ALTHOUGH Believers by Nature are far from God, and Children of Wrath, even as others, yet it is a­mazing to think how nigh they are brought to him again by the Blood of Jesus Christ—Eye hath not seen, or Ear heard, nei­ther hath it entered into the Heart of any Man living fully to conceive, the Nearness and Dearness of that Relation, in which they stand to their common Head—He is not ashamed to call them Brethren—Behold, says the bles­sed Jesus in the Days of his Fle [...]h, my Mother and my Brethren—And again after his Resur­rection, Go tell my Brethren.—Nay sometimes he is pleased to term Believers his Friends—Henceforth call I you no longer Servants, but Friends—Our Friend Lazarus sleepeth—And [Page 2] what is a Friend? Why "there is a Friend that is nearer than a Brother," nay, as near as one's own Soul—And thy Friend, says God in the Book of Deuteronomy, which is as thy own Soul.—Kind and endearing Appellations these, that undoubtedly bespeak a very near and in­effably intimate Union between the Lord Je­sus, and the true living Members to his my­stical Body! But, methinks, the Words of our Text point out to us a Relation, which not only comprehends, but in respect to Near­ness and Dearness, exceeds all other Relations whatsoever—I mean that of a Husband—For thy Maker is thy Husband—The Lord of Hosts is his Name, and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole Earth shall he be called.—

These Words were originally spoken to the People of the Jews, considered collectively as a peculiar People, whom our Lord had be­troth'd and married to himself; and they seem to be spoken when Religion was upon the De­cline among their Churches; when they had, in a great Measure, lost that Life and Power, which they once experienced; and their Ene­mies began to insult them with a Where is now your God? Such a State of Things must un­doubtedly be very afflicting to the true Mour­ners in Zion; and, no doubt, put them upon crying unto the Lord, in this their deep Di­stress—He hears their Prayer—His Bowels [Page 3] yearn towards them; and, in the preceding Verse, he assures them, that tho' the Enemy had broken in upon them like a Flood, yet their Extremity should be his Opportunity to lift up a Standard against him— Fear not, says the great Head and King of his Church, for thou shalt not be ashamed, that is, finally or totally; neither be thou confounded, i. e. dissipated, or dejected, giving up all for gone, as though thou never shouldst see better Days, or ano­ther Revival of Religion; for thou shalt not entirely be put to Shame, tho' for a while, for thy Humiliation, and the greater Confusi­on of thy Adversaries, I suffer them to tri­umph over thee: For, says the Lord, thou shalt forget the Shame of thy Youth, and shalt not remember the Reproach of thy Widow-hood any more; i. e. I will vouchsafe you such ano­ther glorious Gale of my blessed Spirit, that you shall quite forget your former troubled Widow-state, and give your Enemies no more Occasion to insult you, on Account of your [...]nt-condition, but rather to envy you, and gnash their Teeth, and melt away at the Sight of your unthought-of Glory and Prosperity.—And why will the infinitely great and conde­scending Jesus deal thus with his People? Be­cause the Church is his Spouse—For, says he, in the Words just now read to you, thy Maker is thy Husband, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; and therefore he loves thee too [Page 4] well, to let thy Enemies always trample thee under Foot— The Lord of Hosts is his Name, the God of the whole Earth shall he be called; and therefore he is armed with sufficient Pow­er to relieve his oppressed People, and over­come and avenge himself of all their haughty and insulting Foes.—

This seems to be the prime and genuine Interpretation of the Text and Context, espe­cially if we add, that they may have a further View to the latter-day Glory, and that blessed State of the Church, which the People of God have been looking for in all Ages, and the speedy Approach of which, we undoubt­edly pray for, when we put up that Petition of our Lord's, viz. Thy Kingdom come.—

But, tho' the Words were originally spoken to the Jews, yet they are undoubtedly appli­cable to all Believers in all Ages, and, when inlarged on in a proper Manner, will afford us suitable Matter of Discourse both for Sin­ners and for Saints; for such as know God, as well as such who know him not; and likewise for those, who once walked in the Light of his blessed Countenance, but are now backslidden from him; have their Harps hung upon the Willows, and are afraid that their Beloved is gone, and will return to their Souls no more.—Accordingly, without prefacing this Discourse any farther, as I suppose a mix'd Multitude of Saints, unconverted Sinners, and [Page 5] Backsliders, are present here this Day, I shall endeavour so to speak from the Words of the Text, that each may have a proper Portion, and none be sent empty away.—

In prosecuting this Design, I will

• I. Endeavour to shew, what must pass be­tween Jesus Christ and our Souls before we can say, that our Maker is our Husband.—
• II. The Duties of Love which they owe to our Lord, who stand in so near a Relation to him.—
• III. The miserable Condition of such as can­not yet say, their Maker is their Husband.—
• And IV. I shall conclude with a general Exhortation to all such unhappy Souls, to come and match with the dear Lord Jesus.—And Oh! may that God who blessed Abra­ham's Servant, when he went out to seek a Wife for his Son Isaac, bless me, even me also, now I am come, I trust, relying on divine Strength, to invite poor Sinners, and recal Backsliders to my Master Jesus!—

And First, I am to shew, what must pass tween Jesus Christ and our Souls before we can say, Our Maker is our Husband.

But, before I proceed to this, it may not be improper to observe, that if any of you, amongst whom I am now preaching the King­dom of God, are Enemies to inward Religion, [Page 6] and explode the Doctrine of inward Feelings, as Enthusiasm, Cant and Nonsense, I shall not be surprized, if your Hearts rise against me whilst I am preaching, for I am about to dis­course on true vital and internal Piety; and an inspired Apostle hath told us, that the na­tural Man discerneth not the Things of the Spirit, because they are spiritually discerned.—But, however, be noble as the Bereans were; search the Scriptures as they did: lay aside Pre­judice; hear like Nathaniel, with a true I [...] ­elitish Ear; be willing to do the Will of God, and then you shall, according to the Promise of our dearest Lord, know of the Doctrine, who­it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.—

I would further observe, that if any here expect fine Preaching from me this Day, they will, in all probability, go away disappointed—For I came not here to shoot over Peoples Heads; but, if the Lord shall be pleased to bless me, to reach their Hearts. Accordingly I shall endeavour to cloath my Ideas in [...] plain Language, that the meanest Negro [...] Servant, if God is pleased to give a hearin [...] Ear, may understand me; for I am certain if the Poor and Unlearned can comprehen [...], the Learned and Rich must.—

This being premised, proceed we to our first general Head, viz. To shew what [...] pass between Jesus Christ and our Souls, [...] fore we can say, our Maker is our Husband.

[Page 7] Now, that we may Discourse more perti­nently and intelligibly upon this Point, it may not be amiss, under this Head, to consider, what is necessary to be done, before a Mar­riage between two Parties amongst our selves, can be said to be valid in the Sight of God and Man—And that will lead us in a familiar Way, to shew, what must be done, or what must pass between us and Jesus Christ, before we can say, our Maker is our Husband.—

And First, In all lawful Marriages, it is ab­solutely necessary, that the Parties to be joined together in that holy and honourable Estate, are actually and legally freed from all Pre-en­gagements whatsoever.— A Woman is bound to her Husband, saith the Apostle, so long as her Husband liveth. The same Law holds good in respect to the Man. And so likewise, if either Party be betrothed and promised, tho' not actually married to another, the Marriage is not lawful, till that Pre-engagement and Promise be fairly and mutually dissolved.—Now, it is just thus between us and the Lord Jesus—For, we are all by Nature born under, and wedded to the Law, as a Covenant of Works.—Hence it is, that we are so fond of, and artfully go about, in order to establish a Righteousness of our own—It is as natural for us to do this, as it is to breathe—Our first Pa­rents, Adam and Eve, even after the Cove­nant of Grace was revealed to them in that [Page 8] Promise, the Seed of the Woman shall bruise the Serpent's Head, reached out their Hands, and would again have taken hold of the Tree of Life, which they had now forfeited, had not God drove them out of Paradise, and compell'd them, as it were, to be saved by Grace—And thus all their Descendants natu­rally run to the Tree of Life, and want to be saved, partly at least, if not wholly, by their Works. And even gracious Souls, who are inwardly renewed, so far as the Old Man a­bides in them, find a strong Propensity this way.—Hence it is, that natural Men are gene­rally so fond of Arminian Principles.— Do and live, is the native Language of a proud, self­righteous Heart.—But before we can say, our Maker is our Husband, we must be divorced from our old Husband, the Law; i. e. we must renounce our own Righteousness, our own Doings and Performances, in Point of Dependence, either in Whole or Part, as Dung and Dross, for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord.—For thus speaks the Apostle Paul to the Romans, Chap vii. 4. Ye also are become dead to the Law (i. e. as a Covenant of Works) by the Body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to him, who is raised from the Dead.—As he also speaketh in another Place, I have espoused you, as a chaste Virgin to Jesus Christ. This was the Apostle's own Case— [Page 9] Whilst he depended on his being a Hebrew of the Hebrews, and thought himself secure, because, as to the outward Observation of the Law, he was blameless; he was an entire Stranger to the divine Life: But when he be­gan to experience the Power of Jesus Christ's Resurrection, we find him, in his Epistle to the Philippians, absolutely renouncing all his external Priviledges, and all his Pharisaical Righteousness; Yea, says he, doubtless, and I count all Things but Loss, nay but Dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own Righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the Faith of Jesus Christ, the Righteousness which is of God by Faith. And thus it must be with us, [...]'re we can say our Maker is our Husband.—Tho' we may not be wrought upon in that extraordinary Way in which the Apostle was, [...]et we must be dead to the Law, we must be espoused as chaste Virgins, to Jesus Christ, and count all external Priviledges, and our most splendid Performances (as was before observed) only as Dung and Dross, for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord.

But further, before a Marriage among us an stand good in Law, both Parties must not only be freed from all Pre-engagements, but [...]ere must be a mutual Consent on both Sides▪We are not used to marry People against [Page 10] their Wills.—This is what the Jews called Betr [...]thing, or Espousing, a Thing previous to the Solemnity of Marriage.—Thus we find, the Virgin Mary is said to be espoused to Jo­seph, before they actually came together, Mat. i. 18. And thus it is among us—Both Parties are previously agreed, and as it were, espoused to each other, before we publish, what we call, the Banns of Marriage concerning them. And so it will be in the spiritual Marriage, between Jesus Christ and our Souls—Before we are actually married or united to him by Faith; or, to keep to the Terms of the Text, before we assuredly can say, that our Maker is our Husband, we must be made willing People in the Day of God's Power, we must be sweetly and effectually persuaded by the Holy Spirit of God, that the glorious Ema­nuel is willing to accept of us, just as we are, and also that we are willing to accept of him upon his own Terms, yea, upon any Terms.—And when once it comes to this, the spiri­tual Marriage goes on apace, and there is but one Thing lacking to make it compleat.—And what is that? An actual Union.

This is absolutely necessary in every lawful Marriage among Men.—There must be a Joining of Hands before Witnesses, e're they can be deemed lawfully joined together.—Some Men indeed of corrupt Minds, are apt to look upon this as a needless Ceremony [Page 11] and think it sufficient to be married, as they term it, in the Sight of God.—But whence Men get such Divinity, I know not.—I am positive, not from the Bible; for we there read that even at the first Marriage in Paradise, there was something of outward Solemnity; God himself (if I may so speak) being there the Priest.—For we are told, Gen. ii. 22. that, after God had made the Woman, be brought her unto the Man.—And indeed, to lay aside all Manner of outward Ceremony in Marriage, would be to turn the World into a Den of brute Beasts—Men would then take, or for­sake, as many Wives as they pleased, and we should soon sink into as bad and brutal State, as those Nations are now in, amongst whom such Practices are allowed of, and who are ut­terly destitute of the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.—Whoever has ex­perienced the Power of his Resurrection, I am persuaded will never plead for such a licentious Practice—For the Terms made use of in Scrip­ture, to represent he mystical Union between Christ and his Church, such as, our being joined to the Lord, and married to Jesus Christ, are all metaphorical Expressions, taken from some analagous Practices amongst Men.—And as Persons when married, tho' before twain, are now one Flesh; so those that are joined to the Lord, and can truly say, our Maker is our Husband, in the Apostle's Language, are [Page 12] one Spirit.—This was typisied in the original Marriage of our first Parents.—When God brought Eve to Adam, he received her with Joy at his Hands, and said, this is Bone of my Bone, and Flesh of my Flesh.—They had there, primarily, but one Name—For thus speaks the sacred Historian, Gen. v. 1, 2.— In the Day that God created Man, he blessed them, and called their Name Adam.—And why? because they were one Flesh, and were to have but one Heart.—The self-same Terms are made use of in Scripture, to express the Be­liever's Union with Jesus Christ—We are cal­led Christians, after Christ's Name, because made Partakers of Christ's Nature.—Out of his Fulness, Believers receive Grace for Grace—And therefore, the marriage State, especially by the Apostle Paul, is frequently made use of, to figure out to us the real, vital Union, between Jesus Christ and regenerate Souls.—This is termed by the Apostle, Eph. v. 32. A great Mystery.—But great as it is, we must all experience it, before we can say assuredly, that our Maker is our Husband.—For what says our Lord, in that Prayer he put up to his Father before his bitter Passion? Father, I will that those whom thou [...]ast given me, shall be where I am, that they may be one with thee, even as thou, O Father, and I are one, I in them, and they in me, that we all may be made perfect in One.—Oh infinite Condescension! [Page 13] Oh ineffable Union! Hence it is, that Belie­vers are said to be Members of his Body, of his Flesh, and of his Bones—Hence it is, that the Apostle, speaking of himself, says, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. What an Expression is that? How much does it com­prehend? And, that we might not think this was something peculiar to himself, he puts this close Question to the Corinthians; Know ye not, that Christ is in you, unless you be Re­probates? Agreeable to what he says in his Epistle to the Col [...]ssians, Christ in you, the Hope of Glory.—And hence it is, that our Church, in the Communion-office, directs the Minister to acquaint all those that receive the Sacrament worthily, that they are one with Christ, and Christ with them; that they dwell in Christ, and Christ in them—Words that deserve to be written in Letters of Gold, and which evidently shew, what our Reform­ers believed all Persons must experience, be­fore they could truly and assuredly say, that their Maker is their Husband.—

From what then has been delivered, may not the poorest and most illiterate Person here pre­sent easily know, whether or not he is really married to Jesus Christ. Some indeed, I am a­fraid, are so presumptuous as to affirm, at least to insinuate, that there is no such Thing as knowing, or being fully assured, whilst here below, whether we are in Christ or not—Or at least, if there be such a Thing, it is very [Page 14] rare, and only the Priviledge of the primitive Believers.—Part of this is true, and Part of this absolutely false.—That this glorious Priviledge of a full Assurance is very rare, is too, too true.—And so it is equally too true, that real Christians, comparatively speaking, are very rare also.—But that there is no such Thing, or that this was only the Priviledge of the first Followers of our blessed Lord, is direct­ly opposite to the Word of God.— We know, says St. John, speaking of Believers in general, that we are his, by the Spirit which he hath given us; and, He that believeth hath the Witness in himself; Because you are Sons, saith St. Paul; God hath sent forth his Spirit into [...]our Hearts, even the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba Father—Not that I dare affirm, that there is no real Christian, but what has this full Assurance of Faith, and clearly knows, that His Maker is his Husband—In speaking thus, I should undoubtedly con­demn some of the Generation of God's dear Children, who thro' the Prevalence of Unbe­lief, indwelling Sin, spiritual Sloth, or it may be, for Want of being informed of the Privi­ledges of Believers, may walk in Darkness, and see no Light—therefore, tho' I dare not af­firm, that a full Assurance of Faith is absolutely necessary for the very Being, yet I dare assert, that it is absolutely necessary, for the Well­being of a Christian—And for my own Part, [Page 15] I cannot conceive, how any Persons, that pretend to Christianity, can rest satisfied or contented without it.—This is indeed stopping short, on this Side Jordan, with a Witness—And gives others too much Reason to suspect, that such Persons, however high their Profes­sion may be, have, as yet, no true saving Grace at all.—Men, whose Hearts are set on this World's Goods, or, to use our Lord's Language, the Children of this World▪ act not so—I suppose there is scarce a single Merchant in this great Congregation, especially in these troublous Times, that will venture out either his Ship or Cargo, without first ensuring both against the Violence of an Enemy, or a Storm—And I suppose there is scarce a single House, of any considerable Value, in any populous Town or City, but the Owner has taken out a Policy from the Fire-Office, to insure it, in Case of Fire—And can I be so irrational as to think, that there is such a Thing as securing my Goods, and my House, and that there is no such Thing as insuring, what is infinitely more valuable, my precious and immortal Soul? Or if there be such a Thing, as un­doubtedly there is, what Foolishness of Fol­ly must it needs be in Men, that pretend to be Men of Parts, of good Sense, and solid Reasoning, to be so anxious to secure their Ships against a Storm, their Houses against a Fire, and at the same Time, not be unspeakably [Page 16] more solicitous, to take a Policy out of the Assurance-Office of Heaven; even the Seal and Witness of the blessed Spirit of God, to ensure their Souls against that Storm of divine Wrath; and that Vengeance of eternal Fire, which will at the last decisive Day come upon all those, that know not God, and have not obeyed his gracious Gospel? To affirm there­fore, that there is no such Thing as knowing that Our Maker is our Husband; or that it is a Priviledge peculiar only to the first Christi­ans, to speak in the mildest Terms, is both irrational and un [...]riptural. Not that all who can say, their Maker is their Husband, can give the same clear and distinct Account of the Time, Manner, and Means of their being spi­ritually united and married by Faith to the blessed Bridegroom of the Church—Some there may be now, as well as formerly, sanc­tified from the Womb—And others, in their Infancy and Non-age, as it were silently con­verted—Such perhaps may say, with a little Scotch Maiden, now with God, when I ask­ed her, whether Jesus Christ had taken away her old Heart, and given her a new One, Sir, It may be, said she, I cannot directly tell you the Time and Place, but this I know, it is done.—And indeed it is not so very material, tho' no Doubt it is very satisfactory, if we cannot relate all the minute and particular Circumstances, that attended our Conversion; if so be we are tru­ly [Page 17] converted now, and can say, the Work is done, and that, [...]ur Maker is our Husband—And I question, whether there is one single adult Believer, now on Earth, who lived, be­fore Conversion, either in a Course of secret or open Sir, but can, in a good Degree, give an Account, of the Beginning and Progress of the Work of Grace in his Heart.—What think ye? Need I tell any married Persons in this Congregation, that they must go to the Uni­versity, and learn the Languages, before they can tell whether they are married or not? Or, if their Marriage was to be doubted, could they not, think you, bring their Certificates, to certify the Time and Place of their Marriage; and the Minister that joined them together in that holy State? And if you are adult, and are indeed married to Jesus Christ, tho' you may be unlearned, and what the World terms illiterate Men, can not you tell me the Rise and Process, and Consummation of the spiritual Marriage, between Jesus Christ and your Souls? Know you not the Time, when you were first under the Drawings of the Father, and Jesus began to woo you for him­self? Tell me, O Man, Tell me, O Woman, knowest thou not the Time, or at least, knowest thou not, that there was a Time, when the blessed Spirit of God, stripped thee of the Fig-leaves of thy own Righteousness, hunted thee out of the Trees of the Garden of [Page 18] thy Performances, forced thee from the Embraces of thy old Husband the Law, and made thee to abhor thy own Righteousness, as so many fil­thy Rags? Canst thou not remember when, after a long Struggle with Unbelief, Jesus ap­peared to thee, as altogether lovely, One mighty and willing to save? And canst thou not reflect upon a Season, when thy own stubborn Heart was made to bend; and thou wa [...]t made willing to embrace him, as freely offered to thee in the everlasting Gospel? And canst thou not, with Pleasure unspeakable, reflect on some happy Period, some certain Point of Time, in which a sacred Some-thing (perhaps thou could' [...]t not then well tell what) did cap­tivate, and [...]ll thy Heart so that thou could' [...]t say, in a Rapture of holy Surprize, and Exta­ [...]y of divine Love, My Lord and my God; my Beloved is mine, and I am his▪ I know that my Redeemer liveth; or, to keep to the Words of our Text▪ My Maker is my Husband.—Surely, amidst this great and solemn Assem­bly, there are many that can answer these Questions in the Affirmative—For these are Transactions, not easily to be forgotten; and the Day of our Espousals is, generally, a very remarkable Day; a Day to be had in everlast­ing Remembrance.

And can any of you indeed, upon good Grounds say, that your Maker is your Hus­band [...] May I [...]ot then (as it is customary to [Page 19] with Persons Joy, who are just entered into the Marriage State) congratulate you upon your happy Change, and wish you Joy, with all my Heart? Sure am I, that there was Joy in Heaven on the Day of your Espousals: And why should not the blessed News occasion Joy on Earth? May I not address you in the Lan­guage of our Lord to the Women that came to visit his Sepulchre, All hail! for ye are highly favoured.—Blessed are ye among Men, blessed are ye among Women!—All Genera­tions shall call you blessed.—What? Is your Maker your Husband? The Holy One of Is­rael your Redeemer? Sing, O Heavens, and rejoice, O Earth! What an amazing Stoop is this! What a new Thing has God created on the Earth! Do not your Hearts, O Believers, burn within you, when meditating on this unspeakable Condescension of the high and lofty One that inhabiteth Eternity? Whilst you are musing, does not the sacred Fire of divine Love kindle in your Souls? And, out of the Abundance of your Hearts, do you not often speak with your Tongues, and call upon all that is within you, to laud and magnify your Redeemer's holy Name? Is not that God-exalting, Self-abasing Expression frequen­ly in your Mouths, Why me, Lord, why me? And are you not often constrained to break out into that devout Exclamation of Solomon, when the Glory of the Lord filled the Tem­ple, [Page 20] And will God indeed dwell with Man Ungrateful, rebellious, ill-and Hell-deserving Man! Oh, my Brethren, my Heart is enlarged towards you! Tears, while I am speaking, [...] ready to gush out—But they are Tears of Love and Joy—How shall I give it vent? How [...] I set forth thy Happiness, O Be­liever, th [...] Bride of God!—And is thy Ma­ker thy Husband? Is his Name the Lord of Hosts? Whom [...]en [...] thou fear? And is thy Redeem [...] the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole Earth shall he be called? Of whom then shouldst thou be afraid? He that toucheth thee, toucheth the very Apple of God's Eye— The very Hairs of thy Head are all numbered, and it is better, that a Man should have a Mi [...]stone tied round his N [...] ▪ and be drowned in the Sea, than that be should justly offend thee.—All hail, (I must again re­peat it) thou Lamb's Bride! For thou art all glorious within, and comely, thro' the Come­liness thy heavenly Bridegroom hath put upon thee—Thy Garment is indeed of wrought Gold; and, e're long, the King shall bring thee forth with a Raiment of Needle-work, and present thee Blameless before his Father, without Spot, or Wrinkle, or any such Thing.—In the mean while, well shall it be with you, and happy shall ye be, who are married to Jesus Christ—For all that Christ has is yours—He is made of God to you, Wisdom, [Page 21] Righteousness, Sanctification, and eternal Re­demption—Whether Paul, or C [...]phas, or the World, or Life, or Death, or Things pre­sent, or Things to come; all are yours.—All his Attributes are engaged for your Preserva­tion, and all Things shall work together for your Good, who love God, and, by being thus married to the Lord Jesus, give an evi­dent Proof that you are called according to his Purpose.—What say you? When you meditate on these Things, are you not fre­quently ready to cry out, what shall we ren­der unto the Lord for all these Mercies, which of his free unmerited Grace, he hath been pleased to bestow upon us? For, tho' you are dead to the Law, as a Covenant of Works, yet you are alive to the Law as a Rule of Life, and are in, or under the Law (for either Expression seems to denote the same Thing) to your glorious Husband, Jesus Christ.

Pass we on therefore to the Second General Head, under which I was to shew, what Du­ties of Love they owe to Jesus Christ, who are so happy as to be able to say, my Maker is my Husband.

