upon as mad men St. Paul was counted a mad man by Festus Acts 26. 24. and we should not be afraid of the reproaches of the world in this kinde though they despise us and thinke us base and vile and out of our wits Why Idolaters are mad upon their Idols therefore if there be any thing God calls for at our hands though the world account it madnesse yet our hearts must worke after God in it and it is a shame that any mens hearts should be more after their gods then our hearts are after ours because there is none like unto our God Thirdly the earnestnesse of the hearts of Idolaters after their Idoll gods appeares from Jer. 8 1 2. At that time saith the Lord they shall bring out the bones of the Kings of Judah c. And they shall spread them before the Sun and the Moon and all the host of Heaven whom they have loved and whom they have served and after whom they have walked and whom they have sought and whom they have worshipped they shall not be gathered nor be buried c. I have often thought of this Scripture it is exceeding remarkable I know no one Scripture in all the book of God that hath so many expressions together to shew the strength of the hearts of Gods people after God as here we have to shew the strength of Idolaters after their Idols And they shall spread them before the Sun and the Moon and all the host of Heaven Marke 1. Whom they have loved 2. Whom they have served 3. After whom they have walked 4. Whom they have sought 5. Whom they have worshipped and all in so few words Thus their hearts were after their Idoll gods how much more then ought it to be said of us concerning our God whom we have loved and whom we have served and after whom we have walked and whom we have sought and whom we have worshipped Againe observe how the Scripture sets out the spirits of men after their Idoll gods in regard of the cost they are willing to bestow upon them Isa 46. 6. They shall lavish gold out of the bag and weigh silver in the ballance and hire a goldsmith and he maketh it a god They care not what cost they are at to worship their Idols O what a shame would it be if we should not be willing to part with much of our estates for the true worship of the true God and though we should lose our estates yet if we can serve God better and in a purer way we should be content for Idolaters will lavish gold out of the bag upon their Idols Now there is none like to our God therefore it is a shame that they should doe more for their gods then we doe for ours And then what are Idolaters willing to suffer for their gods 1 Kings 18. 28. how did Baals Priests there cut themselves after their manner with Knives and Lancers till the blood gushed out to shew their respect to their Idols let us then be willing to suffer any thing that God calls us to And how constant were they to their Idols therefore sayes God Jer. 2. 10 11. Consider diligently and see if there be such a thing hath a Nation changed their gods which are yet no gods but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit how ill doth God take this that Idolaters should not change their gods that are infinitely below him and yet that his people should change their God who is infinitely above them Againe let us take heed lest there be any found that should have their hearts set more upon their lusts then we are upon God take all the excellencies in the world and they are infinitely below God how much more then is a lust for what is a lust in comparison of all creatures in heaven and earth and yet how are mens hearts set upon their lusts yea how hath thy own heart been set upon wicked lust heretofore thinke then with thy selfe what an infinite unreasonable thing is it that the heart of any man in the world or thy own heart should be set more upon a base lust then upon the living eternall and infinite God 'T is said of Ahab that he sold himselfe to worke wickednesse 1 Kings 21. 20. be thou willing then to sell thy self to God to give up thy self to God the hearts of the sonnes of men it is said are set and fully set to doe evill Eccles 8. 11. doe not thou content thy selfe with some faint wishes and desires after God but let thy heart be set and fully set for God In Micah 7. 3. it is said they doe evill with both hands earnestly marke they doe evill and they doe evill earnestly and they doe evill earnestly with both hands Now then for shame be not thou sluggish in doing service for thy God doe that which is good and doe it with both thy hands and doe it earnestly with all thy heart Againe we have one notable Scripture more that shewes how the hearts of men are set upon that which is evill Prov. 19. 