SERM. wrought iniquity: they did not live as became His disciples, and therefore He will not own them to be so. XXXVIII. 19. He hath had many, too many such disciples all along: there were such in the Apostles' days, of which St. Paul Phil. 3. 18, speaks with tears in his eyes, saying, "Many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the Cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, who mind earthly things." I wish we could not take up the same complaint now but alas! we have but too much cause, when the greatest part of those who profess themselves to be Christ's disciples, live not only in the neglect of His discipline, but quite contrary to it; when instead of loving one another, John 13. 35. which He hath made the mark of His disciples, they hate and devour one another; when instead of "seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness," in the first place, Matt. 6. 33. as He hath directed them, they never seek it at all, nor regard it any more than as if there was no such thing to be had; when instead of that piety and temperance which He hath taught them, they give themselves over to all manner of prophaneness and debauchery; when His Divinity is openly opposed, His doctrine contradicted, His service neglected, His Sacraments slighted, His religion turned into schism and faction, and so His sacred Name abused by those very persons who profess it. What is, if [Heb. 6.6.] this be not, "to crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and to put Him to an open shame?" Woe be to such Christians! It would have been well for them if they had never been baptized; well if they had never been born at all: for what will Christ say to them at the Last Day? [Matt. 25. Not "Come ye blessed," but "Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels." 41.] John 13. 1. But how happy, on the other side, are they who “bear much fruit," and so are "His disciples indeed?" He looks upon them as His own, and loves them to "the end." He takes a particular care of them, and all their concerns: He prays for them, He prays not for the world, but for them which God hath given Him out of the world. He is their Advocate with the Father, continually making reconciliation [Rev 1.5.] and intercession for them: He washeth them from their ch. 17. 9. 27. 13.] [Rom. 8. sins, in His own blood, and presents them holy and spot- [Eph. 5. less before God: He gives them His own most Holy Spirit, John 16. to lead them into all truth, to direct them in all their ways, and to support and comfort them in all the occurrences of this life: He makes all things work together for their good: 28. He communicates to them His own most blessed body and blood, to preserve both their souls and bodies to eternal life: He is always with them while they live, and when they die Acts 7. 59. He receives their souls or spirits to Himself. And at the Last day, He will set them on His right hand, and say unto them, "Come ye blessed of My Father, inherit the King- Matt.25.34. dom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." ch. 13. 43. "Where they shall live with Him in glory, and shine forth as the sun, in the Kingdom of their Father, for ever." Now what a mighty encouragement is this to us all to "bear much fruit," seeing we shall then be Christ's disciples indeed, and, by consequence, as happy as Christ Himself can make us. This therefore is that which I would now, in His Name, advise you to. You are all baptized into Christ, and so made His disciples; you still profess yourselves to be so; you call upon His Name; you hear His Word; you own Him to be your Lord and Saviour, and hope accordingly to be saved by Him: but take heed, that after all you be not deceived, as you certainly will be, unless you observe all the rules that He hath set you, and so bear the fruit that He expects from all that are planted in His vineyard: "For now the axe is laid to the root of the trees, Matt. 3. 10. therefore every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down and cast into the fire." Remember what He Himself hath taught you in the parable of the fig-tree: when the master of the vineyard, where it was planted, came year after year, and sought fruit thereon, but found none, he said to the dresser of His vineyard, "Cut it down, Luke 13. 7. why cumbereth it the ground?" And have a care that this be not your case. Blessed be God, you are all admitted into His Church, and so planted in His vineyard; but you serve only to cumber the ground, and therefore will be cut down ere long, and cast into the fire, unless ye bear fruit. And "much fruit" too; for there is more expected from a tree that is planted in a garden, than from that which grows XXXVIII. SERM. wild in a barren wilderness. It is not enough for you to be like the best of Jews, Turks, or Heathens, that never heard of Christ, or never owned Him for their Saviour: you have given up your names to Him, professing to be His disciples, to believe and do as He hath taught you; and if you really did so, as He is the best of masters, you would be the best of men; excelling all others, more than they excel the beasts that perish. 