The Charitable Christian.

THe Blessed Apostle in these words layes down several arguments and perswasions to Charity, which in this Age that we now live in, is even almost growne out of date with most men; For notwithstanding there is great noise men: For notwithstanding there is [...] great noise of Religion abroad, yet is it la­mentable in consider; show irreligiously most [Page]men live, making a great outward shew an [...] pretence of Religion, but altogether deny an [...] neglect the power and practice thereof, which i [...] a great measure, doth consist in the practice [...] Charity, as St. James saith in his first Chapter and the last Verse: Pure Religion, and undefile [...] before God is this, To visit the fatherless and th [...] widow in their distress; That is, by relieving their necessities.

There are several Arguments that should provoke us to Charity, in these words of the Apostle; as first, the charge given to rich men He doth not charge them in the Name of an [...] King or State, but in the Name of the great God of Heaven and Earth, whose Ambassadou [...] he was. The sum and substance of his charge is this: First, That they would not be high-minded that is to say, lofty, proud, and scornful disdain [...] ­ing to look upon those that are poor. And second­ly, That they would not trust in uncertain Riches but in the living God. Men are apt to think themselves safe and secure, if they have gotten but Estates in their hands: but the Word of God saith otherwise. The Apostle here calle Richee uncertain: and Solomon saith of them that they are vanity of vanities, moor empty no [...] thing, things which we ought not to covet after for we came into the world naked without rich­es and it is certain we shall carry none with us [Page]out of the world. Then as St. Paul saith, 1 Tim. 6.8. Let us having food and raiment be there with all content: But if we will not, what saith the A­postle in the next Verse? If men will be rich, they fall into temptation, and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in de­struction and perdition. For (saith he) the love of money is the root of all evil. And then thirdly, and lastly, he charges them, That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate. And the reasons why we should do so, are these: First, that we receive all we have from God; he gives us all things rich­ly to enjoy. Then secondly, by doing good and re­lieving the necessities of those that are in want, we do thereby lay up in store for our selves a good foundation for eternal life. God will not forget our work and labour of love towards the Poor. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto them, ye have done it unto me, saith Christ, Matth, 25.40. And whatsoever we give unto the Poor, we lend unto the Lord, and he will certainly repay us.

Therefore let all those who expects mercy and favours form the Lord, seriously consider, and minde these following motives & inducements to Charity, propounded by a godly Minister: a necessary Duty, which divers men are very prone to neglect. Dives would not give the [Page]crumbs and scraps of his table to poor Lazarus. Men in a full condition are not at all affected with the wants and necessities of others: See what an evil Vnmercifulness is.

First, It is an argument of Covetousness: When Christ, Luke 16.9. vids them make to themselves friends of the Mammon of unrigh­teousness, (which he so calls, because men sin either in the getting or in the using of them) saying they could not serve God and Mammon. In the 13. Verse it is said, the Pharisées who were covetous derided him: They thought Christ spake like an ignorant man; they could serve God, and kéep their wealth too, and not cast it away upon poor people. This shewed their covetousness; and what an evil covetousness is, St. Paul tells us, A covetous man is an Idola­ter, Ephes. 5.5. and hath no inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven.

2. Vnmercifulness is an argument of Vn­belief and distrust of God; men think, if they give to the poor they must want themselves. But Prov. 28.27. He that giveth to the poor shall never lack. Here is the word of God for it, who is Truth it self; and yet men distrust God, and think of other wayes to provide for themselves. I will keep what I have (saith the Covetous man) if this be gone, I know not where to have more: the world is hard, and it is best to keep [Page]what we have. Thus unbelief discovers it self. Saith God, give to the poor, and thou shalt ne­ver lack; saith the hard-hearted man, Give to the poor, and thou shalt lack, and so gives God the lye, Eccles. 11.1. Cast thy bread upon the water, and after many dayes thou shalt finde it: No, saith the unmerciful man, I shall never see it again; and so makes God a Lyar, and declares himself an unbeliever.

3. Unmercifulness is an argument that there is no love of God in that man, 1 John 3.17. Whoso hath this worlds goods, and seeth his bro­ther hath need, and shutteth up his bowels of com­passion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? He may think, and others may think and say that he loves God, but there is not one dram of Gods loves in that man: for if a man lo­ves God, he would love man who is the Image of God. Christ commanded us, that we love one another, as he hath loved us, John 15.12. He testi­fied his love, by giving his life, his blood for us; and we will not give a little bread, an old gar­ment, a little silver, it is a clear demonstration that there is no love of God in us.

4. Unmercifulness it hath much cruelty and unnaturalness in it, Isa. 58.7. saith the Lord, Deal thy bread to the hungry, cover the naked, and hide not thy self from thine own flesh. The poor are our own flew, Mal. 2.10. Have not we all [Page]one Father; Hath not one God created us Prov. 22.2 The rich and the poor meet together the Lord is the maker of them all. Now if we hide our eys from them, if we will not consider their necessities, and relieve them, we are cruel and unnatural: if a man be naked or hungry, he will seek to cloathe and feed himself, he will not hate his own flesh: Ephs. 5.29. No man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it When men therefore refuse of strengthen the hand of the poor and needy, they despise and hate their own flesh, they are unnatural: and to pre­vent this, God hath laid a command to be mer­ciful, where the strongest reason and plea may be against it, Prov. 25.21. If thine enemy hunger, give him bread to eat; if he be thirsty, give him drink: much more then to the Poor.

5. Unmercifulness, it brings a curse yea, ma­ny curses upon men and their estates, Prov. 28. 27. He that hideth his eye from the poor, shall have many a curse. The poor will curse him, and not onely man, but even God himself curseth them. Psal. 41.1. Blessed is he that considereth the poor. If a man do it not, shall he have a blessing? No: Depart from me, ye cursed, (Marth. 25.41.) For I was hungry and ye fed me not. And Prov. 3.33. The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked. Sometimes they have not a heart to eat, and take the comfort of their Estates; sometimes [Page]they are perplexed with fears, and ceres, and for rows about their Estates: sometimes they are wasted at Law, sometimes by Fire or Robbery, sometimes by such secret wayes, that none can give any rational account of, but know that the curse of God is there.

