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<DATE>2-6-15</DATE>
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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>THE <HI>Morning-Exerci&s;e,</HI> OR Some Short <HI>NOTES</HI> taken out of the <HI>MORNING-SERMONS</HI> which divers <HI>Reverend Mini&s;ters</HI> OF THE GOSPEL, in the CITY of <HI>LONDON</HI> Preached in <HI>GILES</HI> in the Fields, du|ring the Moneth of <HI>May</HI> 1655.</P>
<P>By <HI>THO. CASE,</HI> Mini&s;ter of Gods Word.</P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed by <HI>T.R.</HI> and <HI>E.M.</HI> for <HI>Robert Gibbs</HI> in Chancery-lane near Serjeants Inne. 1655.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE Right Honourable, the LADY <HI>ALICIA D&V;DDELEY; Grace and Peace be multiplied from our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THe&s;e Notes being taken from the Pul|pit to my hand, I could not well with|&s;tand the importu|nity of &s;ome friends, who de|&s;ired
<PB REF="3">my con&s;ent for the <HI>print|ing</HI> of them; I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e the conceptions &s;o farre as they are mine; were <HI>&s;udden</HI> and <HI>in|dige&s;ted,</HI> and I have had &s;carce time by meanes of continual diver&s;ions, to <HI>correct material</HI> mi&s;takes; much le&s;&s;e to <HI>enlarge</HI> or <HI>perfect</HI> the Notes; howe|ver if they may be of u&s;e to any that may have lei&s;ure to ca&s;t an eye upon them, it &s;hall abundantly preponderate the cen&s;ure which their defects may ju&s;tly incurre. Whatever they are, I &s;hall confidently pro|mi&s;e a <HI>gracious acceptance</HI> with your <HI>honour,</HI> who were plea&s;ed to encourage them in the Pul|pit,
<PB REF="3">with your <HI>Chri&s;tian atten|tion.</HI> They are yours by many engagements; not only upon <HI>my &s;elfe,</HI> but the whole <HI>pari&s;h</HI> on whom your <HI>munificence</HI> hath laid &s;o many and deep obligations. Your tran&s;cendent bounty at the <HI>re-building</HI> of the <HI>Church-Edifice;</HI> the <HI>Rich Ve&s;&s;els</HI> of <HI>plate,</HI> wherewith your Ladi|&s;hip hath furni&s;hed the <HI>Lords Table.</HI> Your <HI>purcha&s;e</HI> of the <HI>rever|&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1+ letters"> of an hou&s;e,</HI> for the &s;ucce&s;|&s;ive Mini&s;tery of this place, and in the <HI>interim</HI> your <HI>charge, inbuying off a con&s;iderable part of the rent,</HI> during the pre&s;ent owners life. <HI>The&s;e</HI> with ma|ny other publick exhibitions of
<PB REF="4">your pious charity, will &s;tand as &s;o many <HI>monuments</HI> of your goodne&s;&s;e to <HI>po&s;terity,</HI> and render your <HI>name</HI> Honourabl<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter"> to after-generations. Your coun|tenance vouch&s;afed to my <HI>per|&s;on</HI> and <HI>Mini&s;tery,</HI> &s;ince my call to this place, with the many renewed expre&s;&s;ions of your unde&s;erved favour, oblige me to the be&s;t &s;ervice within my capacity. And becau&s;e I de|&s;paire of opportunitie <HI>&s;uit|able</HI> to mine own <HI>wi&s;hes,</HI> and your <HI>merit;</HI> I have made bold to clo&s;e with this <HI>&s;lender advan|tage</HI> of te&s;tifying to the world my deep &s;en&s;e of your multipli|ed re&s;pects to <HI>this place,</HI> and the
<PB REF="4"><HI>Mini&s;tery of the Go&s;pel.</HI> And that the <HI>Father of mercies,</HI> will returne all your love with a rich recompence of reward both of <HI>grace</HI> and <HI>glory,</HI> &s;hall be the ear|ne&s;t prayer,</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>Madam,</SALUTE><LB>
<SIGNED>Of your mo&s;t Humble<LB> Servant in the Go&s;pel<LB> of Chri&s;t,<LB> <HI>THO. CASE.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="5">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD>To the <HI>READER.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Good Reader,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_WE <HI>live in &s;uch an age, wherein many have ca&s;t off not only the</HI> traditi|ons of men, <HI>and</HI> ceremonies of an humane impo&s;ition, <HI>(that were well) but the</HI> very Ordinances <HI>of the great God, tho&s;e &s;olemn duties, wherein we profe&s;&s;e our</HI> dependance upon God, <HI>and</HI> &s;ubjection to him; <HI>and which were appointed, not only for the more &s;olemn</HI> acting <HI>of the graces of his Spirit, but the</HI> pre&s;erving <HI>of them in life and vigour; &s;o that the Lord is robbed of the</HI> re&s;pect <HI>and</HI>
<PB REF="6">homage <HI>due to him, and their own &s;oules, of the</HI> comfort <HI>and</HI> profit <HI>which otherwi&s;e they might receive in the</HI> con&s;cionable u&s;e <HI>of the</HI> in&s;ti|tuted means of grace: <HI>a growing evil, that cannot be &s;ufficiently</HI> la|mented <HI>and</HI> with&s;tood. <HI>One great occa&s;ion of this mi&s;chief is, our own</HI> perfunctory <HI>and</HI> formal u&s;e <HI>of Ordinances, we bring a re|proach upon the holy wayes of the Lord, while we do no more thrive un|der them; a carele&s;&s;e Profe&s;&s;our that often</HI> heareth of the glorious things <HI>that are &s;poken of the means of grace, but</HI> feeleth nothing, <HI>doth but put a temptation of</HI> Athei&s;me <HI>upon him&s;elf, and of</HI> &s;candal <HI>upon others; to us they are</HI> &s;ucce&s;&s;ele&s;&s;e, <HI>and then pre&s;ently to others</HI> u&s;ele&s;&s;e.
<PB REF="6"><HI>Surely, we need much quickning, that we may not</HI> receive this grace of God in vain; <HI>this is the de&s;igne of the Reverend Authour in the&s;e di&s;cour&s;es, which are now put into thy hands, which being very u&s;eful for common good, I do judge it a mercy that they are printed, and ac|cordingly de&s;ire the Lord to ble&s;&s;e them to thy u&s;e.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Thine in the &s;er|vice of the Go&s;pel,<LB> THO. MANTON.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB REF="7">
<PB N="1" REF="7">
<HEAD>A SERMON Preach't at St. GILES in the Fields, <HI>April</HI> 29. 1655. In reference to the <HI>Morn|ing</HI>-EXERCISE.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>JAMES <HI>1.19.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Be &s;wift to heare.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THe dependency of the words is brief|ly thus.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle ha|ving in the eighteenth ver&s;e
<PB N="2" REF="8">&s;poken of the Go&s;pel as the in&s;trument and <HI>medium</HI> which God is plea&s;ed to u&s;e in the great work of regene|ration; <HI>Of his own Will he begat us by the Word of truth;</HI> doth in this ver&s;e upon that very ground pre&s;&s;e <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> to con&s;tancy and diligence in attending upon the Mi|ni&s;tery of the Word; <HI>Where|fore my beloved Brethren, let every man be &s;wift to heare, &amp;c. q.d.</HI> In as much as God hath put &s;uch a wonderful honour and dignity upon the Word, as to make it the <HI>immortal &s;eed,</HI> whereby he begets &s;ons and daughters to him&s;elf; do ye honour it al|&s;o by a con&s;tant and con&s;ci|encious attendance upon the Word, &amp;c. <HI>Let every man be &s;wift to hear.</HI> And from hence ob&s;erve,</P>
<PB N="3" REF="8">
<P> <HI>It is a duty which God en|joynes unto, <MILESTONE UNIT="Ob&s;erv."> and expects from every man and woman,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">For the fuller o|pening of the text. See <HI>Mr. Manton</HI> on the place.</NOTE> that &s;its under a Go&s;pel-Mini&s;tery, to be &s;wift to hear.</HI></P>
<P>Now <HI>Swiftne&s;&s;e</HI> implieth three things.</P>
<P N="1">1. A free and a willing Spirit.</P>
<P N="2">2. Frequency and con&s;tan|cy in the work.</P>
<P N="3">3. An high e&s;timate and va|luation of it in our judge|ment, the appreciative fa|culty.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Swiftne&s;&s;e in hear|ing implieth <HI>willingne&s;&s;e</HI> and <HI>readine&s;&s;e</HI> of &s;pirit, that we &s;hould attend upon that Or|dinance of God, without murmur or reluctancy; that we &s;hould hear, not by com|pul&s;ion, or fear of puni&s;h|ment, but out of an inate love
<PB N="4" REF="9">to the Word, and prompti|tude of &s;pirit; what we do freely, and from an in|ward natural principle we do &s;wiftly; we are carried, as it were, upon the <HI>wing</HI> of de|&s;ire and connatural im|pul&s;e.</P>
<P>No offering plea&s;eth God &s;o well as the <HI>free-will-offering. Accept,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 119.108</NOTE> I be&s;eech thee the free-will-offering of my mouth, and teach me thy judgements.</HI> When we are ready to <HI>hear,</HI> God is ready to <HI>teach.</HI> Chri|&s;tians &s;hould give them&s;elves up to God, and to the Mini|&s;tery of the Go&s;pel, as, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 8.5.</P>
<P N="2">2ly, Swiftne&s;s implieth <HI>fre|quency</HI> and <HI>con&s;tancy</HI> in hear|ing. That we &s;hould take all occa&s;ions, and lay hold upon every opportunity of
<PB N="5" REF="9">getting knowledge. <HI>Delay is a &s;igne of unwillingne&s;&s;e.</HI> Chri&s;tians &s;hould decline no opportunity of being ac|quainted with the Will of God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12.2</NOTE> <HI>Proving what is that good, and acceptable, and per|&s;ect Will of God.</HI> Praying, <HI>that they might be &s;illed with the knowledge of his Will,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 1.9.</NOTE> in all wi&s;dome and &s;piritual un|der&s;tanding.</HI></P>
<P>The living creatures in <HI>Ezekiels</HI> vi&s;ion,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 1.6.</NOTE> had every one of them <HI>foure faces</HI> and <HI>foure wings</HI> with their faces, <HI>expecting the commands</HI> of the <HI>Spirit,</HI> and with their <HI>wings</HI> ready for <HI>execution.</HI> Such &s;hould be the di&s;po&s;iti|on of <HI>Christians.</HI> It is not &s;afe di&s;puting of commands, or to take time to con&s;ider, whether we &s;hould obey or
<PB N="6" REF="10">no.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 2.29.</NOTE> <HI>He that hath an ear to hear let him he are;</HI> the Organ was created for that very end; and we &s;hould count that an obligation to the duty, with our Lord.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 40.6.</NOTE> <HI>Mine eares ha&s;t thou opened,</HI> or <HI>digged.</HI> We &s;hould take all opportunities of hearing, becau&s;e God hath given us our hearing to that very purpo&s;e; <HI>He that made the eare, &s;hall not he be heard?</HI></P>
<P>Thirdly, Swiftne&s;&s;e deno|teth the <HI>e&s;teem and valuati|on</HI> we &s;hould put upon the Word. We &s;hould rate eve|ry opportunity of increa&s;ing our knowledge at an high price; and with holy <HI>Job, e|&s;teem the words of Gods mouth more then our nece&s;&s;ary food.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 23.12</NOTE> We &s;hould choo&s;e rather to lo&s;e a meales meat then a
<PB N="7" REF="10">Go&s;pel-opportunity.</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Grounds or Rea&s;ons of the Point. <MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;ons."></HEAD>
<P>Fir&s;t, The bare Command of God is &s;ufficient.</P>
<P>He that liveth or al|lows him&s;elf, in a voluntary neglect of hearing, liveth in a cour&s;e of rebellion. He liveth in as great a &s;in, as he that liveth in <HI>theft</HI> or <HI>adul|tery:</HI> He that &s;aid, <HI>Thou &s;halt not commit adultery,</HI> &s;aid al|&s;o, <HI>Be &s;wift to hear;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam, 10.11</NOTE> and he that hath an eare to hear let him heare.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, but God doth not impo&s;e the duty by his bare authority; but he per|&s;wades it upon our advan|tage, as in the context.</P>
<P N="1">1. For the <HI>working of
<PB N="8" REF="11">grace,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Faith com|eth by bearing.</HI> Rom. 10.17.</NOTE> where it is wanting; ver.</HI> 18. <HI>Of his own Will he begat us by the Word of truth. There|fore be &s;wift to hear.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. For the <HI>increa&s;ing of grace where it is begun,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 4.12.</NOTE> for the perfe|ctiug of the Saints, for the edify|ing of the body of Chri&s;t;</HI> as in the increas of the <HI>number</HI> of be lievers, &s;o of their <HI>graces</HI> al&s;o.</P>
