iyiiior.^l 
 
 i A ^ 
 
 Z THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, * 
 
 ^ Princeton, N. J. f 
 
 
 

SERMONS 
 
 BY THE LATE 
 
 REV. PHILIP HENRY, A. M. 
 
EIGHTEEN 
 
 SERMONS, 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. PHILIP HENRY, A.M. 
 
 FORMERLY 
 OF CHRIST CHURCH COLLEGE, OXFORD. 
 
 SELECTED 
 
 ALSO, 
 
 TWO SERMONS 
 
 PKEACHED 
 
 ON HIS DEATH: 
 
 THE ONE, 
 
 BY THE REV. FRANCIS TALLENTS, A.M. 
 
 Fellow of Magdalen College, Cambridge: 
 THE OTHER, 
 
 BY THE REV. MATTHEW HENRY, V.D.M. 
 
 WITH NOTES, 
 
 BY 
 
 J. B. WILLIAMS. 
 
 His preaching was plain and pleasant, warm and savoury, full and 
 overflowing such as few could reach, and greatly blessed 
 
 % G<«^- MR. TALLENTS. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 PRINTED BY ELLERTON AND HENDEKSON, 
 
 Johnson's Court, Fleet Street, 
 
 FOR JOSIAH CONDER, 18, ST. PAUL'S CHURCHYARD, 
 
 AND OGLES, DUNCAN, AND COCHRAN, 
 
 PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 1816. 
 
■■' ;.- ..... ... _ .... .. ^_> V. 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 The Volume now ushered into the 
 world will, it is hoped, meet with a wel- 
 come reception. It contains a statement 
 of scriptural and important truths, by a 
 " minister of the sanctuary" whose praise 
 has long been in the churches. 
 
 The Jansenists * speak of an unction — 
 an excitement to piety and devotion — in 
 the written compositions of spiritual minds. 
 There doubtless is such a thing. It is 
 exemplified in the writings of a Hall, a 
 Baxter, a Howe, a Watts, and many other 
 eminent Divines ; and, in no small degree, 
 in the Sermons o^ Philip Henr}^ 
 
 This excellent man is too well known to 
 need any encomium ; and there is cause for 
 
 * Concerning this sect of Christians, see Jortin's Six 
 Dissertations, Dissert. II. p. 99. edit. 1755 ; Encyclopad. 
 Brit. vol. IX. p. (y-2. 
 
VI 
 
 thankfulness that so much to encircle him 
 with rays of hlessedness has been preserved 
 by one, who, from personal knowledge and 
 gracious endowments, was able to write 
 with accuracy and with wisdom. Few 
 readers, it is presumed, are unacquainted 
 with the Reverend Matthew Henry's Life 
 of his truly honoured father. Should there 
 be any who need a recommendation to that 
 interesting volume, a fourth and improved 
 edition of which was published by the 
 Reverend Job Orton, it cannot be better 
 made than in the words of the late Reve- 
 rend Edward Williams, D.D. " It is," said 
 that pious writer, " a beautiful delineation of 
 primitive Christianity, and the power of 
 godliness ; — where social religion, as well as 
 personal holiness, are drawn to the life, and 
 eminently exemplified; — where, in a word, 
 the doctrine of the life of God in the soul of 
 man derives a striking proof, and a venera- 
 ble sanction *.'* 
 
 * Mo 1 rice's Social Religion ExempUJied, Preface, p. xv. 
 edit. 1786, note. 
 
VII 
 
 The first of the sermons in this volume 
 was preached by Mr. Tallents, who was a 
 Divine of extensive learnings singular pru- 
 dence, and elevated piety. He was Mr. 
 Henry's intimate friend and companion in 
 tribulation, and a considerable sharer in the 
 sufferings of the Nonconformists. In the 
 year 1662 be was ejected from St. Mary^s 
 Church in Shrewsbury ; and, after labouring 
 honourably in the Gospel Ministry among 
 Dissenters, in that town, till the year 1708, 
 entered upon his eternal rest, in the 89th 
 year of his age*. The Sermon, now first 
 printed, he preached at Broad Oak, and 
 afterwards prepared it for the press ; but it 
 was not published, for reasons which will be 
 seen by the letter he addressed to Mr. Mat- 
 thew Henry, and which is transcribed from 
 the original manuscript* The letter bears 
 date Oct. 7th, 16§6. 
 
 " I readily comply with your desire and 
 
 * Noneonformisis Memorial^ vol. III. p. 153; Matt. 
 Henry sMisscellaneous Works, Messrs. Burder and Hughes's 
 edition, p. 783. In both these volumes there is au edifying 
 Memoir of Mr. Tallents. 
 
VIM 
 
 Dr. Tylston's* advice, not to print my ser- 
 mon — at least for the present. The age is 
 critical, and many will be very industrious to 
 seek matter of cavil and reproach; and some 
 things you think not so proper to be spoken 
 to the world. I have therefore run it over 
 again, and see nothing but what, with a few 
 explicatory necessary words inserted, might 
 be very passable and useful. I thought 1 
 dealt very gently with those that had abus- 
 ed him, but judged it necessary to say 
 something of it, for their good as well as 
 others ; and if they will be angry instead of 
 repenting, why should we be afraid r But 
 in suppressing it, I shall avoid censures 
 (though I do not much fear them), and 
 please you, my friends, and do nothing 
 that you judge may hinder the work of 
 God in that neighbourhood. I shall review 
 and write it over again, that any may read 
 it, if they desire, for their good." 
 
 No apology can be necessary for intro-. 
 4ucing it in the present volume. 
 
 * Mr. Henry's excellent son-in-law. 
 
IX 
 
 More than a centur}^ has elapsed since 
 Mr. Henry left this world ; and though, 
 under the influence of Christian humility, 
 he carefully concealed all his productions 
 from pubhc inspection, yet, since the excel- 
 lence of these compositions is calculated, by 
 a Divine blessing, to benefit mankind, jt 
 would seem unjust any longer to withhold 
 them from general perusal. It may, in- 
 deed, be matter of surprise, that things so 
 valuable should till now have remained 
 concealed ; and the Editor " cannot," to 
 borrow the words of Dr. Doddridge on his 
 publishing the works of Archbishop Leigh- 
 ton, " but consider it as a great Jionour con- 
 ferred upon him by Providence, to have 
 been an instrument of presenting" Mr. 
 Henry's Sermons, in so tolerably correct a 
 form, to the world. 
 
 The present publication was undertaken 
 at the request of many whose judgment 
 and piety cannot be justly questioned, and 
 with a confident expectation that the infi- 
 nitely wise Jehovah, who so highly distin- 
 guished his servant when on earth, will gra- 
 
ciously bless, now he is in heaven, these 
 memorials of his learning and godliness to 
 many souls. The truths enforced are not, 
 it is admitted, decorated with the ornaments 
 of rhetoric ; but the holy zeal, the convinc- 
 ing reasoning, and powerful appeals, disco- 
 vered in the statement of them, will be a 
 commendation to those who seek Divine 
 knowledge, and thus tend to make men 
 *' wise unto salvation." 
 
 These Sermons were carefully transcribed 
 by the Editor from Mr. Henry's own hand- 
 writing. No alterations have been made, 
 except what appeared to be absolutely 
 needful — such as occasionally completing 
 a sentence, and substituting, in a few in- 
 stances, a word in more common use for 
 one now become obsolete. Mr. Tallentss 
 Sermon was transcribed from a copy which 
 had the last corrections of the author ; and 
 the concluding Discourse, by Mr. Matthew 
 Henry, appears from a copy made by the 
 Reverend Mr. Stedman * from the original 
 manuscript. 
 
 * A.M., tlie respected Vicar of St. Chad, Shrewsbury, 
 
XI 
 
 The Editor cannot conclude this Preface 
 without offering, thus pubhcly, his grateful 
 acknowledgments to Mrs. Brett, of West 
 Bromwich, Staffordshire, the venerable de- 
 scendant of Mr. Henry — to Mr. Stedman, 
 who, amidst his various and important avo- 
 cations, has added to other instances of his 
 friendship the revising of the manuscript 
 now printed — and to those other friends, 
 with whose communications he has, on this 
 occasion, been favoured. May the under- 
 taking be crowned with the Divine bless- 
 ing! 
 
 J. B. WILLIAMS. 
 
 Shrewsbury, 
 October 9th, 1815. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON BY THE REV. F. TALLENTS. 
 
 Preached June 27, 1696, at Mr. Henry's Funeral. 
 
 Romans viii. 23. — And not only they, but ourselves 
 also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even 
 we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the 
 adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body ... Page 1 
 
 SERMONS BY MR. HENRY. 
 
 SERMON I. 
 Preached Jan. IStli, 1657. 
 Psalm xxiii.l.— The Lord is my Shepherd: I shall not 
 want '■^^ 
 
 SERMON II. 
 Preached April 3d, 1659. 
 Genesis xxxix. 9. — How then can I do this great wick- 
 edness, and sin against God ] , 4;> 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 Preached December 1th, 1659. 
 Revelations iii. 14— 18.— And unto the angel of the 
 church of the Laodiceans write ; These things saitb 
 
xiv CONTENTS. 
 
 the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Begin- 
 ning of the creation of God : I know thy works, tkat 
 thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert 
 cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, 
 and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my 
 mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and in- 
 creased with goods, and have need of nothing; and 
 knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, 
 and poor, and blind, and naked Page 80 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 Preached November, 1669. 
 Psalm Ixxvii. 19. — Thy way is in the sea, and thy path 
 in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known 100 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 Preached April 25th, 1672. 
 
 John viii. 37. — But ye seek to kill me, because my 
 word hath no place in you 119 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 Preached March 28th, 1680. 
 
 Galatlans ii. 20. — And the life which I now live in the 
 flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God., 144 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 Preached January 2d, 1681. 
 Luke xi. 1. — And it came to pass, that as he was pray- 
 ing in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his 
 disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as 
 John also taught his disciples 158 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 Luke xxii. 44. — Being in an agony, he prayed more 
 earnestly 178 
 
CONTENTS. XT 
 
 SERMON IX. 
 
 1 Peter i. 9. — Receiving the end of your faith, even 
 
 the salvation of your souls Page 11)4 
 
 SERMON X. 
 Preached April, 1692, 
 
 Ezekiel xvi. 2. — Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know 
 her abominations 20S 
 
 SERMON XI. 
 
 Preached on a Fast-day, July 12th, 1693. 
 Zephaniah in. 2. — She obeyed not the voice 22S 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 Preached on a Fast-day, August 9th, 1693. 
 Zephaniah iii. 2. — She received not correction 242 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 
 Preached on a Fast-day, Sept. 13th, 169.S. 
 Zephaniah iii. 2.— She trusted not in the Lord 260 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 Preached July 30th, 1693. 
 
 Matthew V. 3. — Blessed are the poor in spirit; for 
 theirs is the kingdom of heaven 277 
 
 SERMON XV. 
 
 Preached at the Funeral of the Rev. Samuel Taylor, 
 June 28th, 1G96. 
 
 2 Corinthians iv. 7. — But we have this treasure in 
 earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power 
 may be of God, and not of us 297 
 
XVI CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON XVI. 
 Preached October 27tli, 1095. 
 2 Chronicles xxx. 8.— And serve the Lord your God, 
 that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from 
 y*^» Page 319 
 
 SERMON XVII. 
 
 Preached February 2d, 169G. 
 Romans xiii. 13. — Let us walk honestly, as in the day; 
 not in rioti&g and drunkenness, not in chamberint^ 
 and wantonness, not in strife and envying 334 
 
 SERMON XVIII. 
 
 MR. henry's last SERMON. 
 Preached June 21st, 169G. 
 2 Peter i. 5 — Add to your faith, virtue 35a 
 
 MR. MATT. HENRY'S FUNERAL SERMON FOR 
 HIS FATHER. 
 Preached July 8th, 169C. 
 1 Corinthians xv. 5.5.— O death, where is thy sting?... 369 
 
A 
 
 SERMON 
 
 PREACHED AT BROAD OAK, JUNE 27, 1696, 
 AT 
 
 THE FUNERAL 
 
 OF THE 
 
 REVEREND PHILIP HENRY, A. M. 
 
 BY 
 
 FRANCIS TALLENTS, A. M. 
 
SERMON 
 
 AT THE 
 
 FUNERAL OF MR. HENRY, 
 
 ROMANS viii. 23. 
 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have 
 the first-fruits of the Spirit, even zve ourselves 
 groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption , 
 to wit, the redemption of our body. 
 
 The end of this our meeting is to shew our love 
 and honour to our deceased friend, and to get 
 some spiritual good for ourselves. Not to stir up 
 your sorrow, for that is full enough already ; or to 
 commend him, for that is needless among you : but 
 that we may be gainers by such strokes, by this 
 especially ; and that by this sadness our hearts may 
 be made better. 
 
 We read that Moses, in a time of sickness and 
 
 death, prayed to the Lord, saying; " So teach 
 
 us to number our days that we may apply our 
 
 hearts unto wisdom." Ps. xc. 12. Now if Moses, 
 
 B 2 
 
that great and excellent servant of God, prayed 
 that he himself, among others, might be wiser and 
 better by the death of others, how much more 
 may I and you ? For we have buried wives, and 
 husbands, and children, and friends, as dear to us 
 as our own selves, yet how litde or nothing have we 
 been made better by it ! 
 
 That we may profit by this our meeting, I shall 
 pass by the coherence of the words and many 
 other affecting matters, and with all plainness and 
 brevity do these things : 
 
 I. Shew you, briefly, from the words, some 
 useful lessons, and apply them. 
 
 II. Shew you some things in our deceased bro- 
 ther, to set those lessons deeper on our hearts, and 
 make us profit by the sad occasion. 
 
 III. Give you some advice and exhortations in 
 four or five particulars, which may be useful for 
 all, and for you of this neighbourhood especially. 
 
 I. For the first, observe three things. 
 
 1 . Every one that is in Christ, that believes in 
 Christ, hath the first-fruits of the Spirit in him— 
 hath the Spirit of God and of Christ in him in 
 some measure: the first-fruits of the Spirit, 
 though not the full harvest of it. So the text: 
 and more fully in the ninth verse ; " If any man 
 
hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of 
 his." What can be more plain and peremptory? 
 They are quickened of the Spirit, and born 
 again of the Spirit, and have the Spirit of God 
 dwelling in them, as it is in verse the 1 1th. 
 
 Is it so? Then have we the Holy Spirit of 
 God in us? — the first-fruits of the Spirit, the 
 Spirit in some measure, some portion of it at least ? 
 Have we — you that have enjoyed the ministry of 
 this servant of God so long, and others of us ? 
 How may we know it ? 
 
 Look into your hearts. Look well there. How 
 shall we truly know what is within us, except we 
 carefully look into ourselves ? But O how back- 
 ward are we, how slight are we, in doing that ! 
 
 Look into your I'lms^ and see what comes out 
 from your hearts. Do we walk after the Spirit? 
 (as it is in verses 1st and 4th.) Do we mind the 
 things of the Spirit ? What do we chiefly mind, 
 my brethren ? It is said, " They that are after 
 the flesh, mind the things of the flesh ; but they 
 that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. * 
 Now, do we mind the things of the Spirit? Do we 
 mind them mainly and chiefly, though but pooriy ; 
 or, do we not, indeed, mind chiefly the things of 
 the flesh ? Do we mortify the deeds of the body, 
 the sad remainders of our corruptions in us ? " If 
 ye live after the flesh, ye shall die : but if ye 
 through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the 
 
body, ye shall live." What do we in this, my 
 brethren ? 
 
 Have we the spirit of prayer— the spirit of adop- 
 tion, whereby we cry Abba, Father? see ver. 15. 
 I wander not abroad to gather straw for bricks ; we 
 have abundance of excellent matter at hand, in 
 this chapter, to supply us. Have we this spirit 
 of adoption in any measure? Are our mouths 
 and hearts opened, in some little degree at least, to 
 pray, and with some hopes to speed, through Jesus 
 Christ? 
 
 Do we suffer with Christ? Are we willing — 
 nay, and desirous too— to suffer for Christ? It 
 is said, verse 17th, we are children, " and if 
 children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs 
 with Christ ; if so be that we suffer with him, that 
 we may be also glorified together." O wondrous 
 thing ! Oh, then, who would not suffer with Christ, 
 and for Christ ? How sweet is that ! How good 
 is that ! He that hath the Spirit of Christ doth 
 this, will gladly do this, and be a companion of 
 those that do this. Let us bless God if we have 
 done this in any measure, and beg his strength 
 that we may do it more and more, if he shall call 
 us to it. 
 
 Now, my brethren, let us look well as to this. 
 Many (even of those that hear good ministers, and 
 rejoice in them too) are sensual— are sensual, 
 and have not the Spirit : have not the Spirit of 
 
Christ, but of the world, and chiefly mind the 
 things of the world. 
 
 Let us, therefore, look well as to this ; and let 
 me tell you, what perhaps you do not so well con- 
 sider, it is our fault if we have not the Spirit. I 
 say again, it is our fault if we have not the Spirit ; 
 for it is said, Prov. i. 23, " Turn you at my re- 
 proof: behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, 
 I will make known my words unto you." 
 
 If we have not turned at God's call, and so his 
 Spirit be not poured out upon us, let us see it is 
 our sin, and mourn for it as our sin, and seek it. 
 But if we have this blessed Spirit in any measure, 
 let us rejoice and give thanks, and strive to keep 
 it as our greatest treasure. For 
 
 2. They that are in Christ, and have the first- 
 fruits of the Spirit, and suffer for Christ, have a 
 right to the greatest blessings here and hereafter 
 for evermore. 
 
 One of these blessings is expressed in the text, 
 and in effect includes all the others that are men- 
 tioned in the context: they are freed from con- 
 demnation : " There is no condemnation to them 
 which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the 
 flesh, but after the Spirit." O the greatness of 
 this blessing ! — to be freed from condemnation ! 
 How doth a poor broken heart rejoice in that ! 
 
 They shall be raised up to glory ; for it is said. 
 
verse 11, "If the Spirit of him that raised up 
 Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised 
 up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your 
 mortal bodies by [or because of] his Spirit that 
 dwelleth in you." Mind that well, my brethren; 
 mind it well, and be amazed. What a wonderful 
 truth is this ! He that raised up Christ from 
 the dead, shall also quicken our mortal bodies. 
 What a substantial and solid ground of com- 
 fort! O dwell on this often, my brethren, for 
 your strength and joy. 
 
 They are children and heirs, and joint-heirs 
 with Christ: so it is in verses \6 and 17; " The 
 Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that 
 we are the children of God." O happy they that 
 have this witness in any measure ! O cherish and 
 improve it. " And if children, then heirs ; heirs 
 of God, and joint-heirs with Christ ! " How great 
 is that ! and who of us doth believe it, can be- 
 lieve it, with application to himself, to any great 
 purpose ? 
 
 Lastly. They shall be glorified together with 
 Christ, and with a wondrous glory : (verses 17, 18;) 
 " If so be that we suffer with him, that we may 
 be also glorified together. For I reckon that the suf- 
 ferings of this present time are not worthy to be 
 compared with the glory which shall be revealed in 
 us." O that we could, that we did, consider this— 
 and in our very hearts. How would it affect us ! 
 
In the 19th and 21st verses he mentions the 
 manifestation of the sons of God, and the glorious 
 hberty of the children of God; and in my text 
 he calls it " the adoption:"—" We groan within 
 ourselves, waiting for the adoption.'" What ! have 
 we not the adoption noiv ? Yes— but not the in- 
 heritance to which we are adopted : therefore it is 
 here explained, and called the "redemption of our 
 body." But it may be said, 'Are not our bodies 
 redeemed already?' Yes: Christ hath paid the 
 price; therefore death shall not always keep us 
 under his power : but we have not yet the thing 
 that was paid for. Christ's sacrifice would have 
 been in vain, if we should not have the fruit of it — 
 deliverance from sin, and misery by it — evtin the 
 full adoption and redemption of our bodies. 
 
 Is it so ? Then we are to know this : to know it, 
 and to think of it often and much for our good. So 
 the saints of old did, and so should we. How happy 
 and strong are we, when, through grace, we do it 
 in any measure ! In the latter end of this chapter, 
 how does the xVpostle triumph, and teach us to do 
 so too ! see verse 21st to the end of the chapter. 
 And again, in the fifth chapter, ver. 1,2; " Being 
 justified by faith, we have peace with God, through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, and rejoice in hope of 
 the glory of God." " We know that if our 
 earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, 
 we have a building of God, a house not made with 
 
10 
 
 hands, eternal in the heavens." 2 Cor. v. I. So^ 
 also, in Colos. i. 27; " Christ in you the hope of 
 glory." St. Peter also saith, " We are begotten 
 again to a lively hope.... to an inheritance incor- 
 ruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, 
 reserved in heaven for us." 
 
 3. They that are in Christ, and have the first- 
 fruits of the Spirit, and suffer with Christ, and 
 know the things that are freely given to them, groan 
 within themselves, and wait for the redemption of 
 their bodies. 
 
 This is plain, from the words themselves and 
 their coherence. In the former verses, from the 
 19th to my text, it is said, that " the earnest ex- 
 pectation of the creature waiteth for the manifesta- 
 tion of the sons of God; for the creature was 
 made subject to vanity, not willingly :" but it 
 " shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption, 
 into the glorious liberty of the children of God." 
 And, that " the whole creation groaneth and tra- 
 vaileth in birth until now." How can that be ? 
 I answer, by a natural instinct ; for though those 
 creatures have not knowledge and understanding, 
 yet they have a natural inclination, or instinct, 
 that makes them groan for a happiness. And, 
 saith the Apostle here, " Not only they, but we 
 ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the 
 Spirit, groan within ourselves"— mark tlie expres- 
 
11 
 
 sion, we ourselves groan within ourselves — " wait- 
 ing for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our 
 body." — You will say, ' Do believers always 
 groan for this actually, and in a great measure?' 
 No. No graces are always actually exercised; 
 but they are habitually always, and actually on 
 several occasions, though not always with the 
 same earnestness. 
 
 This is done two ways — By a natural instinct of 
 the Spirit of God in them ; for the Holy Spirit of God 
 often works in us per modum naturae — we know 
 not how ; and, by his rational workings in us by the 
 word, by the precious promises and truths in it. 
 
 It may be asked, ' What things doth the Spirit 
 of God make use of, to work those groans and de- 
 sires in us ? ' The Spirit of God works these in 
 us by three things especially. 
 
 (1.) By a sense of sin that is yet in us. — This 
 makes us often groan, and cry out " O wretched 
 man that I am, who shall deliver me from the 
 body of this death ? " 
 
 (2.) By a sense of afflictions, which are always 
 in some sort, and sometimes very great. — So the 
 text fully, and so verse 26, where it is said, that in 
 this case " the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities ;" 
 that is, helps us against our infirmities ; which are 
 often so heavy, that we " know not what we 
 should pray for as we ought." Alas ! that is our 
 very case often. " But the Spirit itself maketh 
 
12 
 
 intercession for us/' — in a way far beyond our 
 power, "with groanings which cannot be uttered," — 
 which we cannot utter or express ; "but God, 
 who searcheth the heart," knoweth them, though 
 we are far short of knowing them fully, and 
 easeth and strengtheneth our souls by them. 
 
 (3.) By a sense of our absence from God, and 
 a taste of that great rest and happiness which we 
 shall have with him. — So the Apostle : " We 
 knozv we have a house not made with hands, eter- 
 nal in the heavens" — O that uc knevv^ this more ! — 
 " For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be 
 clothed upon with our house which is from heaven." 
 2 Cor. V. 1, 2. And he gives the reason ver. 6; 
 " Whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent 
 from the Lord." Alas ! we find it so. Nay, 
 blessed be God if we do find it so. Therefore 
 he adds, ver. 8 ; " We are confident, and willing 
 rather to be absent from the body, and to be pre- 
 sent witli the Lord." Gracious souls often sigh 
 for this with the Apostle, and say v^ith the Psalm- 
 isty " When I awake, I shall be satisfied with 
 thy likeness." That they want, that they long for, 
 and tliat makes them groan. 
 
 Use 1. How much of this knowledge of this 
 gi'oaning and waiting is there in us } Look well 
 into your hearts, you that have been hearers of 
 this excellent minister of Christ. 
 
13 
 
 ' Little, or none,' may some say. If so, Avliat 
 a shame is it ! You will say, perhaps, these are 
 hiofh things, great things. True, they are so. But 
 hath your faithful and beloved teacher, whose loss 
 we now lament, taught you only low things, only 
 tlie smaller things? No, my brethren, he hatii 
 taught you these things ; and many of you, I trust, 
 have learned them of God by him : though in his 
 wisdom and tenderness he had milk for babes, and 
 taught people as they were able to bear it 
 
 It may be objected, ' But do the truly faithful, 
 tliat have the Spirit of God, ahvays groan for the 
 adoption, the redemption of their bodies ? ' They 
 do it always habitually, more or less, as I have 
 said. There is something in them that makes 
 them do so. But not always actually, for no 
 grace whatever is always in act. Nay, tlie evils 
 contrary to those graces often stir very much. So 
 in this : gracious persons are often afraid of being 
 dissolved; are willing, nay, and desirous, to be 
 here ; and cry, " O spare me a little, tliat I may 
 recover strength before I go hence and be no 
 more seen." And whence is this ? Because sir) 
 prevails, and grace is not acted ; because corrup- 
 tion doth not then trouble them, nor afflictions 
 grieve them; they have some ease, peace, rest 
 from them, and therefore they do not groan fox 
 this. 
 
 Use Q. Seek after this blessed frame; to get, pre- 
 
14 
 
 serve, and increase it : and let us seek to have it- 
 even in the midst of our ease and comforts, for it 
 may be had even then : and this is the joy of our 
 joys, and the hfe of our Hves, and fitteth us for 
 every thing. And if we have not sensible joys and 
 comforts, nay if we have some fears, yet let us 
 seek after the groanings and longings mentioned in 
 the text ; after the Spirit's helping our infirmities 
 with sighs and groans ; after that blessed rest w ith 
 God which will fit us to live cheerfully and use- 
 fully, and to die joyfully. And if we leam this in 
 some measure better than formerly, we shall be 
 gainers now : which is, at least should be, the 
 chief end of this our meeting. This leads me to 
 the second general head. I proposed to shew 
 
 II. Some things in our deceased brother, to set 
 these lessons deeper in our hearts, and to 
 make us profit by this sad occasion. 
 
 The consideration of the spirit and life of this 
 eminent servant of God, now taken from us, will 
 greatly lead us to these things; — to believe in 
 Christ ; to have the spirit of Christ,- and live after 
 it; to suffer with Christ; and to gi'oan for our 
 adoption, that we might be with God. And what 
 would you have more? Yet all these you may 
 leam by him : not only by his excellent preach- 
 ing, but by his holy living and happy death. And 
 
15 
 
 herein I shall not enlarge upon many things, as I 
 might with much profit, but only touch upon a 
 few. 
 
 When he was young, and at Westminster 
 School, he was awakened, and sought after God; 
 and afterwards at Oxford, whither he went at 
 fifteen years old, he continued and gi'ew therein. 
 He was not drawn away, though endangered for a 
 time, by the vain company which used to abound 
 among youths when many are together, or by 
 other temptations ; but he gained more knowledge 
 and love to the things of God. He chose Christ, 
 a despised and hated Christ, and cleaved to 
 him. 
 
 When he came into the country, which is now 
 forty-three years ago, it was but to a place * of about 
 a hundred pounds a year, with this incumbrance to 
 it, to teach two or three young gentlemen f; — a 
 small matter for a student of Christ Church, and 
 one of his parts and eminence, and that stood 
 so fair for greater things : but so soon he began, 
 not to seek great things for himself, but to set 
 about his Master's work, that had called him. 
 When the dismal Bartholomew-day came, now 
 almost thirty-four years ago, he cleaved to the good 
 
 * Worthenbury, in Flintshire, whence he was ejected. 
 See his Life, chap. III. and V. 
 
 t The sons of his patron. Judge Puleston, who lived in 
 the parish. See his Life, chap. IIL 
 
16 
 
 way of God, which he had loved and owned ; and 
 chose rather to suffer affliction with a great 
 many * of the people of God, than to enjoy the 
 riches and honours he might have had. 
 
 He that had such abilities, and that might have 
 made such an interest — for his father was a ser- 
 vant to and sufferer for King Charles the First ; 
 and he, when young, had been a play-fellow with 
 the young princes, afterwards the late King 
 Charles the Second and King James the Second — 
 neglected it, and accounted all such hopes but loss 
 
 * Upwards of two thousand " worthy, learned., pious, and 
 orthodox divines," were ejected from the Church of Eng- 
 land by the Act of Uniformity, August 24, 1062. '* They 
 were," says Dr. John Taylor, " prepared to lose all, and to 
 suffer martyrdom itself, and actually resigned their livings 
 (which, with most of them, were, under God, all that they 
 and their families had to subsist upon,) rather than sin 
 against God, and desert the cause of civil and religious 
 liberty. They had the best education England could 
 afford ; most of them Avere excellent scholars, judicious 
 divines, pious, faithful, and laborious ministers ; of great 
 zeal for God and religion; keeping close to their people in 
 the worst of times. Particularly, they were men of great 
 devotion and eminent abilities in prayer, uttered, as God 
 enabled them, from the abundance of their hearts and 
 affections; men of divine eloquence in pleading at the 
 Throne of Grace ; raising and melting the aflFections of their 
 hearers, and being happily instrumental in transfusing into 
 their souls the same spirit and heavenly gift." Scripture 
 Account of Prayer, p. 50. — For an edifying and interesting 
 account of these worthies, see the Nonconformists' Me- 
 morial, 3 vols., by the late Rev. Samuel Palmer. 
 
17 
 
 for Christ. He esteemed the reproach of Christ 
 greater riches than the treasures he might have 
 got in England. And what reproaches and hard 
 measm-e he met with afterwards, you know- 
 though he was the meekest, and most harmless, 
 obliging man that might be. He had good store 
 of these from several people — neglects, contempt, 
 abuse, and threats; from gentry (though, to the 
 honour of divers of them in the neighbourhood, it 
 must be said they were far from it) ; from ministers, 
 that should have known better ; and from people 
 of all sorts; and from some that he had in a 
 special manner deserved well from. He had not 
 only reproaches, but injuries several ways. He 
 was fined for meeting to pray for rain in a great 
 drought : his goods and corn on the ground were 
 seized and carried away; and himself at other 
 times imprisoned. About this vei^ time eleven 
 years ago, he was prisoner in Chester Castle, and 
 crowded up in close, narrow rooms, with many 
 other worthy persons, far from enjoying such 
 liberty and fairness as others, when imprisoned, 
 have had. But now he is far above all these, and 
 rests, we trust, with God ; while you and I, who 
 was eleven years older than he, are yet conflicting 
 here below. On this occasion, I may mention 
 one of my own trials. As upon this very day 
 eleven years, I was committed prisoner at Shrews- 
 bury, whither I went to inter my holy wife, who 
 c 
 
18 
 
 going thither, died suddenly ; and, after eleven or 
 twelve days, was sent thence to Chester Castle, 
 O the dismal time that then was, and the sad 
 prospect of things then ! And O the unexpected 
 quiet we had soon after, and the wonderful 
 changes we have seen since ; and the great liber- 
 ties we enjoy this day ! Let us think of these 
 things. Let us not forget them; but consider 
 them well, that we may learn to admire and fear, 
 and rejoice and trust in God, and live to him 
 who rules and doth great things. To him be 
 praise for ever and ever. But to return to the 
 remembrance of our holy friend, deceased — 
 
 Remember his preaching : his labour, and dili- 
 gence, and pains, and unweariedness, and excel- 
 lency in that. But why should I speak to you of 
 this ? You may say — " We know it better than 
 you ; we have heard him oftener, nay, constantly ; 
 and our souls, through grace, feel it ! I shall, 
 therefore, only speak this word. His expounding 
 and preaching was plain and pleasant, warm and 
 savoury, full and overflowing, and such as few 
 could reach, and greatly blessed by God. 
 
 But mind, my brethren, call to mind his holy 
 living — his walking not after the flesh, but after 
 the Spirit — the graces of God, and the fruits of 
 the Spirit that were visible in him. I may speak 
 to you concerning him, as the blessed Apostle doth 
 of himself to the Philippians. " Those things which 
 
19 
 
 you have both learned and received, and heard, 
 and seen in me, do ; and the God of peace shall 
 be with you." He, when here present among 
 you, was far from saying so of himself, so great 
 was his modesty and true humility. But I may 
 now truly say it in his name. " Those things which 
 you have both learned and received, and heard, 
 and seen in him, do." Mind them. Do them* 
 *' and the God of peace shall be with you." 
 ' How,' may some say, 'can the God of peace be 
 with us now he is gone } Can we look for it T Yes, 
 my brethren ; for Christ lives though he be dead. 
 Christ hath promised it, and it shall be. After 
 blessed Paul was dead, the Philippians had it, 
 and so shall you, if you go in that way ; and God 
 grant you may. 
 
 Remember, remember, my brethren, his piety 
 towards God in his person, in his family, and 
 every where; his soberness to himself in every 
 thing ; his justice and charity towards all. You 
 are witnesses of these things, and how he minded 
 in them the things of the Spirit. 
 
 Remember how humble and meek he was ; how 
 kind and patient, how wise and charitable. Not 
 proud and high, not fierce and threatening, not 
 hard and covetous, not foolish and conceited. He 
 was no proler, nor a man of designs. Remember 
 this, and draw strength from Christ for this. 
 
 And what are the fruits of the Spirit? See 
 c 2! 
 
20 
 
 Gal. V. 22. " Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, 
 gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temper- 
 ance." And surely these fruits of the Spirit, if 
 in any among us, were eminently in him. 
 
 Besides, he was a friend, and a counseller, and 
 a father to many; especially to two worthy 
 widows and their children here present, and by 
 occasion of them to divers others. 
 
 But I injure things by my haste. I desire you 
 also to consider for your good, that while he 
 denied himself and worked for God, God had a 
 visible care of him, and gave him an excellent 
 wife, that brought him a handsome estate, and 
 built up his house ; and good children ; a son that 
 worthily rises up in his stead, and four daughters, 
 all comfortably disposed of When he died, he left 
 them a Father ; for they are all, as we have reason 
 to hope, born again ; and so have God for their 
 Father. A mercy that God hath denied to many 
 of his choicest ones. See, and learn to trust in 
 him. 
 
 But to conclude this head — Let us mind liis 
 groaning and waiting for his change, and prepara- 
 tion for it. This, which you may justly look upon 
 as a great thing, was also eminently in him. You 
 may have many evidences of it. I will give you 
 two or three very clear ones, which I certainly 
 know. For some years past, I have seldom seen 
 him. The last time was just a year ago, June 
 
SI 
 
 S8th, 1695, at the funeral of our reverend and holy 
 brother, Mr. Taylor of Wem*. I cannot men. 
 \ion him without being affected. He was sickly 
 in body, melancholy in mind, poor, and even of 
 no estate : he had a great burden of children, and 
 was too much neglected by divers, not all, in that 
 place, who professed to be religious. Thus he 
 was, though a holy man, a savoury preacher, and 
 dear to God. Let his memory, also, and example, 
 be precious to you ; and a blessing be from the 
 Lord on all that truly honoured him, and forgive- 
 ness to those who too lightly esteemed him. 
 
 But to return — For some years, of late, I seU 
 dom saw my dear and honoured friend and brother, 
 Mr. Henry, for so he was pleased oftentimes to 
 call me. But we often visited each other by 
 letters, and many excellent ones of his I have yet 
 by me. In part of the years 1693 and 1694, he 
 used to date his letters thus — such a day of the 
 month, and such a day of my dying (that is, his 
 climacteric) year. As for example, to mention 
 but two: 'January 1st, 169* the 130th day of 
 my dying year.' 'August 13th, 1694, the 355th 
 day of my dying year.' Thus all the days of his 
 appointed time he waited with comfort, and pre- 
 pared for his change : and thus handsomely taught 
 me and my dear wife, his special friend, to mimber 
 
 * See Mr. Henry's sermon on the occasion. Sermon XV. 
 
our days with him, and to prepare for eternity. 
 O that we may all be quickened by this to the 
 
 same thing ! 
 
 In his last kind and excellent letter, dated May 
 28th, a month ago, he hath this heavenly passage : 
 
 * Methinks it is strange, that it should be your lot 
 and mine, to abide so long on earth by the stuff, 
 when so many of our friends and fellow-soldiers 
 are dividing the spoil above : but God will have 
 it so ; and to be willing to live in obedience to his 
 holy will, is as true an act of grace as to be willing 
 to die when he calls, especially when life is labour 
 and sorrow. But when it is labour and joy, ser- 
 vice to his name, and some measure of success 
 and comfort in serving him ; when it is to stop a 
 gap, and stem a tide ; it is to be rejoiced in — it is 
 heaven upon earth : nay one would think, by the 
 Psalmist's often-repeated plea, Psalms vi. xxx. 
 Ixxxviii. cxv. and cxviii. that it were better than 
 to be in heaven itself. And can that be ? ' And, 
 after other encouraging Avords, he concludes thus : 
 
 * Go on, brother ; go on, and live to Christ : let 
 him be your life.' Thus was he raised, thus did 
 he live. 
 
 For some weeks before his translation, he was 
 observed by several to be more lively in his 
 preaching than before. He continued in his usual 
 health till Tuesday last; and, after worshipping 
 God in his family, went up into his chamber. Not 
 
23 
 
 coming down to breakfast, his dear Avife went up 
 and found him lying on his bed, and ill. His 
 pains grew very great, so that he was not able to 
 speak much : he had done that before. He lasted 
 fifteen or sixteen hours only, notwithstanding all 
 means used ; for soon after twelve, on \yednesday 
 morning, God took him to his rest. His last 
 words were, " O death, where is thy" — sting, he 
 would have said, but was not able to pronounce it. 
 Happy, happy he that so dies ! A sign that he 
 died daily, and groaned for the adoption, and was 
 fitted for it. Let us labour and strive, and hope 
 for the like presence and mercy of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ at our death, and to eternal life. 
 
 HI. I proposed to give you some advice and 
 exhortations in four or five particulars, which- 
 may be useful for us; and for you of this 
 neighbourhood especially. 
 
 1. Give thanks to God that ever you had him 
 or saw him ; and that you had him so long-^ 
 thirty years and more in this place ; notwithstand- 
 ing all the difficulties of the times ; and that, when 
 other eminent servants of God were driven away, 
 and taken away by death. First, the famous Mr. 
 Porter, who was so useful at Hanmer, and after- 
 wards at Whitchurch ; — the excellent and faithful 
 Mr. Parsons of Wem ; — the savoury and pleasant 
 
34 
 
 preacher, Mr. Steel ; — the warm and substantial 
 Mr. Edward Lawrence. How these three last 
 were forced away, and, having been useful in 
 London, ended their days there, you know, and 
 will do well to remember. Also the worthy Mr. 
 Richardson, and Thomas, and Sadler, and Taylor, 
 who died among you*. Admire it, and give 
 thanks to God, that he should continue this excel- 
 lent person among you, and in life so long. O 
 how hath this side of the country been blessed 
 with excellent ministers for many years ! Let us 
 give thanks to God for that, and for this servant 
 of the Lord especially. Do not many of you owe 
 even your very souls to him and them, under God ? 
 Doth not this numerous assembly and your great 
 affection shew 'it ? Yes, surely. Yet while you 
 mourn give thanks to God, and that from your 
 hearts, that you ever knew him. ' What ! give 
 thanks now ? ' Yes, old and great mercies must 
 be thankfully remembered. 
 
 2. Rejoice, and give thanks to God, for the 
 glory that we hope he now enjoys. 
 
 Weep not for him, but " weep for yourselves." 
 Do you not, many of you, remember that excellent 
 sermon t he preached on those words, not much 
 
 * An interesting account of the ministers here men- 
 tioned, may b^ seen in the last chapter of P. Henry's Life, 
 and in the Nonconformist's Memorial, vol. III. 
 
 t The heads of it are preserved in the ' Life of Mr. 
 
^5 
 
 above a year ago, at the funeral of that holy, 
 useful man, Mr. William Lawrence of Wem ? I 
 say, of that active, humble, understanding man, 
 who, I may affirm, without offence, hath left few 
 of his rank equal to him. O how good is it to 
 remember such ! Do you not, I ask, remember 
 the excellent sermon preached by him who is noAv 
 deceased? Yes, you remember it. Many of 
 you have it in your books *; many of you, I hope, 
 in your hearts. Then, then he preached his own 
 funeral sermon — " Weep not for me, but weep for 
 yourselves." We ought not to weep for him now, 
 but to rejoice and give thanks for him. The 
 primitive Christians used to bury their holy ones 
 with hymns and psalms of joy. Chrysostomf, in 
 his fourth Homily on the Hebrews, saith : " We 
 are to glorify God, and give thanks to him, that 
 
 Samuel Lawrence.' See M. Henry's Miscellaneous Works, 
 edition 1811, p. 800. 
 
 * Their sermon books are here referred to. Mr. Henry 
 was in the habit of writing the sermons he heard preached 
 from an early period of his life, till within a few years of his 
 death, when the use of spectacles rendered writing not so 
 easy to him. It was a practice he much recommended to 
 others. See his Life, chap. L That great Lawyer and 
 enlightened Christian, Sir Matthew Hale, exhorted his 
 children to adopt this plan. See his Directions concerning 
 the Sabbath. 
 
 + A very eloquent Father of the Church, born at An- 
 tioch, A. D. 347. He died at Comana, in Pontus, 407, set. 
 00. See Cave, and Aikin's General Biog, vol. H. p. 686. 
 
36h 
 
 lie hath crowned the deceased, and freed them from 
 their labours." He chides those tliat mourned and 
 howled (yet the good w^omen stood weeping over 
 Dorcas, and did well). The days of their death were 
 called Natalitia Martyr lun et Sanctorum : The 
 hirth-days of the Saints and Martyrs. And 
 Hierom *, in his Epitaph on Paula f, and in the 
 lives of other holy persons written by him, says : 
 * That at her funeral no shrieks were heard, but 
 multitudes of psalms and hymns were sung in 
 divers languages.' And so should we for our 
 deceased, heavenly brother; that he turned to 
 Christ; that he cleaved to Christ; that he suf- 
 fered for Christ ; that he lived to Christ ; that he 
 overcame the w^orld through Christ; that he la- 
 boured more abundantly than us all ; and that he 
 is pardoned, accepted, and glorified, we trust, 
 through the blood of Christ. — It was not Mr. 
 Henry's righteousness that saved him, nor Mr. 
 
 * This eminent Father was born at Stridon, a city upon 
 the confines of Dalmatia, in the ancient Pannonia. He 
 rnstructed several Roman ladies in piety; Paula, among the 
 rest; who became, under his discipline, rare examples of 
 sanctity. He was the first that wrote against Pelagius. He 
 died in 420, at about 78 or 80 years, or, according to Cave, 
 91. See the great Historical Dictionary, folio, 1694. 
 
 + The disciple of St. Jerom. She is very famous for 
 piety and knowledge. In order the more easily to under- 
 stand the holy Scriptures, she studied with great delight 
 the Hebrew language, and, after exemplifying all Christian 
 virtues, died Jan. 2fl, 404. See the great Hist. Diet. 1G94. 
 
27 
 
 Henry's strength that quickened and upheld him. 
 No : it was the righteousness of Christ, and the 
 strength of Christ. And it is Christ who, we 
 ti'ust, hath now gloriously crowned him : to Him 
 be the praise. I the more willingly mention this, 
 because when we speak of such good men, we find 
 ourselves apt to ascribe all to their strength, and 
 goodness, and righteousness. We are very apt to 
 do this. But miserable had our holy friend been, 
 had he done so; and far from being holy and 
 happy now. In his discourses, and sermons, and 
 letters, he ascribed all to the grace of Christ, and 
 made him his All in All. Let us therefore glorify 
 God in him. 
 
 3. Bewail your loss, yet so as to have hope in 
 God. — Bewail the general loss, and your own loss 
 in particular. He is a general loss many ways. 
 How did he pray for the public ! to instance in one 
 particular. You know it well : how faithfully, 
 how earnestly, how feelingly ! And I have been 
 told, that on the last Lord's day he gave notice 
 three times, (once in the morning, and twice in the 
 afternoon,) of the public fast that was to be kept, 
 and was kept yesterday. Such a desire he had to 
 keep it ; and it was the first day that you fasted 
 in that manner without his spiritual and enlivening 
 help. 
 
 Bewail your own loss in particular. I need 
 not tell you how great it is. You fed it more 
 
28 
 
 than I am able to express it. But O what re- 
 joicing is there in many, that he is gone ! — that the 
 Puritan, the Schismatic is gone : — but do you say, 
 " Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy : when I 
 fall I shall arise, when I sit in darkness the Lord 
 shall be a light unto me. I will bear the indigna- 
 tion of the Lord, because I have sinned against 
 him, until he plead my cause." This, I hope, 
 you may in some measure apply to yourselves : 
 though your concerns are far below those of the 
 Church mentioned there. 
 
 4. Seek out for a supply. 
 
 It is not enough to mourn and sit still, but you 
 should be up and doing, in your places. There- 
 fore seek for a supply by your pfayers. Seek it 
 by your inquiries ; seek it by your interest ; and 
 by your purses. You have had a cheap Gospel 
 hitherto. God sent you one that could preach 
 freely ; and, which is more, would do so too : he 
 sought not yours, but you. He read in the Pro- 
 phet Zechariah, " Smite the Shepherd, and the 
 sheep will be scattered." Oh! say some, now 
 they ivill be scattered, now that meeting will be 
 broken up — there is an end of that. Therefore ye, 
 my brethren, and all of us, pray that God will 
 raise up others like him : like Taylor, Parsons, 
 Steel, Lawrence, and Porter, &c. Pray that God 
 will raise such out of all places : out of schools 
 and universities; out of families, and out of 
 
29 
 
 courts too, as this our brother was, and to give you 
 one of them. 
 
 5. Take heed of Uking no preacher, now he is 
 gone. — This is a usual fault among many that 
 have had excellent ones. I have seen it. I have 
 heard of it. Nobody can please them. Take 
 heed of this, my brethren, and I trust you will. 
 You know, people may live and thrive by coarser 
 fare; and oftentimes God blesses weaker means, 
 and makes souls live and thrive under them. 
 
 6. May I add a sixth direction ? — " Hold fast 
 that which you have." 
 
 This counsel was given to the best of the 
 churches of Philadelphia, and therefore may well 
 be given to you. And the Apostle, writing to 
 Timothy, saith : " That good thing which is com- 
 mitted unto thee, keep, by the Holy Ghost which 
 dwelleth in us." " By the Holy Ghost which 
 dwelleth in us," — not by our own proud free-will 
 and strength. " That good thing which is com- 
 mitted to us" — that savouriness of heart — that 
 heavenly-mindedness — that love to Christ, and to 
 the saints, to all saints, and to all men — that 
 knowledge of the truth ; and in particular, keep to 
 his sober principles. Remember, I pray you, 
 that remarkable speech to his dear son, a little 
 before he departed. Exhorting him to go on and 
 to do worthily in the ministry, he added, ' Follow 
 peace and holiness, and let men say what they will.' 
 
so 
 
 A worthy saying, and answerable to the course of 
 his life. Let it be engraven on your hearts. Now 
 he is gone, strive to have these things always in 
 remembrance. Take heed of falling off. Take 
 heed of falling aM'ay. The world will draw you, 
 and Satan will tempt you, and your own base 
 hearts will be apt to betray you ; but go on hum- 
 bly and honestly in the sti'ength of Christ, and 
 fear not. Be not like those Jews that turned 
 aside when John Baptist was dead. " He was 
 a burning and a shining light, and ye were willing 
 for a season to rejoice in his light." The Lord 
 keep you from being such, and give you to go on 
 to his heavenly kingdom*. Remember the three 
 doctrines. Remember the example of this your 
 holy and beloved Pastor, And remember those 
 few exhortations I have left with you. And the 
 God of mercy grant that you and I, and all of 
 us, may get some spiritual advantage by this our 
 meeting to-day ; and be somewhat better by our 
 mourning at the decease of our dear and honoured 
 friend. 
 
 * The preceding exhortations were introduced, in an 
 abridged form, into P. Henry's Life, chap. IX. 
 
EIGHTEEN 
 
 SERMONS 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. PHILIP HENRY, M. A. 
 
SERMON I. 
 
 PSALM xxiii. 1. 
 The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want. 
 
 In these words are held forth to us two things ; — 
 
 I. A sweet relation between a true believer 
 and his God : — " the Lord is my shepherd." 
 
 II. The comfortable improvement that faith 
 makes of that relation : — it being so, " I shall not 
 want." 
 
 From hence note this in general : Whatsoever 
 relation a believer stands in to God, he may 
 assure himself of all the good which that relation 
 carries in it. Is he thy Father, and art thou his 
 child ? Be sure he will take a care for thee, and 
 pity and spare thee. Is he thy Master, and art 
 thou his servant.? Be sure he will reward thee 
 for all thy work and labour of love shewn to his 
 name. Is he thy husband, and art thou married to 
 him ? Be sure he loves and delights in thee. Is 
 he thy shepherd, and art thou one of his sheep ? 
 Be sure thou shalt not want. " The Lord is my 
 shepherd ; I shall not want." 
 
34 
 
 By adding one proposition to these two, there 
 will be made an entire syllogism. Thus : Those 
 whose shepherd the Lord is, shall not want : the 
 Lord is my shepherd : therefore I shall not want. 
 
 I shall prove the major in the ensuing discourse 
 by way of doctrine ; and, in the application, direct 
 how to make the assumption, and how to draw 
 forth the conclusion for the comfort of believers. 
 
 DOCTRINE : Those whose shepherd the Lord 
 is, shall not want. 
 
 " O fear the Lord, ye his saints : for there is 
 no want to them that fear him." Psalm xxxiv. 9. 
 * Where is the godly man that can say, and say 
 truly, he wants nothing f" They that seek the Lord 
 shall not want ony good thing." Psalm xxxiv. 10. 
 " No good thing will he withhold from them that 
 walk uprightly." Psalm Ixxxiv. 11. Nothing that 
 is really, spiritually good. Many things seem to 
 us to be good, that indeed are not so. This the 
 Lord knows. Those who fear the Lord find 
 their desires cooled and moderated : in this sense 
 they thirst no more. " They shall not want." 
 
 1. They shall not want protection. — One main 
 part of a shepherd's care is, that his sheep may 
 be in safety. They are by nature very fearful 
 creatures; have many enemies ; and, witlial, are 
 
35 
 
 very weak. The people of God are in the world 
 as a flock of sheep compassed about with dot's 
 and wolves. But here is their privilege, the Lord 
 hath undertaken their defence. 
 
 (1.) In regard of outward things; their per- 
 sons, estates, relations, all their concerns. — " The 
 very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear 
 ye not, therefore : ye are of more value than many 
 sparrows." The most provident shepherd that is, 
 doth not know how many locks of wool are upon 
 each of his sheep. Much may be torn from them 
 by dogs, and much by briers and thorns in hedges, 
 which they cannot help. But our Shepherd in 
 heaven will secure us — even the very hairs upon 
 our heads. — So for their estates. The devil said 
 to God concerning Job, " Hast not thou made 
 an hedge about him, and about his house, and 
 about all that he hath on every side ? " Round 
 about — not on one side only. ' But a hedge may 
 be torn up, or broken through.' " As the moun- 
 tains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is 
 round about his people from henceforth even for 
 ever." A wall of hills. ' But the highest moun- 
 tains that are may be scaled,- men may climb 
 over them.' See, therefore, Zech. ii. 5 : " I, 
 saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall oi fire 
 round about" — -that men cannot get over. It is 
 customary with shepherds to make fires about 
 their folds in the night, that wild beasts may not 
 D 2 
 
36 
 
 come at them. O how secure may the sheep of 
 Christ be on this account ! " Thou, O Lord, art 
 a shield for me. I laid me down and slept; I 
 awaked, for the Lord sustained me. I will not 
 be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set 
 themselves against me round about." And here, 
 in this Psalm : " Though I walk through the valley 
 of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for 
 thou art with me ; thy rod and thy staff they comfort 
 me." When one said to Luther*, at the begin- 
 ning of the Reformation, ' Shortly the Emperor will 
 invade Germany, and where will you be then?' 
 
 * Dr. Martin Luther, the celebrated Reformer, was 
 born at Eisleben, in Saxony, Nov. 10, 1483, and died there, 
 Feb. 18, 1546. " His life," says Atterbury, " was a con- 
 tinual warfare ; he was engaged against the united forces of 
 the Papal world ; and he stood the shock of them bravely, 
 both with courage and success. He was a man of high 
 endowments of mind, and great virtues. He had a vast 
 understanding, which raised him up to a pitch of learning 
 unknown to the age in which he lived. His knowledge of 
 Scripture was admirable, his elocution manly, and his way 
 of reasoning with all the subtlety the plain truths he de- 
 livered would bear. His thoughts were bent always on 
 great designs, and he had a resolution fitted to go through 
 with them. The assurance of his mind was not to be 
 shaken or surprised. His life was holy, and he had no 
 ambition but in the service of God. He was of a temper 
 particularly averse to covetousness, and charitable even to 
 a fault." Epistolari/ Correspondence, vo]. 111.^.449. Dr. 
 Robertson has drawn Luther's character at length, and with 
 his usual ability. See his Works, vol. VF. p. 310. See 
 also his Life by Bower, a well-writt«i and interesting work. 
 
^7 
 
 he answered ; * Either in heaven or under heaven ; 
 either in its possession, or under its protection : it 
 is no matter which ; both are safe and sweet.' Yet 
 here we must take this along with us—if the sheep 
 wander from their place, they are out of the 
 Shepherd's care. While we are doing our duty, 
 we shall be kept in all our ways. Psalm xci. 1 1 . 
 This the devil left out when he tempted our Lord 
 Jesus to cast himself down. Matt. iv. Q. 
 
 (2.) Their souls are under his protection. — 
 Though our outward man be exposed to great 
 variety of dangers, yet not near to so many as 
 our souls are. They are our better part, and there- 
 fore them the devil seeks most to injure. " The 
 devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking 
 whom he may devour." But God is our Shep- 
 herd. When a temptation comes, we have the 
 Name of the Lord as a strong tower to run into, 
 and there we shall be safe. Prov. xviii. 10. St. 
 Paul's counsel to Timothy was this : ''Be strong 
 in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." 
 
 (3.) Their salvation is under his protection. — 
 " I give unto them [Christ's sheep] eternal life ; 
 and they shall never perish, neither shall any man 
 pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which 
 gave them me, is greater than all; and no man 
 is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand." 
 Though the devil may prevail so far as to rob a 
 believer of his peace here, yet do what he will to 
 
38 
 
 him, he cannot rob him of his heaven hereafter. 
 He is " kept by the power of God, through faith, 
 unto salvation." 
 
 .2. They shall not want provision. — Shepherds 
 are very careful to provide good pasture for their 
 sheep. He will provide for them. " Thou shalt 
 dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." 
 Thou shalt have thy constant bread of allowance. 
 He will rather make ravens feed thee, as they did 
 Elijah, than see thee starve. If our hearts were 
 settled in the belief of this, it would be a means 
 of freeing us from much perplexing care. Luke 
 xii. 29 — 32. Sheep, you know, will make shift 
 to pick food where your other cattle, horses and 
 kine and oxen, cannot. They can graze upon 
 the tops of hills and barren mountains, or in fal- 
 low fields, and do well enough. The people of 
 God, that know what it is to live by faith in the 
 promise, can find that sweetness and contentment 
 in a low, despised condition in the world, which 
 others can never find in such a condition. Thus 
 says St. Paul : " Not that I speak in respect of 
 want; for I have learned, in whatsoever state I 
 am, therewith to be content. I know both how 
 to be abased, and I know how to abound : every 
 where, and in all things, I am instructed both how 
 to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and 
 to suffer need." Thus the Prophet Habbakuk; 
 
39 
 
 " Although the fig-tree shall not blossom, neither 
 shall fruit be in the vines ; the labour of the olive 
 shall fail, and the field shall yield no meat ; the 
 flocks shall be cut off fi-om the fold, and there 
 shall be no herd in the stalls ; yet I will rejoice in 
 the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation." 
 
 The provident shepherd sees need many times 
 of removing his sheep from one field to another ; 
 but still they shall be where it is best for them. 
 Our outward condition is liable to many changes. 
 Sometimes sickness, sometimes health ; one while 
 friends, another while none; in good report, ifi 
 evil report. But, still, here is the godly man's pri- 
 vilege ; "All things shall work together for good 
 to them that love God, to them who are the 
 called according to his purpose." 
 
 This for their outward man. Then for their 
 souls, we may argue more strongly ; surely muck 
 more will he provide for them. Not only for 
 necessity : the flesh and blood of Christ, which is 
 meat indeed, and drink indeed, John vi., without 
 which they cannot live: They shall be fed with 
 knowledge and understanding. Jer. iii. 15. But 
 also for delight : they shall have the comforts of 
 the Spirit : "He maketh me to lie down in green 
 pastures ; he leadeth me beside the still waters. 
 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence 
 of mine enemies : thou anointest my head with oil ; 
 my cup runneth over." f 
 
40 
 
 3. When there is occasion, they shall not want 
 Physic— Of all creatures, there are scarcely any 
 so subject to distempers and diseases as sheep. 
 This the provident shepherd knows, and is there- 
 fore careful in the use of means to prevent, as 
 much as may be, disease ; and what he doth not 
 prevent, he endeavours to cure. When the people 
 of God are under bodily weaknesses, as often they 
 are, the most healthy souls dwelling for the most 
 part in the most infirm bodies, the Lord hath pro- 
 mised to make all their bed in their sickness. 
 Psalm xH. 3. Not to lay their pillow only, but 
 their whole bed, as may be most easy for them. 
 And then for inward distempers, the Sun of 
 Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings. 
 Mai. iv. 2. If they fall and wound themselves by 
 sin, he will make the bones that are broken to re- 
 joice. Psalm li. 8. If their graces languish and 
 decay, he will strengthen the things that are ready 
 to die. Rev. iii. 2. W^e have David's experience 
 in the Psalm whence the text is taken : " He 
 restoreth my soul : he leadeth me in the paths of 
 righteousness, for his Name's sake." " He shall 
 feed his flock Uke a shepherd : he shall gatlier the 
 lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom ; 
 and shall gently lead those that are with young." 
 
 One great cause of diseases in sheep, is the keep- 
 ing of them too long in over-rich pasture. The 
 godly often surfeit upon outward enjoyments ; and 
 
41 
 
 then the Lard cures them, by letting blood in that 
 vein ; by taking that away from them which was the 
 snare to their affections. As when the sheep wan- 
 ders, sometimes the shepherd sends his dog to worry 
 them home ; so doth the Lord by seasonable afflic- 
 tions. " Behold, I will hedge up thy way with 
 thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her 
 paths. And she shall follow after her lovers, but 
 she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek 
 them, but shall not find them : then she shall say, 
 I will go and return to my first husband ; for then 
 was it better with me than now." Hos. ii. 6, 7. 
 He hath given orders likewise to his under-shep- 
 herds, his ministers, to prevent the infection of the 
 whole flock when any one of the sheep is sick. 
 " Warn them that are unruly." 1 Thess. v. 14. 
 " Put away from among yourselves that wicked 
 person." 1 Cor. v. Thus you see wherein God's 
 care is manifested. See most of these together in 
 one Scripture : " Thus saith the Lord God, Be- 
 hold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and 
 seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his 
 flock in the day that he is among his sheep that 
 are scattered ; so will I seek out my sheep, and 
 will deliver them out of all places where they have 
 been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And 
 I will bring them out from the people, and gather 
 them from the countries, and will bring them 
 to their own land, and feed them upon the 
 
4,9 
 
 mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the 
 inhabited places of the country. I will feed them 
 in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of 
 Israel shall their fold be : there shall they lie in a 
 good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed 
 upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my 
 flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the 
 Lord God. I will seek that which was lost, and 
 bring again that which was driven away, and will 
 bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen 
 that which was sick." Ezek. xxxiv. 11 — 17. 
 
 * But what are the grounds of all this care ? ' 
 Partly the Shepherd. He is " the great Shep- 
 herd," Heb. xiii. 10: great in skill and power; 
 and he is " the good Shepherd," John x. 11. And 
 partly the sheep. They are his ow7i proper sheep. 
 Among men, the owner of the flock is seldom or 
 never the shepherd of the flock. He hires others 
 to look to them, as Laban did Jacob. But the 
 Lord looks to his sheep himself, and therefore it 
 is they are so well looked to. " He that is an 
 hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the 
 sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth 
 the sheep, and fleeth ; and the wolf catcheth them, 
 and scattereth the sheep." They are his pasture- 
 sheep— others are the sheep of his common. 
 
