18. SERM. XVIII. The Ninth Sermon on the Excellency of the Soul.
SERM. XVIII. The Ninth Sermon on the Excellency of the Soul.
F or what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? – Matth. 16:26.
Quest. You will say, Razed down to the ground, what is that?
Answ. By that I mean this.
First, You should be willing to seek to God, and that earnestly, that he would never let you be at quiet in any false hope, be earnest with God in prayer: O Lord, I see that the matter of my salvation, is a matter of infinite consequence; if I should mistake, if I should miscarry in it, it had been better for me never to have been born; O Lord! Therefore help me in this thing above all, that I may never rest my salvation upon any false hopes, that so I may not at the last be disappointed of my last hopes; be earnest thus with God, and be willing to know the worst of yourselves; Lord, if thou seest the work be not yet done let me know it, let me know it now, before it is too late; It is better to know that yet the work is to begin, while you have time to work, than to know it after when the time is gone: And then, be willing to examine your hopes, to lay them to the rule of the
Scripture, and that very narrowly: And if you find your hopes cannot stand with the Word, then resolve thus with yourselves, the work is yet to be done, the very laying of the foundation of that great work, of the saving of my soul, it is to begin: — I but you will say, God forbid this, we have not lived all this while, to begin to lay the work for the saving of our souls now, that were an ill thing indeed: — O I would to God it were not so! But this very thought that some have, that they are not now to begin the laying of the foundation in saving their souls, is that that doth destroy them, whereas, though a man or woman have lived many years, yea though they have been
Professors of Religion, yet if upon examination they can find that the saving work of God is not wrought in their hearts, and upon that can conclude,
Lord it is to begin, for ought I know, I must begin the work again, and better it is to begin twice, than be damned once, therefore whatsoever becomes of me, I will begin again; this were a good sign: Suppose you should begin again, and it may be you thought too ill of yourselves, for it may be there was some truth in your hopes, or hearts, that you could not see, yet there is no great danger in this, that that was good will hold, though you do not see it; it is the safest way for men and women therefore to be willing to begin often, yea and sometimes it is the best and the readiest course for people that have lost their evidences for salvation, and they can see no clear evidences out of God's Word to settle their hearts upon, for the great matter of their salvation; I say, it is the readiest way for them to do as if they were to begin again, rather than to spend time in looking out their old evidences; as a man perhaps that hath lost his evidences may have them renewed with less charge and cost than he can seek them out, and so sometimes it is with the soul when it hath lost its evidences for salvation, it may get new in less time, and with less charge, than to seek out the old. It may be thou lookest
to see whether thou hast not been a Hypocrite all this while, or formal:
Suppose upon examination thou canst not find anything to satisfy thy soul, but that it hath been so, yet now, what hinders but that thou mayest this instant throw thy soul upon Jesus Christ? I but I am afraid that when I have come to Christ, I have not come rightly. — I but perhaps thou mayest come to Christ in that time that thou mayest know whether thou hast come rightly, yea or nay: — But now the best way for those that are mightily troubled and solicitous about evidences whether their estate be right or no, I say, let those, rather than spend too much time in discouraging of their own hearts, begin the work again; let such a one present Jesus Christ now as a Savior for lost man, whose grace is infinitely full, and infinitely free; and there is nothing hinders thee but that thou mayest at this very instant cast thyself upon him to be thy Savior, both to save thee from sin, and from condemnation.
I but you will say, I may presume, and who hath right to do any such thing?
To that I answer, that there is nothing can give thee right to Christ, but by casting thy soul upon him, by believing in him, that right that we have to Christ, it is by believing: It is not by any work before believing that gives thee right to Jesus Christ: So that by this you see what I mean by razing down the old foundation.
The next is, by laying the new foundation of this great work of thy salvation, and be sure thou lay that sure.
You will say, lay it sure, what is it?
