Lectures Upon Psalm 51

Lecture CXXXII. On Psalm 51.7. Novemb. 10. 1629.

IT followeth we proceed unto the second of those uses that tend to the working upon our hearts and directing us how we should be affected with this Doctrine; namely unto the use of exhortation. And this use of exhortation though it have great afinity with that which you have formerly heard, in the use that was made of that Doctrine I taught you out of the first part of this verse, touching the necessity of having the blood of Christ sprinkled and applied to our own hearts; yet is it so useful and necessary that I dare not omit it. And yet will I not trouble you with repeating and saying over again the same things which you have heard already, but I will endeavor (through God's gracious assistance) so to handle it, as that that which you shall now hear may serve for a necessary addition and supplement unto that which you have heard formerly; and so be neither tedious nor unprofitable unto you. And indeed what one exhortation can any of us that are God's messengers insist upon, that is of so great necessity to be pressed upon us all, as this is? For if they that have Christ (that truly believe in him) be so fully and perfectly justified in God's sight, if they have obtained through him such a robe of righteousness as will not only cover them from top to toe so as no jot of their filthy nakedness shall ever appear again to make them loathsome unto God; but also adorn and decke them and make them more comely and beautiful in his eye, more perfectly righteous then if they had never sinned, then if they had in all points kept his righteous law. O then why are we not all of us more in love with Christ? Why long we not more after him? Why labor we not more diligently to make him and this robe of his righteousness our own? I counsel thee (saith our blessed Savior to the luke-warm Laodiceans, Revelation 3.18. and the same counsel do I give to myself and to you all (beloved) who are too like unto the Laodiceans in this point, luke-warm and indifferent whether we have Christ made sure unto us or no) I counsel thee (saith he) to buy of me this white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. As if he had said, This raiment, this robe (which thou canst never get of any but of me only, and which thou canst never get of me unless thou buy it, and be content to part with all that thou hast for it) is not only able to cover all thy nakedness (the filthy nakedness of thy soul which is much more shameful then the nakedness of the body ever could be) but it is also white and shining, such as will make thee most comely and glorious in the eyes of my father. This is also the exhortation that the Apostle giveth to the Romans, Romans 13.14. Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, saith he. He had exhorted them before, verse 12. to put on the armor of light ; that is, to cloth themselves with inherent righteousness, as he expoundeth himself, verse 13. and that is surely (as I shown you the last day) a goodly garment, and such as will greatly adorn and beautify a man; nay it is not only as a garment to clothe, to decke and adorn a man, but it is as armor also that will defend a man from the danger of many a temptation that might hurt and wound him; but in this 14. verse he exhorteth them not to rest in that, but labor to get them a better garment then that. Put ye on the Lord Jesus, saith he. As if he should say, This garment will be far more useful unto you, will adorn and beautify you much more then the other can do. See what account the Apostle himself made of this robe. Doubtless (saith he, Philip. 3.8, 9.) I count all things but loss (I judge them not worth the keeping, things that I care not for loosing and casting them away) for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord (as if he had said ô that is the excellent knowledge when all is done, to know Christ to be mine, to be my Lord) for whom (saith he) I have (indeed in the resolution of my mind) suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung (in comparison) that I may win Christ and make him mine own. And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ; the righteousness which is of God by faith. He maketh this (you see) the highest pitch of his happiness and that which he did desire above all things in the world that he might be found of God (when he should call him to appear before him) neither naked nor clothed only with the garment of his own inherent righteousness, but in the pure and glorious robe of Christ's righteousness. And this is that that I desire to exhort and persuade both myself and everyone of you that you would be of the same mind that blessed Paul was of, account of Christ as he did account of him, labor as he did to win Christ and make him our own, strive that we may be found in him, covered and clothed in the robe of his righteousness.

And for the better enforcing of this so necessary an exhortation I will 1. Give you some Motives that may be forcible and effectual to provoke and quicken your appetite unto Christ, and to move you to hunger and thirst after him and his righteousness.

2. Because nothing doth so much dull and deaden men's appetite unto Christ and keep them from hungering and thirsting after him as doth this persuasion that they have him already sure enough, they have already fed sufficiently upon him; I will therefore show you some Signs and notes out of God's Word how this may be known.

3. Lastly, I will direct such as would fain win Christ as do indeed hunger and thirst after him and his righteousness, what Means they should use to get him and make him their own.

And for the Motives I will give you, they are four principally.

First, Consider how woeful thy case will be when extreme affliction or death shall seize upon thee if thou be not in Christ, if thou have not gotten this robe of righteousness before that time come. Consider (I say) distinctly of this point.

[ 1] First, Certain it is we shall not always live in health and peace and prosperity as we now do, but a change will come, affliction will come, and cannot be avoided. Man is borne unto trouble (saith Eliphaz, Job 5.7.) as the sparks fly upward. Yea death will come certainly and cannot be avoided. It is appointed (saith the Apostle, Heb. 9.27. decreed) unto men (unto all men) that they shall once die.

[ 2] Secondly, How soon affliction and death will come or how suddenly no man can tell. Man knoweth not his time (saith Solomon, Eccl. 9.12.) as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare ; (while they think least of it, and are skipping and eating their meat securely) so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

[ 3] Thirdly, In what kind or measure any of us shall be afflicted, or by what kind of disease or death any of us shall end our days, is also most uncertain to any of us and known only to the Lord. The cup of affliction is in the hand of the Lord (saith David, Psalm 75.8.) and it is he that mixeth and tempereth and poureth it out also as seemeth good unto him.

Fourthly. The natural and ordinary effect of extreme affliction is to awaken [ 4] the conscience, how sleepy or dead soever it had been before. And it will then bring a man's sins into his remembrance, and the judgment that he is to go unto. When men are bound in setters (saith Elihu, Job 36.8, 9.) and holden in the cords of affliction, then he showeth them their work, and their transgressions that they have exceeded in. As if he should say, Then his manner is to set their sins in order before them, and all the foul circumstances whereby they may be aggravated. See an example of this in God's own people, When Joseph's brethren saw themselves taken for spies in Egypt, and so in present danger of death, Genesis 42.21. the sin that they had committed against their brother many years before, came as fresh into their remembrance, and lay heavy upon their conscience, as if it had been but newly done. See also an example of this, even in an heathen man. When Adonibezek was in extreme pain and misery, and saw he must die, then cometh his sins into his remembrance, Judges 2.7. Threescore and ten Kings having their thumbs, and their great toes cut off (saith he) gathered their meat under my table, as I have done, so God hath requited me. I know well that affliction, nor sickness, nor the grisly visage of death it self doth use to awaken the conscience of every man, some (through the fearful judgment of God) go to hell in a sleep. The Lord hath poured upon them (as the Prophet speaketh, Isaiah 29.10.) the spirit of dead sleep and hath closed their eyes. But yet this is the ordinary effect of extreme affliction, and that that everyone of us must look for, when the evil day shall come upon us, our consciences will put us in mind of our sins as you see; yea, it will put us also in mind of the judgment we must go unto, and ever be ringing that in our ears that Solomon speaketh, Ecclesi. 11.9. Know thou, that for all these things, God will bring thee into judgment.

Fifthly. If a man have not gotten faith and comfort in Christ before then, he [ 5] is in danger through extremity of anguish and fear, to be made utterly uncapable, and unfit to receive comfort by him then, though the best of God's servants use their uttermost skill and endeavor, to offer Christ and his merits unto them, and to give them comfort in him. When Moses came from God to the children of Israel, with a most comfortable message, it is said, Exodus 6.9. they could not hearken unto him for anguish of spirit, and for crew • l bondage.

Sixthly and lastly. The man that is then without Christ, without any assurance [ 6] that he is his, must needs be in a most woeful estate. For he can have no hope of mercy from God. For Christ is our only hope, as the Apostle calleth him, 1 Tim. 1.1. And they that are without Christ, have no hope, saith he, Ephes. 2.12. O then let us count it our wisdom, to seek without delay, to make Christ our own before the evil day, before death do seize upon us. This Motive the holy Ghost oft useth, to rouse wicked men out of their carnal security. And what will ye do (saith he, Isaiah 10.3.) in the day of visitation? To whom will ye fly for help? And Jeremiah 13.21. What wilt thou say when he shall punish thee? Shall not sorrows take thee as a woman in travail? And so may I say to you all beloved, though you can be quiet and comfortable enough, now in the days of your health and peace without Christ, without all assurance that he is yours, how will you do for comfort, when affliction and death shall come? What comfort can you have then, without you have him made sure unto you? Psal. 2.12. Kiss the Son lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little, Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

On the other side. The man that is in Christ, and hath through him, gotten his pardon, and made his peace with God, and that is clothed with the robes of his righteousness, may be comfortable in the greatest affliction, and even in the hour of death. The rain descended (saith our Savior, Matth 7.25.) and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, because it was founded upon a rock. As if he should say, Nothing can overthrow or hurt him that is built upon the rock. In all these things (saith the Apostle, Romans 8.37. And what were those things? See verse 35. In tribulation, distress, persecution, in famine, nakedness, peril, sword. And what greater evils then these can befall a man? In all these things saith he) we are more then conquerors, through him that loved us, that is, through Christ. Yea the faithful have never found so much true comfort, in all their lives, as they have done in their greatest and most extreme afflictions. This hath been evident in the experience of the blessed Martyrs, and this God hath made an express promise for. Unto the righteous (saith the Psalmist, 112 4.) ariseth light in darkness. As if he had said, In times of darkness and affliction, then hath their light been wont to rise most. Thy light shall rise in obscurity (saith the Lord, Isaiah 58.10.) and thy darkness shall be as the noon-day. And if there were nothing else to make us in love with Christ, to long after him, to strive to make him sure to us, this were enough to do it, even the sweetness that we shall find in him in the time of affliction. A friend loveth at all times (saith Solomon, Proverbs 17.17.) and a brother is borne for adversity. As if he had said, There is the trial of a true friend, and of a kind brother indeed, when they will stieke close to a man in his adversity. Surely there is not such a friend, such a brother in the world for this as Christ is, we shall feel the sweetness of his love to us most, in our greatest affliction.

Secondly. Admit a man had never so good assurance to be exempted from all trouble and affliction, & to spend all his days in peace and prosperity, as much as his heart can wish, yet can he have no true comfort in any blessing that he doth enjoy till he be in Christ. Two evident reasons there be for this, 1. They will do him no good at all, but much hurt. 2. God giveth them not to him in love.

[ 1] For the first. Though thy health and wealth be in themselves good things, even the good blessings of God, Every creature of God is good, saith the Apostle, 1 Timothy 4.4. yet to thee that hast not Christ, they are not good things, they can do thee no good, it had been much better for thee to have been without them. To the unbelieving, nothing is pure saith the Apostle, Titus 1.15. That which the Lord saith of some wicked men, Malachi 2.2. I will curse your blessings, may be understood, as spoken to all that are without Christ, though these things be blessings in themselves, yet to thee they will prove curses. There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun (saith Solomon, Ecclesiast. 5.13.) namely, riches kept to the owners thereof to their hurt. The prosperity of fools shall destroy them, saith he, Proverbs 1.32. Yea, the more thou hast of them (if thou have not Christ withal) the more hurt they will do thee. The meat that is in their bow •• s (saith Zophar of wicked men. Job 20.14.) shall be as the ga •• of asps (which verse 16. he calleth the poison of asps within him. And you know the more poison any man taketh, the more it will torment him. And how is impossible that the riches of such as are out of Christ, should do them any good? how can they choose but do them much hurt? Daily experience proveth, that men seldom have good of that that they come unjustly by, that they have no just title to, that is not their own. If a rich man that hath his grounds never so well stocked with cattle, bring but one bullock that he hath stolen and put among them, will it do him any good? Will it not consume all the rest and undo him? God's curse shall dwell in the tabernacle of the oppressor (said Bildad, Job 18.15.) because it is none of his, he hath no just title to it, he came not justly by it. On the other side, That is only a man's own that he cometh rightly by, and that that is thus his own, he may enjoy with comfort. Let them work with quietness (saith the Apostle, 2 Thess. 3.12.) and eat their own bread. Now none of all the comforts of this life that we possess are our own, neither have we just title to them (a just civil title unto them I know a wicked man may have, so as no man may justly take them from them, but a spiritual a sanctified a comfortable title to them can we never have) till we be Christ's.

I pray consider the reason of this and you will find it to be a most evident truth. The Lord when he made man gave all his creatures unto him and made him Lord over them all. Thou madest him (saith David, Psalm 8.6.) to have dominion over the work of thy hands, thou didst put all things under his feet. But we by our fall in Adam forfeited all this title and right we had to anything that God hath made; and made the good creatures of God accursed unto us. Cursed be the earth for thy sake, saith the Lord to man after his fall, Genesis 3.17. Now this title which we had forfeited in the first Adam is restored to us in the second, and this curse which we had brought upon the creatures by our sin, is taken away by Christ and by him only. For God hath made him heir of all things and given them all to him, as the Apostle teacheth us, Hebrews 1.2. and through him only we come to have this blessed title unto them. And how then can a man have any comfort in anything that he possesseth? How can they be good to him that is not in Christ?

Secondly, God giveth none of these things in love to the man that is [ 2] not in Christ. True it is all these outward blessings be in themselves fruits of God's love and mercy unto men. It is an argument of his love to the stranger (saith Moses, Deut. 10.18.) that he giveth him food and raiment. And a man may safely conclude God is good to me and loveth me, or else he would never preserve me and provide for me as he doth. Yet this love of God that appeareth in any of these outward things, is such as a man can take no sound comfort in, till he be in Christ. For alas that is but a common love extended to the brute beasts as well as to thee, O Lord thou preservest man and beast, saith David. Psalm 36.6. There is many a brute beast that liveth longer and in better health, more fully provided for of all things fit for the preservation of this life, and that with less care and trouble, then any man is. Yea this love God extendeth unto his very enemies and such as he hath ordained to everlasting confusion. Cain had a greater portion of them then Seth, and Esau then Jacob. And what comfort can a man have in such fruits of God's love as these are? What comfort can the traitor take in that goodness of the King, that being apprehended he giveth order that he may have a fair and good lodging in the tower and a good diet too, till matters be ripe and ready for his arraignment and execution? No no he taketh small comfort in all this; nothing will assure him of the Kings mercy and love till his pardon be brought him. So may I say of all these outward blessings thou canst have no sound comfort in them, till thou have Christ, and hast through him gotten the pardon of thy sins. These are indeed fruits of God's common love, but these are no fruits or signs of God's special or everlasting love, of that love that he beareth to them whom he meaneth to save eternally. No man knoweth either love or hatred by anything that is before him, saith Solomon, Eccl. • .1. A man cannot argue God loveth him with his special love, because he enjoyeth these things, nor that God hateth him because he wanteth them. And it is not that common but this special and everlasting love of God only that we are to make reckoning of, and to take comfort in. In this was manifested the love of God towards us (saith the Apostle, 1 John. 4.9, 10.) because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him, Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. If thou canst say God hath given Christ unto thee, and to thee an heart to receive him, then thou mayest be bold to say, God loveth thee indeed. But thou canst never say God loveth thee indeed, till thou be in Christ. He is called the Son of his love, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Col. 1.13. He hath made us accepted in the beloved, saith the Apostle, Eph. 1.6. As if he had said, He loveth us for his sake, and he loveth none but for his sake, and with respect unto him only. And what good will it do thee to have all the world, if thou have not God's love? What comfort canst thou take in anything thou hast▪ if God have not given it thee in his love?

Now on the other side (that this Motive may have the more force in thy heart) consider what a happiness it is for a man to be in Christ, even in respect of these outward things. The true believer and he that knoweth Christ is his, may take great comfort even in these outward and common blessings of God. God giveth to him (saith Solomon speaking of these things, Eccles. 2.26.) that is good in his sight (reconciled to him in Christ, and justified before him) wisdom, and knowledge, and joy. He joyeth even in these outward blessings, he useth them with joy and comfort. In which respect it is said by David Psal. 37.16. that a little that a righteous man hath, is better than the riches of many wicked men. Have he little or have he much, he hath more comfort in that he hath, than any wicked man in the world can possibly have. For,

[ 1] First, That that he hath is his own, he hath the highest title unto it, All things are yours (saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 3.21, 23.) and ye are Christ's. In giving Christ unto us how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? saith the Apostle, Rom. 8.32.

[ 2] Secondly, He shall have good of that he hath, it shall do him good and no hurt, it shall not hinder his happiness, it is sanctified unto him. The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich (saith Solomon, Proverb. 10.22.) and he addeth no sorrow with it. As if he had said, He that hath wealth with God's blessing, shall have no cause to repent him another day that he lived so prosperously. Thus God promiseth his people that are in covenant with him, Deut. 30.9. The Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land for good: for the Lord will rejoice over thee for good as he rejoiced over thy fathers. Mark how the Lord doth not only promise unto his people these outward things that he would increase them in their children and in their estates, but that he promiseth them also (and repeateth this promise twice in this one Verse) that he would give them these things for their good, they should have good of them, they should receive good and no hurt by them. To have the things is nothing, unless we have them with the blessing, unless God give us good of them. When the Apostle had said, 1 Tim. 4.3, 5. that God hath created all meat to be received with thanksgiving, of them that believe and know the truth, he addeth in the next words, that every creature of God is good. As if he had said, To the believer all God's creatures are good and to none but him; and he giveth this reason, For it is sanctified (saith he) by the word and prayer. As though he should say, When God's creatures are sanctified unto us, when we have a holy use of them, and are made the better by them, then are they good to us and not else, and to the true believer they are sanctified, and to none but him.

