you thus faithful in your Callings it 's the main thing that God looks after faithfulness walking with him whilst we are performing the works of our Calling it 's not so much the Calling that God regards but your faithfulness in it let the Calling be what it will if a man have a Calling never so honourable yet if he be not faithful in it he is no way pleasing to God and on the other side if a man have a Calling never so mean and never so low yet if he be faithful in it it 's well pleasing to God oh it 's that which will stick by you yea it 's that which will follow you when you leave the world your Callings can't follow you they must leave you they must be left behind below but thy faithfulness that faithfulness that hath been exercised in thy employment and in thy work that will never leave thy soul that will follow it even unto heaven and now you that fear the Lord though others be unfaithful yet you are engaged to faithfulness you are ingaged to walk with God in the works of your Calling for you have the promise of protection you have the promise of blessing this is ingagement to you you have a promise that the Lord will be with you that his Angels shall be with you that they shall keep you continually when you are in your way and in the works of your Calling and therefore this is an engagement unto you and you have the promise of blessing the Lord if he bless you in your way what an engagement is this unto you to be faithful he will not only be with you when you are in those duties that do more nearly concern his worship but he hath promised to be with you by his protection and by his blessing even whilst you are in the works of your Calling and therefore walk up to God there in your Calling it 's a Talent left to you by God and it doth engage an ingenious man to be faithful therein you are betrusted and herein an instrument to do good to souls and bodies and therefore you are engaged herein as it is your duty therefore be faithful in all Oh what encouragement is here for Christians to consider this whatsoever their Calling is though never so mean they are accepted in it the Lord accepts it while they study faithfulness to carry it faithfully in a mans Calling in the meanest work that ever they took in hand they are accepted as if their work were the most honourable work in the world and therefore if you have acceptance not only when you come before God in his worship but when you are in your own waies in your Callings and Employments your person and works are accepted it 's a great engagement unto you to be found faithful in the works of your Calling And so much for this time SERMON VII GEN. 5. 24. And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him I Have given you part of the Character of one that walked with God and shewed you what he is in those duties that do more immediately concern God himself I shewed you the last time I spake what his carriage is in his Calling in his ordinary employment he looks upon his Calling as an Ordinance of God God who is an active Spirit can't endure that any of his creatures should be idle the very Angels have their employment there 's never an Angel in heaven idle Are they not all ministring spirits saies the Apostle in Heb. 1. they are all ministring spirits sent forth for the good of them that shall be saved And therefore out of this Consideration he submits unto the way of his Calling and desires to be faithful in it he also desires to do all that he doth to the Lord even the very works of his calling he doth them to the Lord he looks upon it as a trust from God and by that trust he is engaged to faithfulness and he desires to make God his last end there 's a further end besides the gain of riches and living in the world there 's a further end which he eyes which is more honourable more noble and that is to serve God in his Generation that he may be an instrument in the hand of God to do some good in his Generation that God may have the glory of it this is the last end and so he doth all as to the Lord he desires also to be holy and spiritual in the midst of his Calling though his hand be to the earth he desires that his heart may be upright he groans under the burden of a carnal heart it 's worse than death to him to be carnally minded he rejoices in the promise of holiness and in that Prophecie in Zachariah In that day holiness shall be written to the Lord upon the Bells of Horses there 's a promise that Gods people shall be holy when they are in the world in the midst of their Callings and Employments holiness shall be written to the Lord upon them he rejoices to think that that time is a coming he prays and waits to see the accomplishment of it in his own spirit he desires to sanctifie all by the Word and Prayer he knows it's the blessing of the Lord and not his own endeavours that can make him prosperous in his Calling he desires also that the things of the world don't shut out the things of God that 's another part of his walking with God Oh how fearful is he to grasp too much of the world how fearful is he that the things of the world should deprive him of those opportunities of waiting upon God of communion with the Lord and with his own spirit He doth not live upon his own endeavours but he lives by faith whilst he works with his hand he exercises faith in the promise for protection blessing and acceptance He desires also to shun all those snares and temptations that are in the way of his Calling as every Calling hath its special snare and temptation he desires there to be most watchful where there is most likelihood he should slip and fall and be snared and broken he prays and watches against the temptations that are in his way and is willing to abide with God in his Calling I shall now come to shew you what this person is in his Relations One that walks with God you shall find active gracious carry it graciously in his Relations And I shall only speak now of Family Relations and there 's some need we should speak of that It seems to be hinted in the Text That Enoch was faithful with God in his Family and this was mentioned That Enoch walked with God after he begat Methusalem three hundred years and begat sons and daughters and as he begat them so he brought them up to God and was found faithful in his family Relations There are three sorts there 's that of Husband and Wife Parent and Child and
for walking more close with God for embracing the truth of the times say If this be to be vile I 'le yet be more vile and know that it shall not be labour lost I say it shall not be labour lost to endeavour to walk thus closely with God as Enoch did you shall meet with that refreshment in God which will abundantly answer what you shall lose in the world what you shall part withal in the world the sweetness that you shall meet withal in Communion with God it shall abundantly satisfie for the loss of all creature comforts whatsoever if you shall lose any thing for walking thus closely with him I shall say no more Your memories shall be precious in Gods sight when rich men and great men and men of parts shall rot and perish die and come to nothing and their names shall perish with them and rot Why the names of the righteous such as walk close with God in their Generation their names shall be as a Box of Oyntment poured forth and they shall be sweet and precious to God and to his Saints throughout all Generations And thus I have shewed you these two particulars That God hath some of his Servants in all Generations that walk more close with him than others and secondly That the Lord takes special notice of such and sets some special badge of Honour upon them the main Point in hand is still behind SERMON III. GEN. 5. 24. And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him I Have already considered two Propositions that did arise from some particular consideration before I came to the main First In that Enoch is taken notice of above the rest here are ten Patriarchs spoken of in this Chapter but it 's said of Enoch only that he walked with God they all walked with God but he in a special manner God hath some of his Servants in all Ages that walk more close with him than others that was the first Proposition And then Secondly That the Lord takes special notice of such here 's more notice taken of Enoch than of all the rest Enoch walked with God And there is one particular more before I come to the main Observation And that is The consideration of the Time in which Enoch lived It was in evil times men began exceedingly to degenerate the world began to grow exceeding wicked and was filled with violence and therefore it was that Enoch did breath out threatnings against them he breathed out threatnings of Judgement against the men of his Generation which the Apostle Jude doth apply to the men of that Age in which he lived in Jude 14 15. it 's said there speaking of the wickedness of his Generation And Enoch the seventh from Adam Prophesied of these saying Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints to execute Judgement upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him the Prophet it 's very probable did Prophesie this against the men of his Generation they being exceedingly corrupt and the Apostle doth apply it unto the Age in which he lived because it was like unto the Age in which Enoch lived which was very corrupt so that you see and it 's very observable that in the time in which Enoch lived that Generation was very corrupt yet he walked with God It affords us this Proposition to pitch upon That The Lord takes it exceeding kindly when his people walk closely with him in evil times it 's the great commendation of the Saints then to walk closely with God it was the commendation of the Church of Pergamus in Rev. 2. 13. I know thy works and where thou dwellest even where Satans seat is and thou holdest fast my name and hast not denied my Faith even in those daies wherein Antipas my faithful Martyr was slain who was slain among you where Satan dwelleth This was the great commendation of that Church that though she dwelt where Satans seat was in the midst of wicked men where the Devil rules where the Devil hath his Throne yet there thou hast not denied my Faith but there thou holdest fast my truth this Christ took exceeding kindly It was the great commendation of Job that he was a perfect man he was a perfect and upright man though he dwelt in the Land of Vz he was a man that dwelt in the Land of Vz a perfect and upright man he was upright in the midst of a sinful people they were of the posterity of Esau that inhabited that place a crooked Generation and yet Job was an upright man amongst them that was his great commendation It was the great commendation of Noah that he was a just man in an unjust world it 's said the whole earth was filled with violence in Noah's daies and then Noah was a just and perfect man It was the great commendation of Joseph that he feared the Lord amongst the Egyptians he dwelt amongst those that had not the fear of the Lord amongst them and yet he retained the fear of the Lord. And so it was the great commendation of David that his spirit was carried after God not only when he was in Jerusalem but when he was among the Heathen when he was amongst the Inhabitants of Meshek when he was in the Tents of Kedar Woe is me that I am to dwell with the Inhabitants of Meshek c. and yet even then David's heart was carried after God and that was David's great commendation It was one of the glories and beauties of Christ himself That he was holy and righteous in a sinful world As the Apple-tree in the midst of the Trees in the Forest so is my Beloved among the Sons Cant. 2. 3. He was an Apple-tree in the midst of wild Trees when he was compassed about with Bryars Thorns and Thistles and Crab-trees yet he continued a pleasant Apple-tree and brought forth delightful fruit to God and man Now for the clearing of this Point That the Lord takes it exceeding kindly when his people walk close with him in evil times I shall shew you First What the evil times are And then Secondly What it is to walk with God in evil times And Thirdly Make it evident that this is exceeding acceptable unto God which will make way for the Application First If you enquire what those evil times are in which close walking with God is so exceeding acceptable 1. First Times of General Apostasie times of great corruption and of General Apostasie from God from the truth and from the waies of God and from the worship of God when men shall lose not only the power but the very form of Godliness when such as seem to be like Stars shall be swept down and when most men are carried away with the stream of looseness it 's an evil time and then to walk with God is
in a corrupt time I say to practise those waies of holiness and righteousness and hold forth those graces which are contrary to the wickedness of the times and therefore it was Job's great commendation that he was upright that he was an upright man in a crooked Generation he lived amongst a crooked people And it was the great commendation of Noah that he practised righteousness it 's said he was a just man when the world was most unjust it 's said The earth was filled with violence there was no righteousness in Noah's daies and then Noah was a just man he was a lover of justice and righteousness he was a follower of it a pattern at that time when there was nothing but unjustness and violence in those times and thus to walk with God in a corrupt time is very pleasing and acceptable But again 3. Thirdly To walk with God in a corrupt time is then when the Servants of God shall stir up others to cleave close to God at that time this is part of their service at such time to endeavour to strengthen and to hold up the hands and the hearts of one another in declining and sinful times you may remember the place before Mal. 3. 16. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another when the time was woefully corrupt this was the service of that Generation then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another they spake words of encouragement to strengthen one another that they might not be dismayed that they might go on with boldness in professing the name and truth of Jesus Christ notwithstanding all opposition 4. Again Fourthly When the Saints shall Rest upon the promises of God which seem to be far off this is part of their walking with God in an evil time I say then to act faith in the promises which seem to be far off when you see nothing but corruption nothing but darkness yet even then to look to the promises of life and holiness and grace which shall be given out and shall be fulfilled when there is little or no knowledge of God then to close with the promise that the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea so the promise that God hath made to roul away the reproach of his servants when they meet with nothing but reproaches from men then to look upon the promise that he 'll roul away their reproach and cause their righteousness to break forth as the Sun at noon-day That 's another Again 5. Fifthly When they shall Vindicate the Providences of God though never so seemingly cross unto promises and so clear all dispensations of God both to the righteous and the wicked and though he suffer the righteous to be trodden under-foot yet they shall then vindicate God in his dispensations and say That the Lord is good and righteous and just and there 's no iniquity in him there 's a time a coming when he shall clear up this truth and they shall discern between the righteous and the wicked there 's a time a coming when it shall be said Verily there is a reward for the righteous there 's a reward for the just of the earth they shall vindicate the Providences of God in the face of the wicked Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints to execute Judgement upon all there 's a day of reckoning coming when the wicked shall pay for all this he resolves on and this is a second part of that service viz. what it is to walk with God in evil times But 3. Thirdly It 's exceeding pleasing to God that his Servants thus should walk and stick close to him in evil times I shall look no further than that of the Prophet Malachi Mal. 4. 16. which we before spake of Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard and then a Book of remembrance is set before them for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his Name You may see the Lord is exceeding intent upon his servants that walk close with him in evil times he doth eye them and his ear is towards them he listens to every word they speak They that feared the Lord spake often one to another and it 's said there The Lord hearkened and heard the Lord hearkened he did as if a man should listen to hear what his servants should say one unto another they had other listners it's like in that evil time the wicked hearkened and listned that they might trap them Ay but God listens for another end he hearkened and heard and a book of remembrance was written before them There 's another particular which doth declare how acceptable it is to God that they walk before him in evil times a book of remembrance is set before them while they speak God writes and takes notice of what they say A book of remembrance he writes a book of Chronicles that it may not be forgotten what they spake of God and one to another An allusion to the custom of Princes that they had their books in which they writ what any man did for them what good service they had done for the State as Mordecai's good service was written in a Book the King calls for the book in which the services of Mordecai were writ so the Lord looks in his Book a Book of remembrance was written But again Further A Book was written for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name nothing that they did for God and spake of God and thought of God there 's nothing shall be lost it was an evil time and it may be they durst not speak all their thoughts yet all their good thoughts were taken notice of by the Lord they were not let go but set down in his book even their thoughts were written down God will write them that they shall not be forgotten Oh I remember the kindness of thy youth Jer. 2. 2. and the love of thy espousal when thou followedst me in the Wilderness to follow God alone in a Wilderness when there 's little or no company God takes this as a special respect and kindness But why does God take notice of his people in special who walk most close with him in evil times 1. First of all I Answer briefly It discovers that the very Life of God and Christ is in that soul God rejoices in the Image of his Life which he beholds in his Children it 's an argument that the Fish hath life when it swimms against the stream the dead Fish that 's carried down the stream it cannot make any resistance It 's an Argument the life of Christ is in that soul that is enabled to walk with God in evil times to go against the stream of corruption and looseness 2. Secondly Again As it is an Argument of Life so it 's an Argument of Strength that soul hath got much strength from God
