Heaven won by a Sacred Violence.

THe Field which at present I desire to walk in, is this precious Scripture, chosen for the carrying on of the Work of the Lord among you.

The Lord of Life put life into the hand­ling of it, that we may all thrive by it abun­dantly. So be it.

The Coherence.

In the words foregoing these, we may see what Care, what Diligence, what Means Divine Providence did adhibit and use, to notifie the Messias of the World, to the [Page 2]World; by Prophets, first, in old time; and then by the Baptist in Christ's time, whose powerful & piercing Ministry, what effects it produced is here by my Text opened, and most clearly evinced.

In a word, these words are a special Commendation, ushered in by a suspen­sive Conjunction.

And, which connects the words here used, with those which are premised, and adds Light to Light, Lustre to Lustre: for in the words preceding these, the Great­ness of the Baptist is generally only asser­ted, ver. 10. In these more especially, and that from the Power and Prevalency of his Min [...]stry, which comes next to be view­ed, in the special Commendation it self, comprized in the words following, From the dayes of John the Baptist, until now, &c. Where,

1. We have Circumstances of Time, and of a Person.

2. A Substance to be considered.

First, Circumstances of Time; both from which, and to which.

1. A Circumstance of Time, from which.

[From the Dayes] not Years; for it was [Page 3]not long, nor many years, but some few only; and so but some dayes, as it were, rather than years, during which the Baptist preached; this wicked World not being worthy, nor willing of his Ministry. Brief­ly thus.

From the Beginning of his preaching. For from that time, there was more labouring for Heaven than ever Some did strive to enter Heaven before too, but not so generally, as you may see, Luk. 16.16. before.

2. The Time to which, [Until now]: Not for a little while only, but for some conti­nuance; even till that very time wherein these words by Christ were spoken.

Secondly, A Circumstance of a Person; of [John the Baptist.]

1. Of John, which signifieth Grace; and therefore a name well becoming him that bare it; his Person as well as Preach­ing being so full of Grace, all favouring of Christ, savouring of Heaven.

2. The Baptist; so called because of his Baptista a [...], made, facere & lava­re aqua. See Mark 7.4. dipping in, and baptizing with * water; water being the element, for which was destinated, and about which [Page 4]was most imployed, this glorious Instru­ment.

Thirdly, A Substance, even the Substance, of the said Baptists great Commendation, which, as you see, is a most rare and singu­lar setting forth of the most powerful ef­fect of his Ministry, in these words, The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth Violence, &c. Where we have,

• 1. A Passion.
• 2. An Action.

I. A Passion; The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth Violence.

Where we have again,

• 1. A Patient.
• 2. The Passion it self, to consider.

1st. A Patient, The Kingdom of Heaven.

1. The Kingdom. A Kingdom proper­ly is an Langius, in sua Polyanth. ampliated Com­monwealth on Earth; but here no such thing is meant, as is earthy, but an heavenly; even a Kingdom, whose King is Verity, whose Law is Equity, whose Life is Felicity, whose Age is Eternity: for so it follows,

2 Of Heaven, or Heavens.

1. Heaven in the singu­lar, because a Heaven Clem. Alex. Strom. l. 5 p. 157 Aug. Conf. l. 8. c. 1. Lyra in Loc. Musc. in Loc. Rich. Baxter in Saints Rest, p. 19. is meant, which indeed is sin­gular, it being a body all made of Glory, Glory made of Brightness, Bright­ness streaming from Hap­piness, Happiness destina­ted for Holiness; Holiness, I mean, eleva­ted to that heighth of Splendor, which is over all the surface of that huge and shi­ning place, which from every point doth pour forth whole Rivers of purest Light, for the Children of Light. Cyril, Alex. Thes. l. 2. c. 4. Cyril by Heaven, here un­derstands Regeneration; But I do not see how he can make his Ex­position hold.

2. Of the Heavens, in the plural, as it is in the [...]. Origi­nal; where note, that there are two sorts of Heavens,

• 1. Visible.
• 2. Invisible.

First, Visible; as,

1. The airy Heaven, where the Fowles flee; which therefore are called, Mat. [Page 6]6.26. [...]. The Fowles of Hea­ven.

2. The starry Heaven, where the Stars are, Gen. 15.5. a Body which is so clothed with shining Light, so beautified with a Canopy of gayest Colours, so embossed with glorious Jewels, so bespangled with sparkling Diamonds, the Stars I mean, whose Pulchritude is so admirable, Altitude so unmeasurable, Magnitude so unimagni­ble; and which is properly called, [...], from [...], I see, because it is to be seen, and so eminently to be seen.

Secondly, Invisible, namely, to us now; I mean that highest Empyraean Heaven, with all its glorious Mansions, and their Dimensions; which also may be called Hea­vens, as part of the whole; by a Rule which we have in Keckerm. in suo Syst. Log. Lo­gick, That which is compe­tent to the Homogeneous whole, is also competent to the Homogeneous parts: So we call the parts of the great Sea, Seas; as the Balthick Sea, the British Sea: and so every arm of that Sea of Hap­piness, every branch of that endless Bliss, every beam of that Lustre, which is in that [Page 7]Mass of shining Light, every Mansion in that heavenly Fathers House, and every part of that infinite Glory, which is over all that Kingdom of Glory, is a Heaven: And so Heaven above (here Ut supra. meant or the Empyraean Heaven, is a Kingdom of Heavens.

Secondly, The Passion it self, [suffereth Violence.]

1. Suffereth; Strange! can Heaven suffer? I answer, Not properly, but as it were,

2. Violence. And what is that? It is a motion Tho. Aqu. in 5 Met. l. 6. proceeding from an exterior agent, tending to that which by its own nature, it hath no aptitude unto: as here, what Aptitude hath any of us naturally, to win Heaven by force?

II. An Action, [And the Violent take it by force.] Where we have,

• 1. Actors.
• 2. The Action it self to be viewed.

1. Actors; [And the Violent.] In the [...]. Original, the Violent (so cal­led in the English) are also inva­ders, endeavourers, urgers, and such as press hard; as these do, who are bent for [Page 8]Heaven, pressing and urging with the strongest arguments, and with all their might, and utmost endeavours, the God of Heaven.

2. The Action it self, [Take it by force.]

1. Take it.] The word in the [...] Original properly is spoken of wild Beasts, which take their prey; which here is applyed to Men, who take Heaven as a prey, which they pursue till they have it.

2. By Force.] To take a thing by force properly, and commonly, is take it by wrong. Whence in the [...] He­brew, Force is called by a name, which also signifies wrong and injury; and yet here is no wrong done to any, when Heaven is taken by the Saints forcibly, for it is their proper portion by Adoption, that glorious Habitation; and therefore when they seize on it by might, they do what they do in it, in their own Understand a right derived from Jesus Christ, who hath a dou­ble right to it. Author vit Bern. l. 1. cap. 12. right, 1 Pet. 1.3.

But I desire now after all these Divisions, [Page 9]and Subdivisions, to come to some Com­positions, or Conclusions. And,

1. Let this be one.

1. Doct. A powerful right Teaching, and Christ-preaching-Ministry, doth very much advance the winning of Heaven by a sacred Violence.

2. Then take an other.

Heaven must be taken by an holy Violence.

For the first.

I shall raise and resolve about it these two Queries.

1. What such a Ministry is?

2. Why such a Ministry doth so advance the winning of Heaven by an holy Violence?

To the first I answer.

It is a Ministry which poureth out it self in torrents of affection, lists up its voice like a trumpet, comes to the heart in the demonstration of▪ the Spirit; thunders out the Judgements of God against all that is called flesh, and not spirit, strikes at the very root of every tree which brings not forth fruit to God; labours mightily to desponsate souls to Christ, and there­fore holds forth none, and nothing so much as Christ.

To the second Query I answer thus, in seven Grounds.

1. Such a Ministry will cry down sin.

2. Will cry up Heaven.

3. Will cry up Zeal.

4. Will take away the Vail which is over all mens faces.

5. Will take away all excuses and vain conceits.

6. Will acquaint men with the absolute necessity of believing.

7. Will inform them of that strictness of living which Christ requireth of all that will enter into Life everlasting.

1. Ground. It will cry down Sin, accor­ding to that of Isa. 58.1. and Mat. 3.10. as thus; it will tell men, that they which do such things as they do, commit adulte­ry and whoredom, and all manner of un­cleanness, and lasciviousness, with greedi­ness; do lie, steal, pour in strong drink, and will be drunk, and glut themselves with excessive eating, live in usury, in the sin of covetousness, of anger, of envy, of pride; without fear, without remorse, with­out repentance; are worthy of death, wor­thy of damnation, and shall never inherit [Page 11]the Kingdom of God; according to that dreadful Scripture, Gal. 5.19, 20, 21. Thus such a Ministry cryeth out against all sorts of Sins and Sinners; who when they hear them cry out so, what sins will they not ra­ther miss, that eternal Life they may not miss? And what evils will they not for­sake, that Heaven they may take? When a man understands, that either he must lose his life, or his leg, or arm, or right hand, or right eye, though his leg be dear to him, his arm dear, his right hand dear, his right eye dear, yet will he lose any of these dear things, or all, rather than life; because his Chyrurgion tells him, that else he must die: So poor Sinners, when they are told by the Chyrurgions of their souls, that either they must lose their best be­loved Sins, which are as dear to them as their legs, their arms, their right eyes, right hands, or lose Heaven if they will keep them; they will, with God's blessing, do any thing rather than die; forgoe any sin rather than go to Hell; lose any profit rather than Heaven; Heaven being infi­nitely, absolutely, indisputably better than both their eyes, both hands, both legs, both [Page 12]arms; in a word, than all that is near or dear to them in all this worlds circumfe­rence.

2. Ground. It will cry up Heaven; as the Baptist came crying, and saying, Re­pent; the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, Mat. 3.2. and as Christ himself came preaching, and saying in my Text, The Kingdom of Heaven suffers Violence; and Rev. 21.17. which when poor souls hear, how they will be startled with Gods Bles­sing; how they will come, as those, Mat. 3.6. confessing their sins, and acknowledging their former of citances and neglectings of Life and Salvation, and being ready to do any thing to do well hereafter, and to be saved, as those, Luke 3.12.

Beloved, if this were a Sea-town, and a Vessel should arrive here from beyond the Seas, and a Cryer should be sent up and down to cry, That if any will buy, & take estates worth thousands, in a goodly Coun­try, for a small matter, yea for nothing up­on the matter, he may now be carried over in that Vessel, and buy, and take as much Land as he will, and as cheap as he can de­sire; O! how would those of your Town, [Page 13]who have but little or no estates, and are in want, and have but little or no money, with both hands imbrace such an opportu­nity, & take such a proffer and advantage, and embark themselves to be gone, and to take such estates in so goodly a Country, and to inhabit such stately Seats? This now is the case of poor souls, we Ministers ar­rive with our Vessels, I should say our Gos­pel-preaching, which we carry in earthen­vessels, at your Towns, at your Parishes; at your Temples we turn Cryers, being for that end sent, Isa. 58.1. and bid to cry; and cry up and down in your Towns and solemn Assemblies, Isa. 55.1. Ho, if any man will buy cheap, and take Heaven cheap, or an estate in Heaven, worth not only thousands, but whole worlds, and desires to have a goodly seat indeed, let him come with us, and saile with us, and go, and take Heaven, and take it freely; or thus (as I alleadged the words above) Let him that is athirst, come; and whosoever will, let him take the Water of Life freely: and therefore how may we suppose that poor needy souls, and such as have no money, that is, nothing of their own to stand upon, Isa. [Page 14]55.1, 2. and have any desires to be saved, and to be so well seated and provided for, will, by God's blessing, going with our preaching, strive and stir, and use all means possible, to purchase such an estate, and such a stately seat, at so cheap and easie a rate, going with us, and going away from all that they have, and from whatsoever is near and dear to them, to be so near to God.

3. Ground. It cries up Zeal; saying, as it is written, Enter ye at the strait Gate; for wide is the Gate, and broad is the Way that leads to Destruction; and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the Gate, and narrow is the Way which leads to Life; and few there be that find it, Mat. 7.13, 14. And, so run, that you may obtain, 1 Cor. 9.24. and, be zealous and repent, Rev. 3.19. which when it is earnestly & powerfully preached and pressed upon a people, and sounds into their ears, so awakeneth their slumbering Consciences, as that they cannot sleep, as they were wont in their Pues, nor be qui­et, but must needs stir, and needs look about, and begin (with God's blessing) to take the same course that Saints take, that [Page 15]they may take Heaven; it being with them then, as it was with those dead dry bones in Ezekiel, for as there, when the Prophet prophesied, There was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone, ver. 7. So here, when God's Mi­nisters prophesie, and preach with power, there usually will be a noise; whereas be­fore all was quiet, one crying one thing, another another, and behold a shaking; for such Ministers make Drunkards, and Usu­rers, and unclean persons, and careless ones shake, in their seats; and then bone comes to his bone: my meaning is this, men come together, crying, and saying▪ What shall we do to be saved? as the Jaylor, Acts 16.30. Again, bone comes to his bone, in that those which are out of joynt, and out of order, and out of the Body of Christ, come to be restored, joyned, join­ted, united with God, with Christ, with Christians, I mean good Christians, that they may be saved: or thus, as when there is a fire in a house, seen, and cryed by night, men will be startled at it, and roused, and raised; so when the Fire of Zeal is kind­led in God's House, and cryed, and seen [Page 16]by such as were asleep, it being night and dark with them, by reason of the darkness which is in them, they must needs be awakened, excited, troubled; like those in Acts 2.37.

4. Ground. It will take away the For all men be­fore they come to Christ, are vailed; us Rebecca before she came to Isaac. Gen. 24.65. and like the Jews. See 2 Cor. 3. 14, 15, 16. Vail, which is over all mens faces, in that it will make men see what they never saw, by reason of that blindness and ignorance which was in them, opening their eyes through the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Je­sus Christ, Acts 26.18. by the plain and light-bringing Manifestation of the everla­sting Gospel, preached as it ought to be preached, that all men that hear it, may see clearly what they are, and how it is with them, and especially shewing them the Lord Christ, with these or the like words; Loc, the fairest of all men, Psal: 45.2. or, Be­hold the Lamb of God, which takes away the sins of the world, John 1.29. which when poor sinners hear, and see, O how they are taken with it! O how it works upon their [Page 17]spirits! O how they begin to long, to love, to desire to be with the Father of spirits! and how they be ravisht with the Beauties of Christ, seeing what had not been shewen and told them so before, and considering what they had not heard so before; as it is written, For that which had not been told them, shall they see; and that which they had not heard, shall they consider, Isa. 52.15.

5. Ground. It takes away all excuses, vain conceits and opinions, which hinder the coming of Christ into their hearts; for some will say, that they cannot yet come to Christ, to be saved by Christ, either by rea­son of business, or because they are intang­led with a wife, I mean Mistris Pleasure or Lust; like those, Luke 14.13, 19, 20.

And besides these, there are many in ma­ny places, who have a conceit and opinion, that they are come to Christ already, and do beleive in Christ when they do not, but are deceived by a mist, or black ibi oculus qui per nebulam, aut aquam inspicit, res metitur falso modo, sic animus qui per opinionis nu­bem. Lips. de Const. l, 1. cap. 5. Cloud of confused knowledge, and mistaken grounds; now this is done away in Christ, by a Christ-Preaching-Ministry, [Page 18]which brings them to, yea, into Christ, 2 Cor. 3.19. For this Ministry tells them, that no such excuses, pretences, lets, will serve to keep them from Jesus Christ; who is better than Ground, better than Cattel, better than all the profits of all the world, and is infinitely to be preferred before Wives, Sons and Daughters; for he can save us, but they cannot, so that he may better say the words of Elkanah, than any man breathing, or thing existing, Am not I better to thee than Ten Sons, and better than Ten Wives, and better than Ten Li­vings, nay, better than Ten thousand Worlds, if there were so many. See 1 Sam. 1.8.

Again, saith this Ministry, to take down their high Conceits and good Opinions of their present estates and conditions; You are meerly deceived, as those, 2 Tim. 3.13. for you As the Disciples took Christ to be a Spirit; so they con­trariwise take that evil spirit, and his deceits, to be Christ, Mat. 14.26. take Satans delu­sions to be Christ, and a temporary or dogmati­cal faith for saving Faith, having your minds and consciences [Page 19]defiled, and denying God in your deeds, though you be Professors, and because you are to every good work Reprobates, as those who want that true saving Faith, which is so far above your temporary and dogmatical Faith, as Heaven is above the Earth, Tit. 1.15, 16.

Moreover, saith this Ministry to such as think that they are in the state of Salvati­on, when they are all the while in the state of Hell and Damnation; Be not deceived; neither Fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor Adul­terers, nor Effeminate, nor Abusers of them­selves with mankind, nor Theeves, nor [...] tous, nor Drunkards, nor Revilers, nor [...] tortioners, shall inherit the Kingdom of God, 1 Cor. 6.9, 10. and such are some of you. And it come to pass, saith this Ministry further (if there be any Wine-bibber in the same place where it is exercised) When be bear­eth the words of this Curse, that be blesseth himself, saying, I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart; to add Drunkenness to Thirst; The Lord will not spare him, but then the Anger of the Lord, and his jealousie shall smoak against that man, and all the Curses that are written in this [Page 20]Book shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven, and the Lord shall separate him unto evil, Deut. 29.19, 2021.

