neration on which he spake of,not which he spake to) shal net pafs til al these things be fulfilled;fo that immediatly before the glorious coming of Chrift, men fhal depart from, and caft away the precious Ordinances of Jefus Chrift; which is as wel grief, as comfort,to us: Grief,that there fhould be fuch declinings; Comfort, That our Lord is at hand. This declining is an ill fin; but a good fign as an ill fin,it's grief; as a good fign of Chrifts coming,fo it's comfort. And if our Lord & Savior be at hand,even at the door, who would not watch and keep his garments Shal we not watch with him one hour? The scope and drift of this Sermon,is, To cal upon yours and mine own foul to watch. Wherein is proved, both in the general, That Ordinances,and in particular,That fuch and fuch Ordinances ought to be ftil continued, & that New-Teftament beleevers are ftil to live under the fame; not that they fhould not live beyond them, in the ufe of them; for in the way of Nature we are to use our daily bread, though we do live beyond it Living under an Ordinance, as Chrifts appointment, & living beyond it, in regard of Divine enjoyment are not repugnant: but that beleevers fhould fo live beyond the Ordinances, as that they are not bound to the use thereof, is the thing which this Sermon lies againft.

I have not spoken of the Lords day herein there are divers Treaties abroad which do prove that an Ordinance of Chrift to be ftil continued, and the cleering and proving thereof,requires more time than an hour or two in preaching would admit. Neither have I fpoken much unto that Objection,viz That all the Ordinances of Chrift do hang upon the Miniftry, and there can be no Ministry now, because thofe extraordinary Gifts of the holy Ghoft are wanting: For the Queftion before me was not, whether the Ordinances mayer can poffibly continue, but, Whether they ought to continue Yet as to that Objection, I ad, If you look into that 1 Epift. to Tim. c. IV. 3, where the Apoftle Pan! doth fet down the Qualifications of one who is fit to be a Minifter of the Gospel. Ye fhall not find one word declaring that thofe extraordinary Gifts of the holy Ghoft, are 2any part of the Effential Qualification of an Elder,or Bishop:

the

the Apostle fhews how a man should be qualified that is made a Deacon,verf.8,9,10,11,12. how a Widdow should be qualified who is to be taken into that number, Chap. 5.ver. 9, Io. and how a Bishop or Elder should be qualified, Chap. 3. but though he fet down many particulars of the qualifications of a man fit for that Office, yet not one word of these Extraordinary Gifts, plainly speaking this truth, That thofe gifts are not of the Effence of a Minister of the Gospel, Yea, where do we find, That thofe ordinary Elders chofen in the Apoftles time, Act. 13. Tit. 1. were indued with fuch Gifts? Apostles and Evangelifts, who were extraordinary Officers, and not to continue, had thofe Gifts, we read they had them; but where do we read, That the ordinary Elders, who were to continue, had these extraordinary Gifts of the holy Ghost constantly? We find that Baptifm was adminiftred to those persons who had none of these Gifts. Act. 8. 15, 16, 17. That the Lords Supper was adminiftred to Chrifts Difciples before the holy Ghoft in thofe gifts, fell upon them. Mat. 26. Andthat the Churches Cenfure requires no fuch gifts, Mat. 18. Now threfore if the Ordinances may be received without them and they are not of the Effence of the Miniftry,why fhould any man think that the Ordinances of Jefus Chrift do fo hang upon these, that if these be wanting, the Ordinances cannot be used or adminiftred?

And as for the Lords day (which is called the Lords day as the Lords Supper is, because of the Lords appointment and Inftitution) who doth not fee how the power of godlyneffe hath grown and thriven under the droppings thereof? What Nation or Kingdom is there under all the Heavens, where the power of godlineffe hath flourished more then in EngLand? Why? (not excluding other reafous of Gods Grace and Free love to us) but because the Lords day hath lived more Inftitution-wife in England, than in any other part of the World; and what gracious man is there in all this Nation, who may not rife up and fay to this day, Blessed art thon amongst the days of the week.my Soul doth; yea,and all Generations fball cal thee bleed?