17.4. This therefore is that which I must now advise you to do; be no longer careless and indifferent about your religion, as if it was no great matter, whether you be of any or no, but mind it in good earnest; follow it with all your might, tread John 4. 34; in your Master's steps, by making it your meat to do the Will of your Heavenly Father, and to finish the work which He hath given you to do, even to glorify Him in the world. Study every morning how you may serve God best, and do most good that day, in the place and station wherein He hath set you, and according to the ability that He hath Phil. 4. 8. given you. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Think on them, and do them heartily, sincerely, constantly; that you may adorn your Christian profession, with all the sorts of good works, which it requires of you. By this you will glorify God, and shew yourselves to be Christ's Disciples indeed; for you will then be as trees that bear much fruit, and will therefore be counted worthy to be transplanted ere long into Paradise, where you will flourish, and enjoy the fruits of your labour, for ever, through Him who is gone [John14.2.] before to prepare a place for you, even Jesus Christ, "to whom be glory," &c. SERMON XXXIX. THE USEFULNESS OF FASTING. 1 COR. ix. 27. But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a cast-away. FROM your presence here at this time, I cannot but in charity infer three things; first, that you all believe a future state; and that as really as you are now in this, it is not long but you will all be in another world, either in a world of happiness, or else in a world of misery; for if you do not believe this, it is to no purpose for you to come hither; this place and work having a peculiar reference to the other world, and not to this where we now are. Secondly, hence I infer likewise, that you are fully persuaded that your condition in the other world, will be according to your behaviour in this, that if you continue in your sins here, you will there be miserable; but if you repent and turn to God, you will be happy for ever; for certainly you would not come hither to learn what to do in order to your future happiness, unless you were fully persuaded beforehand, that you must do something in order to it. Hence therefore, in the third place, I conclude also, that you all desire when you leave this, to go to a better world, even to Heaven, the only place of real and eternal happiness; for what need you come hither to know how to get to Heaven, if you do not care whether you ever come there or no? Taking it therefore for granted, that your minds are possessed with a firm belief of another world, with a full per 기 XXXIX. SERM. suasion that you shall live there in happiness or misery, according as you live here in holiness or sin, and with hearty desires to carry yourselves so while you live, that when you die you may go to Heaven; this, I say, being taken for granted, it cannot but be very seasonable and suitable to your design in coming hither, to explain these words of the Apostle, which I have now read unto you; wherein you have the great end which the Apostle did, and you, I suppose, do aim at in all your actions, even how to get to Heaven; and then secondly, one of the means whereby he did, and you, by the blessing of God, may attain that end, even by keeping the body under, and bringing it into subjection: "I keep under my body," saith he, "and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached unto others, I myself should be a cast-away." As for the first, it is plain from these words, that one of the great ends St. Paul aimed at, the great designs he carried on in all he did, was to save himself as well as those that heard him. He was conscious to himself that the efficacy of the Word and Sacraments which he administered, did not depend upon his own personal holiness, but upon his Apostolical Office, and the promise of the Spirit annexed to it; and therefore that it was very possible for him to be an instrument in God's hand to save others, and yet he himself be damned; that he might shew others the way to Heaven, and yet he himself not walk in it. Hence he took special care all along, lest that by any means when he had preached to others and taught them how to obtain the crown of glory, he himself should lose it, by being adóximos, a 'castaway,' a reprobate, one not approved of as fit to have it set upon his head. And if St. Paul himself used so much care and diligence, lest after all the pains he had taken for Salvation of others, he himself should miss of it; what cause have we to do so, who are now entrusted with the administration of the Word and Sacraments? Certainly we had need to look about us, lest after all our preaching unto others, we ourselves should perish everlastingly; especially considering that we cannot but be all sensible, that it is far easier to preach the Gospel, than to practise it; to tell others what to do, than to do it |