01. THE FIRST SERMON, UPON THE PREPARATION TO THE LORD'S SUPPER.

THE FIRST SERMON, UPON THE PREPARATION TO THE LORD’S SUPPER.

Let every man therefore examine himself, and so let him eat of this Bread, and drink of this Cup. 1. COR. 11.2.

Well-beloved in Christ Jesus: The Apostle in the words which we have read, delivereth his counsel, and giveth his advice; and not only gives his advice, but gives his admonition and command: That we should not come to the Table of the Lord, that we should not come to the hearing of the word rashly: but that everyone of us should come to this holy work with reverence; that we should prepare and sanctify ourselves in some measure. And seeing we go unto the King of heavens table, it becomes us to put on our best array. In a word, he delivereth the whole doctrine and matter of this preparation, when he saith; Let every man, and let every woman, try and examine themselves. As if he would say, let everyone of you, try and examine your souls. That is, try the estate of your own hearts, and condition of your own consciences. Mark and behold in what estate your heart is with God, and in what estate your conscience is with your neighbor.

He biddeth not your neighbor to try you, he biddeth not your companion to try your heart; but he biddeth yourself in person, to try your own conscience; he biddeth yourself, try your own heart; because none can be certain of the estate of your heart, or of the condition of your conscience, but yourself.

Now he excludes not others from the trial of you neither (for it is lawful for the Pastor to try you,) but others cannot try you so narrowly as ye yourselves may; for no man can know so much of me as I know of myself. No man can be certain of the estate of your heart and condition of your conscience; and yet you yourselves may be certain of it. As for others, men may judge of your heart and conscience according to your works and effects; and except your works and effects be very wicked and altogether vicious, we are bound in conscience to judge charitably of your hearts and consciences. Therefore, there is none so meet to try the spirit of man, to try the heart or conscience of man, as is the man himself.

Now that this trial may be the better made, ye have first to understand what it is that ye should try: what ye call a a conscience, which the Apostles commands you to try. Next, ye are to consider for what reasons & causes ye should try your consciences.

Thirdly, & last of all ye, are to know in what chief points ye should try and examine your consciences. Then, that we speak not unto you of things unknown, it is necessary for every one of you (seeing there is none of you that lacketh a conscience) to understand what a conscience is: & as nearly as God shall give me grace, I will bring you to the understanding and knowledge of a conscience.

I call a conscience, a certain feeling in the heart, resembling the judgment of the living God, following upon a deed done by us, flowing from a knowledge in the mind, accompanied with a certain motion in the heart, to wit, fear or joy, trembling or rejoicing. Now, we will examine the parts of this definition. I call it first of all, a certain feeling in the heart; for the Lord hath left such a stamp in the heart of every man, that he doth not that thing so secretly, nor so quietly, but he makes his own heart to smite him, and to strike him: he makes him to feel in his own heart, whether he hath done well or ill. The Lord hath placed this feeling in thy heart; why? Because cause the eyes of God look not so much upon the outward countenance and exterior behavior, as upon the inward heart. For he saith to Samuel, in the first book, 16.7. The Lord beholds the heart. So, 1. Chron. 28.9. he saith to Solomon, The Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth all imaginations and thoughts. Also, Jeremiah 11:20. The Lord tries the reins and the heart. And the Apostle, 1. Cor. 4.5. saith, The Lord shall lighten things that are hid in darkness, and make the counsels of the heart manifest. So, in respect that the Lord will chiefly have to do with the heart, therefore in the heart he placeth this feeling, which is the chief part of conscience.