Thirdly and lastly, Whatsoever the true believer, he that is in Christ hath in these outward things, he hath it in God's love, and therefore he may well take comfort in it. We are wont to say, that an hearty welcome is the best cheer that any friend can make us. Though our fare be but mean, yet if we can find we have it with a good will, and that our friend is glad of us, and thereby we discern that he doth unfeignedly love us, this we esteem of more worth than the best cheer in the world, this maketh the homelyest fare most sweet and acceptable unto us. And certainly it is much more so in this case. When a man once knoweth he hath God's love, and that that which God hath given him (be it little or much) is given to him in love, O this giveth a most sweet and pleasant relish to all God's blessings that we do enjoy, this maketh a man to take true and solid comfort in them. Thus Jacob speaketh of his children Genesis 33.5. These are the children that God of his grace hath given unto thy servant ; and Verse 11. of his cattle, Because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. He tasted God's special love unto him even in these things. I told you even now that no unbeliever can take any sound comfort in any of God's outward blessings, because he cannot conclude from thence that God loveth him with a special love; but though he cannot, he that is in Christ may. These common things are to him pledges of God's special and eternal love, and therefore are they sweeter unto him than they can be unto any other man. By this I know thou favourest me (saith David, Psal. 41.1 • .) because mine enemy doth not triumph over me. Was this such a token of God's special favor toward him? Why God hath done thus much for many a wicked man, he hath granted temporal deliverances from their enemies to many a one whom he did never bear any special favor unto. Well, though this be so, yet to David this was a strong argument of God's special favor, he relished God's love in it. And that made this temporal blessing so sweet unto him, that made him take such joy and comfort in it, as we may see he did by his breaking forth into so hearty and pathetical a thanksgiving for it, Verse 13. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting, Amen, and Amen. He respected the mind and aff •• tion of the giver toward him, more than of the gift it self a great deal. And that is the cause why the true believer can rejoice more in, and give God thanks more heartily for his meat and drink, and for all other of God's common mercies, than any other man can do.

O that we could believe that that hath been said for this second Motive, and lay it to our hearts. It is a lamentable thing to see how all men dote upon these outward and common blessings of God; how light account they make of Christ in comparison of them. They think they can never spend time enough in seeking after them The six days that God hath allowed them to spend (for the most part that way, saving only a small portion of every day for a morning and evening sacrifice to be offered unto him) are not sufficient, but they must also rob the Lord of his Day, and spend part of that that way too. O the toil and labor that men willingly and gladly take for the getting of these things! For this men will rise up early, and sit up late, and eat the bread of sorrows, as the Prophet speaketh. Psalm 127.3. And on the other side (alas) how little time are men willing to spend, how little labor and diligence do men use to get Christ. Nay the main cause why Christ is so lightly esteemed of, why he is so little sought after, is the high esteem men make of these common blessings, if they have them they think themselves happy, though they want Christ, and miserable if they want them, though they should have never so good a portion in Christ and his merits. If thou mark well the parable of the guests that were invited unto the great supper, Luke 14.18. thou shalt find that the only thing that made them set light by that great mercy that was offered them was, the respect they had to their worldly profits and pleasures. They had some-what else to do then to come to that feast; they had other matters, (matters of their profit, and matters of their pleasure) which it more concerned them to look after then after Christ. O that men would see their folly and madness in this. 1. These things can stand thee in no stead in the evil day nor yield thee any comfort then, when thou shalt stand in most need of comfort. That which Solomon saith of riches, Proverbs 11.4. that they avail not in the day of wrath, may be said also of all other outward blessings. Nothing but Christ will yield thee comfort then. 2. For the present thou canst take no sound comfort in them as thou hast heard now. 3. Thy preferring of these base things in thy mind and affection before Christ and prising them above him, is an high contempt done unto him. A goodly price (may I say of you as he did of the Jews, Zacharias 11.13.) that I was prised at of them. 4. Remember the fearful sentence that was given of them that did as thou dost; that out of respect to their profits and pleasures neglected to come to the supper when they were invited, Luke 14.24. I say unto you (saith the Lord) that none of those that were bidden shall taste of my supper. It seemeth they neglected the time and offer of grace that the Lord of the feast had made unto them, out of this conceit that the Lord that by his servants invited them now to that supper, was so bountiful and kept so good a house that though they did not come then, they might come soon enough on the morrow or some other day (when they had nothing else to do) and find good cheer enough left to serve their turn; as no doubt most men conceit God is so merciful and Christ is so easy to be had, as that any time will serve, if it be but half an hour before they die (when they can follow their profits and pleasures no longer) to seek after Christ. But mark how these guests were deceived, because they came not then when the Lord invited them, and specially because they neglected to come upon this ground that they thought their profits and pleasures were more worth, more to be regarded then any of the dain • ies that they might feed upon at that feast; therefore the Lord vowed that none of them should ever taste of his supper. And surely it is much to be feared that as many of you (specially of you of this Town) do match these guests in their sin so you do also match them in their punishment; and that the Lord hath already passed this dreadful sentence upon you, None of these whom I have so often, and so long invited to come to my supper to receive Christ and all his merits in those means of grace that I have offered unto them, and that have all this while neglected and despised this mercy of mine, shall ever taste of my supper, shall ever feed upon Christ or receive true comfort by him while they live.

Lecture CXXXIII. On Psalm 51.7. Novemb. 24. 1629.

THe third Motive that may persuade us to seek without delay and labor to find that we are in Christ, that we are fully and perfectly justified in God's sight through him, is this, That we can have no true comfort in any goodness that seemeth to be in us, till we know ourselves to be in Christ. This Motive is in this respect necessary to be insisted upon, because nothing hath more force to dull our appetite unto Christ, and keep us from seeking comfort in him, then that contentment and comfort we find in some goodness that we think is in ourselves. Great is the contentment that men find in the outward and common blessings of God, and great force there is even in that (as we heard the last day) to keep men from hungering and thirsting after Christ. But the comfort and content a man taketh in the least goodness that he findeth in himself is far greater; and he is apt to bless himself more in that, then in any outward blessing that he doth enjoy. Not of works (saith the Apostle, Ephes. 2.9. good works he meaneth) least any man should boast. As if he should say, A man is exceeding apt to boast of his good works, though not outwardly in words, yet inwardly in heart, he blesseth himself and secureth his heart in nothing so much as in his good works, in any good work he knoweth by himself, And when he had said, 1 Cor. 1.30. that Christ is made unto us of God wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption. As if he had said, We have all in him; he giveth this for the reason of it, verse 31. that he that glorieth, might glory in the Lord. As if he should have said, If we had any of this without Christ, we would be apt to glory in it and care but a little for him. And therefore it is so oft said that the poor and such as find themselves to be utterly destitute of all goodness, are the only men that are fit to seek and receive comfort by Christ. The Lord hath anointed me (saith our Savior, Luk. 4.18.) to preach the Gospel to the poor. As if he should say, Small hope there is, that any but they will receive it. Ho everyone that thirsteth, (saith he, Esa. 55.1.) come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money. Where it is to be observed that he maketh the man that thirsteth, and the man that hath no money all one. As if he had said, None will thirst after Christ but only those poor wretches that have no money, nothing of their own to take unto. So he saith likewise, Zach. 11.11. that they were the poor of the flock that waited on him. And who are meant by these poor ones in all these places? Surely not such as lived in the want of bodily and worldly wealth, but such as are poor in spirit and feel an utter want of all goodness in themselves, these are the only men that will thirst after Christ, and are fit to receive him. And so the Apostle interpreteth that metaphor when he saith, Romans 4.5. to him that worketh not (that hath no work no goodness at all to trust unto) but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly (knoweth himself to be void of all goodness full of ungodliness and therefore flieth to Christ and believeth in him) to him his faith is counted for righteousness. Ye see then how apt we are to be kept from Christ, from prising him and desiring him as we ought even by those good things that are in us This impediment will easily be removed if we consider well the force of this third Motive, we can have no true comfort of any good thing that is in us, till we be in Christ. To speak distinctly of this point, you shall see the truth of it 1 In those good things that are in many a natural man. 2 In those good things that are in many an hypocrite. 3 Lastly, In those good things that are in the regenerate man himself. And in handling these three I will observe this method. 1. I will show you that there are in everyone of these some good things. 2 That there is no true comfort to be found in any of this goodness till we be in Christ.

For the first, It cannot be denied but there are many good things in some natural men. That that we call civil and moral honesty is certainly in it self a good thing. That many men live so unblameably free from any open or known offense, specially against the second table. The care that many natural men have to keep their word, to deal justly with all men, to be helpful and merciful to such as stand in need of them, and many such like things, that may be discerned in them are doubtless very good things. The conscience that Abimele • h the King of Gerar made of adultery, and that integrity of heart that was in him that way, of which we read, Genesis 20.5. was a very good thing. Yea those are good things not only in the esteem of men but even in the account of the Lord himself. We read Mark 10.20, 21. when our Savior heard the young man say that he had observed all the commandments of the second table from his youth, and knew well that (in respect of the outward observation of them) be had spoken the truth, that beholding him he loved him for this. Certainly God loveth and liketh well of these moralities and civil virtues that are in natural men; Yea and he useth to reward them also. Let me show you the proof of this in three degrees.

[ 1] First, Many a natural man by the care he hath to deal justly with men, and by his good works, the works of charity that he doth avoideth many temporal judgments of God that do fall upon other men. That is the reason why the Prophet having threatened desolation against the Moabites, Esa. 16.3. adviseth them that by executing judgment and showing mercy to the oppressed, they would labor to prevent it. And the Prophet Daniel, Daniel 4.27. giveth hope unto Nebuchadnezzar himself that by righteousness and showing mercy to the poor, he might obtain a lengthening of his tranquility.

[ 2] Secondly, It is not to be doubted but that many natural men prosper much the better both they and their posterity, in their outward estate even for the moral parts that are in them. It is said Exodus 1.20, 21. that God dealt well with the midwives of Egypt and made them houses because of the mercy they shown to the Hebrew infants, they feared God so far that they durst not make them away though the King so straitly commanded them to do it.

[ 3] Thirdly and lastly, The Lord hath been wont to reward these civil virtues and moral parts that are in some natural men, even with spiritual blessings also in some sort. For even for this cause by his restraining grace he keepeth them from some sins that otherwise they were in danger to fall into. I know (saith the Lord to Abimelech, Gen. 20.6.) that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me, therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

Two evident reasons there are why the Lord must needs love and reward these moral parts, these civil virtues that are in many natural men.

[ 1] First, Because of the good they do to others thereby, even the service they do to his good providence in preserving society and peace among men. This civil honesty and these good moral parts that are in many natural men, (where there is no religion) are the very sinews and bonds of human society, and there were no living or conversing among men without them. This reason the Lord giveth why he would reward Nebuchadnezzar and his army for the service they did against Tyrus, Ezekiel 29.20, Because they wrought for me saith the Lord God. As if he had said, They were instruments of my good providence in the just rui • e and destruction of that wicked people. And if God do reward them oft that serve his providence in his justice for the ruin and destruction of men, though they have no goodness in them at all; it is no marvel though he reward them much more who by some goodness that is in them do serve his providence in the preservation and welfare of men.

Secondly, These civil virtues must needs be good things and such as God [ 2] doth love and will reward, because they are such things as God hath in his law commanded. The Gentiles (saith the Apostle, Romans 2.14, 15.) do by nature the things contained in the law; and show the work of the law written in their hearts. As if he should say, These things do evidently show and declare that the law of God is written in their hearts. You see then (Beloved) we do not discommend civil honesty; we do not discourage natural men from doing good works; we do not condemn all the works of natural men; nor say that whatsoever they do that are not religious is abominable and naught. Nay we heartily wish there were much more civil honesty in the world then there is. He that is truly religious would be ashamed that any natural man should be more honest then he. True religion is no enemy to civil and moral honesty nay it is a great nourisher and increaser of it. It is a dangerous error that most men are grown now unto, to think it indiscretion and want of learning and judgment in a Minister to stand much in pressing of points of morality in his Sermon; or in particular reproof of such faults as are committed by men in their buying, and selling, and such like passages of their ordinary conversation and dealings one with another. It is thought nowadays there is no divinity in this, they go besides their Text when they deal in these things. No no beloved, be not deceived, Those points that God in his Word standeth most upon, we must press most in our ministry; and those are these matters of your common practice. It is a strange thing to observe how plentiful and particular and precise the Holy Ghost is in pressing men to deal justly in all their dealings with men even in weights and measures of all sorts. You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment (saith the Lord, Levite. 19.35, 36) in m •• eyard, in weight, or in measure. Just balances, just weight, a just Ephah and a just Hi • shall ye have. I am the Lord your God that brought you out of the land of Egypt. And again, Deut. 25.13—16. Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights (of one kind he meaneth) a great and a small. Thou shalt not have in thine house diverse measures, a great and a small, one to buy by, another to sell by. But thou shalt have a perfect and a just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have, that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously (mark it I pray you, all that do unrighteously in what kind soever) are an abomination unto the Lord thy God. Mark also (I pray you) how much the Apostles in the New Testament do press upon God's people in their exhortations, that they would be careful to walk honestly. Walk honestly, towards them that are without, saith the Apostle Paul, 1 Thess. 4.12. And the Apostle Peter, 1 Pet. 2.12. Have your conversation honest among the Gentiles. And the Apostle Paul again, Phil. 4.8. Whatsoever things are honest, think on these things. As if he had said, Be not forgetful or careless of such things. And Rom. 13.13. Let us walk honestly as in the day. And in the following words he instanceth in some special points of dishonesty he would have them to take heed of It is dishonesty to be drunk, yea to use rioting, idle-company-keeping, haunting and sitting at the ale-house to drink or to game, though a man be never drunk 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , saith he. It is dishonesty to use chambering and wantonness, secret familiarity and dalliance with a woman, lascivious speeches and gestures though a man never commit whoredom; Yea it is dishonesty (saith the Apostle) for a man to live in strife and envying to be a contentious person, unpeaceable, unquiet, though he never oppress or defraud or wrong his neighbor any other way. Provide things honest (saith he again, Rom. 12.17.) In the sight of all men. The word he useth there is worth the observing 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , As if he had said, Cast for this before hand, take care of this, that you do nothing that is dishonest, that you fail not in any point of honesty by no means. And he professeth, Heb. 13.18. that this was a thing himself took much comfort in that he had a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly. And what meaneth he by honesty? Surely such duties of the second table which the light of nature teacheth men, to make conscience of. And why (I pray you) do the Apostles stand so much upon commending honesty unto God's people? Surely for two causes.

[ 1] First, Because they knew that nothing would grace religion so much and win it credit in the eyes of all men, as this would do: when they see that they that profess it are of honest conversation, just men and faithful, and courteous, and meek and patient, and humble, and kind, and merciful men▪ This reason the Apostle giveth, 1 Pet 2.12. Having your conversation (saith he) honest among the Gentiles, that where as they speak against you as evil doers they may by your good works which they shall behold (that is, by your honesty, such works as they by the light of nature know to be good works) glorify God in the day of visitation.

[ 2] Secondly, Because they knew that on the other side nothing doth make religion so odious and contemptible in the world, nor so much harden the hearts of men against it, as the want of honesty in such as do profess it, that they are guilty of such things as even by the light of nature all men may discern to be gross and vile. When the Canaanites and Perizzites had seen what the sons of Jacob had done to the Shechemites how they had broken their promise and covenant with them, how cruelly and barbarously they had used them, and all under a color of zeal for their own religion, this made Jacob and his religion (though alas he was far from approving or consenting to this that they had done) stink among the inhabitants of the land, as himself saith, Gen. 34. • 0.

You see (beloved) what moved the Apostles to commend honesty so much unto God's people in their times; and surely the same reasons have moved me to speak so much in the commendation of it unto you at this time. Never was it more neglected by some professors of religion then now it is; never did the Gospel receive more dishonor and reproach through the neglect of it then now it doth. I beseech you (beloved) so many of you as have given your names unto Christ look unto this. Count it a foul shame for thee that art a Christian when a natural man, or one that thou takest to be far short of thee in religion shall justly tax thee with dishonesty in any kind. When Abimelech had told Sarah of her fault in dissembling her husband, thus was she reproved saith Moses, Genesis 20.16. As if he should have said, That was a shameful reproof indeed for a woman of her note, to be taught her duty and upbraided with her fault by an heathen man. Surely it cannot but grieve every good heart to hear that which is too truly spoken to the shame and reproach of the Gospel that there is more truth and fidelity, more just dealing, more care of their word, more good neighbor-hood and kindness, more charity and mercifullnesse among a number of mere natural men, nay among Papists, nay among Turks and infidels then among a great many that are of chief note for the profession of the gospel. O that God would be pleased to open the eyes of such professors to see how great their sin and danger is. To this end consider with thyself these three things.

First, that for thee to fail in these duties which are clear not by the light of the Word only, but even by the light of nature also, is a greater sin than for thee to fail in those duties only that are clear unto thee by the light of the Word only. I know well that the sins against the first Table are in some respects greater than the sins against the second are. But in this respect it is certain that some sins against the second Table, these sins against common honestly, are more heinous than the most sins against the first, that they are committed against greater and clearer light than the other are. And the greater the light is against which any man offendeth, the greater is his sin. To him that knoweth to do well and doth it not, to him it is sin, saith the Apostle, James 4.17.

Secondly, Consider that these faults of thine will be imputed by the world [ 1] not to thyself only, but to all that profess that religion that thou dost; they will be ready to say, these are your professors, they are all such. Remember what Jacob said Gen. 34.30. to Simeon and Levi, Ye make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land. And should not this trouble thee much? Let not them that wait on thee O Lord God of Israel (saith David Ps. 69.6. be ashamed for my sake, Let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel. See how earnest he was with God to keep him from doing anything that might bring reproach upon God's servants, or make the professors of his name odious to the world. And so wouldst thou be too, if thy heart were truly religious as David's was.

Thirdly and lastly, Consider that the shame of thy sins resteth not upon thy [ 2] self, nor upon all men that profess as thou dost, but it reacheth unto the Lord himself, and to his holy religion which thou dost profess, and causeth men to say, Lo this is their religion, this they learn by going to Sermons, Is not this a goodly profession? The name of God is blasphemed through you, saith the Apostle, Rom. 2.24. And doth this seem a small thing in thine eyes? Will ye pollute me among my people (saith the Lord, Ezek. 13.19.) for handfuls of barley, and for pieces of bread? As if he should say thus: Will ye for the gaining of a trifle make my name and religion odious and loathsome to the people? When Jacob's sons had given that occasion to the Canaanites to reproach religion, he crieth out unto them, Gen. 34.30. Ye have troubled me. It was a great trouble of mind to the good man, that any occasion should be given to wicked men to hate or speak evil of religion, specially by him or any of his. And certainly, if the glory of God, and the credit of his gospel be not dearer to thee than anything in the world, if thou hadst not rather die than bring reproach upon the Gospel, thou canst have no comfort in thine estate. If thou canst not say with David Psal. 69.9▪ The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me. As if he had said, The words that are spoken against thee, and thy holy religion are a greater burden to me, and trouble me more than anything that can be said against myself doth; certainly thou hast no zeal of God in thee at all.

