THE FAITHFUL COVENANTER. A SERMON PREACHED AT THE LECTURE IN DEDHAM IN ESSEX. By that excellent servant of jesus Christ, in the work of the Gospel, Mr. Tho. Hooker, late of Chelmsford; now in New England. Very useful in these times of Covenanting with God. Psal 78. vers. 9 The children of Ephraim being armed, and carrying Bows, turned back in the day of Battle. Ver. 10. They kept not the Covenant of God: and refused to walk in his Law. Ver. 36. Nevertheless, they did flatter him with their mouth: and they lied unto him with their tongues. Vers. 37. For their heart was not right with him: neither were they steadfast in his Covenant. LONDON, Printed for CHRISTOPHER MEREDITH at the Crane in Paul's Churchyard. 1644. A SERMON PREACHED AT DEDHAM Lecture in Essex. DEUT. 29.24, 25. Even all Nations shall say, Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger? Then the men shall say, Because they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord God of their fathers, which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the land of Egypt. THe holy Prophet Moses, having in the foregoing Chapters, the 28. especially, discovered unto the people as his last words almost which he spoke unto them, the marvellous mercies of the Lord to those which walked with him, and were obedient unto his Commandments which he had set before them, and the heavy judgements he had prepared for, and would execute on them that walked stubbornly against him; and were disobedient and rebellious, notwithstanding all means he used to reclaim them, and all the blessings that he bestowed upon them, as the Commandments you may see in the foregoing Chapter. If you will observe and do all that I command you this day: vers. 1. than vers. 3. Blessed shalt thou be in the City, and blessed shalt thou be in the field: vers. 4. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground: vers. 5. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store, etc. But if not, but they will be disobedient and rebel against him, he sends fire after them presently, and says, vers. 16. Cursed shalt thou be in the City, and cursed shalt thou be in the field. vers. 17. Cursed shalt thou be in thy basket, and in thy store, etc. Now having dealt with them both ways, he winds up all, and deals with them by way of Prophecy, and tells them, what Israel would do, and what the Lord would do, if their hearts turned away from him, and from his Statutes, which he had set before them to walk in. He tells them that the people after his death will go a whoring, O that this might not be, says Moses, but yet if it be, the Lord will root you out of this good Land, and will bring upon you all these curses that are written in this Book, to plague you here, and will cause everlasting vengeance to seize upon you hereafter. Now after he had dealt with them by mercies and judgements, these not prevailing, the Lord sends an enemy upon them that sweeps them away as unprofitable * 1 King 14.10. a King. 9 37. Psal. 83.10. jer. 8.2. & 9.22 & 16.4. & 25.33. dung off the face of the earth. Now the Prophet brings in the Nations here justifying the Lords dealing with them, and saying, vers. 24. Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this Land? What meaneth this fierce wrath of the Lord? As if a man should say, What was this goodly ENGLAND, the only Nation of all the Earth, and yet now all laid waste in this fearful manner? Whence came this heavy displeasure, and what doth mean this fierce wrath of the Lord? Now mark what follows, All men shall say, that is, even the wicked themselves, all standers by shall give sentence on the Lord's side, and justify his do, and say, Alas, can you blame the Lord for dealing thus fiercely against such a stubborn rebellious people? What would you have had the Lord done more, he gave them a Law, and Mercies, and judgements, but they would not serve the Lord, but broke the bands asunder, and cast the cords behind their backs. Psal. 2.3. Therefore now they shall serve enemies. God is not to be blamed, What could he have done, or what would you have had him do more than he did for them? Threaten from Mount Eball, and Blessings from Mount Gerizzim slew about from this side, and on that side, and yet nothing would do them good: Why should they live any longer then? what should the Lord do? they profited by nothing, neither by his mercies, nor his judgements; and what was the cause, brethren? Here was the cause, they were false hearted, they would not walk sincerely with the Lord; and therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he rootetd them out of their Land in his wrath, and in great indignation. Oh the fearful wrath of the Lord that came upon them! In the words take notice of three particulars: Parts of the Text. First, the judgement of the Lord denounced, threatened and executed against them. It was very sharp, the Nations were aghast that stood by and beheld it, and wondered, and said, Why, who would have thought it, that the adversary and the enemy should have entered into the gates of jerusalem? What, jerusalem the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole Earth? As if one should hereafter pass by and see all the Towns burnt up here in this Land, (which God grant may never be) but if it should be so, and one should pass by and see all the houses burnt up, and the Churches burnt; would he not be amazed at it, and say, Why, what means this fierce wrath of the Lord? Would it not make our hearts ache Brethren, to pass by these places, and see the houses of God burnt down to the ground, and think with ourselves; Oh the good exhortations and admonitions we have heard here! Then secondly, here is the reason and cause why the Lord dealt thus with them, Vers. 25. than men shall say, Because they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord their God. So brethren, if this should be our case, poor little ones would say then, I remember my father said thus it would be, for the Land forsook the Covenant of the Lord; and the Minister told us of this stubbornness and rebellion against the Lord, that this would be the end of it. Then lastly, here is the testimony of the Nations concerning the equity of the Lords dealing; the standers by justify it, and said, The Lord is just, for they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord their God. And so people would do here if the Lord should do with us as he did with the Jews. First, of the judgements which the Lord threatened against them. What means the fierce anger of the Lord? why, it was the fierce anger of the enemies, was it not? Yes, But there is no enemy but is in God's hand, it is his wrath that they execute. The wicked of the world are but the Lords instruments; the Sword is thine Lord, though thou usest them as the hand to strike with. The Lord commanded destruction to come upon them; Doct. 1. Hence observe God is the Author of all those punishments and judgements, that ever come upon a nation or people, family or person. It is his will that is the worker; He is the bringer of all sorrows, troubles, and judgements upon any. It was not the Babylonians that overthrew them; It was not Nabuchadnezzar, it was the fierce anger of the Lord that did it: you know what God himself says, Is there any evil in the city, and I have not done it? Amos 3.6. And he hisse for an enemy, Isa. 4 5.7. all places are at his command, Isa. 7.18. he commands deliverance for them, that serve and obey him, as it is in the Psalm: and plagues and destruction for them that disobey him, and rebel against him. To make this then our own, brethren, by application, briefly, for I mean to fasten upon nothing in this verse, but to pass on to the other wherein is contained the main point which I intent to stand upon, as thinking it in my thoughts most fit for this congregation. If this be so, then here is a cooling card for the wicked. Use. All you that hear this word this day, whose consciences accuse you, that you are enemies to God and goodness, hear and fear, and tremble for ever; If God bring judgements, who shall feel them and find them? surely, his enemies be them that shall feel them, Psal. 10 16. Psal. 10.16. It is the collection that the Psalmist makes. The Lord is King for ever, and what then? the heathen are destroyed, says he. If all judgements be at his command, than his enemies shall be sure to feel them. You that have wicked husbands or wives, fear every night when you go to bed, lest the judgement of the Lord should come upon them, yet ere morning, and cut them off and send them to destruction. Use. And you that are careless of your ways, and go on in your wickedness, understand the Lord hath vengeance for you; He hath rods enough, they are not all , he will bring them our against you, Psal. 68.21. and will wound the hairy scalp of him that goeth on in his sins. Mark what the Apostle says, 1 Pet ●. 