The whole works of ... Edward Reynolds, now first collected [by J.R. Pitman].

298

. 302

. 304

. 305

XV. Guilt cannot look on Majesty. Apprehensions of mercy the

grounds of prayer

. 306

XVI. Sense of misery works estimation of mercy

XVII. Back-sliding formally opposite to faith and repentance.

Apostasy two-fold. What it is to speak against the Son of

Man, and against the Spirit. How a sin is said not to be for-

given in this world, nor in the world to come. Free love re-

spects not persons, nor free pardon, sins

XVIII. From the beginning to the end of salvation, all is free

grace

308

. 312

XIX. In judgements, God's anger more to be noted than our suffer-

ings

. 315

SERMON V.

Sect. I. Blessings are large to the penitent, as curses to the impeni-

tent, and answer all our wants

. 318

II. God answereth prayers, beyond the petitions of his people.. 320

III. We may pray according to the knowledge and love we have of

ourselves. God answers according to his knowledge and love . 321

IV. God answers prayer not only with respect to our wants, but his

own honour. God's ultimate end in working, our strongest ar-

gument in praying

V. Encouragement to prayer. God's shekel double to us

VI. Prayer may be ambitious and beg great things

VII. Free love puts forth itself in various blessings

VIII. Grace as dew of a celestial original, fruit of a serene heaven. 329

IX. Abundant, insensible, insinuating and searching, vegetating

and quickening. Refreshing and comforting.

.331

. 334

X. Peace no blessing, except it come as dew from heaven

XI. All wants must be supplied from Heaven. Christ all beauties to

his Church. The root and stability of the Church, foundation

doctrinal, personal. Righteousness of redemption stronger than

of creation

XII. Growth of the Church under the law, national; under the gos-

pel, universal. Christ the olive-tree, original of grace to his

Church

. 339

.339

XIII. Our refuge and shelter. Our power above afflictions

XIV. All Christ's graces, fruits of Lebanon, the best of all others.

Creature-helps, liars either by falseness or impotency

XV. Promises should beget duties. God promiseth beauty to his

Church; we should labour to adorn it

XVI. He promiseth stability; we should be rooted in truth and

grace; all our gifts should serve the Temple

XVII. He promiseth growth; we should grow ourselves, and endea-

vour the growth of others. Christ both the end and beginning

of the Church's growth

XVIII. Compacture and unity in the Church, necessary to the

growth of it. Divisions hinder it

XIX. In the body compacted, there are several distinct members,

each to act in his own place, and joints fastening members to the

head, and to one another. A different measure of virtue for se-

veral offices. A mutual supply and helpfulness one to another.

An eternal faculty in each part to form and concoct the matter

subministered unto it

XX. He promiseth the fruitfulness of the olive, which we should

show forth in works of grace and peace

XXI. He promiseth the smell of Lebanon; the ointment of the gos-

pel, the graces of which we should express

XXII. He promiseth protection and conversion; we should make

him our shelter, and from his protection learn our duty of con-

XXIII. He promiseth reviving out of afflictions, profiting by them.

We should not be discouraged by temptations, but amended;

they have many times mercy in them

XXIV. The virtues of heathens, grapes of Sodom; the graces of

Christ, grapes of Lebanon. Whatever we present unto God,

must grow in Emmanuel's land

Seet. I. God's promise enabling, is our confidence to engage. Idols

God's observing us, a note of care, counsel, honour,

III. Man's seal to God's promise, only a confession; God's seal to

man's covenant, a confirmation

IV. Man's covenant of obedience, hath its firmness in God's pro-

mise of grace. Indissolvable dependence of all second causes

on the first

V. In sins of men, God hath an influence into them as actions, a pro-

vidence over them as sins. In gracious actions, God's influence

necessary both to the substance and goodness of them

VI. Of the concord between God's grace and man's will. Free-will,

natural, theological. Innate pravity and corrupt force, which

resisteth grace; the remainders thereof in the regenerate

VII. The will of God's precepts and of his purpose

Page

.371

VIII. They who are called externally only, resist and perish: they
who eternally, are made willing and obedient

IX. By an act of spiritual teaching

X. By an act of effectual declining and determining the will, pre-

venting, assisting subsequent grace

. 372

XI. We may not trust in our own strength, but be ever jealous of

our original impotency unto good, our natural antipathy against

it; and of the frequent decays and abatements of the grace of

God in us.

XII. By prayer and faith get a heart fixed upon God

XIII. Great comfort that our conversion and obedience dependeth

on the power of God. This no ground of supine neglect of

duties; for grace so worketh in us, as that it disposeth us unto

working, the means being decreed as well as the end

XIV. Other men's wills are in God's keeping. He the author and

orderer of our troubles

XV. Repentance breaks off sin, and makes haste out of it

XVI. God heareth only penitents. Our persons, accepted before

our prayers. A wicked man may pray a prayer of nature, not

of faith. Two wills in prayer, our's and God's. When a

wicked man prays for mercy, he prays against God's will: when

for grace, against his own

389

XVII. When we pray for outward things, our aims must be spi-
ritual. The way to have all our other ends, is to make God our
chief end

. 391

XVIII. Prayer the key of obedience. The principles of service, are

the fruits of prayer

XX. Sound conversation engageth God's protection, and yieldeth

comfort in all conditions of life

XIX. Words ammunition against arms; that way as prayer goes,

God goes

392

Sect. I. The seal of the Prophet's doctrine. Interrogation, denying,
wishing, demonstrating, awakening

II. In spiritual things, mental knowledge seconded with practical

wisdom

III. The ways of the Lord, his providence, his precepts

IV. Few men wise to salvation

V. The weaker part more than the wiser. The Word a sweet savour

to all. Humorous singularity sinful; pious singularity necessary 400

VI. True wisdom pondereth all God's ways. Wisdom particular,

general

: 402

VII. Wicked men shape their own end, and apply sinful means by

a sinful wisdom unto it. God only the last end of righteous

VIII. All wisdom is for obtaining of good, avoiding of evil. The

excellency of every thing in beauty and use

403

Page

. 408

IX. Wisdom of angels conversant about the Word. Scripture the

best counsellor the plenitude thereof. The pernicious influ-

ence of corrupt doctrines upon the present state of the Church 406

X. Two-fold knowledge of judgements and blessings

XI. The rectitude of God's ways in their equity and reason, able-

ness, their perfect harmony, their directness to their end, their

conformity to the will of God, their plainness and perspicuity 410

XII. We are apt to pick quarrels at the Word.

XIII. Wicked men set up their wills against God's, and invent dis-

tinctions to reconcile God's will to theirs

XIV. Ministers may not stamp God's mark on doctrines of human

invention, nor superinduce any thing upon the Scripture. Peo-

ple have a judgement of discretion to try the Spirits

XV. Obedience the end of the ministry. Ordinances, not obeyed,

ripen and increase sin, and hasten judgements

XVI. None but righteous men will obey the Word. Every wicked

man doth, in something or other, gainsay the truth

XVII. The right ways of the Lord are unto wicked men matter of

XVIII. They stumble at the profoundness of the Word, as being
above reason

XIX. At the strictness of it, as being against their peculiar lust
XX. At the searching power and simplicity of the Gospel.
XXI. At impossibility of fulfilling the law, which is but accidental.
To regenerate men the law is evangelically possible. Wicked
men hardened willingly, as well as judicially

XXII. At the grace of the Word, by presumption; at the threat-
enings and judgements of it, by stubbornness

XXIII. Wicked men stumble at the Word, not only unto scandal,

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