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THE WHOLE ^

WORKS

OP THE

REV. MR. JOHN FLAVEL,

LATE MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL AT DARTMOUTH, DEVON.

TO WHICH IS ADDED,

AN ALPHBETICAL TABLE

OF THE PRINCIPAL MATTERS CONTAINED IN THE WHOLE.

IN SIX VOLUMES.

VOL. IV.

•8®®®'*i«ti-®$®€<

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR W. BAYNES AND SON, 25 & 54, PATERNOSTER-ROW j WAUGH AND INNES, EDINBURGH, AND M. KEENE, DUBLIN.

1820.

ENGLAND'S DUTY,

v>-> C '-

UNDER tH£ i»RESENT . r. ^

GOSPEL^LIBERTY: V> "^^

From Rev. iii. 20.

TO WHICH IS ADDED,

MOUNT PISGAH;

on, A

Thanksgiving Sermon for Ejjg land's Delivery from Popery, Feb. 1688-9.

*i^^

AN EPISTLE TO THE READER. Candid Aeader,

A HE following discourse comes (o thy liand iii that native |)lainness wherein it was preached. I was conscientiously unwilling to alter it, because I found by experience, the Lord had blessed and prospered it in that dress, far beyond any other composures on which I had besto\ted more pains. Let it not be censured as vanity oi* ostentation, that I here acknowledge the goodness of God in leading me to, and blessing my poor labours upon this fiubjecti Whoj and what am I that I should be continued, and again employed in the Lord's har\'est, and that with success and encouragement, when so many of my brethren^ with their much, richer furnitures of gifts and graces, have in my time been called out of the vineyard, and are now silent in the grave ! It is true, they enjoy what I do not ; and it is as true^ I am capable of doing some service for God which they are not. In preaching these ser- inons, 1 had many occasions to reflect upon the mystical sense of that scripture, Amos ix. 13. "The plowman shall overtake the ** reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed.'' Sow- ing and reaping times trode so close upon one anothet, that (in all humility I speak it to the praise of God) it was the busiest and bles- fiedest time I ever saw since I first preached the gospel.

England hath now a day of special mercy : there is a wide door of opportunity opened to it ; O that it might prove an effectual

Vol. IV. A

4 AX EPISTLE TO THE READER.

door ! It is transporting and astonisliing, that after all the high and. horrid provocations, the atheism;, protaneness, and bitter enmity against light and reformation : this sweet voice is still heard in Eng- land, Behold, I stand at the door and hiock. The mercies and liber- ties of this day are a new trial obtained for us by our potentate Ad- >'ocate in the heavens ; if we bring forth fruit, well ; if not, the ax lieth at the root of the tree. Let us not be secure. Jerusa- lem was the city of the great King ; the seat of his worship, and the symbols of hii^ presence were fixed there ; it was the joy of the •whole earth, the house of prayer for all nations ; thither the tribes went up to worship, the tribes of the Lord unto the testi- mony of Israel. For there were set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David, Psal. cxxii. 4, 5. These privileges she enjoyed through the successions of many ages, and she had remain- ed the glory of all nations to this day, had she known and improved in that day, the things that belonged to her peace ; but they neglected their season, rejected their mercies, and miserably perished in their sins : for there ever was, and will be found an inseparable connex- ion betwixt the final rejection of Christ, and the destruction of the rejecters, ]VIatth. xxii. 5, 6, 7. The contemplation whereof drew those compassionate tears from the Redeemer's eyes, when he be- held it in his descent from the mount of Olives, Luke xix. 41, 42.

Let all that are vase in heart henceforth depose their animosi- ties, sadly reflect on their follies, encourage and assist the labours of their brethren in the Lord's harvest; and rejoice that God hath set them at liberty by law, m hose assistance in so great an oppor- tunity is necessary and desirable. It is against the laws of wisdom and charity to envy the liberty, and much more the success of our brethren, 1 Cor. xiii. 4. If the workmen contend and scuffle in a catching har\^est, who but the owners suffers damage by it ? If, af- ter so miraculous, recent, and common salvation as this, we still retain our old prejudices and bitter envyings; if we smite with the tongue and pen, when we cannot with the hand; and study to blast the reputation and labours of our brethren ; and still hate those we cannot hurt : In a word, if we still bite and devour one another, we shall be devoured one of another. Let us not lay the fault upon others, we ourselves have been the authors and instru- ments of our own ruin; and this must be the inscription upon our tombstone, O England, thou hast destroyed thyself. I am more afraid of the rooted enmity and fixed prejudices that are to be found in many against holiness and the serious professors o^ it, and tlie inflexible obstinacy and dead formality in many others, (the tokens of a tremendous infatuation) than I am of all the whispered fears from other hands, or common enemies upon our bor- ders.

AN EPISTLE TO THE READER. 5

To prevent these mischiefs, and promote zeal and unanimity among the ministers of the gospel, I have presumed to address them in the following epistles. I am conscious of my own un- wortliiness to be their monitor, and of the defects their judicious eyes will easily discern in the stile it is Written ; and yet can pro- mise myself a becoming reception of what is so faithfully, season- ably, and honestly designed for their good. I am satisfied that no candid and ingenuous person will put words upon the rack, quarrel at a similitude, or expose a trifle, when he finds the design honest, and the matter good and necessary.

As to the treatise itself, thou wilt find it a persuasive to open thy heart to Christ. Thy soul, reader, is a magnificent structure built by Christ ; such stately rooms as thy understanding, \vdll, con- science and affections, are too good for any other to inhabit. If thou be in thy unregenerate state, then he solemnly demands in this text admission into the soul he made, by the consent of the will ; which, if thou refuse to give him, then witness is taken, that Christ once more demanded entrance into thy soul which he made, and was denied it. If thou hast opened thy heart to him, thou wilt, I hope, meet somewhat in this treatise that will clear thy evidences, and cheer thy heart : Pray read, ponder, ajad ap- ply. I am

Thine and the

ChurcKs Servant)

JOHN FLAVEL,

A2

[ 6 ]

LE T TE R*

To the dearly beloved IMiuisters of the Gospel, (much to be reverenced in Christ) now at length, by the wonderful Providence of God, restored to Liberty : Addressed as a humble Supplication to the 7nore aged, and as an Ex- hortation to younger Ministers and Candidates.

Reverend Fathers, and Brethren in Christy

X HOUGH it is not fit for us to coin metaphors according to our fancy, yet we ought to have a great liking to those which the Spirit himself hath authorised in scripture. There he hath represented and painted to the life the deliverance of his suffering church, by the sweet deHghts of the advancing spring. Cant. ii. 1%

In the spring, the earth, Hke a most bountiful parent, opens her bosom, produces variety of herbs, adorns the meadows with abundance of flowers ; the trees which had been stript of their for- mer green leaves are clothed >vith new ones ; the cold being now driven away, the air becomes warm, and the cattle bring home udders full of milk ;

Then joyous birds frequent the lonely groves.

Dryden's Virgil.

All nature is renewed and smiles ; the season is kindly favour- able, and admirably well adapted to the benefit of all things, chiefly of those endued with life. All which things have been, in a very elaborate and ingenuous manner, applied by our learned countryman, Brightman, to that remarkable period, when Cyrus published that edict of his, .(which can never be sufficiently com- mended) for setting God's people at hberty. The enhvening

* This letter was originally wrote in Latin, the author judgijig it necessary to be so, as what allowed him a greater freedom of expression, than might seem con- venient at that time in the common language; yet, that every reader might be profited by it, the publisher of this edition hath thought fit to translate it into English. It has a reference to the troubles before, and the bles&iogs after the Itevolution.

ALETTKH. 7

beams of a like providential interposition, like the sun entering tlie sign of Aries, have made us who were half dead to revive.

We are not insensible, as our wounds are yet green, what great and sharp afflictions we have suffered for many years by-past, for conscience sake. Alas, what sad things have we not seen ! what oppressions have we not unjustly endured, during this rough, dis- mal, and every- way destructive winter ? We have seen the sea swell- ing with dreadful storms, by reason of which, some, being amazed and confounded, have hoisted sail to any wind whatsoever : we have seen trees that excelled others, both in fruitfulness and comeliness, beat down and laid low by the stormy winds ; others which bare neither fruit nor leaves, have been, as it were, blasted. Mountains have we seen become white with hoar-frost, rivers locked up in ice, lands covered, yea, buried in snow ; flocks of fowls, and herds of cattle starved with hunger, wandering up and down in great want ; cunning fowlers spreading their nets, and ensnaring many : In a word, we have seen Christ's church (alas !) pierced with arrows winged with her own feathers ; the civil state founded on laws, al- most subverted by laws ; every thing having a bad aspect, and grow- ing daily worse and worse.

Long and sore have we been tossed in the sea of trouble ; in our youth we were plunged into it, we are come out of it in old age ; our case has been the same with what happened at the siege of Tyre, Ezek. xxix. 18. Every head is made hald, and every shoidder is peeled ; but yet all these things seem troublesome rather than wonderful, to any one who seriously considers the thing prophesied by the great apostle, 2 Tim. iii. 1. In the last days perilous times shall come. Of which perilous times, * Lactantius writes thus ;

* When the end of this world is approaching, the state of human

* affairs must needs be greatly changed, and grow worse, through

* the prevalency of wickedness ; in so much that this present age,

* wherein sin and wickedness have arrived to the greatest pitch, ' may, wlien compared with that abandoned and incorrigible age, ' be justly deemed the happy and golden one. For then righ-

* teousness shall decrease, and ungodHness, avarice, ambition, and

* lust increase : so that whosoever shall happen then to be sober ' and religious, shall become a prey to the bricked, and be greatly ' harassed by the unrighteous ; the vicious alone shall be prosper- ' ous and happy, while the people of God shall meet with every ' kind of bad treatment, and be reduced to extreme poverty. All ' right shaU be confounded, laws shaU perish ; then no body shall ' possess any thing but what is iU got, or what he is obliged to de-

* fend by force ; rapine and violence shall carry every thing before —————— , , _^ — ■ ■ I ■

* Lactan, iib. 70. de divino in-amio, p. 578, 579t

A3

5' ALETTE E,'

* them : there shall be no fidelity among men, no peace, no hu- ' manity, no shame, no truth, and neither safety nor order, nor ' any rest from trouble ; for the whole earth shall be in confusion, ' and the noise of din and war heard every where ; all nations ' shall be up in arms, and attack one another ; neighbouring states

* shall war among themselves ; destruction shall run over the face ' of the earth, cutting down every thing, and laying it along, as ^ corn-fields are in harvest. The reason of which dreadful cala- ' mity and strange confusion, will be this. That the Roman Name, ' which has subdued the whole world, shall then (I tremble to ut- ' ter it, but, since it is certain, utter it I must) be quite extinct."

What think you, reader, is not this a description of our own times, or must we wait longer, till that pernicious and wicked race of men shall appear upon the stage ? That this hath been fulfilled in our late troubles, none sure can hesitate that hath any discern- ment.

But God at length, pitying our distresses, hath raised up a man *, both zealous for the truth, and a lover of godliness, boldly to as- sert his cause in the face of danger and toil, and to put a new face on things. Concerning this time it shall be said. What wonderful ihings hath God done ? Now every impediment being removed, and the dreadful storm calmed, (which scatters up and down like stubble) our gracious God doth in this manner bespeak us. Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away ; for lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the jiowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. As if he had said, You have been long enough con- fined at home, come now (for you may safely come) abroad. There is the greatest appearance of safety and incitement to labour every where. Thus, the severity of the Winter recommends to us the pleasui es of the Spring.

For my part, I had no sooner heard the joyful news of Liberty, than presently I began to prepare myself for my proper and much longed for work ; for if so much pleasure is found in the study of the mathematics, that when one has tasted of it, he is so ravished and bewitched with it, that he cannot be taken off from the study of them ; it will certainly be the sweetest pleasure of all, to em- ploy our labours, however much sve are exhausted, for the glory of Christ, and good of souls : it gives me therefore no small plea- sure that at length I may put in my sickle, which hath been long in disuse, into the Lord's harvest, together with the rest of my fellow-labourers. Thanks to my God, who hath not only season- ably opened a door of opportunity, but hath also (which I earnestly

* WILLIAM-III. Prince of Oranqe.

A L E T T E B.

supplicated for) given me to see the happy effects of sound doctrine, and hath long ago blessed it unto many.

These first-fruits of Restored Liberty, and wliich many have importuned me to publish, I now most humbly offer unto you. Induloe a brother, the weakest of all, and one who reckons him- self justly inferior to all the servants of Christ ; if, on this signal and most extraordinary occasion. Christian zeal should break forth a little more freely than may be suitable to either my small share of learning or experience.

Here your preacher hath not sought after the pomp of elo- quence. Through the whole I have used a popular, not polite, stile ; pithy, not showy ; for I thought it might be justly said con- cerning Theology^ what Cicero says of Philosophy, That to talk upon subjects of that nature in an elaborate stile, is childish ; but to be capable of delivering with plainness and perspicuity, is the part of a learned and knowing man. I should be justly displeased with myself, if I preached the doctrine of a crucified Christ, in a stile unbecoming his cross ; which surely is the character of a stile pom- pous and swelling.

These things being premised,

I. Let us rejoice m our liberty, with a joy duly moderated ; I mean, with a joy equally balanced, and guarded on all hands by gi*ief for past sins, and dread of future ones. We read in Jere- miah, of the voice of sighing and weeping, with which the faith- ful would, about the time of their deliverance, confess their sins, by which they had provoked God, and would sincerely bewail them with contrite hearts. And how suitable was the song of the church, even at the laying of the foundation of the second temple ; a song equally composed of joyful shouting, and abundant weeping, Ezra iii. 10. " Many weeped with a loud voice, many shouted " aloud for joy ; so that the people could not discern the noise " of the shout of joy, from the noise of the weeping of the peo- *' pie." Nor are the saints ashamed to confess their falls and shameful deeds to the glory of God, for nothing is a loss to us which redounds to his glory. Our countenance must in his sight be comely and amiable, when he sees penitential tears mixed with those of joy and thanksgiving. It is the character of a true peni- tent to lament his faults, that he may not again commit things to be lamented.

Asaph hath set before us an illustrious example of penitence, Psal. Ixxiv. 8. Remember not (says he) against us our former inu quities. God is said to remember iniquities when calling sins to an account, and judging of their greatness and number, he resolves to punish. Asaph speaks of God after the manner of men ; for they, when greatly offended, and about to punish their children, do then call

A4

|0 ALETTE R.

to mind all their former faults : let us, in like manner, reflect oif ours, and sincerely bewail our past slothful conduct, an unhappy concomitant of liberty : Thus we have neither flamed with ardent love on the one hand, nor grieved with that degree of sorrow which was requisite on the other : we have oftentimes spoken more fi'om the head than from the heart, We have both prayed and preached too too coldly about matters the most awful and impor- tant. We have not followed the footsteps of those worthies that went before us in the last age, so as to come up with them. We have been at small pains to support the majesty of religion, by the graiity of our conversation, and the usefulness of our discourses. For which cause our God has conceived just anger against us, and hath manifested that by the past calamities ; and by so manifesting it, hath plainly admonished us io be on our guard for the time to pome.

II. Therefore brethren, I earnestly beg of you, in the bow- els of Christ, that you will not forget these words of the apostle, If it be possible, as viuch as lieth in you, live 'peaceably 7vHh all men, Rom. xii. 8. There is added a twofold imitation, first, If it be possible, that is, consistently with justice, piety, and truth : Such a regard is not to be had to truth, as that the study of peace be entirely neglected ; nor is such unity to be sought after as destroys truth ; but speak the truth in love, as the same apostle exhorts, Eph. jv. 15. For, as our countryman Mr. Davenant justly observes, they love neither from the heart, who love not both. Christians therefore, when they both hve peaceably in owning the truth, and speak the truth in love, are a great ornament to their profession. The other limitation is, As much as lieth in you, that is, live in friendship with all, if it be possible ; and if they will not be friendly on their part, be sure you be so on yoiirs. Truth begets hatred among the wicked, and godhness is ever despised by them ; of which Lactantius * assigns this reason, " That he who sins

* wants to have a free opportunity of sinning, and thinks he can no ' otherwise enjoy securely the pleasure of his ill deeds, than when

* there are many who delight in the same faults. Hence they

* study to destroy and cut oiF root and branch those who are wit-

* nesses of their wickedness, and they cannot endure that good men^

* lives should be a reproof, as it were, of theirs. Therefore by the

* friendship of the wicked, piety is endangered."

We have some amongst us tliat put on a form of godliness, but have denied the power thereof: of such •)- Bernard in his time thus complained : ' Woe to this generation which hath the leaven of — — . , — ■ I

♦ Lactantius on Justice, b. 5. p. 332. 383. f Jiern^d, Sermon xxxiii. on C^nt,

A LETTER, 11

' tlie Pharisees, which is hypocrisy : If indeed that should be call-,

* ed hypocrisy, which now through its prevalency cannot be hid,

< and through its impudency seeks not to be hid. At present,

< rottenness and corruption affects the whole body of the church, f and the wider it spreads, the more desperate ; and the more ^ inwardly it spreads, the more dangerous : for if an heretic, an f open enemy, should rise up, he would be cast out ; if a vio- f lent enemy, she, (i. e. the church) would perhaps conceal herself ^ from him. But now, whom shall the church cast out ? or whom ' shall she hide herself from ? All are friends, and all are enemies : ^ all are in mutual connexions, as relations, yet in mutual contests, f as adversaries : all are fellow-members of one family, yet none ' are promoters of peace : all are neighbours, yet all are seekers of

< their own things : by profession servants of Christ, in reality they

* serye Antichrist : they make an honourable figure by the good

* things they have received from the Lord, while, at the same time, ' they give no honour to the Lord.' I will say of these men. My >6oul, come not into their council ; my glory, be not in their as- sembly.

But there are many others, zealous of peace and truth, agreeing in fundamentals, and standing equally against the common enemies oi^ the reformed reHgion, who, notwithstanding, differ (alas !) about matters not necessaiy to salvation, and split into opposite parties, and cause strife : while this fierce contention spreads itself among the brethren, it affords a continual occasion to their enemies to insult and molest them. Could any one find out a remedy for this epidemical distemper, he would deserve well of the church ; but since the experience of so many years has put it beyond doubt that it is difficult, or indeed impracticable to accompUsh this by scholastic disputes, or by oppressing the conscience with penalties ; it were mqre advisable to sopite all their debates, than by fruit- less strife to tear asunder the church ; and in fine, to have recourse to that which is the most useful, if not the only rule for promoting peace, Phil. iii. 16. Wherein w^ have already attained, let us walk by the same ride : with which agrees well that most wholesome advice given by Tossanus to the college of Tubing, in the following words : ' AH bitter railings and accusations ought justly to be laid aside, ' and the judgments of these matters in debate left wholly to the

* Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and to our own posterity, ' who, not being authors, but spectators of the debate, will judge

* more impartially about it. Our adversaries still hve and become

* bolder every day ; they make it their business night and day to ' plot and contrive how they may extinguish the light of the gospel ' that lias arisen, and bring back ancient darkness ; in the mean time,

* we who at fii'st with one accord, by God's grace, preached the

X2 A L E T T E E,

< ffospel, do now, with weapons of death turned against one ano-

* ther, rush mutually on destruction ; thereby exhibiting a delight-

* ful spectacle to our enemies, who place more of their safety and

* confidence in our contentions, than the weak foundation of their

* own cause."*

Let us therefore frequently consider tliat of the apostle, Gal. v. 15. But \fye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye he not consumed one of another. What Cicero said of the discords of great men, our countryman Davenant scruples not to affirm concerning those of the churches, That they connnonly end either in the ruin of both parties, or in the unjust tyranny of that side which overcomes. It IS greatly to be feared, that every one, by these continual and fierce debates, is hastening (may God prevent it) his own ruin : yet I doubt not but that all discords amongst the godly might be extinguished, whatever some may allege to the contrary, if the mmds of some were freed from the violent emotions of suspicion, ano-er, and envy. Behold, brethren, what a seasonable and pro- per softening plaister our skilful Physician hath applied to us all at this time. God grant it the desired effect ; lest the scar not being rightly closed up, the wound should break out again.

The godly in every place lame^nt the present deplorable state of the church \ and, from the destruction of some, do conjecture what danger hangs over all.

* Hence let contending nations know,

What direful mischief s from their discords flow.

