glory that rested upon him and expressed himselfe to be the servant of God He that takes away from our good report if we be good he addeth to our reward Our Saviour Christ saith as much Blessed are you when you be ill spoken of for great is your reward THE Seventh Sermon ISAIAH 25. 8. And the rebukes of his people shall he take away from all the earth For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it THis is a great promise and I pray you be comforted with it For of all grief that Gods people suffer in the world there is none greater than reproach disgrace and contumely Movemur contumeliis plus quam injuriis We are more moved with reproaches than injuries Injuries come from severall causes but disgrace from abundance of slighting No man but thinks himselfe worthy of respect from some or other Now slanders come from abundance of malice or else abundance of contempt and therefore nothing stickes so much as reproaches specially by reason of opinion and fancy that raiseth them over high Our Saviour Christ endured the Crosse and despised the shame That shame that vaine people cast upon Religion and the best things they despise that and make that a matter of patience They knew the Crosse would not be shaken off Persecution and Troubles must be endured and therefore they endured the Crosse and despised the shame Now to bear Crosses take the counsell of the Holy Apostles look up to him consider Christ and whatsoever disgrace in words or carriage wee shall endure we are sure though wee shall never know it till wee feele it by experience The spirit of glory shall rest upon us and rebuke shall be taken away Ere long there will be no glory in heaven and earth but the glory of Christ and of his Spouse for all the rest shall be in their owne place as it was said of Judas that he went to his place Their proper place is not to domineere but to be in hell and ere long they shall bee there Heaven is the proper element of the Saints that is the place of Christ the head And where should the body be but with the head where the Spouse but with the Husband I say this shall come to passe that all the wicked shall be in their place and all the godly in theirs with Christ and then shall the rebukes of Gods people be taken away A great matter and therefore it is sealed with a great confirmation The Lord Jehovah hath spoken it therfore it must and will be so The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it This is not in vaine added for the Lord knoweth well enough we need it to believe so great things that there is such a Feast provided And that there is such a victory over death our last enemy and that there will be such glory that all the glory shall bee Christs and his Spouses that the wicked that are now so insolent shall be cast into their proper place with the Devill by whose Spirit they are led They bee great matters and there is great disproportion between the present condition and that condition in heaven and infidelity being in the soule its hard to fasten such things on the soule that so great things should be done but they are no greater than God hath said and hee is able to make good his Word The Lord hath said it and when God hath said it heaven and earth cannot unsay it when heaven hath concluded it earth and hell cannot disanull it The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it That is truth it selfe hath spoken it that cannot lye A man may lye and be a man and an honest man too he may sometimes speak an untruth it taketh not away his nature But God who is pure truth unchangable truth truth it selfe cannot lye When we heare of great matters as matters of Christianity be great matters they be as large as the capacity of the soule and larger too And yet the soule is large in the understanding and affection too When wee heare of such large matters wee need a great faith to believe them Great faith needeth great grounds and therefore its good to have all the helps we can When we heare of great things promised great deliverances great glory to strengthen our faith remember God hath spoken them He knoweth our weaknesse our infirmity and therefore helps us with this prop The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Let us therefore remember those great things are promised in the word of God in the word of Jehovah that can make them all good that gives a being to all his promises He is being it selfe and gives being to whatsoever he saith he is able to doe it Set God and his power against all opposition whatsoever from the creature and all doubts that may arise from our owne unbeleeving hearts The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it But yee will say the Prophet Esay saith it whose words they were I answer Isaiah was the Pen-man God the mouth the head dictateth the hand writeth Christ the head dictates and his servant writeth So that holy men write as they were inspired by the holy Ghost a better spirit than their owne Why doe yee look on me saith Isaiah thinke not it is I that say it I am but a man like your selves but the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it VVee should not regard men nor the Ministerie of men but consider who speaks by men who sendeth them with what commission doe they come Ambassadors are not regarded for themselves but for them that send them And therefore Cornelius said well We are here in the presence of God to heare what thou wilt speake in the name of God Acts 10. 33. And so people should come with that reverend expression VVee are come in the presence of God the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost in the presence of the blessed Angells to heare what thou shalt say in the Name of God by the Spirit of God VVe are not to deal with men but with God And therefore he saith The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Hence may this question be easily answered VVhence hath the Scripture authority VVhy from it selfe it is the Word it carryeth its owne Letters testimoniall with it Shall God borrow Authority from men No the Authority the Word hath is from it selfe It hath a supreame authority from its selfe And wee may answer that question about the Judge of all controversies What is the supreame Judge the Word the Spirit of God in the Scriptures And who is above God It is a shamelesse ridiculous impudency of men that will take upon them to be Judges of Scripture as if man would get upon the Throne and as a Judge there Judge The Scriptures must judge all ere long yea that great Antichrist Now an ignorant man a simple man that perhaps never read Scriptures must judge of
shall then enjoy it 151 3. God will have us have the best at last 251 As there is a time of our waiting so there will be a time of Gods performance 152 The present grace wee have is an earnest of what wee shall have 152 Incouragements to wait upon God 153 1. Gods time is best and it is set 154 2. God will effect the thing promised though by contraries 154 VVhat we should doe when God hath performed promise 1. Be thankefull to the Lord. 156 2. Be joyfull in the Lord. 158 159 Interest in God is the cause of all our joy 160 161 162 THE Marriage Feast BETWEEN CHRIST and his CHURCH ISAIAH 25. 