against the extream of a short life and a long uncomfortable Oh saies the soul I am pressing after the Lord and breathing after him and this is my fear I shall be cut off before his work be done in me Fear it not the Lord will not cut off the daies of his servants but in love if it be not for thy good it shall not come unto thee Old Simeon waited for the consolations of Israel he might have many discouragements what hopes had he to see Christ when he had one foot in the Grave And yet at last he saw Christ the hope of his Salvation But they may think if they should live they should live to decay in profession and to go backward Oh fear not I am perswaded neither things present nor things to come even old age shall separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus Though God do send for some of his servants it 's no argument that he don't love you though you live long Mathusalem lived nine hundred years the rest of the Patriarchs were holy men as well as others That 's a Ninth Vse 10. Tenthly This may teach to covet to desire to live much rather than to live long Oh labour to do much for God while ye live to do much for God in the service of your Generation What ever your hand finds to do do it with all your might labour to redeem time and take all seasons and all opportunities of getting nigher God Oh lose no opportunity lose no part of precious time A Heathen could say There 's no time past but there 's something is worth the writing let no part of your precious time be waste and nothing done time is short and therefore you had need live every part of time live every hour and live every moment rather covet to live much than long Oh labour for an eternal life this life is short in a moment God shortens the time of the best of his servants and therefore if this time be short oh labour for an eternal life and do what you do for God with all your might and with all your strength He is an unwise man that will protract time that will do that in a year which he might do in a day Oh covet much you have a pattern of the Lord Jesus Christ he lived not long on earth but he did much in a little time he wrought whilst it was day he knew the night was coming Christ did so and Satan doth so he knows his time is short and he bestirs himself he knows it must be now or never if Satan be thus wise for his Kingdom shall not we that profess our selves to be Christs be thus wise in the matters of his Kingdom Here is all the time you have to work in oh you have no more working daies work apace for God for in the end of the six daies of this life there 's a rest a coming there 's no work beyond the Grave either in heaven or in hell you that are Christs you shall not work after this life is at an end your rest comes then yea that 's the time of your sitting down this is the time of your walking not the time of your rest and seeing you have no more time to eternity to work in there 's no more working daies be content to work now be earnestly desirous to do all you can to lift up God and Christ and his Kingdom whilst you are on earth for what know you your time is short and what know you but that you may live even as Enoch whose life was but half the daies of the rest of the Patriarchs Thus I have shewn you at what time Enoch was taken at three hundred sixty and five years It remains further to enquire Wherefore did God take Enoch away and why he did take him away at that time and wherefore Enoch was taken in that extraordinary way both soul and body to Heaven SERMON XII GEN. 5. the latter end of the 24 Verse And he was not for God took him I Shewed you the last day at what time God took Enoch it was when he had not attained to half the years of the rest of that Generation God sometimes shortens the daies of his own servants in Love I answered an Objection the last day Object Is not long life promised as a blessing to the Saints Thou shalt come to thy Grave in a full age as a Shock of Corn in its season How is this promise made good when God takes away some of his people before they have attained to half their daies that they might have lived unto in the course of nature I answered in many things Answ 1. First That this is an Old Testament promise God walked then in a way of temporal promises more than now in this dispensation under the Gospel in which he gives out less temporals and more spirituals Besides I told you it was a conditional promise as in all the promises of outward good things that are made to Gods people the promises of health strength riches and honour and of long life they must be taken with this limitation so far as God in infinite wisdom shall see to be best for them so far shall he give out to them and therefore if God do take away any of his people at any time it is because God sees it best for them to be taken home to himself it is best for them to have a short time because that their daies are evil Man that is born of a woman saies Job is one of few daies and full of trouble and there is a mercy that both these go together few of daies and full of trouble Besides I answered That the promise is made good though God do take away some of his people whilst young yet the promise is made good they come to the Grave in full age because they come to the Grave full of grace he is not cut down before he is ripe they are not like the Corn on the house top that is burnt up before it is ripe but God can make them full of grace which is a full age and herein his promise is made good Besides his promise is made good because God makes them willing to leave the world when he calls for them the righteous man when God calls for him he saies as Elias said Lord it is enough if thou saiest it is enough that I have lived so long upon earth I will say so too Lord I have enough of living here I have enough of this world here 's nothing that is desirable or that may draw forth my affection to live longer if this be the determined time of God A wicked man hath never life enough though he liveth a hundred years twice told yet he is as greedy to live longer as at first but God satisfies the hearts of his servants in that they have lived long enough and their time is come and that satisfies them and thus
the Pillars of Kingdoms nay they are the Pillars of the whole World so saies the Psalmist The earth shook O Lord and I will bear up the Pillars of it If the Pillars of the House be pluckt down how can the House stand If you see one Pillar after another fall you will conclude certainly that House won't hold long Why the Saints are the Pillars of the World and if it were not for their sakes the earth would mingle together presently but you must know this is not from any merit worth or righteousness of theirs though they are thus called Pillars I say it is not for any worth or righteousness of the Saints or the best on earth but they are called Pillars and they bear up Kingdoms and they bear up the Earth 1. First Because God is intreated by their supplications I say they prevail they stand at the gap they prevail with God to keep out wrath and Judgement that it may not break in and so you know Moses pleads with God and so long as Moses pleaded with God God could do nothing against Israel Let me alone that I may destroy them and so Abraham pleads for Sodom that God would spare that City for ten righteous mens sakes and God grants that request and it is very observable that Abraham gave over first God did not give over first it is like if he had gone lower he might have prevailed but there was a holy ingenuity and faithfulness in him when he considered that in so many Cities there should not be ten righteous men there why he could not in ingenuity ask any less and so by their supplication they bear up Kingdoms and Nations 2. Secondly And then again The Lord doth spare places and people many times from the care that God hath of them for the care that the Lord hath of his own people Wilt thou destroy the righteous with the wicked Rather spare the wicked for the righteous sake and God doth choose this way this is Gods way he will rather spare the wicked for the righteous sake because God is exceeding careful of his own people he fears lest they should suffer he will rather have the tares grow with the Corn together than the good Corn should be in danger of being pluckt up and therefore he tells Lot of making haste in Gen. 19. when God was about to destroy Sodom Haste thee escape thither for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither I am so careful of my Lot that I can do nothing in way of Judgement till Lot be out of fear and danger this was not for desert of Lot's righteousness but the free-grace of God towards him for it is said in that Chapter When the Lord delivered him he was merciful to him 3. Thirdly The Lord spares many times evil wicked men for the love that he bears to his own he gives to his people the lives of others because he loves them so dear so God gave Paul in Acts 27. 24. he gave him the lives of a great many the lives of all that were in the Ship which were two hundred threescore and sixteen souls because the Lord loved him dearly O how good is it to be with the righteous It is good to be in their very company one righteous man one Paul saves a Ship-ful ten righteous men may save Sodom and four Cities more and a considerable number of righteous men may save a Kingdom for a few righteous mens sakes the whole world is preserved that fire and wrath is not mingled in a moment heaven and earth mingled in a moment it is for their sakes And therefore I beseech you consider and take notice of the infinite goodness and patience of God even to the worst of sinners that he should be pleased thus to give warning before he strikes to give warning to a sinful Generation by his own people before he destroy the world O the abundance of the good patience of God! God seldom smites by a remarkable Judgement till he gives warning it is sad warning and of all warnings this is a warning when God is a taking away his own people to take them away from the evil to come it is a sad warning unto a people in that condition that takes not this warning when God is at so much pains and cost with them Therefore in the second place I beseech you when God gives this warning O let us be careful to take it it is the greatest provocation to God when he gives warning and we take it not in this regard Christ upbraids the Scribes and Pharisees and saies to them Can you discern the face of the Skies and cannot you see these signs Do you see the signs there and cannot you discern the signs of the times Cannot you discern when full wrath is coming when Judgement is a coming Cannot you discern it by Gods signs O how many signs hath God shewn what abundance of his Noahs hath he Shipt How many Enochs have been translated by death How much blood hath been spilt precious blood O that God would make it to be a warning to this Generation that the Lord would stir us up too to revive and run after him that God should give us warning O that we could say Thou hope of Israel why shouldst thou be as a stranger and as a wayfaring man that staies but for a night and is gone in the morning But Again This upbraids the World for their former Ingratitude to the Saints it is for their sakes that you wicked have your lives continued and all your comforts continued and how is the enmity of the world let forth against those for whose sakes they are preserved What folly is it that men should go about to pull down the Pillars of that house in which they dwell It was an extream desperate action that Sampson did when that he should pull down the Pillars of the House and it cost him his own life O this is the folly of the wicked in the world that rage against the Saints that pull down the Pillars well know of a truth when those Pillars are down the House will fall upon your head and to pull down these Pillars will be to pull down the house to your own destruction Again This may teach the people of God to submit willingly to lie down willingly in the dust when God shall call them it is possible they may be taken away from a great deal of evil to come it should make them willing to lie down in the dust when God calls God may take you away from many an evil day that is coming many an evil day of persecution and many an evil day of old age Remember thy Creator in the daies of thy youth through the infirmities that do accompany old age it becomes an evil day Again There 's danger then of declining O David prayed and prayed heartily that God would not leave him to his own will and that he would take him
only rest in their bed in the Grave but they shall enter into peace and they shall enter into joy in Matth. 25. 21. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord he enters into peace he enters into joy that he shall thenceforth dwell in it he shall dwell in joy he takes full possession of it it is no more shut out peace doth enter into the righteous mans heart whilst he is on earth but till death comes his peace here shall be interrupted he shall enter into it and it into him what Job saies of the body so of the joy of the righteous man it continues not at a stay his peace and joy is many times interrupted but in Heaven he shall meet with no more Clouds there shall be a morning that shall drive away all Clouds he shall enter into joy and he shall dwell in the fulness of it Christ hath purchased it and he hath given out the first fruits of this peace and joy but the full possession is no till death and therefore it is said in Psal 97. 11. That light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart he reaps something here but it is but a little in respect of the harvest that he shall reap afterward it rather seems to be a sowing time than a reaping here but afterward he shall reap the fulness of it peace is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart so that here is another benefit of gain to a Believer by death he shall then drink to satisfaction of those Rivers of joy and pleasures for evermore that do run at the right-hand of God 3. But again Thirdly As he gains joy and peace so by death the believing soul gains enlargement and liberty this is a great part of his gain the soul by death is set at liberty for the spirit even of a righteous man though it be the Candle of the Lord and though it be enlightened from Heaven yet whilst it is in this body which is now corrupted it is like a light that is in a dark Lanthorn the light of those excellent faculties of the soul are eclipsed and darkened I say so it is with all mankind the curse came by the fall of Adam that the body is as a dark Lanthorn to the soul and it doth hide that light which should otherwise be revealed as the soul acts most highly when it hath least of the body as when the body is asleep it sees not it hears not it reads not yet the soul then sees and mourns and joyes more exquisitely than it doth or can do in the body and therefore when the soul is nigh parting with the body it acts most highly and so it shall do in its separation when separated from his body it shall be freed from his dark Lanthorn it shall be taken out from his Dungeon as it were and all the faculties of the soul shall be enlarged the understanding the apprehension the capacity of the soul shall be mightily enlarged The Prophet speaks of a time a coming that there shall be no more an Infant of daies the beginnings of it shall be on earth but the perfection of it shall be in Heaven There shall be no more an infant of daies there shall be no more a child of understanding but he that is weak shall be as David and he that is as David shall be as the Angel of the Lord the capacity of the soul shall be wonderfully enlarged as it shall comprehend most of God here it is straitened and it could not receive much of God it could not receive much of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ it is not large enough to take in much of the notion of those glorious things but when death comes it shall be enlarged And then saies the Apostle I shall know even as I am known It shall be exceedingly enlarged to take in very much of God And as the understanding shall be set at liberty so all the faculties of the soul shall be set at liberty They shall be greatly enlarged towards God and run towards God the desires of the soul shall run like a mighty stream towards God here there was but a little drop of the affection but then a mighty stream shall run not only faith but love shall be perfect A believing soul shall be enlarged in respect of action as the faculties so all the actings of the Soul shall be set at large at liberty here the soul can't act according to its desires it would do more for God but there 's a clogg that lies upon it it hath mighty wings wings like the Ostridge but there is such a heavy body as it can't get up there 's wings would carry the soul up to Heaven every moment but there is a heavy body in Rom. 7. 19 20 24. For the good that I would I do not but the evil which I would not that I do Now if I do that I would not it is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death I say there is infiniteness in a believers desires to do for God and he would enjoy more and more still and he would do more and more for God ay but he is straitened up in his actings there he is narrow he cannot act according to his desire but now when death comes the believing soul shall be set at liberty it shall be able to act according to its desire it shall be whatever it desires to be and it shall do whatever it desires to do and it shall have as much holiness as it will desire to have this is a mighty priviledge and a great deal of that gain that comes in by death unto that soul where Christ is its life it meets with this liberty and enlargement But again 4. Fourthly The believing soul by death gains not only liberty but abundance of life it gains life it hath more of the life of Christ it enjoyes more of the life of Christ and hath the fulness of it communicated and now Brethren this is a mighty gain to gain life what would a man gain more and what is a greater gain than life It is beyond the gain of all treasure whatever Natural life is the greatest of all mercies Thou shalt have thy life for a prey and that 's the greatest mercy Skin for skin and all that a man hath will he give for his life and in this the believing soul shall come nearer to the life of Christ for he shall have the life of Christ who is the fountain and so more of it communicated to him and therefore it was that for which the Apostle desired to be dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all for there he should have perfection of life in Christ there shall be nothing there to hinder the life of Christ from flowing in unto the soul there
dangers from all the Creatures there 's no hedge about them God hath not made a League with the Beasts in the Field for them Here is the misery of a man out of Christ it is set forth by a Tree that is in the Wilderness a Tree that grows in the Wood And therefore a word of Application to this particular Vse Beloved This lets us see the necessity of being planted into Christ by faith We are all of the wild Olive and the wild Vine and therefore there is a necessity that every man should seek after his transplanting into Christ Oh that the Lord would make you willing to be pluckt up by the Roots You that are out of Christ be willing to be pluckt up by the Roots that you may be planted into Christ There is some rooting that every natural man hath which he is loth to be pluckt from One man is rooted into the World and another is rooted in his lusts and another is rooted in himself in his own righteousness in his own works in his own strength in his own performances Oh that the Lord would make you willing to be pluckt up from all that Root that in which you have any thing besides Christ Here is the great difficulty to bring off the wills of men Men cry out many times Oh it is a hard matter Oh it 's an impossible thing that ever they should be pluckt up from such Rooting That they have such lusts Trees which are of twenty thirty forty years growth and all that time rooting deeper and deeper Is it possible that such should be plucked up by the Roots and planted into Christ My Brethren it 's possible if men were willing to be pluckt up the Lord would soon accomplish it You know what Christ said to his Disciples that if they had Faith as a grain of Mustard-seed they should say to this Cedar be removed into the Sea and it should be so Why the Lord can make poor Creatures to do that which is impossible for sense and reason to think may be done Oh what is it that the Lord can't do There is no Oake there is no Cedar so strong and so tall and so deeply rooted but the Lord can say Be thou removed be thou plucked up by the Roots There is no Tree so barren there is no Soul grows in such a barren Soyl but the Lord can say Be thou plucked up and be thou rooted in that fruitful Soyl. Oh that the Lord would make the hearts of men willing to be pluckt up by the Roots from that rooting which they have in sin or which they have in themselves that so they may be planted in a better soyl and rooted in the Lord Jesus Do but remember this that you may see what a necessity there is that every man should seek after their planting in Christ Why so long as you are out of Christ you are wild Trees so long as you are out of Christ you bring forth no fruit you bring forth no good fruit Our Saviour makes it an impossible thing in Mat. 7. 17. Even so every good Tree bringeth forth good fruit but a corrupt Tree bringeth forth evil fruit It 's impossible that ever the fruit should be good so long as the Tree is evil Now so long as a Man is out of Christ he is an evil Tree he is a wild Tree a Tree of the Wood a Tree of the Forest not a Tree of the Garden Oh that men would be made good that their Trees might bring forth good fruit Truly it 's in vain to teach men to bring forth good fruit until such time as the Tree be made good If the Tree were made good and ingrafted into Christ it 's impossible that that good Tree should bring forth evil fruit Oh know you that have Interest in Christ that all the fruit that you bring forth out of Christ is lost I say Men and Women they lose all their fruit It 's such as the Lord can't accept of such as the Lord doth not delight in The Lord could not endure that fruit that Israel brought forth in the first of Isaiah they were a burden to him their fruit he was weary of they and all the fruit that they brought forth to God were cast out What a pitiful thing is it that a man should lose all his fruit all his Labour and all his pains Yea truly till a man be in Christ all is lost You know the young man in the Gospel that came to Christ he had a great deal of good Moral fruit he had kept all the Commandments he said from his youth and yet all that fruit was lost it withered and fell off before it was ripe it rotted and perished it was never gathered by Christ his Soul did never eat of it it was no delight to him And why because though the Tree had a great deal of seeming good fruit on it yet it was an evil Tree it was a wild Tree Nay Let men consider further what a fearful word was spoken against such wild Trees as bring forth no fruit to God or such fruit as is sowre as his Soul can have no pleasure nor delight in it was a dreadful Word spoken by Daniel which was spoken concerning the great Tree see Dan. 4. 14. Hew down the Tree and cut off the Branches and scatter the Leaves and the fruit Why this was spoken of the mighty Tree which reached up to Heaven a Tree that did fill the whole Earth with its outward Glory and yet of this very Tree God said Hew it down and it was hewn down Oh that men would remember there is no outward priviledge that can exempt a man from the stroak of the Lord. He can breath upon the tallest Cedars and the greatest Oaks if the Lord blow upon them they shall wither as the Grass in the Field Now is the Ax laid to the root of the Tree saith John the Baptist in Mat. 3. 10. Therefore every Tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the Fire Now that the Gospel is preached now that Christ himself is come to offer terms of peace unto him now that God from Heaven hath declared his willingness to pluck men out of the cursed Soyl of Nature and to implant them into his Son now now if men submit not unto Christ if they continue obstinate hew them down and make them fewel for unquenchable Fire Oh now see then how it concerns every man to seek to be implanted into Christ It 's not a leaning upon Christ that will serve mens turns but there must be a planting into Christ a rooting in Christ the Apricock doth lean upon the wall but it 's not rooted into the wall it hath not its life from the wall but it 's rooted in the Ground And so many a poor creature may pretend he is leaning upon Christ and in the mean time he is rooted in the World in his filthiness in his base