Now Drunkards, saith this Ministry, and all ye that live, and lie in any of the sins fore-mentioned, Can you say, & say it tru­ly, that such as you are in the state of Life, when God, who is Truth it self, saith you are in the state of Death? will ye say that ye are blessed, when he saith, that ye are accursed? will you harbour a conceit that ye shall be saved, when he tells you, that ye shall be damed? will you entertain an opinion, that Heaven is, and will be yours without contradiction, when the Mouth of the Lord hath spoken it, that that glorious Place and Kingdom, which we call Hea­ven, will be kept from you to an endless duration? O men befooled and unwise! You go to Heaven! saith this Ministry; if Toads, if Vipers, if Devils may go to Heaven, you may, continuing in your sins, wherein hitherto you lye wallowing, as so many Sowes wallowing in the mire, 2 Pet. 2.22. which when it fills the ears of de­luded souls, it also fills them with horror, [Page 21]with anguish, with grief, with trouble of mind, and vexation of spirit, and makes them cry out as a woman in travel, desiring to be delivered, and that by Jesus Christ, that they may be saved; and so such a Christ-preaching-Ministry, doth mightily advance the winning of Heaven by a Sa­cred Violence; Understand still, if God's Blessing go with it.

6. Ground. It acquaints men with the absolute necessity of believing, I mean of believing savingly; for saith this Ministry, as Christ said once, Except you eat the Hesh of the Son of Man, and drink his Blood, name­ly, spiritually, and by a lively Faith, ye have no life in you, John 6.53. And be that helieveth not (namely, savingly) shall be dam­ned, Mark 16.16. whatsoever the man be, learned or unlearned, bond or free, rich or poor, young or old, professor or no professor, for there is no respect of persons with God; so that if a man, being a professor, should give all his goods to the poor, pray and prostrate himself at and before the Throne of Grace oftimes in a day, peruse those sacred leaves which are in the Book of God, beyond all his neighbours, soar up [Page 22]by his strong elevations and high contem­plations beyond the Moon, & beyond the Cassiopeia it self, into Heaven it self, as he supposeth, and talk like an Angel; yet if he want true saving Faith in Christ, he can never live, nor be, nor mansion hereafter with Christ, but must be without, where Whoremongers, and Sorcerers, and Lyars are, as being unworthy of Lise, unworthy of Salvation, Rev. 21.8. which when it drums in peoples ears, they are astonished at this Doctrine; as those, Mat. 7.28. and cry out, saying, O then, what will be come of us that believe not! O what shall our poor souls do! O that we had Faith! O that we could believe as these, and these, in the Son of God! O that God would look upon us, and deliver unto us such a Faith, as he hath to others! Jude 2. O that we could obtain like-precious Faith with others! 2 Pet. 1.1. O that God would help our unbelief! Mark 9.24. O that the time were come for us to come to the Faith of God's Elect, which they have in Jesus! Tit. 1.1. O that by Faith we could eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his Blood, that we also, as well as others who beleive [Page 23]in Jesus, might be saved! Joh. 6.53. And so such a Christ-preaching Ministry mightily advanceth the winning of Heaven by a Sa­cred Violence.

7. Ground. It will inform them of that strictest way of living which Christ requi­reth of all that will enter into Life everla­sting; For, saith this Ministry, as Christ said once, Except your Righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes & Pharisees, (who yet fasted twice a week, compassed Sea and Land to make a Proselyte, made long prayers, were no Extortioners, no A­dulterers, no unrighteous persons, such as Theeves, and Defrauders in bargaining, and Usurers are; nay, as some write of them, lay upon boards, not beds, by night) ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of God: Mark; in no case, if you would give all your substance for it, would seek very much after it, would go so far to enter in­to it, as that it might be said of you, as Christ said to that young man, Thou art not far from the Kingdom of God, Mark 12.34. so you are not far from the Kingdom of God, yet shall ye in no wise enter, unless ye go farther, unless you go thorow, unless [Page 24]ye do more than Hypocrites do, and be more holy, more humble, more just, more heavenly, more patient, more devout, more meek, more sober, and more truly pious than they are.

Again, saith this Ministry with St. James, James 2.10. Whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, is guilty of all. Observe; whosoever, without excepti­on; whether he be a Jew or Christian, Minister or Hearer, a great man or a poor man, how big soever he look, how high so­ever he esteem and think of himself, nay though he be a man that is well esteemed by all his neighbours in the place where he liveth, for his almes-deeds, for his kind carriage, for his peace-making among them, for his square dealings with every man, and especially for the good order he keeps in his own family, for praying much and often, in and with his family, and apart; for reading, for repeating of Ser­mons, and for catechizing his Sons, and Servants; yet if he offend in one point, if he omit or neglect any one needful Duty, live but in any one known sin, that one but will spoile all, and he will be guilty of all, [Page 25]and so die for it without mercy; As if a man should keep all the Laws of our Land, but kill one man, he dieth for it, if he had a thousand lives, by the Laws of the Land: So strict, saith this Ministry, is the Law of God; which when poor sinners are acquainted with, O what fears! O what doubts! O what stirrings! O what cares it raises and causes in mens and womens hearts! and O what sorce will not they use? and what pains, besides all them that they have taken, will they not take, that Hea­ven by Violence they may take? Some have made themselves Eunuches for the Kingdom of Heavens sake, Mat. 19.12. And so I do verily beleive, that some ra­ther than they will be cut off from their hopes of Heaven, they will after they have heard & imbibed all this into their hearts, and ears, cut off all their members which they have upon earth, Col. 3.5. I mean their dearest sins; as Fornication, Uncleanness, inordinate affectiō, evil concupiscence and Covetousness, which is Idolatry; and that they will go as far as their legs, I mean the legs of Faith, will carry them, even so far as to the loving of their very enemies, the [Page 26]giving of their bodies to be burnt, the losing of their estates, their ease, their sin­ful and sensual delights, and the incurring of the hatred of all their friends, yea, of all the world, rather than go from Christ, and go from Life, and go from the World which is to come.

The uses of the point will be these.

1. use, will be one of Information.

Then how desirable must needs such a Ministry be? You do all desire, and covet to have such servants and workmen as do their work so faithfully, so painfully, and so well, as that you may perceive, and see your selves, how much they do advance your estates on Earth; and if so, how much to be desired then is that painful and pow­erful Ministry, which doth so labour to advance your spiritual estates, and your soules, that they may win Heaven? We read, John 5.4. that An Angel went down at a certain time, into that Pool, and troub­led the waters, and that whosoever then first after the troubling of the water, stepped in, was made whole of what disease soever he had; and how much longed for the comming down [Page 27]of such an Angel was to the people then, especially to the lame, and to the blind, and to the impotent, and to the withered, ver. 3. I leave to you to judge. Now every powerful and Christ-preaching-Minister, is such an Angel: so he comes into the Pulpit; so he troubles the water, making the Word which he preacheth, to be trou­blesome to obstinate and impenitent sin­ners; and so he causes it, by God's bles­sing, to become wholesome to many a poor creature, that is blind, or lame, or impotent, or withered, which then and thereupon can, and will, being made whole and sound, even offer a Sacred Violence to Heaven it self, and strive to take it by force; and therefore O how lovely! O how amiable! O how desirable! O how much to be loved and longed for, must needs be a powerful & Christ-preaching-Ministry, and those Gospel-Angels which come to us in the Name of the Lord! O how wel­come must they needs be to sin-sick and sin-lame souls, though they trouble them a little first, because they come with hea­ling in their preaching, and cure them at last, and make them to make out for Hea­ven.

2. Use, is one of Exhortation.

Is it so? Then, 1. Encourage such a Mi­nistry.

Quest. How?

I answer:

1. Hear it carefully; as Mat. 3.5. they came from all parts to hear the Baptist preach, even from Jerusalem, and from Ju­dea, and all the regton round about Jordan: So when such Johns teach, let all the peo­ple that can, come and hear them, stirring up one another, as those in Isaiah, saying, Come ye, and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us his wayes; for out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem, Isa. 2.3.

2. Follow, and do what such a Ministry teacheth; according to that famous Scrip­ture, Jam 1.22. But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves: Mark; deceiving your own selves; so that you do but deceive your own souls, when you but come and sit before us, and do none of the things which are taught by us; when you say, What will this babler say? when having heard us press the forward­ness [Page 29]of the Saints, ye will not live as Saints; when having been told, how ye must force Heaven, ye mind nothing less than Hea­ven; when after ye have drunk in our Ser­mons tending to Life and Glory, ye will not so much as wag one foot, nor stir at all, that ye may drink in those ineffable Plea­sures which flow and stream from Jehova's Face in the Kingdom of Glory. And be­sides, what encouragement do ye give us, as long as ye regard our words no more than fables, after they have been with all seriousness and sadness, tenderness & true­ness, earnestness and eagerness, powerful­ness and piercingness, faithfulness and fer­ventness, delivered, uttered, and preached by us. O it must needs be a deading of our affections, a cooling of our courage, a stu­pifying of our spirits, when after all our Gospel-Reports made by us, we must take up that sad complaint of Isaiah the Pro­phet, Who hath beleived our Report? Isa. 53.1. Wherefore as those Sorcerers which heard Paul preach, were so affected with, and wrought upon with his preaching, as that they kindled a fire, and burnt their books before all men, not at all regarding [Page 14]the price thereof, which amounted to fifty thousand pieces of Silver, nor the loss which thereby they sustained, because they would rather lose their Books, and lose their Gain, and lose all their Silver, than lose their Souls, and lose Life, and lose Heaven; Heaven being far more valued, more esteemed, more prized of them, than all their books which were burned by them. So do ye now go, and do like­wise; ye need not kindle a fire for it, for I have kindled a fire for you already by this my preaching; for, is not my Word like Fire, saith God? Jer. 23.29. Do ye only bring, I'l not say your books, but your sins, which I have preached against in this Sermon, and burn them before all men; that is, let the Word which I have taught you now, so burn them up, as that we may see them no more, hear of them no more, be troubled about them and with them no more; as when a thing is burnt, we are troubled with it no more: O Sirs, where are those your books, I should say yoursins, which must be burnt? bring them hither, and burn them here before me, in and by this Fire which I have made for you; bring hither your [Page 15]Usury, your Pride, your Lusts, your Un­cleanness, your Lasciviousness, your An­ger, your onvious dispositions, your idle courses, your Drunkenness, your Gurman­dizing, your Laziness, your Slothfulness, your Covetousness, which is Idolatry, and all the evils of your tongues, which, though little, are such unruly members; and let them all be eaten up by this Fire which I have now kindled, crying, and saying, Lord burn up these our Corruptions by this Sermon. O Sirs, do not your hearts already burn, as the Disciples hearts, when Christ opened the Scriptures to them? Luke 24.32. Do ye not feel this Fire? O that God would work now upon your souls! O that he would blow this Fire! O that he would cause his holy Spirit to blow upon your spirits! O that he would by his co-opera­tion, make this Word of his, which I preach, and which is indeed like Fire, ef­fectual to your salvation! O that he would make it burn up all your corruptions; and O that you would throw them all into the midst of this Fire, to be rid of them for ever, O for ever, and would never rake them up more! O happy day, that this day [Page 32]would then be for, and to your souls! O souls, souls, now stir, now struggle, now strive to be saved, though it be with the loss of your dearest and best-beloved sins; bet­ter, a thousand times better will it be, to suffer such a loss now, than to sustain a far greater, even the loss of your immortal souls▪ hereafter; and infinitely better it is, not to go home with your darling-Lusts, and bosome-Corruptions now, than to go to Hell for your sins hereafter for ever.

But I must hasten to a second Exhorta­tion.

2. Exhortation. Esteem powerful and Christ-preaching-Ministers very highly then, for their works sake, and love them dearly. We have a notable place for this, 1 Thes. 1.12. And we beseech you, Brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their works sake. Catherina Senensis, did so prize, so estimate, and so affect such Ministers, as that she would kiss their very Vestigiaes, and the ground whereupon they did go, as they passed thorow the streets: I do not say that you must do so too, but only that [Page 33]you may do well to afford them the em­braces of your love, and the honour of your high esteem, according to the afore­mentioned Apostolical Speech; which may command the obedience and submis­sion of you all thereunto.

3. Exhortation. Let them do nothing else then, or but little else than preach, and do you free them from all worldly cares, and distractions, by a sufficient maintenance afforded unto them, and by taking care for them, that they may take the more care for you, and that without distraction; it is pitty, a thousand pitties, that that Pilot which hath carried many Ships to Sea, and over the Sea safely, se­curely, successfully, should do any thing else, but carry Ships to and fro, from Port to Port, from Countrey to Country, from Land to Land; so it is great pitty that that Minister, which powerfully and suc­cessfully preacheth Christ, and thereby ad­vanceth much the taking of Heaven by a Sacred Violence, filling his Sails, I mean his Sermons, with the choicest Matter that he can possibly sind out by the reach of his invention, and bringing many souls to [Page 34]Glory, should do any other thing than preach, and teach, that so doing, he may carry many a Vessel of Mercy, and many a Vassal of Sin and Misery, over those Seas of Duties, which they must sail over to that Haven of Happiness, which is called Heaven: Into which God of his infinite Mercy, bring us all. To himself alone be all Praise and Glory.

The second Doctrine followeth.

2. Doct. Heaven must be won by an Ho­ly Violence.

For the illustration whereof, I shall pro­pose, and resolve these two Problemes.

1. Prob. What an Holy Violence used for Heaven is?

2. Why Heaven must be won by an Holy Violence?

To the first, I answer.

That it is a forcing of Nature against Nature; a laying hold on God; a pressing into the Presence of God for God; it is praying with all our might; grapling with Satan to overthrow all his might; milita­ting with Heaven for Heaven, that we may towre up into Heaven, and win Heaven, [Page 35]there to sing, there to rejoyce, and there to triumph, for our there-enjoyed Felicity to all Eternity; we being taken up, when we have taken it, into that glorious KING­DOM, which surpasseth all the Kingdoms of the world for its Puissance, Grandeur, Magnificence, Splendor and Glory, it be­ing the very Kingdom of Glory.

2. Prob. To the second, I answer.

That it must needs be so.

1. Answer or Reason. Because Heaven lyeth so far away from us, and the King thereof is as a Man of War; Exod. 15.3. The Lord is a Man of War. Now, were a little Army to march as far as China, which is Fifteen times as big as all France, and is part of the East-Indies (which is a great way off) and whose King never takes the field, as they Speed reports this of him. write of him, under Five hundred thou­sand men at his heels, I say, were this little Army to take that great Kingdom, what need would there be of forcing the men of that little Army to make them go! scarce any would go, unless he be pressed, and forced to go: and again, how would those that go, be [Page 36]forced to force themselves, and to force that King, and to force his Kingdom to win it. This is our case; Heaven is much like that Kingdom of China, for it is a great Kingdom also, nay far greater, it lyeth a great way from us; it hath a King which is called The Lord of Hosts, it is wholly at his command, and it cannot be overcome unless he be overcome; nor won, unless he be won; and we that are to take it, are but a little Army, called a [...]. little, little Flock, Luke 12.32. and therefore you may well ima­gine, what striving, what forcing, what urging, what presling, what contending there is required of all us that will be sa­ved; and what a Violence we must offer to Heaven, before we can win Heaven; and how we must be forced to go, before we will go to Heaven: O Sirs, do not you find it so by your own experience? do ye not see how ye must constrain your selves to Duties, and in Duties many times? do not ye take notice of it, how you must even frequently, and most earnestly wrestle with the King of Heaven for Heaven?

2. Answer. By reason of the many E­nemies [Page 37]that lye betwixt us and it; as name­ly,

1. High soaring and self-exalting ima­gination are betwixt us and it, 2 Cor. 10.5. which will keep us low, unless we bring them low, and will not suffer us to ascend, unless we make them to deseend.

2. Powers and Principalities, Ephes. 6.12. Mark: Powers; not weak ones, but strong and mighty Adversaries; again, not petty ones, but Princely ones, and Proud ones, as standing upon their Great­ness, even Principalities; which is more than if the Apostle had said, Princes; and those must be vanquished by such weak, silly simple creatures as we are; O the stri­ving then! and O the stirring that will be required of us, if Heaven shall ever be taken and conquered by us!

3. Rulers of the Darkness of this World, in Ephes. 6.12. which will absolutely keep us out of that other World, unless we put and keep them down in this World, and will rule us, so as to mke us lose Heaven for ever, unless we over-rule them, and so take Heaven by force.

4. Ephes. 6.12. [...]. Spiritual wicked­ness in High places. The Original is, Wicked Spi­rits in Heavenlies; which some understand of our Heavenlies; that is, in our heavenly Du­ties of Prayer, of Fasting, of Meditating, and the like; for in and about these hea­venly Performances, those wicked spirits are most busie with us, either to hinder us in them, or from them, or to make us proud upon them; all which Spiritual Wickednesses must go down, if we shall go up.

The Uses of the Point will be these.

Then,

• 1. Be informed.
• 2. Be convinced.
• 3. Be startled.
• 4. Be diswaded.
• 5. Be perswaded.

I. Use. Be informed. And,

1. Of the Power of Religion; for one should think that the hearing of this should quench Religion, and put it down; as one would have thought, that the fire which fell from Heaven, would have been quench­ed by the water which was in the trenches. [Page 39]1 Kings 18.38. but as that Fire was not put out by all that abundance of water; so Religion will by no means be extinguish­ed, or put out by all that abundance of dif­ficulties, of oppositions, of powers, of e­nemies, Superbia tu­midis invidentia lividis, fallacia callidis à justitia penitus alienis. August. de Civ. Dei. l. 8. c. 22. proud and craf­ty, and fraighted with en­vy and malice, which it meets with, & must over­come by force to win Hea­ven; no, no, but it will bear up for all that, and stand to it, and even dare to look the proudest and the stoutest enemie it hath in the face, to encounter him, and to over­power him; For it is of the same resolu­tion, that famous Captain Paraenetical Treatise to the Princes of Eu­rope, pag. 26. Ferras was of, alwayes bearing armes against the greatest Emperour of the world: O it is a strong, a stout, a mighty thing, this Religion! neither Men, nor Devils, nor Death, nor things present, nor things to come can over­match it.