I say next, that this feeling resembleth the judgment of God: for this feeling was left and placed in our soul for this end and purpose, that we might have a domestical and familiar judgment within ourselves, to resemble and describe the secret and invisible judgment of the high God; a particular judgment, to go before that general judgment, in that general and great day, where every man shall be justified, or condemned, according to the particular judgment that is within his own conscience. In the meantime this conscience is left in us, to arrest us in this life, thereby as it were, to ease the living God at that last judgment. For the books of our own consciences, in that last day shall be opened; and every man shall receive, according to the report of the decree that is within his own conscience: therefore I say, that our conscience resembles the judgment of God. The third thing that I say, is this; It followeth upon a deed done by us: our conscience nor our heart strikes us not before the deed be done; our heart strikes us not before the evil deed be committed: no, it goeth not before the deed; but the stroke of the conscience and feeling of the heart followeth immediately upon the deed, in such sort, that the deed is no sooner done by thee, but thy conscience applies it to thyself, and gives out the sentence against thyself: therefore, I say, it is a feeling, following upon a deed done by us. And next I say, flowing from a knowledge in the mind; for except the conscience have information, and except the heart know that the deed which is done is evil, the heart nor the conscience can never count it to be evil: therefore knowledge must go before the stroke of the conscience: thy heart can never feel that to be evil, which thy mind knoweth not to be evil. So knowledge must ever go before feeling, and according to the measure of thy knowledge, according to the nature and quality of thy knowledge, accordingly shall the testimony and stroke of thy conscience be. For a light knowledge, a doubting and uncertain knowledge, makes a light and small stroke: as on the other part, a holy and solid knowledge drawn out of the word of God, maketh a heavy stroke of the conscience. So the conscience must answer to the knowledge. If we have no other knowledge but the knowledge which we have by nature, and by the light and sparks which are left in nature, our conscience will answer no further but to that knowledge: but if beside the light of nature, we have a knowledge of God in his word, and a knowledge of God by his holy Spirit working in our hearts, our consciences will then go further, and excuse or accuse us, according to the light that is in the word. So that the conscience is not acquired or obtained at what time we are enlightened by the working of the holy Spirit, & hearing of the word of God: but our conscience is borne with us, is natural to us, and is left in the soul of every man and woman: and as there are some sparks of light left in nature, so there is a conscience left in it; and if there were no more, that same light that is left in thy nature, shall be enough to condemn thee. So the conscience is not gotten or begun at the hearing of the word, or at that time when we begin to reform our selves by the assistance & renewing of the holy Spirit: but every man by nature hath a conscience, & the Lord hath left it in our nature; and except that this conscience be reformed according to the word of God, that same natural conscience shall be enough to condemn thee eternally: therefore, I say, flowing from a knowledge of the mind. Last of all, I say, accompanied with a certain motion of the heart: and we express this motion, in fear, or joy, trembling, or rejoicing. In very great fear, if the deed be exceeding heinous, and the stroke of the conscience be very heavy; then the conscience never taketh rest, for guiltiness will ever dread. But if the deed be honest, godly and commendable, it maketh a glad heart, and maketh the heart even to burst out into joy. So, to be short in this matter, (for I purpose not to make a common place of it) ye see, that in every conscience there must be two things: First, there must be a knowledge; and next, there must be a feeling, whereby according to thy knowledge, thou appliest unto thine own heart, the deed done by thee. So that, as the word itself testifieth, it ariseth of two parts: of knowledge, according whereunto it is called science; and of feeling, according whereunto, the Con is added, and it is called Conscience. Then the word conscience, signifieth knowledge, with application. This conscience, the Lord hath appointed to serve in the soul of man for many uses: to wit, he hath appointed every one of your consciences, to be a keeper, a waiter on, a careful attender upon every action done by you. So that, that action cannot be so secretly, so quietly, nor so closely conveyed, but will thou, nil thou, [1] thy conscience shall bear a testimony of it; thy conscience shall be a faithful observer of it; and one day, shall be a faithful recorder of that action. So, the Lord hath appointed thy conscience to this office, that it attends and waits upon thee in all thy actions. [2] Likewise, the Lord hath appointed thy conscience, and placed it in thy soul, to be an accuser of thee; so that when thou dost any evil deed, thou hast a domestical accuser within thine own soul, to find fault with it. [3] He hath also placed it in thy soul, to be a true and steadfast witness against thee; yea, the testimony of the conscience, resembles not only a testimony or witness, but the conscience is as good as ten thousand witnesses. [4] The conscience also is left in the soul to do the part of a Judge against thee, to give out sentence against thee, and to condemn thee: and so it doth; for our particular judgment, must go before the general and universal judgment of the Lord at that great day. [5] And what more? He hath left thy conscience within thee, to put thine own sentence in execution against thyself. This is terrible, he hath left it within thee, to be a very to torture and tormentor to thyself; and so to put thine own sentence in execution upon thyself. Is not this a matter more than wonderful, that one and the self-same conscience, shall serve to so many uses in a soul; as to be a continual observer and marker of thy actions, an accuser, ten thousand witnesses, a Judge, a Sergeant, and Tormentor; to execute thine own sentence against thyself? So that the Lord needeth not to seek a Sergeant, out of thine own soul to arrest thee, for thou shall have all these within thyself, to make a plain declaration against thyself. Take heed to this: for there is never a word of this shall fall to the ground; but either ye shall find it to your comfort, or to your everlasting woe. And this secret and particular judgment, that every one of you carries about you, abideth so sure and so fast within you, that do what ye can, if ye would employ your whole travail to blot it out, thou shalt never get it scraped out of thy soul. If ye were as malicious, and were become as wicked as ever any incarnate devil was upon the earth, yet shall ye never get this conscience altogether extinguished out of thy soul: but will thou, nil thou, there shall as much remain of it, as shall make thee inexcusable in the great day of the general judgment.

I grant, thou mayest blot out all knowledge out of thy mind, and make thyself become even as a blind man. I grant also, that thou mayest harden thy heart, so that thou wilt blot out all feeling out of it, so that thy conscience will not accuse thee, nor find fault with thee, but thou shalt have a delight in doing evil, without remorse: but I deny, that any degree of wickedness in the earth shall bring thee to this point, that thou mayest do evil without fear; but still, the more that thou doest evil, and the longer thou continuest in evil doing, thy fear shall be the greater: you, in despite of the devil, and in despite of the malice of the heart of man, thy fear shall remain. And though they would both conspire together, they shall not be able to banish that fear, but that gnawing of the conscience shall ever remain, to testify, that there is a day of judgment. I grant also, that there shall be a vicissitude and that fear shall not always remain, but shall be sometimes turned into security; neither shall that security always abide, but shall be turned again into fear: so that it is not possible, to get this fear wholly extinct; but the greater the security is, the greater shall thy fear be, when thou art wakened. Thirdly, I grant that this fear shall not be blind; for from that time a man by evil doing hath banished knowledge out of the mind, and feeling out of the heart, what can remain there but a blind fear? When men have put out all light, and left nothing in their nature but darkness, there can nothing remain but a blind fear. So I grant, that the fear is blind: for neither know they from whence that fear cometh, what progress it hath, whereunto it tendeth, where, nor when, it shall end: therefore, they that are this way misled in their souls, of all men in the earth they are most miserable. For as long as thou mayest keep in thy mind, a spark of this knowledge and spiritual light, in the which thou mayest see the face of God in Christ, wherein thou mayest see a remedy in the death and passion of Christ, and wherein thou mayest see the bowels of mercy offered in the blood of Christ; if thou have any spark of this light (albeit it were never so little) to direct thee, and albeit this knowledge were never so much wounded, yet there is mercy enough for thee in Christ: but if thou close up all the windows of thy soul, and of thy heart, and make them to become palpable darkness, that thou neither knowest from whence the terror cometh, nor yet perceivest any remedy, that is the misery of all miseries.

We have many things in general to lament, concerning the estate of this our Country wherein we live. Also particularly, there is not one of you but hath great cause to take heed to your consciences now while ye have time, that ye banish not altogether this light which is yet offered unto you, and whereof some sparks yet remain. For I see the most part of men run headlong to banish the spark of light that is in them, and will not rest so long as there is any spark of it left, until it be utterly banished. And when they have so done, alas, what can follow, but a blind and terrible fear in their consciences, which they can never get extinguished? a fear without remedy, a growing fear, and not a decaying fear, a fear that will devour them wholly at the last: Therefore, every one of you be careful of this light that is within you; take heed, that the foul affections of your hearts draw not your bodies after them; see, at the least, that those affections banish not this light. And so long as the Lord offers you this light, in time crave, that of his mercy he would give you the grace to embrace it, to take a new course, and yet to amend your lives while time is given you. The body shall leave the soul, and the soul shall leave the body; but the conscience shall never leave the soul: but whither soever the soul goeth, to the same place shall the conscience repair; and look in what estate thy conscience is, when thou departest out of this life, in the self-same estate shall it meet thee in the great Day. So that if thy conscience was a tormentor to thee at the time of thy death, if thou get it not then pacified, it shall be a tormentor to thee in that general Judgment. Therefore, this matter would be well weighed, & every one of you should study to have a good conscience, that when the soul is severed from the body, leaving your conscience at rest and peace with God, it may be restored unto you, and meet you again with as great peace and quietness.

