is not from the earth but from heaven and if he give life to them that are dead he may be justly called The bread of life 3. He addeth these words to comfort Beleevers and to terrifie unbeleevers For no greater comfort can be to them that receive him by a true and lively faith then the assured hope that they shall be raised up by him from death to a glorious and immortall life and on the other part it is matter of exceeding terror to the unbelieving and wicked that they shall not be partakers of this blessed resurrection but they shall be raised up to shame and confusion This point is urged diverse times hereafter by our LORD and therefore it may be we shall have occasion to speak of it more fully Only now consider that this is a point which we should at this time deeply meditate upon He who calleth us and offereth himself unto us is no lesse then he who hath power of life and death even of eternall life and of eternall death If wee answer him and embrace his Calling we may look to have confidence joy and glory at our death and resurrection but if we do otherwayes we can expect nothing but terrour sorrow and confusion Though we think little now of death and resurrection yet they wil come It is appointed for all men once to die and after death cometh judgement The soul will be called out of the body the body will be called out of the grave and both will be called before the Tribunall of GOD. If thou hearkned devotly and obediently to his Calling here Thou shalt lift up thine head then being confident that thy redemption draweth near When GOD sayeth to thy soul at death Come out thou shalt encourage it and say Go 〈◊〉 my soule fear nâ—t it is the Voice of my Beloved calling not to destroy but to save thee It is the voice of him who hath often called me before and whom I have answered by his Grace It is the Voice of him that I was longing for He said to me before Behold I come I have answered even so Amen LORD Iesus come But on the contrary if thou hast despised his gracious and mercifull Calling here thy terrour shall be unspeakable at death and at the resurrection He shall call when thy Lamp is not prepared and albeit thou would not be drawn by his Mercy his Justice shall draw thy soule out of thy body at death and thy body out of the grave at the resurrection although thou call then he will not heare but will say Depart from me I know thee not Long have I cast open the doore of my Mercy unto thee but thou would not enter and now it is shute O how terrible shall this Calling or rather Drawing of iustice be to the disobedient soule body Faine would they draw back into that very nothing out of which they were brought Therefore the wicked shall say then unto the hills and to the mountains fall upon us and cover us from the Face of him that sitteth upon the Throne and from the Face of the Lamb. Let us therefore while we have time thinke both upon his Mercy Justice These are the two armes of his Providence whereby he draweth to good and from evil MERCY is as it were his Right-Hand which is alluring and comfortable justice his Left-Hand which is terrifying and dreadfull Let us labour That his left hand may be vnder our head as the Spouse speaketh and that his right hand may embrace us that is let us thinke upon his gracious Promises that we may be allured to obey him and withall consider his dreadfull terrours that we may stand in awe to despise his invitations I will speake no more of this Now I proceed It is written in the prophets And they shall be all taught of GOD c. Here he confirmeth and cleareth what he said of the drawing of men to him by the Father He confirmeth it by the testimony of scripture It is written sayeth he in the prophets they shall be all taught of GOD. This testimony is expresly set down Isaiah 54. 13. Where the PROPHET speaking of the happy estate of the Church of the new Testament sayeth to her All thy children shall be taught of the LORD and great shall be their peace According to the sense it is also to be found else-where especially in the 31. 33. of Iâ—r where the LORD speaking of the Church of the new Testament sayeth After those dayes it shall come to passe that I will put my law in their hearts writ it in their inward parts and they shall be my people and I will be their GOD and they shall not teach every man his brother and every man his neighbour but they shall know me from the highest to the least sayeth the LORD For clearing of this yee are to understand that to be taught of God is nothing else but to have our minds enlightned by the knowledge of him and to have his love â—â—â—ed abroad in our hearts so that we obey him and that not out of the fear of punishment but out of the love of righteousnes Of this teaching the Prophet spake when he said Psal 94. 