2. Of the strange Wisdom of God. A Father doth not count it wisdom to tell [Page 40]his Daughter, whom he intends to prefer to a rich Man, that he is hardly to be pleased, and very strict, and one that looks narrow­ly after every thing (and of the troubles of such a marriage) though he hear so much of him, because that would discourage her utterly. So Generals are not wont to tell Novices, and young Souldiers, of the dangers and hazards of War, of the impreg­nableness of their Enemies Towns, of the heighth of their Walls, which they must scale, of the puissance, multitude, and sierceness of their Enemies, but rather of their weakness, and effeminate­ness (as Curtius. Alexander the Great did, when he encouraged his men against the Persians) lest they should be disheart­ned: But the Wisdom of God is wiser than the wisdom of men; for he, because he knows that hardships and difficulties fore­shewn, do put men on hazardous, bold, and venturous attempts; therefore tells us be­forehand, that it is no easie thing for a man to please God; that he doth most narrowly look after every Souldier of his, & after all his doings; that Heaven cannot otherwise be taken, but only by Violence; and that [Page 41]therefore it is one of the hardest things in the world for any man to go about it. O Sirs, observe then, this great, this strange, this to be admired Wisdom of our God; who knows full well, that if he should not fore-tell us so much, we would be apt to say then, when we meet with dangers, with enemies, with difficulties, Non putaramus; that is, We did not think so; and so would basely and cowardly turn faces about, and run away. It is said of Laban, that when Jacob expected to have Rachel to be given him, to be his wife, and found that it was Leah, he told him, It must not be so done in our Countrey, to give the younger before the first­born, Gen, 28.26. So, whereas men look for Rachel still, that is, all things fair, God con­trarily tells them of Leah; that is, of things which are not so pleasing to them, not be­ing so fair in their eyes; and saith in plain terms, as Laban said, It must not be so done in this Countrey, or in this world; to give men Rachel (I should say Heaven) before Leah; that is, before they have been matcht up first to hardships, and used to things which they like not: Rachel is reserved for the last place, and Leah for the first. O the [Page 42]infinite and incomparable Wisdom of God in all this! for he knows that plain-dealing is best: Satan deals with the Sons of men far otherwise, for he tells them of nothing, but of all fair first; and afterward, when he hath them at an advantage, and thinks that he can make them irrecoverably fall, of all bad, all lost, and therein he places and centers a great deal of his Serpentine wisdom: but the most wise God holds it better, and takes it to be far greater Wis­dom, to tell men of the worst first, and of the best next, because that usually speeds best; and therefore let us here take up that rare Admiration and Exclamation of the A­postle, of and about the Wisdom of God; Rom. 11.33. O the Depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowledge of God! How un­searchable are his Judgements, and his Wayes past finding out!

3. Be informed, that no wonder it is there­fore that so few are saved; as it is asserted, Mat. 7.13. Because strait is the Gate, and narrow is the Way which leads to lafe; and few there are that find it.

Some wonder, that of six hundred thou­sand men, that went out of Egypt, but two [Page 43]should enter into the Land of Canaan, Deut. 1.36, 38. Numb. 14.38. But a wonder it is rather, that any did enter; for there, they heard were Anakims, huge Gyants, Walls reaching as it were to Heaven, Cha­riots of Iron, Deut. 1.28. Josh. 17.16. And so it is more to be admired, that any one man is saved, and enters Heaven, than that but a few; for between us and it there are Gyants also, that is, tall and mighty ene­mies, stronger than we; and men whose teeth and necks are like Iron; like those in Dan. 2.19. Isa. 48.4. and whose browes are of Brass; ibidem; and there are betwixt us and it, Walls, as it were, reaching to Hea­ven; that is, such difficulties, and such ob­stacles, as seem to be insuperable, and such as cannot be overcome by us. When Chrysost. ad pop. Ant. hom. 40. St. Chrysostome prea­ched once at Antioch, he had these dreadful words in his Sermon; How many do ye think there may be in this our City (now Antioch was an excee­ding great and populous City) which shall be saved? it will be very offensive what I shall say, but yet I will speak it; There may not be [Page 44]among these thousands, one hundred; nay; of them I doubt also. And what would he say, if he did now live and preach among us?

Augustine in Psal. 48. p. 528. So blessed Austin, in one of▪ his Sermons upon the Psalms, makes this speech, This People which in the midst of God's People, obtained mercy of what num­ber was it? O how few are they! scarce any. And will God be contented with so few, say some, and destroy such a multitude? this they say, who promise themselves that which they never heard God say. How many be they that seem to keep God's Commandments? scarce will one, or two, or exceeding few be found; and will God save only these few? and damn all the rest? Far be it, say they, when he shall come and see such a multitude before him, and at his left hand; he will shew mercy then, and grant his indulgence. Truly this same thing did the Serpent once promise the first man; Thou shalt not die. Thus that holy Man. And no wonder that both he and we say so, for as much as you see what a Force and Vio­lence is here required of every man and woman that will be saved. But I had al­most [Page 45]forgotten here to insert that dreadful Relation which one makes touching this matter, saying, Conside­rat. of Eter­nity, p. 285. Hieronymus Plautus reports of a certain wo­man, that hearing Bertoldus, a powerful man in the Pulpit, in­veigh very much against a sin that she knew her self guilty of, fell down dead in the Church; after a while, by the blessing of God upon the Prayers of the Congregation, coming to her self, related unto them what she had seen in this trance, saying thus; Methought I stood before Gods Tribunal, and sixty thousand souls more with me, called together from all the parts of the world to receive their final sentence; and they were all judged and condemned to eternal torments; but only three excepted. O what a fearful thing was this! I should hardly believe this womans relation, but that I be­lieve Christ, Mat. 7.14. O Sirs, do ye not tremble at this? do ye not fear then what will become of you for the most part? are ye not ready to cry out, saying as they said, Mat. 19.25. Who then of us will be saved? But do not marvel at it, that this is so repor­ted, considering what a Force and Violence there must be offered to Heaven, by every one that will win Heaven.

II. Be convinced. Whereof? That if ye take no pains, are not in trouble as other men, Psal. 73.5. do not strive, do not stir as for Life, to enter into Life, but live in ease, live in delights; if you be not ac­quainted with the Saints most mighty wrestlings with Jesus Christ, both night and day; if their pressing and pricking them­selves forward toward the Mark for the Price of the high Calling of God in Christ Je­sus, Phil. 3.14. be a strange thing to you; if our telling of laying siege (as it were) to Heaven, be a mere Riddle to you; if you do not know what a life it is, which Hea­ven forcing-Saints live, and what pains they [...]ake, what trouble they undergo, what la­bours they exantlate, and what endeavours they use to win Heaven by Force; then be convinced, I say, that except you wheel about, and betake your selves into an other narrower circle, and live a stricter life, you will never enter into Life. Here let me use this fit Comparison; Were a Traveller, be­ing purposed to travel into a goodly Coun­trey, told by a skilful Guide, that in the way to it, there are many Mountains which he must go over, raggy Rocks which he must [Page 47]climbe over, huge Waters which he must pass over, and withal, whole Brakes of Pricking Thornes, and piercing Briars which he must make his way over, and in­stead of all this, should find the quite contrary in the way which he takes and chuses, should meet with no such Mountains, no such Rocks, no such Wa­ters, no such Thornes, should see nothing but pleasant Meadows, fair Gardens, fra­grant Roses, and all plain, would he not say, Surely I am out of the way, for this is not the way I was told of, here is no such thing as was declared unto me? Now, my Brethren, ye are purposed to go to that goodly Countrey, which is called Heaven, or Heavenly, Heb. 11.16. are not ye? But do ye know the way, & what a way it is? if not, I will tell ye; It is a way bestrawn with Thornes, and not with Ita (que) ne imposte­rum quidem Lipsi rosas cogita Sosa­mum, aut papaver, sed spinas, sicas, ab­sinthium, et acetum. Lips. de Const. l.1. c. 10. Roses; with labours which are like Briars that prick, and not with Lillies which toyl not, Mat. 6.28. a way full of Mountaines; that is, of high and mountainous services; [Page 48]of Rocks, that is, of difficulties; of Rivers, of Waters, that is, great tribulations: and therefore if any of you meet with nothing here, but with pleasures, with delights, with ease, with all fair, all plain, all sweet, and with no wormwood, no bitter, no gall, no difficulties, no thornes, and live a lazie life, let him say likewise, Truly I am out of the way which I should go; for this is not the way which was shewn me; sure, sure it is not the way to Heaven; and therefore if I go on thus, I shall never come to Heaven. Thus be convinced.

III. Nay, be startled and astonished; as the Disciples, Mat. 19.25. when they heard what a hard thing it was for a Rich man to be saved; the Text saith, They were excee­dingly amazed; saying, Who then can be sa­ved? So be you, because it will go very hard with you, and because you must sweat and toyl, and labour very hard before you can possibly be saved. Beloved, were ye in a deep and desperate Consumption, and to go against a hill as high as Caucasus, that highest Mountain of Asia; were ye like Pigmies, and yet to sight with a great Dra­gon; were ye as little Lambs, and yet to [Page 49]graple with Lyons; were ye, being so lit­tle, to take a City kept by a mighty Warri­or; were ye told by the way, that ye must in your way, or march, break through an Army of Gyants, who have destroyed thou­sands and thousands, and that very few have yet escaped them alive, how would ye be startled at it; saying, O how shall we poor silly creatures escape those mighty creatures whom they call Gyants! O we shall never! This is just our case; we here present are, as it were in a deep Consum­ption, and have but little flesh, I should say, strength about us; as it is written, Thou hast a little strength, Rev. 3.8. and yet must go against the highest hill that is; I mean that holy Hill spoken of, Psal. 15.1. We Pig­mies are to wrestle with a Dragon, I mean that old Dragon, the Devil, who of a Ser­pent is become a Dragon by his long stan­ding, and growing in subtilty, and cunning; for he hath had almost six thousand years experience, and thereby hath gotten a Cui mille nocendi artes. Hieron. ad Hesiod. de vita Ere­mit. world of skill and cun­ning to hurt us: We Lambs are to graple with Lyons;. I mean Satans [Page 50]Angels, and must take Heaven kept by a King, who is stiled a man of War, Exod. 15.3. and break by force thorow an Army of Gyants; I mean spiritual Wickednesses in High Places, Ephes. 6.12. who have slain millions, and few yet did ever escape their hands; and they that freed themselves from them, and were saved, were delivered and saved merely by a miracle of mercy: wherefore be out of measure astonished, especially if you be far from being such Wrestlers, and Pain-takers, and Force-infer­ring, and Violence-using-Christians as ye ought to be, and cry out, saying, O then, who of us can be saved! who, O who of us that live such an easie life can enter into Life! And as for you that take pains, and use violence to take Heaven, yet be ama­zed at this, and say, O how hard will it be for us also to be saved, for of the very Righteous it is written, that even he is scarcely saved! 1 Pet. 4.18. O the Dissi­culties that we must pass thorow before we can, or ever shall pass into Life, even. Life Everlasting!

IV. Be diswaded.

1. From rash censuring; If a Brother [Page 51]be fallen, be foiled, be overtaken in a fault, be not too bitter against him, nor too cen­sorious; for we walk in a very narrow, nar­row way, nay but upon the edge and brink, as it were, of a Hill, or Rock; yea, if we be such as we ought to be, and do as we ought to do, we do not only travel in such a narrow way, but meet with those that will jet us, and go to throw us down; I mean those Powers, Ephes. 6.12. and there­fore even a godly man may be soon down, and fall grievously; witness David; so that we must not be so for­ward as we are apt to be, in Non sic judices proximum, sed ma­gis excusa, et dicito apud temet ipsum, vehemens fuit nimis temptatio. Basil. Serm. 40. super Cant. fol. 145. judging. See Mat. 7.1.

2. From s [...]aring. And,

First, If ye be Aliens yet from that strictness of living, and from that Forcing which here is required, and fear­ful withal, then cease to be so; for fearful ones are not fit for such an imployment, nor indeed can be saved, if their fear be sla­vish only, and bear sway; as you may see Rev. 21.8. But the fearful shall have their part in the Lake that burns with Fire and [Page 52]Brimstone. And therefore as Gideon made a Proclamation in his Camp, Judg. 7.3. Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead; So I proclaim this day, and here in this place, and in these your ears, Whosoever among you is fearful, and yet hopes to van­quish all his enemies, which are many, and mighty, being Rulers and Princes, which as Princes have many souldiers & subjects under them, Ephes. 6.12. even Improbos spiritus et homines pessimos. Aretius. wicked spirits, and most wicked men, and to win Heaven, let him early and betimes depart from his hopes, unless he will depart from his fears.

2dly, So if you be of the number of true Forcers and Endeavourers to take Heaven by Violence, but are pestered with a multi­tude of fears mixt with your confidences, though not allowed, I shall say unto you as Christ to his Disciples, Fear not little Flock, for it is your Fathers pleasure to give you the Kingdom, Luke 12.32. even that very King­dom which you are going to take by Vio­lence; for the Violent, saith Christ in my Text, take it by Force. Your fear is that you [Page 53]will not be able to hold out; but what saith the Apostle, Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ, Phil. 1.6. And besides, rather than you should fail, or fall away, I say moreo­ver, that God will either end your Aut cito mors ve­niet aut victoria lae­ta Horat. dayes before, or your dangers, and then you will be no lon­ger Souldiers in Armour, but Gown-men in long white Robes, Rev. 7.9. having Palms in your hands, and Crowns on your heads, as Conquerors; according to that of Paul, I have fought a good fight, and have finished my course, from henceforth is laid up for me the Crown of Righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but to all them that love his appearing, 2 Tim. 4.7. O Sirs, how should this cast out Fear? It is true, we de­serve no such thing, no, no; and our Do­ings and Wrestlings and Forcings come infinitely short of that height and heat of Zeal which is required of us: but let us comfort our selves with this, that by his Mercy he saves us, and not by works of [Page 54]righteousness which we have done, Tit. 3.5. For my part, when I take a full view of my self, and consider my wayes, and my great and mighty failings, am forced to say this, That I obtain Heavon and the Bliss there­of, as a felicity which I can neither think to deserve, nor expect as my due; For these two ends of us all, either as rewards, or punishments, are mercifully ordained, and disproportionably disposed unto our acti­ons; the one being so far beyond our de­serts, the other so infinitely below our de­merits.

V. Be perswaded then, if you would win Heaven, to force,

• 1. Your selves.
• 2. The Kingdom of Heaven it self.
• 3. The King thereof himself.

I. I do not intend by this, to sow the seeds of Pelagianism, as if man had free will and power in himself, and of himself to believe, to repent, &c. but only to put men upon endeavours to be used with God, for God; according to Phil. 2.12, 13. Your selves, in,

• 1. Believing.
• 2. Repenting.

Quoties enim bona agimus, Deus in nolis at­que nolis cum ut operemur operatur. Concil. A­raus. 2. Can. 9.

3. All the Duties of your high Calling.

First, Believing, for there you must be­gin, because Faith is the mother-Grace, and the mother-Vertue, from which all other do spring; and without which our best actions are all sins, Rom. 14.23. When Lucianus in Scy­tha. Toxants saw his Countrey-man Anacharsis in Athens, he said to him, I will at once shew thee all the wonders of Greece, Viso Solone vidisti omnia; that is, In seeing Solon, thou seest all, even Athens it self, and all the Glory of Greece. Semblably, where­unto I may say to you, That if you have Faith in Christ, you have more than all the Wonders of Greece, even all the wonderful Gifts of Grace. Grace your souls there­fore, O dear Christians, with this rare and heedful Gift; and begin here, striving and labouring mightily to believe in Jesus, that you may be saved by the Faith of Jesus: O cry for this great Grace, as Children cry for Milk, because they live by it; cry and say, Lord help us to believe: And then strive more particularly to believe verily, and forcibly; that is, whether the flesh will [Page 56]give way to it, or no, that Christ will I use this expres­sion the rather al­luding to our Mar­riages, because God himself useth it to set forth believing, and because it is most ta­king. marry you to himself, and there­by save your souls; for that is one of the princi­pal acts of Faith, to be­lieve this, in that we are said to be married to God in Faith, Hos. 2.30. and by it, come to be one with God, and God in Christ with us, that we may be saved; even as two marri­ed persons, by marriage come to be one: See John 20.21. where this Oneness, or Unity, and Believing, are so conjoyned.

But here I must resolve a great Question.

Quest. Suppose we should be perswaded by you to force our selves thus to believe, will Christ have us if we will have him?

Sol. O yes, for you have his Promise for it, which brings me to the principal thing that * begets Faith, and without which we cannot To expect Faith without a Promise, is as if we should ex­pect a crop of Corn without seed: For the Promise, is an immortal Seed, whereby the Spirit begets Faith. The Author of the Poor doubting Christian drawn to Christ. expect any true [Page 57]Faith, even the Word of Promise.

Quest. Where is that Promise?

Answ. In the Prophet, Hos. 2.9. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever: And ver. 20. I will even betroth thee unto me in Understand the Grace of Faith be­stowed upon us. Jun. Tremel. in loc. Faithfulness. Do ye hear this, O poor souls? In the Uses pre­mised, I suppose ye were startled, and troubled not a little; for, for that end they were fitted, that thereby you might be For none can prove or shew president, that Faith was wrought in an in­stant at first, with­out any preparation going before. Ro­gers of Dedham, in his Doctrine of Faith. p. 63. prepared for this, which puts you up­on believing: But now be comforted, and now be perswaded, that Christ will have you, if you through the Riches of his Grace will have him: O Sirs, you may believe him, that what he pro­mises, he will do, for it is impossible son God to lie, Heb. 6.18. Now here, you here and see his Promises; here it lyeth in this Book; here I shew it to you, shewing you the Book, the Chapter, the Verse wherein it lyeth, and shineth and sparkles above the [Page 58]brightness of any Ruby or Diamond. O believe, believe only; for why should ye not? If a woman have a mans promise that he will marry her, she believes him because of his promise; and will ye not believe God; having his Promise? Man may lie, and often doth lie; but God cannot, there­fore give credit to his Word, and be marri­ed to him in Faith, and so make an end once of that great match which hath been so long hanging betwixt Christ and you. O cry to him, and say, Lord, I see thou wilt needs have me, and therefore I will have thee, and no other, for my dear and ever­lasting Husband; O come Lord Jesus, and marry me this day in Faith and for ever; O for ever, for so thou hast promised me.

