. 19.</NOTE> that is the work of it indeed; but now we would needs make it to be a Covenant of works, and look upon it &s;o: and there|fore do what we did in obedience to this Law as for life, expecting to be &s;aved by our own works: and &s;o the Hebrews, the Jews to whom that Law was fir&s;t given: we &s;ee, how they would not &s;ub|mit, they would not &s;toop to have this yoke taken off from them, they would not &s;ubmit to the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Ged, but would have a righteou&s;ne&s;s of their own; they had two &s;trings to their bow, and as long as either of them would hold, they would not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 8. 32. Rom. 10. 1, 2.</NOTE> yield to be righteous by the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God in Chri&s;t: the one was their freedom by Birth, <HI>They were the &s;eed of Abraham, and not the &s;eed of the Bond-woman,</HI> and therefore what need they care for this liberty: the other was their own works, they made account their own penny was good &s;ilver enough, though the Lord knoweth it was but reprobate &s;ilver, they went about to e&s;tabli&s;h their own righteou&s;ne&s;s, they would be ju&s;tified by a Covenant of works. And &s;o there were &s;ome that came, and
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endeavoured to turn a&s;ide the <HI>Galathians</HI> to another Go&s;pel, by teaching them they &s;hould again put their necks under this yoke, not only of Ceremonies, though that be one thing to the Jews, if not to the Gentiles, that never were under it; but it is the Law, the Moral Law, as a Covenant of Works, el&s;e to what end doth he mention the cur&s;e therein: <HI>And if ye be ju&s;tified by the Law, Chri&s;t &s;hall not profit you, you are fallen from the Do|ctrine of Grace.</HI> Well now, the Lord Je&s;us, when he is revealed to a &s;oul, delivereth him from this: though I mu&s;t tell you, it is an harder matter to get clearly off it, then many do ima|gine; and even the people of God them&s;elves &s;hall find, that too often they are turned a&s;ide to the bondwoman from the free, from the Covenant of Grace to a Covenant of Works. Again, from the Law as provoking, for that is the Bondage chiefly the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of: <HI>Rom.</HI> 7. But the more clearly and fully the Grace which is in Chri&s;t, is revealed to us, with the greater power he ari&s;eth upon us, the more fully are we &s;et free from it. Here we might di&s;cu&s;s the que&s;tion, how far we are delivered from the Law, and how far by Je&s;us Chri&s;t? I will rather re|&s;erve that to another place, and proceed to conclude this part.</P>
<P>Tenthly, There is a kind of bondage the people of God are under, even that weakne&s;s, and &s;traitne&s;s, and deadne&s;s of heart towards God: you know that &s;ickne&s;s doth weaken a man ex|ceedingly, in &s;o much that he can &s;carce go upon his legs, he is a pri&s;oner a great while under that weakne&s;s, from all action to purpo&s;e; let but a poor pri&s;oner be under hard&s;hip a while in the pri&s;on, and how feeble will he be, and &s;carce worth the ground he goeth upon? a while longer he is a pri&s;oner under that weakne&s;s, &s;o it is here; therefore &s;aith the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>Then</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. 32.</NOTE> <HI>will I run the ways of thy commandments, when thou &s;halt enlarge my heart.</HI> Now the Lord Je&s;us when he cometh in with par|don, &s;peaking peace, &s;miling upon the &s;oul, filling the heart with joy un&s;peakable, this joy of the Lord is the &s;trength of the &s;oul, he goeth forth, even as a man to his labour in the morning when the Sun ari&s;eth, that drou&s;ine&s;s, heavine&s;s, deadne&s;s under which he was a pri&s;oner before, being now removed.</P>
<P>Eleventhly, There is a liberty and freedom al&s;o from outward afflictions, for the&s;e are al&s;o an appendix of the Law, a part of the execution of it; and therefore the Lord doth &s;et his people
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free from the fear of the&s;e, before they come, which is a kind of bondage upon them. Secondly, From the pre&s;ence of them when they are come. Or Thirdly, From the evil of them, the pinching, and wringing, and galling of the yoke.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, In re&s;pect of the fear of them, <HI>They &s;hall go forth:</HI> he &s;peaks here plainly to the believing Jews, they were afraid of the judgments of God in the threatning while they did but hang over their heads, and they were in a kind of pri&s;on, or bondage by rea|&s;on of this fear; Well &s;aith the Lord, <HI>Fear not, you &s;hall go forth, the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall ari&s;e upon you. Job was afraid of his &s;orrows:</HI> take and compare <HI>Job</HI> the none-&s;uch in the Ea&s;t, a mo&s;t eminent Saint, and <HI>Paul</HI> in the New Te&s;tament: and the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 9, 28.</NOTE> one you find; <HI>he is afraid of his &s;orrows, Paul he glories in his tri|bulations,</HI> you never hear him complaining of his &s;ufferings, no nor feared them, he knew <HI>that bonds and impri&s;onments did abide him in every City,</HI> but he cared not for any of the&s;e things, he <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 20. 23.</NOTE> had a richer di&s;covrey of the Grace of God in Chri&s;t, then <HI>Job</HI> had, and clearer it is like; and therefore this &s;et him free in a great mea&s;ure from them: and indeed his &s;oul that knoweth the things that are freely given him in Chri&s;t, knoweth now that he is his Father, and what ever &s;hall befall him, it &s;hall turn to his good, what need he much to fear.</P>
<P>Secondly, They &s;hall go out from the pre&s;ence of them, this the Lord doth many times for his people what though <HI>the day of the Lord burn like an oven, and burn up the chaff and &s;tubble, and devour them root and branch, I will be an hiding place to you, &s;aith the Lord, You that fear my name indeed, and tremble at my word:</HI> O the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall ari&s;e upon you, and by vertue of his death ye &s;hall be delivered as the Jews were in <HI>Egypt, By the &s;prinkling of the blood of the Pa&s;&s;over upon the Po&s;ts of the Doors,</HI> which did repre&s;ent and typifie the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 13.</NOTE> and in that place of <HI>Z<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ch. Mark you,</HI> &s;aith the Lord, concerning his peoples Deliverance out of <HI>Babylon,</HI> a type of &s;piritual deliverance <NOTE PLACE="marg">Zech. 9. 11.</NOTE> and freedom of his people: <HI>as for thee al&s;o by the blood of the Cove|nant, I have &s;ent forth thy Pri&s;oners out of the Pit wherein there is no water;</HI> this is done by vertue of the Covenant of Grace, where|by this freedom and going forth is made out to Believers, <HI>there|fore you may ob&s;erve, when the Lord cometh to deliver I&s;rael out of Egypt,</HI> he u&s;hers it in thus. <HI>I remember my Covenant:</HI> the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 6. 5.</NOTE>
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difference between the deliverances of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> and other people are, the one is a Covenant mercy, the other a common mercy meerly. Well now &s;aith the Lord, ye &s;hall go forth of the burn|ing, even as the children in the Furnace, it burned, but they e&s;ca|ped, the Lord Je&s;us was with them, &s;o &s;hall ye go forth; and the Lord did provide a little <HI>Zoar</HI> for his people in the de&s;tructi|on of <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> many of them e&s;caped to <HI>Pella</HI> as the &s;tory go|eth, a little Town beyond <HI>Jordan;</HI> and &s;o the Lord doth &s;eal the 144000. before he brings tho&s;e bloody calamities upon the earth, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 7.</NOTE> the per&s;ecuting world, and tho&s;e in the ninth of <HI>Ezekiel, O who would not be in Covenant with God! they &s;hall go forth.</HI></P>
<P>Or thirdly, They &s;hall be freed from the de&s;troying evil, the hardening evil of affliction, which is a bondage, and a &s;ore one too, being bound in affliction and iron; and &s;o <HI>Job</HI> in the 13. ch. <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 107. 10.</NOTE> ver. 27. God writeth bitter things again&s;t him, and puts his feet in the &s;tocks, and all his affliction together is called <HI>Jobs</HI> captivity; he was, as I may &s;ay, re&s;igned up to the plea&s;ure of Satan for a while, who led him from one affliction to another, but the Lord brought him out, and brought him off without the evil, the De|vil expected that he &s;hould cur&s;e him and dye, cur&s;e him to his <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 1. 11.</NOTE> face: now I &s;ay, the Lord maketh his people go forth, brings them through; and not only &s;o, but without any of the hurt &s;eizing upon them. Sinners are the harder for being in the fire, but they are melted, as very a &s;tone as <HI>Pharaoh</HI> was, he began to burn in the fire, and be hot, and a man would have thought his heart had given, but it was a &s;tone &s;till; but his people came out melted, refined with this <HI>Epiphonema</HI> to all their afflictions. <HI>O it was good for me, I could not have been without it, much of my dro&s;s</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. 71.</NOTE> <HI>is gone by it;</HI> and thus the Lord maketh his people go forth; <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e &s;hall go forth.</HI></P>
<P>Twelfthly, There is one more, and that is the yoak of Ceremo|nies &amp; traditions of men, I will put them both together; the Cere|monies were a yoak you know, circumci&s;ion was a hard &s;ervice, to draw blood of their children at eight daies old, their journeys to their fea&s;ts at <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> their offerings and oblations, they were very chargeable, in&s;omuch that they grew weary of them, and &s;nuffed at them, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And for the Traditions of men, they are a grievous burthen where their Doctrines are taught and received; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 1. 13.</NOTE>
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the Apo&s;tle comprehends both-under that word, the rudiments of the world, whereunto he would not have them be brought in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2. 8, 20.</NOTE> bondage again, the difference of meats and drinks, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> the Lord Je&s;us hath let us loo&s;e from tho&s;e ob&s;ervations, and therefore it is a de&s;perate doctrine, a doctrine of Devils, or at lea&s;t of them that &s;peak lies in hypocri&s;ie, to forbid to marry, and command|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 4. 2, 3.</NOTE> to ab&s;tain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thank&s;giving; and ble&s;&s;ed be his name, that by the ri&s;ing of the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s among us, he hath brought us out from this bondage generally: and if he would be plea&s;ed to &s;hine among the poor ignorant Papi&s;ts, that they might but come to the knowledge of his will, doubtle&s;s this would be quickly &s;hakt off with them al&s;o, but you have the parts of this liberty.</P>
<P>For the degrees of it, we mu&s;t know this, that it is not in the &s;ame degree to every believer, you have already heard, how that before Chri&s;t's coming it was not in &s;uch power as &s;ince; <HI>Ye &s;hall go forth,</HI> hath been accompli&s;hed in many re&s;pects &s;ince the ap|pearing of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and the more faith and the clearer &s;ight we have of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, with the greater power, and &s;plendor, and glory he &s;hines upon us, the more of the riches of his grace we come to apprehend, the more fully and perfectly to re&s;t upon that grace, the more &s;hall we find that all the&s;e bondages &s;hall be broken we have been &s;peaking to; but thus much for the two things, which is, what this liber|ty is.</P>
<P>Which are the arguments for the further confirmation of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">3.</NOTE> Doctrine, <HI>Where the Lord Je&s;us ari&s;eth upon a &s;oul, there is liber|ty and enlargement.</HI></P>
<P>Fir&s;t, from the very nature of that gift of grace, the ari&s;ing of the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s upon them, what is this but the gi|ving of him&s;elf unto a &s;oul, <HI>revealing him&s;elf in the &s;oul,</HI> as the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 1. 16.</NOTE> Apo&s;tle &s;peaks, <HI>it plea&s;ed the Father to reveal his &s;on in me,</HI> by which means that darkne&s;s and terrour is taken away in great mea&s;ure; <HI>Chri&s;t is all in all:</HI> the bondage you heard before, it is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 3. 11.</NOTE> either &s;in, or the &s;ad effects of &s;in; the revelation of Chri&s;t an|&s;werably, is either for holine&s;s, or el&s;e by joy and comfort, wherein he meeteth with both the other, the guilt, the bondage he takes away, to that end <HI>him&s;elf was made &s;in, that knew no &s;in,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 21.</NOTE> <HI>that we might be made the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God in him;</HI> it is the
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power of Satan, him he overcame; yet the power of &s;in that is broken al&s;o, <HI>&s;in &s;hall not have dominion over you,</HI> &amp;c. If it be terrours, fears, what&s;oever, our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour where he maketh him&s;elf manife&s;t to a &s;oul; is enough to take away all, but this you have in effect had before, therefore no more of it here; he adopts us all, <HI>Joh.</HI> 8. 36. <GAP DESC="foreign">, was u&s;ed in &s;ome Cities in <HI>Greece,</HI> as <HI>Grot.</HI> noteth:</P>
<P>Secondly, another Argument &s;hall be this, <HI>that they might &s;erve him, therefore they &s;hall go forth;</HI> while a man is under bondage he is at the command of &s;uch as he is in bondage unto, and therefore cannot &s;erve another Ma&s;ter what&s;oever; this &s;pe|cially re&s;pecteth that part of the bondage which concerneth &s;in and Satan: when Satan had filled <HI>Ananias</HI> heart, could he obey <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 5. 1 King. 21.</NOTE> the will of Chri&s;t? No, no more could <HI>Ahab</HI> that had &s;old him|&s;elf to commit wickedne&s;s; it is impo&s;&s;ible for a man to be a &s;lave of &s;in, and a &s;ervant of Chri&s;t at the &s;ame time. I &s;peak not what a man may do for an act or two, but a man that doth work &s;in, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 8.</NOTE> labour it, hammer it in his brain, forge it there, art it and polli&s;h it, and with great dexterity, for &s;uch a man to &s;erve Chri&s;t, <HI>ye cannot &s;erve God and Mammon,</HI> &s;aith our Saviour, mentioning one lu&s;t, they are contrary one to another; When a man doth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 6. 24.</NOTE> wickedne&s;s with both hands earne&s;tly, there is never a hand left for Chri&s;t's &s;ervice; that is compleat &s;ervice indeed, when it is from the heart, as &s;eemeth by that oppo&s;ition, <HI>thanks be to God,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mic. 7. 3. Rom. 6. 17.</NOTE> <HI>that ye were the &s;ervants of &s;in, but ye have obeyed from the heart the form of Doctrine.</HI> So that the heart is the main thing, if that be gone after &s;in, we cannot &s;erve the Lord Je&s;us heartily; and then for the carka&s;s, the lip, the eye, the tongue, he matters it not; therefore fir&s;t, the Marriage-yoak mu&s;t be broken between the &s;oul and &s;in, before they can be married to another, even to the Lord Chri&s;t to &s;erve him, <HI>ye are become dead to the Law, that, ye might be married to another; when ye were the &s;ervants of &s;in, ye</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 4.</NOTE> <HI>were free from righteou&s;ne&s;s;</HI> mind you, if under the command of &s;in, you are free from righteou&s;ne&s;s, it hath no commanding <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 6. 20.</NOTE> power over you at all; and if a man be under the commanding power of Chri&s;t&punc; there &s;in hath not the command of him, we mu&s;t be dead to &s;in, and &s;o free from &s;in, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>he</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 7.</NOTE> <HI>that is dead, is free from &s;in,</HI> or el&s;e we cannot be alive to God to &s;erve him. Brethren, I know that every man would be thought
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a &s;ervant of Chri&s;t, and we look upon him as the off-&s;couring of the world, and not worthy to live among men, that would not &s;erve the Lord; poor creatures, while we are under the com|mand of &s;in it cannot be, when a man <HI>yieldeth his members in&s;tru|ments</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 19.</NOTE> <HI>of unrighteou&s;ne&s;s to unholine&s;s, and yet pretends to be a &s;er|vant of Chri&s;t.</HI> What is this but a mockery? but be not de|ceived, God is not mocked: would you not take this to be a mockery, if one come and tells you, O Sir, I will be your &s;ervant if you will give me this or that reward, but you mu&s;t give me leave to do all the &s;ervice I can to your enemy, you &s;hall have the name of my &s;ervice, but your enemy &s;hall have the reality of it: is not this a mockery?</P>
<P>Thirdly, That their &s;ervices may be more chearful, therefore he &s;etteth them free from their bondage, and this re&s;pecteth that part of bondage which concerneth the Concomitants, even &s;or|row, and fears, and terrours, and the like; the Lord doth not love to have his people follow him whining, he loveth a cheerful giver and a cheerful doer of his will, it is much for his honour that his &s;ervants &s;hould lift up their heads; for what would we &s;ay to &s;ee a poor &s;ervant go di&s;couraged, and as if &s;carce worth the earth he goes upon, amazed with fears, with &s;or|rows; &s;ure &s;uch a &s;ervant hath a hard Ma&s;ter, that he hath &s;o <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 40. 2.</NOTE> little joy of his life, therefore the Lord Je&s;us maketh his people go forth out of the horrible pit, &s;etteth them free from all their fears, and terrours, that they may with a cheerful and a large heart &s;erve him; here is love indeed, that the Lord doth &s;o &s;weeten his yoak and his &s;ervice, as that his people &s;hall delight in it, therefore &s;aith he, that we might &s;erve him without fear in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 1. 74.</NOTE> holine&s;s and righteou&s;ne&s;s all the daies of our lives.</P>
<P>Fourthly, that their &s;ervices to him may be more &s;trong then otherwi&s;e they would, a man under bonds brought down with bard bondage, cannot do the &s;ervice which another man can, but the&punc; joy of the Lord is the &s;trength of his people, as in that of <HI>Neh.</HI> 8. 10. therefore he doth enlarge their hearts, that they may run the waies of his commandments, takes off the fetters for this very end; a poor child of God under terrours and fears, or under the prevailing of a lu&s;t, have, as I may &s;ay, their hands manacled, they cannot fight, their feet are fettered, they cannot walk, much le&s;s run.</P>
<P><PB N="510" REF="322">
Fifthly, Yet one more, and that is, le&s;t a poor &s;oul held under bondage too long, &s;hould put forth his hands to &s;in, this re&s;pects &s;pecially the bondage of &s;orrows and fears which are ready to &s;wallow up many a poor creature many times, <HI>my &s;pirit is over-whelmed</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 77. 3.</NOTE> <HI>within me,</HI> &s;aith the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 words"> like ca&s;e; <HI>the Lord will &s;peak peace</HI> (&s;aith the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t) unto his people, that they may not</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 85. 8.</NOTE> <HI>return to folly any more;</HI> for if the Lord &s;hould lay his hand upon them, continually pre&s;&s;ing them, they could not alway hold out, but if they can find no plea&s;ure in God nor in his waies, they would be inclinable to return to their plea&s;ures of &s;in, as in that <HI>P&s;alm, let not the rod of the wicked alway re&s;t upon the lot of the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 125. 3.</NOTE> <HI>righteous, le&s;t they put forth,</HI> &amp;c. as you &s;ee the <HI>P&s;almi&s;ts</HI> heels were almo&s;t thrown up, and him&s;elf upon his back, his faith upon its back in this very re&s;pect. O &s;aith he, if it be thus, <HI>I mu&s;t be plunged every morning, alway in the net, under the yoak of affliction,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 73. 2, 13, 14.</NOTE> <HI>in affliction and iron continually, &s;urely I have clean&s;ed my &s;elf in vain;</HI> and the&s;e rods are the rods of God of a le&s;&s;er nature, tho&s;e with which the &s;pirit is la&s;hed are mo&s;t &s;ore, and therefore the &s;oul might be in danger to depart to iniquity, to return to &s;in again; how &s;oon did <HI>I&s;rael</HI> re&s;olve of making them a Captain to return again? <HI>N<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">h.</HI> 9. 17: If the Prodigal return in &s;uch di&s;tre&s;s to his Father, and he &s;hould keep him hungring and langui&s;hing, when <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 16.</NOTE> he hath not &s;o much as husks to eat; &s;urely this were the way to put him upon it to return again to riotous cour&s;es: the peace of God keepeth them with God, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Sixthly, Again, becau&s;e the &s;pirit would fail which he hath made, if he did not in due &s;ea&s;on break the yoak, &s;et them at liberty; as a tender Father will not lo&s;e his child for want of <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 57. 16. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> the rod, no more will the Father of &s;pirits for want of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;hing our &s;pirits; yet on the other hand, a tender-hearted Father will much le&s;s lo&s;e him by over-doing of it; as he will not &s;pare him, indulge him to death, &s;o neither will he whip him to death, hang <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rons and fetters upon him until they eat into his &s;oul and con|&s;ume him. O no, when the Father &s;eeth the &s;pirit of the child to fall, and he beginneth to &s;woon under his rod, under the yoak of fear, which hath torment, be it what it will be, then he letteth the rod fall out of his hand, fals a ki&s;&s;ing of the child to revive him again; we mu&s;t pre&s;erve the &s;pirits, and maintain nature in Phy&s;ick, and if purgations have wrought the patient off his
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&s;trength, there mu&s;t be a re&s;toring with Cordials, 1 <HI>Cor. 10. 13. he will not &s;uffer them to be tempted above what they are able,</HI> &amp;c. he will not &s;uffer his people to peri&s;h, and &s;ink, and go away in pri&s;on and bondage, and therefore he cau&s;eth them to go forth, and doth ari&s;e upon them to that end.</P>
<P>For the Application of the point, there are &s;everal u&s;es to be made of it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, take notice from hence what a grievous bondage the &s;ervice of &s;in is, this is the principal part of the bondage, and all the re&s;t are but the product of &s;in; &s;in is pregnant, it hath the &s;eeds of all tho&s;e terrors, fears, &s;orrows, &s;lavi&s;hne&s;s, deadne&s;s, &s;traitne&s;s, and all the re&s;t in its womb, but it &s;elf is the chief, and therefore we are &s;aid <HI>to be &s;old under &s;in, and &s;in is &s;aid to have do|minion over us;</HI> &s;o many lu&s;ts, Brethren, in &s;trength, &s;o many <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 14.</NOTE> pairs of fetters there are about our legs, and how then is it likely that a &s;inner &s;hould run the waies of Gods Commandments! but I hope by what hath been &s;aid already, it will be granted, that a condition of &s;in is a condition of bondage; only a little to ag|gravate this con&s;ideration to you, and all little enough, I doubt, to &s;tartle &s;inners who are in this condition.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t con&s;ider, it is the ba&s;e&s;t, mo&s;t &s;ordid thing that can be; you know a &s;ervile condition is mean and ba&s;e in compari&s;on of liber|ty and freedom, take it at the be&s;t; but to &s;erve the ba&s;e&s;t of men, who would not abhor this? what &s;pirit would &s;toop to be a drudge to a Ma&s;ter, to rake Channels and clean&s;e Jakes, who would not abhor this? Brethren, this is nothing to &s;in, to the &s;lavery of &s;in: as it was the greate&s;t honour in the world to be <HI>a &s;ervant, a &s;on of God; Mo&s;es the &s;ervant of the Lord, David my &s;ervant:</HI> As you know &s;ervants do much bear them&s;elves up upon the honour of their Ma&s;ters. So it is the ba&s;e&s;t &s;ervitude in the world to be in bondage to a lu&s;t, for a man to &s;ell him&s;elf into the hands of &s;in and Satan, for a moments plea&s;ure of &s;in, this is ba&s;e: It is bruti&s;h for a man to &s;ubject his under&s;tanding and will to the pa&s;&s;ions of his lu&s;t, di&s;honourable ba&s;e pa&s;&s;ions; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1. 26.</NOTE> for bea&s;ts are led by their appetites.</P>
<P>Secondly, As it is ba&s;e drudgery, &s;o &s;econdly the poor &s;inner hath &s;o many lu&s;ts and &s;o contrary to &s;erve and &s;atisfie, that he mu&s;t needs be di&s;tracted between them; one commands him this way, and the other commands him that way; as now for a man
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to &s;erve his pride and covetou&s;ne&s;s, or his luxury and covetou&s;|ne&s;s, the&s;e are contrary, and di&s;tract, and di&s;tort the mind, and hurry him hither and thither, he can enjoy no peace in his own &s;pirit at all; you &s;hall &s;ee a man that will &s;pend at no aim when he is in company, and none &s;eemeth to &s;et le&s;s by the world then he at &s;uch a time; but afterward, when he recollects him&s;elf, then he mu&s;t run, and drudge, and hurry him&s;elf and all his family, and drive fa&s;ter then they are able to bear, and all to make up that which he hath con&s;umed upon his lu&s;ts, is not this a mi&s;erable bondage to be under &s;uch contrary lu&s;ts?</P>
<P>Thirdly, Yea con&s;ider that the&s;e lu&s;ts are mo&s;t in&s;atiable, in drinking up a mans time, and &s;pirits, and &s;trength, and will never <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk 16.</NOTE> leave a man while he hath any thing to lay out upon them more. So you know the Prodigal &s;pent all that ever he had upon his lu&s;ts, all his patrimony, his time, and &s;trength, and &s;pirits, and all; and &s;o the wanton doth upon his <HI>Dalilah,</HI> and thou mourn at the la&s;t, &s;aith the wi&s;e man, <HI>when thy life and thy body is con&s;umed, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 5. 11.</NOTE> <HI>&s;ay, how have I hated in&s;truction, and my heart de&s;pi&s;ed reproof?</HI> except it have all the precious workings of the &s;oul, it is not &s;atis|fied, it mu&s;t have all the thoughts, be in them all, though God be in none of them, all that precious water mu&s;t drive this mill; as for covetou&s;ne&s;s, now how is the &s;oul under the power of that lu&s;t, as I may &s;ay, hanged up like a meteor in the air, as the Evan|geli&s;t hath it, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>be not hanged up as meteors in the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 12. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ir,</HI> as I may &s;ay, between heaven and earth; and be not careful, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aith our Saviour, be not divided, di&s;tracted in your cares. O <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hat they &s;hall eat, and what they &s;hall drink, how they &s;hall ac|compli&s;h this and that de&s;ign, what a drudge is any man that is under the power of this lu&s;t, he doth nothing but root in the world? in other &s;ervitude, if that a &s;ervant were maimed or di&s;|membered, lo&s;t an eye, yea or but a tooth, they mu&s;t be let go <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 21. 26.</NOTE> for their eye-&s;ake, or for the tooth-&s;ake, but here &s;in doth no|thing but wound the &s;oul, breaks a man, con&s;umeth him &s;oul and body, and yet will not let him go; &s;in doth put a mans eyes out, that &s;o it may have the more full compleat command over the poor creature, and &s;tops the ears, and &s;trikes out the teeth, and di&s;ta&s;teth the pallate, &s;o that any thing of God hath no more re|li&s;h then a chip to a &s;oul, maketh the poor creature lame for any lu&s;t harboured in the &s;oul, maketh a man go with an uneven pace,
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and halt, he cannot go uprightly, and &s;o it weakens the hands and maketh feeble knees, and indeed like a woolf in the fle&s;h, or a greedy wen, devours all the &s;trength, and yet will by no means let the poor &s;inner go free.</P>
<P>Fourthly, It is a growing bondage, the longer a man continu|eth in it, the fa&s;ter he is held with the &s;nares and bonds of his &s;ins; in the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of an evil man there is a &s;nare, &s;aith <HI>So|lomon,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 29. 6.</NOTE> and every act of &s;inning doth fa&s;ten the &s;nare &s;o much the more upon the &s;oul with bands of iron and bra&s;s, yea of adamant; the longer they are in this dark and filthy dungeon, the deeper they &s;ink into the mire and clay, where there is no &s;tanding, the heart groweth more hard through the deceitfulue&s;s of &s;in. O the cup of delights is a bewitching cup, and the more a man drinketh of it, the more he may; every drop of oyl you ca&s;t upon the flame, maketh it the harder to be quenched, every act of &s;in|ning doth &s;trengthen the habit, as in all other ca&s;es, and di&s;po&s;e a man &s;o much the more &s;trongly, incline him to the &s;ame &s;in again, and &s;o there is &s;o much the more ado to get the heart off from the&s;e lu&s;ts; there is many a poor &s;inner among us, I believe, can &s;peak by experience what a mi&s;erable bondage it is, and what a growing bondage it is, the further a man goeth in it, he goeth &s;till further into the pri&s;on, binds the yoak upon his neck &s;o much the harder and clo&s;er, in&s;omuch that a gray-headed-&s;inner you &s;hall &s;eldom &s;ee recovered out of the &s;nare of the Devil, though &s;ometimes we may: This the fourth.</P>
<P>Fifthly, it is &s;o durable a bondage, that it abides in part, even where a &s;oul is brought under the command of another principle, it doth continue in a great part in many a gracious heart, as in this place of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>I am carnal and &s;old under &s;in;</HI> he &s;aith <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 14.</NOTE> not he was, but he is carnal; that is to &s;ay, in part, as tho&s;e in that fir&s;t to the <HI>Corinthians, are you not carnal?</HI> that is to &s;ay, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 3. 1, 4.</NOTE> hath not the fle&s;h a great &s;way with you, when you are &s;o divi|ded and full of &s;trife and emulation, and one for <HI>Paul,</HI> and ano|ther for <HI>Apollo?</HI> &amp;c. and therefore the Apo&s;tle did walk heavily under the &s;en&s;e of the chains which were upon him, not altoge|ther &s;hakt off. <HI>O wretched man, who &s;hall deliver me? I am</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 24.</NOTE> <HI>carried captive by a Law in my members to the Law of &s;in.</HI> O &s;trange, that in the Apo&s;tle, &s;o &s;anctified, &s;o mortified a creature, yet the Law in his members &s;hould have &s;uch a &s;trength as this
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is, to carry him captive; though the &s;pirit do lu&s;t again&s;t the fle&s;h, yet the fle&s;h doth lu&s;t again&s;t the &s;pirit, &s;o that they cannot <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5. 17.</NOTE> do the things they would; they are under bondage in part, though notunder the reign of &s;in; yet it u&s;urpeth, and tyranizeth, and laies its commands upon a poor believing &s;oul, as if he were al|together his own; &s;in will not let go its hold altogether, but if it lo&s;e the Cittadel, the Tower, the chief Fort, the Will, yet it will lurk in &s;ome of the out-works &s;till; if it lo&s;e the heart, it will hold by the heel &s;till, and hang about us, that we cannot walk at liberty in the waies of his Commandments.</P>
<P>Sixthly, The reward to the &s;ervice and bondage of &s;in, what is it but bondage upon bondage? you have heard how many &s;ad <HI>Concomitants</HI> there are of this bondage of &s;in, doth it not &s;ubject to the cur&s;e, to the wrath of God? it is not only an unprofitable &s;ervice, <HI>what fruit had ye then in tho&s;e things whereof ye are now a&s;hamed?</HI> that is to &s;ay, what good had ye by them, ye are now a&s;hamed of them: that is the reward, as you &s;ee in the ca&s;e of <HI>Adam,</HI> it laid him open and naked before the Lord, both without covering for the &s;hame, and without defence again&s;t his di&s;plea|&s;ure, now he wanted &s;omewhat in &s;tead of his innocency to skreen him from the everla&s;ting burnings, or the pre&s;ence of God, <HI>who</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. 19:</NOTE> <HI>is a con&s;uming fire, yea the wages of the&s;e things is death, who&s;e end is de&s;truction,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>who&s;e glory is in their &s;hame, who&s;e God is their belly, who mind earthly things;</HI> a man will hardly be|lieve this, that the &s;avouring of earthly things is &s;o dangerous a &s;ervice, being &s;o plea&s;ing as it is to men; alas, you little think what you do, you have heard &s;ome of you, how many evils do attend it, you little know what wounds you get, <HI>a wound and di&s;honour &s;hall he get, and his reproach &s;hall not be wiped away;</HI> this is nothing to the wound of the con&s;cience. O what pains &s;inners are at to &s;tore up gun-powder at la&s;t to blow up their comforts and their &s;ouls and all; would you not think it a &s;ad &s;ervitude where a ma&s;ter &s;hould delight in nothing but the cruel wounding and goring of a mans &s;elf, this is nothing indeed to the &s;ervice of &s;in, you will one day find &s;inners, the truth of this, whether you will believe it now or no, that &s;in is big with terrours, and fears, and amazement, that &s;in doth nothing but wound the &s;oul, the con&s;cience, though you feel it not for the pre&s;ent; many and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 5. 11. Prov. 23. 29.</NOTE> many that have been as &s;en&s;le&s;s as many of us are, that yet at
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la&s;t mourned and &s;aid, O how is my fle&s;h and my body con&s;u|med! O what a wretch was I to &s;erve &s;in, to lay out my &s;elf for &s;in, that now hath nothing but woe and mi&s;ery, nothing but racks and woundings to reward me with! O what a reward is it Brethren, to pa&s;s fro m the chains of your &s;ins here, to tho&s;e ever|la&s;ting chains of darkne&s;s!</P>
<P>Se venthly and la&s;tly, it is inextricable, as to our &s;elves, we cannot open the pri&s;on doors, nor loo&s;en our fetters, the cords of our &s;ins wherewith we are held, and bound over, as I may &s;ay, to Judgement. O I know the poor creature, &s;pecially when his eyes are open to &s;ee what a condition he is in, will be making ma|ny an attempt, &s;ometimes to break pri&s;on, &s;ometimes to loo&s;e his bonds, but it will not be; O what re&s;olutions and vows you &s;hall have many a &s;inner make, &s;pecially after a pa&s;&s;ion in their &s;pirits, when their eyes are a little open; O they will never return to their folly any more, and it is the next thing they do. O the bands of our own making are too &s;lender to pull a poor creature out of the mire and clay, they all break even as a thread of <HI>Tow</HI> when it cometh to the fire, and there the poor &s;oul &s;ticks; no, nor is it the prayers nor tears of our own that can do it, for you &s;hall &s;ee, and haply &s;ome of us know it by experience, though it be wonderful to &s;ee a man pray and &s;in, and weep and &s;in, mourn and &s;in, go on in the &s;ame cour&s;e of &s;inning a long time, &s;ome of our &s;ouls I believe know this, we pray and are not willing to be delivered, as <HI>Aug.</HI> did, and &s;o mourn upon the &s;ight of the grie|vou&s;ne&s;s of a &s;in, but it prevails not to for &s;ake it. O no, if any of all this would have done it, what need the Lord Je&s;us then be annoin|ted for that work, to preach deliverance to the captives, and the opening of the pri&s;on doors to them that are bound: &s;urely the Lord would do no nothing in vain: but &s;o much for this Appli|cation.</P>
<P>Then it may teach us the vanity of all conceit of liberty or <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 2.</NOTE> freedom, or going forth before the Lord Je&s;us come and &s;hine upon a mans &s;oul, then they &s;hall go forth, not before; what is the rea&s;on that the mo&s;t of men can &s;atisfie them&s;elves with their condition as they do, but they have &s;ome conceit they are at li|berty; were &s;inners per&s;waded that they are under the domini|on of &s;in and Satan, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> could they eat, or drink, or &s;leep?
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what a fearful thing would we think it, if the Devil had but power over our bodies, to carry them whither he plea&s;ed, to &s;hatter and &s;hake them at his plea&s;ure? but what is this to the having power over the &s;oul, over the will, the affections, the mind, by keeping them in blindne&s;s? and yet &s;inners do not be|lieve they are in &s;uch a bondage, but think they are free, nor do I think there is any one thing doth keep more poor creatures in bondage then this, they think they are free; but let us &s;ee a little the vanity of &s;uch conceits.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Some are &s;o gro&s;s, as to think they are born free, when as you heard before, <HI>We are born the children of wrath,</HI> we are <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2. 3.</NOTE> all born in the hou&s;e of bondage, in the Pri&s;on Hou&s;e; and there|fore, we as well as our Parents are under bondage. Can a &s;lave bring forth any other then a &s;lave? If many of us look to the <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 51. 1.</NOTE> Rock whence we are hewen, as the Prophet &s;peaks, we &s;hall find that our very Parents were the &s;ervants of &s;in, and it may be li|ved and died &s;o; and what then? were they the &s;laves to Satan, and can we be Chri&s;t his Free-men by Birth? It cannot be &s;ure|ly. It is very &s;trange, that men that know their Parents to be loo&s;e, wicked, prophane, earthly, carnal crearu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es, that yet &s;hould bear up them&s;elves with this priviledge, they are born free, they are Chri&s;tians by birth, &s;uch men little know what go|eth to make a Chri&s;tian; can the bond-woman bring forth chil|dren that are free?</P>
<P>Secondly, Others have a fairer pretence for it then this, they think they are free by birth, becau&s;e they had faithful believing parents, <HI>we have</HI> Abraham <HI>to our Father, and we being his &s;eed,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">John 8.</NOTE> <HI>how can we be in bondage?</HI> I mu&s;t confefs, Brethren, this is &s;ome|thing to me, for as Satan hath &s;ervants born in his hou&s;e, in his <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 2. 7.</NOTE> kingdom, &s;o the Lord Je&s;us hath in his; if bond-men were born bond-men, and &s;ervants were born in the hou&s;e, then God hath &s;ervants al&s;o born to him, and his &s;ervants are free in that &s;en&s;e, that they are his &s;ervants, and therefore it is remarkable in that of <HI>Leviticus, they mu&s;t let their &s;ervants go free, and their children</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Levit. 25. 41, 42.</NOTE> <HI>al&s;o, for they are my &s;ervants &s;aith the Lord, whom I brought out of</HI> Egypt; which was a Type of our &s;piritual bondage: mind you, the Lord calls them his &s;ervants, his children, as well as others; only note here two or three things for the clearing of it.</P>
<P><PB N="518" REF="326">
Fir&s;t, that this is by grace and not by nature; for by nature and natural generation, no man can beget, nor woman bring forth any child that is free; no, though they them&s;elves through the riches of grace are made free, yet their children by nature are the children of wrath as well as others; yea, though they be|long to the Election of grace, and be &s;aved whether they die in infancy, or come to the acknowledgment of the truth, and believe, as the Apo&s;tle did; yet by nature they are the children of wrath, a &s;ad condition our poor children are in by nature, if parents did but well lay it to heart; but what then doth this hinder, but that by grace they may be free, though by nature they are bound? as the Apo&s;tle him&s;elf by nature was a child of wrath, under the cur&s;e of the Law; that is to &s;ay, and in bondage, but by grace he was free; and why might not the Lord by grace make him free &s;ooner if he plea&s;ed, as well as later? is it not all one with him, can he not make children free as well as men if he plea&s;e? are not men purely receptives in the fir&s;t grace, and are not children as pa&s;&s;ive and receptive as any?</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, there is a freedom invi&s;ible and &s;aving, and a freedom vi&s;ible, and both by grace; the freedom invi&s;ible, when a &s;oul is actually &s;et at liberty from the power of &s;in and the bondage of his corruptions; or el&s;e vi&s;ible, when there is ground for our judging they are &s;o freed; now many are vi&s;ibly free, that are not invi&s;ibly free at all: &s;o there is many an hypocritical profe&s;&s;or, that carries it &s;o like a free-man of Chri&s;t, that it would puzzle the mo&s;t di&s;cernable &s;pirit to di&s;cover that he is under the bondage of &s;in or Satan, and yet he is &s;o invi&s;ibly haply, but vi|&s;ibly he is free, that is to &s;ay, appears to be &s;o: appears to be in Covenant with God, for that is the freedom; therefore where|ever Chri&s;t is &s;poken of, as to preach liberty, it is &s;aid &s;till, <HI>he is given as a Covenant to the people;</HI> &s;o many appear to be in Cove|nant, and &s;o vi&s;ibly are &s;uch, that invi&s;ibly are not&punc; and &s;o the chil|dren of &s;uch holy parents, who are in Covenant with God, are vi&s;ibly free, though invi&s;ibly they may be in bondage, that is to &s;ay, they are in vi&s;ibly in Covenant with God, that is to &s;ay, we have ground to judge charitably and hopefully of them, that they are in Covenant with God, and if they &s;o die, that they are <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aved by vertue of that Covenant there; which for my own part, I know no other revealed way of &s;alvation, and therefore if
<PB N="519" REF="326">
we deny them this, we mu&s;t either &s;ay there is no grounded hope of their &s;alvation, and I would be loath to be &s;uch a <HI>durus pater infan<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">um,</HI> to deny all vi&s;ibility of &s;alvation to them: Or el&s;e we mu&s;t &s;ay, the Lord hath left nothing upon record, whereby we might have any comfort concerning little ones that die in that condition; which what an impeachment it were to the wi&s;dom &amp; grace of God in Chri&s;t, I wi&s;h men would impartially con&s;ider. And if they will &s;ay they may be &s;aved, can it be without the invi&s;ible grace? have they not corrupt natures, and the &s;eeds of all &s;in in them? and can any unclean thing enter into heaven? and therefore &s;ure they mu&s;t be freed from &s;in: and will we grant them the invi&s;ible grace, that they come under that which is nar|rower, and &s;hall we deny them that which is larger? would you think that man him&s;elf, that &s;hould yield that a man may be in the Kings bed-Chamber, but he may not be in the Pallace; or a man be in this hou&s;e, and yet not in the City, which is much more large and comprehen&s;ive?</P>
<P>But thirdly, I conceive that this vi&s;ible freedom of theirs is to be limited with the time, until they come to di&s;cover the contra|ry; as an hypocritical profe&s;&s;or, to us he is vi&s;ibly a Saint, and free, until his leaf do fade and fall, and that be taken from him which he &s;eemeth to have, as it is in that of the Evangeli&s;t; now the child is upon his Fathers root, the Lord owning them with their parents in the &s;ame covenant of grace; yet if afterward, when they come to under&s;tanding; and by the rule of Chri&s;t they are to own the covenant them&s;elves actually; if they do di&s;own it, they &s;hall be ca&s;t out as well as <HI>I&s;mael</HI> was, and therefore it is I &s;uppo&s;e, that our Saviour reproveth the Jews when they &s;tood now at age, and &s;hould have minded what them&s;elves had done, now &s;tanding upon their own, and not upon their Fathers root, they &s;hould have owned the Covenant them&s;elves, and be|lieved, that &s;o they might have been free indeed invi&s;ibly; but though they never wrought the works of <HI>Abraham,</HI> to believe in Chri&s;t to come, and now in Chri&s;t come, they &s;hould have be|lieved; but wrought the works of the Devil: yet they bound them&s;elves up with this, that they were the children of <HI>Abraham,</HI> they were &s;o indeed; and this in their infancy was ground for a believing hopefully of them, &s;pecially if their Parents were Be|lievers; but now the Lord required them&s;elves, I &s;ay, to own
<PB N="520" REF="327">
the Covenant, and walk worthy of it, el&s;e that would not &s;tand them in&s;tead; it is ju&s;t as if a man that maketh a profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t gloriou&s;ly for a while, and in the judgement of all that behold him he is a gracious man, but yet he falls off, draweth back to perdition, <HI>the latter end of &s;uch a man is wor&s;e then his be|ginning,</HI> yet he bears up him&s;elf, O I am a Chri&s;tian, I have pro|fe&s;&s;ed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 2.</NOTE> Chri&s;t as well as you, and yet at pre&s;ent is thus &s;tubborn and rebellious; do you think this would &s;atisfie any mans &s;pirit <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 12. 45.</NOTE> concerning him, is not here as much vanity of hope concerning his condition, as in the other ca&s;e?</P>
<P>O but &s;ome will &s;ay, what a Doctrine is this? can a man be free in any &s;en&s;e, and yet come into bondage again, and peri&s;h af|terward? are not the gifts and calling of God without repen|tance? therefore that children &s;hould be free by vertue of this <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11. 19.</NOTE> Covenant, and yet afterward become the &s;ervants of &s;in and Sa|tan, and be &s;o de&s;perately wicked and prophane, this &s;eemeth de|rogatory to grace, and that any that have been in Covenant of God and free, &s;hould now be bound with everla&s;ting chains of darkne&s;s? It is no derogation from the truth, nor from the grace that came by Je&s;us Chri&s;t that it &s;hould be &s;o; for mind you, it is one thing to be free in the account of God, and another thing to be free in the account of the Church and people of God; God judgeth not as we judge, vi&s;ibly we judge, and he judgeth that which is invi&s;ible: now it is true, one that hath been truly inwardly delivered from the bondage of &s;in, and &s;o gone out of pri&s;on, he can never be reduced to &s;uch a condition, cannot pe|ri&s;h; and &s;o that man that is, or ever was invi&s;ibly in Covenant with God, can never come to that place of darkne&s;s; but &s;uch as only vi&s;ibly and in appearance did own the Covenant, or were in Covenant, may mi&s;carry; how many glorious profe&s;&s;ors that made a great &s;hew for a time, and &s;prang up as fa&s;t, and flouri&s;hed as much as any, that yet now are the fuel for tho&s;e everla&s;ting flames? what could men judge of them, but that they were in Covenant with God, and &s;o free-men and delivered from the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13. 6. They had not root, though they had blade enough. Mat. 8. 12.</NOTE> pri&s;on, from the bondage, yet alas were in the hold of &s;in to that day? and why may it not be &s;o, and allowed in this ca&s;e, as well as in that? may not the children of the Kingdom be ca&s;t out into outer darkne&s;s? I could wi&s;h that were well con&s;idered, the children of the Kingdom &s;hall be ca&s;t out into outer dark|ne&s;s;
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we will allow profe&s;&s;ors a communion and fellow&s;hip with us as free-men, as men in Covenant with God, who&s;e profe&s;&s;ion &s;o oftentimes prove rotten and un&s;ound, and think this profe&s;|&s;ion is a &s;ufficient ground to declare to us they are in Covenant with Chri&s;t, and yet we will not allow Believers children to be in Covenant with God, becau&s;e afterward they come to walk con|trary to this Covenant: Nor do we think the declaration of God, that he doth own them as his, as his children, his &s;ervants, as holy to him&s;elf, to be as &s;ufficient to make it out they are in Cove|nant with God: For my own part, I &s;ee not the pretended dif|ference, but if there be any advantage in the vi&s;ibility of being in Covenant with God, I take it upon this hand, for I do and &s;hall make more of a word of God, where the Lord hath &s;aid it, that they are his in a way of grace, though it prove to be but vi&s;ibly, not invi&s;ibly, then I &s;hall make of any mans profe&s;&s;ion in the world, which can amount to no more then a vi&s;ibility, or at lea&s;t I &s;hall make as much of it.</P>
<P>Well but then, &s;uppo&s;e thou wert a child of <HI>Abraham,</HI> of be|lieving parents, and &s;o wert free and in Covenant with God vi&s;ibly; yet alas, this will not now &s;tand thee in &s;tead to &s;alvation, no more then a profe&s;&s;ion of a temporarie faith will do an hypocrite; thou worke&s;t the works of the Devil, art a very drudge to Satan, and the world, and thy own hearts lu&s;ts, and yet will hang thy hopes of &s;alvation upon a being born free, we are <HI>Abraham's</HI> &s;eed; if any &s;eed of Believers &s;ince the Cove|nant, &s;hould have been &s;aved and freed, inwardly and &s;avingly, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 8. 44.</NOTE> by being the &s;eed of &s;uch parents, when them&s;elves came actual|ly to renounce it in works, to deny the Covenant in works, they might have it by <HI>Abraham;</HI> but yet you &s;ee our Saviour tells them, the Son mu&s;t make them free, before they could be free; therefore this is a vain conceit, the Lord per&s;wade poor &s;inners again&s;t it.</P>
<P>Secondly, &s;ome there are, that becau&s;e they feel nothing of &s;uch a bondage as hath been &s;poken of, therefore they conclude there is no &s;uch thing upon them, they do not feel any &s;uch thing as fetters and ginns upon them, they never were under any &s;uch &s;lavi&s;hne&s;s of obedience, under any &s;uch terrours, nor under the command of their lu&s;ts, they think they are Ma&s;ters of them|&s;elves, and can command their pa&s;&s;ions and appetites as well as
<PB N="522" REF="328">
any others, and therefore &s;ure they are free. This is a deceit al&s;o. The more undi&s;cerned the bondage is, the more &s;ure it is; it was the &s;lateline&s;s of &s;ome Princes, they would not be &s;een by their &s;ubjects, nor make their per&s;ons too common, they &s;hould feel the weight of their loins, but not &s;ee them, to keep up an e&s;teem among them; if they had made them&s;elves too common haply, and too cheap, it might have weakened their authority: So it is in this ca&s;e, &s;in and Satan will not be &s;een haply in the bu&s;ine&s;s, they know if it &s;hould appear to a &s;inner he is in bon|dage to them, it were a dangerous &s;tep to dethrone him, and de|ve&s;t him of his commanding power over a poor &s;inner; for who, if he did &s;ee him&s;elf thralled to &s;o ba&s;e and bloody an enemy as Satan is, would endure it long? and therefore he keepeth them in darkne&s;s, <HI>from darkne&s;s to light, and from the power of Satan to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 26. 18.</NOTE> <HI>God;</HI> therefore it is the fir&s;t work of grace to open the eyes, as in the ca&s;e of <HI>Paul, who art thou Lord?</HI> he knew not, nor did he know his per&s;ecution was a &s;in; he was &s;o far from it, as that he thought verily he ought to do many things again&s;t that way: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 26. 9.</NOTE> And truly &s;o it is with many a poor &s;oul, they think they are as far from bondage in &s;in; as he that is furthe&s;t, whereas they are altogether in bondage: A man in errour, if of a le&s;&s;er or grea|ter moment, he is in the &s;nare of the Devil, and yet he thinks him&s;elf free, &s;pecially before admonition; el&s;e fundamentals are written &s;o clearly, that after the fir&s;t and &s;econd admonition, if <NOTE PLACE="marg">Tit. 3. 11.</NOTE> admini&s;tred with &s;uch clearne&s;s and tenderne&s;s as it ought. Dear friends, I doubt there are &s;ome of us, that it never came into our hearts &s;eriou&s;ly to con&s;ider, &s;carce to &s;u&s;pect that we were in bondage; do not your hearts bear witne&s;s to this truth? believe it, &s;uch are in the greate&s;t bondage of all others ordinarily. I know it is true, that even from the child-hood, under gracious education, which the Lord hath promi&s;ed a ble&s;&s;ing to, as one of his Ordinances, with it may be in|&s;tilled &s;o in&s;en&s;ibly, as that a man may &s;car&s;e ever know how it came to pa&s;s; but yet that he is free, he may know, as the blind man &s;aid; but I &s;peak of &s;inners, that it is too apparent; alas, if they did, or could but &s;earch, and try, and ponder their waies, that they are in the gall of bitterne&s;s and bonds of iniquity, and yet think highly of them&s;elves, as <HI>Ma|gus</HI> did, that they are &s;ome body: O this is a grievous deceit.</P>
<P><PB N="523" REF="328">
Thirdly, There are &s;ome, that becau&s;e they part with &s;ome &s;in, they think they are free; it may be they were before drunkards or bla&s;phemers, now they are reformed, and not guilty in this kind, therefore they think they are free, they have gone forth; when alas they are held in the cords of another lu&s;t; it may be run from one extreme to another, reel from one pit to another, and truly one chain upon the &s;oul will hold it fa&s;t enough; one foot in the &s;nare holds it as well as if the whole body were re&s;trained; if Satan have but one cord about us, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2. 16.</NOTE> he takes us alive at his plea&s;ure; Becau&s;e that they pa&s;s one Gate in the Pri&s;on, they think they are pre&s;ently out, no: Bre|thren, there are iron Gates and Bars yet to be opened, there are more lu&s;ts yet to be &s;haked off, before you can look upon your &s;elves as free; <HI>Samp&s;on</HI> mu&s;t have his <HI>Dalilah; Herod,</HI> his <HI>Hero|dias,</HI> though he did many things.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Some think they are free, becau&s;e it may be they forbear the outward acts of rebellion: &s;o be <HI>they can keep them|&s;elves</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 3. 2.</NOTE> <HI>unblamable and unreprovable of the world,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, they heed not what is within. Brethren, what is it the better to have the hand and the foot out of the &s;nare, and the heart be intangled? a man may through fear, &s;lavi&s;h fear of God, or el&s;e fear of men, fear of &s;hame, or the like, forbear to act, and yet the heart love and like the &s;in well enough. The Dog is not offended with his vomit, though he bring it up, he liketh it well enough, it is only &s;ome pain at the &s;tomack which he cannot brook. So you may pluck away the iron from the Load&s;tone, but it hath a lingering after it &s;till; and &s;o <HI>Phaltiel</HI> when his Wife was taken <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 3. 16.</NOTE> from him, he parted with her indeed, becau&s;e he dur&s;t not other|wi&s;e chu&s;e, for the diplea&s;ure of the King would wax hot again&s;t him; he might lo&s;e his liberty, if not his life, if he had refu&s;ed; but &s;aith the Text, <HI>He went mourning after her,</HI> he did it with an unwilling heart. So may a man part with &s;in, the practice of it, but yet his heart cleaveth to it &s;till; he may ca&s;t it away when the coal is fired, but yet he could be content if the fire were out, to put it into his bo&s;om again; Brethren, Is it thus with us? we dare not let down &s;in haply, &s;wallow it, for fear it prove bitter|in the belly: but yet we will roul it under the tongue as a &s;weet mor&s;el; &s;urely this is not to go forth, to be &s;et free from this bondage, therefore do not mi&s;take your &s;elves: it may be thou
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do&s;t not gripe and oppre&s;s in bargain, dealing hardly or over-reach, but thy teeth water at it, thou could&s;t dige&s;t it well enough thou dur&s;t, thou di&s;like&s;t it not, becau&s;e it is &s;in, and di&s;plea&s;ing to the Lord, thou art not yet free.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Some think they are free, becau&s;e loo&s;e Liber|tines <HI>promi&s;e them liberty, when them&s;elves are the &s;ervants of &s;in;</HI> Truly Brethren, if ever hell were broke loo&s;e, now is the time: <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2. 19.</NOTE> the Devil never enjoyed more chain then now, &s;pecially as an Angel of light: it is come to that pa&s;s now adays, that men think they are never free, until they have broken <HI>the bands of Chri&s;t, and ca&s;t away his cords from them, until they have broken</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 2. Mat. 11. 28.</NOTE> <HI>the yoke of Chri&s;t from off their necks:</HI> &s;ons of <HI>Belial,</HI> that will not endure to he yoked, though never &s;o ea&s;ie; O the&s;e Ordinances, and Duties, and Services, they are a bondage, they are poor and beggerly rudiments, to which they will not any more be in bon|dage: they will not any more be Prie&s;t-rid den, as they call it: and as for Sabbaths, and Prayers, and Hearing, and Reading, and Meditating, the&s;e are poor empty things, and a burthen it is to bear them, they are weary, and &s;nuff at it, as in <HI>Malachy.</HI> It <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 1. 13.</NOTE> is true, they are empty to them that have not communion with Chri&s;t in them: El&s;e as <HI>David</HI> &s;aith in the like ca&s;e, <HI>The &s;oul may there be filled with marrow and fatne&s;s.</HI> But now mind what &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>When them&s;elves are the &s;ervants of &s;in;</HI> I do ob&s;erve it, and it is worth the noting, in the example of &s;uch as would not have their necks under the yoke of Chri&s;t, his Ordinances, but live above them; have the yoke upon them, u&s;ually they are per&s;ons under the command of their lu&s;ts; and are the&s;e likely per&s;ons to teach men the way to liberty? &s;urely no.</P>
<P>Sixthly, Some think they are freed and delivered, if they do but attain that knowledge which the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of, in the u&s;e of in|different things; they &s;cruple not any thing, as clean or unclean, in <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Cor. 8. 7.</NOTE> meats, or clothes, or days, make no difference at all, and hereupon they make account they are free, whereas this may &s;tand with a bondage unto &s;in notwith&s;tanding; O how may &s;uch men in the very u&s;e of this part of their liberty en&s;lave them&s;elves to &s;in, to their lu&s;ts? it is but a pretence many times, their liberty is; they wil u&s;e the creatures liberally, and without &s;cruplicity and nicety, will nor &s;uffer their con&s;ciences to be coy or tickle in &s;uch &s;mal things wherein they have a liber<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y, whereas the very truth is, they
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have no command of their Lu&s;ts nor Appetites, and then liberty&punc; is the cloak of it; they are &s;o impotent they cannot forbear meat or drinks; or &s;uch &amp; &s;uch rich apparel, as is a que&s;tion, whether it become them or no; they are brought under the power of the&s;e things, and yet liberty is the pretence: Surely brethren this is not to be free neither: &s;o much for this &s;econd U&s;e, whereby we may perceive, how many of us, that, it may be, think we were <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ree, are yet in bondage to this day; the&s;e mi&s;-conceits of free|dom &s;et us not free: a Pri&s;oner dreams his chains are fallen off, and he walks up and down at liberty; but when he awakes, alas, his bonds are upon him &s;till.</P>
<P>Seventhly, No nor yet is every one that doth endeavour to fulfill the Law of God, yet &s;et free: there is many a diligent &s;oul, very indu&s;trious and laborious, it may be, and as they think, for heaven, that would put the mo&s;t of us to &s;hame in this point: and yet all this while alas they are working in their fetters, in their bonds, yea they do twi&s;t and work bonds, they are held in the cords of their own &s;ervices, &s;tick there and never go further, the&s;e are not free neither: it is not <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> any more then <HI>Abraham,</HI> that can make free; it mu&s;t be the Son mu&s;t do it; yea, truly, for my own part, I take it, that the&s;e poor &s;ouls that are under the Law as a Covenant of life, are in the mo&s;t dangerous condi|tion: for alas, they are in love with their bondage, and &s;o much the more, becau&s;e they take it for freedom: A man is in love with his Fetters, becau&s;e they are gold, he maketh account they will buy his freedom, when he plea&s;eth: when any offers to take them away, what, would you have me to part with my gold? O no: And &s;o many a poor creature is in love with a Sepulchre full of rottenne&s;s, and dead mens bones, becau&s;e: it is painted and garni&s;hed: how hard a matter is it to per&s;wade many a Ju&s;ti|tiary among us, that he is in &s;uch a bondage, and &s;tands in need of this great power of Chri&s;t to make them free? &amp;c. Well then, do we move as heartle&s;s Chri&s;tians do? like Watches, with out|ward motion? come duties from us, like fire from a Flint? alas do we what we do by con&s;traint, or of a willing mind.? are we a free people? is love our con&s;traint? as the Apo&s;tle, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. &amp;c.</P>
<P>3. <HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> Shall be then to take notice what an incomparable <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 3.</NOTE>
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benefit the Go&s;pel is, that brings &s;uch glad tidings unto poor &s;ouls in bondage, in pri&s;on: Brethren, do but imagine how welcom tidings it would be to a company of poor Gally &s;laves, to tell them, your Prince hath laid down your ran&s;om for you, and hath &s;ent to proclaim Liberty to you, if you will go forth: O how their hearts would leap within them for joy, they could hardly believe it at fir&s;t, but would be like them that dreamed there in the P&s;alms; but when they come to them&s;elves, &s;urely they would rejoyce more in it, then if they had found great &s;poils; you have heard it is the Go&s;pel preached, whereby this Liberty is held out, yea and conveyed; for the truth &s;hall make you free: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 8. 3<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> and now to a man that is in love with the pri&s;on, and not willing to come out, the tenderings of Liberty is not &s;o much; but he that is weary of the na&s;tine&s;s of the Pri&s;on, of the weight of his chains; he who&s;e &s;pirit is overwhelmed with the pre-appre|hen&s;ions of his condemnation, and, it may be, never expected to come out of his pri&s;on, except to be led to Sentence, or to the Execution: now for Liberty to be proclaimed to &s;uch, and free|ly too: O what a benefit is here? Brethren, if it were not for this Go&s;pel of glorious Liberty, what were the world but a pri&s;on, a dungeon full of poor mi&s;erable Caitiffs, &s;hut up under &s;in to the revelation of the righteous judgement of God, at <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 3. 13.</NOTE> the great Day: it were better for us to die a&s;&s;oon as we are born, were it not for this Go&s;pel: What mi&s;erable comforts were our Riches, our Honours, our Friends, and Relations, were it not for this Go&s;pel? A man in pri&s;on, liable to condem|nation, under Bolts and Shakels, tell him of wearing &s;oft ray|ment, or Royal dainties, faring deliciou&s;ly every day: alas, it goeth not down with him, he is a pri&s;oner in bondage, nothing can be plea&s;ing to him, it deadens his heart, his relli&s;h to all things el&s;e; liberty would be a &s;weet welcom me&s;&s;age to him: Brethren, this is the tidings of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>4. <HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> See here and admire the riches of this Grace of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 4.</NOTE> Go&s;pel in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that he &s;hould proclaim Liberty to the Captives, notwith&s;tanding their wilfulne&s;s in throwing them|&s;elves into the&s;e chains, their willingne&s;s to continue in them, and unwillingne&s;s to go forth, to go out of them; notwith&s;tanding their being worn out, as I may &s;ay, and &s;pent in this bondage, &s;o
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that they can very little be &s;erviceable to him. For the fir&s;t of the aggravations of the bondage, which tends to heighten the free|dom and deliverance from it, that we wilfully plunged our &s;elves into it: if a man be taken captive by the <HI>Turk</HI> again&s;t his will, we pitty him much; but if he wilfully throw him&s;elf upon them, this takes away much of the compa&s;&s;ion; yet this is our ca&s;e: did not <HI>Adam</HI> &s;ell us in the fir&s;t tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, in which re&s;pect we are all to this day &s;old under &s;in? yea more then &s;o: alas, what <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 14.</NOTE> &s;inner is there almo&s;t that liveth to any years, but he &s;ells him|&s;elf with prophane <HI>E&s;au?</HI> &s;ells his &s;oul, and his hope of heaven, and all for a Me&s;s of pottage, for a little moments &s;atisfaction to his lu&s;ts: Nay, do we not all &s;ub&s;cribe to that act of &s;elling us under &s;in, when we &s;o willingly imbrace our chains? In &s;o much that &s;ome do even wear their chains as their ornaments, glorying in their &s;hame, that is to &s;ay, making their boa&s;t of their wicked|ne&s;s. And that yet notwith&s;tanding, when no eye pittied poor &s;inners in this condition, they them&s;elves were &s;o far from pit|tying them&s;elves, that they were plea&s;ed with the pri&s;on: all men in the like condition with them&s;elves, cannot pity them; the Saints alas, want bowels to &s;uch as willingly are in bondage: that yet the Lord, who is mo&s;t &s;lighted in all this, &s;hould pitty and make a way for their deliverance; this is un&s;peakable, rich grace! that the Lord &s;hould, as I may &s;ay, &s;tudy a cour&s;e to make them willing to come forth; to which end all the &s;ad and fearfull Characters of this bondage in Scripture are; to which end is the Law given, that &s;in might appear to be &s;in, and exceed|ing &s;inful, and the bondage very great, that they might thereby &s;ee them&s;elves &s;hut up: to this end, all tho&s;e &s;weet invitations, and powerfull expo&s;tulations with poor &s;inners in the Go&s;pel; <HI>O why will ye die?</HI> why will ye peri&s;h and rot in pri&s;on, &s;ince there is a ran&s;om found for you? the Lord takes no plea&s;ure in your death; and why will ye delight in your own death? O <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ez<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">k. 18. 31.</NOTE> what powerfull Rhetorick are the&s;e loving intreaties, expo&s;tu|lations, the yearnings of his bowels over them? his tears over <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> when they would not be gathered under his wings? <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 19. 42.</NOTE> and all this to make the poor &s;inner willing; and when all will not do, that he &s;hould even put forth a power upon their wills and hearts, inclining them to it by a &s;weet, and yet &s;trong, though not compul&s;ory influence of his Spirit upon them, this is admi|rable!
