CERTAIN SERMONS, UPON SEVERAL Texts of Scripture: PREACHED BY THAT Reverend and faithful servant of jesus Christ M. ROBERT ROLLOK, Minister of the Church (and Rector of the College) of EDINBURGH. Whereof the first eleven were be fore published, and the remnant seven, are newly adjoined thereunto.  
Imprinted at Edinburgh ANDRO HART, 1616.   



The number of Sermons, with the Texts of Scripture, and in what leaf to find every Sermon.  
I 2. Cor. Chap. 5. vers. 1. 2. 3 4. Fol. 1  
TWO 2. Cor. Chap. 5. vers. 5. 6. 7. 8. Fol. 24  
III 2. Cor. Chap. 5. vers. 9 10. 11. Fol. 45  
IV 2. Cor. Chap. 5. vers. 12. 13. 14. 15. Fol. 63  
V 2. Cor. Chap. 5. vers. 16. 17. 18. Fol. 79  
VI 1. Cor. Chap. 2. vers. 6. 7. 8. 9 Fol. 97  
VII 1. Cor. Chap. 2. vers. 10. 11. 12. Fol. 118  
VIII 2. Cor. Chap. 4. vers. 3. 4. 5. Fol. 137  
IX 2. Cor. Chap. 10. vers. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Fol. 155  
X Philip. Chap. 1. vers. 18. 19 20. 21. etc. Fol. 175  
XI Titus, Chap. 3. vers. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Fol. 198    


These are newly adjoined.  
XII Psalm cxxx. vers. 1. 2. 3. 4. Fol. 229  
XIII Psalm cxxx. vers. 5. 6. 7. 8. Fol. 246  
XIV Mat. Chap. 15. ver. 21. 22. 23. 24 etc. Fol. 262  
XV Luk. chap. 7. ver. 37. 38. 39 40. 41. etc. Fol. 281  
XVI john, Chap. 3. verse 6. Fol. 306  
XVII ● Timoth. Chap. 1. vers. 12. 13. 14. Fol. 332  
XVIII 1. Tim. Chap. 1. vers. 14. 15. 16. Fol. 357     

TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFUL, THEIR MOST LOVING FRIEND IN THE LORD, MASTER WILLIAM SCOT of ELY, Grace in this life, and everlasting glory in the Life to come.  
OUR Gracious GOD, who in His rich Mercy (RIGHT WORSHIPFUL) hath in this latter time raised up many rare and worthy instruments and faithful Preachers in other Countries about us, hath not left this our Country destitute of the like benefits: for, as amongst them, so amongst us, striving with our ingratitude, He hath raised up from time to time sundry notable men, endued with singular graces, whose ministery He made powerful to ouer●… the kingdom of Satan, sin, and the Anti●… to acquire a CHURCH unto Himself, in the which He might be glorified in the riches of His mercies: of whom the most part now sleep in the LORD, and rest from their labours: Amongst whom MASTER ROBERT ROLLOK, of blessed memory, deserveth (for his graces) to be counted with the first: for who ever pressed more to approve himself to GOD in a good conscience than he? Who ever was more faithful and pairfull in his calling than he? He stro●e always to glorify GOD, and to honour his profession and calling by a godly life and conversation, so that the very enemies of the truth could not accuse him, nor Envy itself justly reprove him: He set himself always to do good to others: for he thought he was not his own man, but deputed for the service of others: He was never idle, but he did either read, meditate, pray, confer, counsel, comfort, preach or write: He was peaceable in the Church, patient of wrongs, never vindictive, but ever ready to forgive: He sought not the world, knowing that he had here no continuing, but had his conversation in the Heaven, from whence he looked for his Saviour to come.  
But it is needless to praise him, either to you, Sir, who knoweth so well what store of grace the LORD vouchsafed upon him, or yet to any others, seeing his works speak plainly enough for him: for as he edified many in his life by his Preaching, so also hath he edified many not only in his Country, but in many other parts, by his learned and judicious writings, lef● behind him.  
And because his Lectures, that have been before published by us, upon the COLOSSIANS and THESSALONIANS, as also the first eleven SERMONS here contained, have been received with good liking and applause of many: and new, finding that there are not copies extant, especially of these eleven Sermons, to satisfy the desire of such as seek them, we have thought good to cause imprint them over again: as also to adjoin seven other Sermons, preached by him upon diverse Texts, and received by his Scholars from his mouth: which indeed we must confess, required the refining hand of the Author, that they might have shined in their own beauty: Always, our care have been in these, as in all the rest before published, out of some copies offered unto us, as near as we could, to give out to the public view of the Church, both the matter, style, and phrase of the godly Author.  
Now, for many reasons we are moved to recommend these his Sermons, (and our labours therein) to your patronage, that with them your memory, with the posterity, might long endure.  
First, in respect of the entire love and affection ye carried to Master ROLLOK from the first hour that ye were acquainted with him, even unto his death: for no man ever loved him, conversed with him, respected him, etc., more than yourself: and many a time have you resorted unto him in his health, and offered him such courtesy and kindness, that he acknowledged himself to be obliged to none so much as to you.  
And finally, ye not only visited him in his sickness, but alured him to come to your house, where without regard of pains and expenses, ye entertained him, and such as visited him, most liberally and cheerfully, till the time that the LORD called him to Himself: Yea, ye counted it a singular blessing of the LORD, that He honoured you with suh a guest.  
Next, Master ROLLOK in his Testament ordained, that all his Books, which after should be imprinted, should be dedicated unto you: that whosoever got commodity thereof, next after GOD, might give the honour and thanks unto you.  
thirdly, through your care, endeavour, and expenses only these whole Sermons were gathered in from them that wrote them, through your procurement only they were revised, corrected, and made fit for the Printing: by your means only now they see the light, which without you had been buried in darkness.  
lastly, if it were free for us to make choice of a patron, we would make choice of none but you, to testify our thankfulness for your great undeserved kindness showed unto us particularly, yea, and to all these whom the LORD hath set in His service.  
So that in all respects reason requireth, that all these Sermons should be published under your patronage and protection: For whereas your name was not prefixed unto the first eleven, when they were first imprinted: (seeing by your endeavour, charges, and expenses only they were first set forth) now this occasion being presented, we might justly have been blamed, if that oversight by us had not been amended.  
Finally, Sir, honour the LORD, and He will honour you, delight in His ways, and He will give you your hearts desire, weary not to do good unto the Saints, and He will recompense you, & at last, will crown all your good deeds with glory.  
The LORD make you to go on from grace to grace, and in all things direct you by His Spirit, that ye may be long happy in this life, and for ever happy in the life to come, Amen. Edinburgh, the 22. of januarie, Anno Dom. 1616.  
Yours in the Lord, H. C. W. A.   

THE FIRST SERMON.  II. COR. CHAP. V. 
verse 1 For we know, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be destroyed, we have a building given of GOD, that is, an house not made with hands, but eternal in the Heavens:  
verse 2 For therefore we sigh, desiring to be clothed with our house, which is from Heaven.  
verse 3 Because that if we be clothed, we shall not be found naked:  
verse 4 For indeed, we that are in this tabernacle, sigh, and are burdened because we would not be unclothed, but would be clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.  
IN the Chapter immediately going before, the Apostle Paul hath been speaking of the afflictions that he suffered in his own person▪ and hath declared, that there was two things that held him up in those afflictions, the one thing present, the other thing to come. The thing present, the power of God, the life of jesus, this held him up in such sort (saith he) that when he was dying under affliction in the body, yet the life of jesus was manifest in him, & he was living in soul: and the more his body was decaying & wearing away, the more the inner-man, that spiritual life that floweth from Christ, grew and was renewed. Woe to that man that dieth altogether! thou must die, and this body and life must be separated, the▪ body must go to dust, but look that soul and body go not together: look that as thou findest the body and life natural to decay, so thou find that spiritual life that floweth from the Lord of life, to grow, or else of necessity thou must have a woeful departure. This is the thing present that held him up. Another thing, and greater, which was not present, but to come, held him up under a●l the afflictions that were laid upon him, which he uttereth in th●se words, The momentanean lightness of affliction worketh unto us an everlasting weight of glory that passeth in excellency. These are the words of the Apostle, wherein he would learn us, that after all these afflictions are done and ended, there abideth a glory after this life, that passeth in infinite degrees above all the afflictions that ever came to man in this life.  
Will ye look to the nature of the afflictions, First, they are light, that is one property: then they last but for a moment, that is another property: the weight of them is light▪ the time of their during is but a moment: but the glory (mark every word of the Apostle) the glory (saith he) passeth in excellency. It is not only excellent, but i● excelleth in excellency, excellent above excellency, an heap above an help, mounting up to an infinite heap. Then look to the weight thereof, it is not light▪ but it is heavy: the afflictions were as light as a feather, or as the wind, in comparison of this glory, but the glory is heavy and weighty, a weight of glory that passeth in excellency, this is the first property. Then look to the time, the afflictions were but for a moment. And if thou shouldest live a thousand years, and be afflicted as many years (for all thy days, and thy best days, if thou shouldest live never so well, ●re but days of affliction) all the thousand years are but a moment in respect of that eternity that followeth. Then let your eye be ever upon eternity of joy, or eternity of pain, eternity either of torment or of rest. Affliction is but for a moment, this glory that passeth in excellency is eternal in time. Lo, how great things are spoken in few words! A glory passing in weight & eternity. And when he hath told you all that he can, he hath not attained to the thousand part of the greatness of that glory: never man thought of it as it is, nor it could never enter into the heart of man that excellent glory that is prepared for them that love God, 1. Cor. 2. 9 When he hath set down these two points in the end of the chap. preceding, he goeth forward, a●d he showeth what he is doing in the mean time whilst he getteth this excellent glory. Learn to do as he is doing, he saith, Mine eyes are not upon the world, my look is not set upon these visible things, which men have so great pleasure into; but mine eyes are lifted up, & I am looking to things invisible, that the mortal eye of man cannot see, because all these things visible are but temporal, & will decay. If it were a kingdom, and thou begin to rest or repose upon it▪ it will decay, and thou shalt fall down together with it, and perish everlastingly: But the things invisible are eternal, and he who leaneth & reposeth thereon, shall get eternity. Look to the condition of those things whereupon thou reposest in this world: for if they be things heavenly, spiritual and eternal, thou shalt be heavenly, spiritual and eternal: And as ever thou wouldst wish to see that glory, look that thine eye be set thereon in this earth, look that thine eye be mounted up above all these earthly things, & that thou keep the heavenly things in thy sight: forget them not, for if thou die and they be out of thy sight, thou shalt never see them: Take pleasure to look to that excellent glory, and thou shalt obtain it, otherwise not.  
Now I come to the text: I shall let you see the disposition of the Apostle, and what he esteemeth of this life present, whereof we account so much, and whereupon our hearts & minds are so set to keep it: All our terror is for the parting of the soul from the body: look to Paul what he doth, and behold his disposition, either in life or death: Brethren, we have the more need to take heed to these things, because we shall all be put to the proof, happy is he that can be prepared! The Apostle having spoken this, that his eye was set on that heavenly glory; it might have been said, thou settest thine eye upon a life above: but take heed Paul, thou shalt die in the mean time, is not life and death two contraries? thou must die, and that body of thine must be dissolved: lookest thou ever to rise agine? thinkest thou any other thing but to be disappointed of life? lookest thou that that body of thine, being dissolved in dust, shall rise again to glory? This is a sore temptation, and sundry thinketh after this manner. The Apostle answereth, We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building given of God, an house not made with hands, but eternal in the heavens. Learn a lesson here: Ye see while a man is looking to heaven, he will not be without temptation, no not Paul himself, nor none other man nor woman, that have their conversation in heaven: And the special temptation of him who would fain have life, is death, and the dreadful sight of death, and death is ever in his eye: He was never borne but death will tempt him, death will be terrible to flesh and blood, and when he is looking up to that light and glory in heaven, it will come in betwixt his eye and the sight of heaven, as it were a terrible black cloud, and sometime will sunder him and that sight of Heaven. As when a man is looking up to the Sun, a cloud will come, even suddenly, and take the sight of the Sun from him: Even so, when a man is looking up to the Sun of righteousness, CHRIST JESUS, that cloud of death will come in▪ and catch the sight of CHRIST from him. This is our estate here, & there is none acquainted with Heavenly things, but he will find this in experience, as PAUL did. But what is the remedy? In the first word of the Text that we have read he spieth, We know, and we are assured, for the word importeth a full assurance, and faith, and a full persuasion. Then the remedy against this temptation of death is only Faith, a full persuasion, and light in the mind of the knowledge of the glory of GOD in the face of CHRIST, with a griping and apprehension thereof: this is the only remedy. The man that lieth in ignorance, and hath not this knowledge, he is oppressed by death. So ever seek, and seek earnestly for light, CHRIST is light: and let your pleasure be in light, for death is darkness, and smoothe●●th the soul, except it be lightened with this light that comes from the face of JESUS. But to be more special, what light and knowledge must this be? what assurance must this be? Thou must know and be assured, not that thou wilt be free from death: nay, beguile not thyself, die thou must, and therefore resolve thyself to die: so it must not be such an assurance as to be persuaded that thou shalt not die, opponing thyself to death, saying, I will not die, & I shall not die. Then what assurance & knowledge must this be? Ever this, that after I am dead I shall rise again to life. It is true, O death, thou shalt cease upon my body, and thou shalt not leave it till it be dissolved into dust, but when thou hast gotten this body dissolved, I shall recover a new glorious body. There is the meeting of this temptation, assure thyself of life after death. Seek this assurance, and labour to pierce, with the eye of Faith thorough the clouds of temptation, to see that life in Christ, which is hid up above those clouds. Seek that eye of Faith, to pierce in through those clouds, to show thee that life and the Sun of righteousness, Christ jesus. Now, the words would be weighed particularly: and first, mark a description of this death, and of the temptations that would separate thee from that life eternal. The words are these, If our earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved. Then what is death? a dissolution and losing of a thing that was joined together, a dissolving and scattering of the parts of it: it is not an utter destruction of it, the thing that it dissolveth, it destroyeth not utterly: It lieth not in the hands of death to destroy the thing it dissolveth, it may well lose it and cast it asunder, but it cannot destroy it. Then death is a dissolution, and not a destruction: a dissolving, whereof? not of the soul, it lieth not in the power of death to lose thy soul or sunder the parts thereof, thou hast that advantage: Death will dissolve and lose thine house the lodging that thou dwellest in, that is, this body which clotheth thy soul: Thou art termed by thy soul, and the soul properly maketh a man to be a man, it is the chief part of man, and the body is called the lodging of the soul, and the soul dwelleth in it as in an house: So death is the dissolution of the body, of the house▪ which it looseth into powder: yea, it will lose all the members and parts of the house. O! but mark, when it cometh to powder and ashes, it lieth not in the hands of death to destroy the powder and ashes of the body, but that powder and ashes in despite of death will be gathered and set together in a more glorious form of body than ever it was before. Yet look how the Apostle describeth this house: First from the matter, secondly from the form thereof: As for the matter, he calleth it our earthly house. This body is but clay, even a lump of that clay and earth whereupon thou goest, esteem of it as thou wilt: ye see the matter of this body is vile and contemptible: as for the form thereof, it is an house, not an house that hath a foundation, or builded on a groundstone, but a tabernacle and flitting tent: it is set down here to day, tomorrow taken up, and set down in another place: thy body is a pavilion, that men transport hither and thither as they please. Then thou seest that thy body is a thing little worth, whether thou look to the matter whereof it is made (of the earth) or to the form thereof, an unstable tent or pavilion. Now mark this well, brethren, who speaketh this? it is Paul: how speaketh he it? by faith: speaketh the body this? no: what then? the soul that dwelleth in the body, as in a lodging speaketh it. The soul is speaking of the body, the faithful soul of Paul is speaking of his frail body. Then learn how little faith counteth of death: Learn also how little the faithful soul counteth of the body, yea▪ even than when it is dwelling in the body, it will lightly the lodging thereof: it will call it a lump of clay, a tabernacle, a tent, a frail house: it will count no more thereof, than a glorious king will count of a cottage, he having many fair palaces. We'll, brethren, it is faith that doth this, it is not the soul alone that can count so lightly of death, or of the frail body: if thou hast only the soul in the body, and want this faith, the soul will think the body sweet to dwell in: It is faith, and the faithful soul that doth the turn: and there is not a better argument than this, to see if thy soul be faithful or not. Look what estimation thou hast of thy body and carcase, what account thou makest thereof, I say to thee, if thou hast thy chief pleasure in esteeming of thy body, decking and feeding it, following thine appetite, wallowing in the lust thereof, if thou livest in such estimation of thy body, I say, thou hast a faithless soul remaining within thy body. Woe to that faithless man, that hath none other pleasure, not can gripe nor seek to none other thing but to the pleasing of that fleshly body, without regard of the precious soul: alas! in pleasuring thy body, thou losest thy soul, thou makest thy body thy Heaven, and thou testifiest plainly that thou wantest that light and sense of that Heavenly body, which shall be after this life. Thus far for the description of the death of the body, which is the house of the soul, learning us to esteem of the soul and body, as they are indeed, and that not with a fleshly sense, but with the Spiritual eyes of Faith.  
Now we come to the life that is contrary to death. There is two parts of man, his soul and body: this glory, of the which we speak, is not the glory of the soul only, but the glory of the body likewise, a glory belonging both to soul and body. We (saith he) shall get a building, not a silly house, as this earthly body was, but a fair building. He calleth the body, which we have presently, an house: but the body which we shall get, he termeth it a building: Thou gottest this body from nature, that other is above nature: nature cannot give thee that other body, GOD shall give thee it above nature, and against nature. What building is this? It is an house, not builded with the hands of men, it is builded with GOD'S own hand: the LORD immediately with his own hand builded up this building. The former house of this body was unstable, and had no abiding, for this body passeth away: but this second building is an house that shall never fall nor slit, but shall be eternal: When thou shalt get this building, thou shalt not need to be afraid for the dissolution thereof, it shall never be dissolved. Where shall this building be builded? men regard much situation in building: this house in the which we dwell here, it is builded in the earth, and it is a tabernacle pitched sometimes in this place, & sometimes in that place, but the situation of this building shall be in the Heaven: for I assure thee, when a man is once glorified, & entereth into that glory, he shall no more return to the earth. The earth cannot bear a glorified person. Christ being glorified, could not abide in the earth, but He went to that glorious mansion in the Heavens. Thou shalt no sooner be glorified, but thou shalt mount up to Heaven as CHRIST did. Well then, there is the glory, and there is no word here, but it aggregeth that passing glory. Every word lets us see the greatness of that glory, and yet it is not all told. Nay, Paul cannot tell thee all the glory that shall be in the glorified body, he hath given but a little inkling of it. It is but a building whereof he telleth thee: Yet mark, Who is this that speaketh this? It is Paul. How speaketh he it? by faith. Is it his mouth that speaketh it? no: it is the soul that lodgeth in the body, that falleth out in the extolling of that building that it shall dwell in. As a silly man, in a cottage, appointed to glory should say, I am now sitting in a silly house, but I shall once sit in a glorious Palace. So mark, Faith will cause the soul mount up above the body, and whilst the soul is in the body, Faith and Hope will lift it up, and put it (in a manner) into Heaven. Therefore this same Paul saith in the third Chapt. to the Philip. & the 30 verse. By Faith and Hope he had his conversation in Heaven, while he was yet dwelling on the earth. Get therefore Faith and Hope, that entereth thee into the possession of that glory, and before the soul be severed from the body, they will (in a manner) put thee in possession thereof. It is the too-looke to heaven that maketh the soul of Paul to rejoice in this glory. The cottager that hath not a too-looke to a better house, is a fool to despise his cottage, but he that hath a too-looke to a better, who can blame him to despise this cottage? I will tell thee my counsel, before thou dislodge out of this body, for as frail as it is, be assured of a better, go not out of the house door, except thou know that thou shalt enter into a glorious house. I assure thee if thou be not provided for a better house, and have not Faith and Hope of a better than that which thou lodgest in, thou shalt enter in a worse, thou shalt get that body again which was evil before, but than it shall be a thousand times worse: for the soul shall be shot into that body again, and then thou shalt be shot both soul and body into that foul dungeon of Hell. So, brethren, look for a glorious building, & thou that esteemest not of this body, be careful for a better. A vain prodigal man will cast his soul out of this body, and in the mean time will not be provided for a better lodging thereto. He is not esteemed a man in these days, that will not hazard and cast out his life for an evil cause and quarrel. Trustest thou that that soul of thine shall get any better lodging hereafter, and thou not provided thereof by Faith and Hope here? nay, nay. O blessed is that man that dieth in a good cause! And what better cause can be than Christ's cause, who is the God of life? Assure thee, thou that wilt die for Christ's cause, thou shalt get a building in Heaven: thou that takest no care of this life for Christ's cause, death shall be advantage to thee. The Lord grant us a too-looking to that Heavenly building, & an assurance of that Heavenly life. Thus much for the assurance that Paul hath, that he shall dwell in Heaven.  
Now in the verse following, learn how he groundeth this assurance, and what firebrand he hath for him: Faith is not a word, as to say, (I believe) and Hope is not a word, as to say, (I hope) Nay, but thou must have a warrant of thy salvation in this life or else I assure thee, in the Name of GOD, thou shalt never get Heaven: It is a strait way to come to Heaven, and it is wondrous hard to get the assurance of it: It is no small matter to get an assurance of life everlasting after death. Then look what warrants this man PAUL had, that thou mayest press to have the like. The first ground of his assurance is in this second verse, For this cause (saith he) we sigh, desiring to be clothed, to put on, as it were, a garment: Wherewith? With our house which is from Heaven. These are his words. Then his first firebrand and ground of his assurance is a desire of that same glory. What sort of desire? An earrest desire, with sighing and sobbing: not a cold desire, but day and night crying and sobbing for life. Thinkest thou so easily to get Heaven, that canst never say earnestly in thine heart, GOD give me that Heavenly life: no, thou wilt be disappointed: It is the violent that entereth into Heaven, Matth. 11. 12. as ye will see a man violently thrust in at a door. Thou that wouldst go to Heaven, make thee for thronging thorough till all thy gutss be almost thrust out. Paul, in the eight chapter to the Romans. and the 22. and 23. verses, useth these arguments against those wicked men that cannot sigh for Heaven: First, he taketh his argument from the elements, the senseless and dumb reatures, which sob and groan for the revelation of the sons of GOD, and travel for that time, as a woman in her birt●▪ O miserable man! The earth shall condemn thee, the floor thou sittest on is sighing, and would fain have that carcase of thine to Heaven: The waters, the air, the heavens, all sighing for that last deliverance: the glory appertaineth to thee, and yet thou art laughing: Alas! what shall betide thee? The other argument he taketh from the sighing of men, who have gotten the Spirit of GOD: We also (saith he) who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we do sigh in ourselves, waiting for the adoption, even the redemption of our body. Thou that hast not gotten the Spirit shalt never sigh for Heaven: flesh and blood will never shed one tear for Heaven. It must only be the Spirit of JESUS, that must fetch up the sigh out of the heart, and the tear in the eye, Roman. 8. 26. So he taketh his argument from them who have gotten a sense of the Spirit of GOD, and redemption of the body to prove the certainty of that Heavenly Kingdom and glory. Now, there cannot be a surer argument to us that ever we shall obtain glory, than this sighing in heart for it, and this earnest desire thereof. If thou find thine heart desirous of glory, a sure argument thou shalt be partaker of glory. It is said, Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled, Matth. 5. 6. Seekest thou for CHRIST'S righteousness and thy glory, assure thee thou shalt get a sweet filling. Mark it, I say to thee, thou hast not only through this earnest desire of glory, an assurance that thou shalt reign in glory, but (look to your experience) that desire is not so soon begun of that life and glory, but so soon also the soul of the faithful beginneth to rise with joy. Who ever yet was he that gave a sigh from his heart, raised up by the Spirit of Christ, that felt not with that sigh a joy in his heart? Learn it by your experience. This letteth us see, that the desire and thirst of glory putteth us in present possession of a part of glory. Ere thou come to it desire it earnestly, and I promise thee, in the Name of the Father, thou shalt be presently put in possession of a part of that Heavenly inheritance. It is true thou shalt not get it all here, yet there is none other Heaven after this life, but that Heaven which thou gettest begun in thee in this life. Always, look ever for that joy that is by sight: There are two joys, the one by sight, the other by faith, 2. Cor. 5. 6. The joy by faith is in our pilgrimage in this life: The joy by sight is after this life, when with our eyes we shall see Christ: The joy by faith is to look to Christ a far of, and yet we rejoice, and love Him that is far absent, 1. Pet. 1. 8. Faith hath a joy that it enjoyeth, by speaking and thinking: Sight hath the joy that it enjoyeth by presence: The joy of the eye great in quantity, and the fullness of joy: The joy of faith not so great, for it is the joy of a pilgrim, not as yet come to his home. The joy of the sight is when we shall see our glorious Lord, face to face, whom we see only now by faith. 1 Cor 13 12. This is the fullness of joy. The joy of Faith, which enduring our pilgrimage, is not so full. O how great shall be the joy at the perfect seeing of Christ! Think never to have the joy by sight after this life, except in this life thou have the joy by faith, as the earnest-penny of the other, & except by Faith thou once get a joy before thou depart from this life, thou shalt never see the face of Christ, nor have joy in him. So brethren, it is a good thing to have that desire of Heaven: Sigh and sob, and desire with Paul for Heaven: for it is a Charter & Evidence of thine everlasting inheritance: & never earthly lord had a surer charter of his land, than thou that hast a desire of heaven, hast of thine inheritance in heaven: for these earthly evidences of land are without them in their kists but this evidence of thine is written & engraffed in thine heart. Now, when extremity is threatened, it is time to seek thy warrants of this heavenly in heritance: this present country is good for thee, & the best country that ever thou shalt see, except thou find this warrant of sighing, and desire for that heavenly inheritance. And therefore let scorners & mockers scorn as they will, the children of God must power forth tears: And this is it that the Lord hath been desiring these many days past, he hath benegently drawing out of us this sense, but now He beginneth to press it out of us, that our eyes might burst out in tears: and thou that canst not sob, and desire in these miserable days to be dissolved, thou hast no true matter of joy. Woe be to them that have none heart to sigh for the troubles of Christ's Church, but are ever ready to execute judgement against God's servants when the Lord is visiting them. Well, the Lord shall wring out tears out of them in His wrath, that will not sob in the time of the danger and trouble of His Church. Then what is it that Paul sigheth for? And what desireth he? He desireth a new clothing to be put one above as a clothing that is, he would keep this same body in substance, and cast off this filthy garment of sinand death, & put on that glorious shape of the body of Christ. The reason is set down, For when the Lord shall clothe us, we shall not be found naked. So this body shall remain in substance but O the glory and immortality of it! Mark the nature of the lodging which we shall receive, it shall not be another body in substance, than this body which we have here in earth. The same body in substance we shall have in heaven, which we have here. Herein only is the difference, this body is vile, it is mortal, full of sin and wickedness, unglorious, ignominious, full of corruption, weak infirm, But when this body shall be changed in heaven, it shall not be changed in substance, but in quality Paul. 1 Cor. 15. 42. 43. 44. Saith, The body is sawn in corruption, and is raised again in incorruption, and is raised again in incorruption: it is sown in dishonour, and is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness, and is raised in power: (The weakest body in Heaven, shall be stronger than the strongest man in earth) Then (saith he) it is sown a natural body, and is raised a spiritual body. So the change is in quality, and therefore he saith to the Philippians, chap. 3. vers. 21. When CHRIST cometh, He shall transform (not abolish, but transform) in quality, our vile bodies like to His own glorious body. Christ keepeth in the Heaven that same very body which he had in the earth, & thou shalt keep the same body in Heaven, which thou hast in earth, but it shall be altered in quality, as far as the Heaven & earth is different. Brethrens, this ministereth comfort: there is none of us, but naturally we love this body: then let this comfort thee, that suppose thy soul shall be for a time without this body, yet thou shalt get it again. Another comfort: death cannot destroy it, the grave shall not be able to swallow up that body, but the grave shall keep it, & the dust & substance thereof till the coming of Christ, & then it shall be compelled to render it again. Life shall swallow up death, but death (nor the grave) shall not be able to swallow up the body of God● Elect: But the reprobate shall be swallowed up of death, both in soul & body. In the 8. chap. to the ROMANS, the 10. and 11. verses, Paul ministereth these two consolations against death, He saith, The body must die, because of sin: but he subjoineth, The soul in the mean time shall live: and the Spirit of jesus shall take it & cover it with that blood: And albeit it was a sinful soul, yet assoon as the Father blinketh upon it, wimpled and wrapped, as it were, in the blood of jesus, immediately he biddeth it pass to glory. He goeth forward: And where it might have been said, shall we have no consolation in the body? He answereth, If the Spirit of Him that raised jesus from the dead, dwell in your mortal body: what then? He, that is, GOD the Father, that raised up Christ from the dead, He, by His Spirit, shall raise your bodies: that same body that is dead and laid in grave, that same body, by God's Spirit (for the Spirit of jesus, and the Spirit of the Father is all one) shall be raised up Learn then, if this holy Spirit of God once take lodging in you, He shall never leave you in soul nor body, He shall accompany the body in the grave, and convoy the soul to Heaven: The Spirit of jesus shall go with the soul, & lift it up: The earth getteth the body, when the soul is separated from it, yet the Holy Spirit shall go to the grave with the body, and shall remain with it in the grave, and with the least part of the dust thereof: And when Christ shall come, He shall gather it together, and make it a whole body. So, happy are they that have once lodged this guest in their souls: for, neither fire nor water, nor none other power, ever shall be able to destroy them, because that Holy Spirit ever remaineth with them. Now in the next verse, because it might have been said and objected, Thou wouldst not want the body▪ why sighest thou then? and what meaneth this desire, if thou wouldst keep the body? We (the faithful) that are in this tabernacle, we sigh, & are burdened, (but mark our desire) because we would not be unclothed, (as some will say, Soul to God, and bones to the dunghill, in contempt of the body: but thinkest thou to be glorified in Heaven, without a body? No) but would be clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of Life. As if he would say, I would have this fair cloak of glory put upon this body, that it might consume and swallow up all this stink of sin that is in the body. Learn then first, the body as it is now is a burden. He saith, We that are in this tabernacle sigh, and are burdened: It is a load laid upon the back of the soul, it is a tabernacle, but a burthenable tabernacle, as an house smothering him down, and he holding the same upon his shoulders, that apparently it would be better for him to be out of it. Learn secondly the estate of them that dwell in this tabernacle: If the body be a burden, than the soul must sigh & groan as a man under a heavy burden: And the body is nothing but an house of mourning to the faithful soul, as long as it dwelleth therein: The wanton light man thinketh this body which he beareth about, to be no burden, and will run and leap with it, as though this carcase were as light as a feather: Alas! he feeleth not the burden, he is senseless, and like one in a fever, and in a rage, that knoweth not what he doth, nor what he suffereth: A mountain is lying upon him, and he feeleth it not. Woe to those men that are so wanton under this misery! Amend in time or the LORD sh●ll thrust thee down to Hell. Fie on thee, that dwellest in Bethania, the house of mourning & canst not mourn: Mourn in time, or else I assure thee, thou shalt mourn for ever. This being the condition of men who dwell in this tabernacle, sighing and desiring, as a wom●n with child, to be relieved, what is the end of this desire? The end of the mourning of the Godly, is not that they would be quite of the house, as many desire, that were wrong: for many will mourn under this house desperately, and the body will be a burden to the soul in them, and their life will be unpleasant to them: they will think to get a relief of the burden by the want of this present life, and will put hand in themselves: but then beginneth their everlasting mourning, for they never knew what mourning was till that end come. So then, this is not the way to be delivered of the burden, but the way is, To seek to put on a clothing on this body, and here is the end of our desire. It is clothed with mortality, and that is all the matter of thy mourning: It is not the substance of the body that causeth thee to mourn, but sin, that possesseth thy body, and corrupteth the marrow of thy bones, death accompanying sin. Then this mortality being an accident of sin, which is the chief cause thereof: the remedy is, Seek to be clothed with the life that cometh from Christ: Suck in, by Faith, a drop of that life of Christ. This will not destroy thy body, but it will destroy the death & sin that possesseth thy body. And the life of jesus Christ in a moment will swallow up all that death and sin, and all that misery that lay on thee: There is the way to dwell with ease in the body: Seek not to destroy the body, But seek the slaughter of that sin and death that lieth upon thy body, otherwise soul and body both shall perish, the house shall fall down, and the man that lodged in the house shall be destroyed.  
Remember then, Life and Death are not matters to be scorned withal, they are not words, nay, nay: Think gravely of them, and before thy soul be dislodged, look that thou be prepared for a better life: Look that thou find the LORD of Life CHRIST JESUS by His Spirit working the death of mortality in thee, and the beginning of the Life that shall last for ever. The LORD by His Spirit work these things in your hearts. To whom be all Praise, Honour, and Glory, for ever and ever,  
AMEN.   

THE SECOND SERMON.  II. COR. CHAP. V. 
verse 5 And He that hath created us for this thing, is GOD, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.  
verse 6 Therefore, we are always bold, though we know that Whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the LORD.  
verse 7 (For we walk by faith, and not by sight.)  
verse 8 Nevertheless, we are bold, & love rather to remove out of the body, and to dwell with the LORD.  
BRethren, ye that were present the last day, heard what was the purpose of Paul in this place. First he beginneth to comfort himself and all others that are to die, and to be dissolved, against death, & the terrors of death. He (as he saith in the chap. preceding & 18. verse.) is looking up to Heaven, and whilst he is looking up to Heaven, to see that end that he was once to attain to, there cometh in betwixt his sight and the light of that glory and life, a cloud of death, to have caught away out of his eyes (if it had been possible) all too-looke to life everlasting. The remedic against it, we showed you was Faith, and a constant Hope, with a sharp, earnest, and steadfast looking, even to pierce in throrow death, and that cloud of death, and thorough death to get a sight of that life, and light of glory, which lieth hid up in Heaven beyond death. We know (saith the Apostle) and are assured, that our bodies and the earthly house of this tabernacle, shall be dissolved, yet we shall get a building for an house, a building that is from God, not made with men's hands, but an eternal building, that is situated in the Heavens above the earth. When he hath set down this remedy, he beginneth to comfort himself and others, by a sure Faith, that after death he shall live again, after the dissolution of his mortal body, he shall receive a glorious body. The first argument of his assurance is from the desire he had of life, sighing with an earnest desire of that Kingdom which is from Heaven. This desire never disappointed man: Never was there any man that had an earnest desire of life & glory, and had the true knowledge and mean to attain to this glory, that was disappointed of his desire: but who ever desired most earnestly to be glorified, most certainly they live now in Heaven, and at this hour they are glorified there: and none there shall be that shall have this desire, and strive to throng into Heaven violently, Mat. 11. 12. but they shall enjoy Heaven after their departing. Now in the Text which we have read, we follow out the assurances and warrants which the Apostle hath of the glory of the life to come. The second assurance and warrant of the life to come is in the first words, He (saith the Apostle) that hath created us for this thing, is God, etc. The argument of the life to come in these words, is from the end of our creation, GOD hath created us to this end, to wit, That in the end this mortality wherewith we are clothed, might be swallowed up of Life: therefore, live must we in Heaven. This is the end of our creation, therefore it cannot fail, but we must be glorified. Learn then, The manner of our glorifying is this: It is GOD, not man, that hath made us, and created us to this end: It is impossible that GOD can be disappointed of the end which He setteth before Him of His work: man may be disappointed, for he will begin a work for some purpose, but oft times he will be disappointed of that purpose: He will build an house to dwell in, but it may be he never dwell in it, another will dwell therein. GOD, when He worketh a work to any end, it is impossible that He can be disappointed. All the world, if they would stand up, and oppone to GOD'S work, they cannot hinder it. That work that GOD worketh in us, is such a work that tendeth to Life, as to the end thereof. Who shall condemn us? (saith the Apostle) it is God that justifieth us, Roman. 8. 33. Will He justify thee? all the world shall not be able to condemn thee: Will He save thee? all the world shall not be able to make thee perish: So is it of His whole Church in general: Suppose all the world were conspired against His Church, He will have it safe: and wonderfully worketh He the salvation of His Church, & every member thereof: through death He bringeth them to life: so that it is folly to men to strive against the works of God. Yet look to the words, He that hath created us to this end, is God. What creation is this that he meaneth of? Is this that first creation of Adam and Eva? of every one of us in them that was at the beginning? Not so, that creation failed. Indeed we were first created to live, and thorough that first creation every one of us got a certain right to live for ever, but that right we lost in our own default, we are fallen from that right of our creation in the fall of Adam. So we must seek another creation, or else we shall never see Life: for we have no right to that first creation, which was in all Holiness, according to the image of GOD, Ephes. 4. 24. If thou stick to that first creation and old birthright, thou shalt never see Life. Then the Apostle meaneth of another. What other making or creating of us is this? It is our regeneration or renewing again, which is nothing else, but as it were, a new birth and begetting, from the which we are called new creatures, 2. Corin. 5. 17. Then, Brethren, wouldst thou have a sure argument that thou shalt live after this life? (& woe to thee, if thou livest not after this life! woe to them that ever saw this world, and they get not a life after this life! for this life will away) Look if thou art regenerated and renewed, look if thou art sanctified, and findest a slaying of thy lusts within thee: Look if thou findest the life of God by his Spirit working within thee, not this natural life, but this Heavenly and spiritual life begun in thee not by nature, but by grace: If thou hast this, thou hast a warrant that thou shalt live: and albeit this natural life shall be taken from thee, thou shalt get another life everlasting in glory: but if thou findest thyself not renewed by the Spirit of grace, take this life from thee, thou shalt not get life everlasting in glory. So look if thou be a new creature, thou hast gotten a greater grace, than to be borne to an earthly kingdom, if so be thou mayst assure thyself of life everlasting. What is this newness in the new creature? This newness that is in the new creature, is nothing else but that same life which we shall live in Heaven, and is begun here. This newness is only this new life of regeneration, which life so long as thou livest here (from the time that thou hast gotten a spunk thereof) piece and piece eateth up the old and cankered nature. The life of God within thee, will consume (even as thou consumest the meat thou eatest) the old corruption which lieth in thy nature: and in the end, in the glorious resurrection of the dead, it shall be altogether abolished. This life then, which is begun here, it shall open the mouth, and swallow up death, and death thereafter shall have no more place. This life is only eating up by little and little death here: but at that time it shall swallow it up wholly, and thou shalt say with Paul, Death is swallowed up, 1. Cor. 15. 54. So well is the soul that hath a firebrand of his new creation, whether he die in his bed, or out of it, he shall die with joy. Then my counsel is seeing death is daily threatened, let every one strive to get this assurance of this new life begun in him here, that it may swallow up death: Woe be to them that have not this assurance! This is the second assurance of life everlasting. I pray you mark these assurances, for Paul had such an earnest desire, that he sought all assurances and warrants of this life, and he is reigning now in Heaven. So thou, who thirstest after life, learn at him. Now resteth the third firebrand in the next words, Who also hath given us the earnest of the Spirit. Learn the words, for all the doctrine riseth of the words. Then the third warrant is the Spirit of Christ jesus in thee. If ever thou mindest to have life hereafter, thou must have God's Spirit in thee: not only thine own Spirit, but God's Spirit, flowing from God through jesus Christ, & entering into thy body & soul. Behold the liberality of God, when He by His Spirit hath renewed thee, He will not take that Spirit from thee, as a man will do, when he hath builded a work, he will take his hand from it, stand if it will or not: But the Lord doth not so, He hath renewed thee by His Holy Spirit, which He putteth within thee. O how the Lord putteth the third person of the Trinity in thee, and maketh Him an earnest-penny to thee of Life everlasting: Because thy regeneration is unperfect, and thou hast not yet attained to that Life, therefore He letteth His Spirit abide in thee, assuring thee as an earnest-penny, that whatsoever God hath promised, He shall perform it to thee, and thou shalt not be disappointed of a jot thereof. Such is the infidelity of our nature, that all the promises, all the oaths which He maketh to confirm His promises, all His Sacraments which He hath joined to His promises, cannot persuade us. But look to this third firebrand, Hast thou the Spirit of God, if He be in thee, He will be quick, working joy with sighs: He cannot be idle, He will be working the work of regeneration both day and night: Then anger Him not, Ephes. 4.▪ 30. Away with filthy cogitations, away with every rotten word, away with every evil deed, labour to pleasure Him day & night, and strive to keep Him, and thou shalt hauea firebrand of life in thy bosom, and when thou art dying thou shalt find such sweetness in death as is wonderful to tell. None ever had the Spirit of God, but in death they had unspeakable joy. Then seek to be in Christ, and get His Spirit within thee, and having gotten this Spirit, keep Him diligently, and power out thine own spirit but never God's Spirit, for then in all distresses thou shalt have comfort. Now to resume all: Ye who take great pleasure in your Charters, the Evidences of your inheritance and land, take heed to this, Your inheritance is in Heaven, and thou art a fool, who thinkest that thou hast an inheritance in earth: For either shalt thou be pulled from it, or it shall be pulled from thee: Nay, look as ever thou wouldst be an inheriter, that thine inheritance be in Heaven: Thou art the foolishest beggar, and the poorest that ever was, if thou be a King, if thou thinkest thine inheritance to be in earth: Having laid this count with thyself, Mine inheritance is in Heaven, than next look that thou have thine evidence. For thou shalt never possess Heaven, except thou have the evidence thereof laid up in thy charter kissed. Now thine evidences are the same evidences that Paul had, and the same kind of evidences serve for all, it is an inheritance that all men must get, one sort of charter must serve for one inheritance. What then can be the charter and evidence? Canst thou sigh for that Heavenly inheritance? Canst thou have a desire of it: There is thy first evidence: Then findest thou thyself to be renewed? Findest thou CHRIST'S life in thee? The life of jesus is manifest in me, saith Paul, 2. Cor. 4. 10. Findest thou the wicked life of this world reform? There is the second evidence. Yet more, findest thou the worker of the desire, and the worker of thy regeneration, the Spirit of Christ within thee, then keep him well: There is the best evidence of all the evidences of thine inheritance: having these, assure thyself of Heaven: but wantest thou these, or any of them, thou shalt never get that inheritance in Heaven. As these three are three evidences of thine heavenly inheritance, so they are three props of Faith that gripe this Heavenly life: They are the three pillars that hold up Faith, which is builded upon them: cut one of these pillars away, and thou shalt lose Faith and Hope. But here it may be asked, Are all these three of the nature of the life to come? I answer, As for the desire, sighing, and sobbing for that heavenly inheritance, it endeth with this life, and in that life to come all weeping shall be taken away, REVEL. 21. 4. Mourn and groan in time, then hereafter shall come joy, and pure joy. A troubled joy is ●eere in this life, but hereafter there shall be a pure and solid joy, and nothing but joy. So this mourning ceaseth then, and is not of the nature of the life to come but as to the new creature and regeneration, it is of the nature of the life to come, and it is the beginning and first part of that heavenly glory: so that our heavenly glory shall be none other thing but the per●yting of our regeneration: For when all this pelffrie shall be taken away, than we shall fully be renewed. As to the Spirit, if ever he was powerful in earth, he shall be more powerful in Heaven: so that the same Spirit that here dwelled in thy body, shall then glorify thy body, and make it to shine brighter than the Sun: Therefore let us seek this regeneration, and the Spirit of CHRIST: For in these two standeth the perfection and the glory of the life to come.  
Now, when he hath reckoned out all the warrants of life, whereby he assureth himself thereof, he concludeth in the next ve●se, Then (saith he) we have confidence always: as if he would say, Having these warrants, I have confidence always, that is, I am assured of my glory: and yet the words import not only an assurance▪ but the effect thereof, which is a sweet security in the soul: for whensoever any man is assured of life, than the soul with sweetness will rest: then cometh that peace of Conscience, assuring us, whether we live, or we die, we are CHRIST'S: so this draweth on that boldness & confidence. Then look the nature, the beginning▪ and rising of Faith: it is builded and standeth upon these three pillars, An earnest desire of life, Regeneration, and the Spirit of GOD: These are the three props thereof, which are sensible to them who have faith, and we should be acquainted with them. Then of this riseth the sweet confidence of glory▪ and security, the repose and rest of the soul and conscience, and from the soul it cometh up to the mouth and breaketh out in a glorying. As this same Apostle upon this confidence in his soul, breaketh out & saith? What shall sever us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No▪ in all these things we are more than victorious, through Him that loved us. Rom. 8. 35. etc. So that faith being builded upon these three pillars, security and confidence being builded upon Faith, than boldness in mouth will say, I defy all contrary powers▪ lay the sword, lay fire, lay death before me, it will say, I defy them all: yea, let all the Devils of H●ll come before a man▪ & his faith be well builded, and confidence on faith, he will defy them all: yea, albeit they threaten damnation to him: for it thou stand in Christ thou shalt live: albeit thou must be separated from this mortal life, yet all the world cannot separate thee from the life of Christ. Seek this life now in time, that in trouble we may say▪ that we will rest in Christ, and all the world shall not sever thee from Him.  
Yet to go forward in the words. The Apostle as yet hath not the full contentation in heart for all this assurance: For (saith he) we know, that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the LORD. If we be at home with a thing we are far from a better thing which is abroad. Alas! thou being ●t home a● thine house and fire, thou art far abroad from thine home in Heaven: whilst we are at home in this mortal body we are strangers and Pilgrims from the LORD.  
Brethren, ye shall learn here a great difference between confidence & contentation: It is one thing to have contentation, & another thing to have confidence. This Apostle had confidence but not contentation. Thou art far deceived that thinkest thou hast sufficient contentation in this world. Woe is thee! yea, although thou have Heavenly graces, and if thou thinkest thou hast contentation, either of glory, or of sight, all is nothing: Why? Because there cannot, nor should not be contentation here: no, the best and most confident man that liveth, should not think he hath contentation in this present life. All thine holiness, faith, confidence and hope, should not give thee full contentation. All the kingdoms, honours, and riches of this world, which is nothing but dirt and pelffrie, in respect of those Heavenly things, should not give thee full contentation. And yet the worldly fool will say in his heart, I have contentation and sufficiency. O! but what said CHRIST to him that decreed with his heart to make wide barns? Fool, this night thy soul shall be taken from thee, Lu●e▪ 12. 20. Away with an opinion of contentation in this earth, and thou be a king of all the earth: Wilt thou have contentation without CHRIST? Wilt thou hau● sufficiency▪ and not have Him who is thy life & glory? When thou art a pilgrim from CHRIST, and wandering from thy country and inheritance, wilt thou say thou hast thine hearts desire? Had ever pilgrim full contentation during the time of his pilgrimage? Then no contentation to the faithful soul, but in CHRIST. I shall never think contentation to be in my soul, till I see CHRIST face to face: I give thee the same counsel, yea, and if I had all spiritual graces, in never so great a measure yet no contentation for my soul, till I see CHRIST: for all our blessedness standeth in the sight of CHRIST, and thou canst not see CHRIST here, because thou art absent from Him: For▪ as long as I am at home (speaking of the soul so long as it is closed here within this earthly tabernacle) I am absent from CHRIST: And this prison of my body so closeth me about, that I cannot see CHRIST.  
Brethren, it is this mortal body that is clothed with sin and mortality, wherewith we must be clothed as long as we are here, that holdeth us from the sight of CHRIST. It is impossible so long as thou art clothed with the sinful body, to get that full sight of JESUS, albeit He were standing on the earth, clothed with His glory. So thou must be unclothed of this mortality, ere thou canst see Him: And there is the ground wherefore we should think no contentation whilst we are in this body: Because so long as we dwell in this mortal body, we shall never see CHRIST, nor get a full fruition of His countenance. Therefore, Brethren, take not so much pleasure and delight in this mortal body▪ for I assure thee, it is but a prison, holding the faithful soul, and the eye of the faithful soul from the sight of CHRIST, but assoon as it shall be loosed from it, it shall mount immediately with joy to CHRIST, and there get full contentation in His face. ye think, so long as ye want these earthly things, ye cannot get contentation: (I speak not of the wicked, but even of the regenerated man) but when the soul getteth this glorious presence of CHRIST in Heaven, it shall have joy in infinite degrees greater than ever it had in earth. And albeit the body shall lie here in grave, and ignominy for a time, yet all that shall be recompensed by the glorious sight of CHRIST, which the soul shall enjoy in the Heavens, being separated from the body. We think we can have none Heavenly glory and joy, except we have this earthly body there: It is true indeed, the soul cannot have so great joy, as if the soul and body were together: but it is also true, that the soul being separated, hath greater joy in Heaven, than the soul and body can have together in this earth. Otherwise, how would Paul have desired to have been dissolved, he having that confidence and earnest-penny of glory, except he had desired that joy in the soul? Alas! we are so senseless, that we think joy cannot come, except we get it in our earthly body: And this is one part of our misery.  
Now in the next verse (in a parenthesis) he casteth in the cause why he is absent from GOD, and a pilgrim here, and saith, For we walk by faith, and not by sight: As if he would say, All the sight which I have of Him is afar of, look how far the Heavens are distant from the earth, also as far is JESUS distant from the eye of the faithful soul: there is only a far sight of Him here: all the sight of Heavenly glory which we have here, is like a more, in respect of that sight we shall ge●: it is so far from thee that it seemeth not to be the thousand part of that fullness that it is indeed: Thou seest it now as it were a more, but thou shalt once see it as a mountain in great fullness. So Paul saith, I see my LORD, but afar of: there is a great distance betwixt the eye of my soul and Him: & besides this farnes, such a mist ariseth out of the stinking body of corruption betwixt my LORD and me like a cloud, that it hideth my LORDS face from me. So there are two impediments, which hinder us from the full sight of CHRIST the first is the far distance of place betwixt Him & me: the second is the smoke & mist of my corruption that goeth in betwixt me & Him, and taketh the sight of my LORD from me. Find ye not this in yourselves by experience? In the beginning of an hour thou shalt have a sight of Him, and again ere the half hour be past, the sight of Him is away let be a day or half a day. Then marvel not, suppose Paul complaineth of this, that he cannot see CHRIST in respect of the farnesse and smoke that cometh betwixt them: Would to GOD we had a sense of this! Who is he that once groaneth for this, and saith, Alas. I am a pilgrim, it is a far sight which I have of my LORD: O! if my soul were loosed from my body, that I might be with Him! Who can say this? No, we are all sleeping, and there is none eye lifted up to CHRIST in this great misery. Wilt thou always cry peace in such a misery? at last thou shalt be pressed down to Hell.  
Yet to insist upon this verse▪ We walk (saith he) by faith and not by sight. Ye see here then the condition of a Christian is walking, not sitting, nor sleeping, he must be afoot This word is ever in the Apostles mouth, 1. Thessaly. ●. 6. coloss. 4. 2. etc. Ever walking, a pilgrim must not sit down▪ Thou art a pilgrim, upon thy journey towards another country, thou must not sit down: for otherwise thou shalt never come to thy journey's end. The second thing which I mark here▪ This walking must not be in darkness, but it must be in light. Woe to him that walketh in darkness, for if he were never so well occupied, he shall die in darkness: he that walketh in darkness, he shall get Hell, for H●ll is darkness: so that walking must be in light. The light is of two sorts, they are both set down in ●…hrse: The first is the light and knowledge of ●●●●●: The second the light of presence and sight. The knowledge of Faith is but a glimmering, in respect of the other light that is by sight, when thou shalt see CHRIST: in His presence is a wonderful light: when He shall look to thee, and thou to Him, the beams of His glory shall so strike on thee, and cause thee shine, that thou shalt be astonished. There is no soul▪ but assoon as it cometh in His presence, it will be astonished and marvel that ever there was such a light in CHRIST. Faith hath but a small light, but the light by presence is marvelous: H●e shall translate us to a marueilou, light, 1. Pet. 2. 9 All the Angels wonder at the light which is about the Lamb: and thy soul, when it shall come into glory, shall stand wondering at such a glory: and thy body, when it shall follow, shall wonder, and all shall be wondering at such a passing glory! These are the two sights. Would GOD we could take heed to get a glance of that Heavenly glory! then all the pleasures of this earth would be but vanity, dirt, and pelffrie to us. The Lord yet open our eyes, to get a sight of this glory.  
These are two lights: and as there is two lights, so there is two kinds of walking: The one is in this life▪ the other in Heaven in the life to come: In this life, we have a small glimmering, without any Sun, a blincke of light, environed about with darkness Therefore, because of the want of light, there is such stumbling in our walking in this life: but when we shall walk in the Heavens with that H●au●ly light of GOD, with the countenance of CHRIST before our eyes, than no staggering, neither to this side, nor to that, because of that light that is in the face of CHRIST ever shining in our eyes. The darkness ye see is unpleasant, but the light is pleasant: It is a wonderful thing, that we shall get leave to walk in that inaccessible light of GOD, wherein the Father and the Son do walk. Brethren, think on these things, for these are the chief points of all. All earthly things vanish when the Sun goeth down, and darkness cometh: Therefore set your eyes upon that glory, which never shall vanish nor decay, as ever ye would desire to reign there: These days require this preparation. Certainly, preaching and hearing will vanish, and preaching being taken away, faith will fail, and without faith how can men attain to glory. Therefore, to keep in the glory of this light, we should earnestly cry, LORD, GIVE US THIS WORD: For if it be taken away, we shall be worse than they of Sodom and Gomorrha.  
Now, the Apostle having showed this, he cometh back again, and saith, Nevertheless we have confidence, etc. He that hath confidence he will rejoice to speak of it, & it swelleth so in his heart, that of necessity it must be uttered, and he will say once, twice, thrice▪ I have confidence: ●u● now with confidence he joineth another thing, to wit, his love to die, and to slit out of the body, to reign with CHRIST. Love to die is the companion of confidence. He saith, I have confidence, but I love rather to remove out of the body, and to dwell with the LORD. There are two good things, The one confidence, the other light. The Apostle maketh a choice here, he will leave confidence here in the body, and he chooseth to die, that he may attain to the light: and in this respect he would change all the confidence he hath with death. Thou wil● not change a foot of earth with death, but th' Apostle will change confidence with death, and confidence is more precious, than all the earth. Few will do this, and yet thou wi'tdie and thou hadst sworn it. Well is that body that is so resolved to die as Paul was! But maketh Paul a choice of death for death itself? Certainly no man will choose death for death itself for except the LORD lighten death, and transform it, it is an entry to Hell: And if thou have none other respect in death but to be quite of this miserable life, (as some will s●y, Would GOD I were dead, that I might be quite of this misery) thou shalt be in greater misery after death, than ever thou was whilst thou was living. What then should be the special cause that should move a man to say, (Would GOD I were dissolved) even this, I am burdened with sin, I am burdened with mortality. This burden should be a great motive: Well is the soul that is freed of sin: What pleasure is it to a soul that would fain serve GOD, to live ever in sin? Nay, no pleasure.  
This is the special motive that should move us to make choice of death, To be with JESUS CHRIST, to dwell with Him, and to be in His company in the participation of that glory that is in the countenance of CHRIST. For that ca●se I would flit, that I might be with my LORD, and embrace that joy. So as the misery of this world will put thee forward to God. so the sweetness of CHRIST'S company will draw thee forward. Then to end, The Apostle hath preconceaved in himself a wonderful joy of that glory, when he saw it not yet, so must we do. All his walking was by faith, and not by sight: but he seeth before the hand an Heavenly joy and pleasure, in respect of that fruition that he shall once get of the countenance of CHRIST. This should learn thee to look ever for more than thou ●eest: think not that thou hast seen all the glory that shall come to thee and hast felt all the pleasures that are laid up for thee in Heaven: But think that there is greater joy and glory there than ever thou couldi hear of: for CHRIST himself never uttered all the glory that is laid up for the Saints: All that we see here is but in a mirror: All the glory of CHRIST in the Scripture, is but in a mirror: li●e as when the Sun shineth in the mirror, thou lookest not to the Sun that shineth, but to the glancing thereof in the mirror. And as there is greater shining in the Sun, than in the glancing thereof which thou seest▪ so think ever there is greater glory in Heaven, than ever thou heard of in the Scripture. Suppose not that thou canst think of the joys of Heaven, as men on earth think on earthly things: Who can think a thing greater than it is? No, the glory of Heaven, and the joy with CHRIST, mounteth up above the reach of thy faith and hope, and all thing that is able to conceive the same. It mounteth up higher that the Heaven of Heavens is above the earth. Therefore, think not with thyself, it is too much that I look for: Thou failest only in narrowness, thy Faith and Hope is so narrow, that they cannot comprehend the thousand part of that glory: And so we should say (I hope, and I believe, more than I am able to comprehend.) And here is the cause that thou canst not get that full sight of glory that is laid up for thee. The weak begun grace of Faith, and the Spirit of GOD in thee is not able to attain to the thousand part of that glory.  
The LORD give us grace to preconceave this glory in some measure, that we may seek the same, and say with PAUL, I have Faith and Hope, but that glory passeth all. The LORD grant us this, even for CHRIST'S sake, So be it.   