18. 1 Pet. 4.18. If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear. If the righteous (brethren) hardly get to heaven, but loses an arm, an other a right eye as it were, and with many prayers, and sighs, and grapplings with God, and through many temptations hardly come to heaven in the end, and a poor humble soul beg for power against his corruptions, as if he would pluck mercy from the Lord by strong hand, and yet scarcely subdue sin and obtain salvation; what then will become of a company that are enemies to God and godliness, a company of unrighteous men, where shall they appear; The day will come when they that stand against the gracious voice of the Almighty now, shall hear the thundering voice of the Almighty, Luk. 23.30. and shall call and cry to the mountains and hills to fall upon them and cover them, Rev. 6.16. that they may be hid from the presence of the Judge. Secondly, observe that the Text says, What means the fierce anger of the Lord against this nation? Exod. 19 5. Tit. 2.14. 1 Pet. 2 9 Psal. 60 5. and 108.6. and 127.2. Rom. 3.2. What nation? why, the nation of the Jews, Gods own people, his * peculiar, his first borne, Exod. 4.22. his beloved, Cant. 1.14, 15. and 5.1, 2. to whom the oracles of God were committed, to whom the Prophets came in his name. That nation that had all means of good, that had all mercies, privileges, and all encouragements, the Lord shown his fierce wrath to them. Learn: Doct. 2. No outward privileges in the world will free any nation under heaven from the judgements of the Lord, if they sin against him, and be stubborn and rebellious. If any people might have been exempted and freed, surely the Jews might; They might have said, Why Lord wilt thou plague us? what, wilt thou destroy us? why, we are thy people, we have thy sacrifices, and thy Prophets, and thy Temple is amongst us. That is all one, what means the fierce anger of the Lord against this nation? says the Text. Be the man what he will, the means never so excellent, and the privileges never so great, if he sin, he shall be sure to be plagued, jer. 7.12. Brethren you may see there, that when the Prophet threatened the judgements of the Lord against them; Jerusalem began to brag of her privileges, and the mercies of God which he had bestowed on them; Go to Shiloh, says the Lord to them, the place where I set my name at first, and see what I did to it, for the wickedness of my people Israel. The case is clear and plain, no privileges, though the word of God and his ordinances, and the means of grace be there, will keep away judgements: If people sin, God will proceed in wrath against them, Amos 3.2. You only have I known (says the Lord) of all the families of the earth: what then? therefore will I cocker and dandle you? no, but therefore will I visit you for all your iniquities. If this be so brethren, Use. this teaches us this instruction; Not to depend upon our privileges, not to boast of them, and rest in them, and go away, and say, What, the Spaniards come into England! what, the enemy overcome England! We have the Gospel, the means of Grace, no nation under heaven so many in it that fear the Lord as our nation hath. O trust not tolying vanities, Ionas 2.8. saying, The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, Jer. 7.4. as the Jews did when the Babylonians came: what good did their Temple do them? your outward profession will be your bane if you trust to it, Rom. 2.9. when time of trouble come; Tribulation and anguish shall be upon every soul that sins, upon the jew first, mark that brethren; The highest in preferment, the first in punishment: you that have enjoyed great means, the Lord will proceed more heavily against you, then against others, when he gins to execute his wrath once; To have the name of outward profession is nothing, it will leave us in the dust if we trust to it: Privileges are like to paper walls, if a man rear up a paper wall against Cannon shot, will that defend, him brethren? They are good in their place and kind, but if we put our confidence in them, as if they should keep us out of trouble, it is like as if a man should put on a cut Satin suit, or coat of silk to go in the wars withal, will that preserve him against the Cannons, and the enemies? your outward appearance of profession is just so brethren. A hypocritical, fine smooth coat will not keep off the wrath of the Lord, but that will seize upon the soul, which hath no other defence but such. Revelation 2. Revel. 2.2. and the beginning Ephesus a Church that lived gloriously, and performed duties comfortably, mark what the Lord says of them, Vers. 3. I know thy works and thy labour, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil, vers. 4. Yet I have somewhat against thee, Vers. 4. because thou hast left thy first love. And what of that, might some say, I may be an honest man I hope, and go to heaven too, though I have declined a little, and be not so zealous and forward as I have been, as long as I am sincere and upright-hearted. Ay, but what says the Lord, brethren; Vers. 5. Remember from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do thy first works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and remove thy Candlestick out of his place. Let no man trust in his own strength, depend upon his own privileges, and shadow himself under the name of Religion, and Gospel. 1 Sam. 4 5, 6. 1 Sam. 4. When the Philistines came against Israel, and Israel was smitten before them, the next time they came into the Camp, they sent for the Ark that that might save them out of the hand of their enemies, and when the Ark came into the Camp, Vers. 5. all Israel shouted, so that the earth rang again. Vers. 7. And the Philistines were afraid and said, Woe unto us, for the like was never heard of before, the God of Israel is come into the Field. Who shall deliver us out of the hands of these mighty Gods? Vers. 8. these are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues that came upon them. Vers. 9 Be strong and quit yourselves like men, oh ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto the Hebrews. And the Philistines fought, Vers. 10. and Israel was smitten. And the Ark of God was taken. Vers. 11. They brought the Ark of the Covenant into the Camp, but the Ark would not defend them, but was taken; Brethren, the Ark was a type of Christ, you bring the name of Christians, and the outward profession of Religion into the field, and you think that this will save you out of the hands of your enemies, but you and that will sink under your enemies, if you put confidence in that: was any nation greater than Babylon, or more glorious than Jerusalem? but what is become of them brethren? hath not the Lord brought desolation and destruction upon them? Luk. 21.5. O say the Disciples (when they were at Jerusalem and saw the Temple) what goodly buildings are here! Matth. 24.1, 2. vers. 2. Mark. 13.1, 2. I tell you says our Saviour, a stone shall not be left on a stone; It skils not what we are, brethren, in outward profession, but what we are in sincerity, and holiness. Depend not on the privileges which God hath given you, but pray for grace to answer him, according to the means which he hath bestowed upon you, and then this love may be continued, and there may be some hope that you shall enjoy these blessed privileges still. Now we come to the place where we would be, the 25. Vers. 25. verse, wherein is the reason why God deals so with his own people. The Text gives you to understand the ground of it was because they had forsook the Covenant of their God. Meaning of the words. This we will fasten upon. And first I will open the words, and then draw some collections from them for our benefit. First, I will show you what is meant by Covenant. Secondly, what is meant by forsaking of the Covenant. Brethren, Covenant. there is a double Covenant in the frame of Scripture. Joh. 3.15, 16. and 5.24. and 11.25, 26. First, a Covenant of being in God, which is called the Covenant of faith. He that believeth shall live. Secondly, a Covenant of walking before or with God, when we have received mercy and grace through the goodness of God in acceptation of our persons, in and through Christ, than the Lord requires that we should walk in new obedience before him, answerable to that grace bestowed; Brethren mark that; and this is the covenant of new obedience or of thankfulness, which the Lord reveals, requires, and exacts of all that have given their names unto him. I take it that the covenant of the second sense is here meant; The other is supposed and included, but this is the main, the covenant of his Law, whereby we should be obedient unto