I say, Duties of Love—For being now mar­ried to Jesus Christ, you work not for Life, but from Life.—The Love of God constrains you, so that, if there was no written Law, or, [Page 22] supposing Jesus wou'd set you at Liberty from his Yoak, so far as Grace prevails in your Hearts, you wou'd say, we love our blessed Bridegroom, and will not go from him.—

And now then, what does the Lord require of you? That we may speak on this Head, as plainly as may be, we shall pursue the Me­thod we begun with; and, by carrying on the Allegory, and examining, what is required of truly Christian Wives, under the Gospel, in­fer, what our Lord may justly demand of those, who are united to him by Faith, and can therefore say, our Maker is our Husband.—

And here let us go to the Law and to the Testimony.—What says the Scripture? L [...] ▪ the Wife, says the Apostle, see that she Reve­rence her Husband.—It is, no doubt, the Duty of married Women, to think highly of their Husbands.—From whom may Husbands justly command Respect, if not from their Wives? The Apostle's Expression is Emphatical—Let the Wife see, that she reverence her Husband; thereby implying, that Women, some of them at least, are too prone to disrespect their Hus­bands; as Michal, Saul's Daughter, despised David in her Heart, when she tauntingly said, 2 Sam. vi. 20. How glorious was the King of Israel to Day, who uncovered himself to Day in the Eyes of the Hand-maids of his Servants, as one of the vain Fellows shamelesly uncovereth himself.—

[Page 23] This is a Source and Fountain, from whence many domestick Evils frequently flow.—Women should remember the Character Husbands sustain in Scripture.—They are to them, what Christ is to the Church.—And it is mentioned to the Honour of Sarah, that she called Abraham, Lord.—Shall I have a Child who am old, my Lord being old also? It is remarkable, that there are but two good Words in that whole Sentence, my Lord (for all the others are the Language of Unbelief) and yet those two Words the Holy Ghost men­tions to her eternal Honour, and buries, as it were, the rest in Oblivion.— Even as Sarah, says St. Peter, obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord.—An evident Proof how pleasing it is in the Sight of God, for Women in the mar­ried State, to reverence and respect their Hus­bands.—Not that Husbands therefore should Lord it over their Wives, or require too much respect at their Hands—This wou'd be un­christian, as well as ungenerous, indeed.—They ought rather, as God has taken such Care to keep up their Authority, commanding their Wives to reverence and respect them; they ought, I say, to be doubly careful, that they live so holy and unblameable, as to lay their Wives under no Temptation to despise them.—But to return from this Digression.—Does the Apostle say, Let the Wife see that she re­verence her Husband?—May I not pertinently [Page 24] apply this Caution to you, who are married to Jesus Christ? See to it, that you reverence and respect your Husband—I say, see to it▪—For the Devil will be often suggesting to you hard and mean Thoughts against your Husband.—It was thus he beset our [...]other Eve, even in a State of Innocence.—He wou'd fain per­suade her to entertain hard Thoughts of her glorious Benefactor.— What, says he, [...]as God said, ye shall not eat of the Trees of the Gar­den? Has he been so cruel to put you here in a beautiful Garden, only to vex and teize you? This he made use of as an Inlet to all his suc­ceeding Insinuations—And this Trade he is still pursuing, and will be pursuing, 'till the very End of Time.—Besides, in the Eyes of the World, Jesus Christ has no Form or Comeliness, that they should desire him; and therefore, unless you watch and pray, you will be led into Temptation, and not keep up such high Thoughts of your blessed Jesus, as he justly deserves—In this you can never exceed.—Women, perhaps▪ n [...]y sometimes think too highly of, and, through Excess of Love, idolize their earthly Consorts.—But it is impossible for you to think too highly of your heavenly Husband, Jesus Christ.—

Further, what says the Apostle, in his E­pistle to the Ephesians? speaking of the mar­riage State, he says, The Wife is the Glory of her Husband; as tho' he had said, a Chri­stian-Wife [Page 25] shou'd so behave, and so walk, as to be a Credit to her Husband—As Abigail was an Honour to Nabal, and by her sweet De­portment, made up, in some Degree, for her Husband's Churlishness—This is to be a Help-meet indeed—Such a Woman will be praised in the Gate; and her Husband get Glory, and meet with Respect on her Account. And ought a Woman to be the Glory of her Husband? How much more ought you, that are the Lamb's Bride, so to live, and so to walk, as to bring Glory, and gain Respect, to the Cause and Interest of your Husband Je­sus? This is what the Apostle every where supposes, when he wou'd draw a Parallel be­tween a temporal and spiritual Marriage— The Woman, says he, is the Glory of her Husband, even as the Church is the Glory of Christ—A­greeably to this, he tells the Corinthians, whe­ther you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the Glory of God; and as he also be­speaks the Thessalonians, 1 Thess. ii. 11, 12. As you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every One of you (as a Father doth his Children) that ye wou'd walk worthy of God who hath called you to his Kingdom, and his Glory—What an Expression is here! That ye wou'd walk worthy of God—Oh! How ought this, and such like Texts▪ to stir up your pure Minds, O Believers, so to have your Conversation in this World, that you [Page 26] may be, what the Apostle says some particu­lar Persons were, even the Glory of Christ—You are his Glory; he rejoices over you with singing; and you should so walk, that all, who know and hear of you, may glorify Christ in you.—

Subjection, is another Duty, that is enjoin­ed maried Women, in the Word of God—They are to be subject to their own Husbands in every▪ Thing, i. e. every lawful Thing— For, says the Apostle, the Husband is the Head of the Wife, even as Christ is the Head of the Church: And knowing how unapt some base Minds wou'd be, to submit to the Hus­band's Authority; he takes Care to inforce this Duty of Subjection, by many cogent and powerful Arguments— For Adam was first made, and not Eve—Neither was the Man made for the Woman, but the Woman for the M [...]n—And again, The Man was not first in the Transgression, but the Woman—Upon which Accounts, Subjection was imposed on her, as Part of her Punishment— Thy Desire, says God, shall be to thy Husband, and [...]e shall [...]ule, tho' not tyranize, over thee—So that▪ to [...]se the Words of pious Mr. Henry, Those, who attempt to usurp Authority over their Husbands, not only contradict a divine Com­mand, but thwart a divine Curse—And if Women are to be subject to their own Hus­bands in every Thing, how much more [Page 27] ought Believers, whether Men or Women, to be subject to Jesus Christ—For he is the Head of the Church—He has bought her by his Blood—Believers therefore are not their own; but are under the highest Obligations to glorify and obey Jesus Christ, in their Bodies, and their Souls, which are his—Add to this, that his Ser­vice as it is admirably expressed in one of our Col­lects, is perfect Freedom—His Command­ments, holy, just, and good—And therefore, it is your highest Priviledge, O Believers, to submit to, and obey them—Earthly Hus­bands may be so mean, as to impose some Things upon their Wives, merely to shew their Authority; but it is not so with Jesus Christ—He can and does impose nothing, bu [...] what immediately conduces to our present, as well as future Good—In doing, nay, in suf­fering for Jesus Christ, there is a present un­speakable Reward—And therefore I may say to Believers, as the blessed Virgin said to the Servants, at the Marriage of Canaan; What­soever he says unto you▪ do it—For his Yoke is easy, and his Burden is light.—And I believe, it might easily be proved in a few Minutes, that all the Disorders, that are now in the World, whether in Church or State, are ow­ing to a Want of being universally, unanimous­ly, chearfully, and perseveringly conformed to the Laws and Example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

[Page 28] Again, Faithfulness in the marriage State, is strictly enjoined, in the Scriptures of Truth— Marriage, saith the Apostle, is honourable in all, and the Bed undefiled—But Whoremon­gers and Adulterers, God will judge—Nay, Adultery is an Iniquity to be punished by the Earthly Judges; it dissolves the marriage Re­lation— For the Man has not Power over his own Body, but the Woman; neither has the Woman Power over her own Body, but the Man—The Heathens themselves have been taught this by the Light of Nature; and Adultery, among some of them, is punished with imme­diate Death—And ought married Persons to be thus careful, to keep the Marriage-Bed un­defiled, how carefully then ought Believers to keep their Souls chaste, pure and undefiled, now they are espoused to Jesus Christ? For there is such a Thing as spiritual Adultery— O ye Adulterers, and Adulteresses, saith St. James—And God frequently complains of his People's playing the Harlot—Hence it is, that St. John, in the most endearing Manner, ex­horts Believers to keep themselves from Idols—For the Lust of the Eye, the Lust of the Flesh, and Pride of Life, are always ready to steal away our Hearts from Jesus Christ. And every Time we place our Affections upon any Thing more than Christ, we do undoubt­edly commit spiritual Adultery—For we ad­mit a Creature to rival the Creator, who is [Page 29] God over all, blessed for evermore—Little Children, therefore, keep yourselves from I­dols.—

But it is Time for me to draw towards the Close of this Head— Fruitfulness was a Bles­sing promised by God to the First happy Pair: Encrease and multiply, says God, and replenish the Earth—Lo Children, and the Fruit of the Womb, says the Psalmist, are a Gift and He­ritage, which cometh of the Lord—And so, if we are married to Jesus Christ, we must be fruitful—In what? In every good Word and Work—For thus speaks the Apostle, in his Epistle to the Romans,—Wherefore my Bre­thren, [...]e also are become dead to the Law, by the Body of Christ, that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the Dead—What follows? That we should bring forth Fruit unto God—Glorious Words, and proper to be considered in a peculiar Man­ner, by such who wou'd explode the Doc­trine of Free Justification, as an Antinomian Doctrine, as tho' it destroyed good Works—No, it establishes, and lays a solid Founda­tion, whereon to build the Super-structure of good Works— Timothy is therefore command­ed to exhort Believers, to be careful to main­tain good Works—And herein, says our Lord, is my Father justified, that ye bring forth much Fruit—Let your Light shine before Men, that they may see your good Works, and glorify [Page 30] your Father, which is in Heaven; with a Multitude of Passages to the same Purpose.—

Moreover it is required of Wives, that they n [...] only love, and reverence their Husbands, but that they also love and respect their Hus­band's Friends—And if we are married to Je­sus Christ, we shall not only reverence the Bridegroom, but we shall also love and ho­nour the Bridegroom's Friends—By this shall all Men know, says our Lord, that ye are my Disciples, if ye love one another—By this we know, says his beloved Disciple, that we have passed from Death to Life, because we love the Brethren—Observe, the Brethren, indefinite­ly, of whatever Denomination—And this Love must be without Dissimulation, with a pure Heart fervently—This was the Case of the primitive Christians—They were all of one Heart, and of one Mind—It was said of them (Oh that it could be said of us!) See how these Christians love one another! ▪ They were of the same Spirit, as a good Woman in Scotland was, who when she saw a great Multitude, as is customary in that Country, coming from various Parts, to receive the blessed Sacrament, saluted them with a Come in ye Blessed of the Lord, I have a House that will hold a Hundred of you, and a Heart that will hold Ten Thousand— Let us go and do likewise.—

[Page 31] Once more—Persons that are married take one another for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, to love and to cherish each o­ther in Sickness and in Health.—And if we are married to Jesus Christ, we shall be wil­ling to wear his Cross, as well as bear his Crown—If any Man, says our Lord, will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his Cross and follow me.—Neither will they be compelled to do this, as Simon of Cyrene was, but they will be Voluntiers in his Service, they will cry out, Crown him, Crown him, when others are crying out, Crucify him, Crucify him.—They will never leave or forsake him, but willingly follow the Captain of their Salvation, tho' it be thro' a Sea of Blood.—

I might run the Parallel still further, and also enlarge upon the Hints already given—But I fear I have said enough already, to re­proach most Believers; I am sure I have said more than enough, to abash and upbraid my­self—For alas! how vilely, treacherously, and ungratefully, have we behaved towards our spiritual Husband, the dear Lord Jesus, ever since the Day of our Espousals? Had our Friends, or even the Wives of our own Bo­soms, behaved to us as we have behaved to our great and best Friend, our glorious Hus­band, we should have broke off our Friend­ship, and sued for a Bill of Divorcement long ago▪—Under our first Love, what Promises [Page 32] did we make him? But how frowardly have we have behaved our selves in his Covenant How little have we reverenced him? How often has our Beloved been to us no more tha [...] another Beloved? How little have we lived to his Glory? Have we not been a Shame and Reproach to his Gospel? Have we not cruci­fied him afresh, and has he not been sorely wounded in the House of his Friends? Nay, has not his holy Name been blasphemed thro' our Means? For alas! how little have we obeyed him? How careless and indifferent have we been, whether we pleased him or not? We have often said indeed, when com­manded by him to go work in his Vineyard, We go Lord; but alass! we went not—Or if we did go, with what Reluctance has it been? How unwilling to watch with our dear Lord and Master only one hour? And of his Sab­baths how often have we said, what a Wea­riness i [...] this? As for our Adulteries, and spi­ritual Fornications, how frequent, how aggra­vated have they been? Have not Idols of all Sorts been suffered to fill up the Room of the ever blessed Jesus in our Hearts? You that love him in Sincerity will not be offended, if I tell you, that the 16th Chapter of Ezekiel gives, in my Opinion, a lively Description of our Behaviour towards our Lord.—We were like base-born Children, cast out in the Field [Page 33] to the Loathing of our Persons, no Eye piti­ed or had Compassion on us—Jesus passed by, saw us polluted in our own Blood, and said unto us, Live; i. e. preserved us, even in our natural State, from Death.—And when his Time of Love was come, he spread the Skirt of his imputed Righteousness over us, and co­ver'd the Nakedness of our Souls, entered into Covenant with us, and we became his—He wash'd us also with Water, even in the Laver of Regeneration, and throughly washed us by his precious Blood, from the Guilt and Dominion of all our Sins—He cloathed us also with broidered Work, and decked us with Ornaments, even with Righteousness, and Peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghost.—We did eat fine Flour and Honey at one Ordinance and another, and we fed on Jesus Christ in our [...]earts by Faith, with Thanksgiving. In [...]o [...]t, we were made exceeding beautiful, and the Kingdom of God was erected in our Hearts.—We were renowned among our Neighbours for our Love to God, and all that knew us took Knowledge of us, that we had been with Jesus.—But alas! how have we fallen, who were once Sons of the Morning! How have we trusted in our own Beauty, grown spiritually Proud, and provoked our patient, and unspeakably long-suffering Lord, to Anger? Where is that ardent Love we [...]pake of, when we told him, that, tho' we [Page 34] should die for him, we would not deny him in any wi [...]e? How desperately wicked, and deceitful above all Things, have we proved our Hearts to be, since we have done all these Things, even the Work of an imperious Wo­man? These are great and numerous Charges; but great and numerous as they are, there is not a single Believer here present, but, if he knows his own Heart, may plead guilty to some, or all of them. But this is a tender Point—I see you concerned: Your Tears, O Believers, are a Proof of the Anguish of your Souls.—And can any of us give any Reason, why Jesus Christ should not give us a Bill of Divorcement, and put us away? May he not justly speak to us, as he did to his Adulteress Israel, in the forementioned 16th of Ezekiel; Wherefore, O Harlot, hear the Word of the Lord; I will judge thee as Women that break Wedlock, and shed Blood, are judged.—I will give thee Blood in Fury and Jea [...]ousy, because thou hast not remembred the Days of thy Youth, but hast fretted me in all these Things.—Behold therefore, I also will recompence thy Way upon thy Head—I will even deal with thee, as thou hast done, which hast despised the Oath, in Breaking the Covenant, the Marriage-Contract that was between us.—This, I am persuaded, you will confess to be the Treatment, which we all most justly deserve.—But be not over­whelmed with over-much Sorrow—For tho' [Page 35] the Lord our God is a jealous God, and will cer­tainly visit our Offences with a Rod, and our Backslidings with a spiritual Scourge, yet his Loving-kindness will he not utterly take from us, nor suffer his Truth to fail. Tho' we have changed, yet He changeth not—He a­bideth faithful—His Loving-Kindness abideth for evermore.—Hark! how sweetly he speaks [...]o his Backsliding People of old; O Israel, thou hast destroyed thy self, but in me is thy Help—I will [...]eal their Backsliding, and love them freely—And in the Verses immediately following the Words of the Text, how com­fortably does he address his espoused People! In a little Wrath, I [...]id my Face from thee for a Moment; but with Everlasting Kindness will I have Mercy on thee, [...]aith the Lord thy Redeemer.—For this is as the Waters of Noah unto me: For as I have sworn, that the Wa­ters of Noah should no more go over the Earth▪ so have I sworn, that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.—For the Moun­tains shall depart, and the Hills be removed, but my Kindness shall not depart from thee▪ neither shall the Covenant of my Peace be re­moved, saith the Lord, that hath Mercy on thee—Oh that this Goodness may lead us to Repentance! Oh that this unparallell'd, infinite, unchangeable Love, may constrain us to a [...] universal, uniform, chearful, unanimous, per­severing [Page 36] Obedience, to all the Commands [...] God!

Brethren, my Heart is enlarged towards you and I could dwell a long while upon the many great and precious Invitations that are made [...] Backsliders, to return to their first Love, and do their first Works: But its high time for m [...], if, as was proposed, I give every one their pro­per Portion, to speak to those poor [...], who know nothing of this blessed Bridegroom of the Church, and consequently cannot yet say, My Maker is my Husband.—

Ah dear Hearts! I pity you from my inmost Soul, I could weep over, and [...] you, tho' perhaps, you will not weep for yourselves—But surely you wou'd [...] and howl too, did you know the miserable Condition those are in, who are not married to Jesus Christ.—Will ye give me leave, I think I speak it in much Love, to inform you, as was proposed under the Third General He [...], that if you are not married to Jesus Christ, you are married to the Law, the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, neither of which can make you happy; but all, on the contrary, concur to make you miserable.—Hear ye not, ye that are married to the Law, and seek to be justified in the Sight of God, partly at least, if not wholly, by your own Works, what the Law saith to those that are under it, as a Covenant of Works? Cursed be the Man, that [Page 37] continueth not in all Things that are written in the Book of the Law, to do them.—Every [...]ord breathes Threatning and Slaughter to poor fallen Creatures.—Cursed, both here, and hereafter, be the Man, every Man, natu­rally engendered of the Offspring of Adam▪ without Exception, that continueth not, even to the very End of Life, in all Things; not only in some, or many, but in all Things, that are written in the Book of the Law, to do them, viz. in the utmost Perfection; For he that offendeth in one Point▪ is guilty of all.—So that, according to the Tenor of the Cove­nant of Works, whosoever is guilty of one wicked Thought, Word, or Action, is under the Curse of an angry Sin-avenging God.— For as many as are under the Law, are under the Curse. And do you know what it is to be under the Curse of God, and to have the Wrath of God abide upon you? If you did, I believe, you wou'd not be so unwilling to be divorced from the Law, and be espoused, as chaste Virgins, to Jesus Christ? And why are ye so wedded to the World? Did it ever prove faithful or satisfactory to any of its Vo­taries? Has not Solomon reckoned up the Sum total of worldly Happiness? And what does it amount to? Vanity, Vanity, saith the Preacher, all is Vanity, nay he adds, Vexati­on of Spirit.—And has not a greater than So­lomon inform'd us, that a Man's Life, viz. [Page 38] the Happiness of a Man's Life, doth not con­sist in the Things which he possesseth? Beddes, know you not that the Friendship of this World is Enmity with God, so that whosoever will be a Friend to the World, i. e. to the cor­rupt Customs and Vices of it, is an Enemy to God? And what better Reasons can you give for being wedded to your Lusts? Might not the poor Slaves in the Gallies, as reasonably be wedded to their Chains? For do not your Lusts fetter down your Souls from God? Do they not lord it, and have they not Dominion over you? Do not they say, Come, and ye come; Go, and ye go; Do this, and ye do it? And is not he▪ or she▪ that liveth in Pleasure, dead whilst he liveth? And above all, how can ye bear the Thoughts of being wedded to the Devil, as every natural Man is—For thus speaks the Scripture, He now ruleth in the Children of Disobedience.—And how can you bear to be ruled by one, who is such a pro­fessed, open Enemy, to the most high and holy God? who will make a Drudge of you, whilst you live, and be your Companion in endless and extreme Torment, after you are dead? For thus will our Lord say to those on the left Hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, in­to everlasting Fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels.—

Will you permit me, O Sinners, that I may draw towards a Close of this Discourse [Page 39] to propose a better Match to your Souls—This is a Part of the Discourse which I long to come to, it being my Heart's▪ Desire, and earnest Prayer to God, that your Souls may be saved— And now, O Lord God Almighty, thou Father of Mercies, and God of all Conso­lations, thou God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has promised to give thy Son the Heathen for his Inheritance, and the ut­termost Parts of the Earth for his Possession, send me good Speed this Day, O Lord, send me now Prosperity—Behold I stand here without the Camp, bearing a little of thy dear Son's sa­cred Reproach! Hear me, O Lord, hear me, and according to thy Word let thy dear, thine only begotten Son, see of the Travel of his Soul, and be satisfied! O help me so to speak, that many may believe on, and cleave unto thy blessed, thine holy Child, Jesus.—

But who am I, that I should undertake to re­commend the blessed Jesus to others, who am myself altogether unworthy to take his sacred Name into my polluted Lips! Indeed, my Brethren, I do not count myself worthy of such an Honour; but since it has pleased him, in whom all Fulness dwells, to count me wor­thy, and put me into the Ministry, the very Stones wou'd cry out against me, did I not attempt, at least, to lisp out his Praise, and earnestly recommend the ever blessed Jesus to the Choice of all.—

[Page 40] Thus Abraham's faithful Servant behaved, when sent out to fetch a Wife for his Master Isaac—He spake of the Riches and Honours, which God had conferred on him—But what infinitely greater Honours and Riches, has the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, conferred on his only Son, to whom I now invite every Christless Sinner.—To you therefore I call, O ye Sons of Men, assuring you, there is eve­ry Thing in Jesus, that your Hearts can desire, or hunger and thirst after—Do People in dis­posing of themselves or their Children in Mar­riage, generally covet to be matched with Per­sons of great Names? Let this Consideration serve as a Motive to stir you up to [...]ch with Jesus—For God the Father has given him a Name above every Name; he has upon his Vesture, and upon his Thigh, a Name writ­ten, The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; and here in the Text we are told, The Lord [...] Hosts is his Name—Nor has he an empty Ti­tle, but Power equivalent—For he is a Prince, as well as a Saviour— All Power is given un [...] him, both in Heaven and on Earth—The God of the whole Earth, says our Text, he shall be called—The Government of Men, the Church, and Devils, is put upon his Shoulders— Thrones, Principalities and Powers, are made subject unto him—By him Kings reign, and Princes decree Justice—He setteth up one, and he putteth down another—And of his King­dom, [Page 41] there shall be no End.—Will Riches be an In­ducement unto you to come and match with Je­sus? Why then I can tell you, the Riches of Jesus are infinite—For unto me, who am less than the least of all Saints, is this Grace given, [...]hat I should preach to poor Sinners, the un­searchable Riches of Jesus Christ—I appeal to you that are his Saints, whether you have not found this true, by happy Experience; and tho' some of you, may have been ac­quainted with him, thirty, forty, fifty Years ago, do you not find his Riches are yet un­searchable, and as much past finding out, as they were the very first Moment in which you gave him your Hearts?—Would you match with a wi [...]e Husband? Haste then Sinners, come away to Jesus—He is the Fountain of Wisdom, and makes all that come unto him wise unto Salvation; ‘He is the Wisdom, of the Fa­ther—The Lord possessed him in the Beginning of his Way, before his Works of old—When he prepared the Heavens, he was there; when he appointed the Foundations of the Earth, then was he with him, as one brought up with him; he was daily his Delight, re­joicing always before him.’—As he is wise so is he holy, and therefore, in the Words of our Text, he is stiled, The Redeemer, the holy One of Israel—And by the Angel Gabriel, that holy Thing—The Apostles, addressing God the [...]ther, stile him his holy Child Jesus; and the [Page 42] Spirits of just Men made perfect, and the An­gels in Heaven, cease not Day and Night, saying, holy, holy, holy.—Nor is his Beauty inferior to his Wisdom or Holiness; the Se­raphs veil their Faces, when they appear be­fore him—He is the Chiefest among Ten Thou­sand, nay, he is altogether lovely. - And as he is alto­gether lovely, so is he altogether loving; his Name and his Nature is Love.—God, God in Christ is Love—Love in the Abstract—And in this has he manifested his Love, in that, whilst we were yet Sinners, nay, open Enemies, Jesus, in his own due Time, died for the Ungodly—He loved us, so as to give himself for us—Oh what Manner of Love is this! What is Jacob's Love to Rachel, in Comparison of the Love which Jesus bore to a perishing World! He became a Curse for us—For it is written, Cursed is every Man that [...]angeth upon a Tree—What Zippora [...] said to her Husband impro­perly, Jesus may say properly to his Spouse the Church, a bloody Wife hast thou been unto me, because of the Crucifixion—For he has purchased her with his own Blood—And ha­ving once loved his People, he loves them un­to the End—His Love, like himself, is from everlasting to everlasting—He hates putting away—Tho' we change, yet he changeth not—He abideth faithful—When we are married here, there comes in that shocking Clause, to use the Words of holy Mr. Boston, 'till Death us [Page 43] doth part; but Death itself, shall not sepa­rate a true Believer from the Love of God, which is in Christ Jesus his Lord—For he will never cease loving her, 'till he has loved her to Heaven, and presented her before his Father without Spot or Wrinkle, or any such Thing—Nay, His Love will as it were, but [...]e beginning, thro' the endless Ages of Eter­ [...]ity.—

