A SERMON OF M ^r. WILLIAM FENNERS at Maidstone, Septem. 25. 1629.

THere is a good English Proverb amongst us, that he that neglects the occasion, the occasion will neg­lect him. Solomon wisely begins his Proverbs with it: for he bringeth in the Wisdom of his Father in these five particulars: 1 first, making a generall Proclamation in the 20 verse, Wisdome crieth without, shee uttereth her vice in the streets. He compareth God unto a Crier that goeth up and down the City from street to street, and from doore to doore, crying his commodity, e­ven the richest that ever was, which is a Christ, [Page 60] a Christ for redemption, a Christ for sanctification, a Christ to enlighten those that walk in darknesse, and in the shadow of death. Ho, every one that thir­steth, here is a Christ for you.

2 Secondly, here is a mercifull reprehension, in the 22. verse, O yee foolish, how long will yee love foolishnesse, and yee scorners take pleasure in scorning? Foolish indeed to be without Christ: foolish to be without grace, foolish to chafer away our souls for sin. How long yee scorners will yee take plea­sure in scorning? will you still persist in your wic­kednesse, and never have done with your sins? will you never turn back again, but damne your souls for ever? O yee foolish, how long will you love foolishnesse?

3 Thirdly, here is a gracious exhortation in the 23. verse: turn you at my correction: lo, I will poure out my mind unto you, and make you to understand my words. As if he should say, Do you not see how you are going apace to confusion; and that the way you take, leadeth unto destruction? turn ye therefore, turn ye back again, for there is a Christ behind you: O turn ye; for if ye go on in your sins, you perish for ever.

4 Fourthly, here is a yearning promise made unto the world, in the end of the 23. verse; Lo, I will poure out my spirit upon you, and cause you to under­stand my words. As if he should say, return back again with me, and you shall have better welcome then you can possibly have, if you go on in your sins: the Devill will never let you gain so much by your living in your lusts, as you shall do by [Page 61] repentance for them, and forsaking of them. For behold, I will poure out my spirit upon you, whereby you shall be far greater gainers, then you shall be by your sins.

5 Fifthly, here is a grievous threatning against the world, even all those that have loytered out the day of grace. As time and tyde stayes for no man, no more doth the day of grace: Because I have called, and you refused; I have exhorted, but you have not regarded; I have denounced judgements against you for your sins, but you have harned your hearts; now a day of woe and misery shall come upon you, a time of vengeance and deso­lation shall over-take you; there will a day come wherein there will be weeping, and crying Mer­cie (Lord) mercy; but I tell you beforehand what you shall trust to: let this be your lesson, now I call, and you will not hear; now I stretch out my hands, but you will not regard: you shall seek [...] me early, but you shall not find me: and shall crie, but you shall not be heard.

The words are a thunderclap against all those that procrastinate their repentance, and returning home unto God, wherein note, 1 first, the parties themselves that do prolong this time of grace, they: that is, they who when God cals on them, will not hear; when God invites them by his mer­cies, patience, and forbearance, by his Ministers and servants, by his corrections and judgements, by all fair means and foul means, yet withstand the means of grace: they are the men, they shall call, but God will not answer.

[Page 62] 2 Secondly, here is their seeking after God; they shall call upon me.

3 Thirdly, here is their earnest and diligent see­king unto God; they shall not onely call, but seek to, and not onely seek, but seek as to labour to find: nay they shall seek me early▪ even strive to goe about it with all haste, and flie to repen­tance, but they shall not find me.

4 Fourthly, here is the unseasonablenesse of the time of their seeking, then: that is a demonstra­tive, then; even a time which the Lord points at: as if he should say, you shall see then these men will be of another mind, then they will be glad to be converted then they will be glad to come out of their sins, then they will be glad to get grace, and seek reconciliation with God: but alas! they saw not this then, but God foresaw it well enough; then shall they call, but I will not an­swer, they shall seek me early, but they shall not finde me.

5 Lastly, here is the frustration of their hope, which hath two things in it. First, in regard of their selves, in regard of the slaw of their seek­ing, it being not aright. Secondly, in regard of the [...]ustice of God, who rewards every man ac­cording to his works. But I will not hear them. Whence observe this point of Doctrine.

Dect. 1 Those that will not hear God when he calleth them; God will not hear them, when they call upon him. Those that will not hear the Lord when he calleth upon them by the ministery of his Word, and voice of his Spirit, the Lord will [Page 63] not hear them, when in their misery they call upon him.

Thus the Lord dealt with the people in Eze­kiels dayes; the Lord called them to repentance and obedience: but when they stood out, and neglected the opportunity of grace, and seasons of conversion, see how God deals with them: though they cry in mine eares with a loud voice, yet I will not hear them (saith the Lord.) When men have gone beyond the time of Gods mercie, and out-rowed the tide of Gods forbearance, and will not return, the Lord sets it down with him­self, that his wrath shall return upon them, he will no longer forbear: they had a time where­in the Lord did pitie them, and offered grace and mercie unto them, but they neglecting this season, and withstanding this proffer of grace, God resolves with himself they shall never have it again. There was a time wherein God did pitie them, but now he will not pitie them any more; twenty five yeers he called unto them▪ and sought to bring them home; but because they stood out and refused, the Lord saith, I will love Ephraim no more.

Beloved, there is a double day, a white day, and a black day; there is a day of salvation; Isa. 49.9 this is the day in the which the Lord said to the prisoners, Come forth: and to those that lie in their sins, repent and beleeve. Now if any man will come forth and humble his soul before the Lord, let him come and welcome, for it is a day of salvation. But there is another day of [Page 64] damnation, which is a dark day, a black and a duskie day, wherein the Lord will visit the sins of the world, and revenge the quarrell of his Covenant. Hos. 9.7, The day of visitation is come, yea the day of recompence; the people shall know it; the Prophet is a foole, and the spirituall man is mad. Beloved, we are fools, and all the spirituall men under heaven are mad, that lay not this day to heart. For the day of the Lord is a day of visi­tation, and all the world shall rue it, though now men sleepe in security. If once mercy be re­jected, and God turn away his eare from a man, then grace shall be no more, the doore of life shall for ever be shut up against him: and when once this day comes, he hath lost his own peace, and deprived himself of eternall happinesse.

Reas 1 Now there are three reasons of this point; the first is the law of retaliation, of rendring like for like, which is the justest law that can be made with man, for to give unto every man according to his works, to make him take such as he brings, (as the Heathen call it) to give a man quid for quo. Now if God call upon thee, and thou wilt not hear; it is righteousnesse with God, yea equity with God (that is more) that when thou callest on him, he should not heare thee. For thus runs the tenor of Gods Word, Prov. 28.9 He that turns away his eare from hear­ing the Law▪ even his prayers shall be abominable. He that turns away his eare from Gods Law, God wi [...]l turn away his eare from his prayer. He that turns, it is spoken in the present tense, that [Page 65] is, he that now turns away his eare, his prayer shall be abominable (in the future tense) that is, the Lord marks what master or servant, what fa­ther or mother, what husband or wife, what man or woman it is, that turns away the eare of his head, or the eare of his heart, from hearing his will, and obeying of his Commandments, the Lord takes speciall notice of it, and sets it down in his Calender, and records it in his Memoriall; keeping a strict account thereof: as if God should say, Well, is it so? I now call, and will not this man or that woman answer? Do I now stretch out my hands, and will not they take care to o­bey me? Well, let them alone (saith God) there is a day coming, that I shall be a hearing of them; times of sorrow and misery will take hold of them, and then they in their afflictions will cry unto me, but I will not hear; they will begge for mercy, but I will not regard: they will seek me early, but they shall not find me.

It was one of the Articles of high Treason brought in against Cardinall Woolsey, that he had the pox, and a stinking breath, and yet durst come into the Kings presence: So it will be an Article against thee of high treason before the King of heaven, if thou come into his presence with the stinking breath of thy sins, living in thy lusts, and wallowing in thy silthinesse, all thy prayers are but as so many stinking breaths in the nostrils of the Lord, and every duty that thou performest unto the Lord, shall be as so many Articles of high treason against thee, for to condemne thee, [Page 66] because thou livest in rebellion, and a Traitour against God.

His prayer shall be abominable: he doth not say, I will turn away mine eare from hearing his prayer, which turns away his eare from hearing my Law, (that is the true exposition of the words) no, like for like is sometimes in justice: for if a man should strike a Magistrate a box on the eare, it were not justice for him to give him another: for it is a greater sin to strike a Magi­strate, then any other common person; and ther­fore a greater punishment the Law requireth: So God doth not say, he will turn away his eare from hearing his prayer, but will serve him in a worse kind, he will count it abominable, yea abomination, (in the abstract) it shall be loath­some, yea loathsomnesse it self in the worst manner. Galat. 6. As a man soweth, so shall he reap: if thou sowe sparingly, thou shalt reap sparingly: if thou sowe a dull eare to Gods Word, thou shalt reap a dull eare from God to thy prayer: for God will reward every man according to his works.

Reas 2 Secondly, because of the time of Gods attri­butes: both mercy and justice have their season in this life; and when mercie hath acted her part, then commeth justice upon the stage, and acteth her part; so that God will have his attri­butes manifested to all the sons of men, yea to the face of the whole world. There is no market, nor Fayre day that lasteth alwayes: if the coun­trey will not come in, the Tradesmen will put [Page 67] up their wares, and be gone: but if they come in time, they may have a peniworth: otherwise if they come too late, they will find none. For the Merchant will not alwayes dwell in tents, but away he goeth, and will not stay for them. Be­loved, Gods standing is now open, and his shop set wide unto the sons of men; if men will not come in, cheapen and by without money, whiles God offers his wares, he will put them up and be gone. For the Merchant will not lose his wares, which he should do, if he should al­wayes remain in the open ayre with them; if he alwayes continue in the fields expecting custo­mers, his wares would spoyl and rot. So it is with God, how many sweet counsels doth he lose? how many sweet exhortations? how ma­ny blessed Sermons, and holy Sacraments, and Sabbaths, doth he lose? how many checks of conscience? how many dayes of grace, and mo­tions of his spirit have been squandred away in vain? do you think that God wil lose all these; and let them rot upon the stall, with staying for you? No, no: the day of grace and mercie will have an end, and grace and mercie will have an end; and then the day of wrath and vengeance will step up. To day if you will hear his voice, then barden not your hearts: then they hardened their hearts, and would not be led by Gods mercies to forsake their sins; Therefore he swa [...]e in his wrath that they should never enter into his rest. If it be so with you as it was with Israel in the wilder­nesse, in the day of temptation, you do not [Page 68] know but that your sinnes may now begin to pluck vengeance upon you. I tell you, if you harden your hearts this day, you do not know but this very day the Lord may clap an oath up­on your heads, that you shall never enter into his rest. For one and the selfe-same occasion lasts not alwayes: as every day is not a Market day, nor every week in the yeare a Faire week, nor every season in the yeare a time of Spring or harvest; so every day of a mans life may not claime to be the day of grace. Therefore if a man fore-slow it, now he fore-sloweth his own happinesse, and putteth off his owne peace for ever.

Excellent is that annotation of Gregory on Job 27.9. Will God heare his cry when trouble commeth upon him? Beloved, now Gods patience is troubled, wilt not thou repent? Now Gods Spirit is troubled, wilt not thou obey? Now Gods Justice is troubled, wilt thou not relent? Now Gods Word is troubled, wilt thou refuse to hearken? Will God heare his cry? He speaketh interrogatively, as if he should say, Art thou so mad, so vaine, so foolish, to promise to thy selfe being an hypocrite, that God will hear thy prayer? Oh no, then justice cometh to take place.

Reas 3 Thirdly, it is Gods use to doe so in other things, even upon the contempt of temporall blessings; and therefore much more in matters of grace and salvation. Thus God promised to give Israel the Land of Canaan, Num. 12.22. but [Page 69] the text saith, They tempted God ten times, that is, (as some Expositors expound it) many times; or (as others) ten severall times. But what ever the meaning of the text be, certainly it was very many times; so long, til at last he sware in his wrath that they should never enter into his rest. Beloved, though there be many a hot swearer that regards not an oath; yet certainly if the Lord sweare, we may beleeve him: the Word of God is as strong as oaths: if he say it upon his word, wee are bound to beleeve it: how much more then, when he confirmes it with an oath? Therefore if the Lord sweare thou shalt not, how darest thou, how canst thou hope or think ever to enter into his rest? This was almost fourty yeares before he died, that the Lord made this oath against them: and God knowes how many thousands of them fel short, not only of the land of Canaan, but also of the Kingdome of heaven.

So God took Ismael an hundred and seventeen yeares before he died: twenty yeares God offe­red him grace and repentance, but he would not take warning; a mocker he was, and a mocker he would be: for he mocked Isaac when he was a child of six yeares old; and no meanes would reclaim him, before he heard the voice, Cast out the bond-woman and her sonne: Out with him, (saith God) for he shall never be heire with my sonne: this was an hundred and seventeen years before Ismaels death.

And so God took Saul, five and thirty, or six and thirty yeares before he died, according to [Page 70] Josephus Chronology, (if it bee true); how­soever, hee took him divers yeares before his death: for so the Scripture makes it plain, 1. Sam. 15.20. The strength of Israel will not lie, nor repent: for he is not a man that hee should repent. Therefore because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord also hath rejected thee from being a King. And do not think that thou by thy prayers, and crying God mercie, canst ever alter him: for his councell is immutable, and hee is strong in his decree, and cannot change. Hither­to Grace and Mercie have been offered thee, which if thou hadst embraced, thou mightst have found mercy from the Lord, and the Kingdome should have been established and confirmed un­to thee: but now it is too late: for the strength of Israel cannot lie.

God took Esau fiftie yeares before his death: for so long he lived, after he sought the blessing with teares: but he was a hunting when God was a calling: he was following his prophane­nesse when God was wooing him to repentance. At last when he called for repentance, and sought it earnestly, yea his soule was carefull for to get it; yet he could never obtaine it, though hee sought it earnestly with teares fiftie yeares before he died.

Now if the Lord so severely punish contempt of temporall blessings, O how will he punish the contempt of proffers of grace and salvati­on! I tell you God will be more strict in re­venging of this sinne, then of any other sinne: [Page 71] he will come with Martiall law against all those that contemne his Gospell, Joh. 3.18. He that be­leeveth not, is condemned already. Doth Christ preach repentance and salvation, and the King­dome of God; and wilt thou not repent and be­leeve? Martiall Law (beloved) martiall Law, hang him up; for he is condemned already. Even like a souldier that rebels against his General, & forsakes his Colours, they doe not cast him into prison, and stay for the Assizes, or Sessions, but give him Martiall Law, even hang him up: So if the Lord sound his Gospell in thine eares, and of­fers thee conditions of peace, knocking at the doore of thy heart by his Spirit, and thou refuse to open to him, thou art condemned already: for the Strength of Israel cannot lie, nor repent. Oh therefore take heed now whiles his word sounds in thine eares, while his Spirit secretly whis­pers in thy heart to thee, open to him, for else thou art condemned for ever.

Take notice then, that God doth commonly give men a day, and no man or Angel doth know how long this day lasteth. To some it lasteth to their last gasp; to some, to their old age; and to some, it is cut off in their childhood. God gave the Angels a day, the which because they negle­cted, they are reserved in chains of darknesse un­till the great judgement day. God gave Cain a day, Genes. 4. During all the time of this day, though Cain sinned again and again, and went on in his sinnes a great while, yet he heard nothing but a still voice, If thou do well Cain, shalt thou not [Page 72] be accepted? but if thou dost ill, sinne lieth at the doore. But when no meanes will prevaile, but Cain will go on adding sinne to sinne, and mur­der unto all the rest of his sinnes, and so let go the season of mercy, the Lords tells him from heaven, that the day of grace is past, the gate of mercy is shut against thee: for thou art now accur­sed from the earth. As if the Lord should say, Be­fore I gave thee a day of salvation, and offered thee mercy, but thou wouldst not accept of it; but now I have clapt a curse upon thy soul, that thou shalt never claw off. So God gave Nine­veh a day to repent, Jona. 3. Yet forty dayes and Nineveh shall be destroyed. God gave the Fig­tree a day, even three yeares, before he would have it cut down. God gave the old World a day of an hundred and twenty yeares; during this time God sent unto them Noah, a Preacher of righteousnes, to call upon them to repent, and so set it down also, that his Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man, but his time shall be an hundred and twenty yeares: yet one writes, that the Lord cut off twenty of the hundred and twenty yeares, be­cause of their iniquities, which were so grievous, and provoked him so much, that they hasted him to come before he would have done. In all this space if they had repented, they should have found mercy from the Lord: but when this time was gone, and the day of grace was out, the De­luge came in upon them, and God by his judg­ments overthrew the whole World.

Object. You my ask me when this day or season of grace doth end, or cease.

[Page 73] Answ. I answer, that neither men nor Angels can tell; but this I say, it may be yet this day of grace lasteth unto thee, now it may bee God speaketh whom to thy soul, now it may be God warms thy heart, and givs thee good purposes & resolutions: now it may be the Lord Jesus pas­seth by thee in a good thought and desire; lay hold on it, for thy day may cease this very night, for ought thou knowest. Luke 17.22. The time shall come (saith Christ) when you shall desire to see one of the dayes of the Sonne of man, and shall not see it. Now is the day of Christ upon you, now is Christ offering and preaching himself to you: but if you let this day passe, thou mayst desire to have one of the drops of that bloud that hath been offered to thee, and yet never have it: thou mayst desire to feele one rap of that Spirit that hath knockt at thy heart, and yet goe with­out it: thou maist intreat for one dram of that mercy that hath been offered, and thou hast re­jected, but it shall never be granted to thee: God may clap that fearfull sentence upon thee, Now henceforth never grow fruit more on thee, never re­pentance come into thy heart more. If now thou wilt not repent and be converted, the Lord may set it down in his decree from this day for­ward, that thou mayst fumble about thy sinnes, but shalt never get victory over them: thou mayest ever bee mourning for thy corruptions, but never mourne aright for them: thou mayest blunder about repentance, but never doe the work.

[Page 74] Ezekiel 24.23. You shall not mourne nor weep, but you shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one towards another. There is many a soule for contemning of God, and not taking up repen­tance while they may have it, this plague of God is come upon them, that they are ever repen­ting, and are never able to repent, ever poring upon their sinnes, but never able to come out of them; they pray and pray against them, but their prayers moulder away under them: for they shall pine away for their iniquities. What is the reason? he showeth in the 13. verse: Because I would have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged any more. Because I gave thee line upon line, precept upon precept, motion up­on motion, Sacrament upon Sacrament, Sabbath upon Sabbath, and Ordinance upon Ordinance, because I used all fair meanes and foul meanes, I awaked thy conscience, and stirred up the mo­tions of grace in thee; but because I would have cleansed thee, and thou wast not cleansed, thou shalt never be cleansed. A fearfull sentence it is, if mens hearts were soundly opened to consider rightly of it.

And as there is a personall day, so there is a nationall day; if the Nation turne unto God du­ring that time, then that nation shall find mercy; but if they neglect that day, then God will hide those things from their eyes that belong to their peace, as Christ saith of Jerusalem, Luke 19.42. O Jerusalem, if that thou hadst known in this thy day, those things that did belong to thy peace! but now [Page 75] they are hid from thine eyes: in this thy day; if thou hadst known it during that day, it had been hap­py for thee; but now the day of grace is gone, the Lord hath concealed it from thee, and thou shalt never perceive it any more.

Some mens day of grace God endeth even in their very childhood; therefore if there be any little ones, any children here in this congrega­tion, that are of age to know what belongs unto an exhortation, to them I speak, that they take heed how they rebell against the commandment of a father or a mother, or master, against the teaching of Gods Word, for though you be chil­dren, yet God may inflict judgements upon your heads; for not only the day of grace, but also the day of life may be cut off from children, as 2 Kings 2.24. Four and twenty children were torn in peeces for mocking the Lords Prophet. Some mens day of grace is not shut up untill their youth, some not untill their old age, some not untill they are a dying; and if they refuse then, they are alike, yea sure to perish for ever; I know the day of grace may have several returns, but at last Gods Exchequer will be finally shut up.

Object. May not a man be called at the eleventh or twelfth hour of the day? The day of grace lasteth alwayes; and doth not the Apostle call the day of life the day of grace? 2 Cor. 6.2.

Answ. Is it true, the Lord calleth men at the ele­venth and twelfth hour; but yet, look and you shall see in the twentieth of Matthew, that they [Page 76] were not called at the first houre, nor at the se­cond nor third houre, nor at the sixth and ninth houre, i. he doth not say he found the same men that he found at the first, and third, sixth and ninth houres, but he saw others standing idle: No, those that were called at the first houre, came in at the first houre; and they that were called at the third houre, came in at the third houre; and they that were called at the sixth and ninth houre, came in at the sixth and ninth houre. Well, doth God call thee in thy childhood, in thy youth, or in thy middle age, now at the first or sixth, or ninth houre, now come in and labour in Gods Vineyard, and worke out your salvation with feare and trembling, and make use of the sea­son of grace, now whiles it is upon you: for if thou be called the first houre, the sixth is for a­nother, and not for thee; if thou be called the sixth houre, the ninth houre is for others and not for thee; if thou be called the ninth houre, the eleventh houre is for others and not for thee; The Text saith, He came and found others standing idle in the market place, and said unto them, Why stand yee here idle? And they say unto him, No man hath hired us; as if they should say, We never had any means of salvation, we have had no Ministers to preach unto us; but now God calls upon thee to come in, this is thy houre, look unto it. If God call thee, see thou come in, whether it be at the first or third houre, at the six or ninth houre, lest the Lord in his wrath clap bardnesse of heart up­on thy soul.

[Page 77] Object. But you will say, that the day of life, and the day of grace are parallel'd and likened one to a­nother; and therefore there is hope so long as a man remaines in the Congregation of the li­ving.

Answ. I answer, it is true indeed, that the day of grace lasteth so long as the day of life: 1. In regard of others, for others are so to esteeme of it, the Minister is to look to his people, as to a people to be conver­ted as long as they live.

2. In regard of a mans owne selfe, he is so bound to beleeve, for the commandment of faith standeth in force on a man, so long as he liveth, and there­fore infidelity and despaire cease not to be sins, till a man is actually in hell; when he is in hell, then they are no sins, because then he is not com­manded to beleeve, but are part of the punishment of the damned; but whilst a man lives it is a sinne, for men are now bound to lay hold upon Christ and to beleeve, at what houre of their life soever.

3. It may be said to last all a mans life long, be­cause it is bounded within the compasse of life: for no man hath a day of grace after this life.

But what is the meaning of all those Scriptures which show how God doth deliver up men unto the Spirit of giddinesse, and unto the Spirit of slum­ber? And what means the hardning of mens hearts, and searing of mens consciences, but only to show that the day of grace may end unto a particular man, ten, twenty, thirty, nay forty yeeres before his death.

[Page 78]1. Because God may harden a mans heart, Jerem. 13.10. and deale with them as with Is­rael in the Rock, so shut up their hearts, that they shall never melt at any Sermon, never be wrought upon by any judgement, God having closed them up in a rocky heart, that he saith of them, Can the Blockmore change his skin, or the Leo­pard his spots? then may they do good that are ac­customed to do evill. The blacknesse of the Black­more is only in the out-side of the skin, yet all the Art under the heavens cannot blot it out: So if once hardnesse possesse thy soule, all the prea­ching of the Ministers, and all the means of grace in the world can never bring it unto that frame and temper, as to make it melt under the hand of God; I tell thee, thou that usest to come un­to Sermons day after day, and refusest to re­pent, living still in thy sinnes, there is no ham­mer nor beetle in the world more hard then thy heart: as those men and women that sit under the preaching of the Word, and hear the do­ctrine of life, like raine from above, beating and knocking on their consciences, and on their hearts, to awaken them out of their sinnes, and yet notwitstanding will not repent at last, they prove to be deafe Adders, that stop their eares a­gainst the Word, charme the Charmer never so wisely.

2. God may seare mens consciences; Doth thy conscience tell thee that thou art a luke­warmling, and wilt thou not be reformed? Doth thy conscience tell thee that thy prayers and all [Page 79] thy religion is rotten and unsound, and that thy repentance is hypocriticall and naught; and that for all thy vaine hopes, thou art but a dissem­bler, and yet remainest in thy sinnes, and wilt thou not be bettered hereby? Take heed; for that man that runns on in sinne against the voice of his own conscience, that man sinnes the sinne of Saul, 1 Sam. 13.8. God bid him stay se­ven dayes untill Samuel came: Saul stayes full seven dayes within one houre; at last his lust be­gan to bawl: What? shall I stay for a Prophet thus long? Stay, sayes his conscience; Why? (sayes Saul) I waited for him so long, even seven dayes lacking but one houre. Stay (saith God to his conscience) for the Word of God bids thee stay so long: he stayed one day, and two dayes, and six dayes, and seven dayes but one houre; Stay (saith his conscience:) no, hee would not; but I forced my selfe, (saith the Text) as if hee should say, I hardened my heart to do it, though the word of the Lord, & my own conscience bid me stay and not do it, yet I forced my selfe to do it: What was this mans sinne! Was it his of­fering of Sacrifice, and calling upon God by prayer? No, the Lord commands us to call up­on him in time of distresse; and being comman­ded, it was lawfull. Was it his sinne to meddle with the Priests office? No: for he did but ap­point the Sacrifice, the Priest offered it. What? was it the breaking of one houres time? No: for he had sinned more against God then so: but this was his sinne, that he went against his own con­science, [Page 80] when God stood in the way, when con­science stood in the way; conscience said stay, but he would not stay: God bid him stay, but he would not stay. And this is the sinne of many thousands amongsts us; mens consciences tel them that they must not be drunkards, mens conscien­ces tell them that they must not be worldlings, they must not be swearers, they must not be luke-warme professors, they must pray better then they do, and have other faith then yet they have, if e­ver they meane to be saved; wilt thou yet against thy conscience force thy selfe to go on in thy sins from day to day, and never be reformed? take heed lest the Lord be provoked to set thy sun up­on thy head, and shut up thy heart, and tonclude thy eternall destruction.

Object. Suppose I go on in my sinnes, and follow my wic­ked courses now; what if I seek him hereafter, and humble my soule before him with fasting and prayer, and when I lie upon my death-bed, I send a ticket unto my Minister to pray for me, will all this do me no good?

Answ. Surely no, (saith God, Jerem. 15.1.) Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my affections could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight. Dost thou lie sick upon thy death-bed? were Samuel, Job, or Daniel the Minister of thy Parish, and thou shouldst send thy ticket un­to them, desiring them to remember thee in their prayers; if Noah stood in the Pulpit, and Job and Daniel were here before the Lord for to plead for thee, yet he would not hear thee.

[Page 81] Object. But, suppose I humble my self by fasting and prayer, will not God hear that.

Answ. No if thou neglect the day of grace. Jer. 14.12. when they fast. I will not hear them: and when they offer oblations, I will not accept their cry: but I will consume them by the sword, by famine, and by pe­stilence. You may set up your fastings, prayers, and humiliations, you may lament and mourne, and pine away your selves in your sins; but it is not all your prayers and fastings, it is not all your lamentation and mourning, that will do you good, so long as the counsell of the Lord is rejected. Because I called, and ye would not answer; therefore you shall call, but I will not hear: they thought that the Lords eares would alwayes be open, and that when they called the Lord would have answered▪ and that the day of grace would ever remain; but God saith, I will not hear them: they would never have sought if they thought the Lord would not hear them, but all their seek­ing was in vain.

Object. You will say, at what time soever a sinner re­penteth he shall have mercy.

Answ. It is true, if thou repent from the bottome of thy heart, but thou maiest come with many a degree of repentance, and yet never repent whilest thou livest: if thou repent from thy heart, and root out thy sins, then God will put away thy sins; but thou maiest go on in repentance and calling upon God, and performing many duties of Re­ligion, and yet be hardned; look how much Re­ligion will stand with self-love, so much thou [Page 82] maiest have after the day of grace is gone. Selfe-love may make a man flie to prayer, and run after Sermons, and go on in many holy duties, and give over many sins; look how far self-love may drive thee unto holy duties, so far thou maist go, and yet notwithstanding remaine hardned. O therefore let us not delay, nor put off the time of grace, nor let go salvation while it may be had; then shall they call, but I will not answer: he doth not set down when this time is; it may be it is now, it may be not this seven yeers, it may be not till thy death.

Doct. 2 Doctr. It may be, this very day, even this very Sermon, this very houre may be thy day that art now in thy sinnes, that if thou repent not at this very one Sermon▪ thou neglectest eternall life for ever; lose the benefit of this Sermon at this time, and thou maiest lose eternall salvation, and never have it more. The thiefe that robd this day, how doth he know but this one robbery may bring him to the gallows? So the man that sins this day, how doth he know but that this very dayes work may bring him to hell? Deut. 32.35. To God belongs vengeance: their feete shall slide in due time. Therefore if a man sin against him, he may stand to day, and to morrow, and many dayes; but when the due time comes, even the time which God hath set, then up goes his heels, he shall slide and break his neck: thy houre-glasse runs in heaven, and thou seest not when the sand comes to the bottome, but when tis out, then down thou goest to hell for ever.

[Page 83]There was one resolved to kill Julius Caesar such a day; the night before, a friend sent him a letter to acquaint him with it: but being at sup­per, and busie, I will not look upon it now, (saith he) to morrow is a new day. The next day when he should have read his letter, he was stabd; Whence this Proverb came in Greece, To morrow is a new day. God sends thee a letter and a message from heaven to day; hear his voice to day, repent and come out of your sins, or for ever to hell; to day be converted and sanctified, or for ever be hardned. Dost thou refuse to bear­ken to day, and puttest it off untill to morrow? it may be to morrow may be a day of Gods wrath, and then thou maiest be hardned, seared, and bound over unto the great day of Gods ven­geance: to morrow God may set the decree up­on thy soul, that thou shalt never repent. There­fore if thou refuse this, thou refusest all; for what knowest thou, but this very day may be thy day?

Reas 1 The reason is, because Gods patience is in his own brest; and who can tell how long it will last? Hast thou Momus his glasse-window, to look into Gods secret counsell? hast thou a key­hole to look into Gods treasurie? canst thou stand on tiptoe, to look over Gods shoulder, to look into Gods decree, to see how long his patience will last? It may be God hath suffered thee till this day, thou art guilty of ten thousand sinnes, and yet he is patient towards thee; God hath stayed thus long for thee, that hast sworne [Page 84] I know not how many oaths, God hath born thus long with thee that hast told I know not how many lies, prophaned I know not how many Sabbaths contemned I know not how ma­ny ordinances, and sleighted I know not how many judgements, yet Gods patience is in his own brest, it is the long sufferance of God. Thou mayest say, I would fain have it to morrow, and this seven yeers, but alas, it is his long sufferance and not thine: and how dost thou know when he will conclude it? it may be this day as well as to morrow. Joel 2.13. Rent your hearts, and not your garments, (saith the Prophet) for the Lord he is gracious, and mercifull. This word [for] hath a great deal of force in it: First, It is a descriptivum [for:] for he is gracious and a mercifull God: therefore rent thy heart, and let thy soul burst within thee, that thou hast sinned against him: for he is a mercifull God, and it may be he will pardon all thy sins, and heal all thy rebellions committed against him.

Secondly, it is an upbraiding [for:] upbraid­ing thee for thy sins: rent thy heart therefore, why? he is a patient God; wilt thou goe on in thy sins against such a patient God? and rebel against such a loving Father▪ that hath loved thee with so much compassion? Rent thy heart, for he is patient.

Thirdly, it is a comforting and incouraging [for:] rent thy heart for there is incourage­ment for thee to repent, give over thy sins, and go to the throne of grace. For there is much [Page 85] mercie to welcome thee, and great patience for to bid thee come home, and abundance of grace for to incourage thee: therefore rent thy heart and come home unto the Lord, for he is patient and long-suffering.

