things they set light by them Hosea 8. 12. He gave them the great things of his law and they accounted them as slight as strange things not worthy to be regarded Praise consists in taking notice and not onely in taking notice but in remembring and minding them as in Psal. 103. My soul praise the Lord and forget not all his benefits And likewise in an estimation of them and likewise in expressing this thankfulnesse in words Awake my glory our tongues are our glory especially as they are instruments to praise and glorifie God we cannot use our language better then to speak the language of Canaan in praising of God Likewise praise consists in doing good which is reall praise though we say nothing Moses cryed to God though he spake not a word Evill works have a crie although they say nothing Abels blood cried against Cain and as evill works so good works have a crie though a man praise not God with his tongue his works praise God Job saith The sides of the poore blessed him What could their sides speak No but there was a reall thanksgiving to God their sides blessed God so our good works may praise God as well as our tongues and hearts The heavens and the earth they praise God though they say nothing because they stir us up to say something Let men see your good workes that they may take occasion from thence to blesse God saith Christ. Or else your praising of God is but a meer complementing with God to give him thanks with the tongue and after to dishonour him with your lives Psal. 50. What hast thou to do to take my Name into thy mouth sith thou hatest to be reformed what hast thou to do to take my Name into thy mouth either in prayer or in praise when thou hatest to be reformed High words are unseemly for a foole saith the Wise man and what higher words then praise Therefore praise for a man that lives in a blasphemous course of life in a filthy course of life praise is too high a word for a fool we must praise God in our lives or else not at all God will not accept of it It consists in these things Now some directions how to perform it for our selves and others If we would praise God for our selves or for any then let us look about us let us looke above us and beneath us let us look backward look to the present look forward every thing puts songs of praise into our mouth Have we not matter enough of our own to praise God for let us look about us to the prosperity of others let us praise God for the Ministery praise God for the Magistracy praise God for the government wherein we live There are many grievances in the best government but a Christian heart considereth what good he hath by that government what good he hath by that ordinance and doth not onely delight to feed on the blemishes as flies do upon sores it is a sign of a naughty heart to do so Although a man should not be insensible of the ills of the times for else how should we pray against them yet he is not so sensible as to forget the good he hath by them If we would praise God let us look to the good and not so much upon the ill Look up to heaven look to the earth to the sea David occasions praise from every creature every creature ministers matter of praise from the stars to the dust from heaven to earth from the Cedar to the Hisop that growes by the wall Is there not a beam of Gods goodnesse in every creature have we not use of every creature we must praise God not only for the Majesty and order that shines in them but for the use of them in respect of us And so let us look to the works of Providence as well as to the works of Creation Look to Gods work in his Church his confounding of his enemies his deliverance of his Church the Churches abroad our owne Church our owne persons our friends thus we should feed our selves that we may have matter of praising God God gives us matter every day he renewes his favours upon the place wherein we live and upon us as itis Lam. 3. It is his mercy that we are not all consumed Let us look back to the favours that we have injoyed let us look for the present what doth he do for us The Apostle saith here God doth deliver us doth he not give deliverance and favour and grace inward grace for the time to come hath he not reserved an inheritance immortall and undefiled in the heavens for us Wherefore doth he bestow things present and wherefore doth he reveal things laid up for us for the time to come but that we should praise him but that we should praise him for that which he means to do afterwards Blessed be God the Father who hath begotten us to an inheritance immortall and undefiled c. saith St. Peter God reveals good things that are to come that we are heires apparent to the Crown of glory this is revealed that we might praise him now that we might begin the imployment of heaven upon earth Let us look upward and downward let us look about us look inward look backward look to the present look forward every thing ministreth matter of praise to God Yea our very crosses happie is he whom God vouchsafeth to be angry with that he doth not give him over to a Reprobate sense to fill up his sins but that he will correct him to pull him from ill courses happie is he that God vouchsafeth to be angry with in evill courses There is a blessing hid in ill in the Crosse. In all things give thanks saith the Apostle what in afflictions I not for the affliction it self but for the issue of it There is an effect in afflictions to draw us from the world to draw us to God to make us more heavenly-minded to make us see better into these earthly things to make us in love with heavenly things In all things give thanks When we want matter in our selves let us look abroad and give thanks to God for the prosperity of others And with all in the second place when we look about us let us dwell in the meditation of the usefulnesse of these things of the goodnesse of God in them till our Hearts be warmed It is not a slight God be thanked that will serve but we must dwell upon it let our hearts dwell so long on the favours and blessings of God till there be a blessed fire kindled in us The best bone-fire of all is to have our hearts kindled with love to God in the consideration of his mercy Let us dwell so long upon it till a flame be kindled in us A slight praise is neither acceptable to God nor man And then let us consider our own unworthinesse let us dwell upon