And now, Sirs, what say you? shall I put that Question to you, which Rebeckah's Rela­tions, upon a Proposal of Marriage, put to her? Will ye go with the Man, with the God-man, this infinitely great, this infinitely powerful, this all-wi [...]e, all-holy, altogether love­ly, ever-loving Jesus? What Objection have you to make against such a gracious Offer? One wou'd imagine, you had not a single One; but 'tis to be feared, thro' the Prevalency of Unbelief, and the Corruption of your despe­rately wicked deceitful Hearts, you are ready to urge several—Methinks I hear some of you say within yourselves, We like the Proposal, but alas! we are poor—Are you so? If that be all, you may notwithstanding be welcome to Jesus—For has not God chosen the Poor of this World, to make them rich in Faith, and Heirs of his everlasting Kingdom? And what says that Saviour, to whom I am now inviting you? Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven—And what says his A­postle [Page 44] concerning him? Tho' he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that we thro' his Poverty might be made rich: But say you, We are not only poor, but we are in debt; we owe God Ten Thousand Talents, and have nothing to pay—But that need not keep you back—For God the Father, from the Lord Je­sus, his dearly beloved Son, has received double for all Believers Sins—The Blood of Jesus cleanseth from them all.— But you are blind, and miserable, and naked; to whom then should you fly for Succour, but to Jesus, who came to open the Eyes of the Blind, to seek and save the Miserable and Lost, and cloath the Naked with his perfect and spotless Righ­teousness? And now, what can hinder your Espousals with the dear and ever-blessed Lamb of God! I know but of one Thing, viz. that dreadful Sin of Unbelief—But this is my Com­fort, Jesus died for Unbelief, as well as other Sins, and has promised to send down the Holy Ghost, to convince the World of this Sin in particular.— If I go not away, saith he, the Comforter will not come unto you—But if I go away, I will send the Comforter, and he will convince the World of Sin—What Sin? of Unbelief—Because they believe not on me.—Oh that this Promise may be so fulfilled in your Hearts, and Jesus may so become the Author of divine Faith in your Souls, that you may be able to send me the same Message, a good [Page 45] Woman in Scotland on her dying Bed sent me, by a Friend, "Tell him," says she, ‘for his Comfort, that at such a Time he married me to the Lord Jesus.’—This would be Comfort indeed—Not that we can marry you to Christ—No, the Holy Ghost must tie the Marriage Knot.—But such Honour have all God's Ministers; under Him, they espouse poor Sinners to Jesus Christ.— I have espoused you, says St. Paul, as a chaste Virgin, to Jesus Christ—Oh that you may say, we will go with the Man—Then will I bow my Head, as A­braham's Servant did, and go with Joy and tell my Master, that he has not left his poor Servant destitute this Day.—Then I shall re­joice in your Felicity—For I know, my Mas­ter will take you into the Banquetting-house of his Ordinances, and his Banner over you shall be Love—That this may be the happy Case of you all, may the glorious God grant, for the sake of Jesus, his dearly beloved Son, the glorious Bridegroom of his Church; to whom, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all Honour and Glory, now and for ever­more— Amen, and Amen.—

THOUGH here is a large and awful Assembly, yet I suppose, you are all convinced, that you are not to live in this World always—May I not take it for granted, that even the most Prophane amongst you, do in your Hearts believe, what the sacred Oracles have most clearly revealed, viz.— That as it is appointed for all Men once to die, so after Death comes the Judgme [...]t? Yes, I know that you believe, that nothing is [Page 48] more certain, than that we are to appear be­fore the Judgment-Seat of Christ, to be re­warded according to the Deeds done in the Body, whether they have been good, or whether they have been Evil.—And, however hard the Saying may seem to you at the first Hearing, yet I cannot help informing you, that I am thoroughly persuaded, that as many will be driven from that Judgment-seat, with a, De­part ye cursed into everlasting Fire, for pur­suing things in themselves lawful▪ out of a wrong Principle, and in too intense a Degree, as for Drunkenness, Adultery, Fornication, or any other gross Enormity whatsoever—Bad as the World is, blessed be God, there are great Numbers yet left amongst us, who ei­ther thro' the Restraints of a religious Educa­tion; or Self-love, and outward Reputation, both abstain from gross Sin themselves▪ and look with Detestation and Abhor [...] upon others, that indulge themselves [...]—But then, thro' an over eager Pursuit▪ after the Things of Sense and Time, their Souls are insensibly lulled into a spiritual [...]lumber, and by Degrees become as dead to God▪ and as deaf to all the gracious Invitati­ons of the Gospel, as the most abandoned Pro­digals.—It is remarkable, therefore, that our Saviour, knowing how desperately wicked and treacherous the Heart of Man was in this, as well as other Respects, after he had cau­tion'd [Page 49] his Disciples, and us in them, to take heed that their Hearts were not at any time [...]charged with Surfeiting and Drunkenness, immediately adds▪ and the Cares (i. e. the im­moderate anxious Cares) of this Life.—For they are of a distracting, intoxicating Nature, and soon overcharge and weigh down the Hearts of the Children of Men:—To prevent or remedy this Evil, our Lord, during the Time of his tabe [...]acling here below, spake many Parables; but not one more pertinent, not one, in which the Freeness of the Gospel­C [...]ll, the frivolous Pretences Men frame to ex­cuse themselves from embracing it, and the dreadful Doom they incur by so doing, is more displayed, or set off in livelier Colours, than that to which the Words of the Text refer: And the Lord said unto the Servant, go out into the Highways and Hedges, and com­pel them to come in, that my House may be filled: For I say unto you, that none of those that were hidden, shall taste of my Supper.—In order to have a clear View of the Occasion, Scope, and Contents of the Parable, to which these Words belong, it is necessary for us to look back to the very Beginning of this Chapter.— And it came to pass, says the Evangelist, Verse 1 st, as he went into the House of one of the chief Pha­risees to eat Bread, on the Sabbath Day, that they watched him. The Person here spoken of, as going into this Pharisee's House, is our [Page 50] blessed Saviour—For as he came eating [...] drinking, agreeable to his Character, he [...] free, courteous and affable to all;—And there­fore, tho' it was on the Sabbath Day, he ac­cepted an Invitation, and went into the House of one of the chief Pharisees, to eat Bread notwithstanding he knew the Pharisees were his professed Enemies, and that they [...] him, hoping to find some Occasion to [...] him, either for his Discourse or Behaviour.▪ If the Pharisee, into whose House our [...] went, was one of this Stamp, his Invitatio [...] bespeaks him to be a very ill Man, and may serve to teach us, that much Rancour, and Heart-enmity against Jesus Christ, may be con­cealed and cloaked under a great and blazing Profession of Religion.—However, our Savi­our was more than a Match for all his Ene­mies, and by accepting this Invitation, hath warranted his Ministers and Disciples, to com­ply with the like Invitations, and converse free­ly about the Things of God, tho' those who invite them, may not have real Religion at heart.—For how knowest thou, O Man, but thou mayest drop something, that may benefit their Souls, and make them religious indeed? And supposing they should watch thee, watch thou▪ unto Prayer, whilst thou art in their Company, and that same Jesus, who went in­to this Pharisee's House, and was so faithful and edifying in his Conversation when there, [Page 51] will enable thee to go and do likewise.—That our Lord's Conversation was not trifling, but such as tended to the Use of Edifying, and that he behaved among the Guests as a faith­ful Physician, rather than as a careless, indif­ferent Companion, is evident from the 7th Verse of this Chapter, where we are told, that he marked how they chose the chief Rooms; or, to speak in our common Way, were desirous of sitting at the upper End of the Table—For whether we think of it or not, the Lord Jesus takes notice of our Behaviour, even when we are going to sit down only at our common Meals.—And would to God, all that make a Profession of real Christianity, considered this well!—Religion then would not be so much confined to Church, or Meeting, but be brought home to our private Houses, and many needless unchristian Compliments be prevented.—For (with Grief I speak it) is it not too true, that abundance of Professors love, and are too fond of the uppermost Places in Houses, as well as Synagogues? And are not many, who cry out against all Ceremonies in the Church, too stu­dious of Ceremony in their Parlours? This was what our Lord blamed in the Guests where he now was.— He marked, he took notice, he looked before he spake (as we should always do, if we would speak to the Purpose) how they chose out the chief Rooms,—Therefore, tho' they were rich in this World's Goods, and were none of his Guests▪ [Page 52] yet unwilling to suffer the least Sin upon them, or lose any Opportunity of giving Instruction, he gave them a Lecture upon Humility, saying unto them, that is, directing his Discourse to all in general, tho' probably, he spake to one in particular, that sat near him, and whom it may be, he took notice of, as more than or­dinarily solicitous in choosing a chief Room, or Couch, on which they lay at Meals after the Custom of the Romans; When thou art [...]idden (Verse 8.) of any Man to a Wedding, which seems to intimate that this was a Wed­ding-feast) sit not down in the highest Room, l [...]t a more honourable Man than thou [...]e [...]idden of Him; And he that [...]ade thee and him (Verse 9th) come and say to thee, give this Man Place, and thou begin with Shame to take the lowest Room. But when thou art [...]idden (Verse 10th) go and sit down in the lowest Room; that where [...]e that [...]ade thee cometh, be may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher; then shalt thou have Wor­ship (or Respect) in the Presence of them that [...]it at Meat with thee. O glorious Example of Faithfulness and Love to Souls! How ought Ministers especially to copy after their blessed Master, and, with Simplicity and godly Sin­cerity, mildly and opportunely rebuke the Faults of the Company they are in, tho' su­periour to them in outward Circumstances? What rightly informed Person, after reading this Passage, can think they teach right and [Page 53] agreeable to the Word of God in this Respect, who say, we must not, at least need not, re­prove natural Men? Surely such Doctrine cometh not from above! For are we not com­manded, in any wise to reprove our Neigh­bour (whether he be a Child of God or no) and not to suffer Sin upon him? Is it not more than probable, that all these Guests were na­tural Men? and yet our Lord reproved them.— ‘Help us then, O Saviour, in this and every other Instance of thy Moral Conduct, to walk as thou hast set us an Example.’—Neither did our Lord stop here; but, observ­ing, that none but the Rich, the Mighty, and the Noble, were called to the Feast, he took occasion also from thence, to give even his Host (for the best Return we can make our Friends for their Kindness, is to be faithful to their Souls) one of the chief Pharisees, a wholsome Piece of Advice.— Then said he also to him that [...]ade him (Verse 12th) when thou makest a Dinner or a Supper, call not thy Friends, nor thy Brethren, neither thy Kins­men, nor thy rich Neighbours; left they also [...]id thee again, and a Recompence be made thee.—But when thou makest a Feast (Verse 13th) call the Poor, the Maimed, the Lame, the Blind: And thou shalt be blessed; (Verse 14th) for they cannot recompence thee: For thou shalt be recompenced at the Resurrection of the Just.—Thus did our Lord entertain the Company. [Page 54] Words spoken in such due Season, how good are they▪ Would Christ's Followers thus ex­ert themselves, and▪ when in Company, begin some useful Discourse for their great Master, they know not what Good they might do, and how many might be influenced by their good Example, to second them in it! An Instance of this we have in the 14th Verse of this Chapter— And when one of them, says the Evangelist, that sat at Meat with him, heard these Things, he said unto him, blessed is he that shall eat Bread in the Kingdom of God. Hap­py they that shall be recompenced at that Resurrection of the Just, which thou hast been speaking of.—A very pertinent Saying this! Every way suitable to Persons sitting down to eat Bread on Earth, which we should never do, without talking of, and longing for that Time, when we shall sit down and eat Bread in the Kingdom of Heaven—This opened to our Lord a fresh Topick of Conversation, and gave Birth to the Parable, which is to be the more immediate Subject of your present Medi­tation—As tho' he had said to the Person that spoke last, "Thou sayest right; blessed are they indeed, who shall sit down to eat Bread in the Kingdom of God; But alas! most Men, espe­cially you Pharisees, act [...]s if you did not be­lieve this, and therefore ( verse 16) he said unto him, A certain Man made a great Sup­per, and [...]ad many; by the certain Man mak­ing [Page 55] [...] a great Supper, we are to understand, God the Father, who has made Provision for [...]i [...]hing Souls, by the Obedience and Death, [...]f his beloved So [...] Christ Jesus—This Provisi­ [...] is here represented under the Character of Supper, because the C [...]a or Supper, a­ [...]ong the Ancients▪ was their grand Meal: It [...]here said that a certain Man made it, to shew [...]hat it is God and not Man, that has made a Way, for the Salvation of Sinners; Men [...]ould never have made it for themselves▪ [...]r Angels for them—No, our Salvation is all from God, from the Beginning to the [...]nd—He made it, and not we our selves, and it is wholly owing to the divine Wisdom, and not our [...]wn, that we are become God's People, and [...] Sheep of his Pasture.—This Provision for [...]rishing Souls, may be justly called Great▪ [...]cause it was made by the Great God, th [...] [...]ssed and only Potentate, the King of Kings, [...] the Lord of Lords—It is also called Great, cause there is a rich and ample Provision [...] [...]ade in the Gospel, for a great many Souls For however Christ's Flock may be but a [...]tle Flock, when asunder, yet when they [...]ome altogether, they will be a Multitude▪ which no Man can number.—And it is espe­cially called Great, because it was purchased so great a Price, viz. The Price of Christ's [...]st precious Blood—And therefore, when [...] Apostle would exhort the Christians [...]o [Page 56] glorify God in their Souls and Bodies, he makes use of this glorious Motive, viz. That they were bought with a Price—He does not say what Price, but barely a Price, emphati­cally so called; as tho' all the Prices in the World were nothing (as indeed they are not) when compared to this Price of Christ's most precious Blood—For these Reasons, Jesus said in the Parable, A certain Man made a great Supper, and bade many, and sent his Servant [...] Supper-time (verse 17.) to say to them that were [...]idden, Come, for all Things are no [...] rea­dy.—He [...]ade many, i. e. The eternal God took the Jews to be his peculiar People, un­der the Mosaick Dispensation; and by Types, Shadows, and Prophecies of the Old Testa­ment, invited them to partake of the glorious Priviledges of the Gospel.— But at Supper­time, i. e. In the Fulness of Time, which God the Father had decreed from Eternity, in the Evening of the World (for which Reason the Gospel Times are called the last Times) he sent his Servant, i. e. Christ his Son, here called his Servant, because acting as Media­tor, he was inferior to the Father—Therefore says the Prophet Isaiah, Behold my Servant whom I have chosen—To them that were bidden, viz. To the professing Jews, called by St. John, his own, that is, his peculiar professing People—With this Message, Come—Repent and believe the Gospel▪ Nothing is required on [Page 57] Man's Part, in order to convey a Title to Salvati­on; but to come and accept of the Gospel Offer. It is not according to the Old Covenant,▪ Do and live▪ but only Come, Believe, and thou shalt be saved—All Things are ready—No­thing is wanting on▪ God's Part— All Things are now ready—There seems to be a particu­lar Emphasis to be put upon the Word NOW, implying, this was an especial Season of Grace, and God was now exerting his last Efforts, to save lost Man.—Well then! If the great God be at so great an Expence, to make so great a Sup­per for perishing Creatures, and sends so great a Person as his own Son, in the Form of a Servant, to invite them to come to it; one would imagine, that all who heard these Glad Tidings, should readily say, Lord, L [...] we come—But instead of this, ( verse 18▪) we are told, They all, i. e. the greatest Part of the Jews, with one Consent began to make Excuse—Conscience told them they ought to come, and, in all Probability, they had some [...]aint Desire to come; and they had nothing, as we hear of, to object either against the Person that prepared the Supper, the Person that invited them, or the Entertainment itself; neither do we hear that they treated either with Contempt, as is the Custom of too many in the Days wherein we live. In all Probability, they acknowledged all was very good, and that it was kind in that certain Man, to send them such an Invitation. [Page 58] —But being very busy, and as they thought very lawfully engaged, they began to make Excuse—But the Excuses they made, rendered their Refusal most inexcusable— The First said unto him, I have bought a Piece of Ground, and I must needs go and see it: Thou Fool, buy a Piece of Ground, and then go see it! A prudent Man would have gone and seen the Ground first, and bought it afterwards—"I have bought a Piece of Ground, and I must needs go see it" Why must he needs go? At least, why must he needs go NOW? The Land was his own, and could he not therefore have accepted the Invitation to Day, and gone and seen his Estate, or Plantation, on the Morrow? Now he had bought it, he need not fear losing his Bargain, by another's buy­ing it from him—But notwithstanding all this, there is a needs must for his going, and therefore says he▪ I pray thee, have me excused, and improve thy Interest with thy Master in my behalf—This was a bad Excuse. The second was rather worse.—For what says the Evan [...]e­list, Verse 19th? And another said, I have bought five Y [...]ke of Oxen, and I go to prove them: One, it seems, had been buying an Estate; another, Cattle, to stock an Estate already bought; and both equally foolish in making their Bargains. For here, this Second had bought five Yoke of Oxen, which must [...] cost him a considerable Sum, perhaps [Page 59] all he had in the World, and now he must go and prove [...]hem.—A wise Dealer would have proved the Oxen first, and bought them af­terwards: But our Saviour speaks this to shew us, that we will trust one another, nay I may add, the Devil himself, more than we will trust God.—The Excuse which the Third makes is worst of all.— I have married a Wife, (says he, Verse 20th) and therefore I cannot come.—Had he said, I will not come, he had spoken the real Sentiments of his Heart; for it is not so much Mens Impotency, as their Want of a Will, and Inclination, that keeps [...]m from the Gospel-feast.—But why cannot he come? He has married a Wife—Has he so? Why then, by all Means he should come—For the Supper, to which he was invited, as it should seem, was a Wedding-supper, and would have saved him the Trouble of a nup­tial Entertainment.—It was a great Supper, and consequently there was Provision enough for him, and his Bride too.—And it was made by a great Man, who sent out his Servant to bid many, so that he need not doubt of meet­ing with a hearty Welcome, tho' he bring his Wife with him.—Or supposing his Wife was unwilling to come, yet as the Husband is the Head of the Wife, he ought to have laid his Commands on her, to accompany him.—For we cannot do better for our Yoak-fellows, than to bring them to the Gospel-feast,—Or, [Page 60] supposing after all, she would not be prevailed upon, he ought to have gone without her; [...]r those that have Wives, must be as tho' they had none, and we must not let carnal [...] get such an Ascendancy over us, as to be kept thereby from spiritual Entertainments.— Adam paid dear for hearkening to the Voice of his Wife; and sometimes, unless we for­ [...]ake Wives, as well as Houses and Lands, we cannot be the Lord's Disciples.—This then was the Reception the Servant met with, and [...]ch were the Excuses, and Answers, that were sent back—And what was the Consequence [...] So that Servant came (Verse 21st, no doubt with a sorrowful Heart) and shewed his Lord these Things. For however little it be thought of, yet Ministers must shew the Lord, of what Success their Ministry meets with—We must shew it to our Lord here—We must spread the Case before him in Prayer.—We must shew it to our Lord hereafter, before the Ge­neral Assembly of the whole World—But Oh! how dreadful is it when Ministers are Obliged to go upon their Knees, crying, Oh! my Leanness, my Leanness! and Elias-like, to intercede as it were, against those, to whom they would not only have imparted the Gos­pel, but even their own Lives.—It is a Heart­breaking Consideration—But thus it must be; The Servant came and shewed the Lord these Things; so must we.—Well, and what says [Page 61] the Lord?—Why we are told, Verse 21st, that the Master of the House was angry; as well, he might, to see himself, his Son, and Supper, thus trampled under Foot.—But with whom was he angry? Not with the Servant; for tho' Israel be not gathered, yet shall Christ be glo­rious; and faithful Ministers shall be rewarded, whether People obey the Gospel or not.— We are a sweet Savour unto God, whether the Word be a Savour of Life, unto Life, or a Savour of Death unto Death.—The Master of the House therefore was angry, not with the Ser­vant, but with these worldly-minded, pleasure-taking Refusers of his gracious Invitation, who, in all probability, went to see and stock their Estates, and attend upon their Brides; not doubting, but their Excuses would be taken, because they were lawfully employed.—And in­deed, in one Sense, their Excuses were ac­cepted—For I do not hear that they were eve [...] invited any more—God took them at their Word, tho' they would not take him at his—They begged to be excused, and they were excused, as we shall see in the Sequel of this Parable—Let us not therefore harden our Hearts, as in the Day of Provocation; Now is the accepted Time, now is the Day of Sal­vation—But must the Feast want Guests? No, [...] they cannot, or will not come, others shall, [...]d will—The Master of the House therefore [...]ing angry, sent the Servant upon a second [Page 62] Errand— Go out quickly into the Streets, and Lanes of the City, and bring in hither the Poor, and the Maimed, and the Halt, and the Blind. Every Word bespeaks a Spirit of Resentment and Importunity— Go out quickly, make no Delay, dread no Attempt or Danger, into the Streets, and Lanes of the City, and bring in hither, not only call them, but bring them in (for the Master here, to encourage the Servant, assures him of Success) the Poor, and the Maimed, and the Halt, and the Blind.—This was ful­filled, when Jesus Christ, after the Gospel was rejected by the Jews, went, and called, and invited the Gentiles, and when the Publicans and Harlots took the Kingdom of God, by a holy Violence, whilst the Self-righteous Scribes and Pharisees rejected the Kingdom of God against themselves.—This was also a Home. Reproof to the rich Pharisee, at whose House the Lord Jesus now was, as well as a cutting Lesson to the other Guests—For our Saviour would hereby shew them, that God took a quite different Method from his Host, and was not above receiving the Poor, and Halt, and Blind, and Maimed, to the Gospel-Sup­per, tho' He had called none such to sit down at his Table.—Whether the Guests resented it or not, we are not told—But if they were not quite blind, both Host and Guests might easily see that the Parable was spoken against them. But to proceed—The Servant, Verse [Page 63] 22d, again returns, but with a more pleasing An­swer than before, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is Ro [...]. The Words bespeak the Servant to be full of Joy at the Thoughts of the Success he had met with—For none can tell, but those that experience it, what Comfort Ministers have in seeing their Labours blest.— Now I live, says the Apostle, if you stand fast in the Lord.—Ye are our Joy and Crown of Rejoicing in the Day of the Lord Jesus— Lord, it is done as thou hast command­ed— ‘The Poor, and Maimed, and Halt, and Blind, have been called, and have obeyed the Summons, and I have brought them with me; yet, Lord, thy House, thy Sup­per is so great, there is room for more.—’ Hereby he would insinuate, that he wanted to be employed again, in calling more Souls: For the more we do, the more we may do for God: To him that hath, shall be given; and present Success, is a great Encouragement to future Diligence. Such Hints are pleasing to our Saviour.—He delights to see his Mini­sters ready for new Work, and waiting for fresh Orders.—The Lord, therefore, we are told, Verse, 23d, said unto his Servant, i. e. the same Servant, Go out into the Highways, and Hedges, and compel them to come in, that my House may be filled; 24th, For I say unto you, that none of those which were [...]idden, shall taste of my Supper. Oh cutting Words to those that [Page 64] s [...]t at Meat; if they had Hearts to make the Application! But glad Tidings of great Joy to the Publicans, Harlots, and Gentiles, who were rejected by the proud Pharisees, as Ali­ [...]ns to the Common-Wealth of Israel, and Strangers to the Covenant of Promise! This was fulfilled, when our Lord sent the Apostles, not only into the Streets, and Lanes of the City, and Places bordering upon Jerusalem and J [...]dea, but when he gave them a Com­mission to go out into all the World, and preach the Gospel to every Creature, Gentile as well as Jew [...]; and not only gave them a Command, but blessed their Labours with such Success▪ [...] Three Thousand were converted in one Day—And▪ I am not without Hopes, that it will be still further fulfilled, by the Calling of s [...]me of you home this Day: For however this Parable was spoken originally to the Jews, and upon a particular Occasion here at a Feast, yet it is applicable to us; and to our Children▪ and to as many [...]s are [...] yea, to as many as the Lord our God shall call—It gives [...] Sanction, methinks, to preaching in the Fields; and other Places, besides the Syna­gogues; and points out the Reception the Gospel mo [...]s with in those Days, in such a lively Manner, that one wou'd think it had a particular Reference to the present Age—For is it not too, too plain, that the Gospel-Offers, and Gospel-Grace, have been slighted, [Page 65] and made light of, by many Professors of this Generation?—We have been in the Church­es, telling them, again and again, that the great God has made a great Supper [...] (and has invited many, even them) and sent us by his Providence and his Spirit, to say unto them that were hidden, Come, for all Things are now rea­dy—Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved—But the Generality of the L [...]ity have made light of it, they have given us the Hearing, but are too busy in their Farms and their Merchan­dizes, their marrying and giving in Marriage, to come and be blessed in the Lord of Life. We have told them, again and again, that we do not want them to hide themselves from the World, but to teach them, how they may, live in, and yet not be of it—But all will not do—Many of the Clergy also (like the Letter-learned Scribes and Pharisees in our Sa­viour's Time) reject the Kingdom of God against themselves, and deny us the Use of the Pulpits; for no other Reason, but because we preach the Doctrine of Justification in the Sight of God by Faith [...] alone, and invite Sin­ners to come and taste of the Gospel-feast freely, without Money and without Price—Whatever they may think, we are persuaded, [...]he Great Master of the House is angry with them, for being angry with [...]s without a Cause—He therefore now, by his Providence, [...]ides us Go out quickly into the Streets; and [Page 66] Lanes of the City, and bring in the Poor, and the Maimed, and the Halt, and the Blind, i. e. Call in the Publicans, and Harlots, the com­mon Cursers and Swearers, and Sabbath-Breakers, and Adulterers, who, perhaps, never enter'd a Church Door, or heard that Jesus Christ died for such Sinners as they are.—We, thro' Grace, have obeyed the Command, we have gone out, tho' exposed to much Con­tempt for so doing, and, blessed be God, our Labour has not been in vain in the Lord. For many have been made willing, in the Day of God's Power: And we would speak it with Humility, we can go chearfully to our Savi­our, and say, it is done, Lord, as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.—He is therefore pleased, in spite of all Opposition from Men or Devils, to continue, and renew, and enlarge our Commission, and send us li­terally into the Highways and Hedges; and, I trust, has given us a Commission to compel Sinners to come. For, could we speak with the Tongues of Men and Angels, yet if the Lord did not attend the Word with his Pow­er, and sweetly incline Men's Wills to com­ply with the Gospel-call, we should be as a sounding Brass, or a tinkling Cymbal. And this we believe our Saviour will do.—For his House must be filled: Every Soul for whom he has shed his Blood, shall finally be saved, and all that the Father hath given him shall [Page 67] c [...]me unto him, and whosoever cometh unto him [...]e will in no wise cast out▪—This comforted our Lord, when his Gospel was rejected by the Jews. As tho' he had said; Well, tho' you despise the Offers of my Grace, yet I shall not shed my Blood in vain; for all that the Fa­ther hath given me, shall come unto me.—Sup­ported by this Consideration, I am not a­shamed to come out this Day into the High­ways and He [...]ges, and to confess, that my Business is to call the Poor, and the Maimed, and the Halt, and the Blind, self-condemn­ed, helpless Sinners, to the Marriage-feast of the Supper of the Lamb.—My cry is, come, believe on the Lord Jesus; throw yourselves at the Footstool of his Mercy, and you shall be saved; for all Things are now ready—God the Father is ready, God the Son is ready, God the Holy Ghost is ready; the blessed Angels above are ready, and the blessed Saints below are ready, to welcome you to the Gospel-feast.—A perfect and everlast­ing Righteousness is now wrought out by Jesus Christ.—God, now, upon honourable Terms, can acquit the Guilty—God can now be JUST, and yet justify the Ungodly—For he hath made Christ to be Sin for us, who knew no Sin, that we might be made the Righteousness of God in him. The fatted Calf is now killed, and Christ our Passover, is sacrificed for us—Come Sinners, and feed upon him in your [Page 68] Hearts by Faith, with Thanksgiving—For Je­sus Christ's Sake, do not with one Consent begin to make Excuse.—Do not let a Piece of Ground, five Yoke of Oxen, or even a Wife, keep you from this great Supper—These you may enjoy, as the Gifts of God, and make use of them for the Mediator's Glory, and yet be present at the Gospel-Feast.—True and unde­filed Religion does not take away, but greatly enhance the Comforts of Life; and our Lord did not pray, that we should be taken out of the World, but that we should be delivered from the Evil of it.—Oh then that you wou'd all, with one Consent, say, Lo! we come—Assure yourselves there is Provision enough—For it is a great Supper—In our Father's House there is Bread enough, and to spare.—And tho' it is a great God, that makes the Supper, yet he is as Good and Condescending, as he is Great. Tho' he be the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth Eternity, yet he will dwell with the humble and contrite Heart, even with the Man that trembleth at his Word. Nei­ther can you complain for Want of Room; for yet there is Room. In our Father's House are many Mansions. If it was not so, our Sa­viour would have told us. The Grace of Christ, is as Rich, as Free, and as powerful as ever—He is the same Yesterday, to Day, and for ever: He is full of Grace and Truth, and out of his Fulness, all that come to him [Page 69] may receive Grace for Grace—He giveth li­berally, and upbraideth not—He willeth not the Death of a Sinner, but that he should rather Believe and Live.—Come then, all ye Halt, Poor, Maimed, and Blind Sinners; take Comfort, the Lord Jesus hath sent his Servant to call you—It is now Supper-time, and a Day of uncommon [...] Grace. It may be, the Day may be far spent—Haste, therefore, and a­way to the Supper of the Lamb—If you do not come, I know the Master will be angry.—And who can stand before him, when he is angry? Harden not therefore your Hearts, as in the Day of Provocation, as in the Day of Temptation in the Wilderness—Do not provoke the Lord to say, none of those that were bidden shall taste of my Supper.—Oh dreadful Words! Much more is implied in them than is expressed.—It is the fame with that in the Psalms— I s [...]are in my Wrath that they should not enter into my Rest—And if you do not enter into God's Rest, if you do not taste of Christ's Supper, you must lift up your Eyes in Torments, where you will have no Rest, but must sup with the damned De­vils for evermore.—Knowing therefore the Terrors of the Lord, we persuade you to haste away, and make no more frivolous Excuses—For there is no Excuse against Believing.—Perhaps you may say—You call to the Halt, and Maimed, and Blind, and Poor—But if we [Page 70] are Halt, and Maimed, how can we come? If we are Blind, how can we see our Way? If we are Poor, how can we expect Admission to so great a Table? Ah! dear Hearts—Hap­py are ye, if you are sensible, that you are Halt, and Maimed.—For if you feel your selves so, and are lamenting it, who knows but whilst I am speaking, God may send his Spirit with the Word, and fetch you home? Tho' you are Blind, Jesus has Eye-salve to anoint you—Tho' you are Poor, yet you are welcome to this rich Feast—It cost Jesus Christ a great Price, but you shall have it gra­tis—For such as you was it designed— Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, for theirs is the King­dom of Heaven—Rich, and Self-righteous, Self-sufficient Sinners, I know, will scorn both the Feast, and its great Provider—They have done so already, therefore the Lord has sent us into the Highways, and Hedges to bring such poor Souls as you are in—Venture then, my dear Friends, and honour God, by taking him at his Word—Come to the Marriage-Feast—Believe me, you will there partake of most delicious Fare—Tell me, ye that have been made to taste, that the Lord is gracious, will you not recommend this Feast to all? Are you not, whilst I am speaking, ready to cry out, come all ye that are without, come ye, obey the Call, for we have sat under the Re­deemer's Shadow with great Delight, and his [Page 71] Fruit has been pleasant to our Taste—Whilst [...] speaking, does not the Fire kindle, do [...] your Hearts burn with a Desire that others [...] come and be blessed too? If you are Christi­ [...] indeed; I know you will be thus minded, [...] the Language of your Hearts will be, Lord, [...]hilst he is calling, let thy Spirit compel them [...] come in.—Oh that the Lord may say, [...]!—And why shou'd we doubt? Surely [...]ur Saviour will not [...]et me complain this Day, [...] I have laboured in vain, and spent my [...]rength for nought—Methinks I see ma­ [...] desiring to come—O how shall I compel [...] to come forwards—I will not use Fire, [...] Sword, as the Papists do, by terribly per­ [...]ting this Text of Scripture—But I will tell [...] of the Love of God, the Love of God in Christ, and surely that must compel you, that must constrain you, whether you will or not.—Sinners, my Heart is enlarged towards you—I could fill my Mouth with Arguments—Consider the Greatness of the God, that makes the Supper—Consider the Greatness of the Price, wherewith it was purchased—Consi­der the Greatness of the Provision made for you—What would you have more?—Consider God's infinite Condescension, in calling you now, when you might have been in Hell, where the Worm dieth not, and the Fire is not quenched.—And that you might be without Excuse, he has sent his Servant into the Highways and [Page 72] Hedges, to invite you there—Oh that you on­ly tasted what I do now! I am sure, you wou'd not want Arguments to induce you to come in: No, you wou'd fly to the Gospel-Feast, as Doves to the Windows.—But, poor Souls! many of you, perhaps, are not hungry—You do not feel your selves Ha [...]t, or Mai­med, or Blind, and therefore you have no Re­lish for this spiritual Entertainment—Well, be not angry with me for calling you; be not offended, if I weep over you, because you know not the Day of your Visitation; If I must appear in Judgment as a swift Witness against you, I must—But Oh that Thought chills my Blood!—I cannot bear it; I fed that I could lay down my Life for you—But Oh! I am not willing to go without you.—What say you, my dear Friends? I wou'd put the Question to you once more—Will you taste of Christ's Supper, or will you not? You shall all be welcome. There is Milk at this Feast for Babes, as well as Meat for strong Men, and Persons of riper Years—There's Room and Provision for High and Low, Rich and Poor, one with another; and our Saviour will thank you for coming—Amazing Con­descension!—Astonishing Love!—The Thought of it quite overcomes me—Help me, help me, O Believers, to bless and praise him—And Oh! that his Love may excite us to come afresh to him, as tho' we had never [Page 73] come before! For, tho' we have been often feasted, yet our Souls will starve, unless we renew our Acts of Faith, and throw ourselves, [...] lost, undone Sinners, continually at the Feet of Christ.—Feeding upon past Experiences will not satisfy our Souls any more, than what we eat Yesterday will sustain our Bodies to Day.—No, Believers must look for fresh In­fluences of divine Grace, and beg of the Lord, to water them every Moment—The Parable therefore speaks to Saints, as well as Sinners.—Come ye to the Marriage-feast; you are as welcome now as ever—And may God set your Souls a longing for that Time, when we shall, sit down and eat Bread in the Kingdom of Heaven!—There we shall have full Draughts of Heaven—There we shall have full Draughts of divine Love, and enjoy the glorious Ema­nuel, without intermission, for evermore.—Even so Lord Jesus, Amen.

