A Model of the Primitive Congregational Way, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. This Chapter containes a ſhort exhortation to three ſorts of perſons, 1. Such as are truly godly, but are yet ſtrangers to this order of the Goſpell. 2. Such as are open enemies to this way of the Lord. 3. Such as God hath ſhewed mercy unto, in bringing them to Sion, and put their ſoules in poſſeſſion of this heavenly priviledge.
1. TO ſuch as are godly, but yet remaine in their old confuſion, and are ſtrangers to the right order of the Goſpel, and inſtituted way of worſhipping God: My requeſt is, that they would not ſlight what hath been laid before them, and brought unto them: but (as they tender the honour of Jeſus Chriſt, and the comfortable condition of their own ſoules) with all readineſſe of mind, to receive and entertain what they ſhall find upon due tryall and examination to be the truth: more Arguments then I have formerly given, need not to be preſt upon you; only this I ſhall make bold to adde, and leave upon your ſoules, whether it be not fully declared from Heaven by ſignes and wonders, that God is greatly diſpleaſed, with your hitherto-neglect of building his houſe, and contenting your ſelves with any formes of worſhip, and traditions of men, ſo you may enjoy your outward and temporall accommodations; as if the enjoyment of communion and fellowſhip with God the Father, and his Son, our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, in the right and pure wayes of his worſhip, were not infinitely to be preferred before all theſe ſublunary and earthly things; and if ſo, why then ſhould you not haſten your repentance and reformation to the purpoſe in this buſines? I ſay to the purpoſe, becauſe halfe worke cannot, will not pleaſe the Lord, Joel 2.12, 13. 'twas the commendation of Caleb and Joſhuah, that they followed the Lord fully and wholly, in all that the Lord commanded them, and made knowne to them to be his will, Num. 14.24. and they found the benefit of it, for they entered into that good Land, whereas the reſt that failed of their duty herein, (even a Moſes & an Aaron) came ſhort: ſo I ſay it wil be your commendation, and ſhall be your righteouſneſſe before the Lord, if you halt no longer between God and Baal, and love no longer to abide in the Tents of the Edomites, but make haſte to Sion, to Ieruſalem, to build the houſe of the Lord: otherwiſe, if you continue as before, loving the fleſh-pots of Egypt, and the waters of Abanah, and parphar, rivers of Damaſcus, before and beyond the milke and honey of this Land of Canaan, and thoſe Wells of ſalvation that are to be found in Syon; it may be a juſt and righteous thing with the Lord that you ſhould never live to ſee better dayes: You know what Jeſus Chriſt ſaid to the Cripple that he had ſhewed mercy to, go thy wayes, and ſinne no more, Joh. 5.1leſt a worſe thing happen unto thee; ſo give me leave to ſay to you, go your wayes and ſinne no more, after the old way of diſhonouring God, and Ieſus Chriſt, by worſhipping him after the inventions and traditions of men: You know he is a jealous God, and will not give his glory to any other, be he never ſo great, mighty, or learned, in the World: you know he hath borne long with you, and winked at your former ignorance;Act. 17.2 30. but now he c…ls upon you to repent, even of this ſinne of falſe worſhip: he might have cut you off, and ſwept you away in the common deluge of the Sword, that was lately on the Land; but he hath dealt more kindly and favourably with you; wherefore be not as the Iſraelites of old, after ſuch great mercies received, to fall upon new provocations, leſt a worſe evill befall you then any yet: If our deliverances worke us not up to thoſe holy ends for which they are given us, certainly our latter end will be worſe then the beginning. Yet God waites to ſee what his People will do in this worke of his pure worſhip, in the building of his houſe, in the honouring of his Son, in the ſetting him up above all, in hi… Kingly and Propheticall, as well as in his Prieſtly office, which hitherto even the Saints themſelves moſt unkindly have neglected in a great meaſure: Why ſhould you not therefore, Velis et Remis, with all poſſible might, haſten to anſwer the Lords expectation? Oh truſt not your own hearts any longer! Oh hearken not to the Syren-like ſongs and enchantments of the world! Oh build not upon the precepts and examples of men, no not the wiſeſt, greateſt, learnedeſt whatſoever; but on Ieſus Chriſt, as he hath revealed and made himſelfe known to us in his Word; honour him according to his excellent greatnes, and love him according to his excellent goodnes, & then you ſhall be honoured & loved of him, & his father, more then ever you have yet been. Oh, wherefore hath God called you out of the world? Why hath Chriſt dyed for you, & by his bleſſed Spirit marryed you to himſelfe, & made you partakers of the divine nature, if it be not to honour and ſerve him as he hath required you in his wor…? When the Death-bed comes, then it will be too late to ſay, would God I had followed the Lord fully, and honoured him in lifting up of his Son Jeſus Chriſt in al the wayes of the Goſpel, though it had coſt me the loſſe of all my outward enjoyments. Wherefore that as your lives, ſo your deaths may be ſweet and comfortable to you, reſolve upon this work, kiſſ… the Son, bow to his Scepter, helpe build up the wall of Sion, and throw downe Babylon, that you may be found in the number of thoſe that follow the Lambe, who are called, and choſen, and faithfull, Rev. 17.24.