Fourthly, it is a forewarning [for:] rent your hearts, for the Lord is gracious and mercifull, slow to anger, and of great kindnesse; yet his mercie lasteth, yet his patience endureth, yet hee hath all his attributes, and yet he is pleased to manifest the same, still tendring grace and mer­cie unto thee. Oh turn unto him, while these en­dure, or else thou shalt perish for ever.

Fifthly, it is a threatning [for;] now he is gracious, now he is mercifull, but his mercy will end, his patience will end, and then if thou hast not rent thy heart before, it will be too late then. Therefore as ever thou lovest thine own soule, now rent thy heart and turn unto God.

It is Gods own proclamation; The Lord the Lord, slow to anger, and of great mercie, forgiving iniquity and sin. Yea what man soever it be, that humbles his soule before him he shall find grace and mercie with him; yea abundance of mercie, pardoning iniquity, transgression and sinne; yea any thing: Let but a soul come prostrate before him, humbling his soule, he will pardon his sin. But as it followeth in the words; He will by no means clear the guiltie; if notwithstanding all Gods patience and mercie, thou go on in thy sins, the Lord will never forgive thee, but will visit thy sinnes upon thee unto the third and [Page 86] fourth generations, because thou hast withstood the day of grace. Beloved, men run on in their sins, as if so be an Angel from heaven should cry unto them and tell them, yet God will be good unto them, yet God will show them mercie, and forbear them. Beloved, let your consciences an­swer, if you ever heard the Lord God say to any of you, thus long I will forbear you. No, Gods patience is in his own breast, and therefore no man knows how long it will last.

Reas 2 A second reason is, because Gods patience gi­veth no marks or inklings of it, before it ends: commonly when God strikes a man with death, he giveth some signes of warnings of it before, as sicknesse, and pains, and gray hairs, and many sorrowes, &c. Now because thy life is in Gods hands, thou carest not for it, but venturest to go on in thy sinnes, hoping to have some warning, though thousands be cut off without it; but the day of grace may come to an end, and yet thou never have any inkling or warning of it before-hand: commonly when God strikes a man with death, he tells him of it before-hand by aches and pains, as if the Lord should say, Now thou shalt die, now will I take thee out of the world. But when the Lord taketh away the day of grace from a man, though the spirituall man may take some notice of it, yet there is no sensible appa­rition of it, but after the day of grace is set upon a man, he may be as strong and lustie as before, he may come to Church as well after as before, performe religious duties, and do many good [Page 87] things, as well after as before; as Saul went on in duties of Religion, as well after Samuel had pronounced the Lords doome upon him; how many times was he offering sacrifice unto the Lord after the Prophet told him, that he was a man rejected? how many good speeches came from him? as when Samuel met him, he salutes him with these words; Blessed be thou of the Lord, I pray thee turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord. A man would have thought that Saul had been a good convert. No, no, before all this his judgement and doome was set upon him; God steals upon him and saies nothing; he claps his plague upon their souls, and holds his peace.

Isa. 42.14. I have a long time held my peace, I have been still, and refrained my selfe; now will I cry like a travelling woman, I will destroy, and devoure at once. The Lord shews here how he deals with men, they go on in their sins, but the Lord holds his peace; they provoke him every day, but the Lord refraines his anger: but now all at once his wrath breaketh forth upon them. Psal. 64.7. God will shoot an arrow at them suddenly, their stroke shall be at once. The Lord suddenly shoots a swift arrow at thee; no sooner it is shot, but it enters into thy bowels. When the Lord comes upon a man; he comes suddenly; when he ends the day of grace upon him, he doth it suddenly. He ended the day of grace on the Scribes and Pharisees even in the very Sermon time, while Christ was preaching unto them, they were de­livered [Page 88] up to hardnesse of heart: so many were delivered up to hardnesse of heart in the time of Hosea's prophecie, Hos. 4.17. Ephraim is joyned to idols; let him alone (saith God,) as if he should say, Sermon, let him alone; Preacher, let him a­lone; Sirrit, let him alone; Christ, let him alone; Beloved, if we stand out against God, and reject the day of grace, the Lord may say. Word, let such a man alone, and never convert him; Christ, let such a man alone, and never redeem him; Spirit▪ let such a man alone, and never sanctifie him; Sacraments, let such a man alone, and never seal up any comforts unto him: a fearfull signe that men are come to this houre, do we not see that men come to the Word, and the Word lets them alone in their sins? do not men come to the Sacrament, and the Sacrament leaves them still in their filthinesse? men come unto good duties, but good duties let them alone, and do them no good: and this is the condition of many thou­sands in the world. Therefore oh think upon this you that have made a league with your sins, and an agreement with hell: hear this delivered to you this day, that the day of grace may be ended, and God may come and clap his curse up­on men, and never give them any inkling of it at all.

Reas 3 A third reason is, because God reckons upon every houre, if God kept not a strict account of time, how many Sermons▪ you have had, how many mercies you have injoyed, how many crosses he hath warned you by: if God kept not a [Page 89] true tale and account of every houres time; you might rub on many dayes, and moneths, and yeers, and spend much time in fulfilling of your lusts; but God keepeth a reckoning of these things, yea of every houre, and of every minute. Acts 17.30. The times of ignorance God regarded not; but now he admonisheth all men to repent. Alas, when men live in their sins through blindnesse and ignorance, and know not God, the Lord takes no such strict notice of them, but lets them go on longer and longer; but when the Lord sends them his Word and Gospel, and affords them the means of grace, he doth the more strictly look unto them, and takes the more ex­act account of them; before they had the means of grace, the Lord winked at them, and did not so narrowly watch them: but looked over mens igonrance, (as the originall hath it) but now God sends his Word and Gospel, he admonisheth all men to repent, he winks at never an houre, but sets down how oft thou hast had exhortation from thy Minister, how often thou hast had war­ning by sicknesse and aflictions, how often thou hast had checks from thine owne conscience, how many admonitions thou hast had from thy friends, how many times thou hast had the sound of the Gospel to sound in thy eares to bring thee home unto God, John 2.7.11. This is the first beginning of miracles that Jesus did. John 4.58. This is the second miracle that Jesus did, saith the Text, God sets down this, is the first, this is the second time: This is the second Epistle I wrote to [Page 90] you, saith Paul. Oh this is the third time I wrote unto you, 2 Cor. 13. that when I come I will not spare: so God sets it downe in his catalogue, this is the first time that I have warned this man, this is the second time, this is the third time, that when I come I will not spare; the Lord accounts how long he hath sought unto thee, and intreat­ed thee by his mercies, how long he hath allured thee by his word, how long he hath warned thee by his judgements, how oft he hath smote thy heart with fears, and thy conscience with ter­rors. Now if for all this thou wilt not return, just is it with God to cast thee down to hell for ever.

Reas 4 The fourth Reason, and last: it is a wonder that the day of grace is not ended already, and that thou art not now in hell. When a thing in this kind is looked for to be done, it is a wonder that it is not done: It is a wonderfull mercie of God unto this Kingdome that yet the day of grace is continued amongst us, in regard of our long fear and expectation of the contrary. For from the highest to the lowest we have highly revolted more and more, & provoked God to his very face. What contempt of Gods word? what neglect of Gods Ordinances? what prophanation of Gods Sabbaths? what scoffing and deriding of Gods servants? how doth wickednesse and propha­nesse stand up in the highest roome, climb up in­to the highest chambers? But as a whore con­demned to die being with child, is repreived for a time, untill her child be brought forth: so this [Page 91] Land hath gone a whoring from God, yet so long as God hath some children to be brought forth, which are not yet come unto the birth, he lets his grace and Gospel continue untill these children be brought forth. Therefore now (be­loved) if we stick at the birth and come not forth, a hundred to one but we shall miscarry.

When Christ comes first to thy soule, he wit­nesseth grace and mercy to thee, if thou wilt re­pent and amend; yea he witnesseth forgivenesse of sins, redemption and salvation, if thou wilt beleeve; but if not, he will be a swift witnesse a­gainst thee, Malachi 3.5. if thou continue and goest on in thy sins: Agree with thine adversary, while thou art in the way quickly, Matth. 5.25. Now God is in the way with thee, Christ and his Spi­rit are in the way with thee; thou needest not now say, who shall go up to heaven and bring downe the Spirit to thee; Christs Spirit is now knocking at thy heart, and now God offers his mercy to thee, now thou art in the way, now he calls unto thee to accept of his mercie, now hee commands thee to take Christ, now hear him cal­ing to thy heart, now he tenders grace unto thee, imbrace it: now receive Christ and make up thy peace with him: remember the saying of the A­postle, 2 Corinth. 13.5. Examine your selves whe­ther you be in the faith; prove your selves. Know you not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobates? As if the Astostle should say, I have been an Apostle to you this yeer and half, I have preached thus and thus long [Page 92] unto you, I have wrote one Epistle to you to reforme those abuses that were among you, and now I write this second Epistle, to declare the whole will and counsell of God to you. Now cast up your reckoning, examine your selves, and make up your account: see if you have gain­ed Christ. O, I have Christ, (saith one) I have Christ, (saith another.) I, but prove it, saith the Apostle, and try your selves: know ye not that by this time Christ is in you, or else you be repro­bates? As if he should say, if yet Christ be not in you, and grace wrought in your hearts, if yet you lie festring in your sins, and go on in your wicked wayes, it is to be feared you are repro­bates: either you or we are reprobates, you for not obeying, or wee for not delivering the truth of God unto you: But I trust that ye shall know that we are not reprobates: verse 6. God for­bid that this word should be ever spoken unto any soule in this Congregation: but this let mee say, is there any man here that goes on in his lusts, and in his carnall course of life, in pride, security, hardnesse of heart, and impenitencie, that hath not the soundnesse of grace? he hath a fearfull signe and brand of a reprobate, whose conscience is stifled: it is a fearfull signe, if he be not a reprobate before God, yet he is one that is not approved, but for the present in a wretch­ed and miserable condition. Now is the time of grace wherein God hath spoken to your souls, remember that vengeance that is coming to­wards you if it be rejected; now the Lords fat­lings [Page 93] are ready; his Oxen, and Sheep are slain, and laid upon the board; Christ is sacrificed, and his blood is shed, and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is tendered to you; you that have grace, get more grace; you that have no grace, get grace and Christ, and take heed of neglecting any oppor­tunity of grace, for that may come unto thee in one hour, that will never come againe.

A SERMON OF M ^r. WILLIAM FENNERS Preached at Linton, Septem. 9. 1629.

THE Apostle in the closure of this Chapter, setteth out unto us a twofold kind of life: First, the life of the godly, and that 1. by way of Exhortation, verse 17. Brethren, be followers toge­ther of me, and mark them which walk so as you have us for an example: 2. By way of declarati­on, [Page 98] verse 20. But our conversation is in heaven, whence also we look for the Saviour, even the Lord Jesus Christ. Then secondly, hee sets forth unto us the life of the wicked, which walked otherwise then the Disciples and Apostles of Christ walked, in these words read unto you. The Apostle war­ned those wicked men again and again, but they would not take warning, neither did they think themselves so bad as he made them, and there­fore they thought they should speed well e­nough; he preached to them in the Pulpit, and wrote unto them, though he were six hundred miles and more distant from them, (and that weep­ing too) that they are enemies to the Crosse of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, who mind earthly things.

The words may be const [...]ued two wayes; ei­ther as being meant, 1. Of severall wicked men, as first of Heterodox walkers, such as walk con­trary to the Apostles: 2. Of wicked persecu­tors of the Gospel, enemies to the Crosse of Christ: 3. Of Drunkards and hypocrites, whose God is their belly: 4. Of Ambitious and proud persons, whose glory is their shame: and 5. of covetous and carnall minded men, who minde earthly things: or as Chrysostom expounds the words (and so it seems is the meaning of them) to be meant of one sort of men, who mind earthly things, they are such as walk otherwise then the Apostle walked. Who are they that mind earthly things? they are enemies of the Crosse of Christ: Who are they that mind earthly things? Whose hearts [Page 99] and affections run more after the things of this life, then after the crosse of Christ; Their God is their belly. Who are they that mind earthly things, and think only how to increase their living, and enlarge their estate, and make them sure unto themselves? their glory is their shame. Who are they that mind earthly things? that give their hearts (the flower of man) and their affections (the flower of their soules) unto the world, and unto the base things of the world, still they are they that mind earthly things, which set either their loving thoughts, or their carking and ca­ring thoughts, or their fretting and vexing thoughts; or their eager, covetous, and vain thoughts on earthly things, they are they that walk otherwise then the Apostles of Christ wal­ked; These are those that are enemies to the crosse of Christ, whose God is their belly, whose glory is their shame, who mind earthly things, whose end is destru­ction.

Hence then will we observe this point:

Doct. That those whose minds and hearts run habi­tually on earth and earthly things, their end must needs be destruction .

Jerem. 6.19. Heare O earth, (saith God behold I will bring evill upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto me, but rejected my Law. Wherein we may see 3 things, 1. That the curse of God is the desert of cursed evill & vain thoughts: 2. That the plague and curse of God is the event of evill and vain thoughts; evill thoughts do not onely deserve [Page 100] Gods plagues, but also bring them: 3. Here is notice given to all the world; Heare, O earth: as if he had said, here is a reckoning that you little dream of, I will bring a plague upon you not onely for your idolatry, for your whore­dome and fornication, but even for your vaine thoughts, Prov. 24.9. The thoughts of the wic­ked are sinne; the Lord doth not only condemne the actions and courses of wicked men, but sets his curse upon their very thoughts. Sinne is of an homogeneall nature, of which every part of a thing is the whole; every piece of stone is stone, for it hath the nature of the whole: even so it is with sin, the least part of sin, the least thought of sin, the least shiver of sin, is sin, and abominable before God.

Reas 1 The reasons why those, whose hearts and thoughts run habitually on earth and earthly things, must needs end in destruction, are, 1. That mans end must needs end in destruction, that never repents: Now, so long as a mans thoughts runne usually and habitually on the things of the world, that man never repents; repentance not onely cleanseth the outside of man, but the in­side also, even the heart; repentance goeth as farre as the Law of God goeth; where the word of God begins, there repentance must needs be­gin: now the word of God begins and strikes at the heart, as saith the Apostle, The word of God is sharp and powerfull, sharper then any two-edged sword, piercing to the dividing asunder of the soule and spirit, the joynts and marrow, and is a discerner [Page 101] of the thoughts of the heart, Heb. 4.12. Now then if the word of God strike at the thoughts of the heart, then repentance must goe and teach so farre to reforme and amend the things of the heart, or else he never repents. Let a man sweep his house never so much, yet it is not clean so long as there remains one Cob-web in it: so if thy heart be swept from drunkennesse, who­ring and swearing, and yet if the old Cob-web of vain thoughts remain in any corner of thy heart, not washed out, nor swept down, thou hast not as yet repented: Oh Jerusalem (saith God by his Prophet) wash thy heart from wickednesse, that thou maist be saved: how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? Jer. 4.14. Mark how the Lord inforceth his exhortation: see how he backs his counsell▪ [ that thou maist be saved:] as if he had said, thou canst not be saved, unlesse thou wash thy heart from vain thoughts: how long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? He doth not say, why doe vain thoughts come in thee? for they will come into the best & most holy heart; but how long shall they lodge within thee? If but vain thoughts do lodge in man & take up their nest in his heart, if a man let his thoughts dwell upon vain things, and hee give way unto them, and use them as his market, trade and re­creations, hee cannot be saved; it is an em­phaticall kind of speech: as if the Lord should say, O Jerusalem, thou never considerest this, and thus he doth as it were pity and compassio­nate them in their blindnesse and ignoran [...]e, and [Page 102] horrible besottednesse, that think that thought is free. Beloved, when the Lord comes to reckon with the world, he will not only reckon with them for their pounds and shillings, for their hundreds and thousands of sinnes; for their mur­ders, whoredomes, blasphemies, &c. but he will call them to account for their least sinnes, the pence and farthing sinnes, even their very thoughts: agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way, lest he deliver thee up to the Jaylor, and thou be cast into prison: thou shalt not come out untill thou hast paid the utmost farthing; thou must deliver up thy farthing as well as thy pound sinnes, or else thou never agreest with thine adversary. When the Lord by his prophet calls upon his people, ex­horting them to repentance, he willeth and ex­horteth them to change their thoughts, Esay 55.7. Repentance is the change of the thoughts, accor­ding to the English Proverb, (I have changed my thoughts:) Look unto thy feet when thou goest into the house of God, Eccles. 5.1. Thou canst never go to the House of God without thy feet: the thoughts and affections of the heart, are the feet of the soul; and thou canst never go to God with­out them; and therefore if thy heart and affecti­ons run habitually on earthly things, thou didst never repent, and so thine end is damnation.

Reas 2 The second reason is, that mans end must needs be destruction that hath no Christ in the world: now so long as thy thoughts run habitually on earthly things, thou hast no Christ. It is not e­nough [Page 103] for a man to hang on Christ, for many a man doth so, and yet is cut off from Christ, and perisheth for ever: thou must not onely hang upon Christ, but thou must also get into Christ. As in the old world, when the deluge came, and the waters increased so greatly, that the moun­taines and high hils were covered with them, and the people could not save themselves by get­ting unto the tops of the mountains, no questi­on but many seeing the Ark swim above the wa­ter, did climb up and hang upon the sides of the Ark, thinking to save themselves, yet none of them were saved, but those that were gotten in­to the Ark: so many a man will catch hold of Christ, but his hold will be gone, and he perish for ever, unlesse he get into Christ. Now a man can never get into Christ, unlesse his heart bee purged from vaine thoughts: For Christ when he entreth into a man, cleanseth his heart from vain thoughts, 2 Cor. 10.5. If Christ once come into the heart, he will set up his throne there: he will hold up his Scepter of Righteousnesse in it: when Christ cometh, see what a work hee will make in the heart, he will not suffer a proud thought to remain there to upbraid him: he will not suffer ever a sinfull lust to stand up to beard him; but he will cast down every imagination, and all high things that exalt themselves, and he will bring every thought into subjection unto himself. Therefore if thy thoughts run after the lusts of thy owne heart, thou hast no Christ in thee: for Christ (beloved) will never dwell in a foule house: I [Page 104] know there is no wheat without some darnell, no gold without some drosse, no wine without some lees; so there is no man but hath some sin; no man so clean, but hath some defilements of sin upon him; therefore if a man have not his cleansing grace of Christ in him, cleansing the heart from vain things, there is no Christ in him: for Christ will never dwell in a foule heart. Now beloved, the very vain thoughts of a man defile him: as Christ saith, Matth. 7.21, 22, 23. Out of the heart proceedeth evill thoughts, and they are they that defile a man All these, not onely mur­der, and adulteries, and uncleannesses, and all o­ther abominable sins, which mens conseiences startle at, bul evill thoughts defile a man: Assure thy self that so long as the league of these evill thoughts is not broken, thou hast no Christ as yet within thee. Hence is that exhortation of the Apostle, Colos. 3.12. If you be risen with Christ, then seek those things which are above.

Brethren, you must remember that there be two kinds of exhortations in Scripture: the one, if a man do them, blessed and happie is he: the other, if he doe them not, yet he may find mercie; it will be a greif and a sorrow to him, but it fol­lows not that he shall miscarrie. But there are exhortations that tye to obedience, that must be obeyed: or else there is no salvation, as this ex­hortat [...]on of the Apostle; it is not left to our choice to do or not to do but if a man be risen with Christ, he must doe it: he must seek the things that are above: that man then that hath his [Page 105] thoughts run habitually on the world, that man hath no Christ in him; and therefore his end must needs be destruction.

Reas 3 Thirdly, that mans end must needs be destru­ction that loves not God; now so long as thy thoughts run habitually on the things of the world, thou hast no true love of God in thee. For thus runs the Commandment of love, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul and with all thy might. Matth. 22.37. It is as if Christ should have said, thou shalt love God with all thy heart, and with all thy heart, and with all thy heart: for the soul, mind, and heart are all one, that no man might dare to keep any part of their heart from God. Every one will say, I love God with all my heart, I go to Church and serve God with all my heart: I hear the Word, and pray with all my heart: I receive the Sacra­ments with all my heart: Dost thou so? and yet let thy thoughts run upon the world? dost thou pray, and yet let vain thoughts lodge with­in thee? dost thou hear the Word, receive the Sacraments, and yet letst vain thoughts distract thee? Dost thou walk in thy calling, and yet let­test vain thoughts steal away thy heart, and yet sayest thou, I love God with all my heart, when thou takest away thy heart from God? How dost thou think thy thoughts? with thy heels, or with thy heart? Surely thou sayest, with my heart: Why then if thou lovest God with all thy heart, thou must give thy thoughts unto God; God that cals for thy heart, cals for all the heart: now [Page 106] the heart is nothing but all a mans heart; all the affections and desires, all turnings and windings, all things that are in the heart do but make up the heart: and therefore when God calls for thy heart, he calls for all the powers and faculties of the soule. And therefore the Prophet David would blesse God with his soule, and all that was within him. Psal. 103. So thou must give thy thoughts, and all that is within thee to God, or els: thou givest God nothing; therefore that mans end must needs be destruction that loves not God.

Reas 4 Fourthly, that mans end must needs be destru­ction, that never gives over his sinnes: and so long as thy thoughts run after the world, thou canst never forsake sin: thou maiest resolve and think on the contrary, yet so long as thy thoughts run habitually on the things of the world, thou dost not forsake sin. Wicked and carnall men may have the eyes of their consciences opened, and their hearts awakened, whereby they may see their sinnes, and the hellish evill and danger of them: whereupon they may resolve and purpose to forsake them, and then they will make a co­venant with God that they will not do thus and thus; I have been touchie and cholerick, but I will be so no more; I have beene a prophane swearer and blasphemer of the name of God, but I will be so no more; I have been a drunkard, and an unclean person, but Lord thou shalt see a reformation in me. Nay it may be he will tell his Minister of it, and his father and his mother, [Page 107] his wife, his children, and all his friends too of it: but when he comes to his cold bloud again, and these cold graces which sluttered so, come to be cold in him, so that his heart comes to it self again, then vain thoughts rest in his heart, and he returns to his old sins again▪ as the dog to his vomit, and the sow being washed, to the wallowing in the mire.

The Apostle excellently describes a man that can never depart from his sins: They have eyes full of adultery, which cannot cease to sin: 2. Pet, 2.14. where the Apostle speaks not onely of that adul­terie which is a breach of the seventh Com­mandment; but of such an adulterie which is a perfect breach of every Commandment, when the heart runneth awhoring after every sin and vanitie: when the eye of the soul is full of adul­terie, the heart cannot cease to sin; when the eye cannot see an object of gain or profit, but the mind is presently engaged and runs after it, when it cannot see an object of delight and pleasure, but it is straightway caught by it: when he can­not see any wrong or injurie done unto him, but presently he is inflamed with revenge, and his heart runs after it: I say that if thy eye be thus full of adultery that thou canst not see the oc­casions and hints of sin, but presently thou art in­snared, and thy soul is taken by it; thou art the man that canst not cease to sin: therefore untill thou turne the eye of thy soule, which is the thoughts and affections of thy heart, another way, thou wilt never cease to sin. For whereso­ever [Page 108] thou lookest, thou wilt be insnared, so long as thy thoughts are evill and vicious; either up­on pride, or covetousnesse, or ambition, or envie, or delights; thy soul will look asquint on God: and untill these vaine thoughts of thine be cruci­fied, thou wilt only look upon the satisfying of these vain lusts of thine.

Prov. 3.6. In all thy wayes acknowledge God, and he shall direct thy paths. In all thy wayes think on God, or else thou mayest go to many duties in Religion, but never be direct in thy going; thou maiest pray a thousand times, but never be esta­blished in thy prayer: thou maiest go from Le­cture to Lecture, and yet never be established in thy service: thou maiest go about many things and never be established in any thing, unlesse God be in all thy thoughts: a man may go on in a course of Religion, but it is at haphazard, he is inconstant, and unsteady in his course, unlesse in his heart he think upon God; and therefore his end must needs be destruction.

This then may serve, first, for humiliation to the godly: secondly, for matter of condemnation to the wicked.

Vse 1 First, for humiliation; are vain thoughts thus damnable, that when they beare sway in the heart, they make that mans end to be destructi­on? How then ought this to fill the faces of them that have the Spirit of Christ, with shame and confusion, and to make them in a holy man­ner to be confounded of themselves, and to think of the emptinesse, naughtinesse, and vani­ties [Page 109] of their hearts? Beloved, thou canst not go to prayers, but abundance of vain thoughts will be about thee, like wasps to assault thee; thou canst not go to the Word, but these vaine thoughts will be a humming in thy eares; thou canst not go about the works in thy calling, but vain thoughts will haunt thee, and creep into thy meditations, and take away the main burthen of the work all the day long. Beloved, this should make a godly man ashamed, and confounded in himself in the consideration hereof. The Prophet David was so confounded and ashamed hereat, that had not God poured in mercie and comfort into his soul, he had been distracted, and should have despaired, considering the company of vain thoughts that lodged within him, Psal. 94.19. where hee shows what abundance of distracting thoughts he had; that if God had not sustained him with comfort after comfort, he had even been been overwhelmed in despair by them.

Augustine saith, a mans thoughts are not in his own power: the heart of man is like tinder; and if the Devill cast a spark into it, thou canst not hinder it from taking fire; but thou maiest hinder it from burning further. A ship may have leakes in her, and thou canst not hinder the coming in of water into her: but by thy pump­ing and industry thou maiest save her from drowning in the water; even so evill thoughts, though they be rooted out, yet they will come in again; A mans heart is like to the fig-tree that grew out of the stone wall, which Epiphanius [Page 110] speaketh of; the branches were lopt off, and it grew again; the boughs were lopt off, and it grew again; they cut down the body of it, yet it grew again: they pluckt up the roots of it, yet it grew again: till at last the stone wall and all was fain to be pulled down: Even so it is with vaine thoughts in the heart; a man may lop them off by godly sorrow; he may cut them down, and root them up by mortification, and yet they will be sprouting up, and rising up again; till the whole body of sin be pulled down, and destroyed in a man. Gregory speaks of them, and saith, man may pluck them up, but yet not so but that they will rise again.

The consideration hereof should humble us, and make us lowe in our own eyes: Oh then think with thy self and say, Oh that my thoughts should be so base, earthly and vain! what, have I not a God, a Christ, a heaven to think upon? have I not excellent Commandments of my God, and thousands of sweet and precious pro­mises in Scripture to think upon? and must I be thinking on every bable? of every straw, not worth the thinking on? Take the Apostles ex­hortation, Whatsoever things be true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, what­soever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report: if there be any [...]ertue, if there be any praise, think on these things: Phil. 4.8. What, are there so many vertuous things; so many holy and pure things; so many admirable and glorious things-so many heavenly graces, and divine promises▪ [Page 111] so many blessed passages of holy Writ to take up my mind? and shall I spend my thoughts and time upon such vaine and cursed things as wil yeeld me no profit? This should astonish the hearts of Gods people, and greatly humble their souls.

Vse 2 The second Use may serve for matter of con­demnation unto the wicked: let this doctrine strike terrour into the hearts of those men, that suffer their hearts to be taken up with vaine thoughts: as Peter said unto Simon Magus, so let me say unto them, Repent of this thy wicked­nesse, and pray unto God (vers. 8.) that if it be pos­sible, the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee. The Apostle doth not onely wish him to repent of his simony and briberie, but also of the least vain thoughts of his heart: pray unto God, if perhaps the very thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee: for beloved the very least vaine thoughts that thou thinkest, without repentance is impardonable: there is an impossibility of re­mission of vain and idle thoughts without true repentance.

Oh what fearfull news is this to the world that lay not this to heart! Beloved, may we not now run into the eares and hearts of all earthly men with this point, whose minds and thoughts are earthly? Is it so that he whose thoughts run habitually on the world, his end is destruction? Then they that make no conscience what their thoughts are, what their imaginations are, what they think of as they goe up and down, how can [Page 112] such escape the vengeance of hell? Tell me then what thy thoughts are; are they not of thy hawks and hounds, of thy cattell and grounds, of thy gardens and orchards, rather then of Christ? When thou walkest in the streets, whereon run thy thoughts, but on thy pleasures, and profits, and earthly delights? yea of every vanity, and every delight canst thou think, rather then of God and his Commandments. Thou comest to Church, thou prayest, and hearest the Word of God; but do not vain thoughts come along with thee? thou goest home again, but do not vaine thoughts haunt and dog thee?

It is the brand of a wicked man, not to have God in all his thoughts, Psal. 4.10. when goods and cattell, plough and cart, pleasures and out­ward contentments are in his mind and thoughts; when ruffs and cuffs, houses and dishes, tables and faire hangings, or any thing but God can take up their thoughts; they can have thoughts of every thing, but of God they can think none; this is the brand of a wicked man, that he hath no bloud of a Christian in him.

It is a true description of a Pagan and Infidel, that hath no knowledge of Christ, to be vain in his imaginations, Rom. 1.21. When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, but became vain in their imaginations: vaine in their disputes, vain in their reasonings, vain in their thoughts; in their carriages and disputations; so then though thou knowest God, and hast things enough in thy mind, that convinceth thee that [Page 113] this God is to be worshipped; and understandest the worship of God, and the commandments of Christ: yet if thou glorifiest him not as God, gi­ving thy heart and affections to him but art vain in thy imaginations, thou dishonourest God. Hear what God saith unto such, All the day long have I stretched out my hand unto a rebellious and gain-saying people, which walk in a way that is not good, but after their own thoughts, a people that pro­voke me continually to my face. Isa. 65.2, 3. As if God had said, I sent Prophet after Prophet, Mi­nister after Minister, to instruct them in the knowledge of my wayes, I laboured to convert them, and to bring them home unto my self, and to work better thoughts in them; but still they are a people that walk after their own thoughts, that provoke me continually unto my face. There is never a thought of thine, but it is in the verse face of God, both thought and imagined.

But some man may say, I think of God and of Christ, of faith and repentance, and of calling on God, of mending of this and that course; I think of death, and of my last account and every foot I have holy thoughts in my mind.

But beloved, give me leave, I pray you, for to speak something unto you, which, it may be, may stick by you while you live: I will pro­pound these foure things and distinctions unto you, which I will use.

First, what doest thou think of God and of heaven? then tell me whether thy thoughts be injective thoughts into thy heart, or thoughts [Page 114] raised by thy heart; for there is a great deale of difference betweene thoughts injected and thoughts raised: God casts good thoughts into a godly mans heart, which being fit soyl, it fructi­fies, and brings forth fruit. Again, God casts good thoughts into a wicked mans heart, but be­cause his heart is not sanctified, and therefore no fit soyl to harbour in, they die and vanish: God casts in, and they cast out: God casts in again, and they cast out again: therefore if thou hast good thoughts, examine and try whether they be thoughts raised from thy heart or no; see whether thy heart be a renewed heart, a sanctified, an holy heart, fit to bring forth good thoughts every day. Beloved, a wicked man may have a thou­sand good thoughts, and yet go to hell in the midst of them all. God cast a good thought into the heart of the King of Babylon to go against Judah and Jerusalem for to punish his people for their sins, and to avenge himself on them for the breach of his Covenant: but what saith the text? Reas 1 Howbeit he thought not so. Isa. 10. No, his on­ly ayme was how to get honour, how to inrich, to enlarge his territories, and to bring down the Nations under him, and to make his name and fame to be spread, and declared through all the world. So God casts many good thoughts into many a wicked mans heart to repent, and to leave his drunkennesse, his pride, his swearing and whoring, to be holy and religious: howbeit he thinks not so, but he thinks how to eate and drink, how to be proud and haughty; how to [Page 115] be rich and great in the world; how to be vain and licentious: yea thy thoughts are vile and vain all the day long.