THE THIRD SERMON.  II. COR. CHAP. V. 
verse 9 Wherefore also we covet, that both, dwelling at home, and removing from home, we may be acceptable to Him.  
verse 10 For we must all appear before the judgement seat of CHRIST, that every man may receive the things which are done in his body, according to that that he hath done, whether it be good or evil.  
verse 11 Knowing, therefore, that terror of the LORD, we persuade men, and we are made manifest unto GOD and I trust also that we are made manifest in your consciences.  
We have heard, Brethren, these days past, the remedy that the Apostle setteth down against this temporal death, & the dissolution of the body. In a word, it is a full assurance and persuasion of the heart, that when we are dead, concerning the body, yet we shall live again, and shall receive at the hands of God a more glorious body than ever this body was. It is an hard matter to get this assurance, for the natural reason of man cannot, nor will not persuade him, that he once being dead, the body being dissolved in ashes, that ever that body shall be recovered again. Therefore, the Apostle bringeth in three arguments of this assurance: The first is the earnest desire that the Godly have in this life to be glorified: It is a thing impossible that this desire can be in vain: He that giveth thee a desire of glory and sighing for it. He must give▪ thee the life and glory that is desired and sighed for: For otherwise He would never give thee grace to sigh once for this life and glory except He were purposed to put thee in possession of that glory one day. The second argument is taken from our regeneration, or the end of our regeneration. GOD is He that maketh us of new again, after we were dismayed by the fall of Adam, He createth us of new again, to this end, that we should live the first creation. It ended indeed, and we have lost the right thereof, even in the first creation. We were created to live everlastingly, yet we died. But the second creation in JESUS will never break: but as in him we are renewed to life, live shall we in the Heavens everlastingly, it can never fail. Peter saith in his first epist. chap. 1. vers. 3. We are regenerate again into that lively hope.  
The third argument is the Spirit of CHRIST, whereby GOD worketh in us both the desire and regeneration: having once given us that Spirit, He taketh Him not from us again, but letteth Him dwell in soul and body, to be an earnest-penny in us, assuring us He shall never leave us, till the whole promises in CHRIST be fulfilled to us. And therefore He is called the Spirit of truth. (johan. 15. 26. Notwithstanding, of all this confidence and assurance, underpropped with these three pillars, Desire, Regeneration, and the Spirit, the Apostle hath not full contentation of heart, and the reason is, because he seeth not the LORD. He is yet wandering as a pilgrim in this world, & hath not gotten that joyful countenance of CHRIST, in the which countenance is only satiety of pleasures: For assure you, the faithful heart shall never have contentation till it see CHRIST. Therefore, to attain to this thing, and to get the full satisfaction of the heart, he maketh choice of death and removing out of the body: he preferreth it to all grace that can be had in this life. He preferreth it to that confidence and assurance▪ and to all other graces that he can have in this body, that he might go up to that presence of CHRIST. Thus far we have spoken hitherto.  
Now to come to the text that we have presently read. The Apostle considering that sight that once we shall see, and that presence that once we shall have of the LORD JESUS, which he hath not gotten nor will not get, till the time it please the LORD to call on him: (and none of us will get it, albeit we would never so fain, till that the LORD call on us) he showeth, therefore, what he will do till that time come that he get that presence, an● how he will be occupied living here in this pilgrimage, what will be his study and care in lif● and death: Therefore (saith he) also we covet, that ba● dwelling at home, and removing from home, we may b● acceptable to Him. There is his care in the mean● time. All my care, would he say, so long as I live i● this earth, shall be, to be acceptable to my Lord, to whom I go, that I may be the welcomer when I come.  
Yet, Brethren, because the words are weighty, every word would be weighed: We covet, saith he, there is the first word, and in the first language this word importeth not only a common desire, but an ambition: So by this word he uttereth that he is griedy of honour, and ambitious: for there i● an holy ambition that is lawful, that is requisite, that is needful in every Christian man, even in the purest man that is. But to come to the honour which he coveteth: We covet (saith he) that we may be acceptable: There is the honour, to be acceptable, to be counted and liked of. The worldly man that hunteth after the honour of the world, he desireth to be esteemed of, to be had in admiration, and to be in grace. So is it with the man of God the honour which he desireth is esteemation, he would be accounted of, he would be in grace and good liking, and if it were possible, he would be esteemed above all the men in the world: but whom would he have to esteem of him? The worldly ambitious man would be accounted of by men, he hath no regard of GOD'S estimation of him, he would have the Prince accounting of him above all Courtiers: he would have the people accounting much of him. But the man of GOD, that hath this holy ambition and greediness of honour, he careth not for the account and estimation of men, neither seeketh his praise of men, but of GOD, and CHRIST, with whom he must dwell after this life: he desireth in this pilgrimage, to be assured, that CHRIST hath a liking of him, that after this life he may reign with CHRIST as a king for ever: That is his honour.  
To go forward in the words: When seeketh he to be acceptable to CHRIST? at what time? There is two times: One time of living, and another time of dying: A time when the soul dwelleth in the body, and another time when she flitteth. The ambitious holy man seeketh to be acceptable to the LORD at both these times, both dwelling at home, and flitting from home. All the honour of the worldly man is in this life, and whilst the soul is dwelling in this body: But once laid down in his bed, and let death assail him, there he layeth down his honour: and if ye tell him of the honour which he was seeking, he will spit at it. But the godly man, if ever he was griedy of honour in this life, in the hour of his death he is griedier thereof, and the nearer death, the griedier of the honour of CHRIST: he can have no contentation in heart, till he know his soul is acceptable to that LORD whom to he is going. As for the means whereby he seeketh to come to this honour, ye will hear of them in the next verse hereafter.  
This same Apostle (2. Timoth. 2. 15.) setteth them down also: when he hath desired Timothi● to study to approve himself to GOD, immediately he subjoineth, If thou wouldst be approved, be a workman: thou wilt not get this acceptation by driving over thy life in idleness, or sluggishness: let every man, in whatsoever estate, be a workman. The worldly man is climbing to his honour by unlawful means, by flattery, by falsehood, etc. but it endeth in misery. But the godly man, let him seek to be approved by the King of kings, being a faithful workman in his calling, & diligent therein. There is the mean of thine acceptation in this life. In thy dying, & when all thy senses, thy tongue, thine hand, and all faileth th●e and art not able to work, yet suffer with patience, and set thine heart patiently to suffer death, that in thy dying GOD may be glorified, and so thou mayest consecrate both death & life to Him.  
Mark here a lesson. Paul of before he maketh a choice to go & dwell with Christ: he would fain have been dead: but here is another desire, which must go before that, and thou must have the like desire, before thou desire to flit out of this body and to be with CHRIST. First desire, whilst thou art in this body, to be acceptable to Him, and then desire to flit, otherwise not: for certainly, if thou die, before thou be acceptable to GOD in thy life, thou shalt not be welcome to Him, and he shall be the most terrible sight to thee that ever thou saw: I shall never desire to see Him when I die, if I desire not to be acceptable to Him first in life and death. Therefore, study by a faithful discharge of thy duty here on earth, to be acceptable to thy LORD, beguile not thyself.  
Learn again here. When he hath made a choice to go and dwell with the LORD, he desireth that he may live a godly life here first: then the lesson is, A godly life here is a too-looke to that life which we shall have in CHRIST, which maketh a faithful Pilgrim desire to be with CHRIST. It is an easy thing to have an eye to the life to come, if thou study to live well in this life. And on the other part, it is the hope of that life and glory to come, and an eye to Heaven that maketh a Pilgrim to live well in this life: where this eye to Heaven is not, there is no good life. Wherefore should we speak further? Alas! these evil lives of men, these murders, adulteries, thefts, tell us plainly, there is no sight of Heaven, nor regard of the life to come. Thou that passest thy time, taking thy pleasure in the displeasing of GOD, testifiest, that thine eye was never on Heaven, that the eye of thy soul was never lifted up above thy body, and assure thyself, if thou live on so, thou shalt never see Heaven.  
Now in the next verse, he subjoineth another argument, moving him to be ambitious to be with that LORD of life. The first argument was, because he was to dwell with that LORD in Heaven. The second is, that terrible judgement that all flesh shall see, except they endeavour themselves to serve GOD in this life: For (saith he) we must all appear before the judgement-seate of CHRIST. Learn a lesson of the pith of this argument. As there is a force in the hope of the life to come, so there is a force in the fear of a terrible judgement, to move a man to live well here. Look how needful the one is to cause thee to live well in this life▪ as needful also is the other. Hope of life is needful, fear of judgement is needful: what should be the cause of this? knowest thou not thy nature, how backward & froward it is? so that except thou be pricked forward with terrors of judgement, thou wilt never address thyself to Heaven, but wilt linguer & sit down by the way.  
Brethren, There are two things in Heaven, and two things in earth, both serving to move us to live well here in this life: In Heaven there is two seats, one of Grace, which is called, the Throne of grace: The other a seat of judgement, a Tribunal: Fie on all tribunals in the earth, in respect of that Heavenly Tribunal! The Throne of grace is spoken of to the Hebrews, Chapt. 4. vers. 16. Let us go boldly to the Throne of grace that we may get mercy. But this will not suffice, except the Tribunal of judgement be also before thee, to draw thee forward: both must be before thee: and as thou lookest to the Throne of grace with the one eye, so look to the Throne of judgement with the other eye. There are also in like manner two things in earth, to draw thee forward: The one, the Gospel of grace, The other, the Law threatening judgement. The Gospel drawing thee lovingly to GOD, the Law threatening thee to go forward, or else thou shalt die. The Gospel gently alluring thou forward, promising that thou shalt get life: The Law standing about the Gospel as a fire, to terrify thee, and if thou go out of the right way, it will burn thee. It will not be the Gospel alone that will serve the turn. Indeed, if there were no canker in thee, the Gospel would serve the turn: but in respect of this wicked canker in thy nature, thou must be threatened with the Law. Seest thou not thy nature? fairness will not serve the turn, thou must be pulled forward by the hair, or else thou wilt fall into damnation. Take me away the rebukes of the Law, if thou be a king or a Monarch, it is but a dead Gospel to thee, such is the corrupt nature of man: Take away the canker of the nature of man, I shall speak nothing of the Law: but as long as this canker remaineth▪ the Law must threaten all, from the king to the beggar. I were a false Doctor, if I used not the threatening of the Law to rebuke this canker of nature. Who is more holy than Paul was? He▪ looking up to Heaven, seeing the mercyseat, likewise seeth the judgement-seate, and if he had not seen the judgement-seate, and been terrified therewith, he should never have gotten a sight of that mercyseat: so must it be with us, we must see that judgement-seate, as well as that mercyseat. This is wonderful: He was even now speaking of CHRIST as a sweet LORD, and fain would be at Him, and now again he setteth Him up as a judge to terrify men. Is this the LORD, at whom he would be? Who desireth to appear before a terrible judge? Who hath life and death in his hands? Take heed: this is Paul's meaning: The LORD JESUS He is both terrible to men, and joyous to men, and He must be both joyous and merciful indeed, to thee who endeavoureth thyself to please Him in this life: Terrible to them who endeavoureth them not to please Him in this life. wouldst thou have Him merciful to thee, study then to live well serve Him sincerely in thy calling. Wilt thou have Him terrible to thee, thou shalt indeed find Him terrible to thee, and thou shalt shake & tremble at His countenance, in case thou seek not to please Him in this life. And this shall be the first sight that ever the wicked, who desired not to please Him in this life, shall get of Him. Heaven and Hell are thought jests & mocks now adays: & this Tribunal is not looked too, but certainly thou must appear, either before the Throne of Mercy, or the Tribunal of judgement.  
Yet to go forward in the words: I shall only touch them, without discoursing on that general judgement. Then first here to let you see the terribleness of that judgement, there is an Appearance whereof Esaias, in his 45. Chapter, and the 23. verse thereof, and Paul, Roman. 14. 11. speaketh: As I live (saith the LORD) all knees shall how to Me, and all things shall confess Me to be God. There is the reverence that shall be at that appearance, all kings in the earth shall bow their knees: & the tongue that would not speak in this earth to GOD'S glory shall then be compelled to speak to His glory. Then there is first an appearance: Secondly an necessity, Thou must appear: Thirdly, an universality, all shall appear, without exception, all shall be called and all must answer, Hic sum, I AM HERE: None shall be away, man nor woman, rich nor poor, from Adam the first man, to the last man borne on the earth. Then fourthly. The seat before the which this appearance must be, is a Tribunal: the judge is CHRIST, JEHOVAH, GOD not man only: all knees shall bow to Him as GOD, and not only to CHRIST as GOD, but to CHRIST in our nature, as man, he shall sit as a glorious judge, as it is said, john, 5. 22. The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgement to the Son. And as there shall be one appearance of all, so there must be one receiving: none shall appear but something they shall receive. What shall be received? A reward of thy actions and doings in thy body, which reward shall appertain to the body as well as to the soul, because thou didst them in the body. As to the quality of the reward, it is proportional to that which thou hast done in the body, be it good or evil: if it be good, thou shalt be rewarded with glory: if evil, thou shalt be rewarded with ignominy and shame.  
To insist something upon the last words, because the Papists stick to them, and think they have an advantage of this place: when they hear that every one shall receive according to the things which they have done in the flesh, incontinent they conclude, ERGO, works merits. I answer, Evil works indeed merit damnation, and damnation shall be thy portion for them, if thou be out of JESUS: but good works have no merit: in all thy good works there is no deserving, although they were ten thousand more than they are. There is force enough in an evil work to condemn thee, but in a thousand good works no force to save. The Apostle saith not here, They shall receive a reward for that which they have done, but according as they have done: he saith not Propter, making works a cause, but Secundum, that is, according to the testification of the works. But to leave the larger insisting in this, as more pertinent to another place, and to come to our purpose.  
Weigh the words, for every word is a word of weight, importing a terrible judgement, an Appearing, a necessity of appearing, an universal appearing without exception, no respect of persons, of the king, more than of the beggar, no mitigation of the severity of the judge, etc. CHRIST will have no mitigation, but if thou be a reprobate, thou wilt be handled severely, albeit thou be a king. The judgement then, being so terrible, the judge, CHRIST, must also be terrible: And so the Apostle saith, Knowing, therefore, that terror of the LORD, etc.  
And all this is to learn every soul, not so to presume of the mercy of CHRIST, that thou shalt think to find Him merciful in that day, except that thou hast studied to be acceptable unto Him in this life, and canst say, LORD, I EMPLOY MYSELF IN SERVING THEE. Away with that presumption of mercy, which maketh the loon, when he is murdering and committing adultery, to say, GOD is merciful. Having set down the terrible judgement, he concludeth what he will do in his own person. Is the judgement and judge so terrible? I will be wise: the LORD give us this wisdom. Knowing (saith Paul) that terror of the LORD I will do my duty in this life. My duty is to preach, to bring men to the faith in CHRIST: I will walk in the discharge of that duty night and day. He saith, Knowing perfectly that terror of the LORD: It is not a blind terror that will make a man to do his duty in this life, but it is the knowledge of a Tribunal: to believe that there is a judge and a Tribunal in Heaven, and that there is a most terrible day abiding. And if a man believed that there is a Tribunal in Heaven, a terrible judge sitting there to take account of his doings in earth, for all the world he would not offend that GOD: but this cannot sink in the heart of man: He will say, there is a general judgement, but this is from the mouth only, and not from the heart: and surely, as long as a man continueth in sin, albeit he should swear that there is a Tribunal. it is a token he knoweth it not. The words of judgement avail nothing: it is the believing, and sure knowledge that there is a judgement, and a terrible judge to sinners in Heaven, that doth the turn. Therefore, seek persuasion, and look to that Article of thy Creed, that the judge shall come, and take account both of the quick & the dead: Believe it, and then it shall draw thee to live a godly life. Knowing, therefore, that terror of the LORD, we persuade men, or cause them believe. He saith not, I go to play the part of a king, or of a politic man, I am busy in this or that turn that appertaineth not to my calling: No, but according to my calling, I preach the Gospel, to persuade men to believe in CHRIST, that they may be saved. To speak the truth, it is not thy labouring and doing in any other man's calling, that will profit thee, but thou art ordained by GOD to do thy duty in thine own calling: and when the account of thy deeds shall be taken in that Great day, he shall not say, what hast thou done in another man's calling? but, what hast thou done in thine own? I made thee a Minister, how hast thou traveled in that vocation? Therefore I say, as every man would be ready to give an account of his doings, let every man be diligent in his own vocation, seeking the glory of GOD therein.  
Now it might have been said to Paul, Thou boastest much of thy doing and preaching: but look with what sincerity thou hast been occupied, and with what uprightness of heart thou hast been preaching in thy life time? He answereth, and first he taketh GOD to be witness of the sincerity of his heart in discharging his ministery: and then he taketh the Corinthians, among whom he had traveled, to be witness also of his sincerity. As for GOD, he saith, We are made manifest unto GOD: And as for men, I trust also I am made manifest in your consciences. He taketh first GOD to be witness, who knoweth the heart, and then the Corinthians, who saw his actions.  
Then, Brethren, it is not enough for a Minister, that preacheth CHRIST as Paul doth, for to persuade men to believe in CHRIST, to speak outwardly to men, as I am now speaking to you, but he must look in the mean time, that inwardly his heart be set upon GOD, that is, look that he approve his heart in sincerity to GOD, who seeth the heart. Men mark the words that come out of the mouth, but GOD marketh the sincerity of the heart, to see with what sincerity the man speaketh. This that I speak of Paul in his calling, I mean of all other men in their callings. Dost thou any thing outwardly to men, look that thou do it inwardly in thine heart, with sincerity to GOD, otherwise thou losest all thy travel, albeit it were never so good in the presence of men. Of this it followeth, all these are but vain voices, to stand up and say, I have done this thing or that thing. To speak to men, who know not the heart, except in the mean time, as thou art speaking unto men, thou mayest draw the LORD to be witness (as Paul doth) to the sincerity of thine heart, and may say, I have been traveling, with what sincerity the LORD knoweth: that which I have done, I have done it in sincerity: not being content to call GOD only to be witness, he turneth him to the Corinthians, and he appealeth their consciences to bear record of his sincerity in his doing, and he saith, As for you, Corinthians (speaking sparingly) I trust. etc. He was assured of GOD'S testimony, but he trusted, that the Corinthians also would bear him record, that he had traneiled truly: He saith, in your consciences. It is to be marked, that he appealeth to their consciences, not their mouths, but their consciences: for the mouth of man will give one testimony, but the conscience will give another: And when the conscience will be saying, the man hath spoken truly and in sincerity, the mouth in the mean time will be backebiting him, and the conscience will say, thou liest mouth. Speak, therefore, ever according to conscience for if thy conscience speak one thing, and thy mouth another, thou shalt be challenged of a lie. It is true indeed, men know not the heart of man, as when a Minister is speaking, ye cannot judge of his heart, the LORD judgeth it, yet a faithful and sincere man, he will utter sometime the inward sincerity of his heart in his words and deeds, that all that seeth and heareth him, will look in therethorowe, and see the inward sincerity of the heart, and give an outward confession of it.  
Now, Brethren, then in this example of Paul, ye have such a protestation, as the faithful Pastor should make in the hour of his death, and which should be his testament. There is two things in his ministery, the outward speaking, and the inward sincerity of the heart. If he would protest of his faithfulness, look that he protest as PAUL did: First outwardly, I have used all diligence in discharging all the outward parts of my calling, I have kept nothing aback: and then inwardly, As for my sincerity, First I take GOD to be witness, who knoweth and only seeth mine heart, with what sincerity I have spoken, and then I take you to witness, that have been conversant with me, so far as ye can know the inward sincerity of mine heart, by my living and outward actions. Would to GOD we could have this sincerity. And I pray the LORD grant me this sincerity: and I beseech Him, that as He hath been with me since the beginning of my ministery, so He would never leave me, until the time I finish my course with joy. to His glory, and comfort of His CHURCH, through JESUS CHRIST our LORD,  
To whom, with the FATHER, and the Holy GHOST, be all Honour, Praise, and Glory, both now and evermore, So be it.   

THE FOURTH SERMON.  II. COR. CHAP. V. 
verse 12 For we praise not ourselves again unto you, but give you an occasion to rejoice of us, that ye may have to answer against them, who rejoice in the face, and not in the heart.  
verse 13 For whether we be out of our wit, we are it to GOD, or whether we be in our right mind, we are it unto you.  
verse 14 For that love of CHRIST constraineth us.  
verse 15 Because we thus judge, that if one be dead for all, then were all dead, and He died for all, that they that live, should not hence forth live unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them, and rose again.  
TO repeat shortly that which we have heard in this Chapter, We heard first of that assurance of glory and life everlasting, which is the only remedy against death and the dissolution of this body. We heard secondly of the three warrants of this assurance of life & glory: The first, the earnest desire which the heart had of that glory and life▪ The second, Regeneration and renewing: The third, the Holy Spirit, who is the worker of all grace in our hearts, and who never leaveth us, but abideth in us, as an assured earnest-penny of the full accomplishment of all that glory promised to us in the word of God. And yet for all this we heard that the Apostle had not that contentation nor full satisfaction of his heart▪ because he is yet a pilgrim, living here by confidence, and hath not gotten the full presence of his LORD, he chooseth to leave all the things in this life, and therefore, he taketh resolution what he will do in life and death, to the end, that when he cometh to his LORD in the Heavens, he may be welcome. The thing he resolveth to do is this, he endeavoureth himself in his calling to be acceptable to Him in life and death: and he will consecrate all the actions and sufferings of both to Him. Beside that glory to come, which moveth him to study to be acceptable to his LORD, he setteth down another motive, a terrible Tribunal which abideth him and all men and women, who study not to be acceptable to the LORD. The soul shall not so soon depart out of the body, but it shall also as soon be presented before that Tribunal, and shall receive that dolorous sentence, if they have not studied to be acceptable to Him. Therefore, the Apostle concludeth, Knowing, therefore, that terror of the LORDm we travel in our calling to preach Christ, and to bring men to faith, and that not for the fashion, but in sincerity of heart: so that we take God (who seeth the heart) to be witness to us of our sincerity. And as to you, Corinthians, upon whom we have bestowed our labour, we appeal to your consciences, and we take you to be witness of that same sincerity of our calling. This is the sum of all which ye have heard hitherto in this Chapter.  
Now to come to this Text which we have read: In the first verse, the Apostle having spoken of his sincerity in preaching, the Corinthians, who had not that liking of him which they should have had, might have objected, Well Paul, yet vauntest thou of thyself? thou hast once vaunted of thyself (as appeareth in the second and third Chapters preceding) and yet art thou commending thyself? He answereth, no, I commend not myself again, I vaunted not of myself before, nor now neither: but when I said, We are made manifest to GOD, and I trust also that we are made manifest in your consciences: in these words I give you occasion to glory of me, and not so much for my cause as for the cause of false flattering Apostles, who glory in their outward doings, without sincerity of the heart: the repressing of these men's vain glorying, is the cause of this my speaking. This is the meaning of this verse.  
Then, this Text being plain, learn these lessons: I mark first in the person of the Corinthians, who objecteth this vaunting to the Apostle, mistaking his words. Scarce may a godly man speak a word or two of the grace which the Lord hath given him, and that not to his own praise, but to the praise of his God, when he is mistaken by evil men, who set themselves to wryth every word that is spoken: And if ever there was an age in the which this vice reigned, I am assured (& experience proveth it) none age may be compared, in that case, to this age: Yea, a godly man can do nothing, but incontinent he is mistaken: he can speak nothing but he is misconstrued, and especially the Ministers in their callings, among all men their words are most misconstrued▪ the day riseth not, but there is an evident experience of this point, and every one seeth it. Therefore, what remedy? but patience: all this judging is but for a time, tarry a little while, and keep a good conscience in the mean time, and we shall see another judgement, when He shall come who judgeth rightly.  
Then secondly, learn in the person of Paul: he will not have it so much as once seeming, that he praiseth himself: every good man, and especially a Minister should flee all occasion of vain glory: Yea, Christian modesty, and soberness require, that every man though they were endued with the greatest graces in the world, yet they should speak and think of themselves soberly: the more they have, the greater graces that God hath given than, the less they should account of themselves: yea, suppose they be something in the sight of God▪ yet looking to the naughtiness that abideth in this cankered nature▪ they should say of themselves (I am nothing) for th'Apostle saith, 1. Cor. 8. 2 & Gal. 6. 3. He that thinketh himself something, he is nothing & Phil. 2. 3. Let every man account another man better than himself. If a man will meditate on his own estate, either by night or by day, let him think of his infirmities, his sins and naughtiness: will he rejoice of himself in his own mind? look to Paul what he saith. 2. Corin. 12. 9 I will rejoice in mine infirmities, that the power of jesus may dwell in me. The power of God never dwelled in a proud nor ambitious heart, but in an humble heart: God resisteth the proud, & giveth grace to the humble▪ 1. Pet. 5. 5. So Paul, when he was musing of himself, albeit he had seen great visions, 2. Cor. 12. he complaineth of his infirmity to the Lord: the Lord answereth, My grace is sufficient for thee, my power is made perfect through weakness. Then thou that wouldst be strong in God▪ be weak in thyself: think night and day of thine infirmity & misery by sin. I mark again in the words of the Apostle: A godly man may rejoice and glory in the grace of God: Why should not the grace of God be gloried in? The Apostle, 2. Cor. chap. 18. vers. 5. when he hath spoken of that Heavenly revelation, Of such a man I will rejoice, saith he, of myself will I not rejoice, except it be of mine infirmity. Then may not a godly man speak of himself? Yes, he may speak of himself, as the instrument of God, as the dispenser of the grace of God, as Paul did here. To what end? That they, unto whom the Lord hath made him a good instrument, upon whom he hath bestowed his travels, may glorify God, and render unto him the honour of a Minister. Paul saith, 1. Cor. 4. 1. Let a man count of us, as of the Ministers of Christ, and disposers of the secrets of God. And so a Minister should have honour, and they upon whom he hath bestowed his travels, and the grace which God hath given him, should honour him, & they are as greatly indebted to give it him, as any debt that ever they ought to pay. Therefore, the Apostle saith, 2. Cor. 12. 11. I have been foolish in glorying, but ye have compelled me, because I should have been commended by you. It is a point of sacrilege to take any honour from them that God hath given them. Now wherefore is this, that th'Apostle would have them glorying of him? Not so much for his own cause as for the cause of false Teachers, who rejoiced in the face, & not in the heart, that is, not in inward sincerity, but in outward things, having a fair show of eloquence and fair words. Then learn, ambition must not be borne with: it is pernicious both to the man in whom it is, and to other men who have ado with him. This vain glorying is a kind of blasphemy, for that which thou takest to thyself in thy vain glorying, thou reavest God of it▪ in what calling soever thou be. Therefore, th●● vain vaunting of ourselves is a vice, which among all vices should be most repressed. Alace that stinking flesh should stand up and reave God of his glory! Now, wouldst thou have a mean to repress this v●unting in the mouth of an ambitious man? When he is vaunting of these outward graces and benefits, as an empty vessel, sounding without sincerity in his heart, cast thou up in his teeth the sincerity of the heart: say, vain man▪ all thy speech is in thy face, and not in thine heart. Set up the heart against the face, and it shall shame it. It availeth not to speak of any thing that thou canst do, except thou have inward sincerity in the heart: For these outward things shall vanish, and dare not appear before God in that great day: but sincerity remaineth for ever.  
To come to the next verse: Yet they will not let him be: yet they will object unto him his foolishness. Who will vaunt of himself but a fool? Paul, thou art a fool, thou braggest of thyself. The Apostle answereth with modesty, Whether we be out of our wit, we are it to GOD, or whether we be in our right mind, we are it unto you. There is the Apostles answer.  
Then, Brethren that which God counteth wisdom, the world counteth it foolishness, and that which the world counteth wisdom, God counteth it foolishness. Was there any foolish talking here, when the Apostle saith, We are manifest to God, and I doubt not but we are manifest also to your consciences? Was there any bragging here? So the wisdom of God is foolishness to the world, & shall be, as long as corrupt nature is within us: And the Apostle saith, 1. Cor. 3. 19 The wisdom of the world is foolishness with God. But the question cannot now be decided what the true wisdom is, and what false wisdom i●: the end will prove. True wisdom is justified of her own children, Matt. 11. 19 Well, the end will show, and especially that day when all things shall be revealed. Foolishness shall stand up, and all the world shall see it to be foolishness: Wisdom shall stand up, and all the world shall see it to be Wisdom, & then it shall have the own approbation. So that these men, that will be counted wise in this world, will be compelled to utter these words of them, whom they esteemed fools in this world, Are these the men, whose lives we counted foolishness? And I beseech God to open our eyes to see this true wisdom & especially in things concerning religion, which wisdom only will abide approbation. Secondly learn, Paul here yieldeth to them, & saith, Let me be mad, I am mad to God: my God is before mine e●es, and I care not to be mad to this world: And as for you, if I be in my right mind, it is to you: Ye Corinthians▪ have nothing to lay to my charge, for I have done my duty faithfully to you. Brethren, see ye not here the care which we should ha●e of the glory of God & of the Church of God and her salvation? It should cause a man of this calling that Paul was of, to be ravished in spirit, and to be content to be counted a fool in this world, that God may be glorified, and men helped forward to Heaven. If God be glorified in my madness, what regard I to be mad? what respect is to be made of a man in this world? and what if men go to ruin and decay, so that God be glorified? But alas! there is such a self-love engraffed in the heart of every man, that we will not suffer God to be honoured, except it may stand with our honour. & we will say, I will not be esteemed a fool, I will not be disgraced: if it may stand with mine honour and profit I will glorify Him: but if His honour and mine stand not together, I will chiefly have respect to mine own honour. So it will never be well▪ till we get this cankered self-love submitting itself to the glory of God. And it should be the greatest endeavour that ever we should have in this world, to cast out this self-love, that we may be content, that God may be glorified, although it were to our dishonour▪ yea▪ though it were with our destruction. It is not selfe-love self-love that bringeth honour and glory, only honour is of God▪ & thou shalt never get honour except thou cast away self-love, that God may be glorified.  
Then to go forward: Paul must have something for him, why he will be mad for God's cause: he will not be mad without some reason: therefore, in the next verse he saith, For the love of God constraineth us: as if he would say, I am constrained to this foolishness, and a charge is laid on me to do so. I am bound and obliged so to do: that is, to be a mad man for the glory of my God. And from whence cometh this necessity? It is the love of God, saith he, that constraineth me: this band that bindeth me is the love of Christ not the love which I bear to Him (that is too weak) but the love which H●e beareth to me, it bindoth all my senses, and urgeth me to honour my God with my whole body. These are the words. Then the very necessity which lieth on thee to be a mad man for GOD'S cause, it is not a thing whereof thou canst free thyself: there is a necessity aid on thee to be counted mad for Christ's cause. Then, if there be a necessity laid on us to do this (albeit it be to our own dishonour) what if we do it not, but will shake off this yoke? Then I tell thee, in place of it, another necessity must come in, a necessity of woe. Paul saith, 1. Cor. 9 16. Woe to me if I preach not the Gospel. God hath laid this necessity on me to preach, and if I cast it off, another necessity of woe shall be laid on me Alas! this world thinketh all this worshipping of God to be voluntary, that men may serve GOD as they please, and that men may preach as they please, this way, or that way, and speak here, and hold their tongue there, as they will. But I say to thee, Wilt thou free me of that necessity that lieth on me? Art thou able to take it off my back? If thou be not able, then for GOD'S sake let me preach the Gospel with freedom and sincerity of heart. I tell thee, There is such a necessity laid upon the shoulders of the Ministers to utter every thing which the Lord putteth into their mouths, that if thou shake off this necessity another necessity of woe shall be laid upon them. And this shall be their cry on their dead-bed, Woe to me, that I preached not the Gospel truly.  
Yet to go forward. From whence cometh this necessity? He saith▪ It is the love of GOD that constraineth me It is the love of Christ which He showed in His suffering for me, that bindeth me. So, it was the love of Christ towards Paul that moved him patiently to be called mad for Christ's cause. Christ, for the love which He did bear to us, suffered Himself not only to be called mad, but to be called a Devil, Matt. 12. 24. He suffered the extremity of pain and ignominy for our sakes: and all the revilings and reproaches that should have lighted upon us, He took them upon Him. Such was His love towards us. Then, wilt not thou suffer to be called a mad man for His cause? If thou wouldst have a part of the inheritance which Christ conquered, thou must be bound, a necessity must be laid upon thee, and if thou be loosed, thou art loosed from the love of JESUS, and then woe and everlasting destruction shall come upon thee. I see then, all our service of Christ▪ is of necessity. Then what pleasure can be in the service of CHRIST, if it be constrained service? The thing I am compelled to do, I will have little pleasure in the doing of it: In deed it is true, thou art not loose, but bound: From the time that thou interest into the Church of Christ, thou interest into bonds: but there is a great difference betwixt band and band: one band will bind thee & force thee to do a thing, whether thou wilt, or wilt not: Another band will only lead thee the right way, which thou art to go.  
Brethren, this band that Paul speaketh of in this place, it is a sweet band the band of the love of Christ, and it bindeth thee sweetly and lovingly to discharge thy duty towards God: and all thy duty by this band is voluntary: and he who is bound with this band, will rejoice more to be called a fool for Christ's sake, than to be esteemed a king upon the earth. But thou must take heed where this band is that bindeth thee, that it may lead thee to do thy duty willingly: If the love of Christ, which is the band, be outwith thee only sounding in thine ear (as when it is told thee, Christ loveth thee) I tell thee it will not bind thee. All the preaching in the world will not bind thee, if it be without thee: Paul saith, therefore, Rome▪ 5. 5. The love of God is spread abroad in our hearts, thorough the holy Spirit that is given us. Then, that that love may bind thine heart it must be powered in thee, and when it entereth into the heart, it looseth the heart with such a sweetness to do Gods will as is unspeakable: it bindeth the heart with an exceeding joy. Would to God we had a taste of this love! All is but words. There can be no such sweetness as that is, from once the Spirit hath powered the love of Christ in thine heart, then let all our travels be▪ when we hear of these things, to get a sense of the love of Christ in our hearts. All the powers in the world will not move thee to do thy duty so much as the feeling of this love of Christ towards thee. And nothing will be able to stay thee from Christ, and honouring Him (and it were with thine own ignominy) if once thou have a sense of it.  
In the next verse he giveth two reasons why the love of Christ constrained him: The first reason is taken from that misery that Christ found him in, when he suffered for him: The second is taken from the end of the death of jesus. As to the first, this was our miserable estate before Christ loved us, we were all dead: how proveth he that? If one be dead for all, then were all dead: if thou hadst not been dead, in vain Christ died for thee: if thou hadst been but half dead (as the Papists say, who vaunt of their free will) the Son of God had never died for thee: if Paul had had this free will, and so been half dead, Christ had never died for him: and if there were none other argument but this, To import that there is not a free will, nor spunk of godliness in men by nature, it is sufficient to say, Christ hath died for all: we were without all sponk of free will to good, when Christ came.  
Mark the force of the argument. It is from that miserable estate and spiritual death wherein CHRIST found us, when He began to bestow His love upon us. We were dead spiritually in sin, dead in trespasses. What is this corporal death to be respected, if thou be dead in sin, thou art worse than a carrion.  
This spiritual death should move us to think that the love of Christ was wonderful towards us: it should ever make us aggrege that love wherewith He hath loved us: He died for thee, who was dead in sin and trespasses, and so an enemy to Him. Who is he, saith the Apostle, that will die for his enemies? Roman. 5. 7. Thou being dead in sin, thou livedst in sin▪ and so livedst an enemy to the life of CHRIST. And therefore, thine heart can never sufficiently aggrege the benefits of His death. Men are miserable, but alas! they feel it not: thou hast no want nor scant of misery, but thou wantest sense: and the less feeling thou hast of thy deadness, the greater is thy deadness: for the sense of death is the beginning of life: the more thou wantest the sense of death, thou art ever the deader: the livelier the sinner is, leaping and playing in his wantonness, the deader is he in soul: For he hath a burden upon his back, that will press him thorough the earth, and make him sink to Hell one day: and in the mean time, he is running to his mischief and villainy, and knoweth not that he hath death everlasting upon his back. O woe be to that miserable caitiff, although he be a king! Alas! men are dead in sin, and half in Hell, and will not consider it. It is a pitiful thing to consider how there is no sense of this infernal misery, that followeth upon this death: When it is told them, The LORD hath died for them, they will make none account of it. The word of the Cross of Christ hath been to the multitude of this Land but▪ a vain sound, and they have never esteemed of such a mercy. And therefore what wonder is it to see these vexations! O SCOTLAND! thou shalt get another wakening, thou hast so long contemned grace, which is the most precious thing that ever was. The Lord cannot be Lord, if He suffer so long contempt and lightlying of Christ and His love unpunished.  
The second argument is taken from the end and purpose that Christ had in dying: looked He to this end, that thou shouldest play thee, and follow thine own lust? that thou shouldest abuse that life, which He had bought so dear with His precious blood? No, his purpose was, that not only in his death & satisfaction thou shouldest be justified & counted just but also that thou shouldest be sanctified, that thou shouldest cast off the works of uncleanness, & dedicate thy life in holiness to him: it is said, Rom. 14. 9 that he rose again, that he might be Lord over thy life: For there was never man, that had such a right to an earthly thing, as Christ hath to thy life▪ then do what ever may pleasnte him, if it were to die a thousand times, if it were to be a fool for His cause, what ever may pleasure Him set thee to do it, or of necessity thou shalt lose that life of thine: But here is the misery: Men know not wherefore Christ died: Will ye ask men and women, when they are bathing themselves in wickedness, if they will go to Heaven? they will answer, yes, they will go to Heaven before their feet be cold. But, vain loon, thou never knewst Christ's purpose in dying for thee, His purpose was, that thou shouldest be a new man, and thou shouldest not live to thine own self, but to Him. And the end shall prove (if thou proceed so▪ living to thyself, & not to Him who died for thee) that the death of Christ had never force in thee. Therefore, look if thou live to Christ: and if thou dost so, then assure thyself Christ died for thee. Look if in the morning thou canst say, Lord, thou died for me, I will give thee my life, and consecrate to Thee this day, all mine actions, and all that I have. Well is the soul that can say this way. Then all turneth to this, Seeing Christ died for me, I will take this resolution, I will live to Him all my days. The Lord grant us this resolution, that we may live to Him in this life, that hereafter we may live with Him in Heaven for ever: To whom, with the FATHER, and the Holy GHOST, be all Honour, Praise, and Glory, both now and evermore, So be it.   

THE fifth SERMON.  II. COR. CHAP. V. 
verse 16 Wherefore hencfoorth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known CHRIST after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more.  
verse 17 Therefore, if any man be in CHRIST, he is a new creature: old things are passed away: Behold, all things are become new.  
verse 18 And all things are of GOD, who hath reconciled us unto Himself by JESUS CHRIST, and hath given unto us the ministery of reconciliation.  
Ye heard the last day, in the last part of this Chapter, the reasons set down wherefore a man is bound and oblished in conscience to live to God, to consecrate his life, his death, and all his actions to jesus Christ: to wit, First the love of Christ constraineth and oblisheth us so to love Him again, that we be content even to be foolish to this world for His sake. Another argument was taken from our own estate wherein we were when He showed this love of His upon us, we were dead in sin and trespasses. So this miserable condition that we did lie in, which was the beginning of Hell & everlasting damnation, should move us never to think on pleasing of ourselves, but only to pleasure Him who hath delivered us from such damnation. The third argument was taken from the purpose which the Lord had in dying for us: to wit, that the life that was bought by His death should be consecrated to Him, and employed in His service: for, being once redeemed by Him, we are no more our own men▪ but His who hath bought us. And therefore, as the servant setteth his eye upon his lord, waiting to pleasure him: even so in all our actions with our whole mind we should be set to pleasure our Lord, who bought us, when we were bondslaves to sin and Saith in. Otherwise we shall fall aback to that damnation from which we were redeemed.  
Now to come to this Text that we have read: in the first verse thereof we have the resolution of the Apostle Paul, and the purpose which he taketh concerning this matter. Seeing CHRIST his LORD hath set Himself to please him, and to redeem him from death, and to purchase life to him: his resolution is to give Him again that life which He hath purchased to him to employ the whole life of him in the service of that Lord who hath redeemed him. Therefore, Brethren, before I go forward, learn a lesson of this general. If this was the purpose 〈…〉 CHRIST in dying for us, & in dying so shameful a death, that we for whom He died should live to Him, and not to ourselves, our purpose should be on the other part to give Him this life that He hath bought so dearly: give Him it, or else thou shalt give it to a worse man. Employ it in His service, or else thou shalt employ it in the service of a worse man. And every one should say for their own parts as Paul did for his part, Hath Christ died for me to this purpose, that I should live to Him, then will I take purpose, and will resolve in mine heart to give Him the life that He hath purchased to me by His death: this was His purpose in His death concerning me, I will not disappoint Him of His purpose: that life that He hath won to me, I will consecrate it to His service. It is true, thou canst never disappoint the Lord of His purpose, His purpose standeth immovable: the man to whom He looked in His death, he must live: and every man, for whom Christ died, was in His eyes when He died. No godly man was out of His mind in His suffering, but He said in His heart. I will die for this man, and for this woman, that they may live to me. So He will not be disappointed: But look thou disappoint not thyself: If thou sayest, Christ died for me, and in the mean time thou wilt not give thy life to Him, but wilt live to thy lusts, and not to Him, thou of necessity in the end shalt bring thyself to a miserable point. There is nothing in the world that a man should take more heed to, than to the life to come, to their manner of living here, and to the actions that they have in hand, and the things about the which they are occupied in their conversation: for if thou have a conscience, thy conscience will tell thee by thine actions what part thou hast in CHRIST: if in thine actions thou be serving Him, thy conscience will tell thee thou hast a part in the LORD, whom thou art serving: and thou in the mean time (if thou be but eating thy dinner) if thou dost it to His glory, thou shalt find a sweet apprehension of the death of CHRIST, and it shall raise a great joy in thine heart. But by the contrary, if thou be evil occupied, and about to do an evil deed, thy conscience within thee will give thee a secret warning, and will say, O man! thy work testifieth thou hast nothing ado with CHRIST, and thou shalt find in thine heart no comfort of Christ's death, nor of His resurrection. So it is good to be well occupied, every man in his own calling, and in all his doings ever to have CHRIST before his eyes, who hath given him this life. wouldst thou then try whether the deeds that thou dost, be service done to the Lord or not, I shall tell thee how thou shalt know (I will not speak of outward tokens) but look day and night within thyself to thine own heart▪ what thou feelest there: feelest thou a conscience by night and by day, testifying to thee that thou art upon a good course, and serving CHRIST, who died for thee, it is well with thee: if thy conscience be rightly informed, & thou find in the mean time a sweet apprehension of CHRIST'S death, passion, and rising, it is well: But if thou feelest not this testimony of a good conscience, but rather a displeasure and grudging in thy soul, all is wrong. Well art thou, if thou find in all thy doings a sweet apprehension of CHRIST'S death and resurrection: if thou find it not, woe is thee, leave that deed, away with it: Away with all business that will not furnish a joy of conscience in CHRIST, and will not make thee to say, CHRIST is mine, I am doing Him service.  
Now, to come to the purpose: The special point of service that should be given to CHRIST is set down in these words: From henceforth know we no man after the flesh: These are the words, weigh them. The special point of service set down here, is the right estimation of men, among whom we live in the world. It is no small matter to esteem of men & women as we should do. The rule whereby the Apostle will esteem of them, is not in the flesh, nor by fleshly doing, that is, by nonem outward thing: All these outward things as kindred, nobility, beauty, wisdom, worldly eloquence, riches, honour, etc. with all the rest of these things which men hold in admiration, are nothing. This is not the rule of the Apostle, nor we should not by that rule esteem of them. How then? What is contrary to the flesh? the spirit. What is contrary to nature? grace. What is contrary to the old man? regeneration. Then what ought to be the rule according to the which we should judge of men? the spirit, grace, and regeneration. But ye will say, Are not all these worldly things benefits of God? should not men be esteemed of for them? I answer, The Apostle speaketh not simply of them, but in comparison, in respect of the spiritual graces. The nobility of the king is but dung in respect of the least drop of the blood of Christ: the least spunk of grace is worth whole nature: the least portion of Heavenly glory is worth all the glory in the world: the least spunk of regeneration is worth all the genealogies that can be in this world. When Christ cometh with His spirit, grace, and regeneration, all these earthly prerogatives vanish as the mist.  
Then mark: There is the special point of service done to jesus, discern betwixt dead men and living men in this world: Dead men are they who are natural men and no more. Hast thou no more but nature, with all the prerogatives that can follow nature, thou art dead, although thou be a king. Living men are they who are borne again by Christ. Hast thou the Spirit of Christ, thou livest: wantest thou the Spirit of Christ, thou art but dead. So there is a special point of Christ's service, discern betwixt living men and dead men thou art in the midst of them, and living men on the one hand, & dead men on the other hand: Discern betwixt them: Count not of the dead man, although he had all the prerogatives under Heaven: If he have no more but nature, call him not blessed. The living man is he that hath the Spirit of Christ in him, albeit he be a beggar: and the men who make an account of their worldly prerogatives, and follow nature and the old generation, are but natural men: thou that accountest of dead men, thou art dead thyself, & as thou art dead, so all thine estimation is of dead men.  
To go forward to the words: He amplifieth this by the example of Christ, and saith, How beit I accounted once of Christ after the flesh, before▪ ● knew Him, well, yet from henceforth I will know, Him no more after the flesh: and therefore, why should we know men after the flesh, who are inferiors to Christ, the head of all flesh.  
Now ●o speak of this Lord: When He was in this world, He was clothed with these earthly prerogatives as other men: yea; I think He had these outward prerogatives in His own person in greatest measure above all men▪ For never man descended of a more excellent race and genealogy than He did. Then look to his beauty, albeit it be not set down in the Scripture, yet I think there was never man so fair in beauty as He: He was most wise, & most eloquent of all men, & therefore the Apostles held Him in admiration for these prerogatives. But from once by His glorious resurrection (as the Apostle ●aieth, Roman. 1. 4.) He was declared mightily to be the Son of GOD: then all these thing, evanished, and the only admiration remained of that glory which He declared by His resurrection. All these earthly prerogatives (saith Paul) then passed out of their eyes, and the graces of CHRIST only remained to be marveled at. The lesson is plain. The LORD JESUS is the rule of the estimation of all flesh. In thine estimation hold thine eye always upon CHRIST, or else thou shalt fall. First cast thine eyes up to Heaven, and then ca●● down thine eyes on man, who is but a worm on the ear●●. Look up to a glorious GOD, JESUS the Mediator, and then to a worm on this earth, though he be a king, and say, Those things that I will not count of in JESUS, which He had being in G●●l●e and in the earth, I will not count of them in thee that art but a worm, I will not do it. But by the contrary, that thing which I esteem of in Him, that passing glory which is in Him, when I look to thee, and see a glance thereof in thee, indeed for that little resemblance which I see in thee, like to my LORD, resembling Him in grace, I will esteem of thee: otherwise, I may well give thee this worldly reverence, b●● if thou wantest this resemblance, I will never count thee happy, albeit thou hadst all the earthly prerogatives in the world. And certainly, they who hold men in ●…miration for their earthly prerogatives, never ●●●● CHRIST, nor His glory. Thou that wilt see a Tribunal, a Monarch here, and marvel thereat, thou never saw the Tribunal of CHRIST. So the thing that causeth people to esteem of men for their earthly prerogatives, is, because they see not the glory & graces of CHRIST. Would the people have esteemed so much of Herod, if they had known the Majesty of the Great GOD, when they called him a god? Acts, 12. 22. No, not for all the world: and therefore, seek a sight of the glory of GOD, if ye would rightly esteem of men, and give them only their own place.  
Now to go forward: Ye have heard of the purpose that the Apostle taketh in serving of his LORD, by the right esteeming of men in this world, among whom he liveth. In the next verse he cometh to the estate of this world & showeth what alteration was made in the world, by the alteration made in the person of JESUS: for when JESUS altered, all creatures altered with Him: when He went from the earth to the Heaven, and left behind Him all these earthly pleasures, there followed a wonderful change and alteration in all the creatures.  
But to come to the words: He first speaketh of the estate of man, and secondly of the estate of the rest of the creatures in the earth. As for man, h●● saith, Therefore, if any man be in Christ, let him ●●● a new creature. Mark this, If any man be in CHRIST, he is a new creature: he is changed, he is altered, and wonderfully altered: he is changed from an old creature to a new creature: from an old dead creature, to a new living creature: from nature to grace, from death to life, from Hell to Heaven. What should become of an old rotten stock, but be casten into the fire. So if thou hadst continued an old rotten creature, thou hadst been brunt in that fire which is unquenchable. He setteth down the means how this change is made▪ First thou must be in Christ: as ever thou saw an imp engraffed in a tree, so thou must be planted and engraffed in Him: Being planted in Him, then cometh that fresh sap out of Him into thee, and transformeth thee, and maketh thee a new creature. Then learn of this first, look the force of the alteration of JESUS, when He altered from earthly things to Heavenly glory, man especially altered with Him. Then look secondly the dignity of man, among all creatures he hath the first place of changing▪ & Christ was first effectual in man to make him a new creature. And this preferment hath man above all the Heavens and above all the creatures. The manner how this cometh to pass is this: Ere thou be altered, thou must be raised up to Him, and joined with Him, and engraffed in Him as an imp in a tree: then He and thou, and thou and He, being made one▪ the glory that is in jesus spreadeth herself oved thee, & covereth thee. But if thou be not in Him, thou shalt never get any part of His glory. Look that thou be in Him by faith (for faith ingraffeth thee in Him) and being in Him, thou shalt get a part of His glory: and yet thou art but a creature, and not a creator. The difference is in newness, thou was made before old, but now made new, green & lively, being once engraffed & planted in Christ thou art flourishing. It is true, all these things are not seen yet, and this flourishing of us in Christ is not found yet perfectly: and this conjunction of Him with us is not so sensible as it shall be: but this shall once be found true, we shall find that we were the sons of God, and new creatures, when we were on this earth: and we shall get the accomplishment of our felicity in Heaven, when we are reigning in glory with Him. Now, as to the rest of the creatures, he saith, Old things are passed by, behold, all things are become new. He saith, Behold: Mark the word: hereby stirring up their hearts to see the alteration and renewing of these creatures, seeing it is a thing difficile to be believed by men. There is no creature, neither Angel nor man, no, the dumb & senseless creatures, as the Heaven, earth, fire, water, a●●e, but they were all benefited by that change made in Christ; and by His glorious resurrection and ascension they received some alteration, from the worse to the better. The Angels who were before in glory, were bettered, and their glory was augmented by the rising of Christ. The Apostle (Eph. 1. 10. and 3. 10. and Col. 1. 20.) showeth t●●●. But to speak of the inferior creatures, and their estate, of this Heaven, Sun, Moon, Stars, Earth, Water, etc. that were created for the use of man, these creatures from the beginning ever altered with man. When man was created in the beginning in perfection, these creatures were in their perfection, the Heaven in his perfection, the Sun in his perfection, etc. When man fell, they fell also, the Heaven fell from his perfection, etc. the earth was accursed for man (Rom. 8. 20.) As man grew old that is, as he grew in sin, unto the time that sin came to the height (which fell in that same period of time when CHRIST came into the world: then the Apostle saith sin superabounded, and all was under sin. And surely I think if the LORD had not come at that period of time when the world superabounded in sin, and sin was come to the height, the world had presently perished) So, I say, as men grew old by sin, the Heavens, the Sun, the Moon, and all the rest of the creatures grew old. Alas●man by sin defileth the air, the Heavens, etc. When thou, O man, for whom all the rest of the creatures were made, runnest forward in offending thy Creator, thou drawest on all the rest of the creatures after thee. And again, at the coming of CHRIST the old creatures began to be made new creatures, and the creatures that were made to the use of man, were benefited with that benefit of man, & got a renewing, as man their lord was renewed. Again, after CHRIST'S coming, when man began of new to degenerate and grow old, than the creatures also began to grow old. So man growing in sin, draweth after him the creatures, and as he decayeth, the earth and all creatures decay also: and therefore Paul (Rom. 8. 19 22.) saith, that the senseless & dumb creatures groan and make a moan for sin, mourning as a woman traveling of birth, & fain would be delivered: so the earth would fain be quite of thee, O sinful man, that art made of the earth, and treadest on the belly of the earth: she groaneth under the weight of thee for sin: Fie on thee, that canst not groan for sin: thou shalt either groan here in this life, and get relief, or thou shalt groan after this life for ever without relief. This is the groaning that the poor creature maketh for the bearing of thee, & the earth would ●aine serve God in her own kind, but she is made subject to thy vanity (Rom. 8. 20) and therefore she groaneth: so the senseless creatures are weary, and cry, Lord, put an end to this vanity, and are crying this day this same hour: But man; for whom the earth and all is made subject to this misery and vanity, is going playing him on the earth without groaning. Well, at last, when the sons of GOD shall be revealed, and shall be glorified (Coloss. Chap. 3. vers. 4.) then the earth which groaned with them when they groaned, shall be glorified with them, and then the Sun and the Moon shall receive newness, and (as Peter saith, 2. epist. 3. 〈◊〉▪) The sons of God shall receive this same Heaven in substance, but it shall be new, and the earth shall be new, & then the earth shall be no longer capable of a sinful man. Thou sinner shalt not get leave to look to this Heaven, only the sons of God that shall be glorified shall get this privilege, they shall be kings of this new earth. Ye see then the estate of the creatures evanisheth according to man's estate, and altereth as man doth▪ and in the end the creatures shall have the participation with man of that glory which they longed for. This for the opening up of the Text. Learn here: ye see the creatures get renewing as well as man, but (mark the difference) in the second room: Man is first renewed, than the creatures are renewed: Man hath his preferment first, next the creatures are renewed, but not after that manner that man is renewed and preferred: for man is first graffed in Christ▪ and he is made one with Him. jesus the Head, the Church, the body, and every faithful man and woman's member of that body, Eph. 1. 22. 23. But the creatures, when they are renewed, they are not engraffed in Christ: The Heaven, when it is renewed is not called to that honour to be engraffed in Christ, it is no part of the body of Christ: The earth when it is renewed, is no part of the body of Christ. No, no such conjunction is betwixt Christ and those creatures, as is betwixt Him & His Church. Then, seeing these creatures that are renewed with man, are not honoured with that conjunction which is with Christ the Lord, it must follow, that the glory of the creatures is not equal with the glory of man. When the Heavens shall be made new & very glorious, yet all shall be nothing to that glory of man. Thou, O man, shalt shine in body above the glory of the Sun by a thousand stages, Matth. 13. 43. The conjunction of Christ not being so made with the creatures, as it is with man, the glory of them cannot be compared with the glory of man, but all the glory of the creatures shall be as a participation of the glory of man. Thou man, shalt be glorified with the glory of jesus Christ himself: the creatures shall be glorified but with thy glory. All this telleth us what glory we should look for, seeing this Lord that maketh this renovation, is so glorious. It is certain that at the coming of Christ in the world, and His passing up to the Heavens, a renewing of all the creatures in the world was made, all things were renewed. This is a ground that we must hold if we believe that Christ came in the world, & hath ascended to glory Alas! this is not perceived, and in myself I cannot see it as I would, & the most godly complain, that they cannot see this effectualness of Christ's glory. The cause is, the deadness that abideth in us sin cannot be gotten out of this world, till the Lord come again: it dwelleth in us. and reigneth in the world, & the Devil, the prince of this world, reigneth by it (for where sin reigneth, he reigneth) yea, it oppresseth the godly heart, that they can scarcely feel in themselves this renovation: so weighty is sin: who seeth it? There is a glimmering of this new creation, but who hath this glimmering? None, but that new soul: an unregenerate man never saw this regeneration, neither in himself nor in others, and he cannot suffer to hear of a regenerate & sanctified man, he will laugh, as though there could not be such a thing as regeneration: because the scorner himself is unrenewed, therefore he cannot weigh GOD'S graces in others: So long as thou art unregenerate, thou canst not but scorn regeneration, yea, and persecute the regenerate man, and so rash thine head against a wall: For the LORD hath made him inviolable, and the Temple of His Spirit, and therefore He shall destroy thee, that art the unregenerate man: yea, and destroyed shall every man be that dasheth himself against the Church of JESUS, that is, the renewed body, that body, as an iron wall, shall bruise them. Experience telleth this. Who ever was he that rashed against the Church, but the Church hath beaten him into powder? Meddle not with the Saints of God: although it were but one Saint renewed by the grace of God, he is sufficient to destroy and bruise a whole kingdom that rasheth on him. The Lord open men's eye, to see this. For all the world would not I be one to make opposition to one of the Saints of God. The LORD therefore save men, and learn them to account of this renovation, as they would have a portion thereof, & be glorified at the coming of Christ.  
Now to end shortly. The Apostle when he hath spoken of the renewing of all creatures made by JESUS the Mediator (for all floweth out of him) in the next verse he riseth, and mounteth up (O how he that is carried with the Spirit of Christ will rise, when he is speaking of JESUS) he riseth up to a light inaccessible, he seeth God the Father sitting in his Throne and Majesty, and the work of this renewing flowing from him, through Christ the Mediator, & rising up to the Father of Christ, he saith, And all things are of GOD, etc. Our lesson is, All graces come from Christ the Mediator, our regeneration floweth out of his life, but the fountain of all is the Father of Heaven, the Father of jesus: and therefore, when thou findest the grace flowing from jesus, raise up thy soul, & look thorough to the glorious Fountain, sitting in his Majesty & say. All glory be to the Father, I acknowledge all goodness to come from thee, O Father, thou hast given all graces to me through thy Son Christ. Now when he hath risen up to the Father, he cometh down again to two degrees, which are the always whereby the regeneration is wrought: The first is the reconciliation to the Father through Christ the Mediator by his death. The second is this ministery, base and contemptible in the eyes of men, this dispensation of the mysteries of GOD that he hath put into the hands of his Ministers, to be distributed to the people.  
Well, Brethren, a man must come to this regeneration by degrees, as a man stepping up a ladder▪ If thou wouldst be renewed in Christ, thou must climb and go up by degrees: The first is the Ministry of reconciliation: The second is the reconciliation itself in Christ: The third and last is the fountain of regeneration, God the Father. Will thou run up, and miss one of these steps? No, it is not possible, for thou shalt never get regeneration before God be friended with thee: thou art His enemy, thou must be friended with Him, before thou be renewed. Well then, thou wilt say, I must be friended with Him, but I need not thy ministry, can I not come to Heaven, but by hearing thee preach? I say, thou canst not, I lay this necessity before thee, and I charge thee, & I bind thee to this ministry. Imagine thou another means to attain to this glory, contemn thou this ministry in the silliest person to whom God hath given it, I shall make a straw bar the gates of Heaven in thy teeth: yea, albeit thou be a Monarch, thou shalt never get reconciliation without this Ministry. The Lord waken our consciences, that we may embrace the ordinance of God: we shall never be wise in God, except first we become fools, that we may be wise. Then seeing this necessity is of the Ministry, to make a reconciliation with our God, and this reconciliation must pass, by a proclamation of peace, to the miserable world. and pass by the mouth of this contemned Ministry. The Lord waken these our senseless hearts, that we may reverence and esteem of this ministery more than we have done. The Lord grant us this for Christ's sake: To whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all Glory and Honour for evermore,  
AMEN.   

