Forty Sermons

First, that the Law gives Sin all its strength, and how it do's so.

2 ^lie That Sin is the sting of Death, and how it is so.

3 ^lie That by Christ both the Law which is the strength of Sin is taken away, and Sin which is the sting of Death pulled out; and so both Sin and Death so weakened that they cannot hurt now; and they shall be swallowed up in perfect victory: and who they are all this is don for. Of these all in this order, which I crave leave to speak to directly without any least diverting from the Text or Subject.

First I am to speak of the first preparations that are made against us in behalf of our Enimies; and that is to show you, that the Law gives all the strength to Sin which it hath, and how it do's so.

Sin hath its very being from Law, it being 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the transgression of the Law 1 John 3. 4. and Sin is not imputed where there is no Law Rom. 5. 13. yea where there is no Law there is no transgression c. 4. 15. But this is not all, for in the Law besides the Precepts there is also Sanction, and it lays a twofold obligation; first to duty, secondly upon transgression to punishment.

1. To duty, and that perfect and unsinning strict obedience; for the terms are these, Cursed is he that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them. And to this the whole man is obliged, the soul as well as body: & caro & spiritus Dei res est, saith Tertull. God made the soul as well as body, one's his creature as much as the other, and the one hath as much reason then to pay him honor and obedience as the other: if indeed the spirit hath not much more to obey him in its own motions and actings, than in those of the body, which are only under it, and guided by it. So that thoughts are criminal against this Law, as well as doings; by them the Soul fulfils its part of the transgression, more it may be than its own share, while it robs the Flesh, seizes its satisfactions, and makes them her own against her nature. And indeed whatever part the Law is broken and transgressed by, 'tis transgression and sin still, whether by the mind, for lust when it hath conceived only, sin is then begotten James 1. 15. or by the tongue, for of every idle word we must give an account at the day of Judgment, Matth. 12. 36. and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. Or lastly by the works. So that according to the Tenor of this strict and severe Law whatever we can do, or indeed whatever we do not is Sin: besides commissions that are sinful there is still defect, and so transgression in our thoughts, our words, and deeds even in the best; and in not doing also there's omission, and so failing. But besides this severe obligation of the Law to duty, upon this our faileur there is a severer obligation

2. To punishment; for every sin is cursed, as we saw. Upon this account the Law, saith S ^t Paul, worketh wrath, Rom. 4. 15. we are children of wrath, Eph. 2. 3. whose inheritance is destruction, and who are of right to possess only the sad issues of God's indignation: for to this the Law condemns us all, by reason of our Sins; and upon that account the Law is said to be the strength of Sin. Because by force and virtue of this threatening of the Law, we that have sinned are therefore liable and obnoxious to the condemnation of it. And this I take to be the meaning of that place Rom. 7. 7, 8, 9, 10. I had not known sin, but by the law; for I had not known concupiscence, except the law had said thou shalt not covet. But sin taking occasion by the commandment wrought in me all manner of concupiscence: for without the law sin was dead,—but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died, and the commandment which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. The Apostle's drift here is not to evince how the commandment begets sin, but how it makes sin condemning, begets death: and therefore I believe they are mistaken who expound, sin taking occasion by the commandment wrought in me all manner of concupiscence, as if it meant the Law only prohibiting, but not quelling sin in me; the more it was restrained, the more it wrought all manner of concupiscence in me, especially since there was no punishment assigned to that sin in the Law; it took advantage thence more powerfully to engage me in the pursuit of all my lusts, since thence I might have hopit without any fear of punishment to pursue them. For this seems perfectly to thwart his aim, which was to show us how the Law wrought condemnation, and inflicted death by threatening it. It seems to mean, I had not only not known sin to be so dangerous, but I had not known some things to be sins, and by consequence condemning things, but by the Law: particularly I had not known concupiscence to be so, had not the Law said thou shalt not covet. The next words do not seem intended to declare how the Commandment work sin, that being brought in by the by, as it were thus, but sin the corruption of my nature 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 had wrought in me all manner of concupiscence, all actual lusts and wickednesses 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 got advantage over me or strength against me by the Law: which he there proves, for without the law sin is dead; not as to stirring in us by its sinful motions sure, corruption would not fail to do that and more if there were no check; but dead, had no strength nor power to condemn me. For it follows, when the commandment came, sin revived, got strength to do that, and I died, was sentenced to death by it, and the commandment which was ordained to life could I have obeyed it, I found to be unto death by condemning me to death for my transgression of it. For sin by the Commandment 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 getting advantage over me slew me; not only made me liable to death, but by its guilt envenoming that death: for the sting of death is sin, which that it is, and how it is so, is the second thing I am to speak to.

Sin is the sting of death, which I could make appear two manner of ways in relation to two senses that may be given to the words, both pertinent, and the one but the Anticipation of the other. The first is this: Sin is the sting of death; 'tis Sin makes the thoughts of death pungent and stinging; the wicked man cannot think of his last dying day without horrors, the only imagination of a sickness stings him, because he is conscious to himself of sin, and he knows that that after Death cometh the Judgment, and he dares not think of beholding the face of his Judge with his guilt upon him.

To prove this to you I shall not need to fetch any heathen Testimonies, that call the Conscience of Sin a whip, a sting, a goad, a lancing knife, things that gash and prick, and gall and fret, all words of all kinds of terrifying punishment: but if there be any gross customary Sinner that now hears me, I shall need no other way of proof, but by appealing to his own conscience, whether, when he comes hot from his iniquity, he dares entertain the thought of dying. And why not? Alas he is too deep in arrears to venture upon account with so impartial a Judge; books must be laid open if he come there, the closet curtain sins, nay the bosom villainies must be displayed, and everyone receive his doom; he hath heard, that all the refuge of a deplored Sinner at that great and terrible Day of the Lord is but to fly unto the Mountains to cover him, and to the Rocks to hide him. A wretched hope; for how shall the Hills hide him, whose iniquities are like Mountains? or how shall the rocks cover him, whose rebellions are like the great deep, as the Scripture words it? To such a person Death and Judgment are words of too dangerous a sense, and it's easier for him (as many do) to resolve there is no such thing as one of them, than to think of them, and go merrily on in sinning. For tell me, what is the design of that variety of iniquities in which thou dost ingulf thyself, that circle of sins wherein one relieves and succeeds another? Sure by such a perpetuity of diversified delights to stave off those severer thoughts, which if there were an intermission of sinning, or a nauseating of one sin for want of variety, would creep in, the noise of our riots is not to please the ear, but to drown the barking of our consciences. When the Sinner's candle is put out, if weariness in wickedness do not at once close up his eyes and thoughts, if the dark solitary night do but suggest some melancholy thoughts into him, how do's he tumble up and down, as if he thought to role away from his imagination? and he do's ransack his fancy, and call up the memory of his past sins about him to entertain himself with all, and keep out the torturing remembrance of that sad Day, which the Scripture calls putting far from them the evil day: for the truth is he dares not give it place, least it should happen to him, as to a man upon a pointed precipice, (as himself is indeed situated) to whom the apprehension would be as mortal as the danger, and he would tumble down for fear of falling. So here his sin adds such sharps to the imagination of death, that he dares not entertain the thought.

And if Sin be such a sting in the only thought of death, that the mere remembrance of it is insupportable, the use is very natural by the frequent calling of death to mind to stop the current of sin. For if the wicked cannot endure to think of death, he that does think on it, cannot well go on to be wicked. Remember thy latter end, and thou shalt not do amiss. I would give this counsel, Think thou art to die while doing it. The original of the Turks Turbant, which was but by continual wearing of his winding sheet, by wrapping his head in his grave-clothes to have always a shroud and death upon his thoughts; and the Philosophers defining their wisdom to be but contemplatio mortis, are not such pregnant inforcers of this use, as this practical apprehension of it. The man that lived among the Tombs, though he had a legion of Devils in him, yet when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, Mark 5. 6. The sight of graves and conversation with monuments will make even Demoniacks Religious, and is so far from thrusting Prayers out of the Liturgy of Burial, that it brings the very Devils on their knees.

But there is yet another and a fuller sense of these words, which S ^t Paul repeats out of the LXX. translation of Hosea 13. 14. though not verbatim, for there instead of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and signifies, O Death, where is thy plea by which thou didst attaint men before God's Tribunal? where is the right thou hadst over all men to seize and take possession of them? what's become of the sentence that was awarded thee, by which all of us were adjudged to be thy bond-slaves? where is that punishment which thou didst inflict upon us all, and by it ruin us? To all these rights Sin did entitle thee, O Death; or as it is here in the Text Sin is thy sting, whatsoever power thou hast of hurting man, as the Scorpion's venom lies in his sting, that power Sin hath given thee, and in that it lies: without Sin Death were no plague, and it is this that makes Death insupportable.

Now to prove this I need not urge more than what I have already said; for if Sin be a sting in the very thought of Death, much more pungent will it be, when Death itself approaches: when the Feaver shall lay hold upon the blood, not only to revenge the former heats of that lustful or that riotous blood, but to be dawnings of those eternal Burnings which do await the Sinners, and shall do more than represent unto thee the heats of that unquenchable brimstone which is to be thy lot, and which already doth begin to flash in upon thee. Which part of thee do's labor with the more intolerable Feaver, thy Body or thy Soul? Alas the frost of the Grave would seem to thee a Julip, a cool refreshment only, if Sin did not make thee look upon the grave as a downlet to that bottomless pit, which is the lake of fire that is not quenched. Nothing possibly can keep an unrepentant Sinner, that on his death-bed apprehends his guilt, from the horror of despair, from being his own Devil, and suffering his own Hell in his own bosom upon earth. I shall demonstrate this invincibly to you, that Sin do's, and nothing else do's make Death most insupportable, when it approaches.

Now to evince this, my Argument is none other than our Blessed Savior himself, in whose Passion the only imputation of guilt seems to have raised the greatest contradictions imaginable. If you look upon him preparing for his Passion, it seems his only and most pleasing design; as he came into the world for that end, so his whole life before it was but a Prologue to it, only a walk to mount Calvary, it was his extreme desire. I have a baptism to be baptized with, baptized indeed with fire and his own clotted sweat of blood, yet this Baptism how am I streightened till, it be accomplished, Luke 12. 50. He had longing throws after it, he did as much desire it as a woman to be delivered of her burden. Nay it was his contrivance, he did lay plots that he might not escape it; for when a glorious Miracle had broke from him, that did extort the confession of his Deity from Men and Devils, he charges these to hold their peace, and bids the other tell it no man: one reason of which was, least the knowing him to be the Son of God should hinder him from suffering. He gives it himself Luke 9. 21, 22. he straitly charged and commanded them to tell no man that thing, saying the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected; now should they know I were the Son of God, they would not crucify the Son of glory. You see what care he takes least he should not suffer: and just before his passion he come in triumph to Jerusalem, with songs and joy about him, as if Death were the only pleasant thing, and his passion so desirable, that he would go ride to meet it, which he never did at any other time. And add to all this that the person was the Son of God, to whom nothing could be truly insupportable; yet when this person comes to meet it, see how he entertain it, his soul is exceeding sorrowful, he fell on his face to pray against it, and while he was in this condition an Angel from Heaven came to strenthen him, yet he is still in an agony and prays more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood. Now 'twas the sense of Sin upon him that made his blood run out in clotts, as it were flying from that sense; it was the apprehensions of the guilt imputed to him, and the wrath which he knew was due to it, did make him apprehend his God (who was himself) was gone from him, made him cry out, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Now to say that all this dread were from the mere apprehension of death, were horrid blasphemy; the meanest Martyr was never guilty of so much weakness. No 'twas from the sense of the iniquity that was upon it, 'twas because he was made sin for us; he was a man of sorrows, saith the Prophet Isaiah, because in representation he was a man of sins, for he bore our iniquities, saith the same Prophet c. 53. The Lord had laid upon him the iniquities of us all, and therefore he was oppressed. And so I have made appear, that Sin is the sting of Death more than if yourselves did feel it by an experimental despair: for it is more that Sin should make Death terrible to the Son of God, than that it should make it insupportable to you. And therefore before Death seize you, and prostrate you into his dust, this consideration may humble you into the dust and ashes of Repentance; this I say, if Sin were a sting that made Death so insupportable to Christ, what will it be to us? If the apprehension of it, when it came armed only with the imputation of our guilt, (for he himself knew no sin ) was so terrible to the Son of God, how shall we stand under it, when it brings all our own iniquities to seize upon us? If he that was a person of the Trinity could not bear the weight, how shall we sink under it? That which made our Jesus in an agony, as if he meant to pour out his soul in his sweat, and pray, and roar, and die, will certainly be to us most infinitely beyond sufferance. Alas! what then will be our hope? We have certainly none, except we can by Faith and Repentance rid ourselves of this Sin, which is the sting of Death, and makes it to be thus intolerable; which how it comes to pass I must now show.

2. Why, and how Sin is the sting of Death. Sin may seem very properly to be called a sting of Death, for it was the Serpent that brought Death into the World, and Sin was that by which he did inflict it; now a sting is a Serpent's proper instrument, and a venomous sting it was, that could blast Paradise, and shed destruction there where the Tree of life bore fruit. But that is not all the reason why it should be called the sting of Death because it makes us obnoxious to Death, but it is that which makes Death a miserable condition: as it is the sting of the Serpent that makes him a poisonous creature, so it is that which makes Death destructive. For were Death the expiration of that little spark in the moving of our heart, and if our spirit utterly vanished as the soft air, and were it as the Atheist in the Wise man says, we are born at all adventure, and shall be hereafter as though we had never been; Death would be so far from all sting, that it would be perfect rest, and the end of troubles: but Sin makes it only the beginning of sorrows, it changes the very nature of death, by making that which seems to be the cessation of sensible function, to be the very original of the sensibility of torments. Then the Sinner doth begin indeed to feel, when he dies. Death were but the term of a miserable life, did not Sin make it the birth of a more miserable life or death: I know not whether to call it; for it is of so strange a nature, that the very uniting of a Sinner's body and soul, which is the only thing we call life, God calls death, Rev. 22. 13, 14. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell, or the grave, delivered up the dead which were in them, that is, the bodies to be join'd to the souls, and they were judged every man according to their works, and in that case all are cast into the lake of fire, this is the second death. Sin makes Resurrection to be dying: and it must needs be so, because as afflictions are in this life called death, as S ^t Paul saith in Deaths often; so much more then may those torments of hell be called death. So that in that death that Sin engages to, it is necessary to live always, that we may for ever die: and it must be so, because this makes us liable to the eternal indignation of the offended God, which we were not capable of suffering, were it not a death of this nature. This is indeed death with a sting in it, and it is the sense of this approaching that wounds the dying soul; when it do's at once call to mind the wickedness of its past life and the wrath that do's await it, when he recollects how sinful he hath been, and withal how hateful sin is to God, (so hateful that it was easier for God to send his Son to suffer death, than to suffer sin to go unpunished) then his own expectations sting and stab his very soul; for if God did thus use his own Son, how will he use me, that have both sin'd and trod underfoot the death of that Son by going on willfully in my sins? Would you then, my Brethren, find out a way to make death easy and familiar to you? you must pull out this sting. The Jews say if Adam had continued righteous he should not have died, but after a long happy life God would have taken up his soul to him with a kiss, which they call osculum pacis, he would have received that spirit which with his mouth he did inspire, a kiss of taking leave here to meet in Heaven. Wouldst thou have thy death to be the same thing? 'It is but becoming righteous with the righteousness of Christ, thro whom we have this Victory here in the Text, the other part I am to speak to, who giveth us the victory thro Jesus Christ our Lord's where we have those that are partakers of the Victory, and the means thro Jesus Christ our Lord, and as to both these this I shall demonstrate over all those enemies in order, who the us, and how the Victory is gotten.

First the Law. Now that Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, is said expressly, and that by his being made a curse for us, Gal. 3. 13. and what that curse of the Law was, is set down in the tenth verse, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things, that are written in the book of the Law to do them; which no man besides Christ did ever or can do, and consequently all mankind lay under that same dreadful curse, obnoxious to the wrath of God, and the effects of everlasting indignation: but Christ by undergoing that curse and by that means satisfying that strict Law, procured an easier to be set us upon gentler terms, not perfect and unsinning strict obedience, which was impossible, but instead thereof the Law of Faith, obsequious Faith that works by love, endeavors honestly and heartily, and where it fails repents, that is, grieves, and amends, and perseveres in doing so. For as S ^t Paul assures us, we are not under the Law, but under Grace, Rom. 6. 14. though we be under the directions of it, the duty of it is most indispensable virtue always; yet we are not under those strict terms of it according to the tenor of that curse, but in a state of favor, under terms of grace, where there is mercy, pardon to be had upon repentance thro faith, and where there is encouragement and aid to work that faith and that amendment in us. And thus far the Victory accrues to all mankind; for all that will accept these terms of this remedying Law of grace, the other killing strict Law hath no power over them. For the Gospel was commanded to be preached to, and its terms offered every creature under heaven, all mankind: a victory this, that could not be obtained, but by Christ's blood; the grace and favor of these easier terms for our obedience valued equal with his life; for to take of this curse, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things, that are written in the book of the law to do it, these strict terms, he himself was made a curse: and 'twill be certainly a most unkind return, if that which he thought worth the dying for to get us, we shall not think worth the accepting, slight these blessed terms, and do not care unless we can be free from all necessity of an endeavor, freed from virtue too as well as Law.

But secondly the Law being, as we have showed it is, the strength of Sin in giving it a power to condemn us, that Law being taken off, that power also cannot but be taken off from Sin, and by that means the great strengths of that Enimy defeated. Accordingly S ^t Paul do's tell the Romans c. 6. v. 14. Sin shall not have dominion over you, that is, it shall not have by virtue of the Law a power to condemn you; for you are not under the Law but under grace, are in that state where men are not condemned for every gross or heinous sin altho too long continued in, but there is pardon to be had for them that will but faithfully endeavor to amend, turn from their sins, return to Christ, receive him and his pardon: and where there is also help to do this, 'tis a true state of grace; so that unless men will resolve to force their own guards that are set about them to preserve them, and break thro the strengths of grace, and conquer all the strivings of Almighty God's compassion and goodness to them, and beat off the very victory that Christ hath gained for them, refuse all the kind offers of the Law of grace, and choose sin with damnation, they are safe; There is now, as S ^t Paul saith, by the Law no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus, to them who walk not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit, Rom. 8. 1. in which words we have both an assurance that the strengths of Sin are broken, and the persons too are partakers of the Victory, that are in Christ Jesus: for as it is by him the Victory is gotten, so it is in him that we must get an interest in it. Now to be in Christ, if, as most certainly it doth, it mean here as in other places, where 'tis said of Churches, households, and of single persons, then it means the Christians: so in Gal. 1. 22, the Churches of Judea that are in Christ, i. e. that have received the Gospel and the Faith of Christ; Rom. 16. 11. greet them that be of the household of Narcissus, that are in the Lord, i. e. that are Christians; and the seventh verse, who were in Christ before me, i. e. were converted e're I was. But it means Christians not in judgment and opinion only, but in life and practice; such as are in Christ by S ^t Paul's character and description of it in the 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, he lives the life of Christ as a member does the life of that of which it is a member, and so he walks not after the Flesh, but after the Spirit. For as members live by the virtue of the influence of spirits from the head into them and walk after its directions, so those that are in Christ, his members, they must walk, live, act and practice by the Spirit of Christ, guided not by carnal appetite, the lusts and the desires of the Flesh, but by Christ's directions. Such they are who have this Victory, to whom there is no condemnation. For as he adds Rom. 8. 2. The law of the Spirit of life that is in Christ Jesus, sets us free from the law of sin and death: and so there is thro him a Victory over the third, last enemy Death: in which freedom from Sin and Death two things are intimated.

1. That Sin the sting of Death is taken away, which being once removed, Death is the softest thing that can be, 'tis but falling asleep; so it is called v. 18. of this chapter, fallen asleep in Christ: it is so far from being hurtful, that it is the first great happiness that does befall us.

2. That Death itself also shall be swallowed up in Victory, that we shall be recovered from its powers, and triumph over it in Immortality of blessed life. For if we be in Christ, his members, and so live the life of Christ; and consequently when we die, die in the Lord: then though the body be dead and corruptible, yet if the Spirit of life that is in Jesus be in us, he that raised up Jesus from the dead shall also quicken our mortal bodies by his Spirit, Rom. 8. 11. It is this life in him that verifies the saying of S ^t Paul Eph. 2. 6. He hath raised us up, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ, as sure as if we were already there: for there we are already as his members in our head. And to the full and personal enjoyment of the blessings of those heavenly places it is death that lets us in; that vale of Achor is the door of hope and Canaan, the grave the avenue to God's right hand: that death, 'tis but the Pascha in S ^t Bernard, 'tis our Passover, a repast of bitter herbs indeed, but at the going out of Egypt from the house of bondage. And though the body seem in death a piteous despicable thing, sown in corruption & dishonor, as S ^t Paul expresses, yet death gives that a relation too to Christ: the Prophet Isaiah brings in the Lord calling His dead 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 cadaver, they my dead body shall aris • , saith he c. 26. 19. So that the corps of a good person is so far a member, that 'tis called the very body of his Savior, into such a title Death translates it; to such not to live only, but to die is Christ. And sure if they that die in him, did live in him, (as none can die there where they did not live at all) that is live as his members, they that die in Christ must die his members. But in the expression of the Prophet they do also die himself, and are Christ's own dead body. Death to such is as it were transfiguration, and do's not so much strip and make them naked, as clothe them, and that with glory; the shroud may seem but their white wedding linen, and their dress for the marriage of the Lamb. Whoever is a faithful sincere Christian, if Death seem to make approaches to him armed with all his instruments of cruelty and terror, charge him as assuredly as a Prophet could to set his house in order, for he must die; if he can say with Hezekiah in Isaiah 38. 3. Remember now, O Lord, 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 he have not fifty years, yet he shall have a numberless Eternity added to his life; and notwithstanding the dark solitude of the Grave to which he is retiring, he shall have that which will accompany him to his infinite joy: when he is torn from friends, and all his dearest things do leave him▪ yet he shall not be alone, his faith and piety, his virtues all go along with him, and appear for him at that tribunal on the Judgment day. All his relations, even his bosom-guest, the other half of his own soul forsake him, bring him it may be to the grave, and though they carry blacks upon them to refresh and keep alive the memory of him, yet in a while take comfort and forget; yet the true conjugal affections of an untainted, undefiled bed shall go along, present the Soul white, as a Virgin that's unspotted. And after this 'tis in vain to say his riches will forsake him, they go not so far as the grave, afford nothing of themselves but the price of a sheet and coffin. But then Charities will mount, Alms will ascend as fast as the Spirit; the wealth one piously bestowed will meet him, he shall eternally possess that which he gave away, and though his place know him no more, they shall receive him into everlasting habitations. Wherefore, my beloved Brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, which is the real way of giving thanks to God, who giveth us the Victory.

