them Although God takes it well at the hands of those whom hee hath raised in the things of the world higher than others when hee seeth them forward in setting out his praise yet he would not have them thinke that he is beholding to them as if the honour of God depended so upon them as it would faile did not they put to their helpe No God can raise his honour by other meanes he can glorifie himselfe and get himselfe a great name by low meane and contemptible things It is not because God hath need of honour from you but because he delights to honour you that he is pleased to use you in his service It is an advancement to whatsoever greatnesse you have in the world to bee imployed for God were it but in the meanest service he hath to doe Where the heart is right even in that it gloryeth more than in all the dignity that earth can put upon it But yet the greater Instruments the Lord raiseth up for his glory the greater services he cals them unto the greater things may wee hope he intends for his Church When S. John saw the Elders casting downe their crownes before the Throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power Apoc. 4. 10. soone after S. John heard every creature in heaven and on earth and sea saying Blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lambe for evermore cha 5. 13. And soone after that hee saw Christ with his Crowne upon him going forth conquering and to conquer Chap. 6. 2. What great mercies might we expect did we see God raysing up truely noble and generous spirits more generally in the great ones of the earth did we see the Elders and Nobles casting downe their Crownes before the Throne of the Lambe willing to deny all their glory and excellencies and estates for the raising up the glory of Iesus Christ Certainly God hath great things to doe in this latter age of the world and hee is a God with whom there is as great abundance of spirit as ever when his time comes how soone will such a thing bee as the raising mens spirits to higher and more noble designes than now we can imagine The observing the frame and work of your most pretious noble spirit Right Honourable put mee upon the thought of this Argument The chiefest book that I made use of for the inlarging 〈◊〉 Meditations in it next the Scripture was that which I joyfully beheld in you 〈…〉 selfe and your Noble and much honorred Lady highly honoured and lov 〈…〉 and that deservedly in the esteeme and hearts of all who know her and the truth John Ep. 2. ver 1. Such gracious principles appeared in your spirits such divine rules by which yee were guided those high and noble employments in which yee delighted those blessed qualifications which as so many Diamonds in their lustre and beauty sparkled that light that freenesse that strength that publikenesse that holinesse c. Those comsorts of a higher nature than the common drossie comforts of the world that yee chose to your selves to satisfie your spirits in and found contentment in the enjoyment of that caused the dilating of my thoughts about these things and now making knowne themselves publikely they crave patronage from your Lordship who have beene the originall from whence they came And here I humbly present them to your Honour and to your vertuous and noble Lady as a glasse wherein your selves and others may see the frame and workings of your spirits I dare say that all who know you and know that I had the happinesse to bee so neare unto you and to have excited to look about thee if false Art thou indued with such a spirit as here thou maist find nothing in the world in hell or in thy flesh shall be able to conquer thee as Christ himself thou shalt indure such crosses and contradiction of sinners as these times are big with thou shalt despise the shame and be able to resist to bloud if God should call thee to that honour What excellency of spirit was in S. Paul when he took it ill that they diswaded him from going up to Jerusalem where he was to meet with sharp afflictions What mean you to weepe and break my heart saith he for I am ready not to be bound only but also to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus Moses refuses to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter though himselfe or some of his posterity might happily have come to the Kingdome by it and chuses afflictions rather with the people of God c. He would not become an Egyptian though of the Royall Stem but abide an Hebrew who were abomination to the Egyptians He knew that the reproach of the Members did redound to the Head and would bee well recompenced by him and therefore he will suffer afflictions and esteeme the reproaches of Christ above all the treasures of Egypt a greater patrimony saith Ambrose So base are many spirits in this age that they had rather censure than trace his practice Scaliger tels of a Tree to which when a man cometh Ramos constringit but when he departs ramos pâ—dit Too many are like this tree when any Ministers or Christians that have the reproach of Christ upon them come neare them and have to deale with them let relations promises ingagemeÌ„ts be what they wil they shrink up themselves are troubled sadded and perplexed thinking it disgrace unto theÌ„ to have to do with such but when they are gone then their hearts dilate again their faces grow pleasant such an adulterous generation there is that are ashamed of Christ in any of his poore reproached despised Members not only ashamed but like that Plant called the Tartarean Lamb which in shape and proportion answers the Lambe but grazeth and eateth up the grasse round about it suffering no green thing to be neare and these men are Lambes in shape but eating up every green thing that is neare unto them Psa 14. 4. They eate up my people as bread they are the food their malice feeds upon It is observed the Pope was so busie and hot against Luther that he neglected to look to all Christendome against the Turk such basenesse was in a Popes brest that he could easier have digested Mahumetisme than Lutherdnisme may we not think the Alcoran would be welcome to those Confessors who have enjoyned their burthened in conscience to burne their Bibles for Pennance this some living know to be a truth There is much basenesse in the spirits of men and upon little occasion it vents it selfe Doeg haead 〈◊〉 malicious murderous spirit in him spared not those that ware the Linnen Ephod The rich man Luk. 12. 19. was all for earth nothing for heaven A great man finding his sicknesse encreasing caused his bed to be made between or upon his Coffers
