Forty Sermons
Such is our prospect of the stones of Zion; it looks fatal, but it hath this Argument of comfort in it, that when Zion is in this condition that it is usually God's time of mercy and of showing favor, then the appointed time for it is come, the next thing that I am to speak to.
That this is ordinarily God's time of appearing to show mercy, is notorious from David's challenging his aids elsewhere upon the same account Psal. 119. 126. It is time for thee, Lord, to work, or it is time for Thee to put to thine hand, for they have made void thy Law. And we shall find a reason for this way of working in that prayer of the same King David, Help me O Lord my God; O save me according to thy mercies, that they may know that this is thy hand, and that thou, Lord, hast don it. When our distresses are beyond the succors of means power and counsels, if deliverance come, we must needs know 'tis from above. The Prophet speaks of men, as apt to sacrifice to their net, and burn incense to their drag with which they catch, ascribing their successes to themselves. But when the Apostles use their net all night and can take nothing, then if one upon the shore, whom they know not, bid them cast in, and they do catch, strait one of them crieth out, it is the Lord. When out of a desperate condition of affairs we see hope drawn, we know it is the day spring from on high.
Whatever several of the late discoverers of the Popish conspiracy may have said or don to disparage their evidence, and the credit of what they testify; or men Popishly affected have contrived to make it be disbeliev'd; yet surely while the trial and the letters of the late apostate busy Factor for the party remain upon record, it will be manifest as the light, that there was a practice and endeavor to subvert the present establishment in Church and State, and introduce the superstition and tyranny of Rome among us. And that God will be further gracious in the sending forth his light to discover, and to disappoint their dire attempts, there is ground to hope, because it always was the ordinary method of his working, making the day of Extremity the day of Salvation.
1. In the Jewish Church and Nation. And here I shall not mention their deliverance from the Egyptian bondage, though it be a demonstration of my Proposition, but name that from the designs of Haman, who had satisfied the King, their Laws, and their Religion, and their Worship differed from those of all people, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , saith Josephus, and that were still occasions to embroile the State; that if he would give order they should be destroi'd, he would bring 10000 talents, near two millions of our money, into the Exchequer: whereupon the King allows him to make what declarations he shall please against them, and signs an Edict to his Governors and his Lieutenants for the massacring the whole Nation▪ which might easily be don, the Jews then being in captivity, and mixed among them. Mordecai adviseth Ester to present her self before the King, remonstrate the injustice of the fact: that being death to do, she would decline it; but as one acquainted with God's methods Mordecai does answer her, think not with thy self, that thou shalt escape in the Kings house more then all the Jews; for if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, (here is a pregnant instance of the assurance of my text) but thou and thy fathers house shall be destroi'd. And who knoweth whether thou art come to the Kingdom for such a time as this? Hereupon she and her Nation fast and pray, and she adventures, and God gives her favor with the King, and he reverses all; and the whole Nation on that very day it was to perish is secured, and the design returns upon their heads that plotted it, on all their Enimies. I need name no more, but there is one pregnant one, on which there lies an imputation from great men: I mean, when throout that Nation their Religion was so persecuted, that it was almost extinct, false Heathen worship planted in its place, possessed the Temple and the Sanctuary, and all was profaned by Antiochus Epiphanes: the state so lively propheci'd of by the Prophet Daniel. Now when it was thus, & there was so universal a defection, as already had subverted the whole Government, Religion, and almost the whole Nation, God stirs up the Spirit of the Maccabbees, & on that day three years that all was profaned, 'was again purified and they delivered. I instance so, least that which Grotius satih, that nothing can defend that action of the Maccabbees, besides extreme certain necessity; and what our Thorndike saith, 'tis manifest the Arms which they took up against their lawful Sovereign, are by God approved, and their Faith commended Hebr. 11. least these should misguide men, it may be seasonable to declare that it is plain Antiochus Epiphanes, altho he call that land his Kingdom, was not then their rightful King: for after Alexanders death, the first that got possession of it, was the King of Egypt. It was after violently taken indeed from him by the King of Syria, & the Jews gave up themselves to the protection of Antiochus the Great; but he gave it in dowry to the King of Egypt with his daughter, & so parted with all right; & whatever right the Kings of Syria could be supposed to have, Antiochus Epiphanes had none of that, as being not a lawful King of any place, usurping from his Nephew the right Heir: and with all injurious angry violence, when he was driven out of Egypt, the attaques Jerusalem, and enters it, and sets up all the Heathen Exercises and Religion, and forbids God's Worship; ravages and spoils and murders all refusers, till the Maccabbees opposed his fury, and till Judas three years after, as I said, restored all, having fought against a violent Aggressor, not his rightful Prince; and he is by Grotius made the very man, that typ'd out Christ, and was seen by the Prophet in Isaiah 63. Who is he that cometh from Edom, with died garments from Bozra? to which he makes Judas Maccabeus answer, I that defend God's Worship and the true Religion, against Antiochus and all his power, and to save my People cast myself upon extremest hazards.
Once more, when Gaius Emperor of Rome had sent Petronius into Syria, charging him to make war on the Jews, and by all utmost force to make thew condescend to let his image, the statue of himself I mean, be set up in their Temple at Jerusalem: the Jews when he came into Syria to their Country, met him several thousands, several times with supplications and entreaties to divert him, if they could from doing it. But he declaring his Commission to them, let them see it was not possible for him to contradict the Emperor; and they declared also, since he durst not transgress the commands of the Emperor, he must not think it strange, if they durst not transgress Almighty God's command, resolving to endure whatever should be inflicted on the, rather then violate that. Doing this often, and in multitudes, Petronius asked them whether they did mean on that account to fight with Caesar, and make war against him, they replied they would not fight, but they could die on that account, and prostrating themselves and offering their naked throats, showed their readiness to entertain their death, and this for four days together, and neglected all their husbandry, resolving not to till their land or to provide for life, when they had once determined thus to die. Upon this Petronius undertakes to write to Caesar, and dissuade him from the enterprise; but Gaius answers that his letter with another, which commands Petronius, for the punishment of his not executing his commands, to kill himself, resolving also to exterminate the Nation: but before his letter came to Syria to Petronius, the notice of the death of Gaius came. Thus God did then preserve both him and them, though at that time a Nation guilty of the death of Christ; yet in a cause, wherein they were resolved to suffer anything rather then disobey God's Law so grossly, he was pleased to spare them, and continue to preserve them.
As for the Christians, I might instance in the care God took soon after most expressly and miraculously to call them all out of Jerusalem, when the Romans were preparing to sit down before it, and destroi'd it utterly, and in all the persecutions, particularly that of Diocletian, when that destruction that was leveled at, and falling on all Christianity, was in a trice returned upon the Designers and on Heathenism. It might be a more parallel instance to the genius of these later ages, should I name that of the Arians, men that were the first that ever drew the sword of persecution against their fellow Christians; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 was their petition to Constantius, a copy which the Church of Rome hath long writ after, with the blood of those that differ from them. And indeed the Arian persecutions were most barbarous; yet when had don all he could, had made the Universe, saith S t Jerome, all Arian by having banished almost all the Catholic Bishops of the world, then very quickly God restores them, even by a Julian an Apostate: and then when shortly after Valens the same again, himself repenting of it, did revoke them, & lastly Theodosius restored them and established all. And though afterwards God let the Goths continue both the heresy, and sometimes the persecution, for above two Ages in our western world; yet since that, for the last thousand years, the name of Arian hath scarce been heard. But I have said enough to show, such is the ordinary method of God's Providential workings, when Zion is in that condition: provided that the Church have not depraved itself as 'tis a Church, modeled itself by worldly principles and powers, and adopted rules or doctrines which are not consistent with those of Christ. There are few instances to be produced, I think, where any Church hath been destroi'd, whole constitution hath preserved this temper, though her wicked and ungracious members may be cut off: at last, as S t Peter tells, after it hath suffered a while, he will strengthen, stablish, settle it. And if we look upon the low condition of our Zion together with these instances of God's procedure, may we not take confidence to hope, that the appointed time is come? For is it not time for Thee to arise, O Lord, when thy resting place is destroying? And thou, O Christ, who art the Rock on which the Church is built, is it not time for thee to awake, to rise, rebuke the Tempests, break the waves that break into thy Church, and threaten as if they would swallow all that's built on Thee, the Rock of Ages? It is most certainly, provided we have those affections, which the text sets down here, as the diagnostics of that time; of which in the last place.
The first is this, thy servants think upon her stones with sorrow and sincere acknowledgment, that their demerits called this state upon her, and they therefore willingly receive, accept of God's dealing with them, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 they take pleasure in it. It is observed, that this was the express condition, upon which God covenanted to show mercy on his People. Levite. 26. From v. 14. to the end we find, that if they should arrive at that height to abhor God's Statutes, break all his Commandments, merit all his curses, and he should inflict them, and yet they go on still to walk contrary to him, and he overtake them still with plagues, yea and this thro all the stages both of sin and punishment, and each stage of punishment seven times multiplied v. 18, 21, 24, 28. so as to leave no more place for access, yet if then they confess their iniquity, and their uncircumcized hearts be humbled, if then 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 they accpt of willingly, contentedly receive the punishment of their iniquity v. 41. I will not case them away, neither will I abhor them to destroy them utterly, and to break my Covenant with them, v. 44. but will remember my Covenant, and I will remember the Land, v. 42. and remember Zion also, if we have the like sentiments for Zion; if her low condition, if her stones in the dust truly humble us into that dust, and make us from the heart acknowledge, Thou, O Lord, art just in all that is come upon, and hovers over us; for thou hast don right, but we have don very wickedly: for we have walked unworthy of the opportunities thou hast afforded us, have been unfruitful under the whole latitude of all thy working methods, the Kingdom of God hath had no Obedience, nothing but Rebellion from us, and tis just it should be taken from us, be given to a Nation bringing forth the fruits thereof, and have our candlestic removed, since we hate light, our deeds are so evil. 'It is just that we, who heaped ourselves Teachers according to our factions and lusts, should be given up to strong delusions, have a lying Spirit in the mouth of our Prophets, Prophets that should daub with untemper'd mortar, such as never will cement the stones of Zion, or build up a Church; that we, who have debauched the Reformation, should quite loose it. The present time does certainly suggest the practice, which is set aside for great humiliation, and the occasion does require it; both the commands and the necessities too of the Church expect it; & God also calls for mourning, & for stricter applications to him on behalf of Zion: and then they that do not answer all these calls by doing something more then ordinary do not think upon the stones of Zion, neither does it pity them to see her in the dust, 'tis certainly not time for God to arise in their behalf, they are sufficient to divert his preparations for her. No O Lord, we will put our hands upon our mouths, and our mouths into the dust, and acknowledge righteousness belongeth unto thee, but to us confusion of face, as at this day; and we resolve to humble ourselves under thy correcting hand how sharp soever, and take pleasure in it too thus far, that dost show by thy castising us thou hast not given us over as incorrgible, but hast taken us into thy care, and discipline, and managery; and on that account thy rod comforts us, our correction is joyous, we take pleasure in the stones of Zion, and we favor, love her dust; the other Symtom.
They prize her relics, wht is standing of her; and since 'tis on their account, namely thro their demerit, that she is so low and weak, they are more tender, love, and pity her more in that condition which they brought her into; will do what they can to raise her, pulverem ejus evehere cupiunt in the Tigurine Translation.
'It is true indeed the stones of Zion in the dust are apt to become stones of stumbling and rocks of offense, as S t Peter saith of the chief corner stone of Zion, Christ hmself 1 Pet. 2. 8. whereat many stumble and fall. We had fatal experience how when once the building was disordered, the subordination broken, the Church offices and powers thrown down, on the one side Zion strait became like Babel, everyone almost spoke a strange language, and so built by himself, built up, divided Faiths, and Churches, and Religions; on the other side that broken tottering State made many run away as from a falling Church, take shelter in another: and what the Cross of Christ was to the Jews, that the Cross of his Spouse too was to many pretended Christians, a ground to renounce her. They no sooner saw their Mother wounded, naked in the dust, but they concluded her fit to be buried, and ran from her as from the house of death; as if in the noblest way of sufferings to follow Christ could look like the mark of being Anti-Christian: and the yet unsettled state of it is made great use of for the same intents, her stones are laid on purpose to be stones of stumbling and to give occasion of falling. And truly 'tis to be confessed, that since the bonds of Government, which kept men under discipline, were unloos'd, and since the Churches Ministries and her Powers are cut so short, that they are not so effectual to the ends of their institution to work out a strict Christian life, as were to be wisht; and since men are divided so by claims of several Churches, and by fearful expectations also, both the Coversations and the Faiths of men too are grown loose and dissolute: and 'twas not the least Stratagem of our Adversaries to contrive men should be such as could, while they continue such, find Sanctuary nowhere but in their Church, at their Altars; whether they have but to come to be absolved of all. But truly 'tis extreme barbarity in us, when 'tis on our account, by our demerits, for our punishment, that she is distressed, that fears and dangers press upon her, then to sleight her: if when we see our Mother gasping, then to throw dirt at her, make her mouth her mouth be stopped with the reports of her ungodly offspring, the reproaches of a pointing Scorner, that shall cry, see how her Sons behave themselves, how little love or pity they have for her. He favors her stones that beautifies and guilds them with inscriptions of Religious actions; this, if anything, will raise them and repair her. And truly'tis to be expected from the men that do pretend to have the pity and the sorrow that is due to their Mother, whom the powers of Hell seem armed against to ruin her, so far as she's disabled, should themselves supply to themselves what is wanting: if her discipline be loosen'd, and she have no strong ties on men's actions, we should do her work upon us, put obligations, fetters on ourselves. 'It is probable this very state of Zion in the text was that, which Nehemiah labor'd to repair, and see how he effected it c. 9. after a most solemn fasting and confession and bemoaning, rather of their guilts then sufferings, in the 10 th himself, the Princes, and the Priests and Levites, and he rest of all the People with their Wives, their Sons and Daughters that were come to understanding, entered into a curse and into an oath to walk in God's Law, and to observe and do all the Commandments of the Lord our God, his Judgments and his Statutes, v. 29. Here was a cement would compact the Stones of Zion, the whole building against all assaults whatever, seat her in her perfect height and beauty. It is not he loves her, who curses them that laid her in the dust, but he who enters such a curse of serving God; 'tis not he favors her dust, who wishes, talks, or swears on the Churches side, but he that humbles himself daily in the dust in her confessions and Prayers, he who binds himself with such an obligation to worship and serve God faithfully, as she prescribes: this will help to raise her, make her visible in the lives of her Children; and when the dust of Zion shall have a more perfect Resurrection in this world, and this of Christ shall as his other body rise out of the earth, it will be comfortable to each one that put his hands to the repairs, that did but fit one stone to it, that would not let God rest till he had established our Jerusalem again a praise in the Earth. Then God almighty would be importuned, prevailed upon to put it in the hearts of those men, whose part 'tis to secure our Zion and repair her breaches, to build by a true line and level, make such an establishment as may be fitted not to the satisfying parties, factions, interests, or any human appetites, but the just obligations or Religion; not build weakly, fearing, as it were, the Churches strength should awe men in their practices, & that the weapons of her warfare should gall their vices, besides that their own strong holds may be still able to hold out, and not be beat down by her forces: for this were to model the structure of Zion to men's own, and to their sins convenience. But to build her up so, as that the profession and the practice of true Religion may be preserved safe, and God's Worship kept entire; that upon our one only foundation, the rock Christ Jesus, we may be built up with a lively faith into an holy life, all cemented by Charity, and all divisions be made up, and we may with one heart and one voice meet and join in giving Glory, Honor, &c,
SERMON V. OF THE EXERCISE OF CONSCIENCE, In the avoiding of Offence towards God and Men.
Acts 24. 16.
MY text is the sum of a Christians practical duty; for as S t Paul had in the verse before set down his faith and hope, here he sets down his workings. In the words we have
1. The state of that duty expressed 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , a onscience void of offense.
2. That is brancht out into its several respects, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 towards God, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and towards man; and those either
1. As the objects of that which a good conscience endeavors and means, an unblameable conversation in thos duties that look towards God, those of Devotion, Piety and Godliness; or of those duties that look towards man, those of Justice and Honesty, particularly so called. Or
2. God and Man here may be looked upon as having both to do in being the rule of Conscience, God's law, and man's also, that is, the just laws of lawful Superiors, both obliging it: and a conscience void of offense towards God and towards man is such an one as does not only not offend God nor man, in that which God commands to be don to himself and to the neighbor, but such also as doth not offend in what man, the lawful Governor, commands: for to these we must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but conscience sake.
3. Here are the seasons which this Conscience do's respect, and they are all seasons 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 always.
4. The interest S t Paul does seek after in this condition 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in this Jexercise myself; as on one side it is not fancying or opining, often hearing, no nor talking of conscience, but exercise and doing; for the Christians life is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , a constant exercise, and that is at once his duty and profession here: so on the other side, it is not perfect possession of this state; there is no such thing as perfection in this life, but laboring towards it. In handling which parts I shall thus proceed.
1. Having in word explained 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , I shall inquire what are those offenses that must be removed in order to that state that's here described; and having cleared the conscience of those, 2 dly view the latitude and extent of its obligation, see how it respects both God and man, both as the rules and objects of its acts, and as we go along, we shall direct the practice of that duty which S t Paul did labor in, how we must exercise ourselves that we may be in such a state, which is the 3 d thing and the application of all. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 may be understood from the use of that word as 'tis taken either passively Phil. 1. 10. that ye may be 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 without offense, not led into evil by mistakes of what is good, or any other color whatsoever; or else as 'tis taken actively 1 Cor. 10. 32. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 give no offense to any man; which as the context proves is but the same, and means, let nothing that you do be such as may induce another man to sin; lay not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 rocks of offense or stumbling blocks in any Christians course: and therefore in my text 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is such a conscience, as does not induce the man himself to any sin against God or man, and a life that is not led into it; a conversation that is according to such a conscience, is that which S t Paul aims to have, and which that we may have, all such 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 we must endeavor to remove, which what they are, I told you, was to be my first inquiry.
And the first is error of judgment, which makes an erring conscience; such a one as gives false information of duty, which either tells me that I may or must do that which God's law or some other law in force upon me says I must not do, or else tells me I must not do that which I may, or am perhaps bound to do. A rock of offense this, upon which many men do split, and make ship-wrack of a good conscience; and which is worse error of judgment, called by some new light, is such a light indeed, so placed between the rocks as must needs guide the Mariner upon them, make it necessary for him to be wreckt; for in this case sin lies on the right and the left hand, which way soever he does turn, he falls upon it. For first if this man act against his erring conscience, he sins, altho the Law of God do not make the act sin Rom. 14. 14. to him that esteemeth anything unclean, to him it is unclean; altho S t Paul says there, he knew it was not in itself unclean, yet so it was to him, and that to such an height, that the man whose example wrought with any one to eat against the persuasion of his mind destroyeth him v. 15. 'It is therefore a destroying sin to do a thing against the express judgment of the mind. And all the reason in the world; for since good or evil do not, nor can move the will as they are in themselves such, but as apprehended, and according to the notion we have of them in the mind: 'tis certain therefore every motion of the will to good or evil, consequently every good or evil action must be formally accounted such from good or evil things not in themselves, but in the apprehension of the mind; that is, according as our consciences dictate to us they are good or evil. And indeed no law of God or man, no rule of duty can be applied to us but by the mediation of conscience; for till that tell me such a thing's commanded and my duty, it is to me as if there were no such command and it were not my duty, for till then I am not conscious it is, know nothing of it. This alone therefore does propose and apply duty to us; and consequently whether that which it proposeth be my real duty in itself or no, yet I must needs look on it as so, as having no direction in the world besides what to do or forbear, but what my conscience some way instructed tells me, God or my Governors require: while therefore that does absolutely tell me such a thing is unlawful whether it be so or no, while that persuasion lasts, the soul yet judges it unlawful, and consequently if the heart embrace it, then it does deliberately embrace unlawfulness, which though it be not in the thing, is yet in the choice. I like and follow that which in my judgment is vicious, and be it in itself what it will, 'tis so to me; 'tis evident the inclinations and actions pursue vice, when they pursue that which they cannot look upon but as vice. And therefore S t Paul saith what soever is not of faith, whatsoever is contrary to the persuasion or judgment of lawfulness, i. e. in other words, what is against conscience is sin. Conscience therefore is the rule from which it is sin to recede.
But you will tell me, where the conscience errs, the rule is false and crooked, and so must not be followed; but the rule of this rule, God's Law, and not the conscience, must be obei'd. Good counsel if it could be followed; for certainly if the man know what God's Law does require of him, in that case his conscience does not err; if he do not know what God's Word requires, how then can he follow it against that which his conscience tells him God requires? and it is sure if the man should suspend his action, or have reason not to act according to his erring conscience, he never can have reason to act according to a conscience well informed: for it is plain his conscience does as much propose the error as his duty, as it does the truth; the man as really believes the one is to be don as the other, and hath no reason to make difference, and therefore if at any time he must follow his conscience, he always must, and towill be sin to act against it, be it what it will.