greatest torment to those that have had their wills most in the world the more their conscience is silenced and violenced in this world the more vocal it shall be at the hour of death and the day of judgement Therefore judge who are the most miserable men in the world although they have never so much regard in the world besides those that have consciences but will not suffer them to work but with sensuality within them and by pleasing flattering speech of those without them they keep it down and take order that neither conscience within nor none other without shall disturbe them if they do they shall be served as Ahab dealt with Micaia These men that are thus at peace in sinful courses of all men they are most miserable they enjoy their pleasure here for a little time but their conscience shall torment them for ever and shall say to them as Reuben said to his Brethren I told you this before but you would not hearken to me and now you shall be tormented Conscience is an evil beast it makes a man rise against himself therefore of all men those that be disordered in their courses that neglect conscience and neglect the means of salvation that should awaken conscience they are the most miserable for the longer they go on the more they sink in sin and the more they sink in sin the more they sink in terrour of conscience if not now yet they shall hereafter If we desire therefore to have joy and comfort at all times let us labour to have a good conscience that may witnesse well And therefore let us every day keep an audite within doors every day cast up our accounts every day draw the blood of Christ over our accounts every day beg forgivenesse of sins and the Spirit of Christ to lead us that so we may keep account every day that we may make our reckonings even every day that we may have the lesse to do in the time of sicknesse in the time of temptation and in the time of death when we have discharged our Consciences before by keeping session at home in our own hearts This should be the daily practice of a Christian and then he may lay himself down in peace He that sleeps with a conscience defiled is as he that sleeps among wild beasts among adders and toades that if his eyes were open to see them he would be out of his wits He that sleeps without a good conscience he is an unadvised man God may make his bed his grave he may smite him suddenly therefore let us every day labour to have a good conscience that so we may have matter of perpetual joy A good conscience especially is an Evangelicall conscience for a legall good conscience none have that is such a conscience as acquits a man that he hath obeyed the law in all things exactly A legall compleat good conscience none have except in some particular fact there is a good Conscience in fact As the Heathen could excuse themselves they were thus and thus and God ministreth much joy in that But an Evangelical good Conscience is that we must trust to that is such a Conscience that though it knowes it self guilty of sin yet it knowes that Christ hath shed his blood for sinners and such a Conscience as by meanes of faith is sprinkled with the blood of Christ and is cleared from the accusations of sin There is an Evangelicall Conscience when by faith wrought by the Spirit of God in the hearing of the Gospell we lay hold upon the obedience and righteousnesse of Christ. And such is the obedience and righteousnesse of Christ that it pacifieth the conscience which nothing else in the world will doe the conscience without a full obedience it will alway stagger And that is the reason that Conscience confounds and confutes the Popish way of salvation by works c. Because the conscience alway staggers and feares I have not done works enough I have not done them well enough those that I have done they have been corrupt and mixed and therefore I dare not bring them to the Judgement-seat of God to plead them meritorious Therefore they do well to hold uncertainty of salvation because holding merit they must needs be uncertaiu of their salvation A true Christian is certain of his salvation because his conscience layes hold on the blood of Christ because the obedience whereby he claimes heaven is a superabundant obedience it is the satisfaction of Christ as the Apostle saith in that excellent place Heb. 9. 24. The blood of Christ which offered himself by the eternall Spirit that is by the God-head shall cleanse your consciences from dead works to serve the living God The blood of Christ that offered himself his humane nature by his divine to God as a sacrifice it shall purge your consciences from dead works The blood of Christ that is the Sacrifice the obedience of Christ in offering himself fully pacified God and answered the punishment which we should have indured for he was our surety The blood of Christ speaks better then the blood of Abel It speaks better then our sins Our sins cry vengeance but the blood of Christ cries mercy The blood of Christ out-cries our sins the guilty conscience for sin cries Guiltie guiltie hell Damnation wrath and anguish but the blood of Christ cries I say mercy because it was shed by our surety in our behalf his obedience is a full satisfaction to God Now the way to have a good conscience is upon the accusations of an evill conscience by the law to come to Christ our surety and to get our consciences sprinked by faith in his blood to get a perswasion that he shed his blood for us and upon that to labour to be purged by the Spirit There are two purgers the blood of Christ from the guilt of sin and the Spirit of Christ from the stain of sin and upon that comes a compleat good conscience being justified by the blood of Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ. Therefore Christ came not by blood alone or by water alone but by water and blood by blood in justification by water in sanctification and holinesse of life Why do we alleadge this now for the Sacrament We speak of a good conscience which is a continual feast How comes a good conscience to be such a continual feast An Evangelicall conscience is a feast indeed because it feeds on a higher feast it feeds on Christ he is the Passeover Lambe as the Apostle applies it 1. Cor. 5. he is the Passeover slain for us and there is represented in the Sacrament his body broken and his blood poured out for our sins he came to feast us and we shall feast with him Hereupon if we bring repentance for our sins past and faith whereby we are incorporate into Christ then our consciences speak peace and as it is in 1 Pet. 5. the conscience makes a
from us he takes occasion from our sins but he is merciful from his own bowels he is good from himself we provoke him to be severe and just therefore be we never so miserable in regard of sin and the fruits of sin yet he is the Father of mercy of free mercy mercy from himself mercy pleaseth him Micah 7. he is delighted in it Now that which is natural comes easily as water from the fountain comes without violence and heat from the fire comes without any violence because it is natural A Mother pitties her child because it is natural there is a sweet instinct of nature that moves and pricks forward nature to that affection of love that she bears to her child So it is with God it is nature in him to be merciful to his because they are his Mercy is his nature we are his we being his his nature being merciful he will be merciful to all that are his to such as repent of their sins and lay hold of his mercy by a true faith His word shewes likewise his mercy there is not one attribute set down more in Scripture then mercy it is the name whereby he will be known Exod. 34. where he describes it and tells us his name what is the name of God his long suffering and mercy c. there is a long description of of God in that place David in Psal. 3. besides that which is in every Prophet almost hath the fame description of God to comfort Gods people in his time in Psal. 86. 103. 