6. In this Mountaine shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a Feast of fat things a Feast of Wines on the Lees of fat things full of Marrow of Wine on the Lees well refined IN the former Chapter the holy Prophet having spoken of the miseries and desolation of the Church in many heavy sad and dolefull expressions as the Vine languisheth the earth is defiled under the Inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the Lawes changed the Ordinance and broken the everlasting Covenant therefore the earth shall be accursed and they that dwell therein shall not drink Wine with a Song c. Here you see all sweetnesse and rejoycing of heart is departed from them yet even in the middest of all these miseries God the God of comforts makes sweet and gracious promises to his Church to raise it out of its mournfull estate and condition And therefore the Prophet in the former part of this Chapter speakes of blessing God for the destruction of his Enemies and for his great love to his Church And when he had spoken of the ruine of the enemie hee presently breaks out with Thanksgiving breathing forth abundant praises to his God as it is the custome of holy men guided by the motion of the blessed Spirit of God upon all occasions but especially for benefits to his Church to praise his Name not out of ill affection at the destruction of the Adversaries but at the execution of Divine Justice for the fulfilling of the truth of his promise as in the first Verse of this Chapter O Lord thou art my God I will exalt thee I will praise thy name for thou hast done wonderfull things thy Counsels of old are faithfulnesse and truth When the things that were promised of old were brought to passe the Church was ever ready to give God the glory of his Truth Therefore rejoyce not when thine enemies fall but when the enemies of the Lord are brought to desolation then we may nay we ought to sing Hallelujah to him that liveth for ever and ever I will now fall upon the very words of my Text. In this mountaine shall the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a Feast of fat things c. These words they are Propheticall and cannot have a perfect performance all at once but they shall be performed gradually The promise of a new heaven and a new earth shall be performed The conversion of the Jewes and the bringing in of the fulnesse of the Gentiles shall gradually be brought to passe All the Promises that ever God hath made before the second comming of Christ to Judgement shall be accomplished God hath made his peace with us in the Gospell of peace and when all these Promises shall be fulfilled then all imperfection shall be done away and wee shall never be removed from our Rock but our joy shall then be full nay even in this life we have some degrees of perfection we have grace and the meanes of grace the Ordinances of Christ and a testimony of everlasting glory In this Mountaine will the Lord of Hosts make a Feast In these words yee have set downe a glorious and royall Feast and the place where this Feast is to be kept is Mount Syon the Feast-maker is the Lord of Hosts the parties invited are all people the issues of it and the provision for the Feast are fat things and wine of the best a Feast of the best of the best a Feast of the fat and of the Marrow a Feast of wine on the Lees well refined Here you may see that God doth veile heavenly things under earthly things and condiscends so low as to enter into the inward man by the outward man for our apprehensions are so weak and narrow that we cannot bee acquainted with spirituall things but by the inward working of the Spirit of the Almighty This mountaine is the place where this Feast is made even Mount Syon which is a type and figure of the Church called in Scripture the holy Mountaine for as Mountains are raised high above the earth so the Church of God is raised in excellency and dignity above all the sorts of man-kinde As much as men above Beasts so much is the Church raised above all men This Mountain is above all Mountaines the Mountaine of the Lord is above all other Mountaines whatsoever Thou O Mountaine shalt stand immoveable when all other Mountaines shall smoak if they are but touched this is the mountaine of Mountaines The Church of God is most excellent in glory and dignity as ye may see in the latter end of the former Chapter how the glory of the Church puts down all other glories whatsoever The Moon saith the Prophet shall be confounded and the Sunne ashamed when the Lord of Hosts shall reigne in Mount Sion and in Jerusalem and before his Ancients gloriously So that the brightnesse of the Church shall put downe the glory of the Sunne and of the Moon Thus you see the Church of God is a Mountaine Reas First Because God hath established it upon a stronger Foundation than all the world besides It is founded upon the goodnesse and power and truth of God Mountaines of Brasse and Iron are not so firme as this Mountaine For what sustains the Church but the Word of God And being built upon his Word and Truth it may very well be called a Mountaine for it shall bee as Mount Syon which shall never be removed it may be moved but never removed Thus in regard of the firmnesse and stability thereof it may rightly bee termed a Mountain Again we may here speak in some sort of the visibility of the Church but here will arise a quarrell for the Papists who when they hear of this Mount they presently allude it to their Church Their Church say they is a Mount so saith the Scripture I answer 1. Wee confesse in some sort their Church to be a Mount though not this Mount for Babylon is built on seven Hills but if this prove her a Church it is the Antichristian Church Secondly That the Catholick Protestantiall Church had alwayes a being though sometimes invisible The Apostle writing to the Romans exhorts them not to bee high-minded but feare for saith hee if God hath broken off the naturall branches perhaps
all controversies yea that that is the Judge of all and of himselfe the Word which is from the very mouth of God You will aske me how shall I know it is the Word of God if the Church tells us not A Carrier sheweth us these bee Letters from such a man but when wee open the Letter and see the hand and seale we know them to be his The Church knowes the Word and explaneth it and when wee see and feele the efficacy of the Word in it selfe then we believe it to be the Word for there is that in the Word that sheweth it to bee the Word the Majesty that is in it the matter that is mysterious forgivenesse of sinnes through a mystery forgivenesse of sinne victory over death life everlasting in the world to come great matters which eye hath not seen nor eare heard nor entred into the heart of man If it had not been revealed it could not have entred into the heart of Angels It containeth such glorious transcending mysteries And then againe the Word to all them that belong to God hath the Spirit of God by which it passeth rightly accompanying it witnessing to the soule of man that it is so and by a divine efficacy it is mighty in operation What doth it in the heart It warmeth the heart upon the hearing and speaking and discoursing of it As when the Disciples went to Emaus It hath a heat of Spirit going with it to affect the heart with heavenly joy and delight it hath power going with it by the Spirit to raise joy unspeakable and glorious It hath a power to pacifie the soule amidst all troubles When nothing will still the soule the Spirit of God in the Word will doe it by its divine power Yea it will change a man from a beastly or devillish temper to a higher and happier estate as you have it Isaiah 11. 6 7 8 9. It makes Lions Lambs Leopards Kids And what is the ground of all In that very place the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord. The knowledge of God reconciled is such a powerfull knowledge that it hath a transforming vertue to alter mens dispositions What was Paul before Conversion and Zaccheus Therefore it is the Word because it hath divine operation to heat the soul and raise the soule and change the soule and cast downe the soule as low in a manner as hell in sense of its owne miserie It will make a Foelix to tremble a man that it doth not effectually worke upon The Truths of it are so moving that it will make a carnall man to quake When Paul spake of judgement to come of giving account of all that is done in the flesh when a possibility of it was apprehended it made Foelix to quake It makes mountains levell and it fills up the valleyes The Word can raise up the soule when man is as low as hell and looketh for nothing but damnation the Spirit with the Word will fetch him from thence as the Jaylor Acts 16. there was little between him and hell What shall I doe to be saved Why believe in the Lord Jesus And with these words there went out an efficacy he believed and he afterward was full of joy The first Gospell ever preached in pardon was by God himselfe never was any creature so neare damnation as our first Father Adam cast from the greatest happinesse Miserrimum est fuisse faelicem for he that enjoyed before