any hide himselfe in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord do not I fill heaven and earth saith the Lord And they shall find it to their sorrow as the last when God shall come to render vengeance to them for their wickednes O how wofull will their case and condition be Deut. 32.39.40 41.42 When God doth lift up his hand to heaven and say I live for ever then vengeance is not far from falling on the backs of them that go on their wickednes If he be a living God those that live in a sinfull way shall dy The soule that sinneth shall dy Ezekiel 18.20 It is a fearefull thing to fall into his hands that is a living God Heb. 10.13 Therefore methinks sure ye should take heed of God If ye have never so many adversaries in this world they may all die and then ye need feare none of them But this God that is the adversary of sinnes is a living God Wo to them that doth act as if God did not see them Secondly Seeing the life of God is infinite c. it teacheth Vse 2 us that God can give life and that in abundance both temporal and eternal And therefore though God take away the lives of his people and they dy with men yet they shall live for ever with God And this Job comforteth himself with Job 12.58 Psal 16.5.10 12. and David And in Psalme 36 9. He maketh Gods being the fountaine of life the ground of his joy and comfort For with thee is the fountaine of life in thy light shall we set light Christ's being the reserection and the life is used John 11.29 to comfort Martha And John 14 19. to Comfort all the Disciples Because I live ye shall live also So long as Christ liveth his members live So long as God liveth so long shall the Godly live The people of God that now ly in the grave are alive in God and Christ All are alive in God that are dead and shall be brought forth of their graves like toades out of their holls But the Saints shall be brought forth by Christ as their head to live with him in glory Thirdly Let Christians stand and admire the excellencie of Vse 3 Gods Majesty in this Attribute his infinite and incomprehensible life That hereby we may 1. be humbled and made low in our own eys 2. Lively in Gods service And 3. to rely upon him for life and all necessaries thereunto belonging If we can be cared for so long as Gods life shall last we need not care for any thing afterward I speak it with holy disdain to all them that know not the life of God T is true the life of a Christian is a life of trouble at best a mixture of evill with good But Gods life is infinite and eternal Hence it is that the loving kindness of the Lord is said to be better then life because when life departs we live for ever in the living God When we leave the world and are no more seen here we have a dwelâ—ing place in God for ever David is alive in God still though his flesh see corruption Let us rely upon the living God Put not your trust in Princes for their breath goeth forth their thoughts perish Nothing can do you either good or harm but the living God that killeth and maketh alive All things shall be as it pleaseth God let men say and vow and plot and confederate till their hearts ake O that we could learn this Doctrine savingly That Gods life is infinite and incomprehensible The end of the attribute of Life The Perfection or natural goodnesse of GOD. Exod. 33.19 And he said I will make all my goodness passe before thee And I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee c. WE have formerly propounded unto you three things to be observed upon each particular Attribute the 1. whereof was to shew you that such and such a thing is an Attribute of God Now from this place of scripture which I have now read unto you ye may learn that goodness is an Attribute of God among many others Triplex in Deo bonitas spectari potest naturalis moralis bonitas benificentiae quae benignitas dicitur The word passeth under many acceptations and is variously taken in Holy Writ Somtimes for an increated somtime for a created goodness Somtimes for naturall goodness or the due proportion of a thing unto the rule thereof as a good tree and good fruit and good money and good wine and the like Sometimes in a moral sence goodness is taken and so created goodness is only of and among creatures to be found in men and Angels for in other creatures there is only a natural goodness to be found or at most an usefull as by the skill of man may happily be effected That properly is called moral goodness which is the essential integrity of the image of God that is the conformity of the understanding and will and of all qualities and virtues thoughts endeavours and actions whether internal or external with the rule of goodnesse to wit the holy law of God This created goodness although it be not any longer in its first integrity yet in such as are regenerated it is in some measure restored by the holy Ghost and the work of regeneration Less de div perf pag. 52. There is a generall or natural goodnes in creatures and a more special or moral goodnes Perk. Case of Conseience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And many good men and good works do we read of in scripture But this is not that goodnes that I am now to speak of either as in men or as an attribute of God Although this acceptation also of the word good be to be spoken of when I shall have finished