Now though all this be true that you have heard; though the civil virtues [ 3] and moral parts that are in thee be good things in themselves and pleasing unto God; yet cannot all thy civility, thy just dealing, thy care thou hast of thy word, thy kindness and good nature, thy mercifulness and readiness to help them that have need, yield thee any true comfort at all, till thou be in Christ; and knowest that through him thy sins are pardoned, and thou art in favor with God. For this we have evident proof in the example of sundry, who though they had these civil virtues in them, yet are branded by the Holy Ghost for most unhappy men, and such as none of us would be in their case for all the world. The Pharisee could boast, Luke 18.11. that he was neither extortioner, nor unjust in his dealings with men, that he was no adulterer nor filthy person. How dutiful a child was Esau to his father, how careful to please him, how fearful to offend him? As you may read, Gen. 27.31, 41. and 28.8. Of how bountiful a disposition and free from covetousness? When Jacob brought him a royal present, he refused it and said Gen. 33.9. I have enough my brother, keep that thou hast unto thyself. And where shall we read of such an example of kind-heartedness and pitifulnesse and aptness to forgive an insolent, and proud, and inveterate enemy as we have in Ahab towards Benhadad 1 King. 20.31.34? And what man in the world could ever live a more unblameable and honest life, than that rich man Mat. 19.20. that had kept all the commandments of the second Table from his very youth to that day? Of whom yet our Savior giveth us just cause to judge (by that fearful sentence he giveth upon that occasion of all that trust in their riches) that he could never get to heaven. But the example of the Apostle Paul may serve instead of a thousand for this point. Never did man live a more unblameable life, nor excel in all civil and moral righteousness, than he did when he was a natural man. Insomuch as he saith of himself, Phil. 3.4. If any other man thinketh he hath whereof he may trust in the flesh, much more I. And Verse 6. he saith that touching the righteousness which is in the law, he had been blameless. But did he find any sound comfort in all this? No, no, when God opened his eyes, and let him see his own estate, he found himself to be a most wretched man for all his moral righteousness. O saith he, there was not a viler wretch in the world than I was for all that. Of all the sinners in the world (saith he 1 Tim. 1.15.) I was the chief. He esteemed no better of all his civil righteousness than of dung, that he might win Christ, which he knew he could never do, so long as he put any confidence in that, till he renounced and loathed that. And so will it be with everyone of you (beloved) when God shall be pleased to open your eyes as he did his servant Paul's ; you will see then your case is most wretched for all your civil honesty; you will see that you that took yourselves to be such honest and just men, are the chief of sinners; you will see that though (as you have heard) your just dealing with men, your fidelity, your kindness and mercifulness are in themselves good things and pleasing to God, yet God is never a whit the better pleased with you for them. They that are in the flesh (in their natural estate, unregenerated, unconverted by the Word and Spirit saith the Apostle, Rom. 8.8.) cannot please God. Nothing that is in them, nothing that they do can please God. And Heb. 11.6. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Till by a lively faith thou knowest thyself to be in Christ, thou canst have no hope that anything thou dost doth please God.

Two evident reasons there be for this.

[ 1] First, because Christ is the only fountain of all true goodness. As the branch (saith our Savior himself John. 15.4.) cannot hear fruit unless it abide in the vin • , no more can ye except ye abide in me. And Vers. 5. Without me ye can do nothing. Till by faith we are engrafted into Christ, we can bear no good fruit.

[ 2] Secondly, Because whatsoever the natural man doth, though it be for the substance of the action good (as I have shown you it is) because it is commanded of God, yet he doth it not well, that is, with a good heart, and therefore cannot please God in his doing of it. For the Lord is pleased with nothing that we do, unless it be done with a good heart. The Lord looketh to the heart, saith he, 1 Sam. 16.7. Give to every man (saith Solomon in his prayer at the dedication of the temple, 1 King. 8 39.) according to his ways whose heart thou knowest (As if he had said, As thou seest his heart to be) for thou even thou only knowest the hearts of all the children of men. Now no natural man, no man that is out of Christ, can possibly do any good thing with a good heart. For, it is faith that purifieth the heart, Acts 15.9. And nothing is done with a good heart, that is not done out of love to God and care to please him. By this we know (saith the Apostle, 1 John. 5.2.) that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. Observe two things in these words. 1. That we can never love our neighbor aright unless we first love God; and the love we bear to our neighbor doth proceed and grow from the love we bear to God. 2. That we can never do anything that God hath commanded us well and with a good heart, till we first love God, and do it out of love unto him. Now no natural man can do that that he doth in love to God and care to please him, but out of self-love and by-respects. For if he did, he would love God's Word; he would make conscience of one commandment of God as well as of another, specially of the commandments of the first Table which are the greatest commandments, Mat. 21.38. Nay it is not possible for any man truly to love the Lord, till he be first by faith persuaded of God's love to him in Christ. It is faith that worketh by love, saith the Apostle, Galat. 5.6. We love him (saith the Apostle, 1 John. 4 19.) because he loved us first. And what love of God to us is it that breedeth in us a true love to him again? Surely not his common love, but when we once know by faith that he so loved us that he gave his Son for us, then we shall truly love him, and out of love keep his commandments, and never till then. Herein is love (saith the Apostle, 1 Job. 4.10.) not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

And thus you see no natural man can find sound comfort in any goodness that is in him, or done by him.

Lecture CXXXIV. On Psalm 51.7. Decemb. 8. 1629.

IT followeth now that we show the truth of this third Motive in that goodness also that is to be found in many an hypocrite. And in the handling of this we will observe the same method that we did in the former.

First, It cannot be denied but there is some goodness to be found in many an hypocrite, yea much more goodness is to be found in him, than in the mere natural man. This will evidently appear unto you in three points.

First, The goodness of the civil and moral man is seen only in the duties [ 1] of the second Table, and exercised towards man; he is all for man, just, kind, merciful, unblameable towards man; but he is nothing for God, careless of that service that is done directly and immediately unto him. But the hypocrites goodness is seen most in the duties of the first Table, and shown in such things as do more directly and immediately concern the Lord himself. And these are (doubtless) the chief duties. The first Table is the first and the great commandment, as our Savior himself calleth it, Matth. 22.38.

Secondly, The civil man's goodness is moved and guided only by the [ 2] dim light of nature, or by the opinion, and custom, and example of men. But the hypocrite is directed and moved by a far more clear and excellent light, even by the light of the Word. The Word and the Ministry thereof hath wrought a change in him and drawn him to do that that he doth. As it is said of Herod Mark 6.20. that when he heard John he did many things ; Yea he is (in some sort) made partaker of the Holy Ghost, as the Apostle speaketh, Heb. 6.4.

[ 3] And from hence ariseth a third difference, That the goodness that is in many an hypocrite doth more nearly resemble the goodness that is in the regenerate man, and is more hardly distinguished and differenced from it, than the goodness of the civil man doth; as is evident by the daily complaints of many a good foul.

I will instance but in five particulars, wherein you may see how much goodness there may be in the man that is but an hypocrite, above that that there is in the mere natural man, be he never so civil and moral a man.

[ 1] The first is his affection to the Word of God and the Ministry thereof. Many an hypocrite will constantly hear and frequent the best Ministry. Yea he will hear with joy, and delight in the best means whereby he may come to the knowledge of God's will. They seek me daily (saith the Lord of such, Esa. 58.2.) and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness (as if they were the uprightest hearted people in the world) they ask of me the ordinances of justice, they take delight in approaching unto God. Yea he will commend and extol the best Preachers, and profess great love unto them. They come unto thee, (saith the Lord to Ezekiel, Ezek. 33.31, 32. And he was certainly no flatterer, no man-pleaser, he was a most faithful and powerful Teacher, They come unto thee, saith the Lord) as the people cometh (as far as any, as constantly as any of my people use to come) and sit before thee as my people, yea they show much love with their mouth, and thou art to them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice. As if he should say, O how they will admire thee, with what delight they will hear thee? Thou art never tedious unto them though thou be never so long. Now there is no such thing as this in the civil man. He careth not a rush for the sound Ministry of the Word; nay he despiseth it, and counteth them all fools that make such reckoning of it.

[ 2] The second point wherein he showeth his goodness is his constancy in prayer. You shall see how many an hypocrite keep a constant course in prayer; and that not in ordinary prayer only, but even in extraordinary too. Of the Pharisee we read Luk. 18.12. that he fasted twice a week. And for seventy years together the hypocritical Jews keep a solemn fast constantly four times a year, as you may find by comparing Zach. 7.5. & 8.19. together. And in this point also the civil man cometh far short of him. He seldom or never prayeth, unless it be in his bed when he is between sleeping and waking; ye shall have no prayer in his family, you shall see him sit down and rise up from his meat like a brute beast; without ever lifting up his eyes or heart unto him in prayer, that hath given him his food, and without whose blessing when he hath eaten it, it can do him no good. Much less doth he ever use to pray in secret unto God; and as for keeping a religious fast, he knoweth not what belongeth to it.

[ 3] Thirdly, Many an hypocrite is a strict observer of the Sabbath Day; he will not travel, he will not do any worldly business of his calling upon that Day. The Ruler of the Synagogue (whom our Savior himself calleth hypocrite Luke 13.15.) with great indignation and zeal reproveth the people for travelling and coming to be healed on the Sabbath Day; and telleth them Luke 13.14. that there were six days in which men ought to work, in them therefore they should come to be healed, and not upon the Sabbath Day. And the hypocritical Jews blame the poor man greatly, whom Christ had cured at the pool of Bethesda for carrying away his bed upon the Sabbath Day. It is the Sabbath Day (say they to him John. 5.10.) It is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. On the other side, the civil honest man careth not for the Sabbath at all. Though the respect he hath to his credit, and because he will be neighbourlike, bring him to Church sometimes (if he live where the fashion is to do so) yet hath he no zeal for the Sabbath, it never troubleth him to see it profaned by others; nay he putteth no difference between it and another day for any business he hath, so far forth as he may do it without discredit and danger. And as for going abroad to visit his friends, or to send his servants forth about any business, he thinketh it the fittest day in all the week.

Fourthly, You shall have many an hypocrite that loveth the sincerity of [ 4] religion, and hateth Popery, will-worship and idolatry, with all the relics and monuments of it. Thou abhorrest idols, saith the Apostle to the hypocritical Jew, Rom. 2.22. On the other side, He loveth the sincerity of religion, and glorieth greatly in this, that he professeth the Gospel and serveth God according to his Word. Thou makest thy boast of the law, saith the Apostle of such, Rom. 2.23. But so doth not the moral man; all religions are alike to him, if they be commanded by authority. He willingly walketh after the commandment, as the Prophet speaketh of Ephraim, Hos. 5.11. He seeth no great hurt in Popery; he loveth their rites and inventions with all his heart. And of all religions he liketh that best that hath most of them. In which respect the Apostle calleth God's own ceremonial law a carnal commandment, Heb. 7.16. and carnal ordinances, Hebr. 9.10. because they are so agreeable to the disposition and liking of a carnal and natural man.

Fifthly and lastly, Many an hypocrite goeth a great deal further in the reformation [ 5] of his life, than your civil man doth. Many of them have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as the Apostle speaketh 2 Pet. 2.20. As if he should say, even that superficial knowledge they have of Christ and of the Gospel, hath made them leave many sins, not gross sins, but even such as are small in comparison of others (as the least oaths, wanton words, games that are doubtful or of evil report, &c.) The hypocritical Pharisee (as our Savior telleth us, Luk. 11.42.) would not fail in the tything of mint and rue, or the least herb that grew in his garden: and stood much upon this, made great conscience of it, as you shall find Luke 18.12. I give tithes (saith he) of all that I possess. Whereas your civil man maketh no bones of such petty sins (as he calleth them) but counteth them all precise fools that make any scruple of them.

Now all these things that I hvae noted to be in some hypocrites are certainly all of them in themselves excellent good things. 1. To frequent constantly the sound Ministry of the Word: 2. To hear the Word not drowsily and heavily, but with delight; 3. To love and commend good Preachers; 4. To use prayer constantly; 5. To be zealous for the Sabbath, and make conscience of travelling or doing any worldly business on that day; 6. To love the sincerity of religion, and hate will-worship and idolatry; 7. Lastly, To abstain from the smallest sins, and even from all appearance of evil; All these (I say) are very good things; Neither may any man dislike and despise these things (as alas too many do) because they have been found in the practice of some notorious hypocrites.

Let no man that hath heard me this day teach that these things are to be found in some hypocrites, rejoice in his heart (as I fear some of you will) and say, these gadders after Sermons, these holy brethren that stand so much upon sincerity, and can abide nothing that savors of Popery, these precise fools that must be singular forsooth, that dare not swear by small oaths, were all well taxed today. We see they are no better than hypocrites; all these things have been found in hypocrites we hear. Let no man (I say) say so. For though these things have been found in some hypocrites; yet are they no signs to know an hypocrite by; neither are they all hypocrites that do thus; neither is an hypocrite that doth thus, an hypocrite for that cause, because he doth thus. But thou in scorning any man for this very thing, because he maketh profession of religion, because he goeth to Sermons, because he useth prayer, and so seemeth more holy than his neighbors, because he is scrupulous in the smallest thing that he thinketh to be a sin, bewrayest the profaneness of thine own heart, and openest thy mouth against heaven, as the Prophet speaketh, Psal. 73.9.

All these five things that I have instanced in, are such things as God is highly pleased with, and hath promised great reward unto; as I will show you particularly.

[ 1] First, It is a singular good thing to love and delight in the sound Ministry of the Word, and such a thing as a Christian may take much comfort in. Great peace have they (saith David, Psal. 119.165.) that love thy Law, (And by the Law and Word of God, the same thing is meant throughout that Psalm) and nothing shall offend them. And on the other side, That man can have no true goodness in him, that hath no love to the Word, that careth not for it. For, faith cometh by hearing of the Word, as the Apostle saith, Rom. 10.17. Yea he must needs be in a most woeful estate though he feel it not. For, He that turneth away his ear from hearing the Law (saith the Holy Ghost Prov. 28.9.) even his prayer shall be abomination. And what shall other his actions be, if his prayer be so?

[ 2] Secondly, It is a singular good thing also to use prayer constantly. The Holy Ghost praiseth Cornelius for this Acts 10.2 that he prayed unto God always. As if he should have said, He kept a constant course in prayer. He that useth it must needs receive a blessing from God by it. This is so ordinary a thing with God, to bless them much that pray much, that our Savior saith Matth. 7.8. Everyone that asketh receiveth. It is said of Obed-Edom 2 Sam. 6.11. that while the Ark of God continued in his house the Lord blessed him and all his household. And the blessing that he received by it was so sensible and apparent, that others were able to take notice and to tell David of it. It was told to David (saith the holy story 2 Sam. 6.12) that the Lord had blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that pertained unto him, because of the ark of God. And certainly there is no family where prayer and God's Worship is constantly used morning and evening, but the whole family useth to receive a blessing by it. Yea God hath been wont to show such respect unto this duty, that he hath oft rewarded it, and given a blessing unto it (a temporal blessing I mean) not only when it hath been performed by his own faithful servants with a good heart, but even when it hath been used also by such as have had no truth of grace in them at all. As appeareth in the example both of Iehoabaz the King of Israel, 2 King. 13.4, 5, and of the mariners, Ion. 1.14, 15. And on the other side, as they can have no true goodness in them but are Atheists in heart that use not to pray, Psal. 14.14. The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God; He calleth not upon God ; so the many houses where no prayer is used seem to prosper as well as any other do, yet certainly God hath given sentence already against them in that Prophetical prayer which we read Ier. 10.25. Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not, and upon the families that call not on thy Name. There wanteth nothing but that God give order for the execution of this sentence which he hath already given against them; which how soon and in what manner he will do it, is known only to himself, no man can tell.

Lecture CXXXV. On Psalm 51.7. Decemb. 22. 1629.

IT followeth now that we confirm the same unto you in the other three particulars.

And for the third. Although there be (as I shown you) some hypocrites that seem to be strict observers of the Sabbath Day; yet is that no sign of an [ 3] hypocrite, neither is the conscionable and precise observation of the Sabbath to be misliked ever a whit the more for that. For, it is a singular good thing to be strict in the observation of the Sabbath, and such a thing as God is highly pleased with, and hath been wont to reward wheresoever he findeth it. I will give you a full proof of this in one particular.