all the workings of God in the waies of his Providence they are mercy unto such they work mercifully for their good And further observe they are not onely mercy but mercy in truth God hath ingaged his truth that they should thus worke for them God hath tyed this mercy to them by his truth See here the difference between Gods mercy to his people and his mercy to other men First some of Gods pathes may be mercy to other men but not all or some particular acts of God rather than his pathes God doth not ordinarily goe on in a track and course of his mercies with them as hee doth with his people As their obedience is onely in some particular acts and no continued course so Gods mercy to them which comes from his generall bounty is manifested onely in some particular acts of his and not in any constant course But it is otherwise in his dealings towards his people they goe on in a constant course of obediēce they make Gods Commandements their pathes and therefore God goes on in a constant course of loving kindnesse towards them hee makes his mercy to them the ordinary pathes wherein hee walkes As Psalm 36. 10. O continue thy loving kindnesse to them that know thee and thy righteousnesse to the upright in heart The word in the Originall is Draw out thy loving kindnesse Gods mercies to his owne are a continued Series they are drawne out from a constant Spring they come forth from a never-failing Fountaine there is a connexion betweene one mercy and another but as for others God now and then onely casts his favours on them And observe a second difference all Gods paths are mercy to his people not some few there are none of Gods dealings but ayme at good towards them if God should cause one favour to follow another towards some wicked man out of the fulnesse of his bounty yet it cannot be said of any wicked man in the world that all the pathes of God are mercy towards him God hath his pathes of wrath and judgement wherein he is comming towards him though hee bee little aware of it But this blessing of all the pathes of God being mercy is a peculiar blessing to such as follow the Lord fully in the uprightnesse of their hearts in all the pathes of service and obedience And thirdly observe yet a greater difference than the former All the pathes of God are not onely mercy but mercy and truth to his people though God may shew mercy to others yet he hath not tyed his mercy to them by his truth they cannot challenge mercy from him by vertue of his truth if they have mercy it is more than they could have expected they cannot be sure of the continuance of it one houre they have nothing to shew for their mercy they doe not hold their mercy upon that Tenor of Gods truth which his people doe Nay when God comes to make good his truth to give his truth the glory of it then there is an end put to their mercy it is cut off from them but there is a blessed connexion between Mercy Truth in the good which Gods people doe enjoy according to the like expression in the forenamed 36. Psa 10. the loving kindnesse and the righteousnesse of God are put both together as the portion of an upright heart And hence the mercies they have are no other than such as they may expect as they may build upon before they come such as are made over to them by the truth of God and when they are come they may bee sure to hold them because they hold them upon such a blessed Tenure as GODS owne truth And hence the Scripture calls them sure mercies See how confident David was of holding Gods mercies Psalm 23. 6. Surely goodnesse and mercy shall follow mee all the dayes of my life And further all that God hath is for their good the heavens and earth and all Creatures are theirs and worke continually for them Hosea 2. 21. 22. I will heare the heavens and they shall heare the earth and the earth shall heare the Corne and the Wine and the Oyle and they shall heare Iezreel 1 Cor. 3. 22 23 The world life death things present things to come all are yours and yee are Christs and Christ is Gods Rom. 8. 28. And we know that all things worke together for good to them that love God This is a mysterie that the world is not acquainted with but we know it saith the Apostle The world may thinke that things worke against us yea all things in the world seeme to work against us but we know that all things doe work for good they work together for good though some particular things considered apart may worke for good to other men yet take all together and they worke their ruine but altogether workes for good to us although the good doth not seeme yet to come forth yet it is a working for us stay but till the worke bee done and it will appeare Good it will bee though it may bee not the same good that wee thinke of yet a good that will bee better for us a greater good than we imagined or desired Now then if all that is Gods bee for thee and workes thus fully for thee is there not reason then that all that is thine should be for God and worke as fully for him Thine did I say the truth is there is nothing thine for all is Gods God hath a greater propriety in and right to whatsoever thou art and hast than thy selfe but God is pleased to let it bee called thine that thou maist freely give it to him and if it bee his owne why should hee not have it fully If he thus inlargeth himselfe towards thee how unequall is it that thou shouldest be scant in thy service to him and in thine honouring of him Fifthly wicked men doe fully follow after that which is evill an infinite shame confusion then would it be to us an infinite dishonour likewise unto God if wee should not as fully follow the Lord in that which is good Ecclesiastes 9. 3. The heart of the sonnes of men is full of evill and Chap. 8. 11. The heart of the sonnes of men is fully set in them to doe evill The Seventy translate this The heart of man hath a Plerophorie to evill it is set upon it without any doubt or suspition there is a plerophorie of boldnesse to sinne in them why should there not bee a plerophorie that is a full perswasion of faith in Gods servants to that which is good Micah 7. 3. the Scripture saith that wicked men doe evill with both hands earnestly Esay 57. 5. Idolaters there are said to inflame themselves with their Idols and Ieremy Chap. 8. 2. they are said 1. To love their Idols 2. To serve them 3. To walke after them 4 To seek them 5. To worship them all these 5. expressions together in one