But then you will hope it will excuse to act according to it. No alas, this is but the other rock, it is sin too to act according to it. The proofs are very pregnant Gen. 12. 17. Because of Sara Abraham's wife the Lord plagu'd Pharaoh with great plagues and all his house, namely those that had commended her before him v. 15. and so had contributed to the offense. On the same account he plagu'd Abimelech Gen. 20. 17. altho in the 6 v. God saith, he knew Abimelech did it in the integrity of his heart, and though Abimelech did plead the same to God, he did it innocently v. 5. yet in the 9. v. he expostulates with Abraham, what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my Kingdom a great sin. Again St Paul affirms of his own nation Rom. 10. 2. that it was out of zeal to God and his Law they persevered in infidelity and opposition to Christ's doctrines, yet for that very opposition he affirms, that they were hardened and designed to everlasting perdition. And Christ saith of the same Jews John 16. 2. that the time would come, when they that killed his Apostles and Ministers should think they did God service, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 think they offered an oblation. The error was so strong, it made the sin look like Religion and Atonement, yet that zeal and conscience was plagu'd with wrath that came upon them to the uttermost, even to an utter extirpation: or to restrain ourselves to our Apostle, he saith of himself v. 1. of the foregoing chapter, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day, and therefore when against Christ's reformation he defended the Mosaic Law, and persecuted the opposers of it, he did all out of a good mind, according to the dictates of his conscience, sincerely what he was persuaded that he ought to do; and now if conscience could excuse, here was enough of that, a good Conscience, and could his fiery persecutions by virtue of that conscience be Christian'd holy Zeal? could his pure heart make his bloody hands undefiled? Oh no! 'twas blasphemy, and persecution, and injury, for all 'twas conscience. If this seem strange, that acting thus according to the conscience should make men such sinners, since all facts are estimated chiefly by the heart that they proceed from, by the good or bad mind they are don with, that is, by the conscience of the doer; we must know, that where the error is not the effect of any carnal prepossession or principle, but truly error, there the sinfulness in this case lies not altogether formally in acting so according to their conscience, unless first the conscience take up persuasions & give sentence without a sufficient inquisition, when there is the least appearance of a danger that 'tis plain such a persuasion may engage us in a state of sin, we must examine strictly, and this seems the case of Pharaoh and Abimelech; they were glad to think Sarah was Abraham's sister, therefore made no close inquiry, were content with his once saying so, and on that account, altho the one and afterwards the other took her in the innocence of their heart, the text saith, they committed a great sin, for which God did plague them. Especially 2 dly if men have been called on to consider, had the opportunity of means of conviction, such as God will judge sufficient in their circumstances, then retaining those persuasions, following such an error gives it that which is equivalent to willfulness, makes the guilt. This was the Jews case and S t Paul's, though Moses Law were given by God himself, confirmed by wonders, and by such a constant series of God's most immediate dispensations, as might give them just cause to believe it was their certain duty to adhere to it, yet when God judged Christ's works together with the Prophecies that went of him, had given a sufficient testimony to his Reformation, the Jews resisting that, though out of zeal to God, and in obedience to his Law and to their Guides the Priests and Sanhedrim, were hardened to excision for it; or if, as 'tis most certain, they were leavened into aversation to Christ's doctrine by their expectation of a pompous Messiah, his Religion did not serve their sensual ends, 'tis to be feared the same do's influence the more sincere and erring party of the Church of Rome; yet S t . Paul also, though out of a good conscience doing so, esteemed himself the chief of sinners for so doing. 'It is the too hasty taking up, or the too obstinate retaining this erroneous conscience, makes the sin it does engage into be so exceeding sinful; therefore certainly whoever lets their conscience be surprised by prejudice, or warmth of mind, much more ambition, pride, revenge, or incidental discontents and disobligation, reputation of a party, interest, design, if these or any sensuality though but lurking indiscernably ( for the heart is deceitful above all things, who can know it? ) have given any tincture to the heart and puffed a passion into conscience, or if in the uprightness of their heart they took up their persuasions, yet if they retain them in the least on any such account, or else however if they do not hearken to, examine any calls or means, which God does either by his Providence or Ministers offer the opportunities of, for their conviction, specially if by seeing good and wise men do judge otherwise, they have any cause to doubt, and yet persist still, and retain the error, it is this that spoils the Conscience, so that while it errs it does ensnare the man, entangles him in a necessity of sinning, leads him into such labyrinths of guilt that whatsoever he does, he offends: if he do what his erring conscience dictates to him, then he sins against God's Law, if he forbear, he sins then against God's Vicegerent, his own Conscience; there is the guilt of his deed, here the guilt of his heart, which does oblige a man to follow that which it is sin to follow, and which makes him, he must and ought to do that which he must not, ought not to do.
And then the only application to such a Conscience is to advise the laying it aside, to rectify the error; good counsel this indeed, but hardest to be taken in the world. For that a man may set himself to rectify, he must know himself in an error, and if he know that, he hath not an erring Conscience; this when it is such strongly, the man does not so much as doubt of his opinion, and while he does not doubt, what temptation can he have to think of rectifying? especially if men are persuaded that their Conscience is directed by such Guides as cannot err. We cannot but remember how the violation of all Laws and of all rights sacred and secular, sedition and rebellion, and such other dreadful consequents as we must not remember, being dictated by conscience, undertaken on account of Religion were esteemed the characteristics of a godly side; nor are we suffered to forget, how the same things undertaken on account of holy Church make Saints and Martyrs: for let not men pretend these are not Doctrines or directions of the Church of Rome. There is no one of the rebellious parties, but it may with much more truth and modesty affirm they are not theirs, since they have not declared them so authentically; and if we are not sure these are their doctrines, 'tis impossible to know that they have any, for none of their doctrines have a greater attestation. If some few declaring their opinion to the contrary, shall against the declarations of the Tenets of their Schools, and the directions of much greater numbers, their Casuists, the rules and practice of their whole law, the determinations of particular and general Councils, make them not to be their doctrine, then no Church hath any doctrines. Now, if as one side of these pretend some to a Divine Light within themselves, some to the Divine Spirit speaking in the Scriptures for their Guide, so the other plead the public Spirit of the Church speaking at least in the Assemblies of their general Council most infallibly, and consequently all of them must judge it is impossible their Guide can err; how is it possible to prescribe means to rectify the errors of such Consciences?
But should I pass these guilts of the first magnitude, to which 'tis wonderful a Conscience can be debauched, and err into them, should I mention one that's common to all of them, violating the Laws, disturbing the Peace of the Government, unhinging the constitution of it by illegal meetings to disseminate their principles, and make more errors, and more separation, wider breaches. I shall not tell these, that the Church nowhere gives a privilege to any to assemble not for God's own worship, from whose principles or practices the State hath reason to expect commotions or sedition, the diminishing their secular Powers, or endangering their persons, and on that account forbids them. Sure I am, there is no one word in the Gospel for it, and I leave all the mentioned parties, Popish or the other, to consider whether they have been so innocent as not to be suspected justly? and would only ask each party of them, whether it alone have right to act according to its conscience thus and otherwise against the Laws, so that all others, what sincerity so'ere they act with, have no privilege? or whether it be the Christians birth-right, and due to all others? If any party say, that it alone hath right, besides that all the rest will never grant this, nor have reason for it, and so all must quarrel; yet if they do say so, sure there's nothing else but truth or confidence of having it, can make them judge so: but since every the most erring conscience does and must believe the truth is with him, he hath the same reason, so contentions must be endless, & this state of conscience is just the Leviathans state of war; besides that this pretence of any single party for itself makes war with the hypothesis itself of liberty of conscience. But if they grant all other Sects to have just right to act according to their conscience, then those that really believe the doctrine of their Church is true, their ways blameless, and the statutes which restrain the liberties of the Recusants and the Dissenters are all just, those of them also that have sworn obedience to these statutes, and those Magistrates and Governors too that are bound by oath to the execution of them, and to take care of the peace of their Subjects, and hold that, as 'tis, a duty and an obligation in conscience on them: these, I say, have just right too to act according to their conscience also, and by consequence to execute the Laws upon those others; and then, I am sure in conscience, and according to the very rules of all these men of liberty, those have a right to take away their wild and dangerous liberties, and by the very Principles of all these Dissenters are as much bound in conscience to restrain them, as they think themselves bound to use those liberties according to their conscience. Yea these are bound in conscience to suffer all their Governors to put restraints upon them; because to do so is for them to act according to their conscience, or if they think (as 'tis not strange if they think contradictions) that they have a right in conscience to contend for this with Governors, who yet they acknowledge to have a right too to restrain their liberties, (since all, as themselves have granted, have the same right,) there must needs be endless quarrels and contentions both with Governors and with themselves, and just of all sides, in which each hath right, which is another contradiction also; and so still this state of conscience will be the Leviathans state of war, and must dissolve all Government, as being inconsistent with it. Whether any consequents in prospect or design can make this state of things allowed and eligible, or how far Governments can properly secure themselves, if it be allowed, which yet 'tis certain that they have a right to do against the clamorous pretences of all conscience whatsoever as to Church Laws: yet how far they can, I say, secure themselves against such sorts of men 〈◊〉 side, who declare that their Government itself is sinful; or 〈◊〉 toother side a sort of men, who not only here in this Nation, after the most dire and hateful treason ever hatched or thought of, were not, nor are suffered by the Guides of their conscience, by their Pastors neither their Supreme one nor their particular Confessors, to give assurance of their civil obedience and allegiance to their own Prince. But in France, after the murder of two Kings by them, both of their Religion, when as Lewis the 13 th did design, and ask the advice of his Parliament, to make provision for his own safety and assurance of the Loialty of his Subjects by an Oath (a thing by God's own People, since 'twas a Kingdom, practic'd) all the Clergy, those Directors of the consciences of that Nation, were so far from suffering it, that they made the King to cause the Parliament to raze out what of it was drawn and registered in their Journals, professing to his face that they would excommunicate all as Heretics that were against that Proposition, that the Pope could depose Kings. But 'tis not this, but how to secure Governments against it, to rectify the erring conscience I would speak to; and if the sense of any sacred obligations, if the calamities of Church or State, that cry aloud bemoaning the effects of conscience thus let loose, call upon him to consider, and at least suggest the duty of examining his conscience, then the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 here of the text, the exercises that are like to have an influence upon him, besides humble prayer to Almighty God for a right judgment in all things, together with a hearty resolution not to suffer any principle or interest so to engage him to a practice or opinion, but that, if God will please to show him light, he will follow it strait, and utterly forsake those paths, to which he was misguided by the error of his mind, and so begins to act accordingly as well as he can. Now such a resolution hath a promise, If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or not. Besides this, I say, let him thus exercise himself, when anything offers itself to practice, and gets this holy advocate of its side, brings conscience to plead, then I will search and examine strictly that same action, first undress it quite, see what it is naked by itself, and then ask not what fine motives, what good end it hath, but where the rule is for it. If it be in things merely Spiritual, then what Law of God; but if in other things, what Law of man, what just subordination to God's will is there for this action? For laws, not zeal do make the rules for Conscience: for Conscience being nothing but a full persuasion, judgment, dictate that a thing is either duty under obligation, is according to a Law that does command it, or else is unlawful, is against a Law. If Conscience shall tell me such a thing I am bound to do, but I have no Law of God or man for it; or else such a thing I must forbear, it is a sin, absolutely unlawful, but truly I can bring no Law in force against it, sure I shall easily reject the clamors of this Conscience, for it talks contradictions: for nothing can be unlawful, but what is against a Law. If, though there be not express Law to forbid or command, yet I see grounds that stagger me, and several hard things which incline to my opinion, this does not make the erring Conscience: for that is dogmatical and positive, and must have law, doctrines and grounds of probability; those only make a doubt, the next offense I mean to name.
An offense this, that whosoever stumbles at, does fall into the lowest pit, for he that doubteth, is damned if he eat Rom. 14. 23. Now the state of a doubting conscience is this, either the man in himself really believes the thing he does consult of is forbidden, but yet seeing the example of some man he hath esteem for, or else hearing some good probable grounds to the contrary, does entertain some doubt whether it be so bad, and upon that without being resolved, yea thinking still it is a sin, yet ventures on it: in this case though the man may have some hopes it may not be a sin, yet judging in himself it is, and choosing notwithstanding, it is plain he does not only venture at, but chooseth sin, and therefore sins. This was the very case of the weak Christians in relation to eating things offered to Idols, which S t Paul there speaks of. Or secondly, if he do not absolutely in himself judge it a sin, yet really do's doubt it is, and without endeavoring to be truly satisfied by all appointed fit means, does it howsoever; this man does as much as resolve I know not what it is I am about to do, I doubt 'tis sin, but I resolve to do it, though it be so. Now this is a wicked resolution, and the consequent action must be so too: it is as much as saying, I resolve to venture God's displeasure, rather then loose the satisfaction of that action; now whatsoever otherwise the action be, yet such a resolution stains it with a vicious tincture, by infusion of that wicked purpose.
To bring this to our own concerns, if my lawful Superior command a thing by an established law, which yet either by some obscure place of Scripture, or by the silence of Scripture, or some inference of my own from others having put that action to an evil use, or the infusion of some Teacher of whose holiness I have an opinion, I doubt whether I may do it or no, and cannot satisfy myself, in this case, if the man that doubts comply, without acquiring any satisfaction, do it merely too because he will not be obnoxious to the penalty of law, 'tis clear he does it with a doubting conscience, and so sins; but if he thus discourse, (which is the proper 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 for such a conscience to remove this offense) I am sure God hath commanded me to obey the lawful commands of my lawful Superiors, now am I sure this is not lawful? No, that I am not, for I only doubt; why then I must needs also doubt it may be lawful, therefore I must needs doubt God hath commanded me to obey them in this, and then if I refuse I must needs do that with a doubting conscience; for if the thing be lawful, I am sure I sin in not obeying, and I doubt it may be so, and so not doing will have the same guilt, which by not doing I endeavor to avoid.
Now if whatever the action be, as long as I know not certainly whether it be lawful or unlawful in itself, I shall have equal guilt in the refusal (altho there be no scandal or contempt) as I can fancy to myself in doing; and if I cannot satisfy my doubt myself, since I have then no other way to seek for resolution, but from those whom God hath set over me, shall not the reasons and commands of my Superiors, the example of all those that are obedient, weigh as much with me as the opinion of some whom I think holy, or some little color which can only make me doubt? If I be not sure it is unlawful, and am perfectly assured of my duty to my Superiors, this certainly ought to suspend my other doubt, and in so doing I am sure, I take far the more probable and safer course; and he that does so, cannot have the guilt of a doubting conscience, for the resolution of that was clean another thing: I doubt there may be sin in it, however I will do it, whereas this man that he may take the safest course to avoid sin, resolveth thus, merely for fear there may be guilt in my refusal, I do that which otherwise truly I would not do.
I cannot pass by this reflection here, how there will come a time, when it shall be more tolerable for the erring or the doubting conscience, notwithstanding their sad consequences, than for those that hold the truth in unrighteousness: the one sort of these have some checks at sin, they doubt and they demur; the other sort sin merely because they would please God, and offend out of zeal; but the other sin because they will sin. If actions lawful otherwise will make up an indictment to our condemnation, don but with a doubting mind, what guilt and what damnation is there in those that are undertaken against known command and present full conviction? that muster up and recollect all the forementioned guilts, which when they were divided, did make actions so ruining; at once they defy God and their own heart: if he that doubts is damned if he eat, though what he eat were lawful to him, what will become of him that eats to surfeiting, and knows that such things call for condemnation? with what face can he blast a deceived honest Heathen with his God's, who in the face of God, and of all Laws, in view of a believed hell, and in despite of heaven and of his own conscience that suggests all these to him, yet by frequent intemperances makes his belly his god, and by uncleanness that new testament idolatry, sets up as many idols, as his foul heats find objects, and by dishonesty and frauds serves covetousness, which is idolatry? They, who defy their conscience thus, are in the ready way to a reprobate sense, the last offense that I will name.
When the heart gives a false judgment of things, calls evil good, and good evil in the Prophets words, 'tis not uneasy to deduce how arrive at this. There is no pains bestowed upon the education of their childhood, they are made indeed to renounce the Devil, the evil Spirit is exorcis'd out of that hold he had of them on the account of being born children of wrath; but no provision for the Holy Spirit taken care of, rather all that's possible is don to grieve him thence, and so the evil one returns, finds the house empty, and takes to him seven spirits worse than himself, and they dwell there; or to speak out of parable, there are no principles of virtue planted in them, no labor used to make impressions of Religion and the fear of God, the sense of duty, aversation to all vice; but as far as conversation, with example of all lewdness, can have influence, they are bred and fitted for the Temter, and when they and temptations are grown up, it is no wonder if they taste, then swallow down the bait, and so are taken: then they get to themselves principles, that may stop the mouth of natural conscience; either Religion do's not mean so strictly, or against the strictness they oppose the custom of the age, or honor, or the like, and these together with the conversations of sin do clean take off the aversation, and so by degrees the sense, the mind first leaves to be afraid and startle at it, and then leaves to check at it, and having don this long, the custom stupifies the conscience, and makes the sins seem necessary to them, and they cannot be without them, and the absolute necessity makes them conceit them little sins, and in a while no sins at all: stick not to say, those terrors Clergy-men do talk of, are but Mormo's, but religious spectres. We have this daily experience, that looseness in practice quickly grows into irreligion in heart, that they who with all might and main do long resist the power of Godliness, do at last proceed to cast off even the very form, and they who would not receive the love of the truth, but did prefer the satisfaction of their humors, prejudices, passions, lusts before the doctrine of piety and virtue, though it came with the greatest evidence of reasonableness; that such, I say, are given over to strong delusions to believe lies, even lies of so eternal unhappy a consequence as this, that virtue and religion are but empty names, that conscience is but prejudice: such are those S t Paul describes 1 Tim. 4. 2. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , men of branded consciences. Now we use to account that person infamous that's branded only in his hand or forehead, but these are men of stigmatiz'd hearts, there is a brand upon their soul and conscience; and you will find some other characters upon them there, they depart from the faith, they give heed to seducing Spirits, lay out for a Religion that will give them hopes of safety though they sin on, and to doctrines of Devils; fit Scholars for such Tutors, seeds of a blessed education they have, that have such Instructors, and such they have whose consciences are branded: and the whole progress of their wickedness you will find Rom. 1. from v. 18. because they hold the truth in unrighteousness, joined impious lives with the profession of the true Religion, were vicious in despite of their own understandings, which told them, they should not be so; upon which great proficiency in guilt v. 24. God withdrew his grace, left them to the pursuit of all their foul desires, permetted them to break out into all reproachful villainies, sins that were violences, contumelies to their nature; yea v. 28. because they acted perfectly against all notions they had of God, he gave them up to that abominable state of mind, to have no sense of guilt, to have a judgment so perverted, as not to think things of the most forbidden and most detestable nature to be foul, and then see what a shole of consequents break in: from v. 29. feind vices, things that do not only merit hell, but possess, enjoy, and make the place. These are the entertainments of those Regions, but none more essential than those v. 32. they not only commit those things, but have pleasure in those that do them, do not only favor themselves in the transgressions, (for to that men may have some temptation from the flesh) but to evince their understandings are debauched, their consciences corrupted, and that they are of a reprobate mind, they take pleasure in others committing them, from which they have no pleasure, can enjoy nothing but the villainy of being glad that others are debauched and vitiated, this recommends men to them. And truly now I have no words for them, they do outgo expression; I may apply that which the Psalmist saith of the fool, in his heart there is no God. I am sure there is none in theirs, that will not let his Deputy be there, not suffer conscience his Vicegerent to be within them; and it were well, if they could exclude it for ever. But alas! when their sins and pleasures shall begin to die, then conscience will revive, and be their worm that never dies; however they have stupifi'd it here, then it will gnaw eternally, then oh that they could have no conscience, no sting, no lash: but it will be an immortal feind to them, and that which they so much trample on now, will then be their great hell.
And now I can prescribe no exercise will remove this offense, when the conscience is past feeling, then it is past cure. The only method is prevention here, the only 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to keep the conscience tender; then it will be sensible of every the least touch of guilt, check at whatever we shall do amiss. Conscience is the eye of the soul, now tenderness is a disposition very proper to the eye, it is the tenderest part of the whole body; and if the conscience be right, that is so of the soul: the smallest spill or mote is restless agony to the eye, it never leaves to force out tears, both to bewail the torment, and to wash away the cause. I am sure our Savior calls a sin of the least size or guilt 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Matth. 7. 3. things that should make the conscience as restless, fret into lamentings, prick passages for repenting sorrow. The conscience of Converts always does so, Acts 2. 37. When they heard this, they were pricked in heart; and indeed this is the necessary constitution of Soul for them that ever hope to have their conversation holy: he whose eye is not tender, 'tis not useful; if it be not sensible of spills that get into it, it cannot be sensible of objects, such a callum as will make it not feel, will make it not see; and when it cannot perceive pain, then it cannot direct or light: and so the conscience, if it feel no grievance from thy vices, it will never boggle at them; but when it is tender as the eye, then it will roll and weep, if anything disturb it, 'twill be restless till it free itself. Let other Souls be tickled, when they feel the pleasures of a sin; but, Lord, let my heart smite me, then the stroke and smart may make me fly the cause. Let sin, that and cruel Serpent, sting, stab, wound me thus; for then it will make outlets for its putrifaction, it will draw tears to cleanse me from itself: and sure after the blood of Christ, there is no other laver to wash away the foulness of my sin, but that which gushes from those wounds of spirit, nothing else will quench the power of it. This tender conscience will preserve the whole conversation pure, if its respects be universal, if its cares reach to the whole latitude of its object, if it be void of offense both towards God, and towards man, which shows the extent of its obligation, and is my next consideration, of which in a few words.
Void of offense towards God and towards men, a conversation unblamable in all things that relate to God or man, both these must be joined: the Honesty without the Godliness is but Heathen Morality, and the Godliness without honesty but Pharisaical Hypocrisy. 'It is just that which our Savior describes and sentences Matt. 23. 14. Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye devour widows houses, and for a pretence make long prayers; therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation: as if their long and earnest prayers pulled down nothing else but woes and condemnation on them, and their more religion gained them but more hell. The one of these for all his honesty, if he have not piety, he is without God in this world, nor shall have anything of his heaven in the other, whose life did not look thitherwards, but aimed no further than a conversation that was regular betwixt man and man. The other, the dishonest man, notwithstanding his Godliness, shall be without God in the world to come; for sure he is not fit to live with God in that, who is not fit to live with man in this: who will not behave himself honestly, must not think he can live religiously; nor can that help him towards God's rewards, that does but help him to the greater condemnation. So that they must be joined, and our conscience must be void of offense towards God and towards men; and that not only as the objects of our duty, but the rules.