Here give me leave to give you a Caveat about the Lord's Promise. The Promise is likea Staff; and you know the back-side of a mans hand cannot take a Staff, but let him turn the palm of his hand to the Staff, he may take it; so turn the right-side of your souls to the Lord's Promise, forcing them to believe, as Abraham, against hope, Rom. 4.18. that is, though you have but little, or no hope, when you look upon [Page 59]your selves, and upon your great unworthi­ness, yet in hope, when you look upon God's unparalellable Goodness, and his, by you, undeserved Kindness, and you may take it; but we turn the back-side of our hearts to the Promise, when the heart saith, O my stubbornness! and O my unworthi­ness! this is the wrong-side of the heart; and this will never let you take Christ, but rather be a let to you, which will ever hin­der you from marrying Christ, and from believing in Christ; therefore beware of it. But I desire to use one artifice more, to draw you unto Christ, so as that this very time, you may by God's Blessing come to believe in Christ. I'll deal with you, as they dealt with Rebecka, when Eleazar was come to her to have her married unto his masters Son, they called for the Damsel, and asked her, Wilt thou go with this man, Gen. 24.58. So will I call to you now, being come for you to marry you to my Masters Son, even to Christ, that heavenly I saac, will you go with me? will you follow me? Will you come after me to my Masters Son, Christ? I mean the Son of God; Formerly I did but perswade you, but now I come [Page 60]nearer home to your hearts and bosomes, and ask you what you will do, expecting an answer: answer therefore, O ye men of T—and all you that hear me; and answer e­very one of you in his heart, what ye intend to do; loe, I give you time, what say ye? will ye go, or not? believe, or not believe? be married to Christ, or not be married? if you have a mind to it indeed by an over­ruling hand, and Power of God upon you, though flesh and blood be utterly against it, and say nay to it, yet do you say as Re­beccka, now after all this, every one of you, I will go, I will go. ver. 58. come what will come, though all my friends be against it; though my unbelief do gain-say it; though my sluggish flesh do diswade me from it; and though sin and devils do as much as they can oppose me in it, O sweet Jesus, loe I come, though it be long first, yet now at last I come to take thee for my most dear and only Saviour, Lord and Husband; O take me sweet Saviour, and let me be thine, and be thou mine; as it is written, My Be­loved is mine, and I am his; yea, and feed me among the Lillies; that is, with thy Lillies; or celestial Consolations, which for their [Page 61]cooling & refreshing, are like Lillies, Cant. 2.16. O souls, souls, is this your mind? your purpose, your resolution this day? if it be, then say all of you Amen to it, in your hearts, I intreat you, and bespeak you about it once more. O my God, if this people have such an heart given them this day, then blessed be thy holy name for it, now and for ever; if not, give them such a heart now, before I leave them, that by believing and loving, they may be in thee, and thou in them, I humbly and heartily obsecrate and beseech thee.

II. Repenting; that is, sorrowing for sin, and confessing, and forsaking of sin: which parts of true and sound repentance in this place, I chiefly aim at, the one ma­king us lower then we were, the other bet­ter, both are bitter; but better it is for all to tast of their bitterness now, than to suffer for the want of them hereafter.

1. Force your selves therefore to mourn, to grieve for your great and grievous sins now in this world; according to that in Jo­el 2.12, 13. that ye may not suffer for them in the world to come: nay, come, let us all weep and lament together, as we have all [Page 62]sinned together, that God may comfort us at that day, and wipe away our tears from our eyes; as it is written, Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted, Mat. 5.4. and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, Rev. 7.17. Now, our tears may do us good, being shed for sin; but if we forbear weeping till we come to the place of weeping, Mat. 24.51. what will that weeping then avail us? O nothing, no­thing. When that great sinner, Mary Mag­dalen, wept, it was here, and it was for her great offences; and that made her so fa­mous as she is, Luke 7.38, 50. O let her fame inflame us therefore, that we may weep so likewise, and that our end may be like hers, though she was a sinner, Luke 7.37. When Amphilochius, apud Vossium de vita Ephr. p. 16. St. Basil asked Ephreem, why he relused to be a Preacher, he said, Because he was a sinner; unto whom St. Basil replied, I would to God I were such a sinner: And so well were it for we, if we were such sinners as she, and others were, who so wept, and so repen­ted.

Again, Now force your selves to leave [Page 63]what formerly ye did love, your sins I mean, which were as dear to you as your lives; and to confess them, according to these noted Scriptures, Jer. 3.12. Only acknowledge thine Iniquities: and Isa. 1.10. Cease to do evil. I joyn both Confessing and Leaving toge­ther: for so doth God himself, Prov. 28.13. and therefore do not you put them assun­der, but confess and forsake. Among Men, he that confesseth, dyeth; but here, and before God, he that confesseth, liveth. So he that forsaketh; Prov. 28.13. He that covers his sins, shall not prosper; but he that confesseth and forsaketh them, shall have mer­cy.

Now, when I say con­fess, I desire to be un­derstood thus; confess with A Corollarie for Deprecations to be added to our Confessions. Deprecations, added to your Confessions as a Corollary; like Daniel, who so confessed, Dan. 9.4, 19. As thus, Go and spread a Catalogue of all your main and known sins (having one in readiness before the Lord) and say, thus and thus we have done. Here descend to Particulars; and when you have so done, cry and say with Daniel, O Lord hear, O [Page 64]God forgive. And it shall come to pass, that if you shall so confess your Iniquities, and the Iniquities of your fore-fathers, and your un­circumcised hearts shall be humbled, that the Lord will remember his Covenant made with, and Promise made to his People, that he will forgive their Iniquity, and remember their Sin no more, Lev. 26.40. Jer. 31.31, 34. 1 John 1.9. Your fleshly hearts will be drawing back, as being very unwilling to confess so, even so much, and all that they know, for that is tedious to them; but do ye make them stand to it, and to hold out to the end of this great and mighty Work, and so la­bour to take Heaven by Force: And when that is done according to your minds, then forsake what you have confessed; accor­ding to that fore-alleadged passage, in Pro. 28.13. and do even with much indignati­on, and detestation, cast off the works of darkness, and walk for the future honest­ly, as in the day; not in Ryotting and Drun­kenness, not in Chambering and Wanton­ness, not in Strife and Envying; for it is high time to awake out of sleep; the night is far spent, the day is at hand; according to that of the Apostle, Rom. 13.11, 12. O pre­cious! [Page 65]O blessed! O wonder-working Scripture! for this Scripture it was which so much advanced bles­sed Aug. Confes. 1.8. c. 1, 2, 3, &c. Austin's to-be-ad­mired Conversion; when in his Hoast's Garden, he heard a Voice, saying, Turn and read; and he had turned to that place, and read it, and wept, and cryed, and was fallen all along under a Fig­tree, and had said, Why not now Lord? why not now? O my Brethren, as he did then being moved by that Voice, so do you, turn to this Scripture; read it; and having read it deliberately, either in a Garden, or in your Closets, and Chambers, fall all along upon your faces (I have done so my self in the like case, and in the beginning of my Conversion) and cry, and weep, and say, How long, Lord? how long? Why not now? why not now? O let this be the last day of our shame: O now let us be converted, now changed, now metamor­phosed, now altered: Here be extraordi­narily earnest; for the Conversion of a Sin­ner is a greater work than that of the Crea­tion, [Page 66]as August. apud vegam in Jer. 31.18. Divines affirm, and no less than a mira­cle, even a stranger mi­racle than it was in the beginning to make the World; for there was nothing to hinder God in creating the great World; but in renewing this our lit­tle World, besides our own natural corrup­tion, all things on earth, all Devils in Hell, are ready to withstand him. Therefore cry again, and say with Ephraim, every one of you, Lord turn me, and I shall be turned, Jer. 31.18. And if your sluggish hearts would have you to make an end before you have your errands end, and would be gone, force them to stay, and make them to make an end; that is, do not give over crying, and praying for your Conversion, till you be converted; nor let your hearts depart from the place, till you can and do depart from sin, and so cast off sin, which else will cast off you; and put off the works of darkness, which else will throw you in­to utter darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth for evermore. O Sirs, I have put you upon a hard task, but [Page 67] For it is like ne­cessity, which [...]; as Thales. Force will go far with it; and therefore force your selves to it. O my God, work upon this Peoples hearts, and take them into thine own hand, like a Potters vessel, and break them in pieces; and when thou hast so done, new-make them, and new-create them, effigiating them after thy own Likeness, and turning them from Dark­ness to Light, and from the Power of Satan unto God, I humbly intreat thee, Acts 26.18.

III. All the Duties or Discharges of your High Calling.

1. In Resolving. Of this Resolu­tion depends all our whole Service of God. Edm. Bun­ny, p. 1. Re­solution is a mighty thing, and puts us upon action, and brings migh­ty things to pass; and without it, little or no­thing will be done. Beloved, What is the reason why so many men do not travel so far as others do, nor go to wars as thou­sands do? is it not because they are not re­solved as others are? So that so many thou­sands do not travel to Heaven, nor will war [Page 68]for Heaven, it is because they are not yet resolved; For he that never resolves him­self to do well, and to leave the dangerous state of sin, wherein he liveth, is far off from doing the same: but he that sometimes re­solves to do it, although by frailty he per­formeth it not at that time, yet is that Re­solution much accepted with God, and his mind the readier to return to the like Re­solution, again to put it manfully in executi­on. Wherefore as the Lord by the Prophet Hosea, bids Israel to say, We will not ride upon Horses, nor will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods, Hos. 2.3. As if they should say, we will never more be so swift, and hasty, as to rush into sin, like a Horse into the battle, nor will we have any more to do with Idols. So do I bid you to say, and to resolve now, here before the Lord, after all your former endeavours used, and forementioned in the preceding Uses and Directions, We will never more, by the Grace of God, be so wild, so fierce, so ha­sty, so eager in the pursuit of sin and lust as we have been, nor will we have any more to do with those sensual delights, those filthy & lascivious courses, those unlawful sports [Page 69]those inordinate passions of anger and re­venge, those vile thoughts, those vain and unclean communications, those covetous desires and practices, those bloody Oaths, those impure touches, those wanton ge­stures, those monstruous fashions; those scarlet and crimson abominations, which were our Idols hitherto, and to whom we said upon the matter, Ye are our God's. I add: neither will we walk one day or hour longer in that broad way; which is, as it were, between the two posts of delight and ease, and leads to destruction. I spake but now of two posts; for so some Jun. Tremel. Expositors and Translators render and expound that place in Mat. 7.14. Enter ye at the strait Gate; for wide is the Gate, and broad [...] Way which leads to destruction, and many g [...] in thereat; or In Syr. Tran­slation. per medi­um ejus, thorow the midst thereof; that is, say they, thorow that space which is betwixt two posts: In which sence the Hebrew word wch the Syriack Transla­tion here answers, is [...] apprimitur a Rab. Davide Kim­chi. Hebraorum doctissimo. read [Page 70] Zach 4.12. Again, Resolve, and say here in the presence of God, and of his holy Angels, every one of you, as Joshua once, As for me, and my house, we will serve the Lord, Josh. 24.16. Or thus; Let all this People say in their hearts, as God's People once with their lips; We also will serve the Lord, for he is our God, Josh. 24.18. Nay, but we will serve the Lord, Josh. 24.21. As if they should say, Nay, we will stand to it. O my Brethren, such Promises and Resolu­tions will put a mighty tye upon your con­sciences; for when a man makes a pro­mise, he is bound, and his promise becomes a debt, which must be paid. So that though in my former direction, I perswaded you to leave Sin; yet now again I fall upon Sin, but in an other manner, shewing how by the help of Resolution, you may be rid of it: and the same design I have for that, which I shall speak hereafter, concerning all those Duties which I shall press upon your Consciences, to tye you thereunto by such a Promise and Resolution as here I perswade you to. The Lord direct ye, and the Lord assist you in the making of it, that ye may not only make it, but also keep it. Amen. So be it.

2. In Resisting. For though you do cry against Sin, and cry to be converted, and resolve against sin, never to commit it more, yet will it, like an Improbitas Mus­cae. im­probous, and impudent Flie, return again; and therefore must be still resisted; as well as Satan, 1 Pet. 5.9. O dear Christians, do not you find by experience, how since you took that great work of Resolution in hand, which I formerly spake of, and since you began to take Heaven by Violence, you met with open war, as it were, within your selves, Sin warring against you in your members: as Paul also found it in himself, Rom. 7.25. and as most of the Cypr. l. 1. c. 1. Aug. l. 1. doctr. Chr. c. 23. Greg. Mor. 4. c. 23. Cy­ril l. de orat. Orig­hom. 30. in Exo. Hilar. in Psa. 118. Bern. in Psal. 90. Ancient Worthies can and do speak of it in their Books? and the reason of it is this; for that the Devil possessing quietly your souls before, lay still, and sought only means to content the same, by putting in new and new delights, and pleasures of the flesh; but when he seeth that ye offer to go from him, he be­gins [Page 92]strait to rage, and to stir up your selves against your selves, and to move sedition within your selves. This in figure was shewn by the Example of Laban, Gen. 31. who never so persecuted his Son-in-Law Jacob, untill he would depart from him. And therefore I must needs put you upon resisting. O Sirs, as the Apostle said once to the Hebrews, Heb. 12.4. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood▪ striving against sin; so may I say to most of you, with a little alteration; Ye have not yet resisted to the utmost, and as ye ought, striving against sin; and there­fore I may well stir ye up as I do, even most earnestly, to resisting; saying, O strive, O stir as for Life against Sin; I mean against Pride, and against Lust, and against Passi­on, and against Worldliness; for all these sins will trouble you again, and again, and again; and therefore you must resist them again, and again. If you ask me, How? I answer as the Apostle, in the Faith, 1 Pet. 5.9. Believing verily, that God for Christ's sake will subdue them in you, and for you: for ye have a precious Promise for it, Rom. 6.14. Sin shall not have dominion over you.

3. In Reading. Search the Scriptures, saith Christ, John 5.39. and that requireth [Page 93]labour: for so much the Original emphati­cally doth imply [ [...];] and that our sluggish flesh doth not like: and therefore Reading & Searching is so much neglected by us: for where be the men that will not only read, but search the Scriptures day­ly? Acts 17.11. It is well if we read dayly; many will not do that.

Again, where be the Christians that will read the Scriptures in their journies; as the Enuch; Acts 8. (who was but a Jew) in his Chariot? it is well if we read them at home: And therefore I must needs stir you up as much as I am able, to this most excel­lent Duty, perswading you all, that after you have set up your Resolution for Hea­ven, and Eternal Life, you will also reade as for Life; for therein is to be had Eternal Life, John 5.39. If the flesh draw back, do ye prick it forward; if it will not follow you, do ye follow it; if your eyes be hea­vy, and will not look into God's Book as you would have them, force them, and by that make them lively by compulsion, to reade and to peruse the Book of Life, and of Salvation. O this kind of Reading and Searching, and Forcing! How will it [Page 74] Like the men of Berea, who so be­came Nobles, Acts 17.11. enoble then your blood, and enable your minds to mind heavenly things? for such are the things comprized in this Book, called the great things of the Law, Hos. 8.12. Put your selves to it therefore, and force your minds to this most noble exercise which will so enoble your souls.

4. In Relieving. And Relieving,

• 1. The Bodies. of others.
• 2. The Souls. of others.

First, Their Bodies, with Food and Ray­ment, and such other necessaries as they do want; according to that noted Scrip­ture, Heb. 13.16. But to do good, and to communicate, forget not; for with such Sa­crifices God is well pleased: And that of our Saviour; Sell that ye have, and give Atms; provide your selves bags which wax not old, a Treasure in the Heavens which faileth not, where no Thief approacheth, nei­ther Moth corrupteth, Luke 12.33. Where note, that in the [...], a nomine [...] quod ab altero nomine [...] misericordia deriva­tur. Origi­nal, there is a word for [Page 75]Almes, which (by a Metonymie) declares the Benefactors and Almes-givers merciful Disposition shewn by his Donation, and that he gives his Almes as he ought; who by his giving, ostends and sheweth that he is affected with the misery of the Relieved: and therefore how few give Almes, and re­lieve the Needy as they ought.

Again, Note here, that the Chaldeans and Syrians, and Hebrews, call Almes, Righte­ousness. Which [...]. name is also retained in the Greek Testament, 2 Cor. 9.9. as it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor; his Righteousness remains for ever; to shew, that Almes-giving is a piece of Ju­stice; and that he who gives Almes, is to observe the Rules of Justice; and to di­stribute to every one according to his need: as it is written, Acts 4.35. And Distribution was made to every man according as he had Need. And who do so? not one of an hun­dred. A little will serve with many, for ma­ny. Few will do as Clerk in his Life, p. 251. Lu­ther; who when a poor Student came to his door begging an Almes, and his Wife pleaded [Page 97]Penury, gave him a Silver Bowl: and as Idem in his Life, pag. 760. Bernard Gilpin, who when he saw naked Peo­ple, would pull of his Cloaths, and cloth them. Ministers had need therefore to call upon men frequent­ly, Give Almes, gives Almes; and give to every man as he hath need. And you had need to call upon your own souls for it; for O, how backward are they! and how un­willing to be drawn to it! With many, every penny of money which they give, when pressed to it, is as a drop of their blood, and they are as loath to spare the one, as the o­ther. But I pray you consider this, you that are so backward to this.

That mans Estate consists of three parts.

1. Necessaries. 2. Decency. 3. Su­perfluity. God allowes you the two for­mer, but requires the third for the poor. If a man refuse to part with it, he forfeits the former too; and God oft-times takes the forfeit. But I cannot yet so leave Cha­rity, for it is so lovely, so comely, so ex­ceeding goodly; O it ravishes with its Beauty, replenishes with its Bounty, and [Page 96]cherishes with its Benignity all that, need it, and come near it, where it is in truth; for it is just like fire, for so it warms the na­ked, makes lightsome the sadded, and with its comfortableness cherishes the de­stituted; and therefore make much of this Fire; O let it not by any means go out, but rather go and kindle it, go and feed it, go and keep it in; and let many be fed, be filled, be refreshed by it: nay, let it set your selves on fire, that your hearts may burn with it like fire, which else will be as cold as a Key, and had need therefore to be heated with it, and inflamed by it.