<P N="3">3. For letting in of com|fort and joy into the hearts of the children of Promi&s;e; Comfort cometh by hearing as well as faith;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 15 4</NOTE> <HI>That you through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.</HI></P>
<P>Now (as one &s;aith) who would neglect a way where|in all the Saints of God have found &s;o much good?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mr. <HI>Man|ton in loc.</HI></NOTE></P>
<P>In a word, ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e is bound up in hearing, <HI>Prov.</HI>
<PB N="9" REF="11">8.34. and <HI>Matth.</HI> 13.16.</P>
<P><HI>Occa&s;ional,</HI> ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e in the <HI>opportn|nity</HI> of ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>They that neglect hear|ing neglect their own happi|ne&s;&s;e and &s;alvation; and <HI>how &s;hall we e&s;cape, if we neglect &s;o great &s;alvation?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 2.3.</NOTE></P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> Fir&s;t, for informati|on. It di&s;covereth the ig|norance of &s;uch as live in the habitual neglect of this great Go&s;pel duty; that can allow them&s;elves in omi&s;&s;ions ther|of; And think them&s;elves ne're the wor&s;e. Surely they are ignorant</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Of God,</HI> they know not God, his Infinitene&s;&s;e, his Im|men&s;ity, his Soveraignty, his inconcevable perfections. It is not the work of a few days to know God. We may truly &s;ay
<PB N="10" REF="12">here,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ars long a vita bre|vis.</NOTE> <HI>Life is &s;hort, but the work is great.</HI> Indeed it is not the work of time, but of eternity. There are &s;uch endle&s;&s;e and boundle&s;&s;e per|fections in God, as that there &s;hall be fre&s;h vi&s;ions in God, to fea&s;t the eye of Saints and Angels to all eter|nity; &s;till they &s;hall di&s;cover new excellencies and perfe|ctions in the divine Na|ture.</P>
<P>Hence the Prophet, <HI>Then &s;hall we know,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ho&s;. 6.3.</NOTE> if we follow on to know the Lord.</HI> It is not a work to be done by a few feeble &s;luggi&s;h e&s;&s;ayes, but requires a con&s;tant and vi|gourous pur&s;uit of the &s;oul. <HI>Then &s;hall we know, if we fol|low on to know the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>They know not God, that think it is an ea&s;ie matter to know God.</P>
<P N="2"><PB N="11" REF="12"> 2. They are ignorant of their own hearts; they know not them&s;elves: their want of knowledge, their weak|ne&s;&s;e in grace, the di&s;com|po&s;ure of their own &s;pirits, their e&s;trangement from God; and the like. A true and deepe &s;en&s;e of the&s;e would awaken them to con|&s;tancy and diligence in at|tending on the Ordinances. None want the Ordinances &s;o much, as they that &s;ee not the want of them.</P>
<P N="3">3. They knew not the la|titude and perfection of the Word; the breadth, and length, and depth of the Law.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 19.96</NOTE> <HI>Thy Law is exceeding broad.</HI> They that have taken the dimen&s;ions of the Word, or rather have &s;een how im|po&s;&s;ible it is to take them,
<PB N="12" REF="13">(as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of the love of Chri&s;t, <HI>Phil.</HI> 3.19) that know the compa&s;&s;e of the Word which pa&s;&s;eth knowledge, that know how boundle&s;&s;e and how bot|tomles a depth of divine wi&s;|dom it is, &s;urely they will be &s;wift to improve every op|portunity of Scripture-know|ledge.</P>
<P>Fourthly, they are igno|rant of the &s;weetne&s;&s;e that is in Chri&s;t; <HI>&s;urely if they had ta&s;ted how good the Lord is, as new-born babes they would de|&s;ire the &s;incere milk of the Word,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pet. 2.2, 3</NOTE> that they might grow thereby.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="13" REF="13">
<HEAD>&V;SE, EXHORT. In refe|rence to the Morning-Exerci&s;e, which is to begin &s;hortly in this place.</HEAD>
<P><HI>Be &s;wift to hear.</HI> Take heed of neglecting the oppor|tunities, which Provi|dence doth &s;o graciou&s;ly pre&s;ent unto you.</P>
<P>Say not in your hearts, Is it not enough that we have the Word preach't unto us twice every Lords day? we need not, we cannot &s;pare &s;o much time from our particular cal|lings, every morning for a moneth together.</P>
<P>Brethren, I hope this Ex|erci&s;e will be &s;o managed,
<PB N="14" REF="14">that it will be no prejudice to your civil affaires. The
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Begin|ning at &s;e|ven.</NOTE> earline&s;&s;e and
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">And end|ing at eight, half an houre &s;pent in o|pening Scripture, and half an houre in prayer.</NOTE> brevity will much prevent that in|convenience, I know there be ca&s;es and per&s;ons, to whom a con&s;tant attendance may be an impo&s;&s;ibility. As to tho&s;e, we know who hath &s;aid, <HI>I will have mercy, and not &s;acrifice.</HI> But where an houre may be gained either by <HI>fore-providence,</HI> or <HI>after-indu&s;try,</HI> certainly it can|not be better improved, then for &s;uch a &s;oul-advan|tage.</P>
<P>Therefore I be&s;eech you con&s;ider, <MILESTONE UNIT="Motives"></P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>It is a ble&s;&s;ed opportuni|ty to begin your dayes work with God.</HI> The very Hea|thens could &s;ay, <HI>A Jove princi|pium;</HI> and <GAP DESC="foreign">; <HI>We
<PB N="15" REF="14">&s;hould begin with God.</HI> It is good to dedicate the <HI>fir&s;t|fruits</HI> of the day to God; <HI>in whom we live, move, and have our being.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>It is the Mini&s;ters duty to be ready to preach in &s;ea&s;on &amp; out of &s;ea&s;on;</HI> that is,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 4.1, 2.</NOTE> on ordinary and extraordinary &s;ea&s;ons of preaching the Go&s;pel, on the <HI>Lords day,</HI> and on <HI>our days,</HI> &amp; therfore &s;urely it is the peo|ples duty to hear in &s;ea&s;on and out of &s;ea&s;on. That Com|mand which enjoyns <HI>preach|ing,</HI> doth of nece&s;&s;ity imply <HI>hearing</HI> al&s;o; that Command which opens our mouthes, mu&s;t al&s;o open your eares. If the Preacher be in his place, and you not in yours, it will be but an uncomfort|able account for you in the day of Chri&s;t, when the <HI>&s;er|vant</HI>
<PB N="16" REF="15">&s;hall &s;ay as his <HI>Lord</HI> did, <HI>I would have gathered you, but you would not;</HI> I would have preach't, but they would not hear. <HI>We would have heal|ed Babyloa,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Tu vis er|rare, tu vis perire, ego nolo.</HI> Aug.</NOTE> but &s;he would not be henled:</HI> Thou woulde&s;t erre, and thou woulde&s;t pe|ri&s;h, but I would not.</P>
<P N="3">3. Con&s;ider, <HI>this is a &s;pecial &s;ea&s;on and opportunity of time-redemption.</HI> The duty en|joyned, <HI>Eph.</HI> 5.15. The <HI>me|taphor</HI> calls for it; the <HI>ar|gument</HI> calls for it.</P>
<P>The metaphor calls for it, it being taken from <HI>Mer|chants,</HI> who ob&s;erve their markets, and buy while the Faire la&s;ts: Or el&s;e from men who having morgaged their lands and e&s;tates, would gladly <HI>redeem,</HI> that is, buy them back again into their po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion.</P>
<PB N="17" REF="15">
<P> Chri&s;tians, you have lo&s;t many &s;ea&s;ons of hearing, you have morgaged many an houre to Satan, and to the world, and to your lu&s;ts. God now gives you an op|portunity of <HI>Redemption.</HI> This is, as it were, your &s;piritual <HI>Faire</HI> or <HI>Mart,</HI> that will la&s;t for a moneth together; Oh now redeem the time, buy in &s;ome of your lo&s;t houres.</P>
<P>The <HI>Argument</HI> calls for it; <HI>The dayes are evil,</HI> evil with <HI>&s;in,</HI> and evil with <HI>&s;or|row;</HI> evil in <HI>Church,</HI> and evil in <HI>State;</HI> evil <HI>abroad,</HI> and evil at <HI>home;</HI> evil with al &s;orts of men among&s;t us, from the high|e&s;t <HI>orb</HI> to the lowe&s;t <HI>cell,</HI> &s;o evil, that it is not &s;afe to &s;ay how evil; &s;o that never did this Argument &s;peak with a louder voice in the eares of
<PB N="18" REF="16">any people, &s;ince the Apo|&s;tles time, then it doth in our eares.</P>
<P>This Exerci&s;e was &s;et up while <HI>Leice&s;ter</HI> was be&s;ieg|ed, an evil time as we then thought: alas! the whole land <HI>now</HI> is be&s;ieged with feares and dangers round about; we are a very <HI>magor mi&s;&s;abih,</HI> as once <HI>Pa&s;hur, Fear round about:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 20.3.</NOTE> and our divi&s;ions ren|der us unable to help our &s;elves.</P>
<P><HI>England</HI> is another <HI>I&s;hma|el,</HI> every mans hand is again&s;t us, and our hand again&s;t e|very man. There is a &s;torme upon the ve&s;&s;el, and the Mi|ni&s;ters cry out unto us, as the Ship-ma&s;ter to <HI>Jonas; What meane&s;t thou, O &s;leeper? A|ri&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jonah 1.6.</NOTE> call upon thy God, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>If evil dayes be an argu|ment
<PB N="19" REF="16">to time-redemption; &s;urely it is time for us to re|deem the time.</P>
<P>Know you not yet that <HI>England</HI> is de&s;troyed. Surely it is <HI>tant&ugrave;m non</HI> de&s;troyed?</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Be &s;wift to hear.</HEAD>
<P><HI>Now God &s;eems to be co|ming towards us</HI> of this place. <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Motive."> God cometh in the mid&s;t of us in an extraordinary man|ner, as <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> told the peo|ple, <HI>Exod.</HI> 19.10, 11. Oh prepare to meet thy God, O <HI>Sion:</HI> if you will not prepare to meet him coming towards you in a way of mercy and peace, how &s;oon and how ju&s;tly may ye be &s;ummon|ed to meet him in a way of judgement and wrath?</P>
<P>Fifthly, that may lead to
<PB N="20" REF="17">another &s;ad con&s;ideration.</P>
<P><HI>You little know how &s;oon Go&s;pel-&s;ea&s;ons may be remo|ved.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Amos 8.11, 12.</NOTE> God threatens a famine, <HI>not of bread or of water, but of hearing the Word of God;</HI> and the &s;ad progno&s;ticks of &s;uch a famine are upon us; &s;carcity of it in many places already, the Church-doores are &s;hut up, and there is not &s;o much as a chapter read in a whole Sabbath, in hundreds of Churches in <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Wales.</HI></P>
<P>Among our &s;elves is found the highe&s;t contempt of the Go&s;pel, and the Go&s;pel-Mini|&s;tery, that ever was among a people:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 36.16.</NOTE> which is the &s;in <HI>with|out remedie.</HI> A &s;in <HI>without</HI> remedy, becau&s;e it is a &s;in <HI>a|gain&s;t</HI> remedie. If &s;uch times &s;hould be ha&s;ting upon us,
<PB N="21" REF="17">yet God deals with us in &s;pi|rituals, as once for <HI>Egypt</HI> in temporals; he gives us <HI>yeares of plenty,</HI> before he bring up|on us the black yeares of fa|mine. Now therefore who is that wi&s;e <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> who will lay up in the&s;e yeares of plenty before the days of fa|mine come? <HI>Oh be &s;wift to hear,</HI> trea&s;ure up &s;piritual corne now,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 13.52.</NOTE> that you may in times of want <HI>be like the good Scribe in&s;tructed unto the Kingdom of Heaven, bring|ing out of your trea&s;ures things both new and old.</HI></P>
<P>Sixthly, to be &s;ure, <MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="Motive."> <HI>loath|ing is a fore-runner of lo&s;ing the Go&s;pel;</HI> when the I&s;rae|lites began to loath the Man|na, which fell every morn|ing round about their <HI>tents;</HI> it continued not long. And