That God's Law is the rule of conscience, that we are bound to do what he commands, I think I need not prove; in this I have only to wish, our practice were as orthodox as our opinions. But that man can oblige the conscience, that laws however just of our rightful Governors are a part of this rule, and we are bound in conscience to observe what they would have us do, many men doubt; there been qui latuit, been vixit, a close offender does not sin, and if they come not under the lash of the Law, they think the conscience hath no whip for these offenses; yet Scripture is express Rom. 13. 5. Wherefore you must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. again 1 Pet. 2. 13, 15. submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, for so is the will of God. I do not here set down that human Laws oblige the conscience immediately, it is enough for me they do it by God's constitution, that what we do so is for his sake, and 'tis his will that we should do it; and then he that does not obey, he breaks the will of God, and so does that which a good conscience must needs tell a man he must not do. I know some have found out a subterfuge, that only passive obedience is required in conscience, not active; and though this interpretation would secure the Magistrate, for men must not rebel against that rod, which they are bound to submit to: yet
1. 'It is strange a man should not be bound in conscience to obey the Law, yet should be bound in conscience to suffer for the not obeying it. What reason for this difference? Sure if either, 'tis most reasonable to escape the punishment, if he can. But
2. What sense will they make S t Paul speak, * wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath; if wrath mean punishment, as it certainly does, and be subject signify submit, not actively, but submit to punishment, as they will have it, then it means, therefore a man must submit to punishment not only for punishment, or for fear of being punished, but also because he is bound in conscience to bear the punishment: now 'tis indeed impossible that a man ought and is necessitated to submit to the penalty of the Law for fear of the penalty of the Law, be bound to suffer a thing for fear of suffering that very thing, or that he may escape that very suffering, which he is bound in conscience too to suffer. These are contradictions. But of the active obedience the sense is plain: we must obey their just Laws, not only that we may avoid their punishments which we shall suffer if we obey not, but because we are bound in conscience to obey. All the Apostles instances also being of active obedience, and the whole reasoning of the place evincing it, might serve for further evidence, but this shall suffice me for proof; and S t Paul truly seems to take in these here in the text, for amongst several things laid to his charge, some against God himself, as profanation of his temple v. 6. he was accused of being also pestilent, a mover of sedition v. 5. to all which he answers in my text, that he was so far from profaneness in Religion and his duty towards God, and from sedition in the State, that he did exercise himself in this alone, in laboring to have a conscience void of offense in all things, by God or his Governors commanded.
And this president of our Apostle, everyone that hears me knows, the true sons of this Church always followed, both in doctrine and in practice, even to the Martyrdom not only of their persons, families, but of the Church itself. Not like those holy Church-men who account themselves exemt, no subjects to the secular powers; nor those others, who withdrawing their obedience in all things which they do not like, do seem to own no powers but themselves, are Subject only to their own minds.
Now he that does thus exercise himself always, (which is the only thing that I have left to speak to,) is in that state of Christian perfection, which the Travelers to Heaven, while they are upon the way, can arrive at: for that must needs be a good life, which is regulated by a good conscience; for if a conscience do its part, do neither err nor doubt, but is tender in all, in a word, if it inform truly in all duty, and thou doest accordingly, thou doest all thy duty: therefore all good life is called by the name of a good conscience 1 Tim. 1. 19. and plainer Hebr. 13. 18. We trust we have a good conscience, willing in all things to live honestly, sincere endeavors to obey in everything, a conscience that is right in everything, not boggling with it, accepting the persons of duty, (being very conscientious in some things, but taking liberty in others,) and being so 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 always, not by fits, having only Paroxysmes of Religion, now and then very conscientious, otherwise loose enough, but to be so in all respect, and at all times: this was the sum of all S t Paul's endeavor, he had no stricter aims, this was the height of his Religion, this his exercise.
Yet why should I call it his exercise, when it is his enjoyment? 'tis his ante past of heaven itself. The applauds of an honest undeceiving heart that is conscious to itself of this in earnest, they shed comforts into every state of life, beyond all that the earth can give, they shed the peace of God that passeth understanding. If my conscience be clear, let my condition be never so overcast, I live in shine; let them be troubled with afflictions, or with sad expectations, who understand no delights but carnalities, whose souls are married to some little comforts of this world, adversity indeed sweeps all their joys away at once; but he that understands the comforts of a good conscience, and knows where to find them, and who hath a treasure of them in his breast, will soon be able to allay the other sadnesses. What can I want, if I have a continual feast, and such is a good conscience: let all the world look black upon me as long as I have light within me, and in that light can see a pleasantness upon God's face. Yea it is this indeed must make prosperity contentful, when to the candle of the Lord, the light of his countenance also does add its shine; when I have no ill remembrances, either as to the possession or to the enjoyment; when my heart assures me I did neither get it ill, nor use it ill, 'twas truly God's gift to me, and I strive to make it an instrument of my service to him. This is transfigur'd prosperity, but without this, for all the hurry of men's pleasures, something will now and then rejolt worse than surfeits, and come up bitterer than the gall of ejected riots, and they shall find their great provisions are but variety of nauseousness, only plentiful vexation, and a jolly restlessness, while they are here; and then when they but think of going hence, O death! how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man, that lives at rest in his possessions, to the man that hath nothing to molest him, hath hath prosperity in all things; and if he have the sting of conscience to embitter it, which will be sure to stir at such a time, alas! how inconceivable a sadness must then dwell upon that soul, that can think nothing kinder to itself than hell. But he that can at such a time say with Hezekiah, Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have don that which is good in thy sight, then if God do not send a message of fifteen years, yet he will add to him an everlastingness of years of joy; if his days do no return, nor the Sun mount back again to give him a more full noon light, he shall be taken to the fountain of eternal light. Oh let me have that light, that will enlighten the sad approaches of the dark grave; that, when I am going to make my house in a black lonely desolate hole of earth, will be like the day spring of immortality, like the dawn of heaven, and such glimpses will break in thro a clear conscience. 'Twas that which made the Martyrs run to the fires of execution as to fires triumph, and they looked upon their flames as on Elijah 's chariot's flames, that flew upwards, not with hast to their own Sphere, but the Sphere of Martyr's Heaven, and whose brightness did prelude and expire into Glory.
SERMON VI. Of the Blessedness of Mourners.
Matt. 5. 4.
THE 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 shecina, say the Jewish Doctors, will not rest upon a sad person, that is, God will not be especially with him, nor will his holy Spirit keep him company, that is, a solitary Mourner: and indeed we often find in Scripture, that when the Prophets would invite God's Spirit down upon they did heighten themselves with mirth; but now, saith Elisha, bring me a Minstrel, and it came to pass while the Minstrel plai'd, the hand of the Lord came upon him. And he said, thus saith the Lord, 2 Kings 3. 15. as if the Music had inspired him, and his soul was tuned into Enthusiasm; and so also 1 Sam. 10. 5. thou shalt meet a company of Prophets coming down from the high place, with a Psaltery, and a Tabret, and a Pipe, and a Harp before them, and they shall prophecy: and the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee. Yea and as God would not dwell with them, so neither would he let them keep him company, they were not to appear before him sad Deut. 12. 7. And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice: and therefore God hath no worse expressions for unclean Sacrifices, than the bread of Mourners, Hos. 9. 4. They shall not be pleasing unto him, but their Sacrifices shall be as the bread of Mourners, and as the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 those Sacrifices, for their carcases shall not come into the house of the Lord. Yea he would not let those Melancholy people keep others company in his service, but there was porta lugentium, a gate for Mourners to enter by themselves into the Temple-service, as if the mirth were among their precepts, and to be sad were to be defiled and unclean. But it is not so with us in the Gospel, where the only Sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit, a broken and contrite heart he will not despise; but the bread of Mourners shall be the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , from which he will never turn away his face, and a few penitent tears are the scope and the fulfilling of all the Jewish purifyings, and the Spirit of the Lord moveth upon the face of these waters; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 he flutters and hovers over them, and as he did out of the first waters, so out of those tears he hatches a new creation, they being the very first effects and signs of life in the new creature and the new birth also, natural to both; Infants and the Child of God also are born weeping and crying, this being the very first throw in regeneration. Yea so far is this sorrow from displeasing God, that it is the great engagement to him to give us comfort both here and hereafter, and it is put amongst Christ's first beatitudes here, Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.
The words present either a bare description of persons, or withal involve a duty, the being Mourners. Secondly import a designation of their condition, that they are Blessed. Thirdly they give the reason and the manner of that condition, For they shall be comforted; so that mourning may be doubly understood, either as a duty, or as an aphorism: in the later case mourning is taken not to be prescribed at all, but only Christ looking upon his Disciples who were in the worlds esteem in a sad low condition, he does encourage them, that notwithstanding their unequal estimate, yet they are in a blessed condition, for they shall be sure to be comforted. And thus first it may be as an appendage to the former aphorism, in that he had by the assurance of a reward encouraged them in the entertainment of poverty and calamities, had advancit the lowly into heaven, and enrichit the patient poor with the inheritance of a Kingdom, those that were poor in Spirit, content with their condition; and then this follows, blessed are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted; as if it were after this manner: but what if our calamities do grow upon us, and we are not able to bear them with an even mind and a serene countenance, but they cast us down, we grieve and mourn under them and cannot be comforted? yet even for this condition there is promise, Christ is so far from breaking this bruised reed, that he confirms and strengthens it; the greivousness of our calamities shall not exclude all hope of ease, neither shall our weakness and infirmity exclude us from the number of the blessed: he will neither impute our want of courage, that groans and faints under the burden, provided that we be not heated by it into impatience at his dispensations, nor chaft into wrath against them that lay it on us, though we do mourn, if we do not vex, we are blessed; neither will he suffer our calamities, when he hath tried and purged us by them, quite to oppress us, but how grievous soever they be, they shall find multitudes of comfort, even the comfort of mitigation, for to that God's faithfulness is engaged 1 Cor. 10. 13. God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make a way also to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Secondly the internal comforts of God's grace 2 Cor. 1. 3, 4. God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulations. Thirdly the comfort of a joyful recompense, even here for the most part, John 16. 20, 21. I say unto you ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. A woman when she is in travail, hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish for joy that a man is born into the world. Our afflictions may be throws, but they shall end in birth, and have the ease and joy of a delivery; and therefore our Savior said of himself 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Luke 12. 50. how am I straitened? as a woman in child to accomplish his Baptism, that Baptism of agony, sweat and blood; or certainly however an eternal recompense of joy hereafter, everlasting consolations, as S t Paul saith 2 Thess. 2. 16. When instead of this hunger and thirst and tears the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters; and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be anymore pain: Rev. 7. 17. and 21. 4.
And first we learn hence the compassion of our Savior, who hath indulged us the infirmities of our nature: he hath not made our weak affections to be sins, but hath showed us a way to make them advantages towards blessedness; God that was made flesh remembers that we are but flesh, and does not require of us to be insensible, it is not a vice not to be a stock, such as the Stoics required their wise man should be, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , no grief, nor no sense of any external calamity; though you thrust his hand into the fire, it must be no more to him, than if you burn his staff; for his body is but his organ, his instrument, no part at all of him: but Christ requires no such hard tasks of us. Had he denied us our tears, and forbid us the ease of mourning in afflictions, and made weeping to be cowardice and sin, it had been a hard saying, we had had reason to have thought ourselves severely dealt withal: but he gives us leave as it were to love the dear things of this world, a little to weep when they leave us, if we do not love them so as not to love our brother and our God, leaving them if the world leave us, and when by calamities our comforts are taken from us, by frettings and vexations throwing off our God from us, repining at him, and casting his commands away, of not envying, not returning, provided in our tears we have humble perfect submissions and resignations of ourselves, throwing ourselves down at his feet, and from our very souls saying, it is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good: then Christ he yields to the tenderness of our nature, and provided we mixe no gall with our tears, no bitterness with our weepings, no murmurs nor no grumblings with our groans, he pardons all our weaknesses, and makes our mourning to be but as a call and invitation to him to come to comfort us.
Secondly from the diversity of comforts that belong to every great greiving calamity here, we learn the munificence of our Savior, who does with such infinite advantage return our afflictions; he did himself suffer so many sorrows, and found they were so hard to bear, that for every grief we patiently endure he renders a fourfold comfort, and of those some Divine, the last Eternal. Thus does he reward not our virtues only (for it is no command of ours to be greiv'd,) but our mischances, our inflictions: he recompenses thy enemy's malice to thee with multiplied and eternal consolations, yea he does thus reward thy ease; for such it is to mourn in crosses, our greifs boil out at our eyes, and ease their swellings by those eruptions of tears, yet this very ease does he comfort us for, and makes those tears, which for the present do refresh, to be the rivers of Paradise, the fountains of the waters of life; teaches us the constant vicissitudes of grief and joy; sorrow and gladness so receive one another constantly, that in this life they that mourn shall be comforted, they that laugh shall weep. Laughter hath in it self more than the tears of sadness, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 saith Aristotle, the hurries of delight even in the very wicked weary themselves into a dullness, and die into a sadness; the intemperances rejolt in bitter risings, and the more forced and violent the delight is, it is but like the raising the pendant weight, which by how much you lift it up one way, it drives itself so much on the other side; yea in the better sort of Christians the frollicks of these pleasures here below, though not sinful, do for the most part end in thoughtful sadnesses, careful regrets, not only in that such persons, when they come to themselves, find themselves estrang'd from God, and from devouter duty; a deadness is upon them, and they must take pains to wind themselves up again: but if with any conscionable care they look into themselves, they shall discern that little loosnesses and vanities and prides and such other companions have insinuated themselves, and crept in with the frollicks; matter for humiliation and sorrow, if they mean to recover the true inward Religious content which never springs with such a stream, as from these serious and retired reflections; they that so mourn shall find comfort. Thus the Aphorism also hath much truth in order to the two lives, that here and that hereafter.
2. This Aphorism also thus taken bears the full sense of that frequent saying, wherewith people used to comfort one another concerning these crosses, you are happy you have your sufferings in this life; which sentence, though it be not true in the full latitude, as thoevery man that suffered here had a crown therefore laid up for him; for afflictions may be vengeance for sins, which if they do not reduce us, as many are not bettered by their sufferings, why then they do increase their score, enhance their reckoning, and though they be the very beginning of Hell here, yet they do also heat Hell seven times more for them, and their very sufferings make them suffer more hereafter, than if they had not suffered here: because such sin against God's last method of reducing them. Tho this be too frequent truth, yet also there seeming some sufferings allotted to every man, as he that hath had no cross here, needs to look well to his tenure by which he holds his inheritance, since God hath said, he chastens every son whom he receiveth; and if ye be without chastening, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons. So also he that runs on in the race of Piety that is set before him, if he do meet with sharp stakes and stumbling blocks that hurt and gall him, yet if he starts up and goes on, he may look upon these as good evidences of his sonship, and security that he hath drunk his cup, and the dregs are not reserved for him; and thus both from this text, blessed are they that mourn, especially in S t Luke's expressing it, blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh; and woe unto you that laugh now, for ye shall mourn and weep, Luke 6. 21, 25. and most clearly from Abraham to the rich man Luke 16. 25. Son, remember that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented, or as 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 may signify rogatur, now thou Dives art the beggar, Lazarus is beg'd of; where you see clearly a portion of good and evil things seeming appropriate to every man on earth, each hath his good and evil things, and he that hath received the one may well look for the other: this clearly points out a vicissitude of good and evil, of comfort and of torment.
We learn hence the unequitable mistake of those men, who expect and gape for all good things in both lives, quadrigis caelum petimus, they would go to heaven in triumphal chariots, and in smooth and broad ways sleep themselves into bliss, have two Paradises, all ease here and heaven hereafter: and even just such is that also of them, that make a calm prosperity here, to be a sign and seal to them that they are in the right way to heaven; thus Turcism shall commence the only true Religion, and Mahomet shall dethrone Christ from his own purchased right hand of God, for he hath the more purple sword; thus succesful iniquity shall advance into piety, and sin by growing predominant, by becoming powerfully and exceeding sinful, accumulate into virtue. No, my Brethren, the comfort is promised not to them that have it here, but to the Mourners, take heed least the Blessings you receive in this life be called your good things, or your consolations, as Luke 6. 24.
I shall give you one sign whereby men may be able in some measure to discern, whether they do esteem, and make them to themselves such; God gives the good things of this world for uses, not to terminate our desires, as things of themselves good: only He himself, who is the supreme, the last good, can be so; all other are designed for ends, that do at last look up to him, and are and ought to be subordinate to that last highest end. Health is given to enable us to employ ourselves in the actions of some honest calling, for our own maintenance, for the good of others, and for the service of God, and carrying on the works and ends of Providence: so wealth or the provisions we acquire and enjoy, and every other good thing of this life. Now he that thwarts this order or subordination, that lays out his desires on the things themselves, that minds them for their own sake only, and the satisfaction he himself receives from them without looking further, these are his ends apparently, and so his good things which he rests in; which if God permit him to enjoy, he therefore hath his good things, and hath no great reason to expect and look for other. Now how miserably does this man delude himself? for this is to prefer the present moment before the following eternity: it is as if the Embryo should wish for a fair spacious womb, and choose to spring and leap there for its nine months, rather than to live a pleasant age in a variety of full delights, and so it may but dance in the womb not care to be delivered into a dungeon, and born a fettered slave: it is to choose the riot of one meal, one good feast, and to starve the whole remainder of a man's life; yea it is worse, it is to love a pleasant moment more, than he fears eternal Hell, or loves as eternal Heaven. And this will be discerned, (and is by most of them that live in jollity) when they come to die; when they must bethink themselves of going hence, and have not considered to provide a place, nay have all reason to believe they have no place provided, but that which God prepared for the Devil and his Angels; when they shall think in sad earnest, I have lived a pleasant life, and never have denied myself an appetite nor thwarted a design, nor yet hath God denied me anything, but Providence hath suffered everything to serve my inclinations, and to gorge my appetites; but I am going now where these unruly appetites, that I have so indulged, will infinitely grow, and where all satisfaction will be impossible, and my desires will be my endless torment.
3. This Aphorism also by pronouncing a present blessedness to the Mourners, lets us see the advantages they have above other men in their journey to Heaven. Delights for the most part they are but the baits and the sawces of sin: by these the Devil and the World and our own Flesh temts us to iniquities, and keeps us fast glew'd in them; this is every man's experience, yea the most innocent delights they are at the best avocations from Heaven, and from better things; they entertain and hold our thoughts upon fading objects, that will never profit us, if it happen that they do not utterly ruin us: whereas the causes of mourning, calamities, yea and the passion itself they beget virtues in us, a whole chain of them; for tribulation worketh patience, patience experience, experience hope, Rom. 5. 3, 4. yea indeed they make us perfect and entire lacking nothing, Jam. 1. 4. as if to be robbed and spoiled of all things were the sure way of wanting nothing, not a virtue certainly, these deep waters of affliction and these tears of ours, that raise the stream, they drive and waft us to our God, when he smote them, then they sought him and inquired after God early; a storm will make a Mariner pray, and when the tempest beats him down upon his knees he will lift up his hands to Heaven; the Heathen Seamen fled to the true Jehovah, when they were ready to suffer shipwreck Jonah 1. 14, 16. yea they do not only drive but woo us to God, they are temptations in the sense of bait also, I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness, saith God Hos. 2. 14. when I have made her solitary, put her as in the desert, brought her into the very place of dragons, this shall be my allurements, my enticing wooings of her: and not to loose the experience of this, S t Chrysostom hath given it in the frequent example of men of most effeminate, loose, dissolute lives, yet by a cause of mourning, by the loss of a bosom wife, of a dear only heir they become (at least for that time of grief) strict and severe; how do they banish all soft delights, no curious provision for the flesh, but more than Philosophical abstinence almost to the pining of themselves, watches and silence, quiet and humble prostrations of themselves, unspeakable meekness, huge commiseration of all that are afflicted, these are their passions and their exercises; for a while they so contemn the world, think it so little worth their moiling for, that now it is not worth a wish; in that time should a fire seize on all they had, or a spoiler run away with all, it would scarce divert a thought or eye to it from their sad melancholy object, they look upon all guilded pomps and soft pleasures as clothed with the same dark sable that themselves have on, they are almost ready to betake themselves to the wives sepulcher, running to inhabit that chamber of death, and again to marry themselves in that cold bed the grave; so easily will mourning wean us. In this dimness of anguish, and darkness as of the shadow of death, we should not run to hug and embrace gloworms, but prostrate ourselves in this dust and ashes, and with sad serious repentance set on mourning, which shall bring me to the consideration of the words as of a duty.
And first of the duty in general: now the mourning here being opposed to them that laugh in S t Luke, the thing forbidden in the duty may be all foolish lightness in conversation and manners, all vanity, looseness and wantoness, all uncomely behaviors or jestings, all freer recreations that beget or are accompani'd with any of these; and the duty be in part the same with that in the Phil. 4. 8. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , if any things be grave, think on these things, saith he there, gravity being the very garb of a Mourner. Not that I would have this duty to exclude all recreation, which also according to the persons with whom it is, may be innocently light; as with children serious toys are no sport for them. But
1. Recreation must be such as may cherish health and strength, and unbend the mind by diverting it; for to weary myself by my refreshment is to contradict the very aim of it, to make my recreation need another sport to refresh me after the toil of my laborious idleness: and therefore also
2. It must be moderate; otherwise it does exchange with my calling, and my refreshment becomes my employment: and
3. It must be innocent; I must not make it my sport to offend God; it is too dangerous a recreation to jest with and provoke the Almighty, to play with sin, and to sport away a virtue is of too ill consequence: and the duty of the text saith also it should be.
4. According to the condition of my person, somewhat grave, not so extremely light and vain; and if you would by these examine the usual delights, first all freer revelling, which if they be in pleasures of the taste, end frequently in intemperance, are accompanied with foolish discourses, very oft profane; and with swearings, idle and bitter jestings at those which are present, and detractions of those that are absent, whence proceed quarrels and the like: they are also full of apishness in the process of them below the gravity of common sense, much more of a Christian, a member of the Son of God: we should find these, I say, to jarr with more than one of the former requisites of recreation. Some other sorts are oft the instruments of infinite vanity, the great engines of lasciviousness and lust. Wanton Songs and unchaste books, these very things they put a fucus upon sin, and they dress iniquity with all the adulteries of possible art, that they may the more enticingly prostitute her: here are young souls ensnar'd by these, to whom the very description of sin is invitation and conquest. Do not sit by a woman that is a Singer, saith the wise Son of Sirach; and if innocent beauty be irresistible temptation, if it do at once assault both at the eyes and ears, charge the soul with charms at both those ports, how then shall the very pleasure of that temptation, the wantoness itself be resistible, when it comes dressed with harmony, when it do's melt the imagination into the soft looseness of its own smooth airs and gentle warblings? How shall they escape when they see sin clothed in all the flowers of Rhetoric as books present, when they see the example of men temting to it and learn the method, when they see it acted, and the delight of it expressed with all the advantages of sinful art, with very prurient words, and committing language. Some others, as great gamings, (not that I condemn the thing in general) when they are used with much appetite, either of the sport itself or of the price, they become immoderate, too much time is spent upon them. And Causinus saith, did a man commit no other sin, but conversing a good part of his life with kings and knaves of cards, being invited to the conversation of Angels, yet were it no small offense. But besides that they are the nurses of anger, they dictate ill language, and they are the apprenticeship of cursings, oaths, and blasphemy: so that if you put all these together, you shall find that by all these recreations we do but bait and temt our sins, we do the Devils work against ourselves; and we that know our strength is not miraculous, that find how oft and easily we fall, are bound in conscience to avoid those things which we find are occasions to us of sin: and if you would instead of those impressions, which the vain pleasures of those recreations do leave upon your desires, entertain and heighten these few considerations to yourselves, it might a little bridle.