Oh that men were wise truly to understand this! the want whereof is the cause why many thousands go to hell and are damned for ever. I will make it plain to you: A wicked man rea­sons thus with himself; I confesse, and it is true, I sinne every day against God, and sometimes drink a pot with my friend, though sometimes I let fall an oath, and am overtaken in my infir­mities▪ yet I thank God, he hath sanctified my heart; for I think of God and of Christ, and I oft call upon his name, and let my thoughts run on good things; God and heaven are many times in my mind, and I am sorry when I do a­misse, and the Lord hath blest me with a large portion of outward things. Besides I see these and these signes of grace in me, and therefore I think my case to be happy. And thus securely they live, and so they go on, and so they die, and so go to hell and perish for ever and ever. Here is the misery of it, many think of God, and of Christ, of death, and of their last account, of hea­ven, of hell, of faith, and repentance, of leaving sinne, of crucifying their lusts, and practising of holinesse. Now men think that their thinking of these things, is a part of their discharge, when indeed they are Additions to, and peeces of their talents, which increase their judgements. God casts in a thought of repentance, of holinesse, of the remembrance of death, and last account: [Page 116] Dost thou find thy heart never the better and ho­lier by them? Then know it is only Gods haun­ting of thy heart, and Gods calling upon thee, and Gods inviting thee unto repentance, to leave thy sinnes, to come out of thy deadnesse and formality, to prepare for thy death and judg­ment; and therefore I say, if thy heart now think not so, if thy heart do not repent, beleeve, and grow more zealous, and thou art not drawn the neerer to God; I say then, that the more of these good thoughts that thou hast had, the greater thy doome will be: if thou hast had ten thou­sands of them, if they have beene onely Gods haunting of thy heart, think thou then now of grace, of God, of thy poor soul, which is not bettered by them, nor made holy, then know they are peeces of thy talent, and it doth make thy torments in hell the greater.

2 Secondly, thou hast good thoughts, but the question is, whether they be fleeting or abiding thoughts: Many think of God, of grace, of hea­ven, of the word of God; and when they heare a Sermon, they will think of God; but these thoughts, though they come into their minds, yet they go away presently, they are in and out at an instant, in a trice, they passe away and are gone. Beloved, there are two kinds of vaine thoughts; 1. vaine, because the substance and mat­ter of them is vain, and so all worldly thoughts are vain: 2. or else for their want of durance and lasting: and so are all thoughts of heaven, of God, and grace, and of Christ, it they vanish away, they [Page 117] are all vain thoughts, though they seeme other­wise. Haer what God saith, Gen. 6.5. God saw that the wickednesse of man was great upon the earth, and all the imaginations of the thoughts of his heart were only evill continually: [all the imaginations] great is the emphasis of this word [all] all the thoughts: yea all universally, are only evill con­tinually.

But you will say unto me, Doth not a wicked man think that there is a God: why, that is a good thought; doth he not think that this God is to be observed and worshipped? why, this is a good thought; doth he not think that sin is to be forsaken? that is a good thought; doth he not think of heaven, and of Christ? how then are their thoughts only evill and that continually?

I answer, because all the thoughts of a wick­ed mans heart are vaine: that is, vanishing thoughts, not vaine for the matter, which some­times may be good and holy, but vaine because they soone vanish away; thoughts that come and tarry not, that leave no impression in their hearts behind them, these are all vaine thoughts, ac­cording to that of the Apostle, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they are vaine: 1 Cor. 3.20. Beloved, in a godly mans heart, when a good thought comes, it abides and dwels a good while in him; and when it goes away it leaves a good impression behind it; it leaves a sweet smell and savour in the heart after it is gone, It's made more holy, and sanctified by it. When a good thought comes into a godly mans heart, [Page 118] it leaves the print of it behind: when a wicked man hath a good thought, he tosseth it up and down, and suffers it not to stay, but presently puts it away: let a thought of the world come in, and he can give it entertainment for seven dayes, yea for seven yeers, yea all his life he sets his heart as a wide gate open to receive them, and to entertain them: but if a thought of God, or of repentance, of holinesse and salvation come into his mind, he is tyred out with it, and it soon vanisheth away; therefore so long as thy thoughts are thus vain, though for the matter good, if thou hast never so many of them, yet if they abide not, but thou thinkest and unthinkest them again; if they come and give thy soule a jog, and so away; the more I say thou hast of them, though thou hast many millions, the grea­ter will be thy doom at the last day.

3 Thirdly, thou thinkest of God, but the que­stion is, whether thy good thoughts be studied, or accidentall thoughts; a wicked man that runs gadding in his thoughts here and there, over the whole world upon this and that, and I know not what, in the midst of a lottery of thoughts he cannot chuse but stumble upon some good: he thinks on God, he thinks on Christ, he thinks on heaven; but it is by the by, these thoughts of his are not naturall; but if he think of the world, of his pleasures, of his outward delights and contentments, these thoughts arise naturally out of his heart, they are his owne. Now it may be a thought of God comes by the way; But [Page 119] a godly man not onely thinks of God, but he studies how to think of God: It is his continuall endeavour to bring his mind to be fixed upon God; it is his whole care for to have good thoughts to dwell habitually in him. There is an excellent phrase used to set it forth, Malac. 3.16. They that feared the Lord spake one unto an­other, and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him of all them that feared the Lord, and thought upon his Name. Where I pray you for to mark, that think­ing upon Gods name, and the fear of God are joyn­ed together: for thinking on God, comes from the fear of God; a godly man thinks upon God and fears him; he thinks that God is alwayes with him in every place, and he trembles before him: he thinks God beholds all his thoughts and affections, and he trembles at him: he thinks as he walks up and down in his way, as he is im­ployed in his calling, as he is performing of any duty of Religion, that Gods eye is upon him and beholds him: and therefore he fears to of­fend and displease him. A wicked man will sweare and blaspheme the name of God, and by and by it may be he will cry God mercy, and so he thinks of God. The man breaks out it may be into wrath and malice, fury and passion; and then it may be a thought will come into his mind for to cry God mercy for it, and thus he thinks of God: The man is carelesse, earthly, dead, and luke-warme in the performance of good duties; and because his conscience tels him [Page 120] it is not good, he will ask God forgivenesse: he will be proud, vain and rotten in his speeches, and then it may be a thought will come into his mind to ask God forgivenesse, and so he thinks of God; he will think of the world, of his plea­sures, profits, and of his lusts and sinnes, and then it may be a good thought wil come into his mind, and then it may be he will think a little of God too. Beloved, this is carnall and devillish think­ing on God; thy thoughts then of God must bee joyned with the fear of God.

Fourthly and lastly, thou thinkest of God, but the question is, whether thy thoughts of him be pro­fitable or unprofitable thoughts: a godly man thinks of repentance, and repents upon it: hee thinks of calling upon God more faithfully and fervently then he did before: and he accomplish­es his thoughts: for he goes about it, and his heart is the better for it: Thus it was with Da­vid when he said, I thought on my wayes, and tur­ned my feet unto thy testimonies, Psalm 119.59. I thought on my wayes (there was his good thoughts) and turned my feet into thy testimonies, (there was the profit of his good thoughts.) But on the contrary thou thinkest on God, but God hath never the more service of thee: thou think­est of leaving of thy good fellowship, and mer­ry companions; but for all thy thoughts, thou retainest them still: thou thinkest to give over all thy deadnesse and luke-warmnesse, and to get more zeale and fervencie: yet day after day, and yeare after yeare, thy heart is as dead, vain [Page 121] and secure as before, as ever before. Examine thy selfe and see, thou hast good thoughts (thou saist) but where is the profit of them? thou thinkest of leaving thy wrath, and of bri­dlling thy filthy passions: but art thou enabled by thy thoughts to put up an injury the better? It may be thou thinkest on death; but is thy life the more holy and sanctified by it? Thou thinkest of Christ and his bloud; but is thy heart purged by it? Oh the wretched misery of the most men in the world, because of the unprofitablenesse of their thoughts! they have many good thoughts, but they want the profitable use of them, they get no good by them.

There is an excellent description of the thoughts of wicked men (though it be Apocry­pha,) The heart of the foolish is like a Cart wheel, and his thoughts like the rowling Axletree. As the Cart wheele goes round all the day, and yet remaines on the Axletree; so is it with wicked men, their thoughts wheele and wheele them up and downe a thousand thousand times, their thoughts run upon this thing, and then upon another thing, and so they rowle up and down continually, yet their heart is at the same passe it was still; an earthly heart it was, and so it is still, a profane heart it was, and so it is still; a carnall proud heart it was, and so it remains still; But let these know, that the time hastens wherein God will judge them even for their very thoughts.

Where are they then that say thought is free? It 2 is true indeed, it is free from mens knowledge, [Page 122] and from mens Courts but not from Gods; they are not free from Gods all-seeing eye, and know, ledge. Thou hast tried me and known me [...] [...]aith the Prophet) thou understandest my thoughts afarre off, Psal. 139. Beloved, as you are in the Ale-house, or gaming house, as you walk abroad in the fields, as you are employed in your callings, or about any holy duty, God seeth all thy thoughts what is going in, and what is comming out: there is never a thought in thy heart, but God sees it; how then can thoughts be free? God will weigh the thoughts of men, Prov. 16.2.

Beloved, what a fearfull day will that hee, when God shall take his Scales and weigh (no mans bodies and estates, for then it may bee that rich men and fat and grosse men will out-weigh them that are better:) but he will take mens thoughts and weigh them, hee will weigh their soules: he will take mens good thoughts, and put them into one scale, and their bad, earthly, carnall, and unprofitable thoughts, into another scale, and to try which weighes heaviest: Now if thy earthly and sinfull thoughts weigh hea­viest, then down thou goest into eternall dam­nation.

2 Secondly, as thoughts are not free from Gods knowledge, so are they not free from Gods Word; for Gods word can meet with them: for it is lively and mighty in operation, and is a descerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, Hebr 4.12. Doth the word of God discern the thoughts of mens hearts? Then much more doth the God [Page 123] of this Word, and therefore how can thoughts be free?

3 Thirdly and lastly, they are not free from the condemnation of hell and damnation. I am hee (saith God) that searcheth the hearts and reins, and I wil give to every one of you according to his works; or as some translations have it, according to your thoughts: Rev. 3.23. Now if God will so se­verely punish thoughts, take heed then how thou tetainest any evill thoughts.

I should here give you some means in the use, that so you might rid your selves from vain thoughts.

Means 1 First, love the word of God, if ever thou wilt come out of them; prize the truth of God, and labour to get thy mind and thoughts to be [...] set on better things; and then the thoughts of the world, and all vain things will vanish away. This course the Prophet David took, Psal. 119.113. I hate vain thoughts, but thy Law do I love. How came it to passe that he hated vain thoughts? namely, by loving Gods Law: if he had not loved Gods Law and those excellent things therein, and set his heart on them; hee could ne­ver have hated vain thoughts: The way then to break of thy league with vain thoughts, is to be in league with good thoughts. Dost thou com­plain of vain thoughts in prayer, in hearing the word, in receiving of the Sacraments, and art thou stuffed and filled with them, that thou canst not think: upon God and holy things? thou dost here by bewray thine own rottennesse and [Page 124] corruption. And therefore know, that if thou lovest the Lord and his Word, and didst set thy thoughts upon him, thou wouldst never have them so much employed about such base things.

2 Secondly, if ever thou wouldst rid thy heart of vain thoughts, especially when thou art in holy action, thou must goe unto God by prayer; there is no greater bridle to restrain a man from vain thoughts, then this consideration, that hee is to goe to God. I speak not this to the men of this world: Carnall men, who can rush into Gods presence hand over head, without any fear or reverence, they can set upon any duty without any preparation: but I speak it to the godly man, whose heart dreads and stands in awe of God: Wilt thou let thy mind rove and run all the day on worldly things? how then wilt thou call upon God? Dost thou not know that this is the cause of thy dulnesse, thy deadnes and wandrings of thy heart, when thou art about any good duty, namely, because thou sufferest thy heart to be lashing out, and roving abroad on the world all day, no marvell if it keep his haunt at night: and therefore thy heart being vain God will never hear thy prayer, Job 35.13. God will never bear vanity. Comest thou to God with a vain prayer? God will never hear it. Comest thou with a vain eare to the hearing of the Word? God will never hear it; or with a vain heart to the Sacrament? God will not regard it. Lay this seriously to thy heart, if ever thou [Page 125] wouldst have thy heart to the duty thou art a­bout, busie thy mind upon good things; for if thy heart be accustomed to vain and worldly things all the day, it is no marvell if it returne to its haunt again at night.

Thirdly, consider that you have not so learned Christ: It is the Apostles argument, Ephes. 3. con­sider then what you have learned of Christ; hath Christ taught you so? hath Christ taught you such a love, and given you such a liberty, that you should love the world more then him, and imploy and bestow all your thoughts wholly in seeking after vain things? Hath Christ taught you such a faith as this? Hath Christ taught you such a repentance as this, to have your thoughts more upon the world then upon Christ? to re­pent of sin, and yet never forsake sinne? Have ye so learned Christ? Hath he not taught you such a faith as purifieth the heart, such a sanctification as cleanseth the soul and the minde, such an obe­dience as bringeth every thought into subjecti­on unto himself? Therefore if now thou shouldst still retain thy vain, dead, earthly and carnall thoughts, it is not to learn Christ: Christ teacheth thee no such doctrine, nor giveth thee any such licentious libertie; but thou learnest of the Devill, and of thine owne heart: for all e­vill and vain thoughts arise from these three heads.

1 First, from the variety and abundance of the thoughts of the world, which our Saviour calls the cares of this world.

[Page 126] 2 Seconly, from the fountaine of corruption in mans heart, the heart of man being alwayes like a sink, naturally running with filthinesse, or like a living quickset, alwayes bearing: so is it with the heart of man, alwayes imagining vain thoughts.

3 Thirdly, from the damned malice of the Devill, and his fearfull suggestions and temptations both within and without: the Devill is fitly called a tempter and trier; for by these suggestions and temptations he feels and tries mens hearts; and thereby knowing to what they are most inclined, and which way they are soonest overcome, ac­cordingly he fits his temptations for to intrap them. Now these thoughts are infinitely varia­ble, according to the constitution, place, quali­ty, passions, affections, and conditions of men: as of the poor man in his beggery, of the rich man in his abundance, of the Minister in his cal­ling, of the Magistrate in his, and so of all other men. Now the whole world is not able to fill the heart; how then shall we number the thoughts of it? But for the better understanding, we will rank them into these four heads, to show how thoughts become vain.

1 1. Materially, mens thoughts are vain, when the matter of them is vain.

2 2. Formally, when though for the matter they are never so good, yet the manner of thinking them is evill.

3 3. Efficientially, when the man that thinks them is vain.

[Page 127] 4 4. When it is a thought that might become the best Saint upon the earth, or a glorified An­gel in heaven; yet the drift of the soule being carnall and vain, the soule thereby becomes vain also.

1 First then materiall vaine thoughts, are all thoughts of the world, of the works of thy cal­ling, of thy recreations, eating, drinking, sleep­ing, thoughts of thy wife and children, and the like; they are vain thoughts, not sinfull neces­sarily, yet they may come to be sinfull five man­ner of wayes.

Manner. 1 First, when we think of them primarily, that is, in the first place, when we think of them be­fore we think of God. Tell me then, what are thy first thoughts in the morning? Hereby a man may know his thoughts whether they bee good or evill. Consider, I say, what it is that first presents it selfe unto thy thoughts: certain­ly, that which the heart is most haunted withall, and most taken up with, is most naturall unto it: If the heart be carnall and earthly, it will have carnall and earthly thoughts: if it be a godly and gracious heart, it will labour to make God the first in his thoughts. I know the godly man fails in many things, and many unruly thoughts in him may rebell; but it is the very griefe of his soule, and he will never rest nor be at quiet, till he hath got Balm from Gilead, strength from Christ for the subduing and crucifying of them, even of those vain and sinfull thoughts that stick closest unto their hearts, and are most prone unto [Page 128] them naturally: so that it is the practice of a godly man first in the morning to lift up his heart with his hand unto God; and when he is up, his thoughts are wholly upon God. See this in Da­vid, who considering that the Lord was present everywhere, made this use of it, When I awake I am present with thee, Psal. 139.18. His heart was lifted up to God, he did endeavour to shake hands with God (as it were) in his holy medi­tations, worshipping and adoring God with his first thoughts: he would be sure to give God the flower and Maiden-head of his first service and thoughts; as soon as ever he was awake, his heart was in heaven. This shewes that the thoughts of men that [...]ive in their sins, are dam­nable thoughts? Thou that ar [...] a drunkard, a swearer, a profane person, a carnall worldling, that never hast repented, I tell thee, that the very thinking of thy meat and drink is damnable, the very thoughts of thy recreations and of thy sleep, are damnable thoughts: to think of the workes of thy calling, yea of setting thy foot upon the ground, or of any thing that God hath commanded thee for to doe, are all damnable thoughts. Why? Because thou givest not God thy first thoughts. Wilt thou think of thy bel­ly and back, before thou thinkest of God and how to be converted unto him? Wilt thou think of thy Markets and Faires, before thou [...]hinkest of thy reconciliation with God? The first thing that every soule is bound for to doe, is to get in with God: First seek the kingdom of God. [Page 129] saith our Saviour and the righteousnesse thereof, Matth. 6.35. Where our Saviour doth not forbid our taking of thought for the things of this life, but that they should not be sought af­ter in the first place; so that our first thoughts and endeavours should be after the Kingdom of heaven. Therefore all thoughts whatsoever, which are conceived before a man bee conver­ted, and so thinks of God, are all damnable thoughts.

Manner. 2 Secondly, all worldly thoughts are sinfull, when we think of them too usually (as Chrysostome speakes) because we think of the universalitie of them. Beloved, it is lawfull to think of the world and to think of our trade and imploy­ments, to think of our corn, of our cat [...]ell, fields, barnes, wives, children: for if God have com­manded or commended these things unto us, then surely he gives us leave to think on them, that so we may accomplish our businesse the better; but let us take heed they bee not too usuall with us: for we have soules as well as bodies, and there is a heaven as well as an earthly business to think upon: thou art not to live here alwayes, there­fore take heed that thy thoughts be not too usu­all and common upon the things of the world let not earth and earthly things have too much of thy thoughts. As the Prophet David seeing the thoughts of wicked men wholly to run af­ter the things of the world, he tels them, all their thoughts perish: and so I tell you, if that your thoughts on the world run together with heap [Page 130] and crowd, and then you bundle them up in bun­dles (as it were) they all prove damnable, and shall perish.

Manner. 3 Thirdly, worldly thoughts are sinfull and damnable, if thou thinkest of them too sa­vourly: a carnall-minded man thinkes savourly of the things of the world, the thoughts of earth­ly things are savoury unto them: a wicked man hee will thinke of God and of the world: but which is the savourest thought to him? He will think of Christ, of heaven, and of the word of God, and of such a Sermon he heard, but alas, hee finds no savour, taste, nor rellish in them; he finds no sweetnesse, joy, or delight in them: but when he thinkes of the world, of his gold and silver, of his lands and livings, Oh these are merry thoughts unto him, [...]hese are sweet unto him, and pleasant to him, and his heart is not at home in his own nest; he can think of these seven dayes, nay seven moneths, nay seven yeares together, and yet never be weary, but his thoughts as ful & as fresh as at the first: But bring him to a Sermon, or to a prayer, and he is jaded pres [...]ntly, his heart is empty, and his thoughts are at an end: For (saith the Apostle) they that are after the flesh savour the things of the flesh, Rom. 8, 5. It is a true note of an earthly, carnall, fleshly heart▪ to be thinking on earthly and vain things savourly. Thou maist think on the world, but it must be onely with a cast of thy thought [...], as one that looks upon a thing with a squint eye: but when thou art to think on God, or on the things [Page 131] of God; then thou must gather all thy thoughts and affections, thou must lay all the powers of thy soule together, and thou must imploy them on­ly to this work.

Manner. 4 Fourthly, worldly thoughts become sinfull, when we think of them without counsell; then (saith Solomon) they come to nought, when a man considers not afore-hand what thoughts are ne­cessary and needfull and so restraines and keeps off all impertinent thoughts: then his thoughts will prove distrustful, carking thoughts, caring for the morrow, contrary to the rule of Christ, Matth. 6.33. Take no care for to morrow, let to morrow care for it self. He doth not forbid here Christian provident thoughts: for godly, honest, and sober thoughts, are fitting and necessary, but he seems hereby to cut off all distrusting, carking thoughts.

Manner. 5 Fifthly, worldly thoughts come to be sinfull, when they are thought needlesly. And here I will shew how farre a man may think of the world; namely, so farre as his necessary busines requires. Suppose a mans businesse be upon mer­chandise, it is lawfull to think of it, and of his shop and wares; but if thou wouldest know how farre; why so farre as is it for thy busi­nesse; But if thou hast so many of them, that thy heart is taken up with them, and thy mind still on them, then they are sinfull thoughts. There is many a man that in following of his businesse bestowes more thoughts then his busi­nesse requires, he hath ten thousands of super­fluous [Page 132] thoughts; but let such remember the ex­hortation of the Wise man, establish thy thoughts by counsell: counsell will tell a man when he hath thought enough, and what thoughts are fit for his imployment. Not that any man can carry himself alwayes in that golden mediocrity or mean; but a Christians care must be daily more and more to pare off all superfluous thoughts of earthly things.

2 Now we come to the second thing: 2. Thoughts are vain formally, when though the matter of them be never so good, yet the manner of think­ing them is evill. It is possible that a wicked man go to hell, though he performes the same things for the matter of them, that a godly man doth: a godly man comes to Church, so doth a wicked man; a godly man prayes in his family, so doth a wicked man; a godly man reads the Scriptures, so doth a wicked man; a godly man repeats Sermons, and conferres of good things, so doth a wicked man. There is no work that comes to the outward act, that a god­ly man doth, but a wicked man may do the same: here onely is the difference, in the manner of working. I will set it out to you by a place of Scripture; In a great house (saith the Apostle) there are not onely vessels of gold, and of silver, but also of wood and of stone, some to honour, and some to dishonour, 2 Tim. 2.20. Mark how the Apo­stle here sets out the reprobate and the elect, comparing them to vessels of honour, and dis­honour: the vessels of dishonour are of the same [Page 133] matter that the vessels of honour are of: sup­pose it be pewter or silver, cast it into an honou­rable forme, and it will be a vessell of honour; but cast it into a dishonourable forme, and it will be a vessell of dishonour, for base and mean ser­vice; even so it is between a true Christian and a meer formall professor, the matter of their service is one and the same; suppose it be hea­ring the Word, or receiving of the Sacra­ments, prayer, or the like, the substance and action is the same; but take the same prayer, and let a godly man cast it in his forme, and it is holy and prevailes with God: let a wicked man take the same prayer, and cast it into his dishonorable forme, and it becomes sinfull, not regarded, and abominable in Gods eyes. For hearing of the Word of God, the godly man heares, and the wicked man heares; the matter in both is the same; the godly man he casteth the Word into a godly mould, he heares the Word, and he trem­bles at it; he heares the Word and beleeves it, he heares the Word, and his heart bowes to it, and resolves to practise it: a wicked man he heares the Word too, but he casteth it into a dishonou­rable mould, he heares it with deadnesse and dulnesse, without trembling, without faith and obedience. So a godly man may think thoughts of God, and so may a wicked man think thoughts of God, the matter of both is good; yet the thoughts of the wicked are vaine, though hee thinks of God, because he casteth it into his dis­honourable frame: he feares not God, his heart [Page 134] trembles not at God, but his heart is as full of dead earthly affections as before; he thinks of hearing the Word, but it is after his own fashion, he thinks of praying, but he prayes with his owne spirit, and not with the spirit of Adop­tion.

The Psalmist tels us, that the whoremaster, the drunkard, and the thief, thinks of God, but it is after his own fashion: Psal. 50.21. These things hast thou done (saith God) and I held my tongue, and thou thoughtest that I was even such a one as thy self: A wicked man goes on in his sins, and thinks that they are not so devillish and abo­minable, as some say that they are: and he thinks that God thinks so too; he is earthly, carnall, luke-warme, and dead-hearted, and if he repent at the last, he thinks all will be well, and hee thinks God is of the same mind too: he goes on in his drunkennesse, swearing, pride, and hypocrisie; and he thinks if he do but remem­ber to ask God mercy, and to cry, Lord re­ceive my soul, when he is going out of the world, he thinks he shall not go to hell, but be carried to the joyes of heaven, and he thinks God is of his mind, that God thinks so too: But mark what the Lord saith, I will reprove thee, and set thy sins in order before thee. Oh consider this you that forget God, lest he teare you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you.

3 Thirdly, mens thoughts are vain, when the heart that thinks upon them is earthly and vain; wherefore if all the wicked men in the world [Page 135] should lay their heads together to think a good thought, yet they cannot: for their hearts are vain hearts, sinfull hearts, they may think of excellent propositions concerning God, his worship, his word, and service; but so long as the heart that thinks upon them is carnall and vain, they cannot speak that which is good, as saith our Saviour: Matthew 12.34. How can you speak good things? Object. Why, may some man say? may not a wicked man read a Chapter in a Bible? are the words so hard to be understood, and pro­nounced? cannot a wicked man take a Sermon and read it, and hear a Sermon and repeat it? what are letters and syllables so hard to be pro­nounced?

Answ. I answer, (beloved) that is not the meaning of our Saviour [How can ye that are evill speak good things]: no, no, a wicked man may read Gods Word, and propound good questions, as well as a true Christian; but he cannot speak good words, that is, he cannot speak h [...]m from a good heart; and therefore his heart being car­nall and vain, good words in his mouth are as a jewell in a swines snout: It is a word indeed, but not a speech, when he reads or pronounceth Gods Word. Aristotle saith, that speech is no­thing but the expression of that that is within the heart. Now then, if the word and truth of God be not ingraffed in thy heart, if thy heart be not heavenly when thou speakest of heaven­ly things, thou dost pronounce them, but not speak them. But when thou speakest of earthly [Page 136] things then thou speakest to the purpose; be­cause thy heart is set upon them, and thy minde and the tongue goe together, there is no jarre or discord betwixt them: but if thy heart be not pure, though thou speakest good things, or holy things, yet in Christ sense thou speakest them not: For (say I) how can a vain, evill, corrupt heart think good thoughts? An evill tree cannot bring [...]orth good fruit (saith our Saviour); he doth not say, that an evill tree cannot be made good, for it may be graffed into anothe [...] stock; di­vers wayes there are to make it good: but so long as it is a corrupt tree, it cannot bring forth good fruit; Doe men gather grapes of thorns, or st [...]ges of thistles? Dost thou goe to a drunkard, and thinkest there to finde any religion in him? or to a whoremaster to finde grace in him? Dost thou goe to a swearer or a prophane person, and thinkest thou to find any feare of God in them? Indeed sometimes there may be some morall good found in them, but they are as a pearle in a dung-hill out of its place.

Fourthly, all mens thoughts come to be vain, when the drift and end of the heart and soule in thinking of them is vain.

But thou wilt say unto mee, the end of my good thoughts is Gods glory. What? is it not to Gods glory that we goe to the Word and Sacraments that we pray and give almes?

I answer▪ the end of every good work in it self is Gods glory; but is it the end of the worker, speaker, or thinker? I make no [Page 137] question but the end of a good action in it self, is the glory of God; so the end of prayer is the glory of God, the end of all preaching and Ser­mons is the glory of God, the end of giving of almes, and of all good thoughts, is the glory of God, but the end of the man that prayes and preaches, what is that? the end of the hearer and giver of almes, what is that? the end of him that speaks well, what is that? Beloved, must men have false and corrupt ends, which we will branch out into these three heads.

For the first▪ men will be thinking and plod­ding from morning till night of their worldly businesse: Now because they know they must think on God, to make God amends, perhaps they will think on him at night, when they have dishonoured him all the day. So men will swear and swagger drink and be drunk, and when they have done, say, Lord have mercy upon me, and so they think to make God amends. What (be­loved) will yee sweare, swagger, drink, be drunk, and lie, be secure and worldly, and then ask God forgivenesse to make him amends? This is to break Priscians head, that you may give him a plaister. Will you trespasse your neighbour, that you may ask him forgivenesse? This is a damned and devilish religion; yet this is the re­ligion of many men in the world, you shall have them keep daies and weeks and yeares in the observation of the times of Gods worship; they will keep the Sabbath in comming to Church, they will hear Sermons, pray and think of God: [Page 138] but all this is to make God amends for the wrong that they have done him: they know they have offended God, and therefore they will do something to make him amends: like those wic­ked men in Jeremies time, who did steale, murder, commit adultery, swear falsly, and burn incense un­to Baal; and walk after the gods whom they knew not, and then come and stand before God in his house, which was called by his name, and said, We are delivered, though we have done all these abominati­ons. As if God should say unto wicked men, What, will yee swear, steal, lie, and be earthly, giving up your selves unto all manner of lewdnesse in the breach and contempt of my commandements, and then think by making a prayer unto me, and by lifting up your eyes unto me, and by giving your eares to hear my word, thereby to make me recompence? No, no, I have showed thee, O man, what is good, Micah. 8.

2 Secondly, the end of mens thoughts is com­monly to collogue with God. Let a man be under the crosse, in calamity, pain, and misery, then God shall heare of him often, then he will think of God, and of his sinnes: nay, the beastliest wretch in a whole Parish, upon his sick-bed, then, Oh how will he call upon God, then send for the Minister, let him pray for me, read a chap­ter or some good book; then God shall have service upon service, then he shall have the first, second, and third course. But all this is but to be raised up again; and then when he hath re­ceived a little strength, he fall off again: like [Page 139] the Jewes, who when God slew them, they sought him: and they returned and enquired early after God; neverthelesse they did but d [...]ssemble with him with their mouthes, and flatter him with their double hearts, Ps. 78.34. There is many a man that seeks to God, yea, that seeks to him with tears, and per­formes many a good duty, and yet he doth but flatter with God, he doth it but to curry favour with him: hee is afraid of sicknesse, crosses, plagues, and death, and curses upon him, if hee should not doe so: and therefore to prevent this, he will dissemble some service to God.

3 Thirdly, to smother and choake their owne consciences; their hearts think and tell them, they must think of God, their consciences tell them, that they must have some holinesse, some religion; that they must keep the Sabbath in some sort, that they must pray, and goe to Church: and hence it is, that the drunkard, swearer, whoremaster, will sometimes have thoughts of God, and will be performing some outward acts of Religion, Why? his consci­ence otherwise would not let him be at rest, but it is as the Devils bandog to drive him to it.

Thus when the Prophet commanded the peo­ple to worship the Lord, to reverence his name, to hallow his Sabbaths; their consciences told them that they must doe so, or else all the threat­nings of wrath and vengeance denounced by the Prophets would come upon them, Hence it is that the Lord by his Prophet exhorts, saying, Arise yee, and depart, for this is not your rest: your [Page 140] mind hath another haunt, you have this and that black lust, this is not your rest. Doth thy heart rest on God and good things? If thy heart be good and holy, so that it takes up its rest in God, and in Christ, then it is well; but if thou only turn­est aside to good duties, and fallest as it were by chance upon holy things; away, away (saith God) this is not your rest. Aristotle saith, that the being of a thing cons [...]steth in the end of a thing. Therefore if the end of thy thoughts and courses be earth­ly and vain, then certainly thy religion is earth­ly and vain. Thou goest up and down; what is it that thou lookest after? Is it that thou mai­est have grace, or that thou maist follow thy cal­ling, and get thy living? is it this that thou wouldst have, for which thou keepest such a dig­ging and scraping, and such a laying up? Then thy end is carnall and vain, and thy drift and end declareth the truth of thy soul, that it is carnall and vain.

A SERMON OF M ^r. WILLIAM FENNERS Upon this ensuing Text.