Thus far concerning conscience, what it is. I beseech the living Lord, so to sanctify your memories, that ye may keep these things; and that every one of these things may be so imprinted in your hearts, that ye may be mindful of them all your lives. The second thing that we are to speak of, is this: We are to consider wherefore we should try our consciences; for what causes we should examine our own souls & consciences. I will declare the reasons briefly. It behooveth every one of you to try your conscience. Why? Because the Lord will make his residence in no other part of the soul but in the conscience: He hath appointed his dwelling to be in the heart of man, and in the will and conscience of man; and therefore it becometh you to make his dwelling place clean, and to take heed unto your hearts.

Next, though the Lord of heaven made not his residence there, yet in respect the eye of God is an all-seeing eye, and able to pierce through the very thickness of man’s flesh, how dark and gross soever it be, and to enter into the very secret corners of thy conscience; (for unto the all-seeing eye of God, the most secret corner of thy conscience is as clear and manifest, as any outward or bodily thing in the earth can be to the outward eye of the body:) In respect therefore that this eye is so piercing, and that he casteth his eye only upon our hearts, it behooveth us to try our hearts.

Thirdly, he is the Lord of the conscience. There is no Monarch on earth that hath any sovereignty or lordship over the conscience: only the God of heaven, only Christ Jesus King of heaven and earth, is Lord of the conscience, he hath power only to save and lose. Therefore, when thou comest to this Sacrament of the Lord’s Table, thou oughtest carefully to look unto thy conscience, to try and examine the state of it.

Last of all, which is a chief reason; It behooveth thee to prove thy conscience, because the welfare and health of thy soul dependeth upon thy conscience. If thy conscience that is within thy soul be well, if it be at peace and rest, thy soul is well; if thy conscience be in a good estate, thy soul must needs be in a good estate; if thy conscience be in good health, of necessity thy soul must be in good health; for the good health and happiness of the soul, dependeth upon a good conscience: therefore, it concerneth every one of you to try well your consciences.

There was never any law made or devised, that forbad us to have a care of our healths; it is lawful for us to seek such things as may procure and preserve it: but the health of thy soul standeth in the health of thy conscience, and in preserving thereof: therefore, by all laws, thou oughtest to attend thy conscience. If thou keep thy conscience well, thy soul is in health; and if thy soul be in health, let troubles come what will upon thy body, thou wilt endure them all: but if thy soul be diseased with an evil conscience, thou shalt not be able to bear out the least trouble that shall come upon thy body: whereas, if the conscience were at rest and in good health, that trouble could not happen unto thy body, but the strength of a good conscience would bear it out. Then have ye not reason, and more then reason, to take heed to your consciences, to try and examine your consciences, in what estate and disposition they stand?

Now, because it is a fruitless thing to tell you that health is necessary, and not to show the way how this health may be obtained and preserved; therefore to keep your consciences in quiet and good health, I will give you these few lessons. First of all, be sure that thou retain a steadfast persuasion of the mercies of God in Christ Jesus; examine when thou liest down, and examine when thou risest up, in what estate thou art with God; whether thou mayest look for mercy at his hands, or not.

Art thou persuaded of mercy? Assure thyself thy conscience is in a good estate, thou hast health in thy soul; for by the keeping of faith, the conscience is preserved, as saith the Apostle, 1. Tim. 1.19. Keep this persuasion, preserve it whole and sound, hurt it not, bring not thy soul into doubting, stay not, nor hinder thy persuasion, if thou desire to keep health in thy soul: for, if thou doubt, or any way diminish thy persuasion and assurance, assuredly thy assurance cannot so soon be hindered nor diminished, but at that very instant shall follow the diminishing of the health of thy soul; yea it cannot be, but in that very article of time shall follow the hurt of thy conscience; for faith will not dwell but in a whole conscience. Therefore, at what time thou doest anything against thy conscience, at that very time thou losest a degree of thy persuasion of the mercy of God: and until such time as thou fall down at the feet of Christ, and obtain mercy for that wicked deed, purchase peace at his hands, and repair thy persuasion, thou shalt ever doubt of mercy, and want health in thy conscience. Then this is the first lesson, to keep health in your souls, to be persuaded of mercy. The second lesson to keep a good conscience, or to keep health in thy soul, is this; Ye must fly, eschew, and forbear, whatsoever may trouble the health of your soul, whatsoever may trouble the quietness and peaceable estate of your conscience: cast it out, forbear it, and eschew it. This general is good. But let us see what it is that troubles the quiet estate of the conscience. Only sin; nothing but an evil nature. Therefore we must of necessity, to keep health in our souls, forbear and eschew sin; we must fly and avoid sin. It is not possible that ye can keep a good conscience, and serve the affections of your heart: & therefore to keep peace and health in thy soul, thou must take leave of thy lusts, thou must renounce the lusts & affections of thy heart, and thou must not do as thou wast wont to do: thou must not be given to the service of thine affections, & of thine appetite, to put them in execution as thou hast formerly done. But in case thine affections or lust command thee to do anything, what is thy part? Thou must try how far this may stand with the good will of God, and how far that affection which commands thee, may agree with the law of God. Is there such a harmony, as that thing which thine affection commands thee, may stand with God’s law and holy will? Then no question, it is a sanctified affection, thou mayest put it in execution. But after this trial, if thou find thine affections to be exorbitant and out of rule, carrying thee from God and against his law beware of it, resist it, put it not in execution; for if thou fulfill the will of thine affections, what pleasure can it bring with it? It may well bring a flattering pleasure in the entry, but it closeth ever with a bitter remorse in the end. Then to eschew this bitter remorse, should ye not all try your affections? Ye must examine and try them by the square of God’s law, ye must see how far they agree with his law, and how far they dissent from it, and so far as they are dissonant from that law, let every man deny himself, renounce his affections: and so, this trial being taken in this manner by thyself, it sanctifieth thine affections, maketh Christ to lodge in thy soul, maketh thy conscience to be at rest. And the holy Spirit this way maketh both body and soul to be in good health, and to rejoice. Then fly from sin. This is the second lesson. The third lesson is this; Study to do well. Wouldest thou keep health in thy soul? Study to do better and better continually: At the least, have a purpose in thy heart, to do better daily, which is the last lesson. Seeing that when we study to do best, and that the just man, that is, the most holy man, falleth so often as seven times a day, yea rather, seventy times, what is thy part in these slips and snares? Though thou fall, as thou canst not eschew to fall, lie not still there, sleep not there where thou hast fallen: it is a shame to sleep there, therefore arise again. And how shouldest thou rise? By lifting up thy soul, and running to the Fountain of grace and mercy; by repairing to Christ Jesus, to obtain mercy for thy soul, and to crave that he would send out of himself that measure of peace, that may put thy conscience at rest, and restore thy soul to health. So, lie not where thou fallest, but incontinent arise and crave mercy, and in obtaining mercy, thou shalt repair thy fall, thou shalt amend thy life by repentance, and by repentance thou shalt get peace, thou shalt have thy conscience at rest, and get health to thy soul. Now keep this rule, if thou desirest to keep thy soul in health: look that thou sleep not in sin as David did: lie not still when thou art fallen, and so fall from one sin to another; as from adultery to murder, from murder to the next, &c. As commonly if a man sleep in sin, and rise not in time, one sin will draw on another; for there is no sin alone, but always the greater and more heinous that the sin is, it hath the greater and worse sins waiting on it. Therefore when ye fall, delay not to arise, but repair to the fountain of mercy and seek grace in time: run to prayer, run to the Church of God wheresoever it be, whether in the field or in the town: run to Christ Jesus and crave mercy of him, that ye may have peace in your consciences; and so by these means every one of you shall preserve health in your souls. By these means ye shall learn what difference is betwixt this living word of mercy and grace, which sounds in our religion; and that slaying letter that killeth the soul of everyone that hears it, I mean that idolatrous doctrine of that dumb Mass.