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what tenderne&s;s was there towards <HI>Lot,</HI> that when he lin|gered <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 19.</NOTE> and delayed, the Angel took him by the hand, and brought him without the City, and bid him ha&s;te for his life: truly there is not a &s;oul delivered from this bondage, but there is as much ex|erci&s;e of the patience, and bowels of Chri&s;t toward them, to make them willing; yea to take them by the hand, when they linger and make excu&s;es: as tho&s;e in the Go&s;pel; <HI>I will follow thee,</HI> but let me go and bid <HI>farewell to my friends:</HI> I mu&s;t not come off abruptly from my old Companions in &s;in, but take leave of them hand&s;omly: <HI>I mu&s;t go bury my father,</HI> &s;aith another; but the Lord Je&s;us takes by the hand, plucks us out, as I may &s;ay, by head and ears, before we will come out.</P>
<P>Again, con&s;ider how we have worn out our &s;elves in the bon|dage and &s;lavery of &s;in, and with the&s;e fetters upon our &s;ouls, or el&s;e &s;pent &s;o, that now he may even &s;ay, we our &s;elves may &s;ay of our days, there is no plea&s;ure in them: &s;o <HI>Luke 4. 18. to &s;et at liberty them that are brui&s;ed, Dimittere confract<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s in remi&s;&s;ionem,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign"> which words are not in <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> 61. neither <HI>Hebrew, Greek,</HI> nor <HI>Latine,</HI> but they are added <GAP DESC="foreign"> by <HI>Luke,</HI> as &s;ome conceive: <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">atabl.</HI> and others, read them <HI>v<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lneratos,</HI> per&s;ons wounded, &s;hattered, worn out with the hard bondage and &s;ervice they were put to; bondage is a weary thing at the be&s;t; but when a man is &s;uch a &s;lave, as that he mu&s;t like a Gally Slave, work like a hor&s;e in the &s;ervice of &s;in: O what pains &s;inners do take with both hands! earne&s;tly they come to iniquity, and &s;o exhau&s;t their &s;pirits, the be&s;t milk and marrow in the bones, &s;o that they are as dry &s;ticks, that are good for nothing; and yet that the Lord Je&s;us &s;hould to &s;uch proclaim liberty, bring them forth, that are able to do him no &s;ervice in a manner; &s;o the thief upon the Cro&s;s: and &s;o the Jew that <HI>Andreas</HI> is &s;aid to convert, hanging upon the Cro&s;s: and &s;o many a gray headed &s;inner, that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Fullers <HI>Lives</HI> pag. 38 8.</NOTE> never cea&s;ed &s;erving &s;in, yet now, &amp;c. Truly, if the Lord Chri&s;t &s;hould &s;et us free, with a re&s;pect to any &s;ervice we &s;hould do him afterward, I doubt none would ever be &s;et free: for Brethren, what can we add to him? if thou be righteous, it profiteth him <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 16. 4.</NOTE> not at all; he is a God infinitely perfect in him&s;elf, our good|ne&s;s extends not to him; all the be&s;t of <HI>Lebanon,</HI> and the wood <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 35. 8.</NOTE> are not enough for a burnt offering, &s;o great a God he is; and yet though he be not advantaged by our &s;ervice when we are &s;et at
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Liberty, but what commandments he giveth us to ob&s;erve, and giveth us hearts, inclineth our hearts thereunto, they are for our own welfare, as in that of <HI>Deuteronomy. The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath,</HI> for his good, his advan|tage; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 6. 24. Mar. 2. 27.</NOTE> and &s;o is all the &s;ervices: or if it were, yet alas (I &s;ay) how are we broken many times with the bondage of &s;in, &s;o that we are fit for nothing, the under&s;tanding and affections &s;o weak|ned and wa&s;ted, and be&s;otted with &s;in, that afterward we can do little for him, becau&s;e of that &s;ad effect &s;in hath left upon our &s;ouls, and yet he delivereth us: this the fourth.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 5. Then it &s;hall it be for Exhortation and invitation this day to every poor &s;inner, that is in bondage, that they would <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 5.</NOTE> clo&s;e with this promi&s;e, that they would go forth: O Sinners! that you would but accept of Deliverance and Liberty, that now the Lord Je&s;us, after &s;o dear a purcha&s;e of it, doth tender to you; you &s;ee he is willing, he came on purpo&s;e into the world, to preach and proclaim liberty to the Captives: Now art not thou a Captive? and ha&s;t thou no minde to be &s;et free? And for &s;ome Motives to &s;tir us up a little, at lea&s;t to a con&s;ideration of our con|dition, and what we do all this while.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Con&s;ider this is the acceptable year of the Lord, as in that of <HI>I&s;aiah:</HI> O it beginneth with the preaching of the Go&s;pel; indeed the acceptable year, minde you, acceptable to Je&s;us Chri&s;t: It plea&s;eth him wondrous well, if &s;inners be willing to come out of pri&s;on, to be &s;et at liberty: there is many a poor &s;oul that thinketh with him&s;elf, I am willing; if the Lord Je&s;us be willing that I &s;hall go forth: O it is the acceptable year of the Lord, there is nothing more plea&s;ing to him, then to &s;ee the ran&s;om he hath laid down for you &s;inners take effect, and bring out many out of bondage; the Apo&s;tle applyeth it to the times of the Go|&s;pel; <HI>There is joy in heaven, &amp;c.</HI> The Father of the Prodigal, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 6. 2.</NOTE> how willing was he? and then it is the acceptable year to &s;inners too: O how did men that were in bondage long for the Jubilee, and breath and pant after it, e&s;pecially if their bondage were hard? that &s;et them all free. Dear Friends, Con&s;ider, this is the great Jubilee, proclaimed &s;olemnly with the Silver Trumpets of the Go&s;pel, that every poor creature, that will, may go forth out of pri&s;on; yea, that if now they go forth, the Lord Je&s;us is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Lev. 25. 9, 10.</NOTE>
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willing we &s;hould; but if we &s;hall trifle away this year of the Lord, which we know not how long it may la&s;t to us: either the Go&s;pel may be taken away from us, or el&s;e we from the Go&s;pel; or el&s;e the things which concern our peace in the Go&s;pel be hid <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 19. 42.</NOTE> from our eyes, that we &s;hall never &s;ee them: O that &s;inners would but con&s;ider this, <HI>the&s;e &s;ea&s;ons the Father hath kept in his</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 1. 7.</NOTE> <HI>own power,</HI> that &s;inners might be afraid to trifle away one Sab|bath, <NOTE PLACE="marg">When liberty was proclaim|ed from <HI>Baby|lon,</HI> &s;ome would &s;tay there, &amp;c.</NOTE> wherein this grace is offered, for fear that it never be offer|ed more to us: If the Servant did neglect to take the opportu|nity of the Jubilee, he mu&s;t be in bondage, he and his, until ano|ther Jubilee, and &s;o he him&s;elf was like to peri&s;h in that &s;ervice.</P>
<P>There were only three things that did hinder their going free in that acceptable year: 1. Either they were &s;trangers, and of the cur&s;ed <HI>Canaanites,</HI> who were doomed to bondage; now there was <NOTE PLACE="marg">Lev. 25. 45, 46.</NOTE> no going forth for them: Or el&s;e 2. The Matters would not let them go free: Or el&s;e 3. They them&s;elves had no minde to go free, and &s;o bound them&s;elves for ever to their Ma&s;ters.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I &s;ay, The Strangers: alas, the Jubilee was not proclaim|ed to them; and therefore, though they might he willing to go free, yet they could not, they were as good never think of it, it concerneth them not; and the Ma&s;ters knowing this would never let them go free; &s;urely, this is not our ca&s;e, though the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2. 13.</NOTE> time was, when we were &s;inners of the Gentiles, and afar off, and the year of Jubilee was not proclaimed to us; yea, the Lord Je&s;us forbid his di&s;ciples, to go into the way of the Gentiles: If <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10. 5.</NOTE> this were our ca&s;e, then there were &s;ome excu&s;e for our continu|ing in bondage; and thus it is with many a poor people under the Sun this day; the Lord Chri&s;t hath never &s;aid to them <HI>that &s;it in darkne&s;s, go forth,</HI> el&s;e haply, <HI>Tyre</HI> and <HI>Zidon</HI> would have done it &s;ooner then <HI>Coraz</HI> and <HI>Beth&s;aida.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly then, the unwillingne&s;s of him to whom we are in bondage, to let us go free: it is true, &s;in is unwilling to let the &s;inner go; alas, how &s;hall lu&s;t be &s;atisfied and &s;erved then? And &s;o is Satan, as long as ever he can, he will hold his hold; but doth not the Lord threaten the hard hearted Jews, &s;ince they would <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 34. 15, 16, 17.</NOTE> not let his people go out of bondage, that he would proclaim a Liberty to them, to the &s;word, and to the famine, and to the pe&s;tilence? <HI>Pharaoh</HI> was very loth to let <HI>I&s;rael</HI> go as long as he
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had a being, therefore he was de&s;troyed: And &s;o &s;in and Satan, they will not let the &s;inner go; O how a mans lu&s;ts do cling about him then, when he &s;hould go free! what, will ye for&s;ake me now, have I not brought you in &s;o much content, &s;o many &s;weet hours you have had of repo&s;e in my lap, &s;o much gain and advantage, have you not lived by me, and will you now leave me? the&s;e will &s;tratle the &s;oul; and then for Satan, either he multiplyeth his baits, maketh the be&s;t of every thing in the way of &s;in that now beginneth to be laid open, to find colours and glo&s;&s;es to put upon them, or el&s;e he rageth and tells the &s;oul, thou go free! do&s;t thou think that now thou ha&s;t &s;erved &s;in &s;o long, Je&s;us Chri&s;t will accept of thee? and indeed, all that his wit or power can do, he be&s;tirreth him&s;elf, now he &s;eeth his kingdom go|ing down, and his yoak breaking; I, but remember this, that the Lord will break him to pieces, tread him under-feet if he refu&s;e to let you go, the Lord will pluck you out of his hands, de&s;troy his power.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Our own unwillingne&s;s, for if the &s;ervant &s;aid, he loved his Ma&s;ter, and his Ma&s;ters &s;ervice, and he would not go free, then the Jubilee &s;erved him in no &s;tead, he mu&s;t have his ear <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 21. 6. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"></NOTE> bored to the door-po&s;t by the Magi&s;trate, and &s;o be his &s;ervant for ever; either this might be as a puni&s;hment of his contempt of liberty, now he might have liberty, which is rather to be cho|&s;en, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith: and the Lord out of a tender re&s;pect to them, as his people, that he hath bought out of bondage, would not have them kept in bondage by their Brethren; Now if he would not go free, but loved his Ma&s;ter &s;o well; that he preferred his &s;ervice before freedom, he &s;hould have this torment and pub|like &s;hame, to be bored through the ear: And I tell you Bre|thren, it will not be the piercing of the ear that &s;hall be the re|compence of your refu&s;ing of this liberty, but the piercing of your hearts, as with a &s;word, when you come to &s;ee what your bondage will bring you unto; or el&s;e &s;econdly, That now they mu&s;t never go out of their Ma&s;ters doors without his leave, the &s;ervitude mu&s;t be &s;tricter then ever it was; and &s;o truly I do be|lieve, Brethren, that now, where the acceptable year of the Lord is preached to &s;inners, they have liberty offered, and they will not accept of it; that now they are more fully under the command of Sat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n and &s;in, then they were before. Thirdly, that
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hereby might be &s;ignified the willingne&s;s of their &s;ervice for the time to come, that they had, as I may &s;ay, their ears opened now to what ever their Ma&s;ter &s;hould command them; and &s;o in that <HI>P&s;alm; Sacrifice and offering thou woulde&s;t not; but mine ear ha&s;t thou bored or digged,</HI> &s;o the words may be read, that is to <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 40 6.</NOTE> &s;ay, thou ha&s;t made me willingly obedient to thee to the death, &amp; that obedience is better then &s;acrifice; and truly this is the &s;adde&s;t of all the re&s;t, when men &s;hall give up them&s;elves with a fuller will to &s;erve Sin and Satan then ever they did before, in &s;tea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of going forth; O let us fear and tremble before the Lord, le&s;t while liberty is proclaimed, we in &s;tead of going forth, be bored in the ear, and become Satans &s;ervants for ever, never go forth from our bondage.</P>
<P>Again, Con&s;ider yet further, that the day if liberty is pro|claimed; it is the day of the vengeance of our God al&s;o, as the Prophet hath it; as if he had &s;aid, if it be not a day of liberty, and of going forth to you, it will be a day of vengeance to <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 61. 11.</NOTE> you as well as to the enemies of Chri&s;t; for what de&s;perate love is this, to &s;in again&s;t Chri&s;t? that when he hath been at &s;o much pains and co&s;t to purcha&s;e a liberty for us, and we re|fu&s;e and reject it, will not part with our chains, will rather rot in pri&s;on then come forth, what can be expected but wrath to the utmo&s;t to come upon &s;uch a &s;oul? O &s;urely the Go&s;pel will be the &s;avour of death to death to &s;uch a &s;oul, a &s;avour of bondage to bondage and everla&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ng chains of darkne&s;s will be their bonds for ever: Brethren, think of this before the pri&s;on doors be &s;hut and barred, before you be &s;ealed up unto this de&s;truction.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, Con&s;ider how &s;weet and precious Liberty is, even ci|vel libetty, how &s;weet a thing it is; el&s;e men would never expend &s;o much trea&s;ure and blood as we have done for it: Ah, this is nothing to a freedom from &s;in, and from other bondages which ari&s;e upon &s;in unto the &s;oul: Ask but any poor creature that is newly come out of the dungeon, out of the horrible pit, where there was no &s;tanding; will they not tell you that liberty is <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 40. 2.</NOTE> &s;weet? it is not to be expre&s;&s;ed: If <HI>Paul</HI> had not been free, he had had many a la&s;h by tho&s;e cruel tyrants. If the &s;oul be not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 22. 19.</NOTE> free, it is liable to peri&s;h, to be whipped&punc; to death, to eternal death with Scorpions; ask but any of the people of God, who
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have been wearied and almo&s;t worried with their lu&s;ts; O the iron entered into their &s;oul, they did &s;it in darkne&s;s, in the dungeon many a &s;ad day and hour, and at la&s;t <HI>Out of the depths they have called to the Lord,</HI> he hath &s;et them free: O what an Heaven upon Earth they found it when they have been de|livered in any mea&s;ure from this bondage! what would they take to be in the &s;ame condition again, &s;pecially under the command of their lu&s;ts? not all the world; brethren, the Lord per&s;wade your hearts now, now while it is to be had, before you be called for out of pri&s;on to the judgement, that you may go forth and enjoy this glorious liberty.</P>
<P>O but you would &s;ay, Alas, what &s;hould we do in this ca&s;e? we are convinced; it may be &s;ome poor &s;oul ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;ay of him&s;elf, that this is a mi&s;erable bondage we are in, even by &s;in and the con|&s;equents of it, and we would fain be &s;et free, but we know not which way to go about it; we are in a maze, a wilderne&s;s, a labyrinth, a du<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">geon: we grope, and grope, and cannot find the way out: O what &s;hall we do? it may be this may be the ca&s;e of &s;ome of our &s;ouls; I will tell you what you &s;hall do.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t Deny your own policy, and wi&s;dom, know, they will not &s;et you free; <HI>Judas</HI> had much knowledge, and yet he hanged him&s;elf; you will rather by depth of rea&s;onings plunge your &s;elves deeper; the Go&s;pel is fooli&s;hne&s;s to them through the pride in their carnal knowledge.</P>
<P>Secondly, Labour to know the Go&s;pel in its tenor, and to clo&s;e with it, to believe it, <HI>you &s;hall know the truth, and the truth</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 17. 13.</NOTE> <HI>&s;hall make you free;</HI> truth truly known will &s;et a &s;oul free; this truth is the truth of the Go&s;pel, for Grace and Truth come by Je&s;us Chri&s;t: and it is ob&s;ervable that they are both put together; <HI>Sanctifie them with thy Truth,</HI> &s;aith our Saviour, <HI>thy Word is Truth.</HI></P>
<P>There are three things here con&s;iderable.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That there mu&s;t be a through acquaintance with the bondage that we are under, and the better condition of &s;ervice; how much the &s;ervice of Chri&s;t is to be preferred before that of Satan; for the truth is, while a man knoweth no better, he will be content to &s;erve the wor&s;e; there is never a &s;inner under the dominion of &s;in, but thinketh he is the free&s;t man; and the people of God that are bound up in their Spirits to &s;uch a &s;trict way of
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walking with God, he thinketh they are the men in bondage; but alas, it is becau&s;e he under&s;tandeth not his own condition: nor is it a &s;light hint of &s;uch a thing that will u&s;ually prevail to a freedom from all &s;in, therefore you mu&s;t labour to &s;tudy what this bondage is, &s;ee what thou art expo&s;ed to by rea&s;on of it, and &s;ee what a prfect freedom the &s;ervice of Chri&s;t is. O what great <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 19.</NOTE> reward there is in the very keeping of his Commandments; joy is &s;uch an in&s;eparable attendant upon obedience, that &s;ome mea|&s;ure of it followeth every good action, as the very heathens them&s;elves acknowledged; much more then, when the Lord Je|&s;us is the Ma&s;ter, and his &s;ervice the work.</P>
<P>Secondly, Thou mu&s;t be acquainted with the commands of Chri&s;t; his precepts are pure, and they have an influence upon the heart that believeth them, to bring him out of that bondage, to &s;et him free: I do believe nothing more keepeth many a &s;oul in bondage; he knoweth not what the will of Chri&s;t is in &s;uch or &s;uch a particular, el&s;e he would do it. Be acquainted with Chri&s;t the &s;umme of the Go&s;pel, you &s;hall know the truth; that is to &s;ay, what he hath done to &s;et poor creatures free became a &s;ervant obedient to the death, was in bondage, in pri&s;on, in the horrible pit, how he was put to it to overcome, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly and principally, thou mu&s;t be acquainted with the promi&s;es of the Go&s;pel that are made to this end; it is their ex|cellency to help forward our freedom; this part of the truth well known, &s;o known as to be clo&s;ed with, will make every poor creature free, <HI>ye &s;hall know the truth, and the truth &s;hall make you free;</HI> and &s;o this in the text, <HI>the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hall ari&s;e</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 14.</NOTE> <HI>upon you with healing in his wings, and ye &s;hall go forth:</HI> and &s;o many other places, <HI>&s;in &s;hall not have dominion over you, for ye are</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ca. 7. 17.</NOTE> <HI>not under the Law, but under Grace:</HI> It is the very tenure of the Covenant, and of the promi&s;es in Scripture, <HI>that he will deliver his people, &s;ave them from all their uncleanne&s;&s;es, and &s;ubdue all ini|quities for them, yea though they work iniquity with both hands,</HI> Ver&s;. 3. Either we know not the&s;e things, or el&s;e we make not u&s;e of them, we act not faith upon them; the Lord doth love to have his people u&s;e the importunity of faith, for nothing is &s;o importunate as faith, nor offers, as I may &s;ay, &s;uch violence to heaven as that doth. O Brethren, the Lord help our unbelief, and forgive our neglect of our faith in this point; if thou can&s;t
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act it but weakly, yet put forth &s;ome act of faith, hang upon the&s;e promi&s;es, tell the Lord he hath cau&s;ed thee to hope upon this his Word, el&s;e thou coulde&s;t not hope, and thou do&s;t hope in this Word, el&s;e thy heart would altogether &s;ink within thee; and will he now make thee a&s;hamed of his hope, hath his promi&s;e ever failed a poor creature, and will it now fail thee?</P>
<P>But be&s;ide this, do&s;t thou find thy heart moved, made willing indeed to part with &s;in? Art thou in good earne&s;t in this bu&s;i|ne&s;s? O yes, &s;aith the poor &s;oul, I would rather then my life be &s;et at liberty, for what good will my life do me, if I mu&s;t conti|nually &s;erve &s;in, and grieve &s;uch bowels of love towards me in Je&s;us Chri&s;t? have you &s;earched, do you know your hearts in this point? it may be thou ha&s;t not that heed of tru&s;ting thy heart further then thou &s;ee&s;t it, it will deceive thee then; but if thou ha&s;t &s;earched it; and beg'd of God to &s;earch it, and thou&punc; do&s;t not find but he hath through infinite riches of grace made thee willing to come out if thou could&s;t tell how: I tell you Bre|thren, if this be &s;o, the chains are fallen off from your hands, and the bolts from your legs, your freedom is in a great part ac|compli&s;hed, only thou can&s;t not find the way out of the pri&s;on. O then follow Chri&s;t, follow his Spirit, when he moveth thy heart at any time to &s;earch and try, maketh thee tender, puts thee into a frame to bewail the evils of thy heart, take the hint up and be doing, follow him and he will bring thee through one iron-gate, and through another, and thou &s;halt find thy &s;elf at the la&s;t &s;et free, and know thy liberty, and the things freely given thee of God.</P>
<P>O beg the Spirit, for he is the cau&s;e of liberty, it depends up|on him as light upon the Sun, and the Spring upon the Fountain; he applyeth what Chri&s;t hath done for us, knowing the deep things of God, he revealeth them, he only convinceth and an|&s;wers objections, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;ixth <HI>&V;&s;e</HI> of the point &s;hall be &s;everal admonitions or ex|hortations to them that are &s;et free from this bondage; thou ha&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 6.</NOTE> had the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;hine upon thee, and art gone forth from &s;in, from that bondage, tho&s;e fears, terrours, darkne&s;s and di&s;tractions which &s;in brings upon poor creatures, thou remem|bere&s;t the time when thou could&s;t do nothing but &s;in again&s;t the
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Lord and grieve him continually, thou could&s;t not cea&s;e to &s;in, thou wa&s;t under the command of &s;in, and now through grace, ex|ceeding rich grace, the gates of the pri&s;on are open, the Lord hath pluckt thy feet, thy affections out of the &s;nare; <HI>What doth the Lord thy God require of thee?</HI> this &s;hould be the next enqui|ry of the &s;oul, me thinks, after &s;o &s;ignal mercies.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, &s;urely he expecteth thou &s;hould&s;t give him the glory of all, prai&s;e him, and exalt him alone: alas, what are the calves of our lips, they co&s;t us nothing, the poore&s;t have this, and the riche&s;t have no more in effect but this, if thou be able to do little for Chri&s;t, yet thou mai&s;t prai&s;e him, thou mai&s;t admire his rich grace, make his name glorious? Truly Brethren, I believe &s;ome of us are able to &s;ay by experience, that our unthankfulne&s;s for the freedom we have had, hath been an occa&s;ion of our being clapt up, for all the de&s;ign of God in Chri&s;t, in redemption of poor creatures, is to make his mercy and grace glorious, as he did his power in the creation and wi&s;dom; Now how is it made glori|ous among us, but by our acknowledgment of it, our lifting up the Lord Je&s;us not only with our hearts but our tongues; art thou brought back again into darkne&s;s, and into the pri&s;on after &s;ome refre&s;hing? Con&s;ider, wa&s;t thou thankful for what thou had&s;t? we are all &s;ick of the leapers di&s;ea&s;e in the Go&s;pel, ten were <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">. 17.</NOTE> clean&s;ed, but where are the nine? I doubt &s;carce one in ten of us do prai&s;e him according to what he hath done for our &s;ouls, and tho&s;e that do&punc; yet &s;carce for one act of his loving kindne&s;s in ten, in bringing of-us forth; it may be he delivereth us ten times from a dead heart, before we once give him the glory. O this Popi&s;h principle of pride that is in us; is that which &s;eals: up our hearts and &s;toppeth our mouths from prai&s;es, but opens it in com|plaints, in di&s;contents, when we want &s;uch a mercy. O if our f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eece be dry when others are wet; we are ready to que&s;tion, why doth the Lord deal &s;o with me rather then with another, why have I not as much enlargement of heart as another, as great gifts, freedom of &s;peech, and utterance, as great grace in any kind? Why am I not &s;et above the&s;e wretched carnal delights as well as others of his people? as if, God &s;hould do any thing for us out of re&s;pect to us, we had de&s;erved any thing at his hands; where|as we may rather expo&s;tulate with our &s;elves, O why is it not wor&s;e with me then it is? why am I in no &s;orer&punc; bondage then I
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am? where I am once overthrown, it is mercy I have not an hundred times been over-thrown with-my lu&s;ts. So on the other hand, it &s;tops our mouths for returning unto the Lord for what he hath done for us; we may many of us thank our &s;elves for much of the bondage that is upon us, that we &s;o much complain of. O if every time the Lord &s;etteth our frozen &s;pirits a melting, every time he &s;etteth our &s;traightned hearts at large, we in&s;tead of lifting up our &s;elves, we could and did but admire that grace, magnifie him, loath our &s;elves, would he not much more delight to enlarge us? O therefore look to this.</P>
<P>Secondly, Th&egrave;n look to it th&agrave;t ye &s;tand fa&s;t in that liberty wherewith Chri&s;t hath made you free; I &s;peak not &s;o much here <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5. 1.</NOTE> to the yoak of Ceremonies which the Lord hath taken away al|together, but I &s;peak &s;pecially to our freedom from the dominion of our &s;ins, the freedom from the Law as a Covenant of life, and from outward pre&s;&s;ures and bondages; you know our fears were great when we &s;aw this cloud of blood but hanging over our heads, and many of th&egrave; precious ones of God, I know, when I was little and &s;carce able to take notice of &s;uch things, yet I have been an eye and ear-witne&s;s of the &s;ad complaints made before the Lord of it. Now hath God delivered us from this, &s;tand we fa&s;t in this liberty.</P>
<P>But fir&s;t th&egrave;n, for that of &s;in and our lu&s;ts, hath th&egrave; Lord bro|ken the yoak of them, &s;et thee free when thou did&s;t groan under it? O take heed of returning to folly any more; hath he &s;poken <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">5. 8.</NOTE> peace to thy troubled &s;oul, loo&s;ed the cords of thy &s;ins wherewith thou wa&s;t held, and wilt thou be tampering with &s;in again? This was the madne&s;s and perver&s;ne&s;s of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> they would make them a Captain and return to <HI>Egypt</HI> again, to the hou&s;e of bondage, when they had been but a little tryed in the Wilderne&s;s; but we have no &s;uch di&s;couragement upon us as to put us upon &s;uch re|&s;olutions, but meerly the unfaithfulne&s;s of our own hearts, and un&s;teadfa&s;tne&s;s of our own &s;pirits: the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of &s;ome, <HI>who having e&s;caped the pollutions of the world, they did return with the dog to the vomit, with the &s;wine to the mire;</HI> the condition of <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2. 22.</NOTE> &s;uch a &s;oul is wor&s;e then ever it was, <HI>he brings &s;even other &s;pirits wor&s;e then him&s;elf, and the latter end of th&agrave;t man is wor&s;e then his</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 12. 45.</NOTE> <HI>beginning.</HI> O wh&eacute;n the Devil can but fa&s;ten upon &s;uch a poor creature again, that once hath gotten out of the pri&s;on, like a cruel
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Jaylor now he will lay more fetters upon him, now he &s;hall be even over-whelmed with temptations, now his feet, his head, and his heart and all &s;hall be put in the &s;tocks, have their bolts and chains upon them. Sinners, you never make work for Chri&s;t, but you make work for your &s;elves, lay a grievous foundation for much bitterne&s;s to your own &s;pirits; a little care, a little watch|fulne&s;s here, may prevent heart-breaking afterwards, which we do nece&s;&s;itate (as I may &s;ay) Je&s;us Chri&s;t to by our back-&s;lidings; to this end therefore flie &s;in, as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> fled from the face of his Serpent; flie youthful lu&s;ts, make ha&s;t away, the Devil and &s;in will pur&s;ue hard, and ca&s;t this golden apple in our way, this and that occa&s;ion; O take heed of them. So the Apo&s;tle, <HI>flie</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">im. 2. 22. 1 Cor. 6. 18.</NOTE> <HI>fornication, and flie Idolatry,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Secondly, Take heed of returning to that Covenant of works, or Covenant of life, which was a yoak of our own making; if our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour hath been plea&s;ed to break it, &s;et us free, &s;hall we ret<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rn to that bondage again? I doubt this is a great cau&s;e of much &s;orrow and heavy walking before the Lord of many a poor creature: O he cannot do this, and he cannot do that, and therefore he doubts all is not well with him, whether he have any thing to do with Chri&s;t? It is true, if he had made our doing, our perfect obedience the condition of his Covenant, it had been &s;omewhat, but he hath not, but faith in him; take from him for all ends and purpo&s;es, not only for pardon, but for &s;trength, for food, for victory over our &s;in. Now we go off this, and therefore we move &s;o heavily and cannot &s;tir, but are like a door off its hinges, a Chariot off its wheels, bring much bondage and trouble upon our &s;elves, and much of our time and pains is &s;pent in poring up|on this, and getting healing again for this, which might be &s;pent in glorifying him. <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 51. 12.</NOTE></P>
<P>Therefore beg of God to this end, that he would e&s;tabli&s;h you with his Princely Royal Spirit, <HI>where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty;</HI> the Son maketh us free by his Spirit; and there|fore <HI>David</HI> maketh that prayer, as being &s;en&s;ible of this. O beg <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 3. 17.</NOTE> this Spirit for e&s;tabli&s;hment, the Lord will be intreated, he puts arguments into our mouths, and giveth us the greate&s;t encou|ragements to beg the Spirit, of any other mercy that I know of, as being the greate&s;t mercy, and the principal of all Go&s;pel-grace, and therefore being &s;o great a gift, poor &s;inners might be
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affraid to ask, but &s;aith he, <HI>you are Fathers who&s;e affections are</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 11. 13.</NOTE> <HI>finite and mixed,</HI> you are not pure love, yea you are evil, and yet will give good gifts to your children, much more will God give the Spirit; this the Apo&s;tle is earne&s;t with the Lord for, that he would &s;tabli&s;h and &s;trengthen his people to every good Word <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;. 2. 16.</NOTE> and Work, for grace is but a creature, and &s;o is weak, cannot con&s;i&s;t of it &s;elf without him, therefore be earne&s;t here.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Since we are delivered from outward pre&s;&s;ures, the yoak that did gall the necks of the people of God as before; hath the Lord &s;et us above our enemies, hath he before our eyes brought our <HI>Egyptians</HI> down in the red Sea of blood, and &s;hall we return thither again? I &s;peak not of the &s;ame bondage, I hope the Lord will keep his people from that, but I &s;peak of a wor&s;e, to be delivered from a tyrannie of man, to return to a tyrannie and dominion of &s;in; it is &s;ad, the heathens could &s;ay, <HI>Servitus gravi&s;&s;ima e&s;t &s;ibi ip&s;i &s;ervire,</HI> it is the heavie&s;t yoak for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Seneca.</NOTE> a man to be yoaked with his own ends and intere&s;ts, to &s;eek him|&s;elf, &s;erve him&s;elf, &s;pecially his &s;inful &s;elf, <HI>to make provi&s;ion for his lu&s;ts.</HI> It was a &s;ad character of <HI>Rome</HI> that <HI>Angu&s;tine</HI> giveth her, <HI>Victrix gentium captiva vitiorum.</HI> What are we the better for being delivered from that bondage? if &s;uch as were humble then, and low, and meek, and &s;elf-denying, now are high, and fierce, and &s;elf-&s;eeking, proud and wanton, and luxurious, their whore|ing, hawking, and hounding, and &s;pending their time in &s;uch &s;ports which &s;hould have been laid out in publike &s;ervice, was lookt upon as a great evil, God cau&s;ed their hou&s;es and lands to &s;pue them out. I wi&s;h we be not beginning to come under that wor&s;e yoak, now we are delivered from that of oppre&s;&s;ion; was it not better for <HI>I&s;rael</HI> to work in the Iron-furnace, in the brick|kill, then to be en&s;laved to their lu&s;ts in the wilderne&s;s, and there to peri&s;h? and was not <HI>Babylon</HI> better for them, then to be at li|berty, and yet to become &s;laves to their lu&s;ts, to their Idols? Brethren, I pray you let us look well about us every one; it is true, the day of the Lord, it hath burned like an oven among us, and many have been as &s;tubble fully dryed put into it; the bryers and brambles that did &s;cratch and tear the people of God, they are con&s;umed, <HI>God hath gone through them and con&s;umed</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 17. 4.</NOTE> <HI>them;</HI> and are we any thing the better, are we not wor&s;e? If we now melt away with the &s;weetne&s;s of our liberty, grow luxurious
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and wanton, wanton in opinions, that men know not well what they would be, but any thing, &s;o it be new and the thriving way: and wanton in apparel; are there not as many &s;laves to pride, to vanity, to &s;elf, as there were then to the lu&s;ts of other men? I be&s;eech you, which is the wor&s;e, to be at the mercy of another mans lu&s;ts, which can but reach the body and effect our &s;orrow for a time; or the mercy of our own mercile&s;s lu&s;ts, which will work our woe and ruine? O therefore look to this then, <HI>if &s;et at liberty, &s;lie &s;in;</HI> as he &s;aid to <HI>Lot, flie for thy life,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>&s;lie fornication</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6.</NOTE> <HI>and youthful lu&s;ts,</HI> &amp;c. &s;aid the Apo&s;tle.</P>
<P>The third part of the Exhortation then &s;hall be, <HI>to take heed</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2. 16.</NOTE> <HI>how we abu&s;e this our liberty,</HI> as &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>not u&s;ing our liberty as a cloak of malitiou&s;ne&s;s;</HI> haply alluding to the manner of per&s;ons. The Apo&s;tles &s;cope in that place leadeth us to one part <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal 5. 13.</NOTE> of the &s;en&s;e of this abu&s;ing of our liberty, and that is to think they are &s;o free now, that they need not have their necks under the yoak of men at all, for that goeth before, exhorting them to <HI>&s;ubmit them&s;elves to every Ordinance of man for the Lords &s;ake;</HI> to be &s;ubject to the higher powers and &s;ubordinate powers, is very con&s;i&s;tent with this &s;piritual freedom&punc; was there ever any &s;o free as our Saviour, who is the Son that maketh us free? and yet <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 2. 51.</NOTE> did not he &s;ubmit? &s;ubmit to his parents, was &s;ubject to them, and &s;ubject to the powers under which he lived, becau&s;e his King|dom was not of this world; and would it &s;uite with the head, and will it not &s;uite with the members? But I hope I need not &s;peak much to this. But there is much more wherein we may abu&s;e our liberty as children, by a carrying it frowardly and rebelliou&s;ly again&s;t their parents, upon pretence of liberty: and &s;ervants that are under the yoak, it may be think they may do much in this ca&s;e, more then they have warrant to do, becau&s;e they are free, it may be, and their Ma&s;ters haply in bondage under &s;in, therefore &s;hall they de&s;pi&s;e them? No, but count them worthy of all <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6. 1.</NOTE> honour, &s;erving them in &s;inglene&s;s of heart, as unto Chri&s;t; not for by-re&s;pects and ends, for fear of their di&s;plea&s;ure, but for Chri&s;ts &s;ake to do it: this is freedom indeed.</P>
<P>But to &s;peak a little more generally, many men think when once they have gotten their necks out of the yoak, from under that bondage, and tho&s;e fears that they have been under, they think now they are at liberty, they are pa&s;t all the wor&s;t, when
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they have gotten a little peace, and therefore though before they walked mournfully before God, and were diligent in following hard after him, now they &s;lack their pace, grow remi&s;s, they have their con&s;olations, the loaves they would have, and now they may take their ea&s;e. O this is a horrible abu&s;e of this liberty, for therefore the Lord &s;peaks peace, that we might not return to folly; <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 85. 8.</NOTE> and we quite cro&s;s, becau&s;e he hath &s;poken peace to us, therefore give up our &s;elves to folly; is not this to walk contrary to him? and will he not walk contrary to you? is not this to make our liberty a cloak, an occa&s;ion to the fle&s;h, a handle for the fle&s;h to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5. 13.</NOTE> take hold of, and &s;o to bring you into bondage again, and &s;o make more work for Chri&s;t to &s;et you at liberty again? Brethren, can we make our liberty a cloak to the fle&s;h, and do you think the Lord will not pluck that cloak over our ears, and &s;hew us our nakedne&s;s again, and make us know how we come by it again, be|fore we have it? and therefore take heed of this, I be&s;eech you, le&s;t your liberty degenerate into licentiou&s;ne&s;s; <HI>Maxima libertate minima licentia,</HI> &s;aid that Antient.</P>
<P>But yet more particularly, take heed of abu&s;ing of your liberty in the u&s;e of things lawful in them&s;elves and indifferent; it is a &s;ign of a heart that hath little fear of offending God, that dare walk ju&s;t at the very brink, upon the very line of de&s;truction, be|tween &s;in and lawful liberty, if it can be a&s;&s;igned&punc; You find the Apo&s;tle of another Spirit, rather then offend his weak Brother, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 8. 13.</NOTE> he would never eat meat while he lived: why how would he live? rather upon herbs, and fruits, and &s;uch things, then to eat fle&s;h as long as he lived too. I tell you Brethren, in our daies, though there is much di&s;cour&s;e of liberty, there is little true u&s;e of it, when a man will offend all the people of God, and his Brethren, rather then he will part with an excrement; and a woman rather then &s;orbear her &s;potting, and painting, and bed|lam nakedne&s;s. If the things be lawful in them&s;elves, which I think they are not; or a man will rather grieve all the people of God then cro&s;s his humor, this is &s;ad.</P>
<P>Again, Brethren, one man may have a greater liberty then another in this ca&s;e, and another greater then he in another ca&s;e; as for in&s;tance now, <HI>Abraham</HI> might look upon <HI>Sodom</HI> when it was flaming, but <HI>Lot</HI> might not, becau&s;e there he had his de&s;irable things, le&s;t it &s;hould draw back his heart from the journey now
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commanded him; and &s;o if a man do but ob&s;erve when tempta|tions and lu&s;ts meet together; where his corruption lies, what is the &s;cum of his heart, and what doth u&s;e to fire his lu&s;ts, there he may not give him&s;elf &s;uch a liberty as another may, who&s;e temptation lies in another thing: as if a mans temptation lie to exce&s;s in eating, in drinking, it is not law&s;ul for &s;uch a man now to look upon the wine when red, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> to come in the dan|ger of &s;uch a temptation; and &s;o if a man have eyes full of adulte|ry <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 23. 31. 2 Pet. 2. 14</NOTE> that cannot cea&s;e to &s;in, he may not behold an object that another may, who&s;e temptation lies not there.</P>
<P>In a word, look to it Brethren, <HI>that we &s;erve one another in love,</HI> this is oppo&s;ed to u&s;ing our liberty as a Cloak to the fle&s;h, to bear one anothers burdens; Brethren, we are not at liberty one from another, we may not &s;ay with <HI>Cain, Am I my Brothers</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5. 13.</NOTE> <HI>keeper?</HI> we ought not to de&s;pi&s;e the infirmities of the weak, be|cau&s;e they &s;ee not as we &s;ee, and therefore are grieved and offend|ed at many things that we make nothing of; here we ought to bear their infirmities, to cover them, to labour to inform them, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 15. 1.</NOTE> and forbear them, not de&s;pi&s;e them; become all things to them that we may lawfully, as the Apo&s;tle became all things, but a &s;in|ner, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 9. 19, 22.</NOTE> to gain them; this is &s;erving one another in love, and the la|bour of love either to God or men is a free &s;ervice indeed; we are rather ready to &s;erve our &s;elves one of another, for ought I per|ceive, generally it is &s;o, then &s;erve one another in love. Bre|thren, I doubt there is little love for Chri&s;t &s;ake, though there may be &s;ome for our own, and then all the liberty we talk of, it is but bondage; the Law of love is a Law of liberty indeed, but enough of this.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Then look to it, <HI>that we being free from &s;in, we be|come the &s;ervants of righteou&s;ne&s;s;</HI> that is to &s;ay, that you give <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 6. 22.</NOTE> up your &s;elves, yield your &s;elves unto God, unto Chri&s;t, as in&s;tru|ments for the holy Spirit to play upon, as in&s;truments, tools, weapons of righteou&s;ne&s;s for the Lord to make u&s;e of, even as he plea&s;eth, this is the end of all that liberty held out in the Co|venant of grace, <HI>that we being delivered from the hands of all our enemies, might &s;erve him without fear, in holine&s;s and righteou&s;|ne&s;s</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 1. 74.</NOTE> <HI>all the daies of our lives:</HI> Now hath the Lord then &s;et thee free, brought thee out of the horrible pit, broken off the &s;hakles, knockt them off, &s;et open the pri&s;on? what can we do le&s;s then
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this? &s;pend our &s;elves now in his &s;ervice. O if men would but con&s;ider, how much of their &s;trength and &s;pirits &s;in hath had, while we were under that bondage: Me thinks it &s;hould put us on &s;o much the more earne&s;tly, &s;pecially con&s;idering how our &s;ervice addeth nothing to him, it is for our own good, as you heard before, and it is all he expecteth for delivering of us. What poor Gally-&s;lave would not mo&s;t willingly yield to a Noble-man to be his &s;ervant, where his &s;ervice is honourable, and plea&s;ant, and delightful, &s;o be he would redeem him? why this is the very ca&s;e.</P>
<P>Be&s;ide, if we con&s;ider the fruit here, and the reward here|after; the Apo&s;tle puts both together, and I will not put them a&s;under, <HI>the fir&s;t-fruits, and the harve&s;t, they have their fruit unto holine&s;s;</HI> the more we &s;erve the Lord Chri&s;t, the more ea&s;ie, plea&s;ant and delightful will his &s;ervice be, the more our &s;ouls will &s;hine with the beauty of holine&s;s; as the bondage groweth by continuance, &s;o doth the freedom by this &s;ervice. I dare &s;ay, the more acquaintance any poor heart hath with a diligent, clo&s;e, humble, upright walking with God, the more plea&s;ant the waies of God are to him; yea, and the more holy that man groweth, it mu&s;t needs be &s;o, becau&s;e he hath more communion with the Fountain of holine&s;s, even God in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and the Spirit al&s;o: would you be holy, Brethren? would you be more and more freed from the remainders of bondage which are upon you? Believe it, the only way is to lay out your &s;elves more in the &s;er|vice of Chri&s;t; the Spirit of Chri&s;t will delight to be where he is entertained; where his motions are received, every hint is taken, and followed, and improved, and the more that &s;pirit then dwells in the heart, which is his contrary principle lu&s;ting again&s;t the fle&s;h, the more the fle&s;h mu&s;t needs go down in a &s;oul. But the end is that will make up all. O the reward will be according to our works; when a man is rich towards God, hath been faithful in a little, faithful in a great deal, hath laid up a good foundation again&s;t the time to come, O how &s;hall &s;uch &s;hine in glory! Me thinks our eyes &s;hould be a little forward, the eye of faith, as well as altogether backward to Chri&s;t, and what he hath done for us, to what he hath prepared for us, and therefore he him&s;elf pro|po&s;eth him&s;elf as a pattern to us in this very re&s;pect, looking un|to Je&s;us <HI>the Author and Fini&s;her of our faith, having laid a&s;ide</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12. 2.</NOTE>
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<HI>every weight,</HI> being &s;et free from this bondage, then run, looking to Je&s;us the Author of our Faith, who for the joy that was &s;et before him, endured the Cro&s;s, de&s;pi&s;ed the &s;hame; endured the clouding of his Fathers face from him, that was the weight that made him hang the head; it is the propo&s;ing of the end that &s;weetens the means, health that is aimed at, how it &s;ugars many a bitter potion, a man will endure any thing in &s;uch a ca&s;e: Well, though we may have much ado with our froward and back&s;liding hearts, and be many times wearied with them; yet give not over, but run, &amp; work, and &s;o work, as men &s;et at liberty, not in chains, chearfully and &s;trongly upon all the former con|&s;iderations, and this will be a right u&s;e of our liberty in|deed.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Then be not brought under bondage unto men, that is to &s;ay, to have our con&s;ciences in&s;laved, either through the fear of men, or favour of men; &s;urely, if the Spirit of Chri&s;t be in us, as it is, if we be his, it will free and make us go forth from this bondage: You have &s;een it in all experiences, when they threatned the Apo&s;tles, commanded them they &s;hould not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 4 19.</NOTE> preach in that name; the Spirit that was in them did break all tho&s;e bonds, though it taught them <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ot to rebell, to be tumultu|ous; for it is pure and then peaceable, the wi&s;dom that is from this Spirit, yet it taught them not to regard it; whether it be fit to obey God or man judge ye? they rejoyced the more, that they were accounted worthy to &s;uffer for Chri&s;t; this wind that bloweth where it li&s;teth, it bears down all oppo&s;ition, there is no re&s;i&s;ting of that Spirit that &s;peaks and acts in them. See the Mar|tyrs, how it did triumph over their adver&s;aries, they overcame their cruelty by the invincible patience, and yielding their bodies to a torment, rather then their con&s;ciences to the cruel com|mands of &s;inners, which tend to their wounding. Was there ever &s;uch a &s;lave as <HI>Canaan</HI> a &s;ervant of &s;ervants &s;hall he be; when another man, a great per&s;on, is a &s;ervant to &s;in, and thou <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen 9. 25.</NOTE> for advantage or fear art a &s;lave to him; is not this to be a &s;ervant of &s;ervants? to have this cur&s;e upon thy &s;oul in the highe&s;t degree, to be a &s;lave to a &s;lave, is the deepe&s;t &s;lavery that can be imagi|ned: Therefore take heed le&s;t &s;uch a bondage creep upon us at unawares, for our hearts are deceitful; take heed of &s;inful compliances with the prevailing evils of the times for advantage,
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this is to be a &s;lave to men and to humours, and not to be free-men to Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>But if you would &s;tand fa&s;t in this liberty in all the&s;e re&s;pects, then truly we mu&s;t &s;ee to it, that we do not grieve the holy Spi|rit of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; for this is the principle of our liberty, <HI>where the Spirit of Chri&s;t is, there is liberty;</HI> and according to the pro|portion of his pre&s;ence with, and working in any heart, is the li|berty and freedom of that &s;oul; he fir&s;t works liberty, knocks off the bolts of the &s;oul, pulls out of the horrible pit, he only an&s;wers our doubts, &s;atisfieth the &s;oul that is in bondage, by witne&s;&s;ing love to the &s;oul, by applying the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t to the &s;oul, this the Spirit doth, and he only e&s;tabli&s;heth the &s;oul in this liberty, <HI>e&s;tabli&s;h me with thy free Spirit;</HI> indeed, &s;ome|what el&s;e may loo&s;en a man, as to the outward practi&s;e from &s;in, but the Spirit only can loo&s;en the heart from &s;in, and only can di&s;&s;olve the &s;odering of corrupt affections, whereby our hearts and their &s;inful objects are &s;odered and glued together, and then the heart is broken from &s;in, as well as for &s;in, nor can any thing el&s;e keep up the &s;oul in the enjoyment of that liberty by this Spi|rit; and therefore if we would keep up and maintain our &s;piri|tual liberty, we mu&s;t be &s;ure to keep in with the Spirit; if we grieve him, he will grieve us, and leave us to fight with our own &s;trength, and fall under &s;in, and &s;o come to bondage again in part, to the grief and wounding of our &s;pirits; &s;ome of us alas it may be, thought once we had been free, but have been brought into bondage again, and held under the power of &s;in, in terrours: we are ready to wonder when the lu&s;ts we thought had been dead and buried, do ri&s;e up again, captive us to them; but won|der not at it, for how often is this holy Spirit grieved by us, which is the principle of our liberty? if we con&s;ider this well, it will put an end to our admiration; if we would keep our liberty, not return to bondage, grieve not the Spirit.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, he is grieved when he is neglected and &s;lighted, his mo|tions to put us on to &s;uch a duty, we &s;hift and &s;huffle, and make one excu&s;e or another, and will not do it; either to &s;et upon a du|ty we never performed, or to do it in another manner then we have done at another time, this grieveth him; as for in&s;tance, he puts us on to reprove our Brother for a &s;in, not to &s;uffer &s;in to lie upon him, and we &s;mother it, we think it more offendeth
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another then us, or el&s;e it is an unthankful office, it is the way to lo&s;e a friend, to be accounted a bu&s;ie-body, we &s;ee that men for the mo&s;t part cannot bear a reproof, but they will &s;narl at lea&s;t, if they do not turn and rent us, and bear us upon their backs. And therefore we neglect our duty, and &s;o for any other; now alas, how often are we guilty in this kind?</P>
<P>Secondly, Take heed of all impurity, uncleanne&s;s, for he is a pure holy Spirit and will lie clean, he cannot endure a na&s;ty place; this will grieve him, if it be pollution of the fle&s;h, or pollution of the &s;pirit, if harboured in the heart it will grieve the Spirit; and then as a man grieved, he departeth, that is his grieving in|deed; properly he is not grieved, God is not &s;ubject to any pa&s;|&s;ion, or fears, or &s;orrows, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> becau&s;e all things are alway pre&s;ent with him, he &s;eeth what we would be, before he had to do with us at all, but then, when we do actually thus pollute our &s;elves, he takes occa&s;ion to depart, to leave us to tho&s;e evils, and to fill us with our own back-&s;lidings.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Take heed of &s;inning again&s;t conviction, again&s;t light, this is dangerous indeed, you may come to be &s;hut up in darkne&s;s for this, to be bound in affliction and iron, to endure &s;ad things upon your &s;pirits; for if the Spirit of Chri&s;t who con|vinceth you this or that is a &s;in, be &s;o far &s;lighted as you heed it not, what if he then forbear? and is it not righteous he &s;hould forbear to &s;hine upon your graces, that you &s;hould &s;ee any thing that is ought in you? So that you &s;hall walk in darkne&s;s and &s;ee no light: will not this be a paying of you home in your own coyn? <HI>David</HI> could not be ignorant what his &s;in was before he committed it, and yet you &s;ee, he ventured upon it, and what it co&s;t him.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Take heed of deliberate &s;inning, when a man hath time of con&s;ideration of his &s;in, to argue the ca&s;e <HI>pro</HI> and <HI>con,</HI> as we u&s;e to &s;ay, and doth revolve with him&s;elf, O this is &s;inful, if I do it I rebell again&s;t God, I do what in me lies to undo my &s;elf; O but &s;aith lu&s;t, man it &s;hall be &s;atisfied; God is merciful, there is time enough to repent, or it will ea&s;ily be healed afterward. Now upon &s;uch deliberations as this, if a man will &s;in, there is much of the will in it, and &s;o much the more wicked, and therefore now the &s;pirit mu&s;t needs be grieved; what can &s;uch a poor creature expect but to be brought under bondage? as you &s;ee it in <HI>David,</HI>
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his plotting and contriving the death of <HI>&V;riah;</HI> the&s;e &s;ins in cold blood, when a man is not under the &s;udden violent heat of a temptation, and yet will &s;in, O this grieves him much; if a pot be on the fire and the &s;cum ri&s;e, we throw it out, we expect it would ri&s;e; but if no fire be under, and yet a &s;cum ari&s;e, O this is &s;o loath&s;om, it is not to be endured.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Take heed of Ranker and Malice, of grudgings of heart one again&s;t another, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>grudge not one again&s;t another;</HI> prejudices, heart-burnings, grudgings upon in|juries, real, or conceived and imagined: O this grieveth the Spi|rit, who is a Spirit of pure love, and will have them that look to enjoy him, to be a people of love, to cover much, bear and forbear, and forgive in love, for love will cover a multitude of offences.</P>
<P>Sixthly, Take heed then of pride, of being lifted up, for the Spirit of Chri&s;t is a Spirit of humility: O he loveth to dwell in the lowly &s;pirit: if we be lifted up we rob him of his honour, to arrogate that to our &s;elves which he hath been working for us, to think we are &s;omething of our own, of our &s;elves: he will let us know, to our &s;orrow, that we have nothing in our hearts but darkne&s;s, and bondage, and &s;in, and that all was from him.</P>
<P>Seventhly, Take heed of unthankfulne&s;s for what he hath done for us: when the Spirit of the Lord Je&s;us &s;hall be at all this pains with us, conte&s;t with the quarrellings and di&s;putings of our own hearts, again&s;t our own peace and comfort, and an&s;wer all our objections, and &s;till our complaints, and &s;eal up love upon our hearts, remove our trembling and fears, di&s;pell our darkne&s;s, clean&s;e our loath&s;om hearts in a great mea&s;ure of tho&s;e lu&s;ts that did &s;o much prevail again&s;t us, and we &s;hall forget this now, and not return to him the prai&s;e, but either to grow into carnal &s;e|curity, and when we have re&s;t from that which galled us, with the nine leapers, go our waies, never mind whence we received it, or el&s;e &s;o much pore upon the remainder of our &s;ins, as not to exalt that grace whereby we are in &s;o great a part delivered? O this grieveth him, and therefore he may ju&s;tly let us &s;tep back again, or let loo&s;e upon us again tho&s;e lu&s;ts, that we were delivered from their &s;trength, and never prized the mercy; that we learn to ad|mire that grace; much more might be added, but this &s;hall &s;uffice.</P>
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The next u&s;e of the point &s;hall be for &s;atisfaction to &s;ome doubts, &s;ince we are delivered and &s;et free from the Law, as you have heard from that; It may be thought, Fir&s;t, that the Law was an evil, that it is &s;uch a priviledge of the Saints to be deliver|ed from it. Secondly, It may be doubted how far we are &s;et free from it, and therefore I will &s;peak a little to each of them; for the fir&s;t.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, the Apo&s;tle meeteth with it, or rather prevents it, for &s;eeing that carnal rea&s;on would be &s;o ingenuous as to find out that cavil among others, again&s;t the Doctrine of faith, and of freedom from the bondage under the Law, as the &s;trength of &s;in &s;pecial|ly; <HI>What &s;hall I &s;ay then,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>is the Law &s;in? that</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom 7. 12.</NOTE> <HI>we are &s;aid to be delivered from it, and that &s;in hath its &s;trength from it?</HI> and &s;o deliverance from &s;in is a deliverance from the Law, as the &s;trength of it. Or, is the Law death, &s;ince &s;in by this means doth work death? <HI>No,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>the Law is holy, ju&s;t and good, the Law giveth no occa&s;ion to &s;in;</HI> but &s;in takes occa|&s;ion, &s;in will not endure to be contradicted, it &s;ucks poy&s;on out of that holy and good Law of God; meeting with oppo&s;ition, it &s;wells and rageth, &s;o that indeed it is &s;in that is the evil, the Law is holy and good. O but the Law it works wrath, and works death, and can this then be good? and how can it be &s;uch a mercy to be delivered from it? is it a favour to be put into gold|en fetters? &s;uppo&s;ing the Law to be good and holy, yet &s;ince it is, as we may &s;ay, ginns, and fetters, and bolts, though of gold, to hold the poor &s;oul in, to keep him in and up as in a pri&s;on, is this &s;o good then? To this I an&s;wer, It is true, by the Law is the knowlege of &s;in, <HI>I had not known lu&s;t, except the Law had &s;aid thou &s;halt not covet;</HI> whether in the la&s;t command, or in each com|mand, now I will not di&s;pute; but the fir&s;t motions, thoughts, ri&s;ings and bubblings of corruption, I had not known them to be &s;in, but that the Law hath &s;aid, <HI>thou &s;halt not covet: Why, but was that then that was good made death to me?</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle: You mu&s;t know the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks here of a death, which is the receiving, as I may &s;ay, the &s;entence of condemnation in his own &s;pirit by conviction, for this is all his knowledge of &s;in, that &s;in by the commandment might appear to be exceeding &s;inful; this is the dying there mentioned, <HI>&s;in revived and I dyed;</HI> which is in order to liberty, to make the poor creature &s;ee his nece&s;&s;ity of
<PB N="549" REF="341">
Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that &s;o he might make out after him, to make a par|don welcome, therefore he ca&s;ts poor &s;inners into fet ters under this Law: So that if you look upon it in this &s;ub&s;erviency to the Go&s;pel, though the creature may be put to much grief by it, yet it is good; when pardon is proclaimed, that a Prince &s;hould ca&s;t tho&s;e rebells into pri&s;on, to make them willing of a pardon; the Go&s;pel is a &s;avour of death to death you know, and yet it is a &s;weet &s;avour in them that peri&s;h, and them that are &s;aved; the Go&s;pel is never the wor&s;e for that: and if the Law prove fetters to a poor &s;inner; to keep him under bondage for ever, and bind him over to everla&s;ting Judgement, this is through his own wickedne&s;s, that he will not accept of deliverance in the Go&s;pel where it is preached: the Law is never the le&s;s good and holy.</P>
<P>But the &s;econd is the main thing, how far we are &s;aid to be freed from the Law of God, and how we are not freed from it?</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, we are delivered from it as a Covenant of righteou&s;ne&s;s, <HI>do this and live;</HI> that is to &s;ay, be thou exactly conformable to this Law for ever; <GAP DESC="foreign">, want of &s;uitablene&s;s to this Law is a &s;in, and every &s;in, the wages of it is death; if thou break it but in one, thou art guilty of all. Alas, Brethren, the Law was weak through our fle&s;h, and could not ju&s;tifie, it could di&s;cover &s;in, as a gla&s;s, but not purge it; it could work wrath, work it out, but it could not pacifie, therefore the Lord Je&s;us came and took upon him that name, <HI>the Lord our righteou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> and he is now, &s;aith <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10. 4. Gal. 3. 25.</NOTE> the Apo&s;tle, <HI>the end of the Law for righteou&s;ne&s;s:</HI> It was a School-ma&s;ter to whip us, to fright us, out of our &s;elves to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; therefore every &s;oul in Chri&s;t now is delivered from the Law as a Covenant of life, that is clear; but this was mentioned be|fore.</P>
<P>Secondly, Now from the rigorous exacting of obedience; for according to the Law, nothing is obedience, except perfect; if a man mi&s;carry in one thing he is guilty of all, there mu&s;t be a do|ing of every thing written, yea in the fulle&s;t, mo&s;t &s;piritual &s;en&s;e of it; yea a continuance in every thing to the end, or el&s;e it is not obedience; but now the Lord accepteth of the de&s;ires of the upright heart, he heareth the prayer of &s;uch as de&s;ire to fear his name: the will now goeth for the deed, where the poor &s;oul
<PB N="550" REF="342">
&s;triveth to do and is not able; Dear friends, how &s;ad a condition were we in many times if the Lord did &s;o rigorou&s;ly exact our obedience? how often do we come to pray, and can &s;ay nothing in his pre&s;ence, can &s;carce &s;igh or groan? and in hearing and &s;peaking his Word, though we do &s;tir up our &s;elves to watch: O how often do vain thoughts run away with our hearts? now if we were under this exacting of the Law, what would become of us? what had become of <HI>Paul</HI> when he did the things he hated, the things he would not, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> if he had been under the rigour of the Law? If there be fir&s;t a willing mind, that <HI>imprimis</HI> Brethren, doth legitimate all the following <HI>Items,</HI> though never &s;o weak; now the Law is in the hand of Chri&s;t, as a Father who pittieth and &s;pareth us; alas, what had become of the be&s;t of us el&s;e long <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 3. 17.</NOTE> &s;ince? thus we are delivered.</P>
<P>Thirdly, From the cur&s;e of it, <HI>Gal.</HI> 3. 18. our Saviour being made a cur&s;e for us, &s;o that the cur&s;e of it doth not lie upon us to &s;ink us, that is to &s;ay, the weight of the wrath or di&s;plea&s;ure of God; Nor yet as a compul&s;ion to obedience to this Law; as &s;laves and very wretched &s;inners may do much for the fear and dread of this cur&s;e of God, but this the Lord delivered his people from, he maketh them a willing people, he now &s;heweth them greater rea&s;on again&s;t &s;in then ever they &s;aw, now opens to them the grave, they &s;ee the rottenne&s;s of it, which they &s;aw not before, now he opens his trea&s;ures of rich grace in Chri&s;t, and &s;o by mediation of the under&s;tanding works upon the will, &s;weetly inclining it to God, though there be a moral &s;wa&s;ion by appo&s;ition of object, as a Lamb is led by a green bu&s;h up and down; yet this is not all, there goeth more to the taking away the &s;tone in the heart, and giving a heart of fle&s;h, which doth mo&s;t what lie in the making the will flexible and plyable, not &s;o much in &s;orrow, and tears, and meltings, which doth many times accompany it, and &s;ometimes not at all, or very little: <HI>Pharaohs</HI> heart was hardened, for he obeyed not, he was &s;tiff and &s;tubborn, and therefore &s;aid to be a &s;tone: Now I &s;ay, a moral &s;wa&s;ion will not reach to this, a man may u&s;e much oratory to a &s;tone, and yet it remaineth a &s;tone &s;till; a Preacher may hold forth &s;in to be &s;in, and exceeding &s;inful, and hold forth Chri&s;t crucified by them and for them before their eyes, and yet alas, all will not do, they remain &s;tones &s;till: No, no, an enclining of the heart; he
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turns the hearts of men whither&s;oever he will, as he did the heart of <HI>E&s;au</HI> to <HI>Jacob</HI> upon his prayer, there was more then a &s;wa&s;i|on; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 32.</NOTE> and as he did the thief upon the Cro&s;s in the mid&s;t of his torments and agonies of death, then to think upon a Chri&s;t, then to have his heart towards him, that never regarded him in his life-time, and in the mid&s;t of a people reviling him, as you know, and upon the Cro&s;s &s;uffering and dying, and yet then to be wrought upon, argues a wonderful divine power put forth up|on the will. Well then, when the will is overcome, we are made free to the &s;ervice of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; now we can delight in the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 7. 32.</NOTE> Law of God after the inward man; it was a wearine&s;s to a &s;inner to hear the Word, &s;pecially if it came near to him, he could not endure to be grated upon; and a wearine&s;s to pray; now he de|lights in the&s;e things: So far we are delivered from the cur&s;e, as the great inforcement of Obedience.</P>
<P>Fourthly, From the provoking power of the Law, as you have often heard; now that Law that was the occa&s;ion of the rebelling of lu&s;t, is hid in the heart, that we might not &s;in again&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 119. 22.</NOTE> him; this is a great change indeed in a child of God from the former condition, when before, God would put his yoak upon our &s;ouls, we writhed and pluckt away our neck, would not en|dure it; now it plea&s;eth us to be under it, it is &s;weet and ea&s;ie to us now, it is a provocation to obedience, that before was a pro|vocation unto &s;in.</P>
<P>But now on the other hand, we are not &s;et free from the Law, as a Law, a rule of holy walking, of new obedience; our Saviour did not by fulfilling the Law de&s;troy it, but accompli&s;h it; becau&s;e we were not able of our &s;elves to do it, he under went the rigour of it, and took away all the condemnation of it, that it might be an ea&s;ie yoak to us; and wherefore have we a Law written in our hearts, which is but a counterpane, as I may &s;ay, a di&s;po&s;iti|on to do the revealed will of God, except we have this revealed will of his to be a rule to walk by? hath the Lord Je&s;us then <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 17.</NOTE> lightned the yoak, &s;weetened it, given us his example, chalked out our way thereby as a pattern to us, and given us &s;trength al&s;o to do it, and &s;hall we refu&s;e this holy Law, as a rule to walk by? it is true, it is not now in the hand of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> as a School-ma&s;ter, to la&s;h, to terrifie, to bring us to Chri&s;t, when once we are in him; but now it is a rule in the hand of Chri&s;t, in the
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hand of a tutor, that with all gentlene&s;s doth lead us by his Spi|rit into all truth; that is to &s;ay, not the knowledge, but the practi&s;e, that is, to be led into the truth: man may know much, and yet be far from being led into it, know nothing as he ought to know; now it is a rule in the hand of a Father, be|fore it was a Lyon terribly roaring upon us, hell, and wrath, and ruine, and &s;o it is &s;till to every unbelieving creature, who are under it, as to the &s;atisfaction of divine Ju&s;tice by &s;uffering, that is to &s;ay, under the cur&s;e, though as a Covenant of life none is under it &s;ince <HI>Adam,</HI> for I conceive it was not given for that end; but under it, as to &s;atisfaction of divine ju&s;tice they are: now I &s;ay it is terrible to &s;uch, but when the Lyon is killed by our <HI>Samp&s;on,</HI> there is &s;weetne&s;s in it, <HI>out of the eater came meat:</HI> the very Law of God that is terrible, condemning, affrighting a poor guilty &s;inner; it is the delight of a <HI>David:</HI> indeed not a page of the Book of God, but is, as I may &s;ay, a hand-writing again&s;t every wicked wretch, wherein he may read his doom; and not a page wherein there is not &s;omething that mini&s;ters con&s;olation to a Believer: for to &s;ee the terrours of the Law, which is a wounding, death, overwhelming a &s;inner; is a rai&s;ing of his Spirit to con&s;ider what he is delivered from; well then, <HI>now it is a Law of liberty, Jam. 1. 25. his commands are not grievous, 1 John</HI> 5. 3. but yet we are under tho&s;e commands &s;till. So the Apo&s;tle was not without the Law, but under the Law to Chri&s;t; <HI>we make it not void by faith, but e&s;tabli&s;h it:</HI> But thus much &s;hall <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 3. 31.</NOTE> &s;erve to be &s;poken to this.</P>
<P>The la&s;t U&s;e &s;hall be a word of comfort to poor creatures that are yet under this bondage. Something of encouragement I may give to &s;inners that yet are rebelling again&s;t the Lord Je|&s;us, though if you continue &s;o doing, there is no hope for you; yet know this, that the Lord Je&s;us hath laid down a ran&s;om &s;uf|ficient for all, and publi&s;heth this liberty to all; he &s;etteth open the pri&s;on doors, and if then you will not go free, thank your &s;elves: but of this before. I doubt &s;uch &s;inners as the&s;e will be &s;natching at the comfort which belongs not to them. Therefore mind it Brethren, you that plea&s;e your &s;elves in &s;in, are given up to the waies of your own hearts, while you are &s;uch, it is not my work to comfort you at all; catch not at it, it concerneth you not; but I &s;peak to poor &s;inners that are &s;en&s;ible of their
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condition, that are &s;triving, &s;trugling, groaning under the bondag&egrave;, the yoak of &s;in, or the concomitants thereof, which you have heard &s;poken to &s;o at large. Alas, may one &s;ay, I doubt all is not well with me, if where Je&s;us Chri&s;t cometh into a &s;oul, revealeth him&s;elf in a &s;oul, he brings liberty with him to that &s;oul, then I am a poor creature without Chri&s;t to this day, for alas, I am in grievous bondage; O there is bondage of <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ears, and bondage of &s;in; It is true, I do &s;omething &s;aith one, but I doubt it is nothing but a &s;lavi&s;h obedience out of fear; for this we mu&s;t know, Brethren, that though it be true there is a fear which is meerly &s;lavi&s;h, when a &s;inner looks upon god as a &s;evere terrible Judge, his Law a cruel bloody Law, while he &s;eeth no mixture of mercy and love, and yet with <HI>Foelix,</HI> trembles; or as they at the deliverance of the Law, when God revealed him&s;elf in &s;o terrible a manner, trembled, could not endure the &s;ight; now a man un|der the cur&s;e of the Law, he endeavours to do what he doth up|on this ground, becau&s;e of terrours; but a child of God he hath a principle of love, it is mercy, it is love, it is tenderne&s;s in Je&s;us that &s;etteth him a going; terrours indeed do amaze, and a&s;toni&s;h, and fright him out of him&s;elf; but it is love in Je&s;us Chri&s;t that &s;etteth his &s;oul a work to do his will; yet &s;o Brethren, as that you mu&s;t know there is not all fear bani&s;hed out of the &s;oul; but that we may the better under&s;tand it, let us con&s;ider <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> a little di|&s;tinctly.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, there is to be a reverent fear of the Maje&s;ty of god in all his people; <HI>let us &s;erve him with reverence and godly fear,</HI> &s;aith <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. ult.</NOTE> the Apo&s;tle, <HI>for our God is,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>a great God, and greatly to be feared:</HI> what an awe there is upon a poor pea&s;ants &s;pirit when he appeareth before a mighty Prince? &s;o here, and I doubt we have mo&s;t of us cau&s;e rather to complain, that there is not &s;o much of this holy awe upon us as there ought to be, <HI>O &s;erve the Lord</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 2. 11. Exod. 20. 20.</NOTE> <HI>with fear, and rejoyce with trembling: fear not,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Mo&s;es, for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces: Fear not:</HI> that is to &s;ay, be not di&s;mayed, a&s;toni&s;hed, God is come now to give a rule of obedience, that you may &s;erve him with reverence, holy fear and trembling.</P>
<P>Secondly, There ought to be a fear of offending God, as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 3. 5.</NOTE> a Son his Father, though he were &s;ure never to be &s;courged for it; or becau&s;e he is his Father, and carryeth &s;o much love toward
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him, &s;o tender of him, and good toward him, therefore he would not offend him.</P>
<P>Thirdly, There ought to be a fear of the judgements of God upon others; <HI>David</HI> was affraid of his judgements, when the Angel of the Lord was there; he dur&s;t not go up to wor&s;hip be|fore the tabernacle in <HI>Gibb<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">n,</HI> becau&s;e of the Angel of the Lord, <HI>I am afraid of thy judgements,</HI> &amp;c. <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Chro. 21. 30.</NOTE></P>
<P>Fourthly, We may fear cha&s;tizements, <HI>the thing I feared is come upon me,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Job;</HI> &s;ince we know we do &s;o often offend him and grieve him, we may expect and fear it; yea it is hardne&s;s and &s;ecurity for us not to fear.</P>
<P>Fifthly, A man, a child of God may have a fear of everla&s;ting damnation, which &s;erveth to rouze him up when he is growing &s;ecure, when <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e hath drowned his evidences, blotted them; and it is nece&s;&s;ary it &s;hould be &s;o, for why el&s;e doth the Holy-Gho&s;t, even in the Go&s;pel, inculcate this upon the Di&s;ciples, <HI>fear not him</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10. 28.</NOTE> <HI>that can kill the body, but fear him that killeth &s;oul and body:</HI> And &s;o, <HI>if ye live after the fle&s;h ye &s;hall dye, but if by the Spirit ye morti|fie</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 13.</NOTE> <HI>the deeds of the fle&s;h ye &s;hall live:</HI> the&s;e threatnings &s;urely would not have been written to Believers, except they were to make &s;ome u&s;e of them, to be as an awe upon their &s;pirits to keep them from &s;inning, to be a quickning to their &s;ouls.</P>
<P>Now on the other hand it is true; that there ought not to be in us &s;uch a fear, as to di&s;tract us; to drive us from, to weaken our Spirits, to di&s;able us from duty, to cloud and drown all our de|light in his waies, to blot out our apprehen&s;ions of his loveline&s;s, and compa&s;&s;ion, and bowels, &s;o as to beget hard thoughts in our hearts of God, which will produce hatred of him; &s;uch a fear ought not to be in us, and though there may be a &s;pice of it &s;ometimes, even in the be&s;t, when they are not them&s;elves, yet this is not the prevailing principle in the &s;oul, but an holy fear of offending him, which ari&s;eth from a mixture of love to|wards him, and holy reverence and awe of him, and of his Ma|je&s;ty and Greatne&s;s; and truly Brethren, this is no enemy to &s;piritual liberty; But I mu&s;t not dwell &s;o long, upon things.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, the main thing that I know mo&s;t troubles a gracious heart, is, that he finds him&s;elf &s;o much under the power
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of &s;in; O I find not this freedom, this liberty you &s;peak of, I am a wretch then under the power of my corruptions: O the &s;ad complaints to Chri&s;tians, to men continually, from &s;ome poor di&s;|con&s;olate &s;ouls! and to &s;peak a little for their con&s;olation if the Lord breath in it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Brethren, you mu&s;t know this, that as &s;in hath had a time of &s;ettling and rooting, there will be a time of un&s;ettling it; thou art of ye&s;terday, it may be, and do&s;t thou think to be &s;o free the fir&s;t day, as they that have many years been wre&s;ting, and fighting, and praying, and fa&s;ting, and mourning, and be|lieving down their lu&s;ts? This is a great mi&s;take: it is infinite mercy that thou ha&s;t thy hands let loo&s;e, and thy feet out of the mire and clay, and that thou art &s;et upon a Rock, that thou ha&s;t now a &s;tanding and liberty to fight, thou mu&s;t not expect a li|berty from fighting and conflicting with &s;in while thou art in the fle&s;h; mind you the Apo&s;tles two or three ver&s;es of the &s;ame Epi&s;tle to the <HI>Romans,</HI> he &s;aith, <HI>the Law of the Spirit of life, the powerful working of the Spirit of life, hath &s;et him free from the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> <HI>Law of &s;in and death:</HI> and yet a few ver&s;es before, <HI>O wretched man that I am, who &s;hall deliver me from this body of &s;in and death?</HI> thou groane&s;t under the burthen, whereby it appears thou art delivered in a great part; thou art willing to be freed, and when the will is di&s;intangled, the man is free in a great part.</P>
<P>Secondly, Brethren, know this for your comfort, that your labour is not in vain; &s;triving again&s;t &s;in, fighting with it, you are &s;ure to overcome, though &s;in lie hard upon you, you &s;hall over|come it. Fir&s;t, the Lord he is able to break all the bonds: if he will deliver <HI>Peter</HI> out of pri&s;on, what &s;hall hinder? his chains &s;hall fall from his hands, the Iron-gates &s;hall open of their own accord before him, nothing &s;hall be able to hold them; It was &s;omewhat hard for <HI>I&s;rael</HI> to believe that they &s;hould be delivered out of <HI>Egypt,</HI> and &s;omewhat a &s;trange Me&s;&s;age of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> at <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 3. 14.</NOTE> the fir&s;t; even as one &s;hould be &s;ent to the great Turk to tell him, the God of the Chri&s;tians commands him to let them go; but God tells him and them, <HI>that he is that he is; I am hath &s;ent me,</HI> the great God, who is being it &s;elf, and from him&s;elf, he is what he is, he is able to de&s;troy the <HI>Egyptians;</HI> do&s;t thou believe this, that he can &s;ubdue thine iniquities, thy &s;trong, impetuous, vio|lent
<PB N="556" REF="345">
lu&s;ts? Secondly, then he will do it, he heard <HI>I&s;rael</HI> groaning under bondage, and came down to deliver them, he remember|ed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 2. 24.</NOTE> his Covenant; it was his faithfulne&s;s, Brethren, that brought him out, the &s;elf-&s;ame day the Lord delivered them; and the Lord will keep time to a day with thee that groane&s;t under this bond|age, if thou wer<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> but humbled, if it had done its work upon thee; for that and &s;uch like ends he would not &s;uffer &s;in to prevail upon thee any longer, for he letteth not lu&s;ts loo&s;e upon a &s;oul to woorry it, but to humble it, make it out of love with &s;in, to drive it to him&s;elf, to make it for ever cleave clo&s;er to him; now there is promi&s;e upon promi&s;e for this, <HI>you &s;hall know the truth, and the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 8. 32.</NOTE> <HI>truth &s;hall make you free;</HI> he &s;peaks this to his Di&s;ciples, who did already know it in part; know him&s;elf, the truth, the way, and the life; and the truth in oppo&s;ition to &s;hadows, <HI>grace and truth came by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and it &s;hall make you free;</HI> how many promi&s;es are there? as in the text, therefore &s;urely he will do it: Now what an encouragement it is to fight, when we are &s;ure to overcome; yea, to endure hard&s;hip in this conflict.</P>
<P>But thirdly, con&s;ider it is the very office of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; the work which he received of his Father is to de&s;troy the works of the Devil, to de&s;troy &s;trong holds, to lead captivity captive; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 11. 21, 22.</NOTE> therefore he came into the world: if it had not been for &s;uch poor creatures as are under bondage, there had been no need of Chri&s;t, <HI>he came to give him&s;elf a ran&s;om for many&punc; and to preach deliverance to them, and the opening of the pri&s;on to them that are bound,</HI> you have heard already, and therefore he was annointed of his Father, and received the Spirit, that he might &s;et open the pri|&s;on doors: Now poor burthened &s;ouls, if any &s;uch, who&s;e body of|&s;in and death pre&s;&s;eth them down &s;ore, and they walk heavily, go<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> to him, &s;pread your condition before him, put him in mind wherefore he came into the world, to &s;et open the pri&s;on, to loo&s;e the pri&s;oners; and thou ha&s;t an infirmity, and haply been bound with it many years, be&s;eech him to exerci&s;e his Office towards thy poor &s;oul; the Lord loveth to hear his people earne&s;t and im|portunate, to plead it thus with him; but if thou can&s;t not, yet be &s;ure he will do the work which his Father hath given him to do; and what is that, but to &s;et at liberty &s;uch pri&s;oners as thou art, that groan under the burthen and bondage of their lu&s;ts?</P>
<P><PB N="557" REF="345">
Fourthly, Con&s;ider how pittiful a heart he bears to his people labouring under corruption; when we are weak, it may be, &s;ome|times the &s;pirits of a poor creature are &s;pent in labour in other &s;ervices, and he thinketh he &s;hould be as lively then as at another time, but it is not likly &s;o to be, and therefore when natural vi|gour decaies in old age, though there may be as much upright|ne&s;s, there cannot be &s;o much vigour appearing in &s;ervice alway; Now men are apt to have &s;ad thoughts of them&s;elves upon this account, and &s;o in other ca&s;es when wearied out; our Saviour is tender and pittiful, he takes notice of every groan under it, when thou can&s;t not help thy &s;elf but art foyled, and he pittyeth and &s;pareth. O &s;aith he, to his Di&s;ciples, <HI>could ye not watch with me one hour?</HI> and at &s;uch a time as that was, when our Saviour <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">1.</NOTE> had mo&s;t need of their watching wich him? alas they were a&s;leep: Well &s;aith he, <HI>I con&s;ider your weakne&s;s, the &s;pirit is willing, but the fle&s;h is weak:</HI> The Lord is ready to make the be&s;t of our condi|tions, and therefore be not altogether di&s;couraged, though thou ha&s;t a weary hand with thy &s;elf, with thy own ba&s;e heart.</P>
<P>Fifthly, But &s;ome will &s;ay, O but they are grievous workings of &s;in that are in my heart, whether they ri&s;e from within or from without, my heart clo&s;eth with them, and they are very horrid, and I know not what to think concerning it: But I &s;ay, was <HI>Paul</HI> buffeted, and can&s;t thou think to e&s;cape? truly Brethren, I take it, the Devil befools him&s;elf much in putting a &s;oul upon horrid &s;ins, becau&s;e that is the way to &s;ettle the &s;oul &s;o much the more fully, when the bit is bigger then will down; when <HI>Egypt</HI> dealt more hardly with the <HI>I&s;raelits</HI> then before, it made them cry out, and then the Lord heard; &s;o it may be, a &s;oul was not &s;o fully delivered from a &s;in, but he doth &s;tick, as I may &s;ay, in the skirts of it, but now this maketh him cry out, more willing, more earne&s;t to be delivered.</P>
<P>Sixthly, Take heed le&s;t angui&s;h of &s;pirit &s;o far prevail, as that thy &s;oul refu&s;e to be comforted, as the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> &s;aith; and the <HI>I&s;raelites</HI> could not believe by rea&s;on of angui&s;h of heart, when God had &s;ent them a Saviour to deliver them; it may be it <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 6. 9.</NOTE> is &s;o with thee.</P>
<P>Seventhly, There will come a time when thou &s;halt be altoge|ther free, thou &s;halt never &s;ee the <HI>Egyptians</HI> more, which now
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pur&s;ue thee and trouble thee, me thinks that the thoughts of this &s;hould refre&s;h us, and make us de&s;irous and willing to depart, Well then, whatever thy condition be in re&s;pect of the world, it may be afflicted, it may be friendle&s;s, it may be in other kinds, Oh me thinks one thought of this, that thou art free from guilt, and ha&s;t a free acce&s;s to the Throne of grace, might exceed|ingly &s;upport thy &s;pirit. But thus much for this u&s;e of the point al&s;o.
