A Goodly Heritage

We have reason to expect, that before good days come, there shall terrible days come. Why God hath given such a commission as Isaiah got; “Go make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and convert, and be healed,” (Isa. (6:10). We cannot limit the Lord, nor speak of his time: but surely the sins of our day are greater than the sins of those in Isaiah’s time; for we have sinned against greater light, clearer gospel-light, than ever they had. And the greater our privileges are, the greater our guilt in neglecting them: the greater our guilt, the more awful will our judgments be. Perhaps he is to shake the nations before the Desire of all nations shall come. Believe, watch, and pray, for your enemies, are living and lively: corruption is not destroyed. Watch, and make not your watching a burden: but take up with it in a gospel-way, which is the easy way, and t...

The Difference between the Pleasant Spiritual Impressions peculiar to true Believers, and those which Hypocrites may have in the Ways of Religion. 1. True and saving impressions are sociable; they accompany one another and go hand in hand together: for example holy fear does not cast out love nor love cast out fear: holy triumph in the Lord does not take away trembling at his presence; nor holy trembling take away triumph: joy does not destroy godly sorrow for sin; nor godly sorrow remove spiritual joy: faith does not destroy repentance; nor repentance destroy faith: the man's humility does not destroy his boldness before God; nor his boldness of access destroy humility. His low thoughts of himself does not destroy his high thoughts of Christ; nor his high thoughts of Christ destroy his low thoughts of himself: his self-diffidence does not destroy his holy confidence; nor his holy confidence destroy self-diffidence. Nay, instead of destroying one another, they advance and harmo...

The Difference between the Pleasant Spiritual Impressions peculiar to true Believers, and those which Hypocrites may have in the Ways of Religion. 1. True and saving impressions are sociable; they accompany one another and go hand in hand together: for example holy fear does not cast out love nor love cast out fear: holy triumph in the Lord does not take away trembling at his presence; nor holy trembling take away triumph: joy does not destroy godly sorrow for sin; nor godly sorrow remove spiritual joy: faith does not destroy repentance; nor repentance destroy faith: the man's humility does not destroy his boldness before God; nor his boldness of access destroy humility. His low thoughts of himself does not destroy his high thoughts of Christ; nor his high thoughts of Christ destroy his low thoughts of himself: his self-diffidence does not destroy his holy confidence; nor his holy confidence destroy self-diffidence. Nay, instead of destroying one another, they advance and harmoni...

"Nevertheless, he saved them for his name's sake."— Psalm 106:8. We tender our exhortation to believers, in particular, who have run to this strong tower of salvation, the name of the Lord. O admire his goodness, admire his name. He knows all your sins against him, and against his name; yet for his name's sake, he shows mercy. O! let sin against so good a God be abhorred: let his goodness lead you to repentance more and more: "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." O believer, are you called by his name; praise him for his mercy, truth, faithfulness: "According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth; thy right hand is full of righteousness," Psal. 18:10. O sirs, ascribe all the mercy you met with to his name; and study to be meet objects for God's name, to be more and more glorified, upon his engaging his name for your help. Study to become such persons as the scriptures require: for though sinners have a g...

Gospel and legal mortification differ in their principles from which they proceed . Gospel mortification is from gospel principles, viz. the Spirit of God [Rom. 8. 13], 'If ye through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live'; Faith in Christ [Acts 15. 9], 'Purifying their hearts by faith'; The love of Christ constraining [2 Cor. 5. 14], 'The love of Christ constraineth us.' But legal mortification is from legal principles such as, from the applause and praise of men, as in the Pharisees; from pride of self-righteousness, as in Paul before his conversion; from the fear of hell; from a natural conscience; from the example of others; from some common motions of the Spirit; and many times from the power of sin itself, while one sin is set up to wrestle with another, as when sensuality and self-righteousness wrestle with one another. The man, perhaps, will not drink and swear. Why? Because he is setting up and establishing a righteousness of his own,...

I t was the Father's mind that Christ should come and shew his disciples the proper and needful purgatory he designed to bring them through; not the anti-christian purgatory, after this life; for there is no word of this in the sacred oracles; but the Christian purgatory is three-fold; the first is, the bloody purgatory of the blood of Christ, that cleanseth from all sin. The second is, the fiery purgatory of the Spirit of Christ, and his operations, compared to fire. The third is, the crying and pruning purgatory of the cross. All these, but especially the last, seem to be spoke of by our Lord here, John 15:2, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." There are two things in this world that he makes use of for trying, purging, and purifying his disciples; and it is part of his Father's mind to tell them of this; there is, 1. The world's hatred, John 15:18, 1...

1. Plead his promise, Ezek 36:26,27. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." It is a free, gracious promise: cry to him to make good that word to you, seeing he has said, "Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them." ver. 37. Tell him, that now you are come to inquire, and request him to do it. 2. Plead your own feebleness and inability to help yourselves; this was the impotent man's plea at the pool of Bethesda, John 5:6,7 "When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, 'Do you want to get well?' 'Sir,' the invalid replied, 'I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of ...

