A Discourse Grounded on Proverbs, Part 2 · Section 38
Sect. XXXVIII.
ANd as we muſt away wit… all ſour thoughts of Chriſt and All low thoughts of Chriſt ſo much more with all unſavo… and looſe thoughts of Chriſt.Holy Thoughts of Chriſt O… Thoughts of Him muſt be Holy as well as High; and Fearful, a… well as Cheerful; Rom: 6, 1, 2The Apoſtl… puts an abſit upon the leaſt Thought as if the coming of Grace wer… for the countenancing of Sin… What ſaith Moſes concernin… Chriſt?Exo: 23:21 Beware of him and ob… his voice, provoke him not, for … wil… not pardon your Tranſgreſsions for my Name is in Him. What ſait… David? Pſalm 2:12Kiſs the SON leaſt he b… angry, and ye periſh from the way when his wrath is kindled but a li… tle. The Prophet Iſaiah tells u… that he comes to give Law (a… well as Liberty) the Iſles ſhall wa… for his Law, Iſai. 42 4the Prophecy of ou… Converſion, who are Iſland…rs in the Sea) and that this Branch out of the Root of Jeſſe ſhall …mite the Earth with the Rod of his Mouth, Iſai. 11, 1, …and with the breath of his …ips he ſhall ſlay the wicked. The Angel ſaith of Chriſt, that his Name ſhould be called JESUS,Malac. 1, 21 be…auſe He was to ſave his People (not …N their Sins, but) FROM their …ins. Chriſt,Acts 2, 2… when he was a Child, was the Holy Child JESUS;Mal. 5:1… …nd when he was a Man, He tells …s that He came not to deſtroy the Law, but to fulfil it; And as Iohn …aptiſt told the People, that his …an was in his hand, Mat. 3, 12and he would …hroughly purge his Floor, they …ound it ſo, for He went into the Temple, chap 21, 21and ſcourged out the Buy…rs and Sellers, &c. in token that …o unclean or prophane thing muſt …xpect admittance by Him into …he Kingdom of God. No, no, …he Baptiſme of Chriſt is a Baptiſme Mat, 3, 11with Fire, and …he Spir…t of Chriſt is a Reprover of Sin, John 16:8the example of Chriſt a pattern of Obedience, Hebr, 10, 2and the Doctrine of Chri… is a Doctrine of Self denyal, Mat. 16 24th… Truth of Chriſt a Sanctifying Truth, John 17, 17and the Faith of Chriſt an… heart-purifying Faith, Act… 25 9and the Peace of Chriſt is a War with Sin, for it keeps the heart, Phi ip, 4, 7and rules i… the heart, Col. 3 27 Galat: 6, 16and 'tis onelyonly unto them that walk according to Rule that th… Goſpel of Chriſt ſaith Peace b… upon them; but Tribulation an… Anguiſh, Rom. 2, 8, 9Indignation and Wrat… upon every Soul of Man that do… evil, of the Jew first, and alſo o… the Gentile.
Take We heed then of thinking baſely of Chriſt,Matt 11, 19 as the frien… of Sinners in their vile ſenſe, wh… indeed thought him to be altoghe… ſuch a one as themſelves; Pſal 50, 21but D… vids▪ Pſal, 45, 7Thoughts were otherwiſe thou loveſt Righteouſneſs and hate Iniquity, therefore God, even thy God, hath annointed thee with the Oyl of Gladneſs above thy fellows. A Friend indeed of Sinners, for He Dyed to ſave them, 1 Tim. ….15yea the chief of them, but yet an Enemy to Sin, for He came to make an end of Sin (ſaith the Apoſtle St. Iohn)1 John 3, … to Redeem us from our vain Converſation (ſaith S. Peter)1 Pet 1, 18 and to purify to himſelf a peculiar people zealous of good works, Titus 2, 14to ſanctify and cleanſe us with the waſhing of water, by the Word, that we might be holy and without blemiſh (ſaith S. Paul. Ep. 5.26, 27)
And now tell me, O Reader, is there any ſhelter for Sin, or licenſe for Luſt in all this? O be not deceived, God is not mocked, Gal. 6, 7, 8for whatſoever a Man Soweth, that ſhall he alſo Reap, for he that ſoweth to his Fleſh ſhall of the Fleſh reap Corruption, but he that ſoweth to the Spirit ſhall of the Spirit reap life Everlasting. 2 Tit. 11, 12For the GRACE of God that hath appeared bringing SALVATION, teacheth to deny ungodlineſs, and worldly Luſts, &c. For Chriſt is KING as well as PRIEST,Pſalm 45, 6 and LORD as well as IESUS, and the Scepter of his Kingdom is a RIGHT SCEPTER, and We cannot THINK RIGHTLY of it, except we think it ſo. And O how terrible is this THOUGHT, that if We ſlight this way, neglecting ſo great Salvationi, Hebr. 2, 3…by Sining wilfully againſt this Sacrifice, there remains no (other) SACRIFICE for Sin, chap. 10, 26Acts 4 12for there is no other Name given but the Name JESV… And if He that ſinned againſt Moſes's Law dyed without Mercy, Heb. 10, 28.29how much ſorer muſt his puniſhment be, that trampleth under foot the SON of GOD?
