performed their part of the Covenant God would suspend the further performance of his Promise and would not drive out any more of the Nations before them and it is probable that the Israelites never were possest of the promised Land in the full latitude and extent of the Promise Ans This Covenant of God with Abraham was upon consideration of his past Faith and Obedience tho' it seems the full performance of it did likewise depend upon the future Obedience of his posterity in pursuance of this Covenant notwithstanding all the murmerings and rebellions of that People God did bring them into the promised Land tho' they provoked him to destroy them many a time because he remembred his covenant with Abraham when they were possest of it God gave them a title to the rest and would have assisted them in the Conquest of it if they had performed the Condition required on their part that is continued Faithful and Obedient to him but they did not and thereby discharged God from any further performance of his Promise and God when he had done this had fully performed the Covenant he made with Abraham so far as concerned his part as appears by the acknowledgment of Joshua even in a time when a great part of the Land was unconquer'd Josh 21.44 and of Solomon 1 Kings 8.56 yea and had it not been that God had made this Covenant as well upon consideration of Abraham's Faith and Obedience as upon Condition of the future Obedience of his Posterity the Rebellions and Disobedience of the People in the Wilderness had released God wholly from the Promise and he had not been unfaithful if he had destroyed utterly that People and made a full end of them and they had never entred into that Land because a failure of the Condition doth make the Obligation to cease and that this Condition was imply'd in this Covenant with Abraham appears by these Texts Deut. 7.12 13.11.22.23.42 and Judg. 2.20 God gives this Reason why he suspended the compleat performance of his Promise the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel and he said because that this People hath transgressed my Covenant which I commanded their Fathers and have not harkned to my voice I also will not henceforth drive out any of the Nations which Joshua left when he died Third Objection God is not punctual in performing his Threatnings as when he threatned Adam Gen. 2.17 In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die which yet was not accomplisht for he lived many hundred Years after God threatned Ahab to bring evil upon him and his family 1 Kings 21.21 But upon his Humiliation he is pleased to respite it v. 29. So God threatned Hezekiah with Death but upon his prayer adds fifteen Years to his Life 2 Kings 20. Thus Nineveh was threatned but upon their Repentance God repented of the evil Jon. 3.10 Now how is this deferring and turning away of judgment consistent with the Truth of God doth not this seem to charge him with false-hood or levity Ans This may be said in general that every one that understands the Nature of God cannot but be very well assur'd that false-hood and levity are very far from God and tho' he could not untie some particular Knots and answer all difficulties yet he ought to rest satisfied in this assurance I confess this Objection is troublesom and requires a distinct Consideration I will not be peremptory in nice matters but I shall with submission offer these things in answer to it 1. As for the expression of God's repenting we are to understand it as many others in Scripture after the manner of Men and spoken by way of condescention to our Weakness and accommodated to our Capacities and not as casting any imputation of false hood or inconstancy upon God as if either he did not intend what he saith or out of levity did alter his Mind When God is said to repent the expression only signifies thus much that God doth not execute that which seemed to us to have been his purpose that he is pleased to do otherwise than his threatnings seemed openly to express because of some tacit Condition implyed in them and this doth not derogate either from the truth or sincerity or constancy of God in his Word Not from his truth for he speaks what he intends really if something did nor intervene to prevent the Judgment threatned upon which he was resolved when he threatned to be taken off and stop his Judgments Nor doth it derogate from his sincerity and plainness for he hath told us that his threatnings have such Conditions imply'd in them Nor doth it derogate from the constancy and immutability of God because God doth not mutare consilium sed sententiam he doth not change his counsel and purpose but takes off the sentence which he had past with reserved Conditions 2. As to the Instances that I may give more particular satisfaction to them I shall Consider the threatnings of God with this double respect either with relation to Law or with relation to the Event with relation to a Law as they are the sanction of it or with relation to the Event as they are Predictions of something to come 1. Some threatnings have only relation to a Law as they are the sanction of it And thus consider'd they differ from Promises for Promises confer a Right omne promissum cadit in debitum but a threatning doth not convey any Right nor if forborn can the party complain of Wrong done to him and therefore in this Case it can only signifie what the offence against the Law deserves and what the offender may expect for the end of threatning is not Punishment but the avoiding of it And this may answer the first Instance God gave Adam a Law and by way of Sanction not of Prediction of an Event he threatned the breach of it with Death Now God did not execute the Punishment threatned at the time threatned but