 They are his dearly-purchased sheep. The 
 more we pay for any thing, the more tender we are 
 
43 
 
 of it. The Lord hath paid dear for his flock — 
 the precious blood of his only Son. " I am the 
 good Shepherd : the good Shepherd giveth his life 
 for the sheep." See a strange expression, Deut. 
 xxxii. 6: "Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish 
 people and unwise? Is not he thy father, that 
 hath bought thee ? " 
 
 Having thus far acquainted you with the privi- 
 leges which belong to those whose shepherd the 
 Lord is, I am next to acquaint you with the 
 duties that are expected from them. You have 
 heard what God will do for you ; you are now to 
 hear what you must do for God. In the general, 
 you are to labour after all the commendable pro- 
 perties of sheep, that it may appear by your con- 
 versation that you belong to the flock of Jesus 
 Christ. I shall mention five : and they are all such 
 as are, more or less, to be found in every true 
 believer, and may therefore serve as so many marks 
 and trials by which we may judge of our condition. 
 
 1 . Sheep are harmless creatures. — Other crea- 
 tures are often doing mischief: some with their 
 horns, others with their hoofs, others with their 
 teeth. The sheep do hurt to none. The Lord's 
 people should be an innocent, harmless people. 
 " Be ye wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." 
 Matt. X. 16. " Be blameless and harmless." 
 
44 
 
 Phil. ii. 15. We must endeavour to walk inoffen- 
 sively towards all, so as knowingly to wrong none, 
 either by tongue or hand, word or deed. Beware 
 of jeering, reviling, reproaching, and do not 
 countenance those who do so. 
 
 2. Sheep are patient creatures. — Though they 
 do no injuries to others, yet they are very patient 
 when they receive injuries from others. Upon 
 this account, a comparison is made between tlie 
 sheep and our Lord Jesus: "He was oppressed, 
 and he was afflicted; yet he opened not his 
 mouth : he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter ; 
 and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he 
 openeth not his mouth." Of this temper should 
 all the Lord's people be. If God afflict us, either 
 immediately, by himself, or use men as instru- 
 ments, we should kiss the rod. " Finally, be ye 
 all of one mind, having compassion one of 
 another : love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous ; 
 not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing ; 
 but, contrariwise, blessing." If a dog bark at a 
 sheep, a sheep will not bark at a dog. DocVs * 
 Sayings. 
 
 * The Rev. John Dod, the celebrated author of the 
 • Sayings,' was born at Shotlidge, near Malpas, in Cheshire ; 
 and died at Fausley, Northamptonshire, in 1645, aged 9S. 
 He was an excellent Hebrician, a powerful preacher, and 
 an eminent Christian. See Clark's Lives. Middleton's 
 Biog. Evang. vol. HI. p. 171. 
 
•45 
 
 S. Sheep are profitable creatures. — Almost 
 every thing in a sheep is profitable. They are 
 profitable while they live — great increase of wool 
 and lambs. They are very profitable when they 
 die — their skin and their flesh. The Lord's peo- 
 ple should be a profitable people. " Fruitful in 
 good works." Col. i.'lO. " Charge them that they 
 be rich in good works." 1 Tim. vi. 18. They 
 should be always doing good to the souls of men, 
 by reproving, admonishing, instructing; and to 
 the bodies of men, by feeding the hungry, clothing 
 the naked. Alas ! Now-a-days, it is become al- 
 most a piece of Popery to exhort men to good 
 works. We should so live, as that, when we die, 
 there may be a miss of us. Wicked men are 
 called in Scripture, children of Belial, that is, tm- 
 profitable children. 
 
 4. Sheep arc ti^actable creatures. — There doth 
 not need that violence in dealing with them as 
 with other creatures. The very voice or whistle of 
 the shepherd rules them. They hear and follow *. 
 
 * It was a common thing in the East for the shepherds 
 to walk before their flocks, and the slieep to follow, and not 
 be driven, as ours are. The shepherd went before them, 
 calling them, and sometimes singing, but oftener playing 
 upon a pipe, or other musical instrument. That celebrated 
 philosopher, Mr. John Ray, tells us, in his Travels, he saw 
 several instances of the kind. This may illustrate John 
 X. 3, 4, 6. 
 
4^ 
 
 Such should be the disposition of the sheep of 
 Christ. " The sheep hear his voice : and he 
 calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them 
 out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep 
 he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him ; 
 for they know his voice. And a stranger will 
 they not follow, but will flee from him ; for they 
 know not the voice of strangers." John x. 3, 4, 5. 
 They should be ready to good works. 
 
 5. Sheep are sociable creatures. — They delight 
 to be together in flocks; and it is safest for 
 them. It is said, that, if it thunder while a 
 sheep with young is wandering alone from the 
 flock, very fear will make her cast her young, 
 which would not be the case w^ere she with the 
 flock. Many a child of God hath been exceed- 
 ingly wronged by being caught alone. " Be sober, 
 be vigilant ; because your adversary, the devil, as 
 a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he 
 may devour :" T^Va— in the singular number. The 
 devil hath great advantage over us when he can 
 take us single ; and therefore the people of God 
 have great reason to prize fellowship with one 
 another. " Tell me, O thou whom my soul 
 loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest 
 thy flock to rest at noon : for why should I be as 
 one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy com- 
 panions ? If thou know not, O thou fairest 
 
47 
 
 among women, go thy way forth by tlie footsteps 
 of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shep- 
 herds' tents." Wicked men have their fellow- 
 ships, which they delight in, and they call it good 
 fellowship, but it is stark naught. 
 
 To conclude. All the men in the world may 
 be divided into three ranks : — Sheep: those 
 are tme believers ; — Goats : those are the openly 
 profane ; — TVolves in sheep's clothing : those are 
 the close hypocrites. They are said to be the 
 wolves, not goats, because there are no such 
 enemies to sheep. Those do most hate the 
 power of godliness, that have most of the form of 
 godliness. It will concern us to inquire of which 
 sort we are. Only true sheep shall be set at Christ's 
 right hand : the rest shall be at his left. '' And 
 before him shall be gathered all nations : and he 
 shall separate them one from another, as a shep- 
 herd divideth his sheep from the goats ; and he 
 shall set his sheep on his right hand, but the goats 
 on the left." 
 
 Make it sure to yourselves that God is your 
 shepherd. Are you his sheep ? Have you chosen 
 him ? Sensible of your strayings, say, Lord, take 
 the charge of me. "I have gone astray, like 
 a lost sheep : seek thy servant ; for I do not forget 
 thy commandments." Psalm cxix. 176. " Then 
 shall the children of Judah and the children of 
 
48 
 
 Israel be gathered together, and appoint them- 
 selves one Head, and they shall come up out of the 
 land." Hosea i. 11. They shall appoint — that is, 
 consent to God's appointing. 
 
 Have you in any measure the properties of 
 sheep? Are you harmless, patient, profitable, 
 tractable, and sociable ? Make use of your rela- 
 lation: " The Lord is 7?ii/ shepherd; I shall not 
 want." 
 
49 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 GENESIS XXxix. 9. 
 
 Hcno then can I do this great wickedness, and sin 
 against God? 
 
 1 HIS chapter is concerning Joseph, who is here 
 represented to us in the very mouth of a tempta- 
 tion, and yet wonderfully preserved and delivered 
 from it. I say wonderfully. It was no less a 
 wonder, all things considered, for Joseph to be 
 tempted and not to yield, than it was for the three 
 children to be in the fiery furnace and not be 
 burned. But the Lord, that was with them in the 
 fire, was with him also in Potiphar's house, and so 
 he escaped. 
 
 We may consider the temptation itself. — It was 
 to the sin of uncleanness : that sin, which, of all 
 others, we may suppose most suited to Joseph's 
 present age and condition. To his age, as he 
 was young, in the heat and prime of his youth: 
 to his condition, as he was single and unmarried. 
 This was the temptation. The devil studies and 
 knows mankind. In fishing for precious souls he 
 
 E 
 
50 
 
 can tell what bait is most likely to take, and that 
 he makes use of. Wherefore it conceras us to 
 take heed to ourselves, and to watch in an 
 especial manner against those sins which we find 
 most easy to our nature, that Satan may not get 
 advantage against us, for " we are not ignorant of 
 his devices." 
 
 We may consider the tanpter. — It was his 
 master's wife (verse 7.) Had it been another, it 
 had not been so much. This added greatly to his 
 danger, if we look upon him in his present relation, 
 as a servant. Thus he might have reasoned with 
 himself : ' If I yield to my misti'css in her desire, 
 besides the sensual gratification, I shall gain a 
 friend in her. I am in Egypt a stranger ; sold 
 hither ; and such a friend is worth having. On the 
 other side, if I yield not, I must never look for a 
 quiet hour : she will tell tales of me to my master, 
 and I shall be turned out of doors.' — What a 
 temptation was here ! The devil does not only 
 study what temptation to send, but by whom to 
 send. He tempts by such as have most power 
 over us and interest in us. He tempted Adam by 
 Eve ; Job by his wife ; our Lord Jesus by Peter, 
 Therefore in this also we must take heed. 
 
 We may consider his escape. — " He refused, 
 and said unto his master's wife. Behold, my master 
 wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he 
 hath committed all that he hath to my hand ; there 
 
51 
 
 is none greater in his house than I ; neither hath 
 he kept back any thing from me but thee, because 
 thou art his wife : how then can I do this great 
 wickedness, and sin against God ? " Two things 
 struck upon him why he should not yield — ingra- 
 titude against his master, and sin against God. 
 " How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin 
 against God ? " 
 
 DOCTRINE I. Where there is truth of grace, 
 there is unwillingness to sin against God. 
 
 > So it was with Joseph here. He was a renewed, 
 sanctified person ; one that had the truth of grace : 
 and he, when a temptation offered, a very plausi- 
 ble, fair temptation, yet had that within him that 
 turned another way with dislike and disdain. 
 " How can I do this great wickedness and sin 
 against God ? " 
 
 There are two special acts of the will — to 
 choose, and to refuse. As it is with our hands, 
 there are two uses of them : the one, to take 
 things; the other, to put things away. In like 
 manner it is with the will. The corruption of it 
 stands in this, — in our taking the evil, and putting 
 away the good; in choosing sin, and refusing 
 Christ. This is the case of every man till he is 
 effectually called and sanctified, ' Let me have 
 
 Eg 
 
52 
 
 sin,' is his language, 'let who will have Christ let 
 my lust be satisfied ; it is no matter what the com- 
 mand of God is. Give me Barabbas.' As the 
 imagination of the thoughts of the heart is only evil, 
 and that continually ; so the bent and inclination 
 of the will is only toward evil, and that conti- 
 nually. 
 
 But now when the Spirit of grace is given, and 
 the good work is begun, it is no longer so. There 
 is a great and wonderful change wrought: the 
 stream is turned the contrary way: that which 
 was tozmrds sin before, is now against sin. You 
 would think it strange if the brook that runs by 
 the town should quite alter its course, and from 
 henceforward run the other w ay. Why, a stranger 
 thing than that is brought to pass, when a poor 
 soul, formerly addicted to vanity and wickedness, 
 is quite taken off, and now hates and abhors it. 
 This is conversion. " Except ye be converted, 
 and become as little children, ye shall not enter 
 into the kingdom of heaven." Matt, xviii. 3, 
 * What is it to be converted ? ' To be converted, 
 is to be turned, changed. Not only in the out- 
 ward conversation— that is not enough to evidence 
 a man's conversion — but in the inward bent and 
 inclination of the heart. The will is converted. 
 Is thy will converted from sin? Here lies the 
 main of the work. They that shall be saved are 
 
53 
 
 such whose will is converted from sin. This I 
 mean by the doctrine, Where there is truth of 
 grace, there is unwillingness to sin against God. 
 
 I. I shall speak something by way of caution 
 and explication, for the right understanding 
 of this doctrine, in four particulars. 
 
 1 . Notwithstanding the will of a child of God 
 is converted from sin, yet he may and doth sin. 
 
 No mere man, since the Fall, is able, in this life, 
 perfectly to keep the commandments of God ; but 
 doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed. 
 " There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth 
 good and sinneth not." This Paul acknowledges 
 concerning himself: " The evil which I would not, 
 that I do." It was through grace that his will was 
 against sin : it was through corruption, that, 
 notwithstanding that, yet he did sin. This our 
 Lord Jesus pleads for his disciples : " The spirit 
 indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Though 
 they slept, yet it was against their bent and incli- 
 nation. 
 
 2. Though he cannot properly be said to sin 
 wilfully, yet he may and doth sin willingly, not- 
 withstanding the work of sanctification upon his 
 will. 
 
 There is a great difference between sinning 
 
54 
 
 wilfully and sinning willingly. That sin is com- 
 mitted wilfully which is committed with the free 
 and full consent of the will — deliberately, know- 
 ingly, purposely. This is a main ingredient in 
 the sin against the Holy Ghost, according as 
 some understand that of the Apostle : " For if 
 we sin wilfully after that we have received the 
 knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more 
 sacrifice for sins." Though I rather take the 
 meaning to be, If ye will yet continue the cere- 
 monies and sacrifices of the law, after the publish- 
 ing and entertaining of this truth of the priest- 
 hood of Jesus Christ, you must never look for 
 another to die and suffer, but must necessarily 
 perish in your unbelief. 
 
 That sin is committed willingly which hath 
 consent; but it is only a weak, imperfect, half- 
 consent, as it were, with a kind of unwilling wil- 
 lingness. Temptation prevails ; the new creature 
 is overpowered ; lust is too hard for him. As a 
 mariner in a stonn casts his goods into the sea to 
 lighten the ship. He doth it willingly, but he 
 doth it not wilfully. Or as a traveller upon the 
 road, Avhen assaulted by a thief; he gives him his 
 purse, but it is A\ith a kind of unwilling willingness : 
 he is not able to make opposition. So a child of 
 God. Temptation sets upon him as he is going 
 on in his way to heaven; and sometimes he is 
 aware of it, and fights as long as he can; and 
 
55 
 
 after all, it may be, foiled at last. At other 
 times again it surprises him, as David surprised 
 Saul when he took away the spear and the cruse : 
 1 Sam. xxvi. But yet, for all this, the drift and 
 bent of his soul is against sin ; and the foil he re- 
 ceives now makes him fight with the more courage 
 the next time. 
 
 With him that is not renewed, it is not so. It 
 is said of Ahab, he sold himself to work wicked- 
 ness, 1 Kings xxi. 25. Paul was sold ; " I am 
 carnal, sold under sin," Rom. vii. 14. But Ahab 
 sold himself; it was his own voluntary act. 
 
 3. This unwillingness to sin hath not the same 
 growth and sti'ength in all tjie Lord's people. 
 
 Some are weak in the faith, and they resist 
 weakly; yet they do resist. Others are strong 
 men, experienced soldiers in this warfare. It is 
 with this as with every other grace — there are 
 degrees. 
 
 4. The same believer is not always in the 
 same frame in this respect. 
 
 There is a twofold unwillingness. 1 . Habitual. 
 This is always in him, whether he sleep or awake, 
 or whatever he doth: he hath that in his will 
 which is contrary to sin. — 2. Actual. This may be 
 interrupted. Though it may be in him to oppose 
 sin, yet at present little of that opposition may 
 
66 
 
 appear. The ground hereof may be sometimes in 
 the Temptation ; according as it is more or less 
 suitable, or more or less violent. Sometimes it 
 may be in Himself; according as the temper of 
 his spirit is. Now, 
 
 1. After the enjoyment of God in an ordinance, 
 a Christian's unwillingness to sin is heightened ex- 
 ceedingly. As after eating honey the mouth is 
 out of taste to other things ; and as looking much 
 upon the sun dazzles the eye to all sublunary objects 
 for a time : so when the believer has feasted on hea- 
 venly dainties, when he has had a view by faith of 
 the Sun of Righteousness, he has a distaste for 
 earthly things, especially for those which are sinful 
 and vile. How well Peter was resolved after the 
 sacrament! — though it is true, indeed, before 
 morning the impression was worn away : — " Peter 
 answered and said unto him. Though all men shall 
 be offended because of thee, yet will I never 
 be offended." Matt. xxvi. 33, 
 
 Q. While under the hand of God in an afflic- 
 tion, this unwillingness to sin is in general greatly 
 increased. Where there is no grace, in a time of 
 affliction men will be more unwilling to sin than at 
 another time — even the worst of men. Come to 
 them when they are sick, or in pain, and tempt 
 them, though it be to a sin wherein formerly they 
 have been delighted, and they will scarce have 
 patience to hear you, " When he slew them, 
 
57 
 
 then they sought him : and they returned and in- 
 quired early after God. And they remembered 
 that God was their rock, and the high God their 
 redeemer." Psahn Ixxviii. 34, 35. In hke man- 
 ner is it with God's people. As a child, while 
 the rod is over him, is peculiarly careful not 
 to offend ; so it is with them. Not that this 
 is all the cause of their unwillingness to sin, but 
 it proves by accident an occasion to increase it, 
 embittering sin to them the more. 
 
 II. I shall prove the truth of the doctrine, 
 that where there is truth of grace there is 
 unwillingness to sin against God. 
 
 It appears, 1. From the prayers of God's 
 people. 
 
 Prayer is the pulse of the soul. As prayer 
 beats, so we may judge the soul to be sick or well. 
 One " said to Peter, Surely thou art also one of 
 them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee." Matt, 
 xxvi. 73. So it may be said of Christians, their 
 prayer bewrayeth them. 
 
 There are two things ordinarily in the prayers 
 of God's people, which discover their wills are 
 against sin. The one is — those petitions which 
 they put up for strength against sin. When a 
 town expects a siege, and sends up and down 
 beforehand to their neighbours for provision, corn. 
 
58 
 
 ammunition, &c. it is a sign they intend to stand 
 it out. So the Christian seeks Divine help for the 
 combat. David prays for himself, " Strengthen, 
 
 God, that which thou hast wrought for us." 
 Psalm Ixviii. 28. " Let not any iniquity have 
 dominion over me." Psalm cxix. 133. Thus 
 Paul prayed for the Ephesians : " For this cause 
 
 1 bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, that he would grant you, according 
 to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with 
 might by his Spirit in the inner man." 
 
 The other is — those petitions which they 
 put up for deliverance from sin : " O wretched 
 man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the 
 body of this death ? " Rom. vii. 24. What is the 
 meaning of those many hearty sighs and groans 
 after the appearance of Jesus Christ, whom they 
 love and long for, unless it be this, — they are 
 weary of sin ; loath to continue longer grieving 
 the good Spirit of grace ? *' O make haste, my 
 beloved." 
 
 2. From their practices it is also apparent. 
 
 They are such as practise a continual war with 
 sin ; and thence it appears they are unwilling to 
 sin. While a man struggles, and strives, and fights 
 with an enemy, it is a sign how loth he is to come 
 under his power. As before conversion there was 
 struggling, and striving, and fighting against Christ, 
 
59 
 
 which did evidence the enmity of our hearts against 
 him, and made it manifest we were not wiUing that 
 he should reign over us (see Ps. ii. 1 , 2 ;) so after 
 conversion, when the soul struggles, and strives, 
 and fights with sin, it is clear we account it as an 
 enemy, and are unwilling to be servants and slaves 
 to it any longer. 
 
 Now it is thus with all the people of God ; yea, 
 indeed, and with them only. — It is so with them all. 
 Every gracious heart is a scene of struggling — of 
 struggling between grace and corruption, between 
 the new man and the old. And, indeed, it cannot 
 but be so, if we consider their contrariety to each 
 other. They cannot choose but fight. It is as im- 
 possible to reconcile grace and corruption, as to re- 
 concile fire and water. " The flesh lusteth against 
 the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh : and 
 these are contrary the one to the other : so that ye 
 cannot do the things that ye would," Gal. v. 17. 
 " I will put enmity between thee and the woman, 
 and between thy seed and her seed : it shall bruise 
 thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel," Gen. iii. 
 15. The seed of the woman — that is, grace — and 
 the seed of the serpent — that is, sin — can never be 
 made to agree, for God hath put enmity between 
 them. See Luke xi. 21, 22. I might here appeal 
 to the experience of all that fear God, whether they 
 have not found it so. Paul testified it concerning 
 himself, once and again, Rom. vii. And therefore, 
 
60 
 
 by the way, be not discouraged, so as to think thy 
 condition the worse for those conflicts which thou 
 findest in thyself against sin : there is nothing 
 befallen thee but what is common to all believers : 
 rather rejoice. Many are troubled, as Rebecca; 
 " if it be so, why am I thus?" Go on fighting; 
 thou shalt overcome at last. 
 
 It is thus with the people of God only. — It is the 
 privilege of believers, such as are made partakers 
 of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Others are 
 strangers to this combat. Wicked men know not 
 what it means. In the state of innocency, Adam 
 was not molested with it, because he had no sin : 
 in the state of unregeneracy, unsanctified persons 
 are not blessed with it, because they have no 
 grace. 
 
 It may be objected, ' Have not wicked men 
 oftentimes conflicts within themselves, when a 
 temptation is before them, whether they shall yield 
 to it or no ? Not only checks after, but strivings 
 before } ' Yes, doubtless they have. See an in- 
 stance in Balaam, Numb. xxii. 18: "And Balaam 
 answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If 
 Balak would give me his house full of silver and 
 gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my 
 God, to do less or more." What could Joseph, or 
 David, or Paul himself, have said more ? How un- 
 willing was Pilate to pass the sentence upon Christ ! 
 See John xviii. 29 — 38; xix. 4. And yet there is 
 
61 
 
 a vast difference, in divers respects, between the 
 conflicts that are in a regenerate man against sin, 
 and those that are in another. I shall mention 
 some few. 
 
 (1.) They differ in the parties that fight. — In 
 the godly man the conflict is between the Spirit 
 and the flesh. In the other it is not so : only flesh 
 fights against flesh ; there is no grace to make op- 
 position. One faculty fights against another. 
 Conscience, somewhat awakened, dictates thus and 
 thus ; ' You ought not to follow these courses : it is 
 not well done of you to neglect prayer, profane the 
 Sabbath, abuse the good creatures of God, lavish 
 away your time, your estate, your health.' The will 
 is full of stubbornness, and replies ; " I care not ; 
 I will do it. Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we 
 shall die.' Here the conflict is not between grace 
 and corruption, but between the will and the con- 
 science. Set meat before a hungry animal, and let 
 one stand by with a cudgel : the appetite is wholly 
 for the meat, but the animal is afraid of being 
 beaten, and so does not eat. So it is with the un- 
 regenerate man, when tempted to sin : his will is, 
 wholly to sin, but conscience frightens him. Whereas 
 the regenerate man is exactly the opposite. Set 
 meat before a sick man : his will, led by his se7ises, 
 moves him to eat ; but led by reason, he forbears — 
 it will hurt him. 
 
 (2.) They differ in the matter of the quarrel, or 
 
6S 
 
 the thing which they fight about. — In a carnal, uii- 
 regenerate man, the combat is mostly, if not always, 
 about some public, gross sin : whether he shall 
 yield to forswear himself for advantage, commit 
 murder, or the like. But in a believer, the quarrel 
 being taken up against sin as sin, therefore he 
 fights with e'very sin. With spiritual sins : un- 
 belief, pride, hardness of heart, vain thoughts. 
 " Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his 
 heart," 2 Chron. xxxii. 26. " I hate vain thoughts," 
 Ps. cxix. 113. With seci^et sin: such as the 
 world sees not: so Joseph here. With lesser, 
 smaller sins : such as the world sees, but makes 
 no account of: idle, vain, unprofitable discourse, 
 petty oaths. These a gracious heart fights against. 
 
 (3.) They differ in the motives that move them 
 to fight. — A carnal, unregenerate man may oppose 
 sin ; but it is either out of slavish fear, out of 
 love to himself, out of care for his credit, or be- 
 cause, else, conscience will not let him alone, or 
 the like. Here is no love to God, no eye to 
 Christ, nothing of the new nature. And yet it 
 were well if there were more of this in the world. 
 Did men apprehend and believe the ill conse- 
 quences of sin, what will come of it in the end, 
 there would be no small reformation among us. 
 But, " Lord, who hath believed our report ? " — Oh 
 let us learn to look beyond sin ! 
 
 Where grace is, the ground of opposition is 
 
63 
 
 hatred of sin as a dishonour to God. So Joseph : 
 * how shall I ! '—it is a grief to my spirit ; a wound, 
 a stain to my own soul. * Shall /do this?' I, 
 who am under so many engagements ; I, who have 
 received so many mercies ? — ' how shall / do this 
 great wickedness, and sin against God?" 
 
 (4.) They differ in the event and issue of the 
 quarrel. — Notwithstanding all the conflicts that 
 arise in the heart of an unregenerate man about 
 sin, yet he still lives in the ordinary practice of it. 
 Balaam had a combat within himself, whether he 
 should curse Israel or not ; and yet had done it, 
 if God had not over-ruled him. Pilate was loth 
 to condemn Christ, yet he did it. See the case 
 of Saul, 1 Sam. xiii. 12. : " Therefore, said I, 
 the Philistines will come down now upon me to 
 Gilgal, and I have not made supphcation unto the 
 Lord: I forced myself, therefore, and oftered a 
 burnt-offering." 
 
 It may be asked : ' When there is actual re- 
 sistance made against a sin, and yet, after all, we 
 commit it, does this lessen the sin, or make it 
 greater?' In a word, without question it makes 
 it exceedingly greater. There is much presump- 
 tion in such a sin; and presumptuous sins are 
 great sins. Many deal with sin as Samson 
 dealt with Delilah. How often did he leave her, 
 as if he were angry with her, and return again, and 
 . they were as good friends as ever, till she proved 
 
64 
 
 his undoing ! Just so it is with a sinner and his 
 sins, in numberless instances. Whereas, though 
 sometimes a child of God may be worsted, and 
 temptation may be too hard for him, yet for the 
 most part he comes off a conqueror ; as Joseph 
 here : " He refused." 
 
 (5.) There is this difference likewise : An un- 
 regenerate man hath some conflicts within himself 
 concerning sin ; but they are a burden to him : he 
 had rather a great deal be without them than be 
 thus troubled. With the godly man it is not so. 
 He rejoices in it as a mercy, and can bless God 
 from his very soul that there is such a principle 
 within him to fight against sin. 
 
 Use 1 . This informs us w hat kind of life the 
 life of a Christian is — a warfare, a continual war- 
 fare, against many and mighty enemies, and those, 
 too, in our OAvn bosom. 
 
 2. For trial. — Let me ask you, what experience 
 have you had of these conflicts ? Is all at peace 
 within } ' No : I have many strivings ! ' But ex- 
 amine who are the parties — examine into the 
 matter of the quarrel — into the motives that 
 actuate to the fight — observe the event — and 
 search whether you are thankful, or otherwise. 
 
 3. For exhortation—" Be strong in the gi'ace 
 that is in Christ Jesus." We have a good cause : 
 for the life of our souls we struggle. We have 
 
65 
 
 good seconds — God, and Christ, and angels. 
 We shall liave good pay : see Rev. ii. and iii. : 
 " To him that overcometh will I grant to sit 
 with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, 
 and am set down with my Father in his throne." 
 
 I proceed now to observe, that from the op- 
 position, or no opposition, that is made by the will 
 against sin, a sin comes to be either a wilful sin or 
 a sin of infirmity. 
 
 When no opposition is made, but the will is 
 wholly upon it, it is a wilful sin. When there is 
 opposition made, the will is against it, only for 
 want of strength grace is overpowered, it is to be 
 reckoned an infirmity. This in general: but 
 more particularly to shew you when a sin is to be 
 accounted an infirmity, I premise : 
 
 1. In some sense, all sins, by whomsoever and 
 howsoever committed, are infirmities; that is, 
 sicknesses and diseases upon the soul. " Who 
 forgiveth all thine iniquities ; who healeth all thy 
 diseases." Psalm ciii. 3. " And the inhabitant 
 shall not say, I am sick ; the people that dwell 
 therein shall be forgiven their iniquity." Isaiah 
 xxxiii. Q4. 
 
 As diseases disfigure, weaken, and, if not cured, 
 destroy the body, so does sin the soul. If the 
 soul were in perfect health, as Adam's was in 
 innocency, and as the glorified saints' are in heaven, 
 
 F 
 
66 
 
 there would be no sin : and if it had not been for 
 sin, Adam had still been in that state of health. 
 Sickness and death, both of body and soul, came 
 into the world with sin. 
 
 2. A sin of infirmity cannot be so well judged 
 of by one particular act, as by the whole stream 
 and course of a man's conversation. The same 
 sin, though often committed by one, may yet still 
 be reckoned his infirmity; whereas another may 
 but once commit it, and yet in him it may be a 
 wilful sin. 
 
 3. No gross, scandalous sin is to be reckoned a 
 sin of infirmity, strictly and properly. If Joseph 
 had yielded, after all, to tliis temptation, though at 
 first he refused and opposed it, it had not been an 
 infirmity in him, because adultery is a great wick- 
 edness. That is no sin of infirmity which is a 
 great wickedness. Therefore they are mistaken 
 that comfort themselves with tliis, — though they are 
 common drunkards and swearers, yet God passeth 
 it by, because it is their infirmity. If a man be 
 sick of the plague, you will not call it his infirmity. 
 These sins are plagues upon the soul. 
 
 4. No presumptuous sin is to be accounted a 
 sin of infirmity. These two are contra-distinct to 
 each other. A presumptuous sin, properly, is that 
 sin which a man commits hoping to escape un- 
 punished. He knows what his sin deserves — the 
 wrath and curse of God. If he be a child of God, 
 
67 
 
 he knows it will break his peace, and wound his 
 conscience, and expose him, however, to temporal 
 chastisements, though from eternal torments he 
 may be freed; and yet, notwithstanding, he ven- 
 tures : the present profit or pleasure of the sin 
 inveigles him : yea, although thoughts of what may 
 come of it be at that veiy instant cast into his 
 mind, yet he doth it. This is no infirmity : it is a 
 presumptuous sin; a sin with a high hand. " The 
 soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he 
 be bora in the land or a stranger, the same re- 
 proacheth the Lord ; and that soul shall be cut off 
 from among his people. Because he hath despised 
 the word of the Lord, and hath broken his com- 
 mandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his 
 iniquity shall be upon him." Numb. xv. 30, 31. 
 He sins presumptuously that sins because he 
 will sin. Many think it a brave spirit to say, I 
 will do it : I will, and I care not. See 1 Sam. 
 viii. 19; Exod. xv. 19; Isa. xiv. 13, 14. Were 
 there no will, said Bernard*, there would be no 
 hell. God will be as wilful as you : " With the 
 
 * St. Bernard, one of the Fathers of the Church, and 
 Abbot of Clairvaux, was born near Dijon, Sin Burgundy, 
 1091. He was of great celebrity. " His mind was cast in 
 a peculiar mould. Sequestered habits, ascetic practices, 
 devotional ardour, and the contemplation of celestial ob- 
 jects, could alone occupy his thoughts." He died A. D. 
 1153. — See Beriugton's Literary History of the Middle 
 Ages, p. 278. 
 
 F 2 
 
68 
 
 froward thou wilt shew thyself froward." Ps. 
 xviii. 26. 
 
 5. No reignmg sin is to be accounted a sin of 
 infirmity. The Apostle counsels us, " Let not 
 sin 7'eigJi in your mortal body, that ye should obey 
 it in the lusts thereof." 
 
 There is a two-fold reign of sin In some, sin 
 
 reigns as a kwg, with free consent and full sub- 
 jection of the soul. So in wicked men ; they make 
 provision for the flesh. — In others, sin reigns as a 
 tyrant : power it hath, but it is a usurped power. 
 As when a people live under a government towards 
 which they are disaffected, they could wish with 
 all their hearts they were from under the yoke, and 
 are therefore ready upon the least occasion to 
 make insurrections ; but their king is too hard for 
 them. Thus it is with a child of God. He is 
 weary of his corruptions; they are his burden, 
 which he would fain be rid of, but cannot get free : 
 he struggles, and strives, and fights. Sin will not 
 let him be at peace, nor will he let sin be at peace : 
 his will is toward God, 
 
 It may be inquired, ' What are the signs of a 
 reign'mg sin ?' 
 
 1 . That is a reigning sin which all our other sins 
 are made to serve. When sin is gotten upon the 
 throne it will not only exercise a commanding 
 power over the man, soul and body, (Rom. vi. 13,) 
 
69 
 
 but over all its fellows too. No lust shall be 
 further owned and countenanced than it pays 
 tribute to that. 
 
 The great reigning sin among the Pharisees was 
 revenge. They knew not what to do to be re- 
 venged upon Christ, and therefore it took up their 
 thoughts. They met often in consultation. It 
 commanded their purse: they bargained with 
 Judas for thirty pieces of silver to betray him. 
 For the sake of this they nourished their hypocrisy. 
 If a man's reigning sin be love of the world, swear- 
 ing, lying, cheating, sabbath-breaking — all are for 
 the sake of it, which ever it be. Though it is 
 true there may be many reigning sins in one heart, 
 yet commonly all are subordinate to one. It is 
 the sinner's misery to serve many masters. See 
 Titus iii. 3. 
 
 2. That sin which doth most frequently tempt, 
 and tempting does most easily take, is a reigning 
 sin. Some sins the devil is obliged to cook with a 
 great deal of art to please the sinner; but a reigning 
 sin needs it not : it carries its own bait with it : it 
 finds the soul like tinder, ready to catch at every 
 spark. The sin that reigned in Balaam was desire 
 of promotion. See Numb. xxii. 17 — 19. The sin 
 that reigned in Judas was covetousness. 
 
 3. When a sin hath engaged a man in incon- 
 veniences, and yet notwithstanding is courteously 
 entertained, it is a reigning sin. Love to Delilah 
 
70 
 
 reigned in Sampson, and therefore, though she had 
 betrayed him three times, yet he could not choose 
 but tell her at last where his strength lay. Judges 
 xvi. 6,.&c. Though the ass spoke to Balaam, 
 though the angel met him, yet he goes on. When 
 a man hath smarted for his drunkenness, and 
 brought a disease upon him, and yet continues the 
 sinful practice, that is his reigning sin. " They 
 have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not 
 sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: 
 when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.'' 
 Prov. xxiii. 35. 
 
 Use. — Exhortation : Let not sin reign in thy 
 soul. It must needs have a place there while 
 thou art in the world, but let it not have a throne 
 there. 
 
 Consider 1 . What a dishonour it is to a man ta 
 serve sin. The baser and more ignoble he is whom 
 we serve, the baser and more ignoble is the ser- 
 vice. It was Ham's curse to be a servant of ser- 
 vants. Now what is so base as a base lust, be it 
 what it will — uncleanness, drunkenness; — to be 
 at the beck and command of it — where that says 
 Go, we go ; Come, we come. It is below a man. 
 
 2. In serving sin thou servest the devil too. 
 Where sin hath dominion the devil hath dominion. 
 Eph. ii. 2. O how should this affect us! Shall I 
 engage myself in the devil's service ! To have the 
 
71 
 
 body possessed by legions of unclean spirits was 
 sad, but much more sad is it to h^ve the soul pos- 
 sessed by sin. 
 
 3. Consider what wages will sin and Satan 
 give their servants. If a service be hard and te- 
 dious, yet if the pay be good it is some encourage- 
 ment. Thus Jacob served for Rachel. But know, 
 sinner, " the wages of sin is death." O how 
 canst thou choose but fly from such a master as 
 will give thee no other reward in the end but 
 everlasting chains of darkness ! 
 
 4. Consider, in serving sin thou refuses! all 
 that liberty, and sweetness, and peace which are 
 to be had in serving the living God. Two mas- 
 ters thou canst not serve : if thou cleave to the 
 one, thou must renounce the other; and in so do- 
 ing you forsake your own mercies. O therefore 
 call to Him who hath an ear open for the op- 
 pressed ! 
 
 A word to those that are made free by Christ. 
 Rejoice in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made 
 you free. Bless God. It was a happy day of 
 jubilee. Stand fast in it. Gal. v. 1. 
 
 I shall now give some positive marks of a sin 
 of infirmity. 
 
 1. That is a sin of infirmity which is against 
 the constant stream of a man's resolutions, prayers, 
 and endeavours. — Against his resoliUions : not 
 
7S 
 
 purposes only. 'Tis one thing to purpose ; it is 
 another thing to resolve. A purpose is a weak 
 resolution : a resolution is a firm purpose. Now 
 when the heart is bent and resolved against a sin, 
 and that not by fits only, and in some good mood, 
 but constantly and habitually, and yet notwith- 
 standing the sin be committed, it is a sin of in- 
 firmity. 
 
 Against his prayers. When a man calls in for 
 help from heaven, and in every prayer still this is 
 one request, — Lord, pull down my pride, or subdue 
 my passion: '' O wretched man that I am! who 
 shall deliver me from the body of this death ? " 
 when, if Christ should come in person and say, 
 what shall I do for you } Lord, that this lust may 
 be mortified. In such case, when sin is com- 
 mitted, it must be a sin of infirmity. 
 
 No doubt, a man that hath no grace may have 
 some kind of desires that he could leave his sin, 
 but they come to nothing : faint, feigned desires. 
 Cold wishings are desires in his heart, but they are 
 not the desires of his heart. As Austin, he is 
 afraid lest his prayer should be heard — not yet, 
 Lord, not yet. 
 
 Against his endewcours^ Resolutions and 
 prayers not seconded with endeavours, signify 
 nothing ; but when, besides these, a man sets him- 
 self in the use of means to get his lust under — as 
 fasting, watchfulness — yet, after all, he fall into the 
 
1^ 
 
 sin, it is a sin of infirmity. Endeavourless prayers 
 are like to be as unsuccessful as prayerless endea- 
 vours. It was folly in him, who, when he had 
 said his prayers in the morning, would then con- 
 clude himself safe — now, Satan, do thy Avorst. 
 But when both go together — Moses in the mount 
 praying, and Joshua in the field fighting — and yet 
 Amalek prevails, and yet nevertheless the sin be 
 committed, it must be a sin of infirmity. 
 
 2. That is a sin of infirmity, which, after it 
 is committed, is a man's constant grief, and shame, 
 and burden. 
 
 His grief. — When a man reflects upon what he 
 hath done, and hath no remorse in his conscience, 
 no sense of the dishonour done to God; tlmt 
 was no weakness. But when his heart melts at 
 the thought of it — as Peter, when Jesus looked 
 back upon him — it is a sign such was a sin of 
 infirmity. 
 
 His shame. — There is a two-fold shame. There 
 is the shame of a thief when taken. Such may be 
 where there is no grace. Jer. ii. 26. There is the 
 shame which seizes upon a man that is fallen in 
 the dirt : he is ashamed to come where cleanly 
 people are till he hath washed himself. So it is 
 Avith a child of God. It is one thing to be made 
 ashamed : it is another thing to take shame. 
 
 His burden. — An infirmity is such a sin as 
 keeps a man low and humble, and that constantly. 
 
And this is one end why the Lord hath left thes<J 
 Canaanites" to be thorns in our eyes, and goads in 
 our sides, to abase and humble us : we should 
 €lse be puffed up. And when it hath this effect, 
 a blessed end is answered. As in bodily infir- 
 mities : suppose stammering, the party is not so 
 forward to speak as others : so the Christian is 
 kept diffident and humble by his infirmities. 
 
 3. Infirmities are such sins as are incident to 
 all the saints. Some such , there are, as vain 
 thoughts, distmctions in duty ; there is not a child 
 of God in the world that is wholly free from them. 
 Now supposing them, as before stated, against the 
 stream and current of thy daily serious resolutions, 
 prayers,, and endeavours, and matter of grief, 
 shame, and burden to thee — be not discouraged. 
 But if otherwise, they will prove wilful sins. 
 
 4. Infirmities are such sins as a man cannot 
 avoid. Those first risings of corruption in the 
 heart, antecedent to all approbation from the judg- 
 ment or consent from the will ; those inordinate 
 motions, a thousand thousands of which pass us in 
 a day — like the cup in Benjamin's sack, which he 
 knew not of — are forbidden in the Tenth Com-r 
 mandment. These are put by God upon the 
 score of our infirmities, supposing them against 
 the stream and current of our resolutions, prayers, 
 and endeavours, and our grief, shame, and burden. 
 For pardon of tliese David prays: "Cleanse 
 
75 
 
 thou me from secret faults," Psalm xix. \^. Sec 
 Paul's complaint, Rom. vii. 21—23. 
 
 5. He that sins through infirmity, will not only 
 bear with a reproof, but will love the reprover. 
 It is a good sign the stream and bent of a man's 
 heart is against sin, when he can heartily say, 
 " Let the righteous smite me ; it shall be a kind- 
 ness : and let him reprove me ; it shall be an ex- 
 cellent oil, which shall not break my head." Ps. 
 cxli. 5, Suppose two men Avounded : the one by 
 thieves ; the other, as is said some beggars will do 
 to move pity, by their own hands. Offer salves 
 and plaisters to them : the former will count it a 
 kindness ; the latter had as soon be without them. 
 Here is the reason : the wounds of the former 
 are their infirmities; those of the latter their choice. 
 So here : if sin be thy choice, it is not thy infir- 
 mity ; but otherwise, if not thy choice. 
 
 6. Where a man's sin is his infirmity, he is full 
 of fears lest it be worse. ' Oh,' saith the poor soul, 
 ' if I were but sure my sins were my infirmities, I 
 could believe the pardon of them, and could lift 
 up my head, and walk cheerfully, notwithstanding 
 them ; but I am afraid they are presumptuous, wil- 
 ful sins ; and for such there is no sacrifice ! ' Know 
 for thy comfort, this day, this very fear of thine 
 is a good evidence they are but thy infirmities. 
 ' Oh, but I often fall into them.' Tliough thou 
 dost, yet, notwithstanding, they may be but thy infir- 
 
76 
 
 initics. It is true, indeed, relapses are dangerous 
 to the soul, and a great grief and provocation to 
 God. When a man is no sooner up, but down 
 again, it is, in some sense, to repent of repent- 
 ance ; and yet such, especially where the sin is 
 not gross and scandalous, may consist with truth of 
 grace. The disciples, after warning, slept once 
 and again. It was their infirmity; and Christ 
 pitied them for it: see Matt. xxvi. This is a 
 truth — abuse it not, at your peril ! 
 
 Whereas, on the contrary, when men will 
 cloke and excuse even gieat wickedness with 
 this ; ' I cannot help it, it is my infirmity : I swear 
 and drink, to be sure ! ' — these are not infirmities. 
 — ' Why,' such will say, ' they orre my infirmities ; 
 for I find I strive against them.' There may be 
 strivings in the commission of even a wilful sin. 
 Pilate strove; and yet will you say it was his 
 infirmity that he condemned Christ? It rather 
 greatens the sin. — ' But surely it is my infirmity, 
 for I am sorry for it afterwards.' So was Esau, 
 when he had sold his birthright; so was Judas, 
 when he had sold Christ. 
 
 Every qualm of conscience for sin is not godly 
 sorrow for sin. Look, therefore, what is the con- 
 stant frame of the soul. A man may have a 
 variety of clothes, some worse, some better ; and 
 yet every day he wears those which he cares not 
 who sees him in. So it is with a Christian : 
 
77 
 
 though his heart may be in a better frame at some 
 times than at others, yet he is always right in this, 
 he hath an inward hatred against sin. " Whoso- 
 ever is born of God doth not commit sin; for 
 his seed remaineth in him : and he cannot sin, 
 because he is born of God." The evil which he 
 doth he would not do. 
 
 Use, Comfort to God's people in reference to 
 their infirmities.— Though there be much evil in 
 them, Jesus Christ will not cast thee off because 
 of them. " Like as a father pitieth his children, 
 so the Lord pitieth them that feai' him." Psalm 
 ciii. 13. What father is so unnatural as to cast 
 off his child because of some infirmity.? When 
 he sends him on an eiTand : being weak, he stum- 
 bles and falls, and gets up again, and goes on 
 about his business. Will he not pity ? It is Lu- 
 ther's comparison : suppose a man have a wart on 
 his hand, will he therefore cut off his hand ? Be- 
 lievers are members in the body of Christ, and 
 their infinnities are their warts. Abraham, Isaac, 
 David, all had their warts ; and yet they were not 
 cast oflf— they were accepted. " We have not an 
 high priest which cannot be touched with the 
 feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points 
 tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Heb. 
 iv. 15. Then, 
 
 1. If Jesus Christ bears with us imder our in* 
 
firmities, so should wc likewise with our brethren- 
 Rom. XV. 1 ; Gal. vi. 1,2. 
 
 2. Learn to bear with infirmities in the things 
 of Christ, seeing he bears with us. As in the 
 administration of ordinances— suppose preaching 
 the word — let the sermon be never so good, if 
 the preacher have any infirmity in his speech, or 
 otherwise, it is not regarded. O consider : doth 
 Christ receive duties from me, though compassed 
 with infirmities, and shall I refuse a message from 
 him, because it be not delivered exactly as I like } 
 He eats the honey-comb with the honey (Sol. 
 Song V. l), and shall we be nice and dainty ? * 
 
 3. So likewise in reference to afflictions ; how 
 contented and patient should it make us ! God 
 
 * As Mr. Henry was an admirer of Mr. George Her- 
 bert's Poems, and sometimes quoted them, in his. Sermons, 
 the following lines of his may have their use. From the 
 " Church Porch." 
 
 " Judge not the' preacher; for he is thy judge. 
 If thou mislike him, thou conceiv'st him not. 
 God calleth preaching, folly. Do not grudge 
 To pick out treasure from an earthen pot. 
 
 The worst speak something good. If all want sense, 
 God lakes the text, and preacheth patience. 
 
 " He that gets patience, and the blessing which 
 Preachers conclude with, hath not lost his pains. 
 He that, by being at church, escapes the ditch 
 Which he might fall in by companions, gains. 
 He that loves God's abode, and to combine 
 With saints on earth, shall one day with them shiue. 
 
79 
 
 bears with much in our services, and can we bear 
 with nothing in his — not so much as a threat or a 
 jeer ? " Despise not the chastening of the Lord, 
 neither be weary of his correction : for whom the 
 Lord loveth he correcteth ; even as a father the 
 son in whom he delighteth." 
 
 *' Jest not at preachers' language or expression." 
 How know'st thou, but thy sins made him miscarry? 
 Then turn thy faults and his into compassion. 
 God sent him, whatsoe'er he be. Oh tarry. 
 And love him for his Master. His condition. 
 Though it be ill, makes him no ill physician." 
 
 See tlie note at the end of Sermon XVI. 
 
80 
 
 SERMON III, 
 
 REV. iii. 14 — 18. 
 Atid unto the angel of the church of the Lao- 
 diceans write; These things saith the Amen, the 
 faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of 
 the creation of God. I know thy ivorks, that 
 thou art neither cold nor hot : I would thou wert 
 cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, 
 and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of 
 my mouth. Because thou say est, I am rich, and 
 increased with goods, and have need of nothing ; 
 and knowest not that thou art wretched, and 
 miserable, atid poor, and blind, and naked. 
 
 1 HIS epistle concerns the whole church, but is 
 sent to the minister — to the angel. 
 
 DOCTRINE I. If any thing be amiss in the 
 churches, Jesus Christ will require it at 
 the ministers' hands. 
 
 You may think, it may be, Let us look to our- 
 selves, and let them look to themselves ; but you 
 
81 
 
 are mistaken : we must give an account. " Obey 
 them that have the rule over you, and submit 
 yourselves ; for they watch for your souls, as they 
 that must give an account ; that they may do it 
 with joy, and not with grief." 
 
 Of all kinds of murder, soul murder is the 
 ti'orst. It is better twenty bodies were murdered, 
 than one soul. Now see the love of Christ for 
 souls — his care for souls : " Unto the ancfel of the 
 
 o 
 
 church of the Laodiceans write," &c. 
 
 DOCTRINE II. It is a great mercy that Jesus 
 Christ will write his mind to his church. 
 
 He doth not only tell them what was amiss, 
 though that were much, and more than we will do 
 many times : if an injury be done to us, we smother 
 it, and lay it up ; whereas we ought to go and tell 
 the offender of his fault: Matt, xviii. 15. But he 
 hath written to us. Our condition, in this respect, 
 is better than that of our fathers before the flood : 
 and long after too. They had it by tradition, 
 from hand to hand : we have it a surer way ; 
 not so liable to mistake and corruption : " We 
 have a more sure word of prophecy ; whereunto 
 ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that 
 shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and 
 the day-star arise in your hearts." 
 
 We have it, too, a readier way. Our Saviour 
 
82 
 
 replied to satan's temptations, " It is written." 
 The word is ever near us. Should we hear of 
 such a book in France, written by the great God, 
 O how we should desire to see it ! Say not, 
 " Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it 
 unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? The 
 word is very nigh unto thee : in thy mouth, and 
 in thy heart, that thou mayest do it." 
 
 There is a generation that undervalue the wTit- 
 ten word ; but I doubt not, God will make it 
 honourable when they lie in the dust. Luther 
 wished his books burnt, lest they should hinder 
 the reading of the Scriptures. 
 
 We should look upon the Scriptures as written 
 to us — thee and me. If one be asleep, a gi'eat 
 noise will not awake him so soon as calling him 
 by his name. Count not the written word a 
 strange thing. Hosea viii. 12. It is a great pri- 
 vilege to have it. Rom. iii. 2. It is written to the 
 Church, the court of rolls. Get a transcript of the 
 word into thy heart. Prize the written word. 
 One gave a cart-load of hay for a leaf of the Bible 
 in English. 
 
 " These things saith the Amen, the faithful 
 and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of 
 
 Godr 
 
 Our Lord is here styled the " Amen." — Amen 
 
83 
 
 is a Hebrew word, used in Scripture two ways : 
 nominally, as here and 2 Cor. i. 20 : adverbially, 
 by way of assent, " so be it ;" and by way of asse- 
 veration, as much as " truly." It is, say some, the 
 only word that escaped the confusion at Babel; 
 it being the same in all languages. 
 
 ' How is Jesus Christ the Amen ? ' — The word 
 Amen is derived from a verb that signifies to 
 establish; also, to be true. Jesus Christ is the 
 " Truth," John xiv. 6. He is truth, as opposed 
 to shadows. At him the ceremonial law pointed. 
 " The law was given by Moses, but grace and 
 truth came by Jesus Christ." 
 
 Christ is " the faithful and true Witness." — He 
 is a witness in his doctrine : it is faithful and 
 tme. He is a witness in the conscience by his 
 Spirit : here he speaks truth. 
 
 He is faithful and true. — There is no deceit or 
 falsehood in him. He doth not speak one thing 
 and mean another. 
 
 He is " the Beginning of the creation of God ;'' 
 or, as the Apostle expresses it. Col. i. 15, the 
 " First-born of every creature." He was born of 
 God before the creatures. " The Lord possessed 
 me in the beginning of his way, before his works of 
 old. I was set up from everlasting." Prov. viii. 22, 
 23. — " The Beginning of the creation," that is, 
 the Beginner of it. " For by him were all things 
 created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth 
 g2 
 
84 
 
 visible and imisible ; whether they be thrones, or 
 dominions, or principahties, or powers : all things 
 were created by him, and for him." 
 
 DOCTRINE III. Jesus Christ is as true and 
 faithful as truth and faithfulness itself. 
 
 We read of the Spirit of truth testifying of 
 Christ, John xv. 26. We read of the word of 
 truth, James i. 18. We read of the way of truth, 
 2 Peter ii. £ ; Psalm cxix. 30. 
 
 Now Christ is true and faithful in all his offices 
 and undertakings. He " was faithful to him that 
 appointed him." Heb. iii. 2. He is faithful as 
 an Ambassador from God to us. He is faithful 
 as a Pi'ophet : he teaches the truth, the Avhole 
 truth, and nothing but the truth. He is faithful 
 as a Priest : he was " a merciful and faithful 
 high priest :" he was faithful in dying ; he is 
 faithful in interceding ; he is a faithful and 
 righteous Advocate. 1 John ii. 1. He is faithful 
 as a King : he distributes rewards to his friends, 
 and punishment to his enemm?, faithfully. 
 
 This discovers the evil of unbelief Unbelief 
 denies the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. We have 
 his promise written and sealed, and his oath and 
 pledge for the performance, but unbelief gives 
 him the lie. 
 
 Receive, then, the Gospel. " This is a faithful 
 
85 
 
 saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ 
 Jesus came into the world to save sinners." 
 
 Then be like Christ. Faithful as he i^ faithful. 
 Be so tawards God. The Epistle to the Ephe- 
 sians is directed to the ''faithful in Christ Jesus." 
 " He is Lord of lords, and King of kings : and 
 they that are with him are called, and chosen, and 
 faithful." Rev. xvii. 14. " Well done, good and 
 faithful servant," will be the address to some in the 
 great day. " Be thou faithful unto death, and I 
 will give thee a crown of life." — Be faithful to- 
 wards men. Be just, be honest, be upright. 
 
 ^* / knoiv thy works.'" — This is the preface to 
 all the Epistles. When he commends : " I know 
 thy works." When he reproves : " I know thy 
 works." Those that reprove, ought to know that 
 which they reprove for ; know it to be a fault ; 
 know it to be done by him whom they reprove. 
 Yet sometimes it is lawful to reprove upon report, 
 upon suspicion. 
 
 DOCTRINE IV. All our works are known to 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 Works are either good or evil. Both are knoA\n. 
 " The eyes of the Lord are in every place, behold- 
 ing the evil and the good." 
 
86 
 
 Jesus Christ knows all we have done. Our 
 sins are written in his book, though long since 
 committed; and so exactly, as that he can set 
 them in order. Psalm 1.21. He knows all our 
 duties. Malachi iii. 16, 17. 
 
 Jesus Christ knows all we do. Nothing is hid 
 from him. 
 
 Jesus Christ knows all we will do. " Thou 
 understandest my thoughts afar off." Ps. cxxxix. 2. 
 He knows all the evil, all the good, that we shall 
 do. He knew Hazael would kill his master; 
 that Peter would deny his Lord. 
 
 Jesus Christ knows all we woicld do. He knew 
 the men of Keilah would deliver up David. 
 1 Sam. xxiii. 12. 
 
 Jesus Christ knows all the circumstances of all 
 that we do. He knows what sins are infirmities, 
 and what are wilful — he knows what our ends 
 are. He knows what duties are done in hypo- 
 crisy, and what in sincerity. 
 
 He knows all this because he is God. — God 
 the Creator : "He that planted the ear, shall he 
 not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not 
 see ? " Ps. xciv. 9. He is omniscient, he is omni- 
 present : " Can any hide himself in secret places, 
 that I shall not see him, saith the Lord ? " Jer. 
 xxiii. 24. He has a candle in our bosoms : 
 Prov. XX. 27. He is God the Judge: Ps. xciv. 10. 
 He is the Ruler of the world : there is nothing 
 
87 
 
 done, if good, without him ; and if evil, without 
 his permission*. None but God knows: " I, 
 the Lord, search the heart ; I try the reins." 
 
 He knows all in the most perfect and exact 
 manner imaginable, inside and outside. " Nei- 
 ther is there any creature that is not manifest in 
 his sight : but all things are naked and opened unto 
 the eyes of him with whom we have to do." Heb. 
 iv. 13; Johnii. 25; 1 Sam. xvi. 17. He knows 
 all things infallibly, so as to pass sentence. 
 
 O! that this truth might sink down into our 
 hearts. It is a truth better known than applied. 
 Let us improve it. 
 
 1. In reference to that which is evil. — ' All my 
 evil works are known to Jesus Christ.' Then 
 take heed of doing that which is evil. How much 
 to blame are we, that we think not of this more. 
 O what a curb it would be ! There is a dial in 
 London with this inscription — Cave! Deus videt — 
 Beware ! God sees you. He sees, that is, he ob- 
 serves. " His eyes behold, his eye-lids try the 
 children of men." He sees, he hates sin. Heb. 
 i. 13. " God knoweth the secrets of the heart." 
 
 * On this profound subject, much that is importaut and 
 valuable may be seen in a Sermon entitled " The Divine 
 Glory displayed in the Permission of Sin," by the Rev, 
 J. P. Smith, D. D. ; and especially in " An Essay on the 
 Equity of Divine Government, and the Sovereignty of Divine 
 Grace," by the late Rev. and devout Edward Williams, D.D. 
 both editions. 
 
88 
 
 Ps. xliv. 21. — Remember! He sees me that saw 
 Achan hide the accursed thing — that saw Gehasi 
 run after Naaman — that saw David in his cham- 
 ber — and the woman of Samaria at the well of 
 Jacob. He hears all we say; he knows all we 
 think. You may think well of yourselves, but he 
 searches : " Not he that commfendeth himself is 
 approved, but whom the Lord commendeth." 2 
 Cor. X. 18. Men may think well of you, but 
 " God knoweth your hearts ; for that which is 
 highly esteemed among men is abomination in the 
 sight of God." 
 
 2. In reference to God's people, for their encou- 
 ragement. — Jesus Christ knows all you do. All 
 the good, so as to like and approve. All the 
 stirrings of your graces — your faith, love, patience, 
 zeal. Rev. ii. 2 ; all your meltings, tears, sighs, 
 and groans ; all your prayers and desires, Matt, 
 vi. 32 ; all your alms ; all your strugglings 
 against sin. Now consider. " I know your 
 works." I, who set you on work. If servants' 
 work please their master, what care they what 
 by-standers say ? — I, who am infinitely wise, I ap- 
 prove. No matter what children and fools say. — 
 I, who have wherewithal to reward and recom- 
 pense you. 1 Cor. xv. 58; Matt. vi. 4, 6, 18. 
 The world's approbation will not save us, its cen- 
 sures cannot damn us. — I, who am just, and will be 
 sure to do you right : I, the faithful and true Wit- 
 
89 
 
 ness — I, who love you, and whom you love. No 
 matter what enemies say. — I, who will make all 
 the world approve first or last. Dying men speak 
 well of the ways of God. 
 
 Ther€ are certain seasons when this will com- 
 fort. 
 
 (1.) When we think our work too hard for us. 
 Jesus Christ knows what my work is — it was he 
 that set me on work: the world doth not think 
 Tvhat a burden lies upon me. This will apply to 
 ministers. 
 
 (2.) When our work is secret. Matt. vi. 
 
 (3.) When we are evil spoken of for good works, 
 and have false interpretations given of them. 
 " Behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record 
 is on high. My friends scorn me ; but mine eye 
 poureth out tears unto God." 
 
 (4.)^ When we are well spoken of- — tempted to 
 pride. Jesus Christ knows all my spots. 
 
 (5.) When we begin to be weaiy of well-doing. 
 God remembers and knows all that is past. Sup- 
 pose in praying for some mercy. 
 
 (6.) When mc do not know ourselves. God 
 knows us. 1 John iii. 20. " Lord, thou knowest 
 all things; thou knowest that I love thee." Jolin 
 xxi. 17. 
 
 (7.) When we would know our sins. One said, 
 he would give all his estate for a catalogue of his 
 $bs. Go to God, and say, as one of old, " That 
 
90 
 
 which I see not, teach thou me: if I have done 
 iniquity, I will do so no more." 
 
 " Thou art neither cold nor hot : I would thou 
 wert cold or hot. So then, because thou art luke^ 
 warniy and neither cold nor hot, I ivill spue thee 
 out of my mouth.'' — Here is a charge or indictment : 
 " Thou art neither cold nor hot." Here is the 
 proof of that charge: " I know thy works." 
 Here is also the sentence pronounced : "I will 
 spue thee out of my mouth." 
 
 DOCTRINE V. A lukewarm temper in religion is 
 that which very much offends Jesus Christ. 
 
 It appears it offends him by two things men- 
 tioned here: — his serious wish; " I would thou 
 wert cold or hot:" his sad threatening; " I will 
 spue thee out of my mouth," as that which is 
 nauseous : I will have nothing to do with thee : 
 I will cast thee up, and cast thee off : I will re- 
 move thy candlestick." 
 
 1 . Let us inquire into the nature of this disease. 
 
 What is it to be lukewarm in religion } It is to 
 be neither cold nor hot; that is, neither profane nor 
 religious, neither for godliness nor against it : to 
 be halting between two, God and the world, 
 Christ and sin : to be divided in affection. Its 
 
91 
 
 nature appears by the contrary, which is zeal, 
 a high strain of affections towards God. To be 
 divided in desire towards Christ; to be divided 
 in practice ; indifferent to duties : ^ What need 
 of all this ado?' Jer. xlviii. 10. When a slight 
 excuse ^will put us by duty, it is a sign we are 
 indifferent. When we are forward for a time, and 
 soon weary, we are lukewarm. Mark x. 17. " O 
 Judah, what shall I do unto thee ? for your good- 
 ness is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it 
 goeth away." 
 
 2. Consider the cause of this disease. 
 
 One cause is base flesh-pleasing. Religion, in 
 the power of it, requires self-denial; it requires 
 the crossing of lust. Fear of losing the favour of 
 men, is another cause of it. So is ignorance of 
 the excellency of religion. Now 
 
 (1.) He that is lukewarm finds no inward de- 
 light in drawing nigh to God. A kind of sensual 
 delight he may have. Isaiah Iviii. 
 
 (2.) He that is lukewarm gets not a jot for- 
 ward in religion : he makes no progress. 
 
 (3.) He that is lukewarm makes the world his 
 business, and what he does in religion is but by 
 the bye. 
 
 The more like we are to any thing, unless we 
 be really that thing, so much the worse. An ape 
 is like a man. A bat is like a bird and a mouse, 
 and is devoured by both. So a lukewarm person 
 is disapproved of God and the world. A luk«- 
 
92 
 
 warm profession of religion is easy — no opposition 
 from Satan. 
 