WHEN the Apostle Peter was re­commending Jesus of Nazareth, in one of his Sermons to the Jews, he gave him a short, but withal a glorious and exalted Character, viz. That he went about doing Good.—He went about, i. e. He sought [...] of doing Good—It was his Meat and Drink to do the Works of him that sent him, whilst the Day of his publick Administration lasted.—Justly was he stiled by the Prophet, the Sun of Righteousness—For, as the Sun in the natural Firmament, diffuses his quickening and reviving Beams through the Universe, so wherever this Sun of Righteous­ness, [Page 76] the blessed Jesus arose, he arose with Healing under his Wings.—He was indeed a Prophet like unto Moses, and proved, that he was that Messiah which was to come into the World, by the Miracles which he wrought; tho' with this material Difference, the Mira­cles of Moses, agreeable to the Old Te [...]ment Dispensation, were Miracles of Judgment [...] the Miracles of Jesus, who came to bear our Sicknesses, and heal our Infirmities, were Mi­racles of Mercy; and were wrought not only for the Cure of Peoples Bodies, but also for th [...] Conversion of their precious and immortal Souls.—Sometimes one and the same Person was the Subject of both these Mercies—A glo­rious Proof of this, we have in the miraculous Cure wrought upon a poor blind Beggar, nam­ed Bartimeus, who is to be the Subject of the following Discourse, and to whom the Words of the Text refer.— Jesus said unto him, go thy way; thy Faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his Sight, and followed Jesus in the Way.

My Design is, First, to make some Obser­vations on the Matter of Fact, as recorded by the Evangelists. And then,

Secondly, To point out the Improvement that may be made of it. May Jesus so bless it, that every spiritually blind Hearer, may re­ceive [Page 77] his Sight, and after the Example of Bartimeus, follow Jesus in the Way!

If we would take a View of the whole Sto­ry, we must go back to the 46th Verse of this Chapter— And they, i. e. our Lord and his Disciples (who, we find by the Context, had been conversing together) came to Jericho—A Place devoted by Joshua to the Curse of God—And yet, even this Place yields Con­verts to Jesus— Zaccheus had been called out of it formerly; and Bartimeus, as we shall hear by and by, in all Probability, was called now.—For some Good may come even out of Nazareth—Christ himself was born there, and his sovereign Grace can reach, and overcome the worst of People, in the very worst of Places.— Jesus come to Jericho—Let not his Ministers, if Providence points out their Way, shun go­ing to seemingly the most unlikely Places to do Good—Some chosen Vessels may be there­in—Jesus and his Disciples came to Jericho—They were Itinerants; and, as I have frequently observed, seldom stayed long in a Place—Not that this is any Argument against the stated Settlement of particular Pastors over particular Parishes.—But however, our Lord's Practice, in this Respect, gives a Kind of a Sanction to i [...]n [...]ant Preaching, when Persons are pro­perly called to, and qualified for, such an Em­ploy.—And I believe we may venture to af­firm [Page 78] (tho' we would by no means prescribe, or dictate to the Holy One of Israel) that, whenever there shall be a general Revival of Religion in any Country, itine [...]ant Preaching will be more in Vogue.—And it is to be fear­ed, that those who condemn it now, merely on Account of the Meanness of its Appear­ances, would have joined with the Self-righ­teous Scribes and Pharisees, in condemning even the Son of God himself, for such a Practice.—

And as he went out of Jericho with his Disciples, says the Evangelist, and a great Number of People, [...], a great Num­ber of the Mob, or Rabble, as the High-Priests of that Generation termed them—For these were the constant Followers of Jesus of Nazareth.—It was the Poor that received his Gospel, the common People that heard him gladly, and followed him from Place to Place▪—Not that all who followed him, were his true Disciples—No, some followed him only for his Loaves, others out of Curiosity; tho' some undoubtedly followed to hear, and be edified by the gracious Words that proceeded out of his Mouth. Jesus knew this, and was also sensible, how displeasing this crowding after him was to some of the Rulers of the Jewish Church; who, upon every Occasion, were ready to say, have [...]ny of the Scribes a [...]d Pha­risees believed on him? But notwithstanding▪ [Page 79] I do not hear of our blessed Lord's sending them Home but once; and that was, after they ha [...] [...]een with him three Days, and had no­thing left to eat—No; he saw they were as Sheep, having no Shepherd, and therefore had Compassion on them, and taught them.—A sufficient Warrant this, for Gospel-Ministers to preach to poor Souls, that follow to hear the Word, whatever Principle their coming may proceed from.—At the same Time, they should caution People against thinking them­selves Christians, because they follow Christ's Ministers—This our Lord frequently did.—For there are many that followed Jesus, and now follow his Ministers, and hear them gladly; nay, perhaps, do many Things, as Herod did▪ who, 'tis to be feared, will never follow them into the Kingdom of Heaven.—Much People followed Jesus h [...]e out of Jericho, but how many of them were offended in him; and af­terwards, it may be, cried out, Crucify him▪ Crucify him.—Who wou'd depend on Popu­larity? It is like the Morning Cloud, or early Dew, that passeth away—But what a Press, and seemingly continued Hurry of Business, did the blessed Jesus live in!—He could not be hid—Go where he wou'd, much People followed him—He had scarce Time to eat Bread.—Happy is it for such▪ who are called out to act in a publick Station in the Church, [...]nd to be more abundant in Labours, that [Page 80] their Jesus has trod in this dangerous Path be­fore them.—Popularity is a fiery Furnace—And no one but he, that kept the three Chil­dren amidst Nebuchadnezzar's Flames, can preserve popular Ministers from being hurt by it—But we can do all Things, thro' Christ strengthening us—And I have often thought, that there is one Consideration sufficient to extinguish, or moderate at least, any Excess of Joy, and self Complacence, which the most popular Preacher may feel, when followed even by the greatest Multitudes; and that is this, viz. ‘How many of these Hearers will go away, without receiving any sa [...]ing Bene­fit by my Preaching; nay, how many, it may be, will only have their Damnation encreased by it!’—As we find many shall say at the Great Day, Hast thou not taught in our Streets, to whom Jesus shall answer, Verily I kn [...]w yo [...] not.—But to proceed— As our Lord went out of Jericho with his Disciples, and a great Number of People, blind Bartimeus; i. e. the Son of Timeus, sat by the Highway-side, beg­ging. It shou'd seem that he was a noted, tho' by no means what we commonly call, a sturdy Beggar; having no other Way, as he had lost his Sight, to get his Bread—His Case was still the more pitiable, if he was, as some think the Name imports, the blind Son of a blind Father. It may be, he begged for his Father, and himself too—And if so, then [Page 81] this may give us Light into that Passage of Matthew, xx. 29. where we are told, that two Men spake to Jesus—It might be Father and Son, tho' only one is made mention of here, because he only followed Jesus in the Way—Thus that holy, judicious, and practical Expositor of Holy Writ, Mr. Henry—But however this be, he is not blamed for Begging—Neither should we discommend others for so doing, when Providence calls to it. It was the unjust Steward that said, to beg I am ashamed. It is our Pride, that often makes us unwilling to be beholden—Jesus was not thus minded—He lived, as it were, upon Alms—The Women that followed him, ministred to him of their Substance.— Bartimeus not being [...]ble to dig, begs for his Living; and in order to make a better Trade of it, sat by the High­way-side, in all Probability, without, or near the Gate of the City, where People must necessarily pass in and out. But tho' he had lost his Sight, he had his Hearing perfect—And it should comfort us, if we have lost one Sense, that we have the Use of another, and that we are not deprived of the Benefit of all.—Happy was it for Bartimeus, that he could hear, tho' not see▪ For in all Probability, upon hearing the Noise and Clamour of the much People, that followed after our Lord, his Curiosity set him upon enquiring into the Cause of it, and some one or another told him, that Jesus of [Page 82] Nazareth was passing by—Jesus of Nazareth—Called so, because he was bred there—Or out of Contempt— Nazareth being either a very mean, or very wicked Place, Or both; which made guileless Nathaniel say, Can any Good come out of Nazareth? And what does Bartimeus do, when he hears of Jesus? We are told, Verse 47th; And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out—This plainly denotes, that tho' the Eyes of his Body were shut, yet the Eyes of his Mind, were, in some Degree, opened, so that he saw, perhaps, more than most of the Multi­titude that followed after Jesus—For, as soon as he heard of him, he began to cry out; which he wou'd not have done had he not heard of him before, and believed also, that he was both able and willing to restore Sight to the Blind.— He began to cry out.—This implies, that he had a deep Sense of his own Misery, and the Need which he had of a Care—His Prayers did not freeze as they went out of his Lips—He began to cry out, that Jesus might hear him, notwithstanding the Noise of the Throng—And he began to cry out, [...] soon as he heard he was passing by, not knowing whether he might ever enjoy such an Opportunity any more— He began to cry out, Jesus, thou Son of David, have Mercy upon me.—The People called him, Jesus of Nazareth.—Bartimeus stiles him, Jesus thou [Page 83] Son of David—Thereby evidencing, that he believed him to be that Messiah which was to come into the World, unto whom the Lord God was to give the Throne of his Father David, and of whose Kingdom there was to be no End.— Jesus, thou Son of David; or, as it is in the parallel Place of St. Matthew, xx. 30. O Lord, thou Son of David; of whom it had been long foretold, Isaiah xxxv. that when he should come, the Eyes of the Blind should be [...]—Have Mercy upon me—The native Language of a Soul brought to lie down at the Feet of a Sovereign God—Here's no lay­ing Claim to a Cure by Way of Merit; no proud, Self-righteous, God I thank thee that I am not as other Men are: No bringing in a R [...]ckoning of Performances, nor any- doubting of Jesu's Power or Willingness to heal him— But out of the Abundance of the Heart, his Mouth speaketh, and, in the Language of the poor, broken-hearted Publican, he cries out, Jesus, thou Son of David, have Mercy on me.— ‘Jesus, thou Friend of Sinners, thou Sa­viour, who, tho' thou be the true God, wast pleased to become the Son of David, and to be made Man, that thou mightest seek, and save those that were lost, have Mercy upon me; let thy Bowels yearn to­wards a poor, miserable, blind Beggar’—One wou'd have thought, that such a moving Petition as this, would have melted the whole [Page 84] Multitude that heard his piteous Cry, into Compassion, and induced some at least to turn Suitors in his Behalf, or help carry him to the blessed Jesus.—But instead of that, we are told, Verse 48th, that many charged him—The Word in the Original seems to imply, a Charge attended with Threatning, and spo­ken in an angry Manner.—They charged him to hold his Peace; and it may be, threatned to beat him if he did not. They looked upon him beneath the Notice of Jesus of Nazareth, and were ready enough to ask, whether he thought Jesus Christ had nothing else to do, but to wait upon him.—This was, no doubt, very discouraging to blind Bartimeus.—For, Opposition comes closest, when it proceeds from those who are esteemed Followers of the Lamb.—The Spouse complains as of something peculiarly afflicting, that her own Mother's Children were angry with her.—But Opposi­tion only serves to wh [...]t the Edge of true De­votion, and therefore Bartimeus, instead of being silenced by their Charges and Threat­nings, cried out the more a great deal, th [...] Son of David, have Mercy on me. Still [...] breaks out into the same humble Language and, if Jesus the Son of David will hav [...] Mercy on him, he cares not much, what som [...] of his peevish Followers said of, or did unt [...] him.—This was not a vain Repetition, but devout Reiteration of his Request. We [...] [Page 85] sometimes repeat the same Words, and yet not be guilty of that [...], or vain speak­ing, which our Lord condemns. For our Lord himself, prayed in his Agony, and said the same Words— Father if it be possible, let this Cup pass from me.—Thus Bartimeus—Jesus, thou Son of David, have Mercy upon me.—And how does the Son of David treat him? Does he join Issue with the Multitude, and charge him to hold his Peace? Or, does he go on, thinking him beneath his Notice? No; for says St. Mark, Verse 49th, And Je­sus stood still, tho' he was on a Journey, and it may be in haste (for it is not losing Time, to stop now and then on a Journey, to do a good Office by the Way) and commanded him to be called.—Why so? To teach us to be condescending and kind even to poor, if real Beggars, and tacitly to reprove the blind, mis­guided Zeal of those who had charged him to hold his Peace—By this also our Lord pre­pares the Multitude the better, to take the more notice of the blind Man's Faith, and his Mercy and Power exerted in the Healing of him.—For there are Times and Seasons, when we are called to perform Acts of Charity in the most publick Manner, and that too very consistently with the Injunction of our Saviour's not to let our right Hand know, what our left Hand doth—For there is a great deal of difference between giving Alms, and exercising Acts of [Page 86] Charity, that are seen of Men, and doing them, that they may be seen—The one is always si [...] ­ful—The other often becomes our Duty—Jesus commanded Bartimeus to be called— And they called him, says the Text—Who called him? It may be, those who a little before char­ged him to hold his Peace.—For it often hap­pens, that our Opposers and Discouragers, after­wards become our Friends—When a Man's Ways please the Lord, he makes his Enemies beat Peace with him—And it is to be wished, that all who have charged poor Souls, that are crying after Jesus, to hold their Peace, spare them­selves and not be Righteous over much, would imitate the People here, and encourage those they once persecuted and maligned— They call the blind Man, saying unto him, Be of good Comfort, rise, he calleth thee—The Words, and Manner of speaking them, implies Haste, and a Kind of Solicitude for the blind Man's Relief—Oh! that we might hereby learn to be patient and long-suffering, towards Opposers—For it may be, that many may oppose awa­ken'd Souls, not out of Enmity, but thro' Prejudice and Misinformation, thro' Ignorance and Unbelief, and a real, tho' perhaps false, Persuasion, that their Relations are going in a wrong Way—By and by they may be convin­ced, that Christ is indeed Calling them, and then they may become real and open Friends to the Cause and Work of God—If not, it is [Page 87] our Duty to behave with Meekness towards all, and not to render Railing for Railing, but [...]-wise Blessing, knowing that we are thereunto called, that we may inherit a Bles­sing—Jesus did not break out into harsh Lan­guage against these Opposers, neither did Bar­timeus—Our Lord only stood still, and commanded him to be called; and they call the blind Man, saying unto him, be of good Comfort, rise; [...] calleth thee—And he (Verse 50) casting aw [...] his Garment, rose and came to Jesus—Had Bartimeus not been in earnest when he cried, Jesus thou Son of David, have Mer­cy, upon me, he might have said, why do you mo [...]k me? Why bid ye me arise? Rise indeed I can, but after I am risen, how can I, being blind, find my Way unto him? If he will come to me it is well; if not, all your calling availeth nothing, it being impossible for me to find my Way—Thus Thousands now-a-days ob­ject to Evangelical Preachers, saying, why do you bid us come to and believe on Jesus Christ, when you tell us it is impossible of our selves to turn to God, or to do good Works; and that no one can come unto him, unless the Father draw him—Is not this like the Peoples calling upon Bartimeus, to arise and come to Jesus, when he could not possibly see his Way before him? True it is so—And would to God, that all who make this Objection would imitate Bartimeus, and put forth the Strength [Page 88] they have! What if we do call you to come and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, that you may be saved? Does this imply, that you have a Power in yourselves to do so? No, in no wise—No more than Jesus Saying unto La­zarus's dead and stinking Carcase, Come forth, implied, that Lazarus had a Power to raise himself from the Grave—We call to you, be­ing commanded to preach the Gospel to every Creature, hoping and praying, that Christ [...] Power, may accompany the Word, and make it effectual to the quickening and raising of your dead Souls—We also call to you to believe, upon the same Account as Jesus said unto the Lawyer, do this, and thou shalt live, viz. That you, seeing your utter Inability to come, might thereby be convinced of your Unbelief, and be led to ask for Faith of him whose Gift it is, and who is therefore in Scripture emphatically stiled the Author, as well as Fi­nisher of our Faith—Add to this, that it is your Duty to wait at the Pool, to make Use of the Strength you have, in the earnest and steady Performance of all commanded Duty—For tho' you cannot do what is spiritually Good, because you want spiritual Principles of Action, yet ye may do what is morally and mate­rially Good, inasmuch as ye are reasonable Creatures; and tho your doing Duty as you can, no Ways deserves Mercy, or entitles you to it, yet it is the Way in which you are re­quired [Page 89] to walk, and the Way in which God is u­sually found—While you are attempting to stretch out your withered Arm, peradventure it may be restored; and who knows but Jesus may work Faith in you, by his almighty Power? Bartimeus has set before such Objecters an Example—Oh that they would once submit to be taught by a poor blind Beggar! For he, casting away his Garment, rose, and blind as he was, came to Jesus— Casting away his Gar­ment—This seems to be a large Coat or Clock, that he wore to screen himself from the Rain and Cold—undoubtedly, it was the most ne­cessary and valuable Vestment he had, and one wou'd have thought, that he should have taken this along with him—But he knew very well that if he did so, it might hang about his Heels, and thereby his reaching Jesus be re­ [...]rded at least, if not prevented intirely—Va­luable therefore as it was to him, he cast it a­way—The Word implies, that he threw it from off his Shoulders, with great Precipitan­cy and Resolution, knowing that if he got a Cure, which he now hoped for by Christ's calling him, he should never want his Gar­ment again—And thus will all do tha [...] are in ear­nest about coming to Jesus here, or seeing and enjoying him in his Kingdom eternally here­after—They will cut off a Right Hand, they will pluck out a Right Eye, they will leave Father and Mother, Husband and Wife, yea, [Page 90] and their own Lives also, rather than not be h [...]s Disciples—The Apostle Paul therefore exhort▪ Christians to lay aside every Weight, and the Sin that doth most easily beset them, or h [...]ng about their Heels, as the Word in the Orig [...]l imports; alluding to the Custom of the Romans, who wore long Garments—Such a One was this, which Bartimeus had wrapped round him—But he, to shew that he sincerely desired to recover his Sight, casting it away, arose and came to Jesus—And what Treatment did Jesus give him? Did he say, Come not nigh me, thou impudent noisy Beggar? No, he answered (verse 51) and said unto him, What wilt th [...], that I should do unto thee? An odd Question this, seemingly. For did not our Lord know what he wanted? Yes he did—But the Lord Jesus dealt with him, as he deals with us—He will make us acknowledge our Wants ourselves, that we thereby may confess our Dependance upon him, and be made more sensible of the Need we stand in, of his divine Assistance— The Blind Man immediately re­plies, Lord, thereby intimating his Belief of Christ's Divinity, that I might receive m [...] Sight—Methinks, I see the poor Creature lis­tening to the Voice of our Saviour, and with Looks and Gestures bespeaking the inward Earnestness of his Soul, [...]he cries out, Lord that I may receive my Sight—As tho' he had said, ‘I believe thou art that Messiah which [Page 91] was to come into the World—I have heard of thy Fame, O Jesus! and hearing the long-wish'd-for Glad-tidings of thy coming this Way, I cry unto thee, asking not for Silver and Gold, but what thou, thou alone, canst give me, Lord, that I might receive my Sight.’ No sooner does he ask, but he receives—For Verse 5 [...]d, Jesus said unto him, Go thy Way; thy Faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his Sight.—With the Word, there went a Power; and [...]e that spake Light out of Darkness, saying, Let there be Light, and there was Light, commanded Light into this poor blind Beg­gar's Eyes, and behold there was Light—The Miracle was instantaneous— Immediately, he received his Sight—And next to a Miracle it was, that by breaking into open Light all at once, he was not struck blind again: But he that gave the Sight, preserved it when given—Oh! happy Bar­timeus! Thy Eyes are now opened, and the very first Object thou dost behold, is the ever-loving, altogether-lovely Jesus.—Methinks I see thee transported with Wonder and Admi­ration, and all the Disciples, and the Multi­tude, gazing around thee!—And now, having received thy Sight, why dost thou not obey thy Lord's Command, and go thy way? Why dost thou not haste to fetch thy Garment, that thou just now in a Hurry didst cast away? No, No!—With his bodily Eyes, I believe [Page 92] he received also a fresh Addition of spiritual Sight, and tho' others saw no Form or Come­liness in the blessed Jesus, that they should desire him; yet he by an Eye of Faith dis [...] ­ver'd such transcendent Excellencies in hi [...] Royal Person, and felt at the same time, such a divine Attraction towards his all-bounti [...] Benefactor, that instead of going his Way [...] fetch his Garment, he followed Jesus in [...] Way; and by his Actions, says with faithful, honest-hearted Ruth, entreat me not to [...] thee—For whither thou go [...]st, I will go; whe [...] thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy People, shall [...] my People; and thy God, my God—He [...] Jesus in the Way—The narrow Way, the Way of the Cross; and, I doubt not, but long since, he has followed him to his Crow [...], and is at this Time sitting with him at the Right-hand of his Father.—