is not forced and haled to them doth not take them up as tiresome burdens Gods Commandements are not grievous they are not as fetters of iron but as chaines of gold for beauty and ornament there is a readinesse of spirit to what ever is good they are vessels of honour ready prepared to every good worke 2. Tim. 2. 21. It is written in the volume of thy booke I should doe thy will and â—o I come psalm 40. 7 8. There is a sutablenesse betweene the law and the spirit the law is written in it never so in it's element as when it is in the wayes of obedience there is not that straitnesse of spirit as in others but here the heart sweetly enlarges it selfe as the flowre that opens it selfe to the shining of the Sunne Thirdly a sublime spirit raised high by spirituall heavenly influences not swelling by pride a spirit that hath all earthly things under feet as the Holy Ghost sets out the Church Revel 12. 1. Things received with admiration by other spirits it looks on with contempt as things infinitely inferiour to it a godly mans feet are where other mens heads their heads that is the pitch and height of all their aimes is upon things that are on the earth but the Saints have these things under their feet When Valence sent to offer Basil great preferments to tell him what a great man he might be Basil answers Offer these things to children not to Christians When some bade stoppe Luthers mouth with preferment one of his adversaries answered It is in vaine he cares not for gold his spirit was too noble and high to bee tempted with gold base low spirits would have beene taken with such things such a spirit as Demas who forsooke Paul to imbrace this present world but a spirit raised by God is above them How was S. Pauls spirit above mony when he speaks of lucre he cals it silthy lucre 1 Tim. 3. 3. A godly mans spirit is sutable to the high dignities put upon it and priviledges it hath Saul when made a King had another spirit put upon him contemning former things highly esteemed of a man raised on high lookes on things below and they appeare small things to him so here Reason may raise the spirits of men above the common sort a rationall man lookes at many sinnes as too mean and base for him scornes to staine his excellency with them as the sinnes of sensuality and filthy lusts Tully thinkes him not worthy the name of a man that spends a whole day in the pleasures of the flesh and Socrates had such a vile esteeme of sinne as he thinkes it shall be one of the greatest torments of men in another life to be tied and bound to the sinnes they most delighted in here Seneca hath a notable expression to this purpose I am too great and borne to greater things theÌ„ that I should be a slave to my body But if Reason raises the spirit so high how high then doth Grace raise it This spirit cannot be satisfied with small low things as it is reported of Luther when great gifts were sent to him hee refused them with this most brave and excellent speech I did earnestly protest that God should not put mee off with these things meaning that hee would not be satisfied with anything that was here below All the things in the world are farre from being able to satisfie this spirit it accounts all yea if they were a thousand times more than they are but a poore pittance for the portion of an immortal soule If God should make more worlds for it yet if he give not himselfe to it it would not be satisfied nothing but a God an infinite universall eternall Good can fill up the desires of this spirit Thou hast made us O Lord for thy selfe saies Saint Austin and our hearts are unquiet till they come unto thee It is the worke of a base drossy spirit to thinke If I had but so much or so much yearely I should have enough how base the spirit of that rich man blessing himselfe in his goods Soule take thine ease thou hast goods laid up for many yeares what were all those to his soule to the happinesse of his soule These are spirits that have higher designes theÌ„ so their designes no lesse than a Kingdome yea than God himselfe Rom. 2. 7. They seeke for glory honour immortality eternall life Though they can bee content with little of the world for their use yet they cannot bee content without that Good Happinesse that is infinitely higher and better than all the world for their portion As Abraham said concerning his child when God promised him a great reward Gen. 15. 2. Lord what will thou give me so long as I goe childlesse Lord what is all the reward I can have except I have this mercy except I have a child because the Messias was to come out of his Ioines So the soule here if God should promise it never such great things yet Lord what are all these things to me if I have not thy selfe All the gifts that God can give to this spirit will not satisfie it except he gives himself to it As God is not pleased with what wee tender to him except we give our selves to him So a godly heart is not contented with all that God gives to it except hee gives himselfe to it Thus Bernard exceeding sweetly As what I have if offered to thee pleaseth not thee O Lord without my selfe so thy good things we have from thee though they may refresh us yet they satisfie us not without thy selfe Yea further the enjoyment of God is not enough except they may have a full enjoyment of him they are not satisfied except they bee filled with the fulnesse yea with all the fulnesse of God Ephes 3. 19. See a notable example of this in Moses Exod 33. 12. and so on The Lord had done great things for Moses many wayes but besides all hee had done for him hee told him that hee knew him by name and that he had sound favour in his sight one would have thought this might have satisfied him No Moses must have more Verse 13. I pray thee if I have found grace in thy sight shew me thy way that 〈◊〉 know thee and that I may finde grace in thy sight God grants him this and rels him Verse 14. that his presence shall goe with him and hee will give him rest surely this will satisfie him No Verse 16 Moses must have yet more hee must have such a presence as the world may know that God doth goe with him and that hee and his people are a separated people from all the people that are upon the face of the earth and Verse 17. The Lord saith to him I will give thee this thing also that thou hast spoken Surely this will satisfie him No Moses is not satisfied yet Verse 18. I beseech thee