12. Blessed is the man whom thou chastisest and teachest out of thy law and when he said againe Teach me to do thy Will O GOD for it is good This our Saviour manifesteth in the next words wherein he explaineth what it is To be taught by GOD saying That such an one heareth and learneth of the Father and cometh to him that is he that is so taught understandeth and beleeveth that which the Father revealeth and embraceth it by sincere love and affection and so cometh to Christ by faith by hope by love and obedience Hence S. AUGUSTINE in his book of the Grace of Christ 12. and 13. chapters inferreth That this doctrine of the Father is nothing else but his heavenly Grace communicated to us whereby he maketh us not only to know what we should do but also to do what we know whereby he maketh us not only to beleeve that which should be loved but also to love that which we beleeve This is the doctrine of the Father whereby from on hye by his unspeakable Power inwardly he manifesteth his truth and communicateth to us the love of himself This also is manifest as S. AUGUSTINE observeth there from the 1. Thess 4. 9. where S. PAUL sayeth As for brotherly love yee have not need that I should write unto you for yee are taught of GOD to love one another So the Teaching of GOD maketh us not only to know what should be done but also to do that which we know And he that knowes and doeth not is not caught by God He is not taught according to grace but according to the law he is not taught according to the spirit but according to the letter Secondly Yee are to consider that our Saviour by urging
a Name of dignitie and authoritie which God hath over the creatures therefore as they were not eternall so this name agreeth not to him from eternitie S. August in his 12. book of the City God and 15. chap. in modestie refuseth to determine this question Vpon the one part he saieth that he dare not deny but God was LORD from all eternitie and one the other part he saieth it is hard to conceive this since Dominion importeth a respect to the creatures which begane in time But if we consider well we will find that the question is rather verball then reall For clearing whereof ye are to understand that there are two things imported by the Dominion of God The first which is the chief and principall is his power over all things that actually are or are possible The second is a reference unto the creatures subject unto God This belongeth unto God but in time but it is nothing else then an outward secondarie respect that which is inward and principall in the Dominion of God to wit his Power was from eternitie and therfore he is truly from eternitie LORD His Dominion is grounded on his Power which is one with his essence and that is eternall Neither is it the creatures that actually are who alone are subject to him Even the things that are not at under his Dominiō he calleth the things that are not as if they were They obey his commandement and commandement presupposeth Dominion by vertue whereof it hath power Thus the Dominion of God was from all eternitie Secondly It we look to following ages this Dominion and Kingdome endureth after them to all eternitie This is true both of Gods Kingdome generally and particularly considered That is the Kingdome of his Power as it is called by which he commandeth and ruleth all things It is certaine this Kingdome shall never end for God shal ever have supreame power over things that are or are possible His particular Kingdome is that whereby he reigneth in his church and this also shall have no end Hence the Angell speaking of our Saviour LUKE 1. saieth Hee shall reigne in the house of Jacob for ever and of his kingdome there shall be no end Wee must not think that this Kingdome of God and Christ shall end when this World endeth no it shall be most perfected and established when all other Rule Authority and Power shall be put down Here it is the kingdome of grace God ruling in the hearts of his servants by his Spirit grace hereafter it shall be the kingdome of Glory wherein the glory of Gods Wisdome Mercie and Power shall be manifested in the eternall salvation of his own and the glory of his Power and justice shall appeare in the eternall confusion of his enemies Now the Kingdome of God is but not peaceable now his enemies are overcome but not wholly rooted out and trampled under foot Sathan remaineth yet and goeth about like a roaring Lyon seeking whom hee may devoure Sinne and Death remain As yet there are many that rebell against the Law of God and despise his Commandements but all these enemies shall be hereafter rooted out Sathan with his angels shall be chained in hel and shall have no more leave