2. For you that are open enemies to this holy way of the Lord, and deſperately ſet your ſelves, by your Pennes and tongues to hinder the progreſſe and proſperity of it, let me tell you from the Lord, that of all other men that ſhall drinke of the cup of the Wine of Gods indignation, you are like to have the bottome: for if they ſhall be curſed, that come not forth to helpe the Lord, what then ſhall become of thoſe that come forth in all the ſtrength of their rage and malice againſt the Lord? If Jeſus Chriſt will be angry with thoſe that refuſe to yeeld him Oſculum ſubjectionis, the kiſſe of ſubjection, and will have thoſe brought forth before him and ſlain,… 27. that will not have him to raign over them, what will he do th…n with thoſe, that lay their hands upon his Throne, and openly proclaime before heaven and earth, that they will not give reſt to their eyes, nor ſlumber to their eye-lids, till they have brought him low? Ah poore wretches, what ſhall I ſay to you, or do for you? would God my ſoule could weepe for yee in ſecret, and mourne over your ſad condition: Give me leave to adminiſter one word of counſel to you, if it be not too late.
Lay downe your Armes, and come in, and ſubmit your ſelves to him that hath the Keyes of hell and death in his hands, Rev. 1.18. and the ſooner the better, the eaſier it will be for you, why will you provoke the Lord to jealouſie? are you ſtronger then he? 1 Cor. 10.22. was there ever any that hardned himſelfe againſt the Lord, and proſpered? Job. 9.4. Jeſus Chriſt hath rececived gifts for the very rebellious, Pſal. 68.18. Gifts of grace, gifts of love, and mercy, he will forgive your paſt, and preſent rebellion againſt him, and remember them no more, if you will ſubmit unto him: and why ſhould you deſpiſe his Love? Is it not better to fall down before him, and accept of the golden Scepter of his grace and mercy, that he freely holds forth to you, then to ſtand out in a wilful & obſtinate way of oppoſition againſt him, & ere long be made feele the unſupportable weight of the iron Scepter of his wrath? Oh be wiſe betime, certainly Jeſus Chriſt will be too ſtrong for all the powers of darknes, & prevaile he will over all the oppoſition of men & devils, of hell, and Rome, and the Kingdomes of the world, that riſe up againſt him: he will build his Temple, and his Father will ſet him upon his holy Hill of Syon, do you and all the powers of darknes your worſt, God doth but laugh you to ſcorne in all you do, Pſal. 2.4.5, 6. Antichriſt muſt downe, the Jewes ſhall be called, and the fulnes of the Gentiles brought in, & then the Kingdomes of the earth ſhall become the Lords and his Chriſts, and he ſhall raign forever; Rev. 11.15. And what will you do then? then you will crye to the mountaines and hils to fall upon you, and hide you from the wrath of the Lambe, becauſe the great day of his wrath is come; but all in vaine▪ for who can ſtand? Rev 6. ult. then Mountains & hils themſelves ſhal be made plain before him; they ſhall be ſo farre from ſuccouring others, that they ſhall not be able to ſuccour themſelves. Now happy is the man that believes and repents, and comes in to Chriſt before that day appeares.