28. The mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity 't is an elegant expression of the Holy Ghost it s a metaphor taken from the practice of brute creatures as now take a beast that hath been kept from drink a long time and is exceeding thirsty if you bring it to the water it will thrust its head into the water as if it would devour the whole River and could never be satisfied that is the meaning of this phrase the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity that is when he comes to his sinne he is as greedy upon it as the beast that hath been kept long from water is greedy of water O how should our hearts be infinitely more greedy after God and his service then wicked men are or can be after the service of their lusts to conclude all this with that you have Exodus 30. from verse 34. to the end there was a perfume there to be made by the composition of the Apothecary but there was this charge given as for the perfume which thou shalt make you shall not make to your selves according to the composition thereof it shall be unto thee holy for the Lord c. So I conclude this point there is none like to God he being above all when your hearts therefore are in any good frame towards God perfumed and lifted up towards God take heed they be not lifted up towards any creature in the same manner as they are towards God for your service to God must be sutable to the nature of God now there is none like to God therefore there should be no such service tendred to any as is tendred to God thus much for the first thing whereby the name of God is advanced here who is like unto thee O Lord among the gods We come now to the second glorious in holinesse The word translated here glorious doth as well signifie
it should be the content of your souls to baffle out your time in vanity and things that will not profit Well if you would have an evidence to your souls that Christ is all in all to you and shall be to all eternity take it in this if ever God hath opened thine eyes to see his glory in the mystery of the Gospell and that thy heart is taken with it and overcome by it it is an argument that thou art indeed the soul which God hath received to mercy in his Christ but sayes the Apostle 2 Cor. 4. 3. If our Gospell be hid it is hid to them that are lost There are a great many to whom the Gospell is preached and yet t is hidden to them and it is hidden to you if you speak of Christ only in a formall way and think it enough to say I hope to be saved by God in Jesus Christ but doest thou see that in the Gospell which raises thy heart with admiration and that darkens all the glory of the world doest thou see more of the glory of God shining in that one sentence God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life then thou seest in the whole frame of the creation of Heaven and Earth thou hopest thou sayest to get to Heaven but what wouldest thou doe there the work of Saints and Angels in Heaven joyned together is to magnifie God for this great work of his doe thou then begin this work here and give God his glory for the great things he hath done for the children of men The Second use should have been this If Christ be thus all in all then let us blesse God that ever we knew Christ and that the mystery of the Gospell hath been revealed to us for otherwise we had been without God in the world and what would have become of us had not this grace of God in the Gospell been revealed to us could you ever have thought of it your selves could it ever have entered into your hearts certainly no nor into the heart of any creature in Heaven or Earth therefore blessed are your eares that heare the things which you heare and blessed are your eyes that see the things which you see and know that when you come to live under the Ministry of the Gospell you enjoy the greatest mercy that ever you enjoyed since you were borne the coming under a powerfull Ministry that reveals Christ and brings the day of salvation to the soul it is no other then the fruit of the prayer of Jesus Christ for that soul compare Isaiah 49. 8. with 2 Cor. 6. 1. 2. and you shall see this Isaiah 49. 8. Thus saith the Lord in an acceptable time have I heard thee and in a day of salvation have I helped thee c. Now it is apparent by the context that this is to be understood of Christ that God the Father speakes there to his Son well what is this acceptable time and day of Salvation in which Christ is heard look 2 Cor. 6. 1. 2. in the chapter before he had told them That they were ambassadors for Christ We then as workers together with God beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vaine Now what is this grace of God t is the Ministry of the Gospell For he saith I have heard thee in a time accepted and mark how he applyes it Behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation As if he should say the acceptable time and day of salvation in which God the Father hath heard Christ is now now that we the ambassadors of Christ come and open the mystery of the Gospell to you now is the time wherein God the Father hears the Son for you what a mercy is this and what an engagement upon you that when you heare any thing of the mystery of the Gospell opened to you you are to look upon it as the fruit of the prayer of Jesus Christ and so when Gods sends a faithfull Minister to any congregation t is the fruit of the prayer of Christ Christ prayes O Father that there might be an acceptable time for such a people for such a man and woman it may be they have gone on a long time in ignorance and prophanesse I but Christ hath been praying to the Father for them and when this acceptable time comes then God disposes of them that this man shall goe out of such a wicked family and shall live in a godly family or shall come to such a Sermon and there shall heare the wonderfull things of the Gospell opened to him