145. there is the same description of God as there is in Moses he is merciful and long suffering c. he describes himself to be so and his promises are promises of mercy At what time soever a sinner repents and without limitation of sins all sins shall be forgiven the blood of Christ purgeth us from all sin If there be no limitation of persons whomsoever of sins whatsoever or of time whensoever here is a ground that we should never despair God is the Father of mercies It is excellent that the Prophet hath in Isai. 55. 7. to prevent the thoughts of a dejected soul Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and return to the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon I but I have abused mercy a long time I have lived in sin and committed great sins well notwithstanding that see how he answers it My thoughts are not your thoughts you are vindictive if a man offend you you are ready to aggravate the fault and to take revenge c. But my thoughts are not as your thoughts nor my wayes as your wayes saith the Lord for as far as the heaven is above the earth so are my thoughts above your thoughts and my wayes above your wayes We have narrow poor thoughts of mercy because we our selves are given to revenge and we are ready when we think of our sins to say can God forgive them can God be merciful to such c. My thoughts are not as your thoughts nor my wayes as your wayes It is good to consider this and it is a sweet meditation for the time undoubtedly will come that unlesse Gods mercy and Gods thoughts should be as him self is infinite unlesse his wayes should be infinitly above our wayes and his thoughts infinitly above ours in mercy certainly the soul would receive no comfort The soul of a Christian acquainted with the word of God knows that Gods mercy is as himself is infinite and his thoughts this way are as himself is infinite Therefore the Scripture sets down the mercies of God by all dimensions There is the depth of Wisedom but when he comes to speak of love and mercy as it is in Ephes. 3. Oh the depth and bredth and height of this Indeed for height it is higher then the heavens for depth it fetcheth the soul from the nether most-deep we have deep miserie out of the deep Icryed to thee yet notwithstanding his mercy is deeper then our misery O the depth of his mercy there is a depth of mercy deeper then any misery or rebellion of ours though we have sunk deep in rebellion And for the extent ofthem as I said before his mercy is over all his workes it extends to the utmost parts of the earth The scripture doth wonderfully enlarge his mercie beyond all dimensions whatsoever These things are to good purpose and it is a mercy to us that he sets forth himself in mercy in his word because the soul sometime or other when it is awakned as every one that God delights in is awakened first or last it needs all this it is all little enough God is merciful to those that are heavy laden that feel the burden of their sins upon their souls such as are touched with the sence of their sins God still meets them half way he is more ready to pardon then they are to ask mercy As we see in the prodigall when he had wasted all when he was as low as a man could be when he was come to huskes and when he had despised his fathers admonition yet upon resolution to return when he was stung with the sence of his sins his father meets him and entertains him he upbraids him not with his sin Take sin with all the aggravations we can yet if we repent and resolve uppon new courses there is comfort though we relapse into sin again and again if we must pardon 10. times 7. times as Christ saith certainly there cannot be more mercy in the Cistern then there is in the fountain there cannot be more mercy in us then there is in the Father of mercies as God is Take sin in the aggravations in the greatnesse of it Manasses sin Peters denying of his Master the thief on the crosse and Pauls persecution take sin as great as you will he is the father of mercies If we consider that God is infinite in mercy and that the scripture reveals him as the Father of mercies there is no question but there is abundance a world of comfort to any distressed soul that is ready to cast it self on Gods mercy For those that are converted that are in the state of Grace Is God the father of mercies Let this stir us up to imbrace mercy every day to live by mercy to plead mercy with God in our daily breaches to love and fear God because there is mercy with him that he might be feared It is a harder matter to make a daily sweet use of this then it is taken for Those that are the fittest subjects for mercy they think themselves furthest off from mercy Come to a broken soul who is catched in the snare whose conscience is on the rack he thinks alas there is no mercy for me I have been such a sinner God hath shewed me mercy before and now I have offended him again and again those that are the
he is eternal he is infinitely able and infinitely wise to know all our grievances We may trust him with our Souls with our Hearts he is faithfull and loving and eter nall as our souls are He gives eternity to the soul Therefore at all times we may trust in him in all places every where he knowes our hearts he knowes our grievance every where he hath all grounds of one that may be trusted to he hath power and goodness and mercy and wisdom he is the object of trust But how considered is he the object of trust God out of Christ Mediator Oh no God in covenant with us in Christ he is the object of trust or else there is such a distance and contrariety between mans nature God that he 'is a consuming fire Since the fall from the covenant of works we cannot be saved by that but he hath vouchsafed to be ours in a better covenant in Christ in whom all the promises are Yea and Amen This good comes from God to us by Christ Christ first receives it and he derives it to us as our elder brother and as our head All the promises are made in him and through him he receives it for us we receive it at the second hand God hath filled him first And of his fulnesse we receive Grace for Grace Without him we can do nothing with him we can do all things So we trust in God reconciled God made ours in the Covenant of Grace in Jesus Christ who hath made our peace Else God is a sealed fountain he is a fountain of good but a sealed fountaine Christ hath opened this fountain his love is open to Christ and derived to Christ in whom our flesh is he is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh that we might be bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh by being united with him So now we trust in him as God the Father of Christ reconciled I believe in God the Father Almighty as it is in the Creed God thus considered is the object of trust There are two objects of trust God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and Christ Mediator If this be so that God reconciled now is the object of trust for all things that are good not only for salvation but for Grace and for all comforts to bring us to heaven then we see the vanity of all other confidence whatsoever as I touched before And is it not a blessed thing that God will be trusted that he hath made himself such a one as we