communion with God and his Angells having sinn'd and having conscience of his sinne considering his great parts and apprehension of the state he had beene in this must needs affect him deeply and being in this condition the promise of the seed of the VVoman to breake the Serpents head revived him There is a strange efficacy in the Gospell The Roman Empire was the greatest enemy that the Church ever had The ten Persecutions you see what they were and yet notwithstanding the VVord grew upon them and never rested the spreading of the Gospell and the Spirit with it till the Crosse got above the Crown as it did in the time of Constantine and so it continueth And must not this be a divine word which hath this efficacy to revive comfort change cast downe raise up againe search secrets search the heart to the bottome A poore Ideot that comes to heare the word of God when he heares the secrets of his heart laid open by the word he concludes certainly God is in you and you are Gods Ministers The word divideth betweene the marrow and the bone it arraigneth the heart before Gods Tribunall Seat Those that are saved it hath these effects in them that I have named And if you ask how they know whether the word be the Word A man may answer I have found it to be so raising me up comforting me and strengthening mee I had perished in my affliction if the word had not raised mee Principles are proved you know from experience for they have nothing above them There is no other Principle to prove the word but experience from the working of it How know you the light to be the light but by it selfe and that fire is hot but by it selfe Principles prove themselves onely by experience And this Principle is so proved by it selfe that there is no child of God but can say by experience that the word is the word If a man might goe to reason one might bring that which could not be easily answered for the satisfaction of an Atheist Let him but grant there is a God hee will grant one thing in Religion or another But let him grant there is a God and a Reasonable Creature then there must be a service a Religion and this service must bee according to some Rules prescribed for the superior will not be served as the inferior pleaseth he must discover what good the superior intendeth and what duties he expects this must be revealed in some word God and the Reasonable Creature and Religion make a necessity of a word and that must be the word we have or another and what word in the world is probable to bee the word but this You will say it may be corrupt The Jewes looked to the old Testament that it should not be corrupted for they knew every sillable in it and preserved every letter It is one part of their superstition and God blesseth that superstition to take away all such cavills For the New Testament the Jewes cared not for but Hereticks on their side watch over it that there should be no corruption they will so observe one another But what are these reasons to those which the soule of a gracious Christian knoweth by the operation of the Word upon the heart And therefore let us regard it as the word of God hear it as the word of
the end of a promise is to support the soule till the performance God doth not onely reserve great things for us in another vvorld but to comfort us in the vvay doth reach out to us Promises to comfort us till vvee come thither There is a time when he will performe them and not onely a time but there are likewise promises of performance at that time the promises of these great things shall be performed The next thing is that God will stirre up in his Children a disposition suitable That is the Grace of waiting As great things were promised before so the soule hath a grace fit for it Wee have waited for thee And as they wait for them while they are in performing so they shall enjoy them Wee have wayted for thee and wee will bee glad in thy salvation We shall so enjoy them that we shall joy in them Good things when they be enjoyed they bee joyed in Againe wee shall rejoyce in our salvation wee shall glory in our God After they bee a while exercised in waiting then commeth performance then they bee enjoyed and they bee enjoyed with joy in glorying in God For that is the issue of a Christian when hee hath what hee would enjoy when hee enjoyeth it with joy when the fruit of it is that God hath his glory and therefore the heart can rejoyce in his salvation Then there is a day as for the exercising of his people here by waiting So there is a day of performing promises In that day That is a day of all dayes When that day commeth then all Prophecies and Promises shall be accomplished to the uttermost But before that great day there is an intermediate performance of Promises assisted by waiting to drop comfort to us by degrees He reserveth not all to that day there be lesser dayes before that great day As at the first comming of Christ So at the overthrow of Antichrist the Conversion of the Jewes there will be much joy but that is not that day these dayes make way for that day VVhensoever Prophecies shall end in Performances then shall bee a day of joying and glorying in the God of our salvation for ever And therefore in the Revelations where this Scripture is cited Revelations 21. 4. is meant the Conversion of the Jewes and the glorious estate they shall enjoy before the end of the world We have waited for our God and now we enjoy him I but what saith the Church there Come Lord Iesus come quickly there is yet another come Lord till wee be in heaven So that though intermediate promises bee performed here yet there is another great day of the Lord to be performed which is specially meant here The last thing considerable in the words is the manner of expression They are expressed full of life and with repetition to make them sure and more certaine In that day it shall be said this is our God wee have waited for him he shall save us He bringeth them in speaking these words of affection Indeed when wee come to enjoy the performance of Gods gracious promises if we should live to see the fulnesse of the Gentiles come and Jewes called wee should speake of it againe and againe Affections are large and few expressions will not serve for large affections It will be no tautology to say This is our God wee have waited for him Beloved times are yet to come which may much affect the hearts of the Children of God Howsoever we may not live to see the performance of these things yet wee shall all live to see that day of Judgement and then we shall say This is our God wee have waited for him VVee now see God in the Promises and then wee shall see him face to face whom wee have waited for in the Promises and we shall see him in heaven for ever Loe this is our God we have waited for him VVhile we live here we are in state of waiting wee are under Promises and a condition under promises is a waiting condition a condition of performance is an enjoying condition VVe are in a waiting condition till our bodies be raised out of the grave for when vve dye vvee vvait for the resurrection of our bodies VVe may say as Jacob vvhen he vvas dying I have waited for thy salvation VVe are in a vvaiting condition till body and soule bee joyned together at the day of judgement for ever And therefore vve should labour to have those graces that are suitable for this condition The things vve vvait for are of so transcending excellency as glory to come that they cannot bee vvaited for but the spirit by the things vvaited for fitteth us to vvaite for them A man cannot vvait for glory of soule and body but the Spirit that raiseth up faith to believe and hope to vvait vvill purge and fit and prepare him for that glorious condition He that hath this hope purifieth himselfe as hee is pure Oh it is a quickning waiting and a purging waiting it is efficacious by the Spirit to fit and purifie his soule suitable to that glorious condition hee waits for Where that is not it is but a conceit a very slender apprehension of the glory to come will make men better He that hath hope of heaven and happinesse under glory it will make him suitable to the place hee looketh for THE Eighth Sermon ISAIAH 25. 