deferr'd it and this without any impeachment of his Justice or Truth because this threatning was only the Sanction of the Law 2. We may consider Threatnings with Relation to the Event and as Predictions and as to the accomplishment of these there seems to be a greater degree of Necessity because the honour of God's Knowledge and Power and Truth seem to be concerned in them for if his Word be not fulfill'd it must either be for want of Knowledge to foresee Events or Power to bring them to pass or Constancy to his Word Now if we consider Threatnings with respect to the Event as they are Predictions of future Judgements I think all the other Instances may be satisfied by laying down this Rule for the understanding of them viz. That all Prophetical Threatnings or Predictions of Judgment are to be understood with this tacit Condition if there do not intervene the Humiliation and Repentance and Prayer of the Persons against whom the Judgment is threatned and if so
of this Design and the Means how it is accomplisht This is Wisdom to fit Means to Ends and the more difficult the End the greater Wisdom is required to find out suitable and sufficient Means for the accomplishment of the End Now the wisdom of redemption will appear if we consider the case of fallen Man and what fit and proper and suitable Means the Wisdom of God hath devised for our Recovery 1. Let us consider the Case of fallen Man which was very sad both in respect of the Misery and the Difficulty of it 1. In respect of the Misery of it Man who was made Holy and Upright by God having by his voluntary Transgression and wilful Disobedience fall'n from him did presently sink into a corrupt and degenerate into a miserable and cursed Condition of which Heaven and Earth and his own Conscience bore him Witness Man being become a Sinner is not only deprived of the Image of God but is liable to his Justice here was his Misery 2. The difficulty of the Case was this Man could not recover himself and raise himself out of his own ruin no Creature was able to do it so that our help is only in God and indeed he is a merciful God and doth not desire our Ruin nor delight in our Destruction But suppose his Mercy never so willing to save us will not his Holiness and Justice and Truth check those forward Inclinations of his Goodness and hinder all the Designs of his Mercy Is not sin contrary to the Holy Nature of God hath not he declared his Infinite hatred of it hath not he threatned it with heavy and dreadful Punishment and said that the sinner shall die that he will not acquit the guilty nor let sin go unpunish'd Should he now without any satisfaction to his offended Justice pardon the Sinner remit his Punishment and receive him to favour would this be agreeable to his Holiness and Justice and Truth would this become the Wise Governour of the World who loves Righteousness and Order who hates sin and is obliged by the essential rectitude of his Nature to discountenance sin So that here is a conflict of the Attributes and Perfections of God The Mercy of God pities our Misery and would recover us would open Paradise to us but there is a flaming Sword that keeps us out the incensed Justice of God that must be satisfied and if he take vengeance of us we are eternally ruin'd if he spare us how shall Mercy and Justice meet together how shall God at once express his Love to the Sinner and his hatred to sin here is the difficulty of our Case II. Let us now enquire what Means the Wisdom of God useth for our recovery The Wisdom of God hath devised this expedient to accommodate all these Difficulties to reconcile the Mercy and Justice of God The Son of God shall undertake this work and satisfie the offended Justice of God and repair the ruin'd Nature of Man He shall bring God and Man together make up this Gulph and renew the Commerce and Correspondence between God and us which was broken off by Sin The work that God designs is the redemption of Man that is his recovery from a state of Sin and Eternal Death to a state of Holiness and Eternal Life The Son of God is to engage in this Design of our Redemption to satisfie the offended Justice of God toward us so as to purchase our deliverance from the Wrath to come and so as to restore us to the Image and Favour of God that we may be sanctified and be made Heirs of Eternal Life For opening of this we will consider 1. The fitness of the Person designed for this Work 2. The fitness of the Means whereby he was to accomplish it 1. The fitness of the Person design'd for this Work and that was the eternal Son of God who in respect of his Infinite Wisdom and Power the Dignity and Credit of his Person his dearness to his Father and Interest in him was very fit to undertake this Work to mediate a Reconciliation between God and Man 2. The fitness of the Means whereby he was to accomplish it and these I shall refer to two Heads his Humiliation and Exaltation All the Parts of these are very subservient to the Design of our Redemption I. The Humiliation of Christ which consists of three principal Parts his Incarnation his Life and his Death 1. His Incarnation which is set forth in Scripture by several Expressions his being made flesh and dwelling among us John 1.14 His being made of the seed of David according to the flesh Rom. 1.3 His being made of a woman Gal. 4.4 The manifestation of God in the flesh 1 Tim. 3.16 His taking part of flesh and blood Heb. 2.14 His taking on him the seed of Abraham and being made like unto his brethren Heb. 2.16 17. His coming in the flesh 1 John 2.2 All which signifies his taking upon him Humane Nature and being really a Man as well as God The Eternal Son of God in the fulness of time took our Nature that is assumed a real Soul and Body into Union