may trust him Now blessed be God for Christ that he having received satisfaction to his justice by him he may be trusted and desires that we should trust him that now in Christ he hath made himself a Father that we shoud not fear him nor run away from him It is a great favour that God will be trusted of us that he will honour us so much He accounts it an honour when we trust him but indeed it is an honour to us that we have a throne of grace through Christ to go to that he hath devised a way that we might trust him and not run from him that we may go to him in Christ who sits at his right hand who is our intercessor who hath redeemed us with his precious Blood It is our happinesse that he hath made himself a gracious and loving Father that he calls us to him and thinks himself honoured by our trusting in him Again we see here that Trust in God is a main duty He is the object of trust and it is a main duty it is a spring of duty out of which all comes for we see here all doth aim at this afflictions they come to mortifie our self-confidence self-confidence is subdued that we may trust in God our trust must be carried to him he is the object of it and this trust in God is a main duty which in this world we ought to labour for It is that that God doth aim at and it is that that we should aim at God doth aim at it in exercising of us and we should aime at it on our part in our hearing in our receiving the Sacrament in every thing that our trust and affiance and confidence may be in God and that we may grow more and more in it Well since God is the object of trust and trust is such a necessary grace that God doth all to bring us to trust in him Let us come to search our selves how shall we know whether we trust in God or no. And then to direct us how to come to trust in him to give some meanes and helps He trusts in God reconciled in Jesus Christ that flies to him in extremity that a man trusts unto that when he is pinched he flies unto How shall a man know that he is a covetous worldling if he be in extremity he goes to his purse he makes a friend of that How shall a man know that he trusts to the arme of flesh that he trusts his friend too much in extremity he runs to him presently he goes to a friend he hath what we run to that our trust is in A Christian he runs to his God and happie is that Christian that is in Covenant that he hath a God to run to in all extremities in sicknesse in death at all times he is happie that he hath a God when all failes to trust in Wilt thou know therefore whether thou trustest in God or no whither goest thou A carnall man he goes to one earthly prop or other if God answer him not presently then he goes with Saul to the witch to the Divell himself perhaps if God do not send him present help he goes to one carnall help or other to fetches of his wit to policy to crack his Conscience to bear out things with Impudence he hath not learned to trust in God and he runs not to him but to some wicked course or other All that go not to God in the use of good meanes for we must put that in we must go to God in the use of his meanes in the use of good meanes only they trust not God for God will not be tempted but trusted we must go to him by prayer and in the use of lawful meanes and onely of lawful meanes or else if we trust him and do not use the meanes we tempt him we must serve Gods providence in using the meanes Therefore secondly he that trusts in God useth his meanes he that trusts God for a harvest must plow and sowe and do all that belongs to the providence of God So a Merchant that will increase hisestate he must get a ship and other provision to do it with for we must serve Gods providence as well as trust Gods providence When we neglect good and lawful meanes and run into ill courses and use ill meanes we serve not God nor trust him Those that grow rich by calling
of trust in God True trust lookes to Gods truth and promise and Word in one part of it as well as another Thou trusts God for thy salvation and the promises of that but thou must trust him for the direction of thy life too Faith doth not single out some objects I will believe this and not that faith is carried to all the objects it believes all Gods truths therefo if I believe not the threatnings and the directions to be ruled by them I believe not the promises in what measure thou believest the promise of mercy to save thy soul in that measure thou believest the directions of Gods Word to guide thy soul. He that receives Christ as a Priest to save him he must receive him as a King to rule him All the directions and all the threatnings and all the promises must be received and believed A man hath no more faith and trust in God then he hath care to follow Gods direction for faith is carried to all divine truthes all come from the same God Thousands go to hell and think O God is a mercifull God and I will trust in him but how is thy life is it carried by Gods directions thou art a rebel thou livest in sins against conscience thou wilt trust in God in one part of his Word and not in another thou must not be a chooser Again the last that I will name at this time if thou trust God for one thing undoubtedly thou wilt trust him for all if thou trust him with thy Soul certainly thou wilt trust him with thy Children Some men hope to be saved by Christ O he will be mercifull to their souls and yet even to their Death they use corrupt courses to get an estate and to make their Children rich and except they have so much they will not trust in God If they have nothing to leave them they think not that there is a God in heaven who is a better Father then they Put cafe thou hast nothing hast thou not Gods blessing canst thou trust thy soul with God and canst thou not trust him with thy family Is he not the God of thy seed hath he not made the promise to thy posterity as well as to thy self If thou trust him for one thing thou wilt trust him for all Wilt thou trust him for Heaven and wilt thou not trust him for provision for daily bread Wilt thou not trust him for this or that but thou must use unlawfull meanes He that trusts God he trusts him for all truths and for all things needfull with his Family with his Body with his Soul with all And so much for the tryalls whether we trust in God or no. Let us not deceive our selves it is a point of infinite consequence as much as the salvation of our souls What brings men to hell in the Church false confidence they trust to false things or they think they trust in God when indeed they do not The fault of a ship is seen in a tempest and the fault of a house is seen when winter comes Thy trust that is thy house that thou goest to and restest in the fault of that will be seen when thou comest to extremity in the hour of death then thou hast not a God to go to then thy conscience upbraids thee thou hast lived by thy shifts in carnall confidence and rebellion against God and how canst thou then willingly trust God whom thou hast made thine enemy all thy life-time To go then to some helps If upon search we find that we do not so trust in God as we should Let us lament our unbelieving hearts complain to God of it desire God whatsoever