Certain it is, that all wise and good men on both sides, (how- ever thev difler among themselves) are unanimous in this at least. That these are not times for strife, but times that call for prayer and reformation ; for, such are the prayers they every where offer up : ' May God turn the heai't of the fathers to the children, and the

* heart of the children to flie fathers, lest he come and smite the earth

* with a curse. These do not well consult their own interest, who, be-

* cause of disputes among the learned, perhaps never to be ended,

* will needs be tearing the church by perpetual divisions. Our

* brethren, that seriously pmfess they differ from us in smaller

* matters of religion, for no other reason than a fear of offending, ' these ought to be embraced with the greatest affection. Let all ' causes of offence be presently removed, that we may not stumble

* twice on the same stone. If we fall upon it again, we are broken *■ in pieces. We will not grant them this praise, that they are

P>:rduxit miser as.

En QUO dUcordiu gentes

A L E T T E R. I3

*■ more studious of peace and concord than ourselves. You may

* re-exact a conformity in fundamentals and things necessary in re-

* ligion ; but in matters erf indifference, and not absolutely neces-

< sary, you may give a larger liberty. No body should assume to

< himself a liberty of dividing tlie church, and dissolving brotherly

< unity on such a ground as neither Christ, nor the apostles, nor

* the primitive church in its purest state would ever have approv- ' ed.'

It must be confessed, that all kinds of controversy will never be at an end ; neverthelesss we can bid farewell to all discord ; for va- riety of opinions, and unity among those that hold them, are not things inconsistent. Why should there dwell in the breast of a Christian, the fierceness of wolves, the madness of dogs, the dead- ly poison of serpents, the cruel savageness of beasts ? as Cyprian long since complained. That is (saith Gregory) a new and un- heard-of manner of preaching, that forces a belief, with stripes : therefore let all bitter railing and accusation be gone. May the God of peace bring all into order and peace.

III. Especially and above all, I humbly beseech you, that, hav- ing laid aside all designs of smaller importance, you would mind this one thing how you may gain to Christ the souls committed to you, to which all earthly things are to be postponed. This is the labour, this the work incumbent on us.

Put far from you a vile, niggardly sparing of your gifts, an im- moderate care for worldly things, an excessive indulgence of the vile body. Let it not seem much to us to spend a little sweat for the sake of those souls for which Christ so willingly and plentifully poured out his own most precious blood. If we hide the Lord's talent in a napkin, where shall we find a napkin to dry up our tears of blood for so base a crime ^

Remember, brethren, that it will be required at our hands, how we have spent every portion of that time which is given us ; how much of it have we already lost in unprofitable silence ! But among all the oppressions under which you have long groaned, I persuade myself there is none you have more sorrowed for than that of being so long with-holden from feeding poor hungry souls. The present opportunity is slippery, and may be lost, as to what con- cerns futurity, the clouds return after the rain. Up then ye ser- vants of God, mind this your business, and the Lord shall be with you : do not regard the usual murmurings of the flesh. Look for- ward to that heavenly crown : " They that be \vise shall shine as *' the brightness of the firmament ; and they that turn many to *' righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.""

With the hopes of this, let us rouse up and fortify our drooping

]^ A L E T T E R.

hearts gainst the mockings and troubles we may expect for th^ sake of the gospel. What bowels of compassion ought we to put on, when we speak to such men of saving their souls, and shunning perdition, into which they may quickly fall, but who, in the mean time, have not the least thought about these things themselves ? A famous author in Amesius * complains, ' That the words of hfe

* in some preachers and teachers lips die away, as to any power or

* efficacy : For so coldly and unconcernedly do they deliver the « word of God, that it seems to die in their lips. Hence, as they

* themselves are cold and dead preachers, so they leave their hear-

* ers in a cold and dead frame. I knew one who left Paris for

* this reason, because he said, he was more and more benumbed

* with the lectures and sermons he heard from day to day ih that « city ; and was afmid, that if he staid much longer there, his soul

* would have perished with spiritual cold : wherefore he joined ' himself to lively ministers, as unto Hve-coals, that so by conver- < sing with them, he might nourish and increase an holy flame in

* his heart."*

Lift up your eyes and behold the fields white, and ready to harvest ; see how you are on every side surrounded Avith crowds of poor hungry souls, with open mouth and earnest looks begging spi- ritual bread from you. If we have the bowels of the chief Shep^ herd in us, let us feed his sheep. Some are almost worn out with old age and various troubles : others lessen the majesty of scripture by insisting much on things of little moment, and fill the ears of the multitude with a vain noise of words, or tickle them with smooth speeches. In such a situation, if you, who are furnished with all kinds of gifts, and have so full and fair opjwrtunity, do not burn with zeal to God, and love to souls, I tremble to look forward to the dreadful end of you all.

IV. Lastly^ I will conclude with a few things which I thought necessary for students of Theology^ and candidates for the ministry, who have at this needful time willingly devoted themselves to this service, or are about to do it : We nave long borne the burden and heat of the day ; we are veteran soldiers almost worn out. The next age will possibly produce more tractg-ble minds, and men of gentler dispositions than our times afford.

I congratulate you on account of your birth, especially if your natural birth be, or shall be ennobled and sanctified by regenera- tion ; and this is the more reasonable, because all our famous chronologers and searchers into times, who have bestowed much time and pains in that study, are big with expectation, like a wo- man big with child, past the time of her reckoning, who therefore

" — 1> ' •■ ' — •■ — — — — _— _ — I ■ — - • ■■

• Cases of Conscience, book 3. p. 16.

ALETTKIU 15

expects her pains to come upon her every hour. It is very proba- ble, that the day which all the prophets foretold, and all good men have, as it were, with outstretched neck, been eagerly looking for, is now at hand*

Do you, therefore, ye brave youths, the hope and desife of the reviving church, with eagerness lay hold on this favourable oppor- tunity of enriching your minds with all necessary gifts and endow- ments. Keep yourselves close night and day at your studies and most fervent prayers : He will make the best divine, that studies on his knees. And how shall we contend for the truth, or de- fend it against the adversaries, if we are destitute of gifts ? Nei- ther a good disposition, nor the charms of eloquence, nor a grace- ful gesture, nor good manners, can compensate for the want of gifts.

But on the other hand, beware, brethren, lest while the tree of knowledge every day thrives and prospers, the tree of life alone should languish and become baiTen, as an excellent divine * speaks very pertinently. Take care you put not that last, which should be first ; and that, again, first, which should be last. Measures so perniciously preposterous will be fatal to the whole work of con- version. A head well instructed is much to be desired; but a sanctified heart is absolutely necessary. " Covet earnestly the best *' gifts, and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way," 1 Cor. xii. 31. For gifts, let them increase ; but grace, let it outshine them all. Let these words of the great apostle take deep root in your hearts, 1 Cor. ix. 27. " But I keep under my body, and bring <* it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preach- *' ed unto others, I myself should be a cast-a-way." For what will it profit, to be learned and damned ? It is one thing to be learned in the truths of Christ, another to be taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.

Continually bear in mind this serious warning of our learned countryman Reynolds -f-, ' Let us not think much of ourselves,

* though God should have adorned us with the finest gifts of na-

* ture, with a lively genius, with an elegant diction, much read- ' ing, long experience of things, skill in the arts, languages and

* sciences, solidity of judgment, quickness of understanding, al-

* most like that of angels, unless at the same time he add to all,

* the gift of his Spirit to help us to know and delight in the hea- ' venly mystery. For though by the exercise of those shining ac-

* complishments, we may procure to ourselves the favour and

* esteem of men, though from thence great advantage may re-

* dound to the learned world, and to the church of Christ, yet

f S> Ford, Ambitio sat. f AruTnaiis Hotm*

16 TO THE EEADEE.

' do thev not all tend to obtain for us either the favour of God, ' or the reward of heavenly happiness.' May God give you mi- nisterial and sanctifying gifts, that you may approve yourselves to be defenders of Christ and his rehgion, and firm opposers of his enemies.

But it is time to close this unpohshed and homely letter, which, however, I hope you will favourably accept as a testimony of that respect due to you from

Your fillow-servant in

the gospel of Christy

JOHN FLAVEL.

TO THE READER.

X HE worthy author of the discourse emitted herewith, is one whose praise in the gospel is throughout all the churches. His other books have made his name precious and famous in both Eng~ lands. Nor can my testimony add any thing to one every way greater than myself. Nevertheless, a singular providence having cast my lot to be at present in this great city ; I could not withstand the importunity of them who desired a few Prefatory lines to mani- fest the respect I owe to this renowned and learned man.

It was a wise reproof which a grave divine administered to a young preacher, who entertained his auditory with an elaborate discourse : after he had commended his parts and pains, there was (said he) one thing wanting in the sermon ; / could not perceive that the Spirit of God was in it. And though inorcdity is good, and necessary to be taught and practised, yet it is much to be lament- ed, that many preachers in these days have hardly any other dis- courses in their pulpit than what we find in Seneca, Epictetus, Plutarch, or some such heathen moralist. Christ, the Holy Spirit, and (in a word) the gospel is not in their sermons. But blessed be God, that there are some (and great is their company in this land of light) who preach the truth as it is in Jesus : and he who has taken the book out of the right hand of him that sits on the throne, and is worthy to open the seals thereof, has been pleased in Avonderful ways to set open, and keep open a door of liberty to the gospel, that they, unto whom he has given a heart to preach Christ, may do it. This is the Lord's doing ; thi» is a Spirit of

England's duty. 17

life from God. When Cyrus proclaimed liberty for the free exercise of religion, the Lord's servants, who for some years had lain dead, were brought out of their graves^ Ezek. xxxvii. 12, 13.

This treatise is a word in season : God lias made the author to be a zvlse master-builder in his house, arid according to the wisdom given him of God, he has enlarged on a gospel subject very proper to be insisted on at such a day as tl^is. I am informed by un- questionable hands, that there was a remarkable pouring out of the Spirit when these sermons were viva voce delivei'ed, a great num- ber of souls having been brought home to Christ thereby. The Lord grant that the second preaching of them to far greater multitudes by this way o^ the press, may, by the same Spirit, be made abundantly successful for the conversion and salvation of God's elect. The fruit brought forth by the holy apostles in respect of the writings of some (as well as the doctrine preached by all) of them, does still remain. The fruitful labours of this faithful servant of Christ will promote the glory of God, and the good of souls, when he himself shall cease from his labours, and his works shall follow him. Let the Lord's people be thankful to him for that he has sent such a labourer into the harvest, and pray that he may be continued long therein, and that many such (for there are but few such) may be raised up, and be made eminently successful in their holy endea,- vours, to the enlargement of the kingdom of Christ, and of God; and let him reign in this land for ever and ever, which is the heart's desii-e and prayer of one who is

Less than the least of all saints^ London, 1689*

INCREASE MATHER.

SERMON I.

Rev. iii. 20.

[Behold] I stand at the door, and knock ; if any man hear my voice^ and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me.

i HIS day hath our compassionate Redeemer opened unto us a door of liberty ; liberty to us to preach, and hberty for you to hear the glad tidings of the gospel. This is a day jfew looked for : liow often have I said in the years that are past, God hath

18 EXGLAXD S DUTY.

iio more work for me to do, and I shall have no more strength and opportunities to work for God ? And how often have you said in your hearts, we have sinned our ministers out of their pulpits, and our eyes shall no more behold those omt teachers? But lo, bevond the thoughts of most hearts, a wide and (I hope) an effectual door is now opened in the midst of us. Oh f that it might be to us as the valley of Achor was to Isrstel, for a door of' hope, Hos. ii. 15. i. e. not only making the troubles they meet with in that valley an inlet to their mercies, as ours have been to us ; but giving them that valley pigyioris nomine, as a pledge of greater mercies intended for them. Upon the first appearance of this mercy, my next thoughts were how to make the most fruit- ful improvement of it amongst you, lest we should twice stumble at the same stone, and sin ourselves back again into our old bondage.

In the contemplation of this matter, the Lord directed me to this scripture, wherein the same hand that opened to you the door of liberty, knocks importunately at the doors of your hearts for en- trance into them, for tmion and communion with them. It will be sad indeed if he that hath let you into all these mercies, should himself be shut out of your hearts : but if the Lord should help you to open your hearts now to Christ, I doubt not but this door of liberty will be kept open to you, how many soever the adversaries be that envy it, and will do their utmost to shut it Up, Ezek. xxxix. S9. The mercies you enjoy this day, are the fruits of Christ's in- tercession with the Father for one trial more : if we bring forth fruit, well ; if not, " the ax lieth at the root of the tree.*" Under this consideration I desire to preach, and even so the Lorld help you to hear what shall be spoken from this precious scripture, Behold, I stand at the doo)', and knock, &c.

These words are a branch of that excellent epistle dictated by Christ, and sent by his servant John to the church of Laodicea, the most formal, hypocritical, and degenerate of all the seven churches ; yet the great Physician will try his skill upon them, both by the re- bukes of the rod, verse 19. and by the persuasive power of the word ; verse 20, Behold I stand at the door, and knock, &c.

This text is Christ's wooing voice, full of heavenly rhetoric to win and gain the hearts of sinners to himself; wherein we have these two general parts.

1. Christ's suit for a sinner's heart.

2. The powerful arguments enforcing his suit.

First, Chrisfs suit for a sinner s heart, wherein we have (1.) The solemn preface, ushering it in, behold : (2.) The suit itself. The preface is exceeding solemn : for beside the common use of this word, behold, in other places, to excite attention, or exaggerate

and put weight into an affirmation; it stands here, as a judicious expositor * notes, as a terrti of notification or public record, wherein Christ takes witnesses of the most gracious offer he was now about to make to their souls, and will have it stand in perpetuam ret memoriam^ as a testimony for or against their souls to all eternity^ to cut off" all excuses and pretences for time to come. % The suit itself, wherein we have,

1. The Suitor^ Jesus Christ.

2. His posture and action ; / stand at the door and Icnock. S. The suit itself, which is for opening, rfany man open.

1. The suitor, Christ himself, / stand ; I that have a right of sovereignty over you ; I that have shed my invaluable blood to purchase you, and might justly condemn you upon the first denial or demur: behold I stand: this is the suiton

S. His posture and action^ / sta7id at the door, and Tcnocl' ; the word is in the f preter tense, I have stood, but being here joined with another verb of the present tense, it is fitly translated, / standi yet so as that it notes a Continual action^ I have stood, and do still Btand \vith unwearied patience ; I once stood personally and bodily among you in the days of my flesh, and I still stand spiritually and representatively in my ambassadors at the door, i. e. the mina and conscience, the faculties and powers which are introductive into the whole soul.

The word door is here properly put to signify those introductive faculties of the soul, which are of a like use to it, as the door is to the house. This is the Redeemer"*s posture, his action is knocking'^ i. e. his I powerful essay and gracious attempts to open the heart to give him admission. The word knock signifies a strong and power- ful knock ; he stands patiently, and knocks powerfully by the word outwardly, by the convictions, motions, impulses, strivings, and instigations of his Spirit inwardly.

3. The design and end of the suit ; it is for openings i. e. coil' senting, receivmg, embracing^ and hearty accepting of him by faith. Acts xvi. 14. The Lord opened the heart of Lydia, \. e- persuaded her soul to believe ; implying, that the heart by nature is strongly barred and locked up against Christ , and that nothing but a power from him can open it.

Secondly, The powerful arguments and motives used by Christ to obtain his suit, and ^Qi a grant from the sinner's heart ; and thejr are drawn from two inestimable benefits accruing to the opening ot believing soul, viz.

• Durham on the place.

t Es-jjxa.

X K^sw a X£Pa$ cornu,4:sicJU Jisg^w, ^per sjjncojfen x^SW,

Vol, IV. B

20 EXG land's duty.

1. Union.

2. Communion with Christ.

1. Union ; I will come in to him, that is, I will unite myself with the opening, believing soul ; he shall be mystically one with me, and I ^\ith him.

2. Communion ; I will sup with him, and he with me ; that is, I will feast the believing soul with the delicates of heaven : such comforts, such ]oy?,, such pleasures, as none in the world but be- lievers are capable of

And, to set home all, these special benefits are proposed by Christ to all sorts of sinners, great and small, old and young ; If any man hear my voice and open the door : That so no soul might be dis- couraged from believing, by the greatness or multitude of his sins, but the vilest of sinners may see free grace triumphing over all their unworthiness, upon their consent to take Christ according to the gracious offer^s of the gospel.

The words thus opened, afford many great and useful points of doctrine, comprehending in them the very sum and substance of the gospel. The first which ariseth from the solemn and remarkable preface, Behold, will be this,

Doct 1, Tliai every offer of Christ to the souls of sinners is recorded and zcitnessed ivith respect to the day of account and reckoning.

Here we shall enquire into three things.

1. Who are God"'s witnesses to all gospel tenders.

2. What are the object-matters they witness to.

3. Why God records every offer of Christ, and takes a wit- ness tliereof

I. Who ai'e God's witnesses to all the tenders and offers made of Christ by the gospel, and they will be found to be more than a strict legal number; for,

3 . His ministers, by whom he makes them, are all witnesses as well as officers of Christ to the people. Acts xxvi. 16. "I have " appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and " a witness.'' Here you see ministers have a double office, to pro- pose and offer Christ, and then to bear witness for or against those to whom he is thus offered: they are expressly called God's witnesses, Ilex. xi. 6, 7. Their labours witness, their sufferings witness, their solemn appeals to God witness; yea, the very dust of their feet shaken off against the refusers of Christ, turns to a testimony against them, Mark vi. 11. Every groan and sigh, every drop of sweat, much more of blood, are placed in God's book of marginal notes by all their sermons and prayers, and will be produced and read in the great day against all the refusers and despisers of Christ.

England's duty. 21

2. The gospel itself, which is preached to you, is a testimony or witness for God, or against every one that hears it ; John xii. 4^. ** He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that " judgeth him ; the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge " him in the last day."" And this is the sense of Christ's word, Matth. xxiv. 14. " And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preach- " ed in all the world for a witness to all nations, and then shall the " end come.'' Ah, Lord, what a solemn record is hero ! every sermon you hear, yea, every reproof, persuasion, and conviction, is a ^\4tness for God to cast and condenm every soul in judgment that complies not immediately with the calls of the gospel : so many sermons, so many witnesses.

3. Every man's conscience is a witness for God, that he hath a fair offer once made him : the very consciences of the Heathens that never saw a Bible, that had no other preachers but the sun, moon, and stars, and other works of nature ; yet of them the apos- tle saitli, Rom. ii. 15. " That they shew the work of the law " written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing them wit- " ness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing " one another." Certainly if such vigour and activity was put into the consciences of Heathens, who could only read the will of God by the dim moon-light of natural reason ; how much more vi- gorous and active will conscience be in its accusing office against all that live under the bright beams of gospel-light ? Their consciences will be swift witnesses, and will ring sad peals in their ears another day, Ezek. ii. 5. " You shall know that there hath been a prophet " among you." This single witness is instead of a thousand wit- nesses for God.

4- The examples of all those that do believe and obey the gos- pel, are so many witnesses for God against the despisers and neg- iecters of the great salvation. Every mourning, trembling soul among you is a witness against all the dead-hearted, unbelieving, disobedient ones, that sit with them under the same ordinances. Hence it is said, 1 Cor. vi. 2. " Know ye not that the saints shall " judge the world .?" They shall be assessors with Christ in the great day, and condemn the world for their examples, as Noali did the old world. Thus John, Matth. xxi. 32. came unto you in the i^ay of righteousness, and ye believed him not, hut the publicans and ftarlots believed him; and ye when ye had seen it, repented not afterwards that ye might believe him, q. d. What shift do you make to quiet your consciences, and stifle your convictions, when you saw ptiblicans, the worst of men, and harlots, the worst of women, tepenting, believing, and hungering after Christ ! their examples shall be your judges. These are God's witnesses.

B2

2S' England's duty.

II. Next let us consider what are the object matter unto which they give their testimony, and that will be found two-fold, accord- ing to the two-fold event the gospel hath upon them that hear it : of both which the apostle gives this account, 9. Cor. ii. 16. " Unto " some we are the savour of life unto life, and unto others the " savour of death unto death." Accordingly a double record is made.

1. Of the obedience and faith of some, which record ^vill be pro- duced to their joy and comfort in the day of the Lord ; when he shall come to he glorified in his saints^ and to be admired in all thsm that believe ; because our testimoiiy among you was believed in that day. Ministers are instruments of espousing souls to Christ, and ivitnesses to those espousals and contracts made betwixt him and them, 2 Cor. xi. 2. Both these offices are exceeding grateful and pleasant to every faithful minister.