1. A Christian is a mourner, my blacks, my dark sad veils are are spread over me; and should I see a woman in that habit, and, while it was new, go to revels, sing obscene catches, and spend much of her time in gamings, what would I think of that woman? Why even the same strumpet, lewd thing is my soul, that in the days of her mourning does thus luxuriate. And is it not a sad thing that a Christian, (a very serious name, that) a man, that hath the delights of heaven to refresh himself with, that hath God to converse with, should not yet know how to pass his time without these lighter vain follies, which yet he would be loath to do before a man of quality and discretion; yea that he cannot refresh himself without sinful delights, that he must go take a walk in Hell to divert himself for fear he nauseate upon Heaven?
2. All the holy Angels, that so great cloud of witnesses, they look upon me acting these my impertinent ridiculous follies, and it do's break off their melody; they mourn to see me, a Christian, a man that should be one of them, thus foolishly passing my irrevocable time, idly spending my hours of repentance, and vainly throwing away my possibilities of Heaven, and doing this so unseemly, destroying myself with lightness and to no purpose.
3. How many now do mourn in their state and expectation of miseries, and with sad yellings bewail their lost hours, and the sins which their lightnesses and recreations drew upon them, the curses and ill language of their gaming, the fornications of the lusts which their songs and dances did provoke them to, and the intemperance of their revels, and the idle words of all of them in general, of which yet our Savior saith we must give an account? and have I not reason to fear the same expectations and woes? and then had I not better be a little more serious and grave, put on the strictness and severity of a Christian here, unless I can resolve, so I may but sing wantonly here, not to care though I howl in hell eternally, so I may but revel and drink here, let the never-dying worm forever gnaw upon the very marrow of my soul, and God's fury drink up my spirits, and myself forever suffer the perpetual thirst of fever, dwell with everlasting burnings, and rather than I will put on black and be a mourner here, I will be thrust into the land of utter darkness, where there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth?
But I will now descend to the particular exercises of this duty, of which I will name but two: the first is to bewail and mourn for the calamities that befall or are impendent on a Church and State, or any member of it, either others or ourselves, without considering whether this be like to be our case or no; I only put it in the general as a duty, and a particular exercise of this in the text: whensoever any judgment do befall a Land, to be truly humbled and sadded by it, and to compassionate any one that is afflicted by it, and as S t Paul bid us Rom. 12. 15. to weep with them that weep. Now to move us to this, he that is not affected, he declares plainly, that he is no fellow-member of him whose sufferings he does not partake in, nor a part of that Church in whose judgment he is not humbled; for saith S t Paul if one member be afflicted, all the rest suffer with it: and experience saith it too, and then shall the body of our Head Christ, a whole Church be wounded and maim'd, have its last deathpangs upon it, lie struggling and gasping, and we unmov'd at this, have the same full delights, and taste them too, feel no gripes, no sympathy of convulsions, and shall we yet think ourselves members of that body of Christ? Oh no, we hold not of the Head our Savior, we have no communion with him; for if we had, we should have communion of sufferings, a fellow-sense. There is no such convincing sign as this in the world, this flowing from the very nature of grief; for grief cannot properly be but for an evil that is some way annexed and proper to ourselves, de malo conjuncto; for as appetite is implanted for the use of him in whom it is implanted, so it is not proper to it to have any aversation to evil, except it be some way evil to him whose appetite hath that aversation, and to grieve at misery I must some way conceive it to concern myself. Now then as he that does not conceive himself a member of a Church, nor a fellow member, nor any way relating to it, he cannot truly grieve; so he that does not grieve, declares no communion with it, he is another thing, a member quite cut off or dead, and so stupid and insensible. Such a judgment doest thou pass upon thyself whoever doest not mourn, outlawest and excommunicatest thyself, neither belongst to Church nor State, nor yet to Christ.
2. As thou hast no charity to thy Brother, nor to thy afflicted Mother; so neither hast thou any love to God, whose glory though it be asserted by the punishment of a sinful Land or Church, he is also still dishonored by the sins which do then reign, and to which he does permit for the most part the punishment of sin, and that power and authority or discipline which divisions in the Church cut short, hath for its consequent all unbridled looseness and profaneness, Blasphemy and Atheism; the calamities of a State are embitter'd by all sorts of licences that grow when Government is weakn'd: to see a whole Land mourn with the dark purple of its blood, all which blood as it is the punishment of that Nation, so it is the guilt also to see the wickedness of a Kingdom plagu'd with the ruin of many thousands of men's lives and thousands of souls too that fell in actual iniquity, and yet to think that this plague is the greatest wickedness of all, armed with the most crying sins that are, that the very punishment must call for punishment and revenge of itself, and help to make up the measure of judgment, that the sentence of desolation may be irreversible and utter, to see two inundations overflow the Land, two abysses of blood and guilt, and one deep calling upon another to meet and swallow us and bury us in their graves of sin and deep ruin; yea to see iniquity become impudent and sin triumphant, which is the great sign of utter ruin as it was to the Jews, an omen worse than Comets or Blazing-stars, & the dismal voice of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , yea and in this ruin too I do not see how any will well free themselves from guilt; for if they be the ruiners they are the great spoilers, the sinners if the ruined; they have contributed to make those others the sinful inflicters: and if in all this there be not matter for a little mourning, if God dishonored, souls destroi'd, lives perishing, Church ruining, and nothing but sin flourishing, and ourselves not unguilty, and if this be not an object for our tears, we are the most uncharitable, most obdurate creatures in the world, Niobe 's stone is not fit to be our emblem, for that stone could sweat tears; we are more rock than that which Moses struck, whom the rod of God cannot make weep, we are next degree to Lucifer himself, for only Hell is sure at ease to see its company increase.
3. Lastly this not mourning in the judgment of a Nation is a sin which God does most heavily characterize and threaten, Amos 6. 1, 6, 7, 8. Isaiah 22. when the Prophet had described how it should be in the day of desolation v. 4, 5. then because they did not do it, see the judgment v. 12, 13, 14. yea this very thing, that men are insensible, is as it were the very last judgment on a Nation, and the sign of utter rejection, Jer. 16. 5, 6, 7.
But how can this duty of mourning consist with those so frequent Gospel-Commands to rejoice in utmost afflictions? James 1. 2, 3. Count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience: and S t Paul most often. 'It is true indeed we are to rejoice in them, because they are God's methods of bettering us; by them he does purge ad cleanse us, Isaiah 4. 4, 5. and c. 1. 25, 27. Redeem'd with judgment, even with the judgment that I shall execute upon them. But then
1. What reason have we to mourn also that we are such foul sinners as to need such ways of purging, that Christ's death should not have motive enough in it to turn us from iniquity, that his blood should not be sufficient laver enough to wash us but our own must be poured out also, that our air should be so infected that nothing but an universal conflagration can purify, that we should be such refractory stubborn persons, whom nothing but wounding will do good upon, nothing but ruin will reduce? But then
2. How are we more to mourn that this very method should not be able to reduce us, that we will run upon lashes, swords and deaths to sin, that in the midst of judgments and against them too we commit iniquity, that every stripe does increase our reckoning, add to our iniquities, & no possible method left to reduce them whom correction will not make sensible; but our villainies grow up with our sufferings, and our sins are fatned by our blood, as the land is.
Yea lastly how are we to mourn that to the rest of our sins this also is added by us, of not mourning at our judgments, but using all possible means to prevent it, to lay a sleep the sense of any judgment that is upon the Nation, to be so far from bestowing one hour of sadness upon those so grand motives to it, that they do all they can to keep it from them; and if those judgments happen to some, they look upon it carelessly, as a thing that does not concern, rather as a matter only of rejoicing; if to others whom they wish well to, they search out wine and vice to quench and to divert the memory and thought of it, to drown sad news in sadder sin; this is to labor hard lest sadness and a virtue should creep upon me, to search out means to assist me to keep God's last method from doing any good upon me: this is one cause of greatest judgment Isaiah 5. 11, 12, 13, 14.
The second and indeed the great exercise of this duty in the text, is to mourn for our sins; and
First for the infirmities of our nature, that stain that we were born with, that engagement to death that we brought into the world with us, and which is a clog and weight upon us throughout the whole course of our lives to disable us from doing our duty as we ought.
Secondly for the sins of our habits, whereby we have advancit those infirmities into customs, made a covenant with that death to which we were born engaged, and our whole practice is the exercise of those things whose wages is death eternal; or if we are not gone so far in vicious customs, yet for the gross foul acts which men sometimes commit, those unkind stabs and wounds to our own souls, those cruel self-murders, these all are to be daily mourned for. Now I shall only name a few reasons why we should mourn, and so stir us up to it.
1. Because only in this and in relation to this is grief of any use at all: God and Nature, they say, made nothing in vain; now if it were not for our sins grief would be almost in vain, a certain sign that this passion must be emploi'd upon our sins, ut propter hujus tantum sublationem sit concessa, saith S t Chrysostom. For does any man loose a child? why if he grieve to death will his mourning raise him? Is thy Estate taken from thee? why thou art sad upon it, but will thy tears recover it? But hast thou sinned, and dost thou truly mourn and grieve for it? why thy tears do wash away thy sin and blot out thine offense. So that mourning being everywhere else preposterous and unprofitable, was clearly intended to be spent upon our sins.
2. What ingratitude is it to thy Savior not to find in thine heart to mourn for those sins for which he did die; the Son of God did sweat, and pray, and cry, and shed a torrent of blood and water, and suffer death for those very sins of thine and mine which we think so slightly of, that we will not shed a tear for them? O my Brethren, if there is in us any love of that our Jesus, or indeed of ourselves, we would now transplant the Agonies, and make them ours, and sweat out a few drops of sorrow to cure us of those feavors of our sins.
3. Yea it is a very trouble to our God that we do not grieve, he mourns to see that we will not mourn, Hosea 13. 14. when God had complained before of Ephraim, what a foolish child it was that it did not repent; he tells them there, that if they had don so, I would have ransomed them from the power of the grave, (not I will, for the very next verse contradicts that) I would have redeemed them from death, O death, I had been thy grave, O grave I had been thy destruction; but comfort is hid from mine eyes: (repentance we read, but the word bears and the sense requires comfort, ) as if the eyes of the Lord were therefore full of tears, because Ephraim 's were not, and he could not receive comfort, if Ephraim did not mourn: and if we do not mourn, God will comfort himself some other way concerning us to our grief, Isaiah 1. 24. Therefore thus saith the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, the Mighty one of Israel, ah! I will ease me of mine adversaries, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the very word before I will be comforted by reason of mine adversaries; how? why I will avenge me of mine enemies. Ah my Brethren when God is to be comforted by his vengeance upon us, when he can find no ease but in our ruin and destruction, and that he calls his comfort in relation to the non-mourning impenitent, where shall we find ease and comfort then?
And then methinks this should scare us into the use of this, fright us out of that stupid lethargy in sinning, which does so dull us in it, makes us so senseless of it and the danger we are in by reason of it, that we cannot bestow one day in weeping, mourning, and fasting, no nor indeed an hour of serious sadness upon an age of sin, a whole life of iniquity: the very next step of this into which we shall be sure to fall, is the greatest sin and judgment in the world, it is that spoken of as a character of the foulest Heathens, Ephes. 4. 18. 19. Having their understandings darkened, being alienated from the life of God thro the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness that is in their heart; who being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness: rather because of the brawny hardness of their hearts, which are become callous, insensible of any admonitions, stings and grief, but dead to all sense of sin, and having put off all fear of it; and who these are he tells you in the next words 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , such as when they do the foulest acts, are not touched with any grief for having don them, but like dead members of the body that are forsaken by the vital spirits, if you lash or prick or lance them, they feel no pain: even so these whose consciences are retired & a sleep, they do not mourn for any of their foulest actions, which is the very height of impiety; for such do strait give themselves over to all filthiness to work all uncleanness with greediness. This is the effect of not mourning, and then how do they deserve and provoke this judgment, who if at any time their conscience begin to twinge them for any of their sins, they presently divert their thoughts, lest the mourning in the text should creep upon them, and they should grow sad? These men dread their virtue, they are afraid of becoming pious, and to avoid the way to heaven is their design and contrivance; they come not so near duty as the wicked in hell, have not so much repentance as the damned have; for there is sorrow for their sins, weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
I should 2 dly encourage those that do thus mourn, but the text does that sufficiently, they are blessed, and they shall be comforted.
First they are blest for this mourning, it is the great effect and sign of this Spiritual life; that man's sickness hath not yet killed him, who is sensible of it, who greives by reason of the anguish of it, and he is not dead who feels the weight of it and mourns for it.
Secondly if it be true, it draws such a train of virtues after it, as it made S t Paul rejoice that he had made the Corinthians sad, 2 Cor. 9, 10, 11. and then this very same verse will assure them of the comfort hereafter; for all the Gospel-promises are assured upon the terms of repentance, which this Godly sorrow is the first link of, and does draw after it: & then if there be any comfort in the company of myriads of Saints and Angels, if we dare take Christ's judgment, if he had any taste who suffered so many mourning fits, that lived a life of tears here, that often wept but never laughed, yea a life of horrid suffering, and yet thought those comforts a full glorious recompense to him for all those sufferings, and therefore may well be to us for a few tears; if there be any joy in the beatifical vision and in heaven, they shall be comforted that mourn, when as I told you out of Revelations, all tears shall be wiped from their eyes, there shall be no more trouble, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. And yet this is but the Negative part of their eternity of bliss, which to conceive is to be as God, and to enjoy is to be one with him.
And O thou Blessed Jesu, the eternal Lord of all those comforts, be favorable unto us thy servants, that turn to thee with weeping and with mourning, that do with hearty bewailing for our hardness desire thee to teach our souls with some compunction for those iniquities that did put thee to death and would ruin us, to break our rocky hearts, that they may stream out tears for those our sins which shed thy blood, and would cast us into eternal wailings; and as thou hast humbled us into the dust, and prostrated our very souls unto the ground, to grant unto us to sit down in that dust and to bewail our own demerits, which our very ruin can neither equal nor amend. O suffer us not to be so obdurate, as to prove immovable by all thy pressures, insensible of our own miseries and sufferings, and such as amidst the pains of sin do still retain the malice and the obstinacy, and then at last by these thy methods and our greifs recover us from the follies of our lives, close our eyes and withdraw our affections from the temting lightnesses and vanities of our conversations; and fix our thoughts and appetites upon thy serious comforts, those heavenly refreshments after so much sadness, that we being reckoned amongst them whom thou dost chasten, put into the number of thy mourners, whose share of sorrows are dispencit in this life, may have title to the inheritance of Sons, the joys of blessedness, and the portion of eternal consolations in the land of everlasting pleasures with thee the Lamb that wert slain, and art therefore worthy to receive all honor, power, praise, might, majesty, and dominion with the Father and the Holy Ghost, now and for evermore.
SERMON VII. OF THE CLEANSING POWER Of Christian HOPE.
1 John 3. 3.
HOPE is of all others the most active passion, setting all the rest of them and the whole man on work; for who would ever do or desire anything, if he did not hope for some good by it? It is this hope alone that employs all the men and all the professions of the world: it is the wings of the Desires and Actions, carrying them thro the greatest difficulties with courage and alacrity, with Confidence and an unwearied Constancy, Ad bonas spes pertinax animus est. Never will a man leave so long as he does hope, and of all hopes that of the Christian should be the most active; because it aims at the highest good, in comparison of which all other good things are but shadows. For what are the pleasures of earth to the things of God, not worthy to be the expressions, no nor the foils of them? Now we see the greater the hopes, the more active men are in the pursuit of them; for who is there that will take so much pains for a Cottage, as for a Crown? And is it not then a wonder, that of all Hopes yet this Hope of Heaven should be the least effectual in the minds of men; and of all pleasures those of God should least invite, and least employ us? For what one is there that does not with more eager and constant industry pursue the hopes of profit or the hopes of pleasure, than he does the hopes of Immortality and of Blessedness? How few are there that do not spend more time and more endeavors, take more and longer pains in their Sports than in their Religion? which could not certainly be, if they had not surer and greater hopes of joy from their sports, than from Heaven; for the greater hope would certainly set them the more on work. No, Heaven is a thing of no taste, carries no profit, no pleasure in the meaning of it; for if it did it would employ them in the gaining of it, and everyone that had this hope, would purify himself as he is pure, Matth. 5. 8.
If the inheritance of the Kingdom of God were, as some were upon earth, entailed, so that do they what they will, they could not be put by it, there were then some reason not to wonder, wherefore we see men live in the broad way to Hell and yet then hope to come to Heaven: and certainly nothing but such a persuasion as that can possibly lull men into such a wretchless security as they are possessed with, in a thing of this eternal consequence. For if we should examine them, the most sinful wretch of them all hath hopes to be saved, yea he would not be able to stand under the burden and the horror of his own killing thoughts, if he should but once despair of that: so that hope he will, and yet if he believe one jot of Scripture, it is impossible for him to hope it. For that bids him not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God. So that he dares not not hope, and yet if he do but ask himself, he knows he cannot hope: and what then makes him do it? Certainly the opinion that such and such the inheritance is entailed upon, and be they what they will, they shall have Heaven. But alas! they are mistaken in the nature of the inheritance; we may read of many that were cast off, and the Heir must be a servant as long as he is a child, if he do not obey, no hopes of his arriving at his inheritance when he is come to age. S t John here will dash all those vain hopes, and will tell them as they cannot justly hope, for none such as they can be possessed of that inheritance; and therefore 'tis to no purpose for them to hope it. So also that they do not indeed hope; for if they did ever expect to arrive at Heaven, they would not run on in a course, that leads a clean contrary way.
The Apostle here propounds five Arguments to exhort them to the study of Piety, to press after Holiness, and to leave off their courses of sin. I shall name them backwards. First in the tenth verse if we be Christians we not only will not, but cannot sin. Yea secondly we are indeed Children of the Devil, if we do v. 8. Neither thirdly have we any Communion with Christ possibly, or interest in his Righteousness v. 6, 7. Nay fourthly they destroy the very end of Christ's coming into the world v. 5. Lastly in the front of all these neither can they hope to enjoy any of those glorious promises, that God hath made to his Children, those of giving them glory and immortality; For he that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself as he is pure.
In the handling of these words I shall show you what it is to purify himself. Secondly what kind of purity he is to strive after, as he is pure. Thirdly what the Hope of a Christian is, this Hope. Fourthly how that Hope does set a man on purifying, He that hath this Hope purifies himself.
For the first what it is to purify I shall only name, it is to cleanse from all mixture of pollution, and how far it is to extend, is set down by S t Paul upon the very same grounds with those in the Text, Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness both of the Flesh and Spirit: and S t James Cleanse your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts you double-minded: and they both mean thus much; that for external actions, Christian purity though it will admit of slips and failings, yet it is not consistent with continuance in any known sin. And therefore David though he were said to be a man after God's own heart, and that he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, (the very description of pure) yet it is added save in the matter of Uriah. For first it never does admit any filthiness of Flesh, but must be universal; and it is in this true what S t James saith c. 2. v. 10. Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all: God had before affirmed the same expressly Ezek. 18. 10, 11, 12, 13. If he beget a son that is a robber, and that doth the like to any one of these things, and hath defiled his neighbors wife, hath oppressed the poor and needy &c. shall he then live? he shall not live, he hath don all these abominations, he shall surely die. So that in God's sight he that hath don any one of these things, he hath don all these abominations: for it is plain, that those he had not don he abstained not from, because God had forbidden them; for then he had abstained from that which he had don, God had forbidden that; so that his abstinences are not innocence, but squeamishness or fear. Either he does not like them, or he dares not do them for some worldly reason; and he does not only let God see he can abstain for such considerations as these, but will not for his Promises or his authority. He values these below the mode or fashion of the world, or his respect to some other person, or any little interest or humor.
2. Neither does this purity admit any filthiness of the Spirit, we must purify our hearts; and for internal purity the rule is, that to abstain from outward actions of sin is not enough, but the heart must be cleansed also: this is proved already. And indeed to deny my flesh the pleasures of the flesh, and yet to let my mind dwell upon them and enjoy them; not to commit them, and yet suffer my soul to do it, is to transplant the sin, to make my soul act the deeds of the flesh, and my very spirit become carnal. This is at the best to give God the worst part of my services, and the Devil the best: my heart and soul the Devil enjoies; God hath nothing but a few outward abstinences. What a mixture is here, how far from purity; God and the Devil joined together, and the Devil having the upper hand, the better portion?
Thus in general, but to tell you what kind of purity we are to strive after, I shall touch at some few Scripture wordings of it.
1. Holiness. For pure and holy are often joined 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. Now the true notion of holiness consists in a setting apart, or discrimination from other things or persons. And therefore holiness of life is the observing that peculiar different form of life, which God hath commanded those whom he hath called, not being conformed to the fashion of the world. As S t James saith pure Religion, not to live after the common manner of men, common and holy being everywhere opposed: so that when God is said to call us to holiness, he requires us to consecrate our lives to his service, to look upon ourselves as things sacred. Hence Christians are called living Sacrifices holy to God Rom. 12. 1. Temples of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6. 19. and all names of Holiness are set upon them to show how strict a necessity lies upon us to separate ourselves from all carnal worldly uses and defilements.