and shall come to understand this great mystery of Gods letting himself out through Christ unto his people and there the Lord will renew him by a work of grace and bring his heart over unto himselfe this is the acceptable time when God reveales the mystery of the Gospell to any soul therefore blesse God for this Thirdly this shewes how dear Jesus Christ should be unto us O how should we delight and take contentment in him that brings the Treasuries of grace from the bosome of the Father and opens them unto us and not only opens the minde of God the father to us but comes and lets out the treasure of Gods goodnesse to us It was stopt before I but Christ he opened as it were the flood gates and lets the current of grace and mercy in upon us O how deare therefore should Christ be unto us it was the speech of that Martyr Master Lambert None but Christ none but Christ Yea when he suffered Martyrdome for Christ then none but Christ was deare to him because he saw that Christ was the way of conveyance of all good unto him as if God now make a man a meanes of conveyance of a great deal of good to a nation every man will be ready to have his eye upon that man I but there was never such a way of conveyance of good to us as Christ is therefore how should our hearts love him and prize him and rejoyce at the very thoughts of him If you have a friend and God makes that friend an instrument of mercy to you O how doth it indeare you to that friend if the husband be an instrument of good to the wife or the wife to the husband if a Minister to his people or people to their Minister and so in all relations when we can look upon others as a meanes of conveyance of Gods mercy to us it is a mighty argument to knit our hearts unto them and indeed this is the way to obtain love It may be the wife complaines she hath not love from her husband or the husband complaines he hath not love from his wife Why now be as instrumentall as you can to convey the goodnesse of God to them and this will mightily indeare and knit them to you and if it doth
I conclude now that the Lord is willing to be reconciled to me and why then should I be unbelieving any more why should I have hard thoughts of God any more why should I remaine in my doubting condition any longer thou canst not be more desirous of the salvation of thy soul then God is of magnifying his grace and mercy and God hath done more for thee then thou canst possibly do for the salvation of thy soul Besides t is a mighty drawing argument for by this meanes the infinite distance that conicience apprehended to be between God and the soul is taken away for when the soul sees it hath to deal with an infinite deity that is so farre above it it stands shaking and trembling and dares not draw nigh to God What have I to doe saith the soul with such a God as this is who is so infinitely above me but now when thou knowest that Christ is between God and thee then this distance needs not scare thee yea now all thy guiltinesse and all the filthinesse and pollution of thy soul and all that the law hath to say against thee need be no discouragement to thee when thou seest thou hast to deal with God through Jesus Christ Therefore no soul can stand off and say how doe I know it belongs to me doe but take this one rule for that there is nothing can interest the soul in Christ but Christ himself there is no preparation to Christ but Christ must be all in all in it therefore stand not off and say how shall my heart be wrought to these and these preparations and work thus and thus before I have part in Christ no puzzle not thy self about thy preparations but set before thy soul the mystery of the Gospell in this glorious way of Gods communication of himself to thee and of reconciling man unto himself and the very efficacy of these truths will have a power upon thy heart to draw thee unto God in this way of reconciliation and that is the way of true comfort The Gospell it self though there be no preparation before yet hath an efficacy to draw the heart to Christ for Christ is all in all in that And doe not say I am a poor meane creature I can doe nothing I cannot remember a Sermon I cannot pray or performe any good duty as I ought why remember soul Christ is all in all true if any thing were required of thee in the businesse of salvation it were somewhat but know that God hath laid help upon one who is mighty therefore t is not thy weaknesse nor the distance between God and thee that can hinder if thou rightly apprehendest God in Christ reconciling the world unto himself Another reason might have been this God doth it to indeare his mercy to his Saints for ever for indeed nothing indeares Gods mercy to them so much as this that they see it come to them in such a way of conveyance and that which will indear mercy to the Saints in heaven to all eternity and for which they shall be full of the praises of God shall not be so much for the good things they enjoy as for that strange and wonderfull way by which they come to enjoy them This I say is that which shall take up the hearts and be a great part of the work of the glorified Saints in Heaven to all eternity even their admiring adoring and praising God in Jesus Christ And then God delights to honour his Son