Quest.

Answ.

thene ye meet with dead coals, and there ye are fullied,and dirtied, and black't by them. (Ifay) If ye indeed be living coale, why is your Conference no more warm and living? Oh! what fad times are we now fallen into? Heretofore, fome four, or fix,or ten years ago,ye fhould not come into a Chriftians company, but you should have some heart war mingConferer ce that you should blefs Ged for many years after. As 'tis faid of Junius, he came into a poor country. mans houfe, and he spake fo feelingly of Chrift, that he thought it was not knowledge only, that would ferve a mans turn, and thereupon he thought of his own conditi on,and was turned to God. And we reade of the Martyrs in the Primitive times, when they met together, they would speak much of the Kingdom, the Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven! in fo much, as their Accufers, their Enemies, and Perfecutors, charged them, That they aimed at the Em pire, and the Kingdom; whereas they were: (peaking of a Heavenly Kingdom,and not of an Earthly Kingdom. But (1 fay)they were alwaies fpeaking of the Kingdom,the Kingdom. And fo heretofore,in former times, when Chriftians did meet together,then they would fpeak of the Kingdom, and fomthing that would warm their hearts together,that they might be the better all the yeer after: But now, when we are met together, either our speech is about Newes, or fome Dispute in point of Religion, or fome other thing; yea, though it be upon the Lords day. But if you beliving coals, Where is your living Conference? and your heart-warming-Communion? Certainly, if you be alive! in Chrift, indeed and made partaker of this Spiritual life, you will live at a higher rate than the men of the world do.

Is there nothing in all this Doctrine, concerning those that are dead in fins, and made alive? baththi Do&rine nothing to say

to them?

Yes, it hath very much to fay to them; Only, I am loth to be the meffenger of death to any one of your fouls? But if this Doctrine be true, That every godly man, is a living

man

man,and in the ftate of life,and none effe; How many poor
dead fouls may this Doctrine find in Congregations! It's
faid,that when the Egyptians found their first-born dead in
their families, there was a great cry through Egypt,a great
cry in every family. And were men as fenfible of their fouls,
as they are of their bodies; Oh! what a great cry might
there be in divers of your families! One crying out and
faying, Oh! Lord, I have a dead child whofe foul is dead.
Another, Oh! Lord, I have a dead Servant in my family.
Another, Oh! Lord, I have a dead Wife in my family,
whofe foul is dead. Another, I have a dead Husband, a
dead Friend. Ifay, were men and women as fenfible of
their fouls, as they are of their bodies, what crying! what
a great cry this morning might there be found in this Con-
gregation! But I chufe rather to exhort ye in the Name
of the Lord, for to get this famé Spiritual life that now I
have been speaking of: above al getting, to get this Spiri-
tual life. Ye fee into what fad times you are fallen. Who
knows how long he fhall live? who knows how long he
hal be the owner of his Eftate,Liberty, or Life? The King-
dom is full of blood; and there is a blood-thirty difpofi-
tion that runschorow the Kingdom: and if you and I have
our lives taken from us,and we have not a better life; what
a fad condition fhal we be in! Wherefore, I beseech ye in
the Lord, labor to get another life, this Spiritual life tha:
fhall never be taken from you; and the Lord give you heart
to do it.

But you will fay, How should that be done?

Come unto Jefus Chrift: what ever thou beeft (man or ***. woman) now come unto Jefus Chrift. Saies the Low Chrift, They will not come unto me, that they might be in There are Three things that keep men from coming to fus Chrift: One thing is, Mens Negligence: men thiLE CIT can repent afterward,and they may have Chrif

and fo for the prefent, they negle& coming to let Chak Sometimes (nay alwaies) Unbelief keeps men of from S ming to Jefas Chrift. For as faith brings Chrif and the

Object.

Anfw.