SERMON XI. OF THE CHRISTIAN'S BLESSEDNES In beholding God's Face.

THE words import an express opposition between the satisfactions of the person in the Text, and those of them that are described before here in the context, •• amely of the men of the world which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou, O God, fillest with thy hid treasure, v. 14. of whom he had also said v. 10. they are enclosed in their own fat, their mouth speaketh proud things, i. e. the satisfaction of these wordlings lies in this, that they are great and rich, abound with all things, that they and their children have their fill of their desires, & they leave plentiful remains to their posterity; these advantages of this life are the only good things which they value and seek after, they receive them as their portion, and the having them so plentifully makes them proud of the possession, insolent in the use: but as for my part I will serve thee faithfully, truly and justly, and with all sincerity and diligence in the performance of my duty; I will seek thy face, mercy and favor, and so doing wait till thou lift up the light of thy countenance upon me: and then whatsoever my condition be on this earth, where I would not have my good things, I expect other sort of portion from my Heavenly Father; yet when I awake out of the dust at thy appearance in thy glory, since we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, then at my rising it will be impossible that anything which is to satisfy me, can be wanting to me: for my satisfactions cannot but be Glorious, Divine, Infinite, and Immortal, as thine are, if I awake up in thy likeness. So that we have here

1. The nature of that state, and the certain satisfactions of it, which King David did propose to, and assure himself of: to awake up after God's likeness, and he knows he shall be satisfied with it.

2. The sure means of arriving at this state, beholding of God's face in righteousness.

3. His peremtory resolution as to the use of these means, I will behold.

4. With the courage of resolution, which is taken up against the almost universal practice and the as great contradiction of the World, that generally minds far different satisfactions, I declare publicly and confess, But as for me, I will.

1. The nature and the certain satisfactions of that state, which holy David in the Spirit did propose to, and assure himself of. The state the Psalmist do's suppose expressly here: a state to which he shall awake out of the sleep of death. For however some expound his words another way; yet from his opposition of himself as to his own expectations, to the men of this world as to their enjoyments, and declaring of them that they have their portion in this life, 'tis plain he sets his not in this life; in that therefore which he says he shall awake to. That state also which S ^t Paul assure us Heb. 11. all the Patriarchs did look for, & which all the Nation of the Jews had such a faith of, that the Sadducees were always from their first appearance counted Heretics for their denying it. That I say there is such a state now, after so much signal revelation, after so much miracle of Resurrections from death, is not to be made the argument of a discourse to Christians, who can be such no otherwise nor further than as they believe and are assured of it. And it seems altogether as absurd to undertake to treat upon the nature of that state, which S ^t Paul, after he had a taste of it, says is unspeakable and not possible to be uttered; which he was so far from knowing after he had been in it, that he knew not himself in it, knew not whether he were in the body or out of it, when he did enjoy that state: which S ^t Peter when he had a glimpse in our Saviors Transfiguration, & in the astonishment by reason of the light, attempted but to speak of it, it is said he knew not what he said, it put him so beside, out of himself. And 'tis no wonder if we cannot pertinently discourse of it, if, as Scripture says it cannot enter into the heart of man to comprehend it, while he is in this animal and mortal state. And indeed it were the same thing as to comprehend what is the Incomprehensible God himself; for 'tis the nature of that state that we awake into his likeness, the Text says, and S ^t John hath said the same more expressly 1 John 3. 2. Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when he, or it shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. I do not find it said in Scripture of the Angels in what ever rank of Principality they stand, that they are like God; rather to be like the most High is believed that very ambition that destroyed all those that fell. But as when man was made out of the dust he was the only creature that was said to be made after God's own image and similitude; so after he is fallen again into that dust, when he awakes out of it, he is that only thing that is said to bear the image of the Lord from Heaven, to be like God. And 'tis not strange if that nature, which God did assume to himself, come at last to be glorified with some endowments which transcend all those of Angels; yet 'tis said of them, they always see the face of our heavenly Father Matt. 18. 10. To see God therefore as he is, do's seem more, than to see his face continually, and is such a sight as if it do not causally produce a likeness to God in us, which yet possibly it may, and the Schools think it do's, yet 'tis certain that it consequentially proves 'tis absolutely necessary that we shall be like him, otherwise it were impossible that we should see him as he is. Which evidently follows from the Argument of our Apostle, we know we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; so that such a sight of him is that which either makes us or concludes us like God: yea and that to such a degree that in S ^t Peter 's words we are made partakers of the Divine nature, 2 Pet. 1. 4. I shall not undertake to be interpreter to the Apostles as to this expression, or to give the meaning of those words; but whatsoever more it may imply, surely it signifies that those Attributes that are essentially natural to the Divinity, as the Omniscience of his understanding, perfect rectitude and purity of his will; and not to enumerate particulars, perpetual, blessed, infinite delight in the unwearied, uninterrupted exercise of his understanding in the utmost latitude of its comprehensions, and the undisturb'd enjoyment of his holy will in all things, all this unchangeable, because spiritual and immortal; of all these, so much as is communicable to a creature, man shall then partake of, be exalted into: yea so far partake in all of it, as he is exalted into an estate to see God as he is. And this is certainly enough to make good David's expectations, that when he shall awake up after God's likeness, he shall be satisfied with it; and truly 'twere great simplicity to go about to prove so far as any one is like to him, who is the Fountain of Eternal Blessedness: and so far as himself is happy and unchangeably is so, that he must needs be satisfied; for it imports a contradiction at once to be happy and unsatisfied, since so far as any person is unsatisfied, wants anything that he would have, so far he is uneasy and not happy; either sure unhappy in not having it, or else most certainly unhappy in desiring it, which cannot be in any one that is like God. But King David seems wary in his expression here, when I awake up after thy likeness, I shall be satisfied with it; as if he did not count them satisfactions at the present, to the state and condition he was then in, or at least the apprehensions he then had. And indeed S ^t Paul, who tasted the joys of it, says he knew not whether he were in the body or no, so that it seems that half of him was not concerned at all in those transports of those joys: and it is no wonder therefore if most men, that never had a taste of anything but what is sensual and worldly, have been entertained only with satisfactions of those appetites that rise from body, have no apprehensions, or at least no relish for those other, which not only to enjoy but understand, men must be spiritual to some degree; for they are spiritually discerned, saith the Apostle, and the natural man that hath no other guide but sense, or what is wholly founded upon sense and imagination, cannot taste or fancy them with any life at all. Yet notwithstanding this how dim soever and faint the images of those things were in David 's time, before the Sun of Righteousness was risen, and had brought to light that blessed Immortality and Glory of that state, the very expectation was so satisfying, that it could engage him to pursue them, & attempt to compass them: & that he might, after he should be awaked from death, see God as he is, and by consequence be like him, he resolves he will behold his face in righteousness here in this life, as being satisfied that in his presence there was fullness of joy, and at his right hand pleasures for evermore. When alas after all the advantages, the force and beauty which the Gospel-revelations have enriched the draught of that state with, yet now men do not apprehend any such satisfaction in it, as can quicken an affection or endeavor after it; they will not move a step nor a desire towards it.

And here as to this I will neither wonder at, nor instance in the men whose minds the pomps, the gauderies, the heights, the state, and what do's furnish all, the wealth and riches of this world have seized; if such men be not taken off from the pursuit of these things by invisible Treasures, and by spiritual Thrones and Scepters; or if they whose souls have dwelt long in their dishes and their cups, who drink to create thirst, eat to hunger, are not pleased much with a state whose happiness is said to be, that men shall neither hunger nor thirst in it; or if they whom all the pleasures of the flesh sawc'd with variety have made loose and dissolute, will not be tempted to restrain themselves in those bounds that are set to chaste tongues, chaste eyes, or chaste bodies; or though they may be moved it may be to dismiss a while, yet cannot be made willing to divorce their lusts by notions of an happiness for Spirits that have no sex, where they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like God. I will not call in here for evidence that most men have no satisfying apprehensions of the Blessedness of that state, since altho they had, yet there are appetites in the constitution to those other satisfactions that are opposite to all these Blessednesses, and these appetites are hot and fierce, have been long pampered, and now will not be denied, being grown too strong for any notions of the understanding to make head against them. But here is one fatal instance that will certainly evince men have no pleasing sense of the condition of that after-state, they do not fancy it with any takingness at all, and it is this, that in those duties of Religion which have nothing opposite to any carnal appetite, which of themselves retrench not any of our sensual satisfactions, yet most men have all unwillingnesses to them, deadness in them. To name one of them, Prayer for example, which is rather privilege than duty, a most blessed, merciful indulgence, such as if God had not only not commanded but not given us leave for, we must have thought our selves most wretchedly unhappy, since 'tis but giving us leave to pour out all our wants into the bosom of our Father who is both Almighty and most Merciful, to beg those things which if we have not, we are miserable here and everlastingly, and which Christ's blood that purchased them does join in intercession with us, when we pray in earnest for them, and our sighs mixe with his agonies and the merit of his dying groans to his and our Father for us. Now there is not one appetite in our making that's adverse to praying, as there are many to strict virtues; 'tis not uneasy to the flesh, nor yet repugnant to its satisfactions; it is not possible to find a ground on which one can mislike it: and then to see men backward to it, languid and dead in it, weary of it, suffering little avocations to divert them at it, wandering, going from it while they are about it, engaged in it; glad to make quick end of it, seeking out occasions to pretermit it; yea more, out of an insensible stupidity long omitting, not at all performing it, as if that men had nothing at all to desire of God, or at least nothing they desired so much, that they will take the pains to ask in earnest for it. Now 'tis impossible to give an account of this, there's no imaginable reason but that men have no concern or value for, nor apprehensions of the things they pray for. 'It is plain men perform cheerfully what tends to those things they affect and fancy, especially if it be not uneasy nor at all distasteful: they have no sense therefore of the things above, that should give life and heat and motion to their Prayers; those Blessednesses have no taste or relish to them, are so far from being matter of concernment, that the very asking for them seems to them an unkind interruption of their divertisments, any the least trifling thought of which is sufficient to call off their hearts from the desire of Heaven, from the object of their prayers; of so little regard it is to them, and so mean a satisfaction to be like God. Mahomet was aware this was the temper of the most of mankind, and he therefore baited his Religion with delights of their acquaintance, joys that should not need a revelation, miracles, or faith to make them apprehended pleasant; but he dressed his Paradise with immortal sensualities, strong and eternal lusts made up his heavenly delights; and then altho their pleasures are but in reversion (as the Christians are) after a life, yet his Proselytes grew upon Christianity, are still very numerous, and they bear restraints and practice that which Christians cannot be invited to, and what with love to their Religion and those expectations will charge fire, and run upon cannon to be shot into their Paradise; when after all that God hath don to prepare Blessednesses for a Christian, and all that Christ hath don to purchase and secure them to him, he finds no attractiveness in them.

I shall not bring the one and the other satisfactions to a vie, not only that I may not entertain you with a common place, but the comparison would be shameful, and indeed would serve no ends: not the conviction surely of a sensual person; for an Epicure that was born blind, and never had any notice of any of those beauties that surprise astonish, and transport men, but what their discourse can give him, is not certainly by that to be convinced the pleasures of the eye transcend those of the palate, 'tis a thing at least they cannot judge of: nor can they, whose souls are filled with all the images of the delights of sensuality, and who have no apprehensions of God's spiritual, blessed satisfactions, compare or judge between them, nor can therefore be convinced by our comparing of them: yet if these men would but reflect a little, this consideration here might serve to help, if not their imagination, yet their faith of those joys. Namely that if we think God made these comforts here below, and fitted them just to our making, so as that we cannot fancy or imagine pleasures more appropriate to our present state, and we could think a long untroubled age of them great happiness; and if we think too, when these comforts and ourselves are dead, that he will raise us up into another life, a world in which he hath prepared rewards for those that lived here as they ought according to his will, that used the pleasures of this world by those rules and at those calm rates that he allows them: then we must conclude that it is certain he both can and will make some as good at least, and as appropriate to that condition in which he shall place us. He that can raise us up out of the dust of death, can he not also quicken joys and make a resurrection of delights, and as he alters the condition of our being, temper pleasures to it, as he fitted those here to our present state? What though you know not how to fancy satisfactions of another frame than those you now enjoy which you could like to change for? Think you the infant in the womb, while it enjoys ease and content in its close dark cell, can fancy the cheerfulness of a lightsome world, which the Sun guilds with comfortable shine? or that the child hath any notion of the strong contents of riper age? or can he possibly imagine there are any such delights as those his babies and rattles afford him? have any savor of the manly pleasures which mere reason gives, and human knowledge entertain us with? And so may not men grow past their babies? God hath we see proportioned satisfactions to each state of being, to their own degree still in an excellent order; and shall his knowledge or his power fail to do so, when we drop out of this life into another, and are born to spirituality & to immortality? or will he not be so good to his Select ones as he hath been to all mankind, yea to the beasts here; give us joys as great as those of sense are, which the beasts possess, or which is more, the wicked have in greatest affluence? He that will let these satisfactions stream upon the men he hates so, does he not know how, or can he not, or will he not provide greater for his beloved ones, for those which he hath studied happiness for? Would he give his own Son to die, shed his own blood to redeem us into a worse estate? or will he work a miracle of power, create a resurrection, that he may reward us to our loss? All this is most unreasonable to imagine, so that altho we cannot comprehend the blessedness of that state, we cannot paint the glory that we shall be clothed with, cannot fancy the delights God hath prepared; yet we are sure they must transcend most infinitely those of this life. The truth is all discourse is but reproach to them, if ever any person had been truly satisfied with any one or with all the enjoyments of this life. If there were ever any one of those, who in the transports of a passion that possesses their soul so entirely, that they cannot entertain themselves with any other thought, and really believe that their felicity is bound up in the possession of the object of it, that they cannot ever be content without it, so that they dare undertake to vow they never shall or can have other sentiments, in whom the passion when they had their wishes, did not grow more quiet and not so opinionative, and find some allay so far that they were forced to seek to be relieved sometimes from their felicity by variety of divertisments, and inconstancy of appetites: if so, it were not so intolerable that men should think they might be satisfied here, & should not much consider any other. But 'tis not sufferable to set satisfactions that do either go out suddenly or clog & become wearisome, that either die or we distaste them, or else are not fit for them, against the satisfactions of being like God, whom there is no one ever did believe to be, but he assured himself he must be blessed forever; a state which made Angels venture to be Devils rather than they would not strive for it, and might therefore well temt David to resolve he would behold God's face in righteousness, the sure means to attain that state, and my next particular.

The very same means are insinuated by S ^t John in his first Epistle where he said, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; add this, Every man that hath this hope, purifieth himself as he is pure, doth righteousness, in the words following, and so is righteous even as he is righteous. But that we may know what King David means by beholding God's face in Righteousness, we must know that first by Righteousness is meant uprightness and sincerity of a religious, holy, virtuous life: and as for the beholding of God's face, we may take notice that altho God saith he spoke to Moses face to face, yet he tells the same Moses that he cannot see his face and live, Exod. 33. 11, 10. so that David's beholding of his face is not seeing him as he did hope to do, when he did awake up after God's likeness, but

1. As for God to lift up the light of his countenance, Psalm 4. 6. and to make his face to shine upon a man Psalm 31. 16. is to be favorable to him; and to hide Psalm 30. 7. or turn away his face 2 Chron. 30. 9. is to withdraw his favor and to be displeased; so also to seek his face 1 Chron. 16. 11. is to endeavor to obtain his kindness, and accordingly to see or behold his face is to be in his favor, to be in a state of enjoying it. But besides this also

2. As those that are said to behold the face of Kings, are those that minister about them, do them service of the nearest admission, and that stand in their presence, and are ready still to execute whatever they command. So 2 King. 25. 19. and he took five men of those that saw the King's face, of those that served him in ordinary; and so very often Ester 1. 14. &c. And as secondly the Angels, that are ministering Spirits, sent forth by God to minister perpetually, are said to see the face of God always, Matt. 18. 10. so when David says of God, thou settest me before thy face, Psalm 41. 12. the Jews expound set me, that he might serve, minister unto him: for that is to stand before the face of one, 1 Kings 1. 2, 4. and c. 10. 8. and c. 17. 1. &c. as he had said, dost appoint me for thy service; and by consequence to see his face or to behold his presence, is to wait upon him in all duty and obedience to his commands whom they attend: accordingly to walk before him, or walk with him in his presence, is to serve him constantly with all uprightness Gen. 17. 1. and to please him Heb. 11. 5. cum Gen. 5. 24. But particularly in the acts of Worship and Religion, his House, the place that's dedicated to his Worship being called his Court, his presence Psalm 95. 2. and 100. 2, 4. because he sat upon and spoke from the Mercy-seat Exod. 25. 22. Numb. 7. 89. and the Ark is therefore his presence and his face, those that serve there are said to minister before him in his presence, those that come there to appear before him Psalm 42. 2. those that pray, to seek his face 2 Chron. 7. 14. and to entreat the face of the Lord 1 Kings 13. 6. and our King David did desire one thing of the Lord, which, says he, I will require, even that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord, Psalm 27. 4. So that to behold God's face in righteousness here does signify all this, I will serve thee truly, faithfully attend thy commands, and wait upon thee in a constant diligent performance of my duty, live as always in thy presence holily and righteously, especially in attendance on thy Worship, when I come to seek thy face, to put myself before thee in thy presence; and so doing I make no doubt but that thou wilt lift up the light of thy countenance upon me, and I shall behold thy face to shine upon thy servant.

And indeed that this is the means, and that there is no other way to arrive at this state, is not difficult to prove; for the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, saith the same David Psalm 11. 7. his countenance will behold the thing that is just, whereas without this no man shall see the Lord; and thereupon the Prophet Micah after strict inquiry in the people's name what they were to do that they might find God's face look pleasingly upon them, and see his favorable countenance, wherewithal shall I come before the Lord, and how myself before the most High God? Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams? If his favor be to be bought, though at the greatest price, 'twill be abvisable to give it: and the dearest purchase would be a reasonable one. Or shall I give ten thousand rivers of oil, thereby to make his face to shine, and look upon me with a cheerful countenance? This sure were to be don. Or farther yet, shall I give my first-born for my transgression, or the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? Time was indeed when men would do that; offer up their tender infants in the fire to Moloch to preserve themselves from those sins of the other Tophet, as if the burnt child were to expiate the foul heats that begat it. I know not whether men believe now such transgressions can deserve so severe atonements, that a sin of theirs is valuable at the life of their own first-born, though they take upon them to profess the faith, that they were valued at the life of the first-born of God: however there our Prophet shapes this answer to that question, wherewithal shall I come before the Lord? He hath shown thee, O man, what is good, and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. And truly if we come before the Lord to behold his presence in the duties of Religion, we must see his face in Righteousness; otherwise he will either turn away his Face, or else our prayers will but call his frowns upon us, and endanger us to perish at the rebuke of his countenance. The Prophet Isaiah speaking as from God to that vainglorious nation of the Jews, saith c. 1. v. 12, &c. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations, incense is an abomination to me, it is iniquity, even your solemn meetings, Sabbaths, and your appointed feasts my soul hateth; they are a trouble unto me, I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea when ye make many prayers, I will not hear. Wash ye, make ye clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek judgment, right the oppressed, &c. And surely if men do not put away the evil of their doings from them, when they come before his face, how loud soever their petitions cry for mercy and remission, their crying sins will call as loud for vengeance: such Worship sure cannot possibly be grateful to him, we cannot think he will accept that which he nauseates, like that which his soul hates, and reward that which he cannot bear. Indeed such Worshippers do plainly rally him in praying to him. He that hath not faithfully endeavored to reform his manners, what does he in his confessions, but tell God Almighty solemnly that he is wicked, but in truth he shall continue so, as not at all as yet intending to be otherwise. He that begs God not to lead him into temptation, but goes on in impieties, minds not the keeping of himself out of the opportunities of it, but loves occasions, and converses with the provocations, plays upon the brink, does all that is to make it unavoidable for him to sin; mocks God in praying that he will not lead into temptation him that leads himself into it. What use were it to him God should hear his prayers, and not do that to him which he does to himself? Or if he beseech God to grant, for example, he may live a sober life, yet never purposing to fail one assignation, not resolving to abate one meeting nor one draught, he is so pleasant with Almighty God to wish, if he wish anything when he is praying, that he may be as immoderate as ever, but that God would keep him sober, may have all the drink he went for, but not the drunkenness; this he desires God would preserve him from, and yet it may be not that neither, for that may be useful to him, but however for the rest let him do as he did. Now sure it is our interest God should not hear such prayers, and therefore though in all our actions we had need be careful, since God is always present, yet we should especially in our Religious Worship; semper enim praesentamus & ostendimus nos quasi facie ad faciem cum Domino loquentes, we present ourselves to him, and speak face to face with him. Now if we lay not down our sins, but bring our crimes thither with our Devotions, and so make our very Worship an abomination, to present our provocations to himself and to his face, is such an affront that will not easily be pardoned; no, if we will behold God's face, we must do it in Righteousness. Indeed the Psalmist's joining these in the expression does insinuate, that the only hopeful means to make men be Religious, not at their Devotions only, but in all their actions, to live holy, virtuous lives, is to live always as before God's face, I will behold thy presence in Righteousness. He that in everything he goes about would teach himself the custom to look up, to behold God's face, and see his eyes over him, he would be careful that there should be no unrighteousness in what he did. King David was acquainted with the influence of this, Psalm 119. 168. I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies; for all my ways are before thee. Indeed the presence of whatever person we had reverence for, to behold his face towards us inspecting our actions, would make us wary and fearful of a vanity or folly, much more of a gross action. Martials Lucretia blusht, says he, laid his Epigrams aside when Brutus came in, Brute, recede, leget, but as soon as he was gone, she took them up and read them. Few vices hurry men with so impetuous a ferocity, but they can check themselves before a virtuous grave person. One of them that pretends to stings as sharp as any, would send off a boy, and though it be as impudent a sin as any, cannot suffer a spectator: and then would I but consider always, I were always in God's presence, shut my eyes and see his face intent upon me, marking not my actions only but my purposes and deliberations; I should start most certainly at the approaches of a sin, and no more dare to close with it, then a Cut-purse tempted by an opportunity which he was going to make use of, would proceed if he discerned the Judge upon the bench beheld him, saw his eye upon him watching him; 'tis such a guard this, nothing can be greater or securer. I have set God always before me, says King David, therefore I shall not fall. Nor would this contemplation only make us cautious, but it would excite, encourage our devotions: if we saw ourselves before him, we would be humble and attent, as people really concerned, they would be full of reverence and godly fear; indeed we would be righteous, just and upright in all our doings; our whole conversation seeing who is present, would not dare to be unclean or rude, it would not be vain or uncomely; in fine the business of our life would be to do that which is well pleasing in his sight, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, always looking up to him whose face is towards us. This must needs raise all our affections and our aims, and place them upon him, on whom our eyes and thoughts are set, especially if there be resolution in the use of this means; most of all, if the resolution have the courage of King David 's in the Text, a resolution which was taken up against the almost universal practice and the as great contradiction of the world, which generally minds far different satisfactions, But as for me I will behold, both which considerations of the resolution and the courage of it I shall join in my last particular.