this viz. The Morall Goodnesse of God or his holiness or chastity as some stile it But besides these two acceptations of the word good or goodnesse viz. naturall and morall there is a third which is usefull goodnesse as the Greek word used for it doth signifie And this will be found to be another attribute of God and shall be spoken of in due time There is yet a fourth viz. when the Word is taken for Mercy or sweet compassion which also in regard of God is to be referred to the attribute of Mercy For the present my work is to speak of the application of this word good or goodness to God according to the first acceptation viz. as it is taken for natural goodnesse which some call the perfection of God to distinguish it from moral goodness which is sometimes also called perfection though usefull goodnesse or benignity never hath that name put upon it nor mercy neither Yet all foure have passed under this general word Goodnesse as were easie to shew if it were to any great purpose The words which I have chosen to make my Text do seem to me to speak of this
dead 1 Pet. 4.5 God will never be wanting to his church The gates of hell much less poore worms breathing skind earth shall not be able to prevaile against it Thirdly Seeing God is infinitely and incomprehensibly holy Vse 3 Then they that will imitate God must never stand at a stay in holines they must still go on with the motto of Charl's the fifth plus ultra Once we can never be too holy I am sure of that There is one wo and feare gone of an extream in holines O if we could as well avoid the danger of being too dull and slow and backward It were well I therefore will provide some spurs Motives to labour for more holinesse some pregnant motives to stirre you up to labour to be holy yet more and more First know this for your encouragement the more holines ye have on earth the more protection may ye expect from this holy God Those Saints that have beene eminent for holines have beene also eminent for salvations God hath made such see his salvation As the three Saints Daniel the third Daniel himselfe chap. the sixth and many others Secondly Take this too the more holines the more comfort surely while men ly under sinne the face of God is hid from them our comforts usually do fall and rise together with our holines God sups and dines with his holy ones Consolation is measured to us according to our holines God and a Saint do keep one table God cannot smile upon us while we are under the breach of any one of his lawes Ye may see what became of Davids comfort upon his fall Psalme 51.11 He there cries Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy spirit from me And in the foregoing tenth verse he cries for a new creation He hath so farre lost his comfort that he thought he had lost his grace Carelest walking may cause us to be dealt with all as if we were reprobates and not the elect of God For this however some idle heads may prattle I appeale to the experience of all the Saints of God whether ever they found so much comfort and enjoyment of God in their loose as in their close walking with him certainly the clouds of sinne where ever they be will make the beames of Gods favour disappeare unto the sence of that soule Thirdly The more holines the more boldnes I remember I have read a story of a Conjurer that would have the devill affright an old exact Christian But the devill told him againe T was but in vaine to meddle with him he feared nothing Holy soules feare not death though it be the King of terrours They can looke it in the face and with Mr. Lawrance Saunders cry out welcome life when they are at the stake The righteous is bold as a lion Holy Moses talks with God face to face The more holines the lesse feare A holy man knoweth that nothing can come amisse to him Fourthly The more holines the more acquaintance with God Holines makes men great favourities in the court of heaven T is but aske and have for a holy soule As it was said of Luther he could do any thing with God Surely ye cannot imagine what power holy soules have in heaven Hic vir potest quicquid vult apud Deum Elias by reason of his holines had great power he prayed that it might not rain and it rained not and he prayed again that it might raine and it did raine Holy Moses holds the hands of God Ezek. 14.14 and and God begs him to let him go If any in the world can prevaile with God it must be such as Noah Daniel and Job 5. The more holines on earth the more glory shall ye have in heaven Though God save us not for our works yet he will reward us according to them The garland there wil be greater or lesser according as the flowers we send before thither be more or lesse We must have Esaus hands if we expect Jacobs blessing Esau signifies working No good is to be expected by us without doing good He that expects to carry earth to heaven must first strive to bring heaven downe to earth It is noted by some that the same word signifieth reward and working to signifie they cannot be separated Holy souls shall dwell in Gods holy hill Holines it called by some the Suburbs of heaven and he that will enter into the City must passe through the Suburbs To conclude this motive if we be eminently holy here we shall be eminently glorious hereafter Summe up all God will protect his holy ones Comfort and peace shall be