Christ is the foundation, No other foundation can be laid but Christ himself; lay it there: — And then that that is next to Christ the foundation, it is the true work of Faith, and the true work of Repentance; the true work of
Faith that is next, that is the foundation of what is wrought in our hearts; Christ is the foundation first, but of any work in our hearts, the work of Faith, Believe, and thou shalt be saved: Now then, this work of Faith, thou must rightly know what it is, and the way of thy believing; and how thou dost receive Jesus Christ in thy believing; and the power of thy Faith how that is wrought; and what the work of it is upon thy heart; now thou having laid Christ for thy foundation, and understood the mystery of the Gospel, then when thou comest to believe, in this great mystery of the Gospel, thou must consider what is it that I am now to believe; why I am now to believe this, that the thoughts of God from all eternity were for the good of the children of men; and therefore he hath sent the second Person in Trinity into the world to take man's nature upon him, to die an accursed death for the sin of man: And for me in particular, the thoughts of God were thus upon me from all eternity, to send his son into the world to take my nature upon him, and to be made a curse for my sin, to pay a price for my soul, and through him (when I believe) I do believe all my sin to be pardoned, the infinite, holy, dreadful God to be at peace with me, my soul to be reconciled; this wretched sinful soul of mine to be received into mercy, into the love of God, as the love of a Father, to be made an Heir of God and Eternal life, when thou dost believe, this is the Object of thy Faith; now this is a mighty work, a mighty thing to believe such things as these are:
Consider therefore what thou doest, when thou sayest thou dost believe in Jesus Christ, put that to thy soul, canst thou, O my soul, close with these things? Canst thou venture thy soul upon such things as these are? And when thou comest to believe, what dost thou? It is not that thou thinkest that these things are true, but thou dost in thy believing receive Jesus Christ according to the condition of the Gospel, that is, thy heart doth open to
receive into it the King of glory; Oh it is Christ that is the foundation of the New World that God is to raise up; It is Jesus Christ that brings in all the good, and happiness, and glory of God to the children of men, and it is he that my heart opens to receive in, to embrace, to be satisfied with all, as all the good and happiness I expect; and it is Christ that my heart opens too to save me from my sin, as well as from punishment, to unite me to God, to bring me to union with him, that I may live forever to the praise of the great
God; and it is this Christ that I take into my heart to be King and Governor, and now to rule: Sin, Satan, Temptations, Lusts, shall not reign as they have done, but Christ shall set up his own Government in my soul. — Now then, upon this must needs follow wonderful and glorious effects upon the soul, the soul that doth believe such high things as these are, and doth open itself to receive Christ upon such terms, certainly, I say, there must needs be wonderful effects wrought in that soul; such things must needs work the soul up to God, to live to him in another manner than ever, and that is the reason of the Scripture expression, Whosoever is in Christ, is a New
Creature, all old things are passed away, and all things are become new. For why? The Lord hath revealed new glorious things to such a soul, and the Lord therefore now acts and carries on the soul to other manner of objects than ever before it was wont to be busied about. — And such a kind of work of Faith is this, that is the foundation of the great work of salvation next to Jesus Christ himself, as the old must be razed down, so a new must be raised up.
Now when you come to think of salvation, that you hope to be saved, you must have recourse to such a kind of work upon you, as this; how have I felt the power of the Holy Ghost razing down old things? And how have I felt the power of God, even that power by which Jesus Christ was raised from
the dead, to raise such a foundation as this is? — And upon this now follows the work of Humiliation and Repentance, that is, Godly sorrow; and so to mourn, as to have the heart to be taken from its former courses and ways, and be set upon the contrary good: — Now when the soul finds such workings of God upon it (as certainly these things cannot be, and no notice at all taken of them) when the soul takes notice how God comes in with power upon it, and believes, that now surely the Lord intends salvation to me, the Lord hath laid such a ground-work upon my soul, as I dare venture all upon it, and now I have cause to hope that the hazard of miscarrying to all eternity is over. O this is that that is the joy of the Holy Ghost, joy unspeakable and glorious, when the soul upon good grounds can have hopes that the hazard of its miscarrying to all eternity is over; now, My soul return unto thy rest, saith such a one; so that that is the next thing, the razing down of the old, and raising up the new foundation.