David Gideon Barak others who through faith subdued Kingdomes Hebr. 11. 32 33. That is basenesse of spirit and want of valour that makes a man a slave to sin and the Devill so a slave as he hath no heart to any worthy service to free himselfe from it but lies down under it and carries the fetters and yoake of his bondage about with him withersoever he goes That is cowardly basenesse that brings conscience into a servile subjection that cowardly basenesse that will suffer the cause of God to be betrayed rather than venture any thing for it what greater argument that men want true spirit than this Godlinesse puts a spirit of fortitude into men that will not suffer them to bee thus debased and where appeares the like courage in any as in these when they are called to stand for the truth Though all the Tiles of the houses in the City of Wormes were Devils yet thither would I goe to testifie to the truth saith Luther Againe it is not a turbulent spirit for turbulency of spirit makes men cruell and malicious this spirit causes men to love their enemies to do all the good they can to them turbulent spirits seeke onely their own ends they care not what becomes of others so it bee that they may but warme themselves they care not what house bee on fire They are boysterous in things that concerne themselves But the Saints of God in whom this other spirit rules they are meeke and gentle and yeeldable in their owne cause ready to put up wrong in all quietnesse take them in things that onely concerne themselves and you shall find none so readily so freely so chearfully denying themselves as they And againe turbulent spirits doe not love to examine things by rule to call things to account but follow their owne fiery humour and set upon their own will with violence but godlinesse takes off men from this ruggednesse and turbulency of spirit makes them gentle and peaceable let them bee never so active never so forward never so zealous in any thing yet if you wil call them to examine things by rule they will meekly and patiently heare you yea a childe shall leade them Esay 11. 6. And yet further turbulēt they are not for none more obedient to authoritie than they none see that Majestie of God in Autority as they doe none obey Authority out of conscience so as they doe If the will of men in authority rather than authority shall require any thing that the authority of Heaven forbids that they do not because they cannot obey for conscience sake And so sacred do they account Authority that they would have no obedience performed to it but obedience for conscience sake Blind obediēce the Church of God hath long agoe exploded as too servile for Christian spirits this were more servile than selling mens bodies in the Market for slaves which Christianity abhors It were too uncharitable a conceit of Christian Magistrates to thinke that they should require of or expect from any other obedience than in and for the Lord and in this obedience those who are godly are so forward as they are judged turbulent for being over-forward to maintaine the honor of Authority as some think when according to their places they promote the execution of laws made by authority and that of those lawes which are of the highest consequence for the furtherance of Piety and Peace Againe factious spirits they are not because they seeke above all things to keep to the maintenance of obedience to the Primitive truth that is faction that sides against that Tertullian hath a notable expression in his Apology for the Christians against the Gentiles to cleare Gods people from being men of factious spirits it seemes that aspersion was cast upon them then which was about 1400 yeares agoe his expression was this When good men when honest men meet together when godly men are gathered together it is not to bee called a faction but a Court and on the contrary the name of faction sayes hee is to bee applyed to them who conspire to the hatred of good and honest men And thus much of the first branch of the Vse which was the reprehension of the vile cōceits that men had of this other spirit Now the second followes which is the rebuking of the men of the world for the ill use they give to men who are of such excellent spirits The excellencies of the spirits of the godly do challenge all the good use that can bee but it is little they meet withall they are for the most part abused by the men of this vile world as if they were the vilest scurfe and filth of the earth yea so indeed they account them so saith S. Paul 1. Cor. 4. 13. We are made as the filth of the world and are the off-scouring of all things unto this day Why what was S. Paul and what were those that were with him who was so accounted of were they not men of most excellent and admirable spirits S. Paul was one of the most excellent spirited men that ever lived upon the earth and did as much service for God as ever any meere man did since the beginning of the world and yet how vilie was he thought of how contemptibly was hee used put into stocks and whipped wanted cloathes and victuals And for the others that were with S. Paul they were men of whom the Holy Ghost gives this witnesse that they were the very glory of Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 8. 23. Oh unworthy world that ever they should have such men live amongst them Those who are the delight of Angels yea of God himselfe how are they abused in this wicked world as if they were dogges or the basest scumme and filth of the earth What scorne and contempt is cast upon them the most abject of men think themselves good enough to reproach and abuse them Were it not a grievous sight to see some base drudge to have power over the body of some noble Prince to abuse it by stripes or any other contumelious sordid manner but a more grievous thing it is to see the vile and base spirits of the world who are nothing but sinks of filth themselves to abuse men of such noble and excellent spirits as if they were more vile than dirt It was the bitter complaint of Ieremy Lament 4. 2. that the pretious sonnes of Sion comparable to fine gold were esteemed as earthen pitchers Such as blessed spirits would honour if they had them with them yet here they are cast out as filth What griefe sufficent to lament the seeing of such filthy swine to trample under their feet such pretious pearles in all ages thus it hath beene Those who were indeed the true honourable upon the earth such pretious and excellent spirited men as of whom the world was not worthy and yet they have beene most vilely abused and are so still by this wretched world