To keep a bodily rest upon that day from all our own works, is but one particular that is required of us in the observation of the Sabbath. Nay, that is (as I may say) but the outside of the commandment, and concerneth only the outward man, the outward and bodily observation of it. Of the fourth commandment (as well as of all the rest) that may truly be said which the Apostle speaketh Rom. 7.14. of the whole Law. We know (saith he) that the law is spiritual. The spiritual observation of it by the inward man, when we call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, as the Prophet speaketh Esa 58.13. That is; When we can joy in that day, as in the Lord's own holy Day, and esteem it in our heart a far greater and more honorable Day than any other day, keeping the rest and performing the duties of the Day cheerfully, reverently, conscionably, spiritually: This spiritual observation of it (I say) by the inward man, is the chief thing that God requireth of us in the fourth commandment. The outward and bodily observation of it (which may be performed by a man that hath no truth of grace in him at all) is nothing in God's account in comparison of this. And yet of this bodily observation of the Sabbath by the outward man, the resting from our own works is but the least part. The exercising of ourselves upon that day in doing of the Lord's work, the spending of it in such holy duties both public and private as may breed and increase grace and sanctification in us, is a greater matter and more pleasing to God a great deal than that is. No man may think he hath kept the Sabbath well, because he resteth from all the labors of his calling upon that Day: So far forth the brute beast, thy ox, and thy horse keepeth the Sabbath as well as thou. For, so is the express commandment, Deuteronomy 5.14. Neither thy ox, nor thy asse, nor any of thy cattle, shall do any work upon that Day. Of thee that art a man, and a Christian man, God requireth more than so: He will have thee not only to rest from thine own labors, but to spend the Day (so far as thy bodily necessity will permit) in such religious duties as may make thee a more holy and a better man. The Hebrew word Sabbat (from whence the Sabbath Day received the name) signifieth not such a rest as wherein one sitteth still and doth nothing (as the word Noah doth) but only a resting and ceasing from that which he did before. So God is said Genesis 2.2. to have rested the seventh Day, not that he rested from all works; For, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work, saith our Savior John 5.17. but because he rested from all the work that he had made, as Moses saith there. As if he had said, He rested from creating anything more. And so we likewise are expressly commanded to rest upon the Sabbath not from all works, but from such works as we did and might do upon the six days. God never allowed us any day to spend in idleness and doing of nothing; specially not that day. But he hath appointed us works and duties for that Day, which he would have us as careful to go about them, as we are upon any other day to go about the works of our calling; and when we are at them, to perform them with every whit as much diligence and care to do them well, as we do any work we take in hand upon the six days. Let no man say, what would you have us to do, if we may do no business upon the Sabbath? Would you have us spend the time in sleeping, or talking, or sitting at our doors, or walking abroad? How would you have us pass the time for the whole day? To such a one I answer, Thou hast so much work to do, as if thou wert as thou shouldst be, thou wouldst complain that thou wantest time to do it. And yet this work that God hath enjoined us to spend this day in, hath such interchange and variety in it, as no good hearth hath cause with those carnal professors Malachi 1.13. to snuff at it and to cry, behold what a weariness it is, how • edious and toilsome a thing it is to keep the Sabbath as these men would have us to do? But the true Christian findeth just cause to call the Sabbath a delight (as the Prophet speaketh Esa 58.13.) for all this work and labor that God hath enjoined us in it. We have public duties to perform on that day in God's house. And both the family-duties and secret duties which we are bound to perform every day, are (by the equity of that law Numbers 28.9, 10.) to be doubled upon the Sabbath Day. And in very deed the Lord hath for that very cause (chiefly) commanded us to rest from all our own work upon the Sabbath Day, that we might the better attend upon, and profit by these holy works, these duties of piety and religion which are the proper works of that Day. For, that is the chief end that the Sabbath was ordained for. Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy (saith the Lord in the fourth commandment, Exodus 20.8. And Deutero • omie 5.12.) Keep the Sabbath Day to sanctify it. And I gave them my Sabbaths (saith the Lord Ezekiel 20.12.) to be a sign betwixt me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them. As if he had said, He remembereth not, nor keepeth the Sabbath, he regardeth it not, nor careth for it (how strict soever he be in resting from his own labors) that keepeth it not holy, that spendeth in not in such religious duties as wherein we may know and feel by experience, that it is the Lord who (by his ordinances) doth sanctify him, who doth both begin and increase grace in his soul. And yet though this be so; though the bodily observation of the Sabbath and that that is performed by the outward man only be nothing in God's account in comparison of the spiritual observation of it with the heart and inward man; and though our resting from our own labors in that Day, be the least part even of the outward and bodily observation of it; Yet see what account the Lord maketh even of that, and how highly he is pleased with it. This will sufficiently appear unto you in that promise the Lord hath made unto it, Ier. 17.24—26. wherein he plainly declareth, that the flourishing estate both of Church and Common-wealth dependeth greatly even upon this; even upon the strict observing of the bodily rest from our own works upon the Lord's holy Day. Two things are to be observed in this promise. 1. The duty unto which the promise is made, ver. 24. If ye diligently hearken unto me, saith the Lord, to bring in no burden through the gates of the City on the Sabbath Day, but hallow the Sabbath Day to do no work therein. As if he should say, If ye carefully look to this, that no burdens, no carriages go in and out at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath Day, that the Sabbath may be but so far hallowed that no work be suffered to be done upon that Day. You see the promise is made even unto the bodily rest; even unto so much as an hypocrite and carnal man may perform; and which every Magistrate, and Master, and Father hath power to compel such unto as are under their government; Even to this (I say) the promise is made. Then secondly observe the blessing and reward that is promised even unto this, and that is twofold. The first concerneth the common-wealth and civil state, Verse 25. Then shall there enter into the gates of this City Kings and Princes sitting upon the Throne of David, riding in chariots, and upon horses, they and their Princes, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and this City shall remain forever. As if he should say, I will maintain the honor and dignity, the wealth and strength, the peace and safety of this State and Kingdom. The second blessing that is promised concerneth the Church and State of Religion, Verse 26. And they shall come from the Cities of Judah, and from the places about Jerusalem, &c. As if he should say, My solemn assemblies shall be duly frequented, there shall be no sects and heresies, no schism or separation, I will continue mine own worship and the purity of my holy Religion among you.

You see (beloved) by this one place how much God is pleased even with the outward rest from our own works upon the Sabbath Day; and what a happiness it would bring both to the Church and Common-wealth, if even that were observed.

On the other side, it is worth the noting how all public judgments and common calamities that ever befell God's people are imputed by the Holy Ghost to no one sin more than to the profanation of the Sabbath, yea even to the neglect of this outward rest from our own works on that day. If you compare 2 Chronicles 36.21. with Leviticus 26.34, 35. you shall find this noted for a chief cause of that miserable captivity that God's people did endure in Babylon, Because the land did not rest in your Sabbaths (saith the Lord) when ye dwelt upon it. And Nehemiah telleth them so much after their return from that captivity, Nehemiah 13.18. that God did bring all the evil that was come upon them and upon Jerusalem, because their fathers had profaned the Sabbath so as they then did. How was that? Surely they suffered men to tread wine-presses on the Sabbath (a work that is not in use among us, but our grinding of corn and making of malt is equivalent unto it) and they suffered men to go in and our with burdens and carriages, and to buy and sell wares upon the Sabbath, as you shall find Verse 15, 16 of that Chapter. And these are the things of which he saith Verse 18. Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this City? And look what hath been said of every Church and Kingdom, that the flourishing estate or ruin thereof dependeth greatly upon the observation or neglect even of this outward rest; the same may be also said (doubtless) of every town and family, and particular person, that their welfare and undoing dependeth much upon this. Never was any man made the poorer by the strict observation of the Sabbath Day; by refusing to buy or sell, or do any of his worldly business upon that Day. But the more conscionable any man is in resting from all his own works upon that Day, the more plentiful a blessing he shall be sure to receive from God upon the labors of his calling in the six days. And it is not thine own labor or toiling, but the blessing of God that maketh rich when all is done, as Solomon teacheth us, Proverbs 10.22. I know well that the worldly man cannot believe this, but thinketh this would be the way to undo him. How should I live (saith he) if I should do no business on the Sabbath Day? I cannot maintain my charge by going to Church and doing nothing for a whole day. But mark I pray you how God answereth these men, Leviticus 25. The Lord gave his people then a commandment to keep every seventh year a Sabbath all the year long, thus far forth The seventh year shall be a Sabbath of rest to the land (saith the Lord there, verse 4, 5.) a Sabbath for the Lord, thou shalt neither sow thy field nor prune thy vineyard ; no nor reap and gather that that grew of it own accord to thy private use (for so the 5 verse is to be understood.) And if ye shall say and object (saith the Lord, verse 20, 21.) what shall we eat the seventh year? As if he should say, How shall we live then that year, seeing we shall neither sow nor reap (As indeed they had much more reason to object this against the keeping of one year in seven, then we have against the keeping of one day in seven for a Sabbath) the Lord answereth this, verse 21. I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. So may I say to thee, Keep the Sabbath conscionably, remember the Sabbath day before it come and cast for it by dispatching before hand all that thou hast to do, as neither thou nor thy servant, may have anything left to be done upon that day, and the Lord will command his blessing upon thy labors in the six days accordingly, so as thou shalt not be impoverished ever a whit but enriched by it. On the other side the Lord hath been wont to reveal his wrath from heaven upon towns and families and upon particular persons as much for this one sin of profaning the Sabbath, as for any other. And namely by that fearful judgment of consuming fire by which specially and by name he hath in his Word threatened to punish this sin. If you will not hearken unto me (saith the Lord, Jeremiah 17.27.) to hallow my Sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem and it shall not be quenthed. And thus have I shown you in this one particular how highly God is pleased with the strict observation of the Sabbath day. And if it please him so well to see men rest from their own works upon that day (which yet as I told you is but the least thing that belongeth to the right observation of it) you may be sure he is much more pleased to see men spend that day in doing of his works, in exercising themselves in those duties of piety and mercy which he hath appointed to be done upon that day, especially in seeing them keep his Sabbaths spiritually and conscionably. Certainly they that do so, shall be sure to be blessed and rewarded of God for it. To this purpose it is worth the observing that as our Savior saith, Mark 2. • 7. that the Sabbath was at the first made for man, for the great benefit and behoove of man. Man could not (no not Adam in his innocence) have been without it, but with great danger and loss unto him; So the Holy Ghost saith that twice of the Sabbath, Gen. 2.3. and Exodus 20.11. that he never said of any other day, that the Lord blessed that day ; that is, appointed it to be a mean of a greater blessing to man (if he keep it as God hath commanded him to do) then any other day, or any of the ordinary works of any other day can possibly be.

Two sorts of blessings there be which the conscionable observer of the Sabbath shall be sure to receive by it.

The first are spiritual. And they indeed are the chief blessings of [ 1] all, because they are durable and everlasting; and because they concern the soul, which is the chief and most precious part of man. And for these was the Sabbath chiefly ordained, that God might by it in the use of his ordinances enrich our souls with spiritual blessings in heavenly things. So the Lord saith, Ezekiel 20.12. that he gave his Sabbaths to his people to that end that they might know that he was the Lord that sanctified them. We shall know and find that the Lord will sanctify us, both begin and increase saving grace in our hearts, if we keep the Sabbath conscionably. Yea the Lord hath promised, Esa. 56.6, 7. to everyone, that keepeth his Sabbath from polluting it, that he will make them joyful in his house of prayer. And Esa. 58.13, 14. that if a man shall keep the Sabbath heartily and spiritually then he shall delight himself in the Lord. By these two places it appeareth that God hath bound himself by promise to them that keep his Sabbath (not only to work sanctification, increase of holiness, and power over their corruptions which he professeth in that former place of Ezekiel was the very end he gave his Sabbath for, but also) by his spirit of adoption to increase in their hearts a lively sense of his favor, assurance that he heareth and accepteth their prayers, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost; which are blessings the Christian soul prizeth above all things in the world.

Why (may you say) may not a man receive increase of grace and spiritual comfort in the use of God's ordinances on any other day, but only on the Sabbath?

I answer, Yes verily; but these promises may give him assurance to receive them more richly and plentifully upon the Sabbath then on any other day.

The second sort of blessings that the conscionable observers of the Sabbath receive by it, are temporal; For concerning them also we have a promise, [ 3] Esa. 58.14. that he that heartily and spiritually keepeth the Sabbath God will cause him to ride upon the high places of the earth (he shall have honor and esteem in the world so far as it shall be good for him) and he will feed him with the heritage of Jacob ; that is, he shall continue and abide safely in the land of Canaan, which God promised to Jacob for his inheritance, Gen. 28.13.48.4. Yea the Lord will nourish and feed them, he shall eat the good things of the land, as the Lord promiseth, Esa. 1.19. to all that yield willing obedience unto him.

Lecture CXXXVI. On Psalm 51.7. December 29. 1629.

IT followeth now that we make some application of that which we have heard touching the Sabbath; and so proceed unto the two last particulars of those five, which I have proved to be in many a man, that is no better then an hypocrite.

And that which I have to say by way of application, is first of all more general and concerneth all other persons and places as well as this; secondly more special, and concerneth this place principally.

Of all I may say ô that God would give us hearts to believe that which [ 1] we have heard taught us concerning the observation of the Sabbath day, out of the Word of God, by which we must be all judged at the great and dreadful day, as our Savior assureth us, John 12.48. O that we could believe that the surest way to make our Church and State to flourish; to secure us from enemies abroad and Papists at home, to maintain God's Gospel and the purity of his religion amongst us; that the surest way to make our Towns and families and persons to prosper and do well, were to keep the Lord's rest upon his holy day. If we could believe this, then would we be the more careful to keep the Sabbath better ourselves, and then would we do what lieth in us that it might be better kept by others also. I know our corrupt hearts are apt to have in them many reasonings against the strict observation of the Sabbath day. And these imaginations and reasonings that we have in us against the truth of God, the Apostle, 2 Cor. 10.4, 5. calleth strong holds and high things that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. But of all these strong holds and high things, I may say as our Savior saith in another case and another sense speaking of the faith of miracles, Matth. 17.20. If we had but as much faith as a grain of musterd seed, but a little faith to believe the promises and threatenings that we have heard concerning the observation or neglect of the Sabbath, we might easily remove all these mountains out of our way. Diverse notable good laws we have had made of late years for the better observation of the Sabbath day. Some to restrain men from doing their own works; some other to compel men to do the Lord's work by frequenting diligently the Church assemblies upon that day. And blessed be God that hath given that heart to our King and State to make such laws. In respect whereof it may be fitly said of them as Deborah speaketh in another case, Judge. • .9. My heart is towards the governors of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the people, Bless ye the Lord. The hearts of all God's people should be towards the governors of Israel, for showing themselves so willing to provide for the sanctifying of the Lord's Sabbath, we should all bless the Lord for them. The whole land (I nothing doubt) fareth the better and hath had the tranquility thereof lengthened the rather, even by the zeal that our governors have shown in this point towards God, and towards his house. But that which is said of the days of King Iehos • phat, 2 Chron. 20.32, 33. may fitly be applied to our times, Jehoshaphat did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. Howbeit the high places were not taken away, for as yet the people did not prepare their hearts unto the God of their fathers. Our gracious King in Parliament hath done that which is right in the sight of the Lord, in making these good laws. Howbeit the Sabbath is still in most places shamefully profaned, these good laws are not executed; for the people do not prepare their hearts unto God, they have no heart to his honor or service at all. And indeed in nothing doth it better appear that the hearts of the people generally are not prepared unto God, but utterly alienated and estranged from him then in this; that when they have but the least color and semblance of law to justify any of their unwarantable practices whereby they may trouble any of their brethren, and devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land as the Prophet speaketh, Psal. 35.20. there they will seem wondrous zealous for the laws and press them hotly, they frame their mischief by a law as the Prophet speaketh, Psal. 94.20. they pretend nothing so much for their deadly hatred against others that are innocent as that they do not obey the law. This was Haman's outcry against God's people in his time, Est. 3.8, These keep not the kings laws ; And of Daniel's adversaries against him, Dan. 6.13. He regardeth not thee ô king, nor the decree that thou hast signed. And of those lewd fellows of the baser sort which we read of, Acts 17.5, 7. against Paul and the brethren with him. These all (say they) do contrary to the decrees of Caesar. Whereas I say to color their malice against God and his people they seem zealous for the law & for the Magistrate; Let the Magistrate make laws that tend most directly to the honor of God, that concern the weightiest matters of God's law (as our gracious Jehoshaphat hath done for the observation of the Sabbath, for the punishment of swearing, for the suppressing of the multitude and disorders of ale-houses, the very chief nurseries of all profaneness and impiety) these laws you shall find they have no zeal for at all; they will never count a man the worse subject for breaking of them; they count it a most odions thing for any man (yea though he be an officer that is bound by his oath to do it) to seek or urge the execution of these laws against any offender. And so much may serve for that part of my application which is more general.

The other part I must direct to you of this Town and Congregation more specially. And yet not so to them of this Town as if I thought none of you that hear me were to be blamed for these faults that I shall now reprove but only they of this Town; but because myself have discerned them and been grieved and troubled in my soul for them in this place more then in any other.

But before I begin this part of my application, let me (by way of preface) [ 2] use a word or two that it may do you the more good. I know well to some hearers all that we use to say in reproof of sin is wont to be very unsavory and harsh, specially if it be any whit particular and sharp. But I may not forbear it because of that. Remember I pray you what a necessity is laid upon us that are God's Ministers to reprove the sins that we discern to be in any of you. There is nothing we are more straitly charged with by the Lord then to reprove sin plainly and particularly and vehemently too. And I much fear that we are all to blame in neglecting this part of our duty so much as we do. I will give you but two places for this, one in the Old Testament, and another in the New. The first is Esa. 58.1. Observe four points in that charge. 1. Cry aloud, it must be done feelingly and with affection. 2. Spare not, it must be done without partiality. 3. Lift up thy voice like a trumpet, it must be done zealously and vehemently. 4. Shew my people their transgressions and the house of Jacob their sins, it must be done plainly and particularly. The other place is 2 Tim. 4.1, 2. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and dead at his appearing, and in his kingdom: preach the Word, be instant, in season, and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. Observe three things in this place. 1. That this duty of our ministry is twice pressed upon us, reprove, rebuke. 2. That we are charged to be instant in it 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 stand much upon it. 3. With what a charge this is pressed upon us, verse 1. As if he should say, Thou canst never answer it unto God, and unto Jesus Christ at the day of judgment, if thou do it not. Ye see what a commission and charge we have and that there is nothing more pertinent to our ministry, then plainly and roundly to reprove sin. If we see any sin among you, and discover it not, reprove it not, the Lord telleth us plainly, Ezek. 3.18. that he will require your blood at our hands. But if we discharge our duty this way, though you will not be reclaimed and leave your sin (as I fear many of you whose sin I shall now reprove will not) yet we have delivered our own souls, as the Lord telleth us, verse 19. Yea the Lord observeth this in the false Prophets as a chief note of an unfaithful Minister, Lam. 2.14. They have not discovered thine iniquity unto thee, saith he. Howsoever therefore you take it, you see we must do our duty. And of sundry of you, I make no doubt but you will be ready to say of that which I shall deliver unto you out of God's Word, against any of your sins, as good Hezekiah did in the like case, 2 King. 20.19. The Word of the Lord is good, Whatsoever is taught me by good warrant of God's Word though it be never so much to my reproach and shame is good, and I will receive it and yield unto it. And indeed if you yield to God's Word and reform yourselves in those things that shall be reproved by it, the reproof that shall be given will be nothing to your reproach but to your credit, and honor rather. For so saith the Holy Ghost, Pro. 25.12. As an earing of gold and an ornament of fine gold; so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear. As if he should say, No Jewel can so much adorn and beautify a Christian, as this will do, when he can receive and submit himself to the word of reproof, that is wisely given and by good warrant of God's Word. And upon this ground I will now proceed.

Of this Town myself can say that I have known the time, when it did shine as a light to all the country, and was famous among the Churches of Christ for the religious observation of the Sabbath day. And to this day (blessed be God) for the means of sanctifying the Sabbath by the public ministry in our Church assemblies, I dare say it is little or nothing behind any other Church in the country. And of many of the people also I may say that they do as diligently frequent them; and our Congregations on the Lord's day both in the forenoon and afternoon too, are as full and populous as can lightly be found in any other place. And yet for all that by many amongst us the Sabbath is as much profaned in all the three branches of the commandment touching the right observation of it, which I told you of the last day, as it is (I think) in any part of all the country besides.