with the Divine Nature Now this Person who was really both God and man was admirably fitted for the Work of our Redemption In general this made him a fit Mediator an equal and middle Person to interpose in this Difference and take up this Quarrel between God and Man Being both God and man he was concerned for both Parties and interested both in the Honour of God and the Happiness of Man and engaged to be tender of both and to procure the one by such ways as might be consistent with the other More particularly his Incarnation did fit him for those two Offices which he was to perform in his Humiliation of Prophet and Priest 1. The Office of Prophet to teach us both by his Doctrine and his Life By his Doctrine His being in the likeness of Man this made him more familiar to us He was a Prophet raised up from among his Brethren as Moses speaks and he makes this an Argument why we should hear him Should God speak to us immediately by himself we could not hear him and live God condescends to us and complies with the weakness of our Nature and raiseth up a Prophet from among our brethren We should hear him And then his being God did add Credit and Authority to what he spake he could confirm the Doctrine which he taught by Miracles Of his teaching us by his Life I shall have occasion to speak presently 2. For the Office of Priest He was fit to be our Priest because he was taken from among Men as the Apostle speaks fit to suffer as being Man having a body prepared as it is Heb. 10.5 and fit to satisfie by his sufferings for the Sins of all Men as being God which put an infinite Dignity and Value upon them the sufferings of an infinite Person being equal to the offences done
continually changing and are not the same we were some of us were Young and now are Old once perhaps flourisht in great Prosperity but now are Poor and Needy were once Strong and Healthful but now Sickly and Weak it should comfort us in all these Changes that God is still the same and he alone is instead of all other Comforts and Supports when all other things fail we may rejoyce in the Lord and joy in the God of our Salvation Youth and Health and Riches and Friends may forsake us but God hath promised that he will never leave us nor forsake us that he will not leave us when we are old nor forsake us when our strength faileth when our strength fails and our heart fails then is he the strength of our hearts and our portion for ever and when our great change shall come and the terrors of Death shall take hold of us we have still the same Comfort the Lord liveth and blessed be the God of our Salvation In a word the Consideration of God's immutability should keep us fixt and unmoved in all the Changes and Accidents of this World and not apt to be startled and surprized at them according to that of the Psalmist he shall not be afraid of evil tidings because his heart is fixed trusting in God This should make us constant to him and his truth stedfast and unmoveable and always abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as we know that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord it should make us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering in full assurance that God will be as good to us as his word and in a firm hope and perswasion of that Eternal Life which God that cannot lie hath promised SERMON V. The Knowledge of God 1 SAM 2.3 The Lord is a God of Knowledge I Come now to speak of those Properties and Perfections which relate to the Divine Understanding and Will and Manner and Power of acting Knowledge considers things absolutely and in themselves Wisdom considers the respects and relations of things one to another and under the Notion of Means and Ends. The Knowledge of God is a perfect comprehension of the Nature of all things with all their Powers and Qualities and Circumstances the Wisdom of God is a perfect Comprehension of the Respects and Relations of things one to another of their Harmony and Opposition of their fitness and unfitness to such and such Ends. The Knowledge of God only implies his bare Understanding of Things but his Wisdom implies the Skill of ordering and disposing things to the best Ends and Purposes to make every thing and to govern and administer all things in Number Weight and Measure I shall at present speak of the first of these the Knowledge of God which as I said is a perfect Comprehension of the Nature of all things and of every thing belonging to their Nature of the Powers and Qualities and Circumstances of things These Words signifie God to be the Fountain of Knowledge that is that he possesseth it himself and communicates it to others In the handling of this I shall First Endeavour to prove that this Attribute belongs to God Secondly Shew the Perfection and the Prerogatives of the Divine Knowledge Thirdly Draw some practical Inferences from the whole First For the proof of it I shall attempt it two ways 1. From the Dictates of Natural Light and Reason 2. From Scripture or Divine Revelation 1. From the Dictates of Natural Light and Reason I begin with this first because unless this be establish'd all Divine Revelation falls to the ground unless Natural Reason assures us That God is endowed with Knowledge and Vnderstanding it is in vain to enquire after Divine Revelation For to make any Revelation credible two things are requisite on the part of the Revealer Ability and Integrity that he have a perfect Knowledge and Vnderstanding of the thing which he reveals so that he cannot be deceived himself and so much Goodness and Truth that he will not deceive us Now unless our Reason assure us that God is endowed with Knowledg and Vnderstanding the first Condition is evidently wanting viz. Ability and consequently