<Q>&mdash;And grow up as Calves of the &s;tall.</Q></P>
<P>We are now come to the la&s;t promi&s;e in the bundle, and it is not the lea&s;t con&s;iderable: That bondage under guilt, under &s;in, in its prevailing, could not but be a hinderance of growth, there|fore if we lay &s;o much weight upon the order of the words, &s;omething &s;eemeth to be held forth of that nature, that this growth is a Concomitant of that liberty and enlargement pro|mi&s;ed before; but I will not hang too much upon that, though it be an undoubted truth; yet whether it may be argued &s;trongly enough from the order of words, I will not urge.</P>
<P><HI>Ye &s;hall grow,</HI> or increa&s;e, or be multiplyed, as &s;ome render it; and the &s;ame word is read for &s;preading them&s;elves, <HI>the hor&s;e|men</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">b. 1. 8.</NOTE> <HI>&s;hall &s;pread them&s;elves, or they &s;hall be multiplyed,</HI> as others: Sometimes it is taken for &s;pringing up, <HI>Gen. 2. 9. Job</HI> 31. 40. Our tran&s;lation is very &s;uitable; &s;ome read it <HI>exilire,</HI> to &s;pring, and leap, and wantonize, as Calves u&s;e to do when loo&s;ed from the &s;tall; But I rather much adhere to our tran&s;lation, and the meaning is, ye &s;hall increa&s;e, and grow, and come on, you &s;hall not &s;tand at a &s;tay, and be alway at a pa&s;s, but grow. But what this growth is, of what it is meant, will be the Que&s;tion; whether of a temporal or &s;piritual growth, a taking root in the world, &amp; growing up and flouri&s;hing, which is &s;poken of the wicked, and &s;ometimes the word is thus u&s;ed for increa&s;ing, <HI>though thy begin|ning were &s;mall,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Bildad</HI> to <HI>Job, yet thy latter end &s;hould greatly</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 8. 7.</NOTE> <HI>increa&s;e;</HI> that is to &s;ay, his habitation &s;hould be made pro&s;perous at the la&s;t, if thou wert innocent in his &s;ight. So <HI>Solomon,</HI> it is &s;aid of him, <HI>that he was great and increa&s;ed more then all that went before</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 2. 9.</NOTE> <HI>him:</HI> And &s;o <HI>Rovanellus</HI> takes it here for an increa&s;e of glory, digni|ty, riches and pro&s;perity; and &s;o in that place of <HI>Jerem,</HI> when the
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Prophet fir&s;t concluding, however it were, yet God was righteous and good to his people, yet he would plead with him con|cerning his judgements, <HI>Wherefore doth the way o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the wicked pro|&s;per?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 12. 1 2.</NOTE> <HI>Wherefore are all they happy that deal treacherou&s;ly? thou ha&s;t planted them, yea they have taken root, they grow, yea they bring forth fruit;</HI> though this be another Metaphor of a tree, the other of a &s;en&s;itive creature. <HI>In the day &s;halt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning thou &s;halt make thy &s;eed to flouri&s;h,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 17. 11.</NOTE> <HI>but the harve&s;t &s;hall be a heap in the day of grief, and of de&s;perate &s;or|row:</HI> There it is taken for all manner of outward pro&s;perity; but indeed me thinks this, though it may not be excluded, yet &s;hould not be the main thing here intended; for alas, though it be a great mercy to a people to be richly laden with benefits, ble&s;&s;ed with the abundance of all things, &s;o as that they may wax fat: yet if this be abu&s;ed and they kick again&s;t God as <HI>Je|&s;urun</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 32. 15.</NOTE> did, there is little comfort in it in compari&s;on. It is true, it doth not nece&s;&s;arily follow, becau&s;e here is the &s;umme of the Covenant of grace, therefore earthly promi&s;es are to be excluded, for they are a part of the Covenant al&s;o, &s;o far as good for us, and all included in that, <HI>I will be thy God.</HI> Godline&s;s hath the pro|mi&s;e now as well as then, of the things of this life, as well as of <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 4. 8.</NOTE> that which is to come; yet I &s;hall rather &s;peak to the other, the growth in &s;pirituals; that is to &s;ay, the daily renewing of the inward man, the increa&s;e of their &s;anctification, and holine&s;s, and grace; this I take here to be meant, and &s;pecially meant, and therefore thus we &s;hall under&s;tand it; the promi&s;e is amplified by a compari&s;on, <HI>grow ye &s;hall as Calves of the &s;tall;</HI> the word for <HI>&s;tall</HI> &s;ignifieth an inclo&s;ure, a coop, any place made for to fat Cattle, or other creatures in; and we know that u&s;ually &s;uch do grow exceedingly, el&s;e there is a great deal of co&s;t be&s;towed up|on them in vain, and therefore our tran&s;lators read that in the <HI>Proverbs, better is a dinner of herbs where love is, then a &s;talled</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 15. 17.</NOTE> <HI>Ox and hatred therewith.</HI></P>
<P>There may be three things haply couched in the compari&s;on.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that they &s;hall grow in quantity as calves; calves &s;hoot up and forth very much when they are in the &s;talls, do grow much more then if at random they run up and down; none grow &s;o much as they: and therefore this is u&s;ed to &s;et forth the great|ne&s;s of the growth.</P>
<P><PB N="560" REF="347">
Secondly, in fatne&s;s and &s;weetne&s;s, they grow very much, a &s;talled-Oxe is fatted very fat, which is much &s;weeter and better then another; &s;o they grow not only in quantity but quality, as we &s;hall &s;ee hereafter.</P>
<P>Thirdly, the &s;peedine&s;s of the growth haply is in this compa|ri&s;on, they grow fa&s;ter then other creatures of the like kind when they are put into the &s;tall, and therefore they are &s;aid to grow as the Lilly, not only in beauty, which was greater then <HI>So|lomon</HI> him&s;elf in all his glory had, but in &s;peedine&s;s, for they &s;ay, this flower groweth much and di&s;cernably in one night; and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 14. 5. Mat. 6. 29. Iohn 2.</NOTE> though it be true, &s;udden growths are the more &s;u&s;picious, yet God can, and &s;ometimes doth work them, even with truth, as in the Miracle, he quickly turned water into wine; which he doth every year, though in greater time, by the operation of the Sun.</P>
<P>In a word then, the Holy-Gho&s;t u&s;eth this &s;imile to them, being rude and weak of under&s;tanding, that they might the better un|der&s;tand it, and have the greater a&s;&s;urance of it, that it &s;hould be &s;o, therefore he propoundeth it &s;o cro&s;s, &s;aith <HI>Calvin.</HI></P>
<P>But this as well as the other we mu&s;t look upon as a Concomi|tant, yea an effect of the appearing of the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s to us, his ari&s;ing upon the &s;oul, that is the grand promi&s;e; all things el&s;e are promi&s;ed and given for him and with him to us, and this among the re&s;t, the going forth out of the pri&s;on was one, and this growing is another of the genuine and &s;weet effects of the ri&s;ing of the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s upon them that fear him; &s;o that take it in this connexion, and then the note is this.</P>
<P><HI>That &s;oul or people that are under the influences of Chri&s;t, of the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s, are in a growing condition, they &s;hall grow;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">octr.</NOTE> <HI>there is not a &s;oul that hath union and fellow&s;hip with the Lord Je|&s;us, but he &s;hall grow; ye &s;hall grow up as,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>For the proof of the point we need not &s;o m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ch, there is a notable place there in the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t, they that are planted in the hou&s;e of the Lord &s;hall flouri&s;h in the Courts of our God, the righte|ous</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 92. 12.</NOTE> <HI>&s;hall flouri&s;h like a Palm-tree, and grow like a Cedar in Leba|non.</HI> Here you have growth promi&s;ed, and flouri&s;hing, and to whom it is promi&s;ed, and whence it cometh, and the compari&s;ons
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whereby it is &s;et forth, in the&s;e two ver&s;es growth is promi&s;ed, <HI>they that are planted they &s;hall grow and flouri&s;h;</HI> a tree flouri&s;heth not except it grow after it is planted; when it is planted, alas it is little and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ender, haply but a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eed, then it groweth up. 2. The per&s;ons to whom promi&s;ed, they are &s;uch as are planted in the hou&s;e of the Lord, that is to &s;ay, the Temple, which was a Type of Chri&s;t, and the Church of Chri&s;t, &s;o that they mu&s;t be in him, as afterward we &s;hall &s;peak; they &s;hall flouri&s;h in the Courts of Gods hou&s;e, by Communion with him in his Ordinances. 3. The com|pari&s;on, <HI>as a Palm-tree,</HI> which the Naturali&s;ts &s;ay, <HI>though cut</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pli<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. lib. 13.</NOTE> <HI>down to the ground, yet &s;prings up again, groweth up again. If a tree be out down, is there any hope it &s;hould grow up again,</HI> in that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 14. 7.</NOTE> of <HI>Job?</HI> Yet this tree will grow again: if the Church, to take it o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">f the whole body, for &s;o we may as well as of &s;ingle per&s;ons, if they be cut down to the very ground, &s;o wa&s;ted as that there is &s;carce any vi&s;ible, as in <HI>Eliah</HI>'s daies, he thought he was alone, the Church then &s;eemed to be all withered or grown over with nettles and brambles, to have no plants of righteou&s;ne&s;s in it, but yet then it &s;hall grow again, and when per&s;ecution rageth and cuts it down to the very ground, yet he maketh it grow again; or of particular per&s;ons, though they be brought to &s;uch exigen|cies &s;ometimes, as to &s;ay, <HI>their hope is peri&s;hed from the Lord, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Lam. 3. 18.</NOTE> <HI>their faith &s;eemeth to be extingui&s;ht with the violence of temptation,</HI> yet they &s;hall grow again and increa&s;e. But the Palm-tree it groweth upward again&s;t the weight that oppre&s;&s;eth it, it will not be kept down, but groweth through all per&s;ecution, affliction, yea &s;ins and falls, as afterward we &s;hall have occa&s;ion to mention a little more fully. And like Cedars, grow tall and &s;trong, and abide, as the Cedar is not &s;ubject to rottenne&s;s, nor decy with age. But for further proof, take that in the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t,</HI> who pa&s;|&s;ing through the valley of <HI>Bacah, make it a well,</HI> &amp;c. they go <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 84. 7.</NOTE> from &s;trength to &s;trength, from army to army, or from &s;trength to &s;trength, pa&s;&s;ing through a &s;olitary valley abounding with Mulberry-trees, which they &s;ay grow in dry and barren places, and &s;o there is much difficulty in the pa&s;&s;age for drought and other nece&s;&s;ities, yet they dig up fountains, they make it a Well, a Ci&s;tern, they &s;earch the Scriptures, fetch up &s;omewhat of con|&s;olation from thence; and notwith&s;tanding all the difficulties, yet they go from &s;trength to &s;trength, walk towards <HI>Sion;</HI> all this
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was typical. And &s;o the Apo&s;tle, <HI>whom beholding as in a gla&s;s, we are changed into his image from glory to glory;</HI> every degree of <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 3. 18.</NOTE> grace hath its glory, but we are changed from glory to glory, from a &s;park into a coal, from a coal glowing, to a flame. What el&s;e is the meaning of tho&s;e Parables of the Mu&s;tard-&s;eed, it is the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 43. 31, 32, 33.</NOTE> lea&s;t of &s;eeds, or le&s;s then others, then many others, the Cypre&s;s|feed is &s;o &s;mall as can &s;carce be di&s;cerned, and yet a great tree groweth of it; but this is &s;mall, and yet a great tree ari&s;eth from it, <HI>Tremel.</HI> writes &s;trange things of the Mu&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ard-feed-tree in tho&s;e Countries; this, it is true, is meant of the Kingdom of God without us, the admini&s;tration of the Kingdom, the Word of God, how it grows; but that is not all, the Kingdom of God with|in us, within the Saints, where it cometh with power; doth al&s;o &s;pread it &s;elf more and more, as Leven al&s;o hid in the mid&s;t of the meal, by degrees &s;preadeth it &s;elf further and further. So then you &s;ee the <GAP DESC="foreign">, that it is &s;o, <HI>that per&s;ons under the influence of Chri&s;t the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s, that have communion and fellow&s;hip with him, they grow in grace.</HI> And &s;o, <HI>the path of the ju&s;t is as the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 4. 18.</NOTE> <HI>&s;hining light that &s;hineth more and more to the perfect day;</HI> or, <HI>as the morning light,</HI> as &s;ome read it, that you know groweth from one degree to another, until the per<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ect day.</P>
<P>The next thing will be then to open the nature of this Spi|ritual growth, that we may under&s;tand what we &s;peak of, and then we &s;hall a little further confirm it, and apply it.</P>
<P>And the opening of it I &s;hall deliver in &s;everal propo&s;itions as di&s;tinctly as I can; for the right under&s;tanding of the meaning of it: note in the fir&s;t place, that growth is a motion or mutation from a le&s;s to a greater quantity; as you &s;ee a babe, though it be a man in a &s;maller letter, and have part for part, yet they are &s;mall, and grow to a greater bigne&s;s; <HI>the child grew in &s;tature,</HI> &s;aith the text, <HI>and in favour with God as well as with men.</HI> And <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 2. 52.</NOTE> &s;o a plant or a &s;eed is little at fir&s;t, but it groweth to a tree, to a blade, and the &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> to the ear, and the full corn in the ear, here is a motion from a le&s;s to a greater quantity: So a Calf of the &s;tall mu&s;t needs al&s;o &s;hoot forth. Now for grace, you know it is either Relative or Inherent, and accordingly we mu&s;t under&s;tand the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 6. 27.</NOTE> growth; Relative grace, as that of remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins, and ju&s;tifi|cation in the &s;ight of God, and adoption to be &s;ons and daughter,
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this, if lookt upon as the act of God, it will be hard to &s;ay, that it is intended or remitted, that there is a growth or motion from a le&s;&s;er to a greater quantity, for remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins being the act of God, we cannot &s;ay that one mans &s;ins are more pardoned then anothers, that believeth as well as he. So we cannot &s;ay, that one believer is more a Son then another, they are all the chil|dren of the mo&s;t high; though a child grow in &s;tature, yet his re|lation groweth not, he is a Son the fir&s;t day he was born, as well as when he is at the perfect &s;tature, this is plain; though every Son be not a <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> or a <HI>Benjamin,</HI> yet he is a Son as well as any; which by the way mini&s;ters much refre&s;hing to a poor weak &s;oul, that eyeth his &s;tature and growth. O he is &s;o weak, &s;uch a babe, a child in compari&s;on of &s;ome of the people of God, which are &s;trong in faith, and can give glory to God, when they are doubt|ing and &s;crupling every &s;tep they go, yet I &s;ay, though this be a burthen, yet the main whereupon the comfort of a poor creature hangs, is alike to all, there is no growth; there the weake&s;t, poor, &s;ickly, froward-hearted child, is a chi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d as well as he that is &s;trong|e&s;t, healthie&s;t, mo&s;t &s;erviceable; and though faith be weak, yet the relation of one is alike, the purcha&s;e, the price paid, the ran&s;om is alike to all that believe, though it be but in &s;ome more weakly.</P>
<P>Only here mi&s;take not neither, though this relative grace grow not, as of ju&s;tification or adoption, yet the knowledge of this grace ari&s;ing from the reflexion of the &s;oul upon its &s;elf, and the &s;hining of the Spirit upon the works of grace he hath wrought in the &s;oul, this is capable of a growth, it may be that a man may be a child of God, and yet not know it; alas, how long are our children children, and we look upon them &s;o, and hearts and bowels yearn and tender them, and yet they know not that they are children; we need go no further then common experience for this: do we not &s;ee many a precious &s;oul that lies at the feet of Je&s;us Chri&s;t for mercy, who&s;e &s;ouls are &s;ick of love for him, who prize him above all? O they are willing with all their &s;ouls to clo&s;e with him for all ends and purpo&s;es, if he be but willing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. 8.</NOTE> to clo&s;e with them; they think they are not children, nor that they do not believe, when they do believe; for this very willing|ne&s;s of Chri&s;t in &s;incerity, is believing, and therefore they think they are not children, when they are dear in Gods <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ight: what
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think you of him that walks in darkne&s;s and &s;eeth no light? do <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 50. 10.</NOTE> you think he can &s;ee his relation to God in Chri&s;t without that light? Surely no.</P>
<P>Again, another he hath &s;ome probability which begetteth an opinion in him concerning his condition, and that he hath re|ceived this &s;pecial grace from the Lord, and been partaker of this love, to become a Son of God: others they ri&s;e higher then <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Iohn 3. 1.</NOTE> this, and have a &s;trong confidence, and &s;ome a full a&s;&s;urance, and know that they are the Sons of God, that their per&s;ons are ju&s;ti|fied, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 34. Cant. 2. 6. Iohn 20. 28. 1 Cor. 2. 8.</NOTE> they can triumph with the Apo&s;tle, <HI>who &s;hall lay any thing to their charge?</HI> can &s;ay, <HI>my beloved is mine and I am his:</HI> and <HI>my Lord and my God,</HI> with <HI>Thomas; they know the things freely given them of God, even by the Spirit of Chri&s;t:</HI> yea the &s;ame per&s;on, Brethren, may grow from &s;uch a doubting of his condi|tion, to &s;uch a probability, &s;uch a per&s;wa&s;ion, &s;uch an a&s;&s;urance of his condition, this therefore admitteth of a growth, but not the relative grace it &s;elf, but only our &s;en&s;e, feeling or know|ledge of it: and &s;o much for that.</P>
<P>Secondly, There is a grace inherent, which is indeed as the root; and the acts and i&s;&s;ues of it are, as I may &s;ay, the fruit; but this grace within we &s;hall &s;peak to as mo&s;t nearly concerning this purpo&s;e; the fruits I have &s;poken to, you know, at large upon another Scripture, and I would not in this di&s;cour&s;e interfere with what I then delivered; or if we &s;peak any thing to the fruits that grow upon the&s;e internal inherent graces of the Spirit, as likely enough we &s;hall, yet we &s;hall not con&s;ider them as fruits ri&s;ing from &s;uch a root, but as growing fruits, being bettered, impro|ved according to the growing of the principles from whence they flow.</P>
<P>But for the grace inherent, by that I mean all tho&s;e habits or gracious di&s;po&s;itions of the heart godly, as that of faith, &amp; that of love, and humility, and &s;incerity, and &s;pirituality, and &s;elf-denyal; the&s;e things and all the re&s;t in the habit or di&s;po&s;ition of the &s;oul is the &s;ubject of this con&s;ideration; and the&s;e Brethren, you know they are but qualities, though divine qualities, and there|fore though growth or augmentation, according to terms of Art or Logick be not properly a&s;cribed to them, yet according to Rhetorick, it is proper enough to &s;peak it of any thing under a Simile, that it groweth, if it any way increa&s;e, as if a quality:
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Now the light, for in&s;tance, or heat in the fire, or Sun, that is in|tended or waxeth more clear and more hot, this may be called a growing-light, or growing-heat, becau&s;e that as in things that properly grow, there is an addition of one quantity to another, whereby it increa&s;eth; &s;o here, there is an addition of one de|gree of the quality to what was before, whereby it is more inten&s;e then it was before; therefore when we &s;peak of grace growing, the &s;peech is figurative, taken either from plants or &s;en|&s;itive creatures, that all their beginnings are &s;mall, but afterwards grow up to their pitch.</P>
<P>Secondly, A thing is &s;aid to grow properly, you know, when the increa&s;e is made, not by oppo&s;ition as they call it, but by an inward receiving, that is to &s;ay, it is a nutrition, as the means; it was a cu&s;tom to ca&s;t every one a &s;tone, and make a great heap, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Io&s;huah 7. 26. 2 Sam. 18. 17.</NOTE> as upon <HI>Achan</HI> and <HI>Ab&s;olom:</HI> Why at fir&s;t it was little, but every &s;tone maketh &s;ome increa&s;e of the heap, and yet it grow|eth not properly; &s;o a &s;now-ball, it is greater with rolling, but this is not properly growth nor augmentation; but it is when there is &s;omewhat inwardly received, which by inter|changes in man, at la&s;t is turned into his &s;ub&s;tance, and maketh an increa&s;e of it, as a man doth his food, and a r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> doth the juice of the earth, which is concocted and becometh nouri&s;h|ment to the branches, whereby they grow and increa&s;e; this is properly growth.</P>
<P>Now to apply this propo&s;ition to the ca&s;e in hand, when we &s;peak of growing in grace, either we &s;ay the grace it &s;elf grow|eth, or el&s;e per&s;ons do in this or that grace. If the former, then this doth not &s;o &s;uitably hold, for the grace, the habit of faith, of love, cannot properly be &s;aid to receive inwardly this or that nouri&s;hment, but as qualities, have added to them &s;uch or &s;uch degrees, and &s;o increa&s;e. But if we &s;ay, that a &s;oul doth grow or increa&s;e in this or that grace, then it will hold &s;omewhat more exactly, which is al&s;o a metonymical &s;peech, a met onymie of the &s;ubject for the adjunct, to &s;ay the per&s;on groweth, when indeed it is but the habit of grace which is increa&s;ed, the per&s;on continu|eth the &s;ame. I &s;ay, then it holdeth &s;omewhat more near, though haply the Simile will not yet run upon all four neither; nor is it to be expected, the poor believing &s;oul then receiveth nouri&s;h|ment inwardly, that is to &s;ay, that which is nouri&s;hment to his
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faith, to his love, whereby he groweth therein; &s;ome deeper knowledge of the riches, the exceeding riches of the grace of God, the riches of the Covenant of promi&s;es, whereby his faith is increa&s;ed; and &s;o &s;omewhat more of the height, and depth, and breadth, and length of the love of God in Chri&s;t towards him he knoweth, which much heighteneth his love to Chri&s;t again. Now remember this is not by any thing external; external additions to a thing may make it appear the greater, but not really the great|er; as a mans cloaths make him &s;eem bigger then he is, yet he is the &s;ame in them and out of them, no bigger at all; there is ve|ry great difference between a weight hanged upon a Clock, the more weight, the more the motion is ha&s;tened; and a child that went but timerou&s;ly and weakly, the Spirit of life within him prevailing, that he can run fa&s;ter, and &s;o groweth in &s;tature and agility, there is much difference; &amp; &s;o there is much difference be|tween an hypocrites growing in appearance, in duties, in &s;ervices, in zeal, which appears to us, for we can but judge the root by the fruit; therefore we think they are grown there, but all this while are mi&s;taken, for it is not the root of the matter within, it is &s;ome external weight, and that is hanged upon their affections; &s;ome by-re&s;pect or another to their credit, their profit, their Kingdom, as <HI>Jehu,</HI> that &s;etteth them a working &s;o fa&s;t more then before; there is great difference between &s;uch an one and a child of God, &s;uch as <HI>David,</HI> who&s;e heart was perfect, who from the inward revelations of Chri&s;t in them, di&s;coveries of his love, teachings of his Spirit, and quicknings, they grow up more and more, there is much difference I &s;ay. But this is the &s;econd, I am affraid I &s;hall be too tedious herein, yet I hope this will not be unu&s;eful to make things as plain as I can, as we go, that we may under&s;tand what we &s;peak of.</P>
<P>Thirdly, The thing that groweth remaineth the &s;ame, though increa&s;ed, the body that grows it is the &s;ame body &s;till, though much increa&s;ed; as a child and a man, he is the &s;ame per&s;on when a babe and when a man, only he is much increa&s;ed by a continual nouri&s;hment: So it is here, a mans grace is the &s;ame, the &s;ame habit of faith and of love, but groweth much &s;tronger, as in the ca&s;e of <HI>Thomas</HI> and the re&s;t of the Di&s;ciples you &s;ee it; it is the &s;ame that was a tender plant, and now is become a &s;trong Oak or Cedar, only now it is more rooted then before, and grown
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up and &s;pread it &s;elf; though a child of God have many &s;hakings with contrary winds, temptations and fal&s;e Doctrines, and &s;ome|times his knowledge may be corrupted, and &s;ometimes his faith may be &s;haken, yet I believe he is never pluckt up by the root, and then planted again; when once he hath received that grace, and obtained that mercy, to be faithful, to believe, and have the graces of the Spirit implanted in the &s;oul, the&s;e are never de|&s;troyed altogether; once alive to God, and that life never fails, becau&s;e the principle, the fountain of it, that feeds it, never fails; <HI>the &s;eed of God abideth,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith. It is true, there may be &s;ickne&s;s, and weakne&s;s, and wounds, and di&s;tempers that may <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Iohn 3. 9. &amp; 2. 14.</NOTE> hinder the growth of a child, but yet he liveth and groweth af|terward again, yea more then he did before haply, and this is the ca&s;e; and though <HI>David</HI> and <HI>Peter</HI> broke their bones, though they be &s;ore &s;haken, yet they are not pluckt up by the roots, as trees dead and &s;o planted again, nor doth any grace of Gods planting wither away altogether, like <HI>Jonah</HI>'s gourd: the rea&s;on that is given for the withering away of &s;ome of the corn that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 13. 21.</NOTE> was green, is becau&s;e it had not root. This the third.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Another con&s;ideration to make out further the na|ture of this growth, is this, there mu&s;t fir&s;t be a life before there be a growth, either vegetative, or &s;en&s;itive, or rational; you know if there be no life in the tree, if it have not a root alive to maintain it, it groweth not at all, &s;tands at the &s;ame &s;tay for pro|portion, and groweth dry indeed, and rotten, and fit for burn|ing, and &s;o there mu&s;t be life in a man before he groweth, when he is dead all growth cea&s;eth, there is nothing but di&s;&s;olution up|on di&s;&s;olution then; and &s;o it is in this ca&s;e, there mu&s;t be a root, a planting into Chri&s;t, a grafting into him by his ingrafted word; before we can grow up in him, we mu&s;t be one with Chri&s;t, for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 13. 21.</NOTE> you know that which had no root withered; it may make a &s;hew for a time and flouri&s;h, even as the gra&s;s upon the hou&s;e top, but it withereth before it groweth up. <HI>Paul may plant, and Apollo</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 129. 6.</NOTE> <HI>may water, but it is he the Lord that giveth the increa&s;e, he that mini|&s;tereth &s;eed to the &s;owers, both mini&s;ters bread for your food, and mul|tiplies</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 3. 6. 2 Cor. 9. 10.</NOTE> <HI>your &s;eed &s;own, and increa&s;eth the fruits of your righteou&s;ne&s;s:</HI> Now this he doth in and through Chri&s;t, for he is the only pipe through which grace is conveighed to us, as things here are to be noted, to make this out fully.</P>
<P><PB N="568" REF="351">
Fir&s;t, that all the nouri&s;hment is from Chri&s;t, as the brea&s;t|milk is from the mother that brought it forth; &s;o it is with us in <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 53. 11.</NOTE> re&s;pect of Chri&s;t, he travelled, his &s;oul travelled with us, he was big with us, and O what &s;harp travel he had, &s;uch as never was, nor can be the like again, and he &s;upplies the nouri&s;hment, <HI>the Word and the Spirit he promi&s;eth &s;hall never depart out of his peo|ples mouths;</HI> and this is that the Evangeli&s;t hath, <HI>of his fulne&s;s we</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 59. 21. Iohn 1. 16.</NOTE> <HI>receive grace for grace;</HI> the &s;incere milk of the Word is his, he pre|pareth the &s;weet cup of con&s;olation in the promi&s;es; &s;o many precious promi&s;es, &s;o many brea&s;ts a child of God hath to &s;uck continually, there he hath prepared nouri&s;hment for our faith, and &s;o in our tryals and experiences, there is nouri&s;hment for our faith, and for our humility, and for our love, and all this is from him.</P>
<P>Secondly, But then be&s;ide this, there is a forming power, a power of concoction, dige&s;tion and a&s;&s;imilation, to turn the&s;e nouri&s;hments into the very &s;ub&s;tance, for &s;o the Apo&s;tle, Some preach Chri&s;t of envy, &s;aith he, &s;uppo&s;ing to add affliction to my bonds; the Devil and his Angels of light preach Chri&s;t, but with no good intent, not to gain credit but di&s;honor to the Go|&s;pel at the long run; we &s;ee it by too woful experience; well &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>I know this &s;hall turn to my &s;alvation, through</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 1. 19.</NOTE> <HI>your prayer, and the &s;upply of the Spirit of Je&s;us Chri&s;t;</HI> if a man take never &s;o much down, if he have not a power to dige&s;t it, and turn it into &s;ub&s;tance, <HI>&s;uccum &amp; &s;anguinem,</HI> he &s;hall never grow by it: alas, do we not &s;ee many live under the Word, the &s;in|cere milk of the Word, and &s;eem to draw as hard at the brea&s;t as any, hanging upon the Mini&s;ters lips, that &s;hould pre&s;erve knowledge, and yet grow not, come not on? there wants this di|ge&s;ting faculty, <HI>the Spirit of Chri&s;t to mix the word with faith;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mal. 2. 7. Heb. 4. 2.</NOTE> then when it is &s;o mixed and concocted it groweth indeed, the Word groweth, then the poor Believer groweth, his faith grow|eth: And &s;o the Apo&s;tle in that to the <HI>Corinthians; who behold|ing as in a gla&s;s,</HI> there is the nouri&s;hment, the Ordinances, the <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 3. 18.</NOTE> beholding Chri&s;t in them, but the power of concocting the&s;e, turning them to &s;trength, is the Spirit, <HI>we are changed into his image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord;</HI> as there <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 1. 14.</NOTE> is not <HI>&s;imilitudinis,</HI> but <HI>identitatis, the glory as of the only begotten Son of God, full of grace and truth;</HI> there is the truth in general,
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that it is from Chri&s;t, and more &s;pecially that this power is his; in that one place to the <HI>Ephe&s;ians, from whom the whole body fitly</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 6.</NOTE> <HI>joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt &s;upplyeth, according to the effectual working in the mea&s;ure of every part, mak|eth increa&s;e of the body;</HI> he &s;peaks of the growth of the Church in general, but there is <HI>par ratio</HI> for the growth of each mem|ber, for it is one part of the growing of the whole, that the mem|bers grow in &s;tature as well as in number; and &s;o in that place to the <HI>Colo&s;&s;ians, Let not man beguile you of your reward:</HI> as a Judge&punc; of the race of ma&s;teries pre&s;cribes, it is an exorbitant cour&s;e to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">un out of the way, and then promi&s;e you the reward for it; this will be but a beguiling of you in a voluntary humility, and wor&s;hip of Angels, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and is wor&s;hiping of Saints any better then this voluntary humility and yet &s;ome there are that beguile poor creatures of their reward, promi&s;ing them, if they run in this cour&s;e they &s;hall have it, not holding the head; me thinks an ingenuous Papi&s;t reading this, &s;hould begin to &s;u&s;pect their way, &s;ince to wor&s;hip Angels, and &s;uch voluntary humility as God never commanded, as not to approach to Chri&s;t without a mediation of Saints, which he never commanded, is voluntary humility, and &s;o this is not to hold the head Chri&s;t Je&s;us, from which, from the head, all the body by joints and bands have nouri&s;hment mini&s;tred and knit together, increa&s;eth with the in|crea&s;es of God; it is the increa&s;e of God, becau&s;e he is the Author <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2. 19.</NOTE> of it, or el&s;e becau&s;e of the greatne&s;s of the increa&s;e and its ex|cellency, for &s;o the name of God is often u&s;ed in the old Scri|ptures, and their phra&s;es the Apo&s;tles do often keep in the New. You &s;ee the nouri&s;hment is mini&s;tred from the head, as the &s;ap is from the root of the tree, and it is his effectual working whereby it is turned to an increa&s;e of our faith and love; and therefore that &s;oul that is not really and truly in the Lord Je&s;us, though he may for a time flouri&s;h, yet he will wither; he may be green, and yet be but a weed, and they grow fa&s;t, but they are not upon a right root, they &s;pring not from &s;uch a &s;eed, and therefore at their perfection they will be but wild Oates it may be, or Tares, which for a great while are &s;o like to Wheat, as &s;ome of the An|tients &s;peak, that it is not to be di&s;cerned from it until it come in|to the ear; and &s;o many an hypocrite may have as broad a leaf, as green a blade, in externals: not be behind any for enlargements,
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and parts, and notions of the knowledge of Chri&s;t; and yet alas, though he had more and more degrees, this is not a &s;piritual growth, this is not from the head, from the root, the Lord Je&s;us, as a root of &s;aving life. I deny not but he giveth tho&s;e gifts and parts, but it is not as head of the invi&s;ible Church, who alone &s;hall be &s;aved; though as head of the vi&s;ible Church there may be a communication of &s;ome fatne&s;s and &s;weetne&s;s of the Olive to them; that is to &s;ay, the Ordinances and priviledges of the Church, which an hypocrite may enjoy, &amp; yet be cut off when <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11. 17.</NOTE> all is done, and thereby he may make &s;ome progre&s;s of know|ledge, and a formality, but yet this is no true &s;piritual growth; this &s;hould make us look well about us, and &s;ee if our water do ari&s;e from this fountain, it will &s;pread it &s;elf until it come to a river, grow broader and broader.</P>
<P>Fifthly, As it is from him, and therefore we mu&s;t be in him be|fore we can grow with this &s;piritual growth; &s;o this growth in grace is a growing up into him; and good rea&s;on, if of him and by him be all things, that to him &s;hould be all things al&s;o; <HI>if Ri|vers be from the Sea, they return to the Sea again;</HI> there may be <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11. 32.</NOTE> two things in this one expre&s;&s;ion of growing up into Chri&s;t who is the head.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that we grow up into a nearer fellow&s;hip and commu|nion with him who is the head; and this is mo&s;t &s;ure, whether the growth of the members where it is, the fa&s;ter do draw more and more yet from the head and other parts where the nouri&s;hment is prepared, I &s;hall not meddle with, but this I am &s;ure of, the more grace any &s;oul receiveth, the more yet he may, it is in order to further fellow&s;hip and communion with the Lord Je&s;us; which is indeed an argument whereby the grace of Chri&s;t is as highly advanced as by any other what&s;oever, that he &s;hould therefore increa&s;e the &s;trength of his poor weak children, that they may draw more &s;trongly from him, and their hearts more enlarged to receive more abundantly from his fulne&s;s; as a &s;trong child will draw harder and harder &s;till, the arms of the trees as they grow &s;tronger and &s;tronger, &s;o they &s;uck more juice from the root &s;till to feed them and carry them on&punc; Now I &s;ay, this is &s;weet to the &s;oul, and it may be a character al&s;o of our growth; if we do grow in grace indeed, we &s;hall grow up into him, we &s;hall find a greater drawing of our hearts after him &s;till,
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and &s;uck more &s;trongly from him: This the fir&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly, another thing comprehended under this growing up into Chri&s;t may be this, that all our growth is to his honour, it ends in him, who alone is exalted by it, it is the honour of the head when the members grow and become by the communicati|on of the animal &s;pirits, more vigorous and active, and fit for the di&s;charge of their &s;everal works, this is the glory of the head; this may be under&s;tood two waies. Fir&s;t, it is the end of the thing it &s;elf, <HI>finis operis,</HI> the thing doth much advance him, when others behold &s;uch a fulne&s;s of &s;trength and power flowing forth from Je&s;us Chri&s;t upon the members; to &s;ee the members of a body languid, and weak, and withered, it is not for the honour of the head, &s;pecially if generally &s;o, though there may be al&s;o particu|lar cau&s;es, as ob&s;tructions, and the like, but the&s;e are not &s;o vi&s;ible. What an honour is it to Chri&s;t to &s;ee a poor &s;oul th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> now is as weak as water, like the poor man in the Go&s;pel, <HI>Lord help my unbelief,</HI> that ere long through the &s;upply of grace from Chri&s;t, is able to &s;ay, <HI>My Lord and my God;</HI> to &s;ee a poor &s;oul lie lan|gui&s;hing under a lu&s;t, and not be able to &s;tir, and yet ere long able to triumph over it; to &s;ee a poor &s;oul that ere while was cleaving to the ground and to the du&s;t, could not get up the heart, and now after a while upon Eagles wings running without wearine&s;s, and walking without faintne&s;s, is not this to the honour of Chri&s;t? But &s;econdly, It mu&s;t be &s;o intended by us, el&s;e our growth is not right in the end, our end in de&s;ires of, and Gods end in working; we mu&s;t look to the end, Brethren, we de&s;ire &s;trength again&s;t this and that corruption, to wax more valiant in this fight, to con|quer, to triumph over them; we would have &s;uch a mea&s;ure of knowledge, &s;uch a mea&s;ure of faith, but what is our end; is Chri&s;t the end in all this? is it that we may more advance him? Ah that &s;oul that indeed groweth into Chri&s;t, Brethren, grow|eth downward into the root, can be content to be any thing, to be nothing that his ble&s;&s;ed Saviour may be advanced; &s;o it was with <HI>John:</HI> Ah &s;o with <HI>David, if the Lord will lay me a&s;ide, and I</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 5. 16, 17.</NOTE> <HI>mu&s;t not build him a Temple, but my &s;on mu&s;t do it, it is the Lord, why &s;hould I not &s;ubmit?</HI> So if <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> mu&s;t not bring them into <HI>Canaan,</HI> he is contented. O he would not have <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> in another ca&s;e envy for his &s;ake, he wi&s;hed all the Lords people were Pro|phets, God would have the greater glory: when the Lord of<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">er|ed
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to make of him a greater people, <HI>O what then wilt thou do to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 11. 29. Exod. 32. 12.</NOTE> <HI>thy great name, the enemies will &s;ay then, that thou broughte&s;t them out to de&s;troy them;</HI> he had rather die, and peri&s;h, and be nothing, then God &s;hould be di&s;honoured. O dear friends, let this be con&s;idered, if we grow, we grow up into him; I &s;ay, it may &s;erve for a piece of tryal; though delivered in this place, I would have my whole di&s;cour&s;e as applicatory as may be.</P>
<P>Sixthly, In a true growth we mu&s;t know, there is an uniformi|ty, as you know one member groweth in the body as well as another if it be a true growth; where &s;ome of the members re|ceive no nouri&s;hment, but all the growth is found in the root, this is a di&s;ea&s;e, and not the effect of the principle of life within them; as you &s;ee it in the <HI>Rickets,</HI> a di&s;ea&s;e now ordinarily known by that name; but this uniformity is two-fold.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, in re&s;pect of the Church.</P>
<P>And &s;econdly, of each particular member thereof, in regard of the graces of the Spirit which are growing in them.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, for the Church of Chri&s;t, there is an uniform growth there, that is to &s;ay, the Lord Je&s;us doth not communi|cate his &s;ap, and vigour, and vertue &s;o to one, as to &s;pend it on him, and leave another without, but every wild Olive grafted into the Olive, either vi&s;ible or inv&s;ible Church; the vi&s;ible there is meant in that place of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>in whom the whole body being,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph 2. 21.</NOTE> &amp;c. they receive accordingly, either the common influences of the Spirit with the Ordinances, whereby they grow up in that which we call common grace, and one as well as another; there is none &s;ure but thriveth more or le&s;s.</P>
<P>Secondly, for the invi&s;ible, there is none &s;o grafted but he groweth, he is one Spirit with the Lord, and therefore &s;ure mu&s;t needs grow that hath a continual &s;upply of the Spirit, as the Apo&s;tle in that forecited place; the Lord Je&s;us in his invi&s;ible bo|dy, hath no withered arm nor legs, whatever there be in the vi|&s;ible, whatever dead and drie &s;ticks may cleave to the vi&s;ible Olive, there is none &s;o cleaveth to the invi&s;ible; it is impo&s;&s;ible a &s;oul &s;hould hold the head, and hold inward communion and fel|low&s;hip with him, and yet not to grow; but this is but for the Church, which thus uniformly groweth, one member as well as another.</P>
<P>Now &s;econdly, for particular members, they al&s;o grow, and
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that uniformly al&s;o; grow not in one grace only, or in this grace, or that grace, nor in another, no, but they grow uniform|ly; that a man &s;hould be all faith and no love it is impo&s;&s;ible, or all love and no knowledge it cannot be, there mu&s;t be an uni|formity in growth, if right; that were more like a wen and its growth, then growth of the body; you would not e&s;teem that a growth, that a man &s;hould grow all in the eye, and it &s;hould become as big as the body almo&s;t, &s;o that he could &s;ee wonderful|ly, but in the mean time the re&s;t of the parts are as &s;mall as when they were born; grow in one grace, and grow in every grace, grow in &s;incerity, and grow in humility, grow in faith, and grow in love, &amp; grow in all. A timpany, a growth of one member more then all the re&s;t is mon&s;trous, and &s;o it would be in grace: Now though through defect or &s;uper fluity in natural cau&s;es, there may be a mon&s;tro&s;ity in a birth or growth, yet it cannot be in re&s;pect of Chri&s;t, who doth alike extend his influence to the growth and increa&s;e of one as well as another grace which he hath begotten in the &s;oul; &s;o that if a man find he thinketh he groweth in faith, and thinketh he groweth in love, and yet grow not in zeal for the glory of God, groweth not in tenderne&s;s of heart and plyablene&s;s to his will, this is not a right growth: Alas, how many of us then do not grow in grace in|deed?</P>
<P>Seventhly, Though there be an uniformity in growth, yet we mu&s;t not &s;o under&s;tand it, that every member groweth in the &s;ame mea&s;ure with another, and yet may grow al&s;o in its due proportion; and &s;o al&s;o in re&s;pect of graces, there may be &s;ome|what of truth in it: but to &s;peak the more di&s;tinctly:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, con&s;ider the members of the Church of Chri&s;t, and our &s;elves, if we be &s;uch indeed; though all the members of the Church of Chri&s;t do grow, yet they do not grow all alike in the &s;ame mea&s;ure; the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>according to the effectual work|ing in the mea&s;ure of every part;</HI> &s;o that you &s;ee each part hath <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 16.</NOTE> a mea&s;ure, every member hath not the &s;ame relation, the &s;ame office in the body, and &s;o doth not require the &s;ame mea&s;ure of &s;trength, or the &s;ame quantity or greatne&s;s. Yea if it have a greater quantity then is meet, it is a burthen and an hindrance, as if the joynt of a finger &s;hould grow as much as the joynt of a mans knee, would it not be mon&s;trous? and yet both joynts
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grow, but each according to its proportion, &s;o that they grow all <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">que,</HI> but not <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">qualite<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&punc;</HI> one as well as another, but not one as much as another, <HI>uniformiter,</HI> and yet <HI>difformiter,</HI> if every finger were as big as an arm, what an hand would there be, hold|ing no proportion to the body, though the re&s;t grow, this over-groweth its proportion. It is true, every child of God is not a <HI>David</HI> nor a <HI>Paul,</HI> nor is every one called to tho&s;e great under|takings that they were; the more eminent places in the body of Chri&s;t we have, the more we mu&s;t look to it that we grow: If a man be a Magi&s;trate or a Mini&s;ter, I tell you Brethren, it is not enough that they be as other men in grace; and yet alas then, what di&s;proportion do &s;ome of us make in the body of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that &s;tand in that relation to the body; and yet O how do other members over-grow us? Brethren, they are not to be blamed for their growing &s;o fa&s;t, but we for our growing no fa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">|er, nor any more proportionable to our relations; for a Magi|&s;trate to have no more courage nor zeal then another man, that is not called &s;o to put it forth, is un&s;uitable, and &s;o for wi&s;dom and knowledge; and &s;o for Mini&s;ters, are we as arms in the bo|dy, and have &s;carce the &s;trength of a little finger? O how can we work for Chri&s;t, do the works of our conditions? if you &s;ee &s;ome eminent, as ble&s;&s;ed be his name there are eminent, and have their mea&s;ure of growth to their condition, you &s;hould be fol|lowers of them, follow after as hard as you can; therefore Mi|ni&s;ters &s;hould be en&s;amples to the flock, <HI>in faith, in puriry, in ho|line&s;s, 1 Tim. 4. 12. an example to believe in word, in conver&s;a|tion, in faith, in purity,</HI> &amp;c. But alas, Brethren, may we not ra|ther &s;ome of us take examples therein, how weak is our faith? yet I &s;ay, where there are &s;uch of eminency, and thou can&s;t not reach them, yet be not di&s;couraged becau&s;e thou can&s;t not get &s;o much light as the eye hath, be not di&s;couraged, it is required there more then in another; nor &s;o much &s;trength as an arm, a leg, when thou art it may be but as a little finger, only there may be a proportion; yea I will tell you Brethren, pitty us, pray for us&punc; Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters, for I do verily believe there are none fall &s;o much &s;hort of our proportion of growth in grace according to our relations as we do: But this is but the fir&s;t.</P>
<P>And then &s;econdly; for the graces in every believer; now
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the mea&s;ure of every grace its growth, as I think, is much more hard to determine, whether all graces do grow according to the proportion of the growth of any one of them; that is to &s;ay, whether love to God, and zeal to his glory, do grow according to the mea&s;ure of every mans faith, and &s;o patience according to the mea&s;ure of his faith; indeed I am at a &s;tand here; if that one habit of grace did beget another, faith did beget love, it would be the more clear, becau&s;e then according to the &s;trength of the cau&s;es, the effect would be; a &s;trong cau&s;e, a &s;trong effect, the habits of grace in us being not voluntary agents; but I take it for granted that the efficient cau&s;e of all grace, one as well as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 1. 19.</NOTE> another, is the &s;ame Spirit of the Father and the Son; it is the &s;upply of the Spirit, as the Apo&s;tle calls it, whereby we grow in any grace; now the Spirit of God being a mo&s;t free agent, is not tyed up by a nece&s;&s;ity of nature to work alike upon the &s;ame heart, to the increa&s;e of every grace; though he do work to the growth of every grace, yet whether he doth equally work to the increa&s;e of them all. So that what proportion of grace a Believer hath in one grace, he hath the &s;ame proportion of &s;trength in another, is doubtful; &s;pecially &s;ince the Lord, who works in us both to will and to do of his own good plea&s;ure, knoweth what tryals he hath for every one of us, &s;ome in one kind, &s;ome in ano|ther, &s;ome greater tryals for their faith, and &s;ome for their &s;elf-denyal, and &s;ome for their love, may accordingly work; but this is not &s;o much material, if we can find we grow in every grace of the Spirit, whether we do grow alike in the mea&s;ure of love, as in the mea&s;ure of faith, or zeal, or &s;piritualne&s;s; as it will be very hard to judge, con&s;idering how hard it is to judge of the &s;trength of our habits by their acts, which may accidentally be inter<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">it|ted and interrupted, and con&s;idering whatever knowledge we have at the be&s;t, of the faculties of our &s;ouls and their workings, and &s;o of the habits of grace in them. So I take it, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> is not &s;o much con&s;iderable if we could come to know it, only if we be &s;ure we grow in all, and that we grow according to the mea|&s;ure proportionable to our condition or relation to the body: this the &s;eventh.</P>
<P>Eighthly and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">&s;tly, that I &s;hall &s;peak to the opening the na|ture of this growth in grace; growth here hath no determined <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> until death, until we come actually to the <HI>&s;pirits of ju&s;t men
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made perfect;</HI> in nature there is a determinate time for growth in quantity, which is properly growth about thirty years; the cau&s;es of it, I leave School-men to di&s;pute, it is not &s;o proper for us in this place; in nature there is in this life, yea haply when life is half run up, the <HI>maximum quod &s;ic,</HI> as they call it, but not in grace: No, while we have breath, we mu&s;t be grow|ing, <HI>the hoary head mu&s;t be found in the way of righteou&s;ne&s;s, going forward &s;till; the path of the ju&s;t mu&s;t be as the growing light,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 16. 3.</NOTE> <HI>&s;hining more and more to the perfect day; this we pray for, that his will may be done by us on earth, as the Angels do, with that perfect</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 13.</NOTE> <HI>plyablene&s;s, forwardne&s;s, chearfulne&s;s that they do it;</HI> this we mu&s;t pre&s;s after, to come as near it as we can, even the mea&s;ure of the &s;tature of the fulne&s;s of Chri&s;t, to a perfect man, which perfecti|on I take not only for a perfection of parts, as in &s;ome other places, where many are &s;aid to walk before the Lord with a per|fect heart; as a &s;eed is a perfect &s;eed though no tree, and a child, a babe, is a perfect child, though not at mans &s;tature, perfect; yet this I &s;o take in this place, therefore remember this, Brethren, while we are here we are growing, if our growth be right; there may be &s;ome accidental hinderances, of which afterward, which for a time may hinder, but yet we &s;hall afterward grow and ne|ver cea&s;e: &s;it &s;til, &s;et up a <HI>Herules</HI> power, and with a <HI>ne plus ultra,</HI> there is no &s;uch thing in grace, Brethren, until it be &s;wallowed up in glory; &amp; therefore the de&s;ires of the Saints that have ta&s;ted indeed of this grace of God, they are &s;till kept above what they have received; do but ob&s;erve it, and you &s;hall find it &s;o. O they would have more &s;till, they are not &s;trong enough to re&s;i&s;t temptations, they would have more &s;oftne&s;s and ea&s;ine&s;s of &s;pirit toward God, to echo to every hint of his will, <HI>thy face Lord will I &s;eek:</HI> and this much tends to their growth, even as the appetite after meat and nouri&s;hment, doth to the growth of the body. O how &s;trong is it in children when they are growing! but of that afterward: haply, you &s;ee then there is no time limited, no, <HI>never until you awake will you be &s;atisfied with his likene&s;s;</HI> remember this Brethren, I doubt many of us forget our &s;elves <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 17. 15.</NOTE> here, and think we may loyter and grow lazie when we are come to &s;uch a pitch; believe it, if your growth be right, it will be continual, you will go on &s;till, <HI>and in old age be fat and flouri&s;h|ing,</HI> as the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> &s;peaks; thus it ought to be, and thus God
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hath promi&s;ed it &s;hall be and if it be not, it is for our want of be|lieving, clo&s;ing with it, improving of it for the growth of our <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 92. 14.</NOTE> graces: but &s;o much for the opening of the nature of this growth.</P>
<P>For the Arguments, I will not trouble you with many, only &s;omething I &s;hall &s;peak that way; and the Fir&s;t &s;hall be this, Be|cau&s;e of Chri&s;t <HI>the Author and Fini&s;her of our Faith, who works</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 2. Phil. 2. 12.</NOTE> <HI>in us both to will and to do of his own good plea&s;ure;</HI> his works are perfect, he goeth through-&s;titch with his works, he doth not bring his people into the Wilderne&s;s and leave them there, but unto <HI>Canaan;</HI> you &s;ee, if he create a world, his work is perfect, he leaveth none of his works without the la&s;t hand and file to po|li&s;h them; therefore when he looks upon them him&s;elf, he &s;aith, <HI>they are very good:</HI> we may be apt to have over-waining conceits of our own works, and therefore the <HI>Orator</HI> giveth a prudent advice, to lay a&s;ide our writings for &s;everal years, until the &s;trength of our affection to that which is our own be wrought out, and it may then appear as a &s;trange thing to us, that &s;o we may the more impartially judge; but this is a rule &s;uited to the weakne&s;s of poor pa&s;&s;ionate bemi&s;ted creatures, but for the Lord, he is not &s;ubject to any &s;uch thing as pa&s;&s;ions, all things being alike pre&s;ent to him from eternity, and therfore cannot be taken with any newne&s;s of excellency in any thing, therefore what he &s;aith is good, is very good; and was it not a perfection of his living creatures that they &s;hould grow and multiply, grow in number, and then the young &s;ub&s;tance in &s;tature to perfection; and will he, think you, be more wanting to the new creature, will he leave it until it have all its due perfections, until every priva|tion be filled up with a perfection? Surely no; mu&s;t there be nothing wanting of perfection where he would make his power and his wi&s;dom glorious? and will there be any thing wanting, think you, when he cometh to make his grace glorious, as he doth in the work of Redemption? Surely no; no, no, Brethren, whatever God doth, he doth it like a God, if he ruine, he ruines to the utmo&s;t, &s;o as no creature can, even &s;oul and body, and that for ever; and if he &s;ave, he &s;aveth to the uttermo&s;t, from all imperfection and weakne&s;s in his people; <HI>if God be as the dew to I&s;rael, he &s;hall, he mu&s;t needs grow as the Lilly;</HI> this is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 7. 25. Ho&s;. 14. 5.</NOTE> &s;uch a dew &s;o &s;weetly di&s;tilling upon our &s;ouls; O the gentle
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&s;oft rain upon the mown gra&s;s, maketh it to &s;pring again, grow again; &s;o a &s;oul, though cut down, as I may &s;ay, very low, &s;ometimes with a &s;harp temptation, yet a refre&s;hing from the pre&s;ence of God, O how it maketh him &s;pring up again; grace we u&s;e to &s;ay is of a growing nature, and therefore, though like a grain of Mu&s;tard-&s;eed, yet it groweth, or as the &s;eeds of the Cypre&s;s-trees, which they &s;ay are &s;o &s;mall, as they are hardly di&s;|cernable, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13, 15.</NOTE> and yet they grow to a great tree; and &s;o in that place, <HI>thy talent or pound hath gained ten pounds;</HI> we our &s;elves do not <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Plut.</HI> l. 11. c. 2. cited by <HI>Trapp</HI> upon Mat. 14.</NOTE> gain it, though we traffick with it, yet it is a&s;cribed to the grace it &s;elf: no, Brethren, nor can his grace in us increa&s;e it &s;elf, for though it be a divine quality, yet it is a creature, though the new creature, and therefore weak, and cannot &s;upport it &s;elf, much le&s;s increa&s;e it &s;elf; it would quickly langui&s;h, and faint, and die, were it not for a continual influence from the Lord Chri&s;t to &s;upply it; were it not for this &s;upply of the Spirit, would the members grow think you, could they extend them&s;elves from one dimen&s;ion to another, if it were not for the nouri&s;hment they receive? no more can his grace grow without a continual &s;upply; as the light, you know how in a moment it vani&s;heth, if it be but cut from the influence of the Sun; there is a glorious morning without clouds ari&s;eth upon us, the whole hemi&s;phere is full of light; if the Sun &s;hould now &s;et, would that light grow think you to the perfect day? Surely no; it would be night pre&s;ently; now we have a &s;welling &s;tream, it fills the Channel, and over floweth its banks, to the inriching of the ground about it, but cut it off from the Fountain, or from the Sea, and what will become of it? &s;o that the growth, the continuance of the &s;tream is from the fountain; &s;o it is in this ca&s;e, though a mans gifts and grace ri&s;e never &s;o high, and over-flow at his lips, at his actions, to make others al&s;o fruitful and to grow, yet if there be not a continual &s;upply from the Fountain, would it &s;ub&s;i&s;t, would it not langui&s;h? therefore this is the comfort, that he is an Au|thor of it, <HI>I the Lord, ha&s;t thou not heard, ha&s;t thou not known,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 40. 28, 29.</NOTE> <HI>that I the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth faint not, nei|ther am weary, and therefore though you faint and langui&s;h, yet I faint not, &s;aith the Lord, I will renew your &s;trength therefore, and ye &s;hall run and not be weary, though now you cannot lift up your heads;</HI> therefore this is the fir&s;t rea&s;on: It mu&s;t needs be perfect,
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every good and every perfect gift cometh from the Father of lights, if any be more perfect then another, &s;ure they are the gifts of his grace, but this is but the fir&s;t.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Rea&s;on may be an auxiliary to the fir&s;t, The Lord will perfect the work of grace he beginneth, and therefore there is &s;uch an increa&s;e, as the Apo&s;tle calls it, <HI>the increa&s;e of God:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2. 19. Col. 1. 11. Eph. 4. 13.</NOTE> now why is this? <HI>becau&s;e he hath appointed a mea&s;ure of a ful|ne&s;s of &s;tature to be attained by us, before we be made meet for the inheritance of the Saints in light;</HI> a child, while a child, is &s;carce able to mannage an inheritance, he knoweth not what it mean|eth; and &s;o for a weak Chri&s;tian; and therefore mark you what our Saviour &s;aith, <HI>ye mu&s;t be converted and become as little chil|dren, el&s;e you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God;</HI> he &s;aw &s;ome <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 18. 3.</NOTE> pride, and &s;welling, and ambition of their &s;pirits; well, faith our Saviour, this mu&s;t be fetched out of you one way or other, either by love, or by the rod, or both, before you will be fit to enter into glory. O how heavenly and &s;weet do the Saints generally grow before the Lord takes them? Brethren, if &s;o glorious a building as the temple of God be intended, will every rough &s;tone, a rough-hewn-Chri&s;tian be fit to lay in that building? O no, &s;urely tho&s;e knotty pieces &s;hall be plained, and &s;moothed, and polli&s;hed before they be laid in that glorious Temple in heaven: remember it, I &s;ay, Brethren, there is a meetne&s;s for heaven, and though haply many of us care not for it, we would not be too meet for it, le&s;t we be taken to it before we be willing to part with the world; never fear that, while thou ha&s;t &s;uch a heart, it is well if thou be not &s;o far from it that thou never come thither, thou neede&s;t not fear coming thither too &s;oon. But there are two cau&s;es which &s;eem to call for a word here to open them.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, what will you &s;ay then to per&s;ons, that it may be no &s;ooner are converted but they dye; what time have they to grow in grace, and to come to this meetne&s;s of the inheritance of the Saints? Remember what was &s;aid before, that growth is not alway in all of the &s;ame pace: What if God will create one <HI>Adam</HI> in perfect &s;tature the fir&s;t day, and the re&s;t grow to it by degrees, why may it not be &s;o? what if &s;ome grow as the L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">lies, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 5.</NOTE> &s;hoot up quickly, much in a night, and others are longer about it; if all mu&s;t grow and come to this fittne&s;s before he take them;
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and &s;o if the Lord be a whole year turning water into wine in his ordinary way of providence, which is wonderful, and at ano|ther time, though not &s;o often, do it in a moment; <HI>who &s;hall &s;ay to him, what do&s;t thou?</HI> this is as perfect wine, as fit to be drunk, as rich and full of &s;pirits as the other; &s;o the thief upon the Cro&s;s, he made a large proge&s;s in a &s;hort time; for I tell you, to believe in the Lord Je&s;us and confe&s;s him, and at &s;uch a time as that was, was no &s;mall power of grace, when him&s;elf was under the agonies of death, and Chri&s;t under di&s;grace and the &s;hame of the Cro&s;s, and crucifying and dying, yea under the di&s;plea&s;ure of his Father, crying out, <HI>My God my God why ha&s;t thou for&s;aken</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 23. 40, 41.</NOTE> <HI>me?</HI> when he was for&s;aken of his Father in a &s;ort, and for&s;aken of all men, ye<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> and of his own Di&s;ciples al&s;o, none of them then dur&s;t openly <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">cknowledge him, and crucifying, at that time <HI>Peter</HI> had denyed him, they all fled from him before, though &s;ome of them &s;tood and looked on, yet if they had been put to it at that time, it is a que&s;tion what they would have done; therefore our Saviour in tenderne&s;s towards them, would have them be let go, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 18. 8.</NOTE> as you have it, when him&s;elf was taken; now at &s;uch a time as this, when heaven and earth, looked black upon our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour, to own him, to de&s;pi&s;e the &s;hame of the Cro&s;s at the fir&s;t da&s;h, and to reprove his fellow that was crucified with him, it was a great mea&s;ure of faith: Ile tell you Brethren, it is like he that wrought that in him, had wrought a like mea&s;ure of love, when he told him, <HI>he &s;hould this day be with him in Paradi&s;e:</HI> what &s;uch a wretch as I, that all my life time have lived &s;o wicked|ly, and now am dying under my guilt; and in one day, at the la&s;t moment to be tran&s;lated into a glorious Kingdom? O this could not but &s;urely much enlarge his heart in love to the Lord Je&s;us, and that is the perfection of the Law: and &s;o we &s;ee &s;ome Chri&s;tians that grow more in a moneth, in a year or two, then many do in many years; &s;ome are fooli&s;h children that &s;tick long in the place of breaking forth, &s;ome make ha&s;te, and run much in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 13. 13.</NOTE> a little time, and therefore this hinders not but all &s;hould grow to their mea&s;ure appointed of God, before they come to heaven.</P>
<P>And for the children of Believers; how can they come to this pitch, you will &s;ay, how can they grow <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o &s;uch a height of growth? for an&s;wer,</P>
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Fir&s;t, It is worth the noting, that even they who deny them the priviledges of the Covenant of grace, which are vi&s;ible and outward in the Church of God, yet dare not profe&s;s, whatever they think to the contrary, but that they are &s;aved, or may be &s;aved, and profe&s;s tender thoughts of them; they are not &s;uch <HI>duri patres infantum,</HI> as to exclude them out of the Kingdom; it was the Di&s;ciples fault you know, and &s;o it may be good mens now, to hinder them from coming to Chri&s;t; they thought they were but trouble&s;om gue&s;ts to him, they were capable of little, and therefore forbad them, but they got a rebuke for their labour; what, &s;aith our Saviour, is it not clear enough, even from the old Scripture, for there were no other then written; and they had means to know that they did belong to Chri&s;t and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 18. 15, 16, 17.</NOTE> the Kingdom, el&s;e he would not have reproved them, <HI>Do you not know to &s;uch belongs the Kingdom of God? you might have known and ought to have known, and therefore you de&s;erve a rebuke for it;</HI> and &s;o it may be good mens faults now a daies, but yet they dare not exclude them from the Kingdom of glory.</P>
<P>Secondly, It is to be noted, <HI>that no unclean thing &s;hall ever enter into that place;</HI> Children by nature are the children of wrath, poor leprous polluted creatures, and therefore if there be not a pardoning grace and clean&s;ing mercy for them, how can they enter into glory? and becau&s;e we cannot apprehend how it &s;hould be conveighed, &s;hall we therefore deny it? are we not all of us pure <HI>receptives</HI> in the fir&s;t grace, and are not infants as <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 17.</NOTE> purely <HI>receptives</HI> as we? Yea, are they not more purely <HI>receptives</HI> then we? for though it is true, they have the &s;ame &s;eeds of re|bellion, the &s;ame &s;pawn, the &s;ame venomous poy&s;onous nature with our &s;elves, mi&s;erable &s;inful off-&s;pring, of mi&s;erable &s;inful pa|rents; yet according to their own principles, they cannot put it forth into &s;uch actual rebellion as we; and do not the acts increa&s;e and &s;trengthen the habits, and the &s;tronger the habits are, the &s;tronger the oppo&s;ition is again&s;t Chri&s;t, and therefore they are more purely <HI>receptive</HI> then we are: and therefore,</P>
<P>Thirdly, What hinders but they in as &s;hort a time as the thief upon the Cro&s;s, may be brought to as high a degree of grace as he, though in an un&s;peakable manner? Was it not more then ordinary that <HI>John</HI> leaped within the womb at the voice of the
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mother of the Lord? it was more then ordinary, el&s;e the mo|ther <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 1. 41.</NOTE> would not have wondered at it, though a miracle it were; truly, Brethren, every work of grace is a miracle, and the greater miracle it is, to work upon a de&s;perate, prophane, hard-hearted &s;inner, that hath all his life-time been working wickedne&s;s with both hands earne&s;tly; to make &s;uch an one in one day fit for heaven and glory, as the thief upon the Cro&s;s, where there is greater oppo&s;ition, is not this a greater miracle then the other? Be&s;ide, let it be con&s;idered I be&s;eech you, what our Saviour &s;aith, <HI>he that receiveth not the Kingdom like as a little</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 18. 17.</NOTE> <HI>child, cannot enter into it.</HI> It may be &s;ome will &s;ay, this is nothing, he compareth his Di&s;ciples to Doves and Sheep, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and &s;o he doth to a little child, this proveth nothing: But let it be con|&s;idered and weighed; and then I leave it to the judgement of im|partial per&s;ons; he &s;aith not only, you mu&s;t be like children, and like Doves for innocency; he &s;aith not, you mu&s;t be like chil|dren for humility, and want of envy, for love; no, <HI>but ye can|not enter except ye receive the Kingdom as a little child:</HI> the com|pari&s;on lies in the receiving the Kingdom, as well as in the quali|ties; &s;o that except little children did receive the Kingdom, how can the Di&s;ciples be compared to them in receiving the Kingdom? how can they be, as I may &s;ay, made the very &s;tandard in receiving the Kingdom of God? we mu&s;t receive it as little children re|ceive it; you never find &s;uch a like &s;peech of Doves or Sheep, that we mu&s;t receive the Kingdom as Doves or as Sheep, becau&s;e they are not capable to receive the Kingdom, it was ne|ver appointed nor prepared for them: Now if little children be made, as I may &s;ay, the pattern for humility, &s;elf-denyal, which I tell you, Brethren, goeth far in Chri&s;tianity. O which is the fir&s;t &s;tep? humility, the &s;econd humility, the third humility, it reacheth to the top of the Ladder; and not only &s;o, but the ve|ry pattern in receiving the Kingdom of God. Surely then, &s;uch children as we allow, as we mu&s;t allow &s;ome, el&s;e the compari&s;on were not true nor rightly framed, they mu&s;t be allowed to be as holy as any others; truly Brethren, me thinks if we con&s;ider how much innocency there is in the&s;e little ones, which is not in us, O how we have rebelled all our daies, which they never have done; played the hypocrites before the Lord, which they never have done; dealt fal&s;ly in his Covenant, which they never
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have done; have &s;uch &s;trong lu&s;ts in act and vigour, and &s;trong habits of &s;in, pride, and envy, and hatred to oppo&s;e the workings of grace in us, which they have none of; me thinks it might ea&s;ily be yielded unto, that former &s;uppo&s;ition, that many of them are &s;aved (and who dare deny it) that they have grace, and a great mea&s;ure, &s;o as to be made the &s;tandard of receiving the Kingdom; therefore they may quickly come to a great height: but thus much for this rea&s;on, I am carried further then I had any thought, when I fir&s;t minded it as an Argument.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Another rea&s;on may be, becau&s;e the greater our growth is, the more honour he hath from us, and the more &s;ervi|ces, and we the more comfort; this doth much what concern the growth of &s;uch as are of years of under&s;tanding, for to &s;uch I &s;peak; I give it therefore as a rea&s;on, only of the growth of per|&s;ons of under&s;tanding, though &s;ome part of it may reach others.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, hereby God hath the more &s;ervice: Alas, what &s;ervice hath a Father or Mother from a little child when it hangs upon the brea&s;t? many a weary hand &s;he hath with it in its fro|wardne&s;s, but no help at all, but when grown up it will do &s;ome|thing; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 12.</NOTE> &s;o while a poor Believer is weak and feeble, feeble knees and weak hands, alas can &s;carce &s;tand upon their legs, every little wind of temptation or doctrine is ready to blow him over, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 14.</NOTE> &s;tagger him, he &s;tands &s;crupling and trembling at every &s;tep, and doubting, he cannot &s;et a foot before another, but the Father is fain to take him by the hand and teach him to go, as he did <HI>Ephraim;</HI> this is the great time of Gods taking pains (like a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 11. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> tender-hearted mother) with his children, and truly if his bow|els were not as a mothers bowels, yea much more infinitely, he would never endure to handle us &s;o tenderly in all our weakne&s;s and loath&s;omne&s;s; now when we are grown up into Chri&s;t, are &s;trong in his might and power, then we are able to do him &s;ome &s;ervice, and he expecteth it of us, though the Lord knoweth we often requite him as <HI>Ifrael</HI> did after all his tenderne&s;s, he nouri&s;h|eth and bringeth up children, feeding us with the bread of hea|ven, Manna is our daily bread, the Lord Je&s;us, he maketh out &s;omethng of him to us continually, whereby we grow, and pre&s;&s;eth the promi&s;es by his own Spirit, that they may give down their milk and &s;weetne&s;s to us, and when all is done, we rebell again&s;t him, even to the breaking of his heart, as he &s;peaks after <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 6. 9</NOTE>
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the manner of men; but this co&s;ts the people of God dear, who|ever they be, though it be true the Lord hath no need of our &s;ervice, we profit not him at all, he can work deliverance for his people and Church, if there were never a <HI>He&s;ter</HI> to pray nor mediate to the King, &s;ome other way he will do it; yet he ordi|narily u&s;eth the &s;ervice of his people; and alas, that our reward may be the more abundant, our Crowns of grace may be the more weighty, &s;o that there is not a &s;tep from the very Cradle to the Crown of glory, but all is grace, and growing, until it be &s;wallowed up of that fulne&s;s.</P>