Then think this of Chriſt, that if He be not thy Foundation-Stone, 1 Pet. 2, 6Mat. 21, 14Elect and precious to thee, if thou be not built upon Him, He will fall upon thee, and grinde thee to powder; Rev. 5 5, 6for the Lamb of God is a LYON too,John 5, 22 and God hath committed all Iudgement to the SON, and the WRATH of the LAMB ſhall one day be found intolerable to the proudeſt of Men, when the Kings of the Earth, Revel 6, 15 16▪ 17and the great men, and the Rich men, and the chief Captains, and the mighty Men, and every Bond man, and every Free man ſhall call to the Rocks and the Mountains to fall on them, to hide them from the face of Him that ſitteth upon the Throne, and from the WRATH of the LAMB, for when the great day of his Wrath is come, O who ſhall be able to ſtand?
O think of this ye Looſe, Licentious,Caution to looſe Chriſtians Rom. 2, 24 (Sacrilegiouſly ſo called) CHRISTIANS, through whom the Sacred Name of Chriſt is blaſphemed among the Gentiles, what thanks will He give you that a TURK ſhould ſay (as they … ordinarily obſerv'd to do) What? do you think I am a CHRISTIAN that I ſhould break my Oath, or falſifie my Faith? &c. Or that an HEATHEN ſhould ſay, as that Indian Prince did to the Spaniards, who being about to put him cruelly to death, but in (Ghoſtly Charity) perſuaded him to turn Chriſtian before his death; He asked them, what he ſhould get by that? they told him he ſhould go to Heaven with the Chriſtians, He demanded whither went Indians, when they dyed? They ſaid, to Hell; He ſhortly replyed, He would die as he was; for he had rather go to the Indians Hell, then to the cruel Spaniards Heaven? 'Twas ſeverely ſaid by one, Aut hic non est Chriſtus,—pudet haec opprobria nobl… & dici potuiſſe, & non potuiſſe refelli. aut hi non ſunt Chriſtiani; Either He, (whom you profeſs) is not the CHRIST, or You are not the CHRISTIANS. Men and Brethren, let me freely ſpeak to you, if CHRISTS coming into the World be ſignalized by Bacchanalian Rites and Revellings, what ſhall a Iew or Infidel think either of Chriſt, or elſe of VsUs? 'Twas truly ſaid peccatis noſtris fortes ſunt Barbari. Chriſtians ſins make Barbarians more barbarous, Turks more Turkiſh, Homil. againſt the peril of Idolatry 3 p. pag: 45Iews more Iewiſh, as our Homilie hath obſerved that Popiſh Idolatry gives the great fixation to Turkiſh and Iewiſh Infidelity.
But as of old God ſent the old Iews to Shilo, where He firſt ſet his Name, to ſee what he did to it, Jerem: 7, 12for the wickedneſs of his people Iſrael, ſo may I ſend the now Chriſtan World to the once ſeaven flouriſhing Churches of Aſia,Revel. 1, 11 for if Chriſt be not glorifyed by VsUs, He will glorify Himſelf upon us, and therefore let every one that thinks of a Chriſt, think of this, Let Every One that nameth the Name of Chriſt depart from Iniquity.2 Tim: 2:1…