he doth that he would honour us so much as that we may honour him by trusting in him for it is his glory and our salvation But because I will not go out of the text the best way is that which followes to know God as he is How come we to trust a man When we know his Honesty his Fidelity his Wisdom and his sufficiencie then we trust him therefore St. Paul adds here that we should Trust in God that raiseth the dead that is in God Almighty From whence I raise this general that The best way to trust in God is to know him as he is We know his attributes by his principall works we know his nature by his works as here is one of the principall set down he is God that raiseth the dead A sound sanctified trust in God is by knowing of him They that know thy Name will trust in thee Psal 9. There are three waies of the knowledge of God His Nature Promises Works To know what he hath engaged himself in in all the promises that concern us and then to know his strength how able he is to make good them promises And then to know his works how his nature hath inabled him to make good those promises Especially his nature as to consider his goodnesse and his wisdom every attribute indeed doth inforce trust for he is good freely he is good to us of his own bowels VVe may trust him that hath made himself a Father out of hiw own mercy in Christ when we were enemies His goodnesse and wisdom is infinite as himself and his power and his truth As the scripture saith oft-times Faithful is God that hath promised St. Bernard a good man in Evill times saith he I consider three things in which I pitch my hope and trust Charitatem adoptionis the love of God in making me his Child and Veritatem promissionis the truth of God in performing his promise his Love is such to make me his Child his truth is such to perform his promise Thirdly I consider his power that is able to make good that that he hath promised This threefold cable is a strong one his love in adoption his truth in performing his promise and his power in making good all this This threefold cable will not easily be broken Let my Sottish flesh murmur against me as long as it will as the flesh will murmur who art thou that thou darest trust in God What is thy merit that thou hopest for such great glory No no saith he I know whom I have believed as Saint Paul saith I answer with great confidence against my Sottish murmuring flesh I know whom I have trusted He is able he is good he is true This that Holy man had to exercise his faith I name it because it is the temper of all believing souls that are so in truth The believing heart considers the nature of God the promise of God and though the murmuring rebellious flesh say what art thou how darest thou that art flesh and blood look to God O he is faithful he is good and gracious in Christ he hath made himself a Father I know whom I have believed God is al-sufficient Trust and confidence doth grow in the soul in what measure and proportion the knowledge of him
When a man is without grace he goes lumpishly and heavily about the service of God he is drawen and forced to prayer and to hearing and to conference and meditation he is dead and dull and frozen to good works but when a man hath received this sweet anointing of the Spirit his heart is enlarged to all duties whatsoever he is prepared to every good work Again oyl makes chearefull so doth grace it makes chearful in adversity chearfull in death chearful in those things that dismay the spirits of other men so much grace so much joy for even as light and heat follow the fire so the spirit of joy doth follow this spiritual anointing Conscience of the interest he hath in the favour of God in Christ and the evidences of grace stamped upon his heart an assurance of a better estate in the world to come wonderfully enlarge the soul with spiritual joy that which makes a man lumpish and heavy and earthly is not the Spirit of God the Spirit of God is a Spirit of joy and it puts a gracious chearfulnesse in the heart of a Christian if there be mourning it is that it may be more chearful for light is sowen to the righteous sometimes in mourning God loves a chearful giver and a chearful thanksgiver all must be sweetened with chearfulnesse now this comes from the Spirit of God and he that is anointed with the Spirit in some measure partakes of spiritual joy and chearfulnesse Againe ointment you know is of a healing nature as Balme and other sweet ointments have a healing power and vertue the Scripture makes mention of the Balme of Gilead so grace hath a healing power repentance that is of a purging spiritual joy of a healing nature there must you know be first a cleansing and then a healing and strengthening so some graces are purgative and cleansing some againe are strengthening and healing repentance is a good purgation it carries away the malignant and evill matter but the Cordial that strengthens the soul is joy The joy of the Lord is your strength Nehem. 8. and so the grace of faith and love tend to cherrish and corroborate the soul so that I say these graces this Balme of the Spirit hath a special Soveraign power to heale us to heale us both from the guilt of sin and from the dominion and rule and filthy stain of sin it hath both a purging and a Cordial vertue Thus you see that upon good grounds the graces of Gods Spirit that he communicates to the Elect and only to them that are in Christ they are called anointing and they will have the effect of an ointment in us if we receive this anointing Let us therefore try our selves by these whether we be anointed or no what chearfulnesse is there what joy what strength what nimblenesse to that which is good what soveraignty hath grace in our hearts you have a company that professe Religion but make it serve their owne turne that make heaven to come under earth that make the service of God to stoop to other ends Beloved grace it is a superiour thing and Religion makes all subordinate Grace and Religion wheresoever it is in truth is of a ruling nature and so it is sweet and it is strong wheresoever it is it is curing and purging and cleansing wheresoever it is therefore I beseech you let us not deceive our selves I need say no more of the Point you may enlarge it in your own meditations I come to the persons As this anointing hath reference to the ointment so it hath relation to the persons that were anointed Now the persons anointed were first dedicated by anointing they were consecrated to God and separated from the world And as they were dedicated and separated so they were dignified by this anointing it raised them above the common condition And likewise with this anointing God gave them qualifications suitable You have three eminent persons that were anointed and so raised above the common condition of other men Prophets to teach the people Priests to offer sacrifice Kings to govern them Now Christ is principally all these He is the principal Prophet of his Church the Angel of the Covenant He is Logos the Word because as the inward word the mind of a man is known by the outward word so Christ is called the Word because as a Prophet he discovers his Fathers mind and makes known his