is between a King and a Begger and yet there is but creature and creature greater is that distance between Heaven and Earth and yet these but creature and creature and yet greater is the distance between an Angel and a Worm and yet still there is but creature and creature But now the distance that is between God and us is infinitely wider For behold There is the Mighty Almighty Creator Isai 40.15 Psa 62.9 Before whom all the Nations are but as a drop of a bucket and the small dust of the ballance and the poor nothing-creature vanity and altogether lighter then vanity And yet this is not all yea this is the shortest measure of that distance whereof we speak The distance of Creator and Creature loe it is found between God and the Angels in Heaven and the Spirits of just men made terfect in respect whereof the Psalmist saith of God Psa 113.6 He humbleth himself to behold the things that are in Heaven It is a condescention for that infinitely glorious Being who dwells in Himself and is a undantly satisfied in the beholding of his own uncomprehensiâ—le Excellencies to vouchsafe to look out of himself and behold the things that are in Heavâ—n the best of those glorious Inhabitants that stand round about his Throne Who therefore Revel 4.8.9 10 11. conscious of that infinite distance wherein they stand make their addresses with the greatest self abasements Covering their faces and casting themselves down upon those heavenly pavements But behold upon us poor wretches that dwell here below in these houses of Clay There is found that which widens this distance beyond all expression or apprehension Sin set us farther beneath a Worm then a Worm is â—eneath an Angel I had almost said bear with the expression I use it because no other expression can reach it Sin sets us as much beneath our Creatureship as our Creatureship sets us beneath the Creator Surely there is more of God to be seen in the worst of a Creature then there is of a Creature to be seen in the best of sin There is nothing vile and base enough under Heaven to make a simile of sin And now therefore if it be such a condescention for the great God to behold the things that are in Heaven how infinite condescention is it to behold the sinfull things that are on Earth And if sinlesse Saints and spotlesse Angels do tender their services which yet are as spotlesse as their persons with such Reverentiall depâ—rtment what abhorrency and self annihilation can be sufficient to accompany our approaches to this God of Holinesse in such high and holy engagements in whom when God looks out of himself he can behold nothing besides our Creatureship of our own but that which his soul hates Heb. 12.29 Let us therefore have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably in this so excellent an Ordinance with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire The acceptable serving of God is with reverence and godly fear The Lord teach us to bring fear that so we may finde acceptation Again in the third place The third Qualification Sincerity To that end labour to approve your selves to God in this service in the uprightnesse and sincerity of your hearts The want of this God layes oft to the charge of the 〈◊〉 as in other duties so especially in this which is now before us They lied to him with their tongues For Psal 78.36 37. their heart was not 〈◊〉 with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant And this stood between them and their acceptance God tells the Prophet Ezekiel as much Son of man Ezek 14.3 these men have set up their Idols in their hearts and put the stumbling block of their 〈◊〉 before their face should I be inquired of at all by them They come with their hearts full of their Lusts so many Lusts so many Idols and for this God refuseth to be inquired of by them Should I be enquired of is as much as I will not be inquired of c. It is a denyall with disdain should I Or if they be so impudent to enquire he will not answer or if he give them an answer it shall be a cold one he will give them their answer at the door better none Vers 4. and 7. I will answer them according to the multitude of their Idols i. e. According to the merit of their Idolatry Calvin super hunc loâ—um Afferant materiam suae damnatioâ—is c. Psal 66.18 they bring the matter of their own damnation with them and they shall carry away nothing else from me but the answer or obsignation of that damnation Oh it is a dangerous thing to bring the love of any sin with us to the Ordinances of God If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear my prayer and so may we say to our own souls if I regard iniquity the Lord will not accept my person he will not regard my Covenant If God see any thing lie neerer our hearts then himself he will scorn us and our services If therefore you would be accepted out with your Idols Gen. 35.2 cast â—ut