to go down into Egypt and have not asked at my mouth to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and to trust in the shadow of Egypt Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion God pronounceth wo to them that run down to Egypt you see there that strength and shadow is all one they trust in the strength of Egypt under the shadow of Egypt that is the strength of Egypt They thought that Egypt should have been their protection so Psa 17. when David prayes that the Lord would protect him he prays that the Lord would be a shadow to him there protection and shadow is all one Verse 8. keep me as the Apple of thine eye hide me under the shadow of thy Wings Now if you take shadow in this Metaphorical sence for defence and protection it 's very evident that Christ is thus a shadow unto his people he is their defence and protection It 's he that defends them from the wrath of God and it 's he that defends them from the wrath of man It 's said of some trees the Laurel tree and some other they are a defence unto men in a tempest of thunder and Lightening However it 's true of Christ He that sits under Christ he is a defence from thunder and lightening from the wrath of God and that Soul that stands under him he is safe and well protected And as he is a defence to man from the wrath of God so he is a defence from the wrath of man Isa 4. 6. And there shall be a Tabernacle for a shadow in the day-time from the heat and for a place of refuge and for a covert from storm and from rain The Lord Christ promiseth protection unto his people in the day time when it 's never so hot when the wrath of man is fierce and cruel and there is a like promise in the 25. of the same prophecie 4. verse For thou hast been a strength to the poor a strength to the needie in his distress a refuge from the storm a shadow from the heat when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall c. the Lord Christ he is such a shadow such a protection to his people against the heat and tempest of all wrathfull ones 2. Secondly Again A shadow in the Metaphorical sense it signifies afflictions and sorrows and sometimes Death it self because they are privations of comfort even as the shadow is a privation of light and these may be called Christs shadows the sufferings of Christ are Christs shadows It was the sufferings of Christ that did eclipse his glory when he was here upon earth now all these shadows these sufferings of Christ though they were dreadful shadows to him yet they are comfortable shadows to his people from first to last all the sufferings of Christ are comfortable shadows to his people He sat under them with abundance of grief and dolour that so his people might sit under him with abundance of joy and peace and comfort his temptations were all sore griefs Oh what a day of temptation was it to him And yet how comfortable were these sufferings unto his people Afflictions even Death it self was a shadow to Christ and what a comfortable refreshing was it to his people When Christ was upon the Cross he cast a great shadow and what comfortable refreshment is it for poor weary Souls to sit under it 3. Again Thirdly The shadow in a Metaphorical sence in Scripture is a dark representation of a thing that which doth represent a thing it 's called the shadow of it as you know the types and Ceremonies and the whole Levitical Law they did hold forth something of Christ and therefore all those ceremonies and types they were shadows of things to come and so the Apostle speaks of all those ceremonial things they were the shadow but the body is Christ So then whatever it is that holds forth Christ whatsoever it is that represents Christ to the soul that may be called a shadow the shadow of Christ under which the Soul sits down which the Soul takes delight in As all the Ordinances of Christ they hold forth something of Christ as a mans picture is called a shadow the ordinances they hold forth Christ there 's the shadow of Christ in them The word holds forth something of Christ and so the Sacrament and so the fellowship of the saints there 's something of Christ to be found in all these to be seen and enjoyed in all these this also is one of the shadows of Christ that a gracious heart desires to sit under where ever it sees any thing of Christ in any word any Ordinance in any Communion of saints there it takes delight it blesses God for such communications of himself and there it sits down desiring with all faithfulness to wait upon God in them that it may see more of Christ until such time as the day shall break and the shadows may flie away Thus you may see what this shadow is that the believing soul desires to sit under and how Christ is likened and set forth by the Natural and Metaphorical shadow Quest But you will say in the next place What is it to sit down under this shadow Answ First of all It 's a Posture of rest as walking is a moving posture so sitting is a posture of rest It holds forth the soul is in a restless condition till such time as it comes to Christ there is no rest till such time as it pitches upon Christ what sayes David in that Psalm he speaks unto his Soul there when he desired that he might return to his rest Psalm 116. 7. Now Oh my soul return unto thy rest for the Lord he hath dealt bountifully with me he had been wandring abroad in the world and he found no rest there he returns to God as to his resting-place and now Oh my soul return unto thy rest 2. Again Secondly it 's a rest with Confidence as it 's a resting Posture so it 's a Confident Posture A man will not sit down in a place of danger if he sees danger he will not sit down If a man be in such a place as he fears wild beasts or thieves he will not sit down why when a man sits it 's a confident Posture to sit down with Christ it 's a confident Posture it 's to trust in Christ when the soul layes all its weight upon Christ when it looks to the power goodness and faithfulness of the Lord Jesus held forth in the promise there it sits and ventures it self upon him and saith with the Apostle I know in whom I have trusted and believed and he is able to keep what I have committed to his trust 3. Thirdly Again sitting it 's a posture of stedfastness when a man leans or rests upon another he is ready to fall down but this holds forth the stedfastness
now Christ is he that quickens whom he will by the mighty power of his resurrection is a poor soul raised up to live unto God I say all the life and strength of grace comes from the resurrection of Christ see what the Apostle says in Rom. 6. 4. mark that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father that is by the glorious power of the father by that almighty power in which he was so glorious I say Christ was raised from the dead even so saith he we should walk in newness of life it 's a mighty argument unto a gracious heart to walk with God and to live unto God and to walk in the newness of the Spirit why Christ he is risen he is risen from the dead and therefore when this word comes to the soul that is grovelling here below and seeks Christ in dead works and duties he is not there he sees not the death nor the resurrection of Christ but the power of Christ doth raise souls to live unto this newness of life and that is the fruit of the resurrection of Christ But 3. Again Thirdly there is another fruit of the resurrection of Christ and that is the Resurrection of the body at the last day this is a most sweet fruit that grows upon Christ the resurrection of the bodies of all his Saints at the last day he is said to be the first fruits of them that slept in 1 Cor. 15. 20. He is become the first-fruits of them that slept the first-fruits sanctifie the whole crop they were to bring the first-fruits the first-fruits they were brought forth the first-fruits sanctifie the crop that as they should reap that for the glory of God so their whole harvest now Christ he is the first-fruits of them that slept his resurrection it gives assurance unto the saints that as he is risen from the dead so the Lord he shall also raise them up he shall raise them up by the mighty power of his resurrection see there in the Gospel by Matthew 27. 52. And many bodies of the saints which slept arose and came out of the graves after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared unto many a pledge given of our resurrection that all the saints shall be raised at the last many of the Saints that slept in the dust they arose and were seen of many in Jersalem there were witnesses of it this is a pledge I say that the bodies of all the Saints shall be raised up at the last day and these are the fruits that grow upon Christs Resurrection 7. Seventhly There are also many fruits that grow upon Christs Ascension his Ascension unto Heaven to tell you what fruits are there 1. First of all this is the fruit of Christs Ascension viz. The glorious triumph over all enemies and powers of darkness both in his own person and in his people I say a glorious triumph over all enemies for the day of Christs Ascension was the day of his triumph it 's said in Ephes 4. 8. when he ascended on high he led captivity captive alluding to a great conquest that when they have taken captives they will have a day of triumph to shew them openly and so Jesus Christ he led captivity captive Sin and Satan and all the powers of darkness that had led poor souls captive even them hath he led captive and looks upon all these as bound by Christ and they shall do no great harm that 's the first fruit of Christs ascension 2. Secondly the donation of the spirit and all the gifts of the Spirit is another fruit of Christs Ascension it 's said before in that place of the Ephesians That when he ascended on high he led Captivity Captive and he gave gifts to men all the gifts that are given to Churches to men for the use of the Churches they are the fruit of Christs Ascension Nay all the gifts and graces that are given to any particular Soul they are fruits of Christs Ascension he gave gifts to men yea to the Rebellious yea The Spirit of grace and consolation is given to the Saints to comfort them and to lead them into truth See what Christ hath promised in John 16. 7. Nevertheless I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him unto you see how the sending of the Spirit did depend upon Christs going If I do not ascend the Spirit will not come but if I go I will send him 3. But again Thirdly There is another fruit of Christs Ascension and that is The carrying up of the hearts of his people into Heaven the holy conversation and those heavenly affections and dispositions which are or should be in all the Saints they are the fruits of Christs Ascension for he ascended for this very end that he might lift up their hearts If I be lifted up I will draw all men after me he was lifted up into heaven that he might draw eyes and souls after him and therefore it 's observable how Christ ascended he ascended openly he ascended in the view of all that were present he ascended whilest he was in the midst of his Disciples talking of things concerning the Churches he presently ascended this was one end why Christ would not ascend in secret but openly that they may know he is in Heaven and that by the sight of his Ascension he might draw them after him in Spirit though they could not follow him in body for the present as the Eagle when she teaches her young ones she goes before and flyeth aloft that they may follow after her and thus doth the Lord Jesus he soars aloft that he might make his Saints to give holy attempts at least in their Spirits whilst their bodies are here on earth Oh he can't endure that they should be creeping here below a low spirit and a low conversation is not fit for Saints he would not have his people to have rooting in the earth he would have his people be like Aaron's Rod Aaron's Rod it was not like other Trees it had no rooting in the earth and yet it blossomed such would the Lord have his people to be he can't away that they should have low conversations that their affections should be creeping here upon the earth and not soaring aloft and living in heaven where he is Under the Levitical Law the things that did creep upon the earth they were abominable and they were unclean God gave a Commandment in Levit. 11. 41. And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination it shall not be eaten it doth typifie what the Lord would have his people to be he would not have his people to live below on the earth the earth is but dust and that 's Serpents meat the Lord would have them to live above as Christ did
I should multiply pardon you think seven times hard but the Lord can multiply unto seventy times seven the Lords waies are not as your waies nor his thoughts as yours for his thoughts are above your thoughts as the heavens are above the earth now this shews us how far short we do imitate the Lord in forgiving others For 1. First of all The Lord when he forgives he forgives those that are enemies this will advance the exceeding riches of the Lords grace I say the Lord when he forgives he forgives enemies for so is every man by nature neither can any man lay down that enmity that is in the heart till such time as the Lord Christ brings home a pardon that is the first work and the ground of all that the Lord doth for a soul and of what it doth for him I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesses and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more Now how far are the thoughts and waies of the Lord above our thoughts and waies in this matter of forgiveness Christ he forgives enemies he brings home forgiving mercy unto enemies and reconciles the enmity that is in their hearts But oh how far come we short we are so far from forgiving enemies as we can scarce forgive friends hard to forgive a brother a dear and near relation Oh how far do we come short of Christ in that Secondly The Lord when he forgives offences and transgressions to a poor soul he forgives freely and the freeness of the Lords forgiveness will appear in these particulars 1. First In that the Lord is alwaies ready to forgive there is a propensity in the heart of the Lord to pardon poor sinners that come in to him he is ready to it God is never unready it discovers the freeness of the Lord in this work the Psalmist speaks of the Lord in Psal 86. 5. For thou Lord art good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy to all them that call upon him Of tender mercies God is never unready for this work alwaies ready ready to forgive the heart of God is never out of tune never out of frame for this work never unready for this work alwaies ready to forgive but oh how far are the waies of the Lord above our waies for this and his thoughts above our thoughts Where is the man or where is the woman whose heart is ready to forgive whose heart is never out of tune never out of frame for this work of forgiving wrongs injuries and offences unto them that they do commit them The Lord he is ready to forgive It may be at last a man may be drawn off to forgive a man when friends have dealt with him when he hath been urging it on his own heart to be his duty when he hath taken pains with his own soul and brought the Word home to his soul and hath smarted for this unreadiness to forgive but oh where is the man or woman that looks unto God whose heart is never out of tune but alway ready to forgive 2. Secondly The freeness of the Lords forgiveness appears thus In that he is not only ready to forgive but he forgives at the desire of the poor creature no sooner doth a poor creature express his desire but the Lord is ready to express his willingness set forth in the Parable of the wicked Servant in Mat. 18. 32. I forgave thee because thou desiredst me not that this his desire was the cause of forgiveness but it exprest the readiness of the Lord at his desire to come in and to manifest pardon unto him Now I pray let us consider how far the thoughts of the Lord and the waies of the Lord in this particular are above ours for the Lord forgives that which is desired but oh where is the man almost that can so easily forgive at the desire of him that offends hardly brought off although the party offending doth desire it although friends have desired him and relations have desired him and God hath desired him and Christ hath desired him yet how hardly are they brought off to this work 3. Again Thirdly The Lord forgives freely it appears thus He doth forgive upon the confession of his people he is ready to manifest his pardoning and forgiving love 1 Joh. 1. 9. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins And hereby I say it appears that he forgives freely in that he forgives upon the very confession of his people though not for confession and not for desire as I said before but yet in this way the Lord is pleased to manifest forgiveness no sooner doth the poor soul confess but he presently forgives I have sinned saies David The Lord hath done away thy sin saies the Prophet presently that is the next word Now how far is the way of the Lord above ours Where is the man that is ready to forgive upon a confession Yea although there be an acknowledgement of the wrong done yet how hard a matter is it for a poor creature to pass by that wrong Thus how much are we unlike to God 4. Fourthly Nay further the freeness of Gods forgiving mercy appears in this He doth forgive presently as soon as his people look towards him he doth not make long delay about the business he doth not stand to consider whether he shall forgive such offences or no but presently gives out pardon I have sinned saies David and in the next words The Lord hath done away thine iniquity Now how far is the way of the Lord above us in this Where is the man or woman that can find in their heart to forgive presently the wrong or injury done Oh there must be a great deal of do to bring off the heart to this work to forgive It may be in length of time mens hearts may be perswaded through a long time they may forgive and forget but oh where is the working of grace to bring off the hearts of men to forgive presently truly in this we come far short of God and the way and thoughts of God 5. Fifthly Nay further The freeness of God in forgiving a poor sinner appears in this He doth prevent poor sinful creatures with pardoning mercy Even before they do desire he prevents their desire their supplication for mercy he brings in a pardon to a poor soul before it hath made any real acknowledgement of its offence I said I will confess my sin unto the Lord Psal 32. 5. And thou forgavest me the iniquity of my sin David did but say it in his heart he had but such a thought such a purpose in his soul well I will return unto the Lord and I will confess And before David could do it the Lord he prevents him he prevents him with mercy And so another Instance you have of the Prodigal in Luk. 15. He said he would go to his Father and make his confession at the 18 Verse I will arise and