2. A record is made, and witness taken of all the refusals, dis- obedience and sligh tings of Christ by others. Thus Moses will be the accuser of the Jews, John v. 45. " Do not think I will accuse *' you to the Father ; there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, " in whom you trust.'"* This is the saddest part of a minister's work; the fore-thoughts of it are more afflictive than all our labours and sufferings. There is a three-fold record made in this case: (1.) Of the time men have enjoyed under the means of salvation ; how many years they have sat barren and dead-hearted under the labours of God's faithful ministers ; Luke xiii. 7. " Be- ** hold these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and *' find none." Behold, the same term of notification with that in the text, applied to the time of God's patience towards them. And again, Jer. xxv. 3. " From the thirteenth year of Josiah, even " unto this day, (that is, the three and twentieth year) the word '' of the Lord hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you '' rising early, and speaking, but ye have not hearkened." O con- sider, all the years and days you have spent under the gospel, are upon your doomsday book. (5.) Records are also made of all the instruments that ever God employed for the conversion and salva- tion of your souls. So many ministers, whether fixed or transient, as have spent their labours upon you, are upon the book of your account. Jer. xxv. 4. " The Lord hath sent unto you all his ** servants, the prophets, rising early, and sending them ; but ye ** have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear." They have wasted their lungs, dropt their compassionate tears, and burnt down one after another, as candles to direct you to Christ and salvation, but all in vain. (3.) Every call, persuasion and argument, used by them to espouse you to Christ, is likewise upon the book of account. Prov. i. 24, 25. " Because I have called and ye refused, " I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded ; but ye have

ENGLAND S DUTY. 23

" set at nought all my counsels, and would none of my reproof/"' These calls and counsels are of too great value with God (though of none with you) to he lost and left out of your account.

III. We shall, in the last place, inquire into the grounds and reasons of these judicial procedures of God, why he will have every man's obedience and disobedience registered, and witnessed for or against him, under gospel administrations; and there are two weighty reasons thereof.

1. That wherever the end of the gospel is attained in the con- version of any soul, that soul, and all that were instrumentally em- ployed about the salvation of it, may have the proper reward and comfort in the great day, 2 Cor. i. 14. " As also you have ac- " knowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even as ye *' also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus." This will be matter of joy unspeakable, both to you that shall receive, and to them that shall give such a comfortable testimony for you. O the joyful congratulations that will be in that day between laborious, faitnful ministers, and their believing, obedient hearers ! Lord, this was the blessed instrument of my happy illumination and conversion ; though I might have ten thousand instructers in Christ, yet not many fathers ; for by the blessing of thy Spirit upon this man's ministry, my soul was begotten to Christ. And, on the other side ; Lord, these are the souls for whom I travailed, as in birth, until Christ was formed in them. It is a glorious thing to say, as the prophet, " Here am I, and the children God hath given me.''

Nay, those that were but collaterally useful to help on the work of God begun by others, must not lose their reward in that day. John iv. 36. " And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth " fruit unto eternal life, that both he that soweth and he that *' reapeth may rejoice together."

2. Records are now made, and witnesses taken, that thereby the judicial sentence of Jesus Christ in the last day may be made clear and perspicuous to all the world ; that every mouth may be stopped, and no plea, or apology left in the mouth of any con- demned sinner. For Christ, in that day cometh, Jude 15. to convince all that are ungodly ; to convince by demonstration, that all that are Christless now, may be found speechless then, Matth. xxii. 12. Hence it is said, Psal. i. 5. That the wicked shall not stand, or rise up in judgment. And no wonder, when so many full testimonies, and unexceptionable witnesses shall come point blank against them, the ministers that preached, the word they preached, their own consciences, and the examples of all believers will be produced against them.

1*^ Inference. The undoubted certainty of a day of judgment is hence evinced. To what purpose else are records made, ami witness.

B3

^^ ENGLAXI>S DUTY.

ses taken, but with respect to an audit-day ? This is a truth sealed upon the conscience of the very heathens, Rom. ii. 15. Their con- sciences bear witness. But in vain are all these records made, un- less there be a day to produce and plead them ; and of that day the prophet Daniel speaks, Dan. vii. 10. " The judgment was set, *' and the books were opened." And again. Rev. xx. 12. " And '* I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God, and the ''- books were opened, and another book was opened which is the *^ book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things '' which were written in the book, according to their works.''

Believe it, friends, these are no devised fables, but most awful and infallible truths ; according to the saving effects the gospel now hath, it will be a time of refreshing to our souls, Acts iii. 19. to all others a day of terror, wrath, and amazement, 2 Thess. i. 7, 8. " The day in which the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from hea- *' ven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on ^' them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our *' Lord Jesus Christ.

^d Infer. What a spur is here to ministerial diligence andjaitli- J'ulness ? It is an awful work that is under our hands ; the eifects of the gospel which we preach, will be the savour of life or death to them that hear us. If the Lord prosper it in our hands, we shall be Avitnesses for you, it \vill be an addition to our glory in heaven ; Dan. xii. 3. " They that turn many to righteousness, shall shine <' as the brightness of the firmament, and as the stars for ever and " ever." But if we be ignorant, lazy, men-pleasers, our people will come in as swift \vitnesses against us, and their blood will be required at our hands ; it will be an intolerable aggravation to our misery in hell, to have any that sat under our ministry thus up- braiding us ! O cruel man I thou sazvest my soul in danger, and never dealtst faithfully and plainly with me ; the sa^ne time and hreath that was spent in idle and worldly discourse, might have been instrumental to have saved me from this place of torment. Let minis- ters consider themselves as witnesses for God, and their people as witnesses for or against them ; and under that consideration, so study, preach and pray, that they may with Paul take God to record, that they are free from the blood of all men ; no sort of men upon earth have more spurs to diligence and faithfulness than we have.

^d Infer. What a pill is this to purge formality out of all that hear us ; Every sabbath, every sermon, is recorded in heaven for or against your souls ; at what rate soever you attend to the word, all that you hear is set down in the book of your account : think not you shall return as you came, the word will have its effect and end, it shall not return in vain, Isa. Iv. 11. but shall accomplish the end for which it is sent. The decrees of heaven are executed by

EN'GLAXDS DfTY. 25

the gospel, some souls shall be quickened, and others shall be slain by the word of God's mouth. The gospel is a river of the waters of life, which quickens and refreshes every thing that lives ; but the miry and marshy places shall not be healed. How weighty therefore is that caution of our Lord, Luke viii. 18. Take heed how you hear ! When you come under an ordinance, you are sowing seed for eternity, which will spring up in the world to come. Preaching and hearing may be considered two ways, phT/sicaUi/ or morally ; in the former respect, these acts are quickly over ai/J pass away. I shall by and by have done preaching, and you hearing ; this sermon will be ended in a little time, but the consequences thereof will abide for ever ! Therefore, for the Lord's sake, away with formality ; no more drowsy eyes or wandering thoughts. Oh, when you come to attend upon the ministry of the gospel, that such thoughts as these might prepare your minds ! The word I am go- ing to hear will quicken or kill, save or damn my soul ; if I sit dead under it, and return barren from it, I shall wish one day that I had never seen the face of that minister, nor heard his voice that preached it.

^th Infer. What a dreadful conditiori are all those in that are real and professed enemies to the gospel^ and them that preach it! That instead of embracing and obeying the message of the gospel, reject and despise it ; instead of opening their hearts to receive it, open their blasphemous mouths against it, to deride it, and hiss it (if it were possible) out of the world. Ah ! what a book of remembrance is written for such men.? I fear there never was an age, since Christianity blessed this nation, that was more deeply drenched in the guilt of this sin than the present age. How are the messengers of the gospel slighted and rejected ? What have we done to de- serve it ? Is not our case this day much like that of the prophet ? " Shall evil be recompensed for good ? For they have digged £^ " pit for my soul ; remember that I stood before thee to speak " good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them,"" Jer. xviii. 20. What brutish madness hath possessed the souls of the se men ? But alas ! it is not so much they, as Satan acting in them ; he is a jealous prince, the gospel alarms him, his subjects are in danger of revolting from him : no wonder therefore he makes an outcry at the liberty of the gospel, as is used to be made when an enemy invades a kingdom. In this case Christ directs his mi- nisters to shake off the dust of their feet for a testimony against them, Mark vi. 11. The signification and meaning whereof is this, that look as you shake off the dust of your feet, even so Jesus Christ will shake qf those men that despise the gospel, and abuse his messengers.

6th Infer. Hence it Hkewise follows, Tliat the case of the Pagan

B 4

26 enola^d's duty.

world will he easier in the day of judgment^ than tJieirs tJmt live and die unrcgenerate and disobedient under the gospel of Christ. There are more witnesses prepared, and records filled against the day of your account, than can possibly be against them ; they have abused but one talent, the light of nature ; but we thousands, even as many thousands as we have had opportunities and calls under the gospel. Upon this account Christ saith, " Whosoever shall not receive *' you, nor hear your words, shake off the dust of your feet. Ve- *' rily, I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of *' Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that *^ city," M-at. X. 14, 15.

Ah, what a fearful aggravation doth it put upon our sin and misery, that we are not only accountable for all the light we had, but for all that we might have had in the gospel-day ! Capernaum was lifted up to heaven in the enjoyment of means and precious opportunities, Mat. xi. S3, and had an answerable downfal into the depth of misery from that height of mercy ; as the higher any one is hfted up upon a rack, the more terrible is the jerk he receives by the fall.

Qth Infer. La^stly^ Hence it appears. That the day of judgment must certainly take up a vast space of time: For if God will bring every thing into judgment, Eccl. xii. 14. not only sinful actions, but words, Matth. xii. 36. not only words, but heart-secrets, Rom, ii> 16. If all the records and registers now made, shall then ba opened and read ; all the witnesses for or against every man exa- mined and heai'd; judge then what a vast space of time will that great day take up. Some divines zire of opinion it may last as long as the world hath lasted ; but this is sure, things will not be hud- led up, nor shuffled over in haste : you have taken your time for sinning, and God will take his time for judging.

Consider the multitudes, multitudes without number, that are to be judged in that day, even all the posterity of Adaip, which are as the sand upon the sea-shore ; that not only so many per* sons, but all that they have done, must come into judgment, even the very thoughts of their hearts, which never came to the know- ledge of men : their consciences to be interrogated, all other wit- nesses fully heard and examined : how great a day must this day of the Lord then be .^

The second Use.

But the main use of this pomt will be for exhortation, that seeing all the offers of Christ are recorded, and witnessed, with respect to a day of account, every one of you would therefore immediately em- brace the present gracious tender of Christ in the gospel, as ever you expect to be acquitted and cleared in that great day : take heed

EXGLAXij'« DUTY. 27 \

of denials;, nay of delays and demurs. " For if the word spoken *' by angels was stcdfast, and every transgression and disobedience <« received a just recompence of reward ; how shall we escape if " we neglect so great a salvation ?" Heb. ii. 2, 3. The question is put, but no answer made ; How shall we escape ? The wisdom of men and angels cannot tell how. To enforce this exhortation, I shall present you with ten weighty considerations upon the matter, which the Lord follow home, by tlic blessing of his spirit upon all your hearts.

1. Consider how invaluable a mercy it is that you are yet within tJie reach of offered grace. The mercies that stand in offer before you tliis day, were never set before the angels that fell ; no mediator was ever appointed for them. O astonishing mercy ! that those vessels of gold should be cast into everlasting fire, and such clay vessels as we are, thus put into a capacity of greater happiness than ever they fell from ; nay, the mercy that stands before you is not only denied to the angels that fell, but to the greatest part of your fellow-creatures of the same rank and dignity with you : " He ** sheweth his word to Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto *' Israel, he hath not dealt so with any other nation, and as for his '' judgments they have not known them : Praise ye the Lord,'' Psal. cxlvii. 19, 20. A mercy deservedly celebrated with a joyful Alleliijah. What vast tracts are there in the habitable world, where the name of Christ is unknown ! it is your special mercy to be born in a land of bibles and ministers, where it is as difficult for you to avoid and shun the light, as it is for others to behold and enjoy it.

2. Consider the nature^ weight, and worth of the mercies whicJtr are this day freely offered you. Certainly they are mercies of the first rank, the most ponderous, precious, and necessary among all the mercies of God. Christ the first-born of mercies, and in him pardon, peace, and eternal salvation are set before you^ it were astonishing to see a starving man refusing offered bread, or a con- demned man a gracious pardon. Lord ! what a composition of sloth and stupidity are we, that we should need so many entreaties to be happy.

3. Consider who it is that makes these gracious tenders^ of par-^ don, peace, and salvation, to you ; even that God whom you have sof deeply wronged, whose laws you have violated, whose mercies yom have spurned, and wlwse wrath you have justly incensed. His pa^ tience gi-oans under the burden of your daily provocations ; he loses nothing if you be damned, and receives no benefit if you be saved ; yet the first motions of mercy and salvation to you freely arise out of his grace and good pleasure. God intreats you to be reconciled, 2 Cor. v. 20. The blessed Lord Jesus, whose blood

28 exglaxd's duty.

thy sins have shed, now freely offers that blood for thy reconcilia- tion, justification, and salvation, if thou wilt but sincerely accept him ere it be too late.

4. Reflect ser'wuslij upon your own vileness^ to whom such gracU oiis offers of peace and mercy are made. Thy sins have set thee at as great a distance from the hopes and expectations of pardon, as any sinner in the world. Consider man, what thou hast been, what thou hast done, and what vast heaps of guilt thou hast con- tracted by a life of sin : and yet that unto thee pardon and peace should be offered in Christ after such a life of rebellion, how asto- nishing is the mercy ? the Lord is contented to pass by all thy former rebellions, thy deep-dyed transgressions, and to sign an act of obli- \aon for all that is past, if now at last thy heart relent for sin, and thy will bow in obedience to the great commands and calls of the gospel, Isa. Iv. 2, &c. and i. 18.

5. Consider how many offers of mercy you have already refused^ and that every refusal is recorded against you: how long have you tried, and even tried the patience of God already, and that this may be the last overture of grace that ever God will make to your souls. Certainly there is an offer that will be the last offer, a striving of the Spirit which will be his last striving ; and after that no more offers without you, no more motions or strivings within you for ever- more. The treaty is then ended, and your last neglect or rejec- tion of Christ recorded against the day of your account ; and what if this should prove to be that last tender of grace which must con- clude the treaty betwixt Christ and you f What undone wTetches must you then be, with whom so gracious a treaty breaks off upon such dreadful terms.

6. Consider well the reasonahle^ mild, and gracious nature of the gcspeUtcrms, on which life and jmrdon are offered to you, Acts xx. 21. The gospel requires nothing of you but repentance and faith. Can you think it hard when a prince pardons a rebel, to require him to fall upon his knee?, and stretch forth a willing and thankful hand to receive his pardon ? Your repentance and faith are much of the same nature. Here is no legal satisfaction required at your hands, no reparation of the injured law by your doings or suffer- ings, but a hearty sormw for sins committed, sincere purposes and endeavours after new obedience, and a hearty, thankful accepta- tion of Christ your Saviour ; and for your encouragement herein, lis Spirit stands ready to furnish you with powers and abilities ; '' Turn ye at my reproof; behold I will pour out my Spirit unto ** you, I will make known my words unto you,"* Prov. i. 23. \nd Isa. xxvi. 12. " Lord, thou hast wrought all our works in f us."

\ 7. Again, Cgnsider how your way to Christy hy repentance and faith ^

England's duty. S9

is beaten before you^ by thousands of sinners for your encouragement. You are not the first that ever adventured your souls in this path ' multitudes are gone before you, and that under as much guilt, fear, and discouragement as you that come after can pretend unto ; and not a man among them repulsed or discouraged : here they have found rest and peace to their weary souls, Heb. iv. 3. Acts xiii. 39. Here the greatest of sinners have been set forth for an ensample to you that should afterwards believe on his name, 1 Tim. i. 1.6. You see if you will not, others will joyfully accept the offers of Christ ; what discouragements have you that they had not ? Or what greater encoiu*agements had they which God hath not given you this day? therefore they shall be your judges,

8. Consider the great hazard of these precious seasons you now enjoy. Opportunity is the golden spot of time, but it is tempus labile^ a very slippery and uncertain thing : great and manifold are the hazards and contingencies attending it. Your life is immediately uncertain, your breath continually going in your nostrils ; and that which is every moment going, will be gone at last. The gospel is as imcertain as your life ; God hath made no such settlement of it, but that he may at pleasure remove it, and will certainly do so if we thus trifle under it ; it is but a candlestick, though a golden one. Rev. ii. 5. and that you all know is a moveable thing ; and not only your life, and the means of your eternal life, I mean the gos- pel, are uncertain things ; but even the motions and strivings of the Spirit with your souls are as uncertain as either. ^' Work out " your own * alvation with fear and trembling ; for it is God that " worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure," Phil. ii. 12, 13. That God now works ^vath you is matter of great encouragement to your work : but that he works at his own plea- sure, as a free arbitrary agent, who can cease when he pleases, and never give but one knock at your hearts more, should make you work with fear and trembling.

9. ThinJc what a fearful aggravation it will be both of your sin and misery^ to perish in the sight and presence of an offered remedy ; to sink into hell betwixt the out-stretched arms of a compassionate Redeemer^ that would have gathered you, but you woidd not.

Heathens, yea devils will upbraid you in hell for such unac- countable folly and desperate madness ; heathens will say, Alas, we had but the dim moon-light of nature, which did indeed dis- cover sin, but not Christ the remedy. Ah, had your preachers and your bibles been sent among us, how gladly would we have em- braced them! surely saith God to Ezekicl,' " had I sent thee to <=* them, they would have hearkened unto thee,'"* Ezek. iii. 5, 6. Matth. xi. i\. The very devils will upbraid you ; O if God had

30 i:ncla>;d's duty.

sent a Mediator in our nature, we had never rejected him as you have done ; but he took not on him the nature of angels.

10. Lastly, How clear as well as sure, will your condemnation he in the great day, against zvhom suck a cloud of witnesses will appear ! O how manifest will the righteousness of God be ! men and angels ishall applaud the sentence, and your own consciences shall ac- knowledge the equity of it. You that are christless now, will be speechless then, Matth. xxii. 11, " Knowing therefore the terrors *' of the Lord, we persuade men," 2 Cor. v. 11. as one that trem- bles to think of being summoned as a witness against any of your souls. O that I might be your rejoicing, and you mine in the day of pur Lord Jesus Christ.

SERMON II.

Rev. iii. SO. Behold [/] stand at the door, &c.

JH.AVING, in the former sermon, pondered Christ's soiemn preface to his earnest suit ; the next thing that comes under our consideration, is the person soliciting and pleading for admission into the hearts of sinners, which is Christ himself.

Behold [/] stand. The only difficulty here is rightly to appre* hend the manner of Christ's presence in gospel administrations ; for it is manifest the person of Christ was at this time in heaven : his bodily presence was removed from this lower world above sixty years before this epistle was written to the Laodiceans. John's ba- nishment into Patmos is by Eusebius, out of Irenaeus and Clemens Alexandrinus, placed in the fourteenth year of tjie emperor Domi- tian, and under his second persecution, which was about tJie ninety seventh year from the birth of Christ.

Yet here he saith, BeJwld I stand ; not my messengers and mi- nisters only, but I by my spiritual presence among you, I your sove- reign Lord and owner, who have all right and authority by crea- tion and redemption to possess and dispose of your souls : it is I that stands at the door and knocks, I by my Spirit, soliciting and moving by the ministry of men. You see none but men ; but believe it, I am really and truly, though spiritually and invisibly, present in all those administrations ; all those knocks, motions, and solicitations, are truly mine, they are my acts, and I own them, and so I would have you to conceive and apprehend them. Hence the second Note is this.

Doct. ^i That Sesus Christ is truly present with men in his ordl* nances., and hath to do with them, and they with him ; though he be not visible to their carnal eyes.