him, that is the mind of the holy man in this place, and the scope of the words. Secondly, to forsake this covenant is this; when we keep not touch with God, in sincere, exact, and holy obedience, answerable to the means and mercy he bestows upon us, and the care and kindness of the Lord towards us. When we fleeing away from the command of the Lord, break his bands, Psal. 2.3. and snap the cords a pieces, when we walk after our own ways, are not governed by God, and content to be ruled by his holy word in all things, then are we said to forsake his covenant. Nextly mark here, he says, they forsook it, that is, the general frame of the nation. The general, not the naughty packs only and some few, but they forsook it. Now brethren having opened the words unto you, I will come unto the points of instruction; and first in that he calls his Commandment, and Law his Covenant, observe a main point of great use and benefit, and that is this. That the Commandments of the Lord, Doctrine. are the Covenant of the Lord with his people, the Covenant of new obedience: This is the Covenant that God makes with his people, Deut. 5.2.6. not of life, but of thankfulness, Deut. 5.2.6. That one place will cast the case clear enough. In the second verse. he saith, The Lord our God made a Covenant with us in ●oreh; then in the sixth verse. and so on, Verse 6. there is the Covenant itself set down. I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt, Vers. 7. out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other Gods before me. Famous is that place, Psal. 103.18. Psal. 103.17, 18 There are two Phrases used which serve to one purpose, and the one explicates the other, vers. 17. The goodness of the Lord endures for ever and ever; But upon whom, Vers. 18. brethren? upon those that keep his Commandments, and think upon his Covenants to do them. So that his Covenants and Commandments are all one. As in a Covenant there are Articles of agreement between party and party; so between God and his people. Here are the Articles of agreement, the Ten words which God spoke, the Ten Commandments: This Moses aims at here: Now brethren, to set the truth upon his right ground, for the opening of the point take notice of three things. Three things. First, what are the terms required in the Covenant. Secondly, where in this Covenant consists, or what is the substance of this Covenant. Thirdly, the reason why the Commandment is called a Covenant. First of the terms required in the Covenant of us under the Gospel. The tenure of the Law is in a double consideration: First, a legal performance of the Commandments. Secondly, an Evangelicall performance and obedience. These are the two terms of conveyance of this Covenant. The Law in the legal performance requires three things: that a man out of his personal holiness keep it perfectly and exactly, and that to purchase and obtain life by this obedience. This is obedience according to the strictness and rigour of the Law, wherein it will not abate an hair of what God requires, but it must be fulfilled every jot, and that out of a man's own personal holiness, and that in way of life: Thus it was a Covenant between God and Adam only, Adam in his innocence, God gave him a good Law, by virtue of which he should have lived if he had kept it, and by that holiness he had by gift and creation he was able to keep every minime and tittle of the precepts of the Lord, and to obtain life thereby. But this Covenant is not continued with us, is not required at our hands, no man doth or can perform the Law out of his own holiness and goodness exactly, to obtain life thereby, Rom. 6.24. We are not under the Law, Rom 6.14. but under Grace; that is, we are not bound to the strictness and rigour of the Law, that a man should not live if he have in him any weakness and failings, therein we are free from the rigour, and curse, and punishment of the Law. Secondly, Evangelicall obedience: Obedience to the Law of God according to moderation, and the mitigation of the Gospel, so fare as God is pleased to accept of what we can do through Christ in way of thankfulness, not what we should do in regard of the exactness God looks for at our hands, though we have no power of our own, we can not perform the Law exactly, yet if we according to the measure of grace received, walk in this obedience as well as we can in token of our thankfulness; this is the tenure of the Covenant made with us. The second ●art of the conveyance of the Covenant, in it, take notice of three things. First, we have not power of ourselves to keep it: Secondly, we cannot perfectly perform it by that power we have: Thirdly, when we walk in obedience to it, we look not for life and salvation thereby. The scope of Evangelicall obedience, is to glorify God, and to express the Covenant by obedience in way of thankfulness, and to procure comfort to our souls. We are saved by the Covenant of faith, Believe and live, joh. 3.15.16.36. not, do and live. This Covenant whereof we entreat, and whereof the Text is to be understood, is not the Covenant whereby we shall obtain justification, but an evidence and sign, we are justified and accepted of God: Rom. 8.3.4. Rom. 8.3.4. That which was impossible to the Law in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That which was impossible to the Law, etc. that can never bring any man to salvation, but only Christ redeemed us fully, and satisfied for us; and he performed what God required, and by that we stand just in the presence of God. But being justified and made acceptable, the Lord requires, that we express the Covenant, and walk answerable unto it, & express the virtues of him that hath called us. Brethren, you must not trust to your new obedience, to expect life from it, it is only an evidence that God hath showed mercy to you; it makes not you good, but shows that you are good. Evangelicall obedience according to the measure of grace received, is all that God looks for: Not that there is worth in this to purchase salvation: It is an evidence to us, that the Lord graciously looks upon us in Christ jesus; it is the way that we must walk in to salvation. Secondly, Wherein doth this Covenant consist? It stands in three things: first, when in inward uprightness and singleness of heart, we labour to be carried in virtue of God's command, not to do what God requires only, but because God requires it: many of you come to the Church not because God commands it; than you would not lie, or be drunk, or have secret base covetous humours, for God commands you should not do so, as well as he commands you should come to the Church: If a command carry in any thing, it will carry in every thing. But the frame of an Evangelicall heart is to the Covenant: that is the spring of a man's practice, the first mover, the weight that makes him strike in obedience to every Commandment, and approve inwardly of every Commandment of God; have not a secret distaste of some, and a love of others: he is covetous to be drunk, but will not be covetous, covetous to come to Church, but will not humble his soul privately. Though many failings be in him, and many rubs and hubs in the way, yet the bent of his soul is to God's Commandment. Cast a Bowl, though there be a rub here, and hub there in the way which turn it out, yet it sals upon the Bias: so an upright heart, though he meet with many hindrances within and without, yet the Bias of the soul, the bent is to God-ward still, to all his Commandments; labouring to express the virtues of God which hath called him. Secondly, there must be an answerable expression and putting forth of this inward disposition, and frame of heart outwardly in tongue and life: If you had a good heart, you would have a good life, and a good tongue: If it be within, it will break forth; you that are fretful, proud, stubborn, peevish, stout, froward, and nothing but fiddle faddle, and lament it not; and think your heart is good, and you love the Commandments; you deceive yourselves: If it were so, you would have a good tongue too, and be meek and humble. I will not give a Rush for that man, Religion that is not in some measure obedient this way. James 1.26. What saith the Apostle? If any man seem to be relig●ous and refrain not his tongue, that man's Religion is in vain. There must be an expression of the inward goodness of the heart, by the outward convers●…ion: a good sap in the bottom, good branches and fruit on the lop. Matth. 12.3▪ 5. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things. If goodness be in the heart (brethren) it will be brought forth in life: If such bad ware be in the shop, there is as bad in the Warehouse sure, if not worse. This we call the inward and outward Covenant; mark this you that think to smooth it over, and carry it away with fair looks; and speak well, and do well outwardly, but have dirty corners within: the heart is stubborn and rebellious against God; proud, stout, malicious, covetous: These are in the outward Covenant, as those whom the Lord complains of, Isa. 1.2. Isa. 1.2. Hear, O Heavens, and give ear, O Earth: for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. vers. 3. The Ox knoweth his owner, and the Ass his Master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. The wicked are in Covenant with the Lord outwardly, but not inwardly; the heart closes not with God, they are not humble: The jews were God's people in outward Covenant, but were disobedient and stubborn against the Lord. Thirdly, there must be an answering the means of Grace, with the measure of our uprightness and obedience: He that hath received more, must return more to God, brethren: He that hath received more helps from the Almighty, must return more obedience; you know how Farms and Leases go, (brethren) he that hath a Lease of an hundred pound a year, must not go and pay but fifty pound. And he that hath one of fifty pound, go and pay but twenty pound; & he that hath one of twenty pound, go and pay but ten pound; the Landlord will not be put off so for his rent; answerable to the Lease, so must the rent be: you that live in this Congregation sit at a high rate; brethren your Leases are at an hundred pound a year, look that you pay God his full rent. The people that are in a Town, that have a good honest Minister, and careful and painful; but he hath not those abilities that another hath; express not that diligent power, evidence of the Spirit in his Ministry; the people that are in such a place, sit at a good rate: but they that have a faithful eminent powerful Minister, they sit at marvellous high rents. To pray little, and do little in good duties, the Lord will not take this of a Dedham Christian; that is for those that have small encouragements, and a Sermon now and then, and that but weak neither, and creep out once in a month to a Sermon, there is a fifty pound rend, and a ten pound rend for such to pay; but you sit at an hundred pound rend, keep touch, brethren, come off, come off currently: Do you think the Lord will lend his mercies for nothing? No, he prizes the life, liberty, and pains of his servants; and their prayers at an exceeding high rate; an hundred pound for a Prayer, and an hundred thousand for an Instruction: and do you think with a prayer now and then, and with a sigh, and a wish, that you could walk with the Lord, to pop off the Lord so? No, you sit at heavy rents, and the Lord will call for accounts accordingly at the day of reckoning: brethren, this will break some of your necks, if it break not your hearts now by repentance, for your being behind hand with the Lord in his rent, and make you walk with the Lord better, and keep touch with him for the time to come: But what is the reason that the Lord will call his Laws and Commandments Covenants? Reason. The reason is this, for I would have nothing untouched that you may be wise and understanding Christians, because of the likeness between, and the resemblance of a Covenant that is made between two parties, and the Law, which is the Covenant which is given us of the Lord: In a Covenant, first there must be conditions and Articles of agreement between the parties offered and consented unto: and secondly, a binding one another to the performance thereof by Bond, perhaps a pair of Indentures are drawn between them, wherein is declared, that they mutually agree; he to make good the land and to pay thus much rend: the other to let it him thus, and thus. It is just so here; Mark the agreement between us and the Lord: Deut. 28. Levit. 26. he propounds the Law, and saith, That if we will keep the Law, he will bless us abundantly in all things; house, and land, wife, children, at home, and abroad; in every thing we put our hand unto. Then the people they agree, and say, Content Lord, what ever thou sayest, we will do; Deut. 5.29. the Law thou hast given us, we will keep it, it is holy, just, and good. But then for the binding of one another, you will say, How shall we know God will perform his part, and how shall the Lord know that we will perform our part to him, what Bond is there for it? The world is naught, and one cannot tell who to trust, and therefore God must bind us (brethren) to keep our Covenant; and we are not to think much that he should: And we have Bond of him too because of our unbelief: now the Bond is a corporal Oath passed from the one to the other. The Lord takes a corporal Oath, that if we will keep his Commandments, he will not be God if he bless us not: And so (brethren) you swear too, again on the other side to the Lord, and did when you were baptised, every one of you, that you would be his people, and obey his Laws and Commandments. The Lord's people take a corporal Oath, and a Curse upon themselves, if they do not keep Covenant with the Lord. This belongs to us at this day, for we entered into a Curse, and desired that all the plagues and curses written in the Book of God, might light upon us if we keep not the Commandments of the Lord, Deut. 29.10. When the Lord had propounded the Covenant, mark how he deals with the people; Deut. 29.10. You stand this day all of you before the Lord your God: your Captains of your Tribes, your Elders, and your Officers, with all the men of Israel: vers. 11. Your little ones, your wives, and the stranger that is in thy Camp, from the hewer of thy wood, unto the drawer of thy water: vers. 12. Deut. 29.12. That thou shouldest enter into Covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his Oath (mark that brethren, the Oath of the Lord) which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day: (mark that,) with us from Abraham to this day, the Oath is taken in our Baptism, we take the Oath of Allegiance, as it were, in this kind; All you that have given your names to the Lord Jesus, and have received grace from him, you all stand here this day before the Lord (and bring your children before the Lord in the day of a Fast, else woe be to you) that we may renew our Covenant with him. We are to enter into his Oath, the Oath of the Covenant between the Lord and us; that the Lord may establish us to day for a People unto himself: and that we may curse ourselves, if we do not walk with God, both ourselves and ours: and woe to him that hath no care to keep his Oath: no wonder he is a beggar; no wonder his debtors run from him, and leave him in the lurch. It is a wonder that the earth doth not open her mouth and swallow him up, Numb. 16.32.33. as it did Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, and all the plagues written from the beginning of Genesis, to the end of the Revelation, Amen, fall not upon his soul and body. Why, you have entered into a curse, man, and an Oath with the Lord, Nehem. 10.29. Neh. 10.29. See how the holy man continued this course, how they entered a Covenant there with the Lord; as if they should have said, The Lord curse this tongue, if I speak not graciously; the Lord curse this hand, if I do not yield obedience to his will and command: look to it, the curse will dog thee, and follow thee, if thou break Covenant, as it did the jews, in Nehemiahs' time: Now when he had returned the people out of captivity, he brought them all before the Lord, to enter into a Curse, and into an Oath, to walk in Gods Law. It was a sweet course; every soul here stands bound to do as they did. They took a solemn Oath, what ever they had been, they would now walk in Gods Law. Give me your hand, brethren, or at least let me have your heart in the mean time, because that cannot be. Are you the servants of God, entered into Covenant with the Lord? then know you are bound to keep Covenant by virtue of that Oath; and when you are in your Families, remember your Oath; you are bound hand and foot to the Lord, and therefore when you are drawn by any thing to break Covenant with the Lord, think thus with yourselves: What, an honest man and lie, and forswear myself? you have all sworn to the Lord, brethren, your little ones and all. Cursed shall you be in all that you take in hand, if you do not walk precisely, and exactly in his Law and Covenant Husbands, call upon your wives, Husband and Wise. and Parents, call upon your children, when you see them break Covenant; and say, Wife, or children, What, shall we bring a Curse upon ourselves? When you begin to be careless of the Sabbath, and cold, and lukewarm, and dull; call upon one another, and say, You know the plague was near at hand, husband at such a time; but the Lord kept it from us. For God's sake husband, let us take heed that we do not bring the curse upon our