the second Integrity for there cannot be goodness and veracity without Knowledge This being premised I proceed to the proof of it from such Arguments as our Natural Reason suggests to us I have formerly told you that the Divine Perfections are not to be proved by way of Demonstration but by way of Conviction by shewing the Absurdities and Inconveniencies of the contrary for if we deny Knowledge to God we must deny it to be a Perfection we must deny it to be in any of the Creatures we must attribute many other Imperfections to God all which are absurd to our Natural Reason for Natural Reason dictates to us That Knowledge is a Perfection that it is to be found in the Creatures and that the denial of it to God will argue many other Imperfections in the Divine Nature now these are so many Arguments which Natural Reason offers to us to prove that knowledge belongs to God 1. It is a Perfection and therefore belongs to God Natural Reason tells us tho' the Scripture had not said it That Knowledge excells Ignorance as much as Light doth Darkness now whatever is Perfect and Excellent is to be attributed to the Divine Nature for this is the first Notion we have of God That He is a Being absolutely Perfect 2. Knowledge is to be found in some of the Creatures and therefore is much more in God the Creator because it is derived from him Our very Understandings whereby we know God or any thing else are an Argument that Knowledge and Vnderstanding are in God If he gives wisdom to the wise and Knowledge to them that know Vnderstanding if he communicates this Perfection to the Creatures he himself is much more possest of it The Scripture indeed useth this Argument but I mention it as that which Natural Reason doth suggest to the most brutish and ignorant of Men. Psal 94.8 9 10. Vnderstand ye Brutish among the People and ye Fools when will ye be wise he that planted the Ear shall he not hear he that formed the Eye shall he not see 3. The denyal of this Perfection to God argues many other Imperfections in the Divine Nature Nothing would more eclipse the Divine Nature than to take away this Perfection from it this would bring an universal Obscurity upon God's other Perfections this would be to put out the Light of Heaven and to turn the brightness of the morning into the shadow of death If we remove this Perfection from God we deny his Wisdom He that does not know the Nature and Qualities of Things cannot know how to apply Means to Ends to fit or sute one thing to another And we weaken his Power What an impotent and ineffectual thing would Power be without Knowledge what irregular things
place of Sen. Nota enim illis operis sui series c. 2. By Arguments from Scripture I will mention but one the clear and particular Predictions of future Events long before they happened Gen. 15.13 God foretels the Children of Israel's deliverance after 430 Years which he punctually accomplisht Exod. 12.40 41. The Prophet that prophesied against the Altar at Bethel named the Man that should do it Josias 350 Years before-hand 1 Kings 13.2 The deliverance of the Children of Israel from the Babylonish Captivity was foretold 100 Years before to be done particularly by Cyrus which is so strange that the Prophet brings it in with a Preface of God's Wisdom and Power Isa 44.24 c. Which was afterward precisely fulfilled when the 70 Years were expired How are the Life and Death of the Messias with many particular Circumstances foretold And did not he foretel the Destruction of Jerusalem 40 Years before But because there may be no contingency in good things God himself may be resolved to effect them or excite Men to do them when he hath foretold them you shall find that the worst things have been foretold the Apostacy of the Children of Israel Deut. 31.16 and their Infidelity in times of the Gospel Isa 53.1 5 9 26. Our Saviour foretold the Treachery of Judas and Peter's denial of him now these are so evil that it were Blasphemy to suppose the Holy God to have any hand in them and therefore are foretold by him meerly by virtue of his Fore-knowledge and the infiniteness of his Vnderstanding which reacheth things at the greatest distance that are most contingent SERMON VI. Of the Knowledge of God 1 SAM II. 3 The Lord is a God of Knowledge I Have consider'd this Perfection of God in some of the greatest and most difficult instances of it his Knowledge of the most secret Things the hearts of Men and future Events against the last of which there are some Objections which I come now briefly to consider and pass on to what remains Objection the First The impossibility of the thing Certainty of all Knowledge depends upon the certainty of the Object therefore there cannot be a certain and determinate Knowledge of any thing but what is certainly and determinately true but future Events which may or may not be have no certain and determinate Truth that is it is not certain either that they will or will not be because they have no certain Cause therefore there can be no infallible Knowledge concerning them Answer This I confess is the grand Difficulty I shall not be so solicitous to take it away as to give satisfaction to it 1. I might say with a very fair Probability that the certainty of Knowledge doth not depend upon the certainty of the Cause but of the Object which may be certain tho' the Cause be contingent Which I prove thus whatever Event hath actually happened as because now it is past it is certainly true that it was so because it once was it was certainly true before it was that it would be as in Peter's denying of Christ If it be now true that he hath denied him it was true before that he would deny him and it being determinately true God saw it as it was so that here is an Object of a