I mention this unto you because I see that many in these days are fallen to it, and the Lord is beginning to abstract his grace and mercy from this Country for the contempt of this quickening word which hath so clearly sounded here, and which our Countrymen for the greatest part (running headlong to the devil in a dumb guise) travel utterly to banish. Is not this a miserable thing that so few of you have eyes to consider and discern of the time of peace, mercy and grace, which is so abundantly offered? The Lord of his mercy give you eyes in time.

Thus far concerning the reasons wherefore every one of you should try & examine your own consciences: and this trial ought not to be for a day or for a year, but it ought to be every day and every year of thy whole life. For that conscience that should rest forever with the living God, that conscience which must ever behold the face of the Son of God, it cannot be over-well cleansed, we cannot look over-narrowly to it. The more curious we be in searching out of this conscience, we are the better occupied: I spake of our own consciences, I speak not of our neighbors.

Thirdly, I come to the points wherein every one of you should try & examine yourselves. Every one of you ought to try and examine your consciences in two things: First, whether thou be at peace with God who is the Lord of heaven, or not. Next, examine thy conscience whether thou art in love and amity with thy neighbor, or not. Wouldest thou know whether thy conscience be at unity and peace with God, or not? Thou shalt know it this way; the God of heaven can have no society nor company with that soul which is always unclean, that is every way defiled; no he cannot.

Now I speak not so precisely that I make a soul to be fully sanctified and perfectly holy in this life: no, in this life there are wonderful iniquities, gross sins and great faults wherewith even the righteous are defiled: but this is my meaning; There is no soul can be at peace with God, or wherewith the Lord can have any society but in some measure it must be sanctified and made holy. For God cannot make residence in a soul that is always as a stinking dunghill; and therefore of force in some measure it must be sanctified: there must be so much made clean in one corner or other of that soul, wherein the Lord of heaven by his holy Spirit may make his residence.

Now let us see whereby the heart is sanctified. Peter, Acts 15:9, saith, That the soul of man is purified by faith, that the heart of man is purged by faith. So faith openeth and purgeth the heart. By faith in Christ Jesus and in the merits of his blood we have peace with God: Being justified by faith, we have peace towards God through our Lord Jesus Christ, saith the Apostle, Romans 5:1. Now then this point cometh in, that ye are to prove yourselves whether ye be in the faith or not; as the Apostle saith, 2. Cor. 13.5. Prove yourselves whether ye are in the faith. Examine if your souls be seasoned with this faith, for if ye have not faith in Christ, Christ is not in you; and if Christ be not in you, ye are in an evil state, ye are in the estate of the reprobate and damned. So everyone ought to look carefully and see if he have a belief in the blood of Christ or not: whether he believe to obtain mercy by his merits, and sanctification by his blood or not. For if thou have no measure of this faith, thou hast no measure of peace with God, by reason our peace with God is engendered and groweth daily more and more by true faith in Christ.

Now this faith where it is true, where it is lively and couples the heart with God, as I have already said, it must break forth in word and deed, it can by no means be held in, but it will break forth. It must break out in word in glorifying the God of heaven who hath forgiven us our sins; it must break forth in word, by giving a notable confession of those sins wherein we have offended him. It must break out in deed in doing good works, to testify to the world that thing which is within thy heart; to testify to the world that thou who hast this faith art a new man; that by thy good example of life and conversation thou mayest edify thy brethren, the simple ones of the Church of God, and that by thy holy life thou mayest draw sinners to repentance, that they seeing thy good light may be compelled to glorify God in thee.