 3. Consider the evil of it. 
 
 It is a dishonour to religion ; it is hypocrisy ; it 
 is deceitfulness. Mai. i. 14. He that is not with 
 religion is against it. It is damnable : those that 
 are zealous in a false way, it is hkely, will fare 
 better than those that are lukewarm in the right 
 way. Besides, it will never do any good to those 
 that stand by. 2 Cor. ix. 2. 
 
 4. Direct you how to cure it *. 
 
 * A company of Christians, about twenty, met together 
 with their minister, in the year 1588, to consider their state 
 as professors of the Gospel. The tirst question proposed 
 was. Whether they had not left their " first love? " I have, 
 said one ; and I have, said another ; and so said they all. 
 The next query was. Wherein ? Upon which a particular 
 account was taken in writing ; in the view of which, the 
 place was Bochim — a place of weeping. But it was asked 
 further, Is there no remedy ? Upou which an affirma- 
 ative reply was made; " Remember from whence thou art 
 fallen, and repent, and do thy first works." Rev. ii. 5. A 
 list was then prepared of proper works to be done : — 
 
 1. That they would fast and pray more than ordinary. 
 
 2. Labour t oknow their hearts better. 
 
 3. Keep their hearts with all diligence. 
 
 4. Attend upon ordinances, with endeavours to profit by 
 them. 
 
 5. Set apart one quarter of an hour every day for secret 
 converse with God. And, 
 
 6. Communicate their proficiency one to another. 
 
 The whole concluded with a solemn covenant in writing 
 to act accordingly. 
 
 Roger's Seven Treatises, p. 477. 
 
93 
 
 Make religion your business. Strive to enter 
 in at the strait gate. Be lively in religion. 
 
 " Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased 
 with goods, and have need of nothing : and knozoest 
 not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and 
 poor, and blind, and naked. 
 
 Here we have, 1 . A lukewarm Christian's good 
 opinion of himself. " Thou say est" — either in 
 thy heart, or with thy tongue boastingly — " I am 
 rich, and increased with goods, and have need of 
 nothing." 
 
 2. The sad condition he is in, whatever he 
 thinks — " wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and 
 naked." 
 
 3. The way to get out of that condition — by 
 coming to Christ. 
 
 DOCTRINE VI. It is a common mistake among 
 professors of religion, to think their con- 
 dition is good, when it is very bad. 
 
 Shew, 1 . The grounds of this mistake. 
 
 (1.) The cunning of Satan. — He has many de- 
 vices to nourish false persuasions of this nature. 
 As the Spirit of God witnesses with God's 
 children, so the evil spirit with formal hypocrites. 
 He transforms himself into an angel of light. He 
 
94 
 
 persuaded our first parents that their condition 
 was not good enough ; and so they undid them- 
 selves, by seeking to better themselves. He being 
 a spirit, has immediate access to the soul. And 
 he is a deceiver, a liar. Rev. xii. 9- 
 
 (2.) Pride and self-love in the heart. — " The 
 pride of thine heart hath deceived thee." Obad. iii. 
 We are loth to know any evil of ourselves ; like 
 some fond parents as to their children. Adam 
 could not endure to see himself naked. 
 
 (3.) Outward prosperity. — "Thou art wearied 
 in the greatness of thy way." Isaiah Ivii. 10. 
 Jer. xliv. 17. Hos. xii. 7, 8. 
 
 (4.) General mercy. — He that made us, will 
 not he save us? Note, when mercy was men- 
 tioned, justice was proclaimed too. Exod. xxxiv. 
 
 (5.) Common Gospel privileges. — "Trust ye 
 not in lying words, saying, The temple of the 
 Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the 
 Lord, are these." Jer. vii. 4. Amos vi. 1. Matt, 
 iii. 9. John viii. S3 — 39. Whereas, " in Christ 
 Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor 
 uncircumcision, but a neiv creature.'" 
 
 (6.) The good opinion which neighbours have 
 of us. — This was what hardened the Pharisees. 
 
 Add to these : comparing ourselves with others 
 who are worse ; — tlie quiet deaths of many such as 
 ourselves; — ignorance: I say I am rich, because 
 I am blind. Counterfeits are mistaken for gold. 
 
95 
 
 Lukewarm persons see few go beyond them, or 
 do more than they do : whereas the best side is 
 inward — you know not what is done in secret. 
 They hear the world cry out against those who are 
 strict, and are terrified. 
 
 Shew, 2. The mischiefs that accompany this 
 mistake. 
 
 (1.) It hardens against all the means made use 
 of for our salvation, both in public and private. 
 The word preached is as an arrow shot against a 
 brazen wall. This is the cause of unsuccessful 
 labours. Matt. ix. 12, 13. Such as these, were 
 they that derided Christ, Luke xvi. 14, 15. Such 
 are the hardest to be converted. Prov. xxvi. 12; 
 Matt. xxi. 31. 
 
 (2.) It is not our good opinion of ourselves that 
 makes our condition any the better. A beggar 
 fancying himself rich, is not a penny the richer. 
 
 (3.) When we come to die, our mistake will be 
 made manifest. Death will tear off the veil. And 
 then, O what shame ! what calling upon the rocks 
 and mountains to hide from the Divine presence, 
 and from those who have heard us say we are rich, 
 lest they should now see our misery ! Then we 
 shall be made to believe what now we will not. 
 Isaiah xxix. 7, 8. 
 
 (4.) God is greatly provoked by our self-de- 
 ceivings. Those who say, " Stand by thyself, 
 come not near unto me ; for I am holier than 
 
96 
 
 thou : these are a smoke in my nose, a fire that 
 bumeth all the day." Isa. Ixv. 5. Deut. xxix. 19. 
 
 Shew, 3. The evidences of a man that sees not 
 his need of Christ. 
 
 He prizes him not. — Had he ever seen himself 
 a sinner, and found relief at the cross of Christ, 
 O what thoughts would he have of the Saviour ! 
 
 He prizes not the means of grace. 
 
 Be willing to suspect your condition. Try it 
 impartially. Inform yourselves aright concerning 
 the nature of God : he is just and righteous ; — 
 concerning your own nature : you were bom in 
 sin ; — concerning the nature of the Law : it is 
 holy and spiritual : and concerning the nature of 
 sin : it is deceiving and destroying. Look into 
 tlie grace of the Gospel. 
 
 Shew, 4. The difference between one who is 
 trull/ rich, and anothei' that only thinks he is so. 
 
 He that is truly rich, maintains holy jealousy 
 over himself—the other doth not. 
 
 He that is truly rich, loves searching truths — 
 the other says, " Prophesy not unto us right things, 
 speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits. 
 
 " Thou art wretched and 7?iiserabk, and poor, 
 and blind, and naked,"" 
 
 All which expressions are heaped together, to 
 set forth the sad condition of a natural man. Note, 
 
97 
 
 God doth many times pass a very different sen- 
 tence concerning us, to what we do concerning 
 ourselves. 
 
 DOCTRINE VII. Every natural man is a wretch- 
 ed, miserable, unhappy man. 
 
 Every natural man — that is, every many in his 
 natural condition ; not effectually called, not born 
 again, not justified, not sanctified, not changed, 
 not regenerate. 
 
 This is true : for God is his enemy, he is in 
 bondage to the devil, and he is in danger of hell 
 every day. He is Ta\aitcu§^, wretched-^Xhe same 
 word as is used, Rom. vii. 24. 'E'Xssmg, a man to be 
 pitied. He is the more miserable, because he is 
 not sensible of his misery. 
 
 This is true of every natural man, of whatever 
 sex, male or female — whatever age, young or old — 
 whatever condition, rich or poor — whatever may 
 be his parts or gifts, whatever may be his profes- 
 sion, and whatever may be his hopes — " Mi- 
 serable and poor'' 
 
 DOCTRINE VIII. Every natural man is a poor 
 man. 
 
 rrrw^o; signifies the extremity of poverty. He 
 is poor, not only comparatively — compared with 
 
 XT 
 
98 
 
 others — hut absolutely. He is poor, not in spirit— 
 that would be a blessing — but poor in spirituals. 
 This is the case, whatever may be his condition in 
 outward things. 
 
 1. He wants necessaries for his soul, Luke x. 42. 
 He has no raiment, no righteousness, to cover him. 
 He is naked, except his own rags. He has no 
 food, neither the bread nor the water of life. He 
 has never tasted any thing but husks — he is in a 
 starving condition. 
 
 2. He employs himself about poor things. 
 The world and sin take up his time and his 
 thoughts. He is a servant of servants : a drudge, 
 a slave. The design he drives at, is a poor one — 
 even the very best and highest — even kingdoms. 
 
 3. He is poor in friends. He has no friend- 
 ship in heaven ; none in his own conscience. 
 
 4. He owes ten thousand talents, and hath not 
 wherewith to pay a farthing. He owes for every 
 mercy : he owes for every sin. — Then, 
 
 (1.) Envy not the unregenerate. Pity them; 
 and the rather, because they pity not themselves. 
 Jesus wept over Jerusalem. Do what you can 
 to help poor wretches out of this condition. 
 
 (2.) Bless God, who hath delivered you out of 
 this wretched condition — you who are changed by 
 grace — and bear his will patiently. 
 
 • (3.) This subject speaks terror to such as are 
 in their natural condition. — When God spake to 
 
 1 
 
99 
 
 Moses as a friend, he trembled. But he is thine 
 tnemy, sinner ! All his attributes — his justice, his 
 holiness, his wisdom, his power, yea, his mercy — 
 are thine enemies. All his creatures — angels, 
 beasts, stones — are opposed to you. " God is 
 angry with the wicked every day." Psalm vii. 11. 
 " It is a fearful thins; to fall into the hands of the 
 living God." Heb. x. 31. There are treasures 
 of wrath reserved for the ungodly. Rom. ii. 5. 
 " The wrath of God is re'vealed from heaven 
 against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of 
 men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness." Rom. 
 i. 18. It is revealed in the Old and New Testa- 
 ment — nay, before either. Jude 14. It is re- 
 vealed in his providence — sometimes in their way, 
 sometimes in their end. See Job xx., &c. 
 
 But to you who are born again, rich in faith, 
 the prospect, as well as your state, is different. 
 " Beloved, noxv are we the sons of God ; and it 
 doth not yet appear what we shall be : but we 
 know that when he shall appear, we shall be like 
 him ; for we shall see him as he is." 
 
 Let me exhort you all to fly to Christ, who is 
 " the way, the truth, and the life :" and, " whoso- 
 ever Cometh to him, he will in no wise cast out." 
 
 H 2 
 
100 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 PSALM Ixxvii. 19. 
 
 Thi/ xmx) is in the sea, and thy path in the great 
 
 xvaters, and thy footsteps «re not knoxvn. 
 
 These words may be understood three ways : — 
 1 . Litey^ally — concerning the sea and the great 
 waters, wherein the way, and path, and foot- 
 steps of God's wisdom, power, and mercy, are to 
 be seen. For as the heavens declare the glory 
 of God, so doth the sea also. It does so in the 
 constant ebbing and floMing of it, which hath puz- 
 zled the wit of man to give a reason of. It does so 
 likewise in the bounds of it : though higher than the 
 earth, yet it is kept from overflowing it : and with 
 what ? Not rocks and mountains ; but sand. " Thou 
 hast set a bound, that they may not pass over ; 
 that they turn not again to cover the earth." Ps. 
 civ. 9. It does so also in the multitudes of crea- 
 tures that are in it, both great and small : " O 
 Lord, how manifold are thy works ! in wisdom 
 hast thou made them all : the earth is full of thy 
 
 I 
 
101 
 
 riches ; so is this great and wide sea, wherein are 
 things creeping innumerable, both small and great 
 beasts." It does so too in the various events 
 that happen to passengers who sail upon it : 
 " They that go down to the sea in ships, that do 
 business in great waters ; these see the works of 
 the Lord, and his wonders in the deep." This is 
 a proper meditation for the Sabbath-day, as it is 
 one of the great works of the great God. 
 
 2. Historically — in allusion to the story of the 
 Israelites passing between Egypt and the wilder- 
 ness, under the conduct of Moses*. " Thou 
 
 * *' See how God dealt with the people of the Jews, in 
 their deliverance from Egypt. They had been bondmen 
 there no less than 430 years, and had waited all that time 
 for the accomplishment of the promise, but no deliverance 
 came. It was rather every day worse and worse with 
 them: their task-masters were more cruel, their tale of 
 brick doubled. Notwithstanding all their groaning and 
 crying under their burdens, yet God regards them not, till 
 his own time came. * And it came to pass, at the end of 
 the four hundred and thirtj- years, even the self-same day 
 it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out 
 from the land of Egypt.' Exod. xii. 41. Well: they are 
 no sooner out of Egypt but Pharaoh is upon them with a 
 numerous army : upon either hand of them there were high 
 hills and mountains, and just before them the sea: so that 
 they knew not which way to escape his fury. But now is 
 the time for the Lord to appear. ' And Moses said unto 
 the people, Fear ye not ; stand still, and see the salvation of 
 the Lord.' Thus, when God's people are at the lowest, 
 then is the time for God to appear for their salvation and 
 deliverance. As long as they have any way of escaping 
 
102 
 
 leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of 
 Moses and Aaron." When the Lord parted the 
 sea in the midst, and made a lane for them to go 
 through dry shod, it was a seasonable mercy, for 
 they were in extremity — Pharaoh was behind 
 them, and castles on either side. It was a strange 
 mercy — such as never was before nor since. And 
 it was an exemplary mercy — for encouragement 
 to trust God in the greatest straits and difficulties 
 ever after. 
 
 3. Figurathely. — It is an expression to set 
 forth the depth of God's ways. " Thy righteousT 
 ness is like the great mountains : thy judgments 
 are a great deep." Like the deep waters, that 
 cannot be fathomed. — It may set forth, also, their 
 darkness and intricacy. Like the w^ay of a ship 
 n the sea (Prov. xxx. 18, 19), whereof no foot- 
 steps are left behind whereby to trace it, no 
 more than the way of a serpent or an eagle. 
 
 DOCTRINE. The ways of God towards the 
 children of men are oftentimes exceeding 
 dark, unsearchable, and undiscernible. 
 
 left them from without, by the assistance of second causes 
 so long God leaves them to their own counsels ; but when 
 all fails, when they are brought to so great straits that they 
 know not which way to turn them, then is his usual method 
 to set about the work of their deliverance. The night is 
 ever the darkest just before day dawns." — Mr. Henri/., 
 Manuscript. 
 
103 
 
 \yiiat ways ? 
 
 I. The way of his decree of election. — Elec- 
 tion is that decree of God, whereby, from al 
 eternity, according to the counsel of his own will, 
 he hath freely chosen and ordained in Christ a 
 certain number of the children of men to grace 
 and glory, for the manifestation of his own mercy. 
 " I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, 
 Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau 
 Jacob's brother ? saith the Lord ; yet I loved Ja- 
 cob." Mai. i. 2. Now here is the mystery ; 
 why Jacob, and not Esau ? No reason can be 
 given, but, " Even so. Father, for so it seemed 
 good in thy sight." It was not for works foreseen : 
 " For the children not being yet born, neither 
 having done any good or evil, that the purpose of 
 God according to election might stand, not of 
 works, but of him that calleth, it was said unto 
 her, The elder shall serve the younger : as it is 
 written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I 
 hated." And then here is a mystery, that so few 
 should be chosen — a remnant — and so many left 
 to perish. All are equally guilty : then why not 
 all either saved, or damned ? If all were saved, 
 where M'ould be the glory of Justice ? If all were 
 damned, where would be the glory of Mercy ? 
 
 II. The way of redemption by Jesus Christ. — 
 " Without controversy, great is the mystery of 
 
104 
 
 godliness ; God was manifest in the flesh, justified 
 in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gen- 
 tiles, believed on in the world, received up into 
 glory." 1 Tim. iii. 16. The angels pry into it, 
 1 Pet. i. 12. Is it not mysterious, that the Son 
 of God should become a man; the Ancient of 
 Days an infant ? That in our nature he should 
 suffer as he did ? That the Physician should die 
 to heal the patient ? That herein he should pass 
 by angels ! Behold a mystery of wisdom in the 
 contrivance and of love in the execution of hu- 
 man redemption. 
 
 III. The way of conversion is a dark way. — 
 It is so, if we consider what unlikely persons are 
 converted : not the rich and noble, but the poor, 
 for meanness, in general; not the Pharisee, but 
 the Publican, for vileness. Crooked, knotty 
 pieces are hewn, and squared, and made polished 
 stones in the heavenly temple. " The wind 
 bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the 
 sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, 
 and whither it goeth ; so is every one that is born 
 of the Spirit." — It is so, if you consider by what 
 unlikely means sinners are converted — by the 
 foolishness of preaching. As Jericho was taken 
 by the sound of rams' horns, so, often, weak in- 
 struments are used in conversion ; yea, many times 
 the weakest preachers in respect of gifts. — Con- 
 
105 
 
 sider, too, at what an unlikely time the change 
 frequently takes place. Some are converted when 
 come to hear a sermon to laugh, nay, when 
 actually mocking. " Others, mocking, said, These 
 men are full of new wine. But Peter, standing 
 up, with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said 
 
 unto them, &c Now when they heard this, they 
 
 were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter, 
 and to the rest of the apostles. Men and brethren, 
 what shall we do?" Acts ii. 13, 14, 37. Some 
 are caught when come to catch the preacher : 
 see John vii. : Paul was met with when on his 
 way to Damascus to persecute the saints. 
 
 IV. Comforting way is an unknown way. — None 
 can tell how comfort is formed in the heart of a 
 believer — light in the darkness, as if the sun 
 should rise at midnight. Sometimes there is a 
 great deal of grace and no comfort; sometimes 
 a litrie grace and much comfort. Sometimes 
 comfort is communicated by silent whispers, some- 
 times in an ordinance, sometimes unexpectedly. 
 
 V. The way of hardening sinners is an unknown 
 way. — There is more of this work done every 
 day than we are aware of And how ? it is un- 
 seen, and in the dark -—by sermons, by providences, 
 by scandals. What a dark, hardening providence 
 was that to Jeroboam, recorded in 1 Kings xiii. : 
 
106 
 
 '• And this thing became sin * to the house of 
 Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it 
 from off the face of the earth." 
 
 VI. The %vays of Divine Providence, both to- 
 wards the church of God in general, and towards 
 particular persons, are unknown ways. — As there 
 are in the Scriptures some passages easy, and 
 others difficult, so it is in providence. There are 
 wheels within wheels. Ezek. i. 16. 
 
 1. This is true, as to the church in general. 
 
 Under the OM Testament, while enclosed 
 within the pale of one people. " In Judah is 
 God known; his name is great in Israel. In 
 Salem, also, is his tabernacle, and his dwelhng- 
 place in Zion." Psalm Ixxvi. 1, 2. 
 
 Consider the choosing of them. " Thou art 
 an holy people unto the Lord thy God : the Lord 
 thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people 
 unto himself, above all people that are upon the 
 face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love 
 upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more 
 
 * *• Either an occasion of sin, and means of hardening all 
 his posterity in their idolatry ; or, a punishment, for so the 
 word sin is oft used. This his obstinate continuance in his 
 idolatry, after such warnings, was the utter ruin of all his 
 family." — Poole s Annotations, vol. I. in loc. This was a 
 favourite work with Mr. Henry, and he bequeathed a copy 
 of it to each of his four daughters. See his Life, chap. IV, 
 
107 
 
 in number than any people; for ye were the 
 fewest of all people : but because the Lord 
 loved you." Deut. vii. 6 — 8. They were as 
 stubborn and fro ward a people as ever were. 
 
 Consider the ruling, preserving, and defending 
 of them. First, in Egypt, for four hundred and 
 thirty years. Then, in the wilderness, for forty 
 years : they were fed with manna, and ^^ ith 
 water out of the rock. Then, in Canaan, under 
 the Judges and Kings. Sometimes they "were in 
 prosperity, at other times low and afflicted. Con- 
 sider their preservation in Esther's time. Consider 
 their deliverance out of Babylon. See Zech. i. 8. 
 All which speaks darkness. 
 
 Consider the dispensation which they were 
 under. It was a dark dispensation — dark ordi- 
 naces — a veil — a cloud. 
 
 Consider the castins: of tliem off. See Rom. xi. 
 
 o 
 
 The manner of it, so fearful and sad ; the conti- 
 nuance of it, for so many ages. 
 
 Under the New Testament much appears to 
 shew that God's way towards the church is " in 
 the sea." 
 
 Consider the founders of it ; Christ, and his 
 apostles — mean and despicable persons, altogether 
 unlikely for such an undertaking. 
 
 Consider the spreading of it — over all the 
 world, by preaching and suffering. Is it not mys- 
 
108 
 
 terious, that the blood of martyrs should be the 
 seed of the church ? * 
 
 Consider the upholding of it, in spite of men 
 and devils. 
 
 Consider the reforming of the church when cor- 
 rupted. In Germany f, by Luther, a poor Monk : 
 
 * " When the Roman Empire was at the highest, and was 
 most inflamed with anger against the Christians ; when the 
 learning of the philosophers, the power of the emperors, 
 and the strength of the whole world was set against 
 thera ; the Christians grew more flourishing and numerous 
 by those very means which were used to destroy them. Not 
 only a new succession of saints sprang up from the martyrs' 
 ashes, but their flames were the occasion of warming some 
 so much with a heavenly fire, that some persecutors have 
 become preachers. The persecutions of the martyrs did but 
 heighten their graces, send them to the place of rest, and 
 enlarge their robes of glory. Herod's murdering the chil- 
 dren to destroy Him that was born King of the Jews, made 
 his birth more conspicuous in the world : snuffing the caudle 
 makes it burn the clearer. God doth often lay the scene of 
 his amazing providences in very dismal afflictions : as the 
 limner first puts on the dusky colours on which he intends 
 to draw the portraiture of some illustrious beauty. The 
 humiliation, persecution, and death of the Sou of God, was 
 the dusky colour upon which God drew that amazing piece 
 of Divine love and wisdom in man's salvation, which the 
 eyes of saints and angels will be fixed on with ravishing 
 admiration to all eternity." — Charnock on Providence, 
 Works, vol. I. p. 542, edition 1099. 
 
 + " Let me advise those that have an inclination to read 
 histories of former transactions, to which men are naturally 
 addicted, to make this your end, to observe the strange 
 
109 
 
 in England, by Edward, a child ; by Elizabeth, a 
 woman. " Not by might, nor poAver, but by my 
 Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts." 
 
 Consider the heresies, errors, and corruptions 
 still suffered in it. Also the divisions of God's 
 people *. 
 
 He suffers })lots to proceed till just ready for 
 execution : as Haman's ; as the Powder Plot, 
 It would not be wisdom in men to do so. 
 
 He brings his people to the very brink of 
 mercy, as to shore ; and then hurries them back 
 again : as the children of Israel, when journeying 
 to Canaan. 
 
 He makes the same thing to be his enemies' 
 ruin, and his people's preservation : " And the 
 
 providences of God in the world, and how admirably he 
 hath made them subservient to the interest of the church : 
 which will be the most profitable way of reading them ; 
 whereby they will not only satisfy your curiosity, but esta- 
 blish your Christianity." — Charnock on Providence, p. 536. 
 * " One would think this, of all other things, should 
 shake the foundation of it ; yet God orders even these to 
 the good of the church. Paul and Barnabas, two great 
 apostles, fell out : the contention conies to be very sharp, 
 a thing naturally of very ill consequence in two of the 
 prime guides of Christianity, and at the laying the firjt 
 foundation of it ; but the Gospel gains ground ; one sails 
 to Cyprus, and the other travels into Syria. Perhaps, had 
 not this quarrel been between them, and they thus dis- 
 jointed from one another, some of those poor souls had 
 never, or at least not so soon, have heard of the Gospel 
 mercy." — Charnock on Providence, p. 541. 
 
no 
 
 Arigel of God, which went before the cam^ of 
 Israel, removed and went behind them ; and the 
 pillar of the cloud went from before their face, 
 and stood behind them : and it came between the 
 camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel ; 
 and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it 
 gave light by night to these." Exod. xiv. 19, 20. 
 The same sea was a grave to the Egyptian host, 
 and a lane to the Israelites. The same fire which 
 did not hurt Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, 
 slew those men that took them up. Dan. iii. 
 
 God's " way is in the sea, and his path in the 
 great w^aters," when a good cause is worsted, and 
 a bad cause succeeds, at least for a time. This 
 is true, 
 
 2. As to particular persons. 
 
 it is a dark and intricate providence, that the 
 godly should be afflicted and the wicked prosper. 
 " As for me," said the Psalmist, " my feet were 
 
 almost gone; my steps had well nigh sHpped 
 
 when I saw the prosperity of the wicked until 
 
 I went into the sanctuary of God ; then understood 
 I their end." Ps. Ixxiii. 2, 3, 17. " Righteous 
 art thou, O Lord," said Jeremiah, " when I plead 
 with thee : yet let me talk with thee of thy 
 judgments : wherefore doth the way of the wicked 
 prosper.^ wherefore are all they happy that deal 
 very treacherously?" Jer. xii. 1. 
 
 Providence is dark and intricate in the advance- 
 
Ill 
 
 ment of some and disappointment of others : 
 " For promotion cometh neither from the east, 
 nor from the west, nor from the south." Some 
 are suddenly made rich, others poor. " The race 
 is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, 
 neither yet bread to tlie wise, nor yet riches to men 
 of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skilL'* 
 
 It is so in the bounds of life *. To some, God 
 hath appointed a month ; to some, a week, a day, 
 an hour; to others, fifty, sixty, eighty, nay, a 
 hundred years. Yet all must live alike for ever. 
 
 It is so in the manner and circumstances of 
 death and dissolution. " One dieth in his full 
 strength, being wholly at case and quiet. And 
 another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and 
 never eateth with pleasure. They shall lie down 
 alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover 
 them." To see a wicked man die like a lamb, 
 and a godly man's sun set under a cloud f, is a 
 sti'ange dispensation. 
 
 * " 1656. February. In our parish of Worthenbury, 
 there was this observable providence : At the beginning 
 of the month, Mr. John Broughton died, aged 70 years ; 
 about the middle, a son of Randle Meredith's, aged 
 about 30 ; towards the end, a child of Mr. Lloyd, of 
 Halghton, aged 14 months. I see no age exempts from 
 the stroke of death. He comes sometimes at midniglit, 
 sometimes at noon, sometimes at cock-crowing. Lord, fit us 
 for our change." — Mr. Henry's Diary, MS, 
 
 t " 1674, May 8th. Mr. Beal, one of tlie auditors of the 
 
112 
 
 It is so in rewarding unproportionably : '' These 
 last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast 
 made them equal unto us, which have borne the 
 burden and heat of the day." Godly parents often 
 leave behind them ungodly children. 
 
 It is so, in that two men should be guilty of 
 the same fault, the one punished and the other 
 escape, nay, perhaps be advanced. 
 
 It is so, also, in persons being preserved and 
 provided for by unlikely means 
 
 * 
 
 Some reasons may be noticed, why " God's 
 way is in the sea, his path in the great waters, 
 and his footsteps are not known." 
 
 revenue, having been long afflicted with grievous melan- 
 choly, threw himself out of his garret-window into his gar- 
 den, and died immediately of the fall. He was a good 
 man, and feared God above many. An astonishing provi- 
 dence ! Lord, how terrible art thou sometimes to thine 
 own children ! Mr, Baxter, kissing the dead body, said, 
 he did believe his soul to be as happy ag he did desire his 
 own soul to be." — Mr. Henrys Diary, MS. 
 
 * " IfiGl. Jane Humphreys was most affectionately 
 tender of her husband, who lay fourteen months ill; he 
 dying Feb. 18th. The week after, a sister of his died, who 
 was well at her brother's burial ; and by her death, land 
 fell to J. Humphreys ; which I look upon as a small token 
 fx'om the Lord, of his approbation of her care and love to- 
 wards her afflicted husband, being yet persuaded he hath 
 a better thing in store for her. * A Father of the father- 
 less, a Judge of the widow, is God in his holy habitation.' " 
 — Mr. Henry's Diary, MS. 
 
113 
 
 1. He chooses to walk in such dark and intri- 
 cate ways for his own glory — to manifest to all 
 the world his eternal Power and Godhead. 
 
 As the works of creation do this, and those 
 works especially which are past finding out — as 
 the wind, John iii. 8 ; the ebbing and flowing of 
 the sea ; the sympathies and antipathies of several 
 creatures ; the frame and composition of the body 
 of man ; and many other things, which our igno- 
 rance of makes the learned themselves fly to occult 
 causes — so the works of Providence in the go- 
 vernment of the world, especially those that are 
 more dark and mysterious. Like some curious 
 picture, where there is much art shewn, every one 
 inquires who drew it; whereas that which is 
 plain and ordinary, no matter who. " And they 
 sing the song of Moses and the Lamb, saying, 
 Great and marvellous are thy m orks, Lord God 
 Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King 
 of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and 
 glorify thy name ? " It was a dark providence that 
 God should suffer the Egyptian magicians so long 
 to imitate his own miracles ; but it was to harden 
 Pharaoh * ; and in the end, God had praise. 
 
 * " Pharaoh had hardened his own heart against the 
 groans and cries of the oppressed Israelites, and shut up 
 the bowels of bis compassion from them ; and now God, in 
 away of righteous judgment, hardens his heart against the 
 conviction of the miracles and the terror of the plagues," — 
 Rev. Matt. Henry's Comment, on Exod. iv. 21. 
 
114 
 
 2. He chooses to walk in such dark ways to 
 try the graces of his people. 
 
 To try their humility. — " Thou shalt remember 
 all the way which the Lord thy God led thee 
 these forty years in the wilderness, to humble 
 thee, and to prove thee." — To keep them low in 
 their own eyes. For this purpose God reasoned 
 with Job, chap, xxxviii. ; and it had that effect 
 upon him : " Behold," said he, " I am vile ; what 
 shall I answer thee ? I will lay mine hand upon 
 my mouth. Once have I spoken ; but I will not 
 answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no fur- 
 ther." 
 
 To try their industry. — It affords them matter 
 for their daily study and observation *. " M^^hoso is 
 wise, and will observe these things, even they 
 shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord." 
 Psalm cvii. 43. " The works of the Lord are 
 great, sought out of all them that have pleasure 
 therein." Psalm cxi. 2. 
 
 To try their faith and dependence. — Hereby he 
 tries if they will trust him when they cannot see 
 him. As Abraham : God had promised him a 
 
 * The watchful observer of Providence often sees the 
 accuracy of Dr. Paley's remark, that, in the works and 
 ways of God, " great and little are terms of no meaning." — ■ 
 " A reed of an unknown species, thrown upon the coast of 
 the Azores, suggested to Christopher Columbus the idea 
 of the existence of a western world." See St. Pierre'ii 
 Studies of Nature, vol. II. p. 331. Shoberl's edition. 
 
115 
 
 son, but he must be a hundred years old first — 
 and then, that son must be offered up. 
 
 3. God chooses to walk in such dark ways in 
 reference to the wicked. 
 
 To puzzle and confound the carnal wisdom of 
 the world. — " Hath not God made foohsh the 
 wisdom of this world ? " 1 Cor. i. 20. " In the 
 day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of ad- 
 versit}; consider : God also hath set the one over 
 against the other, to the end that man should find 
 nothing after him " — (Eccl. vii, 14) — to find fault 
 witli or amend. 
 
 It lays a stone of stumbUng in their way.— 
 " Who is wise, and he shall understand these 
 things ? prudent, and he shall know them ? For the 
 ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk 
 in them ; but the transgressors shall fall therein.'* 
 
 It fills their faces with shame, when they think 
 every thing is as heart could wish, and then, on a 
 sudden, are disappointed — as in Esther's time * ; 
 
 * " So in (hat great deliverance of tlie church in Nehe- 
 miah's time, when the people of God met with so much 
 opposition in their work of building the temple, from To- 
 biah, Sanballat, and the rest of their confederatei: and when, 
 after all, they saw the work prosper, see what effect it had 
 upon their spirits, Neh. vi. IG : they look upon one 
 another like thieves caught in the very act of stealing; or 
 like a kennel of hungry dogs, that have been all day long 
 hunting the game, and at night lose it in a wood.'* — 
 Mr. Henry. Manuscript. 
 
 i2 
 
116 
 
 as in redemption by Christ. The devil thought 
 there was no danger when he had him hanged and 
 buried ; but then it was that he conquered death, 
 and spoiled principalities and powers. 
 
 Use I. By way of caution and instruction, in 
 three things. 
 
 1. Though the ways of God are sometimes 
 dark and mysterious *, yet they are always carried 
 on in infinite wisdom; and the more dark, the 
 more wisdom. There are eyes in the wheels, 
 Ezek. i. As not one expression in the Scripture 
 could have been better expressed, because God 
 spake it ; so not one passage of Providence could 
 have been better ordered, because directed by In- 
 finite Wisdom. " He led them forth by the ?'ight 
 way" — though much about — " that they might go 
 to a city of habitation." This is a good argument 
 for patience, under all events. Take heed of 
 charging God with folly ! 
 
 2. They are always righteous — according to 
 exact rules of judgment and equity. " The Lord 
 is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his 
 works." Ps. cxlvii. 17. " Clouds and darkness 
 
 * " This luysteriousness and darkness of Providence adds 
 a lustre to it : as stones set in ebony, though the ground 
 be dark, make the beauty and sparkling the clearer." — ^ 
 Charnock. 
 
117 
 
 are round about him : righteousness and judgment 
 are the habitation of his throne." Ps. xcvii. 2. 
 
 3. They are always for the good of his church 
 and people. " Verily thou art a God that hidest 
 thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.''' It is his 
 gi'eat design to glorify himself in the salvation of 
 a remnant; and in subserviency to this, all the 
 wheels of providence move and act. " And we 
 know that all things work together for good to them 
 'that love God ; to them who are the called accord- 
 ing to his purpose." Rom. viii. 28. " What 
 shall one then answer the messengers of the na- 
 tion? That the Lord hath founded Zion, and 
 the poor of his people shall trust in it." Isa. xiv. 32. 
 
 II. As there are mysteries in the ways of God 
 and his providence, so there are also in the ways 
 of religion and godliness. 
 
 As God is a hidden God, so his people are a 
 hidden people, Ps. Ixxxiii. 3 — not only for safety, 
 but for secrecy : see Rev. ii. 17. They are alive? 
 and yet dead. Col. iii. 3. They have nothing, 
 and yet possess all things. 2 Cor. vi. 10. They 
 love themselves, and yet loath and deny them- 
 selves. They are not satisfied with the whole 
 world, and yet are content with little. They 
 abound in works of righteousness, and yet abhor a 
 righteousness of works. 
 
118 
 
 III. Exhortation*. 
 
 1 . Let us not censure and misjudge Providence 
 because we do not understand it ; but rather Avait 
 till that which is hid be made manifest. Do not 
 say his ways are unequal, Ezek. xviii. 29 ; which 
 we are apt to do when we look upon them 
 through a wrong medium. A child sees cloth cut 
 in pieces, grapes crushed, and thinks they are 
 spoiled. 
 
 2. Learn, in all events, to live by faith. If all 
 events of Providence were as some are, sense 
 would serve to live by ; but " the just shall live 
 by \\\& faith.'" 
 
 3. Long for the day of judgment, which will 
 make manifest. It will be a day of " revelation 
 of the righteous judgment of God." " For now 
 we see through a glass, darkly ; but then face to 
 face : now I know in part ; but then shall I know 
 even as I am known." 
 
 * See Flavel's excellent Treatise on Providence. 
 
"9 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 JOHN viii. 37. 
 
 But ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no 
 
 place in you. 
 
 1 HESE are the words of our Lord Jesus, being 
 part of a discourse which he had with a company 
 of Jews cavilhng at his doctrine. Though he 
 spake as never man spake nor is ever hke to 
 speak again — with so much wisdom, authority, and 
 meekness — yet he met with those that quarreled 
 with him, and contradicted him, and were never 
 the better, but the worse, for his discourses. No 
 wonder, then, if zve meet with such ; for the " ser- 
 vant is not greater than his Lord ; ■" nay, " it is 
 enough for the servant to be as his Lord ; " as he 
 himself hath warned us before, speaking of this 
 very matter. Matt. x. 24, 25. Li the whole verse 
 we may note three things : 
 
 1. The Jews' great privilege: " I know that 
 ye are Abraham's seed." This they often boasted 
 of (ver. 33), and our Lord Jesus yields it to them. 
 
120 
 
 But this alone would not serve their turn : " Think 
 not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to 
 our father : for I say unto you, that God is able 
 of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." 
 — Outward privileges are not saTing privileges. 
 
 2. Their great wickedness : "Ye seek to kill 
 me." This was true enough, for they had at- 
 tempted it once and again, and at last they did it. 
 " Now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told 
 you the truth.'' Horrid ingratitude ! 
 
 3. The ground, cause, and reason of it : " Be- 
 cause my word hath no place in you." There 
 were some that he preached to who believed in 
 him, and loved him, and followed him. Those 
 were such in whom his word had place. But as 
 for others, that refused, rejected, slighted him — 
 nay, sought to kill him — the reason of it was, 
 because his word had no place in them. 
 
 DOCTRINE. That the true reason of all the 
 wickedness among people enjoying the 
 word of Christ is, because that word hath 
 no place in them. Or thus : 
 That when the word of Christ hath no place 
 in a people, there is no good to be ex- 
 pected or looked for in that people. 
 
 Shew, I. What is the word of Christ. 
 
 The whole word of the Scripture is the word of 
 
121 
 
 Christ: for the whole Scripture points at him, 
 the Old as well as the New Testament: they 
 were written by holy men, as they were moved 
 and acted by his Spirit. " Of which salvation 
 the prophets have inquired and searched dili- 
 gently, who prophesied of the grace that should 
 come unto you : searching what, or what manner 
 of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did 
 signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings 
 of Christ, and the glory that should follow." But 
 especially the word of the Gospel which he came 
 himself from heaven to preach, and did preach 
 accordingly. Now this word is : 
 
 1. A word of faith and repentance. — "Now 
 after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into 
 Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of 
 God, and saying. The time is fulfilled, and the 
 kingdom of God is at hand : repent ye, and 
 believe the Gospel." The Gospel commands all 
 men every where to repent, Acts xvii. 30 — that 
 is, to turn from all their sins, to amend their 
 ways and their doings, and to receive and close 
 with the offer of the Gospel. And this is the 
 word that we are preaching to you to-day : our 
 errand is to invite, call, persuade you all, and 
 each of you, to repent. Old and young, male and 
 female, bond and free, O repent, repent. 
 
 2. A word of pardon and reconciliation. — Go- 
 spel is as much as " good news" — " glad tidings." He 
 
122 
 
 came and preached peace, Eph. ii. 17: declaring 
 to the children of men, that, upon their faith and 
 repentance, through the merit of his blood, their 
 sins should be forgiven, their persons justified, 
 accepted, and saved. And this is good news in- 
 deed — the best that ever came from heaven to 
 eai'th. 
 
 3. A word of holiness and new obedience. — It 
 is called " The truth which is after godhness," 
 Titus i. 1. Man was made after the image of 
 God, which consisted in knowledge, righteousness, 
 and true holiness. But by sin he lost it. Now 
 the design of the Gospel is to restore us to that 
 image again ; to " purify unto himself a j)eculiar 
 people, zealous of good works." 
 
 4. A word of suffering, patience, and self- 
 denial. — " And he said to them all, If any man 
 ^rill come after me, let him deny himself, and take 
 up his cross daily, and follow me." It requires 
 that we pull out right eyes, and cut off right 
 hands — that is, that we thwart, and cross, and 
 contradict our carnal desires and appetites in 
 things most pleasing to our corrupt nature, when 
 they are not consistent ^ith the interests of reli- 
 gion; that we hate father, mother, and friends; 
 part with liberty, estate, life itself, when thereunto 
 called ; taking joyfully the spoiling of our goods. 
 This is one reason why it takes not place. 
 
 5. A word of salvation and damnation; of reve- 
 
IQ3 
 
 lation and discovery both of rewards and pu- 
 nishments, especially in the life to come, beyond 
 •what was ever revealed before. "He that be- 
 lieveth and is baptized, shall be saved; but he 
 that believeth not, shall be damned." Quick 
 work! 'I will be at a word with you.' — And then 
 it tells us what that salvation is : it is to be made 
 happy and blessed in the full enjoyment of God to 
 all eternity ; it is to receive a crown and kingdom 
 that fadeth not away, eternal in the heavens. 
 It tells us what damnation is : it is to lie for ever 
 in a lake that bums with fire and brimstone, 
 where the wonn dies not; it is to be separated 
 from the presence of His glory*. — This is the 
 word of Christ, the word of the Gospel. 
 
 Shew, II. What place this record of Christ 
 should have in us. 
 
 1 . It should have a place in our understand- 
 ing. — Our duty is to knozo the truth, and to be ac- 
 quainted with the mystery of godliness ; and to stir 
 up ourselves, in the use of means, that we may be 
 
 * There is something peculiarly affecting in Dr. Wil- 
 liams's idea as to the misery of the finally impenitent. 
 " The sufferings of hell are not an arbih'ary appointment, 
 or something extraneous to the real state of the sinful mind 
 superadded to it. It rather consists in the loss of the chief 
 good, and a consciousness of that loss ; which is a never- 
 dying worm, and unquenchable fire." — Doddridge's 
 Works, vol. V. p. 389, note. 
 
124 
 
 more and more instructed in it. — Consider what 
 an excellent thing it is : " This is life eternal, that 
 they might knoiv thee, the only true God, and 
 Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." John xvii. 3. 
 " Yea, doubtless," says St. Paul, " and I count 
 all things but loss for the excellency of the know- 
 ledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." — How profitable 
 is it to the soul. What the sight of the eye, nay, 
 what the use of natural reason is to us as we are 
 men, t?iat knowledge in the Gospel is to us as 
 Christians. " The knowledge of the Holy is un- 
 derstanding For by me thy days shall be multi- 
 plied, and the years of thy life shall be increased." — 
 How necessary to salvation, and how many perish 
 through the want of it. " My people are de- 
 stroyed for lack of knowledge." — Now, alas ! how 
 many are there in whose understanding the word 
 of Christ hath no place, to whom the Gospel is 
 a hidden Gospel ! " But if our Gospel be hid, it 
 is hid to them that are lost." The book of Scrip- 
 ture is to such a sealed book. Speak we never 
 so plain, still some that hear despise and deride 
 us for our plainness. Yet it is all one — it is but 
 a voice of words to them. " The word of the 
 Lord was unto them precept upon precept, pre- 
 cept upon precept ; line upon hne, line upon line ; 
 here a little, and there a little." Nay, how many 
 are willingly ignorant ; that say to the Almighty, 
 " Depart from us ; for we desire not the knowledge 
 
125 
 
 of thy ways ! " They hate knowledge, and shut 
 their eyes against the Hght. 
 
 2. It should have a place in our minds and 
 memories. — God hath given man a faculty above 
 other creatures, to retain and keep what he reads 
 and hears ; and to be able to bring it forth from 
 thence, as out of a treasury or store-house, for use 
 afterwards. " Every scribe which is instructed 
 unto the kingdom of heaven, is like unto a man 
 that is a householder, which bringeth forth out of 
 his treasure things new and old." Now in this 
 treasury, or store-house, the word of Christ in a 
 special manner should have a place. " Therefore 
 we ought to give the more earnest heed to the 
 things which we have heard, lest at any time we 
 should let them slip." He compares the memory 
 to a leaking vessel ; and so it is — it is cracked by 
 the Fall. O take heed ! The word of Christ is 
 precious liquor poured into it : and the purer and 
 finer any liquor is, the more likely it is to soak 
 through. Take heed, lest you let it sHp. 
 
 How many are there that can remember other 
 things well enough, but cannot remember a ser- 
 mon ! The reason is, they do not take heed in 
 and after hearing — Or, they do not love the word : 
 there is not that suitableness between the word 
 and tlieir hearts as there is between their hearts 
 and other things, and therefore they remember it 
 not — Or, because it never did them good. Said 
 
126 
 
 David, " I will never forget thy precepts, for 
 with them thou hast quickened me." When a 
 word from Christ meets with us — a text, a doc- 
 trine, a passage — and doth us good, that we shall 
 be likely to remember — Or, they do not under- 
 stand it. 
 
 3. It should have a place in our hearts and 
 affections. — We should esteem it highly, and em- 
 brace it dearly : keep it as our treasure, and as 
 the apple of our ej^e. Prov. vii. 2. It is truly 
 w^orthy of all this. " This is a faithful saying, 
 and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus 
 came into the w^orld to save sinners." " Worthy 
 of all acceptation" — to be embraced with both 
 arms : and what those are, see 2 Tim. i. 13 — they 
 are " faith and love." " O how I love thy law ! 
 it is my meditation all the day." " How sweet 
 are thy words unto my taste ! yea, sweeter than 
 honey to the mouth ! " " Therefore I love thy 
 commandments above gold ; yea, above fine gold." 
 Ps. cxix. 97, 103, 127.— Yea, we should love it 
 because of the purity of it. Ps. cxix. 140. This 
 cannot be but where there is grace. Because it is 
 pure in itself, without any mixture of error or 
 falsehood ; because it enjoins purity to us ; there- 
 fore we should delight in it : not only because it 
 is pleasant and delightful. See Ezek. xxxiii. 31, &c. 
 
 Now, alas ! with how many is it otherwise ! 
 Some hate it, and the preachers of it ; counting 
 
127 
 
 them enemies, and the troublers of the land : as 
 Ahab did Micaiah. 1 Kings xxii. 8, Others, who 
 do not hate it, yet are cold in their love to it ; in- 
 different, as to a thing they do not much value. 
 Others love it, but it is in word and tongue only, 
 as long as it pleases and doth not cross them. 
 
 4. It should have a place in our lives and con- 
 versations. — And this will follow upon the former. 
 Where the word hath place in the heart, it will 
 have place in the life. In the head, indeed, it may 
 be, and go no further ; but if once it get into the 
 heart, to be written there, and to divell there, it 
 will appear in the life and conversation. " The 
 law of God is in his heart ; none of his steps 
 shall slide." Ps. xxxvii. 31. " But God be 
 thanked, that ye were the servants of sin ; but ye 
 have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine 
 which was delivered you." Rom. vi. 17. Then 
 the word of God hath place in us, when we are 
 delivered into it as melted metal into a mould, 
 that receives shape, and form, and figure from it. 
 " Let your conversation be as it becometh the 
 Gospel of Christ." The word of Christ is a rule 
 of holy living; it teaches people to " deny ungod- 
 liness and to live soberly, and righteously, and 
 
 godly in this present evil world." — Now, hath it 
 such a place in you ? " If so be that ye have 
 learned Christ, and have been taught by him, as 
 the truth is in Jesus : that ye put .off concerning 
 
128 
 
 tlie former conversation the old man, which is cor- 
 rupt according to the deceitful lusts ; and be re- 
 newed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye 
 put on the new man, which after God is created 
 in righteousness and true holiness." 
 
 Shew, III. Why the word of Christ hath not 
 such place as it should have in those that hear it. 
 
 1. From their natural enmity and antipathy 
 against it. — Our corrupt nature likes no such 
 guests ; " because the carnal mind is enmity 
 against God : for it is not subject to the law of 
 God; neither, indeed, can be." The mind is 
 full of enmity against the truths of the Gospel. 
 Not only incapable of them till savingly enligli- 
 tened — " The natural man receiveth not the 
 things of the Spirit of God ; for they are foolish- 
 ness unto him : neither can he know them, because 
 they are spiritually discerned" — but averse to 
 them. The will is full of enmity against the com- 
 mands of the word : " We will not have this 
 man to reign over us." " We preach Christ cru- 
 cified ; unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto 
 the Greeks foolishness ; but unto them which are 
 called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power 
 of God, and the wisdom of God." 
 
 2. The word of Christ hath no place in men, 
 because it is not mixed with faith. — " For unto 
 us was the Gospel preached as well as unto 
 
129 
 
 them : but the word preached did not profit them, 
 not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." 
 As prayer signifies nothing unless faith be mixed 
 with it, so hearing the word of Christ also. They hear 
 it, but they do not believe it. — ' Not believe it ! 
 What ! a Christian, and not believe the word of 
 Christ ! ' I answer, Yes. There are too many in- 
 fidels, even among Christians, " Who hath be- 
 lieved our report ? and to whom is the arm of the 
 Lord revealed ? " Isa. liii. 1 . — ' But that is the Old 
 Testament — what is that to the Gospel ? ' Nay, 
 see Rom. x. 16 ; " But they have not all obeyed 
 the Gospel: for Isaias saith, Lord, who hath 
 believed our report ? " Men do not believe the de- 
 sign of God to save them by Jesus Christ and no 
 other way : if they did, they would not go 
 *' about to establish their own righteousness," 
 but would " submit to the righteousness of God." 
 They do not believe what is said of hell and heaven 
 before them : if they did, is it possible they could 
 neglect the word of Christ ?—' Oh, but if one should 
 come from the dead, they would believe.' No ; 
 " If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, nei- 
 ther will they be persuaded though one rose from 
 the dead." Luke xvi. 31. It is this unbelief that 
 is the undoing sin of the world. We assent no- 
 tionally, but we do not consent practically. We 
 say we believe in God and Jesus Christ, but we 
 do not the things he has said. It is empty, idle 
 
 K 
 
130 
 
 faith : it doth not work. The men of Nineveh 
 believed Jonah, but, " behold, a greater than Jonas 
 is here." 
 
 3. The word of Christ hath no place in men 
 because the god of this world, that is, the devil^ 
 hath blinded their minds, " lest the light of the 
 glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of 
 God, should shine unto them." — He knows, as the 
 word of Christ goes up, he goes down ; as that gets 
 place, he loses place ; and therefore he bestirs him- 
 self, and turns every stone to hinder men believing. 
 Sometimes he doth all he can to keep the word 
 and us from meeting and coming together. He 
 keeps it from us, by raising up persecution, re- 
 straint, trouble, and disturbance to the preachers 
 of it : " We would have come unto you, even I 
 Paul, once and again, but Satan hindered us." He 
 keeps us from the word by diversions, excuses, 
 pretences, something else to do. Sometimes, when 
 met, he hinders us from attending on it with that 
 seriousness and fixedness that we should. Per- 
 haps we are drowsy, and he rocks the cradle. 
 Perhaps distracted, and he buzzes : he is Beel- 
 zebub — the god of flies. Perhaps he stirs up 
 prejudice against the preacher — his opinion, his 
 meanness, his youth. Sometimes, after our meet- 
 ing, if the word have begun to get place, he is 
 busy to displace it. " Those by the wayside are 
 they that hear ;^ then cometh the devil, and taketh 
 
131 
 
 away the word out of their hearts, lest they should 
 believe and be saved." Oh, be not ignorant of his 
 devices ! and take heed that ye hear, and how ye 
 hear. 
 
 4. The word of Christ hath no place in men, 
 because other things have place above and before 
 it. — The word of Christ will either be innermost 
 and uppermost in the soul, or not at all. ' Now 
 that must not be.' Why? 'It is reserved for 
 another.' If a cup or vessel be full already, 
 there is no room to receive any thing else. Two 
 things fill the heart, that the word of Christ can- 
 not have place. 
 
 (1.) Sin. — This is in the throne. Some beloved 
 sin — some Herodias, some Delilah. We are 
 loth to let it go — it brings pleasure and profit. 
 '' Wherefore," saith the Apostle James, '' lay 
 apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, 
 and receive with meekness the engrafted word, 
 which is able to save your souls." Oh see to this ! 
 It is true, sin hath pre-possession, and is the older 
 tenant ; but the word of Christ would be the better 
 tenant. 
 
 (2.) The world — worldly enjoyments and em- 
 ployments. — These obstruct the reception and en- 
 tertainment of the word. " And that which fell 
 among thorns, are they which, when they have 
 heard, go forth, and are choked with the cares, 
 and riches, and pleasures of this life, and bring 
 k2 
 
15!2 
 
 no fruit to perfection." Now, what poor things 
 are these in comparison with the word of Christ ! 
 See Matt. xxii. 
 
 Shew, IV. How this is the cause of all the 
 wickedness of men. — " Ye seek to kill me, be- 
 cause my word hath no place in you." 
 
 1 . Because, if the word of Christ might have 
 place, it is of such a nature that it would work, 
 and work effectually, and never cease working, till 
 it had worked sin out of the souL '' For this 
 cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, 
 when ye received the word of God M^hich ye heard 
 of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but, as 
 it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually 
 worketh also in you that believe." Do you but 
 mix faith with it : otherwise, as it is said of Christ, 
 so it is true of the word of Christ, " He did not 
 many mighty works there, because of their unbe- 
 lief." Matt. xiii. 58. " I am not ashamed of the 
 Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God 
 unto salvation to every one that believeth." Rom. 
 i. 16. Mark : it is so to every one that believes ; 
 and to none else. Oh the mighty things that the 
 word would do, if you would but let it have a work- 
 ing-room in you ! 
 
 (1.) For illumination and conviction. — It is 
 compared to light. " The law is light." Prov. 
 vi. 23. The Law is so, and the Gospel too. It 
 
133 
 
 is called " the light of the glorious Gospel of 
 Christ." It will discover to you such sights as 
 you never saw before. It will shew you mysteries 
 hid from ages and generations — mysteries of Di- 
 vine wisdom, and mysteries of Divine love — yea, 
 and mysteries of iniquity too in your own hearts. 
 But, now, if you will not give it place, how can it 
 do this ? If you shut your windows, and shut out 
 the light, so that it shall not have so much as one 
 cranny to shine through, how can it enlighten you ? 
 " The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness 
 comprehended it not." O then, open thy soul 
 freely. Say, Come, Lord ; come, and shine by thy 
 word into every dark corner of my heart : shew 
 me the Father; shew me myself, my sins, my 
 vileness. 
 
 The word of God is compared to a glass, wherein 
 we may see the glory of the Lord. " We all, 
 with open face beholding, as in a glass, the glory 
 of the Lord, are changed into the same image, 
 from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the 
 Lord." But, then, it must have place in us, that 
 we may behold that glory. The word of God is 
 a looking-glass, wherein we may see our own face, 
 our natural face — how vile we are— but, then, we 
 must not only look, but continue looking therein ; 
 otherwise we shall forget what manner of persons 
 we are. " For if any be a hearer of the word, 
 and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding 
 
134 
 
 his natural face in a glass : for he beholdeth 
 himself, and goeth his way, and straightway for- 
 getteth what manner of man he was. But whoso 
 looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and conti- 
 nueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but 
 a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in 
 his deed." 
 
 (2.) For humiliation. — It was the sword of the 
 Spirit, which is the word of Christ, in the mouth 
 of Peter, that pricked those people to the heart, 
 mentioned in Acts ii. and made them cry out, 
 " Men and brethren, what shall we do ? " The 
 word of God is compared to fire — melting; to 
 a hammer — breaking. " Is not my word like a 
 fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer, that 
 breaketh the rock in pieces ? " But, then, it must 
 have a place. When you come to the word, you 
 should come begging of God, ' Lord, make the 
 word to-day a melting word to my soul.' See 
 Psalm cxlvii. 18. 
 
 (3.) For reformation. — The word is compared 
 to Avater, which cleanses. " Now ye are clean, 
 through the word which I have spoken unto you." 
 As the waters of Jordan were to Naaman, a 
 leper — but, then, he must wash in them — so are 
 the waters of the sanctuary to the soul that useth 
 them. The word would part thy soul and thy sin, 
 if thou wouldest give it place : " For the word of 
 God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any 
 
135 
 
 tvvo-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing 
 asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and 
 marrmv, and is a discerner of the thoughts and 
 intents of the heart." It would be the seed of 
 God in thee, taking root, and bringing forth fruit, 
 if thou wouldst receive it, and hide it, and give it 
 place. Now, multitudes that hear it, refuse to give 
 it place ; and so it doth not work ; and so it leaves 
 them not better, but worse, than it found them. 
 
 2. Because, where the word is heard and not 
 received, the corruptions of men take occasion 
 from it to exert and put forth themselves so much 
 the more. — As water cast upon lime doth not cool, 
 but kindle it ; so the word of Christ occasionally ir- 
 ritates the lusts of men, and makes them not better, 
 but worse. Oftentimes, where there have been the 
 best preachers there are the worst people. This 
 is true not of the word of the Lazv only, by the 
 purity and strictness of it — " But sin, taking oc- 
 casion by the commandment, wrought in me all 
 manner of concupiscence ;" — but it is true also of 
 the word of the Gospel : " There are certain men 
 crept in unawares, who were before of old or- 
 dained to this condemnation ; ungodly men ; turn- 
 ins; the crrace of our God into lasciviousness." Do 
 you not think that many people, by hearing of peace 
 made for sinners by the blood of Christ, and of his 
 willingness to receive all at any time that come to 
 him, have been hardened to put off and defer the 
 
136 
 
 great concerns of their souls? It is a pity it^ 
 should be so. 
 
 3. Because God doth oftentimes, in a way of 
 righteous judgment, deliver men up to themselves 
 to work all uncleanness with greediness. — The 
 Scripture is full of instances to this purpose. 
 " But my people would not hearken to my voice ; 
 and Israel would none of me : so I gave them 
 up unto their own hearts' lust ; and they walked in 
 their own counsels." Ps. Ixxxi. 11, 12. Isa. vi. 
 9, 10. Acts xxviii. 23, &c. So the Apostle writes 
 of the Gentiles, the heathen : " Because that, 
 when they knew God, they glorified him not as 
 
 God, &c Wherefore God also gave them up to 
 
 uncleanness, through the lusts of their own hearts." 
 Yea, of Christians too it is said, " Because they 
 received not the love of the ti'uth, that they might 
 be saved. For this cause God shall send them 
 strong delusion, that they should believe a lie." 
 2 Thess. ii. 10, 11. This Scripture is the ground 
 of my fears at this day. The world, and England, 
 is full of instances, and I am afraid will be yet 
 fuller, if we still refuse place to the word of Christ 
 preached among us. 
 
 Shew, V. The application. 
 
 1 . By way of examination. — I have a question 
 or two from this doctrine this day to put to you, 
 as in the sight and presence of God ; and I be- 
 
137 
 
 seech you, let us each of us put it to ourselves ; 
 you to yourselves, and I to myself; and let us. 
 mark the answer. Let us not do as Pilate did, who 
 asked Christ, What is truth? but stayed not till 
 he could tell him. 
 
 The question is: Hath the word of Christ a 
 place in you? And what place? For ought I 
 know, this is as sufficient a mark of trial whereby 
 to know our spiritual state, as any other. " Re- 
 membering without ceasing your work of faith, 
 and labour of love, and patience of hope in our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our 
 Father : Knowing, brethren beloved, your election 
 of God." 1 Thess. i. 3, 4. " My sheep hear my 
 voice, and I know them, and they follow me." 
 John X. 27. " But if our Gospel be hid, it is 
 hid to them that are lost." 2 Cor. iv. 3. 
 
 It may be it hath a place in your heads. You 
 know the truth, and can remember a sermon and 
 discourse of it, and repeat it, and perhaps com- 
 mend the preacher. It is well. But hath it a 
 place in thy heart and life ? Dost thou esteem and 
 value the word? Dost thou embrace it? Is it 
 welcome to thee; then most welcome, when it 
 touches thee in a sore place, and meets with thy 
 iniquity, and lays thee open to thyself ? And dost 
 thou walk according to it ? 
 
 It may be it hath a place ; but is that place 
 a prison, or a throne? Some are said to hold 
 
the truth in unrighteousness, Rom. i. 18. They 
 cannot keep the word from coming in: it will 
 come in in spite of them. Yes, but they will do 
 ■what they can to lay it fast enough. How ? By 
 multiplying sins against knowledge, conviction, 
 conscience; by suppressing all the stirrings and 
 strivings of the word ; stifling it, keeping it down- 
 And in this sense the word of God is bound. 
 2 Tim. ii. 9. But where it hath place as it 
 s hould have, it is in the throne, and rules the man ; 
 It has the uppermost place : every thought is in 
 obedience to it. " For the weapons of our war- 
 fare are not carnal, but mighty through God to 
 the pulling down of strong-holds ; casting down 
 imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth 
 itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing 
 into captivity every thought to the obedience of 
 Christ." 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. Or, at least, it is desired 
 •t may be so, and the endeavours are accordingly. 
 * Through thy precepts I get understanding; 
 therefore I hale every false way." 
 
 You know the word of Christ is a word of 
 faith and repentance, holiness and new obedience, 
 patience and self-denial. Now, hath this word an 
 awe upon you, an authority over you ? Or, can 
 you, in the very face and light of it, be vain, fool. 
 ish, proud, worldly, froward, censorious ; neglect- 
 ing prayer, reading, meditation, alms-doing, and 
 trample the calls of the word and Spirit to these 
 
139 
 
 things under your feet, while lust and sin have a 
 place in your affections r This is a bad sign. 
 