Ninthly, If thou wouldest have thy soul saved, thou must keep thy soul under the authority of the Word, and maintain the authority of the Word, and the authority of conscience over thee; this is the way, if thou meanest to go in God's way for salvation.
First, For the Word; The soul that God intends to save, he doth reveal unto it a dreadful authority that there is in this Book of God; this is that word, saith God to the soul, wherein I have revealed my mind to the children of men: Those counsels of my will that concern the eternal good of the children of men are in this book, and all your souls are to be cast by this book, by this word, for eternity: Now this being revealed to the soul, the soul stands in awe of this word, and trembles at this word, fears the authority of it, looks upon every threatening in the Word, every command in the Word, every promise in the Word, as having a divine authority stamped
upon it, sees the broad Seal of Heaven stamped upon everything in this Book, and dares not willfully transgress against anything in the Word, and so continues in keeping its self under the dreadful authority of the Word; and that soul is in a good forwardness to be saved, that is kept under the dreadful authority of God's Word, in the constant course of it: Now I appeal to you, you would fain have your souls saved, but can you say thus? Indeed
I have many sins, yet God knows, (that knows all things) that my soul it is kept under the dreadful authority of his Word continually, and this I labor to do more and more, and I am willing it should be so, I am not willing to have the authority of God's Word cast off, but I am glad that ever God did discover to me the dreadful authority that there is in his Word.
Secondly, And then the next thing is the authority of conscience; if conscience have any enlightening, it is that that will discover very much of the mind of God unto thee; there is nothing will discover God's mind more unto the heart of a man or woman, than an enlightened conscience, and it will discover it with power; a Minister speaks, and his words many times vanish in the Air, but when conscience comes to discover God's mind, it comes with power, and speaks particularly to this soul, and the other soul, and conscience (when it hath light) will be pleading of God's cause, and admonishing and plucking the soul out of the ways of death and perdition, and it will not easily be put off; you may easily put off the counsels of such and such friends, but conscience will not easily be put off, it will come with such majesty upon the heart of a sinner, that there is no gain-saying of it; conscience will not regard the vain shifts that people have, but still comes in a commanding power: Oh keep the authority of conscience, many men and women, because they cannot go on freely in the ways of sin, where conscience and the word have much authority over them, therefore they
seek to cast off the authority of the word and conscience, but know this for a truth, that that soul that hath cast off the authority of the word and conscience, is going apace to Hell, is going apace to destruction; All the while the word and conscience kept thee under, thou wert in some forwardness towards the way of life, but if thou hast once cast off that, then
Oh how doth the soul grow hardened in sin! How easily are the truths of God rejected! And then it goes with greediness to satisfy the lusts of the flesh, and ten thousand to one but such a soul perishes eternally. Oh, if there be ever a soul in this place that had the authority of God's word and conscience to be over them with power, and now through the violence of their lusts have cast it off; Oh let such a one take notice of what is said unto them in the Name of God, Oh thy soul is going apace to destruction; But as for you that begin to feel any authority of the word, or of conscience upon you, Oh keep it; for this it is that will carry and guide thee in the way that will bring to life at the last.
