and what needs this praying and this Bible carrying and sanctification of Sabboths and seeking of God this is in a drunken moode but when they come to their wits againe in the day of death and time of trouble they admire then 〈◊〉 such holy courses and they will seeke such godly courses when trouble comes then nothing but prayer and good duties then hee sets a high price and commendation upon these courses see them therefore and love them because they will bee in account when the day of distresse comes Secondly doe afflictions many times force a scorner to seeke unto God then take notice of the fearefull stubbornenesse of such kinds of spirits that all afflictions and plagues doe not provoke their soules to be humbled and to seeke for that favour of God which they stand in neede of goe thou therefore that art such a one and reason thus with thy selfe good Lord what a wretched knotty sturdy heart have I how many judgements hath God sent upon the nation how many upon my particular how many upon my family and yet this soule is not humbled and inlarged to seeke unto the Lord and call upon his name as the divels almost would doe what a vile unreasonable distemper is this one judgement after another and one plague after another did cause Pharaoh to confesse his sinnes the Lord did wrest it out of him nay the divels beleeve and tremble Iam. 2.19 Good Lord I beseech you thinke of it what a hard hearted Pharaoh confesse his sinnes and what doe the devills beleeve and tremble at the wrath of God why then what a hard heart hast thou that the Lord flasheth hell fire in thy face and sendeth plague after plague and yet never touched and humbled all wrests not one prayer from thee In the third place it is a ground to teach us thus much never place much confidence in those prayers that are wrung out of a man by force of affliction the Lord plucks it out of thee whether thou wilt or no he will make the stoutest hearts to come in scorners reprobates they pray the Lord makes them cry and howle and call daily upon him and yet all this while nature forceth them therefore trust not thou to forced prayer in the day of distresse that which is commonly most forced is commonly most false and therefore shall finde little acceptance it was a speech of a good man that the repentance of a dying man it is commonly a great feare of a dying repentance so I say when a man lives wickedly all his life time and then thinkes that a few lazie wishes in the time of trouble will serve the turne take heed hypocrites doe thus and scorners doe thus and yet are never heard but rejected the Lord hee loves prayer and holy duties in the dayes of peace and when a prayer comes out of love to God and love to the duty there is some comfort in this but little comfort can I or any Minister give you in the time of sickenesse if you never used to seeke to God in the time of health for you seeke onely when you are forced thereunto The next point is this that the seeking of scorners is somewhat earnest and vehement but we will come to the third which is this scornefull men wicked men they may seeke God earnestly they may call upon him vehemently and yet never bee heard never receive any mercy or acceptance from him Luk. 13 24. Strive to enter in at the straight gate for many shall strive to enter but shall not be able it is not any mans power to be able to enter no no many shall seeke this but shall not be able Adde to this John 8.21 It is the heavie doome of Christ upon the Scribes and Pharisees yee shall seeke me saith he but shall die in your sinnes as who should say I offered you grace you refused it I come home to you you entertaine me not the time will come when I will lay anguish on your hearts and horrour on your soules and then you shall seeke me but shall not find me but shall die in your sinnes you will have your sinnes I cannot remove them you will not suffer me to take place with you the truth is you shall die in your sinnes take your proud hearts and goe downe to hell with them take them and perish with them I goe to my father to heaven but you shall never come there Our Saviour saith the time shall come that you shall seeke me and shall not finde me but die in your sinnes but you will say if they may seeke call and yet not finde how comes this to passe is not seeking the way to finding is not calling the way to receiving hath not God said if you aske any thing in my sonnes name you shall receive it I say as the Apostle Iames in another case You aske and have not saith he because you aske amisse so I say to you yee seeke and finde not because you seeke amisse Though they call with violence and seeke with vehemencie yet it is not suiteable to Gods rule and that is the reason they doe not prosper now the reasons why their seeking doe not speede are three first they seeke unseasonably when the Lord happily hath taken away the