 It has a place in you, but is it a dwelling- 
 place, a working-place? Is it not a lodging- 
 place, as a wayfaring man that turns aside to 
 tarry for a night, that I would it should have ? 
 But it should have a dwelling-place. " Let the 
 word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom." 
 Many taste it for trial, and fall away. See Heb. 
 vi. Like the wind upon a rock, it blusters a 
 while, but the rock moves not : it remains where 
 it was. 
 
 2. By way of exhortation. — I pray and beseech 
 you, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and for the 
 love of the Spirit, that you will let the word of 
 Christ have a place in you : that you will read and 
 hear it as often as you can have opportunity* 
 And when you do hear it, that you will receive 
 and embrace it ; hide it in your hearts ; keep it as 
 the apple of your eye ; and resolve to live accord- 
 ing to it. This is my errand here to-day, to treat 
 with you concerning a place for the Avord of Christ 
 in you. Shall I prevail ? What say you } What 
 answer shall I return to him that sent me ? 
 2 Sam. xxiv. 13. Will you hft up your heads, 
 " O ye gates ? and the King of glory shall come 
 in." Ps. xxiv. 7. Say, as David did, " I will 
 not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine 
 
140 
 
 eyelids, until I find out a place for the Lord, a 
 habitation for the mighty God of Jacob." 
 
 Hold fast the doctrine of the Gospel. — We 
 know not how we may be tried. " Be not carried 
 about with divers and strange doctrines : for it 
 is a good thing that the heart be established with 
 grace." Heb. xiii. 9- " Ye, therefore, beloved, 
 seeing ye know these things before, beware lest 
 ye also, being led away with the error of the 
 wicked, fall from your o^vn stedfastness." .2 Pet. 
 iii. 17. The way will be, to get a taste, a savour, 
 a relish of the word, and to keep out of harm's 
 way. Come not near those who are led away 
 with the error of the wicked. 
 
 Hold fast the worship of the Gospel, and the 
 precepts of the Gospel. Consider, 
 
 (1.) It is the word of Christ. — Therefore it 
 comes from one that hath authority to command 
 it, and power to avenge if ye refuse him that 
 speaketh. See, then, that ye refuse not. " For 
 if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and 
 every transgression and disobedience received a 
 just recompence of reward ; how shall we escape, 
 if we neglect so great salvation ? " 
 
 It comes from one that dearly loves you. — It is 
 the word of a Saviour. It is a letter from your 
 Friend, which he hath written with his own hand: 
 and shall it have no place in you? " I have 
 
141 
 
 written to hiiti the great things of my law, but they 
 were counted as a strange thing." If the Jews 
 had occasion to carry a Bible any where, they 
 were, by the tradition of the Elders, to carry it in 
 their bosom. It is the Avord of Him that is gone to 
 heaven to prepare a place for thee there : and wilt 
 not thou give it a place in thy heart ? 
 
 (2.) It is a word that will either save thee or 
 damn thee, according as it hath or hath not a 
 place in thee. — " We are unto God a sweet savour 
 of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that 
 perish : to the one we are the savour of death unto 
 death ; and to the other, the savour of life unto 
 life." 
 
 If it have a place in you, it will save you. Rom. 
 i. 16 ; James i. 21. 
 
 If it have ?ioi a place in you, it will damn you. 
 " He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my 
 words, hath one that judge th him : the word that 
 I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the 
 last day." John xii. 48. 
 
 And doth not this concern us ? Is any thing 
 you can imagine of greater consequence to us? 
 Behold, I set before you life and death. Here is 
 a word that will save the life of thy soul, if it be 
 received. Let the word of Christ have place in 
 you, and it will not only tell you your duty, but 
 it will enable you to do it. It is a word of 
 strength. 
 
142 
 
 (3.) If the word of Christ shall have a place 
 in you, your prayers shall have a place with him : 
 *' If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, 
 ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done 
 unto you." You shall command him, if his word 
 shall command you. And is this nothing? Other- 
 wise not : "He that turneth away his ear from 
 hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abo- 
 mination." If his word lies under your feet, your 
 prayers shall he under his feet. Consider, 
 
 (4.) If the word of Christ shall have no place 
 in us, it will be just with God that it shall have 
 no place among us. And that will be the issue of 
 it after a while. Matt. xxi. 43 ; Rev. ii. 5. And 
 what will become of us then ? 
 
 Let me speak to you that are young especially. 
 *' Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his 
 way ? By taking heed thereto according to thy 
 word." Noxv is the time for you to learn Christ, 
 and to learn the form of wholesome words. 
 Shortly, you will think yourselves past it. It is 
 a great ground of our hope that God is not leav- 
 ing us, because, in many places, there are young 
 people looking towards heaven. 
 
 Let me speak to you that are masters of fami- 
 lies. Let the word of Christ have place, not in 
 your hearts only, but in your houses too. Do I 
 need to exhort you to get Bibles into your houses 7 
 1 suppose not. But you that have them, use 
 
143 
 
 them. Do not think it enough that they have a. 
 place upon the shelf — let them have a place in 
 your daily worship. Teach your children and 
 servants. This would make ministers' work much 
 more easy. You are to be Prophets, as well as 
 Priests and Kings, in your own houses. You are 
 to light lamps daily, as well as burn incense. 
 
 Once, again, let me speak to all. Let the 
 word of Christ have place in yourselves, and pray 
 heartily that it may have place in others also. 
 " Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of 
 the Lord may have free course, and be glorified." 
 Pray over this word this day, that it may have place 
 here. Praying is like harrowing. 
 
144 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 GALATIANS il. 20. 
 
 And the life which I now live in the fleshy I live 
 by the faith of the So?i of God. 
 
 One great excellency of the grace of faith is 
 this — we are to live by it : nay, we cannot live 
 well without it. This appears here from the ex- 
 ample of the blessed apostle Paul, and elsewhere 
 from the express assertions of Scripture. " The 
 just shall live by his faith." Hab. ii. 4. Which 
 words are often quoted in the New Testament, 
 and there made Gospel. Rom. i. 17; Gal. iii. 11 ; 
 Heb. X. 38. 
 
 There is a threefold life of a Christian in this 
 world. 
 
 1. The life of justification. — Till our sins be 
 pardoned, and our peace be made with God, we 
 are dead men and women : dead in law, because 
 under a sentence of death. But when the pardon 
 comes, then we live. Now that is by faith; 
 
145 
 
 " Being justiticd by taitli, we have peace with 
 God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 i2. The Hfc of sanctification. — Till we are new 
 creatures, we are dead in trespasses and sins, 
 Cirace quickens and makes us alive — alive to 
 God, through Jesus Christ ; being made partakers 
 of his Spirit. Now tlie Spirit is received by faith : 
 *' Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law^ 
 or by the hearing of faith? "' Gal. iii. 2. Faith is 
 wrought in us by the Spirit: and yet by faith it 
 is that ^ve receive the Spirit : " I send thee that 
 they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inherit- 
 ance among them which are sanctified by faith 
 that is in me." 
 
 3. The life of conversation — which is that the 
 Apostle here speaks of; *' The life we live in the 
 llcsh." — To live in the ilesh hath two significations. 
 
 To live in the fiesli is as much as to live in sin ; 
 to walk after the guidance and conduct of the 
 tleshly mind. " If ye live after the tlesh ye shall 
 die."' " They that are in the flesh cannot please 
 God." It is not so taken here. 
 
 To live in the flesh is as much as to be here in 
 the body ; to be in this our tabernacle (2 Pet. 
 i. 13), clothed with flesh. And so it is taken here. 
 " The life we live in the flesh" is as much as our 
 course and way of living in the world. This, Paul 
 says, he Hved by faith now. There is an emphasis 
 in that now. I did not always live so : looking 
 L 
 
146 
 
 backward, when I was a Pharisee, it was other- 
 wise; but, now, since I was a Christian, called, 
 converted, I live by faith. — Now I live by faith. 
 I am looking forward : I shall not always live so : 
 ere long, I shall see face to face, but now through 
 a glass, darkly. 
 
 But why the " faith of the Son of God ? " He 
 does not mean the faith that was in Christ, in- 
 herent in him, as the subject of it ; but the faith 
 that is in Christ as the object of it, whereby we re- 
 ceive him, and rest upon him alone for salvation, 
 as he is offered to us in the Gospel. 
 
 We have faith here in all the three acts of it. 
 
 Here is the assenting act implied— assenting to 
 the truth of what is said concerning him : that he 
 is the Son of God ; that he hath loved some, and 
 given himself for some. 
 
 Here is the applying act— which is the appro- 
 priating of what is said in general to our own 
 particular case : "Who loved me, and gave him- 
 self for 7?ze." And this is the main matter. The 
 devils assent, but cannot apply. 
 
 Here are also answerable effects : and those arc 
 suitable fruits. I live by this faith : every thing 
 I do, I do by it. 
 
 DOCTRINE. It is the excellency of the grace 
 of faith, that a Christian hath his conversa- 
 tion by it here in this world. Or thus ; 
 
147 
 
 There is an excellent way of living while 
 we are here in this world, and that is, 
 living by faith. 
 
 This I apply especially to the employments of 
 life, and to the enjoyments of life. Look how 
 these are managed, and so our life may be said to 
 be managed. 
 
 Our employments : in our particular calling. 
 The right ordering of them is a great matter in 
 our conversation. 
 
 Our enjoyments : in the use of lawful creature- 
 comforts, eating, drinking, sleeping, converse with 
 friends. In all these we should please God, and 
 approve ourselves to him, as those that must give 
 an account. " Whoso offereth praise, glorifieth 
 me; and to him that ordereth his conversation 
 aright, will I shew the salvation of God." Ps. 1. 9,3, 
 This faith will help us in, and it will not be done 
 without it. 
 
 Shew, I. What faith doth towards the right 
 ordering of the conversation. 
 
 1. It is by faith that we set the Lord always 
 before us ; and this is of great consequence. That 
 God is present every where, and sees all, and 
 knows all, is a truth assented to by every one: 
 none denies it but he that says there is no God. 
 But it is applied and improved by few. If it were, 
 L 2 
 
148 
 
 it would not be with us as it is ; if we believed 
 God to be present with us, and always to see us. 
 The words of the covenant are, " walk before me," 
 Gen, xvii. 1 : as if he had said, ' Live by faith: 
 you do not, cannot see me with bodily eyes, but 
 by an eye of faith you may. Believe 1 am where 
 you are.' — What influence would this have upon 
 all our callings, to make us diligent in them : for 
 the Master sees ! " vServants, obey your masters 
 in all things : not with eye-service," that is, as to 
 men. But I would it were with eye-service as to 
 God. It would make us just, and true, and ho- 
 nest: we should not defraud and over-reach one 
 another, because God sees it : though no one else 
 knows any thing of it, he doth. Cave, Deus 
 mdet — Beware, God sees you. 
 
 What influence would this have upon us in the 
 use of our creature-comforts; to keep the spirit 
 serious ; and to curb vanity and froth ! " And 
 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt-offer- 
 ing and sacrifices for God ; and Aaron came, and 
 all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses' 
 father-in-law before God." Exod. xviii, 12. It 
 was an ordinary treat or meat, but they managed 
 it as before God. This ^^'ould work fear in feed- 
 ing. See Jude 12. 
 
 2. It is by faith that we acknowledge God 
 in all our ways. And this is another great thing 
 in the right ordering of tlie conversation. " In 
 
149 
 
 all thy ways acknowledge him." In all thy ivays^ 
 that is, in every action. To acknowledge God is 
 to knock at his door, to inquire what his mind 
 aiid Avill is concerning it : '' Lord, what wilt thou 
 have me to do ? " in opposition to walking at al\ 
 adventures. This is counted needless nicety, and 
 more ado than needs ; but faith says it must be 
 so. Leave is light : he that mns of his own 
 accord without warrant, may Avell look for dis- 
 appointment. " Whatsoever ye do in word or 
 deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus" — in 
 his name, is by his authority. As in our affairs 
 and business, so let this be done in our sports and 
 recreations, in our society and company. Would 
 we be willing that death should find us here ? if 
 not, God should not find us here. Such should 
 be our habitual reflection. Is such or such a sport 
 lawful ? Nay, but are you sure it is 7 " He 
 that walketh uprightly, walketh surely." If it be 
 but doubtful, faith says it is better let it alone, for 
 fear of a snare ; "for whatsover is not of faith 
 is sin." We should inquire, also, is it such a 
 thing as I can ask his blessing for success ? Can 
 you say, " Establish thou the work of our hands 
 upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish 
 thou it?" Ps. xc. 17. Phil. iv. 6. Without this, 
 no good can be done. 
 
 " Acknowledge him in all thy ways ;" that is, 
 in the event of every action. Either things suc- 
 ceed well or otherwise. . When Uiey succeed well, 
 
150 
 
 God is to be acknowledged with all thankfulness. 
 As, if we thrive in our callings : " Thou shalt remem- 
 ber the Lord thy God ; for it is he thatgiveth thee 
 power to get wealth." Deut. viii. 18. Ps. cxv, 1. 
 When there is plenty at our tables : " Ye shall 
 be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord 
 your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you." 
 Joel ii. 26. When, on the other hand, we meet 
 with losses, crosses, disappointments, — then God is 
 to be acknowledged with silence, and submission * : 
 we must kiss the rod, and be quiet under it. As 
 Eli ; " It is the Lord : let him do what seemeth 
 him good." As David; " 1 was dumb, I opened 
 not my mouth; because thou didst it." 
 
 ' But what brings the soul into this frame; 
 what lifts it up in thankfulness for mercies, casts 
 it down in humility and patience?' The grace 
 of faith assenting to and applying what the 
 Scripture says concerning the Divine providence. 
 " Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the 
 people not be afraid ? shall there be evil in a city, 
 and the Lord hath not done it?" Amos iii. 6. 
 
 * 'M remember," says the pious and excellent Rev. Jos. 
 Ciiryl, "a woman, who had a child about eight or nine years 
 of age. Once they were reduced to such a strait, that hunger 
 began to pincli them sore : at length, the child, looking ear- 
 nestly at the mother, said, ' Mother, do you think God will 
 starve us?' ' No,' said the mother, ' I hope not.' * But if 
 he do,' added the child, ' yet we mnst love and serve him 
 still.' Such language argued her to b« more than a child iu 
 grace." — Cari/l on Job, vol. I. p. 16. fol. edit. 
 
151 
 
 " Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing ? and 
 one of them shall not fall on the ground [either 
 for food, or by death] without your Father." 
 Matt. X. 29. This acknowledging God in every 
 thing, is the very sum-total of all religion. This is 
 walking with God, having fellowship with him : 
 and you see how needful faith is in this. 
 
 3. It is by faith that we are enabled to trust in 
 God and cast our care upon him : even tlien when 
 tilings look blackest upon us, and we know not 
 what to do, to commit our way to him *. "He 
 
 * " The best of God's saints and servants are subject to 
 fainting under afflictive providences ; agajnst which, believing 
 is the best remedy. Especially believe, if you are Chris- 
 tians, the following things: — 
 
 " 1. The righteousness of God.— He does you no wrong 
 when he afflicts you. Did you believe that there is a great 
 deal of evil in the least sin, you would not faint. Will 
 you, who have deserved damnation, complain of an afflic- 
 tion ? 
 
 •' 2, That all afflictions come from the will and counsel 
 of God.— We must not look at second causes. Matt. x. 29. 
 
 "3. The truth and faithfulness of God. -Assure yourselves 
 that not one tittle of his word shall fall to the ground ; and 
 he has said, • I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.'" 
 Heb. xiii. 5. 
 
 " 4. The almighty power of God.— He is able to do every 
 thing ; to supply our wants, to defend us from dangers, to 
 deliver us out of troubles. It is an evidence that we doubt 
 the power of God, when our hope and courage rise and fall 
 according as means and second causes rise and fall. 
 
 " 5. That the God with whom we have to do is great, and 
 merciful, and tender towards us.— The word of God makes 
 
152 
 
 shall not be afraid of evil tidings : his heart is 
 iixed, trusting in the Lord." Ps. cxii. 7. " O our 
 God, we have no might against this great company 
 that Cometh against us ; neither know we Avhat to 
 do." 2 Chron. xx. 12. Such a Scripture as Rom. 
 viii. 28, affords plentiful matter for faith to work 
 upon in the darkest dispensations : " We know 
 that all things work together for good to them that 
 love God, to them who are the called according to 
 his purpose." As jNIr. Dod, hearing tidings of a 
 great affliction befallen him, blessed God for the 
 
 this out as clear as with a sun-beam, Exod. xxxiv. C, 7. 
 We should therefore believe, that if God do not see fit to 
 deliver us out o our troubles, he will support us under 
 them, and briijg good out of them. 
 
 *'(). Our covenant-interest in and our-covenant relalion to 
 this God. — To believe his wisdom, power, and goodness, 
 will do no good without this. Gtn. xv. 1 ; Heb. xiii. 5, 
 
 " 7. The records of the word concerning Ihe people of God 
 in all ages : how God dealt with them, and how they dealt 
 with God, as to afflictive providences. — As to God's dealing 
 with his people, we tind that he has severely afflicted 
 divers of them; that he has, notwithstanding, laid his ever- 
 lasting arms underneath them to support them ; that their 
 afflictions have worked together for their good ; and that 
 usually he did deliver them out of their afflictions. As to 
 their carriage towards God, it was submissive, patient, and 
 quiet. James v. 11; Heb. xii. 1 ; Heb. xi. 
 
 " 8. Looking unto Jesus.— ^s Jesus^ a Saviour — as the 
 Author and Finisher of faith — as enduring the cross and de- 
 spising the shame — and as seated at the right hand of the 
 throne of God. Look at him not only as a crucified, but m 
 a glorified Christ." Mr. Henry. Manuscript. 
 
. 153 
 
 good wliach he did believe should come to him out 
 of it, though he knew not how or which way. 
 
 4. It is by faith that we take our aim right in 
 what we do in the course of our conversation. 
 And this is a main matter. " Whether, therefore, 
 ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the 
 glory of God." 1 Cor. x. 3 1 . The glory of God 
 is to be our chief and ultimate end, into which all 
 other subordinate ends are to be resolved. We 
 must eat and drink and sleep, and buy and sell, 
 and sow and reap, that God may be glorified ; 
 that is, pleased in having his will done. Now 
 this cannot be without faith. Heb. xi. 6. Faith is 
 the eye of the soul looking at this invisible mark, 
 and shooting towards it *. 
 
 * " Faith does great things in religion, especially strong 
 faith. Luther mentions three great things that are done 
 by it. 
 
 " 1. To believe those things that seem impossible to na- 
 tural reason ; as the Creation of the world— the Incarna- 
 tion of Christ. 
 
 " 2. To wait upon God for mercies, though they be long 
 in coming. Weak faith makes haste, but strong faith waits. 
 
 " 3. To be able to cleave to God as a friend, even when 
 he appears against nie like an enemy. Job xiii. 15. 
 
 " Now to these three add tiiree more great things in reli- 
 gion which will not be done without faith, strong faith. 
 
 "J. To forgive an ofiending brother seven times a day. 
 This the Apostles were aware of. 
 
 " 2. To be willing to part v,ith a state in hand and pos- 
 session, for another in hope and reversion. Heb. xi. 24, 25, 
 
 " 3. To go on in the way of duty when we have no sensi- 
 
154 
 
 5. It is by faith that we expect and receive 
 strengtli and assistance in what we do. — There is 
 absolute need of it, not only in spiritual, but also 
 in natural and civil actions. Acts xvii. 27, 28. 
 Now faith is a grace that doth cast self down, self 
 conceit, wisdom, will, and power ; and the lower 
 self is cast, the more God is advanced. 
 
 6. By faith we are enabled to look unto Jesus : 
 to his life, as our pattern. How did he live in 
 the world ? As one in, not of it: he went about 
 doing good. It is by faith that we believe the 
 acceptance of what we do in Christ Jesus, through 
 his meritorious righteousness. An ordinary action 
 done in faith, is pleasing to God through Christ. 
 Luther instances in sweeping the house, or milk- 
 ing the kine, as having more true worth in them, 
 when done aright, than all the brave exploits of 
 the great men of the world in conquering nations 
 and kingdoms, when they do it from other prin- 
 ciples — as, to gain applause, and make their 
 names great. " We walk by faith,'' not by sight, 
 said the Apostle : " wherefore we labour, that, 
 whether present or absent, we may be accepted of 
 God." — Oh how comfortable is this, when we come 
 to lie down at night ! — to be thinking. This day I 
 have been serving God in the duties of my par- 
 
 ble encouragement in it. To do our duty, though God bide 
 his face, and we have not the comfort of our duty^ 
 
 Mr. Henry. Manuscript. 
 
155 
 
 ticular calling — perhaps mean, but my calling — 
 and I believe God hath therein accepted me, in 
 and through Christ the Mediator. 
 
 7. Faith helps in the redeeming of time. — It 
 sees it going — that sense doth. It sees also eter- 
 nity coming — that sense doth not. The primitive 
 saints " all died in faith, not having received the 
 promises, but having seen them afar off, and were 
 persuaded of them, and embraced them, and con- 
 fessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on 
 the earth." 
 
 Shew, II. What kind of life this life of faith is. 
 It hath these properties : — 
 
 1 . It is a rare and singular way of living. A 
 way that very few are acquainted \\\i\\. '' The 
 
 just shall live by his faith :" and these are far the 
 lesser number. 
 
 2. It is a real, solid, substantial way of living. 
 It is no dream or fancy, but a certain truth. To 
 live by faith, is to live indeed. They are dead, 
 and not alive, that want faith to live by. 1 Tim. v. 6. 
 
 3. It is a noble, a sublime, way of living. It 
 is as much above the merely rational life, as that 
 is above the brutish and sensual. " The way 
 of life is above to the wise." Prov. xv. 24. 
 1 Cor. iii. 3. 
 
 4. It is a sweet and comfortable way of living. 
 
156 
 
 It brings joy and peace along with it into the soul, 
 such as the world can neither give nor take away. 
 *' Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and 
 peace in believing, that ye may abound in liope 
 through the power of the Holy Ghost." 
 
 5. It is a safe and secure way of living. It 
 sets a man out of the reach of danger. He that 
 lives by faith, hath his conversation in heaven; 
 and where can he be safer? "Kept by the 
 power of God, through faith, unto salvation." Kept, 
 as in a garrison. When is the bird in danger of 
 snares, nets, lime-twigs.^ Not Avhen flying aloft, 
 but when upon the ground. Such is the believer's 
 case. It is when he is earthly-minded, and his 
 faitli is weak, that he is in danger of temptation, 
 and sin. 
 
 Use 1. You that are strangers to this life, 
 acquaint yourselves with it. Believe there is 
 such a thing ; and then say, If it be so, why am 
 I thus? The common principles of living are 
 sight and sense, sin and self, the course and cus- 
 tom of the world, the carnal appetite, fleshly 
 wisdom, our own imaginations and inchnations. 
 Think what poor, base, sordid ways of living 
 these are ! How much below a man ! A hea- 
 then could say, Major mm, et ad major a nalus, 
 quam ut mn mancipium corporis. — / am greater, 
 
157 
 
 and born to greater things, than to he a slave to 
 my body. Seneca*. Those who live by sense 
 are likely to have the things of sense for their 
 portion — a poor, pitiful portion ! 
 
 2. You that know it, and are acquainted with 
 it, see that you abound in it more and more. There 
 is no life like it, and that you will say when you 
 come to die. " I have fought tlie good light, I 
 have finished my course, I have kept the faith : 
 henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of 
 righteousness." 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. 2 Kings xx. 3. 
 2 Cor. \. \^2. Consider: it is but for a while — 
 ere long we shall take our leave of this kind of 
 living ; when faith shall be turned into vision, hope 
 into fruition, prayer into praise, and (Jod alone 
 shall be all in all. 
 
 * Lucius Anna?us Seneca, the celebrated philosopher, 
 was born about six years before Christ. He was preceptor 
 to Nero, and perished by his orders, April 12, A. D. G5, 
 a;t. 53. — Aikin's General Bioo-. vol. IX. p. 101. 
 
158 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 LUKE xi. 1. 
 
 And it came to pass, that as he zvas praying in a 
 certaiJi place, xvhen he ceased, one of his dis- 
 ciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as 
 John also taught his disciples. 
 
 In these words we have three great patterns, or 
 examples, set before us for our imitation. 
 
 1. Here is a pattern for praying — and that is 
 our Lord Jesus Christ, the Pattern of patterns ; 
 who, it is said, was praying in a certain place. 
 
 Q. Here is a pattern for desiring to be taught 
 how to pray — and that was, otie of his disciples, 
 who said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray. 
 
 3. Here is a pattern for teaching those that are 
 under our charge, as well as we can, how to pray — 
 and that ^as, John the Baptist: as John also 
 taught his disciples. 
 
 For the 1 st. — There are many things wherein 
 our blessed Lord Jesus hath set before us a copy, 
 
15.9 
 
 that we might M'rite after it — leaving us an exatn^ 
 pie, 1 Pet. ii. 21. And among the rest, one is the 
 great duty of prayer. Both as to the duty itself ; and 
 as to the manner of performing it — for frequency, 
 for fervency. As God, he is prayed to ; as Man, he 
 prayed. Here it is said, he zvas praying in a 
 certain place. 'Whether alone, or his disciples 
 with him, doth not appear. It might be the one, 
 it might be the other. If alone, then we have him 
 here, as elsevAhere, an example of secret prayer, 
 and it should move us to go and do likewise. It 
 is impossible the soul should thrive in the neglect 
 of secret prayer. 
 
 If his disciples were with him, as, for ought I 
 know, they might be (for as soon as he had done, 
 one of them spoke to him ; therefore, it is likely, 
 present with him in the duty ; why not ?), then it is 
 an instance oi family prayer, for his disciples were 
 his family. If so, those of you that have the 
 charge of families learn from hence, if you will 
 do as Christ did, you must pray with your families. 
 Those that live in the neglect of that duty, do not 
 tread in the steps of their Lord and IVIaster, whose 
 name they bear. 
 
 It was in a certain place. He doth not say 
 what place — whether in the house, or in the 
 field, or by the shore side. No place is amiss for 
 prayer. As we have opportunity, 1 Tim. ii. 8. 
 Though our Lord Jesus had not where to lay his 
 
160 
 
 head to rest, yet, it seems, he had where to bovv his 
 knees to pray. 
 
 For the 2d. — JVhen he ceased. Whether he 
 were alone, or his disciples with him, it had not 
 been fit for them to have interrupted him till he 
 had made an end. We must take heed how wc 
 do willingly and wilfully disturb any one in the 
 worship of God. The mother and brother of our 
 Lord Jesus interrupted him in preaching, and had 
 a rebuke for it. 
 
 One of his disciples said unto him. Lord, teach 
 us to pray. He doth not say Avhich, by name, 
 but some one of them, in the stead, and it may 
 be by the ajipointment, of the rest, and with their 
 consent. Lord, teach us to i)ray — not me, but us, 
 including all. 
 
 To pray. q. d. Lord, thou hast taught us 
 many good lessons ; teach us one more, and that 
 is, to pray. ' But had not he,' it might be objected, 
 ^ taught them that before ? '' And when thou 
 prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are," 
 &c. Matt. vi. 5, &c.' I answer, Yes : both as to 
 matter — when ye pray, pray Our Father, See. ; 
 and as to manner also — secretly : Enter into thy 
 closet and shut the door. Without vain ostenta- 
 tion : not in the corners of the streets, as the 
 Pharisees, ver. 5, 6. Without vain repetition, 
 ver. 7. But either this had been forgotten by 
 
161 
 
 them, or else they expected some further and 
 fuller instructions and directions about prayer. 
 And that is the meaning of Lord, teach us to pray. 
 Praying is a lesson that we have need to be learn- 
 ing all the days of our lives. 
 
 For the 3d. ''As John also taught his dis- 
 ciples.'" — How that was doth not appear by any 
 records of Scripture, and therefore it is vain and 
 needless to make conjectures. But teach them 
 he did how to pray, whether by making forms of 
 prayer for them, or by giving them rules concern- 
 ing matter and method only to be used in pray- 
 ing, we know not certainly : the latter as likely as 
 the former. However, as he did so, they would 
 have their Master to do ; and he did it far better : 
 " And he said unto them. When ye pray, say, Our 
 Father, Avhich art in heaven, hallowed be thy 
 name," &c. ver. 2, &c. of which afterwards, if God 
 permit. 
 
 From the disciples' petition or request here, 
 " Lord, teach us to pray," we learn this 
 
 DOCTRINE. It is a very desirable thing for all 
 the disciples of the Lord Jesus to be 
 taught to pray. 
 
 From what hath been said already, you under- 
 
162 
 
 stand that prayer is the subject we are next fall- 
 ing upon. The word and prayer are every day's 
 concerns : not Sabbath-day's only, but every day's : 
 and if, after you have been learning how to hear, 
 you will but next learn how to pray, I doubt not 
 but, by the grace of God, both you and I shall have 
 cause to rejoice together. 
 
 The Sacraments should have been between, ac- 
 cording to the method of the Catechism; but 
 having spoken something to them before, under the 
 Second Commandment, and for other reasons, at 
 present I waive them to treat of prayer. And I 
 beseech you now, as formerly — again and again I 
 beseech you — to take heed how ye hear. As 
 prayer is a friend to hearing the word — we must 
 pray before, in, and after hearing — so hearing 
 the word is a friend to prayer. The word well 
 heard, will be a means of teaching you how to 
 pray. 
 
 Query 1 . Who are to be reckoned the disciples 
 
 of the Lord Jesus ? 
 Answer I . Some are so in profession only. 
 
 2. Some are so in power and profes* 
 
 sion too. 
 
 All we that are here in this place this day, are 
 the disciples of the Lord Jesus in profession. Are 
 we not ? If not, what do we here ? Is it not God 
 
1^3 
 
 in Christ that we are worshipping ? Is it not his 
 word that we are hearing ; his day that we are 
 sanctifying — the Lord's day, the Lord Christ's 
 day ? Was it not his name that we were baptized 
 into? And are we not called Christians from 
 Christ ? Oh, but look to it, that, besides the name, 
 we have the thing ; besides the profession, we have 
 the poxver. Else what will the name signify ? 
 Will the profession save us ? No : it will not : 
 " Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, 
 shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but he 
 that doeth the will of my Father which is in 
 heaven." 
 
 Now they that are the disciples of Christ in 
 power — that is, in deed and in truth— are such as 
 ai'e really devoted to his will and service ; as have 
 taken his yoke upon them, have resigned up them- 
 selves to him, and are inwardly and heartily what 
 they seem to be outwardly and professedly. Both 
 the one and the other have need to learn how to 
 pray; even those that do pray, how to pray 
 better. 
 
 Query Q. What is it to pray ? 
 Answer. Prayer is the offering up of our de- 
 sires to God. 
 
 Therein lies the essence of prayer. There are 
 other things that are the adjuncts and appurtenances 
 M S 
 
164 
 
 of prayer, but the essence of it lies in the offering 
 up of our desires to God. 
 
 1. To say a prayer, if we say it only, is not to 
 pray. Prayer is not lip-labour, but heart-labour. 
 It is soul-work, see Matt. xv. 7, 8, &c. " What 
 is it then ? I will pray with the spirit, and I will 
 pray with the understanding also." 1 Cor. xiv. 15. 
 — In this the Papists miss it. They are taught to 
 babble over so many Pater-nosters, and that in 
 Latin, a language they do not understand. No 
 matter, say they, God understands it. And that 
 is praying ! No : praying is desiring, and offering 
 up those desires with knowledge and affection. 
 Else a parrot may be taught to pray, if prayer 
 consisted in word and tongue only. — In this, too, 
 many Protestants miss it. Though they pray in 
 English, yet they understand, they heed, no more, 
 than if it were in Latin. Certainly prayer is 
 another thing from what it is commonly taken 
 to be. 
 
 2. To be present where praying is, is not pray- 
 ing, if we be present only. Though an angel were 
 the minister, or the master of the family, yet, unless 
 we join inwardly in heart and soul when he prays, 
 it will not be reckoned to us. In this also the 
 Papists are grievously deluded; for when the 
 priest is saying Mass — that is, praying — though 
 they hear not nor know what he says, yet if they 
 be present it is enough : and for proof of thi? 
 
165 
 
 they allege Luke i. 9, 10; "According to the 
 custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn 
 incense when he went into the temple of the 
 Lord: And the whole multitude of the people 
 were praying without at the time of incense." 
 Whereas, mark ! it is said they were praying with- 
 out : not only standing, or sitting, or kneeling, but 
 praying there. His offering of incense within was 
 not praying, though typical of praying, especially 
 of Christ's making intercession within the vail. 
 Even Christ's intercession in heaven avails not us, 
 except we also be praying on earth. 
 
 If being present where prayer is, without putting 
 our shoulders to it, were praying, the seats we sit 
 on may be said to pray, for they are present in 
 place — so the dogs under the table — nay, the 
 devils themselves, for they also are present: see 
 Job i. And therefore look to this, though you 
 are where good prayers are made, unless you make 
 them yours by hearty concurrence, you do not 
 pray. 
 
 But, ( 1 .) In praying there must be desiring. — De- 
 sires are the soul of prayer. Now there is such 
 or such a thing — suppose pardon of sin, grace and 
 strength to do the will t>i God, eternal life and 
 salvation; or suppose some temporal mercy, 
 health, success in some affair, God's blessing upon 
 it to make it to prosper — First, I see my need of 
 it; next, I see it desirable, that is, worth looking 
 after; next, I desire it, saying, O that I had it ! 
 
166 
 
 There is so much towards praying. But this alone 
 is not it. There must be desire, else no praying : 
 there may be desire, and yet no praying. Wish- 
 ing is not praying, as in the case of Balaam. 
 
 (2.) Those desires must be offered up, that is, 
 presented before the Lord, tendered to him, re- 
 quested of him. This may be done two ways. 
 
 Either mentally — by the language of the heart, 
 when the thoughts are working towards God, and 
 speaking to him, which he understands. As 
 Hannah: " She spake in her heart: only her lips 
 moved, but her voice was not heard." As Nehe- 
 miah : " Then the king said unto me. For what 
 dost thou make request ? so I prayed to the God 
 of heaven." 
 
 Or vocally — by the voice, the language of the 
 lips, when our desires are clothed with words, 
 " O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God ; for 
 thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you 
 words, and turn to the Lord : say unto him, Take 
 away all iniquity, and receive us graciously : so 
 will we render the calves of our lips." 
 
 Qmry 3. What is it to be taught to pray? 
 
 Teachings are two-fold. 
 
 1. Outward. — So man teaches by word of 
 mouth. So books teach by rules and directions 
 laid down in writing. So examples teach. Sq 
 John taught his disciples to pray. 
 
167 
 
 2. Inward. — So God teaches, by his Spirit 
 and grace inclining us to the duty, enabling us 
 for the duty. He works desires in us ; he helps 
 to offer up those desires. 
 
 This he promises to do : "I will pour upon 
 the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of 
 Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications : 
 and they shall look upon me, whom they have 
 pierced, and they shall mourn." Zech. xii. 10. This 
 he hath performed accordingly: " Likewise the 
 Spirit helpeth our infirmities : for we know not what 
 we should pray for as we ought ; but the Spirit 
 itself maketh intercession for us with groanings 
 which cannot be uttered." Rom. viii. 2,6. See 
 also Gal. iv. 6. 
 
 Without him we can do nothing. This the 
 disciples knew, and therefore they make address 
 to the Lord Jesus : " Lord, teach us to pray." 
 They do not petition their fellow-disciples, Peter, 
 James, John. 
 
 And it is observable in his answer, when he 
 had taught them outwardly, by a rule shewing 
 the matter and method of prayer, he directs 
 them to pray for the Spirit, as for a principle 
 within; and gives encouragement to their faith 
 and hope, that, if they did so, they should certainly 
 speed : " Ask, and it shall be given you." ver. 9. 
 " If ye then, being evil, know how to give good 
 gifts unto your children, how much more shall, 
 
168 
 
 your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them 
 that ask him." ver. 13. Ask, as if he had said, 
 the Spirit to help you to ask other things. 
 
 He that will learn to pray, must pray. Offer 
 up desires to God for a praying heart, for praying 
 gifts, and praying graces, and praying abilities. 
 Pray that ye may pray. And if our hearts be 
 upright herein, we shall be heard. I know, other 
 means and helps outwardly of other kinds are to 
 be used, but all will not do without this. We 
 may shew you the way of praying, but it is the 
 Spirit that leads and guides in that way : "I 
 taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their 
 arms," (Hos. xi. 3) — as the nurse the child. 
 Hence the phrase of walking after the Spirit^ 
 Rom. viii. 1, 
 
 Query 4. How is it proved to be a thing de- 
 sirable ? Convince us of that, and we will 
 quickly desire it. It may be, it is a lesson 
 not worth the learning, a thing not worth 
 the asking. 
 
 The contrary will most evidently appear if you 
 will think seriously of it. 
 
 1. To pray is our duty. — Not a thing only that 
 may be done if we will, but that must be done. 
 We sin greatly if we do not pray. This appears 
 
 (1.) From Scripture-commands. — That which 
 
169 
 
 makes duty, is the Divine command ; and the more 
 express and clear that command is, the more ex- 
 pressly and clearly the thing commanded is our 
 duty ; and the more earnest, and urgent, and fre- 
 quent, a command is, and the more it is backed 
 and seconded with promises and threatenings, still 
 the more we are to look upon the thing so com- 
 manded as our duty. 
 
 Now it were easy to make instances in a mul- 
 titude, of such commands concerning prayer; ex- 
 press commands, urgent commands; in the Old 
 Testament, in the New Testament: so that it 
 is a wonder how any Christian, so called, that 
 owns the Scriptures to be the word of God, dares 
 to live in disobedience to such commands. Dost 
 thou know that the word of God requires thee to 
 pray always; to pray without ceasing? And yet 
 to this day thou hast never prayed ! thou art yet to 
 begin to pray ! Think what that Scripture says 
 to thee : " To him that knoweth to do good, and 
 doeth it not, to him it is sin." 
 
 To pray, is a part of natural religion. The 
 command about it — at least the work or effect of it — 
 remains written, after a sort, not totally obliterated 
 in the hearts of all men. See Rom. ii. 14. As 
 far as they know there is a God, so far they know 
 that God is to be prayed to. When the mariners 
 were afraid, they cried every man unto his god. 
 When Jonah was *' fast asleep, the ship-master 
 
170 
 
 came to him, and said unto him, "What meanest' 
 thou, O sleeper? Rise, call upon thy God." See 
 Jonah i. From thence I gather, that not praying 
 is a sin against nature, an omission against na- 
 tural li^ht, and therefore to be reckoned amons 
 the worst of sins. As unnatural uncleannesses 
 are the worst kinds of uncleannesses, so unnatural 
 omissions, let me so call them, are the worst kinds 
 of omissions. Be awakened by this, I beseech you, 
 those of you that live without prayer. 
 
 (2.) From Scripture-characters. — It is usual in 
 the word of God to describe persons by this, whe- 
 ther good or bad. If they were good : Oh, such 
 a man — he was a praying man, he called upon 
 God. " And the Lord said unto him. Arise, and 
 go into the street which is called Straight, and in- 
 quire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of 
 Tarsus; for, behold, he prayeth^ Acts ix. 11. If 
 they were bad : Oh, such a man — he lived without 
 prayer, and that is a sign he was without grace. 
 He did not call upon God : then no good was to be 
 expected from him. " The Lord looked down from 
 heaven upon the children of men, to see if there 
 were any that did understand and seek God." 
 Ps. xiv. 2. And in the 4th verse we are in- 
 informed, they " call not upon the Lord." 
 
 Now, should not this move us by all means to 
 learn to pray, because praying is such a duty that, 
 if we live in the neglect of it, we are certainly 
 
171 
 
 wicked, ungodly people ? Without prayer in the 
 world, without God in the world. Oh ! then do 
 not sleep in a prayerless condition. 
 
 But, further: As to pray is our duty, and 
 therefore we have reason to desire teaching about 
 it; so to pray in a right manner is our duty, 
 and therefore we have reason to be taught this also. 
 Many pray that do not pray with acceptation, 
 because they ask amiss, James iv. 3. This was 
 the case with the Pharisees, see Matt. vi. ; and 
 particularly with that Pharisee whose conduct is 
 recorded in Luke xviii. As, in other things, 
 it is not enough to do that which is good unless 
 we do it well — " If thou doest well, shalt thou 
 not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, 
 sin lieth at the door," Gen. iv. 7 — so it is in 
 praying. 
 
 O what need have we then to pray for Divine 
 teachings ! Lord, teach me not only to pray, but 
 to pray well. And when we have prayed never so 
 well, we have need to pray that we may pray better. 
 
 Till the Lord be pleased to teach us, we never 
 know to purpose what those requisites are that 
 must be found in an acceptable prayer. And 
 when we do know what they are, we are never 
 the nearer till he work them in us. Therefore 
 beg daily, as the disciples here, " Lord, teach us 
 to pray." 
 
 2. To pray is our dignity. —As it is duty, and 
 
172 
 
 we must pray, so it is privilege that we may pray. 
 If in any act of obedience there is a reward of 
 obeying in obeying, according to Psalm xix. 11, 
 certainly it is so in prayer. If in any thing the 
 fish come up with money in the mouth of it, it is so 
 in this. It is its own reward *. 
 
 * Dr. Doddridge, whose indefatigable labours and emi. 
 nent piety will be had in everlasting remembrance, address- 
 ing a friend, made the following striking remark: " My 
 weight of business does, in some measure, rob me of the 
 greatest treasure I have in the world,— I mean the hours I 
 would wish to spend in secret devotion; without which 
 there is no sweetness, no calm and serenity of mind, and 
 therefore very little capacity for managing business : for 
 «o it is, though it may seem a riddle, that when I pray and 
 meditate most, I work most."— See Dr. Doddridge's Works, 
 Dr. Williams and Mr Parsons' edition, vol. I. p. 164. 
 
 Nor is this a solitary proof in support of Mr. Henry's 
 assertion : it is corroborated by the experience of every 
 Christian. In some cases, habitual prayer has been fol- 
 lowed by events truly remarkable. One of these is re- 
 corded in the Nonconformists' Memorial, vol. III. p. 363 ; 
 and the reader will, it is believed, consider no apology ne- 
 cessary for introducing it here. Not long after the year 
 1662, Mr. Grove, a gentleman of great opulence, whose 
 seat was near Birdbush, in Wiltshire, upon his wife's lying 
 dangerously ill, sent to the parish minister to pray with 
 her. On account of his non-compliance with the request, 
 Mr. G. expressed his displeasure, which emboldened one 
 of the servants to say, " Sir, our shepherd, if you will send 
 for him, can pray very well : we have often heard him at 
 pfayer in the field." Upon this he was immediately sent 
 for ; and Mr. Grove asking liim whether he ever did or 
 could pray, the shepherd, fixing his eyes upon hiin with p«- 
 
173 
 
 (1.) There is honour in it. It puts a real 
 honour upon him that uses it aright, — If any 
 thing will make a man's face to shine, it is being 
 in the mount with God in prayer. To pray, is to 
 have access into the presence-chamber of the 
 King of heaven, and there to be admitted to hold 
 discourse and parley with him ; to speak to him 
 as a man speaks to his friend. O what an honour 
 is this ! for a poor creature, that is but dust and 
 ashes, to be advanced into such communion with 
 the Lord of glory ! I am sure Abraham thought 
 it so. Gen. xviii. 23, &c. David thought it so : 
 
 culiar seriousness in his countenance, replied, " God for- 
 bid, sir, I should live one day without prayer." He was 
 then desired to pray with the sick lady ; which he did so 
 pertinently to her case, Avith such fluency and fervency of 
 devotion, as greatly to astonish the husband, and all the 
 family who were present. When they arose from their 
 knees, the gentleman addressed him to this effect : " Your 
 language and manner discover you to be a very different 
 person from what your present appearance indicates. I 
 conjure you to inform me who and what you are, and what 
 were your views and situation in life before you came into 
 ray service." Upon which he told him, that he was one of 
 ■ the ministers (the Rev. Peter luce, of Dunhead, in Wiltshire) 
 who had been lately ejected from the church; and that hav- 
 ing nothing of his own left, he was content for a livelihood 
 to submit to the honest and peaceful employment of tend- 
 ing sheep. On hearing this, Mr. G. said to him, " Then you 
 shall be my shepherd ;" and immediately erected a meeting- 
 house on his own estate, in which Mr. Ince gathered a 
 congregation of Dissenters, which continues to subsist to 
 this day. 
 
174 
 
 •^ Is this the manner of men, O Lord God ? " 
 2 Sam. vii. 19. 
 
 (2.) There is comfort in it, unspeakable com- 
 fort. — Many a soul hath found it so many a 
 time. Prayer is heart's ease. When the spirits 
 have been overwhelmed with fear, with sorrow ; 
 going alone, and praying awhile, hath strangely 
 dispelled and scattered those clouds. See the case 
 of Hannah, 1 Sam. i. The way to " rejoice ever^ 
 more," is to " pray without ceasing." 1 Thess. v. 
 16, 17. 
 
 (3.) There is profit in it. It is a gainful duty. — > 
 The hypocrite, indeed, thinks it not so, and there^ 
 fore hath mean thoughts of it. " What is the 
 Almighty, that we should serve him? and what 
 profit should we have, if we pray unto him.?" 
 But the true Christian will acknowledge it. 
 
 It is profitable to others — even to as many as 
 God shall incline our hearts to pray for, be they 
 good or bad, friends or foes, persons, or towns, 
 or nations. Each of these have been the better 
 for prayer. I believe this nation at this day is 
 kept from sinking by means of prayer, as Israel by 
 the prayer of Moses. Exod. xxxii. 10. 
 
 It is profitable to ourselves. — What the Apo- 
 stle says of godliness, is tiue of prayer; it " is 
 profitable unto all things, having promise of the 
 life that now is, and of that which is to come." I 
 have heard of one that desired no more to makf> 
 
175 
 
 him rich, than to have the liberty of half an hour's 
 talk with the king every day. Besides the honour 
 of it, he thought it would enrich him, for every one 
 would be bribing him to speak for them. O what 
 advantage then will it be, to have free access, as 
 often as we will, into the presence of the King of 
 kings, and leave to stay there as long as we will 
 and to ask what we will ! 
 
 Prayer is the key to all the cabinets of heaven, 
 to unlock and open them. Prayer is the midwife 
 to all the promises — helps to bring them forth: 
 " And they said unto him. Thus saith Hezekiah 
 This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and 
 of blasphemy : for the children are come to the 
 birth, and there is not strength to bring forth." 
 Isa. xxxvii. 3. That which was wanting was 
 prayer. 
 
 Now, if this be so, then certainly it is worth 
 while to learn to pray. There is good reason we 
 should every one of us say, " Lord, teach me to 
 pray." 
 
 3. I have said nothing yet of one great excel- 
 lency of prayer, and that is, that it is the delight 
 of God. — It is hard to imagine it should be so ; 
 for what is there in it that should render it so } 
 and yet " the prayer of the upright is his de- 
 light :" it is incense in his nostrils : it is music 
 im his ears : it hath such a strange power over 
 
17^ 
 
 him, to speak with reverence, that he can deny it 
 nothing *. 
 
 Now this also is a good reason why we should 
 desire to be taught to pray, even for God's sake, 
 and we may plead it accordingly. Lord, I would 
 fain get the art of pleasing thee ; I would learn to 
 do that wherein thou mayest be delighted : there- 
 fore. Lord, teach me to pray, for I have heard that 
 prayer is thy delight. 
 
 * A memorable illustration of this remark is preserved 
 for admiration and encouragement in Exodus xxxii. When 
 the anger of Jehovah was kindled against the Israelites for 
 their idolatrous worship of the golden calf, he is represented 
 as hastening to their destruction ; and that no obstacle 
 might arise from the intercession of Moses, the Almighty 
 thus speaks : " Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath 
 may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them." 
 But " Moses besought the Lord ;" and the sequel shews the 
 power, (may not the term be applied ?) the omnipotence of 
 prayer : " The Lord repented of the evil which he thought 
 to do unto his people." 
 
 With this in view, Luther's language can hardly be con- 
 sidered too energetic. " Exiguus gemitus in auribus Dei 
 fortissimus est clamor : et ita ccelum et terram replet, ut 
 prseter eum Deus nihil audiat, at compescit omnes omnium 
 aliarum rerum clamores" — A feeble groan is in the ears of 
 God a 7nighty noise ; and so fills heaven and earth that 
 he can hear nothing besides. He stills all other clamours 
 ta listen to it. — Luther. Op. torn. IF, 
 
 " Satan trembles, when he sees 
 The weakest saint upon his kness." — Cowper, 
 
177 
 
 There is another argument, namely, That we 
 cannot pray as we should, further than we are 
 taught. Therefore there is a necessity we should 
 beg this teaching. There are also many promises 
 that God will teach us, for our encouragement : 
 " And all thy children shall be taught of the 
 Lord." Isa. liv. ]3. " And they shall teach no 
 more every man his neighbour, and every man his 
 brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall 
 all know me, from the least of them unto the 
 greatest of them, saith the Lord." Jer. xxxi. 34. 
 
 Use. Shall I prevail with each of you to make 
 this one errand to the Throne of Grace, again 
 and again, between this and the next Sabbath? 
 Lord, teach me to pray — Lord, teach my children 
 to pray. Give us this new-year's gift. 
 
J 78 
 
 SERMON VIII, 
 
 LUKE xxii. 44. 
 Being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly. 
 
 Agony signifies struggle, or conflict. Two 
 things especially our Lord Jesus at this time in 
 the garden had a sore conflict with, the night before 
 he died — grief and fear. 
 
 1. With grief — He said his soul was " exceed- 
 ing sorrowful." Mark xiv. 34. Us^'Kvtos: siir- 
 rounded with sorrow on e'oery side. He sorrowed 
 for sin. Not his own, for he had none to sorrow 
 for : it was for your sin and mine. Our guilt 
 was his grief. The burden laid upon him, which 
 was the iniquity of us all, made him sweat as he 
 did. " His sweat was as it were great drops of 
 blood falling down to the ground." 
 
 He sorrowed for the misery and ruin likely 
 to fall upon all impenitent sinners ; particularly 
 upon the nation and people of the Jews, who were 
 his kinsmen according to the flesh. He wept for 
 them, Luke xix. ; and here he was in an agony for 
 them. 
 
17^ 
 
 He sorrowed for the dispersion of his disciples. 
 He, the Shepherd, being smitten, they, the poor 
 sheep, were to be sadly scattered abroad. He 
 saw it, and it grieved him, because he loved 
 them* 
 
 2. With fear. — It is said he was " sore afraid." 
 Of what? Why, of the bitter cup approaching. 
 He was afraid of dying — especially of dying upon 
 the cross — especially dying upon the cross a pro 
 pitiatory sacrifice for the sins of the world ; dying 
 under the evidences of his Father's displeasure; 
 dying to make atonement. This he foresaw at 
 hand, even at the door, and had an amazing appre- 
 hension of it, and struggled under it, insomuch that 
 it put him into an agony. Now from this agony 
 of our Lord, we learn, 
 
 I. That there is more evil in sin than most 
 people are aware of. 
 
 He that would know what sin is, let him behold 
 Christ sweating in the garden ; and then he may see, 
 as in a glass, that it is not a thing to be made Ught 
 of. He could bear as much as another, surely. He 
 bears up heaven and earth, and all that is therein, 
 and never shrinks at it : All the weight thereof 
 never occasioned him one drop of sweat: but when 
 sin came to be charged upon him, then he shrunk 
 with a witness. O that this might be our infe- 
 rence from it I Then, by God's grace, we shall take 
 n2 
 
ISO 
 
 heed how we ever make a mock of sin. Sin is an 
 edge-tool, and it is ill jesting with it. " Fools make 
 a mock at sin." " As a madman, who caste th 
 firebrands, arrows, and death, so is the man that 
 deceiveth his neighbour, and saith. Am not I in 
 sport?" Shall that make us merry, that made 
 Christ sad — make tis laugh, that made him sweat? 
 
 II. That thougli God's justice were not satisfied 
 by it, yet it w^as part of the satisfaction. 
 
 The agony of Chnst in the garden was part of 
 the atonement made for sin. I say pa?^t of the 
 atonement ; for, to speak properly, that which 
 atoned was death. If he had been in agonies 
 every day of his life, those w^ould not have taken 
 away sin : it must be dying : dying must do that, 
 and therefore he did die. But his agony was the 
 beginning of his dying. The garden? was the valley 
 of the shadow of death to him. And it is our 
 duty to reckon it so, and to be comforted in it 
 that Divine Justice is by Him satisfied in all his 
 demands, and that therefore now there is no 
 condemnation. Rom. viii. 1. 
 
 III. That it is our duty to prepare for agonies, 
 that is, sharp conflicts with grief and fear. 
 
 These we shall have, sometimes on one account, 
 sometimes on another. There are few of us but have 
 had them already more or less ; but we must expect 
 
more, and provide accordingl)^ " Let not him that 
 putteth on the harness rejoice as him that puts 
 it of." We are -in the world as in a wilder- 
 ness ; compassed about with wants, dangers, and 
 enemies ; and it will be so till we come to heaven. 
 Well, but in every agony remember two things. 
 
 1. That Jesus Christ was in one before you. 
 A sharper one, I dare say, than any of yours can 
 possibly be. Therefore " think it not strange con- 
 cerning the fiery trial that may try you, as though 
 some strange thing happened." 
 
 2. That liis being in one before you, took the 
 sting out of yours. The sting of an agony is sin. 
 Is sin pardoned ? Is thy peace made with God in 
 the blood of Christ ? Be of good cheer, it cannot 
 hurt thee. 
 
 IV. We learn how to carry it under an agony 
 that we may please God, and come off ^^ith ho- 
 nour. 
 
 Carry it as Christ carried it. He prayed. He 
 submitted. And so must we * ; and whoever doth 
 
 * " Whensoever we see any black or dark hour, any 
 bitter or bloody cup coming toward us, it is our duty to 
 pray, and we sin if we do not. The Lord himself ex- 
 pressly requires it of us, Ps. 1. 15 ; James v. 13. He gra- 
 ciously promises to accept of us therein, 2 Chron. vii. 13 — 15, 
 He wonders if we do not, Isa. lix. 16. He chides severely 
 for the neglect, Isa. xxxi. 1. He hath given encouraging 
 examples of his acceptance, Exod. xiv; Acts xii. There is 
 
18g 
 
 so aright, and as he ought, shall certainly have a 
 comfortable issue, as he had. 
 
 1. He prayed — nay, he prayed earnestly — he 
 prayed more earnestly. 
 
 Prayer is a salve for every sore. " Is any 
 among you afflicted ? let him pray," let the afflic- 
 tion be what it will. Prayer is heart's ease. No 
 man is miserable, whatever his condition be, but 
 he that hath a hard heart and cannot pray (Mr. 
 Dod). Prayer hath a probatum est written upon 
 it from the experience of all the saints in all ages. 
 In agonies, there is no cordial like it. "I sought 
 the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me 
 from all my fears. They looked unto him, and 
 were lightened ; and their faces were not ashamed. 
 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, 
 and saved him out of all his troubles." See an 
 instance in Jacob, Gen. xxxii. ; Hannah, 1 Sam. i. ; 
 Jehoshaphat upon a public occasion, 2 Chron. xx. 
 S, 3, 17. If a book w^re written of all the cures 
 that prayer hath done — I mean, that God hath done 
 
 good reason why we should pray ; for the affliction is of 
 God's sending, whatever it be ; Amos iii. 6; and by praying 
 to him, we acknowledge this. Besides, God, and none else, 
 can remove the trouble. Job xxxiv. 29; Jer. xlvii. 6, 7; 
 Deut. xxxii. 39 ; Ps. Ivii. 2. 
 
 " Onr prayers must be in humility, 2 Chron. vii. 14. In 
 hope and confidence, Heb. iv. IG. Fervent, as Jacob, 
 Gen. xxxii. See Jan-.^s v. 15, IG. Frequent, Gen. xxxii. 26; 
 Isa. Ixii. 1 ; Isa. xxvi. 16." Mr. Henry. Manuscript, 
 
183 
 
 by means of prayer — it would be the largest book 
 that ever was seen. How, then, should this endear 
 prayer to us ; increase our value and esteem of it ; 
 and engage us, upon all occasions, to the use and 
 practice of it ! What good will a receipt do if we 
 don't use it ? Try it. Try it the next time any 
 thing is amiss with you, either from grief under 
 some evil present, or from fear under some evil 
 future. Try what prayer will do. Away to the 
 Throne of Grace. It is erected on purpose. There 
 spread thy case and condition before the Lord ; 
 tell him how it is with you : implore his help, his 
 seasonable help. Take with you words, the 
 Master's words : " Father, if it be possible, let 
 this cup pass from me — if thou be willing, remove 
 this cup from me : nevertheless, not my will, but 
 thine be done." Notice this prayer, and the cir- 
 cumstances of it. 
 
 (1.) In the prayer observe the title he gives to 
 God — " Father." An endearing compellation ! 
 The same we may use in prayer, in all our agonies. 
 This may be done to move him to do to us as a 
 father : Doubtless thou art our father, full of 
 bowels. Jer. iii. 4, 5. It may be done, also, to move 
 ourselves to hope and trust in him as children, 
 even then when he seems to hide his face from us. 
 '' Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of 
 Grace *. " 
 
 * " Look upon it, if jou are the children of God, as 
 
184 
 
 (2.) In this prayer observe the thing he asks : 
 " Let this cup pass from me ;" — " Take away 
 
 yonr duty to come with boldness in prayer. We are com- 
 manded to come boldly^ The contrary is your fault and 
 failing. 
 
 " Look upon boldness in prayer as that which pleases 
 God, and the contrary as that which displeases him. Jer* 
 xxxi. 18, 20. "And it shall be at that day, saith the 
 Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi, and shalt call me no 
 more Baali." Hos. ii. 16. Not Baali, my Lord ; but Ishi, 
 my Husband. By this name he will be known ; a name of 
 love and sweetness. 
 
 ** Beware of those things which hinder boldness in 
 prayer ; as guilt — strangeness — and unbelief, doubting. 
 
 " View often the encouragements for prayer : as. The 
 near and dear relations wherein he hath put himself, espe- 
 cially that of a father. Ps. ciii. 13. It may be thou art thy- 
 self a father. See Matt. vii. 9, &c. ;— The exceeding great 
 and precious promises. John xvi. 23, &c.; — The encourag- 
 ing parables. Luke xi. 5, &c. ; Luke xviii. 1, 2; — Or, espe- 
 cially ; The encouraging experiences you have had — your 
 own and others. We miss it, that we do not lay up in store 
 signal answers to prayer : it would help much. And above 
 all, he hath provided for us a Mediator : his own Son, as 
 God ; bone of our bone, as man. Heb. iv. 15, 16. 
 
 " Mix holy fear with your boldness, in all your ad- 
 dresses. Ps. ii. II; Ps. V. 7. There is reason for both— 
 Boldness, because God is our Father ; fear, because our Fa- 
 ther is in heaven — boldness, because of Christ's worthiness; 
 and fear, because of our unworthiness — boldness, because 
 of God's goodness and mercy; fear, because of his great- 
 ness and majesty. Heb. xii. 28. Not a fear of diffidence 
 and distrust; not slavish nor childish, without knowing 
 why— but childlike; a reverent awe producing suitable be- 
 haviour of body and soul. Eccl. v. 1. 
 
 '• See the Spirit's influence upon our boldness in prayer. 
 
185 
 
 this cup;'* — That the hour might pass. Mark 
 xiv. 35, 36. 
 
 ^ What is meant by this cup, this hour ? ' His 
 whole passion approaching, particularly this pre- 
 sent agony. It is so called, not in an aggravat- 
 ing, but in an extenuating way — an hour, not a 
 day, week, month, year, age — a cup, not a river, 
 sea. Being but a cup, there is hope of quickly 
 being at the bottom of it, though it be a bitter 
 cup. This teaches us not to make the worst, but 
 the best, of afflicting providences. The worst of 
 our sins, but light afflictions. This will be so, 
 " while we look not at the things which are seen, 
 but at the things which are not seen ; for the things 
 which are seen, are temporal ; but the things which 
 are not seen, are eternal." 
 
 It is the effect of his witnessing act. Rom. viii. 15, 16. 
 Therefore hear and receive tlie Spirit's testimony. By a 
 convincing act, bringing the soul to a sight and sense of 
 ■want, he makes us in good earnest — as beggars. 
 
 " Because examples teach more powerfully than rules, let 
 me set before you a Pattern of prayer — a Copy without a 
 blot. It is that of Christ himself. He prayed frequently : 
 late and early, Mark i. 35. He prayed fervently, Luke 
 xxii. 41, 44 ; Heb. v. 7. He prayed to God as to a Father; 
 Matt. xi. 25, 26 ; John xvii. — yet as to a holy, righteous 
 Father. He prayed with submission. Matt. xxvi. 42. He 
 -was of a public spirit in prayer, John xvii. 20. He was of 
 a charitable spirit in prayer, Luke xxiii. 34. He prayed 
 with thanksgiving — for particular returns of prayer, John 
 xi. 41. We thrust thanksgiving into a corner, if not 
 wholly omit it." 
 
 Mr. Hitiry. Manuscript. 
 