Thus runs the plx)mise ; " Where two or three areJ gathered to- « gether in my name, there am I in the midst of them,^ Mat. xviii^ 20, The middle place was the seat of the president in the Jewish assembhes, where he might equally hear and be heard of all. So will I be in the midst of the assemblies of the faithful, met together in my name and by my authority, to bless, guide, and protect them. Hence the church is called the place of his feet, Isaiah xvi. 13. a manifest allusion to the ark^ called God's footstool, Psal. xcix. 5. And agreeably hereunto, Christ is said to walk among the seven golden candlesticks. Rev. ii. 1. There are the spiritual walks of Christ, there his converses and communion with men : and this pre- sence of Christ was not the pecuhar privilege of the first churches, but is common to all the churches of the saints to the end of the world, as appears by that glorious promise so comfortably extended to the church from first to last; " Lo, I am with you always to the '< end of the world,"" Mat. xxii. ult. This promise is the ground and reason of all our faith, and expectations of benefit from ordi- nances ; and the subjects of it are not here considered personally but officially ; to you, and all that succeed you in the same work and office ; not to you only as extraordinary, but to all the succeeding ordinary standing officers in my church. As for the apostles, nei- ther their persons nor extraordinary office was to continue long, but this promise was to continue to the end of the world.

Nor is this promise made absolutely, but conditionally ; the con- nection of the promise with the command, enforces this qualified sense ; as 2 Chron. xv. 2. " The Lord is with you, whilst you Bxe " with him."" Ignorant, idle, unqualified persons cannot claim the benefit of this gracious grant.

Once more, this promise is made to every hour and minute of time. I am with you, all the days, as it is in the Greek tewt ; in dark and dangerous, as well as peaceable and encouraging days : and it is closed up with a solemn Amen, So he it, or. So it shall be.

To open this point distinctly, we are to consider that there is a threefold presence of Christ.

1. Corporeal. % Represented, 3. Spiritual.

1. There is a corporeal presence of Christ, which the church once enjoyed on earth, when he went in and out amongst his people. Acts i. 21. when their eyes saw him, and their hands handled him, 1 John i. 1. This presence was a singular consola- tion to the disciples, and therefore they were greatly dejected when it was to be removed from them. But after redemption-

S^ England's duty.

^ork was finished on earth, this bodily presence was no longer necessary to be continued in this world, but more expedient to be removed to heaven, John x\i. 7. as indeed it was> and must there abide until the time of the restitution of all things, Acts iii. 21. And in this respeet he tells the disciples, John xvi. 28. " I leave *' the worid, and go to my Father.'"*

2. There is a represented presence of Christ in ordinances. As the person of a king is represented in another country by his Am- bassado7\s, so is Christ in this world by his ministers : " We then " are ambassadors for God ; as though God did beseech you by us, *' we pray you in Christ's stead be ye reconciled to God," 2 Cor. v. 20. Christ is about other work for us in heaven, but we stand in his stead on earth. And this speaks the great dignity of the mini- sterial office ; whatever abuses or contempts are cast on them, they reflect upon Christ : " He that despiseth you despiseth me," Luke X. 16. It also teacheth us whence the validity of gospel-administra- tions is ; Christ ratifies and confirms them with his own authority. It also instructs us how wise, spiritual, and holy ministers should be, who represent Christ to the world. A drunkard, a persecutor, a sensual worldhng, is but an ill representative of the blessed and holy Jesus.

3. Besides, and above the two former, there is a spiritual presence of Christ in the churches, and ordinances; and this presence of Christ by his Spirit, who is his Vicegerent, is to be considered as that from which all gospel-ordinances derive,

1. Their beauty and glory.

2. Their power and efficacy.

3. Tlieir awful solemnity.

4. Their continuance and stability.

1. From the presence of Christ by his Spirit, the ordinances and churches derive their beauty and glory : " To see thy power and " thy glory, as I have seen thee in the sanctuary," Psal. xxvii. 4. Look as the beauty of the body is a result from the soul that animates it : and when the soul is gone, the beauty of the body is gone also; so the beauty and glory of all ordinances come and go with the Spirit of Christ, which is the very soul of them. The churches are indeed golden candlesticks, but the candlestick hath no light but what the candle gives it ; hence that magnificent description of the new temple is closed up in this expression, " The " name of that city shall be. The Lord is there," Ezek. xlviii. ult.

2. From this spiritual presence of Christ, all gospel-ordinance* derive all that power and efficacy which is by them exerted upon the souls of men, either in their conversion or edification. This power is not inherent in them, nor do they act as natural, necessary agents, but as instituted means, which are successful, or unsuccess-

England's duty. S$

ful according as Christ by his Spirit co-operates with them : " He " that planteth is nothing, neitlier he that watereth, but God that " giveth the increase," 1 Cor. iii. 7. That is, they are nothing to tlie purpose, nothing to the accompUshment of men's salvation, without the concurrence of the Spirit of Christ For when the apostle makes himself and Apollos, ^^dth all other ministers, nothing, we must understand him speaking not absolutely, but comparatively, and relatively ; they are necessary in their places, and sufficient in their kind, for what they are appointed to, else it would be a re- flection upon the wisdom of God that instituted them: But singly in themselves, and disjunctively considered, they are nothing ; as a trumpet or wind-instrument is nothing, as to its end and use, except breath be inspired into it, and that breath modulated by the art and skill of the inspirer ; like Ezekiel's wheels that moved not but as the Spirit that was in them moved, and directed their motions. If ordinances wrought upon souls naturally and neces- sarily, as the fire burnetii, then they could not fail of success upon all that come under them : But it is with them as it was with the waters of the pool at Bethesda, whose healing virtue was only found at that season when the angel descended and troubled them,

3. This spiritual presence of Christ gives the ordinances of the gospel that awful solemnity wliich is due, upon that accoimt, to them. The presence of Christ in them commands reverence from all that are about him. " God is greatly to be feared in the " assemblies of his saints, and to be had in reverence of all that are " round about him C hence is that solemn caution or threatening. Lev. xxvi. 23, 24. " If you walk contrary unto me, then ^vill I " also walk contrary unto you." The Hebrew word in that text signifies to walk rashly, or at an adventure with God, sine personoe discrimine, without considering with whom we have to do, and what an awful majesty we stand before. And the punishment is suitable to the sin ; I also will walk at an adventure with you, making no discrimination in my judgments betwixt your persons and the persons of tlie worst of men. O that this were duly considered by all that have to do with God in gospel-institutions !

4. It is the spiritual presence of Christ in his churches and ordinances that gives them their continuance and stability : whenever the Spirit of Christ departs from them, it will not be long before they depart from us ; or if they should not, their continuance will be little to our advantage. When the glory of the Lord descend- ed from betwixt the cherubims, when that sad voice was heard ia the temple, migremus hinc. Let us go hence, how soon was botli city and temple made a desolation ! and truly Christ's presence is noi so fixed to any place, or any ordinances, but the sins of the people may banish it away, Rev. ii. 5. Who will tarry

54 England's doty.

in any place longer than he is welcome, if he have any \rhere els^ to go ?

But more particularly, let us here di'5cuss these two points.

I. How it appears Christ is thus spiritually present with his churches and ordinances.

II. Why it is necessary he should be so.

First, By what e\"idence doth it manifestly appear that there is such a presence of Christ with his churches and ordinances. And this will appear by two undeniable evidences thereof.

1. By their wonderful preservations.

2. From their supernatural effects.

1. From their wonderful preservations : For it is wholly tinac- countable, and inconceivable, how the churches, ministers and ordinances should be supported and preserved without it, amidst such hosts of potent and enraged enemies. If Christ were not among them, they had certainly been swallowed up long ago. It is he that holds the stars in his right-hand. Rev. ii. 1. His walking among the seven golden candlesticks is their best security. The burning bush, Exod. iii. 3. is a rare emblem to open this mystery ; the bush burned with fire, but was not consumed. The busJi was a resemblance of the church of God in Eg^^pt, the flames upon it were their terrible persecution ; the wonder, that no ashes appeared as the effects of those terrible flames ; the reason whereof was, God was in the bush, Jesus Christ was in the midst of his people.

By virtue of this presence we are here this day, in the enjoyment of gospel liberties; no society of men in the world have such security as the church hath upon this account. The mightiest monarchies have been overturned, no policies nor human power could preserve them ; but the church and ordinances are still pre- served, and shall ever be, by virtue of that gracious promise, Jer. XXX. 11. "For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save theer •' Though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered " thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee."

The Babylonian, Persian, Grecian monarchies, have destroy- ed and ruined one another :

Sic Medus ademit

AssyriOi Syroqiie tulit moderamlna Perses, &,-€. but still the church of Christ Hfts up its head, and beholds their ruins-

2. This presence of Christ in and with his ordinances is unde- niably evinced from their supernatural effects upon the souls of men, ^ Cor. x. 4. " The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, '' but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds."" It is the Spirit of Christ that gives them their success and efficacy ;, the sword of the gospel hath its point and edge, but it is impossible the heart of a stupid, hardened sinner should ever be pricked of

EXGLAXD^S DUTY. Q5

wounded by it, if the Spirit of Christ did not manage it. When sinners fall down convinced under the authority of the word, they feel, and readily acknowledge that God is in it of a truth, 1 Cor. xiv. 25. Ruffinus reports, that at the council of Nice, a godly man of no great learning, was the instrument of converting a learned philosopher, whom the bishops with all their arguments could not persuade : of which the philosopher himself gave this re- markable account, ' Whilst you reasoned with me (said he) against

* words, I opposed words, and what was spoken I overthrew by the

* art of speaking ; but when instead of words power came out of

* the mouth of the speaker, words could no longer withstand

* truth, nor man resist the power of God/

And this, indeed, is the true and just account of all those mar- vellous and gracious changes made upon the souls of men by the preaching of the gospel : can the vanishing breath of a dying man, think you, inspire spiritual and eternal life into the souls of other men ? Can he search the conscience, break the heart, and bow the will at this rate.? No, this is the power and operation of Christ ; and of that presence we must say, saith a reverend author*, as Martha did to her Saviour concerning the death of her brother Lazarus, John xi. 21. " Lord if thou hadst been here, my bro- •* ther had not died." So say I, If that presence and power of Christ were felt by all, which hath been certainly experienced and felt by many, they would not remain in the state of spiritual death as they do. But though there be thousands under ordinances that never felt this power of Christ upon them, yet blessed be God there are also multitudes of witnesses and evidences of this truth, that there is a real, spiritual, energetical presence of Christ in his o^v^l appointments ; which was the first thing to be evinced.

Secondly, The second thing requiring explication, is the uses and ends which make such a presence of Christ necessary. And they are,

1. To preserve and support his ministers and churches amidst fuch hosts of potent and enraged enemies : this presence of Christ, is as a wall of fire round about them. It was the Divine presence with Jeremiah that was as a life-guard to him against the rage of the princes and nobles of Israel; Jer. xv. 20, 21. "I will make " thee to this people a fenced brazen wall, and they shall fight " against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee ; for I am " with thee to save thee, and to deliver thee, saith the Lord : and " I will dehver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will re- " deem thee out of the hand of the terrible.*'

It was easier for the Roman army to scale the walls, and batter

r- ■ • . — - I.I

* Mr. Burgess on 1 Cor. ill.

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86 exgland'^s duty.

down the towers of Jerusalem, than for all the enemies in Jeriisa* lem to destroy this prophet of God, thus immured by the Divine presence. Athanasius and Luther had the power of the empire en* gaged against them, yet the presence of Christ was their security. The witnesses could not be slain till they had finished their testi- mony, Rev. xi. 7. To this presence alone the faithful witnesses of Christ owe their marvellous preservation at this day ; had not Christ said, Zo, / am with you, you had not said at this day, be- hold our ministers are still with us.

2. The presence of Christ is necessary to assist and enable his ministers in their work, for it is a work quite above their owtv strength ; it is well we are workers together with God, else we should soon faint under our labours. When Moses objected, / am not eloquent, the Lord told him, / will he with thy mouth, Exod. iv. 10. When God guides the tongue, how powerful and persuasive must the language be ! when the apostles, illiterate men, were sent out to convert the world, Christ promised to give them a mouth and wisdom, Luke xxi. 15. a mouth to speak, and wisdom to guide that mouth ; and then their words were demonstrations ; all their adversaries could not resist that Spirit and power by which they spake. Empires, and kingdoms full of enemies, received the gospel ; but the reason of this wonderful success is given us in Mark xvi. XX. " They went out and preached every where, the Lord *' working with them.'"' It is sweet and prosperous working in fellowship with Christ ; tlie Spirit of Christ gives a manifold assist- ance to his ministers in their work ; it is he that guides and di- rects their mind in the choice of those subjects wherein they la- bour with such success to their hearers. He dictates the matter, influences their affections, guides their lips, follows home their doctrine with success. And this is a special use and end of Christ's presence with his ministers and ordinances.

3. The spiritual presence of Christ is necessary for the prepa- ration and opening of the people's heart to receive and embrace the gospel to salvation ; not a heart will open to receive Christ till the spirit of Christ unlock them. Paul and Timothy were ex- traordinarily called to preach the gospel at Macedonia, there Lydia was converted ; but how ? Not by their skill or eloquence, but by the Spirit's influence ; " The Lord opened the heart of Lydia," Acts xvi. 14. The church could not be propagated without con- version ; conversion could never be wrought without Christ's in- fluence and spiritual presence. So that this presence is of absolute necessity ; tlie church cannot subsist, nor the great ends of ordi- nances be attained \vithout it.

liiference I. 'Is Christ really present in all gospel administra* ' tions, how a^vfully solemn then is Qy^x^ part of gospel worsliip ?

e^'gland's duty. S?

* we having to do with Christ himself, and not with' men only, in

* gospel oi'dinances.'* Happy were it, if under this consideration, all our people did receive the word we preach, as the Thessalonians did, 1 Thess. ii; 13. not as the word of man, but as the wot'd of God ; then it would work effectually in us as it did in them. But alas ! we have loose and low apprehensions of the word ; we come to judge the gifts of the speaker, not to have our minds informed, our consciences searched, our lusts mortified, and our lifes regu- lated. But oh ! that men would realize the presence of Christ in ordinances, and seriously consider that word of his, Rev. ii. 23. '' All the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the ** reins and hearts, and I will give every one of you according to " your works."

How would it compose Vain and wandering hearts unto holy se- riousness ? O if men would but consider that they are before the Lord Jesus Christ, as Cornelius and his family did, Acts x. 33. " We are all here present before God^ to hear all things that are *' commanded thee of God." If they would consider the Word, as the executioner of God's eternal decrees, which returns not in vain, but accomplishes that whereunto God sends it, Isa. Iv. 11. and eventually proves the savour of life or death eternal to them that sit under it, 2 Cor. ii. 16. In a word, were it but consider- ed as the rule by which its hearers shall be judged in the great day, John xii. 48. then how would men tremble at the word ? What mighty effects would it have upon their hearts ? HoSv would it run and be glorified ? But, alas, as Job speaks. Job ix. 11. " He " goeth by me, and I see him not * he passeth on also, but I " perceive him not." Few realize the spkitual presence of Christ in ordinances.

Inf. 9>. If Christ be really present with his churches afnd ordi- nances, ' How vain are all attempts of enemies to subvert and de- stroy them T That promise, Mat. xxviii. ult. supposes the continu- ance of a gospel and church-ministry to the end of the world, else there would be a promise without a subject; as^ de Jure^ there ought to be a church, so (k Facto, there shall be a church with ministei's and ordinances, let Satan and antichrist do their worst. I do not say this promise secures this or that particular cliurch or nation, for the presence of Christ is moveable from one place t<) another, but still the church is safe. And there ai'e three things that secure it against all hazards.

1. The invaluable treasures God hath lodged in the church' viz. his Truths, his Worship, and his Elect ; such a precious cargo secures the vessel that carries it, whatever storms or tempests may befalit ^

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2. The covenant and promise of God with the church is it« abundant security. Mat. xvi. 18. " Upon this rock will I build *^ my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it/' The faithfulness of God is pa^vned for his people''s security. If the church fail, God's faithfulness must fail with it.

3. But above all, the presence of Christ in the midst of it, puts it out of all danger of miscarrying. In that promise, Lo^ I am 'With you alivay^ are found all munitions and fortifications whatso- ever : here we have his eye of pro%idence, his hand of power, and whatsoever else is needful to support and secure it. God accounts his presence our safety, Isa. xli. x. The enemies of God and his people account it so too, Exod. xiv. 25. and shall it not be so in oui* account ? Provoke not the Lord Jesus to withdraw his pre- sence, and fear not the consultations and oppositions of hell or earth.

Inf. S. From this spiritual presence of Christ all his faithful ministers should draw encouragement, amidst the manifold difficul- ties and discouragements they daily encounter in his work and ser- vice. Christ is ^^*ith them, they work in fellowship with him, let them not be dismayed.

The difficulties and discouragements the ministers of Christ meet with are great and many ; and the more faithful and successful any of them are in their Master'*s work, the fiercer opposition they must expect : besides, all the discouragements rising out of their own hearts, which are not a few, they must encounter,

First, The opposition of enemies from abroad. Secondly, The obstinacy and stubbornness of the hearts they work upon. Satan is a jealous prince, and will raise all manner of outcries and oppo- sition against those heavenly Heralds, that come to proclaim a new prince in his dominions, and -vnthdraw his miserable subjects from their cursed allegiance to him. What is it to preach the gospel (saith Luther) but to drive the fury of the world upon the head of that preacher ? But this would be easily supportable, did our work but prosper upon the hearts of our hearers. But this, alas ; is the killing consideration of all ; we know the worth of souls, and how great a service it is to save them from death, James v. 20. We also know the terrors of the Lord, which excite our utmost en- deavours to persuade men, 2 Cor. v. 11. We feel the compassions of Christ stirring in our bowels, which makes us long after their salvation, Phil. i. 8. We preach, we pray, yea, we travail again, as it were, in birth until Christ be formed in them. Gal. iv. 19. And when we have done all, we find their hearts as iron and brass, Jer. vi. 28. We mourn in secret when we cannot prevail, and oft times our hands hang down with discouragement, and we are ready to say with the prophet, Jer. xx. 9. We will speak no more in

8S

his name. But here is our relief, under all discouragements from abroad and at home ; the work is Christ's, the power is his, he is with us, and we are workers together with him. There was a time when three thousand souls were born to Christ, at one sermon, it may be now three thousand sermons may be preached and not a soul converted : yet let us not be discouraged, a time of eminent conversion is promised, and to be expected in these latter days, Ezek. xlvii. 9. when the Uving waters of the gospel shall make every thing to hve whither they come ; and when the fishers, i. e. the ministers of Christ, shall not fish with angles as now they do, taking now one, then another single convert, but shall spread forth their nets, and inclose multitudes at a draught ; " when they shall fly " as a cloud, and as doves to their windows." God now opens a door of opportunity beyond expectation ; O that the hearts of mi- nisters and people were suitably enlarged, and the people made wil- ling in the day of his power.

Infer. 4. Hence we also iTifer the great dignity of the ministerial office^ and the suitable respect and hcmour due to all Christ s faithful ministers. The Lord Jesus himself is represented by them, they stand in his stead, 2 Cor. v. 20. his authority is clothed upon them ; the honour and dishonour given them redound to the person of Christ. The Galatians received Paul as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus, Gal. iv. 14.

Yet how have their persons and office been vilified and despised in this degenerate age ! how many learned, pious, laborious, peace- ful ministers of Christ have, in this age, been hunted up and do>vn in the world as wild beasts, been made the filth and off-scouring of all things unto this day ? 1 Cor. iv. 13. The word signifies that dirt and filth which scavengers rake together in the streets, to be carried to the dunghill. No doubt but Satan drives a great design in this to invalidate their ministry, discourage their labours, and break their hearts : but Jesus Christ will support us under all these abuses, wipe off the dirt thrown at us for his name's sake, and re^ serve some of us for better days.

Infer. 5. Is Christ present in his ordinances, what a strong en^ gagement then lies upcm you all to attend and wait assiduously upon the ministry of' the word, and to bring all yours that are capable^ there to zvait upon Christ with you .^ We read in the days of Christ'* flesh, when he performed his miraculous cures upon the sick, what thronging there was after him ; how parents brought their children, masters their servants, pressing in multitudes, untiling the house to let down their sick to liim, Luke xii. 1. Ah, shall men be so ear- nest for a cure for their bodies, and so indifferent for their souls ? It is true, the Spirit of Christ is not tied by any necessity to act always with the word ; he acts as an arbitrary agent, John iii. 8^

CS

40

ENGLAND S DUTY.

The wind hloweth where it listeth ; but it is engagement enough to wait continually upon his ordinances, that he sometimes graciously and effectually concurreth with them. It is good to lie in the way of the Spirit ; and there is a blessing pronounced upon them that wait continually at his gates, Prov. viii. 34. O therefore neglect no season within our reach ; for who knows but it may be the sea- son of hfe to thy soul !