<PB N="22" REF="18">it is ob&s;erved that a little be|fore the French Ma&s;&s;acre, Prote&s;tants were cloy'd with the Word. Formerly people would have run far and near to have enjoyed &s;uch oppor|tunities; if now you be afraid of it, or de&s;pi&s;e it, it will be a &s;ad pre&s;age that judgement is not far off.</P>
<P>Seventhly, let the zeal and forwardne&s;&s;e of other places provoke you. Oh, how have I &s;een the Con|gregations within the City thronged? how is this Morn|ing-Exerci&s;e &s;ued for and begg'd for, by Mini&s;ters and their well-affected people, with greate&s;t importunity, as great Charters are wont to be begg'd and &s;ued for to Princes by their &s;ubjects! And I ble&s;&s;e God to &s;ee it: Oh
<PB N="23" REF="18">let not this remain as a blot upon <HI>Giles</HI> in the fields, that this Ark was brought home to your doores, and you &s;aid, as it were, it &s;hould not come into your habitation; that this Morning-Exerci&s;e was brought into this place, and the pewes were empty; the inhabitants of this Pa|ri&s;h did not regard it.</P>
<P>The Apo&s;tle u&s;eth the &s;ame argument in another ca&s;e upon the <HI>Corinthians,</HI> 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 8.8.</P>
<P>Oh let not the zeal and affection of other people ri&s;e up in judgement again&s;t this end of the town and con|demn you.</P>
<P>Eighthly, <MILESTONE N="8" UNIT="Motive."> you will do as much for your bodies, and outward man, and more too. Were rare <HI>&s;ights</HI> to be
<PB N="24" REF="19">&s;een here every morning, for a moneth or two together, or were &s;ome <HI>rich doles</HI> to be di&s;tributed, there would be &s;uch throngs of people, that the walls and windows would not contain them. Chri&s;tians, here are the <HI>vi&s;i|ons of God</HI> to be &s;een; here are the <HI>un&s;earchable riches</HI> of Chri&s;t to be di&s;pen&s;ed. Oh evidence to your &s;elves and others, that you believe you have immortal &s;oules, more worth then ten thou&s;and worlds.</P>
<P>Ninethly, the body veri|ly may be a gainer as well as your &s;oules; the&s;e morning|vi&s;its may be <HI>phy&s;ick</HI> to your <HI>bodies,</HI> as well as <HI>food</HI> to your <HI>&s;oules.</HI></P>
<P>Tenthly, however let me admoni&s;h you of this, that a
<PB N="25" REF="19">&s;ingle voluntary omi&s;&s;ion may prove greatly prejudici|al to your &s;piritual good. Ob&s;erve that pa&s;&s;age in the Go&s;pel-&s;tory:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 23.24. Luke 25.</NOTE> <HI>But Thomas one of the twelve was not with them when Je&s;us came,</HI> what the cau&s;e of his ab&s;ence was, we reade not; &s;ure I am this &s;ingle ab&s;ence was like to have co&s;t him dear, even his faith: they tell him, <HI>ver.</HI> 25. <HI>We have &s;een the Lord:</HI> but hear what a peremptory re|ply he makes, <HI>Except I &s;hall &s;ee in his hands the print of the nailes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 25.</NOTE> and put my finger into the print of his nailes, and thru&s;t my hands into his &s;ide. I will not beleeve.</HI> Had Chri&s;t taken him at his word, <HI>Tho|mas</HI> might have for ever be|wailed his ab&s;ence from the meeting of the di&s;ciples in
<PB N="26" REF="20">eternal flames.</P>
<P>Eleventhly, in the next place let me tell you thus much. God hath been plea|&s;ed to make u&s;e of this morn|ing-Exerci&s;e, for great ad|vantage and good to many &s;oules, &s;ince the fir&s;t erecting of it. In times of feares, ma|ny that have come trembling and di&s;mayed with evil ti|dings, have di&s;mi&s;t with comfort and encourage|ment; their hands have been &s;trengthened, and their hearts have been encoura|ged in the Lord. Many that have been dubious and &s;tag|gering about their way, have been &s;etled and re&s;olved: &s;ome have drawn their fir&s;t &s;piritual breath in this aire, others have been pre&s;erved and &s;ecured, in the &s;ad Apo|&s;ta&s;y
<PB N="27" REF="20">from Anabapti&s;me, Antinomiani&s;me, Anti&s;cri|pturi&s;me, Athei&s;me, Ran|ti&s;me of the&s;e times, and that which hath been the cau&s;e and &s;ource of them all, <HI>boundle&s;&s;e liberty</HI> for e|very Congregation to <HI>hold,</HI> and <HI>hold forth</HI> what they will, <HI>without giving an ac|compt to any.</HI> I &s;ay, God hath made u&s;e of it for the &s;tay of Apo&s;ta&s;y, and the cementery of many Chri&s;ti|ans, in the truth and unity of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>Who knows what work God hath for this Morning-Exerci&s;e in this place? Only withdraw not your &s;elves out of Chri&s;ts rode, as I &s;hew|ed you in the coherence of the words, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 18. God honours the Word with his
<PB N="28" REF="21">ble&s;&s;ing, do you honout it with your attendance.</P>
<P>Twelfthly and la&s;tly, &s;ay not, We may have future op|portunities, what need of &s;uch pre&s;ent importunity?</P>
<P>Nay, my brethren, but death may quickly cut off hat reckoning; your life may yet end, before the end of the Morning-Exerci&s;e. Oh lay in for eternity: <HI>In this your day know the things of your peace, before they be hid from your eyes:</HI> while ye have the light come to the light, our dayes are &s;wift, as &s;wift as an Eagle; <HI>Oh be you &s;wift to hear.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;hould now come to give you &s;ome Rules or Cautions about this &s;ervice. But of this in the next.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="29" REF="21">
<HEAD><HI>MAY</HI> 1. 1655. <HI>The fir&s;t Morning-Exerci&s;e.</HI></HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Jam. 1.19.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Be &s;wift to hear.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>Doctr. <HI>It is the duty of Christians to be &s;wift to hear.</HI></P>
<P>The la&s;t Lords day in the afternoone I opened the <HI>Doctrine,</HI> and laid you down the <HI>grounds</HI> of the duty; and in the U&s;e of Exhortation, gave you certain Mo|tives to pre&s;&s;e this ne|ce&s;&s;ary duty upon you.</P>
<P>I being to begin this morning-work; &s;hall now pro&s;ecute the &s;ame Exhort|ation, and now by Gods a&s;|&s;i&s;tance give you</P>
<DIV3 TYPE="section">
<PB N="30" REF="22">
<HEAD>Some Rules and Cautions for guiding you in your attendance upon this &s;er|vice,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">There be|ing but halfe an houre al|lowed for the Word of Exhor|tation.</NOTE> as the &s;hortne&s;&s;e of the time will permit; that I may not be injurious to your affaires in your particular Callings.</HEAD>
<P>In the fir&s;t place,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1. <HI>Rule or Caution.</HI> Gal. 4.18.</NOTE> <HI>come con|&s;tantly;</HI> you know who &s;aid, <HI>It is good to be zeal|ou&s;ly affected alwayes in a good thing.</HI> It is good, and there is a <HI>ble&s;&s;ing</HI> in it; <HI>Ble&s;|&s;ed is the man that heareth me,</HI> (&s;aith the Wi&s;dome of God) <HI>watching daily at my gates, waiting at the po&s;ts of my doores.</HI> Brethren, is not <HI>your heavenly Fathers ble&s;&s;ing</HI> worth the coming for every morning? When torpor and &s;luggi&s;hne&s;&s;e would detain
<PB N="31" REF="22">you in your beds, or di&s;|pen&s;able occa&s;ions divert you, Oh remember, ble&s;|&s;ings are di&s;pen&s;ing in your Fathers hou&s;e, run in, and cry, <HI>Ble&s;&s;e me, even me al&s;o, Oh my Faeher.</HI></P>
<P>But &s;econdly, <MILESTONE N="2" UNIT="Rule."> you that cannot come your &s;elves, <HI>&s;end your &s;ervants and chil|dren;</HI> that they may get a &s;hare in the ble&s;&s;ing, and that their &s;oules may ble&s;&s;e you in the time to come; yea, and ble&s;&s;e the Lord that ever the Morning-Exerci&s;e came among you: behold, they may be di&s;mi&s;&s;ed in due time, to mini&s;ter unto you in their places. And let not the labouring man think it is an houre lo&s;t, that is &s;pent in this &s;ervice, if it may be borrowed without irrepa|rable
<PB N="32" REF="23">prejudice, either to o|thers or your &s;elves: behold, the Word and Prayer &s;hall &s;weeten and &s;anctifie the whole dayes travel, and the houre you have lent to the Lord, will he pay again with advantage.</P>
<P>Thirdly, <MILESTONE N="3" UNIT="Rule."> come not to this Morning-work, without &s;ome liftings up of your hearts to God before, for his pre&s;ence and ble&s;&s;ing; if thou ha&s;t not time to make a long prayer, yet make a &s;hort prayer, &s;end up &s;ome lively ejaculation,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dicuntur fratres in Egyptocre|bras eja|culationes emittere.</NOTE> &s;ome warme|breathings to God, for his pre&s;ence with the Mini&s;ter and people, his ble&s;&s;ing on the Ordinance for thy &s;elfe aad others. Pray over that Promi&s;e, <HI>Exod.</HI> 20.24. <HI>In all places where I record my Name,
<PB N="33" REF="23">I will meet thee and ble&s;&s;e thee.</HI> Oh &s;ay with <HI>Mary, Behold, the &s;ervant of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy Word;</HI> not the Ordi|nance only, Lord, but thy <HI>Pre&s;ence</HI> in the Ordinance; The Word, and thy <HI>bleffing</HI> on the Word; <HI>Oh meet me, and ble&s;&s;e me for Christs &s;ake.</HI></P>
<P>If Chri&s;tians would <HI>pray more,</HI> before they come to the Word, they would <HI>thrive better;</HI> you <HI>receive not, be|cau&s;e you ask not;</HI> the Pro|mi&s;e is liberal,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 81.10.</NOTE> <HI>Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it:</HI> Alas, we come to Ordi|nances, with our mouthes &s;hut: God may be&s;peak us, as once the Apo&s;tle his <HI>Co|rinthians;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 6.11, 12.</NOTE> Ye are not &s;traiten|ed in me, but ye are straiten|ed in your &s;elves.</HI> You do not
<PB N="34" REF="24">finde God when ye come, becau&s;e ye do not &s;eek him before you come: Chri&s;ti|ans, is not God worth the &s;eeking? <HI>Seek the Lord, and &s;eek his &s;trength, and &s;eek his face continually.</HI></P>
<P>God faith unto you, <HI>Seek ye my face;</HI> let your heart e|cho back again to God; <HI>Thy face,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 27.8.</NOTE> Lord, will I &s;eek.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, <MILESTONE N="4" UNIT="Rule."> come to this Morning-Exerci&s;e, <HI>without re&s;pect of per&s;ons.</HI> The u&s;u|al que&s;tion is, (I do not like it,) <HI>Who preacheth to morrow morning?</HI> And that is not all, but if the man &s;uit not the fancy, the wantonne&s;&s;e of &s;ome ri&s;eth to that boldne&s;s, that they fear not to de&s;pi&s;e both him and the Ordinance. Tu&s;h, I would not go over the thre&s;hold to hear &s;uch
<PB N="35" REF="24">a man; Brethren, this ought not &s;o to be, we &s;hould come for the Ordinance-&s;ake, and not for the mans &s;ake. In this &s;en&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam, 2.1.</NOTE> <HI>we &s;hould not have the faith of our Lord Je|&s;us Chri&s;t, the Lord of glory, with re&s;pect of per&s;ons.</HI></P>
<P>It is to be feared, the de|licacy of the&s;e times is a fore-runner of famine; and they that for wantonne&s;&s;e do now cry, <HI>Whom &s;hall we hear to day?</HI> may ere long cry to for want, <HI>Oh where &s;hall we heare, whither &s;hall we go to bear a faithful Mi|ni&s;ter?</HI></P>
<P>Brethren, let me freely, &s;peak unto you. I am a|fraid, that the mo&s;t of tho&s;e di&s;likes, which you enter|tain again&s;t &s;ome Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel; your heads,
<PB N="36" REF="25">hearts and con&s;ciences, wit|ne&s;&s;ing to their fidelity,) are but the groundle&s;&s;e prejudi|ces, and &s;inful di&s;tempers of your own hearts.</P>
<P><HI>Samp&s;on,</HI> when he had got his great victory, threw a|way his jaw-bone, but when &s;lain almo&s;t with thir&s;t, God &s;ends him to his jaw-bone a|gain; ye are not now full, and <HI>Provender, as we &s;ay, pricks you;</HI> if a &s;piritual drought come, you would be glad of the wor&s;t of your de&s;pi&s;ed Mini&s;ters. In the mean time, let me tell you, He is a &s;orry Mini&s;ter indeed, (if I &s;ay faithful,) by whom you may not get &s;omething worth your paines in hearing, were your heart in a mortifi|ed gracious frame.</P>
<P>I have heard &s;ome emi|nent
<PB N="37" REF="25">Chri&s;tians acknowledge, that after &s;ome di&s;putes whe|ther they &s;hould hear &s;uch and &s;uch a man, becau&s;e of &s;ome private jealou&s;ies up|on their &s;pirits, yet determi|ned by this con&s;ideration: <HI>I go for the Ordinance &s;ake, not for the mans &s;ake;</HI> God hath made it the mo&s;t &s;ea&s;onable Word, that ever they heard.</P>