6. Unmercifulness, it makes men altoge­ther unlike God, who is the Father of mercy, and the God of all compassions, 2 Cor. 1.3. He makes his Sun to arise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain upon the just and upon the un­just, Mat. 5.45. He giveth food to all flesh, Psal. 136.25. To each his sufficing food in due season, & fills every living creature with his blessing. He giveth liverally and upbraideth not, as St. James saith, Jam. 1.5. He bears the destres of the humble and the poor, Psal. 10.17. He is kinde to the unthankful, and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful as your heavenly father is merciful, Luke 6.36. But now, that man that is near, pinch­ing and miserable, and doth not regard the con­dition of the poor, to comfort their hearts, and to strengthen their hands, in filling their hungry vellies, and cloathing their naked bodies; he is unlike and contrary to God, who is all love and bowels of mercy, pitty, and compassion, and ever mindful of the poor, and hath made a Law for their relief, which standeth recorded in the Word of God, unalterable, and can never be re­pealed [Page]or made void, Deut. 15.7.8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15. If there be among you a poor man, one of thy brethren, within any thy gates or the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee; thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thy hand from thy poor bro­ther: but thou shalt open thy hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, the seventh year the year of release is at hand, and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou give him nought, and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him; because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto. For the poor shall never cease out of the land, therefore I command thee, say­ing, thou shalt open thine hand wide to thy brother, to the poor, and to the needy in the land: Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flocks, and out of thy floor, and out of thy wine-press; of that where­with the Lord thy God hath blessed thee, thou shalt give unto him. And thou shalt remember, that thou was a bond-man in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee; Therefore I command thee this thing to day. And to this very purpose is that in Levit. 25.35, 36, 37, 38. If thy brother be waxen poor, and faln to decay with thee, then thou [Page]shalt relieve him; yea, though he be a stranger or so sorner with thee, that he may live with thee: thou shalt not give him thy money upon usury, nor lend him thy victuals upon encrease; take thou no usury of him or encrease: but sear thy God, that thy brother may live with thee. Here is two Statute And of God himself, that are of more force and greater authority, then all the Acts of men or Parliaments, which shall never be altered, but shall be in full force and power to the end of the world: yea, shall be a Law to condemn the gain­sayers and neglecters thereof in the day of judge­ment. Christ saith, Luke 14.13. VVhen thou makest a Feast, call the poor, the lame, and the blind and thou shalt be blessed. And Luke 14.18. God anointed Christ to preach the Gospel to the poor. And in another place, he saith, The poor receive the Gospel. And hath not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in Faith, and Heirs of the Kingdom, which he hath promised to those that love him. In Luke 6.20. saith Christ, Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the King­dom of Heaven. But in the 24. werse, Wu unto you that are rich, for ye have received your consola­tion. In Luke 16.25. When Dives cryed unto A­braham to have mercy on him: saith Abraham to him Remember that thou in thy life time received [...] thy good things. Thou madest thy Riches th [...] God, and didst shut up the bowels of compassion [Page]against poor Lazarus, therefore thou shalt have no mercy. Judas was a hard-hearted wretch, a covetnus Traytor, that cared not for the poor. I [...] every man would do themselves good by their Eftates, it will be in laying them out for the poor: for at the last day, riches if not improved to the Glorgy of God, will certainly rise up in judgement against men. See what St. James saith, Chap. 6. ver. 1, 2, 3. Go to now ye rich men, weep and howl for the miseries that shall come up­on you: Your riches are corrupted, and your gar­ments moth-eaten: your gold and silver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. You have heaped up treasure together for the last day.

7. Unmercifulness it puts in a Caveat and Bar in the Court of Heaven against our Pray­ers, that they shall have no entertainment there. Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the Poor, he also shall cry himself, and not be heard, Prov. 21.16. Unmercifull men shall come to some great straight or other before they dye, so as to cry either to man or God; and when they cry, they shall not be heard. They would not hear the poor crying, nor God who sent these poor, and cryed to them in these poor; therefore when they cry unto man for help, God will stop their ears, and turn their hearts from them; yea, stop his own ears, and turn away his own heart [Page]from them, Luke 6.38. With the same measure [...]at ye mere, shall be measured to you again. You [...]op your ears, and God will stop his ear: you [...]ut up your bowels of compassion, and God will [...]ut up his: you withhold Pence, and God will [...]ithhold his Talents. The rich man cried for [...]rop of water, being in hell torments, but nei­ther Abraham nor God would hearken to his re­ [...]uest: he that would not give one crumb, must of receive one drop, Matth. 5.7. The merciful [...]hall obtain mercy.

8. Unmercifulness is a shrowd signe and [...]adge of a Keprobate condition: a mercilesse [...]ans name will hardly be found in the Book of [...]ife, Col. 3.11. Put on (saith St. Paul) as the Elect of God bowels of mercy and kindness. Those [...]hat are the Elect of God, have had mercy, and being called, they sinde and féel that mercy, and cannot but put on bowels of mercy towards [...]o thers which declarath their Election: as God pittied them, so they pittied others. But where there is no bowels of mercy, but churlishness, har [...]ness, cruelty, and unmercifulness: there is a black sign and badge of a Keprobate Con­dition.

9. Unmercifulness is a degrée of Murther: some men hate and curse the poor, and the Scrip­tures blushes not to call them murtherers, 1 Joh. 3.15. Whoso hateth his brother is a murtherer. And [Page] Job 24.14. The murtherer rising with the light k [...] ­leth the poor and needy. He deviseth wayes ho [...] to oppress them, and to suck and squéere them and this is a killing of them, and he is a mu [...] therer for it. So when a man sées his brother or neighbour poor, sinking, and like to be ruine [...] and will not relieve him, being able to do i [...] he falls into a degrée of murther. An Heather could see this, who said, That he that hath pow­er to succour a man, being ready to perish, an [...] succours him not, he kills him. Suppose a ma [...] in the water or fire, you pass by, and lend him not your hand, which if you had dones, his lif [...] might have béen saved, are not you then guilt [...] of his death, if you help him not? When th [...] Priest and Levite passed by the man, that going from Jerusalem to Jericho fell among Thieves and relieved him not, it was their sin; and had he died in that case and condition, they had béen accessary to his death. If the poor be our flesh, then our goods are theirs as well as ours, and if we let them perish, we murther them and our selves too.

10. The end of that man will be very sad, who hath been merciless to the poor; he must have the end of a fruitless and dead frée, he must be hewen down and cast in to the fire. James 2. 13. He shall have judgement without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy: All judgement, meer [Page]severity, and pure wrath shall be his portion.

The chief, if not the onely sin that Christ mentions at the day of Judgement, (Matth. 25. 41, 42.) is unmercifulness. To the righteous, saith he, Come ye blessed of my Father; for I was hungry, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was naked, and ye cloathed me: therefore I say unto you, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. But unto the wicked and ungodly saith Christ. Depart some me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire prepred for the Devil and his Angels; for I was hungry, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was naked, and ye cloathed me not: Ye shewed me in my poor members no pitty, no mercy; therefore depart from me, I know you not.

Unmerciful men will have no plea of excuse then for themselves; it will not serve their turn then to say, I had it not: this will be but an ill answer before the Lord, when they shall come to give an account how they have used and disposed of those Boods and Talents, which he hath as Stewards intrusted them withall. When God sh [...]ll (as he will) put the question to them, how have you spend your wealth? how have you ad­vanced my glory by your estates? how many poor Souls have you refreshed? what answer will they have? what can they say for themselves; [Page]Even nothing at all: Their own Consciences will then accuse, and will hear true witness against them. What have you done with your wealth, saith Bod? which way have you spent your Estates? Saith Conscience then, So much have J spent to please mine Appetite in supersluity of dainties: and thus much have I spent to please mine Eye in curious and over­c [...]stly cloathing: and thus much have I spent to delight mine Ears, and to satisfie my senses in vain delights, and in worldly pomp and plea­sure: hundreds and thousands have I spent up­on my own base sinful lusts and affections. But what hast thou given to the poor, saith God? When I had any spare money, now and then I gave a half [...]enny or a brass farthing to a poor man. [...]h wretched man, will God say, hadst thou where withall to pleass thy carnal lust, and hadst thou nothing more to spare for my poor members? Thou unpresist able Servant, thou shalt be cast into utter darkness, where shall be wéeping and wail [...]ng, and guathing of t [...]eth for ever. Thou would [...]t take no pitty nor compas­sion on the poor; therefore I will shew thée no mercy.