dark hole in some obscure contemptible place it is expected we should make it conspicuous that we should hang it in some eminent place so as to manifest that wee rejoyce in it as an ornament to us It is a great evill to obscure the Graces of Gods Spirit to keepe in the work of God upon our spirits in which hee hath set out the glory of his owne Image to that end that he might be glorified in us before men Angels Every man delights in the expression of that wherin he esteems his excellency to consist be it Eloquence Wisdom or any Art wherin he hath attained any eminency yea if he accounts his excellency to consist in his riches in his honor in his beautie he loves to make them appear before others as the Prophet in another case Esa 60. 1. Arise and shine for the light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee If God hath shined upon your spirits by his grace let your lights shine before men that the world may see there are men of other spirits who can doe such things as they cannot Oh what beautifull convincing cōversations would men live if they were onely acted by this renewed spirit As it was said of Steven they could not resist the Spirit by which he spake so it would be true here men could not resist that spirit by which you live What doe you more than other men sayes Christ to his Disciples Matt. 5. 47. Men of other spirits must manifest in their lives that they can do more than other men Let me in the name of the Lord plead with you for more honour and service for the Lord than he hath from others First your birth is from him you are borne of God in another manner than others are and therefore it must not be with you as it is with others Men of high birth will not live as other men doe Hence we read of a custome amongst the Heathen they were wont to derive the pedigree of their valiant men from their gods to this end though the thing were not true yet they beleeving themselves to be a Divine off-spring they might upon confidence there of undertake higher attempts than others with the more boldnesse Much higher things should those endeavour after who are indeed borne of God Secondly God hath put forth an other manner of power out upon your spirits than upon other men other men have but a generall common influence of Gods power let into their spirits but he hath manifested the exceeding greatnesse of his power in you as Eph. 1. 19. observe the gradation there the Apostle speaking of the power of God put forth upon those that doe beleeve expresses it in a sixfold gradation 1 It is his power onely the power of a God could doe it 2 It is the greatnes of his power 3 It is the exceeding greatnesse of his power 4 It is the working of his power 5 It is the working of his mighty power 6 It is the same power by which he raised Christ from the dead and set him at his right hand in the Heavens farre above all Principality and Power and might Now God doth not use to put forth great power but for great purposes he uses not his extraordinary power for ordinary things when supernaturall power is put forth it is that it might raise to supernaturall operations 3 Againe God doth put other abilities into you that others have not that grace with which hee hath endued your spirits is a sparke of his owne divine nature as you have heard it hath a divine power with it and a divine activity in it that is expected from you that none can doe by an inferiour power as by the strength of parts education morall principles if your lives bee not beyond the highest of those who have none other principles than such to raise them you dishonour God and his grace and your holy profession Fourthly your spirits have beene made acquainted with more truths God hath revealed to you the secrets of his Counsels of his Kingdome he hath showne you himselfe his Glory his Majesty Soveraingty Holinesse he hath showne you the reality beauty excellency equity of his blessed wayes Hee hath made known to you the certainty the infinite consequence of the things of eternitie the vilenesse pollution poyson danger of sin he hath given you experiences of the things of heaven the sweetnesse of his wayes the distresse of conscience for sinne Fifthly he hath separated you for himself he hath takē you into a near communion unto himselfe though God is to be feared by all yet more especially in a higher degree hee is to bee feared in the assembly of his Saints and to be had in reverence of them that are about him Psa 89. 7. Sixthly God hath put other dignities upon you that hee hath not put upon other men he hath made you Citizens of the new Ierusalem favorites of heaven heires co-heires with the Lord Jesus Christ God hath raised you above the condition of men and therefore you must not walk as men The Apostle 1 Cor. 3. 3. blamed the Corinthians that they did walke as men Hee hath redeemed you from the earth Revel◠4. 3. Therefore you must not walke as the men of the earth God hath not dealt thus with other people they know not what these things meane Therefore well may the Lord expect from you other manner of service and honour than he hath from other men Seventhly more depēds upon you than upon others the waight of many services depends all upon you which are no wayes expected to bee performed by others What shall become of Gods Name his Glory the fulfilling his will in the world if men whose spirits are fitted for his service should not live in a higher way of holinesse and doe more for him than others God expects great things from you Esay 63. 8. I said surely they will not lie When others are base unfaithfull and vile in their wayes yet God rejoyceth in this that hee hath a generation in the world a choyce company of other spirits pretious excellent spirits and hee shall have other dealings from them Eighthly your sinnes goe nearer to the heart of God than others Other men may provoke God to anger but you grieve his Holy Spirit God tooke it very ill at Salomons hand that hee dealt ill with him after hee had appeared twice to him 1 King 11. 9. How often hath God appeared to your soules What gracious visitatiōs have your spirits had from him It is a shamefull thing indeed for you to fall as other men doe It was an aggravation of the fall of Saul 2 Sam. 1 21. That the shield of the mighty was cast downe the shield of Saul as though he had not beene anoynted with oyle for you to fall as though you had not beene anoynted as others which have no such oyntment powred upon them this is