certain Knowledge 2. Tho' we could not explain the possibility of God's knowing future Contingencies much less the manner how yet we are sufficiently assured that God doth know them I will give but one instance for the Proof of this Nothing more evident than the Sin of Adam yet God fore-knew this how else was Christ decreed before the Foundation of the World Christ was a remedy upon the occasion of sin now the remedy could not be designed before the sin was foreseen and this being certain cum constat de re frustra inquiritur de modo when we are certain of the thing 't is not necessary to know the manner We are satisfied of many things the manner whereof we do not know we believe the union of the Soul and Body tho' no Man can explain how a Spirit can be united to Matter we believe the continuity of matter that is that the parts of it hang together of which whosoever saith he can give an account doth but betray his own ignorance And so in many other things that Man doth not know himself nor the measure of his own understanding nor the nature and obscurity of things that will not confess himself posed in many things that doth not acknowledge that there are many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many things the manner whereof is unimaginable and of which our best Reason and Understanding can give no account 3. 'T is very unreasonable to expect we should know all the ways which infinite Knowledge hath of knowing things We have but finite Faculties and Measures which bear no proportion to infinite Powers and Objects Could we explain the manner how infinite Knowledge knows things we should be like God in Knowledge our understandings would be infinite like his and in this case especially it becomes us to put on the modesty of Creatures and to remember that we are finite and limited Some arrogant Spirits take it for an affront to their understandings that any one should expect they should believe any thing tho' they have the highest assurance of it if they cannot explain the particular manner of it they make nothing to deny God's Knowledge of future Events unless they may be satisfied of the particular way how he knows them I know there are those who undertake to explain the particular manner Some say that God sees future Events in speculo voluntatis others say that the Eternity of God is actually commensurate to all Duration as his Immensity to all Space and so God doth not so properly fore-see and fore-know as see and know future things by the presentiality and coexistence of all things in Eternity for they say that future things are actually present and existing to God tho' not in mensurâ propriâ yet in mensurâ alienâ the School-men have much more of this Jargon and canting Language and I envy no Man the understanding these Phrases but to me they seem to signifie nothing but to have been words invented by idle and conceited Men which a great many ever since lest they should seem to be ignorant would seem to understand but I wonder most that Men when they have amused and puzzled themselves and others with hard Words should call this explaining things The sum of the Answer is this that when we have done all we can God's fore-knowledge of future Events may seem contradictious and impossible to us much less do I expect ever to be able to give a particular account of the manner of it but we have sufficient assurance of the thing and unless we had infinite understandings it were vanity to pretend to explain all the ways of infinite Knowledge Secondly It is Objected That if we can
Reward Now as an Argument to us to retreat and draw back from sin the Gospel promises pardon and indempnity to us and as an incitement to Holiness the Gospel opens Heaven to us and sets before us everlasting Glory and Happiness and gives us the greatest assurance of it This is the First The Design of the Gospel is reasonable in that it does eminently and directly serve the ends of Piety and Religion II. This Dispensation of God is beneficial to us and satisfies our Interest and this adds to the unreasonableness of our Unbelief this Design of God being not only reasonable in it self but desirable to us that it should be so because of the eminent Advantages that redound to us by it The Design of the Gospel is to deliver from the Guilt and Dominion of Sin and the Tyranny of Satan to restore us to the Image and Favour of God and by making us partakers of a Divine Nature to bring us to Eternal Life And is there any thing of real Advantage which is not comprehended in this Is it not desirable to every Man that there should be a way whereby our guilty Consciences may be quieted and appeased whereby we may be delivered from the fear of Death and Hell Is it not desirable to be freed from the slavery of our Lusts and rescued from the Tyranny and Power of the great Destroyer of Souls Is it not desirable to be like God and to be assured of his Love and Favour who is the best Friend and the most dangerous Enemy and to be secur'd that when we leave this World we shall be unspeakably happy for ever Now the Gospel conveys these Benefits to us and if this be the Case of the Gospel and there be nothing in this Design of our Redemption but what is Wise and Reasonable and exceedingly for our Benefit and Advantage why should any Man be so averse to the Belief of it Why should Unbelief be counted a piece of Wit Is it Wit to set our selves against Reason and to oppose our best Interest 'T is Wickedness and Prejudice and inconsiderateness which disbelieves the Gospel Those who do consider things welcome this good News and embrace these glad Tidings Wisdom is justified of her Children To them who are truly sensible of their own Interest and willing to accept of reasonable Evidence