the love of sin out of your hearts and be upright with your God in this holy undertaking It is the main Qualification in the Text They shall enquire the way to Sion with their faces 〈…〉 i. e. In sincerity with uprightnesse of Spirit with the full set and bent of their souls As it is said of Christ when he went tâ— his Passion Luk 9.51 He stedfastly set his face to go up to Jerusalem He went with all his heart to be crucified with a strong 〈◊〉 spirit Beloved we are not going to crucifying work 〈◊〉 it be to crucifie the flesh with the affections and lusts but to â—â—arriage-work to joyn our selves to the Lord in an everlasting Covenant c. Let us do it with our faces Sion-ward yea let us stedfastly set our faces Reformation-ward and Heaven-ward and God-ward and Christ-ward with whom we enter Covenant this day A man may enquire the way to Sion with his face toward Babylon a people or person may enter Covenant with God with their hearts Rome-ward and Earth-ward and Sin-ward and Hell-ward Gen. 27 12. Friends look to your hearts Peradventure said Jacob my father will feel me and I shall seem to him as one that mâ—â—ks and I shall bring a curse upon me and not a blessing Without all peradventure may we say Our father will feel us for he sâ—archeth all hearts and understandeth the imaginations of the thoughts If we be found as they that mock shewing much love with our mouthes while our hearts are far from him we shall bring a curse upon our selves yea and upon the Kingdoms also and not a blessing It is reported to the honour of Judah in the day of their Covenanting with their God 2 Chro. 15.55 They had sworn
that the work shall go on and prosper yea prosper gloriously it having a stronger foundation to support it then Heaven and Earth for they are upheld but by a word of power but this work which is called Hob. 3 1. the new-New-Heavens and the new-New-Earth is uphold by a word of promise For We according to his promise look for new-New-Heavens 2 Pet. 3.15 and a New-Earth wherein dwels righteousnesse I say by a word of prophesie and promise which it seems is stronger then God himself for his word binds him so that he can as soon deny himself as deny his promise There shall be therefore an undoubted accomplishment of these things which are told us from the Lord Luk. 1.45 God will finde or make a people who shall worship him in this holy Ordinance and upon whom he will make good all the mercy and trueth all the peace and salvation which is bound up in it Onely therefore let me Caution and beseech you not to be wanting to your selves and your own happinesse * Acts 13. Judge not your selves unworthy of such a priviledge nor * Luke 7 3â— reject the Counsell of God against your own souls sin not against your own mercies by withdrawing your selves from this service or rebelling against it God will exclude none that do not exclude themselves Yea further This seems to speak an Argument of Hope That the calling of the Jews and the fulnesse of the Gentiles is not farre behinde in as much as God begins now to poure out this promise in the Text upon the Churches in a more eminent manner then ever we or our fathers saw it in a Gospel sence And surely Gospel performance must make way for that full and universall accomplishment thereof which shall unite Israel and Judah Jew and Gentile in one perpetuall Covenant unto the Lord that shall never be forgotten The Gospel Day is nothing else but the dawning of that great universall Day in the Text wherein God will make one glorious Church of Jew and Gentile The Day-starre whereof is now risen in our Horizon So that I am humbly confident That the same shores shall not bound this Covenant which bound the two now-Covenanting Nations but as it is said of the Gospel so it will be verified of this Gospel Covenant The sound thereof will go into all the Earth Rom. 10.18 and the words of it to the ends of the world There is a spirit of Prophesie that doth animate this Covenant Psal 14.15 which will make it swift and active swift to run His word runs very swiftly and active to work deliverance and safety not onely to these two Kingdoms but to all other Christian Churches groaning under or in danger of the yoak of Antichristian Tyranny whom God shall perswade to joyn in the same or like Association and Covenant So that me thinks all that travell with the Psalmists desire of seeing the good of Gods chosen Psal 106.5 and rejoycing in the gladnesse of his nation and glorying with his Inheritance Will certainly rejoyce in this day and in the goodnesse of GOD which hath crowned it with the accomplishment of such a pretious promise as hear lies before us While none can withdraw from muchlesse oppose this service but such as bear evill will to Sion and would be unwilling to see the ruine and downfall of Antichrist which this blessed Covenant doth so evidently threaten