Shimei's head might not go in peace to the Grave You see then that the point is made good that the thoughts of the Lord and the waies of the Lord in the matter of forgiveness are far above the thoughts and the waies of man Peter thinks seven times to be a great matter but Christ saies not seven times but seventy times seven A word for Application in brief to shut up all 1. Vse Here is incouragement for poor sinners to come in to Christ there is mercy and forgiveness with him that he may be feared and the thoughts and waies of the Lord in this particular they are as far above your thoughts and waies as the heavens are above the earth and oh what a wide open door is here That the Lord would perswade some poor guilty soul to come in to Christ by this door of mercy forgiveness and plenteous redemption though you have been enemies and though your hearts be still filled with enmity against God yet know that the Lord is able to forgive enemies and though you have nothing in the world to procure your acceptance you can do nothing that should commend you to God yet know that the Lord he forgives freely and though your transgressions have been multiplied though very many though very great though you have made the Lord to serve with your sins and wearied him with your iniquities yet he is able to blot them out freely for his own name sake Oh then that the Lord would perswade your hearts to come and to submit to Christ and not to go on in the way of rebellion and take hold of that great propitiatory sacrifice and then you shall know that the Lord forgives for he forgives you cordially and sincerely he doth so forgive your transgressions as he will never remember them more 2. Vse And it speaks a word of comfort and refreshment unto such poor souls as are in dark and sad conditions some poor souls that have look'd to Christ for righteousness and yet are found sitting in darkness and oppressed with the weight of sin and becaus it may be when you look into your own hearts you find they are very narrow when you are put upon this work of forgiving another you are hardly brought off to it and certainly the Lord may for this withdraw himself Oh know you have sinned after profession and you have sinned much yea you have sinned much against light and that is that which cuts and makes great gashes but yet know that the Lord gave Commandment to Peter and his Disciples to forgive seventy times seven certainly that command which the Lord gave to man to forgive seventy times seven he will certainly forgive poor creatures though their sins be numberless This is not to spur on to sin this is no word to invite to sin but this word of forgiveness is to the end the Lord may be feared and admired for his great grace and take heed poor creatures you wrong not God of that which is his greatest glory It is the glory of a man to forgive seventy times seven and the oftner the more like unto God now do not rob God of his glory that infinite mercy which put him upon it to forgive seventy times seven say therefore as the Church did in Mic. 7. 18 19. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage he retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy he will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all our sins into the depth of the Sea You may look upon your transgressions nay you ought to look upon your sins nay and to lye low because of your provocations and abhorr your selves in dust and ashes you can never lye too low in the consideration of your own vileness none have sinned against so many aggravations and sinned against so much light and conviction when you have thus aggravated your sin do not rob God of his glory but say with the Prophet Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity that forgiveth great iniquities and many iniquities who forgives seventy times seven 3. Vse Lastly This should be matter of great humiliation that our thoughts and our waies are so beneath the thoughts and waies of God in the matter of forgiveness Peter thought it a great matter What to forgive seven times Peter's number is very short of Christs number Yet where is the man or woman that is come to Peter's number and yet Peter's number was short of Christs number Oh what cause have we to be humbled One of the Evangelists hath it If thy brother offend thee seven times in a day and say I repent thou shalt forgive him Oh how far are we from forgiving seven times in a day We are so far from forgiving seven offences in one day as we many times remember one offence seven daies nay seven years together Oh how unlike is this to Christ Oh let us therefore labour to walk up to the rule or else never profess our selves to be Christs Disciples And so much for this time SERMON II. MATT. 18. 21 22. Then Peter came to him and said Lord how oft shall my Brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times Jesus saith unto him I say not unto thee until seven times but until seventy times seven I Made entrance before into these words Here is Peter's Question and Christs Answer concerning the forgiving of offences particular wrongs and personal injuries which are done to any man or woman Peter propounds the Question and seems to forestall Christs Answer by giving an Answer to it himself which Christ did not approve of But I proceed to the main Doctrin which is this Doct. That the often forgiving of wrongs and injuries is a duty which Christ commends unto and commands all his Disciples to follow I say until seventy times seven 1. First I shall clear this Point to you from Scripture and shew you from the word of the Lord That this is a duty that is incumbent upon all that profess themselves to be Christs Disciples 2. Secondly I shall hold forth unto you divers Examples of worthy and gracious men who have practised this Duty 3. Thirdly And then shew you upon what ground Christ doth commend and command this Duty 1. First Look into the Proverbs of Solomon where Wisdom speaks which is Christ Prov. 24. 29. Say not I will do so to him as he hath done unto me I will render unto a man according unto his works Mark here is the Counsel Wisdom gives unto all her Children Say not I will do so to him as he hath done unto me Do not say I will be revenged of him for the wrong he hath done to me do not say I will give to him as good as he brings I will recompence him according to his work say not so no Christ will tell
wrong that I will revenge me of you God hath turned it for good God hath turned it for good to you and me and more people and therefore God forbid that I should take upon me to turn that into evil which God hath made for good 2. Examp. A second Example for our imitation And that is Moses a man full of the Spirit of God a man that had great acquaintance and familiarity with God God spake with him face to face now Moses he was very ready to forgive all personal wrongs and injuries Many times when the Children of Israel murmured against him they laid all upon him Thou hast brought us from out of Egypt to slay us here in this place and thou hast done this wrong unto us Moses even at that time intercedes for this people in Numb 14. 2. Moses is so far from avenging the wrong that he is the first man that steps in for pleading for this people at the 17 18 19 Verses and therefore he beseeches God that God would be pleased to pass by this their transgression And there is one remarkable Instance of Moses his meekness and readiness to forgive wrongs and injuries done unto him in the twelfth of Numbers in the beginning of the Chapter it is said Moses was very meek he was the meekest man on the face of the Earth he doth not reply one word 'T is said that Miriam and Aaron spake against him because of the Ethiopian woman that he had married and said Hath the Lord spoken only by Moses hath he not spoken by us also He doth not reply one word to them they reproached his Wife that he had married an Ethiopian and that he was a man that had taken too much upon him but Moses doth not reply again but God takes Moses part and calls Aaron and Miriam to stand before him and God smites Miriam with a Leprosie because she carried it so before him and yet look into the 13 Verse Moses cried unto the Lord saying Heal her now I beseech thee Moses was the man that was wronged by Miriam and Miriam was cast into a Leprosie and now Moses is the first man that steps unto God to plead for her Oh his great love and readiness that was in him to forgive and pass by injuries which made him to forget his duty to God limiting him for the time Heal her now O God I beseech thee let it be done now I beseech thee Oh here 's a pattern here is an Example for the imitation of all 3. Examp. A third Example that I shall mention is that of David David a man full of the Spirit of God and we find him a man ready to pass by personal wrongs and injuries Because that Shimei had cursed him some of David's Worthies would have smote off his head and David would not suffer them It may be saith David God hath bidden him to go and say Curse David This was a foul aspersion cast upon David Come out thou bloody man come out thou bloody man see the 2 Sam. 16. 6 7 8. and 2 Sam. 19. 21 22 23. Whenas one of David's Captains would have had him put Shimei to death No saies he I will not Revenge but saies What have I to do with you ye sons of Zerviah He pardons Shimei and swears unto him That he should not be put to death for this his Conspiracy And so in the matter of Saul David was greatly oppressed and persecuted by Saul though Saul seemed to be put into his hand when he took him asleep in the Cave and had an opportunity to avenge his cause upon his enemy yet David would not do it It is true indeed David's foot had almost slipt in the matter concerning Nabal when he sware he would be avenged upon Nabal for the affront done to him but when Abigail comes and pleads with David he doth accept of her counsel and bless God Oh blessed be the Lord that hath sent thee to withhold my hand from shedding blood and from avenging mine own cause this day and thus you see David was a man ready to forgive and to put up wrongs and injuries 4. Examp. One Example more from the Old Testament and that is of Elisha in 2 Kings 6. 12 13 14. The King of Syria took an Army to apprehend Elisha now they came to the City where Elisha was to take it and there God smites them with blindness and Elisha he comes and takes them and carries them into the City of Samaria at the 22 Verse when Elisha had brought the Army into the midst of the City of Samaria and the King of Israel would have been smiting of them saies he My Father shall I smite them shall I smite them Saies the Prophet unto the King Thou shalt not smite them Set bread and water before them that they may eat and drink and go to their Master Though they came on purpose to apprehend him and carry him to their Master and so to take his life yet the Prophet seeks not to avenge himself of them but on the contrary requites them good for the evil they intended towards him 5. Examp. And so if we look into the New Testament there is some worth the taking notice of As Stephen the Martyr they did not only wrong Stephen in his name but in his estate and in his very life yea they put him to death he was so far from seeking revenge that the last words he breathed forth with his soul I say the last words were Lord lay not this sin to their charge and when he had said it he fell asleep 6. Examp. And so the Apostle Paul in the Galatians take his Example it is worthy our imitation in Gal. 4. the Galatians had done him a great deal of wrong they had under valued his Ministry and set up false Teachers in opposition to him and the Apostle he was very free to forgive the wrong so far as it was personal declaring that he did acknowledge it not to be any wrong 12 Verse Brethren I beseech you be as I am for I am as ye are ye have not injured me at all here is a gracious spirit I do not look upon it as any injury as it concerns me I do freely pass it by Nay 7. Examp. We have not only the Example of man but the Example of Christ himself Oh the wrongs and injuries that were done unto Christ What meekness What scourgings what buffettings what revilings what reproaches insomuch as the Governor wondred What nothing to speak for thy self And when he was to die and giving up the Ghost Father forgive them they know not what they do And then 8. Examp. That Instance of the Prodigals Father The son had greatly offended him done him great wrong yet the Father runs out to meet him and before he could speak one word of confession or acknowledgement the Father declares a readiness of forgiveness he seals up his love and forgiveness Falls upon his neck and kisses
and behold the goodness of the Lord in them and yet oh how ready are we to aggravate our wrongs and compass them round again and again and aggravate them to the uttermost Oh! how far do such come short of walking up to the rule of Christ And let it be considered what should become of poor creatures If the Lord should aggravate thy offences as thou dost thy Brothers and set them before thee withall the aggravation of them how sad would it be unto thee Oh! that we might not improve and aggravate all to the height for that spirit is very unlike unto Jesus Christ Again 4. Fourthly They are far from this rule That are hardly brought off unto reconciliation that although there be confession and although there be acknowledgement sometimes though they that have offended be ready to acknowledge the offence and do seek reconciliation nay although friends intercede and friends plead that they would be reconciled nay although God steps in and Christ pleads and Christ beseeches and Christ commands and God sets a mans Conscience upon him and that speaks unto him and lets him know he is out of the way yet how hard is it for a man to bring off his heart into a reconciliation with his Brother after some wrongs and injuries which are done unto him and oh how unlike is this to God and how contrary is this unto the rule which Christ here commends unto and commands his Disciples to follow But 5. Fifthly Again They are far from this Lesson that instead of being reconciled or satisfied Will not be pacified till they do avenge the wrong which is done unto them with their own hand they will render one evil word for another reviling for reviling and one evil turn for another an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth Nay are there not some men that are not ashamed to profess this before all the World that they will put up no wrongs no injuries but they will give as good as they bring and if you provoke me I can be as hot as you is not this the language of the World Oh Sirs this is cursed speaking and cursed acting altogether contrary to Christs rule for a man to avenge with his own tongue and his own hand Oh cursed be the wrath of Simeon and Levi whenas they would avenge that wrong that was done unto their Sister with their own hands Nay let such men and women consider that they do but profess before all the World their likeness unto the Devil while they do speak and while they do act I can be as hot as you and I can give as good as you can bring what is that but in plain English to say I can be as like the Devil as you How far is this from a gracious heart I can put up as many wrongs as you and can commit my Cause unto the Lord This makes you like to God and the other like to the Devil himself Nay let such men and women consider He that gets the best of it in such contests when mens wrath is stirred up why truly alwaies he that gets the best of it hath the worst of it that man that got the victory he is overcome It may be he gains his lust he may gain his will and satisfie his lust but he may lose his peace he may not satisfie his own heart nor his conscience but alwaies he that hath the best of it goes with the worst of it Now such as will pass by wrongs and injuries till they do requite them word for word and wrong for wrong they do walk contrary unto this rule which Jesus Christ hath given unto his Disciples Again 6. Sixthly and lastly They come short of Christs rule That cannot come up to Christs number We are willing to forgive one or two wrongs it may be but oh how hard it is to come up to Christs number to forgive seventy times seven four hundred fourscore and ten wrongs unto one man Oh where is the heart that can come up to this number of Christs Nay there is such an averseness unto the practice of this duty which Christ doth command as it is a very hard matter for Christs people to believe it is their duty see what the Disciple said when Christ had told him his duty in Luk. 17. 4 5. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turn again unto thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him And the Apostles said unto the Lord Increase our Faith When he said Forgive seven times in a day it 's a hard matter to bethink it a duty now Lord increase our Faith Now if it be so hard to believe it a duty oh how hard is it to come up to the practice of it Surely if the best men in the World had been put upon it to have given Answer to Peter's Question they would never have answered as Jesus Christ hath answered there is never a man upon earth would have said Thou must forgive seventy times seven But the thoughts of the Lord and the waies of the Lord are infinitely above our thoughts and our waies it is a hard matter for us to forgive seven times and if hard to forgive seven times then how hard to forgive seventy times seven Oh that the Lord would make us sensible of our great coming short of this duty and that the Lord would humble us lay us low that we have come so far short of this rule which our Lord Jesus hath left us and all his Disciples to follow and practise in passing by wrongs and injuries 2. Vse But the next Use is an Use of Exhortation First I shall speak to those that have done wrong unto their brother And Secondly To them that have received wrongs from their brother 1. First To them that have done wrong unto others that have injured their brother or brethren either by word or action done them wrong in their Name or Estate or any other way Know that it lies upon you and is your duty to go and seek reconciliation It lies upon you that have done wrong to go and tender satisfaction for the wrong which you have done unto your brother at least to make acknowledgement of the wrong and injury which you have done And to press you unto this duty which is hard 1. First Consider you that have done wrong to others It may be thou hast put the spirit of thy brother or Neighbour out of frame and thou hast unfitted him for all duty either unto God or man thou by thy injury hast stirred up his passion and his passion hath opened a door unto the Devil and the poor soul is exposed unto manifold temptations and snares and oh how is he filled with hard thoughts with hard thoughts it may be not only of thee but of the way of God and of the truth of God filled with hard thoughts against Christ himself And although it will be
was alwaies next him and that was John the beloved Disciple Joh. 21. 