The Saints Safety in Evil Times, Sermon 3

The Saints Safety in Evil Times · Sermon 3

p. 97THE DIFFICVLTY OF SALVATION.

SERMON III.

If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the wicked and ungodly appeare?

BY righteous here,What is meant here by righteous, to wit, a man indued with Euangelicall righteousnesse. is meant that Euangelicall righteousnesse which wee have in the state of the Gospell, (namely) the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to us; for Christ himselfe being ours, his obedience and all that hee hath, becomes p. 98ou…s also; and whosoever partaketh of this righteousnesse which is by faith, hath also a righteousnesse of sanctification accōpanying the same, wrought in his soule by the Spirit of God, whereby his s…nfull nature is changed and made holy: for if any man be in Christ hee is a new creature. The same Spirit that assures us of our interest in Christ, purifies and clenseth our hearts, and worketh a new life in us, opposite to our life in the first Adam, from whence flowes new workes of holinesse and obedience throughout our whole conversation: There must bee an inward inherent righteousnesse before there can bee any workes of righteousnesse; an Instrument must bee set in tune before it will make musicke; so the Spirit of God must first worke a holy frame p. 99and disposition of heart in us, before we can bring forth any fruits of holinesse in our lives; for we commend not the works of grace as we doe the workes of Art, but referre them to the worker: all that flowes from the Spirit of righteousnesse, are workes of righteousnesse. When the soule submits it selfe to the spirit, and the body to the soule, then things come off kindly. Take a man that is righteous by the spirit of God, hee is righteous in all relations, he gives every one his due; he gives God his due, spirituall worship is set up in his heart above all; hee gives Christ his due by affiance in him; hee gives the holy Angels their due, by considering hee is alwayes in their presence, that their eye is upon him in every action he doth, and every duty hee performes; the poore have p. 100their due from him; those that are in authority have their due; if he be under any, hee gives thē reverence and obedience,Rom. 13. 8.Rom 13:8 &c. He will owe nothing to any man but love, hee is righteous in all his conversation, he is a vessell prepared for every good worke: I deny not but hee may erre in some particular, that is nothing to the purpose, I speake of a man as hee is in the disposition and bent of his heart to GOD and goodnesse, and so there is a thread of a righteous course, that runs along through his whole conversation; the constant tenure of his life is righteous; he hungers and thirsts after righteousnesse, and labors to be more and more righteous still every way, both in justification, that he may have a clearer evidence of that, as also in sanctification, that he may have more of the new creature formed p. 101in him, that so hee may serve God better and better all his dayes. Now if this man shall scarcely bee saved, where shall the sinner and ungodly appeare? where you have two branches.

1. The righteous shall scarcely be saved.

2. The terrible end of sinners and ungodly; Where shall they appeare, &c.

Now in that the righteous man thus described by me, shall scarcely be saved, consider two things.

1. That the righteous shall be saved.

2. That they shall scarcely bee saved.

What doe I say,The righteous are saved. the Righteous shall be saved? he is saved already; This day is salvation come to thine house, Luke 19. 9.Luke 19:9(Iaith Christ to Zacheus) Wee are saved by faith, and are now set in heavenly places p. 102together with him; Eph 2. 6.Eph 2:6wee have a title & interest to happinesse already, there remaines onelyonly a passage to the Crowne by good workes. We doe not as the Papists doe, worke to merit that wee have not, but wee doe that wee doe in thankfulnesse for what we have: because we know we are in the state of salvation, therefore wee will shew our thankfulnesse to God in the course of our lives.

How can we misse of salvation when we are saved already? Christ our Head being in heaven, will draw his body after him; What should hinder us? the world? Alas, wee have that faith in us which overcometh the world; 1 John 5. 4.1 John 5:4as for the flesh, you know what the Apostle saith, Wee are not under the law, but under grace; the spirit in us alwayes lusteth against the flesh, and subdues it p. 103by little and little; neither can Sathan or the gates of hell prevaile against us, for the grace we have is stronger then all enemies against us.

