Englands Duty Under the Present Gospel Liberty, Sermon 4
SERMON IV.
Revel. 3. 20. Behold I [stand] at the door and knock, &c
THE verb foreign here rendred I stand, is of the praeter tense, and would strictly be rendred I have stood, but being joyned with a verb of the present tense, is here rendred I do stand, a frequent Hebraism in Scripture; and it notes the continued patience and long suffering of Christ. I have stood and still do stand, exercising wonderful patience towards obstinate sinners. Which gives us this fourth Observation,
IV. DOCT.
That great and admirable is the patience of Christ in waiting upon trifling and obstinate sinners.
Thus Wisdom (i. e.) Christ expresses himself, Prov. 1. 24. I have called and ye refused, I have stretched out my Hand and no Man regarded. Here you have not only Christs …arnest calls, but suitable gestures also, to gain attention. The stretching out of the Hand was a signal given to procure attention, Acts 21. 40. yet none regards; and this the Lord doth not once or twice, but all the day long, Isa. 65. 2. shewing forth all longsuffering, as the Apostle speaks, 1 Tim. 1. 16. In the opening of this Point I will shew you,
1. What Divine Patience is.
2. Wherein it is evidenced.
3. Why it is exercised to wards sinners.
First, Of the nature of Divine Patience, it is an ability in God not only to delay the execution of his wrath for a time, towards some, but to delay it in order to the eternal Salvation of others. Let me speak to the parts of this description of Divine Patience.
1. It is an ability or power in God, not the effect of Impotence, or want of opportunity: All sinners are continually within the reach of the Arm of his Justice, and he can strike when and where he will. Esan had a revengeful mind against Iacob, but wanted opportunity, and therefore was forc't to delay the execution of his conceived wrath, until the days for mourning for his Father were come; and then faith he, I will slay my Brother Jacob, Gen. 27. 41. But in God it is a glorious effect of power, Nahum 1. 3. The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power.
The greatness of his patience flows from the greatness of his power: so the Apostle speaks, Rom. 9. 22. What if God willing to shew his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted or made up to destruction. And therefore when Moses prays for the exercise of Divine Patience towards the provoking Israelites, he doth it in this form, Numb. 14. 17, 18. And now I beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is long-suffering, &c. He could exercise this Almighty power upon thee, and crush thee by it as a Moth is crushed; but behold he exercises it upon himself in stopping the propensions of his own Justice, which daily solicit him to cut thee off; tis the power of God over his wrath, bridling, and restraining it from day to day.
2. This Patience is exercised towards such as perish, in a temporary delay of their damnation; and though this be but a meer suspension of his wrath for a time, yet it is a glorious act of Patience in him; as that forecited Text, Rom. 9. 22. shews; is it nothing for a sinner condemned, as soon as born, to be reprieved so many years out of Hell? Thou hast been provoking him dayly and hourly, to cut thee off and send thee to thy own place; and yet to be on this side the ever lasting burnings, this is wholly owing to the riches of his forbearance. Ah, how is God to be admired in this his glorious power over his own wrath! When we look abroad into the World, and see every where sinners ripe for destruction, daring the God of Heaven to his face, yet forborn, how admirable is this Power of God!
3. God doth not only exercise this Power in a temporary suspension of his wrath against some, who alas, must feel it at last;Isa. 48. 8, 9. but he delays the execution of his wrath in a design of mercy towards others, that they may never feel it. Thus he bears with his own Elect, all the years of their lives wherein they lay in the state of Nature, and went on in a course of rebellion against God; and this long-suffering of God towards them proves their Salvation, as you have it in 2 Pet. 3. 15. And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is Salvation. Whats the meaning of that? Ah! Christian, thou maist easily know the meaning of it, without turning over many Commentaries, thou art now in Christ, safely escaped out of the danger of wrath to come; but thou owest this thy Salvation to the patience and long-suffering of God towards thee. For what if he had cut thee off in the days of thy ignorance, and rebellion against him (and thou knowest thou didst give him Millions of provocations so to do,) Where hadst thou now been? Thou hadst never seen Christ, nor the least dawning hope of Salvation by him. Remember, how oft you lay in those days upon beds of sickness, upon the brink of the grave; what was it that saved thee from eternal wrath but this admirable Patience of Christ? Well therefore may the Apostle say, Account the long-suffering of God to be Salvation.
This Patience of God seems to be a branch springing out of his mercy and goodness; only it differs from mercy in this, that Man as miserable is the object of Mercy; but Man as criminal is the object of Patience. Thus briefly of the Nature of Divine Patience, a power of God over his own wrath, not only to suspend it for a time towards them that perish; but to delay the execution of it, in a design of Salvation towards others.
Secondly, Next we come to shew the various evidences of this Divine Patience, or wherein it appears in its glorious manifestations towards provoking sinners; and there are seven full evidences and discoveries of it, which should make the Hearts of sinners melt within them whilst they are sounding in their Ears. Ah, methinks such things as these should melt down your hard Hearts before the Lord.
I. Evidence.
And the first Evidence of the riches of his Patience shall be taken from the multitude of sins that Men and Women are guilty of before him, the least of which is a burden too heavy for any creature to bear; the Psalmist faith, Psal. 40. 12. Innumerable evils have compassed me about. It was true, as applied to the person of David; and though it be there applied to the person of Christ, yet not one of them were his own sins, but ours; called his, by Gods reckoning or imputing them to him. Men can number vast Sums, Millions of Millions, but no Man can number his own sins, they pass all account. There is not a member of the Body though never so small but hath been the instrument of innumerable evils. For instance, the Tongue, the Apostle tells us, is a World of iniquity, Iames 3. 6. and if there be a World of sin in one member, what then are the sins of all? How many idle, frothy, vain words hath thy Tongue uttered? And yet for them Christ saith, Men shall give an account in the day of Iudgment, Matth. 12. 36. And what have the sins of thy thoughts been, The thought of foolishness is sin, saith Solomon, Prov. 24. 9. O who can understand his errors? Yet the Patience of God hath not crackt and broken under such innumerable evils. O glorious Patience! Well may it be ushered in in the Text with a term of admiration, Behold, I stand.
II. Evidence.
The second Evidence of the Divine Patience, shall be taken from the heynous nature of some sins above others, whereby sinners fly, as it were, in the very Face of God; and yet he bears with much long-suffering, lets not loose his Hand to cut them off. All sins are not of one size, some have a slighter tincture, and some a deeper, called upon that account, Scarlet and Crimson sins, Isa. 1. 18. double dyed abominations, sins in Grain; such are sins against knowledge, sins committed after Convictions and Covenants, and rebukes of Providence. I do not only speak of outward gross acts of sin, for as the School-men well determine, though outwards sins are sins of greater infamy, yet inward sins may be sins of greater guilt: Even those sins that never took air to defame thee in the World; but whatever they be (Reader) whether outward or inward, thy Conscience is privy to them, and thy Soul may stand amazed at the Patience of God in forbearing thee all this while under such Provocations, and horrid Rebellions against him; especially considering how many there be this day in Hell that never provoked God by sinning with such a high Hand as thou hast done.