Family: No marvel though one run away with this from us, and an other with that; and the Lord lay this sickness, and that affliction upon us: What, wilt thou be a perjured man? for shame keep thy Oath; God will never trust thee else hereafter. Now the Lord swears to us by himself, Heb. 6.13. because he hath no greater to swear by. It is a sweet thing that the Lord hath bound himself by Oath to us, to keep Covenant with us. If you have an honest and an able man bound to you for a debt, you go away content, you have enough: Why, we have the Lord in bonds, for the fulfilling his part of the Covenant: He hath taken a corporal Oath of it, that he will do it; and shall we not take the Lords bond, and rest content with that? Let us now * Heb. 13.22. suffer the words of exhortation, with patience and meekness; O brethren, this point concerns us nearly this day. Covenants go fare, especially if they be for weighty matters; when a man is in Covenant for more than he is worth. Think of it seriously. The first use shall be of Examination. Use 1. If this be so, we may have a touchstone from the form of Doctrine delivered, to discover to us, who is the sound professor indeed: There are a great many formal professors, but few true ones indeed. A man can scarce tell who to trust, you say, for trading; I say, for living; you say, for buying and selling; I say, for professing: Would you know whether you are sound at root, and not have a name only to live, and yet are dead, Rev. 3. vers. 1. Revel. 3.1. Let him that keeps Covenant, that deals squarely, (you know what that is brethren) that keeps touch with the Lord, let him be the sincere man, he is worthy the name of a Christian. There are many fadling patching Christians, that are off and on; here and there; there is no hold of them; a man knows not where to have them; that will say fair, and bid well, but do nothing in the end. Go you home to yourselves, see whether you keep touch with the Lord. You think you are bound to keep covenant in nothing but in your money; Rich men think all honesty is in paying of money. I will not speak of the misery of them that must patch up and down in that fashion, and hang on every bush; But (o says the rich man, that is careful to give every man their due, and to keep his day) what times do we live in, a man knows not where to lend to have it again at his time, there is no honest dealing to be found; Mark the villainy of his heart, because he keep touch with men, and is as good as his word; O says he, we live in very ill times, and their is scarce a man to be found, that one may trust of his word, there is such unhonest dealing in all places, that there is no hold of men's words: But yet oppresses and grinds the face of the poor, and looks for his gain altogether: where is your honesty? So some that are careful of the body, and give it its due, but the soul whines within for mercy, mercy that it may have something to refresh it withal, but that cannot be heard, that is starved, the body is fat, but the poor soul is lean enough: where is your honesty? do you not owe repentance, hearing, reading, and praying to your souls? your poor soul cries, o remember me, let me have some mercy and forgiveness sought for me at the hands of the Lord, let me have some time employed for my good; But you cannot hear it; Is this honesty brethren? if a man starve his servant, so that he pine away, till he is scarce able to go, and at last come to the grave, every one cries out shame of him; But o brethren, the poor soul that is starved; but no man cries shame of that, when did the Lord hear of many of you here present? Alas, never brethren, never; But when the soul said, now pray for help against this corruption, and for mercy for such a sin, now awake out of thy secret worldliness; you went away and would not hear that, you have no leisure nor no time for that, but starve your poor soul, and the devil he hath one part of your time, and your lusts another; Is this honesty brethren? This is the man God esteems as an honest man, not a Protestant at large, that hath a good purse, and is good in his kind, and will deal honestly with men, and pay them their due, and at their day, but he that will pay God and their soul their due too: Exod. 19.5. Exod. 19.5. If you will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant, than you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me; If your debtors keep day with you, you will trade with them rather than with any other man. Let it be so in your deal with men, but remember that you do it with God. Think not to put off the Lord with fair speeches; Good words pay no debts, Brethren; we come here, and give the Minister hearing, and God a glozing; but we walk not according to God's commandments. You give God good words, but you go home, and are as unprofitable as vain, and frothy, and idle, as ever you were. If one own you money, and take this day, and that day, and promise it, and not pay it; you would not think well of this dealing; what may the Lord think of your hearts, when you have made so many promises to him, and had so many resolutions to perform your part of the covenant to him, but have not yet kept promise with him? Good words are good in their kind, God likes them well, as it is in Deut. 5.28, 29. This people have said well; Deut. 5.28. but these are not sufficient, we have enough of this says the Lord; O that there were such an heart in them, Vers. 19 to do as they have said! There is the point Brethren. If we have a debtor that comes oft to us, and promiseth us payment, but keeps not day, we say, you give me good words, but I cannot pay debts so, and keep my family so; Where is my money? So Brethren, you come and hear cheerfully, and pretend that you will do that you hear? Ah, but give God his money; O that there were such an heart: Know what God calls for; Good money: will he be paid with counters and shows? No, but currant money of England, when the heart is changed, the soul turned, and the affections moved to what God calls for, and that is good, equal and righteous, and we desire with all our heart to perform it. Brethren, when you are gotten home, call to mind what you have said this day, and this covenant: which you have entered into with the Lord, and say, o Lord that I had such an heart: good words are well, but o a heart, a heart Lord is that which thou requirest, and I would have; And it must be always, and in all things, you must not pick and choose, and say, I will not be a drunkard, yet be covetous: I wonder that you will not game, and be drunk, and yet gripe the poor; O that there were an heart to keep the commandments of God always; 1 Sam. 13.14. Act. 13.22. This is an honest man with God, a man after Gods own heart, a man of God's mind as we may say. If ever there were a Saint, thou art: when the Lord says, O that they had such an heart, the heart answers and says, O Lord that I had such an heart; when the Lord says, O that thou wouldst keep all my commandments: O that I could, says the soul again. This is upright fair dealing indeed, currant money, your tongue and outward appearance is nothing, that sturdy and peevish heart let it be humbled, and your untoward and rebellious heart be brought into subjection: Tit. 2.9. And you servants, not answer your masters again; And you little ones be not sturdy against your parents, and disobedient unto their commands; Remember the little ones that mocked Elisha. 2 King. 2. 23, 24. O but you will say, we cannot do what we would. No, it is pity you should, for then some of you would be without sin, which cannot be here. But do you endeavour to do what you can, and are you humbled and grieved for that you cannot do, and do you strive towards perfection, and say with David, Thou hast commanded that I should keep thy statutes; Psal. 119.4. O that I could Lord; Vers. 5. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes. And dost labour to mend thy pace, because thou hast been slow, and art cast behind in the way to happiness, and hast lost thy time? This is all God requires of thee. If one that is in debt to you, fall into decay, and come to you and say he is not able to pay you your money, but he desires you to go to his house, and take whatsoever is there, that is worth any thing, to satisfy you; I appeal to your consciences, is he not an honest dealer? yes, you will not deny it, but you will pity his case and say, the Lord may cross any man, and you will be favourable unto him, because he shows an honest mind, in that he desires every man should have his own to the utmost he can, either in money or in money worth. So brethren, observe what the soul wants in obedience, that it may pluck it out in repentance, that is the money worth, that when the poor sinner finds a dead heart, a sluggish endeavour, weakness in performance, and he cannot do as he should do, yet what he wants in obedience, he fetcheth out in repentance, step but in at the entry door, or under the wall, or under the window, and hear how he will break his heart, bewail his abominations, cry out of himself and say, though much means and grace have been offered me, yet good Lord this wretched world, that I should dote upon lying vanities, Jon. 2.8. so as to forsake mine own mercies; Good Lord, subdue this earthly mindedness; Good Lord take all away rather, than this should take my soul from thee and from happiness. O thus brethren, he labours to please the Lord, in sorrow and grief, and mourning, for the short come of his payment in obedience. He lays load upon himself in this case. This is an honest heart; this is very good pay, it is money or money worth, he is humbled, and ashamed, and confounded, because he cannot do what he would; In this case he deals squarely, he is an honest Christian; An honest man, if he be cast bacl in his estate, he will entreat Liberty of his creditors, and resolve and promise them too, that if ever God make him able his family shall not gain by it, but he will pay them to the utmost farthing, so is it with an honest heart brethren. I look not that a man should not have temptations, and corruptions, and that sometime prevailing over him, but this thou must have, and thus thou beg earnestly of the Lord, godly sorrow and grief of heart for thy failings, and that he would recover thy * Psal. 39.13. strength before thou go from hence and be no more: Though thou lose this week, that thou mayst gather it up the next week, work so much the more, and the harder. The Lord be merciful to us, where are those honest men to be found brethren, that desire to do thus? Me think I hear you in your souls now saying, good Lord what will become of our town, good Lord what will become of our neighbours? they talk of honesty, and this is honesty; but alas, their life agrees not to it. You complain of trading in the world, almost no trust to be put in any, every man almost is turned bankrupt: I am sure brethren it is true in Religion; He that was a forward Christian a while ago, is a drunkard now, or a gamester now; And he that was a forward Professor, and would go to a Sermon four or five mile in a morning, and come home again, and to work hard to get up the time again; But now God hath given him a pretty estate in this world, he is turned a very muckworme, become covetous, or a lose one; Though I do not know you brethren, I am sure brethren, there are a number such abroad in this land, and I doubt not but you can point at such here in this congregation, and say, that is such a man, and that is such a man, he still seeks to hold in with his Minister and would feign be counted a Professor, but O there is no life, nor heart, nor power of godliness in him, he is grown stark cold since I knew him, the world hath a part of his heart, his pleasure another, his profit another, idleness and ease another, he may even lay the key under the threshold, for any found Religion and true grace indeed, he is quite down the wind. But you will say, haply that I think too hardly of you: I know you not, I hope brethren there are many of you godly; the Lord increase your number and his graces that are in you: but I am sure if you come to the balance, you shall find few that are sound and godly Christians indeed that will hold weight. Let us search a little; Why, you will say, I hope we are honest men the most of us, we pay every man his due; It is well you do so, but I will bring in a bill now brethren, which if you cannot prove to be canceled, woe be to you. This Doctrine casts out abundance in all places, Use. at this door, and at that door, and packs them out, and will leave poor thin congregations. We will scan the case a little brethren. First, hence it is clear, that the poor ignorant creature is gone, he is quite blown up if he so continue, he knows nothing in this kind, he knows not how to count twenty shillings, how shall he satisfy a debt of twenty pound? that is to say, brethren, they know not God, not understand the prayers that they make, they say the Lords Prayer, Lord's Prayer. and it is good to be used in its time, but do you please God in so doing, when you understand not what you say? one says, Hallowed be thy Name; when he knows not what God's name is, and what it is to hollow it. Another says, Thy Kingdom come, when he knows not what it is to have his kingdom come; You cannot count your money yet, you cannot discern a six pence from a groat, that is to say brethren, you know not what it is to pray, and to hear the word, you know not what it is to take the Name of God reverently into your mouths. And so some will call God Father, but they know not how he is their Father, nor how they come to be his children. These are gone, they are carnal, they have not pay, therefore certainly cannot pay the Lord his due. 2. There is another generation worse than these, and those are profane ones, that set themselves professedly to run to rearages with the Lord, scorn all means God hath appointed to bring in his debts by, they will be drunk, swear, profane the Sabbath, scoff at such as refrain their foot from evil. Isa. 59.15. Tell them God requires other things of them, & that they keep not touch with him, and he expects other things at their hands, and that they run in rearages with the Lord for his rent, and that he will arrest them, and confound them, if they do not pay him his rent, for the time to come; They say they purpose no other payment than he hath already at their hands, but let God get his own as he can, they will take their own course still; Is there any such here brethren? There are too many such in the world, and I fear too, some among you, though you pretend fair, and say not so openly, yet you say so by your deeds brethren; for you will have this privy haunt, and that secret evil way, take this and that wicked course, you resolve of it, and will do it, let the Lord get his own if he can. So he will I warrant you, Look to it you that think to brave it with the Lord, when you are among your cups and companions, and to make your part good with him, to outbrave all judgements, and who shall arrest you; the Lord will pluck the cup out of thy hands and arrest thee with death, and a thousand devils shall lay hold on thee, and drag thee to hell to torment thee for ever. God will have his rent one way or other. Think of it you that set your mouths against heaven, and what hath the Minister to do to speak against you, you will out face God, and Minister and Gospel and all, and think to go away . Look to it, God will get his own, he will have it of thee, as he had it out of julian the Apostate. I will all edge but one place to you for this purpose, and that is Deut. 29.18. the Text says, Deut. 29.18. That if there be any root of bitterness among them, vers. 19 Vers. 19 That when he heareth the curse of the Lord, shall yet bless himself in his heart, saying, he shall escape and do well enough for all that; The Text says, Vers. 20. That the wrath of the Lord shall smoke against that man, and he shall blot out his name from under heaven. Oh that this verse were imprinted upon the palm of the hand of every drunkard, and every scoffer, and profane one, that walks after the stubbornness of his own heart, and adds drunkenness to thirst, and yet you think to go away with it, and so you may for a time, and these words break no bones, and all this wind shakes no corn with you, you hope to go to heaven as well as the best, you will drink and whore and yet it shall go well with you in the end, and you are proud; and stout, and stubborn, and stiffnecked against the Lord, and the voice of his word, and yet you bless yourselves, and promise to yourselves peace. Mark what the God of Heaven saith, Vers. 20. The anger of the Lord shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this Book, shall lie upon him, and the Lord shall blot out his name from under Heaven. vers. 21. Vers. 21. And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the Tribes of Israel: All the vengeance of the Almighty that ever was made known, shall light upon the head and heart of that drunkard, and that contemner of God, and the word of his Grace. He will separate you from the Tribes of Israel. You think to run away from your Country, and to fly from his Judgements, as some Bankerupts do escape from men, to run to Amsterdam, and other places: No, the Lord will separate that man from all the Tribes of Israel; where ever he be, in France, Germany, Amsterdam, or where ever; he will separate him, and set the damned spirits on the back of him, and say, Take hold of that man, and