Infer. 6. What an unspeakable loss is the loss of the gospel, see- ing the presence bf Christ comes and goes with it ? When the gos- pel departs, the Spirit of Christ departs with it from among men ; no more conversions in God's ordinary way, are then to be expected : well therefore might the Lord say, Hosea ix. 1^. Woe to them when I depart from them. The Spirit may, in some sense, depart, whilst the ordinances are left standing for a time among the people ; but then expect no such blessings or benefits from them. But when God takes away ordinances and the Spirit too, woe indeed to that people; and are there not sins amongst us presaging such a judg- ment .? O England ! reflect upon thy barrenness under it ; where be the fruits answerable to such precious means ? The gospel is a golden lamp, the graces of the Spirit communicated by it are golden oil ; as in that stately vision, Zech. iv. Will God maintain such a lamp, fed with such precious oil, for men to trifle and play by .^

And no less ominous and portentous is that bitter enmity to the gospel, and the serious professors of it, which (I cannot speak with- out horror) is every where found among us ; this great hatred brings on the days of visitation, and the days of recompence, with ja swift and dreadful motion upon any people, Hosea ix. %

Infer. 7. If Christ he present, by way of spirit and energy in his ordinances, th^n there is no reason to despair of the conversion and salvation of the greatest sinners that yet lie dead under the gospel. What though their hearts be hard, their understandings dark, and their wills never so perverse and obstinate.? all must give way, and open in the day of Christ's power, when his Spirit joins himself with the word. This makes it an irresistible word ; it is glorious to observe the hearts of publicans and harlots opening and yielding to the voice of Christ, Matth. xxi. 31. What were those three thousand persons, pricked at the heart by Peter's sermon, Acts ii. 36. but the very men that, with wicked hands, had crucified the Lord Jesus ? And what were the converted Corinthians but idolaters, turned from dumb idols, whoremongers, adulterers, effeminate f &c. 1 Cor. xii. 2. and vi. 11. God hath his elect among the vilest of men : the gospel will find them out, and draw them home to Christ, when the Spirit ani- mates and blesseth it. Well might the apostle therefore say, that , the gospel preached with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, is an object worthy for angels to behold with admiration, 1 Pet. i

exglaxd's duty. 41

12. What though Satan has strongly fortified their souls against Christ, with ignorance, prejudice, and enmity ; yet the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God, to pull down these strong holds. Despair not therefore of your carnal and dead-hearted re- lations ; bring them to the gospel upon the encouragement of these words of Christ, John v. 25. " The hour cometh, yea, and now is, '' that the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they " that hear it shall hve."

Infer. 8. Is Christ spiritually present in his ordinances f O then wliat an endeai-ed affection shoidd every gracious soul hear ta the or- dinances of God ! They are the walks of Christ and of his Spirit, the appointed times and places for your meeting and communion with him ; there your souls first met with Christ ; there you began your acquaintance with him ; there you have had many sweet con- verses with him since that day ; they were the seed of your regen- eration, 1 Pet. i. 2S. the bread of life by which your souls have been sustained ever since, and therefore to be more esteemed by you than your necessary food. Job xxiii. 12. Here you have found the richest cordials to revive and recover your drooping spirits, when ready to sink away in a faint fit under sin within you, and afflic- tions upon you. No wonder David's soul even fainted for the courts of God, Psal. cxix. 50. and that Hezekiah desired a sign on his sick-bed, that he should go up to the house of the Lord. Here are the choicest comforts of the saints upon earth ; all our fresh springs are in Zion, Psal. Ixxxviii. 7. What a dungeon, what a barren wilderness were this world without them ! Prize the ordi- nances, love the ordinances, wait assiduously upon the ordinances, and pray for the Hberty and efficacy of the gospel, that it may set no more in your days, nor in the days of your posterity.

SERMON III.

Rev. iii. 20. Behold I [stand] at the doqr^ and "knocJCy &c.

JlIAVING finished Christ*^s solemn preface, and cleared the man- ner of his presence in his churches and ordinances ; I nov/ come to a third observation which is necessarily implied in these words, " Behold I stand at the door and knock -^ and that sad truth there- in implied is this,

Doct. That the hearts of men are naturally locked up^ and faxt barred against Jesus Christy their only Saviour.

C4

4S EWGLAND*S DUTY.

If it were not so, what need were there of all that pains and psu tience used and exercised by Christ, in waiting patiently, and knock- ing importunately for entrance into the hearts of men ? To keep a clear method in this point, three things must be stated in the lioctrinal part.

1. How it appears the hearts of men are thus shut up,

2. AVhat are those locks and bars that shut them up. S. That no power of man can remove these bars.

First, That all hearts are naturally shut and made fast against Christ, is a sad but certain truth; we read, John i. 11, 12. "He came unto his own, and his own received him not,'^ &c. He came unto his own people, from whose stock he sprung up ; a people to whom he had been prefigured in all the sacrifices and types of the law, and in whom they might all clearly discern the accom- plishment of them all. His doctrines and his miracles plainly told them who he was, and whence he came ; yet few discerned or received him as the Son of God. Christ found the doors of men's hearts generally shut against him, save only a few whose hearts were opened by the Almighty power of God, in the way of faith, ver. 12, These indeed received him, but all the rest ex- cluded and denied entrance to the Son of God. So again, John v. from ver. 33. to 40. Christ reasons with them, and gives undeniable demonstrations, that he was the Messiah come to save them ; proves it from the testimony of John, ver. 33. " Ye sent unto *' John, and he bare witness unto the truth :"" Tells them, the design of his coming among them was their salvation, ver. 34. shews them the great seal of heaven, his uncontrolable miracles, ver. 36. " The works that I do bear witness of me, that the Father ^« hath sent me :"*' And if that were not enough, he reminds them pf the immediate testimony given of him from heaven, ver. 37. '' The Father himself which hath sent me, hath borne witness of ^' me." He did so at his baptisniy Matth. iii. 17. " And lo a voice *' from heaven, saying. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well '' pleased." And so again at his transfiguration, upon the holy mount, Matth. xvii. 5. " While he yet spake, behold a bright ^' cloud overshadowed them ; and behold a voice out of the cloud, " which said, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, '^ hear ye him." He bids them search the scriptures, and criti- cally examine his perfect correspondence to them, John v. 39. Enough, one would think, to open the door of every man's under- standing and heart, to receive him >nth fullest satisfaction ; and yet, after all, behold the unreasonable obstinacy and resistance of their hearts against him, ver. 40. " Ye will not come unto me, that « ye might have life."

Not a soul >vill open, with all the reasons and demonstrations in

England's duty. 43

the world, till the Almighty Power of God be put forth to that end. If another come down in his own name (saith he, ver. 43.) him w'lU ye receive ; any body rather than the Son of God : Every cheat can impose upon you easily ; it is to me only your hearts have such strong aversions. Now there is a twofold shutting up of the heart against Jesus Christ.

1. Natural.

2. Judicial.

1. Natural Every soul comes into this world shut up and fast closed against the Lord Jesus. The very will of man, Avhich is the freest and most arbitrary faculty, comes into the world barred and bolted against Christ, Rom. viii. 7. " The carnal mind is en- ^' mitv against God ; for it is not subject unto the law of God, " neither indeed can be,'' Phil. ii. 13. " It is God that worketh *' in you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure."*' This is a dismal effect of the fall. Who feels not strong aversions, violent rebellions, and obstinate resistances in his own heart, when moving towards Christ in the first weak and trembling acts of faith ?

2. There is a judicial shutting up of the heart against Christ. This is a sore and tremendous stroke of God, punishing former re- bellions: Psal. Ixxxvi. 11, 12. " Israel would have none of me, <' so I gave them up to their own hearts lusts." This looks hke a prelude of damnation, a very near preparation to ruin. Israel would have none of me; there is the natural shutting up of the heart; so I gave them up ; there is the judicial shutting up of the heart ; they would not hear, they shall not hear. O fearful judgment ! Thus the Lord gave up the Heathens, Rom. i. 26. they had abused their natural light, and now their minds are judicially darkened; given up to a sottish and injudicious mind, not able to distinguish duty from sin, safety from danger ; a mind that should elect the worst things, and reprobate the best. This was the reprobate mind unto which God gave them up ; what sadder word can the Lord speak than this, unless it be, Take him, devil ! It is true, those that God shuts up he can open, and those whom justice shuts up, mercy can set free ; but it is beyond all the power of angels and men to do it : Job xii. 14. " He shutteth up a man, and there can be no " opening." These two closures of the heart are not always found together in the same subject ; and blessed be God they are not. Christ meets with many a repulse, and endures with much patience the gainsaying of sinners, before he pronounces that dreadful sen- tence upon them, Isa. vi. 9, 10. " Go and tell this people. Hear ye " indeed, but understand not ; and see ye indeed, but perceive not : " make the heart of this people fat," &c.

But when it comes to this once, dreadful is the case of such souls ;

4i England's duty,

and none are in greater danger of this spiritual judicial stroke of God, than those that have sat long under the light, rebelling against it. That is the first thing, the hearts of men by nature are locked and shut up against Christ.

Secondly^ In the next place, let us examine what those locks and bars are which oppose and forbid's Christ's entrance into the hearti» of poor sinners And they will be found to be,

1. Ignorance.

% Unbelief.

8. Pride.

4. Custom in sin.

5. Presumption.

6. Prejudices against the ways of holiness.

Bars enough to secure the soul in Satan's possession, and frustrate all the designs of mercy, except an Almighty Power from heaven break them asunder.

1. The first bar making fast the soul of man against Christ, is ignorance^ that obea: irifernalis, that helhsh bolt, which effectually keeps Christ out of the soul.

If knowledge be the key that opens the heart to Christ, as it is plain it is from Luke xi. 52. where Christ denounceth a woe to thera that took a\vay ike ke^ of knowledge ; then ignorance must needs be the shutter that makes fast the door of the heart against Christ. Upon this ground Christ told the woman of Samaria, that her infidelity grew upon the root of her ignorance; Johniv. 10. " If *' thou k newest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, *' give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would '^'' have given thee living water.'"* Ah, sinners, did you but know what a Christ he is that is offered to your souk in the gospel ; did you see his beauty, fulness, suitableness, and feel your own neces- sities of him, all the world could not keep you from him : you would break through all reproaches, all sufferings, all self-denials, to come unto the enjoyment of him. But alas { it is with you, as it was with those, Cant. v. 9. " What is thy beloved (say they to " the spouse) more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge ^' us t^ Unknown excellencies attract not : ignorance is Satan's sceptre which he sways over all his kingdom of darkness, and holds his vassals in miserable bondage to him : hence the devils are call- ed, Eph. vi. 12. " The rulers of the darkness of this world." Alas, were the eyes of sinners but opened to see their woful state, and their remedy in Christ, he could never hold them in subjection one day longer : they would break av, ay from under his cruel govern- ment, and run over by thousands to Christ ; for so they do as so6n as ever God opens their eyes ; in the same hour they are turned from daxkacss to light, they are also turned from the power of

e\'glaxd\s duty. 45

Satan to G-od, Acts xxviii. 16. O that you did but know the worth o£ your souls, the dreadful danger they are in, and the fear- ful wrath that hangs over them, the willingness and ability of Christ to save them, you could not sleep one night longer in the state you are : the next cry would be, What shall I do to he saved ? Who will shew me the way to Christ ? Help ministers, help Christians, yea, help Lord ; these would be the laments and cries of them that are now secure and quiet. But the god of this world hath bUnded the eyes of them that believe not : no cries for a physician, because no sense how their souls are stabbed by sins of commissiorhy and stabbed by sins of omission. O that the gi'eat Physician would once apply his excellent eye-salve to your understandings, which are yet darkened with gross ignorance both of your misery and remedy.

2. The second bar or lock, that shuts Christ out of men's souls, is the sin of unbelief. This is one of the strongest holds of Satan wherein he trusteth ; this is a sin that not only locks up the heart of a sinner, but also binds up the hand of a Saviour ; Mat. xiii. 58. '^ He could do no mighty works there, because of their un- '' belief."

It obstructed his miraculous works when he was on earth, and it obstructs his gracious work, now he is in heaven. A Saviour is come into the world, but poor unbeliever, thy soul can neither have union nor communion with him till this bar of thy unbelief be removed. The gospel is come among us with mighty arguments; to convince, and powerful motives to persuade, but little saving effect follows : its main design is to many frustrated, and all this through unbehef, shutting up, and hardening men's hearts under it. The word preached did not profit them because of their un- belief Ah cursed bar ! which shuts up thy hearts, shuts out thy Saviour, and will effectually shut thee out of heaven, except the Almighty Power of God break it asunder. " They could not enter ^' in because of unbelief," Heb. iv. 2. The ruin of souls is laid at the door of unbelief; it is the damning sin, Mark xvi. 16. and truly called so, because no other sin could damn but in virtue of this sin. That is the second bar to Christ.

3. The third bar denying entrance to Christ into the hearts of sinners, is 'pride and stoutness of spirit. The natural heart is a proud heart ; it lives upon its o^vn stock, it cannot stoop to a sin- cere and universal renunciation of its own righteousness : " Bemg " ignorant of the righteousness of God, and going about to esta- " blish their own righteousness, o-jy^ {)':rzrayn<soLv, they have not sub- " mitted to the righteousness of God,'' Rom. x. 3. Pride stiffens the will that \x, cannot stoop or condescend to declare their own

46

emptiness, discover their own shame, and Hvc wholly upon the righteousness of another. Proud nature had as live be damned, as deny itself in such a point as this is : This makes faith so ex- ceeding difficult, because it involves such deep points of self-denial in it : To give up all to Christ, to draw all from Christ, and to be willing to part with all for Christ. What will can be brought to ai deliberate consent to such things as these, unless an Omnipotent Power bow it ? It is natural to men rather to eat a brown crust, or wear a coarse ragged garment which they can call their own, than to feed upon the richest dainties, or wear the costliest garments which they must receive as an alms or gift from another. O how hard is it to subdue this pride of the heart, even after light and convictions are come into the soul ; to convince men of their un- done condition, and the absolute necessity of another and higher righteousness than their own ? When souls are in a treaty with Christ, and the match is almost made ; this is the sin that makes the last opposition. Fain would they come to Christ, ten thousand worlds for a Christ ; but yet they think they must not approach him without some qualifications which are yet wanting. But soul, if ever Christ and thou conclude the match, thou must deny self even in this, the most refined form and interest of it, and come as Abraham did, naked and empty-handed to him that justifieth the ungodly. Down with this house-idol, thy self, thy righteous self, trimmed up, like another Agag, with such precious pretences of humility.

4. The fourth bar, forbidding Christ's entrance into the soul, is custom in sin. Sin hath so fixed itself by long continuance in the soul, the soul is so settled and confirmed in its course, that all argu- ments and persuasions to change our way are swept away by the power of custom, as straws and feathers are by the rapid course of a mighty torrent ; Jer. xiii. 23. " Can the Ethiopian change his ** skin, or the leopard his spots ? then may ye also do good that *' are accustomed to do evil." Soap and nitre may as soon make a blackmoor white, or fetch the spots out of the leopard's skin (which are not accidental, but connate) as the reasonings of men can prevail to remove the mighty power of customary sin. Physi- cians find it a hard thing to cure a cacheocia or ill habit of body. It is a grave and serious note of Seneca, a teneris assuescere, multum est It is a great matter to be accustomed this way or that from our childhood ; every repeated act of sin confirms and strengthens the habit ; and hence it is that we see so few conversions in old age. It was a wonder in the primitive times, that Marcus Caius Victorius embraced Christianity in the sixtieth year of his age. Take an habituated drunkard, a self-righteous moralist, lay before them the necessity of a change, and you shall find it as easy to stop the

feXGLAXDS DUTY. 47

course of a river with the breath of your mouth, as to stop them in a customed course of sinning. That is the fourth bal: to Christ.

5. The fifth bar, opposing and resisting Christ's entrance into the soul, is the sin o^ presumption ; this is the sin that parts Christ and thousands of souls in the world ; presuming they hope ; and hoping they perish. When men presume their condition is safe already, their souls never make out after a Saviour. This was the ruin of Laodicea, Rev. iii. 17. " Because thou sayest, I am rich, *' and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest <* not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, " and naked.*" This damning presumption is discovered in three things, (1.) Many think they have that grace which they have not, mistaking the similar for the saving works of the Spirit ; a fatal mistake never rectified with many thousands till it be too late. (2.) They presume to find that mercy in God, which they will never find ; for all the saving mercies of God are dispensed to men through Christ, in the way of regeneration and faith, Jude, ver. 21. (3.) They presume upon that time for repentance and faith here- after, which their eyes shall never see. And thus presumption doth lock up the heart against Christ, and leaves sinners perishing even in the presence of a Saviour. They make a bridge of their own shadow, and so perish in the waters.

6. The sixth and last sin, barring up the heart against Christ, is a strong prejudice against holiness, and the strict duties of reli- gion. Thus, in the very infancy of Christianity, the world was scared and driven off from religion by the common prejudices that lay upon the professors of it ; As concerning this sect, we know thai every where it is spoken against. Acts xxvii. 22.

Thus Justin Martyr complains, that Christians were every where condemned bia rr^M (pruirtv, by common fame ; and upon this account Christ pronounces a woe upon the world because of offences. Mat. xviii. 7. Alas ! it will be the ruin of thousands ; some have sucked in such prejudicate opinions and vile notions of religion, and its professors, as make them irreconcileable enemies to it. Satan hath dressed it up in their fancies in such an odious form and represen- tation, that make them lothe both name and thing. These pre- judices are drawn from various things ; sometimes from the neces- sary duties of Christianity, which are laid as crimes upon the people of God ; when I wept, and chastened my soul with fasting, that " was to my reproach," Psal. Ixix. 10. Sometimes the groundless and malicious slanders and inventions of the enemies of Christianity are the occasions of real prejudices to the world ; " Come, let us " devise devices against Jeremiah, and let us smite him with the ** tongue," Jer. xviii. 18. Sometimes the innocent and seriou?

48 EXGLAXU'S DUTY.

professDrs of godliness are censured and condemned for hypocritical professors sakes, wlio never heartily espoused religion. And lastly^ The ways of holiness suffer for the slips and infirmities of weak Christians, who commonly give too many occasions to disgust the world against the ways of God.

By these things multitudes are kept off from attendance upon the means of grace, and multitudes more have their hearts shut up from receiving any saving benefit under them.

These are the common bars and locks by which the strong mart armed secures his possession in the souls of sinners ; and these bar^ are too strong for any power beneath the Almighty Power and anii of God to remove or break. It is said, that the Lord opened a door of faith to the Gentiles^ Acts xiv. 27. The arm of the Lord must be revealed, or none will open to Christ by faith, Isa. liii. 1.

1. The iron bar of the law, that thundering terrible law, cannot force open the heart of an unbeliever ; all the dreadful curses fly- ing out of its fiery mouth, make no more impression than a tennis- ball against a wall of marble. You read of them that hear the words of this curse, yet bless themselves in their heart, saying. They shall have peace, though they walk in the imaginations of their hearts, to add drunkenness to thirst, Deut. xxix. 18.

They play with hell and eternal torments, rush into iniquity as the horse rusheth into the battle, act as men in love with their own death, as those that are at an agreement with hell. 0 the besotting^ hardening, infatuating power of sin !

2. The golden key of free grace cannot, in itself, remove these bars, and open men's hearts to Christ ; " We have piped unto you, " but you have not danced,'' Matth. xi. 17. The m.elodious and dehcious airs of giace, mercy, peace, and pardon, affect not the dead hearts of unbelievers : like deaf adders they stop their ears at the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely. These gospel- melodies only dispose them to a more quiet sleep in sin.

3. No works of providence are, in themselves, sufficient to open the hearts of men to Christ. (1.) The judgments of God cannot do it ; thousands have been sick with smiting, that j^et cannot be made sick for sin. " I have consumed them, but they refused to '• receive correction ; they have made tlieir faces harder than a " rock, they have refused to return," Jer. v. 3. Messengers of judgment are abroad, smiting some in their estates, scattering in one day the labour of many years ; and therein giving a warning- blow at the conscience to make sure of Christ, and the world to Gome, since their comfort and happiness is scattered in this world. Some are smitten in their dearest relations ; death knocks at their doors, and carries out the delight of their eyes, and with the same

admonisheth their souls to place their happiness in more dural)]e comforts i some are smitten in their bodies with diseases, giving warning of the near approach of their latter end, and bidding them prepare for another habitation ; but all in vain. (^.) No mercies o^ Goa are in themselves sufficient to open the obstinate hearts of sinners to Christ. God hath heaped up mercies by multitudes ujx)ii many of you ; all these mercies of God lead you to repentance, Rom. ii. 4, 5. They take you in a friendly way by the hand, and thus walk with you : Ah sinner ! how canst thou grieve and dishonour that God tiiat thus feedeth, clotheth, and comforteth thee on every side ? Do you thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise ? Yet all will not do, neither judgments nor mercies can fright or al- lure the carnal heart to Jesus Christ It is his Spirit, his Almighty Power alone, that opens these everlasting gates, and makes thes» strong bars give way and fly at his voice.