20 21. Peter saw the Disciple whom Christ loved who leaned on his Breast at the Supper he was nearer Christ than all the rest and so he instructed all the Disciples and revealed great mysteries to them all but the greatest of mysteries he revealed unto James Peter and John in the Mount and none saw Christs transfiguration but they three they were choice Pillars in their Generation As it is in the natural body so it is in the body of Christ there are some members that are nearer the head than others all do partake of the same life and of the same spirit which runs through the whole body Ay but some are nearer the head than others there 's a greater dignity put upon some than others some are more useful than others some are of greater growth than others and some have more strength than others So 't is in the body of Christ there are some of Christs members that he looks upon and holds forth to the World as choice pieces such as Enoch Noah Abraham Job Moses Joshua and Caleb David Hezekiah and Josiah were all have not the same helps and therefore all come not to the same growth all have not the same means of knowledge the same means of getting nearer God and growing up in spiritual strength and stature there are some that are beloved of God that are but seldom rained upon upon others showers of Heaven do distill every day Again All have not the same Impediments the same hindrances that some have and therefore some out-strip others Grace in some of Gods people meets with an abundance of opposition through the abundance of corruption they meet with more temptations than others there 's more blocks cast in the way of some the World is a great impediment and proves a great snare to some and they are kept back from getting so nigh unto God as others There are some that God doth inable to follow the Lamb where ever he goes Oh they get nigh God they are choice men in their Generation such as are inabled to follow the Lamb where ever he goes There are some that God makes very attentive unto his Word their souls are continually bent towards God and towards his Word and they are listning continually to hear what God will speak and when God will speak they are nigher God than others there are some that lay up the Word of God in their hearts ponder the words of Christ as Mary did she pondered the sayings of Christ in her heart and hid them in her heart she pondered them why these get nearer God than others There are some that God makes wise to know their time and to take their season to improve the opportunity that God puts into their hands when God calls them to follow him when the Lord breaths and stirs them up then to stir up themselves and to take hold of his name they are taught of God to know the opportunity and season in which they may get nighest to God by following him When God draws a soul after himself when some cord of love is cast about it oh it breaths towards God in its spirit when the spirit of God is breathing in their hearts now those whom God thus calls to improve their opportunity and to do the work of the Lord with all their might and with all faithfulness as Christ did when he was upon earth these are the men and women who get near God of whom it may be said as of Enoch that they walked with God above all their Generation And for the ground of this you must know That God hath several works to put his people upon he hath several works several services and several sufferings and so accordingly he gives out strength and accordingly he draws into nigher communion with himself There are some that God hath appointed for great services in the world such as these had need be exceedingly strengthened by sweet communion with God that their spirits may be upheld and some God brings forth to great sufferings and therefore they had need have a great deal of strength from God that they may be carried through Job was a choice man and God had great sufferings for him and there was none like him nor no sufferings like to his in his Generation the Lord fitted him with abundance of grace to go through his sufferings Our Lord Jesus Christ before he was tempted had abundance of his Father to his comfort there came a Voice from Heaven saying This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased a voice from heaven doth evince and declare that he was the Son of God The Lord Jesus had great sufferings great conflicts great temptations to grapple with therefore his Father doth strengthen him exceedingly there were some that were set upon a hill lights set upon a hill can't be hid the eyes of many are upon them the endeavours of all the powers of darkness are to blow out such lights the name of God is greatly interested and greatly concerned in them and therefore they had need have a great deal of clear light from Heaven they had need be exceedingly comforted and strengthened in their spirits by the presence of God and by most near and intimate fellowship and communion with him therefore the Lord disposes that some of his servants shall be choice and excellent in their Generation to be near to him as Enoch was who walked with God Now therefore to apply things 1. Vse I beseech you Brethren That you would seek after this high measure of Grace and Holiness that you would labour to get nigh unto God get as close unto God as may be that you may walk with God in an eminent manner in your Generation as Enoch did you have God himself for your pattern before you Oh how the Saints should strive to be thus minded Be ye perfect for your heavenly Father is perfect you have God before you you have Christ before you for your pattern I do not say be as holy and perfect as the rest of your friends and neighbours and measure your holiness by theirs but you should strive to go beyond all beyond all creatures look at none as your pattern but God and Christ labour to get up to the height of eminency the life of God in Christ you can never get too nigh God you can never have too much of him there is no danger in following hard after God there is certainty in the things of God A man may have too much of the things of the world there 's danger in it but a man cannot have too much of the knowledge of God and of communion with God a man may have more and too much of the World as he cannot use it to the glory of God Oh there is danger in the World in striving to be the greatest to be the richest in the World there is great danger but
wicked in the world to respect them John that was a burning and shining light John Baptist how did God make even Herod himself to respect him Even the wicked of the world are convinced by them and God doth inforce the world to approve of them to approve of the way they walk in and to approve of their Integrity There 's a promise in Rev. 2. to the Church of Philadelphia that God would make their very enemies to come and worship before them and to acknowledge that God hath loved them there is such a lustre upon them upon their spirits and lives and carriages when they walk close with God that the men of the world are forc'd to confess as of Christ Never man spake as this man and certainly these men are gracious men what ever the world thinks of them and oh that there were no worse and that I might die the righteous mans death that my latter end may be as his they are thus convinced by that lustre that is upon them or at least God makes the world to fear them they are a dread unto the world Abraham was mightily feared by Abimelech and Abimelech feared him and sent to make a Covenant with him in Gen. 1. 22. he sent his great Captain to make a Covenant with Abraham and why Because they perceived that God was with him and God prospered him and therefore they are afraid that Abraham should be their enemy though they were strangers to God yet the fear of his people the fear of Abraham fell upon them what a dread is many a godly man unto the wicked their very conversations do convince them the stirrings of God the appearances of God in them do convince them and therefore they cry out many times of them as the Devils did of Jesus of Nazareth Why art thou come to torment us So a man that walks close with God is even a torment upon them the fear and dread of them fall upon their enemies that 's another honour that God puts upon those that walk closely with him 9. Ninthly Again To such as walk closely with God there 's an abundant entrance for them into the Kingdom of God I say such shall meet with an abundance of entrance into the Kingdom of God so saies the Apostle in 2 Pet. 1. 11. He bids them there Give all diligence to make their calling and election sure be not idle do not stand at a stay press on For so there shall be an entrance made an abundant entrance shall be ministred unto you into the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ All Gods people do not meet with this abundant entrance there are some that creep in at the narrow gate some sail to Heaven with quarter wind others go with full sails of Assurance Now this seems to be promised to those that walk most closely with God that give all diligence to wait upon God and all diligence to increase in knowledge and grace full sails of Assurance and an abundant entrance shall be ministred unto them into the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ But again 10 Tenthly In the last place Such as walk with God God makes their memorial to be sweet the memory of the just shall be sweet when they are dead and gone their names shall not rot they shall be Embalmed God will have them to be remembred unto many Generations Abel though dead he is yet remembred God will take care that his Saints shall be remembred Enoch walked with God and though he was cut off yet Enoch must be remembred though it were many hundred years before Moses yet God would have Moses to write it twice Enoch walked with God Now God will have the very men in the world to honour their Names when they are dead and gone the Prophets many of them were cut off by the wicked Jews but God caused their names to be precious when they were gone and the Scribes and Pharisees as wicked as they were yet notwithstanding they honoured the name of a Prophet and your Fathers killed the Prophets though odious whilst they lived though cut off as Christ himself was and thought not worthy to live on the face of the Earth yet their Names are precious and in memory and thus you see that the Lord takes special notice of such of his Servants as walk most closely with him he knows that the Devil takes special notice of them and therefore he 'll take notice of them he knows that the world takes special notice of them to envy them the spight of the world is against them and therefore God will take them into special favour with himself there are none so hated none so maligned as those that walk most close with God there is no such eye-sore to a carnal man as one that walks close with God Oh the light and glory of God that doth appear in such a Saint doth convince the men of the world and upbraids them shames them sets their Consciences on work convinces them at what distance they are from God and therefore it is that the world hates them there 's none that meets with more spight from the world than they and therefore the Lord takes special notice of such and there 's none that the Devil strikes more at than those that walk closest with God for they are like a light set upon a Hill and the Prince of the Air will endeavour to blow it out they are as Beacons set upon a Hill and the Devil knows that if he can throw them down there will fall many with them Hast thou considered my Servant Job hast thou set thy heart upon him I doubt not but thou hast considered him thou hast maligned him sought to cast him down from his station Simon Simon Satan has a desire to have you that he may winnow you but I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not of all others Satan desires to have Peter that he might winnow him Such as are most eminent the more eminent the more doth Satan desire to winnow them and therefore the Lord steps in I have prayed for them Christ steps in to plead for them in a special manner he takes care of them As the darts of the Devil are thrown principally at such so the Lord himself will be their Buckler and their defence Now Brethren from all that hath been spoken reflect upon it And oh that it may stir you up to endeavour to walk more close with God not only to walk with God but to walk with God as Enoch did it 's not enough to be gracious but what singular thing do you for God I know that this will make you vile in the eyes of the world but be you resolute in the waies of God It will be a blot to you in the eyes of the world but it will be an honour to you in the eyes of God who judges in truth and righteousness and therefore if the world spite you for this
temptations Behold I appoint unto you a Kingdom this was kindly taken they did not only follow Christ but they continued with him when under temptation and when he was persecuted you that continued with me in my temptation and tribulation I appoint to you a Kingdom The Lord saies of you that are followers of him in evil times that bear up against the stream These are they that have continued with me faithful and I 'le not forget them thou hast kept to me in the hour of my patience and I 'le keep thee in the hour of temptation that is coming upon the World SERMON IV. GEN. 5. 24. And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him I Have already dispatcht three Points which were needful to be considered before we come to the main the last time we considered what an evil time it was that Enoch lived in the earth being so corrupt as it appears by that Prophecie of Jude that the time of Enoch was an evil time but notwithstanding the corruption of the time Enoch walked with God The Lord takes it exceeding kindly when his people walk close with him in evil times But I shall further Consider what lies in the Text Enoch walked with God Here is nothing taken notice of but his walking with God he was an excellent Prophet as the Apostle Jude doth witness Enoch the seventh from Adam Prophesied he was one that did a great deal for God he preached faithfully unto the men of his Generation but there 's nothing said of him but this He walked with God he lived so long and he walked with God Observation Observe then That it 's the highest excellency of a Creature to walk with God For this is the greatest commendation that can be given of a man or woman that they are such as walk with God in their Generation Here I shall shew you First What it is to walk with God And Secondly That this is the excellency of any man or woman And Thirdly Wherein this excellency lies which will make way for the Application Our first work is to Consider What it is to walk with God the way of a Christians walking with God is either Internal or External Internal is the way of his spirit the way of his heart which is hid from the world External is the way of his Conversation We shall now consider the former only What is this Internal way the way of the spirit the way of the heart in walking with God First of all Faith is the beginning of this way I say Faith in God and Christ and the Promises is the beginning of this way for the Apostle saies We walk by Faith 2 Cor. 5. 7. And the Apostle to the Hebrews tells us expresly That Enoch walked with God by Faith Heb. 11. 5 6. it 's said By Faith Enoch was translated and was not yet before he was translated he pleased God where he holds forth to us that Enoch lived and died in faith and this was his first step and this is the beginning of a Christians way in walking with God he begins in Faith 'T is not possible that two should walk together unless they be agreed so saies the Prophet Amos Amos 3. 3. Can two walk together except they be agreed It 's not possible till Faith close with Christ there 's no Agreement it 's faith that makes our reconciliation and makes over this agreement to the soul and therefore no walking with God before this agreement it 's not possible for an Unbeliever to walk with God Faith is the beginning of this way for the soul is filled with slavish fear and it dares not come to God it dares not walk with him it dares not come nigh him till such time as faith doth discover the grace love and bowels of compassion that are in the heart of God it runs away from God the creature runs from God as Adam did God walked in the Garden and he called for Adam to walk with him but he durst not the guilt of his transgression was upon him and he hid himself among the Bushes in the Garden Poor creatures they run not only into the bushes of the Garden but into the bushes of the Wilderness they would hide themselves in the Thickets of their own righteousness in Bryars and Thorns rather than come in and submit to God again There 's not only pride of heart but there 's enmity enmity against God The fool hath said in his heart There is no God he wishes there were no God that he might still be without controul and give no account of his actions there 's enmity in the heart and this slavish fear and enmity remains till such time as God discovers it and roots it out by faith and faith discovers the tender bowels love and compassions that are in God towards it through Jesus Christ so that as the soul goes on in believing so it goes on in walking with God A Christians Exercise of faith is the acting of faith and exercising of faith every day on the promises is a great part of his daily walking with God for he that walks with God acts faith in all conditions he runs to the Promise when the guilt of sin revives he runs to the Fountain set open for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in and he rouls upon the Promise Lord thou hast promised to blot out my transgressions like a thick Cloud and so when he wants holiness when corruption prevails he runs to the promise Lord thou hast said sin shall not have Dominion over me thou hast said If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin dead to sin and so in time of temptation he runs to the Promise Lord thou hast said that such of thy servants as walk in darkness and see no light should trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon their God and thou hast said No temptation shall be a burden beyond their strength And so in all streights and afflictions it runs to the Promise Lord thou hast said That all things shall work together for good to them who love and fear thee In a word This is to walk with God when the soul shall rest upon the Promise for all supplies both for this life and that which is to come when he shall trust the Lord for provision in the way and trust him for an Inheritance in the end of the way he shall say Lord thou hast given me the Word of thy grace and I 'le venture my soul upon it though it be for eternity I 'le venture upon thy Word if I perish I perish if God can deceive me I am willing to be deceived Thus doth faith put the soul into a capacity and posture of walking with God it puts the soul in a posture of walking hand in hand with God as a man with his friend it puts the soul into the best posture of walking with God and that is into a posture of leaning and staying
good counsel which Christ gives in Matth. 5. saies he there Seek the Kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof in the first place and all things shall be added Let the things of God have the preheminence he gives them the precedency in his heart and affections in his practice and pursuit still the Kingdom of God and the righteousness of it is sought in the first place therefore he desires to set up God above the world and saies Lord sit thou here sit thou here in the highest place sit thou in my heart in the excellency of my spirit let the things of God have the precedency and as for the world Thou world sit thou at my foot-stool he saies to the world as Abraham said to his Servants in Gen. 22. 5. when he went to sacrifice his son Isaac he saies to the young men Stand you here and I and the Lad will go up to the Mount and worship and thus saies the heart to the world World stand thou here Calling Employment stand thou here till I go up yonder and worship till I go and converse with God and behold the face of Christ stay thou here in the Valley till I go up to the Mount and worship for he gives the things of God and Christ the precedency because he knows they abide for ever the Word of the Lord that abides for ever and so the love of God and Christ abide for ever and communion with God and Christ endures for ever the Image of Christ upon his soul endures for ever he therefore gives these the precedency in his affections and in his pursuit therefore it is that he is not willing to grasp too much of the world he is fearful to grasp too much of the world to have more of the world than he knows how to manage with the performance of his duty to God he is fearful I say that the world should justle out his betters and therefore will not grasp too much of the world and is careful so to order the things of the world as that he may gain time to seek after the great things of God and Christ That 's a Fifth particular Again 6. Sixthly He that walks with God in his Calling lives by Faith he lives by faith whilst he works in his Calling he doth not only live by faith for the things of heaven he doth not only exercise faith for the blessings of the world to come but he lives by faith in his Calling and therefore he goes on chearfully he knows his person and his works are accepted whatsover his work is though never so mean it 's accepted and all his labours and faithfulness in his Calling are accepted he exercises his faith for the covering of his infirmities he knows that he is subject to dishonour God continually there 's much weakness doth escape from him whilst he is in the world and therefore he exercises his faith for the covering of those infirmities he lives by faith for the protection of God in his Calling thus he lives by faith he knows there 's a promise and he lives upon it He shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy waies that thou dash not thy foot against a stone In all thy waies in every good and lawful way in thy Calling there is a promise of protection and he lives by faith upon this promise And there is a promise of blessing also Blessed art thou coming in and blessed art thou going out and he exercises faith in that promise also That 's another part of his walking with God But again 7. Seventhly He is careful to avoid those stumbling blocks and snares that might endanger him in his walking with God that 's another part of his walking with God It 's commendable for men to be industrious in their Calling but how many stumbling-blocks on the right-hand and on the left that men dash against and so lose all their industry and diligence by dashing against those stumbling blocks One stumbles at self-end self-seeking he propounds himself only and his own good and therefore he loses all others meet with other snares and fall into them deceit cozenage and falshood some are over-eager in their pursuit after the world and others stumble at the stone of Slothfulness and Idleness it 's hard to walk in a middle way but he that walks with God knows that there 's a snare in every condition and therefore he is watchful against those snares Every Calling every Employment hath some special snares and stumbling-blocks men that are employed about high things great matters they meet with one kind of snare men in low conditions meet with another kind of snare every high condition and every low condition hath its snares and therefore he is careful to observe what estate and what the calling and condition in that estate that he is in doth most expose him unto and he is careful in watching against those snares therein 8. Eighthly Again In the last place He abides with God in his Calling that 's another part of those that walk with God he abides with God in his Calling the Apostle gives that counsel in 1 Cor. 7. about the 15 or 16 Verses That every one should abide in the Calling that God hath set them in and this counsel he labours to walk up unto he is content in the place God hath set him or submits unto it with contentation and therefore he abides in the way that God hath set him in The Apostle doth not mean that it is not lawful for a man to change his Calling for certainly that may be done upon occasion the Merchant may turn Husbandman or the Husbandman may turn Merchant if he sees occasion for it but God would have his people to abide in their Callings not rashly to change them but to see God in them and submit thereunto with content Thus you see what that man is that walks with God if you follow him in his ordinary works and employments you shall find him such in the waies of his Calling and therefore oh that you would look up to the Lord to make this truth practical to you Truly these are high lessons but they are such as every gracious heart is breathing after and following hard unto and bewails wherein it comes short I say this is or should be found in every gracious heart therefore look unto God that he may make you such whilst you walk in your Callings Oh it were a blessed time Brethren if all your hearts were brought up to this thus to walk with God as you have heard in your Callings we should soon see the new heavens that is spoken of God hath promised to create new heavens and new earth if mens hearts were once set to walk thus with God in his waies and in their employments we should soon see new earth men must be new new hearts new conversations first new men and then a new world look up to the Lord to make