to tempt Sin shall be banished also in the godly it shall not be Their flesh shall no more resist the spirit and the spirit God and the wicked shall have no more liberty to commit any new sin Death shall be rooted out by the resurrection so that we may then sing Death is swallowed up in victorie O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victorie Lastly wicked men the rebels of this great KING and disobedient to his Will shall be subjected to eternal pains against their will whereas the servants of God shall be advanced to the participation of his eternall glory Thus this his Kingdome shall be Eternal and not only so in respect of himself but also in respect of his servants Feare not little flock saith our Saviour it is your Father will to give you a kingdom To him that overcometh will I give saith he Rev. 3. to sit with me in my Throne even as I overcame and sit with my Father in his Throne Come yee blessed of my Father shall he say at the last day and receive the kingdome prepared for you c. This much of the Eternitie of the Kingdome of God I come now to the uses of the Doctrine First The consideration of this Eternitie of God his Kingdome should teach us to disesteeme the things of this World which are but fraile and momentanie suppose they endured never so long yet at last they have an end and when that end is come they are as though they had never been Put the case thou had all the riches and pleasures and honours and dominions of the World yet these should end and being ended leave thee nothing but a sad and sorrowfull remembrance of them and the more sad and bitter the more sweet and deare they were to thee when thou had them I will yet say more these things not only have an end but also end suddenly to us Their continuance is most uncertaine and short All our enjoying of them is grounded upon this mortall life and how fraile that is wee know by experience and S. Jam. teacheth us Chap. 4. Go to now saeth he yee that say to morrow wee will go to such a City and continue a year and buy and sell and get gain And yee know not what shall be to morrow for what is your life but a vapour that appeareth for a little whyle and then vanisheth away Now the life being ended all this World endeth to us That which our Saviour saieth of the soule I may say of the body also What profite is it to a man to gaine the whole World if he losse his bodily life More our health is more uncertaine then life and without it we can enjoy no worldly thing Take health from a man what availe all the treasures of the earth Set the most daintie dishes before him they are loathsome Bring his Wife children friends unto him their sight is often grievous Let him remember his former pleasures it breedeth nothing but bitternesse In a word What is the whole man but as it were an earthen vessel which God in whose hand is a rod of Iron is able to dash in pieces when he will Albeit an earthen vessel were never so pleasant painted perfumed adorned with flowers a crown set upon it yet if it be stricken with a rod of Iron it goeth in pieces so it fareth with these earthen vessels of our bodies Though we had the vigour and strength of youth the prudence of the aged the knowledge and eloquence of the learned the treasures of the rich if God but touch us with his rod it is enough to beat us to powder Why then should we set our hearts upon these things that
also hurtfull whereas imploying our time aright we might treasure up to our selves a good fundatiō against the time to come to lay hold upon eternall life Secondly This should teach us not only to abstain from vain things but also earnestly to apply our hearts to the doing of these things which may further us to the obtaining of this eternall Kingdom Wee cannot come to this glorious Kingdome unlesse GOD reigne here in our hearts by his Grace and Spirit moving us to subject our selves to his Will and Commandements Who had better right to the Kingdom of God thē his own chosen and peculiar people the Jews They are called the children of the Kingdom Math. 8. 