III. Evidence.
Thirdly, It is yet a greater Evidence of the Patience of God in bearing with, and forbearing us, under the guilt of that special sin, viz. The slighting and neglecting of Jesus Christ: Here's a sin that goes to the very Heart of Jesus Christ, he can bear any other sin rather than that; and yet this hath Christ born from every Soul of you, You are the Men and Women that have sputned at the yearning bowels of his Mercies, slighted his Grace, trampled his precious Blood under Foot, and yet hath he forborn you unto this day; read Matth. 22. 5 and let thy Conscience answer, whether thou art not equally deep in the guilt of making light of Christ with those wretches upon whom it is there charged? Christ hath suffered the wrath of God in thy room, brought home Salvation in Gospel offers to thy door; and then to be slighted! no Patience but his own could bear it. Every Sermon and Prayer you have fat under, with a dead Heart; every motion of his Spirit which you have quencht, what is this but the making light of Christ, and the great Salvation? Here the deepest project of infinite Wisdom, and the richest gift of free-grace, wherein God commends his love to Men, are vilely undervalued as small things; and thus have you done days without number; and yet his Hand is not stretched out, to cut thee off in thy Rebellion; Who is a God like unto thee! What Patience like the Patience of Christ!
IV. Evidence.
Fourthly, The length of time, the Patience of Christ hath endured thee, speaks the perfection and riches of his Patience towards thee.
Consider sinner, what Age thou art of, how many Years thou canst Number, and that all this hath been a time of Patience, for thou wast a transgressor from the Womb, Isa. 48. 8, 9. yet for his Name sake hath he deferr'd his anger, and hath not cut thee off. How soon did the wrath of God break forth upon the Angels when they had sinned in Heaven? And how long hath it born with thee, whilst thou hast been provoking him on Earth? Was there ever Patience like the Patience of God! Many thousands have been sent away to Hell fince thy day, but thou art yet spared; Oh that the long-suffering of God might be Salvation to thee!
V. Evidence.
Fifthly, Tis a great Evidence of the power of Divine Patience that may be drawn from the grievousness of our sins to God, during the whole time of his forbearance: Tis true there is no proper passion in the Divine Nature; no real perturbation, his anger is a mild and holy flame, yet the contrariety of sin to the holyness of his Nature is what makes his patience miraculous in the Eyes of Men: The Scripture speaking in a condescending Language to the understanding of the creature, represents God as wounded to the Heart by the sins of Men; so in Ezek. 6. 9. I am broken with their whorish Heart which hath departed from me; and Amos 2. 13. Behold I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves, when the Axel-tree is ready to crack under the load; and 2 Chron. 36. 16 'tis said, The wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no remedy; his Patience would bear no longer, and therefore when he executes his wrath upon provoking sinners, that execution is represented in the nature of an ease or relief to his burdened Patience and Justice, Isa. I. 24. Ah, saith he, I will ease me of my enemies, and avenge me of my adversaries. Yet observe, it comes in with an (ah) with a kind of regret and reluctancy; so in Isa. 1…. 25. Yet a very little while and the indignation shall cease, and my anger in their destruction. God could have given ease and rest this way, to his anger long ago, but he chuses rather still to bear with thee, than on these terms to ease himself of thee.
VI. Evidence.
Sixthly, The vast expences of his riches and bounty upon us, during the whole time of his for bearance and patience towards us, speaks him unconceivable and infinite in his long-suffering towards us, Rom. 2. 4, 5. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? q. d. Vile sinner, canst thou compute the treasures of bounty and goodness, thou hast been riotously spending and wasting all this while? Dost thou know what vast sums Christ hath spent upon thee to preserve thee so long out of Hell? There be two Treasures spending upon sinners all the time of Gods forbearance of them; there's the precious Treasure of thy Time wasted, and the invaluable streams of Gospel Grace running all this while at the waste Spout; thy Time is precious, the Whole of thy Time, which is betwixt thee and Eternity, is but little, and the most thereof has been wasted in sin, and cast away upon vanity; but that's not all, the Treasures of Gospel Grace have been wasting all this while upon thee: In Zach. 4. 12. it is compared to Golden Oyl, maintaining the Lamps of Ordinances; so it is set forth to us in that stately Emblem, Who would maintain a Lamp with Golden Oyl for wanton Children to play by? yet this hath God done while thy soul hath dallied and trifled with him. The Witnesses or Ministers of Christ, in Rev. 11. 3, 4. are compared to those Olive-Trees that drop their precious Oyl, their Gifts, Graces, yea and their natural Spirits with them, into this Lamp to keep it burning; all this while the Blood of Christ hath been running in vain, the Ministers of Christ preaching and beseeching in vain, the Spirit of Christ striving with you in vain. You burn away Golden Oyl, and yet your Lamp is not gone out. Oh, Marvelous Patience! Oh the riches of Gods Forbearance!
VII. Evidence.
Lastly, The riches of Divine Patience towards you, are greatly heightned and aggravated by the quick dispatch the Lord hath made of other sinners, whilst he hath spared and pashover you. This comparative consideration calls upon you in the Apostles language, Rom. 11. 22. Behold the goodness and severity of God, on them which felt severity, but towards thee, goodness; if thou continue in his goodness, otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. Some sinners have been cut off in the beginning of their days, many in the very acts of sin, and those not greater than thy sins; they are gone to their own place, and thou still left for a Monument of the Patience and Forbearance of God. The sin of Achan was not a greater sin, than thy Coveteousness, and the Earthliness of thy Heart is: The sin of Nadab and Abihu in offering up strange fire, than thy superstition, and offering up uncommanded Services to God; yet the Hand of God fell upon them, and smote them dead in the place; in the day and place wherein they sinned they perisht; they were taken away in their iniquities, but thou reserved. Oh, that it might be for an instance and example of the riches of Divine Patience, which may at last lead thee to repentance.
Thus I have given you seven Evidences of the wonderful Patience of Christ, who hath stood, and still doth stand at the door and knock. Next we will enquire into the grounds and reasons of this marvelous Patience of Christ, this astonishing long-suffering of God towards sinners; and there are divers obvious reasons of the long-suffering of God towards Men.
First,1. Reas. The exercise of his Patience is a standing testimony of his reconcilable and merciful nature towards sinful Man. This he shewed forth in his Patience toward Paul; a great example of his merciful Nature for a pattern to them that should hereafter believe on him, 1 Tim. 1. 16. The long-suffering of God is a special part of his manifestative glory; and therefore when Moses desired a sight of his glory, Exod. 34. 6. he proclaims his Name, The Lord, the Lord God merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth. He would have poor sinners look towards him as an atoneable Deity, a God willing to be reconciled, a God that retaineth not his anger for ever; but if poor sinners will take hold of his strength,Isa. 27. 4. and make peace with him, they may have peace. This long-suffering is an attribute very expressive of the Divine Nature; he is willing sinners should know whatever their provocations have been, there is room for pardon and peace, if they will yet come in to accept the terms. This patience is a Diadem belonging to the Imperial Crown of Heaven; the Lord glories in it as what is peculiar to himself, Hos. 11. 9. I will not execute the fierceness of my anger, for I am God, and not Man. q. d. Had I been as Man, the holyest, meekest, and mortifiedst man upon Earth, I had consumed them long ago; but I am god, and not Man, my Patience is above all created Patience; no Husband can bear with his Wife, no Parent with his Child, as God hath born with you; that's one reason of Christs waiting upon trifling sinners, to give proof of his gracious, merciful, and reconcilable nature towards the wrost of sinners.