8. He shall swallow up death in victory and the Lord God will wipe away teares from off all faces and the rebukes of his people shall he take away from off all the earth for the Lord hath spoken it And it shall be said in that day loe this is our God wee have waited for him and be will save us this is the Lord we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation TO come closer to the particulars It shall be said in that day loe this is our God The mouth of the Lord hath spoken gracious things before hath promised a Feast and an excellent Feast Gods manner is first of all to give promises to his Church why his goodnesse commeth from his goodnesse his goodnesse of grace commeth from his goodnesse of nature He is good and doth good Now the same goodnesse of disposition which we call bounty that reserveth heaven and happinesse for us in another world the same goodnesse will not suffer us to be without all comfort in this world Because the knowledge and revelation of the glory to come hath much comfort in it Therefore in mercy he not only intendeth performance of glory but out of the same fountaine of goodnesse he intendeth to reveale whatsoever is good for his Church in the way to glory So that promises of good come from the same goodnesse of God by which he intendeth heaven For what moved God to come out of that hidden light that no man can come into and discover himselfe in his sonne The word in his promises to reveale his
THE GLORIOVS FEAST OF THE GOSPEL OR Christ's gracious Invitation and royall Entertainment of Believers Wherein amongst other things these comfortable Doctrines are spiritually handled Viz. 1. The Marriage Feast between Christ and his Church 2. The vaile of Ignorance and Vnbeliefe removed 3. Christs Conquest over death 4. The wiping away of teares from the faces of Gods people 5. The taking away of their Reproaches 6. The precious Promises of God and their certaine performance 7. The Divine Authority of the Holy Scriptures 8. The Duty and comfort of waiting upon God Delivered in divers Sermons upon Isai 25 Chap. 6 7 8 9 Verses BY The late Reverend Learned and faithfull Minister of the Gospell RICHARD SIBBS D. D. Master of Katharine-Hall in Cambridge and Preacher at Grayes-Inne London Prov. 9. 1 2 3 4 5. Wisdome hath builded her house she hath hewen out her seven Pillars She hath killed her beasts she hath mingled her wine she hath also furnished her Table She hath sent forth her Maidens she cries c. Who so is simple let him turne in hither c. Come eate of my bread and drink of my wine that I have mingled c. Perused by those that were intrusted to revise his Writings London Printed for John Rothwell at the Sun and Fountaine in Pauls Church-yard neare the little North-doore 1650. TO THE READER SO much of late hath been written about the times that Spirituall Discourses are now almost out of season Mens mindes are so hurried up and downe that it is to be feared they are much discomposed to thinke seriously as they ought of their eternall concernments Alas Christians have lost much of their Communion with Christ and his Saints the heaven upon earth whilst they have woefully disputed away and dispirited the life of Religion and the power of Godlinesse into dry and saplesse Controversies about Government of Church and State To recover therefore thy spirituall Relish of savory pradicall Truths these Sermons of that excellent man of God of precious memory are published Wherein thou art presented 1. With an invitation to a great and wonderfull Feast the Marriage-Feast of the Lambe An admirable Feast indeed wherein Jesus Christ the eternall Sonne of God is the Bridegroome where every Beleever that hath put on the Lord Jesus the wedding garment is not onely the Guest but the Spouse of Christ and the Bride at this Wedding-supper Here Jesus Christ is the Master of the Feast and the Chear and Provision too He is the Lamb of God the Ramme caught in the thicket Hee is the fatted Calfe when he was sacrificed Wisedome killed her beasts Prov. 9. 2. At his death the Oxen and Fatlings were killed His flesh is meat indeed and his bloud is drinke indeed And that thou maist bee fully delighted at this Feast Christ is the Rose of Sharon the Lilly of the Valley he is a bundle of Mirrhe a Cluster of Camphire his name is an ointment poured out and his love is better than Wine In Christ are all things ready for Christ is all in all And great is the Feast that Christ makes for Believers for it is the Marriage Feast which the great King makes for his Sonne The great designe and aime of the Gospel being to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ and give him a name above every name Great is the company that are bid Luke 14. 6. Jews and Gentiles God keeps open house Hoe every one that thirsteth come and whosoever wil let him come and freely take of the water of life Great is the chear that is provided every Guest here hath Ashers portion royall dainties and bread of fatnesse Here 's all excellent best wine wine upon the Lees well refined Here 's fat things yea fat things full of marrow Here 's the hidden Manna the water of life and the fruit of the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paâ—â—dise of God All that is at this Feast is of the best yea the best of the best Here 's variety and plenty too here 's bread enough and to spare Caligula and Heliogabalus their Feasts who ransack'd the earth aire and sea to furnish their Tables were nothing to this And above all here 's welcome for every hungry thirsty soule hee that bids thee come will bid thee welcome he will not say eate when his heart is not with thee the invitation is free the preparation great and the entertainment at this Feast suiting the magnificence of the great King is full and bountifull All which is at large treated of in these excellent Sermons which are therefore deservedly intituled The Marriage Feast between Christ and his Church We read of a Philosopher that having prepared an excellent Treatise of happinessâ—… and presenting it unto a great King the Kâ—â—â—… answered him Keep your Book to your selfe I am not now at leasure Here is an excellent Treasure put into thy hand doe not answer 〈◊〉 I am not now at leisure Oh doe not let Christ stand knocking at thy heart who will come and sup with thee and bring his cheare with him Oh let not a deceived heart turne thee any longer aside to feed upon Ashes feed no longer with swine upon Husks while thou mayst be filled and satisfied with bread in thy fathers house But this is not all if thou wilt bee pleased to peruse this Book thou wilt finde there are many other usefull seasonable and excellent subjects handled besides the Marriage-Feast 2. Jesus Christ hath not only provided a feast because hee is desirous that all those for whom it is provided should come to it which onely they doe that believe he takes away the vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe from off their hearts and here you shall finde this skilfull Preacher hath excellently discoursed what this vaile is how it naturally lyes upon all and is onely removed by the Spirit of Christ And if the Lord hath destroyed this covering from off thy heart we doubt not but the truth of this heavenly Doctrine will shine comfortably into thy soule 3. Jesus Christ to make his bounty and mercy further appeare in this Feast hee hath given his Guests the Bread of life and hath secured them from the feare of death They need not feare there 's no Mors in ollâ at this Feast wee may feast without feare Jesus Christ by his tasting of death hath swallowed it up in victory Christ doth not make his people such a feast as it is reported Dionysius the Tyrant once made for his flatterer Damocles who set him at a Princely Table but hang'd a drawne sword in a small thread over his head But Christ would have us triumph over the King of Feares who was slain by the death of Christ and wee thereby delivered from the bondage of the feare of death At other Feasts they were wont of old to have a Deaths head serv'd in amongst other Dishes to minde them in the