their portion even here as Psalme 119.165 Great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them And great shall be the peace of thy children Isaiah 54.13 No names shall be to them Psalme 39.9 If we be all for God God will be all for us If we dedicate our selves to God we shall find that he will be ours in the sweetest injoyments His special providences shall be over us others are under generall providences only Extra mundum sanctus perigrinalitur cum Domino He may carry them on his back but you shall be sure to ly in his bosome His eye his heart both are alwayes upon his holy ones for God And at last fulnes of joy at his right-hand and pleasure for evermore Quest Ans But how shall I do to thrive in holines to lanch out into his deepes I answer By daily applying your selves unto the meanes which God hath appointed be diligent in the faithfull use of Gods sacred ordinances If ye plow with these heifers ye shall find out Gods riddles of holines But when once they are slighted or abused and come to be ours and none of his as one wittily observes out of Isaiah 1.11 and 14. verses then vertue commeth not from them We should therefore labour to be lift up out of our selves and above our selves when we are about holy exercises we shall be exact in them So shall we more and more come towards that perfection of holines which is still to be laboured for though never to be attained So much for the morall goodnes of God to wit his holines The other goodnesses follow The end of the attribute of holines The benignity or Usefull Goodness of GOD. Psalm 100. v. 5. For the Lord is good his mercy is everlasting and his truth endureth to all Generations WE have under the good hand of our living good and holy Lord God gone through those three attributes of life goodnes naturall or perfection and morall goodnes or holines which was the last This verse is not chosen to be handled and to be spoken of for the sake of three other attributes mentioned therein viz. goodnes that is to say benignitie mercy a fourth sort as I may call it of goodnes and truth which at last will come to be spoken of also out of this
is the way to depart from the living God In plaine English they that depart from Ordinances do depart from God And they that live under them only as outward performances do serve but a dead God But Davids soul longeth for the living God Psal 42.2 My soul thirsteth for God for the living God and Psalm 84.2 My soul longeth yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God Quest But what is the summe of drawing near unto and remaining with the living God I Answer Ans it is to live under the power an efficacy of those truths concerning the life of God held forth in the scriptures some of which I have made known unto you in the Explication of this Attribute of Life For whosoever savingly knoweth that all things even those that live not are yet life in God wil rationally conclude that the fountaine is worth al dishfuls and that one God is worth ten thousand worlds Go yee then may a Saint say to your wealth and wit and great friends to the Nobles of the earth and Princes But the Lord liveth saith holy David Psal 18.46 and blessed be my Rock and let the God of my salvation be exalted c. The spirit of a man is lively outward things are dead things they cannot touch the soul they are not fitted to the spiritual nature thereof When all our hopes be dead touching the comforting creature they are alive in the living God Even stones are life in God though they live not their existences are in Gods Life and by influence from it What shal I say I am as one overwhelmed with the glory of this Attribute of the life of God Such as know this to be a truth that I have said wil shew themselves stark madd if they forsake this fountain this living God Vse 2. And secondly the consideration of this truth that life is an at tribute of God doth teach us that it must needs be of pretious account with him assuredly Wo therefore to those who abuse it What a fearful sin do they commit in the presence of God they do vilifie this pretious Jewel which is honored with this dignity to be an Attribute of God But who be they that are guilty of this fault of abusing life Quest I Answer First Answ such as neglect to save life in regard of themselves and others and that either in regard of body or soul And Secondly such as are ready to destroy life both in respect of themselves and others and that either in regard of their outward or inward estate First they which neglect to save Life that make no account of that which is so pretious in which so much of God appears A living Dogg saith Solomon is better then a dead Lyon And there is more I say to be seen of God in one blade of living grasse then in the most pretious Jewel in the world And the reason is because it comes nearest to God it hath life I will shew you who they be that are negligent of the preservation of life viz. First of their own lives Secondly of the lives of others 1. Of their own such as are not careful to shun danger tending to the hurt of life as to be careless of the preservation of bodily health 1 Carelesse to avoid dangers 2 To live like lazy drones idly in time of health and prosperity and not to provide for times of sicknes and adversity 2 Idleness and leziness And therefore in the just Judgment