Secondly,2. Reas. The Lord exercises this admirable Patience towards sinners with design thereby to lead them to repentance; that's the direct aim and intention of it. The Lord desires and delights to see ingenuous relentings and brokenness of Heart for sin, and there is nothing like his Forbearance and Patience promotes such an Evangelical Repentance. All the terrors of the Law will not break the Heart of a sinner, as the Patience and Long-suffering of God will do; therefore it is said, Rom. 2. 4. That the Goodness, Forbearance and Long-suffering of God leads Men to Repentance; these are fitted to work upon all these principles of humanity, which incline Men to Repentance; Reason, Conscience, Gratitude, feel the influences of the goodness of God herein, and melt under it; Sauls Heart relented in this case, 1 Sam. 24. 17. Is this thy voice my Son David? and Saul lift up his voice and wept: And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I, for thou hast rewarded me good, where as I have rewarded thee evil. Thus the Goodness and Forbearance of God, doth as it were take sinner by the Hand, leads him into a corner, and saith, Come, let thou and I talk together; thus and thus Vile hast thou been, and thus and thus Long-suffering and Merciful have I been to thee; thy Heart hath been full of sin, the Heart of thy God hath been gull of pity and mercy. This puts the sinner into Tears, breaks his Heart in pieces; if any thing in the World will melt a hard Heart, this will do it. Oh, how good hath God been to me! How have I tryed his Patience to the uttermost, and still he waiteth to be gracious, and is exalted that he may have compassion; the Sobs and Tears, the ingenuous Thaws and Relentings of a sinners Heart under the apprehensions of the sparing Mercy and Goodness of God is the Musick of Heaven.
Thirdly,3. Reas. The Lord excercises this long-suffering towards sinners to clear his Justice in the damnation of all the obstinate refusers of Chirst and Marcy. Christ waits at our doors now, that he may be clear in his sentence against us hereafter. This Patience of Christ takes away all Apologies and Pleas out of the Mouths of impenitent sinners; the more Christ's Patience hath been, the less defence or plea they will have for themselves.
Think with thy self sinner, what wilt thou answer in the great day, when Christ shall say, Did not I stand at thy door from day to day, from Sabbath to Sabbath, from year to year, calling, woing, perswading thee to be reconciled, and accept Pardon and Mercy in the proper season of them, and thou wouldst not? Rev. 2. 21. I gave her space to repent, and she repented not. Well, the Lord gives you time now, a space of repentance, such a space as millions of Souls gone out of Time into a miserable Eternity never had, With whomsoever Christ hath been quick and severe, to be sure he hath not been so with you. This time of Christ's Patience will be evidence enough to clear Christ and condemn you: Men and Angels shall applaud the sentence as dreadful as it is, and say, Righteous art thou, O Lord, in Judging thus.
Fourthly,4. Reas. The Lord draws forth and exercises his admirable Patience towards sinners for the continuation and propagation of the Church. The Church must be continued and propagated from Age to Age, and if God should be quick in cutting off sinners▪ as soon as ever they provoke him, whence shoul the elect of God rise in this World? There are thousands of God's Elect in the Loins of God's Enemies. Many that will heartily embrace Christ must rise from such as reject him.
Now if God should cut off these in the beginning of their provocations, how should the Church be continued? Where had good Abijah and Hezekiah been, if wicked Ieroboam and Ahaz had been cut off in their first transgressions? The Lord suffers many a wicked Parent to stand for a time under his Patience, because Children are to spring from them who will obey and embrace brace that Christ whom their wicked Parents rejected: Yea, the Wicked do not only propagate the Church, but are useful to preserve and defend it; as the useless chass is a defence to the Wheat, Rev. 12. 16. The Earth shall help the Woman.
Fifthly,5. Reas. To Conclude, the Lord excerciseth this long-suffering towards sinners in a gracious condescension to the Prayers of his People. Were it not that the Lord had left a small remnant, we had been as Sodom, we had been like unto Gomorah, Isa. 1. 9.
The Prayers and Intercessions of the Saints are a skreen betwixt wicked Men and the wrath of God for a time, Iob 22. 30. The innocent preserve the Island. The World stands by the Prayers of the Saints; what multitudes of rebellious, Christ-despising sinners swarm this day in every part of this Nation? Such as declare by their open practice they will not have Christ to reign over them: Who contemn his offers, despise his Messengers; but blessed be God, yea and let them bless him too, that there are others mourning to the Lord for them, beseeching his forbearance towards them. Little do the wicked know how much they are beholding to the Prayers of the Saints. These and such like Reasons prevail with the Lord Jesus to stand in waiting, patient posture, at the doors of sinners. Ah. how loath is he to give them up! We now proceed to the Uses of this Point, by way of
1. Information.
2. Exhortation.
3. Consolation.
I. Vse.
And first, this Point will be very fruitful for Information of our Understandings in divers great and useful Points, both Doctrinal and Practical, wherein every Soul among you is deeply concerned; and therefore I beseech you let them be heard and pondred with an answerable attention and seriousness of Spirit; and the first Inference shall be this,
I. Inference.
If the Lord Jesus do exercise such admirable Patience towards sinners, Then hou much better is it for poor sinners to be in the Hands of Christ, than in the Hand of the best and holiest Man in the World? O sinner, tis better for thee to fall into the Hands of the Meek and Merciful Jesus, than into the Hand of the dearest Friend thou hast upon Earth; no Creature can bear what Christ hears; no Patience like the Patience of Christ; tis said of Moses, Numb. 11. 12 Now the Man Moses was meek above all the Men upon the face of the Earth. There was never such a Man born into the World, for Patience, Meekness, and Long-suffering, as Moses was; and yet for all that, this mirror of Meekness could not bear the Provocations of Israel; You Rebels, saith he, must I draw Water for you out of the Rock? Thus was his Spirit russled with the provocations of Israel, and this lost him the Land of Canaan. Ionah was a good Man, a Prophet of the Lord, yet because the Lord would not be so quick and severe with Niniveh, as Ionah would have had him, In what uncomly Language doth his angry Soul return upon his God? Ionah 4. 2. O Lord, saith he, was not this my saying when I was yet in my Country? Therefore I sled before unto Tarshish, for I knew thou wert a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil; therefore now, O Lord, take I beseech thee my life from me, for it is better for me to dye than to live. q. d. Ah, Lord, I knew it would come to this, I knew thy gracious nature, how inclinable thou art to mercy, and that upon the first appearance of their repentance, thou wouldst repent of the evil, and so free-grace would make me as a lyer among them.