<P>Secondly, He is honoured indeed &s;o much the more, Brethren, by our growth, <HI>fortes oreantur fortibus:</HI> O when his people come to that &s;trength, to bear the Cro&s;s of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to deny them&s;elves, to hate their lives for his &s;ake, which the Di&s;ciples at all times were not ripe for; how doth this honour the Lord Je|&s;us? O what Spirit is that whereby they are acted, that even their enemies them&s;elves have been confounded with the con&s;i|deration of it, and &s;o when they are &s;trong in faith, giving glory to God; a man weak in faith, a child, a babe that &s;taggers at every difficulty, is que&s;tioning upon every occa&s;ion whether God be with them, as <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> becau&s;e they had no water; O, &s;aid they, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 4. 20. Exod. 17. 7.</NOTE> <HI>is, God among us?</HI> becau&s;e there was no water; now this is not to his honour, to have children live in a family together, eat and drink of the be&s;t, and yet to be alway children, weaklings, as I may &s;ay, <HI>con&s;ump&s;it,</HI> this is a di&s;honour to their Father and Mother; &s;o it is in this ca&s;e, what is more choice, Brethren, then the bread from heaven, this wine and milk which is to be had in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which Believers live upon; and yet if they be weaklings, how doth it di&s;honour Je&s;us Chri&s;t? <HI>his fle&s;h is</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 6. 55.</NOTE> <HI>meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed:</HI> but if we come not on with it, it will be hard to per&s;wade men &s;o; but where they &s;ee us go from &s;trength to &s;trength, that we can do &s;ingular things <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 55. 7.</NOTE> for Chri&s;t, in pro&s;perity, in affliction, which others cannot do: O they will be ready to &s;ay, &s;urely that which the&s;e men feed <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 47.</NOTE> upon is rare and excellent diet indeed: Now, Brethren, alas, this glory is nothing to God, it is only that he may be acknow|ledged among men in the way of his grace, which addeth nothing to him, but to poor creatures it doth, yet it is all he requireth, and he is jealous of it indeed: Now for infants, truly Brethren,
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though they act little among men, &s;pecially while properly in|fants, that cannot &s;peak for him, thence they have their names Infants; there may be little appearance, yet the very con&s;idera|tion of this, <HI>that the Lord &s;hould infu&s;e grace,</HI> yea &s;uch rich grace, as you heard, into them, me thinks &s;hould take us up &s;ometimes with more admiration then we are taken up with it; for I &s;ay, no man dare deny but that they may have grace, and &s;ome of them have grace, and all of them that die in infancy for ought we know, have: Now how admirable is it? but God hath made it vi|&s;ible in &s;ome extraordinary ca&s;es, as in <HI>John;</HI> is it &s;tupendious that the like babe &s;hould leap in the womb for joy at the hearing of the report of Je&s;us, more then the mo&s;t of Believers likely would have done upon a bare report? Be&s;ide, how many in|&s;tances of little children wrought upon, even as &s;oon as they can &s;peak, I &s;ay, that can make it appear in an admirable manner, and to call God Father at very tender years, yea know him to be their God, and they his, and that they &s;hall have a Kingdom prepared for them; me thinks the&s;e things are enough to convince us; there is no &s;uch nece&s;&s;ity of years, Brethren. And then, is it not the more admirable, is not Chri&s;t more to be admired? Again, it is much for the comfort of his people, and truly this the Lord hath much in his eye, next to his own glory, which indeed is much magnified by the comfortable walking of his people; the more then a man groweth up in the knowledge of the things free|ly given of God by the Spirit of Chri&s;t, the more comfortably he <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 2. 12.</NOTE> walks, &s;uch are an ornament to their profe&s;&s;ion, an encourage|ment and invitation of others to enter upon the &s;ame waies, when they &s;ee the faces of the Saints that &s;hine, to be anointed with the oyl of gladne&s;s, and the Kingdom of God in them, to <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 45. 7.</NOTE> con&s;i&s;t in righteou&s;ne&s;s, and joy, and peace, this encourageth others, that otherwi&s;e would be di&s;heartened: Now I &s;ay, the Lord is very tender of his peoples comfort; do but ob&s;erve it, and you &s;hall find, Brethren, the blood and Spirit of the Lord Je&s;us to run through all the veins of the Scripture, and all for the con&s;olation of the Saints; <HI>the&s;e things I write to you, that your</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 14. 7. 1 Iohn 1. 4.</NOTE> <HI>joy might be full, and that through con&s;olation of the Scripture we might have hope;</HI> el&s;e why are there &s;o many promi&s;es &s;o often repeated again and again? how many promi&s;es of remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins &s;et forth in various expre&s;&s;ions every way, to affect and meet
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with every mans condition, but that his de&s;ign is the comfort of his people? and wherefore are the examples of the Saints propo|&s;ed to us; their falls, their re&s;toring again, but for our comfort and hope? &s;urely this is the de&s;ign, Brethren; and therefore &s;urely, he will carry on his people in the knowledge and under|&s;tanding of them, the clo&s;ing with them, el&s;e the work is done but imperfectly; for what though the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God be revealed in the Go&s;pel from faith to faith, except there be an eye <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1. 17. Eph. 1. 18.</NOTE> opened? and as the light groweth clearer, &s;o the eye groweth &s;tronger and clearer to behold it: it will be little matter of com|fort to the people of God; what is a man the better as to com|fort, to have rich means, and knoweth nothing of it at all? and then to grow in grace, in all the graces of the Spirit, Brethren, this doth wonderfully help to the comfort of the Saints: What is the complaint of the mo&s;t of men? O they cannot l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ft up their heads, they cannot carry a cheerful heart; why? O they think they are hypocrites, they are not right with God, or they are in unbelief, they cannot believe in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, they cannot do this or that, or they cannot &s;ee that there is any thing right in them: Why Brethren, it will not &s;atisfie a tender heart, except he &s;ee and di&s;cover &s;omewhat in him&s;elf of Gods working; now when it is, &s;mall as a Mu&s;tard-&s;eed, as a Cypre&s;s-&s;eed, it is &s;carce di&s;cern|able, but as it groweth from &s;trength to &s;trength, at la&s;t he com|eth to &s;ee it, when &s;incerity of h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">art doth more ordinarily and &s;trongly prevail again&s;t the &s;ly and &s;ubtile in&s;inuations of &s;in upon the heart. O then the &s;oul can &s;ee that his heart is right with God; and &s;o for faith, when it is &s;trong and acts &s;trongly upon the Lord Je&s;us, the &s;oul doth even feel that it doth believe, and &s;o an end is brought to all tho&s;e &s;ad complaints; let men of cor|rupt minds &s;ay what they will, Brethren, the appearances of grace in the &s;oul, is a notable evidence of our being cloathed with the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t, <HI>when we walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit;</HI> for a man to pretend to have no condemnation upon him, and yet walk after the fle&s;h, loo&s;ly and vainly, wicked|ly, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 1, 13.</NOTE> and yet never doubt nor que&s;tion his condition; I &s;ay, that man is in a de&s;perate &s;ecurity, a lethargy, it is very great odds but he peri&s;heth in it; the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>&s;uch &s;hall die;</HI> and they &s;ay, <HI>they &s;hall live;</HI> but they will one day know, whether Gods Word or theirs &s;hall &s;tand&punc; Well then, this much furthers
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their comfort, and this is one of the Lords great de&s;igns for our good, that we &s;hould walk comfortably, and therefore he brings o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> that his work; that &s;park in a great deal of green wood, that &s;mothers, and &s;mokes, and puts out our eyes almo&s;t with weep|ing at it, he bloweth it up by his Spirit more and more, and bringeth judgement to victory, victory over our corruptions through the &s;trength of the Spirit, and &s;o victory over our doubtings, fears and di&s;comforts. O what riches of grace is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 12. 20.</NOTE> here! but thus much for the Arguments of the point.</P>
<P>For the Application then; Fir&s;t, this will &s;peak the &s;ad condi|tion of two &s;orts of per&s;ons, and tho&s;e are,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t; Such as make a profe&s;&s;ion of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and yet grow not, are at a &s;tand; we do <HI>innovere</HI> but not <HI>promovere,</HI> like a hor&s;e in a mill, go round, and are at night where they were in the morning; they go round in a formal compa&s;s of duty, but alas, grow not by it at all; look upon many profe&s;&s;ors, and con&s;ider what they have been, and &s;hall you not find they had as much life &s;even years ago as they have now, they are grown in faith nothing, their faith is &s;till as a grain of Mu&s;tard-&s;eed, if they have any at all indeed, as they may, its true, and yet not grow for a time; the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of &s;illy women, that are alway learning and never come to the knowledge of the truth; and <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 3. 7.</NOTE> there are &s;illy men among us that are alway learning and yet are not come to the knowledge of the truth: Some indeed I pitty much, there is a natural defect in their under&s;tandings, by media|tion whereof all this growth is perfected, and it is &s;o great in &s;ome, that they will hardly ever be able to apprehend much of the wi&s;dom of God in a my&s;terie, it is well if they under&s;tand the main thing, without which there is no life; but the&s;e are not the per&s;ons I &s;peak of, but &s;uch among us have wit and parts enough, can under&s;tand, and manage, and improve any thing el&s;e they take in hand, and yet in the matters of their &s;ouls, they take up their re&s;t like tyred Jades that will go no further: the Apo&s;tle reproveth the <HI>Hebrews</HI> for it &s;harply, that when for the time they might have been teachers of others, yet we had need <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 5. 12.</NOTE> to be taught our &s;elves the fir&s;t principles of the Doctrine of Chri&s;tianity: truly Brethren, me thinks you that have long known Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and have gray hairs upon your heads, and are found in the way of righteou&s;ne&s;s, when you &s;ee young &s;trip|lings
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out-grow you, and apprehend much of the my&s;teries of Chri&s;t which you do not, this &s;hould be a &s;hame to you: it is a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 16. 31.</NOTE> &s;trange &s;otti&s;hne&s;s and &s;ecurity that &s;eizeth upon men, in re&s;pect of their &s;ouls: they would think &s;hame that a young man of little or no experience &s;hould know them, to manage their trade bet|ter then them&s;elves, that are of &s;o long &s;tanding and experience, but here they are content to be out-&s;tript, and content them&s;elves with any thing; that your grace &s;hould be &s;o &s;mall, as I may &s;ay, in the &s;eed &s;till, &s;o &s;mall as a &s;eed, and &s;carce di&s;cernable to this day; O what a &s;ad thing is this! now your &s;alvation is nearer then when you believed, and you are as far from being meet for it, as when you believed. O how unfit are we for death, though we have one foot in the grave already &s;ome of us, and we do not heed this? Surely, if this be a truth, that tho&s;e who are planted in Chri&s;t do grow, and thou can&s;t not find thou growe&s;t; what can&s;t thou conclude, but one of the&s;e two things?</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that either thou ha&s;t all this while deceived thy &s;elf, and thought thou had&s;t the root of the matter within thee, and had&s;t it not, for if thou had&s;t, thou would&s;t have grown: The King|dom of God will not be alway as a grain of Mu&s;tard-&s;eed, and that which is in thee haply appears to be no more; and is not this a &s;ad condition, Brethren? is it not high time for you to look about you, when you are grown to &s;uch years, and never have been planted into Je&s;us Chri&s;t, never made one with him to this day? I &s;ay, a man that findeth he groweth not at all, he is where he was &s;o many years ago, hath cau&s;e to fear this; and me thinks this &s;hould &s;tartle us, a company of lazie profe&s;&s;ors, that never matter whether they improve or no.</P>
<P>Or el&s;e &s;econdly, which is bad enough, that thou ha&s;t &s;ome &s;ad di&s;ea&s;e upon thee, that hinders thy growth: &s;urely &s;omewhat is the matter, Brethren, it is not right with you; if you have a child &s;tand at a &s;tay for two or three-years, while it &s;hould grow, you &s;ee it is a living child, but it groweth not; O &s;urely it hath &s;ome di&s;ea&s;e or another, &s;ome ob&s;tructions hindering the cour&s;e be|tween the head, and heart, and the members, and you fear &s;uch a child will not live. O that you would but apply this to your &s;ouls! &s;ure you have &s;ome de&s;perate di&s;ea&s;e upon you, &s;ome ob|&s;truction or another; it may be the world is gotten between you
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and the root, and the head, which is Chri&s;t, and &s;o the communi|cation is hindred, you grow not up into him, draw nothing nearer to him at all; doth it never enter into your hearts to con|&s;ider this, Brethren, are you not afraid of peri&s;hing in &s;uch a condition? I am &s;ure your condition is &s;ad, that a growing &s;en|&s;ible Chri&s;tian would not be in your ca&s;e for a world; and are you not &s;en&s;ible of it? it is &s;o much the wor&s;e. O how will you an&s;wer it, Brethren, con&s;idering how much influence you have had from on high, the Ordinances, the fat things of his hou&s;e in abundance, the &s;incere milk of the word you have had in this place for a long time, more then mo&s;t places have had it, and yet your &s;ouls have pro&s;pered no more under it; you have had five Talents, and yet it may be many that have had but two, but one, have out-&s;tript &s;ome of you; where you have had five Sermons, five opportunities of grace, many a poor &s;oul would have been glad of one, and yet &s;uch it may be &s;tronger in faith, more in hu|mility, more &s;piritual minded then we are; can you an&s;wer this at the great day? But thus much for this fir&s;t.</P>
<P>Secondly, It &s;heweth us the &s;ad condition of &s;uch, as in&s;tead of growing in grace, alas they grow wor&s;e and wor&s;e; as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>evil men and &s;educers grow wor&s;e;</HI> and indeed, we <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 3. 13.</NOTE> mu&s;t know this, Brethren, we do grow either better or wor&s;e, as haply afterward we &s;hall have occa&s;ion to &s;peak to at large; either the hou&s;e of <HI>David</HI> groweth &s;tronger, or the hou&s;e of <HI>Saul;</HI> either the fle&s;h or the &s;pirit prevails in the hearts of the people of God; there are two &s;orts of per&s;ons who&s;e condition is under this con&s;ideration.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Such as have profe&s;t the name of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and yet alas, though they were green for a while, now their leaf is fallen, their light is gone out, they are fallen from their place of &s;tand|ing among the Saints in appearance; never was there an age more fruitful in &s;uch barrenne&s;s then this is; alas, like a Fir-tree &s;haken with the wind, they lo&s;e their fruit, yea, are turned up by the roots, and now are become as a dry &s;tick, fit for nothing but to burn, <HI>the latter end of &s;uch men is wor&s;e then their beginning,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 12. 45. Iude 12.</NOTE> <HI>they are trees twice dead;</HI> not only dead by nature, but have lo&s;t their profe&s;&s;ion, which was a vi&s;ible life, whereby they did appear to men to be alive; and is there any hope of &s;uch a tree living again? truly, Brethren, very little; I have oberved
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it, and I wi&s;h I could look upon it with a more trembling heart, that &s;uch men as the&s;e grow wor&s;e, fall off and decline, they are the &s;adde&s;t, hard-hearted, de&s;perate, prophane wretches afterward; or the mo&s;t be&s;otted worldlings, and &s;eldom are they recovered. I know not whether I may &s;peak to any &s;uch at this time, I hope the be&s;t things of you; if there be any &s;uch, let me tell thee, thou art in a more dangerous condition then tho&s;e that never knew God to this day.</P>
<P>Secondly, Such as never yet had appearance of being planted into Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and &s;o no growth in them, but are yet in their <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 55. 11.</NOTE> naturals; know this day, you are growing wor&s;e and wor&s;e, the Go&s;pel doth not return in vain, you are wor&s;e every day then other, every Sermon then other; the Go&s;pel is a &s;avour of death to death to you; as there is nothing doth condemn &s;inners like to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 3. 19.</NOTE> the Go&s;pel rejected, &s;o nothing doth harden &s;inners more then the Go&s;pel, and tho&s;e precious promi&s;es which men give the hearing to, day by day, but alas that is all. <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> the mo&s;t Evangelical Prophet, he cometh with a <HI>make you the ears of this</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 6. 10.</NOTE> <HI>people heavy, that hearing they might hear and not perceive.</HI> If the Son be not ki&s;&s;ed when he is offered to &s;inners, but they turn their <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;alm 2.</NOTE> backs upon him, he will be angry; if the more worthy per&s;on be &s;uitor, and be denyed and &s;lighted, and the heel lift up again&s;t him, will not this provoke him think you? &s;urely it will: therefore God doth u&s;ually give up &s;uch to a reprobate mind, yea even for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1. 28.</NOTE> de&s;pi&s;ing the light of nature, much more the Go&s;pel, and giveth them up to hardne&s;s of heart; you &s;hall ordinarily &s;ee where the Go&s;pel cometh at the fir&s;t among a people, it works more mightily then afterward; at fir&s;t, though men are prophane, yet they have not had the Sun-&s;hine to harden the Clay into a Brick; the Word of God, this Go&s;pel and means of growth, it is as fire, the coals of love, and either they do melt, or el&s;e burn &s;inners into &s;tones and bricks, and &s;ear their con&s;ciences that they are even pa&s;t feeling, hence it is we have &s;o many de&s;perate|ly wicked per&s;ons among us. O how &s;ad a condition is this Bre|thren, to be growing wor&s;e and wor&s;e under the greate&s;t mercy and love that the Lord manife&s;teth to any! Sinners, in good ear|ne&s;t, do you think it is the way to heaven to grow wor&s;e, and wor&s;e, or the way to the Chambers of death? Thou knowe&s;t thy &s;elf to be a more de&s;perate prophane wretch then formerly,
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making no con&s;cience of that which heretofore thy &s;oul it may be hath trembled at, now it goeth down without regret, or el&s;e if not in open prophanene&s;s, if thou melte&s;t away in &s;ecret wick|edne&s;s, that no eye takes notice of, and art wor&s;e and wor&s;e, what will the end of the&s;e things be? the Saints that grow, they grow up into the likene&s;s, and image, and glory of Chri&s;t, they grow up into him; and thou growe&s;t up into the likene&s;s of the Devil, up int<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">im; What will become of you? O that &s;inners would but lay the&s;e things to heart: if heretofore thou wa&s;t over|taken with a &s;in, it may be it was &s;ome trouble to thee; now thou wilt work the works of the Devil, thy will is ingaged, and &s;o much the more haynous the &s;in is; what can you expect, Bre|thren? O that God would open &s;inners eyes, that they might but &s;ee whether they are going, what they are doing, and they could but con&s;ider what bitterne&s;s this will be in the latter end, to grow wor&s;e and wor&s;e.</P>
<P>The next <HI>&V;&s;e</HI> &s;hall be then, Brethren, to take an account of <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 3.</NOTE> our &s;elves, whether we grow or go backward yea or no; this is not the work of every day, Brethren, for it will hardly be di&s;|cernable, if we daily &s;hould put our &s;elves to the tryal, we &s;hould do nothing el&s;e, it would eat up that time, and tho&s;e endeavours to grow, which ought to be laid out upon it, that &s;o it may af|terward appear; a man that &s;hould &s;pend every day in ca&s;ting up his whole Books, to &s;ee how he groweth in his e&s;tate, would h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nder him&s;elf of tho&s;e endeavours to thrive that mu&s;t be u&s;ed, el&s;e he cannot thrive; be&s;ides, this growth is not the work of a day u&s;ually, though &s;ometimes it may be &s;o; but of moneths, or a year, or &s;o; if a man &s;hould &s;it by his tree, or &s;et his eye upon his child to behold his motion or growth, he would lo&s;e his la|bour, it is better &s;een afterward, as in another place afterward &s;hall be &s;poken; be&s;ides, if we &s;hould daily judge of our growth and try it, alas what incon&s;tant judgements &s;hould we make of our condition; for &s;ome daies we are up, and &s;ome daies down; it may be &s;ome daies under the power of a temptation, and other daies &s;et at liberty from them; &s;ometimes the Merchant mak|eth a lo&s;ing bargain, &s;ometimes a winning; &s;ometimes his ca&s;h cometh in, and &s;ometimes he is all in disbur&s;ments; therefore he mu&s;t not, he cannot judge of his e&s;tate, whether he pro&s;per or
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thrive by this or that day, but after a while he &s;hould look to it, ca&s;t up his Books, &s;ee how it &s;tandeth. Brethren, it is impo&s;&s;ible to per&s;wade a Merchant, except he be Bankrupt, and knoweth it is &s;o, and therefore hath no mind to look upon his mi&s;ery, el&s;e I &s;ay, you cannot per&s;wade a Merchant but he will take his &s;et times for peru&s;ing his Books, ca&s;ting up his accounts, and not let it run too long neither, for fear of the wor&s;t, and if any &s;hould advi&s;e him to the contrary, he would take him to be his enemy, &s;u&s;pect him for one that would undo him; and yet alas, how ea&s;ie are we to believe Satan and the world, when they &s;huffle us off from this work of ca&s;ting up the accounts of our &s;ouls? I think we may all of us, or the mo&s;t of us, plead guilty here; have we our times, Brethren, we &s;et apart for this work of &s;elf-&s;earching and tryal? not an hour in a moneth, or many moneths; when we come to the Lords Supper, an hour in a quarter, or a day in a year, yea, do you ever perform this duty at all? truly, it is an ill &s;ign when we are &s;o backward to &s;earch; the Lord per&s;wade you to the duty: you heard before how &s;ad a thing it is to be at a &s;tand, not to grow; and be&s;ide, how can&s;t thou be thankful if thou take not notice of it? he lo&s;eth his glory, and that will neither be for our advantage nor com|fort.</P>
<P>And here I hope it may not be be&s;ide the Text, to &s;peak of growth, under that other ordinary Simile, of growing like trees or plants; in Scripture, nothing more ordinary, then that where Believers are compared to trees of righteou&s;ne&s;s, and branches in Chri&s;t the Vine; and what is included in this compari&s;on here, as to the growth in quantity, increa&s;e in quality, and good|ne&s;s and &s;wiftne&s;s of it, I hope I &s;hall meet with in the other.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, look whether you grow more into the root, you <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 King. 19. 30.</NOTE> grow downward, for if a tree grow not in the root proportion|ably, you know it will be top-heavy, and every bla&s;t is ready to over-turn it; that &s;oul groweth to purpo&s;e, that groweth then in the root more; now what is this root but the Covenant of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 3. 10.</NOTE> grace, as you have heard? when God would cut a people down by the root, he would di&s;-covenant them; now the Lord Je&s;us is the main of the Covenant, and therefore called the Covenant he and his Spirit are the great promi&s;es of the Covenant; Chri&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1. 30.</NOTE>
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as he is tendered for righteou&s;ne&s;s, for holine&s;s, for redemption, and all. Now there are three graces &s;pecially which re&s;pect the root Je&s;us Chri&s;t, whereby we may be &s;aid to grow in the root, and therefore let us labour to &s;earch and try our &s;elves by them.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t is Faith, Brethren, whereby indeed we are planted into him, and as that grows, &s;o we are &s;aid to grow in the root; time was when our faith was but as a grain of Mu&s;tard-&s;eed, but now hath it deeper rooting, fa&s;ter hold of Chri&s;t; do we now embrace him more clo&s;ely then we did? time hath been it may be, when we have under&s;tood little of the Covenant of grace, and &s;o con&s;equently could give but an a&s;&s;ent to what we under|&s;tood of it, and an an&s;werable con&s;ent; but do&s;t thou now un|der&s;tand it more, to give a firmer a&s;&s;ent to the truth of the thing? <HI>wherein the Lord hath promi&s;ed to give his Son, and with him remi&s;|&s;ion</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 43. 25. Ier. 31. 34.</NOTE> <HI>of &s;ins, that he will remember them no more, and blot out their ini|quities;</HI> thou a&s;&s;ente&s;t to this truth now more then thou did&s;t be|fore. O the bloodine&s;s of thy guilt was that which di&s;mayed thee, the horridne&s;s, the filthyne&s;s, the multitude, the aggravations of thy &s;ins; now thou &s;ee&s;t and con&s;ente&s;t to the truth of it, that God will &s;wallow up all, they &s;hall be (though &s;carlet) as white as &s;now; though the time was, the &s;ight of thy &s;ins did as much amaze thee, as the &s;ight of the <HI>Egyptians</HI> did the <HI>I&s;raelites,</HI> O thou knowe&s;t not what to do; now thou can&s;t look upon them as &s;wallowed up in the red Sea of the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. O a Sea of mercy, a red Sea of precious redeeming blood! what will it not &s;wallow up? do&s;t thou find it? O ob&s;erve, Brethren, how you grow in your a&s;&s;ent to it; and &s;o for mortification, &s;ubduing iniquities, becau&s;e thou ha&s;t been pre&s;t and pe&s;tered with thy lu&s;ts, thou ha&s;t been ready to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ay, all men are lyars, in thy ha&s;te: O notwith&s;tanding this Covenant of grace, I find my corruptions &s;trong and lively: but now thou do&s;t not up|on this account que&s;tion the Covenant, but a&s;&s;ente&s;t to it, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mica. 7.</NOTE> clo&s;e&s;t with it, con&s;ent as well as a&s;&s;ent, and &s;o waite&s;t upon God for the fulfilling of it until his time; <HI>he that believeth, maketh not ha&s;te;</HI> though he make it not to grow, yet this is all thy &s;al|vation, here thou hange&s;t thy hopes, and off this thou wilt not be beaten, though heretofore thou ha&s;t found, alas, thou could&s;t hardly fa&s;ten upon it at all, do you find this? Bretheen, &s;ee
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in what degrees: if we grow not here, we grow not at all to any purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>Secondly, And that which is indeed included in the former, is that of &s;elf-denyal; <HI>if any man will be my Di&s;ciple, he mu&s;t deny</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">lat. 16. 24.</NOTE> <HI>him&s;elf and take up his Cro&s;s;</HI> Deny him&s;elf; all that is de&s;irable in him&s;elf, all that he lookt upon as conducible to &s;alvation, whether his works, or gifts, or duties, his priviledges, or what|ever; It is true, we had a root of our own in <HI>Adam,</HI> but that worm of &s;in hath &s;mitten the root, and it is withered, and it is but rottenne&s;s, and therefore there is no growth to be expected from it but what will be rotten: Now Chri&s;t alone in the Co|venant of grace is the root, and the more we grow off our own root, the more we grow into him, as the root: Now con&s;ider this, Brethren, it may be the time hath been thou ha&s;t builded much of thy hopes and comforts upon what thou ha&s;t had in thy &s;elf. O if thou could&s;t but do this, and that thou could&s;t be quiet and take comfort in thy condition: now, though thou do more or do le&s;s, whatever thou art enabled to do through him, do&s;t thou find that thou can&s;t ble&s;s him for it, and yet go out of all, and be as though we had never done any thing, counting all but as men&s;truous cloaths, and yet not the le&s;s, but the more en|couraged, that our own righteou&s;ne&s;s is not the bottom, be|cau&s;e then it could not be &s;ure, but we have &s;uch a root as never withers, even Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Alas, how far &s;hort are we in this? though we have &s;een it many times, when we would be &s;tanding upon our own bottom, that we cannot &s;tand upon a thing that &s;tands not under us, but &s;inketh, only upon the Rock Je&s;us Chri&s;t, yet we have not learned this many of us I doubt: this hinders our growth much; as if a ve&s;&s;el be indeed afloat, yet &s;o &s;hallow, keepeth &s;o near the &s;ide of the &s;hore, as that it ever and anon &s;trikes upon the ground, it can make no con&s;iderable progre&s;s, and is in danger of &s;miting be&s;ide: &s;o it is in this ca&s;e; well, con&s;ider then, this hath been our ca&s;e, we could not launch out into the deep, perfectly tru&s;t to that grace revealed in Chri&s;t, we mu&s;t have one foot upon the ground, we mu&s;t feel &s;omething of our own under us, or el&s;e we could not be quiet; is it thus with thee now? that thou ar<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> more come off this, thou can&s;t now though thou &s;ee nothing in thy &s;elf, yea when there is mo&s;t ap|pearing in thee, yet wave all, come clearly off it, and alone ca&s;t
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thy &s;elf upon the waters, commit thy &s;elf to the deep, where no bottom is to be felt; this is growing in the root in|deed.</P>
<P>Thirdly, In humility; this is another which indeed doth fol|low upon the other, and mu&s;t needs do &s;o, for nothing emptyeth more then faith, nothing layeth the &s;oul lower, and indeed this is the pro&s;pering grace of the &s;oul; <HI>that &s;oul that is lifted up,</HI> as the Prophet &s;aith, <HI>is not right within him: Learn of me, &s;aith our</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Hab 2. 4. Mat. 11. 29.</NOTE> <HI>Saviour, for I am meek and lowly:</HI> O when the &s;oul is thus low, then it is hungry, and thir&s;ty, and poor in Spirit; and then it &s;ucks from the Lord Je&s;us, then a ta&s;te of his love is &s;weet to the &s;oul, then the Spirit being ready to yield to God in every thing, to do all his will, God is ready to yield to the &s;oul in every thing that he requireth agreeable to his will; how do we grow in hu|mility, Brethren? examine this, it is the fir&s;t, and &s;econd, and third, and every &s;tep of <HI>Jacobs Ladder;</HI> do&s;t thou find, that whereas thou wa&s;t wont to over-look and undervalue in compa|ri&s;on of thy &s;elf; now rather thou thinke&s;t in good earne&s;t, that every one fearing God is better then thy &s;elf, becau&s;e of the vile|ne&s;s of thine own heart, thou &s;ee&s;t; before thou could&s;t not bear a reproof, but if thou did&s;t not turn and all to rent him that re|proved thee, though with never &s;o much mildne&s;s, yet thou would&s;t &s;narl, and quarrel, and be ready to ca&s;t as much as that came to, into his own teeth that reproved thee; now if thou be re|proved, thou ha&s;t nothing to &s;ay, but feare&s;t thy heart, it may be too true of thee, now it is welcome, thou love&s;t them that reprove thee &s;o much the more; Brethren, it may be heretofore you would be apt to complain of your &s;elves, and of your own vile|ne&s;s, and make &s;ad mone, and yet if another &s;peak but an ill word of you, yea, if they &s;peak no more of you then you de|&s;erve, you could not bear it; now if they &s;peak ill of you, art thou ready to lay thy hand upon thy mouth, &s;ure the Lord hath bid them &s;peak evil, and there is cau&s;e enough for it, and they <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 16. 10.</NOTE> cannot &s;ay wor&s;e of me then I am. O here is a growth in humili|ty; before thou wert ready to envy every one that had more gifts, or more grace, more of the hearts of Gods people then thy &s;elf; now thou art ready to &s;ay with <HI>Mo&s;es, envie&s;t thou for my &s;ake?</HI> thou can&s;t &s;weetly &s;ubmit to his di&s;po&s;al of thee: the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 11. 29. Exod. 32. 1.</NOTE> lea&s;t thou ha&s;t is more then thou de&s;erve&s;t. O this is that which
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obtains much of the Lord, when thy heart is in &s;uch a frame, it is fit to receive; &s;o <HI>Jacob,</HI> he was le&s;s then the lea&s;t of his mer|cies, it was an argument wherewith he pleaded with the Lord; thou art content to be any thing, though in never &s;o mean a degree of &s;ervice to him, &s;o be he will be but thy Father and own thee; if thou may&s;t not be with him in the transfiguration upon the mount, if thou may&s;t be but a Di&s;ciple, if thou may&s;t not get within the cloud with <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> nor be a <HI>Benjamin;</HI> yet if <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 17.</NOTE> thou may&s;t be a Son and a Subject, though no Favourite, this is that thou art contented with. O here is a growth! Brethren, &s;earch and try, are we come to this pitch, or how far are we gone herein? is it better with us then it hath been in this re|&s;pect?</P>
<P>But then &s;econdly, we mu&s;t try whether we grow upward yea or no, as well as downward; and this I &s;hall con&s;ider according to the chief faculties of the &s;oul, the mind and the will, and &s;peak &s;omewhat to each of them.</P>
<P>And fir&s;t for the mind, the under&s;tanding. 1. Do you find, Brethren, that you grow and increa&s;e in the knowledge of his will, that the darkne&s;s that is upon your hearts naturally, doth vani&s;h by any degrees? do you find the vail doth wear thinner that was upon your hearts, that you begin to behold the Lord Je&s;us with a more open face then before? time was when you were babes in under&s;tanding; are you new men and women, or are you pa&s;t the &s;tate of babes? Alas, I doubt if the trea&s;uries of our hearts were laid open, we &s;hould find them very empty of this heavenly knowledge, how few can bring out of their trea|&s;uries both new and old? This will appear in the&s;e two things <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> 4. 14.</NOTE> &s;pecially.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, if you be apt to be to&s;&s;ed up and down with every wind of Doctrine, and are not-&s;tabli&s;hed in the pre&s;ent truth, but your minds are floating, and hovering, and ready to &s;ettle upon any thing that is pre&s;ented to you, though contrary to what you have received, it is a &s;ign that you are but children in under&s;tanding; how ea&s;ie is it to deceive children, to put upon them Counters in&s;tead of Gold, to make them part with the one for the other? and how ea&s;ie is it to lead captive &s;illy-women, as the Apo&s;tle <NOTE PLACE="marg">2&punc; Tim. 3 6.</NOTE> calls them that are ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth; <HI>a weak eye that cannot di&s;cern between</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 5. 14.</NOTE>
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<HI>things that differ, hath not his &s;en&s;es exerci&s;ed to di&s;cern:</HI> it is very ea&s;ie to put one thing upon them for another; truly Bre|thren, the&s;e times have the name for times of great light, and greater knowledge then there was before, and I do believe that knowledge &s;hall encrea&s;e by going too and fro; but yet for all that, mens eyes are very weak, they cannot di&s;cern between light and darkne&s;s, but put darkne&s;s for light; for what is the ground of all errour, is it not the ignorance of the Scripture and the power of God? and was there ever any times more fruitful in errour then the&s;e are? Alas Brethren, what &s;trangers are many of us to the very principles of Religion, if examined, in them that pretend to &s;uch high di&s;coveries and revelations of Chri&s;t in our times, <HI>&s;uch have need of milk, and not of &s;trong meat; the wi&s;dom of God in a my&s;terie is a riddle to them;</HI> the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 12. 5.</NOTE> Apo&s;tle &s;pake it to them that were perfect, that is to &s;ay, grown men and women, in oppo&s;ition to babes: Well then, look to it, if you find your &s;elves ea&s;ie to be &s;haken, to turn with every wind of Doctrine like a weather-cock, it argues you are but children, but babes; you may per&s;wade a child to any thing, to be of twenty minds in an hour, becau&s;e alas, he hath no &s;ound well-grounded knowledge of any thing, you may per&s;wade him to part with his meat, his drink, for a toy, or by &s;ome pretended loath&s;omne&s;s in it that is not, and &s;o it is with poor, weak, igno|rant &s;ouls; how do we &s;ee many cheated out of Ordinances, out of duties, out of clo&s;e walkings with God, as things of no mo|ment, by the cunning craftine&s;s of them who lie in wait to de|ceive. It is a &s;ad thing to &s;ee per&s;ons that &s;hould be of great|er knowledge then ordinary, that in things &s;o much controvert|ed, as they are now a daies, can in a few daies time be &s;o to&s;t with a wind of Doctrine, as to take up a &s;trange, a contrary practi&s;e; this ea&s;ine&s;s to forgo our principles, argues we are childi&s;h and weak.</P>
<P>Secondly, Are we grown in under&s;tanding? you will find it by this; thou wilt not be &s;o ready, &s;o ea&s;ie to take offence as here|tofore thou ha&s;t been: alas, before men are acquainted with the waies of God at all, you &s;ee they are offended at every thing they &s;ee; the Jews were offended with the meanne&s;s of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, his de&s;cent, that he was the Carpenters Son, he was not like to be the Me&s;&s;ias; alas, it was the weakne&s;s of their under|&s;tanding,
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they did not con&s;ider tho&s;e Scriptures, where it is &s;aid <HI>there &s;hould be no beauty in him that we &s;hould de&s;ire him;</HI> and that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13. 15.</NOTE> he &s;hould come meek and lowly, riding upon an A&s;s: and &s;o they were offended at his Doctrine, when he told them, <HI>they mu&s;t eat his fle&s;h, and drink his blood,</HI> they could not conceive of it; and many of his Di&s;ciples went backward and walked with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Zech. 9. 9. Iohn 6. 66.</NOTE> him no more. And &s;o &s;inners, O they &s;tumble at every thing in the people of God, when they con&s;ider them, and pry into them, and find they mi&s;s it, and fall in their duties, they are prejudiced &s;trongly again&s;t the waies of God upon this &s;core; alas it is igno|rance, they know not that they have a corrupt principle within, whereby they are laid open to &s;in, when lu&s;t and temptation meeteth, except the Lord do wonderfully keep them; they expect they &s;hould be as the Angels in heaven, altogether &s;potle&s;s and pure, even while they are upon the earth, and therefore they are offended. And &s;o a weak child of God, that is newly come on to grace; alas, every little thing in the way they &s;tumble at, for this offending is nothing el&s;e but &s;tumbling upon a thing, &s;o as to hurt them&s;elves by it, either by being drawn to &s;in thereby, being encouraged to &s;in thereby, or el&s;e by being grieved at it without cau&s;e; you know a child cannot get over that which a man maketh nothing of, but he &s;tumbleth and falleth: &s;o the Apo&s;tle, where he di&s;cu&s;&s;eth of the u&s;e of indifferent things, &s;aith he, <HI>All</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 8. 7.</NOTE> <HI>men have not this knowledge, that an Idol is nothing, and therefore if &s;ome weak ones, &s;ee a Brother that is &s;trong eat of that which was offered to an Idol, which he knoweth to be lawful for him to do, he is offended at it:</HI> this argues weakne&s;s: now have we found it &s;o, that we have been apt to take offence at any thing, at every thing in others almo&s;t? and now we can bear; it argues we &s;ee more clearly the grounds of &s;uch actions; but thus much for this.</P>
<P>Secondly, Another part of this growth upward, I place in the will, which is indeed the main, the commanding faculty of the &s;oul, and indeed wherein the main of faith doth lie, and of other graces, as of tender-heartedne&s;s, and the like: do&s;t thou find then that heretofore thy will was more un&s;ettled and wavering, being as I may &s;ay, halting between two, thou wa&s;t not able to come up &s;o fully, to &s;uch a re&s;olution for God and for Chri&s;t, as to trample all under-foot for them; thou would&s;t have them, but
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either had&s;t &s;ome re&s;ervation, in &s;uch a ca&s;e thou would&s;t be &s;a|ved; now thy re&s;olution breaks through all what&s;oever, this is growth indeed.</P>
<P>A man of a weak re&s;olution for Chri&s;t, alas if a temptation come, to deny him the allurements of the world, he for&s;akes him with <HI>Demas,</HI> and imbraceth the pre&s;ent world, or the frowns of the world, <HI>he draweth ba<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">k to perdition;</HI> or el&s;e is foiled with <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 4. 10.</NOTE> <HI>Peter,</HI> or at lea&s;t much abated in his zeal, groweth to a more in|differency <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. Col. 6. 12. Gal. 2. 12.</NOTE> of Spirit, would joyn Chri&s;t and <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> together with the temporizing Jews, to keep them&s;elves from being per&s;ecuted; and as <HI>Peter</HI> him&s;elf afterward, alas his re&s;olution was not yet &s;o &s;trong as afterward for fear of the Jews, he did forbear to walk with the Gentiles as before he had done, and &s;o was an offence to them. Ah dear friends, it may be &s;ome of us can tell the time when for fear of men we have &s;adly mi&s;carried, is it better with us now? have we now more courage? have we for fear of &s;hame come to Chri&s;t with <HI>Nicodemus</HI> by night? and now are we not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 7. 50.</NOTE> a&s;hamed of Chri&s;t nor of his Go&s;pel? As the Apo&s;tle, he was not a&s;hamed of it, though it were per&s;ecuted, and though his meanne&s;s of &s;peech were de&s;pi&s;ed, his preaching in a &s;uitable man|ner to the &s;ubject, which is a great part of a Preachers duty, he was not a&s;hamed: Well then, now con&s;ider, doth the Lord give thee &s;uch boldne&s;s, &s;uch courage, &s;uch re&s;olution of heart, as to hold fa&s;t the Word of his patience, the &s;uffering-truth? it may be we may be tryed in this point; if we be not grown we &s;hall mi&s;|carry as heretofore we have done. Alas Brethren, a little touch with a finger, a little bla&s;t will blow a c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">d over and over, but if we be grown, we &s;hall find greater re&s;olutions again&s;t &s;in, to avoid the occa&s;ions of it; do you find, Brethren, O the yielding frame of your hearts to &s;in, to weakne&s;s, every day it is weaker then heretofore, and done away, that now you can peremptorily deny a lu&s;t, deny a temptation? O you may not do this and &s;in again&s;t God! then we are grown in the will indeed: and the more &s;trong we grow in the&s;e re&s;olutions, the more we grow in this re&s;pect; but if we cannot cea&s;e to &s;in, Brethren, we are where we were; it may be we may be &s;ometimes affected a little with our &s;ins upon a fla&s;h or pang, but have no power nor <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2. 14.</NOTE> &s;trength to re&s;i&s;t our wills, our wills are as weak as water to any thing that is good, and again&s;t &s;in; we grow not, Brethren.</P>
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Again, as thus downward and upward, &s;o &s;ee how we grow in fruitfulne&s;s; we have &s;poken at large to that &s;ubject, that we mu&s;t bring forth fruits, or el&s;e we cannot e&s;cape the Axe; now I &s;peak of the mea&s;ure of the growth therein; a young tree of the fir&s;t year, cannot be expected to bear &s;o much, as when better grown; no more a young Chri&s;tian: here I would only mind you of two things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that we bring forth more fruit, that is, that we do more for God then we have done, and for his people, and for our own &s;ouls; it may be thou ha&s;t heretofore, but now and then prayed to God, do&s;t thou now do it more often? it may be three times a day with <HI>Daniel</HI> and <HI>David:</HI> It may be heretofore thou gave&s;t but little to the relief of the poor Saints and others in di&s;tre&s;s; do&s;t thou now give more and more, proportionable to thy e&s;tate, as the Lord hath ble&s;&s;ed thee? for that is the proportion which <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 16. 4.</NOTE> the Apo&s;tle maketh; and &s;o where heretofore thou did&s;t &s;peak but now and then a &s;avory word, now do&s;t thou grow in that? is thy communication much more &s;ea&s;oned and &s;avoury? is it all &s;avoury, tending to mini&s;ter grace to the hearers? heretofore thou had&s;t it may be &s;carce a thought of God in a day; now he is the object of the workings of thy &s;oul, the thoughts of him are plea&s;ant to thee, this is an high condition, it argues thou ha&s;t grown, thou art in a growing condtition; but this is not all, Brethren.</P>
<P>Secondly, Is that more fruit you bring forth, better then it was before? is it more mellow then formerly? or if thou bring forth no more in number, is it more in weight? for God takes not our &s;ervices by number but by weight; and it is a &s;ot|ti&s;hne&s;s of the poor blind Papi&s;ts, to think that God is plea&s;ed with their much &s;peaking, with pattering over &s;o many <HI>Avy Maries</HI> and <HI>Pater No&s;ters,</HI> or principles of the Doctrine of Chri&s;t. I wi&s;h our practi&s;es be not too like theirs; It may be heretofore thou coulde&s;t not enlarge thy &s;elf in prayer, and now thou can&s;t; and thou thinke&s;t thou art much grown, it may be in bulk, but not in goodne&s;s; are thy prayers now more, the breathings of the Spirit of Chri&s;t within thee, and le&s;s of thine own Spirit? O how much &s;trange fire mingled with our &s;acri|fices, and &s;trange incen&s;e, &s;trange zeal, even our own pa&s;&s;ions, in&s;tead of a zeal for God! Now Brethren, is our zeal and fire
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more pure, coming down from heaven, even from the Spirit of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, warming our hearts? Look to this, do we find that we grow more &s;piritual in duties, in prayer, do we act our faith more &s;trongly, wre&s;tle with God in &s;pirit more then in words? children are apt to be taken with bables and pictures, and flowers in the corn, and we w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">th &s;weet and quaint expre&s;&s;ions; but now have we learned to wor&s;hip him more in &s;pirit and in truth; to know that the great work of our duties lie in the frame of our hearts toward God, in prayer, in preaching, in hearing of the Word? It is childi&s;hne&s;s, Brethren, for one never to be well, or to place &s;o much in it to be alway upon the lap and dandled; do we find that now we would rather be made &s;erviceable to him, and do it with more pure hearts, more pure ends, <HI>not for our &s;elves, but for his glory,</HI> we ask not gifts, parts, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 4. 3.</NOTE> grace, to &s;pend it upon our lu&s;ts as heretofore; not <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">or our own peace, that we might take our ends, but that we might be fitter in&s;truments in his hands for his glory, not for our own prai&s;e and honour among men. O look to this, I tell you there is nothing &s;ticks clo&s;er to us then this; now doth this &s;owrne&s;s, crabbidne&s;s of our fruits wear away by degrees; is it better with us in the&s;e re&s;pects then before? this is a &s;ign of growth indeed.</P>
<P>I will add but one more, and that &s;hall be this; Do&s;t thou <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ind that thou growe&s;t by the oppo&s;ition thou meete&s;t with in the work of grace, either from without or from within, or any way what&s;oever?</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I &s;ay, from oppo&s;ition without, grace will grow and gather &s;trength, and this either from men or from the Lood; from men, when they oppo&s;e the way of God wherein we walk, we mu&s;t look to it that we grow &s;o much the &s;tronger, for that is the na|ture of grace, Brethren; as when <HI>Paul</HI> preached the faith which once he had de&s;troyed, and the people were amazed, &s;aith the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 9. 22.</NOTE> Text, and they &s;pake of him as a changling, <HI>is not this he that wa&s;t|ed them that called upon his name in Jeru&s;alem?</HI> but <HI>Saul</HI> waxed &s;o much the &s;tronger, and confounded the Jews that dwelled at <HI>Dama&s;eus,</HI> proving that this was the Chri&s;t. As the fire, they &s;ay, is hotter by <HI>antiperi&s;ta&s;is,</HI> in colde&s;t weather; the Palm-trees they grow like as you heard in the proof, that rai&s;eth it &s;elf up under a weight of oppo&s;ition. Well, look to this Brethren, I do not <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 9 <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> mean an <HI>I&s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">eliti&s;h</HI> &s;pirit, that is again&s;t every one, and every
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mans hand again&s;t it; and that a man &s;hould out of a cro&s;s, crooked di&s;po&s;ition, do any thing, or vex and gall per&s;ons that op|po&s;e them; but grace will then be &s;tirred up as the fire by the wind, that bloweth it this way and that way, it is in vain to blow it out, to offer it, for it increa&s;eth the flame; there is no re&s;i&s;ting that Spirit, whereby the Saints a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ted; look to it, is it thus with us, or do we find that oppo&s;ition from men doth cool us, di&s;|courage us, di&s;hearten us, &s;o that we dare not own the Lord Je|&s;us and his truth and way? Truly, it is to be feared it is not right with us.</P>
<P>Secondly, From the Lord, there is &s;ome oppo&s;ition &s;ometimes, he wre&s;tleth with us; <HI>Jacobs</HI> wre&s;tling with God implyeth &s;ome <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 32.</NOTE> oppo&s;ition of God, as I may &s;ay, he wre&s;tled with him, <HI>let me go,</HI> &s;aith he, this &s;tirreth him up &s;o much the more earne&s;tly to lay hold upon him, when the Lord would take his leave of him; and you &s;ee the poor man in the Go&s;pel, when he was rebuked for crying after Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>he cryed &s;o much the more earne&s;tly;</HI> and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 20. 31.</NOTE> &s;o our Saviour when he was in that great agony, or &s;triving un|der the di&s;plea&s;ure of his Father, &s;aith the Text, <HI>he prayed &s;o much the more earne&s;tly.</HI> So the Lord doth &s;ometimes hang back <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 22. 44.</NOTE> or hide his face, that he might draw out more and more his peo|ples hearts toward him, as a Fi&s;her draweth away his bait to make the fi&s;h follow it the more eagerly. Well, con&s;ider this now, do we thus grow, even by oppo&s;ition? if the Lord &s;ay to us we are dogs, not fit for childrens bread, can we conclude the wor&s;t again&s;t our &s;elves, and yet gather upon him for the crums at the lea&s;t?</P>
<P>But then there is oppo&s;ition from our &s;elves, from within, and that is from the rebelling of our lu&s;ts, they ri&s;e and &s;well, and many times over-bear us, we are foiled; do we grow by this? this may &s;eem &s;omewhat &s;trange, that the acting of &s;in &s;hould tend to the encrea&s;ing of grace, for that we mu&s;t know, that it is not proper; for every act of &s;in properly doth &s;trengthen the habits of &s;in, and the &s;tronger &s;in is in the &s;oul, the weaker grace is like to be; as the more the water cools, the le&s;s heat there is re|maining in it; but it is by accident, as water ca&s;t upon a coal|fire, at pre&s;ent it &s;eemeth to put it out, but afterward it burns &s;o much the hotter and fiercer. So grace takes occa&s;ion hereby to &s;tir up it &s;elf &s;o much the more, to &s;et it &s;elf &s;o much the more
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in oppo&s;ition to it; it maketh a child of God &s;o much the more humble, &s;o much the more watchful and full of prayer, if it be right with them, and neither &s;in nor Satan gets by this at all. So if <HI>Peter</HI> be to&s;t in that &s;ieve of vanity, that temptation, and fall; O how it humbles him; and how afterward it fetcheth him off his own bottom! how valiant he grew for Je&s;us Chri&s;t? And <HI>Hezekiah</HI> his pride in the bu&s;ine&s;s of the King of <HI>Babylon,</HI> how it tended to humble him &s;o much the more; do we find it thus? doth &s;in increa&s;e our grace, increa&s;e even by our falls? do we get ground of them yea or no? if not, it is not well with us. And thus much &s;hall &s;erve for the tryal.</P>
<P>The next <HI>&V;&s;e</HI> then will be for Exhortation to us all. If we find that we have none of this, we grow not at all, we are a com|pany of poor formal profe&s;&s;ors, we are at a &s;tand for proficiency, we know not what it means; I &s;hould advi&s;e all &s;uch, Brethren, to look to their &s;tanding, their being in Chri&s;t; it may be you have been deceived all this while, and except you be in him, ex|cept the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s be ri&s;en upon you, it is in vain to put you on to grow, as to the event, though not as to the di&s;charge of our duty. A rotten root will not carry the branches on to any increa&s;e, they may be at a &s;tand a while, but they will wither and rot, and peri&s;h as well as the root; look to your foundation, Bre|thren, me thinks I &s;hould not need to pre&s;s this upon you, you know for the notion as well as it can be told you, <HI>that except you be in him, you can bring forth no fruit, much le&s;s can you increa&s;e in fruitfulne&s;s.</HI> If you do not &s;hut your eyes, Brethren, &amp; wink with them, as they in the Go&s;pel did, <HI>they &s;topped their eyes le&s;t they &s;hould</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 6. 10. Mat. 13. 15.</NOTE> <HI>&s;ee with them;</HI> the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s is ready to ari&s;e upon you, are you willing to have it &s;o? would you have him to ari&s;e upon you? would you be made one with him? would you be found in him as the root, the head from whence righteou&s;ne&s;s and holine&s;s proceedeth? deceive not your &s;elves, Brethren, Chri&s;t offers him&s;elf to you all, every one that will may come and take him for his head, for his root, and &s;o grow up in him; if thou wert willing, then what is the rea&s;on thou art not in him? well, &s;urely then thou art not willing, (whatever thou pre|tende&s;t) he would gather thee under his wings, as a Hen the Chickens, where they grow apace from the heat they are
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cheri&s;hed with; but ye would not, ye would not; look to this in the fir&s;t place.</P>
<P>Secondly, you that are alive through grace, and have this union with Chri&s;t, and yet it may be find you grow little, or hap|ly can &s;carce &s;ee that you have grown; now will you be exhort|ed in the name of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, in the Apo&s;tles words, <HI>Grow in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3. 18.</NOTE> <HI>grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t; Labour to im|prove, to come on, to be fat and flouri&s;hing, content not your &s;elves to be babes in Chri&s;t, no nor young men, but grow up to be Fathers.</HI> The pro&s;ecution of this U&s;e, the general Exhortation, I &s;hall fir&s;t lay you down &s;ome particulars, wherein among others &s;pecially we are to labour to grow, becau&s;e haply if we re&s;t in generals, each hearer hath not his skill to bring it to particulars. Secondly, the motives to enforce it. And thirdly, &s;ome general helps to growth, and then come to &s;ome other Exhortati|ons.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then for the fir&s;t, wherein &s;pecially we are to look to our growth; and fir&s;t in knowledge: we mu&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ook to it that we grow in the fir&s;t place; as the Apo&s;tle hath it in that forecited place, <HI>Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 3. 18.</NOTE> Knowledge is not here put by way of contradi&s;tinct. from grace, as if it were no grace, but as being that &s;pecial grace which doth &s;o much promote and further the growth of all grace: be&s;ide, the Papi&s;ts tell us, ignorance is the mother of devotion, and that faith is better defined by ignorance then by knowledge, but the Holy-Gho&s;t cals faith knowledge, <HI>by his knowldege &s;hall my righteous &s;er|vant ju&s;tifie many,</HI> that is faith &s;ure; <HI>and this is life eternal, to know thee the only true God;</HI> now do but ob&s;erve it; they boa&s;t them|&s;elves <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 53. Iohn 17. 3.</NOTE> &s;o much of <HI>Peter,</HI> and how little they own him in this point; for &s;aith he, <HI>grow in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord&punc; Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> the knowledge of a crucified Chri&s;t: Now &s;aith the Papi&s;ts, this is the way to errour and &s;chi&s;m, and ignorance is the mother of devotion; ju&s;t as the Jews made their boa&s;t of <HI>Mo|&s;es,</HI> and our Saviour confuteth them by <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> whom they &s;o much boa&s;ted of, <HI>there is one who accu&s;eth you, even</HI> Mo&s;es, <HI>in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 5. 45.</NOTE> <HI>whom you tru&s;t, for if ye had believed</HI> Mo&s;es, <HI>ye had believed me, for he wrote of me.</HI> So there will be one that will accu&s;e them in this point of knowledge, even <HI>Peter,</HI> in whom they tru&s;t. So the Apo&s;tle, <HI>that ye may grow up in him, &s;peaking the truth in love;</HI> the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 15.</NOTE>
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&s;peaking the truth in love, is the way to grow up in Chri&s;t; and &s;o the receiving the truth, and the receiving of it in love; a well-qualified knowledge of Je&s;us Chri&s;t and him crucified; and therefore the Apo&s;tle de&s;ired to know nothing among them but this, <HI>if they knew Chri&s;t and him crucified, this knowledge would</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 2. 2.</NOTE> <HI>produce whatever el&s;e is requi&s;ite for them, not by its own power, but the Spirit of grace carrying it on.</HI> And &s;o the Apo&s;tle to the <HI>Colo&s;&s;ians, increa&s;ing in knowledge, or the acknowledgment of God, and &s;trengthened with all might according to his glorious power, to all</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1. 10, 11.</NOTE> <HI>patience and long-&s;uffering with joy.</HI> So the wi&s;e man him&s;elf tells us, <HI>a wi&s;e man is &s;trong, yea a man of under&s;tanding increa&s;eth</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 24. 5.</NOTE> <HI>&s;trength:</HI> Why, but you will &s;ay, may there not be much know|ledge and yet little grace, and therefore is this too nece&s;&s;ary to grow in knowledge? I an&s;wer, It is true, there may be much knowledge where there is little grace, as in many an hypocrite; <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 8. 7.</NOTE> and many know much, but they know nothing as they ought to know it; but yet however there cannot be grace without know|ledge, a compe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">t con&s;iderable knowledge of Je&s;us Chri&s;t and him crucified; Fuel may be where there is no fire, but the fire will not burn nor continue if there be no fuel; knowledge, is as I may &s;ay, the very oyl, the very fuel wherein the flame of the Spirit liveth in the &s;oul, do but ob&s;erve it, <HI>grace and truth came by Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> grace and truth, therefore grace aboundeth <NOTE PLACE="marg">John 1. 17.</NOTE> now in the time of the Go&s;pel; he came that they might live, and live more abundantly, becau&s;e he came to reveal the truth in a more clear, full manner then before; <HI>when the vail is taken away,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>that was upon the face, then beholding Chri&s;t</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 3. 18.</NOTE> <HI>with open face, we are changed into his image from glory to glory:</HI> and truly there is all the rea&s;on that can be for it, for whereby grace is begotten, by the &s;ame means it mu&s;t needs be pre&s;erved and increa&s;ed: Now it is by the knowledge of the truth that we are begotten to God, therefore the Spirit is promi&s;ed to be &s;ent forth to convince the world of &s;in, and of righteou&s;ne&s;s, and <NOTE PLACE="marg">John 16.</NOTE> of judgement. And &s;o &s;aith the Apo&s;tle <HI>James, he hath begotten us again of his own will by his word of truth,</HI> and therefore by this means grace is kept alive, by our keeping this knowledge; and increa&s;ed by the increa&s;ing of this knowledge; <HI>Sanctifie them</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 8. 32.</NOTE> <HI>with thy truth, thy word is truth,</HI> &s;aith our Saviour, concerning his Di&s;ciples; <HI>ye &s;hall know the truth, and the truth &s;hall make you
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free;</HI> he &s;peaks here of a further progre&s;s, for they were his Di&s;|ciples already, only he promi&s;eth them further freedom and li|berty from &s;in, and this through the knowledge of the truth; how do men that are not right e&s;cape the pollutions of the world, <HI>but through the knowledge of the truth?</HI> as it is in that place, <HI>the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 2. 20.</NOTE> <HI>knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> and how come they to wallow in their vomit again, to return to wallow in the mire, but by impri&s;oning and &s;mothering the truth? the prin|ciples they have received put out the light, and then they may do what they plea&s;e: the truth is, Brethren, all grace is conveyed through the under&s;tanding of men and women, becau&s;e the Lord works upon us as rea&s;onable creatures, and therefore propo&s;eth things to the under&s;tanding, that it may Judge of them, a&s;&s;ent to the truth of them, and judge the goodne&s;s of them, and then pro|pound them to the will to receive them, to clo&s;e with them, <HI>they</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 9. 10.</NOTE> <HI>that know thy name will tru&s;t in thee;</HI> the great rea&s;on wherefore poor &s;inners are &s;trangers from the life of God <HI>is becau&s;e of their ignorance,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>therefore the heathen call not upon</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 18.</NOTE> <HI>God, becau&s;e they know him not;</HI> and therefore &s;o many of us call <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 79. 6.</NOTE> not upon him as we ought, becau&s;e we know him not; either we neglect it, or el&s;e do it in a &s;light &s;lubbering manne<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">t is becau&s;e we know not God, what a God he is, &s;earching the hearts, great and glorious, and jealous: what is the rea&s;on that poor creatures tru&s;t not more perfectly to the grace that is revealed, but becau&s;e the eyes of their under&s;tandings are no more opened to behold the un&s;earchable riches of the grace which is in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which is able to &s;wallow up all their mountainous &s;ins, wa&s;h out their &s;pots, though never &s;o deep; pay their debts, though never <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 1. 18.</NOTE> &s;o deeply charged: if poor &s;inners did but know this, they would tru&s;t more perfectly; what is the rea&s;on we are &s;o familiar with &s;in, and make no more of it? it is becau&s;e we know little or no|thing of it in compari&s;on: Ah poor creatures, <HI>tho&s;e that cruci|fied</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 22. 34.</NOTE> <HI>Chri&s;t knew not what they did, el&s;e they would not have done it;</HI> and poor &s;inners now that &s;tand it out in this their day, and &s;light the offers of grace, alas you know not what you do, el&s;e you would not do it; therefore if you would grow in any grace, all graces, in faith, in love, in any thing el&s;e, you mu&s;t labour to grow in knowledge. O Brethren, if we had but a clear under|&s;tanding of the dimen&s;ions of the love of God, the freene&s;s
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and fulne&s;s of it, that he &s;hould &s;et his love upon &s;uch vile, fil|thy, polluted wretches, &s;uch as had no comline&s;s, but loath&s;om|ne&s;s upon us, and to bring us &s;o near to him&s;elf, to be one with him, to be one Spirit, and live and reign for ever with him as Children, as a Spou&s;e: if the &s;oul did but know this, O how would it love <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Lord Je&s;us again! would men be proud, if they knew this as they ought to know it? O no: therefore look that you grow in this: there were never more wayes and means to come to the knowledge of Chri&s;t, and him cr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">cified, then now, if we be not wanting to our &s;elves &s;hamefully: we cannot conclude ignorance of the&s;e things: this is the way to grow. A man of under&s;tanding increa&s;eth knowledge: learn <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 1. 5.</NOTE> of any body.</P>
<P>Secondly, Labour to grow in faith; the Di&s;ciples were &s;en&s;ible of this defect, therefore they prayed, that he would increa&s;e their faith; Faith hath a wonderful influence upon the &s;oul in re&s;pect of all the Graces of the Spirit; <HI>Be it unto thee even as thou wilt:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 17. 5.</NOTE> <HI>Mat.</HI> 15. 28. &s;a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">h our Saviour to the Woman of <HI>Canaan;</HI> if we were but &s;trong in Faith, if women would have their Wils, this is the way; and if men would have their Wils, this is the way, to labour to be &s;trong in Faith; Faith is that whereby the union and communion with Chri&s;t is maintained; it is that whereby the &s;oul cleaveth to him, and therefore according to the &s;trength or weakne&s;s of that Will, the growth in other re|&s;pects be al&s;o; a &s;trong Faith draweth &s;trongly from him: all the nouri&s;hment is from him, and the &s;uppl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">es of the Spirit whereby it is dige&s;ted, is from him; Now a &s;trong Faith draweth the&s;e from the Lord Je&s;us more abundantly to the &s;oul then a weak Faith: this is that whereby we &s;uck the milk out of the brea&s;ts of con&s;olation, the Promi&s;es; we feed upon Chri&s;t, <HI>Eat his fle&s;h, which is meat indeed, and drink his blood, which is drink indeed,</HI> no nouri&s;hment like to it; we do by Faith partake <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6. 15.</NOTE> of the fatne&s;s of the Olive, and therefore accordingly grow in other Graces; One &s;aith of it, that it is Faith that virtually is all Graces, becau&s;e Faith fetcheth in the &s;upplies of Chri&s;t to enable to all what&s;oever; therefore it is that we are patient in tribulation, becau&s;e we believe; and impatiency, it proceedeth from the want of Faith; he that believeth, maketh not ha&s;te; hence it is that we turn a&s;ide from following the Lord, that
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there is &s;o much unevenne&s;s in our walking; we cannot walk uprightly with God, becau&s;e of the weakne&s;s of Faith; if a man did believe God to be al-&s;ufficient, to have all fulne&s;s of good in him, and a full defence from evil, to be a Son and a &s;hield, would men for a little credit, a little honour to avoid a little trouble in the fle&s;h, turn a&s;ide from followin<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">he Lord? &s;urely they would not. How often doth our Saviour rebuke his Di&s;ciples for the littlene&s;s of their Faith? they had Faith, but it was very little; <HI>How long &s;hall I be with you? how long &s;hall I &s;uffer you?</HI> &s;aith he in one place, where they could not ca&s;t out the Devil: <HI>And will not God take care of you much more then of Sparrows? O ye of little Faith!</HI> had they &s;o much of his pre|&s;ence with them, teaching them, and yet were but of little faith? <NOTE PLACE="marg">Faith may grow obje|ctively, when more is re|vealed.</NOTE> Our Saviour was di&s;plea&s;ed with it, he knew they could never do much to honour him while their Faith was weak: as now in the Go&s;pel, and more difficult ca&s;es, as <HI>Num.</HI> 11. &amp;c.</P>
<P>But may he not much rather take us up for this: the Spirit was not poured out as now he is, and we have more then the bodily pre&s;ence, even the Spirit of Chri&s;t, and great encourage|ment to beg that Spirit, whereby we &s;hould exceedingly grow in this Grace; may he not &s;ay to us, O ye of little Faith, why do ye doubt? why do you walk &s;o pen&s;ively, and hang the head, to the di&s;honour of my Grace? may he not &s;ay, O ye of little Faith, why do you perplex your &s;elves, and rack your &s;elves with cares of the World, what ye &s;hall eat and drink, and how ye &s;hall be prvoided for? doth not your heavenly Father take care of you? O ye of little Faith, why do ye in every per|plexity and trouble, as men at a lo&s;s, run to this creature, and that creature, and not to the Lord wherein your help doth lie? O ye of little Faith, why do you, when means fail, then ca&s;t away your hope, as if there were no help in God? as if be|cau&s;e the &s;treams were dried up, therefore the fountain mu&s;t needs be dry al&s;o; therefore Brethren, labour to grow in this Grace: if ever you would do any eminent &s;ervice for Chri&s;t, or honour him, &s;et the crown on him in any condition, labour to be &s;trong in Faith.</P>
<P>Thirdly, In that Grace of Love, labour to grow therein. Fir&s;t to the Lord him&s;elf, to Je&s;us Chri&s;t: It may be thou do&s;t love him, and according to the mea&s;ure of Faith and Knowledge
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of him, the &s;oul will love him u&s;ually, but we mu&s;t labour to love him much more; love, we take it kindly if it be from the meane&s;t per&s;on, and &s;o doth the Lord Je&s;us. <HI>O love the Lord ye</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 31. 32.</NOTE> <HI>his Saints,</HI> you cannot love him too much; do you alway err in his love: the more you love him, the more you may, for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 5. 19.</NOTE> there is no end of his perfections, his love, his mercy, his bowels towards you, there is no &s;earching of them, you may go yet deeper and deeper, and find a ground for the increa&s;e of your love &s;till; you love Relations, Husband, Wife, Children, and more for relation, then for any excellency in them: many times fond we are: O that we could be &s;o fond of Je&s;us Chri&s;t! how &s;ick of love was <HI>Rachel,</HI> yea &s;ick to the death for children? and &s;o is many a fond mother; O we cannot live without <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 30. 1.</NOTE> them: Ah how few are thus &s;ick of love to Je&s;us Chri&s;t! well, lobour to love him, and to this end.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Labour to pre&s;ent the Lord and Je&s;us Chri&s;tas mo&s;t lovely to thee; while thou entertaine&s;t hard thoughts of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, thou can&s;t not love him; if thou thinke&s;t thus with thy &s;elf, I would fain have him, but he is not willing to have me; if thou look upon him as rigorous and cruel, and one that delights in your blood, it is impo&s;&s;ible that you &s;hould love him: O no, labour to pre&s;ent him to your &s;elves, as one who&s;e bowels are continually yearning over poor &s;ouls, poor &s;inners, one full of compa&s;&s;ions, full of mercy and tenderne&s;s: he de&s;ires not the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 5. 16.</NOTE> death of a &s;inner; the Lord Je&s;us Brethren, is altogether lovely; it is true for his holine&s;s, his purity, as well as his grace and mercy: but this is that which mo&s;t moveth to love, at lea&s;t while we are under weakne&s;s, it is an high pitch to love him for the beauty of Holine&s;s that is in him. Think often then &s;eriou&s;ly upon it, what dear thoughts the Lord Je&s;us had to poor &s;inners; that rather then they &s;hould peri&s;h, he would interpo&s;e between them and the everla&s;ting burnings, though be were &s;orely &s;corched for it; O will not this draw love! look upon him with his precious blood trickling down, and one drop overtaking another; O what ha&s;te did love make! O how lavi&s;h was his love! he would not &s;pare any pains, any travel of &s;oul, that &s;inners might live; and can you but love him then? O what an heart mu&s;t that creature have, that can look upon the Lord Je&s;us wre&s;tling with &s;tronge&s;t wrath of his
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Father, &s;o that he needed the Mini&s;try of Angels at that time, and yet not love him? try, &s;ee whether &s;uch con&s;iderations as the&s;e will not heighten your love to him? we complain of want of love; Brethren, we cannot love a thing we know not, or that we con&s;ider not: &s;ee then if you do not find &s;till &s;ome new beauty in him, for which you &s;hould love him yet the more.</P>