<P>The &s;tories them&s;elves would be too long. And therefore, Chri&s;tians, look to your own hearts; and if the Mini&s;ter want quickne&s;&s;e in preaching, do thou make it up in the lively actings of thine own grace, le&s;t other|wi&s;e it appears, it is <HI>parts</HI> that act thee, and not <HI>&s;pirituality</HI> and <HI>&s;oundne&s;&s;e</HI> of matter.</P>
<P>In the next place, <MILESTONE N="5" UNIT="Rule."> <HI>Ob&s;erve God (therefore) in the variety
<PB N="38" REF="26">of the gifts and graces of his Mini&s;ters:</HI> and learn to ad|mire the <HI>manifold Wi&s;dom of God.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Corinth</HI> hath bequeathed her wantonne&s;&s;e to <HI>London,</HI> we <HI>are puffed up for one a|gain&s;t another:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 4 6.</NOTE> for one <HI>Mi|ni&s;ter of the Go&s;pel</HI> again&s;t an|other; we cannot commend one, but we mu&s;t de&s;pi&s;e an|other. But we &s;hould re|member, that the Spirit is the fountain of all their gifts and graces, how different &s;oever; it is the excellencies of the&s;e &s;tarres, that though one &s;tar differ from another in glory, yet God made them all; and <HI>he calls them all by their names.</HI> The H. Gho&s;t is called the <HI>&s;e|ven Spirits of God,</HI> Rev. 1.4. for his manifold and &s;un|dry operations, &s;o that you
<PB N="39" REF="26">cannot ea&s;ily de&s;pi&s;e the gifts of any <HI>that ars &s;incere,</HI> but by interpretation you judge the Spirit, and de&s;pi&s;e the Spirit: as it is &s;aid of the poore, <HI>Prov.</HI> 17.5.</P>
<P>This you may ob&s;erve, (and it would help you) that the meane&s;t of the faithful Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel hath &s;ome excellency above his brethren; as in the natural body, every member hath an u&s;efulne&s;&s;e, an honour proper to it &s;elf,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12.25.</NOTE> that &s;o there might be no &s;chi&s;me in the body: and many times God is plea&s;ed to u&s;e the meaner gift for the greater &s;ervice, becau&s;e he delights to ho|nour &s;incerity above <HI>parts.</HI> Come then Chri&s;tians,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 15.10.</NOTE> to the word, with your expectations upon God, and not upon the
<PB N="40" REF="27">Preacher. <HI>You may ea&s;ily o|ver-expect the creature, you can never over-expect God.</HI></P>
<P>Sixthly, <MILESTONE N="6" UNIT="Rule."> <HI>look to your aimes,</HI> and come to get your hearts warmed every morning, by the fire of the Sanctuary: la|bour to hear, and pray your hearts into a&s;piritual and an heavenly frame, <HI>that you may walk with God all the day long.</HI> Bring your hearts to God every morning, and de&s;ire him to winde them up for you, and then to keep his hand upon the maine &s;pring all the day long, or el&s;e it will quickly run down again.</P>
<P>Seventhly, <MILESTONE N="7" UNIT="Caution."> <HI>If God plea&s;e to kindle any fire upon your hearts, take heed of letting it go out. Quench not the Spi|rit;</HI> quench not good mo|tions,
<PB N="41" REF="27">by letting out your hearts inordinately to the things of the world.</P>
<P>If God work a good frame in thee, take heed of any thing that may di&s;com|po&s;e it. Little &s;ins fir&s;t di|&s;temper, and then great &s;ins come in and de&s;troy.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Pro. 4.23.</NOTE> Of all keeping keep thy heart.</P>
<P>Take heed, when ye have <HI>begun in the Spirit,</HI> that you <HI>do not end in the fle&s;h.</HI> Keep this upon your hearts as an antidote again&s;t temptation. <HI>I have been with God this morning,</HI> and how &s;hall I do this great wickedne&s;&s;e, and profane my approaches to God? <HI>I have wa&s;hed my feet, how &s;hall I defile them?</HI> Peo|ple are prone to conceive them&s;elves di&s;charged, when they have been in duty; not
<PB N="42" REF="28">much better then the Slut in the <HI>Proverbs;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 7.14.&mdash;18.</NOTE> I have peace-of|ferings with me, this day I have paid my vowes, come let us take our fill of love, &amp;c.</HI> But remember this an <HI>harlotry Lo|gick,</HI> to put <HI>duty</HI> into the <HI>premi&s;&s;es,</HI> and <HI>&s;in</HI> into the <HI>conclu&s;ion;</HI> The Scripture teacheth otherwi&s;e. <HI>Let e|very one that nameth the Name of Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Tim. 2.19.</NOTE> depart from iniquity.</HI></P>
<P>And <HI>if you call on the Fa|ther,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1.17</NOTE> &amp;c. pa&s;&s;e the time of your pilgrimage in fear.</HI> If ye pray, look to your conver&s;a|tion; <HI>Holy duties are en|gagement to an holy life.</HI> Pray|er is an implicit vow.</P>
<P>Say therefore, when you come from duties, publick or private; <HI>Thy vowes are upon me,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 56.12.</NOTE> I will render prai&s;es unto thee.</HI></P>
<PB N="43" REF="28">
<P> In the eigth place, <MILESTONE N="8" UNIT="Caution."> <HI>Let not the Morning-Exerci&s;e pay the &s;core of family or clo&s;et|duties.</HI> It is unworthy of a Chri&s;tian &s;pirit, to think to &s;ave charges by attendance upon publick Ordinancer. Remember that under the Law,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Numb. 28 10, 15.</NOTE> the Sabbaths&s;acrifice was not to di&s;charge the morning-&s;acrifice.</P>
<P><HI>This is the burnt-offering of every-Sabbath, be&s;ides the con|tinual burnt-rffering, and his meat-offering;</HI> and &s;o, <HI>v.</HI> 15, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>You are fitter for your fa|mily-duties, and clo&s;et-de|votion, when you have warmed your hearts in com|munion with God in his publick wor&s;hip, when you come home therfore, pray o|ver what you have heard, and what you have prayed in the
<PB N="44" REF="29">publick A&s;&s;emblies.</P>
<P>Ninethly, <MILESTONE N="9" UNIT="Caution."> <HI>Put every duty into practice as you hear them;</HI> live your Sermon, that day.</P>
<P>Tenthly and la&s;tly, <MILESTONE N="10" UNIT="Caution."> <HI>Ac|count the morning-&s;ervices your priviledge as well as your duty.</HI> Look upon it not as your <HI>burden,</HI> but as your <HI>ble&s;&s;ing;</HI> what would &s;ome poor Chri&s;tians give for one of the&s;e opportunities? Ma|ny Kings and righteous per|&s;ons, as our Saviour &s;aith, <HI>have de&s;ired to hear the things which you hear, and have not heard them, &amp;c.</HI> Surely the wor&s;t day in the week, is better to you then many Sab|baths, to many <HI>Churches</HI> of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>If once our advantages come to be our burdens, God can quickly unburden us;</HI> as
<PB N="45" REF="29">he threatens, <HI>Jer.</HI> 23. from the 33, to the end. Account the Word your priviledge, your honour, &amp; let your improve|ment witne&s;&s;e your prizing of it; <HI>Study &s;piritual growth.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2.2.</NOTE> As new-born babes de&s;ire the &s;incere milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby.</HI> La|bour to get knowledge an|&s;werable to the meanes, and grace an&s;werable to your knowledge. And &s;o much for this time and this Text.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="sermon">
<PB REF="30">
<PB N="47" REF="30">
<HEAD>A Concluding SERMON at the end of the <HI>Morning-Exerci&s;e,</HI> AT <HI>GILES</HI> in the <HI>FIELDS,</HI> On <HI>Wedne&s;day, May</HI> 30. 1655.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>JER. 35.15.</HI></BIBL>
<P>I have &s;ent al&s;o unto you all my &s;ervants the Prophets, ri&s;ing up early, and &s;ending them, &s;aying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, &amp;c.</P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>THe words, they are a conviction of the infide|lity
<PB N="48" REF="31">and &s;tubbornne&s;&s;e of the Jewes. <HI>Jonadabs</HI> &s;onnes o|beyed their fathers com|mand, not to drink wine, &amp;c. <HI>ver&s;e</HI> 14. <HI>The words of Jonadab the &s;onne of Rechab, that he commanded his &s;ons not to drink wine are performed, for unto this day they drink none, but obey their fathers commandment; Notwith&s;tand|ing,</HI> &s;aith God, <HI>I have &s;po|ken unto you, ri&s;ing early and &s;peaking, but ye hearkened not unto me.</HI> In the words you have the&s;e two parts.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Gods <HI>carriage</HI> and dealing towards the Jewes.</P>
<P>Secondly, <HI>their carriage to|wards God:</HI> Gods dealing with them, <HI>I have &s;ent unto you all my &s;ervants the Pro|phets, &amp;c.</HI> Their dealing with God in the clo&s;e of the
<PB N="49" REF="31">ver&s;e; <HI>but ye have not incli|ned your care, nor hearkened unto me.</HI></P>
<P>In the former part, Gods dealing with them, you have the&s;e eight particulars.</P>
<P N="1">1. Here's the means u&s;ed, <HI>I have &s;ent.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Here's the per&s;ons em|ployed, <HI>the Prophets,</HI> who are here de&s;cribed by their adjunct, <HI>my &s;ervants.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Their number, <HI>all my &s;ervants the Prophets.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. Their diligence, <HI>they ro&s;e early.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. Their importunity, <HI>I &s;ent them. Sending them,</HI> what's that? that is, &s;ending them time after time, morn|ing after morning, u&s;ing all importunity.</P>
<P N="6">6. Their me&s;&s;age, and that is <HI>Reformation,</HI> con&s;i&s;t|ing
<PB N="50" REF="32">of two parts: 1. <HI>Cea|&s;ing from evil.</HI> And 2. <HI>Mend|ing their ways; Returne ye e|very man from his evil wayes and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to &s;erve them.</HI></P>
<P N="7">7. Here is the authority by which they came; <HI>I &s;ent them, &s;aith God.</HI></P>
<P N="8">8. Here you have the mo|tive upon which God doth woo and invite them to Re|formation: and that's no wor&s;e then their own good: <HI>that you might dwell in the land.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;econd part, namely their carriage towards God; 'tis very &s;hort, and very &s;ad; <HI>but you have not hearkened, nor obeyed.</HI></P>
<P>Many Ob&s;ervations might be rai&s;ed from the words;
<PB N="51" REF="32">But I &s;hall put them altoge|ther into one Ob&s;ervation, and 'tis this, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<P>Doctr. <HI>That God takes it very ill, and it is a high pro|vocation to his Maje&s;ty, when he vouch&s;afes the choicest and mo&s;t precious meanes for a peo|ples Reformation and &s;alvati|on, and yet under all tho&s;e meanes they remain ob&s;tinate and irreformed.</HI></P>
<P>'Tis that you have com|plained frequently all along the Prophets in the very words of the Text. The &s;ame, though in other lan|guage, which God makes, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 5. <HI>I did thus and thus to my vineyard, and what could I have done more? wherefore when I looked for grapes, it brought forth wilde grapes.</HI> God took it very ill after all
<PB N="52" REF="33">the co&s;t, care and paines he had been at in his vineyard, his expectations were di&s;ap|pointed. 'Tis that which made Je&s;us Chri&s;t groan and weep over <HI>Jeru&s;alem; O Je|ru&s;alem, Jeru&s;alem, how often would I have gathered thee, as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings? but ye would not.</HI> I would, but you would not. God takes it very ill, and 'tis a high provocation to his Maje&s;tie, and well it may, if you con&s;ider the&s;e <HI>grounds.</HI></P>
<P>In &s;uch earriage of a peo|ple towards God, thus be|having him&s;elf towards them, there is</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Thetenders &amp; offers of grace and reconciliation neglected.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>His love de&s;pi&s;ed;</HI> there was never &s;uch overtcres
<PB N="53" REF="33">made to the Apo&s;tate-An|gels; neither <HI>hath he dealt &s;o with every Nation, &amp;c.</HI> here is love de&s;pi&s;ed.</P>