Nay, give me leave to speak a higher word than all this, and let it not seem strange that the Patience of the glorified Saints in Heaven is nothing to the Patience of Christ towards provoking sinners upon Earth. Those glorified Souls that be above, though they have Patience, among other Graces, perfected in its kind, yet still it is but Created, finite Patience, and it cannot bear what Christ's Patience bears; take an instance of it out of Rev. 6. 9, 10, 11. I saw under the Altar the Souls of those that were slain for the Word of God, and for the testimony which the held; and they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, Dost thou not judge and avenge our Blood on them that dwell on the Earth? And it was said unto them, That they Should rest for a little season. Here you see glorified Souls less able to bear the slow pace of Justice towards their Enemies, than Christ was. 'Tis true, here was no sinful impatience, but yet a patience short of Christs infinite Patience. Ah, if you were to depend upon the Patience of any creature in Heaven or Earth, you had worn it out long ago. I will not execute the fierceness of my anger, for I am God and not Man. Ah, 'tis well we have to do with a God; if a Man find his enemy will he let him go well away? 1 Sam. 24. 19. No, no, he will reckon before he part with him. Sinner, the Lord finds thee dayly in thy sins, and yet lets thee go; yet beware thou try not his Patience too far, lest vengeance overtake thee at last, and pay the justice of God with all the arrearages due to his Patience.
II. Inference.
Hence it follows, that convinced and broken hearted sinners need not be discouraged in going to Iesus Christ for mircy, seeing he exercises such wonderful Patince towards obstinate and refusing sinners.
This inference breaths pure Gospel; it is a Cordial to chear the Heart that is moving towards Christ, with fear and trembling. 'Tis a great artifice of the Devil to daunt and discourage courage poor convinced sinners, by telling them there is no hope of mercy for them▪ that they shall find the Arms of Mercy closed, the Bowels of Compassion shut up; that the Time of Mercy is now past, they come too late. O how busie is Satan with such suggestions as these in many of your Souls? But I am come to tell you this day that these are but the artifices of the Enemy; you are going to the Fountain of Mercy, Patience, Goodness and Long-suffering; go on, and you shall find abundantly more than you expect. He will not cast off a Soul that comes Mourning and Panting towards him, and is willing to subscribe the Gospel articles of Reconciliation: No, he will not shut out such a Soul whatever its rebellions and provocations have been. Sinner, thou art going to the meek and merciful Jesus, Matth. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest; take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly. You are going to Meekness and Mercy it self; he is the Lamb of God, that is his name; go on then poor trembling sinner, dont stand any longer at shall I? Shall I? with Christ; but make a bold but necessary adventure of Faith; try him once, and then report what you find im to be: Certainly if he exercises such Patience towards the Vessels of wrath, whilst they are sitting to destruction; as he doth Rom. 9. 22 he will not want Patience for a Yessel of Mercy, preparing by Humiliation and Faith for Christ and Glory. Doth he forbear those that stand out in defiance, and will he fall upon those that are mourning to him upon the Knee of submission? Shall a damnede wretch, that is preparing for Hell find so much forbearance, and a poor broken hearted sinner none? It cannot be. If Jesus Christ forbare thee when thy Heart was as hard as a Rock and could not yield one Tear, one Sigh for sin, will he execute his Wrath upon thee, will he shew thee no Mercy, when thy Heart is broken all to pieces with sorrow, and filled with loathing and detestation against sin and thy self for sin? Did he forbear thee when sin was thy delight? And will he destroy thee now it is thy burden? It cannot be.
Moreover, if the Lord Jesus had not a mind to shew Mercy to thy poor Soul: Now, now, that thine Eyes are opened and thy heart touched to the quick, why hath he forborn the execution of his wrath so long? He might have taken his own time to cut you off when he would, he might have made any day the execution day: But sure among all the days of thy life, the day of thy Humiliation, the day of thy Faith, is not like to prove that day.
Again, as great and vile sinners as thy self have adventured upon the Grace of Christ, and sound it infinitly beyond their expectation. These the Lord Jesus hath set forth as incouraging examples to all the broken hearted sinners that are coming after; that they seeing how it hath fared with their forerunners to Christ, might be incouraged to come on with the more confidence, 1 Tim, 1. 16. But I obtained mercy, that in me first Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern for them that should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Well then, shut your Ears against all the whispers of Satan, entertain no evil reports of Christ; the Devil loves to draw a false picture of Christ, and represent him in the most discouraging form to poor trembling sinners, but you will not find him so. What can Christ say more to convince and satisfie Souls than he hath done? He hath left the bosom of the Father, he hath taken union with thy Nature, he hath poured out his Soul unto Death; he hath told us, Those that come unto him, he will in no wise cast out. Thousands are gone before us in the paths of Repentance and Faith, and found it according to his Word; you have been spared all your Life, to this day of Mercy, O do not stand off now upon such weak objections.
III. Inference.
The long-suffering of Christ toward Sinners, instructeth and teacheth his Ministers to imitate their Lord in a Christ-like Patience and Long-suffering. Christ is our pattern of Patience, if he wait, much more may we; we think it much to stand from Sabbath to Sabbath, Woing, Pleading and Inviting, and are apt to be discouraged when we see no fruit follw. The want of success is apt to cast us under Ieremiahs temptation, To speak no more in his Name; and to lament with Isaiah, That we have laboured in vain; 'tis a hard case to Study, Pray and Preach, and see all our labours return in vain. 'Tis not so much the expending as the returning of our labours upon us in vain, that discourageth our Hearts. Ministers would not dye so fast,Mr. Lockier in Colos. saith one of them, nor be grayheaded so soon, did they see the fruit of their labours upon their people. But let us look to our pattern in the Text, Behold I stand at the door and knock. If the Master wait, let not the Servants be weary; The Servant of the Lord must not strive, but be patient towards all; wasting, if at any time, God will give them repentance, 2 Tim. 4. 24.
Though the beginnings be small, our latterend may greatly increase; though we now fish with Angles, and take but now one, and then another; the time may come, and we hope is at the door, when we shall spread our Nets, and inclose multitudes. Aretius a pious Divine comforted himself thus, under the insuccessfulness of his Labours, Dabit posterior aetas tractabiliores fortasse animas, mitiora pectora quam nostra habent tempora. Future days will afford more tractable Spirits, and easier tempers of Mind, than our present times afford. Beside, the fruit of our labours may spring up to a blessed harvest when we are gone, Iohn 4. 37. One Man soweth and another reapeth; but if not, our reward will not be measured by the success, but the sincerity of our designs and labours. Our zeal for conversion of Souls to Christ will be accepted, but our discouragement in his service will certainly displease him. If Israel be not gathered, yet shall we be glorious in the Eyes of the Lord. However, let this be a caution to you, that hear us, that you cast not our Souls under such discouragements. If I may speak, the sense of others, from my own experience, then I can assure you, that the fixedness of your Hearts in the ways of sin, and your untractableness to the calls of God, are a greater burden and discouragement to us than all the sufferings we have met withal from the World; yet are we contented to Pray in hope, and Preach in hope, incouraging our selves (the Lord grant it be not without ground) that a crop shall yet spring up, which shall make the Harvest-men laugh.
IV. Inference.
From the Patience and Long-suffering of Christ, we may learn the invaluable preciousness of Souls, and the high esteem Christ hath for them.