Infer. 1. Behold here the dismal state of nature^ the woful com^ dition of' all unregenerate souls ; Christ the Redeemer shut out, sin and Satan shut im This is the horrid state of nature shut up in unbelief, Rom. iv. 32. Ah Lord, what a condition is this ! we should certainly account it an unspeakable misery to be shut into a house haunted by the devil, where we should be continually scared and frighted with dreadful noises and apparitions ; but alas, what is an apparition of the devii without us, to the inhabitation of the devil within us ? Nay, what is the possession of a body, to Satan's pos^ session of the soul t Yet this is the very case of the unregenerate, Luke xi. 21. The strong man armed keepeth the palace, till Christ dispossesses him by sovereign victorious grace. Poor wretch, canst thou start at a supposed vision of a spirit, and not tremble to think that thy soul is the habitation of devils ? There is a twofold misery lying upon all christless, unregenerated persons; Satan is,

1. Their rider in this world.

2. Their tormentor in that to come.

1. He is their ruler in this world, the spirit that now worketh in the childi'en of disobedience, Eph. ii. 3. Look as the holy Spirit of God dwells and rules in sanctified souls, walks in them as in lial- lowed temples, guiding and comforting the souls of the saints ; so Satan dwells in unregenerate hearts, actuating their lusts, inflaming them with his temptations, using their faculties and members as in- struments of unrighteousness. And then,

2. He will be their tormentor in the world to come : He that icynpts now, will torment then, Matth. xxv. 41. " Doj)art from me " ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his " angels.'' Flee therefore, and escape for your lives, sleep not quietly another night in so dismal and dreadful an estate. " If the *;* Son make you free, tlien are you free indeed.''

50 ENGLAND S DUTY.

Infer. 2. JVJmt a glorious and admirable effect of sovereign, om-^ nipotent grace is the effectual conversion of a sinner unto God !

If every heart by nature be secured for Satan under so many locks and bars, then the opening of any heart to Christ is de- servedly marvellous in our eyes. You all acknowledge that the opening of the graves at the resurrection will be a glorious display of Almighty Power, and so it will : it will be a wonderful thing to behold the gi-aves opened, and the dead raised at the voice of the Arch- An gel, and the trump of God ; but yet give me leave to say, that the opening of thy heart, poor sinner, to receive Christy is a more glorious work than that of raising the dead ; it is therefore deservedly put into the first rank of the great mysteries of godli- ness, that Christ is believed on in the world, 1 Tim. ii. 16. He that well views and considers Christ, may justly wonder that all the hearts in the enlightened world do not stand wide open to em- brace him ; and he that shall consider the frame and temper of the natural heart, and how strongly Satan hath entrenched and forti- fied himself in it, may justly wonder to hear of a work of conversion in an age. O brethren, consider the marvels of conversion, the wonderful works of God upon the soul that opens unto Christ by faith.

1. There is a new eye created in the mind: " Tlie Son of God *' is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know *' him that is true,"" 1 John v. W. O that eye, that precious eye of faith, which shews the soul, as it were a new w^orld, a world of new and ravishing objects, Eph v. 8. All the angels in heaven, ministers, and Libraries upon earth, cannot create such an eye, give such an illumination ; it is only he that " commanded the light to " shine out of darkness, that thus shineth in our hearts, to give the ** light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus " Christ,'' 2 Cor. iv. 6.

2. And what a glorious superaatural work is the conviction of the conscience by the powerful stroke of the saving beams of light Upon it ? Now the conscience, that lay in a dead sleep, begins to startle and look about it with fear and horror. Life and sense is got into it, and now it cries. Ah, sick, sick, sick at the heart for sin, sick for a Saviour.

3. And no less marvellous an effect of the Almighty Power is the bowing of the stubborn will so efficaciously, so congruously, and so determinately and fixedly to the Lord Jesus.

The will is efficaciously determined, so as no power of hell or nature can resist or frustrate that mighty power which worketh effectually in all them that believe, 1 Thes. ii. 13. Yet it works ^lot by way of compulsion, but in a way congruous and agreeable to the nature of the will, Hosea xi. 4. " I drew them with the

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** cords o^ a mart, with the bands of love." Satan bids for the soul, Christ infinitely out-bids all his offers ; eternal, spiritual, and unsearchable riches, instead of sensitive, perishing enjoyments, which determine the choice of the will in its own natural method, by the sight of the excelling glory of spiritual things. And thus the mighty, supernatural power of God opens that heart which Satan had secured so many ways against Christ.

Infer. 3. Hence it also follows^ that man hath rio free-will ofhin own to supernatural good. The will cannot, by its own power, open itself to receive Christ by faith. When it doth open to him, it i^ not virtute innata, sed illata, not by its natural power, but by the power of God upon it. The admirers of nature talk much of thel sovereignty, virginity, and liberty of the will, as if it alone had escaped the fall, and that no more but a moral suasion is needed toi open it to Christ ; that is, that God doth need no more to save men than the devil doth to damn them. But if ever God make you sensible what the work of saving conversion is, you will quickly find that your will is lame, its freedom to spiritual things gone ; you will cry out of a wounded will, as well as of a dark head, and a hard heart. You will quickly find, " That it is God alone that *' worketh in you both to will and to do of his own good pleasure," Phil. ii. 13. That the birth of the new creature is not of the will of man, but of God, John i. 13.

Infer. 4. Learn hence the necessity of conversion, in order to salvation. Christ and heaven are shut up against you till your hearts be savingly opened unto him. " Verily, verily, I say untor you, you must be born again," John iii. 5. O sinner, that hard Iieart of thine must be humbled ; thy stubborn and refractory will must be bowed ; all the powers of thy soul must be unlocked and opened unto Christ ; he must come into thy soul, or thou canst never see the face of God in peace. " It is Christ in you that is the *' hope of glory," Col. i. 27. Till thy heart be opened, Christ, with all the hopes of glory, stand without thee. And if hopes from the death of Christ without us, without the application of his person, be enough so save men, then why are any damned ? Consult 1 Cor. 1. 30. Adam''s sin damns none but only such as are in him ; and Christ's righteousness saves none but those only that are by faith in him ; the eternal purpose of the Father, the meritorious death of the Son, put no man into the state of salvation and happiness till both be brought home by the Spirit's powerful application in the work of saving conversion. It is good news, good indeed, that Christ died for sinners ; it is good news that Christ is brought to our very doors in the tenders of the gospel, and that the Spirit knocks at the door of our hearts, by many convictions and persuasions, to open to him, and enjoy the unspeakable benefits of his death ; these

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things bring us nigli to Christ, the next door to salvation ; and yet all this may be, eventually, but a dreadful aggravation of our damnation, and will certainly be so to them whose hearts are but almost opened to Christ.

Infer. 5. See hence the necessity of fervent prayer to accompany the preaching of the gospel. Without the Spirit and power of God accompanying the word, no heart can ever be opened to Christ : alas, such bars as these are too strong for the breath of man to break ! let ministers pray, and the people pray that the gospel may be preached " with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven,"' 1 Pet. i. 12. It greatly concerns us that preach the gospel to wrestle with God upon our kness, to accompany us in the dispensation of it imto the people ; to steep that seed we sow among you in tears and prayers before you hear it ; and I beseech you, brethren, let us not strive alone, join your cries to heaven with ours, for the blessing of the Spirit upon the word. How doth Paul beg of the people, as a beggar would beg for an alms at the door, for their assistance in prayer, Rom.- xv. 30. " I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord " Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive " together witli me in your prayers to God for me."

For want of such wrestlings with God in prayer, there is so httle efficacy in ordinances. Martha told her Saviour, John xi. 21. *' Lord, if thou hadst been here my brother had not died ;" and I may tell you, that if the Spirit had been here, your souls had not remained dead under the word as they do this day. O when the sabbath draws near, let fervent cries ascend from every family to heaven. Lord, pour out thy Spirit mth thy word ; make it mighty through thy power to open these gates of iron, and break asunder these bars of brass.

Second Use of Exhortation.

Seeing the case stands thus, that all hearts by nature are bai'red and shut up against Christ ; let every soul do what it can, and strive to its uttermost to get the heart and will opened to Christ : Strive to enter in at the strait gate. Christ is at the door, O strive with yourselves as well as with God now to get it opened, now that salvation is come so near your souls.

Object. But have you not told us, that no sinner can open his own heart, nor bow his own \\ill to Christ ^

Ans. True, he cannot convert himself, but yet he may do many things in order to it, and which have a remote tendency to it, which he doth not do ; and so he perisheth not, though he cannot^ but because he will not.

Divers things may be done by poor sinners with their own

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hearts, which are not done ; and though in themselves they are insufficient, yet being the way and method in and by which the Spirit of God usually works, we are bound to do them. As for example, (1.) Though it be not in your power to open your hearts to Christ, yet it is in your power to forbear the external acts of sin, which fasten your hearts the more against Christ ; who forces thine hands to steal, thy tongue to swear or lie ? Who forces the cup of excess down your throait ? (2.) Though you cannot open your hearts under the \Vord, yet it is in your power to wait and attend upon the external duties and ordinances of the gospel : why cannot those feet carry thee to the assemblies of the saints, as well as to ail ale-house ? (3.) And though you cannot let the word effectually into your hearts, yet certainly you can apply your minds with more attention and consideration to it than you do. Who forces thine eyes to wander, or closes them with sleep, when the awful matters of eternal life and death are sounding in thine ears ? (4.) Though you cannot open your hearts to embrace Christ, yet cer- tainly you can reflect upon yourselves when the obvious characters of a christless state are plainly held forth before your eyes : God hath given you a self-reflecting power ; " The spirit of man knoweth " the things of a man,"" 1 Cor. ii. 11. When you hear of convic- tions of sin, compunction of heart for sin, deep concernments of the soul about its eternal state, hungerings and thirstings after Christy restless and anxious days and nights about salvation, w^iich others have felt ; you can certainly turn in upon yourselves and examine whether ever it were so with you : and if not, methinks it might conduce to the prevention of your misery, to take your poor souls aside, and bemoan them, saying. Ah, my poor soul, canst thoii endure everlasting burnings ? What will become of thee if Christ pass thee by, and his Spirit strive no more wdth thee ? W^hy cannot you throw yourselves at the feet of God, and cry for mercy ? Prayer is a part of natural worship, distress usually puts men upon it that yet have no grace, Jonah i. 5. Do but this towards the opening and saving of your own souls, which though it be not in itself sufficient, nor puts God under any meritorious obligation or necessity to add the rest ; yet it puts you into the way of the Spirit. And is not thy soul, sinner, worth as much as this comes to ? Have you not taken a great deal more pains than this for the trifles of this world ? And will it not be a dreadful aggravation of sin and misery to all eternity, that you are perished so easily. Do not you see many striving round about you for Chnst and salvation, whilst you sit still with folded arms as if you had nothing to do for another world ? " The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the vio^ ** lent take it by force," Mat. xi. 12.

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Wliy sliould other men's souls be clearer to them than yours unto you ? What discouragements have you which other men have not ? Or what encouragements have they which you have not !

Object. Say not, We have no assurance that our pains shall pros- per, or our strivings be made effectual to conversion ; if there were any promise in the gospel that such endeavours should be seconded from heaven, and made available to salvation, then we would strive, as long as breath and life should last; but all this may be to no purpose, we may be christless, and hopeless when all is done.

Sol But yet remember it is possible God may bless these weak endeavours, and come in by his Almighty Spirit with them : nay, it is highly probable that he will do so : and is a strong probability nothing vnth you ? Do you use to do no actions about your civil callings without an assurance of success ? When the merchant ad- ventures his life or estate at sea, is he sure of a good return ? Or doth he not adventure upon the mere hopes and probabilities of a gainful voyage ? When the husbandman plows his land, empties both his bags and purse upon it, is he sure of a good harvest ? May not a blast come that shall defeat all his hopes ? Yet he ploweth and soweth in hope, and ordinarily God maketh him partake of his hope : but without such industry his expectations would be vain. Away then with vain excuses ; up and be doing in the use of all appointed means, and the Lord be with you.

Third Use for Trial

Before I dismiss this point, let us try ourselves by it, whether God hath opened our hearts to Clirist, broken these Ijars of igno- rance, unbelief, custom, prejudice, &c. and the will stand wide open to receive Christ Jesus the Lord.

This is a solemn use, the consequence of it great ; O that our faithfulness and seriousness in the trial might be answerable. Try yourselves by these following marks :

Mark 1. If your eyes be not opened to see sin in its vileness, and Christ in his glory, suitableness, and necessity ; then sure your hearts were never yet effectually opened by the gospel. I confess men's eyes may be opened to see sin, and yet their hearts at the same time shut up by unbelief against Christ ; but no man's heart can be opened to Christ whilst his eyes are shut : John iv. 40. *' This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth " the Son and beheveth on him, may have everlasting life." The work of faith is always wrought in the light of conviction ; the cure of the heart begins at the eye of the mind, Acts xxvi. 18. " to open their eyes, and turn them from darkness to light, and " from the power of Satan to God." God opens men's hearts by

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iihining into them, 2 Cor. iv. 6. If therefore any man's eyes be still blinded with ignorance, prejudice, &c. so that he apprehends not his own guilt and misery, nor sees the worth and necessity of a Saviour; that man's heart is still under Satan's lock and bar, sin is shut in, and Christ is shut out of that man's soul.

Mark 2. No heart opens to Christ by ftiitli till it be first prick- ed and wounded by compunction and humiliation ; this heart- wounding work is always antecedent to the work of faith. I doubt not but your thoughts fore-run my discourse to that famous scrip-% lure, Acts ii. 37. where Peter preaching to those that had crucified Christ, and bringing up his discourse close to their consciences, in the application of that sermon, convincing them not only what a horrid and atrocious crime the crucifying the Son of God was in itself; but also charging it home upon them, " Whom ye have <' taken, and with wicked hands have crucified and slain ; when " they heard this they were pricked at the heart ; and cried out, *' men and brethren what shall we do .^" Upon this out-cry three thousand souls opened in one hour to Christ. Now consider whe- ther your hearts have been thus pricked and wounded ; hath sor- row for sin pierced thy soul .? Vain sinner, that frothy heart of thine must be made to bleed under compunctions for sin, or there will be no room for Christ in it. Come souls, it is in vain to flatter your-^ selves in your own eyes : reflect upon the frames of your hearts, call back the days that are past, and say, when was the time, and where was the place when thou layest at the foot of God, sobbing and mourning upon the account of thy sins ? Did ever God hear such a cry as this from thy soul ! Ah Lord, my sotd is distressed, I roll hither and thitJier fir ease and comfort, hut find none : O the insupportable weight of guilt ! O the bitterness of sin f My soul fails under it, Lord undertake for me.. I do not say, the degrees of compunction and humiliation are equal in all converts ; neither their sins nor abilities to bear sorrows for them, are equal ; but this I say, thy heart must ache for sin, or it Avill never open to Christ ; he binds up none but broken hearts, Isa. xvi. 1.

Mark 3. If Christ be come into thy heart, then the love and delight of every sin is gone out of thy heart. Christ and the love of sin cannot dwell together : what Christ said to the soldiers that apprehended him in the garden, the like he saith to every soul that comes to apprehend him by faith. If you seek me, let these go their way ; away with the sin that thou most delightest in : Christ can- not come in till these be gone, Isa. Iv. 6, 7, 8. " Seek ye the Lord " while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let " the wicked forsake his way, and the unrigliteous man his " thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have " mercy upon him ; and to our God, for he will abundantly par-

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^' don."" Here be the terms of your acceptation and salvation plainly laid down, forsake thy ways and thoughts ; the wa?/ notes the external acts of sin ; and the thoughts the internal acts, both of contrivance and delight in sin ; both these must be forsaken ; and that is not all, for this makes but a negative holiness. Let him re^ turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy. It is in vain for men to make the door of salvation wider than God hath made it ; we can- not bring down Christ's terms lower than he hath set them ; if we will not come up to them, Christ and we must part. And this makes the great struggle, the sharp debate in the souls of converts. O ! it is hard to give up pleasant and profitable lusts ; but away they must go, a bill of divorce must be signed for them, or you cannot be espoused to the Lord Jesus. This will be found to be much harder than to part v>dth all externals for Christ's sake.

Mark 4. No heart can open truly to Christ, that it is not made willing upon due deliberation to receive him, with his cross of suf- ferings, and his yoke of obedience, Mat. xvi. 24. and xi. 29.

An exception against either of these is an effectual bar to thy union with Christ ; he looks upon that soul as not worthy of him, that puts in such an exception. Mat. x. 38. If thou judgest not Christ worth all suffermgs, all losses, all reproaches, he judges thee unworthy to bear the name of his disciple. So for the duties of obedience, called his yoke ; he that will not receive Christ's yoke can never receive his person, nor any benefit by his blood.

Marli 5. Every heart that opens sincerely and evangelically to Christy opens to him in deep humility and sense of its emptiness and unworthiness ; all self-righteousness io given up as dung and dross : Thus Abraham came unto him as to one that justifieth the ungodly, Rom. iv. 5. " Now to him that worketh not, but believeth on *' him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteous- ^' ness," Yea, here is the true way of justification indeed; where the imputed righteousness of Christ comes, all self-righteousness vanishes before it. By him that worketh not, understand not an idle, lazy behever, that takes no care of the duties of obedience ; iio, an idle faith can never be a saving faith : But the mean- ing is, he worketh not in a law sense, to the ends and intentions of the first covenant ; to make up a righteousness to himself by his own working, to cover himself with a robe of righteousness of his own spinning and weaving, a home-made cloth ; no, not a rag of that : Thou must receive Christ into an empty, naked, unworthy, soul, or not receive him at all. Blessed Paul heartily rejected all his ovrci righteousness, cast down that house-idol to the ground, that he might be found in the imputed righteousness of Christ, Phil. iii. J 8. Cast that idol out of doors, it stands in the way of a better righteousness. There be divers ways wherein sinners maintain

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their own righteousness to their own ruin : There is a gross and a more refined self-righteousness ; the one more palpable and easily liable to conviction, the other much harder to be discovered and cured. Ask some men upon what their hopes of salvation are grounded ? and they will tell you, they are just in their dealings with men, and constant in their prayers to God, that is all, and therefore they doubt not of their salvation : Thus they substitute a righteousness of their own, in the room of Christ's blood, and are their own destroyers by seeking this way to be their own saviours. But then there is a more refined way of self-righteousness, drest up with such pretences of humility, that men are hardly to be con- vinced of it. I pity many poor souls upon this account, who stand off from Christ, dare not believe because they want such and such qualifications to fit them for Christ. O saith one, could I find so much brokenness of heart for sin, so much reformation and power over corruptions, then I could come to Christ ; the meaning of which is this, if I could bring a price m my hand to purchase him, then I should be encouraged to go unto him. Here now lies honible pride covered over with a veil of great humility : Poor sinner, either come naked and empty-handed, according to Isa. Iv. 1. Rom, iv. 5. or expect a repulse ; for Christ is not the saUy but the gift of God.