And indeed there's nothing else but such a resolution that can set itself against the practice of the world, will serve our turns: for, as Seneca says, vice is but common madness, and we see that very oft against their temper, inclinations and their principles, and the conviction of their heart and soul, men will do vile and shameful things, because they will be mad, if others be so; it seems so difficult a thing to endure to be singular in any company. And though to be so, singular I mean, in any the advantages of this world, either as to goods of mind, of body, or of fortune for the most part is more valued far than the advantages themselves, we would inclose and be alone in every such thing, and as if we thought an excellency lost its virtue if another had it, 'tis the rarity that takes with every body; yet the advantages of Heaven, and the real true goods of the mind, Religion, Piety, and Virtue 'tis far otherwise, as to those there are none of those emulations in their practices and manners. Be the the consequence never so dreadful, men will do and be as others; 'tis impossible to resist the tide of custom, go against the torrent of a crowd and multitude, or bear the being singular. And there are two great obstructions to it, the solitude of singularity, and the censures, scoffings and disreputations that use to attend it. For example that I instance not, as well I might, in many of the great duties of our Christianity, which are scofft and ridicul'd, but in the very case that makes the opposition in the context here betwixt the Psalmist and the men of this world; their excessive, rich, full way of living. If I do not live up to the heights and vain pomps of condition or the mode, indeed though my condition will not bear it, if I be not as expensive, as luxurious as others; I am then concluded sordid, near, short handed, slighted by all those that do exceed me, and by all that judge by such appearances; so that here is disreputation lights upon me. And besides if I retrench, not superfluities alone, but all licentious conversation and the other evil uncomely entertainments of societies, retire out of them, allow myself none of these liberties, grow more severe than others, and consequently singular in my behavior; then I must keep company with nobody, must withdraw from every meeting, be a Recluse, as if the world were but a Cloister, or rather Hermitage: so that here's uncomfortable solitude attends this. 'Twere very sad if only vicious conversation could cement societies or make acquaintances, and licentious folly sauce their meetings, give them relish. What comfort is there like to be in such companions that have nothing to endear themselves to one another, but that they will not refuse to sin, be sick or mad with one another? In truth it were no very eligible thing to be counted good, pleasant company, if to be so a man must hazard his sobriety or modesty, make bold with his Religion and good manners. Even common decency can scarce entertain without extravagance or detraction, either they must be ridiculous, or sharp and bitter. Now it is ill to be engaged by reputation, to play the Satirist, or to play the fool, and have no other recompense or satisfaction but to make others laugh. But God be thanked 'tis not thus, but men that have some little latent affections to their sins or follies, still frame these objections against reformation of their evil customs; the age is not so vitiated, such ill conversation, unless it be by those that like and use it, is not everywhere to be found: but if it were, and so far as we meet it, David's resolution is most necessary. They may take their course; but as for me I will retire into God's presence, and behold his face. And what if by withdrawing thus I frequently deprive myself of the society that I was used to, & was friendly and delightful to me? 'It is better by denying myself and reforming to make joy in Heaven in God's presence among Angels, than assist in making sport with such men; and 'twill be but little comfort to go merrily and with good company to my damnation. Let them enjoy themselves in such society, but as for me I will seek other, will live always in God's presence, I will behold his face.

As to the other obstacle, the scoffs and the disreputations that are cast upon those that are singular on this account, comply not with the modes and evil customs of the age according as S ^t Peter tells his Proselytes 1 Pet. 4. 3, 4. The time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentile World, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings; wherein they think it strange, that you run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you. It cannot be denied but that the world do's put disreputation strangely upon things, and most unreasonably. Some virtues are the most reproachful things that can be: a man can scarce live under the disparagement of being guilty of obeying God, and on the other side one of the greatest and most sinful injuries in the whole world is, if not laudable, yet not blamed in the man that does it, while the innocent sufferer of it is contemned, and is branded because he is wronged. Indeed if Christ's discipline were in force to censure every vicious person 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , if every open contumacious Sinner were rendered as contemptible as a Publican was to the Jews, as Christ left order; disreputation then would lie where it ought, and the objection would have no force. But as the world is, singularity in good things, and in not comporting with modes and customs, though it may derive upon itself the scoffs of vain licentious men, cannot want esteem enough to bare it up against that. There is indeed no reputation like that of a discreet, well managed virtue; for many men that will not practice it, will yet commend it. For to pass the great things, and to name that which there is scarce any, that is, none sensible of, the instance which I made of this out of the context, where the Psalmist sets himself against the custom of those men, that pride themselves in ostentation of the plenties, and the gayeties, and the excess of this world; a mode which may be grown to such an height even in the lower ranks of people also, that they are so undervalued who comply not with it, that most cannot bear the shame of not having that which others have, though their condition will not bear the charge of it, and this is almost universal. But be it so, yet they that do not see thy pomps like others, thy estate spangle, glare about thee and thy rooms and thy retinue, do not see it spilled about thy table; if they see thee live up to thy own condition, only taking care not to exceed it, and resolving not to owe thy plenties to thy debts, that is, thy abundance to the needs of others, make their dues, their wants and nakedness to dress thy vanities; and if they see thee furnish those that need with what thou sparest: they cannot count this lower stricter sort of living Sordidness, but discreet, just, charitable Piety; & the others gaudiness proud lavishness, yea unjust, unchristian folly, which at last will fall, and that unpitied. But at once suppose to set ourselves against the evil customs of the world and to be singular in duty should be likely to create us sleights and scoffs and disreputation; yet consider what our Savior says Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy Angels. He couples these, and makes it the same guilt to be ashamed of him and of his words, ashamed of obedience to his word and ashamed of his person; to be afraid of, loath to do ones duty, because possibly some will speak meanly of it, is not only not to to dare to go to Heaven because some men laugh and scoff at those that do go thither, but 'tis reckoned the same thing as to be ashamed of the Son of God who required that duty, and think meanly of him, scorn to own that their elder Brother, God Almighty's First-born, as some do by their poor mean Relations: but this shame will be returned severely, when the Son shall come in the glory of his Father with the holy Angels. And then compare the disreputes, to be ashamed of virtue, because debauchees that are as far from knowing what is true repute as they are from being virtuous, will think meanly of me for it, or to have the Son of God in glory with all his Host of Heaven think contemtibly of me, when I shall be ashamed so as to call out to the mountains and the hills to cover my confusion at the valley of Jehoshaphat before all the world. Let them delight, and satisfy themselves with their choice of their commendable vices, sins that are in reputation, rejoice with glory in their shame; But as for me I will behold thy face in Righteousness.

And what remains but that we take up this resolution, and put on the courage of it, firmly purposing to do it, though by doing so we should go against the general customs of the world. To make a resolved, open, avowed profession of a good life, provided that we do it without ostentation or hypocrisy, is a great advantage towards living so, makes it much easier. For however some, it may be the prime ministers of hell, Satan's chiefest agents in temptations, such as cannot bear that any other should be virtuous, 'tis such a reproach to them, will the more endeavor to betray such, 'tis their luxury; yet generally speaking, most men will not offer it, but rather fear them, having an awe of them, and will themselves avoid the doing ill before them in some measure. Indeed since none can promise themselves that such will comply with them if they temt them, nor think it probable that they will; most men, however forward in assaulting innocence, will let them alone. Besides that such have put themselves, by having publicly professed, whatever the world does, they will live righteously, under a necessity of avoiding all their evil practices; and 'tis a happy and great advantage towards a good life, to be under a known obligation of well living, such as they themselves have taken on them out of perfect aversation to ill actions. Do not you think that most men miscarry out of want of that which resolution would be able to effect with its own strength? We see in other things it does attempt, it go's thro with much greater difficulties, than lie in the way to virtue; which is so known, so every day an object of men's eyes, that I should be ashamed to go about to prove it. But when this resolution secondly shall be taken up, and be avow'd against the open practice of the world out of a dislike and abhorrency to it; when it is made eager too by aversation, sharpened by much opposition and by being publicly professed and owned as a peculiar concern, since the very shame of being foiled in the contest, and proving false to ones own solemn resolution would have stings in point of honor to push it forwards, for to that shrine even Atheists are contented to pay homage: this must prosper, & unless men have a mind to be conquered, think it easier to retreat, and sordidly desert their resolutions, they cannot fail. Especially thirdly if men consider all this is managed in God's presence, to his face; if they set the Lord always before them as the object and the end of all their resolutions and their actions, and do this with all sincerity, as seeing his eyes over them as witness and judge of their behavior, and behold his face too with all hope and confidence imaginable, knowing he looks over them to encourage their endeavors, to behold their needs of help, and to give them grace sufficient, and to crown their fidelity, then such resolutions cannot possibly miscarry. What success soever they may have in that war which the world here, that is at enmity with all that love and serve God, wages with them, and though it do not only frown on them, but humble them into the dust of death, yet keeping firm to their resolutions of beholding God's face in Righteousness, when they awake out of that dust after his likeness, they shall be satisfied with it.

SERMON XII. OF CHRIST'S BEING LORD and GOD.

THAT which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the word of life, declare we unto you, saith S ^t John Epist. 1. c. 1. v. 1. And truly these same senses did declare to Thomas the richest Article of the Christian Faith, the Resurrection, and helped him to conclude, that Christ was therefore Lord and God. For when he had beheld Christ's hands, and thrust his own hands into his side, he answered and said, My Lord and my God. We have another sense comes in to evidence, and makes the application; we have this day not only seen and handled, but also tasted the Bread, that is, this Lord; and if we have received it worthily, and being become one with him we may upon our own most sure and close experience cry out, My Lord and my God.

The Text, you see answers both the Solemnities of the day. The Resurrection evidenced him to be Lord and God to Thomas, and so also to us; and our faithful receiving him will evidence him to be our Lord and our God, and in order to both these I shall handle them: for there be in the words these parts.

1. A Compellation given to Christ upon his appearance at his being risen, Lord and God.

2. The Relation of these applied, My Lord and my God. I shall show

1. That the Resurrection did instal him to that title Lord.

2. Shew what that title does import,

1. By way of requiring, what kind of relation it hath to respect and homage.

2. By way of promise, what it holds out for hope. Then as to a word of application I will show how the Sacrament applies both those importances.

1. How it is an assurance to perform what that title requires.

2. How it does confer what the title does promise.

To the first, that the Resurrection did install Christ to the Title Lord. As Christ was God he had indeed all Power and Authority from everlasting; that comes not under our consideration. But as he was the person sent and commissioned by God to bring mankind to Salvation; he was first to die for them, then to rule over them; and first to be their Priest, and then their Lord. After his crucifying when he was risen again, then he says All power is given to me both in heaven and earth, Matt. 28. 18. or in more express words Acts 2. 36. Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that fame Jesus, whom they have crucified, both Lord and Christ. His Cross was a step to his Throne, it merited that Authority for him, and was in part undertaken for it Phil. 2. 8, 9. And then for the importance of this Title as to that it does require is very obvious, Lord is a word of power and authority, it requires service and obedience. Nothing more frequent in the Prophets, than, when they have from God severely worded their commands, to add this sanction, I am the Lord: and as applied to Christ S ^t Paul does say, I serve the Lord Christ. A servant is the necessary relative to a Lord, and truly doing what he doth command was the use he assigned of all that power he had given him, teaching them to observe whatever I have commanded. And truly if those Scriptures be remembered which secure his Authority thus, let us know that Power was the reward of his sufferings, and he endured them partly for the Title's sake; therefore says as much, and Heb. 12. 2. For the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God; did all this, that he might gain that place: or if that be not plain enough, then this is most express Rom. 14. 9. For to this end Christ both died and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living. Verse 8. That whether we live, we live unto the Lord: and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: that is, that both our life might be consecrated to him, our lives spent on his service, and our deaths be at his command; and this was part of the end of his death. And then I appeal to your own hearts, for what end, think you, he did so desire, and obtain this power? Do you think, when he was set at the right hand of God, he was exalted only to a name, that by all those sufferings he did acquire but a bare title, to be called Lord of Lord's, as he is called Rev. 19. 16. but neither to look after our obedience, nor indeed to set us any law to obey, as some would have it? Was this power so dear to him, as that he would suffer all those torments to compass it, and yet when he hath it, that it should be so little regarded by him, as to suffer us to neglect & contemn it, to go on in a continued course of disobedience to all his precepts, to rebel against his Power, & never submit our appetites to it, but let every lording passion fly in his face, & every lust defy his Authority, let us be proud against that Lord, be higher than our duties and all the temper of virtues, and let every ebullition of our proud wrath trample on a statute backed with hell-fire, yea and so believe that his death should procure us an impunity in doing this? What a wretched mistake is this, to think his blood, which purchased him a power to command us, should purchase us a leave to disobey him? This is to make Christ's blood divided against itself, and to make it spill and dash itself. That we should go on in a course of iniquity, or allow ourselves some peevish vices, and stop our own consciences and a Preacher's mouth with saying Christ died for us, when as 'tis clear he died that he might be Lord, that is, that we might live and dy to him, do both at his command; and canst thou think that that death will excuse thee for not obeying, which was undertaken for that very end, that thou mightest obey him? Christ died to be thy Lord, and thou wilt have that death a plea for thee, when thou obeyest sin and the Devil his greatest Enimies. His Cross was his very Ensign and Standard against these Enimies, his Passion was his grappling with them, and his death his Victory. And yet thou dost again submit to their authority, becomest a subject to their power, and settest them Lord over thee, and fetchest the justification of this thy defection from that death and victory; and that is the same thing as to make them of no authority nor power, yea the captivity and ruin of those Enimies to be the reason of thy obeying them, to excuse thy disservice to Christ by saying he is thy Lord, and for thy rebellion and waging war with him pretend thou dost it under his own standard. No certainly his Title claims Obedience, and does assure thee thou must serve. This is the first thing what thou must do.

The second what thou mayest expect from it, is easily discovered, that is wages: For he will recompense every man according to his deeds, Rom. 2. 6. To them, who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory, and honor, and immortality, eternal life, v. 7. And glory, honor, and peace to every man that doth good, v. 10. For he is the Lord of glory, the Prince of peace, and Lord of life, the Scripture saith: in a word to sum up both what his Title doth require, and what we may expect from it, it saith Service and it saith Wages, and both are set down in that to the Heb. 5. 9. He is the Author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him; and both here are applied to him who does in earnest own the relation to this Title, and can say in truth My Lord: the next part, and first of the applying what it does require, Service, as it is the assuring of performance.

My Lord. And truly had we not entered any voluntary obligation, and had we not contracted formally to take him for our Lord, and not only owned all that the relation does import to be due from us, but engaged also to render it; yet he is to us both

1. By an Original right: he made us, and there is not a workman in the world hath so much right to require the uses of his own handy-work, to dispose of that same utensil which himself shap'd or framed, as the Lord hath to require our service. Did I perchance furnish the Lord with some materials for myself, or did I find any piece towards my making, contribute any least thing to my being, then let me claim something for my share in myself, and by the rule of fellowship with God have some use of myself to myself, and as to that let him not be my Lord. But there is no such thing; he called me into being out of the infinite resistance of vacuity, and nothing. He gave me body, soul, and every power and faculty, and he upholds every motion and inclination of those faculties, and gives me opportunities and objects for them. There is no considerability of anything within me is from myself, but entirely owes its being from his store, and comes from the Almighty: and then what least imaginable pretence or plea can I have, why every motion and inclination both of soul and body should not be bound to look towards his service, and every action and thought acknowledge him My Lord. And

2. By purchased Title. He did redeem us from the service of those cruel Lord's, Sin and the Devil, whose service is unreasonable and unmanly slavery, and whose wages is eternal ruin; and he bought the right and title to our service at a price, he became our Lord, Ye are bought with a price, 1 Cor. 7. 23. They that do not acknowledge this, are in the number of those men of whom S ^t Peter speaks Epist. 2. c. 2. v. 1. denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction: and you may judge what kind of Lord he ought to be by the price he paid for the Title, what service he expected by the rates at which he purchased them, even at the blood of God Acts 20. 28. He died, I told you, that he might be Lord. And now Lord, what is thy servant that thou shouldst thus value him, or what are his performances that thou shouldst buy them at these rates? And shall I give to Sin or Satan those services, which he thus values, and thus buys? No, if thou art content to purchase that so dear which was thy own just due before, surely now by all rights thou art My Lord. But

3. He is so also by my own most solemn contract and engagement. And to pass by all the rest, and to stick to that of this day only, we did contract so in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and in receiving that we did most solemnly assume to do him faithful service, and took him for our Lord. And this would easily appear from hence, if Christ's blood be the price with which he bought the right to be thy Lord, and this day thou didst come and here didst take that blood to all those ends and uses it was given for, then in so doing thou didst ratify the contract, and take possession of the relation: but to do it more solemnly, and here I will not stand upon that proof which I have formerly made to you from the account that Pliny gave to Trajan the persecuting Emperor, though truly it be strange that a Heathen should discern this was the meaning of their Sacrament, and Christians will not believe it. He, when he was employed to persecute the Christians, tells him what he had found of them by racking some, and by confessions of others at their death, Soliti stato die convenire, seque Sacramento obstringere, ne furta, ne latrocinia, ne adulteria committerent, &c. to take an oath (they knew no other sense of the word Sacrament) to do what their Lord had commanded them. What have you don this day? Why Christ was sworn your Lord this day, and you have taken an oath of service, entered into a bond of duty and obedience; and if you willfully shall fail of doing this, your Worships will be brought against you, your Communions will come in as so many evidences that you have forfeited, so many oaths that you have broken. No sure, I will henceforwards tie myself to better performance; for I have hamper'd myself with obligations, entangled myself with one other engagement, I have again sworn at the Altar, Thou art my Lord. But I have a more solemn proof of this, that he who comes to the renewing of a Covenant with God (now Christ we know saith that that cup is the new Covenant in his blood ) he does enter into an oath of God, Deut. 29. from verse 10. to 15. Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God, your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, with all the men of Israel, your little ones, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood, unto the drawer of thy water, that thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day; that he may establish thee today for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob: neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath, but with him that standeth here with us this day before the Lord our God, and also with him that is not here with us this day. Now out of this they who are not convinced that our first entering Covenant with God by Baptism is a vow, altho the Church require that we should look upon it under that Solemnity, and though S ^t Peter call it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 a stipulation, or if they think it something like it, yet 'tis a vow but in the children's name, and so it does not strike those apprehensions of so sacred an engagement into them, themselves may see here at an entering Covenant little ones entering into an oath: and this was not the first giving of the Covenant, that so anything might be thought peculiar to that, but only a repeting of the Covenant in their presence, verse 1. and least that we should think their standing there in solemn manner, might imply something more than ordinary verse 14. 15. take us that stand here this day before the Lord our God, but also with him that shall be born hereafter. Many expositors, and the Jerusalem Exposition says with all the generations of you that are to come 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , as if they stood with us this day. And the Targum of Jon. Vziel says, they do stand, that is, as to this intent and purpose, that as soon as they are admitted into Covenant by Circumcision, they are within this oath. Littles ones therefore that can be admitted into a Covenant by receiving of the sign of it, they then enter an oath of keeping it. And then, my Brethren, we have entered an oath to continue Christ's faithful Soldiers and Servants unto our lives end, and that is, thou, and I, and every one have sworn he is my Lord. O my Savior I was baptized, and at that time did swear service, and then if I should fail thee now, I renounce my Allegiance, I go from my fealty, and I throw of my Covenant. Every evil action I deliberately commit, brands me with the dishonorable base style of one that slights his oaths; there is no hold of his vows, not his most sacred ones, those that he makes to God. Every vain or passionate oath, how true soever, speaks me perjured; the draughts of intemperance would wash off the water of my Christendom; every unclean lust, every impurity of Flesh or Spirit does as it were bemire and wipe out my contract with my Lord. For I covenanted to be pure and clean, for I was washed into the very name of his retainer. I could not have that title of that relation without being cleansed. There I did swear defiance against all his Enimies, the Devil, World, and Flesh, and all worldly and carnal lusts, that I would neither follow not be led by them; and if I should serve them now, I should be a Rebel and a Traitor to my Lord against my bond, and covenant, and oath. No, my Lord, I will not serve these, where death must be my wages, the Fiends my Comrades, and my Conquest Hell; I will not do homage to destruction, engage to be true and faithful to my own ruin, pay allegiance to my perdition. Thou hast my worship and my service by bargain and by oath, I have sworn Thou art my Lord. Now all this is of much more force in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, where I do formally and knowingly seal to this Covenant; and when we do this on our knees in the most solomn manner that is possible, this must needs be a more express entering into Christ's oath, than that there of the Jewss was the entering God's oath, which was in probability only coming and standing before the Lord to hear the Covenant, which God had struck with that nation before in Horeb. Or if it were performed with Sacrifice, which may seem probable in that it is expressed 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , that thou shouldest pass into the covenant. So your Margent reads there verse the 12. alluding to their manner of confirming Covenants by dividing the beasts, and setting one half against the other, and passing betwixt the divisions: so we see Jer. 34. 18. This is passing into the Covenant, and therefore the LXX. read here Deut. 29. 12. That thou shouldest enter into the Covenant of the Lord thy God, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , that rite of dividing and passing thro being only the Symbol of curses against them that shall break their Covenant, and imprecations in Hieroglyphics: so that in Jer. 34. 18. 'tis most literally, if we translate the words 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 according to their importance, I will make those men, that have transgressed my Covenant, the calf, or as the calf, as the Syriac reads; I will divide and separate them among the Nations, and give them to the sword, and cut them in pieces, the ceremony signifying to be don to him that does not stand to his Covenant. Now surely this is don to more advantage in the Sacrament, where Christ's body is torn, and his blood poured out no doubt with the like commination implied, that being the very meaning of pouring out blood in Covenants; so that we entered there the Lord's Covenant and imprecation, swearing that he shall be our Lord with a most threatening sense. And surely if we be not careful to observe our oath, we have vowed agonies to ourselves, and sworn our own condemnation, when there I curse myself with all the curses of the Covenant, if Christ be not my Lord.