"Nevertheless, he saved them for his name's sake."— Psalm 106:8. We tender our exhortation to believers, in particular, who have run to this strong tower of salvation, the name of the Lord. O admire his goodness, admire his name. He knows all your sins against him, and against his name; yet for his name's sake, he shows mercy. O! let sin against so good a God be abhorred: let his goodness lead you to repentance more and more: "The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." O believer, are you called by his name; praise him for his mercy, truth, faithfulness: "According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth; thy right hand is full of righteousness," Psal. 18:10. O sirs, ascribe all the mercy you met with to his name; and study to be meet objects for God's name, to be more and more glorified, upon his engaging his name for your help. Study to become such persons as the scriptures require: for though sinners have a gr...

An Important Question concerning the Joy which Hypocrites may have in the Word. "May not hypocrites and unbelievers have joy and delight in the word, like these, Isaiah 58:2. and like Herod, that heard the word gladly; and the stony ground hearers, that received the word with joy?" Answer: Such is the difference between spiritual and carnal joy, that whereas the godly sorrow of the believer is the matter of his joy; insomuch, that he is more glad when his heart will melt for sin, than he would be, though he had all the carnal pleasures in the world. On the other hand, the carnal joy of the wicked is matter of sorrow; yea, in the midst of his laughter his heart is in heaviness.—Again, even the greatest sorrows of the godly are medicinal, therapeutic, and preparative to a later joy; whereas the greatest joys of the wicked are hurtful, pernicious, and preparative to a later sorrow: but godly sorrow works out the poison of sin that would mar their joy. But more particularly,...

1. Plead his promise, Ezek 36:26,27. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." It is a free, gracious promise: cry to him to make good that word to you, seeing he has said, "Once again I will yield to the plea of the house of Israel and do this for them." ver. 37. Tell him, that now you are come to inquire, and request him to do it. 2. Plead your own feebleness and inability to help yourselves; this was the impotent man's plea at the pool of Bethesda, John 5:6,7 "When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, 'Do you want to get well?' 'Sir,' the invalid replied, 'I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead o...

The Difference between the Pleasant Spiritual Impressions peculiar to true Believers, and those which Hypocrites may have in the Ways of Religion. 1. True and saving impressions are sociable; they accompany one another and go hand in hand together: for example holy fear does not cast out love nor love cast out fear: holy triumph in the Lord does not take away trembling at his presence; nor holy trembling take away triumph: joy does not destroy godly sorrow for sin; nor godly sorrow remove spiritual joy: faith does not destroy repentance; nor repentance destroy faith: the man's humility does not destroy his boldness before God; nor his boldness of access destroy humility. His low thoughts of himself does not destroy his high thoughts of Christ; nor his high thoughts of Christ destroy his low thoughts of himself: his self-diffidence does not destroy his holy confidence; nor his holy confidence destroy self-diffidence. Nay, instead of destroying one another, they advance and harmo...

See here the right rule of our love to Christ, namely to love him as the Father loves him. Wherein should our love to Christ resemble the Father's love? Why, the Father's love to the Son was evidenced in choosing him to be our Saviour and Surety: so should our love to Christ be manifested in making choice of him to be our Saviour and Surety; insomuch, that as God hath laid all our help upon him, so we should lay all our help where God hath laid it. Again, the Father's love to the Son was evidenced in giving all things into his hand: thus should our love to Christ be evidenced in putting all things in his hand as the Father doth; and particularly, you may put your hearts in his hand, that he may keep them; put your souls in his hand, that he may save them; put your plagues in his hand, that he may heal them; put your corruptions in his hand, that he may weaken and subdue them. Put your wants in his hand, that he may supply them; put your work in his hand, that he may work...

In a word, the hypocrite and the godly differ as clock in their motions and affections, as the motion of a clock differs from the sun; the one moves by art, the other by nature: the hypocrite's motions and impressions are like artificial clockwork, under the influence of the common operations of the Spirit, working upon him by some outward means and providences: but the impressions of believers are natural, under the influence of the Spirit dwelling in them: and whatever secondary purposes outward providences and ordinances may have for advancing them, yet they are the fruits of the special operation of the Spirit that is in him, "as a well of water springing up to eternal life." So that their impressions differ as much as a land flood, that quickly dries up, being only maintained with rain from the clouds, differs from a living spring, which is never altogether dried, even when the flood is abated.

The demerit of sin may be seen much more in Christ , a sacrifice to the awakened sword of  divine vengeance . Go to Golgotha , and see the man that is God's fellow drinking up the cup of his Father's indignation ! suffering unto blood  ! suffering unto death ! for God spared him not , being now in the room of sinners . Behold the earth trembling under the mighty load of this terrible wrath ! for there was a great earthquake while the sword of God's wrath was running through the man that was God's fellow . The heavens grew dark when this great spectacle was exposed ; the sun was eclipsed contrary to the common rules of nature , which made a heathen philosopher cry out , that either the frame of nature was dissolving , or the God of nature suffering . And what shall we that profess to be Christians say to these things ? What shall we that are sinners say concerning that abominable evil , sin , which wrought this bloody tragedy ? It was sin , and our sin too ; for he was w...