186 
 
 ^ What is meant by removing this cup, takins;, 
 passing it away ? ' Either that it might not come 
 at all, or that he might have a quick dispatch — 
 ' Was he then willing to be excused ; did he shrink 
 in the preparation ? ' No : but it shews us that 
 he had all the sinless infirmities of human nature, 
 and fear of death and dissolution among the rest. 
 Therefore he presently adds, " Not my will, but 
 thine be done." If it may consist with thy honour, 
 and man's redemption, let it pass. 
 
 (3.) This is the third thing we have in this 
 prayer, the terms on which he asks : " If' thou be 
 •willing y remove this cup from me." This we 
 must say in all our addresses to the Throne of 
 Grace for temporal escapes — " If thou be willing." 
 The will of God must rule us always in every 
 thing. The will of his precept in our doings ; the 
 will of his providence in our sufferings. 
 
 Now the circumstances of this prayer are ob- 
 servable, besides the prayer itself. 
 
 It was private. — " He went forward a little" — 
 where he might be out of hearing — he withdrew 
 himself, according to his own rule ; " When thou 
 prayest, enter into thy closet." It is said of Da- 
 vid, " he went in and sat before the Lord." 
 2 Sam. vii. 18. We each of us ought, both on 
 ordinary and extraordinary occasions, to retire our- 
 selves for prayer. " O my dove, that art in the 
 clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, 
 let me hear thy voice." Sol. Song ii. 14. 
 
187 
 
 Observe his posture. — According to INIatt. xxvi. 
 39, " he fell on his face" — prostrate. O what a 
 sight was here, to see the blessed Jesus lying on 
 the bare earth and praying ! See what his love to 
 us brought him to ! In prayer we should be 
 always reverent and self-abasing : as the Pub- 
 lican : he " would not so much as lift up his 
 eyes to heaven." 
 
 ' But Luke says, he ^^kneelecV down, chap. xU.' 
 Both might say true. He might have been one 
 while upon his face, another while upon his knees, 
 as is usual in agonies. 
 
 Mark the repetition. — When he had prayed 
 this prayer once, he went again, after some inter- 
 mission, and prayed a second time ; and after 
 that, a third time. Matt. xxvi. This is brought 
 by some to prove the lawfulness, nay, the expedi- 
 ency, of forms of prayer ; not only in public, but 
 also in secret : that we may lawfully use the same 
 words, nay, that it is best to do it. 
 
 ' Who says we may not } ' We do not say you 
 may not. But I must tell you, they are not the 
 same words, but, ■^oV a-Vov Aoyov, tlw same argu- 
 ment, errand. The words might be different, and 
 so they are. Besides, who says it is not lawful 9 
 the thing that we plead against is the imposing of 
 forms, especially to the express exclusion of other 
 prayer as babbling, canting. 
 
 That which I should rather gather from this re- 
 
188 
 
 ception is, that we may — nay, that we ought — to 
 persevere in prayer. If the first time bring not 
 an answer, we must go again. Eph. vi. 13 ; Luke 
 xviii. 1 ; Isa. Ixii. 1 . Pray without ceasing. As 
 Paul — he " besought the Lord thrice." It was in 
 an agony of temptation. And if at last, even after 
 the seventh time, we can but see a cloud, though 
 no bigger than a man's hand, rising, it will be 
 worth while. See 1 Kings xviii. 44. Prayer is 
 like the dove that Noah sent forth : it returned 
 the first time with no hope, the second time with 
 an olive branch. We lose many a prayer by 
 fainting in it, and giving it over. Jacob wrestled 
 perseveringly : " And he said. Let me go, for the 
 day breaketh; and he said, / zvi/l not let thee 
 go, except thou bless me." 
 
 2. Jesus prayed earnestly. 
 
 His earnestness in prayer shews the deep sense 
 he had of the evil he prayed against, and the 
 eager desire he had to be delivered from it. " He 
 offered up prayers and supplications, with strong 
 crying and tears." It was no dull prayer : he 
 prayed with all his might. It was no dry prayer : 
 he wept and prayed, and prayed and wept. This 
 teaches us to do in like manner, especially in our 
 agonies. Even nature causes vehemency at such 
 a time : " They poured out a prayer when thy 
 chastening was upon them." Isa, xxvi. \6. But 
 the importunity of grace is another thing. The 
 
iS9 
 
 Scriptures use sundry comparisons and sundry ex- 
 pressions, to set forth the holy earnestness of the 
 saints in prayer. As, 
 
 Pouring out the heart: that is more tlian 
 pouring out a prayer. " Pour out your heart be- 
 fore him." Ps. Ixii. 8. " I have poured out ray 
 soul before the Lord." 1 Sam. i. 15. It sup- 
 poses the heart melted — melting affections, melt- 
 ing expressions. 
 
 Lifting up the heart. " Let us lift up our heart 
 with our hands unto God in the heavens." Lam. 
 iii. 41. " Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my 
 soul." Ps. XXV. L In opposition to letting 
 down, in dejection and despondency. 
 
 Stretching forth the heart. Fervency of spirit, 
 Rom. xii. 11. Wrestling, Gen. xxxii. 24; Isa. 
 Ixiv. 7. Striving : " Stivre to2;ether with me in 
 your prayers to God," Rom. xv. 30. Labour- 
 ing fervently : " Always labouring fervently for 
 you in prayers," Col. iv. 12. Praying exceed- 
 ingly, 1 Thess. iii. 10— super-excessively. 
 
 This way of praying is the likeliest way to 
 speed. " The effectual fervent prayer of a righ- 
 teous man availeth much." The contrary fails. 
 Cold desires beg denials. One reason why God 
 withholds the blessing is to draw out importunity. 
 
 The earnestness must be as the kind of mercy is : 
 we may be too importunate in temporal things. 
 
190 
 
 3. He prayed more earnestly — 'EHlsvirepoy, with 
 more stretchw^ out — more than at other times. 
 
 This was the case in respect of intenseness of 
 aflfection. There is a dispute between Dr. Ham- 
 mond and Mr. Jeang, how that could be, that 
 Christ should be more earnest in one prayer than 
 in another, seeing he was always alike full of 
 habitual grace. 
 
 This may be so in respect of enlargedness of 
 expression. He prayed longer then than at other 
 times : therefore the first Avords mentioned w^ere 
 not all that he spoke in prayer; only the sum 
 and substance ; he prayed more at large. So may 
 we in our agonies, as there may be occasion : 
 and, blessed be God, he to whom we pray is one 
 whose ear is not, cannot be, heavy with hearing. 
 Isa. hx. 1. 
 
 He submitted as well as prayed. " Neverthe- 
 less, not my will, but thine, be done." ' Though 
 I am thus earnest in this matter, weeping and 
 crying — though I would fain be heard that the 
 cup might pass — yet. Father, it is with submis- 
 sion I pray ; it shall be as thou pleasest ; if thou 
 wilt have me drink of it, I will, even if it were 
 more bitter than it is.' Note : when we pray for 
 the removing of any bitter cup, whatever it be, 
 it must be always with submission, yielding our- 
 
\9l 
 
 selves to the holy will and pleasure of our hea- 
 venly Father. Thus did Christ, and thus ought 
 we to do. 
 
 There is submission upon constraint, which is 
 the same as patience : by force, when we yield 
 of necessity, because we cannot help it. " Woe 
 is me for my hurt ! my wound is grievous : but I 
 said, Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it.'' 
 Jer. X. 19. " I must bear it." 
 
 There is submission of choice, and this is 
 Christ-like. " I will bear the indignation of the 
 Lord." My wise Father knows better than I do. 
 
 To move to this, consider, 
 
 1. Prayers are to be regulated by promises. 
 Now the promises run with limitation — in outward 
 things, as far as shall be for our good and his 
 glory. " No good will he withhold from them 
 that walk uprightly." 
 
 2. It hath been the practice of all the saints : 
 not of the Head only, as here, but of all his tMe 
 living members. " And the king said unto Zadok, 
 CaiTy back the ark of God into the city. If I 
 shall find favour in the eyes of the Lord, he will 
 bring me again, and shew me both it and his 
 habitation. But if he thus say, I have no delight 
 in thee ; behold, here am I, let him do to me as 
 seemeth good unto him." 2 Sam. xv. 25, 26. It 
 is true, at another time we find him displeased 
 under a cross providence — 1 Chron. xiii. 11 — 
 
1.92 
 
 but it was in an hour of temptation — under a 
 sudden surprise. 
 
 3. There is reason for it, considering who he 
 is whose will we are thus to submit to, — thy 
 sovereign Lord, thy loving Father. 
 
 4. That the likeliest way to have a mercy is to 
 be willing to want it. We think to wrest mercies 
 out of God's hand by our peremptoriness for 
 them. As Rachel : " Give me children, or I die." 
 But that is not the way. The way is, to refer it 
 to him, if a temporal mercy, as the passing away 
 of a bitter cup is ; but for spiritual blessings we 
 may, we must, be positive : Give me Christ, or 
 else I die. 
 
 ' But was Christ heard, was his prayer an- 
 swered ? ' Yes, he was. (Heb. v. 7.) " And 
 there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, 
 strengthening him*," The cup did not pass, but 
 he was enabled to drink it. This is a real answer 
 to prayer. " In the day when I cried, thou an- 
 sweredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength 
 in my soul." Ps. cxxxviii. 3. Deut. iii. 2G, 27. — 
 ' But how strengthening him?' Not by putting 
 any strength into him which he had not, but by 
 suggesting those suitable considerations which were 
 
 It is angel-like work for Christians to help to 
 strengthen and comfort one another under sufferings." 
 
 Mr, Henry. Manuscript. 
 
19S 
 
 instead of a cordial : as, the glory that would 
 redound to God — the good that would accrue to 
 man — the name he was to have above every name 
 — the nearness of the victory. 
 
 Praying, submitting souls, under whatever ago- 
 nies they are, may assure themselves both of 
 present supports under them, and a comfortable 
 issue out of them. This that was done to Chiust 
 was written for our learning, that we might have 
 hope. Therefore lift up the hands that hang 
 down. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he 
 shall sustain thee. " The Lord is my portion, 
 saith my soul ; therefore will I hope in him. The 
 Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the 
 soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man 
 should both hope and quietly wait for the salva- 
 tion of the Lord." 
 
194 
 
 SERMON IX, 
 
 1 PETER i. 9. 
 
 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation 
 of your souls. 
 
 1 HE subject is salvation ; a sweet and comfort- 
 able subject ! full of marrow and fatness to those 
 that understand what it is, and what is contained 
 in it. The text contains two doctrines : 
 
 I. That the salvation of our souls is the end of 
 
 our faith. And, 
 
 II. That those that have received the salvation 
 
 of their souls, which is the end of their 
 faith, have cause to rejoice with joy un- 
 speakable and full of glory. 
 
 DOCTRINE I. The salvation of our souls is the 
 
 end of our faith. 
 Shew, i . What salvation this is meant of. 
 
 2. Prove it the end of our faith. 
 
 3. Apply it. 
 
195 
 
 For the 1st. — What salvation is this meant of? 
 Salvation is three-fold. — Temporal : in the things 
 of the life that now is. " The hai'vest is past, 
 the summer is ended, and we are not saved." 
 Jer. viii. 20. When people are put into a safe, 
 prosperous condition, free from enemies, burdens, 
 grievances, we say they are saved. — Spiritual: 
 in the things of our souls. When a man is con- 
 verted, he is saved. Conversion is salvation. 
 *' And Jesus said unto him. This day is salvation 
 come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a sop 
 of Abraham." Luke xix. 9- "And with many 
 other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save 
 yourselves from this untoward generation." Acts 
 ii. 40. He is saved from the guilt and filth of all 
 his sins past ; from the doyiiinion and power of 
 them for time to come. — Eternal: in the world 
 to come : begun at death, finished at the resurrec- 
 tion. The former is properly the salvation of the 
 soul ; the latter of soul and body together. It is 
 no great matter of which of the two we under- 
 stand it. They are both salvation, and they 
 necessarily follow the one upon the other. He 
 whose soul is saved at death, shall certainly be 
 saved, soul and body, to eternity. Once in hea- 
 ven, and ever in heaven. And that is the reason 
 why it is called eternal salvation, Heb. v. 9, to 
 distinguish it from and to give it the pre-eminence 
 above all other salvations whatsoever, 
 o 2 
 
196 
 
 For the 2d. — The salvation of our souls is the 
 eiid of our faith *. 
 
 * " Faith includes in it, assent to the truth of something 
 told us — application of it to ourselves — answerable affec- 
 tions within — and answerable actings without. 
 
 " The object of faith is all divine revealed doctrines, 
 precepts, promises, threatenings, stories ; and particularly 
 what concerns Jesus Christ as Prince and Saviour. If it 
 should be told you, which God forbid, by a voice from 
 heaven, that the building in which you are should fall 
 immediately; either you would believe it— that is, assent 
 to the veracity of him that should fell you so, with applica- 
 tion to yourselves — or not. If you did, the affection 
 stirring within would be fear; the action without, flight. 
 Now in reference to the great business of salvation, which 
 is only by faith in Jesus Christ, there are sundry things 
 that must be believed, that is, assented to with application 
 and answerable affections and actings. As, 
 
 " 1. That you are at present in a lost, undone condition, 
 both by nature and by practice. Believe it, for God hath 
 spoken it. Gal. iii. 22. Eph. ii, 3. Be grieved on account 
 of it. Hasten out of it. 
 
 " 2r That God hath set forth his Son Jesus Christ to be 
 the propitiation for sin ; and that besides him there is no 
 other. Dost thou believe this ? Dost thou begin to love 
 him? Dost thou close with him? This ought to be be- 
 lieved. John iii. 16. Matt. iii. 7- John xiv. «. Acts iv. 12. 
 
 " 3. That immediately upon our receiving of Christ, and 
 closing with Christ, we are made the children of God, and 
 he becomes a Father to us— a reconciled Father — our sins 
 are all forgiven, our persons justified, and there is no con- 
 demnation to us. John i, 12. Rom. viii. 1. 
 
 " 4. That all that will have benefit by the death of 
 Christ must be new creatures, die to sin, and live to God. 
 Not be new first ; but first believe, and close with him ; and 
 then, in sense of his great love, address to please him. 
 
197 
 
 It is the end aimed at. — God aims at it in com- 
 manding lis to believe. He would have none to 
 be damned, but all to be saved. Why, then, be- 
 lieve, says he. " God so loved the world, that he 
 gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever be- 
 lieveth in him should not perish, but have everlast- 
 ing life." 
 
 Ministers aim at it in persuading you to be- 
 lieve. The thing that we would have, is your 
 salvation— that your souls may be saved, that is, 
 go to heaven when they go out of your bodies. 
 And therefore believe, say we. So runs our com- 
 mission : "He that belie veth and is baptized 
 shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be 
 danmed," 
 
 The believer himself aims at it in his believing. 
 Ask him. Why do you believe — that is, receive 
 Jesus Christ offered to you in the Gospel ? He 
 will tell you it is that he may be saved. " Sirs, 
 what must I do to be saved ? And they said, 
 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt 
 he saved." 
 
 Salvation is the end attained, as well as aimed 
 
 *' 5. That, besides the temporal things that are seen, 
 there are eternal things not seen — an eternal hell and hea- 
 ven ; — that when we die, we must go to the one, to abide 
 there for ever. O believe this. It is certainly so. And 
 give all diligence to make your calling and election sure." 
 Mr. Henry. Manttscript. 
 
198 
 
 at.— ^All lelietersy of what country, nation, or 
 language soever they be, young or old, men or 
 women, are undoubtedly saved. Nothing can 
 come between a believer and heaven; between 
 faith and salvation. Salvation is the end of 
 faith. 
 
 (1.) As Noah's safety from the flood was the 
 end of his going into the ark. He designed to be 
 safe there by going in, and he was so. The ark is 
 heaven, or rather Christ; for without being in 
 him first, there is no getting to heaven. 
 
 (2.) As the malefactor's security in the city of 
 refuge was the end of his flying thither. He aimed 
 at it, and had it. It is by faith that the soul flies 
 to Christ, being aware of the avenger of blood 
 following and pursuing. 
 
 (3.) As a cure to those that were wounded was 
 the end of their looking up to the brazen serpent. 
 They thereby looked to have it, and they had it, 
 " As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, 
 even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that 
 whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but 
 have everlasting life." 
 
 (4.) As Canaan was the end of the Israelites' 
 both coming out of Egypt and travelling through 
 the wilderness. They expected it in so doing, and 
 obtained it. So believing is yielding ourselves to 
 the conduct of our heavenly Moses. 
 
 (5.) As enjoying any thing promised is the end 
 
199 
 
 of performing the condition. He that makes the 
 promise designs it ; and he that performs the con- 
 dition expects it, and hath it. As suppose a 
 jewel tendered upon condition of acceptance. Now 
 by faith it is that we receive Christ offered in the 
 Gospel, and salvation by him. 
 
 For the 3d — the appHcation — learn, 
 J . What an excellent grace the grace of faith 
 is, that hath salvation for the end of it. It is a 
 poor thing in itself to receive, to look, to accept : 
 but what is the end ? what comes of it when it is 
 done ? Salvation — the salvation of the soul, that 
 precious jewel ! 
 
 2. How righteous a thing it is that they should 
 miss of salvation that will not believe — the end 
 so rich and high ; the means so small and inconsi- 
 derable. The end of unbelief is damnation. 
 
 3. Exhortation to all by all means to believe — 
 that is, in the sense of their lost and undone con- 
 dition to lay hold of the hope set before them in 
 the Gospel. Consider — it will save your precious 
 souls. 
 
200 
 
 DOCTRINE. II. Those that have received the 
 salvation of their souls, which is the end 
 of their faith, have cause to rejoice with 
 joy unspeakable and full of glory. 
 
 Shew, 1. What this receiving is. How can 
 
 they that are yet in the body be 
 
 said, in any sense, to have received 
 
 the salvation of their souls. 
 
 2. What cause they have to rejoice with 
 
 such great joy. 
 3. The application. 
 
 1. Shew what this i^eceivmg is. 
 
 To receive a thing, is when the thing is present. 
 The salvation of our souls is not present, but to 
 come. 
 
 (1.) In the day in which we believe we receive 
 salvation, as we do then receive the promise of 
 salvation. Faith is closing with the promise. The 
 great promise which faith closes with in conver- 
 sion, is the promise of salvation. He that be- 
 lieves shall be saved. ' Who says so?' The 
 Eternal God, that cannot lie or deceive ; whose 
 word is not yea and nay, but yea and amen. 
 Faithful is he that hath promised. And is he so.? 
 saith the soul ; then why should I think he will 
 deceive me? He will not — he cannot. Lord, I 
 
SOI 
 
 believe, I take Christ to be mine, and give 
 myself to be his. Then I shall be saved. When 
 God had spoken it, that David should be king, 
 he concluded confidently it should be so. " The 
 words of the Lord are pure words." Ps. xii. 6. 
 " These all died in faith, not having received 
 the promises, but having seen them afar off, and 
 were persuaded of them, and embraced them.'' Heb. 
 xi. 13. Embracing is of friends present. Faith in 
 the promise makes the thing promised present. 
 
 (£.) In the day in which we believe we receive 
 salvation, as we do then receive the Author of 
 salvation, that is, the Lord Jesus Christ. " Though 
 he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the 
 things which he suffered ; and being made perfect, 
 he became the Author of eternal salvation unto all 
 them that obey him ? " He, and none but he, can 
 be the Saviour : " Neither is there salvation in 
 any other : for there is none other name under 
 heaven given among men, whereby we must be 
 saved." And he is qualified for it every way. 
 ** Wherefore, he is able to save them to the utter- 
 most that come unto God by him, seeing he ever 
 liveth to make intercession for them." Now faith 
 is the soul's coming to God by him. Till we 
 belie fe, we are departing from God. BeHeving is 
 coming to him ; and Christ is the " way, and the 
 truth, and the life." John xiv. 6. He is the old 
 way, the only way, and the open way. Art thou 
 
'202 
 
 walking in it ? Salvation is certainly before thee, 
 if thou art. Marry the heir, and the inheritance is 
 thine. 
 
 (3.) In the day in which we believe, we receive 
 salvation, as we do then receive the earnest of 
 salvation. In making bargains, when the earnest 
 is given and taken, we reckon the thing bargained 
 for our own. We received it, when we received 
 the earnest of it. Now the earnest of salvation is 
 the Spirit of grace as a sanctifier, renewing us 
 after the image of God, implanting in us holy 
 dispositions of soul towards God. This is called 
 the new man. " In whom ye also trusted, after 
 that ye heard the word of truth, the Gospel of 
 your salvation : in whom also, after that ye be- 
 lieved, yc were sealed with that Holy Spirit of 
 promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, 
 until the redemption of the purchased possession, 
 unto the praise of his glory." Eph. i. 13, 14. 
 " Who hath sealed us, and given the earnest of 
 the Spirit in our hearts." 2 Cor. i. 22. 
 
 The earnest is always of the same kind with the 
 thing bargained for ; as, if for money, money. A 
 pledge or pawn is of something else — as a ring, or 
 goods. Now grace is the same thing with glory, 
 only a lower degree. 
 
 The earnest is ahvays part of payment. So 
 is the work of sanctification — it is the suburbs of 
 heaven. 
 
203 
 
 If the bargain be not performed, the earnest is 
 lost. So if heaven be not the believer's portion, 
 all the grace he enjoys on earth is lost. Impos- 
 sible! It is the seed of God; it is the spring 
 " springing up unto everlasting life." 
 
 (4.) In the day in which we believe, we receive 
 salvation; as we do then, or afterwards, receive 
 the first-fruits and foretastes of salvation. When 
 the children of Israel were in the wilderness, 
 they received the vintage of Canaan in the clusters 
 brought them. So does the Christian now on 
 earth. He has a joy full of glory — that is, of 
 the same kind with the joy of heaven, only differ- 
 ing in degree. 
 
 2. What cause have such persons to rejoice 
 with such great joy *. 
 
 * " The evils they are, and are to be more and more, 
 delivered from, are: — 
 
 " 1. The guilt of sin, the wrath of God, the curse of the 
 law. 
 
 " 2. The dominion and power of sin — it shall no more 
 reign. 
 
 " 3. The clutches of Satan— he may tempt, but he cannot 
 hurt them. 
 
 " 4. The evil of this world, and of every condition while 
 they are in it. 
 
 " 5. The sting of death and the power of the grave. 
 
 " 6. The damnation of hell, 
 
 ** The good things they are, and are to be more and more, 
 possessed of, are :^ 
 
204 
 
 (I.) They are saved from hell. — And M'hat is 
 hell ? Hell is, to be accursed from Christ ; that is, 
 separated with a curse. " Depart from me, ye 
 cursed, into everlasting fire." Hell is the bottom- 
 less pit — the company of devils and damned 
 spirits — destruction from the presence of the 
 Lord — everlasting punishment — falling into the 
 hands of the living God. It is gnashing of 
 teeth to see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the 
 kingdom of God, and themselves thrust out. It 
 is hideous horror of conscience, in downright, ab- 
 solute despair. It is ignominy — shame and con- 
 fusion of face for ever. Dan. xii. 2. It is kindled 
 brimstone — a lake of fire — misery without 
 mercy — a never-dying worm — outer darkness 
 — a perpetual prison. It is to be shut out of 
 heaven — to be tormented. Hell is vengeance 
 eternal — wrath in the day of wrath, and in the 
 
 " 1. The love and favour of God, and the light of his 
 countenance, living and dying. 
 
 " 2. Admission into his kingdom and glory — -to be /or 
 ever in his immediate presence, to see him as he is. 
 
 " 3. Everlasting rest after all their labour in this world ; 
 and to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the 
 kingdom of God ; nay, which is better, to be with Jesus in 
 an eternal state — to be made perfect in holiness. 
 
 *' 4. Security, that nothing of this shall ever fail — no 
 falling from it. Is there not matter for joy, and especially 
 that that joy should terminate in Christ, who purchased al 
 this for us ? " 3Ir, Henry, Manuscript. 
 
205 
 
 place of wrath. It is the eternity of every thing 
 that doth afflict. 
 
 This is hell, a rude draught of it, which salva-- 
 tion frees us from. And should not the saved be 
 glad, though poor, and scattered, and afflicted ? 
 
 (^.) Salvation is heaven. — And what is heaven? 
 " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have 
 entered into the heart of man, the things which 
 God hath prepared for them that love him." 
 
 Heaven is entire union with God, and with the 
 saints. It is immediate vision : " Blessed are the 
 pure in heart, for they shall see God." Matt. v. 8. 
 " Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it 
 doth not yet appear what we shall be : but we know, 
 that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him : 
 for we shall see him as he is. And every man that 
 hath this hope in him, purifieth himself even as he 
 is pure." 1 John iii. 2, 3. Heaven is enjoyment un- 
 interrupted — joy unspeakable — perfect holiness — 
 perpetual sabbath — prepared glory — pleasures for 
 evermore. Heaven is, to be comforted, Luke 
 xvi. 25 — to be crowned, not with a crown of 
 gold, but with a crown of glory. It is to be with 
 Christ : " I am in a strait betwixt two, having a 
 desire to depart, and to be with Christ." Phil. 
 i. 23. " Father, I will that they also Avhom thou 
 liast given me, be xvith me where I am ; that they 
 may behold my glory, which thou hast given me : 
 for thou lovedst me before the foundation of 
 the world." John xvii. 24 ; Luke xxiii. 43. 
 
206 
 
 Heaven is, to be confirmed in all this happiness, 
 so as to be in no danger of losing it. The angels 
 lost it. 
 
 Is this heaven ? Nay, the one half is not told 
 you. And should not they be glad that have re- 
 ceived all this — received it in hope, though not 
 in hand ; in reversion, though not in possession ? 
 They that have it in possession, are always singing 
 for joy night and day ; and should not we, that 
 are in the way to it, within a step, perhaps, of it, 
 in our measure be glad and rejoice in it ; at least 
 now and then ? * 
 
 3. The application. 
 
 (1.) How much doth it concern us, then, to ex- 
 
 * " There are three motives that should move the people 
 of God to rejoice: — 
 
 " 1. For God's sake, and if we love hira — that his name 
 may be glorified. Turpe est imperatori, qiiando miles cum 
 gemens sequitur — It is a disgrace to a commander when a 
 soldier follows him groaning. How angry was God upon 
 this account with the spies ! Micah vi. 23. 
 
 " 2. For religion's sake, if we love that — that it may be 
 beautified. Your dejections are discouraging to others — 
 keep some from coming in ; cause others to droop with 
 you— especially if you are an ancient, unblemished pro- 
 fessor. See Deut. viii. 20. 
 
 " 3. For your own sake — if you love yourselves. You 
 little think how joy strengthens, both for doing and suffer- 
 ing. ' The joy of the Lord is your strength.' Neb. viii. 10. 
 You little think how it enlarges. It causes to abound in 
 duty: it is as oil to the wheels." 
 
 Mr, Henry, Manuscript. 
 
207 
 
 amine and try, have we received this salvation — 
 that is, have we beheved ? Where is thy faith ? 
 That is the hand : there is no salvation any other 
 way. Repentance is not the hand, nor cliarity, 
 nor prayer : only faith. Salvation is not the end 
 of our good works : it is at the end of them, if 
 they be done in faith ; else not. 
 . The trial of faith is : — How was it wrought 9 
 If born with us, if easily come by, suspect it. 
 Did it come by hearing ? Was the foundation of 
 it laid in sound convictions ? — How doth it xvoi^k f 
 Is it heart-purifying ? " Purifying their hearts by 
 faith." Is it world-overcoming? " For whatso- 
 ever is born of God overcometh the world : and this 
 is the victory that overcometh the world, even our 
 faith." Does it quench temptation? " Above 
 all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall 
 be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked." 
 Does it increase our love ? " For in Jesus Christ 
 neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor un- 
 circumcision ; but faith which worketh by love." 
 Does it promote obedience ? " We have received 
 grace for obedience to the faith among all nations, 
 for his name." 
 
 Q. If never yet received, now receive it. Can 
 a richer offer be made you? Salvation is the 
 one thing needful, the pearl of price. O make it 
 your own ! 
 
 3. You that have received it, rejoice; and again 
 
208 
 
 I say, rejoice. You liave reason, whatever your 
 outward condition be. See Rom. v. 1, 2, 3, &c. 
 " Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace 
 with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ : by whom 
 also we have access by faith into this grace wherein 
 we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of 
 God. And not only so, but we glory in tribula- 
 tions also; knoAving that tribulation worketh pa- 
 tience ; and patience, experience ; and experience, 
 hope; and hope maketh not ashamed; because 
 the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by 
 the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us." 
 
209 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 EZEKIEL xvi. 2. 
 
 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her 
 abominations. 
 
 1 HESE words are a call or commission from the 
 great God to his servant the Prophet Ezekiel : 
 where observe, 
 
 1. The title he gives him : Son of Man. — Only 
 Ezekiel and the Prophet Daniel, and our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, are styled expressly in this manner. 
 Our Lord Jesus is styled so to evidence the truth 
 of his humanity, that he was really and truly a 
 child of Adam. The other two are so styled 
 with respect to the great honour and dignity 
 done unto them in the visions which they had be- 
 yond others ; notwithstanding which, they were 
 to know themselves to be but men, and to be 
 humble accordingly, not puffed up. It is like 
 the thorn given to Paul for the same reason. 
 
 2 Cor. xii. And it had that effect immediately 
 upon him: "Though I be nothing," verge 11. 
 
 p 
 
210 
 
 Note : It is good for those that are advanced by 
 God above others, to be kept low and poor in 
 spirit. As the stars ; the higher they are, the less 
 glaring is their light. As ears of corn ; the more 
 full they are, the more they bend downward. 
 
 2. The special work he sends him about : 
 Cause Jerusalem to knoxv her abominations. — The 
 same purport with the message given to the pro- 
 phet Isaiah : " Shew my people their transgres- 
 sionSy and the house of Jacob their sins." And 
 he doth it to purpose in the following verses of the 
 chapter. He compares them in their beginning to 
 a new-born infant weltering in blood, but by some 
 happy hand pitied and succoured, and afterwards, 
 when grown up, married ; but after marriage most 
 shamefully playing the harlot. Such was their 
 conduct towards God. 
 
 Now this he must tell them of, dealing plainly 
 with them, without flattery, that they might be. 
 made to knoxv it. 
 
 Note, 
 
 I. That our sins are our abominations. 
 
 An abomination is any thing that is hateful 
 and loathsome. And is not sin so? Certainly 
 it is : the most abominable abomination. It is 
 the abomination of desolation, or that which 
 makelh desolate. 
 
 I. It is abominable in itself. — The Holy Ghost 
 
211 
 
 in Scripture compares it to the mire of swine ; — 
 to the vomit of a dog, 2 Pet. ii. 22 ; — to the 
 scum of a pot, Ezek. xxiv ; — to the plague, 
 1 Kings viii. 38 ;— to the putrefaction of a grave ^ 
 Matt, xxiii.; — to the dross of metal, Ps. cxix. 1 19. 
 ^' Son of Man, the house of Israel is to me become 
 dross : all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and 
 lead, in the midst of the furnace ; they are even 
 the dross of silver." Ezek. xxii. 18. What more 
 loathsome than sin ? 
 
 2. God abhors it. — It is the one thing that 
 he hates. His love has various objects ; his ha- 
 tred, sin only. "Oh, do not this abominable 
 thing that I hate/' He cannot endure to look 
 upon it : " Thou art of purer eyes than to behold 
 evil, and canst not look upon iniquity." Hab. i. 
 13; Ps. V. 4. We may wonder, then, at his infi- 
 nite patience ; that he sees so much, and yet bears 
 so long. 
 
 3. It makes the sinner abominable. 
 
 It makes him abominable to God. When the 
 angels sinned, how soon they were turned out of 
 heaven ! How quickly was Adam, when he sinned, 
 turned out of Paradise ! " Three shepherds also 
 I cut off in one month ; and my soul loathed them, 
 and their soul also abhorred me." Zech. xi. 8. 
 
 It makes them abominable to good men — to 
 such as God hath savingly enlightened. '' An 
 unjust man is an abomination to the just." In 
 p2 
 
2 12 
 
 their eyes " A vile person is contemned; but they 
 honour them that fear the Lord." 
 
 It makes them abominable to themselves, if ever 
 God gives them repentance. " They shall loath 
 themselves for the evils -which they have com- 
 mitted in all their abominations." Ezek. vi. 9- 
 " Then Job answered the Lord, and said, Behold, 
 I am vile ; what shall I answer thee ? I will lay 
 mine hand upon my mouth." Job xl. 3, 4. See 
 also Job xlii. 5, 6 ; Ps. Ixxiii. 22 ; Prov. xxx. 2. 
 
 Then learn hence what to think of sin — of all 
 sin, especially your own sin. Count it as a 
 loathsome, abominable thing; and have nothing 
 to do with it, no more than you wrould with the 
 plague or leprosy. 
 
 Note, 
 
 IL That even Jerusalem hath her abominations. 
 
 Jerusalem was the holy city, and yet it was 
 greatly polluted. The inhabitants were the professing 
 people of the God of heaven, his only professing 
 people, and yet they were a sinful and provoking 
 people. " Shew my people their transgression, 
 and the house of Jacob their sins." 
 
 And is it not so now, even at this day ? Hath not 
 our Jerusalem her abominations ? Have not God's 
 professing people among us their abominations.-^ 
 Certainly they have. It is manifest by the con- 
 troversy that God hath begun with us ; nay, more 
 
213 
 
 than begun, it hath been of long continuance ; and 
 our abominations are the cause of it. 
 
 ' What abominations ? ' — There are no abomi- 
 nations to be found among others but what may 
 be found also among the professing people of 
 God. Noah was drunk ; Lot was incestuous ; 
 David was guilty of murder and adultery ; and 
 . Peter denied his Master. But, then, this is not an 
 ordinary thing : it happens only now and then : here 
 and there one may so miscarry. As eclipses, they 
 are not daily, nor often. It is not their course 
 and way, neither. Their trade is otherwise. 
 " Blessed are the undefiled in the way, w^ho iccdk 
 in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that 
 keep his testimonies. They also do no iniquity : 
 they walk in his ways." When they have fallen 
 into sin, they repent. 
 
 But there are abominations which we have 
 especial reason to take notice of in others, and in 
 ourselves. 
 
 1. Formality in the duties of God's worship. — 
 There is not that constancy, that evenness, that 
 life and liveliness, in our secret and family worship, 
 and in our solemn assemblies, which there ought to 
 be. There is seldomness, straitness, and formality 
 in our services. This God abhors. 
 
 2. Too much friendship with the world. — With 
 the men of the world. Too much joining in league 
 with them ; too mucli association with them of 
 
gl4 
 
 choice, and with delight ; too frequently intermar- 
 riages with them. This is the case also as it 
 respects the things of the world. Alas ! what 
 covetous desires, and what covetous practices ! 
 
 3. Flesh-pleasing. — Making provision for the 
 flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof : even serving divers 
 lusts and pleasures — for the belly, in meats and 
 drinks ; for the back, in apparel. As do others, 
 so do many who profess the Christian name. 
 
 4. Foolish walking towards them that are with- 
 out. — We ought to walk in wisdom towards such. 
 Col. iv. 6 : " Let your speech be always with 
 grace." But do we so? Are we not accessary 
 to the hardening of them, and making them worse, 
 by scandals and offences, conforming to them, 
 and complying with them beyond what should be ? 
 
 5. Feuds within and among ourselves. — Are 
 there not janglings and jarrings, not only in reli- 
 gious matters, but in other things, concerning 
 trifles? See 1 Cor. vi. 
 
 These are some of the many abominations that 
 might be noticed, and they are matter for lamen- 
 tation. 
 
 Note, 
 
 III. It is a desirable thing for people to know 
 their abominations. 
 
 Knowledge of sin js two-fold. There is an 
 empty and notional knowledge : a knowledge that 
 
215 
 
 «uch and such things are sins, and that we have 
 been guilty of them. There is also a powerful 
 and practical knowledge of sin : a knowledge of 
 it so as to understand the evil of it; that it is an 
 abomination; a thing to be abhorred, especially 
 as it is against God ; and to feel from it accord- 
 ingly. As Job : " Thou writest bitter things 
 against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities 
 of my youth." 
 
 This knowledge of sin is desirable, 
 
 1 . Because, if we do not know our sins, we can 
 never repent of them. Who is sorry for that 
 which he sees no harm in ? Conviction goes be- 
 fore contrition *. 
 
 * " There are two characters which may be given of true 
 sorrow for sin. It is great sorrow, — deep, solid, and sub- 
 stantial. There may be great outward expressions of sor- 
 row, and yet but little sorrow, if any at all. Thus Ahab 
 mourned. 1 Kings xxi. 27. But there may be great sorrow 
 within^ and yet none without. Waters may run deep and 
 yet silently. Fire may burn vehemently, and yet there may 
 be no flame. Now it is the greatness of our inward sorrow 
 that God regards. Joel ii. 13. True mourning for sin is 
 not garment-work, but heart-work. There may he exces- 
 sive sorrow for sin. This is the case : 1. When we mourn 
 so as to disparage the pardoning mercy of God in Christ. 
 We must never mourn for sin with both eyes ; but while 
 one eye is mourning for sin, the other must be upon Christ. 
 2. When our mourning puts us by duty, either of God'^j 
 worship, or of o»ir particular calling. Ezra was in great 
 sorrow for sin, but it was till the evening sacrifice. Ezra 
 ix. 4, 3. When it proves a stumbling block to others, s© 
 
216 
 
 2. If Me do not repent of our sins, we cannot 
 be forgiven. '^ Repent ye, therefore, and be con- 
 as to hinder tlioni from being in love with the ways of God. 
 See 2 Cor. ii. 11. 
 
 " True sorrow for sin is likewise godly sorrow — or, more 
 properly, sorroiv according to God. It is so because of its 
 origin : it conies from God. It is so because it is accepta- 
 ble to him. Ps. li. 17, 19. It is so because of its grounds 
 and motives : such sorrow has respect to God. Zech. xii. 10 ; 
 Ezek. vi. 9; Ps. li. 4. The worst thing in sin, is, that it is 
 against God. True sorrow for sin is godly, because of its 
 tendency — it brings us to God. After mourning, comes 
 supplication. Zech. xii. 10; Luke xviii. 13. 
 
 "The j)receding description of true sorrow for sin in- 
 cludes the following particulars. 
 
 " 1. Sincerity and uprightness. — Man is often deceived 
 with pretences, but God cannot. 
 
 "2. Timeliness.— In this life. In the judgment it will be 
 too late : in hell it is to no purpose : JSoiu is the time. 
 True repentance is never too late in this world ; but late 
 repentance is seldom true. — When God in his providence 
 calls us to repent. When he is punishing us for sin, he 
 especially calls us to repentance. When God calls us to it 
 by the inward motions of his Spirit and grace. — When we 
 have done any thing that we have cause to be sorry for. We 
 are daily transgressing, therefore we should be daily mourn- 
 ing. — When we draw near to God in solemn worship. James 
 iv. 8, 9; Ps. xx\i. 6. — And when we are dying. Then we 
 shall take leave of sorrow for sin for ever. 
 
 " 3. Secrecy. — Zech. xii. 12. He that never mourns for 
 sin but when others are witnesses, mourns not sincerely. 
 Matt. vi. Where the sin has been scandalous, our sorrow 
 must be seen. Compare 1 Cor. v. with 2 Cor. vii. viii. Sec. 
 
 " 4. Universality. — He that is truly sorry for sin, is sorry 
 for every sin. For Adam's sin — for the corruption of his 
 nature — for heart sins: ignorance, atheism, pride, hypocrisy. 
 
217 
 
 verted, that your sins may be blotted out." Acts 
 iii. 19. Otherwise, they cannot. 
 
 3. If we are not forgiven, we cannot be saved. 
 There must be justification here, or there will be 
 no glorification hereafter. See Rom. viii. 28. 
 
 How much, then, are those out of the way, who 
 have no desire to know their sins ; nay, who cover 
 them all they can, not only from others and from 
 God, but from themselves too ! " He that co- 
 vereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso 
 confesseth and forsake th them, sb.all have mercy." 
 Therefore, 
 
 We should all of us desire to know our sins. 
 We should desire it of God : " That which I see 
 not, teach thou me : if I have done iniquity, I will 
 do so no more." Job xxxiv. 32. We should seek 
 it in the use of means, especially in the ministry 
 of the word. 
 Note, 
 
 IV. That the ministry of the word is a means 
 appointed of God to bring people to the know- 
 ledge of their abominations. 
 
 ambition, lukewarmnoss — for sins of omission—for sins of 
 youth — for pardoned sins— for Ihe sins of others. 
 
 " 5. Duration. — This sorrow will abide. It is not like 
 the waters of a land-flood ; making a great noise, and gone 
 presently. It is not true sorrow, if it be not lasting sorrow. 
 Those that mourn shall be comforted. 
 
 " 6. Shame and self-abhorrence. — Ezra ix." 
 
 Mr, Henri/, Manuscript 
 
218 
 
 " Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her 
 abominations." If Jerusalem must know her 
 abominations, this son of man, the prophet Eze- 
 kiel, must be the instrument to cause her to 
 know them. It might have been done in another 
 way — immediately, by the Spirit suggesting it to 
 them; or by one another, reproving; or by the 
 ministry of angels. But this is the way in w hich 
 God appoints it to be done. It is true, we read, 
 in Judges ii., of an angel of the Lord bringing a 
 convincing message, ver. 1, 2. And we see in 
 the 4th verse what a good effect it had : " And 
 it came to pass, when the angel of the Lord spake 
 these words unto all the children of Israel, that the 
 people lifted up their voice and wept." But that 
 angel, it is supposed, was no other than some 
 prophet, or holy man of God, employed for that 
 purpose ; and called an angel, that is, a messen- 
 ger; for it is said in the 1st verse, he " came up 
 from Gilgal." 
 
 1 . I shall shew that the ministry of the word is 
 
 the ordinary way of bringing people to 
 know their abominations. 
 
 2. Inquire why God hath chosen this way. 
 .'3. Shew what use we are to make of it. 
 
 For the 1st. — The ministry of the word is God's 
 ordinary means to bring people to know their 
 abominations. 
 
 Look into the Scripture, and you will find there 
 that so it is. You see it, 
 
'219 
 
 (1.) By the calls and commissions, which are 
 there recorded, given to ministers to go upon this 
 particular errand. See here, in the case of Eze- 
 kiel ; and in the case of Isaiah before mentioned, 
 chap. Iviii. 1. See the case also of Micah : 
 " Truly," said that prophet, " I am full of power 
 by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and 
 of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, 
 and to Israel his sin." chap. iii. 8. Not that this 
 was all they had to do : they were also to 
 counsel and to comfort : but this was one great 
 thing, and they did it. John the Baptist, " when 
 he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come 
 to his baptism, said unto them, O generation of 
 vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the 
 wrath to come?" INIatt. iii. 7. Peter furnishes 
 another instance : " Ye men of Israel, Jesus of 
 Nazareth, being delivered by the determinate 
 counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, 
 and by wicked hands have crucified and slain." 
 
 (2.) By the comparisons and similitudes that 
 both the word, and the minsters of the word, are 
 set forth by in the Scriptures. 
 
 As to the Zi'ord. — The Apostle says in general, 
 " it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for cor- 
 rection, for instruction in righteousness." Two of 
 these — reproof and correction — relate to sin ; 
 causing us to know that. Now the viord is 
 compared to a glass, a looking-glass, which is of 
 
220 
 
 iPse to shew us our natural face and • features, and 
 all the spots and blemishes that are on it. James 
 i. 23, 24. It is ministers' ^vork to hold forth 
 this glass to us for this end and purpose. It has 
 all the properties of a good glass. It is clear : 
 ministers are to help to clear it. It is true : it 
 will flatter no man, whether sreat or small. It is 
 large and broad : it will shew alL It is lasting; 
 it will endure for ever. It is said, the laver, in 
 which the priests were to wasli, was inlaid with 
 looking-glasses, that they might see where to wash, 
 and what to wash. Exod. xxxviii. 8. The word 
 of God is of great use in the business of self-ex- 
 amination. Here, here you are to look at your 
 face: not in false glasses, that represent things 
 otherwise than they are, calling good evil, and 
 evil good : but " to the law and to the testimony" 
 we must ever appeal. 
 
 The word is compared to a light. " The com- 
 mandment is a lamp ; and the law is light." 
 Prov. vi. 23. The proper work of light is to 
 discover and make manifest. That v\ hich is not 
 seen in the dark, when light comes, appears. Now, 
 " the law is light." It discovers to us our abo- 
 minations ; it shews us what is amiss, both in the 
 heart and in the life. *' I had not known sin, 
 but by the law : for I had not known lust, except 
 the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. For I 
 Avas alive without the law once: but when the com- 
 
jiiandnieiit cainc, sin revived, and I died."' Many 
 a poor soul, besides Paul, is able to say the 
 same : " When the commandment came" — that 
 is, came 'with life, and power, and efficacy ; not in 
 the letter of it only, but in the Spirit, with appli- 
 cation — " sin revived, and I died." 
 
 As to Mhiisters. — They are compared to 
 "ivatchmoi, whose duty it is to warn of sin and 
 of punishment, and of the danger of both. " Son 
 of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the 
 house of Israel ; therefore hear the Avord at my 
 mouth, and give them warning from me." — They 
 are compared to sword-bearers. As magistrates 
 bear the sword in the hand to punish for sin, so 
 ministers bear the sword in the mouth to convince 
 of sin ; " the sword of the Spirit, which is the 
 word of God." Eph. vi. 17. — They are compared 
 to surgeons, or physicians, whose duty it is to 
 search \vounds, and to apply corrosives as there 
 is cause. This is to be done, although the people 
 may be altogether for " smooth things." Re- 
 proofs are wholesome : " Let the righteous smite 
 me ; it shall be a kindness : and let him reprove 
 me ; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not 
 break my head. 
 
 (3.) By the examples and instances of those 
 that have been brought to a sight of sin by the 
 preaching of the word. See Acts ii. 
 
 For the 2d. — Why hath God chosen this way ? 
 
222 
 
 It is for the abasement of man, and for the 
 advancement of his own praise. " We have this 
 treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of 
 the power may be of God, and not of us *." 
 
 When a proud, secure, stubborn sinner, tra- 
 versing his way like the wild ass, or the drome- 
 dary, is on a sudden, by an awakening word, 
 stopped in his career, brought down and humbled, 
 and made to cry out. Men and brethren, what 
 shall I do ? or, as the Jailor, " Sirs, what must I 
 do to be saved ? " or, as Paul, who, " trembling 
 and astonished, said, Lord, what wilt thou have 
 me to do ? " — who can but say the finger of God 
 is here? " This is the Lord's doing, and let it be 
 marvellous in our eyes." The preaching of a 
 sermon could never have done it witliout Him, 
 without his arm and power going along with it. 
 " After that, in the wisdom of God, the world by 
 wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the 
 foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." 
 
 For tlie 3d. — What use are we to make of this 
 subject ? 
 
 1 . If this be so, we learn what a great mercy it 
 is to a people to enjoy the ministry of the M^ord, 
 and w hat a great misery it is to want it. It was 
 a saying in Chrysostom's time : "It were better 
 the sun should not shine, than Chrysostom should 
 
 * See Sermon XV* 
 
not preach." The shining of the sun is necessai'y 
 to the enlightening of the world, and a dark place 
 it would be without it : so is powerful preaching 
 necessary to spiritual illumination — to shew people 
 their abominations. 
 
 2. We learn what kind of preachers and 
 preaching are best, and most to be desired; 
 namely, that which is most faithful in shewing us 
 our sins. What Ahab said of Micaiah is com- 
 monly said of such ; " I hate him, for he never 
 speaketh good of me, but evil." But afterwards, 
 in the issue, the contrary appears. They are not 
 foes, but friends, that deal plainly with us. " He 
 that rebuketh a man, afterwards shall find more 
 favour than he that flattereth with the tongue." 
 
 3. We see what should be our great end in 
 coming to hear the word ; namely, this : that we 
 may meet with discoveries of our abominations, 
 If we read it, if we hear it, this should be in 
 our eye. It is a good sign when people are 
 willing to KNOW the worst of themselves : it is a 
 bad sign when it is otherwise. It should be one 
 request put up for the preacher, that God would 
 guide his way into our bosom ; and tell him, that 
 he may tell us, what are our abominations. 
 
 4. W^e learn what we are to do when the 
 word meets us ; and what, when it doth not. 
 
 What are we to do when the word does meet 
 M'ith us ? 
 
224 
 
 (I.) We are to be very thankful to God; look 
 upon it as a great mercy ; and let him have the 
 praise of it. INIany live and die in blindness and 
 hardness, and never have any discoveries of sin 
 made to them. 
 
 (2.) Cherish and make much of the discoveries 
 which the ^\ord makes of sin. Take heed of 
 stifling, of smothering, of extinguishing them. 
 Some do it by worldly business as Cain — building 
 cities. Gen. iv. ; others by merry company. 
 Some have recourse to one scheme, and some to 
 another. " Quench not the Spirit." This prohi- 
 bition includes the contrary precept, Encourage 
 the Holy Spirit — yield to his motions — cherish 
 his influence. 
 
 (3.) Pursue and prosecute those discoveries 
 for the ends wherefore you have them. Sin is 
 therefore discovered that you may repent, con- 
 fess it, and amend. Do it quickly, that the sight 
 of your wound, your debt, your spots, may bring 
 you to Christ — the balm, the surety, the fountain. 
 If this be not done, God is provoked to speak to 
 us no more, to take his word away from us. 
 
 What are we to do when the word does 7iot 
 meet with us } 
 
 (1.) Bewail it as a judgment. For so it is — a 
 spiritual judgment. To be given up to a dumb 
 ministry is a sore judgment. " There shall be, 
 like people, like priest : and I will punish them 
 
225 
 
 for their ways, and reward them for then* doings." 
 Hos. iv. 9- 
 
 (2.) Cry mightily to God, that he will yet re- 
 turn in mercy. Be earnest Avith him, resolving 
 to have no denial : — Shew me my sins : Lord, give 
 commission to ministers for that purpose. " In 
 that day will I cause the horn of the house of 
 Israel to bud forth, and I will give thee the 
 opening of the mouth in the midst of them ; and 
 they shall know that I am the Lord." 
 
226 
 
 SERMON XI*. 
 
 ZEPHANIAH iii. 2. 
 
 She obeyed not the voice ; she received not correc- 
 tion ; she trusted not in the Lord ; she drexo 
 not near to her God. 
 
 Were are four things charged upon this people, 
 for which a 'woe is denounced against them. They 
 are all four sins of omission. This is the first : 
 " She obeyed not the voice." 
 
 DOCTRINE. There is a voice, which, if we do 
 not obey, it doth certainly expose us to 
 the Divine woes. 
 
 I take it for granted, one great business of Fasts 
 is, to have sin brought to our remembrance — in 
 order to our repentance for time past; our re- 
 formation for time to- come. The query will be 
 to-day : Have we obeyed the voice of the Lord ? 
 
 * Preached at Broad Oak, at a monthly Fast, July 121 Ii 
 
227 
 
 Shew I. What voice this is meant of. 
 II. What it is to obey that voice. 
 
 III. What evil there is in not obeying it. 
 
 IV. What woes disobedience to it exposes 
 
 us to. 
 • V. Apply the subject. 
 
 I, What voice is here meant ? 
 
 By the voice here, is certainly meant God's 
 voice. 
 
 Now God hath many ways of speaking to the 
 children of men : he speaks in " divers manner sT 
 Heb. i. 1. By dreams, and visions, and revela- 
 tions, formerly; which, whoever had them, knew 
 them to be of God by an' evidence of their own, 
 which they carried with them : so that they could 
 not be deceived. But to us he speaks not so 
 now, though he hath no where tied his own hands 
 from doing it, nor said he will not so speak. ' 
 
 1 . In these last days, he hath spoken unto us 
 by his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Heb. i. 2. 
 — Him he sent from heaven on purpose to de- 
 clare unto us his eternal counsel concerning our 
 salvation. Not to obey the voice, is not to obey 
 Jesus Christ : it is to refuse to be ruled by him, to 
 learn of him, to do what he would have us to do. 
 And are we none of us guilty in that matter ? 
 
 2. He speaks by his Spirit. — Each of the seven 
 epistles to the seven churches closes with a solemn 
 q2 
 
228 
 
 address : " He that hath an ear, let him hear what 
 the Spirit saith unto the churches." Rev. ii. and iii. 
 Wherever God hath a church, there he is present 
 by his Spirit speaking to people : speaking con- 
 viction and instruction, to quicken and to com- 
 fort. And we ought to obey that voice, and.to do 
 accordingly. Sometimes he strives ; that is, speaks 
 more earnestly than at other times ; but that will 
 not last always. Gen. vi. 3. We must take heed, 
 then, of resisting, of grieving, of quenching, of 
 doing despite to the Spirit of Grace. Acts vii. 51; 
 Eph. iv. 30 ; 1 Thess. v. 19 ; and Heb. x. 29- 
 
 3. The written word is God's voice. — As often 
 as you read, or hear a chapter read to you, God 
 speaks to you. " Thus saith the Lord," " These 
 things spake Jesus," frequently meet us. Nay, 
 when you are not reading, perhaps not once from 
 the beginning of the week to the end of it, God is 
 all that while speaking, though you heed him not. 
 He says, " Search the Scriptures ; for in them ye 
 think ye have eternal life ; and they are they which 
 testify of me." 
 
 It is a great mercy of God to us that we are 
 thus spoken to by a written word, and not by oral 
 tradition : not by Bath-Kol^, " the daughter of the 
 
 * " By this name Ihe Jewish writers distinguish what 
 they call a revelation from God, after verbal prophecy had 
 ceased in Israel ; that is, after the prophets Haggai, Ze- 
 chariah, and Malaclii. The generality of their traditions 
 
229 
 
 voice," as the Rabbins call the oral tradition, 
 which was much more subject to error and mis- 
 take than the written word can possibly be. "I 
 have written to him the great things of my law, 
 but they were counted as a strange thing." Hos. 
 viii. 12. — Oh, love your Bibles. It is the character 
 of a godly man, that he loves his Bible. " O how 
 love I thy law ! " said David ; "it is my medita- 
 tion all the day." 
 
 4. God speaks by ministers. — They are his 
 ambassadors. 2 Cor. v. 20. " He that heareth 
 you," said our Lord to his disciples, to his mini- 
 sters, " heareth me ; and he that despiseth you, 
 despiseth me ; and he that despiseth me, despiseth 
 him that sent me." Luke x; 16. John tlie Bap- 
 tist was the voice of one crying. He was not the 
 crier — the Crier was God himself — he was but 
 the voice of the Crier. Matt. iii. ; Mark i. ; Luke iii. 
 
 aud customs are founded on this Bath-Kol. Tliey pre- 
 tend that God revealed them to their elders, not by pro- 
 phecy, but by secret inspiration, or by tradition; which 
 they call the daughter of the voice. — The Bath-Kol, as 
 Dr. Prideaux shews, was a fantastical way of divination 
 invented by the Jews, like the Sortes Virgilianse among the 
 Heathen. For, as with them the words first dipped at in 
 opening the works of that poet were the oracle whereby 
 they prognosticated those future events which they desired 
 to be informed of; so with the Jews, when they appealed to 
 Bath-Kol, the next words which they should hear drop 
 from any one's mouth were taken as the desired oracle."—' 
 Calmet in loco. Prid, Connects Part II. book v. 
 
230 
 
 So is every minister speaking to you in God's 
 name, according to what is written in God's 
 word : he is God's voice : and you must hearken 
 to him and obey him accordingly. If you do 
 not, there is an omission. " She obeyed not the 
 voice"— that is, she regarded not the prophet that 
 God sent unto her. " I sent unto you all my ser- 
 vants the prophets, rising early and sending them, 
 saying. Oh, do not this abominable thing that I 
 hate. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their 
 ear to turn from their wickedness." 
 
 5. God speaks by conscience — a still voice.-— 
 Conscience has a voice to be obeyed. " The 
 spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching 
 all the inward parts." Prov. xx. 27. Its office is, 
 first, to tell us of our duty, what we ought to do ; 
 and next, to tell us of our faults when we have 
 done amiss, and to call us to repentance for it. 
 And in both we are to hearken. Now, have we 
 no disobedience to the voice of conscience to 
 charge ourselves with to-day.? Hath not some- 
 thing within us said, " Do not do so and so — 
 do not neglect prayer — do not profane the sab- 
 bath — do not neglect the communion?" And have 
 w^e hearkened ? Have w^e not turned a deaf ear ? 
 
 6. God speaks by friends, by parents, by bre- 
 thren, by fellow-servants ; such, especially, as we 
 have given the right hand of fellowship to in holy 
 ordinances.—'' They that feared the Lord spake 
 
231 
 
 .often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, 
 and heard it: and a book of remembrance was 
 written before him for them that feared the Lord.'* 
 Thus David was kept from falling into the great 
 sin of bloodshed by discreet Abigail : see 1 Sam. 
 XXV. Vo.v populi Dei est vox Dei — The voice of 
 the people of God is the mice of God himself 
 
 7. God speaks by providences, both in mercy 
 and in judgment. — Every mercy hath a voice. 
 What says it? O love the God and giver of this 
 mercy : love him, and be thankful, and fruitful : 
 love him, and use it well to his praise. — Every 
 cross also hath a voice, and it is the Lord's voice. 
 " The Lord's voice crieth unto the city, and tlie 
 man of wisdom shall see thy name : hear ye the 
 rod, and who hath appointed it." This voice 
 calls us to repentance and amendment of life. 
 Sometimes the call is very loud. It is our duty 
 to obey. Is it the death of a near and dear rela- 
 tion that addresses us? Sit loose to creature- 
 comforts. Is it disappointment? Say not, " I 
 shall never be moved." Be obedient to the voice 
 of God. 
 
 II. What is it to obey the voice of God ? 
 
 It is not only to give it a hearing, but to do 
 according to it : that is obedience. 
 
 The voice says sometimes one thing, sometimes 
 another ; but whatever it says, it is our duty to 
 
232 
 
 obey, without gainsaying or contradicting. This 
 obedience must have three properties. 
 
 1 . It must be single-eyed. — What I do, I must 
 do because the voice tells me — that is, God by 
 the voice. We must look at his word and will 
 as our warrant. 
 
 2. It must be in the name of Jesus Christ. In 
 his strength alone, for without him we can do 
 nothing. — We must not trust to any thing in 
 ourselves, but to his merit and mediation alone, 
 for acceptance. 
 
 3. It must be with constancy and persever- 
 ance. — We must not begin in the Spirit and end 
 in the flesh. There must be di patient continuance 
 in well-doing, if we would have glory and honour 
 and eternal Hfe. Rom. ii. 7. We must not do as 
 the Jews in Jeremiah's time, who released their 
 Jewish servants, and then brought them into sub- 
 jection again. Jer. xxxiv. We must not be in- 
 constant, but " stedfast, and unmoveable, and 
 always abounding in the work of the Lord." 
 
 Consider, 
 
 III. The evil of not obeying God's voice. 
 
 There is 7nuch evil in it : it brings great guilt 
 upon the soul. 
 
 Disobedience is the one general word that is put 
 for all manner of sin. " By one man's disobedi- 
 ence many were made sinners" — that is, by Adam 
 
233 
 
 eating the forbidden fruit. It was disobedience, 
 not obeying the voice of God, that brought all sin 
 and misery into the world. And it is the same 
 still ; the nature of disobedience is not a jot alter- 
 ed. But the evil of it will more particularly appear 
 if we consider, 
 
 1. Whose voice it is that is diobeyed. It is 
 the voice of God. Not of a man like ourselves, but 
 the voice of the great God !— It is his voice, who 
 is Khig of kings ; whose subjects we are. Where 
 the word of a king is, there is power ; and who may 
 say unto him. What dost thou ? Yet we say so 
 to God. " Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that 
 I should obey his voice to let Israel go } " Exod. 
 V. 2. " Our hps are our own ; who is lord over 
 us?" Ps. xii. 4. Such is the language of every 
 presumptuous sin. — It is the voice of him who is 
 our LoiyI and Master ; whose servants we are, 
 and whom we are bound to obey upon account of 
 our relation. How do you, who have servants, 
 like them to disobey you ? — It is his voice M-ho is 
 our Redeemer and Saviour. Of him, who " de- 
 livered us out of the hand of our enemies, that 
 we misjht serve him without fear, in holiness and 
 righteousness before him, all the days of our life." 
 This was his end in purchasing us. Titus ii. 14. — • 
 It is his voice who is our Father — by creation, 
 by adoption. It is the duty of children to obey 
 their parents in all things : we expect it from 
 
■«34 
 
 them : and is it not our duty to obey our hea- 
 venly Father? " A son honoureth his father, 
 and a sei*vant his master : if then I be a father, 
 where is mine honour? and if I be a master, 
 where is my fear ? saith the Lord of hosts unto 
 you." Mai. i. 6. See, concerning the Rechabites, 
 Jer. XXXV. " We have obeyed," say they, " and 
 done according to all that Jonadab our father 
 commanded us." O think what this Father of 
 thine hath done for thee, and then say, " Do I 
 thus requite the Lord? Is not he my Father, 
 that bought me? hath he not made me, and 
 established me ? " — Remember, by not obeying 
 his voice we affront him, we mock him. As was 
 the case with the wise men and Herod : " He 
 saw that he was mocked of them." How was 
 this ? He sent them to Bethlehem, and directed 
 them to bring him word again; but we are in- 
 formed, that, " beipg warned of God in a dream 
 that they should not return to Herod, they de- 
 parted into their own country another way." See 
 Matt. ii. They did not do as he bid them. It is 
 all one as if we spat in the face of God, such is 
 the contempt of wilful disobedience. " The Lord 
 said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her 
 face, should she not be ashamed seven days?" 
 Numb. xii. 14. How much more if she had spit 
 in her father's face? 
 