Men are very leath to part with any thing for God; bu [...] if they did but know the benefit of it, surely they would do it more willingly. When Christ, in the 16.48 Luke, bid the young [Page]man sell all, and follow him, he went out ve­ry forrowful, because he had great possessions He had rather let Christ alone, and Heaven and Salvation also, then part with all: He did not understand what a blessing it should b [...] to have treasure in Heaven, joy unspeakabl [...] and full of glory. He did not think of the van [...] ­ty and uncertainty of earthly riches. He never thought of death, and how that he must shortl leave all these things behinde him. It is a har [...] thing, saith Christ, for a rich man to enter inth [...] heaven: their hearts are so glued and fastene [...] to the world, that they had rather run the ha [...] a [...] of their precions souls, then lose a part of the [...] Estates. They might have laid up in store f [...] the time to come, but they have treasured [...] wrath against the day of wrath. There is [...] better treasure against the evil day, then th [...] which had been laid up in the works of Mer [...] and Charity.

The merciful man (saith Solomon) doth good to his own soul, Proverbs 11.17. The mercif [...] man killeth two birds with one stone; he con [...] forteth the souls of others that are in want, an [...] thereby layeth up a portion of bliss for his ow [...] soul.

Seeing then Uncharitableness is so great a [...] evil, let us put on bowels of mercy, and it strenst [...] ­en the hands, and cover the nakedness of th [...] [Page]poor and needy: It is now a hard time, and things are dear, and Trading very small, and the poor abound; and therefore now it is very seasonable for those that are rich to open the bowels of pity and compassion towards the poor, and to succour those that are in want. Holy Job was a father to the poor, see his 29. Chapter and the 16. verse, He did not eat his morsels alone, but the father­less and widow eat thereof: He delivered the poor and the father less, and him that had none to help him: and he was eyes to the blinde, and feet to the lame, and the blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon him; and he caused the widews heart to sing for joy: he did not suf­fer the poor to perish for want of cloathing: Job 31.17. The bellies and loins of the poor blessed him. Being filled and warmed with the flesh & fleece of his sheep. It were well it Jobs spirit and compassion were in all rich men now, that so the hungry might be fed, the naked clothed, and the necessities of the poor supplied.

Spare something out of your Superfluities for them. Can you adorn your Houses with Pi­ctures and Hangings, your Tables with costly Carpets, your Shelves with Brass and Pewter, and your closets and cupboards with Plate, and have you nothing for the poor, who are the tem­ples of God: Can you feed your Dogs and Parrets, Apes, and Monkeys, and pamper your [Page]Horses, and not minde the poor Members of Christ that lie at your doors? Can you spend bounds and pounds to satisfie and please your carnal lusts, in a superfluous manner, and can you not now and then spare a penny to a poor Christian? how will the Lord take this at your bands?

Remember Dives, he had been better to have given all to poor Lazarus, then to have met with such an end for his unmercifulness. The Lord Iesus Christ hath told you, that it is a blessed thing to give, Acts 20.35. And it is a blessed thing to shew kindness to Christ: When you give to the poor, you give to Christ: Mat. 25.40. In a much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me: they are Christs brethren they do it unto, and he ac­counts it as done to himself.

Again, Consider, is it not a blessed thing to have the Lord of heaven and earth to be indebt­ed to you? Prov. 19.17. He that hath pitty on the poor, lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given, will he pay him again. God is the poor mens security, he taketh the debt upon himself, and gives thee his word for security; his Faithful­ness and his Honour are both engaged for per­formance: Had you the Cities Bond, or the Publick Faith's security for what you disburse towards the poor, it were nothing to this. O [Page]give unto the poor, and make God as much as you can indebted to you, he is a good sure pay­master. Luke 6.38. Give, and it shall be given un­to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken toge­ther and running over. If you will not make God your Debter by giving, he will be your Judg [...] for not giving.

We live in dangerous times, and riches are uncertain things; the onely way to make then safe, is to bestow them upon the poor. One ha [...] this Epitaph upon his Tomb, That which I have given, that I have; that which I have kept, that have I lost. Solomon saith, Eccles. 11.1. Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt finde it after man [...] dayes. If you keep it, you lese it: if you give you shall finde it again.

It is the judgement of some, that no Beggar [...] should be relieved that go from door to door; ther things it an unwarrantable practice, and the nur­sery of Vagabonds and vile persons, that live in no calling, and are under no Government, but are the shame of the Magistrates, and a disords in a Commonwealth, and a teproach of the Laws that are made for the relief of the Poor in their several respective places. Certainly those that beg up and down, being able to work, and will not, you ought not to relieve, you sin in do­ing it; the Ayostles rule is, 2 Thes. 3.10. If and will not work, he must not eat. And further, when [Page]Begging is made a trade, I see not how it is [...]stiftable before God, or can be countenanced [...]y man. Yet to conclude it unlawful to give [...] any that veg, I dare not. Christ healed the [...]inde. Beggars, Luke 18.35, 42. John 9 7, 8. [...]nd did not reprove them for their begging. Besides, God hath given out a Rule, Luke 6.30. Give to every one that asketh of thee: Which command would be void and useless, if I might [...]ve to no Beggars. Then if you are able, you [...]ught to give to all that are truly poor and nee­dy; even to those who are able to work, and wil­lingly would work, but though the ill disposi­tion of the times cannot get employment, Gal. [...]. 10. As we have opportunity (saith the Apostle) [...]et us do good unto all. We ought to consider he necessities of the poor; they may be in dan­cer of life, and ready to stave, as Lazarus was [...]t Dives door: or they may be sick or lame, or [...]linde, or aged, and so not able to do any thing, for a livelihood.

You have seen the sore evils of Unmerciful­ness, and the great Blessings that are promised [...]o such as are Merciful: they shall obtain mer­cy, when merciless men shall have no mercy hewed them. Consider that the same God that hade them poor, made you rich; and might have hade them rich, and you poor; you might have been in their condition. Therefore seeing God [Page]hath given you Talents, Wealth, and Riches use them to his Glory, lay up some of them in store for the time to come, for eternal life, b [...] laying them out on the poor: That so at the great day of accounts, the Lord may say unto you, VVell done good and faithful servant, enter thou into thy Masters Joy: thou hast glorifte me on Earth, now will I glorifte thee in Hea­ven. Thou hast dispersed abroad, thou hast give to the poor, thy righteousness endureth for ever thy horn shall be exalted with honour, Psal. 112.9. Now shalt thou receive the full possession and enjoyment of those unspeakable pleasures, that are in Heaven for ever.