Though your Souls be cheap in your own Eyes, and you are contented to sell them for a trifle, for a little sensual pleasure and ease; some of you will hazard them for a Shilling, yet certainly Jesus Christ hath an high asteem of them, else he would never stand knocking with such importunity, and waiting with such wonderful patience, for the Salvation of them. Christ knows their worth though you do not, he accounts, and so should you, one of your Souls more worth than the whole World, Matth. 16. 26. The Soul of the poorest Child, or meanest Servant, that hears me this day, is of greater value in Christ's Eye than the whole World; and he hath given three great evidences of it, (1.) That he thought it worth his Heart Blood to redeem and save it, 1 Pet. 1. 19. You were not redeemed with Silver and Gold, but with the precious Blood of the Son of God. Had they not been precious in his Eyes he would never have shed his most precious Blood to ransom them. (2.) Were they not highly valuable in his Eyes he would never wait with such unwearied Patience to save them as he doth. He hath born Thousands of repulses, and unreasonable denials from you: Sinner, Christ hath knockt at thy door in many a Sermon, in many a Prayer, in many a sickness, in all which thou hast put him off, denyed him or delayed him; yet still he continues knocking and waiting. Thou couldst not have made the poorest Beggar in the World wait at thy door, so long as thy Redeemer hath been made to wait, and yet he is not gone. At this day his voice sounds in thine ears, Behold I stand at the door and knock. Here's clear demonstration of the preciousness of thy Soul in the Redeemer's Eyes. And then Lastly, When Christ ends the Treaty, and gives up the Souls of Men for lost, and unperswadable, with what regret and sorrow doth he part with them! Never did one Friend part from another with such demonstrations of sorrow as Christ parteth with the Souls of sinners. The Bowels of his compassion roul together; for the knows what is coming upon them, and what that eternal misery is into which their wilful rejection of him will cast them: In Luke 19. 22. you find the Redeemers tears wept over obstinate Ierusalend, And when he came nigh to the City, he wept over it, and said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace; but now they are did from thine Eyes. Like unto this is that expression, Isa. 1. 24. Ah, I will ease me of mine enemies, &c. Though it be an ease to his Justice, yet he cannot give them up without an ah, an interjection of sorrow; so in Hosea 11. 8. How shall I give thee up Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee Judah? I must do it, but how shall I go about it? All these expressions shew the great value God hath for your Souls; and did you know it also, certainly you would not make Christ wait one hour longer.
V. Inference.
Hence it follows, That greater is the sin, and severer will be the condemnation of them that perish under the Gospel, than of all other People in the World. Let me speak freely to you that hear me this day, Jesus Christ hath spent more of the riches of his Patience upon you in one year, yea, in this very day, than he hath spent upon the heathen World in all the days of their lives; they never heard of Christ, and the great Salvation; they have had no calls to Faith and Repentance, as you have had; dont think God hath dealt at this rate with other Nations. You have his Sabbaths, Ministers, Calls, he hath not dealt so with other Nations; and as for these things they have not known them, Psal. 147. 19. God hath dealt in a peculiar way with us, and these special favours will make dreadful accounts: He told the Iews among whom he had preacht and wrought his Miracles, It would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorah, in the day of Iudgment, than for them; and in his Name I will tell you this day, that Barbarous Indians and Americans will have a milder Hell than you; Mitius ardent, and as the Lord told Ezechiel chap. 3. 5, 6. Thou art not sent to a People of a strange Speech, and of an hard Language, whose words thou canst not understand; surely had I sent thee to them, they would have harkned unto thee; but the house of Israel will not harken unto thee, for they will not harken unto me: For all the house of Israel are impudent and hard hearted.
Ah, Brethren 'tis a sad Truth that the Ministers of Christ have found more fruit of their Labours among the Salvage Americans, than in England, a People born and bred up under the Gospel. Had heathenish People your Sabbaths, your Ministers and Bibles, they would not deal by Christ as you have done: But look you to it, for certainly the severity of his Justice will at last recompence the expence of his Patience: There are two Glasses turned up this day, and both almost run down; the Glass of the Gospel running down on Earth, and the Glass of Christ's Patience running down in Heaven. Be sure of it, that for every sand of Mercy, every drop of Love that runs down in vain in this World, a drop of wrath runs into the vial of wrath which is fitting in Heaven.
VI. Inference.
If Christ have exercised such admirable Patience, and Long-suffering towards you, before he could gain entrance into your Hearts; then you have all the reason in the World to exercise your Patience for Christ, and account all long-suffering to be your unquestionable duty. Christ was not weary in waiting upon you, be not you weary in waiting upon him or for him. Now there are three things wherein the People of God will have much occasion to exercise their Patience with respect to Christ, (1.) You will need a great deal of Patience to wait for the returns and answers of your Prayers; you knock and wait, at the door of Mercy, and no answer comes; hereupon discouragement and weariness seizeth your Spirits. Possibly some of you have Prayers many years agone upon the file in Heaven, some upon Spiritual accounts, and some upon Temporal; and because the answer is not dispatcht, your Eyes are ready to fail with waiting, for the Lord may bear long with his own Elect, Luke 18. 7. The seed of Prayer lyes under the clods, and will at last spring up, for he never said to the seed of Jacob, Seek me in vain; none seek God in vain but those that seek him vainly. Now you should not be too quick and short breathed in waithing upon God, for the returns of Prayer, considering how long you made Christ wait upon you.
(2.) You will have occasion to exercise your Patience in bearing the burden of reproaches, and sufferings for Christ; For to you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe, but also to suffer for his sake, Phil. 1. 29. Sufferings you see are the Gifts of Christ, the Comforts of sufferings is his Gift, and so are the abilities to suffer-also; and that which will encrease your suffering-ability, will be the confideration of Christ's long-suffering towards you, and the hard things he endured for you and from you.
(3.) You will have occasion to exercise your Patience for the day of your compleat Redemption and Salvation. If you love Christ fervently, the time of your separation from him will be born difficultly; vehement love needs the allay of Patience, 2 Thes. 3. 5. The Lord direct your Hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. Others need much Patience to dye, but such will need as much Patience to live; but whatever the exercises of your Patience shall be, whether in waiting for the returns of your Prayers, in bearing the cross and sufferings of Christ, or in waiting for the day of your compleat Redemption and enjoyment of Christ: This single consideration, that Christ stood and waited so long upon you, is enough to fortisie your Patience against all the difficulties it shall encounter
VII. Inference.
Lastly, If Christ thus patiently wait upon trifling and obstinate sinners, then let no godly person be discouraged because their unregenerate Relations have not yet made their first step towards Christ in the way of Repentance and saving Faith.
It may be you have layed up a great stock of Prayers for them, the believing Husband hath prayed for his unbelieving Wife, and the believing Wife for her unbelieving Husband; godly Parents for their ungodly Children, and the gracious Child for his ungodly Parents; and yet no returns of Prayer appear. Many cries are gone up to Heaven like that of Abraham, Gen. 17. 18. O that Ishmael might live before thee. Well, be not discouraged, Christ is contented to wait, and therefore well may you. Those cries of Parents, Lord my poor Child is in the state of Nature, look in mercy upon him, open his Eyes, break his Heart for sin, draw his Will to Christ; these cries may not be lost, though the fruit of them yet appear not; consider how long Christ waited upon you. There be three things that encourage hope, (1.) That your Hearts and theirs were of the same natural complection and temper; and the same power which opened your Hearts can open theirs; thy understanding was once as dark, thy Heart as hard, and thy Will as inflexible as thy carnal Relations now are. The same Hand tha opened thy Heart, can open theirs. Dont think Christ had an easier task to win thy Heart, than he will have to win theirs. Almighty Power wrought upon you, and the same Power can work effectually upon them; the Lord's Hand is not shortned. (2ly.) You have reason to wait, for as much as it is probable you your selves have put stumbling-blocks into the way of their Souls to Christ, and hindred the returns of your own Prayers for the conversion of your carnal Relatives. Oh Christians, there is more due to them than your Prayers, Prayers must be backt with examples; had they not only heard your cries to God for them, but seen your suitable encouraging pattern set before them also; you and yours might have rejoyced together long ago. But (3ly.) consider that God many times makes the fruit of such Prayers to spring up after those that sowed them are dead and gone. The Lord may give life to your Prayers when you are dead: Certainly your Prayers dye not with you. 'Tis the opinion of some that Paul's conversion was the return of Stephen's Prayer, Lord lay not this sin to their charge. Stephen died, but his Prayers lived, and were answered upon one that stood by and consented to his death: But however it be, wait on; if your Prayers come not into their bosoms, they will certainly return into your own. Here's duty discharged, love to Christ and their Souls manifested; which will be your comfort howsoever God disposes the event.