Secondly, Their Souls, you must feed with your lips; according to that in Prov. 10.21. The Lips of the Righteous feed many; name­ly, with wholesome admonitions, seasona­ble instructions, profitable reprehensions, and comfortable communications. O Be­loved, what cause have we to inculcate this, such a time as this, wherein so many, who profess much, yet express little of that Goodness, that Sweetness, that Delight­fulness, that Riches, that Happiness which is in God, in Christ, in his Word, in Hea­ven. So as that I may well and seasonably [Page 78]here take up that sad complaint which Isi­dore made in his time, speaking of Heaven; Though this Kingdom be Eternal, not a word of that; for what man is there, that spends the least part of a day in meditating upon that? that once makes mention of that? that instructs his Wife and Children of that? all our talk is but vain. But let this be mended; and because our bashful natures are utterly averse from such talk, let us oppose Grace against Nature, and force Nature, let us offer an holy Violence to our selves, and constrain our selves to talk bet­ter, and to talk more of Heaven.

Evagrius, 1.4. c. 14. One Writes of some Martys, that though their Tongues were cut out, yet they did speak; and shall not we, that have our Tongues, and the use thereof lest us, speak? Oh speak, speak one to ano­ther, and that often; as those in Mal. 3.16. and when you do speak, speak the wonderful Works of God; as the Apostles did, Acts 2.11. or as Nil nisi castum, vel Sermo Dei ex ejus ore processi [...]. Author vitae Hieronymi. Jerome, of things chaste, and of God's Word▪ [Page 79]and begin so to do this very day, and after this very Sermon, as they at that day. O, do not defer it any longer, the sooner the better; the Matter in hand will furnish you with Matter, for it is of the great Kingdom of Heaven, which must be taken by Force; and therefore stir up one another, talking of it with your Wives, Children, Servants, Neighbours, Fellow-Hearers, saying one to another, as Aug. Confess. 1.8. c. 1. Austin once said to Alipius his friend, after he had heard much of some mens taking of Heaven by Violence; What is this? What suffer we under the Tyranny of Sin? Unlearned men (such as Authony, and others in Egypt, and Milan) do take Heaven by Violence; and we with all our Learning without Hearts, behold how we lie groveling in flesh and blood; so, what do we suffer, say Heaven suffers, and suffers Violence, and we suffer it to be taken by others, and will not take it our selves. O! come, come, let us also offer Violence to it, that by force we may take it, Heaven is high, but not too high for Forcers, For­cers will carry it; Thesore let us force our [Page 90]selves, and do our utmost to win it. Thus talk and speak one to another.

5. In Fasting. For turn to me with Fasting, saith God, Joel 2.12. And what eminent Fasters have most of the Lords most Renowned Saints and Servants been? David, that man after God's own Heart, how did he chasten his flesh with Fasting, though it was to his reproach, Psal. 69.10. So Jehosaphat, 2 Chron. 20.3. how did he seek the Lord with Fasting? So Daniel, Dan. 9.3. how did he set himself to call upon his God with Fasting? So that great King of Nineveh, how did he humble himself before the King of Kings in Sack­cloth and Ashes, and with Fasting, Jona. 3.6, 7. And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Joshua, Josh. 7.6. of Samuel and all Israel, 1 Sam. 7.6. and of Esther; and of Anna, which being a Widdow of four-score and four years, (to shame many of our young and lusty peo­ple, that will not fast a day, unless it be by constraint, and by a command from the Higher-Powers) departed not from the Tem­ple, but served God with Fastings and Pray­ers, [Page 91]night and day, Luke 2.37. The like instances could be given in many others, who lived since Christ, and flourished in his Church like the Trees of Eden; but Clerk in his life, p. 932. Calvin only shall serve, who for ten years toge­gether fasted daily, and made but one meal a day, at night, spending all his time in and about the Things of God, and in Prayer; insomuch as that a very Rivetus reports it. Papist writing of him calls, him in Frend Un grand jeune­ur, that is, a great Faster; and shall we spend our time in eating and drinking, and neglect so famous a Duty? Is that the way to Heaven? Is that to offer Violence to the Kingdom of Heaven? Because fasting is unsavory to the flesh, as making the Belly to suffer, therefore forsooth we will not fast; but had we that sweet and gracious appetite which the prementioned Saints had, then fasting would be as pleasant to us as feasting; For it is the Souls feasting, because it brings gracious Souls to the greatest dainties, and they to a tast, with which no savouriness of Meats, no variety [Page 92]of Dishes, no sweetness of Wine, or Wo­men can be parallel'd. O sweet feasting then that comes by fasting; Fast therefore, and thereby feast your Souls often; O Be­loved, and if the flesh draw backward, force it forward, and make it to suffer; for Heaven suffers, and suffereth Violence, and why shall not our sluggish flesh?

6. In Considering, or Consideration which differs from Me­ditation; thus Meditati­on is an Agitation, and repetition of things Langius in sua Polyanth. p. 296. Aquin. 2, 2. q. 18. a. 3. pro­ceeding from reason, and piece by piece, and tend­ing to happiness to be in­joyed in the enjoyment of the everlasting Verity. Consideration is a more Omnis operatio intellectus, Langius. p. 257. general operation of the Intellect, whereby she looks and dives into things deliberately, to find out what she desireth and ought to know.

Now this consideration how needful it is, you may perceive partly by God's ex­press Command, in Psal. 45.10. Hearken O Daughter, and consider; and partly by [Page 93]her Operations and Properties, for she is the Key which opens the Door to the Closet of our Heart, where all our Books of Ac­count do lie; she is the Looking-Glass, or rather the very eye of our Soul, whereby she seeth her self, and looketh into all her whole estate, her riches, her good gifts, her defects, her safety, her danger, her way she walks in, her pace she holdeth, and finally the place, and end she draweth to; and without which, in short, she runs on blindly into a thousand brakes and briers, stumbling at every step into some one inconvenience or other, and is continually in peril of some great and grievous sin: and a thing much to be admired it is, that whereas in all things else, men confess, and see that nothing can be either begun, prosecuted, or well ended without consideration; yet in this great bu­siness of the Kingdom of Heaven, E. B. p. 12. no man almost thinks the same necessa­ty. Were a Mariner to make a Voyage from England to Jerusalem, albeit he had made the same once or twice before, yet would he not now take such a great Voyage in hand again without consideration, whe­ther [Page 94]he were in the right or no, what peace he held, how near he were to Rocks and Sands which he must shun, and how near to his Voyages end; and think you dear Friends to pass from hence to the Heavenly Jerusalem, from men to God, from this miserable world, into that other blessed and pleasant world, and that by so many Hills and Hells; so many Gulphs and quick-Sands; so many Rocks and dangers never passed before, and this without considera­tion at all; ye are utterly deluded, if you conceive so, for this passage hath far more need of consideration then that, being much more subject to miscarriages, every sinful pleasure, every sensual delight, every vain thought, every idle word, every wanton look, every inticing sound, every provo­king and unclean touch, and every tempta­tion of men or Devils, being a Pyrate ly­ing ready to surprize, ready to spoil your poor Souls in their Voyage towards Hea­ven; wherefore let me perswade every one of you that would take Heaven by force, to force his Soul to consideration, for the Soul is, and will be as unwilling to it as some Debtors, who are deeply indeb­ted, [Page 95]are to cast up their Accounts, to avoid trouble; for so men count it great trouble, to enter into a serious consideration of their estates, and of such like things, which is one of their greatest Follies; for as in things of this Life he were but a foolish Factor, who would never look into his own Account-book, whether he were before­hand, or behind; and as the Mariner were very much to be blamed for his follie, that for shunning of care and trouble, would go into his Cabin, and be merry, eat, drink, play, not caring for his Ship which way it did run, and letting it go whither she would: So it is madness and folly in the highest de­gree to shun consideration because of trou­ble, and to make good chear instead of ma­king Heaven by consideration sure, and to be negligent when you should be diligent; to get all things by consideration ready a­gainst the day of your account, which you must give to God, that you may give it up with joy, and mansion for ever with God. O good God, stir up this peoples Hearts, that they may stir within them, yea boil, as it were, and boil over, so as to make them considerate; and be you, O my Brethren, [Page 96]now like a good Factor, who when he is sent by his Master beyond the Seas to a place of Traffick, there to trade for his Masters benefit, doth not spend his time in eating, drinking, gaming, dancing, and such like things, but rather goeth, and con­siders, wherefore am I here? am I not here to do my Masters service? And so goeth about his Masters business; so you being sent by your great Master in Heaven into this World to Traffick for him, as you may see Mat. 25.14, 15, &c. do not spend your time idlely, or doing worse; do not drink your selves drunk with the Drunken; do no glut your selves with the Glutton; do not dilapidate and mis-spend your preci­ous time with Carding, Dicing, courting of Wanton Women; do not give up your selves to Chambering, and Lasciviousness, but rather retire your selves, and consider every one of you with himself, Wherefore am I here? here in this place? here in this Town? hath not my great Master in Hea­ven sent me hither to look after his busi­ness, and to do him service in this place, and shall I do the Devils business, and serve him? O God forbid: Or thus, as [Page 97] Author vitae Ber­nardi. St. Bernard was wont oft-times to call upon himself, saying to him­self, Adquid Bernarde venisti; that is, Ber­nard, for what art thou come hither? men­ning to Claravall is, where his business lay. So say thou that hearest me this day, to thy self every day, calling thy self by thy name, John or Peter, Wherefore art thou come hither to this Town, or Parish? Camest thou not hither to serve thy God in this place, and in this Generation, that having dore the Will of God here, thou mayest life with God hereafter; and so go about thy business, and his business; thine in the second place, and his in the first; and with all earnestness & eagerness, labouring as for life, to obtain by Force that ever-du­ring Happiness, and ever-blessed Life.

7. In Meditating. Meditation is with a man, as he that smells the Violets, the Ro­ses, and the Orange-Flowers in a bundle; which is elegantly set forth in the Canticles, where the Spouse plaits up her Hair, trus­sing it up into a knot, to shew, that we should not diffuse our thoughts into varie­ty [Page 98]of conceptions, nor yet consider of di­vers things only, but should recollect our conceptions, rather into a Knot; the Knot I mean of Meditation, which I am now to speak of, and which is so much comman­ded, and commended to us in sacred writ; as Josh. 1.8. This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy Mouth, but thou shalt medi­tate therein day and night: and 1 Tim. 4.6. Meditate upon these things. And you know what the blessed Man's Commendation is, Psal. 1. That he Meditates in the Law of the Lord day and night: Which because it is a most difficult thing so to do both day and night, makes Meditation so rare as it is: For we Ministers can perswade, ten, twen­ty, nay, hundreds, to pray, to read, to give Almes, before we can make one to Medi­tate but one hour of the day; So rare is Meditation, and so rare Meditators. David tells us, that the Law of the Lord was his Me­ditation all the day long, Psal. 119.97. And Mathias Pride­aux, in his Intro­duction. one writes of one of the ancient Kings of Eng­land, that he spent Eight hours in Meditation eve­ry day. But where are such Davids, such [Page 99] Meditators now? Where shall we find them, where? So that we Ministers had need to press this also upon our People ve­ry much: and you had need to urge, to force, and to reinforce your dead and back­ward souls to this very much, and often; saying every one of you to his own soul, O my soul, Why art thou so averse from so high and heavenly a Duty? Is this to labour for Heaven? all the day long, not so much as to mind or mention Heaven? Is this to take it by Force? to let day pass after day, week after week, opportunity after opportunity, and yet never once to lay hold on any, or to redeem any part or portion of so much precious time, for any serious thoughts to be bestowed upon Eternity?

O my Brethren, will ye therefore be dis­couraged from meditating, because it is dif­ficult work, and because few there are that do it? O far be it from such as some of ye be, Pretenders, I mean, to the taking of Heaven by Violence: The more difficult the work is, the greater will be your glory, if ye set your selves in good earnest to it, and the greater your reward; for by it we turn Eagles; and like Eagles, towr up, and [Page 100]draw night to the very Sun it self; the Sun, I mean of Righteousness, the Lord Jesus; nay, by it we are even clothed with the Sun; I mean, that Sun, like that Mystical Wo­man in Rev. 12.1. to whom were given two wings, as of a great Eagle, having about us the unspotted Righteousness of the Lord Jesus to cover our nakedness and unrighte­ousness; and by it we out-soar all humane blandishments, overlook all earthly con­tentments, transcend all sublunary Paradi­ses, and emparadise our selves in the Para­dise of God, Where Fulness of Joy is, and Pleasures are for evermore, Psal. 16.11. Be­take therefore your selves to your wings of Meditation and Contemplation (which some say, is somewhat more & higher than Meditation) and fly aloft like so many great Eagles, even beyond the Moon, and be­yond the Clouds, nay beyond the Sun it self, which is higher than the Moon, yea sar above all Heavens, I mean inferiour Hea­vens; as Christ did, Ephes. 4.8. and strive to be there, even by force, where he now is, having your minds, your hearts, your conversations in that highest Empyrean Heaven. Heaven your selves thus as dear [Page 101]Saints, and as other Saints have done be­fore you, whose Conversation was in Hea­ven, Phil. 3.20.

8. In Fimshing or Persevering. Be thou faithful unto Death, saith Christ, and I will give thee the Crown of Life, Rev. 2.10. and, I have fought a good sight, saith Paul, I have finished my course, 2 Tim. 4.7. Which there­fore puts me upon Finishing: for it is not enough for a General to go into the field, and to charge an enemy; no, but he must overcome him, to win a Crown: So we, to overcome, and so to win the Crown of Hea­ven, must persevere, and hold out to the end of our Militia; for, he that shall endure to the End, the same shall be saved, Mat. 24.13. Hence Victory in the Hebrew, is cal­led Netsach, [ [...]] from Nuseach; signi­fying he hath insisted eagerly, urged vehe­mently, and continued indesinently to the very end of his undertaking; for Perse­verance is needful in wars: Persevere therefore, most dear Saints, to the end, if you will have your errands end: It is con­fessed, that ye will meet with many lets, ma­ny discouragements, many taunts, many re­proaches, many enemies, especially at par­ting; [Page 102]For as a Pyrate will set upon a ship, then most, and soonest, when it is richly la­den, and near its Haven; so will Satan set upon us most busily and eagerly then, when we being fraighted, and filled with the Fruits of Righteousness, are near▪ our end: but all this must not emasculate, nor dismay us, no, but we must keep on our pace, hold up our heads, pursue our intentions, be in­stant in our prayers, be constant in all our Christian Duties, and maintain our holy and pious Resolutions in despite of all, and be retarded by none of them all. Our own lazie souls will draw back most, and soon grow weary in every one of the several du­ties which I have mentioned formerly; but we must not cease to put them forward stil, and that by Force: imitating in this that eminent Convert, mentioned formerly, blessed Austin I mean; whose words are these (after he had heard so much of those Worthies, which one Potitian, a Courtier, and a Captain, had spoken of to him, how they did take Heaven by Violence, leading constantly a most strict, austere, and vertuous Life, and had withdrawn himself a little) what did I not say against my self in this [Page 103]conflict (for he was put thereby into a grie­vous strait) How did I beat and whip mine own soul to make her follow thee, O Lord? name­ly, constantly; for many were her fits; but she held back, she refused, and excused her self; and when all her arguments were convicted, she remained trembling, and fearing, as death, to be restrained from her loose custom of sinning, whereby she consumed her self, even unto death. As he thus whipt and forced his own soul, so let us ours; for have not ours their many sits and shists too, drawing back, when we are almost perswaded, and make us give over in our several Performances of the Du­ties of Prayer and Meditation, and such­like, when we are almost over; but hold them to it, as he did his, though they be never so averse, nay, though they do even tremble at it, and pine at it, and would ra­ther not be, than lose then lo [...]se courses. O Christians, our Constancy will coronate all our labours, and remunerate all our good Endeavours used for Heaven; Heaven at last will pay for all▪ Wherefore let us nei­ther faint nor fail, though never so much either discouraged or opposed.

For a farther, manifestation and prosecu­tion [Page 104]of all this that I have spoken, I'll use this familiar Comparison; There is a Rock in the midst of the vast and boysterous Oce­an Sea, the proud Waves of which beat upon it, the fierce Winds beat against it, those immeasurable Seas of water which are in it, encompass it; but do either Winds, or Waves, or Waters move it; or are they able to remove it, or to break it? No, no, they cannot; they cannot. Now a true Christi­an is such a Rock: like Peter; whose Name signifies a Rock; and therefore no Winds of Persecution, no Waves of Temp­tation, no Seas of Affliction, should turn him aside from his Stedfastness, nor from his holy Conversation, nor from his going to take Heaven by Violence; but he ought to be as stedfast and unmoveable, as others be unstable, vain, light, and variable. We have a notable place for this, 1 Cor. 15.58. Therefore my beloved Brethren, Be ye stedfast, unmovable, alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord, for as much as ye know that your la­bour is not in vain in the Lord. Do ye hear this Sirs, what is required of you? do ye see what ye must be? I believe you do; and therefore let every man here present, [Page 105]prove a constant man, and hold out firmly and strongly till he be unmann'd by death, that he may be saved, and heavened after death everlastingly; which God in mercy grant.