Tenthly, If thou wouldest have thy soul be saved, take heed of sinning against the price of thy soul, against the blood of the covenant, and against mercy; take heed of these three things, take heed of sinning against Jesus
Christ that paid the price, against the Gospel, that revealed the price of thy soul; Oh take heed above all things of turning the grace of God into wantonness! Let not the free grace of God revealed in Jesus Christ be turned to be a means to harden thy soul in sin, to think thou mayest take the more liberty to have the satisfaction of the lusts of the flesh, why, because
Jesus Christ came to save sinners; let me say to thee, as Peter to Simon Magus, Oh Pray if it be possible that the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee. If thou hast ever had such reasonings in thy heart, why, Jesus
Christ came to save sinners; and the grace of the Gospel, that is free and full
enough to save souls, though they be never such great sinners, and upon that thou hast taken more liberty; Oh thou hadst need fall down before the Lord, and cry, If it be possible that such a thought of thy heart might be forgiven thee; if you look into the Epistle of Jude, you shall find a dreadful passage against such as turn the grace of God into wantonness; it is made a sign of a Reprobate, and it is as black a brand of a Reprobate as any one, to turn the grace of God (and especially that grace of God that is in the price that is paid for souls, to turn that) into wantonness is the most dreadful hindrance of saving of a soul, that possibly can be; Oh take heed of sinning against Jesus Christ the great Savior of souls, but honor Jesus Christ all the ways you can; would you fain have your souls saved? Christ is the great
Savior of souls, and you had need honor him, (Kiss the Son lest he be angry) and love him; you had need love his ordinances, and all his members, and all his people; you had need give all the respect that may be to him, because he is the only Savior of souls: — And for the blood of the Covenant, take heed you sin not against that, let it not be accounted as a common thing; Oh do not prize the satisfying of your own lusts, rather than the blood of the Covenant, and all the good that was purchased by that blood; when any wretched sinner shall hear the Gospel preached to him, and yet shall prize the living in any base wicked way of sin, I say, such a one doth trample the blood of the everlasting Covenant under his feet, and the language of his heart and actions is nothing but this, whatsoever is spoken concerning the blood of the everlasting Covenant revealed in the Gospel, I do prize the satisfying the lusts of mine own heart, more than all the good that is in the Covenant; now do you think can such a soul as this be saved? Now you sin against the blood of the Covenant, when you come hand over head to the Sacrament, and thereby you come to be guilty of the
body and blood of Jesus Christ; People are mighty earnest about coming to Sacraments, now do but read 1 Cor. 11. It is a Scripture which I know you that are acquainted with Scripture, are not unacquainted with, ver. 27.
Whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord; And what then, ver. 29.
He eateth and drinketh his own damnation. When you would have the Sacrament, as the seal of the blood of Christ, and yet come in your sin and filthiness, and do not discern the Lord's body, you come to be guilty of the blood of Christ, and so to be guilty of your own damnation; and so many think to seal their souls, by eating and drinking, the damnation of their souls; for there is nothing set out in Scripture that furthers more the damnation of a soul, than to sin against the blood of the Covenant: I know some make that Scripture their damnation to themselves, that is, that they are only to be reproved and condemned for doing so, but we are to enlarge
Scripture to the uttermost that may be; and seeing the Scripture hath made the sin against the blood of Christ in other places so dreadful, we may very well understand that place in the most dreadful sense that may be: Now if in case you come unworthily, you hear what the Scripture speaks, it is guiltiness of the blood of Christ, and eating and drinking your own souls damnation: — And then take heed of sinning against the mercy of God; let not mercy harden you, but let it soften your hearts; Oh that soul is in a good forwardness to be saved, that every time it thinks of the mercy of God, it finds itself to melt before the Lord, and mourn bitterly for sin, when as it applies the mercy of God to itself, I, that is a good evidence; but now when you think or speak of God's mercy, you find your hearts the more hardened in sin, Oh this is dreadful! For how can such a soul be saved, that sins against the mercy and love of Jesus Christ? For who shall hear and plead
for thy soul before God, when as thou art guilty of the blood of Jesus Christ? And what is it that shall be thine atonement before the Father? It must be blood; Without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin: And what blood must be for the remission of thy sin, when as thou tramplest the blood of the Covenant under thy feet? And when thou sinnest against mercy? What is it that must recover thee, but the mercy of God, when thou comest to God in the anguish of thy soul? Now if thy case be thus, that Jesus Christ shall plead against thee, and say, Oh Father, Father, avenge thyself upon this wretch, that hath not only sinned against thy work of Creation, but against the work of Redemption, that I went into the world to work; Father, let this soul perish eternally, that hath rejected me, and received every base wretched lust before me; now, shall that soul be saved that shall have the blood of the Covenant cry against it, and mercy itself cry to the Lord against it, Lord, avenge my cause, for I have been most abominably and cursedly abused by this wretch? When not only the Law of God's Justice, and Satan accuses thee, but Christ, and his blood, and the Gospel itself, how shall such a soul be saved? Now then, if you would have your souls saved, take heed of sinning against Jesus Christ, against the Gospel, and against the blood of God, and against the mercy of God.