II. Vse.
Secondly, The Doctrine of Christ's Patience puts a great and serious Exhortation into my Mouth this day, to press one of the greatest Duties upon you that ever I pressed in the whole course of my Ministry among you: And could I deliver this Exhortation to you upon my Knees, with Tears of Blood mingled with my words, might that prevail, I would surely do it. My Exhortation is, to all that are in an unregenerate state, that they presume not to try the Patience of Christ any longer. If you have any regard to your eternal Happiness, exercise not his Patience beyond this hour. Oh that this hour might put an end to Christ's waiting, and your danger! Hitherto you have wearied Men, but will you weary God also? Christ hath called, but you have resused; he hath stretched out his Hands but you have not regarded. Your thoughts have been wandering after vanity, whilst the voice of the Gospel hath been sounding in your Ears; some of you have been sottish and uncapable to apprehend spiritual Truths; others of you sensual, given up to the pleasures of the World, and abandoning all serious thoughts about the World to come. Some of you have been buried alive in the cares of the World, and others setled upon a dead formality in Religion; and to this day Christ hath called upon you in vain. Now that which I exhort you to, is that you venture not to try the Patience of Christ one day longer; if you have any regard to the everlasting happiness of your Souls, come not under the guilt and danger of one denial or delay more; if you ask me why? Why may we not venture a little longer? Christ hath born all this while, and will he not bear a little longer? May we not take a little more pleasure in sin? May we not hazard one Sermon, or Sabbath more, and yet not perish? I answer, No. If your Souls be precious in your Eyes let there be no more denials nor delays to Christ's suit. For (1.) how patient and long-suffering soever Christ hath been, yet there will be an end of the day of his Patience; a time when he will wait no longer, when his Spirit shall strive no more with you. There is a knock of Christ at the Heart, which will be the last knock that ever he will give; and after that no more knocks. A time when the Master of the house will rise up and the door be shut. You have had to do with a meek and patient Christ hitherto; but believe it sinners, there is a day called, the day of the wrath of the Lamb, and that day is dreadful, Rev. 6. 16. where you find sinners, crying to the Rocks and Mountains to fall upon them, and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. O if his wrath be once kindled though but a little, blessed are they that trust in him, that have finished their agreement with him. The day of Christ's Patience towards Ierusalem was a long day, but it had an end, Matth. 23. 37. and it ended in their desolation; therefore try the Patience of Christ no further; you know not the limits of it, it may end with your next refusal, and then where are you? (2ly.) The longer Christ hath exercised his Patience already towards you, the more terribly will he avenge the abuse of it in Hell upon you. 'Tis past doubt with me that there are different degrees of Torment in Hell; the Scriptures are plainly and clearly for it. Now among all the aggravations of the Torments of Hell, none can be greater than the reflections of damned Souls upon the abused Patience and Grace of Christ. Those that had the best means, the loudest calls, and the longest day under the Gospel, will certainly have the hottest place in Hell, if the goodness and long-suffering of Christ do not now lead them to Repentance; the cries of such Souls will be heard above the cries of all the other miserable wretches that are cast away. 'Twill be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah, than for Capernaum, Matth. 11. 23.
Oh, Friends, you little know the smart reflections of Conscience in Hell, upon such hours as you now enjoy; such wooing, charming voices and allurements, to Christ as you now hear. There are many thousands of Souls in Hell, that came thither out of the dark heathenish parts of the World, where they never heard of Christ; but your misery will be far beyond theirs; your reflections more sharp and bitter: Therefore delay no longer, lest you perish with peculiar aggravations of misery. (3ly.) Try the Patience of Christ no further, I beseech you, for as much as you see every day the Patience of Christ ending towards others. Patience coming down, and Justice ascending the Stage, to triumph over the abusers of Mercy. You dont only read in Scripture of the finishing and ending of God's Patience with Men, but you may see it every day with your own Eyes. If you look into Scripture, You may find the Patience of God ended towards multitudes of Sinners, who possibly had the same presumptions, and vain hopes for the continuance of it that you now have: If you look into 1 Pet. 3. 19, 20. you shall there find that Christ went and preached to the Spirits in prison, which sometimes were disobedient; when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah. The meaning of it is this, that in the days before the Flood, Christ by his Spirit strove with disobedient and rebellious sinners, in the Ministry of Noah, who then were living Men and Women, as now we are, but now are Spirits in prison, (i. e.) damned Souls in Hell, for their disobedience: And truly, Brethren, you may frequently behold the glass of Patience run down, the very last sand in it spent upon others. Whenever you see a wicked Christless Man or Woman dye, you see the end of God's Patience with that Man or Woman, and all this for a warning to you, that you adventure not to trifle and dally with it as they did. (4ly.) Lastly, Do not try God's Patience any longer (if you love your Souls) for this Reason, because when Men grow bold, and incourage themselves in sin, upon the account of God's forbearance and long-suffering towards them; there cannot be a more certain sign that his Patience is very near its end towards that Soul. 'Tis time for God to put an end to his Patience when it is made an encouragement to sin. God cannot suffer so vile an abuse of his glorious Patience, nor endure to see it turned into wantonness: This quickly brings up sin to its finishing act and perfection, and then Patience is just upon finishing also. That Patience is thus abused, appears from Eccles. 8. 11. and when it is so abused look for a suddain change. O, therefore, beware of provoking God, for now the day of Patience is certainly near its end with such sinners, Prov. 1. 24, 25, 26. Because I have called… and ye refused, I have stre…ched out my Hand and no Man regarded: But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh. When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind. Ah, when sinners scolt and mock at the threatnings of God, and bear themselves up, upon his Patience, as that which will never crack under them; then look out for a whirlwind, a suddain Tempest of wrath which shall hurry such Souls into Hell. Then misery comes like a storm blowing furiously from all quarters. Well, the Heavens are yet clear over you, but a storm is nigh, and may be certainly presaged from such vite abuses of the glorious Patience of Christ towards you. That's the first Exhortation, try not the Patience of Christ by any further delays
II. Exhortation.
Secondly, Admire Christ's Patience and forbearance of you until now, that he hath not cut you off in your sin, but lengthned out his Patience unto this day, and brought about your Salvation by his long-suffering towards you. Here now I must change my voice and turn it unto those whose Hearts the Lord hath opened: Stand amazed at the riches of his Grace towards you and see that you account this long-suffering of God to be your Salvation; for in plain Truth it is so: your Salvation was bound up in Christ's forbearance; if Christ had not born as he did, you had not been where you are. I could heartily wish that all the time you can redeem from the necessary employments you have in the World, may now be spent in an humble, thankful admiration of this admirable Grace and Patience of Christ, and answerable duties to the intentions and ends thereof. To this end I shall subjoyn divers weighty Considerations, which, methinks, should melt every Heart wherein the lest drachm of saving Grace is found.