to the soule but how pleasant then is the fruit when it comes to ripenesse The more fully we follow on in Gods wayes the more full will the testimony of the witnesses both in heaven and earth bee in witnessing our blessed estate unto us Those three witnesses in heaven the Father Word and Holy Ghost and those three on earth the spirit water and the blood of which S. Iohn in his 1 Epistle 5. 7 8. they will all come with their full testimony to that soule which followes God fully By following the Lord fully wee keep our evidences cleare sinne blots and blurs our evidences that oftentimes wee cannot reade them but when the heart keeps close to God and walks fully with him then all is kept faire The Kingdome of God consists in righteousnesse peace and joy the more fully wee are brought into his Kingdome the more fully wee are under his government as there will bee the more righteousnesse so the more peace and joy Es 9. 7. Of the encrease of his government and peace there shall bee no end saith the Text. The more encrease there is of Christs government in the soule the more full it is the more peace will be there Seventhly there is great reason that wee should walke fully after the Lord because the way that God cals us to walke in is a most blessed and holy way In the 21. Revelation 21. verse The streets of Ierusalem that is the wayes of Gods people in his Church wherein they are to walke they are said to bee of pure gold and as it were transparent glasse they are golden wayes they are bright shining wayes Prov. 3. 17. The wayes of wisdome are the wayes of pleasantnesse and all her paths are peace There is not any one Command of God wherein hee would have us to follow him but it is very lovely there is much good in it God requires nothing of us but that which is most just and holy as God is holy in all his workes so he is holy in all his Commands they are no other but that which if our hearts were as they ought wee would choose to our selves A righteous man is a law to himselfe he sees that good that beauty that equity in all Gods Lawes as hee would choose them to himselfe were hee left at his owne liberty What one thing is there in Gods Law that could bee spared What is there that thou couldst bee glad to bee exempted from It may bee in the strength of temptation when some lust is up working the flesh would faine have some liberty but upon due serious thoughts looking into the bottome of things a gracious soule closeth with the Law and loveth it as gold yea fine gold and breakes for the longing it hath not to the reward of obedience to Gods Statutes and Judgements but to the Statutes and Judgements of God themselves as David saith his soule did Howsoever our path in following the Lord may seeme rugged and hard to the flesh in regard of the afflictions and troubles it meets withall in it yet where there is a spirituall eye the way of holinesse appeares to it exceeding lovely and beautifull Though David Psa 23. supposed the worst that might befall him in his way as that he might walke through the valley of the shadow of death yet he cals his way greene pastures and saith Godwill leade him by the still waters It is true the wayes of God are grievous to the wicked but very good and delightfull to the Saints because they are the wayes of holinesse as Esay 35. 8. And a high-way shall be there and it shall bee called the way of holinesse The uncleane shall not passe over it Eightly the consideration of the end of our way should bee a strong motive to draw our hearts fully after the Lord in it the entrance into it is sweet the midst of it more as before we have shewed but the end of it most sweet of all there is that comming that will fully recompence all Consider of the sweetnesse of the end of our way 1 In that period of it that will be at death and 2 In that glorious reward we shall have in heaven That sweet and blessed comfort that the full following of the Lord brings at death is enough to recompence all the trouble and hardship that wee meet withall in our way while we are following of him This hath caused many Saints of God to lie triumphing when they have been upon their death-beds blessing the Lord that ever they knew his wayes that euer he drew their hearts to follow after him in them When Hezekiah received the message of death Esay 38. 2 3 he turned his face to the wall and said Remember O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight and Hezechiah wept sore O the sweetnesse that possessed the heart of Hezekiah which did flow from the testimony of his conscience that hee had fully walked after the Lord with a perfect heart the verbe there I have walked is in that Mood in the Originall that addes to the signification of it It signifies I have continually without ceasing walked Thus Luther who was a man whose spirit was exceeding full in his love unto and walking after the Lord Jesus Christ while hee lived and when hee came to die his spirit was as full of comfort and joy as before it was full of zeale and courage these expressions brake from him O my heavenly Father O God the Father of the Lord Iesus Christ the God of all comfort I give thee thanks that thou hast revealed thy Sonne Iesus Christ to mee whom I have beleeved whom I have professed whom I have loved whom I have honoured whom the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the rout of wicked men have persecuted and contemned and now I beseech thee O my Lord Iesus Christ receive my soule my heavenly Father although my body is to be laid downe yet I certainly know that I shall for ever remaine with thee neither can I by any be pulled out of thy hands The grace of Gods Spirit oftentimes appeares most in the glory of it when death approacheth because grace and glory is then about to meet That soule that hath followed God fully here when it comes to depart out of the body it onely changeth the place nor the company which was the speech of a late reverend holy Divine of ours a little before his death I shall change my place saith hee but not my company meaning that as he had conversed with God and followed after the Lord here in this World hee was now going to converse with him and to follow after him more fully in a better World Death to such a soule it is but Gods calling of it from the lower gallery of this World to the upper gallery of Heaven to walke with him there Here