<P>Secondly, Let it be much upon your hearts, how much he hath forgiven thee. Alas &s;aith the poor &s;oul, if I knew that, that my &s;ins were forgiven, I &s;hould love him indeed abundant|ly: It may be thou ha&s;t not a full per&s;wa&s;ion of it; but ha&s;t thou not a good hope through Grace? and &s;uch a lively hope, as &s;etteth a working out the &s;cum, the pollution of thy heart more and more? Is not this cau&s;e of great love to him? why, he hath not left thee to &s;ink in de&s;pair, and peri&s;h: O how <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 7. 47.</NOTE> much did that &s;inner love him! <HI>becau&s;e he had forgiven her much, therefore &s;he loved much.</HI> Dear friends, could this be, think you, without her heart dwelt upon this con&s;ideration? it was fre&s;h upon her &s;pirit: O the more &s;he con&s;idered it, the more appa|rent were the riches of Grace towards her: O &s;o many Devils ca&s;t out of me! would the Lord Je&s;us have &s;uch precious thoughts toward &s;uch a wretch as I? what, an Harlot, a filthy, unclean wretch, and would he think upon me? and pitch his love upon me? and pa&s;s by many others that had it may be but one devil, and make love to me that had &s;even? O &s;he could not hold; her bowels within her were ready to break; &s;he mu&s;t love him, &s;he mu&s;t hang upon him, even upon his feet; &s;he mu&s;t wa&s;h him with her tears, and wipe them with the hairs of her head; though before as harlots u&s;e to do, &s;he had been much in tricking and trimming her head, yet now they &s;hall be di&s;hrifled, and now they &s;hall be a Towel to wipe the feet of Je&s;us Chri&s;t: O here is love! ki&s;s his feet, if &s;he may not ki&s;s his lips, and ble&s;&s;ed &s;oul that had &s;uch an heart given her! Now Brethren, con&s;ider this, have not &s;ome of us had &s;even devils, have there not been &s;even abominations in our hearts? O it may be, we have been <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6. 9, 10.</NOTE> fornicators, adulterers, filthy unclean wretches, as vile wretches as ever breathed; now con&s;ider this often, is it &s;o indeed? hath the Lord looked upon &s;uch as we have been, pitched his love upon the vile&s;t of us, and to make us &s;o nigh to him&s;elf, and &s;hall
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we not love him? O where are &s;uch workings of love towards the Lord Je&s;us, as that poor woman manife&s;ted! our hearts are dead and dry: So the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul, His love of Chri&s;t con|&s;trained him;</HI> O he was the chief of Sinners, and the Lord did <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim 1. 13, 15.</NOTE> &s;o eminently &s;ave him, and call him out of darkne&s;s, when he was in the very height of his wickedne&s;s, that then mercy &s;hould <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eet with him! that then a pardon &s;hould de&s;cend from hea|ven, when he was fighting and rebelling again&s;t heaven! and he &s;hould be conquered by the love of Chri&s;t, who&s;e heart was full of blood again&s;t him! O this lying upon his &s;pirit, did in|dear his &s;oul to Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Ah dear Friends, I be&s;eech you con&s;ider this; &s;ome of us &s;ure, that hear this, this day, our hearts do tell us, we have been the chief of &s;inners, never viler then we: and hath the Lord met with us? not as an enemy, but poured out upon us &s;uch a &s;tream of love, as we could no longer with&s;tand it? and yet do we not love him accordingly? O la|bour to grow in love to Je&s;us Chri&s;t!</P>
<P>Thirdly, Mind the particular experiences thou ha&s;t had of his love and tenderne&s;s to thee. So the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>I love the Lord,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 1 16. 1.</NOTE> <HI>becau&s;e he hath heard my voice;</HI> when he was in di&s;tre&s;s, then he cryed to the Lord, and he heard him, therefore he would love him; how many deliverances hath the Lord wrought particularly for us? &s;pecially he hath kept us from &s;inning &s;uch a time, and &s;uch a time, &s;o that thou did&s;t not go on to the wounding of thy con&s;cience, the di&s;honour of his name, and wilt thou not therefore love him? O dear friends, how often hath he &s;haken the rod over thee, and yet hath &s;pared, and can&s;t thou not love him? yea, though a child thinks the rod cannot &s;tand with love, yet when he cometh to lay away childi&s;h thoughts, and to under&s;tand as a man, he loveth his father &s;o much the more, that he hath cha&s;tened him, and not &s;uffered him to take the way of his own heart; &s;o &s;hould it be in this ca&s;e. But con&s;ider, how many &s;weet experiences ha&s;t thou had of his love? which it may be many a poor creature would have given a world for one of them; many a ki&s;s of his lips: thou &s;carce ever appeare&s;t before him, but thou ha&s;t a &s;mile from him, &s;ome refre&s;hing, &s;ome melting; doth not this indear thy heart? con&s;ider the&s;e things; there is many a poor child of God, that &s;carce ever findeth &s;uch &s;en&s;ible refre&s;hings,
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and yet hang upon him, and loveth him; and O it is pure love indeed, when we hang upon him, though he frown upon us, though he &s;eem to &s;hake us off, not to heed us nor regard us; yet our &s;ouls it may be are &s;ick of love for him, we mu&s;t follow him &s;till. But thou that ha&s;t &s;uch fore-draughts of his love &s;ome|times, yea many times, O the remembrance of the&s;e me thinks &s;hould much increa&s;e love to him. Now this is of very great moment, for it will make us more abundant in the work of the Lord, and with much more ea&s;e it will come off: <HI>Paul</HI> laboured <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5.</NOTE> more abundantly then they all, and it was nothing to him, O he loved much; and &s;o it will be with us if we could get our hearts to it. What was it think you, that carried our Saviour &s;o chearfully through all his travels, and griefs, and &s;lightings of men? O it was his love, nothing is hard to love, therefore labour to be like-minded, to grow in love to the Lord Je&s;us.</P>
<P>But &s;econdly, <HI>To grow in love one towards another,</HI> this is mat|ter of rejoycing to the &s;aithful over-&s;eers of the Church of <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. The&s;. 1. 3.</NOTE> Chri&s;t, <HI>we are bound to thank God alway for you Brethren, as it is meet, becau&s;e that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity, or love of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth.</HI> So again, as touching brotherly love, <HI>you have no need that I write unto you, for ye are taught of God to love one another, and ye do the &s;ame thing to all the Brethren which are in all</HI> Ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">edonia, <HI>but we be|&s;eech you Brethren to abound more and more;</HI> you have it in that place of the Apo&s;tle to the <HI>Corinthians, that to be full of contenti|on</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 3.</NOTE> <HI>and dividing zeal, is a &s;ign, not of growth, but childi&s;hne&s;s. I am of</HI> Paul, <HI>and I am of</HI> Apollo, <HI>and I am of</HI> Cephas, <HI>and I am of</HI> Chri&s;t; <HI>are you not carnal?</HI> that is to &s;ay, I could not write to you as &s;piritual, as grown men, but as carnal, as unto babes in Chri&s;t, &s;uch in whom the fle&s;h did much prevail; &s;urely Brethren, the way of love is the edifying-way, and therefore the body is &s;aid to edifie it &s;elf in love; knowledge puffeth up, and from that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 16.</NOTE> pride cometh contention, as the wi&s;e man &s;peaks; but love edi|fies. O how would the Church grow, and the Saints grow, if all the heat, and zeal, and pains which is laid out in maintaining breaches, factions, &s;eparations one from another, did all run in one &s;tream to build up one another in our mo&s;t holy faith, to make that our bu&s;ine&s;s? It is &s;weet when the members have that care one of another, that out of a pure &s;pirit of love to con&s;ider <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Cor. 12. 25.</NOTE>
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one another, to provoke to love and to good works: Now if there be rents and &s;chi&s;ms in the body, there will not be that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">are one of another, and therefore no marvel if the Apo&s;tle note &s;uch, <HI>nigro carbone, mark them that cau&s;ed divi&s;ions contrary to the Do|ctrine</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 16. 17.</NOTE> <HI>that you have received, and avoid them, &s;et a cro&s;s upon their doors, have no fellow&s;hip with them.</HI> You know in the body, if there be a breach, a di&s;membering of the body, or &s;ome members out of joint, or fearful wounds, there is a grief of the &s;pirit, and the growth is hindered: So it is in this ca&s;e, when the Churches walked together with &s;inglene&s;s of heart, then were they mul|tiplyed, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 2. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">6, 47. Eph. 4. 30, 31.</NOTE> then they pro&s;pered and increa&s;ed indeed; the Holy-Gho&s;t is grieved with bitterne&s;s, and wrath, and anger: when the Sea was divided for <HI>I&s;rael</HI> to pa&s;s through, it was weakened, but when the waters were united again, they are &s;aid to return to their &s;trength; &s;o when the waters run in one Channel, which is love, O how &s;trong is the Church of Chri&s;t! it groweth mightily then, then the <HI>Egyptians,</HI> the enemies of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> are drowned in it; but &s;o many fractions, &s;o many &s;treams, it being divided into each of them, is ea&s;ily pa&s;&s;able by the enemies: the Lord give a Spirit of love. O if there were but more love in Mini&s;ters to people, how would they do more then they do? or at lea&s;t, in another manner then they do. And &s;o in people, if they would be more earne&s;t for their Mini&s;ters then they are; therefore if we would grow indeed, <HI>labour to grow in love to all the Saints, wherever indeed the image of Chri&s;t is, and to love them with a pure heart, unfeignedly,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith.</P>
<P>Fourthly, <HI>To grow in humility, to grow downward, to be willing to decrea&s;e, &s;o the Lord Je&s;us may increa&s;e.</HI> Ah Brethren, if we <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 3. 30.</NOTE> were put to it, it may be we &s;hould find it very hard to be laid a&s;ide (as I may &s;ay) as <HI>David</HI> was to the building of the Temple, becau&s;e he was &s;uch a man of blood; or as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> was for his unbelief at the waters of &s;trife. O the daily working this upon our hearts, what we were, and what we are, through grace in Je&s;us Chri&s;t; what infinite riches of grace is manife&s;ted to the vile&s;t of &s;inners; this will make us lie low before him; but enough of this before.</P>
<P>Fifthly, <HI>In mercy, in bowels and compa&s;&s;ions to per&s;ons in nece&s;|&s;ity and di&s;tre&s;s; O be ye merciful as your heavenly Father is merci|ful,</HI> take him for o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> pattern, and there will be continual room for <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 6. 36.</NOTE>
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growth and increa&s;e. So the Apo&s;tle exhorts the <HI>Corinthians, that as they abounded in other graces, &s;o they would labour to abound</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 8. 7.</NOTE> <HI>in this al&s;o.</HI> Ah where are bowels, Brethren, towards one ano|thers &s;ouls? with what tenderne&s;s did the Apo&s;tle &s;tand over the &s;ouls of tho&s;e poor people, warning them day and night with tears? And our Saviour over <HI>Jeru&s;alem; now I tell you again weeping,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle. O that God would give &s;uch a heart to us, and &s;uch a heart to his people! indeed there is little ten|derne&s;s and bowels one towards another, little pittying one ano|ther while under temptation; we can rather rai&s;e our hearts one again&s;t another, &s;tomack one another, entertain prejudice one <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 6. 1.</NOTE> again&s;t another upon this account; but a &s;pirit of meekne&s;s, and love, and tenderne&s;s, in re&s;toring, &s;etting one another in joint, if we be faln, is not found among us, or very little: O labour to grow here, and then to abound in works of mercy, to give, and give much, liberally, and do it with a tender heart, an upright heart, out of obedience to God, not for o&s;tentation.</P>
<P>But fifthly, <HI>Labour to grow in &s;oftne&s;s of heart,</HI> to &s;ee the &s;tone wa&s;ting day by day. I do not mean by &s;oftne&s;s of heart, only an aptne&s;s to melt into tears, for many an one may have a &s;oft heart, that cannot weep at all, though mo&s;t di&s;po&s;itions are apt to it: and where it is, it is a &s;weet expre&s;&s;ion of the heart towards Chri&s;t often-times; though I mu&s;t tell you, there may be much of this, and yet much hardne&s;s of heart; many tears &s;hed, and it may be upon the con&s;ideration of &s;in, and yet the heart hard to this day; the &s;oftne&s;s of the heart, Brethren, lies mo&s;t what in the plyablene&s;s and yielding of the &s;pirit to God, <HI>when we are ready to do all the will of God;</HI> as <HI>David, I have found</HI> David <HI>my</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 13. 22.</NOTE> <HI>&s;ervant, one that will do all my will;</HI> that is ready to &s;ay, <HI>&s;peak Lord for thy &s;ervant heareth, Lord what would&s;t thou have me to do?</HI> Now alas, there is many a wretched heart, that it may be under a pa&s;&s;ion, weeping at the apprehen&s;ion of &s;in, and yet go away and return to it again and again; the heart is not plyable, but &s;tubborn: wherein did lie the hardne&s;s of <HI>Pharaohs</HI> heart? it lay in this, that he would not harken to the Lord, nor let <HI>I&s;rael</HI> go, though he had had &s;o many judgements, and &s;o many delive|rances, yet all would not &s;often his heart; no, the iron &s;inews in his &s;tiff neck, they remained &s;uch &s;till, though &s;ometimes he &s;eemed to relent, yet alas, no &s;ooner the hand was off, but the heart was
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more hard then before, he &s;trouted it out, and would not yield to let <HI>I&s;rael</HI> go. So when the Lord heapeth mercy upon mercy to melt out the &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">one in the heart, to make it like wax to the fire, to the mould, to be put into a fa&s;hion, and it may be &s;ometimes it draweth a few tears from the eyes, but the heart is never the more plyable to God. And &s;o he cometh with rod upon rod, blow after blow, and yet doth it gently, and all to foften and make the poor creature more plyable to him; it affecteth a little &s;ometimes, but is not the heart as &s;tubborn, as unteachable, as far from yielding to God in all things as before? O this is the &s;oftne&s;s; as a piece of joyners work, it is all glued together, one part to another. Now then it is di&s;&s;olved and broken, when the glue, the &s;oder is melt|ed, and one piece falls from another; &s;o it is here, our hearts and their &s;inful objects are glued together by carnal affections; now then the heart is &s;aid to be broken to a &s;oftne&s;s, when the&s;e affe|ctions are di&s;&s;olved, when our hearts and our objects of &s;in fall a&s;under each from the other; labour to grow herein, Bre|thren.</P>
<P>Sixthly, <HI>To be more &s;piritual in holy duties, more inward in our Communion with God;</HI> you have heard this &s;poken to in the try|all. O labour then to grow in &s;piritualne&s;s, in prayer, to pray with more faith, with more fervency, with more purity of heart, not to ask any thing to &s;pend it upon our lu&s;ts. In meditation to keep clo&s;er to it without di&s;traction, and &s;o to read, to hear, to do all the&s;e duties in a better manner: but enough of this al|ready.</P>
<P>Seventhly, <HI>In your holy walking with God, and with your &s;elves;</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>we be &s;eech you Brethren, by the Lord Je&s;us, that as you have received of us how ye ought to walk and plea&s;e</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;. 4. 1.</NOTE> <HI>God, &s;o you abound more and more;</HI> when a man walks with God alvvay, &s;etteth the Lord as before his face, as the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI> &s;peaks, then he vvill be able to vvalk plea&s;ingly to him, vvhen by faith he &s;eeth him that is invi&s;ible, that is to &s;ay, God to be pre|&s;ent vvith him, and knovveth him, to ponder his vvaies; O hovv eareful &s;hall vve be then of our thoughts, as vvell as of our vvords and actions! and this vve do by faith, believing his pre|&s;ence vvith us, and his all-&s;eeing eye to be upon us &s;till, upon our hearts, and all their vvorkings; according to the prevailing of the&s;e per&s;vva&s;ions, and the con&s;tancy of them upon our &s;pirits,
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vvill our vvaies be ordered: &s;uch a man vvill not dare to har|bour vain thoughts in his heart, though they vvill rudely ru&s;h in, as a ruffian may rudely offer violence to a cha&s;t Matron, &s;he vvill not endure it; &s;o it is here, O no, I dare not: as <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> you &s;ee; and then vvalking vvith our &s;elves by more and more re|&s;tection upon our &s;elves, upon our actions, our waies: the very truth is, the want of this is the great cau&s;e we grow &s;o little, or if we do, that we can take &s;o little comfort in it; herein lies the excellency and glory of a man above a bea&s;t, that he can recoyl upon his own actions, therefore labour to improve this. O be more in it, reproving your &s;elves when you find you have done ami&s;s, whip tho&s;e vain thoughts which pa&s;s through your &s;ouls, and give them their Pa&s;s; exhort your &s;elves, &s;tir up your &s;elves, comfort and chear your &s;elves in your God, which you cannot do, except you be much in this part of an holy walk|ing, even reflecting upon your &s;elves and your own &s;tate.</P>
<P>Eighthly and la&s;tly, that I &s;hall &s;peak to, &s;hall be this, <HI>To la|bour to grow more and more in that a&s;&s;urance of your relative grace;</HI> your adoption, the growth and other grace, its true is a great help unto it, but labour to improve it to that end: how chearful|ly might many a poor &s;oul walk, if they did but know the things which are freely given them of God? O beg the Spirit to be a witne&s;&s;ing, a &s;ealing-&s;pirit to you more and more. And do the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">b. 6. 11.</NOTE> &s;ame diligence, &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, to the full a&s;&s;urance of hope unto the end; we do content our &s;elves with a hope-well, which we ought not to do; we &s;hould &s;trive to this of <HI>Thomas,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 20. 28. Can. 2. 16.</NOTE> <HI>My Lord, my God; my beloved is mine and I am his;</HI> can&s;t thou &s;ay &s;o upon good grounds? thou may&s;t be a ju&s;tified and a &s;anctified per&s;on, which is done by the direct act of faith, which is acted upon the Word of Promi&s;e, and Chri&s;t in that Promi&s;e, which the poor &s;oul doth clo&s;e with, taking Chri&s;t <HI>for better for wor&s;e;</HI> but now this is by the reflect act of faith, and is grounded upon experience of our own condition ordinarily. I &s;ee, I feel, that I do believe, that I have cho&s;en the Lord Je&s;us for my por|tion, and therefore he is mine and I am his; I have many &s;ealings of his love to me, many ki&s;&s;es of his lips, it is given to me to believe, to be upright with him, I can approve my &s;oul to him as <HI>Peter, Lord thou knowe&s;t all things, thou knowe&s;t that I love thee;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 21. 17.</NOTE>
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thus the &s;oul by laying up tho&s;e experiences that it hath of God and laying them together, doth from all come (through grace) to be able to conclude, that the Lord Je&s;us is his, to a full a&s;&s;u|rance of hope and faith; and what an heaven upon earth is this? Well, labour after it, though your conditions may be &s;afe with|out it, yet not &s;o comfortable to your &s;elves, nor &s;o honourable to him, nor &s;o profitable likely to others, all which con&s;iderations, if well weighed and improved, I pre&s;ume are motives enough to it.</P>
<P>You have the fir&s;t thing in this general Exhortation, and that is, wherein we are to labour, to grow and increa&s;e. Now for the Motives in a few particulars; and truly the fir&s;t &s;hall be that in the very Text, we mu&s;t labour for it, becau&s;e he hath promi&s;ed it; therefore we mu&s;t pray for it, and u&s;e all other means, for prayer is one, as afterward we &s;hall &s;peak; God had promi&s;ed he would bring <HI>I&s;rael</HI> into <HI>Canaan,</HI> but they mu&s;t fight for it fir&s;t, to di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;s the <HI>Canaanites:</HI> and &s;o he promi&s;eth health and &s;trength to his people as choice mercies, but they mu&s;t eat, and drink, and u&s;e Phy&s;ick as often as occa&s;ion &s;erveth; and it is an encouragement &s;o to do, becau&s;e God hath promi&s;ed us tho&s;e things &s;o far as good for us, therefore u&s;e the means; he promi&s;eth fruitfulne&s;s to the earth; what, &s;hall the plough-man therefore ca&s;t the plough in the hedge and never &s;trike &s;troak? it is true, if God bid them &s;tand &s;till, and only &s;ee the &s;alvation of God, it is &s;omewhat, el&s;e they mu&s;t work, and &s;erve provi|dence in the u&s;e of means; &s;o here it is promi&s;ed, <HI>O,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>work out your &s;alvation with fear and trembling, for it is</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 2. 12.</NOTE> <HI>he that worketh:</HI> Labour to be more &s;piritual in prayer, to grow therein, for it is his Spirit that beareth the heavier end of the burthen, he helpeth our infirmities; let this be an encourage|ment <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8. 26.</NOTE> to &s;tir up our &s;ouls to it, becau&s;e it is promi&s;ed; think not Brethren, it is enough to &s;it &s;till, and wait when this will fall in|to your mouths, or that an idle complaining will do it; no, no, you mu&s;t be up and doing, and labouring to u&s;e the means, and the more, becau&s;e he hath promi&s;ed.</P>
<P>Secondly, Every man would grow and come on in other things, therefore we &s;hould much more labour to grow in the be&s;t things; you would your &s;elves, and have your children come on and thrive in body, you think their meat is not well be|&s;towed,
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(as we u&s;e to &s;ay) if they &s;hould not pro&s;per at all, but &s;hould devour, like <HI>Pharaohs</HI> lean kine, and be never the fatter; you would grow in your names, and in your e&s;tates, and every man would be adding bag to bag, hou&s;e to hou&s;e, land to land, and here they never think they are come to a full growth. O that the Lord would but make you half &s;o dilgent in taking half the pains to grow in grace, as they do that grow in the world, how &s;hould we pro&s;per? It is ob&s;ervable, that the Apo&s;tle &s;aith of <HI>Gaius</HI> that good man, <HI>he wi&s;heth he may pro&s;per,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">3 Iohn 2.</NOTE> <HI>even as his &s;oul pro&s;pereth;</HI> it &s;eemeth the good man, his inward man was renewed, though haply his e&s;tate or his body might wax old and decay, yet his &s;oul pro&s;pered, and he maketh that a pattern of the pro&s;perity of his outward man; may we not &s;ay on the other hand, O that your &s;ouls did pro&s;per, even as your bodies pro&s;per? You are fat and flouri&s;hing, and feed your &s;elves <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iude 12.</NOTE> without fear, much pampering of the fle&s;h, but the poor &s;oul, O how lean, and thin, and <HI>con&s;ump&s;it</HI> it is? what fat pur&s;es, and lean &s;ouls? Brethren, whatever you profe&s;s while it is thus, I mu&s;t tell you there is much prepo&s;terou&s;ne&s;s in your endeavours, that all this ado &s;hould be made for a lump of clay, and the &s;oul, the precious &s;oul, the price of the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t neglected; men can ri&s;e at midnight, and with end<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> to follow their bu&s;ine&s;s, &s;et it forward, if need &s;o require, and other occa&s;ions, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> O if we could be per&s;waded to u&s;e but the like diligence for the &s;oul upon the like occa&s;ion.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Con&s;ider, if you grow not, you decline; either you increa&s;e or decrea&s;e, either you ebb or flow, wax or wain, for it is like a man that rows again&s;t the &s;tream, if he go not forward, he is carried backward. So it is here, we have a &s;tream of lu&s;ts to row again&s;t, and if we go not forward, be &s;ure we go backward, and therefore if you ob&s;erve it, the Apo&s;tle doth threaten the <HI>Hebrews</HI> upon this account (becau&s;e they went not forward) <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 6. 4.</NOTE> with Apo&s;tacy, they were in danger of falling away quite from God that go not forward, therefore con&s;ider this &s;eriou&s;ly, and &s;urely it will put us on to look to our growth; there is not an Or|dinance wherein we appear before the Lord, but either we &s;often or harden, we get &s;omething or lo&s;e &s;omething by it, it re|turneth not in vain, not the Word, nor any other appointment of his.</P>
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Fourthly, Another &s;hall be this, we cannot el&s;e with&s;tand enemies, bear cro&s;&s;es; alas, a child is over-born by a touch, he cannot with&s;tand a potent enemy, therefore we mu&s;t labour to be &s;trong men, <HI>whom re&s;i&s;t,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>&s;tedfa&s;t in the faith;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 5. 9.</NOTE> there is no &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;s but by faith, nor any re&s;i&s;ting but by this &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;s; if we give ground, the Devil will pur&s;ue the victo|ry, if we turn our backs upon him; now we cannot keep our ground except there be &s;ome &s;trength. Its true, every child of God is born with his armour on him, as is fabled of the race of tho&s;e Giants; &s;o the Saints have their brea&s;t-plate of faith to keep the heart, and the &s;hield to pre&s;erve the body, but as they grow in &s;trength, &s;o are they able to weild their &s;hield, yea it groweth &s;tronger and more able to bear off a blow. Alas, our Saviour &s;aw his Di&s;ciples were not able to bear a temptation at that time, <HI>John</HI> 18. 8. therefore, let them go, &s;aith he, to them that &s;ought for him, if ye &s;eek me; let the&s;e go; as yet they were not grown to that &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;s; but now, what if the Lord &s;hould for holy ends give Satan liberty to &s;ift thee to the very bran, and thy faith be weak? O what &s;ad work will there be then in thy &s;oul? therefore our Saviour prayed, that <HI>Peters</HI> faith &s;hould not fail him; but yet you &s;ee how near it was, and what it co&s;t him; and &s;o except we be grown in wi&s;dom and un|der&s;tanding, we &s;hall be ignorant of his devices; and he will take us alive at his plea&s;ure, becau&s;e we know not where he will have us, nor what his methods of deceiving are, that there we might watch. And &s;o for cro&s;&s;es, it is not a child can bear the cro&s;s, &s;pecially if great; &s;ome little affliction they may bear, as you &s;ee our Saviour did train up his Di&s;ciples to it by degrees: at fir&s;t only they threatned them, and charged them not to preach <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 4. u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">.</NOTE> in that name of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; then afterwards, when by that expe|rience of the power of God with them, they were &s;omewhat grown, then they were &s;courged and impri&s;oned, and as &s;trength grew, &s;o afflictions grew: we are not able to &s;uffer much for Chri&s;t: while our faith is weak, our love is &s;mall, our patience in|con&s;iderable, therefore we mu&s;t labour to grow in every grace of the Spirit.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Becau&s;e the &s;tronger our graces are, the more di&s;|cernable they will be; this was hinted before in the arguments of the point, and this will put an end to many &s;ad complaints
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that a child of God maketh concerning him&s;elf, when his grace becometh more vi&s;ible, not only to others, but to him&s;elf, by rea&s;on of the greatne&s;s of it, and the Spirit of God &s;hining up|on it to di&s;cover it. O how comfortable may &s;uch an one walk!</P>
<P>Sixthly, Con&s;ider the end of all the Mini&s;try and Ordinances God hath given, it is for our growth, as in that place, <HI>therefore he gave &s;ome Apo&s;tles, &s;ome Evangeli&s;ts, &s;ame Pa&s;tors, for the edi|fying</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 12.</NOTE> <HI>of the body of Chri&s;t;</HI> now, hath the Lord been at all this pains, ri&s;ing up early, and &s;ending me&s;&s;engers upon me&s;&s;engers, one after another, and pouring out the gifts of the Spirit, to be|fit them for that work, and all to build us up, and yet we are chil|dren and dwarfs? What a &s;hame is this to us, and what a grief is this to God? and is not this the way to make him repent of the good he hath done unto us, and to withdraw them?</P>
<P>Seventhly, A very hypocrite, Brethren, may grow in &s;ome things, and therefore we had need look to it, to go beyond them in our growth; an hypocrite may grow in parts and gifts, may learn to pray and preach mo&s;t plau&s;ibly; may make long prayers, with tho&s;e hypocrites, though they grow not inwardly at all, therefore take heed of &s;ticking here: or becau&s;e thou growe&s;t more civilly, e&s;cape&s;t the pollutions of the world, and yet alas, art the &s;ame in di&s;po&s;ition, a &s;wine in nature; yea, there may be a growing in a&s;&s;ent to the truth, &s;uch a &s;aith as the Devils have, which maketh them tremble, and &s;ome kind of affection too, as <HI>Herod</HI> had; but by how much we &s;ee there is danger of being deceived, by &s;o much the more narrowly we had need to look to it, that we grow there, where there is no deceit; grow in the &s;piritualne&s;s of &s;ervice and duty, in that of &s;elf-denyal, humility, and &s;aving-faith, and love.</P>
<P>Eighthly, Wicked men grow wor&s;e and wor&s;e, and why &s;hould not we grow better and better? Shall Satans Kingdom &s;o increa&s;e and grow &s;trong, and &s;hall not the Kingdom of Je&s;us Chri&s;t grow &s;tronger al&s;o? how much the more need had we to &s;tir up our &s;elves in this re&s;pect, con&s;idering how many grow wor&s;e and wor&s;e?</P>
<P>Ninthly, The &s;tronger we grow in the habits of grace, the more ea&s;ie will our acting of grace be to us; we come off &s;o hard with a duty, as with prayer, or the like; what is the rea|&s;on?
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but becau&s;e we are &s;o weak in the Grace of prayer, &s;o un|acquainted with it: O how a man delights to do the things which he is befitted for, and habituated to! O how quickly are &s;ome mens &s;pirits up in duty, like tinder to the fire of the Spirit; or like the &s;pirits of wine or oyl, quickly fired: there|fore God would have the fat offered up, it would quickly take fire; and when our &s;ervices come off with delight and cheer|fulne&s;s, then the Lord is plea&s;ed with it; &s;o you &s;ee, <HI>They re|joyced they were counted worthy to &s;uffer for the Name of Chri&s;t;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 5. 41.</NOTE> and yet a little before, were &s;o weak, that they all for&s;ook him; what a difference is here? and &s;o they rejoiced that God had given them &s;uch a willing heart to lay out them&s;elves upon the Temple, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Chron. 29.</NOTE> to build an Hou&s;e to the Name of God; when a mans love and mercy is weak, what he giveth, it cometh hardly from him, like drops of blood (as we &s;ay) but afterward he can freely, willing|ly emptie his pur&s;e for Chri&s;ts &s;ake; this is one way Brethren, to make the Commands of God not &s;o grievous to us, as they &s;eem to be, until we be thus grown.</P>
<P>Again, We mu&s;t grow to our pitch, before we can enter in|to the kingdom: <HI>Mat.</HI> 18. 3, &amp;c. Therefore upon all the&s;e con&s;iderations, let us be exhorted to make it our bu&s;ine&s;s to improve, to grow, to wax &s;tronger and &s;tronger day by day; But thus much for the Motives.</P>
<P>For Helps, that will be the next enquiry what we &s;hould do to grow in Grace; &s;ince it is &s;o nece&s;&s;ary a work lying upon us all? And I might &s;peak di&s;tinctly, Fir&s;t, To the Grace which is inherent in us, wherein our holine&s;s con&s;i&s;teth; and Secondly, That wherein our comfort con&s;i&s;teth, even the know|ledge of our relative &s;tate to God; But the main thing is that holine&s;s, tho&s;e &s;everal Graces of the Spirit, each whereof &s;hining with its own lu&s;tre, and yet by the &s;ymmetry and conjuncti|on with the re&s;t, make up the perfect beauty of Holine&s;s.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then in general, If thou would&s;t grow indeed, and art in good earne&s;t in this matter, thou mu&s;t exerci&s;e Grace, if thou would&s;t grow; what a rich trea&s;ury is that of the Mind, above that of a mans Che<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t? the more he u&s;eth of the one, the more he hath; the more he u&s;eth of the other, the le&s;s he hath. How did the Talent increa&s;e but with the u&s;ing? that is &s;igni|fied, by putting them out to the Changers; and &s;o the Talent or <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 19.</NOTE>
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Pound gained five Talents, or ten; therefore it is ob&s;erved by &s;o me, that the Scripture in commanding or requiring any Grace of us, doth directly and immediately command the Acts and the Habits obliquely, as the Fountain to the Stream: So <HI>Baxter</HI> &s;aith. The way to get away our indi&s;po&s;edne&s;s to Prayer, &s;aith <HI>Luther,</HI> is to pray it away: exerci&s;e that Grace according to the ability given, and thou &s;halt find it grow: it is much to be preferred before an idle complaining, a diligent &s;oul that is up and doing; thou finde&s;t thy Faith is weak, it may be thou can&s;t &s;carce call it any thing, but unbelief: labour to act it, put it forth often: the nature of it lies in the &s;ouls &s;incere willingne&s;s to take Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to have him for a Saviour and Lord, to &s;ave from iniquites, as well as from the condemnation of &s;in now, though weakly put forth, the acts of willing Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as he hath offered him&s;elf, and thou &s;halt find it will grow: often be rowling thy &s;elf and thy burthen, poor bur|thened &s;oul upon the Lord Je&s;us: ca&s;t thy &s;elf upon him, and thou &s;halt find as much re&s;t in it for the pre&s;ent, &s;o al&s;o an in|crea&s;e of faith, and a feeling al&s;o, that thou do&s;t believe after a time. And &s;o for other things: alas, is there a day that goeth over our heads, but there is u&s;e for Faith? it is the very life of a Chri&s;tian: <HI>The life I now live, I live by the Faith of the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 2. 20.</NOTE> <HI>Son of God;</HI> and therefore as much need of the exerci&s;e of it daily, as of any vital acts what&s;oever; and you &s;hall find, you have occa&s;ions for it, either &s;ome temptations from your own hearts, &s;ome corruptions &s;tirring and di&s;quieting your peace, or &s;ome &s;courgings from without, &s;ome buffetings of Satan, &s;ome deadne&s;s and &s;ecurity growing upon you daily: O there is daily need of acting Faith, as there is to eat and drink; therefore <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> their Manna was their daily food; and if they were daily &s;tung, they mu&s;t daily look up to the Serpent; and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 16.</NOTE> which of us is not? though you have a Lamp lighted; Brethren, There was enery morning daily a triming of the Lamps of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 30. 7.</NOTE> Sanctuary, and pouring oyl into them afre&s;h: you know, they will not continue, but go out in ob&s;cure darkne&s;s, except there be a feeding of them with oyl; this we may do, and this we ought to do; and indeed, a man that exerci&s;eth not his Grace, is, as if he had none; neither hath the &s;trength, nor the com|fort of his Grace; for Habits are for Acts, and then Acts
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&s;trengthen the Habits again. The Learned <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> &s;aid, A wi&s;e man differed nothing from a fool, if he exerci&s;ed not his wi&s;|dom; and &s;aith the Wi&s;eman, <HI>Even a fool, when he holds his peace, is counted wi&s;e;</HI> the Act is that chiefly commanded, and that chiefly rewarded of God; the exerci&s;ing of Grace, and that whereby it groweth, which is the main thing here I mind: Hath not every day its evil &s;ufficient to it? now if faith <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 6. 34.</NOTE> upon the wing, what a condition is that &s;oul in? therefore exerci&s;e it: u&s;e legs, and have legs And &s;o for love; put it forth, exerci&s;e it toward the Lord Je&s;us daily, and toward his people, that is the way to grow. Brethren, how do benummed limbs that have no feeling nor &s;trength, gather &s;trength, but by rubbing, and cha&s;ing, and exerci&s;ing of them? though a mans legs be &s;o benummed, falling for a &s;tep or two, he can &s;carce &s;et them to the ground, yet u&s;e them a little, and they will come to them&s;elves again: If Merchants money lie &s;till, it is a dead thing, it increa&s;eth not; but they mu&s;t turn it up and down, and re|turn it, u&s;e it, and exerci&s;e their trade with it, and it groweth. And truly I am per&s;waded, it is the great rea&s;on we are many of us &s;o weak as we are, we lie complaining and making &s;ad moan before the Lord of our weakne&s;s, and yet are carele&s;s in the ex|erci&s;e of the Grace wherein we pretend we would grow: <HI>The de&s;ire of the &s;lothful killeth him; for his hands refu&s;e to labour;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 12. 25.</NOTE> we may mourn our &s;elves away off our legs, and &s;pend our days in lamentable complainings, and &s;hall never be the better, except we put forth into act, what we have already re|ceived; if we be not faithful in trading with a little, will he give us more? action and motion increa&s;e heat: if you &s;ee a poor creature lie &s;tarving, ready to peri&s;h for want of fire, his legs are &s;tiff, cannot hardly move them, is that the way to help him? no, up to the fire, up, and exerci&s;e your limbs, rub them, chafe them, if you would get heat and agility into them.</P>
<P>Secondly, See to it, that we exerci&s;e one as well as another: for there is &s;uch a &s;weet harmony and dependency of the Graces one upon another, that they do one &s;trengthen another; the acts of our Graces, do, (as I may &s;ay) co-operate, and &s;weetly con&s;pire to the promoting one of another, (that is to &s;ay) of the acts, and the&s;e acts then &s;trengthen the habits. As for in|&s;tance,
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you &s;ee in an Arch, one &s;tone &s;trengthens another, take away one of them, and all the re&s;t are ready to fall upon your head; and therefore the Apo&s;tle exhorts &s;o earne&s;tly, <HI>That they &s;hould add to Faith, Temperance,</HI> &amp;c. not as if they could add <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet 1. 5. to 12.</NOTE> one habit to another, for they are infu&s;ed together, but the acts are to be added one to another; <HI>For if ye do the&s;e things,</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>then ye &s;hall not be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t: yea, you &s;hall never fall: yea, you &s;hall have an abundant entrance into the everla&s;ting kingdom;</HI> The &s;trength of a building, you know, lies not in the &s;trength of one piece, but in the due compacting of it, and joyning part to his part; if there be never &s;o &s;trong beams, if the other parts be weak, the rafters, the wall-plates, or &s;uch con&s;iderable pieces, and not well joyned together, the building is weak, and will ea&s;ily fall: therefore if you would be &s;trong, and grow indeed, look that we exerci&s;e all the Graces of the Spirit we have alrea|dy received; not only Faith, nor only Love, nor only Humility, nor only Self-denial, but all: labour to act them all: and Tempe|rance, and Heavenly-mindedne&s;s, &amp;c. and you &s;hall find, that as each Grace doth grow by the exerci&s;ing of it &s;elf, &s;o by the exerci&s;ing of them all; they will have a mutual influ|ence each upon the other, to &s;trengthen one another: the act of Faith will &s;trengthen the acting of love, and that will &s;trengthen faith again, and &s;o for the re&s;t.</P>
<P>Thirdly, If you would grow in Grace, You mu&s;t be much in prayer: for a man of much Prayer, is a man of much Grace, and therefore the Prophet puts them both together: <HI>He will pour out the Spirit of Grace and Suppli|cation.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Zec<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 12 10.</NOTE> And &s;o the Apo&s;tle <HI>Jude, But you Beloved, build|ing up your &s;elves in your mo&s;t holy Faith, praying in the Ho|ly</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jude 20.</NOTE> <HI>Gho&s;t:</HI> and there is the like rea&s;on for building up our &s;elves in any other Grace: praying by the Spirit of God, is the way you &s;ee, to grow in Grace: there is very great rea&s;on that Prayer &s;hould be a great means of increa&s;ing Grace. Fir&s;t, Becau&s;e in Prayer, there is the greate&s;t exerci&s;ing of Grace, of all Grace u&s;ually, of any other &s;ervice we do to God: there our repentance is exerci&s;ed, for you alwaies find the Saints in drawing nigh to God: <HI>David,</HI> and <HI>Ezra,</HI> and others, that &s;till they begin with bewailing their iniquities, expre&s;&s;ing their
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&s;orrow for them: becau&s;e no man was to appear before. God, but with pure hands, and pure feet; and therefore &s;ince we <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim 2. 8.</NOTE> gather &s;oil continually, there is need of acknowledging our iniquities, and then <HI>he is faithful and ju&s;t to forgive them;</HI> there <NOTE PLACE="marg">James 4. 8.</NOTE> is the exerci&s;e of Faith, if any where, el&s;e that is it whereby we wre&s;tle with God in Prayer; Prayer is indeed a wre&s;tling with God, as <HI>Jacob,</HI> it was his faith whereby he overcame, and got the ble&s;sing; a man mu&s;t pray in Faith, el&s;e it is nothing worth at all; God accepteth no &s;ervice, but where there is Faith mixed; there is Love exerci&s;ed toward God, and to his people; we go to him, it is an acting of our de&s;ire toward him, our delight in his pre&s;ence, and love to his Saints, when we can <NOTE PLACE="marg">James 5. 16.</NOTE> pray feelingly for them: And &s;o Humility: O &s;aith <HI>Abraham,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 18. 32.</NOTE> <HI>Who am I, du&s;t and a&s;hes?</HI> And <HI>Jacob, I am le&s;s then the lea&s;t of thy mercies;</HI> In a word, all the Graces are &s;et awork in prayer, that is a working prayer indeed; our thankfulne&s;s and all our &s;upplications in all things are to be made known, &amp;c. Every <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 4. 6.</NOTE> wheel is &s;et a going in the &s;oul, if it be <GAP DESC="foreign"> an effectual prayer; and therefore by the exerci&s;es of the Graces they are increa&s;ed; do you think that by acting Faith upon the Pro|mi&s;es, pleading them? (as <HI>Jacob</HI> did) <HI>Thou &s;aid&s;t thou would&s;t</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen 32. 12. &amp; v. 9.</NOTE> <HI>do me good, &amp;c.</HI> and &s;o in many other places: <HI>Remember thy Word to thy Servant, whereupon thou ha&s;t cau&s;ed me to hope:</HI> (&s;aith the P&s;almi&s;t) That this doth not increa&s;e Faith, and &s;o the acting of Love: increa&s;e it therefore. <HI>Luther,</HI> a man of much Prayer, was a man of much Grace, of much Courage, and Zeal, and Faith, and Diligence in the Service of God. And that fa|mous Servant of God, Mr. <HI>Bolton,</HI> It is &s;aid of him, that &s;ix times a day he prayed: and &s;o others: ob&s;erve it when you will, where you &s;ee a growing Chri&s;tian indeed, follow him to his Clo&s;et, you &s;hall find that man a man of much prayer; So <HI>David,</HI> and <HI>Daniel,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>But Secondly, There is another rea&s;on for it: Becau&s;e Pray|er doth carry the &s;oul to a nearer communion with God: O it is the gaining acquaintance with God; acquaint thy &s;elf with God, that thou may&s;t have peace with him, and thou &s;halt <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iob 22. 21.</NOTE> have pro&s;perity: and therefore when <HI>Job</HI> di&s;covered &s;uch weak|ne&s;s in his impatiency, &s;aith that friend of his, <HI>Surely thou re|&s;trainect prayer from the Almighty;</HI> if thou did&s;t maintain com|munion
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with God, it would not be thus with thee. Now whi|ther <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 13. 5.</NOTE> &s;hould we go with empty ve&s;&s;els, but to the fountain? whither &s;hould poor, weak, wounded, lame, feeble creatures go, but to him that hath all power to heal and &s;trengthen them? God hath trea&s;ures of grace, it is true, and he is not &s;treight|hearted, he giveth liberally; but the trea&s;ury is lockt, and prayer <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 5. 5.</NOTE> is the key, and faith the hand that turns it; we mu&s;t to the trea|&s;ury, if we would be rich in grace, rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom; which of us would be poor, if we had a warrant to go to the Trea&s;ury, to fetch what we plea&s;e? O what pains would there be, the Trea&s;urer &s;hould have imployment enough: if God would but per&s;wade us it is &s;o in this ca&s;e, we &s;hould vi&s;it him more, <HI>the great Trea&s;urer of heaven, the Lord Je&s;us, in whom all trea&s;ures of wi&s;dom and knowledge are hid;</HI> yea, and of faith and all grace, <HI>for of his fulne&s;s we receive grace for grace.</HI> O how <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2. 3.</NOTE> would we ply him, give him no re&s;t, he would have much more of our company, but that we have &s;light per&s;wa&s;ions of the&s;e things, and make u&s;e of prayer as a duty and a task many of us, and not a &s;ingular means of improving our graces: Brethren, were we but as much in Communion with God as <HI>David,</HI> we might have the &s;trength of <HI>David;</HI> it is but <HI>ask and have, knock and it &s;hall be opened;</HI> the Spirit which works all this, will not be <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 11. 9.</NOTE> denyed, if you ask, and ask not ami&s;s, as you heard lately. God <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 4. 3.</NOTE> will expend willingly his trea&s;ures of grace upon us, and pour out the fulne&s;s of his Spirit upon us, but he will be enquired of for the&s;e things.</P>
<P>Well then, if we would grow in grace, we mu&s;t be much in prayer; I do believe &s;ome of us can &s;peak it but too experimen|tally, that when we have found corruptions prevail, and our &s;elves foyled and brought under, this hath been the rea&s;on, we have re&s;trained prayer from the Almighty; either we have neg|lected this duty, or el&s;e we have been &s;light and &s;lubbering, &s;huffled it, if not out of doors, yet to the very door; and gene|rally ob&s;erve it, we can more ea&s;ily find time for any thing then for prayer, every other bu&s;ine&s;s hath its hours to attend upon, but if any thing be neglected, it mu&s;t be prayer, or el&s;e po&s;ted over. Whereas, alas, it would no more hinder our bu&s;ine&s;s then our meal-times do, which mu&s;t be had: and I know, Brethren, that &s;ome of us are able to &s;ay it, that we have &s;een when the
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pro&s;pering pre&s;ence of the Lord hath been with us, we have come on more, and done more in a &s;hort time, then at another time, in many times as long a time; and yet &s;o wretched hearts we have, that we content our &s;elves with any thing in this duty, if we appear before the Lord, we think it is enough; we do not &s;trive unto prayer, and watch unto prayer, and labour by blow|ing the green wood, that will hardly kindle, to get it on a flame, before we go out of his pre&s;ence. O <HI>Jacob</HI> would not let him go without a ble&s;&s;ing: Brethren, in what a &s;ad manner do we many <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 32.</NOTE> times ri&s;e off our knees, with our hearts further off from God then we came: is this to obtain a ble&s;&s;ing? no, no; we mu&s;t take pains in this work, if we would grow: the Lord per&s;wade our hearts.</P>
<P>Alas, you will &s;ay, you have prayed, and prayed, and yet for ought you can perceive, you grow not: To this I might an|&s;wer many things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Do&s;t thou find that hereby thou never gette&s;t thy heart in a better frame? art thou never wrought up to &s;ome &s;weet frame of heart in re&s;pect of faith, and love, and humility? Why here is an improving, this is the main thing in prayer; when we can find our hearts wrought up to &s;uch a frame, it is the very growth it &s;elf in a great part, therefore thou art mi&s;taken.</P>
<P>Secondly, If thou do not find it may be &s;ometimes &s;uch warn|ings, and notwith&s;tanding all the pains, thon ha&s;t &s;ometimes been blowing at the coal, until thy arm ake with holding the bel|lows; and thy heart akes, and yet thou can&s;t not get thy faith and thy affections into a frame, but thou art as dead and dull as before. Now in &s;uch a ca&s;e ob&s;erve it, do&s;t thou not gain thus much by it, to have viler, lower thoughts of thy &s;elf, to &s;ee the nece&s;&s;ity of an high-Prie&s;t the more feelingly; this humbleth, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 28. 38.</NOTE> this emptyeth of &s;elf more, and is not this a growth in grace? Yea, and no &s;mall improvement.</P>
<P>But thirdly, If thou be put to wait for an an&s;wer, know, it is the excellency of faith to wait upon him, to hold out as the wo|man of <HI>Canaan.</HI> And <HI>Jacob</HI> wre&s;tled all night with God. So <HI>Da|niel,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 15. Gen. 32. Dan. 10. 12.</NOTE> his an&s;wer cometh not as &s;oon as he began to pray, but he mu&s;t wait a while, he mu&s;t go through with his duty, and after|wards the an&s;wer cometh; if the Lord give thee a heart to wait
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upon him, to hang upon him, not to give him over; Brethren, you are growing, and you are not aware of it, it is no ea&s;ie mat|ter to wait upon God. Alas, a poor &s;inner in a mood &s;ometimes, and in a fla&s;h under a &s;tirring Sermon, O he will go and pray, and if an an&s;wer come not pre&s;ently, there is an end, it dyeth; but a child of God, he waiteth upon God, he will have no nay, if he will not an&s;wer at one time, he will to it again and again; as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ought God thrice for the removing the Thorn, before <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 12. 7.</NOTE> he had an an&s;wer. And &s;o <HI>Elias,</HI> &s;even times his &s;ervant was &s;ent, and brought an an&s;wer of nothing appearing, and at la&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 18. 42.</NOTE> but a little cloud; and his prayer was fervent too, as appears by the &s;tory.</P>
<P>Fourthly, You mu&s;t grow upon God, knock harder; if he come not at the fir&s;t, cry louder, cry out &s;o much the more; im|portunity will overcome him at the la&s;t; yea if by the delay of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 11.</NOTE> an an&s;wer, as thou thinke&s;t, thou be kept praying, and more and more fervently; there is nothing, Brethren, wherein we more grow then in prayer it &s;elf, where the Lord exerci&s;eth us with &s;uch occa&s;ions, as put us on to &s;tir up all our &s;trength to wre&s;tle with him. Well, the Lord per&s;wade our hearts to a diligence in this duty, for we are as aver&s;e from it as from any. O how our hearts do hang back? and if the Lord per&s;wade us not, and by the invincible bonds of the Spirit, bind us clo&s;e to it, we &s;hall &s;ee by woful experience, how quickly our &s;lippery hearts will either &s;hift them&s;elves out of it, or el&s;e into a formality in the &s;ervice.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Ob&s;erve your an&s;wers al&s;o; take heed of being al|way complaining, as if we had received nothing, or were nothing grown, whereby God lo&s;eth the glory of what he hath done for us already, this is not the way to procure more, this is the way indeed to grieve Gods Spirit, which is the Spirit of prayer; and then if he be grieved, we &s;hall find a woful declining in prayer, and then our growth will go on but very &s;lowly. I be|&s;eech you pardon me for &s;tanding &s;o much upon this point, to pre&s;s it upon you, I know many of you cannot but &s;ee the nece&s;&s;ity of it; and truly ob&s;erve it, &s;ince the&s;e times of outward pro&s;peri|ty of the people of God, mind it in your own ca&s;es, lookers on may ea&s;ily ob&s;erve it, and &s;ince our hands have been &s;o full of the world, if there be not a declining; and indeed I think (If I am
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mi&s;taken, I &s;hould be glad to be mi&s;taken) that this is the main thing wherein we are hurt, we are &s;o upon hurries, and &s;o thronged, our hearts, and heads, and hands &s;o full of the world, that we cannot have tho&s;e times and &s;ea&s;ons to work our hearts up in this duty; it is &s;ad when our hearts have mo&s;t need of pains-taking with them, as in &s;uch ca&s;es they have, that we &s;hould find lea&s;t time to do it in: What can become of this think you?</P>
<P>Fourthly, Another help to this growth in grace will be this; Con&s;cientiou&s;ly and diligently to u&s;e the Ordinances, all of them, as well as that of prayer; I &s;peak to that particular, becau&s;e it is of &s;o general concernment, running along with all the re&s;t, for &s;anctification of them to us. You heard before, that knowledge is the great means whereby our grace doth grow; it is convey|ed through the under&s;tanding, the con&s;ent of the will to clo&s;e with Chri&s;t, it is greater or le&s;&s;er according to the apprehen&s;ions which the mind hath of Chri&s;t, of his goodne&s;s, his loveline&s;s, the nece&s;&s;ity of him, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> therefore, <HI>grace and truth came by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and whom beholding as in a gla&s;s, we are changed into his</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 1. 17. 2 Cor. 3. 18.</NOTE> <HI>image;</HI> this gla&s;s, what is it but the Ordinances of God? O, how fat do men grow that fare deliciou&s;ly every day? is there not great difference between feeding upon husks when the kernel is gone, and feeding upon the fine&s;t of the wheat? how quickly will the weake&s;t man grow &s;trong, feeding upon the one; and the &s;tronge&s;t weak, when he feedeth upon the other? Alas, when it came to that, the Prodigal was almo&s;t beaten off his leggs: Why the Ordinances of God, they are a fea&s;t, <HI>a fea&s;t of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 25. 6.</NOTE> <HI>fat things, marrow and wines upon the less well-refined; in this mountain &s;hall the Lord of ho&s;ts make to all people a fea&s;t of fat things, a fea&s;t of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well-refined;</HI> What are the&s;e but the Ordinan|ces of God? the&s;e are the green pa&s;tures and &s;till waters, with <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 23.</NOTE> the&s;e he promi&s;eth to &s;atiate the &s;oul of the Prie&s;t with fatne&s;s, <HI>and my people &s;hall be &s;atisfied with my goodne&s;s, &s;aith the Lord: And my &s;oul &s;hall be abundantly &s;atisfied with the fatne&s;s of thy</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 31. 14.</NOTE> <HI>hou&s;e,</HI> there it is; and in the 63. <HI>P&s;alm,</HI> the P&s;almi&s;t longs af|ter <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 36. 8.</NOTE> the enjoyment of God in his Ordinances, in his Sanctuary, <HI>O,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>my &s;oul &s;hall be &s;atisfied with marrow and fatne&s;s:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 63. 5.</NOTE> What can be &s;aid more, Brethren? Is not this the way to grow
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fat, to increa&s;e? and did not God give therefore Pa&s;tors and Teachers to di&s;pence the Ordinances for the edifying of the bo|dy? in that place to the <HI>Ephe&s;ians.</HI> Well, but all this will not do, ex|cept we make u&s;e of the&s;e Ordinances; mind you, they are the fat things of the hou&s;e of God, we mu&s;t have them in the &s;tall, in the coop, in the fold, in the hou&s;e of God, that is to &s;ay, the Church of God, if we would flouri&s;h indeed; as the P&s;almi&s;t &s;peaks, <HI>they that are planted in the hou&s;e of the Lord, &s;hall flouri&s;h</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 92. 12.</NOTE> <HI>in the Courts of our God;</HI> and therefore the Spou&s;e in the <HI>Can|ticles</HI> was &s;o earne&s;t, <HI>Shew me where thou feede&s;t thy flocks, where</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 1. 7.</NOTE> <HI>thou make&s;t them re&s;t at noon:</HI> Alas, many poor Believers may be to &s;eek where the Lord Je&s;us feedeth his flocks, &s;pecially in the&s;e daies, wherein there are &s;o many pretences to the way of Chri&s;tia|nity, which is but one; but at lea&s;t, me thinks this will follow from tho&s;e Scriptures, <HI>that the hou&s;e of the Lord, the Courts of his</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 92. 12.</NOTE> <HI>hou&s;e is the Church of God;</HI> therefore we &s;hould inquire where the flocks are fed, that we may walk with them and among them, it is the way where the Lord Je&s;us is found then ordinari|ly; and indeed I do de&s;ire to pitty &s;uch as yet cannot &s;ee this; but this is not all.</P>
<P>Secondly, There is the u&s;e and improvement of the Ordinan|ces, which is much more nece&s;&s;ary then the other; <HI>de&s;ire the &s;in|cere milk of the Word:</HI> milk, for &s;weetne&s;s and nouri&s;hing; and <NOTE PLACE="marg">1. Pet. 2. 2.</NOTE> &s;incere, without mixture of errour or humane wi&s;dom: Alas, Brethren, if we come not to it with de&s;ires, get our affections up when we come to it, and look not to it that we dige&s;t it when we have heard it, we are not likely to grow by it: Alas, alas, no marvel we are &s;o lean in our &s;ouls &s;ome of us, as if God bad in heavy di&s;plea&s;ure &s;ent the cur&s;e upon us: what is the matter? we come to hear the Word, but with what affections? come reeking out of the World into it, with our heads, and hearts full of it: the &s;tomack is full already, there is no room for the Word to take place in our hearts: and we are much for hearing, but di|ge&s;t but little. Ah Brethren, this meditation upon what we hear, we are all of us &s;hort in: that is the man that groweth indeed, as in the fir&s;t <HI>P&s;alm, he &s;hall flouri&s;h that meditates day and night:</HI> For my own part, I am per&s;waded, that upon a Sabbath-day, it is not &s;o much how much we hear, to &s;pend our whole time in it, that there is no time left for chewing upon it, for working
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it upon the heart by meditation: No plough-man would do &s;o, think he never plougheth and &s;oweth enough, and never maketh u&s;e of the harrowing. Alas, much of it is &s;toln away, he hath little increa&s;e; we go <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ow out of the pre&s;ence of God, and into the world again over head and ears, without any care to work the Word upon our &s;ouls; how can you expect to pro&s;per in your &s;ouls? you may have fat pur&s;es, but you are like to have but lean &s;ouls, you dige&s;t not your meat; a Phy&s;itian will tell you it is not how much you eat, but how much you dige&s;t, that tends to health and growth. And &s;o for the other Ordinances of the Supper, <HI>there is meat indeed, and drink indeed;</HI> but do we look to it to improve that Ordinance for &s;trengtheuing of faith, to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 6. 55.</NOTE> get our graces up, our appetites up, our faith, our love upon the wing when we come, to act faith and love in the Ordinance, to draw from the Lord Je&s;us, to drink and drink abundantly? Alas, <HI>wi&s;dom hath killed her bea&s;ts, and mixed her wine, and furni&s;hed</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 9.</NOTE> <HI>her table among us;</HI> and we come indeed, but without wedding-garments many times, and without appetites, and &s;o we are ca&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 22. 11.</NOTE> out, and in&s;tead of receiving Chri&s;t, more and more of him, we are more hardened, Satan entereth into &s;ome poor &s;ouls. Ah, no marvel then if they grow not in grace. If we had not the fat things of the hou&s;e of God, Brethren, it were &s;omething, but the Lord hath not denyed them to us, his table is richly furni&s;hed; the dainties are the &s;ame, though the Maidens that are &s;ent forth now to call you are weak and unworthy, that &s;hould not dero|gate from the e&s;teem of the fea&s;t; now what can we &s;ay for our &s;elves? if we will play with our meat, if we will not fall on when we come to it, if we matter not for dige&s;ting it, where Bre|thren, will the guilt lie? O be humbled for that we have neg|lected this &s;alvation &s;o much as we have done, though it may be we have not mi&s;t an opportunity, yet that we make no better u&s;e of them then we have done, that is the fir&s;t &s;tep to a refor|mation of it: Do you think this vvere a plea&s;ing carriage of a child, vvhen he is poor, and lean, and ill-favoured, his Father provideth a rich banquet, royal dainties for him, &s;etteth them before him, intreateth him to fall on, he complains of his vveak|ne&s;s and faintne&s;s, and yet vvill not eat; this is frovvardne&s;s, it is not plea&s;ing to God, vvho hath &s;o richly provided for us; to hear his people complaining alvvay of their vveakne&s;s in faith,
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and vveakne&s;s in love, and all graces of the Spirit; and though he hath provided &s;uch dainties for them in his Ordinances, as never eye &s;avv, nor any ta&s;ted, but a Believer, and they might be fat and flouri&s;hing, if they vvere not vvretchedly vvanting to them&s;elves; they complain, and complain, but never mind it; to eat, to feed, to improve the Ordinances for this their grovvth: I have &s;poken the more largely here, becau&s;e I knovv, Brethren, I knovv it is our ovvn vvretched neglect of our &s;elves in this ca&s;e, that is the great cau&s;e of our vvant of grovvth.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Another help &s;hall be this, labour to get the di&s;tem|pers of your &s;ouls healed, that hinder your grovvth: it is impo&s;&s;ible vvhile a man hath a Woolf in his fle&s;h, or a greedy vven that &s;ucks all the nouri&s;hment from the body, that he &s;hould grovv: Alas, every one of us can be&s;t tell vvhere our di&s;ea&s;es are. Some have ob&s;tructions betvveen the head and the heart, the pa&s;&s;ages are not opened, and &s;o they grovv indeed in the head, but the heart is poor, and dry, and vvithered, all notion, and no affection; hovv little affection have vve the mo&s;t of us? nothing an&s;vverable to vvhat vve apprehend of the riches of grace in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, all is not vvell vvith us, Brethren. Alas, hovv many of us have &s;urfeited of the vvorld and the comforts there|o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">? and &s;o our appetites are lo&s;t to the&s;e dainties and fat things of the hou&s;e of God, vvhereby we &s;hould grovv up <HI>like Calves of the &s;tall.</HI> O for Chri&s;ts &s;ake, and as you love your &s;ouls, take heed of the vvorld and love of it. Ah, vve little knovv hovv clo&s;e it &s;ticks to us, and hovv indi&s;cernably it in&s;inuates it &s;elf upon us? It may be we con&s;ume all upon our lu&s;ts, make all we have received but a &s;tepping-&s;tone to rai&s;e our proud &s;pirits up|on; how apt we are to be admiring our &s;elves? this was well done, and that was well done by us: in&s;tead of admiring rich grace to &s;uch poor du&s;t and a&s;hes as we are; this dammeth up the fountain, Brethren, this provokes God to withdraw his Spi|rit, and pre&s;ence, and alas, what can vve do then? then vve &s;ee vvhat vve are. Well, if we would grow, we mu&s;t begin at the right end, we mu&s;t labour to get the&s;e lu&s;ts that do prevail, down; if a child have &s;uch a di&s;ea&s;e as the Rickets, or &s;ome other di&s;|ea&s;e upon it, you may give it all the nur&s;ing, and tending, and feeding that can be, it will never grow uniformly, but all runs into the head. It is in vain to complain of the want of growth,
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the way is to go to the Phy&s;itian, get &s;ome pre&s;cription for the healing of the di&s;ea&s;e; and &s;o we mu&s;t look to it, Brethren, if any object come between the Lord Je&s;us and your hearts, and &s;o interrupt the &s;weet and &s;aving influences of Chri&s;t from you, you cannot grow; you &s;ee that &s;hrubs in the Wilderne&s;s, that never &s;ee where good cometh, or plant a Tree or Plant in &s;uch a dark place where the Sun never cometh, but is kept off by this or that hinderance, it will not grow; and &s;o under trees that &s;hade the Sun, and keep the rain from the &s;eed, mo&s;t herbs will not grow; and &s;o it is in this ca&s;e; therefore look to this Bre|thren, in the name of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as ever you hope to recover your &s;elves, and to grow indeed.</P>
<P>Sixthly, Labour to make &s;pecial u&s;e of the promi&s;es of God, that particularly concern this matter; I know this is reducible to that former head of exerci&s;ing-grace, and particularly the grace of faith, becau&s;e this is a &s;pecial object whereupon the act is to be exerci&s;ed; but for orders &s;ake, we &s;hall put it di&s;tinctly by it &s;elf in this place; is this the grievance of thy &s;oul indeed, that thou growe&s;t not? Why here is a rich Trea&s;ury in the pro|mi&s;es, which if it were drawn out, cannot but much further our growth.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, &s;earch out the&s;e promi&s;es, they are many, I cannot give you them all, a ta&s;te I will, to help the weak; What a &s;weet promi&s;e is that in the fir&s;t <HI>P&s;alm?</HI> look upon it as &s;uch, <HI>they &s;hall be like the tree planted by the rivers of water;</HI> Brethren, nothing ordinarily kills trees more then drought, I think, and thus to have moi&s;ture with heat, they mu&s;t needs grow and flouri&s;h; therefore in that place of <HI>Job, a tree, though cut down, yet through the &s;cent of water it will &s;prout again:</HI> Now there is a &s;weet pro|mi&s;e to that end; and &s;o, <HI>they that are planted in the hou&s;e of the Lord, they &s;hall flouri&s;h;</HI> this in the Text, <HI>they &s;hall go forth,</HI> (it is <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 92. 12.</NOTE> a promi&s;e) <HI>they &s;hall grow up as Calves of the &s;tall.</HI> And that in <HI>Ho&s;. 14. 5. God will be as the dew unto I&s;rael, and he &s;hall grow up as the Lilly, and &s;pread his roots as</HI> Lebanon; <HI>grow in rootedne&s;s, and grow quickly, and grow in beauty and &s;weetne&s;s, the &s;mell &s;hall be as</HI> Lebanon; here the growth is &s;et forth under that metaphor of a tree, or plant; the dew, you know, upon the mown gra&s;s, maketh it &s;pring again, el&s;e it would wither; and the corn for a time as dead under the clod, yet the dew maketh it grow up; or
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as the corn that &s;eemed to wither away, the dew refre&s;heth it, and maketh it revive indeed. I will not burthen your memories, take but one more, and that is in the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah, to them that have no might he increa&s;eth &s;trength, and he giveth power to them</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 40. 29.</NOTE> <HI>that faint; to them that have no mights,</HI> the original is very empha|tical, the plural with the <HI>Hebrews,</HI> as &s;ome note, when it is affir|mative, &s;etteth forth the abundancy, the eminency or excellen|cy of any quaility or vertue, as wi&s;doms for wi&s;dom, in many places in the <HI>Proverbs;</HI> that is to &s;ay, the mo&s;t excellent wi&s;dom or abundance. So in the negative, it often &s;ignifieth the great want in an eminent degree of &s;uch or &s;uch a qualification, as here, <HI>&s;uch as have no &s;trength;</HI> that is to &s;ay, very little, none at all, &s;uch as faint and langui&s;h, then you know &s;trength is very little. So again, <HI>they are a people of no under&s;tandings,</HI> in the plural <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 27. 11.</NOTE> number; and again, <HI>there is no &s;afety, or &s;alvation, or deliverance wrought in the earth:</HI> there is no deliverance at all: the meaning is not, there are not many deliverances, but there is not any at all; and &s;o here, &s;uch as have <HI>no mights</HI> it is in the Original, and we read &s;uch as have <HI>no might.</HI> Alas they have no &s;trength, to tho&s;e he will increa&s;e might. Now I &s;ay, gather together &s;uch promi&s;es as the&s;e.</P>
<P>Secondly, Not only &s;o, but dwell upon them in your thoughts; it may be at the fir&s;t or &s;econd &s;ight of them, there will be little ari&s;ing to the &s;oul from them, but you mu&s;t dwell upon them, as the Bee doth, that will not off the flower until &s;he hath gotten &s;ome &s;weetne&s;s from it; So do you, make the&s;e promi&s;es the ob|ject of your meditation: can you have any thing &s;weeter to me|ditate upon then a promi&s;e in &s;uch a condition as this is? Sure <HI>Da|vid,</HI> when he meditated upon the Word of God, and his medita|tions were &s;weet to him, were not only the commands but the promi&s;es: the&s;e indeed are the honey-&s;uckles to dwell upon; the&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 104. 34.</NOTE> you &s;hall find much refre&s;hing in: break the bones if you would have the marrow in them. You will not be able at fir&s;t to find the depth of the&s;e promi&s;es, to apprehend the fulne&s;s of them, except you dwell upon them, and then you can never further im|prove them to your comfort.</P>
<P>Thirdly, More then this, you mu&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ay your mouths to them; the&s;e are the brea&s;ts of con&s;olations; if the child will have any thing, he mu&s;t draw, and draw hard &s;ometimes, and the mother is
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fain to help in &s;ome ca&s;es to pre&s;s it down too, &amp; all little enough; the child is plea&s;ed and taken to &s;ee the brea&s;t, but this will not feed nor nouri&s;h; no more will our beholding the promi&s;es, ex|cept we &s;uck, and &s;uck &s;trongly; and the Spirit of Je&s;us Chri&s;t is ready, Brethren, to pre&s;s tho&s;e brea&s;ts, to make them give down their milk, their &s;weetne&s;s and fatne&s;s to us, &s;pecially in prayer before the Lord; take the promi&s;es that concern this condition of yours, tell him he hath been plea&s;ed to make &s;uch gracious pro|mi&s;es; he was free, and might have been &s;o &s;till if he had plea&s;ed, but now he hath ingaged him&s;elf to give &s;trength to them that have no might; and Lord, here is a poor &s;oul that hath no might, no &s;trength; I am in a poor, lean, faint, langui&s;hing con|dition, wilt thou not make good thy Word to thy poor crea|ture? thou ha&s;t cau&s;ed me to hope upon this Word, thou ha&s;t put the brea&s;t into my mouth, or at lea&s;t thou ha&s;t &s;hewed it thy poor creature, and wilt thou not make it give down its &s;weetne&s;s to me? O make good thy Word to thy poor creature. Lord I am in a declining condition, I am even withering, and lo&s;e of my greenne&s;s, growing yellow, or that which thou ha&s;t done for me lies under the clods; thou ha&s;t promi&s;ed <HI>to be as the dew unto I&s;|rael,</HI> wilt thou not make good thy Word unto me? and &s;o thou ha&s;t planted me in thy hou&s;e, and promi&s;ed I &s;hall grow and flouri&s;h, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Pre&s;s the Lord thus with his Word, O he loveth to have his bond &s;ued in the Court of heaven. I dare undertake that &s;uch a &s;oul that is thus &s;tirred up to act faith upon the promi&s;es of God, that &s;oul is in a growing condition. Brethren, the&s;e are the wells in the valley of <HI>Baacha,</HI> the wells of &s;alvation, you mu&s;t draw from them, and then you grow from &s;trength to &s;trength.</P>
<P>Seventhly another; I &s;hall name but this: The greatne&s;s of the object whereupon your hearts are to dwell much, and that is God him&s;elf, for there is nothing doth greaten the mind more then the greatne&s;s of the Object, whereupon it is conver&s;ant; you &s;ee it by experience in all things, what low minds, what poor and weak apprehen&s;ions they have that are exerci&s;ed upon low objects, never ri&s;e higher; what heightens the mind of a Prince, but the thoughts of a Kingdom? What difference is there be|tween the mind of the meane&s;t Mechanick and the deepe&s;t Poli|titian? Such difference mu&s;t there needs be between the heart
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of a man that is poring alway upon low things, and God is very little dwelt upon. It is &s;aid of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> that is the ground <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 2. 11. Heb. 11.</NOTE> of it, <HI>he waxed great,</HI> &s;aith the Text, <HI>not only in body, but in mind and Spirit; he waxed &s;trong in Spirit, was a man of a great mind; his eye was upon him that is invi&s;ible, the great God Jehovah Elo|him, who giveth being to his promi&s;es, keepeth Covenant with his people, and is Mighty, Almighty, can do what he will do in heaven and earth, and all deep places:</HI> This made him &s;o great: there|fore he was above the fears of the Kings wrath, he cared not for it; Before indeed he was afraid and fled, he then had not had &s;o much conver&s;e with God, and contemplation of him, and know|ledge of him, as afterward he had. Well then, you &s;ay your faith is weak, you know not how to get it &s;trengthened, lift up your thoughts to this great object, do but peru&s;e his name a little now and then, yea often, <HI>the Lord, the Lord God, gracious and merciful,</HI> &amp;c. See if there be not an abundance there to &s;wallow up all thy doubts and fears; O thou art a mi&s;erable <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 34. 7.</NOTE> creature! it is true, but he is a merciful God, and thy mi&s;ery is but the mi&s;ery of a creature, and his mercy is the mercy of a Creator, a God; and what are thy thoughts of thy mi&s;ery, when thou ha&s;t aggravated it to the height as much as can be? they are but finite thoughts, and his thoughts of pardon and mercy, they are the thoughts of a God, infinitely above thy thoughts, either of mi&s;ery or mercy; if his thoughts of mercy and pardon were not more then ours, we were in a &s;ad condition, for then they would never an&s;wer his thoughts of our mi&s;ery, which are infinitely above ours of our own mi&s;ery. Alas, but I am the mo&s;t vile unworthy wretch in the world, O you know not what I am; alas, is it for &s;uch an one as I to believe? Sup|po&s;e &s;o; he is gracious: O it is mo&s;t free, infinitely free what he giveth, he looks for nothing at thy hands, only acceptance. O but &s;ure I have wearied out his patience, he hath waited upon me &s;o long; he is long &s;uffering. O but I have &s;uch an abundance of &s;in, my heart is &s;o full: there is an abundance of goodne&s;s, abundantly pardon in him, yea and truth al&s;o, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Alas, but I &s;hall never hold out, nor keep my heart with him, I &s;hall quick|ly back-&s;lide: But he it is that keepeth mercy for thou&s;ands; O if our hearts were but much in meditation of God, his name, <HI>the Lord our righteou&s;ne&s;s;</HI> and this name, his works, the great