And now it will be needless for me to go on and prove, that if we be not careful to fulfil the importance of this relation, my Lord, in order to what it requires, 'twill be in vain to expect the benefit of that relation, in what it does import. He that hath not don service as to his Lord, must not look to enter into the joys of his Lord: he that hath not don his will, 'twill be in vain for him to cry at the last day Lord Lord, altho he come with never so applying Titles, and cry my Lord, and though he call upon any other Title of his Jesus. He died indeed for our sins, but he rose again for our justification. His Resurrection did entitle him to be our Lord. If he be risen to thee, he is thy Lord. But these two make up the confession of a Christian Rom. 10. 9. If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: and look not for it from any other relation to him. Thy Priest may sacrifice for thee, but Christ thy Lord must pardon thee: thy Jesus on the Cross must pay thy ransom, but if the Lord make you free, then are ye free indeed, John 8. 36. Do not deceive thyself with looking no farther than to thy Jesus in his sufferings; thou must relate to him also in his Power and Authority, thou must depend upon thy Jesus dying and risen too; not only on thy Jesus on the Cross, but on thy Jesus on the Throne: thou must cry out My Savior, and thou must cry My Lord; and if thou canst in truth and in reality, he is the Author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him; that is, he is an everlasting Savior to them, to whom he is a Lord. His all Authority will be employed in thy deliverance, he will show himself a Lord to thee only in pardoning, saying and rewarding thee, and his all-power both in Heaven and Earth will be to thee Omnipotence of mercy: for he that is thy Lord, he is thy God also. The third thing, My God.

I must take the same method here that I used before. First see what the Resurrection did contribute towards this Title God, and what that Title does imply, both as to what it doth require, and as to what it imports by way of promise and encouragement.

Secondly see what the Sacrament contributed towards making the application, My God, and what that imports in order to both the other things.

1. Altho this Son of God according to his Divine Nature was Everlasting God, and, as the Nicene Creed expresses, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, and was called so in Scripture John 1. 1. and the Word was God; yet it is sure this person Jesus Christ was declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead, Rom. 1. 4. And this text is the first place in the New Testament, where this person is expressly called God. Thomas upon the evidence of this Resurrection crying out, I do acknowledge that thou art my very Lord, and that is a most certain argument to me that thou art the Omnipotent God of Heaven; and this his Resurrection did contribute to his Title God. Now I inquire what this implies, and that will be made clear from Deut. 26. 16, 17, 18, 19. This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments: thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes and his commandments and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice. And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments: And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honor, and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken. So that you have there the certain meaning of that mutual relation My God and My People as to what it requires: and so we see 'tis but the same engagement that the other Title did import, only with an higher enforcement and ground of obligation; and therefore God himself that by his Prophet Malachi c. 1. had used the other-argument of Master or Lord 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 v. 6. and Governor v. 8. Offer it now unto thy Governor, will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person? makes use of the like climax and gradation; as if he had said, Had thy obedience to thy Ruler no more care nor endeavor in it, had thy services to thy Lord no more devotion nor zeal, were thy performances to thy Governor so slight and so regardless, so full of supine negligence, to say nothing of transgression and contempt; were thy presentments to thy Prince so unhandsom, slubber'd & heedless, so unchosen, unprepared & so trivial, would they be content with them? And must I? No surely, Cursed be the deceiver verse 14. that mocks me with his imperfect, lame, sick services, with outsides of attendance, yea with irreverence, with casting of my words behind him, with polluted offerings; for I am a great King, saith the Lord. But afterwards in case of an higher affront he breaks into an higher resentment c. 3. 8. Will a man rob God? This is such a thing as the Lord's Rhetoric could lay no greater aggravation on it, than by asking the question, whether any man could heat himself into such a mad impiety, and not be confounded at the thought of such an enterprise, to abuse his God. Now such an obligation of obedience to the Lord Christ he owns, that does acknowledge him his God, this it requires.

Now as to what the Title does import by way of promise; here to be the God of anybody signifies to be their Almighty Benefactor, him from whom that person may expect, and shall receive all good things, that the power of a God includes. So it is clear it does, when God proclaims himself the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and says, that is his name and his memorial to all generations, Exod. 3. 15, 16. From whence our Savior concludes Matt. 22. 31, 32. that Abraham and the other must have a life after this; for otherwise how is he yet their God? How can he be a Benefactor to the dead? And in the tenor of the Covenant, where it is past, it means, I will bestow upon them all the mercies of the Covenant. So in the Old, that place of Deut. 26. 16, 17, 18, 19. so in the New Heb. 8. 10, 12. where 'tis explained, I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more, So that my God does mean, first he that I vow all worship and service to, and secondly he from whom I claim and challenge all those glorious things that are contracted for us in Christ's Covenant, the happy issues of the whole chain of methods that he works for us, the designed mercies of his Predestination and the privileges that he calls us to, the comfortable condition in which his Justification does instate us, the graces of his Sanctification, and the incomprehensible blessedness of his Glorification: yea and all the preservations and mercies of this life, all these are challenged in this, Thou art my God. For so Jer. 31. 33, 34. which is repeated in the Heb. 8. 10, 11, 12. whatever both parts do contract for, man's duty and God's promises, is all summed up in this, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. By which words also he assures them all deliverances from evil, and enstates upon them the securings of his Providence, both to themselves and their posterity. And if God mean all this, when he does say I will be their God; then man he vows and claims all this, when he does say my God.

Now let us see how this days performance does both these. First how it vows and swears all duty, worship, and service, all that Christ requires by his Covenant, I have already shewn, so that that part is don; only we may take notice Whose belly is his God, in S ^t Paul's words Phil. 3. 19. the man who does mind nothing but his sensual appeties, and notwithstanding Christ's commands contrives all satisfactions for that, and enjoys them: that either casts the body of Christ into a stomach filled with late surfeit and drowns his blood in such intemperate draughts as are yet unrepented of, or else within a few days after overlaies that body with some riot, or spews that blood out in the overflowings of his woeful draughts. These whatsoever they have don today, cannot yet say, my God; not only because they so defy his Worship which they vowed, but because they set up an Anti-God against him, and while they vow upon their knees he is their God, yet at that same time they adore their appetites. Nor if Covetousness, or rather inordinate lusting, as the word bears, be Idolatry, as S ^t Paul oft expresses, and surely without taking in the Heathen uncleanness in Religion: and it is ill for some persons of these days, that they had not the luck to be born Heathens, that so they might have been unclean devoutly, committed in obedience to their God's, presented their bodies living sacrifices to be kindled by the flames of lust, and whose whoredoms were their pieties; for many live now, as if they did not only wish, but almost think so. But abating this, there is sure more Idolatry in the courthips and the practice of that sin than any other. There is no other thing does cast a man into such base degenerate and unworthy submissions to achieve or to cover his transgression, lower than anything but the unclean commission itself. Now if this be Idolatry, the lustful person hath an Idol, and then he cannot say to Christ my God. And thus they in whom the God of this world hath blinded their mind, in S ^t Paul's words 2 Cor. 4. 4. they who serve Satan by going on in any vicious custom of the World; or in a word, they that disobey Christ for this God of the World, this Prince of the power of the air, the Spirit that works in the Children of disobedience, Ephes. 2. 2. they cannot say to Christ my God; though they bow at his Altar, they obey the Devil, and he will not be a partner together with the Devil. So that everyone of these is perjured, when he says my God; much less can he plead the claim, my God, the last sense.

Now in that sense My God does challenge as a right and a peculiar all the Blessings temporal, Spiritual and Eternal, all that the promises of Christ do offer, or that the hopes and expectations of a Christian fly at: all these, I told you, God included, when he said I will be their God; and therefore all these he does truly challenge, that can say my God. It is an huge Confidence that a poor soul may take, when he can go to God as David does Psalm 119. 94. I am thine, save me; secure thine own, O Lord, or else it will be thy loss what I shall suffer. For I am thine, vindicate thine own right, let neither Sin nor Devil rob thee of thy own peculiar. Behold I commit thine own charge with thee, and then take care of that. Shall that miscarry that is a part of thy custody and care, a part of thy possession and inheritance; for all this is implied in that challenge, my God. For they whose God he is, they are his People, that is the correlation. Now that means a special People, Deut. 7. 6. a peculiar People, 1 Pet. 2. 9. a peculiar Treasure, Exod. 19. 5. his People of inheritance, Deut. 4. 20. his Jewels, Mal. 3. 17. the Jewels of his Crown, Zach. 9. 16. If I am his, I am so under all these precious notions, and then how dear, how valuable am I to my God, who make up his inheritance, who do enrich his treasury, who give a luster to his Diadem of glory, and am a Jewel in his Crown? How secure may I be? For will God wretchlesly lose his inheritance, or will he not take care of his especial things, or will he throw away his treasure, or will he throw his own Crown to the ground so to dash off the Jewels of it? That place of Malachi expresses the different condition of those that are God's People from the others that have no relation to him, in respect of God's carings and protection, Mal. 3. 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Ye have said, it is in vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of Hosts? And now we call the proud happy: yea they that work wickedness are set up; yea they that temt God are even delivered. Then they that feared the Lord, spake often one to another, and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels, and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not. In times of undisturbed 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 and wealth do seem the strong securities. 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 will care for me, one that hath writ me in his note book, his book of remembrance to put him in mind, that he is to provide for me: and when the most flourishing ungodly man shall be stripped of all his hopes and trusts, so that there remains no least relief from them, nor can he look for any from the Lord, he is not of his People; then have I one that will make me up amongst his Jewels, have the same care of me as of his precious and peculiar treasures; I have a right and title to his protections, to provide for, and to take care of me: it is his office, he undertook it in his Covenant, and not to do it were to break his compact which he hath bound himself to with an oath. For I am his, therefore I can with confidence go to him. I am thine, save me. Therefore the words afford me greater grounds of confidence, when they give me authority to challenge him, and tell him, Thou art mine, my God. All the securities that his preserving mercies signify, all the watches of his providence, all the blessings that fulfil his Attributes, as goodness, they are all mine, for he is mine. Can I fear the malice of Adversaries? shall I doubt the fury of that spoiler that even robs necessity, will rob me even to a perfect desolation? Ah my poor soul, Nunquid sibi Christianum. I am sure it cannot take all from me; it must void Heaven before it can disfurnish me of all, it must commit a rape upon my Jesus; for while they leave him, I have my God. Can I want anything for this life or the life to come, if there be a supply in Christ? I may be sure to have it, if his Divinity can effect it; I need not want, for I have right to him, he is my God. What one thought can afflict or trouble me long, unless it be such an one, for which there is no help for in God? If such a one indeed do seize me, there is danger; but till that happen why art thou so troubled, O my soul, why art thou so disquieted within me? O put thy trust in God, in Christ, for he is my God. Can I desire indeed, when I have him? Sure I am strangely greedy, if the Almighty be not enough for me, more unsatisfied than Hell if Christ, that is God, cannot suffice me, if I am not content when he is my God. O my soul, Christ never failed to pay his debts, he is a happy Creditor to whom he owes, especially where he owes that debt, and where he owes himself. Now if thou be a faithful and Religious Soul, he is thy debt, as due to thee as thy own portion. Thou art my portion, O Lord, saith David; thou hast as great a right to him as thy inheritance: Thou art the lot of my inheritance, saith he again, as S ^t Thomas here He is my God.

But never hath a faithful Soul more right to lay this claim than at the Sacrament to both the claims that I have treated of.

1. To be his Treasure, his peculiar Treasure; for the Church tells us, If with a penitent and true heart we receive that holy Sacrament, then we spiritually eat the flesh of Christ, and drink his blood, then we dwell in him and Christ in us, we be one with Christ and Christ with us; an Union which fulfils what Christ hath prayed for John 17. 21, 23. I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one with us. Here's Unions and interests enough, and all cemented and assured by the worthy receiving of this Sacrament. I am certainly his, if I be made one with him, and dearer than his Jewels, and more peculiar to him than his Treasure; for I am him himself. And the same thing will prove that he is mine; for certainly if I have a title to him ascertained, if I be made one with him, I may well call that mine to which I am united. So when he dwells and is in me, then I may say He is my Christ, my God. And then, he that there faithfully performs worship and service to him, and so does take him for his God, then if his God be his inheritance, there he does make his entry: if his God be his portion, there he receives his portion. The Priest there gave thee, if thou wast a good Communicant, the Body and Blood of Christ, and his Body and his Blood is he himself. Therefore thou didst receive him as verily as thou didst those, and if the Sacramental food be thine, then Christ is thine, and thou mayest say my God.

My Brethren it was the Blood of Christ that purchased all the glorious mercies of the Gospel, all the blessed expectations of a Christian; that was the price of all the joys of Heaven, that reconciled God to us, bought us an interest in him, and the happy enjoyments of himself for us: and then if in the Sacrament Christ do give me his blood, when I can show God that, bring him the price of the remission of my sins, the value of those glories, even the blood of Jesus, come with the purchase-money in my hands that bought my interest in God, cannot I say those are mine, my Heaven and my God? Yea when I can say, O Lord Christ, whom I have undertaken to obey, my God whom I have vowed to serve and worship, thou art even my flesh; for there I ate thy flesh, and thou becamest flesh of my flesh: Thou art the portion of my cup, when thy very blood doth fill full my cup, and so thou art my flesh and my blood, then surely I may say with Thomas here my Lord and my God.

O Holy and Eternal Savior, who art made both Lord and Christ, and by thy Resurrection didst manifest the Omnipotency of thy person, the truth of thy Promises, and open a way to the everlasting glory and salvation, which thou hast prepared for them that give themselves up to serve and worship thee their Lord and God; pour down that blessed influence of this thy Resurrection on our hearts, in raising us from the death of sin to the life of Righteousness. Be thou our Lord and Christ, ruling us by thy laws, saving us by thy grace, and by thy Spirit applying the mercies of thy death, and so making us partakers of thy Resurrection; therein turning us from our iniquities, hereafter in raising us to Glory. O Lord we have this day made a Covenant of this with thee, and signed the Articles of it in the blood of our God, swore to them at the Altar: give us grace, we beseech thee, to use the strictest care and watchfulness in our endeavors to perform with thee. Regard not how we have in times past only mocked thee sacredly in these performances. O let it from this day be otherwise. We have been only on a stage of Religion, when we are at our devoutest performances; and having turned our backs unto the Church, turned them also to our duty, put off the vizards of Religion, and we untired ourselves of all our Piety almost as soon as the exercises of it were don; and howsoever we tied ourselves, our froward wills have been too strong for all our obligations, and burst out of them, broke all thy bonds asunder, and cast away thy cords from us: altho we tied them with all things that were most solemn and most sacred, vows and oaths, and tied them before the body of our crucified Lord and Savior, with the body and blood of Christ in our hands, as if we had no other desires, no other cares that should do us good, than as we were careful to keep those resolutions and vows; and yet. O Lord, we did let them instantly loosen and slack, pass by and fail. Yea we did break them willfully, and would not be held in by thine or our own bonds. O Lord, if thou look upon us in this guilt, sure thou wilt have no more to do with us, such false and perjured vow-breakers. But O look upon us in thine own blood, which thou hast bid us pour out still to establish and renew our Covenant with thee; and let this Covenant, wherein we have now taken thee to be our Lord and God, and taken thee who art so in us, remain inviolable: be there then with thy Power and Authority, subdue our hearts and our desires, and bring them under the obedience of thy laws. Thou that art God Almighty, that didst conquer Death and Satan, bring it to pass that none of them prevail against thee now in our Souls, where thou art: but use thy strength, O Lord, to drive their power thence, that thy servants and thy people may not be enslaved to corruption and ruin, nor thy Enimy gain souls from thee, which thou hast purchased with thy blood, that we having attained thee for our Lord and God, may claim the privileges of thy People here, have the watches, and cares, and securities that thou laiest out upon thy Treasures and the Jewels of thy Crown; and by thy body and thy blood being made one with thee, and thou being ours, all things may be ours, thy grace here and thy joys hereafter; thy Spirit may be ours, and thy Heaven ours; and we in thee and thou in us, may all enjoy thy Kingdom, Power and Glory forever.

SERMON XIII. THE BELIEVERS CONCERN to pray for Faith.

WHICH are the words of a poor parent passionately earnest and afflicted sadly for his child, that from his infancy had been tormented miserably by a Devil, for which having sought help every way, but finding none, no not from Christ's Disciples, at last he repairs to him himself, beseeching him to have compassion on him, and if he were able to relieve him. To whom Christ replies that if he could believe, then he could work the miracle, and help his child, all things being possible to be don for him that could believe, but nothing otherwise; whereupon strait way the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief.

In which words we have, first the necessary Qualification that is to make all that had ever heard of Christ capable of having any benefit from Christ, that is belief in him, I believe. And since Christ hath made this qualification absolutely necessary, and by consequence must be supposed to have provided means sufficient to work in us that belief that he requires so peremptorily, we shall then

In the second place inquire how it comes to pass that they so often fail; that men do either not believe, or their Faith is so weak that much unbelief do's mix with it, as in our Confessor here in the Text, who though he did profess he did believe, yet withal acknowledges his unbelief.

And thirdly to prevent and remedy all that, here is discovered whither we are to betake ourselves for help, and where alone 'tis possible to find it, and that is Christ himself, who alone is able to repair in us whatever degree of true belief is wanting in us, Lord help thou my unbelief, and how he do's repair it.

And fourthly when it is repaired to that due height, what that degree is can make us capable of those benefits which he hath promised to bestow on true Believers; and whether such believers can say with our man here, I believe, yet say too, Help my unbelief.

First of the first, the qualification believe; which is absolutely necessary to make men capable of any benefits from Christ. For in all benefits of this kind the Text mentions, such as were to come by miracle, 'tis well known what S ^t Matthew says of Nazareth, his own country, that he did not many mighty works, there because of their unbelief, c. 13. 58. S ^t Mark expresses it, that he could there do no mighty work, c. 6. 5. that is, he could not be inclined to work them, so as that he could or would be willing to do any, saving that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. For though signs are not, as S ^t Paul says, for believers, but for them that believe not, 1. Cor. 14. 22. so that infidelity seems rather prerequir'd to them than belief, since they are don on purpose to convince & work men to the Faith, on which account some were always wrought first where he was not known, to raise men's opinions and expectations concerning him which if they were heeded, so that they did work some but beginnings of Belief, he used to add more to increase that Faith and confirm it. But where the first Essays were ineffectual, and got no credit, there he did forbear; for such rendered themselves unworthy of them altogether, Miracles were lost upon them, not attaining that end which they were intended for: which was not for compassion to their sick to to heal, or their dead to raise them, for then, as S ^t Chrysostom observes, he would have cured or raised them all; but was for their Conviction, to make faith of the Divinity of his Person and Doctrine, and prevail with them to give themselves up to him, as to the Messiah: and therefore all those who by the knowledge or the fame of his great works were drawn to come to him for help, he still requires profession of the faith they had concerning him, and just according to the measures of that faith so he dispenses aid. Thus Matt. 9. 28. the blind men that cried after him and followed him for sight, he asks, believe ye that I am able to do this? and when they affirmed, yea Lord, he yields no more but this, according to your faith be it unto you, v. 29. But when the Canaanitish woman did believe even to importunacy and trouble, and her faith was such as would neither be shaken nor receive repulse, but was full proof against Christ's arguments and his seeming reproaches, yea made use of his upbraidings, urged them to her own advantage, and in spite of all resistance persevere'd, Christ could not then contain, but cried, O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt, Matt. 15. 28. And on the other side, as while Peter's courage seeing Christ his master walking towards them upon the water made him desire to meet him on the water too, accordingly it suited: while he did resolvedly obey his Master and rely on his assistance that commanded him, he was sustained, that confidence did buoy him up: but when a turbulent strong wind once shook his faith, when he began to fear and then to doubt, immediately he sunk, Matt. 14. 30. And all the reason in the world, that when he doubted whether Christ would or were able to uphold him in obeying him, though he had present experiment of both, he should be then left to himself; when in the height of the success and the securities of miracles he was afraid and staggered: since 'twas the whole design of miracles, and by consequence of that, to work faith, and it is the very essence also of faith to assure us of God's power and his readiness to perform whatever he hath promised howsoever difficult. It was this very faith that gave denomination and acceptance to the Father of the Faithful: for when Abraham was bid to offer up that Son in whom he had received the promises that he should be the Father of many Nations, that faith by which against hope he believed in hope, that it would come to pass, and staggering not, considered neither difficulty, rather natural impossibility of what was promised, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 nor was curious to satisfy himself, or indeed examine how it should or could be, as if he would model God's performances or his own expectation by the measuress of his comprehension of the means and method; but accounting God was able, if all other methods failed, to raise him up from death, altho he had no instance of that power, Heb. 11. 19. and being fully persuaded that what he had promised, he was able also to perform, therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness, Rom. 4. 21, 22. Now as this faith that God was able, was that faith which made Abraham approved; and the like faith in Christ we see was that which made them capable of his miraculous assistances: so (those cures and miracles being emblems, and indeed pledges of that greater cure, that far more comprehensive miracle he undertook, and came to work on mankind; the healing of their bodies not only shadowing out the healing of their souls, but also restitution of sight to the blind, movement to the lame, and the like being partial essaies of that Resurrection which he promised, that was to restore all those to all, at once giving life to the dead) the like assurance of his power and readiness to do all this, together with a full trust in him, that whatever difficulties we encounter or imagine, yet in the performance of his promises he will never fail those who seek after, and pursue them in the ways that he hath chalk'd out to arrive at them. This faith, I say, is the first qualification that can make us capable of benefit by him: indeed as 'tis the first, so 'tis the most intimate, and only active Principle of all Obedience, Religion, and Virtue.