11. The promise of it was made to them The means of attaining it were so liberally offered unto them that they were in a manner already in possession of it and yet our Saviour sayeth That many shall come from the East and from the West and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdome of Heaven Whereas the children of the Kingdome shall be cast out To wit for disobedience to the will of God When they ceased to hallow the Name of God saieth S. CYPRIAN God continued his Kingdome no longer with them Let us not therfore flatter our selves with a vain hope of this Kingdom if wee walk not in the high way of wel-doing which leadeth unto it If God reign not in our hearts by his Grace here we shal never reign hereafter in Glory with him Good reason it should be so If we do otherwayes we but advance the Kingdome of Sathan his enemie what is drunknesse whordom malice pride oppression c. But the pillars of the devils kingdom when we follow after these things we set up his thron in our hearts howsoever we professe our selves to belong to the Kingdome of God say daylie with our mouths Let thy Kingdome come No wonder therefore that he deprive such of his Kingdome and give them their portion with him whose subjects or rather slaves they have been The Lord make us mindfull of these thing that for the merits of Christ Iesus to whom c. A SERMON UPON the XXVI Chap. of ISAIAH Vers 3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee Vers 4. Trust yee in the Lord for ever for in the Lord IEHOVAH is everlasting strength THese words are a part of a song endyted by Gods Spirit to ISAIAH and delivered by him to the people of God not only for the comfort of them who were then but also for the comfort of all them who in following ages should bee in like manner distressed The PROPHET had foreseen and had foretold also that great calamities were to come upon the people of the Jews then Gods Church Namly that they should be lead in captivitie to Babylon there should be forced to endure what the furie of a cruel enemie pleased to inflict The consideration of this before it came to pass much more the feeling of it afterwards might have swallowed up that people with griefe dispair Therfore the holy PROPHET endyts to thē this song of thanksgiving not only that they might praise God after this māner when they should be delivered but also that in the time of their distresse their hearts might bee comforted and strengthned by the gracious Promises set down here their childrē might be brought up in this hope both the one the other though banished and as it were dead men might espy as it were Light in Darknes and Life in Death that their comfort might be the more full He praiseth God he she weth Gods gracious Purpose towards his people instructeth them what to do and exhorteth them to the performance of these duties which were required upon their part to make them partakers of the Promises All this he setteth down be way of a song that it might be the more easily learned the more firmly retained the better remarked by all posteritie There is nothing in holy scripture which is not excellent both for matter and words But the songs of it especially excell and of this kind there is none in all ISAIAH but this and that of HEZEKIAH in the 38. chap. for that which is called a song in the 5. chap. though it have the matter yet hath it not the forme and style of a song as this and that other before mentioned This much shortly for the generall I am come now to the words Thou will keep him c. In these words first is set down a gracious promise with an eye to the calamitees of the Jews that wer shortly to ensue as was said Thou wilt keep him c. 2. we have an exhortation to them and to all the godly to put their confidence alwayes in God Trust ye in the Lord Jehovah for ever c. To returne to the first we have in it first the benefit promised to wit That God will keep in perfect peace secondly the description of them whom he will so preserve even them whose mind is stayed on him that trust in him For thou wilt keep him c. First a little of the words then of the matter The words are pregnant peace is doubled in the originall Thou wilt keep him in peace peace c. In the hebrew language Peace is used to signifie not only that which we call so but also the aboundance and affluence of all the good which we can wish the word is redoubled in this place to signifie the Greatnes or Perfection the Continuance and Perpetuetie of this Peace Secondly it is not said only that God will give this peace but that he will keep a man in it and the word is pregnant signifying to preserve to defend to confirme that every way the joy of the godly may be full But let us now come to the matter First Peace is promised Peace is all that which a man desireth All the endevours all the actions of men bend to this even of them who are most turbulent by fire sword they seek for that Peace which is pleasant in their eyes Everie one that followeth his own will doeth or undoeth what seemeth good to him persueth after preferment riches pleasurs but seeking Peace and Rest which he imagines he will obtain when he gets that which he desireth Wherefore doth the greedie man toile and tormoile day and night but that he may say in end with the Rich man in the gospell Soul take thy rest thou hast much laid up c In a word the desires of our souls ar as it wer their motions and their Love their weight whereby they are still poused and moved in the persure and seeking of that which will give them Rest and Peace which if they could obtaine they should be happie for let the heart of man have once true Peace and Rest and it needs no more But what