2. Be perswaded to force the Kingdom of Heaven it self.

Q. If you ask me How?

I answer; By a forcible Entry; striving,

1. To enter in at that strait Gate; which is called Christ.

2. To press thorow that narrow Way, of the difficultest and strictest of all good Works.

3. To break thorow the Ranks & Files of your great and mighty Enemies, which are betwixt you and it.

4. To pass with Courage and Patience through great Tribulations.

1. Striving to enter in at that strait Gate; which is called Christ, Mat. 7.13. compa­red with John 9.10. where Christ himself saith, I am the Door. Many think that it is the easiest thing in the world to come to Christ, and by him to Heaven; but they are utterly deceived; for so strait and strict is Christ, as that he will not allow us so much, as a look cast upon a woman to lust [Page 106]aster her in our hearts, Mat. 5.28. nor any thing more in our ordinary communicati­ons, to bind them, than Yea or Nay; saying, Whatsoever is more than these, cometh of evil; that is, as Expositors say, of an evil Consci­ence, or of the Devil, ver. 37. nor any private resistance to be made against evil; for That is, resist not out of revenge any evil offered to you. re­sist not Evil, saith he, ver. 39. nor any miscalling of any man, by the name of Fool, or the like; nor yet any passionate sit of anger, or the like; ver. 22. nor any one sin, else whatsoever it be; for Sin no more, saith he, John 9.11. and if thy right eye offend thee; that is, cause thee to sin; for the Original is, Scandalise thee; and sins are Scandals; that is, Jun. in loc. Stones at which we stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee; and if thy right-hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee, Mat. 5.29, 30. to shew, that Christus hyperbo­lice docet resecan­dum quicquid nos impedit, ne obsequi­um Deo praestemus. Idem in loc. any sin, though it be as dear or near as ones right eye, or hand, must be cast away from us, if we would not be [Page 107]Cast-awayes our selves, nor have the doom and sentence of Damnation past upon us. And besides, O! what a hard thing it is by Faith to go into Christ, and to lay hold on Christ, to believe Christ, or a Christ is nothing to that? That poor man in the Go­spel, Mark 9.24. how he wept and cryed when he was to Believe in Christ? Take one Comparison more from a Rock. A man is Ship-wrackt at Sea, but seeth a fair great Rock in the midst of the Sea, and strives to get upon it; but the Rock is high, and he can sind nothing to hold by; and besides, when he comes very near it, the winds and waves of the Sea beat him from it; and if with much ado he get up­on it, one wave of the Sea raketh over his head, and another, and another, and is like to wash him clean away, and to cast him back again into the midst of the Sea. This man is every man that goeth by Faith to lay hold on Christ; for he is one that hath suffered Ship-wrack, as well as others, in our Father Adam; and Christ is like a Rock in the midst of the Sea, 1 Cor. 10.4. which this poor Ship-wrackt-man espies, [Page 108]and whom to he draws, and swims, and makes to lie hold on by Faith, to save him­self in him, and by him; but Christ is high in his terms upon which he will be taken, as ye were told just now; and besides, when this poor man comes to fasten himself up­on him, and to hold him, he can find no Faith to hold by, and so cries out, and saith, O I have no Faith, not so much as a grain of mustard seed, and therefore how can I lay hold on Christ! O I must needs be cast away, and be suffocated, and drowned in those merciless waters of woe and misery which are about me, and are even ready to swallow me, ready to drown me! O woe, woe is me because of Unbelief! for I can­not believe that ever Christ gave himself for me: If this man be told by one of a thousand, that he hopes better things of him, and that his striving to come to Christ, is an argument that there is Faith in him, though it be so little as that he seeth it not; he saith and replieth again, Yes, I cannot but acknowledge that some Faith there is in me, but I fear that it is but a dogmatical or historical, or temporary Faith, and so [Page 109]will by no means own any other true and Saving-Faith, which he saith still he wants: and if at any time he come somewhat near that great Rock, Christ, and begins to have some hopes, and some confidence that Christ dyed for him, and that he shall be saved by him, he is beaten off again by and by, either by Satans suggestions, or his own doubting hearts tumultuations, so as that he is where he was again, and denyeth again all that ever he spake and thought be o [...], concerning his Faith, and Christ; crying out, and saying, That he hath no pa [...] [...] Christ, because he cannot believe in Christ▪ and if afterwards he get with much ado [...] ­on that Rock, and begin to relie upon him by Faith, and think himself sure, there comes upon him, within a short time, such trouble of mind, and such a variety of new temptations, and doubts, which, like the waves of the Sea, are like to take him clear off, and to cast him back again into the Abyss and depth of that Sea of misery which he was in before; and that makes [...] cry out again, O I shall never be saved! for whereas I thought verily I had Faith, true [Page 110]Saving-Faith, I now see clearly that I have none; and therefore must die, and be dam­ned, and perish, and be engulphed in an Ocean of trouble and tribulation, anguish and affliction, to an endless duration.

This hath been my very case once, and therefore I know all this to be so by mine own experience; and I do appeal for it to your experiences also, whether some of ye do not find it so in like manner, that it went with you when first you believed, as with that poor man in the Gospel, whose doub­tings were such, and so many, as made him cry out with tears, Lord, help thou mine un­belief, Mark 9.24. So that it is one of the hardest things in the world to come to Christ by Faith, and at, and thorow Christ, to Life & Salvation; because strait is the Gate which leads to Life, Mat. 7.13. Strive there­fore, O strive to enter in at the strait Gate, strive to lay hold on Christ; strive to get Faith, saying as that poor man said, Lord help our Unbelief: nay, with tears in your eyes, with sorrow in your hearts, with zeal as hot as fire, in your prayers, approach to the Throne of Grace for this Grace, and [Page 111]never let God go, till by Faith you can go, and go to Christ, and by Christ to Heaven. Heaven is large, that is certain, and a man shall have room enough when he is in it: but the Gate to it, I mean Christ, is so strait, so strict, so hard to be entred, as that with­out much striving, much stirring, much strugling, no flesh can be saved? Wherefore gird up the loins of your minds, elevate the thoughts of your hearts, and bestir your selves at this Gate to enter; for there is no other Name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved, Acts 4.12. As for Works, and Duties, and Performances for­merly spoken of, they must all say, Salva­tion is not in us: so Resisting must say, It is not in me; so Reading, It is not in me; so Fasting, It is not in me; the like may be spoken of all the rest. Neither is there Sal­vation in any other, Acts 4.12.

Object. You will say to me, Did ye not tell us of Believing, and Christ, already in a former direction; and therefore why do ye tell us of the same now again?

Sol. I answer: When I spake of Belie­ving, and of Christ formerly, my design [Page 112]was to let you see the Necessity of Belie­ving, and so to perswade you to it; but now my purpose is to make you see the Difficul­ty of it especially; that seeing what a hard thing it is to come to Christ, and by Faith to enter into Christ, and by Him into Hea­ven, you may strive the more, both first to lay hold on Christ, if never yet ye entered into Christ, and also afterward and alwaies, even after all the duties premised, that you may not be deceived, thinking that there­by you may be saved; which is more than was yet declared by all that which hath been said of Faith and Christ, in the di­rection formerly mentioned.

2. To pass through the narrowest way of the difficultest and strictest of all good Works; for, narrow is the Way which leads to Life, saith Christ. Mat. 7.13. And do not ye find it so? What a hard thing it is to pray continually, and without distraction; and to lift up holy hands, and without wrath and doubting, 1 Tim. 2.8. we being so apt to defile our hands with unclean touches, and to be at variance, and to fall out, and to be angry one with another, and so full of doubts.

Again, What a difficult thing is it to love our Enemies, and our Neighbours as our selves? Mat. 5.44. & 12.39. and to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect? Mat. 5.48. O Sirs, all this goeth against the stream, and against nature, and against flesh and blood; flesh and blood cannot endure it, say carnal men; nay, even good men say as those Disciples of Christ, John 6.60. This is an hard Saying: who can hear it? So these are hard Sayings; who can do them. But let them be never so hard, ye must do them: and do as they do in a certain Country, where with Horses they draw their Ships against the streams, and against that great River of Rhine; So, I say, ye must carry on these great Works against Nature, and against all objected and pretended Difficul­ties, with Resolutions and Endeavours suitable thereunto. I speak the less here, because this doth somewhat border upon that which hath been spoken already, though it be not altogether the same, be­cause I aim at Difficulty most in this place.

3. You must strive to break through the Ranks and Files of your great and mighty Enemies, which are betwixt you & Heaven.

Q. What Enemies?

A. The Devil. The World. The Flesh.

1. The Devil with all his Powers, Eph. 6.12, whom you must oppose and overcome.

1. By the Word of Promise, Rom. 16.20. And the God of Peace shall bruise (or as the Original hath it) tread down Satan under your feet shortly. Mark, 1. The God of Peace, and yet here is War; but the God of Peace makes peace, and therefore is called so. Again, Shall bruise Satan, ac­cording to that sweet promise, Gen. 3.15. The Seed of the Woman shall bruise the Ser­pents Head; which our first Parents so re­lished and esteemed, after they had once tasted it, as that they wrote it upon Pillars, as Josephus and Melancthon in Chron. Char. Josephus relates it, and from time to time re­sorted to it and them, as to their Meeting-place, for their Souls refreshing: Or, Shall tread down Satan under your feet; as the Elders of Israel upon the Necks of the Cananean [Page 115]Kings, as Conquered. Again, Shortly; ye fear ye shall never be freed from such and such Temptations, and from such Blasphe­mous Thoughts as are injected by him: It was my case once, for I thought so too, that I should never be delivered, but you shall, saith God, and I found it so. Make much of this promise therefore, and prize it above fine Gold, and above Rubies, and above Pearls, for it is more worth, and more then all England is worth, and embrace it, and be perswaded of it, Heb. 11.13.

2. By the Word Promised, I mean Christ the Word Substantial, and God blessed for ever, for he is that Seed of the Woman which shall bruise the Serpents Head, Gen. 3.15. He it is that hath spoiled Principalities and Powers, and hath made a shew of them openly, Triumphing over them in his Cross, Col. 2.15. He it is, of whom it is said, that those which are now in Heaven, which they have won by force, have overcome him by his Blood, Rev. 12.10, 12. And he it is, which co­vers us in our Warfare against Satan, from top to toe, even throughout, with him­self, as with an Armour of Proof, Rom. [Page 116]13.14. It is said of Xiphilin in vita Trajani. Tra­jan the Roman Empe­rour, that he would cut in pieces his own Garments rather then his Soulders should want a rag to cover their Wounds. Semblably whereunto Christ our Emperour so covers his Souldiers with him­self, lest they should want an Armour to co­ver their Souls in the day of Battel; Take therefore, dear Christians and fellow Soul­diers, the Lord Christ along with you as you go to encounter Satan, and go sprinkled with his precious Blood, and when he tempts you, and tells you that ye shall be damned, and also entices you to unclean­ness, to lasciviousness, to wrath, to envy, to malice, to revenge, to swear, to lye; Oppose him with Christ, and shew him his Precious Blood; Saying, Lo here is Christ, who will bruise thy Head; Lo the Blood of Christ which doth wash away all my sins, and cleanse me from all unrighteousness, 1 John 1.9. And lo, the mighty Power of Christ, where­by I trust that I shall overcome all thy pow­er, having put about me that strong and mighty Lord, that I may vanquish thee, [Page 117]and conquer all these thy Temptations, in the power of his Might, Ephes. 6.10. O Sirs! after [...] mode and method deal with Satan, and he will slee from you. For he cannot endure the sight of that precious blood, but must needs pass by us, and let us alone when he seeth it; as that destroy­ing Angel passed by those Houses, whose door-posts were sprinkled with the blood of the Paschal Lamb, Exod. 12.23. It is reported, that Satan one time came to a poor sinner diguised, as if he had been sent by God, and told him that he must confess to him all his sins, and that he is to write them down, and to carry them up to God; whereupon the poor man confessed as ma­ny as he knew; but told him withall, Write this too underneath, The Blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God cleanseth us from all sin, 1 John 1.7. which when the Devil heard, he vanished immediately: So powerful is that Precious Blood to profligate that po­tent Adversary; which caused me there­fore to write that very Sentence upon my Desk, when I was under great trouble of mind, that I might alwayes view it in my [Page 118]Studies, and be comforted by it in my di­stresses.

2. The World. The whole World lies in Wickedness, 1 John 5.19. which in Latine is rendered thus; In Maligno positus, quasi in Royard hom. 2. in Eph. 6. malo igne positus; that is, Is placed in an evil Fire, set on fire by the Devil, here called Evil: and therefore we must needs oppose it, and by no means agree with it, though we must pass through the fire, as it were, to overcome it: As some brave Warriors have charged their Ene­mies through the very Fire, in Towns set on fire.

Object. You will say, That the World is strong and mighty, and that you find it so by woful experience, what a mighty enemte it is; and that therefore you know not what to do to overcome it:

Sol. To this I answer. 1. Remember what was said by Christ, John 6.33. Be of good cheer, I have overcome the World: So that you have to do with a conquered slave; and therefore fear not little Flock, for you shall overcome it, because Christ hath con­quered [Page 119]it already for you, to make your conquest easie to you.

2. Ponder the words of St. John, This is the Victory which overcometh the World, even our Faith, 1 John 5.4. Mark; He doth not say, it will, but it doth overcome the World. O the Power! O the Strength! O the Puissance of Saving-Faith! which is so vi­ctorious, saith he, as that it is a Conque­rour over the World wheresoever it is; nay, is Victory it self. If then you have Faith, fear not, but use it, and use it against this vast, this vile, this vain, this false, this wicked World, believing verily, that it shall not prevail against you, because that Faith which is in you, is stronger than the World which is against you.

3. The Flesh. For O, what an Enemy is it to all Flesh! O how it wars, how it com­bates, and, how it fighteth against the Spi­rit, that the best of us cannot do as we would! So that needs we must fight against it, and break by force through all the allurements and oppositions of it.

Object. You will say, Why then saith the Apostle, We wrestle not against Flesh and Blood? Ephes. 6.12.

Sol. I answer. His meaning is, as Zanchius in loc. some say, not simply; or, as others, not Petr. Lombard, Thom. Aquin. only; for then one Sword should be as long as an Marlorat in loc. other, and one man so strong as an other. The Flesh then must be conquered as well as Satan; for it is as great an Enemy to the poor soul, as he, if not greater: which caused the Apostle Pe­ter to write thus; Dearly Beloved, I beseech you as Strangers and Pilgrims, abstain from Fleshly Lusts, which war against the Soul, 1 Pet. 2.11. O the poor soul, how it is pe­stered with it! For when it would fast, and humble it self before God, the Flesh saith, I must feast, eat, drink, and be merry; when the Soul would sill it self with Heavenly Meditations, the Flesh saith, I must ful­fill my Lusts, I must fill mine eyes with A­dultery, and fulfill my desires with this and that womans company, Embraces, Solaces; and I must be a little wanton, lascivious and extravagant this time, solacing my self with Loves: so that this lascivious and luxuri­ant Flesh of ours, must be curbed, over­come, and mastered.

Quest. You will say, But how?

Answ. By Chastity and Sobriety; For Contraries are expelled by Contraries: Contraria, contra­riis expelluntur. Be saber therefore, I say, with the Apostle Peter, 1 Pet. 5.8. The like may be said of Chastity, Be chaste; according to that of Paul, 1 Thes. 4.3, 4, 5. But I desire to insist on Sobriety most; for he that is sober, will be Sobrietas est men­tis, & sensus mem­brorum omnium corporis quo tutel [...] castitatis; pudici­tiaeque mun men­tum. Aug. chaste also, because Sobriety is no­thing else but a Sobrietas vir­tus est appete [...]t [...]s per quam pra [...]e voluptates, ne ap­petuntur quidem. Aristot. de vi [...]t. et vit. Divis. Vertue, whereby corrupt and de­praved Pleasures are not so much as desired, but rather restrained. And therefore O blessed So­berness; how my soul is enamoured with it! O I love thee with my very heart, dear Soberness, for thou hast ravished me with one Chain about thy neck; and that Chain is a Concatenation of all manner of rare and ravishing Excellencies, which are all linked together in love, and make thee [Page 122]so exceeding lovely! O thine is freedom, and with thee is contentment; and by thee comes a most sweet immunity from great offences; offences else will come, if thou do not come, come, I mean, to keep them off. Come then, my Brethren, and become as sober as ever were any Saints; and sober in dyet, sober in marriage, and sober out of marriage; and sober in apparel, apparel­ling your selves with Humbleness; for that is well-pleasing to God. God grant that my speech may take, so as that Heaven at last you may take.

4. You must strive with Courage and Patience to pass through fiery Tryals, and great Afflictions: for, We must through much Tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God, Acts 14.22. And of the Saints in Hea­ven, clothed with white Robes, saith one of the heavenly Elders, These are they which came out of great Tribulation, Rev. 7.14. And when blessed Bradford was to go to the stake, to sacrifice his life to God by Fire, he took a Fagot in his arms, and embra­cing it, said, Strait is the Gate, and narrow is the Way which leadeth to Life, meaning [Page 123]fiery Tryals, and great Tribulations. It is not so with the Wicked, which offer no Violence to Heaven; for their way is broad; which leads to Perdition, Mat. 7.13. God deals with them, as men with Gregor. in Job. Oxen; as the Ox­en appointed to the slaughter, are by them let run a fatting at their pleasure, when o­thers are kept hard to dayly labour. In like manner the Tree that bears no fruit, is not beaten (as we see) but only the fruitful; and yet the other, as Christ tells, Mat. 3.7. is re­served for fire. The sick man that is past all hope of life, is suffered by the Physici­an to have whatsoever he listeth after; but he whose death is not despaired, cannot have that liberty granted.