[ 1] The first and chief thing that God requireth in the observation of his Sabbath, is this, That we keep his rest and perform the duties of his worship that day cheerfully and reverently and spiritually. The true worshippers (saith our Savior, John. 4.23. shall worship the father in spirit and in truth; for the father seeketh such to worship him. And on the other side he telleth us, Matth. 15.8, 9. that they who when they seem to worship God have their hearts far from him, worship him in vain. It is but a mock worship when men will seem to serve him and have no heart to it at all.

And against this first branch we have many amongst us that do transgress notoriously. Many that frequent our Church-assemblies on the Sabbath day ordinarily and constantly, seem to be hearers of the Word upon that day, yet make open profession when they are here that they have no delight in it, as the Prophet speaketh of them in his time, Jeremiah 6.10. they have no heart to it at all. You shall hardly come into any Church upon a Sabbath day where you shall see so many sleepers old and young, yea such as would be thought to be of chief credit among their neighbors not for moral honesty only but even for religion too. And this I have (to my grief) heard many strangers observe and wonder at.

I know many of you will be apt to say, Is that such a matter for a man (an ancient man especially) to be a little sleepy and drowsy sometimes? And that it is not well done of me thus openly to disgrace men for their weaknesses and infirmities.

But to such I answer, First, I do not publish or lay open any man's secret or private faults. I speak of a sin that is public and open to the Congregation. Of a sin of which it may be said as the Prophet speaketh, Esa. 3.9. They declare their sin as Sodom they hide it not. And it is the Apostles rule, 1 Tim. 5.20. Them that sin thus rebuke openly. Secondly, I speak of a sin that is so grown into fashion here, in so common and general use, that no man seemeth to count it any shame at all to him to do it. Were they ashamed (saith the Prophet, Ier. 8.12.) nay they were not at all ashamed neither could they blush. Thirdly, I speak of a sin that (together with the profaneness of the children in laughing out and sporting and fighting in the Church ordinarily every Sabbath day) is a great blemish to our Church assemblies, and such as may provoke the Lord to say of them as he doth of those, Esa. 1.13. The Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies I cannot away with, it is iniquity even the solemn meetings. 4. To be overtaken with drowsiness and sleepiness sometimes even in the Church even at a Sermon may well be an infirmity, specially in an aged man. And I were much to blame, if I should censure any man for this rigorously. I know well the Apostles rule, Gal. 6.1. If any man be overtaken with a fault (a frailty and infirmity, he meaneth) ye that are spiritual restore such a one, in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself least thou also be tempted. And what man is there that is not subject to natural infirmities? But if thy sleeping were only an infirmity, thou wouldest not be so pleased with thyself in it; it would trouble thee more: thou wouldest by standing up and rousing thyself strive against it; thou wouldst count it a kindness in thy neighbor that sitteth next thee to jogge thee and waken thee, yea thou wouldst pray to God for help and strength against it. I know it is the ordinary plea that is made for many foul sins, the drunkard will say so too; It is but my infirmity. Callest thou these infirmities? I tell thee there is a damnable weakness and infirmity. The Lord speaking to Jerusalem who was now become an imperious whorish Woman saith Ezek. 16.30. How weak is thy heart? It was a damnable weakness. There is a spiritual spirit of infirmity, Luke 13.11. The Devil hath made thee so weak that thou canst resist no temptation, that thou art as unable to stand against temptation as the chaff is to withstand the power of the wind, Psal. 14. It is a cursed infirmity when thou art so weak as that thou canst not cease from sin, as the Apostle speaketh, 2 Pet. 2.14. But the Apostle speaking of the frailties and infirmities that were in himself, and the rest of the faithful, Rom. 7. and 8. Giveth us four notes whereby a sin of infirmity may be known from a reigning sin. The first is in the fifteenth Verse of the seventh Chapter. What I hate (saith he) that do I. He was is convinced in his judgment that it was a sin, and therefore hated it; so canst not thou say of thy sin. The second is Verse 19. The evil which I would not, that I do. His will the purpose and resolution of his heart was against it. Knowing his weakness he armed himself aforehand against it, by purposing with himself to take heed to himself that he might not fall into it, as David did, Psal. 39.1. I said, I will take heed to my ways that I sin not with my tongue, I will keep my mouth as with a bridle. He strove against it by prayer and all other good means; so canst not thou say of thy sin. The third is Verse 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death? He was much troubled and grieved when he was overtaken with it, it was a great burden to his soul; so canst not thou say of thy sin. The fourth and last is, Rom. 8.1. They that are in Christ Jesus, walk not after the flesh. It is not their custom and ordinary practice to do so; so canst not thou say of thy sin. No no, I assure thee; to sleep ordinarily a great part of the Sermon while (as many of you use to do) nay to sleep at all in the Church without shame, without fear, without stirring up yourselves; and striving against it, is more then an infirmity: it is certainly a gross sin. And God will judge thee a profaner of his Sabbaths that doest so, though thou come to Church never so diligently. Ye shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my Sanctuary, saith the Lord twice to his people Levite. 19.30.26.2. God will never account thee a keeper of his Sabbaths that showest no more reverent respect unto his Sanctuary. I tell thee there is a reverence due from the greatest man in the world, unto the Lord's Sanctuary; in three respects. 1. In respect of the people and servants of God that are met there to worship him. Despise ye the Church of God? saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.22. 2. In respect of the holy Angels who are then chiefly present with God's people and have a charge to attend them when they are assembled together to worship God, both to be as a guard unto them, as also to be witnesses and observers of their behavior then. This was tipified by the figures of the Cherubims that were carved round about upon the walls of Solomon's Temple as we read 1 King. 6.29. And more plainly taught us by the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.10. For this cause (saith he in the congregation) ought the woman to have power on her head (that is, her veil which is a sign of her husbands power and superiority over her) because of the Angels. 3. In respect of the Lord himself who is in a special sort present there where his people are assembled to worship him. Where two or three are gathered together in my Name, (saith our Savior Matth. 18.20.) There am I in the midst of them. And canst thou then call it thine infirmity to show no more reverence in such a presence, to sleep at a Sermon ordinarily without fear, without shame, when thou knowest that all these eyes are upon thee? When the people of God and the holy Angels of God, yea the Lord Himself do all look upon thee and behold thee? And so much shall serve to be said in reproof of that fault which is committed against the first branch of the commandment.

[ 2] The second branch of the fourth commandment requireth us to spend the day (so far as our bodily necessities will permit) in holy and religious duties both public and private; but specially in such as are public. Therefore we shall find that the Lord calleth the Sabbath, Levite. 23.2. a holy convocation, as if it were nothing else, as if the whole day were to be spent at Church and in keeping of holy assemblies. And indeed that place proveth well that as much time should be spent on that day in God's public worship as the conveniency, and edification of the Church will well permit. And for this we have the example of our blessed Savior who though he was able to spend the day in private duties of piety a thousand times better then ever any other man was; and though also the Church assemblies that he had then to go to, were never a whit better but worse a great deal then ours are; yet it is said Luk. 4▪16. His custom was to go to the Synagogue to the Church every Sabbath day. And yet though (as I said before) our Church assemblies be as well frequented in this Town by many as in any other place, and though there be never a Popish recusant amongst us; yet shall you hardly find in any place more Atheist recusants, more that do seldom or never come to Church, that do so ordinarily and constantly serve the Devil in the Ale-house when we are serving God here in his house, then are to be found in this Town.

[ 3] And for the third and last branch of the commandment that enjoineth us to rest from all our own works upon the Lord's day; you shall hardly find (I believe) such open profession, of profaneness and contempt of the Sabbath in children and youth in all the country as in this Town. You teach them to keep the Lord's holy day just as yourselves use to keep these holy days with more misrule and riot, then you use at any time of the year besides; and as all the Israelites did keep holy day to the golden calf. Of them it is said Exod. 32.6. That they sat down to eat and to drink and rose up to play ; and Verse 17. It is said that in their sporting and playing they kept such a shouting and noise as Moses when he heard it wondered what it should mean. And surely amongst our youth such a shouting and hollowing may be heard as a man would think there were some Bull or Bear baited in our streets every Sabbath day. Hath God threatened to burn that Town with unquenchable fire where men are allowed to do the work of their callings upon the Sabbath day (as you have heard out of Ier. 17.27.) and do you think he can endure to see his Sabbath or any part of his Sabbath spent in rioting and disorder? Specially, so openly and with so high a hand? No no be not deceived. God will not be mocked; he hateth rioting on the Sabbath, much more then he doth working on the Sabbath. As is plain by Esa. 58.13. Where in one verse he nameth and forbiddeth twice the following of our pleasures as the chief profanation of the Sabbath day.

I know some of you will think this to be great indiscretion in me to preach thus against children's faults.

But to these I have two things to answer?

[ 1] First, that God maketh not so light account of children's faults (specially not of their profaneness and contempt of Religion) as you do. And if you did believe the Scriptures, and were not Atheists in heart when you read in 2 Kings 2.23, 24. what befell the children of Bethel; you would be of my mind.

Secondly, In speaking of these faults in the youth I do not so much [ 2] reprove them, as the profaneness of their parents and governors that keep them not in, but suffer them to do so; yea of the Officers also that have power and authority to redress these things, and do nothing in it. If the names of these children and servants were taken (as it is fit they should be) many of them would be found to be the children of such parents, servants of such masters, as would be thought to be very honest men, and good Christians too. It is the hypocrisy and profaneness of these parents and masters that is the cause why their children and servants do so. The fourth commandment though it do concern and bind all men, yet is it given in charge chiefly to parents and masters of families, as is plain by the words of it, Exodus 20.10. I tell thee thou art to answer for the breach of the Sabbath that is committed by any stranger thou receivest into thy house, and much more then for that that is done by thine own child and servant. When Nehemiah saw how the Sabbath was profaned in Jerusalem by buying and selling of victuals, it is said Nehemiah 13.17. he contended with the Nobles and Governors of Judah, and blamed them for it. And be ye sure God will one day contend with you (whosoever you be) that have authority and power to redress these things, and do it not; he will charge you with all this. We have heard of a ruler of the Synagogue, Luke 13.14. that could not see the people do that which he thought to be a profanation of the Sabbath, without great indignation. O that our Magistrates and inferior officers, that our parents and masters of families had but some of his zeal for the Lord's Sabbath, that they could not without indignation see or hear of the profanation of it? Then should we (doubtless) have no such buying and selling, such loading and travelling; no such disorder and hooting in our streets; no such ordinary absenting from the Church-assemblies; no such sleeping and snorting in our Church on the Sabbath Day as we ordinarily have.

Lecture CXXXVII. On Psalm 51.7. Ian. 5. 1629.

IT followeth now that we proceed to prove that the two last points of goodness that I told you are to be found in some hypocrites, are likewise in themselves very good things, and never a whit the more to be misliked, because they are found in some such men.

And for the fourth of them. To love the sincerity and purity of God's holy religion and worship; and to hate idolatry with all false worship, is certainly [ 4] a good thing, and highly pleasing unto God.

For the first of these. No man is to be blamed for desiring to see warrant [ 1] in the Word for whatsoever he doth as a worship and service of God especially; or for being afraid to do that which he can see no warrant for in the Word of God. In nothing are we so precisely tied to the direction of the Word, as in the matters of the worship of God. The charge that is given us Deut. 12.32. What thing soever I command you observe to do it, thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it ; that is, neither do more nor less than I have commanded; that charge (I say) concerneth the matters of God's worship principally. And how highly this pleaseth God when we do nothing to worship him by, but that only that he hath given us direction for in his Word, is evident by the reason of the second commandment, Exodus 20.5, 6. Where the Lord calleth them that will observe that commandment, and will worship him only according to his own direction, and not after the will and inventions of men, (which is indeed the very sum of all that that God requireth of us in that commandment) he calleth them (I say) such as love him ; and promiseth to show mercy unto them even unto the thousand generation. And on the other side, he calleth the transgressors of that commandment, such as dote on will-worship, and on that service that is done unto him according to the inventions of men; he calleth them (I say) such as hate him, and threateneth to visit that sin of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation. Yea the Lord hath so far forth liked this sticking to the purity of his worship, and refusing to admit any mixture of human corruptions with it, in any man where he hath seen it, that he hath been wont to reward it even in them that have been no better than hypocrites. For this we have a plain proof in two notable examples, first of Rehoboam, and then in his son Abijah after him. Of Rehoboam we read 2 Chronicles 11.17. that so long as he walked in the ways of David and Solomon (that is, maintained the purity of God's worship, and received no mixture of idolatry with it) he was strong and prospered. And of Abijah it is said, 2 Chron. 13.9—1 • . that in the great battle he fought against Jeroboam, he grounded his hope of victory on nothing so much as this, that Jeroboam had corrupted God's worship, so had not be, but he had maintained the pure worship of God which he had in his Word prescribed, without any mixture or corruption at all. And accordingly God gave him a wonderful victory, and the kingdom prospered under him all his days, as you shall find from Vers. 17. to the end of that Chapter. And yet if you look into 1 King. 15.3. you shall see that neither of these two men was any better than an hypocrite.

And on the other side, for a man to hate all idolatry and everything that belongeth to it or proceedeth from it, is not to be blamed as a fault in any man, nay it is a very good thing and highly pleasing unto God. You shall see this made evident unto you out of God's Word in four particulars.

[ 1] First, Sundry worthy men are highly commended of God for it. Three only I will name unto you of whom no doubt can be made but they were all most worthy and holy men. The first is Moses, of whom we read Exodus 32.20. that he took the golden calf which Aaron and the people had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the Israelites to drink it. The second is of Josiah, of whom we read 2 King. 23.4, 6. that he burnt the very vessels that were made for Baal and the grove, and stamped it to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the idolaters. And this zealous hatred he shown not against the monuments of that idolatry only that had been committed in the worship of false gods, but even against the monuments also of Jereboam's idolatry which was committed in the false worship of the true God; as you shall see Ver. 15. Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, &c. And thirdly, of Hezekiah we read 2 King. 18.4. that he did more than so, and is highly commended of God for it. For he did not only remove the high places, and break the images, and cut down the groves, but he brake also in pieces the brazen serpent which Moses had made, and called it (in scorn and contempt) Nehushtan, a piece of brass; and all because the people had burnt incense unto it, they had abused it unto idolatry.

And why did they thus? Might not these goodly images have been retained still for the adorning and beautifying of the Temple? Might not the matter of them, and of the vessels that were used in the service of idols (being doubtless many of them of gold and silver, as is plain, Deut. 7.25.) and the wood and timber of the groves have been reserved and put to some good use, must they needs thus be burnt and stamped into powder? Alas what hurt was there (would a natural man say) in the images or groves; specially in the gold or silver, or wood of them? All the hurt was in them that did abuse them to idolatry, in the things themselves there was no hurt at all. But specially what reason had Hezekiah to use the brazen Serpent so, that was first of divine institution, and might have been profitably retained (one would have thought) for historical use to keep in remembrance the better that wonderful work of God in curing his people that had been stung with fiery Serpents by looking up unto it?

Surely, besides other reasons that concerned them especially, both Moses, Josiah, and Hezekiah did this to show their detestation to idolatry, and thought they could never have shown their detestation to it sufficiently if they had not done thus. And see how highly the Holy Ghost commendeth Hezekiah upon this very occasion, and for this thing, Vers. 5 & 6 of that Chapter.

Why but (you will say) may things that are of divine institution (as the brazen Serpent was) be rejected by us, because Idolaters have abused them?

I answer, No, if by divine institution they be to continue and remain. We may like never the worse of the Word or Sacraments, because Popish Idolaters do abuse them both. While that divine cure was to be done upon. God's people that were stung with fiery serpents, the brazen serpent was by divine institution a holy and sacred thing. After that time there was not by divine institution any holiness in it at all. If God had after that ordained that it should be kept, though but for historical use, as he did for the pot of Manna, Exodus 16.33. and for Aaron's rod, Numbers 17.10. Hezekiah would not have broken it to pieces, though the people had abused it to superstition and idolatry never so much, he would have shown his detestation to their Idolatry some other way. It had been indeed long retained in the Church (even from the days of Moses until Hezekia • s time) as a monument of God's mercy to his people, but without any such commandment of God as the other were, and therefore when it became a stumbling block and occasion of idolatry, it was lawfully removed.

Secondly, God hath in his Word commanded his people to show this detestation [ 2] unto idolatry. This commandment we have Deut. 7.25, 26. where the Lord not only commandeth his people to burn the silver and golden images of their gods, and chargeth them to take heed of desiring any of that silver, or of that gold, or of bringing any of it into their houses; but he giveth this for the reason, Thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it, for it is a cursed thing. As if he should say, any idol set up by idolaters, we must utterly detest and abhor it, for it is a cursed thing; and if any of God's people receive it, it will make him a cursed thing like unto it, as the Lord speaketh in that place. Ye see what a strange preciseness this way God requireth of his people; he would not have us so much as to name an idol without expressing our detestation to it. Make no mention of the name of other gods (saith the Lord Exodus 23.13.) neither let it be heard out of thy mouth. He would have us do what lieth in us, that the very names, the terms and phrases that idolaters have used might be utterly abolished and remembered no more. Thou shalt destroy the names of them out of that place, saith the Lord, Deut. 12.3. And the Lord promiseth this as a great mercy to his Church, Hos. 2.17. I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall be no more remembered by their names. And according to this commandment we read that when the children of Reuben came to take possession of certain cities of the Amorites that had borne the names of their idols, it is twice said of them in one verse, Numb. 32.38. that they changed the names of those cities and gave other names unto them.

[ 3] Thirdly, We shall find this oft noted by the Holy Ghost for a property of one that is truly converted and woone unto God that he hateth idolatry. Yea this is mentioned for one of the first and chief signs wherein the truth of his conversion hath manifested it self. Through thy precepts (saith David, Psalm 119.104.) I have gotten understanding, therefore I hate every false way. As if he should say, So soon as ever God's people have gotten any saving knowledge of the truth, they grow to a dislike and hatred of Idolatry and false worship presently. Two places only I will name for this though I might do many. The first is that Esa. 30.22. Where after the Lord had spoken of the effectual calling and conversion of his people in the two former verses, he mentioneth this as the first fruit and work whereby it should show and declare it self. Ye shall defile also (saith the Lord) the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold, thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth, thou shalt say unto it, get thee hence. As if he had said, Thou shalt loath them and show utter detestation unto them. The other place is Ezek. 11.18. where when the Lord had promised that he would gather his people again into Israel and give them a new spirit and a new heart, And they shall come thither, saith he; And what is the first thing they shall do when they come thither? They shall take away all the detestable things thereof, and all the abominations thereof from thence. And what meaneth he by these detestable things and abominations (the abolishing whereof should be the first thing they would do after their second conversion?) Surely their idols as you shall find the same Prophet interpreteth himself, Chap. 7.20. 37.23.