Eleventhly, If thou wouldest have thy soul saved, take heed of sinning against the Spirit of Grace, the good Spirit of God, that must draw thee to Christ, and guide thee in the way of salvation, if ever thou beest saved.
Now, take heed of slighting the motions of God's Spirit, oh do not sleight any motion of the Spirit of God; how dost thou know, but when there comes in any motion of God's Spirit, it comes in to save thee at this time? Thou canst not tell but that at any time when God's Spirit doth assist his Word, thy soul may depend upon that time, so as God may say, had this soul
followed on the work at this time, it might have been saved; but upon its not following it on, it shall not be saved; doth God's Spirit begin to move thy soul, when thou art hearing the Word? Oh do not go into wicked company, and so lose all again, but get alone in thy closet, and fall down even upon thy face, and cry to God, that he would follow on the work of his Spirit, that he hath begun in thee: Oh Lord, I lived a long time in a dead-hearted condition, never minding the good of my soul, but thou hast begun to stir me, and Lord, I hope it is the beginning of thy saving work upon my soul;
Oh that thou wouldest go on with it. How many upon their sick-beds and death-beds, would give a thousand worlds (if they had them) that they could have such stirrings of the Spirit of God, as sometimes they have felt? Oh now when the Spirit stirs, and temptation stirs, take heed of listening to temptation, and rejecting the motions of God's Spirit, but think of that that we read on of the people of Israel, when they were going to Canaan, they were very near Canaan, and when they were upon the borders of it, they refused to go into the Land, when God would have them, and upon that The Lord did swear in his wrath, that they should never enter into his rest: So when the Spirit of God begins to bring thee near to salvation, that it may be said of thee, as Christ to the young man, Thou art not far from the Kingdom of Heaven, O take heed of hearkening to temptation, lest the Lord swear that thou shalt never enter into Heaven. The Spirit of God, which is like unto the Dove in the Ark, perhaps it comes into thy heart once, and it comes in again, and thou sendest it out again, but take heed of sending it out the third time, lest it should never come in to thee again; but that the Lord should say, Spirit, never strive more with such a soul: Oh when God begins to stir, it doth concern you, to say with Samuel, Lord, speak, for thy servant hears. You that have been forward heretofore, and have lost the work of
God's Spirit, you had need look about you, for it is a dangerous thing to draw back; My soul, saith God, shall have no pleasure in those that shall draw back. And if the soul of God will have no pleasure in thee, how shall thy soul be saved?
Twelfthly, Whosoever would have their souls saved, let them take this course, account the preciousness of the time of your lives to consist in this, that it is a day of salvation; account it therefore a mercy of God that your lives are continued upon this reason, not because you may get great estates, and live and have your pleasures and delights, but because God hath appointed the time of man's life here in this world, to be the time to provide for his eternity; few men and women in the world know how to judge aright of the preciousness of their time, the time of their lives; and that man or woman that comes to know aright how to judge of the preciousness of this time of life, and of what doth depend upon it, such a one is in a good forwardness to salvation.