<P N="3">3. Here is <HI>Gods importuni|ty gain-&s;aid;</HI> God doth in|treat, God doth be&s;eech, and God doth wait time after time and man proudly &s;tands out.</P>
<P N="4">4. The <HI>Patience of God a|bu&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. Vertually, <HI>the blood of Chri&s;t is trampled upon.</HI> And</P>
<P N="6">6. The Spirit re&s;i&s;ted, which is the aggravation of all di&s;obedience again&s;t the Word, <HI>Acts</HI> 7.51. <HI>Ye &s;tiffe-necked and uncircumci|&s;ed in heart and eares, ye have alwayes re&s;i&s;ted the Holy Gho&s;t.</HI> For the</P>
<P><HI>&V;&s;e.</HI> Is not this the very
<PB N="54" REF="34">ca&s;e of <HI>England?</HI> may not God &s;peak this text over <HI>England,</HI> for near a hundred yeares together, <HI>I have &s;ent unto you all my &s;ervants the Prophets, ri&s;ing up early and &s;ending them?</HI> And is not this the ca&s;e of this very place? were it only in refe|rence to this moneth, where the Morning-Exerci&s;e hath been among you: had God never &s;ent a Prophet to you before, never dealt with you about your reformation and reconciliation before, will not the di&s;pen&s;ations and dealings of God towards you, even in this moneth, be able to ju&s;tifie God, and to leave you without excu&s;e?</P>
<P>Chri&s;tians, this day is this Scripture fulfilled in your eares on Gods part; For,
<PB N="55" REF="34">Fir&s;t, <HI>God hath &s;ent;</HI> and whom hath he &s;ent? he hath not &s;ent <HI>gifted brethren</HI> among you, he hath not &s;ent loo&s;e and debauched men of wretched principles, to &s;peak to you the vi&s;ion of their hearts; of whom God com|plaines, <HI>Jer.</HI> 23.21. <HI>I have not &s;ent the&s;e Prophets, yet they ran, I have not &s;poken to them, yet they prophe&s;ied;</HI> But God hath &s;ent to you his <HI>&s;ervants the Prophets;</HI> Pro|phets <HI>by calling,</HI> men &s;et a|part for the work of the Go|&s;pel by <HI>mini&s;terial ordina|tion;</HI> he hath &s;ent to you Mini&s;ters that have appro|ved them&s;elves to be the &s;er|vants of God, that have &s;er|ved the de&s;ignes and inter|e&s;ts of Chri&s;t faithfully in their places. And thirdly,
<PB N="56" REF="35">God hath &s;ent all his &s;er|vants, <HI>i.e. in great number,</HI> (if we take in the next day,
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">The Fa&s;t at the con|cluding of the mnethly-Exercile.</NOTE> which we hope to enjoy) a|bove thirty Mini&s;ters God hath &s;ent among you this moneth. Fourthly, Con&s;i|der <HI>their diligence, ri&s;ing up early,</HI> you have been invited out of your beds into Gods pre&s;ence; the fir&s;t breath you have breathed in the morning, hath been in Gods Sanctnary. Fifthly, they have u&s;ed <HI>great importunity, Sending,</HI> he hath &s;ent them, they have doubled their pains, trod upon the heeles one of another, every man hath drawn out his bowels a|mong you, &s;pent their &s;pirits, they have preached as if they &s;hould never preach again. And Sixthly, what hath their
<PB N="57" REF="35"><HI>me&s;&s;age</HI> been? it hath been to <HI>Reformation,</HI> that you would now <HI>turn to God;</HI> their Texts and Sermons have been nothing el&s;e but <HI>Ex|hortations, Motives</HI> and <HI>Meanes</HI> to Reformation, for the rolling away, and remo|ving hinderances and ob|&s;tructions out of your way. To this end, let me helpe your memories by way of a &s;ummary rehear&s;al of their morning-labours among you, which is the chiefe&s;t de&s;igue of this concluding Exer|ci&s;e.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t was but a prepa|ratory to all the re&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The first morning.</NOTE> it was but like the voice of <HI>John Ba|pti&s;t in the wilderne&s;&s;e, prepa|ring the way of the Lord,</HI> on|ly &s;ome brief <HI>directions</HI> how
<PB N="58" REF="36">you &s;hould <HI>hear,</HI> and how you &s;hould artend upon the Morning-Exerci&s;e, that it might be of u&s;e and advan|tage to your &s;oules.</P>
<P>The &s;econd he comes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;econd morning.</NOTE> and from <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 22.12. <HI>In that day did the Lord God of ho&s;tes call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldne&s;&s;e, and to girding with &s;ackcloth.</HI> He gave you this ob&s;ervation.</P>
<P><HI>Doct. That the time of Gods incen&s;ed anger &s;hould be the time of the &s;inners hu|miliation.</HI></P>
<P>Such is his abundant mer|cy, that he calls men to re|pentance before he break in upon them by his judge|ments. He &s;hoots off his
<PB N="59" REF="36"><HI>warning pieces,</HI> before he gives fire to his <HI>murdering pieces. In that day the Lord did call;</HI> how doth he call? he calls outwardly, inwardly.</P>
<P>Outwardly, he calls by his <HI>Word;</HI> every Ser|mon is a call, every cha|pter is a call, every ver&s;e is a call. He calls by his <HI>mer|cies,</HI> all your mercies are &s;o many calls to obedience. He cals by his <HI>judgments,</HI> even the <HI>Rod</HI> hath a voice; and where the <HI>rod</HI> hath a voice, we &s;hould have an eare. <HI>Hear the rod.</HI></P>
<P>He calls <HI>inwardly,</HI> by the <HI>stirrings and impul&s;es of his own Spirit,</HI> and therefore the duty was urged upon you by the&s;e heart melting <HI>Arguments.</HI> 1. Warning ne|glected will make vengeance
<PB N="60" REF="37">mo&s;t furious. 2. Slighting of judgement, is the greate&s;t judgement that can befall a people. 3. It argues horri|ble pride. 4 De&s;perate &s;e|curity. And, 5. 'Tis attended upon with &s;uch anger and wrath, as the tongue of an Angel is not able to &s;peak, nor the heart of man able to conceive; <HI>Becau&s;e I have cal|led and you would not hearken, you &s;hall call, and I will not haerken, &amp;c.</HI> Prov. 1.24.</P>
<P>The third comes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The third morning.</NOTE> and &s;ets &s;orth to you (as it were) the <HI>nature</HI> and the <HI>condition</HI> of &s;uch a people, as <HI>neglect Gods Call,</HI> from <HI>Jer.</HI> 5.4. <HI>I &s;aid, Surely the&s;e are poor, they are fooli&s;h; for they know not the way of the Lord, nor the judg|ments of their God.</HI> And
<PB N="61" REF="37">from thence he gives you this &s;ad <HI>Ob&s;ervation, viz.</HI></P>
<P>Doctr. <HI>That rebels are a poor and beggarly genera|tion.</HI></P>
<P>Let them be never &s;o great and honourable, they are poor <HI>civilly,</HI> and poor <HI>&s;piritually;</HI> they are poor <HI>ci|villy.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. They are poor <HI>antecedent|ly,</HI> for the mo&s;t part the lowe&s;t of people are the wor&s;t of people. It was the rabble rout that was gather|ed together again&s;t <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> in <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 2.</P>
<P N="2">2. Poor <HI>concomitantly;</HI> u&s;ually they think their po|verty will bear them out in a|ny wickedne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P N="3">3. They are poor <HI>con&s;e|quently.</HI> Poverty is their judgement. Many time; God
<PB N="62" REF="38">doth bla&s;t their e&s;tates, and &s;ends a worme to eat out the bottome of their gourds. God doth puni&s;h rebellion with beggery many times, and bla&s;t mens e&s;tates to cha&s;ti&s;e the pride of their hearts.</P>
<P>And then they are poor <HI>spiritually,</HI> poor in their <HI>In|tellectuals;</HI> ignorance is the poverty of the under&s;tand|ing: wicked men are not worth one dram of &s;aving knowledge; they are poor in <HI>grace,</HI> they think <HI>them&s;elves rich, that they abound in goods, and want nothing,</HI> and know not that they are wretched, and mi&s;erable, and poor, and blinde, and na|ked, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3.17. 'Tis rebel|lion only that makes men &s;oule-poor, &s;piritually-poor, irremedile&s;ly-poor, ever|la&s;tingly
<PB N="63" REF="38">poor.</P>
<P N="4">4.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The fourth morning.</NOTE> The fourth (as if there had been in con&s;ultation with the former, how to me|thodize their di&s;cour&s;es) He pre&s;cribes a cure to the former evil, and &s;hewes the way how a Chri&s;tian may become rich, and that is by getting intere&s;t in Chri&s;t. And from</P>
<P><HI>Phil.</HI> 1.21. <HI>To me to live is Chri&s;t, and to die is gain;</HI> he gives you the&s;e two Ob&s;ervations.</P>
<P>Doctr. 1. <HI>That Chri&s;t is the life of a Believer.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>That to whom Chri&s;t is life, death will be gain.</HI></P>
<P>Chri&s;t is the life of a be|liever, <HI>Naturally, Spiritually, Eternally;</HI> all this by vertue
<PB N="64" REF="39">of union with him, and from thence he inferres,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The preciou&s;ae&s;&s;e of a Chri&s;tian; Chri&s;t is his life.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The duty of Chri&s;tians, to be willing to venture their lives for Chri&s;t: &s;ince Chri&s;t is their life.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The happine&s;&s;e of a believer, he hath a Chri&s;t in him. <HI>Chri&s;t in you the hope of glory, Col.</HI> 1.27.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. The woful condition of all out of Chri&s;t; with|out <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and with|out <HI>life,</HI> and without <HI>hope</HI> in the world, <HI>Eph.</HI> 2.12.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>The fifth morning ano|ther &s;ervant of God comes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The fifth morning.</NOTE> and he &s;hewes you the dan|ger
<PB N="65" REF="39">of neglecting Go&s;pel|grace; and from <HI>Acts</HI> 17.30. <HI>Tho&s;e times of ignorance God winked at, but now com|mandeth all men every where to repent;</HI> gave the&s;e three excellent Ob&s;ervations.</P>
<P><HI>Doct.</HI> 1. <HI>Times of Pagani&s;m were times of ignorance.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>'Tis a mi&s;ery to be brought up in &s;uch times and places.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>Times of the Go&s;pel are times wherein God be&s;peaks e|very man, every where to repent.</HI></P>
<P>The 1. U&s;e was, to reprove tho&s;e Preachers, who in Go|&s;pel-times cry down repent|ance and &s;orrow of heart: there is abundance of &s;uch preaching and Preachers, the Lord deliver us from them.</P>
<PB N="66" REF="40">
<P> Secondly, &s;uch people as are not engaged by Go&s;pel|di&s;pen&s;ations to Go&s;pel-re|pentance.</P>
<P>But much more they in the third place, that encou|rage them&s;elves to live in &s;in, becau&s;e they live in Go|&s;pel-times; this is &s;ad.</P>
<P>The &s;econd <HI>&V;&s;e,</HI> the U&s;e of Exhortation from three Motives: <HI>&s;cilicet,</HI> 1. The expectation of God. 2. The uncertainty of the Spirits motions: And 3. The dan|ger of delay; calls you ear|ne&s;tly and pathetically to re|pentance.</P>
<P>The &s;ixth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;ixth morning.</NOTE> he holds out Chri&s;t unto you, as &s;ealed to the Office of a Mediatour by God the Father, from <HI>John</HI> 6.27. <HI>Him hath God the
<PB N="67" REF="40">Father &s;ealed:</HI> Sealed by his <HI>Bapti&s;me,</HI> &s;ealed by his <HI>Doctrine,</HI> &s;ealed by his <HI>Mi|racles,</HI> &s;ealed by his <HI>Re&s;ur|rection,</HI> but above all &s;ealed by his <HI>glorious &V;nction.</HI></P>
<P>The fir&s;t U&s;e was, to make them tremble that neglect and refu&s;e Chri&s;t; for they neglect a &s;ealed Saviour, they neglect him whom the Father hath &s;ealed.</P>
<P>The &s;econd U&s;e was, to &s;hew the nece&s;&s;ity of getting Chri&s;t; &s;ince neither Saints nor Angels were &s;ealed, but only the Lord Je&s;us; O clo&s;e with Chri&s;t, take him upon Gods termes, <HI>Him, him hath God the Father &s;ealed.</HI></P>
<P>The third U&s;e &s;pake infi|nite comfort to them that do clo&s;e with Chri&s;t, <HI>'tis a &s;ealed
<PB N="68" REF="41">Redeemer,</HI> that you have taken and made choice of, and &s;uch as have taken Chri&s;t whom the Father hath &s;ealed, may urge the <HI>Father</HI> with his <HI>Seal,</HI> and the <HI>Son</HI> with his <HI>Office:</HI> Lord, thou ha&s;t &s;ealed Chri&s;t: Ble&s;&s;ed Je&s;us, thou art &s;eal|ed to the Office of a Medi|atour; O &s;weet Lord, do thy Office, &s;ubdue my cor|ruptions, &s;anctifie my heart, and &s;o forth. And thus, &s;uch as the&s;e may look beyond wrath, and beyond the grave, and beyond ju|&s;tice, with infinite comfort, even as many as take this &s;ealed Saviour upon Gods conditions.</P>