Now then consider what hath been said, and the Lord give you understanding hearts in all things. Now unto him that is able to do abun­dantly more for us, then we can think or desire the onely wise marciful God, be Honour and Glory, now and for ever. Amen.

THE Christians best Garment: OR, The putting on of the Lord Jesus Christ.

IN these words beloved, now read unto you, we have these two parts: in the first place, we have some things which the Apostle endeavours to perswade Chri­stians from; in the second place, we have some [Page]things which the Apostle endeavours to per­swade Christians to. The things perswaded from, are the works of darkness, the things perswaded to are these. 1. That we put on the armour of light, and that we walk honest­ly. 2. The Apostle having erborted us to this two-fold duty. 1. The casting off the works of darkness, and the putting on the ar­mour of light, here sets down expresly some Christian directions how this is to he done, and that two wayes. 1. Negatively, and then 2. Affirmatively.

1. Negatively, not in rioting and drunken­ness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envy.

2. Affirmatively, by putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, and denying of the works of the flesh; and the motives here laid down, where­upon the Apostle enjoyns this duty, are these in the 12. verse, The night is far spent, the day is at hand, therefore (saith he) let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armout of light. Where by the way, we may observe, that works of darkness are very unsuitable and unseasonable to the times of the Gospel, light and darkness are contrary. In the words then you see, 1. Here is a duty exhorted un­to, and that is laid down in the 12. verse. And then 2. you have here also the Apostles [Page]amplification and illustration of this duty here exhorted unto, and that is set down par­ticularly in the 13. and 14. verses. The duty exhorted unto you see here is two-fold. 1. Here is something to be cast off. And then 2. Here is something to be put on. 1. The things to be cast off, are the works of dark­ness. 2. The things to be put on, are the ar­mour of light: Let us cast off the works of dark­ness, and let us put on the armor of light: and as the exhortation is two-fold, so like wise are the reasons whereupon the Apostle grounds his exhortation also. 1. The night is far spent. And 2. the day is at hand. Before I proceed to the observation, give me leave a little to open the words unto you; and first, I shall endeavour to shew what is here meant by the night, and then secondly, what is here meant by the day: by the night here may be meant the times of darkness and ignorance, in which the Ben­tiles lived in before the breaking forth of the Gospel of Christ, and those times may very well be compared to the night for these three reasons.

First, In the night men cannot so well see their way, and therefore may the more easily wander out of their way; for it is onely the want of light that makes men to erre.

2. In the night no thing is visible or dis­cernable [Page]but darkness, all light is then extin­guished; the blinde man is not able to value or judge what a mercy it is to have the fruiti­on and enjoyment of the light of the Sun.

3. The night is the most suitablest time and season for the doing of evil in, in Job 24. 14, 15, 16. The murderer (saith Job rising with the light killeth the poor and needy, and in the night is as a thief. The eye also of the adulter­er waiteth for the twilight, saying, No eye shall see me, and disguiseth his face. In the dark they dig through houses, they know not the light, They that are drunk (saith the Apostle) are drunk in the night, 1 Thes. 5.7. in Psal. 25.20. The dark places of the earth are full of the habi­tations of cruelty. And then secondly, by the day here is meant the times of the Gospel, it is night in the soul, till such time as the day light of the Gospel breaks forth and shines into it, Matth. 4.16. The people which sate in darkness saw a great light, and to them that sate in the region and shadow of death, light is sprung up. In John 13.19. Light is come into the world, and men love darkness rather then light; and why so, the reason is (saith he) because their deeds were evil. For every one that doth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved, Ephes. 5.8. Ye were sometimes darkness, (saith the Apostle) but now [Page]are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light. In 1 Pet. 2.9. God hath called us out of darknesse into his marvellous light. Luke 1.78, 79. The day spring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness. In Acts 26.17.18. the Apostle was sent to the Gentiles, to turn them from darkness unto light. In 1 John 2.8. The darkness is past, and the true light (saith the Apostle) now shineth. In Acts 17.30. The times of Heathenisme are there called the times of ignorance, and it must needs be night in such souls wherein Christ the Sun of righteousness never did arise; as it is never day in the world until the Sun ariseth, so it is never day in the soul till Christ the Sun of righteousness ariseth with healing in his wings. Now there are several useful and profitable points of doctrine, which naturally flow from hence for our instruction and edification, I shall onely name them, and so procéed to that which I chiefly intend.

The first point of doctrine is this, that works of darkness are works of the night, night works.

Secondly, that the times of the Gospel are times of light.

Thirdly, that in the day of the Gospel all these works of darkness are to be cast off: when the Sun shines, it dispels and scatters [Page]all those mists and fogs of darkness that lie upon the earth; so when Christ the Sun of Righteousness arises in the soul, he dispells and scatters all those mists and fogs of sin and wickedness which naturally ariseth in the soul.

Fourthly, in Gospel times, or times of light, men should live Gospel lives, or walk in the light of the Gospel: while ye have light walk as children of the light. Walk (saith our Saviour, John 5.35, 36.) while ye have light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he go­eth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.

Fifthly, that rioting and drunkenness, chambering and wantonness, strife and envy, are not works of the day, but of the night.

Sixthly, they that would live as becomes the Gospel of Christ, should cast off all those unfruitful works of darkness.

Seventhly, that Iesus Christ is a Christi­ans garment.

Eighthly, that Iesus Christ is a garment to be put on.

Ninthly, that all of Christ, whole Christ is to be put on; put ye on the Lord Iesus Christ as a King to rule you, as a Priest to offer up himself a sacrifice for you, and as a [Page]Prophet to teach and instruct you.

Tenthly and lastly, that the putting on of the Lord Iesus Christ is accompanied with the casting off all sinful and fleshly works.

Now the point of doctrine that I shall chiefly insist upon shall be this, namely, that the Lord Iesus Christ is a garment; in handling whereof I shall briefly touch upon, and speak something to all the rest by way of use and ap­plication. The Doctrine then to be insisted upon is this, That the Lord Iesus Christ is a Christians garment; in handling whereof, I shall endeavour by the assistance of God to shew you first wherein the Lord Iesus Christ is or may be said to be a garment. And here I shall endeavour by the assistance of God to shew you the natural agreement and resem­blance that is between the Lord Iesus Christ and our natural garments. First, wherein they do agree, and secondly, wherein they do not agree; and having done this, in the next place, God willing, I shall endeavour to shew you what kinde of garment Christ is, and how this garment is to be worn. Third­ly and lastly, to whom and for what he is a garment; and then having done this, I shall briefly endeavour to give you some di­rections by way of motives to perswade you to the putting on of this garment, and so con­clude [Page]all by the assistance of God in a word or two of use and application. I begin with the first of these, wherein the Lord Iesus Christ is or may be said to be a garment, and this will appear briefly in these two things.