2. The Pure are expressed by Virgins 2 Cor. 11. 2. For I am jealous over you with a Godly jealousy, that is, as a strict careful Parent over his beloved maiden daughter, so that I may present you as a chaste Virgin to Christ. Every gross impurity deflowers the soul, and when it sins it plays the strumpet. And if a bride, that on her wedding day should play the harlot, and give away that Virginity which she had but then promised to her Husband, would certainly not dare to stand the wrath of her furious Bridegroom that should catch her in her villainy: how wilt thou meet the jealousy of thy Spouse, when as thou spread'st thyself to every temptation, committest perpetual whoredoms with the World and flesh, and doest continually act disloialty in the very eyes of his glory? Certainly the same jealous care and earnest desires that are emploi'd in seeking a wife that is not vitiated, this very expression of Virgin does direct us to make use of in watchfulness over ourselves, that sin do not devirginate us, that we do not present a strumpet to Christ for his Spouse; but that he may find us Virgins at the Marriage of the Lamb. Yea that we may see what kind of ones also, S t Paul expresseth their Purity Ephes. 5. 27. not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and without blemish. For as every gross Sin does deflowr the Soul, and make it no Virgin; so every lighter fault is a spot upon the cheek, a wrinkle in the forehead in Christ's eyes. And if chastity shall be severely guarded out of a respect to future hopes of marriages, which there is no hopes to be successful in, if that be blasted; if to please a Suitor the glass shall be consulted with, every stain shall be adorned, covered, made a beauty-spot; and all methods (sometimes more then honest) used to keep the forehead smooth, the cheek full and plain, not content with the Lord's workmanship upon them they will outdo their Maker, and create to themselves beauties that God and Nature never did intend them: if men do avoid wrinkles in a Bride, as they would do a Deaths-head or memento mori in their bridal bed, can we then think ourselves, whom every day bespots, and stains, every hour adds such wrinkles to, whose souls have more of those furrows than our lives have minutes, who are indeed only bundles of deformities, besides our gross whoredoms; can we, I say, think ourselves a fit Spouse for Christ? Is he the only Bridegroom to be thus provided for? Can we have confidence to present a Strumpet to him for a Bride, and care not that he find us Virgins at the Marriage of the Lamb? Or can we expect anything but an eternal divorce from him, whom we have thus used.
I have given you some expressions by which you may judge what kind of Purity we are to aim at: I shall come a little nearer that of the Text by one or two more.
3. Purity and Holiness are expressed in Scripture by White Raiment, Revel. 3. 18. a White Robe, c. 7. 9. for the Fine Linnen is the Righteousness of the Saints, as it there follows. Now the reason of this compellation is, it is called Raiment because it is to cover our nakedness and our shame; for our sins are accounted such. In God's eyes every wicked person is the same thing as a deformed creature with his nakedness shamefully uncover'd and prostituted. This is clear out of those places Rev. 16. 15. least he walk naked, and they see his shame. Rev. 3. 18. Buy of me White Raiments, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. For that it is called Raiment, and White Linnen because of the Purity. White is the purest color, the least spot or stain is immediately discerned upon it: and if it be upon Fine Linnen, makes it presently cast off by them, whose glory it is to be neat and clean, it shall no more come near them till the spots and stains be washed off. And Oh that we had but this pride for our souls, that we were but as ambitious to have our immortal Spirits neatly decked when we appear in God's sight, as our putrifying carcasses when we go in company: that when we slip or fall, and when a spot does stain this Linnen even of Righteousness, that we would instantly wash it in our tears and the blood of Christ, the laver that is prepared for this Linnen, for they made their garments white in the blood of the Lamb: and that for the time to come we would be but as careful of keeping it neat; of preserving it from stains, as we are of finer linen. And God himself makes use of our pride in that kind to be our exprobation Jer. 2. 32. Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number. And sure I am, the expression of Fine Linnen aims at a great degree of Purity, when it calls that careful conscionable duty the walking worthy of the Christian calling, whereunto we are called, even the walking diligently in all the Commandments of God; calls I say, this Righteousness fine linen clean and white: for it is the very expression of that pure clothing that we shall be dressed in at our wedding with Christ, it is our spousal linen when we go to meet our Bridegroom Rev. 19. 7, 8. The Marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready, and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen clean and white, to teach us that we should be always as careful of our ways, always dressed in mind, and so prepared, as if we were to go and meet our Bridegroom. Yea it is the expression of that pure Clothing, which we shall be clothed in Heaven with, where we shall be pure as God is pure, perfectly holy: Rev. 3. 4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with me in white; to let us see that this expression by which our Righteousness is called white clothing, requires us to have our conversation in Heaven, even while we are here; to make our lives here but as a preparation to that Marriage-feast, to be but the time of dressing ourselves before hand. For we must array ourselves in fine linen, the very same dress in which we must walk with Christ; for, they shall walk with me in white, saith he: yea 'tis his own dress also, for the garments of Christ, Moses and Elias in the Mount was white shining Raiment. Holiness is transfiguration upon earth: so that this compellation from our daily diligence in the cleansing and the keeping of our linen does direct us to the same diligence in neatness of our souls, and requires of us such a Purity as with which God is pure.
4. Purity it is called light, as also sin is called darkness Rom. 13. 12. Put ye off the works of darkness and put ye on the armor of light: and Matth. 5. 16. Let your light so shine before men; and that very fitly, because nothing so pure as light, so clear as shine and noon-day, it is the most pure of all visible creatures, it is not possible so much as to sully shine or to spot the light; the foulest dung-hill that it can shine upon, does not at all defile it; you may put out the day, but you cannot stain it. And truly no expression comes near the Purity of Light, for it is so clean as it is set to express the very Holiness of God himself, 1 John 1. 5. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is Light, and in him is no darkness at all. And therefore while our Piety is called light, it teaches us that we labor to be pure as he is pure; the kind of Purity, which how it is, S t James hath set down c. 1. 17. where he explains this very expression, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. They are Astronomical expressions belonging to the Lights of Heaven: God is not like them that change oft; not like the Moon that hath its tides of light, now full, and then dark; nor is he like the Sun, he hath not any 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Tropic, who when he is come near to us and makes summer, then turns back again and goes fromward us: neither must our Light have any such, our Holiness must have no Solstice; our Devotion sometimes mounting with a bright and holy flame as it would breath up into Heaven itself, sometimes fainting and sinking as it would expire and die: now our endeavors strong and violent, we strive, pant and climb; afterwards we slacken and go backwards. Neither yet a waning Moon, Holiness ebbing and flowing, now increasing, then again decaying; which though it be sometimes glorious with a full shine, is yet otherwhile the darkest part of the whole Firmament. It must not be so with our Piety, sometimes at a Sermon, or before a Communion, or upon some sharp rebuke of God's in an affliction, cross, or other occasion very high and shining; but then again at another time like the New-Moon no light at all; the Devotion is sunk and extinct, and our vanities possess us wholly. No fits of Purity, Paroxysms of Piety, that come like the heats of agues now and then, but with great intervals between, will serve the turn; but it must give a constant shine. Devotion must be a fixed Light, such as is not variable and turning; and so this expression shows how we must purify as he is pure, with kind, I say, not with degree. For the Text does not mean that we should be as pure as he; to aim at such a virtue were Rebellion, and the hopes of such a Purity were Lucifers Ambition, and would throw us down to Hell. Neither yet pure as he is pure, without any mixture of spot or stain. For while we are made up of a mixed composition, we shall never be so pure, neither is any such exacted of us. All the meaning is, if we have hopes to be like God hereafter with glorious likeness, we must endeavor also to be like him here; and that is don by endeavoring after Purity, forasmuch as God is pure.
Here is then an efficacious motive for us to labor after Purity, it makes us like God. To be a Child or a Son in Scripture is the same thing as to be like, or do such works as the other does: Ye are of your Father the Devil, and his works ye do, John 8. 44. and what in one place is said That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven, in another place is, that ye may be like you Father. For whatever the Children of a Natural Father be, God's Children must be like him, or they are not his; and the way to be so is but to labor after Holiness, to be still amending by little and little, daily cleansing out some sin or other: he vouchsafes to call this purifying as he is pure, he calls such a person like him and his Child.
But secondly whose Children are they and like whom, who go on still in their courses of wickedness? and if they do not grow daily worse, as few there are that do not, yet they never think of growing better, if we should examine them by the expressions we have given.
And take them first to that of Light, by which we saw a holy Conversation was stilled, we shall in that see the sad condition of a wicked person, his life is all darkness: that sore Plague of Egypt, which three days made intolerable, is still upon the Sinners Soul, nothing but night about him. And indeed nothing else befits his deeds of darkness, as sins are called; which how glorious and splendid soever they seem to him, the only modes and gallantry, yet alas the splendor of them is but like the shine of lightning, full of horror in itself, and makes the darkness of the night also more irksome. And what can these men, that have no light, whose deeds are all the deeds of night and darkness; what can they expect but to be cast at last into utter darkness, where there is only weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth?
2. If we take them to the other expression of White Raiment, how will they whose open exemplary sins do strip them and expose them naked, have reason to be ashamed, and to cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a clo • e? How wretchedly stupid is the heart of this People that glory in their shame, that count their sins the only gaudy bravery? when as poor souls they are miserable, and poor, and naked, Rev. 3. 17. There was no such disgraceful thing as to have the uncomely parts of the body laid open to public sight: so Hanun used David's Ambassadors, whom he thought Spies 2 Sam. 10. 4. which was occasion enough for a war upon them. And God expresses Isaiah 20. 4. He shall lead away the Egyptians Prisoners, naked with their buttocks uncovered to the shame of Egypt. And you may see what God threatens to adulterous Israel, Isaiah 3. 16, &c. and much more at large in Ezek. 16, and 23. that she might be laughed to scorn, and had in derision, and might be an infamous woman. And in one place he threatens to discover her by throwing her cloths over her head. Now I have showed you that Holiness is the only Virginity, and sin is the Souls whoredom; and the expression that I have in hand tells you that Holiness is the only garment, and the openest of sinning is the Souls nakedness; which if you put together, you will see, that a profane person, an open sinner is the same scorned thing, as a whore with her cloths over her head, a bare strumpet acting naked lewdness in high ways, with her inexpressible filthiness exposed in public to eyes and shame. And is such a thing as this fit to go to God, or to be a Spouse of Christ? No his Bride must be arrai'd in fine white linen, that is the righteousness of the Saints, and without holiness no one shall see him: For he that hath that hope, must purify himself, as he is pure.
This Hope. What Christian Hope is: it is a patient and a comfortable expectation of the performance of all God's Promises. Patient expectation it is Rom. 8. 25. if we hope, then do we with Patience wait for it. Comfortable it must needs be, because of the excellency of its object, God's Promises; all the comfort of the Scriptures are the very ground of it, Rom. 15. 4. That we thro patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope: and it is therefore called Coloss. 1. 23. The hope of the Gospel. Whatsoever mercy is included in the whole Gospel, Remission of sins, and everlasting Blessedness, all those rich and precious mercies which that does propose, and which God himself thought to be the most temting baits to allure us, even all these our Hope does fly at. You may find them everywhere scattered; the Resurrection from the dead Acts 23. 6. I am accused of the hope and resurrection from the dead; and c. 28. 20. For the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain. Secondly Eternal Life, Tit. 1. 2. In hope of Eternal Life, which God that cannot lie, promised before the world began. Thirdly the Glory to come, Rom. 5. 2. We rejoice in hope of the Glory of God: and Col. 1. 27. it is called the Hope of Glory. Yea the being like God himself in the Text, We know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, and then it follows, and he that hath this hope purifieth himself as he is pure; as also Tit. 2. 13. That blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Savior Jesus Christ. All these the Christian does with joy and confidence expect Heb. 3. 6.
And here you may see the price of your calling, whatsoever good things God hath prepared for them that love him; and they are such, as neither eye hath seen, nor ear heard, neither can enter into the heart of man to comprehend. Yea whatsoever good things he hath prepared for himself, his own glories, all these he hath set out to bait our hopes with; these are a Christians most assured expectations. Whosoever thou art, that art a careful Soul, and with strict Religion followest after Holiness, thou mayest securely give the Scoffers of the world and the wicked leave to call thee miserable, to deride thy strictnesses and thy austerities, to say thy mortifications do make thy life sad and uncomfortable: alas! they do not see the Hope that is laid before thee, such a Hope as made thy Savior endure the cross and despise the shame. They look upon thy strict performances, but they do not look upon thy expectations, they consider not the Crown of those performances: for if they did, they would not certainly think the present momentary pleasures of their sins could countervail that Crown. Be the hardship what it will, it is a comfortable Hope, and that sufficiently confirmed to us; full of assurance it leans upon the whole Trinity, 1 Pet. 1. 21. That our hope might be in God. and Tim. 1. 1. Our Lord Jesus Christ our Hope. Rom. 5. 5. That we may abound in Hope thro the power of the Holy Ghost. The Power of the whole God-head engaged both to secure and to support our Hope. A blessed Hope Tit. 2. 13. a Hope that is enjoyment. And if it be a blessed Hope, what will the possession be; if there be happiness in the expectation, what will there be in the fruition? O purify yourselves and come and see: which brings me to the last part, how this Hope does set a man on purifying; for every man that hath this Hope, purifies himself.
Now to declare and prove this to you I shall do two things. First prove that this is such a Hope, as hath in it motive enough to set a man on purifying. Secondly that he that does not purify, cannot have this Hope.
1. This Hope hath certainly motive enough to set a man on purifying: had we laid the hopes of heaven near our hearts, were our thoughts but once set and bent upon the joys above, we would easily persuade ourselves to set upon the mending of ourselves. What will not hope do? All the employments of the world do but serve this passion; They that plow, plow in hope, saith S t Paul, because the heavens promise them a season of harvest; though they do frown in seed-time and storm against their labors with inundations of tempest, or freez the earth into an untamed hardness, till it become iron as their instruments, yet will they melt themselves or they will thaw those frosts, and toil as if they would vie drops with winter clouds, in showers of sweat as well as rain, merely because they hope to reap. And they that plow the sea are yet more slaves to Hope; for they outface death with all its terrors for the hopes of a gainful venture, they do charge thro a shower, a deluge of waves that do assail them with foaming wrath, and sustain an inundation of billows that fall like God's swelling cataracts, as if they came from heaven out against them, and are fearless when they are but an inch removed from an Abyss of ruin that gapes like hell; men of confidence, hard as those rocks which they despise for hopes of a little profit. And what shall we say to the poor Soldier, who for hopes of rags and roots will charge fire, whom the promise of, God knows, a thin salary will make to run into as great a storm and tempest of flame, as the Seaman does of water, even into a shower of death? The most active of our passions either submit to Hopes, or owe their violence to an activity derived from them. Do not men bridle in all their desires, and the furies of their passions to the peevish will and liking, and become perfect compliance to the otherwise intolerable humors of one whom they hope to please, or from whom they hope for some inheritance or preferment? And the Tragedies of Ambition, which useth towade thro a sea of blood and sin, that does scorn Relations, defy God and its own Conscience, reverse States, and confound all rather than miss its aim, are but the issues of a most uncertain Hope. And then, my Brethren, would not the Hopes of Heaven be able to do something with us, when the Hopes of a little know not whats, will do all this? Would we not sow to the Spirit, where the harvest is Blessedness? Would we not war against the Flesh, when he that overcomes should have a Crown immortal and incorruptible? Would we not comply with Christ and please him to get his inheritance, and have some ambition for the Throne of God, if we did but hope for these, as we do for the other? Yes my Brethren. I will give an example of one, who slighted all the most glorious satisfactions of the most swelling earthly hopes, and when he had everything brought to him that ambition could gape for, yet threw off all upon these only Hopes, Hebr. 11. 24, 25, 26, &c. When he was co •• to years, when he came to the age of understanding the honors of a Court, and when his appetite was grown ripe for the delights that do attend one, and he fit for the enjoyment of them, and the opportunity of them thrown into his hands by being taken in Son of the Crown, and so Possessor of all the advantages of pleasure which such a Relation can afford: and when on the other side there was nothing in the other scale, but the sorrows of a low vassalage, and the afflictions of a hard slavery; nothing but a brickiln to be set against the Palace, and instead of the rich variety of earthly entertainments not so much as straw to make their brick of; that he should choose the afflictions; and as if his will were not alone engaged that way, but his understanding also led, that he should esteem that wanting, that contemptible condition, the reproach of Religion to be greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. And indeed the very reproach of Christ is greater riches, riches I shall carry with me to that great Tribunal at the dreadful day, that will be the great Kings Badge, his Livery upon me when I stand before his Throne, when all the spangles of your pomps shall be fallen off and look as gastly to the wicked as their own sad carcasses or sadder expectations: as if there were more shine and splendor in the dirt, which scorn does throw into the face of Piety, than in the Pomps of Wealth. Now this must sure be from some strange consideration. Why all was upon this score, he had respect to the recompense of the reward, he hoped for better things: what's the Son of Pharaoh 's Daughter to the Son of God? or the succession to the Crown of Egypt in comparison with the possessing the Inheritance of Heaven? 'It is true the treasures of that Crown may furnish me with the aims of all my appetites, what'ere my heart or what my lust can wish that will get me the opportunity of having, it will allow me all those pleasures which all the world gapes after, riches to procure for them; whatever curiosity, or emulation, or sin does long for, they will prostitute before me. But what are all those satisfactions in comparison with the joys of God? Is there delight in the full affluence of those enjoyments? Hath God indulged pleasure to those things which he hath allowed to wicked Egypt? and shall I think he hath not provided greater pleasures for his own self, and for those he intends to make happy with him? Now let me have God's delights, Heaven I do assure myself hath the more advantages, and therefore there I choose. And so he chose rather the afflictions of this world, for he had an eye to the recompense of the reward; and by this we are sure, if we had hopes, we should make other choices than we do. If a sin come to temt me dressed with all its pleasures, and clothed with all the bewitching arts it can put on, or fancy paint it out with, if at the same time I can but look up to my Hopes, bethink myself of the rewards of Religion, and recollect that there are no such pleasures in the sin, as there are prepared for me, if I abstain from it, shall I not then reject and scorn the temptation, think it impertinent and foolish, and wonder it should be so unreasonable to desire, or think me so vain as to grant upon score of pleasure in the commission, when I am sure of greater if I do not commit it? Shall I not have reason to believe the sin very unkind to me, when it allures me with some little delight, and I must part with all blessedness for it? No surely nothing can withdraw him, whom a Christians Hopes do entertain. But because temptations are apt to prevail, where there is no appearance of danger, to come a little nearer to you, that you may with terror see that none can have this Hope but they that purify, which was the last thing, I shall only ask thee, whosoever thou art that hopest to have thy sins forgiven thee and to have Eternal Life, upon what grounds thou hopest it? We have no reason to hope for anything, but what God hath promised. Now hath God anywhere promised that thou particularly •• alt be saved? Certainly no. What then? why dost thou hope? if thou canst, answer me. Because he hath promised to the Pure in heart, that they shall see God, he hath given assurance to them that repent that they shall be forgiven; and I how sinful soever I have been, yet I am penitent, I endeavor to purge out that old leaven, to cleanse myself, I am resolved not to allow myself any of my vicious inclinations or my customs, I will strive against my petty sins, and my soul is humbled in me, and therefore have I Hope. If thou canst answer thus, thou hast indeed good grounds, thou hast proved that thou mayest hope: but withal thou hast proved also that thou dost purify, and upon that score dost hope. For if thou didst not repent, and amend, and purge thyself from thy filthy wickednesses, thou must then know, that the same God that sealed all his promises with the blood of his Son, did also represent and seal these threatenings in his suffering, Without holiness no man shall see God. Except ye repent ye shall all perish. The axe is laid to the root of the tree; every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be hewn down and cast into the fire. s And, Be not deceived, neither fornicator, nor adulterer, nor covetous person, nor rietous, and the like, hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ or God; For without are dogs, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie: and They that live after the flesh shall die; and Christ himself pronounced, Go ye cursed into everlasting fire. Now if thou goest on in a course of any of these sins, dost any of these deeds of the Flesh, I shall only ask thee, are not these threats as true, and as much to be believed as his promises? And if thou dost believe them, how is it possible that thou that liv'st in any of those courses which these threats belong to, canst have any hope? When God hath so solemnly declared thou shalt have nothing but everlasting ruin, how darest thou, how canst thou hope for Heaven? This is the same thing as to think to anchor on the billows, or to lay foundations in a wave and on a storm; to hope in threats at least in opposition to all Scripture and to all promise, to wage war with the Gospel, and resolve to have them both against, and in despite of God: and that certainly will very little avail thee. No he that does not amend cannot hope; for he that hopes must needs purify himself.
And now should we apply this to the careless Sinner, if we consider first not only what sad character S t Paul does give of men in that condition, how it is the description he gives of the Heathen, and he joins it with other most comfortless expressions, Eph. 2. 12. without Christ, strangers from the Covenant of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: but also look upon the experience, how to be in a lost desperate condition in relation to so eternal a consequence as the world to come imports, is such a thing as none was ever able to stand under the consideration of it; one hours despair sinks them forever: we could not bear the weight of it. Judas did choose all the sad issues of it hereafter rather than the passion here, thought it easier to go meet God's fury than despair of mercy; and when he saw he had no hopes of pardon, he ran to damnation. No we are resolved we must hope to be saved.