<P>The &s;eventh,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The &s;e|venth mor|ning.</NOTE> as the for|mer &s;hewed you a Saviour
<PB N="69" REF="41">under Seale, &s;o he doth &s;hew you (a &s;ad &s;ight) a &s;in|ner under <HI>bondage, Acts</HI> 8.23. <HI>I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterne&s;&s;e, and in the bond of iniquity;</HI> and thence he gives you this &s;ad truth.</P>
<P>Doctr. <HI>That &s;ins are the &s;oules bonds.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. Bonds tie things toge|ther, &s;o do &s;ins; one &s;in doth link in with another; &s;in doth tie the &s;inner and the cur&s;e together, binding over the guilty creature to hell, and the wrath of God for ever.</P>
<P N="2">2. Bonds gall the body, &s;o &s;ins gall the con&s;ci|ence.</P>
<P N="3">3. A man cannot flie from his bonds, no, nor a &s;inner from his guilt.</P>
<P N="4"><PB N="70" REF="42"> 4. Bonds &s;trangle the bo|dy, and &s;in &s;trangles the &s;oule; 'tis a de&s;troyer.</P>
<P>Therefore upon the&s;e con&s;iderations he per&s;wades you, 1. To hate &s;in. 2. To de&s;troy &s;in. 3. To get out of tho&s;e bonds of &s;in, as you tender your own &s;oules. The cour&s;e and means was, 1. To get into Chri&s;t; If the Son make you free, you &s;hall be free indeed. 2. To give up your &s;elves to his &s;ervice.</P>
<P>The eighth comes,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The eighth morning.</NOTE> as it were a wooing for Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and from <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 62.5. <HI>As a young man marrieth a Virgin, &s;o &s;hall thy &s;ons marry thee: and as the Bridegroom rejoyceth over the Bride. &s;o &s;hall thy God rejoyce over thee:</HI> He gave you this excellent
<PB N="71" REF="42">Morning-cordial.</P>
<P>Doctr. <HI>That God &s;tands re|lated and affected to his Church, as a Bridegroom to the Bride.</HI> He opened it in the&s;e particulars.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. As a Bridegroom loves his Bride, &s;o doth Chri&s;t love his Church.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. As a Bridegroom af|fords his pre&s;ence to his Bride, &s;o doth Chri&s;t delight to be in the company of his Church.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. As a Bridegroom coun|&s;els his Bride, &s;o Chri&s;t coun&s;els his Church, he is the <HI>Coun&s;ellour.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>4. As a Bridegroom doth protect his Bride, &s;o doth Chri&s;t protect his Church.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5. As a Bridegroom pro|vides for his Bride, &s;o
<PB N="72" REF="43">doth Chri&s;t provide for his Church and peo|ple.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6. As the husband payes all the wifes debts, &s;o doth Chri&s;t pay all the debts his people owe to the Law, and to divine Ju&s;tice.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7. As the husband covers all the infirmities of his yoke-fellow, &s;o Chri&s;t covers the infirmities of his Church.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>O Chri&s;tians, who would not accept &s;uch a match as this? of what infinite con|cernment is it, for a poor guilty &s;oule to accept of the tenders and offers of the Son of God, when he comes thus a wooing in the Go|&s;pel?</P>
<PB N="73" REF="43">
<P> The nineth cour&s;e fell up|on that day which was the <HI>Fast-day;</HI> that day wherein we de&s;ired to humble our &s;oules in reference to the ma|ny fires of late broke out in the City, and he whom Provi|dence &s;ent that day, help't you, as it were, to draw wa|ter to quench the fire of Gods wrath: indeed his pathetical di&s;cour&s;e drew a great deal of water from many eyes, and from <HI>John</HI> 4.23, 24. <HI>God is a Spirit, and they that wor&s;hip him mu&s;t wor&s;hip him in &s;pirit and in truth.</HI> He rai&s;ed this point.</P>
<P>Doctr. <HI>That that wor&s;hip which is acceptable to the God of &s;pirits, is a &s;piritual wor&s;hip.</HI> He &s;hewed where|in this wor&s;hip did con&s;i&s;t.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. In making con&s;cience of
<PB N="74" REF="44">&s;piritual &s;ins as well as corporal.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. In getting, pre&s;erving and acting &s;piritual graces.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. In acting all the facul|ties of the &s;oule upon God.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. In acting the externals, (the very outwards) of Religion in a &s;piritual manner.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>It was an excellent di&s;|cour&s;e, and de&s;erved the Pre&s;&s;e as well as the Pulpit, the Lord impre&s;&s;e it upon your hearts.</P>
<P>The tenth he comes, and from <HI>Mat.</HI> 16.26. <HI>What &s;hall it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lo&s;e his own &s;oul?</HI> he pointed to you the preciou&s;ne&s;&s;e of your immor|tal
<PB N="75" REF="44">heaven-born &s;oules, and gave you this doctrine.</P>
<P>Doctr. <HI>That the gaine of the world cannot countervaile the lo&s;&s;e of a &s;oule.</HI> Witne&s;&s;e, 1. God that made it. 2. Wit|ne&s;&s;e the impre&s;&s;e of the &s;oule, 'tis &s;tamp't with the i|mage of God. 3. The im|mortality of it, it is immortal, it cannot die. 4. Witne&s;&s;e the price paid for it, O the &s;oule co&s;t the precious blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>He that lo&s;eth his &s;oule, he lo&s;eth God, he lo|&s;eth Angels, Saints, and he lo&s;eth Heaven and Glory for ever. He that is thus lo&s;t is lo&s;t <HI>intolerably,</HI> lo&s;t <HI>unrea|&s;onably,</HI> lo&s;t <HI>irrecoverably.</HI> Therefore before you mor|gage your &s;oules to the de|vil, you were de&s;ired to &s;it
<PB N="76" REF="45">down and con&s;ider what your &s;oules are worth, and then, if you can; be&s;tow them upon the devil; and if you can be &s;o vile as to part with &s;uch precious &s;oules for a ba&s;e lu&s;t,</P>
<P>The eleventh di&s;covered to you your dreadful condi|tion, and from <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 29.9. <HI>Surely they are drunk, but not with wine; they &s;tagger, but not with &s;trong drink.</HI> He tells you,</P>
<P>Doct. <HI>That you are under a &s;ore &s;piritual bla&s;t of divine vengeance.</HI> That the greate&s;t &amp; wor&s;t of all plagues are <HI>&s;pi|ritual, inward, &s;oul-plagues.</HI> Men may wallow in out|ward delights and comforts, and thinkall is well, becau&s;e they do not hear from God
<PB N="77" REF="45">in thundering and lighten|ing, while in the mean time wrath is upon their heads, their &s;oules, their con&s;cien|ces; and them&s;elves at the next door to <HI>final reproba|tion;</HI> O fear and tremble.</P>
<P>The twelfth layes you in, as it were, a <HI>motive</HI> from your <HI>future condition,</HI> that it might waken you to a &s;erious con&s;ideration of <HI>your pre&s;ent e&s;tate,</HI> from <HI>Gen.</HI> 5.24. <HI>And E|noch walked with God, and he was not; for God took him, &amp;c.</HI> and rai&s;ed this truth.</P>
<P><HI>Doct.</HI> That <HI>there is a fu|ture estate for man.</HI> And therfore exhorts you; Fir&s;t, to live as tho&s;e that expect a fu|ture e&s;tate. Secondly, to <HI>meditate</HI> much upon that u|ture e&s;tate. And thirdly, to
<PB N="78" REF="46"><HI>prepare</HI> for it, that when you go hence, and be no more &s;een, you may be with God as <HI>Enoch</HI> was.</P>
<P>The thirteenth comes, and taking his text from <HI>Ho&s;ea</HI> 5.15. <HI>In their affliction they will &s;eek me early, leaves this precious truth among you.</HI></P>
<P>Doctr. <HI>That times of affli|ction are times of Prayer and Supplication.</HI></P>
<P>And therefore coun&s;elled you, that the <HI>&s;ea&s;onablene&s;&s;e</HI> of the work might cau&s;e you to clo&s;e with it. The times are <HI>times of affliction;</HI> Oh that every one of you would make them <HI>times of prayer and &s;upplication. In their afflicti|ons they will &s;eek me early;</HI> afflictions upon the <HI>Nation,</HI>
<PB N="79" REF="46">afflictions upon your <HI>&s;elves:</HI> O be not weary of this duty of prayet and &s;upplication.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">It was the day of Humilia|tion, to the Conclu&s;i|on of the <HI>Morning-Exerci&s;e.</HI></NOTE> To morrow is a praying day: O come as the &s;ons and daughters of God, to <HI>wre|&s;tle</HI> with God, and with the I&s;raelites, <HI>to draw water, and poure it out before the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>The fourteenth, he layes in a <HI>motive</HI> (as it were) to this duty, fetched from 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.12. <HI>The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his eares are open unto their prayers; but the face of the Lord is again&s;t them that do evil.</HI> As <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> &s;aid, behold, he might &s;ay, I have &s;et life and death be|fore you; re&s;t not in a wick|ed condition; <HI>the frownes of
<PB N="80" REF="47">a King are as the Me&s;&s;engers of death;</HI> &s;urely the frowns of God areas the Harbingers of hell.</P>
<P>The fifteenth doth, as it were make u&s;e of this do|ctrine, and from <HI>Lev.</HI> 19.2. <HI>Ye &s;hall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy;</HI> gives you this note:</P>
<P>Doctr. <HI>That holine&s;&s;e is Gods perfection.</HI> Holine&s;&s;e is that perfection whereby God doth act &s;uitably to his nature, and agreeably to his will.</P>
<P>God is the <HI>Pattern</HI> of holi|ne&s;&s;e, he is the <HI>Rule</HI> of holi|ne&s;&s;e, he is the <HI>highe&s;t cau&s;e</HI> of holine&s;&s;e. The holine&s;&s;e of the creature doth con&s;i&s;t in an univer&s;al hatred of &s;in, a delight in the things that
<PB N="81" REF="47">are holy, and in a conformity to Gods Will. He told you, hence it was the be&s;t po|licy to be holy, becau&s;e thereby you &s;hall be &s;ure to be of the &s;tronge&s;t &s;ide, to be of Gods &s;ide. What will become of all unholy ones in the day of Chri&s;t? &s;urely, God will not know them be|cau&s;e they have not his i|mage upon them; <HI>You &s;hall be holy, for I am holy. With|out holine&s;&s;e no man &s;hall &s;ee the Lord.</HI> If you would have God like you, you mu&s;t be like God, be holy as he is holy, &s;tudy holine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>The &s;ixteenth he tells you, as if it had been a &s;tudied context, <HI>That hearing of God will not &s;erve to make you holy, unle&s;&s;e you &s;ee him.</HI>
<PB N="82" REF="48">The &s;ight of God in Go&s;pel|di&s;coveries, is that which will make you <HI>admire God,</HI> and <HI>abhor your &s;elves,</HI> from <HI>Job</HI> 42.5. <HI>I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare, but now mine eye &s;eeth thee: Wherefore I abhorre my &s;elf, and repent in du&s;t and a&s;hes;</HI> Re&s;t not in a <HI>general report</HI> of God, but la|bour for an experimental knowledge and di&s;covery of him; Pray that you may <HI>&s;ee him in his glory,</HI> while you <HI>hear of him in his Word;</HI> that &s;o you may be able al&s;o to &s;ay, I have heard of thee often by the hearing of the eare. but now mine eye &s;eeth thee: Wherefore I abhor my &s;elfe, and repent in du&s;t and a&s;hes.</P>
<PB N="83" REF="48">
<P> The &s;eventeenth, Me&s;&s;en|ger or Prophet of the Lord, he cries from the words of our Saviour, <HI>Luke</HI> 8.18. <HI>Take heed how you heare.</HI> Take heed <HI>before</HI> hearing, take heed <HI>in</HI> hearing, take heed <HI>after</HI> hearing. Take heed <HI>before</HI> hearing to <HI>prepa|ration,</HI> take heed <HI>in</HI> hearing to <HI>attention,</HI> take heed <HI>after</HI> hearing to <HI>practice,</HI> to obedi|ence; <HI>Be you doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own &s;oules.</HI> Take heed <HI>what</HI> you heare, and take heed <HI>how</HI> you hear. Take heed what you heare, le&s;t the <HI>Preacher</HI> deceive you; and take heed how you heare, le&s;t <HI>you</HI> deceive your <HI>&s;elves.</HI></P>
<P>The eighteenth took his text from <HI>Acts</HI> 10.36.