To conclude, The stones that must serve for the glorious Temple of Solomon, were he wed, beaten, & polished without the Tem­ple, at the Quarry side, 1 Kings 6.7. that no stroak nor hammer might be heard within the Temple. Now S. Peter saith, 1 Pet. 2.5. that good Men are chosen Stones to be pla­ced in the glorious Building of God in Heaven; where there is no beating, no sor­row [Page 124]nor crying, nor cross, Rev. 21.4. Here then, we must be beaten and he wed, and squared in the Quarry, of this World, here we must be fined, here polished; here we must feel the hammer, and pass through great Tribulations: and that requireth our Courage and Patience upon the considera­tion of Heaven, which will make amends for all. Be patient, saith St. James, Jam. 5.7. and, Be not dismayed, saith God, Isa. 41.10. Which the Lord addeth for our en­couragement. When thou passeth tho­row the Waters (namely, of Affliction) I will be with thee; and thorow the Rivers they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest thorow the Fire, thou shalt not be burnt, nether shall the flame kindle upon thee: For I am the Lord thy God; the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour, Isa. 43. Which for our encouragement was even litterally fulfilled in the three Children, upon whose Bodies the Fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed; neither were their Coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them, Dan. 3.27. And in Euseb. l. 4. c. 14. Clerk in his Life, p. 7.8. Polycarpus, who [Page 125]was so patient and couragious, and whose body would not burn, when he was to be burnt with fire, the Lord having caused him to hear a Voice from Heaven, saying, Be of good cheere, O Polycarp, and play the Man: which Voice his hearers heard; who write this of him; The Speaker no man saw; but the Voice many of us heard, say they. Let us be patient therefore, and couragious also in all our Afflictions which we suffer: And the Lord give us patience & courage, that we may run through all these fiery Try­als, which are to try us; and after we have been tryed, as Gold is tryed in the fire, we may obtain the Crown of Heaven, which is set before us; and which otherwise than by Fire and Violence, cannot be had by us.

3. You must force the King thereof him­self.

Quest. If you ask me, How?

Answ. By uncessantly violent Intrea­ties.

This Answer consists of two Branches.

1. By Violent Intreaties.

2. By uncessantly Violent Intreaties.

1. By Violent Intreaties; for the Eff [...]ctual Fervent Prayer of a righteous Man availes much, Jam. 5.17. O it presseth into the Pre­sence of God; it breaks through whole Hosts of hostile Powers; it chargeth through the thickest Troups of Oppositi­ons; it mounts up beyond the Stars; it pe­netrates the Heavens; nay, it towrs up be­yond all aspectable Heavens, and never ceases towring, till it enters the very Hea­ven of Heavens; where it wrestles with the God of Heaven for Heaven, and ne­ver gives him over, till by Force it hath won Heaven. And therefore let this mighty Champion, which we call Wrestling, en­ter the Lists with God for you, that Hea­ven may be taken by you. Which God in mercy grant unto you.

2. With Uncessantly Violent Intreaties: For, Pray continually, saith Christ, Luke 18.1. and With all Perseverance, saith the Apo­stle, Ephes. 6.18. which is much more; For in this Direction is a Climax, or Gradati­on, from much, to much more; For to pray Uncessantly, is as much beyond Vio­lent Intreaties, as the Sun is beyond the [Page 127] Moon; in that as the Moon can have no light without the Sun, so we, without Perseverance in Prayer, can see no light of God's Countenance beaming upon us, no help to assist us, no strength to enable us, for high things to be attempted by us; there we may cry and roar in prayer, and yet in vain, unless we continue in prayer; and though we contend never so much, yet is it to no end, unless we contend so long by our violent Intreaties with God, till we have our errands end; O my Brethren, this is the very Life, the Soul, the Art, the Ma­ster-peice of right Praying; by it we must needs carry Heaven; nay, with it we shall win the very God of Heaven, even by Force. Force your selves therefore my Bre­thren; so to invocate the Name of God, and to draw near to the Throne of Grace, for Grace, even Grace to help in a time of need, Heb. 4.16. nay, go and strive by ma­ny Prostrations before the Throne of Grace, and mighty and uncessant Encoun­trings with God, to become Overcomers of God; saying to God, as once Jacob said, I will not let thee go, tili thou bless me, Gen.

1. By Violent Intreaties; for the Effectual Fervent Prayer of a righteous Man availes much, Jam. 5.17. O it presseth into the Pre­sence of God; it breaks through whole Hosts of hostile Powers; it chargeth through the thickest Troups of Oppositi­ons; it mounts up beyond the Stars; it pe­netrates the Heavens; nay, it towrs up be­yond all aspectable Heavens, and never ceases towring, till it enters the very Hea­ven of Heavens; where it wrestles with the God of Heaven for Heaven, and ne­ver gives him over, till by Force it hath won Heaven. And therefore let this mighty Champion, which we call Wrestling, en­ter the Lists with God for you, that Hea­ven may be taken by you. Which God in mercy grant unto you.

2. With uncessantly Violent Intreaties: For, Pray continually, saith Christ, Luke 18. 1. and With all Perseverance, saith the Apo­stle, Ephes. 6.18. which is much more; For in this Direction is a Climax, or Gradati­on, from much, to much more; For to pray uncessantly, is as much beyond Vio­lent Intreaties, as the Sun is beyond the [Page 127] Moon; in that as the Moon can have no light without the Sun, so we, without Perseverance in Prayer, can see no light of God's Countenance beaming upon us, no help to assist us, no strength to enable us, for high things to be attempted by us; there we may cry and roar in prayer, and yet in vain, unless we continue in prayer; and though we contend never so much, yet is it to no end, unless we contend so long by our violent Intreaties with God, till we have our errands end: O my Brethren, this is the very Life, the Soul, the Art, the Ma­ster-peice of right Praying; by it we must needs carry Heaven; nay, with it we shall win the very God of Heaven, even by Force. Force your selves therefore my Bre­thren; so to invocate the Name of God, and to draw near to the Throne of Grace, for Grace, even Grace to help in a time of need, Heb. 4.16. nay, go and strive by ma­ny Prostrations before the Throne of Grace, and mighty and uncessant Encoun­trings with God, to become Overcomers of God; saying to God, as once Jacob said, I will not let thee go, tili thou bless me, Gen. [Page 128]32.26. When a City or Citadel is belea­gured, the great Guns go off often; and when they cease, the Country concludes that it is taken. And so must our Prayers, which are our Canons, as Bombardae Chri­stianorum Luther. Luther was wont to call them, go off often, when we go to win Heaven; that is, even indesi­nently the same time when we are about it; crying, as the little Children did once, Mat. 21.9. Hosanna, Hosanna; that is, Now save, now save, even again and again; first here in this Temple, from your very hearts; and when ye are come home, from your Closets, your doors being shut; and never give over crying so, and discharging your great Canons so, till you have won Heaven; that is, never come out of your Chambers, after they have been shut, till you have got­ten some assurances from Heaven, that you shall have Heaven; concluding so, because God hath heard them, and as it were told them, that Heaven is taken by them.

But here I must resolve two Cases of Conscience.

1. Case. The first is; Sir, we have heard all this, and yet there is no stirring after all this, some will say; and therefore what shall we do in this Case?

To this I answer in four Conclusions.

1. There may be no stirring with some of you, because you are not yet effectual­ly called, and spoken to, nor yet blown upon by the Spirit of God, John 6.44. like those dry bones in Ezek. 37.2. even very dry, so as that there was no stirring among them at all; till after, when the Prophet prophesied to them, and the Wind, that is the Spirit of God, which is like Wind, did breath upon them.

2. Conclusion. There may be no stirring with some of you as yet, because your time is not come yet; some are called the third, some the sixth hour, some the ninth, some the eleventh hour, Mat. 20.3, 5, 6.

3. Conclus. If there be no stirring with you, because you are not yet effectually called, nor have been blown upon by the Spirit of God, then you must pray to the Lord, that this my preaching now at last, may work upon you, and there may be a [Page 131]stirring among you: as thus; O our God, say, Let this man's preaching to us belike Ezekiels prophesying; For Lord, hast not thou sent him, saying, Go and prophesie to these dead dry bones, which are in that Town of T—that they may live? and wilt not thou bless his prophesying to our souls? O that there were a shaking among us, as there was among those bones! O most mighty God, let there be such a shaking, and such a stirring among us, now at last, after all this prophesying, that we may stand upon our feet, as a great and terrible Army with Banners, Cant. 6.11. and take Heaven by Force. Or thus, As Moses prayed, Numb. 14.17. And now I beseech thee, let the Power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken: So let every one of you now cry, and say to Lord, And now I beseech thee, let the Power of my Lord be great, accor­ding as thou hast spoken. So let every one of you, now cry and say to the Lord; And now I beseech thee, let the Power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spo­ken, saying, I will cause breath to enter in­to you, and ye shall live, Ezek. 37.5. and, Ve­rily, [Page 130]verily I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the Voice of the Son of God; and they that hear, shall live, John 5.24. Lord, I am dead; cause me to hear his Voice, this hour, this time, that I may stir, and live: O this stirring, it is that which must work, must move our hearts, must remove our affections, must elevate our spirits, must collocate our souls in a capacity and ability to attain to high atchivements; and therefore I advise you so much, and perswade you so earnestly to beg it.

4. Conclus. But if your time be not yet come; as it is said of those Figs, Mark 11.13. For the time of Figs was not yet; then you must even wait, till that Gospel-An­gel shall come, which shall move the Wa­ters; that is, your affections, so powerful­ly, as that you may stir; as those blind, and lame, and impotent ones, at the Pool of Bethesda, John 5.3, 4. and till the Spirit of God himself shall come, and move upon the waters of your affections effectually; as he did, Gen. 1.2. to produce and to bring [Page 132]forth a new Creation, even your Regene­ration; which God in mercy grant.

2. Case. The second Case is this, But suppose there be a stirring amongst us since you preached thus, so as that many of the things which you pressed, have been done among us; may not all that be in vain? and if so, what shall we do in such a case?

I answer three wayes.

• 1. Granting.
• 2. Discovering.
• 3. Advising.

1. Granting that you may stir, and do many things in vain; for, Many shall seek to enter, and shall not be able, saith Christ, in Luke 13.24. And did not Herod stir, and perform and reform many things in vain? Mark 6.20.

2. Discovering; namely, the Causes why you may stir, and do many things in vain:

For first, You may build without a foun­dation; that is, you may want a due deep and sufficient Humiliation, so much requi­red, Joel 2.13. Jam. 4.9, 10. 1 Pet. 5.6.

Secondly, You may refuse to go thorow­stitch: [Page 133]As Herod, who kept his Herodias, Mark 6.22.

Thirdly, You may trust to your doings; as the Pharisee did, Luke 18.12. Which you may know by these two Signes:

1st. If you be proud upon your doings, as the Pharisee, who so boasted of his fast­ing twice a week, and of his paying of tithes duely, Luke 18.12.

2d. If you presume upon your doings, so as that you make bold thereupon with one sin or other; as the Pharisees, who trusting in themselves, despised others, Luke 18.9. That sin of despising others, went with their trusting to their doings, and in themselves. Beloved, if a base fel­low abuse a Kings Son, men are apt to say, Surely some body upholds this fellow, and he trusts to that, else he durst not do so: So we may say of men and women, that abuse the Son of God, with one sin or other, whe­ther it be some base lust, or passion, or usu­ry, or pride, or wrong, thereby doing de­spite to the Son of God, Heb. 10.29. and and to the Spirit of Grace; certainly those men trust to their doings, to their prayers, [Page 134]to their going to Church, that upholds them, and upon that they are so bold to do as they do, else they durst not; they hope that these their doings and duties will bear them out: as doubtless Herod thought so too, when he kept his Herodias, Mark 6.22.

Fourthly, You may depend upon your sayings: As for example; Because you can say, and have said, Lord we believe; help our unbelief; and our Beloved is ours, and we are his: As I taught you in the forego­ing directions to say, you may think that therefore you do believe, when you do not, but only say that you do believe. This is notably set out by St. James, What doth it profit, my Brethren, though a man saith that he hath Faith? Jam. 2.14. Mark: Though he say; Which sheweth, that, as it is now, so it was then; there were men, who thought that they had Faith, because they could say, and did say, that they did believe: That was their Faith; and that is most mens Faith now The World is now, as it was in Ages past. Rel. Medici. p. 12.: And therefore, O the infinite Deceits, and Fallacies of that old Ser­pent! [Page 135]O the unfathomable Mazes of his Devices! O the abyss and depth of his Subtilties! Thousands have been so delu­ded by him: and millions there are now in Hell, suffering the Vengeance of eternal Fire, because they have hearkened to him.

3. Advising, I say Advising you, that,

It, 1. You want Humiliation, and have not yet been duly, deeply and sufficiently dejected, and so have built without a good foundation, you lay such a foundation yet, for else how can your building stand? If a House or Castle be not founded upon a sure Foundation, we know it cannot stand, but must needs totter, and come down: And so must all that which you do, come to nothing, if this Foundation be wanting; l [...]ke that Seed which wanted deepness of earth; whereby we may understand depth of Humiliation, Mat. 13.5. and therefore be humbled, nay deeply and sufficiently humbled, for all the evils of your wayes; nay, for the evil even of your holy things, and doings, and be not quiet till you be un­quiet, nor rest till you cannot rest, nor give [Page 136]over, I mean humbling your selves, till you be come over to that depth of sorrow, which your horrid miscarriages, and mis­demeanours call for; In a word, as David and his men wept, till they could weep no more, 1 Sam. 30.4. So do you grieve till you can grieve no more; for Nam ultra posse fiery, Non vult lex ulla requiri. then God will re­quire no more. See 2 Cor. 8.12.

2. If you never went thorow-stich yet, then go farther, and thorow yet; for how many have come short of Christ, and Heaven, because they would not do a lit­tle more? even as some miss sometimes, and go without a good bargain, or pur­chase, because they will not give the other pound, or piece; nay, sometimes some part for a groat: O do not you so too; but if any thing be yet wanting, add it, if a little more be required, do it; if a little more must be given for Christ and Heaven, give it; O do not go without it for a smal matter, give the other groat, I pray you; & let it not be said of you, that you left Christ, Life and Salvation for a groat, that is, for a smal mat­ter, [Page 137]because you would not do a little more, and go a little further; pray a little more, meditate a little more, and do somewhat else more, which ye never did yet. O Sirs, I must needs press you to this; for so runs my Commission, Teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, Mat. 28.20. So that needs you must do all that, which in my former Directions I have taught you, and which Christ our Sa­viour hath any where enjoyned you, though it be never so cross, and contrary to your depraved natures, if you would be sa­ved.

3. If you formerly trusted to your do­ings, do so no more, but say as Israel was taught to say, Ashur shall not save us, Hos. 14.3. So Prayer shall not save us, Fasting shall not save us; could we speak with the tongues of Men and Angels, could we set open our eyes, like Sluces, with weeping, could we soar up in the pensiveness of our thoughts like Eagles, and thereby even peep into Heaven, yet should we not be justified thereby: And therefore we trust to be saved only by our Lord and Saviour [Page 138]Jesus Christ, and by his infinite, and by us undeserved, Mercy, Tit. 3.5.

4. If you relyed on your sayings, go farther hereafter, and do not only say, that you do believe, but labour to believe in­deed; that is, never be satisfied in that point, nor think that yo do believe, till you see Faith to be in you, by its effects wrought in you; I mean, 1. Love. 2. Holiness. And, 3. Pureness. For it is like Sarah, it will have out Hagar; that is, slavish and servile Fears, and all the Lusts of the Flesh, with the Affections thereof; and like Solo­mon, it will overlay the Temple of the holy Ghost all with Gold; that is, it will make us all glorious within, nay, throughout, both within and without; even glorious in Holiness, Acts 26.18. and glorious in Love, Gal. 5.6.

Need you Incentives after all my Dire­ctions, and Solutions given you? then take these.

Consider that that Kingdom of Heaven, which I perswade you so much to take by Force, is a Kingdom which is, [Page 139]

• 1. Very High.
• 2. Very Great.
• 3. Very Rich.
• 4. Very Pleasant.
• 5. Very Glorious.
• 6. Very Durable.

1. Very High.

1. For its Distance from us.

2. For its Terms upon which it must be taken by us.

First, For its Distance from us: For how sar is it think you, from the Center of the World, to the Sun onely? Minima solis distantia a centro mundi continet se­midiametrum ter­rae millies & septu­agies. Lambert. Dan. in Phys. Chrys. p. 2. tract. 4. c. 18. p. 160. Astronomers tell us, that the Distance which is between them, con­tains the Semidiameter of the Earth, One thou­sand seventy times. And how far it is from thence to the Empyrean Hea­ven, who can tell? no man living. The Scripture therefore calls Heaven, Heights, Psal. 148.1. and saith further, that Heaven for Height is unsearchable, Prov. 25.3. So that no Thieves can approach it, no Ene­mies [Page 140]assault it, no Wars reach it. There may be another reason given for this, why Hea­ven is above the reach of all its opposites, because it is not to be seen, being far above all aspectable Heavens, Ephes. 4.8. The Fratres Roseae Crucis. Bre­thren of the Red Cross, as they call themselves, give out (as I have read it in one of their own printed Books) that the house of their meeting is not to be seen, which I question, whether they speak true in it (though they say, that they are of the purest Protestants) But this is un­doubtedly true, that the Heaven of Hea­vens is a place which by us here cannot be seen; for, the eye hath not seen the things (whereof this Heaven is one) prepared for those that love him, 1 Cor. 2.9. If then, ye will be a in safe & secure place indeed, which may not be lyable to surprizals; then la­bour for this Kingdom, to take it by force.

Secondly, For its Terms, upon which it must be taken by us: For what are the Terms upon which it stands, think ye? the Terms of it are such as these, They that will enter me, saith this Kingdom, must exceed in [Page 141]Righteousness, even the strictest Pharisees that ever lived; For except your Righteousness ex­ceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pha­risees, ye shall in no case enter into the King­dom of Heaven, saith Christ, Mat. 5.20. and ye must be perfect, as God is perfect, saith this Kingdom, according to Mat. 5.48. Now, if some men were to serve as Souldiers un­der a Captain, or General, who promises them, that they shall have for their Service, whatsoever they take, though it be a King­dom, but that they must do more work than all other ordinary Souldiers, must wake when others sleep, must fast when others feast; they would all say, O what high and hard terms be these! And yet to win a Kingdom, be perswaded to serve such a General, and even force themselves to it, and take extraordinary pains for it, because the Terms proposed are so high, as that otherwise they cannot have it. And so should we force our selves to win the King­dom of Heaven, and take extraordinary pains for it, because of the high Terms of it, and because else we shall never enter it, unless we do more work than all other [Page 142]common Sonldiers among men, and keep our selves waking, when other men are sleeping, and abstain from all manner of meat many times, and from all excessive eating and drinking at all times, and that even then, when others at their feasts are inebriciting themselves with strong drink, and glutting themselves with creature-de­lights, and varieties of dishes and dain­ties.