further declining and so Jehosapbat did take part with a wicked King and the Lord did shorten his daies in abundance of love 5. Again Fifthly God will shorten the daies of his servants when they are enabled to do much in a little time when he hath caused them to run amain after himself to follow him hard and so through his grace have done the work of their Generation in a little time then the Lord shortens the daies of their dwelling in the body in abundance of love when their work is done the sooner their work is done the sooner they are at rest the Lord will not keep his people longer from their rest than needs must he knows that their daies are as the daies of an Hireling as Job speaks full of labour full of toyl and full of trouble full of disquietness and hurryings no rest therefore so soon as ever they have done their work God takes them he loves to have his children bettered he won't put them to School longer than needs must when he hath trained them up for heaven he presently sends for them home he hath longing desires to see them Christ would have all his children round about him and therefore when he hath caused them to do his work in a little time he will then send for them That where I am you may be also I am gone to prepare a place for you and I will come again and receive you to glory It shews how the Lord Christ doth hasten he hath longing desires to see them I am gone away and I come again as soon as ever the work is done he will not stay a minute when he hath fitted glory for them and fitted them for glory I will come I 'le come again and take you to my self he longs for them and causes their hearts also to be breathing mightily after him and therefore they shall not be absent from the Lord longer than needs must but when he hath caused them to do the work of their Generation he will take them away in abundance of love and mercy There are some Objections to Answer as concerning long life as a blessing but so much for this time SERMON XI GEN. 5. 24. And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him HE was not for God took him I opened the phrase to you the last day God took him to Communion with himself to near Communion the Saints whilst in the body are at a distance from God Whilst we are present in the body we are absent from the Lord saith the Apostle though God do now and then visit them yet for the most part they are absent from God they are put out to School and here God will have his people trained up for Heaven but when that change comes which is spoken of why then God is said to take them he takes them home he takes them into nighest fellowship and communion with himself For God took him the phrase holds forth that fulness of glory which the Saints are translated out of this world into God dwells here in them but they dwell in God they here are depressed in their spirits through the weight of corruption it't but a little they are able to hold of God Ay but in Heaven there God takes them he takes them in to himself Well done good and faithful servant enter into the joy of thy Master enter into it they shall be as so many vessels that are cast into fulness of love life and glory they shall be filled full to the brim God took him It holds forth also the freeness of grace in receiving in any even the best must enter in at this door of free-grace and no otherwise though Enoch had walked with God so many years three hundred sixty and five yet it 's free-grace if God will receive Enoch at last there are so many slips so many failings there are so many declinings so many turnings aside there is so much crookedness in the walks of the best of the Saints that if God should deal with them in the rigour of his Justice he might refuse them and therefore it 's grace it 's free-grace that they are received there 's no other door they are to enter in at I also considered the last time when it was that Enoch was taken when did God take him After he had lived three hundred sixty and five years which was a short time a very short time in that Age when the Patriarchs lived seven hundred eight hundred nine hundred almost a thousand years Enoch a gracious man one that walked with God and yet he lived not half the years of those Generations and of his son that came after him God many times shortens the daies of his servants in love I told you what are those times in which he shortens the daies of his servants in love and mercy 1. First When their lives are full of extraordinary warrings when more than ordinary burdens are laid upon them some have fiercer combatings with Satans temptations than others and some have heavier burdens both of corruptions and of afflictions than others I am a man that have seen affliction saies Jeremiah as if none besides him had seen affliction now many times God shortens the daies of his servants in love when their combatings have been extraordinary with corruptions and temptations and the burden of their affliction heavy it 's true the Lord could deliver them some other way open some other way besides the door of the Grave he could make them conquerours but the Lord in wisdom sees it best for some of his servants so long as they are in the body in this condition it 's needful for them so long as they are in the body to be grappling with their corruptions and temptations fightings and buffetings and therefore you ought not to call for death because of your afflictions and because of your temptations for the Lord is pleased many times in wisdom to take this way to bring in full deliverance to his servants And 2. Secondly When his servants live in a very evil time in a corrupt Generation then the Lord is pleased to shorten the daies of his servants in love It was a corrupt time that Enoch lived in before the Flood the earth was degenerated and violence covered the face of the earth before the Flood came and then it was mercy for Enoch to be taken away betimes the Lord knows what a burden it is for his servants to live at such a time when wickedness abounds and so the Lord delivers many of his servants by shortening of their course Again 3. Thirdly When great Judgements are coming upon them either upon their Families or upon the Kingdom and place that they live in God hath then sometimes shortened the daies of his servants as God when he intended to bring destruction upon Jeroboam's Family then cut short the daies of one of his Children Because some good thing was found in him towards the
have enough 5. Fifthly Again The time of the full accomplishment of this promise of long life to be given out is not yet come there 's a day when it shall be given out when it shall be mercy to live long when God shall give out long life there seems to be such a thing spoken of it is Prophesied by the Prophet Isaiah Isa 65. 22. this Prophecie relates to the end of the world the latter daies when there shall be a great restauration of the world and of all things they shall not be cut off in the midst of their daies as formerly saies God They shall not build and another inhabit they shall not build houses and be cut off before they can build they shall not plant and another eat for as the daies of a tree are the daies of my people and mine elect shall long enjoy the works of their hands they shall be as the long-liv'd Oaks this promise God will fulfil before the end and it shall be a mercy then to live long when the new Jerusalem shall come down from heaven and when the Lamb shall be the light of the new Jerusalem when Satan shall be bound and shall not seduce the Nations and tempt them and when all enemies shall be put under the soals of their feet when Jerusalem shall be a peaceable habitation and a quiet resting place when there shall be peace upon Israel then long life shall be a blessing 6. Sixthly and lastly When God will fulfil this it shall be a time of the accomplishment of the promises in that God gives life and length of daies even for ever and ever there is the accomplishment of the promise and therefore God is not behind-hand concerning this promise if he promise long life on earth and give an eternity of life in heaven the creature is no loser if a man shall promise you a shilling and when he comes to pay he shall give you a thousand pounds will not you say this man is as good as his word The Lord hath promised a long time on earth and an eternity in heaven you may well say it of him who is truth it self that he will fulfil and make good his word and therefore notwithstanding what may be objected yet still it 's true it 's not against the promise but God may in love and mercy shorten the daies of his people What shall we learn from this God shortens the daies of his servâ—nts in love It will be useful to us divers waies Why Vse 1. First of all It lets us see that life and death is in the hand of God God shortens God took him I say life and death is in the hand of God it 's not in the hand of any creature whatsoever My times are in thy hand saies David and He that is our God is the God of Salvation and to him belong the issues of Death Enemies think that it is in their power to harm or to cut off Laban thought it in his power to cut off Jacob but he was deceived it 's in the hand of no creature to cut off the time of Gods servants but at the appointment of the Lord and God doth it in love when he cuts short the time of his servants it 's in love if any wicked man shall attempt any thing against the lives of his servants that 's from the malice of Hell which God will avenge and if any man shall attempt against his own life that is not without horrible sin for though God can cut short in love yet if thou dost cut short thine own life it 's not without horrible sin though indeed when God shortens it 's alwaies in love for what 's the creature Ah poor creature a worm that he should step up in the seat of God and should pluck the issues of life and death out of the hand of God which God doth challenge in a peculiar manner as his right That 's the first Vse 2. Secondly It may teach us that though God cut short the time of his servants in love yet he may cut short the time of many in wrath in abundance of wrath when his own people are ripe for heaven he reaps them and when wicked men are ripe for destruction the Lord also cuts them down In Psal 55. 23. it 's said there of wicked men That blood-thirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their daies God will cut them off in wrath they shall live out those daies that God hath determined yet they shall not live out half their daies in the course of nature that they might have done and therefore see what Solomon saies in Eccles 7. 17. Be not thou over-much wicked neither be thou foolish why shouldst thou die before thy time wickedness brings men to end their time before the course of nature be extinct Oh that wicked men would think of this it would be very sad if their own hands should be upon themselves to bring them down though it is mercy to the Saints at some times to be taken away early yet when wicked men are cut off in the midst of their daies it is not without a great deal of displeasure and wrath of God That 's a second Vse 3. Thirdly This may teach us this Instruction If God deal thus with his own people what shall be the portion of the wicked If this be done to the green tree what shall become of the dry If God cut off young Saints what shall become of old sinners Oh! that the hear-say of this dispensation might convince some and move them to awake and say Come let us eat and drink and to morrow shall be as this day and more abundant Why do you put off the thoughts of God and Eternity to old age and speak of returning to God another time when thou knowest not what a day may bring forth thou knowest not what may lie in the womb of to morrow God cuts off sometimes some of his people in the midst of their daies and what shall become of you I shall speak only to you in the words of the Apostle James Jam. 4. 13. and the Lord set them home to your hearts Go to now ye that say To day or to morrow we will go into such a City and continue there a year and buy and sell and get gain whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow for what is your life He shews the vanity of the cares of this life and of wicked worldly men they dream of a long time of a continuance and we will stay there a year A year saies he thou knowest not what to morrow may bring forth thou saiest Stay we will heap goods up and what knowest thou O fool but this night thy soul may be taken away Oh! that men wicked men and worldly men would look to themselves and not promise to themselves time for hereafter and if this be done to the green tree what will be done to the dry
the soul in the blessedness of Heaven But there 's another place that the Atheist doth alledge from Scripture and that is from Solomon what he saies in Eccles 3. 19. For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth Beasts even one thing befalleth them as the one dieth so dieth the other yea they have all one breath so that a man hath no preheminence above a beast for all is vanity Hence the Atheist concludes that there 's no Resurrection for when death comes it 's with man as a beast who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward To this I answer That Solomon doth not speak in his own person he speaks in the person of the Atheist he tells you what is the Atheists conclusion what he saies in his heart because of those oppressions that he saw under the Sun I said in my heart concerning the estate of the sons of men that God might manifest them and that they might see that they themselves are beasts There you have the thoughts of Solomon there he speaks his own it was a conclusion of his from the observation that he saw under the Sun to see how one man oppressed another even like beasts and there he brings in the conclusion of the flesh and the conclusion of the spirit the conclusion of the spirit is God shall judge betwixt the righteous and the wicked and so he brings them in scoffingly Who knows the spirit of a man that goeth upward c. you see it was not Solomon's it was far from Solomon's thoughts that there should be no Resurrection in Eccles 11. 9. Rejoice O young man in thy youth and let thine heart chear thee in the daies of thy youth and walk in the light of thine eyes But know thou for all these things God will bring thee into Judgement Solomon concludes with the Resurreon and it was the conclusion of his Book in his last Chapter 13 14 verses Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter Fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the whole duty of man For God shall bring every work into Judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil You see how the Devil by his Agents doth strike at this Doctrin of the Resurrection he destroies all Godliness all the power of Godliness he destroies the Kingdom of God at once and he builds up his own Kingdom for ever If there be no Resurrection then saies the Atheist Let us eat and drink and to morrow shall be as this day and more abundant If our hopes were only in this life we were of all men most miserable it destroies the whole mysterie of Godliness then all should be in vain Preaching and Hearing in vain and your faith in vain if there be no Resurrection Now therefore I beseech you get your hearts established in this Resurrection The Devil plaies not at small game but he strikes at the fulness of the root at the Scriptures he strikes at the Resurrection O get your hearts established Some that have been as stars in the Firmament have been swept down so low as to deny the Resurrection of the body know therefore that it is the Will of the Father that Jesus Christ should raise up all his people at the last day so he tells them and so he would have all his people believe it it is the Will of the Father that of all that he hath given me I should lose none but he will raise them up at the last day and know that your bodies shall as certainly be raised up again as the body of Jesus Christ was raised up there was a seminal vertue in Christ but it was not so in others they did rise but Christ arose as a common person and his Resurrection is as the seed of the Resurrection of their bodies in the conclusion even as certainly as Christs body was raised from the Grave so shall thine and know if it were not so Christ should not be compleat the body of Christ should not be compleat for all his people are a part of his body if the head be risen the members also shall rise for Christ without them is not compleat and the body shall arise because without the body the man is not compleat I say man is not compleat without the body the soul waits for the Resurrection of the body it is not compleat it hath not its fulness of joy untill the Resurrection and therefore it 's said in Rev. 6. 10. the souls under the Altar cry out How long Lord holy and true dost not thou judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth The soul thinks long when it shall meet with its old friend again the body Oh Lord how long say they shall we be in this condition Now seeing it is so there shall certainly be a Resurrection of the body at last and if there shall be a Resurrection of the body then I beseech you consider what manner of persons we ought to be how should you endeavour after holiness in the body seeing there shall be a Resurrection of the body whilst you are in the body how should you demean your selves in all holiness O what need is there that you should get faith in Christ to cover and to wash away all those sins and defilements of the body And how careful should you be to keep your bodies holy as the Temples of the holy Ghost That so when your souls and bodies are parted there may be a longing for a Resurrection that your soul may say Lord how long how long when shall that poor body that sleeps in the dust be raised up It will not be so with wicked men they won't call for a Resurrection the souls of the wicked had rather their bodies should sleep perpetually that there should be no morning that there should be no Gaol delivery rather be in Prison than come forth to the Assizes but it shall not be so with the Saints in their state of separation of soul from the body they think long that their bodies may be raised from the Grave that their souls may be copartners with them in the glory that Christ shall give out And to say no more in the Last place I beseech you with the Apostle comfort one another with these sayings Do but consider how comfortable this Doctrin of the Resurrection is in it self O the Resurrection of the body a great deal of a Christians comfort is laid up in it The Resurrection of the body may be comfort to you in all your afflictions that you meet withal whilst you are in the body in the midst of all your infirmities and weaknesses and troubles whilst you are in the body When this corruptible shall put on incorruption Oh! how willingly should we spend and be spent for Christ because he will give it all back at the Resurrection again How willingly should we lay down