and that he might set him up he makes him to be the meanes of conveyance of all good to those he intends it to as if a King were to honour his Son what way can he take to doe it more effectually then this that all the favour he meanes to shew to any shall be only through his Son so when God the Father would honour his Son he appoints from all eternity that all the grace and mercy that any shall have from him shall be only through his Son Therefore as Christ saith All judgement is committed to the Son that all men might honour the Son as they honour the Father So I may say of the work and dispensation of Gods grace that all is conveyed to Christ and by him communicated to those that have interest in him that the Son might be honoured to all eternity I shall conclude in a few words of application to work upon you this that hath been said First if it be thus let us stand a while and admire at the depths of the councel of God and the infinite glory of the riches of his grace to mankinde that God should ever have such thoughts towards such poor wormes as we are that he should not rather have let such despicable creatures eternally perish then goe in such a strange way to shew mercy to them Truly brethren God hath done more in bringing a poor soul to himself then in creating Heaven and Earth the work of creating Heaven and Earth is but a low piece of work in comparison of this wonderfull way of Gods conveying his grace and mercy to the children of men through his Son this is the master-piece of the workes of God which he hath already done or will ever doe to all eternity and God therefore is to be admired and adored in this We are to glorifie God in every creature but how is God to be glorified then in his Son wherein so much of his glory doth appeare If it be a sinne for us not to sanctifie the name of God when we behold his glory in his meanest workes O what a sinne is it not to sanctifie the name of God in beholding the mystery of the Gospell and his glory shining in the face of Jesus Christ God expects brethren that those who live under the Gospel should spend their dayes and thoughts and talk about that glory which he hath manifested in his Son O you that have such chaffy drossy spirits that can spend your precious thoughts upon such poor things as you doe know that here is an object to take up your thoughts and your sinne is abundantly the greater in this that you spend your thoughts about such vanities when God sets before you so glorious an object to raise up your hearts unto himself and you that spend a great deal of your lives in vanity know that this day you have heard of a truth that above all things in the world should take up your time and thoughts in the contemplation of it And you that have more time and greater estates then others and are not put upon it to get your bread as others are and so have greater opportunities for the worship and service of God and for searching into his truth yet how doe you spend your time in vanity and light things as if there were no greater matters to take up your hearts It is a signe of a vaine and frothy spirit that when God propounds such glorious things to you that yet
excellency of God above the creature and so fell from God and worshipt them that were no gods And so for spirituall Idolatry those that commit Idolatry with riches or any creature come to them at first and say to them how doe you apprehend the comforts of the creature is there not infinitely more in God then there is in the creature yes they will say I but by letting our hearts out upon the creature and by poring upon the beauty of the creature we begin at length to lose the power of this apprehension that was at first upon our hearts and so commit spirituall Idolatry with the creature and therefore it must be our care to keep intire and fresh our apprehension and sense of that infinite distance that there is between God and all the comforts of the creature and so long as thou doest keep thy apprehensions fresh and strong here there is no danger and thou sinnest not in letting thy selfe out to the creature if it have not abated thy apprehensions of the infinite disporportion that there is between God and all creatures therefore now seeing there is an infinite stupendious height of excellency in God above all creatures there should be the like thoughts in our hearts towards God and the creature thus as there is an infinite distance between the excellency of God and the excellency of all creatures so there ought to be a kinde of infinitenesse in the distance and disproportion between that esteem and delight and dependance we have in and upon the creature and that we have in and upon God therefore you should not satisfie your selves in this that you acknowledge God above the creature for all will do so but you are to finde in your souls such a disproportion between your esteem and joy and desire after the creature and that you have after God as is somewhat like the distance that there is between God and the creature now the distance is infinite that is between God and the creature therefore there should be a kinde of infinitenesse in the distance between your esteem of and the working of your hearts and endeavours after the creature and that esteem and working of your hearts and souls which you have towards God and this is to glorifie God as a God this is the soul worship we owe to God in the world this is the true sanctifying of the name of God when this comes practically upon our hearts Secondly if there be none like to God then it followes that there is none like to the people of God for as a mans god is so is he look what god a man chuseth he is as his god is a covetous man if he make riches his god he is so to be judged and so a voluptous man or a Heathen Now if the Saints of God have chose this God to be their God and there be none like to him then it must needs follow that there is no people like to Gods people and marke how the Holy Ghost makes this reference in divers Scriptures as Deut. 33. 