 2. At whose instigation and by whose sugges- 
 
235 
 
 tion we do it. — It is at the instigation of the 
 devil, who is both God's enemy and our own. If 
 he bid us go, we go : if he say come, we come. 
 How readily is his voice obeyed at every whisper, 
 upon the least motion, though to our hurt, to our 
 eternal hurt ! Now this aggravates the crime. 
 When Adam disobeyed God's voice, he obeyed 
 the voice of the serpent. One of the Fathers 
 brings in Satan pleading against sinners — * Lord, 
 I never did that for them which thou didst ; I 
 made them not, I redeemed them not; yet they 
 serve and obey me.' How will this shame us! 
 Consider, 
 
 3. How often this hath been done; in how 
 many instances, upon how many occasions — on 
 sabbath-days, on week-days. — The angels for one 
 single act of disobedience were turned out of 
 heaven : Adam was banished from Paradise for ojice 
 eating the forbidden fruit : but we have often, 
 often disobeyed. " Innumerable evils have com- 
 passed us about." Consider, 
 
 4. For what poor advantages we have done it, 
 and how little we have got by it. — " Let them be 
 ashamed that transgress without cause." Psal. 
 XXV. 3. " What fruit had ye in those things 
 whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of 
 those things is death." Rom. vi. 21. We all cry 
 shame on Judas for selling Christ for thirty pieces 
 of silver — seventeen shillings and ninepence ; — yet 
 
^36 
 
 how many sell him for less every day — for a mo- 
 ment's sinful pleasure ; for the sake of a wicked 
 oath ! Consider, 
 
 5. How all the other creatures obey his voice. 
 — The sun, the earth, the sea: " Fire and hail; 
 snow and vapour ; stormy wind fulfilling his 
 word." This is the work of creatures below us. 
 So it is with the angels above us : " Bless the 
 Lord, ye liis angels, that do his commandments, 
 hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye 
 the Lord, all ye his hosts ; ye ministers of his, that 
 do his pleasure." Inquire, 
 
 IV. What tvoes disobedience to the voice of 
 God exposes us to. 
 
 All the miseries both of this and the other 
 world are included. See it in short Gal. iii. 10: 
 " Cursed is every one that continueth not in all 
 things which are written in the book of the law to 
 do them :" that is, that obeys not the voice of God. 
 See it at large Deut. xxviii. One tore that leaf 
 out of his Bible, as Jehoiakim cut the roll : see 
 Jer. xxxvi. But did they get any thing by it.^ 
 " Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it 
 to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who 
 wrote therein, from the moutli of Jeremiah, all the 
 words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah 
 had burned in the fire : and there were added 
 beside^ unto them many like words." It was 
 
237 
 
 upon a fasting-day that the roll was cut and 
 burned. One would have thought he should have 
 been in a better mind. But it is easier to keep 
 twenty fasts, than once to obey the voice as we 
 ought to obey it. 
 
 See an instance of disobedience in Saul, 1 Sam. 
 XV. And what came of it? " Samuel said, 
 Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offering 
 and saci'ilices, as in obeying the voice of the 
 
 Lord? Behold,to obey is better than sacrifice 
 
 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft Because 
 
 thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath 
 also rejected thee from being king." verses 22, 23. 
 Disobedience is commonly applied to people's 
 rebellion against their king ; but it is plainly spoken 
 there of a kino; rebellincf against God. 
 
 V. The application. 
 
 ' What is all this to us ? Wherein are Ave con- 
 cerned?' Not a little; each of us, both upon 
 the account of the public, and upon our own 
 account. 
 
 ] . We are concerned upon the public account. 
 — The she here, that obeyed not the voice, was 
 Jerusalem. It is put to signify the body of that 
 people, together with the magistrates and ministers, 
 princes and priests, inhabiting that place espe- 
 cially. These did not obey the voice of the Lord. 
 Let us apply it to our own land and nation; and 
 
238 
 
 it is as true of England as it was of Jerusalem. 
 She hath not obeyed the voice of God. 
 
 (1.) Not the voice of tlie word preached. — No 
 nation under heaven hath had that plenty of the 
 means of grace that England hath had — that 
 plain, practical, powerful preaching. Young 
 scholars are sent hither from far, on purpose to 
 learn our language, that they may translate our 
 English sermons into their own. But have we 
 obeyed the voice ? Hath the fruit brought forth 
 been according to the means, the dews, the water- 
 ings, that we have had? See Isa. v. 1, 2, &c. 
 
 (2.) Not the voice of public judgments. — Upon 
 ourselves. Particularly the Plague and Fire here- 
 tofore*, unto which the like were never known in 
 this island : the one against the inhabitants ; the 
 other upon the habitations. And was the voice 
 thereof heard ? Hath London been a better 
 London since, than it was before ? Hath it not 
 been the same, nay worse? — Of late, too, his 
 voice was heard in the dreadful earthquake in our 
 plantation at Jamaica, twelve months last June. 
 And in the September after, in London itself, 
 
 * The Plague and Fire in London are here alluded to. 
 The former visited that city iu the year 1665, and the latter 
 in 1666. See an excellent Sermon in " Commemoration of 
 the Burning of London," by Mr. Matthew Henry, in his Mis- 
 cellaneous Works edited by the Rev. Messrs. Burder gind 
 Hughes, p. 620. ' 
 
though, blessed "be God ! no such harm was done 
 — yet many were sorely affrighted. Hath the 
 voice been heard ? ' What said it ? ' O fear the 
 Lord, ye sons of men : stand in awe of him : for 
 he is a great and terrible Goxi. 
 
 Upon neighbouring nations. Especially the 
 desolations made upon the poor Protestant churches 
 in France. Their congregations were broken up ; 
 not one left in all that great kingdom. The 
 shepherds were smitten, and the sheep scattered. 
 What said the voice of that to us ? Be thankful, 
 and bless God for your peace. Learn to hate 
 and abhor that religion that hath no better way 
 to propagate it than by fire and sword. — Have 
 we forgot the work that was in Ireland three or 
 four years ago ? the flying of some, the slaying 
 of others, the burning of houses and towns ? And 
 what said that voice ? Hear, O England, and be 
 thankful, and say, Is there any reason that we 
 alone should escape among the nations ? 
 
 (3.) Not the voice of public mercies and deli- 
 verances. — I will mention two of late, never to be 
 forgotten. The one is, our deliverance as Dissen- 
 ters from the penalties of mischievous laws by 
 means of King James, whom God was pleased to 
 make use of as the instrument of that mercy to us, 
 though there is reason to believe he designed us 
 no good. ' And what says this voice ? ' That God 
 is free to make use of what instruments he pleases 
 
240 
 
 for the good of his Church; — that oftentimes^, 
 when misery is looked for, mercy comes; — that 
 therefore we are concerned to keep in favom' with 
 God. Have we obeyed this voice, and carried it 
 accordingly ? 
 
 The other is, Our deliverance, in common with 
 other Protestants, from Popery and slavery, into 
 both which we were hastening apace, by means of 
 King William, who was strangely raised up, and 
 blessed in his undertaking, and owned hitherto. 
 Is it forgotten ? It is by some, notwithstanding 
 the loud voice it had. The voice then called on 
 us to love that God who did such great things for 
 us ; and out of love to him, to mend our ways and 
 our doings. O let us bewail this day, and cry to 
 God for peace and pardon in Christ Jesus. 
 
 2. We are concerned upon our own account. — 
 As to ourselves, in our private, personal capacity, 
 have we obeyed the voice ? Have we not disobeyed, 
 and slighted, and gainsayed it? ' What voice? ' 
 
 (1.) The voice that has called us to repentance 
 towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus ; 
 the great Gospel voice. Are none of you impe- 
 nitent and unbelieving, and will not come to Christ, 
 and take his yoke ? 
 
 (2.) The voice that has called us to leave our 
 sins : the drunkard to leave his drunkenness ; 
 the swearer, the wanton, the covetous, their ini- 
 quities. 
 
241 
 
 (3.) The voice that has called us to set up the 
 worship of God in our families and in secret, and 
 to make a business of it. 
 
 (4.) The voice that has called us to join our- 
 selves in the fellowship of the Gospel in holy 
 ordinances. 
 
 (5.) The voice that has called us to walk in 
 love, as Christ also hath loved us. It is your 
 badge, and will be your comfort. Let there be 
 no wrath, nor malice, nor evil-speaking, among 
 you. 
 
 All this, I am sure, and a great deal more, we 
 are called to by the voice of God in his word 
 and in his providences. Have we obeyed? O 
 repent! Plead Christ's obedience. Now, shall 
 we hear and obey ? Shall we renew our covenant 
 this day so to do, in the strength of the grace of 
 Jesus Christ ? " God hath spoken once ; twice 
 have I heard this, that power belongeth unto 
 God." Ps. Ixii. 11. The Psalmist does not say, 
 God spoke twice, and he heard once ; but, God 
 spoke once, and he heard twice. 
 
 Expect another voice shortly. That will be, 
 either " Come, ye blessed," or, " Go, ye cursed." 
 
242 
 
 SERMON XII*, 
 
 ZEPHANIAH 111. 2. 
 
 — She received not correction. 
 
 1 HIS is the second of the four articles in this 
 charge against Jerusalem, for which a woe is here 
 denounced against her by the God of heaven: 
 " She received not correction." 
 
 DOCTRINE. Not to receive correction, is a sin 
 of omission, which exposes persons and 
 people to Divine woes. 
 
 It is here supposed that they had been cor- 
 rected ; that is, chastened, punished. The rod of 
 God had been upon their back, under which they 
 had smarted. What rod, and when, he doth not tell 
 us ; but such a thing had been. They had often 
 been in the furnace, but they did not receive cor- 
 rection, as they should have done. No ! Then 
 
 * Preached at Broad Oak, August the 9tb, 1C93, on a 
 Public Fast. 
 
243 
 
 woe to them: it had been better for them they 
 had. 
 
 Now this, to us of these nations, at this day, is a 
 word in season. We have been corrected : have 
 we not ? — I shall shew you wherein — But have we 
 received correction ? Is it not as true of us as it 
 ^vas of Jerusalem, "She received not correction ? " 
 It will, I hope, be no hard matter to convince us 
 of our guilt as to this matter : and where guilt goes 
 before, the zme follows after. 
 
 So, also, as to ourselves, in our particular, per- 
 sonal capacity, it will be good for us to know 
 what it is to receive correction; it being every 
 one's lot, one time or other, to be corrected, in one 
 kind or other. It may be with some of us this 
 day a correcting day ; and do we receive it ? — I say, 
 j^ecelve it ? If not, look for a woe : which there 
 is but one way to prevent, and that is, by speedy 
 repentance. 
 
 Shew I. What it is not to receive correction. 
 II. The evil of it, and why it exposes us to 
 Divine woes. 
 
 III. What the particular woes are that follow 
 
 upon not receiving correction. 
 
 IV. Apply the subject, 
 
 I beseech you, let me have your attention ; and, 
 remember, it is a Fasting Day. You are come 
 R 2 
 
244 
 
 here to arraign yourselves at God's bar; and I am 
 eome here to help you, and, among other faults, 
 to mind you of this — not receiving correction ; to 
 the end you may bcMail it before God to-day, 
 that God, for Christ's sake, may pardon it to us 
 and to our people; that so the woe denounced 
 and deserved may not overtake us. 
 
 I. What is it not to receive correction ? 
 
 The expression, Receiving correction, is some- 
 what unusual. It signifies, in one sense, to be 
 corrected, to be punished. " Shall we receive 
 good at the hand of God, and shall we not re- 
 ceive evil ? " Now if that were the meaning, it 
 were no fault, it would deserve no woe. Not to 
 be corrected is itself a woe. 
 
 But to receive correction, is to behave ourselves 
 aright, and as we ought, under correction. It is 
 the same with accepting the punishment. Lev, 
 xxvi. 41. ]\Iany are punished that do not accept 
 the punishment. Now what is it not to receive 
 correction ? 
 
 1. It is not to own the hand of God in our 
 corrections ; to look upon them as a chance, com- 
 ing out of the ground, springing out of the dust.— 
 And do they so ? Certainly not. " Shall there 
 be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it ? " 
 Job acknowledged God in his afflictions (Job i. 2 1), 
 and so must we : not in word and tongue only, as 
 
245 
 
 everyone will — none will deny it — but in deed 
 and in truth ; inwardly, heartily. " And she 
 said unto them, Call me not Naomi ; call me 
 Marah : for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly 
 with me. I went out full, and the Lord hath 
 brought me home again empty : why then call ye 
 me Naomi, seeing the Lord hath testified against 
 me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me ? " The 
 contrary deportment exposes us to a woe. Woe 
 to them that look not at God's hand in their cor- 
 rections, but at something else ! If their hay or 
 corn be spoiled, it was» the weather that did it! 
 No ! it was God, in and by the weather. It was 
 a chance! as 1 Sam. vi. 9. No! 
 
 2. It is not to own the anger of God in our 
 corrections. — It is true, there is such a thing as 
 chastening in love : " As many as I love, I re- 
 buke and chasten." Rev. iii. 19. ^' Whom the 
 Lord loveth he chasteneth." Helu xii. 6. And 
 we are bound, if we are children, to comfort our- 
 selves in hope that there may be love at the bot- 
 tom of our corrections. But, however, there is 
 anger appearing; there are signs and tokens of 
 displeasure. That we are to own, to acknowledge, 
 to take notice of, and to be affected with. " O 
 Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath ; neither chas- 
 ten me in thy hot displeasure. For thine arrows 
 stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. 
 There is no soundness in my flesh because of 
 
246 
 
 thine anger; neither is there any rest in my 
 bones because of my sin." When it is otherwise, 
 it is a provocation. Amos iii. 6, 8. 
 
 S. It is to own sin to be the procuring cause 
 of our corrections. — It is so, whether we will own 
 it or not. "Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and 
 Israel to the robbers? Did not the Lord, he 
 against whom we have sinned ? for they would not 
 walk in his ways, neither were they obedient unto 
 his law." Isa. xlii. 24. " Because of their ini- 
 quities they are afflicted." Ps. cvii. 17. Punish- 
 ment follows after, only where sin goes before. 
 The blessed martyrs, that endured so much in 
 prisons and in deaths, would say, ' Though it is 
 for Christ's sake that we suffer this, yet our sins 
 desei've it.' And we must all say so, or we do 
 not receive corrections. " If their uncircumcised 
 hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the 
 punishment of their iniquity : then will I remem- 
 ber my covenant." Lev. xxvi. 41. 
 
 4. It is not to justify God in what is brought 
 upon us, and to say, the Lord is righteous. 
 " Thou art just in all that is brought upon us ; 
 for thou hast done right, but we have done 
 wickedly." Neh. ix. 33. He doth me no MTong, 
 though he doth afflict me: my sin deserves it. 
 Nay, 
 
 5. We do not receive coiTection if we do not 
 own that there is mercy mixed; that we are 
 
247 
 
 punished less than our iniquities have deserved. 
 Ezra ix. 13. It is certainly so while we are out 
 of hell, for every sin deserves God's wrath and 
 curse. To recewe correction is applied properly 
 to a favour or benefit bestowed. We are to own 
 it so, that we are mercifully dealt with. Few 
 will do this, especially if the correction be sharp, 
 and severe, and extraordinary : such as Job's was, 
 when all was gone. But be it what it will, it 
 ought to be done. As she who had two of her 
 children dead in the house together, said, Blessed 
 be God that they are not all dead. This was re- 
 ceivwo' correction. 
 
 o 
 
 6. It is not to murmur, and repine, and com- 
 plain under corrections ; but to be quiet and patient; 
 kissing the rod ; being dumb, and not opening the 
 mouth. As David : " I was dumb, I opened not 
 my mouth : because thou didst it." As Aaron : 
 he " held his peace." As the Church : " I will 
 bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have 
 sinned against him." This is duti/ at such a 
 time. " In your patience possess ye your souls.' 
 " Let patience have her perfect work." And 
 it is becoming duty; it ought to be so: the 
 contrary is a fault. " Wherefore doth a living 
 man complain, a man for the punishment of his 
 sins ? " 
 
 7. It is not to quarrel with instruments and 
 second causes.— Those that will hold their peace, 
 
248 
 
 it may be, as to God, will think they may have 
 leave to speak against men, and to assail them. No. 
 When Shimei cursed David, and the sons of 
 Zeruiah would have had him beheaded, he would 
 hear no talk of second causes : " The Lord hath 
 said unto him, Curse David." 2 Sam. xvi. 10. 
 Here was receiving correction. 
 
 8. It is not to hear the rod, nor him that hath 
 appointed it. — Every rod hath a voice, which 
 voice is to be obeyed. How can it be obeyed, if 
 it be not received ? " She obeyed not the voice 
 [of the rod] : she received not correction." If a 
 messenger come to your house on an errand, and 
 you will not so much as receive him, nor open 
 your doors to him; how ill will that be taken! 
 O believe that every correction hath something to 
 say to you ; and you must hear and heed what it 
 is, saying, " Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth." 
 what says this rod of thine to thy servant ? 
 
 9' It is not to be reformed, amended, made better, 
 by corrections. — This is God's design in afflict- 
 ing, — to bring us nearer to himself. " He chastens 
 us for our profit, that we might be partakers of 
 his hohness." Heb. xii. 10. Now when this end is 
 not attained, but we remain as bad as before ; as 
 earthly, carnal, sensual, proud, careless, and secure, 
 as before ; correction is not received, and there is a 
 woe denounced. 
 
 Corrections are compared to a hedge of thorns, 
 
249 
 
 Hos. ii. 6, to stop us in sinful pursuits : and we 
 will not be stopped. 
 
 They are compared to a shepherd's dog sent 
 forth to fetch in the stragglers : and we will not 
 be fetched in. " Before I was afflicted, I went 
 astray." 
 
 They are compared to a furnace of fire, wherein 
 dirty, drossy metal is melted, in order to the re- 
 fining of it. " Behold, I have refined thee, but 
 not with silver .: I have chosen thee in the furnace 
 of affliction." Isa. xlviii. 10. Now, if we are not 
 refined, but come out as bad as Ave went in, we do 
 not receive correction. 
 
 They are compared to a wind that fans the 
 corn, and cleanses it by separating the chaff, and 
 dust, and filth, from it. "I will send unto Ba- 
 bylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty 
 her land." Jer. h. 2. Now if we are not cleansed, 
 we do not receive correction. 
 
 They are compared to physic, for the cleansing 
 the body of ill humours which distemper it. Now 
 if the physic taken do not operate, the physician 
 will say, it is an ill sign. The general better- 
 ment by affliction should be — humbling: making 
 the heart soft — weaning from the world : embitter- 
 ing it to us as wormwood — turning out of sinful 
 ways — and quickening to and in holy duties; 
 especially prayer. 
 
 10. It is not to receive correction, when we 
 
250 
 
 are so far from being made better, that we are 
 made worse, by our corrections. — Now with many 
 it is thus. It was so with Ahaz : " In the time 
 of his distress did he trespass yet more against 
 the Lord." 2 Chron. xxviii. 22. That which 
 should have done him good, did him hurt: he 
 " trespassed yet more." There is notliing more 
 ordinary, than for the hard heart to be made more 
 hard by being in the furnace, and the will more 
 crooked and stubborn. " But when Pharaoh saw 
 that there was respite, he hardened his heart." 
 Exod. viii. 15, and xix. 32, &c. When it is so 
 within, the life and conversation must needs be 
 accordingly. 
 
 II. I am to shew what evil there is in not re- 
 ceiving correction. 
 
 1. It is an affront to the Divine Majesty. — 
 You that are parents and masters, judge of God 
 by yourselves in this matter. If you correct a 
 child, or a servant, or a scholar, and he will not 
 receive connection, will not own a fault, will not 
 patiently bear the rod ; but reject, and strive, and 
 struggle, and, instead of being mended, is har- 
 dened : how do you like this ? Can you bear it ? 
 Will you suffer it ? You will not : your authority 
 is despised by it. Such is the case with God, 
 when we receive not correction. 
 
 2. It is a sin against the remedy. — There are 
 
251 
 
 but two outward and ordinary means for the con- 
 vincing and converting of sinners, and doing good 
 to souls. These are, the word and the rod. Now 
 when the word is not received, O how it pro- 
 vokes ! " They mocked the messengers of God, 
 and despised his words, and misused his prophets, 
 until the wrath of the Lord arose against his peo- 
 ple till there was no remedy." 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16. 
 So, likewise, when the rod is not received, God 
 is provoked to anger ; a woe is denounced. 
 
 3. It is a sign there is no grace, not one grain 
 of true grace. — True grace, where it is, enables a 
 man to get good both by the word and the rod *, 
 and, in order thereunto, to receive them ; to receive 
 instruction, to receive correction : though this is 
 not always the case to such a degree as should 
 be, which is seen and bewailed ; yet always so as 
 to desire and endeavour it. " The Lord's voice 
 crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall 
 see thy name : hear ye the rod, and who hath ap- 
 pointed it." Micah vi. 9. Therefore, where it is 
 otherwise it is a bad sign. 
 
 * " They that forsake their sin, and turn to God, in 
 the time of atfliction, are certainly God's people : for the 
 wicked man fretteth and murmureth against God, when 
 a cross cometh, and he cannot abide it. But the godly 
 man is humbled thereby, and it makes him more obedient 
 in all duties unto God." — Perkins on Heb. XL p. 141, 
 Works, edition 1618. 
 
5252 
 
 III. Shew what the woes are that usually fol- 
 low upon people's not receiving correction. 
 
 They are what God pleases; sometimes one, 
 sometimes another : sometimes in this world, 
 sometimes in the world to come : as God 
 pleases. But in this world, usually one of these 
 two. Either, 
 
 1. Some further sharper trials. — If correction 
 will not do, look for destruction : the fire must be 
 heated hotter. Instead of a rod, there must be 
 a sword : a bigger wedge ; a heavier blow. How 
 often is it so ! When running with the footmen 
 will not tire us in our sinful ways, he sends 
 horsemen for us to run with, to try what they will 
 <io. " Because I have purged thee, and thou 
 wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from 
 thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury 
 to rest upon thee." Ezek. xxiv. 13. — Or, 
 
 2. The contrary to this : he corrects them no 
 more ; gives them up to their own heart's lusts, 
 to vile affections ; he lets them have no distur- 
 bance in sinful pursuits, but all smooth and quiet, 
 and fair, and calm. — This is the sorest judgment 
 of all others *. " Why should ye be stricken 
 
 * " He that has a blind conscience, which sees nothing; 
 a dead conscience, which feels nothing ; and a dumb con- 
 science, which says nothin<j; is in as miserable a condition 
 as a man can be in on this side hell." — One of Mr. Henry's 
 Saymgs. See his Life, chap. X. 
 
253 
 
 any more ? Ye will revolt more and more. The 
 whole head is sick, the whole heart is faint." 
 Isa. i. 5. " Ephraim is joined to idols : let 
 him alone." Hosea iv. 17. As long as a father 
 hath hope by correction to reclaim his child, so 
 long he corrects him; but then, if that will not 
 do, he casts him off, and disinherits him. " Then 
 said he unto the dresser of the vineyard, Behold, 
 these three years I come seeking fruit on this 
 fig-tree, and find none : cut it down ; why cum- 
 bereth it the ground ? And he answering, said unto 
 him. Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall 
 dig about it, and dung it [by affliction :] and if it 
 bear fruit, well ; and if not, then after that thou 
 shalt cut it down." Luke xiii. 
 
 IV. The application. 
 
 L In reference to the Public— our own land 
 and nation. Three things are to be inquired into : 
 Have we been corrected ? Have we received cor- 
 rection ? If not, What is to be done ? 
 
 (1.) Have we been corrected? 
 
 We have. It is manifest we have, both of 
 late and heretofore; and we still are. To look no 
 farther than our own remembrance, divers of us. 
 Was not the long w ar a correction ? Certainly it 
 was, and a very sharp one, both in respect to the 
 sea of blood that was shed, and the mass of trea- 
 sure that was spent. Was not the Plague and 
 
254 
 
 Fire of London a correction, such as we feel from 
 to this day ? Was not the silencing of near two 
 thousand godly ministers in one day by a laM^, a 
 correction ; not to them only, but to the people 
 committed to their charge ? What a multitude of 
 souls might they have been a means of bringing to 
 God, in the circumstances wherein they were, in 
 thirty-one years' space, if they had been let alone! 
 Was not the coming in of Popery upon us in 1685 
 and 1686 Hke a flood, a correction, a threatening, 
 a scourge ? Are we yet, even at this day, M'ithout 
 correction? Is not God angry, and are not the 
 tokens of his anger yet upon us ? Ask some, and 
 they will tell you they see nothing else. But, 
 blessed be God, we have our mercies ; and yet we 
 must needs say, we have our miseries. Those 
 words of the Prophet may be ours : " The anger 
 of the Lord is kindled against his people, and he 
 hath stretched forth his hand against them, and 
 hath smitten them : For all this, his anger is not 
 turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.'' 
 Isa. V. 25. See also chap. ix. ver. 12, 17, 21; 
 and chap. x. ver. 4. " His hand is stretched out 
 still," — in a chargeable and bloody war : abroad 
 fightings, at home fears ; — in the disasters befallen 
 our merchants trading upon the great waters ; — in 
 the reins let loose to profaneness and debauchery ; — 
 in restraints continued upon honest men from 
 public employment, civil or military, unless they 
 
Q55 
 
 will do what is required to be done : which I can- 
 not but look upon as a correction ; though such as, 
 I hope, God will turn for good to us in the end; — 
 in the continuance of our divisions among our- 
 selves, which, through mismanagement, are very 
 threatenincp, and I cannot but call them a correc. 
 tion. As to ourselves, in our own country and 
 neighbourhood, we have been corrected : some 
 years ago, in the dreadful hail we had, whereby 
 whole fields of corn were beaten down and spoiled ; 
 and at this time, in the general failure of our 
 fruit-trees yielding no fruit this year, which, I 
 fear, some will feel the want of in the winter 
 season. We have, we have been corrected. 
 
 (2.) Have we received correction? Plave the 
 various rebukes we have been under done us good ? 
 Are we a jot the better for them ? Are we not 
 the worse? Have we not revolted more and 
 more ? I can remember, in the time of the long 
 war, it was commonly said. Oh, if God will be 
 pleased to send peace again, we will never do as 
 we have done. He did send peace : the sword 
 was sheathed again. And what followed ? As bad 
 as ever. High and low, rich and poor, bond and 
 free, professor and profane, corrupted their way 
 before God. Then we said. Oh, if we had but 
 our king again, and our ancient government, all 
 would certainly be amended. And was it so? 
 Was it not quite contrary ? Were not the flood- 
 
2,56 
 
 gates opened, and have in a great measure con- 
 tinued so ever since, to wickedness and debauche- 
 ries of all sorts? And was this to receive cor- 
 rection? The events in 1665 and 1666 declared 
 that God Avas highly displeased, and that we were 
 quickly ready for another stroke. 
 
 But have we i/et learned to receive correction ? 
 Do our present rebukes better us ; are they borne 
 as they should be? Then what mean the mur- 
 murings, and repinings, and complainings that we 
 hear ? Are there not those that wish themselves 
 in Egypt again ; that say, let us get us another 
 captain that will lead us forward ? Is this to re- 
 ceive correction ? 
 
 (3.) If we have not, what is to be done ? 
 
 There is but one thing to be done : — O Eno;land ! 
 repent, repent ! God in mercy make this present 
 day England's repenting day ! as for other things, 
 so in special, that we have not received correc- 
 tion ; that so many rods, one after another, have 
 been worn out upon us to so little purpose ; that 
 so many terrible judgments have been inflicted — 
 war, plague, fire, and earthquakes in divers places. 
 And who is the better? What one sin the less, 
 what one duty the more performed ? O that this 
 might be laid to heart ! If not by others, let it 
 be so by us. Let us mourn for England's incor- 
 rigibleness. 
 
 2. As to Ourselves. — Have not we, each of us, 
 
267 
 
 ^ne time or other, been corrected — in body, goods, 
 good name, relations — by pains, sickness, losses, 
 crosses, or disappointments ? We have ; we have. 
 But have we received correction? Have we 
 owned God the author, sin the cause? Have 
 we justified him, and judged ourselves? Have 
 we been quiet, patient, contented, thankful? 
 Have they made us better ? If not, here is matter 
 for humiliation to-day. Oh that we could lie low 
 before the Lord, and repent, as it were, in dust 
 a^nd ashes, over our own incorrigibleness ! 
 
 To help you herein, let me lay before you, 
 (1.) A precept. — " Who is he that saith, and 
 it Cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it 
 not ? Out of the mouth of the Most High pro- 
 ceedeth not evil and good? Wherefore doth a 
 living man complain, a man for the punishment 
 of his sins ? Let us search and try our ways, and 
 turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart 
 with our hands unto God in the heavens." Lam. 
 iii. 37 — 42. In these words we have a doctrine, 
 a truth asserted — that all things come to pass by 
 the Divine Avill and providence (ver. 37, 38). We 
 iiave also the use to be made thereof by us, 
 which is three-fold : We must not complain (ver. 
 39) ; — We must search and try our ways : we 
 must examine ourselves ; inquire what hath been 
 s 
 
'^5S 
 
 ftmiss, and confess and bewail and amend it (ver, 
 40) ;— We must lift up our hearts with our hands 
 unto God in the heavens (ver. 41) : we must pray 
 in good earnest ; cry mightily to God for peace 
 afld pardon, if so be there may be hope. O pray, 
 pray, that our not receiving correction may not be 
 laid to our charge., 
 
 (S.) A pattern : holy Job.— He was certainly 
 corrected, if ever man was. And at first he re- 
 ceived correction bravely : " The Lord gave, and 
 the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name 
 of the Lord." " Shall we receive good at the 
 hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" 
 But afterwards he missed it, in cursing his day ; 
 in his discourse with his three friends, reflecting 
 upon God and his providence, as if he had dealt 
 hardly with him. But how came he off at last ? 
 how did he finish? Bravely again, that is, peni- 
 tently : "I abhor myself, and repent in dust 
 and ashes." So must we; saying, as he did, 
 " Behold, I am vile ; what shall I answer thee? I 
 will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have 
 I spoken, but I will not answer ; yea, twice, but 
 I will proceed no further." And what said God 
 unto him, when he was in this frame of mind? 
 " Gird up thy loins now like a man." And for 
 time to come, be exhorted, whenever God corrects, 
 receive correction. 
 
239 
 
 Accept of it, as the punishment of your iniquity. 
 Justify God, judge yourselves : " For if we would 
 judge ourselves, we should not be judged." 
 
 Bear it patiently ; without murmuring or com- 
 plaining. Not sullenly, neither ; but submissively : 
 even unto long-suffering. 
 
 Be made better by it. It is a great loss to lose 
 an affliction. 
 
260 
 
 SERMON XIII.* 
 
 ZEPHANIAH 111. 2. 
 
 — She t?'iisted not in the Lord. 
 
 iHIS is the third thing which is here laid to 
 Jerusalem's charge, and for which a woe is de- 
 nounced against her. 
 
 DOCTRINE. That not trusting in the Lord is 
 an omission, which exposes people to 
 Divine woes. " Woe unto her : she 
 trusted not in the Lord." 
 
 Now the query will be, whether, in this article 
 of indictment, we of this nation, we of this con- 
 gregation, are concerned, at this day ; that, if we 
 be, we may arraign ourselves before God, and 
 repent, and take shame to ourselves after a godly 
 sort : and do so no more — else expect a Divina 
 woe. 
 
 * Preached at Broad Oak on a Fast Day, September the 
 13tb, 1693. 
 
^: 
 
 261 
 
 Shew I. What it is not to trust in the Lord. 
 II. What evil tiiere is in it. 
 III. Apply it. 
 
 I. What is it not to trust in the Lord ? 
 
 Let me tell you what it is to trust in the Lord, 
 and by that you will know what it is 7iot to trust 
 in him. 
 
 To trust in the Lord, is to believe and hope in 
 him, in all our concerns, both public and private ; 
 for this, and for another world. Then, not to 
 trust in the Lord, is not to believe, not to hope 
 in him, in all our concerns. It is said, Hab. ii. 4, 
 " The just shall live by his faith." Then, not 
 to trust in the Lord, is not to live by faith. 
 
 The Scripture expresses it several ways. 
 
 1. By resting in the Lord. " Rest in the 
 Lord" — or, according to the Hebrew, be silent to 
 the Lord. Ps. xxxvii. 7. — How seldom can we 
 'find in our hearts to be so ! We have always 
 something to say, something to object against his 
 providential dispensations. 
 
 2. By relying upon the Lord. — " The children 
 of Judah prevailed, because they relied upon the 
 Lord God of their fathers." 2 Chron. xiii. 18. 
 " Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, 
 and said unto him, Because thou hast relied on 
 the king of Syria, and not relied on the Lord thy 
 
Q6Q 
 
 God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria 
 escaped out of thine hand. Were not the Ethio- 
 pians and the Lubims a huge host? yet, because 
 thou didst rely on the Lord, he deHvered them 
 into thine hand." 2 Chron. xvi. 7, 8. Trust is 
 the recumbency of the soul upon God, expecting 
 patiently what his good pleasure is concerning us. 
 
 3. By casting our burden, our care, upon the 
 Lord. — " Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he 
 shall sustain thee." Ps. Iv. 22. Compare this 
 with 1 Pet. V. 7, " Casting all j^our care upon him, 
 for he careth for you." 'Ezipfjl^ov—awin/ 10 h it, 
 from thyself to him. He is willing tc receive it. 
 
 4. By committing our way and our works unto 
 him. — " Commit thy way unto the Lord." Ps. 
 xxxvii. 5. " Commit thy works unto the Lord, 
 and thy thoughts shall be established." Prov. 
 xvi. 3. According to the Hebrew, j^oll thy way 
 upon the Lord. " Trust also in him," that is, 
 refer all thy matters to him freely, fully, and un- 
 reservedly. Let him do with thee as seemeth 
 good in his eyes. 
 
 5. By flying to him for refuge. — " In the Lord 
 put I my trust : how say ye to my soul, Flee as 
 a bird to your mountain? " Ps. xi. 1. " O God, 
 my soul trusteth in thee ; yea, in the shadow of 
 thy wings will I make my refuge." Ps. Ivii. L 
 " We have a strong consolation, who have fled for 
 
263 
 
 refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.** 
 Heb, vi. 18. As Joab, to the horas of the altajf, 
 trusting to find safety there. 
 
 6. By fastening on him; taking hold of his 
 arm, and on his strength. — " Let him take hold of 
 my strength, that he may make peace with me." 
 Isa. xxvii. 5. — And when we have taken hold, 
 keeping our hold. " Moses was faithful in all his 
 house as a servant : but Christ as a Son over his 
 own house ; whose house are we, if we hold fast 
 the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm 
 unto the end." Not suffering ourselves to be 
 beaten from it. As the soldier, who, when ship- 
 wrecked, clung to the beak of the ship, first with 
 one arm, then with the other, and then with his 
 teeth. Here was trust. As Jacob : " I will 
 not let thee go, except thou bless me." 
 
 Not to trust, is not to rest, not to rely, not 
 to cast our burden, upon the Lord. It is not 
 to commit our way to him ; not to fly to him for 
 refuge, nor to take hold of his strength. 
 
 II. Shew the evil there is in not trusting in the 
 Lord. 
 
 ' Do we sin if we do not trust in the Lord ?' 
 Yes : because trusting is duty ; and to omit duty 
 is sin. That which makes duty is the command 
 of God. He hath bidden us ti'ust in him^ 
 *' Trust in him at all times," whatever timgs 
 
qS4 
 
 pass over us. Trust in him not only for time, 
 but " trust ye iii the Lord for ever." 
 
 It is part of that inward natural worship which 
 is required of us in the First Commandment. In 
 him whom we have for our God, in him must we 
 trust ; on him we must rely. As we should love 
 him, fear him, and believe him, so we must hope and 
 trust in him. If we do not, then we are certainly 
 transgressors of the first and great commandment. 
 Therefore, not to trust in the Lord, is a great 
 transgression, whatever we may think of it.. 
 
 There is, 
 
 1 . The evil of guilt in it : it brings great guilt 
 upon the soul ; 
 
 (1.) In respect of God, by the wrong it doth 
 to him. 
 
 It provokes him. — " And they sinned yet more 
 against him, by provoking the Most High in the 
 •wilderness." Ps. Ixxviii. 17. " They said. Can 
 God furnish a table in the wilderness?" ver. 19. 
 That was the provocation — " Caii God ? " It 
 would provoke any of you, when those you deal 
 with will not trust you, will not take your word. 
 
 It grieves him. — " Forty years long was I 
 grieved with this generation." Ps. xcv. 10 Though 
 God had promised that he would bring them to 
 Canaan, they would not believe it. " How oft 
 did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve 
 him in the desert ! " 
 
^65 
 
 It te)7ipts him. — " Yea, they turned back and 
 tempted God." Ps. Ixxviii. 41. " They tempted 
 God in their heart, by asking meat for their lust." 
 ver. 18. It puts him out of his road of common 
 providences; upon doing that which he did not 
 think to have done. " All those men which have 
 seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in 
 Egypt, and in the wilderness, have tempted me 
 now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my 
 voice." Numb. xiv. 22. 
 
 It li??iits him. — " They limited the Holy One 
 of Israel." Ps. Ixxviii. 41. — It limits him as to 
 time. " He that believeth shall not make haste." 
 Therefore, he that makes haste does not believe. 
 When we must have deliverance, and settlement 
 in our own time, just when we will, we limit God 
 as to time ; we make haste; we do not believe. — It 
 limits him as to mtans. The language is; This 
 must be the instrument, and no other. Moses must 
 bring us into Canaan. 
 
 It shames \mn. — It brings an ill report upon 
 him before men. It robs him of his good name. 
 ' Am I not to be trusted ? What am I ? What do 
 you make of me ? ' It is said of Abraham, he 
 gave glorij to God by believing. Rom. iv. 20. 
 Therefore, unbelief deprives him of his glory. 
 
 (2.) In respect of ourselves, by the wrong it 
 <doth to our own souls. 
 
 It hinders our peace. — It is the troubler of that, 
 
266 
 
 the bane of that. Now peace is a preciousjewel : 
 therefore, whatever hinders our peace is a wrong to 
 ourselves. To iiave a quiet, composed frame of 
 spirit, under all events ; neither cast down with 
 grief under evils present, nor with fear of what 
 is to come ; how sweet, how comfortable ! This 
 can never be but by trusting in the Lord. " He 
 shall not be afraid of evil tidings : his heart is 
 fixed, trusting in the Lord." Ps. cxii. 7. " Thou 
 wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is 
 stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee." 
 Isa. xxvi. 3. Where that is not, see the posture 
 of the soul : " And it came to pass in the days 
 of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, 
 king of Judah, ,that Rezin the king of Syria, and 
 Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went 
 up toward Jerusalem to war against it, but could 
 not prevail a,gainst it. And it was told the 
 house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with 
 Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the 
 heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are 
 moved with the wind." Isa. vii. 1, 2. 
 
 It is a bar to the success of prayer. It hinders 
 that. — " If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask 
 of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and up- 
 braideth not ; and it shall be given him. But let 
 him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that 
 wavereth, is like a wave of the sea, driven with the 
 wind and tossed. For let not that man think 
 
£67 
 
 that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." What 
 we ask doubtingly, distrustingly, it were as good 
 we did not ask at all. 
 
 It is at the bottom of all our sinful departures 
 from God. — " Take heed, brethren, lest there be 
 in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in depart- 
 ing from the living God." Heb. iii. 12. — There is 
 a two-fold departing from God. The one is tem- 
 poral and partial. Every wilful sin is a departure 
 from God ; and what causes wilful sin, but distrust 
 of God ? We do not believe him all-sufficient for 
 us, and therefore seek out to the creature for sa- 
 tisfaction, delight, and pleasure. What made 
 Abraham deny his wife, David his reason, and 
 Peter his Master, but distrust ? — The other is a 
 total and final departure' from God. " Now the 
 just shall live by faith : but if any man draw back, 
 my soul shall have no pleasure in' him. But we 
 are not of them who draw back unto perdition ; 
 but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." 
 
 (3.) In respect of others. — It is a blemish to 
 our profession : it brings an evil report upon the 
 ways of God, as the evil spies did upon the pro- 
 mised land. 
 
 2. There is the evil of punishment in it. It 
 exposes to Divine woes. Woe to the distrustful ! 
 
 (1.) They that will not trust in the Lord shall 
 not be established" (Isa. vii. 9) — neither mthin 
 
268 
 
 nor without ; neither in their minds nor in their 
 affairs. 
 
 (2.) They shall bring nothing to pass: nothing 
 that they do shall prosper. The reason is, they 
 are out of the promise. " Commit thy way unto 
 the Lord : trust also in him : and he shall brinn it 
 to pass." Ps. xxxvii. 5. " Trust in the Lord with 
 all thine heart ; and lean not unto thine own under- 
 standing. In all thy w^ays acknowledge him, and 
 he shall direct thy paths." Prov. iii. 5, 6. 
 
 (3.) Whatever else they trust to shall deceive 
 and disappoint them. " Thus saith the Lord : 
 ^Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and 
 maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth 
 from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in 
 the desert, and shall not see when good cometh ; 
 but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilder- 
 ness, in a salt land and not inhabited." Jer. xvii. 
 5, 6. They shall be ashamed of it : " Thou also 
 shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed 
 of Assyria. For the Lord hath rejected thy con- 
 fidences, and thou shalt not prosper in them." 
 Jer. ii. 36, 37. 
 
 (4.) It brings eternal ruin and destruction. — Un- 
 belief is the great damning sin of the world. " He 
 that believeth not the Son, shall not see life ; but 
 the wrath of God abideth on him," John iii. 36; 
 viii. 24 : ]\Iark xvi. 16. 
 
259 
 
 III. The application. 
 
 1 . Let me apply this in reference to our public 
 concerns: the affairs of this land and nation at 
 this day. 
 
 Have we trusted in the Lord? Do we trust 
 in the Lord? Do our rulers; do our people? 
 Are there not other things that we trust to 7nore 
 than God — to men and means, and instruments, 
 and second causes; to armies, and navies, and 
 confederates ? Are we not saying, We have so 
 many thousand foot, and so many regiments of 
 horse, and. so many capital ships ; and how then 
 can we miscarry? — It seems we may miscarry 
 notwithstanding; nay, it is just with God we 
 should. The Lord give repentance to England 
 upon this day of fasting and humiliation, that we 
 may be found mourning over our carnal confidences, 
 and carnal diffidence; our trusting in creatures, 
 and our not trusting in God ! 
 
 Who knows but it may be the provoking sin 
 that cries loudest against us ? We complain, 
 " The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and 
 we are not saved." Jer. xviii. 20. And what 
 is the matter ? we trust not in the Lord. Till this 
 matter be mended, never expect it should be 
 otherwise — never, till we take up David's resolu- 
 tion : " Some trust in chariots, and some in 
 horses ; but we will remember the Name of the 
 Lord our God." Ps. xx. 7. It is said of Heze- 
 
5270 
 
 kiah, who undertook a work of reformation both 
 in church and state, when things were at a worse 
 pass, at a lower ebb, than they are with us now, his 
 discouragements more and greatei', " He trusted 
 in the Lord God of Israel." 2 Kings xviii. 5. 
 He took Him along with him ; relied upon His 
 arm : and it prospered in his hand. So should it 
 be with us in all our concerns. It is a sad time 
 with our Protestant neighbours in France ; we 
 ourselves are threatened at home ; but if we trust 
 in the Lord, he will yet appear for us. " They that 
 trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which 
 cannot be removed, but abideth for ever." 
 
 2. Let us apply it to ourselves. 
 
 Have we not, each of us, cause to be humbled, 
 that we have not trusted in the Lord, as to our 
 own personal concerns, temporal and spiritual? 
 And shall we learn to do it for time to come ? 
 
 As to spiritual concerns — We have reason to 
 repent to-day, that we were so long ere we would 
 be prevailed with to trust God with our souls, in 
 and through Jesus Christ, in the Gospel way of 
 believing ; ere we would give over trusting to our 
 own merit and righteousness for justification and 
 salvation. It is well if we have yet given over, 
 notwithstanding all our convictions about it. " We 
 worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ 
 Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." Phil, 
 iii. 3. " What things were gain to me," said 
 
271 
 
 Paul, " those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, 
 doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the 
 excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my 
 Lord." ver. 7, 8. Paul should be a copy for us 
 to write after. None but Christ! none but 
 Christ ! Let us not be as those who, " being 
 ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about 
 to establish their own righteousness, have not 
 submitted themselves unto the righteousness of 
 God." 
 
 As to temporal things— in the things of this 
 life. — It is our every-day's fault, that we trust 
 not in the Lord. Though there is all the reason 
 in the world why we should do it, yet we do it 
 not. Our own hearts know we do not, and if 
 " they condemn us, God is greater than our 
 hearts, and knoweth all things." There is every 
 reason why we should trust in the Lord. 
 
 (1.) He hath bidden us, over and over again, 
 put our trust in him ; cast our care upon him. 
 " Be careful for nothing ; but in every thing, by 
 prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your 
 requests be made known unto God." And yet 
 we will not. Had some great man said but half 
 so much to us, we should have acted accordingly, 
 
 (2.) He hath given us promise upon promise, 
 suited to every strait. Have we need of guid- 
 ance, a blessing, success, preservation, or supply ? 
 
272 
 
 He hath told us, again and again, to come to him, 
 and trust in him, and we shall have it. 
 
 (3.) He is faithful and true ; and can as soon 
 deny himself, as not perform what he hath pro- 
 mised. Titus i. 1 ; Heb. vi. 18; 1 Thess. v. 24. 
 " God is not a man, that he should lie ; neither 
 the son of man, that he should repent : hath he 
 said, and shall he not do it ? or, hath he spoken, 
 and shall he not make it good?" Numb, xxiii. 19- 
 And yet will we not trust him. 
 
 (4.) He hath injfinite wisdom, power, and good- 
 ness to invite our trust in him. — He hath wisdom 
 to know what is best, and to contrive and order 
 things accordingly. — He hath power to do what 
 he will do for us : his arm is a mighty arm. 
 " Abraham staggered not at the promise through 
 unbelief ; but was strong in faith, giving glory to 
 God." — He hath goodness and mercy to incline 
 his will. He is a God of compassions. " How 
 excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God ! therefore 
 the children of men put their trust under the sha- 
 dow of thy wings." This we doubt most of. As 
 the leper; " Lord, if thou zvilt, thou canst make 
 me clean." He will, if good for us. 
 
 (5.) He hath put himself into the nearest and 
 dearest covenant relations to do it : as Friend, 
 Father, Husband. — How safely doth the heart of 
 one friend trust in another ! How securely doth 
 
273 
 
 the child trust in the father! God is a living 
 Friend, an everlasting Father. " Tmst in the living 
 God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy." 
 
 (6.) What repeated experiences have we had — 
 our own and other's — that when we have trusted in 
 him he hath not failed us. — This should have 
 been (and shall it be.^) an argument with us 
 against our base distrust. " Our fathers trusted 
 in thee : they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. 
 They cried unto thee, and were delivered : they 
 trusted in thee, and M^ere not confounded." Ps. 
 xxii, 4, 5. Ps. xxxiv. 4, 5, 6; xliv. 1, &c. ; Luke 
 xxii. 35 ; Matt. vi. 9.6, &c. Sometimes we are 
 taught to argue from the lesser to the greater: 
 " Is not the life more than meat, and the body 
 than raiment ? " Matt. vi. 9.5. Sometimes from 
 the greater to the lesser : " He that spared not 
 his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how 
 shall he not with him also freely give us all 
 things ? " Rom. viii. 32. Sometimes from what is 
 past to what' is present, and to come: "Who 
 delivered us from so great a death, and doth deli- 
 ver : in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us." 
 S Cor. i. 10. 1 Sam. xvii. 37. Sometimes from 
 what is to come to what is present : " Fear not, 
 little flock ; for it is your Father's good pleasure 
 to give you the kingdom." Luke xii. 32. John 
 xiv. 1, 2. All this should encourage our trust in 
 God. The oftener we have experienced his good- 
 
 T 
 
S74 
 
 ness, the more aggravated is our guilt when we 
 distrust him : " And the Lord was angry with 
 Solomon, because his heart was turned from the 
 Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him 
 twice." 1 Kings xi. 9- 
 
 (7.) How likely it is we should be deceived by 
 any thing else, whatever it be, that we trust to, 
 instead of God, whether it be a person or a thing.— 
 Some trust in their own hearts : " He that trust- 
 eth in his own heart is a fool." Prov. xxviii. Q6. 
 They are fools, because the heart is deceitful. 
 Jer. xvii. 9. They, therefore, who trust in a de- 
 ceitful heart, have no wit, no wisdom, no under- 
 standing. We are cautioned against it : " Trust 
 in the Lord with all thine heart ; and lean not to 
 thine own understanding." Prov. iii. 5. Strength 
 of parts, for duty, praying, or preaching, trusted in, 
 proves weakness. 
 
 Some trust in their great friends and relations. 
 " Cease ye from man." Isa. ii. 22. " Lo, thou 
 trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; 
 whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, 
 and pierce it : so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all 
 that trust in him." Isa. xxxvi. 6. Micah vii. 5. 
 
 Some trust in worldly riches and possessions: 
 *^ The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as 
 a high wall in his own conceit." Prov. xviii. 11. 
 Ps. Iii. 7, 8. But we should remember they are 
 uncertain: I Tim. vi. 17. " Wilt thou set thine 
 
275 
 
 eyes upon that which is not ? for riches certainly 
 make themselves wings ; they fly away, as an eagle 
 toward heaven." Prov. xxiii. 5. Luke xii. 19, &c. 
 
 Shall these things convince and humble us? 
 Shall we resolve henceforward, by God's grace, to 
 trust him more, and creatures less ? 
 
 I will close with a few^ directions about trusting; 
 in God, that we may not be presumptuous in our 
 trust. 
 
 1. Our trust must be in God only, in and 
 through Jesus Christ as ^Mediator ; " for all the 
 promises of God in him are yea, and in him 
 amen." Out of him, he is a consuming fire. 
 
 2. Our trust must not be absolute when it 
 should be with a proviso — as when we seek things 
 temporal. Nor should it be witli a proviso when 
 it should be absolute — as when we seek mercy and 
 grace. 
 
 3. Our trust must be in the way of our duty, 
 else it is in vain to expect any thing from him. 
 " Trust in the Lord, and do good : so shalt thou 
 dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." 
 Yet how many trust for even heaven itself, though 
 they are going on in wicked ways ! It requires 
 strong faith indeed, to trust in God when all is 
 dark. 
 
 4. Our trust must be in the use of means. 
 Otherwise, we tempt God : when we expect a 
 crop without sowing ; health out of sickness, when 
 
 T 2 
 
276 
 
 no means are used. " Isaiah had said, Let them 
 take a lump of figs, and lay it for a plaster upon 
 the boil, and he shall recover." Isa. xxxviii. 21. 
 
 5. Our trust must be accompanied with prayer. 
 " Trust in him at all times : ye people, pour out 
 your hearts before him." Ps. Ixii. 8. Phil. iv. 6. 
 It is a good argument in prayer — Lord, I trust 
 in thee for such or such a mercy. " In thee, 
 O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be 
 ashamed." Ps. xxxi. 1. "In thee, O Lord, do I 
 put my trust; let me never be put to confusion." 
 Ps. Ixxi. 1. 
 
 6. Our trust must be such as that we are willing 
 to wait God's time. We must not make haste, 
 lest more than good speed. " It is good that 
 a man should both hope and quietly wait for 
 the salvation of the Lord." Lam. iii. 26. Isa. 
 xxviii. 16. See also Ps. Ixii. 1,5: "Truly my 
 soul waiteth upon God : from him cometh my 
 salvation. My soul, wait thou only upon God ; 
 for my expectation is from him." 
 
277 
 
 SERMON XIV. 
 
 MATT. V. 3. 
 
 Blessed ar.e the poor in spirit : for theirs is the 
 kingdom of hea'ven. 
 
 T-HESE are the first words of the first solemn 
 sermon that was preached by our Lord Jesus. 
 We have the text of one before : " Jesus be- 
 gan to preach, and to say, Repent, for the kingdom 
 of heaven is at hand." Matt. iv. 17. But this is 
 the first printed sermon — the first thought fit to be 
 left upon record. And as the first, so it is the 
 longest; consisting of three chapters. The truth 
 is, the subject was wide and large. It is an expo- 
 sition of the Commandments and Lord's Prayer, 
 and several other weighty matters ; containing, in 
 effect, the whole duty of man. 
 
 He begins with " Blessed.'" This was the first 
 word. His errand into the world was to bless 
 the w^orld. " God having raised up his Son 
 Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away 
 ev€i-y one of you from his iniquities." Acts iii. 25. 
 
278 
 
 David begins his Psalms so. The end is first in 
 intention : we must be fixed upon that. Would we 
 be blessed.^ Here is the way prescribed. The 
 first step is poverty of spirit. " Blessed are the 
 poor in spirit." 
 
 ' Where was he when he preached this sermon ? ' 
 He went up into a mountain. It was a field- 
 meeting, being of late so much persecuted. In a 
 mountain the law was given : that was Mount 
 Sinai, full of terror. In a mount also it was ex- 
 pounded, with no terror, but with all possible 
 sweetness. Blessed ! Blessed ! 
 
 ' Who were his auditors ? ' The multitude, and 
 his disciples. It was a mixed auditory : neither 
 all good nor all bad; neither all converted nor 
 all unconverted. Such we preach to. To each 
 of them he had something to say : so have zve. 
 
 ^ What means the expression, He opened his 
 mouth, and taught them?' He taught them as 
 one having authority, and not as the scribes. God 
 had given him a mouth'; grace was poured into 
 his lips ; and he used the mouth and grace he had. 
 So should ministers. It is a double gift to have 
 a mouth, and to have a heart to open it : to have 
 parts, gifts, strength, and abilities. This is pro- 
 mised as a mercy. " In that day will I cause 
 the horn of the house of Israel to bud forth, and 
 I will give thee the opening of the mouth in the 
 midst of them ; and they shall know that I am the 
 
279 
 
 Lord." Exek. xxix. Ql. — But for the words them- 
 selves, to detain you no longer m the preface. 
 " Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the 
 kingdom of heaven." 
 
 DOCTRINE, The poor in spirit are a blessed 
 people, and heaven is theirs. 
 
 Shew I. What this poverty of spirit is, and who 
 the poor in spirit are. 
 II. Wherein consists their present blessed- 
 ness, 
 
 III. What there is in it, that heaven is 
 
 theirs. 
 
 IV. The application. 
 
 I- Who are the poor in spirit 
 
 There are two kinds of poor. There are the 
 poor in estate : those that have little or nothing of 
 this world's goods ; little money, house, or land — 
 it may be none at all : as poor as Job, when upon 
 the dunghill, stripped of all his possessions and all 
 his comforts. There are many poor. 
 
 There are the poor in spirit. This relates to 
 the inward, not to the outward man. There are 
 such as are poor in estate, and are contentedly 
 so ; submitting therein to the good will and plea- 
 sure of their heavenly Father, and bearing it pa-^ 
 tiently, without murmuring, repining, or complain- 
 
280 
 
 ing — not even desiring to be rich. This is an 
 excellent frame. They are tmly blessed that 
 are of it upon right grounds. They are truly 
 blessed to whom God hath given Christian pa- 
 tience, patience upon a right principle : and God 
 will reward them for it in his heavenly kingdom. 
 
 There are such as, though rich in worldly estate, 
 yet in respect of their inward frame are meek and 
 humble, lowly and contiite; whose heart is a 
 broken heart ; whose spirit is a tender spirit. It 
 is one thing to be poor in spirituals, and another 
 thing to be poor in spirit. 
 
 There are multitudes that are poor in spirituals : 
 that have no grace, no repentance, no faith, no love, 
 no heavenly-mindedness, no knowledge, no wisdom 
 — or next to none. The case of such is sad, not 
 blessed. " Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased 
 with goods, and have need of nothing ; and know- 
 est not that thou art wretched, and ipiserable, and 
 poor, and blind, and naked." Rev. iii. 17. "There 
 is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing." 
 Prov. xiii. 7. O see that it be so with none of 
 you ! especially you that are poor in the world. 
 *' Hearken, my beloved brethren; hath not God 
 chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and 
 heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to 
 them that love him ? " 
 
 To be poor in spirit is another thing. I shall 
 give you their character in four particulars. Will 
 
281 
 
 you try yourselves as I go along, and see whether 
 you are such as are poor in spirit ? Our Lord, 
 according to Luke, applies it to his disciples: 
 " And he Hfted up his eyes on his disciples, and 
 said, Blessed be ye poor ; for yours is the king- 
 dom of God." Luke vi. 20. O that I could say 
 in like manner to all and each of you, Blessed 
 are i/e poor, thou poor in spirit ! 
 
 1 . Such as are poor in spirit, have had a due 
 sight and sense of sin, and are truly contrite in 
 soul for it. 
 
 Is it so ^vith you ? Have you seen sin, your 
 own sin, in the bitterness of it ? Have you felt 
 from it accordingly in the bitterness of godly sor- 
 row ? Then you are poor in spirit. This godly 
 sorrow, this poverty of spirit, is described by being 
 pricked in the heart : " Now when they heard 
 this, they were pricked in their heart, and said 
 unto Peter, and to the rest of the Apostles, Men 
 and brethren, what shall we do?" Acts ii. 37. 
 Observe, the description is different from what is 
 related in Acts vii. 54 : " When they heard these 
 things they were cut to the heart, and they 
 gnashed on him with their teeth." True poverty 
 of spirit is joined with contrition : " To this man," 
 says Jehovah, " will I look, even to him that is 
 poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my 
 word." Isa. Ixvi. 2. " The sacrifices of God are 
 a broken spirit : a broken and a contrite heart, O 
 God, thou Avilt not despise." Ps. li. 17. 
 
282 
 
 2. Such as are poor in spirit have seen God in 
 his greatness and glory, in his holiness and purity, 
 and are truly humbled and laid low by it. 
 
 See this illustrated in the case of Job : " I 
 have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; 
 but now mine eye seeth thee : wherefore I abhor 
 myself, and repent in dust and ashes." Moses is 
 an eminent example : " And Moses said, I will 
 now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the 
 bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that 
 he turned aside to see, God called unto him, and 
 said, I am the God of thy father, the God of 
 Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of 
 Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was 
 afraid to look upon God." Exodus iii. Isaiah's 
 experience is a further illustration. After he had 
 seen in vision ^' the Lord sitting upon a throne, 
 high and lifted up," and witnessed the adoring 
 worship of the seraphim, he exclaimed, " Woe is 
 me ! for I am undone; because I am a man of un- 
 clean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people 
 of unclean lips : for mine eyes have seen the King, 
 the Lord of hosts." Isa. vi. Whatever other 
 considerations we have had towards pulling down 
 our pride and haughtiness, except there have been 
 this, our humility is not kindly *. 
 
 * " The deepest and most pure humility doth not so much 
 arise from the consideration of our own faults and defects 
 as from a calm and quiet contemplation of the Divine 
 
283 
 
 3. Such as are poor in spirit, have mean 
 thoughts of themselves ; and carry it accordingly, 
 both towards God and towards man. 
 
 It is in our nature to value ourselves, and mostly 
 to over-value ourselves, to think much better of 
 ourselves than we ought. It is a difficult thing to 
 be brought off this. But when Grace comes, the 
 case is altered. Then the confession is, " So 
 foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast 
 
 purity and goodness. Our spots never appear so clearly as 
 when we place them before this Infinite Light; and we 
 never seem less in our own eyes than when we look down 
 upon ourselves from on high. The sense which humble 
 souls have of the Divine Perfections, makes them think very 
 meanly of any thing they have hitherto attained, and be stil'. 
 endeavouring to surmount themselves, and make nearer 
 approaches to those infinite excellencies which they admire." 
 " As the chief exercises of humility are those which 
 relate unto Almighty God, so they are accompanied with 
 the greatest satisfaction and sweetness. It is impossible 
 to express the great pleasure and delight which religious 
 persons feel in the lowest prostrations of their soul before 
 God; when, having a deep sense of the Divine majesty 
 and glory, they sink (if I may so speak) to the bottom of 
 their beings, and vanish and disappear in the presence of 
 God, by a serious and affectionate acknowledgment of their 
 own nothingness, and the shortness and imperfections of 
 their attainments; when they understand the full sense and 
 emphasis of the Psalmist's exclamation. Lord, what is 
 man? and can utter it with the same affection." — Such are 
 the sentiments of the refined and pious Scougal. See his 
 " Life of God in the Soul of Alan," published by Bishop 
 Burnet; a book which exhibits a beautiful specimen of 
 devotional elegance. 
 