GOD the Father is our Father in Christ, and his love and gifts are without repentance;Rom. 11. 29.Rom 11:29 when once we are in the state of salvation,1 Pet. 1. 5.1 Pet 1:5 Hee will preserve us by faith to salvation; and wee are knit to God the Sonne, who will lose none of his members, the marriage with Christ is an everlasting union, Iohn. 13. 1John 13:1whom he loves he loves to the end. As for God the Holy Ghost, (saith Christ) I will send the Comforter, Iohn 6. 14, 16.John 6:14John 6:16and hee shall bee with you to the end: The blessed Spirit of God never departs …here hee once takes up his lo…ging: there is no question therefore of the salvation of the righteous, they are as it were saved already.

p. 104Let this teach us thus much,Vse. that in all the changes and alterations which the faith of man is subject unto, hee is sure of one thing, all the troubles, and all the enemies of the world shall not hinder his salvation; If it bee possible the Elect should bee deceived, Matth. 24. 24.Matt 24:24but it is not possible. Oh what a comfort is this, that in the midst of all the oppositions and plottings of men and Devils, yet notwithstanding some what we have that is not in the power of any enemy to take from us, nor in our owne power to lose, namely our salvation; set this against any evill whatsoever, and it swallowes up all. Put ca…e a man were subject to an hundred deaths one after another, what are all these to salvation? Put case a man were in such griefe that hee wept teares of blood; alas, in the day of salvation p. 105all teares shall be wiped from his eyes. Set this (I shall be saved) against any misery you can imagine, and it will unspeakably comfort and revive the soule beyond all.

But it is here said,Object. hee shall scareely be saved.

This is not a word of doubt, Answ.but of difficulty; it is not a word of doubt of the event, whether hee shall be saved or no, (there is no doubt at all of that) but it is a word of difficulty in regard of the way and passage thither, so it is here taken, which leads mee to a second point, that the way to come to salvation is full of difficulties.

Because there is much adoe to get Lot out of Sodome, Observ. 1.to get Israel out of Egypt, Why the righteous shall scarcely bee saved.it is no easie matter to get a man out of the state of corruption; oh the sweetnesse of sinne to an unregenerate p. 106man, oh how it cuts his very heart, to thinke what pleasures and what profits, & what friends, and what esteeme amongst men he must part withall; what a doe is there to pull him out of the kingdome of Sathan, wherein the strong man held him before?

2Againe, it is hard in regard of the sin that continually cleaves to them in this world, which doth as it were shackle them, and compasse them about in all their performances, They would doe well but sinne is at hand; Rom. 7. 21.Rom 7:21ready to hinder & stop them in good courses, so that they cannot serve God with such cheerfulnesse and readinesse as they desire to doe; Every good worke they doe, it is as it were pulled out of tho fire; they cannot pray but the flesh resists, they cannot suffer but the flesh drawes back; in all their doing and suffering p. 107they carry an enemy in their owne bosomes that hinders them: Beloved, this no small affliction to Gods people; how did this humble Paul when no other affliction laid upon him; Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death? Rom. 7. 24.Rom 7:24it was more troublesome to him than all his irons, and pressures whatsoever.

Besides, it is a hard matter in 3regard of Sathan, for hee is a great enemy to the peace of Gods children; when they are once pulled out of his kingdome, hee sends flouds of reproaches and persecutions after them, and presently sends hue and crie as Pharaoh after the Israelites, oh how it spights him? What? shall a piece of dust and clay bee so neare God, when I am tumbled out of heaven my selfe? though I cannot hinder p. 108him from salvation, I will hinder his peace and joy, he shall not have heaven upon earth, I will make him walke as uncomfortably as I can; thus the Devill as hee is a malignant creature, full of envy against Gods poore Saints, so hee is a bitter enemy of the peace and comfort which they enjoy, and therefore troubles them with many temptations from himselfe and his instraments, to interrupt their peace, and make the hearts of Gods people sad all he can.

Thē by reason of great discouragement & il usage which they finde in the world form wi…ked men, who are the Devils pipes, ledd with his spirit to vexe and trouble the meeke of the earth; (for though they thinke not of it, Sathan is in their divellish natures) hee joynes and goes along with their spirits in p. 109hating and opposing the Saints of God: for indeed, what hurt could they doe but by his instigation? How are good men despised in the world? How are they made the onelyonly Butt to shoot at? Alas beloved, wee should rather incourage men in the waies of holinesse; wee see the number of such as truly feare God is but small, soone reckoned up, they are but as grapes after the vintage, or a few berryes after the shaking; Mieha. 7. 1.one of a City, Jer. 3. 14.Jer 3:14two of a Tribe, they have little incouragement from any, but discouragements on all sides.

Besides this, Scandall makes it a hard matter to bee saved; to see evill courses and evill persons flourish and counten anced in the world; Oh it goes to the heart of Gods people, & makes them slagget at Gods p. 110providence; it is a bitter temptation and shakes the faith of holy men as wee see Psal. 73. Psal. 73.Ps 73Againe,J…. 12. 1. 2. it makes the heart of a good Chris…ian bleed within him, to see scandalls arise from professors of the Gospell, when they are not so watchfull as they should bee, but bring a reproach upon Religion by their licentious lives.