Then in the first point of trial let us look to these three, to the heart, to the mouth, to the hand. Take heed that there be a harmony betwixt these three, for if the heart be inwardly coupled with God, there is no doubt but the mouth will outwardly glorify him; and if thy heart and mouth be renewed and be one, of necessity thou wilt express it in thy conversation. There must be an agreement betwixt the heart and the hand, thy conversation must be changed with the heart, and be holy, honest, and godly as the heart is. So that if thy conversation be good, it is a sure token that thou art at one with God: but if thy conversation be not good, speak what thou wilt, thy heart is but defiled, this true and lively faith hath no place in it. Then wouldest thou know when thou art at one with God? When thy conversation, thy heart and thy mouth say all one thing, then without question thou hast the work of faith wrought by the holy Spirit in thy heart, which maketh thee to be at peace with God. This is the first point wherein ye should try yourselves. The next point is love, ye must try whether ye be in love and charity with your neighbors or not: for as thou art not coupled with God but by the hand of faith, so thou art not coupled with thy neighbor nor joined with any member of Christ in this world, but by the hand of love, amity and charity. Take away love, thou art not a member of this body: for love is the master sinew, and couples all these members of Christ’s body together, and makes them to grow up in a spiritual and mystical unity: love is the only mark whereby the children of God, & members of Christ’s body, are known from the rest of the world: love is that holy oil that refresheth our souls, and makes us like unto God; and the more we grow in love, the more God by his Spirit dwelleth in us, for God is love. So that except in some measure love towards thy neighbor dwell in thy heart, thou canst have no society with thy neighbor, and far less with God. If the manners of men were examined by this rule, we should find a multitude of godless people in this Country, who have their hearts raging with malice one against another: and where the devil and the malicious spirit dwelleth, there is no place for the holy Spirit. And although the Lord hath gone about by all means possible early and late to instruct them, and to infuse into them this precious love and amity towards God and their neighbor, and so to alter their conditions; yet they will not suffer themselves to be wakened, until the great vengeance and malediction of God fall upon them. This love, this honest and godly conversation floweth always from the root of faith. So that if thy heart have faith in any measure be it never so little, in that same measure thou must have love towards thy neighbor: and this love is never idle, but is uttering itself in one effect or other. And in respect that faith is the ground whereupon all the rest depends, and in respect that this faith is such a Jewel, as without the which it is not possible for any of you to please God, without which all your deeds are abomination before him, without the which you are in the greatest misery, (which misery is so much the more terrible, in that you are ignorant of it) is it not good reason that ye know and understand how this faith is first wrought, and then nourished in your souls by the holy Spirit? that seeing how it is created, and the manner how it is brought about, ye may examine your consciences, and see whether ye may be in the faith or not. My purpose was to have insisted longer on this matter then this time will suffer. Now therefore, as time will permit and God shall give grace, I will let you understand how the holy Spirit employs his travail in the heart and mind of man, and what pains the holy Ghost taketh in creating and forming this Jewel of faith in your souls. Yet, before I enter this work, to let you see the travails of the Spirit of God in working of this faith in your hearts: it is necessary and more than necessary, that ye understand, first your own misery and infirmity: and that ye know how the Lord was induced to recover you out of your old estate, and to recreate you, who were lost by the fall of your father Adam.

Then to consider of this matter more deeply, I offer to your remembrances this ground: That man universally and everyone particularly being corrupted and lost, and that by our first fathers fall; (for if there were no more but that same first fault and sin of his, we are all of us justly condemned to a double death, both of body & soul forever) Man thus universally and particularly being utterly lost, without any hope at all of recovery left in his soul, without any sense of the recovery of that former estate, or repairing of that Image which he had lost through sin long before; he being I say lost by this sin, and left in this desperate estate in himself, what doth God? The ever-living God, only wise, whose ways are unsearchable, hath found out a way, how that man this way lost, yet he may be saved: herein he sought counsel, from whom? Not from any creature, but he counseled with himself; The persons of the Trinity took counsel of themselves, one God was moved to seek counsel from himself, only moved in himself: for he had not an external principal without himself to induce him. So he seeking this counsel at himself, and being moved in himself thereto, as Ephes. 1.9, what doth he? When all men should have died forever, it pleased him of his infinite mercy to select out of all, and to elect a certain number out of the lost race of Adam, that should have perished forever. In this his counsel and decree, moved I say of himself, and seeking counsel from himself only, he selects a certain number out of this rotten race, which certain number he will have sanctified, he will have justified, he will have glorified. And therefore to bring to pass the work of their salvation: what doth he? He appoints his own natural son (for he had but one natural son) he appoints the second person of the Trinity, his own natural son, God, in power, glory, and majesty, as high as himself, equal with God the father in all things; he appoints him to work this work, to bring to pass this work of our redemption, and eternal salvation. (This is but the mystery of it in some measure disclosed.) And therefore in the fullness of time, (for he dispenseth all things according to his wisdom) at such time as he appointed, he makes his son to come down, to seize himself in the womb of the Virgin, to take on our flesh, to take on the likeness of sin; he took not on sin, but he took on the likeness of sin. What call I that likeness? Our flesh is the likeness of sin: he took on our flesh and nature, the likeness of sin; which was perfectly sanctified the very moment of his conception, in the very womb of the Virgin: He took on this flesh, that in this flesh and nature, sin might be banished and cast out of us forever. And whereas we should all of us have gone one-way, (for there was no exception of persons by nature) Christ Jesus our savior hath elected us: and according as his Father in his secret election before the beginning of the world, had elected us, the same Christ Jesus in his own time calleth us, and maketh us partakers of that salvation, which he hath purchased: and he repairs not only that image which was lost in our forefather Adam : he placeth us, not in a terrestrial paradise, where Adam was placed at the beginning (and what more could have been sought by us?) but he gives us a far more excellent image then we lost, he placeth us in a more high and in a more celestial paradise then we lost: For so much the more heavenly is the paradise which he gives us, as the second Adam is more excellent then the first, and as the Son of God, and God himself, is far above any creature that ever was, man, or Angel. Therefore it comes to pass that by the benefit of the second Adam, Christ Jesus our Savior, the Son of God, (whereas had we remained in that Image wherein our forefather was created, we should have settled ourselves in the earth forever, we could not have craved a better paradise then an earthly paradise for earthly tabernacles:) By benefit of the Son of God, I say, it cometh to pass, that we are plucked up out of the earth to the heaven, and to a heavenly paradise. And what have we to do with heaven? Are we not made of the earth, to return to the earth? Becomes not an earthly paradise an earthly body? Yet the Lord in his mercy sendeth down his Son, to draw us up out of the earth to the heaven. This is so high a thing that it cannot be easily considered. For this drawing of us to a heavenly paradise, is a thing more than could have been thought on. That we should live the life of Angels in heaven, how could the heart of man think on this? Yet it pleased the living Lord, in the great riches and bowels of his mercy, and in the exceeding greatness of the power of his mercy towards us: (the Apostle in that Epistle to the Ephesians cannot get words enough to express this, he knows not how to begin, nor how to end, when he speaks of the riches of that mercy: and if ye look well into that Epistle to the Ephesians, ye shall find more high and excellent stiles given to the riches of that mercy, in that Epistle, then in any other part of the Scripture:) It pleased him I say, of his own mercy, not to give us simply the Image which we lost, nor to leave us in this earth: but it pleased him to give us a better Image, and beside that, to place us in heaven, there to remain with him forever.