• 1. considering what we are; and
• 2. consider­ing what Christ doth.

I. Christ may be said to be a garment, con­sidering what we are by nature, the best of us are but, as St. John saith, Rev. 3.17. empty, naked, miserable sinners: the best garments we have by nature are nothing else but rags, yea, filthy rotten rags, as the Prophet Isaiah expresses it in Isa. 64.6. We are all of us by nature poor and blinde, miserable and naked, till Christ appears in us, thereupon the Apo­stle Paul, in Phil. 3.8, 9. desires so earnestly that he might be found in Christ, not having on his own righteousness, which he accounted dross and dung, in comparison of Christ and his righteousness.

2. Christ is a garment in regard of what he path to us; he covers our nakedness by casting over us the skirts of his love, as in Ezek. 16.8. And to illustrate this a little, I shall here take occasion to show you wherein Christ may be said to be a garment, by giving you the re­semblances that are between the Lord Iesus Christ and our natural garments, and what [Page]our garments are to our bodies, the same, and much more is Christ to our souls: now the natural use of our natural garments are chiefly these thrée.

• 1. Our natural garments are for necessity.
• 2. For distinction.
• 3. For ornament.

First, for necessity our natural gar­ments are necessary, yea, they are of neces­sity, we cannot be well without them; they are needful for us to cover and shelter us, to cherish and preserve our weak, frail, naked bo­dies, from all the dangers and incumbrances which would irresistably fall upon us, with­out the use of them. Our garments are useful to cover and preserve us from the cold bluster­ing storms of the world, how unable would our frail weak mortal bodies be to subsist and live without the natural use of our natural garments, to cherish and preserve us; and this, and more then this doth Christ to our souls: as our bodies are not able to subsist without cloaths, no more are our souls able to subsist without Christ, who is the life and gar­ment of our souls: as our natural garments serve to defend us from the cold blustering storms of the weather, so Christ the garment of our souls preserves and shelters us from all those raging assaults of Satan, which in the world we are often, yea, alwayes lyable unto.

Secondly, as our natural garments serve to defend us from the cold stormes of winde and weather, so likewise they serve to defend us from the violent and scorching heat of the Sun: as in the blustering storms of rain and cold, our garments preserves us from perish­ing under them; so in the violent scorching heat of the Sun, our garments serve to keep us from being melted and devoured by its vio­lent and scorching heat: of the like use is Christ to our souls; as 'tis onely Christ that can preserve us from the cold blustering storms of the world, so 'tis onely Christ that can preserve us from the violent and scorching heat of persecutions and fiery tryals in the world. A second use of our natural garments is for distinction, to distinguish between sex and sex, noble and ignoble, high and low, rich and poor, magistrates and people; so likewise Christ is a garment for distinction, yea, it is the onely distinguishing garment in the world. Christ distinguisheth the saint from the sinner, the holy from the unholy, the sheep from the wolves, yea, the true sheep from the wolves in sheeps cloathing, the sincere and upright souls from formal falshood, hypo­critical Professors; and as it distinguisheth the saints from sinners here, so it will also distinguish them hereafter, they that have not [Page]on this garment at the last day, shall be set on the left hand of Christ in judgment; its this wedding garment that distinguisheth who are the guests for the marriage feast, there is no coming to heaven without it.

Thirdly, the natural use of our natural garments are for ornament, our uncomely parts being cloathed become abundant more comely; our bodies being decked and adorned by clothing, although in themselves uncome­ly, do thereby become beautiful and lovely: of the like use is Christ to our souls; there is nothing in the world, beloved, that will so adorn your souls as this garment of Christ; yea, it is the onely becoming garment, it will make your souls amiable and lovely, yea, al­together lovely, our souls being cloathed up­on with this garment of Christ and his righ­teousness, will appear lovely and beautiful in the eyes of God himself, and by it we are made to be acceptable in the Lord; as we are in our selves, we are vile, wretched, sinful, de­formed creatures, altogether unlovely, but in Christ we are made to be amiable and beauti­ful, yea, altogether love. Having thus gi­ven you the resemblances between Christ and our natural garments, and having shewed you briefly wherein they do agree, I shall now in a word or two, shew you wherein they dis­agree, [Page]or rather wherein this spiritual an [...] heavenly garment of Christ superexceeds an [...] excells all the garments in the world, be the never so rich and costly; and herein lies th [...] disagreement.

First, our natural garments are not dura­ble, they will last us but a little while before they be quite worn out; but Iesus Christ is [...] durable and lasting garment, yea, an ever­lasting garment that will never be worn out while thou livest, though thou livest never so long, it will last thee for ever and ever, both here and hereafter.

Secondly, our natural garments they are the worse for wearing, yea, the longer we wear them the worse they grow; and at the last, by being overworne, they come to be worth nothing? I, but it is not thus with Christ, this heavenly garment of Christ is the better for wearing, and the longer we wear it, the better it is; and the better we are, it doth not onely grow better it self, but it also makes us grow better. I, but it is not thus with our natural garments, they if they be worn often, or by often wearing, they grow worse and worse, and at last they decay.

Thirdly, our natural garments as we put them on in the morning, so we put them off at night; but where ever Iesus Christ is put on [Page]as a garment, he is not, nay, he cannot be put off again; Christ is a garment as well for the night as for the day: the soul that hath once given up it self to Christ, by a true and saving faith, can never be taken away, I mean not finally from Christ, by all the craft and policy of the devil; they that are chosen by God in Christ, shall be preserved by God in Christ.

Fourthly, our natural garments grow out of fashion very often and suddenly, but Iesus Christ is a garment that will never be out of fashion; a better then which can never be magined nor invented. Iesus Christ is a garment as well for Summer as for Winter, for all weathers; in the Summer heat of per­secutions and tryale, Christ is a garment, hither to keep them off, or else to sustain us under them: and in the Winter of adversity Iesus Christ is a garment to defend and che­rish us from all evils; let the storms be never [...] great, let the fire be never so hot, Christ [...]an sustain and uphold his people; witness Daniel in the Lions Den, the Children in the [...]ery Furnance, &c.

Fifthly, our natural garments they are fit­ [...]d to our bodies, but to this garment of Christ our souls are made fit; Christ is a gar­ment made fit for all souls, natural garments [Page]if they fit one, they are either too big or too lit­tle for another; but Iesus Christ is a garment fit, or made fit for all souls, for souls of all sorts; a garment for men, and a garment for women: a garment for parents, and a gar­ment for children: a garment for poor, and a garment for rich: a garment for Magistrates, and a garment for Ministers, and a garment for people: a garment for Jewes, and a gar­ment for Gentiles. Christ is and will be to all his people, an ornament of grace here, and of glory hereafter.

I come now in the next place to shew you what kinde of garment Iesus Christ is, and how he is to be worn; and I shall briefly give if you in these following considerations.