this is not only a true saying but worthy of all acceptation that Christ came into the World to save sinners Secondly This doth convince Men of the madness and folly of impenitency Now the Wisdom of God hath contrived such a way of our Recovery and by the Declaration of God's Wrath and displeasure against sin hath given us such Arguments to Repentance and by discovering a way of Pardon and Mercy hath given us such encouragement to Repentance how great must the Folly of impenitency be For consider 1. That impenitency Directly sets it self against the Wisdom of God If after all this we continue in our Sins we reject the counsel of God against our selves we despise the Wisdom of God and charge that with Folly and we do it against our selves to our own injury and ruine If we live in our Sins and cherish our lusts we directly oppose the end of our Redemtion we contradict the great Design of the Gospel we contemn the admirable Contrivance of God's Wisdom who sent his Son into the World on purpose to destroy Sin for we uphold that which he came to destroy 1 John 3.5 Ye know that he was manifested to take away our Sins Now shall we continue in Sin when we know the Son of God was manifested to take away Sin God cannot but take it very ill at our hands when he hath laid out the Riches of his Wisdom in this design for us to go about to defeat him in it this is at once to be unthankful to God and injurious to our selves 't is such a madness as if a condemned Man should despise a Pardon as if a Prisoner should be fond of his Fetters and refuse Deliverance as if a Man desperately sick should fight with his Physician and put away Health from him If we do not comply with the wisdom of God which hath contrived our recovery we forsake our own mercy and neglect a great Salvation we love death and hate our own Souls Prov. 8.14 15 16. 2. Consider we cannot expect the wisdom of God should do more for our recovery than hath been already done the wisdom of God will not try any further means Mat. 21.37 last of all he sent his Son If we despise this way if we tread under foot the Son of God and count the blood of the Covenant whereby we are sanctified an unholy thing there will remain no more sacrifice for sin Heb. 10.26 29. What can expiate the guilt of sin if the Blood of Christ do not What shall take us off from sin what shall sanctifie us if the blood of the Covenant be ineffectual We resist our last Remedy and make void the best Means the Wisdom of God could devise for our Recovery if after the revelation of the Gospel we continue in our Sins 3. If we frustrate this Design of God's Wisdom for our Recovery our Ruin will be the more dreadful and certain Impenitency under the Gospel will increase our Misery If Christ had not come we had had no sin in comparison of what we now have but now our sin remains and there is no cloak for our sin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We shall not be able at the day of Judgment to Preface any thing by way of Excuse or Apology for our Impenitency What shall we be able to say to the Justice of God when that shall condemn us who rejected his Wisdom which would have saved us We would all be saved but we would be saved without Repentance now the Wisdom of God hath not found out any other way to save us from Hell but by saving us from our sins And thou that will not submit to this Method of Divine Wisdom take thy Course and let 's see how thou wilt escape the damnation of hell I will conclude all with those dreadful words which the wisdom of God pronounceth against those that despise her and refuse to hearken to her Voice Prov. 1.24 25 26. Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my Hand and no man regarded But ye have set at naught my Counsel and would none of my reproof I also will laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh They who will not comply with the Counsel of God for their Happiness they shall inherit the Condition which they have chosen to themselves they shall eat the fruit of their own ways and be filled with their own devices SERMON X. The Justice of God in the distribution of Rewards and Punishments GEN. XVIII 25 Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right IN treating of the Attributes of God I have considered those
3.4 Yea let God be true and every Man a Lyar. Nay the Scripture goes further does not only remove lying and false-hood and inconstancy from God but speaks of these as things impossible to the Divine Nature Tit. 1.2 In hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised before the World began Heb. 6.18 That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie we might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us And the Scripture doth not only in general attribute this Perfection to God but doth more particularly assure us of his Sincerity and Truth and Faithfulness Of his sincerity that he deals plainly with us and speaks what he intends that his Words are the image of his Thoughts and a true representation of his Mind God is very careful to remove this jealousie out of the Minds of Men who are apt to entertain unworthy Thoughts of God as if notwithstanding all that he hath declared he had a secret design to ruin Men therefore he interposeth his Oath for our greater assurance Ezek. 33.11 As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live When God speaks to us he speaks his Mind and hath no design to circumvent and possess us with Errour and Delusion if he offer Life and Happiness we may believe he is real and that if he did not intend to bestow it upon us or if there were no such thing as a future Glory he would not have declared it to us this was the temper of our Saviour who was the express image of the Father full