the converse that Jesus Christ hath with the soules of his people is compared to that converse that friends have one with another in their walkings together in their galleries Cant. 7. 5. The King is held in the galleries hee doth not only walk with his Beloved there but is as it were bound he is kept there by the bands of love and when death comes then the soule is called up to the upper roome to heaven there to follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth Wee reade of a notable speech that Hilarion had when hee was to die Goe out goe out my soule why dost thou feare why dost thou doubt almost these seventy yeares hast thou served Christ and dost thou now feare death And if the end of our way at death hath so much good in it how much good will there be in the end of our way that we shall enjoy when we come to heaven As the consideration of the full reward in heaven was made use of before as an encouragement to those who doe fully follow the Lord so now wee make use of it as a strong motive to draw up our hearts to the full following after him It was S. Pauls motive to the Corinthians 1 Epistle 15. 58. perswading them to hee stedfast unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as they knew that their labour was not in vaine in the Lord. We doe not follow after shadowes and phancies in following the Lord but wee seek for glory honour immortality wee follow after an incorruptible crowne a glorious kingdome an eternall inheritance the glory of heaven the treasures of the riches of God himselfe are set before us to draw up our hearts fully to him It was the argument that S. Paul used to worke upon his owne spirit withall Phil. 3. 14. I presse toward the marke for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Iesus How full is the worke of many mens spirits in their working after some poore little scant good in this world whereas if they had all the world they had but an empty husk in comparison of that glory that is set before us They pant after the very dust what cause is there then that our hearts should pant in the strong workings of them after those high and glorious things that are reserved in heaven for us It was the goodnes of the land of Canaan that was a strong motive to draw Caleb and Ioshuahs heart fully after the Lord through many difficulties Canaan was but a darke Type of the glory of Heaven which God hath promised to reward the full followers of himselfe withall It was once a speech of Anselme If a man should serve God zealously here a thousand yeares yet should hee not thereby deservedly merit to bee one halfe day in heaven Let us bee as forward let our hearts bee as strong and zealous in Gods wayes as possibly they can be yet I may say as Abigail did to David in that particular case it shall not repent my Lord when he comes into his Kingdome so it shal never repent you of any thing that ever you have done for the Lord when you come into your Kingdome But if it were possible there could be sorrow in heaven you would be sorry that you did no more It was a speech of one Gordius a Martyr that the threats of his enemies were but as seedes from which he should reape immortality and eternal joyes so all the hardship and troubles that we meet with all in our way here in following the Lord are but increasers of that glory that is to be revealed why then should any thing hinder us or stop us in our way And thus I passe to the second thing propounded in this Use namely to shew what are the Causes that hinder men from following the Lord fully and they are five especially which I shall but name First low apprehensions that men have of God they see not God in his glory in his greatnesse surely they know not God and therefore it is that their hearts work so poorly after him Ier. 9. 3. They are not valiant for the truth upon the earth and what is the reason For they know not me saith the Lord. As if he should say Did they know me certainly they would be valiant for my trruth They that know thy Name saith the Psalmist Psal 9. 10. they will put their trust in thee so they that know Gods Name will love him will feare him will be zealous for will fully follow after him The knowledge of all truthes concerning Heaven and hell ven and hell or any other thing that can bee knowne can never raise can never inlarge the hearts of men so after the Lord as the knowledge of God himselfe and therefore where God is little knowne no marvell though he be so little followed Secondly unsound beginnings in the profession of Religion are the cause why men doe not fully follow after the Lord their hearts are not throughly broken not deepely humbled the truths of God not deeply rooted at first their soules not well principled the foundation not well laid If men be not well principled at first in their entrance into the wayes of God they are like to prove but shufflers and bunglers in Religion all their dayes If cloth bee not wrought well at the first though it shews faire in the Loome yet it will shrinke when it comes to wetting the cause why many doe so shrinke in the wetting when they come to suffer any thing in the wayes of Religion it is because their hearts were not well wrought at first A third cause is the strength of ingagements their hearts are so wrapped in them so glued to them as it is exceeding painfull to get them loosened from them they are so near and deare to a corrupt heart As it is said of Esau hee looked on the Pottage and it was so red so they looke upon their ingagements and they are so full of content it is so grievous to be taken off from them that they rather suffer their hearts to bee taken off from God himselfe when engagements have taken possession of the heart then how hard is it to work any thing upon the judgements of men it is hard to get the minde to view the truths of God to get it to search into them to consider of them it is ready to close with the least objection against them to catch hold of the least advantage to cast them off and if truths bee so cleare as a man cannot but see them as conscience for the present is over-powred with them yet if the heart bee not taken off from ingagements it will fetch about againe to see if something may not bee gotten against those truths to breake the strength of them but where the heart is taken off from ingagements how easily do the truths prevaile how soone is the heart brought fully to close with them 2 Sam. 22. 33.