Now resteth his mercy and grace here? No: But that this salvation, which he hath already purchased & brought about by his Son our Savior Christ Jesus, might be wholly accomplished, having nothing wanting in it: as he redeemed us, in his own person perfectly, so he makes this same redemption to come to our knowledge, & makes us sure of it in our consciences: and to this end what doth he? As by his death he purchased our full redemption, so he makes it known unto us, he intimates it unto us; by our inward calling, letting us both find and feel in our hearts, what he did in his body for us. For our Lord when he makes his servants to proclaim this redemption, and to intimate it to our consciences, he works this Jewel of faith in our souls, which assures us that the Son of God hath died for us. For what could it avail us to see our redemption, to see our salvation, and our life, a far off, if a way were not found out, and a hand and means given unto us, whereby we may apprehend that salvation, & apply it to ourselves? What can it avail a sick man, to see a drug in an Apothecaries shop, except he may have it, and apply it to his sick body? So to the end that this work of our redemption and salvation may be fully and freely accomplished: look how freely he hath given his only Son to the death of the cross for us, as freely hath he found out this way and means, and offered us this hand, whereby we may take hold on Christ, & apply him to our souls. This means, to conclude, is faith: There is not a way, nor an instrument in the Scriptures of God whereby we can apply Christ to our souls, but only the instrument of faith: therefore, faith cannot be enough commended. Turn to faith, and it will make thee turn to God; and so conjoin thee with God, and make all thine actions well pleasing unto him. There is no good action that we do though it seem never so good before the world, but it is abomination before God if it be not done in faith, and will further our condemnation: having faith, all the creatures of God are serviceable unto us, they must all conspire to the furtherance of the work of our salvation: As on the contrary, wanting faith, there is none of the creatures of God but shall be enemies unto us and conspire to our damnation. For faith conjoins us with the God of heaven, and makes us heavenly: This Jewel of faith seasons all the gifts and graces which God giveth unto us: all the riches of the earth is of no value to my soul without faith. And what availeth it any man to have all the knowledge and wisdom in the earth without faith? For the devil hath all this knowledge, and is not the better. What availeth it me to conquer all the Monarchs, kingdoms, and whole riches in the earth: what can all these avail my soul? Nothing but accuse me if I want faith. Therefore, all the benefits and gifts of God without faith avail nothing but to augment our misery: All the gifts and graces of God are abused without faith; faith only maketh thee to use the benefits and graces of God rightly: Faith only should be sought, kept, and entertained here in this life: having faith, all the rest of God’s graces are profitable unto thee, for this Jewel keepeth them all in order and maketh them all fruitful; whereas wanting this jewel there is nothing here on earth but it will testify against thee.