of God such do often feel the smart of it Prov 6. ver 9.10 There is a description of them How long wilt thou sleep O sluggard when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep yet a little sleep a little slumber a little folding of the hands to sleep And then yee have this punishment ver 11. So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth and thy want as an armed man and so want is his portion Prov 13.4 The soul of the sluggard defireth and hath nothing And besides the bitterness of poverty there is often bitterness upon the spirit even checks and gripes and groanings of Conscience and a late and unseasonable repenting of their carelesness and idleness which is a kind of a Hel unto them Such also as bereave themselves of the comforts of this life out of a wil to be rich 3 Covetousnes they wil even starve themselves and go a cold and honour not life which God hath communicated to them such often pierce themselves through with many sorrows and deny themselves necessaries such wretches prepare a Hel for themselves besides Tophet which is prepared of old They are alwayes either carking how to get or fearing lest they should loose or grieving and mourning when they have lost Secondly such abuse Life as are negligent of the lives of others the poor may want bread pine away with hunger men regard it not But for neglect of the life of the soul who can be ignorant of the abuse of this precious Jewel Life in regard both of themselves and others Who can expresse the carelesness of Men and Women for their poor souls O the neglect of the means of grace yea the contemning and despising and opposing the gospel which is a ready way to bring a famine upon the place Such a famine as Amos. 8.11 speakes of not of bread but of the Word of God Which is the greatest and sorest of all famines Cap. 8.11 tending to the destruction of the soule the life of which is in comparably to be preferred before the life of the body Yet wicked people by their neglect at least of the good meanes of grace if not open opposing them do deprive themselves and others of the food of their souls By provoking the Lord to take away their Spirituall meat from them When Eliah was taken up into Heaven Elisha cried my Father my Father the charet of Israel and horsemen thereof 2 Kings 2.12 But men are of another mind now they think it no losse to be rid of the meanes of grace and the Ministers of Christ And no marvell men care not for the lives of the souls of others they have no care of their own O consider this ye Magistrates Ministers Husbands and Wives Parents Children life is an attribute of God the life of the soul is incomparably more pretious then of the body Therfore be not negligent either for your selves or others of the meanes appointed of God for the saving of poore soules that are in danger to be destroyed in hell So much for the first head in in this reproofe Such as neglect to save life in respect of themselves or others either the life of the body or of the soule Secondly And they fall more under this reproof and under the sad effects the wo pronounced as are ready to destroy life both their own and others both in regard of soule and body outward and inward estate as
experienced an artist is to be taken notice of As if mercy and love were one and the same thing And yet in many places of Scripture we find goodnes mercy taken in the same sense mercy and love somtimes distinguished for satisfaction herein and clearing of this difficultie we must know that if we restraine the word mercy to his proper signification according to the etymon of the word the definition of the vertue to wit to rid one out of a notable distress or misery from an aflicted compassionate heart towards him then mercy hath a narrower object then goodnes or love But yet because usually such workes as we call workes of mercy proceed from the affection of love and that love which we call the love of good will towards our neighbour doth in a sort wholly live in workes of mercy for the love of complacency is of another nature I say for this cause love mercy and goodnes are sometimes used to signifie one and the same readines to do good to all or help any and to be of a loving deportment Howsoever therefore there may be use of destinctions sometimes to wit when we speake particularly of them as vertues in men or graces in saints or attributes in God yet in ordinary popular discourse they come all to one and so are used by the Holy Ghost oftentimes in Scripture in passages both concerning God and also men But that nothing may be left unsaid to give full satisfaction I will give you distinct definitions of these three goodnes or benignity love of goodwill and mercy as they are attributed to God and found in men Goodnes is the will of God whereby he is inclined to do good to creatures and the effects thereof Love is the will of God approving what in his creatures is good and agreeable to his holy mind and manifestâ—d by sundry effects thereof Mercy is the will of God whereby he is inclined to succour such as are in misery and the manifestation of it in acts accordingly In men goodnes or benignitie is a disposition and indeavour to make the lives of creatures comfortable Amore nihil est aliud quaÌ„ bonum velle amata by affording all that may any way conduce thereunto And love is