meanes of salvation when the time is past and the opportunitie is over when God hath taken away the meanes as also the blessings upon the meanes in the 25. of Matthew the five foolish Virgins went for oyle and when the time was past and the doore was shut then they knocke at heaven gates open to us but the doore was shut they that stood upon the watch and attended the Lords comming they entered into the bride Chamber Esay 55.6 Seeke the Lord while he may be found that is while the meanes of grace are continued while Wisedome is crying and the Lord Iesus is holding out his golden Scepter of mercie and salvation Now is the day of salvation now is the time accepted who knoweth whether the Lord will cover the heavens and take away the light of the Gospell and make us wander in darkenesse Rockes and Wildernesses if desolation should come wee must be driven from our houses and habitations here one man alone there one woman alone and there a child crying and the third dying then we shall observe what opportunities wee have had and neglected the Lord was neare to us in the use of the meanes but now the time is past the Gospell and opportunities are gone he that seekes unseasonably may sinke downe and never enjoy meanes and helpes and the blessing of God upon them Revel 2.21 God gave Iesabel a day of repentance but shee repented not therefore hee would cast her into a bed of sorrow she loved bedding and ease and pleasure and delight and shee had a time of repentance but shee would not take it therefore because shee loved bedding shee shall have enough shee shall have a bed of sorrow and
person and profession of a godly humble lowly man and he acts the part marveilous curiously and hee speakes bigge words against his corruptions and he humbles himselfe before God and he heares and prayes and reades but when God pluckes him off the stage of the world and his body drops into the grave and his soule goes to hell then it appeares that he had not the power of gâ—dlines he was onely a stage-player a stage professour When Saul went to the witch to raise him up Samuel the devill tooke upon him the guise of Samuel but he was the devill so many hipocrites though they have the guise of holinesse and the forme of godlinesse yet there is no soundnesse there is nothing but dissimulation within Hence note this That godlinesse hath a forme Doctr. 2 or more clearely thus Sound godlinesse alwayes shewes and discovers it selfe where it is in the life and conversation of him that hath it For it is not a meere fancy as some thinke And they thinke when wee talke of godlinesse and inward moving c. what say they will you have us Saints and Angels as if godlinesse were some secret thing that never saw the Sunne the Apostle doth professely oppose these and sayes they are reall thing and it is really in your hearts that have it and it doth not keepe close but appeares and discovers it selfe in a holy conversation outwardly Psal 45.13 The Text saith The Kings daughter and that is not all but her cloathing is of gold The Kings Daughter is the Church of God the Saints that God hath soundly humbled and powerfully converted they are the Daughters of God they are sanctified and purged and the Image of God is stamped upon them and what is their rayment outwardly it is of gold they have golden speeches golden conversations not durty filthy conversation as the wicked hâ—ve Act. 4.20 See how prevalent grace is where it is it was also the resolution of the Apostle 2 Cor. 4.13 it is also said of David he beleeved inwardly and therfore spake outwardly so must we or if wee rest upon God we will expresse the power of his grace in the course of our lives Looke as it is with a clock if the wheeles run right the clocke cannot but strike so it is with the trees of the field if there be sap in the roote it will discover it selfe in the branches by the fruit and greenenesse of them though it be hidden in the Winter yet it will appeare in the Spring and in the Summer so it is in the Soules of Gods Servants the frame of a mans heart that is like the wheeles of a clocke if a man have an humble heart he will have a holy life it will make the hand worke the eye see the foote walke and the actions be proportionable unto the disposition of the heart So if there be the sap of godlinesse and holinesse and meekenesse and patience in a mans spirit it will appeare in the blossome and fruites in good speeches actions and an holy conversation If there be sound grace in the heart and godlinesse within wee must not thinke godlinesse wil make a monster but it will make a comely decent proportionable Christian that is foure square in all good duties at all good duties at all times in all places upon every occasion I conclude with Iohn the Baptist Luk. 3.8 Worthy the word in the Original is fine Let your fruite be worthy that is answerable let them hold weight