Thirteenthly, The last thing that I shall Name is this, be sure to go with those that go in the safest way, and the straightest way; many of you, you question about many things that others do, whether they need do so or no; why can none be saved but those that do so? But I appeal to your consciences, do not you think the strictest way of godliness is the safest way for salvation? Now, if it be the safest, if you did but understand the infinite consequence of the salvation of your souls, there need be no other
Argument to persuade you to any strict way of godliness, but this; whatever it be, whether absolutely necessary, or no, I am sure it is the safest way; and I am sure there was never yet any upon his sick-bed that did repent him that he was too strict and too precise, but I have known many that have repented them of being too loose, and too careless: Now in a matter that is of great
consequence, you will be sure to take the safest way: If there be any people in the world that walk so as your consciences tell you they are in a more strict way than others, more holy, more close to God, more self-denying, more faithful, it doth concern you to inquire after those, and to walk after those, and join with them; surely those that go on in the safest way for the salvation of their souls, those I will make a pattern to me; I will not look what the common course of the world, and the generality of the world doth;
The Scripture tells us that There are but few that shall be saved; And therefore the fewness of men shall never discourage me; be they never so few, be they never so mean, If I am persuaded in my conscience it is the safest way, that is the way that I will walk in, and surely it is the way for the soul to have comfort at the great day, when it shall appear before the great
God and our Savior Jesus Christ. I beseech you consider of this, if you were all now to appear before Jesus Christ, to have your eternal estates determined of, in what men's conditions would you wish yourselves to be in? If it might be at your liberty, and Christ should say, now I am to pass the sentence of eternity upon you for your salvation or damnation; now what kind of men's estates would you wish yourselves to be in? Who would you rather be like unto? Who would you venture most upon, to be dealt withal according as your consciences do think they are most like to be dealt with?
I am persuaded, if this were the case, most loose, and profane, and ungodly men, would run and cling unto those that now they scorn and contemn; unto those that walk with the most strictness and holiness in their conversations:
Certainly if you would do so Then, it is your wisdom to do so Now; that which will be true then, certainly is true now; and therefore that is a good way for the helping to save your souls, to join with those that walk in the strictest and the holiest way, to do that now, that if you were to die, you
would wish you had done; and to be with them now, that if you were to have the sentence of eternity past upon you, you would wish you had been withal. But this shall suffice for what is to be said concerning that great
Question, about the preventing the loss of our souls, and what we should do to be saved: — Now for the conclusion; you have heard divers things already, about the way, and direction for the saving of souls; I suppose when first the Question was raised, every one of you would be greedy to hear an answer; There was never a one in this place but would fain have his soul saved eternally; what do you mean to do now? What are your thoughts? There hath been a question, and I have endeavored in the Name of God to answer it; Now this is that that I desire of you even before you sleep, get into the presence of God alone, and give in your answer to God, what you mean to do, are you resolved upon it? Will you engage your souls now to God (this evening) that that little time that he will let you live in this world, that your endeavors shall be according to those particulars that have been opened unto you? Oh blessed be God if this be but in any one soul!
But can any one think that among such a multitude as this is, but that the Lord would be pleased to dart something or other into one or more. Let me conclude at this time, as the servant of Naaman said to him, when the Prophet gave him direction what he should do to be cleansed, he began to be angry, and was loath to do what the Prophet bid him; why (saith his servant to him) My Father, If the Prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then when he saith to thee, wash and be clean? So I say to you; considering what the worth of your souls is, and the danger there is of your eternal miscarrying, how if God should have said this, That so your souls may be saved, I require of every one of you that you should for forty, fifty years lie as a head-block at
the fire burning; I, and if God should have said thus unto us from Heaven, we had all cause to have fallen upon our faces, and have blessed God for his mercy towards us; but now God doth not require any such thing as this at your hands, but requires the abandoning of your lusts, and the attending upon him in his Ordinances; and he requires the keeping of your souls under his Word and Conscience, and the following of the motions of his
Spirit, and the believing in his Son; such things as these the Lord requires, upon which your souls may eternally be saved; and will not you accept?
Well, that soul that God intends to save, he will persuade, and the Lord persuade your souls in these things, that so you may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.