Fathers will unto us And he is the great high Priest he makes atonement between God and us he stands between his Father and us And he is the great King of his Church that rescues it from all its enemies to protect and defend it But as Christ hath received this anointing primarily and above his fellows yet as I said before he hath received it for his fellows Every Christian hath his anointing from Christs anointing all our graces and all our oyatment is derived from him He saith the Appostle Rev. 1. hath loved us and washed us in his blood he loved us first which is the cause of all and then he washed us in his blood he did not onely shed his blood for us but he washed us in his blood he hath applied his blood to our souls and by applying that and sprinkling it upon our souls he hath made us Kings and Priests to God his Father And indeed the great King of heaven and earth he is and will be attended upon by none but Kings and Priests he hath no servants but such as are anointed he is followed of none but eminent persons such as are separated from the world and dignified above all other people for the glory of his followers tends to his honour therefore those whom God chuseth to be his atendants he qualifies them gives them the hearts of Kings royal qualifications and the hearts of Priests and the hearts of Prophets But this in the general To shew it therefore in particulars A Christian is anointed he is a person severed from the world dedicated to God and dignified above others and that from good reason because God hath given him an inward qualification which is the foundation of all And first he is a true Prophet for he hath received the anointing of the Spirit 1 Joh. 2. whereby he is enabled to discern of things he knowes what is true honour to be the child of God he knowes what is true riches Grace he knowes what is true Nobility to be born of God what is true pleasure Peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost he can discern between seeming and reall things and onely he that hath received this anointing of the Spirit And again as a Prophet he knowes not onely the things but the doing of the things he hath with the anointing of the Spirit ability to do that which he knowes the grace of God teacheth him not onely the duty that he should live justly and soberly and godly but teacheth him to do the things for God writes his Lawes in
onely so but he sealed him by many miracles by the resurrection from the dead by which he was declared to be the Son of God by the calling of the Gentiles and by many other things Christ being sealed he sealed all that he did for our redemption with his blood and for the strengthening of our faith he hath added outward seales the two Sacraments to seal our faith in this blood and in him who is sealed of the Father But here in this place is meant another manner of sealing for here is not meant the sealing of Christ but the sealing of us that have communion with Christ. The same Spirit that sealed the Redeemer seales the redeemed What is our Sealing Sealing we know hath this use First of all it doth imprint a likenesse of him that doth seal upon the wax that is sealed as when the Kings Picture or Image is stamped or sealed upon the wax every thing in the wax answers to that in the seal face to face eye to eye hand to hand foot to foot body to body So we are said to be sealed when we carry in our soules the Image of Jesus Christ for the Spirit sets the stamp of Jesus Christ upon every Christian so that there is the likenesse of Christ in all things understanding answers understanding in proportion as a child you know answers the father it hath limb for limb foot for foot finger for finger but it is not in quantity but in proportion and likenesse so it is in the soul that is sealed by the Spirit there is a likenesse to Christ something of every grace of Christ there is understanding of the same heavenly supernatural truths there is a judging of things as Christ judgeth and the affections go as Christs do he loves that which Christ loves and he hates that which he hates he joyes in that which Christ delights in Every affection of the soul is carried that way that the affections of our blessed Saviour are carried in proportion Every thing in the soul is answerable to Jesus Christ and there is no grace in Christ but there is the like in every Christian in some small measure the Obedience of Christ to his Father even to the death it is in every Christian the Humility whereby Christ abased himself it is in every Christian. Christ works in the soul that receiveth him a likenesse to himself And this is an undoubted Character of a Christian The soul that believes in Christ doth not onely believe in him for his own sake to be forgiven of his sins but together with believing feeling the forgivenesse of his sins and that Christ hath so loved him and done such things for him he is ambitious to expresse Christ in all things and it stirres him up with desire to be like him for thinks he is there such love in Christ to me and is there such grace and mercy in God to me and was Christ so good as to do and to suffer such things for me Oh how shall I improve things for him Oh that I might be like him lovely in his eyes This I say must needs be so these desires are undoubtedly universally in the soules of all those that partake of Christ it is the nature of the thing to be so we shall desire to be transformed more and more to Christ Every way to bear the Image of the second Adam who is as the Apostle saith from heaven heavenly and so shall we be heavenly-minded as he was heavenly-minded on earth talking and discoursing of the Kingdome of Heaven and sitting people for the Kingdome of heaven and drawing others from this world to meditate of a better estate there is a likenesse to these in the soul of every believer and that 's the reason that Christs Offices are put together in all those that he saves that look whosoever he is a Priest to to dye for their sins to them he is a Prophet to teach them and a King to subdue their corruptions and to change them and alter them and to rule them by his Spirit You have carnal men in presumption which leads them to destruction they sever things in Christ they will take benefit by Christ but they care not for his likenesse they will have him as a Priest but they respect him not as a King Now all that are Christs have the stamp of the Spirit upon them there are desires wrought in them by the Spirit of God to that purpose and a Spirit of Sanctification that makes them every way like Christ in their proportion And that is an evidence of the sealing of such a soul because the soul of it self hath no such impression for the soul of it self is a barren Wildernesse a stone that is cold and uncapable of impression when therefore the soul can command nature being stiffe and hard and dead we see an impression of a higher nature a man may know that undoubtedly the Spirit of God hath been in this soul for we see a loving spirit an humble spirit a gracious a believing a broken spirit an obedient spirit to every commandment of God the soul can yield it self wholly to the will of God in all things certainly