THE sixth SERMON.  I. COR. CHAP. II. 
verse 6 And we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, who come to nought.  
verse 7 But we speak the wisdom of GOD in a mystery, even the ●id wisdom which God ordained before the world, unto our glory.  
verse 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew, for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.  
verse 9 But as it is written, The eye hath not seen, the care hath not heard, neither hath entered in●● the heart of man, the things that God hath prepared for them that l●ue him.  
IN the Text immediately preceding (well-beloved in the LORD JESUS) the Apostle hath been renouncing the wisdom of man, in uttering of the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST, thinking it not worthy that any man's faith should be builded on it: For that faith that is builded on it, cannot stand, because the wisdom of man is a false foundation, and the thing that is builded on a false foundation cannot stand.  
Now to come to this Text which we have read presently. It might have been said to the Apostle, Who counteth of thy wisdom? thou esteemest not of man's wisdom nor eloquence, but who counteth of thee, or of thy wisdom either? He answereth in the 6. verse, We speak wisdom among them that are perfect, etc. That is, Who soever are perfect in the Church of God, or whosoever are come to a degree of perfection, or press to perfection, aspiring above nature, above human things, to see things Heavenly and spiritual, these men account of my wisdom, in the sight of these I am wise, and in their audience I speak wisdom, howbeit earthly men think all that I speak but folly. This is the meaning & th'effect of the Apostles answer shortly. As to this word of perfection, I will not iusist in it. A full perfection is not here meaned, but a striving to perfection. No man nor woman in this life is perfect, but the perfectest of us all that liveth in this world, one lie are striving to perfection, thorough infinite infirmities. Therefore, this word of perfection is not to be understood of that consummate perfection which we shall have in that other life, but as it is opponed unto them that have no perfection, no spiritual nor Heavenly sight or knowledge of things Heavenly & spiritual. Then, there is the lesson in one word: Ye know the sentence spoken commonly, Wisdom is justified of her own children (Mat. 11. 19) Let the world account of it as they will, wisdom shall ever be wisdom to them that have any wisdom fools will never count that Heavenly wisdom to be wisdom, nor the wise of this world will never esteem of it. Much consisteth in the disposition of the hearts of the hearers: that which is wisdom to one, is mere folly to another, and all because the disposition is divers and contrary. Set together a man that is heavenvly minded▪ & a man that is only earthly minded▪ speak the wisdom of God to them both, and wisdom to the Heavenly minded man shall be wisdom, to the earthly minded man it shall be foolishness: The speech of the Cross, saith the Apostle in the 1. chap. of this epi. vers. 18. to them that perish▪ is foolishness, but to them that are saved, it is the wisdom and power of GOD Art thou one that art ordained to be saved? The Gospel of jesus Christ shall be wisdom and only wisdom unto thee. And therefore, seeing there standeth so much in the disposition of the hearer, before thou comest to hear, look to thy disposition, leave thine earthly mind behind thee lest thou receive thine own damnation: & bring an heavenly mind with thee, that the wisdom of God may be the power of salvation to thee: there hath been long hearing & teaching among us in this Town, bu● the issue of things testify, that there hath been an evil disposition in the hearts of the multitude, the present trouble of this Town telleth what hath been the disposition of many: for what ever be the work of men herein, yet no question the Lord hath His work in it, to spoil thee for thine ingratitude, and evil disposition of thine heart, of the liberty of His glorious Gospel: and if this Gospel go away, than shame and confusion shall light, not only upon this Town but also on the whole Land, and every estate thereof.  
Then to go forward. The Apostle falleth out in an high description & commendation of this wisdom which ●ee preached, which is the wisdom of God. Mark it: he saith, Not the wisdom of this world, nor of the Princes of this world, who come to nought. In this description there is nothing that may commend any science or wisdom of this world, which is not brought in here to the commendation of this Heavenly wisdom. Sciences and wisdom use to be commended from the Authors, from them that invented them: they use to be commended from their secrecy and hidnesse, in that they are hidden up in a mystery from the eyes of men: they use to be commended from the end and use for the which they were ordained: they use to be commended from their sublimity & subtility: when they pass the capacity of men, men hold them in admiration, and wonder at them: they use to be commended from their subject which they entreat of, if it be a worthy subject, it is a worthy science. These things recommend▪ unto us Sciences invented by the brain of man. All these things are in an higher degree in the wisdom of God, than ever they were in any worldly science.  
Now mark every word: The Apostle beginneth his commendation at the Author: and first he letteth you see who is not the Author: then he letteth you see in very deed who is the Author of this wisdom. (All this is spoken of the Gospel, which we preach to you, and therefore note every circumstance, mark the excellency of this Gospel, which the Apostle to the Philippians, chap. 3. vers. 8. calleth the eminency of the knowledge of jesus Christ, which mounteth above all knowledge in this world) Than whom saith he not to be the Author of it? This world never found it out; never invented it, it came never from the heads of worldly men. Indeed it is true this world is wise in her own kind; Luke 16. 8. and this world, and all the men thereof, from the beginning of it unto this hour, hath been occupied in counsels, in laying of plots, in setting down purposes, and taking consultation, they have been very busy: But amongst all the things that ever man advised upon▪ there was never found so much as one thought in the head of a man, of the remedy against sin and death: but sitting from the beginning in their counsels, they sat like as many damned creatures, without any thought how they should be relieved of that damnation: & this is that Heavenly wisdom spoken of here, that telleth us of the remedy against sin, death, & damnation, wherein we lie. Yea, Brethren, let be they had not any thought of this matter, they did nothing in all their wise consultations, for the most part, but involved themselves more and more in their guiltiness, & augmented their damnation, wherein all men were fallen by Adam. Then it was not the world that found it out. O! but there are some Princes in the world that pass others in wisdom: there are wise & high spirited men that will put order to others, and with their wit will compass Heaven and earth, that will search out the deepness of nature, and be occupied in high things: it may be that these men have found out this wisdom. The Apostle meeteth this: No, saith he, none of the princes of this world, whether jews or Gentiles, found out this wisdom. All the great monarchs, all the Philosophers, with their wisdom, and philosophy, never thought once on such a thing: it is true indeed, there is some in this world that have ever been occupied in high things above the reach of the common sort of people, sitting on high places, searching into the deepness of nature: but among all their occupations▪ high conceits and devices, there was never so much as a thought or suspi●ion or a dream of that only remedy against sin and death, of that only way and means of salvation, and delivery of a lost sinner. A wonderful thing! condemned men sitting in such occupations, without any thought of their damnation. emperors condemned men! and yet never such a thing as a thought how they should be relieved of their condemnation! It is true, the Philosophers among the nations aspired to a wisdom and knowledge of God to know Him, and some of them laboured to set down a science of Him. Plato travailed much on this purpose, and therefore he was called Divine: but all their knowledge was of GOD the Creator, as He created this world, and by His providence governeth it. But will ye speak of GOD the Redeemer in His Son jesus Christ, they had never such a thing as a thought of Him: and yet for all the business that they had about the Creation; and GOD the Creator, what were they? fools, and evanished in their own cogitations, & as ye may read, Rom. 1. 22. 23. in stead of the true God they set up an idol to be worshipped. Then seeing they found it not out, and seeing it is so necessary for all men, even for Princes (for they shall never see life except they get a part of this wisdom) they are bound to keep that wisdom, in sincerity, and not to prejudge her liberty one whit: but to maintain her and keep her from all her enemies, that would pervert her. Thou foundest her not out, keep her therefore in her liberty. The Lord grant that men may be occupied this way in their counsels, not in impairing, but in preserving the liberty of this wisdom, that only must save them: Thy kingdom, thy life, thine honour and all these earthly riches will away, only this wisdom will abide.  
Then this wisdom is not found out by this world▪ or by the Princes thereof. Yet before we come to the Author whereof it is come, ye have a reason wherefore she cannot be of the Princes of the world, who come to nought, they are abolished, they vanish, she is eternal, and will never have end. A perishing head, will never invent a science that will last for ever, albeit his head were never so quick & so curious but as the head perisheth and goeth to grave, so shall the wisdom thereof die in her own time: And therefore there was never any Art nor Science invented by the brain of man, which shall not die & perish, because they are all come of perishing heads: howbeit the head die and the wisdom remain for a space, yet that science and wisdom shall also die in her own time. Aristotle is dead, his wisdom abideth yet, but it shall die. Plato is dead, his wisdom abideth yet, but it shall also die. But the immortal GOD, when He findeth out a wisdom, it shall be immortal also. In the first Epistle of Peter (Chap. 1. vers. 23.) there are two things joined together. The immortal seed of the word, and a living and immortal God, who abideth for ever. The seed of the word is immortal: and wherefore is it immortal? Because it cometh from a God that abideth for ever. If it be once sown in thine heart it shall never die out of thine heart: No, this word shall go to Heaven with thee, and there it shall spring out in a wonderful glory, and shall abide in him who found it out, and in thee in whom it is sown for ever. Then if the world be not the author of it, who hath found it out? We speak (saith the Apostle) not our own wisdom, but the wisdom of God. Paul invented it not, never a man that preached this Gospel was the author of it, the Lord who is only wise, found it out.  
Then mark, Brethren: If God of His infinite mercy (after thou madest that foul fall in Adam, and fell from grace & innocency) had not found out to thee the only means of thy deliverance from death and sin, thou hadst never risen again: for thou hadst never so much as once a thought of the way of thy redemption. Adam, when he had fallen, and hid himself in an hole, had not so much as one cogitation of his deliverance: That God that created thee without thee, redeemed thee also without thee: when He made thee of nothing in the beginning, He called not thee to the counsel, because thou was not: no more was thou on the counsel of thy redemption, when He took purpose to redeem thee: No, there was never an Angel on the counsel of thy redemption. And this is that that is spoken, Rom. 11. 34, Who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath given▪ Him counsel? No, all is of Him, & all is from Him only: He is the only finder out, as well of thy redemption, as of thy creation, that the only glory may be given unto Him. I might speak something here against the enemies of the truth, but I will not insist. If thou takest any part of that work to thyself, thou bereavest God of a part of His glory. Therefore seeing thou hast neither art nor part in it, let Him have the only glory for ever and ever.  
Now followeth the second part of the commendation of the Gospel, In a mystery. It is in a mystery, it was hid up. Sciences use to be commended because of their secrecy: for men will say, O! it is a mystical and secret thing, therefore it is a commendable and precious thing. But if ever any science or wisdom in the world, merited commendation, thorough the secrecy of it, especially this wisdom of GOD, for there was never so secret a wisdom, so many ages, from Adam till CHRIST came, all closed up in a mystery, & hidden from the world, and if there was any blink of it, it was very obscure.  
Brethren, there are sundry wisdoms of God: There is a wisdom of the creation and government of the world, and there is a wisdom of God of the redemption of the world once created, and making defection from that blessed estate of creation. As for the wisdom of creation, as soon as ever the world was created, this wisdom broke forth, and was revealed, and made known to men, and it shineth yet in the creatures: look to them, thou shalt see the image of that wisdom shining in them: and more than this, man received this wisdom of creation written in his heart. So this wisdom was not kept close, but made patent to the eyes of men & Angels to look upon it.  
But as for the wisdom of God of the redemption of the world, in the creation He neither utred it in word nor writing, He wrote not one letter of it in the heart of man in the creation. But after the fall of Adam He gave an inkling of it, but very obscure. Now, wherefore was this that the Lord hid up this wisdom? Thereby no doubt He would testify to the world, that this wisdom contained a precious thing, a jewel: there was enclosed in it the whole treasure of Heaven. The treasure of Heaven is Christ jesus, who is enclosed in this mystery and therefore, the Lord would not reveal it, till jesus Christ came into the world. Is it revealed now? It hath been revealed ever since CHRIST came into the world, and this day in SCOTLAND that treasure is laid open, if we had eyes to see it. Abraham, nor David, nor all the godly Kings and Fathers were never in so blessed an estate as thou art. But if thou repent not, and receive not this wisdom, the greater is thy damnation: For ever the greater the benefit be, the greater is the condemnation, if it be not receaned: And many at that day shall say, Would to GOD we had never heard of this Gospel Well▪ keep it as ye will, there is no glory but it, and take it away, farewell the glory and welfare of the Land: yea, I say more, There is no glory in this world but it.  
Now, the Apostle standeth not here, but passeth forward in the praise of this wisdom: He hath praised it from the Author, who is God only: from the secrecy, that it is a mystery hidden up so long: he cometh now to the time when it was found out, which God had determined before the world. Sciences use to be commended from their antiquity: men say, O▪ it is an old Science, it was sound out by the Egyptians, therefore, a commendable Science. But there was never wisdom that might be compared in antiquity to this wisdom. Wilt thou ask how old is this wisdom? I ask another question, How old is God Himself? This Gospel is even as old as GOD Himself: the Gospel is from all Eternity, as the glorious GOD is without beginning from all Eternity. Then this Gospel that is preached this day, is no novelty.  
This is that wisdom and doctrine that GOD predestinated from all Eternity, howbeit the enemies in contempt call it a new doctrine. Thou art a liar, although thou be the Pope, I speak it to the glory of God, this Gospel that is preached in SCOTLAND, was from all Eternity.  
The words import more. It is not only from all Eternity, but it is grounded upon an Eternal counsel. The glorious Trinity set down in a glorious counsel this doctrine of salvation. And therefore, seeing this doctrine is set on so solid a foundation, who will shake it? Shake it let see off her foundation, and thrust at it, It will shake thee, and drive thee into Hell. I tell thee, it hath saved many men from the beginning, but it is also true, it hath slain many one: beware that it slay thee not: for it is the strongest thing that ever was. Thou mayest well banish this Gospel, and put it out of SCOTLAND, but thou shalt never put it out of the world, so long as there is a soul to be builded by it: But when she is out of SCOTLAND and ENGLAND both, she can go, and it were, to all these new found Lands, and abide there.  
Yet mark how he riseth in his terms (I never heard any Philosopher in all his Declamations rise so highly in his praises of any Science, as the Apostle doth in praising of this wisdom, and it is not the eloquence of man, but the eloquence of the Spirit of God, that raiseth him. And yet he hath not told all her glory. No, we shall never see it all, till we see the Lord jesus, who is the subject of this Gospel.) Sciences have their commendation from their end: it is a good science that hath a good end, and invented for the weal of man, for his profit, and pleasure, and glory: But this science in this mounteth above all the sciences in the world: for all the Sciences in the world will not make thee mount up▪ nor raise thee one footbredth from the earth, although thou be a Monarch: they may well get thee a piece of honour here, but it shall all be earthly honour. O! but the Science whereof our God is the Author, this wisdom of our redemption maketh thee to mount, draweth thee up, in a word, glorifieth thee All that ever learn in her school shall be glorified, wilt thou learn this wisdom, she shall glorify thee in the Heavens. For why? she is the power of God to salvation, Roman. 1. 16. and as he speaketh, 2. Cor. 3. 18. wilt thou look in her but as in a mirror, to the glory of GOD in her, she shall transform thee from glory to glory in that same Image. What more? All the wisdom in the world without this wisdom, is like as much poison, to swell up thine heart in pride against GOD and man.  
Shall I come to the particulars? Art thou a Lawyer? and hast the knowledge of the Common Laws? If thy science of the Law be not seasoned with this wisdom, it is mere poison to thee. Art thou a Mediciner, perfect in that Science, and hast read all Hypocrates and Galene, and all the rest of them, and hast not this wisdom, thou art poisoned for all thy Medicine. Is thine head full of policy, and hast thou many plots and conceits in it, and hast thou not this wisdom? thou hast an empty and poisoned head. Art thou a Philosopher, and canst count all the Stars, and canst search out all the minerals, and canst go down to the Centre of the Earth. yea, and it were down to Hell, and hast not this wisdom, thou art poisoned. What need I to speak further? If thou have no apprehension of this wisdom, that only sanctifieth thee, and all thy Sciences, and maketh them profitable unto thee, thou art a miserable body, and woe to thee for ever. Would to God the world saw this, but alas, this human wisdom and the glory of this world pulleth CHRIST out of their eyes, and obscureth this Heavenly glory. But woe is thee! that ever thou saw this light, if thou gettest not a part of that Heavenly glory.  
Yet he stayeth not here, but look how he climbeth up, & exalteth this Heavenly wisdom. Sciences use to be commended for their subtlety and sublimity. O, saith the Philosopher, it is an high and subtle Science, therefore it is praise worthy. Mathematics are subtle, and are full of subtle demonstrations, therefore they are worthy Sciences. But, Brethren, there was never Science comparable in sublimity to this Wisdom of GOD, who is only wise. As far as the head of GOD passeth thy brain, as far doth this wisdom that is come of GOD'S head, pass all the wisdom that thou canst invent, and it were a thousand years: and therefore th'Apostle saith, This wisdom none of the Princes of this world have known: No, not after she was revealed and came into the world, when they saw her, they knew not what she m●ned. The Philosophers, who scamned in curiousness when this wisdom came to them, they knew no more in it than children and infants. Look ho●● little a child can conceive of any human sciences, as little also could they conceive of this wisdom. Read in the Acts, chap. 17. vers. 18. when Paul came to Athens, and preached it unto them, they said, What a sour of words is this? they thought he had nothing but words. This is a marvelous secrecy: they could not find her out when she was found out to their hands, they knew not what she meaneth. There is not a science found out by man▪ bu● I shall get a natural man that will comprehend it, and oft times he will go beyond the author himself: But to this day there was never ● natural man that could comprehend the wisdom of this Gospel. For why? she is spiritual, supernatural, and above nature, and therefore the natural wit could never be able to comprehend her. I say more to you, the more a man hath of natural wit and judgement, the prouder he is in his wit, and struck his own head, and think he hath a wise brain, the more he counteth of his own wisdom the more shall this wisdom of the Gospel be foolishness unto him: and ever the wise●● of the world accounteth the Gospel the greatest foolishnèsse. I had rather take in hand to teach an idiot the Gospel, and cause him to conceive it, ●● God would give me grace, than to take an high headed worldling that is puffed up with the pride of nature, to drive into-him one word of it. Silly ones, who have no conceit of their natural wisdom, will swallow it up but a proud headed body cannot be capable of it. Therefore, the Apostle in this same first Epi. to the Cor. 3. 18. saith very well, Wilt thou be wise? be a fool, that thou mayest be wise. Renounce that reason of thine, and take it captive, and make it a slave, otherwise thou shalt never see GOD to thy consolation: for thy natural reason is an enemy to God, and His wisdom, Roman 8.7. He giveth a reason in the end of the verse, that testifieth, that the Prince; of this world knew not this wisdom, yea, not when it was laid open to them. He saith. For had they known it, (namely that great Prince Herode, and Pilate that Roman Precedent) they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. They had not done such indignity to Him as to nail Him to an ignominious cross. How agree these two together. The Lord of glory, and an ignominious cross? How stand these two, The King of glory, and such a shameful death? Because they knew not His glory, they exponed Him to such an ignominious death. Thou that canst not see the glory of God in the Gospel, thou wilt commit the most ignominious, the most villainous thing in the world. No, if Christ were here, thou wouldst crucify Him again. And therefore, find not fault with Herode nor Pilate, Or any of them that crucified Him, and think not that thou hadst been free of it if thou hadst been there. No, I tell thee, Thou that seest not the glory of the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST, if such a deed were to be done, thou wouldst have a share in it. It will not be speaking that will seru: the turn. Let men speak of this Gospel, and all this wisdom, what they will, their deeds will ever bewray them. I will not give one penny for thy mouth, for thy tongue, for thy speaking, yea, for thy preaching, if thou have not deeds also in thy calling.  
Art thou a King? Art thou a Counsellor? Art thou a Minister? If I see not good deeds in thine own calling, all thy words are but wind. When thou hast stood up, and told that thou knowest CHRIST, and understandest His word and Gospel's, and then in thy life wilt be an enemy to CHRIST, and wilt dishonour Him, and His Gospel in thy calling, thy doings bewray and utter what stuff is within thee. The god of this world, and thy malicious heart, have put out thine ●yes, thou hast a blind mind, wherefrom thy deeds proceed. Wilt thou crucify JESUS CHRIST, and expone Him to ignominy any way, and persecute and trouble Him in His members, and then wilt stand up and say, thou knowest CHRIST, thy doings testify to the world, that thou art a liar. The LORD open men's eyes to know what it is to deal with CHRIST, or His members. As ever thou wouldst testify to the world, that thou knowest CHRIST, honour Him and His Ministers both, and honour His members: for whatsoever is done to one of them in the earth, good or evil, He counteth it all done unto Himself. Saul, Saul, Why persecutest thou Me? saith He to Paul, Act. 9 4.  
He standeth not here, but goeth forward in her commendation: mark the words, & I beseech you to weigh them, that seeing the eminency of this Gospel, ye may learn to stoup & give obedience to it. Sciences are commended from their subjects whereof they entreat: if they have a glorious subject, they are accounted high, & accurate sciences: but their was never science that had such a fair & glorious subject, as this Gospel which we preach. What is the subject of it? I cannot tell it in better words than are here set down: The things which the eye hath not seen, neither the ear hath heard, neither entered into man's heart. All sciences of this world, and wisdom found out by man, are of things either visible, that are seen with the eye, or of things audible, heard with the ear, or of things intelligible, understood with the mind. If I cannot see thine invention, if I cannot hear it, at the least I will get some apprehension of it in my mind, I have that advantage. But as for the subject of this wisdom, thy natural eye never saw it, thy natural care never heard it, and it never entered into thy natural heart: and therefore whosoever will see these things, he must seek an cye that is more than natural, that is supernatural, that is spiritual: seek an ear that is supernatural and spiritual. Go to the heart, content not thyself with a natural heart: seek an heart that is spiritual and supernatural: For gaze with thine eye as thou wilt, lay to thine ear as thou wilt, if thou shouldest hear an hundredth Preachings, if thou have but a natural care, and a natural eye, thou shalt neither see not hear: but in hearing thou shalt not hear, and in understanding thou shalt not understand, as the Prophet Esaias in the sixth Chapter and ninth verse saith. Therefore, seek at GOD an Heavenly ear, and an Heavenly eye, and say, LORD, give me an Heavenly ear, and an Heavenly eye, that I may conceive these things and apprehend them.  
Now, in the end of the verse he bringeth them down for as high as they were, and telleth what they are, Which GOD (saith he) hath prepared for them that love Him. They are predestinated from all Eternity, and they are prepared in time, for so many only as love the LORD. Therefore, love JESUS, and thou shalt get a part of them. The lesson is this. Wonderful are the things that GOD hath prepared for them that love the LORD JESUS. But how shall I know that such high and sublime things are prepared for me? Art thou marked with this token? and carriest thou it about with thee? Lovest thou the LORD? howbeit not so well as thou wouldst. (Accursed be he that loveth not the LORD: let him be an Anathema Maranatha, as the Apostle saith in the sixteenth Chapter and the two and twenty verse of the first Epistle to the Corinthians.) Lovest thou Him, assure thyself, howbeit thou canst not get such a love to Him, or such a sight of these things, as thou wouldst have, they are prepared for thee. Only, thou art to take heed to see if that love of GOD be in thine heart. Go not to search what is in Heaven, and think not to get a full sight of that glory in this life, that is laid up for thee: But rest on Him, yea, though it were half blindlinges. Well is the soul that can love the LORD JESUS.  
I will end here, and will recommend to every soul that Love of JESUS, as ever they would see the things that the eye never saw, nor the ear never heard, nor hath ever entered into the heart of man, to their everlasting comfort and consolation, at the coming of the LORD JESUS: To whom, with the FATHER and the Holy GHOST, be all Honour, Praise, and Glory, for ever and ever, world without end, So be it.   

THE SEVENTH SERMON.  I. COR. CHAP. II. 
verse 10 But GOD hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.  
verse 11 For what man knoweth the things of man, except the spirit of a man, which is in him? Even so the things of GOD knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.  
verse 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of GOD, that we may know the things that are given to us of God.  
THE last day, Brethren, we heard a clear description & commendation of that wisdom which ` Paul spoke and preached, which is none other, in effect, but this same blessed evangel that is preached to you. We showed you that there was nothing that might commend a science or wisdom in this world, but it concurred with him to the commendation, praise, and glory of this wisdom that is here described. The author of it is not the world, nor the Princes of the world, but God the maker of the world: The secrecy of it, was hidden up in a mystery so many ages, from the creation to the coming of Christ, and manifestation of Him in the nature of man: The antiquity of it, it was predestinated from all Eternity: The end of it, our glory: The sublimity and highness of it, when it was revealed at the coming of CHRIST, none of the Princes of this world could understand it, for if they had known it, they had not crucified the LORD of glory. The subject of it, the things which the eye never saw, the ear never heard, which never entered into the heart of man, and yet for all this, prepared for them that love the LORD.  
Now to come to the Text which we have in hand. It might have been asked of the Apostle, If such things as were never seen, never heard of, nor never entered into the heart of man, were contained in that wisdom which he taught, what profit have we by that wisdom? what profit have we of the things whereof we are not capable? The Apostle meeteth this in the first verse which we have read, But (saith he) God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: It is true indeed, they pass the sight of our eyes, they surmount above our hearing, they pass the capacity of our mind, yet that LORD hath dimitted Himself unto us, & by His Spirit He hath revealed those things to us the silly ones of the world, not to the princes of the world, but to the silly simple ones. He hath revealed them not by our spirit, but by His own Spirit. There is the sum of the answer shortly: He giveth the reason in the next part of the verse, and letteth us see, that the Spirit of jesus is able to reveal all these high and hidden things to us▪ setting out the nature of the Holy Spirit: For (saith he) the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. The Spirit is a searcher, and he is a searcher of all things created in Heaven and earth. Nothing can escape him, but he will search into the secretest things in the world, and into the secretest parts of thine heart. What more? He is a searcher of the God of glory Himself, and will pierce into the infinite deepness that is in God. He being such a Spirit as this, is he not able to reveal the things whereof we are not capable? There is the meaning of the whole verse shortly.  
Then we see these things contained in the Heavenly wisdom, as the riches of God in JESUS CHRIST, our remission of sin, our justification, our regeneration, our salvation, and life everlasting, even common things which ye hear of daily, together with jesus Christ the Mediator, in whom and thorough whom all things are wrought, are the things which the ear hath not heard, nor the eye hath not seen, neither have they e●●ered into the heart of man. Yet we see that these things pass not so the capacity of man, nor they are not so altogether hidden from man, but they are revealed. And they are revealed▪ to whom? To them for whom they are prepared. They are revealed▪ when? even in this life: there is none for whom they are prepared from all Eternity, but in this life, before the soul go out of the body, they shall receive some revelation and understanding of these same things: and thou that gettest no revelation of them in this life, and gettest not a sight of them ere the soul go out of the body, I will say to thee, They were never prepared for thee: Remission of sins was never prepared for thee, justification before the Tribunal of GOD, Regeneration, Life everlasting was never prepared for thee. There is not a better token of life after this life, than a blink of life in this life, if it were but a glimmering (for the best of us hath but a glimmering) a blink of JESUS Christ, and of the graces that are in Him in this life, is the surest token that thou canst have of the life to come. And by the contrary, There is not a worse token of darkness after this life, than to have thine eyes so closed, that thou hast no blink here of that life to come. And when thou diest, having no sight of the life to come, thou shalt die a miserable caitiff, & a faggot for the fire of H●ll.  
Let us go forward to the rest. God hath revealed them by His Spirit. Now ye see here a revelation by the Spirit● Mark it: I shall tarry somewhat upon these words. Ye heard before of a revelation by the word which is this wisdom. Now ye hear of a revelation by the Spirit: It is not enough to receive a revelation by the word, though it were never so fair and so sound preached, it will never do thee good, it is nothing but as if thou wouldst hold a light before a blind man, & say to him, Man, seest thou not this light? Wilt thou bid a blind man judge of colours? thou scornest him. Even so, all the speaking of the Scriptures unto men is but scorning of them, except they get this revelation of the Holy Spirit. What is this revelation of the Spirit? I shall tell you what it is. With that preaching of the word, which is the first revelation, the Spirit of JESUS cometh down, and seateth Himself in thine eye, & openeth thine eye to see the things which are spoken cometh to thine ear, & openeth thine ear to hear the things which are spoken, entereth into thine heart, and maketh thee to conceive the things which thou seest and hearest, and maketh thee capable of them, of the which thou art no more capable by nature, than the very stone in the pillar: speak to thee, & to the stone, all is alike, till this alteration be made in thy soul.  
Then, Brethren, There are two revelations, The first by the word, when it is preached: The second by the Spirit, when that Holy Spirit concurreth with the word. I will tell you the difference of them, The first will be common to all: the word is preached alike to all. O! but the other revelation is not so common, but is only made to some secret ones of the Lord. That blessed Spirit will not light upon every man and woman, but only upon some secret persons, upon whom the Lord hath pity. We read in the 16. Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles▪ that there is a meeting of many: many are gathered together, Paul the Apostle the Preacher, he revealeth the graces of the word to all alike: among all the rest we read of one special person called Lydia (there was never a word spoken of the rest) it is said of her namely, that the Lord opened the heart of Lydia, to receive that which Paul preached: the Spirit of JESUS opened her heart, not Paul: the Spirit of JESUS only is the revealer: be never content with hearing only: fie on thee, if thou think thou hast done enough, when thou hast sitten an hour or two, hearing, if thou find not the sweet operation of the Spirit to open thine heart with such a sweetness as is unspeakable. And therefore fix not your eyes so much on men, as upon the Lord, who sendeth the Spirit, and cry ever▪ Lord, give me the Spirit, or else all is but wind: blessed is that body that getteth the Spirit, for the word will never do good without the Spirit.  
Yet I go forward, and I mark the reason: The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deepness of God. These are the words. There is a great deepness in these words, if we could attain to it. The first thing that I take up here, is this, Great is that deepness and that profundity that is in our God. Paul, in the 3. chap. to the Ephes. and the 18. verse, considering that deepness falleth out in these words, That ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all Saints, what is the breadth, and length (meaning of God, for He is both broad and long) and the depth (He is deep) and the height (He is high also) Infinite in length, infinite in breadth, infinite in height, infinite in deepness, what would ye have? He Himself is (as it were) a bottomless Deep. There is never a property in Him, as we call them, but all is an infinite deepness, the wisdom of GOD, an infinite and endless deepness: His power, an endless deepness. And therefore the Apostle (Rom. 11. 34.) falleth out in an admiration of the deepness both of the wisdom, and of the knowledge of God.  
Well then, Brethren, it is no wonder, albeit it was said in the verse going before, that the things that are prepared for them that love Him, the eye hath never seen, the ear hath never heard, neither have they entered into the heart of man: Why? Because all these things are hidden up in a bottomless deepness, that is, in God. What wonder then, that thou canst not see them? that the eye of a worm, creeping upon the earth, cannot see them? that the ear of a worm cannot hear them? and that the heart of a worm cannot be capable of them? It is true indeed, the Gospel speaketh of them all unto us, yet the word is not sufficient to show them▪ they are not so in the word, but they abide still in that deepness: the mercy is not so revealed in the word, & brought down from Heaven, but yet it remaineth still in that deepness: remission of sins is not so revealed in the word, but yet it abideth still in that deepness. And therefore, the word, when it speaketh of these things, whither sendeth it thee unto? When it speaketh of the mercy of GOD in jesus Christ, of the justice of God, of Life everlasting, whither doth it direct thee? Evermore to this deepness. Go thy ways (saith the word) to the deepness of GOD, and see all these things plainly. Therefore, the same Apostle saith, (Coloss. 3. 1. 3.) Seek the things which are above, where thy life is hidden with Christ in God. Where is thy life then? I am speaking of it now: but where is it? It is hidden up in that deepness of God. The word should not hold down thine eye, but lift it up to seek all those mercies that are above with God. Ye may see then, these things that concern our salvation in jesus Christ, our remission of sins, our justification, our salvation (these are even the things, to speak them plainly, whereof the Apostle meaneth) they are incomprehensible to the wit of man▪ to the eye of man, to the judgement of man, to the nature of man. He will stand up, and talk of his nature▪ of his engine, an high spirited man his wit will compass all the world. O! but thy wit reached never up here to search this deepness. Therefore, by nature there is none assurance of remission of sins, of salvation, of life, if thou have no more but nature, (scorn as thou wilt) although thou be a Monarch, thou shalt never get assurance of life, but die like a desperate dog▪ Art thou able to pierce in to the deepness of the sea, that hath a bottom? or to the deepness of the earth that is finite? No, thou wilt never see one foot into it, albeit thou be never so clear of sight: & then, O fool, wilt thou strive to reach up to a bottomless deepness that is in God, with thy wit and thy conception, when thou canst not attain to a finite thing?  
Now, Brethren, I have spoken of God, & of His deepness: next we have to speak of the Spirit▪ of the searching of the Spirit: I shall only touch it shortly as far as the Text will furnish, and not digress in amplifying of these common heads. I mark then of this Text: As there is an infinite deepness in God, so there is a searcher of it, it wanteth not a searcher. The only searcher of this deepness, is the Spirit of God: every spirit is a searcher: it is the nature of a spirit ever to pierce in, and to search: for it is a subtle thing, and will pierce in very subtly to the secrets of things. The spirit of an Angel is a searcher, and a subtle thing: the spirit of the Devil is subtle, and will pierce in subtly, he will pierce in to thine heart, and insinuate himself therein: likewise, the spirit of a man is a subtle spirit, and a searcher also: he will search out the things that are in heaven▪ and in the sea, and in the earth: for, he is wonderfully inclined to searching. But all the spirits, except the Spirit of that Holy One, search only the creatures. The spirit of an Angel, of the devil, of a man, search but the creatures: As for the Creator, no spirit is able to search in Him but His own Spirit, yea, they know nothing in Him, but so much as He will reveal unto them. As for man, he is very busy▪ but for all his business, he could never yet search out his own heart luthere is a mystery of sin lying in the folds of his heart, which he shall never see, except this Spirit enter in, and give him light. But the blessed Spirit of God and of jesus Christ (he is the Spirit both of the Father and of the Son, for one Spirit proceedeth from both) He searcheth the Father, He searcheth the Son, He discovereth all And no man can be a good searcher, or a sanctified searcher, except he have this Spirit. If thy spirit be not sanctified by this Spirit, which is the only searcher and sanctifier of all things, all thy searching is but vanity.  
Now to go forward. Before He was called a searcher, and now He is called a revealer: First He searcheth out, than He revealeth unto us, There is the order: He revealeth the hidden things in God, because He Himself of His own nature is a searcher of them: and before that ever He reveal them, He searcheth them out first. Then, he that will be a revealer, and will set himself to reveal those things to men (I speak it in plain talk) he that will be a Preacher of these hidden things to others, look that first he be a searcher, and let him be occupied in searching, and heartily beseech GOD, that the Holy Spirit would lead him in to those things that have none access: For he is not fit to be a Preacher of the Gospel, that searcheth not with all his might, first to see these things in God, which he speaketh to others. Woe to him that cometh in of purpose to speak the things to others which he never saw nor felt first in his own heart. David saith, (Psalm 116. 10.) I believed, and therefore I spoke. Paul afterwards saith, We believe and therefore we speak, 2. Cor. 4. 13. What is this belief? None other thing, but, before he speak to others, to get an assurance of them in his own heart. Now look the manner of the revealing of these things. The Spirit, he revealeth, because he openeth our hearts, and taketh away the vail off our hearts, to let us see them: otherwise in vain were it to lay them before us. I see another manner of this revelation, and therefore look what more the Spirit doth: He is not content only to take the vail from thine heart, but he taketh thy soul by the hand, (as it were) and leadeth it in thorough the deepness of God, he will ravish it out of the body, (as it were) and lead it in to that light which hath none access, and will say, Lo there is the mercy, lo, there is the righteousness, lo, there is the everlasting Life, which is spoken of, seest thou not them all in Him? So he will point out every thing in God. Therefore, no doctrine availeth without this Holy Spirit, seeing He alone taketh the vail from our hearts, and leadeth us in to see the things which are spoken of. There is no perfect Doctor but the Spirit of jesus only: There is no creature, although he be an Angel, that can take the vail off thine heart, to let thee see, that can boar thine care, to let thee hear perfectly: And therefore, in preaching depend not upon the mouth of men, but only upon the Spirit of jesus Christ.  
Yet I shall make the matter more plain, and show how the Spirit will take thee, and let thee see the things which are in God. I will use a supposition which cannot be, yet it will make the matter more clear. I suppose that my spirit or soul entered into thee, if my spirit or my soul be in thee, there would be nothing within me, but thou wouldst see it, all my thoughts would be patent to thee.  
Now to apply this. This is no supposition. God will put His Spirit into a man or woman: for if His Spirit be not in us, woe be unto us for ever and ever. If God put His Spirit into any of us must it not follow of necessity, that we must see in God at least the things which concern our weal and salvation. That spirit in me, in thee, must reveal to me, to thee, the things which lie in the very deepness of God, which concern our weal and salvation: and that man that hath the Spirit of God, will see the very heart of God, & His mind, he will see the remission of his sins in the mind of GOD, and all by the benefit of the Spirit of JESUS that dwelleth in him. Mark this ye that account so lightly of the Spirit of jesus, in whom consisteth the only felicity of man: For if thou want His Spirit, woe to thee, thou shalt go to Hell. So we have a great vantage here, that by the benefit of the Spirit, we see the things that are in God.  
But, Brethren, God hath as great an advantage of us: for if God's Spirit be in us, by His Spirit He seeth all that is in our hearts: for if my spirit were in thee (as I spoke before) as thou wouldst see all that is in mine heart, so I would see all that is in thy soul, & the least thought of thine heart would be patent unto me: so, much more that Spirit seeth the least motion & thought of the heart of man, in whom He is, & will present them all to the Father, and lay them open before Him. So all serveth to this end, that we should take heed to the least thought of our hearts, and beware to think one thought to displease Him: for the Spirit, as He is called the searcher of the deepness of God, so He is called the searcher of the hearts of men. There is not one thought, nor one groan in thine heart, or one motion of joy in thy soul, but He reporteth all to the Father. We have need to take heed to all the motions of our hearts, and never to think one thought, but that which we think is acceptable to the Father, & never to anger the Spirit (as the Apostle saith Eph. 4. 30.) neither in word or thought. And therefore, as thou wouldst keep Him & not anger Him, study to sanctification, & sanctification shall bring on salvation, for it is the very means that shall make thee to see God: look what th'Apostle saith, Heb. 12. 14. Without sanctification no man shall see God. Now upon all this discourse I mark shortly: There were never two things so straightly joined together as God & man is: there was never such kindred betwixt two things in the world, as is betwixt the God of glory, and an earthly man: thou wilt count thy kindred with this man, and that man, if thou be joined with him in blood or alliance. But I ask this question, Is his spirit within thee? is his soul within thee? or is thy soul in him? Indeed it is true, the affection may go out of thee to him, but givest thou him thy spirit with thy affection? or giveth he thee his spirit with his affection? knowest thou the thought of his heart? or knoweth he the thought of thine heart? who will say it? O! but God with His affection giveth thee His Spirit within thee, that thou mayest know the thought of His heart, and He of thine. This is the conjunction that is betwixt God & thee: there is a narrow conjunction indeed betwixt the members of that mystical body, for they are conjoined together by the Spirit of Christ, & by love, but no member putteth his spirit into another member: there is the other conjunction betwixt the head and the members of the natural body: for the soul will, as it were, come down, and the spirit of the head to the members, and they will understand the thought of the head, and the head will understand the thought of the members, but there was never such a conjunction betwixt the members & the head, as is betwixt God & man, and all conjunctions among men, are but a pendicle of that which is betwixt GOD and man. In this conjunction with thy GOD, and with thine Head, JESUS, (for thou art joined with GOD in Him) standeth thy felicity and blessedness.  
To come to the next verse. It might have been said to the Apostle, Thou dedicatest all to the Spirit of God, may not the spirit of man do something in this purpose? may not my spirit search in to God, and discover the deepness that is in Him? He answereth, Noman can see the things that are in God, but His own Spirit. Then he declareth his answer by a comparison, Even as no man can see the things which are in man but by the spirit of a man, so nothing can search the things which are in God, but the Spirit of God. Thou canst not see the things that are in me. only I myself will see the things that are in me: even so no man can see the things that are in God but only His own Spirit.  
Now the Apostle here he meeteth the very, pride of the heart of man, that he will conceit of himself, that he by his spirit will search the things that are in God. Paul had this experience in the Corinthians, who were but carnal, they took upon them to judge upon his doctrine that was spiritual. Hast thou but that spirit which is carnal? albeit thou be a Monarch, thou art too bold to take upon thee to judge of things which are spiritual, and spoken spiritually.  
This same is the pride of the Papists this day. There will come out a Thomist, a Scotist, who hath the spirit of a man only, and a very subtle, or rather a Sophistical spirit, an human. Philosopher, and he will judge of the Gospel of jesus Christ, and turn it over into human Philosophy. They have turned the Gospel of jesus to Aristotle, all their writings are but spiritless. There is not so much as a smell of the Spirit of jesus in them all: But, O that terrible judgement that abideth such Doctors as are profane polluters of the Gospel of jesus Christ! There is none of us all, but if a man would stand up and say to me, or to thee, I know thine heart, and what is in thine heart, we would be angry at him. Then, will not that glorious God be angry at a profane villain, that will say, he will search in to that profundity, having only his own spirit?  
Brethren, when I was younger than I am, if I had seen one of great engine, & great capacity, & great graces, I thought immediately he would comprehend the whole Bible, but I protest before God, that the longer I live, I think ever the less of the wit of man, I had rather have the lest sponk of the Spirit of Christ, nor all the engine & knowledge of the world: No, a silly body that hath the Spirit of jesus will conceive more of spiritual things, than all the high headed bodies in the world. Therefore, always renounce thine own wit, and be a fool, that thou mayest be wise.  
Another thing I mark here. When he hath magnified the Spirit, and made Him the searcher of all the deepness of God, see how he holdeth off him the proud conceits of men: he will not let thee touch him, or his privileges, that is, to search the deepness of God. Therefore, if ye will speak of God, to His honour, (He is inviolable) save him from the proud conceits of men. Hold proud men off God, & let them not touch Him, or violate that inviolable Majesty, or else thou shalt be guilty, if He be violated by thy default. Alas! wherefore art thou set in this world, but to preach His glory? and to keep it inviolate from the injuries of all flesh in the world. Look what he doth next in the last verse, when he hath, as it were, holden off GOD the proud conceits of men, who would take upon them to search in to the deepness of God, what doth he? He draweth that Spirit to himself, and saith, Now we have received, not the spirit of the World, but the Spirit which is of God. whereby he learneth thee this lesson: It availeth thee not to magnify, to glorify God and His Spirit, except in the end thou take that Spirit to thyself, and mayest challenge Christ and His Spirit, as thine own property. Men have spoken very highly of Christ, and have had little ado with Him. Speak thou not of Him so, but as thou speakest of Him to His praise, take Him to thyself: otherwise, in all thy speaking of Him, thou art but a very babbler, if thou have not that Spirit within thee: For the Apostle saith, No man can call jesus Lord, except he have the Spirit of jesus, 1. Cor. 12. 3. Therefore, as thou wouldst save thyself from profaning of God, and of His Spirit, and of His graces, when thou art praising and magnifying Him, look that thou have the Spirit, that thou mayest say to thyself, This Spirit whom I praise, is mine: this God, whom I have been magnifying, and all His graces, is mine. In the end of the verse he setteth down the end wherefore GOD hath given us this Spirit. The end is this, To make us to know the things which are given unto us by God. I see here the Spirit of jesus, when He maketh our eye to look in to that deepness of God, to that store of mercy, He will let us see nothing in GOD, but mere grace & mercy. As this evangel preacheth nothing but mere grace and mercy, so the Spirit of jesus, when He letteth thee see all the hidden things in GOD, He letteth thee see nothing but mere mercy and grace. And therefore, he that will tell the people of the merits of men, or of the Saints, that they are not justified by mere grace, but must add to their own deservings, I will tell you my judgement of such a man, suppose he be never so glorious a Doctor, never so sacond or so learned, he never spoke by the Spirit of JESUS. Papist Doctors, who lead men to lean to their own merits, and to the merits of Saints, never spoke nor wrote by the Spirit of jesus: For the Spirit of jesus letteth thee see nothing in God but mee●e mercy: for one merit of man will destroy all grace: so contrary is the Spirit of God, & the spirit of man, the grace of Christ, & the merit of man, And this is the spirit that men strive to put amongst us again: for if they bring in Papistry amongst us again, farewell the Spirit of jesus. No, I speak it from mine heart, if that Idolatry come in again, I shall stand up in my last Preaching, and say, Farewell the Spirit of jesus: For, no more than Hell can accompany Heaven, no more can that blessed Spirit of jesus accompany that dirt & dung of man's doctrine. Therefore, as thou wouldst keep the Spirit of jesus, hold aback these men, for thou shalt not enjoy them both in despite of thine heart. The Lord jesus cannot remain amongst Idolaters: and if thou have not His Spirit, thou art not His, (Roman. 8. 9) if thou be not His, thou art the Devils, and shalt go to everlasting damnation. Therefore I say over again▪ Hold them away, as thou wouldst keep that blessed Spirit of JESUS CHRIST: To whom with the FATHER and the Holy Ghost, be all Honour, Praise, Power, Glory, and Dominion, both now and ever world without end,  
AMEN.   