Yea Gods children suffer much for their friends, whose wicked courses are layd to their charge, and sometimes, even by their friends for whilest they live here, the best of all are subject to some weakenes or other, which causeth even those that are our in…ouragers through jealousy or corruption, one way or another, to dishearten and trouble us in the way to heaven.

6This likewise makes the way p. 111difficult, we are too to apt to offend God daily, giving him just cause to withdraw his spirit of comfort from us▪ Which makes us goe mourning all the day long, wanting those sweet refreshments of spirituall joy and peace wee had before; the more comfort Gods child hath in communion with God, the more hee is grieved when hee wants it; When Christ wanted the sweet solace of his Father upon the Crosse, how did it trouble him? My …od, my God, why hast thou for saken mee? How did hee sweate water and bloud in the garden, when hee felt but a little while his Fathers displeasure for sinne? Thus is it with all Gods children, they are of Christs minde in their spirituall desertions.

And when they have gotten a little grace how difficult is it p. 112to keepe it? to keepe our selves in the sense of Gods love? To manage our Christian State aright? to walke worthy of the Gospell, that God may still doe us good and delight to bee present with us? What a great difficulty is it to bee alwaies striving against the Streame, and when wee are cast backe, to get forward still, and not bee d…scouraged till wee come to the haven? None comes to heaven, but they know how they come there.

Now God will have it thus to sweeten heaven unto us;Why God will have the right…ous with such difficulty saved. after a conslicting life peace is welcome, 1heven is heaven indeed 2after trouble; wee can relish it then. Because God will discard hypocrites, in this life; who take up so much of Religiō, as stands with their case and credit in the world, avolding every difficulty p. 113which accompanyes go…linesse, but so they may swimme two wayes at once, goe on in their lusts still and bee religious withall, this they approve of; therefore God will have it a hard matter to bee saved to frustrate the vaine hopes of such wretches▪ Alas, it is an easy matter to bee an hypocrite, but not to live godly.

If the righteous bee saved with much adoe, then never enter upon the profession of Religion with vaine hopes of ease and pleasure, Vsethat it shall be thus and thus with thee &c. herein thou doest but delude thy owne soule, for it wil prove otherwise Forecast therefore what will fall, and gett provision of grace before hand to sustaine thee. As if a man were to goe a dangerous journey, hee provides himselfe of weapons p. 114pons and cordialls and all the incourage…ents he can least hee should faint in the way; where. as hee that walkes for his pleasure provides nothing, hee cares not for his weapon or his cloake, because if a storme comes hee can runne under shelter or into a house &c. He that makes Religion a recreation can walke a turne or two for his pleasure, and when any difficulty arises, can retire and drawe in his hornes againe. An hypocrite hath his reservations and politike ends, and therefore what needs hee any great provision to support him when he knows how to winde out of trouble well enough, rather then to stand couragiously to any thing. But a true Christian that makes it the maine work of his life to please God, armes himself for the worst that can p. 115befall him, and will be saved through thicke or thinne, smooth or rough, whatsoever comes on it, so God will save his soule hee cares not; but rejoyceth (with Paul) if by any mean…s he can attain the resurrectiō of the dead, Ph…l 3. 11.by any meanes, it is no matter what; Let fire and fagott meete with him, yet hee is resolved not to retire for any trouble or persecution whatsoever that standes betweene him and happinesse. Hee is purposely armed to breake through every opposition to the best things and what ever may separate his soule from the favour of God.

I beseech you beloved think of these things,How to make the way to heaven e…sie. and let it bee your wisedome to make the way to heaven as easy as you can; to this end begge the Spirit of Christ, you know the holy p. 116spirit is full of life and strength, it is a spirit of light and comfort and whatsoever is good; the spirit of God is like the winde; as it is subtle in operation and invisible, so it is strong and mighty, it beares all before it; Oh therefore gett this blessed spirit to inlighten thee, to quicken thee, to support thee, &c. and it will carry thy soule couragiously along, above all oppositions and discouragements whatsoever in the way to happinesse.

2Get likewise the particular graces of the Spirit, which will much cheere thee in thy Christian course; above all labour for a spirit of humility; an humble man is sit to doe or suffer any thing; a proud man is like a gouty hand, or a swelled arme, unfit for any Christian performance, he is not in a state to doe p. 117good; but an …ūble mā is thankfull that God will honour …im so farre as to let him suffer for the cause of Christ; hee is wondrous empty and vile in his owne eyes, and admires why God should reserve such infinite matters for so base a worme as hee is.

When Christ would have us take his yoake upon us, he advises us to learne of him to be meeke and lowly, Matth. 11. 29Matt 11:29&c. Some might say, This yoake is heavy, it will pinch mee and gall me: No, saith our Saviour, it shall bee very light and easie; but how shall I get it to be so? Why, get but an humble and meeke spirit, and that will bring rest to your soules.