execute vengeance on him. Brethren, you may think I deal something harshly with you, but I deal for the best for you: Is it not better to hear of this now in time, then hereafter, when the Lord hath arrested you, and you are locked up in close prison for ever; you should think, Oh if such a denunciation had been told me; if such an exhortation had been wrought upon me; if such a man had pressed hard upon my conscience, with such and such things, I had never come here. Consider this, God will have it out of you, as he had it out of julian the Apostate, that had blasphemed Christ before in the field, an arrow came from God and smote him that he died; and then he said, Thou hast overcome me, O thou Galilean. You that are mates in this kind, go home to your fellow drunkards, and to your fellow whoremasters, and scoffers, and those that side with you against God and goodness and such as are godly, and tell them, God will have his debt of them. Know it now to your humiliation, and amendment, lest you know it to your cost, when there will be no prevailing with the Lord for mercy. The Lord persuade your hearts that there is no way to escape, but by coming in and acknowledging your debt, and craving pardon though you cannot pay. Thirdly, the close hearted Hypocrite, Use 3. he comes here to be discarded; he thinks his penny good silver, & the world esteems of him as a sincere, honest, upright hearted man. Tell him that he keeps not Covenant with the Lord, he takes it in great indignation. If any be here (as this Age begetteth a world of close hypocrites) understand and know, if you keep back some of the payment, have a secret haunt; do as Ananias and Saphira did, Acts 5.2. that laid down a part of the price, for which the possession was sold, and said, Vers. 8. It was all: Is here all, saith Peter to them? Yes, all, saith he; so when the Lord saith to you, Dost thou pray? Yes, Lord: And dost hate all sin? Yes Lord, say you: Why dost lie to the Almighty? Vers. 3. Do you not know a company of secret haunts, and backdoors that you have, to this lust, and that lust; and many secret corruptions you have; and yet come into the presence of the Lord, as if you were upright with the Lord, and there were no such matter. O ye hypocrites, why hath Satan filled your hearts to lie to the Lord? Vers. 3. Do you not know what Elisha said to Gehazi, 2 King. 5.20.21. when he ran after Naaman for a bribe, vers. 25. Where hast thou been, Gehazi? Thy servant hath been no where: Vers. 25. he thought to wash it away, and make it over so with a lie, vers. 26. Verse 26. Went not mine heart with thee (saith Elisha) when thou runnest after Naaman for a bribe? If any close hypocrite be in the Congregation, let him know, the Lord will find him out; and will say to him, Whither went thy heart all this while? Where hast been dodging? Was not my heart with thee, vers. 26. when thou goest after such a secret haunt, and such a close lust? O but you will say, it is no such matter, you desire to be upright; I say, be so, brethren. The Lord goes with thee whither so ever thou goest, and he sees all thy dalilah's, and Herodiasses of pride, and self-love; he seethe how thou seekest to him in the pride of thy heart; and how thou professest to get a name, and to bold in with others. These are base abominations, cursed hypocrisy: this is false-heartedness before God, and shall be plagued by God at the day of account. There is not an honest woman, that hath but one other man besides her husband. He is not an honest man that will not pay one bond of ten, or many. A penny is due as well as a pound. My hand is on your heart, brethren, for I fear many of you have some one backdoor which you mean to keep; and you will be proud or covetous a little; or unclean only, and all the rest of that Covenant ye are content to keep: Is this honest, to scrape out what you please, and leave what you please still? there is no honesty in this, brethren; But you will say, Who can lay any thing to my charge? I say, thou art a Covenant-breaker, and the Lord could never get his own of thee yet: Well, yet thou wilt put it off, as Saul did, when Samuel came to meet him, as he returned from slaying the Amalekites; 1 Sam. 15.13. Come thou blessed of the Lord. But what said Samuel to him? Vers. 14. Ah, says he, vers. 14. What means the bleating of the sheep, and the lowing of the Oxen? So you say, you make conscience of all the Commandments of the Lord; But what mean these secret corners and haunts? I mean those which conscience and God hear of, not what I hear of; for I know nothing but by them: What mean all these secret conveyances, that you have to make away, and hid your lusts with, that you may live in them and not be known so to do? What means your drunkenness in a corner; your adultery in a corner; your hypocrisy, and covetousness; lukewarmness, and coldness; carelessness, and earthly mindedness? Yet men will not be outfaced, they will bear a man down still, that it is so. Then I have no other way but this with you; look what a man doth by a debtor, that saith the debt is paid, and will face him down that it is so; yet the Book is not crossed: What will this Creditor do now? Why then, to your Books he goes, and calls in the servant, that takes in the reckon, and saith, Do you remember it? No, saith the servant, you gave me good words divers times, when I called on you for it, but no money was paid: why then I never had it. So brethren, you say, that you are holy; we will call for the Books, and for Conscience, God's Auditor, and the keeper of his accounts, and ask that; Whether you make conscience of private prayer, and humbling your soul in secret? Whether you make conscience of your stubborness to your husband; of your peevishness and untowardness? Whether you be a Covenant-keeper, and whether you did ever perform that God hath required of you; he hath required much of you, that you should pray, read, be sober, humble, neck, dutiful to your husband. But you have been right, froward, undutiful, wayward; why, did you pay this debt to the Lord then? The conscience will say, No Lord; I urged him to it, and said, Now get alone * Isa, 26.16. and pour out a prayer to the Lord; now go and read, and meditate on the word of God; and I told him, Lord, when he began to be so eager of the world, now you will be covetous, and worldly; but he would not hear me; he promised me, Lord, he would leave it, and would do so no more; and he would take up this duty and that duty; and put me off this time, and another time, but he never did it. Then you see the case clear, for you never kept day; you have a show of godliness, 2 Tim. 3.5. but where is the power of it? The power is to subdue inward lusts, secret corruptions, base thoughts that rise in the mind. This is not to be found in the most; therefore they are but Hypocrites and false hearted. At last when the case is so clear by the Book of the servant, this bad debttor doth confess it, and saith, It was a hard time, and it was but little, if you had had it, I thought it could do you no great good, I hoped you would have borrowed it, if you had had any great need of it. So many a crused hypocrite confesses the conversation is good, and the course is holy which he should take, and which God requires of him; but I feared the loss of my liberty, of my ease, or my honour, and credit, if I had done it. I feared I should have suffered for it, and it was but this, I hope it was not such a matter. Is this honesty, when God and the Gospel, call for truth, and for sincerity, you put off and say, This is no great mat, you hope; there are worse matters than so in the world. Thou art no upright, God will have the utmost farthing; Mat. 5.26. there is truth in a penny. He that will not suffer in one kind, I will never believe he will suffer in another. But you will say, What if a man be covetous, he hurts none; it is his own that he holds so fast; he is but close fisted a little, I hope this is not such a matter? This is a great sin brethren, in such a place as this is; what, not keep touch here? that man's sin that lives under the Gospel, is the greatest sin of all; of more weight than the sins of any besides: and therefore look to it brethren. If a man forfeit a Bond of twenty pound, or forty pound, perhaps he may recover it; but if of forty thousand pound, we say it will crush the greatest Merchant in the Land, and break his back. An hypocrite, a falsehearted one in the place where the Gospel is; it is a heinous foul sin, it will sink him deep: A drunkard where the Gospel is not, and an adulterer where the Gospel is not, shall go to hell; they shall all perish without repentance. But he that lives under the means, ye is covetous, lose, proud, vain, oppressing, and gripping of his poor