THE EIGHT SERMON.  II. COR. CHAP. FOUR 
verse 3 If our Gospel be then hidden, it is hidden to them that are lost:  
verse 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds, that is, of the Infideles, that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, which is the Image of God, should not shine unto them.  
verse 5 For we preach not ourselves, but CHRIST JESUS the LORD, and ourselves your servants for JESUS sake.  
IN the verse immediately going before this Text which we have read in your audience, the Apostle hath been speaking of that sincerity, of that plainness which he used in the preaching of the Gospel of CHRIST, which he uttered with such an evidence, that whosoever heard him, might understand him, might have seen the light of the Gospel, and have apprehended it. Now because this people of Corinth were stiffnecked, hard to conceive, full of conceits, and liked nothing but human wisdom and eloquence, scorning & mocking the evidence of the Spirit: Therefore, some of them might have objected immediately, Paul, thou speakest of thy plainness in uttering the Gospel, yet for thy plainness there is many amongst us who know not what thou speakest, thy Gospel is hidden to many, many understand thee not. The Apostle meeteth this in the first words which we have read, If our Gospel be hidden, it is hidden to them that perish. A sore sentence: as if he would say, Corinthians, blame me not, nor my Gospel, the fault is in that miserable corruption which is in you: ye cannot see the light of my gospel, because ye are adjudged to perdition and damnation: so the blame is in your blindness, who are appointed to damnation before all eternity. So this verse being plain, let us observe some lessons. The first is this: There hath been, and is, many in the world, in all ages, that never saw, seeth, nor shall see the light of the Gospel. Ye have an example of these Corinthians, howbeit the Gospel should shine clearer than the Sun at noon time of the day, it shall never be seen of them, it will be hidden to them, howbeit it should be as a book laid open before them, yet it will be a clasped book to them. Let every man beware of himself, for this is a necessity laid upon the multitude of this world. A multitude hath been in all ages, a multitude is in this age, a multitude shall be in every age to come, who shall never see the light of the Gospel. The next lesson is: These folk have this property, and disposition, (being pleasurers of themselves) they are ever quarrelling with the Gospel, amongst all the hearers of the world they are the most quarrelous, they, I say, who get the least good of it, are always the most quarrelous, and evermore laying the fault either upon the Gospel, or upon the teachers thereof, because they neither get light nor consolation thereby. Beware of this quarrelous complexion. I mark thirdly, where is the fault, or in whom? They blame the Gospel, and the teachers thereof, but where is the fault indeed? Paul telleth thee here, If my Gospel be hidden, it is hidden to them that perish. That perdition and destruction whereunto thou art appointed from all eternity, is the cause wherefore thou receivest no consolation, no light in thy soul thorough the Gospel of jesus Christ. Thou layest the fault where it is not, thou art like a blind man, that will stand up against the Sun, shining at the noon time of the day, and accuse it because it shineth not, when in the mean time it is shining upon the face of him. Thou art a vessel of perdition, if there be not a remedy, and because the sentence is past, therefore, as when a thief or a murderer is once condemned to death, the gracious presence of the Prince is withdrawn from him, that he may look on him no more: Even so, if once a creature be adjudged to death, the gracious countenance of jesus Christ is withdrawn from him, lest he should behold it in the Gospel.  
Another thing followeth: There are many tokens of damnation, that men and women are adjudged to death: Amongst the rest this is a sure token, If the Gospel be hidden to thee, even as it is preached in SCOTLAND, (we have neither Peter nor Paul to teach unto us) yet if it be hidden to thee, if thou receive neither light nor consolation by it, as it is now preached, if thou continue so till thy life be in thy lips, as we speak, till the last gasp, thou hast a seal in thine own bosom of everlasting damnation: thine heart is marked with the mark of perdition: yea, if thou be a king, thou art a vessel ordained for shame and ignominy.  
Then, Brethren, learn here: seeing there must be a number that must perish, and a number of all estates in the world must die, that must go to Hell, ordained from all eternity to perdition, beguile not yourselves, and seeing to this number the Gospel must be hidden, and must be a closed book, they can never have consolation of it. Then thou that delightest to walk in the light of the Gospel of jesus Christ, think thou not evil of this Gospel, think thou not evil of this ministery. join these two together, that cannot be severed, the Gospel and the Ministry. Thou that thinkest evil of the ministery, thou thinkest evil of the Gospel: be thou not ashamed of the Ministers, nor of their bonds, nor of their captivity, nor of their death, nor of no cross that can be laid upon them: (the 2. Epist. to Timot. and the 8. Chapter) For the multitude of the world thinketh shame of the Gospel, and of the Ministers thereof, when affliction once cometh upon them. Thou that lovest the Gospel, keep thy comfort in thine own bosom, and assure thyself, there is none other way to Heaven: and knowing well, that this must be the hazard of the Gospel, and of the Ministers, take all these troubles for sure tokens of the truth of God. I love not the Gospel that hath the countenance of the Princes of this world, and hath the confluence of the multitude. The Princes and multitude of this world hath ever borne the pure Gospel of jesus Christ at hatred. Thus far for the first cause, wherefore the Gospel of jesus Christ is hidden from many, to wit, that perdition whereunto they are adjudged from all eternity.  
Now take up in the next verse another cause wherefore the Gospel is hidden to many, In whom (saith he) the god of this world hath blinded their minds. The second cause is excecation, blind-folding▪ putting out of the eyes, and all to this end, that they should not get a sight of the glorious light of the Gospel, and so be saved. But how cometh this to pass? how are they blinded? I shall tell you: Once being adjudged to die, and ordained in the counsel of God to perdition, in cometh the god of this world, that is, the Devil, whom this world maketh a god of, the God of Heaven sendeth him. Whom to sendeth He him? Unto that caitiff, that miserable creature that is ordained for perdition, as a torturer, & persecuter, an hangman, to put that eternal decree in execution. And what doth he when he cometh in? The first turn that ever he doth, he bindeth him. What bindeth he, his hands or his feet▪ No, he letteth them louse, and letteth him work on with them his own ruin, and run on unto his own perdition: But he bindeth his eyes, or rather, pulleth them out, that the miserable body may not see the gracious face of Christ. Wherefore is he sent unto him? The cause is not only in the ordinance of God, but in the caitiff himself, that maliciously repineth to the light, and will not receive the Gospel, therefore the GOD of Heaven sendeth the Devil to put out his eyes, that he should not see. Mark then the lesson: They that are adjudged to die & to perdition in the world to come, in this world, ere ever they go out of this life, they are bound like thieves and murderers, to be presented bound to that damnation that is to ensue: they are reserved in chains till that great day. What chains are these? Chains of darkness, their eyes are plucked out, that blindlinges, in that great Day, they may be cast into Hell, into that Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for ever. There is never a soul that goeth to damnation in the world to come, but in this life it is blinded: Ye know the Ethnics saying, Quos perdere vult JUPITER, iis mentem solet adimere. It is a true saying: and therefore, take up a sure note of perdition to come, excecation, blindness: so that if thou canst not see that gracious face of CHRIST in the Gospel at no time, for all thine hearing, for all this Ministry that is in the world, take heed to thyself, and fear that everlasting damnation. Bee never at quiet night nor day, till thou seest a light in thy mind by the Gospel: otherwise thy conscience shall condemn, thee as a vessel of perdition. The Gospel is not sent for nothing: either shall it be unto thee a savour of life unto Life, or a savour of death unto Death, and this shall be justified one day: And except thou get light, thou shalt curse the time that ever thou heard the Gospel, when it cometh to that damnation. Another thing mark here: When cometh the god of this world to blind men? (Look to the order of the Text) The first cause is counted perdition & GOD'S ordinance, then cometh in the Devil. When cometh in the Devil? When GOD hath first said the word, I will have this body perishing, and will be glorified in his perdition; then cometh in the torturer, and plucketh out his eyes. So the Devil is nothing to GOD, but a persecuter, a minister of His wrath, when He is angry, than is the loon at hand, as a slave, to put in execution that wrath. But it is a sore pity to consider the miserable body on whom this wrath is executed! When the hangman cometh to bind the hands of a body, that body is sorrowful and sad: but when the Devil is binding thee, thou art merry in the mean time: & when he is a Devil to thee, thou thinkest he is a God to thee. Thou never rejoicest, but in blindness: look to experience, The multitude of this Land is never merrier, than when he is binding them, and drawing them to filthiness, to murder and villainy, to gluttony and drunkenness: Count not of such a man: but say, or think, if thou dare not say it, O miserable caitiff! the Devil is blinding thee, and leading thee to perdition.  
Now mark in the third room, the causes which hasten this damnation, and which must pass before the god of this world come as a torturer to put in execution the sentence of God. There must go before this excecation, and that damnation that followeth this excecation, a cause in thyself, thou must ever be the causer of thine own death: notwithstanding the ordinance of God, yet thou never perishest till thou be worthy of thine own death, and merit thine own damnation. What bringeth on this blindness? A malicious, false, infidel heart, repugning to the Gospel, for thou first despisest it, and rejectest it so maliciously and despite●ull●e, that in a manner, thou wouldst spit on the face of Christ jesus, which shineth in the Gospel. This hasteneth the wrath: For when the Lord seeth the despitefulness of thine heart, that thou wilt not see not look in the light when it is offered to thee, and holden up before thine eyes: then He sendeth His torturer & saith, Go thy ways, Satan, and pluck out the eyes of this body: then he plucketh out the eyes of thy mind immediately, and God giveth thee over to a reprobate sense: and this is it which the Apostle saith of the Gentiles, Rom. 1. 28. It pleased them not to retain God in knowledge, therefore God gave them over to a reprobate sense. And Ephes. 4. 18. Having (saith he) their cogitations darkened, and being strangers from the life of God, thorough the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their hearts. There plainly he letteth us see that the hardness & malice of their hearts bringeth on this ignorance and blindness. Therefore, beware of this malice, and put it out of thine heart, or else thou shalt be carried blindlinges to everlasting damnation, suppose thou be an Earl or a King: what regard hath GOD of persons?  
Now, Brethrens, there are some words that I must weigh to you, as the Lord shall give me the grace, & I shall repeat them, & mark ye with me, if they be not weighty, That the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, which is the image of God should not shine unto them, or spread His beams upon them: ye know, & any man 't hath knowledge knoweth, that this might have been spoken in fewer & base words, but the Apo. contents not himself with base words in such a matter, but saith, that the light of the glorious gospel, etc. Well, is there one word here in vain? and is there any change of words made for nothing? are simple base words changed into glorious words for nothing? no (alas! we cannot see this) and it is one of the things in the world that I would feignest have you to understand, what moveth the Apostles and Prophets to use such an high language, and set up a thing in such glorious terms, the which they might utter in base terms. Think not that the men of God, Prophets and Apostles, have spoken (as we say) hyperbolicè, great and lofty words, greater than the matter. These words are borrowed words, and they are borrowed from the most glorious thing in the earth, and yet they attain not to the thousand part of the things which by them he would express. All the high words that a man can use to express the glory of Christ, are not able to express the thousand part of that glory.  
But to come to the purpose. Ye have set down first in glorious terms the effect of the Gospel: it is set down in shining and beams, thereafter ye have set down the Gospel itself. To come to the first: The most glorious thing that a man can see in this earth, is the shining of the Sun, which the Lord hath fixed in the Heavens. The pleasandest thing that a man can look to, when he hath looked to all these earthly things, is the glancing of the Sun in a fair day. And therefore, ye see the glory of the Sun is described very highly by David in the 19 Psalm. To apply this: Even so the effect of the Gospel being the most glorious effect that ever was wrought: the Spirit of God setteth it out by the most glorious thing in the world, the spreading of the Sun beams. And surely, suppose there were no more but this word [Shining] it letteth us see a wonderful effect of the Gospel in the hearts of men and women. Ye see by experience, the beams of the Sun, suppose they were never so bright, will never alter the body which they shine upon, nor make it bright like themselves: the sun hath shined this long time in the world, but yet by shining it could never so trans-change any creature, that it could become as bright as the Sun itself. It may well let thee see the body that is opacum (as we say) dark & obscure, so long as it shineth, but as soon as it is removed, the body is dark as it was before. But as to the Gospel: The Gospel, with the beams of it, not only maketh the object whereupon it shineth, to be seen, and to appear: but it doth more, it transformeth the soul of the man or woman into that same light and brightness that is in it: That is to say, The face of JESUS, the Sun of righteousness that shineth in the Gospel, when the beams of it striketh upon thy soul, they make it lightsome and bright like the face of jesus, they turn the soul in the shape of the face of JESUS, that shineth in the Gospel. Would ye have Scripture for this? look the last verse of the chapter going before, We behold (saith he) as in a mirror, the glory of God with an open face. and are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord. And this is done in such a sort (O would to God we knew the power of the Gospel) that thou, who hadst nothing but darkness within thee, art made a shining light, casting out thy beams, and over-shadowing silly dark bodies. He that brought light out of darkness (saith Paul) by His word, He hath shined in mine heart, that I may minister the knowledge of jesus Christ to others. So is it most certain, thou in whom the Gospel is so powerful, art made a light in the world, to illuminate dark souls.  
Now to come to the next, the Gospel itself: How expresseth he the Gospel? He calleth it not simply and barely with a mean word, The Gospel, (all these mean words, and silly simple speeches of such a glory, telleth what feeling men have in their hearts of the effectualness of the Gospel) but he calleth it, The light of the Gospel, The Gospel is a light, and it is the light of lights. The Sun, albeit it be bright, was never comparable to it in shining, and therefore it casteth out such glorious beams in the souls of men and women. What is the cause that it is a light? The cause is in the subject of it. The subject of it is glory. What will make a light, if glory will not make it? The Gospel, is the Gospel of glory, and all that is within it is glory. What glory ●● this? The glory of CHRIST the King of kings his glory must be a great glory: what kind of person is this Christ? He is the Image of God. He never resteth mounting up till he come to that divinity. Lo how he riseth: he climbeth from the Gospel to the Mediator, & from the Mediator to that glorious Majesty. So all the glory that shineth in the Gospel, is the glory of God, and all the light of the Gospel, is that light of God which th'Apo. 1. Tim. 6. 16. calleth 't light which hath none access, & never man had access to it, till this jesus brought it down, & without this light thou art but darkness, and shalt end in exterior & utter darkness. All the beams of the Sun are but darkness in respect of it. The Sun is but a creature, this is the light uncreated of the glorious GOD, the very essence of GOD, count of it as thou wilt. Now mark one thing of this: This man by his speech leadeth us to his heart, what are words, if they want the heart? and if they have no life, what are words to be respected, suppose thou speakest a thousand years of light and glory, if thou have neither light nor glory in thy soul. Certainly, there are none that will look to these words, but they may see the man's heart was replenished with this light and glory whereof he spoke. The face of JESUS shined on his soul, and so wonderfully he uttereth that conception, and fullness of the heart, in such words as are marvelous. The heart of PAUL was full of light and glory. But I see little light in the hearts of men and women, in respect of that light which was in his heart. And therefore, Brethren, to speak the truth, because this Gospel, howbeit it hath been sounding in the ear these many years in this Land, yet it hath not entered into the hearts of men & women, it hath been a sound in the ear, but not a light in the soul, because thou hast not suffered it to enter into thine heart, & kept it there: therefore, the Lord is threatening to take it from thine ear also: and so will be seen on EDINBURGH one day. The eye is always upon men, but thou lookest not to that poisonable heart of thine, that is procuring the away-taking of this Gospel out of thine ear, and except ye descend into your own hearts, & search the emptiness of that light in them, it is not possible that it can remain. Can it be possible that this contempt of the Gospel, that of her own nature is so effectual in the hearts of men, can be borne with for ever? No, the Lord will not suffer this contempt to be unpunished. And therefore, the Lord apparently hath said▪ I will put away my Gospel from this ungrateful people, whom it hath not illuminated after so long time. So ye 't have been long looking to instruments, look as long on your own false hearts that are the cause of all. Yet, Brethren, notwithstanding of all this contempt of the Gospel, the Lord save me, & all them that I wish well to, from this, to be an instrument of the withdrawing of it for yet it was never seen that the Lord used good men to be instruments in such a deed. Who is it that is here sent to blind this world? who but the god of this world, the Devil!? and therefore I give this watchword, Let no man press to be the occasion of the away-taking of the Gospel.  
Now I shall take up the next verse shortly, and so I shall end. In the next verse the Apostle giveth the reason wherefore they to whom the Gospel was hidden, behoved to be they who were ordained for perdition, and whom the god of this world hath blinded. His reason is taken even from his sincerity in preaching the Gospel, For (saith he) we preach not ourselves: Whom preach I then? but JESUS CHRIST the LORD, and I preached Him to be the Lord in my Gospel: and what preached I of myself? Ourselves your servants for Christ jesus sake. For the bridegrooms cause I was a servant to the Bride, for His cause who is the only Head and LORD of the Church, I was a servant to the Church. Then of this reason mark this lesson: A man, whom the LORD raileth to preach the Gospel, not to seek himself, nor his own advancement, nor worldly riches, nor honour, but only to preach the Gospel in sincerity, what effect will he have in his preaching? Strange effects will follow him: if he save thee not, if he win thee not to God, if he minister not comfort to thee by his Gospel, what will he do? I shall tell thee, He will put a stamp upon thee, and thrust it into thine heart & conscience, testifying to thee in the own time (for the conscience wakeneth not in all men at all times) that thou wast not faithful, but a reprobate ordained to perdition from all eternity, if thou gettest not repentance in time, and if the Gospel preached by a sincere man hath not fructified in thee, all his preaching is but a seal to thee of thy damnation, and in the Great Day shall stand up and aggrege thy judgement.  
Mark another thing here: What is this that maketh this man so bold? He will denounce perdition, excecation, and blind-folding by the god of this world, (I assure you, this is a bold speech to denounce damnation) but what maketh him so bold? Ye see it in a word, the conscience of his own sincerity, that in his preaching he sought not himself, but the LORD his Master. There is the lesson. A man whom the LORD will send (and the LORD as certainly will send men to speak in sincerity his message, as ever he sent any Prophet in the world, howbeit there be not an extraordinary calling now) A man, I say, whom the LORD will send, he will denounce damnation to an obstinate and rebellious people: and he will be bold to take thee, as it were, by the ear suppose thou be a king, and lead thee to that Tribunal to hear the sentence of damnation pronounced against thee. The LORD give me this sincerity, and then I will not care for all the kings and all the men in the world: for the LORD will give boldness to the man whom he raiseth in sincerity to city kings before that Tribunal of JESUS CHRIST.  
Another thing I see in this Text: There is no lord, but the Lord JESUS, who will tread down all the lords in the earth, and tread upon their necks at his pleasure. And more I see, There is no Lady, nor Queen, but the Church, the Spouse of JESUS CHRIST: As for Kings, Queens, politics in the earth, all are but servants only, kings servants, Queen's servants, Pastors and Ministers servants and nourishers of the Church of JESUS: The Apostles, servants, ministering food to this glorious body of JESUS, and feeding it with the sincere milk of the word. And that is it which the Apostle saith in the 1. epis▪ to the Corin. chap. 3. vers. 22. speaking of himself, and others. All is yours (saith he) whether it be Paul, or Apollo's, or Cephas, etc. Even so, all is yours, all are but servants to you, ye are Christ's, He is your Lord, ye have none other lord, but Christ. Then the Church must have a great prerogative, jurisdiction, and liberty. She is a Queen, and if ever there was in any country a jurisdiction and liberty, she hath it given her of her Spouse, the Lord JESUS. Then ye know what should follow: If she have a liberty and jurisdiction, I will speak that which the Apostle speaketh in the second epist. to the Corin. chap. 13. vers. 10. God hath not given me (saith Paul) power to your destruction, but all the power which GOD hath given me is to your edification. The GOD of Heaven gave never to any creature in Heaven no● earth, power to do against her, but all to maintain her in her liberty. Then meddle not with her jurisdiction. Let none earthly power meddle with it, and beware that no irruption be made within it. There was never Emperor nor Monarch of this world, that made irruption within it, that ever wan by it. Therefore, let every soul beware to meddle with this liberty: for certainly, that sword that shall be strucken at her, she shallding it back again like the hammer off the stithy. Read the Ecclesiastical Histories, ye shall see, that never man got the upperhand, that ever meddled with it. And therefore, the LORD open men's eyes, and let them see this, that they may reverence this glorious Spouse of JESUS CHRIST, as ever they would see that glorious Face of CHRIST JESUS Her Head: To whom with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all Praise, Honour, & Glory, world without end: so be it.   

THE NINTH SERMON.  II. COR. CHAP. X. 
verse 1 Now, I Paul, myself, beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who when I am present amongst you, am base, but am bold towards you, being absent.  
verse 2 And this I require you, that I need not to be bold when I am present with that same confidence wherewith I think to be bold against some, who ecteeme us as though we walked according to the flesh.  
verse 3 Nevertheless, though we walk in the flesh, yet we do not war after the flesh.  
verse 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to cast down Holds.)  
verse 5 Casting down the imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of CHRIST.  
THESE Corinthians, unto whom the Apostle writeth, being before founded and grounded in the faith of JESUS CHRIST by this ministery, yet afterward seduced and led aside with false apostles, Orators ●ather than Teachers, who preached the Gospel of JESUS CHRIST with human affected eloquence, begin to disdain the Apostle, who ●ounded and grounded them in that Faith of JESUS CHRIST, and to account of him even as if he had not been sent, or had not been an Apostle in very deed, but had only given himself out for an Apostle. Therefore, in this present Text, the Apostle beseecheth them to account of him (as he was indeed) as the Apostle of jesus Christ, and desireth them so to esteem of him: and so, taking occasion, he falleth out in a very high description of his Apostleship. And first he maketh a request unto them, Now, I Paul, myself, beseech you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ: Surely, if ye will consider their deservings at the hands of the Apostle, they should have been met more hardly, and sharper language should have been directed unto them: Yet the Apostle meeteth them gently, & directeth to them a meek and gentle request, I Paul, in mine own person, beseech you, and that for the meekness and gentleness of jesus Christ, if ever ye had any taste of that mercy & meekness in jesus Christ towards you, even for that meekness sake, and for that mercy's sake, obey me, do the thing which I bid you. So the Pastor hath his lesson first here: It is the part and duty of a Pastor, who hath to do with people, First at the entry to begin with meekness and lenity: yea, amongst all the properties that is required in a faithful Pastor, this is not the least to be endued with lenity and pity: Lenity, (I say) arising not only of the consideration of the misery of men, with whom he hath to do, (for all people are miserable by nature, and all our preachings are to a company of miserable creatures, who, being miserable, hath need of mercy, and craveth pity) but arising also of a sense and feeling of his own wretchedness and misery. What? Is he not himself a miserable man by nature, as well as any other person of the flock, man or woman? Then again, the mercy and lenity of JESUS CHRIST which he hath found towordes himself, should move and raise up his lenity and pity towards his flock.  
Therefore, Paul; being of mind to speak to these Corinthians, how be it he had matter of sharpness & threatening offered unto him by them, yet the mercy of Christ towards him, who was so miserable himself, until he got that mercy, changeth all sharpness to lenity▪ & turneth his threatenings which he might have used, in a pitiful request. Next the people likewise hath their lesson here For, as the lenity pity, and meekness of jesus Christ should move the Pastor to lenity towards the people, even so this same lenity & meekness of our Lord jesus should move the people to obey the gentle and humble request of the Pastor. And he or she that ever hath felt in heart, and tasted the sweetness of the mercy of GOD in JESUS CHRIST, will not so soon hear of this lenity and mercy, for CHRIST'S mercy's sake, or for His lenities' sake, but as soon they will be moved to obey the request. And they again, who continue stubborn & disobedient, notwithstanding of a dutiful and lawful request, I say (for my part) that stubborn hearted body never knew what Christ meaned, never felt remission of sins through the blood of jesus Christ. They that will not do the thing which they should do for the mercy's sake of Christ, shall never taste of that mercy, nor of jesus Christ. Affuredlie, they serve for nothing but to be faggots for the fire of Hell: for where mercy is not, there must be judgement.  
Now in the latter part of the verse, he setteth down a description of himself, I Paul, who when I am present among you am base, but am bold towards you being absent. This is one thing in effect with that which followeth afterwards in the 10. verse of this chap. (for this dis-estimation of himself, is from that light account and regard that they made of him, and of the Gospel which he teached) For the Letters (saith he) are sore and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech is of no value. He here describeth himself conform to their dis-estimation of him, for the mis-liking is recent in his memory, yet his speech is meek to them. This matter would have angered a good man, but Paul is so far from anger, that he breaketh out in a gentle and humble request. Whereupon I note, That the unthankfulness of the world should not break our patience, or cause us forget that lenity wherewith the Ambassador of jesus Christ should be endued: for lenity is bound to us, and we are bound to it, yea, although this world be never so ungrate, yet we are bound to strive by long suffering to overcome in the end. Secondly, think ye not but Paul should have thought shame to registrate (as it were) his own shame to the posterity to come, so that I may say, Paul, thou wast of none estimation, & every one may see in how small account he was amongst these people. There is none of us all, if there be any infirmity in us, but we would have it hidden: but a man having a good conscience, and discharging a faithful part of duty, is nothing blotted by the speaking of the world, nor the registrating of their speeches, is nothing to his shame: But the shame pertaineth to the people: their words and deeds towards the Pastor remaineth in his memory, and in the memory of God, and shall continue until the day of judgement; except they repent: yea, even these same words spoken against Paul, shall meet them in the teeth at the day of judgement.  
Yet I see in these words a sharpness and rebuking mixed with lenity, to let us see, that when we have to do with wicked men, lenity and meekness should not be corrupted, but tempered with sharpness, that ungrateful men may be brought to a sense and feeling of sin and misery. Lenity alone will not serve the turn, but with sweetness sourness must be mingled, that the word spoken may be the more effectual and forcible, who when I am present among you am base, etc. The world, and the men of this world account of nothing but of that which hath a fair show, and that they esteem highly of, although it were never so little worthy: The ground whereof is this: All men and women by nature are hypocrites, painted bodies, no solidity in them, all are visorned folk: he cometh out, she cometh out, all masked and disguised: For what is an hypocrite, but a false show? Nothing surely: And therefore, because there is no solidity in themselves, they can account nothing of solidity: as he is himself, such is his estimation of others: as she is herself, such is her estimation of others. O! would to God every man and woman could dis●en●● into themselves, and know their own nature.  
Amongst all things in the world, this Ministry is the vilest, it is the basest thing under the Sun to the eye of man. Other callings will have some outward glory, a king will have an outward glory, but this Ministry hath none outward glory: and yet there is no calling under the Sun that hath so precious a subject, as the calling of the ministery: Yea the most solid thing in the world is under it, even that which maketh men and women solid, and without it no solidity, but all is a● chaf●e before the wind. The Apostle (2. COR. 4. 7) compareth JESUS CHRIST, and His graces, which are revealed in the Gospel, to a treasure, and the Apostles themselves to lame vessels: But we have (saith he) this treasure in earthly vessels, that the excellency of that power might be of GOD, and not of us. There the most glorious thing in the world is in the basest vessels, and weakest instruments. What maketh the world to contemn and disdain this treasure of the Gospel, but the weakness of these vessels, & the baseness of these silly men whom GOD hath put into this service? Indeed I marvel not, howbeit I see the contempt of this ministery, (and surely there is nothing more vilder in the ears of men of SCOTLAND, than to hear the name of a Minister) but I wonder rather, that ever man or woman should be altered by this ministery: the one is of nature, the other is of grace. Wonder never at nature, but wonder to see a man or woman altered by grace. Alas! this is to be pitied, men lose their part of these unsearchable riches in JESUS CHRIST, because they stumble at the ba●enesse of this ministery: For he that esteemeth not of this ministery, never tasted of the sweetness of JESUS CHRIST: he that esteemeth not of the lame vessel, hath no part of the riches which are in the lame vessel. In the words following, But I am bold towards you, whilst I am absent. I see they were compelled to see and feel some boldness in Paul, though not in his presence, yet in his absence, though not by his words in speaking, yet by his writing. There is none so senseless in the world, none so dead, none so hard hearted against the power of this ministery, but either by word or writing, either by absence, or else by presence, they shall be compelled to feel the force of i●: Yea, this ministery shall either be the savour of life to life, or else the savour of death to death unto them.  
And this I require you, that I need not to be bold, etc. In this next verse we have his request expressed in few words, which is as much in effect as if he would say, Seeing I am the Apostle of jesus Christ, I beseech you to acknowledge of me as of an Apostle. The argument is, If ye count not of me, whilst I am absent, when I come, if there be any power in me, I shall make you know it, and utter it against you: ye shall find me bold, and not base: ye shall find sourness, and not meekness: sharpness, and not lenity. Here he telleth by a comparison, what kind of boldness he will use: When I come to you, I shall use the same boldness towards you, that I use towards the false apostles: and as concerning the false apostles, I shall thunder out against them shame, and confusion, & ignominy, so that they that counteth not of me, that I am the Apostle of jesus Christ, shall find my power▪  
We may see here. Paul would be counted by these Corinthians, to be the Apostle of jesus Christ: is he therefore seeking his own honour and glory? No, he is seeking the weal of the people. It is the weal of the people to count of the servant of GOD, for when they count not of him, they cannot account nor accept of his doctrine: and when the doctrine is not well accepted of, then goeth the building slowly forward Alas! this evil esteeming of men in the ministery, is the cause that so few are edified, and so many to remain faithless: for where the man is lightlied, the doctrine is contemned: and where the doctrine is contemned, there can be no faith, no edifying: so that it is a greater matter to contemn the ministery, than men think it to be.  
Mark these words, That I need not to be bold▪ Hear we see plainly, that lenity and meekness is required in a Pastor: The Pastor is ever bound first to begin with lenity and meekness, severity should only come upon necessity, when lenity and meekness is contemned, and cannot serve. Read in the 1. epist. to the Cor. chap. 4. vers. 21. Take your cho●se, whether I shall come to you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness: meaning, that he would come in severity, if lenity would not serve. And 2. Cor. 13. 2. when he seeth that they cannot be won with lenity, he changeth his voice, & saith, If I come again, I shall not spare you: when I come again, I shall terrify you with the power of God, because ye throw it out of me. I see again, he is very sharp against these false Orators, he useth no lenity towards them. Yet there is a discretion to be had betwixt the dealing with false teachers, and with the people. There should be lenity used towards the people: but what should be with a deceiving loon, that beginneth to bring the truth in slander? He must be handled with severity and rigour: no lenity should be used towards these that crcepe in daily to bring the truth in slander: Ye know their voices, Who made LUTHER a Minister? Who made CALVIN a Minister? But they shall find it one day that LUTHER and CALVIN were Ministers, and that there was a power in the word which LUTHER and CALVIN teached: For this is true that PAUL spoke, The LORD consumeth them daily with the word that cometh out of the mouths of His Ministers, and shall consume them daily, until the Day of the LORDS appearance.  
In the third verse he falleth out in a description of the manner of his walking, Nevertheless, though we walk in the flesh, etc. Though we live in the flesh, that is, in the infirmity of this common nature: for, to live in the flesh here, is to live in the weakness of nature, yet we walk not, or war not, according to the flesh: that is, our actions and doings in our Apostleship are not fleshly and weak: Ye see the outward body is weak, but measure not the inward man after the body and strength thereof: for, suppose my body be weak, yet mine actions are strong. So he taketh to him one thing, and refuseth another.  
Now, Brethren, let every man that liveth take gladly to him frailty and weakness: and if men call thee weak, take it to thee: for he that will be strong in himself, cannot be strong in God. In this same Epistle (Chap. 12. verse 9) The power of GOD (saith he) is made perfect in mine infirmity. Of all men in the world, a man whose calling is to be a Minister, should take chiefly upon him this frailty and weakness: yea, let him accept it more readily than it can be casten to him: and as he is frail and weak, so he must feel his frailty and weakness, and the chiefest part of his preaching should be of frailty: and that Minister that never felt his own misery, cannot persuade the people that they are miserable, and bring them to an acknowledging of it.  
And herein appeareth the wisdom of GOD, who chooseth not to this ministery those who have the greatest graces of nature, and natural gifts, but He chooseth out the weak ones, and contemptible bodies, that are amongst men, and He setteth them up to be Preachers to mankind, as He speaketh in the first Epistle to the CORINTHIANS, in the first Chapter, and the six and twenty verse, Ye see, Brethren, your calling, how that not many wise men amongst you according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but GOD hath chosen the foolish things of the world, to confound the wise, and GOD hath chosen the weak things of the world, to confound the mighty. So the Lord chooseth the ignoble and silly creatures, and setteth them up above kings, yea, and the greatest monarchs of the world, to beat them down.  
Mark again, as every man should willingly take to him this frailty and weakness of nature, so let him refuse the other, that is to say, let him refuse to walk according to the flesh: To walk according to the flesh, and to war according to the flesh, is all one, (for the walking of a Christian is a warfare.) Hold back these fleshly actions, and namely, these actions of sin: take to thee the weakness of nature, but cast off sin: For if thine actions be altogether fleshly, be thou sure thou hast no part of the power of God, nor of the life of JESUS CHRIST: thou hast but the life of a man, or of a woman, and shalt die like a man or a woman without the life of God. But above all men in the world, let a Minister eschew these actions of the flesh, look that his actions be powerful, and that the power of GOD appear in his walking: so that when in outward appearance he is but a weak body, yet it may be said of him, that he is strong in Christ: For as weak as he is to look to, yet he is a strong warrior, the Spirit is sensible in him, he speaketh not like a man only, there is another grace convoying his words, than can accompany the word of man. If thou be a Minister, although thou were never so strong in body, if thou findest not GOD'S power in thy life and doctrine, I will not give one penny for thee: look that thou feel the power that Paul felt, as ye read in the 2. Epist. to the Corin. chap. 4. vers. 16. when he was dying in the body, than was the inner man quickest in him: and the more the bodily life was away, the more the life of, GOD was manifest in him. A Minister that hath not the power of GOD within him, how can he preach of CHRIST'S power, or of His life? how can he be a Minister of life, that hath no tasto of life himself? how can he preach of life, that never felt life? of necessity, he must be a shameless man, that will speak of Christ, of His mercy, life, and power, when in the mean time he knoweth not what the mercy, life, & power of Christ meaneth: that man was never called of God to be a Minister, all that he speaketh is like the babbling of a Parockquet, the power of God doth the deed: & therefore, God chooseth the weak instruments, that the world may see, that it is only His grace, and not the gifts of the men that doth the turn. He calleth it not his walking, but warring & fight. The life of a Minister is but a warfare: and he who would be a Minister, should make him for warfare, make him for pain and labour, otherwise, let him never strive for that calling: Yea, there is nothing so laborious or painful, but the life of a Minister is compared unto it. We never read in the Scriptures where it is compared to any thing that importeth easiness or idleness. 1. CORIN. 9 26. The Minister is compared to a Warrior, then to a runner, running with all his main speed, striving to come to the mark, never looking over his shoulder to this or that thing, as many will do▪ saying, I have done this turn, or that turn. No, when thou hast done all thou canst do, say, thou hast done nothing. Then he is compared to a wrestler, and to an husbandman, that holdeth the plough from morning till evening. In all these comparisons of the Scriptures, the figure is not so great as the thing figurate: when an heavenly thing is compared with a worldly thing, the worldly thing is nothing in respect of the heavenly thing. And therefore, there is no man comparable to the Minister in labour, the warrior, the runner, the ploughman, is nothing to him.  
The Apostle writing to Timothy, saith in his second Epistle, Chap. 2. vers. 5. If thou fight not, thou shal● never attain to the crown: and why shouldest thou lose so fair a crown for a moments fight? No man (saith he) is crowned▪ except he fight faithfully. And 2. Timoth. 4. 8. There is a crown of righteousness laid up▪ not only for me, but for all those that love the bright coming of the LORD JESUS. When Paul was an old man, and leaving this world, I have ended (saith he) my warfare, and I have foghten a good fight, and therefore I look for that crown. If he had never been a runner, he would never have taken this promise to himself, A crown is laid up for me: And therefore, the LORD give us grace to labour for a while, that we may rest from our labour in the life to come.  
In the next verse he proveth that his warring and fight in this world was not according to the flesh, taking the argument from the weapons and armour wherewith he fought, such as the armour is such shall the warring Bee, if the armour be weak▪ the fight shall be weak: if the armour be strong, the fight shall be strong. Our armour (saith the Apostle) is not fleshly, our weapons are not of flesh nor frail matter, but our weapons are strong through GOD, the power of GOD is in them, GOD is in the word which we speak, He setteth down the end, To beat down strong holds: This power will beat them down, nothing will gainstand it.  
Brethren, ye see by experience, put a razor into a child's hand, it will cut: this cutting cometh not of the strgenth of the child's hand, but of the sharpness of the razor. Take a gun, & put it into a child's hand, he will slay a man, or shoot thorough a wooden door: this is not by the strength of the child, but by the strength of the armour. Even so, GOD by His word in the mouth of the silliest and weakest body in the world▪ will slay▪ and kill the strongest man that goeth upon earth, if He put His word & it were but in a blabbering mouth as He did in Moses, that word shall come and pierce in thorough flesh and bone, till it come to the mergh, and shall divide asunder the soul and the Spirit, Hebr. 4. 12. It is not the man that doth this, but the weapon, the word that is in his mouth. The multitude of this world; is beguiled, if they see a poor man set up, they will measure the grace of God by the man, & they think the inward man be as weak as the outward: and so Kings and Princes are beaten down this way, and slain, Earls fall down slain, men and women of all ranks fall down slain, as sure as ever ye saw a man slain in the body.  
Ye remember the History of Samuel, 1. Sam. 15. 32. he calleth for king Agag, and as soon as Agag cometh forward, and had eschewed the fury of the young king, thought that he should eschew the sword of the aged man also: but Samuel calleth for the sword, taketh it in his hand, & cutteth him in pieces: So this word, in the mouth of weak bodies, slayeth Kings and Queens in the world, when they are laughing & playing they are slain without their expectation.  
Yet in this same verse mark the force of this armour, Ye hear not of the building, but of the throwing down. It is true, he buildeth up also, but thou must first be brought down & humbled, and then be builded up upon a new ground. What is he that will build a new work upon an old rotten wall? thou wouldst keep nature and sin, & yet be a new creature: no, thou must first renounce nature: for the slaughter of the old man must go before the quickening of the new man.  
In the verse following, having spoken of the weapons, he cometh to the warfare, and here is a stranger battle than ever was foghten, We throw down (saith he) the imaginations, and every high thing, etc. There is a battle, and a strange battle: Paul is the fighter of this battle▪ the warrior of the Lord jesus, a warrior to Him, to win prisoners to Him, to take Kings and Princes by the cares, and lead them to Christ. That thing that is assaulted in this battle, and against which Paul hath taken armour, is first the cogitations. By these cogitations is meaned the whole faculties of the soul, for the principal function is the reason of man. Now what is she doing, but sitting in her Castle, building her rampires, and casting her fowsies about her, and snaring herself in her own net? And let thee be thou needest none other to trap thee, thou wilt trap thyself, take thou as much pride in thine own engine as thou wil●, if thou have no more▪ woe is thee: It shall fetter thee, and take thee in the grin, as surely as ever thou sawest a bird caught in the net of a fowler. The next thing that Paul assaulteth in this battle, is every high thing that is exalted against GOD: this I take to be the pride of the heart, which as an high mountain, rising up as it were to the heaven, exalteth itself against GOD, and holdeth out GOD, and the light of God. These than are the things which Paul assaulteth Now to come to the battle, the first thing that Paul doth, he wealdes his weapons so skilfully, that first of all he beateth down all the imaginations and reasonings of the mind, which are as rampieres and fowsies wherewith she circuiteth herself to hold out GOD and His light. Next, he assaulteth the pride of the heart, which as a mountain exalted itself against GOD, he beateth it down, and maketh it equal with the ground. thirdly, having beaten down all, he cometh and taketh the thief by the neck, and leadeth him by the hair captive to JESUS CHRIST, not to himself, that he should be king over her: No. JESUS CHRIST is the King over the soul, as the Apostle in the second epist▪ to the Corinth. chap. 11. vers. 2. voweth the Church of GOD not to himself, but to her Spouse, to the end that she may be safe, and GOD glorified. The man that seeketh his own gain, is but an hireling. There are three actions here, whereof the first two are none other thing▪ but the destroying of the sin that is in the mind and in the heart. The third is the saving of man, by leading him captive to jesus Christ, for the leading of a man captive to jesus Christ, is his safety, and the liberty of the soul is this captivity, and the slavery of the soul is liberty to sin. When ye were slaves to sin (saith the Apostle Paul in the sixth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, the twenty verse) than ye were free from righteousness. Mark here a wonderful power of God in this base and silly ministery, (O! would to GOD men could know this power) destroying the deceit of reason, and beating down the pride of the heart of man, mounting up against God. Alas, so great is the power of sin, that it hath no match under heaven but this ministery. I will tell it over again, There is nothing to throw this power down but this ministery. When this ministery was not in the world amongst the Gentiles (of the which SCOTLAND was one part, for our Progenitors were Gentiles without GOD in the world) sin reigned to death: (Roman. 5. 21) Multitudes of Gentiles perished: but from the time that jesus Christ, the author of grace, came into the world, and brought with Him this Ministry, first He himself, thereafter His Apostles, amongst whom Paul was as painful as any man) made it manifest how powerful this ministery was by demolishing the kingdom of sin, for then grace began to reign, and the power of GOD was manifested.  
Brethren, I dare affirm the only thing that holdeth down the power of sin is this silly base ministery, take it away, (for men would fain have it away) and shoot it to the door, (and for aught that I can s●●, I think it shall go away) sin shall come to an height. Take away the thing that holdeth down the head of sin, and it shall reign. Then, O miserable Scotland! here I denounce shame & ignominy shall come to thee, shame and confusion to King and Court, Land and Burgh, if this candlestick be removed. This shall be found by experience, if ever thing was true. And thou that wouldst ●un to damnation, hast the removing of it, that thou mayest hasten thine own damnation. Now the last thing I see is the proper effect of this Ministry of the blessed God (& would to God the world could see the glory of it▪) the proper effect is not to slay men, but to save them. This world thinketh that we are come to slay them: No, we are come to slay sin in you, that will slay you, if it be not slain. Paul (in the 1. epist▪ to the Cor. chap. 3. vers. 12. & 13.) compareth the Ministry to a burning fire, that burneth up hay, stubble, and trees: even so it burneth up thy sin, and the dross of thy nature▪ anderl the vanities of thine heart, but saveth thy self. How is this that the world cannot abide the mean of their salvation? they cannot get rest neither night nor day, till they get away the thing that saveth them. Now it saveth the man, by taking him, and leading him captive under the King of glory. Ye see they that are superiors in the battle, when they say to any man. Be taken, if he will not be taken, they will slay him there: Even so as truly, i● thou wilt be stubborn, and wilt not be taken in this field, this word shall slay thee. Therefore, blessed are they that can suffer the ordinance of GOD, and stand still until sin be slain, and they themselves be led captives under Christ, for that captivity under Him is true freedom. To that immortal and everlasting King, be all honour and glory, for evermore,  
Amen.   