284 
 
 before thee." Ps. Ixxiii. 22. " Surely I am more 
 brutish than any man, and have not the under- 
 standing of a man." Prov. xxx. 2. Now where 
 it is thus within, Hke light or fire, it will not, it 
 cannot, be hid. 
 
 It will be manifest in our carriage towards God. 
 — There will be thankfulness for the least mercy, 
 * It is better than I deserve, it is too good for me,' 
 will be the language of the poor in spirit. As 
 Jacob : " I am not worthy of the least of all the 
 mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast 
 shewed unto thy servant." Gen. xxxii. 10. Such 
 will say, with the church of old, "It is of the 
 Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because 
 his compassions fail not." Lam. iii. 22. There 
 will be quietness and submission also under the 
 sharpest trials : " I will bear," will such say, "the 
 indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned 
 against him, until he plead my cause, and execute 
 judgment for me : he will bring me forth to the 
 light, and I shall behold his righteousness." Micah 
 vii. 9' If we are poor in spirit, we shall discover 
 reverence and godly fear in all our addresses at a 
 Throne of Grace. This was the case with Abra- 
 ham : see Gen. xviii. So also with the Publican : 
 *' And the Publican, standing afar off, would not 
 lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but 
 smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to 
 me a dinner." 
 
285 
 
 It will be manifest, likewise, in our deportment 
 towards men. — If we are poor in spirit, we shall 
 prefer others in honour above ourselves, both in 
 word and deed. We shall condescend to mean 
 things, when we may do the least good by so 
 doing : our Saviour washed the disciples' feet. We 
 shall slight and despise the slights which others 
 put upon us. Our Lord did so : " for the joy 
 that was set before him, he endured the cross, 
 and despised the shame." So did David : ob*- 
 sei-ve his answer to the taunts of Michal : "I 
 will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base 
 in mine own sight.'* 2 Sam. vi. 22. 
 
 The contrary to this poorness, is pride and 
 haughtiness of spirit ; a sin that reigns in some, 
 that remains in all. The sweet Psalmist of Israel 
 was guilty of this : " And David's heart smote 
 him after that he had numbered the people. And 
 David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly 
 in that I have done : and now, I beseech thee, O 
 Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant ; for I 
 have done very foolishly." 2 Sam. xxiv. 10. It is 
 said of Hezekiah, he " humbled himself for the 
 pride of his heart." 2 Chron. xxxii. 26. Observe, 
 he was humbled for it : so was David. 
 
 4. Such as are poor in spirit, discover a 
 trembling frame under God's word. Isa. Ixvi. 2. 
 
 They feel a holy reverence in the reading and 
 hearing of it. They remember that God speaks. 
 
286 
 
 Eg] on, king of Moab, shewed this reverence when 
 " Ehud came unto him : and he was sittino- in a 
 summer-parlour, which he had made for himself, 
 alone: and Ehud said, I have a message from 
 God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat." 
 Judges iii. 20. The Emperor Constantine* 
 would never sit at sermon. King Edward the 
 Sixth would not tread on the Bible f. 
 
 They are suitably wrought upon by it, so as to 
 fear the threatenings and tremble at the execu- 
 
 * Constantine the Great died at Nicomedia, May 22d, 
 A.D. 337, aged 66. Eusebius wrote mucli concerning him, 
 and his testimony deserves observation. " His vacant 
 time," says that accurate historian, " he spent in prayer, 
 reading the Scriptures, and other divine exercises and em- 
 ployments; and he formed his whole court after his exam- 
 ple. So illustrious a piety God was pleased to reward with 
 the enlargement of his empire, and the prosperity of his 
 family, besides those eminent blessings which were reserved 
 for his posterity."— Or/7f. de Laud. Const, c. IX. p. G28. 
 For an interesting account of Constantine, with a view of 
 the state of Paganism during his reign, see Cave's Eccle- 
 siastici, edition 1683, Introd. p. 1, &c.; Dr. Lardner's 
 Works, vol. IV. p. 138, edition 1788; and Gibbon's Roman 
 Empire, vols. II. and III. 
 
 t This interesting circumstance is thus recorded by the 
 Rev. David Simpson. " Upon a certain occasion, a paper 
 that was called for in his Council-chamber happened to lie 
 out of reach; the person concerned to produce it, took a 
 Bible that lay by, and, standing upon it, reached down the 
 paper. The King, observing what was dome, ran himself 
 to the place, and, taking the Bible in his hands, kissed if,, 
 and laid it up again."— ^ocrerf Literature, vol. II. p. 414. 
 
287 
 
 tions the Sacred Word records. " And Shaphan 
 the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the 
 priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan 
 read it before the king. And it came to pass, when 
 the king had heard the words of the book of the law, 
 that he rent his clothes." 2 Kings xxii. 10, 11. Such 
 was the conduct of the pious Josiah, king of Judah. 
 See the difference between himself and his son 
 Jehoiakim. That monarch caused the word of the 
 Lord to be consumed in fire : see Jeremiah xxxvi. 
 " Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakini 
 king of Judah, He shall have none to sit upon the 
 throne of David ; and his dead body shall be cast 
 out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the 
 frost : and I will punish him, and his seed, and 
 his servants, for their iniquity." ver. 30, 31. 
 
 II. Prove their present blessedness. They aix 
 blessed. 
 
 ' What blessedness is theirs ? Can a man that 
 is poor be a blessed man ? ' Yes, certainly. He 
 may be poor in the world, and notwithstanding 
 tliat be a blessed man. The poor in spirit are 
 blessed — I say, they are blessed. 
 
 1. There is the blessedness of evidence in it, 
 as it is a certain proof, sign, and companion of 
 true grace. 
 
 He that is poor in spirit, as- I have described 
 him, is certainly a godly man : the good work i& 
 begun in him : he is passed from death to life. 
 
288 
 
 And is it riot a blessed thing to know it to be 
 BO ; to know that I am a new creature ? What 
 would many a doubting soul give if it had it ; that 
 this were clear to him ! — Get to be poor in spirit, 
 and that will clear it. 
 
 2. There is the blessedness of comfort in it. 
 
 God will be sure to look to him. " To this 
 man," saith the Lord, " will I look, even to him that 
 is poor, and of a contrite spirit." — Is not he 
 blessed whom God looks to ? 
 
 He will look towards him, as towards a sight 
 that pleases him. They are the desire of his 
 eyes. Pie overlooks all the beauties and glories 
 of heaven and earth, to look at him who is poor 
 in spirit. " The sacrifices of God are a broken 
 spirit." " God is a Spirit : and they that worship 
 him, must worship him in spirit and in truth." 
 He seeks such in the conffresjation ; and if he 
 find but one, he regards him with approbation and 
 delight. 
 
 He will look after him. He will take care of 
 him, and suffer no man to wrong him. " Whoso 
 shall offend one of these little ones which believe 
 in me, it were better for him that a millstone 
 were hanged about his neck, and that he were 
 drowned in the depth of the sea." Matt, xviii. 6. 
 They are here described as little ones — poor in 
 spirit. " Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the 
 earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek 
 righteousness, seek meekness : it may be ye shall 
 
289 
 
 be hid in the day of the Lord's anger." Zeph. ii. 3. 
 Such shall be hid. S 
 
 3. There is the blessedness of supply in it. 
 
 What they have need of they shall have from 
 him. He will provide for them. " He hath filled 
 the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath 
 sent empty away." Luke i. 53. Hungry there, is 
 opposed to rich. " He satisfieth the longing soul, 
 and filleth the hungry soul A^ith goodness." Psalm 
 cvii. 9. " I have satiated the weary soul, and I 
 have replenished every sorrowful soul." Jer. xxxi. 
 25. He filleth the hungry, that is, the poor, with 
 good things : such things as they most need, and 
 most desire to have. He supplies the hungry with 
 food, the wounded with healing, the condemned 
 with a pardon. The rich get nothing at his door 
 — no alms. It is only poor people, only those 
 who are poor in spirit, whose wants he supplies. 
 
 III. What is there in it, that heaven is theirs ? 
 
 " Theirs is the kingdom of heaven." It is 
 theirs in reversion ; it is entailed upon them, made 
 over to them, by a special deed of entail. When- 
 ever they fail, that is, die, they shall be sure of it. 
 This is certainly intended not only for the comfort 
 of such as are thus poor, but for encouragement 
 to all to labour after it. This poverty of spirit 
 brings heaven, the kingdom of heaven, for a sure 
 recompence of reward. 
 
 u 
 
290 ,» 
 
 1 . Now, in this reward there is suitableness. 
 To the weary it is promised under the notion of 
 
 rest ; to those that love pleasure, as a paradise : 
 so to the poor, under the notion of a kingdom. 
 — Comfort thyself, thou poor-spirited Christian ! 
 thou art heir to a kingdom. Thou shalt be rich 
 enough shortly : thy inheritance will make thee so. 
 " Hearken, my beloved brethren ; hath not God 
 chosen the poor of this world, rich in faitli, and 
 heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to 
 them that love him.?" James ii. 5. It was Paul's 
 prayer for the Ephesians, that they might know 
 what was the hope of their calling, and what the 
 riches of the glory of the inhei^itance of the saints. 
 Ephes. i. 18. 
 
 2. In this reward there is sufficiency. 
 
 It is not an earthly, but a heavenly kingdom ; be- 
 tween which there is no comparison. Heaven is a 
 happiness that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor 
 has it entered into the heart of man to conceive of 
 its glory. To be there, is to be freed from all 
 evil, and to be supplied with all desirable good. 
 It is to see God, and to enjoy him. It is to be 
 in Abraham's bosom. It is to sit down with Abra- 
 ham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, in the kingdom 
 of God. It is to be with Jesus. It is not only 
 to be with the saints, and with none but saints, 
 but it is to be with the King of saints. And for 
 how long? — for ever and ever. After miUions 
 
291 
 
 of millions of ages, heaven will be still heaven. 
 The joy will be eternally fresh. The last of glory 
 ^vill be glory. 
 
 IV. The Application. 
 
 1. Let us mix faith with this saying, with this 
 first saying of our Lord Jesus in this his first 
 sermon. If we do not, it will not profit us. — ' But 
 is it not an unlikely thing that these poor-spirited 
 people, whom a\l men despise, and trample upon, 
 should be so honoured of God?' Likely or un- 
 likely, Jesus Christ hath said it is so, and we are 
 bound to believe it *. 
 
 * This may not be an unfit place to introduce a few sen- 
 tences from a work entitled " A View of the Internal 
 Evidence of tlie Christian Religion," by Soanie Jenyns, Esq. 
 They present to us a correct view of Christian doctrine, 
 with its general reception among mankind, and also illus- 
 trate and confirm Mr. Henry's observation. 
 
 " By poorness of spirit is to be understood a disposition 
 of mind meek, humble, submissive to power, void of ambi- 
 tion, patient of injuries, and free from all resentment. 
 This was so new and so opposite to the ideas of all pagan 
 moralists, that ihey thought this temper of mind a criminal 
 and contemptible meanness, which must induce men to 
 sacrifice the glory of their country, and their own honour, 
 to a shameful pusillanimity : and such it appears to almost 
 all who are called Christians even at this day; who not only 
 reject it in practice, but disavow it in principle, notwith- 
 standing the explicit declaration of their Master. We see 
 them revenging the smallest affronts by premeditated mur- 
 der, as individuals, on principles of honour ; and, in their 
 national capacities, destroying each other with fire and 
 
2. Let the fruit of that faith be serious desires 
 and endeavours that Me may be such. — Would ye 
 be blessed ? Then be poor in spirit. Would you 
 have heaven yours ? Then be poor in spirit. 
 
 ' What is to be done?' Beg it earnestly of 
 God. It must be the work of his Spirit and 
 grace in us ; and it is expressly promised in the 
 new covenant, under the ^lOtion of a heart of flesh, 
 in opposition to a heart of stone : '^ A new heart 
 will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within 
 you ; and I will take away the stony heart out of 
 your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh." 
 Ezek. xxxvi. £5. Stone is cold, heavy, dry : flesh 
 is the reverse. 
 
 '■ What is to be done ? ' Look often at God 
 and thyself. Consider what he is, and what a 
 worm thou art. He is all: thou art nothing. 
 There is nothing like this to humble us, and to 
 lay us low. 
 
 * What is to be done ? ' Acquaint thyself with 
 
 gword for the low considerations of commercial interests, 
 the balance of rival powers, or the ambition of princes : we 
 see them with their last breath animating each other to a 
 savage revenge, and, in the agonies of death, plunging with 
 feeble arms their daggers into the hearts of their opponents ; 
 and, what is still worse, we hear all these barbarisms cele- 
 brated by historians, flattered by poets, applauded in thea- 
 tres, approved in senates, and even sanctified in pulpits. 
 But universal practice cannot alter the nature of things, 
 nor universal error change the nature of truth." — Soam$ 
 Jenj/ns's Works, vol. Iv. p. 43. 
 
Q9S 
 
 the way of the Gospel. Tliere are two things in 
 the way of the Gospel Mhich are greatly impo- 
 verishing, which conduce much towards poverty 
 of spirit. 
 
 The one is— That there we have all earned on, 
 from first to last, in a way of free grace, exclusive 
 of all merit and worthiness in us. Free grace 
 chose us, redeemed us, calls us, justifies, saves us. 
 Should we not, then, be humble and low, and poor 
 in our own eyes? " God hath chosen the foolish 
 things of the world, to confound the wise ; and 
 base things of the world, and things which are 
 despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which 
 are not, to bring to nought things that are : that 
 no flesh should glory in his presence." 1 Cor. i. 
 Consider what vile wretches God hath made 
 saints — Paul — the Corinthians. " And such were 
 some of you ; but ye are washed, but ye are sanc- 
 tified, but ye are justified in the name of the 
 Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." 
 1 Cor. vi. 11. 
 
 The other is — That tliere we have the most 
 glorious ])attem and example of poverty of spirit, 
 of humility and self-denial, set before us, that ever 
 the sun saw, in the blessed Jesus. Thus he ad- 
 dresses us: " Take my yoke upon you, and learn 
 of me ; for I am meek and lowly in heart ; and 
 ye shall find rest unto your souls." JVIatt. xi. 29. 
 See also John xiii. 4 — 18. Especially view the 
 
294 
 
 Redeemer in his suffering and dying. " They 
 shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and 
 they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his 
 only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one 
 that is in bitterness for his first born." Zech. xii. 
 10. " Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your 
 sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty 
 might be rich" — rich in spirituals, but poor in 
 spirit. 
 
 3. Then it follows, by the rule of contraries, 
 that those persons who are proud in spirit are not 
 blessed. Theirs, certainly, is not the kingdom of 
 heaven. 
 
 Will God look to such ? No ; he beholds them 
 afar off: " Though the Lord be high, yet hath 
 he respect unto the lowly : but the proud he know- 
 eth afar off." Ps. cxxxviii. 6. Will God provide 
 for them ? No : he sends such empty away. Luke 
 i. 53. Will he comfort them ? No : he resists 
 them, and sets himself in battle-array against them. 
 James iv. 6. Nay, see Job. xl. 9 — 12. Oh then, 
 see that none of you be such. Humble, humble 
 yourselves under his mighty hand. Say ; Lord, I 
 am a poor 'vvorm ; mean as a creature, vile as a sin- 
 ner. Cast thyself doAvn at his feet. Cry, as the 
 poor Publican, " God be merciful to me a sinner." 
 It was the Publican, not the proud Pharisee, that 
 went away justified. 
 
295 
 
 * But is not this poorness of spirit contrary to 
 that greatness and height of spirit that is so much 
 commended to and in the saints?' " Tlie Lord 
 plentifully rewardeth the proud doer," or the mag- 
 iiificent doer. Ps. xxxi. 23. Such a spirit as was 
 in the three worthies mentioned in the book of 
 Daniel. Such as was in Paul — trampling upon 
 the world, the smiles and the frowns of it ; not 
 valuino; even life itself. " Should such a man as 
 I am flee ?'' Neh. vi. II. 
 
 That and this Mill very well consist. There is 
 no inconsistency in saying ; I can do nothing of 
 myself, therefore I am poor, and low, and humble ; 
 but I can do all things through Christ strengthen- 
 ing me, therefore I am bold, and venturous, and 
 daring in the way of my duty. None were more 
 humble than Paul, though none were more bold. 
 " Kos ccetera humll'iores omnibus hom'mibus sumus^ 
 ubi "vero de Jide et Christi pietate agitur minime 
 timidi aiit humiles apparemus — As to some th'mgs, 
 ice are more humble than all men ; but ivhen there 
 is a contest concerning Christian faith and piety ^ 
 xve do not appear timid or abject.''' — Nazianzen*. 
 
 * This illustrious Father, Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop of 
 Constantinople, was born at Arianzum, in Cappadocia, 
 A. D. 324, and is famed both for piety and eloquence. 
 He died, according to St. Jcroni, A. D. 389. Rufinus tes- 
 tifies, that " he was in all things an incomparable person ; 
 eminent both for his doctrine and his life ; the greatest 
 
296 
 
 4. Then let the poor in spirit be comforted. 
 This te^t is a cordial to such : lay it up accord- 
 ingly, "^hou art blessed, and thou shalt be 
 blessed. Heaven is thine, and it shall be thine. 
 God looks to thee : go thou on, and look to him 
 with a single eye in all thy ways. Seek not thine 
 own things, but his things, and thou shalt not 
 repent it. 
 
 light of the Church ; who taught what he practised, and 
 practised what he taught." — See his Life at large, in Cave's 
 Ecclesiastici, p. 272, &c. 
 
297 
 
 SERMON XV.* 
 
 2 COR. iv. 7. 
 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that 
 the excellency of the power may be of God, and 
 not of us. 
 
 It is not long since I was here, bearing my 
 testimony to a worthy member of this society, 
 Mr. William Lawrence. I am called now to 
 do the same to Mr. Samuel Taylor, your worthy 
 minister. I have often observed, that, when death 
 comes into a society, into a family, or into a 
 neighbourhood, he seldom strikes single strokes, 
 but double, or treble. It may be, because the 
 former is not heard ; is not improved. As our 
 dulness must have line upon line, precept upon 
 precept; so also we need death upon death, and 
 funeral upon funeral. The last spoke to you — 
 
 * Preached at Wem, in Shropshire, June 28th, 1695, on 
 occasion of the death of the Rev, Samuel Taylor, who was 
 ejected by the Act of Uniformity from Edstaston ChapeJ, 
 near Wem, August 24, 1662. — See the Nonconf. Mem. 
 vol. III. p. 146, third edition. 
 
298 
 
 the people, the sheep : this speaks to us — the mi- 
 nisters, the shepherds. God would have both 
 you and us to know our frame ; to remember we 
 are but dust ; or, in the language of the text, to 
 remember that we have the treasure in earthen 
 vessels. By the treasure, is meant the Gospel — 
 called the " light of the knowledge of the glory of 
 God in the face of Jesus Christ" — which we have 
 " in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the 
 power may be of God, and not of us." 
 
 DOCTRINE I. That the Gospel is a treasure; 
 and they that have it, have a treasure in 
 having it. But, 
 
 II. They that have the treasure of 
 the Gospel, have it in earthen vessels. 
 
 III. The reason why the precious 
 treasure of the Gospel is put in earthen 
 vessels is, that the " excellency of the 
 power may be of God, and not of us." 
 
 These are the three doctrines to be explained 
 and applied. 
 
 I. The Gospel is a treasure; and they that 
 have it, have a treasure in having it. 
 
 In one Scripture, Jesus Christ is spoken of as 
 the treasure, and the Gospel as the field in which 
 the treasure is hid : " The kingdom of heaven 
 
S99^ 
 
 is like unto treasure hid in a field ; the which 
 when a man hath found, he liideth, and for joy 
 thereof gocth and selleth all that he haih, and 
 buyeth that field." Matt. xiii. 44. Here, tlic 
 Gospel is the treasure, as it holds fordi the " light 
 of the knowledge of the glory of God in the 
 face of Jesus Christ." The glory of God, in his 
 glorious attributes and perfections of wisdom, 
 power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth, is 
 manifested to us in " the face of Jesus Christ." 
 He came from heaven on purpose to tell the 
 world what a God he is. He hath declared him 
 to us. " No man hath seen God at any time; 
 the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of 
 the Father, he hath declared him." John i. 18. 
 He declared him not by word of mouth, so much 
 as by what he was, and did. 
 
 Now we may behold him, as we do the bright- 
 ness and glory of the sun in a basin of water. He 
 is now Immanuel, God with us, God clothed 
 with a body. And this was the mystery hid, but 
 now it is made manifest in the Gospel : " even 
 the mystery which hath been hid from ages and 
 from generations, but now is made manifest to his 
 saints." The Gospel, as it makes this manifest, 
 is a treasure. 
 
 Treasure, signifies abundance of precious and 
 useful thinofs. Such thina;s there are in the Go- 
 spel. There are precious and useful truths, rules, 
 
600 
 
 doctrines, promises, parables, and histories. And 
 there are abundance of them — more than can be 
 numbered. They are blessed that have them: 
 " Blessed is the people that know the joyful 
 sound : they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of 
 thy countenance." Ps. Ixxxix. 15. Here is an 
 allusion to the jubilee trumpet proclaiming a re- 
 lease from debts, liberty from bondage. " And 
 he turned him unto his disciples, and said pri- 
 vately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things 
 that ye see : for I tell you, that many prophets 
 and kings have desired to see those things which 
 ye see, and have not seen them ; and to hear 
 those things which ye hear, and have not heard 
 them." — liow blessed? Not those that see to 
 read them M'ith their bodily eyes, or hear them read 
 or preached with their bodily ears, merely — though 
 that be a mercy, and they are comparatively blessed 
 that have it; — but blessed, truly blessed, eternally 
 blessed are they into whose hearts God hath shined, 
 to give them there this light of the knowledge of 
 his own glory in the face of Jesus Christ. They 
 have treasure indeed ! such treasure as makes them 
 rich towards God. No matter though you are 
 poor in the world, if you are thus rich. 
 
 II. The Gospel treasure is in earthen vessels. 
 This expression may allude to those who have 
 occasion to hide their treasure, if it be gold or 
 
50) 
 
 silver. The^^ do not put it loose in the earth, but 
 in an earthen pitcher, and so hide it. Thus Al- 
 mighty God puts the treasure of the Gospel into 
 earthen vessels. But surely it is not to conceal 
 it, though it may be to secure it: as hiding is 
 taken Matt. xiii. 44; and as God's people are 
 called his hidden ones, that is, secured ones ; hid 
 under the hollow of God's hand : " They have 
 taken crafty counsel against thy people, and con- 
 sult against thy hidden ones." Psalm Ixxxiii. i). 
 Therefore, 
 
 I suppose it may allude also to what is recorded 
 in the book of Judges, vii. \6 — 19 : "And he divided 
 the three hundred men into three companies ; and 
 he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty 
 pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. And he 
 said unto them. Look on me, and do likewise; 
 and, behold, when I come to the outside of the 
 camp, it shall be, that as I do, so shall ye do. 
 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are 
 with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every 
 side of the camp, and say. The sword of the 
 Lord, and of Gideon." Now here are the lamps — 
 " the light of the knowledge of the glory of God 
 in the face of Jesus Christ." Here are also the 
 earthen pitchers — earthen vessels. And as Gi- 
 deon by those obtained a great victory over the 
 Midianites, so God by these obtains a great vic- 
 tory over the devil, the world, and the flesh. 
 
302 
 
 I shall shew who or what is meant by these 
 earthen vessels that have this treasure. 
 
 1. Every godly man that hath it, in the saving 
 benefits of it, is at best but an earthen vessel. — 
 He is so as a man. He is of the dust, and returns 
 to the dust again. Job iv. 19. It is strange that 
 God should take such lumps of dust, and make 
 them members of Christ, vessels of his grace and 
 of his glory.— He is so as a sbiful man. He is 
 worse than dust, for he is polluted, defiled, de- 
 praved. ' What ! will God make a saint of such ? ' 
 Yes, even of such — such as were the worst of men. 
 " And such were some of you : but ye are washed, 
 but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the 
 name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our 
 God." 1 Cor. vi. 11. "I thank Christ Jesus our 
 Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me 
 faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was 
 before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and inju- 
 rious : but I obtained mercy." 1 Tim. i. 12, 13. 
 Perhaps it was our own case. 
 
 2. Apply it to ministers, whose office it is to 
 hold forth this light to others.— -As the candle- 
 sticks set upon the table, they are entrusted with 
 the dispensing of the glad tidings of salvation. 
 But they are earthen vessels. 
 
 They are so in respect of their meanness. — 
 They are oftentimes of mean pedigree and parent- 
 age, poor and low in the world. Of mean pre- 
 
303 
 
 isence and personage. Paul was so : " his bodily 
 presence was weak, and his speech contemptible.'* 
 So many others. Moses for instance : " And 
 Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not 
 eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast 
 spoken unto tliy servant : but I am slow of speech, 
 and of a slow tongue." Exod. iv. 10. — Ministers 
 are often of mean parts and abilities as to secular 
 learning, compared with the learned men and great 
 scholars of the world. The prophet Amos, an 
 Old Testament preacher, was a herdsman, or cow- 
 keeper : " Amos said to Amaziah, I was no pro- 
 phet, neither was I a prophet's son ; but I was a 
 herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit." Amos 
 vii. 14. Peter and Andrew, and James and John, 
 were fishermen. No matter for that ; " I have 
 made you fishers of men." " Ye see your call- 
 ing" — (that is, who they are by whom you were 
 called. Clark) — " how that not many wise men 
 after 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 things which are mighty ; and base 
 things of the world, and things which are despised, 
 hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, 
 to bring to nought things that are : that no flesh 
 should glory in his presence." 1 Cor. i. 26, &c. 
 Such were they that called you. 
 
304 
 
 Sometimes it is otherwise ; but that it should 
 be purposely designed and endeavoured, as the 
 likeliest means to establish the church (as we have 
 known it), to prefer young noblemen to the mini- 
 stry, fit or unfit, I could never understand. 
 
 Ministers are earthen vessels in respect also of 
 their mortality.— ]\linisters are of the same metal, 
 and mold, and make, with other men : not other 
 men of earth and clay, and they of brass and iron : 
 no. Are you sick and dying.? so are we. Is 
 your breath in your nostrils ? so is ours. Have 
 you no continuing city in this world ? such is our 
 condition. " Knowing," said St. Peter, " that 
 shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as 
 our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me." 2 Peter 
 i. 14. " Your fathers, where are they? and the 
 prophets, do they live for ever.? " Zech. i. 5. 
 
 ]\Iinisters are ambassadors. Ambassadors are 
 not for always, but for a time ; and then they are 
 sent for home. — Ministers are watchmen or cen- 
 tinels. Such persons stand their hour, and then are 
 called away. 
 
 Earthen vessels are subject to knocks, and falls, 
 and other casualties, which break them ; and when 
 once broken, cannot be made whole again. So it 
 is with ministers. They are exempted from no 
 disease to which others are subject. They are 
 exposed also to the hand of violence. John the 
 Baptist was beheaded in prison. James was 
 
305 
 
 killed with the sword ; Stephen was stoned to 
 death. How many have we ourselves kno\\'n with 
 whom it hath been in like manner ; and how many 
 more have we read of in history, particularly in 
 the Book of Martyrs ! 
 
 3. Apply it to ordinances. — Preaching the word, 
 is a vessel wherein the treasure is held. " We 
 preach Christ Jesus the Lord." Now, ^vhat an 
 earthen vessel is preaching ! what a poor, con- 
 temptible thing to a carnal eye ! " After that, in 
 the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew 
 not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of 
 preaching to save them that believe." The mat- 
 ter preached appears unlikely to the carnal mind — 
 the cross : Christ crucified ; hanged at Jerusalem ! 
 Is this the Son of God the Redeemer, and Sa- 
 viour .'* Can this man save us ? — The manner of 
 preaching is Ukewise to be considered. Not with 
 gaudy strains and rhetorical flourishes, but a cru- 
 cified Christ in a crucified style. " And I, bre- 
 thren, when I came to you, came not with 
 excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto 
 you the testimony of God : for I determined to 
 know nothing among you, save Jesus Christ, and 
 him crucified. And my speech and my preaching 
 was not with enticing ^vords of man's wisdom, but 
 in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power." It 
 is like taking a city by blowing around it with 
 rams' horns, as Jericho was taken ; or routing an 
 
506 
 
 army with lamps and pitchers, as the Midianites 
 were routed in the time of Gideon. 
 
 The Sacraments also, Baptism and the Lord's 
 Supper, are earthen vessels. In outward appear- 
 ance what despicable things ! how unlikely either to 
 hold, or to convey, the " light of the knowledge of 
 the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!" 
 Like the prophetic representation of the R.e- 
 deemer's reception in the world, it may be said, 
 " they have no form nor comeUness ;" and when 
 we see them, " there is no beauty that we should 
 desire them." 
 
 As to Baptism — The outward element is water, 
 and that sprinkled. A common, ordinary thing. 
 We do it to ourselves every day. Yet this is to 
 signify and seal our engrafting into Christ, our 
 partaking the benefits of his redemption. 
 
 As to the Lord's Supper — By giving and re- 
 ceiving bread and wine, according to Christ's 
 appointment, his death should be shewed forth, 
 and the worthy communicant receives the Lord 
 Jesus. What an earthen vessel is here, and what 
 treasure is in it ! Have you not found it so ? As 
 a piece of wax at the bottom of a deed; as a 
 turf, or twig, or morsel of clay, in giving livery 
 and seisin of land or house, look like poor things, 
 but, being appointed for such a purpose, they be- 
 come great things. Under the law, the vessels 
 were gold, but then that in them was the blood 
 
307 
 
 of bulls — incense. Nozv, the vessels are earthen, 
 and that in them is the blood of Christ. 
 
 4. Apply it to the present places of our assem- 
 blies — houses, barns, stables. — These may be 
 looked upon as earthen vessels, despicable and 
 contemptible ; but if in these at any time, here 
 or anywhere else, God cause the light of the 
 knowledge of his own glory to shine into our 
 hearts, shall we not have cause to be thankful ? * 
 
 III. The reason why the precious treasure of 
 the Gospel is put into earthen vessels, is, 
 that " the excellency of the power may be 
 of God, and not of us." 
 
 In other places it is thus expressed, " That 
 no flesh should glory in his presence," 1 Cor. i. 
 
 * After Mr. Henry was turned out from Worthenbury, he 
 fitted up an out-building belonging to hiui, where public 
 worship was duly performed to the time of his death. Once, 
 preaching in it, he had this remark : " How often have we 
 heard people, as they have passed along the road, cursing 
 this our meeting-place ! But our comfort is, that the curse 
 causeless shall not come, Prov. xxvi. 2 — shall do us no 
 harm." — Manuscript. 
 
 His answer, to those who turned it to his reproach that his 
 meeting-place had been a barn, is well known : " No new 
 thing," would he say, " to turn a threshing-floor into a 
 temple." To quicken people to diligence and liveliness in 
 the worship of God, he would sometimes observe, " That 
 the temple was built upon a threshing-floor, a place of la- 
 bour." — See his Life, cbap. X. 
 X ^ 
 
308 
 
 2P ; — " That your faith should not stand in the 
 wisdom of men, but in the power of God," 
 1 Cor. ii. 5. 
 
 If we had the treasure in golden vessels, we 
 should look more at the golden vessel than at the 
 treasure. But God will have the treasure looked 
 at : he will himself have all the glory of man's 
 conversion, edification, and salvation. There is 
 every reason why this should be so. " The lofty 
 looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughti- 
 ness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord 
 alone shall be exalted in that day." 
 
 If he had so pleased, he could have employed 
 angels in preaching the Gospel ; but he hath not : 
 " For unto the angels hath he not put in subjec- 
 tion the world to come, whereof mo speak." No : 
 for then they would have had the praise ; but now 
 silly man must do it, and m hat hath he to glory in ? 
 It is not man, but God. " Out of the mouth of 
 babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength, 
 because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still 
 the enemy and the avenger." Ps. viii. 2. " And 
 when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, 
 Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this ? or why 
 look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own 
 power or holiness we had made this man to walk ? 
 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, 
 the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son 
 Jesus ; whom ye delivered up, and denied." Acts 
 
 i 
 
509 
 
 iii. 12, 13. When David, a young stripling, with 
 a sling and a stone, must kill great Goliah ; when one 
 Judge must destroy the enemies with an ox-goad, 
 and another with the jaw-bone of an ass ; when 
 the Redeemer, by dying, destroys death, and him 
 that had the power of death, that is, the devil — 
 A\ho will not say it is the Lord's doing? Let it 
 be marvellous in our eyes. 
 
 Use I. There are several good lessons that we, 
 who are ministers, may learn from hence. Though 
 we are teachers, we should be learners also ; we 
 have need to be so. 
 
 We should learn what we are. We are earthen 
 vessels.— Have we considered this } When God 
 M'as sending Jeremiah upon a great errand, he 
 bid him go " down to the potter's house, and there," 
 said he, " will I cause thee to hear my words." 
 We are never in a more likely frame to receive 
 messages from (lod, than when we have taken a 
 turn awhile at the potter's house. " Then," it is 
 added, " I went down to the potter's house, and, 
 behold, he wrought a Avork on the wheels. And 
 the vessel that he made of clay was maiTcd in 
 the hand of the potter; so he made it again 
 anotlier vessel, as seemed good to the potter to 
 make it. Then the \vord of tlie Lord came to 
 me, saying, O house of Lsrael, cannot I do with 
 you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as 
 the clay is in the hand of the potter, so are ye in 
 
310 
 
 my hand, O house of Israel." Jew xviii. I pray, 
 sirs, let us consider our frame, and what we are 
 made of, that we forget not ourselves. 
 
 We should learn what we should be. 
 
 1. We should be very humble and low in our 
 own eyes. We should abase ourselves, and carry 
 it accordingly — every day, in every thing, both 
 towards God and towards men. It is true, to 
 consider we carry treasure, especially such trea- 
 sure, there is danger of being puffed up. But 
 then, to consider that we are but earthen vessels, 
 and that what we carry is not our own — we have 
 nothing but what we have received — it should 
 humble us. " For who maketh thee to differ 
 from another ? and what hast thou that thou didst 
 not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why 
 dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it ? " 
 1 Cor. iv. 7. — Our office, I own, we are to mag- 
 nify; so Paul did, Rom. xi. 13; but ourselves, as 
 he, we are to vilify — less than the least of saints — 
 the chief of sinners— nothing. Agathocles*, the 
 son of a potter, when advanced to be a king, would 
 
 * Agathocles, king or tyrant of Sicily, was one of the 
 niost extraordinary men of the age in which he lived. By 
 his great talents and activity he was elevated from humble 
 circumstances to a throne. He was the son of Carcinus, a 
 potter of RUegium, in Italy. He had greatness of mind 
 enough not to be ashamed of his low origin ; and at public 
 entertainments, when his guests were served out of gold 
 and silver, he was accustomed to eat from earthenware, as 
 most suitable to a iwUer.—Aikins Gen. Biog. vol. I. p. 7B. 
 
311 
 
 have no plate at his table, but only earthen cups, 
 to mind Rim of his original. 
 
 2. Though M'e are but earthen vessels, we should 
 be clean vessels. We should be purged and puri- 
 fied from the corruptions that are in the world 
 through lust. There was a laver at the Temple-door 
 for the priests to be daily washing in. We have 
 as much need as they. "In a great house there 
 are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also 
 of w ood and of earth ; and some to honour, and 
 some to dishonour. If a man, therefore, purge 
 himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto ho- 
 nour, sanctified and meet for the Master's use, and 
 prepared unto every good work." 2 Tim. ii. 20, 21. 
 — We are earthen vessels, but w^e should not be 
 earth li/ vessels, minding earthly things : such are 
 enemies to the cross of Christ. " The love of money 
 is the root of all evil : which while some coveted 
 after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced 
 themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, 
 O man of God, flee these things; and follow after 
 righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, 
 meekness."' 
 
 It is prophesied concerning Gospel-times, 
 " Every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be 
 holiness unto the Lord of Hosts ; and all they that 
 sacrifice shall come and take of them." Zech. xiv. 2 1 . 
 O that it were so ! And methinks this should be 
 one motive, — because of the holy treasure wc 
 
512 
 
 carry, lest we make that contemptible; as Eli's 
 sons. 1 Sam. ii. 17, 24. 
 
 3. Then we, of all men, should live in love and 
 peace with one another. We should not fall out 
 and knock one against another, lest we be broken 
 to pieces one of another : for then the precious 
 liquor we carry is spilled, the treasure spoiled, 
 religion blemished, and our ministry scandalized. 
 I would I could speak loud enough to be heard as 
 far as London in this matter. We suppose there 
 were several ministers in each of the seven 
 churches, but they are all, of each church, written 
 to as one angel : — as an angel, to teach them 
 purity ; as one, to teach them unity. 
 
 4. We should therefore be very busy in our 
 work as ministers. A small matter will break us 
 to pieces : it is but taking a cold and falling sick, 
 and we are gone, as others before us. " Yea, I 
 think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, 
 to stir you up, by putting you in remembrance ; 
 knowing that shortly I must put off this ipiy taber- 
 nacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed 
 me." 2 Pet. i. 13, 14. This was Peter's infe- 
 rence. Calvin* was accustomed to say, " Vultis 
 
 * Doctor John Calvin, the justly-celebrated and evan- 
 gelical Refoinier, died at Geneva, May 27th, 15G4, aged 
 55.— See his life by Mackenzie, a valuable and pleasiwg 
 work, in which is contained various testimonies to his 
 uncommon worth. 
 
313 
 
 ut me Domimis irwe7tiat otiosum ? " — Are ye uill- 
 ing that my Lord should find me unemployed ? — 
 I am apt to think that the diseases and death of 
 some laborious ministers, both old and young, 
 especially young, hath been a stumbhng-block to 
 many, and encouraged them to let the reins loose 
 to sloth and idleness, for fear of shortening their 
 days. Fair and softly, they say, goes far. But 
 will they read ]\Iatt. xvi. 2J ? " Whosoever will 
 save his life, shall lose it : and whosoever will lose 
 his life for my sake, shall find it." 
 
 And now^, my bretliren and fellow-labourers, Ave 
 liave one reason more to be busy, from the death 
 of this aged, w^orthy minister of Christ, whom we 
 have laid to-day in the dust. We have now one 
 less to help us in our work; in our w^atching, 
 preaching, praying work. It is said, when a limb 
 is cut off, the other limbs gather strength from it. 
 I wish this may be our case as to the present 
 bereavement. And seeing I have here made men- 
 tion of him, let me here recommend his example 
 to you in a few things as a minister. 
 
 (1.) In his choosing to suffer rather than sin, — 
 We should all do so — ministers especially. But 
 did he so? Yes, deliberately, and upon good 
 advice, and never changed his mind to his dying 
 day. And when was it } it^sya.? ysv6ij.£v^, as was 
 said of Moses. " By faith, Moses, when he was 
 come to years, refused to be called the son of 
 
314 
 
 Pharaoh's daughter." When he was come to 
 years ! Not a child, weak and ignorant ; not old, 
 when apt to doat ; but in the prime of his age, 
 between thirty and forty. In the year 1662, at 
 the fatal Bartholomew-day, he was one of the 
 number that chose to beg their bread rather than 
 wound their consciences. God only knows how 
 we may yet be tried some other way. But when 
 we " see we are compassed about witli so great a 
 cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, 
 and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and 
 let us inin with patience the race that is set 
 before us." 
 
 (2.) In the choice of his subjects which he or- 
 dinarily preached on. — I had an opportunity of 
 hearing him often, and I observed that his preach- 
 ing was most commonly about the main matters of 
 the Gospel — " the light of the knowledge of the 
 glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." He 
 preached about conversion — pardon of sin — ^jus- 
 tification — regeneration — reconciliation. And 
 should not we go and do likewise ? Would it not 
 be more to edification, than to spend our time and 
 yours in controversies and impertinencies ? 
 
 (3.) In the very low and mean opinion that he 
 had of himself and of his own performances. — He 
 thought all he did was nothing : it was well if 
 it were not sometimes in the extreme. This is a 
 possible case : it was so in two instances concern- 
 
315 
 
 'm<f Peter : — " When Simon Peter saw it, he fell 
 down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, 
 for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Luke v. 8. 
 " Then cometh he to Simon Peter : and Peter 
 said unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? 
 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do 
 thou knowest not now ; but thou shalt know here- 
 after. Peter saith unto hiui, Thou shalt never 
 wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash 
 thee not, thou hast no part with me." John xiii. 
 6—8. 
 
 (4.) He was a man of a very tender spirit. He 
 had a heart of llesh. He was very apt to receive 
 impressions, especially from guilt, whether his own 
 or others. I have known, when he hath thought 
 he had done amiss, what brokenness of heart 
 would appear ! how much he would be affected ! 
 And should it not be with us in like manner? 
 W^ould it not become us ? — I enlarge no further, 
 A word to the wise is sufficient. 
 
 Use IL But, my brethren, the inhabitants of 
 this neighbourhood, and members of this society, 
 I have a few errands also to you upon this sad 
 occasion, from this text. 
 
 1. As to ministers in general. 
 
 (L) Are they earthen vessels? See them to 
 be so ; reckon them to be no otherwise. " Let 
 a man so account of us, as of the ministers of 
 
316 
 
 Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God." 
 You yourselves are so also : a small knock may 
 dash in pieces the youngest and strongest of you. 
 Therefore, be not unready. 
 
 (2.) Have these earthen vessels such precious 
 treasure; and have they it iov you ? Then deal for 
 it. You cannot buy it, at any rate, too dear : no, 
 though you part with your all for it. Be drawing 
 water out of these wells of salvation, sucking at 
 these breasts, while ye have them. And the rather, 
 because their continuance with you is so uncer- 
 tain. They are passing away. " Then Jesus said 
 unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. 
 Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come 
 upon you : for he that walketh in darkness knoweth 
 not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe 
 in the light, that ye may be the children of light." 
 John xii. 35, 36. " He was a burning and a 
 shining light : and ye were willing for a season to 
 rejoice in his light." John v. 35. 
 
 (3.) Hath God ordered it so, that himself may 
 have the praise ? Let him have it on all occasions. 
 If you profit at any time, and get good by any 
 minister, give God the glory of it : we are willing 
 you should, nay, Qesire you would. We shall not 
 think that lost that goes beside us to him. 
 
 2. As to this earthen vessel that is now taken 
 from you, and gone to his earth. 
 
 ( 1 .) Bless God that you had him ; that you had 
 
317 
 
 him so long ; and that you had liim to the last in 
 some measure of usefuhiess. He was, as few 
 ministers are, not without honour even in his own 
 countiy. He was born among you, the son of a 
 minister; bred among you, Uved almost all his 
 time among you, and now died among you. God 
 would have it so, that he should be wholly yours ; 
 and I hope it was that you might be the Lord's. 
 
 (2.) Bewail your unprofitableness under his 
 ministry. You had him at liberty ; you had him 
 under restraint. You had him preaching; you 
 had him silenced. When other people had not 
 theirs, through the banishing act, you had yours ; 
 you had him. The magistrates that then were 
 had such a deserved respect for him, that they 
 never removed him. But the quere is, What have 
 you profited ? Were you not careless, and heed- 
 less, and heartless, and under the means of gi^ace 
 barren and unfruitful? You are called this day 
 to repentance. Beg pardon of it in the blood of 
 Christ. 
 
 (3.) Bethink yourselves of some of those many 
 good lessons which he taught you in the course of 
 his ministry. Talk of them to one another ; talk 
 of them to yourselves. Look over your sermon 
 notes. Do not deal with them as with waste 
 paper. The day is coming that you will either 
 thank God for them, or heartily wish you had 
 
318 
 
 never written them. It may be said of him, and 
 of every deceased godly minister, as was said of 
 Abel, that " being dead, he yet speaketh." His 
 sermons speak still to you that heard them. Let the 
 speaking be to purpose. " We then, as workers 
 together with him, beseech you also that ye receive 
 not the grace of God in vain." 
 
S19 
 
 SERMON XVI. 
 
 2 CHRONICLES XXX. 8. 
 
 — And serve the Lord your God, that the fierceness 
 of his xvrath may turn aivayfrom you. 
 
 This is the last of the duties mentioned in the 
 verse before us, and the rest are all in order to this. 
 It is to this especially that the argument is an- 
 nexed, though it belongs to all the rest. If people 
 would cease to be stitf-necked, and would serve 
 God — if they would yield themselves, and serve 
 God — if they would enter his sanctuary, and serve 
 him ; all would be well ; his fierce anger would be 
 turned away. Oh, then, see it to be your great 
 concern, " And serve tlie Lord your God." 
 
 DOCTRINE. That we must serve tlie Lord our 
 God. 
 
 It is absolute duty incumbent upon every one of 
 lis to serve God. It is the main matter; it is 
 the one thing needful. Without it, all is notliing. 
 
320 
 
 We have no other way left us to escape both 
 wrath present, and wrath to come. So that my 
 errand to-day is to propose a service to you — 
 especially to those of y.ou that are young, and fit 
 to go to service ; that are standing idle in the 
 market-place, because no man hath hired you. 
 I am sent to-day to hire you, and shall manage 
 my discourse accordingly. 
 
 But I must first ask you a question or two. 
 1 . Are you out of service ? Are you free ? 
 Hath no one hired you already ? Hath none been 
 before me ? I doubt there has. — Are you not the 
 servants of sin ? " Jesus answered them. Verily, 
 verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin, 
 is the servant of sin." John viii. 34. — Are you 
 not serving divers lusts and pleasures? " We 
 ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, 
 deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living 
 in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one 
 another." — Are you not yielding your members to 
 unrighteousness ? '' Know ye not, that to whom 
 ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants 
 ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto 
 death, or of obedience unto righteousness ? "—Has 
 not the devil, that " citizen of the country," been 
 before me ? Are you not feeding his swine ? see 
 Luke XV. — feeding swinish lusts; serving your 
 own belly? Rom. xvi. 18. Are you not led cap- 
 tive by him ? sold to him, as Ahab } ** The ser- 
 
321 
 
 vant of the Lord must not strive ; but be gentle 
 unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness 
 instructing those that oppose themselves ; if God 
 peradventure will give them repentance to the ac- 
 knowledging of the truth ; and that they may reco- 
 ver themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are 
 takencaptive by him at his Avill." — Are you not serv- 
 ing mammon — the world, gain? For certain, by 
 nature, it is thus with every one of us. We are 
 born the sergeants of sin. The world, the flesh, 
 and the devil, have the rule over us. O be 
 convinced of this, that so it is. Let plain Scrip- 
 ture convince you, that, till you are Christ's ser- 
 vants, you are the devil's servants. 
 
 2. Say— Are you weary of this service? Would 
 Jrou leave it, and make a change? I am sure 
 there is reason you should. Consider, 
 
 How many masters you have. — Few folks, if 
 they could choose^ would have more than one ; 
 and one is enough. But, sinner, thou hast many. 
 One bids thee go this way, and another that. 
 You serve divers lusts and pleasures. 
 
 Consider what vile masters they are. — The devil, 
 the gi'and master, is a firebrand of hell, and past 
 all hopes of ever being otherwise : thou art in a 
 capacity of being a child of God, and an heir of 
 heaven. Fleshly lusts are only for the body : 
 shall the soul be drudge to the body ? Gold is 
 
 Y 
 
322 
 
 but yellow earthy and silver white earth, dug out 
 of the ground ; and shall these be thy masters ? 
 
 Consider how insatiable and unreasonable these 
 masters are. — They never say, Thou hast done 
 enough — sit down and rest. But, Still serve on. 
 
 Consider what wages they pay. — None in hand. 
 " What /)•«/> had ye then," asks the Apostle, " in 
 those things whereof ye are now ashamed?" 
 Rom. vi. 21. " Have no fellowship with the 
 unfruitful va' or ks of darkness." Eph. v. 11. — They 
 pay worse than none hereafter ; " for the wages 
 of sin is death.'' Rom. vi. .23. " When lust hath 
 conceived, it bringeth forth -sin ; and sin, when it 
 is finished, bringeth forth death." James i. 15. 
 
 Now lay all this together, and shew your- 
 selves men. — ' But if I am sin's servant, I must 
 not run away : it is the character of an upright 
 man, that *' he sweareth to his own hurt and 
 changeth not." ' Such 'aciclced covenants must be 
 broken. " Because ye have said. We have made 
 a covenant with death, and with hell are we at 
 agreement : when the overflowins; scoura;e shal 
 pass tlirough, it shall not come unto us — " But 
 observe what follows : " And your agreement 
 Avith death shall be disannulled, and your agree- 
 ment with hell shall not stand ; when the over- 
 flowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall 
 be trodden down by it." Isa. xxviii. 15, 18. 
 
823 
 
 3. Will you accept of a good motion ? I can 
 shew you anotlier sort of service to that you are 
 engased in, a far better than that is. It is God's 
 service — " Serve the Lord your God/' I say to 
 you, as Joshua did to Israel, " If it seem evil unto 
 you to serve the Lord, choose ye this day whom 
 ye will serve ; whether the gods which your fathers 
 served that were on the other side of the flood, 
 or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye 
 dwell : but as for me and my house, we will serve 
 the Lord." Josh. xxiv. 15. O say as they said: 
 *' And the people answered and said, God forbid 
 that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other 
 gods. We will also serve the Lord; for he is our 
 God." ver. 16, 18. It is your consent to be 
 his servants that makes you his servants. Joshua 
 set up a stone, and it was under an oak, to be 
 witness. " And Joshua wrote these words in the 
 book of the law of God, and took a great stone, 
 and set it up there under an oak, that was by the 
 sanctuary of the Lord. And Joshua said unto all 
 the people. Behold, this stone shall be a witness 
 to us ; for it hath heard all the words of the Lord 
 which he spake unto us : it shall be therefore a 
 witness unto you, lest ye deny your God." ver. 
 2(), 27. Shall I do likewise under the Broad 
 Oak?* What say you? Do you renounce the 
 
 * The place of his residence, and where thi= sermon was 
 preached. 
 
324 
 
 devil, the world, and the flesh, and all the pomps 
 and vanities of this wicked world ? Will you come 
 into God's family, and lay yom' neck under his 
 yoke? Say, " O Lord our God, other lords beside 
 thee have had dominion over us ; but by thee 
 only will we make mention of thy name." Isa. 
 xxvi. 13. " Take with you words, and turn to 
 the Lord : say unto him, Take away all iniquity, 
 and receive us graciously ; so will we render the 
 calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us ; we 
 will not ride upon horses; neither will we say 
 any more to the work of our hands. Ye are our 
 gods : for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy." 
 
 * But stay, sir : give us leave first to ask you some 
 questions.' — With all my heart ; and I shall answer 
 you faithfully and truly out of the word of God. 
 
 1. ' Who is this Lord God, whom you would 
 have us to serve ? ' 
 
 The great Jehovah, blessed for ever ; King of 
 kings, and Lord of lords — therefore his service 
 will be no disparagement to you. Tl\e same 
 that made you, maintains you, nay, hath re- 
 deemed and bought you with the blood of his Son, 
 and that for this very end : " That we, being de- 
 livered out of the hand of our enemies, might 
 serve him without fear, in holiness and righteous* 
 ness before him, all the days of our life" — there- 
 fore you are obliged to serve him. You are to 
 
$25 
 
 he the Redeemer's servants. Joshua frightened 
 Israel : " And Joshua said unto the people, Ye 
 cannot serve the Lord ; for he is an holy God : 
 he is a jealous God ; he will not forgive your 
 transgressions nor your sins." Joshua xxiv. 19. 
 But I must say otherwise to you : your Master 
 is your kinsman, bone of your bone, meek, and 
 merciful : " Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; 
 shout, O daughter of Jerusalem : behold, thy 
 King cometh unto thee : he is just, and having 
 salvation ; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon 
 a colt the foal of an ass." Zech. ix. 9- He is but 
 one, not many. He is your Friend : " Ye are 
 my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 
 Henceforth I call you not servants ; for the ser- 
 vant knoweth not what his lord doeth : but I have 
 called you friends." Nay, he is your Father, and 
 will call you children : " Be ye separate, saith 
 the Lord, and I will receive you, and will be a 
 Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and 
 daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." Now, how 
 comfortable is it to serve a father ! " And they 
 shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day 
 when I make up my jewels ; and I will spare them, 
 as a father spareth his own son that serveth him." 
 
 2. * What is his work ? ' 
 
 It is noble, excellent, choice w^ork. Such as 
 the highest angel may stoop to do, and be seen 
 doing without disparagement. Our service of 
 
326 
 
 God is two-fold. The service of immediate wor- 
 skip. Alone — with others — sanctuary service, as 
 here : " Enter into my sanctuary." You must 
 every day come before him, and converse with 
 him ; speak to him by prayer, hear him speaking 
 to you by his word ; sit down with him at his 
 table, and there eat of the dainties of heaven; 
 sing his praises upon all occasions : and one whole 
 day in a week is purposely set apart for this ser- 
 vice. It is also a service of universal obedience. 
 You must deny all ungodliness, and live soberly, 
 righteously, and godly in this present evil world; 
 walk in love ; love your Master with all your 
 heart and soul, and all your fellow-servants as your- 
 selves. And M'hat harm is there in this ? What 
 is it you are afraid of ? 
 
 3. * What help shall we have ? ' 
 Whatever help you have need of: it shall be 
 had for asking. " Let us therefore come boldly 
 unto the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain 
 mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." 
 Heb. iv. 16. If you are called to pray; "The 
 Spirit helpcth our infirmities : for we know not 
 what we should pray for as we ought : but the Spi- 
 rit itself ma keth intercession for us with groanings 
 which cannot be uttered." Rom. viii. 26. If you 
 fire called to suffer for his sake, you shall he 
 ''strengthened Mith all might, according to his 
 glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffer-. 
 
 I 
 
ing with joyfulness." " As your day is, so your 
 strength shall be."' 
 
 4. ' "What if we fail and come short in our 
 duty ; must we be turned off presently ?' 
 
 No; your Master is one that is not extreme 
 to mark what is done amiss, but bears and for- 
 bears. You must come and confess your fault, 
 and crave forgiveness, and you shall have it. 
 There is an Advocate Avith the Father, Jesus 
 Christ the righteous, who always appears as an 
 Intercessor in heaven for his servants. His blood 
 
 is atoning blood. ' ^lay I not keep in with some 
 
 of my old masters ?' No ; with no one of them. 
 
 5. ' What wages shall we have ? Are there 
 any perquisites to be looked for ?' 
 
 There are both. Perquisites in possession : 
 the smiles of his face, the visits of his love, the 
 testimony of a good conscience. " In keeping his 
 commandments there is great reward." Ps. xix. 
 11. " Blessed are they that dwell in thy house : 
 they will be still praising thee." Ps. Ixxxiv. 4. 
 " They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fat- 
 ness of thy house; and thou shalt make them 
 drink of the river of thy pleasures." Ps. xxxvi. 
 8. — There are Mages in reversion: a crown, a 
 kingdom. " Henceforth,'' saith St. Paul, " there 
 is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which 
 the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at 
 that day : and not to me only, but unto all them 
 also that love his appearing." 
 
Now these questions are thus answered, shall 
 we come to a point ? What say you ? Is it a 
 bargain ? Are you agreed ? Will ye, from this 
 day forward, be the Lord's servants, to honour, 
 and serve, and please him in all things? Then 
 tell him so. " O Lord, truly I am thy servant, 
 I am thy servant." Ps. cxvi. 16. " For all peo- 
 ple will walk every one in the name of his god, 
 and we will walk in the name of the Lord our 
 God for ever and ever." Micah iv. 5. And be 
 sure you do it, not in word only and in tongue only, 
 but in deed and in truth, deliberately, sincerely, 
 freely, and for ever. And having done it, having 
 yielded yourselves, and thus entered into his sanc- 
 tuary, let me next lay before you some few plain, 
 scriptural directions what you are to do, and how 
 you are to carry it in his service, that you may 
 receive from him that sweet sentence, "' Well 
 done, good and faithful servant." 
 
 L You must look upon yourselves to be now 
 no longer your own, but his whose servants you 
 are. — I say his, to all intents and purposes : all 
 you are, soul and body, " For ye are bought 
 with a price : therefore glorify God in your body, 
 and in yen' spirit, which are God's," 1 Cor. vi. 
 20. All you have — your estate, whether it be 
 litde or much : your time : all you can : your 
 parts, your interest. Your IMaster's turn must 
 be first served before your own or any one's elso : 
 
3Q9 
 
 " Seek ye Jirst the kingdom of God, and his 
 righteousness." First, every day, in every thing. 
 Now, shall it be so ? 
 
 2. You must get to be well acquainted with 
 the word of God. — Love it, and let it dwell richly 
 in you. In your Bible, your Master hath caused 
 to be written both what you must do, and what 
 you shall have. Nothing more is to be added. 
 This we are to count a great mercy. He hath 
 put no power into the hands of our fellow-ser- 
 vants, either to add or diminish. " Teaching 
 them to observe all things whatsoever I have com- 
 manded you." 
 
 3. You must go often to your Master by 
 prayer. — One would think his mind were we 
 should do nothing else, by his bidding us to pray 
 continually. Go to him for guidance and direc- 
 tion : " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? 
 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into 
 the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must 
 do." It is promised, " I will instruct thee, and 
 teach thee in the way which thou shalt go : I will 
 guide thee with mine eye." 
 
 Go to him for strength and assistance. " Thy 
 God hath commanded thy strength : strengthen, 
 O God, that Avhich thou hast wrought for us." 
 Ps. Ixviii. 28. '' O Lord, be gracious unto us ; 
 we have waited for thee : be thou their arm every 
 morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble." 
 Isa. xxxiii. 2. 
 
330 
 
 Go to him for success and a blessing. " Let 
 the beauty of the Lord our God * be upon us : 
 and estabUsh thou the work of our hands upon us ; 
 yea, the work of our hands estabhsh thou it." 
 
 Go to him in the name of Jesus Christ for 
 pardon for all our amisses. Himself hath taught 
 us as to ask daily bread ; so daily pardon. And 
 having penitently asked it in the name of Christ, 
 we are bound to believe we have it ; and in the 
 comfort thereof walk watchfully and cheerfully 
 with him, and before him. " I acknowledged my 
 sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid : 
 I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the 
 Lord ; and thou forgavcst the iniquity of my sin." 
 4. You must never be seen without the badge 
 and livery of the family upon you, that it may 
 be known, by all you converse with, w hose servants 
 you are. — Now that badge or livery is hiim'ilitif. 
 You must be clothed with it. 1 Pet. v. 5. Think 
 meanly of yourselves : in honour prefer others. 
 It is also lore to all your fellow-servants. " A 
 new commandment I give unto you, That ye love 
 one anotlier : as I have loved you, that ye also love 
 one anotlier. By this shall all men know that ye 
 are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." 
 John xiii. 34, o5. It is an unbecoming thins to 
 hear the servants of a family quarrelling one with 
 another. We should serve with one shoulder. 
 
 " His favourable countenance, his gracious influence, 
 ajid glorious presf nee."— P(;(}/e, 
 
351 
 
 5. If we be buffeted at any time for our faults, 
 we must take it patiently. If for doing well, 
 joyfully. — Sometimes the former happens. The 
 Master is angry, corrects and chastens. Say, The 
 Lord is righteous : it is less than I deserve. 
 Sometimes we do well and suffer wrongfully; 
 we are reproached, and reviled, and evil-entreated. 
 No marvel: the best servant our INIaster ever had — 
 Jesus Christ — Avas so used. In that case Ave must 
 be glad and rejoice. " Blessed are ye, when men 
 shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say 
 all manner of evil against you falsely, for my 
 sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad : for great 
 is your reward in heaven : for so persecuted they 
 the prophets which were before you." Matt. v. 
 11,12. " My brethren, count it all joy when ye 
 fall into divers temptations [or trials] ; knowing 
 this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience." 
 James i. 2, 3. 
 
 6. Take heed, that in nothing, at no time, 
 you be either a shame to, or ashamed of, either 
 your Master, or his service and family. — Not a 
 shame to your Master or his service, by loose and 
 careless walking : " For many walk, of whom I 
 have told you often, and now tell you even weep- 
 ing, that they are the enemies of the cross of 
 Christ : Avhose end is destruction, whose God is 
 their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who 
 mind earthly things." Phil. iii. 18, 19. " There 
 
332 
 
 Mere false prophets also amoncr the people, even 
 as there shall be false teachers among you, ^vho 
 privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even 
 denying the Lord that bought them, and bring 
 upon themselves swift destruction. And many 
 shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of 
 whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." 
 2 Pet. ii. 1, 2. Be not ashamed of your Master. 
 There is no cause why you should. " Whosoever, 
 therefore, shall confess me before men, him will I 
 confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 
 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will 
 I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." 
 Mr. Herbert *, when he mentioned Christ, added, 
 my Master. So Paul : " There stood by me this 
 night the angel of God, whose I am, and w^hom 
 I serve." 
 