Mark 6. Lastly, whatever soul opens savingly to Christ, it opens finally and everlastingly to him ; the heart once opened to Christ, must stand open for ever to him, never to shut out Christ any more. And here is a very observable difference betwixt a man that comes to Christ, in a sudden fright of conscience, and parts with him again when that fright is over; and a man that receiveth Christ not to sojourn, but to dwell in his heart by faith, Eph. iii. 17. When Christ comes into the heart, he saith. Here will I dwell for ever ; and Lord, saith the soul, so I receive thee ; this is the day of union, O let me never know a day of separation ; let it never be in the power of life or death, angels, principalities, or powers, things present or to come, to make a separation betwixt thee and me. Soul, saith Christ, thou shalt be mine whilst I am in heaven ; and Lord, saith the soul, I will be thine whilst I am on earth. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, saith Christ : O my Lord, saith the soul, hold me fast in thy hand, that I may never leave nor forsake thee ; my estate, liberty, and life, may, and must go ; but it is in the fixed purpose of my heart never, never to let thee go. The espousals betwixt Christ and the soul are for ever, Hos. ii. 19. "I will betroth thee unto me for ever, yea, for ever." And here lies another great difference betwixt the hyjx)crite that takes Christ with a politic reserve, that will venture with Christ at ^ea no farther tlian he can see the shore ; and the upright heart

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that embarks itself with Christ without reserves, come what will ; that saith to him, as Ittai to David, when persuaded to go back in a time of danger ; nay, saith he, where my Lord Jesus Christ is, whether it be in liberty or in prison, in life or in death, there also wiU I be. Flesh may persuade to a retreat , nay, saith the soul, I cannot retreat ; but wherever the truths of Christ, the interest and glory of Christ are, there also must I be ; for upon these terms I first received him, and opened the door of my heart to him. These things are no surprises to me, Christ and I have debated them long g^go ; he dealt fairly with me, and I must deal faithfully with him. Now, brethren, view over these six trials : Have your eyes been opened to see sin in its vileness, Christ in his beauty and necessity ? Have your hearts been pricked and wounded with compunction ^nd sorrow for sin ? Are the loves and delights of sin gone out of your souls ? Have you no exceptions either to the cross or yoke of Clirist ? Have you given up all your own righteousness, whether gross or refined, for dung and di'oss, and received Christ for ever ? Then thy heart is savingly opened to him.

Fourth Use,

The last use that closeth this point, will be consolation to all those whose hearts the Lord hath thus opened to receive Christ at his knocks and calls of the gospel.

Hath God indeed opened any of your hearts, and made you sincerely willing to receive Christ ? then there are ten sweet con- solations, like so many boxes of precious ointment to be pour- ed forth, in the close of this discourse, upon every such soul. And the

First Consolation shall be this : The opening of any man's heart to receive Christ, is a clear, sohd scripture-evidence of the Lord's eternal love to, and setting apart that man for himself from all eternity. I do not say, that every man, whose heart is opened by faith, is thereupon immediately assured and satisfied that God hath chosen him to salvation : But whether he apprehend it or not, the thing in itself is certain and real : Consult 1 Thes. i. 4, 5. ^' Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God ; for our ^' gospel came not to you in word only, but also in power, and in ^' the Holy Ghost," S^c. Their election of God was the thing to be proved ; but alas, might they say, who can know that but God alone ? It is among the divine secrets ; yes, saith the apostle, we know it, and by this we know it : for our gospel came not unto you in an empty sound, but in mighty efllicacy, effectually opening your hearts to believe. A more clear and certain evidence of your flection cannot be given in tliis world. Look again into Rom. viii.

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SO. " Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called ; <' and whom he called, them he also justified ; and whom he '< justified, them he also glorified.'"*

There are two great and ravishing truths cleared in this scripture; the one is this, that the whole number of the called, upon earth, is taken out of such as were predestinated to hfe before the world was. The other is this, that as the whole number of the glorified saints in heaven, is made up of souls called and justified upon earth ; so the called soul, that is, the soul that savingly opens to Christ by faith, may, from that work of the spirit upon him, solidly reason backward to God's electing love before all time ; and forward to his glorification with God, when time shall be no more.

O how strong is the consolation flowing out of this glorious work of the Spirit upon our hearts ! that is one thing.

II. Consolation. The opening of the heart to receive Christ, is the peculiar effect of the divine and Almighty Power of God ; the arm of an angel is too weak to break those strong bars before-mention- ed. Therefore the exceeding greatness of his power is applied unto this work of believing, Eph. i. 19. " And what is the ex^ '' ceeding greatness of his power to us- ward who believe, according '' to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ <' when he raised him from the dead." Here is power, the power of God, the greatness of his power, the exceeding great- ness of his power, the very same power which wrought in Chnst when he raised him from the dead; and all this no more than needs to make the heart of man open by faith to receive Christ. The only key that fits the cross wards of man's Tvdll, and effectually opens his heart, is in the hand of Christ, Rev. iii. 7. "He hath " the key of David, he openeth and no man shutteth."

How long have some of you sat under able ministers, searching sermons, and rousing providences ? yet all to no purpose, till this Almighty Power came with the word, and then the work was done. " Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power,'* Psal. ex. 3. What a glorious power was that which opened Christ's grave when lie lay in the heart of the earth, with a weighty stone rolled upon his sepulchre ? And how mighty a power is that which breaks asunder all those bars which kept thy soul in the state of sin and death ? None feel this power, but only those whom God in- tendeth for salvation ; and having once wrought this, it is engaged to go through with all the rest, which yet remaineth to be done, to perfect thy salvation.

III. Consolation. The opening of thy heart to Christ, is not only an effect of Almighty Power, but such an effect of it, without which, all that Christ hath done and suffered had been of no avail to thy salvation ; neither the eternal decrees of God, nor the me-

60 EXGLAXD^S DUTY.

ritorioiis sufferings of Christ, are eifectual to any man's salvation, until this work of the Spirit be wi'ought upon his heart. The of- fering up of Christ is, in its kind and place, sufRcient to purchase our redemption; but it is the receiving of Christ by faith that brings home salvation to our souls ; where there may be many con- causes to produce one effect, that effect is not produced until the last cause have wrought. Thus it is here ; the moving cause, viz, the free-grace of God hath wrought ; and the meritorious cause, the death of Christ, hath also wrought ; but still the heart, even of an elect man, remaineth under guilt and condemnation, until the Spirit, who is the appl}ing cause, have also wrought this bles- sed effect we now speak of. It is Christ in us, i. e. in union with our souls, which is to us the hope of glory, CoL i. 27. 1 Cor. i. 30. Behold then the last stroke given in this opening of the heart by faith ; herein electing love hath brought home Christ, with all the purchases and benefits of his death, into the actual possession of thy soul. O how ti'ansporting and ravishing a consi- deration is this !

IV. Consolation. In this work, the opening of the heart by faith, the great design and main intention of the gospel is also answered and accomplished. You behold in the church a glorious frame of ordinances set up by Divine institution, ministers appointed to preach sermons, sacraments, prayers, singing, variety of ordinances set up, excellent gifts given to men, as the fruit of Christ's ascen- sion into heaven. Now, what was the design of God in the insti- tution of all these things, but that by them, as instruments in his hand, our ignorant, dead, unbelieving hearts might be opened to Christ, in acts of repentance and faith, and built up to a perfect man ? Ministers are sent " to open your eyes, turn you from dark- " ness to light, and from the power of Satan to God,"'" Acts xxvi. 18, They are not sent by Christ into this world to get a hving, to drive so poor a trade as that for themselves, but to bring you to faith, 1 Cor. iii. 5. When God's elect are thus brought in and built up in Christ, you shall see this glorious frame of ordinances taken down ; there will be no more preaching nor hearing, the end of all these things being accomplished ; 1 Cor. xv. 24. " Then " Cometh the end, v/hen he shall have delivered up the kingdom " to God, even the Father,'"* he. Now the consideration of the accomplishment of the great and principal design of the gospel thus far upon thy heart, is matter of transporting joy. Ministers may, and must die, ordinances may be removed, but this blessed effect of them upon thy soul shall never die : God will perfect what he hath begun. That is the fourth consolation.

V. Consolation. And then, 5thlij, That day wherein thy heart is savingly opened to receive Christy that very ^i^y is salvation eome

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to thy soul. When Zaccheus' heart was opened to Christ, he tells him, Luke xix. 9. " This day is salvation come to thy house."" Salvation was come into the world before thou wast born ; yea, sal- vation was come to thy doors in the tenders of the gospel before, but it never came into thy soul till the day wherein thy heart open- ed to Christ by faith. And is not this matter of singular consola- tion.? If salvation be not, what is.? no wonder that the eunuch went home rejoicing when he had received Christ by faith. Acts viii. 39. that the jailor rejoiced with all his house. Acts xvi. 34. Nei- ther blame nor wonder at men for rejoicing, for it is the day of their salvation. It is true, their salvation is not finished that day, there may be many things yet to be done and suffered by them before the completing of it ; but it is begun that day, the founda^ tion is laid in the 8oul that day, and the top-stone shall be set up with shouting in due time, crying, grace, grace, unto it.

VI. Consolation. The opening of a sinner's heart to Christ makes joy in heaven a triumph in the city of our God above ; Luke xv. 7. " I say unto you, likewise, that joy shall be in heaven over ono " sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety-nine just persons f' which need no repentance." As when a young prince is born, all the kingdom rejoices, the conduits run with wine, and there is all demonstration of joy and thankfulness in every city and town : It is much more so in heaven, when a soul is born to Christ under the gospel. It is a satisfaction to the heart of the Lord Jesus, who new beholds more of the travail of his soul ; and to all the angels and saints that another soul is espoused to him.

Beloved, when the gospel is effectually brought home by the Spirit to the heart of a sinner, and wounds him for sin, sends him home, crying, O sick, sick of sin, and sick for Christ ; the news thereof is presently in heaven, and sets the whole city of God a re- joicing. Christ never rejoiced over thee before ; thou hast wound- ed him and grieved him a thousand times, but he never rejoiced in thee till now ; and that which gives joy to Christ may well be matter of joy to thee. And that is the sixth consolation.

VII. Consolation. And then Ithly., That day thy heart is unlock- ed, unbarred, and savingly opened by faith, that very day an in- timate, spiritual, and everlasting union is made betwixt Christ and thy soul ; from that day Christ is thine, and thou art his. Christ is a great and glorious person, but how great and glorious soever lie be, the small and feeble arms of thy faith may surround and embrace him; and thou mayest say with the church, "My " beloved is mine, and I am his :" For mark what he saith in the text, " If any man open to me, I will come unto him.'' That soul fehall be my habitation, there will I dwell for ever. Thus will

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Christ dwell in your hearts by faith. What soul feels not itself advanced by this uni»n with the Son of God ? Hereby the beUever becomes a member of his body, flesh and bones; this is an ho- nour bestowed upon thy soul, above, and beyond all that honour that ever God bestowed upon any angel in heaven ; to them Christ is an head by way of dominion, but to thee by way of vital influ- ence. Angels are as the ba?'ons and nobles of his kingdom^ but the believer his spouse, and all the angels of heaven ministering spirits unto such. That is the seventh consolation.

VIII. Consolation. And then, ^thly, The opening of thy heart to Christ brings thee not only into union with his person^ but into the state of sweet, soul-enriching communion with him. So he speaketh in the text, " If any man open the door, I will sup with *' him, and he with me.'"* Poor soul, thou hast lived many years in the world, and never hadst any communion with God till this day. Christ and thy soul hath been strangers till now. It is true, thou hast had communion with ordinances, and communion with saints, but for communion with Christ thou couldest know nothing of it, till thou receivedst him into thy soul by faith. Now thou mayest say, " Truly my fellowship is with the Father, and with " his Son Jesus Christ,'' 1 John i. 3.

And thenceforth thy communion with men is pleasant and de- sirable.

IX. Consolation. The opening of a man s soul to Christ by faith is a special and peculiar mercy, which falls to the share, but of a very few. God hath done that for thee which he hath denied to mil- lions ; " Who hath believed our report ? and to whom is the ann " of the Lord revealed .^" i. e. to how small a remnant in the world, Isa. liii. 1. And the apostle puts the work of faith among the great mysteries of godliness, among the wonders of religion, 1 Tim. iii. 19. " Preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the « world."

The sound of the gospel is gone forth into the world ; " Many " are called, but few are chosen. There were many widows in " Israel, in the days of Elias, but to none of them was Ehas sent, *' save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a " widow,*" Luke iv. 25, 26. To allude to this, there were many hundreds that sat under the same sermon which opened thy heart to Christ, but it may be unto none of them was the Spirit of God sent that day, to open their hearts by faith, but unto thee ; thou wilt freely acknowledge thyself as unlikely and unworthy as the vilest sinner there. O astonishing mercy !

X. Consolation. And then lastly, in the same day thy heart opens by faith to Christ, all the treasures of Christ are unlocked and opened to thee. In the same hour God turns the key of regene-

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ration to open thy soul, the key of free-grdce is also turned to open unto thee the unsearchable riches of Christ ; then the righ- teousness of Christ becomes thine to justify thee, the wisdom of Christ to guide thee, the hohness of Christ to sanctify thee ; in a word, he is that day made of God to thee, " Wisdom, righteous- " ness, sanctification, and redemption,'" 1 Cor. i. 30. " All is <* yours, for ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's,"" 1 Cor. iii. ult. And thus I have shewed you some of those great things God doth for those souls that will but do this one thing for him, viz. open their hearts to receive Christ upon the tenders and terms of the gospel.

SERMON IV.

Rev. iii. 20. Behold I [stand ] at the door and knock, &c.

JL HE verb esrixa here rendered / stajid, is of the prefer tense, and woidd strictly be rendered / have stood ; but being joined with a verb of the present tense, is here rendered / do sta7id, a frequent Hebraism in scripture : And it notes the continued patience and long-suffering of Christ ; I have stood and still do stand, exercising wonderful patience towai'ds obstinate sinners. Which gives us thid fourth observation,

Doct. 4. That great and admirable is the patience of Christy in waiting upon trifling and obstinate sinmers.

Thus wisdom, i. e. Christ expresses himself, Prov. i. 24. " I ** have called, and ye refused ; I have stretched out my hand, and " no man regarded." Here you have not only Christ's earnest calls, but suitable gestures also, to gain attention. The stretching out of the hand was a signal given to procure attention. Acts xxL 40. Yet none regards ; and this the Lord doth not once or t\vice, but all the day long, Isa. Ixv. 2. shewing forth all long-suffering, as the apostle speaks, 1 Tim. i. 16. In the opening of this point I will shew you,

1. What Divine patience is.

2. Wherein it is evidenced.

3. Why it is exercised towards sinners.

First, Of the nature of Divine patience ; it is an ability in God not only to delay the execution of his -vvrath for a time towards ^ome, but to d^lay it in order to the eternal salvation of otliers.

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Let me speak to the parts of this description of Divine patience.

1. It is an ability of power in God, not the effect of impotence, or want of opportunity : All sinners are continually within the reach of the arm of his justice, and he can strike when and where he will. Esau had a revengeful mind against Jacob, but wanted opportu- nity, and therefore was forced to delay the execution of his con- ceived wrath, until the days of mourning for his father were come ; and then saith he, " I will slay my brother Jacob," Gen. xxvii. 41. DBut in God it is a glorious effect of power, Nah. i. 3. " The Lord *' is slow to anger, and great in power."

The greatness of his patience flows from the greatness of his power : So the apostle speaks, Rom. ix. 22. " What, if God wil- *' ling to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured *' with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath, fitted, or made up *' to destruction .^" And therefore when Moses prays for the ex- ercise of Divine patience towards the provoking Israelites, he doth it in this form, Num. xiv. 17, 18. "And now I beseech thee, let *' the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, " saying, the Lord is long-suffering," &c. He could exercise this Almighty power upon thee, and crush thee by it as a moth is crush- ed : but behold he exercises it upon himself in stopping the pro- pensions of his own justice, which daily solicit him to cut thee off ^ It is the power of God over his wrath, bridling and restraining it from day to day.

2. This patience is exercised toward such as perish, in a tempo- rary delay of their damnation ; and though this be but a mere sus- pension of his wrath for a time, yet it is a glorious act of patience in him ; as that forecited text. Rem. ix. 22. shews. It is nothing for a sinner condemned as soon as bora, to be reprieved so many years out of hell ? Thou hast been provoking him daily and hourly to cut thee off, and send thee to thy own place ; and yet to be on this side the everlasting burnings, this is wholly owing to the riches of his forbearance. Ah, how is God to be admired in this his glori- ous power o^ er his own wrath ! when we look abroad into the v/orld, and see every where sinners ripe for destruction, daring the God of heaven to his face, yet forborne, how admirable is this power of God !

3. God doth not only exercise this power in a temporary suspen- sion of his wrath against some, who, alas, must feel it at last ; but he delays the execution of his wrath in a design of mercy towards others, that they may never feel it, Isa. xlviii. 8, 9. Thus he bears with his own elect all the years of their lives wherein they lay in the state of nature, and went on in a course of rebellion against God ; and this long-suffering of God towards them proves their saivationj as you have it in 2 Pet. iii. 1 5. " And account that the

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*^ long-suiFefring o£ our Lord is salvation." What is the meaning of that ? Ah, Christian thou mayest easily know the meaning of it, without turning over many Commentaries : thou art now in Christ, safely escaped out of tlie danger of wrath to come ; but thou owest this thy salvation to the patience and long-suffering of God to- wards thee. For what if lie had cut thee off in tlie days of thy ignorance and rebellion against him (and thou knowest thou didst give him millions of provocations so to do) where hadst thou now been ? Thou hadst never seen Christ, nor the least dawning hope of salvation by him. Remember how oft you lay in those days upon beds of sickness, upon the brink of the grave ; what was it that saved thee from eternal wrath but this admirable patience of Christ ? Well, therefore, may the apostle say, *' Account the long-suffering *' of God to be salvation.''

This patience of God seems to be a branch springing out of his mercy and goodness ; only it differs from mercy in this, that man as miserable is the object of mercy, but man as criminal is the object of patience. Thus briefly of the nature of Divine patience^ a power of God over his own wrath, not only to suspend it for a time towards them that perish, but to delay the execution of it in a design of salvation towards others.

Secondly, Next we come to shew the various evidences of thii^ Divine patience, or wherein it appears in its glorious manifestation* towards provoking sinners ; and there are seven full evidences and discoveries of it, which should make the hearts of sinners melt within them, whilst they are sgunding in their ears. Ah, methinks, such as these should melt down your hard hearts before the Lord !

1. And the first evidence of the riches of his patience shall be taken from the multitude of sins that men and women are guilty of before him, the least of which is a burden too heavy for any crea- ture to bear ; the Psalmist saith, Psal. xl. \% " Innumerable evils " have compassed me about." It was true, as applied to the per- son of David ; and though it be there applied to the person of Christ, yet not one of them were his own sins, but ours ; called his, by God's reckoning or imputing them to him. Men can num- ber vast sums, millions of millions, but no man can number his own sins, they pass all account. There is not a member of the body, though never so small, but hath been the instrument of innumera- ble evils. For instance, the tongue, the apostle tells us, is a world of iniquity. Jam. iii. 6. And if there be a world of sin in one mem- ber, what then are the sins of all <f How many idle, frothy, vain words, hath thy tongue uttered ? And yet for them, Christ saith, *' Men shall give an account in the day of judgment," Mat. xii. 36. Aud what have the sins of thy thoughts been ? " The thoughts of

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" foolishness is sin,"' (saith Solomon,) Prov. 3(xlv. 9. O who cart understand his errors ? Yet the patience of God hath not failed under such innumerable evils. O glorious patience ! well may it be ushered in, in the text with a term of admiration. Behold, I stand !

2. The second fe\'idence of the Divine patience shall be taken from the heinous nature of some sins above others, whereby sin- ners fly, as it were, in the very face of God ; and yet he bears with long-suffering, lets not loose his hands to cut them off. All sins are not of one size ; some have a slighter tincture, and some are deeper ; called upon that account scarlet and crimson sins, Isa. i. 18. double-dyed abominations, sins in grain ; such are sins against knowledge, sins committed after convictions, and covenants, and rebukes of providence. I do not only speak of outward gross acts of sin ; for as the schoolmen well determine, though outward sins are sins of greater infamy, yet inward sins may be sins of greater guilt ; even those sins that never took air to defame thee in the world : but whatever they be, reader, whether outward or inward, thy conscience is privy to them, and thy soul may stand amazed at the patience of God in forbearing thee all this while under such provocations and horrid rebellions against him ; especially, consi- dering how many there be this day in hell that never provoked God by sinning vnth such an high hand as thou hast done.