For when all impressions both of God himself, of good and evil, and their after-recompense were defaced, and though the lineaments of these things were wrought into men in their making, and the study of Philosophy had refreshed the dying images, yet an inundation of corruption and debauchery had overspread all, so far as that Almighty God did think it needful that his Son should be incarnated to revele again our duty and teach virtue, and to give us an example of it in his practice, even in the most severe and fatal instances, and after having suffered for it, and by that means ransomed us from suffering for transgressing of our duty, then to rise again and ascend into Glory to assure the blessed recompenses of Religion and Obedience, and the infinitely miserable returns of impiety and vice; if after all we either shall so far abhor the duty, as that we renounce these glorious obligations to it, turn away from the very proposal of all those advantages that are to crown it, and defy that ransom paid for them, disbelieve all, count them dreams, cheats or illusions: or however, if we cannot satisfy ourselves that those rewards or punishments are possible or likely, certainly 'tis most impossible there can be a temptation of force to invite men to Religion or to any virtue: this method of proposal of such infinite after-recompenses to our faith demonstrated by such Miracles to evince the power and their certainty, being the most vigorous struggle of Divine Compassion towards man, the utmost attempt of mercy, which alone was hopeful since all others failed the trial, 'twas his greatest strength apportion'd to the full-grown wickedness of the World.

At first in one thousand six hundred years from innocence the whole World was grown so bad, that God could find out but one whole family to save alive; & he destroyed the rest for warning to all future generations: & yet in less than a quarter of that time immediately ensuing there was again only one family, that of Abraham, which out of all the World he could think fit to take into his favor & his care. In whose Posterity, altho he exercised them with strange prodigies of sufferings and reliefs, and in the midst of Miracles renewed his Law to them, trained them up in that by all arts of punishments and rewards, kept them as it were in constant discipline with present visible returns of plagues and death for every act of disobedience; so that the whole sacred History is nothing but a recurrent Tide of God's mercy, and Israel's provocations, their sin and his punishing it. When famine, pestilence and war, all the separations which might be expected from the furnace of affliction, were utterly ineffectual, and the People were so settled on their lees, that all attempts to purify only fretted and disturbed, and it was necessary to rack them from those lees, and empty them from vessel to vessel, so that the Nation was carried captive into Babylon. Even this digestion of seventy years together had no more prosperous effect, than the preceeding frustrate methods; the return of the captivity brought also back the former disobedience and infidelity. And when the fullness of time was come, that the Messiah should appear, and restore all things, Matt. 17. 11. he came, as the Baptist called it, to a generation of vipers, Matt. 3. 7. When the light shone in darkness, the darkness comprehended it not. When he came unto his own, his own received him not, John 1. 5, 11. So that, as S ^t Luke expresses it, When the Son of man came, he did not find faith in the earth. Where the fairest steps were made to belief, 'twas exceedingly faint and imperfect; his very disciples were of little faith, as our Savior Complains Matt. 6. 30.—8. 26.—14. 31.—16. 8. Nor was this frailty superseded in the more established growth of Christianity. Tho we hear in the book of Acts of multitudes of them that believed c. 4. 32. yet we hear also of some that opposed themselves, contradicted, and blasphemed, c. 13. 45. others there were who made shipwreck of the faith 1 Tim. 1. 19. and of others that doubted, and were wavering, and weak in faith, Rom. 14. And so it is to this day: what S ^t Paul said to the Corinthians 1 Epist. 3. 1, 2. every Preacher of the Gospel has to say unto the greatest part of his flock, I, Brethren, could not speak to you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. The Christian flock more partakes of the folly and weakness of sheep, than the innocence. The faces of both tend to the earth, intent on their pasture where they may range and feed with plenty and delight. In the greatest part of Professors with their faith there is mixed unbelief, so as sometimes to preponderate, for the most part to alloy and weaken it.

And here I promise not to prosecute those grounds of unbelief so far, as to show how they make men able to resist and conquer all Christ's methods, how they work them up into the confidence of professed infidelity and Atheism; that's not my design, but plainly and in brief to name some causes of it, not in this or the other party or persuasion, but in general, even in minds not ill disposed, but such as our Confessor here in the Text, who though he do's profess he did believe, yet withal acknowledges his unbelief, Lord help my unbelief.

Now though it should be granted that the motives and the means of Christian Faith are of themselves sufficient to convince the minds of men, that the Revelations of the Gospel are from God, so far as that there can remain no place for any reasonable doubt or scruple, nor by consequence plea for excusing them who give not up their faith to it; yet notwithstanding all this evidence arising from those means and motives, still many of the things to be believed are so inevident, for they are Mysteries, and are wrapped up in such obscurity that they astonish and affright apprehension, and while the mind is swallowed up in the abyss of such dark contemplations, whatever light strikes in from motives, yet the mind is maz'd so, that, if it assent, it cannot be without suspicion and some fear and tremulously: and difficulties often so distract the understanding, that it cannot settle, but is loose and wavering.

Now as in the contests that often happen in us betwixt the temporal interests and pleasures of this world and the eternal blessednesses of the next, in those that are sincerely satisfied of the real infinite disproportion betwixt them, yet if any present object that does flatter appetite with strong delight or other satisfaction, chance but to surprise a man so far as that his present whole attention be engaged upon it, and it be not called off, nor the will apply the understanding to consider and compare the other interests, the everlasting ones, and weigh them both together, 'tis certain he will yield against his conscience to satisfy his sinful inclination; for to that his surprised appetite applied him, & that application did determine him; there being no way to resist the forcible assaults of present things that strike the mind with vigor, if the will (some way excited) do not frequently engage the understanding to contemplate on, advert to with intenseness, even with all its might those blessednesses which God's promises propose to our belief, that so the mind by reason of its constant conversation with them may not fail to call them up on all occasions, and bring them into the comparison, and vie with any present thing that do's allure, and then those will preponderate without fail. So in the other Objects of our Faith, the Mysteries, and generally in all Objects whatsoever, where the understanding do's not reach the nature, so as to discern and look into the truth of them, if there be arguments that make a fair show and flatter natural reason by complying with its principles, which opposes that truth, and with their difficulties maze and appale the understanding, its assent cannot be settled firmly on the truth, unless the will cause the understanding to busy and apply itself so to the arguments and motives of its credibility, that it find a principle whereon to bottom its persuasion, such as that it can compare with, and oppose to those objections, and find reason to adhere to it against them, such as this, God hath said it: so that altho on one side subtle reasonings seem to commit a rape upon my understanding, and against belief almost force my assent, yet on the other side God's own authority, of which I have no cause to doubt, (if I advert sincerely to the motives of its credibility, for we supposed that) is of strength sufficient to secure my faith, and will never suffer it to faint at such objections, as I know arise only from ignorance and want of principles to judge by, and from the incomprehensibility of the Object. Now if the will do constantly engage the understanding thus by frequent application to such principles, human reason, howsoever apt to be rebellious, will be easily subdued and brought into captivity to the obedience of faith and our belief, will be unshaken; so that the will is justly said to have a signal interest in, and influence on our faith. To make which good I might produce Councils and Schoolmen, but it shall suffice me that the Scripture says, that with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, Rom. 10. 10. and 'tis required that man believe with all his heart, Acts 8. 37. and it is called an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God, Heb. 3. 12. and for that reason to believe is amongst God's precepts, Faith is strictly commanded, and a great blessed reward proposed to it, and Infidelity is threatened with eternal torments. Now commands, rewards and punishments are such things as cannot be proposed but to the will, and are not at all made to move the understanding, which must needs assent exactly as it judges, and must judge according to appearances of objects; and you may as well desire a stone to fall up to heaven, or the Senses to perceive that which they have no sense of, as the understanding to believe against its judgment, or to judge in contradiction to what appears to it. Now this being granted, that the heart hath such a vital influence upon our Faith, and that the will contributes so much to believing, by prevailing with the understanding to contemplate on, and frequently converse with, and with great advertency attend to those Divine and Heavenly objects and the motives to believe them: it does therefore follow

Secondly that whatsoever does engage the heart and take the will off so, as that they do not cause this application of mind, that must needs weaken and enfeeble Faith;for it withdraws that that should nourish and give vigor to it, and makes way for unbelief. Now here alas, if I should only name the several impediments upon this account, the avocations of the heart, it would be endless. But to say nothing of particulars, whose state of life either thro the necessities of their condition or the troubles of it, or thro a disorderly uneasy temperament of body, or diseases, though all or each of these may keep the mind almost in a perpetual disturbance, or at least in great inaptitude to such Spiritual application, if there be not strict watch kept to seize all lucid intervals. But to pass these, and only touch at two Occasions in the general. And the

First is the understanding, which if it be apt to be religiously scrupulous in little things, as for the most part scruples rise about such only, whether thro weakness of judgment, credulity, and either little probabilities that work upon that, or the arts of seducing Teachers, or else especially which is most consequent upon any close affliction, scruples rise thro applications of God's judgments or interpretation of the incomprehensible procedures of his providence, if these scruples come to work the understanding, so as that it usually entertains the will with no proposals else, which happens very frequently, and if it does thus even till the will delight itself in these its self-tormentings, and engages the whole man in a continual converse with them; so that he comes to love to aggravate his fears against himself, and willfully retains them, and dwells on them, will not be diverted from such thoughts, which do not only with these their invenom'd darts stab and wound the mind perpetually, and the poison of them drinks up his spirits, but they wound his Faith. As when those scruples are in great measure and grown strong, they use to break out into blasphemies and desperation: so all less degrees also in their proportion raise doubts in men, not as to their own condition only, but God's Attributes, and works, and dealings with mankind, which corrupt and ulcerate and poison their belief, and it becomes languid, feeble and unsteady.

But secondly that which universally takes off the heart or will from causing this so necessary application to the objects and the motives of our Faith, is the lower appetite with its passions. For in man's life that is so perfectly dramatic, and in which the world is always shifting scenes, there happens such an infinite variety of either prosperous delightful, or cross sad accidents, which so goad and stimulate the affections, raise such ebullitions in the blood, and such impetuousness in the motions of the appetite, that the will is hurried along with them with a blind precipitation and a headlong fury; and by consequence it fares so with the faculties upon the satisfactions of those appetites. Now in this rout and confusion 'tis not possible the understanding can attend to Spiritual applications, and if this happen frequently, then thus it being frequently diverted, and its conversation with affairs of Faith much broken off, seldom reflecting on them, and so being very unaccustomed to those thoughts, all the impressions grow faint, languish and decay, the motives have no force, and consequently the belief itself is loose, and scarce hath the assurance of a thin opinion, if it were examined: and of all this the experience is so dreadful, that we daily see, if men go on so far as to indulge their appetites habitually, that their minds being thereby taken altogether off from the other contemplations, they come to have no love to them, no regard at all, cannot well endure to think or hear of them; and are therefore given up by God's just judgment, such as was foretold long since 2 Thess. 2. 10, 11. to strong delusions to believe a lie, even a lie of that eternal dismal consequence that virtue and religion and the blessed expectation of it are mere trumpery, and renounce those truths whereby they should be saved.

But I promised not to prosecute this to that height; it sufficeth we having seen how the heart being by such means engaged, and ceasing to employ the understanding upon heavenly things and on the motives to believe them, and the faith of them do's come to lose all vigor, not to be recovered if there be not some assistance to the will, that may be able to take off that ravenous inclination which it hath to present satisfactions, and that gross torpid stupidity it labors under towards future things, and withal excite and inflame it with desires after that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, and besides remove all those other impediments of our belief which I have mentioned. Which assistance from what hand it is to be expected, and how it effects all that, I must declare in the third place from those words, Lord, help thou my unbelief.

Now that the birth and growth and strength of Faith (that Faith, I say, that is effectual to salvation) is all from God, from the preventing and assisting graces of his Spirit, is a Doctrine which the Scripture is abundant in. It is the gift of God, S ^t Paul saith Eph. 2. 8. and Christ says, No man can come to me, that is, believe in me, except the Father which has sent me, draw him John 6. 44. i. e. those preparations of the heart by which men are disposed to come at God's call and receive his Gospel, when as others whom 'tis equally proposed to, and who alike understand it, will not come, are the effects of his good grace; and in that respect such are said to be drawn by the Father, and to be taught of God, verse 45. and v. 64. speaking to his Followers, and telling them that there are some of you that believe not, though they had all the methods of conviction, having heard his preaching, seen his miracles as well as others; yet some of them notwithstanding not believing, he adds, v. 65. therefore I said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it be given him of my Father. All the other means and motives, if alone, prevail not. I have planted, Apollos watered; but 'tis God that giveth the increase, 1 Cor. 3. 6. I need not say this is the Doctrine of the Church of England, 'tis so of the Latin and the Greek Church, and on this account of the necessity of Grace and the assistance of God's Spirit in believing, the whole Church of Christ hath universally maintained a war against Pelagius and his Followers. 'It is more expedient to show what he doth, and how he does proceed in doing it, how he removes those hindrances of Faith I mentioned in each faculty both of the will and understanding.

First as to the understanding, that he doth enlighten and clear it into the discerning of those Heavenly truths, appears, since David therefore prays, Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold the wondrous things of thy Law, Psalm 119. 18. and the like v. 27. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts. It should seem he apprehended wonderful miraculous dispensations in God's discoveries of himself and of his will to man, besides those of his nature, his transcendent goodness also in the pardoning our sins, in giving us such excellent Precepts, in assisting us to the performance, in accepting our imperfect Obedience, and in preparing everlasting blessed Glory to reward and crown it. Now that he might discern all these so sensibly as to be ravished and transported with them, so as that he might be wrought on to adore the blessed Donor of all these, and cling to him and them with the close and inseparable unions of Faith and love; he therefore prays that God would open his eyes, enlighten and remove all those degrees of darkness that remained within him, quicken and enliven all his faculties, give him a vital sense and relish of all those things, make him understand them, that believing them he might adhere to them. And since the Scripture says (I told you) that with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, so it also therefore says that God does give an heart to understand, Deut. 29. 4. and the Lord opened Lydia's heart, that she attended to the things that were spoken, Acts 16. 14. thus preventing unbelief, which comes for want of such advertency, as I showed you.

And as to the Will (which hath its influence, I proved to you) that God works in us to will, is express Scripture Phil. 2. 13. And if we should but only put the understanding in that case, wherein, as we before demonstrated, 'tis needful that the Will engage it to make applications to these Spiritual objects, when the man is not as yet biased or corrupted, but is only languid and indifferent and unconcerned, yet then there is an absolute necessity the Spirit cause it: for if the Will be itself a faculty indifferent and free, there must be some prevenient proposal, thought, or motion, that may determine or fix it; and to will what it ought, it therefore must have some good motion or proposal, such as will prevail with it. Now such proposals and motions come not from itself, the Will does not propose to itself, it cannot think or make the motion, and the Understanding, which, as the case is put, does need a resolution of the will thus to engage it, is not therefore qualified to make the motion sufficient and of force; for then it could and would apply itself without the Will's engaging of it: much less is it qualified, when the Will drawn in by the affections of the lower Appetite hath applied the Understanding, as I showed you, to converse with sensual objects, and by doing so 'tis altogether stein'd with their impressions and images, and hath few others to excite or entertain itself withal. In neither case, since neither Understanding nor the Will is able, there is nothing therefore but God's grace that do's it by presenting objects and occasions, and disposing circumstances so in soft and congruous seasons, as with the assistance of his overshadowing and incubating on them, may be sure to hatch some inclinations and desires that way in the Understanding and Will both. He does all by these means upon all occasions of Divine truth heard, or read, or meditated on, by his applying intimately to the mind the motives of believing, and to help the evidence by breaking in upon it with his own illuminations, which discover to the Soul the beauty of God's promises, make it see how infinitely advantageous they are to it. Thus he fills it with those beauteous images, then backs the thoughts with their allurements, so as that they love to hover and to dwell upon them; this animates them into cheerful practice of all performances that tend to them: then he scatters as it were some gleams of future glory, shedding flashes of it in the joys of Conscience arising from the sense both of God's encouragements and assistances to duty, and of the delights resulting from the faithful, sincere practice of it: and by this joy quieting the Conscience, if it either raise fears from the apprehension of God's dealings in these outward things, or else if it be scrupulous in little things to the disturbance of his Faith, as I declared, convincing it that conscience is not to accuse or else excuse but by the measures of sincerity or insincerity in known real duty, not from the events or dispensations of God's providence on one side, nor on the other, in little things wherein there is no Law to guide us, and which only prejudice or seduction can make doubtful, assuring us the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, indifferent rites, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, Rom. 14. 17. Thus, as S ^t Paul says Heb. 6. 4. they that have tasted of the heavenly gift, the comfort of the pardon of their sins, and consequent to that the peace of Conscience, and v. 5. tasted of the good word of God, and of the powers of the world to come, have intimate experimental relish of the Gospel-promises; those powers of heaven, those omnipotent forces God hath prepared to cast down every reasoning or imagination that should rise against the Christian Doctrine, and bring every thought to the obedience of it, 2 Cor. 10. 5. All which are said to be effected there in them who had been made partakers of the Holy Ghost.

By these means therefore he enflames the Will, sets it all on fire with ardent love to God and his rewards, and consequently to his service in all the works of Piety and Virtue, and endued with firm and settled resolutions of adhering to him in faithful constant practice of all this. And thus Christ by his Spirit, as he was the Author, the Beginner of the faith, by which he is stilled Heb. 12. 2. so by the same he is the Finisher and the completer of it.

He was the Author, as that Testimony which the Spirit gave by miracles, did evince the infallible certainty and the Divinity of the doctrine to the world; for the Spirit is said to bear witness to it by those signs and wonders Heb. 2. 3. and those signs are called the demonstration of the Spirit, 1 Cor. 2. 4. that which did irrefragably prove and demonstrate all the Doctrine of the Gospel, and make certain Faith of it; and in this sense it is that Faith is truly said to be resolved into the testimony of the Spirit. So also by the same he is the Finisher, by the graces, the preventings and excitings, overshadowings and assistings of that Spirit working in us, as we showed, a firm sincere adherence to that Faith, and the obedience of it; which when it is wrought, Faith hath attained that height, and in that degree, that is to make us capable of those benefits which Christ hath promised to bestow on true believers. The last thing I was to show, and withal whether such Believers in that true degree can say with our man here, Lord, I believe, yet say too, help my unbelief.

Faith, as the Son of Sirach does define it, is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the principle of cleaving to God, that which knits & joints us to him: and S ^t Paul saith as much, when he makes the formality of an evil heart of unbelief to consist in departing from the living God; and to Faith by which the just must live, opposes drawing back, slinking away for fear of danger or affliction, Heb. 10. 38. So that according as that cleaving and adherency must be firm and indissoluble, so we are to judge of Faith.

But secondly 'tis certain this adherency must be without waverings, James 1. 6, 7. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering; for let not that man (him that wavers) think that he shall receive any thing at the hands of God. A firm and infallible assurance of God's promises, a confident expectation of a grant to his petitions, though the power of Prayer be almost omnipotent on that account, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them, Mark 11. 24. yet those are not meant by Faith here; for the person that is bid not to expect a grant is here supposed to think and to be confident he shall receive it, but the Prayer here spoken to is for wisdom, how to behave ones self in times of chance and danger or affliction for the truth's sake, in these trials of his Faith, v. 3. Now that he may obtain that wisdom, he is bid to ask for it of God, but he is also bid to ask it in faith, nothing wavering, i. e. he must come to God for it with firm adherence to him, with dependence on him only, and a mind resolved, whatever happens, to stick fast to him and his commands and methods, not to labor or accept deliverance on terms not allowed by God and a good Conscience, must not waver betwixt duty and security, nor be double minded, so as to apply now to Christ and Religion, now to worldly carnal politics. Such double minded men that have a mind to God and their duty, but a mind also to safety, interest, or some other satisfaction, are unstable, are divided betwixt two, not knowing which to turn to, now taking one, now the other, do not stick to God, they are not faithful. It is not sound Faith, where there is not a resolved and settled cleaving; such false-hearted wavering ulcerates and gangrenes all.

But then thirdly, where there is that firm, sincere adherency to God and duty with such a dependence on him, there is Faith that is effectual to the ends of Faith; for this is true Faith, that works and is consummated by love, and that begets an efficacious Hope, by that hope works out the purifying of ourselves as God is pure, and consequently does entitle us to see God, i. e. to the beatifick Vision.

I know there are some, who besides this certainty of adherence do require an absolute certainty of evidence, affirming there is no true Faith, but such as stands on a clear resolution into Principles more evident and certain, than those Propositions are which are made out to us by Demonstration, than any Principles of Sciences, which Principles since they are more necessary than that first one, that which is, is, and the contrary to them more impossible, than for the same thing that is to be and not to be at the same time while it is: by consequence they cannot but infuse greater necessity and certainty into our Faith, than there is in the knowledge of those Propositions; so that 'tis impossible for him, that is a true Believer, to say, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief.

I shall not put it to the question, whether the Rule of Faith be firm and immovable, or the Principle which true Belief must be resolved into, is most infallible and necessary: for all those which resolve their Faith into God's Revelation, and that make his Word the Rule, must needs assert all that; and where it is affirmed, that the motives laid in second Causes by God's Providence to persuade men to embrace the faith, must be such as of their own nature cannot fail to conclude points true, if they mean they cannot choose but be sufficient to conclude that they are such as ought to be believed, that is assented to as true, I shall allow it; yea so far and in that manner as God intended that they should conclude, that is by the assistant grace and influence of his Holy Spirit, so far in that manner I will grant they could not fail to be conclusive. But that God intended they should be conclusive to us themselves with the evidence of such Metaphysical necessity, so that by consequence they cannot but infuse a greater certainty and evidence into that assent that must be given to the points of Faith, than there is in the Science of those Propositions that are first in Science; and where there is not such necessity, certainty and evidence raised by clear resolution into Principles more evident, certain and necessary than those are, there is not that Faith wich is alone, is true; and consequently that all true Faith must assent with the highest evidence, necessity and certainty. This, I say, may be granted, when it shall be made appear how it is possible that God can variously deal to men the measure of Faith, if every true Believer must needs have the greatest fullest measure; or how any man that hath Faith, and by consequence is certain most infallibly, can be weak in Faith, or have his Faith increase, so as that it may grow exceedingly and wax very strong, even till it come to full assurance and plerophory: how all this, I say, is not impossible, if all true Faith have essentially this plerophory, that highest, most infallible certainty and evidence. But it is certain that God variously deals the measure of faith, Rom. 12. 3. that there are those who have Faith, and yet are weak in faith, Rom. 4. 19.—14. 1. that have their faith increased, Luke 17. 5. so as that it does grow exceedingly, 2 Thess. 1. 3. wax very strong, Rom. 4. 20. even to a full assurance, Heb. 10. 22. Is it not therefore certain, but that he that hath true Faith may say here with our Confessor, Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief?