THE Corinthians thought Paul had converted many poore mean men amongst them, Chapter 1.26, 27. God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty: yet the Nobles, the Lawyers, the Counsellers, the chiefe men in the Citie, the Apostle had not con­verted one of them, or at the least very few. Brethren, you see your calling, who they are that be converted to the obedience of the Gos­pel of Christ from the evill of their wayes: 1 not many wise men after the flesh, not many [Page 144] rich not many noble, some few there be, here and there one; but for the most part they are a com­pany of poor beggerly Christians: Now (it seems) these poor Christians having controversies one with another, went to Law among themselves, and that before unbeleevers. The Apostle con­demnes this their going to Law, and would have them cease their suits and quarrels one against a­nother before the unjust and unbeleevers, and that by four Arguments:

1 First, by the shamefulnesse of it, verse 5. I speak it to your shame; as if he should say, Are you such fooles, that you cannot take up these matters a­mong your selves? that you cannot make refe­rences of your wrongs to mediate one to another, but that you must go to Law before unbelee­vers?

2 Secondly, from the scandalousnesse of it. It is a thing so scandalous and offensive to those that are without, that I wonder any of you dare be so bold as to go to Law one with another. What will the world think? What, are these the men that professe the Gospel? Are these they that have the Wisdome of God in them, and that are led by the Spirit of God? And have they no more understanding in them, then when they have any matter of controversie, they cannot end it among themselves, but must go to Law be­fore the unjust and unbeleevers? (as they terme them.)

3 Thirdly, from the uns [...]emingnesse of it, in the second verse. Do you not know that the Saints [Page 145] shall judge the earth? What? hath God made you Judges of the world, and doe you goe to be judged by the world? Or, as Ambrose speakes hath God appointed you to be Judges of the men in the world, and are you not fit to be Judges of the things of the world?

4 Fourthly, from the strangenesse of it; Dare any of yuu? He speakes interrogatively (vers. 1.) It is a strange thing that you should come to that impudencie against the Gospel of Christ; one would think that you should tremble and quake at such a thing as this is. What, is there never a wise Christian amongst you? never an under­standing professor that is able to take up a con­troversie, or decide and judge between his bre­thren? what a strange thing is this? Then hee backs it with foure Arguments.

1 1. Because they wre Brethren, vers. 6. Bro­ther goes to Law with brother.

2 2. Because it was about the things of this life What? hath God made you Judge of heavenly things, of Angels, and are you unfit to Judge of the things of this life?

3 3. It was ab [...]ut small matters (ver. 2.) where­as you shall sit upon men and Angels, and the weightiest matters in the world, the greatest things of Gods law, judging them to the greatest penaltie and punishment even to eternall dam­nation: and are yee unworthy then to judge even of the smallest matters?

4 4. And lastly, Because it was about such things, as the meanest Christian in the towne might have [Page 146] taken up, and have ended: Set up them that are least esteemed.

Doe you not know, that the Saints shall judge the world?

Doct. I need not goe far for a point, the word af­fords it; The Doctrine is; That the Saints shall judge the world.

It is an old truth, yea as old as the world it selfe▪ you may read it in the fourth verse of Judes Epistle: That Eno [...]h the seventh from Adam prophecied, saying; Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints. God will not onely come to judgement himselfe, but he will come attend­ed with all his Saints, even with all the god [...]y, to execute vengeance upon all the world. So our Saviour told Saint Peter, and not onely him, but all that follow him in the regeneration: They shall sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Is­rael ▪ Mat. 9.18. They shall judge the Nations, and have dominion over the people, Wisd. 3.8.

Object. And now because doubt is the best way to attaine unto knowledge, let me answer a doubt, that may creepe in by the way; How shall the Saints judge the world?

Answ. Ans. Not by pronouncing of judgement upon the world, for that Christ alone shall do; Then shall the King say to them on his left hand, Depart yee cursed, Mat. 25. But the Saints shall judge the world these foure wayes:

• 1 1. They shall judge the world, by their consent unto Christs judgement, God traines up his chil­dren in this world, & educates them, and tea [...]heth [Page 741] them how they may judge the world hereafter; he teacheth them in this life how to assent with his proceedings in the world; so that they are able to say, Righteous art thou, O Lord, and just are thy judgements ▪ Psal. 119.137. Now if the Saints be trained in this life to assent unto Gods proceedings with the world, much more then will they be able to know and consent unto Christs judgement, when he shall come with his Saints to judge the world: Now the Law saith, that consenters are agents: and therefore be­cause the Saints shall consent to the judgement of Christ, therefore they are said to judge the world.
• 2 2. The Saints shall judge the world by their applause of Christs judgement: they shall not only give consent unto the judgment of Christ, but they shall also applaud it and commend it: when God shall say to all drunkards, swearers, lyers, Sabbath-breakers, and to all unbeleeving, impenitent, and graceles sinners, Depart yee cur­sed into hell fire, then though it were his owne fa­ther that begat him, or his mother that bare him, though it were his owne brother or sister, wife or child, that hath been as dear as his own life and soule to him; yet they shall clap their hands for joy, and applaud the most righteous sentence of God upon them; and they shall sing Hallelujah, salvation, and honour, and power, be to the Lord our God for true & righteous are his judge­ments, Rev. 19.1, 2. Let them goe accursed as they are; for it is a righteous sentence passed on them.
• [Page 148] 3 3. They shall judge the world by their Maje­stie; they shall not only stand against the wick­ed, and consent to, and applaud that sentence that Christ shall passe against the wicked, but they shall be invested w [...]th robes of majestie, and with a diademe of glory: then shall the righte­ous shine as the starres in the firmament, and the wicked shall be amazed and astonished at the fight of them: as you may read in that platforme of judgement, Matth, 25. where Christ sets his Saints over against the world, that so the world may look upon them, and be confounded at their sight.
• 4 4. They judge the world by their lives and conversations; (as Ambrose saith rightly) then is the world judged by them, when as the cour­ses and manners of the world are not found up­on them. Therefore it is a pretty observation of Hilary (if it be the meaning of the Text) (I will not say it is) upon the 2. Psalme; Be wise [...]ee Jud­ges: God hath appointed you to be Judges, to sit on his bench with his Sonne; learne then to be wise, get to be indued with spirituall wisedome and understanding, and to shine in all integritie and righteousnesse; and then turning his speech to the wicked, he say's, Kisse the Sonne lest he be angry, However it be yet this is a truth, that by the lives of his Saints, he will judge the world; there faith shall judge the worlds infidelitie: their repentance shall judge the worlds impeni­tency; their accepting of, and taking the Lord Jesus, shall judge their rejection and neglect of [Page 149] Christ Jesus, their zeale shall judge the worlds luke-warmnesse, and their holinesse shall judge the worlds prophanenesse.

Reas. 1 1. Bcause of the misticall union that is betwixt Christ and his Saint [...]; He is the head, and they are his members; now that which the head doth, we ascribe to the whole body; when the head speakes, the whole body speakes; when the head sees, the whole body sees: so when Christ judgeth the world, the whole body of Christ may truely be said to judge the world. As much as you did it unto one of these (saith Christ) you did it unto me: so in as much as Christ passeth sentence even all the members of the mysticall body of Christ judge with him.

Reas. 2 Secondly, in regard of compassion: I speak not of the word [compassion] as it signifies [pi­tie] but of compassion of suffering with Christ, seeing that Christ was reproched, contemned, ha­ted, misused, and condemned by the world, the Saints are likewise with him; seeing they pertake of the afflictions, humiliations, and debasements of Christ here▪ they shall also be made pertakers with Christ in his glory. Here the wicked judge the Saints, and call them hypocrites, and dissem­blers, and laugh and scoff [...] at them, and wonder at them, as the Prophet brings in Christ speak­ing. Esay. 8. Behold, I and the children that thou hast given me, are for signes and wonders in Israel: The wicked count them for wonders and mon­sters in the world, judging them hypocrites and liers, which have nothing in them but rotten­nesse [Page 150] and dissimulation. Now the rule of like for like shall take place here, and as they were judged by the world, so they shall be Judges of the world.

Reas. 3 Thirdly, for the great terror to all wicked men at the day of judgement: for as it is with a thiefe, not only when the Judge shall command to hang him, but all the Justices, and all the Countrey shall cry out, Hang him, hang him, he is judged the more terrible; so God will not onely say of all wicked and ungodly sinners, Damne them damne them, but he will have all the Saints in heaven, and all the Saints on earth to cry out, A­way with them, away with them, let them be damned, Psal. 50.4, 5. This will make their judg­ment so much the more terrible.

Reas. 4 Fourthly, the Saints shall judge the world, be­cause God will so convince them, that their mouthes shall bee stopped, they shall have never a syllable to excuse themselves withall, when they shall see men flesh and bloud as themselves are, when they shall see men and women, that have lived in the same towne, enjoyed the same Ordinance of God, lived in the same family, that did partake of the same blessings, and of the same crosses and afflictions with themselves, subject also to the same corruptions and sinnes as them­selves, when they shall see these at Christs right hand, they shall have never a word to excuse themselves withall: As when the Apostles had healed the creeple ( Acts 3.) if the people had judged them for wicked and pestilent men, the [Page 151] creeple would have convinced them, and shew­ed that they were of God; if they should have cried, Root them out, the creeple would have condemned them, and told them, that they did good. And when the wicked shall see the Saints at Gods right hand, will they call them hypocrites and dissemblers? they themselves shall see, that they are sincere; will they call them Puritans? why, they shall then see that their pu­rity stands them in good stead: then the ungodly shall not stand in judgement, nor the sinners in the Congregation of the righteous, Psal. 1.6. Thus the point is clear.

Vse 1 The first Use then is for instruction, whereby we may learn, that the Saints by their now being Saints, doe now judge the world: if by the lives of Saints then God doth judge the world, then there is never a Saint in a town, or City, or Parish in all the Countrey, but he judgeth all the wicked that are about him: How? By living god­ly, by hating the sinnes of the times, by keeping his or their garments clean from the pollution of the world: For by doing this, he judgeth the world. See it in Noah, Heb. 11.7. By faith Noah being warned of God, as yet moved with feare, prepa­red an Ark for the saving of his house, by which he condemned the world.

Object. But some men will say, Could Noah be said to condemne the world by making the Ark? All the world did not see him when he did it.

Answ. Beloved, Noah making the Ark an hundred and twenty years, though it was not seen of all, [Page 152] yet all the world must needs baar of it, it being such a strange thing. Now he condemned the world, in that the whole world did not come unto Noah to enquire of him in sober sadnesse, but rather mock [...] him for building the Ark; they thought him to bee a peevish melancholy man, and not well in his wits, and so scoft at him, saying, Will he make an Ark to swim upon dry land? where­as they should have asked him soberly the cause why he did it; and if they had done so, Noah no question would have told them, that the wrath of heaven was upon the world, and that the floods of Gods vengeance were shortly to bee poured downe upon us: and, because my heart hath beene naught, and I have sinned and provo­ked the Lords wrath, I feare if I get not into this Ark which the Lord hath commanded me for to make, I shall perish. Now because they would not come unto Noah to ask him this reason, therefore the world was condemned by him: even so the Saints, by making an Ark for their poore soules, even by getting into Christ, (as the Ark was a type of Christ without whom none can be saved) the Saints, I say, by getting into Christ, do judge the whole world, when they hear there be men [...]hat be no swearers, and no drunkards, and that there bee men that will pray, read, heare the word, conferre of God and of Christ, and that weep and mourne for their sins, that spend their times in the mortification of their lusts, and en­devour after holinesse and sanctification; the whole world, I say, is judged by them. How? [Page 153] why, they should say: Sirs, what is the matter that you doe so run after Sermons? that you keep such a stirre about getting faith and repen­tance more then other men? that you pray, weep, fast, and mourne, and are so strict in your works? If thus men would but come unto Gods Saints, and ask them the reason of all these things, the Saints of God would tell them, that the wrath of God would come upon them if they did not do thus: they would never be saved, if they did not thus beleeve, and thus repent, and thus pray, and walk thus holily and precisely, they should be all damned. But the world it falls a mocking and a scoffing at them, and never seeks to prevent the wrath of God; but it suddenly sei­seth on them to their destruction.

2 Secondly, this teacheth us, that when there is any one sinner converted from the wickednesse of his wayes, and is become a Saint, then all the world may know that there is a new Judge come to sit upon them. Seest thou a drunkard, a swearer, a prophane person converted from his sinnes, and now walks soberly, holily, and purely? seest thou a man and a woman struck at a Sermon? Then know that unlesse thou com­est out of thy sinnes, unlesse thou doest repent, and walk holily, there is a new Judge added to the rest, that shall judge thee. As our Saviour told the Pharisees, If I through Beelzebub cast out Devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges, Matth. 12.27. where Christ tells them, that their children [Page 154] who were his Disciples (for some of the Phari­sees children did beleeve in Christ and follow him, and had power from Christ to doe the same workes that Christ did;) Now they liked it well enough in their owne children, but they could not endure it in Christ: and therefore hee tells them, that their children, whom God had con­verted, and to whom he had given power to doe the same workes that he did, even they shall bee their Judges to condemne them: And even so may it be with thee, thou that art a father or a mother, God having converted any of thine own children, that child shall be thy Judge and con­demne thee, if thou repent not. It may be God hath converted thy brother and sister, and thou art not converted; thy own brother and sister shall condemne thee, if thou doe not repent and come out of thy sinnes.

3 Thirdly, we may learn that it concerns all the world to take notice of every grace in Gods children, There is never a grace of God in any of his Saints but it shall condemne the world if it be void of it. The wayes of the Lord are all judgements, because they judge them that will not walk in them. Every grace, yea the very thoughts of the righteous are called Judgements by Solomon, Prov. 12. You may know a croo­ked thing by laying it to a straight line, and by that it is judged to be crooked: so the thoughts of the righteous which are right, holy and pure, shall judge the impure, unholy, and crooked thoughts of wicked men. Is the child of God [Page 155] humble? His humility shall judge thy pride. Is the child of God meek and patient in suffering of wrong and injuries? His meeknesse and pati­ence shall judge thy choler and revenge. Hath the child of God saith given him to beleeve in the Lord Jesus? His faith shall judge thy infidelity. Hath the child of God the spirit of prayer gi­ven him? It shall condemne thee that praiest on­ly with thine owne spirit. Hath he zeale? His zeale shall judge thy luke-warmnesse, Doth his speech and communication administer grace to the hearers? It shall condemne thee that speak­est of vaine and idle things. Yea, all the actions of the godly shall judge the wicked: and hence the Saints are said to doe Gods judgements, Zeph. 2.3. that is, they doe according to Gods judge­ments whereby he will judge the world: Thus they that do mourn, do judge them that do not mourne: they that bewaile their wicked­nesse, and the sinnes of the times, judge them that doe not: they that fast, weep, pray, and humble themselves for the miseries of the Church in these dreadfull dayes, they judge them that make no good conscience of their duties.

4 Fourthly, learne hence, that all the Texts of Scripture, all the whole word of God, that is it that begets these Saints, and therefore they must needs judge the world, the word of God begets mens hearts unto sanctification and holinesse, whereby they become the Saints: and therefore if they, then much more shall the Word it selfe judge the world: and hence it is that all the [Page 156] words of God in the Scripture, are called Judg­ments, Psal. 105.5. And our Saviour saith. The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge you in the last day, Joh. 12.48. The word that I have spo­ken▪ where mark he doth not say, The word which you have heard: No there are many swearers, and drunkards, and prophane ungodly wretches, that will not come to Church to hear the word; there are many wicked men, and dead hearted worldlings, and rotten livers, that will not bee brought to hear Gods Word: it may bee at this present there is many whoremongers, drun­dards, and wicked persons, that wallow in their filthinesse? in the Ale-house, Game-house, or Drab-house; or in the fields, or beds, or at their sports. Well, this word that is now a preach­ing, whether they will hear it or no, shall judge them at the last day. Now all the wicked in Ashford, that heare the word of God calling upon them to repent, and to come out of their sinnes, but will not, or out of contempt of Gods word, will absent themselves from it; this word shall judge and condemne them. There is never a drunkard, swearer▪ or prophane person, though his pew be empty, but this word of God that denounceth the eternal wrath and vengeance of God upon them, if they come not out of their sinnes, this word shall rise up in judge­ment against them and condemne them eternal­ly. Oh that they could but hear it! but the word that I have spoken shall judge you, whether you heare it or not.

[Page 157] 5 Fifthly and lastly, hence it follows, that all the Ministers of God shall also judge the world. Sonne of man (saith God to the Prophet Ezekiel) wilt thou judge the bloudy City? Yea, thou shalt shew her all her abominations, Ezek. 22.2. As if he should have said, Sonne of man, they are drun­kards, wilt thou not tell them of it? They are whoremasters, wilt thou not tell them of it? They are filthy idolaters, wilt thou not tell them of it? They live in their sinnes, and in their a­bomination, and wilt thou not tell them of it? Sonne of man, tell them of all their abominations, and tell them that they shall go to hell, if they re­pent not, tell them that they are damned men if they go on, and come not out of their sinnes: Wilt thou not judge them (son of Man?) Beloved, there is never a Minister in England, nor ever a Sermon that is preached by them, but it judgeth every Parish, and every man and woman in the congregation, that do not labour to do what is commanded them, and leave undone what is for­bidden them: I say it judgeth them, or else it is a judgement unto them.

Vse. 2 This then serves to condeme three sorts of men in the world: First, all those that despise the Saints, and that see not amiablenesse in their faces. All the Countrey doth reverence the face of the Judge when he rides circuit; Let the Judge come into the Countrey, and all the Knights, Justices, and Gentlemen in the Countrey wil go out to meet him, and bow unto him; yet these Judges are but Judges of a few rogues, male­factors, [Page 158] and peasants of the Countrey: Alas, they are far from the dignity of the Saints? for the Saints shal judge Saints and Angels: all the world Kings and Queens, Lords and Nobles, and Cap­teins of the Earth, the poorest Saint in Christen­dome shall judge them. The Apostle, or rather our Saviour faith, to him that overcometh, and keep­eth my words untill the end, to him will I give power over the Nations, Rev. 2.26. Whatsoever he be, if he do the works of Christ, and walk in the Or­dinances of Christ, shall have power over the Nations, not onely to contemne their pomps and vanities, their lusts and corruptions, but also to convince their consciences, and to condemne their souls for ever.

2 2. Shall the Saints judge the world? Then what fooles are the wicked that prepare not for these Judges? When the Judge comes to an As­sise, all men prepare for him; the Constables make ready their Presentments, the Juries are warned, and the Clerks make ready their Bills, &c. sest the Judge should clap a fine upon them: and shall the Saints be Judges, and dost thou not prepare thy heart by grace? Dost thou not get purity and holinesse against that day? Surely, if thou dost not, the very Saints will judge thee un­meet for heaven, and fit only to have thy porti­on in hell. When Christ said, To him that over­cometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, Rev. 3.21. He addes, Let him that hath an eare heare: Will God make his Saints to judge the world? Then let all wicked men give eare and heare [Page 159] what God saith of his Church: The Saints shall judge the world: therefore let all men take no­tice of it, and prepare themselves for their judgement.

3 Lastly, It condemnes all those that doe not see glory and majesty in the faces of Gods Saints. There is majesty in the face of a Judge; yea a man may discover in them a kinde of a sove­raigne majesty. Even so the Saints of God have a majesty in their courses, in their looks, in their thoughts, and in all their wayes; and in all these they shall judge and condemne the wicked. The wicked may give the Saints nick-names and scorne, flout, contemne, and deride them now in this life, but let me tell them, that how lightly soever they esteeme of them, they shall be their Judges: They may cry out against the Saints, as long since the wicked Sodomites did against good Lot, Gen. 19.9. This fellow (say they) will be our Judge: Why, what had Lot done unto them? Alas, he did nothing, but when they would have done that Sodomish villany against the two An­gels that came to him, Lot went to them and said, I pray you my Brethren, do not so wickedly. So let the godly be in the company of wicked men, that abuse the good creatures of God; say, I pray you my brethren, do not so wickedly, be not drun­kards, be not swearers; brethren, I pray you do not so vainly, nor so prophanely use the name of God in your mouths; I pray you my brethren, doe not prophane Gods Sabbaths; doe not lie, doe not cheat, nor cozen; if you do these and [Page 160] these things, the wrath of God will plague us for it, Oh then presently they cry out, Who made you our Judges? As once the Hebrews did of Moses, Act. 7.39. Dost thou call Saints hypo­crites and dissemblers, men that judge before the time? Thou foole, wert thou not as good to suf­fer the Saints to judge thee now, whereby thou mayst see thy wretchednesse and misery, and by faith and speedy repentance prevent that doome, which otherwise they tell thee will come upon thee, as hereafter, when if thou hast not repen­ted, thou shalt never escape that doome and ven­geance, to which the Saints shall judge thee? What, wilt thou not suffer them to call a drun­kard a drunkard? an adulterer, an adulterer? a blasphemer, a blasphemer? a carnall man, a car­nall man? a worldly man, a worldly man?

It is a pretty observation out of Cyprian, that because Christ did reprove all sorts of religions, and spared none, he reproved the Scribes, the Pharisees, the Lawyers, the Souldiers, &c. and yet doth not reprove the Priests, because they were Judges of the people, not because he durst not, but he would not: If thou revilest the Saints, thou revilest thy Judges. Take heed then, how thou casts the least aspersion upon the Saints; do not say, they are rash Judges, uncharitable censu­rers, dissembling hypocrites; for they shall be your Judges. O that the people would hearken & be admonished in time, to prevent this judge­ment. Our Saviour saith, that this is the condem­nation, that light is come into the world and men hate [Page 161] it, Joh. 3.19. But the children of God, whom God calls the light of the world, these lights are come into the world, and men love darknesse more then the light. How can the wicked escape dam­nation, that have so many thousand Judges to condemne them? If the malefactor that is Indi­cted for murther or felony, cannot escape con­demnation, that hath but one Judge to sit upon him: thou that art a wicked man, living in thy sinnes without Christ, how canst thou escape, that hast so many millions of Saints to judge thee, yea from Adam the first, till the last Saint that shall be upon the earth? Surely the wicked shall never escape condemnation: for,

1 1. God the Father who judgeth by way of au­thoritie, he will condemne thee; all judgement cometh originally from him; he that hath often commanded thee to repent, and to come out of thy sinnes, he shall condemne thee, because thou hast not obeyed him.

2 2. God the Sonne, he will judge thee, who judgeth by way of dispensation, Act. 10. First Christ preacheth to thee repentance and remis­sion of sinnes, to which if thou yeeld not, then know, that there is a day appointed, wherein he will judge thee. That Saviour that thou sayest thou desirest, if thou part not with thy lusts, he himselfe will be thy Judge that will condemne thee.

3 3. God the holy Ghost will judge thee; that Spirit that now strives and wrestles with thee, that suggests good motions into thy heart, that [Page 162] puts thee in minde of repentance, bidding thee leave and forsake thy sinnes, and live holily, but if thou wilt not, this Spirit shall judge thee by way of conviction.

4 4. The Word of God shall judge thee, and that by way of forme, it being the platforme, ac­cording unto which Christ will judge the whole world. Now suppose there be forty prisoners in the Gaole together, one in for murther, ano­ther for theft, another for treason, (that man that knows the Law, if there be equitie and ju­stice in the Assise) he, I say that knows the Law, knows who shall be hanged, or quartered, or burned, or set free; even so, Beloved, that man that looks through the Scriptures, that reads this or that Chapter, this or that sentence, may know that or this man will to hell, if he repent not. Say I this of my selfe? or sayes not the Scrip­ture as much? The fearfull, and unbeleeving, and all that love and make lies, shall be cast into that lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for ever, Rev. 21.8. By this text will the Lord Iesus come and judge the world: and therefore as for all such as live and dye in their sinnes, we may all know, that they shall be all damn'd in fire & brimstone for ever. Hereby I know that all they that make no conscience of idle, vain and earthly speeches, and reproachfull words, they shall give an ac­count for them by this Text, Mat. 12.56. Doth the Scripture say, that all the wicked shall be turned into hell, with all the Nations that forget God? I know it shall be so by that text, Psal. 10. for all [Page 163] things shall be done according to the Scriptures Rom. 2.16. In that day (saith the Apostle) when God shall judge the secrets of men [...] hearts by Jesus Christ, according to my Gospel; that is, just as Gods Ministers preach; just as you find it written in the same Scriptures, so will he judge at that day.

Beloved, there is never a Text throughout the whole Scripture, that commands you to leave and forsake your sinnes, but it shall judge you, if you doe not: there is not one Text of Scripture, that commands performance of any holy duty, but it shall rise up in judgement a­gainst thee, if thou performe it not. Doth the Scripture say, Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excesse? Eph. [...].18. It shall judge and condemn the drunkard that drinks excessively. Doth the Scripture say, Mortifie your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleannesse, inordinate affecti [...]n [...] evill concupiscence, and covetousnesse, which is Idolatry? Col. 3.5. If notwithstanding these sinnes live in thee this Text shall rise up and condemne thee to hell. Doth the text say, That the fathers to the children shall make known Gods truth, Esa. 28.9. Eph. 6.4. Parents bring up your children in the nurture and information of the Lord? It shall rise up in judgement and con­demne those parents that have not instructed their children to feare God. Doth the tex say, Thou shalt teach the word of God unto thy children and that thou shalt tal [...]e of it when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou go [...]st by the way, when thou [Page 164] liest down, and when thou risest up? Deut. 6.7. It shall judge thee, because thou makest no con­science of holy conference. All these and the like Texts of Scripture, shall rise up and stand in rank to condemne thee, that hast not swayed thy heart, and framed thy life according to the Scriptures.

5 5. All the Ministers of God shall sit as Justices in common (from the first Preacher of righte­ousnesse unto the last.) Moses shall judge thee, Joshua, David, Esay, Jeremy, Hosea, Daniel, Paul, Peter, &c. they shall all judge you: just as Gods Ministers judge you here, so will God; he will take all their Sermons, and clap them upon the heads of all rebellious hearers, and so damn them for ever.

6 Lastly, The Saints shall judge you; yea, all the Saints from one end of the world to the other, they shall assist the just Judge of heaven & earth, and they shall be interpretive Judges.

Beloved how can the wicked escape condem­nation, that have so many thousands of Judges, so many thousand exhortations and reproofes, so many thousand admonitions and invitations, so many thousand mercies & proffers of Christ? When God the Father, Sonne, and holy Ghost, shall judge them, when heaven and all the An­gels in heaven, and all the Saints on earth, shall judge them, and condemne them? How canst thou escape? Is there never a drunkard in this congregation? Is there never a swearer? ne­ver a prophane person? never a mocker? ne­ver [Page 165] a railer in this towne, that refuseth to hear­ken to the word? The men of Niniveh shall rise up in judgement against them, and condemne them, because they still live in their sinnes, not­withstanding they have had not three dayes preaching, nor fortie dayes space onely for re­pentance, but many years of grace calling upon them. The Queen of Sheba shall condemne many that live in these sinnes, who went many hundred miles to hear the wisedome of Solomon (for going and comming, it was well-nigh two thousand miles) but you have the word of Christ preached in your eares, and saying, the Kingdom of God is come among you; but you will scarce step out of your dores to receive it, or take any paines for it. This one woman shall judge them. There will be no way for the wicked to put off their judgement: then the sonnes of Eli shall have none to advocate between God and them, none to cloke or cover their wickednesse; they shall then have no excuses for themselves: for would they excuse themselves? the Saints shall judge them: would they send out excuses? the Saints shall cut them off.

Would they in the first place say, Alas! I was ignorant, I knew not how to pray, or to read, or to meditate on the Scriptures, nor to chatechize my family; I was dull and blockish to conceive such points as were taught me; and if I did live in sinne, it was ignorance that taught it me, I was never book-learned? Saith Augustine, this Ignoramus that was as ignorant and as little [Page 166] book-learned as thou, he eschewed those sinnes that thou livest in, got the anointing of Gods Spirit to anoint his eyes, to see and know the things of God which thou hast neglected to get; he shall condemne thee.

A second excuse is poverty. I have no means to live on; if I should run after Sermons, I should beg my bread: I have a great charge to keep, and nothing but my labour to maintaine them: and therefore I cannot spare time for meditati­on; I have no while to study the Scriptures, to pray and to mourn for my sins, and to get grace. Well, the poore Cobler that liveth next doore to Saint Anthony, shall rise up and condemn thee; hee was as poore as thou, and had as great a charge to keep as thou: yet hee mourned and wept, he got grace, and hee set time apart for prayer, reading, meditation, holy conference; he shall judge and condemn thee.

Thirdly, they shall have no excuse by imploy­ment; I am a servant, I am commanded to doe this or that I find so much businesse to follow, that I cannot find any time for such things. A­nother saith, I have great imployments, I have many Irons in the fire, and therefore God, I hope, will be mercifull unto me. Well then, Cor­nelius that had as many and as great imploy­ments as thou, and Eleazar ( Abrahams servant) who was a servant as well as thou, yet in as much as they walked with God, and waited upon him in his ordinances, they shall judge thee.

[Page 167]Fourthly, they shall have no excuse from their callings and trades, I am an Inne-keeper, and if I should not suffer drinking, and swear­ing, and gaming, I should not live. Another saith, I am a tradesman & if I should ask at first just so much as I could take, I should never bring customers to my price, and so I should not live of my trade. Well, Rahab was an Inne-keeper, as well as thou, and yet shee lived by faith, and did not suffer such wickednesse in her house. So may a tradesman, that had the same trade, and the same imployment with thee, and as great a trade as thou, and yet have avoided these sinnes and evils that thou fallest into: they shall judge thee.

Fifthly, they shall have no excuse from the times they live in. Alas (saith one) I live in wretched times, all the world is given to sinne. Therefore if I should be so strict and precise in my wayes, if I should run after Sermons, pray, sing Psalmes &c. all the world would be against me. There are no Professors of religion but are reproached and miscalled I should lose all my friends, I should be hated and opposed; yea, it may be (the time beeing such I should be accu­sed to Councels, and have my life questioned; there is nothing but disgrace and reproach and persecution; wherefore I was afraid, and did dispense with my conscience. Ah wretch! that man that lived in those wicked times in the same town with thee that had the same hatred and reproach that thou wast afraid of, that hath [Page 168] endured all the rebukes of Christ that thou wast ashamed of, yet he went on, and continued unto the end; he shall judge thee.

Vse 3 The use is for the just reproof of many of the Saints of God, because they are not so circum­spect and watchfull over their wayes, as they ought. Dost thou judge others (saith the Apostle) and yet dost the same things thy selfe? Rom. 2.2. So may I say to all such, Will you give way to sinne? will you suffer your lusts and corrupti­ons to sway you, and not endeavour to root out or kill them rather? How wilt thou then judge the world? How wilt thou then be able to rise up in judgement against the wicked, to judge them for such sinnes wherein thou allowest and livest thy selfe? Surely God will never account thee for a Saint, if he cannot judge the world by thee. Oh this should rent the heart and bowels of those that go for Christians, that go for Saints, yet live not as the Saints should live. If God cannot take thee, and judge the world by thee; if he cannot take thy life, and judge the life of all Pagans, Infidels, all luke-warm earth­ly, and secure sinners, he will not account thee for a Saint. This then first condemnes all unho­linesse in the lives of them that be Saints. Belo­ved, if we did but live like the Saints of God in holinesse and purity in the wayes of God, the Lord would put such splendor and glory upon us, that would even daunt the very face of our e­nemies, and make them stand amazed at Saints. But it is the contrary with us, the glory of God [Page 169] is departed from us, Spain, France, and other Nations fear us not: Why? The righteousnesse and purity of Religion is departed from us. For you shall have a Saint come into the com­pany of a wicked man, and yet the swearer will not be afraid to swear before him: the drun­kard will not be afraid to bee drunk before him: the filthy speaker will not be afraid to utter rot­ten speeches before him: the lier will not be a­fraid to lie before him: the worldly man will not be afraid to discover his vanities before him by his carnall and filthy conference. Beloved, all this is, because the Saints have lost their glo­ry; if they did live as Saints ought to live, the wicked would tremble to work wickednesse before them. Though a wicked man be a drun­kard, and abuse the good creatures of God when no Saint is in his company, yet if a Saint were present, he would tremble, and not dare to do it. Though he were a swearer, a filthy tal­ker, a vain worldling amongst his companions; yet if he come in the Saints company, and the Saints stand in Gods counsell, then would the wicked tremble and quake to do such things: then would they lick in their tongues, and not dare to speak such blasphemous oathes, such vain and unprofitable words, filthie lies and flanders. It is said of those that gladly received the Apostles words, and were added to the Church, that the fear of them came upon the world, Acts 2.41. What, did the Disciples go with swords and guns, &c. to keep men in awe there­by? [Page 170] No, they continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship, and did live according thereto, and this made all the world afraid of them.