2. Consider that it is impossible for the wicked man, while he continues such, to hope: he cannot choose but know that the promises concern him not, they are conditional, they are made only to them that repent and believe, and God knows that he hath not don yet; so that nothing but the threats belong to him. And then how shall we reconcile these considerations, if we put them both together in the Sinners mind? How shall they be at peace and not tear one another and the soul? It is impossible to endure not to hope, and yet 'tis impossible that man should hope; and if this contest happen when he goes to die, then his own thoughts will drag him down to the Abyss with more violence than the fiends. Sure 'tis a very sad consideration to think that men that know the wretchedness of being hopeless, that dare not not hope, will not yet industriously and piously set upon the performance of that condition on which they may hope, will not purify that they may have reason to expect the promises. And it is more sad to see that men, who never purge themselves from filthiness of Flesh or Spirit, but go on in their sinful courses, and consequently know, that while they are such they cannot hope, yet will in despite of that knowledge hope, and do notwithstanding all think to come to Heaven. Certainly while a man goes on to sin, to hope for mercy is presumption in him, and so another sin added to the rest; yea 'tis a disbelieving of God's threatening, an affronting him in his veracity, an imputing falsehood to his menaces, and a putting himself almost out of the possibility of repenting. For he that do's hope for Salvation in the condition he is in, hath no temptation at all to change his condition, but is likely to go on confidently and hopingly to eternal perdition: it were a mercy to such a person to be struck into despair, that he may be taught the wretchedness of his condition and hurried out it, in which as long as he does hope, there's no reason to expect that he should leave it, but by becoming hopeless in it may be frighted from it, and the gates of hell is the only probable means to let that man into the way of heaven. O the Christians Hope! it is the hope of righteousness Gal. 5. 5. Nothing else but holiness and righteousness can give a man ground for it. And certainly, my Brethren, it is such a Hope as would countervail the trouble and the pains of reforming ourselves. What will not a man undertake, which he can but hope to go thro, and is assured of a large recompense for doing? and surely Heaven is worth the endeavoring after, and that blessed Hope worth purifying ourselves for. For it was worth the death of the Son of God; Christ was content to be crucified to compass it, and cannot we be content to purify ourselves for it? Will you see what hope can persuade a man to do? See Abraham to whom God promised only the Land of Canaan, and that not to be enjoied by himself nor by his Son, but only by the Posterity of Isaac his Son, and his Promises were further off than Heaven; yet after that, before Isaac had any Posterity, when he was but a child, God commands him to go and sacrifice his Isaac, and go to cut off all hopes of ever enjoying it, yet against hope he believed in hope, saith S t Paul, and he that had received the promises of God, offered up his only begotten Son Heb. 11. 17. i. e. having entertained and embraced the promise of a numerous seed and people that should spring from him, and having no other Son but this from whom they should spring, nor possibility in nature, nor promise above nature that he should have anymore children, but a plain affirmation that this People, to whom the Promises belonged, should come from Isaac; yet having once truly hoped that God would perform his promise, he absolutely obei'd that command of God's resolving to kill the Son, on whom all those Promises depended. And now my Brethren, there is no such puzles in our Hope, nor no such hard thing required of us, no Sons to be sacrificed but only a few vices, no doubtful perplexed promise of a Canaan only, but plain assured Heaven: and then had we but the least degree of his hope, as we have infinitely greater reason, how would we sacrifice anything to Christ's command? how would we offer up a lust, and think a sin a good exchange for the hopes of Heaven? and he that had this hope, would certainly purify himself as he is pure.
It is but now the Church hath celebrated the Ascension of our Lord Christ, and the great Proposal of the Angels Acts 1. 11. to all those Disciples that beheld him going up to Heaven and gaz'd after him so wishly, was that they should see him come again. Now the particular comfort of that coming so again is, when he shall appear, we shall be like him 1 John 3. 2. and the hopes of being so S t John thought a sufficient motive to set every man on purifying, and that himself: for this lustration cannot be performed by Proxy, and be remitted to another; for even our Saviors Righteousness will not be imputed unto those, who will have none besides; he redeems and saves none but them whom he has saved from their sins.
Reveal, O Blessed God, some of thy Glory which thou hast prepared for them that love thee, some of that blessed Hope of a Christian calling to our hearts, that it may stir our desires and longings, and heat them into hopes; and that we having the hopes of seeing thee, may purify, and may escape that day of fire, which shall melt the Heavens, and purge those glorious bodies which are not pure in thy sight. Behold, O God, we tremble with horror of thy dreadful Judgment. The Angels are not clean in thy sight, and the Seraphims cover their faces, what then shall become of us vile filthy Sinners, whose daily impurities have so defiled both our souls and bodies, that we are but one mass and heap of uncleanness. Blessed God, we know that as long as we continue such, we cannot hope to see thee in mercy; we know that if we repent not, we shall all perish; we know that if we live after the Flesh, we shall die eternally; we know that neither fornicators, &c. shall have any inheritance. O let this knowledge apply itself to our hearts and consciences, that the terrors of it may fright us from the vain hopes that we do cherish of being happy, notwithstanding we go on in our sinful courses, for alas those hopes will perish with us; and that those terrors may so work on us to set upon amendment. Cleanse and wash, we pray thee, all our impurities in the blood of thy Son, bury them in his grave, never to rise hereafter, and melt our hearts into repentant tears, that so our hearts may become purer. O thou that didst cleanse us with thy blood, baptize us with thy Holy Spirit and with fire, that it may purge out our dross and filthiness, and be an earnest to us of that glorious Purity, which we shall have in Heaven, seeing thee as thou art, and becoming like thee, where we shall sin no more, but forever serve and praise thee.
SERMON VIII. OF THE HIDING PLACE From Indignation.
Isaiah 26. 20.
UPON the Eve as it were and the Vigils to the day of Indignation, when we cannot but look upon it as ready to be poured out on us in a full stream, when we see destruction make close approaches to us, work round about us, and punishment like our sin lies at the very door, ready either to enter in upon us, or seize us if we offer to come out; to offer at a way to prevent all this, that should discover to you a safe retreat from those threats that pursue this Nation in general, open a shelter from the present storm, cannot choose but be seasonable; yet such a thing the Text do's venture at, and if God himself knew the best way to keep off his Indignation from us, then here it is; for he prescribes, Come my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
Before I do divide the Text, I shall tell you in what sense I interpret those words, Enter thou into thy chamber and shut the doors about thee, which if it be not according to the immediate and literal importance of them, is yet such as is justified by a parallel place of Scripture dictated by our Savior himself, and will afford us most wholesome observations. I take them in the sense they have Matt. 6. 6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy chamber and shut thy door, so that here they will be the form of prescribing prayer: in dangerous and sad times, when if thou look unto the earth, thou shalt behold nothing but trouble, and darkness, and dimness of anguish, why then lift up thine eyes to Heaven, go to thy Prayers; in times of change when thou knowest not which way to betake thyself, go to the Closet of thy devotions, take off thy thoughts from these sad objects here below, and fix them on the comforts of Religion, divert thy thoughts from the occasions of discontent, and employ them in meditations upon God, in converses with him, in contemplations of his Promises and joys; in one word spend thy time in Prayers and Devotions.
That's the sense; the parts are 1. A persuading invitation, come my people; wherein are the persons invited, my people, secondly the invitation, come.
2. Here is that they are invited to, set down by way of counsel, and that hath several branches.
1. Enter thou into thy chambers.
2. Shut thy doors about thee.
3. Hide thyself, with the duration of it as it were for a little moment; and secondly the end of this and all the rest, that the Indignation may pass over them; until the Indignation be overpast.
In the handling of them I shall take this course, first from the first general I shall speak somewhat of the persons invited; that have this compellation my people, and giving you some reasons of it.
From the second I shall observe that in times of storm or any sadness the only way to withdraw ourselves from the violences of discontents and troubles, is to retire to prayers, and the only comfort then is in the Closet-exercises of Devotion.
3. From the next part, hide thyself, that Prayers are in sad days the only great security, and the devotion-chamber a sure hiding place from Indignation.
4. From the duration, that the sorrows of the afflictions, which God does suffer to fall upon his own devout People, they last but for a little moment.
5. From the last there is none of God's Indignation in them, all that overpasses them.
First of the compellation my People, come my People. Now God may speak to those here for two reasons; first to show us that in the times of storm and of the breakings out of indignation God invites none to courses of security, puts none upon ways of safety, do's not take care of any but those that are his People, and those in whom his People are concerned, as Kings, who are the nursing Fathers of his Church; as for others let them take their own courses, look to themselves, but come ye, come my People. My People is a word that includes relation, and wherein it do's consist you will find from the correlative set together with it in the very making of the Covenant, I will be their God, and they shall be my People; they who take God to be their Lord, and assume to become his obedient liege People, such have indeed a right and title to his Protections: to provide for and take care of them it is his office, he undertook it in his Covenant, and not to do it were to renounce his compact, which he bound himself to with an Oath, which 'tis impossible for him to do. But as for others, they have no plea to these. Can Rebels claim protection, and such who renounce relations, that put themselves off from being his People, expect that he should look after and take care of them, be their Guardian and Security? The different condition of these two sorts of People in relation to God's caring for them in time of judgment you will find Mal 3. 16, 17, 18. In the times of undisturb'd abundance and of full prosperity, when the God of this World is good to them that serve him, when the Lord lets men alone, and the ungodly thrive, then indeed his protections are not much regarded, but wickedness & wealth seem the strongest security: but when God sends his Indignation abroad, and when his Judgments sweep away those confidences, then this will be a comfortable consideration, come what will come I have one that hath writ me in his note-book, in his Book of Remembrance, to put him in mind that he is to provide for me: and when the most flourishing ungodly shall be stripped of all his hopes and trusts, no least relief from them, nor can he look for any from the Lord, God hath not so much as directions for him here, he hath no part, not in his persuasions, is not invited to his Coun • else; then have I one that will make me up amongst his Jewels, have the same cares of me as of his peculiar precious treasures, and calls me to security, Come my People.
Or secondly my People, to let us see what arts of invitation God does use to persuade us to take good counsel; he gives us all the compellations of kindness, and speaks us as fair as possibly, not to do him a courtesy but to be kind to ourselves. In other places, when he hath no design upon them, then he cries to Moses, thou and thy People Exod. 32. 7. but when he would do good unto us, when he would entice us to be safe, then come my People. So he does elsewhere use all the titles of love, and cloths his invitations with the wordings of our most known Courtships, that that which useth to prevail with us, may do his work upon us. So in the Canticles 5. 2. Open to me my love, my dove, my spouse, my undefiled; and the whole book is but the Arts of Divine wooing. Strange that the heavenly Bridegroom must court so much to be received by his Spouse! Good God! that thou must be forced to give us good words to prevail with us to be good unto ourselves, that we must be sooth'd, tempted, and flattered into preservations and mercies, that we should refuse remedy and Antidote unless it be guilded; that to lie hid in times of Judgment, and to escape Indignation is not motive enough to us, but we must be wooed to do so: safety itself must speak us fair or we will none of it, and God must flatter us into the places of security, Come my People, enter into thy chambers, the next.
Enter thou into thy chambers. Whence we did observe, that in times of storm and calamity the only way to withdraw our selves from the violences of discontents and troubles, is to retire to Prayers and Closet exercises of Devotion. If I should go to prove this, I might read you the whole book of Psalms, the Psalter being but David's Liturgy in time of sadness, the service and the refreshments of his sorrows. To tell you that he says, In my trouble I will go call upon the Lord Psal. 18. 6. and when I was in trouble I called upon the Lord Psal. 120. 1. or again, for the love that I bear unto them they take now my contrary part, but I give myself unto prayer Psal. 109. 4. this would be to no purpose, for the whole book is but doing this. And indeed to do it, is the best counsel God himself do's give, 'tis that he do's invite us to in such a discourse, come my people, enter.
And for the comforts of it, I shall enclose them in the application, which shall pass by that strange mistake that is in some men, who seek to quench the sorrows of calamity by the entertainments of sin, to divert sad thoughts by vicious company, to refresh themselves with the jollities of iniquity, to choke the remembrance of their afflictions with riot, and drown it in excesses. Alas, 'tis not go abroad unto the open lodgings of intemperance and to the Inns of pleasure, but come and enter thou into thy chambers.
And secondly it shall omit that very near as great mistake of them, who in times of impending calamity busy themselves with the cares of the world, whose hearts are then especially set on thriving, and they immerse themselves in the ways of gain, looking on that as the thing that is to be their great security, and that they shall provide against all sad events by that. Strange! that in the time of pungent troubles, when they are encompassed with misery, to run into the thorns and briars, as our Savior calls them, should be our only hopeful refuge and retiring place, that men should be then most griping after that, the cares of keeping which, and the fears of loosing it are the only great things that make calamity grievous. He, who then makes himself Master of possessions, gives pledges to Affliction. Shall I then put myself further out into the world, when God's discretion bids me enter thou into thy chambers.
But thirdly I apply directly to the calamitous, however destitute and unhappy. When thou art brought at once low enough for pity, but so unhappy as to be scorned, ruined, and contemned too, come here, and pour out thy soul into the bosom of him, who thou art sure will not refuse thee, nor turn away his face from thee, but stands here to invite thee with all the compellations of love. Here thou mayst lay open thy case to him that had so much kindness to thee as to die for thee, and mingle thy own tears with the blood of God that was shed for thee. To have any friend whom to impart thy griefs to, is in good measure to unlade and empty thyself of them: thou hast here the most faithful bosom of thy Savior, whom thou mayst behold in the same postures of affliction that thou thy self art in, out of affection to thee and suffering for thee, in Agonies of one and the other, sweating as much with heats of love to thee as of pain for thee, hanging down his head upon the cross with languishments of kindness and of weakness, and his arms stretched into the posture of receiving thee to his embraces, and his side opened, not only to shed blood and water for thee, but to receive thy tears and give thee passage to his very heart. Come then my People, come to me; if thy sad expectations be like plummets at thy heart and weigh it down, yet lift up thy heart together with thy hands in assured confidence that that kindness, which did thus express itself, will never fail thee. If notwithstanding this, the pressure make thy thoughts to sink and thy soul to grovel, let it be but a bowing down in submission to my will, who certainly know what is best for thee: come then and give thyself up into my hands, as into the hands of a faithful Redeemer. Now the devout soul doing so, by often betaking himself to God upon these occasions, becomes acquainted with his Maker, and in all discontents he will strait run to his Acquaintance there to disburden himself; and in all fears thither he hasts for shelter with the very same complacencies that our Savior says the young one does to the wings of the hen at the approach of danger: there the soul nestles, and is hugely pleased with the apprehensions of its comfortable warm security. By frequent converses of this kind and other practices of Devotion, and Meditations on the mercies of his providence and his protecting kindnesses, besides the glories of his Preparations towards his future Estate, the soul mounts up to great degrees of confidence and familiarity with God: and God does use, when a heart does thus ply and follow him and become intimate with him, to reveal himself also to that heart in the midst of his devotions; when he is conversing with the Lord, he will breathe into him the inspirations of Heaven, and with soft whispers speak peace close to his heart, break in upon him with flashes of joy, warm him with gleams of comfort which ravish the soul with delight in the employment. Hence grow strange intercourses betwixt them, the Lord pours in of his Holy Spirit, that bond and ligament of God and the soul, that maintains perpetual commerce between them; they do nothing but close and mingle as it were, till the heart mount up to those ecstasies that we read of in devout persons, that entertain themselves to miracle in the enjoyment of those Contemplations, which these exercises do afford them. The heart then melts no longer in the tears and sorrows of affliction, but with the dissolvings of love; when thro excess of complacency in God and in his joys, the soul hath a kind of impotency of Spirit, so as it cannot contain itself within itself, but as a liquid thing hath its overflowings, and is poured out into the bosom of the beloved, and by an outgoing faints from itself into an union with the Object of its affections. And the Soul that by the practices of Devotion is brought to be thus affected, hath not only fulfilled the counsel of the Text, retired into his chambers, but is also brought into God's chambers, so the Spouse in the Canticles expresses c. 1. 4. The King hath brought me into his chambers, and c. 2. 4. He brought me into his banqueting house, and his banner over me was love; and in c. 3. 10. she described the bed-chamber whether she was brought, the midst whereof was pav'd with love: and all this means but the entertainments of devout Contemplations. And Christ in the Parable concerning importunate continuance in Prayers saith it opens the bed-chamber door and gets in thither. And then, my Brethren, what need I be troubled how the world does go abroad, when I am entertained in God's banqueting house, and in his bed-chamber? It were easy for me to produce instances of them that were so taken up with the joys of Devotion, that they had scarce any thoughts for anything besides, they even forgot that which was most necessary to their being, it made all other passions to languish, they had no appetites for other things, at least there was no vigor in those appetites, only decayed desires from which the soul was quite retired, and minded nothing but the Object of their Prayers, being as it were in trance and swoons of Devotion. Neither is this any strange thing or without reason, that the Soul that loves should be so employed about and bent upon the Object of those desires, as to neglect all other of its offices, so impetuous in serving them that it abandons all its other business, attends no faculty but that which is engaged upon that Object, does not so much as lend itself to any outward organ, feeds and advances only that affection, but leaves the rest to decay and languish, and being destitute of soul to die. Just so, if the love of those Contemplations which Devotions afford take possession of the heart, it becomes heartless to all other functions, careless and languid to everything besides; the Soul is so wholly bent upon the Object of those impatient desires, that it does not animate any other inclinations, they have no spirit in them, but are weak and faint, neither can they employ the heart so as to make him mind them: but just as the enamored person, that may be called and waken'd into some other business, but let his thoughts alone, and they run to his desires, there they unite and center. And to a Soul that is thus taken up, what's the world, or the miscarriages that are therein? Are there fears abroad? They do but make me then withdraw into my chamber, where there are all these joys. Does judgment threaten an utter desolation, make solitude about us, and drive us into the place of dragons, in David's words? I will retire that way into God's bed-chamber. Is the dimness of anguish, and darkness as of the shadow of death coming upon the Land? yet I am sure, that in the little Oratory there is the light of God's Countenance. Does Calamity rifle all, plunder the very bosom, breasts and bowels; the bosom of its dearest guest, the breasts of their dear burden, the bowels of their daily food, and rob necessity? Yea, but how stands my Prayer-chamber? It is not quite so ill, if they have left me the food of immortality, the Body and Blood of Christ; it cannot plunder me of my Devotions, and there is always blessed entertainment in God's banqueting house.
If these comforts do seem too subtle and too notional for any, though this do happen merely by being unacquainted with the things that give them, and I have showed you the way how you may certainly arrive at them, of which this is the sum. The devout Soul receives in times of discontent not only liberty, but invitation to go and bemoan his case to him that hath God-like compassions for him, so much love to him as to die for him, and to cast himself with confidence upon such a kindness, submitting to his all-wise, all-loving will. These submissions are secondly rewarded by him with the great contents of having God's will don upon him, with the comforts of finding that it is indeed best for him. And sure I am there are that have experience, that never any sad thing happened to them, but they found that it was for the best. Thirdly the custom of this repairing to God, and giving themselves up to his guidance, begets a great acquaintance, an intimacy with the Lord; he reveals himself and his comforts to that soul: it do's enjoy strange refreshings from enlightenings, breathings, inspirations, evidences, and assurances, even tastes of promises and preparations. Lastly the contemplations of these, and familiarity with God begets transcendencies of love and joy, which when they are once entertained, their desires languish to all other things, they seem low and of base alloy, and consequently they take no content in them, being swallowed up by the other.
Yet let others lower souls take the comfort of this consideration; when things are so, that if they look into the world they can see nothing round about them but the prospect of trouble, and if they go on, besides the loss of all the opportunities of Religion, the labors of their whole life will but serve the ruins of an hour, that they have provided only for spoil, heapit up for rapine, and gathered but a prey; when the affliction of such an hours consideration shall have made them forget all their prosperity, so that in the whole compass of things they cannot find one occasion of comfort: why then those hours they have spent or shall go and lay out on devotion and the service of God, they shall be sure will turn to their account, both here as to the preservation of those opportunities and of their Church; for sure if God be likely to be moved to the continuance of them, 'tis to those that will make use of them, and 'tis for them, (for what should others do with them, that do not value them nor use them?) and will also turn to their account hereafter. That Prayers and those other exercises go up for a memorial to God, as the Angel told devout Cornelius, and prepare them mansions there, when they shall be divested of all other habitations, and that with Mary here is the better part that cannot be taken from them, that when their Riches have forsaken them, taken the adverse party, and gone to their enemies, these will stick by them, go along with them even up to God's Tribunal, and take their part at the day of Judgment, when nothing dares appear for them but Christ and Piety. Oh my Brethren, when you or I have spent one hearty hour in humble zealous devotions, the hopes of the issues of that hour, the confidence that God hath heard your and my Prayers, and do's accept this our service, and will eternally reward it, if we continue thus, though we be not able to raise ourselves up to those heights of joy and love and complacency before recited, yet those lower hopes and confidences have more comfort in them than all the hours of pleasure in my life; for what have I of that, when the frolic's over. I may as well look for the footsteps of an impression on the water whose gliding streams instantly smooth themselves, or search for the tracts of birds in the yielding air that shuts and closes up itself in a little moment, as seek for relicts of joy after the pleasure is past: alas the delight did vanish with the laughter, and the comfort died as soon as the smile, the very memorial of them is perished, and there is nothing of them left alive, but that now all is don, I am never the better for them. But the comforts of my devouter hours shall never die, but when I go to die myself, will be like life and immortality to me. O the strange acquiescencies of soul in the Consideration! the few hours that a man hath spent piously, how they will calm death, assist in agonies, and relieve from pains! how such a Soul anticipates his Heaven! The truth is, to such an one death is welcome, and life, though it have on it the shadow of death, is full of comfort. For when all the world about is Egypt, a devout man, though he have but his chamber to retire to, and his doors be shut upon him, he lives in Goshen; when the consuming fire did run upon the ground throughout the land, there was no storm in Goshen Exod. 9. 26. and when flashes of judgment do burst in upon other persons, 'tis calm in the Prayer-room. When the destroying Angel had overrun every house in Egypt with death, when there was nothing but carcasses and crying in each dwelling, there was not one sick in Goshen Exod. 12. 30. When a thick darkness dwelt upon the Nation, the Israelites had lights in all their dwellings Exod. 10. 23. and when a sad dark cloud does sit upon God's Countenance and pour down inundations of tempest on a people, yet then his face does shine in the Closets of devotion, there he breaks in and does reveal his comforts; God is so there, as his Angel was at that time, a Pillar of light to them, and of cloud to those others, Exod. 14. 20. and when in this their pilgrimage he takes off their chariot-wheels, v. 25. that they drive heavily, pressed with the weight of afflictions and the heavier incumbrances of the World, striving against the tide and torrent of troubles, encountering nothing but rubs and crosses, and having on no wheels, none of God's comforts to bear them up, they march heavily till at last the waters overwhelm them: when as to those others the waters were a wall on the right hand and on the left; and to the devout persons the troubles of their times, by making them retire into their chambers, prove an occasion of security, which brings on the next observation from the words, hide thyself.