2. A very great Kingdom. The World with the Kingdoms of it, is an extraordi­nary great thing: They write that the Mr. Bolton in his direct. for a comf. walk. p. 13. So Speed, Am­bitum ejus quidam esse volunt Leuca­rum Gallicarum no­vem millium et am­plius. Lamb. Da­naeus in sua Phys. Christ. p. 2. tract. 3. c. 23. compass of it is about one & twenty thousand English miles, and some­what more: but Heaven is infinitely greater; for, Behold! Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens can­not contain Thee: as if he should say, though it be so extraordinary great, how much less this House which I have built, saith Solomon, 2 Chron. 6.18. Now there is a time [Page 143]when we may not seek great things for our selves, Jer. 45.5. but at all times we may and should seek after the great Kingdom of Heaven, and now more especially, ha­ving been so much perswaded to it; and therefore go forth, O my Brethren, in the greatness of your spirits, and heighth of your hearts, to win, to take, to force this great King­dom of Heaven, which I have so much extolled, and which cannot be otherwise taken, but only by Force. The Lord help you in the doing of it.

3. A very rich Kingdom, for in it are Streets of Gold, and Gates of Pearls, Rev. 21.21. So as that that Mr. Fox in his Acts and Mon. blessed Woman-Martyr of Exce­ter might well say; when one offered her Money, and she refused it, I am going to a place where Money bears no mastery: all the Wealth of England, all the Gold of both Indies, all the Pearls in the Erythean Seas, are not to be compared with the Riches of it. Now if Riches be any thing esteemed by you, and ye desire to be rich indeed, then strive to win this King­dom by Violence; for then you are made [Page 144]rich for ever by it, unutterably rich; for all the Riches of Solomon, all the Trea­sures of Hezekiah, nay, all the Treasures of Egypt, were as nothing to the Riches of it, 1 Kings 10.23. Isa. 39.2. Heb. 11.26.

4. Very Pleasant, for there the Sun shin­eth alwayes, I mean the Sun of Righteous­ness, which is the Light thereof, Rev. 21.23. and besides, there are Pleasures for ever­more, Psal. 16.11. Mark; For evermore; and therefore far better Pleasures than here; for the Pleasures of Sin, and of this life, are but for a season, Heb. 11.25. like Jonas's Gourd, soon come, soon gone, Jonas 4.10. yea, like Lightning, which is gone sooner. No longer than meat is in the Glut­ons mouth, and drink in the Drunkards throat, the Pleasure thereof lasteth, when both are down, the sweet gust thereof va­nisheth; and therefore if you would enjoy better Pleasures, labour for Heaven, where there are Rivers of rarest Delights, Seas of sweetness, and Paradises of Plea­sures for evermore.

5. Very Glorious. Glorious things are spo­ken of thee, O City of God, saith David, Psal. [Page 145]87.3. So I, glorious things are spoken of thee, O Kingdom of Heaven, for in thee are those glorious Mansions which Christ hath prepared for his; in thee those glori­ous Saints, which shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father, Mat. 13.43. in thee those glorious Teachers, Virgins and Martyrs, which wear their Crowns & Aure­oales upon their heads, like crowned Kings for ever and ever; in thee those glorious Armies of Christ's valiant Souldiers, who have in the strength of his Might, over­come and vanquished so many thousands of the terribly enraged Enemies of their souls; in thee those faithful men, whom all the de­lights of this World could not make so ef­feminate, as to draw them from the strength of their holy and heavenly Man­hood; in thee those holy Women, who to­gether with the World, have superated and overcome their own Sex; in thee those Children who have by their holy manners transcended their years; in thee those old men and women, whom here age had made weak, and yet the strength of their Ver­tues and Graces did not forsake; all wea­ring [Page 146]their Diadems of Glory, in the King­dom of Glory: in thee those glorious and blessed Seraphims, who chant forth their melodious Ditties to the Sacred and ever­to-be-adored Trinity to all Eternity; in thee those glorious Joyes which stream from Jehovah's never-failing Love; in thee those glorious Rayes, which beam from the Light of his Pleasant Countenance, to re­fresh all those blessed and crowned Inhabi­tants, who mansion and dwell with Christ in Glory; in thee is that glorious Body and Person of Christ himself, which is so decked with Majesty, and doth so shine and glister above the Splendor and brightness of that Fountain of all created Light, the Sun, I mean, in the spangled skie. O ye that love now glittering Glory, labour therefore for this Glory, for this is Glory indeed: Nay, all ye that hear me this day, whatever ye be, be for this Glory, let this Glory keep you waking, let this Glory set all your Brains aworking; for Glory is a mightily working thing, O it will, like a Immensum Glo­ria Calcar habet. Spur, even spur us on to high [Page 147]Atchievements: And therefore O let this Glory prick ye forward, beyond all earth­ly things, towards Heaven, that by Violence ye may take it, with all the Glory of it. And thou, O sweet Jesus, do not let this People sleep, or slumber, till they have put themselves upon the taking of it, by a Sa­cred Violence.

6. Very Durable, for it is an Everlasting Kingdom, Dan. 4.3. and chap. 7.27. even the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Sa­viour Jesus Christ, so called, 2 Pet. 1.11. in which regard, it also exceeds and excels all the Kingdoms of the World, even infi­nitely and unspeakably: for they all shall have, & most have had their Changes, their Ends, their Zeniths, their Quoniam in ge­nium hoc omnibus creatis ut insita quadam vi; ad mu­tationem forantur et casum ut ferro consumens quaedam rubigo agnata est, ligno exaedens caries aut teredo, sic animalibus, opidis, regnis internae, et sue causa pereundi. Lips. de const. l. 1. c. 15. Periods, but this shall have none. So the things thereof, and the happi­ness centered therein, shall have none; For my Salvation shall be for [Page 148]ever, Isa. 51.6. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion Cum venerint in caelestem Hierusa­lem. Lyra in loc. sic Cyril Alex. in loc. with Songs, and everlasting Joy shall be up­on their heads, Isa. 35.10. The like is said of the Glory of it, that there is, and will be an Eternal weight of Glory, 2 Cor. 4.17. And blessed are they that dwell in thy House, they will be Hebrew [...] quod est sicut [...] et significat Aeter­nitatem. still praising Thee, Selah, Psal. 84.4. and therefore shall the People (namely, thy People) praise Thee for Quod exten­dendum ad beatitu­dinem Electorum in Coelis Lorin. in loc. ever and ever, Psal. 45.17. which puts me upon Eternity; a Type whereof was once set forth at Constantino­ple, in the year 459. after this manner; A certain Fraternity was set up, called by the name of Acaemets, who were so called for their not sleeping, because they were al­wayes to praise God, both day and night, being divided into three companies, so as that when the first had made an end of sing­ing, the second was to begin; when the [Page 149]second had done, then the third; accor­ding to that fore-alledged place, Psal. 84.4. And therefore O blessed Kingdom, which is thus Eternal, and in which there is sing­ing for ever and ever; O incomparable Kingdom! for what Kingdom else is like to thee? in thee is Life without Death, Glad­ness without Sadness, Consolation without Perturbation; Stability without Mutabili­ty; O Kingdom to be desired of all men! as which hath no O Regnum vere beatum carens morte, vacans fine, cui nulla tempora succedunt per a­vum. Aug. in med. end; no night, no adversary that can destroy it: there­in, O my soul, thou shalt enjoy Rest without la­bour, Joy without dolor, Life without end, and fe­licity through all eternity: O endless King­dom! I can hardly make an end of prai­sing thee; I must needs speak a little more yet of thee, saying, ^{† †} [Page 150]

O that this people were so affected with thee, as they ought to be; but herein appears most mens extreamest both misery and folly, that whereas all men, or most, are for Land, rather than for Lease, if they can reach to it, because it is, as they say, for ever; and whereas they will be sure to have a penny-worth for a penny, and will give so too, yet they are not so wise, nor will be, in heavenly things; for this heavenly and eternal King­dom they care not for; they prefer their holdings for their frail lives, and meer tri­fles, before Land for ever; and this Hea­venly and Everlasting Kingdom, is worth nothing with them, nor will they give or do any thing considerable for it, as if it were not worth looking after, which makes [Page 151]me the more earnest to press this matter so as I do upon your Consciences, using such Incentives as these be, and especially this last. O my God, do thou work upon this peoples hearts, and let the Spirit of Life come into the wheels of their souls; let him so move their affections, as that they may be lifted up; like those Wheels in Ezeki­el, Ezek. 1.20, 21. because the Spirit of Life is in them. O let not all these my la­bours be utterly lost, but let some poor souls be now won to the Shepherd of souls.

O Souls, Souls, are ye nothing moved yet with all this? I hope you are; nay, me­thinks you are by your attention; if ye be, then move, and move indeed; I mean so strongly, so vigorously, so effectually to­wards Heaven, to take it by Force, as that the world may see your change, your zeal, your forwardness, your labouring for Hea­ven; Heaven ye see is even at hand; as the Baptist said once, The Kingdom of Hea­ven is at hand, when he so preached it up, Mat. 3.2. it was so, and so it is now, and [Page 152]divers enter into it; nay, take it by Force; O do you so likewise, and so live for ever. So be it.

To God alone be all Honour and Glory.

A New and Living Way of Dying.

ALmighty God (as one saith well) hath given to men three Mansions of a diverse Quality;

1. The World, wherein they live.

2. The Grave, wherein they corrupt.

3. Either Heaven, wherein they are crowned; or Hell, wherein they are tor­mented.

In the World, their Companion is Vani­ty; In the Grave, the Worms; In Heaven, [Page 11]the blessed Angels; and in Hell, cursed De­vils: I add, For like and like sute best one with an other; Good Men, I mean, with good Angels, and evil Men with An­gels-Transgressors: and yet such is the fol­ly of most men, that they would have per­petual habitations, and an ever-during hap­piness in this vain World, where neither such felicity, nor perpetuity is to be expe­cted: for as all have sinned, so all for Sin must be by Death dissolved, even the best not excepted; as by those Worthies which my Text speaketh of, it appeareth. So that men should rather forecast, what course it were best for them to take, that being thrust out of those earthly Tabernacles, in which now they mansion, they might mount up into that most blessed and bliss­ful House of God, which is not made with hands, Eternal in the Heavens, 2 Cor. 5.1.

What this Course is which men should take, you will understand by my future Discourse, wherewith I shall, God willing, entertain your Christian Patience, decla­ring FAITH to be that most happy In­strument, which must bring you to such a [Page 12]firm, durable and glorious settlement, This ushered and conveyed those gracious Saints which my Text speaks of, out of their earthly and unstable habitations, into those heavenly Mansions above, and places of unexpressable Delights; for they all dy­ed in Faith; and the end of Faith is, as St. Peter tells us, the salvation of our Souls, 1 Pet. 1.9. I shall therefore call the whole ensuing Discourse, A New and Living Way of Dying, and shew therein, how we may in a most sweet & comfortable manner, af­ter an holy and heavenly walking, die at last, by, in, and according to Faith; Faith, I mean, unfeigned, lively and saving; In which the antient Patriarchs dyed, accor­ding to my Text, These all dyed in Faith.

In the beginning of this Most Excellent Chapter, the holy Apostle describeth Faith by three several Effects.

The first is, That it procreates and be­gets a sure and certain hope of things pro­mised by Almighty God, ver. 1.

The second is, That by Faith men please God, ver. 2.

The third is, That we believe things to humane reason incredible, ver. 3.

Which done, he illustrates and brighten­eth the said Effects by Examples prompted out of the Sacred Book of God.

And first of all, he produceth some Be­lievers, who flourished before the Flood; as Abel, Enoch, Noah, ver. 4, 5, 6, 7. to prove both the second and third effect; the se­cond by Abel and Enoch, the third by Noah.

Afterwards he descends to a second Class of Examples, reckoning up such ancient Fathers as lived after the Flood, before Is­rael went down into Egypt; Abraham, I mean, Isaac, Jacob and Sarah, to confirm the first Effect, ver. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.

Having explained the said Examples, he super-adds an Amplification, which begin­neth with the words of my Text, declaring that the forementioned ancient Patriarchs and Believers, were both most certain in their Hope, and constant in their Expecta­tion of the Impletion of the Lord's Pro­mise which he had made unto them; For they dyed in Faith, saith he, such was their constancy.

And thus you may see the coherence of these words with the former.

Two things we may note in the Text it self, which is a Sacred Narration.

• 1. Qui.
• 2. Quid.

That is,

• 1. Who they be that are spoken of.
• 2. What is spoken.

1. Who? All these. And who be these? I answer; We may un­derstand Eagnejus in loc. either Abra­braham, Isaac, Jacob and Sarah, living after the Flood (for of such he spake before;) Defuncti sunt omnes isti] quipest diluvium fuerunt, vel omnes praeter Enochum transla­tum. Dionys. Car­thus. in locum. or all those Patriarchs which lived both before and after, Enoch excep­ted.

2. What is spoken of all these? That they dyed in Faith.

Where observe with me again, two things.

• 1. Quod.
• 2. Quomodo.

Or,

• 1. That they dyed.
• 2. How they died.

1. They Dyed. This puts me upon Death. Aphilosopher called Secundus, being asked of the Emperour Trajan, What Death was? described it thus; Death is an eternal sleep, he should have said a long sleep) the disso­lution of our bodies, the fears of rich men, the desire of poor men, an mevitable event, an un­certain Pilgrimage, a Robber of Mankind, the Mother of sleep, the passage of Life, the de­parture of the living, and a dissolution of all; thus he: But we may more briefly term it a departed breath, enlivened at first by breath cast upon it. Thus they dyed, and yet they were very good, gracious, and most emi­nent Saints; for Death favoureth none, but like a cruel Mower, cuts down flowers, even the fairest and goodliest; the very best and Holy Men, I mean, which are the very Stars of the Earth, as well as common grass; ordinary and common men, I mean, in the spacious and capacious field of the world.

Doct. 1. Good Men then (as you see) must die, like other men. Death, like those merci­less and inexorable Creatures, Fire and Wa­ter, spareth none, Omnia sub leges Mors vocat atra suas. all must away, both good and bad.

This is the point which I will,

• 1. Confirm and fortifie.
• 2. Vindicate.
• 3. Explicate.
• 4. Apply.

I. I'll confirm it,

• 1. By Scripture.
• 2. By Experience.
• 3. By Reason.

1. By Scripture, which is full of such sad Examples, as will sufficiently evince the truth of this Assertion. Pervolve but the 5th chapter of Genesis, and you shall find that all those good Patriarchs that lived be­fore the Flood, dyed as well as other wick­ed and ungodly men. And then search for those that lived in succeeding Ages, be­sides those whom my Text makes mention [Page 17]of, as Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Samuel, David, Josiah, Hezekiah, Isaiah, &c. and you shall find them all dead, Acts 7.15.

2. Nay do you but ask Experience what is become of such holy and heavenly men and women as you knew in your time, and it will tell you, they are all dead; or if you will August. l. de Nat. et grat. view but the Graves and Monuments that are in this Church and Church-yard, and they will affirm the same.

3. But I suppose that some of you do rather wonder why it should be so, than doubt whether it be so, seeing the truth of this assertion is so manifest and apparent; and therefore understand,

1. Reas. That when Adam fell, it was not the man that fell, but mankind, Rom. 5.19. so that all, both good and bad, must therefore taste of deaths cup; as it is writ­ten, Wherefore as by one man Sin entered in­to the World, and Death by Sin, so Death pas­sid upon all men, for that all have sinned, Rom. 5.12.

2. Reas. It is a favour afforded by Na­ture, [Page 18] Quod gravissimum fecit, fecit commune, ut crudelitatem fati consolaretur aequalitas.

That she hath made that common which is most grievous, that so Equality might so­lace the Cruelty of that fate which is alto­gether inevitable. And,

3. Reas. That which thou sowest, is not quickned except it die, 1 Cor. 15.36. So that the Godly cannot be raised according to the order and method which God hath de­creed & ordained in his Wisdom, for their entrance into his heavenly Kingdom, un­less they be first by Death dissolved, and like seed, sown and interred in the ground from which they were first extracted. To this purpose also is that, 1 Cor. 15.50. Flesh and Blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; that is, Calvin in loc. our Bodies, as now they are corrupti­ble, unless they die, and so be changed, being raised again by the Power of God, and made incorruptible.

4. Reason. God's Word must needs be ve­rified; Now God hath said, In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die, Gen. 2.17. So that even the best must needs die [Page 19]one way or other, that God may be true; but eternally they cannot die, because Christ dyed for them, to exempt them from that Death, Rom. 5.10.21. they must needs die temporally, though they neither can nor shall be under the tyrannizing power of Death eternally.

5. Reas. The Godly are compounded of Elements, as well as others; And there is a Rule in Philosophy, That whatsoever is made up of Elements, must be dissolved again into the same; for Composition is a begin­ning of a Combate, a Combate of a Sepa­ration, a Separation of a Solution; so that needs they must die as well as others.

6. Reas. Christ himself, the eternal Son of God, died a temporal Death, to bring them to everlasting Life, John 3.16. and therefore how unreasonable a thing would it be, if themselves should be exempted from that Death, of the which he himself tasted? shall the Physitian taste of a bitter cup for the Patients sake, and shall not the Patient also himself drink of the same Cup too?

7. Reas. Nay, how can they be confor­mable [Page 20]to the same eternal Son of God, their Lord and Saviour, as they must be even by the unalterable & eternal Decree of God, Rom. 8.29. if they should not die as he dyed, leaving us all an Example to follow after: As if he should have said, as much in effect, as once Gideon said to his followers, Judg. 7.17. As I do, so shall ye do; or, rather (mutatis mutandis) as I die, so shall you die after.