Againe, labour for a spirit of love; Love is strong as death; it 3will carry us through all. The love of Christ in the Martyrs when the fire was kindled about p. 118them, made them despise all torm…nts what soever: this will warme our hearts, and make us goe cheerfully to worke. Let but a spirit of love be kindled in Gods childe, and it is no matter what he suffers; cast him into the fire, cast him into the dungeon, into prison, whatsoever it bee, hee hath that kindled in his heart, which will make him digest any thing. We see the Disciples when they had the spirit of Christ within them, to warme their hearts, what cared they for whipping or Stockes, &c? You see even base carnall love will make a man indute poverty, disgrace, what not? and shall not this fire that comes from heavē, when it is once kindled in our hearts prevaile much more? what will make our passage to heaven sweete if this will not? Nothing is grievous to a person that loves.

p. 119Exercise your hope likewise, 4set before your eyes the crowne and kingdome of heaven, those admirable things contained in the Word of GOD, which no tongue can …xpresse; let hope feed upon these de…cates, cast Anchor in heaven, and see if it will not make thee goe on cheerefully in a Christian course?

Faith will overcome the world, all the snares of prosperity that would hinder us on the right hand. Faith, it presents things of a higher nature to the soule, better than they; faith likewise overcomes temptations on the left hand, all terrours and discomforts whatsoever, it considers these are nothing to the terrour of the Lord; therefore faith is called the evidence of things not seene, Heb. 11. 1.Heb 11:1because it presents things that are absent as p. 120present to the soule: If life and happinesse be once truly presented to our hearts, what can all the world doe to hinder our passage thither?

5Lastly, we should much endeavor the mortifica…ō of our lusts; for what is it that makes the way to heaven irk some unto us: Is it not this corrupt and proud flesh of ours? which will indure nothing, no not the waight of a straw, but is all for ease and quiet, &c. It is not duty which makes our way difficult, for it was meate and drinke to Christ to doe the will of his father.John 4. 34.John 4:34

Why is it not so with us?Quest.

Because he was borne without sinne,Answ. when Sathan came he found nothing (of his owne) in him; but when hee sollicites us, hee findes a correspondency betwixt our corrupt hearts and himselfe, whereby having intelligence p. 121what we haunt, & what we love, he will be sure to molest us: the lesse wee have of the workes of Sathan in us, the lesse will bee our trouble; and the more wee doe the will of God, and strive against our corruptions, the more will make holy duties delightfull to us; but if wee favour and cherish corruption, it will make Religion harsh; for the wayes of wisedome are wayes of pleasure in themselves, and to the regenerate, &c. I come now to the second clause.

Where shall the sinner and ungodly appeare.

By sinner he meanes him that makes a trade of sinne,What he mea…e…, by sinner. as wee say, a man is of such a trade, because he is daily at worke of it, and lives by it; so a man is a trader p. 122in sinne, that lives in corrupt courses; for it is not one act that denominates a sinner, but the constant practice of his life.

Now this q…estion, Where shall the ungodly appeare, implyes a strong denyall, He shall bee able to appeare no where, especially in these three times.

11. In the day of publike calamity, when God judgements are abroad in the world; the wicked are as Chaffe before the winde, as waxe before the Sun, as stubble before the fire: when God comes to deale with a cōpany of gracelesse wretches, how will he consume and scatter them, and sweep them away as dung from the face of the earth? he will universally make a riddance of them all at once: where shall a Naball stand when judgement comes upon him?1 …. 25. alas, his heart is become a stone; p. 123Where shall Balthazar appeare whē he sees a hand-writing upon the wall?Dan. 5.Dan 5 Oh how the wicked tremble and quake when G O D comes to judge them in this world, though they were a terrour to others before?

But where shall they stand in 2the houre of death? when the world can hold them no longer, when friends shal forsake them, when GOD will not receive them, when Hell is ready to devour them, &c.

And lastly, Where shall the sinner appeare at the day of judgement, that great and terrible day of account, when they shal see al the world in a combustion roūd about them, and the Lord Jesus comming in flaming fire, with his mighty Angels, to take vengeance on such as obey not the Gospell? 2 Thess. 1. 8.2 Thess 1:8how will they then call for the Mountaines to cover p. 124them, and the Hills to fall upon them to hide them from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne, Rev. 6. 16.Rev 6:16and from the wrath of the Lambe, &c. Beloved, I beseech you let the meditation of these things sinke deepe into your hearts, dwell upon them, remember that they are matters which neerly concerne your soule, and no vaine words touching you and your welfare.