Whence we draw, that Prayers and the exercises of Piety are in sad days the only great security, and the Devotion-chamber a sure hiding place from trouble. And indeed where else should we take shelter, but in our Sanctuary? Where should we seek for refuge, but at the horns of the Altar, where we offer up the incense of our Prayers, and the lifting up of our hands is as the evening Sacrifice? I have told you to retire thus into your chambers is to enter God's bed-chamber, and where is safety to be had, if it be not there? Is there not full quietness and calm in the Lord's withdrawing rooms? Not to tell you that David placit his Rock, his Fortress, his Castle, his every word of safety upon this foundation: not to reckon up an infinity of places besides Psalm 27. 5. and 61. 2, 3, 4, 5. I shall only say, that 'tis impossible for any Sermon to say better what I have to say for him that betakes himself to these secret rooms and nestles there, nor more pertinent to a time of sickness and distress, than the 91. Psalm hath spoke v. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, &c. and to which 'twere vanity, if not Tautology to add. Should I labor to evince this further, I could prove strangely to you, that good hearty devout Prayers are in time of danger a Security even to a Miracle. Security from the fury of men, when single Prayers did resist an Army, when Moses 's hand lifted up in his devotions slew more Amalekites than the armed hands of Joshua and all his Regiments stretched out; for when Moses lifted up his hand, then Israel prevailed Exod. 17. 11. Security against the storm of God's assault; for a Prayer of Moses is called a standing in the breach against the Lord, when he came to destroy the People by a plague, Psalm 106. 23. so God said he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach to turn away his wrathful indignation, least he should destroy them. They are terms of war, and do express the desperatest act of Valour which war hath occasion for; when wall and rampart could not resist the storm of shot, but the Assault made its way thro stones and bulwarks, then must courage become the Rampart, maintain the breach, and repulse the Assailants. This is the danger and the glory of Valour, and this very expression do's Scripture make use of to declare the force and courage of a zealous Prayer. When God's indignation had stormed the People, when it had made a gap, a breach to enter and overrun them in a moment, and the Angel with his sword drawn was assaulting, had began his deaths, in steps Moses, armed but with single Prayer maintains the breach, and turns away the Indignation. Neither was this all, for it did not only beat off his fury, but assail'd him also, as it were took God captive, and held him that he could not fall upon them. For in the 32. Exod. 9, 10. he cries to Moses, it is a stiff-necked people, now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them in a moment: let me alone Hebr. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 dimitte me, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 permit me ut invalescat, Syr. & nunc si permiseris mihi, invalescet, Arab. dimitte deprecationem tuam à facie mea, Chaldee. Loose me, and let me go, suffer me, let me alone that I may destroy them; do not pray to me, thy strong desires are as bonds and cords upon me, loose me, and do not hold me: I can do nothing if thou pray, my arm of power, my stretched our arm is held in, it is restrained by thy strong cries, thy violent sighs they cool my wrath that it cannot wax hot against them, thy zeal it is irresistible; do not therefore make use of it, do not hinder me, do not pray now, let me alone, and I will make of thee a greater Nation; I will bribe thee to silence, because my fury will not withstand thy Prayers; if thou maintain the breach, I shall not take this People now by storm: be hir'd then to withdraw, let me alone. But Moses he would take no bribes from God, but he besought the Lord his God, as it follows there, and the sudden effect of his Prayer was, the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. Here's the power of a fervent Prayer, it hath a kind of force on the Almighty, a force that he does seem as it were afraid of, & would have prevented; and so does often, warning his Ministers the Prophets, Pray not for this people, I will not have you pray least you should prevail upon mine indignation and overcome my anger. And see then if you can find out such another security; many defences may be made which will hold out against the fury of men and their armed indignation, but notwithstanding those defenses they lie open still to Heaven, no walls or bulwarks to be made against that; upwards they are all gap and breach, and God may storm them where they have no works. If we be strong enough to keep out all our foes, we are not fortified to keep out plagues, have no guard against God's hand, his arrows fly over any defences. But behold here defences against his Indignation, a line which he cannot enter; Prayers will keep him off, and in the chamber of thy devotions thou mayest hide thyself from the storms of Heaven: when God turned Engineer, this was the direction he gave to keep out himself, Come my people enter into thy chamber, and shut thy doors about thee, hide thyself.
I shall not stay to give you the qualifications of the Prayers that are likely to prevail, how first S t James saith we must ask in faith nothing doubting, not wavering in our purposes, praying for what we esteem the truth, but not resolved if things should otherwise succeed whether we should not comply with them; and how secondly when we are to pray we must be such, as God hath not resolved against, and so he will not hear us: but now returning to my subject.
Now briefly to apply this, and here I will not say this Counsel was indeed intended for days of persecution, & that not so much in regard of the malady, as in the nature of the prescription, when he that will go to his prayers must indeed enter into his chambers, and hide his devotions too as well as himself; if thou desirest at such a season to secure thyself, enter into thy Closet, being not permitted to go into the Church: but this I will say, that even then when the Altar is no Refuge, and the Temple wants a Sanctuary, and the Holy of Holies an Asylum, even then the Closet will give shelter. Devotions are a kind of Omnipotent Securities, they are shields against the arrows of the Almighty: if for want of prayers to make up the breach it come to pass that a people is destroyed, and God saith 'tis for that as much as for the demerits of their guilt Ezek. 22. 29, 30, 31. The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy; yea they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully, and I sought for a man among them that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land that I should not destroy it, but I found none: therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them, I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath, their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God: if the performances of it be a making good the gap against his wrath, methinks it should a little move us in all our exigencies to stand upon our guard, to know our own strengths, and not lazily to suffer ourselves to perish, when we may contend and strive with God to save ourselves. Or if the line of destruction be stretched out upon our Nation, if it have filled up the measure to the height, that God have sworn though Noah, Daniel, and Job were among his people, yet should they save but their own lives, that is, their Prayers should not prevail with him for an impunity unto the land: however if we ourselves desire in that great spreading ruin yet to escape, to lurk so that the Angel of destruction may not find us out; here is a place of God's own choice to hide thee in. His fury will not search there for thee to destroy thee, where his own self did bid thee to retire for safety. He that commanded thee to enter into thy chambers, did not mean to come there to seek thee out to ruin thee; he that bid thee shut thy doors, intended that the indignation should not call in, but should pass by thee, which the Text do's tacitly promise in the last words, until the indignation be overpast. Some of the storm may fall upon a devout man notwithstanding all his careful Prayers, but there's no anger nor no fury in that storm; that he reserveth for the wicked, those who do take no care for the averting of his wrath, but resolve to enjoy their pleasures and their sins, till indignation overtake them, and sweep them and their delights away at once. To these indeed every affliction is vengeance and judgment, and their fiery trials here are but tastes and prelusions of God's fearful wrath and fiery indignation; but to the careful devout souls they are but the strokes of love, chastisements of a father, there is no indignation in them; I will take her into the wilderness, saith God by the Prophet Hosea, and I will speak comfortably unto her, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , I will speak unto her heart, in those desolate lonely places I will woo her, and those dark solitudes of affliction shall be my opportunities of courtship, I will take her into the wilderness, and speak unto her heart, and give her the valley of Achor, the vale of trouble, for a door of hope. 'It is not his indignation this to them, but his way of love, his way of making jointures; he puts them in the vale of Achor: or if vengeance be gone out against the people, yet devotion in the chamber is like blood upon the Israelites door posts, the indignation does go by it, makes a Passover, it enters into the houses of the Egyptians only, but when it finds thy doors thus shut 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the indignation does overpass, especially if it find such a 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 as the blood of Christ. The Angel of destruction could not enter the doors, where but the type of it was dashed upon the door, the Paschal blood; how then will he fly the truth, the blood of Christ our Passover? Come then my people, enter &c.
SERMON IX. OF THE REST TO BE OBTAIN'D By them that labor and are heavy laden.
Matth. 11. 28.
WERE there no other difference betwixt Law and Gospel than what these words hold out unto us, yet had we abundant reason to rejoice and glory in our condition, who are invited to the news of Gospel-revelations. The way that God revealed himself by Law was by lightnings and thunders on Mount Sinai, the Pomp of it was a Mountain not to be come near unto, that burnt with tempests of fire, things that were not only mazes but omens, that typified those storms and tempests that were to be the portion of transgressors, that limn'd out that unquenchable brimstone, and denounced that dire thunder of Go ye cursed into everlasting fire, which is the sentence of the Law in its own rigor. Yea and besides that blackness and darkness too, so that notwithstanding all those lightnings and those revelations God was still in the thick cloud and in the dark, and Christ might well say in the verse before the Text, No man knoweth the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him; and when he comes to do that, he does it in another strain, with words of another nature, all invitation, Come unto me all ye that labor. The strain of Gospel is not to thunder us into obedience, but I beseech you Brethren by the tender mercies of God; and though there be laboring and burden in the words, yet those are the effects of Law, and there is ease and rest for that labor and those burdens in the words too, and to them it is the Gospel that invites us, and it is Christ that gives them; for it is he that saith, Come unto me.
These words the Church makes use of for her call unto the Sacrament of the Lord's body, and certainly it is impossible that they should signify with greater Emphasis than upon that occasion, when he does bid you come to him, that is, to the communication of his body and his blood; for the bread which we break is the communion of the body of Christ. You come to him not only for the empty kindness of a visit there, but to partake of his body and his blood, all the redemtions, graces, mercies, which he purchased on the cross. If ever Christ do call with passion, it is sure when he pours out that blood for us and saith, everyone that thirsteth come, Come unto me all ye that labor.
The words are an invitation of Christ, in which we may observe
1. The Persons invited, All ye that labor and are heavy laden.
2. The invitation itself, Come unto me.
3. The entertainment at this invitation, Rest; I will give you rest.
In the handling of these I shall show, first who those persons invited are, who they are that are said here to labor and to be heavy laden.
2. What is meant by their invitation, Come unto me.
3. How those persons come to be qualified for this invitation, so as to be invited, and none other; how the laboring heavy laden persons are the only fit persons to come to Christ.
4. I shall touch the advantages those persons shall gain by coming. Of these, and
1. Who they are that are said to labor and be heavy laden. The words express extremity of burden and labor under it, and weariness by reason of that labor; they are translated, fessi estis & bajulantes onera Syr. labor attriti & gravati onere by the Arab. And indeed they signify pains such as to make us pant and blow 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , yea thro weakness not be able to stand 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , so as that the joints are loosed 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , and the very soul fails and faints, and we become as it were in the shadow of death 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , all this 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifies. Now this excess of pains may denote two things.
1. Either the sinner under that notion as a sinner; sins themselves being in Scripture expressed by words that signify labor, trouble and weight, and therefore the word in the Text translates 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which means all those, especially iniquity, Mich. 2. 1. Woe to them that devise iniquity, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , that devise labors; and the very next words will warrant it, and work evil: it being a most familiar expression with the Prophet David, the Workers of Iniquity, not only because it is some men's employment and trade, here lies their skill, their managery, they are not Artists in anything besides; but the secrets of sin, the mysteries of filthiness, the Magisteries of Iniquity, these they are Professors of, in these chair-men: but also Workers of iniquity because it is their toil, they sweat under it, it is the vanity and vexation of their lives, which are racked in designing, contriving, and acting the sins of their complexions and ambitions. Will you see our Saviors sense of the vexing painfulness of sin: he calls your sins of the least size, peccata levia, as they are esteemed, motes in the eye Matth. 7. 3. Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brothers eye? that is, why dost thou look so severely on the light faults of others? Our escapes that we make slight of they are of such a nature in themselves, as to cause the anguish and fretting, that dust and splinters do in the tenderest part, the eye. And if our souls were not all corneous, our consciences sear'd and dead, we should with the same impatience bear them as our eye does dust, with restlessness work against it, never quiet till it force out tears to wash away the dust. Yea worse than that, for the word which we translate mote 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 signifies a spill of wood, a little shiver or splinter, a thing absolutely insuppportable to that part, which if suffered, does not only threaten it with intolerable pains, but with absolute extinction. And truly everyone of our slighter sins is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a shiver in the eye; and then the grosser iniquities will bear both the words of the text, of labor and burden, and are in the same verse by our Savior entitled to an expression that hath enough of both, even a beam in the eye: And considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye, that is, thine own vaster crimes. Every designed and gross wickedness is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , a thing whose agony is as much beyond imagination as endurance. For how shall the eye bear that which the shoulders must sink under, which only pillars can support? Yet such is that burden; and therefore the expression is frequent of bearing iniquities; S t Peter says it of Christ, He himself bears our sins, and the Prophet Isaiah said it before him c. 53. 11. For he shall bear their iniquities 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , bear them as a great burden, as the word expresses, and as event did more express, a burden indeed which made the Son of God to sweat blood, and roar, and sink, and die. 'It is true there are of those that do delight in life, only because it is the opportunity of sin, it hath no more pleasure in it than is spent in vanity or iniquity, without that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 life would be a burden, they would labor under it; all their other time is wearisome and perisheth, and notwithstanding in our Saviors character they are the only drudges, yet in their own opinions they are the only light hearted creatures, the only persons whose life is but various ease and diversified pleasure. Yea and the only great prejudice they have against Religion is, it makes men heavy, sad, and melancholy, hangs plummets upon the soul, plucks down the thoughts and countenance, and does that which no burden can effect in them; whom weights do but exalt, elevate, and in their own expression a load of sin and drink, that sinks their bodies to the earth, doth but heighten imagination and delight. Alas these men do no more discern the true labor of their own sins, than they do the ease and the refreshments of the pious souls. They see his fasts and abstinences, but they discern not how he feeds upon marrow and fatness, as David saith, and finds all the words of their luxury in his religious performances, how he tastes of the heavenly gift, and of the powers of the world to come, Heb. 6. 4, 5. how he hath the antepasts of blessedness. These men do not consider that the pious man's weights are as the other bucket, which the heavier it is the faster it lifts that up that is against it: a burden theirs like that of wings, that does but poise their flight and help them up to Heaven, whereas their own lightness shall sink them into the deep of that pit that hath no bottom. 'It is true indeed those very sins, that make our Savior style the man a laborer, are in other places called sleep, as if they had the ease of rest, as if to him that were wearied with duties of calling or devotion, to take vicissitudes of sinning would be a soft refreshment and a pleasant reward, as if a little return of iniquity would restore him, as sleep doth the weary laborer. And how shall we reconcile these expressions? Shall we attribute them to the unhappy contradictions of this thing sin, which is at once ease and pressure, sleep and yet heavy labor? or rather shall we gather hence the extremely toilsome condition of the sinner, whose very rest is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , and whose refreshments tire, and are most wearisome? where shall he look for ease, whose ease is misery and anxiety. Tho his life be all sleep, yet he is all that while one of the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 here in the Text. And so those very wickednesses, which are here called heavy burden, are in other places called our own body, ourselves. And what shall lighten him whose very self is weight? What shall disburden him who is his own immense pressure? Wretched men that we are, who shall deliver us from these burdens of ourselves? Burdens indeed with which the expressions seem to labor as well as the sinner, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 We have not words for them, the mineries, the Gallies, the Mill, or dungeon are words of ease to the service of sin. No such slavery in the world as his that is bound to serve his lusts and passions; he must adventure thro all black designs and blacker hazards to attend ambition or to wreak ones malice or some hasty choler; adventure upon rotteness, embrace a Purgatory but to please an itch; must be the Martyr of his lust, run upon quarrels, qualms, headache, hazard, desperate misfortunes to quench not thirst, but a little custom. If you would see the labor that is in sin, behold your Savior in the Garden; it made the Son of God to sweat like clots of blood, it squeez'd that very person who was 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , it made him faint, not able to stand under that tree on which he was to bear the Iniquity. At such hard rates man buyeth damnation, as if he envied himself ease in Ruin; 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 he doth extremely labor, till he faint, to get to Hell. Have you read in Scripture the pains and anguishes of a man possessed by a Devil, how it speaks of such a one that was intolerably vext and tormented, how the spirit rent and tore him, & often cast him into the agonies of death, & from it did revive him still only to throw him back again into them? It were no hard matter to show that the Scripture does express every gross Sinner to be one of these Demoniacs, to be possessed and inhabited by a Devil, Matth. 12. 43, 44. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he Walketh thro dry places; then he saith, I will return to my house from whence I came out, and he enters in and dwells there. And what doth all this mean, but describe a person that after seeming amendment returns back again to his courses of sin? Of such a one the Devil saith, I will return. A wicked person is the Devil's house, Satan dwells there, and is not his house Hell? And then are not all the miseries of Tophet, the torments of the vale of Hinnom in a Sinner? Yea experience is fair enough for this, that the habitually wicked person is a Demoniac. Look upon the wrathful angry furious man, and you would think the man possessed were but his picture: his passion swells and tears him, he stares and foams, he cries out and is not so innocent as to say, what have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God; for he hath to do with him in blaspheming him with oaths and execrations, and his spirit rends not himself only, but the wounds of that Holy one of God, and if his passion could speak plain, it would surely say his name also were Legion. The debauched Drunkards they have the Epilepsies, the falling sicknesses, the dead Apoplexies of men possessed, and there the Devil is again entered into swine. The lustful person may find also a spirit of uncleanness, and an unclean Devil in the Gospel. And thus our sins do treat us. And who then but wretched man would buy damnation at so hard rates? who would 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , extremely labor, tire himself till he faint to get to hell? as if he envied himself ease because he is to go down the hill thither, that he may think he has an easy descent, facilis descensus; he will therefore load himself with a most heavy burden to make his passage the more troublesome. Of what a profligated choice are we, that refuse Heaven with ease, and choose Hell, though we must labor hard to get it.
Or secondly, letting the heavy laden stand as they do, in the sense we have now given, we cannot excuse the Sinner from that expression there 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; those that labor may signify such as groan under the sense of that burden, such as labor to rid themselves of that weight, that pant and blow after a liberty and ease from that heavy pressure, under which they find themselves sinking into the horror of that deep, the very imaginations of which doth cause faintings of soul in them and Apoplexies of fear; that tire themselves to find out any way to escape from that eternal weight of torments that is prepared for them below, and the weight of indignation and vengeance that hangs over them above, and from that heavy burden, themselves, that sinks faster than either of the other, outvying God's threats with multiplied accumulated iniquities. The sweats of soul under the sense of the burden of sin, the labors of mortifying the flesh and crucifying the affections, of putting the body of sin to death, will justify this sense. The new Birth also hath its pangs, and the Child of God, as he is not engendered by weak purposes, faint resolutions, so neither is he brought forth in a sigh or wish of mercy, there is a labor in it. In this expression you may see the nature of repentance, the dawnings and first flashes of that Catholic Duty; 'tis not that easy thing to change my mind only, and begin to believe. That that is not the best course I have hitherto trod in, the way of Sinners not the safest and most pleasant path, though few of us will believe that: neither is it that easy wish, I would I had not don this act; for when the pleasure's gone and dead, the memory of it is so unsatisfying, if not loathsome, that a man can hardly not wish it. Nor yet is it that easy desire of mercy, that saying Lord, Lord. The Penitent they are the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; here they are such as even faint under a sense of the horror of their sins, whose hearts are broken and wounded with that heavy galling weight of them. If I should gather up the racks and tortures, the Occultum quatiente animo tortore flagellum, that self whip in the dark rooms and recesses of our thoughts, conscience dealing with us by the discipline of mad men, as knowing the sinner is not only Solomon's fool and David's man without understanding, but even S t Paul's 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 mad-man, the tacita sudant praecordia culpa, which a Heathen can reckon up to us. And add to these the Scripture expressions, the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the pains of travel, the labor of a woman in child-birth, the agony of the Cross, and the pangs of death; the word repentance would bear them all, and they would let us see that the Penitent is truly one that labors under a very heavy burden, and so is invited here by our Savior, Come.
Thirdly those that labor and are heavy laden may signify such as groan under a burden of afflictions, and look upon them not as chastisements only but inflictions, and are even wearied and affrighted by them. Thus those judgments which God did by his Prophets threaten to the Nations, are in those Prophets called the burden of those Nations; and the cross and calamities are often called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the labor in the Text 1 Tim. 4. 10. and generally all the troubles and difficulties of this life, Rev. 14. 13. of which death is there made the rescue. And I need make no application of this interpretation, the words labor and heavy laden do in these days sufficiently apply themselves; I shall only tell you, that the whole sense of those words summed up make thus much, Those that are heavy burdened with sins, and the punishment of those sins, afflictions, and groan under the sense of both of them, laboring earnestly to be rid and be delivered from both, these are bid to come to Christ, which is the invitation, and what it means I am secondly to show.
Come unto me. And first in general the word used 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Come is not only a word of exhortation, but of great encouragement also in the doing, so often used, Come and let us kill him, and then the inheritance shall be ours; and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Come ye unto the wedding. And indeed such is needful to the persons here spoken to, the laboring, heavy laden: for them to take a journey, if there be not the encouragement of some great advantage, it will not sound like an invitation, but an infliction; and therefore our Savior besides the rest he promises, used animating words even in the very call 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . Therefore the whole invitation come unto me, though it be used in the Gospel, and may very well signify come to me as to a Teacher and Instructer, so Nicodemus is said to come to Christ, and they are said to come to the light as that which was to reveal; yea and that place in Isaiah 55. 3. whither our Savior do's much reflect, when he useth this expression, seems to import but so, Incline your ear and come unto me, hear &c. yea and may so signify in this place, the words going before being all things are given me of my father, and no man knoweth the father, but the son, and he to whom the son will reveal him, it then follows come to me; as if he should say, therefore if you desire to be instructed in the way to life come to me, and though you do labor under the load of many sins, yet I will show you a way how you shall find ease and rest, and that way follows in the next verse, take my yoke upon you and learn of me, and ye shall be sure to find rest: this is very natural, yet because to give you rest is more than to show you a way to it, and so may seem a promise and a reward very apportioned to the duty, rest to coming; therefore it is most probable that come doth not only signify come to me to learn your duty, but that the come should be itself a duty, and so I shall consider it: and the expression come to me does in the Gospel signify a twofold duty.