Let us then speak of this faith how it is wrought in you. I take my ground out of the Evangelist John, 6.44. where our Savior saith, No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: In the which words we see clearly, that except we be drawn, except we be compelled, except we be thrust, except of unwilling we be made willing by God the father, it is not possible for us to come to his Son: What is the reason of this that the Spirit of God must draw us, and make us willing or ever we come to God? Because by nature we are not only wounded and lanced by sin and iniquity, but as the Apostle showeth, Ephes. 2.1. We were wholly dead in trespasses and sins: yea observe how void any dead body is of a natural life, so void are our souls (though they be living the natural life) so void are they of the life of God, of that heavenly and spiritual life whereunto we in this life do aspire: until such time that the Spirit of God draw our hearts and minds, that is, quicken our hearts and minds. No, it is not a drawing as we commonly speak, it is a very quickening of a dead thing: It is a quickening of that thing which was void of the life of the Spirit. Then except the Spirit of God draw us, that is, quicken us with that spiritual and heavenly life, it is not possible for us to come to heaven. And except he nourish this life which he hath begun, it is not possible that we can stand in this life: So the Spirit of God is said to draw us, that is, to begin this life in us, and by the same holy Spirit to continue and nourish this life in us. Now by the drawing of the Spirit our souls are quickened: and by the drawing of the Spirit I understand no other thing but the framing and creating of faith in our souls, which makes us new creatures. Now let us see what order the Spirit of God keepeth, in drawing us and informing and creating this faith in our souls: First of all I devide the soul into no more parts then commonly it useth to be divided, that is, into the heart and the mind. Our mind then being a cloud of darkness altogether blind naturally, there being nothing in that mind of ours but vanity, error and ignorance, whereby we vanish away & can never long continue in any good resolution or purpose; what doth the Spirit of God? The first work that ever the Spirit of God doth, he taketh order with the mind: and what doth he to the mind? He banisheth darkness, he chaseth out vanity and blindness that naturally lurketh in the mind; and instead of this darkness he placeth in the mind a light, a celestial and heavenly light, a light which is resident in Christ Jesus only: Then the Spirit chaseth out that cloud of mist and darkness, and placeth light in the mind. And what worketh he by this light? We getting sanctified understanding, incontinent he makes us to see God: not only as he is God the Creator of the world, but also as he is God the Redeemer, and hath redeemed us in his Son Christ Jesus. Now before I obtain this light, what is my heart and mind doing? There is not one of you but have experience as I myself have, in what estate the heart and mind is before that this light enter: The mind lieth drowned in blindness, and the heart is hardened, and they both conspire together in vice to set up an Idol instead of God, a domestical and invisible Idol: what sort of Idol is that? No doubt some worldly or fleshly affection or other: this is set up in the throne of thy heart; and on this Idol thou bestowest the service of thy whole heart, of thy whole mind, of thy whole soul and body: So that the service of thy soul and body which should be bestowed upon God only, is employed upon that Idol which is set up in thy heart, that is, in the place of God, in the stead of the most high God. And thou art more addicted to the service of that Idol then ever thou wast to the service of the living God: yea until such time that this Idol of ours be banished, and that this blindness whereby this Idol is served be taken away, there is not one of you but are servants to one lust or other; and thy soul that should be consecrated to the service of the living God, is employed upon one affection or other, upon some worldly or fleshly lust of thine own. But from the time that the Lord beginneth to scatter the clouds of our natural minds and understanding, and beginneth to chase away this thick mist of the dark soul, and placeth therein some spark of heavenly light which floweth out of Christ, and whereas we were children of the night and darkness before, he maketh us to be light in the Lord, and to be children of the light and of the day. Then we see that all the things in the world besides the living God, are vanities, deceivable allurements, unconstant shadows, fleeting and flowing without any abiding: and then we see that our hearts and our minds were set on evil continually. Then we begin to abhor that Idol, and to seek to serve God only. Now except the Lord of his mercy and goodness place in us this light, until such time as we get some glimmering of this light, we can never see our own vanity, nor yet see God. This then is the first work of the Spirit, he banisheth darkness and errors, & placeth light in our minds. Now this first work of the Spirit, is termed oftentimes in ye Scripture under the name of faith: for the mind hath it own assent and persuasion in ye own kind as well as the heart hath: & therefore the mind being illuminate and seasoned with this light, the assenting & knowledge in the same mind is called faith. The Apostles and Evangelists give to this knowledge the name of faith: for from the time that thou once hast an eye to see God, and whom he hath sent Christ Jesus, when once thou gettest a sight of him and access to him, if it were no more than in the mind, it is called faith. But we must not stand still here; if faith go no further than the mind, it is not the faith that we are seeking for the faith that justifieth and doth us good must open the heart, as well as it openeth the mind; it must banish that Idol and affection out of the heart, and instead thereof place a throne for Christ Jesus. So that except the good Spirit of God go further than the mind, and banish this Idol as well out of our hearts as out of our minds, we have not that justifying faith whereby we may look for mercy. Yea the Spirit of God must not only stay at the enlightening of thy mind, but it must mollify this heart of thine and change thine affections. And whereas thy affections were wicked and evil, God’s Spirit must change thy will: and he never can change thy will except he make the ground of thy heart good, that it may be set on God, and bring forth good fruit abundantly to the owner. And what teacheth this? This teacheth you to seek for an honest heart, and to seek instantly until ye obtain it. For what availeth it any man to know what is good or what is evil, except he have a way shown him, how he shall eschew the evil, and a means given him to make himself partaker of the good? Is not this an idle and unprofitable knowledge to me, to see a far off and to know that this is good for me, when I find not a means how to be partaker of that good that it may be especially good to me? Is it not an idle knowledge also to perceive that this is ill for me, that it will do me hurt if I do it; and yet that same very thing I will do, & no other? So the Spirit of God linketh these two together in this work; and as he reformeth the mind, he reformeth also the heart and maketh you to be partakers of that good which ye see; and to eschew that evil which ye perceive. And this is the second work of the Spirit, not only to present a thing to thee, but to make it thine in effect. For howbeit the mind would do this part never so well, and let thee see that Christ is thine, and present him to thee never so often; yet if thy heart be not reformed, that will and crooked affection that is in thy heart, will prefer itself to Christ, and will make thee to account all but folly in respect of that Idol. And therefore it were an idle and a foolish thing to me to see my salvation, except I get grace to be partaker of it: and what availeth it thee to see the works of the devil, to see thine own sins that slay thee, except thou get grace to eschew them? And so the second work of the Spirit is this; he enters into the heart, he danteth the heart and wonderfully changeth it, making the will of it obedient: he mollifieth the affection which was hard before, in such sort that it is made to pour out thy affection in some measure on the living God, whereas it was poured out on one Idol or other of thine own before. Then except the heart will do his part as the mind doth his part, the whole soul is not consecrate to God: for God hath not made the soul that the heart should serve thee, and the mind only should serve him; but thy service is then only acceptable to God when thou consecratest thy heart as well as thy mind to him.

Now this matter is so clear that it needeth not to be illustrated by similitude: yet to make it more plain unto you, I will show you by a similitude, that the apprehension of the mind is not enough except ye get the apprehension of the heart also. In corporal things, in meat and drink which serve for the use of your bodies, there must be of this meat and drink two sorts of apprehensions: and as there is two sorts of apprehension of the meat and drink that is the food of the body: so there is two sorts of apprehension of the body and blood of Christ Jesus, which is our meat and drink spiritual. Of meat and drink corporal there is an apprehension by the eye and by the taste, that while the meat is present unto you on the table, your eye taketh a view of that meat, discerneth it and maketh choice of it: and not only the eye, but also the taste discerneth the meat, and the taste approving it, that is called the first apprehension.

Now upon this which is the first, the second apprehension followeth: that is, after that ye have chewed that meat, swallowed it and sent it to your stomach, where it digesteth and converteth into your nouriture, then in your stomach ye get the second apprehension. But if your eye like not that meat, neither your taste like it, the second apprehension followeth not; for thou wilt spit it out again or reject it, preferring some other meat unto it that thou likest better. That meat which thou likest not enters never into thy stomach, and so it can never be converted into thy nourishment: for it is only the second apprehension of the meat that is the cause of the nourishment of the body in our corporal food; so that if ye chew not this meat and swallow it, it feeds you not; then it is only the second apprehension that nourisheth our bodies.

It is even so in spiritual things, (so far as they may be compared) in the food of Christ Jesus, who is the life and nouriture of our souls and consciences. There must be two sorts of apprehension of Christ Jesus. The first apprehension is by the eye of the mind; that is, by our knowledge and understanding: for as the eye of the body discerneth by an outward light, so the eye of the mind discerneth by an inward and renewed understanding, whereby we get the first apprehension of Christ.