26 29. compared verse 26. There is none like unto the God of Iesurun who rideth upon the Heaven in thy help and in his excellency in the skie what is the inference of the Holy Ghost upon this verse 29. Happy art thou O Israel who is like unto thee O people saved by the Lord c. So that you see according to the glory of God in any particular there is a reflection of it upon the Saints of God and this is the wonderfull excellency of Gods Saints to have the reflection of God upon them happy are they that have God to be their God if God be excellent so are they if God be above all and there is none liketo him so are they above all and there is none like to them You have the same inference of the Holy Ghost 2 Samuel 7. 22 23. Wherefore thou art great O Lord God for there is none like thee neither is there any God besides thee according to all that we have heard with our eares Marke what followes and what one nation in the earth is like thy people even like Israel c. So that there is none like the people of God and it must needes follow from hence for they are as their God therefore sayes Moses when he speaks of the people of God Exod. 33. 16. So shall we be separated I and thy people from all the people that are upon the earth so you read it in your Bibles but the word in the originall signifies wonderfully separated Gods people are wonderfully separated from the world as God is wonderfully high above all creatures so are his people therefore in Numb 23. 9. it is said that Gods people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the Nations why because they are the people of God and the people of that God that hath none like to him and therefore there is none like to them that is for the consolation of the Saints of God Thirdly it followes from hence that therefore it should be our care that none should doe for their gods so as we doe for ours for if there be none like to our God then it is a shame that any that chuse other gods should doe that for them that is above that which we doe for our God As now for Idolators to instance in outward and spirituall Idolatry why there is none like to our God certainly all the Idolaters in the world have not such a God as we have their rocke is not as our rocke our enemies themselves being judges What a shame then were it if we should not doe more for our God then they doe for theirs yea we should labour to doe that for our God that may come up to that height of excellency which we apprehend to be in him Will you see what Idolaters doe for their Gods First observe the earnestness of the spirits of Idolaters after their gods their hearts are enflamed after their Idols so we have it Isaiah 57. 5. enflaming your selves with Idols under every green Tree their hearts were enflamed after their Idol gods which are not like our God O how then should our hearts be enflamed after our God! should we content our selves with and rest satisfied in cold and in dead services to our God! how much strength should that exhortation of the Apostle have upon us Rom 12. 11. Be fervent in spirit serving the Lord It is the Lord we serve it is our God the great and glorious God and therefore we should be fervent in spirit serving him Secondly the Scripture sayes that Idolaters those that worship false gods are mad upon their Idols Jer. 50. 38. The people of God then should have their hearts run after God so that those that are carnall and not able to judge should look upon them even as mad men and indeed they doe so whensoever the hearts of the Saints are after God fully they are lookt
could sweare by no greater he sware by himselfe so I may say when God could sweare by no excellency above this he swares by his holinesse Again God glories in heaven it selfe as the habitation of his holinesse heaven is the habitation of Gods glory there God lets out his glory fully but what is that glory why the top of all is the holinesse of God Isaiah 63. 15. Looke downe from heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holinesse and thy glory yea the throne of God is Gods holinesse Psal 47. 8. God sitteth upon the throne of his holinesse you know Kings upon their thrones are exalted and lifted up so is God lifted up upon the throne of his holinesse Solomon he made himselfe a throne of Ivory and overlaid it with the best gold 1 Kings 10. 18. But the throne of God is a throne of holinesse a throne of bright shining holinesse Again when God reloyces in his people he doth it as they are a holy people Deut. 7. 