And first of all, he is a precious garment: to you therefore which believe he is precious, 1 Pet. 2.7. precious in regard of his nature, God and man; precious in regard of his worth and excellency, the chiefest and the choicest of ten thousands; but I must not insist upon these things.

Secondly, Christ is a costly garment, a gar­ment that's said to be of great price, a garment of Gods own making, a garment that cost a dear price, the precious life and blood of a Sa­viour. In a word, for I must be brief, he is a garment of more worth then all the world.

Thirdly, Christ is a cheap garment, the cheapest garment that ever thou worest in all thy life; thou mayest have this garment, as we use to say for God a mercy, he is freely of­fered to thee: Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no mo­ney: come ye, buy and eat, come buy wine and milk without money, and without price. Thou mayest have this garment for asking for; it is true, this garment cost the dearest price that ever any garment did, the Blood of God, one drop whereof is of more worth then ten thou­sand Worlds; but Christians, remember, this garment is paid for already, its purcha­sed by God the Father for thee; shouldst thou go about to buy it, thou couldst never be able to purchase it; all thou hast, nay, all that all the men in the world have, would never have been able to have bought this garment: [...]t was onely the rich God, that God who hath all, and is all, that was onely able to pur­chase this precious, this costly, this excellent, no this glorious garment; and yet notwith­standing all this, thou mayest have him for nothing, he is freely tendered and offered to bee in the Gospel of life: though it be a cost­ [...]y garment to God, yet it will be a cheap gar­ment to thee; God hath paid all, and there is nothing at all left for thee to pay, or to do, [Page]but to take him and put him on.

Fourthly, Iesus Christ is a seamless gar­ment, as Christs coat was seamless, so is his person seamless, there is no rent nor divisions in this precious garment; and as there is no rents nor divisions in Christ, so there ought to be none in Christians: if there be no rent nor divisions in the head, certainly there ought to be none in the Church, which is the body. And here beloved, we might take up a sad and a bitter lamentation in consideration of the sad rents and divisions that are now in the Church of Christ: whereas one saith, He is of Paul, and another of Apollos are we not there­fore carnal, 1 Cor. 1. Certainly beloved, these things ought not so to be, all the Saints of God, they shall all have one heaven, so they must all be saved by one faith: and therefore surely they should all be of one heart, if not o [...] one minde; and therefore by the way, those who go about to make rents and divisions in the Church of God, doth not do Gods work but the Devils: the spirit of God is not a spi­rit of division, but of love, of peace, and a pure minde; and as the Apostle Jude calls seducer and fase teachers, ungodly men, and separate from the Church, are said by Jude in his 19 verse, to be sensual, and not to have the spirit And before I pass this point, I hope it will [Page]not be amiss to shew you the wickedness and sin of those who go about to make divisions in the Church of Christ. And first of all, sow­ers of divisions are renters of Christ; it is a horrible violence offered to the Body of Christ, a dividing of Christ, as St. Paul ac­counts it, in 1 Cor. 1.13. it would make Christ seem to be the head of two bodies, a most mon­strous conceit indeed.

Secondly, it resisteth the commands of Christ, which is love, and opposes the very end of Christ in dying for sinners, which was that all his Saints should be on.

Thirdly, division in the Church is very dishonourable and injurious to the Church; for how can a body be rent and torn without prejudice: it hinders also the peace of the Church. Schismaticks, saith one, more oppose the peace of the Church then Heathens do; if the body be rent and torn, it is surely with much pain and smart; and tearing and renting in the Church will surely cut the very heart of one that's true Member of the Church. It makes the Saints mourn, and to be sure, [...]t makes the Devil laugh; therefore let us la­bour to be rentless and seamless, as Christ is. To this end, in the first place labour after ho­liness, division and separation is a badge and mark of unholiness; children in unholiness are [Page]ever men in malice. Secondly, be not overtaken with new fancies and novelties; those new lights which hath set the Church of God so much on fire in these our dayes, have all been taken out of the dark Lanthorns of old Hereticks and Iesuits: all those lights which receive not their light from the word of God, are all false lights and vapors that one­ly appear on purpose to draw men out of the may. Truth should alwayes be imbraced, though it be never in so old a dress, they are itching ears that are most taken with novel­ties. Lastly, divisions beget sensuality, sensuality usual follows separation, even at the heels, separating themselves, saith Jude, sensual, not having the Spirit, not to speak any more of this, our own sad experience hath too manifestly witnessed this for a truth. What horrid impiety, desperate villanies have been committed by wicked and ungodly seducers in our dayes, my heart trembles with the very thought thereof.

Fifthly, Christ is a spotless garment, there is not so much as a spark or spot in this garment; and therefore it is, that the Saints are said in Scripture to be cloathed in white robes, Rev. 6.11. and that he offered himself without spot to God, Heb. 9.14. and the Saints are said to be cloathed in fine linnen, [Page]white and clean, Rev. 19.14. and as Christ is spotless himself, so he takes away all spots and defilements from his people, they are washed in his blood, and therefore are said to be clean by Christ himself, John 13.10. John 15.3. and therefore he is called the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, John 1.29. It was onely a sinless Saviour that could sa­tisfie for and take away the sins of sinful men. If Christ had not been without spots himself, he could never have taken away out spots: he that was manifest, saith St. John, to take away our sin, in him was no sin, 1 John 3.5. Christ hath suffered for us, saith Saint Peter, 1 Pet. 2.21, 22. who did no sinne, neither was guile found in his mouth; it is onely the blood of Christ that washes, and needs no washing: if he had not been without sin, he could not have saved us from our sins; nay, he himself then had stood in néed of a Saviour: & although he took upon him our nature, and was made flesh, ret the nature of Christ was a pure na­ture in it self; and therefore that of the Apo­stle doth most sweetly express this, where he sayes of Christ, that he in the likeness of sinfull flesh, condemned sin in the flesh, Rom. 8.3. and though he was in all things like unto us, yet saith the Apostle, Heb. 4.13. he was without sin. Christ was not born in sin, as we are, he [Page]was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and borne of a pure Virgin; its true, Christ was a sin­ner, yea, the greatest of sinners by imputati­on, he having all the sins of all the Elect of God laid upon him.

But first, had not Iesus Christ been sinless in himself, he had never been able to have un­dergone so heavy a burthen: Christ suffered not for his own sins, but sor our sins; He his own self (saith the Apostle) bore our sinnes on the Cross. We indeed, saith the converted thief on the Cross, we suffer justly, but this man hath done nothing amiss, Luke 23.41. He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, saith the Apostle, 2 Cor. 5.21. He did no violence, nei­ther was there any guile found in this mouth, Isa. 53.9.

Sixthly, Christ is a comely garment, a garment that will never be out of fashion; He is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever: there is nothing so lovely and amiable in the eyes of Christians as Christ is. Christians I beseech you consider, you are never well drest till you have put on this garment, nor you shall never be blest without it.