THE TENTH SERMON.  PHILIPPIANS, CHAP. I. 
verse 18 What then? yet CHRIST is preached all manner of ways, whether it be under a pretence, or sincerely: and I therein joy, and will joy:  
verse 19 For I know, that this shall turn to my salvation, through your prayers, and by the help of the Spirit of JESUS CHRIST.  
verse 20 As I heartily look for, and hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all confidence, as always, so now CHRIST shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death:  
verse 21 For CHRIST is to me both in life and in death advantage.  
22. And whether to live in the flesh were profitable for me, and what to choose I know not:  
verse 23 For I am greatly in doubt on both sides, desiring to be loosed, and to be with CHRIST, which is best of all.  
verse 24 Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.  
verse 25 And this I am sure of, that I shall abide, and with you all continue, for your furtherance, and joy of your faith:  
verse 26 That ye may more abundantly rejoice in JESUS CHRIST for me, by my coming to you again.  
PAUL lying in bands at ROME, there riseth up two sorts of Preachers: The first sort of them that preached sincerely, that GOD and His glory might be advanced. The second sort of them that preached not sincerely, not for the advancement of Christ nor His Gospel, but to add afflictions to Paul bands, moved with ambition and envy towards him.  
In the first verse which we have read in your audience, Paul uttereth his mind concerning these two sorts of Preachers, and this is his mind in effect, Let them (saith he) preach as they will preach, let them preach of sincerity for the glory of Christ, let them preach for the fashion: however they preach, (preaching the truth of God) CHRIST is preached, even by them who preacheth not sincerely. And therefore, because Christ is preached, I rejoice notwithstanding of all that injury which I receive by their preaching: I rejoice and will rejoice, and no man will be able to take my joy from me. Shortly then, there is Paul's mind concerning these two sorts.  
My doctrine shall be general: And the first thing that I mark here is this, (and any of you may see it) The Lord is glorified, Christ is magnified, even by a counterfeit doing of men, when they do the thing that is good: yet not in sincerity, nor of purpose to glorify GOD in their doing. But their purpose not being to glorify God in their doing, (they not doing sincerely) howbeit He getteth His own glory by their doing, yet they shall get little thanks. It is not so much the turn itself, the action itself, preaching, or whatsoever it be, that procureth to a man thanks and grace at the hands of God, as it is the purpose & intention in doing. I had rather do the soberest thing in the world, and if it were 〈…〉 eat my meat, and drink my drink, of purpose to glorify God in my doing, than to do the greatest and fairest work that can be seen to the eye of man, without purpose to glorify God in that doing. Mark it: Whether ye eat, whether ye drink, or whatsoever ye do, little or much, do all to the glory of God, saith Paul, 1. Cor. 10. 31. And therefore, Brethren, there is nothing that a man should so much look to in his doings and actions, as to his purpose, and to the intention of his heart. Look thou as thou wilt, the Lord looketh chiefly to every man's intention and purpose. He that preacheth, what is to be respected with what measure of grace he preach, if in preaching his intention be to glorify God & Christ: whatsoever any man or woman doth, let them look above all things, that in doing their intention be to glorify God, as ever they would look for thanks at His hands. This is a lesson. I see here another thing. The Gospel is advanced, JESUS CHRIST is glorified in Paul's hurt, and who is a dearer man to Christ, than ` Paul? The lesson than is this. We see the Lord is glorified, when those whom He loveth best, is damnified in this world, in their hurt and damage He getteth His glory: that thing which is done against them in malice, the Lord therein is glorified.  
Well then, I learn by the example of Paul, If so be that my GOD is glorified in mine hurt, if He getteth advantage by my damage & scathe: then understanding that glory redoundeth unto Him by my suffering, and it were by my death, I am bound to rejoice I rejoice, (saith the Apostle) and shall rejoice: I am bound to rejoice, and thou art bound to rejoice still in glorifying God to the end. So above all things, the glory of Christ should be sought. What am I to be respected, & my shame, hurt & death? what art thou to be respected thy shame, hurt and death? if it redound to the glory of Him who made me and thee for His glory?  
Now, when he hath showed his joy and mind concerning these two sorts of men, in the next verse he cometh to the cause of his joy in that the LORD was glorified in his hurt and damage. For (saith he) I know that this shall turn to my salvation, etc. That thing that is done to mine hurt, it shall be so changed and turned about, that, against the expectation of men who would hurt me, the LORD shall work out my salvation. There is the lesson. If I can rejoice, & thou canst rejoice, that the LORD getteth glory by thine or mine hurt or scathe, we may be assured, that our trouble shall be wonderfully altered & changed: that which was done to our hurt, shall turn to our salvation. The Apostle Paul saith, (in the 8. chapter of the epistle to the Romans, verse 28.) To them who loveth God, all things cometh for the best: For if the glory of GOD be dear to thee, if thou prefer His glory above thy salvation, be assured thy life and salvation shall be dear unto Him: yea, thy salvation shall be dearer unto Him, than His glory can be unto thee: for thou canst not love Him so well as He loveth thee. Moses (Exod. 32. 32.) uttereth a wonderful zeal to GOD'S glory, and saith, Ere Thou destroy this people, raze me out of the book of Life: that is, altogether destroy me. But what answer gets he? No Moses, I had rather raze them out of my book who have sinned against me. Paul desireth that he may be an Anathema, Rom. 9 3. and that for the zeal he had to the glory of God. But Mose, shall never be scraped out of the book of God, because he loveth God's glory: Paul shall never be accursed, because he loveth God's glory. And if thou wilt look to His glory, all that evil which thou canst wish to thee for His glory, shall be turned to thine health and salvation. Then ye see there is nothing that we can lose by seeking of God's glory. Our damage shall be ever turned to our advantage.  
In the next part of the verse, and the verse following, is set down the manner, and the ordinary manes whereby the hurt and damage that the godly suffer for the glory of God, is turned over to their good: The Lord only is able to turn it to their good. Who is able to turn darkness into light? death into life? ignominy into honour, but He? It passeth the cunning of all the creatures to make this wonderful change: The Lord only is able to make this change. And certainly, the shame, trouble, and affliction, that the godly suffer in this life, would all be the beginning of Hell, except that most skilful craftsman, the Lord, come in, and made this wonderful alteration, and turned all these things to their advantage, except He turned death to life, ignominy to honour, and trouble to joy, the estate of the godly in their sufferings were most miserable. Think not that these things are good in themselves: No, death is not good of itself, it is a punishment for sin, Rom. 6. 23. The Lord only maketh the change, and maketh death to be the entry to life: but the Lord doth all this by ordinary means and middle: and yet all the means which He useth, derogateth nothing to His glory, because they all come of Him, and He hath the glory of all. Seeing then, in making of this wonderful change of darkness into light, of death into life, of woe into joy etc. there must be ordinary means: woe be to thee that contemnest the means, for if thou do it, the trouble shall lie still on thee till thou be troubled in Hell: Sickness shall be sickness indeed to thee, death shall be death indeed, and the beginning of Hell to thee.  
Then let us take up the means, as they lie here in order. Ye have heard of one already, to wit, Rejoicing that God is glorified in trouble. If (as I have said) thou canst have that heart and care of His glory, that thou canst rejoice in thy trouble, that thy trouble glorifieth Him, be assured a wonderful alteration shall be made of thy trouble: Trouble shall be no trouble, affliction shall be no affliction, death shall be no death: Only get thou this desire of His glory.  
Now followeth the next mean: The Apostle saith, I am assured, that this thing shall turn to my salvation, through your prayers. As the care to the glory of God is a mean to make this alteration; and to turn our troubles to our salvation: so the care and solicity of the body of the Church, the intercession and prayer that the godly maketh for us, who lie in trouble, is another mean: for the prayers of the godly for any member of the body of the Church hath a wonderful effect. They will turn misery into joy, darkness into light, yea death into life. Yet howbeit others have care of thee, lying in distress, if thou thyself contemnest and despisest their care, if thou regardest not whether they pray for thee or not, & no body make intercession at GOD'S hands for thee, there shall be nothing but trouble to thee: trouble shall always continue trouble: affliction shall always remain affliction. And as thou contemnest and despisest the prayers of the Saints and the godly for thee, so thou shalt lie still in misery and drown in misery at last. It is a folly to a man to think, that his own care only for himself will serve the turn, contemning and despising the care of all others for him: I cannot think that such a one hath one spunk of godliness in him, who will contemn the care of others: For it is certain, the sufficiency of grace is not given to one man, or to one woman only, but to the whole members of the body. And therefore, there must be a concurrence of the whole, all must concur for thy good and salvation: for if the hand will stand up and say to the eye, to the mouth, to the foot, or to the rest of the members, Care for yourselves: foot, care for thyself: womb, care for thyself, etc. I will care for myself: were not this a foolish hand? would not this hand perish and wither? yea, it would perish if the mouth fed it not, if the foot carried it not, if the womb received not sustenance to nourish it: Even so if thou sayest to the rest of the members of the Church, Care for yourselves, I will care for myself, thou shalt die like a dry member, and be cut off: no salvation but in the union of that blessed body of CHRIST, which is the Church. And none yet ever came to Heaven, but by a certain concurrence of the rest of the members of the Body, by praying by preaching, by admonishing exhorting, and rebuking If thou refuse this concurrence in teaching, admonishing, and comforting thee, thou shalt never get Heaven. Paul (in the 8. chap. to the Romans, vers. 28.) saith, We know that all things work together for the best, to them that love God. Mark the force of the words. If there be not a working-together for thy salvation, thou shalt not come to Heaven. There are two of the means whereby trouble and damage is turned to salvation. Yet there are more of them, for he saith, And by the help of the Spirit of JESUS CHRIST. There is another mean. As it is a fault to one member to refuse the help of the rest of the members of the body of the Church, their prayers & intercession: so it is as great a fault, to lean so upon the care of any of the members of the body, of the Church, or of the ministery, in preaching, praying exhorting, and comforting, that in the mean time thou have no care of thyself, to get the spirit and life within thee, for Christ's Spirit is thy life: thou wilt not pray for thyself, but wilt bid the Church & Ministry pray for thee, as if that were enough. No, except that Spirit be within thee, (which is the Spirit of Adoption) to make intercession with sighs unspeakable at the hands of God: down shalt thou go, albeit that the Church and whole members thereof would please to hold thee up. What if the hand had no motion, life, nor strength in itself, would the foot and the eye be able to hold it up? No, if the foot and the eye strive to hold it up, they should rot with the hand, and behoved to be cut of: For whereto serveth a rotten member? It will infect the whole body, if it be not cut off. So if thou be without spirit and life within thyself, howbeit all the rest of the members of the body of the Church would hold their hands about thee to hold thee up, thou shalt fall down and die. So as ye would have others caring for you, care for yourself, and see that ye have the Spirit of God caring for you. If Moses, Abraham, and all other faithful men would pray for you, it is nothing. What good did samuel's prayers for Saul? The Lord stopped his mouth, and forbade him to pray for him. Thus ye have heard of three means whereby this wonderful change is made: The first is the care of God and His glory: The second is the intercession of the rest of the members of the body: the third is the Spirit of Christ interceading for us, and the care which we have of ourselves. We have need of these means. And certainly the day is approaching, that experience will tell the truth of these things. Paul, a man ever afflicted, in trouble and under danger, telleth of his own experience what he found. But are there yet any more means? Look the verse that followeth, As I (saith he) heartily look for, and hope, etc. The word importeth such an hope, as when a man hath his head raised up, his eyes open and bend, awaiting for any thing attentively. We see when a man looketh earnestly for any other, his head will be lifted up, his eyes will be bend, looking to that place where from he should come: and if he love him well, he will look attentively, having both heart and eyes bended up, with hope of his coming. The like word in the 8. chap. to the Rom. vers. 19 is ascribed to the creatures: They await with fervent desire, when the son of God shall be revealed.  
I shall make the words more plain: I hope, according to mine attentive expectation, that in nothing I shall be ashamed: that is, that I shall never think shame of my Master jesus Christ: because, that if I think shame for any thing which I suffer for His cause, I think shame of Himself. He saith, that in nothing I shall be ashamed: There is the negative: I will be ashamed of nothing. But what more? With all boldness of spirit I shall magnify Him in my body, not in my soul only, but in my body also: and that, Whether it be in my life, or in my death. He casteth in the argument of this assurance, as in all times by-gone, ever to this hour, I have magnified Him in my body. So this by-gone experience (would he say) maketh me to be assured by hope, never to be ashamed of Him, but to glorify Him in life and death. Then take up the lesson. Amongst the rest of the mean s whereby this change is made, of misery to felicity, of death to life, and all things are made to serve to our salvation. Hope is one, and it is the fourth in number. Wherein standeth this Hope? That in no affliction which I suffer for Christ's sake I will be ashamed, and so shame the lord (For in suffering if thou bl●shest, and thinkest shame, thou shamest Him) But by the contrary, in all things that I shall do or suffer in this body, I shall do with courage, confidence, and liberty: I shall suffer with courage, confidence, and liberty. And so, in doing, in suffering in the body▪ I shall magnify my LORD. So this is the point: If I glorify Him before men with courage and boldness in mine afflictions, I may be assured, He shall glorify me before His Father in Heaven, Mat. 10. 32. They that suffer with Him, shall reign with Him, 2. Timoth. 2. 12. But by the contrary, if thou with blushing think shame of Him and of His Gospel, and of the afflictions of the Gospel, if thou shame Him before the world, He shall shame thee before His Father, Mark. 8. 38. So this Hope is no small matter, for if thou have an assured Hope during thy whole life▪ thou shalt magnify Christ, whatsoever falleth out in life or death, assure thyself all shall be turned to the glory of God, and thy salvation. All the troubles that shall be laid upon thee in this world, shall be so turned over, that they shall serve to thy good and consolation. But if this hope be away, if thou lie sluggishly, not having thine head raised up, with closed eyes, not looking and hoping that thou shalt glorify thy Lord, not caring for His glory, either in thy life, or in thy death, all thy misery that lighteth upon thee, shall remain misery, and shall press thee down to everlasting damnation. Look then how precious this hope is? Learn another thing here. There standeth much in these two, in shame and blushing, in confidence, liberty, and courage: I say to thee, there standeth more in the consequents of suffering and doing, than standeth in the suffering and doing itself. I suppose thou suffer the death for Christ's sake, if thou be ashamed in suffering, and hast not liberty and courage, thou sufferest not so much for CHRIST, as for thyself: and thy death is nothing else, but a death to thee, and thy suffering is nothing, but a suffering to thyself. Even so, do what thou wilt do to glorify Him, if it be not done with liberty, freedom, and courage, thou losest thy travel. Seeing then, that so much standeth in the disposition of the heart, let every man look that he prepare himself with courage and confidence against the day of trial, that with confidence in suffering he may magnify God: Paul saith to Timothy, in his 2. epist. chap. 1. vers. 8. Be not ashamed of Christ, nor of me, that am His captive. Think shame of none that suffer for Christ, but rather be thou partaker of that affliction, to suffer with courage and confidence those things with them.  
Yet mark another thing here: he saith, that he might magnify Christ in his body: He speaketh not of the soul. And so I obseru; that of the very body. (let be of the soul) even of the very bodily mass which thou bearest about with thee, a great duty is required for the glorifying of God and His Christ. When thou art living in thine actions, when thou art dying in thy death, it must be an instrument glorifying God, when thou art going upon thy feet, it must be an instrument of His glory: when thou art lying in thy bed, yea, the Lord must be glorified in it, when it is dissolved into ashes in the grave. I mark this against that vain conceit of men, who will say, What care I, so I keep a good mind to God, let me prostitute my body to harlotry, gluttony, and all vices, yet I will keep my soul to God. No, either God will have all, or the Devil will have all. Away thou idolater, who wilt keep thy soul to GOD, and wilt bow thy knee to Baal, the Devil will get both soul and body. Paul saith not, that the Lord hath only bought thy soul with a price, but that He hath bought both soul and body, that they should glorify God, 1. Corin. 6. 20, ●ee are bought with a price, ye are not your own. Fie, filthy body, that wilt say, May I not do with my body as I please? Hast thou power to reave it out of the hands of the Lord? The Lord hath the power of thy body, and in that last day thou shalt be challenged with theft and sacrilege. And when he hath said, ye are bought with a price, he subjoineth, Glorify God not in your spirit only, but also in your bodies: Either He will have both, or else none: Thinkest thou to send thy soul to God, and thy body to the Devil? No, either the Lord shall get both, or both shall go to Hell. Take heed how ye keep these bodies, ye shall render account of them: Thy body should be the Temple of the holy Spirit, if thou defile the seat of that holy One, shame shall light upon thee. I mark here: To assure himself of continuance, that he shall continue in glorifying God in life and death, he taketh an argument from his former experience, Ever hitherto I have glorified God in my body, & I have a steadfast hope, that I shall continue & that all the actions of my body shall glorify Him: and when I am dead, He shall be glorified in my body.  
It is good then, to begin well, and to have experience, that thou hast served GOD well in thy calling: for experience bringeth hope, and hope maketh thee no ways ashamed, Rom. 5. 4. 5. And if thou have experience that thou hast served GOD, and He hath been with thee, and kept thy body in purity, thou mayest be assured to continue to the end: Not that our continuance standeth in ourself, (no our continuance standeth not in ourselves, for the best man that liveth is not able of himself to stand one moment) but out standing is in God, for if He would take His grace from us, in one moment, we would fall. It is the love that He beareth to us that holds us up: be once assured of that love of GOD towards thee, and then thou mayest be assured, that thou shalt glorify God both in life and death.  
Now in the next verse he saith. For Christ is to me both in life and death advantage: He giveth a reason wherefore he said he would magnify God in his body, both in life and death: The reason is, because of the advantage he hath of Him, CHRIST JESUS is advantage to him. And when? Not when I live only, (saith he) but in my death also. Is it not good reason that I should glorify Him both in life and death, in whom I have advantage both in life and death? All men do for advantage. When a man hath done and suffered, he would have advantage. When we honour the Prince, or any man, all is for advantage. If gain moveth to honour men, to serve them, where was there ever such a gain and advantage as may be looked for at the hands of CHRIST? If gain will move thee, where wilt thou get it, if not in CHRIST? Would thou have gain & advantage for thy doing in thy lifetime? He will give thee it. Thou shalt not do one deed, but thou shalt have thine hire in thine hand. wouldst thou have gain in thy death? if thou die for Him, thou shall get as fair an advantage as ever man got. Indeed, a man will give thee gain for honouring him in thy lifetime, but when thou art lying in thy deathbedde, canst thou get advantage out of the hand of a man? Suppose a Monarch would give thee a kingdom, what advantage is it to thee, if thou livest not to brook it? But I tell you plainly, The LORD is greater advantage to us in death, than in life: and all this advantage which we have of Him in this life, is nothing in respect of that advantage which we shall get in the life to come. Paul (in the third chapter of the Epistle to the Philippians) when he hath counted all his advantages, and numbered out all the prerogatives which he had in this world, That he was a jew, a Pharisee, his father a Pharisee, of the Tribe of Ben-jamin, none so zealous of the Law as he, etc. many advantages and great prerogatives: but after that he once cometh to CHRIST, and getteth Him, he sayeth, All is but dung, in respect of that excellent knowledge, of that advantage of JESUS CHRIST. As I counted much (would he say) of these earthly advantages before I knew Christ, even so, after that ● once had gotten a sight of Him, I counted them nothing but dirt and dung. And therefore, he telleth out the advantages and gains that he found in Christ. That (saith he) I may be found in Him: that is, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, even the righteousness which is of God through faith. There is the first advantage, Thou art justified before the Tribunal of God. What king can give thee that advantage, to set thee up as a freeman before the Tribunal of God? And albeit thou hadst gotten all the advantages that kings can give thee, if thou gettest not this advantage to stand before that Tribunal, clothed with Christ, thou shalt go to damnation. Then he addeth to another advantage, That I may know Him, and the virtue of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His afflictions, and be made conformable unto His death, if by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead. There is the second advantage: thou art made like unto Him in holiness, and both in suffering and in glory, thou art comformed unto Him. Well is the man that can get this advantage, to be glorified. What are all advantages to be counted of that can come to thee in this life, in respect of this advantage? that when thou art lying (a wild body) in the grave, Christ shall take thee up, and set thee in that glory which is prepared for the sons of God. Alas! if men could see the advantages which are in CHRIST: For all faileth for fault of sight: If men got but one blink of CHRIST, they would not give that sight for all the kingdoms in the earth: We want spiritual eyes and senses. These spiritual advantages in CHRIST, are seen only with a spiritual eye: and for fault of that spiritual sight, we see not the advantages which are in Him. There is nothing which we should more desire, than these spiritual senses, wherewith we may get a sight and foretaste of these things which are in JESUS CHRIST.  
Now, in the next verse, taking occasion of the words, that CHRIST was advantage to him both in life and death, he beginneth to doubt, whether it were better for him to live or die And whether (saith he) to live in the flesh were profitable for me, or what to choose, I know not: I think I would be dead, to see mine advantage which I will get in death: for my gain, which I get living, is nothing to that advantage which I will get in death: But I am straited, whether to live in the flesh, or to go out of the body. Then he bringeth in the reason, It is better for me to be loosed, and to be with CHRIST: I will be at Him, (yet he saith, I am in doubt, and not resolved.) Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh, is more needful for you: For albeit it be better for me to be dead, yet when I look to you, it is worse for you. After this doubting and reasoning, he concludeth, I will live then, and the LORD will keep me for your weal.  
Then, Brethren, I will mark here one or two things, and so I shall end. Ye see a doubting in PAUL, whether he should live or die, which distracteth his mind. This doubting is common to many: For sometimes we would live, and other whiles we would be dead. But look to the cause that distracted PAUL'S mind, and made him to doubt, whether he should desire to live or die. Some men would die, because there is nothing in this world but misery: Some men would die for other causes, because of sickness, some because of shame following some offence, for the life is tedious to a miserable body, the life which should be comfortable, is tedious in distress.  
But how many cometh to this point, To desire to be dissolved for the glory that is with JESUS, and saith. If I were away, I would get this advantage of glory? Who would be away for the glory of Heaven, and advantage that is laid up there? It is a rare grace to get this desire. No question (think as ye will) infinite joy, glory, and passing advantage is in Heaven.  
Again, some men would live, wherefore? because they are fresh, green, and able men: they would pass their time yet: Some men would live▪ because they have wife and children, and would care for them, (I condemn not lawful care) but all this desire is vain. Where wilt thou get that man, that would live to help the poor Church of CHRIST with his labour? How many will come on with this, to live only for the weal of the Church of CHRIST? I desire such a Pastor who is minded to live for the care that he hath to lead many by the hand to Heaven, ere he go away, that he may win many souls to CHRIST, that he may be the welcomer when he cometh there himself: He is happy. It is the sight of that Heavenly glory, that maketh men to have this foresaid desire. How many seeth that Heavenly glory? Fie on us, seeing such a glory laid up in Heaven for us, that yet will not make a mean to get it: we perish for fault of sense: There is ●o lack of advantage in CHRIST, but the lack is in me, & in thee, I have no desire of that glory, thou hast no desire of that glory, and so we perish. Therefore, get this sense of glory in time, or else thy soul shall be drawn out of thy body. do accordingly. wouldst thou have it sweetly loosed? Then get in time a sense of this glory. wouldst thou have it pulled out by force? Then neglect the sense and sight of this glory.  
Observe another thing of the care of Paul. He counted nothing of all these afflictions, in respect of the care which he had of the Church of God. I wonder at this care of his, considering now our carelessness: For if ever care was dead out of the hearts of men, it is now dead. Farewell the care of the Church of God in Scotland, for fault of the zeal of God's glory, & the care of the Church of God. I see this Land, and the Church of GOD therein, decaying. Learn another thing of PAUL'S resolution. Yet he resolveth to live & that for the weal of the Church of Christ. Mark it. There is none of us, but we should desire to have the fruition of the glory and joy that is in the face of jesus: yet we, who may profit in the Church of God in this life, are bound to desire to live for a while, that the Church may be holpen. The Lord accounteth more highly of this desire, than of a desire that a man hath to die, and to be with jesus. The Lord accounted more of PAUL'S living, to help the Church, than of his glorifying Him in his death. Think ye that PAUL would have lived so long, except the Lord had seen him profitable to His Church? And no question, the Lord jesus (knowing the misery of this earth) would have taken up His Apostles at His ascension with Him, if He had not loved the weal of His Church. There is no good body, but the Lord would have them with Him: yet He letteth them remain here in pain, that they may help the Church, otherwise there would not be a good body left living in SCOTLAND, He would take them all away, and glorify them. But so long as He hath a Church in SCOTLAND, He will let good men continue, but when He taketh them away, woe be to them that tarry behind! It is wonderful to see how the Lord will keep a man by whose travels He will help His Church. All the world will not get leave to hurt an hair of his head. HEROD taketh PETER, and putteth him into prison, laying him betwixt two soldiers, thinking to execute him the next morning, Act. 12. But the Lord by His Angel wakeneth him, and bringeth him safe out, and yet he wist not what he was doing. PAUL and PETER were wonderfully delivered, so long as the Lord had to do with them: but when He had done His turn, and they fell into the hands of NERO, there is no more din of them, they were slain. So long as the Lord hath ado with any man He will shake Heaven and earth ere he perish. Well, the care of the Church of God is decaying in SCOTLAND. Lemus cry, LORD, put the care of this Church, and the care of the members of the body of Christ, into the hearts of men, that every man may care for the salvation of another, and that God may be glorified in them through His Son Christ jesus our Saviour: To whom, with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, be all Praise, Honour, and Glory both now and for evermore,  
AMEN.   

THE ELEVENTH SERMON  TITUS, CHAP. III. 
verse 3 For we ourselves were in times past unwise, disobedient, deceived, serving the lusts and diverse pleasures, living in maliciousness and envy, hateful, and hating one another.  
verse 4 But when the bountifulness and love of GOD our Saviour toward man appeared,  
verse 5 Not by the works of righteousness, which we had done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of the new birth, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost,  
verse 6 Which He shed on us abundantly, through JESUS CHRIST our Saviour:  
verse 7 That we, being justified by His grace, should be made heirs, according to the hope of eternal life.  
IF we shall consider this Text (well-beloved in JESUS CHRIST) we shall find in it three things. The first, the miserable estate and condition of man, wherein he stood before he was called to grace by JESUS CHRIST. The next is his merciful delivery, from that miserable estate and condition. The last is the end of his merciful delivery: to wit, That he should serve God all the days of his life, in all manner of thankfulness for so merciful a delivery. And seeing our communicating with the body and blood of the LORD approaches, our preparation cannot stand in three better things than these: First, in a knowledge of our misery before that we knew God in CHRIST: Next in a knowledge of our merciful delivery from that miserable estate: And thirdly, in a duty toward God for our delivery. We shall speak at this time of the first two.  
Now, to return, and to go thorough the words as the Lord will give us grace: The occasion of the setting down of this first part, to wit, of our misery before we knew Christ, is this: Immediately before he hath exhorted TITUS to use all kinds of lenity towards them that were not converted, not to deal with them in rigour, but to deal with them in meekness. He giveth the reason: Look what they are now, even such were we before we were called, living in concupiscence, our minds were rebellious against God: therefore let us deal with them as we would have been dealt with ourselves at that time. I mark here first, That our miserable estate that we stood in, before we were called to this grace through jesus Christ should never be forgotten. The misery of nature wherein we are conceived and borne, and wherein we live for a time, till we know Christ, should never go out of our remembrance: When thou hast played the fool a while in sin, when thou hast followed harlotry, committed murder, oppressed thy neighbour, & when God hath called thee out of that miserable condition, & made thee to know Him in Christ, forget never thy former misery, forget never that thou hast followed filthiness, murdered, oppressed, etc. saith the Apostle to the Ephesians, who were Gentiles after their conversion in Christ, Forget your old done deeds? saith he so? No: but he saith, Remember that ye were Gentiles.  
Brethren, it is true, the estate of grace in Christ hath a sweetness with it, if a man or woman have a sense of it, but look that the sweetness of it▪ m is-●elish not so the taste, that in the mean time thou lose all sense of thy former misery. Keep therefore both the misery and the delivery in thy mind, that thereby the true sense of GOD'S mercy may be stirred up in thine heart: for none have the true sense of the mercy of God in Christ, except he only that sigheth for the misery which we did lie in before. This is the first. Another thing I mark here. This same remembrance of our misery, it should make every one of us that stand in grace, to have a compassion upon sinners: where ever thou seest them, labour to win them, but with pity, and let be thy bitterness: A man that hath no pity, but is full of bitterness against a sinner, that man hath forgotten that he was a sinner before. There is no man so clean, but there is a remaining corruption in him, albeit he see it not. They that have the true zeal of God, they will indeed be severe against sinners: Why not? but they begin always at their selves, and then reprove others. Hypocrites begin not at themselves, but they hide and cloak their own sins, and are always severe against others. But the man that beginneth at himself, his severity is aye mixed with pity.  
But to come to the words, We were such as they are now: we were mad, and out of our right wit, we were beside ourselves. There is the first part of our misery in nature, for we were all miserable by nature: there is not one soul, but it is borne miserable by nature. Ye see then, Brethren, our misery beginneth not at our body: (there are many who if they have their body well disposed, are at ease then, but if it be not well disposed, they are heavily displeased, than they groan and sigh) no, our misery beginneth not at our body, it beginneth within us, at our souls, and not at the inferior parts of the soul, but at the mind, which is the most excellent part & light of our souls, and that should guide all the rest of the powers of the soul. Now the sickness of it is madness, it is blind, ignorant, without judgement, and we are mad fools by nature. There is no man born in the earth, but he is borne a fool: thou art borne a mad body, and besides thyself. Thou wilt think thyself very wise, & thy wit will compass Heaven & earth, yea, & others that look to thee will think thee wise, but if thou have no more than nature, thou art a fool. As he is a fool in very deed, who thinketh he speaketh always an oracle, even so art thou, that art not in Christ, and countest thyself wise: the wiser thou thinkest thyself, thou art the more and the more a fool. All this is to let men see, that none is wise without God: For when the light of GOD is not in thee, all that thou dost is foolishness and he that is wise without GOD, shall curse his wisdom one day, and say, that all was but madness: yea, and all the monarchs in the world shall curse that wisdom, which they had without God. This natural sickness goeth further down, it descendeth to the heart, it tarrieth not in the mind: But next we become main rebels against God, he that is mad, he is set to rebel, and he is froward, ever inclining to disobedience against God.  
Brethren, ye know there are two sorts of fools amongst men: Some fools are silly simple fools: other fools are malicious fools: by nature we are all born fools, but malicious fools, evermore rebelling and displeasing God. If we compare th●se two sorts of fools together, the second is worst. LORD save us from a rebellious heart: For I tell thee, the mind is not so blinded, but it hath some sight of GOD: but the heart of man, after the fall, is altogether inclined to rebellion: so that if there be one spunk of light left in nature, it will travel by all means to put in the finger in the eye of the mind, and put it out. And therefore, travel to reform thine heart, for if it be not reform, it shall evermore carry thee the wrong way. So there are two parts of the misery of man. Now cometh on the third. Thy misery endeth not here. Mark, and travel to find this in experience. (Fie on us, if we know not ourselves, for if we know not ourselves, we shall never know God aright.) The third part standeth in actions, for the mad and rebellious heart must break out in some actions. Can a mad and rebellious body be idle? He calleth ou● works wavering, going out of the way. Can a mad man keep the high way? No, but evermore he goeth to one side or other. No more can we by nature go forward in the right way: for by nature we are mad, froward, and disobedient. It is true, natural men will do things that are right in themselves: but no man shall do that which is good in itself rightly, that hath that rebellion in his heart: for we do nothing rightly, but when our eyes are upon God. Albeit the action were never so good, if thou seekest not GOD in it, it is not done rightly. Thou mayest well do it to please the eyes of men, and thou mayest get thanks at the hands of men for it, but thou shalt get none at God's hands: so if thou wouldst be accepted of GOD, and wouldst have the action of thine hands to please God, first look that thine action be good, and then look to God in thine action. Then there are three parts of misery of the natural man: first, madness in the mind: secondly, maliciousness in the heart: thirdly, his actions are waverings, all wandering out of the way.  
To go forward. He describeth this wavering, and he calleth it serving: it standeth in slavery, his whole lifetime is but a service and slavery. The natural man, if he have no more but nature, he is a slave and a servant, bought and sold, for Paul saith, he▪ is sold to be subject to sin, Roman. 7. 15. Suppose he were a Monarch of the whole earth, if he be without the new man, he is a slave. It is true, he will have many servants under him, but he is the first and chief slave himself: yea, he is a greater servant than the very kitchen boy, and the most abject servant in his house. But to whom is this service done? To whom are we slaves? In plain talk, he saith, to concupiscences. He calleth them pleasures, but fi● on them, howbeit they are sweet things, yet they have a sour end. Harlotry is sweet for a time, but, O that bitterness in the end! It is sweet to murder, but, O that bitterness that it shall bring with it in the end! it shall be bitterer than the very gall. Paul maketh mention here of a●varietie and diversity of lusts. Thou that servest thine own lusts, art not subject to one master only, but to an hundredth: thou art subject to many unclean masters of divers qualities.  
Brethren, are these our masters? Fie upon them, the service done to them, it is a vile service. Thou that art a lord, when thou lookest to thy kitchen boy, thou wilt think his service vile, but fie upon thee, thou art a greater slave, he is an honest servant, but thou art a slave: for thy service is done to thy filthy pleasures, there is a variety of them, and so thou hast many masters, whom thou servest. And therefore, ye will see these men who serve their own lusts, to be the weariest bodies that ever lived, even as if they were drawn thorough a mire: for the only true and clean service, is the service of that only one GOD: the only repose of thy soul, is on that one GOD: there is no rest, but on Him. Away with that creature that drinketh in the soul lusts of this earth, that is no rest to him here, and woe to that rest that shall come in the end. So there are the masters which we serve, foul concupiscences, and fleshly lusts. It may be asked, Will a person be subject to such a great variety of concupiscences? I answer, The seed of every sin in the world is in every man: so all concupiscences are in thee, because the seed of them is within thee: No, the best men in the earth hath the seed of these lusts, which bud out into actions: it will lurk for a time in the winter, but in the spring it will break out, and then thou wilt know thou hast it, when thou feelest the stink of it. So there is the first answer, the seed of every sin is in the heart of every man, in such sort that it will make thee loath at it, if thou sawest it: but alas! it is hidden from our eyes, that we cannot see it, and therefore we loath it not. Again, in some men and women, that seed of all lusts will break out in actions: A man that followeth harlotry, will be a drunkard also: an avaricious man, will be ambitious also, etc. It is a marvel to see how many sins will be reigning in one miserable slave, and to see how that slave will be hurried from one sin to another. Fie on thee, wilt thou never get thy fill of sin? thou shalt once be filled with wrath, and then thou shalt loath at thy sins: For albeit there were no more but one sin in thee, it is enough to cause thee to go to Hell.  
Now to go forward: He numbers out some of these concupiscences, and the first is malice, maliciousness in the heart against our neighbour. Then cometh in her two daughters, envy and hatred. When thou art sorry at thy neighbour's weal, and wouldst not see him thrive, than thou wilt hate him. There are three particulars, and they are as many pleasures to them that serveth them: he that hath malice, thinketh himself never well, but when there is malice in his heart: from thence cometh envy, and the envious heart is never well, but when it speaketh evil of his neighbour, for that is meat and drink to it▪ he that hath hatred, is never well, but when he hateth his neighbour, and that is his meat and drink.  
Now I shall draw these concupiscences into certain ranks. There are some of them against God, some against our neighbour, & some against ourselves, amongst the which is intemperancy. Fie on thee, O Epicurian! thou ●innest against thyself. Now the Apostle in setting down these concupiscences, maketh a choice of the concupiscences against our neighbour, for if we be malicious against him, we are malicious against God. Whosoever is enemy to man, he is also enemy to God. Now there is no harmony amongst men that are only natural: For without GOD in Christ, there is no true love, no true concord. Put a man and a woman together without God, will there be any concord there? No, for the duties of the first Table are requisite for the discharging of the duties of the second Table, and must precede them. How canst thou love thy wife or thy children, without God? No, there is no true love, and the end shall prove it to have been but hatred only.  
In the end of the verse he setteth down two sorts of hatreds, he saith hateful, that is, he that suffereth hatred: then he subjoineth, hating one another: we are odious to others, and again we hate others. Always mark one meeting here. Thinkest thou to hate, and not to be hated again? It is but the just judgement of God, that as thou enviest and hatest, thou also to be hated and envied. What harmony can be here, when thou hatest me, and I thee? No true concord, but all is lose. There is no conjunction, but that which is in CHRIST JESUS. When this conjunction is not amongst men, away with all other conjunctions. This is shortly the miserable estate wherein we stood by nature, before the participation of mercy in CHRIST.  
Now I come to the other estate. An alteration must be made, or else we are gone: For what can become of a body that dieth in madness? Now look how we are delivered: But (saith he) after that the bountifulness and love of GOD our Saviour appeared. There is the way how our merciful delivery cometh on. Ye read not one word here, that man lying in misery, began to find out a delivery himself. Ye read not that the mad man of himself beginneth to take up himself: he saith not, Then we took up ourselves: No, no, we would have lied long ere we had taken up ourselves. Then the natural man weltering and wallowing in sin, and drinking in the foul pleasures thereof, he will never take up himself and let him go on, if he should live ten thousand years, he will never be the better, but still worse and worse. Can a man that is dead naturally, think of any life to himself, to rise up, and stand again? Not such a thing, he cannot so much as once think to rise up.  
Now, Brethren, we are all black dead spiritually, by nature there is not one spunk of that Heavenly life in us, no more than in a dead body, that is dead naturally, there is a spunk of natural life: and we are not half dead only, but are whole dead. Can a natural man once think of a spiritual life? No, and therefore Paul saith, Ephes. 2. 31. When we were dead in our sins, we were quickened by CHRIST, meaning that we had no power in ourselves to rise again. If it be so then, when I see a wicked man (that hath been serving his foul lusts all his lifetime) take up himself, I will not say, that that man took up himself, I will say, there is a dead man risen to life: I will ask of thee, In the beginning of the creation, thoughtest thou of thy creation? desiredst thou to think of it? No, no more thoughtest thou of thy regeneration: thou thoughtest as little of thy second creation, as thou thoughtest of thy first creation. And therefore it is well said, He created thee without thee: And as He created thee without thee, so He redeemed thee without thee. Darest thou say, that thou gavest counsel to thy redemption, and thoughtest of it when GOD redeemed thee? then how cometh this work on? We are prevented, something appeareth that was hid: there was one thing long hidden, & now it beginneth to shine. And what was this bountifulness & love to mankind? it was hid, and breaketh out. And who is it that is bountiful? is this any man's bountifulness? No, it is the bountifulness of GOD: and this quickening love is GOD'S, and that towards man. And what God is this? He calleth Him GOD our Saviour: For God is considered two ways, as a Creator, and as a Saviour. It is the love of Him as a Saviour, that is showed to thee in thy Redemption. And when was this love revealed? when JESUS CHRIST came into the world, and took upon Him our nature, than this love broke out toward man: He loved him from all Eternity, but it broke not out till then. Mark then. It is the love of GOD that saveth, it is GOD'S bountifulness that saveth: our delivery behoved to proceed of a wonderful bountifulness in God, whereof the ground is love. If He had not loved thee, He would not have delivered thee. Then it is not a common love which He beareth towards us, but there is a special love in GOD to mankind: He loveth not these Heavens, these Stars, so well as He doth men. No, He communicateth not the thousand part of those things that He communicateth to man, either to the Heavens, or to the Stars. Then it is not the love of GOD the Creator that doth this, and is the ground of this bountifulness, and of our life in Him: but it is a special kind of love. It is that love that proceedeth of GOD the Saviour. It is not the love of a Creator, but of a Father, not to the creature, but to the son. GOD loveth His son better than He doth His creature, He loveth us as His sons. If there were no further love of GOD, but as He is a Creator, thou durst never cry, Abba, Father: and except the Spirit spread abroad into our hearts that love which He beareth unto us, for all the world thou durst not appear before Him. The time is set down when He hath saved us, when His singular love appeared in the world, He saved us being manifested in the flesh. Then it followeth that we were lost, and gone, when GOD of His love put to His hand, and saved us, we were out of our right wit, rebels to GOD, wavering, and vagabunding out of the right way, slaves to our own lusts. Whom count ye lost, if these be not lost? I will never count of a reprobate person, who is given over to filthiness, to harlotry, to murder, to oppression, to mischief, etc. I will never count of him but as a mad, desperate, and lost body: when he is walking abroad, and moving in the world, he is but a dead carcase: and if he come to GOD again in mercy▪ it may be said. There is a dead body, turned to life. Hast thou followed harlotry? repentest thou? thou hast been dead in sin, but now thou art alive. The lost son, when he had spended his child-part of goods yet he repented, and came home to his father again: his father saith, He that was dead, is living again, Luke 15. 24. So in a word, we were lost men. Thinkest thou that thou art not lost, because thou canst breath? And thinkest thou a man not dead, if he can walk upon the street? Thinkest thou thyself very well, if thou have these vital motions in thee? O, but suppose thou hadst all the natural lives in the world, if thou be given over to thine own affections and leavest not off thine old sins and iniquities, thou art a mad and a dead body. Began then that love towards man only to appear when Christ came into the world? I answer: The love of God the Father appeared & manifested itself in some measure to the godly, even before Christ came into the world: God forbid but this love had been apparent unto Abraham, and the rest of the godly, before the incarnation of our Saviour. But at the coming of Christ it manifested itself more brightly, than ever it did before: for all His love of before was in Christ to come: but now, since He came into the world, the love of God towards mankind hath appeared in greater abundance. The Lord grant us an apprehension and sight of this love, that at the least we may strive to love Him again, who hath loved us so dearly in His Son JESUS CHRIST.  
Now, he showeth by what means this our salvation is procured at the hands of GOD: he telleth you by what means we are not saved, Net (saith he) by the works of righteousness which we had done. The means by the which we are not saved, is our own just works: thou art not saved by thy just works, lean to them as thou wilt, I will promise thee▪ in the name of that Great God, they shall never save thee. Can a man that is mad and a rebel to GOD, and a slave to his own lusts, do such works as may procure salvation? But such were we, saith the Apostle: therefore we can deserve nothing by our works. Fie on thee, Papist, with thy merits! fie on the works of preparation! can a mad man prepare himself for grace? No such thing. I tell you when GOD put to His hand to our salvation, He found no matter in us of our salvation, but damnation. When GOD beginneth to love, He findeth no matter of love in us, but of hatred. And this commendeth the greatness of His love towards us, when He seeth nothing in us but matter of damnation, yet He of His free grace & mercy loveth us & saveth us, Rom. 5. 8. This setteth out His love highly towards us, when that we were sinners He sent Christ to die for us: therefore seek not thy salvation neither before thou be in Christ, nor after thou art in Him by the merit of works, for thou shalt never get it that way, but thou shalt still be the further from it the more thou seekest it by that mean. Then if good works be not the mean, what is the mean? The Apostle ●aith, He hath saved us according to His mercy: These are flat contrary, The mercy of God, & the merit of man. If thou be saved by the mercy of God, them no merit, because thy merit is not able to save thee. The first fountain of our salvation is love, after love cometh on mercy: then pity and compassion in His mercy presupponeth misery. Mercy is showed to the miserable creature. GOD seeing us miserable, mad, rebels; following our own crooked affections, beginneth to be pitiful, and to have compassion of us. Ye know mercy and pity followeth upon love: For when we love any one, and see him in misery, than we have pity upon him: if thou hate him, suppose he were in never so great misery, thou wilt not pity him. Then GOD, seeing us wrapped in sin and misery, He hath pity upon us, which pity proceedeth of love, and with love and pity concurreth His power. We will lone one, and see him lie in misery, when it will pass our power to relieve him: but GOD'S power is always effectual, to deliver all them who are subject to misery, if once He extend His love and compassion towards them. Then the cause of our salvation is in GOD only, and no part in man, who is saved. The first cause is the love of GOD, which is the fountain: The next cause is mercy, for ere ever this world was created GOD of His mercy took a purpose to save us. The Apostle saith, Ephes. 1. 4. He purposed of Himself, He saw no thing in us wherefore He should take purpose to save us. And when He cometh on to the execution of that eternal purpose of our salvation, there is nothing in us, but all is in Himself, for He is all-sufficient Himself, and nothing is without Him. The end wherefore He died, all of Himself, without us, was to the praise of the glory of His grace, Ephes. 1. 6. that thereby the whole glory of our salvation might redound to Him only, because the cause is only in Him: Thou that takest any part in it, and attributest it unto thyself, thou spoilest GOD of His glory: Either give Him all the glory of this action, or take it all to thyself: this glory is too heavy for thee, if thou take it upon thee, it will press thee to everlasting damnation. Then there is the mean of our salvation, The mercy of God.  
Next he layeth out the parts of our salvation abroad one by one, that ye may see what salvation meaneth: he saith, By the washing of the new birth, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. There is the first part. It is a washing of us, when GOD putteth to His hand to save us. Ye know, washing presupponeth foulness: therefore it must follow, when GOD began to save us, we were unclean, full of biles and botches, conceived and borne in filthiness, and then warbling and wallowing in our own sin and filthiness, and ever the longer we live, we are still the filthier. It is a marvel, that that Holy GOD should ever sustain to look to thy filthy biles, or to put His holy and pure hand to thy vile botches, or to send down His clean Spirit to dwell in thine unclean heart, or that any ways His purity should meddle with thine impurity. Amongst all the arguments of His love, this is one, When He putteth to His fair band to thee that art so foul. Findest thou thy sins pardoned? and thyself purged & washed? assure thyself, thou art safe, and GOD hath loved thee: For except the love of GOD had been all the greater towards thee, He would never have purged thee from thy sins. It is a sure token of His love towards thee, that it is infinite & exceeding▪ that He hath not loathed thee, and thy filthy biles & botches. I see here two washings, one outward, another inward: the first in these words▪ The laver of regeneration, the next. Therenewing of the Holy Spirit. The first, is our Baptism: the next, the inward washing and renewing by the Holy Spirit, represented by this outward Baptism. As the water washeth away▪ the filth from the body▪ so the Holy Spirit purgeth & washeth the heart from sin. I will speak but thus far shortly of Baptism. The outward washing in Baptism is not to be looked to lightly: the pouring on of the water, is but a base sign to look to: yet it is not a bare sign of the washing of the Holy Spirit: but it is the instrument that God taketh in His hand, & whereby He applieth ●o us the inward washing of the Holy Spirit, Col. 2. 12. Rom. 6. 4, he ascribeth our regeneration to Baptism. We by Baptism are buried with Christ, risen with Christ, and if this mean be con●emned, there shall be no regeneration: if a man lightly this Baptism. I affirm, there shall be no renewing inwardly by the Holy Spirit: and if he be not renewed. he shall never be saved: for without regeneration. no salvation. Ye see (2. Kin. 5. 10) what was enjoined to Naaman the Syrien, when he sought cleansing, the Prophet bade him go to the jordane, and wash him seven times: But he thought with himself, What is this? Are not there fair Rivers at home at Damascus? Yea, he would not go till he took better counsel: but so soon as he went, and washed himself seven times, he was cleansed. Even so it is in Baptism: if a man contemn the outward washing, he shall never be cleansed by the Spirit.  
This same is also true of the Sacrament of the Supper: Count not therefore little of the Sacraments, because God hath promised to give Himself with the Sacrament, if it be rightly received. Now look how long our regeneration is in working in this life, the force of Baptism continueth as long: thou must be continually renewed ti●l thy last breath: therefore, the force of Baptism must continue with thee to thy last breath. It is a vanity to think that the force of Baptism standeth in the ministration of the action only: no, it leaveth us never, after we have once received it, till we be placed with jesus Christ. Have thine eye still upon Baptism, for it is a mean whereby the Lord will save thee.  
Further, Brethren, he beginneth here at regeneration: Ye may see then the necessity of regeneration: Wouldest thou be safe? look that there be a new birth. look that thou be borne over again, as Christ said to Nicodemus, john 3. 3. Verily, I say unto you, except a man be borne again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. If thou be not a new creature, thou art not in CHRIST, but without CHRIST, and without JESUS CHRIST there is no salvation. Ye see men would beguile themselves, if they should say, when ye ask of them, Whether they will go to Heaven or not? They will answer, We will go to Heaven: and yet in the mean time they will hold on the old man, and will never change their manners: but that vain opinion will deceive them: 2. Corin. 6. 9 Be not beguiled, for no ●ornicaters, adulterers, murderers, drunkards, etc. shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. If thou hold on the old man, thou shalt never be safe, JESUS CHRIST must beget thee a new again, or else thou shalt never enter within the gates of Heaven.  
Now when he hath spoken of this inward and outward washing, he insisteth in this point concerning the Spirit, and declareth from whom this Spirit cometh, which He shed on us abundantly through JESUS CHRIST our Saviour. We have Him not ourselves, He that washeth us is He that poureth on the precious laver of the Spirit, whereby we are washen. Then the Spirit is from God. Is that Spirit from the Father immediately? No, He poureth Him in through JESUS CHRIST our Saviour: so immediately this Spirit cometh from JESUS CHRIST, but mediately from GOD as the Fountain: He cometh from the Father to the Son, from the Son to us. john 15. 26. The cause of this order is this: He is our Saviour, and hath bought us with a dear price: the Spirit is bought to us by the blood of JESUS CHRIST, His blood hath bought all which we receive and get by Him: so He giveth His holy Spirit with all His graces, by the hand of JESUS CHRIST the man. Then if ye would have the Spirit, dress yourselves to that treasure in Heaven, and beseech God that He would vouchsafe to send that Spirit upon you through JESUS CHRIST, and give you His grace by the hand of the man CHRIST.  
Yet to open up the words more narrowly, Which He poureth out, etc. He speaketh of the Spirit, as it were of water: the Spirit here is compared to water, because of the washing: for as the one washeth the filth of the body, so the other washeth the filth of the soul. He is not content to say, He poureth out the Spirit, simply, but he saith, abundantly, in a great measure, as a flood in abundance. This teacheth two things to us: first, the liberality of GOD, He giveth not grace niggardly, as men, but whatsoever we get, it is in abundance: His love is rich, His mercy is rich, the Spirit which He giveth unto us is rich: so He is liberal unto us. Than it followeth of this also, that we are very foul and unclean. A cloth that is very foul, will require much water & washing: even so we must have abundance of grace, because we were so foul through sin: but suppose we were never so foul, except we get a sight of our filthiness, we will never desire to be washen: when David felt himself very filthy in murder and adultery, he cried, Wash me, O Lord, and make me clean, PSAL. 51. When a body cometh to a remorse of conscience, it is a wonder to see how he will drink in that Spirit, and desire to be satiate with that water. A foul body that hath not the sense of his filthiness, will never cry for washing. The murderer and the harlot will never cry, Lord wash me, except they get a sight of their own uncleanness. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled, MATTH. 5. 6. There may be moved a question here, How is it said, that the Spirit is powered out so abundantly, how many feeleth this riches? Will a man or woman descend into their selves, they will find great lack and scarcity of this Spirit.  
Brethren, I answer: One drop of the Spirit of jesus Christ is counted great riches: one drop of grace is great riches: one drop of the water of life, is greater riches, than all the water in the world: it will weigh down all the precious things that are upon the face of the earth. Thou that hast gotten one drop of grace in jesus Christ, thou art richer than all the kings in the world. Moreover, if this drop of grace could be dried up in the hearts of the regenerate, it were less to be counted of: but there is still drop after drop, and none end of dropping: Continually thou art refreshed now and then with new drops of grace, so long as thou livest. So this continuance in dropping is a great riches: thou hast no cause to complain, that hath this continuance. Well is the soul that getteth drop after drop, for that soul may say it hath gotten great riches. Thus much for the first part of our salvation, called regeneration: when God putteth to His hand to save us, He putteth to His hand & washeth us inwardly and outwardly, and giveth us His Spirit.  
Now followeth the next part, That being justified by grace, we may be made heirs according to the hope of life everlasting. The next part standeth in justification. I will not insist, I shall touch it in a word: It is none other thing but the imputing of the righteousness of JESUS CHRIST unto us. This righteousness is not inherent in us, but the satisfaction of JESUS CHRIST is imputed to us. This justification in effect is none other thing, but forgiveness of sins. when God forgiveth thee thy sins▪ & accounteth Christ's righteousness to be thine, and layeth not thy sin to thy charge. All is one thing. justification is not this that men dream of, to wit, a righteousness inherent in ourselves, but it is another man's justice which by imputation is made ours. Compare these two together, justification and Regeneration, and consider the natural order of them, justification is first. A man is justified by the blood of JESUS CHRIST imputed to him, ere ever he be regenerate by the Spirit. The Spirit that washeth him in regeneration cometh through the blood: the blood, first, and then cometh in regeneration, and washeth away the mother sin, and the foul stinking corruption that is in thee, and both thy justification and regeneration cometh of free grace, without merits: for these two are ever opponed, grace and mercy: press not to deal these two: to give GOD one part, and to attribute another part to thyself: leave thy merits behind thee, and take thee to the mercy of God, otherwise there is no salvation for thee. Thereafter cometh on another part of salvation, we are made heirs of everlasting Life: but there is something going betwixt, that is not set down here: For ye see, that when we are justified and regenerated, we are made sons by adoption: before we be heirs, we must be children. But I leave this, because the Apostle speaketh not of it here.  
Then the last part is: We are made heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven: what more can be required in salvation? there is the highest degree, Thou art placed in thine inheritance, there is thy perfection, According to the hope of eternal Lift, lest we should think, that we are already put in possession of this inheritance: he meeteth this, and showeth, that albeit we are in this life made heirs, yet we are not in this life put into a real possession of this heirship: but he saith, according to hope: we are heirs by hope, but once hope and all shall go away, and we shall be heirs in very deed. Yet hope is necessary so long as we live here: so long as the Father is living, the heirs have a to-looke and a hope of the heirship: Hope thou, or else thou shalt never see Heaven. Now this hope is not so bare, that in the mean time we have no fruition of the thing hoped for: yea, even in this life the fruition of Heaven is begun in effect: and if thou have not the beginning of it here, hope never for the accomplishment of it hereafter. We have a beginning in this life, but as for the full possession and fruition of our inheritance, it is reserved to the life to come: And therefore it is, that the Godly in this life hope still for the coming of JESUS CHRIST, till they be set and placed with Him, in that inheritance purchased to us by His blood: To whom with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all Honour, Praise, and Glory, for ever and ever,  
AMEN.   