I say the Spirit of God hath been here for these things grow not in a natural soul. A stone you know is cold by nature and if a man feel a stone to be hot a man may undeniably gather Certainly the Sun hath shined upon this stone Our hearts are very cold by nature undoubtedly when they are warmed with the love of God that they are made plyable to duties the Sun of righteousnesse Christ hath shined on this cold heart Gods Spirit can work on Marble can work on Brasse as Jeremy saith It was the commendations of one of the Fathers that he could work on Brasse God can work on our soules which are as brasse and make an impression of grace there and therefore when a man sees an impression upon such hard mettal certainly he may know that the finger of Gods Spirit hath been there So that the work of Sanctification is an undoubted feal of the Spirit of God A second use of a Seal is Distinction Seales are given for distinguishing for you know sealing is a stamp set upon some few out of many so this sealing of the Spirit it distinguisheth Christians from others as we shall see more at large afterwards Then again a Seal it serves for Appropriation for men seal those things that are their own Merchants seal those Wares that they either have or mean to have a right unto Men seal their own sheep and not others and stamp their own Wares and not others God here stoops so low as to make use of terms that are used in humane matters and contracts and by sealing he shewes that he hath appropriated his own to himself chosen and singled them out for himself to delight in Again sealing further serves to make things authentical to give authority and excellency to
and troubled and we hear many comfortable truths let us lift up our prayers to God let there be ejaculations of spirit to God Now Lord by thy holy Spirit set and seal this truth to my soul that as it is true in it self so it may be true to me likewise This is a necessary Observation for us all Oh we desire all of us in the hour of death to find such comforts as may be standing comforts that may uphold us against the gates of Hell and against the temptations of Satan and terrours of Conscience why nothing will do this but spiritual truths spiritually known nothing but holy truths set on by the hoy Spirit of God But what course shall we take when we want comfort when we want joy and peace In the third of John there are three witnesses in heaven and three in earth to secure us of our state in grace and the certainty of our salvation The three witnesses upon earth are the Spirit the water and the blood and these three agree in one and the three that bear witnesse in heaven are the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and the three on earth and these three in heaven agree in one Now the Spirit is the feelings and the sweet motions of the Spirit The water may well be that washing of the Spirit sanctification The blood is the shedding of the blood of Christ and justification by it When therefore we find that part of the seal that extraordinary seal that I spake of before the joy of the Spirit of God that it is not in us what shall we do shall we despair No go to the water when we find not spiritual joy and comfort when the witnesse of the Spirit is silent go to the work of the Spirit in sanctification I but what shall we do if the waters be troubled in the soul as sometimes there is such a confusion in the soul that we cannot see the Image of God upon it in sanctification we cannot see the stamp of Gods Spirit there there is such a Chaos in the soul God can see somewhat of his own Spirit in that confusion but the Spirit it self cannot Then go to the blood of Christ there is alwayes comfort the fountain that is opened for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in is never dry go therefore to the blood of Christ that is if we find sin upon our consciences if we find not peace in our consciences nor sanctification in our hearts go to the blood of Christ which is shed for all those that confesse their sinnes and rely on him for pardon though we find no grace For howsoever as an evidence that we are in Christ we must find the work of the Spirit yet before we go to Christ it is sufficient that we see nothing in our selves no qualification for the graces of the Spirit they are not the condition of coming to Christ but the promise of those that receive Christ after Therefore go to Christ when thou feelest neither joy of the Spirit nor sanctification of the Spirit go to the blood of Christ and that will purge thee and wash thee from all thy sins This I onely touch for a direction what to do when our soules want comfort when perhaps we cannot see the seal of the Spirit in sanctification so clearly To go on now to the next And given us the Earnest of the Spirit Here is the third word borrowed from humane affaires to set out the work of the Spirit in our soules Anointing we had before and Sealing now here is Earnest The variety of the words shewes that there is a great remainder of unbelief in the soul of man that the Spirit of God is fain to use so many words to expresse Gods dealing to the soul to bring it to believe to be assured of salvation And indeed so it is howsoever we in the time of prosperity when all things go well with us we are prone wondrously to presume yet in the hour of death when conscience is awakened we are prone to nothing so much as to call all in question and to believe the doubts and fears of our own hearts more then the undoubted truth and promise of God therefore God takes all courses to stablish us he gives us rich and precious promises he gives us the holy Spirit to stablish us on the Promises he seales us with his Spirit and gives us the earnest of the Spirit and all to settle this wretched and unbelieving heart of ours So desirous is God that we should be well conceited of him he loves us better then we love our selves He so much prizeth our love that he labours by all means to secure us of his love to us because except we know his love to us we cannot love him again and we cannot joy in him c. But that onely in the general Here is earnest and the Earnest of the Spirit that is in plain termes he gives us the Spirit with the graces and comforts of it which doth in our hearts that which an earnest doth amongst men But what is this Spirit an earnest of It is an Earnest of our inheritance in heaven of our blessed estate there We are sons now but we are not heires invested into the blessed estate we have title to God leaves us not off in the mean time while we are in our Pilgrimage he keeps not all for heaven but he gives us somewhat to comfort us in our absence from our Husband from our Lord and King Christ he gives us the Earnest of the Spirit that is he gives the holy Ghost into our hearts which is the Earnest of that blessed everlasting glorious condition which we shall have in heaven hereafter that is the meaning of the words In what regard is the Spirit called an Earnest First of all an Earnest is for security of bargains and contracts so the Holy Ghost assures the soul of salvation being present with his graces and comforts the Holy Ghost is given for security Secondly an Earnest is part of the whole bargain though it be a very little part yet it is a part and so the Spirit of God here and the work of the Spirit and the graces and joy of the Spirit it is a part of that full joy and happinesse that shall be revealed The Spirit dwells not fully in any one he dwelleth no further then he sanctifieth and reviveth but that is an Earnest for the time to come that the Spirit shall be all in all wherein we shall have no reluctancy nor nothing to exalt it self against the sure regiment of the Spirit Thirdly an Earnest is little in comparison of the whole bargain so the work of the Spirit the comforts the joy the peace of the Spirit it is little in comparison of that which shall be in heaven in regard of the fulnesse of the Spirit which we shall have there An Earnest though it be little in quantity yet it