Seventhly, Christ is a lasting, yea, an everlasting garment, a garment that will last thee as long as thou libest, and will never be the worse for wearing, but will alwayes be [Page]the better for wearing; the more thou wearest this garment the more glorious it will be, and as this garment will last thee no long as thou livest, so thou mayest carry it along with thee when thou dyest; thou canst not carry any thing of the world with thee; for naked com­est thou into the world, and naked shall thou go out of the world; but if thou hast put on Christ as a garment in thy life, thou canst not leave him behinde thee when thou dyest, thou shalt carry this garment with thee into the next world. I should come now to shew you how this garment is to be worn, but I shall speak of that by way of Use and Application.

Now the Uses that I shall make of this useful point, shall be these. Is it so that Je­sus Christ is a Christians garment then in the first place I beseech you observe the miserable and wretched condition of wicked and ungodly men; men out of Christ they are naked, and have not, as we use to say of some poor people, a rag to cover their nakedness withal. Ah! sinners, for the Lords sake, for your precious and imnortal souls sake, I beseech you consi­der, and lay to heart a little your own most miserable and sad condition, how will you be able to stand in the day of the Lords wrath, how wilt thou be able to contend with the Al­mighty, when once he is angry, thou hast no­thing [Page]to shelter thée against the storms and fu­ry of the Lords indignation; I beseech you then as you love your own souls, that you would now put on the Lord Iesus Christ, O put him on, he is freely offered to thee, O then do not be so foolish, and Bedlam mad, as to refuse him, if thou doest thou art undone for ever: art thou naked, and wilt not thou take this garment of Christ to cover thy na­kedness withal, consider a little I beseech thee thy own sad condition as thou art in thy self out of Christ. In the first place thou art liable to all Dangers, every sinner out of Christ lies open to overy danger, every mer­ry thou enjoyest out of Christ is in wrath, thy preservation is but by common providence, and its cursed as well as common, as one saith sweetly. Thy preservation is but a reservati­on of thee to the day of wrath, thou art kept, but remember, thou art kept but as a male­factor to the day of execution, thou hast no­thing to guard thee from the wrath of God: it is possible thou mayest be secure in thy sin, but remember thy security is not from want of danger, but from the want of discovery of that danger which is every day and hour hang­ing over thy head, and ready to fall upon thée; wert thou but once seriously sensible of that danger which every day thou art in, I am con­fident [Page]thou couldst no more rest in thy sins out of Christ, then thou couldst goe to bed when thy house is on fire about thy ears. Se­condly, thou art, if our of Christ, in the power of every Devil and every lust; thou art the devils for egress and regress, when he plea­ses thou art taken captive by him at his will, as the Apostle expresses it, 2 Tim. 2.26. Thou art like a Common without a hedge, a prey to every beast of prey, thou wilt not take Christ as a garment, thou wilt not let God be a hedge to keep thee from straying into sin, and God will not be an hedge to preserve thee from being destroyed in and for thy sin. O sinner, thy condition if very sad and very dreadful, thou liest at the mercy of the devil every moment, at the cruel courtesie of every temptation; thou hast a hole it may be to keep thy Swine in, but if thou hast not a Christ to lodge thy soul in, thou art liable to all the curses in the book of God; how dreadful is it to want the benefit of every sweet promise in the word of God, to want a Iesus to deliver us from the wrath to come. Doest thou think thou canst be able to endure the wrath of God to all eternity; if thy foundation be not laid upon the rock of Christ, thy whole building will soon be destroyed, and thou wilt be found to be the veriest fool in the world; if thou [Page]art out of Christ thou canst never be safe, thou art a mad man, and thou delightest in thy own destruction.

Secondly, by way of motive consider I be. séech you, Christ will not onely cover thy na­kedness, and shelter thee from the wrath of God, but will be an ornament of grace and glory to thee for ever; but how shall we get this garment of Christ, may some say? I see my own nakedness, but how shall I do to get this garment? I answer, in the first place, thou must beg it of God, thou mayest have it for asking for; ask and thou shalt have, it is freely offered unto thee. Secondly, throw away all thy own rotten rags of sin, thou must strip thy self even naked of all self, righteous­ness; Christ will not be a garment to any but to such as shall first put off their own rags, throw away then all thy old rotten rags, and put on the Lord Iesus Christ; put him on, he is freely offered to thee, do not despise thy own mercy; get Christ for thy garment here, it ever thou expectest to have Christ for thy com­fort hereafter. Remember without Christ there is no happiness to be had hereafter, thou art miserable here, and thou shalt be misera­ble to all eternity hereafter. O consider this, all ye that forget God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you, Psalm 50.22. [Page]In the next place, is it so, is Christ a garment, then here is matter of great joy and comfort, to those that are Christs: O happy Christi­an, God hath made a blessed exchange with thee, the hath taken away from thee thy own rotten filthy stinking rags, and he hath in the room thereof put thee on his own most glo­rious white Robes! O happy soul! O blessed exchange. But before I proceed any further, I shall a little endeavour to give you some few, but brief directions for your better in­struction and edification.

And first of all, hast thou put on the Lord Iesus Christ as a garment, O then for the Lords sake do not put him off again, keep him on while thou hast him on; children you know when they have gotten a new garment they do not love to put it off again, they would wear it alwayes if they might.

Secondly, hast thou put on the Lord Iesus Christ as a garment, then wear him clean­lily, have a care that thou doest not soil this precious garment; O do not dirty it, nor sully it. Men when they have gotten on their best garments, or any thing that's rare and choice, how curious, how careful, how circumspect are they, they will have a care where they go, and what they do so long as they have those garments on. Men will not go about to rake [Page]dunghills in silken garment, a little spot of dust is soon seen in a clean garment; do not do the Devils drudgery with the garment of Christ: do not rake in the silthy stinking dunghills of sinne, with the silken cloaths of Christianity upon thy back; remember such base things are too low, for such noble souls as Christians are, to be imployed in.

Thirdly, is Christ a garment, then wear him as a garment, put him not on as a cloak, but put him on as a garment; remember, as one saith sweetly, as Christ is the best gar­ment, so is he the worst cloak: for to make Christ and Christianity a cloak for thy sin, is the horredst thing in all the world. Those wolves who are in sheeps cloathing are the most dangerous wolves of all; to be Saints in appearance outwardly, and Devils in sub, stance inwardly, O horrid impiety! will you swear and lye, couzen and cheat, and do all manner of evil, and yet profess Christanity; O take heed of this, they that make Christ a Cloak for their sin, do manifestly shew that they never yet tasted of the love of God in Christ, in the pardoning of their sins; Christ is not a cloak to hide sin, but Christ is a gar­ment to preserve us from sin; they that put on Christ as a cloak, never yet put on Christ as a garment.

Fourthly, is Christ a garment, and hast thou put him on, then wear him constantly, never put him off, he will last thee as long as thou livest, I and longer too; thou canst not carry a rag of thine own clothes with thee our of this world? I but thou mayest carry this garment with thee into the next world, thou mayest go to heaven with this garment upon thee, nay, thou shalt never get to heaven without it; put him on then, and never put him off, wear him every day, day by day, even to thy dying day, he will last thee as long as thou livest, and will be a comfort, yea, an ex­ceeding great comfort to thee when thou dy­est, and will be a glory, an everlasting glory to thee for ever in the world to come.