And now, my dear Hearers, how find you your Hearts affected at the Relation of this notable Miracle which Jesus wrought? Are you not ready to break out into the Language of the Song of Moses, and to say, ‘Who is like unto thee O Lord, glorious in Holiness, fear­ful in Praises, continually doing Wonders! Marvellous are thy Works, O Jesus, and that our Souls know right well!’ But we must no [...] stop here, viz. in admiring what the Lord did for Bartimeus—This, no doubt, as well as other [Page 93] Parts of Scripture, was written for our Learn­ing, upon whom the Ends of the World are come.—Consequently, as was proposed in the Second Place, we should see what spiri­ [...] Improvement can be made of this Histo­ry, upon which we have already been making some Remarks.—

A natural Man, indeed, goes no further than the outward Court of the Scripture, and reads this, and the other Miracles of our blessed Sa­viour, just in the same Manner as he reads Homer's Battles, or the Exploits of Alexander—But God forbid, that we shou [...]d rest in on­ly hearing this Matter of Fact—For I tell thee, O Man, I tell thee, O Woman, whoever thou art, that fittest this Day under a preached Gos­pel, that if thou art in a natural State, thou art as blind in thy Soul, as Bartimeus was in his Body; a blind Child of a blind Father, even of thy Father Adam, who lost his Sight when he lost his Innocence, and entailed his Blindness, justly inflicted, upon thee, and me, and his whole Posterity.—Some think indeed, that they see—But alas! such talk only like Men in their Sleep, like Persons besides them­selves—The Scriptures every where represent Fallen-Man, not only as spiritually Blind, but dead also; and we no more know, by Nature, savingly the Way of Salvation by Jesus Christ, than Bartimeus, when he was blind, knew the Colours of the Rainbow—This, I trust, [Page 94] some of you begin to feel—I see you Concern­ed—I see you Weeping—And, was I to ask some of you, what you want to be done unto you? I know your Answer wou'd be, that we may receive our Sight—And God forbid, that I should charge you to hold your Peace, as tho' Jesus wou'd not regard you!—No, your being made sensible of your natural Blindness, and crying thus earnestly after Jesus, is a Sign at least, that you are awakened by his Holy Spirit (tho' it is possible, that you may cry with an exceeding bitter Cry, as Esau did, and be lost at last—) however, Christian Cha­rity induces me to believe and hope the best—I will therefore, in the Language of those who afterwards encouraged Bartimeus, say un­to you, arise, take Comfort,; for I trust, Jesus is calling you—Follow therefore the Example of Bartimeus, cast away your Garment; la [...] aside every Weight, and the Sin which doth most easily beset you, arise, and come to Jesus—He commands me, by his written Word, to call to you and say, Come unto him, all ye that a [...] [...]eary, and heavy laden, and he will refresh you—He will give you rest—Be not afraid—Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth—Behold, he comes forth to meet you—Ye are now on the High­way Side, and Jesus, I trust, is passing by—I feel his Presence—I hope, many of you [...]el it too—Oh then, cry mightily to him, wh [...] is Mighty and Willing to save you—Lay your­selves [Page 95] at the Feet of Sovereign Grace—Say unto him, Jesus, thou Son of David, have Mercy on me, in the same Frame as Bartimeus did, and Jesus will answer you—He will not cast out your Prayer—According to your Faith, so shall it be done unto you. Blind as you are, you shall notwithstanding receive your Sight—Satan indeed, and Unbelief will suggest many Objections to you—Your carnal Relations will also join Issue with them, and charge you to hold your Peace—One will tell you, that your Blindness is too inveterate to be cured; another, that it is too late; a third, that tho' Jesus can, yet he will not have Mer­cy upon such poor, blind, despicable Beggars, as ye are—But, the more they charge you to hold your Peace, do you cry out so much the more a great deal, Jesus, thou Son of David, have Mercy on us—Jesus, thou Saviour, thou Friend of Sinners, Thou Son of David, and there­fore a Son of Man—Oh gracious Words! Oh en­dearing Appellations! Be encouraged by them, to draw nigh unto him—Tho' David's LORD, yet he is become David's SON, after the Flesh, that ye thro' him may be made the Sons of God—No matter, what thou art, O Woman, what thou art, O Man—Tho' thou art literally a poor Beggar, think not thy Condition too mean for Jesus to take Notice of—He came into the Highways and Hedges, to call such poor Beggars in—Or, if you are Rich, think [Page 96] not yourselves too high to stoop to Jesus—For he is the King of Kings; and you never will be truly rich, until you are made rich in Jesus—Fear not being despised, or losing a little worldly Honour: One Sight of Jesus will make amends for all: You will find something so inviting, so attracting, so satisfying, in the altogether-lovely Lamb of God, that every sublunary Enjoyment will sicken, and die, and vanish before you; and you will no more de­sire your former vain and trifling Amusements, than Bartimeus after he had received his Sight, desired to go back again and fetch his Gar­ment—Oh that there may be many such blind Beggars among you this Day! Here is a great Multitude of People following me, a poor Worm, this Day—I rejoice to see the Fields thus white, ready unto Harvest, and to spread the Gospel-Net amidst so many—But alas! I shall return home with a heavy Heart, unless some of you will arise and come to my Jesus—I desire to preach HIM, and not myself—Rest not in hearing and following me.—Behold, behold, believe on, and follow the Lamb of God, who came to take away the Sins of the World.—Indeed, I do not despair of any of you, neither am I discouraged, on account of my preaching in the Highways and Hedges—Jesus called Zaccheus; Jesus called Bartimeus, as he passed thro' Jericho; that cursed, that devoted Place—And why [Page 97] may he not call some of you, out of these de­spised Fields? Is his Arm shortned, that he cannot save? Is he not as mighty now, and as willing to save; even to the uttermost, all that come to the Father thro' him, as he was Seventeen Hundred Years ago? Assuredly he is—He hath said, and he also will do it— Whosoever cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out—In no wise, or by no means—Oh en­couraging Words! Sinners, believe ye this? Arise then, be of good Comfort—For Jesus is indeed calling you.—Some of you, I trust, have obeyed this Invitation, and have had a Sight of him long ago—I know then you will bless and love him; and if he shou'd say unto you, as he did unto Bartimeus, Go you your way; your Answer wou'd be, We love our Master, and will not go from him.—But suffer ye the Word of Exhortation: Suffer me to stir up your pure Minds by way of Remembrance, to [...]hew, that you have indeed seen him, and that you do indeed love him, by following him in the Way; I mean, in the Way of the Cross, the Way of his Ordinances, and in the Way of his holy Commandments—For alas! The Love of many [...] cold; and few there are, that follow Je­sus rightly in the Way—Few there are, that [...] away their Garments so heartily as they should—Some Idol or another hangs about us, and hinders us in running the Race that is set before us—Awake therefore ye sleepy, tho' [Page 98] it may be, wise Virgins—Awake, awake, put on Strength—Shake yourselves from the Dust; arise and follow Jesus more closely in the Way, than ever you did yet—Lift up the Hands that hang down, and strengthen the feeble Knees—Provide right Paths for your Feet, that [...]hat which is lame be not turned out of the Way, but rather be healed—For tho' the Way be narrow, yet it is not long; ‘tho' the Gate be straight, (to use the Words of pious Bishop Beveridge) yet it opens into ever­lasting Life—’ Oh that ye may get a fresh Sight of him again this Day! That wou'd be like Oyl to the Wheels of your Graces, and make your Souls like the Chariots of Aminadab—It is only owing to your losing Sight of him, that you go so heavily from Day to Day—A Sight of Jesus, like the Sun rising in the Morning, dispels the Darkness and Gloominess that lies upon the Soul—Take therefore a fresh View of him, O Believers, and never rest till you are translated to see him as he is, and live with him for evermore, in the Kingdom of Heaven.—Even so, Lord Jesus, Amen, and Amen!

VARIOUS are the Pleas and Argu­ments which Men of corrupt Minds frequently urge against yielding Obe­dience to the just and holy Commands of God—But perhaps, one of the most com­mon Objections that they make is this, viz. That our Lord's Commands are not practicable, because contrary to Flesh and Blood; and consequently, that he is an hard Master, reap­ing where he has not sown, and gathering where he has not strawed—These we find were the Sentiments that were entertained by that wicked and slothful Servant mentioned in the 25th of St. Matthew; and are undoubtedly the same with many which obtain in the pre­sent wicked and adulterous Generation—The Holy Ghost foreseeing this, hath taken care [Page 100] to inspire holy Men of Old, to record the Examples of many holy Men and Women; who, even under the Old Testament Dispen­sation, were enabled chearfully to take Christ's Yoak upon them, and counted his Service perfect Freedom.—The large Catalogue of Saints, Confessors, and Martyrs, drawn up in the 11th Chapter to the Hebrews, abundantly evidences the Truth of this Observation—What a great Cloud of Witnesses have we there presented to our View? All eminent for their Faith, but some shining with a great­er Degree of Lustre than the others.—The Proto-Martyr Abel, leads the Van—And next to him, we find Enoch mentioned, not only because he was next in Order of Time, but also on account of his exalted Piety.—He is spoken of in the Words of the Text in a very extraordinary Manner—We have here a short, but very full and glorious Account, both of his Behaviour in this World, and in the tri­umphant Manner of his entering into the next—The former is contained in these Words— And Enoch walked with God—The latter in these, and he was not: for God took him. He was not; i. e. He was not found, he was not taken away in the common Manner, he did not see Death; for Heb. xi. 5. God had trans­lated him. Who this Enoch was, does not appear so plainly.—To me, he seems to have been a Person of publick Character— [Page 101] I suppose, like Noah, a Preacher of Righte­ousness—And, if we may credit the Apostle J [...]d [...], he was a flaming Preacher—For he [...] one of his Prophecies, wherein he saith, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten Thousand of [...] Saints—To execute Judgment upon all, and [...] convince all that are Ungodly among them, of all their ungodly Deeds which they have un­godly committed, and of all their hard Speeches, which ungodly Sinners have spoken against him—B [...]t whether a publick or private Person, he has a noble Testimony given him in the lively Oracles. The Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews saith, that before his Translation he had this Testimony, that he pleased God; and his being translated, was a Proof of it be­yond all Doubt—And I wou'd observe by the by, that it was wonderful Wisdom in God to translate Enoch and Elijah under the Old Te­stament Dispensation, that hereafter when it should be asserted, that the Lord Jesus was carried into Heaven, it might not seem a Thing altogether incredible to the Jews; since they themselves confessed, that two of their own Pro­phets had been translated several hundred Years before.—But it is not my Design to detain you any longer, by Enlarging, or making Observa­tions on Enoch's short, but comprehensive Character—The Thing I have in view, being to give a Discourse as the Lord shall enable, upon a weighty and very important Subject, [Page 102] I mean, Walking with God—And Enoch wal­ked with God—If so much as this can be truly said of you and me after our Decease, we shall not have any Reason to complain, that we have lived in vain.—

In handling my intended Subject, I shall, First, endeavour to shew, what is implied in these Words, Walked with God—Secondly, I shall prescribe some Means, upon the due Ob­servance of which, Believers may keep up and maintain their Walk with God—And, Thirdly, Offer some Motives to stir us up, if we never walked with God before, to come and walk with God now—The Whole shall be closed with a Word▪ or two of Applicati­on.—

And, First, I am to shew what is implied in these Words, Walked with God; or in other Words, what we are to understand by this Term, Walking with God.—

And, First, Walking with God, implies, that the prevailing Power of the Enmity of a Person's Heart, be taken away by the blessed Spirit of God.—Perhaps it may seem a hard Saying to some, but our own Experience daily proves what the Scriptures in many Places assert, that the carnal Mind, the Mind of the uncon­verted, natural Man, nay, the Mind of the Regenerate, so far as any Part of him remains [Page 103] unrenewed, is Enmity, not only an Enemy, but Enmity itself against God; so that it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can it be—Indeed one may well wonder that any Creature, especially that lovely Creature Man, made after his Maker's own Image, should ever have any Enmity, much less a prevail­ing Enmity against that very God in whom [...]he lives, and moves, and hath his Being—But alas! so it is—Our first Parents con­tracted it when they fell from God by eating the forbidden Fruit, and the bitter and malig­ [...]ant Contagion of it, hath descended to, and quite overspread their whole Posterity—This Enmity discovered itself in Adam's endeavour­ing to hide himself in the Trees of the Garden—When he heard the Voice of the Lord God, [...]nstead of running, with an open Heart, saying, Here am I; alas! he now wanted no Com­munion with God; and still more discovered his lately contracted Enmity by the Excuse he made to the most High— The Woman, or This Woman thou gavest to be with me, she gave me [...] the Tree, and I did eat—By saying thus, h [...] [...] Effect lays all the Fault upon God; as tho' [...]e had said, If thou hadst not given me this Woman, I had not sinned against thee, so thou mayst thank thyself for my Transgression—In this same Manner this Enmity works in [...]e Hearts of Adam's Children—They now [...]d again find something rising against God, [Page 104] and saying even unto God, What doest thou? ‘It scorns any meaner Competitor (says the learned Dr. Owen in his excellent Treatise on Indwelling Sin) than God himself’—Its Com­mand is like that of the Assyrians in respect to Ahab, shoot only at the King—And it strikes against every Thing that has the Appearance of real Piety, as the Assyrians shot at Jehosa­phat in Ahab's Clothes—But its Opposition ceases when it finds that it is only an Appear­ance, as the Assyrians left off shooting at Jeho­saphat, when they perceived it was not Ahab they were shooting at—This Enmity discover'd itself in accursed Cain; he hated and flew his Brother Abel, because Abel loved, and was peculiarly favoured by his God—And this same Enmity rules and prevails in every Man that is naturally engendered of the Offspring of Adam—Hence that Averseness to Prayer and holy Duties, which we find in Children, and very often in grown Persons, who have notwith­standing, been blessed with a religious Educati­on—And all that open Sin and Wickedness, which like a Deluge has overflowed th [...] World, are only so many Streams runni [...] from this dreadful, contagious Fountain; [...] mean the Enmity of Man's desperately wick­ed and deceitful Heart—He that cannot set his Seal to this, knows nothing yet, in a saving Manner, of the holy Scriptures, or of th [...] Power of God—And all that do know this [Page 105] will readily acknowledge, that before a Person can be said to walk with God, the prevailing Power of this Heart-Enmity must be destroy­ed—For Persons do not use to walk and keep [...]ompany together, who entertain an irrecon­ [...]ble Enmity and Hatred against one another—Observe me, I say the prevailing Power of this Enmity must be taken away—For the [...]being of it will never be totally removed, [...] we bow down our Heads and give up the Ghost—The Apostle Paul no doubt speaks of himself, and that too not when he was a Pharisee, but a real Christian; when he com­plains, that when he would do Good, Evil was present with him; not having Dominion over him, but opposing and resisting his good In­tentions and Actions, so that he could not do the Things which he would, in that Perfection which the new Man desired—This is what he calls▪ Sin dwelling in him— ‘And this is that [...] which, to use the Words of th [...] Ninth Article of our Church, some do ex­pound the Wisdom, some Sensuality, some the Affectation, some the Desire of the Flesh, which doth remain, yea, in them that are regenerated’—But as for its prevailing Power, [...] destroyed in every Soul that is truly born God, and gradually more and more weak­ [...]ed as the Believer grows in Grace, and the [...] of God gains a greater and greater [...] in the Heart.