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things that he hath done, how would it rai&s;e our &s;pirits to be|lieve, and how would it increa&s;e our love to him, and our fear of him? <HI>There is mercy with thee, that thou may&s;t be feared;</HI> we &s;hould <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 30. 4.</NOTE> find a very great influence upon all our Graces, to increa&s;e them, even from the greatne&s;s, the fulne&s;s, the riches of this Object: O his Almighty Arm! whereby he laid the foundati|ons of the heavens and earth, and hanged the earth upon no|thing; and what then, though thou be nothing, he can lay a foundation of eternal comfort, and an heavenly Kingdom, as well as the earth upon nothing; and be&s;tow his riches of Grace, as well as his power and wi&s;dom upon nothing: therefore labour much to improve this great Object. O it will take the heart much off the&s;e poor little nothing vanities of the world, it will make us contented with our portion, it will arm us again&s;t all the fears of men and lights of the world; what will it not do, if the Lord be plea&s;ed but to breath upon our endeavours, in fixing our hearts upon this &s;o high an Object?</P>
<P>Eighthly, Another is, to u&s;e the Society of growing Chri&s;ti|ans; there is much in the communion of Saints, which pre&s;up|po&s;eth an union, <HI>maketh increa&s;e of the Body, to the edifying of it</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 16.</NOTE> <HI>&s;elf in love;</HI> as the Fellow&s;hip of the Graces of the Spirit, and their co-operation or working together, doth help to &s;trengthen the whole; &s;o the Fellow&s;hip of the Saints tends very much to building up. So the Church, <HI>When they continued together daily with one accord,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>with one con&s;ent, with</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 2. 46.</NOTE> <HI>one heart, then the Lord added to the Church daily, &s;uch as &s;hould be &s;aved;</HI> and not only &s;o, but hereby the hands of the people of God are &s;trengthened, and their &s;pirits quickened: the fire groweth to a flame, when many brands are laid toge|ther; if there be but one live coal, and many dead ones, lay them together, and there will be an increa&s;e of the heat; he that will walk alone, and apart from the communion of Saints, I do believe, &s;hall quickly know by his own &s;pirit, what the want of them is; but now there are &s;ome that are move growing and grown then others are: alas, how many are under di&s;ea&s;es, the world, or &s;omewhat as bad, that they are at a &s;tand, proced not, or rather decline? there is little to be got by the fellow&s;hip of &s;uch: no, no, the people that we find are &s;o full, they are over flowing continually, their lips feed many, they are
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bringing out of the good trea&s;ury of their hearts, things both new and old; they are &s;till telling what the Lord hath done for their <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 2. 35.</NOTE> &s;ouls, or &s;till they are &s;tirring up others; you &s;hall receive &s;ome|thing &s;till, if your own hearts be not out of frame to receive: O how the example of a lively, &s;en&s;ible, diligent, clo&s;e-walking Chri|&s;tian will provoke us? (as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith) <HI>Your charity hath</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2. Cor. 9. 2.</NOTE> <HI>provoked many:</HI> it will put us upon it, to follow harder after God, <HI>To do the &s;ame diligence with them, to the full a&s;&s;urance of hope to the end;</HI> wherefore el&s;e are the experiences and examples of the Saints in Scripture written? what <HI>David</HI> found, and <HI>Jacob</HI> found by experience of God in prayer, wre&s;tling with him; and what their fallings co&s;t them both; but that they being dead, might yet &s;peak to us, and with us, and we might conver&s;e with their living examples, though them&s;elves be dead: even as faithful <HI>Abel</HI> being dead, yet &s;peaketh; and why &s;hould there <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 11. 4.</NOTE> not be &s;uch a Fellow&s;hip of Saints to communicate what they have found of God? I do believe, Brethren, &s;ome of us may with thankful hearts ble&s;s the Lord, that ever we &s;aw the faces of &s;ome of his people, that we have by their examples, and by their words been much quickened, much &s;tirred up, much provoked; therefore if we would grow, conver&s;e with &s;uch; if thou be weak in faith, find out &s;ome of the people of God whom he hath made eminent, &s;trong in Faith, conver&s;e with them; and if they be not very communicative, as &s;ome are more re&s;erved, whereby they are not &s;o profitable to others, draw it out from them, dive into their experiences, how they came to that mea&s;ure of Faith, wherein they can &s;o glorifie God, and walk &s;o chearfully before him. And &s;o for Humility and Tenderne&s;s: where thou finde&s;t any eminent in the&s;e, make an improvement of them, joyn thy &s;elf to them in a more &s;pecial manner; labour to get &s;omewhat from them, this is a &s;pecial help to growth in Grace. And for knowledge of your relative State, lay together your experiences you have had of God; beg his Spirit to &s;hine upon them, el&s;e you will &s;ee nothing but by his light; but a word or two more to this afterward. Thus much for the General Exhorta|tion.</P>
<P>I have a double Exhortation, which is more particular: and then a word of Comfort, and &s;o &s;hut up all. For the particu|lar Exhortation.</P>
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Fir&s;t then, Be &s;ure that we grow according to our mea&s;ure; <HI>For every part hath a mea&s;ure according to the effectual working,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 16.</NOTE> <HI>in the mea&s;ure of every part.</HI> I doubt many of us that &s;hould be as the eye to the body, have much le&s;s light in us then other parts of the body; and &s;uch as &s;hould be as the arm and hands to work, alas, are like little fingers for growth, come on poorly: How &s;hould Magi&s;trates grow, and Mini&s;ters grow, and &s;uch as bear an Office in the body of Chri&s;t? they &s;hould be much more grown, their Faith &s;hould be much more &s;trong then other mens, becau&s;e they have greater works lying upon them then <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 15. 5.</NOTE> other men; and who is their &s;ufficiency, but Je&s;us Chri&s;t? and how is he &s;trong to any of us, but according to the mea&s;ure of Faith? If <HI>Paul</HI> had not had a &s;trong Faith, he had never done the works of his condition with &s;uch unwearied pains; no, nor <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> nor <HI>Jo&s;hua; Faith it works by Love:</HI> a weak Faith can do little, and is not this the rea&s;on that &s;ome of us in the&s;e em|ployments, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 5. 6.</NOTE> alas, act &s;o poorly for Chri&s;t? our faith is weak, and &s;o our knowledge is weak: few <HI>Apolloes</HI> mighty in the Scri|ptures, able to convince gain-&s;ayers, therefore the Apo&s;tle exhorts young <HI>Timothy to give attendence, do his diligence in read|ing as well as in Exhortation; give thy &s;elf wholly to the&s;e things, that thy profiting may appear to all men.</HI> As <HI>Jerom,</HI> I think, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 4. 15.</NOTE> &s;aid he did, <HI>di&s;cere &amp; docere,</HI> as he learned a le&s;&s;on, &s;o he taught it to them; there is a double &s;core then, upon which Mini&s;ters are to labour to grow. Fir&s;t, upon their own account, becau&s;e they have greater works to do, and greater temptations u&s;ually to grapple with, then others have; for the Devil is mo&s;t malicious again&s;t the Light-bearers, &s;uch as have the Torch in the hand to give light to others, <HI>Even the light of the know|ledge</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 4. 6.</NOTE> <HI>of the Glory of God in the face of Je&s;us:</HI> He knoweth they are labouring to pull down his Kingdom, and do you think he <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 7. 5.</NOTE> will not labour to pull them down, their &s;ouls down? O how his finger itches to be winnowing them, as he did the Di&s;ciples! <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 23. 31.</NOTE> he de&s;ires it, he begs it; as he did to mole&s;t <HI>Job,</HI> that Pillar of Religion in tho&s;e parts, &s;o he would buffet and exerci&s;e the poor Mini&s;ters of Je&s;us Chri&s;t: I know not what others have, but I am &s;ure &s;ome have their hands full, and their hearts full. O what need then to be men grown, and &s;trong in Faith, to re|&s;i&s;t &s;tedfa&s;t, of knowledge in his depths and devices! But this <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet 5. 9.</NOTE>
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is not all: Secondly, Becau&s;e the growth of others doth much depend-upon our growth: are they not as the bones to the body? when they grow no more, the body groweth no more: <HI>They are called Pillars in the hou&s;e of God;</HI> and what proportion the pil|lars <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 2. 9.</NOTE> bear to the hou&s;e, the bones bear to the body. No marvel, <HI>If Teachers be &s;uch as know not what they &s;ay, and whereof they affirm;</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith) <HI>That their hearers al&s;o be like tho&s;e &s;illy women, alway learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.</HI> O what need then had young <HI>Timothies</HI> to <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> Tim. 1. 7. 2 Tim. 2. 6.</NOTE> be &s;tir them&s;elves wholly to the&s;e things, becau&s;e alas, el&s;e they wil be able to &s;ay nothing either for &s;ub&s;tance or manner, that may be for the edification of the body. It is true, there are no new re|velations now: the Scriptures are able to make the man of God perfect to every good work: but how &s;hort do we fall in our under&s;tanding of them? it is matter of &s;adne&s;s, and would be more if our hearts were more &s;en&s;ible to con&s;ider, that for ought we know many are dwarfs, becau&s;e we are &s;o our &s;elves; Brethren, help us for your own &s;akes.</P>
<P>But there are others al&s;o that &s;hould be exhorted to look to their growth, that it be proportionable to the means of Grace you have, and do enjoy, according to your time of &s;tanding in the Church of Chri&s;t; how long ha&s;t thou been planted in the hou&s;e of the Lord? many years: you &s;hould be Fathers in <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and Mothers in <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> as <HI>Deborah</HI> was; and is it &s;o with you? Brethren, It is very &s;ad to con&s;ider, that &s;ome among us that have hoary heads, found in the wayes of righteou&s;ne&s;s, and have &s;o long been in that way, and yet are &s;o heavy, and &s;o dull, and &s;o ignorant, and &s;o little Faith and Heavenly-mindedne&s;s, that there are many Chri&s;tians that are but of ye&s;terday, out|&s;trip them in many things; is not this a &s;hame? therefore la|bour to an&s;wer your mercies, your experiences, your light and means you have enjoyed by your growth, for this is expected; a&s;&s;ure your &s;elves, there is not a Talent but &s;hall be accounted for; and if you peri&s;h not, yet you are not like to have a full reward, you will &s;uffer lo&s;s: for a Calf of the Stall to grow no fatter then another, that hath not &s;uch feeding, it will not be born: to be like <HI>Pharoahs</HI> lean kine, devouring all before us, and yet be never the fatter, but as poor, and lean, as if we had never lived under a lively &s;earching Mini&s;try, as you of this
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place for the mo&s;t part have done; a&s;&s;ure your &s;elves, Brethren, your guilt is very great; to be watered every moment, and yet be as dry, and hard, as if you had never &s;een when good had come.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Another particular Exhortation &s;hall be to help one another; Brethren, were we not wanting one to another in this re&s;pect, we &s;hould be a people much more &s;trong in the Grace which is in Je&s;us Chri&s;t. But alas, you will &s;ay, is this in our power to help one another to grow? all the &s;upply comes from Je&s;us Chri&s;t the Head; It is true, it doth &s;o principally, <HI>Phil. 1. 19. Joh. 1. 16. 2 Cor.</HI> 3. 18. But he communicates by the medi|ation of in&s;truments, there is a &s;upply of every part, by that which every part &s;upplyeth, (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) as you &s;ee the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 16.</NOTE> &s;pirits conveighed from the head to the lowe&s;t parts, it is by mediation of the other parts between the head and the foot; before it cometh thither, it pa&s;&s;eth through &s;ome others. I know the Lord Je&s;us is not bound up to any in&s;truments, he can teach by his own Spirit, yea, and always doth, &s;ometimes without means, &s;ometimes breathing in the means, and this is mo&s;t ordinary; and therefore &s;omething we mu&s;t look to it, that we &s;upply every one of us; you have heard it is the end of all Chri&s;tian Society to build up one another, and it is the end wherefore the Lord intru&s;teth us with &s;uch Talents, to lay them out for the good of others, whereby our own Talents grow in the u&s;ing, and we are in&s;truments in the hand of God, to improve others; hath the Lord then: revealed him&s;elf to thee? thou wa&s;t in an horrible pit, where there was no &s;tand|ing; thou &s;unke&s;t yet lower and lower: hath the Lord &s;et thy feet upon the Rock? what then, wilt thou keep this alway to thy &s;elf, when called to &s;peak of it? mind you, Chri&s;t and <HI>Da|vid,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 40. 3.</NOTE> they &s;peak of it, what God had done; <HI>And many &s;hall hear, and fear, and &s;hall tru&s;t in God:</HI> it encourageth them&punc; wherefore doth <HI>Paul</HI> &s;o often &s;peak what he had been, and he had obtained mercy? O that others that &s;hould come after, might believe, and never be di&s;couraged by their &s;ins, though never &s;o great. And &s;o the P&s;almi&s;t, <HI>Again, my &s;oul &s;hall make her boa&s;t in God, the humble &s;hall hear thereof, and be glad;</HI> this <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 34. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word">.</NOTE> poor man cried to the Lord, and he heard him. No &s;ooner did <HI>Andrew</HI> find the Me&s;&s;iah, but he tels <HI>Simon:</HI> O we have
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found the Me&s;&s;iah. And &s;o <HI>Philip</HI> &s;aith to <HI>Nathaniel:</HI> and the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 1. 44, 45.</NOTE> woman of <HI>Samaria,</HI> &s;he no &s;ooner had the knowledge of Chri&s;t, O &s;he was full, &s;he was big, until &s;he was delivered: <HI>O come, and &s;ee the man that told me all that ever I did: is not this the Chri&s;t?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh 4. 24.</NOTE> <HI>I would</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>that your hearts might be knit to|gether</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2. 1, 2.</NOTE> <HI>in love, and comforted, &amp;c. that to this end you &s;hould know what conflict I had for every one of you;</HI> wherefore are we delivered out of temptation, but to &s;et up way-marks? O take heed how you come there, warn others that they come not neer &s;uch a temptation: when thou art converted, &s;treng|then thy Brethren: and therefore comforted, that we might <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luke 22. 32.</NOTE> comfort others; and therefore indued with knowledge, that we might feed many. Now truly Brethren, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith of the &s;olemn meeting, &s;o I may &s;ay of the occa&s;ional meetings together; it is not for the better many times, but for the wor&s;e; and how a &s;ad a thing is this? when Saints &s;hall meet together, to have &s;o &s;weet an opportunity of &s;tirring up one another to love, to good works, that either we &s;hall &s;pend the time in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5. 4.</NOTE> fooli&s;h talking, and je&s;ting, and loo&s;ene&s;s, and loo&s;ene&s;s of Spi|rit: I tell you, Brethren, ob&s;erve it, you little know what hurt you do your own &s;ouls by this lightne&s;s, nor what hurt you do to others: do you never reflect in the evening, what you have been doing, what company you have been in, what you have done, what you have gotten? methinks it &s;hould make our&punc; hearts ake, to con&s;ider this day, through the lightne&s;s and frothine&s;s of my Spirit, I have not only &s;inned my &s;elf, but drawn others to it: this is not to grow, nor to help, but hinder one another. Or el&s;e we are di&s;cour&s;ing of the world, of this and that bargain; or el&s;e raking into the infirmities of others, and plea&s;ing our &s;elves with that, &s;pecially of tho&s;e: that are not altogether of our minds, whereby our &s;pirits are imbittered, not to &s;tir up one another to bowels and com|pa&s;&s;ions to them. How many &s;uch opportunities doth the Lord put into our hands, and we have no heart to them? &s;hall I beg of you, and of the Lord this day, that there might be a labouring either to do, or receive &s;ome good: O think every moment ill &s;pent in the Fellow&s;hip of the people of God, that is not thus improved; and indeed if our hearts and mouths be not &s;et a work thus, they will be working upon &s;omewhat which is
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wor&s;e, to the grieving and wounding of our &s;pirits, and grieving Gods Spirit: Thus much for this Exhortation al&s;o.</P>
<P>The la&s;t <HI>&V;&s;e</HI> then, &s;hall be a word of comfort to every poor believing &s;oul, that it may be, from what hath been &s;aid, may be di&s;couraged. If it be thus, that &s;uch as upon whom the Lord Je&s;us is ari&s;en, they are in &s;uch a growing condition, then what &s;hall I think of my &s;elf? alas, I am weak, am very feeble, am at a &s;tand, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> For an&s;wer, I &s;hall &s;ay a few things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, There are &s;everal &s;tates and &s;tatures in Chri&s;t, there are babes in Chri&s;t, and &s;uch as have need of milk, and not &s;trong meat; as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>ye have need of milk: I could not</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 2. 13, 14.</NOTE> <HI>&s;peak to you as to &s;piritual, but as to carnal, as to babes in Chri&s;t;</HI> that is to &s;ay, &s;uch in whom the fle&s;h was very &s;trong and pre|vailing; <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 3.</NOTE> So the Apo&s;tle <HI>John</HI> writeth to all the Saints under three &s;tates, &s;ome were babes, &s;ome young men, in their &s;trength and vigour, &s;ome old men, Fathers of grown experience in the waies of Chri&s;t; Fathers in <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and Mothers in <HI>I&s;rael;</HI> &s;ome are but ju&s;t entred into the School of Chri&s;t, &s;ome are of a middle form, &s;ome of the highe&s;t, &s;ome are but gotten within the door of the hou&s;e of God, and happy it is for them that are but once within, for then they &s;hall go further and further: Others are gone further, into the inner Chambers, and are acquainted with the Lord Je&s;us in the mo&s;t inward manner; What then, wilt thou conclude, that becau&s;e thou art not a man the fir&s;t day, or pre|&s;ently, therefore thou art no child of grace? No, &s;uppo&s;e thou art but a child, and weak, and every temptation over-turns thee, draweth thee a&s;ide, yet remember thou art a child: though thou be not a &s;trong deeply rooted <HI>Cedar,</HI> yet thou art planted it may be lately: though yet for the time we might be men <HI>spiritual, perfect,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, to bear the wi&s;dom of God in a my&s;terie, and yet are babes; it is matter of humiliation, but not of de&s;pair.</P>
<P>Secondly, Another is this, that the people of God, though they are in a growing condition, yet it is not &s;o to be under&s;tood, as that every moment they grow, they have their declining fits; trees and plants, you know, have their Winters, and children have their &s;ickne&s;&s;es and fits, when they are at a &s;tand, though afterward haply they &s;hoot out &s;o much the more for it; and &s;o many times the people of God do, they are under a di&s;temper
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for a while, and decline, and a man would think they were even withering and dying, but it reviveth again; many times grace in the hearts of the children of God, through corruption, are like the light of a candle ready to go out, even in the &s;ocket, but yet afterwards they are &s;tirred up, they trim up their Lamps, &s;hine more clearly and &s;weetly then before: I &s;ay, do not con|clude therefore thou art no child of God, becau&s;e it is not alto|gether with thee as it hath been: thou ha&s;t found thy heart much more large toward God, much more tender, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Brethren, we may lo&s;e our fir&s;t love, and grow cold and dead, yea and it is po&s;|&s;ible <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2. 4.</NOTE> for a child of God to dye under &s;uch a condition, and yet not mi&s;carry in the main, though it is not &s;o comfortable for him, nor &s;o honourable for God; therefore take heed of concluding your &s;tate by what you feel at pre&s;ent; it may be &s;ome tempta|tion hath prevailed, &s;ome di&s;temper is upon thee, therefore thou mu&s;t heal that, get that removed, and thou &s;halt &s;ee thou wilt grow.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Even then thou may&s;t be growing in the root, for there mu&s;t be a time for that, Brethren: when we are lea&s;t in our &s;elves, and &s;ee we are nothing, can do nothing, &s;pecially being &s;en&s;ible of it: O how this humbles us! we are no lo&s;ers by this, our roots cannot be too much &s;pread, nor the foundation too much &s;trengthened; this driveth us the more to Chri&s;t, maketh us the more &s;eriou&s;ly inqui&s;itive after our &s;tate, to be &s;ure to look to our grounding and e&s;tabli&s;hing upon him, and this will fit us for further growth.</P>
<P>Fourthly, In the next place know this, that even then, when there is nothing appearing, thou thinke&s;t thou art nothing, ha&s;t nothing, all &s;eems to be withered, no fruit appears, even then the Lord &s;eeth the root in the ground: though wee &s;ee it not, he takes notice of it, and is plea&s;ed with it; though <HI>Jobs</HI> friends think he was a withered branch, cut off from Communion with God, yet he had the root of the matter within him: come into a garden in the &s;ummer, how plea&s;ant and how glorious it is furni&s;hed with all variety of plants and flowers; in the winter there is nothing appeareth, they are under ground; but now the Gardener, he knoweth what roots he hath there, though they appear not, and he can tell you what plants he &s;hall have &s;pring|ing up in the &s;pring, and he is choice and tender of the places
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where they grow, as if they did appear and put forth; the Lord knoweth, if there be but the root of the matter in thee, if never &s;o &s;mall, if right, he knoweth it, and he knoweth the thoughts afar off, long before we think them, he knoweth our works afar off, <HI>I know</HI> Abraham, <HI>he will command his hou&s;e after him, to keep</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 39. 2. Gen. 18. 19.</NOTE> <HI>my Commandments;</HI> the Lord knoweth what &s;inners would be if they lived, and therefore many times cuts them off; and he knoweth what his people would be and will be, though for the pre&s;ent under a temptation, under a cloud, and &s;eem to be all withered and dryed up. Is this nothing? Brethren, he knoweth what root, what &s;eed he hath &s;own in the heart, and that it will put forth; Say not then, &s;urely thou art not regarded of God, becau&s;e thou do&s;t not appear to thy &s;elf to grow at every mo|ment.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Alas, but you will &s;ay, if I did come on thus and thus, as &s;uch an one doth, it were &s;omething like. I an&s;wer, it is good to follow the pattern of fruitful and growing-Chri&s;tians; but what if God will not give thee that mea&s;ure that he giveth ano|ther? What if thou be but as a little finger in the body, and &s;uch an one is as an arm? can&s;t thou expect then to grow as much as &s;uch an one? is not he wi&s;e, and knoweth be&s;t what mea&s;ure is good for us? Secondly, For that thy de&s;ires are yet higher then thy growth, it is good for thee, de&s;ire growth as much as thou wilt; and I could wi&s;h your de&s;ires were more earne&s;t, for then your endeavours would be more an&s;werable then they are; but if thy de&s;ires be in good earne&s;t, and thou make&s;t it thy work to grow and come on, and yet can&s;t not reach thy de&s;ires; &s;hould this di&s;courage? No; thou &s;hould&s;t be encouraged, and ble&s;s the Lord that thy de&s;ires are kept up after more and more; that you &s;ay not <HI>&s;ufficit,</HI> for this is the way appointed of God for growth, that &s;till the de&s;ires of his people &s;hould be upper|mo&s;t; and for my own part, I think there is not a better &s;ign of a growing, then an eager &s;tomack, except it be a di&s;ea&s;e, which can hardly be in &s;pirituals, though a man may de&s;ire al&s;o to hear more then he dige&s;ts. See, the Church was following Chri&s;t, and yet &s;aith &s;he, <HI>Draw me, I will run;</HI> We go after thee, but we <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cant. 1. 4.</NOTE> would run.</P>
<P>Sixthly, Growth is not &s;en&s;ible, is not vi&s;ible until afterward; that degree which is in the motion is not perceived until after|ward:
<PB N="646" REF="390">
you &s;ee trees, and plants, and children, they have grown, but if you &s;it by them, &s;et your eyes upon them to &s;ee them grow, and cannot di&s;cern it, and &s;hould complain, alas, they grow not; would you not bewray much weakne&s;s? So it is in this ca&s;e: A Merchant, it is true, ca&s;ts up his daily accounts, what cometh in, what goeth out, but he doth take the &s;tate of his condition but now and then: So &s;hould we, though daily we examine our &s;elves, how we gain or lo&s;e, &s;uch a day, in all pa&s;|&s;ages; yet to examine the &s;tate of our growth in the general every day, is to little purpo&s;e, as I told you before; <HI>the Kingdom of God cometh not with ob&s;ervation; both the Kingdom of God in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 110. Ho&s;. 14. Mar. 4. 27.</NOTE> <HI>the admini&s;tration of it groweth in&s;en&s;ibly, as the falling of the dew from the womb of the morning; thou ha&s;t the dew of thy youth, and God will be as the dew to I&s;rael.</HI> So the &s;eed &s;own, is &s;aid to grow while he that &s;owed it &s;leepeth, he knoweth not how; it is vain to ob&s;erve it while it is growing, but afterward it will ap|pear.</P>
<P>Seventhly, Though it may be thou grow not in affections &s;o much as thou thinke&s;t, thou mai&s;t grow notwith&s;tanding in the under&s;tanding, and in the will, in the main part of the &s;oul; for the pa&s;&s;ions indeed, they are the lowe&s;t part, and yet we are apt to place mo&s;t in them. O if we can be but &s;o and &s;o affected <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> a rapture of joy, a melting into tears, it may be with many of us, is more then a &s;weet yielding Spirit to the will of Je&s;us Chri&s;t; this is a great mi&s;take. It may be heretofore, when the matter was new to thee, thou wa&s;t more affected with it pa&s;&s;ionately then now thou art; as you &s;ee new things do affect our nature mo&s;t, which, as &s;ome well ob&s;erve, is the rea&s;on wherefore chil|dren are taken and affected with every thing at the fir&s;t, becau&s;e every thing is new to them, which men are not, except with things which are &s;o to them. Be&s;ide, as the blood groweth cold|er in old age, and the &s;pirits are not &s;o agile, there cannot be ex|pected that vigour of affection in old per&s;ons, and weak, and &s;ick per&s;ons, as in young&punc; per&s;ons, this is the ca&s;e. Be&s;ides, the&s;e pa&s;&s;ions they are wonderful uncon&s;tant, and there is no judge|ment by them at all, they do &s;o &s;trangely ebb and flow; &s;ome mens natures are more pa&s;&s;ionate, apt to grieve, to be affected with every little thing, and there a little matter will &s;et their pa&s;&s;ions afloat; others are more &s;tock-like, it is much that
<PB N="647" REF="390">
moveth their affection: Now a little thing will not move them. But &s;uppo&s;e that thou do&s;t not grow in the&s;e &s;o much, how is thy under&s;tanding? do&s;t thou grow there, abound in the know|ledge of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t? before thou wa&s;t empty, knew|e&s;t very little; now thou ha&s;t a Trea&s;ury of knowledge, and thou goe&s;t on herein: do we grow in our judgements, Bre|thren? do&s;t thou not value Chri&s;t and grace at a higher rate then before, counting all things dro&s;s in compari&s;on of him? do&s;t thou not cleave to the Lord with more full and &s;trong purpo&s;e of heart then before? this is growth indeed to the purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>Eighthly, If thou grow not in bigne&s;s, do&s;t thou grow in &s;weetne&s;s? this is growth Brethren. At fir&s;t, Chri&s;tians run up <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 8. 2&punc;</NOTE> to a great height, a pace they grow in knowledge, but afterwards they grow in the &s;anctifiedne&s;s of that knowledge: Alas, when they know much, they know little as they ought: Now thou come&s;t to know it as thou oughte&s;t, &s;o as to humble thee, &s;o as to endear thee to Chri&s;t more: Now thou art more peaceable, more apt to forgive, le&s;s cen&s;orious, ha&s;t not &s;o much of that dividing &s;pirit that formerly thou had&s;t: do&s;t thou grow, I &s;ay, in &s;weetne&s;s therefore, if thou grow &s;o? &s;o much in heat? this is the fatne&s;s and the &s;weetne&s;s of the growth, and there is great comfort in this.</P>
<P>Ninthly, In the la&s;t place, as <HI>David</HI> &s;aid of the Covenant of God, and his family, <HI>though he make it not to grow,</HI> yet &s;aith he, <HI>this is all my hope, and all my &s;alvation;</HI> yet he tru&s;ted in him. <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Sam. 23. 5.</NOTE> It is God that maketh it to grow (Brethren) and he is free, and rich in his influences; and what if he make it not to grow for a time? what then? wilt thou que&s;tion all his work in thee? No, no, but rather labour to believe it away: Here are many pro|mi&s;es, tru&s;t in him, though he make it not to grow; hang upon him &s;till for this growth, and if he &s;till make it not to grow, yet &s;till make this thy &s;alvation, his Covenant: if he &s;ee not &s;uch a mea&s;ure fit for thee, be humbled for what thou finde&s;t to be the ob&s;truction, but ca&s;t not away thy confidence, though he make it not to grow: and thus much for this.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="work">
<PB REF="391">
<PB N="649" REF="391">
<HEAD>Chri&s;t his Willingne&s;s to accept Humbled Sinners.</HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<EPIGRAPH>
<BIBL><HI>John</HI> 6. 37.</BIBL>
<Q>&mdash;and he that cometh unto me, I will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t out.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_IN this Chapter, after the Miracle of the five hundred men fed with five loaves and two fi&s;hes, <HI>ver. 9, 10, &amp;c.</HI> which was no &s;mall Miracle indeed, and argued devine power, to multiply &s;o &s;mall a quantity into a &s;ufficiency for &s;o many hungry bellies; and here, if ever was made good that, <HI>that man liveth not by bread alone, but by the Word of God;</HI> and &s;o it is, when he hath never &s;o much; much more where he hath but little and incon|&s;iderable, hath but Pul&s;e in&s;tead of dainty fare, a cru&s;e of oyl, a little meal; I &s;ay, after this Miracle, our Saviour had woon &s;o far upon their affections, if not their under&s;tandings, though ve|ry carnal; they concluded this was that Prophet which they ex|pected, <HI>ver.</HI> 14. that is to &s;ay, a &s;pecial Prophet, be&s;ide <HI>John</HI> the Bapti&s;t, or <HI>Elias,</HI> as they thought he &s;hould come again, be born again, mi&s;under&s;tanding that place in <HI>Mal.</HI> 4. and be&s;ide,
<PB N="650" REF="392">
Chri&s;t the Me&s;&s;iah, they expected another Prophet before him, as the Antients, <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t. Theoph. Cyril</HI> and <HI>Beza</HI> al&s;o conceive; and &s;eemeth very plain in that place of <HI>John, why do&s;t thou Bap|tize if thou neither be</HI> Elias, <HI>nor that Prophet, nor yet the Chri&s;t?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ich. 1. 21, 25.</NOTE> where he is di&s;tingui&s;hed from Chri&s;t, and yet me thinks here they were carried further in their apprehen&s;ions of Chri&s;t, then to take him for &s;uch a Prophet, for &s;aith the Text, <HI>Our Saviour</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 18. 15.</NOTE> <HI>&s;eeing that they would come and take him by violence to make him</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 3. 23.</NOTE> <HI>King, he withdrew him&s;elf into a Mount, ver.</HI> 15. therefore it &s;hould &s;eem they had &s;ome kind of fla&s;h that he was the Me&s;&s;iah, according to their carnal conceipt of the Me&s;&s;iah, that he &s;hould be a temporal King, and come in pomp, they would needs now make him King. Well, our Saviour now going to his Di&s;|ciples upon the Sea, and when he came into the &s;hip, it was forth|with a&s;hore; O how &s;weetly and &s;wiftly doth any work of Chri&s;t or for Chri&s;t go on when he him&s;elf is with us; the multi|tude they follow him, their bellies all this while were their in&s;tru|cters, their gods and their guides; <HI>ye follow me becau&s;e of the loaves,</HI> &s;aith our Saviour; and therefore he takes this occa&s;ion to &s;tir them up, <HI>to &s;eek for that food that peri&s;heth not;</HI> they were &s;en&s;ible of the hunger of their bellies, and were taken with his power to make &s;uch provi&s;ion for the body, even where there was no|thing in compari&s;on. O, but their poor &s;ouls were in a &s;tarving condition! and they were not &s;en&s;ible of this; and therefore our Saviour endeavours to rai&s;e their apprehen&s;ions &s;omewhat higher, &s;pending much of the Chapter afterwards, in &s;etting forth him&s;elf, the true, the &s;piritual Shew-bread, or bread of faces, if they had but &s;tomacks and appetites &s;uitable to the nece&s;&s;ities of their poor peri&s;hing &s;ouls. But alas, <HI>they had not a&s;ee|ing eye, nor a hearing ear, nor a believing heart;</HI> when they heard of <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 2. 9.</NOTE> bread, <HI>of which, if they did eat, they &s;hould never hunger; Lord give us this bread,</HI> &s;aid they, but they knew not well what they &s;aid; for alas, this bread was tendered to them, but they had no mind to it; as the fountain of water was near to <HI>Hagar,</HI> but &s;he &s;aw <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 21. 15.</NOTE> it not; &s;o the bread of life was now offering him&s;elf to them, but they knew it not, and therefore our Saviour reproveth them, <HI>you al&s;o,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>have &s;een me, and yet believe not; this bread is &s;piritual, I am the bread, but &s;piritually under&s;tood, for it is the Spirit that quickeneth, but the fle&s;h profiteth nothing,</HI> (&s;aith he)
<PB N="651" REF="392">
even to his own Di&s;ciples, who were already &s;tumbled at this Sermon of his, concerning eating his fle&s;h and drinking his blood; but (&s;aith our Saviour) <HI>ye believe not;</HI> that is to &s;ay, ye will not take of this bread, eat of it, receive and apply the benefit of my death, and re&s;urrection, and a&s;cention, and inter|ce&s;&s;ion, and all I under&s;tand by this bread in a &s;piritual &s;en&s;e, whereby the &s;oul is nouri&s;hed to eternal life, and this was a &s;ad &s;ymptom unto them, that they were not belonging to Gods purpo&s;e of grace, they had little ground to conclude it as yet; for our Saviour &s;aith, <HI>all that the Father hath given me &s;hall come;</HI> as yet ye believe not, ye have not come to me with hungry &s;ouls, though you have followed me with hungry bellies for the loaves; but if you belong to the election, if you be of tho&s;e the Father hath given to me from eternity, you &s;hall come, <HI>and him that cometh unto me, I will in no wi&s;e,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>And him that cometh unto me;</HI> the copulative and, &s;peaks as great a latitude of the &s;ubjects &s;poken of, as you have in the former part of the ver&s;e, <HI>All that the Father hath given &s;hall come;</HI> So the Greeks u&s;e the Neuter-gender, to expre&s;s uni|ver&s;ality, though they &s;peak of per&s;ons, <HI>all that are given &s;hall come, and he that cometh being given of his Father;</HI> for indeed, there are none el&s;e that do come to the Son, but &s;uch; <HI>ye believe not,</HI> &s;aith he, <HI>but all that the Father hath given &s;hall come; if you be not of that number, ye may never come to me:</HI> and then, <HI>who|&s;oever cometh unto me, I will in no wi&s;e ea&s;t him out.</HI></P>
<P>Our Saviour, in the&s;e words, hath given us to under&s;tand what welcome, what entertainment we &s;hall be &s;ure to have with him, if we come to him; he will not ca&s;t out any &s;uch &s;oul. So that at once he hath &s;topt the mouths, or prevented and cut off the occa&s;ion of many doubtings, whereby Satan and a mans own heart are very bu&s;ie to block up our way to Chri&s;t, that we &s;hould not come. O; I know not what &s;ucce&s;s I &s;hall have if I go to him, I may haply be refu&s;ed; and it is as good &s;it &s;till, as ri&s;e and fall (we u&s;e to &s;ay) thus we are apt to be an&s;wering our &s;elves, before we come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Now our Saviour, to cut off all &s;uch excu&s;es as the&s;e, and to embolden us, and encourage us, hath made this free, this general, this po&s;itive declaration of his willingne&s;s to receive us if we come to him, he will not in any wi&s;e ca&s;t out any &s;oul.</P>
<P><PB N="652" REF="393">
The words will not need any divi&s;ion, and therefore we &s;hall, before we &s;peak any further to them, make the ob&s;ervation, which is this;</P>
<P><HI>The Lord Je&s;us will not ca&s;t out any poor &s;oul that cometh to him;</HI> there is no more change of them, then what nece&s;&s;ity re|quireth: he &s;peaking of him&s;elf, u&s;eth the fir&s;t per&s;on; we &s;peaking of him mu&s;t u&s;e the third; and this variation is no|thing.</P>
<P>This note I &s;hall endeavour to explain, prove, confirm and apply to us all.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, for the opening of the Doctrine; Fir&s;t, what is meant by coming unto Je&s;us Chri&s;t. And &s;econdly, what is meant by ca&s;ting out; which he promi&s;eth he will not do, if any man come unto him.</P>
<P>For the fir&s;t then, what it is to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, not to &s;peak of that which is nece&s;&s;arily pre&s;uppo&s;ed, that we are all of us by nature far off from Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and &s;trangers from <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2. 13.</NOTE> the life of God and Covenant of promi&s;es, enemies to God and to Chri&s;t, and to our own &s;alvation; we are mi&s;erable, and are content to be &s;o, would be &s;o; but that I &s;hall leave building upon it as a thing granted by all, that it is &s;o with us by nature, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 148. 14.</NOTE> every mothers child; yea, however we may &s;eem to be near, and have an outward nearne&s;s, as the Jews were &s;aid to be his <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 28.</NOTE> people, near the Kingdom of God: So it may be with us at the pre&s;ent; that is to &s;ay, the Lord opens heaven, and lets down the white &s;heet of the Go&s;pel to us, wherein we have all varieties of heaven in our Lord Je&s;us; and the voice is, <HI>ari&s;e and eat, come and eat, and drink and live;</HI> but alas, our hearts are &s;o far from it, that we turn our backs upon it; and thus its with every one of us, untill the Lord proceeds further with us: therefore in the</P>
<P>Fir&s;t place, Brethren, to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t in the order of nature, doth immediately pre&s;uppo&s;e a hearing and learning of God: in time haply they may agree: and this I &s;peak of, becau&s;e I neither my &s;elf would give you an effect, without &s;hewing you the dependance upon its cau&s;e, le&s;t &s;ome might fa&s;ten it up|on a fal&s;e root, a fal&s;e cau&s;e, and &s;o put a fallacy upon them|&s;elves; this you have plainly in the 45. ver. of this Chapter, <HI>Who&s;oever therefore hath heard and learned of the Father, cometh
<PB N="653" REF="393">
unto me;</HI> where, note the difference of the ten&s;e or time in the Text, <HI>who&s;oever hath heard and learned doth come, and therefore he cometh, becau&s;e he hath heard and learned;</HI> this is Gods teach|ing and mans learning; <HI>they &s;hall be all taught of God:</HI> all! who? all that are in the womb of Gods purpo&s;e, all that he will bring in to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as he hath given to Je&s;us Chri&s;t: Not &s;imply all men, for we &s;ee by daily experiences contrary, how many dye and never hear of Chri&s;t: how many that hear of him, that never learn any thing at all, and &s;o do not come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t: yea, how many that &s;eem to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and make a profe&s;&s;ion, and yet depart from him, are left to their own hearts to depart (which is a kind of ca&s;ting out) as tho&s;e Di&s;ciples afterward, many of them went backward, be|ing offended at our Saviours &s;peech, <HI>concerning eating his fle&s;h, and drinking his blood, and never walked with him any more;</HI> therefore by the way note it, a man may be a Di&s;ciple that ne|ver learned, was never taught of God; for all that are thus taught of God, and learn, they do come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; and they that &s;o come to Chri&s;t, he &s;aith, <HI>he will never ca&s;t them out,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 54. 13. Ier. 31. 33.</NOTE> as we &s;hall &s;ee more afterward. Well, but this hearing and learning of the Father, is as much as being taught of God, which in order goeth before the conver&s;ion of a &s;inner, or his coming to Chri&s;t, whatever it be in time; and if this Scripture would prove the needle&s;ne&s;s of Ordinances now to grown Be|lievers, it would prove it as well to new Converts, for the&s;e are taught of God as well as grown Believers, or el&s;e they could never come to Chri&s;t; and if they be not nece&s;&s;ary, neither for the one nor for the other, to what end did the mo&s;t wi&s;e Governor of the world and of the Church appoint them for? nothing? but that by the by. I &s;ay, this is as much as being taught of God, as the Evangeli&s;t &s;heweth in the 45. ver&s;e, bringing that Prophecy, <HI>they &s;hall be all taught of God;</HI> and making this inference from it, <HI>who&s;oever therefore heareth and learneth of the Father cometh unto me:</HI> Again, this being taught of God, it is nothing el&s;e but the drawing of the Father, as you have it in the 44. ver&s;e, <HI>no man cometh unto me, except the Father which hath &s;ent me draw him;</HI> it is written in the Prophets, <HI>they &s;hall be all taught of God;</HI> therefore I conceive that this hearing and learning may be under&s;tood thus.</P>
<P><PB N="654" REF="394">
Fir&s;t, By hearing, I under&s;tand the u&s;ual means of &s;alvation, and working of Faith, and that is the Word of Chri&s;t, the Go&s;pel of Salvation. <HI>How can they believe in him of whom they</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10. 14.</NOTE> <HI>have not heard?</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>And Faith cometh by hearing,</HI> and therefore it is called the word of Faith, <HI>and therein the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God is revealed from Faith to Faith</HI> there|by: wherein? even in the Go&s;pel preached, of which the Apo&s;tle was not a&s;hamed: by the preaching thereof poor <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 1. 17.</NOTE> creatures were brought to believe in the Lord Je&s;us: and &s;o the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t was revealed therein to them, and conveighed to them by Faith. I know not what cour&s;e the Lord holds with the Heathen, to whom the Go&s;pel is not preach|ed by men like them&s;elves, nor hath the Lord given us a po&s;itive account of his dealing with them, and therefore I meddle not with it; but this is the ordinary way of Gods working of Faith in them who come to be capable of hearing the Word, and under&s;tanding of it; therefore u&s;ually, if God intend to bring <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh 12. 32. The brazen Serpent lifted up. Num. 21. 6.</NOTE> on &s;uch a &s;oul, or &s;uch a &s;oul, he will bring them under the Word, either to dwell under it, or the Word accidentally to be among them. It is ob&s;ervable, that in <HI>Pauls</HI> conver&s;ion, only he him&s;elf heard the voice of him that talked with him, not the men that were with him, becau&s;e God intended this vi&s;ion for <HI>Paul,</HI> and not for them; they are &s;aid in another place, to hear a voice, but not the voice of God, but the voice of <HI>Paul,</HI> and wondered to hear him &s;peak, and heard no body &s;peaking to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 9. 7. &amp; chap. 22. 9.</NOTE> him: hearing then of God, is hearing him &s;peak in his Word, for it is he that &s;peaks therein.</P>
<P>Secondly, By the hearing may al&s;o be under&s;tood yet further, &s;ome whi&s;perings and motions, and &s;ecret workings of his Spirit, which many a man hath many times in hearing of the Word; the Spirit pa&s;&s;eth by, and breatheth in the Word upon one &s;oul, and upon another, putting on the &s;oul to fa&s;ten upon &s;uch a a truth, or &s;uch a truth, as &s;weet and precious; inwardly &s;peaking to their under&s;tandings, that they are &s;ure the men concerned in &s;uch a threatning, in &s;uch a promi&s;e; and this is a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 6. 3.</NOTE> part of Gods &s;triving by his Spirit with rebellious &s;inners that do not believe nor obey. Now this is a more inward hearing then the former; &s;ome &s;it under the &s;ame Sermon, and the Sword of the Spirit maketh no more entrance upon them, then
<PB N="655" REF="394">
upon a brazen wall; and it mu&s;t be a &s;harp &s;word indeed, that mu&s;t divide an heart of &s;tone: many a blow is laid at a &s;turdy Oak, an old grown &s;inner, before his heart beginneth &s;o much as to &s;hake: and this is the &s;econd.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Then for the learning, which is the main thing, which goeth before the coming to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; this I take to to be when the Lord not only by his Me&s;&s;engers maketh his word plain before us, lays it to our Con&s;ciences, as the Ax to the root of the Tree, but when he opens our under&s;tandings, plucks open our eyes to behold the light, teacheth us indeed; he teacheth a poor &s;oul in &s;pecial the&s;e two or three things.</P>
<P>1. That he is lo&s;t, a &s;on of perdition for ought he know|eth: many a poor Creature in the Ship, like <HI>Jonas,</HI> though ready to &s;ink; he was a&s;leep, if the Ship had &s;unk, it had been all one to him; they come and awake him up, thou &s;leeper, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 14.</NOTE> do&s;t thou not &s;ee thou art &s;inking, thou art dying, thou art pe|ri&s;hing? &s;o the Spirit of the Lord Je&s;us takes a poor, &s;leepy, dead &s;inner by the under&s;tanding, tels him, thou art the man condemned, wrath abideth upon thee particularly; what do&s;t thou mean? wilt thou have the flames of hell about thy ears, before thou wilt &s;tir a foot? what, wilt thou bring the blood of Je&s;us upon thy head? thus the Spirit cometh, and &s;haketh a poor &s;oul out of his &s;leep in &s;in, he never dreamed what his condition was before; this is the Spirits convincing a man of &s;in, &s;etteth his &s;ins in order before him, &s;etteth a man upon the &s;earch into his condition, then repre&s;ents all his &s;ins in their bloody guilt and condemning nature: every one of them with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 16. 10.</NOTE> a mouth like hell, ready to &s;wallow him up: this is a part of the cords of a mans convictions.</P>
<P>2. It teacheth him yet further, now no longer to lie &s;ecurely in that condition: if he continue here, he mu&s;t peri&s;h: there|fore now he beginneth to look about him: O what &s;hall I do? to whom &s;hall I turn my &s;elf? is there no hope of pardon, no mercy for me? <HI>O what &s;hall we do</HI> (&s;aid they in <HI>Acts 2.) to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 2. 27.</NOTE> <HI>be &s;aved?</HI> if the Ship be &s;inking, now it is time to look about for a Plank, a Ma&s;t, &s;omething to lay hold upon, &s;omething to &s;top the leak; if now Brethren, granadoes be ca&s;t into the &s;oul, and be broken, and tearing all to pieces, the very flames of hell have caught hold upon &s;uch a poor creature, there is no
<PB N="656" REF="395">
delay; now the Spirit of the Lord working with a mans natural principle for &s;elf-pre&s;ervation, puts him on to enquire for &s;ome|what to quench it; now he beginneth to cry out, fire, fire, in his &s;oul; O he cannot hold it!</P>
<P>3. It teacheth yet further, and the poor &s;oul learneth this al&s;o effectually, that there is no help for him in the creature, neither in him&s;elf, nor in any other; if he take the quinte&s;cence of all his works, which we u&s;ually before have a high e&s;teem of, and temper them together, alas, they will not make a bal&s;om for this wound; now all the Spirits in all the Creatures in the world, if they could be extracted, I mean the comforts that might ari&s;e from the enjoyment of them, would not keep the poor langui&s;hing &s;oul from fainting and dying, waters of the fulle&s;t cup, let them overflow never &s;o much; if a man have rivers of plea&s;ures in the enjoyment of creature-comforts, ho|nours, relations, parts, learning, gifts, what&s;oever they be, alas, the poor creature is now taught, they will not quench this &s;park that is gotten into the con&s;cience; I mean, they will not allay the trouble of his &s;pirit, will not heal the wounds of his &s;pirit, &s;o that now he knoweth not what to do; the Hart, they &s;ay, if &s;mitten with an arrow, goeth to her herb to cau&s;e the arrow to fall out; and other creatures being poy&s;oned, &s;tung, &s;ick, di&s;temper|ed, run to their cure by a natural in&s;tinct; but now, when God hath &s;hot this arrow into a poor &s;oul, it wounds too deep, &s;ticks too fa&s;t for the teeth of any creature to pluck it out, or for the vertue of any creature; yea they are &s;o far from healing, that rather the con&s;ideration of them, are as oyl to the flame, to vex and wound &s;o much the more: well, this is much to be taught; he that learneth this effectually, and not in the notion only, goeth far; there are many convinced of their wounds, their bleeding, dying condition, but they imagine there is help to be had in &s;omething el&s;e: they run to a duty of their own, as if a day of fa&s;ting would make amends for all, run to this or that, unfaithful Shepherds that will daub and heal them deceitfully, get it skinned over a little, and &s;o the world will do it, building, and planting, and marrying, and drinking, and pa&s;times, the&s;e may skin over the wound, but it heals not; and mi&s;erable is the condition of poor creatures, &s;o deluded; but now they that are taught of God, and learn, they learn this
<PB N="657" REF="395">
effectually and practically, that there is nothing in the creature that can do it.</P>
<P>Fourthly, They learn this al&s;o, that though all the world be <NOTE PLACE="marg">Now the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">rds of Love.</NOTE> but as a cloud without rain, when the &s;oul is a fire, a Well with|out water, a broken Ci&s;tern that leaks out all, a Torrent, a Brook that is dried up, when the &s;oul is parched and burnt up with the &s;corching heat of the di&s;plea&s;ure of God. O when the Lord &s;etteth a &s;oul in his &s;ight, and looks upon him as a con&s;uming fire, with his eyes as a flaming fire, ready with a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iaa. 25. 4.</NOTE> &s;ight of him to devour him, and he cannot get out of his &s;ight. O now the world, all their comforts will not skreen them from his eyes: but what will? only the Lord Je&s;us, he can be a cooling &s;hadow, to &s;hadow us from this &s;corching heat, and this the Spi|rit <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 14. 8.</NOTE> of the Lord per&s;wadeth the &s;oul; we all of us will talk of it, O Je&s;us Chri&s;t is our help and hope, and look for &s;alvation in no other, but in him; it is grown now &s;o cu&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">omary a thing among us, that it is in every mans mouth; but to how few hath the Lord &s;poken this to our hearts that thus it is?</P>
<P>Fifthly, Again, another thing that we are taught of God, before we come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, is this: that he is willing to let out of his oyntments to heal: he is willing to expend that pre|cious balm of <HI>Gilead</HI> upon us, el&s;e the &s;oul will never come to him: it is that that keepeth off many a &s;oul a long time; the Spi|rit of the Lord per&s;wadeth the poor &s;oul, that though he hath <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 14. 4.</NOTE> been an enemy to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and grieved him, and torn his wounds, and rent his fle&s;h with horrid oaths and bla&s;phemies, trampled his blood under foot, have been never &s;o horrid a tran&s;gre&s;&s;or, yet he per&s;wadeth him that the Lord Je&s;us is wil|ling to receive &s;inners without exception, if they come to him. Suppo&s;e there was a Phy&s;itian, who&s;e skill were &s;o great, and his &s;tore of Medicines &s;o inexhau&s;tible, and &s;overaign, and his heart &s;o large, as that he proclaimeth to all, that who&s;oever is wounded, though never &s;o de&s;perately; who&s;oever is &s;ick un|to the death, one of the Stone, another of the Gout, another of the plague, I will cure you all; O then, if poor creatures did believe this, were per&s;waded of it, they would come, and not before; O &s;aith one, mine is a plague &s;ore, and it is pa&s;t cure; mine is an hereditary di&s;ea&s;e, &s;aith another, and &s;o far gone, I cannot be cured; they come not, and peri&s;h; O mine is &s;uch
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a di&s;ea&s;e; it will co&s;t more pains and charge then I think he will be willing to be at to cure, and therefore he cometh not to him, and &s;o peri&s;heth; ju&s;t &s;o it is in this ca&s;e, except the Lord do &s;ecretly in&s;inuate it into the &s;oul, how willingly the Lord Je|&s;us writ it upon his Spirit, and that the Lord Je&s;us is willing to re|ceive, to heal, to &s;ave the &s;oul that will not come to him; but thus much for the&s;e things, which in the order of nature go before a coming to Chri&s;t; now for the acts wherein it formally con&s;i&s;t.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, when the heart is thus made &s;en&s;ible of what is in him&s;elf working to death, and what is not in him&s;elf, nor in any other creature to &s;ave, then I &s;ay, there is from the teach|ing of the heart, how able and willing the Lord Je&s;us is, there ari&s;eth a de&s;ire in the &s;oul after the Je&s;us Chri&s;t; not as if this did flow or were produced by the former apprehen&s;ions of a mans own nece&s;&s;ities of Chri&s;t, and of the fulne&s;s in him, as a fountain, and the openne&s;s of the fountain, which is &s;ealed to none that come; for alas, one grace, though never &s;o habitual and deeply rooted, cannot produce another, no not faith it &s;elf produce love, but the Spirit which works faith, works love in our hearts al&s;o; much le&s;s then, can a conviction be the cau&s;e of a conviction, or a turning unto the Lord Je&s;us; but it is the Spirit of the Lord Je&s;us, when he hath &s;o opened the eyes of an <HI>Hagar</HI> to &s;ee the fountain opened that was near her before, but &s;he &s;aw it not; and let us &s;ee that our bottle is dryed up, and all other hopes in the creature peri&s;hed, then I &s;ay, the Spirit inclineth the Will to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; then he works &s;weetly, though &s;trongly, an inclination, a de&s;ire after him. It is not in the&s;e things as in nature, an ordinary providence con|curring with the actings of the creature, according to their ne|ce&s;&s;ities. When <HI>Hagar</HI> &s;aw the fountain, &s;he needs no further per&s;wa&s;ion to go unto it, her nece&s;&s;ity was a cord &s;trong enough to draw her, yea a weight, a &s;pring to carry her &s;wiftly to it; but alas, when we &s;ee the bottles dryed, &s;ee that the creatures &s;ay, <HI>it is not in us to be had:</HI> and &s;ee there is a fountain opened, yet &s;uch is the waywardne&s;s of our hearts, yea &s;uch the enmity in our hearts again&s;t the Lord Je&s;us, though the &s;treams of his love toward us were as &s;trong as death, that we will not yet come to him, we had rather &s;it down, as you &s;ee &s;ome &s;ullen creatures taken from their damms, will rather peri&s;h then re|ceive
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food at the hand of man, &s;uch an indi&s;po&s;ition and aver&s;|ne&s;s to man there is; and &s;o it is in this ca&s;e, except the Lord Je&s;us come in by another act of his Spirit, and bow the will, and make us de&s;irous of him&s;elf; O then, when this act of power is put forth, the &s;oul beginneth to long, to de&s;ire after Je&s;us Chri&s;t, O that I had him, O that I might but have a &s;ight <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 110. 3. Luk. 19. 4. P&s;al. 119. 20. Cant. 2. 5. P&s;al. 42. 2.</NOTE> of him; then there is getting upon the tree by a low <HI>Zacheus,</HI> then there is an a&s;cending in this Ordinance and that Ordi|nance, and everywhere the de&s;ire of the &s;oul is for Je&s;us Chri&s;t; this is a coming, for the affections are to the &s;oul as the feet to the body, that which carryeth the &s;oul in and out in all, to this object, or from that object; O then when &s;hall I come and appear before him!</P>
<P>Secondly, In this coming to Chri&s;t is included a pa&s;&s;ing all other &s;tands and re&s;ts on this &s;ide Je&s;us Chri&s;t; many a poor &s;oul cometh near to Chri&s;t, and to the Kingdom of God, and yet falls &s;hort of him; as an arrow not drawn up to the head, falls &s;hort of the mark, and there it &s;ticks where it fa&s;tens, goeth no further: So here, &s;ome upon their convictions, the di&s;cove|ry of their conditions, run to this Ordinance, to that; to this duty, to that; as things that of them&s;elves, as performances, &s;hould give re&s;t to them: and alas, they are but bottles them|&s;elves, if Chri&s;t be not in them, and there found to a &s;oul, and &s;ought by a &s;oul, they are dry and &s;aple&s;s; when many a rich man in hearing a Sermon, hath a qualm cometh over his heart, and he beginneth to be a little &s;ick of &s;in, which the Word hath lanced, and it &s;trikes to the heart; what doth he do? alas, he chears him&s;elf with this, Surely if I were &s;uch a &s;inner, God would not regard me, God would never have ble&s;&s;ed me as he hath done, therefore this is but a fooli&s;h melancholly fit: The drunkard and the wanton can eat, and drink, and &s;ing, and dance down twenty &s;uch pills as the&s;e; though they troubled them a little at the fir&s;t, they make a &s;hift to claw it off; The civil good-natured man, though he &s;ee and know him&s;elf to be a &s;inner, yet he is none of the wor&s;t, he doth much good in the place where he is; yea, he prayeth, and heareth, and keepeth Sabbaths, and thinks this &s;hall make amends for all, and &s;o walks in the &s;parks of his own kindling; but alas, the end of the&s;e things will not be re&s;t, <HI>for they &s;hall lie down in &s;orrow, and &s;hall</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 50. 1.</NOTE>
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<HI>have it from the hand of God too; &amp; then, who can re&s;i&s;t it when lift|ed up, or heal his blow when it is given?</HI> I tell you, Brethren, I doubt this is the grand impo&s;ture of mo&s;t of our hearts, for it can hard|ly be, but we mu&s;t &s;ometime or another be convinced our con|dition by nature is very &s;ad and forlorn, and men are not men, if they be not carried forth to &s;eek &s;ome cour&s;e-for their e&s;caping; and how few alas, reach the Lord Je&s;us? therefore we mn&s;t needs &s;tick &s;omewhere &s;hort of him. Ah, the Lord grant that none of us, who think upon more probable grounds then others, and others think &s;o of us too, that we are &s;uch as come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; that we &s;it not down in any thing on this &s;ide him, for if we do we peri&s;h: Therefore I &s;ay, the &s;oul that cometh to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, goeth out of all; alas, if he have never &s;o much of the world, profits, plea&s;ures at will, he is as rich as another, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. 13.</NOTE> and hath as much content in relations &s;uitable to his hearts as another, and it may be as much in praying, fa&s;ting, hearing, u&s;ing of the Ordinances, as another; and yet all this is nothing to him, &s;atisfieth him not, he cannot take up with it, they are but husks, they will not &s;atisfie, however they may fill.</P>
<P>Thirdly, There is a coming unto Je&s;us Chri&s;t, it is not a go|ing towards him, but a coming to him; this is builded much what upon the willingne&s;s of Je&s;us Chri&s;t to receive them; this de&s;ire after him, haply more fitly may be annexed to the power of Chri&s;t to &s;ave to the utmo&s;t. O when the &s;oul knoweth this, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 7. 25.</NOTE> O then that I had him, that I were in him; but now when the &s;oul cometh to under&s;tand, is per&s;waded he is willing to receive all that come: Well then, the Spirit quickning, per&s;wading; the &s;oul re&s;olves, I will venter upon him, I will go and ca&s;t my &s;elf upon him, and bear my &s;elf upon him, hang all my weight upon him; and this al&s;o he is taught of God, this is impre&s;t upon his Spi|rit, by the Spirit of the Lord Je&s;us, this is the drawing nigh, yea not nigh to him, but coming unto him; this is the touch of faith, if it be never &s;o &s;ecret, a touch of faith that others take no no|tice <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 14. 36.</NOTE> of; yea, that a poor &s;oul through the fears and troubles that are upon him, and earne&s;tne&s;s of Spirit to have all quieted and clean&s;ed, and done away forthwith, thinketh he doth not, he hath not touched the Lord Je&s;us, yet he may have touched him, and be come unto him, if he be carried out in his affections in|deed and in truth beyond all; count all as nothing, as dung and <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. 8, 9.</NOTE>
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dro&s;s; as an hungry man would prefer a piece of bread before much riches, he cannot eat nor drink gold nor &s;ilver; and &s;o it is here, &amp; he is re&s;olved upon it, that he will lie at the pool of <HI>Be|the&s;da,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 5. 3. P&s;al. 123. 2.</NOTE> <HI>his eyes &s;hall be up, and are up to him, he will hang on him, not let him go, except he &s;hake him off<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> into hell;</HI> O this is a &s;oul indeed that cometh to Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Fourthly, He cometh to him with words too, at lea&s;t heart-words, if not words of confe&s;&s;ion (I will wrap up <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 14. 1.</NOTE> the&s;e things as fa&s;t as I can, I doubt I &s;tay too long in the fir&s;t part) words of confe&s;&s;ion, and words of petition; of con|fe&s;&s;ion, &s;o the poor Prodigal, <HI>I have &s;inned again&s;t heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy Son.</HI> O I have <NOTE PLACE="marg">Lok. 15. 19.</NOTE> &s;inned from the womb, conceived in &s;in, born in iniquity, I have &s;inned before thee, not regarding thy all-&s;eeing eye, de&s;perately, again&s;t light, again&s;t knowledge, again&s;t mercy, again&s;t the blood of the Lord Je&s;us, again&s;t all that grace whereby thou ha&s;t waited upon me to be gracious, <HI>O I am no more worthby to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 18. 13.</NOTE> <HI>be called thy &s;un: O I am not worthy to lift up mine eye toward hea|ven,</HI> &s;aith the poor Publican, <HI>I am not worthy to come near to the Temple, to come among the company of the people of God;</HI> but &s;tands afar off, and there acknowledgeth his vilene&s;s. Ah, &s;o it is with many a poor &s;oul, he de&s;erveth not to be owned by the Lord, nor by any of his; if he fall upon me as a mill-&s;tone, to grind me to power, he doth me no wrong.</P>
<P>Secondly, With words of petition to him, that he would have mercy upon us, that he would pardon, and heal, and give him&s;elf to us indeed, that he would be our God; a &s;oul that is throughly &s;en&s;ible of his want of Chri&s;t, cryeth our after him; not with a &s;till li&s;tle&s;s de&s;ire, but the heart maketh a noi&s;e unto the Lord, O give me Chri&s;t or el&s;e I dye; Lord Je&s;us &s;ave <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 13. 1. Luk 8. 24.</NOTE> my poor &s;oul, el&s;e I peri&s;h; O &s;in is ready to &s;wallow me up; O the grave and hell are ready to &s;hut their mouths upon me, &s;ave me or el&s;e I peri&s;h, as they to Chri&s;t; the waves and bil|lows of thy di&s;plea&s;ure are the &s;haking and breaking of many poor &s;ouls. O what mone many times will a poor &s;oul that wants the Lord Je&s;us make to him, <HI>lead me to the rock that is higher then I:</HI> O how he &s;ucks the promi&s;es, and every argu|ment he can fetch out of them, he cometh with it, and laies it before the Lord, yea every letter of his name, <HI>the Lord, the
<PB N="662" REF="398">
Lord God, gracious and merciful,</HI> &amp;c. he pleadeth to the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 34. P&s;al. 35. 11.</NOTE> Lord, <HI>O thy name is great to the ends of the earth,</HI> therefore pardon me; O mine iniquity is great, therefore pardon; thy faithfulne&s;s, thy mercy, thy promi&s;e, thy dear Son, the highe&s;t pledge of thy love, that came to &s;ave &s;inners, the price is paid, the greate&s;t part is done already; all that a poor &s;oul can find, he will then make u&s;e of before the Lord: and indeed, the&s;e are the &s;weet breathings of faith, the&s;e are the near approaches of the &s;oul to Chri&s;t, this is to lay hold upon him, though the &s;oul feel little comfort for the pre&s;ent, yet this is a coming to Chri&s;t: So the Prodigal, <HI>O make me but as one of thine hyred &s;ervants.</HI></P>
<P>Fifthly and la&s;tly, it is a clo&s;ing with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as he is offered, not by the halves, <HI>Chri&s;t is not divided,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, his righteou&s;ne&s;s from his holine&s;s, nor his holine&s;s from his righteou&s;ne&s;s; therefore &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>as you have re|ceived Chri&s;t Je&s;us the Lord, &s;o walk in him:</HI> O here many are <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2. 6.</NOTE> deceived, they would have Chri&s;t, but they will not be his; what a &s;trange unrea&s;onable thing is this, they would have the benefit of having him to be their Father, and be heirs, but they will not be &s;ubject as children; they would have all the immu|nities, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 7. 23. Can. 2. 16.</NOTE> and priviledges, peace, and pro&s;perity of &s;oul under him as a King, but they will not &s;ubmit them&s;elves to him as King and Lord; they would have him for an husband, and yet will not obey. O this is not a coming to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, this is to &s;erve our &s;elves upon him; but the Lord Je&s;us will &s;earch this out, keep it as clo&s;e as we can from others, that they may think well of us, yea from our &s;elves al&s;o, through the juglings of our hearts, we cannot keep it from him, he knoweth where there is a &s;oul that takes the Lord Je&s;us without any re&s;erve and equivo|cation; <HI>Aug. Is non modo durus,</HI> was no good &s;ign of his condi|tion at that time, though afterward it was otherwi&s;e, for we find he acknowledgeth it, &amp; bewails it; the Lord grant that the doom of <HI>Ananias</HI> and <HI>Saphira</HI> reach not to many of our &s;ouls, for pretending to give up the whole to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and yet re&s;erve part to our &s;elves; yea, pretend to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and yet divide him. Well, you &s;ee Brethren, what this coming to Je|&s;us Chri&s;t is; it is not then every one that &s;aith, <HI>Lord, Lord,</HI> nor cryeth out, <HI>the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord,</HI> that
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come to Chri&s;t; it is not the having a few faint wi&s;hings and wouldings, which like the untimely birth of a woman, like a bable, peri&s;h and never appear more, that is a coming to Chri&s;t; it is not your &s;ucking &s;weetne&s;s from your own duties, perfor|mances, Ordinances, priviledges, any thing &s;hort of Chri&s;t that is coming to him. Dear Lord Je&s;us, how many of us loyter, and take up our re&s;t &s;hort of thee? It is not a bare acknowledge|ment of our being &s;inners in the general, and a <HI>Lord have mercy</HI> from the mouth, without any &s;en&s;e of our condition upon our hearts, that is a coming to Je&s;us Chri&s;t. It is not a de&s;ire to be pardoned alone, for then none of us &s;hould mi&s;carry; and O that it were &s;o if the Lord &s;ee it good: But it is the earne&s;t breathings of a poor, broken, lo&s;t &s;oul, the moan of a poor wounded creature, the pantings of a poor langui&s;hing heart after Je&s;us Chri&s;t, a making him alone our &s;tay, a re&s;igning our &s;elves to him, that is the coming to him here &s;poken of, and &s;uch a &s;oul he will not ca&s;t out. Pardon me, I know I am too &s;low for the acute, and I wi&s;h I be not as much too &s;wift for many of us that are dull of under&s;tanding, &s;low of heart to under&s;tand and believe the&s;e things; the condition of people now a daies, I take it, doth call upon us to &s;peak oftner and more fully to beat it upon poor creatures, the nature of this coming to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, then any other thing; as I find &s;till in all the preachings of the Apo&s;tles, they did endeavour to make good that truth mo&s;t nece&s;&s;arily, that Je&s;us was the Chri&s;t, becau&s;e that was mo&s;t oppo&s;ed in tho&s;e daies; &s;o now this being granted by all, and already, that we are &s;inners, the main work lies herein, to unde|ceive poor creatures, who think all is well enough with them; and therefore I am the more large in this part, and indeed much more large then I thought to be.</P>
<P>The &s;econd thing then is, what is meant by this not ca&s;ting out, wherein lies the marrow, and fatne&s;s, and &s;weetne&s;s of this Scripture; and indeed I think the whole Book of God doth not afford a more refre&s;hing word, a more e&s;tabli&s;hing word to a poor weak creature then this is: O then let us &s;ee what it is!</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, he will not ca&s;t him out, he will not ca&s;t him out of his heart, that is the fir&s;t: not out of his love, for we mu&s;t know this all of us, this day, which may be a comfort to many a
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doubting, trembling, mi&s;giving-heart, that if the Lord Je&s;us have done this in us and for us, hath given us thus to come to him in truth: for degrees of the things formerly &s;poken of, I intend not them as to make up the nature of our duty, it may be in a weaker and a &s;tronger mea&s;ure; but if in truth it can be found, that &s;o we come, know for thine everla&s;ting comf<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">t, as ba&s;e thoughts as thou ha&s;t of thy &s;elf, and of thy vilene&s;s, and of thy unworthine&s;s, thy dear Saviour hath precious thoughts of thee, thou art written in his heart, thou wa&s;t in his heart, when he wrought this work in thee and for thee; yea, long before this: for the truth is, were not he fir&s;t as well as la&s;t in the work, the <HI>Alpha</HI> as well as the <HI>Omega,</HI> in that work of &s;al|vation, we &s;hould never come to him, nor &s;hould we abide with him. <HI>O thy Law is in my heart,</HI> &s;aith he, in <HI>P&s;al. 44. 8. thy command, I delight to do thy will;</HI> and what was that? that all that the Father hath given to him, he &s;hould redeem, and de|liver, and &s;ave; and therefore if it be thus with us, we were in his heart before; as it was &s;aid of that Queen when &s;he dyed, <HI>That if her heart were opened, they &s;hould find</HI> Calice <HI>there.</HI> Ah, Brethren, &s;urely the names of the choice of God, which now appears and breaks out by this that is given to us to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>all that the Father hath given, &s;hall come to me;</HI> I &s;ay, our names were then upon his heart, and now are upon his heart; as the Prie&s;t did bear the names of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> before the Lord, and therefore the Lord will not ca&s;t out &s;uch a poor &s;oul out of his heart, out of his love; <HI>O my loving kindne&s;s I will never take from thee;</HI> however he may cha&s;ti&s;e, however he may <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 89. 33.</NOTE> with-hold comfort for a time, yet believe it, O that every poor weak creature might this day have it given from on high to be|lieve, that the Lord will not ca&s;t them out of his heart; this is thy greate&s;t fear, poor &s;oul, le&s;t thou &s;houlde&s;t lo&s;e him, le&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">a 1.</NOTE> he &s;hould di&s;own thee, and &s;ay, I will not have mercy on thee: Alas, it is as impo&s;&s;ible, as white to be black, or black white: hath he once owned thee, and made manife&s;t his love, in draw|ing thee, bringing thee to come to him, and will he now change his mind? It is true, if he were as man he might repent, but the Lord is not as man: O what comfort is here, what encou|ragement is this!</P>
<P>Secondly, He will not ca&s;t them out of his Church; that is,
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his Kingdom, his Family, his School, his Vineyard, he will not ca&s;t them out; for if there be this coming to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, there is faith; and by that faith; as we are made one with Je&s;us Chri&s;t, &s;o al&s;o with all his members; &s;o &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>we are mem|bers</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4. 25. Heb. 12. 13.</NOTE> <HI>one of another; ye are come,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>to Mount-Sion, and to the a&s;&s;embly of the fir&s;t-born;</HI> that is to &s;ay, you are gathered into the flock of Chri&s;t, and out of this ye &s;hall not be ca&s;t; it may come to pa&s;s, that through the ignorance of men they may be ca&s;t out of the vi&s;ible Church or Churches of Chri&s;t, and have little fellow&s;hip and communion with them, and it cannot but be a burthen to a gracious &s;pirit; and oh that the Lord would &s;o clear up his mind, that we might not thus by mi&s;-apprehen&s;ion be a burden each to other; but here is the comfort, if we thus come to Je&s;us, we are of the invi&s;ible Church, and he that knoweth the heart, knoweth his own image there, his own hand-writing there, every &s;park of his own kindling there, and cannot be deceived, and therefore there is no fear, he will not ca&s;t away out of this Church the a&s;|&s;embly of the fir&s;t-born, not out of this his family; will a Parent ca&s;t out his child that he hath begotten in his own image, be|cau&s;e of &s;ome deformity it may be, and imperfection that it doth not re&s;emble the father in, or becau&s;e of its weakne&s;s in tho&s;e parts which it hath? even grace for grace we have from the Lord Je&s;us, though weak and imperfect; and will he ca&s;t out? &s;urely no.</P>