Moreover if those Principles and motives blaz'd with such an evidence, so bright a luster, of so cogent a necessity, can any man believe that God would think it needful to arm that necessity with strict precepts, fortify it with the aids of his own Holy Spirit, and eternally reward Obedience to a most invincible necessity? Dare any man imagine God could be so sportive in commanding, as on pain of everlasting torment to engage us to believe, that that which is existent is existent, or that the Sun does shine at bright noon-day, when we behold it so as that we cannot see it, ('tis our Author's own instance?) or to assent to these must there be the graces and assistance of the Holy Ghost? or to believe the Sun shines, when it does, is that a Faith that is fit to be rewarded with eternal light and glory? In fine, since that the only certainty of Faith wich is effectual to the ends of Faith, is the certainty and firmness of adherency to God and Christ, and to our duty, without which all other certainty, however infallible, can but help towards our condemnation; and since where the Holy Spirit and his Graces intervene not, howsoever evident men fancy that their principles and motives are, their way of resolution demonstrative, there will be no true Faith; and where he works with his Graces, though they were not so infallible and bright, yet the adherency is firm, the Faith true and saving. Therefore there appears no evident necessity of such pompous principles and ways of resolution of our Faith. For I would only ask, for whose sake, and on whose account it is so needful that these motives, principles and ways of resolution should be so infallibly certain, evident and necessary? Those that do embrace the Faith sincerely and are saved, or those that do not give their hearts up to it, and so perish in their unbelief? As to these, since besides all arguments internal to the doctrine, outward testimony, (the only argument in matter of fact) and that in behalf of Christians, it is far greater and more pregnant than there is for any other fact that ever was, such as humanely speaking, is impossible not to be true; nor could there ever yet be found a rational exception or just ground of doubt against it: so that 'tis impossible but they must be convinced in reason, that 'tis most irrational not to assent. Those therefore that do willfully resist their understandings and their reason, and withal God's ordinary methods of conviction, and so put a bar against his Graces and his Spirit, since much more than was enough was don for them, they are without excuse; and since they did defy what was more than sufficient in itself, and so resist God's methods also, there is no pretence or reason for more helps of evidence on their account. As for the other, those that give themselves up to the guidance of their light and reason and Almighty God's convictions, and are made Partakers of the Holy Ghost, 'tis most certain that his Holy Spirit will do all that is needful to complete their Faith, and make it certain to salvation; so that there is no need on their behalf of such self evidence of principles and motives to infuse such metaphysical certainty into their Faith. And yet this certainty of Faith not only is the ground on which alone is built Infallibility, wherever that is to be placed, for they are not agreed about it and indeed there were no great need to assure their Faith into such certainty; but besides poor we, because we do not take upon us to assert dogmatically the necessity of such most infallible certainty, not only are unchurch'd, but unchristen'd, concluded beyond all possibility of evasion, not to have true Faith, nor be truly Faithful. An heavy imputation: therefore I crave leave a little to consider it in one word, not desiring to reflect on others, but to justify ourselves; for in truth God knows, we would as willingly go to Heaven as our Neighbors, where we know we cannot be received without true Faith.

Now though it looks unlucky that we should be doomed thus upon grounds, of which the Founder is himself under censure for them, and his books that laid them, damned even by his own Church, though we are by virtue of their Principles condemned as Heretics, because we come not into their Church which condemns the Founder of these very Principles on their account; yet since however any thing does serve their turns, provided it condemns us, 'tis not therefore to be passed by. Now the ground not only of their Faith, but this their Confidence, whereby they so exalt themselves and censure us, is the absolute certainty of the living voice and practice of that Church, which resolves her Faith by this Rule or Principle, not to believe, or teach, or practice anything as of Faith but what they did receive from their immediate Forefathers as of Faith, and saw their practice of. For if this Principle were their Rule always, (and if it be now, it must, they say, have been so) then the Faith of each succeeding Age must needs have been the Faith of the preceding, and by consequence there having been no change, the Faith of this Age must needs be the same with that of Christ and his Apostles. Now since in the resolution of our Faith we proceed not by this Rule, upon this Principle we have no Rule of faith, nor certain resolution of it, and by consequence no Faith. Now it appears at first sight fully evident that this Rule of theirs does supersede and quite evacuate those Doctrines that maintain either the sayings of the Fathers, or Decrees of Councils, or the Definitions of the Popes, or the infallible Authority of the Church, whatever that Church signify, hath any part or interest in the Rule of faith, and very justly so: for Fathers are but eminent Members of the Church, Popes can pretend to be but Heads of that Church, Councils but the Representatives, and what infallible Authority soever can be in the Church, that Church being the Congregation of the Faithful, and those only being Faithful that hold the true Faith: therefore till it be known which is the true Faith, it cannot be known who are the ture Faithful, nor by consequence which is the Church, nor therefore which is Head, Member, or Representative of it, or hath that Authority: and therefore before all, those men must have a Rule for their Faith, whereby they may try which is the true. But when we say we have God's own Revelation of his will what he would have to be believed, his Word, the Scriptures, they add that since we cannot know which is the Scripture but by the continued testimony of those that recommended it from the beginning, neither can that be the Rule, which needs another Rule to establish it; nor can that which is believed upon that other Principle of universal testimony be any part of the Rule, since what is believed is the Object of Faith, and so presupposes the Rule of Faith: and therefore we who make that to be the only Rule, have no Rule, no not a part, though the Trent Council do allow the Scriptures to go shares with Tradition.

'It is easy to reply, that that which is the Object of that Faith, whereby we assent to it, as a book written by such inspired men, or as a true historical Narration, of which Testimony does assure us, may yet be the Rule of that Faith, whereby we assent to Doctrines as revealed from God, which we believe those are, that we find there recorded. And it were as easy to retort, that if this arguing were good, men could not know that the Doctrine which Christ and his Apostles orally delivered to them was from God, but by the testimony of the Miracles they taught; therefore neither could Christ's or the Apostles oral tradition, living voice, be a Rule of Faith to those Ages, since they were the Objects of belief, and presuppos'd those Miracles as the Rule by which men did believe what Doctrines came from God; nor can the Succession of Doctrine be the Rule, for we know not the whole Succession but by the living voice of the present Church, that does deliver Doctrine by the foresaid Rule or Principle. But not to reply to this Scholastically, but suppose for their sakes, that Scripture could be known to be the word of God no otherwise than by testimony, yet that it might be the Rule one short familiar instance shall evince irrefragably to the meanest understanding. We know the Books of Scripture are entitled Books of the Old and New Testament, both Scripture itself and Fathers giving cause for that expression. Now in making a man's testament, the Testator's last bequests, or that which he last of all wills, as to the disposal of his goods and possessions, is the primary rule, we know, by which they are to be disposed off: and when that disposition and will of his is put into writing, signed and sealed, that writing, or that Instrument is secondarily the rule by which Legacies must be demanded, and upon performance of conditions the Inheritance entered upon. Now possibly they that either demand Legacies, or the Executors, yea the Heir indeed himself it may be know not either hand or seal; however that the writing was in good deed honestly subscrib'd and sealed by the deceased party, none can know, but who were present, and saw or heard him declare and publish it: and if any are concerned to be assured whether it be a true will, neither forged nor altered or depraved, they can no otherwise be satisfied, than by their testimony. It is on that account that men give credit to that will, from thence it is of force, and afterwards continues to be so as to all ends and uses of a Will, by being witnessed and sworn to, that is, proved, and then enrolled and laid up in an Office for that purpose, and by that becomes a firm Record, and as such is there conserved. Now certainly no man is so far destitute of common sense to say either the Witnesses or their Testimony, or the Office that conserves the Instrument, or the Clerks and Registers or Judge of that Office is the Rule by which the man's goods must be distributed, or the Rule of those things that the Heir or the Excecutors must perform: for the man's last Will, I showed you, was the prime Rule, that Will put into writing, signed and sealed, that is that Instrument the secondary Rule of all that; and the Testimony, Office, Clerks and Judge are but only means of bringing that Will to the knowledge of all such as are concerned, the way of assuring the truth and uncorruptness of the Instrument, and of conserving it entire for after uses.

The Application of this to Christ our Savior's Testament is easy. If by Penmen, which himself inspired, he caused his last Will in disposing the Inheritance of Heaven to be written, and what things he would have believed, what don, all which he sealed with his own, God's Seal, with Miracles: and if those Penmen and the other Witnesses, before whom he declared and published it, did attest it, and gave it to the Church to be conserv'd there, and her Pastors are perpetual successive Conservators of the integrity of these Records: 'tis plain our Lord's Will here is primarily the Rule of Faith and Action, and secondarily the Testament, that authentic Instrument is so: and the Testimony is no more that Rule here than in the man's Will, nor yet than the prerogative Office, nor the Pastors or the Head (if such an one there were) than the Clerks, the Judge of that Office; nor all, nor any of these are the Rule itself. The Testimony is but the means of conveying down to us the knowledge of that Testament, and of the uncorruptness of it; and as far as that Conveyance and that Testimony is assured and certain, so far they must grant the Faith we give, that that writing is the Rule, must be assured and certain. And since all the means and kinds of their Tradition make that very Testimony and Conveyance of that Book, therefore all that certainty and that infallibility their faith can have from those grounds, the same certainty and infallibility the faith we give to that Book must needs have too on their own grounds. But it hath more; for since the ground of all faith must be testimony, and by consequence none but Divine Testimony can be ground sufficient for Divine Faith, and that Testimony was, I showed you, Miracles, wrought by the Publisher to confirm the Doctrine, both which are in this Rule of ours. Therefore altho that universal Testimony, all their Tradition for it, which is merely human, may be a sufficient method of conveyance to derive all notice; as the first men's eyes and ears that saw the Miracles and heard Christ, though they be but human senses, were sufficient to them also, they suffice not yet to a Divine Belief, they cannot ground that Faith which must be given to Divine supernatural Doctrines upon a Divine Testimony, which Tradition is not, but our Rule hath. So that the resolution of our Faith is made by a Divine Rule, such as theirs pretends not to be made by; and the mere conveyance of that Rule to us hath all that certainty and that infallibility, that they pretend their Rule itself to have, and so we may have Faith, and may be Christians. But we are never the nearer however: for if the Rule of Faith, if true, must be a means to make our assent more infallible than Science upon Demonstration, and there can be no other such Rule besides the living voice and present practice of that Church, which does, and always did resolve her Faith into it by this Principle, not to believe or teach or practice anything as of Faith, but what they did receive from their immediate Forefathers as of Faith, and saw their practice of, which most undeniably renders their Faith impossible to be erroneous; therefore we that own neither such a resolution, rule or principle, can neither have true rule nor Faith.

But yet how fine soever and self-evident this Principle and Resolution appear to them as speculators, if it were practically inquired into, it would appear the weakest of all other. For first I might evince, that ever since the first beginnings of Religion and mankind, while either they had no other rule at all but this of oral, practical tradition, as in the first times before the Law was given and Scripture wrote, their faith and practice grew all false and diabolical; or when they had another rule, so far as they made use of this rule, thereby that they did make void their own Faith and God's Laws, as the Pharisees among the Jews: or lastly, when they had not an entire rule written, as in the first Age of Christianity, while the Scriptures were not spread amongst Believers, but they had the living and inspired voice of the Apostles to resolve their Faith into, and by that Rule and Principle of oral practical Tradition most perfectly, yet then the most execrable Heresies that ever infested the Church, had their rise and growth.

Secondly I might demonstrate their Church did not always so resolve their Faith, and by that Principle. Look thro their Councils all from the beginning, where their Church, sometimes the whole Church met together, either to confirm the true Faith, or confound the false, and you shall find no footsteps of this oral, practical Tradition, but of doctrinal enough. The Sayings of the Fathers, and Decrees of Former Councils, and the Texts of Scripture, these they call their Demonstrations.

Thirdly where there is most need still of a certain rule and resolution, there this is unpracticable wholly; namely in all great divisions of the Church in points of Faith. To instance in the Arian contentions, where the World was against S ^t Athanasius, and S ^t Athanasius against the World, and the Pope himself Liberius was then Arian, who could then hear and distinguish the living voice of the Church? When the whole East was so universally and bloodily divided in the matter of Images, one Greek Council defining against them, and another for it; and the West as much, the French, Italian, German Bishops presently in a great Synod declaring against them, and the British Church particularly. Now I will not ask how it was possible the greater parts of the whole Church should so at once have laid aside their infallible self-evident Rule, and chanced together to forget it, should not once bethink themselves whether they had seen their Forefathers practice that Worship or no, and heard them teaching that they had received it too from their Forefathers: nor ask how it was possible their Enimies should not mind them of it, if it were the Churches rule, and had been generally taught and practiced, and assure them by their Principle how impossible that it should be erroneous. But there is not a word of this in the whole two Nicene Councils, but some Texts of Scripture and some Sayings of the Fathers, which no more evince the practice, than Tentordin steeple does cause Goodwin Sands. But I will ask, how in the noise and the confusion of both States and Churches, while wars and Anathemas thunder'd in the quarrel, how it was possible poor souls could hear and distinguish what the living voice and present practice of that Age was, which was so extremely various and contradictory? Those that were then to be instructed in the Faith, what could they hearken to? How could they guide themselves by that Rule, when as in their Doctrines they condemned each other, in their practice murdered one another? And when each party pleaded that theirs was the Faith delivered to them, which should they believe? The major party. How should they know infallibly which was? How be assured the major party is required? Why truth must be on that side where the most are? What self-evident Rule had they to judge of these by? Surely none. Accordingly it was not by this Rule, but by being overpower'd they received that Faith and practice.

Fourthly that it may appear in no case useful in the calmest Sunshine of the Church, and when, if ever, they were all of one mind; namely before Luther, when if ever there were any Article that the Latin Church was possessed of an explicit belief of, it was that of Purgatory, as it is now held amongst them: there was all expresses of an oral practical Tradition for it, and if there were not, 'tis impossible to know when any Doctrine is received upon that Principle, so that the Rule is frivolous as to practice; yet, as if that Principle had ow'd the very Founder of it a great spite, he must go write a Book against that Purgatory, which stood by his own Principle, for which he is under censure by his own Church. But least this should seem only an Argument ad hominem, I will urge only one instance.

There was a time when the immaculate Conception of our Lady stood by oral practical Tradition, for in the public Liturgies of their Church it was expressly owned and celebrated. For in their Liturgy printed 1551. after a devout Prayer to the B. Virgin there is added Ave, Hail Mary, full of grace &c. Blessed also be Saint Anne thy Mother, out of whom thy virgin flesh came without any stain, immaculate. And again, Hail &c. woman, blessed be thy Mother Anne, out of whom thou didst proceed a Virgin without any stain or sin. Once more in another Prayer, All hail thou most chaste Mother of God &c. and blessed be thy Parents Joachim and Anne, out of whom thy virgin flesh proceeded without stain, immaculate. The same too was defined expressly in their Oecumenical Council at Basil in a session on purpose for it c. 36. after long debate decreeing that she never had Original or Actual sin, but was immaculate; and though the Pope for other reasons, and not this definition, would not confirm this Council, yet besides that by the way of oral practical Tradition his Holiness is declared to have but one vote and no negative; yet if his vote signify, Alexander VI. a little after gave ten thousand years of pardon for all mortal sins, twenty for venial toties quoties to all that said devoutly in that Worship of our Lady and S ^t Anne the former Prayer, Rubr. Now if the Church did not believe what was thus in her public Prayers, in her definitions, which was the judgment of her Pastors, of the whole Church Representative, but if somewhat else must intervene to prove what is of Faith, the Rule is insignificant, it is impossible to know their Churches Faith at any time. But we are bound to think they would not in their Solemn Divine Worship own what they did not believe, and they could not believe anything by this Rule but what they did receive, and so their Faith and Practice consequent must have been always, and must be infallible. Yet we know that was defined the Doctrine taken up merely to countenance the Worship that had formerly been given to the Blessed Virgin in the celebrating her Conception. For since it always was the Churches Rule never to solemnize with a Festival but what they did account was Holy, according to that saying of S ^t Bernard, quo pacto festus habetur qui minime sanctus est? And accordingly the present Church that does still celebrate it, also in her new Reformed Breviaries calls it Sanctam Conceptionem; having therefore entertained the Festival, they must needs entertain the Doctrine. And the forenamed Council does expressly own this in defining it ut consonum cultui Ecclesiastico, in that it was agreeable to that Worship which the Church performed in the celebration of it. But if you would know how the Solemnity began, you may receive it from themselves thus. A Canon of a Church in France greatly devoted to the Blessed Virgin, returning home over the large mouth of the Seine in a vessel alone from the other side, where he had been committing Adultery with another man's wife, and as he sailed singing the Hours of the Blessed Virgin, a great troop of Devils drown his vessel & himself in the deep, and his soul they dragged away to torments. On the third day, while they were tormenting him, the Mother of our Lord came thither with a train of Angels, asking why they did unjustly so torment the soul of her servant? Whom they answered that they had a just right to it, for it was taken in its being about their employment: she replies, if it ought to be theirs whose service it was in, then of right it is mine, for you seized it as he sung my Mattins, so that you are guilty. Upon which they fled and left it, and the Blessed Virgin brought his soul back to his body and himself alive to shore, where falling at her feet he said, Dear Lady, what shall I render unto thee for so great benefits that thou hast don unto me? she replies, I desire that henceforward thou commit no more Adultery, least the later end be worse than the beginning; I desire moreover, that thou wouldest devoutly celebrate the Feast of my Conception yearly on the eighth day of December. Good Lord! that singing Mattins to our Lady should atone for him whose Vespers had been offered up to a foul shrine, to his Paramour, celebrated in the vile Embraces of his Neighbor's Wife? That the Blessed Virgin should be so concerned for her own immaculate Conception, so indifferent, so easy, or indeed indulgent to the gross Adultery of others? However, as it well became him, he obeyed her and observed it: and upon two other such like visions so did several others. But the Worship by all this was only private men's particular devotions; therefore there was one more made to Anselm, who immediately began it in his Priory, and being made Archbishop afterwards of Canterbury made it public, and then Innocent the III. did so in France, and so the Worship became universal in their public Services; and to justify that Worship too, the Doctrine of immaculate Conception was received into those Services, and then defined in that great Council above mentioned. Had this but been in one of the dark Ages, it had certainly prevailed, but something checking with the doctrine of the whole world that was more awake then, the Popes afterward, altho they kept the Worship up, durst not vouch the Doctrine for a point of strict Faith, though sought to by two solemn Embassies from two Kings of Spain, Philip III. and IV. Now truly by the equipage, pursuit and carriage of the business one would think they came to crave an Audience for some new Faith, as they were wont for any extraordinary grant or dispensation: that at Rome they could decree Divinity as they did Acts of the Conclave, and give out Articles as they did Cardinals Caps, and make a new Creation for belief; for sure they did not send that Embassy to inquire whether their own immediate Forefathers had so taught them, and so forwards that there had been always a perpetual succession. But though that would not do, 'tis evident there was a doctrinal Point defined by the great Representative of their whole Church, and for some Ages received with the Devotions and the Worship of their whole Church, and by consequence into their Faith; for otherwise they gave Worship upon that account which they did not believe: and it is also evident to sight, how doctrines did come in into their Faith upon all least pretence of Visions, (the known way) some that were devout men began a practice, after other some in power adopted and gave credit to it, and then gave authority; by this means the practice in a while grew universal, then became their Doctrine and their Faith.

Now I would know whether it was so, it came along to them by the way of oral practical Tradition. If it did, 'tis not a sure infallible Rule of conveying Faith; if it did not, then that Church did not still receive their Faith upon that Rule and Principle or by that method, though that they did so is their first great Principle: and the great Master of that Scheme assured his Holiness it was not possible to maintain their doctrine otherwise against the subtlety of the English Heretics. And truly they that make the greatest noise amongst us now, are fled to the last hold of it: but that indeed it does alone protest Infallibility whether of the Church or the Succession of their doctrine by that way of practical Tradition, and that is the infallible most necessary certainty of Faith. But I shall say no more to this than what the grand Abettor of the Principle hath said in answer to himself, objecting what was to be said to them that could not penetrate into his demonstrations, see the force and evidence of that Rule and Principle, and yet have that Faith that's necessary to Salvation, I shall give it you in his own words, as near as I can put them into English. He says, there is a certainty derived into the understanding of these men out of their will; for since they think themselves assured these truths were brought down by the Church from Christ to them, & stand convinced of that act, this is sufficient to cause their wills firmly to adhere to them, and by that adherence to repel all difficulties and objections to which curious wits are subjects. And whether the man see that the Authority of the Church which he follows is of more force at least to him than particular objections in those truths; or whether he thinks nothing at all of it, but rests steadfast in that assent which his very ignorance caused, 'tis plain he hath a certainty of will, which in its way extends itself to the Government of his whole life answerably to that his persuasion, and by consequence he hath a certainty exclusive of all doubt, and such as moves him to direct his actions all to God, that is, there is in him that Faith which worketh by love. So he. Now hence 'tis evident by his Concessions, first that there may be a saving Faith which hath not that infallible certainty arising from the motives, Guide, or Principle, or way of Resolution. And that secondly a Certainty derived into the Understanding from a Will that is piously disposed sufficeth. Thirdly, that there is this certainty, where the Will firmly cleaves and adheres to God, relying on him with a vigorous hope and trust, directing all the actions up to God and to his service, and persevering in it to the life's end. Now this is all that I am all this while contending for. It is not by self-evident or demonstrative methods, or by an infallible Guide that he provides against men's unbelief; but when with preparation, like our man here in the Text, in weeping earnestly we betake our selves to him, crying out for help and direction, and applying our understanding meekly to attend his methods, he disposes piously the Will to entertain the gracious blessed Proposals of the Gospel with complacency and heartiness, and from conversing with the experience of them to prefer them before all worldly carnal things that used to bait our lusts, ravish our hearts, and carry us away from God and from our duty: and it is against this unbelief, in thus departing from the living God, that his assistances are mainly leveled, and our Prayers chiefly are to be directed. For 'tis most infinite madness to persuade and satisfy ourselves we are of the true Church, have the only true certain Faith, if yet our practices be such as set us at as great a distance from Almighty God, as Hell is from Heaven; and while we do commit such things, 'tis as impossible we can adhere to God, as 'tis impossible for Christ to have communion with Belial. It is a Contradiction by ungodly actions to defy God and turn our backs upon, and depart from him, yet to cling and adhere to him; 'tis, as I say, a Contradiction to believe that we have Faith, while we do not cling to, and adhere, but depart from him. Lord, help thou this our unbelief. And if his grace but once dispose us to prefer the blessed expectations of a Christian, he does easily prevail with us to cling to them with such certain assurances, as will carry us thro all the stages of our life and duty, with all cheerfulness and constancy. This is that certainty of Faith by which the Martyrs cleav'd to, and embraced at once the Cross and their Religion, firm in dying as believing; and when with arts of torment they broke all their joints and their limbs piece-meal, scattered all their parts asunder, tore their souls out of their bodies, still they kept their Faith whole, and their Tormentors could not tear one Article of their belief or Christian practice from them: and when their Wills were once inflamed with the desires and expectations of God's preparations, then no other martyring flames could make them shrink. Those seemed to them but brighter Emblems of, and speedier Conveyances to that Eternal Light and Glory, which their Faith had given them the evidence and the first vision of: they knew by them they only did expire into Everlasting Life and Glory.