Bethink your selves of the great and manifold provocations you have given the▪ 1. Consid.Lord to put an end to all further Patience towards you; not only in the days of your vanity and unregeneracy, but enen since your reconciliation to him. Do you not believe thousands of sinners are now in the depths of Hell, who never provoked the Lord at an higher rate than you have done? Were you not herded once among the vilest of sinners, 1 Cor. 6. 11. And such were some of you; as vile as the vilest among them; yet you are washed in the Blood of Christ, and your companions roaring in the lowest Hell; or if your lives were more clean, sure your Hearts and Natures were as filthy as theirs. And certainly your sins since the time of Reconciliation have had special aggravations in them, enough to put an end to all further mercies towards you. Light and Love have aggravated these sins, and yet the Lord will not cast you off.
How often have you been upon the very brink of Hell,2. Consid. in the days of your unregeneracy? Every sickness, and every danger of life which you escaped in those days, was a marvelous escape from the everlasting wrath of God. Had thy Disease prevailed one degree further, thou hadst been past hope; and out of the reach of Mercies Arm now. Doubtless some of you can remember when in such and such a Disease you were like a Ship riding in a furious storm by one Cable, and two or three of the strands of that Cable were snapt asunder. So it hath been with you, the thread of life how weak soever, hath held till the bonds of union betwixt Christ and your Souls are fastned, and the eternal hazard over. This is admirable Grace.
How often hath Death come up into your Windows, entred into your Houses,3. Consid. fetcht off your nearest Relations; but had no commission to carry you out with them; because the Lord had a design of Mercy upon your Souls.
This cannot but affect a gracious Heart, that God should smite so near, and yet spare you.
Lastly,4. Consid. This is affecting, yea very transporting; that God hath not only given you time beyond others, but in that time the precious opportunities and means of your Salvation, both external and internal; there's the very marrow and kernel of the Mercy; had God lengthned out his Patience for a while, but given you no means of Salvation; or afforded you the means, but denied you the blessing and efficacy of them; at the most it could have been but a reprieve from Hell: but for the Lord to give you the Gospel, and with the Gospel to send down his Spirit, to perswade and open thy Heart to Christ; here is the riches of his goodness as well as forbearance.
III. Exhortation.
This Doctrine of the Patience of Christ exhorts all that have felt it, to exercise a Christ-like Patience towards others; as you have found the benefit of Divine Patience your selves, see that you exercise the meekness and long-suffering of Christians towards those that have wronged and injured you. Who should shew Patience more than those that have found it? Dont be severe, short and quick with others who have lived your selves so many years upon the long-suffering of God. We are poor short-spirited Creatures, quick to revenge injuries, but oh, had God been so to us, miserable had our condition been. Christ hath made this duty the very scope of that excellent parable, Matth. 18. from the 25 verse onward, where the King takes an account of his Servants, reckoning with them one by one, and amongst them finds one which owed him Ten thousand Talents, and having not to pay, commands him his Wife and Children, and all he had to be sold, and payment to be made; but the Servant falling down, and begging Patience, his Lord was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and not only forbore but forgave the debt; one would think the Heart of this Man should have been a fountain of compassion towards others; but see the deep corruption of Nature, the same Servant finding one of his fellow-servants which owed him but an Hundred pence, laid Hands on him and took him by the Throat. Alas, the wrongs done to us are but trif…les, compared with our injuries done to God; where others have wronged you once, you have wronged God a thousand times. Methinks the Patience of Christ towards you should melt your Hearts into an ingenuous easiness to forgive others; especially considering that an unforgiving Spirit is a dreadful sign of an unforgiven person.
IV. Exhortation.
Burden not the Patience of Christ after your admission of him, and reconciliation to him; let it suffice that you tried his Patience long enough before, give him no new exercises now he is come to dwell in and with you for ever. There be two ways wherein God's own People do greatly provoke him after their Reconciliation.
1. By slugishness to Duty.
2. By sinning against Light.
1. By slugishness and deadness of Spirit in the ways of Duty and Obedience; turning a deaf ear to the calls and motions of Christ's Spirit exciting them to the sweet and pleasant Duties of Religion. We have a sad instance of this in the Spouse, Cant. 5. 2, 3. It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me my Sister, my Love, my Dove, my Vndefiled; for my Head is filled with dew, and my Locks with the drops of the night. One would think that Christ might have opened the Heart of his own Spouse with less solicitation, and importunate Arguments than he here useth; what Wife could shut the door upon her own dear Husband, and bar him out of his own house? And yet see the lazy excuse she makes, vers. 3. I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on? I have washed my Feet, how shall I defile them?
Oh, the slugishness of Flesh, even in Regenerate persons! Those that have opened the door to Christ by Regeneration, even they do often shut the door against Christ in the hours and seasons of Communion with him. Strange, that such a suiter as Christ should be put by, moving and calling to such heavenly pleasant exercises as Communion with him is; but flesh will be flesh even in the most Spiritual Christians; little do we know what a grief this is to Christ, and loss to us.
2ly. Many grieve Christ's Spirit, and sorely try his Patience, even after Reconciliation, by sinning against Light and Love; that caution, Ephes. 4. 30. is not without weighty cause, and grieve not the holy Spirit of God, by which you are sealed to the day of Redemption.
Do we thus requite the Lord? is this the return we will make him for all his admirable kindness and unparallel'd Love towards us? Certainly, Christ can put up a thousand injuries from his Enemies, easier than such affronts from his own People; did you not promise him better obedience? Did you not engage to more holiness and watchfulness, in the day that you sued out your pardon, and made up your peace with him? Are all those Vows and Covenants forgotten? If you have forgotten them God hath not.
V. Exhortation.
Improve the time that remains in this World with double diligence, because you made Christ wait so long, and cast a way so great a part of your life, before you opened your Hearts to rereceive him. The morning of your life which was certainly the freshest and freest part of it, was no better than time lost with many of us; all the days of your unregeneracy Christ was shut out, and vanity shut into your Hearts: You never began to live till Christ gave you life, and that was late in the day with many of you. How should this provoke to extraordinary diligence in those few remains of time we have yet to enjoy? It was Austin's lamentation, O Lord, it repents me, saith he, that I loved thee so late. This consideration excited Paul to extraordinary diligence for Christ. It made him fly up and down the World, as a Seraphim, in a flame of holy zeal for Christ. Those that have much to write, and are almost come to the end of their paper, had need write close. Friends, you have something to do for God upon Earth, which you cannot do for him in Heaven, Isa. 38. 18, 19. You that have carnal Relations have something to do for them here, which you cannot do in Heaven. You can now Counsel, Exhort, and Pray, in order to their Conversion and Salvation; but when you are gone down to the Grave, these opportunities of service are cut off.