[Page 106] But secondly, Walking with God not only im­plies, that the prevailing Power of the [...] of a Man's Heart be taken away, but also that a Person is actually reconciled to God the Fa­ther, in and thro' the all-sufficient Righteous­ness and Attonement of his dear Son— [...] two walk together, says Solomon, unless the [...] are agreed? Jesus is our Peace, as well as o [...] Peace-maker—When we are justified by Faith in Christ, then, but not till then, we have Peace with God; and consequently cannot [...]e said till then, to walk with him—Walking with a Person, being a Sign and Token [...] we are Friends to that Person, or at least, [...] we have been at Variance, yet now we [...] reconciled and become Friends again—Th [...] is the great Errand that Gospel Ministers [...] sent out upon—To us is committed the [...] of Reconciliation; as Ambassadors for G [...] ▪ we are to beseech Sinners, in Christ's [...] be reconciled unto God; and when [...] comply with the gracious Invitation, and [...] actually by Faith brought into a State of [...] conciliation with God, then, and [...] then, may they be said so much as to begin to walk with God.—

F [...]ther—Walking with God implies, [...] settled, abiding Communion and Fellow▪ [...] with God, or what in Scripture is called, [...] Holy Ghost dwelling in us—This is what [...] promised when [...] [Page 107] the holy Spirit should be in, and with them; not to be like a Wayfaring-Man, to stay only for a Night, but to reside and make his Abode in their Hearts—This I am apt to believe is what the Apostle John would have us under­stand, when he talks of a Person abiding in him, viz. in Christ, and walking as he himself also walked—And this is what is particularly meant in the Words of our Text— And Enoch wal­ked with God, i. e. He kept up and maintained a holy, settled, habitual, tho' und [...]ubtedly not altogether uninterupted Communion and Fel­lowship with God, in and thro' Christ Jesus—So that to sum up what has been said on this Part of the first General Head, Walking with God consists especially in the fixed habitual Bent of the Will for God, in an habitual De­pendance upon his Power and Promise, in an habitual voluntary Dedication of our All to his Glory, in a habitual Eyeing of his Precept in all we do, and in an habitual Complacence in his Pleasure in all we suffer.—

Fourthly, and Lastly, Walking with God implies, our making Progress or Advances in the divine Life— Walking, in the very first Idea of the Word, seems to suppose a progres­sive Motion—A Person that walks, tho' he move slowly, yet he goes forwards and does not continue in one Stay—And so it is with those that walk with God—They go on as the Psal­mist says, from Strength to Strength; or, in [Page 108] the Language of the Apostle Paul, they [...] from Glory to Glory, even [...] the Spirit of [...] Lord.—Indeed in one Sense, the divine Life admits of neither Increase or Decrease—When a Soul is born of God, to all In [...]nts and Pur­poses he is a Child of God; and, tho' [...]e should live to the Age of Methuselah, yet he would then be only a Child of God after all.—But in another Sense, the divine Life admits of Decays and Additions—Hence it is, that we find the People of God charged with Backslidings, and losing their first Love—And hence it is, that we hear of Babes, young Men and Fathers in Christ; and upon this Account it is that the Apostle exhorts Timothy, to let his Progress be made k [...]n to all Men—And what is here required of Timothy in particular by St. Peter, is enjoined all Christians in ge­neral—But grow in Grace, says he, and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ—For the new Creature increases in spi­ritual Stature; and tho' a Person can but be a new Creature, yet there are some that are more conformed to the divine Image than others, and will after Death, be admitted to a greater Degree of Blessedness—For want of observing this Distinction, even some gracious Souls that have better Hearts than Heads (as well as M [...]n of corrupt Minds, Reprobates concerning the Faith) have u [...] wares run into downright An­tinomian Principles, denying all Growth of [Page 109] [...] in a Believer, or any Marks of Grace to [...] laid down in the Scriptures of Truth— [...] such Principles, and more especially from Practices naturally consequent on such Princi­ples, may the Lord of all Lords deliver us!

From what then has been said, we may now [...] what is implied in these Words, walked [...] God, viz. Our having the prevailing En­ [...]y of our Hearts taken away by the Power of the Spirit of God; our being actually recon­ciled and united to him by Faith in Jesus Christ; our having and keeping up a settled Communion and Fellowship with him; and [...] making a daily Progress in this Fellowship, in as to be conformed to the divine Image more and more.—

How this is done, or in other Words, by what Means Believers keep up and maintain their Walk with God, comes to be considered under our Second General Head.—

And, First, Believers keep up and main­tain their Walk with God, by reading of his Holy Word— Search the Scriptures, says our blessed Lord, for these are they that testify of [...]—And the royal Psalmist tells us, that God's Word was as a Light unto his Feet, and a Lanthorn unto his Paths; and he makes it one Property of a good Man, that his Delight [...] in the Law of the Lord, and that he exer­ [...]es himself therein Day and Night—Give thy­self [Page 110] to Reading, says Paul to Timothy; And this Book of the Law, says God to Joshua, shall not go out of thy Mouth: For whatsoever was written afore time, was written for our Learning.—And the Word of God is profita­ble for Reproof, Correction, and Instruction in Righteousness, and every way sufficient to make every true Child of God throughly furnished to every good Work.—If we once get above our Bibles, and cease making the written Word of God our sole Rule, both as to Faith and Practice, we shall soon lie open to all Man­ner of Delusion, and be in great Danger of making Ship-wreck of Faith and a good Con­science—Our blessed Lord, tho' he had the Spirit of God without Measure, yet always was governed by, and fought the Devil with an, It is written. This the Apostle calls the Sword of the Spirit—We may say of it as Da­vid said of Goliah's Sword, None like this—The Scriptures are called the lively Oracles of God—Not only because they are generally made use of to beget us into new Life, but also to keep up and increase it in the Soul.—The Apostle Peter, in his 2d Epistle, prefers it even to seeing Christ transfigured upon the Mount—For after he had said Chap, i. 18. That the Voice which came from Heaven we heard, when we were with him in the Holy Mount.—He adds, Verse 19. We have also a more sure Word of Prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take [Page 111] [...]eed, as unto a Light shining in a dark Place, until the Day dawn, and the Day-star arise in your Hearts: i. e. Till we shake off these Bodies, and see Jesus Face to Face—Till we must see and converse with him through the Glass of his Word.—We must make his Testi­monies our Councellors, and daily, with Ma­ry, sit at Jesu's Feet, by Faith hearing his Word. We shall then by happy Experience find, that they are Spirit and Life, Meat indeed, and Drink indeed, to our Souls.—

Secondly, Believers keep up and maintain their Walk with God by secret Prayer—The Spirit of Grace is always accompanied with the Spirit of Supplication—It is the very Breath of the New-Creature, the Fan of the divine Life, whereby the Spark of holy Fire kindled in the Soul by God, is not only kept in, but raised into a Flame—A Neglect of secret Pray­er, has been frequently an Inlet to many spiri­tual Diseases, and has been attended with fatal Consequences.— Origen observed, ‘That the Day he offered Incense to an Idol, he went out of his Closet without making use of secret Prayer’—It is one of the Most noble Parts of the Believer's spiritual Armour— Pray­ing always, says the Apostle, with all Manner of Supplication—And watch and pray, says our Lord, that ye enter not into Temptation—And he spake a Parable, that his Disciples should [...] not faint—Not that our Lord would [Page 112] have us always upon our Knees, or in our Closets, to the Neglect of our other relative Duties—But he means that our Souls should be kept in a Praying-Frame, so that we might be able to say, as a good Man in Scotland once said to his Friends on a Death-bed, ‘Could these Curtains, or could these Walls speak, they would tell you what sweet Communi­on I have had with my God here.’—Oh Pray­er, Prayer! It brings and keeps God and Man toge­ther—It raises Man up to God, and brings God down to Man.—If you wou'd therefore, O Believers, keep up your Walk with God▪ Pray, Pray without ceasing—Be much in secret, set Prayer—And when you are about the com­mon Business of Life, be much in ejaculatory Prayer, and send, from time to time, short Let­ters post to Heaven upon the Wings of Faith—They will reach the very Heart of God, and return to you again loaded with spiritual Bles­sings.

Holy and frequent Meditation is another blessed Means of keeping up a Believer's Walk with God— ‘Prayer, Reading, Temptation, and Meditation, says Luther, make a Minister’—And they also make, and keep a Christian—Meditation to the Soul, is the [...]ame as Digestion to the Body—Holy David found it so, and therefore he was frequently employed in Meditation, even in the Night Season.—We read also of Isaac's going out into [Page 113] the Fields to meditate in the Evening; or as it is in the Margin to pray—For Meditation is a Kind of silent Prayer, whereby the Soul is frequently, as it were, carried out of it self to God, and in a Degree made like unto those blessed Spirits, who by a Kind of immediate Intuition always behold the Face of our hea­venly Father—None but those happy Souls that have been accustomed to this divine Em­ploy, can tell what a blessed Promoter of the divine Life Meditation is— Whilst I was Mu­sing, says David; the Fire kindled—And whi [...]e the Believer is musing on the Works and Word of God; especially that Work of Works, that Wonder of Wonders, that Mystery of Godli­ness, God manifest in the Flesh, the Lamb of God slain for the Sins of the World: He fre­quently feels the Fire of divine Love kindle, so that he is obliged to speak with his Tongue, and tell of the Loving-kindness of the Lord to his Soul—Be frequent therefore in Meditation all ye that desire to keep up and maintain a close and uniform Walk with the most High God:

Fourthly, Believers keep up their Walk with God, by watching and noting his providential Dealings with them—If we believe the Scrip­tures, we must believe what our Lord hath declared therein, viz. That the very Hairs of his Disciples Heads are all numbred; and that a Sparrow does not fall to the Ground, [Page 114] either to pick up a Grain of Corn, or when shot by a Fowler, without the Knowledge of our Heavenl [...] Father—Every Cross has a Ca [...]l in it, and every particular Dispensation of di­vine Providence, has some particular End to answer in those to whom it is sent—If it be of an afflictive Nature, God does thereby say, "My Son, keep thy self fr [...] Idols:" If Prosperous, he does as it were by a small, still Voice, say, "My Son, give me thy Heart"—If Believers therefore wou'd keep up their Walk with God, they must from time to time hear what the Lord has to say concerning them in the Voice of his Providence—Thus we find Abraham's Servant, when he went to fetch a Wife for his Master Isaac, eyed and watched the Providence of God, and by that Means found out the Person that was design'd for his Master's Wife—"For a little Hint from Pro­vidence," says pious Bishop Hall, ‘is enough for Faith to feed upon.’—And as I believe it will be one Part of our Happiness in Hea­ven, to take a View of, and look back upon, the various Links of the Golden-Chain which drew us there; so those that enjoy most of Heaven below, I believe will be most minute in remarking God's various Dealings with them, in respect to his providential Dispen­sations here on Earth.—

Fifthly, In order to walk closely with God, his Children must not only watch the Motions [Page 115] of God's Providence without them, but the Motions also of his blessed Spirit in their Hearts—As many as are the Sons of God, are led by the Spirit of God, and give up themselves to be guided by the Holy Ghost, as a little Child gives its Hand to be led by a Nurse or Parent. It is no doubt in this Sense, that we are to be converted, and become like little Children—And tho' it is the Quintescence of Enthusiasm, to pretend to be guided by the Spirit without the written Word; yet it is every Christian's bounden Duty to be guided by the Spirit, in Conjunction with the written Word of God—Watch therefore, I pray you, O Believers, the Motions of God's blessed Spirit in your Souls, and always try the Suggestions or Im­pressions that you may at any time feel, by the unerring Rule of God's most holy Word—And if they are not found to be agreeable to that, reject them as diabolical and delusive—By ob­serving this Caution, you will steer a middle Course between the two dangerous Extremes many of this Generation are in Danger of run­ning into; I mean, Enthusiasm, on the one Hand, and Deism, and downright Infidelity, on the other.—

Sixthly, Those that would maintain a holy Walk with God, must walk with him in Or­dinances as well as Providences, & c. It is therefore recorded of Zachary and Elizabeth, that they walked in all God's Ordinances as [Page 116] well as Commandments, blameless—And all right­ly informed Christians will look upon Ordi­nances not as beggarly Elements, but as [...]o ma­ny Conduit Pipes, whereby the infinitely con­descending Jehovah conveys his Grace [...] their Souls—They will look upon them [...] Childrens Bread, and as their highest Pri [...] ­ledges—Consequently they will be glad when they hear others say, Come let us go up to [...] House of the Lord—They will delight to [...] the Place where God's Honour dwelleth, [...] be very eager to embrace all Opportuniti [...] to shew forth the Lord Christ's Death till [...] come.—

Seventhly, and Lastly, If you would Wal [...] with God, you must associate and keep Com­pany with those that do Walk with him— My Delight, says holy David, is in [...] that do excel in Virtue—They were in his Sight the excellent Ones of the Earth—And the primitive Christians no doubt kept up their Vigour and first Love, by continuing in Fellowship one with another—The Apostle Paul knew this full well, and therefore exhorts the Christians to see to it, that they did not forsake the Assembling of themselves together—For how can one [...]e warm alone [...] And has not the wisest of Men told us, that [...] Iron sharp'neth Iron, so doth the Countenance of a Man his Friend? If we look therefore into Church History, or make a just Obser­vation [Page 117] of our own Times, I believe we shall find, that as the Power of God prevails, Chri­stian Societies, and Fellowship Meetings, pre­vail proportionably—And as one decays, the other has insensibly decayed and dwindled away at the same Time—So necessary is it for those that wou'd Walk with God, and keep up the Life of Religion, to meet together as they have Opportunity, in order to provoke one another to Love and good Works.—

Proceed we now to the third general Thing proposed, viz. To offer some Motives to excite all to come and walk with God.—

And First, Walking with God is a very honourable Thing—This generally is a pre­vailing Motive to Persons of all Ranks, to stir them up to any important Undertaking—Oh that it may have its due Weight and Influence with you, in respect to the Matter now be­fore us! I suppose you would all think it a very high Honour to be admitted into an Earthly Prince's Privy Council, to be trusted with his Secrets, and to have his Ear at all Times, and at all Seasons—It seems Haman thought it so, when he boasted, that besides his being advanced, Esther v. 11. above the Princes and Servants of the King—Yea, more­over said he, Verse 12, Esther the Queen did let no Man come in with the King unto the Banquet that she had prepared, but myself; [Page 118] and To-morrow am I invited unto her als [...] with the King—And when afterwards a Question was put to this same Haman, Chap. vi. 6. What shall be done unto the Man whom the King delighteth to honour? He answered, Verse 8. Let the Royal Apparel be brought which the King used to wear, and the Horse that the King rideth upon, and the Crown Royal which is set upon his Head; And Verse 9. let this Apparel and Horse be delivered to the Hand of one of the King's most noble Prin­ces, that they may aray the Man withal whom the King delights to honour, and bring him on Horse-back thro' the Street of the City, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the Man whom the King delighteth to-honour.—This was all then it seems that an ambiti­ous Haman could ask, and the most valuable Thing that he thought Ahasuerus, the great­est Monarch upon Earth, could give—But alas, what is this Honour in Comparison of that which the meanest of those enjoy, that Walk with God! Think ye it a small Thing, Sirs, to have the Secret of the Lord of Lords with you, and to be called the Friends of God? And such Honour have all God's Saints: The Secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and Henceforth, says the bles­sed Jesus, call I you no longer Servants, but Friends; for the Servant knoweth not the Will of his Master.—Whatever you may [Page 119] think of it, holy David was so sensible of the Honour attending a Walk with God, that he declares he had rather be a Door-keeper in his House, than to dwell even in the Tents of Un­godliness—Oh that all were like-minded with him!—

But, secondly, As it is an honourable, so it is a pleasing Thing to walk with God—The wisest of Men has told us, that Wisdom's Ways are Ways of Pleasantness, and all her Paths P [...]ace—And I remember pious Mr. Henry, when he was just about to expire, said to a Friend, ‘You have heard many Mens dying Words, and these are mine, A Life spent in Communion with God, is the plea­santest Life in the World.’ I am sure I can set to my Seal that this is true.—Indeed I have been listed under Jesu's Banner only for a few Years; but I have enjoyed more solid Pleasure in one Moments Communion with my God, than I [...]hould or could have enjoyed in the Ways of Sin, tho' I had continued to have went on in them for Thousands of Years—And may I not appeal to all you that fear and walk with God, for the Truth of this? Has not one Day in the Lord's Courts, been better than a Thousand? In keeping God's Commandments, Have you not found a Present and very great Reward? Has not his Word been sweeter to you than the Ho­ney, or the Honey-comb? Oh what have [Page 120] you felt, when Jacob-like you have been wrestling with your God? Has not Je­sus often met you when meditating in the Fields, and been made known to you over and over again in Breaking of Bread? Has not the Holy Ghost frequently shed the divine Love abroad in your Hearts abundantly, and filled you with Joy unspeakable, even Joy that is full of Glory? I know you will answer all these Questions in the Affirmative, and freely ac­knowledge the Yoak of Christ to be easy, and his Burden light; or (to use the Words of one of our Collects) ‘That his Service is perfect Freedom’—And what need we then any further Motive to excite us to walk with God?

But, methinks, I hear some among you say, ‘How can these Things be? For, if Walk­ing with God, as you say, is such an ho­nourable and pleasant Thing, whence is it, that the Name of the People of this Way is cast out as Evil, and every where spoken against? How comes it to pass that they are frequently afflicted, tempted, destitute, and tormented? Is this the Honour, this the Pleasure that you speak of?’ I Answer, Yes. Stop a while, be not over-hasty, Judge not according to Appearance, but Judge righte­ous Judgment, and all will be well—It is true, we acknowledge the People of this Way, as you and Paul before you, when a Persecutor called them, have their Names east out as [Page 121] Evil, and are a Sect every where spoken a­gainst—But by whom? Even by the Enemies of the most High God—And do you think it [...] Disgrace to be spoken Evil of then by them? Blessed be God we have not so learnt Christ—Our Royal Master has pronounced those bles­sed, who are Persecuted, and have all Manner [...]f Evil spoken against them falsly—He has [...] ­manded them to rejoice and be exceeding glad—For it is a Mark of their Discipleship, and that their Reward will be great in Heaven—He himself was thus treated—And can [...]here be a greater Honour put upon a Creature, than to be conformed to the ever-blessed Son of God? And further, it is equally true, that the People of this Way are frequently afflicted, tempted, destitute and tormented. But what of all this? Does this destroy the Pleasure of Walking with God? No, in no wise—For those that walk with God, are enabled, thro' Christ strengthening them, to joy even in Tri­bulation, and to rejoice when they fall into divers Temptations.—And I believe I may ap­peal to the Experience of all true and close Walkers with God, Whether or not their Suf­fering Times, have not frequently been their sweetest Times, and they enjoyed most of God▪ when most cast out and despised by Men? This we find was the Case of Christ's primi­tive Servants, when threatened by the Jewish [...] and commanded to preach no more [Page 122] in the Name of Jesus, they rejoiced, that they were accounted worthy to suffer Shame for the Sake of Jesus— Paul and Silas sang Praises even in a Dungeon—And the Face of Stephen, that glorious Proto-Martyr of the Christian Church, shone like the Face of an Angel—And Jesus is the same now, as he was then, and takes care so to sweeten Sufferings and Afflictions with his Love, that his Disciples find, by happy Experience, that as Afflictions abound, Con­solations do much more abound.—And there­fore these Objections, in stead of destroying, do only more enforce the Motives before urged to excite you to walk with God.—

But supposing the Objections were just, and Walkers with God were as despicable and un­happy as you would represent them to be; yet I have a third Motive to offer, which, if weighed in the Ballance of the Sanctuary, will over-weigh all Objections, viz. That there is a Heaven at the End of this Walk—For to use the Words of pious Bishop Beveridge, ‘Tho' the Way be narrow, yet it is not long; and tho' the Gate be strait, yet it opens into everlasting Life’— Enoch found it so—He walked with God on Earth, and God took him to sit down with him for ever in the Kingdom of Hea­ven—Not that we are to expect to be taken away as he was—No—I suppose we shall all die the common Death of all Men—But after Death, the Spirits of those that have walked [Page 123] [...] God, shall return to God that gave them; [...] at the Morning of the Resurrection, Soul [...] Body shall be for ever with the Lord— [...] Bodies shall be fashioned like unto [...] glorious Body, and their Souls filled [...] all the Fulness of God—They shall [...]it [...] Thrones—They shall judge Angels—They [...] be enabled to sustain an exceeding and [...]rnal Weight of Glory, even that Glory [...]ich Jesus Christ enjoyed with the Father [...] the World began— "O gloriam quan­ [...]am et qualem," says the learned and pious [...]ndt, just before he bowed down his Head, [...] gave up the Ghost—The very Thought [...] it is enough to make us "Wish to leap our [...] seventy Years," as good Doctor Watts ex­ [...]esses himself, and to make us break out into [...] earnest Language of the Royal Psalmist; [...] Soul is a-thirst for God, yea even for the [...]ing God. When shall I come to appear in the [...] [...]liate Presence of my God? I wonder not [...] a Sense of this, when under a more than [...] [...]ary Irradiation and Influx of divine Life [...]d Love, causes some Persons even to faint [...] [...]ay, and for a time lose the Power of their [...]nses—A less Sight than this, even a Sight of [...]lomon's Glory, made Sheba's Queen; and a [...]ill lesser Sight than that, even a Sight of [...]oseph's Waggons, made holy Jacob faint, [...]d for a while, as it were, die away— Daniel, [...]hen admitted to a distant View of this ex­cellent [Page 124] Glory, fell down at the Feet of Angel as one Dead.—And if a distant Vi [...] this Glory be so excellent, what must the t [...]l Possession of it be? If the first Fruits so glorious, how infinitely must the Ha [...] exceed in Glory?

And now what shall I, or indeed what I well say more, to excite you, even you [...] are yet Strangers to Christ, to come and [...] with God? If you love Honour, Pleasure, a Crown of Glory, come seek it where al [...] it can be truly found—Come, put ye on [...] Lord Jesus—Come, haste ye away and [...] with God, and make no longer Provision [...] the Flesh, to fulfil the Lust thereof—St [...] stop, O Sinner!—Turn ye, turn ye, O [...] unconverted Men—For the End of that [...] you are now walking in, however right it [...] seem in your blinded Eyes, will be Deat [...] even eternal Destruction both of Body [...] Soul—Make no long tarrying, I say: At you [...] Peril I charge you, step not one Step further on in your present Walk—For how knowest thou, O Man, [...] the next Step thou [...]akest may be into He [...]?—Death may seize thee Judgment find thee, and then the great Gulp [...] will be fixed between thee and endless Glory for ever and ever—Oh think of these Thing [...] all ye that are unwilling to come and wal [...] with God—Lay them to heart—Shew you [...] selves Men, and in the Strength of Jesus sa [...] [Page 125] Farewel Lust of the Flesh, I will no more walk with thee! Farewel Lust of the Eye, and Pride of Life! Farewel carnal Acquain­tance, and Enemies of the Cross, I will no more walk and be intimate with you! Wel­come Jesus, welcome thy Word, welcome thy Ordinances, welcome thy Spirit, welcome thy People, I will henceforth walk with you—Oh that there may be in you [...] a Mind! God will set his Almighty fiat to it, and seal it with the Broad Seal of Heaven, even the Signet of his Holy Spirit—Yes he will, tho' you have been walking with, and following after, the Devices and Desires of your despe­rately wicked Hearts, ever since you have been born— I the High and Lofty One, says the great Jehovah, that inhabiteth Eternity, will dwell with the humble and contrite Heart, [...]ven with the Man that trembleth at my Word—The Blood, even the precious Blood of Jesus Christ, if you come to the Father in and thro' him, shall cleanse you from all Sin.—

But the Text leads me to speak to you that are Saints, as well as to you that are open or unconverted Sinners—I need not tell you that walking with God is not only honourable, but pleasant and profitable also—For ye know it by happy Experience, and will find it more and more so every Day—Only give me leave to stir up your pure Minds by Way of Re­membrance, and to beseech you by the Mer­cies [Page 126] of God in Christ Jesus, to take heed to yourselves, and walk closer with your God, than you have in Days past—For the nearer you walk with God, the more you will enjoy of him whose Presence is Life, and be the better prepared, for being placed at his Right Hand, where are Pleasures for evermore.—Oh do not follow Jesus afar off!—Oh be not so formal, so dead and stupid in your Atten­dance on holy Ordinances!—Do not so shamefully forsake the Assembling yourselves together, or be so niggardly, and so indiffe­rent about the Things of God—Remember what Jesus says of the Church of Laodicea—Because thou art neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my Mouth—Think of the Love of Jesus, and let that Love constrain you to keep near unto him; and tho' you die for him, do not deny him, do not keep at a Distance from him in any wise.—

One Word to my Brethren in the Ministry that are here present, and I have done—You see my Brethren, my Heart is full—I could almost say it is too big to speak, and yet too big to be silent, without dropping a Word to you—For does not the Text speak in a par­ticular Manner to those who have the Honour of being stiled the Ambassadors of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God? I observ­ed at the Beginning of this Discourse, that Enoch in all Probability was a publick Person, and aflam­ing [Page 127] Preacher—Tho' he be dead, does he not yet speak to us, to quicken our Zeal, and make us more active in the Service of our glorious and ever blessed Master? How did Enoch preach? How did Enoch walk with God, tho' he lived in a wicked and adulterous Ge­neration? Let us then follow him as he fol­lowed Jesus Christ, and e're long where he is there shall we be also—He is now enter'd into his Rest—Yet a little while and we shall en­ter into ours, and that too, much sooner than he did—He sojourned here below Three Hun­dred Years; but blessed be God, the Days of Man are now shorten'd, and in a few Days our Work will be over.—The Judge is be­fore the Door—He that cometh will come, and will not tarry—His Reward is with him—And we shall all (if we are zealous for the Lord of Hosts) e're long, shine as the Stars in the Firmament, in the Kingdom of our heavenly Father, for ever and ever.—To him, the bles­sed Jesus, and eternal Spirit, be all Honour and Glory, now, and to all Eternity Amen, and Amen!