a certaine propension of the appetite concupiscible unto what is accounted good and fit for him that loveth and a manifestation of good will and friendship upon occasion both in word and deede to such objects And mercy said Philosophers is a sicknes of mind conceived from the misery of another stirring up to shew pity and compassion and to succour such a one But lastly in saints these come to be graces and so acceptable to God being fruits of the spirit tending to God and having respect to him So we are full of goodnes towards the bodies and soules of others communicating what we have for their good and benefitt Shewing love for Gods sake in both word and deed even to them that wrong us and abuse us And having bowels of mercy towards all that be in misery and being ready to do any thing for their succour Now of all these three vertues in men graces in Saints attributes of God What mercy is in God Miseri cordia est voluntas Dei qua ad succurrendum miseris propensus Sharpius The mercy of God some call the propertie or attribute of his nature inclining him to relieve the misery of his creature some the essenee of God shewing mercy Sclator on the 117. Psalme Ira dicitur esse in Deo non ut turbidus motus animi sed simplex voluntas ad ultionem we are to speake of mercy now as it is to him attributed One thing is very necessary to be premised in this discourse to wit that mercy in God is not as it is defin'd by Philosophers as hath beene before hinted A sicknes of mind conceived from the misery of another For sadnes and afliction of mind cannot be in God though in Scripture there are such metaphors used But mercy in God is his very essence whereby he is infinitely disposed to helpe succour and comfort such as be in any miserable condition Those expressions in Scripture In their afflictions he was afflicted And mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together Are borrowed Phrases As from the turning of the bowells in men at the fight of an object of pitty And yet in men this is not mercy it selfe but a companion of pitty Yet because by it our mercy is made known we call it by the name of mercy We call rowling of bowells mercy and mercy rowling of bowells which yet is but a companion of it and that in men only and not in God Mercy may be without it and in God allwaies is because God hath no bowels to be turned God is one most simple essence and hath no qualities And therefore when we say God is merciful we speak of him metaphorically as when we say God is angry Anger is a turbulency of spirit but there is no such thing in God The effects of that which is called anger in God are often put for angâ—r as when we see the punishment and scourges on the backes of wicked men we conclude that God is angry There is no real difference between his essence and attributes save only in our manner of conceiving Sclater In like manner when we see the rod taken of and cast into the fire which is an effect of mercy we say God is mercifull But mercy in God signifiâ—th two things First an inclination in his heavenly Majesty to shew mercy Secondly the effects of his supposed affection which is his helping of the miserable creature or a making out of God to such as have need of helpe and pitty The affection of mercy in men is knowne by that griefe that accompanies it Tanquam à nobis notiori vertus ipsa nomen traxit but such a companion of mercy cannot be in God O mercy is a glorious attribute of God he is a very sea of mercy he is never dry Amongst men he that is fullest of pitty is but a drop of it Their pitty falls infinitly short of what is in God And this mercy of God is either generall to all his creatures or speciall unto mankind or more speciall and peculiar that whereby he is said to be mercifull to his elect unto eternall life and freedom from the wrath to come Let us view the generall mercy of God to all his creatures Three things present themselves to be looked upon First the raising up of all creatures out of nothing Gen. 1.1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth Secondly The extension of tender mercies of providence towards all creatures wraped up in misery of which see Psalme 145.9 The Lord is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his workes His mercy is over and upon all his workes as the warmth of the hen
comming and should call in question Gods truth it were not so grievous to be borne But this is said that such as are gratious should say as David did in his hast Psalm 116.12 all men are lyers But whence issues this that we may see the grounds of this sore evill Quest Surely either from the misunderstanding of the promises Ans or from misapplying of them Concerning the first ye must know that some promises are made with condition and limitations As assurance of salvation peace of conscience temporall blessings Now many poore soules that enjoy not these promises often call in question Gods truth or their own good estate at least not considering that God may be true and we gratious and in Christ though neither assurance nor peace of conscience nor temporal favours be our portion For these promises have conditions and limitations Such as will have assurance must give diligence to make their calling and election sure And such as will have peace of conscience 2 Pet. 1.10 must have care to walke