Secondly, this condemnes the little difference that is betwixt the wicked of the world, and some Sainis in their lives and manners: Be­loved, is there so little difference between the Judge and the prisoners, that any one need to come and say, I pray you Sir, shew me which is the Judge, and which is the malefactor? Is there not a plaine difference both in the apparell and carriage? The one is in rich apparell, and the other in stinking and filthy cloathes, having his hands manicled, or his legges chained. But it is to be feared, that many of the Saints have negle­cted holinesse and purity in their carriage and actions which they performe, that one can hard­ly tell which is a Saint, and which is a reprobate. If a man deale with a Saint, and deale with a wicked man, he seeth no difference between them. Let a Saint do any action, either pray, hear, or conferre, let a wicked man do the like, there is such deadnes, such carnality, such world­ly-mindednesse, such luke-warmnesse of affe­ction, that one can hardly tell which is the Saint and which is the hypocrite. Beloved, if the Saints did live like Saints, there would be as plaine a difference between a Saint and a wicked man, in their lives and behaviour, as is hetwixt the Judge and the Rogue that is to be judged by him. Hast thou not con [...]dered my servant Iob▪ (saith God) how that there is none like him in all the [Page 171] earth? Iob 1.4.8. If a man come to be a Saint indeed, there is never a wicked man in the Town and Countrey, that lives and doth as he doth, and walks as he walks, nor prayes as he prayes, nor hears the word as he hears it, nor that con­ferres or meditates as he doth, that beleeves and repents as he doth, that strives against his lusts as he doth: there is none like him in all the world.

Thirdly, it condemnes the scandalousnesse of many Professors in their behaviours and actions. Oh how do wicked men insult and exclaim here­upon, to see a Professor led away and overcome by some lust! What (say they) are these they that are led by the Spirit of God? Are these your devout men? why, they can covet and scrape as well as others; they can cousen and lie as well as others. I, those that are your great Professors, and hot spurres, they are as covetous, as world­ly, as cruell as others, though they will not be drunk, nor swear, yet they will cousen and lie, as well as others. The consideration whereof made the Prophets heart to bleed in him, and to pray, Oh purge me from my murder and adulte­ry, and all other my secret sinnes, lest I cast mire and dirt in the faces of thy children, causing them to beare the reproaches of my sinnes. Oh let not those that seeke thee, be ashamed for my sake, Psal. 69. For thy sake that livest scandalously and offensively, for thy sake that livest cove­tously and scraping after the world, that art so unjust in thy dealings and promises, mire and [Page 172] dirt, scandals and reproaches are cast upon the children. For thy loosenesse, yea for thy carnall liberty it is that the true professors of Religion are reproached, suspected, and hardly censured in the world. What did Jacob when he was to walk with the people of the Land? Gen. 35.5.6. he purged his house, and (saith the text) the terror of God was upon all the Cities, hee made them all to tremble at him. I tell you, all the wicked in Ashford would tremble at the Professors that live therein, if they did live and carry themselves like Saints indeed. Oh if all those that did professe themselves to be Christians, were Christians in­deed; and that professe themselves to be Saints, were Saints indeed, living in the power and san­ctification of holinesse; then men would say of themselves, of a truth God is in these men, Christ dwels in them, and the Spirit of God leads and governs them indeed. If thou wouldst judge the world, take heed so as the world judgeth thee, and so thou with the world be condemned eter­nally. It is said that Herod feared John, because he [...] was a just man, Mark 6.23. So if all thy neigh­bours did know that thou wert a just man, a ho­ly and conscionable man in all thy wayes, and in all thy actions, and that cannot indure swearing, lying, and deceit; but did see that thou wast just, and one that feared God truly, they would all fear thee.

A SERMON OF M ^r. WILLIAM FENNERS Upon this ensuing Text.

THE Apostle in this Chapter tax­eth two abuses which were then amongst the Corinthians: First, the unseemly habit of women in the Congregation, from the first ver. to the 17. Secondly, the pro­phane usage of the holy Communion, both of men and women, from the 17. verse to the end of the Chapter: And herein, from the 23. verse to the end of the 25. he sets down the Institution of the Lords Supper; and thence raised a point of Doctrine.

Doct. 1 That whosoever would come to this holy Com­munion, they must examine themselves, that so they [Page 176] may come worthily; else it were better that they never came.

So we read in the 28. verse; But let a man ex­amine himself, and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup: As if the Apostle had said, Un­lesse a man examine himself, and search his own heart, and find out his sinnes, and dive into the secrets of his soul, to bring out his hidden cor­ruptions, confessing them and judging himselfe for them before the Lord, let him never presume to come unto this holy Sacrament.

And then he proves it by three Reasons.

Reas. 1 The first is taken from the end of the Sacra­ment; for it is the remembrance of the death and passion of Christ: so it is in the 26. verse, So oft as you eate of this Bread and Drink of this Cup, you show forth the Lords death till he come. It is a reason that the men of this world are not acquainted withall, and therefore it was a good wish of a Reverend Father, that the Sacrament should never be ministred, but there should be a Sermon, to teach men the nature of it, and to in­struct them in the Mystery thereof. Wee ap­proach unto the Sacrament hand over head, li­ving in our sinnes, not showing by our coming, that Christ is dead; we say, and we professe that Christ died for our sinnes, and yet notwithstan­ing our sinnes live in us, as if Christ had not di­ed for us, or as if we would proclaime, that his death hath had no effect in us. For were we dead with Christ, then sin and the living occasions of sinne, would be dead in us also. My Beloved, we [Page 177] should never come to this Sacrament, but we should shew forth the Lords death thereby, that is, that Christ is dead (or, rather died) for sinne, and that sinne is also dead in us.

Reas. 2 The second reason is taken from the damned wrong wee offer unto Christ, if we come in our sinnes, for we are guilty of the body and bloud of Christ, as it is in the 27. verse; nay, thou sinnest against the Lord Jesus Christ not a jot lesse, then Pilat that condemned him, then Judas that be­trayed him, and the Jewes that cryed out, Crucifie him, crucifie him; yea, thou art as much guilty, as if thy own hand in thy own person had been im­brued in his bloud. Now we know it is a horri­ble sin to be guilty of the bloud and murther of an ordinary man, yea of a very rogue; how much more is it a great and fearfull sin to be guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord Iesus Christ, the onely and etrnall Son of God? yet comest thou to this holy Communion, and bring­est no lesse then the guilt of the body and bloud of Christ upon thy soule?

Reas. 3 The third Reason is taken from the wofull wrong and injury that man brings upon his own soule, that comes unpreparedly without exami­nation of himself; in the 20. verse, he eateth and drinketh his own damnation; that is, he maketh him selfe guilty of, and liable to the same vengeance that the crucifiers of Christ had inflicted on them Good had it been for that man (saith Christ of Ju­das) if that he had never been born: So may I say, Good had it been for that man and that wo­man, [Page 178] if they had never been born, who come un­worthily unto rhe Table of the Lord; for when they eat of that Bread they eate their owne bane; and when they drink of that Cup, they drink their own damnation.

Vse. 1 Then cometh he to make some uses of this point; and first he condemns those that as they come, so they goe away from the Sacrament; no more holy, no more gracious then before; but as they come in their sins, so they goe away in their sins; they came drunkards, and they goe away drunkards; they came worldlings, and they goe away worldlings; they came mockers, and they goe away mockers: they came in theit wrath, anger, malice, deadnesse, hypocrisie, and luke-warmnesse and so they go away, still never the better, but living in them as they did before: As in the 17. verse. You come together (saith the Apostle) not for the better, but for the worse: Whereas if they would have come worthily, they should have gone away the better, they should have received more grace and holinesse [...]o walk with God, more power and strength against sin, and corruption; yea, the Lord would have ratified and confirmed his Covenant with them; whereas living in contention, and not coming with preparation, they grow the worse by the Sacrament. The Corinthians thought that the Apostle would have praised them for their coming to Church, and receiving the Sacrament: Shall I praise you? in this (saith the Apostle) I praise you not,

[Page 179] Vse. 2 Secondly,He makes an use of terror against all those that dare come in their sinnes unto this holy Sacrament of the Lord; for that man that commeth in his sinnes unto the Table of the Lord, 1. though he may think he receives the com­munion, yet he doth not: for this is not the Table of the Lord, but the Table of Devils. It is true, thou receivest the Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ; hut yet comming in thy sinnes, thou receivest not his body and bloud, as of a Sa­viour to save thee from thy sinnes: Indeed thou receivest the body and bloud of Christ sacramen­tally; but it is as the Iudge to condemne thee unto the pit of destruction, for thy damned Im­pudency in coming so unworthily unto this holy Sacrament. For that man cannot eate the body of Christ, that is not a member of Christ; there­fore thou must be a limbe of Christ, if ever thou wilt receive worthily.

2. If a man come unto the Sacrament, and come in his sinnes, he cometh to his own destru­ction: for though it be a sweet banquet for to refresh an humble and weary soule, and to make it walk more cheerfully in the wayes of God all the dayes of his life: yet he that commeth unto it in his sinnes, and receiveth it in his unclean­nesse, speedeth thereby his own damnation, and receiveth it as his viaticum to hell. The Apostle compares Baptisme to the red Sea, 1. Cor. 10. from which place Chrysostome saith, that as the red Sea was a way for the Israelites to passe through to Canaan, so it was as a grave to [Page 180] swallow up the Egyptians to their destruction: So the Lords Supper is as a grave or open pit whereby many plunge themselves into eternall destruction but as a chariot to the godly to carry them to heaven.

Vse. 3 Thirdly, by comming in thy sinnes, thou ma­kest thy self liable to Gods temporary plagues and judgements; as appeares in my Text, For this cause many are sick and weak among you, and ma­ny are fallen asleep, [For this cause] which is not one [...]y a note of conclusion, but of the cause: For this cause, namely, because they examine not themselves, but come in their sinnes and receive it unworthily. One man hath a disease in his bo­dy, that he liveth not out halfe his dayes; ano­ther sick and weak neer unto death; a third is fallen asleep. Wherefore? why (saith the A­postle) for this cause of receiving unworthily the Sacrament of the Lords Supper.

Vse. 4 Fourthly, for instruction, that because the people of God as well as wicked men, are guil­ty of unworthy comming to the Lords Table, therefore he exhorts them, that if they would not have the Lord judge them, that they would judge themselves, as in the 31. verse. For if wee would judge ourselves, we should not be judged of the Lord. If we would sit down and search our own hearts and trie our own spirits, and pry into our bosomes, and out with our old cor­ruptions, and unclean lusts and enter into a new covenant with God, of holy walking before him for after time, if we would thus judge and [Page 181] condemne our selves, and mortifie our sinnes, comming with grace un [...]o this holy banquet, then we might come with comfort unto this blessed Sacrament, assuring our selves that wee shall escape the judgment of the Lord. For those of the Corinthians whom God struck with sick­nesse, weaknesse, and death, it was to instruct o­thers that are well and in health, that they ven­ture not to enter upon these holy mysteries with unholy hearts, and unclean hands.

Vse. 5 Fifthly, he concludeth with a use of exhorta­tion in the 33. and 34. verses: Wherefore bre­thren, when ye come together to partake of the holy Communion, tarry one for another: As if he should have said, Away with all your disorders, and come not with a temporall, but with a spiritual appetite; provide not thy teeth, but thy heart for these dainties: for this is not a feast for the body, but for the soul therfore away with all your dis­orders and unseemly coming unto thi [...] blessed Sa­crament, take heed and repent of this sin among you, and of all other sins which you know your own consciences to be guilty of and so come un­to this holy communion.

Now, the verse that I have read to you, is a part of that use of terror which the Apostle makes a­gainst the unworthy receivers of the Sacrament; and it contains Gods severe hand and judgment against those that come unworthily: wherein note three things,

• First, the cause of their punishment, which is the unworthy eating of the Communion: For [Page 182] this cause many are sick and weak among you and many are fallen asleep,
• 2 Secondly, the punishment inflicted for this sinne, weaknesse, sicknesse, and mortality: For it seems (saith Peter Martyr) that the Lord sent a sore plague and pestilence among them for to revenge himself of them for their abuse of the Sacrament for this cause.
• 3 Thirdly, there is the delinquents, which are you Corinthians: Many are sick and weak among you, and in them all others that come unprepa­redly to the Sacrament.

Chrysostome notes here, that our Apostle doth not fetch here an Argument or example of judg­ment from others, as he had done in the former chapter, but he brings it from themselves, who sensibly felt the wrath of God upon them for this very sinne: As if the Apostle should have said How is it, O Corinthians, that you dare venture to come unto the Communion so unprepared­ly, and that you have no more regard of so weighty businesse as is the receiving of the bo­dy and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ? See you not the wrath of God upon your dwellings, and the curse of heaven to take hold of your towne? you see it this very time, that some are weak and very sick amongst you▪ neer unto death, and o­thers have been struck with death before your eyes, and the wrath of God is not removed, but lies yet upon you: What will you alwayes goe on, and never cease to provoke the Lord to in­dignation and wrath against you for your sinnes, [Page 183] untill his jealousie hath utterly consumed you, and clean cut you off? And howsoever many of you may think that this sicknesse, weaknesse, and mortality comes upon you by chance, as from the infection of the aire, or other secondary cau­ses, I tell you nay, but it is for this cause onely, even your unworthy comming to the Supper of the Lord. Whence we may observe this point of instruction:

Doct. 2 That God doth most severely punish the un­worthy receivers of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper.

He punished the Corinthians here with sick­nesse, weaknesse, feavers▪ pestilence, death tem­poral, and God knows how many with death eternal. Theodoret observes, that the Apostle told them of a thing that was acted amongst them, for if he had told them of such judge­ments as had been hid from them, and not mani­fest before their eyes, as if they had not felt the sicknesse in their bodies, and heard the bels tol­ling daily in their ears, they might have thought that the Apostle had but lied unto them. So the people of Israel, as we may read in 1 Cor. 1.2.3. verses, they were baptized in the Cloud and in the Sea, and they did all eat the same spirituall meat and drink the same spirituall drink; yet as it is in the fifth verse, with many of them God was not well pleased. Nay, God was so wroth with them, that within the space of fourty yeares, many thou­sands of them were destroyed by death here and God knoweth how many thousands of them in [Page 184] hell. For God speaketh of hell, as well as of death; and their sin was so great, that it made God con­firme it with an oath, that they should never enter into his rest. And Saint Cyprian saith, that the Lord hath shewed many miracles, and declared many fearfull judgements upon the unworthy re­ceivers of the Sacrament.

Judas, who Ambrose thought received the Sa­crament (though Hilary and others that hee did not, but only that he did eate the Passeover, and was coming to this Sacrament also) but see his doome, John 13. as soon as ever he received the sop, the Devill entred into him; and so it is with all such as come to the Communion in their sinnes without repentance, and unfained resolution of walking ever after worthy of the Sacrament; I say unto all and every one of them, that as soone as ever thou receivest the Bread and Wine into thy mouth, thou receivest the Devil together with it; as soon as ever it goeth down into thy body, the Devill goeth after it, and taketh more full possession of thy heart and soul.

Reas;. 1 Now the reason why the Lord doth so severe­ly punish both with temporall judgements, and with spirituall curses, the unworthy receivers of the Sacrament, is, in regard of the author of the Sacrament, who is Christ: and that not one­ly as he was man, (as the Papists would make us beleeve) but Christ as he was God did institute the same. So saith the Apostle in the 23. verse, The Lord Jesus Christ in the same night that he was betrayed, [...]ok bread and brake it, when he had given [Page 185] thanks, and said, Take yee, and eate yee, for this is my body which is broken for you. Now if the Lord Jesus did institute it, what a cursed thing is it for any to defile it, and so sin against Christ? It is a damnable thing to sinne against God; but to sin against God, as he is God in Christ, is damnably damnable. The holy Ghost in the second Psalm exhorts to kisse the Sonne lest he be angry, and so thou perish: As if he should say, Adore the Sonne, A­dore the Lord Iesus Christ, and so come and eat of this Bread, and drink of this Cup: for if he be angry, thou wilt surely perish; and if thou sin against God, and so go out of the way, Christ upon thy repentance will set thee in again; but if thou sinnest against God in Christ, who is the Way, the Life, and the Truth, thou shalt surely perish from the right way: for there is no other way for to bring thee in again, Acts 4.12. There­fore wofull is thy case, and miserable is thy con­dition if thou sinnest against Christ, prophaning his holy ordinances which he himself hath insti­tuted, and abusest and despisest that blessed Spi­rit of his, that comes to seale unto thee the re­demption that he hath purchased by his bloud. Better had it been for thee that thou hadst never been born: for if he be wroth, blessed only are all they that put their trust in him, and come preparedly, unto his holy Ordinance, and that by faith em­brace the Lord Iesus Christ. But woe unto all prophane persons that live in their sinnes: if his wrath be but a little kindled, then woe to all drunkards, swearers, and uncleane persons; but [Page 186] blessed is that man that is come out of his sinnes. For if his wrath be so terrible when it is but a little kindled, O how much more fearfull will it be when it is deeply incensed! Therefore if thou comest unto this holy Sacrament in thy sinnes, without due preparation and examination, what doest thou but even set the wrath of God burn­ing upon thy soul and body from the very bot­tome of hell?

When the Lord Delivered the Law upon Mount Sinai, he commanded the people to san­ctifie themselves; yea if a beast did but touch the mountain, he must die for the same, even be sto­ned to death, or thrust through with a dart, Heb. 12. Much more then now, when the Lord doth deliver the Gospel, especially the ground­work and master-peece thereof, the Lord Jesus Christ, and that in the most blessedest manner that ever God exhibited himselfe unto man; how much more doth God require purity and holi­nesse, that all such as come to receive the Lord Jesus Christ in the blessed Sacrament, should be sanctified, purging their hearts, and cleansing souls from all their sin and uncleannesse? Should not a beast touch the mountaine where God did appeare, and darest thou touch the body of Christ, and drink his blessed bloud in thy sinnes? The very Angels of heaven will curse thee, and the clouds of heaven will poure down showres of vengeance upon thee: for God hath more se­vere punishments to inflict upon sinners under the Gospel, then he used under the Law, [Page 187] though then he struck them with more visible and sensible plagues and judgements then ordi­narily he bringeth upon men now: as Gebezi for his covetousnesse was strucken with leprosie; Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up quick for their rebellion against the Lord: Er and Onan were strucken dead for their wickednesse: Jeroboam had his hand withered for stretching of it forth to strike the Lords Prophet. And though the Lord bring not such sensible punishments now as he did then, ye he knowes how to punish the world a thousand times more then he did then, at this time. As a father hath other kinds of pu­nishments for his sonne, when he is grown up, then he had when he was in coates, and but a child; then a twigge or two would serve the turne; but if he comes to mans estate, and then rebell against his father, it may be that he will disinherit him, and cast him out of his family: So in former time God did scourge and whip his people when they sinned against him; but now he hath drawn out his Church to this age, even to the age of the Gospel, he hath severer strokes of plagues and curses, wherewith to confound all prophane and impenitent sinners, that dare to abuse that blessed Sacrament of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The second Reason is, in regard of the matter of the Sacrament, which is Christ also; who as he was the efficient cause, so in regard of Sacra­mentall relation, he is the matter of the Com­munion, [Page 188] 1 Cor. 10.16. The Cup of blessing which we blesse, is it not the Communion of the bloud of Christ? and the bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? Now the better matter any thing is of, the more heynous is the defilement of it: A master will not be so angry for casting his earthen vessels into the mire, as he will be for casting his rich jewels. The Bread and Wine in the Sacrament, are the blessed Communion of the precious body and bloud of Christ, and darest thou to defile them? Knowest thou not that thou dost greatly increase the wrath of the Lord against thy soule thereby? That soule whatever it was from Dan to Beershe­ba, that came in his uncleannesse to partake of a­ny of those holy things which the children of Is­rael hallowed to the Lord, whether he were man or woman, rich or poore, that person was to be cut off from the presence of the Lord, Levit. 12. whereto the Lord sets his seale for the con­firmation thereof (I am the Lord:) And as sure as I am the Lord, so will I see it accomplished. So my beloved, let me say unto you of England, from Dover to Newcastle, or from the o [...]e end of the town unto the other, that soul who toucheth any of these holy things with an impure heart, and cometh to partake of them with his un­cleannesse upon him, living in his sinnes, and wallowing in his lusts, casting off the feare of the Lord, and making no conscience to walk in Gods wayes, that soule shall surely be cut off that cometh so unworthily unto the Table of [Page 189] the Lord; not only the hand that taketh it, and the mouth that eateth it, but even the very soul of him that so cometh, shall perish from the presence of the Lord. So Levit. 7.20. That soule that eateth of the flesh of the Sacrifices of peace offe­rings that pertaine unto the Lord, having his un­cleannesse upon him, even that soule shall be cut off from his people. Now you know that all those sacrifices had relation unto Christ; but yet under the Law they were but shadowes, and typicall relations, and were not so lively and effectuall means for the exhibiting of Christ, as the Lords Supper, is: And therefore if such as came in their uncleannesse unto them, were punished with no lesse punishment then a cutting off from the fel­lowship with the Lords people; what wrath and vengeance will the Lord bring upon thee that comest with thy uncleannes upon thee unto this holy communion? Augustine saith, that man that receiveth the Sacrament unworthily, receiveth a greater plague to his own soule, and a greater torment to his own conscience, yea and heapeth up a store of wrath unto himself against the day of wrath. Reas;. 4 Me thinkes thou that livest in thy sinnes, and wilt not come out of them, when thou hearest these words [This is my body] and seest the bread broken before thy face, it should even make thee tremble and quake for to look upon it, more for to touch it, and most of all for to tast it: for it is the Communi­on of the body and bloud of Christ; and how darest thou come in thy sins for to defile it?

[Page 190] Reas;. 3 A third Reason is, in regard of the forme of the Sacrament, which is Christ too, for as he is the efficient cause that instituted it, and as he is also the matter of the Sacrament, so in the third place Christ is the forme of the Sacrament also, wherein the confirming grace of God is sealed up unto thee. Now as it is treason for a man to offer contempt unto the Kings broad Seale; so certainly is it high treason against this King of Kings, to contemne this blessed Sa­crament, which is the Seale of the righteous­nesse of faith. If thou shouldst clip the Kings Coine, I will say that thou art a Traytor. Oh what a traitor art thou then, yea, an accursed trai­tor in the account of God and Christ, if thou clippest his holy Communion, if thou clip it of thy examination, and due preparation, and so come hand over head, not regarding so holy an Ordinance! Thou sinnest against the Court of heaven. That which Saint James speaks in generall of the whole worship of God [Draw neere unto God] let me apply it in particular un­to this drawing neere unto God in this holy Communion, James 4.8. Cleanse your hands yee sinners, and purifie your hearts yee double minded: Draw neer unto God in the hearing, reading and meditating on Gods word; draw neer unto God in prayer, and in this holy Sacrament, and receive it for your amendment of life. [Draw neere to God] I, that I will, (saith the wicked man) I will come to Church, & draw neer unto the holy Communion. Will you so? (saith the [Page 191] Apostle:) No, first, Cleanse your hands yee sinners, and purge your hearts yee double-minded: As if hee should say, never think of drawing neer unto God, or setting foot on this holy ground, and handling those holy mysteries of Christ, unlesse thou first purge thy heart, and cleanse thy soule from all thy filthy lusts and cursed corruptions, lest otherwise thou coming in thy sinnes with thy uncleannesse on thee, and so receiving un­worthily, thou eatest and drinkest thine owne damnation, (as our English translation hath it) damnation to thy selfe, and not to another. No, God forbid, that thou shouldest by thy unwor­thy coming, eate and drink condemnation to another, for thou that art a child of God, and comest unto the Table of the Lord with repen­tance, and a sound measure of preparation, though others that sit in the same pew with thee, for their prophanesse eate and drink their own dam­nation, yet thou shalt be sure to receive the seale and assurance of thy reconciliation and salvation, with free acceptance of God, through the Lord Jesus Christ; for every man shall bear his owne burden.

Reas;. 4 The last Reason is, in regard of the end of the Sacrament, which is Christ also: For as he is the efficient, materiall, and formall cause, so Christ is also the finall cause of the Sacrament: So it is in the 26. verse, As oft as you eate of this Bread, and drink of this Cup, you shew forth the Lords death untill he come. Not that Christ may be ea­ten with the teeth, or corporally received in the [Page 192] Sacrament, or as if he were there productively, or transubstantially, (as the Papists say); no, the Apostle shewes, that the end of the celebrati­on of this Sacrament, is for to shew forth the death of Christ untill he come.

Object. I, but (say the Romists) unlesse we eate the body, and drink the blood of Christ really, and not the cons [...]crated bread and wine, how can a­ny man by this unworthy communicating, eate and drink his own damnation, and make himself guilty of the body and bloud of Christ.

Answ. I answer, a man cannot bring this guilt up­on himself by eating a peece of bread, or drink­ing a cup of wine; but the Apostle hath an an­swer so fitted for this, as that all the Papists in the world shall never be able to gainsay; and therefore I pray you to mark it: for he hath joy­ned these two verses together; As oft as you eate of this bread, and drink of this cup, you shew forth the Lords death till hee come: Wherefore whosoever eateth this bread or drinketh this cup of the Lord un­worthily, shall be guilty of the body and bloud of the Lord; even for this cause, because it is the shewing forth of Christs death till hee come. Therefore if thou eatest and drinkest unworthi­ly, comming in thy sinnes, and resolvest to goe on in them, that as thou wert proud before thou camest to the Sacrament, so thou art still; as thou wert cholerick, angry, and impatient before, so thou art still▪ as thou wert luke-warme and dead-hearted in Gods service before, so thou remain [...]st sti [...]l, remember I pray thee, that [Page 193] as oft as thou hast come unto the communion in those thy sinnes, thou hast made thy self guilty of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Therfore I beseech you to look to it, and in time to repent, and pray with the Prophet David, Ps. 51. Deliver me from blood-guiltinesse, O Lord, even from the blood of thy Sonne, left one day it bee laid unto thy charge, and required straitly at thy hands. For, for this cause many are sick among you, and many weak.

Vse. 1 Is it so then, that the Lord doth so severely punish the unworthy receivers of the Sacrament? Take notice (I pray you) then from whence commeth all sicknesse, weaknesse, and mortality, and the reason why the Lord doth send so many kind of sorrowes, crosses, and miseries upon men; namely, because of the un­worthy receiving of the Lords Supper. So saith Mr. Calvin, why doe you wonder to see such warres, and rumours of warres, that there is so many bloodsheds, so many Townes and Cities ruinated, and so many Countries sacked and de­populated, so many calamities come upon the Churches abroad, & so many plagues and scour­ges to over-run Christendome at this day, is not the cause plain enough? men come unto the Table of the Lord carelesly and unworthily. And, beloved, we shall never see the Lord take away his judgements here from the earth, untill we betake our selvs to a more diligent and holy receiving of the Sacrament. For this very cause there are so many strange diseases amongst us, [Page 194] never formerly known or heard of untill these dayes, as the French Pox, the English Sweat, (as they call it) that even the Physitians, themselves are blunted at them; and (as Peter Martyr well observes) hence are all diseases, as plagues, pe­stilences, (which were late amongst us) drop­sies, bloody Flux, Agues, Apoplexies, Convul­sies, burning Feavers, and impostumes, &c. and all for this cause. One man hath fallen into a Feaver, and we wonder at the cause whence he took it; but in truth the communion hath cast him into his Feaver, and the Lord will avenge himself on him for the same. Another is sick, and he thinkes that a cold hath brought it upon him; but it is the unworthy receiving of the Sacrament that is truely the cause of it. A third man dieth before his time, even in his full strength, before in the course of nature he hath ended halfe his dayes; but the cause is unwor­thy comming to the Communion, which hath taken hold of him, and cut off the thread of his life.

Many there be that expound these words in a spirituall sense, Many are sick and weak, and many are fallen asleep, that is to say, many have their consciences seared, and their hearts hard­ned, &c. and this is true also, that because men come unpreparedly, they have their hearts har­dened, and their consciences seared, and their soules plagued with many spirituall plagues. But it is as true also in temporall judgements, thou hast had many afflictions, and much sickness [Page 195] laid upon thee; but thank thy self for it; name­ly, because thou hast come unworthily unto the communion, thou hast had much weaknesse in thy body, which hath cost thee much mony, and weakned thy estate; but thy unholy comming unto the Sacrament, is that which thou mayest thank for it. Thou hast been reproached and con­temned, and endured much shame; but take no­tice of it, that it proceeds from the fore-going cause, and that is a speciall reason why the Lord hath brought these and many other evils upon thee. Thou canst say the commandements (for the most part) by rote; but thou didst never know the mystery of this one commandement, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: Beloved: the Communion is one of Gods own names, and how many thousands are there in the world that take this name of God in vain? Is there never a drunkard here in this congrega­tion, that hath been at the Sacrament? Is there never a whoremonger, never a covetous world­ling? Where is the man, whosoever hee bee a­mongst you all, that is such a one? He is in the state of damnation. Is there never a luke-warm and carnall Christian, that contents himself with a formall worship, and a dead performance of holy duties, that hath no zeal for God, nor cou­rage for his truth, but is carelesse of all Gods commandements? whosoever amongst you are guilty of these sins, or any other, and hath come unto this holy Communion in them, they are the persons, that how oft soever they have received, [Page 196] so oft they have taken this name of the Lord in vain: And if I should examine this Congrega­tion from the one end of it unto the other, I fear that every pew would yeeld some one, If not many that have taken a Cōmunion (which is one of Gods names) in vain. Should I but examine thee that comest unto the Communion this day, how by the last Sacrament thou receivedst, and the last Sermon thou hast heard, thy faith is strengthened, thy repentance renewed, and thy obedience is increased, and thy care doubled for to walk with God? whether thou art made by them more zealous for God, more forward in his worship and service, and every day more ho­ly and heavenly minded; if not, then thou hast taken this Name of the Lord thy God in vain, and the Lord will not hold thee guiltlesse, that is, the Lord will not take away the guilt from thy con­science, but he will let thy sinne lie open, and thou shalt not be cleansed from it nor justified by the very blood of Jesus Christ, but it shall rest upon thee to thy utter ruine and destruction, un­lesse thou forsake thy sinnes, and so come prepa­redly unto this holy Table and banquet. I know here is a covenant of grace, a sweet refreshing for every humbled soul that is hungry & broken for his sinnes and for every poore distressed conscience: let all such come and lay their sinnes upon Christs crosse and welcome: But if there be any that come in their sinnes, and will not re­forme their live [...], but be as they came sinners, so they mean for to continue, the Lord himselfe [Page 197] will lay this mans sinnes upon his own head, and they shall never be taken away from him but Christ shall at the day of judgement pronounce him a guilty person, to his eternall condem­nation.

King Belshazzar that abused but the holy ves­sels of the Temple, and the Cups thereof, what a dismall plague befell him for it? Dan. 5.27.28. God hath numbred thy Kingdome and finished it, thou art weighed in the ballance, and art found too light, thy Kingdome is departed from thee, and is gi­ven to the Medes and Persians. So (beloved bre­thren) if any of you shall abuse this Cup of the Lord comming to it with a filthy unclean heart, and polluted conscience, and earthly affections, there is a hand-writing against every soule that thus commeth this day unto the Table of the Lord: thou art numbred and weighed and found too light: thou, O man, and woman, whosoever thou art that prophanest and contemnest these holy things of God, thou shalt be found out, and the Lord will keep thee out by his spirituall plagues, and thy sinne shall never be done a­way, but be required at thy hands, and stand in everlasting record against thee; O my brethren, that you would but seriously consider of it, and look about you, it being so weighty a thing that so neerly concernes every one of you.