[ 4] Fourthly and lastly, This hatred of Idolatry doth so please the Lord wheresoever he seeth it, as he hath been wont to reward it even in such as have been no better then hypocrites. And for this we have a notable example in Jehu unto whom the Lord promised, 2 King. 10.30. that his children should sit upon the throne of Israel to the fourth generation, because of that zealous detestation he had shown unto the Idolatry of Ahab ; And yet it is evident both by the next verse 31. and by Hos. 1.4. that therein his heart was not upright in him.

You see then (beloved) that no man is to be blamed for the hatred he beareth unto popery, and to all kind of idolatry; no no, our general coldness and luke-warmenesse this way is much to be blamed rather. And if we did zealously love the Lord and his Gospel indeed, we could not choose but hate all popery more then we do. And the world is foully deceived in judging the preciseness or strictness of any man in this kind, to be a certain sign of hypocrisy in him.

[ 5] We come now unto the fifth and last of those good things that may be found in some that are hypocrites; that is to say, to that measure and degree of reformation of life that some of them have attained unto; not only to leave gross and open sins but even the smallest also and such as most men account to be no sins at all. We must therefore know (beloved) that though you have observed great preciseness and strictness this way in some that have discovered themselves to be no better then hypocrites (they would not swear the least oath, they would not give that liberty to themselves for company and recreations that they might lawfully do, &c) yet are they not hypocrites because of this; nay this is no fault in them; neither oughtest thou to blame them or hate them for this. For 1 it is a good thing and highly pleasing unto God to make conscience even of the least sin, and a man cannot be too precise in that case. In all things that I have said unto you (saith the Lord, Exodus 23.13.) be circumspect and wary. And I say unto you swear not at all, saith our Savior, Matth. 5.34. Yea it is a good thing for a man to make conscience of that that hath but the appearance of evil. Abstain from all appearance of evil, saith the Apostle, 1 Thess. 5.22. 2 He that maketh not conscience of the least thing that he knoweth to be a sin and forbidden of God, maketh not conscience of any sin beause it is sin, and forbidden of God. This is the Apostles reason, James 2.10, 11. Whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point ; that is, wittingly and willingly give himself liberty to do so, he is guilty of all. For he that said, do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill.

That is true (will you say) every man must make conscience of the least thing that he knoweth to be a sin; neither would any man blame them for doing so; But this is their odious hypocrisy that they make more sins then God hath made, they must be so precise and scrupulous (forsooth) in indifferent and lawful things; in such things as wiser men and godlier men then they make no scruple of at all This singularity of theirs, this judging and condemning by their example the practice of other men, is the thing that proveth them to be hypocrites, and maketh them so odious to all men as they be.

To this I have three things to answer. First, The things that they are so scrupulous in, and which they dare not do may be in their own nature not indifferent but unlawful and sinful, yea well known unto them to be so, though both thyself, and others that are no whit inferior unto them, but far beyond them in knowledge and grace, do think otherwise of them. There may be difference in judgment even between godly and good men; and one may see that to be a sin which another man (every whit as good as he) cannot be persuaded to be so. The Apostle Paul and those that joined with him, Galatians 2.12, 13. knew it was a sinful and unlawful thing to withdraw and separate themselves from eating and conversing with the believing Gentiles in the presence of the Jews and for fear of offending them; though neither Barnabas nor Peter (men no whit inferior to them in knowledge and grace) could discern it to be so. Christians may not condemn or judge one another to be hypocrites, for their difference in judgment in these smaller matters. Who art thou (saith the Apostle, Rom. 14.4.) that judgest another man's servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth.

Secondly, It may well be that some men (even some good men) are (through want of knowledge, and weakness of judgment) righteous over much, and make scruple of those things which no law of God bindeth them to make scruple of. Els Solomon would never have said, Eccl. 7.16. Be not righteous over much, neither make thyself over wise. Such a one was he of whom the Apostle speaketh, Rom. 14.2. Another that is weak eateth herbs. As if he should say, It was his ignorance and weakness of judgment, that made him so scrupulous and fearful to eat anything which by the ceremonial law (which was now abrogated) had been forbidden. But no man must be despised or judged to be an hypocrite because of this For that is directly against the Apostles rule, Rom. 14.3. Let not him that eateth, despise him that eateth not.

Thirdly, There is no just cause why we should judge or think the worse one of another either for using or not using our liberty in this case. Because the thing that is in it own nature lawful and lawfully also used by one man, it may be in another man a damnable sin to do it. And that upon these two grounds.

[ 1] First, Because the one knoweth and is persuaded of the lawfulness of it, which the other is not but doubteth it to be a sin. I know and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus (saith the Apostle, Romans 14.14.) that there is nothing (no creature of God) unclean of it self: But to him that esteemeth anything to be unclean to him it is unclean. Why will you say, Can the opinion of man make anything clean or unclean, lawful or unlawful? No, not in it own nature, but to himself it may. For a man to do anything that he doubteth to be unlawful is a damnable thing. He that doubteth (saith the Apostle, Rom. 14.23.) is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith. For whatsoever is not of faith is sin. The conscience of a man (though it be deceived though it be erroneous yet hath a binding power; and it is a matter of great danger for any man to go against it. All men must seek to inform their conscience aright by the Word of God which is the only true rule to guide our conscience by. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind, saith the Apostle, Romans 14.5. But though it be a sin for a man not to seek to have his conscience rightly informed and instructed by the Word; yet is it a double sin in him to do anything against his conscience. If thou therefore see a man (who is otherwise conscionable in all his ways) scrupulous and fearful to do that which thou knowest and art fully persuaded he may lawfully and ought to do, pity him, inform him, instruct him, and labor to bring him out of his error, but scorn him not, hate him not, malign him not for it.

[ 2] Secondly, The one is able to use or do the thing that he knoweth to be lawful lawfully and take no hurt by it; the other though he know the thing to be lawful, yet findeth that (through his weakness) he is not able to use it, but he shall receive hurt by it. All things are lawful for me (saith the Apostle, 1 Cor. 6.12) but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. And certainly this is the thing that restraineth many a good man from the use of sundry recreations which he doth not doubt to be lawful in themselves, because he findeth his own weakness to be such as he cannot use them without receiving much hurt by them. And this would restrain many more from them, if they had that care of their own souls as they ought to have.

To conclude therefore this first branch of the point we have in hand. If thou seest any man that loveth the word; that useth constantly prayer in his family; that seemeth to be a strict observer of the Sabbath day; that hateth popery, that is strict and precise even in the smallest things. If thou seest (I say) any such a one to be a drunkard, or an unclean person, or unjust in his dealings, or careless of his Word; or a busy body; or negligent in his calling; hate these things in him (in God's name) nay hate them in him, more then in another man, because he maketh so good a profession, and because his sin bringeth more reproach upon the Gospel then another man's would do. But take heed thou hate him not because of his profession, because of any of those good things thou discernest in him. For if thou dost, thou wilt be found to be a hater of God and of his grace, and near unto that sin that can never be pardoned; which the Apostle calleth, Hebrews 10.29. A doing of despite to the spirit of grace. And what comfort canst thou have either in life or death, if thou be a hater of God, if thou do despite unto the spirit of grace? What remaineth for thee when God shall open thine eyes and cause thee to see thine own estate but a certain fearful looking for of judgment (as the Apostle speaketh there, ver. 27.) and of fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries, the adversaries of God, the haters of God. O it is a fearful thing to hate any man for his goodness, take heed of it I beseech you. As we have no surer note that we are translated from death to life, that we are in the state of grace then this, if we love the brethren, as the Apostle teacheth us, 1 John 3.14. If we can love a disciple in the name of a disciple, as our Savior speaketh, Matth. 10.42. so can we have no certainer a sign that there is no grace in us but we are in the very gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity, as the the Apostle speaketh, Acts 8.23. then this, when we hate the brethren, when we hate a disciple a professor in the name of a disciple and professor, even for this very cause because he professeth goodness.

I know every man will say, he hateth no professor for his profession nor for any good thing that is in him, but only for such faults as I named which they find to be in them. And so the cursed Jews could say for themselves, John 10.33. For thy good works we stone thee not, but for thy blasphemy. Whereas indeed they hated him only for his good works. And so it is certain there have been always many in the world yea in the Church too, that have hated a disciple even in the name of a disciple. Cain hated Abel, because (saith the Apostle, 1 John. 3.12.) his own works were evil and his brothers righteous. And David saith of himself, Psal. 38.20. that he had many adversaries for this very cause because he followed the thing that was good. And our Savior telleth his Disciples, John 15.19. that the world should hate them for this very cause because they are not of the world, but he hath chosen them out of the world. Whereby it is plain that the most that hate the professors of religion hate them not for any of their faults but only for the goodness that they make profession of. O take heed (beloved) that thou be none of those. And I will give thee three notes to discern this by.

First, If thou didst hate and dislike them only for their faults and not for [ 1] their goodness thou wouldst be sure those faults were in them indeed, which thou so hatest them for. Whereas thou art apt to believe any slander against them and to imagine and charge them to be guilty of such things as thou canst not prove, but they are most free from. They cast iniquity upon me (saith David, Psal. 55.3.) and in wrath they hate me. This casting of iniquity upon professors and aptness that is in men to surmise and report evil of them without cause, argueth a deadly hatred not to their faults, but to their persons and profession.

Secondly, If thou didst dislike or hate them for their faults only, then thou [ 2] wouldst hate other men also in whom the same and greater faults do abound more then in them. But that thou dost not; thou likest other men never the worse for these and grosser sins; thou hatest sin in none but in them only that profess goodness. Thou hatest them that are good, and lovest them well enough that are naught, as the Prophet speaketh of lewd men in his time, Mic. 3.2. And therefore it is evident thou hatest them not for their faults, but for their goodness only.

Thirdly and lastly, If thou didst hate them only for their faults, thou wouldst [ 3] not rejoice to hear or speak evil of them, but it would grieve thee to hear and see that such as profess so well, should live so ill, that occasion should be given to wicked men to blaspheme and speak evil of religion through their sins. This is the nature of true zeal and hatred of sin, I beheld the transgressors and was grieved (saith David, Ps. 119.158.) because they kept not thy word. But thou hast no greater joy then to hear and speak of the faults of professors, and to blaze them abroad as far as thou canst; yea thou art apt to glory in the advantage thou hast gotten against religion by it, Like those that David complained of, Ps. 38.16. When my foot slippeth, then they magnify themselves against me. And therefore it is evident thou hatest them not for their faults, but for the goodness that is in them.

And thus have I finished the first branch of that point that I instanced in touching the good things that may be found in many an hypocrite. I have shown you that though all these five things may be found in some that are no better then hypocrites, yet are they all very good things for all that, and such as God is highly pleased with.

Lecture CXXXVIII. On Psalm 51.7. January 19. 1629.

IT followeth now that we proceed unto the second branch of the point (which is indeed the main thing I aimed at in propounding it unto you) to show you that though all these be very good things in themselves, yet can no man that hath them, find any sound comfort in them, till he be in Christ. For a man may have these good things in him and yet be in a most woeful case, he may perish everlastingly for all that. Further proof I need not bring for this, then that which you have already heard, that everyone of these five good things have been found in some that have been no better then hypocrites. And every hypocrite certainly is in a most woeful case, he can have no sound joy nor comfort in him. The joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment, saith the Holy Ghost, Job 20.5. and 8.13, 14. The hypocrites hope shall perish, his hope shall be cut off and his trust shall be a spiders web. As if he should say, He may for a time bless himself in his estate by reason of these good things he findeth in himself, he may have some hope and confidence in himself that he shall go to heaven, and in this hope he may find some comfort and joy; but if he be an hypocrite, if his heart be unsound this hope and joy of his will not last, it will fail him, when he shall have most need of it. When the hour of temptation shall come fearefullnesse will surprise the hypocrite, as the Prophet speaketh, Esa. 33.14. And though in some respect the case of the open profane man be worse then his; he dishonoreth God more and sinneth with a higher hand and with more contempt of God, and doth also more hurt to men by his example then the hypocrite doth; in which respect God useth in a more exemplary manner to plague him in this life, then he doth the hypocrite; and hath also prepared for him in hell a greater measure of confusion and torment then for the hypocrite. She set her blood (and murders saith the Lord, Ezekiel 24.7, 8. and that that is said of murder may be said of beastly filthiness also, and of all other sins that are committed impudently and with a high hand) she set her blood (saith the Lord) upon the top of a rock (and cared not how many were eye-witnesses of it) she poured it not upon the ground to cover it with dust (she did not desire to have it concealed and hidden from any) that it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance. As if he should say, The sins of profane men so desperately and impudently committed, do use to provoke God unto furious vengeance even in this life. And for their portion in hell, the Prophet speaking of such men, Esa. 5.11, 12. saith verse 14. that for them hell will enlarge her self, and op • n her mouth without measure. Although (I say) that in these respects the case of the profane man be worse then the hypocrites; yet is the hypocrite also, and everything that he doth most odious unto God. The • ncense which they offered was an abomination unto him (as the Lord speaketh, Esa. 1.13, 14.) their new moons and their sabbaths and their solemn assemblies (all good things in themselves & commanded of God) his soul hated, they were a trouble to him, he was weary to bear them. Yea the more good things the hypocrite doth the more odious he maketh himself unto God. The hypocrites in heart (saith Elihu, Job 36.13. not the gross hypocrites only and such as whose life discovereth them to be so, but the most close and secret ones if their hearts be false and unsound) heap up wrath. Yea in some respects certainly his case is more woeful then the case of the most profane man both in this life, and in the life to come also.

How can this be? (will you say) can the profane man's case be worse then the hypocrites both in this life and the life to come also (as you have taught us now) and yet the hypocrites case be worse then his, both in this life and in the life to come? Are not these propositions directly contradictory, and therefore impossible that both of them should be true? I answer, No. But as the sins of the one are in one respect greater and in another lesser then the sins of the other are; so the Lord in the infiniteness of his wisdom and power can and will make this possible which to our shallow understandings seemeth to be most impossible. And this we are sure of that both these propositions that seem so contradictory are undoubtedly true because God hath in his word taught us both. What he hath said touching the open profane man you have heard before; and that the hypocrites case is in some respects worse then the state of the most profane man both in this life and in the life to come is evident by these two proofs. First, in this life he is hardlier brought to the sight of his sin and to repentance for it, without which there is no possibility of salvation then the profane man is. The Publicans and Harlots go into the kingdom of God before you ; saith our Savior to the Pharisaical hypocrites, Matth. 21.31. See an example of this also in Judas. And secondly. In the life to come because they have sinned against greater means and against greater light, they shall receive the greater damnation, as our Savior speaketh, Mat. 23.14. It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom (a far more profane people then they were) in the day of judgment then for thee, saith our Savior unto Capernaum, Matth. 11.24. In which respect we shall find, there is no one sin that our Savior did more bitterly inveigh nor denounce more woes against, then he did against hypocrisy; and though the Pharisees were guilty of many other foul sins, as appeareth by that which our Savior saith of them, Matth. 23.3. Yet he taxeth them for no sin so much as for their hypocrisy, Matth. 23.13. and in many other places. So that (to conclude this point) I must say unto you all as our Savior spake unto his Disciples first of all in a mighty audience Luk. 12.1. Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy. As if he had said, ye that are the Disciples of Christ and profess Religion above all other men, and above all other sins beware ye of hypocrisy; content not yourselves with any good things that be in you, with any good things that ye do, that you love the word, that you use to pray, that you observe the Sabbath, that you hate popery and all will worship, that you are strict in the smallest things; but take heed that you do these things in truth and soundness of heart; remember that hypocrisy is the leaven of the Pharisyes, it will make all that you do sour and unpleasing unto God.

Alas (will you say) we know this is most true; but how shall we know whither we be hypocrites or no? If the hypocrite may go so far, as you have taught us out of God's word he may; we see just cause to fear we are no better then hypocrites. And I know well that some of you that are freest from hypocrisy, ever since you heard me prove how far the hypocrite may go, have longed much to hear this, how the true Christian may be distinguished and known from the hypocrite in these things; and what it is wherein he goeth further then any hypocrite in the world can go.

Now to give satisfaction to these good souls. First of all I say that this is a good sign thou art no hypocrite because thou art so fearful least thou shouldst be one, because thou art so desirous to get good evidence to thyself, that thou hast more in thee then an hypocrite can have. To fear ourselves least our hearts should be unsound is part of that poverty of spirit of which our Savior saith Matth. 5.3. that they are blessed that have it in them. David suspected his heart to be unsound when he prayed as he did Verse 10. Create in m • e a clean heart ô Lord and renew a right spirit within me. And so did all the elect Apostles when Christ having told them, that one of them should betray him there was a false hypocrite among them, everyone of them was exceeding sorrowful and cried to him Matth. 26.21, 22. Lord is it I?

[ 2] But secondly I will (for your further satisfaction) give you some notes whereby you may discern whither you be hypocrites or no. And I will go no further for them, then to these very examples I instanced in, for the five good things which I told you have been found in some hypocrites. I will show you plainly what the things were wherein they (though they went so far) were defective and did bewray the falsehood and hypocrisy of their hearts. And when in the hearing of them you shall find yourselves, and that goodness that is in you free from these defects from these notes of hypocrisy which the Holy Ghost hath observed to have been in them, (not from one or two of them, but from them all) you may be able confidently to conclude unto your comfort that certainly you are no hypocrites; you shall be easily able to judge of the soundness or unsoundness of your own hearts. The defects that were in the goodness of these men whereby their hypocrisy was discovered were five principally.