for weight with amendment of life if there be obedience in the heart it will answere such obediences outwardly lay obedience in one ballance and then repentance will poyse that obedience in the other scale But you will say how comes this to passe Object may not a man have a gracious good heart may not a man have a soule truely humbled and converted and yet be a retyred Christian and not expresse it Answ outwardly I answer no if there be holinesse in the heart it will shew it selfe without From the power of grace Reason 1 where ever it is imprinted upon any soule it will breake through and make way for it selfe what ever maketh opposition against it Mat. 6.22 The meaning is the eye is the Conscience the sincere eye is the sincere conscience now if a man have a good conscience inwardly his whole conversation will bee proportionable to the same Mat. 13.33 The grace of God is compared to leaven it will never leave leavening till it hath leavened all the whole lumpe if the heart be leavened with grace and godlinesse never thinke to keepe godlinesse in a corner and contrive it into a narrow compasse no no it will never leave leavening till the eye lookes holily and the hand workes mercifully Nay observe this in particular first let corruptions be never so strong in a gratious heart the power of godlinesse will over power all and worke out it selfe and get ground in conclusion Look as it is with the Moule put her into the ground and stop her up she will worke her selfe out one way or other so it is with a gracious frame of spirit though there be a great deale of earthly corruption yet a gracious heart will worke under ground and worke it selfe out of all these It is observed by naturall Philosophy when a Shippe is cast away the Sea vomits on the shore the dead persons and the Sea will not fetch them in againe so there is a Sea of grace in the soules of Gods servants there is but a beginning of grace indeede but there is abundance of life and vertue and power in the graces of Gods children so that though there be many corruptions much deadnesse and untowardnesse yet if this gratious worke be there it will vomit out all it will fling out those dead bodies but never take them in againe Ier. 20 4. observe when Ieremy out of a kind of discouragement and pride of spirit because he could not find that successe and some despised it and some scoffed I will preach no more saith he but even then the word of the Lord was as burning fire this was the power of this gratious frame of heart we speake of Matt. 12.35 Bring forth good things the word in the Originall is All cast out good things and it implies a kind of copulsion so that a holy man out of the treasure of holines casts out holy things that is how ever many corruptions hang about him and would hinder him from doing what hee should yet a good heart will cast out all and break through all Looke as it is with sire let it be raked up never so close yet there will be fire it will heate and burne and consume all into it selfe so it is with the sire of grace in a mans heart though there be many clogging corruptions yet if this grace be there though a man have a great deale of filthy noysome humors of vanity and coller and anger and carelessenesse yet this
here the practise of the wicked In the time of trouble A company of scorners and mockers in their distresse they will crie and call unto the Lord Secondly we have their successe God will not heare them In the former wee have severall particulars to be observed first they sought the Lord and called upon the Lord a company of scornefull wretches and wicked reprobates sought the Lord secondly observe the time when they sought him when their calamities did come like a whirlewinde In the day of trouble then they crie and call and cry unto the Lord the last thing is from the manner of it it was not slightly but they cried unto the Lord and withall the Text saith They sought him early that sheweth their earnestnes and their crying that sheweth their vehemency and yet the successe is this the Lord will not answer they shall not find him In the Verse wee have three points of great use the first is from the time Then shall call The Point is this That scornefull persons in the time of affliction are forced to seeke and to sue unto the Lord. Secondly that when they doe seeke they seeke somewhat vehemently and earnestly the third is this that howsoever they doe thus seeke yet the Lord will not answer The first point is this That scornefull wretches in the time of affliction are forced to seeke unto the Lord They that have neglected prayer formerly when trouble comes and desolation approacheth then they call and seeke for favour In the 78. Psalme Verse 4. This is plaine the children of Israel when the Lord slew them then they sought him so Isaiah 25. The Text saith that in the time of trouble they will visite