where he had much gold a Lord came to him and wished him to go to his Chamber and not lie there his answer was I am well where I am so long as I can tarry for I am neare unto my friends meaning his Coffers and his gold What drossie corporall soules have such men The Gadarens drove Christ out of their Country they esteemed their Swine above a Saviour Demas embraceth the present world Ananias and Saphyra reserve a portion for themselves such spirits ever have been and will be in the world Spirits they are as much beneath common reason as those mentioned in this work are above it It is choyce not common spirits that will honour God in stormy times Had not a choyce and excellent spirit been in Nehemiah the plots and practices of enemies would have daunted him but take a view of his spirit Should such a man as I am flee and who is there that being as I am would go into the Temple to save his life I will not go in He had a good cause a good conscience a good God which advanced his spirit to such resolvednesse that hee would not take Sanctuary and disparage either of them by his feare or faint-heartednesse wheÌ„ he saw the Sabbath prophaned he hid not his eyes from it but contended with the Nobles about it What Divine spirits were in the three Children Could Nebuchanezars greatnesse mandates threats of the fiery Fornace force their spirits to false worship Be it known unto thee O King that we will not serve thy gods Here they did obediently disobey knowing that nothing pleases God but what hee hath commanded in his Word they would not deliberate in this case Wee are not carefull to answer thee say they When any enticements come to draw us from the pure worship of God wee should stop our eares charme the Charmers never so wisely Charles the Emperour and two great persons in this Kingdome solliciting King Edward the sixt to allow his sister the Lady Mary to have â—â—asse would not listen but bade them be conceâ—â—t for he would spend his life and all he had rather than agree and grant to that hee knew certainly to be against the truth the suit being yet pressed he brust out into bitter weeping and sobbing desiring them to desist The motioners seeing his zeale and constancy wept as fast as he and told one he had more Divinity in his little finger than they had in all their bodies What a choyce spirit was in that young Lord Harrington who was a man of prayer he prayed twice a day in secret twice with his servants in his chamber and joyned at appointed times with the family in prayer he would never be idle but alwaies well if not religiously imployed he meditated on 4. or 5. Sermons every day retaining five or six in his memory alwayes he kept an exact account of his life every day very conscientious of honouring God to purpose in publike and private on the Lords day he would repeat both the Sermons with his servants before supper and write them down in his night booke before hee slept and on the morning of that day he would as he made him ready repeat those Sermons hee had heard the Lords day before and for the Sacrament he received it very frequently and alwayes fasted the Saturday before spending the whole day in examination prayer and humbling himselfe that so he might be fitted to feast with Christ he gave away the tenth of his estate unto the poore pious uses besides his occasionall charity when he was abroad Here was a choyce spirit beautified with variety of graces not unfit for great mean to propound for their pattern Daniel in Babylon would not defile himselfe with the portion of the Kings meat nor with the wine which he dranke hee had rather eat pulse than defile his conscience When the writing was signed the Lions den threatned did he mussle up his Religion and shrink up his spirit he would not shut up his window nor diminish his prayers but thrice a day prayed and gave thankes unto his God as he did afore time here was a spirit for God and his wayes and not for the times Happily some temporizing politician will charge Daniel of indiscretion no it was the excellency of his spirit that in case of danger and that of life he would not separate external profession from inward faith when God should lose by it And what dost thou charge him with indiscretion whom the Scripture commends for his wisdome It was a proverbiall speech Wiser than Daniel Ezek. 32. 3. and his heart did not accuse him for that indiscretion when he was in the Lions den for he saith Innocency was found in him he was not ashamed of his godlinesse that had raised him and hee would maintaine the honour of it Such spirits have true excellency in them are not shie of the wayes or servants of God when the flouds of iniquity overflow threaten to beare down all Fearefulnesse to appeare in Gods cause is a part of the old man when God puts into his another a new spirit that wasts thy fearefulnes the more thou hast of Gods Spirit the more thy old timorous cowardly spirit is abated Mat. 9. 16. That is put in to fill up takes from the garment and when grace fils up a man it takes away from the old man the old basenesse feare and dastardlinesse in the cause of God and a holy undaunted resolution is begotteÌ„ in thee to justifie wisdom although thou daÌ„nifie thy self According to the fulnesse of mens spirits are their carriages with more or lesse confidence in their undertakings If Satan have filled the heart men will boldly serve him Acts 5. 3. Why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie unto the Holy Ghost Satan had filled his heart and therefore he feared not to lie unto God himselfe Dieu saith upon the place Implere cor alterius est audacem eum reddere he cites that place Hest 7. 5. Quis hic est qui implevit cor suum ad faciendum sic Who is he that hath filled his heart in our Translations That durst presume in his heart to doe so Hamans heart was filled with malice and that made him bold to attempt the destruction of all the Jewes And where godlinesse fils the heart there will be as venturous bold attempts for God Paul being filled with the Holy Ghost set his eyes on Elymas and so thundred and lightned against him that presently his proud malitious spirit was blasted When the heart of a man is filled with divine truths it is not the presence of men in highest place can daunt it Elisha had a double portion of the spirit of Elijah and did the greatnesse or wickednesse of Iehoram daunt him There appeared a Deity in his very speech and spirit 2 Kings 3. 14. As the Lord of Hosts liveth before whom I stand surely were it