1. It signifies to obey and serve. Thus very often most expressly in the Epistle to the Hebrews to come to God is to serve and worship him c. 11. 6. For he that cometh to God must believe that God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him: and c. 7. 25. He is able to save them that come to God by him, that serve God as he commandeth and enableth: c. 10. 1. The sacrifices which they offered year by year could not make the comers thereunto perfect, could not perfectly cleanse them that served God by them, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; and the 22 d verse there Let us come with a true heart, worship him with unfeigned piety and obedience. And the sense will be fully clear from the expressions that relate to it, Seek the Lord, draw near to him, and then come to him. To seek him is to enter upon such a course of life by which his favor is to be obtained, and what it is you will see Isaiah 55. where when he had bid them come to him, that they may do that he bids them, seek him v. 6, 7. Seek the Lord while he may be found: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let them return unto the Lord. Deut. 4. 29, 30. But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thine heart and with all thy soul, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice. Nor indeed can we seek God in any other path. The broad way, that goes down the hill, can never land us in God's Habitation, Heaven; and while we do go on in them it is not possible we should draw near to God, the second, which is but to go on in the same paths. And this expression is our own experience, it being the custom of those that are averse to one another to avoid the sight one of the other, but those that are friendly to seek each other, and delight in drawing near and in society. Thirdly then to come to him must needs be to proceed in those very ways wherein we sought him, till we are in his favor, and to walk with him is accordingly to please him: for so the LXX. renders Enoch 's walking with God, and the Author of the Hebrews c. 11. v. 5. expresses that testimony which the Scripture gives of Enoch, that he walked with God, and which the Chaldee words he walked in the fear of God, thus, he received the testimony that he pleased God; and that very walking is the same word with this coming 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , and here also made the same; for v. 6. of that chapter Without faith it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh must believe, that is certainly; for he that pleaseth him must believe, or else it doth not prove. To walk with God therefore in his Laws, in his fear, and in his favor it is but the progress and the life of this very thing, we are here exhorted to come unto him.
Now if this be to come to God, and coming to him be the end of duty, thither we drive in our whole Pilgrimage of life and piety, to arrive at our Country, to come to our Fathers house, to walk with God, to enjoy his society is the very business and delight of Heaven. Why then this duty of conversion and obedience, this piety of life seems like its own reward, crowns itself. This coming is like that they say of the moving of the Heavens, which being in its own place, though it be still in motion, is still in termino, every parcel of agitation is its own rest, and they have a most perfect acquiescency in that their turbination. And if to lead a good life be to walk with God, it is to be in heaven here; and piety is a translation upon earth.
But secondly there is yet another sense of the invitation Come unto me, and in that sense it is very often used by our Savior, even of believing in him John 6. 35. I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Where he that cometh shall never hunger is he that eateth this bread that giveth life, and he that believeth shall never thirst is he that drin • eth, to let us see that eating him and drinking him, coming to him and believing on him are all the same. So in v. 40. and 44. This is the will of him that sent me, that everyone that seeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him. So c. 7. 37, 38. If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink: He that believes on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. So that to come to Christ is to believe in him, yet so as to obey him, and to frame our lives according to his prescript and example. For to come to him doth comprehend the duty; we come to him to do, as also to believe in him must be to do that which we cannot but believe he requires. This is clear out of the forecited place, I am the bread of life, he that cometh to me shall never hunger. It is not coming to the bread that satisfies, for then would Tantalus no longer hunger or be thirsty, his hell would be his meal; but doing that which people that hunger and come to bread cannot but be supposed to do, even to eat. Why the same is to believe; for if coming to him and believing on him be the same, and coming to him signify not only that, but doing that which they that come cannot but be supposed to come to do, then to believe must be besides believing the doing that also which they cannot but believe they ought to do. So that come to me here is believe me, devote yourselves to my obedience, and trust, and devolve yourselves on me.
And if this be to come to him, belief then is no longer expectation, but enjoyment; 'tis 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in the highest sense, the giving us the very substance of those things which we believe we shall receive: it seems more than the evidence of things not seen, even the arrival at them and vision of them. 'It is, saith the Wise Man, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 the beginning of our cleaving to him, of our being glued and fixed upon him, Ecclesiasticus 25. 12. And by faith we may both taste and see how gracious the Lord is, how 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the word following here, how sweet, how pleasant he is even to the eye and palate. If to believe be to arrive to eat and drink, Faith is now all sense, as verily as Christ is all enjoyment, all satisfaction, and happiness.
And to this happiness they that labor and are heavy laden are the only persons that are called; which is the third thing, to show how this laboring and heavy lading come to be the qualification for this Invitation, how it come to pass that they that are such, are the only fit ones to come to Christ.
And first, in the first sense as all those words do but signify the grievous Sinner. These sins may in one sense given by Christ be a qualification to this coming, because the whole need not the Physician, but those that are sick. Do not wounds require, and qualify for a Chirurgeon? The corrupt habitual Sinner is full of wounds, and swellings, and putrefied sores. Does not weariness and burdens dispose a man for ease and rest? The Sinner he is the tired laden man, he therefore hath the most need of this Invitation, which makes our Savior say, I came to call Sinners; which is no more than saying, I came to say Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden.
And hence we learn the all-abundant kindness of our merciful Savior: he needs no other motive for his helping of us, but our want of help: thou dost fulfill his own direction, when thou makest a feast, invite not the rich, but the poor and needy. So here he makes the only cause of his invitation of us Sinners, our necessity. Except he do invite us, we are miserable, must sink under a perpetual burden, and therefore he will call us to give us rest. David was well acquainted with this Attribute, and therefore prays, Help me, O Lord, for I am weak. Our want is argument enough to those bowels, whose business is to extend and diffuse themselves. Yea the Gospel expresses in that manner also; the Ruler there saith My daughter lies at the point of death, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , that thou mayest come and lay thy hands on her, as if our wants were nothing else but his opportunities. Yea Christ himself hath taught us ground for this confidence, in the very Prayer he hath taught us, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Give us our bread: if it be ours, what need we go to beg and pray for it? Why our bread? Why certainly because we are in extreme need of it, we cannot live without it, therefore we go to pray for it; so that want is possession in Christ's esteem, and when we are in need then we may go to Christ and call it ours. He observes that himself here, when he makes our sinful misery the only motive to his Invitation, Come unto me all ye that labor.
But then secondly in the second sense of the words those that are affected with the sense of their sins, that groan under and are humbled and brought low with the weight of their iniquities, that discern them to be truly heavy loads, and to be the true cause of faintings and languishing of Soul, these are the only disposed persons to come to Christ in both the senses of that phrase of Coming. First as it signifies to turn from their evil ways and walk in those paths that lead to him. For as long as men apprehend no danger in their courses, how can we expect that they should leave them? While they only taste the sweets and pleasures of sin, whilst the Devil smoothes and strews their way, and makes one temptation receive another, and by the perpetuated vanity makes one sin a divertisement to another; so that none can clog, but each doth recreate, and one iniquity refresh him whom another hath wearied: how is it to be looked for, that these men should quarrel with their pleasures, and forsake these delights and advantages of iniquity? Nay alas we see, when iniquity is become so cruel as to punish itself, and sin is its own Executioner, as adultery, drunkeness, covetousness and ambition oft are so just as to severely torture them that serve them, if notwithstanding that we see men choose and embrace those sins that bring their Hell with them, are of such desperate appetites as to long for torments, how can we hope that any will forsake their sins before they find them toilsome burdens, before they begin to see them in their own deformed infernal shapes, to discern their hooks and prongs, their brimstone-flames and worm with which they will eternally torment us? They must be scared and mated, before ever they will forsake those things that flow with wanton delicacy and luxuriant delight; and therefore we see very few ever begin seriously to repent before their last death-beds, when the evil day is come, then that time is in which thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them, when the keepers of the house shall tremble, i. e. the hands shall shake with guilt or with infirmity, with palsy or with fear, thou wilt then hate their gripings, the bribery that they have been the instruments of: how will men contemn their former excesses, their full riots, and their draughts that overflowed like seas, that had their tides and refluxes, when the grinders shall cease, because they are few, when the mouth is toothless, as unable to chew as the stomach is to digest meat; and the pitcher shall be broken at the fountain, and the wheel at the cistern, the bladder ceases to do his office, stopped up by stranguries or leaky with diabetes: punishments that old age, and living faster than nature designed, bring along with it, very proportionate to that sin, if you understand it. Or how will they hate the foul inordinacies of unchaste beds, when the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail, rupture and hernias and ulcers shall seize the lower ventricle. But these are all expressions that belong to that last day, and made use of by the wise Preacher, that had tried the vanity and emtiness, and the vexation and burden of them, to make us take up a little sooner, Ecclesiastes 12. the 6 first verses. And when those that look out of the windows shall be darkened, when the curtains of thy bed and of thy eyes shall be drawn, and that utter darkness begin to represent it self with which our Savior paints the lower region, when Hell from below is removed at his approach opening her mouth wide to swallow him, whom the vast weight of his iniquity is ready to sink into it; O then his sin is his greatest sickness, and his horror doth more disjoint him than death itself. O for a little life-time now to spend in piety, which before he counted the most unpleasant impertinency that could be, nor could be rectified till these apprehensions, which only sense will work in most too late, be wrought in him, there being no other way to make us leave and come, but by looking upon death in the iniquity, which certainly is there, that having been a murderer from the beginning. In the second sense as to come to Christ signifies to rest and devolve ourselves upon him, this laboring is a necessary preparative, it is the sense of our misery without him that must drive us to him: the weight of that Legal curse that lies upon us all that must make us run to him, that was made a curse for us. Who would either value or fly to a Savior, that is not first convinced that he wants help? Can you persuade the mad man in the fever to betake himself to the Physician? He thinks you have more need, that counsel him. It is the drowning man that clings and grasps, and when he sees himself ready to perish, rather than want something to catch hold of, his roming hand do's even catch that water that do's strangle him, and he do's grasp his own ruin. Any rest to a falling man: and we never truly and seriously can depend upon Christ, till we thus apprehend our selves sinking, and find ourselves tired and fainting under the load of our iniquities.
No nor secondly on Christ's part, will he receive any that are not thus qualified. For will he, think you, forgive the sins of those that do as yet love those sins? or will he strive to ease them of their iniquities, that find no burden in them, but rather that of a full pleasure? No surely he will not envy them so much their delights, but let them enjoy their beloved ruin. Is it fit Christ should invite those men who do yet cherish those sins that slew him, or that he should receive into his bosom those iniquities that put him to death? No certainly, till we can hate those sins which he could die for, and till we find weight in those iniquities which he found death from, till we labor under that which he sunk under, we have no regard of his mercies to us, but renounce all relation to him, and close with his mortal enemy, and cannot then hope to be received by him. And thus you have the reason why these 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 are the only fit persons to be invited by him, because till we are so, we cannot truly come unto him, depend upon him; and till we are so, we are not fit to be received by him.
And now for application. But what? cannot we truly come til we find ourselves to be heavy laden, till we labor and are tired and wearied with iniquity? We see the perverse conditions of man, whom nothing but misery can persuade to Heaven; Heaven is no bait, though it prostitute all its glories; Happiness is a word that hath no music in it; the pleasures with which God entertained himself from all eternity, have no temptation in them compared to those of sin: Come unto me is not an invitation till we labor; till we find ourselves perishing in our choice, ruined in those sins we have embraced, we never will uncling, nor come to Christ: we must have our happiness inflicted on us and be goaded into bliss. But then
2. Learn hence how willing Christ is to have us come to him, when he makes use of Hell, not to punish only them that will not come, but to drive us to come to him. Had it not been enough for him to set before us life and death, and bid us take our choice? No, he knows our blind and unadvised appetites would choose the guilt poison, the painted, the pleasant death, and make a Covenant with Hell; and therefore he lets us feel part of that Hell to fright us, and yet then receives us. To force us to love ease he lets us travel under the burdens of our own desiring, and yet after that invites us to rest: he do's not only accept them whose choice he is not but refuge, when as he might reject us. You would none of me, but chose weight, load, and labor; go and look for ease thence. But alas! if I should bid you seek refreshment from your pleasant sins, what comfort would you find, when you are tired with those sins, and the pleasures of them do forsake you, and leave you nothing but the stings and horror of the after expectations? No no, come to me yet, I will receive you after all your refusals; and though you come to me but as to a last hold having nothing else to trust to, though you have already tried all other, and slighted me, you shall yet be welcome: my pierced side is yet open to receive all of you that will yet come, and let you into my very heart; my arms are yet as wide as on the Cross, at their full length to take you into their embraces. Ah my Brethren, Christ doth not send us back to our beloved miseries when we come to him, but he makes those miseries a part of his Rhetoric to invite us, uses our labor and weariness to persuade us to come, makes those burdens the indearment of, and provocation to his ease, and Hell itself a part of his wooing. And how will he receive and embrace us, who doth thus desire and court us? The story of the Prodigal is hugely evictive of this, and so indulgent, that it would almost invite a man to sin; but then it do's far more invite a man, that will repent him of his sin, to be secure of God's acceptance. He that had so villainously betrayed his Father's dearness to his own beastliness and ruin, to whom all kindness would seem lost, and to receive him in again and to assist him would be but to encourage him, and to furnish him for a return back to the prodigalities of sin and to the former riots of iniquity; yet when he do's repent, he do's obtain far more than he desires: he is received to feast and bosom, is entertained much more than the first born, and had he never gone away he had not been so dear. Do but consult the story Luke 15. When weary and fainting under the burden of himself, which his languishing spirits were scarce able to sustain, he came at last to himself, v. 17. and began to wonder that he chose to stay with husks, with famine, rather than to go to daily plenty, and chose to dwell in the unclean, uncomfortable company of swine before his Father's household, and then strait to think of leaving that condition and society, and to resolve on a return. When he began to put those resolutions into act, and his impotent starved limbs would scarce serve his desires, at least he was unable to make hast in the pursuit of his intentions, for he was yet a great way off v. 20. yet then his Father had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. His compassions did not keep state, or stand expecting till his ungracious son should come and humble himself, and deprecate and beg; but he ran to meet him, and made far greater hast to receive and entertain, than the other could do to be received; and as if the humiliations or weaknesses had been on his side, he fell, at least the impotencies of his affection did vie with those of the others condition, for he fell on his neck and kissed him. And whereas his repenting son did resolve to become prostrate, and low in condition as well as posture, I will go to my Father, and say unto him, Father, I have sinned before heaven and against thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son, make me as one of thy hired servants v. 18, 19. I dare not hope for favor from any tie of nature which I have broken all; I do not beg thy kindness as the issue of thy Relation, but as the wages of my labor; I will serve for thy affections, and let me have it as the hire of my repentance and endeavors: but 'twas enough it seems to have resolved thus lowly in earnest; for when he comes to act it v. 21. as he had said I am unworthy to be called thy son, his Father cuts him off, and calls for the best Robe, and for a Ring, and for the fatted Calf, will not let him so much as beg to be a servant, but if he once acknowledge himself unworthy for a son, he puts him strait in such an equipage as he may own him in with credit, in the best Robe; and he rejoices, quickens and sets out his joy with Feasts and Music. Now saith Tertullian, Quis ill nobis intelligendus Pater? What Father is this in the story? Why certainly 'tis God. No one so much a Father, no one so compassionate, if the Sinner once come to himself, as the prodigal son is said to do; for while he do's go on he is indeed beside himself and in a fit: and when he has collected sober thoughts about him, and do's compare his wanting husks with the full plenties of his Fathers house, the unsatisfying transient delights of sin, that have filthy toil and noisome drudgery in the gaining, and instantly when they are gained put out themselves, are gone, and leave nothing but snuff or stink behind, offense only and trouble of mind; compared those with the gladsome expectations of blessedness, with the comforts that are in all the promises of Christ, and the feasts of our Fathers mansion, God's entertainments, the glories he hath studied for those that love him, and being satisfied these are the better pleasure, resolves to leave the swine, his unclean beastly courses, and betake himself to his Father, he shall then find this fiction experience, and God outdoing all the Parables of himself. He will run to meet him that do's but set himself to come in earnest, not only, as the proposition says, accept his service, but prevent it; and however miserable, poor, and naked he do meet him, as the Sinner is Rev. 3. 17. he calls for the best Robe, even the Robe of Christ's Righteousness to put upon him, and puts a Ring upon his finger, he does espouse him to his Son, he kills the fatted calf, makes ready the supper of the Lamb for him, and it is the poor repenting Sinner's wedding supper with his Savior. It is a chapter full of comfort to the Penitent, and hath a greater advance for it than this story v. 3, 4. The Sinner he hath straied into by-paths, gone away from the Shepherd of his soul, is a lost sheep; but yet when he is gone his farthest, and is in his mazes, knows not which way to betake himself, then this good Shepherd do's not invite only to a return, or as the Father in the Parable run to meet him in his coming back, but he do's go himself to seek him, seems to mind the recovery of each single one that is lost, and contributes as carefully to his return, as if that one were all his charge, and the whole flock is not dearer to him than that one. He leaves the ninety and nine to seek that one, and he seeks till he finds it, and when he finds it he lays it on his shoulders. The wandering sheep was wearied it seems with straying, and had tired it self with running from its shepherd; but this too is provided for, he could not come home, therefore he is carried. It is not now, Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, I will not refuse you. Nay when you are so lost in Labyrinths of guilt out of which you can see no issue, when you have so labored in the paths of error that you are not able to come home, if you will but be found, I will seek you, yea and carry you home too. That no one, how far soever he have gone away, may yet despair of coming home, this sheep had wander'd to such a distance and to so much weariness, that he was fain to be born back when he was found. And he lays it on his shoulders rejoicing, was glad of such a burden. How willing is our Savior to find out a straied Sinner, when after such long errors he do's seek him till he finds him, and carries him, if he be weak and fainting; yea and rejoices in that carriage, as if that rest he gives the Sinner were such ease and refreshment to himself, he joys in it! And that joy spreads itself to Heaven, for there is joy in Heaven at that sight, and v. 10. There is joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one sinner that repents. Heus tu peccator, bono animo sis, vides ubi de tuo reditu gaudeatur: Thou poor disconsolate Sinner, that liest groveling under the sense of the burden of thy sins, thy soul sinking under that heavy weight, and sinking also in the waters of thy fears, drowned in thy sorrow, be of good cheer. Dost thou not think there is some joy in this estate of thine, when it can make a joy in Heaven? Those tears assure thyself have comfort in them; for God, and Christ, and all the Angels do rejoice at sight of them. And do not dread thy burden, if thou dost truly labor under it, and dost but faithfully desire and endeavor to throw it off thee. Dost thou not see him that laid the lost sheep on his shoulders as ready to take thee up? He that would not reject thy Cross when it was loaden with thy guilt, will not reject thyself when thou art lighted from that guilt. He that would receive thee on his shoulders when thou wast fainting under the burden of thy sins, when that is cast away into the sea and buried in his grave, will certainly receive thee into his bosom. He that would carry thee to give thee ease when thou wert wearied with running from him, when thou dost come to him and faint into his arms, will give thee everlasting rest; a rest whose blessedness to understand were to enjoy it, and to be able to conceive were to be infinite as itself is; a blessedness which to behold is beatific. O cast away your burdens and make hast, and come and see.
Lastly learn hence the method you are to take in coming to him, how you are to begin your journey. The first advance is by this conviction of the burden and horror of sin, till this be in us we will never move a step towards him. The Church hath taught us, when she invites us to come to him in Sacrament, to make the first step this confession, We be heartily sorry for these our transgressions, the remembrance of them is grievous unto us, the burden of them is intolerable. And Christ hath told us here, that we must find the very same things in ourselves, an intolerable burden that tires and wearies us until we faint, before we come to him; we are otherwise no part of his invitation, will be no part of his retinue. And then whosoever thou art that art so far from finding them intolerable, that without them thy life is hardly tolerable, so far from burden, that thy very days are burdensome that are restrained from conversations of sin, that dost account them thy delight, not weariness, and art refreshed, not tired with them, and canst not think of parting with them: or if no very vicious company or custom hath brought thee to this necessity and height of sinning, yet thou look'st upon them as slight regardless things, mistakes and oversights that slip from thee, all whose repentance is but Lord have mercy, and never thinkest more of it, dost not apprehend that every such gross fault hath an eternal weight in it, and dost not humble thyself under that weight; bethink thyself whether thou art yet in the way to Christ, or whether thou indeed be called to come. Oh no, the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 are the men; for thou especially that takest pleasure in them, dost thou think Christ will call thee to do worse with him than the damned do in Hell? There they indeed nourish their sinful appetites, their lusts advance, but their lusts are their plague and torment them, and they extremely hate and curse those things which they do passionately desire. Now that habitual Sinner his sins they are his employment, his delight too, he longs as those other, but he satisfies also and finds pleasure in them: and then, if those others be fit company for the Devils only, canst thou believe thyself fit company for Christ, that he should bid thee come to him? No, begin to act thy Hell a little sooner, account them here thy torments, hate them in time, perceive them to be burdens while they may be laid down, and then come unto Christ, and he will give thee rest.
And evermore, O Lord, give us of thy rest, a rest from sin here, and a rest from misery eternally. Yea, O Lord, give us to labor, and to find trouble under that intolerable burden of our guilt, that we may with eager hast fly to the refreshment, that we perverse obdurate Sinners, whom thy mercies cannot invite, our own miseries may force to be happy: and though our wickednesses are multiplied into an infinite mass and weight, yet despise us not, when we fall under them; for thou didst invite us to come, and bring all that load to thee: despise us not, though heavy laden; for thou thyself didst bear this weight, and didst die under it. And O thou, who didst thyself thus suffer by reason of this load, pity us that labor with it, ease us of the burden of our former guilt, free us from the slavery of our iniquity, from bearing any longer Satan's loads; then shall we at last sit down with thee in the Land of everlasting rest, delivered from all weights but that eternal weight of glory, and resting from all labors save that of praising thee, and ascribing all Honor, Power, Praise, Might, Majesty, and Dominion to Father, Son, and holy Ghost for evermore.
SERMON X. OF THE CHRISTIANS VICTORY Over Death, Sin, and the Law.
1 Cor. 15. 57.
THE words are the close of an 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , or Song of joy and triumph for a victory. Now a victory supposeth Enimies, and the verse before names them, and the Text shows us the means that they art conquered by, and who they are, that are partakers of the Victory. I shall declare and treat of both.
1. The Enimies here mentioned, and we may account them three, if that which gives both aid and strength to, fortifies our Enimy, be so; as sure it is. 1. Here is Death, which sin arms with a sting and do's envenome it. 2. Sin itself, empower'd and strengthened by the Law. 3. That Law also.
In the second place here are the means by which the Victory is gotten, and for whom— us the victory thro Jesus.
In handling all which I shall show
First, that the Law gives Sin all its strength, and how it do's so.