THE TWELFTH SERMON.  PSALM CXXX. 
verse 1 Out of the deep places have I called unto Thee, O LORD.  
verse 2 LORD, hear my voice: let Thine ears attend to the voice of my prayers.  
verse 3 If Thou, O LORD, straightly markest iniquities, O LORD, who shall stand?  
verse 4 But mercy is with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared.  
THE inscription of this PSALM (Brethren) declareth that it is a PSALM most excellent: The excellency of it we remit to the matter contained therein: it hath been penned by some holy man, and Prophet of old, but by whom it is not certain: It is sufficient to us to know that the Spirit of GOD was the dyter of it. To come to the matter and parts thereof, The Prophet (whosoever he was) first setteth down the estate and disposition of his soul in trouble, to wit, that he ran to the Lord, and prayed to Him for delivery: and this he doth to the fifth verse. Next, finding in very deed the effects of the prayer he made, and finding mercy and delivery as he craved, he professeth before all the world, that as he had before awaited upon GOD, so he will await still upon Him, and He will put his confidence in Him: and this he doth to the seventh verse: lastly, from the seventh verse to the end, he recommendeth this duty to Israel, that is, to the Church of GOD, to wait upon the LORD, and with the recommendation, he giveth in forcible reasons to move them. To come to the first part, first he saith, that in his greatest danger he cried to the Lord JEHOVAH. Next, he setteth down the prayer. To come to the proposition, he saith, Out of the deep: yet more, Out of the deep places have I called unto thee, O JEHOVAH. By these deep places he understandeth great miseries, great dangers, wherein his body was, great terror and fear in his conscience, for his sin & offerding of God: for the Scripture (as ye may see Psal. 69. 2. 3) compareth great afflictions to deep waters, wherein a man is like to drown: and many a time, when the body is in danger, the soul will be like to drown in desperation. No doubt, the greatness of the danger made him to utter to the Lord voices coming from the very depth of the heart. If we felt ourselves in great danger, we would call from the depth of our hearts to God: he uttered not a voice only, but a loud voice, with a cry. This is the meaning of the words. We so here first, that the children of God, whom God loveth most entirely, are many times subject to great and extreme dangers and troubles: and if ever thou thinkest to come to Heaven, make thee in thine own course to suffer one trouble or other. Let no man therefore, judge evil of a man because he suffereth. Next we see the greater the danger be, the heavier the distress & the affliction wherewith the godly is exercised be, the more vehement, fervent, & earnest will their prayer be they have to God: and how cometh this to pass? Even in this manner, & by these degrees, Oppression & affliction worketh in the hearts of the faithful a sense of the common misery of nature: When the hand of the Lord is upon afaithful man, than he begins to feel his sin & corruption: And except the LORD exercise us in this life, either one way or other, the best of us all will fall into such a sound sleep, that we will neither remember what we have been, what we are, nor what we shall be, neither acknowledge ourselves to be sinners: So there is a necessity of afflictions, for affliction bringeth us to a feeling of our misery. Next, when through affliction, the heart is prepared and brought to some sense of sin, than it is capable of grace, then it prayeth to God. (Look never to come to Heaven if thou feelest not thy fin, yea, and that thou art a miserable sinner) Then, if once thine heart be prepared with some sense of sin and misery, then cometh in that holy Spirit of jesus Christ, which in the Scripture is called the Spirit of adoption, who finding the heart dejected and made lowly (the Spirit will nearer look in to a proud heart) beginneth to work, & to touch the heart of the miserable sinner with a sweet sense of mercy through jesus, he beginneth to shed abroad the love of Christ into the soul: and when once the heart hath tasted of the sweetness of mercy, and as Peter saith, hath tasted how sweet and gracious the Lord is, and findeth this passing love of God in jesus Christ, then i●…eth a boldness, and beginneth with confidence & peartnesse to present itself before God, and to put up prayers and requests, Roman. 8. 26. When once that Spirit hath given liberty, than we cry with an open mouth (for the heart is wide opened) Abba, Father, Roman. 8. 15. Because we have gotten a sense of that fatherly love in jesus Christ. The prayer of the faithful is most effectual when they are in greatest danger, and then the voice is loudest: for it is the Spirit of GOD, who maketh intercession for us with sighs which cannot be expressed, but God knoweth the meaning of his Spirit.  
Now, Brethren, surely few of us have yet been in this deepness and extremity of misery: the Lord hath not yet so pressed us with His hand, as He hath done many others: and therefore, ●e●● there is amongst us, who hath this feeling of sin and misery: and consequently few of us can pray so earnestly. How many are there amongst you that dare say, that ye feel sensibly the common misery of nature? Go to your hearts, and look if ye feel it not sleeping in sin: and so long as thou sleepest thus, and knowest not thy misery, how wilt thou be careful to feel the love of Christ? and how wilt thou earnestly pray to God? And certainly I take this coldness in prayer to be a forerunner of a judgement to overtake this Land. No, it were better to be swimming in the waters of affliction, praying earnestly to GOD, than to be this way lying in prosperity without prayer.  
Now I go forward. After he hath proponed, that out of the deepness he cried to JEHOVAH, then to let us see his cries, he setteth down the form of prayer that he used in his great miseries: first he saith, O Lord, hear my voice: Next, in the other words, he doubleth over the same petition, Attend to the voice of my prayers: for he prayeth not coldly, but he crieth earnestly: certainly, the doubling of the cry would be opened up from the ground. We should gripe down to the heart, from whence the prayers of the godly do flow, that when we hear them, or read them, we may get such an heart & disposition in prayer as they had. The doubling of the prayer, and the mouth wide opening, cometh of the doubling of the graces of the Spirit of GOD in the heart, and of a double opening of the heart: for except the heart be opened in prayer, the mouth cannot be opened with pleasure, otherwise if thou speak any thing, I will not give one penny for it: So the opening of the mouth cometh from the opening of the heart When the Holy Spirit so sweetly maketh manifest the love of God to the creature, then the tongue is loosed, & the second cry cometh of the second grace, & of the second opening of the heart: & so oft as thou criest, so oft is there a new grace & motion within the heart wrought by the Holy Spirit, for it is He only that openeth the mouth piece and piece, to speak to God: for take this for a certainty that Paul saith, There is none that can call jesus Lord, without that Spirit come in, 1. Corin. 12. 3. And again he saith, We know not what we should pray, or how we ought to pray, without that Spirit teach us, Romans chap. 8. verse 26. And if He teach not, no man or woman is able once to open the mouth with confidence and liberty to pray.  
And so, Brethren, if ye would speak well, pray well, or do well, look ever to the disposition of the heart, and night and day pray for that Spirit, who may transchange thee, transform thee, and take thee out of nature, and plant thee in grace: for so long as thou remainest in nature, thou canst not think well, thou canst not speak well, thou canst do nothing well, yea, thou art worse than a very beast.  
But because the words are very weighty, we will yet consider them better: What meaneth h●● when he saith, Lord, let thine ear be attentive to my prayer? Thought he that the Lord heard him no●● and that the Lord played the part of a deaf man? No▪ He meaneth not this: look to the estate of the godly, when the hand of the Lord is upon them, when the Lord afflicteth us any way, we think that He neither heareth nor seeth us, nor remembreth upon us: Indeed I grant, it is not so in effect, for God never altereth His affection towards His own: but the faithful oftentimes judge and apprehend so, and all the fault of this is in us. Ye see how David oftentimes complaineth to the Lord, that He had forsaken him, He had left him, and desireth that He should look upon him: I ask▪ Is it so indeed, that when the faithful soul crieth, Lord hear see, and remember, that He heareth not, He s●eth not He remembreth not? No question but He doth▪ for He that made the eye, seeth He not? He that made the ear, heareth He not? He that form the heart of man, understandeth He not? remembreth He not? Psal. 94. Yea, all things are patent to His Majesty, albeit when He maketh it not manifest by some sensible effects and operation, we think He heareth not, He seeth not, He remembreth not, His favour & affection is never indeed altered no● changed from his own children: Then when they cry for His presence, are they altogether destitute & deprived of his presence? no, they want it not: for who gave the heart to say, Lord hear me, Lord see and remember me, if that thou hadst not some presence of the Lord in thine heart? thou couldst never utter these voices to God. Then I say, If I have the presence of God when I cry unto Him, why cry I, and pray I, as though I had not His presence? Are not such prayers in vain? No, for although we have the presence of God when we pray, yet for all that our prayers to God are not in vain: for if we had Him of before in any measure by our prayers, He will manifest Himself more sensibly, piece and piece, more and more: And look how much more strongly thou criest, so much the more will the Lord be drawn to thy soul, and so much the more shalt thou find the increase and growth of grace in thy soul. It is unpossible, that the prayer of a faithful man, if it were but one word that proceedeth from the Spirit of adoption, can pass away without comfort: for the Lord giveth His Spirit to no man in vain, but because He knoweth the meaning of His own Spirit, therefore He will grant that thing for which he maketh request, there is nothing more certain: And therefore the Lord (Matth. 5. 6.) pronounceth them blessed, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for, saith he, they shall be filled and satisfied: And so Christ speaketh to that woman of Samaria, joh. 4. 13. 14. If thou soughtest a drink, I should give thee a drink of the water of life: for the water that I shall give, shall be in a man (or woman) a Well of water springing up into eternal life: meaning generally, that whosoever hath gotten the first fruits of the Spirit, and the beginnings of grace, desireth and seeketh for further progress and increase, that the LORD should ever furnish them with something to quench their thirst, and that because they should ever have a fountain within their belly, to furnish something to them when they thirsted: so that when as they should seek refreshment, they might get it in abundance. And if we felt this thirst and dryness of the soul, we would seek earnestly: for there was never such a dryness and such an heat in any man naturally▪ as there is in us through sin. Consider thine own experience, when thou hast felt sometimes the great burden of sin, and the terrors of the wrath of God for sin, whensoever in this estate thou camest to God, and prayedst for mercy, and said, I am a miserable sinner, LORD, give me mercy; hast thou not felt, that the Lord hath answered thee comfortably? and hath filled thine heart with joy, even when in thy prayer thou sighest and sobbest unspeakably? What meaneth that joy? Even that as soon as thou openest thy mouth with liberty▪ to seek that water of life, the Lord conveyeth some portion of it into thine heart to quench thy thirst.  
Now after he hath cried twice, he subjoineth in the next words, If thou, O Lord, straightly markest iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand. This no question, followeth by way of preoccupation: It might have been objected to him in his prayer (for many are the temptations of the godly) by his conscience, pleading for GOD against him: or GOD Himself might have said, Thou prayest to me and yet thou art a sinner, how should I hear thee? How darest thou stand before me? It is a wonder that in my fierce wrath I destroy thee not. To this he answereth, first by way of confession. It is true, O LORD, that if thou wilt straightly mark iniquity, that no flesh can stand in thy presence, but they must be consumed, through the rage of thy displeasure. Then he answereth by way of correction, But mercy is with thee: the meaning is, Thou takest none heed to our iniquities, but of thy free mercy and grace, thou pardonest them all in thy Son JESUS CHRIST: for none of the Saints, none of the Fathers, none of the Prophets, ever got mercy, but thorough that blood of JESUS CHRIST, who was slain from the beginning of the world: through His blood only was the wrath of God pacified: except God's justice be first satisfied, there is no place left to mercy: therefore saith he, my refuge is to thy mercy. Indeed our estate who live now, is far better than the estate of them who lived before Christ came into the world: for they saw▪ the death & satisfaction of Christ, & remission of sin in his blood but a far of: but we see now all, already past, & we may say, that now God in Christ is merciful to us, is become our Father, and hath forgiven all our sins. Now out of these words, & by this example of the Prophet, ye may see what is the estate of God's children in prayer: to wit, when in affliction they seek to repair to GOD by prayer, they will not so soon begin to pray, but as soon their guilty consciences will begin to knock and challenge them, as unworthy to be heard: the conscience will stand up, and if it be not cleansed, it will present thy sins before thee, and set them in order in all their circumstances. Albeit thou forget thy sins, after thou hast gotten thy pleasure, yet thou shalt see, that thy conscience hath marked them all: and as a man cannot read when the book is closed, yet being opened, they may read therein: Even so, albeit when our consciences are benumbed, we see not the ugliness and guiltiness of sin, yet when GOD wakeneth them, we will see sin in the own colour, and find the ugliness and guiltiness thereof: Our sins will come in, and stand up as mountains, and will hide the blessed face and presence of GOD from thee: Sin goeth betwixt us and GOD, and separateth us from God. The Saints find in experience, that it is not an easy thing to find a familiar access to God in prayer: except our consciences first be purged, we can have none access to God. Therefore, whosoever would draw near to GOD, let him seek to follow the counsel of the Apostle, in the 10. Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, and the two and twenty verse, where he saith, Let us draw near with a true heart, in an assurance of faith sprinkled in our hearts from an evil conscience. No flesh can have a favourable access to God, except his conscience be first purged from guiltiness▪ yea, that which we speak of the guiltiness of sin, we speak also of sin itself, that except it be quite taken away out of His sight, that He will not look favourably upon us. And this is that which the Prophet saith here, If thou, O Lord, straightly markest iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? For, as guiltiness of sin stayeth us to behold God, so sin itself stayeth God from beholding us (miserable wretches) with the eyes of His compassion. So long, therefore, as thy conscience is not purged, when thou goest to present thyself before His Majesty, if thy conscience be wakened, thou wilt find God marking thy sins, laying them to thy charge, and wilt find Him as a terrible judge, compassed about with burning wrath, ready to destroy thee: and if He mark thee, thou hast no standing: and if thou appear not clothed, with the righteousness and perfect satisfaction that JESUS through His blood hath purchased for thee, thou darest not presume to approach, for then His fierce wrath shall be poured out upon thee.  
Further we learn hereof, that when ever we would have our prayers accepted, we should begin with an humble confession of our sins, and unworthiness, and with an earnest prayer to forgive the same: yea, we must aggreadge our sins by all circumstances, as the Prophet doth here. No, none, not the holiest Sainctés, Fathers, nor Prophets, could be able to stand, if he marked their iniquity, let be himself, who was such an unworthy wretch, who was laden with so many and great sins. Thou must not extenuate thy sins before GOD, if thou wouldst find favour with GOD, as many men commonly do, saying we are all sinners, yea, many men have sinned more, and have done worse deeds than I have done. That is not the way to find God's favour. Thou must be very abject, vile, and contemptible in thine own account, if thou wouldst have the Lord to account of thee. Then where shall we get a remedy, to help an evil conscience? for sin taketh away all joy and confidence in prayer.  
The next words furnish a fair remedy, But mercy is with Thee: Lord, it is not Thy justice I look to, but Thy mercy, Thy justice holdeth me aback, but Thy mercy allureth me▪ I flee from Thy justice and I claim to Thy mercy. So when a man desireth his prayers to be heard, he must first have a sight of his own misery, guiltiness, and unworthiness, and of the fierceness of the Lords wrath for the same, and in all humility he must confess the same. Next he must have a sight of the lords mercy, and hope, that it is possible that GOD be reconciled with him: except that these two be joined together, he cometh not duly prepared, the one without the other will not serve, both are necessary: for without the knowledge, sight, and feeling of our misery, of sin, and of the wrath of God for the same, we will never be earnest in prayer: Who will ask, except he find his want? and without an humble confession, there is no coming before God. Thou must not do as the Pharisee did: read that parable of the Pharisee and of the Publican, Luke 18. The Pharisee was so blinded with self-love, that he could not see the filthiness and corruption of his own heart: and therefore, not only in the presence of man, whom he might deceive, would he justify himself, but also in the very presence of God, who cannot be deceived, & who searcheth the hearts, he would boast of his own righteousness, and condemn the poor Publican But what found he? It is said, he went home not justified, that all men might fear thereafter to come before God with a conceit of their worthiness. Thou must follow the example of the poor Publican, who being ashamed of himself, would not look up to Heaven, but looked down, & smote his breast, & said, O God, be merciful unto me a sinner. Next, if thou have no more but a sight, sense, & confession of thy misery, will that be sufficient? No, for albeit thou sawest all thy sins, and foundest the burden thereof, and foundest the Lord as a judge in a judgement pursuing thee, and heaping daily judgement upon judgement, and wrath upon wrath, that will never make thee to draw near to the Lord, but by the contrary will make thee to turn thy back upon the LORD: for as a malefactor hath no pleasure to behold the face of a judge, because his countenance is terrible, No more can the sinner abide the countenance of God, His judgements & His wrath may make us astonished, and stupefied: but if there be no more, they will never make us to come to God. Then if this be not sufficient, what more is requisite? Even a sight of the lords mercy, for that is most forcible to allure, as the Prophet saith here, and as the Church of God saith (Cant. 1. 2) because of the savour of thy good ointments, therefore the Virgins love thee: this only is forcible to allure the sinner▪ for all the judgements of GOD, and curses of the law, will never allure him. What was the chief thing that moved the Prodigal son to return home to his father? Was it chiefly the distress, the disgrace, and poverty wherewith he was burdened, or the famine that almost caused him to starve? No, but the chief thing was this, he remembered that he had a loving father: that maketh him to resolve with an humble confession, to go home, Luk. 15. Even so is it with a sinner, it is not terrors and threatenings 't chiefly will move him to come to God, but the consideration of His manifold & great mercies: therefore, if the Lord waken thy conscience, present thy sins before thee, threaten thee, & heap judgements on thee, then say, Lord, I deserve to be threatened, & always to be plagued, but, Lord, thou know'st my nature, thes things will not make me to come to Thee, but will put me away from Thee: therefore, let me see Thy manifold mercies towards sinners, to allure me, and then I shall come unto Thee.  
So we see the remedy against an evil conscience, to wit, an humble confession of sin and unworthiness, and a fleeing from the justice of God, to His mercy. The fairest & sweetest thing in the world is to feel the mercy of God. But herein there is great hardness and difficulty. It is not so easily attained unto, as men commonly think: for His mercy is compassed about with His justice, and with His wrath against sinners, as with a wall of fire: and he who will come to grace, he must come through a consuming fire: and when he presseth to come near, the fire of God's wrath will hold him off, and will strike out and burn up the impenitent sinner, as fire doth the stubble: So it is an harder thing than many think it to be, to win to God's mercy. And how shall this be remidied? By what means shall we get thorough this wall of fire? Truly he who would mean to pass thorough fire, had need to be well armed: the man who presseth to approach near to that invialable Majesty, who can abide no sort of uncleanness, and would draw near to the Throne of His grace must be well armed against the justice and wrath of GOD, which debarreth sinners. Surely there is none armour in the world that can preserve us from that raging and consuming fire of the justice and wrath of GOD, but only the righteousness and satisfaction of jesus Christ. Let a man use all the means in the world, and he be not found in Christ, he shall have none access to come thorough the justice and wrath of God to the Throne of grace: yea, his soul and his conscience must be sprinkled and purged from dead works, with that blood which was offered up to GOD to that end by His eternal Spirit, Heb. 9 without he be dipped in that blood, he will find GOD a terrible judge. And after that through faith in the death and blood of JESUS, thou comest to that Throne of grace▪ thou shalt hear the sweetest and most comfortable voice that ever was, that is, All thy sins are forgiven thee in that blood. And if a man were condemned to die for some heinous crime▪ if the king would say, I absolve thee, I forgive thee, thou shalt live: What joy and comfort would that voice bring to the heart of him who was condemned? The Apostle saith, Hebr. 10. 22. Let us go to the Throne of grace with a true heart, and purged from an evil conscience through the blood of JESUS▪ CHRIST, that is, Think not to come to that Throne of grace, except first thou be purged with that blood. Therefore, as ever thou wouldst be in Heaven, or see the face of GOD to thy comfort, seek to have faith in CHRIST JESUS: Look what necessity is laid upon a sinner: either must he be banished from the presence and face of GOD for ever, and be casten into the society of the damned, or else if he would be saved, he must be imped and engraffed by a true and lively faith in jesus Christ: make thee for it with all thy main, to get a gripe of Christ, as ever thou wouldst be saved.  
Now after he hath met this objection, which God or his own conscience in God's cause might have casten in, that he was so unworthy to be heard by an humble confession of unworthiness, and by fleeing from His justice, and claiming to His great mercies, be setteth down the end of this mercy and free forgiveness of sins, when he saith, But mercy is with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared: The end whereof the Lord granteth mercy and forgiveness of sins to sinners, is that they may obey, serve, and worship God with pleasure and alacrity. No man can ever be able to glorify God, and to serve Him cheerfully, but the man who hath assurance that his sins are freely forgiven him in that eternal love of God, through the blood of jesus: for none can glorify God, except first he be glorified of God. Albeit the natural man got never so many and great benefits, yet because he hath none assurance of the forgiveness of his sins he can never glorify God, nor be thankful to Him. On the other part, It is unpossible and if thou have a sure persuasion that thy sins are forgiven thee, but thou wilt be careful in some measure to meet the Lord God in love, to pleasure Him, and to thank Him: for the first effect that floweth from the remission of sins, is sanctification or glorification: And it is not possible▪ but if thou be glorified, thou must glorify the Lord again. But the question may be here proponed, Wherein standeth our glorifying of God? hath He need of our glorification? Can our service be profitable to Him? Can our well-doing extend to Him? Hath He need of any thing that we can do? I answer: Indeed it is true, our well-doing cannot extend to Him, as David confesseth of himself in the 16. Psalm, and the 2. verse. All the Kings and monarchs in the world cannot do any thing that is profitable and steadable to God: We are not able to add any thing to the glory of God, for His glory is infinite, and to an infinite thing nothing can be added: for if any thing could be added, it were not infinite. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit perfectly glorified one another from all eternity. Glorify Me, saith Christ, with that glory which I had with Thee before the foundation of the world was laid. That blessed Trinity was as perfect in glory before the creation of the world, as it hath been ever since. Our glorifying of God standeth only in this, when the Lord illuminateth our minds, that we may see His glory, in all his properties, that we in our hearts with pleasure and cheerfulness consent thereunto, allow of it, and with our mouths proclaim that glory which we see to be in Him. And it lieth not in man nor angel to compare His glory. The good & the evil, the well & the woe, the commodity & incommodity of all cometh to our own selves: and happy is that man that glorifieth God, & miserable is he that glorifieth Him not: for our felicity standeth not in that that we ourselves be glorified, but in this, that we glorify our Lord eternally, for that end were we created, & to the end were we redeemed with that precious ransom, even that we should glorify the Lord & happy is that creature that hath some purpose, thirst, & desire to glorify God in this life, for he may be assured that one day the Lord shall glorify him eternally in Heaven. That soul, I say, shall be perfected in the life to come & without all impediment shall cry with the blessed Angels, Holy, holy, holy, is the God of heaven, the Whole World is full of his glory. There shall it find in his countenance satiety of joy, and at his right hand pleasures for ever.  
Mark here last, & I shall end with it, that the ceiling of the mercy of God in jesus Christ bringeth out obedience & cheerful service of God: yea, of all arguments to move a man to abstain from sin, & to serve the Lord with pleasure, that is the most pithy & forcible, The shame of the world, the fear of temporal judgement, the horror of conscience, & the fear of the pains of hell, will not be so steadable: it may be ● they repress raging lusts, & furious affections ●●r a time, but they will not mortify sin, & slay corruption, & will never cause a man with pleasure to serve & obey God: but if a man hath found ● God hath loved him so well, that he hath given his only son to die, that he might live, it is not possible but that man, in some measure, will set himself with alacrity & cheerfulness to serve God. Therefore, the Apostle, when he would persuade christians to abstain from sin, & to serve God, what argument useth he chiefly? read Rom. 12. 1. he proponeth the mercy of God, offering jesus to die for them, for there he saith, I beseech you, brethren, through the mercies of God, ● ye offer up yourselves a living sacrifice: therefore, if thou wouldst covet to do the Lords will cheerfully, pray the Lord, that he would not so much threaten thee, & propone terrors to thee, as that he would make thee sensible of His mercies in jesus Christ. The vain Papist speaks little or nothing almost to the people of this mercy of God in jesus Christ, but propones to the people the pains of hell, & fire of purgatory, to stay them from sin, & to make them serve God▪ and do good works: but if there be no more, it will never make them to bring forth such obedience, as either is acceptable to God, or yet profitable to themselves. The Lord therefore, make us to be sensible of his unspeakable love in jesus, that we may set ourselves with pleasure to serve and glorify him here, that so we may be assured that he shall glorify us in the kingdom of Heaven, which jesus hath purchased to us by his precious blood. To this jesus, with the Father, & the H. Spirit, be all praise, honour, and glory, for ever,  
Amen.   

THE XIII. SERMON.  PSALM CXXX. 
verse 5 I have waited on the LORD: my soul hath waited, and I have trusted in His word.  
verse 6 My soul waiteth on the LORD more than the morning watch watcheth for the morning.  
verse 7 Let Israel wait on the LORD: for with the LORD is mercy, and with Him is great redemption.  
verse 8 And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.  
WELL-BELOVED in the LORD JESUS, The last day we divided this Psalm into these three parts. First, the proposition, whosoever he was that writ this Psalm, he maketh mention and rehearsal of that prayer that he made to his God in the time of his great danger, and this he doth to the fifth verse: Then finding in experience a comfortable answer, and how good a thing it was to pray to God, and to wait on Him, he professeth▪ that as before, he had awaited on Him, so still in time coming he would await on Him, and this he doth to the seventh verse. In the third and last part, he turneth him to Israel, to the Church, and exhorteth them to await on God, as he had done, promising them mercy and redemption from all their iniquities, if they would await on Him. The last day we ended the first part: so we have now to follow out the other two parts which remain.  
Then as for the second, The prophet finding in experience the fruit of his prayer, he professeth that he will yet still wait on the Lord: I have waited on the Lord: my soul hath waited, and I have trusted in His word: As though he would say, I depend yet still on His word, for the presence of the Lord that we have in this life, is in His word, and in His Holy Spirit, that accompanieth it: So all the dependence we have on GOD, is in His word and promise. Take that away, and then we have no sight, no presence, no faith here, till we see Him face to face.  
Yet the words are better to be marked, he saith, I have waited on the Lord: Then he saith▪ My soul hath waited on the Lord: as if he would say, I have not awaited on the Lord only with my bodily eyes, but with mine heart and secret inward affections: I have depended on Him from my very heart. For, Brethren, mark it well, It is the heart of a man or woman, that draweth GOD down from Heaven, & sucketh in His presence▪ Marvelous is the power that a faithful heart hath when it sendeth up sighs and sobs to Heaven for grace, to pull down God's presence and grace: if there be no more but the eye, it will not do the turn, but where the Spirit of the Lord dwelleth in the heart, it maketh it to ●igh with sobs that cannot be expressed. It is not possible, but GOD, who giveth His Spirit to no man in vain, and who knoweth the meaning of His own Spirit, will grant that for which the Spirit maketh intercession. Paul (in the 8. chap. to the Rom.) setting down the waiting on of the godly, how they wait on the Lord, he setteth down both the forcible operation of God's Spirit in our hearts, as also the fruit of his operation, We sigh in ourselves, waiting for the adoption, even the redemption of our bodies: there the waiting on of the godly, is conjoined with sighs and sobs. Then after, he letteth us see what followeth upon that▪ What to seek we know not: but when the Spirit of the Lord interceadeth for us with sighs and sobs unspeakable than the Lord, who searcheth the heart, & knoweth the meaning of His own Spirit, granteth that thing, for the which the Spirit maketh intercession: for what else meaneth that unspeakable joy, which many a time the Saints of God find before they have ended their prayers, but that their prayers are favourably accepted? What meaneth that unspeakable joy, when he saith, Believing we rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorious? That joy witnesseth, that the Lord giveth his presence: for there is a sure ground, There is no true joy, but in the presence of God: and so the joy testifieth to thee, that thou sighest not so soon, but the Lord giveth his presence to thee. Now, when he hath said, My soul hath waited, than he subjoineth, I will wait still upon His word: I will hold up mine ear to Heaven, as it were, and hear what He will speak unto me. There is no consolation nor joy in this world, but in the hearing of His voice: The friends of the bridegroom, saith S. john, when they stand and hear the bridegroom speak, they rejoice exceedingly: So it is the joy of a Christian to hear the Lord jesus speak. The meaning is this, I have waited on so long, & have found in experience how good a thing it is, and therefore that experience shall move me to wait on still, I am forced through the experience of mercy▪ to wait on still without wearying. This prophet, whosoever he was was in a great danger, and therefore in the beginning he said, Out of the deep places have I cried unto thee, O JEHOVAH: so he was under great affliction, his affliction that he suffered wrought in him so that he waiteth patiently the Lords deliverance: a waiting with patience, in end he finds experience & proof of the mercy of God, for he was delivered: finding experience of the Lords love through that delivery, he conceits an hope that God's favour shall never leave him, & professeth that he will wait yet still, & wait on continually, because of that experience of mercy. In the 5. chap. to the Romans, ye have the notable effects that affliction worketh, linked together: and if there were no more but the effects that we find to have been in this man, they testify, that it is true that the Apostle speaketh here: Oppression (saith he) worketh patience, that is when affliction is sanctified to him that is afflicted, through time it bringeth forth patience. Then after that a man hath waited patiently on the deliverance of the Lord, then saith he, patience worketh experience, that is, a body that abideth patiently under the cross, in the end he findeth an experience and proof of the Lords love, one way or other, either by delivery, or by furnishing strength to bear it out, or by some spiritual grace. Then he saith, experience worketh hope, that is, when any one hath found in experience the mercy of the Lord, he conceiveth an hope, that the Lord shall ever deliver him, and never forsake him: & he hopeth that he shall get greater favour, than ever he got before: for if the Lord give the faithful a temporal delivery, they hope He shall give them eternal delivery: And this is sure, thou canst never hope for great enough things of the Lord, thine hope is far inferior to the things that shall be granted: for certainly, they that hope in the Lord, shall find greater things than ever they hoped for: thou art not able to apprehend in thine hope the greatness of them: the kingdom, the joy, and the glory, is greater than thou canst look for: when thou shalt come there, thou shalt find that all things are greater than thine hope.  
Now when he hath proponed that he will hope in the Lord, he beginneth in the next verse to amplify that proposition, and declareth the earnestness of it by a comparison taken from the watchmen, who watch all the night over without any relief, and saith, My soul waiteth on the Lord more than the morning-watch watcheth for the morning. It is a worthy thing, to consider how that after the heart is once prevented with a tasting of the sweetness of God's favour, how that heart will hang and depend upon Him, and seek and wait for grace at Him more and more. Alas! from whence cometh this, that men & women are so careless to seek the Lord, and to wait on Him? Alas! they have not tasted of that gracious sweetness that is in God through jesus Christ, for if they had once tasted of it, there would be a perpetual thirsting & desiring for that presence: the heart would never have rest nor ease till it got that presence. The Apostle Peter, when he desireth them to seek that sincere milk of the word, whereby they might grow, he subjoineth, If once ye have tasted how sweet and gracious the Lord is: meaning, that they that never have tasted of the sweetness of the lords presence and His graces, have not a desire of grace. We see here what is the estate of the faithful in this world, by this comparison with the watch. The estate of every one of us. is this waking and watching from evening to morning. The watch, ye know, watcheth in the night, and there especially where greatest danger may fall out, and the watch that hath no relief in his watching, but must watch from the evening to the morning, he must be very weary, and being very weary, he will be very desirous of the morning and the sun rising: when it cometh, he is relieved of his painful watching & goeth to take his rest. To apply this to us: This world which we live in, till the coming again of the Lord jesus, is but a darksome night, in respect of that glorious day that shall appear when He cometh again. Indeed, the world since the first coming of Christ, is called a day in the Scripture: but that is in respect of them that were before Christ, but in respect of that passing light that jesus Christ shall then bring with Him: this is but passing darkness, and we shall think so, when that day shall come. Now next, the watch in this world was never more straightly bound to watch in the night, than every Christian man is bound to watch till he come again: & this was the direction that Christ gave His disciples. Wait, for ye know not what hour thee goodman of the house shall come: and in watching, we find a great heaviness: What faithful man is in this world, that is not wearied with watching? The world that sleepeth in this life, is not wearied, but the faithful that watcheth is weary of this life, and fain would they have that morning coming, when the sun of righteousness, the Lord jesus, shall rise up, that they may be relieved: And when that morning shall come, thou that hast watched in this world, at the least hath striven to watch, and looked for that glorious coming of the Lord jesus, thou shalt get rest, so sweet a rest as never man found in this world: but thou that hast slept here, & hast not watched for Him, sleep on: when He cometh thou shalt get no rest, thy sleeping shall end in a terrible wakening. There is no rest to them that hath not a desire to watch in this world: but they 't have a desire to watch, & to hold up their heads, they shall get rest, yea, endless rest, and quietness.  
Now, having spoken of the first & second parts, I shall go shortly forward to the third part of the Psalm, wherein the Prophet turneth himself to Israel, that is, the Church of God, and he exhorteth Israel, the Church of God, to watch, & wait on the Lord: Let Israel wait on the Lord: finding in experience what he had gotten for his waiting on, to wit, mercy and deliverance, he cannot be holden from glorifying Him, and cannot get Him glorified enough: Therefore, he turneth him to the whole Church, and exhorteth them to wait on, that they may find such experience as he found, and that they may glorify the Lord also. So the end he looketh to, is to glorify the Lord, that He may be glorified in many believers, and waiters on him. The end of the mercy of God tendeth to His own glory. There are many properties in God, he is infinite in wisdom, in power, in truth, infinite in glory & Majesty. Now the Lord is glorified in all his properties, in his wisdom, power & justice. But above all things, the LORD seeketh that the world should glorify Him in that deep riches of mercy and gentleness that is in Him, that we should praise Him everlastingly in His mercy. And as this is His will, and as the mercy of GOD serveth to His glory, So the soul of a man that hath once tasted of the mercy of the Lord jesus, is carried away with such a zeal to His glory, that it will cause am in forget himself, and with Moses and Paul wish to be a curse and anathema, to have God glorified. This man ye see, when he hath tasted or His mercy, he turneth him to the whole Church, and willeth them to trust in Him, that they might find His mercy, that so God may be glorified. So it is he only, who hath tasted of the mercy of God, who when he looketh thorough the miserable world, can have pity on any man. He that never tasted of that mercy of God had never true pitic upon any man Then the thing which he craveth is this, that many should taste of His mercy, that God may be glorified by many. His heart is moved with pity, and so all his endeavour is to see if once he can get them win to God: for when he looketh abroad upon miserable sinners, he is full of ruth and compassion. But mark again, the zeal which he hath to the glory of GOD, is the first cause that moved him to seek that all the world should taste of mercy and glorify God. So first he beareth a love to God's glory, and then he hath pity toward men: the one is the cause, the other the effect: the one precedeth, the other followeth: the one is the root, and the other the branch. All the love we carry to man, should be for the love we have to God. And where these two go together, a zeal to the glory of God, (alas! where is zeal to God's glory now adays? which is a true token, that His glory is departing away) and then a pity of the misery of man, a desire of the salvation of man: then that man will forget himself, that he may seek the salvation of the world, that so in it God may be glorified. And the man that hath this disposition in his heart, is fit to be a Minister & Preacher of grace to the world, otherwise, if he want this disposition, it is but a cold preaching that he will make.  
Now in the next words, when he hath proponed the exhortation, and desired them to wait on the Lord, to move them the more, he pointeth out to the Church the nature of God, what God is: for we must know what God is, ere ever we put our trust and confidence in Him: for why? saith he, with the Lord is mercy and gentleness: as if he would say, The Lord is full of mercy. His mercies are incomprehensible, yea, infinite, and neither man nor Angel can sound out the deepness thereof: He is all mercy: and as S. john saith in his first Epist. chap. 4. vers. 8. The Lord is love. Therefore, await on Him: for why? there is no want nor scant of mercy in Him. This is well to be marked, when he exhorteth Israel to wait upon the Lord, he saith not, because He is omnipotent, and infinite in justice, only wise, etc. But he giveth this reason, because mercy is with Him, therefore wait upon Him. This would be well considered, What is the cause of this? Now I will ask another question, What thing in God need we most into this world? There are many things which we have much need of: What is it that we have most need of? Another question: What is the estate that every one of us is borne in, in this world? Are we not borne sinners? conceived and borne in sin and iniquity? And so are we not all miserable? For there is nothing for sinners, but misery, death, & damnation: and so all sinners are miserable. So, what thing is it that a sinner wanteth most? what is it that sin and misery craveth, but mercy? And if thou be miserable, the thing in this world that thou shouldest crave first, is mercy, that God would be merciful to thee: So mercy and forgiveness of sin is the first thing whereto thou oughtest to have recourse. And if thou wilt tell a miserable body that feeleth himself to be miserable and the child of wrath, that God is omnipotent if thou point Him out in His wisdom, in His justice, he shall be so far from receiving any comfort, and consolation, of any of these things, that by the contrary he shall be so terrified, that he dare not presume to seek God, to look to Him, to come to Him, &c: but he will run away from God: But tell him that God is merciful, & full of grace in jesus Christ, that is the sweetest speech that ever he heard. But, alas! few of us feeleth that burden of sin: Who is he that groaneth under sin? Who feareth the terrors of that wrath? If thou find them, then tell thee of the mercies of jesus Christ, it would be the sweetest tale that ever thou heardest. And when a man is once sensible of the infinite mercies of GOD in jesus, then tell him of all the infinite properties of God, tell him of His power, wisdom, and providence, they will all serve to his comfort: for why? he will think that all things that are in God appertain to him, and serve to his weal, he will find that all things will serve to his salvation. Otherwise, without this assurance of mercy, he will never think them comfortable. So there is a sure ground, The faith of a man or woman, first of all, is ever relative to the mercy of God: and that is the first object of faith. Indeed, having gotten a gripe of mercy, than it extendeth to all the rest: but before that, there is nothing in God that it can rest upon. Ye see by experience, when the law is preached, there is little allurance of the heart: but when the evangel and Christ jesus is preached, the heart is drawn on and alured. What is the cause of this? The doctrine of the law is a doctrine of extreme justice, and His justice doth nothing but terrify the soul: but the doctrine of the evangel is a doctrine of the mercy of God in jesus Christ, which draweth to it the hearts of men. Albeit thou hear the law preached an hundredth years, & hear no more, thou shalt be so far from being the better, that thou shalt still be the worse. So this testifieth, that the object of our faith is the surpassing mercy of God. Then, if thou wouldst search the nature of God (and search Him a thousand years, thou shalt never come to the ground of His deepness) search out especially His love & mercy: a man may fail & vanish away in curiosity, searching the deepness of God: but in searching out His mercy, thou shalt never err, it shall be with a joy & consolation of the heart. Paul prayeth for the Ephesians (chap. 3 vers. 18.) that they might attain to that infinite deepness & breadth, length & height in God, for God is infinitely deep in all things: but wherefore is it that he prayeth? Even that they, searching in God, should search that infinite profoundity of the love of God. Surely, if we would know that profoundity of God, & search in to His nature▪ then let us search always in to that love & mercy of God in JESUS Christ. And this searching hath ever a growth and increase in faith, till we get a sight of Him everlastingly.  
To go forward. He is not content to say, with Him is gentleness, but he subjoins, with Him is great redemption: the words grow in highness, & these words comprehend & set out a greater mercy in God than the former: now the mercy of God in jesus Christ is not all told in a word: alas, for want of feeling we speak slenderly & lightly of it: no, in very deed, all the words, and the greatest words in the world, of the most holy, most wise, & most eloquent men, is not able to set out & point out that infinite greatness & deepness of it: and he & she that once have tasted of mercy, scarcely can they find words to express the thousand part of it: when they have gotten a little taste & apprehension of it, they are not able to get words to express that apprehension of the heart. Paul commonly calleth it the riches of mercy, God, who is rich in mercy, according to His infinite & great love, etc. Ephes. 2. 4. Paul, David, & the rest of them cannot get words to express that apprehension of mercy that they have in their hearts. No, there is no creature that is capable of that infinite mercy: for the work that the Spirit of jesus Christ doth work in the heart, whether it be a sense of dolour, or a sense of joy, the tongue of no creature can tell or express, Paul calleth it sighs inexpressible: & Peter calleth it joy unspeakable: So the heart cannot express the greatness of the work of the Spirit. Men will think them hyperbolical words, but that is a token that they have not tasted that joy and mercy in their own hearts.  
Now in the last words he cometh near hand, & makes a particular promise of His mercy to His Church, He will redeem Israel, His Church, from all her iniquity, as he would say, I have told you, He is merciful & full of redemption, but I come nearer hand: Thou shalt find in experience, that He is merciful, & full of redemption: So it is not enough to the Preachers of the word, to preach God's mercy and redemption generally to the world: no, they must come nearer hand, & in promising▪ they must make to the hearts of the people a particular application, and say not only, God is merciful, but▪ He will be merciful unto you, and He is full of redemption, and He shall redeem you: and so say I, I have not been speaking of mercy and redemption that appertaineth not to us, but the Lord shall be merciful, and redeem you, if ye believe in jesus Christ: for there is no grace but in Him. If this particular application be not made, the conscience of sin is so great, that the sinner dare not put forth his hand to receive mercy. Now to whom pertaineth mercy and redemption? He saith, He shall redeem Israel, that is, the Church militant. The Church is militant in this world, but redemption pertaineth to it in the end. But where from shall the Lord redeem the Church? Not from persecution and tribulation in this world, but from all her sins. So this presupponeth first, That the Church is full of sin so long as it is in this world. This is but a vain dream to imagine that there shall be a Church, or any member of the same, in this world, without spot: away with that vanity. So next, the redemption of the Church standeth nor so much in freeing it from persecution or tribulation, although she shall be redeemed from all these things also, as from redeeming her from sin: the chief redemption shall be from sin: for why? the greatest enemy of the Church is her own sins▪ & it is her own sins that is the cause of all her persecution and it is sin that the Lord mortifieth and slayeth by persecution and tribulation: for if there were no sin, there would not be such a thing as a persecuter or a tyrant against her: and the greatest burden that the godly feel, is always their own sins, & they were never under so great perfecution▪ no cross, no trouble comparable to the burden of sin. Paul saith, Rom. 7. 24, Miserable man! who shall deliver me? Where from? Not from persecution, albeit he was subject to as great persecution as any man, but from this body of sin, because he could not get that obedience to God, that he would have had. And wherefore died Christ? Was it to redeem us from persecution, or crosses in this world? No, the Lord died that He might redeem us from sin with His precious blood. And Paul (to the Corin) maketh mention of that triumph that the Church shall have when the Lord jesus shall come, O death where is thy sting? Then she shall glory that she is redeemed from sin, and from offending of God. And that shall be our chief felicity in that life to come, that our hearts & thoughts shall be free of all sin, we shall offend God no more, but all shall be full of obedience to jesus Christ, and then shall we be fully sanctified and glorified when we get that blessed presence of the Lord jesus, which we long for: To whom be praise and glory, for ever,  
Amen.   

THE XIIII. SERMON.  MATTH. CHAP. XV. 
verse 21 And jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyrus and Sidon.  
verse 22 And behold, a woman, a Canaanite, came out of the same coasts, and cried▪ saying unto him, Have inercie on me, O Lord, the son of David, my daughter is miserably vexed with a devil.  
verse 23 But he answered her not a word. Then came to him his disciples, and besought him, saying, Send her away, for she crieth after us.  
verse 24 But he answered, and said, I am not sent, but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  
verse 25 Yet she came, and worshipped him, saying, LORD help me.  
verse 26 And he answered, and said, It is not good to take the children's bread, and to cast it to whelps.  
verse 27 But she said, Truth, Lord: yet in deed the whelps eat of the crumbs, which fall from their masters table.  
verse 28 Then jesus answered, and said unto her▪ O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee as thou desirest. And her daughter was made whole at that hour.  
IN this TEXT which we have read (well beloved in the Lord jesus) we have a wonder, that the Lord wrought on a woman, a Canaanite a Gentile, of a cursed generation, the generation of Canaan. The wonder is, the healing of a woman's daughter that was possessed, and sore and miserably vexed with a devil. The woman having the occasion to meet with the Lord through His coming to these parts where she abode, she slippeth not the occasion, but seeketh mercy and grace: she findeth at the first great hardness and difficulty, to get mercy: but at the last, she overcometh all by her faith, and getteth mercy.  
Now to go through this History so shortly and plainly as the LORD shall give the grace. This woman is called a Canaanite, that is descended of that old and rotten stock of Canaan▪ that was destinate for wrath and destruction. (Genes. 9 25. Look to her estate, she is come of a cursed race, she is lying in sin and security: first in sin, next in a deadly sleep and security of sin. This is the estate of every one of us: we lie in sin, conceived in sin, and borne in sin: we feel not the sin, & that deadly sleep of security is worse than the sin we lie in: there is none of us better by nature than this woman was. Then when she is thus lying in sin & security, the Lord from the Heaven sendeth her awakening, and a sharp wakening: for the judgements of God are like many messengers from Heaven to waken us. In the example of the woman we see that the Lords children must be wakened: and oftentimes our first wakening is very sharp, doleful, and fearful, as it is with one that is wakened in the rage of a fever. Yet there is grace here: Well is the man that is wakened, though the wakening were never so sore and sharp: for the multitude of the world die in security, and never waken, till the fire of Hell waken them. Well is thee, and thou be wakened, albeit it should be with never so heavy a judgement, yea, though thy daughter, or thyself, should be possessed with a devil.  
Now, when this poor woman is thus wakened, and is wrestling under the heavy hand of God, the Lord casteth an eye towards her, (for no doubt, howbeit she was one of the race of cursed Canaan, yet she was chosen to eternal life) and of very purpose He casteth Himself into these parts where she was: what ever other errand He had, there is no question, but He had a particular respect to her, ● she might have the occasion to come to Him, and this was a great grace. When we are wakened out of security, than the Mediciner hath his time, and this is a greater grace. It is a great grace to be wakened, but it is a greater grace to find a Mediciner to cure thy disease: for, as multitudes die in security, so also multitudes die in pain, torment, and desperation, after they are wakened. Well, she hearing tell that He was come to these parts, and that He was such a man, a wonderful man, as the prophet Esay calleth Him, who cured all sort of diseases, who restored sight to the blind, limbs to the lame, cleansed the leprous, and raised up the dead, she is moved to seek grace and mercy at Him. Had not the Lord prevented her, and come down thither & sought her, to draw her to Him, there had never been such a thing, that she had sought for Him. All thy misery, albeit it were never so great, will never draw thee to Him, except He seek thee first, and draw thine heart unto Him.  
Well, now to come forward, when she seeketh Him, she findeth Him, and getteth His bodily presence.  
CHRIST and His Disciples were walking together after His accustomed manner: at the first meeting, saith the TEXT, The woman crieth, He is apparently going before, and the woman followeth after, and crieth: Misery constraineth her to cry: And if the LORD lay His hands upon thee, He will compel thee to howl and cry. O, that power and might that is in the LORD over His creature!  
But I doubt not, considering the words and communication that the LORD hath with this poor, miserable, and sinful woman, but it was that Spirit of adoption that opened her mouth so wide to cry upon Him so, O thou son of David have mercy on me: What crieth she? Mark her words: She crieth, have mercy upon me. How many of Jerusalem cried after this manner? An Heathen, ● Cananite, crieth this way: misery compelleth her to cry. But what maketh her to cry Mercy? We will rail & blaspheme God when we are in misery: but what caused her to cry Mercy? No question, the conscience of her demerits caused her to cry Mercy: she felt herself to be worthy of all that misery wherewith she was burdened. The voice of a miserable sinner, that feeleth misery, is, O Lord have mercy upon me: but lo how she styleth Him, O Lord, The Son of David: these were the common styles indeed of the Lord, in this life, He was called of the multitude, LORD, and the son of David. But certainly, I am of this mind, that this woman took these styles otherwise than the common multitude: The very eye of her soul was opened, to see jesus Christ to be the Lord, & to be the Son of God manifested in the flesh of the seed of David, howbeit I will not attribute unto her a distinct & clear knowledge of both His natures in one person, and of His offices.  
Then, Brethren, ye see two grounds of her petition. The first is a Lordship, and Power, and Dominion in Him, of whom she sought mercy. The next is, a Pity, a Mercy in Him of whom she sought mercy. She sought mercy at a mèrcifull face, grace at a gracious face. Look that thy prayer be well grounded on the LORD. When thou openest thy mouth to seek mercy at that LORD, look that thou acknewledge that there is a power in that Lord to give thee every thing that thou standest in need of: and chiefly, look that thou acknowledge, that there is an infinite passing mercy in that Lord, surmounting all thy sins, and then shalt thou pray from the heart, with confidence and liberty: otherwise thou mayest well seek mercy from the teeth outward, but never with thine heart. Then she letteth Him see a good cause wherefore she sought mercy: Lord, I have need of a Physician, for I am sick. What sickness is sorer to a poor body, than this, to be rend both in soul and body with a devil? Lord, my poor daughter is tormented with a devil: As in thy prayer thou must have a sight of the infinite power of thy God, of the mercy of thy God, so scorn Him not with a senseless heart: No, if thou gettest not a sense & feeling of thy misery, of thy trouble, & vexation in thine heart, call not upon the Name of the Lord. It is true indeed, the Lord seeth and knoweth thy misery, as well as thyself, albeit thou speak not a word unto Him of thy misery: yet for all that, the Lord taketh pleasure to hear thy misery out of thine own mouth: He will not only have thee to feel and groan in thine heart for it, but he will have thee to utter it unto Him with thy tongue also, if opportunity serve: He will have thee to make it known unto Him, as if He knew it not He will have thee to bring up thy misery from the ground of thine heart, & as thou feelest it in the sadness of thine heart, so to utter it in thy voice: for the Lord delighteth to hear miserable bodies speaking of their misery.  
Now to go forward. When she hath made her petition, see the meeting: the text saith, At the first He answered her not a word, but goeth forward with the Disciples, and letteth her follow on crying, O Lord, have mercy upon me: not once nor twice, but the cry goeth never out of her head. This is wonderful: He that prevented her with grace, and gave her grace to seek him, will not make her one word answer, but goeth his way, and will not speak unto her: Yea, thou wilt find, that he, who prevented thee with grace, & sought thee, ere ever thou soughtest him, & gave thee grace to cry and pray, Have mercy, O God, yet he will seem to mis-knowe thee, and make thee none answer. Thou wilt cry in sickness, Mercy, but wilt thou always find mercy? No, no, thou wilt cry in other troubles, Mercy, and his Spirit no question will interceade for thee, and yet for a time he will make thee none answer. What meaneth this? why doth he so? Now when he hath given thee grace to cry for mercy, a thirst & an hunger for grace, (Blessed are they that hunger & thirst) when he hath given thee this first grace, he will let thee cry a great while to try thy constancy. We never get a spiritual grace in this life, but with the grace we get always a trial: and when he giveth us grace to cry: he will try if we will cry on. And to speak the truth, Brethren, All our life here, is but a trial of the graces of GOD, which he hath given us. We get not our heaven here, but a faith to look a far of unto it, an hunger, a thirst, a desire of it, and with our thirst a trial of our Faith, a trial of our Hope, of our desire, to see if we will stand in it. And then saith Peter, in the life to come, the trial of thy faith, and hope, and patience, being ended, What shall follow, Praise, and honour, and glory, when JESUS shall appear, 1. Pet. 1. 7. Thou shalt be filled with satiety and fullness of joy, thine hunger and thirst shall be satisfied as soon as ever thou seest thy Redeemer.  
Now to proceed. The Disciples that followed the Lord, they are troubled with the cry of the woman, & say to the lord Either give her one answer or other, and let her go her way. Surely I think this suit of the disciples was not so much for any desire they had that he should help her, as to be quite of her crying, because they were deafened with her. So then the Papists need not upon this, to ground their intercession of the Saints in heaven, for us that remain here on earth: for this ground is as weak as their doctrine of intercession is: and she directeth not her speech to the Apostles here, to PETER, JAMES, or JOHN, that they should intercead for her, but to the Lord himself, she speaketh to none of them, but she passeth & speaks to the Lord immediately: So should we leave all the Saincter, and with confidence go to the Lord Himself. The Disciples are deafened and troubled with her crying: the Lord Himself letteth her cry on: and this is a token that He is not wearied with her crying Well then, thou findest a comfort here, when thou criest night and day, He never wearieth with thee: He saith not, thou troublest me, all thy cries sighs, and sobs, are pleasant to Him. Men will be weary sometimes with thy crying, as we read, that unjust judge was importuned by the just suit of the poor woman, and dispatcheth her away, and saith, thou troublest and irkest me night and day, Luke 18. 1. But the true righteous judge is never wearied with thee, when He letteth thee cry out, He will not answer with a grudge, as the judge did, but cheerfully. The Lord that loveth a cheerful giver, He Himself giveth cheerfully. What meaneth that joy that the faithful find in their hearts, accompanying the benefit that cometh from Him, but that the Lord giveth His benefits cheerfully? for if the LORD gave thee them not cheerfully, but in anger and wrath, and threw them to thee as to a reprobate, thou wouldst never have joy in the receiving of them. There is not such a thing, as a reprobate can have joy in the giver, or ever have his mouth open with true thanksgiving to the Lord to say once, I thank thee: Why? Because the Lord giveth him not His benefits in love, but in anger. So this is a sure token when thou findest joy in thine heart, and a contentation in thy prayer, and a purpose to be thankful, that the Lord giveth thee cheerfully, and heareth thee joyfully. And if thou canst get but a joyful look of thy God, thou mayst be assured that it proceedeth of mercy. When He looketh so unto thee, He doth not as earthly kings, or any earthly creature use to do, for they can keep a fair countenance, and yet have little good will in their hearts. Well, the woman crieth, & the disciples cry: The Lord must answer once, but He maketh an answer little to her contentment, I am not sent, saith He, but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel: What have I to do with that poor woman? she is not one of My sheep, she is of a cursed generation of the Canaanites, ordained to destruction and wrath: In a word, He debarreth her from grace, He cloaseth the gates of Heaven upon her teeth: for when He saith, He is not sent to her He shutteth her out of Heaven. We ought to mark this well, for we are Canaanites, that is to say. Gentiles: It is true indeed, the Lord coming down from the Heaven, & manifesting Himself in the flesh. He had His commission first & principally to the jews, and not to the Gentiles, not to Scotland, nor ENGLAND, nor Germany, nor France, chiefly and principally: as Christ said to Jerusalem. Oh! that thou couldst see the day of thy visitation! Luke 19 41. He was sent with commission to the Gentiles, but in case of the contumacy & rebellion of the jews, as if the Lord had said unto him, Go thy way unto mine own people, whom I have chosen from among all the Nations of the earth, and see if thou canst win them, go no further. And if the jews had not been rebellious and disobedient, we had never gotten mercy and grace▪ Look Roman. 11. 11. The fall of the jews, was the raising up of the Gentiles, & the diminution of the jews, was the riches of the Gentiles. How got ye grace? saith he, By their contumacy and rebellion. So Christ, sending out his Disciples to preach, biddeth them go, not unto the Gentiles, or unto the Samaritans their next neighbours, but unto the l●st sheep of the house of Israel, Matth. 10. 5. And Paul in a preaching before both the jews and Gentiles, Act. 13. 46. The word of GOD, saith he, behoved first to be preached unto you, the promise belonging unto you. But because ye will not receive the word, and have made yourselves unworthy of life everlasting▪ Therefore, I will turn and preach to the Gentiles: And so he bade the jews good-night, and turned him to the Gentiles. And the TEXT saith, that then the Gentiles rejoiced exceedingly.  
So we were strangers from heaven, and aliens from the common wealth of Israel.  
And we learn in the example of this woman that our entry to grace, and to heaven, was very hard and difficile: And as our entry to grace was hard▪ so if we fall from grace, our reentry to grace shall be far harder: And if thou fall once from grace, hardly shalt thou get grace again. A Gentile that falleth once from grace, and treadeth under his feet the blood of jesus, shall never be renewed with grace again. And I say to thee, O Scotland, if thou fallest from grace, look never for grace again. Look to the cities amongst the Gentiles that fell from grace, look Corinth, look Philippi▪ look the Galathians, etc. got they ever grace again? No: so if Scotland fall from grace, it will be a wonder if ever it get grace again. The wrath of God shall be powered forth upon every one, from the greatest to the smallest: for if He received not the jews (His own people) into grace, after that they were once fallen from it, shall He take thee up again, a Gentile, a vile dog, in respect of them? And yet our men in this country care not to cast themselves, and their whole land, into Hell, and into everlasting abjection from grace, without all hope of recovery. So this is an hard answer▪ she findeth no grace at all. They that follow jesus Christ, and seek for grace, will find in their way a sore trial: men think that Heaven is but a common benefit, & that it is easy to a man to come thither: but albeit thou be a king, an Emperor, or Monarch, thou wilt find an hard entry therein. Will thy kingdom or thy lordship bring thee to heaven? No, if thou sleep on in careless security, thou shalt never so heaven. So if there were no more but this example of this Gentilish woman, it teaches us, that it is hard to win to heaven, & that the gates of Heaven at the first shall be shut upon our teeth. What is the cause of this? Thou art further from Christ, and from grace, from Heaven, and from the joy of Heaven, a thousand times more than the natural earth is from the natural Heaven. Thou art a Canaanite, come of a cursed generation. What ado hath a Canaanite with Heaven? so unworthy a thing, with so worthy a thing? The Lord, before He opened the gates of Heaven unto her▪ He would let her understand, that she had nothing to do with Heaven. And I say unto thee, that the Lord, ere ever He give thee grace, He will have thee knowing by temptations and tryalles, that thou art a Canaanite, descended of a cursed and reprobate generation, and unworthy that ever thou shouldest see Heaven, or have a do with Heaven: And if He bring thee not to this sight and this fear, I give thee thy doom, thou shalt never see Heaven.  
Now mark, He hath closed the doors of Heaven upon her: And certainly, this answer might have caused her to have gone away with shame and confusion. But for all this tentation, she continueth still, she crieth still, and hopeth for mercy: hold upon mercy, hope still, believe on still and that hope shall never make thee ashamed. She hath cried for mercy, the gates of Heaven are shut against her: What doth she? Goeth she her way? No, no, she tarrieth still, and knocketh. And if thou knewest what Heaven were, and what Hell were, thou wouldst be loath to leave Heaven. Oh! the torments that remain for them that fall into Hell! So she knocketh, and falleth down upon her face, and adoreth, and saith, O Son of David, have mercy on me. This adoring was not only for the casting the devil out of her daughter: No, no, she sought everlasting life at the hands of the Lord, & that healing of her daughter was an earnest-penny of that Life. This was the mind of the woman no question. It is said in the Scripture, Seek, and ye shall find: ask, and ye shall receive: knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Mat. 7. 7. If the seeking fail thee, yet tarry still and knock. And if it had not been the Lords will that a sinner (when he findeth heaven gates closed upon him) should tarry still & knock, would he have bidden him knock? It were a presumptuous thing for a beggar to knock at one of our doors: but seeing the Lord hath expressly commanded thee to knock, then knock on boldly. And if thou go away with the first answer, or the first nay-saying thou wast never truly hungry nor thirsty: And it is a token that thou countest little of the grace of God. If thou knewest how precious a thing the grace of God & jesus Christ were, and what Heaven were, and what Hell were, thou wouldst never cease knocking day nor night all the days of thy life: for if thou go away proudly, and tarriest not upon God's answer, but speak presumptuously, & say, If He will not give me grace, let Him hold it to Himself, as blasphemous men will say: then He will shoot thee into Hell: for if thou wert a king of all the world, thou shalt never get thine head in at Heaven gates, except thou knock. Lord, if the world knew how hard a thing it is to get entry there! men think that they will come easily & sleeping to Heaven, albeit they take their pleasure & pastime: but they deceive themselves, there must be much striving and fight ere they get Heaven: Before that Heaven could be opened, it behoved jesus Christ to shed His precious blood.  
Now, Brethren ye may say to me, Alas, who can knock? who is able to come there? No, thou hast no power once to lift up thine hand to knock at that gate, except that the Lord put out His hand, & hold thee up, even in the mean time when He is holding thee back, so wonderful is the Lords working with His own, He will be holding them aback with the one hand, and He will be pulling them in to Him as fast with the other hand, when He will be dissuading▪ He will persuade, when He forbiddeth to approach unto Him, he inwardly allureth m●n to come unto Him. Now, will ye hear the lords answer? If the first answer was hard, this is▪ as hard and rough: for with an angry countenance no doubt He answereth, It is not lawful, saith He▪ to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto dogs. It is even as much as if He had taken her by the shoulders, and thrust her out: first He saith, Thou art but a dog, a Gentile, and this that thou seekest is a precious thing, the bread of life, this appertaineth only to the children of GOD: Shall I take that and give it unto a dog? As if He had said, Go thy way, dog, thou shalt not get such a precious benefit as thou requirest.  
Then we see here, because she was a Gentile, therefore He calleth her a dog. Suppose thou be a King (I pray thee be not too proud in thine own conceit) and yet a Gentile, Ergo, by nature, a dog. He will cast a Kingdom, an Empire, a Monarchy to a man, as one will cast a bone into the mouth of a dog, but all is nothing in respect of one drop of grace, and the hope of the kingdom of Heaven.  
Albeit thou be a beggar, and yet gettest but one drop of grace through JESUS CHRIST, any hope of the Kingdom of Heaven, any beginning of regeneration, than thou hast gotten a greater grace, a more precious thing, than Caesar, that got all the world. There is no comparison betwixt the meanest spiritual & heavenly gift, & betwixt the greatest temporal and earthly thing.  
Now I note again the hardness to win to the Kingdom of Heaven. Would ye not think it a marvelous thing to turn a dog into the Son of God? It is as great a wonder to see a Gentile to be called to Heaven as to make dogs and stones the Sons of God Now know, that before thou gettest access to Heaven, although thou wert a king, thou must be humbled in thine own conceit, thou must know thine own estate and condition, thou must think thyself as vile and contemptible as a very dog by nature, as this woman was brought to say: otherwise, thou shalt never get heaven.  
Then, Brethren, if the entry to the Kingdom of heaven be so hard, if thou like a dog return to thy vomit, or as a sow to the puddle, (as Peter saith, 2. Pet. 2. 22.) after thou art was●en with the blood of that immaculate Lamb, than it is a wonder if ever thou get grace to re-enter again. Now hear the poor woman's answer: she granteth all, It is very true, thou sayest, I am but a dog, a vile and an unworthy wretch, and that bread of heaven is a precious thing, I am not worthy that it should be casten unto me: Yet (saith she) the whelps do eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters table: If thou wilt not show me this grace, to eat bread with the children, yet let me eat the parings and crumbs under the table. Ere ever the Lord bestow grace and eternal life upon thee, he will have thee to account thyself unworthy of any grace: yea, he will have thee to account as vilely of thyself as of a dog, albeit thou hadst never so many great prerogatives otherways in the world: ere thou get that life, thy conscience will accuse thee to be unworthy of such a life, and such a joy as the LORD ordained for his own. She scipped before, now she thrumbleth and thrusteth in at the gates of heaven, and goeth like a violent woman: not indeed pressing like a sturdy beggar, to be in whether the Lord would or not: but by humility, and acknowledging of her own unworthiness, in all submission, coming as it were, creeping like a silly whelp under the table: that is the violence that is done to the Kingdom of heaven, Matth. 11. 12. She taketh up heaven by violence, in all submission and humility. And if thou be once but a whelp under the table of GOD, in the house of GOD, to gather up the crumbs of that plentiful table, thou art called to a greater honour, than if thou were made King of all the world. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of GOD, than to be king of all the world.  
Now, Brethren, when she is thronging in, he is loath to put her out again: No, he saith, O woman, great is thy faith, be it unto thee as thou desirest, thy faith hath won the victory. From whence had this poor woman all this perseverance, and this continuance, and this constancy, but from him? and yet he standeth wondering at his own graces. The LORD, (behold his doing) when he hath given thee grace and perseverance, when thou comest to heaven, he will wonder at thee: and there is the end of all thy perseverance, a fair crown of glory. And what more doth he? That same moment, that force that was in the word, that proceeded out of the mouth of JESUS, extended itself to the woman's daughter, and healeth her, and casteth the devil out of her. Now she sought only to creep in as a whelp under the table to eat the crumbs, and now the LORD setteth her up at the table to sit with Him in glory, as CHRIST Himself saith, I say to thee, saith He, many shall come out of the East, and out of the West, into mine house, into the Kingdom of Heaven, and sit down at the Table with Abraham, Isaac, and jaakob, Matth. 8. 11. And from whence are we come? Even out of the furthermost point of the West. And, O SCOTLAND! Believe in JESUS, seek earnestly grace at Him, and wait patiently, when He trieth thee, and thou shalt find that thou shalt be set down with ABRAHAM, ISAAC, and JAAKOB, in glory. We are the Sons of GOD indeed, but it appeareth not yet what we shall be: but one day it shall appear, when we shall be crowned with the crown of glory. The Lord work this faith and earnest desire of grace in us for jesus Christ's sake: To whom be all glory, honour, and praise, for ever, and ever,  
Amen.   