SERMON XIV. THE CHRISTIANS LIGHT is to shine before men.

THE words have two parts, a command and a reason of it: the command, Let your light shine before men; the reason, That they may see your good works &c.

The command affords to us this instruction; the life of a Christian is to be fruitful and exemplary. Both these are commanded not only in the command itself, but proved in the reason, That they may see your good works: there must therefore be works, which are the fruits of virtue. Yea and fruitfulness is everywhere required by Christ, and if we look upon the current of Scripture and our duty, we shall find that it will not serve a Christian's turn not to bring forth ill fruit, to be only barren ground, not to have vices bud and sprout within us and grow with an increase of sin; but we must do good. In the Parable of the Sower Matt. 13. 23. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth it, which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth some an hundred fold. We are gods Husbandry, 1 Cor. 3. 9. Now is any of you satisfied with his field, because it plows well and receives the seed most kindly, if it bring you no increase or crop, yield you no harvest? No, saith the Author to the Hebrews c. 6. 8. such ground is nigh to cursing. Why your works they are your crop, your harvest; and when God shall send forth his Reapers, the Angels, if they can find no returns of all God's cultivating you, but all his husbandry, his seedness, and his pains too have been lost upon you, no increase, but only barrenness, your end is to be burnt; or only tares, they are to be cast into a furnace of fire, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, Matt. 13. 42. And in like manner by the Parable of fruit trees John Baptist, Bring forth fruits meet for repentance; for the ax is laid to the root of the trees, therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. And David describing his blessed man Psalm 1. does it, first by showing he does not bring forth ill fruit. But neither will that serve turn to hear and meditate and talk of the word of God, and not to do it. It is the very same thing as a wilderness upon the water side, a dead barren tree upon the River's bank. No his man is like a tree planted by the rivers of waters, that brings forth his fruit in due season. We are God's Vineyard, Isaiah 5. and he tells us there, what pains he hath bestowed upon us, v. 2. He fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest Vines &c. v. 4. What could have been don more to my Vineyard, that I have not don unto it? Now if we do not bring forth grapes, Go to, saith God v. 5, 6. I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard, I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down. And I will lay it wast, it shall not be pruned nor digged, but there shall come up briars and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. Yea God did not only lay wast his Vineyard in that Isaiah 5. because it brought forth sower and wild fruit, but our Savior in the Gospel cursed a Fig-tree, because it brought forth no fruit. And indeed that barren Fig-tree was the only thing upon the earth that ever Christ did curse, all his Miracles were mercies, but that. An unfruitful Christian is such a thing a Savior hath no mercy for; a mere negative virtue hath so little claim to Heaven, that it cannot escape the curse of a Jesus.

And shall we apply this, first to the conviction of their opinions, who think if they lie under no gross customs, if they be not tainted with any foul commissions, they are then in a safe condition? What if they forgive no wrong, why they will do none, and so who shall lay anything to their charge? Pardon they will not any minute offense, because they avoid the wanting it from others; and they will not hate nor malice, though they cannot have the bowels of of love, no fellowship of Christian kindness: they have no foul unclean heats, nor no devout ones; no ardencies of lust, nor yet of zeal: so they do not blaspheme God by daily oaths, make no matter of worshipping him by daily Prayers; and if his holy name be not in their execrations, 'tis well enough though he be not in their Petitions. No though they go a little further, and besides their doing no gross ills have great Professions of Religion, they have all the leaves and foliage of a Christian, they make a fair shell of Piety, take abundance of pains to do all those things that are to style them great Professors, plenty of hearing, and abundance of talking, but no doing: if you search the leaves you find no fruit, no constant tenor of good works in every kind of Christian duty; these are but too obvious stratagems of Satan and our deceitful hearts to make us satisfy ourselves, either with our condition, though our Piety look no further than to do no ill, and the positive part of Religion be altogether unregarded by us; or though we have no more of it, but the Profession. O my Brethren, as to these last remember that the cursed Fig-tree had leaves, had fair show enough to bait our Savior's hunger, and promise him refreshment, and temt him out of the way to it: and to the other, hath God authority only to forbid, can he command nothing from us? Are we content only to abstain from something for his sake, but will not do anything for his, nor Heaven's sake? Is not his Worship as dear to him as our lusts are hurtful to him, and hath he not as much reason to require that we should be devout and holy, as that we should not be profance and filthy? Can all his mercies, all his rewards neither procure nor deserve more of us, than only not to serve the Devil? Surely, my Beloved, both these sorts of Christians shall find, that in the catalogue of sins to be accounted for, omissions shall be reckoned, when our Savior comes to pass his sentence at the dreadful day of Judgment. See the tenor of it, Go ye cursed, for when I was hungry, ye gave me no meat. 'It is not ye shall be damned because ye stripped me, and because ye starved me, but because ye did not relieve me. And 'tis so in the other, not bringing forth fruit, not doing fills up the sentence of final malediction.

But the sadder conviction of this is for the practice of those that are nothing but commissions, whose vice is positive, men that cleanse themselves from holiness, and go on daily perfecting filthiness. If the man, Matt. 25. that received the one Talent, and laid it up safe in a Napkin, and did no ill with, yet because he did no good, was therefore cast into utter darkness, whither, think you, had he been cast, if he had made that Talent the instrument of his sin, if like the Prodigal he had spent it upon harlots, or upon excesses? And whither shall they be doomed, who do so? If it be not enough to abstain from sin, what will become of them that do little else but act it? If not to do pass sentence, how will to commit condemn? and if the half righteous shall not be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear? If the tree with leaves, that was green in foliage be cursed, shall not the dry and rotten one be burnt? Alas for these men, what a long stage of duty have they to go thro (if they do intend in this life ever to be better) who have not yet set forth, have entered upon any part; who have not cast off the works of darkness, which yet, when they have don, they have but half, they must put on the armor of light, such too as will shine: they must be fruitful and exemplary.

And this second quality is indeed the great design of this Text, which hath more force in it than that of a single command; for the verse is a conclusion following upon the three former. He tells them that they are Salt, and Sun, and a City, and a Candle, things that are visible or else diffusive of their virtues, and then concludes Let your light, or rather, So let your light, as a candle gives light unto all that are in the house; So do ye, Let your light shine hefore men.

Light is set here for Christian Holiness and Purity, as I shall show you; and that most fitly, because nothing so pure as Light, clear as shine and noon-day, nor nothing so diffusive, it shows itself to all: so that the thing meant by it, is an open visible Holiness of Conversation.

Or secondly more especially to represent the Purity of a Christian Life; Light is so clear, that 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 indeed Light was the very first emanation of God in the Creation, he said first, let there be light. And it is the most spiritual and pure of all visible corporeal beings, its motions seem instantaneous, and by a kind of omnipresence it fills the medium, and appears entire in every part of it: yea farther, it is not liable to stain or sulliage, sun-shine is as bright upon a Cottage as a Palace, a dung-hill as a bed of Roses; you may extinguish light, but not defile it. No expression comes near the clearness of light, and this our Holiness is to strive after.

But thirdly, most of all to represent the open visibility of Christian virtue. Nothing is so easily seen as Light, for indeed nothing can be seen but by it: in a moment it will scatter itself over the whole Hemisphere; yea Heaven itself does not bound the Sun-shine, and it passes thro the Firmament. Even so diffusive should our Piety be, shining before men, and like the Sun's light too spreading into Heaven, shining before Angels, and making them rejoice. A Christian is not to suffer any man to walk in the dark either of ignorance or of sin, whom his knowledge or example may recover; he must instruct and enlighten the mind, he must reform and enlighten the will and the affections. His pious actions must be always shining in his eyes to guide and stir him up, and everyone must be Christ's star to lead to him. They that be wise, saith Daniel c. 12. 3. shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever. Yea they are to shine so as they may turn many, that shining being both their glory and their duty. And S ^t Paul tells how they are to shine Phil. 2. 15. Be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. All men look upon you, and therefore you are to give them good example. They are as watch-towers upon the sea, that have lights placed in them to guide the Mariners into safe harbor, to teach them how to shun the rocks: and this they are to do both by their own practice and by reproof. Eph. 5. 11, 13. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. But all things that are reproved, are made manifest by the light. When those foul acts that are don of them in secret, are reproved by a man that hath this Divine Light in him, then it appears how foul and wicked they are, which the darkness of their souls would not let them see. John 3. 20. it is set down as the property of light to reprove evil deeds by discovering to them the ugliness of their courses, and showing the fair example of a contrary life, to turn them from the evil of their ways. This is to let their light shine before men.

Another expression is of a Candle v. 15. of which the ground is the same with that of the other, the Light of the world, only the Type sinks a little. The Light there had a larger Sphere; for the Sun gives shine to all the world, but the Candle here gives light but unto all that are in the house, as our Savior words it, or at least that are in the room. Now this Emblem was also very necessary: the greatest part of men are of a lower rank and employment than their example should have influence upon very many, or that their actions should be called Sunshine; the acts of their calling are low, and so are those of their Piety and Religion, not considerable enough to be viewed or looked upon by many others; they are not anything notably, and how then can they be exemplary in their lives? They are too much clouded both in their fortunes and their employments and their faculties to send forth any Raies, they cannot shine. Why yet for these our Savior hath a Type here in his Sermon, as also a great part of his life was the very practice of this exemplariness in a very low and ordinary condition. From the time that he disputed with the Doctors at twelve years old, the shine and glory of which action may seem enough to have tempted one to show forth his light in an eminent manner, to have presently undertaken employments, wherein he might have been seen; yet till the time that he was thirty years old he retired himself, and was subject to his Parents, living with, and serving them privately at Nazareth Luke 2. 51. who, God knows, were of a very mean condition, and consequently so was he, working with his hands in a mean trade. Now all this while how did his light shine before men, when it was immur'd in a Carpenter's work-house? Why even then it did in exemplary humility, great obedience, pious carriage, and virtuous diligence, ordering his conversation in that very mean condition, so as that made him gracious in the sight of God and of men v. 52. So that from his behavior in that low estate men accounted him a very good person. And then, whosoever thou art, be thou never so low, Christ hath shown thee how to shine before men, as he did, though he were the Son of Righteousness. Thou canst not be too mean to be obedient, to be careful in thy service, to be harmless, never doing or speaking ill of anybody: thou canst not be too low to be abased, nor consequently to have occasion to show forth patience, meekness, and longsuffering, and gentleness, those glorious, however humble, virtues. And this is truly to make thy light shine before men. Tho thy example be not big enough to be looked upon by a whole Shire, nor yet a Parish, nor a Township, thou canst not be accounted the light of the world; yet be thou never so little, thou mayest shine forth as a Candle, give example to the Family in which thou art by those virtues of being harmless. If thou have not so much Piety, so much Light as will shine abroad and make a day, yet give a roomful of example, let none grope thro ignorance, or fall into sin in the house where thou dost dwell, if thy small light of knowledge can instruct, or thy good carriage and encouragements can persuade him. And this especially concerns them that are set out to be Lights to walk before them in knowledge: Husbands, Masters, Parents, or any others, whose employment is to instruct or govern, of whom whosoever he be that by any evil carriage of his own gives ill example to those he hath to deal with, if they follow it, (as 'tis not to be expected but they will) he multiplies his guilt, and derives on himself all the sins that are his imitations. The vices of all that follow him are all his retainers, his is a family of sins, and the imitations of his Children are to be imputed to him; he is Father of villainy, and hath a whole offspring of guilt too: and all the sins that are don by his example, will appear the same thing as the Devil at the day of Judgment, and claim their Father; there the brood of iniquity will come and challenge him, and there alike curse their Parent and the Devil to whom they equally, and as accursedly relate, as those that joined to beget their vices, that have destroyed them eternally, both Parents of their destruction. This is certain hence, for he that but puts out the Candle, is accessory to all the falls and hurts that the darkness causeth. Now thy good Example is the Candle, which if thou do not show forth, thou leavest them in the dark. And then if not to walk holily in all thy actions be a thing of so much guilt, it would be worth the sad serious consideration of every man, whom any others do but hear or look upon, especially if those whose age makes them capable of little else but imitation, to bethink themselves that every oath or curse of theirs may teach some others, every obscene word may stir up others lust, and instruct others what to learn hereafter: every passion, every drunkeness may make the ignorant believe those sins are not so foul, which are so customary with those that know more than they do, and by often seeing them may be invited to them; and so for other sins. And if they do, how many sins shall they have to answer for, besides their own, which, God knows, are an infinity, too many? What an invitation may one take for this from that happy consideration, that an innocent carriage, an holy Example does contribute to the blessedness of all the Souls that look upon me? Let others take delight to entertain the desires of those that keep them company with the pleasures of sin or vanity, to furnish them with instruments of delightful folly; but let me be instrumental to their being happy to eternity: I had rather be a lover of their Souls, than of their mirth. Let me be useful to the glory of my God, and the Salvation of those that are about me; which certainly I am in a good measure, if I can but have a care of approving all my actions so, as may give others no occasions to sin, but may effectually attract them to my profession. Then I do cooperate with the Blood of Christ; for that was poured out to buy men from their vain conversation, from which if my Example will but help to reduce them, I shall save Souls, and in my Light they shall see a Light of everlasting Glory on themselves, and my Light also will shed Glory towards God; for so I glorify my Father which is in heaven, the reason of the precedent command.

And this is incumbent especially in a dark season, such as this to which we are condemned; wherein to say nothing of those mists of error in which the generality of us are lost, engaged in a confused crowd of Religions, tost up and down with a tumult of pretending opinions, and either wholly in the dark, or having only false lights that do misguide us, so that we know not which way to get out. Omitting these, there is a grosser darkness does inhabit with us, such as that which makes Hell the Region of utter darkness. 'It is not ignorance but wickedness that dwells there, and that is the Region not of mistakes, but of impiety, and we go on in such a constancy of works of darkness, as does require an everlasting night to cover, and go on in such a fearlesness, as if that night could hide us from that God, who clothes himself with light. And what is the duty in relation to such a season? You have it Phil. 2. 15, 16. That ye may be blameless and harmless, the Sons of God, without rebuke, unblemished in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom shine ye as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life. A severe harsh injunction, that man must therefore have the stricter care that his life be blameless and unblemished, must therefore be more forward in devotions & holy performances, because most men about him are far otherwise, because he lives among loose people. The contrary indeed might prove a good encouragement to live a blameless life, because I live amongst harmless holy people; for then what provocation have I to be otherwise? Besides the shame of being otherwise among such would abundantly restrain me, when if I did commit any enormity I must be looked upon as a stain and blemish in the very beauty of Holiness, look like a Negro in the midst of glorious beauties, as a dash of Hell in the Landshape of Heaven: besides this, 'tis easier to be harmless among those that are so. If the generality of persons were truly pious, how could any one almost be otherwise among them that are so disposed, as neither to provoke, nor give admission to a sin, where everyone is so truly meek as to bear anything, and yet everyone so virtuously just as to offer nothing unfit; such humble patience as to entertain any cross, any vexation quietly, and yet such meek true-hearted charity as not to give any? Indeed if every body that one hath occasion to converse or deal with were a full Christian, there could be no discontent at all, Heaven would be upon Earth: and then if I were in the midst of such a Nation or People, there were Argument enough to make me harmless, both because I should have no occasion to be otherwise, and because I must be so, that I might be unblemished. But a perverse and crooked Generation as it deserves no kind of dealing but its own, to return them the like is but just dealing one would think, and only recompense, not injury. So not to do is almost impossible: perverseness is so great a goad, that with the froward thou wilt show thyself froward, saith David to the Lord Psalm 18. 26. and then to tell me I must be harmless, because I live in the midst of a perverse and crooked Generation, looks like a very unreasonable reason. This is the sense of men. But truly this is to discourse against Text, and perfectly to go against that duty which the Scripture does so strictly enjoin upon those very grounds for which they refuse it. This is so far from doing without disputing, that we would reason ourselves out of our obedience with those very reasons, for which God says we should obey. And truly very justly; for when is any use of light but in the dark? 'It is then most time for us to shine, when there is nothing else but works of night about us. When thou art engaged in the conversation of those profane people, or by any occasion cast into the company of them; when either custom, or passion, or carnal inclinations make them without regard of God and Piety transgress or break one or more Commandments, if thou be a Christian, and consequently pretend to those things here which Christ says every Christian is, if thou be a Light, then God hath cast thee where there is some business, some employment for thy light; and truly that hath several things to do in such a case. One is to reprove Eph. 5. 11, 13. And truly as to this duty of reproving, that is if the persons offending be such, as either are my charge, or such; as preserving that respect that is due to Authority and distance, I may speak to freely, then clearly to reprehend them; or if they be otherwise, then by some humble gesture or other meek manner to give them to see that sense I have, and every Christian ought to have of their sins, and that though I respect their persons, yet I dislike and detest the crime, is such a piece of Piety, as if there were no other engagement to but that of Friendship, methinks it should prevail with me. For should I see my company that I pretend a kindness to, or any of them that I call friend, going to drink a cup of poison either heedlessly or in an humor, or stab himself in a frolic, when probably by speaking I might hinder it, at leastwise I may hope to do somewhat towards it, if I but beg them to be kinder to my friend, and not to stab or poison him that I have a kindness for, not to destroy my friendship; shall I think I have a friendship for him, if I would not so much as make essay to hinder it, but let him take this course of ruin? Shall I say, I have a kindness for him, when I would not so much as mind him of that precipice he stood upon the edge of, nor offer to desire him back? Or is it indeed more friendship to pledge him in the dagger or the poison, or when I see him at the brink of headlong destruction to thrust him forwards, and to throw myself down with him? This is indeed the way of the world's kindness, but God deliver me from such a friend, I can have legions of such as those in Hell: the Devil hath been showing me such kindness constantly ever since I did know what sin was, offering me the company and the delights of sin, urging me forwards to them. No sure I that should think that man had scarce affection for me, who would not tell me to prevent a little danger, or a mischief; or that should but see a great unhandsomness about my habit, or foul stain upon my face, which probably would make me laughed at by the company I was then going into, and should not care to give me warning, should much less think he loved me that would not tell me of a spot or deformity, which would render me hateful to God and all the holy Saints and Angels, nor come to keep me from eternal condemnation. I think he loves me most that labors heartily to do me most good, and he that endeavors to make me blessed, does that. And truly can you tell me what other very great use there is of friendship (which yet is one of the greatest desirables in this world) besides this of having one that will heartily mind the making of me better, and so helping me forwards that which is infinitely and everlastingly my greatest concernment? All other uses may be had without it, but a faithful Monitor, a Reprover cannot be had without it. The benefit of such reproof, where it is followed, is the worthy issue of such an excellent thing as holy friendship, God-like love. And indeed the kindness of reproving befits well the most bosom-friendship, that it tied by the utmost engagements of this world. This where it did speed (and they that love in earnest will desire and labor that it may) would be sure to breed a kindness as lasting as their Souls, they need feel no decay of it, while there is an Heaven to reward the good success of such Reproofs. And a much greater kindness too 'twould be than any little carnal endearments, and the merits of mutual delights beget common interests, and common pleasures, and common children are not like common salvation; when one of these pairs shall look upon the other as the Angel that watches over him to keep him from from falling into evil, as Lots two Angels that took him by the hands to hurry and to force him out of Sodom: as one to whom he does not only owe his share of the comforts of this life, but the comforts of Religion and the Hope of Eternity. This must cement beyond all carnal Unions; and he that evermore hath a friend whom he dares trust, and hath no interest disjointed from his own, would give a commission, and desire that friend to reprehend him in whatever thing he sees amiss: however I may be passionate at the time, yet let this be your warrant; do it, I may think on it afterwards; do not let me be ruined, because in that hot moment I would be angry to be saved; if you love me, love my happiness, and not the satisfaction of an instantaneous passion, or the letting me enjoy that present folly. Rather than see me hot with anger, will you see me dwell with everlasting burnings? When I come to myself, the heat will change into devout, and into loving warmths; and if I do recover by it, both our Souls at last in one close Pyramid of zealous and affectionate Flame will mount to Heaven.