The

The other Sermon is about Grace and Gift; the excellen cy of Grace and Love above Gifts; Whereunto we fhal do wel that we take heed, for if our gifts do wax wanton, they will defpife Ordinances,and kick against Grace it felf, which they have the more caufe to nourish, because they live plentifully under the roof of Grace: happy is the man whofe gifts do cherish his graces, and whofe graces do produce gifts; and as diversities of gifts fhould not make us disagree or envy one another, but rather bind us in love to one another, fo extraordinary enjoyments should not draw us from ordinary means but quicken up our hearts thereunto: as if God do marvelously bleffe us without Prayer, and we be driven the more unto prayer by it, then, tis of God and his love; but if it caufe us to leave or neglect Prayer then it is perilous. Now thefe are perilous times, for they are the last times; wherefore good Reader, let us defire rather to have plain Grace, than fine Gifts; for this is the more excellent way.

I have not had fo much time to peruse these two Sermons as I would, for the Notes ftaid a very littl while in my hands; but I find they are agreeable to what I delivered in preaching, whereunto I have made fome little Addition. The Title and Frontispiece I left to my Friends who defired the Printing; the mending of fome Prefs-faults, I muft leave to the Pen of the Reader. Now the good Lord himself, who hath often refreshed our Souls with the fence of his love in Chrift Jefus, keep all our feet in his wayes, and grant that we may hold faft what we have, left another take our Crown.

Yours in the Gospel of our
Lord Fefus Chrift,

WILL. BRIDG E.

A

ORDINANCES.

DEUT. 18.latter part of the 15.vers.
Unto Him fhall ye hearken.

T

"

Hefe words are fpoken concerning our Lord and Savior Jefus Chrift, who is our great Prophet; whofe Work and Office it is, To reveal and make known the Mind and Will of God the Father unto us: Our duty therefore is, To hearken unto him. And this is that Inference which the Lord Himfelf makes here, Unto Him hal ye hearken. Only ye may obferve, That when the Apoftle Peter in Act. 3. doth cite this Scripture, he gives you a double expofition; For whereas it is faid in the 19. verfe of this Chap: It shal com to pass, that Whosoever wil not hearken unto my words, which he shal speak in my Name, I wil require it of him, Peter, in Act.3.23. renders it thus; And it fhal come to pass that every Coul which wil not hear the Prophet, fhal be deftroyed from among the People. And whereas it is faid here in the text, Unto Him Shal ye hearken, Peter in A&.3.22. renders it thus, Him fhal ye hear in all things, whatfoever Hefbal fay unto you. So that this is the great Inference and Ufe that the Lord Himself doth make of this Prophetical Office of Chrift, Unto Him Shal ye hearken.

It

Preached at Stepney fuly 15.1649

It will therefore be worth our time to confider, What it is for to hearken to him this great Prophet. Know therefore, that when he faith, Unto him fhall ye hearken; the meaning is, Unto him alone, and to none else; as, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God; our Savior tranflates, and him only shalt thou ferve. So here, Unto him shall ye hearken; that is, to him only, to him alone, and to none else.

Now a man is faid to hearken unto Chrift this great Prophet, either when he doth acknowledge, receive, and fubmit unto his appointments; or elfe when he doth obey his voice with the obedience of Faith. I fay, firft a man is faid to hearken unto Chrift this great Prophet, when he doth receive, acknowledge, and fubmit unto his appointments : And therefore if you compare the 10th of Matthew with the 10th of Luke, ye shall find, That Hearing and Receiving are the fame thing. In the 10th of Matthew, at the 40. verf. He that receiveth you,receiveth me. In the 10th of Luke,at the 16. verfe, He that hea reth you, beareth me. What is Hearing in one, is Receiving in the other: fo that I fay, Firft a man is faid to hear Chrift this great Prophet when he doth receive, acknowledge, and fubmit unto his appointments: this is our duty; when it is faid, Unto him shall ye bearken,this is here

commanded.

For the opening therefore, and preffing of this truth, I fhall labor,

Firft to fhew you, What thofe appointments of Chrift this great Prophet of ours are, which we are to receive, acknowledg, and to fubmit unto, and thereby to hearken unto

him.

Secondly, That these appointments and Inftitutions of his, do ftill continue and bind us, and that we are ftill to hearken to him therein; ftill he lives and speaks in those appoint

ments.

Thirdly, I fhall Answer to fome Objections, Queftions, and Cafes of Confcience concerning Ordinances, and the Inftitutions of Chrift.

Fourthly, Shew you, What a dangerous thing it is for a

man