more perform the conditions of the Covenant of grace of our selves then the Covenant of the Law Nature cannot do it because it must be done by the Spirit altogether Now here is a foundation for faith to stand on God so farre condescends as he gives his Word and his Seal and his Oath with his Word to convey that Word by way of a Covenant and to make that Covenant a Testament and Will to us that he will do this and to seal that Will with his own blood for a Testament is of no force till the Testatour be dead his own blood hath sealed the Testament you see here what ground there is for faith to stand upon Then again the sweet relation that God hath taken upon him in Christ he is our Father faith builds not on naked God divested of his sweet relations for then he is a consuming fire but upon God a Father in Christ what a sweet thing is it to consider God a Father In Christ the nature of God is Fatherly to us and our nature is sweet to him We are sonnes in Christ his nature is sweet to us and ours to him he will surely perform his relations For in Christ he is a Father not in creation onely but in the Covenant of grace Faith relies upon the Word of God upon the Covenant and Testament and upon God himself altered and changed in the Covenant of Grace to be a sweet Father But what is a further ground of this The nature of God himself who is a Father for if God himself were not cloathed with properties that might satisfie faith and satisfie the soul fully though he were a Father it were not a sufficient ground for faith But now who hath taken the relation of a father upon him God who is infinitely good infinitely merciful above all our sins it must be infinite mercy faith would not have footing else For the soul will so upbraid in the sense of sin that if God were not a Father and a Father infinite in mercy nothing but infinite mercy will satisfie the soul when conscience is awaked and infinite power to subdue all enemies and infinite wisdome to go beyond the reach and subtilty of all the Devils in hell God is such a Father as in his Nature is of infinite mercy and wisdome and power here is a foundation for faith to lay hold upon indeed to have a Father and such a Father that is Jehovah there we must rest in his essence he is Jehovah I am he is eternal and immutable an eternal being of himself and he gives being to all and all things have their dependance upon him The Devils in hell and wicked men he can quell them all and substract their being and turn them to their first nothing from whence they came You see if we resolve all to Jehovah I am to the eternity of God and then to his nature cloathed with power and wisdome and mercy and then to his relation of a Father and then how he condescends to convey himself sweetly by way of Covenant and Testament I beseech you is not here a foundation for faith to build upon in the Word of God when God hath thus opened himself to us You see what this standing is And how by faith we stand and what faith stands on and may well stand on To come to some Observations then First of all Observe hence That The foundation of faith must be out of a mans self That bottom that a man must lay his soul upon must be out of himself it must be Divine it must be God For the soul rests not till it come to God and if the Word were not Gods Word it would not rest on that God must open himself by his Word It must be Divine revelation that the soul must stand upon and at last resolve to pitch and build and rest there It must not be humane authority therefore not the authority of any creature that the soul must stand on because that that the soul stands on must stand it self Now nothing hath a firm consistence but that which is Divine Which I prove thus There is no creature but though it be true and good yet it is changeably true and may be otherwise then it is and yet be a creature still and a good creature There is no man but he is changeable and is changeable as a creature and as a creature severed from the consideration of sin he is changeable The very Angels are changeable as they are creatures all things created are mutable it is the Observation of Damascene Now that that is the foundation of faith must not onely be true but infallibly and unchangeably true there must be no danger of errour in that that faith layes it self upon It is an old rule Falshood cannot be under faith because faith must lye upon truth infallible and immutable truth and who is so but God and what revealed truth is so but Divine truth Therefore faith onely relyeth upon the first good and the first truth upon God and his truth Therefore we may see what to judge of that controversie between us and our adversaries that would have our faith to be resolved into the authority of the Church and not of the Scriptures and by consequent not to the authority of God himself The question is Who hath the best standing the Papists or we We say we stand by faith therefore we stand better then they They say they stand by faith too but how Their faith is resolved into the authority of the Church at length and there they rest But I say even by the confession of themselves or of any reasonable man the Word of God is more Divine then the authority of the Church can be For the authority of the Church is therefore infallible and true because the Word of God saith so That he will be with the Church c. and save his Church The ground is determined upon the Word Now the Word to which they have recourse to prove that they cannot erre that must be trusted before them if they have credit from the Word the Word must be believed before them before men for there is no man if God speak by him but he speaks by him so far as he understands the Scripture and builds upon the Scriptures first Therefore we must first found our selves upon the Scriptures and upon men as far as they agree to the Scriptures If the Scriptures were not the Word of God indeed they could not be the foundation of faith we could not stand upon them but they are the Word of God indeed for men wrote as they were inspired by the Holy Ghost Now that that comes from men it is not infallibly the Word of God but if they speak any thing that is good it is so far as it is agreeable to the first truth the Word of God Indeed the resolution of their faith is very rotten and unsound and bewrayes what their