3. It is yet a greater evidence of the patience of God in bearing with, and forbearing us under the guilt of that special sin, viz. The slighting and neglecting of Jesus Christ: here is a sin that goes to the very heart of Jesus Christ ; he can bear any other sin rather than that ; and yet this hath Christ borne from every soul of you. You are the men and women that have spurned at the yearn- ing bowels of his mercies, slighted his grace, trampled his precious blood under foot, and yet he hath forborne you unto this day ; read Matth. xxii. 5. and let thy conscience answer, whether thou art not equally deep in the guilt of making light of Christ with those wretches upon whom it is there charged. Christ hath suffered the wrath of God in thy room, brought home salvation in gospel-offers to thy door : and then to be shghted ! no patience but his own could bear it. Every sermon and prayer you have sat under with a dead heart ; every motion of his Spirit which you have quenched, wliat is this but the making light of Christ, and the great salvation ! here the deepest project of infinite wisdom, and the richest gift of free-grace, wherein God commends his love to men, are vilely un- dervalued as small things : and thus have you done days without number ; and yet his hand is not stretched out, to cut thee off in thy rebeUion : Who is a God like unto thee ! What patience like the patience of Christ I

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4. The length of time the patience of Christ hath endured thee> fepeaks the perfection and riches of patience towards thee.

Consider sinner^ What age thou art ofj how many years thou canst number^ and that all this hath been a time of patience, for thou wast a transgressor from the womb, Isa. xlviii. 8, 9. yet for his nam^ sake hath he deferred his anger, and hath not cut thee off. How soon did the wrath of God break forth upon the angels when they sinned in heaven ! And haw long hath it borne with thee, whilst thou hast been provoking him on earth ? Was there ever patience like the patience of God ! Many thousands have been sent away td hell since thy day, but thou art yet spared : O that the long-suffering of God might be salvation to thee !

5. It is a great evidence of the power of divine patience that may be drawn from the grieVoilsness of our sins to God, during the whole time of his forbearance ; it is true, there is no proper passion in the Divine nature, no real perturbation, his anger is a mild and holy flame ; yet the contrariety of sin to the holiness of his nature is what makes his patience miraculous in the eyes of men. The scripture speaking in a condescending language to the understanding of the creature, represents God as woUnded to the heart by the sins of men ; so in E^ek. vi. 9. " I am broken mth their whotish heart, " which hath departed from me ;" and Amos ii- 13. " Behold I am ** pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves," when the axle-tree is ready to crack under the load ; and 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16* it is said, " The wrath of the Lord arose agairist his *' people till there vvas no remedy ;"" his patience would bear no longer, and therefore when he executes his wrath upon provoking sinners^ that execution is represented in the nature of an ease or relief to his burdened patience and justice, Isa. i. 24. " Ah, saith he, " I will ease me of my enemies, and avenge me of my adversaries." Yet, observe, it comes in with an (ah) with a kind of regret and reluctancy ; so in Isa. x. 25. " Yet a very little while and the indig- ** nation shall cease, and my anger is in their destruction."" God could have given ease and rest this way to his anger long ago, but he chuses rather still to bear with thee, than on these terms to ease himself of thee.

Evidence 6. The vast expences of his riches and bounty upon us, during the whole time of his forbearance and patience towards us, speak him inconceivable and infinite in his long-suffering towards us, Rom. ii. 4, 5. " Despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and " forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness " of God leadeth thee to repentance .?" q. d. Vile sinner, canst thou compute the treasures of bounty and goodness, thou hast bee» riotously spending and wasting all this while .^ Dost thou know what vast sums Christ hath spent upon thee to preserve thee sa

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long out of hell ? There be two tre£(sures spending upon sinners all the time of God's forbearance of them ; there is the precious treasure of thy time wasted, and the invaluable streams of gospel- grace running all this while at the waste spout : thy time is precious; the whole of thy time, which is betwixt thee and eternity, is but little, and the most thereof hast been wasted in sin, and cast away upon vanity : but that is not all, the treasures of gospel-grace have been wasting all this while upon thee. In Zech. iv. 12. it is com- pared to golden oil, maintaining the lamps of ordinances ; so it is set forth to us in that stately emblem. Who would maintain a lamp with golden oil for wanton children to play by ? Yet this hath God done while thy soul hath dallied and trifled with him. The witnesses and ministers of Christ, in Rev. xi. 3, 4. are compared to tliose olive-trees that drop their precious oil, their gifts, graces,- yea, and their natural spirits with them, into this lamp, to keep it burning ; all this while the blood of Christ hath been running in vain, the ministers of Christ preaching and beseeching in vain, the Spirit of Christ striving with you in vain. You burn away golden oil, and yet your lamp is not gone out. O marvellous patience ! O the riches of God"'s forbearance !

7. Lastly, The riches of divine patience towards you, are greatly heightened and aggravated by the quick dispatch the Lord hath made of other sinners, whilst he hath spared and past over you. This comparative consideration calls upon you in the apostle's lan- guage, Rom. xi. 22. " Behold the goodness and severity of God ; *' on them which fell, severity ; but towards thee, goodness, if '' thou continue in his goodness, otherwise thou shalt be cut off."" Some sinners have been cut off in the beginning of their days, many in the very acts of sin, and those not greater than thy sins ; they are gone to their own place, and thou still left for a monument of the patience and forbearance of God. The sin of Achan was not a greater sin than thy covetousness, and the earthliness of thy heart is ; the sin of Nadab and Abihu, in offering up strange fire, than thy superstition, and offering up uncommanded services to God: yet the hand of God fell upon them, and smote them dead in the place; in the day and place wherein they sinned, they perished; they were taken away in their iniquities, but thou reserved. O that it might be for an instance and example of the riches of Divine patience, which may at last lead thee to repentance !

Thus I have given you seven evidences of the wonderful patience of Christ, who hath stood, and still doth stand at the door and knock. Next we will enquire into the grounds and reasons of this marvellous |)atience of Christ, this astonishing long-suffering of God towai'ds sinners ; and there are divers obvious reasons of the long-suffering of God towards men.

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Reason 1. The exercise of his patience is a standing testimony of his reCdntilable and merciful nature towards sinful man. This he shewed forth in his patience toward Paul, a great example of his irierciful nature, for a pattern to them that should hereafter believe on him, 1 Tim. i. 16. The long-suffering of God is a special part of his manifestative glory ; and therefore when Moses desired a sight of his glory, E^cod. xxxiv. 6. he proclaims his name, " The " Lord, the Lord God^ merciful and gracious, long-suffering, " and abundant in goodness imd truth."" He would have poor sinners lortk towards him as an atoneable Deity, a God willing to be reconciled, a God that retaineth not his anger for ever ; but if poor sinners will take hold of his strength, and make peace with him, they may have peace, Isa. xxvii. 4. This long-suffering is an attribute very expressive of the Divine nature ; he is wilHng sinners should know, whatever their provocations have been, there is room for pardon and peace, if they will yet come in to accept the! term?/ Thi& patience is a diadern belonging to the imperial crown of heaven ; the Lord glories in it, as what is peculiar to himself, Hos. xi. 9. I will not execute the fierceness of my anger; for I am " God and hot man ;" q. d. Had I been as man, the holiest, meekest, and mortifiedst man upon earth, I had consumed them long ago ; but I am God and not man, my patience rs above all created patience; no husband can bear with his mfe, no parent with his child, as God hath boi-ne with you. That is one reason of Christ's waiting upon trifling sinners, to give proof of his gra- cious, merciful, and reconcilable nature towards the worst of sinners.

Reason 2. The Lord exercises this admirable patieiice towards sinners, with design thereby to lead them to repentance ; that is the direct aim and intention of it. The Lord desires, and delights to see ingenuous relentings and brokenness of heart for sin ; and there is nothing like his forbearance and patience for promoting such an evangelical repentance. All the terrors of the law will not break the heart of a sinner, as the patience and long-suffering of God will do; therefore it is said, Rom. ii. 4. "That the good- " ness, forbearance, and long-suffering of God lead men to re- " pentance':'' these are fitted to work upon all those principles of humanity which incline men to repentance; reason, conscience, gratitude, feel the influences of the goodness of God herein, and melt under it; Saul's heart relented in this case, 1 Sam. xxiv. 17. " Is this thy voice, my Son David ? and Saul lift up his voice and " wept : and he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I, " for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded ^ thee evil." Thus the goodness and forbearance of God doth,

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as it were, take a sinner by tlie hand, leads him into a corner, and saith, come, let thee and me talk together, thus and thus vile hast thou been, and thus and thus long-suffering and merciful have I been to thee ; thy heart hath been full of sin, the heart of thy God hath been full of pity and mercy : This puts the sinner into tears, breaks his heart in pieces ; if any thing in the world will melt a hard heart, this will do It. O how good hath God been to me ! How have I tried his patience to the uttermost, and still he waiteth to be gracious, and is exalted that he may have compassion ; the sobs and tears, the ingenuous thaws and relentings of a sinner's heart, under the apprehensions of the sparing mercy and goodness of God, is the music of heaven.

Reason 3. The Lord exercises this long-suffering towards sinners, to clear his justice in the damnation of all the obstinate refusers, of Christ and mercy. Christ waits at our doors now, that he may be clear in his sentence against us hereafter. This patience of Christ takes away all apologies and pleas out of the mouths of impenitent sinners ; the more Christ's patience hath been, the less defence or plea they will have for themselves.

Think with thj'self, sinner, what wilt thou answer in the great day, when Christ shall say. Did I riot stand at thy door from day to day, from sabbath to sabbath, from' year to year, calUng, wooing, per- suading thee to be reconciled, and accept pardon and mercy in the proper season of them, and thou wouldest not? Rev. ii. 21. "I gave " her space to repent, and she repented not.'' Well, the Lord gives you time now, a space for repentance, such a space as millions of souls, gone out of time into a miserable eternity, never had. With v/homsoever Christ hath been quick and severe, to be sure he hath not been so with you. This time of Christ's patience will be evi- dence enough to clear Christ and condemn you ; men and angels shall applaud the sentence as dreadful as it is, and say, righteous art thou, O Lord, in judging thus.

Reason 4. The Lord draws forth and exercises his admirable patience towards sinners for the continuation and propagation of the church. The church must be continued and propagated from age to age ; and if God should be quick in cutting off sinners as soon as ever they provoke him. Whence should the elect of God rise in this world ? There are thousands of God's elect in the loins of God's enemies. Many that will heartily embrace Christ, must rise from such as reject him.

Now if God should cut off these in the beginning of their pro- vocations, How should the church be continued.? Where had good Abijah and Hezekiah been, if. wicked Jeroboam and Ahaz had been cut off in their first transgressions ? The Lord suffers many a wicked parent to stand for a time under his patience ; be*

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cause children are to spring from them who will obey and embrace that Christ whom their wicked parents rejected : yea, the wicked do not only propagate the church, but are useful to preserve and de- fend it : as the useless chaff is a defence to the wheat, Rev. xii. 16. « The earth shall help the woman."

Reason 5. To conclude, The Lord exerciseth this long-suffering toward sinners, in a gracious condescension to the prayers of his people. " Were it not that the Lord had left a small remnant, " we had been as Sodom, we had been Uke unto Gomorrha,'' Isa. i. 9.

The prayers and intercessions of the saints are a skreen betwixt wicked men and the wrath of God for a time, Job xxii. 30. The innocent preserve the island. The world stands by the prayers of the saints ; what multitudes of rebellious Christ-despising sinners swarm this day in every part of this nation ? Such as declare, by their open practice, they will not have Christ to reign over them, now contemn his offers, despise his messengers ; but blessed be God, yea, and let them bless him too, that there are others mourning to the Lord for them, beseeching his forbearance towards them. Lit- tle do the wicked know how much they are beholden to the pray- ers of the saints. These and such like reasons prevail with the Lord Jesus to stand in a waiting, patient posture, at the doors of sinners. Ah, how loth is he to give them up ! We now proceed to the uses of this point by way of,

1. Information.

2. Exhortation.

3. Consolation.

Use 1. And First, This point will be very fruitful for informa- tion of our understandings in divers great and useful points, both doctrinal and practical, wherein every soul among you is deeply concerned ; and therefore, I beseech you, let them be heard and pondered with an answerable attention and seriousness of Spirit ; And the first inference shall be this.

Infer. 1. If the Lord Jesus do exercise such admirable patience towards sinners. Then how much better is itjbr poor sinners to be in the hands of Christ, tlian in the hands of the best and Jwliest man in the world ? O sinner, it is better for thee to fall into the hands of the meek and merciful Jesus, than into the hands of the dearest friend thou hast upon earth ; no creature can bear what Christ bears : no patience like the patience of Christ : It is said of Moses, Numb. xi. 12. " Now the man Moses was meek above all men upon " the face of the earth." There was never such a man born into the world, for patience, meekness, and long-suffering as Moses was ; and yet for all that, this mirror of meekness could not bear t*he provocations of Israel : You rebels, saith he, must I draw water

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for you out of the rock ? Thus was his spirit ruffled with the provocations of Israel, and this lost him the land of Canaan. Jo- nah was a good man, a prophet of the Lord ; yet because the Lord would not be so quick and severe with Nineveh, as Jonah would have had him, in what uncomely language doth his angry soul re- turn upon his God ? Jonah iv.' 2. '^ O Lord, (saith he) was not ** this my saying when I was yet in my country ; Therefore ^' I fled before unto Tarshish, for I knew thou wert a gra- " cious God and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, " and repentest thee of the evil ; therefore, now, O Lord, take, *' I beseech thee, my life from me, for it is better for me to die *^ than to hve ;" q. d. Ah, Lord, I knew it would come to this, I knew thy gracious nature, how inclinable thou art to mercy, and that upon the first appearance of their repentance, thou wouldst repent of the evil, and so free-grace would make me as a liar among them,

Nay, give me leave to speak a higher word than all this, and let it not seem strange, that the patience of the glorified saints in heaven is nothing to the patience of Christ towards provoking sin- ners upon earth. Those glorified souls that be above, though they have patience among other graces, perfected in its kind, yet still it is but created, finite patience, and it cannot bear what Christ's patience bears : Take an instance of it out of Rev. vi. 9, 10, 11. " I saw under the altar the souls of those that were slain for the " word of God, and for the testimony which they held ; and they " cried ^vith a loud voice, saying. How long, O Lord, holy and " true, dost not thou judge and avenge our blood on them that " dwell on the earth : And it was said unto them. That they should " rest for a little season.'^ Here you see glorified souls less able to bear the slow pace of justice towards their enemies, than Christ \yas. It is true, here was no sinful impatience, but yet a patience short of Christ's infinite patience. Ah, if you were to depend upon the patience of any creature in heaven or earth, you had worn it out long ago. I will not execute the fierceness of me in an- ger, for I am God and not man. Ah, it is well we have to do with God ; if a man find his enemy, will he let him go away ? 1 Sam. :sxiv. 19. No, he will reckon before he part with him. Sinner, the Lord finds thee daily in thy sins, and yet lets thee go ; vet beware thou try not his patience too far, lest vengeance overtake thee at last, and pay the justice of God with all the arrears due to patience.

Infer. 2. Hence it follows, that convinced and broken-hearted sin- ners need not be discouraged in going to Jesus Christ for mercy ^ seeing he exercises such wonderful patience towards obstinate and 7-efusing sinners^

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This inference breathes pure gospel ; it is a cordial to cheer the heart that is moving towards Christ with fear and trembhng. It is a great artifice of the devil to daunt and discourage poor convin- ced sinners, by telling them there is no hope of mercy for them ; that they shall find the arms of mercy closed, the bowels of com- passion shut up; that the time of mercy is now past, they come too late. O how busy is Satan with such suggestions as these in many of your souls ! Biit I am come to tell you this day, that these are but the artifices of the enemy, you are going to the fountain of mercy, patience, goodness, and long-suffering; go on, and jou shall find abundantly more than you expect. He will not cast off a soul that comes mourning and panting towards him, and is willing to subscribe the gospeLarticles of reconciliation : No, he will not shut out such a soul, whatever its rebellions and provocations have been. Sinner, thou art going to the meek and merciful Jesus, Matth. xi. 28. " Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy " laden, and I will give you rest ; take my yoke upon you, and " learn of me, » for I am meek and lowly."" You are going to meekness and. mercy itself; he is the Lamb of God, that is his name : Go on then, poor trembling sinner, do not stand any longer at, shall I, shall I ? with Christ ; but make a bold but necessary adventure of faith ; try him once, and then report what you find him to be : Certainly if he exercise such patience towards the vessels of wrath, whilst they are fitting to destruction, as he doth, Rom. ix. S2. he will not want patience for a vessel of mercy, preparing by humiliation and faith for Christ and glory. Doth he forbear those that stand in defiance, and will he fall upon those that are mourning to him upon the knee of submission ? Shall a damned wretch, that is preparing for hell, find so much forbearance, and a poor broken-hearted sinner none ? It cannot be. If Jesus Christ forbore thee when thy heart was hard as a rock, and could not yield one tear, one sigh for sin, will he execute his wrath upon thee, will he shew thee no mercy, when thy heart is broken all to pieces with sorrow, and filled with loathing and detestation against sin, and thyself for sin ? Did he forbear thee when sin was thy deliglit ? And will he destroy thee now it is thy burden .^ It cannot be.

Moreover, if the Lord Jesus had not a mind to shew mercy to thy poor soul, now that thine eyes are opened, and thine heart touched to the quick, why hath he forborne the execution of his wrath so long ? He might have taken his own time to cut you off when he would,^ he might have made any day the execution-day : But sure, among all the davs of thy life, the day of thy humilia- tion, the day of thy faith, is not like to prove that day.

Again, as great and vile sinners as thyself have adventured upon the grace of Christ, and found it infinitely beyond therr expecta-

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tion. These the Lord Jesus hath set forth as encouraging exam- ples to all the broken-hearted sinners that are coming after ; that they, seeing ho\y it hath fared with their fore-runners to Christ, might be encouraged to come on with the more confidence, 1 Tim. i. 16. '^ But I obtained mercy, that in me first Christ might shew *' forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them that should here- *' after believe on him to life everlasting.'' Well then, shut your ears against all the whispers of Satan, entertain no evil reports of Christ ; the devil loves to draw a false picture of Christ, and repre-. sent him in the most discouraging form to poor trembling sinners ; but you mil not find him so. What can Christ say more to con- vince and satisfy souls than he hath done .'* He hath left the bosom of the Father, he hath taken union with thy nature, he hath pour* ed out his soul unto death ; he hath told us, " Those that come *' unto him, he will in no wise cast out," Thousands are gone be- fore us in the paths of repentance and faith, and found it according to his word : you have been spared all your hfe to this day of mer- cy. O do not stand off now upon such weak objections.

Infer, S. The long-suffering of Christ towards sinners instructeth and teacheth his ministers to imitate their Lord in a christlike pati^ ence and long-suffering. Christ is our pattern of patience ; if he wait, much more may we : We think it much to stand from sabbath to sabbath, wooing, pleading, and inviting, and are apt to be dis- couraged when we see no fruit follow. The want of success is apt to cast us under Jeremiah's temptation, " To speak no more in his " name ;" and to lament with Isaiah, " That we have laboured in <^ vain." It is a hard case to study, pray, and preach, and see all our labours return in vain. It is not so much the expending as the returning of our labours upon us in vain, that discourageth our hearts. Ministers would not die so fast, saith Mr. Lockier on Colos- sians, nor be grey-headed so soon, did they see the fruits of their la^ bours upon their people. But let us look to our pattern in the text, ^* Behold, I stand at the door and knock." If the master wait, let pot the servant be weary : ^* The servant of the Lord must not *' strive, but be patient toward all ; waiting, if at any time God ^' will give them repentance," 2 Tim, iv. 24.

Though the beginnings be small, our latter end may greatly in- crease : Though we now fish with angles, and take but now one, and then another, the time may come, and we hope it is at the door, wheji we shall spread our nets, and inclose multitudes. Aretius, a

})ious Divine, comforteth himself thus, under the unsuccessfulness of lis labours, Dabit posterior cetas tractabiliores fortasse animos, mi- tiora pectora quam nostra habent tempora. ' Perhaps, future days ' will afford more tractable spirits, and easier tempers of mind, than * our present times afford.' Reside, the fruit of our labours may spring

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up to a blessed harvest when we are gone, Jolin iv. 37. One man sowetli, and another reapeth ; but if not, our reward will not be measured by the success, but the sincerity of our designs and la- bours. Our zeal for conversion of souls to Christ will be accepted, but our discouragement in his service will certainly displease him. If Israel be not gathered, yet shall we be glorious in the eyes of the Lord. However, let this be a caution to you that hear us, that you cast not our souls under such discouragements. If I may speak the sense of others from my own experience, then I can assure you that the fixedness of your hearts in the ways of sin, and your un- tractableness to the calls of God, are a greater burden and discou- ragement to us than all the sufferings we have met withal from the world ; yet are we contented to pray in hope, and preach in hope, encouraging ourselves (the Lord grant it be not without ground) that a crop shall yet spring up, which shall make