<P>Thirdly, He will not ca&s;t out; that is to &s;ay, he will not &s;end away empty, ca&s;t them out of his pre&s;ence when they come to him; neither at our fir&s;t coming, no nor our after-coming unto him: Not at our fir&s;t coming; where is the &s;oul that can &s;ay, that he did thus come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t and was refu&s;ed, was &s;ent away? it may be thou came&s;t full, full of thy &s;elf, not with &s;uch an empty hand to take him; it may be thou came&s;t with a fal&s;e heart, and then well might he ca&s;t thee cut, for he know|eth how the heart &s;tands towards him: it may be thou wa&s;t troubled only with the &s;mart of &s;in, and not the filthine&s;s, the putrifaction of the wound and loath&s;om nature of it, and would&s;t have Chri&s;t only to have &s;erved thy turn, and then would&s;t have turned thy back upon him: alas, he knoweth this, and therefore he re&s;i&s;teth the proud, a man of a Phari&s;aical &s;pi|rit, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 4. 6.</NOTE>
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a man of a <HI>Laodicean</HI> temper, that is rich and needeth no|thing, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 17.</NOTE> cometh to Chri&s;t for a complement; thou come&s;t to him whole, not &s;ick, nor wounded; if thou did&s;t, and with &s;uch a heart as we have &s;aid, I cannot believe that the Lord Je&s;us would have ca&s;t thee out, no more then I can believe that be can lie who is truth it &s;elf. O who would not venture upon this Je&s;us Chri&s;t&punc; be his condition never &s;o &s;ad, he will not refu&s;e if we come to him: we peri&s;h for our not coming.</P>
<P>Secondly, Even in our after-comings to him, he will not ca&s;t out; tell me, when did&s;t thou ever come before the Lord, with a heart &s;en&s;ible of thy want of him, with a renewing of the acts of &s;elf-denyal, being nothing in thy &s;elf, that thou we<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">te&s;t away empty? did ever any hungering &s;oul come to&punc; this Ordinance, where we have the mo&s;t royal dainties that ever it &s;elf affords in &s;ome degree, even the fle&s;h and blood of the Lord Je&s;us, the &s;trong wines of con&s;olation, and did&s;t thou go away empty? &s;urely no; he that cometh full, goeth away empty; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 1. 53.</NOTE> but he that cometh empty, goeth away filled with &s;ome refre&s;h|ing: Haply thou may&s;t be put to it to wait a little while for it, but have it thou &s;halt: If either the Lord Je&s;us wanted a ful|ne&s;s of mercy, there were not room enough in his heart for us all, it were &s;omething; or if he wanted propen&s;ity and bowels, it were &s;omething; if he were not a merciful, pittiful high-Prie&s;t, <NOTE PLACE="marg">H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">b. 2. 17.</NOTE> or if he did not know our meanings by our very looks, or if he did not know our hearts where they are upright, it were &s;omething indeed, there were &s;ome ground to be di&s;couraged; but who can &s;uppo&s;e any of the&s;e? O that we could more &s;trongly clo&s;e with the&s;e; with what confidence &s;hould we then come to him? and how full a recompence of reward &s;hould we find, even in the fir&s;t fruits here, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">f there were no more?</P>
<P>Fourthly, He will not ca&s;t them out of heaven; for every child of God, as I may &s;ay, hath one foot in heaven already, as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 6. 26.</NOTE> an unbeliever hath one foot in hell already; where our hope is, there our hearts are&punc; O that I could <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ay they are there, they <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 6. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">9.</NOTE> &s;hould be there, there is our Anchor, in heaven, there the Lord Je&s;us is, our head is, who hath taken po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion for us, and went to prepare a place for us; and therefore the works of grace in the &s;oul are called, things that have &s;alvation, he will
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not ca&s;t them out; no, by no means: two negatives do deny more ve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">emently: &s;ome &s;hall be ca&s;t out at the la&s;t day, yea, the Kingdoms children, Members of the Church, and &s;uch as have lived under the Ordinances, as the Jews did &s;trangers; others, any that hear, and believe, and obey the Lord Je&s;us, &s;hall be received in. Now Brethren, our hearts are &s;o vain, we can &s;carce &s;ettle upon it, to think of the woful condition that will be, to be ca&s;t out from the Lord Je&s;us; but no man that cometh to Chri&s;t &s;hall be ca&s;t out. O then, it is not greatne&s;s &s;hall enter in, nor riches, nor beauty, nor learning, nor gifts, nor any of all the&s;e, but meerly the coming unto Je&s;us Chri&s;t; he will never ca&s;t out &s;uch a &s;oul.</P>
<P>You have &s;een already, what&punc; it is to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, in many particulars, and what is nece&s;&s;arily pre&s;uppo&s;ed, and &s;uch he will not ca&s;t out, no, in no wi&s;e or &s;ort what&s;oever; but alas, the difficulty is to per&s;wade poor creatures of this, that are upon the turning pin; many can &s;ay, <HI>Lord, if thou wilt,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 8. 2.</NOTE> <HI>thou can&s;t make me clean;</HI> but the willingne&s;s of Chri&s;t to ac|cept of poor &s;inners, is that we many times doubt very much of; and it is not the tongue of men nor Angels that can per|&s;wade a man to this; and well it is for us that it is &s;o, for then the Faith of poor creatures would con&s;i&s;t in the wi&s;dom of men, and not in the power of God only: let me lay before your hearts, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 2. 5.</NOTE> and my own, a few con&s;iderations from Scripture, which, if the Lord be plea&s;ed to breath in them, may be a &s;upport to Faith in this.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t then, The Lord Je&s;us hath promi&s;ed, that if any man come to him, he will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t them out; And &s;hall men that are lyars, yet count it their honour to make good their <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 3. 17.</NOTE> word; and do you think Je&s;us Chri&s;t his honour is not as dear to him, as the honour of men is to them? is he not the <HI>Amen,</HI> the faithful and true Witne&s;s? all that he &s;aith is <HI>Yea,</HI> and <HI>Amen</HI> in him; is it not his own nature to be true and faith|ful? is he equal, or equals with his Father? (as &s;ome critically <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 2. 6.</NOTE> note) that is to &s;ay, in all his perfections e&s;&s;ential: and is he not equal with him in truth? (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>God who can|not</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t. 1. 2.</NOTE> <HI>lye, hath promi&s;ed;</HI> would he not cea&s;e to be God, to be the highe&s;t perfection, and rule of all perfections, if there were <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 8. 44.</NOTE> any obliquity in him? is not Satan a lyar, and the father of it,
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and &s;hall we father a lie then upon God? what a Mediatour were Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and how &s;hould the Promi&s;es of God in him, be <HI>Yea,</HI> and <HI>Amen,</HI> if he could fal&s;ifie his own word to his peo|ple? Well then, &s;urely if Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath promi&s;ed it, as you <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 1. 20.</NOTE> &s;ee he hath, will he not be as good as his word? did he eve<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> break with any poor &s;oul, though never &s;o unworthy? which is the great plea of poor creatures: did he ever ca&s;t out any? hath he not been as good as his word? <HI>And is he not the &s;ame</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13. 8.</NOTE> <HI>ye&s;terday, to day, and for ever?</HI> But thus much for the fir&s;t: it leads to the &s;econd.</P>
<P>Secondly, If that Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hould ca&s;t out any poor crea|ture, he would plainly be argued to be changable: for I &s;hewed you before, that none that came to him, but they were in his heart before the world was, <HI>and his delight was with the &s;ons of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 8. 31.</NOTE> <HI>men:</HI> and is he now &s;o changed, as when they do come, he will&punc; ca&s;t them out? did he before the world, (as I may &s;ay) plea&s;e him&s;elf with the thoughts of it, that he &s;hould be a Saviour to his people, to &s;ave them from their &s;ins, and from wrath to come, and when they come to him, to the fountain opened for &s;in and for uncleanne&s;s, he &s;hould refu&s;e them? would not this be more then a &s;hadow of turning, if his heart, that once was &s;o toward them, &s;hould now be turned &s;o again&s;t them, as to di&s;own them when they follow after him? O &s;urely <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iam. 1. 17.</NOTE> this cannot be!</P>
<P>Thirdly, If &s;o, It would be rather a &s;lighting of his Fathers gift; for he hath given them to Je&s;us Chri&s;t even before the world was; in which re&s;pect, <HI>They are &s;aid to be cho&s;en in Chri&s;t be|fore the foundation of the world: all that the Father hath given to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 1. 4, 5.</NOTE> <HI>me, &s;hall come; and as many as were ordained to eternal life, be|lieved;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 13. 48.</NOTE> and therefore, now when a poor &s;oul cometh with his mouth in the du&s;t, with a rope about his neck, with a word of confe&s;&s;ion, petition, with &s;ighs and groans, with mournings over Chri&s;t, and mournings after Chri&s;t, and he &s;hall now &s;hut up his mercy from him, ca&s;t him out, turn his back upon him, would not this be an high undervaluing of the gift of the Father, and &s;lighting of it? you know that gifts are not given from one friend to another, but as tokens of re&s;pect and love, and &s;o he gave a number of poor creatures to his Son for him to redeem and purcha&s;e to him&s;elf, and if he &s;hould
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&s;light them now, his Fathers love would be much underva|lued.</P>
<P>Fourthly, It would be failing in his tru&s;t: for the Lord Je&s;us <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 89. 19.</NOTE> is the great undertaker for his poor people, and help was laid upon this mighty one, mighty to &s;ave to the utmo&s;t; for this end I &s;ay, he undertook the ran&s;oming and redeeming of a people to him&s;elf, and to his Father, and his Father committed the charge of it to him; <HI>He came not to do his own Will, but the Will of him that &s;ent him;</HI> (as he &s;aith in that place) <HI>I delight</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6. 38, 39. P&s;al. 40. 7.</NOTE> <HI>to do thy Will;</HI> the Will of his Father: and what was that Will? That is, <HI>That none that come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hould mi&s;carry: This is the Fathers Will that hath &s;ent me, that of all which he hath given me, I &s;hould lo&s;e nothing, but rai&s;e it up at the la&s;t day,</HI> (that is to &s;ay) as Mediator, as by the influence of an Head unto the Members; &s;o to rai&s;e them up, is here meant: Well, <HI>Of, all that he hath given me,</HI> either in his purpo&s;e of Grace, or actually in their Calling, which is an evidence of the &s;ecret purpo&s;e of God, <HI>I &s;hould lo&s;e none: now none can come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, except he be given to Chri&s;t of the Father;</HI> that is clear, by comparing the words of the Text with the former: <HI>Ye will not come to me, or ye have &s;een me, and yet be|lieve not:</HI> but though you believe not, <HI>All that the Father hath given me, &s;hall come, &s;hall believe in me:</HI> well, <HI>As many as were ordained, believed, came to Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> as we have expounded <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 13. 48.</NOTE> this coming the la&s;t time. Now I &s;ay, if Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hould not take up every poor &s;oul that cometh, he would not di&s;charge his tru&s;t, do the Will of his Father which he hath undertaken; and then what a Saviour &s;hould we make of him?</P>
<P>Fifthly, Then the Lord Je&s;us &s;hould &s;light and undervalue his own blood: he only knew what a value his Godhead put upon it, and therefore accordingly, he only can bear a proporti|onable e&s;teem of his blood; did he not &s;hed his precious blood, <HI>That who&s;oever believeth, might not peri&s;h, but have everla&s;ting life?</HI> or who&s;oever cometh to him, might not peri&s;h? for be|lieving, if it be not convertible with coming to Chri&s;t, yet it is doubtle&s;s comprehended in it, as a main part of it. And what then, when a poor &s;inner laden with iniquity, who&s;e burthen is too heavy for him to bear, cometh to Chri&s;t, groaning and panting for ea&s;e and refre&s;hing, rowls him&s;elf upon him, hangs
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all his weight upon him, lies at his feet in his wearine&s;s of &s;pirit under it, if he now ca&s;t out this poor creature, would not this be an undervaluing of his blood, and the price of our re|demption? would it not appear that he was lavi&s;h of his blood? Brethren, is the Lord Je&s;us &s;o angry with &s;inners for trampling <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 29.</NOTE> his blood under their feet, and for neglecting &s;o great &s;alvation, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2. 3.</NOTE> as he hath wrought out for them, (as you have not long &s;ince heard) and will he (think you) be guilty of &s;lighting his own mo&s;t precious blood? O &s;urely no: And would it not be a neg|lecting of the &s;alvation, to improve the price he hath laid down, if he &s;hould exclude any poor &s;inner that cometh to him, though he have not been what he might be? &s;urely if ever our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour would have balked it, it would have been when he was to lay down the price, his life, his blood&punc; for &s;inners, when <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mark 14. 33.</NOTE> he was amazed at the apprehen&s;ion of his Fathers di&s;plea&s;ure, when that cup of trembling and a&s;toni&s;hment was to be put in|to his hand, to be drunk off to the very dregs; but yet he willingly undertook this, took it off to the bottom, that nothing might remain of the dregs to his people; which potion put him into a bloody &s;weat, filled him with horror, and even a&s;toni&s;hed him; but hath he done all this, and is it po&s;&s;ible he &s;hould now &s;light it, by ca&s;ting out any poor &s;oul purcha&s;ed with &s;o dear a rate, that now cometh to him? O &s;urely it can|not be.</P>
<P>Sixthly, Becau&s;e this would be to undo what the Father hath done; For it is the Fathers work to draw a poor &s;oul, to teach them, (as you have heard) before they can come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>No man can come to me, except the Father which hath &s;ent me</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6. 44.</NOTE> <HI>draw him;</HI> you could not have a de&s;ire towards the Lord Je&s;us, not a breathing after the water-brooks, the Fountain of life, which is in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, but that the Father hath breathed it into thee; now the Lord Je&s;us, if he &s;hould ca&s;t out a poor &s;oul that cometh with &s;uch breathings after him, would quench the Spirit, would put out the light of I&s;rael, &s;hould de&s;troy the works of his Father, in&s;tead of de&s;troying the works of the de|vil; <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Ioh. 3. 8.</NOTE> therefore &s;urely it cannot be, that he &s;hould ca&s;t out any poor &s;oul that cometh to him, that his Father hath drawn with the cords of a man, and with the cords of love: Is it the work of a Saviour to cut the cords, whereby poor creatures
<PB N="671" REF="402">
are drawn to him, and not rather of a murderer, a &s;oul-de|&s;troyer? and can we have &s;uch hard thoughts of Chri&s;t our deare&s;t Saviour? O far be it from us! this cannot be.</P>
<P>Seventhly, He would hereby bring upon him&s;elf the im|putation of delu&s;ion, and mocking of poor &s;inners, not only becau&s;e of his Promi&s;e, and offers of Grace, but in two re|&s;pects among others; for I will not dwell too long upon the&s;e things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Becau&s;e of the many invitations that he hath made to poor creatures to come to him. O mind, how he proclaims it to every one that thir&s;teth: <HI>Come, come, buy wine and milk</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 55. 1.</NOTE> <HI>without money or monies worth;</HI> you that have no worthine&s;s, nor any money to buy an acccptation, come to the Wa|ters, and what then? when they come to the Fountain, to the Waters, will the Lord Je&s;us &s;hut them out, ca&s;t them away? is there any &s;uch impo&s;ture in him? <HI>Come to me all that are weary</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 11. 28.</NOTE> <HI>and heavy-laden, and I will give you re&s;t:</HI> what then? is a poor &s;oul per&s;waded of his burthen, and where re&s;t is to be had, and cometh to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, ready to &s;ink at his foot, and faint away under his burthen, and will he there &s;uffer him to peri&s;h, and turn away his face from him? I be&s;eech you, (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) as if God did be&s;eech you by us, to be reconciled to God, ye rebels, for &s;o we are all <GAP DESC="foreign">, ye run-aways, what <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor 5. 20. Ezek. 18. 31.</NOTE> do you mean? why will ye peri&s;h? <HI>Why will ye dye</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>O hou&s;e of I&s;rael?</HI> why now if a rebel turn, and his heart relent, and he would fain clo&s;e with this Prince of Peace, that would fain be at peace with him, do you think he will turn his back upon him Surely no: he might have done it to the thief upon the Cro&s;s, that truly repented and believed, as to any, if he would; but if he &s;hould do &s;o, then &s;inners had &s;omething to an&s;wer indeed, that there is rea&s;on wherefore we &s;hould not come to thee; who would come to be mocked, to be deceived, tanta|lized, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach 13. 1.</NOTE> to have the fountain opened, and &s;tand open for any to come that will come, and when we are willing, then to rowl a &s;tone upon it, is not this deceiving? the Jews indeed took Chri&s;t to be a deceiver, and therefore they came not to him; I wi&s;h we be not many of us Jews in heart, though we be Chri&s;tians in name, our conver&s;ation witne&s;&s;eth to our faces; for why el&s;e do not &s;inners come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, except they
<PB N="672" REF="403">
look upon all the&s;e invitations of Chri&s;t as delu&s;ions; but take heed, that as they peri&s;hed, &s;o we al&s;o peri&s;h not in the &s;ame gain-&s;aying.</P>
<P>Secondly, He would be convicted of impo&s;ture, if he &s;hould reject any poor &s;oul that cometh to him, becau&s;e it is he al&s;o that draweth them as well as the Father, el&s;e they could not come. So he &s;aith, <HI>When I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto me;</HI> that is to &s;ay, <HI>all that the Father hath given me, I will draw</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 12. 32. Mat. 24. 28.</NOTE> <HI>to me;</HI> and &s;o he doth <HI>objective,</HI> as the carka&s;s draweth the Eagles together, as the willow branch draweth the Lambs after it, as a fair lovely object draweth the eye, &s;weet melody draw|eth the ear; and <HI>effective</HI> al&s;o, for what the Father doth; he doth al&s;o, for he and the Father are one. Now doth the Lord Je&s;us draw and per&s;wade men, &s;end forth his Spirit, which is his arm unbared and &s;tretched out, to lay hold upon the hearts of &s;inners, to draw them, to make them willing to accept of de|liverance <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 16. 10. I&s;a. 53. 1.</NOTE> and &s;alvation in him, from the filthine&s;s and power, as well as from the guilt of &s;in, and when they come, will he &s;hut them out? were not this horrible deceit? O, &s;urely Je&s;us Chri&s;t cannot &s;o deceive poor creatures, the&s;e are mo&s;t unwor|thy thoughts of him!</P>
<P>Eighthly and la&s;tly, It is incon&s;i&s;tent with his bowels and tenderne&s;s, which naturally he hath to poor &s;inners, &s;pecially &s;uch as the Father hath given unto him; could the Father &s;hut out the Prodigal Son when he returned to him? his bowels would not bear it, <HI>he ran and met him,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> made it a little &s;trange at the fir&s;t to his Brethren, and &s;pake a little roughly to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 15. 18. Gen. 42. 17.</NOTE> them, but mind you, he could not hold, he was fain to go into a place to weep, <HI>egerere dolorem,</HI> to empty his affection into tears for them, to &s;ee tho&s;e Brethren of his that had done him &s;o much wrong, dealt &s;o hardly with him; O when he heard them confe&s;s what they had done, and their con&s;ciences &s;mit them for it, then doubtle&s;s his bowels were rowled together within him; and for a while, I &s;ay, he made a &s;hift to cover it, and put &s;ome of them into pri&s;on, but all this while his bowels were moved; and was he not a type of Je&s;us Chri&s;t in this? haply, as I may &s;ay, in other re&s;pects I &s;hall not determine it, but when a poor &s;inner cometh to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that hath &s;old him for a lu&s;t, dealt hardly with him, crucified him, and now
<PB N="673" REF="403">
he is convinced of it, he mourns for it, and mourns over him; did <HI>Jo&s;ephs</HI> bowels yearn, and do not the Lord Je&s;us his bowels? is the love of women to be compared to the love of Je&s;us Chri&s;t? O &s;urely no; he may &s;eem for a while to turn his back upon a poor creature, but all this while the fire of love is burning within, and will bur&s;t out into a flame; all this while what workings there are in the heart of Je&s;us Chri&s;t towards a poor &s;inner; as a Father, that for a time to humble his child, will make it &s;trange to him; O how full is his heart, how much ado hath he to hold, as <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> to his Brethren! O it is the re|joycing of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, when poor &s;inners do come to him to &s;ee his &s;eed, to &s;ee his blood that was &s;owed, and his <HI>Semen Eccle&s;iae</HI> to come up, it is his rejoycing; and will any Husband man in the world, that &s;ows precious &s;eed, when it puts forth, beat it down again, nip off the buds, the tops of it? it cannot be: he is grieved when poor creatures will not be per&s;waded to come, through hardne&s;s of heart, and unbelief, and way|wardne&s;s: we will not come to the fountain, but &s;it down, it may be, &s;ome of us with <HI>Hagar,</HI> weeping over our empty bottles, and making &s;ad moan and complaints for want of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 21. 15.</NOTE> righteou&s;ne&s;s, becau&s;e of &s;in, and yet come not to him; this is a grief to him, as it was among the Jews: O did he ever in the daies of his fle&s;h refu&s;e any poor creature that came to him, either for healing of &s;oul or body, which is the le&s;&s;er; yea, when they came &s;ome of them for the healing of the body, did he not heal the &s;oul? and all out of the abundant riches of his love to poor creatures. O &s;urely then, now he is in hea|ven, at the right hand of the Father, being no le&s;s tender of his poor people, if any come now, <HI>he will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t them out.</HI> Well, the Lord write the&s;e arguments upon our hearts: it may be &s;ome of us may have occa&s;ion, or have at pre&s;ent need of them to per&s;wade us of this truth.</P>
<P>We now come to the Application.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 1. And fir&s;t, in the fir&s;t <HI>&V;&s;e,</HI> It may &s;erve for a lamentation, to lament the backwardne&s;s of our hearts to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, for if our hearts were not backward to come to
<PB N="674" REF="404">
him, what need all this ado to make poor creatures willing to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t? O, what is the rea&s;on! what a &s;trange enmity is in our hearts again&s;t the Lord Je&s;us, that we run away from him in&s;tead of coming; yea, though he follow with a Pardon in his hand, purcha&s;ed with his blood; O I am Je&s;us who dyed for you, turn unto me, my heart is toward you, <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 40. 5.</NOTE> turn unto me, I delight not in your death, turn unto me; O why will ye die? and yet poor creatures will not be per&s;waded to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t: O what is it? what is it Brethren, that can keep us off thus from Je&s;us Chri&s;t? in our unwillingne&s;s to clo&s;e with him, to come unto him, have not many of us many times clearly been convinced that our condition hath been &s;lark naught? that we &s;tand guilty before God, and he will by no means clear the guilty: and convinced that in Je&s;us Chri&s;t there is a doing away of this guilt, a bloting out of the hand-writings that are again&s;t us, and contrary to us; if we will but come to him? No, we are like &s;ullen creatures, will rather pe|ri&s;h then come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t. I do not believe but many of us are convinced, and what &s;hift can we make to &s;mother our convictions? I know not: but it appears we come not to Je&s;us Chri&s;t: As long as the Prodigal could have husks to fill his belly <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 15. 16. Mark 5. 26.</NOTE> with, he would not come home to his Father; as long as ever the poor woman in the Go&s;pel had any thing to &s;pend upon the Phy|&s;itians, &s;he came not to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; as long as ever poor &s;in|ners can make a &s;hift to daub over the breaches that &s;ometimes the Word maketh upon their con&s;ciences, they will not come: O the fault lies in the Will, Brethren: <HI>Ye will not come unto me,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ohn 5. 40. Mat. 23. 37.</NOTE> &s;aith our Saviour, <HI>that ye might have life; how often would I have gathered you as a Hen doth her Chickens, and ye would not?</HI> they would rather peri&s;h then be healed by &s;uch an hand, even the hand of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. O the deadly enmity that is in every one of us by nature! What, we are not willing to part with &s;ins, and therefore we come not to Je&s;us Chri&s;t: we are not willing to be healed, <HI>wilt thou be made whole?</HI> we are prophane, and we would be &s;o &s;till; proud, and would be &s;o &s;till; unclean, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 5. 6. Col. 2. 11.</NOTE> and would be &s;o &s;till: We know, if we come to him, put on Chri&s;t, we mu&s;t put off the lu&s;ts of our former conver&s;ation. O wretched love to &s;in, that preferreth it before the Lord Je|&s;us, before the &s;alvation of our poor &s;ouls! What, are we loth
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through the pride of our hearts to take the &s;hame of our ini|quities? Haply &s;omething of this nature kept off the Prodi|gal: Is it not more &s;hame to do &s;in, then to acknowledge it when it is done? what is it, Brethren? how &s;trange a thing is it, that men &s;hould take &s;uch pains to hew out broken Ci&s;terns to them&s;elves that will hold no water? dig deep into the world to find &s;ome re&s;t there; exhau&s;t their &s;trength in duties, in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 2. 13.</NOTE> prayers, and tears, as many &s;elf-Saviours do, &s;pecially the Pa|pi&s;ts; and I wi&s;h there be none among us, rather then they will come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t to accept of that righteou&s;ne&s;s, that pardon, which &s;hall co&s;t us nothing but acceptance: O the pride of our hearts; O the enmity of our hearts, again&s;t the Lord Je&s;us; and is there &s;uch an heart in every one of us, Bre|thren? Yea, even in the be&s;t, until he overcome us with his loving-kindne&s;s; and is not this a thing worthy to be bewail|ed? Yea, if it were po&s;&s;ible with tears of blood; being &s;uch an aver&s;ion from the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and the deare&s;t love of our Saviour to poor creatures. Or what is it, Brethren? is it the more love we find from Je&s;us Chri&s;t, are our hearts the more aver&s;e from him? if he did profe&s;s him&s;elf an enemy to us, to de&s;troy and &s;lay us, if we came near him, to &s;catter us with the &s;treams of flaming indignation, i&s;&s;uing from his throne and pre&s;ence, we could do no more then run away from him, as many of us now do. O that we could lay it to heart!</P>
<P>The &s;econd <HI>&V;&s;e</HI> &s;hall be, to &s;hew us the grievous nature of the &s;in of unbelief, and haply this may make poor creatures afraid of &s;training curte&s;ie with Chri&s;t, and afraid to come to him becau&s;e of their vilene&s;s, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> to complement with him.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Con&s;ider but the unrea&s;onablene&s;s of the &s;in of un|belief above other &s;ins indeed; though all &s;in be unrea&s;onable, other &s;ins they have &s;ome pretence of profit, or plea&s;ure, but this hath nothing but wo and mi&s;ery attending it, condemnati|on. <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;. 3. 2.</NOTE> But that I &s;hall not in&s;i&s;t upon, for there is hardly any thing but Satan and a mans carnal rea&s;on will put a &s;pecious pretence upon it.</P>
<P>Therefore con&s;ider this unrea&s;onablene&s;s; Fir&s;t, in re&s;pect
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of our &s;elves, that being plunged into &s;uch a depth of di&s;tracti|on and mi&s;ery of &s;in, and guilt, and wrath, that when we are &s;inking and drowning, we will not &s;o much as put out the hand to lay hold upon a twig, upon &s;omething held out to us; is not this unrea&s;onable, and unnatural? it raceth out the principle of &s;elf-pre&s;ervation that is in every man by nature; &s;o that I will be bold to &s;ay, the greate&s;t rea&s;on in the world improved to keep off a poor &s;oul from Je&s;us Chri&s;t, is unrea&s;onable; it is the depravation of our carnal rea&s;on: had it not been unrea&s;onable if <HI>Hagar,</HI> having a fountain opened her before her eyes, and &s;he langui&s;hing for thir&s;t, and mu&s;t peri&s;h without it, and yet would &s;it &s;till, is not this unrea&s;onable?</P>
<P>Again, If we look upon the Lord Je&s;us, who &s;eeks to us, be|&s;eecheth us to accept of him, of mercy, of pardon in his blood, the Creator cometh down to the creature, poor worms who have our being by his Word, and might be di&s;&s;olved with his Word, and yet we &s;tand it out, and will not accept of him, who would be&s;tow him&s;elf and his infinite all-&s;ufficiency upon us, and we will not; is not this unrea&s;onable? that a Prince &s;hould &s;eek to a worthle&s;s rebel to be reconciled, and he will not hear of it: If he had any need of us, and upon that account would have poor &s;inners to come to him, to make a &s;upply of his wants, it were &s;omething; but all the want; the indigency is on our part, and therefore unbelief is the more unrea&s;onable thing: O how might we here break out and &s;ay, <HI>hear ye heavens, and give ear O earth,</HI> for the Lord Je&s;us, the Lord of both, heir of all things, the offended Maje&s;ty &s;eeks to poor rebelling worms to be reconciled, but they will not hear of it, they come not in, they clo&s;e not with him.</P>
<P>Secondly, As the unrea&s;onablene&s;s of the thing, &s;o al&s;o we may take notice of the injuriou&s;ne&s;s of this &s;in of unbelief; I would a little in&s;i&s;t upon this &s;in, the more, becau&s;e that though I find many a poor heart &s;eemeth to be weary of &s;in, and afraid of &s;inning again&s;t God in other kinds, yet &s;eeth not in the mean time how exceedingly he &s;ins again&s;t him by his unbelief, not clo&s;ing with Chri&s;t, and coming to him; therefore &s;ee in the &s;econd place, the injuriou&s;ne&s;s of this &s;in of unbelief, how in|jurious it is to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, Brethren? for if the truth were known, what is the rea&s;on wherefore we need &s;o much ado, why
<PB N="677" REF="405">
we come not in to him? We either think he cannot &s;ave us; our &s;ins are &s;o great; O &s;aith one, there was never &s;uch a wretch as I, though he have accepted of great &s;inners, &s;uch as <HI>Paul,</HI> and <HI>Mana&s;&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Magdalen,</HI> yet there was never &s;uch a wretch as I; O &s;urely, my wounds are &s;uch, there is no healing for them: What is this, but to make Je&s;us Chri&s;t weak, and a Phy&s;itian of no value? Is there any &s;in higher then the imbrewing their hands in the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elf? and &s;uppo&s;e thou be &s;uch an one, and this is that thou crye&s;t out of, thou ha&s;t come &s;o often to the Lords Supper with a common heart, which is to be guilty of his blood, acce&s;&s;ary to his death: and cannot his blood clean&s;e, even from the guilt of them that &s;hed it? were not many of the Jews &s;en&s;ible o&s; this? how di&s;honourable is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 2. 32.</NOTE> this to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, when we will be mea&s;uring of him by our &s;elves? we are apt to think of pardon, and mercy, as far as a mans, a creatures bowels and thoughts will reach: mind, there is an end, not minding that he is God as well as man; this is an high wrong unto our Saviour: O, he will not, &s;aith the poor &s;oul, if he can, yet he will not, &s;ure, receive &s;uch an one as I; O I am &s;o laden and &s;o loath&s;om a wretch; what &s;hould he do with &s;uch an one as I? What, is it po&s;&s;ible thou &s;houlde&s;t re|member how many promi&s;es, how many invitations, how many expo&s;tulations he hath made; what intreaties to poor creatures to be reconciled to him, and yet call in que&s;tion his willingne&s;s! why, what do you make of Je&s;us Chri&s;t? O, how doth un|belief, in effect, dethrone Je&s;us Chri&s;t, di&s;gracing the Throne of his Glory, robbeth him of his mercy, of his power, his love, his bowels, of that which he mo&s;t glorieth in; and is not this in|jurious then to thy dear Saviour? Would not you think it a wrong to you, from one of your children, that had offended you as highly as you can imagine? &s;uppo&s;e he had &s;ought your life, as <HI>Ab&s;olom</HI> did <HI>Davids,</HI> and now the Father &s;eeks, thou &s;ue&s;t to thy &s;on; O how many promi&s;es thou heape&s;t up, one upon another, backe&s;t them with oaths, wooe&s;t him, intreate&s;t him to be reconciled, to accept of a pardon: No, he believeth you not, notwith&s;tanding all you can do or &s;ay, that you are real in the thing; is not this injurious? doth he not wrong exceed|ingly in this, as well as in the former; and is not this the very ca&s;e?</P>
<P><PB N="678" REF="406">
Thirdly, See how much unkindne&s;s there is in this &s;in of un|belief, as it is directly again&s;t the love, the bowels of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which &s;ound toward poor creatures in the Go&s;pel, in every intreaty, to be reconciled to him: Brethren, what could the Lord Je&s;us do more for us, then he did? was not his life dear to him, even to the death &s;or poor &s;inners, that there might be a pardon for us? and do we thus requite him, even to &s;light it, never to mind it? or if we do &s;ometimes a little, yet to &s;tand out and not to clo&s;e with him: What unkindne&s;s was it in the Jews? it is &s;o recorded of them, <HI>he came to his own, and his own received him not;</HI> that is to &s;ay, his own fle&s;h and blood; and &s;o <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iohn 1. 11.</NOTE> he is ours as well as others; but he came of them according to the fle&s;h in a nearer manner, and &s;ent to them in the fir&s;t place, <HI>they received him not:</HI> But to come to Us poor Gentiles, out|ca&s;ts, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2 13.</NOTE> that were &s;trangers, afar off, with a de&s;ire to make us near in his blood, near to his Father and to him&s;elf, is this love nothing to be thus &s;lighted? for how few among us do believe in the Lord Je&s;us, notwith&s;tanding all this? nothing breaks the heart of a creature more then unkindne&s;s: and &s;urely Bre|thren, me thinks the thoughts of this, if our hearts were not &s;tony, &s;hould be a breaking of our hearts, that we have hither|to, &s;o many of us, dealt &s;o unkindly with Chri&s;t as we have done.</P>
<P>But fourthly, &s;ee the dangerou&s;ne&s;s of this &s;in of unbelief, that we may be &s;et a trembling by rea&s;on of this &s;in, as well as any other, and be weary of this, as well as any other.</P>
<P>1. Other &s;ins have but their own particular guilt, each of them particularly binding over a poor &s;oul to wrath, and en|tayling the cur&s;e of the Law upon a poor &s;inner; &s;o every &s;in doth, every oath, every lie, every unclean thought, wanton look, adultery, fornication of the body, the heart or eye; but unbelief is that which binds the guilt of all other &s;ins upon the &s;oul, be&s;ides its own proper guilt, which is not the lea&s;t, as you have heard before: I &s;ay, it binds all upon the &s;oul; if <HI>Paul</HI> had not be|lieved, all the guilt of his per&s;ecution had yet lain upon his head. O, &s;aith our Saviour, <HI>if ye believe not, ye &s;hall dye in your &s;ins;</HI> not only in your unbelief, but in all your &s;ins, &s;o that this unbelief, it is the very edge, as I may &s;ay, of all other guilt
<PB N="679" REF="406">
what&s;oever, and therefore how dangerous a &s;in it is, judge ye; you are terrified and affrighted with your grievous abominati|ons, rebellions, filthine&s;s of your waies, you never think of it haply, but your heart &s;inketh within you: why know this, this day, that unbelief is that which keepeth all this upon the &s;oul: if that thou would&s;t but aceept of deliverance in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, take him, clo&s;e with him, come to him, he would not ca&s;t you out, he would not turn you away without a pardon: but the rea&s;on of your burthens upon you, is becau&s;e of un|belief.</P>
<P>Secondly, It is dangerous, becau&s;e above other &s;ins, it brings a mans blood upon his own head; that is a &s;ad word (me thinks) that of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>I take God to witne&s;s, that I am pure from</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 20. 26.</NOTE> <HI>the blood of all men; if you peri&s;h, your blood will be upon your head:</HI> that is to &s;ay, you are guilty of your own death, your own murther, your own damnation, and everla&s;ting &s;eparation from God; much more may our ble&s;&s;ed Saviour &s;ay, I am free from the blood of you all, &s;inners, I have dyed for you, made an All-&s;ufficient &s;atisfaction to the Ju&s;tice of my Father, for all &s;ins, laid down a price, enough to ran&s;om you, and yet you would none of me, you cared not for it; I have made this known to you, el&s;e you had had &s;ome excu&s;e, &s;ome cloak, but you have no cloak for your &s;ins, for your unbelief; If I had not wooed you, intreated you to be reconciled by my Me&s;&s;engers, then it had been &s;omething to ext<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">nuate at lea&s;t; but alas, he hath done all this, and more, Brethren, infinitely, then I am able to &s;peak, for poor &s;inners, and yet they will not clo&s;e with him; why then, Je&s;us Chri&s;t is clear from your blood, he hath done what he undertook to do of his Father, &s;pared not him&s;elf to the lea&s;t drop of wrath, and of his own blood, and yet we will not come to him. O this mu&s;t needs bring poor &s;inners blood upon their own heads.</P>
<P>Thirdly, This unbelief brings the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t up|on our heads, for if after all this that he hath done and &s;aid to per&s;wade us to make us willing to clo&s;e with him, we &s;tand it out, are we not guilty of his blood, as well as of our own? If an unworthy receiving of the Lords Supper bring a man under <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11. 29.</NOTE> this guilt, will not an unbelieving heart, in hearing of this Go|&s;pel, bring a man under the &s;ame guilt? for is it not the &s;ame
<PB N="680" REF="407">
Je&s;us that is held forth broken for &s;inners? and the &s;ame blood &s;hed for &s;inners, that is held forth in the Lords Supper to the eye, and in the Go&s;pel Preached to the ear? even &s;o plain as if it were before their faces, as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith to the <HI>Galathians;</HI> O, me thinks this &s;hould make us afraid of re&s;ting any longer in this condition of unbelief, and make us look about us; the Jews, as hard-hearted as they were, could not endure: their con&s;ciences prickt them I believe, and did flie in their faces, and therefore would not endure the Apo&s;tles to Preach Chri&s;t: &s;ay <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 5. 28.</NOTE> they, ye would bring upon us the blood of this man. O me thinks this &s;tirs the &s;toute&s;t &s;inners among us; I delight not to bring to you, Brethren, &s;uch &s;ad things as the&s;e are, nor to bring the blood of Je&s;us upon your heads, but let us take heed we do it not our &s;elves, for we &s;hall find that this will be the dregs of the cup of wrath, if we will not be reclaimed, that ever we have &s;o much under-valued the Lord Je&s;us, as to ca&s;t his love be|hind us by our unbelief.</P>
<P>The third <HI>&V;&s;e</HI> &s;hall be then of Exhortation to every poor &s;oul to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; for you that are yet in your har|dened <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 3.</NOTE> condition, never made &s;en&s;ible of your need of Chri&s;t, I have the le&s;s hopes to prevail with you, for this Doctrine is fooli&s;hne&s;s to &s;uch; it is fooli&s;hne&s;s to &s;peak much of the &s;ove|raignty of a medicine, the readine&s;s of a Phy&s;itian to heal, to a man that feels not that he is wounded; and &s;uch is the Doctrine of Chri&s;t and of faith to many a poor &s;oul; but there are &s;ome poor &s;ouls that haply are convinced of their lo&s;t condition by nature, and &s;ee that all the water in <HI>the bottle is &s;pent,</HI> and yet <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 21. 15.</NOTE> cannot &s;ee the fountain near them &amp; opened, haply for grief, for weeping, they are over-charged with &s;orrow, and yet come not to Je&s;us Chri&s;t. O that the Lord Je&s;us, who hath received the tongue of the Learned for this end, <HI>to &s;peak a word in due &s;ea|&s;on,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;alah 50. 4.</NOTE> would &s;peak by the mouth of his poor unworthy Me&s;&s;en|ger to &s;uch hearts! What is the rea&s;on that thou wilt not come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t? art thou re&s;olved to &s;it langui&s;hing over an em|pty bottle and peri&s;h, when there is refre&s;hing to be had in Je|&s;us Chri&s;t? O no, &s;aith the poor &s;oul, I would not &s;it &s;till and peri&s;h if there be healing and mercy to be had; why, do&s;t thou <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 7. 25.</NOTE> not believe that he is able to &s;ave to the utmo&s;t? where &s;in
<PB N="681" REF="407">
hath mo&s;t abounded, there Grace can &s;uperabound; yea, it is the glory of his Grace &s;o to do. If I thought there were any <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 1. 14.</NOTE> &s;tuck at this, I would &s;pend a few words upon it, but con&s;ider tho&s;e Scriptures fore-mentioned; but the main thing is, whe|ther Je&s;us Chri&s;t will accept of &s;uch a wretch as I have been, &s;aith one: O you know not the vilene&s;s of my heart, the horrid pollutions of my ways, el&s;e you would have harder thoughts of me, therefore thou art ready to conclude that he will not look at thee &s;ure. Let me here propound a few Con&s;idera|tions to thee.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Con&s;ider how injurious it is to Grace, to mea&s;ure it by our thoughts; limit not the holy one of I&s;rael; it is the Glory <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 55. 8.</NOTE> of God, <HI>The Lord, the Lord God, gracious and merciful,</HI> and that whereby he infinitely tran&s;cendeth all other gods and men; <HI>Who is like unto thee? pardoning iniquity, tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion and &s;in;</HI> and can&s;t thou comprehend the Glory of God in thy poor narrow thoughts? thou it may be thinke&s;t, O if any man had &s;o offended me, I could not have born it, I could never have been reconciled to him again; but if thou can&s;t not, it may be another can; it is much that the Lord enables his people to love, to pray for, to be ready to embrace tho&s;e that in the mo&s;t bloody manner &s;eek their lives, if they come and clo&s;e with Chri&s;t, as the Di&s;ciples did <HI>Paul;</HI> and doubtle&s;s <HI>Stephen</HI> would have hug'd them in his bo&s;om, if any of them had then had their hearts changed; and what then can, and will the Lord Je&s;us do, when &s;uch as have been guilty of his blood, trampled it under feet, turn|ed their backs upon him, crucified him, when they come to him? So in <HI>Acts</HI> 2. Thou thinke&s;t, if thou wert but &s;uch a &s;inner, if thou had&s;t not &s;inned again&s;t &s;uch love and mercy, he would have pardoned, he would have accepted; when thy thoughts are at an end and lo&s;t, then is infinite Grace beginning to be Glorious.</P>
<P>Secondly, Con&s;ider this, that he hath left thee altogether without excu&s;e; he hath cut off all pretences that &s;inners might make for their keeping off from Chri&s;t, both here and in other places. O &s;aith one, <HI>He hath waited &s;o long upon me, &s;tretched out his hands all the day long to me;</HI> While I have been <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 30. 18. Rom. 10. ult. Rev. 3. 20.</NOTE> rebelling, the Lord Je&s;us hath been intreating me to be recon|ciled; he hath &s;tood &s;o long at the door knocking, that now &s;ure he is gone; he will not come to my &s;oul, nor take my &s;oul into
<PB N="682" REF="408">
fellow&s;hip with him&s;elf. I am an old &s;inner, as long as ever I could arm my heart, and boy up my &s;elf with any thing, carnal rea&s;onings, moral &s;ervices, vain delights, and creature-com|forts, I would never come to him: what though the Lord Je&s;us is ready to receive when ever thou come to him? <HI>Had not the poor Woman in the Go&s;pel &s;pent all upon the Phy&s;itians, before &s;he</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 5. 26.</NOTE> <HI>came to Chri&s;t?</HI> if &s;he could have had balm any where el&s;e, &s;he would never have gone to <HI>Gilead</HI> for it, nor for that Phy|&s;itian, and doth he ca&s;t her out notwith&s;tanding? &s;urely no: <HI>He giveth liberally, and upbraideth not:</HI> he hits her not in the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iames 1. 5.</NOTE> teeth with her unworthine&s;s to come to him, but when &s;he cometh, he healeth her di&s;temper. Was not this the Prodi|gals ca&s;e? would he ever have gone to his Father, if he could have gotten husks, or any thing? and what, doth his father up|braid him with it? what, thou be received now, that ha&s;t &s;tood out as long as ever thou could&s;t? it is nece&s;&s;ity, and not love that hath driven thee home, therefore take thy cour&s;e, I have no bread for thee; O this would have broken the heart quite, and for ever di&s;couraged him for coming; no, he meeteth him by the way notwith&s;tanding, and how ready he is to receive him, and embrace him, that Parable &s;etteth forth. O but &s;aith another, I am &s;o poor, mi&s;erable, have nothing at all in me but &s;in and mi&s;ery: &s;uppo&s;e &s;o, thou ha&s;t the more need of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and he is mo&s;t ready to reveal him&s;elf to them that need him mo&s;t, yea thou art the more fit to come to Chri&s;t; for while thou ha&s;t any thing to &s;ub&s;i&s;t upon, thou wilt not come off thy &s;elf clearly and fully as thou oughte&s;t; be&s;ides, remember this, that the Lord Je&s;us is able to be&s;tow his riches upon no|thing, as he did at the fir&s;t make a world of nothing: &s;o in the new Creation in the &s;oul, he can, he will be&s;tow the riches of his Grace upon nothing; it is like thou ha&s;t as much as the Prodigal had in his returning; O but he cannot but abhorr me, my &s;ins are not &s;light &s;cars, and races, but deep wounds, and fe&s;tering wounds, running &s;ores, bloody i&s;&s;ues, loath&s;om in his &s;ight: did the woman with the bloody i&s;&s;ue in the Go&s;pel find a repul&s;e, becau&s;e of the loath&s;omne&s;s of her di&s;temper? or the Lepers, becau&s;e of theirs? or <HI>Lazarus,</HI> becau&s;e of his? &s;urely no: therein is the great commendation of his love to poor &s;inners, that though in their blood, yet he loveth them,
<PB N="683" REF="408">
yet he receiveth them. In one word for all, to &s;top the mouths of the&s;e clamours, the Lord Je&s;us hath &s;aid it, and will he not be as good as his word? he hath &s;aid, <HI>That if any man come to him, he will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t him out,</HI> be his di&s;temper what it will, be his uuworthine&s;s what it will, he will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t him out: therefore never make that an ob&s;truction, but rather an argument to put thee on to go to Chri&s;t, becau&s;e thy want of him is &s;o great, more then is found in others.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Con&s;ider that the&s;e hard thoughts of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, before thou ha&s;t tryed, and had experience of a repul&s;e from him, are but a prejudice again&s;t the Lord Je&s;us; how glad is the enemy of our peace, if any way he can keep poor &s;ouls off from Chri&s;t; will you judge a man to be &s;o hard-hearted, and unkind to you, before you have tried him? and &s;hall we judge &s;o of Je&s;us Chri&s;t? O this is to add &s;in to &s;in, and much wor|&s;ens our condition daily.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Con&s;ider this poor &s;oul, and add to thy own ex|perience, the experience of all the Saints; ask of them, and they will tell thee, O never was there viler wretches then they them&s;elves were! they had as vile and ba&s;e thoughts of them&s;elves as thou, and were as much di&s;couraged as thou art; and yet when they came to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, they did obtain mercy, they found Grace in his &s;ight, the Scepter was held out to them. Ask of <HI>Paul,</HI> who though dead, yet &s;peaketh, and he will tell thee, thou never wa&s;t &s;uch a wretch as he, imbrewing his hands in the blood of the Saints, a per&s;ecutor, bla&s;phemer, in|jurious. Ask but <HI>Magdalen,</HI> and &s;he will tell thee, that &s;he had &s;even Devils for one haply that thou ha&s;t. And &s;o will <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>David:</HI> O thou never had&s;t thy hand in blood, in adultery, in denying the Lord Je&s;us, the&s;e found mercy; <HI>And is not Je&s;us Chri&s;t the &s;ame ye&s;terday, to day, and for</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 13. 8.</NOTE> <HI>ever?</HI></P>
<P>Fifthly, Thou can&s;t have no good evidence, that thou art one given of the Father to Chri&s;t, before the world began, until thou come&s;t to Je&s;us Chri&s;t: <HI>All that the Father hath given me, &s;hall</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 6. 37.</NOTE> <HI>come.</HI> What then, &s;hall &s;inners abu&s;e this doctrine, to &s;et light by it, ca&s;t off all care of their condition, becau&s;e if they be given of the Father, they &s;hall come? no: But &s;adly con&s;ider this, if thou be not yet come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, thou art not as yet de|clared
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to be one that is given to Chri&s;t; and if not given to the Son, thou art a &s;on of perdition; and wo is thee that thou wa&s;t ever born; and as yet thou art not come to Chri&s;t, and how knowe&s;t thou, thou &s;halt ever have an opportunity, or an heart to believe, or come to him? Faith is not at your com|mand, nor Chri&s;t at your command for poor &s;inners; O con|&s;ider this ye that forget God, and forget your own welfare; <HI>As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed;</HI> the re&s;t were <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 13 48.</NOTE> hardened.</P>
<P>Sixthly, A rational Motive &s;hall be this; In other di&s;tracti|ons a po&s;&s;ibility of relief will make poor Creatures put them|&s;elves upon extream hazards, when it is not po&s;&s;ible they &s;hould e&s;cape without &s;uch a hazard running; how much more then in the bu&s;ine&s;s of our &s;ouls, &s;hould we be willing to run an hazard, if there were any, where there is probability, yea, certainty of &s;peeding if we come. So the Lepers, you know their argument, <HI>If we &s;tay here, we mu&s;t peri&s;h; if we go, we may e&s;cape.</HI> So <HI>E&s;ther,</HI> &s;he knew if &s;he went not into the King at <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kings 7.</NOTE> that time, her neck was upon the block, as well as the re&s;t, and if &s;he did go in, &s;he might haply &s;peed and pro&s;per, and there|fore &s;he ventures hard; if the Scepter had not been held out to her, it had co&s;t her, her life there; but the body did lie at the &s;take, as being &s;tarved for want, or el&s;e de&s;igned to de&s;tructi|on by enemies; but here &s;oul and body lie at the &s;take, and are <NOTE PLACE="marg">E<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">her 14. 16.</NOTE> in danger of peri&s;hing for ever; there was only a po&s;&s;ibility of e&s;caping, here is a certainty of e&s;caping: he will not in any wi&s;e ca&s;t him out. O how cheerfully would <HI>E&s;ther</HI> have run to the King, if there had been &s;uch a Law, that when ever the Queen cometh, the Scepter &s;hould be held out to her; &s;o it is here: there they ran a very de&s;perate hazard, but here is no hazard run, here is a &s;ure word of promi&s;e for it, <HI>That hea|ven and earth &s;hall pa&s;s away, before a tittle of it &s;hall pa&s;s away: whoever cometh to Chri&s;t, he will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t him out.</HI></P>
<P>Seventhly, It is a grief to the Lord Je&s;us, that we &s;hould be thus wayward, that we will not be per&s;waded of his good will toward us, if we come to him; that we &s;hould have &s;uch unworthy thoughts of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that he &s;hould make no more of his Word of promi&s;e, his death his blood, then to &s;light all, fal&s;ifie all, when poor &s;inners come to him according to his invitation; <HI>he was
<PB N="685" REF="409">
grieved</HI> (&s;aith the Text) <HI>becau&s;e of the unbelief and hardne&s;s of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mar. 3. 5. Mat. 23. 37.</NOTE> <HI>their hearts;</HI> It is &s;aid of the Jews, <HI>O Jeru&s;alem, Jeru&s;alem,</HI> &amp;c. he wept over it, when nothing would do to per&s;wade them to clo&s;e with him; thou art grieved, and Chri&s;t is grieved by this frowardne&s;s of thine; Suppo&s;e the Father of the prodigal &s;on in the Go&s;pel had invited him to come to him, promi&s;ed him all the inheritance, to put him in his bo&s;om, confirm his love to him; no, &s;aith he, I have mi&s;pent all, I have undone my &s;elf, fed upon husks as long as I could get them, and now I am rea|dy to peri&s;h not being able to procure them: here I will &s;it and dye, I cannot believe that thou wilt accept of me, that thou can&s;t ever love me, or receive me more: would not this grieve the father think you? I know poor mourning &s;oul thou would&s;t not grieve the Lord Je&s;us; I tell thee, if thou would&s;t not, thou mu&s;t come to him, accept of his kind|ne&s;s and love, believe his faithfulne&s;s, and truth, and &s;o thy &s;oul &s;hall be e&s;tabli&s;hed.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 4. The fourth U&s;e &s;hall be then to exalt the riches of the Grace of Je&s;us Chri&s;t to poor &s;inners; we might <HI>altus repetere,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 4.</NOTE> and &s;peak &s;omething to the purcha&s;ing of us at &s;o dear a rate as his precious blood; corruptible things, as Silver and Gold are not worthy to be named the &s;ame day with the blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Alas, there had been no po&s;&s;ibility for us to come to him, except there had been the <GAP DESC="foreign"> paid, and then to in|vite us to come to him, and not only &s;o, but to draw us with the cords of a man, and the cords of love, that we &s;hould hear and learn of the Father, be all taught of God, which is the drawing of his Father, without which we cannot come, which <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 44, 45. Ho&s;. 11. 4.</NOTE> what it is, you have heard already formerly; Brethren, this is abundance of Grace, yea, more he hath promi&s;ed, and doth, and will perform; whoever cometh to him, he will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t him out. If the Lord Je&s;us had limited him&s;elf to &s;uch or &s;uch a &s;ort of &s;inners, that he would receive all that &s;hould not continue &s;o many years in &s;in, or &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">all not ri&s;e to &s;uch an height in &s;in, yet it had been much Grace to receive any, but he ex|cludeth none; if any man come to Chri&s;t he will in no wi&s;e
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ca&s;t him out. Are there not many &s;ouls in the pre&s;ence of God, that can &s;et to their &s;eals that this is a truth in Ie&s;us? if he would have ca&s;t out any, what would become of thee and me, who are the chief of &s;inners? if he would have <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 6. 10.</NOTE> ca&s;t out &s;uch as have been drunkards, covetous, unclean, effe|minate, what had become of them in 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6? Such were &s;ome of you: and what would have become of &s;ome of us, if he would have ca&s;t out all that have been bloody per&s;ecutors, what would have become of <HI>Paul?</HI> Ah poor &s;oul! bethink thy &s;elf in what filth and blood thou did&s;t wallow, before he put off his own comline&s;s upon thee? and then think, if the Lord Ie&s;us had limited his receiving of &s;inners, that come to &s;uch or &s;uch a mea&s;ure, what then had become of thee? O what abounding Grace is in the Lord Ie&s;us towards poor &s;inners! let us exalt it, meditate much of it, labour to heighten it in thy thoughts; there will be no thoughts more &s;weet, or profitable, more melting of that &s;tone in thy heart, we &s;o &s;adly complain of, more indearing and engaging of the heart to the Lord Je&s;us, then the&s;e are.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 5. &V;&s;e 5. Then &s;urely there is no falling away from Chri&s;t, from ju&s;tifying, &s;anctifying Grace once received; for what <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 5.</NOTE> el&s;e is this coming to Chri&s;t, but coming for righteou&s;ne&s;s, for pardon, for he is the Lord our Righteou&s;ne&s;s; the Father <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1 30.</NOTE> hath found a Ran&s;om now in his Son, and this the poor &s;inner maketh after in Chri&s;t; and for holine&s;s al&s;o, for he is made of God, Sanctification, as well as Righteou&s;ne&s;s and Holine&s;s to the poor &s;oul that cometh to him; now he will never ca&s;t him out that cometh to him, he will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t him out: If he had &s;aid, I will not ca&s;t him out, except he &s;in to this or that degree after my receiving him, it had been &s;ome|what; but I will not ca&s;t him out, no, in no wi&s;e will I do it. O ble&s;&s;ed bo&s;om, which will never &s;hut out the poor &s;oul that is once gotten in to it! and if the Lord Je&s;us ca&s;t us not out when we come, what can? It may be, &s;ome will &s;ay that we our &s;elves may do it, Chri&s;t will not do it; I, but the &s;inner him&s;elf may <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">all off, though he have been received of Chri&s;t, put in
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his bo&s;om, warmed with his love; it is true, if a &s;inner were his own keeper, it were &s;omewhat like; if it were left to the liberty of our wils, whether we would abide in Chri&s;t, yea or no, we &s;hould quickly be lo&s;t again; but it is not, the Lord Je&s;us doth not only not ca&s;t us out, except we ca&s;t our &s;elves out, but he holds us in his hand, and the Father holds us in his hand, and they are &s;tronger then all: <HI>None &s;hall be able to pluck them out of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 10. 28, 19.</NOTE> <HI>his hand:</HI> he lays hold upon the heart, puts his fear there; yea, and that Peace of God al&s;o placeth he, as a pregnable garri&s;on there, that they &s;hall never depart from him; except the Lord <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 32. 40.</NOTE> could deny his Covenant, for my part, I &s;ee not how any &s;oul that in truth is come on to Chri&s;t, can finally apo&s;tatize, though from &s;ome common grace they may withdraw, which is true Grace, though not of this kind which is &s;aving. But what then, doth the Lord Je&s;us hold us to him&s;elf whether we will or no? No Brethren, <HI>But he maketh us willing in the day</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 110.</NOTE> <HI>of his power;</HI> &s;o that we &s;hall not any more be willing to leave him, to depart from him; nor is it an infringement of our li|berty at all to be determined to one party either of the contra|diction of contrariety, as they u&s;e to di&s;tingui&s;h them, for God him&s;elf is determined to one part, he cannot will any thing that is evil as evil; nor the Angels in heaven e&s;tabli&s;hed and con|firmed; and yet their liberty &s;ure is much greater then ours; well then, the Lord Je&s;us he will never ca&s;t them out, therefore they &s;hall per&s;evere when once they are in him in Covenant; God hath put that principle into them, that they &s;hall never de|part them&s;elves, he will not let loo&s;e any lu&s;t, any temptation upon them that &s;hall ruin them, that were in effect, in a mo|ral &s;en&s;e, a ca&s;ting of them out; in no wi&s;e what&s;oever will he do it.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 6. Sixthly, Yet here let me put in a double Caution: Fir&s;t, Let <NOTE PLACE="marg">&V;&s;e 6.</NOTE> &s;inners, impenitent &s;inners that yet &s;tand it out, protract the time of their coming to Je&s;us Chri&s;t: as <HI>Aug. O modo Domine,</HI> take a warning word this day, that is, do not &s;o abu&s;e this &s;weet and pretious truth, as to encourage them&s;elves thereby in an evil way: tu&s;h, &s;aith the drunkard, the unclean per&s;on, to mor|row
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&s;hall be as this day, and much more abundant: it is time enough to repent, Je&s;us Chri&s;t is &s;o tender and &s;o merciful to poor &s;inners, that when ever we come to him, he will not ca&s;t us out; and though we do trea&s;ure up many bags, and fill up the mea&s;ure of &s;in fuller then others, he hath made no <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom 2.</NOTE> limitation; if we come to him, he will not ca&s;t us out: what a lamentable condition is that man in, who&s;e &s;tomack turns an honey-comb into poy&s;on to him! here is the mo&s;t precious cordial, the very Spirits of the Go&s;pel in this our Doctrine, and &s;ee how &s;inners do turn it into a deadly potion to their &s;ouls! what Spiders are we, that can &s;uck venom out of the &s;weete&s;t flowers? but &s;uppo&s;e this be true, that when ever thou come&s;t to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, thou &s;halt be received, and not ca&s;t out in any wi&s;e; is there any truth in the Hypothe&s;is that lies hid, which is either this, that thou ha&s;t power to come of thy &s;elf at any time, thy will at command, if it be proper to &s;ay &s;o of that which is the commanding faculty in the &s;oul; or el&s;e this, that God will draw thee hereafter, and give thee a will to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, when thou ha&s;t lived a while longer in the plea&s;ures of &s;in: Ah poor &s;oul, thou little knowe&s;t the de|ceitfulne&s;s of &s;in, and of thy own heart; what is the rea&s;on that thou art not now willing to receive the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t? is it not becau&s;e thou art held &s;o fa&s;t in the embraces of thy darling lu&s;ts? O that &s;in that kils with its embraces, poi&s;ons with its ki&s;&s;es! and tell me, is that the way to get loo&s;er from thy lu&s;ts, and &s;o more ready to come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, to go on in &s;in, to &s;atisfie and fulfill the lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h? &s;urely no: thou knowe&s;t not the deceitfulne&s;s of &s;in, whereby the heart is more harden|ed <NOTE PLACE="marg">H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">b 3. 13.</NOTE> every act, then before; It may plea&s;e him out of the abundant riches of his Grace to draw &s;uch a pre&s;umptuous &s;inner to Chri&s;t, but it is to be admired, me thinks thou &s;hould&s;t rather tremble when thou thinke&s;t, I now put off my coming to Chri&s;t untill a more convenient opportunity, and what if this never come? what if my &s;oul be taken from me this night, now the Arrows of God are &s;cattered among our dwellings? and what if I never have a heart, nor &s;ome time to come and repent, but go on &s;till and grow more and more hard and de|&s;perate, and &s;inning, and &s;o peri&s;h? O that &s;inners would con|&s;ider this that forget God, that they abu&s;e not this Grace of
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Je&s;us Chri&s;t: When did Je&s;us Chri&s;t tell thee how long he would wait upon thee to be gracious? doth he not &s;ay, <HI>to day</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 3. 7, 8.</NOTE> <HI>if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts;</HI> you may po&s;&s;ibly out-live your day of grace, a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d Chri&s;t is waiting upon you, and &s;triving with you, and then it had been better for you, you had never been born.</P>
<P>Secondly, Another caution &s;hall be to them that have come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and are found in him, that they take heed they abu&s;e not this grace to wantonne&s;s. If we &s;hall not in any wi&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iude 4.</NOTE> be ca&s;t out of Chri&s;t, what need &s;o much ado? O what viperous natures have we, that are ready to turn all to poy&s;on! this princi|ple is in every heart among us, therefore watch over it: The Do|ctrine is Chri&s;ts, a truth in Je&s;us, and therefore in its own nature hath no tendency to &s;uch a froward walking before God, there is nothing in its own nature doth more tend to kil &s;in then grace, the abundance of grace in Je&s;us Chri&s;t: &amp; truly, if grace &amp; love will not do it, nothing will do it; nothing runs the old man to the heart &s;o home, as this un&s;earchable love of God in Chri&s;t, that if we come to him, he will in no wi&s;e ca&s;t us out. It is a wretched, gracele&s;s conclu&s;ion, to &s;ay no more of it, to continue in &s;in that grace might abound; the Apo&s;tle was well taught in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12. 1.</NOTE> Chri&s;ts School, and both by Revelation from Chri&s;t, and per&s;o|nal experience in his own ca&s;e; he knew the power of the love of God in Chri&s;t, the exceeding abundance of his grace, and how doth he argue from mercy to duty? So our Saviour him|&s;elf, who be&s;t knoweth the end of his grace, of which he is the Author and Fini&s;her, <HI>come to me,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>and I will give you re&s;t:</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 11.</NOTE> And what then? may they &s;it &s;till and take their ea&s;e, never trouble them&s;elves more concerning their &s;ouls, never care how to walk in well-plea&s;ing to Chri&s;t? No, the next words are, <HI>take my yoak upon you, for it is ea&s;ie, and it is light:</HI> It is no great matter he expecteth of us, in compari&s;on of what he might ex|pect, and in re&s;pect of the recompence of reward; a <HI>Belial</HI> is a Mon&s;ter in the Church of Chri&s;t, a man without yoak, like a wild-A&s;s, &s;nuffing up the wind, and doing according to his own hearts lu&s;t. I will be bold to &s;ay, let men pretend to what they will, that man that hath drunk deepe&s;t of the love of God in Chri&s;t, and is mo&s;t firmly rooted in him, and this free-grace of
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God in him, brings forth fruit in the greate&s;t abundance of any other what&s;oever, therefore take heed of this abu&s;e of the grace of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e</HI> 7. Seventhly, Then let the people of God make this the com|fort, the &s;tay of their hearts, that to which they have recour&s;e in all their doubts and fears, the Lord Je&s;us will never ca&s;t them out; labour to &s;et a high price upon this promi&s;e, it is worthy to be written in every heart of a Believer in golden letters; we are too often too apt to turn a&s;ide to our broken Ci&s;terns for re|fre&s;hings when troubles &s;eize upon us; but alas, how do they by their emptine&s;s quickly cau&s;e the heart to fall off from them? as a Bee cometh to a flower, abideth not, becau&s;e it quickly emptyeth, it &s;ucks out all the &s;weetne&s;s, and then to ano|ther; and truly, &s;uch are all things in the world, when we go to drink at them, to refre&s;h our weary &s;pirits: but here you may drink, and drink abundantly, the&s;e are waters that never fail; never any were occa&s;ioned to fall off from Chri&s;t becau&s;e of emptine&s;s in him, nor yet becau&s;e of &s;atiety, as the Hor&s;e|leach when gorged full: No, no, Chri&s;ts brea&s;ts are full of milk, full of grace, abundant con&s;olation do they mini&s;ter; thou &s;halt never need to fear that hunger or thir&s;t &s;hall force thee away from Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>Nor yet &s;econdly, will the&s;e comforts ever for&s;ake thee, ever ca&s;t thee out; relations come together, and much delight they take each in other; and many a man is much taken up with the imbraces of this well-favoured harlot, the world; what between the lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h, the lu&s;t of the eye, and pride of life; but alas, Brethren, be&s;ides the killing of the imbraces, the &s;inner mu&s;t leave them, or they will leave him; and what then? O but once get into the arms of the Lord Je&s;us, and tho&s;e imbraces cure in&s;tead of killing, and thou &s;halt never be ca&s;t out more. O me thinks, Brethren, one rowling of this &s;weet mor&s;el under the tongue, were enough to &s;weeten any
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condition in the world; happy &s;oul that hath the enjoyment of the Lord Je&s;us, and the &s;en&s;e of it.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Yea more, if he have not ca&s;t thee out at the fir&s;t coming, much le&s;s afterward in thy after-comings to him for more of his fulne&s;s of grace, he will not ca&s;t thee out, not &s;end thee away empty; if he would have ever thrown thee off, it would have been at the fir&s;t, while thou wa&s;t a &s;tranger to him; yet when thou came&s;t to him in a weary, burthened condition, he had re&s;pect to thy condition, had pitty on thee, gave thee re&s;t, admitted thee with all thy &s;in, and guilt, and took it away; will he not much more have now bowels towards thee? can he ca&s;t thee out now for thy defects and deformities? O &s;urely no. Brethren, you that have Fathers and Mothers hearts to your children, tell me, you that have a poor child, though by his own untowardne&s;s he falls, wounds him&s;elf, bleedeth, fainteth, deformeth him&s;elf, cometh to his father, O father pitty, father help, father heal, I have what in me lies undone my &s;elf; though he be angry at his mi&s;carriage, yet the bowels work towards him, he doth not upon this account ca&s;t him out: And it is worth noting, when our Saviour was offended with his Di&s;|ciples for their little faith in the &s;torm, they came and awaked him, &s;aying, <HI>Lord &s;ave us, we peri&s;h;</HI> his tenderne&s;s was &s;uch, before he rebuked them for their unbelief, he rebuked the Sea <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ma<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 4. 39, 40.</NOTE> and the wind. O Brethren, &s;urely, &s;urely the Lord Je&s;us his tenderne&s;s towards his people, is a fea&s;t of fat things, here are the wines on the lees to revive and refre&s;h the poor drooping &s;pirits; lo&s;e not the comfort of your condition for want of meditating upon it.</P>
<P>Object. But &s;ome will &s;ay, <HI>If this be &s;o, it is &s;ad with me, for I have thought I came to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and have found comfort and refre&s;hing, and re&s;t in him, and yet alas, now he hath ca&s;t me off; and therefore &s;urely I was never truly in him, for none that come to him doth he in any wi&s;e ca&s;t off.</HI></P>
<P>For an&s;wer to this, I conceive it is but a mi&s;take, &s;uch qualms as the&s;e &s;eize upon the people of God &s;ometimes, when we <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 5. 7.</NOTE> will needs live by &s;ight and not by faith: And &s;ometimes the
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Lord may plea&s;e to hide his face from his own people, and then no marvel if they be troubled; <HI>in a little wrath I hid my face,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 30. 7.</NOTE> &amp;c. Sometimes our lu&s;ts come and &s;teal away our Saviour, be|reaveth us of his pre&s;ence, at lea&s;t the &s;en&s;iblene&s;s of it; and then we know not where they have laid our Saviour, is our &s;ad complaint; then we mourn, as children, thinking them&s;elves for&s;aken, if the Mother be but &s;tept a&s;ide haply on purpo&s;e up|on &s;ome nece&s;&s;ary occa&s;ion. So <HI>David, I &s;aid I am ca&s;t out of thy &s;ight.</HI> So <HI>Jonas, What, hath the Lord &s;hut up his tender mer|cies, hath he taken his leave of me, and will he be gone for ever?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Iona. 2. 4.</NOTE> all this while the Mother is behind the Curtain, takes notice of every &s;igh, &s;eeth every tear fall from the child, mind|eth every expre&s;&s;ion of longing and breaking de&s;ires after her, and &s;o doth the Lord; this is not a for&s;aking, a ca&s;ting out, but a fitting the poor &s;oul for the receiving more of his love afterward. Why art thou then &s;o di&s;|quieted, poor &s;oul, and droope&s;t, as if there were no more hope nor help for thee in Chri&s;t, becau&s;e he hath a little turned his face away from thee? O happy &s;oul, that can&s;t not bear his ab&s;ence, that followe&s;t &s;o hard after him, that mourne&s;t after him, it is a &s;ign he hath left &s;ome &s;weet|ne&s;s upon the heart to draw thee after him, he hath not ca&s;t thee off; but by this means would work thee more <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">5, 6.</NOTE> out of love with that &s;in that hath made the &s;eparation, that &s;o he might abide with thee for ever.</P>