6. For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himselfe above all the people that are upon the face of the earth Yea further you shall finde that this attribute of holinesse is more especially ascribed to the third person in the Trinity God the Father is a holy God the Son he is the holy one of God but the Holy ghost hath his name from Holinesse and t is very observable that all the three persons challenge an equall share in the working of holinesse in the creature it being such a part of Gods glory that all the three persons work it wheresoever it is as the Father he is a Sanctifier Jude speaks of the work of sanctification wrought by God the Father in the first verse of his Epistle To them that are sanctified by God the Father And then for the Son Eph. 5. 25 26. Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himselfe for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word Christ he gives himselfe for his Church to what end Not that he might bring it to Heaven onely but that he might sanctifie it also and then the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 6. 11. And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God So that all the three persons come in for a share in this work this is the glorious work of Father Son and Holy ghost But yet further for the demonstration of it holinesse must needs be the glory of God because it is the highest perfection and rectitude of an Intelligent free Agent An Intelligent free Agent is the highest being of all and holinesse is the rectitude of that being and therefore must needs be glorious Hence it is that grace is called Gods image because it is that which represents God in his highest excellency for that is properly an Image of another thing that sets it out in the excellency of it if it doe it onely in a common and generall way it is not an Image of it And then in Scripture holinesse is called the beauty of God Psalm 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord that I will seeke after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple Now what is Gods beauty but the beauty of holinesse the holinesse of God appearing in his Ordinances and his worship is the luster and beauty of the infinite glory of God as Psalm 110. 3. the Ordinances are called the beauty of holinesse Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power in the beauties of holinesse c. Yea holinesse some seeds of it the very Image of it onely in the creature is called the glory of God Rom. 3. 23. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God the very beginnings of the work of holiness in the hearts of Saints is called the glory of God much more then the infinite holinesse of Gods own nature Further it is holinesse that puts a luster upon all the other attributes of God and makes them glorious and honourable Psalm 111. 9. Holy and reverend is his name the name of God is therefore reverend because holy so take all the height of excellencies that are in God yet if they be such as you can conceive them separated from his holinesse they doe not make his name reverend and this shewes how infinitely it concernes us to labour after holinesse if all the excellencies of God cannot make his name reverend being separated from holinesse then let the creature have what excellency it wil for parts for estate for dignity and honour in the world take away holiness you cannot say reverend is his name but holy and reverend is his name so it is said of God his name is reverend because holy Again Gods name is glorious by holinesse because it is the speciall end of all his works to advance holinesse a workman when he drawes a worke he shewes Art in the beginning of it but when he comes to the top of it there he shewes the excellency of his workmanship 't is so with God God will be honoured in all his workes of creation and providence but now come to the height and pitch of all and 't is that he might be honoured as a holy God and that he might have a holy people to honour him here and to all eternity I say holinesse is that which God aymed at in creating of heaven and earth 't is that which God aymes at in all the wayes of his providence It is the great businesse for which the son of God came into the world that he might redeem to himselfe a people to serve him in holinesse 't is the end of the great councell of God from all eternity yea and that he might manifest the beauty of his own holinesse in those two great attributes Mercy and Justice which are the branches of his holinesse that he might make them shine to all eternity this is that God aymes at therefore holinesse must needes be the glory of Gods name Now a little for the third but what is the reason that this Title is given to God here in this Song of Moses glorious in holinesse the reason is this to shew that the infinite excellency of Gods power is such that it is without any mixture of the least evill in the exercise of it here was an act of mighty power put forth and God was infinitely holy in this act of his power It is otherwise with men observe the difference between God and man It is a very hard thing for a man to doe great things and to manifest great power without a mixture of evill as 't is with the waters while