[ 1] First, some of them when they seemed to have most goodness in them and made greatest show of it, they lived in gross sins nevertheless. Take a proof of this in the example of those hypocrites that I told you were so given to prayer. They made many prayers (as the Prophet speaketh of them Isaiah 1.15.) they used to pray often yea they did spread forth their hands in prayer, and seemed to pray with great zeal and fervency of spirit; but their hands were full of blood. As if he should say, they were savadge blood-suckers, and most cruel oppressors of poor men. So speaketh the Lord likewise of them, Esa. 58.3.4. that used much, not ordinary prayer only, but extraordinary fasting, and prayer, yea seemed in their fasts to afflict their souls, and to be much humbled; but even then when they seemed so devout and holy, they lived in strife and debate, they used to smite with the fist of wickedness. Though they seemed to be very religious yet were they most malicious men. Now they that live in gross and notorious sins (oppression malice uncleanness, drunkenness, cozenage, and such like) though they make never so good a profession (as in all ages the Church hath had many such) are most palpable and gross hypocrites. Neither ought they to be ever a whit the better thought on for their good profession. Let such either leave their gross sins, or forsake their good profession; or else the better profession and show of goodness they make, the more odious they will make themselves both to God and man.

[ 2] Secondly, some of those hypocrites that I told you of that seemed to have very good things in them, did not only live in gross sin while they made so good a profession; but they did make so good a profession for this cause principally, that they might thereby the better cloak and color their foul sins. For this we have a proof in the example of that ruler of the Synagogue of whom we heard out of Luke 13.14, 15. he could not without great indignation see Christ heal, and the people come to be healed by him on the Sabbath day; and our Savior calleth him hypocrite for this. Why? Because he could not see the Sabbath broken without great indignation? Or because he (out of his ignorance) took that to be which was not indeed any breach of the Sabbath day? No verily our blessed Savior would never have passed so sharp a censure upon him for either of these causes. But Christ knew that not his zeal for the Sabbath, but his malice against him was the true cause of his indignation; and therefore the Evangelist Verse 17. Calleth him Christ's adversary. This malice against Christ he durst not (for fear of the people) make open show of. He findeth no fault with Christ's healing but with the people's travelling to be healed on the Sabbath day. He cloaketh his malice against Christ with this • air pretence of his great zeal for the Sabbath day. This also is most gross and palpable hypocrisy, yea the most odious kind of hypocrisy that can be, when men shall use Religion as a cloak to hide sin, when men shall profess goodness of purpose that they may the more safely and with the less suspicion commit any sin. And yet many such vile wretches have been in all ages and are still to be found in the Church of God. One example only I will give you for this (though I might give many) which haply you may out of your own knowledge parallel in these times. And that is that woman of whom we read Pro. 7. who though she were a most impudent Whore, yet could say to the fool whom she enticed unto lewdness, Verse 14. I have peace offerings with me, this day have I paid my vows. She did use to perform not the ordinary duties of Religion only, and such as God did enjoin and require of all men (such as peace offerings were) but to show more then ordinary zeal and love to piety she made vows also unto God (which was a free and voluntary service whereunto by no express law she was tied) nay and she duly paid her vows too. How could her husband or anybody else ever suspect this devout and religious woman to be a Whore? Nay, this was certainly one of the strongest arguments she used to allure the young man to folly, and to cloak, and hide from him her extreme filthiness that she seemed so Religious and good a soul. For this was the effect of her speech unto him, though the love I bear to thee above all men in the world, make me desire to enjoy and take my pleasure with thee, yet I would not have thee think me to be a profane and lewd, and common strumpet; No, I fear God, love Religion, and goodness, I thank God, I have peace offerings with me, this day have I paid my vows. Would any honest heart think it possible that one, that liveth so lewdly should seem so Religious; yea that they should seem so Religious for this purpose only, that they might live so lewdly? Yet you see so it hath been, and so it is with too many in these days; they would not come so constantly to Church as they do, but only for this cause that they might more freely and with less suspicion continue the dishonesty and lewdness that they use at home. These persons certainly take God's Name in vain, in an high degree, and let them be sure The Lord will not hold them guiltless that take his Name in vain, Exod. 10.7. specially in so foul and odious a manner as this is. To every such a one I may say as the Apostle doth in another case unto Ananias Acts 23.3. God shall smite thee thou whited wall that usest to cover thy rottenness with this vernish. How soon he will smite thee, or in what manner or degree he will smite thee is known only to himself, but certainly God shall smite thee thou painted wall that makest Religion a cloak for any lewdness whatsoever it be. The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination (saith the Holy Ghost Pro. 21.27.) How much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind? The hearing of the word, and receiving of the Sacrament, and prayer that any lewd man useth is abominable unto God; how much more the hearing and receiving and praying of these men that do these things to this end that they may sin the more freely?

Now these two sorts that I have already named are so gross and palpable hypocrites as many of you will easily discern yourselves to be better then they. The other three are closer hypocrites a great deal, yet hypocrites too and odious unto God.

The third sort of those I told you of that had very good things in them and yet were no better then hypocrites, were such as though they lived not in gross sins, yet the Religion and goodness they made profession of had no power in them to reform their hearts and lives. Of this sort were they I told you of, out of Ezek. 33.30, 32. 1. They came constantly to the Ministry of the word. 2. Even to the Ministry of Ezekiel who did not use to preach Placentia unto them but was wont plainly and roundly to reprove their sins, they shunned him not, nor liked the worse of him for that. 3. They took great delight to hear him, his preaching was to them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument. 4. They professed great love to his person. 5. They used when they had heard him, to talk and confer together (not against him as some translations readeth it, but) of him and of his Doctrine (as the most and best interpreters read it, and the context plainly showeth it ought to be read so) 6. Lastly, they liked his Ministry so well that everyone called upon and did what he could to draw his friends and kinsfolk to go with him to it. Is it possible (will you say) that these could be hypocrites that went thus far? Yes verily they were no better then hypocrites for all this.

How may that appear, will you say? By what note doth the Holy Ghost discover them to be so? Surely by this that he saith twice of them, They hear thy words (saith he Verse 31.) but they will not do them ; and again Verse 32. They hear thy words but they do them not. They would not be ruled by the word, they would not obey nor practice what they heard, they would not reform their hearts and lives by it. And the Lord instanceth in one particular corruption that they would not leave Their heart goeth after their covetousness still saith he. He chargeth them not with any gross act or work wherein they shown their covetousness (neither Usury, nor bribery, nor oppression, nor extortion) but with mental covetousness only. Because they did not practice what they heard, nor reform their lives according to it; because the word that was so faithfully preached unto them and which they did hear so constantly and with such delight, had not power to bridle and mortify the very lusts and affections of their hearts, therefore they were hypocrites. Mark this (beloved) and take it to heart everyone of you. In those six good things that the Holy Ghost hath noted in Ezekiel's hearers none of you go beyond them, most of you come far short of them. 1. You frequent not the Ministry of the word so constantly as they did. Many of you that did constantly frequent our ministry at the first while it was somewhat new and fresh and strange unto you like those Athenians Acts 17.21. are grown weary of your diligence that way. Your goodness (as the Lord said of Ephraim Hos. 6.4) Was as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it is gone away. I speak not of such whom distance of place, or shortness of days, or foulness of weather and ways, or infirmity of their bodies do keep away; but of such only whom nothing but their decay of affection and love to the word hath made so slack in coming to it. 2. You cannot so well brook a faithful ministry that will plainly reprove your sins as they would. 3. You hear us not with that delight and alacrity but more heavily then they did. 4. You show not that love to our persons as they did to his. 5. You use not to confer together of that you have heard as they did. 6. You labor not to draw and win others to the love of the word as they did. But in that brand and character of an hypocrite that the Holy Ghost setteth upon them the most of you do match them fully; You hear our words, but you will not do them ; our Ministry is of no power at all with you to reform either your hearts or lives. Many of you have by hearing of us gotten store of that knowledge that the Apostle speaketh of 1 Cor. 8.1. of that knowledge that puffeth you up and maketh you proud censurers and contemners of other men, and even of your teachers too. You come still to our Ministry not as Disciples to learn and be guided by us, but only as judges to hear what we can say and pass your censure upon us. And that which the Apostle speaketh in another sense James 4.11. may fitly be applied to sundry of our hearers, Thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. None of us are good enough to teach you; but you will hold opinions and do things in your practice which no Minister of God that ever you heard doth approve of. Even such of you as hear us constantly, and praise our preaching, and seem both to love us well and to admire and magnify our Ministry, as Ezekiel's hearers did, yet will you not practice or do anything that we teach you. I will not speak of the unreformed lives of ordinary hearers. But is it not strange that some of our hearers of best note should be implacable and irreconciliable? A property whereby the Apostle describeth them Romans 1.31. whom the Lord hath given up unto a reprobate mind. And implacable towards whom? Even towards their brethren that are of the same judgment and profession with themselves. I cannot stand upon this or any other particular wherein our hearers declare themselves to be like Ezekiel's hearers, They hear our words, but they will not do them. But this I affirm confidently unto you all, that you can never get assurance that you have upright hearts, that you are any better than hypocrites, till you can find that every truth that you hear in the Ministry of the Word hath a divine power and authority in your hearts; And though you be not able in all things to do as you are taught, but notwithstanding you have been constant hearers of the Word a long time, yet there remaineth a deal of corruption still in you that you cannot mortify and subdue; yet you dare not resist any truth that you hear; but you yield unto it, make conscience of it, desire and endeavor to obey it, and put it in practice. David comforted himself in this testimony of his uprightness, Psalm 119.161. His heart stood in awe of God's Word, he durst not do anything against it. And Paul commendeth the Thessalonians for this, 1 Thessalonians 1.5. that his Gospel and Ministry came unto them, not in word only, but in power : And 1 Thessalonians 2.13. that it wrought effectually in them. And he saith of them, 2 Thessalonians 3.4. That he was confident in the Lord concerning them, that they both did and would do the things that he commanded them. Nay, he saith expressly (2 Corinthians 2.9.) that herein standeth the trial of a true Christian and sound-hearted hearer, To this end also (saith he) did I write (as I did, and reproved you so sharply for your connivance toward the incestuous person) that I might know the proof of you, whether you be obedient in all things. As if he had said, He is no true-hearted hearer nor sound Christian, that will not be obedient to his teacher in all things.

True (will you say) they whom the Prophets and Apostles did teach were bound to obey them in all things, because they could not err in their Ministry; but must we therefore obey you in all things, who we know may be miscarried in your Ministry, sometimes through want of judgment, sometimes through passion?

I answer, No verily, thou must not obey us any further than we bring the Word of the Lord for everything that we teach you, to do or to leave undone. As we must take heed what we teach Eccles. 12.9. and look that we have good ground in God's Word for all that we teach you, and perform the work of our Ministry not without fear and trembling, 1 Corinthians 2.3. So you must take heed what you hear, Mark 4.24. You must prove all things that we teach you, 1 Thessal. 5.20. Examine the proofs we bring out of God's Word, whether we allege them rightly or no, as they of Berea did, Acts 17.11. We may none of us deny you liberty to come and question with us about anything we teach, if you understand it not, nor can conceive how it should be found, seeing our Savior allowed that liberty even to his hearers, Matth. 13.36.19.10. Luke 18.26. John 16.19. Provided always you do it in humility and reverence to the holy function of your faithful Teachers; that you do it as disciples, not as judges and controllers of your Teachers. But whatsoever we teach you by good warrant of God's Word, if you obey it not, if it be not of divine authority in your hearts, certainly you will be found to be no better than hypocrites. For, while we do thus, thou art charged to obey us as much as if we were Prophets or Apostles either. Obey them that have the rule or oversight of you (saith the Apostle, Heb. 13.17.) and submit yourselves. And even of the Scribes and Pharisees (while they sat in Moses chair and taught nothing but the doctrine of Moses ) our Savior giveth a charge to his Disciples, Mat. 23 3. All whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do. And our Savior saith of the meanest Minister that he sendeth while he doth thus, Luke 10.16. He that heareth you heareth me, and he that despiseth you despiseth me. And the Apostle 1 Thess. 4.8. He that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God. To conclude therefore this third note, By your care to obey and practice what you hear, take notice of the soundness of your own hearts. It is the note that our Savior giveth us to try uprightness and hypocrisy by, Mat. 7.24.26. Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them, is like the wise man that buildeth his house upon a rock; and everyone that heareth these sayings of mine and doth them not, is like the foolishman, that built his house upon the sand.

Lecture CXXXIX. On Psalm 51.7. Febr. 2. 1629.

IT followeth now we proceed unto the two last defects that the Holy Ghost noteth to have been in the goodness that hath been found in any hypocrite.

[ 4] The fourth is this, That though some of them have been free from all gross and scandalous sins, and have also seemed to be much reformed by the Word, and to have made conscience of practicing and obeying that which they have been taught by it, yet their obedience hath never been universal, but partial only. In some things the Word hath seemed to have great power and authority in their hearts, in some other things none at all. Take a proof of this in those Jews whom the Apostle taxeth for their hypocrisy, Romans 2.22. Thou that abhorrest idols (saith he) dost thou commit sacrilege? Who would not have taken these Jews that did thus abhor idols and were so zealous against idolatry for right good men? But see how they discovered the falsehood of their hearts, they hated one sin, but not another; idolatry, but not sacrilege. And yet sacrilege was a gross sin as well as idolatry; and such a sin as God straightly charged his people to take heed and make conscience of, as well as of the other. When the people were to bring their first fruits unto God, he commanded them to make this solemn protestation, Deut. 26.13, 14. I have brought away the hallowed thing out of my house. As if he should say, I durst not keep any part of that which is dedicated to God, & consecrated for the maintenance of his worship; I have not eaten thereof in my mourning. As if he had said, what want soever I have been in, how woeful and distressed soever my state hath been that way, yet durst I never relieve my necessity by robbing God of his part, by appropriating to myself, or employing to mine own private use, anything that did belong unto him. And yet you see those Jews that seemed so zealous against idolatry, they abhorred idols, had no zeal against sacrilege at all; they were so far from abhorring it, that they lived in the daily practice of that sin; and thereby discovered the hypocrisy of their hearts. As alas many in our Church have also done, not only in the beginning of our reformation, but at this day; they seem to be very zealous in the hatred of Popery, but of sacrilege, of spoiling the Church and robbing God of his part of that that was given to him and dedicated to the maintenance of his service, they make no scruple, no conscience at all. Take another example of this in Herod, Mark 6.20. Who would not have hoped well of him, and highly commended him too, when he saw him being a King; 1 Frequent constantly such a Ministry as John Baptists was; 2 Hear him so gladly with such delight and joy, as it is said there he did; nay 3 he feared John and observed him, reverenced and highly esteemed of him, and that upon this ground too, because he knew him to be a righteous and a holy man. 4. He was much reformed also by John's Ministry, he did many things, left many sins, performed many good duties in obedience unto John's Ministry, the Doctrine of John had great power and authority in his heart and life; and yet the Holy Ghost hath detected him to have been no better than an hypocrite in all this. Why what was the thing that did discover the falsehood and hypocrisy of his heart? Surely this, that though he went thus far, and though he left many of his sins, yet there was one sin as gross as any of those that he had left, which he could not forsake, he could not leave the incest he had lived in with his brothers wife; nay in the end he could not endure (though a great while he did) that John should speak against that sin. Only one other example I will give you for this, that the living in any one sin though he forsake all the rest, and forsake them also out of conscience and obedience to the Word (as it may seem) though the sin he liveth in be nothing so great as those that he hath forsaken, yet even the living in any one sin is sufficient to prove a man to be no better than an hypocrite. Take an example for this in John, O how far did he go? 1 He destroyed the idolatry of Baal and rooted it quite out of Israel, as it is said of him, 2 King. 10.28. 2 He did it with a marvelous zeal, even with the zeal of God, Come with me (saith he to good Iehonadab, 2 King. 10.16.) and see my zeal for the Lord. 3 He did it (as it may seem) out of obedience to the Word which he bare a most reverent and religious respect unto, as you may see in sundry passages of his story 2 King. 9.25, 26, 36, 37. & 10.13, 17. 4 He did it so, as God himself saith of him 2 King. 10.30. that he had done well in executing that that was right in his eyes, Thou hast done to the house of Ahab (saith the Lord there) according to all that was in mine heart. Yea the Lord promiseth there to reward him for it, Because of this (saith he) thy children of the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel. And yet of this man that went thus far, the Holy Ghost saith expressly, 2 King. 10.31. that he did not take heed to walk in the law of the Lord with all his heart ; that is, he was no better than an hypocrite. How did that appear? What was it that did discover the falsehood and hypocrisy of his heart? Surely this, there was one sin that he could not leave; as zealous as he was against idolatry, there was one kind of idolatry he could not leave. He hated the idolatry of Ahab, but not the idolatry of Jeroboam. He departed not from the sins of Jeroboam (saith the text 2 King. 10.31.) which made Israel to sin. Jereboam's idolatry was but a small sin in comparison of Ahab's : so saith the Holy Ghost expressly in the story of Jehoram, 2 Kings 3.2, 3. He wrought evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father and his mother, for he put away the image of Baal which his father had made, nevertheless he cleaved to the sins of Jeroboam. Ahab worshipped Baal a false God, Jeroboam the true God in a false manner. And yet for continuing in this one sin, though it were nothing so great a sin as that which he had with so great zeal and detestation forsaken and abolished (for it may appear by many passages in the story that in the days of Ahab his master, he had been a worshipper of Baal too) the Holy Ghost (you see) hath branded him for an hypocrite.

Learn therefore (beloved) by these three examples, that as you can have no more sure and sensible a sign of the uprightness of your hearts than this, when you can find you make conscience of every commandment of God, of one as well as of another; you make conscience of every sin, of one as well as of another; you make conscience of every duty God requireth of you, of one as well as of another; there was never hypocrite in the world that went thus far; Then shall I not be ashamed (saith David, Psalm 119.6) when I have respect unto all thy commandments ; So is this also certainly a note of a false and hypocritical heart, when a man (in matters that God hath in his Word commanded or forbidden) will take and leave at his own pleasure; some commandments and doctrines of God seem to have divine authority in his heart, but others none at all; some sins he hateth and dares not commit them, others he cannot leave, but saith of someone sin as Naaman did in another sense, 2 Kings 5.18. In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant ; some duties God requireth of him he will constantly perform and practice, but some other he doth wholly neglect. This man certainly cannot have an upright and sound heart. Nay, that man that doth not make conscience of every known sin, and of every duty that he knoweth God requireth of him, did never abstain from any one sin, nor perform any one duty of conscience towards God. Whosoever shall keep the whole law (saith the Apostle, James 2.10.) and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. He hath not kept any one commandment, he hath not done any duty with an honest heart, and so as God accepteth of, if he wittingly give himself liberty to offend in any one point, be it never so small a point of God's law. So saith the Lord when he had reckoned up many sins, Ezek. 18.10. He that doth the like to any of these things, that man (saith he Vers. 11.) doth not any of these duties. As if he had said, He doth not any duty that God hath commanded of conscience towards God, that giveth himself liberty to live in any one sin.