tears 23. Exhortation to mourne 24. Christ looketh on us 1. Fitnesse of the text for humiliatioÌ„ 2. DiscriptioÌ„ of the person heere spoken of froÌ„ her sex and countrey 3. Why this is mentioned 4. Her distresse 5. She comes to Christ 6. Her faith 7. Expression of her misery 8. She seekes mercie 9. Why it should bee sought by all 10. Invitation to it 11. Christ his silence 12. Her perseverance 13. The disciples intreat for her 14. how christ is sent to the lost sheep of Israel 15. her victory over this temptatioÌ„ 16. How wee shuld imitate her 17. The third assault of her Faith 18. Her victorie over it 19. Joincture of humilitie confidence necessary 20. her praise 21. Why God delayes to answer his saints 22. The power of Prayer 23. how prayers are not heard for waÌ„t of the sense of our misery spirituall 24. For want of the sense of our misery worldly 25. For want of amendement of life 1. Intentiâ—â—â—â— 2 The promise made to all the Apostles 3. And to their Successours 4. What shuld bee bound 5. A man is bound by his own sin 6. To loose is not to preach 7. The power of binding and loosing is not only declaratiâ—â— 8. What is the binding loosing of the church 9. It coÌ„sisteth in excoÌ„mie nication 10. The lesser excoÌ„munication 11 Imperourâ— subjected to it 12. The great excommunication 13. Equity of it 14. A reason of delaying the sentence 15 Wofull estate of the excommunicat 16. Duty of christian people toward theâ— 1. Intention 2. Occasion 3. Covetousnesse what 4. We must beware of covetousnes 5. Avarice insidious 6. Avarice a pernicious evil 7. Reason against covetousnes 8. Mans life consists noâ— in abundance 9. The Parable 10. God gives temporall good things to the wicked 11. Gods Favour not to be measured by earthlie things 12. His poverty care 13. He cosults not with mercy 14. He coÌ„sults not with spirituall prudence 15. His resolution concerning his goods 16. covetousnes in retaining our own 17. Against hording up of victual for a dearth 1. Comexion summe 2. The foolish ground of the rich man 3. Shortnesse of our life 4. Richeâ— not the good of the soule 5. riches give not rest to the souls 6. Epicurism of this maÌ„ 7. riches give not ever pleasures 8. bodily plea sures give not rest 9. Gods Judgment 10. His solly 11. Our last End 12. The end of other creatures 13. Happines of obtaining our last end 14. Earthly Things should be desired with respect to our end 15. Sinne only contrary to the obtaining of our end 16. This night 17. Sudden death fear full 18. Death in time of folly 19. We should be ever prepared for death 20. Taking away of the soule 2â— Anguish of the wicked as death 22. Joy of the Godly at death 1. Intention 2. Murmuring of the Iews 3. Instruction of our Saviour 4. Drawing is calling 5. Generall Calling 6. Effectuall calling 7. this drawnecessary 8. coÌ„tinuance of it necessary 9. Some reciprocatioâ— in it 10. It is not violent 11. Drawing impâ—rteth not alwais violence 12. why drawing used first 13. Secondly why 14. Thirdly why 15. this should teach us humility 16. Invocation of GOD. 17. Carefulnes to answer our calling 1. Connexion 2. Why he â—deth the raising of men at the last day 3. the happines of the Godly and unhappines of the wicked at death and Resurrection 4. where this testimony is written 5. What to be taught of GOD. 6. This further explained out of Augustine 7. Out-ward Ministry not condeÌ„â—ed 8. Why this doctrine is is ascrived to God 9. Preheminencie of the New Testament 10. private revelations not to bee relayed oâ— 11. Great deceatfulnes of our hearts 12. GOD the most excellent Master 1. in respect of Wisdome 13. secondly in respect of communicating of it 14. Spirituall senses 15. Gods goodnes in communicating himself to us 16. Sight of Christ in the holy mysteries 17. The hearing of him therin 1. Intentions 2. Division 3. Sorrow of this world 4. sorrow according to GOD. 5. every sorrow for sin is not this Sorrow 6. Sorrow according to God whaâ— 7. how great reason sinners have to Sorrow thus 8. We should labour for this Godly sorrow for our own sinnes 9. Sorrow for the sins of others 10. sorrow for our imperfection and absence froÌ„ heaven 11. How sorrow worketh repentance 12. Sight of our sinnes 1 wrought in peniteÌ„ts 13. Effects of Godly sorrow 14. Of turning to GOD. 15. this repentance is not to be repeÌ„ted of 16. It is unto â—lvation 17. the love of our selves requireth our turning with tears 18. Our countrey and church requireth this