exactly according to rule As many as walke according to this rule peace be on them c. Gal. 6.16 And surely temporals are many times reached out to gratious souls with a streight hand for ends best known to God and worth the enquiring into at least sometimes by us No marvail then ye are so forward to charge God ye misunderstand thing ye erre not considering the promises with their limitations And likewise misapplication of promises causeth much mischief for promises are misapplied sometimes to Persons somtimes to state and behaviour For the former we read Mal. 3.14 of some that complained of want of care in God to reward them that served him They said it was vain to serve God and asked what profit there was to have kept his ordinances c. They considered not that some are called Jews onely and that he is not a Jew that is one outwardly onely The promise is not made to the ceremony but to the substance of Religion Many think themselves Gods children who are not so Now shall God be charged for want of truth concerning such as he never promised any thing unto O study to make your calling and election sure and to finde that ye are the children of the promise Likewise ye that are the children of God indeed must take heed how ye be carelesse of childe-like conversation For many times though ye be sons and daughters yet if ye break out into scandalous sins or be proud of your graces or negligent about cherishing Ordinances and so faile in your due qualifications and demeanour ye may finde God otherwise in his dispensations towards you then he would be if it were not your fault But if we be well instructed in Gods nature and dealings with his people and with hypocrites and carefull to get good evidence of our sincerity such as will not shrink in the wetting and also to walk exactly and be kept in a good decorum We may be sure all good things promised shall be performed accordingly seem Devils men and nature never so opposite When no means when no means competent when weak means when means opposite do all cry down the truth of God yet God will be true and it is our duty to trust God and to rest on his bare word and promise And now let us make some Use of the truth of Gods threats Vse 3 and menaces let sinners know that the God of truth hath said ye swore against some of them Psal 95.11 Vnto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest How dare ye take Gods name in vain as all do that make him a lyar yea perjured It is a kinde of blasphemy not to fear when God threatens or believe what he promiseth When men are perfidious and violate Oaths they are in credit neither with God nor good men their very names stink and they live under perpetuall infamy What a sin is this to rank God blessed for ever with the worst of men Yet so do all wicked men in effect and by consequence for they dare do that which God forbiddeth and to the doing of which he hath made threats that are able over one think to shake both heaven and earth Go too Sirs let me close up this Use with Deut. 29.19 and 20. And the Lord set it home upon your souls And it come to passe when he heareth the words of this curse that he blesse himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart to adde drunkennesse to thirst The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoake against that man and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven God is a God of truth And for the fourth and last Use of this point sith truth and Vse 4 faithfulnesse is an attribute of God let us learn to be like God men of truth take heed of falshood it argues a very wicked man and God is set against such Psal 55.23 But thou O God shall bring them down into the pit of destruction bloody and deceitfull men shall not live out half their dayes Such shall not prosper 2 Chron. 24.20 Why transgresse ye the commandements of the Lord that ye cannot prosper Because ye have forsaken the Lord he hath also forsaken you This attribute is among those vertues which admit resemblance in the creature the faithfull God owns not perfidious children It is a mark of one that shall be with God in glory to swear to his own heart and not to change Psal 15. v. 4. that is to be true and faithful though he lose by it from these two latter places ye see that truth in man hath a twofold relation First to God for as God hath bound himself to us by promise so we have covenanted our obedience to him Remember therefore your Baptisme and take heed of walking loosly in the Covenant And secondly to man we are bound to support the credit of fidelity though with losse What a shame is it for such as professe themselves Christians to be like the Jews in Jeremy cap. 9.4 5. Take ye heed every one of his neighbour and trust ye not in any brother for every brother will utterly supplant and every neighbor will walk with slanders And they will deceive every one his neighbour Sacerdos est non fallet christianis est non mentietur and will not speake the truth they have taught their tongue to speake lies and weary themselves to commit iniquity It was wont to be a saying He is a Priest he will not deceive he is a christian he will not ly O how comly were it that it might be so now is rather to be wished then expected Read the Turkish History page 287. The battaile of Varna betweene Vladislaus and Amuroth And consider how God