of Grace and Truth John 14.2 In my Father's house are many mansions if it were not so I would have told you And as the Scripture assures us of his Sincerity so of his Truth and Faithfulness in the accomplishment of all his Predictions and performance of all his Promises As for the truth of his Predictions and certain accomplishment of them the Scripture frequently useth this Proverbial Speech to assure us of the certainty of their accomplishment Heaven and Earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away Mat. 24.35 For the Faithfulness of God in his Promises the Scripture makes frequent mention of it Deut. 7.9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God he is God the faithful God which keepeth covenant and mercy Psal 89.33 34. I will not suffer my faithfulness to fail my covenant will I not break nor alter the thing which is gone out of my lips The Scripture doth record God's punctual and full performance of his Promises particularly of that Promise to Abraham after four hundred Years to bring the Children of Israel out of Egypt and to give them the Land of Canaan for an Inheritance Gen. 15.13 the Punctual accomplishment you have recorded Ex. 12.41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty Years even the self same day it came to pass that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt see likewise Jos 21.44 45. and 23.14 1 Kings 8.56 And upon this account it is that God is so frequently in Scripture styl'd the God that keepeth covenant 1 Kings 8.23 Neh. 1.5.9.32 and in several other Places And so likewise of Predictions of evil to come God is true in fulfilling his Word 1 Sam. 15. â—9 When the Prophet had threatned Saul to rent the Kingdom from him he adds the strength of Israel will not lie nor repent for he is not a Man that he should repent III. I come to remove some Objections that may be made against the truth and faithfulness of God First It is Objected against the sincerity of God and his plain dealing that he is sometimes represented in Scripture as inspiring Prophets with false Messages 1 Kings 22.20 c. Jer. 4.10.20.7 Ezek. 14.9 Ans As to three of these Texts it is a known Hebraism to express things in an imperative and active form which are to be understood only permissively So where the Devils besought Christ that he would suffer them to enter into the herd of Swine he said unto them go Mat. 8.31 He did not command but permit them And so John 13.27 where our Saviour says to Judas what thou dost do quickly we are not to understand that he commanded him to betray him tho' that seem to be exprest in the form So likewise here where an evil spirit offer'd himself to be a lying spirit in the mouth of the Prophet and God says go forth and do so this only signifies a permission not a command And so Jer. 4.10 where the Prophet complains that God had greatly deceived the People saying they should have peace when the sword reached to the Soul we are to understand this no otherwise but that God permitted the false Prophets to deceive them by Prophesying Peace to them as appears by the History Ezek. 14.9 I the Lord have deceived that Prophet that is permitted him to be deceived and to deceive the People as a just judgment upon them for their Infidelity with respect to his true Prophets This he threatens at the 5 th v. I will take the house of Israel in their own heart because they are all estranged from me through their idols because they have chosen to themselves false gods I will suffer them to be deceived with false Prophets and that this is the meaning appears by the threatning added and I will stretch out my hand upon him and I will destroy him from the midst of my people now God will not punish that whereof he is the Author That Text Jer. 20.7 Thou hast deceived me and I was deceived signifies no more but that he had mistaken the Promise of God to him who when he gave him his Commission told him he would be with him by which he understood that no evil should come to him and now he was become a derision and the people mocked him and in his passion and weakness he breaks forth into this expression thou hast deceived me and I was deceived whereas it was his own mistake of the meaning of God's promise which was not that he should not meet with scorn and opposition and persecution but that they should not prevail against him as you may see at the latter end of the first Chapter Seconâ— Objection against the Faithfulness of God as to performance of his promise 'T is Objected that God did not give the Children of Israel all the land which he promised to Abraham as will appear by comparing Gen. 18.19 20. with Josh 13.1 c. and Judg. 2.20 21. Gen. 15.18 God promiseth to give Abraham and his seed such a Land the bounds whereof he describes Josh 13.1 'T is said there that there remained very much land yet unconquer'd which they had not got the possession of And Judg. 2.20 't is said that the People having not