midst of all their mirth of their mortality wich practise of the Heathens condemnes the ranting jollity of some loose professors in these times But here Christ serves in Deaths head as David the head of Goliah the head of a slaine and conquered death Our Sampson by his owne death hath destroied Death and hath thereby ransomed us from the hand of the grave and hath redeemed us from Death and the slavish feare of it All which is at large handled in these following Sermons for thy comfort and joy that thou maist triumph in his love through whom thou art more than Conqueror 4. Because it is a merry heart that makes a continuall feast and that this feast might be a Gaudy-day indeed unto thy soule Christ doth here promise to wipe away all tears from off the faces of his people The Gospel hath comforts enough to make glad the hearts of the Saints and people of God the light of Gods countenance will refresh them with joy unspeakable and glorious in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death A truely godly person can weep for his sinnes though the world smile never so much upon him and though hee be never so much afflicted in the world yet hee can and will rejoyce in the God of his salvation In these Sermons thou hast this Gospel-promise sweetly opened and applyed wherein thou shalt finde directions when and for what to mourne and weep and the blessednesse of all true mourners whose sorrow shall be turned into joy 5. In these Sermons you shall further finde that though Jesus Christ respect his people highly and entertaine them bountifully yet they have but course usage in the world who are wont to revile them as fooles and madmen as seditious Rebels troublers of Israel proud and hypocriticall persons But blessed are they that doe not stumble at this stone of offence that weare the reproaches of Christ as their Crowne and by well doing put to silence the ignorance of foolish men for let the world load them with all their revilings yet the spirit of glory rests upon them and in due time he will rowle away their reproach and bring forth their judgement as the light and their righteousnesse as the noon-day 6. And because a Christian here hath more in hope than in hand more in reversion than in possession walkes by faith rather than sense and lives by the Word of God and not by bread alone Thou shalt have here Christian Reader a sweet Discourse of the precious promises of Christ which hee hath left us here to stay the stomack of the soule till wee come to that feast of feasts in heaven that by this glimpse wee might in part know the greatnesse of that glory which shall be revealed that the first fruits might be a pawne of the Harvest and the earnest of the Spirit a pledge of that full reward wee shall have in heaven where we shall be brim-full of those pleasures that are at Gods right hand for ever Christ hath given us promises to uphold our faith and hope till faith be perfected in fruition and hope end in vision till Jesus Christ who is here the object of our faith be the reward of our faith for ever 7. Now because the comfort of the promises is grounded in the faithfulnesse of him that hath promised This godly and learned man hath strongly asserted the Divine Authority of the holy Scriptures proving that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they are the very Word of God that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worthy of all acceptation and beliefe for their owne sakes A truth very seasonable for these times to Antidote thee against the poysonfull errors of blasphemous Antiscripturists 8. Lastly because that God often takes a long day for performance of the promise thou shalt finde herein the Doctrine of waiting upon God excellently handled A duty which wee earnestly commend unto thy practice as suitable to these sad times Say Oh say with the Church In the way of thy judgements Oh Lord we have waited for thee and with the Prophet I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Iacob and I will look for him And rest assured that none of the seed of Iacob shall seeke him in vaine he will not disappoint their hope nor make their faces ashamed that waite for him Thus we have given you a short prospect of the whole a briefe summe of that treasure which these Sermons containe Wee need say nothing of the Author his former labours sufficiently speak for him in the gates his memory is highly honoured amongst the godly-learned He that enjoyes the glory of heaven needs not the prayses of men upon earth If any should doubt of these Sermons as if they should not be truely his whose Name they beare let him but observe the stile and the excellent and spirituall matter herein contained and he will wee hope be fully satisfied Besides there are many Eare-witnesses yet living who can cleare them from any shadow of imposture They come forth without any Alteration save onely some repetitions which the Pulpit did well beare are here omitted The Lord make these and all other the labors of his Servants profitable to his Church And the Lord so destroy the vaile from off thy heart that thou maiest believe and by faith come to this Feast the joy and comfort whereof may swallow up all the slavish feare of death dry up thy teares and rowle away all reproach and the Lord give thee a waiting heart to stay thy soule upon the name of the Lord to believe his Word and his faithfull promises that in due time thou maist rejoyce in the God of thy salvation This is the earnest Prayer of London Apr. 19. 1650. ARTHVR JACKSON JAMES NALTON WILL TAYLOR AN Analyticall Table of the Princicipall Contents in these Sermons upon ISAIAH 26. 7 8 9. The TEXT Page Vers 6. ANd in this Mountain shal the Lord of Hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things a feast of wines on the Lees of fat things full of marrow of wines on the Lees well refined 1 V. 7. And he will destroy in this mountaine the face of the covering cast over all People and the vaile that is spread over all Nations 33 V. 8. He will swallow up death in victory and the Lord God will wipe away teares from off all faces and the rebuke of his people shall hee take away from off all the earth for the Lord hath spoken it 55 97. V. 9. And it shall be said in that day lo this is our God We have waited for him and he will save us This is the Lord we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation 111 Coherence between the judgements threatned in the former Chapter and the comforts promised in this Chapter 1 2 The Text opened 3 The Church is an
and gracious the Lord hath bin to him in this world and how full of joy and comfort he will be to him in another world in consideration of this his soule cannot choose but be thankfull to God Here we see how to make this spirituall food fit for our soules that Christ provideth for us And if there be such joy as we have said there is in spirituall things what use should we make further of them but labour from hence to justifie the wayes of godlinesse against our owne false and carnall hearts and against the slanderous imputations of the world when our hearts are ready to be false to us and hanker after the contentments of the world and are ready to say the best contentment that they can enjoy is in the things below Let us answer our base and false disputing hearts that the waies of wisdome the waies that God directs us to they onely are the waies of pleasure And Religion is that that makes the hearts of the children of men joyfull and a good conscience onely makes a continuall feast so long as man liveth but especially at the houre of death when all the comforts of the world cease then conscience standeth our friend But the worlds objection is that of all kind of men in the world those that professe Religion are the most melancholy But if it be so it is because they are not religious enough their sinnes are continually before their eyes they have pardon for sinne and freedome from the guilt of sinne but know it not they have good things and doe not know them And so in regard of spirituall comforts Gods people may have spirituall joy and inward consolation and yet not know of it there may be such a time when they may be sad and droope and that is when they apprehend God doth