WHEN Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word, was pleased to make all Things by the Word of his Pow­er, his last Works were the best—When he looked back upon, and beheld the [...] Products of his Almighty Power, he pro­ [...]nced them good; but when that last, that [...]ly Creature Man, was formed, he pro­ [...]ed them very good—So likewise, the same [Page 130] Jesus, when he came to tabernacle among [...] us, and begin and carry on a new and second Creation, tho' all his Works were Miracles [...] Wonder, and manifested forth the Glory [...] his eternal Godhead, yet the nearer he came to the End of his publick Ministrations, the greater and more noble did the Miracles which he wrought appear—The Resurrection of La­zarus; that is to be the Subject of the follow­ing Discourse, I think, is a sufficient Proof [...] this—To an Eye of Sense, it seems to be one of the greatest, if not the very greatest Mira­cle of all which our blessed Lord performed When our Saviour bid John's Disciples go and tell their Master what Things they had see [...] and heard, he commands them to inform him, that by his divine Power the Dead were raised; alluding no doubt to the Ruler's Daughter, who was raised immediately after her Decease; and the Widow's Son, who at the Com­mand of Jesus, rose out of his Coffin, as they were carrying his Corpse to the Burial. These were pregnant Proofs that Jesus was indeed that Messiah that was to come into the World—But his raising of Lazarus from the Dead, after he had lain four Days dead, and stank, and saw Corruption, is still, if possible, a grea­ter Miracle; and consequently, a stronger Proof of his being the Anointed, the Christ of God.—The Evangelist John is very parti­cular in giving us an Account of this Miracle; [Page 131] even so particular, as to spend a whole Chap­ter in relating the Circumstances which pre­ceded, attended, and followed after it—And as he was undoubtedly directed herein by the all-wise, unerring Spirit of God, does it not point out unto us, that this Miracle with all its respective Circumstances, calls for our par­ticular and most serious Meditation?—It ap­pears to me in this Light; and therefore, as the Lord shall be pleased to assist me, I shall go back to the Beginning of this Chapter, follow the Evangelist Step by Step, and consi­der the Particulars of this wondrous Miracle, make some practical Observations as I go along, and shut up all with some suitable Instructions and Exhortations which will naturally arise from the Body of the Discourse.—