<PB N="84" REF="49"><HI>Preaching peace by Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> and gives you the&s;e ob&s;ervations.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>That the Mini&s;tery of the Go&s;pel is a Mini&s;tery of peace,</HI> preaching peace, &amp;c.</P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>That the peace which the Go&s;pel preacheth, is by Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>'Tis of Chri&s;t in a foure|fold re&s;pect. 1. 'Tis of Chri&s;ts <HI>purcha&s;e.</HI> 2. Of Chri&s;ts <HI>applying.</HI> 3. Of Chri&s;ts <HI>continuing.</HI> 4. Of Chri&s;ts <HI>publi&s;hing.</HI> And there|fore, 1. Certainly all <HI>Chri&s;t|le&s;&s;e</HI> men, are <HI>peacele&s;&s;e</HI> men; they that are without <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> are without <HI>peace;</HI> that's dreadful. Secondly, it was to encourage poor &s;inners to come to God thorow Chri&s;t; they are <HI>wrath,</HI> but he is <HI>peace;</HI> and therefare concludes in the third place,
<PB N="85" REF="49">that they, and they only, and all they are happy that accept of Chri&s;t upon Gods termes, becau&s;e that Chri&s;t is their peace, and their re|conciliation with the Fa|ther; <HI>Being ju&s;tified by faith, we have peace with God,</HI> Rom. 5.</P>
<P>The nineteenth comes as it were with a U&s;e of Con&s;o|lation upon the former text; doth Chri&s;t preach peace? then <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 40.1. <HI>Comfort ye, com|fort ye, my people, &s;aith your God, &s;peak ye comfortably to Jeru&s;alem, tell her that her &s;in is pardoned, &amp;c.</HI> and gives you this comfortable doctrine from thence:</P>
<P>Doctr. <HI>That pardon of &s;in is the ground of all &s;olid com|fort.</HI></P>
<PB N="86" REF="50">
<P> So, <HI>Mark</HI> 9.2. <HI>Son, be of good comfort, thy &s;ins are for|given thee.</HI> Pardon of &s;in, O its a comfortable conditi|on, 'tis a rich mercy, it co&s;t Chri&s;t his blood; 'tis a <HI>di&s;tin|gui&s;hing</HI> mercy. And remem|ber it was told you in the U&s;e of Examination, that <HI>pardon|ing grace</HI> alwayes goes a|long with <HI>healing grace:</HI> whereever &s;in is <HI>pardoned, corruption</HI> is <HI>mortified;</HI> and therefore let no man pre|&s;ume of an intere&s;t in par|don, that lives in &s;in; <HI>Whom Chri&s;t ju&s;tifieth, he doth al&s;o &s;ancti&s;ie,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.11.</P>
<P>The twentieth Me&s;&s;enger from God, taught you <HI>&s;piri|tual Providence,</HI> from <HI>Prov.</HI> 10.5. <HI>He that gathereth in Summer is a wi&s;e &s;on; but he
<PB N="87" REF="50">that &s;leepeth in harve&s;t, is a &s;on that cau&s;eth &s;hame:</HI> from thence he gave you this do|ctrine.</P>
<P>Doctr. <HI>That it is a &s;pecial part of mans wi&s;dome, to im|prove the &s;ea&s;ons of &s;piritua plenty.</HI> Now you have the &s;ea&s;ons of plenty.</P>
<P>What are they? the &s;ea&s;on of <HI>life,</HI> and the &s;ea&s;on of <HI>health,</HI> the &s;ea&s;on of <HI>Sab|baths,</HI> and the &s;ea&s;on of <HI>Or|dinances.</HI> And therefore that which he did earne&s;tly call for, was; Fir&s;t, to bewaile your former folly, that you have made no better u&s;e of &s;piritual &s;ea&s;ons of plenty. Secondly, to beg wi&s;dom of God. And thirdly, be &s;ure, now to make this your wi&s;|dome, that in the&s;e &s;ea&s;ons of plenty, you would lay up
<PB N="88" REF="51">good food, and not &s;ticks, &s;trawes, pebbles and dirt: but</P>
<P N="1">1. Lay in Scripture-<HI>truthes</HI> again&s;t times of <HI>error.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Lay in Scripture-<HI>dire|ctions</HI> again&s;t times of <HI>dark|ne&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Lay in Scripture-<HI>com|forts</HI> again&s;t times of <HI>&s;orrow.</HI> And all the&s;e the rather, be|cau&s;e</P>
<P>The one and twentieth he told you that,</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>'Tis po&s;&s;ible for people that live under the Ordinances of God, to bring forth nothing but briars and thornes.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>That the end of the&s;e that bring forth nothing but briars and thornes, is to be hurned.</HI></P>
<P>Both the&s;e dreadful truths
<PB N="89" REF="51">he gave you from <HI>Heb.</HI> 6.8. How nearly are Chri&s;tians concerned to look to their fruit, and to bring forth good fruit? what's good fruit?</P>
<P>That is good fruit,</P>
<P N="1">1. That's an&s;werable to your <HI>standing</HI> in the vine|yard: O let not a plant (it may be, of half a years &s;tand|ing, &s;hame you that are of twenty, thirty, fourty years &s;tanding in the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P N="2">2. Bring forth fruit an|&s;werable to the co&s;t and paines God hath been at with you. Let not that ground think to e&s;cape with the &s;ame fruit, upon whom God be&s;tows much co&s;t and much paines, as that which hath had none of the&s;e precious influences.</P>
<P N="3">3. Bring forth fruit &s;uitable
<PB N="90" REF="52">to your <HI>former barrenne&s;&s;e,</HI> Rom. 6.19. <HI>As ye have yielded your members &s;ervants to un|cleanne&s;&s;e, and to iniquity, unto iniquity; even &s;o now yield your members &s;ervants to righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, to holine&s;&s;e.</HI> Give God the &s;ame mea&s;ure you have given the <HI>devil,</HI> give God the &s;ame mea&s;ure you have given the <HI>fle&s;h,</HI> give God the &s;ame mea&s;ure you have given the <HI>world;</HI> O be as fruitful for God as ever you have been for the devil. If you mean to bring forth briars and thornes, that is, (in Engli&s;h) if you mean to be drunkards, unclean per|&s;ons, Sabbath-breakers, &s;wearers, reproachers of God and his Ordinances, &amp;c. &s;till, and to live as you li&s;t; if you will &s;till bring forth briars
<PB N="91" REF="52">and thornes, quit your &s;ta|tion; all ye profane wretches, get you into the wilderne&s;&s;e, that's the place forbriars &amp; thorns. Wo be to them that are planted in the garden of God, and yet bring forth briars and thornes: <HI>better</HI> you you were borne in the <HI>de&s;ert,</HI> then in the <HI>garden of God;</HI> of all places Chri&s;t will not endure a thorn there; there|fore his coun&s;el was,</P>
<P N="1">1. If ever you would be fruitful, get into Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="2">2. Lay your hearts open to the influences of heaven, <HI>(A very &s;mart and &s;piritual ex|pre&s;&s;ion)</HI> that is, open your hearts to the Word, and to the motions of the Spirit of God.</P>
<P N="3">3. Take heed of wicked company, and take heed of
<PB N="92" REF="53">&s;ecret lu&s;ts; &s;ecret lu&s;ts will choak the Word, and you will become unfruitful.</P>
<P N="4">4. Pray that God would make you fruitful, that <HI>ha|ving your fruit unto holine&s;&s;e, you may have your end in e|verla&s;ting life.</HI></P>
<P>The two and twentieth, from <HI>Ezek.</HI> 18 31. <HI>Make you a new heart and a new &s;pirit, for why will you die, O hou&s;e of I&s;rael?</HI> in&s;i&s;ted excellent|ly upon the&s;e foure points.</P>
<P N="1">1. The nece&s;&s;ity of a new heart, there's no life with|out it; <HI>Make you a new heart,</HI> for why will you <HI>die?</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Our impotency, our di&s;|ability to make our &s;elves a new heart; and yet notwith|&s;tanding in the</P>
<P N="3">3. Place, he &s;hewed the equity of God, requiring it
<PB N="93" REF="53">at our hand; for though you have lo&s;t your power to o|bey, yet God hath not lo&s;t his power and authority to command; 'tis equal with God to require you &s;hould make your &s;elves new hearts.</P>
<P N="4">4. It is, though ye can|not, yet it is ju&s;t with God to condemn you for not having new hearts, though it be not in your power to make you new hearts; becau&s;e once he gave us power, and we de|&s;perately &s;inned it away, &amp;c. Therefore he di&s;covered i&s;om hence,</P>
<P N="1">1. The danger of re&s;ting in <HI>moral hone&s;ty;</HI> he gave encouragement enough to men to be civil and morally hone&s;t; but he faithfully di&s;|charged his office in caution|ng you to take heed of re&s;t|ing
<PB N="94" REF="54">in moral hone&s;ty.</P>
<P N="2">2. He warned you from re&s;ting in <HI>formality.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. From taking up with <HI>outward reformation,</HI> from gro&s;&s;e &s;ins only: are there not many that think them|&s;elves Saints, berau&s;e they are no drunkards and &s;wear|ers, and yet have not one &s;park of grace?</P>
<P N="4">4. He cautioned you to take heed of re&s;ting in a <HI>ge|neral Profe&s;&s;ion at large,</HI> namely, as you are Chri&s;ti|ans and Prote&s;tants, &amp;c. all the&s;e were good he told you, but all the&s;e fall &s;hort of a new heart; they are not the thing that God calls for; therefore he pre&s;&s;ed you to the getting of a new heart, 1. By deep conviction. 2. By waiting upon the Word of
<PB N="95" REF="54">God. 3. By con&s;tant &s;uppli|cation for the accompli&s;h|ment of that promi&s;e, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 36.26. <HI>I will take away the heart of &s;tone, and a new heart will I give unto you.</HI> Ble&s;&s;ed be God, that which is in the <HI>command impo&s;&s;ible</HI> on your &s;ide, God hath undertaken it by <HI>promi&s;e:</HI> make you a new heart; O, &s;aith the convinced &s;oule, Lord, I cannot; then &s;aith God, <HI>I will take away the heart of &s;tone, and give an heart of fle&s;h.</HI> If the command finds work, the promi&s;e findes &s;trength; if the command di&s;hearten you, let the pro|mi&s;e encourage you; faith|ful is he that hath promi&s;ed, who al&s;o will do it. <HI>I will give you a new heart:</HI> go, and pre&s;&s;e God with his pro|mi&s;e.</P>
<PB N="96" REF="55">
<P> The three and twentieth preached upon the pa|rable of <HI>Dives</HI> and <HI>Lazarus, Luke</HI> 16. <HI>la&s;t, I pray thee, fa|ther</HI> Abraham, <HI>&s;end</HI> Lazarus <HI>to warne my brethren &amp;c. No,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Abraham, they have Mo&s;es and the Prophets, let them heare them, for if they hear not them; they will not be per&s;waded, though one ro&s;e from the dead;</HI> He &s;hewed you mo&s;t excellently what a vain and fooli&s;h thing it is to fancy &s;ome other way for conver&s;ion, and for turn|ing of men to God, then that which God him&s;elfe hath already e&s;tabli&s;hed; <HI>No,</HI> &s;aith God, <HI>If they will not believe</HI> Mo&s;es <HI>and the Pro|phets, they will not hear, though one ri&s;e from the dead;</HI> and he gave clear evidences of it;
<PB N="97" REF="55">truly the fir&s;t might &s;erve in|&s;tead of all, it was this: no way that can be thought of will do men good for refor|mation and conver&s;ion, un|le&s;&s;e God &s;et in with it, (mark the foundation upon which he builds his infe|rence) now is it likely and probable God &s;hould &s;et in with wayes of mens inven|tion, when they de&s;pi&s;e the wayes of his own ordinati|on? Suppo&s;e one &s;hould come from hell all in flames, and tell you what the damned &s;uffer there: is it probable this &s;hould do you good, when God tells you the &s;ame thing in the Word, and you will not be|lieve him? Its a mo&s;t con|vincing argument, men that de&s;pi&s;e Mini&s;ters, and Word,
<PB N="98" REF="56">and Sacraments, and the in|&s;titutions of God, will never believe a report of a doubtful authority; <HI>You have a more &s;ure word of prophecie,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1.19</NOTE> where|unto you do well that you take heed, &amp;c.</HI> de&s;pi&s;e it not, le&s;t you provoke God to take a|way the means you have; and then wo unto you that ever you were borne.</P>
<P>The next preached to you concerning <HI>heart-purity,</HI> from <HI>Mat.</HI> 5.8. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed are the pure in heart. &amp;c.</HI> He &s;hewed you the nature of heart-purity. It keepes the &s;oule un&s;potted from the world.</P>
<P>He &s;hewed the frame of it towards &s;in.</P>
<P N="1">1. 'Tis burdened under &s;in.</P>
<P N="2">2. It re&s;olves aguin&s;t all &s;in.</P>
<P N="3"><PB N="99" REF="56"> 3. It makes out for power again&s;t &s;in, as well as for par|don; thats an infallible e|vidence.</P>
<P N="4">4. A pure heart is continu|ally renewing repentance.</P>
<P N="5">5. A pure heart is full of &s;elf-abhorrency.</P>
<P>The ble&s;&s;edne&s;&s;e of it he &s;hewed from this, that &s;uch they &s;hall &s;ee God: and this is enough; for certainly the vi&s;ion of God is the very heaven of heaven; take this away, and heaven would be heaven no longer: there|fore the pure in heart are ble&s;&s;ed: you were directed to the pur&s;uit of this purity of heart, by &s;ix <HI>take heeds.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1. Take heed of &s;elfopi|nion, for that will de&s;troy you.</P>
<P N="2">2. Take heed of re&s;ting in
<PB N="100" REF="57">good thoughts of others, others think well of you, therefore you think well of your &s;elves; take heed of a name to live when you are dead, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3.1.</P>