But I would not have any poor broken heart and humble soul to mistake me, and so-thereby be discouraged: but give me leave (I pray you) for to use the words of the Brophet, though spo­ken [Page 198] in another sense, Psal. 115. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name give the glory: So let me apply this doctrine unto the comfort of all poore broken hearted sinners, and beat off all carnall prophane wretches that live in their sinnes; not unto you, O drunkards, and swag­gerers, not unto you whoremasters and unclean persons, that wallow in ungodlinesse, I say not unto you, but unto the poor afflicted soul and con­trite spirit that lieth bleeding and gasping under the weight of his sin, and that trembles and fears being opprest with the sense of its own unwor­thinesse, panting and breathing after Christ Je­sus, and suing earnestly unto the Throne of grace for mercie and forgivenesse: unto thee on­ly belongs this comfort, and therefore take it home to thee, and know it for thy selfe. Art thou troubled with a hard heart, and an unbe­leeving soule, and art even wearied and tired out with thy many sinnes and infirmities? Come thou with comfort unto this holy Communion: for thou shalt be sure to finde saying good by it; to thee it shall be a spirituall medicine to heale all thy diseases, and to cure all thy strong and prevailing corruptions; and if thou come unto this holy Table of the Lord, it shall make thee as it is recorded of Saint Laurence, able to suffer Martyrdome, and to get victory over all thy un­ruly affections; yea at last thou shalt tread Satan thy arch-enemy under thy feet. Therefore be not dismaied: for the Lord Jesus invites thee to come. What if thy infirmities be many, yet [Page 199] the mercies of God, which he tenders to thee in this Communion, are many more. Samson who was the strongest Souldier and Champion in his time that was in Israel to overcome the Philistims, he yet began his strength in weak­nesse, being at the first overcome by a woman: So though the Lord intend to make thee a strong Christian, he will make thee to begin in weak­nesse to perfect thy power; to begin in sinne and misery, that he may make thee to end in glory. I know Gods children here may receive temporall punishments, and bring temporall scourges up­on themselves, as we may see amongst the Co­rinthians here, but it shall be for their good and amendment, namely, for their correction, and not for their ruine and destruction; that so being chastened by the Lord, they might not be con­demned with the world. Therefore if thou com­est carelesly and unprofitably, God will chastise thee with the rods of men, as he did Peter, who receiving the Sacrament with his Master over night, yet the next day thrice denied him; but God whipt his soule, and scourged his conscience for it, and beat him black and blew, so that he went out and wept bitterly: Nay, he could scarce wipe off that sinne, and recover himselfe again whilst he lived.

Wherefore let us take heed of unprepared coming to the Sacrament; for God will not hold such guiltlesse: Yea, if his own sonnes or daughters transgresse thereby; hee will make them to feele the smart of it. But now to come [Page 200] to all such as come month by month, hand over head, without any examination and repentance, in their uncleannesse and abomination, making no conscience of their reformation, let me tell them that it shall be one of Christs demands of them in the day of judgement. How oft hast thou been at my Table? How oft hast thou been par­takers of that holy Communion which I gave unto thee? Hast thou come preparedly, or re­ceived worthily, or no? Hast thou eate bread at my Table with me, and lift up thy heele a­gainst me? Did I command, and thou woudst not obey? Did I send my Ministers to thee to reform, but thou wouldst not be reformed? Did I check and reprove thee for thy pride, blasphe­mies, drunkennesse, covetousnesse, anger, wrath, malice, fornication, hyporcrisie and hrophanesse in the matter of my worship? and yet wouldst thou still live in these sinnes? Where are all the Sacraments that thou hast received? How hast thou behaved thy selfe? Where are the sinnes that thou hast forsaken, and pleasing corruptions that thou hast abhorred? What grace and holi­nesse hast thou received by the meanes thou hast enjoyed? and how hast thou manifested the same through thy whole conversation? Oh! woe, woe unto thee, yea and a world of woes unto thee, and unto all such as shall bee silent and speech­lesse to those or the like demands of Christ: for they cannot say they have come out of their sins, and have been reformed by the means of grace, and have received spirituall nourishment and [Page 201] refreshing from the heavenly banquet of the Communion of the body and bloud of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A man will especially regard the last words of a deare friend, who is as a mans soul, when he is to speak upon his death-bed, and will be care­full to remember them: and dost thou not more regard the last Will and Testament of our Lord Jesus Christ? We count it a horrible sinne to alter the last Will of a man that is dead. Beloved, the Lord Jesus, before he left this world, institu­ted this blessed Sacrament at his last Will and Testament, and hath given us a charge, that as we would not eate and drink our owne damnation by bringing the guilt of his body and bloud up­on our soules, so that we should discerne the Lords body, and not come unpreparedly in our sinnes and abominations, without reverence and respect of such holy and high mysteries, as if there were nothing to be received and looked for after, then the bare & naked element of bread and wine, or as if we did come to communicate with unclean Devils. O my brethren, if you had but faith, you would be able to discerne Christ in the Sacrament; and therefore when thou commest unto it, thou must prepare and sanctifie thy selfe for to communicate with him in those, holy Ordinances and heavenly mysteries of his most pretious body and bloud: For if so be that thou retainest thy sins, and so come unworthily unto this holy Table of the Lord, thou art a great covenant-breaker with God: For thou never [Page 202] comest unto the Communion, but thou makest and renewest thy covenant with God, wherein thou promisest thus much or the like in effect. Lord, I have been formerly a drunkard, but now I promise to give it over, and never to be a drunkard more; I have been a scoffer at Religi­on, and a mocker and derider of thy children; but now I faithfully promise (Lord) that I will ne­ver do so any more. I have been wicked and sinfull, disobeying and rebelling against all thy holy commandements, and respected not thy judgements and thy promises, and have beene carelesse of thy glory: But now (Lord) as I eate this bread, and drink this wine; so I covenant un­to thee, and promise to thee, that I will amend all my sinfull wayes, and become a reformed Christi­an. And as I ever look that the body and bloud of the Lord Jesus Christ represented in the elements, should nourish my soule unto eternall life: so I promise to be disobedient to the Devil, but faith­full and obedient unto thee. I will stop my ears against the alluring inchantments of the world, and wicked suggestions of the Devill; but I will open them wide to hearken to thy voyce, that I may obey thy commands. But now as thou hast made ir, so if thou hast broken this thy cove­nant with God, returning to thy former courses of sin and disobedience against him, know thou, that this covenant of thine which thou hast bro­ken, shall stand in full force against thee: for God will assuredly require it at thy hands: and all the Sacraments which thou hast received, [Page 203] thou hast received them but as so many seales and pledges of thy just deserved condemna­tion.

Object. But some man may object and say, Do all that come unworthily unto the Sacrament, eate and drink their own damnation? Then many hun­dreds, yea thousands are damned: Are all dam­ned that have eat and drunk unworthily?

Answ. Ans. No; but a man may eate and drink his own damnation three wayes: First, in regard of guilt and liablenesse unto Gods wrath: and so he that eateth and drinketh his naturall food, his dinner, supper, or breakfast in his sinnes, eateth and drinketh his own damnation: yea, whoso­ever thou art, that commest unto this holy ban­quet in thy sinnes, in thy pride, choler, malice, wrath or revenge, covetousnesse, hypocrisie, and deadnesse in Gods service, thou never eatest a bit of bread, but thou eatest and drinkest thine own damnation; that is, thou eatest and drink­est that which will witnesse against thee another day, Deut. 28.16, 17, 18, 19 verses, &c. If thou wilt not hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and doe all his commandements, then all these curses shall come upon thee & overtake thee: Cursed shalt thou be in the City, and cursed in the field, cur­sed shal be thy basket and thy store. Now if thy bread be cursed, then thou also art cursed that eatest it

Secondly, in regard of the seale and obligation in the conscience; so he that eateth and drinketh the Sacrament in his sins, eateth and drinketh his own damnation; that is, he eates and drinks [Page 204] that which seals up his damnation against the great day of account. And thus many amongst us, and I feare the most part of this Congregati­on, have eate and drunk their own damnation. But this seale may be broken off, and God grant it may.

Thirdly, in regard of sigillation in heaven; and so he that eats and drinks unworthily, and will not be reformed; he that receives the Sacra­ment time after time, but still retains his sins, and will not be humbled for them, not forsake them, he setteth a seale in heaven upon his own damna­tion, that all the whole world can never break off, but such a one most certainly is a damned creature.

And now (my brethren) God forbid there should be any such here, but that this seale may bee broken off: And O that God would put some strength into this word, that it may be bro­ken off by your godly sorrow for your sin, and forsaking of them all: for if this seale be set on your damnation, why do I yet speak unto you, and intreat and beseech you in the name of Christ to come home and be reconciled to him? and I desire to stand here, as Jehoiadah set Porters at the gates of the City, and of the house of the Lord, to keep off all those that come in their uncleannesse, 2 Chron. 23.19. So I stand this day as the Porter of the Lord, to keep the Lords watch, that no prophane wretch, no proud hear­ted sinner, that means not to enter into a new course of life, that no such one come unto this [Page 205] holy communion. I charge that as you will an­swer the guilt of Christs bloud before Gods Throne, that thou meddle not with it. But now if there should be any that would absent himselfe because he will the more freely go on in his sins, let him know that such a one excludes himselfe from the benefits and merits of Christs death, and shall never have the benefit of a Redeemer at the day of judgement; but shall perish in his sins for his carelesse neglect and fearfull contempt of so effectuall and powerfull means of salvation and purging, as is the bloud of Christ truly and real­ly offered in the Sacrament. Wherefore if thou comest or comest not, woe is thee, if so be thou livest and continuest in thy sins, and goest on in thy unholy courses.

And now to conclude; as the Cherubim stood before Paradise with a naked sword to keep A­dam out, that he might not enter and so eate of the tree of life: so I bring with me the sword of God, to run it up to the hilts in the heart and bowels of every ungodly man, every rebellious and impenitent sinner this day, that dares pre­sume to rush upon this holy Ordinance of God, with a polluted and uncleane heart. Therefore let me exhort thee, that as thou tendrest the eter­nall good of thy soul, so thou be carefull not to eate the body of Christ, nor drink his bloud in thy sins, lest thou eate thine owne bane, and drink thine owne curse: Nay, so doing, thy misery will bee so great, as a good man well weighing and considering of it, said, I professe I had rather [Page 206] have all my veins cut open, and my bloud spilt on the ground, then deliver the body and bloud of Christ unto a prophane sinner: for why should I deliver his own bane and destruction unto him? But now (my brethren and beloved) come out of your sins, come and welcome, if you part with your lusts, and so you shall be sure to have his bloud to wash your heart, and cleanse you, his righteousnesse to cleare you, and cloath you, his graces to strengthen you, his spirit to heal and to sanctifie your hearts and natures; and the Lord Jesus Christ to supply all good that is wanting in you. But if yet notwithstanding all this that hath been said, you will go on in your sins, and live as you did in your swearing, whoring, lying, and drinking, and all manner of filthinesse; and as you came unto it unclean, so you depart away from it more unclean, and never make any con­science of any reformation, I pronounce this day before God and his elect Angels, that thou shalt surely perish, and thy soule and body be damned and tormented in the scorching flames of hell for evermore. Therefore hearken unto instruction, and give eare unto councell, now whiles that the Lord offers it to you, that so you may not harden your hearts any more, but may heare and obey, that your souls may live, and so coming together to this holy and blessed Communion for the bet­ter and not for the worse, you may return home with the blessing of children.

EXAMINATION Required in every COMMUNICANT. A Sermon preached by Mr. WILLIAM FENNER Minister of Gods Word.

IN the latter part of this Chapter the Apostle treats of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper: And first hee reproves the Corinthians for their unworthy comming to it, as wee see in verse 18. There were Errors, and Schismes, contempt of the poore, drunkennesse, excesse, disorder, ond unprofitablenesse in the duties of God: they waxed worse and worse [Page 110] by the Sacrament. All these, and sundry other abuses were among them; so that they did not eate the Lords Supper aright as they ought.

Secondly, he reduceth them back to the first prime institution of it by Jesus Christ, as we see in verse 23. that hereby they might both see how grievously they had abused thy Sacrament, and likewise see how they might sanctifiedly use it.

Thirdly, he shewes the danger of unworthy re­ceivers: and this he sets out two wayes:

• First, by the greivousnesse of the sinne; such a person makes himself guilty of the body and blood of the Lord, as we see verse 27.
• Secondly, by the dolefull consequence that follows upon it; He eats and drinks damnation to himselfe, as we see verse 29.

The sum of the textNow in this verse (that I may not trouble you with speaking of any more matter then what is necessary for the present Theam) he shewes how we may prevent, escape, and avoid this danger; how we may take an order that we doe not fall into this greivous sinne, that we doe not plunge our selves into this grievous misery: Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that Bread, and drink of that Cup. A man must examine him­selfe, sift his owne soule, and labour to prepare himselfe, before he dare to venture on this sa­cred businesse. In these words, before we set up­on the particular handling of them, we may ob­serve, Observe. 1. We must not rush upon the sacrament. that ‘We must not rush upon the Sacrament.’

There must somewhat be done before we can [Page 211] receive it, Let a man examine himselfe, and so let him eate of that Bread, and drink of that Cup. There are none of the Ordinances of God, that a man may safely rush upon. Wouldst thou offer any sacrifice to God? but thou must stay first, and examine thy self, whether there be not somthing yet undone: It may be thou hast offended God in something or other; It may bee thou art out with thy brother; thou must first goe and be re­conciled to thy brother, and then offer thy gift, Matth. 5. So, wouldst thou reprove thy neigh­bour? Matth. 5. It may be there is somewhat out of or­der, some indisposednesse in thee, thou art not yet in case to set on this duty; it may bee thou art faulty, and guilty thy self; it may be thou hast a beam in thine own eye. First (saith the Text) pull the beam out of thine own eye, and then thou maist see cleerly to pull the moat out of thy bro­thers eye, Matth. 7.5. Matt. 7.5. So wouldst thou reforme thy outward man? But it may bee thy inward man is not reformed; there is s [...]me lust in thy heart, some pride in thy will, some stubborn­nesse in thy spirit, some Idoll in thy bosome; First, cleanse the inside of the platter, Matth. 23.26. Mat. 13.26 There is never an ordinance of God that can bee done, but there must be somewhat done first, a man must doe somthing before, As in the choice of Officers, as Ministers, or Deacons▪ other Offi­cers in the Church, first, they must bee proved before they be chosen: so in all the Ordinances of God. Would wee come to the Sacrament? There is somewhat must bee done first, we must [Page 212] [...] [Page 213] [...] [Page 110] [...] [Page 211] [...] [Page 212] examine our selves, and root out all unsancti­fiednesse, and indisposition, that cannot stand with the right communicating in the Lords Supper. And so in every other good duty.

Reason 1. Naturally we are not invited guests.The reasons of this are:

First, because naturally we are not invited guests, wee are not such as are invited to the Lords Supper; we are children of wrath, and as long as we are in such a estate, we cannot come aright to the Communion. This is childrens bread, and it cannot be given to dogges. Christ, whensoever he sets his dainties before his peo­ple▪ he tels us for whom they are, Take, eate, this is my Body that is broken for you. This is the Supper that is made for you, as it is in this Chap­ter, verse 24. First we must prove our selves in­vited guests.

It is true, the Lord Christ invites every man to the Lords Supper; but he invites him methodi­cally, he must bee in such an estate: but every man is not so fitted: a man must be a member of Christ that means to partake of Christs death; he must be one that is in Christ, he must be able to prove that he is ingraffed into Christ, he must bee able to shew the mark of the Lord Christ on him. Simile. As it is with some of your great dinners, and feasts in this Citie, you have tickets, and all that are admitted to the feast, must shew their ticket before they are admitted; So thou must be able to shew thy ticket, that thou hast an invita­tion from Christ, thou must have a mark, and to­ken [Page 213] from Chtist that thou commest, and commest with his warrant.

A second reason is, Reason. 2 We are in­disposed. though thou be invi­ted, it may be thou art not disposed. If a man will doe a thing that hee is naturally indisposed to, there must be somewhat done before of ne­cessitie: So the Lords Supper, it is a thing that naturally wee are indisposed unto, therefore somewhat must of necessity be done first. Na­turally we are unholy, we are unthankfull, and carnall, we are in our sinnes, strangers from God, and the Covenant of God, and from the seale of the Covenant: all this indisposition must be wrought out before we can comfortably come hither. If Christ would have the very Cham­ber first trimmed, before he instituted the Passe­over, and the Sacrament; much more will hee have the soule disposed for him, and the heart cleansed from all filthinesse. If hee that ate of the Peace-offering being indisposed, having his uncleannesse upon him, was to bee cut off from his people. Levit. 7.20. Levit. 7.20. what will God doe to such people as come hither in their unclean­nesse, and indisposition, unsanctified, and un­qualified? Reason. 3 Solemne preparati­ons requi­red to the Sacrament.

Thirdly, suppose we were both invited and disposed, yet this is not enough: This is a so­lemn Ordinance of God, and an ordinary dispo­sition will not serve the turne. Though every child of God bee ordinarily disposed to every good word and work, to pray, and to heare the word of God, he is prepared and furnished to e­very [Page 214] well doing ordinarily and habitually? but a man must be disposed further; There is a so­lemne preparation required to the Communi­on, as in Deut. 16.15. Deut. 16.16. there were solemne feasts in the Law: so there is this solemne feast in the Gospel, and there are solemne preparations re­quired thereto. When we come to the Commu­nion, to eate the Lords Supper, it is not eating and drinking in Christs presence; for so may a­ny reprobate doe, and yet Christ may say to him, Depart from me, thou worker of iniquity. It is not to come and sit in your Pewes, and wait till the Bread come, and take it; and till the Cup come, and drink it; so many a reprobate may doe, and the Corinthians did, that did eate and drink their own damnation: But there must be a solemne preparation to it, to be sealed with the Spirit of Promise, to be righteous by faith in the body and blood of Christ; For a man to be hum­ble and empty of his sinne, to bee thirsty after the pretious blood of Christ, to be fed and built up in the promises; It is a weighty thing to come to the Communion: a man must bee a worthy man▪ or else he hath nothing to doe here, As Solomon said of Adonijah, 1 King. 52. If he be a worthy man, not a haire shall fall from his head; but if wic­kednes be found in him, hee shall die, 1. King 1.52. So if we be worthy men and women, not a haire of our head shall fall to the ground, none of the curses shall light on us, that light on unprepared persons: but if wickednesse be found in us, if we be guilty of any sinne, if we live in any lust [Page 215] not mortfied; if there be any prophanenesse in our lives, in our families, in our courses and cal­lings, though we catch hold of the hornes of the Altar, though we partake of these holy myste­ries, yet we shall be so far from having any mer­cie, as that we shall hasten our own ruine, we set a seal on our own judgment, and make our case worse then it was before.

Let us take notice of it and never dare to rush on any of Gods ordinances. Ʋse. To take heed of rash per­formance of duties. You know what be­came of the foolish man in the Gospel, that when they were invited to come to the marriage Supper, he thought it was nothing but to come with them that came, to crowd in with them, and sit down among the rest; he considered not what he went about, that he might be prepared accordingly; the event was this, he was cast out into utter darknesse, Matth. 22.13. It is dange­rous rushing on any of Gods ordinances. To rush upon prayer, for a man to fall down upon his knees, and to utter any thing before the Lord hastily with his mouth, not considering that God is in heaven, and he on the earth. A mans word may damne his own soule, and pull vengeance on his own pate, his prayers may prove a curse, his prayer for mercy may bee turned into ven­geance: So the higher the service, 2 Sam. 15.17. the greater the danger. As the servants of Abigail said to her, Consider what you doe, when evill was deter­mined against them: so consider what you doe when you come to the Sacrament, you come to a weighty thing, to that that will either set you [Page 216] neerer to the Kingdom of God, or to hell and condemnation. But I let this passe, and come to the words themselves.

In these words observe,

• Parts of the Text.
  First, the matter of the duty commanded▪ that is, to eat of that bread, and to drink of that cup.
• Secondly, the manner of doing the duty; not only to eat of that bread, but so to eat; and not only to drink that cup, but so to drink.
• Thirdly, the rule of direction how to come in a right manner to partake of it, that is, by ex­amining of our selves, Let a man examine himself, and so let him eate of that bread, and drink of that cup.
• Fourthly and lastly, the benefit following that direction, and that is in this word But; But let a man examine himselfe. He had said before, He that eats and drinks unworthily, is made guilty of the bo­dy and bloud of the Lord; and, he discerneth not the Lords body, vers. 27. But, saith he, as if he should say, if a man would prevent this; if a man would take order that he be not guilty of the body and bloud of Christ, that he do not come undiscer­ningly to these heavenly mysteries, but with comfort, and title to the promises, with hope and confidence and speeding there of the benefits of Christ exhibited, then let a man examine himselfe, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

[Page 217]Now I will passe over some of these points, Necessity of recei­ving the Lords Supper. namely, that we are to eate that bread, and drink that cup. There is a necessity that we should receive the Lords Supper. I need not stand on this, you know it is sufficiently proved by the Sacrament of the Law, which was the fore-runner of this Sacrament, that soul that did not partake of that, was to die the death, he was to be cut off from Gods people, Num. 9.13. Num. 9.13. If the Lord was so care­ful of those Sacraments that were inferior to these (and yet they were of the same substance as these) that the man that neglected to come to them, to partake of them, was to be cut off, to be excommu­nicated from the people of God, and to be rent off from the Congregation of the Saints, then how much more for these heavenly, and weighty, and glorious Ordinances of the Gospel, which are far more glorious then them of the Law? But I will not stand upon that.

I might here take notice too of the frequencie of the duty: The Lords Supper to be received often. for so it hath dependance on those words formerly, As oft as yee eat this bread, and drink this cup, yee shew the Lords death, and so that is, as oft as ye eate, do it in this manner. This is the command of God, that we oft receive the Lords Supper. Basill. In the Primitive times St. Basil observes, that they ate it three or foure times in, a week, on Wednesdayes, Fridaies, and on the Lords day,; but that was a time of persecution, I will not stand upon that. I think it not need­full: But it should bee often, wee should not trust it only upon Easter and Whitsontide, [Page 218] and Christ tide, three or four times in the year.

Again, I might observe here from this mystery received, in that he cals it Bread, I might observe against the Papists Transubstantiation, that the bread received, is not transubstantiated, it is bread. And against that of receiving in one kind. So let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup: he doth not say, so let him eat of that bread only, but he directs the command in both kinds. But I let this passe, and come to the seceond thing, that is, the manner how we should do this duty.

Observ. The man­ner of per­formance of duties to be regarded So let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.

It is not, first let him examine himself, and then let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup: But let him examine himselfe, and then SO let him eate: implying, that examining a mans selfe helps, or ought to help a man to a right manner: and when he hath gotten a right manner, then to eat that bread, and drink that cup; that he may do not only for matter that which the Lord commands, but for manner as the Lords com­mands. Beloved, the Lord stands on circumstan­ces as well as duties: we are all racers, wee run, but we must so run that we may obtain, 2 Cor. 9.26. 2 Cor. 9.26 So pray that we may speed, so hear that we may be converted, so reprove that we may be edified; so behave our selves in our places and callings, that we may glorifie God. It is not e­nough for a man to run, but he must so run, if he mean to obtain. Every man will be speaking and doing good things; but so speak, and so do, Jam. 2.12. [...]am. 2.12. The Lord calls upon us to have a care of [Page 219] the manner of duties, as well as of the matter of duties. It is not enough that a man come to eate of that bread, and drink of that cup, but so to eat, and so to drink of it, he must partake of the Lords Table, and so as the Lord enjoyns.

Now the Reasons of this are:

First, because the same Lord that commands the matter, commands the manner too. Reas. 1. The Lord commands the man­ner as well as matter. The Lord he will have his service well done, as well as done, he will have the work well performed, as well as performed. It is not only the thing that the Lord stands upon, but the right manner and kind of doing it.

When David perswaded his sonne Solomon to worship the God of his Fathers, he bids him not only do the thing, but do it in a right manner, And thou my sonne Solomon, 2 Chron. 28.9. know thou the God of thy fathers, and serve him. Is that all? No, but with a perfect heart, and a willing mind, 2 Chron. 28.9. He commands him to do it, not only for the matter of it, but in the right manner of it. A man may serve God, but if it be not with a perfect heart, and a willing minde, and with a chearfull spirit; if he be not ready to every command, if he do not open his eares to every rebuke, a man doth not serve God at all. The manner either makes all, or marres all.

Secondly, another Reason is, Reas. 2. Circum­stances o­verthrow actions, as 1. Prayer. because cir­cumstances overthrow actions, if they bee not rightly and duly observed. As for example: In Scripture prayer is an action commanded of [Page 220] God: the Lord commands us to pray, that we call upon his name duly, every day, in all our needs and necessities, upon all occasions conti­nually. But now if we pray not aright, not in that manner that the Lord hath perscribed; if we pray either with a guilty defiled conscience, with cold affections, with a dead spirit, or with­out departing from iniquity, or without a pure heart: if a man pray without the right manner of prayer, he marres all his prayer, it is a how­ling, and not a prayer. They did not cry to mee (saith God) when they howled on their beds, that is, when they prayed: but because they did not pray in a right manner, the Lord calls it a howling, and not a prayer. Isai. 59.12. We roare as Beares, in Isay 59.12. the Prophet nicknames it, speaking in the per­son of the people, he calls it the roaring of Beares: The Lord had as lief heare the barking of a Dog, or the grunting of a Swine, as a man that doth not pray aright, with a bleeding heart, with con­trition of soule and spirit, with a spirit of grace and supplication. When a man prayes, and prayes dot aright, his prayer leaves that name, it is no more a prayer in Gods account.

2 Preach­ing.And so preaching, it is an admirable action; but if a man doe not preach aright, if it be flat­tering with the enticing words of mans wisdome, or beating the aire, and to shew his owne learning, this overthrowes the action of preaching, hee preacheth not Christ but himselfe; himselfe, not the Gospel, though the Gospel bee in his Ser­mon all over, yet himselfe hee preacheth, [Page 221] the action is marred, the circumstance mar­reth it.

So in the Lords Supper, 3 Receiving the Sacra­ment. if a man come not prepared, that he have not the Wedding Garment, that he be not aright qualified according to the requisites of the Gospel, this is not to eate the Lords Supper. Saith the Apostle, When yee come together, this is not to eate the Lords Supper: you think you eate the Lords Supper, you take the bread and the cup, and can say, Blessed be God, and I pray God to blesse me: you may come and doe these actions, but the action is altered, the action is diversified when it is not done in a right manner.

So if a man come to reprove his brother, 4. Brother­ly reproof. Matt. 7.5. if himselfe be faulty, do you think this a sufficient reproof? No, it is hyhocrisie. Thou hypocrite, Matth. 7.5. his reproof of his brother is hypo­crisie.

So for men to tell one another of their faults, and to tell them with a spirit of bitternesse; this is not Christian dehortation, but biting one ano­ther, Gal. 5.15. Gal. 5.15.

And so for eating and drinking, beloved, 5. Eating and drinking. ea­ting is lawfull, and drinking is lawfull, and marrying and giving in marriage, all these are law­full, yet if a man eate not aright, and drink not aright, and marry in the Lord, and eate and drink with title to the Lords creatures, that he have interest in the covenant of God, if Christ be not in it, how shall he have comfort? Nay, that ve­ry nature of his eating is alrered, his eating and [Page 222] drinking, and marrying is a sinne. As our Lord Christ shews of the old world, They did eat and drinke, and were marrying and giving in marriage, till Noah entred into the Arke, and the flood came and swept them away, Mat. 24.37. Matth. 24.37. He reckons their eating and drinking among their sins, among the reasons and causes why the flood came up­on them, they did eate and drink, and marry and give in marriage.

Object. You will say, Was that the reason the flood came? And was that an argument of their security? Did not Noah eate and drink and marry? And were not his sons married that were in the Arke, and he a grand-father.

Answ. But he did it aright; therefore his eating and drinking is not brought in as a signe of security, but of the old world, that were carnall and wret­ched people; it was; because they did not eate and drink aright.

There be Rules in eating and drinking, in tal­king and discoursing, in doing the duties of our callings: There be Rules how you ought to buy and sell, and to do every good word and worke. If these Rules be not observed, the Rules of Gods blessed word, the actions themselves are altered; though the things be commanded of God, yet they are cursed and abominable things, when the true form and fashion of them is not regarded, though they be never so godly.

Simile.A garment, though it be never so good, if the Taylor handle it not well, it is marred in the making, if hee bring it not to a right forme, [Page 223] and make it in a right manner, the man that is to have the garment, is disappointed. So Timber, though it be never so excellent, though it be all Oke, or Elm, or whatsoever tree, though it be never so fit for building, if the Artificer deale not well in handling it, the inhabitant that comes there, may curse the day that ever he came there: If it be not well built, it may fall on his head and kill him, and all that belongs to him. So it is in all the Ordinances of God, and the matters of Reli­gion, we must not only do them for matter, but for manner too: for that either makes or marres them.

Thirdly, another Reason is, Reas. 3. The right manner of doing du­ties gets the blessing because only the right manner of doing duties gets the blessing. A man may pray a thousand times, and never be heard, he may hear a million of Sermons, and never be converted, a man may come to all the Sacraments in the yeare, all his life long, and ne­ver be sealed against the day of redemption. A man may do the things, and never get the bles­sing; all the blessing lies in the right manner of doing. Blessed is that servant, who when his master comes, shall find so doing, Matth. 24.48. Matt. 24.48. He saith not, Who when his master commeth, shall find doing. Christ when he comes to judgement, shall finde many doing; it may be he will come in prayer time, it may be he will come in the morning, when many thousands shall be at their prayers in their families: it may be he will come at night, when all are at prayer in their houses; it may be he will come on the Sabbath, when all the Countrey [Page 224] is at Church, hearing of Sermons, hee shall finde many thousands doing▪ and praying But blessed is that servant, whom his Lord when hee comes, shall find so praying so hearing, so receiving the Sacrament: He shall find many believing but so believing gets the blessing: many professing but it is so professing that gets the comfort. I say, all the blessings of God are promised to the right manner of doing. Now, what is it, when we doe duties, what doe we look for? Is it not for a blessing? Why doe we doe the duties, if we doe not doe them so as we may get the blessing? Now except we observe the right manner of doing them, all is to no purpose.

Reason. 4. Christs ex­ample.Fourthly, another Reason is, the example of Jesus Christ; Christ hath given us an example that we should doe as he did: Now hee did not onely doe that which his Father bid him doe, for ma [...]ter, but for manner, both in all the words hee spake, and in all the deeds that hee performed. For the words he spake, As the Father hath said unto me, even so speak I, Joh. 12. And in Joh. 14.31. J [...]hn 12. John. 14.31. As the Father hath given me commande­ment even so doe I. Mark, he did not onely obey his Father in the matter of his command, but in the manner of it. And as Christ hath done thus, so all that are Christs: all the servants of God in all ages, they have been very carefull, especially of the right manner of obeying God. As it is said of Noah, Gen. 6 22, As the Lord commanded Noah, even so did he, just as the Lord commanded him; he did not onely make an Arke, but so hee [Page 225] made all the roomes: so hee made it in the same forme and figure, and in the same similitude, just as the Lord set him downe the patterne, even so did he. So the Lord sets down the patterne of every good word and work, of all our pray­ers, and Sermons, and hearing, and conference, and keeping the Sabbath, and speaking holily: all our actions have their patterne set downe in the word of God. Now as wee are to doe the things, so wee are to doe them in the same manner, as the Lord commands, even so must we doe.