Fourthly Fourth Motivâ— The example of the Churches of God and This hath been the practice of all the Churches of God before and since Christ after their Apostacies and Captivities for those Apostacies and recoveries out of these Captivities The first thing they did was to cement themselves to God by a more close entire and solemn Covenant then ever Nehemiah Ezra Hezckiah Jeremiah Josiah will all bring in clâ—er evidences to witnesse this practice This latter Churches have learned of them Germany France Scotland c. But what shall I need to mention the Churches when as the God of the Churches took this course himself who when he pleases to become the God of any people or person it is by Covenant as with Abraham Gen 17.2 Behold I make a Covenant with thee and what ever mercies he bestows upon them it is by Covenant all the blessings of Gods people are Covenant-blessings to wicked men God gives with his left hand out of the Basket of common providence but to his Saints he dispenceth with his right hand out of the Ark of the Covenant Isa 55.3 I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David Yea which is yet more to our purpose When the first Covenant proved not but miscarried not by any fault that was in the Covenant-Maker no nor simply in the Covenant it self Of the God of the Churches for if man could have kept it it would have given him life I say when it was broken God makes a new Covenant with his People Not according to the Covenant which I made with their Fathers which my Covenant they brake c. Jer. 31.31 Heb. 8 8. But this shall be the Covenant c. I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my People c. Because they could not keep the first Covenant God made a second that should keep them Oh that while we are making a Covenant with our God he would please to make such a Covenant with us so would it be indeed a perpetuall Covenant that should not be forgotten Well you see we have a Covenanting God a Covenant Making God and a Covenant renewing God be we followers of God as dear children Let us be a Covenanting people a Covenant making a Covenant renewing people and as our God finding sault with the first Heb. 8.8 Let us make a new Covenant â—â—â—n a perpetuall Covenant that shall never be forgotten A fifth Motive to quicken us to this duty Fâ—th Moâ—â— The practiâ—â—â—f the Pope and Preletes may be even the practice of the Antichristian State and Kingdom Popery hath been dexterous to propagate and spread it self by this means What else have been all their Fraternities and Brother-hoods and Societies but so many Associations and combinations politique compacted and obliged by Oaths and Covenants for the advancing of the Catholike Cause whereby Nations and Kingdoms have been subdued to the obedience of the Roman Miter And Prelacy that Whâ—lp hath learned this polisieof its mother Papacy that Lionesse to corroborate and raise it self to that height we have seen and suffered by these Artifices while by close Combinations among themselves and swearing to their oâ—edience all the Inferiour Priesthood and Church Officers by Ordination-Engagements and Oaths of Canonicall Obedience c. A few have been able to impose their own Laws and Canons upon an whole Kingdom yea upon three Kingdoms it being an inconsiderable company either
God And it seems in the latter of those two Scriptures now quoted Eccl s 5.1 The Holy Ghost doth principally referre to this duty of making Vows and Covenants with God The second Verse doth intimate such a businesse Vers 2. Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God To utter what The fourth Verse is expresse When thou makest a Vow unto God c. So that it is cleer the purpose of the Holy Ghost in that placeâ—s as in all our holy services so especially in this of Vows to caâ—tion all the people of God when they draw neer to utter their vows unto the Lord to manage it with the greatest deliberation and solidnesse of judgement that is possible to sit down and consider with our selves before hand With whom we have to deal What we have to do Vpon what warrant By what Rule To what end The lame and the blinde Mal 1 8. Gods soul hates for a Sacrifice the lame affections and the blinde ignorant Judgement And well he may for certainly they that do not swear in Judgement will not cannot swear in Righteousnesse They that do not make their vows in Judgement will not cannot pay or performe them in Righteousnesse He that swears he knows not what will observe he cares not how Incogitant making will end in unconsciâ—nable breaking of Covenant and if need be in a cursed abjuration of it for rash swearing is a precipice to forswearing And therefore if any of you have not well weighed this service or be any wayes insatisfied in whole or in parts I advise you to forbear till your judgements be better informed What