<P>2. Object. <HI>Alas but I know not whether I have ever yet come to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; I am per&s;waded that &s;uch as come to him aright, he will never ca&s;t them out; but my &s;cru<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">le yet &s;ticks, I am afraid of deceiving my &s;elf, and thinking I come to him when I come not, for I have thus long come and followed after Chri&s;t, and never yet got a &s;mile from him to this day; therefore he &s;eemeth to &s;hake me off, and ca&s;t me out.</HI></P>
<P>Let me &s;peak a few things to this.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That though he hold thee off a while, and &s;eem
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not to own thee, in re&s;pect of the comforts his pre|&s;ence, yet in the mean time he doth &s;tay and &s;upport thee, there is his &s;trengthening pre&s;ence, el&s;e thou wert ne|ver able to endure to hold out mourning after him.</P>
<P>Secondly, When thy heart is &s;o drawn out after Je&s;us Chri&s;t, that thou can&s;t not live, nor be &s;atisfied without thou mourne&s;t, pine&s;t, langui&s;he&s;t after him, this is a coming, a true coming to Je&s;us Chri&s;t; when thou ha&s;t all things el&s;e that heart can wi&s;h, it may be thou ha&s;t relations, e&s;tate, name as good as others, yet thou can&s;t not be &s;atis|fied, all is nothing without intere&s;t in him; thou runne&s;t from Ordinance to Ordinance, from one Congregation to another, from reading to prayer, yet finde&s;t no &s;atisfacti|on in all: I will &s;ay to that &s;oul, Thou ha&s;t an evidence, and a clear one too, he hath indeed received thee, or thou wert never able thus to breath after him; and though he may hold thee off for a while, yet he will not &s;hut thee out.</P>
<P>Thirdly, Hath the Lord made thee willing indeed to have him, to receive him as King and Saviour, to be purified by him, &s;ubdued to him, as well as &s;aved by him? Alas, I know not whether I am or no: if not, what then meaneth all thy &s;tuffing thy bed with groans? What mean tho&s;e Rivers of tears &s;hed over him? what meaneth thy following &s;o hard after him? What, is it po&s;&s;ible that any man &s;hould make &s;uch heavy moan, as &s;ome poor &s;ouls do for Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and yet not be willing to have him? If thou woulde&s;t not have him, me thinks thou woulde&s;t rather run away from him, then run after him: what a&s;cending is there up into this tree and that tree, as the Lord Je&s;us pa&s;&s;eth by in an Ordinance, to get a &s;ight of him, and yet the poor &s;oul will not be per&s;waded that he would have, fain have the Lord Je&s;us; when one &s;ight of him would be &s;o refre&s;hing to them: O go away rejoycing and triumphing in the Lord Je&s;us, that ever he hath looked upon thee, to make thee willing
<PB N="694" REF="414">
in the day of his power, for &s;urely thou art a willing &s;oul who art &s;o affected towards him; and this willing, Bre|thren, <NOTE PLACE="marg">John 1. 12.</NOTE> &s;urely is the very receiving of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, it is the clo&s;ing with him, thus taking with one hand Chri&s;t for pardon, and giving up a mans &s;elf to him with the other hand, which is the thing thy &s;oul groans for; now if Chri&s;t Je&s;us be &s;o willing to receive poor &s;inners, and thou be &s;o willing to receive him, what can interpo&s;e to hinder or break the match? &s;urely nothing.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Thou mu&s;t be content to wait a while hap|ly, before thou have the comfort of thy coming to Chri&s;t; before, I &s;ay, thou &s;halt &s;uck the &s;weetne&s;s that floweth from him to thy &s;oul, for thou ha&s;t broken thy bones with &s;in, which brought wrath upon thy &s;oul, as <HI>David</HI> complains; O there was no re&s;t in his bones, and they mu&s;t have a time to knit again. A man will rather lie up|on his bed a Pri&s;oner a few daies, then be a Cripple all the daies of his life; therefore they &s;ay a Hor&s;e leg is in|curable if broke, he will not endure to be bound, to lie quiet.</P>
<P>Submit to the Chyrurgians hand and skill, the Lord Je&s;us will do it, it is doing; but alas, &s;uch broken bones heal but &s;lowly through many humors; by rea&s;on of the abundance of &s;in in the &s;oul may be it will be the longer, but wait; Remember the pains that <HI>Elijahs</HI> &s;ervant took to go up and down that &s;teep hill <HI>Carmel</HI> with weary|ne&s;s &s;even times, and brought news of nothing at all, un|til at la&s;t, he &s;ees a little cloud which filled the hea|vens: So it may be with thee, and it will recompence all; at la&s;t there will be abundance of rain to refre&s;h thy weary parched &s;oul.</P>
<P>Fifthly, Be frequent in acting of faith, putting forth the acts of thy willingne&s;s to receive the Lord Je&s;us, if he be willing to receive thee, for hereby the habit of faith will grow &s;tronger, the little grain of Mu&s;tard-&s;eed thou &s;halt &s;ee take &s;trong rooting and &s;pread it &s;elf, and
<PB N="695" REF="414">
then the acts will be &s;tronger, and tho&s;e will yet again &s;trengthen the habit, and by this means the grace will appear more vi&s;ible: So that at the la&s;t thou &s;halt even feel in thy very &s;oul, that thou do&s;t believe, if thou often <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Iohn 5. 10.</NOTE> put forth this act of recumbency upon him, ca&s;ting thy &s;elf upon the Lord Je&s;us, into his arms, at his feet; and &s;ee if thou find it not, that at la&s;t thou have not this witne&s;s in thy &s;elf, that thou do&s;t believe in the Lord Je|&s;us. And then happy &s;oul, thou maye&s;t take the comfort of that condition; <HI>Thou &s;halt never be ca&s;t out.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</GROUP>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="outline">
<PB REF="415">
<PB REF="415">
<LIST>
<HEAD>The fir&s;t Table contains the General and Particular Heads (as they follow in their order) in the preceding Subject, <HI>Circum&s;pect Walking, A Chri&s;tians Wi&s;dom.</HI></HEAD>
<ITEM>THe Text opened, <HI>Page</HI> 55. out of which this fir&s;t doctrine is rai&s;ed.</ITEM>
<ITEM>That it is a duty Chri&s;tians are &s;trict|ly charged with to walk circum|&s;pectly, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>But fir&s;t there is enquired, what it is to walk circum&s;pectly,</ITEM>
<ITEM>Here you have fir&s;t the Matter of a Chri&s;tians conver&s;ation expre&s;&s;ed by walking, which includes all a mans actions.</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. Spiritual. 2. Civil. 3. Natural. 55, 56</ITEM>
<ITEM>This Latiude appears,</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. In that walking is a motion.</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. From other Principles. 2. By other Rules then the men of the world walk by, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. There is a <HI>Terminus a quo,</HI> from whence they walk, and that is from &s;in. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. A <HI>Terminus ad quem,</HI> and that is to God in Chri&s;t. 57</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. This Motion is a progre&s;&s;ive mo|tion.</ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<ITEM>5. It is a con&s;tant
<LIST>
<ITEM>Motion,</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>6. It it a plea&s;ant</ITEM>
</LIST>
<HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Secondly, Here you have the manner of this walking Circum&s;pectly, <GAP DESC="foreign">.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Now to this exact walking,</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. There mu&s;t go a Rule, 57</ITEM>
<ITEM><PB REF="416">
2. Knowledge to under&s;tand, and wi&s;dom rightly to apply the rule. 58</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Keeping clo&s;e to the rule.</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. In not following a multitude as mo&s;t do. 59</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In not following the Examples of the Saints further then they follow Chri&s;t. 60</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. There mu&s;t be a mending not only the external part, but the in|&s;ide and the Spirit of the rule. 61</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. Carrying an even cour&s;e towards heaven. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>6. Making it a mans work to walk exactly with,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. A watchful eye.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. A trembling heart.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>The &s;econd thing in the words of the Text,</ITEM>
<ITEM>That it is a duty &s;o &s;trictly charged upon the Saints, proved 63</ITEM>
<ITEM>The Rea&s;ons of the third thing in the words of the Text.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Why this duty is charged upon the Saints, <HI>(viz.)</HI> to walk circum|&s;pectly.</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. Becau&s;e they are the children of the light. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Becau&s;e their &s;teps are more eyed then other mens. 64</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. In regard of God him&s;elf.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In regard of men.</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. Many men watch for their Halt|ing.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Some men are &s;candalized by their uneven walking.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Either good or evil Men. 65</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Becau&s;e all have erring hearts, and naturally love to wander. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Becau&s;e there are many by-paths whereinto they may &s;tep awry. 66.</ITEM>
<ITEM>The fir&s;t U&s;e &s;hews, that among the much profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;t there is little power. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The &s;econd u&s;e reproves,</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. The People of God that come &s;hort of this exact Walking.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Tho&s;e that in&s;tead of follow|ing God fully, have their hearts di|vided. 67</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. Some that content them&s;elves on|ly with the &s;hews of religion.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Some that are all for morality and hone&s;ty of conver&s;ation. 68</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Some that neither fear God, nor reverence Man. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Thirdly, Tho&s;e are reproved that make exact walking the object of their &s;corn.</ITEM>
<ITEM>The third U&s;e is for Exhortation, to buckle to this duty of exact walk|ing. 69</ITEM>
<ITEM>From whence follows the Motives,</ITEM>
<ITEM>As 1. The way wherein to walk, is all over&s;pread with &s;nares. 70
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. To tempt into &s;in.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. To Tempt for &s;in. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The nece&s;sity of it unto the end. 71</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The difficulty of it. 72</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. The love of many waxes cold. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>5. God hath much honour by it. 73</ITEM>
<ITEM>6 Others may be drawn to a liking of it. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Directions herein how to walk exactly, are.</ITEM>
<ITEM><PB REF="416">
1. Labouring to get an heart &s;en&s;ible of wandrings. 74</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Setting the heart always as in Gods pre&s;ence. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Letting the Word of God dwell richly in the heart. 75
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. In all wi&s;dom.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In all under&s;tanding.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Applying the rule to a mans ways. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>5. Enquiring of God in every &s;erious undertaking. 77</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. Looking to Humility. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>7. Taking heed of &s;quint-eyed ends. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>8. Taking heed of halting between two. 78</ITEM>
<ITEM>9. Fore-ca&s;ting what temptations to meet with in the ways of God. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>10. Labouring to Arm with a &s;trong per&s;wa&s;ion of Gods Al-&s;ufficiency. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Now then Plead not again&s;t the diffi|culty of this circum&s;pect walking 79</ITEM>
<ITEM>For fir&s;t, by how much the more difficult, by &s;o much the more ex|excellent it is. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. There is nothing &s;o hard, but dili|gence will overcome, if the &s;oul be in Chri&s;t.</ITEM>
<ITEM>For, 1. Then it hath a fulne&s;s of &s;trength. 80</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. It hath in Chri&s;t all the Promi&s;es. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The &s;econd Doctrine,</ITEM>
<ITEM>That it is a proof of Chri&s;tian Wi&s;dom to walk circum&s;pectly, Proved. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>1. From Places of Scripture. 81</ITEM>
<ITEM>It is further confirmed,</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. In that it is wi&s;dom to propound a right end. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. To provide and make u&s;e of the right means. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. To take the neare&s;t and ea&s;ie&s;t way. 83</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. To &s;uit and &s;hape a mans cour&s;e according to the exigence of his condition. 84</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. To do it in its &s;ea&s;on or time. 85</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. To go through &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">itch with the work. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>7. To take a Cour&s;e for the ful|le&s;t enjoyment of the la&s;t end. 86</ITEM>
<ITEM>8. To make &s;ure the title of inheri|tance. 87</ITEM>
<ITEM>The Application &s;erves,</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. To wipe off that &s;landering imputation of <GAP DESC="foreign">, The fal&s;e accu&s;er of the Brethren, &amp;c. Ca&s;ts upon Religion. 89</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. To retort folly upon the wi&s;dom of the world. 90</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. In Pitching upon a wrong end, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Con&s;idering, 1. That all the&s;e things here will not run pa|rallel with the &s;ouls to eternity. 91</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That the&s;e things while they are kept here do not &s;atisfie the &s;oul <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In mi&s;carrying in the right means. 92</ITEM>
<ITEM><PB REF="417">
1. In being wi&s;e to do evil.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In being &s;atisfied with the bare name of Chri&s;tianity.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. In being wi&s;e in their own con|ceits.</ITEM>
<ITEM>Now then, Let the &s;ons of true wi&s;|dom ju&s;tifie her by a circum|&s;pectual walking. 93</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. Labouring to cea&s;e from their own wi&s;dom. 94</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Begging the Spirit of wi&s;dom more earne&s;tly. 95</ITEM>
<ITEM>And it will be found that he will guide them by his Coun&s;ell; And afterwards receive them to Glory.</ITEM>
</LIST>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="index">
<PB REF="417">
<LIST>
<HEAD>The fir&s;t Alphabetical Table, containing the prin|cipal heads, and matter in the foregoing Trea|ti&s;e of <HI>The Parable of the ten Virgins.</HI></HEAD>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>A</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>ADmi&s;&s;ions</HI> into Chri&s;ts fellow|&s;hip and communion, they who are &s;tricter herein then Chri&s;t would have them, are to be blam|ed, pag. 93</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Affections</HI> in man are dull, 22</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Afflict</HI> his people, Chri&s;t is not for|ward &s;o to do, 86</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Afflictions</HI> are &s;aid to be a cry, 201</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Allegory,</HI> what is it, 2</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Angels,</HI> what are they called, 192</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Angry,</HI> &s;ometimes Chri&s;t is with his people, yet not properly, 81</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Antichri&s;t,</HI> that we are delivered from him, we &s;hould ble&s;s the Lord for it, 308</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Arch-angels</HI> voice, the fore-runner of Chri&s;ts general coming to Judgement, is under&s;tood to be a cry, 200</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Awake,</HI> the time of it, 188</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Awake,</HI> that the people of God have been kept &s;o in a time of need, is double and treble mercy, 195</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Awakened,</HI> to be by God, &s;hould &s;weeten his &s;evere&s;t dealings to|wards us, 205</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Aims,</HI> our own, they mu&s;t be as high as heaven, 253</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<PB REF="418">
<HEAD>B</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Beginners,</HI> young, are to look that they be able &s;o to run, as to obtain, 382</ITEM>
<ITEM>To <HI>Believe</HI> things, men are exceed|ing &s;low, 21</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Believers</HI> profe&s;&s;ion may decline, 240</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Believers</HI> profe&s;&s;ion growing low, it is their duty to renew it, 256</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Breaches,</HI> take heed of making them, 98</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bride,</HI> who this is, 35</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bridegroom,</HI> Chri&s;t &s;tands in that re|lation to his people, 33</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bridegroom,</HI> Chri&s;t Je&s;us is he, if you con&s;ider,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. His Birth.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. His Beauty.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. His Riches.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. His Honour.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. His Power.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. His lovely di&s;po&s;ition, from</ITEM>
</LIST>
p. 38 to 40</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bridegroom</HI> and <HI>Bride,</HI> the cau&s;es that concur to the making up their re|lation between them, 41</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bridegrooms</HI> coming is to be de&s;ired, 81</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>C</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Change</HI> in us to true wi&s;dom mu&s;t be great, 118</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chri&s;t</HI> and the Church are related. See <HI>Bridegroom.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chri&s;t</HI> Redeems his people, and woes them, from p. 41. to p. 44</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chri&s;t</HI> hath &s;atisfied all that can be demanded, 49</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chri&s;t</HI> makes the &s;oul give up it &s;elf to him,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Con&s;iderately.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In truth &s;incerely.</ITEM>
</LIST>
53</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chri&s;t</HI> laies his people in his bo&s;om, 63</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chri&s;t</HI> owns many before they own him, 97</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Choice,</HI> what is it, 74</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Choo&s;e</HI> not the pro&s;perity that is ex|pected to accompany Chri&s;t, 74</ITEM>
<ITEM>Nor his graces, but him&s;elf fir&s;t, 75</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Church</HI> vi&s;ible hath two &s;orts in it, 9</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Church</HI> vi&s;ible compared to ten Vir|gins, <HI>ibid.</HI> &amp; p. 10</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Church</HI> vi&s;ible is made up of vi&s;ible Saints, 87</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Church</HI> and the world, they are too blame that make no difference be|tween them, 92</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Church</HI> vi&s;ible hath in it &s;ome good, and &s;ome bad, 94</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Church,</HI> what &s;he &s;hould do when Members become &s;candalous, 99</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Clo&s;ing,</HI> not with Chri&s;t, the danger, 69</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Clo&s;ing,</HI> with Chri&s;t; the Motives to per&s;wade, 70</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Coming</HI> of Chri&s;t, that he doth de|lay, it is proved by Scripture, 120</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Coming,</HI> what is meant, 121</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Coming,</HI> in what &s;en&s;e Chri&s;t is &s;aid to delay it, p. 122. and in what
<PB REF="418">
&s;en&s;e not to delay it, 124</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Coming</HI> of Chri&s;t, &s;uch as abu&s;e and mock at it, reproved, and a word to mind them, from 130, to 137</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Coming</HI> of Chri&s;t, &s;omething noted thereupon, 198</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Coming</HI> of Chri&s;t ordinarily is at mid|night, 208</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Communion</HI> in this life is twofold, 353</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Conditions,</HI> two there are that u&s;ually wither mens profe&s;&s;ions, 245</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Con&s;cience</HI> hath yet &s;ome &s;tirring, 158</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cry</HI> goeth before Chri&s;ts coming, what this is put for, 6</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cry,</HI> what is it taken for, 197</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cry,</HI> what is noted by it, 199</ITEM>
<ITEM>And what it is, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cry,</HI> its relative con&s;ideration, and wherefore there is &s;uch before Chri&s;ts coming, 201, 202</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Cry</HI> of &s;uch before the coming of Chri&s;t, what u&s;e to be made there|of, 206. and the danger if it be not done, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>D</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Day</HI> of the Lord mu&s;t be waited for by the Saints, 137</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Day</HI> of the Lord, how &s;inners mu&s;t wait for it, 139</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Day</HI> of Chri&s;t coming is like to be neare&s;t, when lea&s;t expected, 214</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Day,</HI> what is concerned by it, 279</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Declinings</HI> may be in the people of God, even near their end, 243</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Declinings</HI> in Gods people, &s;hould teach us many things, 246</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Delay,</HI> See <HI>Coming.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Deliverance,</HI> whence doth it come, 156</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Di&s;couragements</HI> of the world are to be armed again&s;t, 251, 252</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Dividing,</HI> upon every occa&s;ion take heed of it, 98</ITEM>
<ITEM>To <HI>Do</HI> what a man knows he is &s;low, 23</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Door</HI> of heaven will be &s;hut again&s;t all &s;uch as are not ready to enter in with Chri&s;t, 363</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Door</HI> is twofold, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Door,</HI> that it is not &s;hut again&s;t us, what have we to ble&s;s the Lord for, 371</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Dulne&s;s,</HI> we are to be humbled for it, 26</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>E</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Entrance,</HI> abundant into glory, as a preparation unto it, what is requi|red, 328</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>E&s;pou&s;als,</HI> the manner of it between Chri&s;t and his people, 46</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>E&s;pou&s;als</HI> of Chri&s;t, The difference between this, and tho&s;e e&s;pou|&s;als between men and women, 86</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>F</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Faithful,</HI> the &s;oul mu&s;t be unto Chri&s;t, 8</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fall</HI> away from grace is to be repro|ved, 254</ITEM>
<ITEM><PB REF="419">
<HI>Favourites</HI> of heaven, that we are made &s;o, let us admire it, 351</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> what is it taken for, 339</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> may be looked upon two waies 340</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> in it the Communion of the Saints &s;hall be heightened in hea|ven, p. 343. and it mu&s;t needs be &s;o, 345</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> how Chri&s;t brings the Saints in unto it, 347</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> into it, none el&s;e can bring but Chri&s;t, 348</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> to it &s;inners are invited, 353</ITEM>
<ITEM>With two cautions, <HI>ib d.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> the &s;inners that &s;ay they have it already, an&s;wered, 355</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> to come to it, laies a nece&s;sity upon you, 357</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> as many as are admitted to the beginning of it, labour to pre|pare for it in heaven, 358</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fea&s;t,</HI> to tho&s;e that enter in with Chri&s;t to it, comfort, 360</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fellow&s;hips.</HI> See <HI>Admi&s;&s;ions.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Folly</HI> of formal profe&s;&s;ors, wherein it appears, 111</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Folly,</HI> as many as are guilty of it re|proved, 290</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Folly,</HI> wherein it doth con&s;i&s;t, 299</ITEM>
<ITEM>See <HI>Wi&s;dom.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Formality,</HI> if no more doth fail a man, 263</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Formali&s;ts,</HI> to all them a terrible word, 402</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>G</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>God</HI> for his own glory comes in a time unknown, 210</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>God</HI> the Father giveth his people to his Son, and giveth his Son to them, 41</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>God</HI> and the world are of two minds, 114</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Gods</HI> goodne&s;s to his people is to be taken notice of in awakening them, 204</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Go&s;pel,</HI> its preaching to all the world under&s;tood to be a cry, 199</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Go&s;pel,</HI> if men refu&s;e and reject it, no wonder if they be &s;hut out of heaven, 369</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace</HI> di&s;tingui&s;hed, 99</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace,</HI> its largene&s;s to &s;inners, 97</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace,</HI> its act Saints may loo&s;e, but not its habit, 172</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace,</HI> its throne, what need there is to ply it, 194</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace</HI> is not to be abu&s;ed, 255</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace,</HI> if once in the heart, it is ne|ver lo&s;t, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace,</HI> for it, what &s;hall be rendered to the Lord, 256</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace,</HI> its getting being put off till the la&s;t day, is very great folly, 286</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace,</HI> the going to the creature for it, is a note of great folly, 298</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace,</HI> they that go to the Saints for it, are like to be denyed, 302</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace,</HI> there are none that have any &s;urplu&s;age of it, or more then will &s;erve their turn, 309</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace,</HI> to as many as think they have enough of it, a reproving word, 311</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace,</HI> to &s;uch as think they have
<PB REF="419">
but little, a word of Comfort, 313</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace,</HI> its day, &s;uch as do trifle away, the time will come, when pity &s;hall ari&s;e from none, 315</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Graces</HI> mu&s;t be had, gotten and kept in a lively frame, 218</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Graces,</HI> how they mu&s;t be acted, 219</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grow,</HI> how to do it, 249</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>H</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Heart</HI> of man is uncon&s;tant, 23</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Heart</HI> mu&s;t not be tru&s;ted in the highe&s;t frame, 194</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Heaven,</HI> men may come very neer it, and yet be &s;hut out, 379</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Heaven,</HI> what will become of them who never &s;et foot towards it, 380</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Heaven,</HI> in it the Saints Communion will be heightned, 343</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Holine&s;s</HI> real what is it, 366</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Honoured,</HI> wherein Father and Son are, 69</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hypocri&s;ie</HI> deep may lie in the hearts of men, 95</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hypocrites,</HI> Chri&s;t coming to judge at midnight is like an evil &s;nare, 212</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hypocrites</HI> when Chri&s;t comes upon them unawares, it will be a Ter|ror, 215</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hypocrites</HI> may go very far towards heaven and Salvation, from 122 to 231</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hypoctites,</HI> how many men know whether they be &s;uch or no, 234</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hypocrites</HI> never have re&s;pect to all Gods Commandments, 236</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hypocrites</HI> profe&s;&s;ion will not carry them through all conditions, 262</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hypocrites</HI> lean upon two Pillars that will fail them, 266</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hypocrites</HI> may long lie hid from them&s;elves, 268</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hypocrites</HI> ordinarily are not diligent, or laborious in &s;earching within, 272</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>I</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>James</HI> King, what once he &s;aid, 173</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Jealou&s;ie,</HI> what is it, 68</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Jeroms</HI> re&s;olution, 297</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> had her day of grace, 279</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Je&s;us</HI> is to be magnified, we to be humbled and convinced of folly, from 389 to 391</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Infants</HI> of Believers are external Saints, 94</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ju&s;tice</HI> &s;atisfied, See Chri&s;t.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ju&s;tice</HI> and Mercy, upon what ac|count they are to be magnified, 322</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>K</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Kingdom</HI> of heaven what is it taken for, 87</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Kingdom of</HI> Heaven is compared to a Fea&s;t, 339</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Know,</HI> &s;uch as Chri&s;t doth not, &s;hall never enter into his Marriage-fea&s;t, 396</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Know</HI> them not, Chri&s;t will declare this at the day of Judgment unto Hypocrites, 399</ITEM>
<ITEM><PB REF="420">
<HI>Knowledge</HI> of God in Chri&s;t, what is to be &s;aid of tho&s;e that have none 231</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Knowing</HI> of a &s;oul by Chri&s;t, what is <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> under&s;tood, 393</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Known</HI> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, many never are that profe&s;s him, and profe&s;s to know him, 392</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>L</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Lamps,</HI> what is meant by it, 11 103</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lamps</HI> of the wi&s;e Virgins, though they burn low, yet are they not put out 244</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lamps</HI> mu&s;t be trimmed every day, 254</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lamps,</HI> what is it to trim them, 257</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lamps,</HI> their Motives to &s;tir us up to trim them, 258</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lamps</HI> our own, what we &s;hould do to trim them, 260</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Law</HI> requires ab&s;olute obedience, 69</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Long-&s;ufferance</HI> of God, what they trea&s;ure up that de&s;pi&s;e it, 134</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Look</HI> unto two things, 383</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Love</HI> tran&s;cendent of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, 54</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Love</HI> of Chri&s;t to us &s;hould ever keep us low, 59</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Love</HI> of Chri&s;t, the &s;ouls objections again&s;t it, an&s;wered, 78</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>M</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Magi&s;trates</HI> who are the keepers of the Lords vineyard have &s;lept, 155</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Man,</HI> in him Chri&s;t &s;ees nothing de|&s;irable, 47</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Man,</HI> in him a double principle, 146</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Man</HI> or Men, though they will not come to Chri&s;t for Grace, yet will they come to him for Glory, 385</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Marriage,</HI> what is meant by it, 338</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Marriages</HI> u&s;ed to be made with fea&s;ting, 53</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mea&s;ures</HI> that are fal&s;e, take heed of being deceived by them, 251</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Members</HI> of Chri&s;ts vi&s;ible Church, to be one of them, is a great pri|viledge, 98</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Members</HI> unregenerated in a vi&s;ible Church is a &s;ad condition, 99</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Memory</HI> in man is a leaking ve&s;&s;el, 21</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Metaphor,</HI> what is it, 2</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Midnight,</HI> what is meant by it, 208</ITEM>
<ITEM>See coming of Chri&s;t.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> plea for putting the People in remembrance, 24</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> wi&s;dom in pre&s;&s;ing truths, 25</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mini&s;ters,</HI> what they do, 44</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> duty, 67</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> have &s;lept, 156</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>N</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Novelties,</HI> take heed of affecting them, 28</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Number</HI> our days, labour &s;o to do, 117</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ordinances</HI> of Chri&s;t mu&s;t neither
<PB REF="420">
be neglected, nor &s;lighted, 253</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ordinances,</HI> many that think they can get grace from them, reproved, 300</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ornaments,</HI> look unto them, and get them ready, 81</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Oyl,</HI> what is meant by it, 14, 104</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Oyl,</HI> there is need to cha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e it in our hearts, 32</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Oyl,</HI> Motives to have it in our Ve&s;|&s;els, 115</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Oyl</HI> of grace, how to know we have it, 118</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Oyl</HI> in your ve&s;&s;els, mu&s;t &s;urely be had in readine&s;s, 217</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Oyl,</HI> they that go to the Saints for it, are like to have a denyal, 302</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>P</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> reproved for taking upon them to &s;ell grace, 306</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Papi&s;ts</HI> are like to fooli&s;h Virgins, 299</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Parable,</HI> what is it, 1</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>People</HI> of God have &s;lept, 156</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>People</HI> of God, that make profe&s;|&s;ion of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, an exhortati|on to them, 232</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>People</HI> of God have con&s;iderations to &s;tir them up to cut off all delayes, 293</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>People</HI> of God that are guided by the Spirit, it is a comfort to them, 318</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Perfection</HI> in this life there is not, 192</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Plots</HI> and-<HI>Purpo&s;es,</HI> how it comes to pa&s;s that many are taken away in the mid&s;t of them, 213</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Prayer,</HI> we are to be much in it, 253</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Profe&s;&s;ion</HI> without the enjoyment of the Spirit is but folly, 104</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Profe&s;&s;ions,</HI> all are full of folls, 115</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> formal, what &s;uch are to know, 265</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> formal, a &s;tartling word to them, 280</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> real, to them a word of Exhortation, 282</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Profe&s;&s;ors</HI> trifling, a warning word to them, 316. Their doleful conditi|on, 371. See <HI>Saints. Formali&s;ts.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Promi&s;es,</HI> from them conclude that Chri&s;t will not put away any &s;oul, 84</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Prophecyings,</HI> they that de&s;pi&s;e them, what to remember, 24</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Put</HI> away from Chri&s;t, the &s;ouls ob|jections an&s;wered, 85</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>R</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Readine&s;s,</HI> labour to maintain it, 337</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Reaidne&s;s,</HI> what is meant by it, 326</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ready,</HI> &s;uch as are when Chri&s;t com|eth, do enter with him into glory, 325</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ready</HI> a child of God may be before he de&s;ire it, and de&s;ire it before he be ready, 329, 330</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ready</HI> &s;oul is in a ble&s;&s;ed condition, 332</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ready</HI> are we, put this que&s;tion, 333</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ready</HI> to enter, what need there is to
<PB REF="421">
look to it, 372</ITEM>
<ITEM>With Directions what to do, 373 374</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Refuges,</HI> how hard it is to beat a man off from them, 319</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Refuges,</HI> what they &s;hould teach tho&s;e that are brought off from them, 321</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Rejoyce</HI> in Chri&s;t, the &s;oul mu&s;t, 79</ITEM>
<ITEM>See <HI>willing.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Re&s;urrection</HI> of the dead, a Saint falls &s;hort of this, though he have ne|ver &s;o much grace here, 311</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>S</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Saints</HI> &s;eeming and real, in what re|&s;pect called, and compared to Vir|gins, 10</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Saints</HI> real and formal, the things that do di&s;tingui&s;h them, 14</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Saints</HI> priviledges, 60</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Saints</HI> ought to communicate their experiences each to other, 305</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Saints</HI> may have a good e&s;teem of hy|pocrites, 229</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Saint-&s;hip,</HI> what is requi&s;ite to it, 89</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Similitude</HI> is the mother of mi&s;takes, 271</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sins</HI> greatne&s;s, wherein it lies, 151</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sin,</HI> how to know whether the con|flict of it be right or no, 238</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sinners</HI> hearts are full of &s;elf-confi|dence and pre&s;umption, 383</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sleep,</HI> what kind is it, 145</ITEM>
<ITEM>Noted by two degrees, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sleep,</HI> the cau&s;es of it, 147</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sleep</HI> of Formali&s;ts and Saints do dif|fer, 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">7</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sleep,</HI> con&s;iderations to &s;tir us up out of it, 163</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sleep,</HI> they that are in it will find no ea&s;e, 169</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sleep</HI> that we are kept from it, con|&s;iderations to heighten our prai&s;es, 177</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sleep,</HI> we are apt to be, when mo&s;t need to be awake, 187</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sleep,</HI> what it argues, 192</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sleep</HI> is matter of deep humiliation, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sleeping,</HI> the &s;ad effects of it is mat|ter of mourning, 155</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sleeping,</HI> cautions again&s;t it, 171</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sleepy,</HI> the end why God leaves his people in &s;uch a frame, 153</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Slumbering</HI> and <HI>&s;leeping,</HI> what is meant by it, 12, 145</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Slumbering</HI> and <HI>&s;leeping,</HI> the time con|&s;iderable, 143</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Slumbering</HI> and <HI>&s;leeping,</HI> incident to the be&s;t of Saints, 144</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Slumbering</HI> and <HI>&s;leeping,</HI> argues an hour of need to watch in, 196</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sorrow</HI> for &s;in, how to know whether it be right or no, 235</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Souls</HI> dejected, have arguments &s;et before them to clo&s;e with Chri&s;t, 58</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Soul</HI> of man hath two things in it con&s;iderable, 106</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Souls</HI> evil or lo&s;s, 112</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Souls</HI> doubting, to them a word of encouragement, 407</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Spirit</HI> of Chri&s;t is the greate&s;t woer, 44</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Spirit</HI> of grace, there is need to keep in with him, 195</ITEM>
<ITEM><PB REF="421">
<HI>Spirit</HI> mu&s;t not be grieved when we have his pre&s;ence, 254</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Spirits</HI> prophane, reproved, 135</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>T</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Teachers</HI> fal&s;e, and their waies are to be taken heed of. 250</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Teachers</HI> of God have a pattern &s;et before them, 24</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Temptation</HI> hath an hour. See <HI>Awak|ing.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Things,</HI> the &s;ame inculcated upon Be|lievers, be&s;peaks &s;omewhat more to be learned, 28</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Time</HI> is to be made good u&s;e of, both by Saints and Sinners, 139 140</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Time</HI> unknown, what is it put for, 208</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Truth,</HI> for the abu&s;ing of it, a word for conviction, 130</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Truths</HI> divine, have cautions again&s;t the nau&s;eating of them, 27</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>V</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Ve&s;&s;el,</HI> what is meant by it, 15</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Virgins,</HI> why &s;o called, 10</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Virgins</HI> fooli&s;h, their reque&s;t to the wi&s;e Virgins, 262, 286</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Virgins wi&s;e,</HI> their an&s;wer to the fooli&s;h Virgins, 301, 314. See <HI>Lamps.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>&V;nder&s;tanding</HI> in man is very dull, 20</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>&V;nion</HI> between Chri&s;t and his people, &s;o &s;ure that it cannot be &s;haken, 87</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>&V;nreadine&s;s,</HI> what is meant by it, 365</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>&V;nready,</HI> two or three per&s;ons likely will be found, 367</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>&V;nregenerate</HI> e&s;tate. See <HI>Mem|bers.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>W</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Watch,</HI> what is the end of &s;uch men as do, or do not, 18</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Watch,</HI> the rea&s;on wherefore, 211</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Watch,</HI> to it men are per&s;waded, 216</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Willing</HI> to clo&s;e, They whom Chri&s;t hath made &s;o, &s;hould labour to make it &s;ure, 75</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Wi&s;dom,</HI> wherein it lies, 105</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Wi&s;dom,</HI> for the compleating of it hath three things, 106</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Wi&s;dom</HI> of a pretended and real Saint, compared, 108</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Wi&s;dom</HI> of a Saint and a fool, where|in it appears, 113</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Withdrawing</HI> between Chri&s;t and us, their difference, 87</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>World.</HI> See <HI>Church.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Workers</HI> of iniquity, what is under|&s;tood by that, 398</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>Y</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Yield</HI> up them&s;elves to Chri&s;t. To &s;uch a word of comfort, 86</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<PB REF="422">
<PB REF="422">
<HEAD>The &s;econd Alphabetical Table, containing the principal heads, and matter in the foregoing Treati&s;e of <HI>Chri&s;t the Sun of Righteou&s;|ne&s;s hath healing in his wings.</HI></HEAD>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>A</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>ACquaintance</HI> we gain with God by prayer, 625</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Afflictions</HI> outward, from them there is freedom, 505</ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<LABEL>From</LABEL>
<ITEM><LIST>
<ITEM>1. The fear of them.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The pre&s;ence of them.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The evil of them, from, 506, to 507</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ari&s;e,</HI> when Chri&s;t doth upon a &s;oul, he brings enlargement to it, 479, 508</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ari&s;ing</HI> of the Sun of righteou&s;ne&s;s on them, what is meant by it, 434</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>B</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Bondage,</HI> the Authors of it, 486</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bondage</HI> there is,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. By Captivity, 487</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. By &s;ale, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. By birth, 489</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. By tenure and u&s;urpation, 490</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bondage</HI> to &s;in, its con&s;equences, 492</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bondage,</HI> the guilt of &s;in is a part of it, 494</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bondage,</HI> &s;inners that are in it, ex|horted to clo&s;e with the promi&s;e of going forth, 529</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bondage,</HI> what God requires of them that are &s;et free from it, 536</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Bondage</HI> unto men, be not brought under, 544</ITEM>
<ITEM>See <HI>Sin.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>C</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Ceremonies</HI> of men, from the&s;e there is freedom, 508</ITEM>
<ITEM><PB REF="423">
<HI>Children</HI> are made free by grace, not by natural generation, 518</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Children</HI> may be free in the account of the Church, and yet be the &s;er|vants of &s;in, 520</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Children</HI> of Believers can grow, 581</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is to be valued by us, 423</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> of him there is great nece&s;&s;ity, 452</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Chri&s;t</HI> is the only pipe through which grace is conveyed, 568</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Come</HI> to Chri&s;t, con&s;iderations &s;o to do, 473</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Communion</HI> of Saints, in it much growth to be gotten, 637</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Converted</HI> ones, though &s;uddenly dy|ing, yet can grow in grace, 579</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Covenant</HI> of works, from this there is freedom, 504</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>D</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Day</HI> of the Lord, what is meant by it, 412</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Darkne&s;s</HI> is a part of bondage, 494</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Darkne&s;s,</HI> what is meant by it, 495</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Denyal</HI> of &s;elf, as that grows, &s;o we grow, 594</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Duties</HI> holy, labour to be more &s;piri|tual in them, 615</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>E</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>End,</HI> look unto it, 571</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Enemies</HI> they are, who would pluck away Chri&s;t from us, 426</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Enemies</HI> cannot be with&s;tood, unle&s;s there be growing, 619</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Errour,</HI> all the ground of it, 597</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Experiences</HI> particular, of love, and tenderne&s;s of mind, 611</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>F</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Faculties</HI> of the &s;oul, &s;ee whether we grow in them, 595</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Faith,</HI> as it grows, &s;o do we grow, 593</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Faith,</HI> in this grace labour to grow, 607</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Faith,</HI> what is it, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>And wherein the nature of it lies, 622</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Family,</HI> where they are all in Egy|ptian darkne&s;s is a &s;ad one, 422</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fear,</HI> all is not bani&s;hed out of the &s;oul, 553</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fear</HI> is a part of bondage, 499</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fear</HI> di&s;tractive, fear ought not to be in us, 554</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Feared</HI> the Lord. See <HI>Them.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fellow&s;hip</HI> with Je&s;us Chri&s;t is &s;weet, 422</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Free-</HI>&s;et, many think they are by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and yet deceived, 517</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Free-going</HI> in the acceptable year, three things did hinder, 530</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Free-</HI>&s;et, that we might be, what is to be done, 533</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Freedom</HI> there is,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Invi&s;ible. Both by grace, 518</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Vi&s;ible.</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Fruitfulne&s;s,</HI> what growth is there in this, 600</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<PB REF="423">
<HEAD>G</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>God</HI> him&s;elf, is to be much dwelled up|on, 635</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Going</HI> forth, what is meant by it, 478</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Go&s;pel</HI> is an incomparable benefit, 526</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace,</HI> the riches of it to poor &s;inners, 457</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Graee</HI> is either, 1. Relative, 562</ITEM>
<ITEM>Or 2. Inherent, 564</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace</HI> will grow by the oppo&s;ition it meets withal, either from 1. With|out, 601. Or 2. Within, 602</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grace</HI> relative, labour to grow more and more in the a&s;&s;urance of it, 616</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Graces</HI> three, which re&s;pect the root Je&s;us Chri&s;t, 593</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grow</HI> as Calves of the Stall, the com|pari&s;on wherein it &s;tands, 559</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grow,</HI> when is any thing &s;aid &s;o pro|perly, 565</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grow</HI> up in Chri&s;t, before this be, there mu&s;t be implantation into him, 567</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grow</HI> in Grace they do, though no &s;ooner converted, but they die, 579</ITEM>
<ITEM>See <HI>Children.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grow,</HI> if you do not, conclude one of two things, 558</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grow,</HI> many do wor&s;e and wor&s;e, 589</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grow,</HI> how to know it, 591</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grow,</HI> the Motives to it, 617</ITEM>
<ITEM>The Helps to it, 621</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grow</HI> we mu&s;t, according to our mea|&s;ure, 638. And herein help each other, 641</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Grow,</HI> many may though they per|ceive it not, 627</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Growing</HI> up into Chri&s;t, what is there in the expre&s;&s;ion, 570</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Growing,</HI> to &s;uch as think they are not, Comfort, 643</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Growth</HI> &s;piritual, the nature of it, 562, and the Arguments to prove it, 577</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Growth,</HI> the greater it is, the more honour and &s;ervice God hath, 583</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Growth</HI> compared to Trees or Plants, 592</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Growth</HI> is placed,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. In the Uuder&s;tanding. 596</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In the Will. 598</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Growth,</HI> wherein to look to it, 604</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>H</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Head,</HI> the Glory of it, wherein it lies, 571</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Heal,</HI> if we could our &s;elves, yet our wound is incurable, 449</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Healing,</HI> what is meant by it, 438</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Healing,</HI> what it brings, 440</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Healing</HI> is not in us, 448</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Healing</HI> concerns two &s;orts of Per|&s;ons, 470</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Heart-</HI>&s;oftne&s;s, in this labour to grow, 614, &amp;c. wherein it lies, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Humility,</HI> as it grows, &s;o do we grow, 595</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Humility,</HI> in this Grace labour to grow, 613</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Hypocrites</HI> may grow in &s;ome things, 620</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<PB REF="424">
<HEAD>I</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Inlargement</HI> promi&s;ed to a &s;oul, what is it, 481</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>K</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Knowledge,</HI> In this Grace labour to grow, 604</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>L</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Liberty</HI> &s;piritual,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Its &s;ubject, 482</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Its cau&s;es, 483</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Its parts, 485</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Its degrees, 508</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Light</HI> our, from whence comes it, 422</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Love</HI> to Chri&s;t, works the &s;oul to a kindly hatred of &s;in, 465</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Love</HI> to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, herein labour to grow, 608. And that for &s;everal ends, 609</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Love</HI> towards one another; herein labour to grow, 612</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>M</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Malachy,</HI> what it &s;ignifieth, 411</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Members</HI> grow not alike in the &s;ame mea&s;ure, 573</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mercy,</HI> in this Grace labour to grow, 613</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mini&s;try</HI> all, for what end, 620</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> are to labour to grow, 639</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>O</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Obedience</HI> &s;lavi&s;h is a bondage, 498</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ordinances,</HI> wait diligently on the Lord in them, 427</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Ordinances</HI> being u&s;ed con&s;cienti|ou&s;ly and diligently tend to growth, 629</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>P</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>People</HI> under the influences of the Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;s are in a growing condition, 560</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Planted</HI> in Chri&s;t, &s;uch as never were, grow wor&s;e and wor&s;e, 590</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Prayer</HI> is a great means to increa&s;e Grace, 624</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Prayer,</HI> what is it, 625</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Profe&s;&s;ed</HI> the Name of Chri&s;t, many have, and yet are fallen, 589</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Profe&s;&s;ion</HI> of Chri&s;t, &s;uch as make and grow not, are in a &s;ad condition, 587</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>S</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Saints</HI> Communion is to build up each other, 637</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sin</HI> is a comprehen&s;ive evil, 442</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sin</HI> hath ill qualities and con&s;equen|ces, 444</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sin</HI> is the fir&s;t general part of bon|dage, 490</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sin</HI> the guilt of it, is a part of bon|dage, 494</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sin</HI> is a grievous bondage, 512</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sin</HI> though it lie hard <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">pon any &s;oul,
<PB REF="424">
yet &s;hall it be overcome, 555</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ns</HI> yoak, to &s;uch as are &s;trugling under it, comfort, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Soul-</HI>di&s;tempers hinder growth, 632</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Spirit,</HI> how he is grieved, 545. And therefore cautions not to grieve him, 546</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Spirit</HI> properly is not grieved, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sun,</HI> Chri&s;t is to his people, 414</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sun,</HI> wherein doth the re&s;emblance between Chri&s;t and it hold, 416</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sun,</HI> they that have it ri&s;en upon them, are the children of the day, 421</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sun</HI> of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, again&s;t its &s;hinings &s;hut not the windows, 424</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sun,</HI> that God would give &s;uch, is cau&s;e of admiration, 427</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sun</HI> of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, why is Chri&s;t &s;o called, 431</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>T</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Them</HI> that feared the Lord, what is meant by that, 429</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Things</HI> be&s;t, in them labour to grow, 617</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Truth</HI> will &s;et a man free, 533</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>V</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>&V;nder&s;tanding;</HI> in this let us try our growth, 596</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM><LIST>
<HEAD>W</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Walking</HI> holy with God, herein la|bour to grow, 615</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Wings</HI> of the Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, what is meant by that, 435</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Wings</HI> of the Sun of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, what are they, 436</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Wings,</HI> why &s;o called, 437</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Word</HI> of God, to &s;uch as tremble at it, comfort, 475</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Wounded,</HI> them that are &s;o, Chri&s;t pittyeth, 463</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST>
<LIST>
<PB REF="425">
<PB REF="425">
<HEAD>The la&s;t Table, containing the general and parti|cular Heads, as they follow in their order, in the foregoing Subject, <HI>Chri&s;t his Willing|ne&s;s to accept humbled Sinners.</HI></HEAD>
<ITEM><LIST>
<ITEM>THe Text opened, 651</ITEM>
<ITEM>Out of which this Point of Do|ctrine i&s;&s;ues,</ITEM>
<ITEM>That the Lord Je&s;us will not ca&s;t out any poor &s;oul that cometh to him, 652</ITEM>
<ITEM>Here is ob&s;erved, Fir&s;t, That com|ing unto Chri&s;t pre&s;uppo&s;eth,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Hearing.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Learning.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>By Hearing is under&s;tood,</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. The u&s;ual means of Salvation, 654</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Some whi&s;perings, motions, and &s;ecret workings of the Spirit, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>By Learning is under&s;tood, fir&s;t the opening of the under&s;tanding, 655 and thus a poor &s;oul is taught,</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. That he is lo&s;t in him&s;elf,</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That he mu&s;t not lie &s;ecurely in this condition, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. That there is no help in the Creature, 656</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. That nothing can skreen him from the wrath of God, but Je&s;us Chri&s;t, 657</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. That Chri&s;t is willing to let out of his oyntments to heal, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Now for the Acts wherein it formal|ly con&s;i&s;ts, are,</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. In a de&s;ire of the &s;oul after Chri&s;t, 658</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In pa&s;&s;ing all other &s;tands and re&s;ts on this &s;ide Chri&s;t, 659</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. In coming to him, 660</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. In coming with heart-words, 661
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Words of Confe&s;&s;ion.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Words of Petition. <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>5. In clo&s;ing with Chri&s;t, 662</ITEM>
<ITEM>The Second thing in the Doctrine,</ITEM>
<ITEM>What is meant by not ca&s;ting out, 663</ITEM>
<ITEM><PB REF="426">
1. Not out of his heart, 664</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Not out of his Church, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Not &s;ending away empty, either at the fir&s;t or after-coming, 665, 666</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Not out of heaven, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The Doctrine proved,</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. From the promi&s;e of Chri&s;t, 66, 71</ITEM>
<ITEM>If otherwi&s;e, Then 2. from Chri&s;ts being argued unchangeable, 668</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. From Chri&s;ts &s;lighting of his Fa|thers gift, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>4. From Chri&s;ts failing in his tru&s;t, 669</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. From Chri&s;ts undervaluing of his blood, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>6. From undoing what the Father had done, 670</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. From Chri&s;ts bringing upon him|&s;elf the imputation of delu&s;ion, 671</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. Becau&s;e of the many invitations made hy him to poor creatures, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Becau&s;e of his being contradicted of impo&s;ture, 672</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Becau&s;e incon&s;i&s;tent with Chri&s;ts bowels and tenderne&s;s, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The fir&s;t U&s;e is to lament the back|wardne&s;s of our hearts in coming to Chri&s;t, 673</ITEM>
<ITEM>The &s;econd U&s;e &s;hews the grievous nature of the &s;in of unbelief;</ITEM>
<ITEM>By con&s;idering,</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. The unrea&s;onablene&s;s of this &s;in, 675
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. In re&s;pect of our &s;elves, 675</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In re&s;pect of Chri&s;t, 676</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The injuriou&s;ne&s;s of this &s;in, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The unkindne&s;s of this &s;in, 678</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. The danger of this &s;in, <HI>ibid.</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Binding the guilt of all other &s;ins upon the &s;oul, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Bringing blood upon a mans own head, 679</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Bringing the blood of Chri&s;t upon a mans head, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>The third U&s;e &s;erves for Exhortation to every poor &s;oul to come to Chri&s;t, 680</ITEM>
<ITEM>From whence, &s;everal con&s;iderations again&s;t the many hard thoughts of coming to Je&s;us Chri&s;t. As,</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. How injurious it is to grace, 681</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Chri&s;t leaves the &s;oul altogether without excu&s;e, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. How prejudicial to Je&s;us Chri&s;t, 683</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. The experiences of all the Saints, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>5. The &s;oul can have no evidence of being given to Chri&s;t, until it come, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>6. How willing to run at hazard, &s;eeing there is &s;o much certainty of &s;peeding, 684</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. Its a grief to Chri&s;t that the &s;oul will not be per&s;waded of his good will, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>The fourth U&s;e exalts the riches of the grace of Chri&s;t to poor &s;inners, 685</ITEM>
<ITEM>The fift U&s;e declares that there is no falling away from Chri&s;t, either from Ju&s;tifying, or Sanctifying
<PB REF="426">
grace once received, 686</ITEM>
<ITEM>The &s;ixth U&s;e puts in a double cauti|on,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. That impenitent &s;inners encou|rage not them&s;elves in an evil way, upon the account of Chri&s;ts tenderne&s;s and mercy to poor &s;inners, 687</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. That they that are in Chri&s;t, take heed they abu&s;e not this grace to wantonne&s;s, 689</ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
<ITEM>The &s;eventh U&s;e &s;erves for a comfort to Gods people in all their fears and doubts, that Chri&s;t will never ca&s;t them out, 690</ITEM>
<ITEM>The fir&s;t Objection. That the &s;oul thought it came to Chri&s;t, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> but &s;aies he is ca&s;t off, and there|fore concludes it was never truly in Chri&s;t, is an&s;wered, 691</ITEM>
<ITEM>The &s;econd Objection, that the &s;oul knows not whether ever yet it came to Chri&s;t, and therefore is ca&s;t off, is an&s;wered, 692</ITEM>
<ITEM>1. Though Chri&s;t &s;eems not for a time to own the &s;oul, yet he doth &s;upport it, 693</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. When the heart is un&s;atisfiedly drawn after Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. When the &s;oul is willing to receive him as King and Saviour, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>4. When the &s;oul is content to wait a while, 694</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. When the &s;oul is frequent in acting of faith, to receive Chri&s;t, <HI>ibid.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></ITEM>
</LIST>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