to whom by too many among us the most unworthy and unthankful Returns have been made for the unwearied pains he hath undergone and for the desperate hazards he hath expos'd himself to for our sakes that ever were made to so Great and Generous a Benefactour so great a Benefactour I say not only to these Nations but to all Europe in asserting and vindicating their Liberties against the insolent Tyranny and Pride of one of the greatest oppressours of Mankind of whom I may say as Job does of the Leviathan Job 41.33 34. Vpon the earth is not his like he beholdeth all high things and is the King of all the Children of Pride And beyond all this the Blessing of God does descend upon the posterity of those who are eminently Charitable and great Benefactours to Mankind This David observes in his time I have been young says he and now am old yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging Bread and what he means by the righteous Man he explains in the next Words he is ever merciful and lendeth I shall only add upon this Head that the practice of this Virtue will be one of our best comforts at the hour of Death and that we shall then look back upon all the good we have done in our life with the greatest contentment and joy imaginable Xenophon in his Cyrus which he design'd for the perfect Idea of a good Prince represents him in the last minutes of his life addressing himself to God to this purpose Thou knowest that I have been a lover of Mankind and now that I am leaving this World I hope to find that mercy from thee which I have shewed to others These Words that excellent heathen Historian thought fit to come from the mouth of so excellent a Prince as he had describ'd him just as he was leaving the World by which we may see what the Light of Nature thought to be the best comfort of a dying Man This brings me to the Third and last particular which I mentioned the vast and unspeakable Reward which this grace and virtue of Charity will meet with in the other World It will plead for us at the Day of Judgment and procure for us a most glorious recompence at the resurrection of the Just and that proportionable to the degrees of our Charity 2 Cor. 9.6 He which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly and he which soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully and from this Consideration the Apostle encourageth our Perseverance in Well-doing let us not be weary in well-doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not that is we shall certainly meet with the reward of it if not in this World yet in the other And now that I have declar'd this Duty to you together with the mighty pleasure and advantages and rewards of it I crave leave to present you with some of the best Occasions and Opportunities of the exercise and practice of it And for your encouragement hereto I shall read to you the present State of the chief Hospitals belonging to this great City and of the disposal of their Charity for the last Year And now I have laid before you these great Objects of your Charity and the best Arguments I could think of to incline and stir up your Minds to the exercise of this excellent Grace and Virtue as there is no time left for it I having I am afraid already tir'd your Patience so I hope there is no need to press this Duty any farther upon you since you are so willing and forward of your selves and so very ready to every good Work This great City hath a double Honour due to it of being both the greatest Benefactours in this kind and the most faithful Managers and Disposers of it and I am now in a place most proper for the mention of Christ's Hospital a Protestant Foundation of that most Pious and Excellent Prince Edward VI. Which I believe is one of the best instances of so large and so well manag'd Charity this Day in the World And now to Conclude all if any of you know any better employment than to do good any work that will give truer Pleasure to our Minds that hath greater and better promises made to it the Promises of the life that now is and that which is to come that we shall reflect upon with more comfort when we come to dye and that through the mercies and merits of our Blessed Saviour will stand us in more stead at the Day of Judgment let us mind that work but if we do not let us apply our selves to this business of Charity with all our might and let us not be weary in well-doing because in due season we shall reap if we faint not Now the God of Peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ the great Shepherd of the Sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will through Jesus Christ to whom with thee O Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory thanksgiving and praise both now and for ever Amen FINIS BOOKS Printed for Ric. Chiswell WHarton's Anglia Saora in 2 Volumes Fol. D. Cave's Lives of the Primitives Fathers in 2 Vol. Fol. Dr. John Lightfoot's Works in 2 Vol. Fol. Dr. Pet. Allix's Remarks upon the Ecclesiastical History of the ancient Churches of Piedmont and Albigences in 2 Parts 4 to Bishop Burnet's Collection of Tracts relating both to Church and State from 1678. to 1694. in 3 Vol. 4 to Dr. Wake 's 11 Treatises against Popery in 2 Vol. 4 to Dr. Tennison now Lord Archbishop of Canterbury his Account of the Conference with Pulton the Jesuit 4 to His 9 Sermons upon several Occasions 4 to A Discourse of the unreasonableness of Separation on account of the Oaths 4 to A Vindication of the said Discourse 4 to A Vindication of his Majesty's Authority to fill the Sees of the deprived Bishops 4 to Dr. William's Discouse of the lawfulness of worshipping God by the Common-Prayer 4 to His Representation of the absurd and mischievous Principles of the Muggletonians 4 to The secret Consults Negotiations and Intrigues of the Romish Party in Ireland from 1660 to 1689. 4 to An impartial History of the Wars in Ireland in two Parts with Copper Sculptures By Mr. Story present in the same The new Cambridge Dictionary in 5 Alphabets 4 to England's Wants Or some Proposals to the Parliament probably beneficial to England 4 to Dr. Allix's Reflections on the Holy Scripture 8 vo Coles English and Lattin Dictionary 8 vo Tullies Discourse of the Government of the Thoughts 8 vo The Jesuits Memorial for the intended Reformation of England found in K. James's Closet 8 vo Dr. Wakâ—'s Preparation for Death 8 vo The History of the Troubles and Tryal of Archbishop Laud wrote by himself Published by Hen. Wharton Fol. Remarks on Mr. Hill's Vindication of the Primitive Fathers against Bishop