The Evangelist in the first Verse, makes mention of the Sickness of Lazarus—Now, says he, a certain Man was sick, named Laza­rus of Bethany, the Town of Mary, and her Sister Martha. Some think these Sisters were very wealthy, so as to own good Part of the Town; or as the original Word seems to im­ply, the Village—But then it is probable the Evangelist wou'd have said the Town of La­zarus, Estates usually descending, as with us, in the Male Line: It means therefore no more, than that Martha and Mary lived in Bethany—The Holy Ghost pointing out to us hereby, [Page 132] that nothing makes a Town so worthy of gracious Soul's Remark or Esteem, as its hav­ing many of God's dear Children for its Inha­bitants!— Bethany, tho' a little Place, is more famous because it was the Town of Martha and Mary, than if Alexander had fought in it one of his greatest Battles—Both these Women loved Jesus in Sincerity, and were as good as they were great—But Mary, tho the younger Sister, seems to be most eminent—The Evangelist in the second Verse, speaks of her in a very distinguishing Manner— It was that Mary, that never-to-be-forgotten Mary, which anointed the Lord with Ointment (expen­sive as it was) and wiped his Feet, after she had washed them with Tears of Love, with her Hair, even the Hair of her Head—What Notice is taken of this Action! With what an Eulogy, and in what a high Strain of Com­mendation is it here spoken of? And such are the Honours of all God's Saints—Tho' all o [...] good Works are not recorded as Mary's were, yet God is not unmindful that he should for­get our Works of Faith and Labours, which have proceeded of Love—Every Tear we shed, every Sigh we fetch, every Alms we give, tho' it be only a Cup of cold Water, are all recor­ded in the Lamb's Book of Remembrance, and shall be brought out to our eternal Ho­nour, rewarded with a Reward of Grace, tho' not of Debt, at the great and terrible Day of [Page 133] the Lord— I was an hungred, and ye gave me Meat, I was thirsty, and ye gave me Drink, naked, and ye cloathed me, sick and in Prison, and ye came unto me.—What Reason have we then to be stedfast and unmoveable, always abounding in the Work of the Lord, for­asmuch as we are assured, that our La­bours will not be in vain or forgotten by the Lord? It was that Mary that anointed the Lord with Ointment, and wiped his Feet with her Hair—And what follows? Whose Brother Lazarus was sick—So that being re­lated to Christ, or Christ's Disciples, will not exempt Persons from Sickness—In this Life, Time and Chance happen to all, only with this material Difference, viz. Those Afflicti­ons, which harden the obstinately Impenitent, soften and purify the Heart of a true Believer. My Son, therefore despise not the Chastening of the Lord on one Hand, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him on the other— For whom the Lord loveth he Chastneth, and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth—Jesus loved Laza­rus, and yet Lazarus was sick—And what do his Sisters do for him now he is sick? No doubt they applied to a Physician, for it is tempting God to neglect making use of Means for the Recovery of our Health, when it is impaired—But then they were not guilty of Asa's Crime, who sought to the Physician, but not to the Lord—No! th [...]y knew the most [Page 134] skilful Recipes would be of no Effect, unless attended with a Blessing from Jesus the great and Almighty Physician; and Therefore (verse 3) his Sisters sent unto him, it should seem at the Beginning of their Brother's Illness—Alas how unlike is their Conduct to that of the Generality of People, especially the Rich and Great! How unfashionable is it Now-a-days, for Persons to send to Jesus in Behalf of their sick Relations! It is so very uncustomary, that in some Places, if a Minister be sent for to a sick Person, it is a sad Symptom that the Patient is almost past Hopes of Recovery—Thus did not Martha and her Sister Mary—They sent unto Jesus, tho' he was now beyond Jordan (Chap. x. 40) where he abode, or made his chief Place of Residence for some Time—Hence it was that they knew where to send to him—But what Kind of Message did they send? A very humble and suitable One— Lord, Verse 3. behold, he whom thou lovest is sick—They might have said, Lord he who loveth thee is sick—But they knew that our Love was not worth mentioning, and that we love Jesus only because he first loved us—Be­sides here is no prescribing to our Lord what he shou'd do, or what Means he should make use of—They do not so much as say, we pray thee come, only speak the Word, and our sick Brother shall be restored—They only simply tell Jesus the Case, knowing it was [Page 135] sufficient barely to lay it before an infinitely compassionate Redeemer, and leave it to him to act according to his own sovereign Good-Will and Pleasure— Lord behold he whom thou lovest is sick—Oh how sweet is it when the Soul is brought to this! And with what a ho­ly Confidence may we pray to, and intercede with the holy Jesus, when we have Reason to hope, that those we pray and intercede for, are Lovers of, and are beloved of Him! For his Eyes are in a peculiar Manner over the Righteous, and his Ears always open to their Prayers—This was their Message, and it soon reached Jesus Christ—And how does he re­ceive it? We are told, Verse 4. For when Jesus heard that, viz. That he whom he lo­ved was sick, He said this Sickness is not unto Death, but unto the Glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby—To whom these Words were spoken is not certain—In all Probability Jesus spake them to the Persons that deliver'd Martha's and Mary's Message—And if so, it was no Doubt a comfortable An­swer for the present, tho' it must afterwards puzzle them as well as the Disciples how to explain it, when they found that Lazarus was actually dead. This Sickness is not unto Death, i. e. Not unto an abiding Death, be­cause he intended to raise him again, soon af­ter his Decease—It is like that other Expression of our Lord in St. Mark, The Damsel is not [Page 136] dead, but sleepeth; which must not be under­stood in a literal, but metaphorical Sense—And this and such like Instances, ought to teach us to weigh carefully our blessed Lord's Words, and to wait for an Explication of them, by subsequent Providences; otherwise we shall be in Danger of misapplying them, and thereby bring our Souls into unspeakable Bondage— This Sickness is not unto [...]eath, but unto the Glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified thereby—This is the End both of the Afflictions, and the Deaths of God's People—By all that happens to them, he will be glorified one Way or another, and cause every Thing to work together for their Good—And who then wou'd but be content to be sick, or willingly submit to Death itself, if so be the Son of God may be glorified thereby? This Answer no Doubt proceeded from Love—For we are told, Verse 5. that Jesus loved Martha and her Sister, and Lazarus—Oh happy Family! Three in it beloved of Jesus, with a peculiar, everlasting Love— ‘Very of­ten it so happens that’ to use the Words of [...]he pious Bishop Beveridge ‘there is but one in a City, and two in a Country, of this Stamp’—But here are two Sisters and a [...]rother, all Lovers of, and beloved by the [...]orious Jesus—What shall we say to these [...]hings? Why, That our Saviour's Grace is [...]ree and Sovereign, and he may do what he [Page 137] will with his own—They who are thus so highly favoured, as to have so many converted in one House, ought to be doubly thankful! Such a Blessing have not all his Saints—No! Many, very many, go mourning over their perverse and graceless Relations, all their Lives long; and find even to their dying Day, that their greatest Foes are those of their own Houshold.—Surely these three Relations lived a Heaven upon Earth—For what can they want, what can make them miserable who are assured of Jesu's Love? But surely if Je­sus loves this dear little Family, the next News one wou'd think we shou'd hear, would be, that he went immediatly and healed La­zarus; or at least, cured him at a Distance—But instead of that, we are told, Verse 6. When he had heard that he was sick, he abode two Days still in the same Place where he was—A strange Way this, in the Eye of natural Reason, of expressing Love; but not so strange in the Eye of Faith—For the Lord Jesus very often sheweth his Love, by defer­ring to give immediate Answers to our Prayers—For hereby he tries our Faith and Patience, and exercises all our passive Graces—We have a Proof of this in the Syrophenician Woman, upon whom the blessed Jesus frowned, and spake roughly too at first, only that he might afterwards turn unto her and say, O Woman, great is thy Faith—Let not those then that [Page 138] believe, make too much Haste; or immedi­ately in their Hearts repine against the Lord, because he may not Answer their Requests, in their own Time and Way—God's Time and Way is best—And we shall find it to be so in the End— Martha and Mary experienced the Truth of this, tho' undoubtedly our Lord's seeming Delay, to come and heal their Bro­ther, cost them great Searchings of Heart—But will the Lord Jesus forget his dear Laza­rus whom his Soul loveth? Can a Woman forget her sucking Child? Indeed she may; but the Lord never faileth those that fear him—Neither is he slack concerning his Promise, as some Men count Slackness—For his very Delays are Answers—The Vision is for an ap­pointed Time—In the End it will speak and not lie.—Tho' our Lord abode two Days were he was, to try the Faith of these Sisters, yet after this, he said unto his Disci­ples, Verse 7. Let us go into Judea again—With what a holy Familiarity does Jesus con­verse with his dear Children! Our Saviour seems to speak to his Disciples, as tho' he was only their Brother, and as it were upon a Level with them; Let us go into Judea again. How gently, according to what was predicted of him, does he lead those that are with Young! Jesus very well knew the Weakness of his Disciples, and also what a dangerous Place Judea was: How gradually therefore [Page 139] does he make known unto them, his Design of going thither! And how does he admit his Disciples to expostulate with him on this Ac­count! Master, say they (Verse 8.) the Jews of late sought to Stone thee, and goest thou thither again? They were amazed at our Lord's Boldness, and were ready to call it Presumption. As we generally are prone to censure and condemn other zealous and enter­prizing Persons, as carrying Matters too far, for no other Reason, if we examine the Bot­tom of our Hearts, but because they go be­fore, and excel ourselves.—The Disciples, no doubt, thought that they spoke out of Love to their Lord, and assuredly they did; but what a Deal of Self-love was there mixed and blen­ded with it? They seem much concerned for their Master, but they were more concern­ed for themselves—However Jesus overlooks their Weakness, and mildly replies, Verses 9, and 10. Are there not twelve Hours in the Day? If any Man walk in the Day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the Light of the World; but if any Man walk in the Night he stumbleth, because there is no Light in him. As tho' our Lord had said, ‘My dear Disciples, I thank you for your Care and and Concern for me— Judea is a dangerous Place, and what you say of the Treatment I met with from its Inhabitants, is just and true; but be not afraid of going there up­on [Page 140] my Account—For as a Man walketh safely Twelve Hours of the Day, because he walketh in the Light; so as long as the Time appointed by my Father for my pub­lick Administration lasts, I shall be as se­cure from the Hands of my Enemies, as a Man that walks in Broad-day is secure from falling—But as a Man stumbleth if he walketh in the Night, so when the Night of my Passion cometh, then, but not till then, shall I be given up into the Hands of my spiteful Foes’ Oh what Comfort have these Words, by the Blessing of God, fre­quently brought to my Soul! How may all Christ's Ministers strengthen themselves with this Consideration, that so long as God hath Work for them to do, they are immortal! And if after our Work is over, our Lord should call us to lay down our Lives for the Brethren, and to Seal the Truth of our Doc­trine with our Blood, it would certainly be the highest Honour that can be put upon us— To you it is given not only to believe, but also to suffer, says the Apostle to the Philippians—These Things the Evangelist tells us, Verse 11. said he, viz. Jesus, and after that, to satisfy them that he was not going into Ju­dea without a proper Call, He saith unto them, Our Friend Lazarus sleepeth—Our Friend—Amazing! For what is a Friend? As one's own Soul—How dear then, and near are true [Page 141] Believers to the most adorable Jesus! Our Friend Lazarus—Still more amazing! Here is Condescension, here is unparallelled Fami­liar [...]y indeed—And what of him? He sleep­eth—A figurative Way of Expression—For what is Death to the Lovers of Jesus Christ, but a Sleep, and a refreshing One too? Thus it is said of Stephen when he died, that he fell asleep—Christ indeed died, but Believers only sleep—And those that sleep in Jesus. says the Scripture, will God bring with him—Our Friend Lazarus sleepeth—For tho' he be dead, I shall raise him from the Grave so soon, that his dying will be only like a Person's taking a Nap of Sleep— Our Friend Lazarus sleepeth, but I go that I may awake him out of Sleep. By this Time, one wou'd imagine, our Lord's Disci­ples should have understood him: But how unwilling are we to believe any Thing that we do not like. Then said his Disciples, Verse 12th, Lord, if he sleep he shall do well—Oh fearful, and slow of Heart to believe! How fain wou'd they excuse themselves from going into Judea, for fear of a few Stones! By this Way of talk­ing, how do they in effect impeach their bles­sed Master's Conduct, and under a Pretence of preserving his Person, foster, and as it were, plead for their own (tho' perhaps undiscern'd) Cowardice and Unbelief! That Charity, which hopeth and believeth all Things for the best, teacheth us to judge thus favourably of [Page 142] them—For, Howbeit Jesus spake of his Death: they thought that He had spoken of taking rest in Sleep—The Great and Compassionate High Priest knowing whereof they were made, and remembring they were but Dust, throws a Veil of Love over their Infirmity; and at length, Verse 14th, said unto them plainly (for if we wait on Jesus, we shall know his Will plainly, one Way or another) Lazarus is dead—And even then, lest they should be swallow­ed up with over-much Sorrow, he immedi­ately adds, Verse 15th, And I am glad for your Sakes that I was not there, to the Intent ye may believe; that is, have more Faith, or have that Faith you have already encreased and con­firmed—A plain Proof this, that all Jesu's Delays to answer Prayer, are only to strength­en our Faith— Nevertheless, says our Lord, let us go unto him.—This was a sufficient Hint, if they knew how to improve it, that he in­tended to do something extraordinary, tho' he would not tell them directly what he intended. For the Lord Jesus will keep those whom he loves at his Foot, and dependent on him. Let us go unto him—He still speaks as tho they were his Equals—Oh that Christians in general, Oh that Ministers in particular, would learn of him their great Exemplar, to conde­scend to Men of low Degree! Well, the Secret is now out—Jesus has said unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead—And what Recep­tion [Page 143] does this melancholly News meet with? With great Condolency, especially from Thomas; for Verse 16. Then said Thomas, which is called Didy [...]us, unto his Fellow Dis­ciples, let us also go and die with him; i. e. according to some with Lazarus, with whom it may be, Thomas had contracted an intimate Acquaintance—But granting it was so; shall I commend him for this passionate Expression? I commend him not—Surely he spake unad­visedly with his Lips; Let us also, says he to his Fellow Disciples, go and die with him—As tho' there was no Comfort henceforward to be expected in the World, now his Friend Lazarus was gone—This was a great Fault, and yet a Fault that many of God's Children run into daily, by mourning over their deceas­ed Relations over-much, like Persons that have no Hope—But this Infirmity ought not to be in­dulged—For if our Friends and dear Relatives are dead, Jesus, that Friend of Sinners, is not dead—He will be better to us than seven Sons, and will abundantly supply the Place of all Creature-Comforts. But I am more inclined to think that the Word Him, refers to Jesus his dear Master; and if so, he is so far from being blamed that he spake like a good Soldier of Jesus Christ— Let us also go, that we may die with him— ‘If our dear Master will go into Judea, and hazard his precious Life, let us not any longer make such frivolous Excuses, [Page 144] but let us manfully accompany him; and if the Jews, should not only be permitted to Stone, but also to Kill him, let us also go, and die with him, we cannot die in a better Cause.’—This was a Speech worthy of a true Christian Hero, and Thomas herein hath set us an Example, that we should follow his Steps, by exciting and provoking one ano­ther closely to adhere to the blessed Jesus, e­specially when his Cause and Interest is in any more immediate Danger—This Exhortation it seems had a proper Effect—They all went, and as far as we know, chearfully accomp [...]i­ed their glorious Master—How their Thoughts were exercised on the Road we are not told—But I am apt to believe they were a little dis­couraged when they came to Bethany—For When Jesus came, (Verse 17.) he found that he had lien in the Grave four Days already. And what wou'd it avail them; to come so many Miles only to see a dead Man's Tomb? But how wisely were all Things ordered by the blessed Jesus, to manifest his Glory in the most extraordinary Manner, that not only his Disciples might have their Faith confirmed, but many also of the Jews might believe on him—This Bethany, it seems, Verse 18th, was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen Furlongs off; i. e. about two Miles; and Martha and Ma­ry, being what we may call, People of Fa­shion, and devout likewise, many of the De­vout, [Page 145] and we may suppose many of the weal­thy Jews came from the Metropolis, as well as other adjacent Places, Verse 19th, to Mar­tha and Mary; not to pay an idle, trifling, but a serious, profitable Visit, viz. to Comfort them concerning their Brother.—This was kind and neighbourly—To weep with those that weep, and to visit the Afflicted in their Di­stresses, is one essential Branch of true and undefiled Religion—And Oh how sweet is it when we visit surviving Friends, that we have reason to think that their departed Relations died in the Lord! And we can therefore give them Comfort concerning them! For blessed are the Dead, that die in the Lord, even so saith the Spirit, for they rest from their La­bours.—This, and such like Arguments, no doubt these Visitors made use of in order to comfort Martha and Mary—And indeed they stood much in Need of Consolation—For we have Reason to suppose, that from our Lord's Answer, viz. This Sickness is not unto Death, but the Glory of God; they had entertained Thoughts of the Recovery of their Brother—But who can tell what these two holy Souls must feel? When they found their Brother not only not recovered, but dead, laid out, and now stinking in the silent Grave!—What hard Thoughts, without judging them, may we suppose they entertained concerning Jesus! Think ye not that they were ready to cry out [Page 146] in the Language of the Prophet? Thou hast deceived us, and we are deceived—But Man's Extremity is Jesu's Opportunity—In the Mul­titude of the Sorrows that they had in their Hearts, the News of Christ's Coming refreshes their Souls—Some Body or another commen­dably officious, privately informs Martha of it— Who, Verse 20th, as soon as she heard that Jesus was come (without making any Apology to the Company for her Rudeness) went and met him: But Mary sat still in the House—But why so, Mary? I thought thou hadst been most forward to attend on Jesus, and thy Sister Martha more prone to be cumbered about the many Things of this Life—Why sittest thou still? It may be the News was brought only privately to Martha (for it is plain from Verse 31st, that the Jews who were in the House knew not of it;) and Martha knowing how our Lord had chid her once, was resolved he should have no Reason on the same Account to chide her any more; there­fore when the News were brought, she would not so much as stay to inform her Sister, but went out to see whether the News were true or not, and if so, as the eldest Sister, she wou'd invite the blessed Jesus in—How hap­py is it, when Christ's Reproofs for past Ne­glects, excites our future Zeal to come out and meet him! Such Reproofs are an excel­lent Oil—Or, it may be, the News reached [Page 147] Mary's Ears, as well as Martha's, but being overcome with overmuch Sorrow, she thought it too good News to be true, and therefore sat still in the House—Oh how careful ought Believers to be, to keep up and maintain even in the midst of T [...]ibulation, a holy Confidence and Joy in God! For [...]he Joy of the Lord is a Believer's Strength—Whereas giving Way to Melancholy and Unbelief, raises Glooms and Vapours in the Mind, clouds the Understand­ing, clogs in the Way of Duty, and gives the Enemy, who loves to fish in troubled Waters, a very great Advantage over us— Mary, per­h [...]p [...], thro' the Prevalence of this, and being also naturally of a sedentary Disposition, sat still in the House, while her Sister Martha got the S [...]rt of her, and went out to meet the Holy Jesus—And how does [...]e accost him? Why, in a Language bespeaking the Distress of a burdened and disordered Mind—For she said unto Jesus, Verse 21st, Lord, if thou had [...]t been here, my Brother had not died. Here is a Mixture of Faith and Unbelief—Faith made her say— Lord, if thou h [...]dst been here, my Brother had not died—But Unbelief made her con [...]ne Christ's Power to his bodily Presence—Besides, here was a tacit Accusation of the Blessed Jesus of Unkindness, for not coming when they sent unto him this Message, Lord, he whom thou lovest is sick—Once she charged Jesus with Want of Care; Lord, carest thou [Page 148] not, that my Sister hath left me to serve alone? Now she taxes him with Want of Kindness— If thou hadst been here; as much as to say, if thou hadst been so kind as to have come when we sent for thee, my Brother had not died; and by saying thus, she does as it were lay her Brother's Death to Jesus Christ—Oh how apt are even those whom Jesus loves in a very peculiar Manner, to charge him foolishly! How often does the Enmity of our desperately wicked Hearts rise against Christ, when we are under the afflicting Hand of his Providence! Are not the very best of us frequently tempted in such Circumstances, to say within our selves at least, Why does God thus cruelly deal with us? Why did not he keep off this Stroke, seeing it was in his Power to have pre­vented it? How should we be ashamed and con­founded before him upon this Account! How should we pray and labour to be delivered from this remaining Enmity of the Heart, and long for that Time, when Mortality shall be swal­lowed up of Life, and we shall never feel one single Rising of Heart, against a good and graci­ous, an all-wise and glorious Redeemer, any more! However, to do Martha Justice, Verse 22d, she pretty well recovers herself— But I know, says she, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee—Whether these Words imply an actual Belief of our Lord's Divinity is not certain—To me they do— [Page 149] Because we shall find by and by, that she did believe that our Lord was the Son of God, and that Messiah which was come into the World—Therefore when she said she knew that whatsoever he ask'd of God, God would give it to him, she may be understood as re­ferring to God the Father, under whom the Lord Jesus acted as Mediator, tho' equal to him in respect to his eternal Glory and God­head—This Mystery we may well suppose her acquainted with, because Jesus had been fre­quently preaching at her House, and conse­quently, had no doubt opened that Mystery unto her—O what a blessed Thing must it be to have such a Mediator! Such an High Priest, and Intercessor at the Father's Right-hand, that whatever he asks the Father in our Behalf, he will give us!—Jesus takes this kindly at Martha's Hand, and passes over her Infirmity—For if the Lord was exact to mark every Thing that we say or do amiss, alas who could abide? He only calmly says unto her, Verse 23d, Thy Brother shall rise again—Glad Tidings these of great Joy—This should com­fort us concerning our deceased, pious Relati­ons, viz. That e're long they shall rise again, and Soul and Body be for ever with the Lord—Howbeit Jesus spake here of an immediate Resurrection, tho' he did not speak plainly—For Christ loves to exercise the Faith and Patience of his Disciples, and frequently leaves [Page 150] them to find out his Meaning by Degrees—It is best for us in our present State, that it should be so—In Heaven it will be otherwise— Thy Brother, says Christ to Mar­tha, shall rise again—She might immedi­ately have replied, When, Lord? But she fetches a Circuit as it were, and labo [...]rs to find out the Mind of Jesus by Degrees— I know, says she (Verse 24) that he shall rise again at the Resurrection of the last Day—These Words to me seem to imply, that [...]he had some distant Thought of our Lord's Design to raise her Brother now, and that she spoke thus only to draw our Saviour to speak, and tell her plainly whether he meant to do so or not—For those who are ac­quainted with Jesus, are taught a holy A [...]t by the blessed Spirit, in dealing with their blessed Master— I know says she, he shall rise again at the Resurrection of the last Day (a notable Proof this, by the Way, that the pious Jews believed the Resurrection of the Body) It is just the same as tho' she had said, Lord, dost thou mean that my Brother shall rise again before that Time? Our Saviour wisely keeps off from giving her a direct Answer; but chuses rather to preach to her Heart— Jesus said unto her (Verse 25th) I am the Resur­rection, and the Life: He that believeth in me, tho' he were dead, yet shall he live. On this Martha's Faith, if in Exercise, might [Page 151] take hold. Oh glorious Words! How en­couraging to you poor Sinners lying in your Blood! Tho' you are dead in Trespasses and Sins, and might justly be condemned to die the second Death, yet if you believe on the Lord Jesus you shall live.— And whosoever, Verse 20th, believeth in me, shall never die; i. e. Never die as to their Souls, never die eternally, and consequently, never finally fall away from God—This is an encouraging Soul-comforting Declaration for you, O Be­lievers, who are thus kept as it were, in a Garrison, by the mighty Power of God, thro' Faith, unto Salvation! Believest thou this? says Christ to Martha, Verse 26th—For what avail all the many great and precious Promises of the Gospel, unless they are applied and brought home in particular to each of our Souls? The Word does not profit unless it is mixed with Faith—We wou'd therefore do well, when we are reading Christ's Words, to put this Question to our selves; O my Soul, believest thou this? And well wou'd it be for us, if upon putting this Question to our selves, we could with the same holy Confidence, and in the same delightful Frame, say with Mar­tha, Verse 27th, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the World. This I think is a direct Confession of our Lord's Divinity—How full was her Heart when [...]he spoke these [Page 152] Words! I am persuaded it burnt within her—What a divine Warmth had she contracted by talking with Jesus! How does she long that her Sister might share in her holy Joy! For when she had so said, Verse 28th, She went away; full of Love no doubt, and cal­led Mary her Sister, as all will labour to call their near Relations, who have felt the Lord Jesus to be the Resurrection and the Life themselves—But Martha took Care in the midst of her Zeal (as we should always do) to behave with Prudence; and therefore the called her Sister SECRETLY, saying, The Master is come, and calleth for thee—The Master is come—She need say no more; Mary knew very well whom she meant—For holy Souls easily understand one another when talking of their Master Jesus—The di­vine Herbert used to delight (when speaking of Jesus) to say, "MY MASTER." Perhaps he learned it of Martha, who said here, The Master is come, and calleth for thee—But what is this thou sayest, Martha? The Master is come, and calleth for thee? Surely a Woman of thy exalted Piety will not tell a deliberate Lie, and in order to induce thy Sister to come to Jesus, acquaint her that Jesus called her, when indeed he did not—Thou needest not put thy self to such an Expence, or do so much Evil, that Good may come of it—Only mention Jesus to Mary, and let her know for [Page 153] a Certainty that the Master is indeed come, and I am persuaded she will sit no longer— Martha no doubt knew this, and therefore I cannot judge her as some do, as tho' in her Haste she said what was not true—For Jesus might bid her call her Sister, tho' it be not directly mentioned in this Chapter—And it is very probable, that our Lord did enquire after Mary, because she used to take such great Delight in sitting at his Feet, and hear­ing the gracious Words that proceeded out of his M [...]u [...]h— The Master is come, [...]aith Mar­tha to her Sister and calleth for thee. And so say I to all poor Sinners—Jesus, your Lord and Master, your Prince and Saviour, is come, come unto this lower World, and is come this Day in his Word, and by me, who am less than the least of all his Servants, and cal­leth for you—Oh that he may also come in the Demonstration of the Spirit, and by his mighty Power, bow your stubborn Hearts and Wills to obey the Call, as Holy Mary did!—For we are told, Verse 29th, When she heard that, she rose quickly, and came to Jesus—Sinners, when will you do so? Or why do you not do so? How know you whether Jesus will call for you any more, before he calls you by Death to Judgment? Linger, Oh linger no longer—Fly, fly for your Lives—Arise quickly, and with Mary, come to Jesus—She obeyed the Call so very speedily, that her [Page 154] Haste was taken notice of by her Visitors— The Jews then, Verse 31st, which were with her in the House, and comforted her (that is taken particular Notice of) when they saw Mary that she rose up hastily (without any Ceremony at all) and went out, followed h [...], saying, she goeth to the Grave, to weep there—How wisely does our Lord permit and order all this, to bring the Jews out to behold the wonderful Miracle that he was about to per­form! Little did Mary and the Jews think for what End they were thus providenti [...]lly led out—But when Jesus hath Work to be done, he will bring Souls to the Place where he intends to call them, in spite of Men or Devils—But how does Mary behave when she comes to Jesus? We may be assured not with­out great Humility—No wonder then we are told, Verse 32d, that When she saw him, [...] immediately fell down at his Feet (a Place Mary had been used to) and in an Agony of Grief, says, as her Sister had done before her. Lord, if thou hadst been here, my Brother [...] not died—Poor Mary! Her Concern was great indeed—Tho' she was a holy Woman, she could not well bear the Loss of her Brother—She knew very well that the World would miss him, and no doubt he had been a kind and tender Brother to her—But I am afraid she was sinfully overcome with over-much Sorrow—However, had we been there, the [Page 155] Sight must have affected us—It seems to have affected the Visitors, especially the blessed Jesus—He, instead of blaming her for her tacitly Accusing him of Unkindness, for not coming to her Brother's Relief, pities and [...]mpathizes both with Mary and her weeping Friends!— When Jesus, Verse 33d, saw her weep, and the Jews also weeping, he groaned in his Spirit, and was troubled—Troubled: Not with any sinful Perturbation we may be assured—Nothing of that Nature could possi­bly be in his sinless Soul—And therefore some have judiciously enough compared the Trouble our Lord now felt, to some Chrystal Water, shaken in a Glass or Bottle—You may shake it, but there will be no Sediment—It will be Chrystal Water still—He groaned in his Spirit I do not see why this may not be understood of his Praying in the Spirit, which maketh Intercession for the Saints, with [...], Groanings that cannot be uttered.—Methinks I see the Immaculate Lamb of God, secretly, but powerfully Agonizing with his Father—His Heart is big with Sympathy! At length out of the Fulness of it, he said, Verse 34th, Where have ye laid him? They, I suppose Mary and Martha, say unto him, Lord, come and see—He came, he saw, "He wept," Verse 35th—It is put in a Verse by it­self, that we might pause a while, and ask why Jesus wept? He wept to shew us that it [Page 156] was no Sin▪ to shed a Tear of Love and Re­signation, at the Grave of a deceased Friend. He wept, to see what Havock Sin had made in the World, and how it reduced Man, wh [...] was originally little lower than the Angels (by making him subject to Death) to a Level wi [...]h the Beasts that perish—But above all he wept at the Foresight of the People's Unbelief—He wept to think how many then present would not only not believe on, but would be hardened, and have their Prejudices encreased more and more against him, tho' he should raise Lazarus from the Dead before their Eyes—Well then may Ministers be excused, who, whilst they are Preaching, now and then drop a few Tears, at the Consideration of their Sermons being, thro' the Perverseness▪ and Unbelief of many of their Audience, a Savour of Death unto Death, instead of a Sa­vour of Life unto Life—Upon a like Occa­sion Jesus wept—What an affecting Sight w [...] here! Let us for a while suppose our s [...]lves placed amidst these holy Mourners—Let as imagine that we saw the Sepulchre just here before us, and the Jews, and Mary, and the blessed Jesus weeping round it!—Surely the most obdurate of us all must drop a Tear, at least be affected with the Sight—We find [...] affected those that were really By-stande [...]—For, then said the Jews, Verse 36th, Behold, how he loved him. And did they [...]y, [Page 157] Behold, how he loved him, when Jesus only [...]ed a few Tears over the Grave of his de­parted Lazarus? Come then, O Sinners, and view him dying, and pouring out his precious Heart's Blood for you upon an accursed Tree, and then surely you must needs cry out, Be­hold how he loved us! But alas, tho' all were affected, yet it seems, all were not well af­fected at seeing Jesus weep!—For we are told, Verse 37th, that some of them said, Could not this Man which opened the Eyes of the Blind, have caused that even this Man should not have died? One wou'd imagine that Satan himself could scarce have utter'd a more perverse Speech. Every Word is full of Spite and Rancour—Could not this Man, this Fel­low, this Deceiver, who pretends to say, that he opened the Eyes of the Blind, have caused that this Man, that he seems to love so, should not have died? Is not this a sufficient Proof that he is a Cheat? Have we catched him at last? Is it likely that he really helped others, when he could not help his own Friend? Oh how patient ought the Servants of our Lord to be! And how may they ex­pect to be censured, and have their good Deeds questioned, and lessened, when their blessed Master has been thus treated before them! However Jesus will do Good, notwithstand­ing all these Slights put upon him; and there­fore again groaning in himself, Verse 38th, he [Page 158] cometh to the Grave—It was a Cave, or Vaul [...] (as is customary in great Families) and a Stone lay upon it—Jesus said, Verse 39th, Take ye away the Stone—How gradual [...]y does our Lord proceed, in order to engage the Peoples At­tention the more—Methinks I see them all Eye, all Ear, and eagerly waiting to see the Issue of this Affair—But Martha now returning with the rest of the Company, seems to have lost that good Frame which she was in when she went to call her Sister— She [...]aith unto him, Verse 39th, Lord, by this Time he stinketh: For he hath been either dead or buried four Days—Oh the dismal Effects of carnal Reason­ing! How naturally do we fall into Doubts and Fears, when we have not our Eye sin­cerely directed to the blessed Jesus! Martha, instead of looking up to him, looks down in­to the Grave, and poring upon her Brother's stinking Corpse, falls into a Fit of Unbelief—By this Time he stinketh, and therefore a Sight of him will only be offensive—For, perhaps, she might think our Lord only wanted just to take a View of her Brother Lazarus—Jesus therefore, to give her yet a further Hint, that he intended to do something extraordinary, [...]aith unto her, Verse 40th, Said I not unto thee, that if thou shouldst believe, thou shouldst see thee Glory of God? Our Lord speaks here with some Degree of Warmth—For nothing displeases him more than the Unbelief of his [Page 159] own Disciples— Said I not unto thee, if thou wouldst believe, thou shouldst see the Glory of God? When Christ spoke these Words unto her, we are not told—It might be, this was Part of their Conversation upon some other Oc­casion some Time before—However he checks her openly for her Unbelief now—For those whom Jesus loves must expect to be rebuked sharply by him, whenever they Dishonour him by Unbelief—The Reproof is taken—Without making any more Objections, They Verse 41. took away the Stone from the Place where the Dead was laid; And now behold with what Solemnity the holy Jesus prepares himself to execute his gracious Design! And Jesus, Verse 41 st, lift up his Eyes, and said, Father I thank thee that thou hast heard me—And I knew, Verse 42d, that thou hearest me always: But because of the People which stand by, I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. Who can express with what Fervour and Intenseness of Spirit, our glorious High-Priest uttered these Words! They are a Thanksgiving arising from an Assurance that his Father had heard him—For Christ as Me­diator was inferiour to the Father— I knew that thou hearest me always (and so may every Believer in his Degree say too) But because of the People which stand by I said it—Said what? We do not hear that Jesus said any Thing by Way of Prayer before—And that is true, if we [Page 160] mean vocally, but mentally he did say some­thing, even when he groaned in the Spirit once and again, and was troubled—For there is a Way of praying even when we do not, and can­not speak— Why cryest thou, [...]aith God to Moses, tho' we do not hear that he spoke one single Word—But he cried in his Heart; and I ob­serve this for the Comfort of some weak, but real Christians, who think they never pray, unless they can have a great Flow of Words—But this is a Mistake—For we often pray best, when we can speak least—There are Times when the Heart is too big to speak, and the Spirit itself maketh Intercession for the Saints, and that too according to the Will of God, with Groanings that cannot be uttered—Such was Ha [...]nah's Prayer for a Son, she spake not, only her Lips moved; and such was our Lord's Way of praying at this Time—And perhaps the Soul is never in a better Frame, than when in a holy Stillness, and unspeakable Serenity, [...] it can put itself as a Blank in Jesu's Hand, for him to stamp on it, just what he pleases—And now the Hour of our Saviour's performing this long expected Miracle, is come— When he thus had spoken, Verse 43d, He cried with a loud Voice, Lazarus come forth—With the Word there went an irresist­able Power—He spake, and it was done—He cried and behold, He that was dead, Verse 44th, came forth, bound Hand and Foot with [Page 161] Grave-cloaths; and his Face was bound about with a Napkin. What a Sight was here! Methinks I see Surprize sit upon each Specta­tor's Face—As the Body rises, their Wonder rises too—See how they Gaze! See how their Looks bespeak the Language of astonished Hearts; and all with a Kind of silent, but ex­pressive Oratory, ready to say, What Manner of Man is this? Surely this is the Messiah that was to come into the World. How did the Hearts of Martha and Mary, as we may very well suppose, leap for Joy! How were they now ashamed of themselves, for charging Je­sus foolishly, and taxing him with Unkind­ness, for not coming to prevent their Brother's dying! It is true Christ suffered him to die, but behold he is now alive again! For Jesus never denies us one Thing, but he intends to give us something better in the Stead of it.—Think you not that Martha and Mary were now the most officious to obey our blessed Lord's Command, viz, Loose him and let him go? That same Power that raised Lazarus from the Dead, might have also taken off the Grave-cloaths from him—But Jesus Christ ne­ver did, and never will work a needless Mira­cle: Others could unloose his Grave-cloaths, but Jesus alone cou [...]d unloose the B [...]nds of Death.—And now perhaps some may be ready to ask, what News hath Lazarus brought from the other World? But stop, O Man, [Page 162] thy vain Curiosity! It is forbidden, and therefore useless Knowledge—The Scriptures are silent concerning it—Why shou'd we desire to be wise above what is written? It becomes us rather to be wholly employed in adoring the gracious Hand of that gracious Redeem­er who raised him from the Dead, and to see (now we have heard the History) what Improvement we can make of such a remark­able and instructive Transaction—Would to God, that my preaching upon this Resurrecti­on of Lazarus To-day, may have the same blessed Effects upon you, as the Sight of it had upon some of the Standers-by—For we are told, Verse 45th, Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the Things which Jesus did, believed on him—A profitable Visit this! The Best no Doubt that they ever paid in their Lives—And this was in Answer to our Saviour's Prayer, but because of the People that stand by, I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And one wou'd imagine, that all who saw this Miracle, were induced, thereby, really to believe on him—But alas! I could almost say, that I could tell you of a greater Miracle, than raising Lazarus from the Dead—And what is that? Why, that some of these very Persons who were on the Spot, instead of believing on him, went their Way, Verse 46th, to the Pharisees, and told them what Jesus had done—And this [Page 163] was so far from convincing them, that it only excited their Envy, stirred up the whole Hell of their Self-righteous Hearts, and made them, from that Day forward, Verse 53, take Counsel to­gether, to execute what they had long before designed, I mean, put the innocent Jesus to death—See how busy they are, Verse 47th, Then gathered the Chief Priests and the Pharisees a Council, and said, What do we? For this Man doeth many Miracles—Envy itself it seems could not deny that—And need they say then, What do we, or what shou'd we do? Believe on to be sure, and submit to him; take up the Cross, and follow him. No, on the Con­trary say they, Verse 48th, If we let him thus alone (which they would not have done so long, had not God put a Hook in the Levia­than's Jaws) all Men will believe on him—And suppose they did? Then all Men would be blessed indeed, and have a Title to true Happiness—No, say they, then the Romans shall come, and take away both our Place and Nation—But were not the Romans come al­ready? Were they not at this Time Tributa­ries to Caesar? But they were afraid of the Church as well as the State— They will come and take away our Place, i. e. our Place of Worship, and consequently they look upon Jesus Christ and his Proceedings, and Adhe­rents, as dangerous both to Church and State—This hath been always the Method of Phari­sees [Page 164] and High-Priests, when they have been taking Counsel against the Lord Jesus, and his dear anointed Ones—But they need not have been afraid on this Account—For our Saviour's Kingdom neither was, nor is of this World; and the only Way to have preserved their Place and Na [...]ion, was to countenance, and as much as in them lay, to have caused all to be­lieve on Jesus—How miserably were they o [...]t in their Politicks! The Death of Jesus, which they thought would save, was the grand Cause of the utter Destruction both of their Place and Nation—And so will all Politicks formed against Christ and his Gospel end at last in the De­struction of those that contrived them—But Oh the desperate Wickedness and Treachery of Man's deceitful Heart! Where are the Scribes, where are the Infidels, where are the Letter-learned Disputers of this World, who are daily calling for a Repetition of Miracles, in order to confirm and evidence the Truth of the Christian Religion? Surely if they be­lieve not Moses and the Prophets, neither would they believe, though one rose from the Dead—Here was one raised from the Dead before many Witnesses, and yet [...] those Witnesses did by no Means believe on Jesus—For divine Faith is not wrought in the Heart by moral Persuasion (tho' moral [...] ­suasion is very often made use of as a Means to convey it—) Faith is the peculiar [...] of [Page 165] God—No one can come to Jesus unless the Father draw him—And therefore, that I may draw near the Close of this Discourse, let me shut up all with a Word of Exhortation.—Come then, ye dead, Christless, unconverted Sinners, come and see the Place where they laid the Body of deceased Lazarus—Behold him dead and laid out, bound Hand and Foot with Grave-cloaths, lock'd up and stinking in a dark Cave, with a great Stone placed on the Top of it!—View him again and again—Go nearer to him—Be not afraid—Smell him, and see how he stinketh—Stop there now, and pause a while; and whilst thou art gazing, O Man, upon the Corpse of Lazarus, give me leave to tell thee with great Plainness, but greater Love, that this dead, bound, entombed, stink­ing Carcase, is but a faint Representation of thy poor Soul in its natural State—For whether thou believest it or not, thy Spirit which thou bearest about with thee, sepulchred in Flesh and Blood, is as literally dead to God, and as truly dead in Trespasses and Sins, as the Body of Lazarus was in the Cave—Was he bound Hand and Foot with Grave-cloaths? So art thou bound Hand and Foot with thy Corrup­tions—And as a Stone was laid on the Sepul­chre, so is there a Stone of Unbelief laid upon thy stupid Heart—Perhaps thou hast lain in this State, not only four Days, but many Years, stinking in God's Nostrils!—And what [Page 166] is still more affecting, thou art just as unable to raise thy self out of this loathsome, dead State, to a Life of Righteousness and true Ho­liness, as ever Lazarus was to raise himself from the Cave in which he lay so long—Thou mayest try the Power of thy own boasted Free-Will, and the Force and Energy of Moral Per­suasion and rational Arguments (which, with­out all Doubt, have their proper Place in Re­ligion) but all thy Efforts, exerted with never so much Vigour, will prove quite fruitless and abortive, till that same Jesus who said, take away the Stone, and cried, Lazarns come forth, comes by his mighty Power, removes the Stone of Unbelief, speaks Life into thy dead Soul, looses thee from the Fetters of thy Sins and cor­ruptions, and by the Influences of his blessed Spirit, enables thee to go and walk in the Way of his holy Commandments—And Oh that he wou'd now rend the Heavens, and come down amongst you! Oh that there may be a Stirring among the dry Bones this Day! Oh that whilst I am speaking and saying, dead Sinners, come forth, a Power, even an Almighty Power, might accompany the Word, and cause you to emerge and awaken into new Life! And if the Lord shou'd vouchsafe me such a Mercy, and but one single Soul in this great Congregation, should arise and shake himself from the Dust of his natural State, I think, according to the present Frame of [Page 167] my Heart, I should not care if preaching this Sermon here in the Fields, was an Occasion of hastening my Death, as raising Lazarus, ha­stened the Death of my blessed Master. For, methinks, Death in some Respects is more tolerable, than to see poor Sinners Day by Day lying sepulchred dead and stinking in Sin! Oh that you saw how loathsome you are in the Sight of God, whilst you continue in your natural State! I believe you wou'd not so con­tentedly hug your Chains, and refuse to be [...]et at liberty—Methinks I see some of you affected at this Part of my Discourse—What say you? Are there not some here ready to complain, alas, we have some Relations pre­sent, who are so notoriously wicked, that they not only hug their Chains, but make a Mock of Sin, and stink not only in the Sight of God, but Man—Dear Hearts! you are ready to urge this, as a Reason why Jesus will not raise them, and think it hard, perhaps, that Jesus does not come, in answer to your re­peated Groans and Prayers, to convert and save them—But what Jesus said unto Martha, I say unto you— Believe, and you shall yet see the Glory of God—Look not down so much, nor think it a Thing incredible, that God should raise their dead Souls—Oh think not hard of Jesus for delaying an Answer to your Prayers—Assure yourselves he heareth you al­ways—And who knows but this Day Jesus [Page 168] may visit some of your dear Relations Hearts, upon whose Account you have travai [...]led in Birth [...]till Christ be formed in them?—You have already sympathized with Martha and Mary, in their Do [...]bts and Fears: Who knows but you may also be Partakers of that Joy which their dear Souls experienced, when they received their risen Brother into their longing Arms—Oh Christless Souls, you do not know what Grief your Continuance in Sin Occasions your godly. Relations! You do not know how you grieve the Heart of Jesus—I beseech you give him no fresh Cause to weep over you upon Account of your Unbe­lief—Let him not again groan in his Spirit, and be troubled—Behold how he has loved you, even so as to lay down his Life for you—What could he do more? I pray you therefore, dead Sinners, come forth—Arise, and sup with Jesus—This was an Honour conferred on Lazarus; and the same Honour awaits you—Not that you shall sit down with him personally in this Life, as Lazarus did, but you shall sit down with him at the Table of his Ordinances, e­specially at the Table of the Lord's Supper, and e're long sit down with him in the King­dom of Heaven—Happy, thrice happy ye who are already raised from spiritual Death, and have an Earnest of an infinitely better and more glorious Resurrection already in your Hearts—You know a little how delightful it [Page 169] must have been to Martha, and Mary, and Lazarus, to sit down with the blessed Jesus here below—But how infinitely more delight­ful will it be, to sit down, not only with Mary and Martha, but with Abraham, Isaac and Ja­cob, and all your other dear Brethren and Sisters, in the Kingdom of Heaven—Do you not long for that Time, when Jesus shall say unto you, Come up hither? Well, blessed be God, yet a little while and that same Jesus, who cried with a loud Voice, Lazarus come forth, shall with the same Voice, and with the same Power, speak unto all that are in their Graves, and they shall come forth—That all who hear [...]he this Day may be then enabled to lift up their Heads and rejoice, that the Day of their com­ [...]leat Redemption is indeed fully come, may [...]esus Christ grant for his infinite Mercy's [...]ake, Amen, and Amen.