not looke pleasantly upon them but the true character of a Christian is to be cheerfull none else can be truly chearefull or joyous Joy is usurped by others there is no comfort in them that can be said to be reall All the joy of a man that is a carnall man is but as it were the joy of a Traytor he may come to the Sacraments and feast with the rest of Gods people but what mirth or joy can he have so long as the Master of the Feast frownes upon him Where Christ is not there God is not reconciled no joy like that joy of him that is assured of the love of God in Christ A man may sometime through ignorance want that joy that belongeth to him Rejoyce ye righteous and be glad it belongeth to those that are in Christ and to the righteous to rejoyce for joy is all their portion They onely can justifie the waies of God against all reproaches whatsoever but the eyes of carnall men are so held in blindnesse that they can see no joy no comfort in this course As it is said of Austin before his conversion hee was afraid to turne Christian indeed lest he should want all those joyes and pleasures that the world did then afford him but after he was converted then he could cry Lord I have stayed too long from thee and too long delayed from comming in to tast of the sweetnesse of Jesus Christ Take a Christian at the worst and he is better then another man take him at the best The worst condition of Gods children farre surpasseth the very best condition of gracelesse persons The issue of things shall turn to his good that is a member of Christ a child of God an heire of heaven The evill of evils is taken away from him take him at the worst he is an heire of heaven but take the wicked at the best he is not a child of God he is a stranger to God he is as a branch cut off and as miserable a wretch as ever Belshazzer in the midst of his cups trembling and quaking with feare and astonishment when he saw the writing on the wall When a man apprehends the wrath of God hanging over his head though he were at the greatest feast in the world and amongst those that make mirth and jollity yet seeing vengeance ready to seize upon him it cannot but dampe all his joy and all his carnall pleasures and therefore only a Christian hath a true title to this feast I beseech you let us labour earnestly to have our part and portion in the things above but what shall they doe that as yet apprehend no interest in Jesus Christ why let them not be discouraged for all are compelled to come in to this Feast both blind and lame the servants are sent to bring them in The most wretched people of all God doth invite them all are called to come in to this Feast that are sensible of their sinnes and that God requires at our hands or else we can have no appetite to taste of this feast God saith come all I but saith the poore sinfull soule I have no grace at all why but yet come buy without money the feast is free Gods thoughts are not as thy thoughts are but as heaven is high above the earth even so are his thoughts above thy thoughts Poore wretch thou thinkest thou hast led a wicked life and so thou hast I but now come in God hath invited thee and he will not alwaies be inviting thee therefore come in and study the excellencies of Christ When such persons as these see they need mercy and grace and reconciliation and must either have it or else be damned for ever now they are earnest to study the favour and love of God in Christ now they bestirre themselves to get peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost now they see salvation to be founded onely on Christ and all other excellencies belonging to Christianity and therefore he goeth constantly provided with grace and holinesse so in this life that he may not lose his part in glory in the life to come Think of this and pray for it as they in the Gospell Lord evermore give us of that bread here is hope that thou maist be saved because thou art invited to come in to what end is the ministry of the Gospel but to intreat thee to be reconciled Oh let this worke upon our soules when we heare of the excellencies of these things and together with them consider of the necessity that is cast upon us to obtaine them and that we must have them or else be damned eternally Wee must doe as the Leapers did who said one to another Why sit we here till we die if we say wee will enter into the City why the famine is in the City and we shall die there and if we sit still here wee shall also die now what course tooke they They said one to another let us enter into the campe of the Syrians there is meat to feed us So saith the soule if I goe into the City
bloud and in that the love and mercy of God in Christ in giving him to death for us and Christs love to give himself to satisfie Divine Justice these be the things intended which onely the soule sees and apprehendeth And so all things in the Church indeed are mysteries the incarnation of Christ the union of both natures that Christ should save the world by such a way as he did that he should bring us to glory by shame to life by death to blessing and happinesse by being a curse for us it is a mystery to bring contrary out of contrary That so glorious a person as God should be covered with our weake and sinnefull nature it was a mystery the Jewes stumbled at it light came and the darkenesse could not comprehend the light And as Christ was a mystery himselfe so the Church is a mystery that God should so much delight in a company of poore men the off-scowring of the world to make them temples of his holy Spirit and heires of heaven men that were under the scorne of the world this is a mystery so all is mysticall the head the members the body the Church and every particular point of Religion there is a mystery in repentance no man knoweth what sorrow for sin is but the true gracious person no man knowes what it is to believe but he that hath an heart to believe no man knoweth what peace of conscience and joy of the holy Ghost is but those that feele it so that is a mystery And therefore great is the mystery of godlinesse saith the Apostle not onely in the points themselves but even the practice of Religion is a mystery too Repentance and Faith and new obedience and love and the comforts of Religion are all mysteries there is a vaile upon them in all these points that a carnall man cannot see them You see then in what sense there is a vaile of the things and in what sense there is a vaile on mens hearts that is either the things themselves are hid or if the things be open they want sight and light of knowledge and they want faith to believe Beloved we live in times that the object is cleare to us the things themselves are made cleare as who knoweth not what Christ is and the notion of the incarnation and of the union with him wee know them notionally they be opened and revealed to us very clearely all the articles of faith and misteries of Religion so that there is no obscurity in the object the things are cleare specially in these places of knowledge But yet notwithstanding there is a vaile upon the soule The soule of every man that is not graciously wrought upon by the spirit of God hath a vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe First of all of Ignorance There is a vaile of ignorance in many and in all men naturally a vaile of ignorance of spirituall things for unlesse they be revealed they can never be knowne to Angels themselves The Angels themselves know not the Gospell till it be opened and therefore they be students in it continually and the best men in the world know nothing in the Gospell further then it is revealed but there is a vaile of ignorance upon them that know these things notionally because they do not know them as they should know them they doe not know them in propria specie spirituall and heavenly things as spirituall and heavenly things they doe not know spirituall things as spirituall things they have a humane knowledge of spirituall things Those that want grace they know the Grammer of the Scripture and Divinity and they know how to discourse as Schoolemen doe from one thing to another and to argue they know the Logicke and Rhetoricke