the Lord In the time of prosperitie the Lord calls for holy duties but then he cannot heare of you you wil not visit him but in the time of trouble then the Lord shall be acquainted with you Experience teacheth this when a man is upon the wracke then hee confesseth his sinnes and then the Lord rends a yrayer from him and then hee confesseth like Pharaoh I have sinned and I and my people are wicked but God is just and righteous 1 Sam. 12.19 When the people of Israel were set a â—…adding after a King Samuel made a marvellous elegant gracious Sermon unto them exhorting them not to forsake the Lord but they say in the eight Chapter Nay but we will have a King as who shold say have you said what you will is your Sermon done why yet we will have a King but but when the Lord thundered from heaven then they cried wee have sinned he is a terrible God wee see now he is an angry God wee observe it now we have sinned pray for us and to the rest of our sinnes we have added this in asking us a King when the Lord sent his judgements upon them then they desired favour and pardon and desireth the Prophet to pray for them The reasons of the Point are two the first is this because nature it selfe is proffessely crosse unto trouble and vexation it is tired therewith and is desirous to be eased thereof and howsoeuer a man be never so unreasonable no counsell takes place in him yet the Word prevailes not with him and God cannot rule yet hee carrieth nature about with him hee is a man still he hath flesh and bloud still therefore when Gall comes to his heart and the Wormewood into his soule Nature it selfe will make him in regard of the horrour that lieth upon him to seeke unto God and endeavour after meanes to ease and refresh him yon know how it is with rebellious children a froward little one however he will heare no counsell not receive any direction from the Parents yet when the rod comes and falls heavily they will downe on their knees and aske forgivenesse and nature forceth this hee feeles the blow and so useth meanes to be eased even nature compells us to seeke for case and call for succour in the time of trouble Nay the beasts though never so sturdy yet the bit in their mouthes and the shackles on their heeles and the whippe on their backe will make them teachable and tractable nature teacheth us this therefore so long as nature is in a man afflictions force the soule being tired with misery for to seeke and call and use meanes to be succoured The second Reason is because all other meanes are helpes in the time of trouble and therefore they are forced to seeke to God because all other comforts faile in the 107 Psal ver 20. the Prophet speakes of those that travell by sea when they are tossed by the waves then they call upon God as who should say so long as any thing would doe it God shall never heare of them but when all helpes and meanes faile then God must helpe or no one can Take a man when outward afflictions ceaze upon him as in the time of death friends may talke to him and companions may mourne for him but all now leave him in the lurch unlesse the Lord helpe they cannot therefore they are forced to repaire to the Lord and to visit him with their prayers so then the argument is this if it be so that nature forceth a man in the time of trouble to seeke for ease and if it be so that all other meanes cannot helpe a man but onely the Lord then no marvell and that in the time of distresse the wicked seeke unto the Lord for comfort This is the first use of the point is it so that scoffers in the day of trouble are forced to seeke unto the Lord then this highly commends the price and worth of Gods ordinance heaing and praying and the like because in the heaviest times at a dead lift when all faile wicked men then selves are forced to take up these ordinances of God take a drunkard or an adulterer on his death-bed then let all the profits in the world bee offered him you see how unprofitable they are it is a vexation to the drunkard to see his campanion nay all the pleasures of the adulterer they are as so much gall to his conscience because he hath delighted in those dalliances Now when all the profits and pleasures in the world are not able to comfort them then send for a Minister that he may pray for me pray for you why I had thought you had not stood in neede of prayer is prayer come into any reckoning with you what is the reason of this why they that scorned prayer formerly now at the day of death and time of affliction then nothing but Ministers and Christians and prayer why the reason is nothing else will hold water and give a man comfort in the day of distresse therefore let us prize those meanes of salvation that will be so powerfull and comfortable when all other meanes faile it is true that wicked men in their mad moods and wicked fits scoffe and are despisers of the ordinances of God