Fiftly and lastly, except we doe it in a right manner, except as wee come to the duty, Reason. 5 From Gods glorie. so wee come to the right manner, wee can never glorifie God; The glory of God lies in the manner of doing of things. So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good workes, and glorifie your Father which is in heaven, Matth. 5.16. Mark, the light must not shine onely in our lives and con­versations; but so that the duty must be a means to the glorifying of God. Now the means must have its proportion, and likenesse, and nature, and mold, and frame, from the nature of the end. Look how the end is that the dutie lookes unto, so must the frame and fashion of the duty be: Now if the end of all our actions be, that God may be glorified, that must put a forme and fashion upon every duty, that it may be so, that he may have glory. Suppose a man pray e­very day in his family, and call all his houshold, his servants, and wife and children, and all un­der [Page 226] his roof about him every morning and e­vening: he may dishonour God by prayer eve­ry day on this fashion: if a man pray coldly, and carelesly, for forme and fashion, without faith, and life: he makes all the ordinance of God vile, and all the worke of God contemptible: his houshold sleeps, one snorts it may be; another is infinitely prophane, it may bee; and though there be divers that would fain be quickned, and wakened, yet his prayer is so cold▪ there is no life, nor heat▪ nor warmth in it, that God is ex­ceedingly dishonoured, and all are thereby ra­ther worse then better. So for a mans preaching, though it be never so good a duty, yet hee must labour to preach so, as the Apostle speakes of his preaching and labour in the work of the Mini­stery, how he may edifie others, and save his own soule. So fight I, not as one that beats the [...]ire; but so as I may get the mastery: We must so preach, that we may attain the conversion of the people; or else we may rather doe as Hophni and Phineas, the sonnes of Fli, that made the Table of the Lord contemptible, and the Sacri­fice of the Lord loathsome in the eyes of the peo­ple: So may we do with the ordinance of God.

Take any duty of religion, if it be not done aright, God hath no glory by it. Suppose thou wouldest reprove thy brother, and tell him of his fault▪ and check him for his backwardnesse, or om [...]ssion of some duty, and for the commissi­on of some sinne; if thou doe not doe it with a spirit of compassion, and bowels of Jesus Christ, [Page 227] with an humble heart, with a feeling and a pure conscience; I say thou gettest a blot to thy own selfe, and causest God to be ill spoken of, and the very way of his name to be dishonored: This will be the effect of it; and so in every other dutie. And so I come to the use.

Is it so, Ʋse. 1. To reprove those that barely doe duties, without looking to the manner. that we must not onely come to the Sacrament; but come aright; or doe any dutie, but we must do it in a right manner? This servs to condemne that naturall popery that is in mens hearts, that is of opus operatum, of the deed done; this is the religion of the Church of Rome, that so a man doe the duty (indeed it is better if it bee done in a right manner, but) if it be done, there is somewhat a man may look for by that. If a man come to the Sacrament, the very eating of the Host, the very partaking of the body of Christ, they make it meritorious: so the very hearing of so many Sermons, the very saying of so many prayers, the very performanec of so many duties, the very thing it self, na­kedly considered, it is of some validity. This is rooted in the hearts of men, we see it up and downe, people doe the duty, and think all is well enough, when they consider not how it is done. People pray, but not with zeale; they heare, but not with reverence: People come to the Sacrament, not for the better, but for the worse, they come not in a right manner; and yet every one hopes to speed, and builds himselfe on this, that God accepts of him. But this is the folly of mens hearts; it is an evident argument [Page 228] that men goe foolishly to work in the wayes of God. It is the brand of a foole not to be able to observe circumstances. Aristotle the heathen, hee saith, it is the part of a wise man to think of, and understand the manner of actions; as a wise man saith, he observes circumstances. It is a part of wisdome to observe the right circumstances of every action, as it is Ephes. 5.15. Walke circum­spectly, that is, accurately, as it is in the originall, not as fooles, but as wise. Marke, hee perswades them to a right manner of walking; not only to walk in a good course, in praying, and hearing, in obedience and sobrietie, in temperance, faith, and diligence in our callings; but doe it accu­rately, in a right manner; doe it as wise men, and not as fooles, they doe it in a wrong manner. It is the part of a foole, I say, to doe a thing, and to leave the right manner of doing it. Now this is nothing with God, the Lord doth not esteeme any action, though it bee never so frequently done, except it bee done with his owne stamp, except it have his owne character upon it.

I remember a story in 2 Kings 17.26. The Assyrians there observed, that God sent Lions a­mong them, because they did not observe the right manner of the God of Israel: they wor­shipped the God of Israel; but because they ob­served not the right Manner of his word, hee sent Lyons among them, to teare and devoure them in pieces. So though wee pray, and heare, and read, and professe, and have a name that wee live; and though we be taken for good people, & [Page 229] heap up duties from day to day, and vie perfor­mances; and though we doe them as many times as the children of God; nay, though we could do them ten thousands times oftner then they, yet if we doe them not in a rightmanner, if wee know not the manner of the God of heaven, and earth, with humble hearts, and selfe-denying spirits, with holinesse of affection, and with puritie of heart: if a man doe them not in a right manner, the Lord will teare him in peices, and hee shall have no deliverance for all that.

Another use shall be, what may be the reasons why people are so willing generally, Ʋse. 2. The rea­son why men re­gard the matter and not the manner of duties. to doe du­ties for the matter, and care not to doe them in a right manner. It will not be amisse a little to shew the mystery of this thing: for we see every man is willing to doe duties, every man will be praying, and comming to Church, many repro­bates, and God knows how many carnall hearts are in this congregation, some drunkards it may be, some adulterers, some it may be, that com­mitted whoredome the last night, some that have been swearing even now, and deceiving in their shops, there are many carnall hearts: yet every man is willing to do duties, to hear, and to pray. Now what may be the reason that people are willing to doe good duties, and yet are loath to come off with their carnall harts? There are four reasons.

The first is this, Reason 1. The mat­ter of du­ties easie. Because the matter of the dutie is easie, but the manner is difficult. It is an easie matter to pray, to say, Lord, I have sin­ned [Page 230] against heaven, and against thee. Lord, I have sworne, I have been a drunkard. I have disal­lowed the Sabbath, I have done this and that, I pray thee pardon and forgive me, and give mee thy grace; it is an easie matrer to doe this. It is easie for a man to come to Church, and marke what the Mi [...]iner saith, and follow him from point to point, and it may be goe over it to his family. This is good, there are few that come thus far. And so it is easie to come to the Sacra­ment, to take the Bread and the Cup, and to pray for a blessing, this is easie; but, when a man comes to a duty in a right manner, here is difficulty, when a man doth it with a How; Take heed How you beare. He doth not call upon people to hear, that is not the matter; there needs no great di­ligence for that: but if you will consider How you hear, take heed to that. Here must be a great deal of circumspection; the soul must be marvel­lous painfull, a man must offer violence to his own soul; a man must fight against his own wil, a man must beat down his own spirit, he must cruci­fy his own thoughts, must mortify his own mind & beat down his own soul. It is a hard thing to do it in a right manner, as the Lord commands, if we consider now how to doe it. This is certaine, flesh and blood cannot abide to take pains; if it can serve God with ease, and pray with ease, that it will doe; but for a man to weep before God, for a man to indict his heart to the throne of grace, to rend his bowels before his Maker, to t [...]are the caule of his heart upon his knees; for a [Page 231] man to vow to God, and pay them; for a man to rid his hands of all the wages of iniquity, for a man to purifie himselfe as Christ is pure, for a man to wrastle with God, and to take grace accor­ding to the covenant of grace, with life and power, to doe it in a right manner: here is religion, and this men cannot abide.

And so for the Sacrament, for a man to come in a right manner, Oh it is difficult to flesh and blood; for a man to goe and examine all his life, to reckon up all his conversation, to anotomize himself from his cradle to this moment; to con­sider how he hath sinned in his calling, in his fa­mily, in his shop, in his company, in his spe [...]ch, and in his life; to goe and judge himselfe of these, and condemne himselfe, and to accept of his owne punishment, to goe and wrack his owne thoughts, and crucifie his owne soule: Oh! this is hard, men cannot abide this: therefore they go and take the matter, they observe that, and leave out the manner.

Secondly, another reason is this, Reas. 2. The matter of duties may bee done with a proud heart. because the matter of duties may be done with a proud heart; there is no duty but a man may do it with a proud heart, and never bee humble. A man may pray, and use good words, and make good petitions, and have marvellous good language, and Scrip­ture phrases, and termes, and passages, and an admirable sweet tone, and yet have a proud heart. A man may come and preach a Sermon, he may preach so as that he may strangely affect the hearts of the people, and may make all [Page 232] the people wonder and admire at the gracious words that come from his mouth, and yet have a proud heart.

A man may heare, and heare oft, and hear the best Preachers in the Citie, and delight in hea­ring▪ and yet have a proud heart. A man may come to the Sacrament, and sit to ones thinking, as devoutly as any in the Church, and pray when the people pray, and give thanks when others give thanks, and have a kind of morall faith in the Covenant, and a morrall application of the promises, and yet have a proud heart. It is the manner of doing duties that humbles the soule, as St. Paul saith, Acts 20 Acts 20. You know in what man­ner I have beene with you. Why, what was the manner? In all humility of mind, saith he, being among the Ephesians, preaching to them in a right manner, leaving them the example of his owne patterne, doing all this in a right manner, he did it in all humility of heart. It is the right manner of prayer that pulls downe the heart be­fore God. It is the right manner of hearing the word, that makes a man melt at it. It is the right manner of comming to the Sacrament, that makes a man feele the comfort of God, and the promises of the Gospel, and to seek and find the admirable things contained in it. Reason. 3 The mat­ter of du­ties may be done, & yet a man be unholy. It is the right manner that makes a man walke lowly with his God.

Thirdly, another Reeson is; Because the mat­ter may stand with an unholy life. A man may do a duty for the matter of it, and yet be un­holy. [Page 233] This is plain; how many thousands are there that pray, and yet are vain, and covetous, and carnall? How many thousands heare Ser­mons, and yet are unprofitable? Ever hearing, and never come to the knowledge of the truth. If they were injurious before, they are injurious still; if they were cousners before, they are so still, if they were drunkards before, they are so still. A man may receive the Sacrament every month, and yet may have his lusts, and roll them as a sweet morsell under his tongue; he may delight in his secret lusts, and go on in the deadnesse of his heart. It is the right manner of worshipping of God, that purgeth the conscience, and purifieth the soule, and makes a man that there is no room for his corruptions, as you may see, 1 Thess. 2.10. You your selves know (saith the Apstle) how holily and unblamably we walked among you. He speaks there of his manner of walking, and hee saith to them, because it was in a right manner, it was an holy manner; such walking as excluded all unholinesse and prophanesse. Flesh and bloud cannot abide this. Men they love to pray and be proud; they love to hear sermons, and to have their profit; they love to professe religion, and still to carry their secret lusts in their bosomes. People love this alife, to go up to Gilgall and transgresse, to offer sacrifice every new Moon, and every morning, and to find the labour of their hands, this is right; but for a man to part with his ini­quity, that is the thing that goes against the haire.

[Page 234] Reas. 4. The matter of duties brings not the crosse.The last reason is, because the matter of duties bring not the crosse upon a man. A man may do all the duties of Religion, and never be persecuted for it: a man may be as devout as the devoutest man under heaven, and yet no body hate him for it, except he be devout in a right manner, and worship God in a right manner. One man may reprove another that is wicked. A drunkard may suffer a drunkards reproof, and be never the worse: A whore master may serve his quean so, he may call her so, and yet not be spighted, be­cause it is not right. It is the right doing of it that brings the crosse; 2 Tim. 2.10 as in 2 Tim. 2.10. Thou knowest my manner of life. It was that that brought afflictions and persecutions.

We may see to this very day many thousands that seem devout men in the Church, they will pray, and will hardly misse any time of prayer morning or evening; and yet they are farre from being persecuted: nay, many of them are maine persecuters of the Gospel of God, enemies to the crosse of Christ, adversaries to the Saints of God. Act. 15.5. We see it plain in Acts 13.5. we read there of devout women that raised persecution against Paul. Marke, they were devout, and because it was not in a right mann [...]r, they persecuted the Apostles, and set themselves against them that were truly faithfull. Though wicked men do not love to pray aright, yet many of them are much for praying, they care not how much praying they have, and when they are at prayers, they will pray over from the beginning of the book [Page 235] to the end, they love it alife. But if they come to a prayer that moves the heart, that rifles the conscience, that dogges a man into his bosome, that laies a man flat on his face before God, they gnash their teeth at such a prayer. So they love preaching too; I, it is true, if it be preaching that is flaunting, and glosing, with the enticing words of mans wisdome: but if a man preach to the consience, if he preach the pure naked word of God: and carry it home to mens soules, this makes them gnash their very teeth, and they could eate the Minister of God for his labour. It is the right manner of duty that is accompanied with the crosse.

Thirdly, Vse 3. To labour to do du­ties aright. if we ought to be carefull to per­forme duties in a right manner, Let us be ex­horted in the feare of God, to go and quicken all our duties, to bring a soule into so many bodies; we have bodies of praying, and bodies of hear­ing, and bodies of receiving the Sacrament, and of good duties, let us get a soule into them, labour to do them in a right manner. The bare duty is like a carcasse. It is a Pro­verb of the Jewes, Prayer without preparation, it is as a carcasse without the soule, that is, a loathsome thing; so is prayer without life, and without a right manner of pouring it forth. Let us labour therefore in the feare of God, to pray, and pray aright, to heare, and to heare aright; to seek God, and to seek him with all our hearts, aright, and to do every thing in the right way.

[Page 236] Motives to perform duties in the right manner. 1. Motive. Numb. 11.14.Let us consider, first, we doe not pertake of any ordinance at all, except we doe it in a right manner. I remember a fit place for this in Num. 11.14. It is said there, The stranger shall eat the passover, and pertake of it according to the ordinance, and the manner of it. Where the Text puts in the Ordinance of the Passover, and the Manner of it. For it is all one, they are Synonyma's. So the Or­dinance in every duty, Gods ordinance in pray­ing, in hearing the Word, in the Sacrament, in reproof, in every good dutie, it is all one as the selfe-same thing. So that if we pray, and doe not pray in a right manner, we have not praied, we doe not partake of the ordinance. So when we come to the Sacrament, the ordinance of the manner of it is all one; it is one compleat con­crete action, we doe not partake of it, except we partake of both.

2. Motive.Secondly consider, it as nothing but hypocrisie, when a man prayes▪ and doth not pray in a right m [...]nner; when a man doth any dutie to God, and not in the right wise, it is nothing but hy­pocrisie, Mark how our Saviour Christ sets forth the hypocrisie of the Pharisee, Luke. 18.11. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himselfe, he marks his manner of prayer; Luk. 18.11 he doth not say, He stood and prayed This, these words, but Thus he prayed, he did not pray in a right manner: there was his hypocrisie, and that was the reason he went home not justified.

3. Motive. Mat. 15 6.Thirdly consider: it makes the Ordinance of God of no effect. Thus they make the Commande­ments [Page 237] of God of none effect, Matth. 15.6. Hee speakes there of their duties that they did in a wrong manner, and their expounding the Scrip­ture, that they did in a wrong wise; and their sacrifice, their offerings, and tithings, their pre­cepts, and many things that were all done after another fashion then God had commanded; therefore saith Christ, Thus, they make the Com­mandements of God of none effect. So we make all the duties of Gods worship of none effect. Wee know there is never an ordinance of God, but it hath great effect if it be rightly performed. Prayer is of great effect, it is able to rend hea­ven, it is able to pull down God to the soule, it is able to wrastle out a blessing, to quicken the heart, to obtain of God every thing we want: but if a man pray not aright, a man may pray, and go away never a whit the more holy, nor more quickned, nor neerer to heaven, nor com­fort. So preaching and hearing, they are admi­rable Ordinances, what powerfull effects have they wrought when they have beene done in a right kind? People have cried out and beene converted at them; and many a man hath been pulled out of the power of Satan to the King­dome of Jesus Christ. They had royall glorious effects upon many thousand soules. But what is the reason that our hearing is so in effectuall? Because wee heare not in a right manner, this makes the Ordinance of God of none effect, it makes Prayer of no effect, the word of no effect, the Sacraments and Sabbaths of no effect; [Page 238] you see people partake of these things, and are never the wiser.

Lastly, it cannot please God, it is onely the right manner of doing duties that pleaseth God, as in 1 Thess. 4.1. As yee have received of us, How yee ought to walke, and to please God, Mark, there is the manner, That yee may know HOW to walke, and by that to please God. It is not enough for a man to walke in good duties; that a man may doe, and not please God: but (saith he) yee have received the manner HOW to walke and to please God. It is the manner How that pleaseth God. A man may walke to hell upon heavens ground, Simile. he may go to hell in the wayes of God, it is possible. Suppose a man should go and take (if it were possible) all the surface of ground between this place and York, and lay it between this place and Dover, a man might go to Dover upon York ground. So many a man laies the Ordinances of God in hell way: he walkes in the way to hell, and there he layes his prayers, and there his hearing, and his good duties: hee prayes every day, and hears eve­ry day, and doth good duties every day, and yet walkes to hell; he goes to hell on heavens ground. The reason is, because hee doth the duty, and doth not observe the manner how he doth it.

The third thing is, the rule of direction, how wee may come to the right manner of recei­ving the Sacrament, that is, by preparing of a mans selfe: and the preparation is here set [Page 239] downe by the specification of it, namely, in ex­amining himselfe. Let a man examine himselfe, and so let him eate of that Bread, and drink of that Cup.

The generall scope of these words, and the A­postles meaning in them, is this, That

Every man must prepare himself before he come to the Lords Table. Observ. 3. Every man must pre­pare him­self, before he come to the Lords Table.

I cannot stand on this, I will only name it.

As in the sacrament of the Passeover, there was preparation to the Passeover. In Joh. 19.14. it is said of the Disciples of Christ, that they made rea­dy the Passeover. In Matth. 26. they made the Lamb ready, and the room ready, and themselves ready, and the Table ready, and every thing rea­dy. So in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, wherein Christ is the true Pascall Lamb, when we come to eate of him, wee must make every thing ready, faith ready, and repentance ready, and interest in the promises ready, and hunger and thirst after these spirituall dainties ready, every thing must be ready: or else, like a man that comes in­to the field to battle, that hath not gotten his sword, or his weapons ready, that is the way for himselfe to be killed: so it is when we come to the Communion, and have not all things ready, it is the way to be damned.

The Reasons of this are,

First, Reason. It is God ordinance because the Sacrament is an Ordinance of God: Now all the Ordinances of God re­quire reparation, they are all spirituall, and na­turally a man is carnall, and therefore cannot be [Page 240] prepared. Simile. As it is with wood, there is never a tree in the wood, but it is unprepared for buil­ding. Is there any tree in the wood of the fa­shion of a Chimney, or of a Lintell, or a Doore? It must first be prepared, as it is Prov. 24.27. First prepare thy work without, and then build thine house. So every ordinance is to build a man up in the feare of God, in the grace of God: and in Religion: Now man is naturally unprepared for it; First, a man must fell his wood, and then cut it, and hew it even, and carve it, and plane it fit, and prepare it before he build: So a man must hew downe his owne heart, he must hum­ble his owne soule, and qualifie all within him, and so be sanctified before hee be fit.

As for example: In prayer, a man must bee prepared to prayer before he pray; he must pre­pare his heart, and then Gods eares will hearken to it. In Psal. 10.17. The Lord will have the heart prepared before he heare the prayer. So it is with the word of God, a man must bee pre­pared before he heare it: As a man that preach­eth must be prepared before he preach, as Ezra is said to prepare his heart, Ezra 7.10. Hee pre­pared his heart to doe the Law, and to teach it. So a Minister cannot preach, except he be pre­pared beforehand, with a commission from God▪ with preserving knowledge, with a coale from Gods Altar, with a spirit of wisedome and un­derstanding, with a law of kindnesse in his lips, with meditation, and with a Theam fit­ted in his mouth for the people, hee must be [Page 241] prepared with a burning and a shining light; or else hee shall not edifie the congregation: So it is with all other ordinances. For humbling of a mans soule, a man cannot humble his heart, except he be prepared to it, Amos 4.12. Prepare to meet thy God, he speaks of humiliati­on. If a man would humble himselfe before God, if he be not prepared, if his heart be not prepa­red to let go the world, his worldly profits, and vain pleasures, and carnall acquaintance, his wonted lusts, and former delights. If hee bee not prepared to let these goe, when he comes to keep a Fast, or to afflict his soule, and goes a­long to do the dutie, to lay himselfe down be­fore Almighty God, some lust or other will stick in his teeth, and intercept his heart, hee shall never be able to doe it: as Samuel said to the people; If you will turn to the Lord, prepare your hearts to doe it, 1 Sam. 7. So it must bee in all the ordinances of God, and much more in the Sacrament.

Secondly, another Reason is, Reason. 2 Christ hath made preparati­on for us in the L. Supper. because the Lord Christ hath made great preparations to provide the Lords Supper; therefore wee must be prepared to eate it. You know what a great deale of adoe there was before this Supper was made. Christ must be incarnate, and fulfill all righteousnesse, he must conclude it upon his suffering; he must tread the wine-presse alone, and suffer himselfe to be beaten and rejected of God, and men, and suffer death, the cursed death of the Crosse, all these things were concluded upon, [Page 242] before this holy and blessed Supper was provi­ded. Come (saith hee) I have prepared my dinner, Matth. 22. Mark, Christ is fain to prepare his dinner, he makes a great Feast: there was great preparation for it; so there must be great prepa­ration of our soules before we can come to this holy banquet. It is true among men, there may be great preparation for a feast, and little or no­thing for the eating of it. Sometimes there are two or three dayes preparation for a Feast, and it is eaten presently. The reason is, because man naturally hungers after meat and drink, and he alwayes provides twice or thrice in twenty foure houres, for eating and drinking: But the Lords Supper is a spirituall banquet, a man is every day, and houre, and moment, naturally unfit for it; and there is much adoe to put an edge up­on mens appetites, and a keennesse upon mens desires, that they may bee fitted and prepared for it.

Reason. 3 Christ lookes for good en­tertain­ment.Thirdly, another reason is, because the Lord Christ, when he administers himselfe in this hea­venly mystery, he offers to come into the soule, and he looks for good entertainment; and there­fore of necessity there must bee preparation for it. You see when a mortall man, an earthly Prince, or a Noble man comes to another mans house, what a deale of preparation there is to provide for him: there is meat made ready, and purging the house, and sweeping the yard, and trimming up the very pales, and every thing, and making clean all the Chambers, and riding [Page 243] out whatsoever fills it, and every thing that is out of order is set in tune, And, what will my Lord think? and what will his Majesty think? he will think he is slighted and contemned: And when he comes in, it may be, his owne children shall serve, and his owne wife wait at the Table; and there is running up and down of errands, and a great deale of adoe to give such a one entertain­ment. There is preparation to entertain a man, as Saint Paul said to Philemon, I will that thou pre­pare me a lodging: how much more when the eter­nall God shall come under a mans roof, and dine with him?

Lastly, Reason 4. It is part of Christs last Testa­ment. Because the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, it is a part of Christs last Will and Te­stament. Now it is a terrible thing when we know our Lords will, and prepare not for the doing of it. Look in Luke 12.48. he that knew it not, did things worthy of stripes; but in verse 47. That servant that knew his Lords will, and prepa­red not himselfe, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes, that man shall be damned with much damnation: he shall be dam­ned deeper then any body. Dost thou know that the Lords Table, that this blessed Sacrament, it is part of Christs last Testament? and wilt thou not prepare thy selfe for it, to get an humble heart, and labour for a holy life, and seek for a thirsty soule, and vow upon new obedience, and enter into Covenant with the Lord Jesus Christ, for a better kind of conversation for the time to come? Wilt thou not go and examine thine [Page 244] own soul, and go and reforme whatsoever is a­misse in thy family, in thy place and calling? Wilt thou not do these things to prepare for this holy will of Jesus Christ? thou shalt be dam­ned deeper then any body else, because this is a part of Gods last Will and Testa­ment, and thou knowest it, and therefore woe unto thee if thou prepare not for it.

THE DUTY OF REPROVERS And Persons reproved, A Sermon preached by Mr. WILLIAM FENNER Minister of Gods Word.

THese words, by reason of the ambiguity in the Hebrew tongue, they bear two expositi­ons, and our English can suffer but one.

The first Exposition is this, He that reproveth another, and hardeneth his owne neck, shall sudden [...]y be destroyed, and that without [Page 248] remedy. The othet is as we have it here transla­ted, He that being often reproved, hardeneth his necke, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

I desire to speak of both these expositions, fot feare I should misse the true sense of this Text.

For the first, it is a truth of God every where confirmed in the Scriptures, that hee that re­proves another, and yet hardeneth his owne heare, hee doth but make a rod for his owne back, hee puls sudden destruction upon his owne selfe.

Then Secondly, there is no hinderance from the context, but that this may bee the meaning of the text: you know the Proverbs have little or no coherence, except two or three chapters. Indeed there is a coherence in them, but gene­rally through the Proverbs there is none; so that if the text it selfe will beare one exposition as well as another indifferently, the meaning none can tell, onely as it is hit.

Thirdly and lastly, the Text it selfe savours this exposition: for so the word in the Hebrew is, A man of reproofes, that hardens his owne neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without re­medie.

Now the Question is. Whether the wise mans meaning here be of the actuall reproof, the reproving of another; or of passive reproof, this is undetermined which of these is meant.

A man can have no light from the coherence, [Page 249] none in the world; and from the text it selfe, there is as much reason why we should expound it one way (even almost) as the other. So that I say, for feare I should let goe the true meaning of the wise man. I desire to speak a little of the active sense. He that often reproveth another, and yet hardeneth his own neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. From hence I may ob­serve, that.

A reprover (whether a Master or a Minister, Observ. 1. A guilty hardned reprover, shall be destroyed. or a Magistrate, or a Father, or a private Christian, be he what he will be) that reproveth another, and yet is guilty himselfe either in the same kind, or else in another, or in any kind) and hardeneth his own heart in it, that man shall suddenly be destroyed without remedy.

Take a Preacher that preacheth strict doctrine to the people, that is very zealous against their sinnes, he is up with hell and damnation against their filthy courses: he preacheth for quickning, but himselfe is not quickned; hee threatneth judgments against hardnesse of heart, and yet he hath a hard heart himselfe; this man puls de­struction upon his owne pate. Hee is like the Pharisees, that imposed upon others grievous bur­dens and heavie to be born, but would not touch them with one of their fingers themselves, Matth. 23.4.

The Reason of this is, because

First such a reprover of sinne, Reason 1. It is a­gainst his office. it is against his office: the office of a reprover binds him to be blamelesse as the Apostle speakes, A Bishop must be blamelesse, 1 Tim. 3.2. Every Christian [Page 250] should be blamelesse; how much more Ministers, that beare the office of reprovers? they should be blamelesse. Nay, if a man, though hee take not the office of a reprover, yet if he beare the person of a reprover (as every private Christian must when God calls him to it: for every man may be called to reprove) though he have no au­thority over another, though hee bee a private man, he may beare the person though not the of­fice of a reprover. Now a man must be unculpa­ble, and unblameable himselfe, or else hee sinnes against his person. If a man reprove another for being carnall, himselfe must be spirituall, Gal. 6.1. If any man be overtaken with a fault, yee that are spirituall, restore him. The reprover, the exhor­ter, and admonisher, must be spirituall, if hee would draw another to be spirituall.

Reason. 2 He cannot reprove to a right end.Secondly, such a reprover as is guilty himselfe in that kind, or in any other kind, hee can never reprove to a right end. Why seest thou a moat in thy brothers eye, and considerest not the beame in thine owne eye? Matth. 7. vers. 3. Why (saith he) to what end? what is that thou lookest at, thou art severe to espye faults in thy brothers eye? To what end doest thou re­prove him? What is the reason? What is the thing thou wouldst have, that thou find­dest fault with him? Why seest thou a mo [...]t in thy brothers eye? As if hee should say, thy end can never bee good, it cannot bee to doe thy brother good: for then thou wouldest doe thy selfe good first: It is not because thou hatest sin; [Page 251] for then thou wouldest detest thy owne sinne. It cannot bee out of a good principle, or to a good end. It is either because thou art a busie body in other mens matters, or thou art censorious, thou lovest to be medling; or because thou hatest thy brother, and wouldest wreak thy malice on him; thou wouldest fain shame and disgrace him, and by beating him downe, get thy selfe up; or thou wouldest get a cover to thy owne conscience; it must be some such end, it cannot be a good end. Christ puts it to a mans conscience, why hee reproves his brother, when hee is faulty him­selfe.

Thirdly, another Reason is, Reason 3 Not in a right man­ner. such a reprover can never doe it in a right manner, as Christ saith, Matth. 7.4. How wilt thou say to thy bro­ther, let me pull the moat out of thine eye, when be­hold a beam is in thine owne eye? How wilt thou doe it? In what fashion, or sort? How wilt thou be able to bring this about? A man that is a reprover, had need to have a very cleare sight of his owne, that sees another mans faults, and will set another to rights; he had need to have a good judgment, to see all the circumstances of reproof, and rebuke, that deals with another. As long as a man hath a beam in his owne eye, as long as he hath lusts in his own heart, that will blind his judgment, and darken and cover his eyes and make him that he shall not be able to see to goe about it. How canst thou possibly say to thy brother, let me pull the moat out of thine eye, when there is a beam in thine own eye?

[Page 252]A man that is to reprove another, a Master that will reprove his servant, or a father his children, or a Minister that will reprove his people, or a Magistrate that will reprove those that are committed to his charge, or any bro­ther that will reprove another, he must do it with a spirit of compassion, with bowels of pity, with a sense and feeling: there is a great deale of wisdome and discretion to be obser­ved in this act. Now when a man hath a beam in his owne eye, how shall he be able to do it? That man that is faulty and guilty himselfe, ei­ther he must reprove too harshly, and rigorously, or too sparingly, or too insultingly, hee must do it in a wrong manner, it can never be sin­cerely and truly done, as long as a man hath a lust in his own heart, and he himselfe is guilty and faulty, that is a reprover of his brother. Nay, the party reproved, is holpen to retort on him, How dost thou tell me of pride, and worldlinesse, and c [...]vetousnesse? Who so proud and covetous as thou? Thus a man shall be ready to be hit in the teeth.

Reason 4. It is hypo­crisie.Fourthly, such a reprover is an hypocrite. It is no Christian reproof for a man to do so. Wilt thou go and find fault with thy servant for his lazinesse in thy service, when thou art lazie in Gods service? Wilt thou find fault with thy brother for his pride, and thou art full of fa­shions? Wilt thou condemne the sinnes of the times, and thou livest in some lust? This is no­thing but hypocrisie. Thou makest as if thou [Page 253] didst stand so much for obedience to God; and oh! there is this and that sin against God, when thy selfe is a sinner in that, or in another kind; this is hypocrisie, as Christ saith here, Thou hy­pocrite, first cast the beam out of thine owne eye, and then thou shalt see clearly to cast the moat out of thy brothers eye. Thou hypocrite: Mark, it is an act of hypocrisie when a man goes to find fault with ano­ther, before he has gone to redresse his owne soul; to purge his owne conscience, and have shook hands with the wages of iniquity his owne selfe, before a man have done this, it is hypocrisie to deal with another. For when a man reproves ano­ther he takes a form upon himselfe of one that is zealous against sin, and an enemy to all sinfull pra­ctises: Now what is this but hypocrisie, when a man hath not this in him that he pretends? when a man finds fault with anothers pride, as if he were humble forsooth, with anothers worldlinesse as if he were liberall; when a man doth so, he incurres the guilt of hypocrisie in repro­ving another.