of the Scripture but they sticke in the stile there is something they are ignorant of That is they have not an eye of knowledge as wee call it they doe not see the things themselves but onely they see things by another bodies spirit and they have no light of their owne And so no man knoweth naturally but the children of God what originall sinne is what corruption of nature is nor knowes sinne in its owne odious colours to be filthy and to be dangerous as it is to draw the curse and vengeance of God upon it this is not knowne but by the spirit revealing the odiousnesse of sinne that the soule may apprehend it as Christ did when he suffered for it and as God doth A gracious man seeth it as God seeth it because by the spirit of God hee seeth the filthinesse and odiousnesse of it and the danger it draweth after it And so in any points of Religion naturally a man sees not them spiritually as they are and as God sees them but he seeth them by a humane light hee seeth heavenly things by a humane light notionally and meerely to discourse of them he seeth not intritively into the things themselves he seeth them sub aliena specie under another representation then their owne onely a godly man seeth spirituall things as the spirit of God and seeth them as they are knowes sinne as it is knoweth grace to be as it is and knoweth faith what it is to believe what it is to have peace of conscience and the pardon of sinnes he knoweth these things in some sense intritively though not so as he shall doe when he shall see these things in heaven when he shall see face to face There is a great difference in it hee sees them intritively in respect of the knowledge of other men though he sees but in a glasse in regard of the knowledge hee shall have in heaven As Saint Paul saith for wee see but as in a glasse but he that sees in a glasse seeth more life then he that sees the dead picture of a man So though we see but in a glasse heavenly things yet wee see them better then those that see them in a dead notion though it be nothing to the knowledge wee shall have in heaven yet it is incomparable above the knowledge of any carnall naturall man upon the earth Againe naturally men have vailes of ignorance upon the most divine things of spirituall things such as is union and as is the communion between Christ and us and the mystery of regeneration in the new creature such as is the joy in the holy Ghost the inward peace of conscience I will not name the particulars to insist on them but give you onely an iustance though they know the notion of these things yet they are altogether ignorant of them their knowledge is a meere outward light it is a light radicated in the soule It is not as the light of the Moone which receiveth light from the Sunne but it is a light radicated and incorporated into the soule as the light of the Sunne is by the spirit it is in the soule it is not onely upon the soule but in the soule the heart sees
for wee must see him here so as to undervalue all things to see him with a changing sight for the object of glory cannot bee revealed but it will stirre up a disposition suitable to glory if this bee not never hope for a sight of him in heaven And therefore let mee intreat and beseech you with the Apostle Paul to look to the end look to the maine chance that can come in this world and that shall come hereafter It is wisedome to looke to the end A man that buildeth an house will thinke of the end that is dwelling and habitation that he propoundeth We are for everlasting communion with God we are to be perfect as in grace so in glory Heaven is our element we rest not till then we are in motion till then that being our station Then thinke often of this never to rest in any intermediate Condition because we are in waiting till we come to that condition Let us so carry our selves that we may say this we waited for it is the glory wee expected It is our wisdome often to have the end of our lives in our eyes that wee may bee helped to waite patiently cheerefully and comfortably till the consummation come when all promises shall end in performance when all that is ill and imperfectly good shall bee removed a consumption of ill and a consummation of all good Oh have that day in our eyes that day of all dayes and the very thoughts of it will fit us for the day The thoughts of our end will fit and stirre us up to all meanes tending to that end Physicke is good if it tend to health The very thoughts of that prescribes order and meanes Wee read Seek the Kingdome of Heaven first and all other things shall bee added to you The thought of the end prescribes order to all meanes and it prescribes measure How to use the World as though I used it not for the thoughts of my end stirre mee up to use all courses suitable to that end And therefore the best wisedome in Christians is often to prefixe the end and to bee content in no grace nor comfort as it is in a way of imperfection but to look upon every grace every comfort every good as it tends to perfection David desired not to dwell in the House of God for ever because hee would terminate his desire in the house of God here but hee aimeth at Heaven And so when the Saints of God bound and terminate their desires and contentment it is with reference to the last day the rest of a Christian beyond which they cannot goe even communion with God himselfe THE Ninth Sermon ISAIAH 25. 9. And it shall be said in that day loe this is our God wee have waited for him and he will save us this is the Lord we have waited for him we will be glad and rejoyce in his salvation IN the worst age of the Church that the Church may not be swallowed up with fear in the worst times God doth prepare promises for his people It was the case of our blessed Saviour himself to his poore Disciples that they might not be overwhelmed with sorrow Therefore hee addeth Sacraments to Passeover and the New Testament to the Old and all to confirme faith knowing that our hearts are very subject to be danted The Lord promiseth here a feast of fat things and all things pertaining to a Feast the best of the best and removall of all that may hinder joy as taking away the vaile which hinders them from the sight of it And then death is swallowed up in victory as it is already in our head who is gloriously triumphing in heaven And then all teares shall be wiped from all faces There is a vicissitude of things they are now in a valley of teares but it will not be alwayes thus time shall come when all teares shall be wiped away and the cause of all teares are sorrow The rebukes of his people shall be taken away the scandall that lyeth upon the best things shall be taken away The worst things goe under a better representation and the best things under a vaile but one day as things are they shall be The God of truth will have truth to be cleare enough And all this is sealed up with the highest Authority that admits of no contradiction The Lord of Hosts hath spoken it We came the last day to these words Loe this is our God c. Wherein we may consider first of all That God hath left to his Church rich and precious promises such as is spoken of before A feast and removall of all hinderances whatsoever He not only vouchsafeth heaven when we dye and eternall happinesse but in this world in our way he vouchsafes precious promises to support our faith that we may begin heaven upon earth What these promises are we shewed the last day The second observation was in that Gods people are here in a state of expectation It shall be said loe we have waited for him We are in a condition of waiting while we live in this world because we are not at home our state requires waiting heaven requires setlednesse and rest There all appetites all desires shall be satiated to the full Our estate here is a passage to a better estate and waiting is a disposition fit for such a condition And in this there is good and imperfection good that we have something to wait for imperfection that we are to wait for it that we have it not in fruition and till we be in heaven we are in a state of waiting In the Revelations Come Lord Jesus come quickly there is a glorious state of a Church set forth but while all is done it hath not what it would have We cannot be in such a state in the world but there is place for a desire namely immediate and eternall communion with Christ in heaven And therefore it shall be said in that day loe this is our God we have waited for him I will adde a little to this state of waiting before I goe farther God will not have our condition presently perfect but have us continue in a state of waiting First of all it is his pleasure that we should live by faith and not by sight We have sence and feeling of many things he reserveth not all for heaven how many sweet refreshments have we in the way but the tenor of our life is by faith and not by sight God will have us in such a condition Again we are not fitted for sight of the glory to come here our vessels are not capable of that glory A few drops of that happinesse so overcame Peter in the transfiguration that he knew not himselfe God is so good to us that he would have us enjoy the best at the last the sweeter is heaven by how much the more difficult our way thither is Heaven is heaven and happinesse is happinesse after a long time