Now I have said all this, and do consider that by almost all the world reprehensions and kindnesses are thought two very distant things, I know not whether all this will signify much, nor may be would it more, if I should press this property of Light, this kind of shine that a Christian is bound to, reproof of whom them he sees sin from the reason of the Text, the glory that will accrue to God by it. When in a loose and vicious company a Sinner does run on in a full carrier, transgress without a rub, if there be no one there that is fit, and dares own Piety and the Lord of it, they are quite put out of countenance, and vice becomes creditable in that company; and accordingly you may see many that otherwise are not very apt to sin, yet then they will offer at little Atheistical beginnings of it: they will endeavor, because they will be in the fashion of the company. And this is one of Satan's advantageous seasons, when as we see if there be but one by of a sober and discreet virtue, that dares speak meek reason, or dares when they do swill their Souls in filthy folly of one or other sort, or are loud in the rants of vice by disliking gestures, let them know that such unclean entertainments are detestable to a sober person, or withdraws abruptly, & by such a departure shows, that he scorns to stay to behold or hear such impurities; this often does not only hinder those beginners, take them off that would have been dabbling, but does sometimes a little damp the progress of the most professed Sinner. It is a bridle to his neck, he will not march so furiously in his carrier of oaths, or of obsceness, or whatever other sin; he does not indulge himself so full a license: and so by this means God gets some respect, and Religion a little repute, when they see it hath some followers, and God hath some that will not see him dishonored. And truly, my Brethren, do but consider what a storm it does use to raise in any man to hear an absent Friend or Relation abused, or evil spoken of. If we be in any degree of them the world calls Gentlemen, then nothing but the sword must make return to such a word, nothing but life and soul can answer, nothing but blood and death repair: and 'tis this resentment we, in whose company the disgrace was offered, think ourselves more concerned, than that Friend that was the subject of. And then methinks you should not think it strange, if there be some that do believe they have so much relation to God, and that he hath approved himself to be so much their Friend, they cannot but take it unkindly, and speak, when they hear him affronted, and see him dishonored. And methinks too it should not be unreasonable to expect this from all of us to whom God hath been Friend enough, that we should do this handsome, this noble glorious thing, as to right the Lord in companies where we are, and to credit our Maker; and not let vice exalt over him, where we shall chance to be. Truly, my Brethren, this is the least that God hath reason to expect from us, even the reproof of our words, that of our open holy lives, by which as the wicked say in Wisdom 2. 12. The Righteous do reprove their thoughts, and upbraid them with their offending the Law, and object to their infamy their transgressions. This is strictly and to an high degree required by God of everyone of us, that we may have influence upon others, to be open and exemplary, to shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify our Father which is in Heaven, which was the reason of the command, and the end of our very being. Now to God the Father &c.

SERMON XV. OF THE ACCEPTED TIME, the Day of Salvation.

THE words foregoing, of which these I now read are the application, run thus: for he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation I have succor'd thee; which God saying in the 49 ^th of Isaiah 8. signified as in the type, & in relation to the Church and Nation of the Jews he had days of Salvation, fit and proper seasons to deliver them from their affictions and calamities, (for Salvation often signifies that) had his 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , tempus placentiae, time of grace, wherein he was well pleased to hearken to their cries and wants, and in those he heard and succor'd them: so in the Antitype, and in relation of the Christian Church and all the Members of it (for of these S ^t Paul here useth it expressly) he hath his accepted time, days not only for such temporal deliverance, of which some will have the Salvation meant here, but much more for Salvation Eternal. But then as Kings, when they publish acts of grace and oblivion, do not only set & appoint, but limit out the time for Subjects to come in, submit and return to their fidelity and allegiance, which if once elapst, they are incapable of benefit by any such grant, cannot at least plead it: so it seems God does too, and it is not sure that whosoever, at what time soever, calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, Rom. 10. 13. but, as King David told him, they shall make their prayer to thee in a time of finding Psalm 32. 6. in a time when his good pleasure it, the very word here Psalm 69. 13. and this time S ^t Paul restrains here to the present now, meaning not only in the general now in times while they are under grace, are in the Covenant of it, and when the day-spring from on high hath visited them, and while they had the Gospel, that word of this Salvation: for whilst men live under this gracious dispensation, they may let the opportunities of laying hold of it go by them; while the light of the Gospel shines upon them, yet the day of Salvation may be quite gone out, of which S ^t Paul here seems solicitous for his Corinthians who had received the Gospel, least yet they may have received that grace in vain, and the Salvation should escape them. To prevent which, saith he, there is no other sure way but by seizing on the present, Behold now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation: so that the words afford these subjects of discourse.

1. There is a time wherein we may be certainly accepted if we come to God, and there is a day of Salvation offered us.

2. This time is limited, 'tis a day of salvation, consequently we may possibly outstand it, and may suffer it to pass irrecoverably.

3. The only sure way to prevent that, is to lay hold on the present, to begin now.

1. There is a time wherein we may be certainly accepted if we come to God, and there is a day of Salvation offered us.

The Text does make sufficient proof of this, for if the accepted time be now, and if now be the day of salvation, then there is such a day and time, which our Lord commanded to be preached to every human creature in the world. Indeed the preaching of the Gospel is nothing else but publishing this truth, the Gospel being but a tender of Salvation upon pardon of whatever we have don amiss, and the accepting us, whenever we repent and truly turn to God, believing on him, and resolving to continue faithful to him, and all this assured to us by Covenant, such as God himself both made and ratified in the blood of Christ; and to prevent exception, since he gave command to have this Gospel preached to every creature Mark 16. 15. and our Church does teach us in her Articles, that we must receive God's promises in such wise as they be generally set forth to us in Holy Scripture, there is no pretence for controversy with a Preacher of the Gospel, who shall publish there is such an offer of Salvation made us all, a time wherein we may be sure to be accepted. Yea more, not only to ascertain but to work effectually this acceptance, howsoever wicked and rebellious we had been, he sent his Son, the Son of God to be incarnated to treat a Reconciliation; for so chapter 5. 19. 'tis said, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses. For this he made him shed his blood upon the Cross, and die and live again; for thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, that Repentance and Remission of sins might be preached in his name to all Nations Luke 24. 46, 47. Yea for that he gave this crucified Jesus all the Glory, Majesty and Power of Heaven; for him hath God exalted to his right hand to be a Prince and Savior to give Repentance and Remission of sins, Acts 5. 31. A wonderful Economy if we reflect upon it, and sufficient to astonish both our faith and apprehension also, that the Great Creator and the only Lord of all things should make God man, and then ignominiously suffer a most cruel death that he might mediate and purchase for us terms of this acceptance and salvation, and make that ignominious sufferer, that dead man God, and give him all the Power of Heaven and Earth, that he might make us fit for, and bestow it on us. This strange transaction is no argument at all most surely, that to be at peace with us can be of any consequence to him, to whom felicity is most essential. Lord, what is man that thou art thus mindful of him, and the son of man that thou so regardest him? in whom, if we look thro him, we can find nothing in the world that's very notable, but only that he can defy his most Almighty Maker, so as nothing but the blood of such a Mediator could be fit to satisfy for, nothing but Eternal Hell fit to revenge; and can defy his own concerns and interests so far, as to make that Eternal Hell his choice, his most deliberate option. But however the Economy of this so strange a mediation, though it cannot prove God is concerned at all to have this Reconciliation wrought with us that we should be accepted and be saved; for is it any pleasure to Almighty God that thou art just? or is it gain to him that thou makest thy ways perfect? If thou be righteous, what givest thou him; or what receiveth he of thine hand? If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him; or if thy wickedness be multiplied, what dost thou to him? yet of how much the less consequence we are to God, it is so much the greater demonstration of his infinite benignity and goodness, who when he had no one motive in the world but pity to our lost condition, was so bountiful, that when all the compassion of Divinity would not serve our turn for the provision of a ransom, he took in Humanity, that God might give somewhat besides himself to purchase us a time of Grace, and a day of salvation.

Yet more, if we should trace him in his several ways of mercy which he constantly pursues those wretchless creatures, miserable us, in, that all that may be effectual and succeed to our Salvation, we should find he uses all means possible to engage us to accept of it: for not content with all his Son had don, he ordered a Succession of men to solicit the same suit to the world's end. What God was in Christ doing, that he hath committed to us the ministry of; Now then we are Embassador • s for Christ, as if God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God, 2 Cor. 5. 20. a little before my Text 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , saith S ^t Chrysostom, when he that had obliged us infinitely, our Almighty Benefactor, and had been as infinitely affronted and provoked with all ingratitude imaginable and all possible defiance, gave his own Son to be reconciled, and when they murdered that Son when he came to mediate, and were so far from kearkning to him, that they crucified him, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , one would think 'twere time to leave such to themselves, and give them over as things hopeless and irreconcilable.

No, he sends others on the Embassy and will not let it fall; with all the soft and lowly arts of invitation they must pray you, and in Christ's name beg of you, and God does beseech you by them. Now did he please out only to expostulate it with us, why we will resolve to be at enmity with him and Salvation too, why we will die forever; it would argue a concern for us, the apprehension of which ought to be very comfortable to us: but when God descends to beseech us, (the expression looks uncouth indeed, but yet it is not strange he should entreat that which he died for, beg of us what he asked for not with importent weak tears, but with strong cries on the Cross, with the bloodshed of his own only-begotten Son;) when he thus conveys his importunate entreaties to us, that we would endure his kindness a 〈◊〉 own eternal Blessedness, would suffer ourselves to be saved, it is impossible there can be more assurance given he would have us be so, that 'tis offered us and we may be accepted. Nor did he send these his Ambassadors as bare petitioners with empty importunities and mere entreaties of this, but they strengthen these proposals with exceeding great and precious promises, as S ^t Peter calls them Epist. 2. 1. 4. promises both of the life that now is, and of that which is to come, S ^t Paul says 1 Tim. 4. 8. yea and these as sure as that there is a God that made them. Neither are they wanting to inform us of the dangers we most certainly incur if we refuse him, merely to affright us to him, to incline us to admit Salvation rather, and prefer it before everlasting misery: and all this by his express commission, they being set by God as watch-men to give warning to the wicked from him, as he tells Ezekiel c. 3. 17. And least their discourse should be too faint, and not have force to move us, God does frequently step in himself by providential acts; when unsubduable by Reason or Religion, deaf to our very interests we pursue our sinful satisfactions with ungovernable fierce carrier, he lays a Cross on us to trash us, or lets loose a fever at us so to bring us low and make us sensible; or else he suffers our own evil counsels to entangle us, we are catched in our own machinations and designs, he lets us taste the bitter fruit of our own doings, and our sins pull down calamities or mischiefs on us so far sometimes as to scare us with the landshape of their after expectations; having thrown us on the brink of destruction, laid us at the gates of the grave, at the very mouth of Hell, where if God had left us, we had been sealed up, determined to the irreversible retributions of our iniquities; but he interposed to snatch us thence and set us further off, so to enlarge our time to be accepted in, and to lengthen the day of salvation to us. I challenge every man's experience to attest this, there is no man but his heart heart witness to it; and to this too, how when we have thrown ourselves upon temptation, he is pleased to blunt or turn aside the edge of it: how often have we put ourselves into those circumstances, wherein thousands have miscarried as to all considerations both of this world and the other? And inevitably we had don so, but that he was pleased to temper the malignity of the occurrences and divert the mischief, merely that he might preserve us for his opportunities. It is for this he watches over us, as he tells Jeremy 31. 28. when as, God knows, we are so far from importuning him to do it that we think not of him nor of ourselves, do not so much as ask his cares, indeed neglect, affront them, yea deny them; yet he spares us for these blessed purposes, and is longsuffering to u • -wards, not willing that any should perish 2 Pet. 3. 9. Spares us that if possible he may find softer seasons wherein we may be more pliant, take impression more easily; therefore also he provides oft such a state of things as may be more effectual, more prevailing with us, as if indeed he waited for the time of our good pleasure, when himself should be acceptable to us, and his motions received by us. Yea and that they may be so, with these external methods there are also inward excitations and assistances afforded us. That he may both find and make these congruous seasons, he is either trying or soliciting and importuning frequently our very hearts, Behold, I stand at the door, and knock, saith he Rev. 3. 20. if any man bear and open, I will come in to him. 'It is he, it seems, that waits to be admitted, and waits long too, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , I have stood knocking, and am there still doing so. Your hearts however bar'd against me by your contumacy, otherwise I that have the key of David and that opened Lydia's heart, could not be kept out; but altho it be so, yet I do not pass by or stand at them unconcerned expecting whether you will open and admit me, but I knock importunately and unwearied, by disquieting men in their Lethargick state of inconsideration and insensibility, by exciting apprehension to reflect upon their duty and their practice that is so distant from it and the danger of that; I attempt to rouse their Conscience, if so be when that is waked and troubled and affrighted, it may possibly prevail with them to be content to let a Savior in. Nor is he satisfied with standing still so, and expecting; for God is that very Father in the Parable, who when the Prodigal had wasted among riotous men and harlots all his portion, all the obligations of his Father's kindness, but at last made sensible by the extremity of want and hunger, and not able to find any sustenance elsewhere, then resolves on returning and acknowledging his fault, when he was yet a great way off, saw him and had compassion on him, did not stay his coming, but ran out to meet him, and fell on his neck to kiss him; yea fell lower in his kindness than the Son in his humiliation and acknowledgments, accepted him to all the dearness that relation enhanc'd by the recovery of what was lost and hopeless could pretend to. He is that Shepherd who went out to seek that lost sheep that ran from him, and that thought not of returning, who sought till be found it; and when it was wearied so with willful straggling that it could not come back, carried it on his shoulders rejoicing. And now judge▪ I pray, between God and the Sinner, whether he have not Salvation offered him, and whether there be not a time wherein he may be certainly accepted if he come to God; when (in fum of that which hath been said) 'tis plain, to preach the Gospel to us Sinners is to proclaim this acceptable year of the Lord, it is to tender us Salvation purchased for us, and confirmed to us by the blood of the Son of God, which Son of his, God, was incarnate, crucified, raised, and exalted to be Lord of Heaven and Earth to work it out, and to bestow it on us; and to direct us in attaining it he keeps a standing Embassy of men commissionated to advise, premonish and solicit, to encourage to it, represent the dangers, if we follow other, our own counsels, and he suffers us to run ourselves into some of them, that the taste may make us sensible: and however we pass him by scornfully, and make no applications to his Providence, but despise his cares of us, yet he delivers us to give us more time that we may not perish, yea diverts temptations when we seek them, or defeats the mischief of them when we throw ourselves upon them and himself invites, beseeches, temts us, finds or else makes congruous seasons, and contrives such circumstances as may press, in fine, importunes, knocks and calls on us, and runs out to meet us, follows us, seeks till he finds us, carries us home to him. And what could have him don more to the Sinner, that he hath not don▪ And what we thus have seen him doing for particular persons, that he does much more unweariedly for Nations, in whose undisturb'd tranquility and good righteous Government the Godliness and honesty, as well as wealth and quiet of particular men, S ^t Paul saith, is concerned: since in careless and loose Governments, and disturbed and broken ones men equally grow vicious, dishonest and ungodly; and in too great calms as well as tempests are apt to make shipwreck both of Faith and of good Conscience. Therefore God expresseth his concern for Nations in most passionate words, He rejoiceth over them to do them good with his whole heart and with his whole soul Jer. 32. 41. and when the importunity of crying National enormities, and that are so far from being punished, they are not discountenanc'd, enforce him that he can forbear no longer to endeavor by some chastening to reduce them, yet in all their affliction he is afflicted Isaiah 63. 9. and though he correct them, yet he suffers, having all the bowels of a tender Parent to them, and cries out in most lamenting wishes, O that my people would have hearkened unto me! for if Israel bad walked in my ways, I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries, Psalm 81. 13, 14. And our Savior in like manner, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest the Prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, Matt. 23. 37. Altho thou wilt endure no Envoies from me, no reconciliation, but against all Laws of Nations, which men do observe to all men, murderest all those Ambassadors that come from me, thy God, to treat it with thee, yet how oft would I myself have saved thee at the approach of imminent dangers? God does beseech the liberty of doing it, however obstinate they are against it. All the day long, saith he, I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gain-saying people, as S ^t Paul expresseth it Rom. 10. 21. and himself saith, I have spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, Isaiah 65. 2. spread them out in entreaties & assistances, to give them help and to beg of them they would receive it. We know when Moses stretched forth his hands for Israel, (in Prayer saith the Chaldee ) God still heard, and Israel prevailed against their Enimies; and when his hands were heavy and he weary, yet while others held them up stretched forth to God, they still prevailed, he heard still. But when God spreads out his hands to them all day long, as beseeching them that they would accept of his deliverances they gain-say it, and continue disobedient. Yea altho they make him serve thus with their sins, and weary him with their iniquities, as he complains by the Prophet Isaiah c. 43. 24. yet by the same Prophet he assures them, therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, c. 30. 18. and if all his waiting by their obstinate perverseness be made ineffectual, then he seems inconsolable. In Hosea 13. 14. he tells Ephraim, I would have ransomed thee from the power of the grave, I would have redeemed thee from death, from those calamities and enemies that threaten ruin and extinction to the Nation, O death, I would have been thy plague, O grave, I would have been thy destruction, would have brought to nothing everything that did endanger or look fatal to thee; but now consolatio abscondita est ab oculis meis, comfort is hidden from mine eyes, and since there is no further application, remedy or help for thee, there is no consolation for me. As indeed comfort was hid from the eyes of Christ, and they were capable only of tears, he could not see Jerusalem but he wept over it, Luke 19. 41, 42. when once the things that did belong to the peace of that City were hid from their eyes, their day being ended, as he there tells them; for to that it may come, since this accepted time and the day of salvation being God's own chosen time and the day of his grace, it is also limited by him, we may outstand it, may suffer this day of Salvation to pass irrecoverably, the second thing I am to speak to.

I shall not undertake to prove 'tis limited, because 'tis here expressed but by a day, a very narrow scantling; yet our Savior so bespeaks Jerusalem, as if it had but that its day, when he spake to them, O that thou hadst known in this thy day, Luke 19. 42. and S ^t Paul bids the Hebrews c. 3. 13. exhort one another while it is called today. Yea more, as if that day were limited to one point of it, here 'tis worded so as that now is the time, now is the day; as if it were only that point of time that stabs itself, that present instant which expires the same first moment that it is: and yet our Savior when he had told Jerusalem of that their day, as if that their day were no longer than the Apostle's now, which as it now is, so now perisheth, even while it is; so did their day, for even in that their day, he tells them, now they are hidden from thine eyes. But passing these, that it is so both as to Nations and particular persons, Scripture will make evident. And my first instance shall be made in all the Nations of the Earth at once: God limited the time of his forbearance to the whole world, beyond which he resolved to be so far from using his endeavors to reclaim them, as that he would suffer them no longer Gen. 6. 3. My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he is flesh; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. He was so wearied by their obstinacy, that he positively does determine that he would not still continue to be earnest with them, struggle to reduce them, since they were so stupid, wholly sensual, mere flesh. But before he would destroy them utterly he was content to try them yet so many years, and then he brought the flood upon the world of the ungodly. Again he tells Abraham, that his Posterity, however it should be afflicted many years in a strange Land, yet in the fourth generation they shall come hither again, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. Four Ages therefore they had yet allowed them to return in, and prevent their ruin; but if they neglect that and go on to add sin still to sin, by then the measure will be heaped and the iniquity will be full. Again the Jews, God's own peculiar People, and Jerusalem his holy and beloved City had yet but its term, Dan. 9. 24. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy City to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, to complete that which shall bring full ruin on thy nation: and of those weeks it should seem as if the day on which Christ weeping over them wished, O that thou hadst known in this thy day, was the last of them; for he says, Now they are hidden from thine eyes.

Once more, the City Nineveh was yet more straitened; Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed, Jonah 3. 4. 'It is true this sentence was not executed, for the mere denouncing of it gave them such a true sense of their own condition, made them so consider how they had deserved it, that the Scripture says they believed God, heartily acknowledged it would be just dealing with them, that they could expect no other. Whereupon they cried out mightily to God, and put themselves into a state of such humiliation, as whether for the severity or the universality of it, 'tis possible the world hath never seen an instance like it. And if he that did command all this were King Sardanapalus, as most of the Learned do conclude, a man whose name alone was set to signify all sensuality beyond whatever other character, was the expression of it to a Proverb, if he became so sensible upon one Sermon to require and practice such Mortification and Repentance, it is no wonder if God would not execute his sentence upon them that so severely executed it on their sins and on themselves. And truly those few that allow it not Sardanapalus, and yet place the Prophet Jonah not long after him, must be put hard to it to find out then so great a City, as he tells you Nineveh then was, and so great a King of it. But he, altho (as men of his vice possibly are apt to be sometimes) a little tender hearted, easily affected on some sudden passionate occasion, yet that being, as it mostly is, a fit of penitence, returning to his old abominable practices, after a short Reign his Kingdom was quite rent in pieces, and the City utterly destroyed, himself beginning it. He had before inflamed it with his lust, then he set fire to it, and left nothing after him besides his Epitaph, a greater and more lively character of sensuality than his whole life had been: and so that City, though it did lay hold upon the time of acceptance, seize the day of salvation, yet it quickly let it go again.

And as for persons I shall need to give one only instance, since 'tis of more than six hundred thousand men, and each in their personal capacity. All whom Males, able to go out to war God brought from Egypt with a mighty hand on purpose to conduct them to the Land of Canaan, and possess them of it; everyone of whom saw more of God's immediate presence and his Glory, had more express miracle of grace and favor and forbearance also, than yet ever any People in the world had: yet these had their time of favor limited, had their day for God's performance; which time while it lasted he endured their provocations of the highest measure, even when they made another God to lead them. But when that day came, and they were at the point to enter, and he bid them go in and possess it, and they would not make use of it, being scared with news of Enimies taller than they, and so distrusting God's help they repin'd they had not staid in Egypt rather; then as I live, saith God, because all these men have seen my glory, and my miracles which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, surely they shall not come into the Land concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein; neither shall any of them that provoked me, see it Num. 14. 22, 23, 30. And of all that number but two only who provoked him not, Joshua and Caleb, entered it. This very instance, and the Prophe David's application of it also Psalm 95. to the Jews of his time, that they would not be as their Forefathers, stubborn and intractable to all God's methods, standing out against them till it was too late, but that today if they would hear his voice, they should be flexible and plaint: this, I say, S ^t Paul in the third chapter to the Hebrews urges to the Christians, that they should also be so while 'tis called today, while that their • odie, their day that was allowed them lasted, least they should outstand it, and they also be excluded from the everlasting rest in the Heavenly Canaan. And he presses further in the sixth, how God do's finally withdraw his grace from those who in the day of it resist it, and makes no more tender of it to them; and illustrates this in the twelfth chapter with the history of Esau, who to satisfy a present appetite did sell his Birth-right, and the Privileges and the Blessing that of course attended it; and altho he sought it afterwards he was rejected, and • ound no place of Repentance, nothing that could make his Father change his mind, altho he sought it carefully with tears: and with the Parable of ground, which if when 'tis long watered with the dew of Heaven, and hath drank that fatness which the clouds drop down, it shall bring forth only briars, or continue barren, 'tis no longer cultivated, but rejected, reprobated, no more fit to be watered with the shours of Heaven, but burnt up with scorching heat. Our Savior's Parable about the Fig-tree too hath the same Apologue, which if with three years husbandry it bear no fruit, and in the fourth too, being manured more expressly, it fail also, cut it down then, least it cumber the ground.

Whether the term that limits this