Fifthly, another Reason is, Reason 5. It makes inexcusa­ble. because such a re­prover is inexcusable, his reproving of another mans sinne, makes him inexcusable for his owne, as the Apostle speakes, Rom. 2.1. Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art, that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou con­demnest thy selfe, for thou doest the same thing. Marke, thy owne mouth shall condemne thee; thou findest fault with another mans pride: it seemes he is to be condemned for it, then God [Page 254] condemns thee for thy pride. Thy pride is a faire mark for Gods justice, because thou con­demnest another. Dost thou find fault with a­nothets hardnesse of heart, and ill will and back­wardnesse to any thing that is good, and yet thou art backward? Thou exposest thine owne soul to the judgement of God; thou hast taught (as it were) Almighty God how to condemne thee for thy owne lusts and corruptions.

Reason 6 It is ab­surd.Again sixthly, another Reason is this, because such a reprover is an absurd person. It is absurd to reprove another, and be faultie ones selfe, as it is Rom. 2.21. Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thy selfe? Thou that preachest another should not steal▪ dost thou steal? This is a strange absurd thing, this reproof doth not sound well in thy mouth: thou stealest, and forbiddest stea­ling; thou preachest against adultery, and com­mittest it; thou speakest against such and such sinnes, thou findest fault with them in the chil­dren of God, and art guilty thy selfe, or in thy children or servants, or neighbours, and art obnoxious to them in thine owne practise: this is an absurd thing: these rebukes and reproofes sound not well out of thy mouth.

Reason 7. It is im­pudencie.Lastly, it is a signe of impudencie, Psal. 50. What hast thou to doe to take my covenant into thy mouth, when thou hatest to be reformd, and hast cast my covenant behind thy back? And to the wicked God saith, What hast thou to doe to take my statutes or covenant into thy mouth, since thou hatest instruction? What hast thou to doe to [Page 255] reprove thy brother? If hee be proud, what is that to thee, as long as thou art proud thy selfe? thou goest and slingest stones at him: sling them at thine owne heart first. It is a signe of impu­dencie.

But it may be objected, Shall not a wicked magistrate punish sinne, and a wicked Minister preach against the corruptions of the times, and a wicked master rebuke his servants, and a wicked father correct his children? Because he is wicked himselfe, shall hee make himselfe more wicked, and contract more guilt upon his soule?

I answer, that such a man is in a dilemma; for the man is bound to reprove; in regard of his office, and yet he is bound in conscience to go and amend himselfe first. I say, he is bound to reprove all those that God calls him to re­prove, in regard of his office: but in regard of conscience hee is bound to go and amend his owne fault first. Therefore if it be a Magistrate, such as sit upon life and death, or Nisi prius, or a­ny action between man and man, if hee condemn a malefactor, and there remember himselfe guil­ty, hee is bound in conscience to arise from the Bench, and goe and amend his owne sinne. And wee that are Ministers, when we preach to the people, and remember our selves guilty, let us lay our hands upon our mouthes, at least in votis, before ever we have the face to go and find fault with the people, it is necessary it should be so. Therefore, I say, a man is in a dilemma, if he doe [Page 256] not reprove sinne, it is against his office, and the person he beares, when God cals him to it; and if he do reprove, then hee sinnes against the command of God, that binds him to bee blamelesse that is to beare the place of a re­prover.

Vse 1.The Use of this is, first, to let us see, that a man that reproves (I speak not of Ministers only, or of Magistrates, or Fathers, but of every man that reproves, either by tongue, in word, or in thought, if he finde fault in this thought with another man for his sinnes, and his strange do­ings) let him take heed he doth but pull a judge­ment upon his owne head; he makes himselfe in­excusable, as in Rom. 2.3. the Aposte there speaking of this very point, Thinkest thou, O man, that judgest him that doth these things, and doest them, that thou shalt escape the judgement of God? A man that judgeth another, and doth the same things, that man certainly shall not escape the judgement of God, as his brother doth not e­scape his judgement.

Vse 3. To be un­blameable ere we re­prove.Secondly, another Use shall be for counsell to every man and woman (for it is every ones case, God hath called every one of us to reprove one another, Ministers to reprove the people, and Magistrates to judge between man and man, and every neighbour is to reprove when he is called thereto. Now) let us marke and observe this rule, let every one of us labour with all care and conscience, to be unblameable, unoffensive, to goe humble our owne soules, to cleanse our own [Page 257] consciences, that we may be able to perform this duty. Beloved, we wrong our own soules, if we find fault with others, and suffer our selves to bee faulty.

When Paul was to preach to the people, knowing that his office of preaching required reproving, you see lest he should wrong his own soul, how he laboured to be unblameable▪ saith he, I beat my body down, when I preach to others, lest I become a cast-away.

Again as a man wrongs his owne soule, so he dishonours God. It cannot be unknown what an unthankfull office, the office of a reprover is; the world cannot abide reproof, The wicked hate the reprover in the gate Isa. 29.21. The world is full of scorners, that hate reproofe. Prov. 15.12. Though some men be not so wicked as to hate reproofe, yet at least they think hardly of them that reprove; they think they usurp authority over them, and crow over them, or they under­take to bee their betters; as a reprover under­takes in that thing to bee a mans better. Now when a man is reproved, he is apt to think that his neighbour crowes over him, and excerciseth authority upon him, as if he would grow on him, and be his Iudge. You see Lot when he reproved the Sodomites, though as gently as ever he could. My brethren, doe not so wickdly, presently for all that they thought hardly of him. What, will this fellow be a judg that came but the other day to sojurn? Gen. 19. Presently they thought ha [...]dly of him. So we see the Prophet, hee doth but find fault [Page 258] with Amaziah for his fault, and presently the Kings eyes are blinded, and his heart hardened, Who made you of the Kings counsell? 2 Chron. 25.15. hee thought him a medler, that pried into State-affaires, and into the Court and Kingdome. A man cannot reprove his brother for his sinne, but it is a thousand to one, if his brother bee not ready presently to pry into him and to look nar­rowly into his wayes, to espy a hole in his coat if he can, or to make one if he cannot: all mens eyes are upon him, and they look strictly and straitly; and if any thing in the world bee amisse they will be sure to mark it, and to make more of it, to make mountaines of mole-hills. When the blind man did but find fault with the Phari­sees and reprove them a little for persecuting of Christ, what say they? Art thou altogether concei­ved and born in sinne, and wilt thou teach us? Joh. 9.34. Presently they looked on his blindnesse, and birth, Certainly he is a viler sinner then o­ther men, and shall he goe find fault with them? If we mean to reprove another, let us labour to be unblameable, to be godly and holy, to reform our own wayes, let us be sure to purge our own famlies, to cleanse our own soules, to rid our owne hands of all the wayes of sinne and iniqui­ty, lest God be dishonoured. The word of God will be flung in his owne face back againe, and the reproof if it be never so sweet, and never so wise it will be retorted in a mans own teeth▪ if hee be not unblameable himselfe. And a man had need to be humble, and low [...]y, and gentle, [Page 259] and meek, and to put on all bowels and gentlenesse of heart, if he will reprove.

All sinnes are not to be reproved alike, some with sharpnesse, some with lenity. Hee that is a Mountebank that will open a veine for every wheal and pimple. Simile The reprover is like them in Isaiah, when they deale with the Cummin and Fetches, a little rod will beat them out, but when they come to the Corne, Wheat and Rie, they beat them out with the Cart-wheele: So when we meet with a hard-hearted spirit, wee must use stronger corrosives to them, and gentler admonitions and rebukes towards others that sinne with a lesser and a weaker hand. But this is a thing that a man must be marvellous carefull that reproves. Nay, let a man be unblameable for the present, if he have been faulty before, if it were seven, or ten, or twenty yeares be­fore, if it be knowne, it is a thousand to one, but he shall be hit in the teeth with it when he re­proves: you committed adultery, and you did steale at such a time, if it were never so long a­goe, Therefore St. Paul would not consent to take Mark with him in the ministery. Acts 15. because he had been offensive to the Church before. We had need be marvellous carefull and wary if wee will reprove.

I had thought to have named other Uses, but I leave this Exposition, and take it as it is passively interpreted.

The se­ceond x­position.THough it may be expounded the other way, yet I rather incline to this. The Reason is, Because this is the constant current of all In­terpreters generally. I meet but with one or two that expound it the other way; but all passive­ly, He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, &c.

Secondly, because the word in the origiall is, A man of reproofs that hardeneth his own neck. Now, though it be indifferent whether it be active or passive, yet look in the Scripture, and you shall finde it more often passive then active. A man of reproofs, that is, a man often reproved, in the passive. As in Isay 53.3. Christ is a man of sorrows, not making others sorry, but made sorry passive­ly. And so in Dan. 9.23. It is said Daniel was a man of desires, that is, not a man desiring other men, or other things, not actively desiring, but passively, desired, beloved of God exceedingly. So it is said of Jeremiah, Jerem. 15.10. he was a man of strife, not a man striving with others, but a man striven with. So in 1 King. 2.26. A man of death, that is, not killing others, but to be killed himselfe. It is taken more frequently in the passive sense; so we may more boldly take it so. A man of Reproofs, that is, reproved againe and againe, that hath received divers reproofs, and yet hardeneth his owne neck, shall suddenly be [Page 261] destroyed, and that without remedy. Here I might observe by the way, this point of Doctrine, That, The Lord doth not destroy man willingly. Doct. The Lord doth not destroy men wil­lingly.

He saith not, A man shall be destroyed with­out remedy; but a man when he hath sinned a­gainst God, when he hath committed sinne, and not onely so, but when he is reproved for his sin, and goeth on. The Lord doth not destroy a man nakedly, but upon consideration of sin. God de­stroyes not but for sin. Simile. Willingly the Lord doth not afflict any, Lament. 3. Mercy and punishment they flow from God, as the hony and the sting from the Bee; the Bee yeeldeth ho­ny of her own nature, but she doth not sting but when she is provoked: so the Lord is gracious, and good, and favourable, and kind, and blesseth his people from his own nature, but he doth not punish, and plague, and destroy, but being provo­ked by sin and iniquity. I will not stand to fol­low this point, I let it go.

The text it self contains the great mercie of God in lending a man a reproof.

And what a great sin it is, what a great ill it is for a man to sin against his reproof. The greatnesse of the ill is set down two wayes:

• First, by the great sinfulnesse of the thing, it is called the hardening of a mans own neck.
• Secondly, by the greatnesse of the punishment that God inflicts upon this sin, and that is,
  Observ. A great mercy to be repro­ved.
  he will de­stroy him, and without remedy.

For the first, namely, what a great mercie it is for God to let a man be reproved for his sins. [Page 262] It may bee proved by many places of Scripture, onely I find in Scripture it is brought as an ag­gravation of sinne when they sinned against re­proof, Hosea 5.2. saith hee, they are profound to commit sinne, though I have been a rebuker of them all. As if he should say, though I have been so mercifull as to shew them the danger of sinne, to tell them what would come of their wretched courses: though I have called them to repen­tance, and have given them warning what would be the issue of these things; yet for all this, for all my mercy, they have gone on in their sinnes though I have reproved them. This Though is a word of aggravation as we see in the speech of Daniel to Belshazzar; Thou, O King, hast not humbled thy selfe though thou knewest this: as if he had said, though the Lord let thee know the punishment upon thy Father▪ and the plagues of Nebuchadnezzar thy grandfather, though the Lord have let thee understand what it is for thee ro exalt thy selfe against him; yet thou art not humbled; he aggravates his sinne, So, this ag­gravates a mans sinne when he goes on, notwith­standing he is reproved. The reasons are,

Reason. 1. Reproofes come from love.First, because when God reproves a man of sinne: the reproof primarily comes out of love; therefore when he reproved Laodicea, and told her she was luke-worm, and said, I would thou wert either hot or cold: And since she was neither, he would spue her out of his mouth; he tells her whence the reproof flowed; because I love I re­prove: As many as I love, I rebuke, Rev. 3.19. It is [Page 263] not out of ill will that I tell thee of thy luke­warmnesse, and threaten to spue thee out of my mouth; I tell thee these things that thou mayst avoid that ill I say, Gods reprofes flow pri­marily from love to men, whereby he would have them lay aside their wretched courses, and avoid the judgements. Nay, it is an argument of hatred when a man doth not reprove his bro­ther of sinne. If God let a man goe on in sinne, and never tell him of his drunkennesse, nor ne­ver find fault with his pride and security, never convince him, or wound, or touch him, nor deal with him about his unsetled estate, and his rot­ten condition, it is a signe God hates the man: but when God reproves a man from day to day, Man, thou art a proud creature, thou shalt to hell for thy pride, and hypocrisie, and securitie, and harpnesse of heart: When the Lord reproves a man from day to day, this is an argument of love; the other is an effect of hatred, not to re­prove. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart, saith Moses, but shalt in any wise reprove him, and not suffer sinne to be upon him, Levit. 19.17. Thou hatest thy brother when thou seest him sinne, and doest not warn him, and knowest he is guilty of sinfull courses, and doest not reprove him; and when thou hast time, and place, and opportuni­ty, and fit circumstances to reprove, and yet thou wilt not doe it, it is a signe thou hatest thy brother; it is the greatest degree of hatred one of them. If a man deny food for the body, and let a man rather die of hunger, then hee will give [Page 264] him meat, or let a man fall into a pit, rather then he will prevent the mischeif, a man is guilty of bodily murther: but thou art guilty of the soule of thy brother, if thou let him fall into sin. Thou thinkest thy brother is harsh, he will not bear with thee, he is hasty and testy: no, thou art in an er­ror, That man that hates reproof, erreth, saith Solo­mon. Prov. 10.17. Indeed a man should not be too sharp, but first tell his brother in private that he is in an er­ror: for reproof is a means of grace, it flowes from great love, it is the providence of God that hath cast it about, that thou shouldest have reproof gi­ven thee; if thou have a heart to take it, it is an argument of love.

Reason. 2 They tend to good. Another reason is taken from the primary end of reproof, which is to bring a man to good, to reduce him into a right way, to convert a man, to save his soule, that is the primary end of re­proof and admonition: therefore to go on in sinnes contrary to it, must needs be a great evill. As Solomon brings in the wisdome of the Father, Jesus Christ, calling upon people, O yee fooles, how long will yee love folly? turn at my reproof. Mark what followes, to what end; I will poure my spirit on you. There is the end he tells them O yee fooles, wretched people without understan­ding, that go on in sinne, and harden your owne hearts, that repent not, nor turne not to God, that will not submit to his wisdome, nor imbrace his word: yee fooles, that wrong your own souls, oh turne at my reproof. Why? This is the reason that God reproves a man on this fashion, it is [Page 265] that a man may have the Spirit of God granted him. If thou have an eare to heare reproof, and a heart to drink it in, and to weare it as a crown of gold on thy head, and as a chain about thy neck, thou shouldest have the Spirit of God for thy labour: the Lord reproves thee that thou mightest return back, and have his Spirit, and have mercie and forgivenesse. This is all the ill will that Gods Ministers beare thee, and all the hatred that reprovers shew, when they tell thee of thy sinnes whatsoever they be, that they may stop thy steps from going downe to Hell.

When the Lord sends thee Sermon upon Ser­mon, Preacher after Preacher, thou art called on day by day, (as you here in this place) This is the infinite goodnesse of God toward your souls; therefore your sinne is infinite great, if you do not amend, as the wise man saith, He that hates reproof shall surely die, Prov. 15.10. there is no remedy for that man, that man that puts off re­pentance, God reproves him from day to day, on the Sabbath day, and on the week dayes; hee goes to this man, and there he is reproved; and to another, and there he is reproved; and yet he goes on in this deadnesse and formality in the ordinances of God, that man shall surely die, there is no remedy, he sins against the infinite mercie of God.

Thirdly, Reason. 3 It is bru­tish to re­prove then there is no reason in the world why reproofe should be taked otherwise then with all willingnesse, and thankfulnesse, and chear­fulnesse. [Page 266] If a man have but the reason of a man in him, he must needs take reproof in good part; he must be a beast that doth not judge well of him that reproves him. There is an excellent place, Prov. 12.1. He that puts off reproof is bru­tish; he that hates reproof, is a brute, that man hath no reason in him. Art thou a swearer, and art reproved for it? thy brother tells thee thou wilt be damned for it. Doest thou chafe at that man? thou art a beast, thou hast no more under­standing then an Ox or an Asse. Simile As it is with a horse when the Ostler comes to rub him, he kicks with the heel; when he only beats off the dirt, he lifts up his hinder legge on him, and it may be wounds him: so thou hast no more understan­ding then a beast that finds fault with one that re­proves thee for thy sins. So that whatsoever thy sin be, he that tells thee of it, there is no reason in the world but he should be a dear man to thee. Me thinks of all men under heaven, godly Mini­sters that are faithfull in their place and calling, should be the dearest men to you upon the face of the earth. Why? because they reprove you, and tell you of your sins, and what will become of your souls, what will be the issue and Cata­strophe of all your wayes. You that come to Church every day, may read a Lecture in the Word of God, what will be your doom at the last day: you are told of your pride, and adulte­ry, of your whoredome and oaths, carnall Gos­pellers of their secure and carnall condition, and common professors of their formality, and other [Page 267] lusts that men are given to; you are told of all: I say, the feet of Gods messengers should be beau­tifull; you should hug the messengers, and put their reproofs in your bosomes, and let them have power and efficacie on your souls; and go and put them in practice.

The Use of this is,

First, is it so, Vse 1. The mise­ry to want reprovers that it is the infinite mercie of God to reprove men of their sinnes, to tell them of whatsoever is amisse in their hearts and lives? let me tell you, First, see here what an infinite punishment God is bringing upon that King­dome when hee is taking away reprovers, from them: when God takes away reprovers, he takes away all mercie and loving kindnesse. There­fore God when he threatned to deliver up Ju­dah, to curse that Kingdome, to plague them for their rebellion, and utterly to give them over, he saith he will take away the reprover; saith hee to the Prophet, Thou shalt be dumb, and not open thy mouth, thou shalt not be a reprover to this people, Ezek. 3.26. When the Lord would curse that people, and bind them over to a reprobate sense, and deliver them to wrath, the Prophet shall not be a reprover, he silences the Prophet. Or as Piscator thinks, the or Angel anger of God silenced him, or confined him to his house, that he should not prophesie. So when God silences his Mini­sters, that he takes them from a place, or threa­tens to take them away, it is a signe of heavie vengeance toward such a people. It may be wic­ked people laughed at them, and made it a mat­ter [Page 268] of nothing, they were glad that Ezekiels mouth was gagged, and it were no matter if the countrey were rid of a company of Puritans; though they had no such word then, they had as bad, they think all is well: but the time will come that they will curse the day that ever they provoked God to take away their Ministers; we enjoy them by the mercie of God, other places have lost them, God knows how soon wee may lose ours. In Hosea 4.4. the Lord there when he would set out the desperate estate of the children of Ephraim, he delivers them up to such a state and condition, that none should reprove them, Let none reprove another. If they will sinne let them; if they will go on in idolatry, let them; if they will harden their own hearts, let them; if they will die in sinne, let them; if they will pe­rish, and be damned for ever, let them. Let no man reprove another. It is a lamentable state.

Generally people are glad when the Land is swept of all the good Ministers, and the good ser­vants of God: they had rather heare a fine song in a Pulpit, of one that preacheth morally, or it may be preacheth his own selfe, or the like, but the time will come, when they shall say as Sa­lomon saith, It is better to heare the reproofe of the wise, then the song of fooles, Eccles. 7.5. People love alife to hear the song of fooles. When a foole comes up and preacheth, At what time so­ev [...]r a sinner shall repent of his sinne: And, Bee not just over much; and what need such adoe? Her [...] is more puther then needs, and abuse places, and [Page 269] wrest Scriptures. As for example, the thiefe on the Crosse was saved at the last with a word or two; and they bring the example of the Publi­can, that cried, God be mercifull to me a sinner, and went justified to his house rather then the Pha­risee that made long prayers. And tush, what need men be so zealous, and precise, and purita­nicall, Whosoever calls upon the name of God, shall be saved: people love alife such songs of fooles: but the time shall come when peoples eyes shall be opened, and their consciences awakened, and then they will wish, O that we had heard the re­proofe of the wise.

The second use makes against those that de­spise the reproofe of the wise, yee despise not men, Vse 2. but God; yee have despised me, Prov. 1.30. You think you despise a poore Minister, he is strict, & harsh with your souls, and presseth these things upon your conscience, and it may bee, more then he hath warrant to doe: Against despisers of reproof so you think you do not despise God, but one onely Minister: Nay, saith Christ, you have despised my reproofe. When you despise them that Christ sends, you despise him. This is an expresse and an explicite signe of a mans everlasting destruction, when he despiseth reproofe as in that speech of the Prophet to A­maziah, I know that the Lord hath determined to de­stroy thee, because thou hast not hearkened to my re­proofe, 2 Chron. 25.16. So I may say, I know that God hath determined to destroy a Nation, a Ci­tie, or a people, when they will not take coun­sell of Gods Messengers, when they will not [Page 270] hearken to instruction: They have beene called upon, nationall sinnes have been ripped up, pa­rochiall sinnes have beene spoken of, yet when they are told, they will not be reproved. We that are the Ministers of God, know that God will destroy as many as turn not at reproof. I let this passe.

I should now show the grievousnesse of this ill of standing out against reproof: it is expressed two wayes: The grie­vousnesse of stand­ [...]ng out a­gainst re­ [...]roof.

First, in the sinfulnesse of it, to harden a mans heart.

Secondly, in the punishment; He shall be destroy­ed without remedy. And in the destruction you may see here,

First, the unexpectednesse of it, He shall be destroy­ed suddenly.

Secondly, the totalnesse of it, Hee shall bee destroyed. The word signifieth to shatter all in peeces.

Thirdly, the irrecoverablenesse of it, without re­medy.

Fourthly, the sutablenesse of it, his punishment is according to his sin. Mark, as he hardened his own heart against God, so God will harden his heart against him: as no remedy would turn him from his sin, so no remedy shall turn God from his wrath: As his sin was in hardening his heart like a stone, so God shall deale with him as a stone is dealt with, he shall destroy him. The word in the originall signifies broken to peeces as a stone is broken, that is, the Lord will deale with him just [Page 271] in his own kind. Hence I might observe this do­ctrine, that The Lord proportions punishments to mens sin. Doct. God pro­portions punish­ments to sins.

Just as a mans sin is, so is the punishment. Da­vid sinned in numbring the people, 2 Sam. 24.15. and God punished him in that, Pharaoh sinned in destroying and drowning the males of the Isra­elites, God smote his first-born: He drowned their babes, and he himself was drowned in the sea. I might bring abundance of examples.

Now the Reasons of this are,

First, Reason. 1 To shew the eqvity of the punishment. because hereby a mans punishment ap­peare to be so much the more equall, and wor­thy. Retaliation is a most equall punishment to the sin; there is no inequality in it but this, that it is too mercifull, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, hurn for burn, wound for wound. You know an eye is equall for an eye: so when God punisheth a man just in his own kind, quid for quo, that as there was no remedy would turn him from his sin, so there shall be no remedy shall turn God from his wrath. Herein Gods punish­ment appeares to bee most equall, Revel. 16.5.6. Thou art righteous, O Lord, in that thou jud­gest thus: for shee hath shed the bloud of thy Saints, therefore thou hast given them bloud to drink, for they are worthy. Thou thirstedst after bloud, there it is for thee: so this is most equall, when men have dealt thus and thus with God, when God shall deal so and so with thee, thou canst not find fault. When a man drinks as hebrews, and reaps as he sowes, and finds as he brings, what inequa­lity [Page 272] is here? It shall come to passe, that as when I called they would not hear, so when they call, I will not answer, Zach. 7. When God calls upon thee, and thou wilt not hear, afterwards when thou callest for mercie, if he do not hear thee, it is just.

Reason 2. [...]t stops a mans mouth.Secondly, another reason is, because this stops a mans mouth, it convinceth a mans conscience; when a mans conscience finds that he is served in his own kind, that he is paid in his own coin, it stops his mouth. As Adonibezek he had cut off the thumbs and toes of 70. Kings: afterwards hee was served just so as he had dealt with others; he had cut off their thumbs and toes, and made them gather orts under his table; so afterwards his thumbs and toes were cut off. Now mark what his conscience saith, Judg. 1.7. As I have dealt, so God hath dealt with me. As if he had said, God knowes wherefore the children of Judah have done this: they know not why they cut off my thumbs, and the reason why they cut off my toes; God knowes what they looked at in pu­nishing me thus: but Gods just providence hath dealt thus with me; in this kind I served others. This is so palpable a punishment, so equall and just, that though the sin were committed twenty yeeres ago, yet a mans conscience will find out his sin twenty yeeres after. As Iosephs brethren they sold him, and after cast him into a pit, two and twenty yeeres after, when Joseph was harsh with them, see what their conscience sai [...]h; Doubtlesse we are guilty of our brothers bloud, when [Page 273] we saw the anguish of his soule, and he besought us, and we would not heare. As if they had said; What is the matter why the man is thus harsh? he ne­ver saw us before, why should he be so harsh, and we be strangers? Nay, saith conscience, you are well served, remember you were harsh to your brother; if you dealt so with him, marvel not if you be dealt so with. And after, when they came to their Inne, and found their mony, they wondred, What is this that God hath done? Their conscience, I warrant you, hit them in the teeth: without doubt they thought the mony that they took for selling of their brother, had humbled them as a Ghost: did not wee pay the man mony for his corne that we bought? Nay, saith conscience, you are rightly served, here is the money you sold your brother for, (though it were not so) without doubt con­science upbraided them. Naturally wee are apt to find fault with Gods judgements and quar­rel, but when conscience sees the equity of them, we have nothing to say.

Thirdly, all the standers by may see the equi­ty of it, when the punishment is according to the sinne: Nay, Divinity makes this argument, that there is a God to judge the earth, because men are punished in their owne kinde. I will shew you one example of Abimilech, that wretch, that slew seventy of his brethren upon one stone, Judg. 9.7. afterwards when he came to stand under the tower of Abel, a woman flung a peice of a milstone upon his head, and killed him: [Page 274] This was strange all the standers by might say, that Abimilech should be killed with a stone: no question the woman thought nothing, she flung the stone because she had nothing else to fling; it was strange that it should hit him so pat, it might have hit another as well as him; the stone might have fallen to the ground as well as on him; and that it should be by a woman, and a milstone too: Milstones are not used on the top of a Tower, and a milstone broken that a woman could lift it, and that he should be killed by a milstone, and not with a sword; nay, might all the standers by say, This God hath done, he was the sonne of a strange woman, and a woman hath killed him; he killed his brethren upon one stone, and now a stone hath killed him; all the world might be able to say; This God hath done.

The use of this is,

First, let no creature in the world complaine of Gods dealing, if he punish us according to our kind; he that kils with the sword, shall bee killed with the sword. He that stops his eares from hearing the poore, what shall his punishment be? He shall cry and not be heard. He that shewes no mercy, how shall he be punished? He shall re­ceive no mercie Iames [...].13. Woe to thee that spoy­ledst, and wast not spoiled: when thou ceasest spoy­ling, others shall spoyle thee, Isai. 33.1. Iudge not, (saith Christ;) what if I doe? Then thou shalt be judged. Thus God recompenceth the fruit of a mans doing. Here is no Momus can complain; [Page 275] no Aristarchus, that can find fault with the ju­stice and judgement of God.

Secondly, it is not amisse to consider and see how God proportions punishments to [...]

• In Kind,
• In Quantity,
• In Quality,
• In Time,
• In Place, and other circumstances.

In kind: He shall eate the fruit of his owne wayes, that is, he shall be punished in kind. It is a similitude from a tree, every tree brings forth according to its owne kind; if it be an Ap­ple-tree, it brings forth Apples; if a Crab-tree, Crabs, a Pear-tree, Pears: So every sinner shall be punished in their kind, a Minister shall be punished in his kind, wicked Masters in their kind, servants in theirs, rich in theirs, poore in theirs: if a man be a drunkard, hee shall bee punished in one kind; if he be an adulterer, in another: Every man shall eate the fruit of his own wayes. Every sinne brings an homogeniall pu­nishment, according to the nature of it. I can­not stand to follow this, though it be very clear in Scripture.

Secondly, it is in Quantity; God propor­tions the punishment according to the sinne; he that sowes sparingly, shall reap sparingly; but he that sowes bountifully, shall reap bountifully. Little sinnes, little punishments; and great sinnes great [Page 276] punishments. There are little sins, moat sins, gnat sins, and there are Camel sins: so there are little and great punishments, some meet with many, some with fewer stripes. Just according to a mans sinnes, so the Lord shapes out the punish­ment, for great sinners, great plagues, and for e­very one according to his own measure. God hath a pair of Ballance that he means to weigh men in: As he weighed Belshazzar, so hee will weigh thee, and look how much sinne thou puttest in one scale, so much punishment God will put in the other; he will not abate thee one oath, not one idle thought, not one breach of the Sabbath, not one neglect of hearing the Word, or of o­ther duties: the Lord will put wrath in one bal­lance, as thou puttest sinne in the other; he will make the scales even to a haire: as he dealt with Belshazzar, He will lay righteousnesse to the line, and judgement to the plummet, and weigh thee out in the scales, and thou shalt have just accor­ding to thy sins.

As the Lord deales with his own people, he will not abate so much as a cup of cold water, but it shall be rewarded: he will reward all, from the greatest to the least; so he will deale with the wicked, there shall no sin passe unpunished.

Againe, [...]here is a proportion in the Quality ▪ If Adam sin in eating, he shall be punished in ea­ting; If the women of Judah sin in apparel, they shall be punished in apparel, Isay 3.24. In Wisd. 11.16. a man shall be punished in that that he sinnes in; if Absolom sin in his haire, he shall be punish­ed [Page 277] in it; Nebuchadnezzar might finde his sin in his brutish condition, and the Prodigall might find his sin in the Hog-trough: So if thou finde thy selfe in want, consider if thou hast not wa­sted thy meanes, if thou hast not beene vaine in building, and prodigall in spending, or gaming, or unnecessary bounty, and immoderate libera­lity, beyond thy means: Art thou punished in thy Trade, or Children, &c. see if thou hast not sinned in them: for where there is sin, God will proportion the punishment to the sin.

Fourthly, God proportions the punishment to the sin in regard of the time. The same houre that Belshazzar was drinking and quaffing in the Temple, the same houre the hand of God was up­on him; if it be not upon thee the same houre, it may be to morrow at the same houre. It may be thou hast sinned this day at such an houre, it may be God may strike thee to morrow at the same time, or this day seven-night, it may be the next year. Nebuchadnezzar was warned of his pride this yeare, and the same time twelve month the Lord drove him from among men. So in Acts 13.42. one Sabbath day the Iewes heard Paul preach and went out before the Sermon was quite done they were not able to stand to the blessing; the same day seven-night the Lord made the Apo­stles shake off the dust of their feet against them, and leave them to a reprobate sense.

Fifthly, the Lord proportions his punishments to the place. It is strange many times, that the drunkard should get his death in the same Ale-house [Page 278] where he got his liquor. In Judg 7. in that story of Oreb and Zeeb, Oreb at the rock Oreb, de­vised against the children of Israel, and upon the same rock he was killed, And Zeeb another per­secuter of the children of God; so the Psalmist calls them, he at the Wine-presse of Zeeb, took victuals from the children of Israel, and in the same place his own life was taken away.

Just as Judges and Magistrates at this day, they hang up men where they have done the villany. As they doe with Dogs and Cats, they carry them to the place, to the Cellar or the Buttery where they do the mischeif. But the beasts them­selves, though they have no reason, are able to pick out the meaning of it. The Lord punisheth sinners in the same place. Here where thou hast been deaf to hear the word of God, when thy heart riseth against the Preacher, in the same place (it may be) the Lord will deliver thee up to a reprobate sense. In the same place, at the Lords Table, where thou comest unworthily, thou shalt eate and drink thine own damnation.