brethren; worldly, or the like; that Bond will break thy back, it is an hundred thousand pound Bond. Take heed, brethren, a man that runs in arerages with the Lord here, it will be heavy for him. Mat. 11.23. And thou Capernaum, which wert lifted up to heaven, shalt be cast down to hell. Some live at great rents. A Dedham man, God will not have him have a stomach only to a good duty, and now and then to pray, or to read, or confer; but he requires great debts of him: A Dedham drunkard, or hypocrite, careless carnal gospeler, or covetous one; the devils will rejoice for him; when he comes to hell; they will make Bonfires, and make it holiday for him, stand upon their tiptoes to look on him, and say, What, are you come hither after all Prayers, and Sermons, and Sacraments, and Admonitions; and so many labours of God's servants, that have worn out their lives to keep you from hence? This Bond will break your back brethren, an hundred thousand millions worth of exhortations you have had, and you own the Lord for them all still; you have paid him nothing for them yet; you are not one whit the better for them: What shall become of you? the Lord will set a thousand devils to torment you, when you drop into the pit: specially ancient men, woe to your souls, if once God lay hold of you: If a man that is in debt, for I know not how many Bonds, be arrested but upon one, it will cast him into prison; but then if after that comes another, and another, in upon him, it will go very hard with him. He played fast and lose, and fair, and fare off all this while; but now one hath clapped a Writ upon his back, comes another and arrests him for an hundred pound at such a man's suit; and another arrests him for an hundred pound at such a man's suit. O think of this, your reckon will be fearful when God casts you on your sick bed, and death comes to fetch away your souls, and you are going to the chains of darkness; then there will come in one Bond after another, upon you; one indictment after another against you: Item, for the sins of your youth; your disobedience and stubborness to Parents, and Governors, when a child: Item, for following your profits, and pleasures, and minding nothing else, when you were a young man: Item, for your worldliness since you were an old man. One Bond after another the Lord will lay upon you. You would think such a man that hath so many Bonds come upon him, in a hard case; quite undone; and that there is no recovery for him out of prison, but there he must lie till some part of him rot off, perhaps, and till he die in the Jail: O how you would pity such a man's case, and how you would be grieved for him! But O brethren, you that are husbands, or wives, or parents, when you see your children, or your husbands arrested by God; not to go to an earthly Jail, but to go to hell for ever! O how should it grieve your souls for such a one! how should you pity such, and desire the Lord, while there is help and hope, to show mercy upon them! Thus you see these three sorts are cashiered for not being sound; and the Lord be merciful unto us, Use 1. what a few are there besides these? Think of this, carry it home with you, and examining yourselves, know the Lord will have sincerity from you. Secondly, it is a word of consolation; Use 2. this is a marvellous comfort to those that love and fear the Lord: all you whose hearts answer, It is thus with you, lift up your heads with joy, for this will uphold you, and make you * Luk. 21.28. lift up your heads with comfort in all your troubles, and in the day of the Lord, When your redemption draweth nigh, Isa. 3.10. Isa. 3.10. say, It shall go well with the godly. I say to that man, what ever come, it shall go well with him. We use to say, without doubt, without danger. A man that owes nothing, he cares not for any Pursuivant, or Sergeant, or Baily; he fears them not, for he knows they have nothing to do with him: This is a marvellous comfort to him; so it ought to be to a sincere heart, that hath paid his debt to God, when trouble seizes upon him: you know what Hezekiah said, 2 King. 20.3. Good Lord remember, how I have walked before thee with an upright heart. Isa. 38.3. If a man be arrested upon a false ground, the Law will bail him; there is no Law against him: Think of that brethren, Gal. 5.21. Galat. 5.22. The fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, * Vers. 23. meekness, temperance; against such there is no Law. There is no Law to punish or condemn them, or accuse them. Therefore blessed are your souls, that are sincere and upright in heart & conversation always, to all God's Commandments; in public, in private; in ordinary times, and extraordinary; there is no law against you: whatsoever Satan, or the world say against you, there is no law in the Book of God to condemn you. Psal. 119.6. Psal. 119.6. Then shall I not be confounded when I have respect to all thy Commandments. In the times of all dangers, and of all miseries, which are like to seize upon us soon, if the Land should be overrun, and friends and means fail, here is comfort to every faithful soul, Psal. 103.15. All flesh is grass, * Psal. 103.15. the wind passeth over it, Vers. 16. and it is gone. Vers. 17. ver. 17. but the loving kindness of the Lord endures for ever, and ever. Upon whom, brethren? Upon them that fear him, and think upon his covenants, to do them. Mark how he sustains himself, life go, friends go, means go; all flesh is grass, Vers. 15. the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; means are gone, how then, brethren? vers. 17. Vers. 17. But the goodness of the Lord endures for ever and ever. Though Liberty be gone, the Spirit of the Lord endures; though means be gone, the mercy of God endures; Psal. 136. all. though friends be gone, the favour of the Lord endures: The loving kindness of the Lord endures for ever; Upon whom? upon them that fear him, and think upon his Covenants to do them. Though a poor soul far meanly, and live hardly; all helps gone, the Wind hath passed over them; and liberty is gone; honour is gone; life is going; nothing endures: yet lift up thy soul in sickness, and say, My health is gone; my strength is gone; my life is going; but the loving kindness of the Lord endures for ever, Vers. 18. upon every soul that keeps his Commandments, and thinks upon his Covenants to do them. Lastly, for a word of exhortation; Use 4. Is the Commandment of God his Covenant; and is the keeping of that, the way to obtain mercy and happiness here, and for ever? then go away if you will, and be dishonest still, and break Covenant with the Lord. The very name of dishonesty, me thinks, should move you, brethren, to be faithful in your Covenant, and to set on speedily, and to be exceeding watchful, and careful; and to perform what you have promised to the Lord. Reason should move you; What, not keep Covenant, especially with the Lord? What, shall we make promises to the Lord, and enter into Covenant with him, and not keep it? Let it for shame never be said of us, brethren. Mark what David saith, Psal. 119 11. I have hid thy Commandments in my heart, that I might not sinne against thee. His mind ran of them, and his tongue talked of them continually. Amongst men, brethren, you would not have your credit cracked for any thing; and you do honestly. A good name is a Jewel. But do thus with the Lord, brethren; Hath not the Lord kept touch with you, in all his promises? Did you ever beg any thing of him, and he not hear you? Why do you not keep touch with the Lord? Shame yourselves for this, I beseech you. Men in the world, if they break in their estates, they have this love and humanity in them, that if any lose, than it shall be they that did deal most hardly with them; and that got most by them when they were in trading; but this kind friend, that was kind to him, and lent him money sometime in his need, he shall not lose a penny by him: O, saith he, I had a friend of him, I could never come to him, but he would receive me. This is honesty, and fair, and equal: O consider of this, brethren; we have hard bargains at the hands of the world, and of the devil, and sin; many knocks of soul, and girds of conscience with them: But the Lord hath been ever gracious, merciful, loving, and kind to us: resolve therefore that the Lord shall never lose by you; let the world lose if it will; and let carnal friends, and sin, and Satan lose if they will: Let not the Lord lose; but resolve, what ever becomes of it; I will pray constantly, and read in my family morning and evening; and upon every occasion, and reform my ways. It is not needful that I should be rich; it is that I be sincere, and faithful to the Lord: I will labour for a good conscience, and endeavour to walk with God. FINIS. Imprimatur: Ja. Cranford.