Lay this to your own hearts (beloved) everyone of you; and labor to find this one note, that there is more in you than can be in any hypocrite. I do not say he is an hypocrite that committeth any one sin, or that faileth in any one duty that God hath commanded. For, Who can say I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? saith the Holy Ghost, Prov. 20.9. and In many things we offend all, saith the Apostle, James 3.2. But if thou wittingly give thyself liberty to live in any one sin, be it great, or be it small, certainly thy heart is not upright within thee. When David had said, Psalm 119.1. Blessed are those that are upright in their way ; he addeth Verse 3. Surely they work no iniquity. As if he had said, They commit no sin wittingly and willingly. If thou wouldst know that thou art upright in the way, and so in a blessed and comfortable estate, try thyself by this, Is there no sin that thou allowest thyself in that thou art a worker of? If thou be afraid to live in any sin, and canst desire of God as David did, Psalm 139.24. Lord see if there be any wicked way, and lead me in the way ; As if he should say, If I do anything to offend thee, if I live in any sin, Lord discover it unto me that I may leave it: If thou canst say of every sin that thou knowest to be a sin, as David doth Psalm 119.101. I have refrained my feet from every evil way ; As if he had said, I strive and endeavor to eschew every known sin. If thou canst say specially of that sin which by nature or custom thou hast been most inclined to, as he doth likewise, Psal. 18.23. I kept myself from mine iniquity ; As if he should have said, I am most watchful over myself against that sin specially, I complain most unto God, and beg strength of him against that sin (as I doubt not but many a soul here can say all this of himself) then I dare boldly say unto thee for thy comfort, thou art far enough from hypocrisy; And though thou hast heard that many an hypocrite hath had much goodness in him, thou hast that in thee that never hypocrite had, and thou mayest say as David said there, Psalm 18.23. I am upright before him. And so much shall suffice to have been said of this fourth note of hypocrisy, of this fourth defect that is to be found in the goodness that hath been in the best hypocrite; his obedience is not universal.

The fifth and last is this, Admit that some hypocrite might be found [ 5] that giveth not liberty to himself in any known sin, but seemeth to yield universal obedience to the will of God in one thing as well as in another, (as there is no doubt but there is many a one that thinketh so of himself, that is persuaded he liveth in no known sin, his life is in all respects such as it ought to be, There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, saith Solomon, Proverbs 30.12. In all my labors (saith Ephraim, Hosea 12.8. they shall find no iniquity. ) admit (I say) that this were so; yet is there this defect in the goodness of the best hypocrite in the world, he doth nothing with a good heart. Every way of man (saith Solomon, Proverbs 21.2.) is right in his own eyes, but the Lord pondereth the hearts. As if he should say, Man is apt to flatter himself and to think passing well of everything he doth, but the Lord in weighing, and valuing the actions of men, hath an eye always to this, with what heart everything is done. When the counsels of the hearts shall be made manifest (saith the Apostle, 1 Cor 4.5. As if he had said, With what intent and purpose of heart men have done that which they did) then (and not before) shall every man have praise with God. Now no hypocrite did ever any good thing with a good heart; he abstaineth from no sin nor performeth any good thing he doth, out of obedience and love to God, but out of some by respect or other. Take a proof for this in the example of those Jews that we read of, Zacharias 7. for seventy years together during the whole time of the captivity, they kept a solemn fast four times in the year. Was not this a singular good thing? And yet the Lord plainly telleth them that the most of them in doing of this were no better then hypocrites. And why so? will you say. What defect was there in this goodness of theirs? What was it that did discover the falsehood and hypocrisy of their hearts, in this holy and good action? Certainly no outward thing; nothing that the eye of man was able to discover (as in the four former sorts that I have spoken of) the Lord that pondereth the hearts he found that they had not done this with a good heart. As he telleth them, verse 5. When ye fasted and mourned (saith he) in the fifth and seventh month, even these seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even unto me? Which interrogation hath the force of a vehement denial, As if he had said, Ye did not at all fast unto me. And he enforceth this denial with a most emphatical repetition, appealing withal to their own conscience, Did ye at all fast unto me, even unto me? No you did not and that your own consciences do know full well. To whom then did they keep these fasts? Surely to themselves as it appeareth in the next verse. They kept them not to please the Lord, to show their love and obedience unto him, to testify their obedient submission unto his correcting hand, and their grief for offending and provoking him, their unfeigned desire to recover his favor. But they kept them merely out of self-love, to please and give contentment to themselves. They grieved for the destruction and burning of the Temple and City which was in the fifth month as you may read, Ier. 52▪12, 13. and for the slaughter of Gedaliah, which was in the seventh month as you may read, Ier. 41.1, 2. upon whose death followed the utter dispersion of the remainder of the Jews; they mourned and took on for the ruin of their state and sighed under the burden of their present misery; they thought their fasting to be a satisfactory work, that would merit God's favor. But for offending God by their sins they mourned not, they did not in their fasts by unfeigned repentance and reformation of their lives seek atonement and reconciliation with God; and therefore the Lord saith they did not at all fast unto him but unto themselves only. Here then you see is another note of difference between that goodness that seemeth to be in the best and most glorious hypocrite; and that which is in the weakest and poorest Christian under heaven. The hypocrite in the best duties that he performeth, serveth not the Lord at all, but himself only; in seeming to serve the Lord, he still seeketh himself only and not the Lord. Thus God taxeth the hypocrisy of Israel, Hos 10.1. Israel is as an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit to himself. As if he had said, All good things that he doth, he doth them out of self-love, he seeketh himself only in them. In doing of any good he seeketh. 1 Either the good opinion of men and the advantage that may grow to him thereby, as the hypocritical Pharisees did, All their works they do to be seen of men, saith our Savior, Matth. 23.5. Or 2 out of hope to merit somewhat of God and to bind him thereby the rather to bear with him in some other things, as those hypocrites did, Esa 58.3. Wherefore have we fasted say they and thou seest it not ; Or 3 at the best he doth it to avoid God's wrath which he knoweth is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, as those did which the Prophet speaketh of, Psal. 78. • 4. When he slew them then they sought him, and they returned and inquired early after God. On the other side the true hearted Christian, even the weakest and poorest soul amongst them; though in eschewing evil and doing good he have some respect to himself, the fear of hell and of the wrath of God due to sin and the desire he hath to escape damnation hath great force to restrain him from sin, Knowing the terrors of the Lord (saith the Apostle, 2 Corinthians 5.11.) we persuade men ; and the hope and desire of the reward that God hath promised to a godly life hath great force to persuade him unto godliness. Moses had respect unto the recompense of reward, as the Apostle teacheth us, Heb. 11.26. Yet the chief thing that moveth him to hate sin and to love goodness, is the desire he hath to please and honor the Lord. Every good thing he doth, he doth it to the Lord; he serveth God in that he doth; the main intent of his heart in doing it, is that he may be accepted of God and please him. It is said of Josiah, 2 Chron. 35.1. that he kept a passover unto the Lord ; As if he had said his care was that it might be so administered and received, as God might be pleased in it. And the Apostle professeth of himself, 1 Thess. 3.4 that in preaching his care was so to speak, not as pleasing men, but God which trieth our hearts. His main care in preaching was not to do his task, to get the credit and reputation of a diligent preacher, or to obtain a good applause among men, but to preach so as he might please God and approve his heart unto him. Yea he telleth us that even in singing of Psalms we must look to this, we must sing unto the Lord, Ephesians 5.19. We must make a melody in our hearts to the Lord. As if he had said, We seek in that duty not to please ourselves or others but the Lord. And that which hath been said of the Sacrament and of preaching and of singing of Psalms must be understood likewise of hearing the Word, and of prayer, and of every other good duty we perform either of the first or second table, if our hearts be upright we must do it as unto the Lord, the main intent and purpose of our heart in doing of it must be, to please the Lord and approve ourselves unto him. So the Apostle telleth servants that in doing their service unto their masters, Ephesians 6.5, 7. they must do it as to Christ, as unto the Lord. And verse 9. he telleth masters they must do the same things unto their servants (a strange speech, but the meaning is that) they also in their carriage towards their servants in doing the duties of masters must do it as unto the Lord; that is, both the servants and masters care in their mutual duties one to another, must chiefly be this, to please and approve themselves unto God. In a word, The Apostle speaking of himself and of all the faithful, 2 Corinthians 5.9. Wherefore we labor (saith he) that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. As if he should say, This is our main study and endeavor that while we live, and when we die we may please and be accepted of him. He that can find this in himself, may be certain that he is no hypocrite, that his heart is upright within him. This is the reason the Apostle giveth, Romans 14.6. why the faithful should not judge one another, for indifferent things, He that regardeth a day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not a day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. As if he should say, Both he that observeth the ceremonial law in that point and he that observeth it not, doth it not out of any carnal or worldly respect, but out of a care he hath to please God and fear to offend him, therefore you may not judge him to be an hypocrite, therefore he hath an upright heart. He that findeth this in himself may have comfort in his own estate, and none but he. Neither can any man find this in himself that the main end he aimeth at in every good thing he doth, is to please God unless he doth that which he doth out of love unto God. If any man love God (saith the Apostle, 1 Corinthians 8.3.) the same is known of him. As if he had said, The Lord approveth and highly esteemeth of that man. No good thing that we do, can please God unless it proceed from the love we do bear in our hearts unto him. He keepeth covenant and mercy (saith Moses, Deut. 7.9.) with them that love him, and keep his commandments. First we must love him, before we can keep any of his commandments so as we may please him therein. Neither can any man truly love the Lord nor do any good thing out of love to him, till he first know that God loveth him in Christ. Herein is love (saith the Apostle, 1 John 4.10.) not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins.

And thus you have heard it sufficiently confirmed unto you that [ 3] though there be many good things in some hypocrites, yet because they are not in Christ, they have no assurance of their reconciliation with God through his blood, therefore they can have no true comfort in them.

Let us now come to the third part I instanced in; that is to say, the regenerate themselves. In every regenerate man there is true goodness indeed, and that that far surpasseth any goodness that ever was found in any moral man, or in an hypocrite. Three notable differences you may observe between them.

First, Though they may do many good things in themselves, yet of them it [ 1] could never be said that they were good men. But of the regenerate (though they themselves be apt to think they are no better then hypocrites, and mere natural men, nor so good neither as some of them, yet) the Holy Ghost giveth testimony of them that they are good men. Of Barnabas it is said, Act. 11.24. that he was a good man. Do good (saith David, Ps. 125.4.) ô Lord unto them that are good, and to them that are upright in their hearts. As if he had said, Every upright hearted man is a good man.

[ 2] Secondly, Though the other two may do such things as are good in themselves and such as God is pleased with, and oft rewardeth them for, yet is he never a whit the better pleased with them, for them. But the Lord is not only well pleased with the goodness that is in the regenerate, but he is pleased with them and loveth them the better for it. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, Psal. 147.11. Such as are upright in their way, are his delight, saith Solomon, Pro. 11.20.

[ 3] Thirdly, Whereas the other two though they may do many good things, yet can take no sound comfort in any of them, as we have heard; the regenerate may take much comfort in that goodness, that truth of grace that they find in themselves. So did Paul in his greatest afflictions. Our rejoicing is this (saith he, 2 Cor. 1.12.) even the testimony of our conscience. So did Hezekiah even then when he thought he should die, Esa. 38.3. Remember now ô Lord God I beseech thee (saith he) how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight.

But though all this be so, Yet could not the best of God's servants take any comfort at all in any goodness that is in them, were it not for this that they know themselves to be in Christ and reconciled unto God by his blood. God forbid (saith the Apostle, Gal. 6.14.) that I should glory save in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Make this sure to thyself (beloved) that Christ is thine, and then mayest thou find sound comfort in that goodness, that God hath wrought in thee. But it is but cold comfort thou canst have in any good thing that is in thee, or done by thee till thou know thyself to be reconciled unto God by Christ, rest not in it, trust not to it. For (alas) all our righteousnesses are as filthy rag, as the Prophet speaketh, Esa. 64.6. And if our high-priest did not bear the iniquity of our holy things (as Aaron did, Exodus 28.38.) our holiest duties could never be accepted of God, but would be most loathsome unto him. All our most spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ, as the Apostle speaketh, 1 Pet. 2.5. and through him alone.

Lecture CXL. On Psalm 51.7. February 16. 1629.

IT followeth now that we proceed unto the fourth and last of those Motives which I promised to give you to persuade you to seek without delay to know that you are through Christ justified in God's sight. And that is this, That when a man is once justified then he shall be sure to be sanctified and never till then. If any man desire to get strength against any lust or corruption that troubleth him most, or to obtain any grace that he standeth most in need of, let him first labor to know that he is justified and that his sins are forgiven him. That is the only sure way to attain unto both; till a man know himself to be justified, let him use never so many means, to attain either of them he shall but loose his labor. I will give you the proof of this; first in the general by showing you that all true sanctification proceedeth from justification; secondly in both the parts of sanctification; that is to say, mortification of the old man, and vivification of the new.

[ 1] For the first, Do any of you desire to have a better heart and to lead a better life; which we all ought, and every good heart do desire more then anything else in the world, then labor to get assurance that Christ is thine, that thy sins are forgiven thee, that thou art through him reconciled unto God, this is the only sure way to amend both thy heart and life. This will do it and nothing but this will ever be able to do it. Two sorts of proofs I will give you for this. 1. The inward instrument whereby the spirit of God worketh sanctification in the heart of man, the inward principle and root of all grace, is faith that justifieth a man, and maketh known the love of God to him in Christ. 2. The outward instrument whereby the spirit of God worketh sanctification in the heart of man is the preaching of the glad tidings of the Gospel unto him.

For the first. I will give you four plain places of Scripture for the proof of it.

The first is that speech of our Savior unto Paul, Acts 26.18. where speaking [ 1] of them that shall inherit eternal life he calleth them such as are sanctified by faith in him. As if he had said, It is faith in Christ, such a faith as assureth a man that Christ is his, and that God is through Christ reconciled unto him, that sanctifieth a man and nothing but that.

The second place is Heb. 9.14. Where the Apostle comparing the blood of Christ with the blood of the legal sacrifices, and having shown in the former verse that the sprinkling even of that upon the people did work a kind of external and legal sanctification in them. How much more (saith he) shall the blood of Christ being sprinkled upon you and applied to your hearts by the spirit of God, purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God. As if he should say, so soon as the blood of Christ is sprinkled upon the conscience, so soon as ever the spirit of God hath by faith assured a man that the pardon which Christ by his blood hath purchased doth belong unto him, this will certainly follow of it, his heart and conscience will be purged and cleansed from dead works, from those works which while he was a natural man dead in trespasses and sins he lived in, and he shall be enabled to serve God in newness of life.

The third place for the proof of this is in 2 Pet. 1.4. Where the Apostle saith that by the knowledge of Christ are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Two things are to be observed in these words of the Apostle. 1. How come God's people to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust? How come they to forsake and be preserved from those sins, that both themselves in times past, and the whole world still (through the strength of our natural concupiscence) liveth in? How come they to be partakers of the divine nature? How come they to have the Image of God which consisteth in true holiness and righteousness renewed in them? Why saith the Apostle we attain unto all this, this change is wrought in us by the exceeding great and precious promises of God which are given unto us; not by anything we were able to do, by any endeavor we could use; by any penance we could put ourselves unto; no nor by the law or judgments of God: but by receiving and believing the exceeding great and precious promises that God hath given us of pardon and mercy, was this blessed change wrought in us. But then. 2. How came we to have interest in these exceeding great and precious promises of God? Surely saith the Apostle (Verse 3. And in the very first words of this verse) through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and Virtue ; that is, through the knowledge of Christ. By knowing Christ to be ours ( In whom all the promises of God are yea and Amen, as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 1.20.) we come to have Title to all the exceeding great and precious promises of God.

The fourth and last place of Scripture which I promised to give you for confirmation of this first point, is that speech of the Apostle Eph. 3.19. Where the Apostle praying for the Ephesians that God would make them able to know the love of Christ that passeth knowledge which was so infinitely great unto every poor sinner that believeth in him as no heart of man is able fully to know and comprehend it, he giveth this for the reason of that prayer that he made for them, that ye might be filled (saith he) with all the fullness of God. As if he had said, the more knowledge you shall have of the wonderful love that Christ hath borne unto you, the more that you shall be assured of it, the more you look into it and meditate of it; the more you shall be filled with all the fullness of God, the more shall you abound in sanctification and in every saving grace.

[ 2] Now for the second sort of proofs I spake of, the outward instrument whereby the spirit of God useth to work sanctification and holiness in the heart of man, is the preaching of the glad tidings of the Gospel, the opening and applying to him the New Testament and covenant of God, the covenant of grace, the promises of God's free grace and mercy in Christ. True it is the Lord sometimes by his judgments and plagues, but more usually by the Ministry of the law useth to prepare men unto grace, and work a kind of repentance and change in the heart of man. But the means whereby he useth to sanctify a man indeed, to mortify and kill sin in the root, to work a saving change and true grace in his heart, is by preaching the Gospel and making known to him his mercy in Christ. Two plain testimonies I will give you for this, and trouble you with no more. The first is that in 2 Cor. 3.6, 8. where the Apostle having spoken of the fruit of his Ministry in the hearts of the Corinthians, he telleth them; God had made him and his fellow Apostles able Ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit. As if he had said, by my preaching of the new testament, the new covenant, the covenant of grace, you were converted, the spirit of God was conveyed into your hearts. And making a comparison between the Ministry of the law and of the Gospel in the next verses, he calleth the preaching of the Gospel in the New Testament, the ministration of the spirit, that ministry whereby the spirit of grace is infused into the hearts of men. The other testimony which I will bring you for this is that of the Apostle Gal. 3.2. where appealing unto their own consciences, he asketh them how and by what means they first received the spirit of God, This only would I learn of you (saith he) received ye the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? that is, by the hearing of the doctrine of faith, the doctrine of the Gospel which teacheth justification by faith only. And thus have I confirmed this fourth Motive unto you in the general, that we can never be sanctified till we be justified first; that the man that desireth to amend his heart and life, must first seek to know that his sins are forgiven, that he is reconciled unto God in Christ