<P N="3">3. Take heed of compa|ring your &s;elves with men wor&s;e then your &s;elves, be|cau&s;e thou &s;ee&s;t another wor&s;e then thy &s;elfe, art thou therefore good? Oh &s;ad mi&s;take!</P>
<P N="4">4. Take heed of re&s;ting in a forme of godline&s;&s;e.</P>
<P N="5">5. Take heed of the cares of the world, they are very incon&s;i&s;tent with heart-pu|rity.</P>
<P N="6">6. Take heed of neglect|ing your &s;piritual watch.</P>
<P>Give up your &s;elves to the &s;tudy of the Word, if you would get purity of heart;
<PB N="101" REF="57">1. 'Tis a &s;in-di&s;covering Word. 2. 'Tis a directing Word, it leads to holine&s;&s;e. 3. 'Tis a &s;oul-converting Word. And 4ly, it con|formes the &s;oul to the like|ne&s;&s;e of God, <HI>We all behold, as in a gla&s;&s;e, the glory of the Lord, are changed into the &s;ame image, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>The tweuty fifth and the la&s;t, his voice methinks yet &s;ounds in your eares, it was but ye&s;terday-morning: cry|ing from 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13.5. <HI>Exa|mine your &s;elves whether you be in the faith: prove your own &s;elves: know you not that Je|&s;us Chri&s;t is in you, except you be reprobates?</HI> The doctrine was;</P>
<P>Doctr. <HI>That &s;elf-exami|nation is a mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary and
<PB N="102" REF="58">mo&s;t excellent duty.</HI></P>
<P>A duty which the <HI>pro|phane,</HI> and the <HI>&s;ceptical</HI> Li|bertiue, can plead for in op|po&s;ition to <HI>Eccle&s;ia&s;tical</HI> ex|amination; when Chri&s;ts officers de&s;ire, you give an ac|count of your faith; for their &s;atisfaction in what they do, when you come to claime a &s;hare in this Ordinance, then they can cry, <HI>We must examine our &s;elves;</HI> they &s;ay to the Mini&s;ters and Officers of the Church, as the devils cried to Jefus, <HI>What have we to do with thee?</HI> &s;o Mini&s;ters, what have we to do with you? we mu&s;t ezamine our &s;elves, let us alone, when in the mean time (did you mark it) as you were told lately, they <HI>do not examine</HI> them|&s;elves; &s;o he told you more,
<PB N="103" REF="58"><HI>they cannot, they dare not ex|amine</HI> them&s;elves: there is never a drunkard, whorema|&s;ter, nor ignorant per&s;on in the world, that dares examine him&s;elf; they dare not, they cannot examine them&s;elves; And how will the&s;e men and women be able to appear in the day of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t? how will they be able to &s;tand before the Tri|bunal of Chri&s;t, that cannot &s;tand before the Mini&s;tery of the Go&s;pel? how will they be able to endure <HI>fire exa|mination,</HI> that cannot endure Church-examination? nay, they cannot endure &s;elf-ex|amination, as lame and par|tial as their con&s;ciences are, therefore try your faith, ex|amine,</P>
<P N="1">1. Whether you have the
<PB N="104" REF="59">principles of faith in your hearts?</P>
<P N="2">2. Whether you have the power of faith in your con|&s;ciences?</P>
<P N="3">3. Whether you have the practice of faith in your lives? As Chri&s;t &s;aid to his di&s;ci|ples,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5.47.</NOTE> <HI>What &s;ingular thing do you do?</HI> &s;o &s;ay we to you, You &s;ay you have faith; what doth your faith do <HI>more then the common faith,</HI> that goes up and down the world, that faith men &s;wear by at e|very word? what doth your faith do more then the <HI>pre|&s;umptuous boldne&s;&s;e,</HI> and <HI>ungrounded &s;ecurity</HI> of the world? what doth your faith do more then tho&s;e vaine <HI>hopes</HI> of mercy men take up upon tru&s;t? what doth your faith do more then
<PB N="105" REF="59">tho&s;e <HI>loo&s;e</HI> and <HI>unwarrant|able applications</HI> of Chri&s;t, wherein men re&s;t and pe|ri&s;h? what doth your faith do more then <HI>counterfeit comforts,</HI> and <HI>counterfeit revelations</HI> that are abroad? more then the <HI>general per|&s;wa&s;ions</HI> of ignorant people that God loves them? more then <HI>gifts,</HI> and more then <HI>formality?</HI> examine what &s;incerity is in your hearts, doth your faith work by love? what faithfulne&s;&s;e to Chri&s;t and to his intere&s;t? do you make Chri&s;t your <HI>patterne</HI> as well as your Sa|viour? O examine; a little faith well tried, how com|fortable might it be to you in the Sacrament? how comfortable will it be in per&s;ecution? O what a com|fort
<PB N="106" REF="60">will a well-tried faith be to you upon your death|beds? and therefore con&s;ider,</P>
<P N="1">1. If you will not exa|mine your faith, God will examinc it.</P>
<P N="2">2. The devil will try it; <HI>Peter, Peter, Satan hath de&s;i|red to winnow thee, &amp;c.</HI> What a &s;tir did the devil keep about <HI>Peters</HI> faith there, to &s;hake and undermine it?</P>
<P N="3">3. To be deceived in point of faith, of all other deceits in the world is mo&s;t dange|rous; O take heed that your faith be not knocked off in the mid&s;t of the &s;ea, as <HI>Pharaohs</HI> wheels were: many a mans faith is knocked off, in the mid&s;t of the indict|ments of the Law, and Sa|tans accu&s;ations: O that's a dreadful thing to lo&s;e your
<PB N="107" REF="60">faith when you come to die; for faith to leave you when you &s;hould have mo&s;t u&s;e of your faith; to have faith to <HI>get,</HI> when you &s;hould have faith to <HI>u&s;e.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. If you live and die in this e&s;tate you are <HI>reproba|ted,</HI> reprobate now, that is, in regard of your <HI>pre&s;ent e|&s;tate,</HI> but if you live and die in a mi&s;take of your faith, you are reprobate in regard of your <HI>everla&s;ting condition; He that believs not &s;hall not &s;ee life, but the wrath of God a|bides upon him.</HI> O examine your faith; this was a word of <HI>comfort,</HI> that if you have <HI>the grace of faith,</HI> then all the <HI>priviledges</HI> of faith are yours, then God is yours, Chri&s;t yours, heaven yours, and glory yours.</P>
<PB N="108" REF="61">
<P> And now con&s;ider, God hath &s;ent (as I &s;aid before) his Prophets, his &s;ervants; <HI>all</HI> of them in great numbers, ri&s;ing up early and &s;ending them, time after time, and morning after morning; yea, take notice of the ver&s;e be|fore my text, God in &s;end|ing his Prophets, <HI>he doth speak him&s;elf to you;</HI> 'tis ex|ceeding ob&s;ervable in the fourteenth ver&s;e; <HI>I have &s;poken to you, ri&s;ing early, and &s;peaking, &amp;c.</HI> God in &s;end|ing his &s;ervants the Prophets to you, he &s;peaks to you him|&s;elf, thats much to be laid to heart, that God in all his &s;ervants the Prophets, morn|ing after morning, for twen|ty &s;ix mornings together, I &s;ay, that God hath &s;poken to you him&s;elf; <HI>He that
<PB N="109" REF="61">heareth you, heareth me, and he that heareth me, heareth him that &s;ent me.</HI> And up|on what termes have they invited you? only your <HI>own good; Amend your do|ings, and go not after o|ther gods, and you &s;hall dwell in the land which I have given you;</HI> 'tis for your pre&s;ent comfort, and for your future happine&s;&s;e, that God doth thus <HI>wooe</HI> and <HI>be&s;eech</HI> you to be reconciled. Thus <HI>graciou&s;|ly</HI> hath God fulfilled the former part of the text, in <HI>&s;ending all his &s;ervants the Prophets, ri&s;ing up early and &s;ending them, calling you to reforme upon no wor&s;e termes, then your pre&s;ent comfort, and your future glory;</HI> Now if you &s;hall ungra|ciou&s;ly
<PB N="110" REF="62">fulfil the &s;econd part of the text; <HI>But ye have nor inclined your eare, nor hearkened to me;</HI> O what will become of you, if there be found tho&s;e (and it may be they are not here, to whom this Word mo&s;t properly belongs) I &s;ay, if there be found tho&s;e that have not &s;o much as <HI>lent God an eare,</HI> given him the <HI>hearing;</HI> God hath <HI>ri|&s;en early</HI> in his Prophets, but they have been <HI>&s;leeping in their beds,</HI> in their bed of <HI>nature,</HI> and in their bed of <HI>&s;ecurity;</HI> God hath &s;ent his Prophet, and they have thought &s;corne to <HI>&s;et</HI> their <HI>foot</HI> over the <HI>thre&s;hold;</HI> God hath opened his <HI>mouth,</HI> but they would not open their <HI>eare:</HI> What will you do in
<PB N="111" REF="62">the latter end? O what will become of &s;uch a gene|ration of &s;leepers; that have neglected the call of God? I &s;peak of them that might have come and would not; I do not &s;peak of them that would have come and can|not.</P>
<P>Secondly, among them that have come, if there be found &s;uch, who though po&s;&s;ibly have inelined their <HI>eare;</HI> given God the hearing, yet they have not <HI>hearken|ed:</HI> if there be found among you <HI>idle</HI> hearers, <HI>forgetful</HI> hearers, a&s;&s;oon as ever you are out of the Church, the Word is out of your heads, and you never think of it more; if there be found <HI>un|trembling hearers,</HI> that hear indeed, but <HI>tremble</HI> not; that
<PB N="112" REF="63">heare, <HI>but ble&s;&s;e them&s;elves in their hearts,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 29.19.</NOTE> &s;aying, I &s;hall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to adde drunkenne&s;&s;e to thir&s;t, &amp;c.</HI> If there be found a|mong you <HI>unbelieving hear|ers,</HI> that hear, but <HI>do not mixe the word with faith,</HI> If there be found among you <HI>di&s;obe|dient hearers,</HI> that <HI>received not the truth in the love of the truth;</HI> but harden their hearts, and <HI>&s;tif|fen their necks,</HI> like an iron &s;inew, that &s;ay (in the lan|guage of their hearts, though it may be not with their mouthes) <HI>As for the Word of the Lord that thou ha&s;t &s;po|ken,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 44.16.</NOTE> we will not hearken unto thee.</HI> What may you ex|pect, but that God &s;hould execute the fiereene&s;&s;e of
<PB N="113" REF="63">his wrath, that here he threatens in the very next ver&s;e to my text: <HI>But this people hath not hearkened un|to me; therefore thus &s;aith the Lord God of Ho&s;tes, the God of I&s;rael, Behold, I will bring upon Judah, and upon all the inhabitants of Jeru&s;a|lem, all the evil that I have pronounced again&s;t them: be|cau&s;e I have &s;poken to them, but they have not heard, and I have called unto them, but they have not an&s;wered?</HI> How may all that refu&s;e to hear, or hearing refu&s;e to obey, and refu&s;e to put their neck under the yoke of Chri&s;t, how may they expect God &s;hould fulfil upon them all the judgements and cur&s;es written in this book, from the fir&s;t of <HI>Gene&s;is,</HI> to the
<PB N="114" REF="64">end of the <HI>Revelations?</HI> there|fore <HI>be wi&s;e, O ye Kings, be in&s;tructed,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 2.10.</NOTE> ye Judges of the earth; Ki&s;&s;e the Son, le&s;t he be angry, and ye peri&s;h from the way, &amp;c.</HI> O ki&s;&s;e Chri&s;t with a ki&s;&s;e of <HI>repentance,</HI> with a ki&s;&s;e of <HI>&s;aith,</HI> with a ki&s;&s;e of <HI>&s;ubjection:</HI> make peace, come in, &s;ubmit; if briars and thorns wil &s;tand it out in battel, God will <HI>throw them into the fire &amp; burn them up:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 27.4.</NOTE> but if they will make peace, <HI>let them take hold of Gods &s;trength,</HI> take hold of Je&s;us Chri&s;t: <HI>He is the arme of the Lord, I&s;a.</HI> 53.1. <HI>and they &s;hall make peace with him.</HI> As for you that heare and tremble at the Word, here is comfort for you; look here in this Scripture, now read in your eares; God
<PB N="115" REF="64">promi&s;eth a recompence of reward to <HI>Jonadabs</HI> &s;ons for obeying the voice of their father. <HI>O how great good|ne&s;&s;e hath God laid up for them that feare before him!</HI> what a great reward may they ex|pect that hear and obey the voice of God in the Mini&s;tery of the Go&s;pel! This is the comfort God hath &s;ent me to you this morning wirhal, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 66.2. <HI>To this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.</HI> The Lord give every one of you &s;uch a heart that God may look towards you. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="65">
<PB REF="65">
<HEAD>A CAUTION to the <HI>Reader.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>REader,</HI> It was not my purpo&s;e to print the <HI>Sermons</HI> which the Reverend Brethren preached this moneth: no, nor all the di|&s;tinct <HI>Heads</HI> of their Ser|mons: my de&s;ign was only (&s;o far as I could do it in an houre, the time I alloted my &s;elf for this work) to bring their &s;everal <HI>texts,</HI> with the <HI>maine &s;ubject mat|ter</HI> of their larger di&s;cour|&s;es, to the remembrance of my people, that all might not <HI>peri&s;h</HI> with the <HI>hearing:</HI> ther|fore in this cur&s;ory running over their excellent labours,
<PB REF="66">I hope I have done them no wrong; if I may do thee good, is all intended, by him that de&s;ires to be an helper to thy faith,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>THO. CASE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