THE XV. SERMON.  LUKE, CHAP. VII. 
verse 37 And behold, a woman in the city, who was a sinner, when she knew that jesus sat at table in the Pharisees house, she brought a box of ointment:  
verse 38 And she stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.  
verse 39 Now when the Pharisee who bade him, saw it, he spoke within himself, saying, If this man were a Prophet, he would surely have known who, and what manner of woman this is who toucheth him: for she is a sinner.  
verse 40 And jesus answered, and said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he said, Master, say on.  
verse 41 There was a certain lender who had two debtors: the one ought five hundredth pence, and the other fifty:  
verse 42 When they had nothing to pay, he for gave them both: Which of them, therefore, tell me, will love him most?  
verse 43 Simon answered, and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast truly judged.  
44. Then he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, and thou gavest me no water to my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.  
verse 45 Thou gavest me no kiss: but she, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet.  
verse 46 Mine head with oil thou didst not anoint: but she hath anointed my feet with ointment.  
verse 47 Wherefore, I say unto thee, many sins are forgiven her: for she loved much. To whom a little is forgiven, he doth love a little.  
verse 48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven thee.  
verse 49 And they that sat at table with him, began to say within themselves, Who is this that even for giveth sins?  
verse 50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee: go in peace.  
THIS Text (well-beloved in the Lord jesus) containeth a notable History, of the conversion of a penitent sinner, a sinful woman, whom the LORD first called inwardly by His Spirit, & to whom after outwardly by His own voice He giveth assurance of the remission of her sins: And we have first set down the occasion that the Lord offereth to this sinful woman to metee with Him, that she may receive mercy and forgiveness of her sins: Of very purpose He casteth Himself in her way, and into these parts where the woman was, and yieldeth to dine in the house of a Pharisee, where she might have the occasion and opportunity to meet with Him: This occasion being offered unto her, being partly touched with a feeling of her own misery, partly being prevented with the Spirit of jesus alluring her, she letteth it not slip, but she cometh to the house, where the Lord was, and she cometh not empty handed, but she bringeth with her a box of precious sweet smelling ointment, and coming to the house where the LORD was sitting at table, look what she doth, she entereth not in partly and boldly, neither cometh she before His face, being ashamed of her own sins: she was ashamed that these eyes, these allseeing eyes of the LORD, which pierce into the soul of man, should see her: So she standeth (saith the Text) behind His back, and then she falleth down at His feet.  
The sight of thy sin, as it will work shame of face, when the relics of nature beginneth to challenge it, when it striveth to enter into the soul, so that scarcely thou darest look a man in the face, let be the Lord, who is the revenger of it: Even so, when it once pleaseth the Lord to waken the conscience, it will work in thee a wonderful humility: so that thou wilt stoop, and cast thy self down under the feet of thy God. The stiffness that ye see in men, who bow not their bodies & knees unto the Lord, proceedeth of the want of that sight of sin and corruption within them. If these men, who fling their heads in the air, (& make their boasts of their evil deeds) saw their sins, they would be ashamed of themselves, & humble themselves in the dust. When she is fallen down, she weary. The sight of sin will make thee to weep & mourn. Thou laughest now, & playest the wanton, because there is a vail casten over thine eye, that blindeth thee so that thou canst not see sin the own colour yea, it covereth thyself from thee: but if once thou saw sin & thyself well, it would make thee to weep & lament bitterly. Well, she leaveth not of yet, but being drawn and alured with a sense of His preventing mercy, that came from Him, she draweth near● unto Him. If she had not felt that love that came from Him, she durst never have come near Him. As a malefactor hath no pleasure to behold the countenance of the judge, but his eye and countenance is terrible to Him: Even so, the Lord is fearful and terrible to them that feel not that love that proceedeth from Him.  
It is the sense of the love that allureth sinners to come to God, As David saith, Psal. 130. 3. If thou straitly markest iniquity, no flesh can stand: but mercy is with thee, that thou mayest be feared. The tears that the displeasure for sin expresseth out of her, she will not lose them, but she taketh them, and dasheth his feet with them, & then taketh the hair of her head, and drieth them therewith. Hadst thou once a sense of that sweet mercy in jesus Christ, were that love once spread abroad into thine heart by His H. Spirit, as th' Apostle speaketh, O, how thou wouldst love Him, & be careful to serve & pleasure Him! This want of love towards the Lord jesus argueth plainly, that thou hast not felt that love of His towards thee: For if once thou hadst felt how well He loveth thee, who shed His precious blood for thee: than it is a fair matter to thee to shed tears for Him, that shed His blood for thee: And if thou once felt that love, now all the tears, and all the moisture in thy body, yea, thy very soul thou wouldst be glad to pour it out for Him, and consecrate thy life unto His service: but living against Him, in doing all kind of villainy in despite of Him, thou testifiest plainly, that thou hast never found the virtue of His blood.  
Look what Paul saith, 2. Cor. 5. 14. The love of God constraineth me: that is, bindeth up my soul, and all the powers and faculties thereof, and occupieth my whole senses, that I am ravished from all things in the world, to get mine heart and affections fixed upon Him: Why? saith he, Because He loved me so well, that He hath died for me: and therefore, I will consecrate my life to him, who hath purchased everlasting life for me. And therefore, whosoever hath not a purpose to pour out his life for jesus Christ, and hath not a free heart towards Him in some measure, he cannot have any sure argument that Christ hath died for him. And if thou have not that assurance, woe is thee, that ever thou tookest life! it had been better thou hadst been made a stock or a stone, if thou findest not that Christ died for thee.  
But what further did this silly woman? She ceaseth not here, but is continually kissing the feet of the Lord. Ye who before delighted in kissing▪ leave your harlots, and from this woman learn to kiss the LORD, or else thou, and thy vile mouth, shalt burn in Hell. Kiss the feet of the LORD, who hath shed His blood for thee: for so oft as thou kissest the feet of the Lord, thou shalt find that thou suckest grace out of Him. And this woman, who was before a vile harlot, now only she taketh pleasure to kiss the Lord. And what did this woman more? It is said, when she had bestowed her body upon Him▪ she taketh that box of costly ointment, that she had prepared for Him▪ and anointed his feet therewith. Bestow thyself first upon the Lord, and bestow thy body upon Him and His service, and say to Him▪ Now Lord I give thee, and I bestow upon thee, mine heart, my soul, my body & all the members thereof, keep thouthem in holiness, that they may be consecrate to thee. Then when thou hast bestowed first thine heart and thyself upon Him, it will be none hard matter to bestow thy goods, when His glory requireth. And certainly, when men are so niggard in the ●●ds cause, that they will not bestow a penny ●pon Him when his glory requireth, or upon His ●oore members, it is a sure argument, that they ●euer bestowed their heart upon Him. Many vain men and women will say, And if Christ were in the world, for the love I carry unto Him, I would follow Him, serve Him, employ my body, and all that I have in His service, and to His glory: but if thou wilt not bestow thy goods upon the needy, upon His servants, and upon these who carry His image, if Christ Himself were in the world, thou wouldst bestow nothing upon Him: for if once thou were sensible of that liberality that jesus offereth unto His own, thou wouldst love Him so well, that thou wouldst show thyself liberal to these who carry His image: thou wouldst give all that thou hast for His cause, who is only able to make thee rich.  
Now to go forward in the History. Whilst she is thus exercised in weeping, in washing the lords feet with her tears, in drying them with her hair, in anointing them with precious ointment, what doth the Lord? what is His behaviour? All this time the LORD speaketh never a word unto her: all this time while she findeth so great grace and mercy in Him, He turneth not once His face unto her. If thou gettest once the Lords back near unto thee, if thou gettest leave to kiss His feet, howbeit thou gettest not His face at the first, nor His countenance at the entry, yet out of Him thou shalt suck grace and mercy unspeakable. It is a marvelous thing to see how a sinner will get grace. When the Lord will seem to turn His back upon thee, yet follow thou on and leave Him not, till He turn His face toward thee: and I assure thee thou shalt get His face at the last. Therefore, never depart from Him, but stick by His back and His feet, and certainly in the end thou shalt get that sight of that joyful countenance that shall complete thy joy.  
Now to come to the pharisees part, who called Him to dinner, for we have heard the part of the woman. The Pharisee, named Simon, sitteth still, and seeth all that is done and speaketh not one word, but thinketh, and he thinketh the thing which is not good: his mouth is closed, but he blasphemeth in his heart, If this ma● were a Prophet, saith he, ●ee would know▪ who, and what manner of woman this were who toucheth him▪ for she is a sinner: he thought incontinent, that the filthiness of the woman would pollute the Lord: would he suffer this vile harlot to touch him, if he were a Prophet, or an holy man? Ye see now, Brethren, how disdainfully he thinketh of her, and how he contemneth her in his heart. A Pharisee that is an hypocrite, that will counterfeit outwardly a kind of holiness: see how he will disdain a poor sinner, that is an open sinner in the sight of the world: An hypocrite is a foul sinner, and he will do such things in secret, that it is a shame to speak of, because his sin is cloaked from the sight of the world, and from his own eyes: when he beholdeth another sinner, again, that sinneth openly in the sight of the world, how disdainfully will he count and speak of the open sinner? and will spit at him: the severest censurer that ever was, is an hypocrite: and then he will stand up, admiring of himself, and his coloured righteousness, and say, I thank God, I am not like other men: And what is the cause of this? The Lord saith, The hypocrite is nothing but a whited tomb, a painted grave, that within is full of dead men's bones, stink and filthiness, Matth. 23. 27. And yet that cloak of hypocrisy being spread over the heart, the hypocrite seeth not that filthiness that is in his own heart: and that hypocrite that thinketh to beguile all the world, chiefly he beguileth himself. And if thou sawest that seed of all mischief that is within thyself, certainly thou wouldst disdain thyself, and thou wouldst be inclined to judge charitably of a poor sinner: thou wouldst not be so sore and rigorous a censurer of others as thou art: And if thou sawest what kind of stuff were within thyself▪ (howbeit it break not out) thou wouldst say, Now I see as great corruption in myself as in any body: (& it is the Lord that letteth it not break out) the Lord purge and renew me, and the Lord purge & renew yonder sinner from the sin that breaketh out so openly in outward action. Now as the Pharisee knoweth not himself, so he knoweth not what the Lord is, he knoweth Him not to be the Mediator, come into the world to save poor sinners: and therefore he concludeth so blasphemously, The Lord is not a Prophet.  
Mark, Brethren: Who ever seeth not that misery that is within themselves, of necessity they never saw that mercy that is in jesus Christ: These two go together of necessity, Whosoever seeth not himself, is ignorant of Christ, and would not buy the mercy of Christ for one penny, he careth not for Christ's kindness, he counteth grace and mercy all but vanity. Now of these two followeth another thing, Not seeing himself first: next, not seeing that mercy in Christ, not knowing that He was that Saviour of the world: of these two followeth this wicked conceit in him, seeing the sinner deal with Him to get grace & mercy, & the Lord dealing so mercifully with her, he scorneth, & contemptuously disdaineth in his heart this dealing 't the poor sinner hath with the Lord. The men who see not their own misery, no● the Lords mercy, they will scorn & disdain a poor sinner, either outwardly, calling them sighing brethren, & sobbing sisters: or at least in their heart inwardly. And I am assured there are hypocrites enough this day, who have no sense of misery, that scorn in their hearts a poor sinner 't seeketh mercy of the Lord, & hold in derision our fasting, our humiliation, and all our preaching which they hear. And therefore, as thou wouldst not be culpable of such scorning, and wouldst not be involved in that judgement that tarrieth that scornful number, seek I beseech thee, to get these two sighs, & say, Lord, I am but a miserable body, & am unworthy to look up to the Heaven: & then get a sense of the mercy of the Lord: and then thou shalt be ●o far from scorning grace in thine heart, that thou shalt be fain to creep in with all humility to get a part & portion of the grace that is spoken of.  
The Pharisee yet hath not been one of the worst of them, he was not an open blasphemer, but an hypocrite, I doubt not, but the Lord hath had mercy on him: but what, how, and when his conversion hath been, the Lord knoweth.  
Now I go forward to the part of the Lord: first toward the Pharisee, and then toward the poor woman. The Pharisee conceived not this so quietly & secretly within his own heart, but the Lord, the searcher of the heart, that made the heart, draweth it to light, and saith, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee, I know what thou thinkest well enough, no man needeth to tell me thine heart▪ & therefore I will speak something unto thee: Simon answereth, Lord, say on. Brethren, strive to present holy thoughts before GOD: think it not enough to keep thine hand holy, thy tongue from blasphemy, but keep an holy heart unto the LORD: begin not to play the counterfeit, to speak holily, and to have a fair show outwardly, and then to keep a foul heart: and if an evil thought escape thee (as who will not have a thousand evil thoughts?) if a blasphemy against GOD escape thee, (as who blasphemeth not God in their heart as well as the Pharisee?) be sorrowful for it, away with it, let it not tarry, but say as Paul saith, Rom. 7. 17. It is not I, that doth it, but the corruption of my nature which remaineth within me. Renounce that foul birth, and take it never unto thee: and this is that battle which we should have night & day, to get that vile canker and corruption which uttereth itself so violently against that inviolable Majesty, repressed and put away.  
Now when He hath thus spoken, He beginneth to let Simon see, that that same very woman, of whom he counted so dis●●ainfully, was not so vile a woman as he thought: as though He would say, Simon, thou thinkest there is not so vile a sinner in the world, as she is: but I s●y unto thee, she is not so sinful, I have cleansed her I have given her remission of all her sins: (Who dare call a sinner foul, that the Lord hath called clean?) darest thou call a penitent sinner foul, who hath washen my fear with tears, and repenteth unfeignedly? Then subsuming He saith, This woman repenteth unfeignedly, and testifieth her repentance in loving me so exceedingly: Therefore He concludeth, All her sins are forgiven her: Therefore Simon, disdain her not, no more than I do.  
But to consider more narrowly, first the ground of the proposition: then the assumption: last, that joyful conclusion. The ground of his reason is this, To whom a great debt is forgiven, that person will love exceedingly. To make us to understand this the better, He bringeth in a familiar example, a parable, There was a certain lender, who had two debtor: the one ought five hundredth pence, and the other fifty: And when they had nothing to pay, he forgave them both: Which of them, therefore, tell me, will love him most? He, saith Simon, to whom he forgave most. Well, saith the Lord, than I take this proposition out of thy mouth, He to whom much is forgiven, he loveth exceedingly, he loveth much: And certainly, if thou have no sense of debt, if thou thinkest in thine own conceit, that thou owest nothing, I say to thee, Thou lovest not God, thou hast no love towards Him. A wanton sinner, that feales not the burden of sin, he hath no more love to God, nor to Christ, than a dog hath: fie on thee dog! fie on thee, that hast not a sense of sin: for thou hast no love to God. Next again, suppose thou have a sense of sin, & feelest some burden thereof, yet if thou but thinkest that thou hast a penny in thy purse to pay GOD for thy debt, thou wilt never love thy God. And I say to thee. I could never think in mine heart, that a Papist, a vain loon, who will boast of his merits, who glorieth in his own works, and thinketh he can pay God for his redemption: I say, I could never be persuaded that such a one could love the Lord. Next, except with the sense of thy debt, thou find also a free remission of all thy debt, alas, thou canst have no love to GOD: feel thy sin, and thy poverty, as much as thou wilt, if thou findest not a free remission and pardon of all thy debt, thou wilt never love Him, but He is a terror unto thee so oft as thou thinkest of Him, and thou wouldst flee out of the world to escape His hands. Then thirdly, thou that feelest thy debt, and then feelest thine own poverty, that thou hast not one penny to give Him: (suppose thou be a King, all thy Kingdom will not ransom thy soul: n●, sell Heaven and the earth and all, they will not ransom the soul of one creature, they will not fill up one penny of the sum to ransom the soul of one sinner) and then with the sense of the poverty, seeleth a free remission, and heareth the Lord say, I forgive thee all, I will have none of thy silver: but I forgive thee all in the precious blood of my dear Son the Lord jesus: (there is the ransom and I adjudge thee to damnation that seekest any other ransom) than thou wilt love the Lord exceedingly. These three things being felt, first with groans and sobs feeling the debt and burden: Next, thy poverty, and unability to pay: and last, a free remission and disburdening, that sinner would bestow all his goods, and land, and life, and all that he hath for the love that he beareth to the LORD JESUS: thine heart will be sweetly loosed with a love to the Lord. Who is able to express that love and that unspeakable joy, that will be in the heart of a sinner, that feeleth the remission of his sins.  
Brethren, There is yet more than this in the comparison: He to whom little is forgiven, he will love little: and he to whom much is forgiven, will love much. He or she that will come in, and confess their sins, but will in the mean time extenuate it, and say, it is but a little sin, it is but a venial sin, and many one hath done twice as much: that body, I say, that will extenuate sin, although it were but an evil thought against that inviolable Majesty, I know not whether such an one hath gotten remission of their sins or not: and supposing they have gotten remission of it, yet it will be but a little love that they will have unto the Lord.  
But he or she that will come in, and aggreadge their sin, though it were but a thought against that Majesty, for thou art never able to aggreadge it enough, and if thou find a remission of thy sin, than no man can think how heartily that body will love the LORD: for if once thou gettest grace to repent, and to love GOD, thou mayest be assured, that thy sins, though they were never so great, never so weighty, and many in number, shall never hinder thee of grace and mercy. And then again I say to thee, the greatest sinner, 't counteth most of their sins, once feeling the remission of their sins, ever the greater lover. Paul, an oppressor, a persecuter, blasphemer, a wrongful man, once feeling the love of the Lord, forgiving him, O! how exceedingly loved he the Lord! A penitent sinner shall far surpass them in love that have not sinned half so much: the world shall admire at him for his love, he shall be a miracle to all them that behold him.  
Now I proceed forward. The Pharisee can judge well enough of this general, that he that hath most forgiven him, loveth most, and that love is the effect of remission of sins: (Well art thou that lovest the Lord, for be assured that the Lord loveth thee, and hath forgiven thee thy sins:) But when it cometh to the assumption, that that poor woman, that sinful woman, loved the Lord, there he erreth. Behold, Brethren, the light of nature, and the blindness of nature: by nature we will know the general well enough: suppose thou hadst no more but that light of nature, thou wilt confess that a murderer should die the death: But if thou come to the particular, O! but thou art a murderer, thou hast a bloody heart, a bloody hand, and thou art all bloody: Will any man suffer that? No, no, and therefore he will hold off this conclusion, Therefore thou shouldest die the death, and be taken to the place of execution, and there lose thine head. And would to God that our bloody men (whether they be Noblemen, lords, Earls, Barons, or others) had been headed long since: for it is a marvel that plague solloweth not after plague continually, till this land be purged of this blood that crieth continually in the streets. So the Pharisee could not believe the particular, that ever the poor sinner could get mercy, he was so hard a censurer of the poor woman. But I count it nothing worth, to judge uprightly in general, except also thou judge uprightly in particular. The judges of the Land they will judge uprightly in general: but come to the particular, to kinsfolks, friends, and alliances, this man, or that man with his bud, O, there there the judgement is perverted. Well is the judge that judgeth uprightly in particular: for a Turk may judge uprightly in general: and woe is thee that judgest not uprightly in particular.  
Now to come to the other part of the reason, The Lord turneth Him to the poor woman, and the more the Pharisee findeth fault with the Lord, the more the Lord turneth Him toward her, and saith, I say to thee, Simon, that this woman loveth me more a thousand times, than ever thou didst. If thou withholdest grace from a sinner, then in despite of thy teeth, the Lord will heap grace upon him. The assumption is this, This woman loneth me exceedingly: then the conclusion will follow in the own room. Therefore this woman certainly hath all her sins forgiven her. Then He declareth the assumption by way of comparison with the Pharisee, Thou called'st me to dinner, saith he, but this woman loved me better than thou dost. I entered into thine house, and thou gavest me no water to my feat, after the fashion of the country: but she hath washed my feet with tears: look if this be a token of love: then again, Thou gavest me no kiss, after the fashion of the country, but she, since the time I came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. Then, Mine head with oil thou didst not anoint: but she hath anointed my feet with ointment: therefore, she loveth me better than thou.  
Now the Pharisee could not discern of the penitent sinner: but the Lord letteth him see, that He can discern betwixt an hypocrite & a true penitent sinner, there He hath paid him in his own hand. And the Lord letteth us see, that He taketh heed, and shall take heed to the end of the world, to the least thing that thou dost for His cause to any of His. Who would have thought that the Lord would have taken heed to this? The Lord will take heed who giveth Him water to wash His feet, which is but a sober office. The LORD will take heed who will stoop down and give Him a kiss, and wash His feet▪ with tears. The LORD will take heed who will bestow common oil to anoint Him with, or who will bestow precious ointment on Him: and in the Great day, when all secrets shall be revealed, (look if He took heed what we were doing in the world) Matth. Chapter 25. verse 34, He will say, Thou gavest Me nothing when I was here in the world, thou visitedst Me not: and he will point out, place, time, and all the circumstances unto thee.  
Then, Brethren, if the LORD taketh so good heed what we do, well is the soul that giveth but a piece of bread to an hungry body for CHRIST'S sake, or a coat to a naked body for His sake. And therefore, ever have Him before thine eyes, and say, LORD, I give this to Thee, that Thou mayest not say to me when Thou comest to judge the world, Thou gavest Me nothing.  
Now, I hear there is a great poverty and famine in this Land, and woe unto them that are the instruments of hunger: Let us be so far from this, to be the causes thereof, that on the contrary, we may pintch ourselves, that we may spare upon the needy: for I see the LORD will try our liberality: Therefore, let us spare upon the poor in this Land, that we may hear of the LORD in that Great day, Come ye blessed of My Father, for ye gave Me meat, and ye gave Me drink in this world. And further, we see here, the trial of an hypocrite. How shalt thou know an hypocrite? The LORD layeth down the rule: Ye shall know them by their fruits, Matth. 7. 16. Ye shall know by their doings: an hypocrite hath many fair words: & I doubt not but this Pharisee, when he invited the Lord to dinner, had many fair words, but there shall be little doing, at the least he shall never do any thing heartily. Where is this pharisees humility? He offereth not to wash the lords feet, who was ever traveling and journeying, nor to kiss the Lord when He entered into his house, after the fashion of the country, nor showed none heartsomenesse towards the Lord. An hypocrite can never do any thing heartily, neither to God nor man. Then wouldst thou know a true Christian man or woman? Ye hear never a word out of her mouth, all this time that she is washing the lords feet with tears, kissing them, anointing them with ointment: So a true Christian hath few words, but many deeds. One good deed, is worth ten words. And when thou speakest, look that thy words be hearty, and savour of love. Look that thou bless not with thy mouth, and curse with thine heart: & whatsoever thou dost, do it heartily, and though thou were but presenting a cup full of cold water to a poor body, do it heartily, & then the Lord shall count well of it, though it were never so little. Look what sentence the Lord giveth out concerning the poor woman that presented two mites, He saith, she gave more, than they all did, Luke 21. 3. Whatsoever thou dost, do it for the love of the LORD, still waiting for that day wherein the LORD shall reward thee. It is true indeed, that he who hath any discretion, will discern the heart by the very deed of the hand: And he or she, that hath any heartsomnesse inwardly, it will be manifest and uttered in the very deed of the hand outwardly. But stand thou not upon the sight of any man in the world: But say, Lord, thou seest the heart, thou seest with what heartiness I do this: And whatsoever thou dost, strive ever to do it with heartsomnesse, for jesus Christ's sake: so in doing thou shalt have joy. No man can do any thing heartily or joyfully, but they who have their eyes upon the Lord.  
Ye have heard the proposition, & the assumption also: now He cometh to the conclusion: and He concludeth as it were in the teeth of the Pharisee, Therefore her sins are forgiven her. Not that this love is the cause of the remission of her sins, but as a sure argument and testimony of her faith. Her love toward Christ preceded not, nor went before the assurance of the remission of her sins: but it followed as a true token. So it is an argument not from the cause, but from the effect, that testifieth assuredly, that the cause is, and hath proceeded: that is, that she hath faith in jesus Christ.  
Howbeit the Papists abuse this place, gathering here, that the love which this woman carried to jesus, was the cause of the remission of her sins: But I leave them to their own vanity.  
Now, Brethren, after the example of this Pharisee, I shall never judge evil, nor be a sharp censurer of a penitent sinner: for the poor sinner that believeth once in jesus Christ, and repenteth, and taketh purpose of amendment, (for faith and repentance go ever together) a sinner that believeth in jesus Christ, will repent, and hate and detest sin to the death, wherewith he hath offended God: for when he hath once tasted of mercy, then will he say, Alas, that I have offended so loving and so merciful a Father: for after that he hath once gotten a sense of the infinite mercy of GOD, all his displeasure will be, that ever he hath offended so loving and so merciful a Father: I say, such a sinner may be assured of forgiveness.  
Now mark the Lords answer to the Pharisee: He saith not, howbeit she be a sinner, yet she is penitent, and loveth me: but He saith, she is no sinner, all her sins are taken away: for except all her sins had been taken away and purged by Him, it is most true 't the Pharisee thought, to wit, the LORD would not have suffered her to have touched Him, He would not have received the kisses of her mouth, nor the tears of her eyes: No, the LORD JESUS that Holy One, (if thou be not made as white as the snow, and all thy sins be not purged) He will not suffer thee once to touch Him, nor to kiss His feet.  
It is a wonderful thing to see such a sudden change in an instant, that so vile and so unclean a body, should be so pure and so clean. Howbeit the body were as red as the blood, and as the Scarlet, as the Prophet Esay saith, in the first Chapter of his prophesy, and the 18. verse, yet suddenly He will make it as white as the snow, and the wool. Indeed it is true, thou wilt never be purged from the remainentes of sin, so long as thou art in this life: but yet notwithstanding, if thou put on that righteousness of jesus Christ by faith, God shall count thee as clean as a glorious Angel in His sight.  
Now when He hath ended the speech to the Pharisee, at the last He speaketh to the woman, not thinking it enough to speak in her hearing unto the Pharisee: but to the greater joy and consolation of the poor woman, He speaketh to herself. Thou will run in and out, hither and thither, to get a word of the king: and why not? if so thy necessity require: but strive to get a word out of the mouth of JESUS. Kings many times will give thee flattering words, but the LORD when He speaketh unto thee, He will speak in truth, and with wonderful love, when He saith to thee, Thy sins are forgiven thee, thy sins are forgiven thee indeed: for the word of the Lord hath an operation with it, for if He once call thee an Holy One, thou wilt be so indeed. The word of the Lord worketh in thee the thing that He speaketh most powerfully: for He calleth these things that are not, and by call He maketh them to be. So the Lord filleth her heart with joy, her heart no question began to find joy when she was speaking to the pharisee. Now He filleth up her joy, for the fullness of joy is not gotten in an instant, all joy is in the face of jesus Christ. Think ye not, but this woman, when she heard this word, conceived an unspeakable joy in her heart? And I say unto every one of you, who as penitent sinners will bewail your sins, and mourn for offending of GOD, and will purpose to wash the feet of JESUS with tears, and wipe His feet with your hair, as the Lord hath given me commission to speak, Repentest thou sinner of thy sins? Thinkest thou to amend thy life? Detestest thou thy sins? Believest thou assuredly? Lovest thou the Lord? I say to thee▪ Thy sins are forgiven thee in the blood of that same jesus whom thou lovest so well.  
Now a word, and so I shall end. When He hath spoken thus comfortably to the woman, the Pharisic beginneth again to interrupt and to impede Him if it had been possible, to hinder the woman of her salvation. The rest about the table scorneth Him, What is he this, (quoth they) that taketh upon him to forgive sins? He taketh too much upon him, more than he is able to perform: So as the Pharisee concluded before, that He was no Prophet, now they conclude that He was no Mediator.  
Well, Brethren, the work of our salvation hath many impediments. Wilt thou seek salvation? seek grace & mercy: then think not to come sleeping to grace, for I say to thee, ere thou wantest a stop to hinder thee from grace, from remission of sins, thine own heart, by the suggestion of the devil, shall stand up in thy teeth, and blaspheme, (as the Pharisee did first, and as the rest at the table did thereafter) and all to hinder the work of thy salvation. But see the end. Stayeth the Lord for all this? Re●raiteth He His sentence again, and saith, thy sins are not forgiven thee? No, no, the Lords conclusion is past: if He say it once to thine heart, and if He give once that persuasion in thine heart, so that thou mayest say, Lord, be blessed, my sins are forgiven me: happy art thou, they shallbe forgiven thee: the Lord shall double it within thee: so He speaketh to the woman as He would say, Let them speak what they will, thou art in Heaven, thy sins are forgiven thee, go in peace. There is no peace but the peace of the Lord, coming from the remission of sins. Cry peace as thou wilt, but if thou go not in the peace of the Lord, thou g●est not in peace▪ but in war: the Lord is at war with thee: and albeit thou gettest the kings peace, and all the worlds peace, yet if thou gettest not the LORDS peace, thou hast no peace at all: so well is him that hath His peace for they only may go in joy, that may say, Now Lord, I am at peace with Thee, thou hast forgiven me my sins: And if thou canst say this truly, thou shalt have such a joy in thy soul, as all the Kings in the world cannot give thee, nor all outward comforts and pleasures afford thee.  
Now the LORD give us this peace, and a blincke of that joy in the heart, through the remission of our sins: for then one day we shall see the accomplishment of it to our everlasting joy and salvation in JESUS CHRIST: To whom, with the FATHER, and the Holy SPIRIT, be all Honour, Praise, Glory, Power, and Dominion, both now and evermore, world without end, So be it.   

THE XVI. SERMON.  JOHN, CHAP. III. 
verse 6 That which is borne of the flesh, is flesh: and that that is borne of the Spirit, is spirit.  
IN this conference that NICODEMUS hath with CHRIST, (well-beloved in the Lord JESUS) First Nicodemus coming to Him by night, and confesseth Him plainly, that He was a Teacher that came from God, because there was none that could work those wonders that He wrought, except the Lord were with him: Then the Lord jesus beginneth to play the part of a Teacher to Nicodemus, who was a Doctor in Isaael: And the first ground that He beginneth to instruct him into, is the ground of Regeneration: For Christ came to make a new world again, and to renew man, who was dead in sins and trespasses: Therefore He beginneth to instruct Nicodemus in this doctrine of Regeneration: and He bindeth him to learn it with such a necessity, that except he and whole mankind be regenerate, there is none of them that shall see the kingdom of God: and this He doth with a great asseveration, saying, Verily, verily. Nicodemus hearing and fearing that heavy denunciation of banishment from the kingdom of GOD, but not understanding this regeneration, beginneth to reason, that it was a thing unpossible that he could be borne again, because he was an old man: and it is not possible that an old man can enter into his mother's womb again. Christ answereth, and answering▪ insisteth in that proposition of regeneration, urging him again with a necessity of the same regeneration: Only He addeth to that that He spoke before the manner and way of this begetting: to wit, of water, and the Spirit. It is not a fleshly generation, but a Spiritual generation, whereby a man is begotten again, by the renewing of the Holy Spirit in him, of the which, water is the seal to seal up our faith in that assurance of that regeneration or new birth.  
Now in this Text which I have read, Christ insisteth in the same doctrine: and like as in the verse preceding He hath proponed the manner of this new birth not to be natural, but spiritual: so in this verse He showeth Nicodemus what a kind of birth it is, That (saith He) that is begotten of the Spirit, is Spirit, that is, the Spirit of the Lord JESUS working, begetteth not a fleshly or corrupt creature, but a Spiritual and Heavenly creature. This He sets not down simply, but He setteth it down by way of comparison, with the fleshly generation, to the end that Nicodemus and all men, seeing the corruption of the flesh, they should esteem the more highly of that Spiritual generation. And He saith, that the thing begotten of the flesh, is flesh: that is, as the flesh, a corrupt mass of flesh and blood cannot beget but corrupt flesh: Even so, the Spirit of the Lord jesus cannot beg●tte but that that is Spiritual and Heavenly: and thus yees●e the meaning of this place.  
But because this place offereth occasion to speak somewhat of Regeneration, whereof the world had never greater need than at this present: (for I think the world is going back again to that old corruption, from the which they were delivered) Therefore, to the end that all things may be the more clear, I shall speak to you first of the flesh, and generation thereof: Next, of the Spirit & Regeneration: And the LORD make us careful to find the Spirit to be effectual in every one of us to regeneration.  
Then being to speak of the flesh, it shall be expedient to deduce it from the fountain. There are two sorts of sin in this world: The one sort is called Original, that sin that man and woman is borne with in this world, which they draw out of their mother's womb with their birth: The other sort is called Actual sin, that standeth in a doing and working and which floweth and proceedeth from that original sin, as from the fountain. I may not insist upon these things particularly, but I shall give you a short view of them.  
Original sin standeth in two parts: The first is that horrible defection and apostasy which whole mankind in the world, from Adam to the end of the world, have made in the loins of Adam: for ye must understand, it was not Adam alone, that sinned, and fell from GOD, but it was thou, and all others that ever were gotten of man, and borne of woman whole mankind made that defection: for as it is said, in the seventh Chapter to the Hebrews, & the ninth verse, that when Abraham paid tithes to Melchisedeck, that Levi, who long after was not begotten nor borne, was tithed in the loins of Abraham his forefather: (he paid his tithe as well as Abraham did) Even so, we being every one of us in the loins of Adam when he sinned, we made all defection from the LORD, and sinned in him. Upon this defection there followed a guiltiness, wherethorow there is none of us, but we are obliged to die everlastingly: And if there were no more sin in all this world, but that first Apostasy only, there is matter enough of thine everlasting damnation: thou needest not to heap sin upon sin: there is thine obligation to thine everlasting death, and to damnation. This is the first part of original sin. The second part of original sin is the effect that followeth upon the first, a foul and horrible corruption, that entered in the whole nature of man: so that from the top to the toe of man, there is not so much whole as one intch: Man is a vile leprous creature, there is not a whole intch neither in body nor soul, but all is infected: for, Brethren, that first defection passed not away so: but it brought with it a fearful ruin and wrack to mankind: and it leaveth behind it a foul stink and terrible darkness, and that came of the just judgement of GOD, punishing sin by sin. And this corruption of nature bringeth with it the own guiltiness & obligation to eternal death: so that sundry ways we are guilty of death.  
The Apostle Paul (Ephes. 2. 3.) setteth down this guiltiness, when he sa●eth, We were all children of wrath. This second part of it, Is it that Christ calleth here flesh, in another place it is called the old man: for by flesh we understand not this fleshly and bodily lump which we carry about with us: nor yet as the Papists call it, a concupiscence in this lump, and nothing in the soul: No, no, but this flesh is a corruption both in soul and body, and in all the powers and faculties thereof: So that there is never an intch free from that pest. The Lord who made man (Genes. 8. 21.) expresseth the work and the force of the flesh after the fall, where it is said, that after He looked, and saw this corruption, He said, that the whole in aginations of the cogitations of the heart of man, are wicked and evil continually: which words import, that man from his youth, yea, even from his mother's womb, could do nothing but imagine, think, and forge, evil, wickedness, and all sorts of mischief. And when He saw this, He uttered a sad and an heavy voice▪ It forthinketh me, that ever I made man, Genes. 6. 6. And it was no small thing, no question, that made the Creator to repent that He made man. What is man now, but a filthy creature, and a pest to infect Heaven and earth, if it were possible?  
But that ye may the better understand the incomparable greatness of this evil, which is in man, I shall let you see how it hath spread itself thorough the whole power of the soul of man: for as for the body, I speak nothing of it: it is true indeed, it never leaveth that body, till it resolve it in earth again, which otherwise was made to be immortal, and in the mean time, till death come, it maketh the body to be subject to many great and fearful sicknesses and diseases. Where from come these biles, the fevers, the palsy, the pest, the leprosy, and other diseases, but from this corruption? But I speak nothing of it. I will let you see, how it hath spread itself in the soul of man: Brethren, there is never a power nor faculty in the soul, but all is infected. This pest it hath not only infected the inferior appetite, as the blind Philosophers thought, and as the Papists do this day affirm. But where beginneth it? What is the most excellent power of the soul? It is the understanding, the mind, and this is it that we call reason: This corruption, it hath so entered into the soul of man, that when as that understanding should be as a light going before, to direct all our actions, motions, and thoughts the right way according to God's word and ordinance: It doth nothing but fight and repine against the wisdom of the God of Heaven. It is an hard matter that God hath created this understanding, and yet it fighteth against Him. Paul saith (Rom. 8 7.) that the wisdom of the fl●sh, is enemy against God: that is, the very understanding of man, which is the most excellent thing in man, is enemy to God, let be the inferior appetites: And therefore, Ephes. 4. 23. he desireth not only that the inferior appetites should be renewed, but that regeneration should begin at that which is most excellent in the soul: even that they may be renewed in the Spirit of their mind. Then ye see this understanding of man is altogether corrupt, and that light of the mind is turned unto terrible darkness and that this wisdom fighteth directly against God: for this reason of man fighteth not only against the wisdom of GOD set down and declared in the law, but chiefly against that which is more against His wisdom manifested in the evangel He esteemeth it naturally to be but mere foolishness, that ever a man should get salvation by a crucified man, 1. Cor. 1. 18.  
And to go fordward. This pest ceaseth not here, nor resteth not in the mind only, but it entereth into the roots of the heart, into the will and affections of man: it hath entered so into his will, that when as this will of ours, this power of our soul, that we call the will, should have chosen that which is good, and refused that which is evil, according to the reason going before, & informing what is to be chosen and pursued, and what is to be refused and eschewed: it fighteth not only directly against that most holy wisdom and will of God: but even against that spunk of knowledge, light, and reason that is left in man: for when man fell in Adam, the Lord took not all kind of light from man, but He left in His great mercy in man some spunk of light and knowledge of the Majesty of GOD the Creator, whereby he might in some measure know his Creator: And He left in man also some knowledge & judgement of politic things, concerning our conversation & dealing with our neighbours, what is just, & what is unjust, what is reasonable, & what is unreasonable: he left in him also some judgement & discretion of natural things, whereas He might have set up man as brutish as a dog or an ass. Notwithstanding of this, the raging corruption of the malicious will, repineth against this spunk, and striveth to blot it out, that it should never utter itself to reformation, and to glorify God, and to discharge a duty to man, in such sort, that it were a just judgement of God, that they should be made as brute as beasts, as it went with the Gentiles, Rom. 1. 24. whom He gave over unto reprobate minds, so that they had not care of natural honesty or shame: but they wrought all sort of uncleanness, because they detained the truth of God in unrightiousnesse, and suffered it not to reform them. And natural men hath found this repining of this corrupt will contrary the reason and light of the mind, and they have said, Video meliora proboque, deteriora sequor: that is, I see and allow better things, but I follow the worst. And to be short, this wit of man repineth as fast against the Lords will, as the will of the devil doth: for by nature we will that same thing that the devil willeth: and there was never any thing so abominable that the devil hath pleasure in, but we have pleasure of the same: Ye, saith our Saviour, are of the devil your father, and the lusts of your father will ye fulfil, joh. 8. 44. Behold how great matter and occasion the Papists have to boast of free will to any good: they are but vain blind bodies. The will of man goeth wholly with the will of the devil. There is no such a thing. There is not so much as one jot of the will of man free: yet the corruption resteth not here, but it goeth forward, and polluteth and defileth all the affections that are in man, as anger, love, hope, fear, etc. none of them are free, they fight all against God, they have no conformity, but a great repugnance with that will of God.  
I go forward, and I will not omit the natural powers and faculties of the soul. And I affirm, that there are no powers of the soul that are natural, as the faculty and appetite of eating of digesting, of expelling, but all are infected with this post. So that (Brethren) there is never a power of the soul that is free of this corruption. Would ye understand what becometh of this corruption, and what it doth? Being in the soul of man, it maketh that there is never a thought that a man thinketh, but it is a sin. And if thou have no more than nature, the least motion of thine heart is a sin in the sight of God: never a word that thou speakest, but it is a sin: never a deed that thou dost, but it is a sin: never a way thou wilt go, but it is a sin: & consequently, it maketh thee always subject to the heavy wrath of GOD: If thou stirrest but thine hand or thy foot, thou sinnest, and the wrath of God will pursue and follow thee, till at last thou be casten into hell, if thou be not renewed. Besides this, so long as we remain in nature, this corruption and pest is so forcible in every one of us, that there is not one sin in the world so great and abominable, but with pleasure and delight every one of us would perform it, if the Lord of His mercy did not by His Spirit renew us, at least by His power restrain us, when occasion is presented. The root and seed of all mischief under the sun is compacted in every man & woman. Marvel not when thou seest some running to adultery, some to murder, some to sorcery and witchcraft: for that seed which is forcible in them, would be as forcible in thee to all mischief, if the Lord restrained thee not: Naturally thou art as bend and inclined to these things as they are, if the Lord by His powerful providence did not restrain thee. When the Apostle Paul considereth the strength and the force of that corruption that was in his heart, he saith, I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, there is no good. And in another place the Prophet saith, Except the LORD had left a seed in us, we had been made like SODOM and GOMORRHA, Esay Chap. 1. verse 9  
Brethren, this same seed and root of bitterness is in every infant: ye think they be Angels, and men commonly call them innocentes: No, no, they are but wolves birds, and there is a world of mischief within them, which will burst out, when years, strength and occasion concurreth, except the Lord restrain the same.  
Further, I advertise you of the deceitful lurking of this pest, for it is not only to be feared when it bursteth forth, and is fruitful in evil deeds, but also when it lurketh: ye see if there be a pest in the flesh of man, before it be broken out, many a time they will think they have not a pest: So it is with this pest: it will lurk within the flesh and sinews of the heart so quietly, that a man will think he is the wholest body in the world: but touch him, present any object or small occasion, yea, apply but the holy Law of God to that heart, incontinent his ●oule affections and lusts shall utter themselves, and burst out: Even as ye see sometimes, that fire will be so hidden and covered under the ashes, that it will not appear, and men will think that there is no fire there: but as soon as there is any meet and apt matter, as wood, powder, or brimstone applied, than it will manifest itself, and burst forth in a flame. Even so, albeit when men feel not their foul lusts and affections, they seem to themselves to be holy: yet speak to them of the Law of GOD, forbidding and discharging such and such things to be done, than they shall find the passions of sin, which appeared before to be dead within them, to begin to live, yea, to rage in the soul, and to bring forth fruits unto death, as Paul saith, in his epistle to the Romans, the seventh Chapter, and fifth verse. And then when these passions break out, happy is he that hath some part of the Spirit of Regeneration, to repress them, and strive against them in some measure: For, naturally, there is nothing in us to gainstand them, but wholly with all our force, and with greediness we will accomplish them, yea, the devil sitteth betwixt the shoulders, yea, in the very heart of man, and carrieth him here and there to accomplish all sort of mischief in all kind of filthiness, and shall never let him stay, till he bring him to destruction. There is no power in man to resist: And therefore, sin is said to reign, and to have a kingdom within us: And except the Spirit of Christ come, and in mercy either hold down, or else mortify and slay that foul corruption, it shall slay us at the last.  
Ye see then, how deceitful it is, and how easily men are deceived, whilst this corruption lurketh within and uttereth not itself.  
But, Brethren, more dangerous is the deceit thereof when it bursteth out: We think that man to be in a miserable estate, who is raging in this bodily pest, and yet is so blinded and senseless, that he is not aware of the sickness, till he die in the same: if he were sensible of the disease, he were in a better estate and condition. And so is the estate and condition of man naturally, when this corruption beginneth to utter itself: for ye see some raging in murder with pleasure, and washing their hands in innocent blood with greediness, etc. And some committing adultery without any remorse yea, boasting and vaunting of it amongst their companions: Others, abusing the benefits of God, thorough intemperance in drunkenness, without any grief of conscience: And others, delighting to oppress, and spoil with violence such as they may overcome: and in the mean time they have no grief, prick, nor trouble in their conscience for such doing: Are not such men miserably deceived, who when they are going to judgement and wrath, rejoice, yea, when they are posting to destruction, take their pastime, when they are running to condemnation, laugh, and who, when they are most miserable, think themselves most happy? And this is the estate of many, and chiefly of the great men in this country: they rejoice and boast of their sins, and they think themselves in a good and happy estate, because they find no remorse nor grief in their consciences.  
I shall use an homely similitude, to declare this matter: A man will have a worm in his finger, or tooth, it will keep itself quiet, and cease from gnawing for a season & he will think he is whole enough: but take a little vinegar, or some such like piercing and sharp water, than she will begin to gnaw, and then the silly man will complain, that he was beguiled, when he thought he was well enough: Even so it is with the conscience of man, for it lieth in the soul of man lurking, as a worm lieth in the flesh, & sometimes it gnaweth, and sometimes it lieth still, and letteth the murderer, the adulterer, the oppressor, go forward in murder, adultery, oppression, and other most abominable sins, without any accusation, grief▪ remorse, or fear of the law of GOD, and threatening of the curses thereof. I shall tell you more than that: Sometimes the conscience of a miserable malefactor will be so senseless, that it will no ways be moved by the Preaching: A murderer will be sitting before the Minister: A vile filthy adulterer will be sitting there, devising how to accomplish their abominable lusts, in the mean time that the Minister will be threatening judgement against their wickedness: they will not be moved with the threatenings, but will disdain and scorn them in their hearts, and will say, This fellow doth nothing but prate and raise what he pleaseth: and after Preaching will go out merrily to his dinner and there curse and swear, and blaspheme God's Name and thereafter go to his bed, as a beast, or a senseless sow. But I admonish thee, O miserable wretch! in despite of thy teeth, thy conscience shall not sleep always: the conscience of all flesh shall be wakened one day, either to their weal, or to their woe: And that Law which so securely men contemn many a time, shall be so powerful to waken the consciences, & to torment: hem, that by no means nor policy shall they be able to pacify them again: Their drinking, their halking, their hunting, their carding, their dicing, and other pastimes, will not then bring comfort or true peace to the soul: Then that man who thought himself most happy, when he was enjoying the pleasures of sin, shall think himself the most miserable wretch that ever the earth bore.  
Brethren, the law that was given, and threatening thereof, is wondrous terrible, and for as little as many men account of it, yet either one time or other it shall be effectual to stir up and to waken the consciences of men▪ I except no man: And if the conscience sleep still on in this life, till death overtake men, as it doth in many, yet it shall be so wakened after this life in Hell, that it shall never get leave to sleep again, it shall so g●●w upon the soul, that it shall never get rest: And in that Great day, when that righteous judge shall appear, the law shall be most forcible to raise in the soul, dolour, grief, and anguish for ever, which is impossible for any flesh to overcome, expel, and put away: yea, it is as impossible as it is to overcome the majesty of God His own self: for as the Gospel is the power of GOD to salvation, to every one that believeth: So the law is the power of God, to raise up dolour, terror, and anguish in the souls of impenitent sinners, and at last to bring it into condemnation. Therefore, happy is that man, who in the time of grace, when the Gospel is crying upon every weary and laden soul, to come to jesus, and promising to ease and disburden all that cometh unto Him, findeth this conscience wakened in mercy: for now jesus Christ, by His servants, is going thorough the world, offering to cure all sorts of diseases, yea, even these that are most incurable: And miserable is that man, who sleepeth on till death overtake him, for then the time of grace is past, repentance then will be to late, it will not avail, remission of sins than cannot be obtained: the voice of the Law shall ever ●ounde, Cursed art thou miserable wretch for ever: the comfortable voice of the Gospel crying, Come all ye weary and laden, shall never be heard any more: Suffer, therefore, yourselves to be lanced & wounded in time, that ye may be compelled to come to jesus: and the Lord waken the consciences of these bloody murderers, adulterers, and oppressors in time, that they may see where away they are going, and at last may return to God.  
Now hitherto we have handled this natural corruption, and this noble flesh, which men glory so much into. Now let us speak something of the natural birth, That which is borne of the flesh, is flesh. And what can corruption breed, but corruption? What can a leprous man bring out, but a leprous child? Who can bring a clean thing out of filthiness? No, not one, job, Chapter 14. verse 4 For why, Brethren? In this natural generation, as the parent naturally communicateth nature, and his own substance: so look what venom, vileness, and detestableness is in his nature, he giveth and communicateth it all to his children.  
Men glory commonly much of these things which they get thorough their parents, they will say, I have gotten great heritage's, much honour, and great riches by my father: But I say, that no man ever got so surely these things thorough their parents, as they get through them and their birth a poison and pest with their flesh, whereby they are made the children of wrath, and shall get Hell for their inheritance.  
Brethren, happy is the man that can consider this natural uncleanness, and is touched in conscience with the pollution which he giveth to his children, and striveth to have it purged: for in so doing, he both acquireth a good conscience to himself, and giveth his children a better heritage, than if he left him all the heyreships of the world.  
When thou hast begotten thy child, and gathered goods and riches together, and acquired great possessions unto him, then if thou takest no care of the purging of that corruption which he hath contracted from thy loins, that same pest shall be laid to thy charge in that great day.  
Therefore, now having spoken something of the flesh, and the generation thereof, let us now speak shortly of the Spirit, and His generation. What is meaned by the Spirit? This Spirit is the Spirit of the LORD JESUS: this Spirit is the Spirit of Regeneration, who reneweth men & women▪ & of old and sinful creatures, maketh them new and holy again: For, as soon as a sinful man beginneth to lay hold on the Lord jesus, by a true and lively faith, so soon findeth he power and grace convoyed by His Spirit into his soul to renew it.  
Then, to speak of Christ, because this Spirit is His Spirit: As jesus Christ is our elder Brother, so is He also our Father, He is called the Father of Eternity, Esai. 9 6. He is called the second Adam, Rom. 5. 14. He is our spiritual Father, who begetteth us by His Holy Spirit. Now compare the natural parent with this spiritual parent: Our natural parent is not only culpable and guilty of that first defection▪ but also of innumerable sins and transgressions following thereupon: Our spiritual parent, Christ, is culpable of no sin at all, but is full of all kind of obedience: for He was obedient to the Father to the death, even to the death of the Cross. Our natural parent is altogether naturally corrupt, yea, a lump of sin: but Christ, our spiritual parent, is not only clean in nature from all spot of sin, and perfectly holy, as H●e is man, but also He is Holiness itself, because He is the Son of God from all Eternity: and what can be cleaner than Cleanness itself?  
Now to come to their generation: The natural parent begetteth by the force of nature: there is a force in nature to beget: our spiritual parent, jesus, is far more able to beget by the power of His Spirit who is the author of nature: The natural parent by the force of nature will beget flesh, a corrupt mass, a sinful creature, yea, the image of the devil: this will he give to his child: but our Heavenly parent, the Lord jesus, by His Spirit, begetteth the Spirit, that is, a spiritual man, an holy & clean man, who hath no delight nor pleasure in sin: for Saint john saith, in his 1. Epistle, Chap. 3. verse 9 He that is borne of God sinneth not: that is, sinneth not as the worldlings do, with pleasure and delight: sin reigneth not in him: why sinneth he not? because (saith he) the seed of God remaineth in him: that is, His Spirit, by whom as a lively seed we are begotten and made new creatures. And what saith he more? He saith, such a man cannot sin: that is, he cannot sin: that is, he cannot sin as the natural and unregenerate man sinneth: he cannot follow the course of this world, and wallow in the puddle of sin as they do. And why can he not sin so? because (saith he) he is borne of God. It is a marvelous force that the Spirit of GOD hath, He maketh a man that he cannot sin, all the world will not make him to sin. The natural man can do nothing but sin, all his actions are sins: but he that is borne of God cannot sin  
Now this generation of the Spirit is called Regeneration: which word, albeit it be commonly in many men's mouths, yet few understand what it meaneth: therefore, we shall set down the nature and definition thereof, and touch some particular circumstances, which may serve for the better understanding thereof. Then, what is Regeneration? It is an alteration and changing of the whole nature of man, accomplished and performed by the powerful operation of the Holy Spirit. When I call Regeneration a changing of nature. I mean not that there should be any change of the substance & essence itself, either of the soul or of the body, as if that by Regeneration the old substance were quite abolished, and a new substance brought forth: but I mean that there is a change and alteration of the qualities which are in the substance.  
I will let you see this in the powers and faculties of the soul, as in the mind and reason, in the will, and in the affections. In the mind and reason, there must be a change of the wisdom of the flesh into the wisdom of GOD: nothing is a greater enemy to GOD and His glory, to thyself and thy salvation, than the wisdom of the flesh: And therefore, if thou wouldst be saved, this wisdom must be mortified, & thou must become a fool, that thou mayest be wise, as ye may read in the first Epistle of S. Paul to the Corinthians, the 3. Chapter, and the 18. verse. In stead of this wisdom must be powered into the mind the wisdom of God. In the will and affections there must be a change of the frowardness and wicked inclination, into holiness and a good inclination: Whereas before there was nothing in them but frowardness, (LORD that man is a froward creature, when GOD commandeth him to go one way, he will go the plain contrary) that must be mortified and slain: and in stead of it there must be wrought in the heart a propension and willingness in some measure, to pursue and to do that which the LORD commandeth, and hath pleasure into.  
Now howbeit I call Regeneration a change only of the qualities, yet it is not so light a matter, and so easily performed, as men would think: for it is a greater work to renew man, than to create him. In the beginning GOD created all things with His word, but before man could be renewed, the Son of God behoved to become the son of man▪ and suffer shame and ignominy, & die an accursed death, even the death of the Cross. It is an easy thing for thee to say. I must be changed ere ever I see Heaven: But, Brethren, it is not so soon done: it is the most difficile thing under the Sun, to get the heart of a creature changed: And they who have found this work sensibly to have been begun in them, have found how hard it is by their own experience: for I tell thee, that before thou be renewed, thou must deny thine own self: CHRIST saith, Thou must renounce thyself, and take up thy cross daily, and follow Him, LUKE, Chapter 9 verse 23. If the LORD had only bidden us renounce our friends, our father, our mother, our riches, our lands, and such other things as are without us, we would have thought it a matter hard enough, and scarcely would we have been induced to give obedience, as ye see in the young man in the Gospel, Matth. 19 16. But when the Lord commandeth us to renounce ourselves, even that thing that is most excellent, that which is most wise, this reason itself, the wisdom of the flesh, that furnisheth so many reasons to dissuade men either to profess or follow Christ: what can be more hard? But suppone reason were convinced, and the mouth thereof closed, that it could get no shift to answer, yet thinkest thou so to be quite of thyself? No, the will and the affections will stand obstinately against the judgement of the mind, and follow out, and pursue that which the mind discearneth to be evil.  
So thou mayest easily see, that there is nothing more hard than to get this Regeneration: yea, thou mayest see that it is a thing altogether impossible, except that Almighty Spirit of God be present, and work it effectually in the soul, all the kings of the earth, with all their weapons and engines of war, cannot be able to do it. No, all the Angels in Heaven are not able to accomplish this work: The weapons of our warfare, saith Paul, are not carnal, but mighty through God, to cast down strong holds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ, 2. Cor. 10. 4. 5. There is no power in Heaven or earth, but only the Spirit of God, that is able to renew one creature. And this power is granted to this our ministery, the preaching of the evangel. Let great men, let worldly men esteem of it as they please, God hath ordained this Ministry, to minister this wonderful power whereby the souls of men shall be regenerate.  
Further, thou must understand, that this Regeneration is not perfected in an instant, but in process of time: it must continue all the days of thy life: so long as thou livest, albeit thou live a thousand years, this old man will not be perfectly and altogether mortified and slain, till the hour of death: Thou must all the days of thy lifetime be groaning under the burden of sin, subject to crosses and troubles, (away with lightheaded sinners, who say, they would always have their hearts up: sadness becometh a sinner well) and thou must strive to find the new man to be renewed degree by degree, piece and piece, even till at last death be swallowed up of life, and mortality of immortality. And if thou wouldst have this work to go forward in thee, then set evermore jesus thy Lord and thine head before the eyes of thy soul: look upon Him with the eyes of faith: for it is only His presence & the sight of His glory, that worketh this marvelous change: for there is a great odds between the sight of His glory, and the sight of the glory of worldly Princes, for the sight of their glory will not change thee, nor make thee glorious, but vanisheth away in a moment: But the sight of the glory of JESUS shall change thee, and make thee glorious, whensoever thou beholdest Him, either by faith in this world, or else face to face in the Kingdom of Glory: For when thou beholdest Him with the eyes of faith here, thou shalt be changed, according to the measure of thy faith: and because thy faith is imperfect, thy change here must be imperfect: but when thou shalt see Him face to face, and behold Him as He is, then shalt thou be like unto Him in glory: thy change shall be perfect: His presence shall be effectual to change thy vile body, and to fashion it like unto His own glorious body: when thou beholdest His glory, thou shalt be changed into the same glory.  
Therefore, ye see what need we have to find this Regeneration begun in us here, and to find a continual progress therein all the days of our life, that so we may be assured, that the LORD shall crown His work in us with glory in JESUS.  
And now to end: then surely ye see, that corruption, mischief, and venom, every man, without exception, communicate unto their children, by natural generation: Therefore, Brethren, this is mine exhortation to all, both to great and small, (I except none, from the King, to the Beggar) Strive, as ye are instruments of generation, so to be instruments of regeneration, that your children may be taken out of nature, and planted in grace, and so be made members of the mystical body of JESUS CHRIST: Strive to bring them up in the knowledge of CHRIST, that so ye may be free of that heavy judgement which remaineth for all such as neglect this duty towards their children, and that ye may see GOD'S blessing upon your children here, and may have hope of that eternal life and glory hereafter, which the LORD hath promised to His own in CHRIST JESUS: To whom, with the FATHER, and the Holy SPIRIT, three persons and one GOD, be all Honour, Glory, Praise, Power, & Dominion, both now and evermore, So be it.   