Soul together; So Unbelief keeps a man from coming to Jefus Chrift. And another thing is, Unwillingneß to part with all for Jefus Chrift. The yong man ye have read of in the Gofpel, went away forrowful,when Chrift faid to him, Go and fel all,to come to Chrift: fo he did not come to Chrift upon that account. And fo,when we come to men and women, and fay, You must come to Chrift, and leave all your former Company; Nay, (lay they) I can have Chrift better cheap,upon better terms; and I cannot leave my Com pany, and my merry meetings, and fo they come not to Chrift. But I befeech you in the Lord, Come unto Jefus Chrift; Oh! what ever thou haft been, Come unto jefus Chrift that you may have life.

I know many will fay, I bave been long dead in my trefpaffes and fins, and I fear there is no hope of life for me.

Now mark what I fay to that,and fo I wil end al. There are Three mentioned in the Gofpel, whom Chrift raised from the dead. One a Maid, that lay in her fathers house, and Christ came in and took her by the band, and faid unto her, Arife. Another was a young Man, that was carried out of his fathers houfe,and was laid out upon the Hearfe and Chrift came,and faid unto him, Arife. And the third was Lazarus, that had been four daies dead and flank a gain; and Chrift speaks to Lazarus, and he comes forth. And thefe Three (faies Auftin) thews thofe that Chrift will raife up from the dead again. The firft, (the maid that lay in her fathers houfe)notes that fort of finners,that commit fecret fins,& never come abroad, never come into a&. The fecond (the fon that was carried out of his fathers houfe, and laid upon the Hearfe) notes that fort of finners, that fin openly; Swearers, and Drunkards, whole fins are a broad. And the third (that of Lazarus) notes that fort of finner, that hath lien fo long in the grave that he even fmels again. Now I pray further obferve this, That when Chrift came to raife Lazarus, then Chrift prayed, but he did not pray when he raised the other two;and he groan'd over him; he did not groan over the maid, nor over the

young

young man, but he groan'd over Lazarus, to fhew the dif ficulty of raifing a poor finner from the dead that hath lien long in his fin. And therefore, if there be ever a poor foul here that is dead in his fins; Oh! go to Chrift while thou art young, and fall down before him and fay, Oh! Lord, I have a dead heart of mine own, Oh! let me have life from thee. But whether thou beeft young or old, here is yet hope; Lazarus raised as well as the yong maid, and yongman; Lazarus,that lay til he ftank again in the grave; and therefore, yet there is hope though thou haft lien long. Wherfore,in the name of the Lord, I beseech you all, Come unto Jefus Chrift this morning. If there be ever a poor dead foul in this Congregation, as may be fome there is, fome Drunkard crept in, fome Swearer, fome Unclean wanton: Well, if there be ever a dead foul in this Congregation, now go to Chrift that thou mayeft have life: and I fay to thee, Awake thou that fleepeft, and ftand up from the dead, and the Lord Jefus give us life..

のののか

••e{••••གས•••••• ••p

Preached

at

Stepney. July, 9. 1648.

Doct. 2.

SERMON II

GALATIANS, 2. part of the 20. verfe.
Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Chrift liveth

· in me.

our spiritual life...

E hear the last day, that two things efpe cially,are obfervable from these words:

Firit. That every godly, gracious man, wa living man, is in the ftate of life, lives a fi ritual life. And this I have fpoken to. Secondly. That our justification by faith alone, i no enemy, but a real friend unto the

Nevertheless, ade and now I live, but nom I live. A if he fhould fay, I never did live before; but now being juftified by faith alone, and having the experience of this great Truch, Now I live. At the 16. verfe, he had faid, That a man is not justified by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Jefus Chrift; Whereupon it was, or might be objeů. ed: If a man be not juftified by the works of the Law, then is he free from the Law, then is he dead unto the Law, then may a man live as he lifts?. Nay, not fo (faies the Apoftlea the 19 verfe) For Isbrough the Lam, am dead to the Lam, the Imight live to God: (quite contrary) That I might live to God, I am dead to the Law. Yea, and though I am crucified with Chrift, yet now I live, and I never did live till now; but now I live: This very principle of juftification by faith alone, it

the