our bodies our lives for Christ if Christ call for them because there is a Resurrection of the body All that the Father hath given him it is the Will of the Father that he should raise them up at the last day It will be comfort to you when you come to lay your heads in the Grave at rest you shall not be in Prison for ever your bodies shall not lie in the dark Dungeon for ever No Christ hath taken away the horror of the Grave and he would not have you meditate horror there the Covenant of God you that are his people holds with your bodies where ever you are the Covenant of God laies hold upon your scattered bones the Covenant of God holds with their very bones and Christ will come to open those Prison doors the Apostle saies the whole Creation groans Rom. 8. 22. For we know that the whole Creation groaneth and travelleth in pain together until now waiting for that deliverance in that great day the day of Resurrection the very earth shall travel and it groans to bring forth even all those sons and daughters that have lain so long in the bowels of the earth even all that have been buried in the Earth and Sea it groans to be delivered of them and therefore what matter of comfort is this The Lord would have you assured of this That there shall be a Resurrection of your bodies he hath taught it in the Type whilst you have seen Enoch Enoch translated in the body and he hath given you a greater confirmation by Jesus Christ who is risen and sits at the right-hand of the Father he is the seminal Comforter therefore O ye Saints be ye comforted waiting for that day of Resurrection And so much for this time SERMON XIII GEN. 5. the latter end of the 24 Verse For God took him I Desire you with patience one hour longer then I hope through Gods assistance to finish that which I have been so long insisting upon from this Text. The last day we enquired wherefore God took Enoch in that extraordinary manner why was he translated that he should not see death I gave three Answers then I shall proceed to a further Answer to this Question Quest Wherefore Enoch was thus Translated that he should not see Death Answ It was That so the Lord might be a defence to that great Mysterie even in that Generation that he might give them a taste and so see of that wonderful good that God should work towards the end of the world when Christ shall come in his glory when the bodies of all the Saints that are alive shall be changed when they shall not see Death as Enoch was translated that he saw not death I say here God gave some first-fruits of that wonderful work that he should do for his people at his next coming when the Saints that are alive shall not die but shall all have their living upon the face of the Earth and be taken up as Enoch was and as Elias was even so shall they be taken up and lifted up to meet the Lord in the Air and here is a Mysterie which is more fully made known to us by our Lord Jesus since the coming of Christ in the flesh see what the Apostle speaks concerning this great mysterie of the change of those at Christs coming in 1 Cor. 15. 51. Behold I shew you a mysterie we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last Trump for the Trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed Again the same Apostle doth plainly declare this mysterie to the Thessalonians 1 Thes 4. 15 16. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voice of the Arch-Angel and with the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. He doth reveal this mysterie in all the parts of it we that are alive shall not prevent them that sleep Christ shall first descend and the Trumpet shall blow and they shall be raised and then shall we be changed But you will say Doth not this cross other Scriptures Is it not said that it is appointed for all men once to die Why then doth the Apostle say We shall not all die we shall not all sleep I Answer First of all That this Word of the Lord is not crost though the Lord is pleased to mitigate the sentence there shall be a kind of death to the Saints that are then alive when Christ shall come they shall not die properly there shall not be a separation of body and soul yet there shall be a metaphorical death there shall be a change and so great a change even as death is the change of the Resurrection meeting together which certainly is very great and this cannot be without some fear and some horror which shall be even as the horror of death unto the Saints for though there shall be no harm they shall not be harmed when the first Trumpet shall blow no harm to the Saints all the woe shall be past but yet I say there may be a great deal of cause of fear of death for Christ shall first descend before they be changed and therefore there is room left for fear and horror the Text saies Christ shall first come with thousands and ten thousands of Angels and the Trump shall blow and the dead shall be raised and all this before those that are alive shall be changed and then saies he we that are alive shall be changed and be caught up even with them Now Brethren seeing God hath seen this needful that this mysterie should be revealed in all Ages therefore a glimpse of it must be given out to those Generations in which Enoch lived when he was taken up and so afterward the same was thought of Elias when he was taken up into Heaven The Lord hath seen it needful I say that this mysterie should be known and if it were needful for them then it is much more needful for us it is needful for us upon whom the ends of the earth are come that we should know this mysterie and that being in a continual expectation of the fulfilling of it it is needful both for the consolation and for the instruction of the Saints that this mysterie should be made known For their consolation Why the time is coming when Death shall be swallowed up when the Saints shall not die but they shall be changed this change is more desirable than death Gods people in all Ages have longed after it and therefore God
one anothers glory but every one shall glory in his own happiness as his own gain they shall gain in respect of company Again in the 9. Ninth place They shall gain Confirmation and Establishment by this blessed condition all this that is spoken of he shall be established in it for ever there shall be no more returning to sin and sorrow no more returns of former temptations there shall be no more possibility to fall again but it shall be confirmed and established in blessedness it shall no more lose his happiness than Christ can lose his no more turned out of heaven than the Son of God can be turned out they shall be confirmed and established for ever there shall be no robbers nor no fear of danger this is another part of their gain 10. Tenthly To name no more Believers shall be gainers in respect of their body for their bodies shall be new moulded at the Resurrection of the great day the body shall be made new and serviceable to the soul every way fitted and Organized for the soul to work This corruptible shall put on incorruption saies the Apostle and mortality shall be swallowed up in life God will make up these vessels of the bodies of his people again at the Resurrection and when he hath raised them up he will raise them as vessels of honour and vessels of glory And as it is said that that matter whereof is made the purest China is buried many Generations in the earth before they take it and of that they make the purest China so though you be buried in the earth the Lord will raise you up though many Generations after and they shall be raised up and fitted for the spirits of just men made perfect that God may be glorified both in soul and body to Eternity This is the gain of that soul by death to that body whose life Christ is And there must needs be gain to those that are Christs For 1. First of all It were not possible that Believers should be willing to part and leave all comforts behind them and that they should so part with all willingly with that which is so desirable in the world I say it could not be if there were not gain behind for Gods people have nature as well as others and they have natural affections and nature seeks its own preservation and it looks upon death as an enemy and yet that this enemy shall be entertained so willingly that when the Lord calls he should open his bosom to receive the stroke that he shall send and be a volunteer in his death certainly there is something in this there is that which the World knows not of how willingly did Christ send forth his spirit It 's said He cryed with a loud voice and gave up the Ghost his spirit was not snatcht away violently but he gave it up willingly it is not so with the wicked man and it was not so with the rich fool in the Gospel This night shall thy soul be required at thy hand his soul was commanded it was taken from him by force and violence whether he will or no he was not a volunteer but his soul was pluckt from him but that a man shall give his life up voluntarily that he should entertain death voluntarily and part with all friends Wife and Parents why surely it is because the Lord gives a greater assurance of gain which is to be found beyond death it self But again 2. Secondly If there were not such gain by death to the godly man it were not possible that he should make such a venture as he doth If a man venture into a far Country he will not venture for a little he will venture for gain and good gain or else he will not venture there is a venture at death with the godly man he makes a venture and it is the greatest venture that ever was made he doth not venture his estate but he ventures his soul which is infinitely of more worth than his estate and the venture is for Eternity and if that venture be lost all is lost and he is undone for ever yet thus he ventures and lancheth forth into the Gulph of Eternity but he hath a word from the Lord and he saith Well if God will deceive me let him I will venture now the believing soul doth see the future great gain that will follow death But again 3. Thirdly If it were not so Believers were the miserablest creatures of all men If it were not for Christ we were of all men most miserable if there were no hopes of better then we were the miserablest of all men for we are the lowest of all men Afflictions Persecutions Griefs and Sorrows of all sorts is the portion many times of Gods dearest people and children now if there were nothing beyond the Grave we were of all men most miserable the Apostle was in deaths often he was dead every way he carried his life in his hand he was the off-scouring of the world so accounted and now if there were in this life no hope no hope of a Resurrection no hopes of a better world then we were miserable indeed but the believing soul knows that the end of the righteous man is peace and the end of the transgressour is to be cut off But again 4. Fourthly and lastly to name no more Death must needs be gain to believing souls because it was gain to Christ Christs gain came in by death and therefore so shall theirs Ought not the Son of man to suffer these things and so to enter into his glory It 's the way to his glory by way of sufferings He was led along all his life in this way his gain came in by losses his honour his greatest honour came in by dishonour and that reproach and that low condition that befell him whilst he was in the World he found honour in dishonour and his exaltation came in in a way of humiliation and life came in for all his people in a way of death by his own death He took upon himself the form of a servant c. his exaltation came in in a way of humiliation and life for his people came in by his death as it was with Christ so shall it be with his members for there shall be a conformity and there shall be an uniformity betwixt Christ and them as it was in the head so shall it be with the members as his exaltation came in in a way of humiliation so shall theirs and their life in the greatest of it shall come in by death God the Father delights to walk in this way for it is contrary to the World and God delights alway to do the greatest things by contraries In the Creation of the World and so in the new Creation when he made the World he made all things of nothing and so of the new Creation he converts a sinner by that which is most opposite by the Word of the Lord
and lastly to say no more This desire of death must be with an indifferency to the Will of God though it be for never such good ends though a man desires death for lifes sake though he desire death that he may sin no more that he may be with Christ that he may lift up the name of God fully in Heaven yet if it be not with an indifferency to the Will of God it is not a holy and lawful desire and therefore the Apostle in the Text refers himself to the Will of God I am in a strait I know not what to do it is best for me to die I am in a strait I will not determine though I shall be deprived of my gain and be a loserby it yet it is no great matter if God may gain any thing by my life if his Church may gain any thing if any poor soul may gain any thing if God hath any further work for me I am content to live I know not what to choose saies he but I refer my self to God this makes the desires of death lawful When a man hath considered all and yet notwithstanding he knows death shall be gain to him yet he refers himself still to the Will of God If thou hast any service which may be for the good of thy people and for the advancement of thy name if thou hast any message though it is hard to keep from home if the Lord will have me do any service for him why I am willing When the desires of death are thus referred to the Will of God submitting to his Will whether by life or death thus are the desires of death holy and lawful Thus have I shown you when desires of death are sinful and when lawful The Application of the Point is yet behind SERMON VIII PHILIP 1. 21. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain THE Subject in hand is Gain and therefore I hope you that are wise Merchants will not be weary of it the whole World is for gain every man saies Who will shew us any good I have shewed you a great deal of gain that is by death for those that have interest in Christ and O that the Lord would make your hearts desirous to know how you shall get this gain how you may so live as that the great venture you make of death may be gain unto you But I shall prosecute that in its time You may remember the last day we spent most of the time in Answering a Question Whether it be lawful to desire death or no I told you there is a good desire and there is a sinful desire of death and I shewed you the differences But I shall wave repetition and come to the Application of the Point Vse 1. It lets us see what a fancy or conceit that is that men have taken up That the soul hath no existence without the body but that it ceases to be whenas the body is laid in the dust there is such a conceit that the soul sleeps or that it ceases to be until the day of Resurrection that God should give life again to the body This Text doth confute that opinion though it may be matter of temptation even to Gods own people if it were so then it should not be gain to die if the soul cease to be when separated from the body it should not be gain to die I might bring many places to confute this what think you of that in Luk. 23. 43. where Christ saies unto the good Thief This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise surely Christ speaks not of the body it could not be understood of the Grave that his body should rest in for to be with Christ in Paradise implies more Paradise was a place of pleasure it was a place in which Adam did enjoy the presence of God therefore certainly the soul hath existence when separated from the body the souls of the righteous are where they do enjoy the presence of God Again that in Rev. 6. 9 10. where it is said of them that are under the Altar they cryed out How long Lord holy and true will it be e're thou avenge our blood on them that dwell on the Earth Then the soul hath existence when it is out of the body for these souls cryed How long Lord It is true there are divers operations of the soul which do cease which do depend upon the operation of the body but there are many operations in the soul which the soul doth most excellently exercise notwithstanding its separation from the body the Apostle Paul was in a holy ecstasie as out of the body and when he was in the body it 's said His soul saw such things as were unutterable not to be seen nor heard But I shall not need to go any further to strengthen you against this temptation the Apostle in this Chapter saith I am in a strait between two having a desire to depart and to be with Christ which is far better Where you may see first That the soul when it is separated from the body it doth not cease to be for it is only departed I desire to depart an active expression some Translate it to flinch or move to remove from one house to another or to be loosed or dissolved so some Translate it I desire to be set free from this my prison my soul is in prison while I am in the body now I desire to depart from this house to be fetch'd from this house to depart from this Prison and to be with Christ to depart and to be with Christ so then there is a being with Christ in a state of dissolution for the Apostle doth desire to be dissolved for this very end that when he was dissolved he might be with Christ there is a being with Christ there is an enjoyment of Christ in a state of dissolution Nay he saith It is far better he knew that he should enjoy more of Christ when he was gone he should have more intimate communion with the Lord Jesus in a state of separation than when he was in the body that condition was far better now I say if the soul do sleep if it ceases to be or to act or to enjoy Christ when it is separated from the body till the day of Resurrection why then he could not have said it is far better to die and to be with Christ But it may be said it is better to die because death frees from the miseries of life and so the Apostle might say It is better to die because death frees from the miseries of life because there is a rest and a cessation from the present troubles and turmoils in the world If there had been nothing else he could not have said It is better to die for I say to live to live the most afflicted life and the most troublesom life in the world is better than to die and to cease to be if there
come and say Lord Lord have not we prophesied in thy Name and in thy name we have cast out Devils and yet in the very next words Christ saies unto them Depart from me you workers of Iniquity here is a strange Epithete you workers of Iniquity they did abundance of good Prophesied 〈…〉 Name and cast out Devils c. and yet he call 〈…〉 workers of Iniquity if they be not done for Câ—â—â—â— to Christ Christ will interpret them worke 〈◊〉 Iniquity Make Christ your life and live upon him and that will fit you to look death in the face without fear Direct 6. Sixthly Converse with Death continually that is another Direction that I desire the Lord might set it upon our spirits converse with death continually behold death at a distance even all your life-long see death both in the death of Christ and in your own death Here you may converse with death 1. First In the death of Christ and then with your death which is approaching Christians Behold your own death in the death of Christ look upon a dying and a bleeding Saviour behold him as dead and laid in the Grave and what was the end of all this but that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death and deliver his poor people from fear of death Behold Christ as a mighty Conquerour by Faith every day and see death conquered and know that when Christ conquered he conquered as a common person he conquered death not only for himself but for his people O Christians if you were wise to make improvement of the death of Christ how might your spirits be strengthened against fears of death The death of Christ would kill all the fears of death in you I say if you made improvement of the death of Christ you may go and bury the fears of death in the Grave of Christ for he hath swallowed up death make it your work tâ— converse with death in the death of Christ And again Converse with your own death which is approaching O how is this neglected how seldom do men look for a dying hour or a departure how loth are men to entertain thoughts of death I have read of an Emperour that gave a Commâ—â—â—â— That no man should name Death in his Palace he 〈◊〉 afraid of death that he gave a Command upon paâ—â—â—â—â— death not to hear death named what advantage do men gain by this This strengthens the enemy and weakens their own hearts and spirits because they are afraid to think of death before death comes this doth exceedingly weaken a man against the time of his coming I have heard of a Serpent that is called a Cockatrice that if it sees a man it kills him but if he sees it it doth him no harm why it is true in this sense we are upon If death comes upon a man it kills him but when the soul hath seen death and hath digested and seen death at the worst that it can do and hath lived in a dying condition death when it comes is able to do no harm and therefore that 's a sixth Direction I desire the Lord would teach us to converse with death and to die daily with the Apostle Direct 7. Seventhly I desire that you would labour that your hearts may be thorowly rooted and established in the promises this will fortifie you against the fears of death upon the promises and upon that free-grace and that infinite righteousness that is held forth unto you in the Gospel Many men content themselves with common thoughts and ordinary notions of Christ and the Gospel and way of Salvation in his free-grace and of the power of Christ in saving of poor creatures but this is like the stony ground they are not perswaded of the truth of it and so setled And therefore how should this be fortifying against the fears of death This cannot bear them up in the time of death Go to the Lord desire him that he would realize things to you and that he would make real and deep impressions by his promise upon your souls that so you may be supported and carried out in the midst of all fears and dangeâ—◠〈◊〉 Eighthly Here is one more Direction whâ—â—â—â— give you which may help to strengthen your â—â—â—â—ts against the fears of death and that is Whilst you live labour to live in constant communion with God desire that the Lord would uphold your spirits in constant communion and fellowship with himself and with his son Jesus Christ Labour to walk with God as Enoch did He walked with God and was translated walk with God in your Generation and labour to enjoy communion with God in all Ordinances be thorowly acquainted with God with the goings of God in your spirits with the counsels of God with the promises of God that the Word may be your Counsellour and your guide and your comforter seek acquaintance with God What is it that makes men afraid to die It is because they are not acquainted with God a man fears in going into a strange place and strange company that he knows not it makes him fearful O if men were acquainted with God if they did walk with God whilst they lived and were acquainted with God in life it would take away the fears of death And truly Brethren you had need get extraordinary acquaintance with God before you leave your Country and Fathers house and follow him to a place you know not you had need be well acquainted to follow God and in making such a venture as you have heard of therefore make all improvement that may be to get more acquaintance with God under the Gospel Gods people are more generally freed from the fears of death because they have more acquaintance with God We are come saies the Apostle Heb. 12. 23. we are not only come to Jesus Christ the Mediator of the Covenant but we are come to God the Judge of all Now under the 〈◊〉 there is the way for Christians to come with 〈◊〉 and boldness to God even to God the Judge 〈◊〉 to have a sweet familiarity and acquaintance wâ—â—â—â— God even that Judge who judgeth all and that soul that hath been acquainted with God will not fear to go to God when God calls There was a gracious man I have heard of when he came to die saies he I shall change my place but not my company he had walked with God all his life God was his companion he had walked with God in all his waies and had done his work though he doth change his place having walked with God on earth he should now walk with God in Heaven Now O that we might thus walk with God and not be afraid to walk with God my Friend my Father my Companion Thus much for Direction the Lord sanctifie them to you I shall conclude these Words and this Text with one word more I beseech you you that have interest in Christ that have Christ for life and death for