THE XVII. SERMON.  I. TIMOTH. CHAP. I. 
verse 12 Therefore, I thank him, who hath made me strong, that is, Christ jesus our Lord: for he counted me faithful, and put me in his service:  
verse 13 When before I was a blasphemer, and a persecuter, and an oppressor: but I was received to mercy: for I did it ignorantly through unbelief.  
verse 14 But the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus.  
IN this Text (beloved Brethren in jesus Christ) there is set down to us a notable example of thankfulness to God, in the person of the Apostle Paul, for that great and incomparable mercy which the Lord bestowed upon him: not only in forgiving him his gross and manifold sins, but also for setting of him in His service, and for the committing to him the message of reconciliation, & making him an Apostle to preach repentance and remission of sins to others. As the mercies which he found were wondrous great, so is he wondrous careful always to testify his thankfulness to GOD: And to the end the more cheerfully he may praise & thank God, he considereth and setteth down by degrees, and in order, his unworthiness, and the evil deeds that he did, notwithstanding, whereof the Lord extended His mercy most abundantly towards him.  
To come to the words: He saith, Therefore, I thank him, who hath made me strong, that is, Christ Jesus our Lord: These words depend upon the verse immediately going before: he said before, that the glorious evangel of jesus Christ was concredite to him, for the which cause he bursteth forth in thanksgiving, and he saith, Therefore I will be thankful to Him, who hath concredited it unto me.  
Then ye see, his thankfulness ariseth on two considerations: First, upon the consideration of the excellency of the evangel of jesus Christ. The Gospel is glorious in itself, and it is come down from the blessed God: next, upon the consideration of his own unworthiness: look how worthy the Gospel was, as unworthy was he: then considering that so worthy a thing was given unto him, and that he himself was so unworthy, he knoweth not what thanks to give, he cannot devise what manner of way to testify his thankfulness. If once we could see what God were, how blessed that inviolable Majesty were, and what the evangel is, how glorious how lively, & how powerful in operation, and then what ourselves are, how unworthy we are, now, Lord, what would we account of jesus Christ! this heart that now is bound up, would then be loosed to thankfulness: But we see not what GOD is, and if we have not found glory and the power of the Gospel. Look what great commendation this Apostle giveth to the Gospel, 2. Cor. 3. 6. where he compareth the Law with the Gospel, and calleth the Gospel the ministery of the Spirit, the ministery of righteousness, the ministery of life. Then again, we see not what ourselves are, how vile, how filthy and unclean we are: we see not that mystery of sin that is in us, and therefore we account so little of the Gospel, and are so little moved when the Lord threateneth the away-taking of it: And to the end men may know how they ought to esteem of this ministery & of this Gospel committed unto them, which now the world so much contemneth and disdaineth, we shall speak a little of the dignity & excellency thereof. To have the Gospel of jesus Christ committed to a man's charge is no small thing: No, there is no flesh worthy of such dignity and honour: no, not the Angels in Heaven, let be silly mortal creatures. Is the creature worthy to dispose the treasures of salvation? Is a man worthy to reconcile God and the world? Is any man worthy to be an instrument to bring remission of sins, peace of conscience, and joy in the Holy Ghost to the soul of man? Is any worthy to bear witness to the soul of man, that life everlasting appertaineth unto him, and is laid up for him in the Heavens? And this moved the Apostle to cry out, when he considered this, Who can be found meet for these things? 2. Cor. 2. 16. And so, if we knew all that is contained in the Gospel, we would say, that the Angels themselves are not worthy to bear such a message, to dispense the secret and hidden things of GOD, to confirm forgiveness of sins, to put poor sinners out of doubt, that the LORD loveth them▪ and taketh them for His children: and last, that He will crown them with salvation, and everlasting life. And the consideration of this should move them whom the Lord hath set in His service, to follow the example of th'Apostle Paul, and day and night to be thankful to God, who chooseth such frail and poor creatures to such an high, excellent, and glorious office, as to offer salvation to them who before were condemned and castaways. Next this, consideration should move men faithfully and carefully to execute that charge which is committed unto them, as also to pray the Lord earnestly, that He would bless them with graces and strength according to the weightiness of the calling, that they may be ●ound faithful in that Great day: for man of himself cannot do so much as to think a good thought, (2. Cor. Chap. 3. vers. 5.) let be to have such graces by nature as to furnish such an high and glorious a calling. And as the Pastors have their duty to learn here, so the people also may and should make their use of it, that is, when they come to hear the word of God, to the end that the Gospel and the promises of mercy may profit and edify them, they should be resolved in themselves, that it is God that sendeth men unto them, and maketh them meet who were unmeet. And in this place the Apostles mind is not only to humble Preachers to acknowledge the grace bestowed upon them, but also to resolve all men that he that preacheth is sent from God: otherwise the preaching of the Gospel will ne●er profit them.  
And last, this serveth to reprove the vain thoughts and ungodly speeches of the common multitude: for they think this Ministry to be but a base and contemptible calling, and say, Who should be placed into it? who but such fools and unworthy bodies as cannot be meet for another calling? who but kinlesse bodies? But if a Gentleman, an Esquires son, a lords brother, etc. take on this calling, he is disgraced and abased therewith. But. O unworthy wretch! No Emperor, no Monarch, nor no flesh whatsoever is worthy of so great a calling: no, the Angels in Heaven honour not so much the commission, as the commission honoureth them: If thou continuest in counting basely of it to the end, thou shalt find it at the last to be the most glorious thing that ever was, but it shall be to thy confusion and destruction.  
Now I go forward: He cometh to a reason of his thankfulness: Who hath strengthened me, saith he, that is, of a weak body, full of imperfection, blots, and sins, which might have hindered me from that calling. He made me strong and able. So the Apostle compareth his estate by nature, with that estate which he found of grace: and when he was in nature, he saith he was weak, and under the word of weakness he comprehendeth his blasphemy, persecution, and oppression, which he setteth down hereafter: And hereby we may see, that men will never know the grace of God well, nor account worthily of it, until they consider what men are, when GOD leaveth them to their own estate: And when men get a sight, either of themselves, or of others, they will see that there is no goodness, nothing worthy of praise, but much mischief & misery both in themselves, and in others. And when men once seeth and knoweth this, than it will be an easy thing to them to judge of the grace of GOD, which supplieth and remedieth all wants and vices. When Paul looked to himself, he saw no goodness, & that that had appearance of goodness, was nothing but evanishing smoke: and therefore confesseth, that whatsoever was in him by nature, was corrected: and so he giveth the praise of all to God.  
Again, I see that none will account of JESUS CHRIST, and His Gospel, but they who find a power and strength in the Gospel. There is a power in the Gospel, which all the faithful find: for by the Gospel he that was weak to any good deed, is made strong: by the Gospel he that was dead, is quickened, and beginneth to live. This constrained the Apostle Paul to give such glorious and powerful styles to the Gospel: he calleth it the power of God to life and salvation, Rome 2. 16. he calleth it lively and mighty in operation, Heb. 14. 12. The children of God find it powerful, to overthrow and cast down the imaginations of man and every strong hold which is raised up against jesus. And whosoever findeth this of necessity they must be thankful. Alas! that there should be such a power and strength in the Gospel, and that we should find so little of it! for if we found it, it could not be possible but we would testify and practise by mouth and hand, by word and action, our thankfulness otherwise than we do.  
Now we come to the next argument, which moved the Apostle to be thankful: he saith, that our Lord Jesus Christ counted him faithful, and set him in His service: he meaneth not here that the Lord foresaw that there would be some worthiness, goodness, and faithfulness into him, and therefore He employed him, as vain and ignorant men do affirm: for are not all corrupt? are not all children of wrath. and subject to Satan? what goodness then can God see in any of us, except He put it into us? and what can move Him to make a choice of one more than another, but only His good pleasure and free-liking? But this he saith, to meet and stop the mouths of wicked and malicious men, who went about to disgrace his person and office, and to make his preaching fruitless. The world is now full of such persons: as if he had said▪ Let men reproach me, disdain me, set themselves against me, yet this is sufficient for me, that jesus Christ, who hath all authority, and who is supreme judge, who only can absolve and condemn, and from whose sentence none can appeal, is on my side, and hath declared, by putting me into His service. and by calling me immediately with His own mouth, that He would use my ministery, and declared, that where I was unfaithful before, He accounted me faithful, He accounted more of me than I was worthy of. So by this th' Apostle importeth a double grace which he got from Christ: first, that whereas he was ynfaithfull, the Lord gave him saith, and so accounted him faithful: Next, that he had manifested, by calling him to be an Apostle, that He had a liking that he should be in His service.  
Then here ye see, that as before, he thanked GOD for the power and strength that he found, so here he thanketh GOD, for that exceeding mercy, uttered in forgiving him his sins, and in calling him to be an Apostle.  
Hence we perceive, Brethren, that no man will ever account of JESUS CHRIST, except he first find that CHRIST hath accounted of him: yea, except he find that Christ hath accounted of him that which he is not: whereas he is unfaithful, he must find that jesus counteth him faithful: whereas he is unjust, he must find that Christ counted him just. Ye see by common experience, that when one man loveth another exceedingly, he will account more of him than he is to be counted of indeed, for love over-seeth and hideth many infirmities and offences. Was there ever such a love as Christ jesus carried unto us, unworthy wretches? For when we were vile & wretched sinners, ever offending the Majesty of God, and procuring His wrath, the Lord jesus in the multitude of His mercies, and infinite deepness of His love, covered our sins, and hid our iniquities that they should not bees●ene by God. So when the Lord jesus hath once extended the mantle of His mercy and compassion upon His chosen children, then albeit they were replenished with never so many vile and gross sins, yet the Lord will not lay them to their charge, but in jesus He will count them just, righteous, and innocent: so He will account more of them than they are worthy of: For, except that every one of us be persuaded of this, that we are greater men in the account of jesus Christ, than we are in ourselves, we shall perish in our sins for ever.  
The Pope, and that crew of his shamelesse-ones, scorn this doctrine of the imputation of the righteousness of JESUS: they will have men to be justified by their inherent righteousness in God's presence: But I denounce, in the Name of the Great GOD, that if they go on so, if they lean to their own righteousness, and if they find not the righteousness of jesus to be imputed unto them, they shall never taste of mercy.  
But how knoweth the Apostle that the Lord accounteth so much of him? The last words of the verse declareth, He put me into His service, therefore I know that He hath accounted more of me than I am. wouldst thou know that the Lord hath accounted more of thee than thou art, hath the Lord jesus put thee into his service, than He accounted of thee. Indeed I grant, that there are many who are called to offices, both in Church and Policy, who cannot, nor may not say, that therefore the Lord hath counted them faithful: for there are many who are not sent of God, but who runneth unsent, and are thrust out by their own corrupt affections, as by ambition, by vain glory, by desire of preferment, by covetousness. Often times ye see, that many who have the place and name of Pastors, set themselves to trouble the estate of the Church, and to give offence unto the weak ones, to speak nothing of their negligence in that calling. And such like in the seat of justice, ye will see men without regard of God, conscience, nature, and common honesty, to give out wicked judgement, and maintain manifest heinous crimes, and to stand directly in contrary terms with the Majesty of God, contramanding where He hath commanded. Therefore, such persons cannot allege that the Lord hath counted them faithful. And men cannot say, that they are set into these offices by God's hand: but as it were by Satan: Therefore, to the end that thou mayest know whether the Lord counteth thee faithful or not, Look and see that thou have these signs & testimonies, which may bear witness that the Lord hath called thee. It is true, men now adays cannot have such a persuasion as Paul had, for he was called immediately by the mouth of jesus Christ from Heaven, & therefore he might speak confidently: but it is as true, there are none whom the Lord calleth, but they have some signs thereof. Look therefore, if thou have an earnest desire to glorify the Lord in the riches of His mercy, to propagate the kingdom of jesus, to draw men from darkness to light from misery to felicity, from death to life, from Hell to Heaven. Look if thou hast grace in some measure for such a calling: look if the Lord accompanieth thy Ministry, with evidency & demonstration of the Spirit, and by thy preaching hath acquired subjects to His kingdom. Look if thou do the work of the Lord cheerfully. If thou have these tokens, thou mayest be assured in thy conscience, and other men also may be persuaded, that thou runnest not unsent. But if thou hast not these tokens, then boast not of this, that thou art in a calling. And to speak more generally to all them who are called Christians, wouldst thou know in what estate and calling soever thou art into, whether private or public, whether the Lord account more of thee than thou art worthy, whether He accounteth thee faithful or not, Look to the marks, signs and tokens of a true Christian: if thou find them in thee, as namely, whether thou hast a pleasure in body and soul, through infirmity, to serve the Lord, to be exercised in the means of grace, in preaching, prayers, reading, conference, etc. Look if thou have a pleasure to approve thyself in all things to thy LORD and Master. Look if thou have a care, to further others in the course of Christianity, and way of repentance: then, if thou hast these tokens, thou mayest rejoice.  
Then he goeth forward: & he cannot sufficiently set out that mercy which he found, he knoweth not how nor in what terms to utter & proclaim it: If we could find that mercy of jesus, we would see that the heart would never satisfy itself with thinking of it, or the mouth with speaking of it. And to the intent that he may magnify the greatness and the riches of the mercy of the LORD, he confesseth and setteth down, although to his own shame, his former sinful life and behaviour, in sundry degrees, Whereas before, saith he, I was a blasphemer, and a persecuter, and an appressor. Look if he thought much of himself, he was one of the cruelest persecutors that ever was in the Church, he was in a rage against Christ.  
Behold Brethren, Paul is not ashamed to paint out himself in his own colours, and particularly to confess his former evil deeds, and to registrate them to his own shame to the world's end. Yea, ye shall see in sundry places, where he speaketh of himself, that he can never satisfy himself in aggregating his own wickedness. The sinner who hath found mercy, will not regard to discover his sins to his own shame, and to tell all the world of them, that he may glorify Him who hath given him mercy: he will not stand upon his reputation, but he will preserre God's glory unto his own account, he will glorify the LORD with his own shame. When David found mercy for his vile adultery, and abominable murder, he not only confesseth his sins to his own shame, but also ascendeth, to confess the natural corruption which he had from the loins of his parents. The man that hath fallen into a notorious and vile sin and offence, and yet for shame will not confess it, that God may be glorified, that soul hath never felt the mercy of God. And if thou hadst felt that mercy of God thine heart would be loosed, and thy mouth also, to glorify God by an humble confession.  
Moreover, ye may perceive out of these words, how and what way th' Apostle found the strength and power of the Gospel: he found a power in it, but not at the first instant: but ere ever he felt the power of the Lord, he findeth himself to be weak: and ere he feel the mercy of God, he findeth himself to be a miserable man: Thou shalt never feel the power of God, except first thou feel thine own weakness: and thou shalt never feel His mercy, except first thou feel thy misery. And therefore, the Lord jesus many a time sundry ways crosseth His own in this life, to the end that they may know and feel their weakness and misery, and so go out of themselves, to find strength and mercy in jesus Christ. Sometimes He will exercise His own with shame and reproach in the world: sometimes with heavy diseases, and painful sicknesses: sometimes with want of the outward comforts of this life: sometimes with trouble and terror in the conscience, and all to this end, that they may know what they are without the Lord, how weak, how frail, how abject and naughty they are: that so finding themselves as nothing, they may be compelled to renounce themselves, and to seek to be found in jesus. Yea, after the Lord hath drawn them to Him by crosses, the Lord useth all the days of their lifetime, to expone them to crosses that every day, finding more their wants, infirmities, and lack of comfort in themselves, they may the more daily seek and strive to be found in jesus, who can supply all their wants, and furnish every thing that they stand in need of. It is true indeed, many a time the Lord will not exercise His own with crosses, but spare them & let them have liberty, & give them in abundance the outward comforts of this life, before they be effectually called. Look to Paul before he knew Christ he boasted much of his worldly prerogatives, of his kindred: he was a gentleman, he was in great account, by the law a Pharisee, Philip. 3. 4. 5. he knew not what the cross meaned. The like ye will find in many others of the Saints of God: but assoon as He calleth them effectually, He layeth the cross upon them: that seeing their weakness, and distrusting themselves, they may learn to renounce themselves, and desire to find the power and life of JESUS in them, which they will find effectual in the cross in a wonderful manner: Look 2. Cor. 11. The LORD layeth manifold crosses upon Paul, and when with tears he prayeth, that the Lord would take them away, he getteth this answer, My grace is sufficient for thee, for my power is made perfect through thy weakness: Meaning, that He will be glorified, and make Paul to find strength in Him, when as he is weak in himself. And never one is strong in CHRIST, but when he feeleth himself weak. Therefore he subjoineth, that he would rejoice and take pleasure in his infirmities, that the power of CHRIST might dwell in him: He saith (2. Cor. 12. 8. 9 10. And 2. Cor. 4. 10.) Every where we brare about in our body the dying of the LORD JESUS, that the life of JESUS might also be made manifest in our bodies, etc. When the body by crosses was dying, than he found the life of CHRIST: and no soul shall find that life without it be dying. Therefore, if ever thou wouldst find the power and life of Christ in thee, be careful to feel thine own weakness and misery.  
Yet mark the words: He saith, notwithstanding of my sins, the Lord had mercy upon me: And if ye look to the speech, it importeth a wondering, that ever he should have found mercy, who was such a great sinner. It is the greatest wonder that ever was, that one sin is forgiven to a sinner, suppose it were but an evil thought: And if thou sawest that great, inviolable and infinite Majesty, and the greatness of thy sins, thou wouldst wonder that ever thou gettest one sin forgiven thee, let be blasphemy and persecution forgiven thee: And wonder thou as thou wilt: all the Angels of Heaven wonder that sinners should get mercy, & that God loved the unworthy world so, that He would give His only Son to die that they should live for ever: and they wondered when Adam, & the Fathers of old got mercy: but when Christ came into the world to die for the sins of the world, they wondered far more at that mercy, and with cheerful voice praised GOD for the same, saying, Glory be to GOD in the high heavens, and peace on earth, and towards men good will, Luke 2. 14. Look also what the Apostle saith to this purpose, to the Ephes. Chap. 3. verse 10. It is their pleasure to pierce in to that mystery, and to look to that mercy, but miserable man, to whom it belongeth, commonly wondereth not at it. But albeit the profane man, when he is sleeping in sin, and going on in an evil course thinking it but an easy thing to get mercy: and albeit he wonder not much when he seeth another miserable sinner to get mercy, but account it a matter of sober importance, yet if it please the Lord once to waken his conscience, and make his sins to appear in their own colour, how great, how vile, and how detestable they are, and what it is to offend that infinite and inviolable Majesty, that Omnipotent JEHOVAH, who created all things, and to find the terrors and torments of that inevitable wrath and everlasting pain. And if the Spirit of God leave him there to his own self, and help him not forward, he would conclude, that there were no mercy for him: and he would marvel that ever a sinner should get mercy: for he would see the justice of God, as a wall of fire, standing before God, holding off the sinner, that he press not to come near to God. So such persons would dite their own ditty, and give out their own doom against themselves. And except it please the Lord to send His Holy Spirit, who searcheth all things, yea, the deepness of God, out of His own bosom, to a miserable sinner, thus exercised, to convoy him through His justice, thorough that wall of fire, and to let him see and feel the mercy of God in the Lord jesus, he would never, nor durst never claim to His mercy. Only they who getteth that Holy Spirit, who cometh out of that deepness, to convoye the creature to that unsearchable deepness, (for albeit the deepness of that mercy be infinite, yet the Spirit of GOD searcheth out that deepness) will acclaime and apprehend mercy: and then such persons will marvel, that ever themselves, or any other, should have found such infinite mercy. And the Saints of God, in the kingdom of Heaven, shall ever be exercised in marveling at the mercies of God upon them.  
It is true, that many vain wanton men, when they are going on in sin, being drunken and bewitched with the pleasures of sin, and mad in their damnable course, will promise mercy to themselves, and will apply mercy to sin, to make sin more and more sweet, as if it were not sweet enough before: But away with thee, for mercy appertaineth not unto thee, but wrath and judgement, so long as thou remainest in that estate. Thou art not in that estate, that thou mayst claim to His mercy: for only the man who hath a sad, a contrite, and a broken soul, may acclaime to mercy, and such a man in greatest sadness for sin shall have unspeakable joy.  
Now after he hath wondered at the mercy of GOD, in the end of the verse, he setteth down a cause not so much wherefore GOD gave him mercy, as that GOD was so ready to give him mercy: He saith, that he was an ignorant: and that he proveth, because he wanted faith: His ignorance deserved no mercy, but rather made him culpable and guilty: For the Lord will not allow such an excuse in that Great day: but ignorance maketh the sin the less. The sin that proceedeth from ignorance, is not so great as the sin that proceedeth from knowledge: for the servant who knoweth not the masters will, and doth it not, shall be striped with few stripes: but the servant who knoweth the master's will, and doth it not, shall be striped with many stripes, Luke 12. 47. 48.  
But for the better clearing of this point, we must understand, that Paul meaneth not, that every sin which is committed willingly and wittingly, men knowing well enough that they are sinning, shall not be forgiven: for in what case should we all be into then? Do we not all many a time sin wittingly and willingly? Do not our consciences challenge us in the very act? Will we not do wrong to our neighbour, in his person or in his goods, or in his name and account? yes, no question: and we cannot justify ourselves in our doings: If therefore, they who offend God, even with open eyes, were condemned, without hope of mercy, alas! in what case would we be into? He meaneth not then of all sins in general, he meaneth not of the sins committed against the second Table against our neighbours: but by joining ignorance and misbelief together, he showeth that he meaneth of the resisting of the truth of God, which is a far greater sin than theft, whoredom, or backbiting: for they who resist the truth, do as much as in them lieth, to pluck God out of His seat, and to put out the remembrance of His glorious Majesty, that He reign no more: and they say in effect, Let me alone with God, & I shall handle him well enough, I shall bring him to nought, he shall not reign, I shall fight against him. Therefore, Paul speaking of such an accursed sin, saith not without cause, I did it of ignorance: as if he had said, It is true, to blaspheme God's name and to tread God's word under feet, and to persecute the Saints of God, is a sin that surmounteth and surpasseth all sins, and I am culpable of this sin: But what? I did it not wittingly, for I thought I served GOD when I was an enemy to the Gospel, because I ●anted faith. Indeed Paul was a learned man, and brought up in all good literature, as we read in the 3. Chap. to the Philipp. As for the knowledge of the law, and the tradition of the Pharisees, he surpassed the rest (Galat. 1. 14.) Yet for all this, he saith, he was ignorant, because he wanted the knowledge of Christ. Suppose thou knowest all the world, and yet if thou knowest not jesus Christ, thou knowest nothing. And though thou knewest all the laws in the world, all humanity, all philosophy, yet if thou knowest not Christ, thou knowest nothing. Now blessed is that soul that knoweth Christ, albeit he knew no more for in the knowledge of Him standeth life everlasting.  
Mark again, he saith, because he was ignorant, therefore he was a blasphemer and persecuter. Ignorance is a dangerous thing: they who are ignorant of Christ, they who have not faith in Him, they who know not what a glorious parsonage He is, what incomparable benefit He brought with Him unto the world, who hath not found His mercies, who have not been sensible of the forgiveness of their sins, who have not found the image of God repaired in them, and they who have not found that peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost, they will persecute Christ, and His Gospel, and His Saints. It is a dangerous thing for the Saints of GOD to dwell among ignorantes and unbelievers, for such men are unreasonable, yea, they are Atheists. The Apostle Paul requesteth the Thessalonians to pray to God for him, that he may be delivered from froward and unreasonable men: for (saith he) all men have not faith, 2. Thessaly. 3. 2. This Land is full of Atheists: and give them but a watchword, they would soon make a Massacre. And it is a marvel that the Church of God standeth so long amongst them: for few is the number, & silly is the flock of God that believeth, in comparison of them who remain in ignorance and infidelity. We should therefore pray to God daily, that He would deliver His own Saints from them, & that by His powerful providence He would restrain their malice & fury, & guard His own on all sides. Further, think not that Paul allegeth his ignorance that thereby he may justify himself, as if it were without fault and offence: for no man's ignorance shall serve to be a cloak to absolve him before God. It will not serve a man to say, I thought not of it, I thought otherwise, I knew it not: but if he get not mercy, he must die for his ignorance: but he allegeth it to let men see, that it was not of malice & despite that he set himself to fight against God: & therefore that the Lord was more ready to forgive him. Then consider, that the Lord taketh heed & regardeth the grounds & fountain of sin where from it proceedeth, & accordingly he is either more easy or more hard to show mercy. There is a sine against Christ of ignorance, and such was the sin of Paul: there is a sin against Christ of knowledge, this is an higher degree, & this sin will hardlier get remission: this sin of knowledge is of two sorts, for either it cometh of infirmity, or else of malice: if it come of infirmity, as fear of trouble, danger of life, it may find mercy: such was the sin of Peter, when at the voice of an handmaid he denied his master Christ, for he knew in his conscience that he said & did wrong, yet it proceeded of infirmity, for fear of his life: for as Bernard saith, Petrus peccau● contra veritatem, non contra charitatem, for he loved Him in his heart, whom he was denying with his mouth, & therefore he found mercy, albeit his sin was higher than the sin of Paul was: but if it come of malice & despite against God, & the light of His Gospel, it getteth no mercy: 't is, if a man come to this point, that when he knoweth God's truth, albeit he be not moved with infirmity, fear, or danger, that he will say in his heart, I know that this doctrine is true it is the truth of God, yet I will go of set purpose to fight against God, I will go clean against it, I will do so much as in me lieth to bring it to nought: when a man cometh thus far, this man carrieth a mark about with him, whereby he may accounted himself a condemned person: such was the sin of judas, & of Julian the Apostate for of very malice they sinned against jesus Christ & his gospel: therefore they got no mercy. And well were it with many of this land, & namely these whom the Lord hath promoved & preferred above others, who have sold themselves to the Antichrist, y● man of perdition, either quietly & craftily to undermine, or else openly, if occasion offer, to persecute the Church & Saints of God: well I say were they, if either they did it of ignorance, or of infirmity & weakness. Now to come to an end: In the last verse he returns again to the grace & mercy, But the grace of our Lord supper abounded so much the more: my sin was great, but it reached above, & surpassed my sin. He wondered before of the mercy of God but now finding unspeakable joy proceeding of this mercy, his heart is enlarged, and his tongue loosed with cheerfulness, to magnify His mercy. Where sin aboundeth, saith the Apostle, there grace super aboundeth, Roman. Chap. 5. verse 20. Go to thine own experience, and consider what motions thou hast found in using the means of grace, sometimes at the hearing of the word, sometimes at the Holy Sacraments, sometimes in prayer, and sometimes in meditation: and I will let thee see, that grace superaboundeth. Wilt thou not feel when thine heart is very sad, when it is burdened with exceeding grief & displeasure, when thou art sighing, sobbing, & groaning under the burden of sin, & when thou art pouring out tears abundantly before God because of thy sinful life, and foolish race which thou hast run: will ye not find exceeding yet, incomprehensible joy, to arise out of that sadness at that same time, which will swallow up all displeasure & sadness? such a joy, I say, as the like whereof all worldly pleasures and comforts cannot be able to afford: No question, but if thou be the child of God, sometimes thou wilt find this joy. Now from whence proceedeth this joy, but from the feeling of a superabundant mercy, forgiving thee all thy sins? for as sadness riseth of sin, for offending such a loving God, & merciful father: so the joy riseth of the assurance of forgiveness of sin in his superabundant mercy: & if there were not a supper abundant mercy the, joy would never swallow up the sadness: so if there were no more to testify, that the mercies of the Lord superaboundeth, but the unspeakable joy mixed with sadness, it is as sure an argument as ever was in the world: yea, & when thou feelest this joy, wilt thou not be compelled sometimes to burst out, & to say, Lord, thy mercies are superabundant, where sin aboundeth, there thy grace & mercy aboundeth more: so if thou wouldest feel this surpassing joy, strive not so much by a general knowledge & bare contemplation to know that the mercies of God are infinite, & to speak of them the they are above all His works, higher than the heavens, deeper than the sea, & broader than the earth, but chiefly to find & feel then by experience in thine own soul (for a bare knowledge & naked speaking without feeling avails nothing) & then thou shalt find such a joy as will make thee contemn & disdain all joys the thou found before in sin, or in these worldly courses: & it shall make thee to say, that thou never knewest before what true & solid joy meaned: & to the intent thou mayst find this superabundant mercy, which is the cause & fountain of this joy, strive to have sadness & bitterness in thy soul for the offending of so loving a God & merciful father: for none is capable of this mercy but he who hath a contrite, a broken & bruised soul. The Lord, therefore, give us grace to feel the burden of sin, & to groan under it, that we may taste of the superabundant mercy, & so may find the true & solid joy that passeth all understanding in jesus Christ,  
Amen.   

THE XVIII. SERMON.  I. TIMOTH. CHAP. I. 
verse 14 But the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love, which is in Christ jesus.  
verse 15 This is a true saying, and by all means worthy to be received, that Christ jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  
verse 16 Notwithstanding, for this cause was I received to mercy, that jesus Christ should first show on me all long suffering, unto the ensample of them, who shall in time to come believe in him unto eternal life.  
THE Apostle Paul (well-beloved Brethren in Christ) considering that the Lord JESUS had showed such mercy upon him, as to concredite to him the glorious evangel of the blessed GOD, immediately falleth out in a thanksgiving to Christ. There are two causes in the proposition of the thanksgiving: the one is taken from the power of Christ, wherewith he is made strong: for when he was nothing, the Lord jesus made him strong: The other is from the mercy of Christ, when he was unfaithful, (how could a blasphemer be faithful?) the Lord was so merciful, that He made him faithful, & this he declareth, because he being before, a persecuter, the Lord made him an ambassador of that same evangel which he persecuted. He leaveth not this mercy, but insisteth in magnifying of it in regard, that not only he was a Preacher, but likewise he was a true Christian man. E'er ever he set down this mercy, he telleth what he was before, and he ●ayeth, When I was a blasphemer, & not only that, but with torments, compelled the Christians to blaspheme, I was a persecuter, and yet further, an oppressor, he leaveth nothing untold of himself, and he thinketh no shame to honour that God, who had mercy upon him, with his own shame, and he regisirateth his own mis-behaviour to his shame, that every one of the Saints of God, to the end of the world may say Glory be to God, that hath showed mercy on such a sinner: then he wondereth and sayeth, but he had mercy upon me, & therewith by the way he joineth a reason, why the Lord showed mercy sa readily on him, because he did it not of malice or knowledge, but he was blinded, he did it of ignorance, he was destitute of Faith, but assoon as he goat mercy, he changed his course: yet he leaveth not off but entereth into a deeper consideration of this Grace, & he sayeth, The Grace of the Lord abounded exceedingly, My sin abounded, but grace superabounded, and these words are from the sense of the heart, the heart being opened with the sense of Grace, openeth the mouth that it uttereth these words: the grace of Christ is superabundant, for if the heart be filled with the sense of grace & mercy, it will make the mouth to proclaim the mercy of God, & to extol it highly. The cause why we cannot set out the mercy of God in high terms, is, because in us there is no feeling of mercy: therefore it is, that we utter words so slender and of so little valour, when we speak of that love & that mercy, as it were a thing of none importance. When he hath told that the grace of the Lord superabounded, he addeth also. With faith and with love in jesus Christ, he declareth that superabundant grace by a wonderful mutation and change that was made in him by the power of JESUS CHRIST, that of a blasphemer of Christ, he is made a believer, apprehending him by Faith, of a persecuter and oppressor of the Saints of God, he was made a lover of them. The sense of the mercy of God, & faith in jesus Christ, bringeth forth love in the heart. And whosoever hath assurance of mercy & true faith, his heart will be joined with Christ and he will have a great love towards Him: then for Christ's sake he will love all His Saints: there will not be a soul in the Church of Christ, but he will love him so entirely that he would give his life for him, & as he will love him so he will pity him: for he that hath faith, will both love & pity men: he that wants pity, and careth not what becometh of the whole world, so he be well he hath never found what was the mercy of God in his heart. Alas! how few is the number of these faithful ones! how rare a thing is faith in the hearts of men! What argueth this coldness in the hearts of men, this want of love and pity in the multitude? Nothing but this, that albeit mercy be preached, yet the multitude feeleth it not. And if thou hadst all this world, and yet tasted not of that sweetness of this mercy of God in jesus Christ, thou knewest never what joy, what comfort, what pleasure was.  
Then in the next words he openeth up the ground as it were of that mercy that was showed upon him, which is the general end of the coming of Christ into this world: and from the general he concludeth on this manner, Christ jesus is come into the world to save sinners, and I am a sinner, therefore He will save me amongst the rest. Before he come to the words of the proposition, because it is a great and notable sentence, he useth a preface: as the Lord jesus in matters of importance used to say, Verily, verily, I say unto you: so here th' Apostle saith, This is a true saying, and by all means worthy to be received. In this preface he prepareth not only Timothy, but all that ever shall hear this sentence unto the end of the world: and he prepareth them not only to the attension of the ear, but he prepareth them unto faith in the heart: so that as soon as they should hear this sentence, they should apply it with their hearts. Alas! why should so worthy & excellent sentences as these are pass away without any attention or preparation on our part? It is true, Brethren, we should never come to the hearing of any part of the word without preparation: we should not come to the holy congregation like as many swine, without having any regard what we are doing, but we should come with preparation: & not only with an ear prepared, but with an heart prepared: and when thou interest into the Church thou shouldest say, The Lord prepare mine heart, that I may receive some spunk of grace. So a preparation is requisite in general to the hearing of the word. But yet the heart of man would be better prepared for the hearing of such notable sentences as this is, Christ is come into the world to save sinners: they require a more singular preparation. There is no doubt he spoke through the full assurance of faith, and that which he spoke, he assuredly believed: & therefore he spoke of it. When we speak of that grace, the heart should rise with an assurance. Look to the Prophet David, with what assurance he speaketh of it, I believed (saith he) therefore did I speak, Psal. 116. 10. Look to the Apostles, with what faith & assurance they speak of it: because, saith Paul, 2. Cor. 4. 13. We have the same Spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken, we also believe, and therefore we speak. So when thou hearest or speakest of this grace of the Lord jesus, seek to have this assurance in thine heart, and say, Lord, give me Thy grace in speaking and hearing of the benefit of Christ, that I may speak and hear with assurance. And if ye take heed to the words of the preface, he riseth up in commending of this sentence, that Christ came into the world to save sinners: and he saith not only, This is a true saying, that we may assuredly believe: but likewise he saith, and by all means worthy to be received. He welcometh (in a manner) Christ jesus coming into the world, he embraceth that salvation that He brought with Him. And would to God, whether we be Preachers or hearers, that we could attain to that measure of grace, that so oft as we name the coming of jesus Christ, that in speaking of it our hearts may be moved to embrace Him, and that life and salvation which He hath purchased for us. So this preface serveth to confirm our hearts, & deeply to imprint in them the doctrine of the grace of Christ of remission of sins, of salvation through Him, etc. for by nature there is in every one of us such a mistrusting & doubting thereof: that albeit God would a thousand times offer it unto us: albeit Christ himself would teach never so much unto us, yet are we ever still in doubt and questioning in our own hearts, whether it be so or not. Against all this mistrusting and reasoning of our own hearts, we must be armed with this preface of the Apostle, as with a buckler, that it is a true saying, & by all means worthy to be received. But to come to the saying itself, It reckoneth up the whole evangel, for what is the evangel in few words? The Lord jesus, the Son of God, is come into the world, by his manifestation in the flesh & taking upon him our nature, and in it, he hath suffered the most shameful death of the Cross, for the sins of man, and rising again from death, hath passed up to glory, and all to this end, For the salvation of man: There is the whole Gospel. Alas! if we took heed to these tithings, our hearts would not be carried after so many vanities. The Apostle (1 Timoth. 3. 16.) calleth this the mystery of godliness, and a great mystery, That GOD is manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of the Angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory, etc. All this he setteth down here in a word, Christ Jesus came into the world: and he telleth us it was to save sinners: that we, who are sinners, might have joy, and rejoice at His coming: for we should never hear nor read such sentences, but with joy. But the words would be weighed, he saith, CHRIST came into the world to save sinners. What is this that he calleth sinners? there are two sorts of sinners in the world: The first are they who think they have no sin, they are so hardened in their sin, they never got their hearts opened to see their own sin, and wretchedness: (for an endured sinner feeleth no sin) but by the contrary, they think themselves just: they are puffed up with a conceit of their own righteousness, they think themselves whole & free from the disease of sin, and these are the greatest part of the world. An example we have in that proud Pharisee, who would stand up and justify himself before God, & say, I thank thee, O God, that I am not a sinner as other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican, Luke 18. 11. But it is not for the salvation of those men that Christ came into the world: no, mercy belongeth not to them, they will never taste of any mercy of God in jesus Christ and therefore Christ saith, (Mat. 9 12. 13.) The whole need not a Physician, that is, they who are whole & free of the sickness of sin in their own conceit: I am not come to call the just, that is, endured sinners who think themselves just, because they are touched with no sense of sin: and well had it been for them, if Christ had never come into the world, for they want not only grace in Him, but by the contrary, by the contemning of the grace that is offered, they heap on condemnation on their own heads. There is another sort of sinners, who have a true sense of sin, and groan under the burden thereof, who are sore grieved in their own consciences for it: and it is of these sinners that th' Apostle speaketh here: for Christ showeth mercy only on these sinners, He came into the world to save them only: therefore He saith, Mat. 9 13. I come to call sinners to repentance, meaning these sinners who have their consciences wakened with the sense of sin: these sinners only He inviteth to come unto Him to get grace & refreshment: Come unto me, saith He, all ye that weary & laden, & I will refresh you, Mat. 11. 28. These sinners will get grace to hear the word, and will get their minds illuminated with it, whereas endured sinners, the more they hear the more are they blinded: and therefore Christ saith, Joh. 9 39 I am come unto judgement into this world, that they that see not, may see, to wit, the penitent sinners: and that they see, that is, endured sinners, may be blinded: & if thou be an endured sinner, thou canst not hear the word with profit, thou canst not be enlightened thereby. But albert thou be a blasphemer, an adulterer, an harlot, & the greatest sinner that is, if thou harden not thine heart at the hearing of the word of God, O how wonderfully will it work in thy soul! it will bring thee to a sense of thy sin, it will make thee to be grieved for thy sin▪ and to lament & mourn unfeignedly for it: it will make thee to run & seek for grace & mercy in Christ that thy sin may be done away: an example of this ye have in David, when he had committed adultery & murder: no sooner is the word preached to him by Nathan, but assoon his heart is pierced with the sense of his sin, he confesseth & acknowledgeth it, he is sore grieved for it, he crieth for mercy in the Messias, to put away his iniquities, as ye may see, 1. Sam. 12. 13. & Psal. 51. Such like ye see in Paul, who before was persecuting the Church, assoon as he heareth the voice of Christ, his conscience is wakened, he trembleth, he is astonished, he humble entreateth for mercy, he offereth service to the Lord, & saith▪ Lord, what wilt thou that I do? Acts 9 6. And it is only such persons as these, who are of a contrite Spirit, who tremble at the Lords words, that do get mercy and salvation. Then in a word, a humble & penitent sinner, how great so ever his sin be, he ●all get salvation. So there is nothing that hindereth thee from mercy and salvation, but the maliciousness of thine own heart. It is not Adultery, it is not Murder, it is not Blasphemy or oppreslion, that depriveth thee of that salvation, but the hardness of thine heart that cannot repent: if thou hast a contrite heart, and canst say, Woe is me, that I have offended so sweet & gracious a God, thou shalt get mercy. It is an heavy & jamentable case, that sinners should want mercy for fault of repentance. When he hath set down this general sentence, whereon he groundeth the mercy of God that was showed on him, that Christ came in the world to save sinners, he cometh to the particular application, & he subjoineth, But I am the first sinner in the world, the conclusion is understood, therefore Christ jesus came in the world to save me. Would to God every sinner in the world could learn to apply this general sentence to themselves in the same manner that Paul doth here, & from his heart could say with him, Christ jesus is come in the world to save sinners, & then subjoin, Bot I am the first sinner in the world, that sa he might apply mercy & salvation to himself, for without this application, these general sentences can serve for no use. It is true indeed, Brethren, sciences of these general sentences that are contained in the Scripture, is very good, yea, the knowledge of them is most necessary: for no man can have conscience without knowledge: But it is as true on the other part, that science and knowledge avail not without conscience, applying particularly to a man's soul the thing that he knoweth. As when men know these general sentences set down in the word, if they apply them not to themselves, the knowledge of them can serve to no purpose: As for example: when a man knoweth this general sentence of the law, Cursed is every man that continueth not in every thing which is written in the book of the law, to do them, if thou apply it not, it can do thee no good: But if thy conscience be wakened, to acknowledge thy transgressing of the law, & consequently to apply to thyself that curse of the law, & eternal condemnation, what sorrow & grief will it work in thine heart? what earnest desire will it work to be free from that curse and eternal condemnation? Yea, thou wouldst be content to give all the world to be free of that curse, and the heavy burden of the wrath of God. And Brethren, look never for mercy, nor salvation, except first thine own conscience condemn thee: if thy conscience condemn thee not, the Lord of Heaven shall condemn thee. There is never one that is freed from the curse and condemnation of the law, but they who feel their sin & groan under the burden of it, & get a sight of their condemnation for sin.  
Another example we have of this general sentence that the Apostle hath in this place, Christ jesus is come into the world to save sinners: If thou apply it not, & say not as the Apostle doth, I am a sinner, it can furnish thee no joy nor comfort. Then when we come to hear the doctrine of grace & mercy, let us come with a conscience wakened & weary with the sense of sin: for if the souls of men and women were weary, & laden with the burden of sin, they would feel an unspeakable joy in their hearts at the preaching of the doctrine of salvation. But because we are casten up in a senseless security, our consciences are asleep, & the thing that we have is but a general motion: therefore it is, that at the preaching of the law there is no sorrow, no grief no heaviness of heart: & if the glad tithings of the evangel be preached, there is no joy nor comfort: And this is the thing that we have most to lament at the preaching of the word, that we have no feeling neither of sadness nor of joy: and therefore the judgement is the nearer. And he or she that l●eth hardest sleeping in greatest security, shall get the forest & most terrible wakening when the judgement cometh. Now the Lord waken our consciences in time and give us grace to take heed to the preaching of the word, and to beware of ourselves, & ever pray to the Lord for grace: & never let neither the memory of His mercy toward penitent sinners, nor of His judgement against endured and impenitent sinners, pass out of our mind. Mark again: In application when he applieth the general unto himself, he applieth not immediately salvation, but first he applieth sin to himself, and then salvation: he saith not first, I am saved, but first he saith, I am the greatest amongst sinners, & thereafter he saith, I have obtained mercy. Then take heed to thy application. When thou hearest, by the preaching of the Gospel, salvation offered to sinners, take not first to thyself salvation, but first take sin and death: then take life, and apply it to thyself: Rejoice not first at the preaching of the glad tithings of salvation, but first conceive a displeasure: then let joy arise out of displeasure: for joy of salvation must arise out of the displeasure, through the fear of damnation. It shall pass thy power to find joy through the sense of mercy and salvation▪ before thou find sadness & heaviness of heart through the sense of sin and damnation. Even as ye see a spring of water will not break out of a rock except the rock be broken: Even so is it with this effect, No joy can be to the heart of a Christian man or woman, till the heart be contrite and broken with sadness through the sense of sin: The heart is first exceeding heavy and sorrowful, and out of that heaviness ariseth the joy: and the heavier the heart is, the greater the joy is. Would to God we had this sorrow & sadness, and the sense of the wrath of God in our hearts for sin: for the saddest heart for sin will get the greatest joy, & evermore the greater sadness, the greater joy. If our hearts be grieved, and weary with the sight of sin, we shall have such a spiritual joy, as the world knoweth not: And this joy is as sure an earnest-penny of that joy of Heaven, as ever was. And he that hath that joy that ariseth from that sorrow in the heart for sin, he hath a sufficient warrant of that joy in Heaven: and he that hath not that joy, he hath no warrant of that Heavenly joy: Therefore Christ saith, Blessed are they that mourn, for they shallbe comforted, Mat. 5. 4. Now in this world this joy is mixed with tears, but than it shall be a perfect joy, and all tears shallbe wiped away from our eyes. Now for Christ's sake put away vanity and wantonness and let every one of us take up a new course of life, that we may mourn and weep unfeignedly for our sins, (for we have all need) that in stead of this worldly joy, we may get that solid & unspeakable joy that ariseth out of sadness: otherwise we only enjoy the name of Christians, but as the disposition of the heart which is required in a Christian, it is far from us.  
Yet mark further: His conscience is not only wakened with the sense of sin, he is not only touched with a true sorrow for it, but also he maketh a clear & plain confession of it. Then mark it: Before thou gettest mercy in Christ, thou must first of necessity acknowledge & confess thy sin: for confession of sin must of necessity go before mercy. David found this by experience, for so long as he held his tongue, and would not confess his sin, he could find nothing but the wrath & heavy hand of God against him: My bones (saith he) were consumed, I roared all the day, &c: but assoon as he taketh this resolution with himself, I will confess against myself, my wickedness unto the Lord: then he found the Lord to show mercy on him, and to forgive him the punishment of his sin, Psal. 32. 3. 4. 5. And to what purpose should any man cover his sins from God, whose allseeing eyes pierce into the brains and most secret corners of the heart, and to whom all things are open & patent, and who knoweth every man's sins better than he can do himself? Why shouldest thou then dissemble with Him? why shouldest thou not make a plain & open confession of thy sins unto Him, that thou mayest get mercy? Another thing would be marked: He is not content to confess his sin, but he saith, I am the chief of sinners: He saith not simply, I am a sinner, but the chiefest sinner, the first sinner in the world. Brethren, if we had a sense of our sin, even the least sinner of us would think he were the greatest, he would not go about to excuse his sin, he would not cloak it as Cam did, he would not extenuate it, much less would he have a proud conceit of himself, and of his own righteousness: he would not enter in as that proud Pharisee did, Luke 18. 10, who held up his head, and said, I am not as other men▪ extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this Publican: The poor Publican was in the mean time hinging down his head: but he was a greater sinner. But if thou enter into comparison with others, and have a sense of thy sin, thou wilt think with thyself, There is not so great a sinner in the world as I am, & thou wilt say with Paul, I am the first and chiefest of sinners. Now when he hath applied the general sentence to himself, and showed that the Lord had given him mercy and salvation. He setteth down next the end of this grace: But herefore (saith he) he had mercy on me, that he might first show on me all long suffering: there is an end: another end is, that I should be an example, to others in the world.  
Now, Brethren, when God showeth mercy on any man, it is not for nothing, it is not without great & manifest causes, for He will not cast grace lightly away: Indeed He will give these temporal benefits to the wicked, because He esteemeth not so much of them: He will throw a lordship, an earldom, yea a kingdom, to a reprobate: but as for one spunk of the spiritual grace of jesus Christ, He will know well to whom He giveth it: He will take good heed to whom He giveth one drop of that precious blood of jesus Christ, and He will love them exceedingly. Think ye not that he would love a leprous man well, that would wash him with his own blood? The preciousest liquor that ever was in the world, is the blood of the Lord jesus, yea, such is the worthiness & preciousness thereof, that all the world will not buy one drop of it. Shall we not think then, that He loveth that man well, whom He washeth with His blood? Shall we not think, that He beareth an unspeakable love to that man whom He washeth with His Holy Spirit? Mark it, Brethren: Mercy cometh by chance to no man: it is usually said, Kingdoms come of hap: but it is not so with mercy and the grace of jesus Christ: none gets it but these whose names are written up in the book of life: none are called to the participation of one spunk of that saving grace, but they who were predestinated from all eternity. And therefore, if thou hast gotten one spunk of grace, count with thyself, that thou wast predestinated from all eternity to everlasting life, and count with thyself, that thou hast gotten a more excellent and precious thing, than if thou hadst gotten all the world. Now as He will not lightly give grace, so He giveth it not for the person himself alone, who receiveth the grace: but He will have a consequence following upon the giving of that grace and mercy: first, He will have the glory of that grace and mercy to Himself: and what more? He will set him, on whom He hath vouchsased that grace and mercy, to be a spectacle and example of His mercy before the world. To speak of the first end, That he should show on me all clemency: that is, that showing such mercy on me who was the greatest sinner, He might manifest and declare the exceeding greatness of His mercy to the world.  
Brethren, the thing that God looketh to in His works, is, that He might be glorified in His essential properties: but above all the rest of His properties, He will be glorified in His mercy, He will be glorified in His power, in His wisdom, in his justice. Sodom and Gomorrha was a spectacle to sinners of His justice, to terrify sinners to the end of the world. But above all, He seeketh to be glorified in His own mercy. Above all things the Lord will have His love and mercy to shine in the world, He will have the creature to glorify Him in His mercy. What is the cause that He sent Christ into the world? That in Christ His mercy might shine in the world. What is the cause of this preaching of the evangel? Why is it sent? That His mercy might shine in the world: And all the Pastors should teach and proclaim this mercy of God, and not speak of judgement, but when men regardeth not His mercy. Look what the LORD will do, that His mercy should shine in the world, He will take blasphemous persons, persecutors, oppressors, such as Paul was, and He will show mercy upon them, He will make them to be spectacles of His mercy in the sight of the world, that all the world should stand wondering, that the Lord showeth mercy upon them. And there is not one of them who are justified by Christ, but they are spectacles of the mercy of God, set before the world, to make the world to wonder at his mercy: that so we may learn to know, and deeply to consider, the mercy of GOD, not only by His word, but also by His works and examples of them that have obtained mercy. Now to come to the second end, he saith, Unto the example of them that shall in time to come believe in him. Then Paul getteth mercy not for himself only, but also for other sinners, who seeing this mercy showed upon him, might reason with themselves and say, Yonder blasphemer, yonder persecuter, yonder oppressor, hath gotten mercy, and may not I likewise be assured to get mercy? Therefore, when thou seest that the Lord is merciful to any man, say with thyself, It is not for nothing that the Lord hath given this man mercy: but it is for my cause, that I may by his example be stirred up to seek mercy: therefore I will go and get mercy at his hands. But alas! such is our security and senselessness, that howbeit the Lord be continually calling upon us, and offering mercy unto us by His word, and likewise by ever setting forth before us godly men and women, that of unholy creatures are made holy creatures, to be spectacles of His mercy, that by them we should take example: yet all these means that God useth to testify His mercy unto us, moveth us not to consider and take up His mercy. But blessed is that soul that can learn by any of these means, to take up the mercy of GOD, and to seek for it: for mercy is the preciousest jewel that ever was. Therefore, when thou findest not assurance of mercy, then be sorry for it, and strive earnestly to obtain it: for there is no surer token that the Lord is to show mercy to any soul, than when upon the sight and feeling of the want thereof the soul is grieved, and striveth and endeavoureth more and more to obtain a more full assurance thereof. And therefore, when I consider how men in this Land are sleeping in sin, without any remorse of conscience, and are so careless to seek to have assurance of mercy, I am afraid, that the LORD is about to withdraw mercy from this Nation. The LORD avert His wrath, and be merciful unto this sinful Nation, for CHRIST'S sake: To whom with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all honour, praise, and glory, world without end, AMEN.  
FINIS.