Now if this first apprehension of Christ like us well, then the next followeth: we begin to cast the affection of our hearts on him; we have good will to him: for all our affections proceed from our will, and our affections being renewed and made holy, we set them wholly upon Christ. We love him, and if we love him we take hold of him and digest him; that is, we apply him to our souls: and so of this love & liking of him the second apprehension doth follow. But if we have no will to him, if we have no love nor liking of him, what do we? Then we reject him and prefer our own Idol and the service of our own affections to him; and so the second apprehension followeth not. We cannot digest him; and if we digest him not, that spiritual life cannot grow in us: for mark, in what place the eye serves to the body, in the same room serveth knowledge and understanding to thy soul: and look in what place thy hand and thy mouth, thy taste and thy stomach serve unto thy body, in that very place serve the heart and affections unto thy soul. So that as our bodies cannot be nourished except our hands take, and our mouths eat the meat whereby the second apprehension may follow: likewise our souls cannot feed on Christ, except we hold him and embrace him heartily by our wills and affections. For we come not to Christ by any outward motion of our bodies, but by an inward motion & apprehension of the heart. For God finding us all in a reprobate sense, he bringeth us to Christ by reforming the affection of our souls, by making us to love him. And therefore the second apprehension whereby we digest our Savior, will never enter into our souls, except as he pleaseth the eye, so he please the will and the affection also.

Now if this come to pass that our wills and affections are wholly bent upon Christ, then no doubt we have gotten this Jewel of faith. Have ye such a liking in your minds, & such a love in your hearts of Christ, that ye will prefer him before all things in the world? then no question faith is begun in you.

Now after a thing is begun, there is yet more required: for though this faith be formed in your minds, in your hearts and souls, yet that is not enough; but that which is formed must be nourished; and he who is conceived must be entertained and brought up: or else the love that is begun in me by the holy Spirit, except by ordinary means it be daily entertained and nourished, it will decay: except the Lord continue the working of his holy Spirit, it is not possible that I can continue in the faith. And how must we nourish and keep faith in our souls? Two manner of ways. First, we nourish faith begun in our souls by hearing of the word; not of every word, but by hearing of the word of God preached: and not by hearing of every man, but by hearing the word preached by him that is sent. For this is the ordinary means whereunto the Lord hath bound himself; he will work faith by the hearing of the word and receiving of the Sacraments. And the more that thou hearest the word, and the otfner that thou receivest the Sacraments, the more thy faith is nourished.

Now it is not only by hearing of the word and receiving of the Sacraments that we nourish faith. The word and Sacraments are notable of themselves to nourish this faith in us, except the working of the holy Spirit be conjoined with their ministry. But the word and the Sacraments are said to nourish faith in our souls, because they offer and exhibit Christ unto us, who is the meat, the drink and life of our souls: and in respect that in the word and Sacraments we get Christ who is the food of our souls, therefore the word and Sacraments are said to nourish our souls. As it is said, Acts 2:42. The Disciples of Christ continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship, & breaking of bread and prayers; by these means, entertaining, augmenting, and nourishing the faith that was begun in them. Then the holy Spirit begets this faith, works this faith, creates this faith, nourisheth & entertaineth this faith in our souls by hearing the word preached, and by the receiving of the Sacraments: which are the ordinary means, whereby the Lord nourisheth us, and continueth this spiritual food with us. For, observe by what means the spiritual life is begun, by the same means it is nourished, and entertained; as this temporal life is entertained and nourished by the same means whereby it is begun.

Then seeing by these means the holy Spirit begets this work of faith in our souls, it is our duty to crave that he would continue the work which he hath begun. And for this cause we should resort to the hearing of the word when it is preached, and to the receiving of the Sacraments when they are ministered, that we may be fed in our souls to life everlasting. But alas, we are come to such a loathing disdain, or rejecting of heavenly food in this Country, that where men in the beginning would have gone, some twenty miles, some forty miles, to the hearing of this word: they will scarcely now, come from their houses to the Church, and remain there but one hour to hear the word, but rather abide at home. Well, I say, too much wealth withdraws their hearts; & the abundance of this word engenders such a loathsomeness yt it is a rare thing to find out any that have that thirst & desire to hear the word, as they were wont to have in the beginning. And for those that are in higher places, they will here it seldom, or not at all: for they cannot endure to hear the thing that accuseth them, and convicts them and therefore they avoid it. But they should not do so, they should not shun Christ, nor abstain from his word that accuseth them: but they should hear the word; and as the word accuseth them, they should accuse themselves also, that thereby they may come to a confessiō of their sin, & obtain mercy for ye same. So when Christ accuseth thee, thou shouldst not run from him, but thou shouldest draw near to him; thou shouldest threaten kindness of him, and as it were make a breach and forcible entry into his kingdom. It is not the way when thy sins touch thee, and when Christ accuseth thee, to run from him: no, thou shouldest then turn to him, thou shouldest confess thy sin, cry Peccaui, and seek mercy: and after yt thou hast obtained mercy, this word shall become as pleasant to thee, & thou shalt take as great delight to come to the hearing of it, as ever thou delightedst to fly from it before. But alas! our loathsomeness and disdain is grown to such an height, that truly I am moved to believe firmly, that the Lord hath concluded, that we shall not enter into his rest, and that only for the great contempt of his mercy and grace, which is now so richly offered. For why? God cannot deal otherwise with us, then he dealt with our forefathers the Israelites for the negligence of his word, which was but then obscurely preached: for then it was far from the incarnation of Christ; and the farther that it was from his incarnation, the word was ever the more obscurely preached, under dark types and shadows. Yet notwithstanding the fathers that heard that word preached, and believed it not, they perished all in the Wilderness except two; as ye have sometime heard out of this place. And if they perished for the contempt of so dark a light, much more must ye that are their children perish, for the contempt of the Sun of righteousness, who is risen so plainly & shineth so clearly now in the preaching of the Gospel; except the Lord in his mercy prevent you, and except ye prevent his judgments by earnest seeking; and except ye seek a feeling and seek inward senses, that ye may see and feel the grace that is offered; crave again that he will sanctify your hearts by repentance, that ye may repent you of your sins, & lead an honest & a godly conversation in all time to come; that both body and soul may be saved in the great day of the Lord. The Lord work this in your souls, that ye may seek mercy; & seeking mercy ye may obtain mercy; and in mercy, ye may lay hold on Christ, and that for his righteous merits. To whom with the Father, and the holy Ghost, be all honor, praise and glory, both now, and ever. Amen.