Fifthly, is it so, is Christ a garment? then here is matter of comfort to all that are Christs in times of danger and trouble; let me tell thee Christian, thou that hast put on the Lord Iesus Christ as a garment, thou art armed as well as clothed, thou hast armour of proof upon thy back, such armour as never yet could be pierced, such armour as will keep off all the gun-shots of the Devil, and the world, be they never so great, be they never so surious, be they never so many: thy garment Christian will keep out a showre, I, and a storm too, nothing can pierce it, nothing shall [Page]be able to hurt thee if thou hast put on Christ, neither sin nor Satan: If God be for us, who can be against us, Rom. 8.31. Rom. 8.33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect? it is Christ that hath dyed. First, thou hast put on Christ as a garment, he will defend thee Jle warrant thee, let come what will come; see what the Lord saith to such as are clothed with his Son, in Isa. 47.1, 2. Feare not for I have redceemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt; neither shall the flame kindle up­on thee. And this was it which so ravished the hearts of the blessed Martyrs, and carried them through all their torments with so much joy and comfort; and so likewise the three Children in the fiery furnace, all the violent and scorching heats of those burning fiery furances, could not, nay did not burt so much as the least hair of their heads; and the rea­son was, because they were the Children of the most high God, and were cloathed with the Lord Iesus Christ, as with a garment. So likewise Daniel in the Lions Den, he was defonded from the fury of those raging beasts, by his being clothed with this garment of [Page]Christ. In a word, let come what will come, let the Devil and all his instruments rage never so much, let the storms of persecution be never so hot, let the waves beat never so fiercely, thy house shall stand, and thou shalt be cartied through all, because thy house, thy faith is built upon a Rock even upon the rock of Ages, the Lord Iesus Christ. Ben out of Christ are naked, they have nothing at all to defend them, all those rich and costly gar­ments of the gallants of the world, be they never so rich and gaudy, are not half so cost­ly as this garment is; for believe it Christi­an, it cost Christs precious Life and Blood to purchase it for thee.

Fourthly, is Christ a garment, then let us not he proud of our own garments: alas, what are they, nothing but rags in compart­son of this garment of Christ, bodies of sin; sinne was the first founder and inventer of them: if Adam had not sinned, he had never stood in need of garment. A thief (saith one very swéetly) may as well be proud of his hal­ter, as a man or woman may be proud of their garments; and let me tell thee, thou that art proud, thou art proud of that which is an­others, if is none of thy own, thou hast nothing of thy own to be proud with; what thou hast is but lent thee, and thou knowest not how soon [Page]the owner may take them away, and leave thee as naked as he found thee, and then i [...] thon beest found out of Christ thou art undon [...] for ever: Wo, Wo unto thée, and that for ever more.

Fishly, is Christ a garment, then J note from hence, that abundance of outward ensoy­ments do nothing at all adorn a man, its onely the garment of Christ that will make a Chri­stian lovely; earthly things they doe not adorn us in the sight of Bod; it matters no [...] whether we be rich or poor, naked or cloathed in rags, or in robes; I, but it matters whe­ther thou beest in Christ or no; Bod will loo [...] upon thee onely as thou art cloathed with hi [...] Son: if thou art not found in Christ, cloathe [...] upon with the glor [...]ons white robes of hi [...] righteousness, at the last day Bod will never own thee for his childe; he will then say unt [...] thee, Depart from me, I know you not.

Sixthly, I note from hence, that they tha [...] live in sin are nons of Christs, they are no [...] cleathed upon with this garment: Let every one (saith the Apostle) that nameth the nam [...] of Christ, depart from iniquity. Put on th [...] Lord Iesus Christ, (saith the Text) and make no provision for the flesh. Christianity and sir [...] are no kin one to another, sin is a work of th [...] night, and it ever thou would it put on th [...] [Page]Lord Iesus Christ, thou must cast off, and forsake all thy sins; but it thou wilt needs keep thy sorry rags of sin still upon thy back, let me tell thee, Christ will never be a Savt­our unto thee, thou shalt have nothing to de­send thee in the evil day of the Lords wrath.

In the last place, by way of Motive; O that I could perswade you this day to en [...] brace Iesus Christ, as he is tendered and of­fered unto you in the Gospel: wouldst thou put on the Lord Iesus Christ as a garment? then in the words of the Apostle, I beséech you, Cast off the works of dardness, and put on the armour of light: Walk honestly, as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, and do not commit works of darkness at noon-day; eben the light of nature should make men blush to commit sin in the very face of the Sun it self. Kemember, I beseech you, how unsuitable and unseasonable rioting and drunkenness is to the profession of the Gòspel of Christ: Let every one (saith the Apostle) that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. Christ will never be a garment to thee if thou de­lightest in slit, its impossible to serve God and Mammon, thou canst never wear the li­very of Christ and the livery of Satan to­gether: as holiness is the badge and livery of Christ, so sin and wickedness is the badge and [Page]livery of the Devil: in this the children of God are manifest, saith the Apostle, and the children of the Devil: Whosoever doth not righteousness is not God, John 1.3, 10. and in the 6, 7, 8. verses of the same Chapter, Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not, and who­soever sinneth hath not seen him, nor known him: He that committeth sinne, is of the Devil: Ye are of your Father the Devil, saith our Sa­viour to the unbelieving Jewes, John 8.44, and the works of your father ye will do: wieked men will do the Devils work, al though they are sure to dye for it; The work of your father ye will do. And let me tell you, belobed, they that will do the Devils work, must look for nothing but the Devils pay, and the Devil will be sure to give them their due at last: And I beseech you remember what the wage [...] of sin is; in Romans 6.23. The wages of sin i [...] death, death eternal; the wicked in hell they are alwayes dying, and yet never dead: th [...] forments of the damned in hell, as they ar [...] easeless, so they are endless. O consider thi [...] you that forget God, lest he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver you.

Wouldst thou put on the Lord Iesus Christ as a garment? then in the last place, and so I have done, Do not make provision for the slesh, to fulsill the lusts thereof [...] spend not thy [Page]time in rioting and drunkenness, not in cham­bering and wantonness; but cafting off and ab­horring all these unfruitfull works of darkness, labout to live up to that God who has so dearly loved us, and bought us with his own most precious blood: that so living here to all the intents and purposes of his Grace, and walking daily before the Lord in all manner of holiness and righteousness all thy dayes, thou mayest in the end of thy dayes here live and reign for ever with Christ in glory here­after. Now blessed are all those, and for over blessed shall they be, who so live, and so walk, as that they may be truly said to have put on the Lord Iesus Christ, and do so give up themselves to be ruled and guided by him in Grace here, that so when they come to die, they shall be found in Christ, cloathed upon with the glorious white Robes of Christ his righ­teousness, and shall for ever live and reign with Christ in glory hereafter: To whom be Glory and honnour, for ever and ever. Amen.