 7. We must do what we can for the /zowowr of 
 our Master ; and when we have done all, say, We 
 are unprofitable servants. — Do all we can, accord- 
 ing to the talents we are entrusted with : " Not 
 slothful in business ; fervent in spirit ; serving the 
 Lord." Ptom. xn. 11. " Therefore, my beloved 
 
 * IMr. George Herbert was born April 3d, 1503, near 
 Montgomery, and died in tiie year 1C35. He was buried 
 at Bemerton, near Sarum, of wiiich parish he was Rector- 
 He is well known as a poet and a divine, as a considerable 
 
 scholar, and a very holy man See his Life by Walton, and 
 
 Middleton's Bios;. Evang. vol. HI. p. 48. 
 
33$ 
 
 brethren, be ye stedfast, immoveable, always 
 abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch 
 as ye know that your labour is not in vain in 
 the Lord." 1 Cor. xv. 58. Say still, " We are 
 unprofitable servants : we have done that which 
 was our duty to do." Luke xvii. 10. For so it is. 
 Why should we not say the truth ? 
 
334 
 
 SERMON XVII. 
 
 ROM. xiii. 13. 
 Let lis walk honestly, as in the day ; not in riot^ 
 ing and drunkenness, not in chambering and 
 wantonness, not in stiife and emying *. 
 
 1 HAVE had occasion lately to mention four sins 
 that are very common and prevailing among us at 
 this day, and I hesitate not to say they are all four 
 scandalous sins — dishonesty and drunkenness, un- 
 cleanness and unquietness. 
 
 I have since then found them all in the same 
 order in which I placed them, in one and the 
 same verse of Scripture ; and the one just read 
 is it. 
 
 Here is one word, which is made use of by the 
 blessed Apostle as an argument to enforce his 
 exhortation, to be opened ; and that is, " as in the 
 day:' As if he had said, Ye are in the day; there- 
 
 * It is said St, Austin was converted by reading this 
 passage. — See his Life. 
 
335 
 
 fore slum dishonesty, drunkenness, uncleanness, 
 and unquietness. 
 
 ' What does he mean by "As in the day ? " ' 
 He means, As it becomes those to do ^vho enjoy 
 the Gospel ; that name the name of Christ, and 
 are called Christians. He explains himself 
 ver. 12 : " The night is far spent, the day is at 
 hand" — that is, the night of the Old-Testament 
 dispensation, then almost at an end, when the 
 time of Jerusalem's ruin did approach. ^' The 
 day is at hand," that is, the times of the New 
 Testament. 
 
 ' They were come before he wrote this." True, 
 they were so ; but as the Gospel gained ground in the 
 world, it came more and more. Or rather, hath 
 approached, that is, appeared. " The grace of 
 God, that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all 
 men." — ' And what then ? ' Why, then let us 
 look about us, and conform ourselves to Gospel 
 times ; " let us cast off the unfruitful works of 
 darkness ; " " let us walk honestly, as in the day." 
 
 DOCTRiXE. Gospel-time is day-time. 
 
 Wlien the Gospel comes among a people, day 
 comes. Till then, they are in the dark : 'tis nigh 
 with them. " The people which sat in darkness 
 saw great light; and to them which sat in tiie 
 region and shadow of deatii, light is sprung up." 
 
336 
 
 Now the quere is, IIovv is it with us ? It is 
 clay, certainly. We are not of the night, but of 
 the day. 1 Thess. v. 4, 5. The inference is, *' Let 
 us walk honestly, as in the day." There are peo- 
 ple at this day in the world with whom it is 
 night yet. Even in our own land and nation 
 there are many, too many, that sit in darkness. 
 But with us it is day-time. 
 
 I shall shew the truth of the assertion and 
 apply it. 
 
 What kind of time is day time ? 
 
 1 . A day, is limited time ; and the limits of it 
 are narrow and short. " To-day, if ye will hear 
 his voice, harden not your hearts." When once 
 it is come, it is quickly gone. Some days are 
 longer than others : there are summer days and 
 winter days ; but the longest day hath an end* 
 Twelve, or fourteen, or sixteen, or eighteen 
 hours, which is the longest with us, are quickly 
 gone. And so it is with the Gospel — not in 
 itself; it is called everlasting, and so it is. Rev. 
 xiv. 6 ; but in respect of its stay with us. We 
 have it, but it is only for a while. The Jews had 
 it; the seven churches of Asia had it; but it is 
 gone. And what an argument should this be 
 with us to improve it while we have it ; to walk 
 worthy of it ! "Go to the ant, thou sluggard : 
 consider her ways, and be wise : which provideth 
 
337 
 
 her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food 
 in the harvest." Pro v. v\. 6, 7, 8. Besides that 
 the Gospel may be taken from us, we may be 
 taken from it — by sickness, by death. Or it 
 and we may be together, and no blessing : " And 
 when he was come near, he beheld the city, and 
 wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even 
 thou, at least in this thy day, the things which 
 belong unto thy peace ! but now they are hid from 
 thine eyes." 
 
 2. A day is light time. 
 
 ' So is the night too sometimes, when the 
 moon and stars shine, or when candles are lighted 
 up.' But it is not as in the dai/ : the light that 
 makes day, is sun-light, which far excels all other 
 lights. Now the Sun is our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 Mai. iv. 2. He arose in his incarnation, resur- 
 rection : he arose when openly and publicly 
 preached to every creature under heaven. So 
 that the light that makes this day, is the glad tidings 
 of redemption and salvation by our Lord and Saviour 
 Jesus Christ, revealed to us in the books of the 
 New Testament. The church of the Jews had some- 
 thing of it made known to them before, but it 
 was in types and shadows. It was not absolutely 
 dark: no ; the moon shone : but the Sun-light 
 they had not, as we have now. And it is grow- 
 ing : " The shining light shineth more and more 
 unto the perfect day." 
 
 z 
 
338 
 
 Now day- light time hath four properties. 
 
 1. It is discovering time. — We see things 
 better, far better, more plainly and more clearly, 
 by the light of the sun in day-time, than we can 
 by any other light : so, by the light of the Gospel, 
 things hid from ages and generations are now 
 made manifest, so that he that runs may read. 
 " We have a more sure word of prophecy, where- 
 unto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a 
 light that shineth in a dark place, until the day 
 daM^n, and the day-star arise in your hearts." 
 
 (I.) It is manifest that the God with whom we 
 have to do is a just, and holy, and righteous God ; 
 hating sin with a perfect hatred ; punishing it wher- 
 ever he finds it: and therein he is true to his 
 threatenings. This was revealed before, but not as 
 it is now. In the sufferings of Christ, as in a crystal 
 glass, it appears more than ever. Though Christ 
 was God's own, only Son, dearly beloved ; though 
 the sin he died for was none of his, but ours ; yet 
 *' it pleased the Lord to bruise him'' All the 
 records of former judgments, inflicted on sinning 
 angels, the old world, Sodom and Gomorrah, 
 Adam and Eve, Nadab and Abihu, do not de- 
 monstrate the evil of sin as this does. Then, we 
 that are of the day, and are told this, should stand 
 in awe and not sin. We also should learn to hate 
 it as he doth. We should upon all occasions 
 
339 
 
 give him the glory of this gloiious attribute of his, 
 and speak thereof to his praise. 
 
 (2.) It is manifest that he hath a dear and 
 tender love and regard to poor man, sinful man, 
 even beyond what he had to fallen angels, though 
 they by creation were far the more excellent parts 
 of his workmanship. This appears by the sun- 
 light of the Gospel. We that arc of the day see 
 it — in that he would part with his Son out of his 
 bosom to redeem us, and not them. And how to 
 redeem us ? By being made man — by suffering 
 and dying ! " What is man^ that thou art mindful 
 of him; and the son of man, that thou visitest 
 him ? " Then we are bound to be very thank- 
 ful to him, to tell of it to his praise. " God com- 
 mendeth his love toward us, in that while we were 
 yet sinners Christ died for us." Then we are 
 bound to love him that hath first loved us. Love 
 him, and be willing to part with all for his sake. 
 
 (3.) The day-light of the Gospel shews us a 
 new name by which to call him in all our addresses 
 to him. He hath many names in the Old Testa- 
 ment — the Maker of heaven and earth; the 
 Former of all things ; the God of the spirits of all 
 flesh ; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — 
 but in the New Testament he is called the God 
 and Father of our Lord and Savioiir Jesus 
 Christ : " My Father and your Father, my God 
 and your God." O sweet name! — like ointment 
 a 2 
 
340 
 
 poured forth. With what boldness and confidence, 
 then, may we go to him upon all occasions; not 
 only as to our Father, for so he is by creation ; 
 but as Christ's Father, and ours in him. 
 
 (4.) The light of the Gospel discovers a new 
 plea : what to say for ourselves when we come for 
 the pardon and forgiveness of our sins ; or to ask 
 any thing at the hands of God that we have need 
 of. — ' What should we say, but plead the merciful- 
 ness of his nature, and the freeness and fulness 
 of his promises?' Those are good pleas, it is 
 true, and very encouraging, but those alone are 
 not sufficient ; we have a bettei^ plea — Christ 
 hath died, and merited that pardon. Christ is 
 risen again and had his discharge : his blood has 
 satisfied God's justice, and bought what we want 
 for us. So that nov/ justice is our friend. *' If 
 we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to for- 
 give us our sins, and to cleanse us from all un- 
 righteousness." " Whom God hath set forth to 
 be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to 
 declare his righteousness for the remission of sins 
 that are past, through the forbearance of God. To 
 declare, I say, at this time his righteousness : that 
 he might be just, and the justifier of him which 
 believeth in Jesus." Then upon all occasions use 
 this plea, and abide by this plea. 
 
 (5.) The light of the Gospel discovers what the 
 new covenant, or bargain, is tliat we are under. 
 
341 
 
 " We are not under the law, but under grace." 
 Rom. vi. 14. It is, in one word, grace, free grace— 
 a word that drops lioney like the honey-comb. 
 When I shall have told you the terms you Avill 
 say so. 
 
 Is it not of grace, if nothing shall be required 
 of us but what shall be wrought in us and for us ? 
 Certainly it is. Now that is the bargain. " It 
 is God which worketh in you both to will and to 
 do of his good pleasure." Phil. ii. 13. 
 
 Is it not of grace, if honest endeavours shall be 
 accepted for complete performance? " If there 
 be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to 
 that a man hath, and not according to that he 
 hath not ;" that is, when we do as well as we can, 
 and would do better, but cannot, that ivoulcl shall 
 serve. 
 
 Is it not of grace, if, though we fall and siu 
 daily, if we daily repent and get up again, and 
 come to God in the name of Jesus Christ, it shall 
 be forgiven and passed by ? 
 
 Then let us understand the terms which we are 
 upon Avith God in and through Jesus Christ. It 
 is a promised mercy : " The secret of the Lord 
 is with them that fear him; and he will shew 
 them his covenant" Hath he shewn it you ? Our 
 ignorance of it is a bar to our comfort, and peace, 
 and joy, more than we are aware of. 
 
 Let us, in God's name, take the comfort of it 
 
342 
 
 upon all occasions, though the devil and unbelief 
 contradict and gainsay. It is the will of God 
 that his people should be a comforted people, 
 and it is in the covenant that their comfort lies — 
 that is, as an appointed means of it ; as a conduit- 
 pipe for the conveyance of it : the fountain head 
 is Christ. This covenant is sealed in our bap- 
 tism, and sealed at the Lord's table. 
 
 (6.) The light of the Gospel sets before us a 
 new example, or copy, which we are to write after. 
 There were many excellent patterns before, of 
 several kinds, but none like this — I mean, the ex- 
 ample of the blessed Jesus. 2 Pet. ii. 21. They 
 were famous for some one thing; he, for everi/ 
 thing. They had each of them their blot in one 
 kind or other ; but he in nothing. " Let this 
 mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." 
 Let it be so in perfect holiness. " Such an high 
 priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, 
 separate from sinners." Heb. vii. Q6. He fulfilled 
 all righteousness. He always did the things that 
 pleased his Father. But can we do so ? We can 
 endeavour it, and press after it. The child cannot 
 write so well as his master, yet he must aim at it. 
 
 Let it be so in profound humility. The like 
 to him for that, the sun never saw. He, " being in 
 the form of God, thought it not robbery to be 
 equal with God ; but made himself of no repu- 
 tation, and took upon him the form of a servant, 
 
343 
 
 and was made in the likeness of men ; and being 
 found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, 
 and became obedient unto death, even the death 
 of the cross." Phil. ii. 6, 7, 8. John xiii. 2, &c. 
 Now let us also study this grace, and practise it 
 better. 
 
 Let it be so in universal love and charity. 
 " Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us." 
 Eph. V. S. " This is my commandment, that ye 
 love one another, as I have loved you." He 
 loved all, though one only lay in his bosom— even 
 enemies— so must we. When you are walking 
 in strife and envy, think, is this becoming those 
 that are in the day ? Either love one another, or 
 give over calling yourselves Christians. 
 
 Let it be so in unconquerable patience. None 
 ever had such variety of exercises as he had. And 
 how did he bear them.? " He was oppressed, 
 and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth : 
 he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter ; and as a 
 sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth 
 not his mouth." " When he was reviled, he re- 
 viled not again ; when he suffered, he threatened 
 not ; but committed himself to him who judgeth 
 righteously." O that we, that are in the day, 
 would take out this good lesson. We have oc- 
 casion. 
 
 (7.) The light of the Gospel discovers a new 
 way of worship, different from what was before. 
 
344 
 
 Before the rising of the Sun of righteousness, 
 their way of worship was a ciirnal, outside Avay — 
 by burnt-offerings and sacrifices — slaying oxen 
 and kilhng sheep. But since then, no more of 
 that. " God is a spirit; and they that worship 
 him, must worship him in spirit and in truth." 
 And whether is better — night, or day ; darkness, 
 or light ; shadow, or substance ; a lamb, or a 
 broken-hearted prayer ; a bullock, or a hearty 
 thanksgiving? We have now but three signifi- 
 cant ceremonies, instead of a hundred, which 
 they had — these are, bread, and wine, and water. 
 And these all signifying by a Divine institution. 
 When the like can be said concerning other cere- 
 monies, we shall think better of them than now 
 we either do or can. " Stand fast, therefore, in 
 the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, 
 and be not entangled again with the yoke of 
 bondage." 
 
 (8.) The light of the Gospel discovers a new 
 and fuller account of things not seen, — rewards 
 and punishments in the other world. We see 
 more concerning the day of judgment : who is 
 to be the Judge — Jesus Christ; — in what manner 
 the process will be carried on, from Matthew xxv. 
 We see there what Avill be the sentence on the 
 wicked : " Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever- 
 lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." 
 We learn there what will be the sentence on the 
 
345 
 
 righteous : " Come, ye blessed of my Father, 
 inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the 
 foundation of the world." Our Saviour Jesus 
 Christ hatli " aboUshed death, and hath brought 
 life and immortality to light through the Gospel." 
 
 But, 
 
 2. Day-light is doing time. 
 
 They that sleep, sleep in the night. When it 
 is dark, there is no working. During the time 
 of the Egyptian darkness none stirred from his 
 place. But as soon as day dawns, 
 
 " Man goes forth with cheerful mind, 
 
 " His kbours to begin ; 
 " And plies his work of ev'ry kind, 
 
 " Till ev'ning calls him in." psalm civ. 
 
 It is in the day that people are busy, each 
 one as his calling is. And now it is Gospel 
 day-time, what doth the day call for? Saith it 
 not. Up, and be doing ? Work, work : " God 
 is the Lord which hath shewed us light: bind 
 the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of 
 the altar." Ps. cxviii. 27. Work the work of 
 God : work out your own salvation. Our faith 
 must be shewn by our xvorks, not by our sloth 
 and idleness. Though, after all, we are unprofitable 
 servants, yet servants we are, and must ply ouc 
 Master's business. " Whatsoever thy hand findeth 
 to do, do it with all thy might ; for there is no 
 work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in 
 
346 
 
 the grave, whither thou goest." Eccl. ix, 10. Do 
 it while the day of life lasts. 
 
 3. The day is walking time. 
 
 Those that have journeys to go, go in the day, 
 not in the night. In the day they can see their 
 way, not in the night. They can see the snares 
 and stumbling-blocks that are in their way, which 
 they cannot see in the night. — Now, we have all 
 a journey to go, a lofig journey, and of great con- 
 sequence and concernment — from earth, shall I 
 say ? nay, from hell, to heaven. And what time 
 is it; day or night? Not night, blessed be 
 God: if it were, what would become of us? 
 No, no : it is day, clear day, sun-shine day. 
 Is it so ? Then lift up your feet in the way. 
 " Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while 
 is the light with you. Walk while ye have the 
 light, lest darkness come upon you : for he that 
 walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he 
 goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, 
 tliat ye may be the children of light." See that 
 you walk circumspectly. Your way is in most 
 things plain : you know you should not be dis- 
 honest, drunken, unclean, and unquiet. It is 
 true there are snares and stumbling-blocks ; but it 
 is clai/, and you may see and avoid them, if you 
 take heed. Races are run in the day-time : 
 " Wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with 
 so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside 
 
347 
 
 every weight, and the sin M'hich doth so easily 
 beset us, and let us run with patience the race 
 that is set before us." 
 
 4. Day time is warm time. 
 
 The night is not only dark, and therefore unfit 
 for working and walking ; but it is cold also, and 
 chilly. And no marvel : the sun is away, whose 
 bright beams should warm the air. So it is spi- 
 ritually. Christ, the Sun of righteousness, is 
 risen, and shines yet in our horizon ; and there is 
 healing under his wings : healing for poor sin- 
 sick souls; comfort for poor dejected people. 
 The Spirit is in the pouring out, to quicken and 
 to comfort. 
 
 Three things do usually trouble us. 
 
 (1.) The guilt of past sins. — * Oh,' says one, 
 * you cannot imagine what I have done, nor how 
 vile I have been.' And is there any debt so 
 great which this Surety cannot pay ? " He is 
 able to save them to the uttermost that come 
 unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make 
 intercession for them." Hast thou been a blas- 
 phemer, a persecutor ? Such have obtained 
 mercy. 
 
 (2.) The burden of present inward corruptions, 
 and of present outward calamities. — ' Oh,' says 
 another, ' I have a hard heart, a fro ward spirit.' 
 And is there not a promise ? " A new heart also 
 will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within 
 
348 
 
 you: and I will take away the stony heart out 
 of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh." 
 Ezek. xxxvi. Q6. — ' Oh/ says a third, ' my losses 
 press me down — an unequal yoke-fellow, disobe- 
 dient childrent, unkind relations : my name is 
 blemished.' And dost thou love God ? Then all 
 is working for good. " Our light affliction, which 
 is but for a moment, is working for us a far more 
 exceeding, and eternal weight of glory." The 
 sting is out. The rod is in a Father a hand. 
 
 (3.) Fears for hereafter. — One is afi'aid for his 
 soul, lest one day he perish by the hand of his 
 enemies : lest, if tempted and tried, he should 
 draw back. Fear not : you shall be kept by the 
 power of God, through faith, unto salvation." — 
 Another is afraid lest he should want necessaries, 
 and knows not what he shall do when old. Be 
 of good comfort. He that hath provided, doth and 
 will provide. There is a promise : " The young 
 lions do lack and suffer hunger ; but they that seek 
 the Lord shall not want any good thing." 
 
 To conclude — There is a two-fold coldness. 
 
 1 . Of gi'ace and duty. — Beware of that. 
 Beware of cold praying, cold love, cold obedience. 
 Walk in the sun — it is dai/-tune. 
 
 2. Of comfort and joy. — Beware of that also — 
 " though now for a season, if need be, ye are in 
 heaviness through manifold temptations : that the 
 
349 
 
 trial of your faith, being much more precious than 
 of gold, that perisheth, though it be tried by firc^ 
 might be found unto praise and honour and glory 
 at the appearing of Jesus Christ : whom having 
 not seen, ye love ; in whom, though now ye see 
 him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy un- 
 speakable and full of gloiy." 
 
350 
 
 SERMON XVIIL* 
 
 2 PETER i. 5. 
 
 Add to your faith, "virtue. 
 
 We have here a list or catalogue of choice 
 and excellent Christian graces. They are in num- 
 ber eight; just the number of the beatitudes. 
 Matt. V. 
 
 The exhortation is, to add them one to another ; 
 or, as the word signifies, to lead them one after 
 another, as in a dance. 
 
 They are things that should not, indeed that 
 cannot, go alone ; but where one is, all should be : 
 they should be joined hand in hand. 
 
 The first of them is faith ; which stands in the 
 front, and leads the van in this blessed troop ; the 
 first link in this golden chain; the foundation- 
 stone, as it were, of all the rest ; to which all the 
 
 * Mr. Henry's last sermon, preached at Broad Oak, on 
 Lord's-day, June 21, 1C06. He died on the Wednesday 
 following. — See his Life, chap. IX. See also p. 371 of this 
 Volume. 
 
351 
 
 rest in order are to be added. And that which 
 immediately follows, is virtue. IJy which is meant, 
 either a virtuous life and conversation ( — virtue 
 is put for universal righteousness, including our 
 whole duty to God and man) — or courage and 
 greatness of spirit : "Afi;;, Mars. But the first 
 of all is faith ; aiid to that, this virtue must be 
 added. 
 
 DOCTRINE I. That Faith is the leading grace 
 of all graces. 
 
 Shew I. What this faith is. 
 
 II. Prove it to be a leading grace. 
 III. The application. 
 
 " The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long- 
 suffering, gentleness, goodness, Jaith."' Here, faith 
 is put last. " Above all, taking the shield oi faith.'" 
 In this connection, faith is put in the midst. In 
 the text, faith is put first. Faith is the main of 
 all — the alpha and the omega in religion. 
 
 For the first. ^Vhat is faith ? — Faith hath 
 many significations in the Scriptures, especially 
 these — all agreeable enough to the scope of the 
 exhortation. 
 
 1 . It signifies our profession of Christianity. 
 
 "He hath denied the faith" (1 Tim. v. 8), 
 that is, his profession as a Christian. He doth 
 that which is unworthy the name he bears, the 
 calling wherewith he is called. " Examine vour- 
 
352 
 
 selves, whether ye be in the faith ; prove your own 
 selves." 
 
 Fo7' the second. Prove it a leading grace.-— Now 
 this is at the bottom of all the rest in .'godliness. 
 There must be an owning of the Christian profes- 
 sion — we must be in the faith. Though every 
 professor be not a godly man, yet every godly 
 man must be a professor. " With the heart man 
 believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth 
 confession is made unto salvation." Rom. x. 10. 
 
 There are many that are called Christians, and 
 are baptized into the Christian faith, that are like 
 to perish everlastingly, because they do not de- 
 part from iniquity. But it is in vain to look for 
 any departing from iniquity — that is, upon right 
 grounds, and for right ends — among those that are 
 not Christians. To seek for them among Jews, 
 Turks, Pagans, is to seek for the living among 
 the dead : " Do men gather grapes of thorns, or 
 figs of thistles ? " The tree must" be good ere the 
 fruit can be good. All the world besides is wil- 
 derness, desert : the Church only is the garden, 
 wherein, though many weeds, yet all the good 
 plants that are, are in it. We should therefore 
 bless God that we are in the profession of the 
 right faith. But take heed of resting there : add, 
 add virtue. 
 
 12. Faith signifies our persuasion of the truth 
 of Divine Revelation. 
 
353 
 
 The things revealed in the Scriptures are great 
 things. The Bible is a book of revelations, 
 concerning the being and perfections of God ; — 
 concerning the undertaking, incarnation, death, 
 and resurrection of our Lord Jesus, and our re- 
 demption by it; — concerning the benefits of the 
 covenant of grace, pardon, reconciliation, adop- 
 tion ; — concerning the unseen things of the other 
 world; hell, heaven. 
 
 These truths we are to believe ; and the ground 
 of our believing them is, because God hath re- 
 vealed them. He hath told us so, and so it is : 
 and he is Truth itself, and cannot lie or deceive 
 us ; and therefore we may safely assent to it, even 
 to evei-y word and tittle that he hath spoken. 
 
 And this belief is the foundation of all. We 
 cannot come to God Avithout it. Heb. xi. 6. The 
 Deists, so called, are against it. Nor can we please 
 him without it. 
 
 It is not said. Add to reason, virtue ; but, Add 
 to faith, virtue. Therefore see that this founda- 
 tion be laid ; that your assent be given to the 
 word of God ; and that it have these four pro- 
 perties : 
 
 (1.) That it be sincere and upright, inward 
 and hearty, upon right grounds — not in word 
 and tongue only. Many can say their Creed, and 
 say they do believe, that yet do but say so. 
 " With the heart man bclieveth unto righteous- 
 2 A 
 
354 
 
 ness." '' And Philip said, If thou beUevest with 
 all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered 
 and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son 
 of God." 
 
 (2.) That it be spreading and universal — Not 
 to some, but to all Divine revelations ; one as well 
 as another. Because the same truth is engaged 
 in all. As in the Commandments : " AVhosoever 
 shall keep the zvhole law, and yet offend in one 
 point, he is guilty of all. ' 
 
 (3.) That it be stedfast and firm — " esta- 
 blished in the faith" — not loose and wavering; 
 to-day assenting, to-morrow doubting. Not but 
 that there may be doubts ; but, then, they are 
 our weakness, and we are to bewail it, and labour 
 against it. 
 
 (4.) That it influence the life — be operative 
 and fruitful : that we " add virtue" to it. " What 
 doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he 
 hath faith, and have not works ? can faith save 
 him ? If a brother or sister be naked, and desti- 
 tute of daily food ; and one of you say unto them. 
 Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled ; not- 
 withstanding ye give them not those things which 
 are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 
 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being 
 alone." James ii. 14, &c. " By faith, Noah, 
 being warned of God of things not seen as yet, 
 moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of 
 
355 
 
 his house : by the wliicli he condemned the ^vorld, 
 and became heir of the righteousness which is by 
 faith." Heb. xi. 7. We beHeve He is the rewarder 
 of those who dihgently seek liini. Do mc seek 
 him ? 
 
 3. Faith is the grace by which we receive, and 
 rest upon Christ for salvation. — " As many as re- 
 ceived him, to them gave he po\vcr to become 
 the sons of God, even to them that beheve on 
 his name." John i. 12. It is our hand, by which 
 we take him ; our mouth, by which we feed upon 
 him ; our foot, by which we come to him ; our 
 eye, by which we look unto him. 
 
 Faith fastens on the whole circumference of 
 Divine Revelation — especially on the centre, 
 Christ. To be sure this is a main matter ; all de- 
 pends upon it. 
 
 We can have no union with Christ without it. 
 "That Christ may" dwell in your hearts bi/ Jait/i." 
 Eph. iii. 7. By the door of faith Christ comes 
 into the soul. 
 
 We can have no justification without faith. 
 " Being justified hi/ Jaith, we have peace with 
 God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. v. 1. 
 
 Without faith we can have no sanctification. 
 " To open their eyes, and to turn them from 
 darkness to light, and from tlie power of Satan 
 unto God ; that they may receive forgiveness of 
 sins, and inheritance among them wliich are 
 ^i A 2 
 
356 
 
 sanctified by faith that is in me." Acts xxvi. 18. 
 " Purifying their hearts by faith.'' Acts xv. 9. 
 
 We have no strength to do, or to suffer, without 
 faith. *' He that abideth in nie, and I in him, 
 the same bringeth forth much fruit : for without 
 me ye can do nothing." John xv. 5. 
 
 Without faith we can have no comfort. ■" Now 
 the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace 
 in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through 
 the power of the Holy Ghost." Rom. xv. 13. 
 
 Without faith we can have no life — no salvation. 
 " We are not of them who draw back unto per- 
 dition ; but of them that believe to the saving of 
 the soul." Heb. x. 39. *' Receiving the end of 
 your faithy even the salvation of your souls." 
 1 Pet. i. 9- " He tliat belie'veth, and is baptized, 
 shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall 
 be damned." Mark xvi. 16. 
 
 4. There is a faith of assurance. — This is the 
 soul's reflex act, whereby, having received Christ 
 Jesus the Lord, we know that we have received 
 him, and are satisfied in ourselves that we are ac- 
 cepted through him, that our sins are forgiven, 
 and that we shall be eternally saved. 
 
 There is certainly such a faith : " Let us draw 
 near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith." 
 Though it be not that by which we are justified, 
 as some have thought, yet it follows upon it ; not 
 in all always, but where God gives it, and that is, 
 
357 
 
 where it is duly sought and laboured for. Wc 
 are bid to press after it : " And we desire that 
 every one of you do shew tlie same diligence to 
 the full assurance of hope unto the end." Heb. 
 
 vi. 11. 
 
 Now this also is a leading grace. Many other 
 graces, in the act and exercise of thein, depend 
 much upon it:-Love to God: " We love him 
 because he first loved us." Obedience before 
 him : " For we know that if our earthly house of 
 this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building 
 of God, an house not made with hands, eternal 
 in the heavens : wherefore we labour, that, whe- 
 ther present or absent, we may be accepted of 
 him." Holy joy in him, and thankfulness to him, 
 likewise depend upon the possession of this faith. 
 
 Use 1. This should advance our esteem of 
 the arace of faith. The Apostle calls it, in the 
 chapter whence the text is taken, " precious 
 faith." ver. 1. Faith is a precious, most precious 
 
 grace. 
 
 2. We should see to it, as a main matter, that 
 our faith be right. If we miss there, we miss 
 in the foundation, and tlien the building cannot 
 
 stand. 
 
 3. We should pray, " Lord, increase our 
 faith" (Luke xvii. 5); that the world may be 
 overcome, Satan's darts quenched. 
 
358 
 
 DOCTRINE II. That to our faith we must add 
 virtue — that is, a virtuous conversation. 
 
 Af£r>) is a Avord but thrice used in all the New 
 Testament besides here : once Phil. iv. 8, " if 
 any virtue ;" again, 2 Pet. i. 3, " called to vir- 
 tue ;" and again, 1 Pet. ii. 9, "to shew forth 
 the virtues of him who hath called , you out of 
 darkness into his marvellous light." 
 
 It is ovvccuA^j Mark v. 30, and twice elsewhere, 
 in Luke, though translated virtue : yet the things 
 signified by it — endowments of mind inclining 
 and disposing us to that that is good — are called 
 graces ; fruits of the Spirit ; the good work ; the 
 new nature ; the Divine nature ; the new man ; 
 holiness ; righteousness. 
 
 Though the Heathen Philosophers insist so 
 much upon it in their ethics, where they treat at 
 large of virtues— of card'mal virtues ; justice, pru- 
 dence, temperance, fortitude ; and of other virtues 
 of a lower rank, but very necessary and useful 
 towards the making man a good citizen, husband, 
 father, friend — I say, though they insist so much 
 upon virtue, we must not therefore discard and 
 disclaim either word or thing, but do as the 
 Israelites did by the gold and silver and jewels of 
 the Egyptians, turn them to sanctuary uses ; or 
 as the captive maid, see Deut. xxi. 10, 11. Re- 
 tine and elevate what they commend : in respect of 
 
359 
 
 principle : they treat of virtue from mere nature ; 
 we from grace, from the Spirit of CJod. In re- 
 spect also of the end : let us speak of virtue, not 
 as they do, to set up tliemselves, but to advance 
 God. Water rises no liigher than the spring-head 
 whence it comes. 
 
 The contrary to virtue is vice. As, for instance, 
 the contrary to justice is oppression ; to meek- 
 ness,- passion ; to humiUty, pride. " Add to your 
 faith, virtue." 
 
 So that the meaning is : All that have faith 
 " must deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, 
 and live soberly, righteously, and godly in the 
 world ; not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace 
 of God." 
 
 In this sense virtue is used in the Old Testa- 
 ment : " All the city of my people doth know 
 that thou art a virtuous woman." Ruth iii. 11. 
 " Many daughters have done "oirtuously, but thou 
 excellest them all." Prov* xxxi. 29. We must 
 excel in virtue. 
 
 But why must we to faith add virtue, that is, 
 a virtuous conversation ? 
 
 1. That our light may shine before men. Matt. 
 V. 16. Faith is an inward, unseen thing; it is 
 only to be beheld by lis fruits. Now if men see 
 our good works, they will glorify God. " Having 
 your conversation honest among the Gentiles ; 
 that whereas tbey speak against you as evil-doers, 
 
360 
 
 they may by your good works, which they shall 
 behold, glorify God in the day of visitation." 
 1 Pet. ii. 12 — iii. 16. Therefore, " these things 
 I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which 
 have believed in God might be careful to maintain 
 good works." Tit. iii. 8. See James ii, 18. 
 
 2. That we may adorn the doctrine of God our 
 Saviour. Tit. ii. 10. The doctrine of God our 
 Saviour is virtuous doctrine, enjoining that which 
 is good, and forbidding that which is evil. If 
 we walk contrary to this, it reflects upon our 
 Teacher. O Jesus ! are these thy Christians ! If 
 we walk according to the doctrine of God, it adorns 
 the Gospel of the Redeemer. 
 
 3. That we may prove our faith to be right. It 
 is dead if it work not : " Even so faith, if it 
 hath not works, is dead, being alone." James ii. 17. 
 Then be exhorted. " As ye have therefore re- 
 ceived Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him." 
 " Hereby we do know that we know him, if we 
 keep his commandments. He that saith, I know 
 him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, 
 and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth 
 his word, in him verily is the love of God per- 
 fected : hereby know we that Ave are in him. He 
 that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also so to 
 walk, even as he walked." 1 John ii. 3 — 7. " Not 
 every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall 
 enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that 
 
3^1 
 
 doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven/' 
 Matt. vii. 21. 
 
 Paul and James — the one arguing for justifica- 
 tion by faith, tlie other by works — are to be recon- 
 ciled by distinguishing of a two-fold justification ; 
 before God, and before the world; or by consi- 
 dering the several dispositions of the persons they 
 wrote to *. 
 
 " Add to your faith, virtue," that is, courage or 
 fortitude, magnanimity, greatness of spirit. 
 
 DOCTRINE III. Believing people should be 
 courageous people. 
 
 " The wicked flee when no man pursueth ; but 
 the righteous are bold as a lion." 
 
 Shew I. What this virtue or Christian cou- 
 rage is. 
 
 It is a grace of the Spirit, whereby we are 
 enabled to carry it aright, and as Ave ought, in all 
 things, without giving way to prevailing fears or 
 fearfulness. 
 
 It is a grace of the Spirit. — There is a natural 
 
 * As to the apparently contradictory assertions of the 
 Apostles St. Paul and St. James, the reader may be referred 
 to the Abridgment of Dr. Owen's admirable Treatise on 
 ** Justification by Faith," by the Rev. G. Burder, chap. 
 XXIII. p. 194, &c ; and to " Social Religion Exemplified," 
 edited by Dr. Ed. Williams, edition 1786, p. 368. 
 
362 
 
 courage and boldness flowing from mere nature, 
 steeled and edged with mere moral considerations. 
 This that I speak of is another thing. The Apo- 
 stles were never bold till after the day of Pente- 
 cost, (see Acts ii.) when the Holy Spirit was 
 poured out upon them. Before, they forsook 
 Christ, and sneaked, and denied him ; but then 
 they boldly confessed him : see Acts iv. and v. 
 " Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and 
 John, and perceived that they were unlearned and 
 ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took 
 knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus." 
 
 It is a grace of the Spirit helping us ; against 
 fear. — Fear is apt to prevail over us, sometimes 
 on one account, sometimes on another; but courage 
 helps against them. " Strengthen ye the weak hands, 
 and conhrm the feeble knees. Say to them that 
 are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not ; behold, 
 your God Avill come with vengeance, even God 
 with a rccoriipence : he will come and save you." 
 
 Shew II. Wherein we must be courageous. 
 
 (1.) In believing, " add to faith, virtue" — 
 that is, when you have a promise, stick stoutly to 
 it, notwithstandina; all discourao;ements. '' What 
 time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I 
 will praise his word ; in God I have put my trust : 
 I will not fear : what can flesh do unto me ? " 
 Ps. Ivi. 3, 4. Venture on Christ, though your 
 sins are many and great. 
 
 (2.) In prayer. — " Let us come boldly to the 
 
 I 
 
363 
 
 Throne of Grace, that wc may obtain mercy, and 
 find grace to help in time of need." Heb. iv. 16. 
 As Jacob, let us Avrestle with God : " And he 
 said. Let me go, for the day breaketh : and he 
 said, I will not let thee go except thou bless me.'' 
 Gen. xxxii. £6. Hence he had the name of 
 Israel, a prince with God. As the woman of 
 Canaan, let us persevere : " Jesus answered and 
 said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith ! be it 
 unto thee even as thou wilt." jNIatt. xv. 58. Let 
 us, as the widow mentioned in Luke xviii. be 
 importunate. " Men ought always to pray, and 
 not to faint." 
 
 (3.) In doing our duty. — Good works are al- 
 ways opposed ; and the better they are, the greater 
 the opposition from within, and from without. 
 But we must not therefore stop; we must press 
 forward. Like Nehemiah : see Nehemiah vi. 
 
 (4.) In bearing afflictions, especially when they 
 come for righteousness' sake. — What a brave say- 
 ing was that of Paul ! " What mean ye to weep 
 and to break mine heart ? for I am ready not to 
 be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for 
 the name of the Lord Jesus." Acts xxi. 13. How 
 courageous were the three children, when called to 
 bear their testimony to the truth ! see Daniel iii. 
 How brave were the primitive saints ! Hebrews xi. 
 '' If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy 
 strength is small," Prov. xxiv. 10 — thou hast but 
 little virtue. * 
 
3()4 
 
 (5.) In reproving sin, when God calls us to it. — 
 How courageous was John the Baptist in reproving 
 Herod ! " John said unto Herod, It is not lawful 
 for thee" — no, not for thee, though Herod the 
 Great — " to have thy brother's Avife." 
 
 Ministers of the Gospel have need of this vir- 
 tue. " Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like 
 a trumpet, and sheAv my people their transgressions, 
 and the house of Jacob their sins." Isa, Iviii. 1. 
 " But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of 
 the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to de- 
 clare unto Jacob his transgression and to Israel 
 his sin." Mic. iii. 8. 
 
 (6.) In resisting temptations from the devil,, 
 the M'orld, and the flesh. 
 
 These are, all, the enemies of our souls ; and 
 we must manfully fight against them, according to 
 the covenant of our baptism, under Christ's 
 banner *. See Joshua i. " Resist the devil, and he 
 will flee from you." James iv. 7. " Whom resist 
 stedfast in the faith." 1 Pet. v. 9. " Put on the 
 whole armour of God, that ye may be able to 
 stand against the wiles of the devil. Stand, 
 therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, 
 and having on the breast-plate of righteousness; 
 
 * For " a nitional and devout improvement of Christian 
 baptism," see Mr. Matthew Henry's "Treatise on Baptism," 
 abridged from the original Manuscript by tiie Rev. Thomas 
 Robins, 17B3; and Dr. Williams's Antipaedob. Exam. vol. 
 II. chap. 6, in which there are copious extracts from Mr. 
 Henry's work. 
 
365 
 
 and your feet shod with tlic preparation of the 
 Gospel of peace ; above all, taking the shield of 
 faith, Avlierewith ye shall be able to quench all the 
 fiery darts of the wicked. And take the lielmet 
 of salvation, and the sword of the S{)irit, which 
 is the word of God : jiraying always w ith all 
 prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching 
 thereunto with all perseverance." Eph. vi. 11, kc. 
 We may observe, there is no armour for the back. 
 We must resist even unto blood (Heb. xii. 4), 
 that is, though we suffer for it. 
 
 (7.) In dying. — To die, is a work by itself — to 
 be done but once; and therefore need be well 
 done. David says, " Though I walk through 
 the valley of the shadow of death, I Avill fear no 
 evil : for thou art with me ; thy rod and thy staff 
 they comfort me." Ps. xxiii. 4. Though an 
 enemy, it is a disarmed enemy — the sting is taken 
 out * : and it is the last enemy. 
 
 * In a letter, dated Dec. 20fli, 1G87, addressed to H. 
 Ashhurst, Esq. Mr. Henry tlius wrote: 
 
 " There are six things, the firm belief wiiereof will ex- 
 ceedingly promote our comfort in dying. 
 
 " 1. That at what time soever, and in what way soever, 
 death comes, it conies by the will and appointment of our 
 heavenly Father. He cuts no corn of his down till it is 
 fully ripe. Job v. 2G. Rev. xi. 7. 
 
 " 2. J'hat death hath no sting in it to them that are in 
 Christ Jesus. How doth Paul exult over death and thf 
 grave! 1 Cor. xv. 6(>. 
 
366 
 
 Shew III. Why believers should be cou- 
 rageous. 
 
 (1.) Because faith engages God on our side. — 
 If God be for us, who shall be against us ? He is 
 strong to help, strong to support. " Let your 
 conversation be without covetousness ; and be 
 content with such things as ye have : for he hath 
 said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So 
 that we may boldly say. The Lord is my helper, 
 and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." 
 Heb. xiii. 5, 6. " Fear not: for they that be 
 with us are more than they that be with them." 
 2 Kings vi. 16. 
 
 (2.) Because faith assures us of a rich reward be- 
 fore us, for all our pains in doing, our patience in 
 suffering. — This animated Moses: " By faith, Mo- 
 ses, when he was come to years, refused to be called 
 the son of Pharaoh's daughter ; choosing rather to 
 suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy 
 
 " 3. That, to them that fear the Lord, immediately beyond 
 death is heaven. Luke xvi. 25. Phil, i. 23. 
 
 " 4. That the body will certainly rise again a glorious 
 body. 1 Cor. xv. 43. 
 
 " 5. That God will certainly take care of poor disconso- 
 late relations left behind. Ps. xxvii. 10. Jer. xlix. 11. This 
 helped to make Jacob's death comfortable to him, Gen. 
 xlviii.21; and Joseph's, Gen.l. 24, 
 
 " 6. That God will certainly accomplish and fulfil, in 
 due time, all the great things that he hath prepared and 
 promised concerning his church and people in the latter 
 Jays." Manuscript. 
 
367 
 
 the pleasures of sin for a season ; esteeming the 
 reproach of Christ greater riches than the trea- 
 sures of Egypt, for he had respect unto the re- 
 compence of reward." It also frightens uith 
 unseen misery in case of sin, and folly, and 
 tearfulness : " The fearful, and unbelieving, and 
 the abominable, and murderers, and ^vhoremon- 
 gers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, 
 shall have their part in the lake Avhich burneth 
 with fire and brimstone : which is the second 
 death." 
 
 Use 1 . See >\hat cause we have to be humbled 
 in the views of past guilt as to this matter. How 
 little virtue, how little courage, have we mani- 
 fested ! What bad effects have followed ! How 
 it hath weakened others ! After Peter had denied 
 Christ, the others forsook him. 
 
 2. Beg of God, for time to come, to work this 
 grace in us — this spiritual manhood and greatness 
 of spirit. It is much seen in despising the glories 
 of this world. 
 
 Nil )i'm peccatum timeo, that is, I fear nothing 
 but sin. " And I say unto you, my friends, Be 
 not afraid of them that kill the body, and after 
 that have no more that they can do. But I will 
 forewarn you whom ye shall fear : fear him, \\ liich, 
 after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell ; 
 yea, I say unto you, fear him." 
 
THE SUBSTANCE 
 
 OF 
 
 A SERMON 
 
 PREACHED 
 
 At Broad Oak, on Wednesday, the 8th of July, 169G, 
 
 on occasion of 
 
 THE DEATH 
 
 OF THE 
 
 REV. PHILIP HENRY, A. M. 
 
 HIS SON, 
 THE REV. MATT. HENRY. 
 
 2b 
 
371 
 
 SERMON 
 
 BY THE 
 
 REV. MATTHEW HENRY. 
 
 1 COR. XV. 55. 
 O death, xvhere is thy sting ? 
 
 Dying words commonly make living impres- 
 sions ; especially the dying words of faithful 
 ministers and dear relations. This was one of the 
 last words of our late translated prophet, left as a 
 legacy to us that survive. It was his support in 
 a dying hour. When the affliction abounded, 
 this was then consolation*. 
 
 * Mrs. Savage, Mr. Henry's eldest daughter, was a 
 woman of eminent piety and attainments, and remarkable 
 for filial affection, and, indeed, every Christian grace. The 
 following extracts from her diary are affecting. 
 
 "Sabbath, June 21, 1G96. — My dear father preached 
 his last sermon on 2 Pet. i. 5: Add to faith, virtue.—iSee 
 p. 3o0.) 
 
 " On Tuesday, after family prayer in the morning, he 
 began to be unwell with his usual pain, like the stone 
 2 B 2 
 
372 
 
 It is part of the improvement Paul makes of 
 the doctrine of the Resurrection, which some de- 
 
 and cholic, which increased all day. He became worse 
 and worse ; and weak nature not able to grapple with 
 it, about one o'clock in the night he quietly breathed 
 out his soul into the embraces of the blessed Jesus. — A sad 
 stroke ! — In the morning, June 24th, the heavy tidings came 
 to us. And what shall I say or do? I shall go softly all my 
 days in the bitterness of my soul. But God is a father that 
 never dies. O that I could renew my hold oi him, and never 
 let it go ! — I have lost — I cannot express it — my Father ! 
 My father!— as well a spiritual as a natural father. I 
 would keep down passion, and not mourn as one that hath 
 no hope. But it is hard. I shall go to him : I hope to be 
 where he is. — His last words were, ' O death, where is 
 
 thy ;" but through anguish of death he could not utter 
 
 the whole sentence. Oft in the afternoon he cried out, ' I 
 faint, I am dissolved ! Com?, blessed angels, do your office.' 
 To some young ones in the family, who came to see him, he 
 said, * O do not put off your great work till you come to 
 dying circumstances.' To dear brother he said : * You 
 are engaged in a good work. Follow peace and holiness, 
 and let the world say what they will.' When they asked 
 his blessing, he said, • The Lord bless you, and all the 
 rest of my dear children, with spiritual blessings in 
 heavenly places by Christ Jesus.' Another time he said, 
 ' I groan, but I do not grumble. My stroke is heavier 
 than my groaning. O for virtue, virtue !'— meaning cou- 
 rage*. — Our crown is fallen. Woe unto us that we have 
 sinned ! ' How is the gold become dim, the fine gold 
 changed ! ' * Shall I not, from this time, cry unto him (viz. 
 God), My Father, thou art the guide of my youth?' My 
 best guide on earth is removed to heaven : what shall I do 
 to follow him by heavenly mindedness ? ' Let us also go, 
 that we may die with him.* 
 
 * Alluding to hii last Sermon. 
 
S73 
 
 nied, see verse 12. Paul not only argues it, but 
 makes use of it. That truth we are most likely to 
 hold fast which we taste the sweetness of. 
 
 Paul often speaks of a Christian's joy i7i hope : 
 " We rejoice in hope of the glory of God," 
 Rom. V. 2 ; — " Rejoicing in hope," Rom. xii. 12. 
 He speaks, too, of a Christian's joy in believing : 
 " Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and 
 peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope 
 through the power of the Holy Ghost." Rom- 
 XV. 1 3. In hope of things not seen. As in the text : 
 •" O death, where is thy sting ? " He is so sure of 
 the victory that he triumphs before the battle. This 
 explains Rom. viii. 37 : " Nay, in all these things 
 we are more than conquerors, through him that 
 
 " On Saturday, June 27th, we were at the funeral at 
 Whitchurch, laying up the dear remains, as in a bed of 
 spices, till the resurrection of the just. Before we came 
 out, Mr. Tallents preached in the chapel at Broad Oak, 
 from Rom. viii. 23. His funeral was attended by most of 
 the neighbouring gentry, with a vast multitude of others- 
 His body, sown in tears, shall rise again with joy ; but for 
 which hope, the stroke were not to be borne. To-day is 
 this Scripture fulfilled ; ' Those that honour me I will 
 honour.' 
 
 " Wednesday, July 8th, dear Brother preached the lec- 
 ture at Broad Oak, from those last words of our dear 
 deceased father, • O death, where is thy sting ? ' " 
 
 From the original Manuscript. 
 
 Mrs. Savage was born Aug. 7th, 1664; and died, at West 
 Bromwich, in Staffordshire, at the house of her daughter, 
 Mrs. Witton, Feb. 27th, 1752, set. B8. 
 
374 
 
 loved us." Paul was in deaths oft, 2 Cor. xi. 2S : 
 " For we which live, are alway delivered unto 
 death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus 
 might be made manifest in our mortal flesh," 
 2 Cor. iv. 1 1 ; — " As it is written, For thy sake 
 we are killed all the day long ; we are accounted 
 as sheep for the slaughter," Rom. viii. 36. Paul 
 saw death in pomp and terror — death envenomed 
 with the rage of hell. Looking upon things with 
 an eye of sense, surely death had never, to any, 
 more of sting in it ; and yet, 
 
 1 . He speaks as one despising death — -making 
 nothing of it. In dealing with an enemy, it has 
 been looked upon as unwise to despise him : yet 
 Paul was so sure of the victory that he despises 
 the enemy. " There we saw the giants, the sons 
 of Anak, which come of the giants : and we were 
 in our own sight as grasshoppers ; and so we were 
 in their sight." Numb. xiii. 33. Paul's unwearied 
 labours, and his exposing of himself to danger, 
 shew that he despised death. — They that despise 
 the Ivor Id, despise death. Allusion to Isa. xi. 8. 
 
 2. He speaks as one defying death. Death, 
 do thy worst ! He perfectly hectors the king of 
 terrors ; tramples upon him ; sets his foot upon 
 his neck. This was the man whose bodily pre- 
 sence was weak; that was every where spoken 
 against. Thus could he do all things, through 
 Christ strengthening him. Phil. iv. 13. 
 
S75 
 
 He speaks thus in reflection upon Christ's vic- 
 tory over death : " Forasmuch then as the chil- 
 dren are partakers of flesh and blood, he also 
 himself likewise took part of the same; that 
 through death he might destroy him that had the 
 power of death; that is, the devil ; and deliver 
 them who through fear of death were all their 
 life-time subject to bondage." As if he had said, 
 Thou art disarmed by Christ. — This is trampling 
 upon one that was fallen. 
 
 He speaks thus in prospect of his own victory 
 over death, in virtue of Christ's : " Thanks be to 
 God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord 
 Jesus Christ," ver. 57 — in dying, and at the 
 resurrection. 
 
 DOCTRINE. That it is the unspeakable privi- 
 lege of all true believers, that death to them 
 hath no sting in it. 
 
 The death of the saints is unstung. 
 
 1. Our distresses in this world are death: and 
 those have no sting in them. " Now therefore," 
 said Pharaoh, " forgive, I pray thee, my sin only 
 this once, and entreat the Lord your God, that he 
 may take away from me this death only." Exod. 
 X. 17. Death is the wages of sin, Rom. vi. 23; 
 that is, all calamities. But to the saints they 
 have no sting : there is honey upon the rod. It 
 
376 
 
 is not an evil, an only evil — no pungency; 
 no poison. It is correction, but not in wrath. 
 Ps. vi. 1. 
 
 2. Our departure out of this world is death; 
 and that has no sting in it to true believers* 
 That is here spoken of. There is no avoiding the 
 stroke; but it is not as when a serpent striketh 
 a man. No ; the pain, the peril, is gone : the 
 " bitternegs of death is past." 
 
 Shew I. What is this sting of death which is 
 taken out. 
 
 1 . The sting of death is shi : and that is par- 
 doned. Sin is the k^I^ov that stimulates and stirs 
 up death to do its office. If sin be taken away, 
 thou shalt not die. " And David said unto Na- 
 than, I have sinned against the Lord : and 
 Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath 
 put away thy sin : thou shalt not die." 2 Sam. 
 xii. 13. Death is quite another thing. " And 
 the inhabitants shall not say, I am sick; the 
 people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their 
 iniquity." Isa. xxxiii. 24. " Thou hast in love to 
 my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption ; 
 for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back." 
 Isa. xxxviii. 17. Pardon of sin is a foundation- 
 privilege, whence all the rest flow, living and 
 dying : " Who forgiveth all thine iniquities ; who 
 healeth all thy diseases." The subduing of ini- 
 
 I 
 
377 
 
 quity is the subduing of death. Sin is the worm- 
 wood and the gall : " Thou writest bitter things 
 against me, and makest me to possess the iniqui- 
 ties of my youth." 
 
 2. The sting of death is-the terror of co7iscience : 
 and that is quieted. This is the sting that 
 pricks to the heart — conscience reproaching, fly- 
 ing in our faces. The blood of Christ purges the 
 conscience from that which is the cause of all 
 these pricking pains : " How much more shall 
 the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal 
 Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge 
 your conscience from dead works to serve the 
 livincr God ? " See what was the sting of death 
 taken out in Hezekiah : "I beseech thee, O 
 Lord, remember now how I have walked before 
 i thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, and have 
 done that which is good in thy sight." 2 Kings 
 XX. 3. In Paul : " Our rejoicing is this, the 
 testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and 
 godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by 
 the grace of God, we have had our conversation 
 in the world." 
 
 3. The sting of death is the wrath of God: 
 and that is removed. To be taken away in 
 wrath, is death xvith a sting, Ps. Iviii. 9 : " For 
 we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy 
 wrath are we troubled," Ps. xc. 7 and 11. This 
 kills with deathj Rev. ii. 23. Now God's anger 
 
378 
 
 is turned away. It is the wrath of the King of 
 kings that is as messengers of death. We are by 
 nature children of wrath. Eph. ii. 3. But we 
 are saved from wrath by Christ. The curse, is 
 wrath bound on. " Christ hath redeemed us from 
 the curse of the law, being made a curse for us : 
 for it is written. Cursed is every one that hangeth 
 on a tree." 
 
 4. The sting of death is hell on the other side 
 death : and from this they are delivered. When 
 death came, hell followed. Rev. vi. 8. That is 
 the sting in the tail, though to secure sinners 
 death has the face of a man. Allusion to Rev. 
 ix. 7, 10. The saints are delivered from the 
 wrath to come. 1 Thess. i. 10. They shall not 
 be hurt of the second death. Rev. ii. 11. 
 
 ShcAv II. What is the effect of this unstinging 
 of death. 
 
 1. Death is become a conquered enemy. All 
 his armour, wherein he trusted, is taken from him. 
 Luke xi. 22. An enemy to nature, but conquered 
 and put under our feet. If death be unstung, 
 it cannot hurt us — it is quite disabled to do us 
 any real damage. It cannot separate us from 
 the love of God : " I am persuaded that neither 
 deaths nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor 
 powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 
 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, 
 
379 
 
 shall be able to separate us from the love of 
 God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Ob- 
 serve, death is put first. It cannot despoil us of 
 our graces and comforts, which are our true trea- 
 sure. Though it take hold of the body for a 
 while, yet that is not for ever : " Shall the prey 
 be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive 
 delivered ? But thus saith the Lord, Even the 
 captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and 
 the prey of the terrible shall be delivered : for I 
 will contend with him that contendeth with thee, 
 and I will save thy children." 
 
 2. Death is a co'cenant-friend. Here is meat 
 out of the eater — the spoil divided. Death is 
 yours. 1 Cor. iii. 22. It is the period of all the 
 saints' sorrows : it is their passage to joy. It is 
 one of the best friends they have, next to Christ. 
 It frees them from sin, howbeit he meaneth 
 not so — (allusion to Isa. x. 7) Christ has so 
 over-ruled and ordered the matter. 
 
 Shew III. How comes the sting of death to be 
 taken out. 
 
 1. It is done by the death of Christ virtually. 
 He is the death of deaths : "I will ransom them 
 from the power of the grave ; I will redeem them 
 from death : O death, I will be thy plague ; O 
 grave, I will be thy destruction." Hos. xiii. 14. 
 Where is the sting of death ? It is sticking in the 
 
380 
 
 side of our crucified Saviour. He felt the sting 
 of death — tasted death. Heb. ii. 9- He drank 
 of the bitter cup. And, which was the main 
 matter, he rose again. Then he broke the power 
 of death — loosed the pains of death. Acts ii. 24. 
 Death could not hold him. Death had leave to 
 do its worst at Christ, and was baffled. 
 
 2. It is done by the life of faith effectually, 
 and with application to us. Christ overcame 
 death, and yet to multitudes it has still a sting. 
 It is faith that unstings death as to us. " The 
 just shall live by his faith" — even in a dying 
 hour, l^y faith — as it quencheth Satan's fiery 
 darts, Eph. vi. \6 ; as it purifies the heart, 
 Acts XV. 9', as it overcomes the world, 1 John 
 v. 4 ; as it looks unto Jesus : " Looking unto 
 Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." 
 Uses. 
 
 I. Get death unstung. 
 
 If you would have the comfort of this, as other 
 saints have had in a dying hour, you must be 
 followers of them. Aim at the best gifts and 
 graces. We must needs die, and are concerned to 
 prepare. The great thing to be done is, to secure 
 an interest in Jesus Christ by faith. But, besides 
 that, there are some other things that help to do 
 it more and more. 
 
 1. A conscience kept void of offence. Acts 
 xxiv. 16, Those ih^X yield to sin can never tri- 
 
381 
 
 iimph over death. Though dehvered from the 
 sting of death — tlie eternal damnation being par- 
 doned : vet you may find some sting in it. 
 
 2. A meek and quiet spirit. As much wrath, 
 Eccl. V. 17, so much sting. A cool spirit is an 
 excellent spirit. Moses, the man famous for 
 meekness, died easily. Deut. xxxiv. The meek 
 increase their joy. Isa. xxix. 19. " My soul," 
 said David, " is even as a weaned child." Psalm 
 cxxxi. 2. 
 
 3. A heart weaned from the world. Death has 
 a sting in it to the w^orldling. Luke xii. 20. But 
 Christians may say, " Though our outward man 
 perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by 
 day ; while we look not at the things which are 
 seen, but at the things which are not seen : for 
 the things which are seen are temporal, but the 
 things which are not seen are eternal." If your 
 portion be laid up within the veil, you may say, 
 Death, do thy worst ! 
 
 4. Diligence in doing the work of life. Omis- 
 sions may be a sting in death *. They that take 
 
 * " Tlie last words the very excellent Archbishop Usher 
 was heard to utter, were these ; praying for forgiveness of 
 his sins, he added, * But Lord, in special forgive my sins of 
 omission.' Herein he had his wish, which he often used, 
 that he might die as holy Mr. Perkins did, who expired 
 crying for mercy and forgiveness. 
 
 " But did fie pray for pardon of his sins of omission? 
 And yet he was a person that was never known to omit an 
 
382 
 
 pains all day'will rest best at night. " Therefore, 
 my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, 
 always abounding in the work of the Lord, foras- 
 much as ye know that your labour is not in vain 
 in the Lord." 
 
 II. Deal with it as unstung — as to others, as to 
 ourselves. 
 
 1. Famiharise death to you. Converse with 
 it as with one that there is no danger of. "I 
 have said to corruption, Thou art my father : to 
 the Avorm, Thou art my mother, and my sister." 
 The ancients had their sepulchres in their gardens. 
 
 2. Fear it not when at a distance. Heb. ii. 15. 
 Never balk a duty, nor make bold with sin, for 
 fear of death. " But none of these things move 
 me," said St. Paul, " neither count I my life 
 dear unto myself, so that I might finish my 
 course with joy, and the ministry, which I have 
 received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel 
 of the grace of God." 
 
 3. Faint not when it comes to the settins-to. 
 
 o 
 
 hour, but was always employed in his Master's business, 
 either in preaching, reading, writing, or hearing others read 
 to him; either resolving doubts, or exhorting, instructing, 
 and counselling such as came to visit him : yet did he die 
 with this humble expression ; Lord, forgive my sins of 
 omission : a speech that may give us all matter of solemn 
 meditation and imitation." — See his Life hy Dr. Parr (who 
 was his chaplain), and Clark's Lives, folio. 
 
383 
 
 " Yea, though I walk through the valley of the 
 shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for thou art 
 with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort 
 me." Ps. xxiii. 4. Be of good courage in a 
 dying hour. Death may hiss, but it cannot 
 hurt *. 
 
 * Mrs. Savage, in her Diary, thus writes : — 
 
 " 169G. July 20. Dear brother came to us, and preached 
 next day from Exod. xv. 2 : He is my father s God, and I 
 will exalt him. He was so in respect of duti/. He was 
 the God my father chose ; the God mj^father served ; the 
 God my father trusted in. He was my father's God to the 
 end; he died in his love, in his service, in his embraces. 
 
 " He was my father's God in respect of privilege. He 
 was graciously present with my father while he lived : he 
 hath taken him to be graciously present witii himself, now 
 he is removed from us. 
 
 " How shall I exalt God as my father's God 1 By 
 praising him for his mercies to my father ; by pleading 
 with him from those mercies ; by acceptance of him to be 
 my God ; by adhering to him even unto the end." 
 
 3Ifi}iurcrij)t. 
 
 r.llerlon and Hewlerson, rrinte:>, 
 ^oknson'. Couit, Ljndoii. 
 
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