soever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14.23 Provided That this be not done meerly in a pretence to evade and elude this service to which God and the two Nations call you as heer in the Text. Come let us joyn c. Take heed of casting a mist of willing prejudice 2 Per 3 5 and affected ignorance before your own eyes such the Apostle speaks of to no other purpose but that your Malignity may steal away in that mist undiscovered for be sure your sinne will finde you out An ingenuous ignorance and truely conscientious tendernesse is accompanied with an ingennous and conscientious use of all means for information and satisfaction and to such I make no question The Ministers of Christ will be ready to communicate what light they have for resolving doubts removing scrupills and satisfying conscience when soever you shall make your addresses for that purpose In the mean time if there be any that under pretence of unsatisfiednesse do shun the duty and information too they will be found but to mock God and Authority to whose Justice and Wisedom therefore I must leave them Gods tells his people when he joyns himself to them Hos 2 20. I will marry thee to my self in Righteousnesse and Judgement How in Judgement Because God considers what he does when he takes a people or person to himself not that God chuseth for any wealth or worth in the Creature Faith foreseen or Works foreseen but that finding it on the contrary poor and beggerly and undone and foreseeing what it is like to prove crooked and froward unteachable and untractable he sits down to speak after the manner of men and considers what course to take and what it is like to cost him to make them such a people as he may delight in and then consulting with his treasures and finding he hath wherewith all to bear their charges and to bring about his own ends he resolves to take them and marry them to himself whatsoever it cost him The result of such a confultation you may read dropt from Gods own Pen And I said How shall I put thee among the children and give thee 〈◊〉 asant Land a goodly Heritage the Hosts of Nations Jerâ— 3.19 Here is Gods wise deliberation upon the matter How 〈◊〉 I put thee c That is how shall I do this but I must do it to mine own dishonour for I see before hand what thou wilt prove thou wilt be the same that ever thou wast as Idolatrous as adulterous as unstable as backsliding as ever c. It is not a â—leasant Land a goodly Heritage that will make thee better Well after some pause God was resolved what to do And I said hear his resolution Thou shalt call me my Father and shalt not turn away from me That is as if he had said I will take this course with thee I will first give thee the heart of a childe thou shall call me my Father and then I will give thee the inheritance of a childe a goodly heritage c. and when I have done I will not leave thee to thy self but I will knit thee to my self by an indissoluble union Isai 59.21 I will put my spirit into thee c. And thou shalt not turn away from me There is Gods wife Resolution He resolves to do all himself and then he is sure it will not fail his expectation he undertakes it Thou shall call me my father and shall not turn away from me Thus God when he marrieth his people to himself doth it in Judgement Now therefore Eph 5.1 Be ye followers of God as dear children And since you come now about the Counter-part of the same work namely to joy or marry your selves to God do it in Judgement Consider well what you do And among other things since you are so poor and nothing in your selves as you have seen in the openining of this precious Scripture Jerem. 3.19 Bethink your selves where you will have strength and sufficiency to make good this great and solemn engagement with your God But of this more hereafter I proceed to the second qualification or direction Secondly The second Qualification Holy fear See that you come to this service with a Reverentiall frame of Spirit with that Holy fear and awe upon your hearts as becomes the greatnesse and holinesse of that God and that Ordinance with whom you have to do remembring that you are this day to swear before God by God to God either of which singly considered might justly make us fear and tremble How much more may this threefold cord bow and binde our hearts down in an humble and holy prosternation It is said of Jacob he sware by the fear of his father Isaac Gen. 31.53 Jacob in his Oath chuseth this title of Fear to give unto God to shew with what fear he came but to swear by this God what should we do when as I say we come to swear by him and to him Surely when he is so especially the object of our Oath he should then especially be the object of our fear The consideration of that infinite distance between God and us may wonderfully advantage us towards the getting of our hearts into this holy posture Great is that distance that