3. Laſtly, I have one word to all ſuch as God hath honoured in bringing to Syon, and whoſe feet have begunne to walke in thoſe pathes of Paradiſe. which I ſhall as the cloſe of all, referre to 3. Heads. 1. To Peace. 2. To purity. 3. To Perſeverance.
1. Labour after peace. Though others make war againſt you, yet doe you ſtudy to be quiet. Commit your Name and Cauſe to him who is your King and Husband, and hath all power in heaven and earth given unto him to defend you, and offend and ſubdue thoſe that riſe up againſt you. Beleeve it, there is not a weapon that is formed againſt you ſhall proſper, nor a word that is ſpoken in judgement againſt you, but you ſhall condemne. Wherefore goe on in the work you are called to,Eſay 54 and feare not them whoſe breath is in their noſtrils, thoſe that onelyonly can kil the body,Mat. 10. but fear him that hath power to deſtroy both body and ſoul in hell fire. Wher-fore if they curſe you, bleſſe them, and if they perſecute you, pray for them, and then happy ſhall you be, and great will be your reward in heaven. Mat. 5.44. Rom. 12.17, 18.
2. Strive after purity. Heb. 1…Tis not enough for you to follow peace with all men, but holineſſe alſo. You are called unto holineſſe, unto ſanctification, this is the beauty of Sion, the honour of Religion, 1 Theſ.the excellency of the Goſpel. This commends the wayes of Sion to thoſe that paſſe by, and invites them to come & walk in them. Yea it ſtops the mouthes of thoſe that beare evill will to Sion, and ſet themſelves againſt her. Oh that the Churches of the Saints were more holy, that they were more like to their Head and Husband, the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, that they could live more in the Spirit, and after the Spirit, and that they might not give occaſion to the adverſary to blaſpheme. What makes many not onelyonly to ſpeak evill of, but to avoid and ſtand off from the waies of Sion, but only the ſcandalous walking, of many that have ſubmitted themſelves outwardly to the order of the Goſpell? And therefore let me be the Lords Remembrancer to all ſuch, that they follow after holineſſe, and labour to adorne the Goſpel of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, by walking up to the light of that truth he hath made known to them, and convinced them of, and in ſo doing, how ſhall they glorifie God, and win, or at leaſt leave without excuſe, ſuch that oppoſe themſelves?
3. Laſtly, perſevere and hold faſt to the end in the practice of what Chriſt hath made known to you, to be his very minde and will in the right way of his worſhip: take heed of drawing backe, Heb. 10.38, 39. remember that counſell of the Apoſtle to the Church of the Coloſ. Col. 2.6, 7, 8. As yee have therefore received Jeſus Chriſt the Lord, ſo walke in him, roo…ed and built up in him, and eſtabliſhed in the faith, as you have beene taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware leſt any man ſpoile you through Philoſophy and vaine deceite, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Chriſt. As we have been eſpouſed to Chriſt, as chaſte virgins, and not defiled with the pollutions of Antichriſt; ſo let us take heed we be not as Evah, beguiled by the ſubtilty of the ſerpent, and corrupted from the ſimplicity that is in Chriſt. …. 11.23.The promiſe is to thoſe that overcome, and are faithfull to the death.…. 2.10. Perſecutions ſhould not diſcourage, but rather encourage us, in reg…rd that our ſufferings for Chriſt ſhall turne to us for a teſtimony, as Chriſt himſelfe ſaith, Luk. 21.13. Our Lord and Maſter himſelfe is gone before us, and given us an example to follow; and he hath promiſed that if we ſuffer with him, we ſhall reigne with him, 2 Tim 2.12. but if we deny him, he will deny us; and what are all our ſorrowes and ſufferings to that Crowne of glory he hath purchaſed, and is gone before to prepare for us; eſpecially conſidering, that there are no ſufferings we are called unto for his ſake, but we ſhall have ſtrength from him to go through them, … 8.37.and to be more then conquerours, in and over them all. I end with that of the Apoſtle, Heb. 13.20.21. Now the God of Peace that brought againe from the dead our Lord Ieſus, that great Shepheard of the Sheep through the bloud of the everlaſting covenant; make you perfect in every good worke to do his will, working in you that which is well pleaſing in his ſight, through Ieſus Chriſt, to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · William Bartlet, A Model of the Primitive Congregational Way (1647)