VI. Exhortation.
Let us all be ashamed and humbled for the baseness of our Hearts and Natures, which made Christ wait at the door so long, before we opened to him. O what wretched Hearts have we! That were no more affected with the groans of Christ's Heart, than with the groans of a Beast, no nor so much neither, if that Beast were our own. Oh, the vileness of Nature to make the Prince of the King's of the Earth bringing Pardon and Salvation with him, to stand so long unanswered; let who will cry up the goodness of Nature, I am sure we have reason to look upon the vileness of it with amazement and horror. You could not have found in your Hearts to have made the poorest beggar wait so long at your door, as you have made Christ to wait upon you.
VII. Exhortation.
Seventhly, and Lastly, Let us all bless and admire the Lord Jesus for the continuation of his Patience, not to our selves only, but to that whole sinful Nation in which we live. We thought the Treaty of Peace had been ended with us; many good Men looking upon the iniquities and abominations of these times, considering the vanities and backsliding of Professors, the Heaven-daring provocations of this Atheistical age, concluded in their own Hearts, that God would make England another Shiloh. Many faithful Ministers of Christ said within themselves God hath no more Work for us to do, and we shall have no more opportunities to work for God. When lo, beyond the thoughts of all Hearts, the merciful and long-suffering Redeemer makes one return more to these Nations, renews the Treaty, and with compassions rolled together, speaks to us this day, as to Ephraim of old, How shall I deliver thee? Look upon this day, this unexpected day of Mercy, as the fruit and acquisition of the intercession of your great Advocate in Heaven, answerable to that Luke 13. 7, 8, 9. Well God hath put us upon one Tryal more, if now we bring forth fruit, well, if not the ax lyes at the root of the Tree. Once more, Christ knocks at our doors, the voice of the Bridegroom is heard; those sweet voices, Come unto me, Open to me; your opening to Christ now, will be unto you as the Valley of Achor, for a door of hope. But what if all this should be turned into wantonness and formality? what if your obstinacy and infidelity should wear out the remains of that little strength and time left you, and that former Labours and Sorrows have left your Ministers? Then actum est de nobis, we are gone for ever; then farewel Gospel, Ministers, Reformation, and all, because we knew not the time of our Visitation. What was the dismal doom of God upon the fruitless Vineyard? Isa. 5. 5. I will take away the hedge thereof and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be troden down; I will also command the Clouds that they rain not upon it. The hedge, and the wall are the Spiritual and Providential presence of God; these are the defence and safety of his People; the Clouds, and the Rain are the sweet influences of Gospel Ordinances. If the hedge be broken down, God's pleasant Plants will soon be eaten up; and if the Clouds rain not upon them, their Root will be rottenness, and their Blossom will go up as dust. Our Churches will soon become as the Mountains of Gilboa; therefore see that you know and improve the time of your Visitation.
III. Vse of Consolation.
I shall wind up this Fourth Doctrin, in two or three words of Consolation, to those that have answered, and are now preparing to answer the design and end of Jesus Christ in all his Patience towards them, by the compliance of their Hearts with his great design and end therein. O blessed be God, and let his high-praises be for ever in our Mouths, that at last Christ is like to obtain his end upon some of us, and that all do not receive the Grace of God in vain. And there be three Considerations able to wind up your Hearts to the height of Praise, if the Lord have now made them indeed willing to open to the Lord Jesus.
I. Consideration.
The Faith and Obedience of your Hearts makes it evident, that the Lords waiting upon you hitherto, hath been in pursuance of his design of Electing Love. What was the reason God would not take you away by death, though you passed so often upon the very brink of it, in the days of your unregeneracy? And what think you was the very reason of the revocation of your Gospel-liberties when they were quite out of sight, and almost out of hope; why surely this was the reason, that you, and such as you are, might be brought to Christ at last. Therefore, though the Lord let you run on so long in sin, yet still he continued your Life, and the means of your Salvation, because he had a design of Mercy and Grace upon you. And now the time of Mercy, even the set time is come, Praise ye the Lord.
II. Consideration.
You now also see the Sovereignty and freeness of Divine Grace in your vocation; your Hearts resisted all along the most powerful means, and importunate calls of Christ; and would have resisted still, had not Free and Sovereign Grace over-poured them when the time of Love was come. Ah, it was not the tractableness of thine own Will, the easie temper of thy Heart to be wrought upon, the Lord let thee stand long enough in the state of Nature to discover that; there was nothing in Nature but obstinacy and enmity. Thou didst hear as many powerful Sermons, melting Prayers; and didst see as many awakning Providences before thy Heart was opened to Christ, as thou hast since; yet thy Heart never opened till now; and why did it open now? Because now the Spirit of God joyned himself to the Word; victorious Grace went forth in the Word to break the hardness and conquer the rebellions of thy Heart. The Gospel was now preached (as the Apostle speaks) 1 Pet. 1. 12. With the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven, which things (saith he) the Angels desire to look into. Ah, Friends, it is a glorious sight worthy of Angelical observation and admiration to behold the effects of the Gospel preacht, with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven, to see when the Spirit comes along with the Word, the blind Eyes of sinners opened, and they brought into a new World of ravishing objects; to behold Fountains of Tears flowing for sin, out of Hearts lately as hard as the Rocks; to see all the Bars of Ignorance, Prejudice, Custom, and Unbelief, fly open at the voice of the Gospel; to see Rebels against Christ laying down their Arms at his Feet, come upon the Knee of submission, crying, Lord I will rebel no more; to see the proud Heart centered and wrapt up in its own righteousness, now striping it self naked, loading it self with all shame and reproach; and made willing that its own shame should go to the Redeemer's glory. These, I say, are sights which Angels desire to look into.
Certainly your Hearts were more tender, and your Wills more apt to yield and bend in the days of your youth, than they were now when sin had so hardned them, and long continued custom riveted and fixed them; yet then they did not, and now they do yield to the calls and invitations of the Gospel. Ascribe all to Sovereign Grace, and say, Not unto us, not unto us, but to thy Name give the glory. The observation and experience of our own Hearts will furnish us with arguments enough to resist all …emptations of self-glorying and conceit.
Certainly you were born not of Flesh, nor of Blood, nor of the will of Man, but of God.
III. Consideration.
Lastly, This is a comfortable Consideration, that he that waited upon you so long, and won your Hearts at last, will not forsake you, now that hath gained you at the expence of so much pains and patience. Poor Souls, I question not but there are many fears and jealousies within you, that all this will come to nothing, and you shall perish at last. Divers things foment these Jealousies within your Hearts; the weakness of your own Graces, which alas, are but in their infancy: the sense you have of your own corruptions, and the great strength they still retain. The subtilty of Satan, who imploys all his policies to reduce you; sometimes roaring after his escaped prey with hideous injections, which make your Souls to tremble; sometimes the discourageing apprehensions of the difficulties of Religion; how far the spirituality of active obedience, and the difficulty of passive obedience is above your strength; sometimes feeling within your selves sad alterations, by the hidings of God's face, and with-drawment of sweet and sensible Communion with him. These, and such like things as these, cause many a qualm to come over your Hearts; but chear up, Christ will not lose at last what he pursued so long; he that waited so many years for thy Soul, will never cast it away now he hath seated himself in the possession of it.