ground he brought of the fruit of the ground and presented it as an offering unto the Lord and now if Cain brought the fruit of the ground should not you bring the fruit of the Tree The Lord hath given you all the fruit of the Tree to eat of Oh bring of the fruit of the Tree as a Sacrifice that the Lord hath given you so freely to eat of know that all your mercies come from this Tree and therefore look that all your mercies liberties and comforts grow upon this Tree Oh then acknowledge Christ in all and say with David O Lord all things come of thee and of thine own have I given thee So go and return all these mercies to Christ if thou hast any thing that is good say Lord this grew upon thy Tree and I am beholding to Christ for it if thou hast any grace any strength any ability any opportunity to do for God to serve thy Generation say Blessed be Christ for it it 's none of my fruit but it 's Christs fruit this strength and that grace it grew upon that Tree I bless the Lord for it Oh be taken up with admiration with holy admiration there is a world of precious fruit that grows upon Christ you have heard but a little of it oh be taken up with admiration continually be taken up with thanksgiving and acknowledgement give all back again to Christ and by that little that little sight of the goodness and the little taste of the sweetness that the Lord now gives you of the Tree of life rise higher do not rest here but be rising higher and higher and say Oh Lord if the fruit be so sweet what 's the Tree it self How excellent and glorious is the Lord Jesus Christ the Tree of life from whence such precious fruit doth grow Rest not upon any thing but Christ and be still ascending higher and higher and say Lord if this fruit the fruit that I now taste be so sweet what is the fruit that I shall taste of in heaven If I taste of the fruit of the lowest boughs and they be so sweet what is the fruit that grows upon the top branches which is reserved for the Saints to pluck and to eat of when they shall come unto heaven And thus I have given you in part to see the meaning of these words and how usefully they may be enlarged in your own Meditation and remember the Text it 's worthy you should spend many thoughts upon it As the Apple-tree among the Trees of the Wood so is my beloved among the sons I sat down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet to my taste SERMON I. MATT. 18. 21 22. Then Peter came to him and said Lord how oft shall my Brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times Jesus saith unto him I say not unto thee until seven times but until seventy times seven HEre is Peter's Question unto Christ about the Forgiving of Offences and Christs Answer unto Peter's Question you must know that the Question and so the Answer relates unto particular offences personal offences such wrongs and injuries as are done by one man unto another As for those which are more immediately against God and more publick Christ doth give another rule in this Chapter but this I say is concerning personal offences or wrongs which are done by one man unto another How often shall my Brother sin against me and I forgive It is true every such offence is a sin against God and so far as it is a sin against God there is no man can forgive the Lord only can forgive sin he against whom the sin is committed but now there is an offence or wrong which is done against man and so far as the offence is against man man may forgive man cannot forgive Gods part but so far as the offence is against man man may forgive it nay Christians ought to forgive it so far to forgive it as not to seek any revenge for the wrong done How often shall my Brother sin or offend against me By Brother here we are to understand any relation any friend any neighbour any man that we have to do with if that he hath done any wrong or any offence he 's comprehended under this relation of a Brother any man for we are all Brethren How often shall my Brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times there is Peter's Limitation he seems to give an answer to himself for it comes short of the answer of Christ Shall I forgive him so often saies Peter Lord what shall I forgive him seven times It seems to be hard to forgive a brother seven times but see how Christs answer doth exceed Peter's Christ will have no such bounds set as seven times I say not unto thee till seven times but until seventy times seven As if Christ should say Wherefore dost thou say seven times to set the bounds of thy forgiveness seven times to thy brother I 'le have no such bounds given you think it a great matter to forgive seven times I say unto you That it is the Will of my Father that you forgive until seventy times seven a certain number for an uncertain seventy times seven that is I will have you to multiply forgiveness not that Christ himself doth set bounds to seventy times seven that they should proceed so far and no further but I will have you to forgive very often nay as often as thy brother doth offend not seven times but I say seventy times seven That which I shall observe at this time is this Doct. How far the thoughts of the Lord and the waies of the Lord are beyond our waies and our thoughts in this matter of forgiveness Peter thought seven times for a man to forgive an offending brother was a great matter but seventy times seven was not enough and know that what the Lord Christ doth here give in as a duty unto Peter and to all the Disciples that the Lord Jesus himself doth assert as his prerogative in the matters of forgiveness in the matter of forgiving offences and transgressions The Lords thoughts and the Lords waies are infinitely above ours This truth I shall handle at this time to make way for that main Doctrine of the Text which is the Doctrine of Forgiveness forgiving Offences Now that the Lords thoughts and the Lords waies are so far above ours it is clear from Scripture Isa 55. 7 8 9. see it was in the matter of forgiveness this is spoken Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy and to our God for he will abundantly pardon For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your waies my waies saith the Lord for as the Heavens are higher than the Earth so are my waies higher than your waies and my thoughts than your thoughts Though you cannot think that
be not an enjoyment of life after that departure Yea it had been better for the Apostle to have lived if there had been no existence of the soul for then all knowledge of God and of Christ cease and no actings for God no lifting up of the name of God it had been better for him to have lived to have been serviceable to God in his generation to have lived to have known Christ for all knowledge of God upon that supposition is to be lost and gone to rest thus his gain is no better than the beasts gain the very beasts gain rest to the flesh If there had been no more gain by death he could not have said It had been better to die than to live and to live it had been far better than to die and rest if there had not been a further enjoyment of God in Christ in that estate of separation and dissolution And therefore I beseech you that you would hold this fast that you may be strengthened against this temptation that there is no enjoyment of God and Christ in a state of separation when the soul is loosened from the body though it is true the full enjoyment the full revelation of heaven is not until the Resurrection when soul and body shall both enjoy the glory of heaven But so much for the first Use Vse 2. Secondly If death be gain where Christ is life then this may comfort you in the loss of your friends you should not mourn inordinately for the loss of your friends when you have hopes of their death It is true it is not only lawful but it is a duty to mourn I shall shew you how far it is lawful to mourn in the loss of friends 1. First of all As seeing that the hand of God is gone out against you If the Lord comes and makes any breach in a Family and the hand of God is gone out against you the Lord would that men should lay it to heart in Heb. 12. 5. My son despise not the chastening of the Lord neither faint when thou art rebuked there are two great extreams either to despise the chastening of the Lord or else to faint under it the Lord would that we should lay his hand to heart when it is upon us to consider what is the voice of the Rod what is the message that is in its mouth and what it is that the Lord speaks by such and such an affliction Again 2. Secondly Our mourning ought to be either more or less according as those that we part with are more or less useful and serviceable in their Generation when God plucks away those that are Pillars those that should stand in the gap those that should prevent Judgements that should hold his hand from striking a Nation in such a case the Lord allows nay he calls for a great deal of sorrow and it is made a sign of a hard-hearted people and a people that are fit for destruction and nigh to ruine when the Lord shall take away such Instruments and it is not laid to heart in Isa 57. 1. The righteous perish saith he no man lay it to heart none considereth that they are taken away from the evil to come It is a sign that there was evil a coming to that people when the righteous are taken away and they do not lay it to heart But I say when that we have no hopes in the death of Friends when we see the hand of the Lord is gone out to cut off men in sin when God shall meet them in a way of rebellion I confess there is more cause of raking up a sad lamentation You know what was David's carriage in this case when God smote his son Absalom he was smitten in his rebellion he died in his sin and therefore David takes up a sad lamentation O Absalom my son my son would God I had died for thee but in another case in the case of another Child when his Child died in whose death he had hopes David did not mourn with bitterness then he rather was comforted seeing it is the Will of God I shall go to him saies he he shall not return to me Thus you see how far it is lawful to mourn whenas God takes away a friend by death but when we have hopes in their death that death is gain unto them this should exceedingly compose and calm and quiet our spirits Object But you will say Your loss is great your loss is exceeding great such a dear Husband such a loving Wife such a beloved Child there 's none knowe how great my loss is and therefore do not condemn me in my mourning Answ I Answer How dear so ever thy friend and how great so ever thy loss be if thou hast interest in Christ thy loss cannot undo thee if the Lord be thy portion thy loss cannot undo thee Baruch was reproved because he took up so sad a lamentation in Isa 45. 3. Woe is me for the Lord hath added grief to my sorrow I fainted in my sighing and I find no rest woe is me c. he had interest in God and therefore he did not well so to complain because his loss could not un do him yea thy loss is not so great but God can make it up in himself and if God give thee more of himself though less of the creature thou shalt have no cause to complain 3. Thirdly But again Consider and look upon not only thy loss but look upon the gain of thy friend if thou hast hopes in his death look upon his gain and let that quiet thy spirit why he gains rest he is laid down to sleep will you mourn when your friends lie down in their beds to sleep The righteous when death comes it laies them upon their beds to sleep if thy friend gain rest why then shouldst thou disquiet thy self by inordinate mourning He gains peace and joy the righteous enter into peace and therefore why shouldst thou so mourn as to disturb thy peace or to quench and damp the joy of the Lord in thee Why it is thy friend that dies in the Lord it is the time of his advancement he is advanced it is his Marriage-day or a day of Coronation and therefore there is no cause of inordinate mourning And you that are Parents that love your Children never so dearly you will be willing to part with them for their preferment though you marry them when it may be you shall enjoy little of them when they shall go hundreds of Miles from you you shall enjoy little of them But you will say it is to a man that hath a great Estate and why should I hinder them Now are you willing to part with your Children for preferment when you see they may enjoy a little of earth and shall you be unwilling to part with them when they may enjoy the fulness of Heaven Will you trust a man a creature with them and will not you trust
the Lord with them who hath more right to them than you and hath more bowels towards them and more power to do them good infinitely more than you Why you are willing to part with your friends for their safety if dangers are coming you are content that your friends should be hidden in places of safety and shall you mourn if the Lord shall take your friends to hide them for if God do take away the righteous it is but to hide them he will hide them from the evils to come he will take them and hold them in the Grave that they shall not see the evil that is coming he will hide them till all calamities be past and gone and they shall then come again in the time of the Resurrection If you love me saies Christ you would rejoice because I say I go to the Father Do you love your friends and will you mourn inordinately because they go to their Father when they go to lie in the bosom of their Father But you will say Did not Christ weep when Lazarus was dead Christ wept and mourned It is lawful to mourn I told you before and how far you may mourn But it is conceived our Lord did no mourn nor weep so much because Lazarus was de at as because Lazarus was to live again our friend Lazarus sleepeth Christ did not weep because of that Christ knew what he intended to do that Lazarus should be raised again therefore he did not weep for the loss of Lazarus but rather he wept that Lazarus was coming into a troublesome World for he knew that his friend Lazarus should be a loser by it though Lazarus was content that Christ might be glorified to come again even as Christ was content to leave the glory of Heaven to do his Father service Christ knew Lazarus should be a loser and therefore he was very loth to awake him to stir him his friend was now lain down to sleep and shall he awake him before the morning Therefore was it that Christ wept Still I say retain this as a ground of Consolation in the parting with your friends when ever you have hopes in their death know that it is a time of their advancement and therefore whilst you have your friends do all the good to them you can and get all the good from them you can so that that neglect of yours may not be a burden to you and be a gaul to you in the loss of friends but when God shall call for them when you have hopes in their death do not grieve inordinately but know and rest in this and rejoice in it that it is their gain and their greatest advantage So much for the second Use Vse 3. Let this stir up every one to be inquisitive how death shall be made gain to them I say let every one seek after this it is a point of as great concernment as you have met with and therefore you should spend many thoughts upon it how shall you know and how shall you get assurance of this That when death comes it shall be gain unto you Let me stir you up to seek after this to get the knowledge and assurance of it Why Consider 1. First of all That you cannot withstand the stroke of death you had need make hast in this work I say you cannot out-stand the stroke of death when it comes the stroke is unavoidable Poor man he is crush'd before the very Moth there is a decree and an appointment of God concerning it and therefore it cannot be withstood O how little do men exercise themselves in the thoughts of this That man doth not only die because he is made of dust and so must return to dust all creatures must be dissolved into their principle but he dies by his Statute Law he dies by the decree and appointment of God which was inflicted by way of punishment and this still makes it more certain In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death which was appointed for all men once to die there is no man can redeem his soul from going down to the Grave what man is it that lives and shall not see death It is every one of your conditions every fool that is here and therefore what need of looking out to get assurance that death shall be gain 2. Secondly Nay let me tell you further that you may make the more hast in this work This time is like to be a time of great Mortality Judgements will sweep away many Plagues shall be poured out upon the World till the World be reconciled to God and his Truth and now in this latter time there shall be greater opposition than ever and so greater Plagues than ever now that Christ is making way for his Kingdom he will bear down thousands before him Look to your selves you had need get assurance that death shall be gain If his wrath be kindled but a little blessed are they that trust in him blessed are they that know death is gain I tell you Christ shall go forth in a great deal of wrath now to smite and bring down his enemies to make his way to his Kingdom and certainly the appearances of Jesus Christ shall be exceeding glorious and terrible to the World in Rev. 6. 16 17. see how terrible Christs coming shall be which certainly is at hand even the Kings and Counsellours and the great men in the World shall cry when the appearances of the wrath of God do come even amongst the Saints what flinching shall there be of great men to be hid from the wrath of the Lamb Still this calls upon us to get assurance that death shall be gain Nay let me tell you that many of Gods own people may be born down in the brunt for Anti-Christ will cost something in his fall as he cost a great deal in his rise so he falls by violence and by the sword and it is possible his fall may crush many of Gods own people Nay let me propound this to your Consideration That it is the greatest adventure that ever soul can make this of death and let that be another spur to you where death shall be gain you do not venture your Estate but you venture your souls and a greater venture cannot be made it is the venture of the soul and it is a venture made for Eternity that that can be but once done had need be well done It is appointed for all men once to die and but once they cannot die it over again they had need learn to die well when death comes that you that are Believers may trust God in the venture you may shut your eyes and follow God as Abraham did when as God led him forth from his Kindred from his Fathers house he follows God no man knows whither and so must you do when death comes shut your eyes and believe and venture and follow God whither he will lead you though from your Kindred and