promiseth forgivenesse and opens the conscience to cry out of sinne I but Luthers rule is exceeding good in this case Summaars the greatest art of a Christian is credere credibilia c. sperare dilata to hope for things a long time and to beleeve God when he seemeth contrary to himselfe in his promise But though God doth deferre yet in that day he doth performe it is set downe indefinitely for it is not fit we should not be acquainted with the particular time And therefore he saith in that day he sets not downe a particular time but in that day wherein he meaneth to be glorious in the performance of his promise There is a time and a set time and there is a short time too in regard of God and a fit time If the time were shorter then God hath appointed then it were too short if longer too long My times saith David are in thy hands If they were in the enemies hands we should never be out If in our owne we would never enter If in our friends their good will would be more then their ability But my times he saith not my time but my times are in thy hands that is my times of trouble and times of waiting And it is well they be in Gods hands for he hath a day and a certaine day and a fit day to answer the waiting of all his people And when that day is come you see how their hearts are inlarged they will say This is the Lord we have waited for him When God meaneth to performe his promise either in this world or in the world to come the world to come specially when there shall be consummation of all promises God shall inlarge the hearts of his people This is the Lord we have waited for him This is the Lord he repeats it againe and againe Our soule is very capable being a spirituall substance and then God shall fill the soule and make it comprehend misery or comprehend happinesse when every corner of the soule shall be filled and then having bodies too it is fit they should have a part so the whole man shall expresse forth the justice or mercy of God For the nature of the thing it cannot be otherwise every member of the body shall be fit to glorifie God What the Psalmist saith of his tongue Awake my glory he may say of every member doe thy office in glorifying the Lord and rejoycing in the Lord Pectus facit disertos The heart makes a man eloquent and full so the performance of any promise fils the heart so full of affections the affections are so inlarged and therefore we must not have affections to a Court-kind of expressions as they in old time and the like Court-eloquence when men might not speake fully But when joy possesseth the heart to the full there be full expressions This is the Lord this is the Lord let us rejoyce in him And therefore there seemeth so many tautologies in the Psalmes though they be no tautologies but meere exuberancies of a sanctified affection Oh beloved what a blessed time will that be when this large heart of ours shall have that that will fill it When the best parts of us our understanding will and affections shall be carried to that which is better and larger then it selfe and shall be as it were swallowed up in the fulnesse of God! And that is the reason of the repetition of the word This is the Lord this is the Lord. And it followeth We will rejoyce and be glad in his salvation When a gracious heart is full of joy how doth he expresse that joy A wicked heart when it is full of joy is like a dirty river that runs over the banks and carrieth a deale of filth with it dirty expressions But when a gracious heart expresseth it selfe being full of joy it expresseth it selfe in thanks and praises in stirring up of others Loe this is our God we will rejoyce and be glad in his salvation Is any merry saith the Apostle Saint James Let him sing God hath affections for any condition Is a man in misery let him pray This is a time of mourning Doth God performe any promise and so give cause of joy let him sing there is action for every affection affection for every condition And this may stirre us up to begin the imployment in heaven on earth here We shall say so in heaven Loe this is the Lord we have waited for him For every performance of promises be much in thankfulnesse Our conversation is in heaven saith the Apostle And what is the greatest part of a Christians conversation but in all things to give thankes Here the Holy Church saith their matter of praise was too big for their soule and therefore they brake out in this manner And so oftentimes a child of God his heart is so full that it is too big for his body in the expression of matter of praise But it is his comfort that in heaven he shall have a large heart answerable to the large occasion of praise I will not inlarge my self in the common place of thanks-giveing In this condition we can never be miserable for it springs from joy and joy disposeth a man to thankfulnesse and upon thankfulnesse there is peace and can we be miserable in peace of consceince Therefore saith the Apostle in all things give thanks and let your requests be made knowne to God and what will follow upon that when I have made knowne my requests and paid my tribute of thanks then the peace of God which passeth understanding shall guide your minde When we have paid to God the tribute we can pay him then the soule as having discharged a debt is at peace I have prayed to God I have laid my petition in his bosome I am not in arrerages for former favours therefore the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keepe your hearts and mindes Hanna had prayed once went not away but prayed againe the happinesse of heaven followeth the actions of heaven praisings being the maine imployment of heaven the happinesse and comfort of heaven followeth And howsoever these promises be fulfilled in heaven yet they have a graduall performance on earth For he speaks certainly of the state of the Jewes yet to come wherein there shall be accomplishment of all these promises We have waited for him he will save us Experience of Gods performance stirs them up still to waite for him and rejoyce in his salvation Experience stirs up hope The begining of a Christian and midst is to hope for the end and surely our beginning should helpe the latter end all a Christians life should helpe the end all former things should come in and helpe his latter Beloved we are too backward that way to treasure up the benefit of experience there be few of yeares but might make stories of Gods gratious dealings with them if all were kept the comforts past
and for time to come and all little enough It was Davids course thou art my God from my mothers wombe and upon thee have I hanged over since I was borne faile me not when I am old Goe along with Gods favours and use them as arguments of future blessings As former victories are helps to get the second victory Every former favour helpeth to strengthen our faith In the next God is an inexhausted fountaine and when we have to deale with an infinite God the more we take of him the more we offer him It is no good plea to say you have done courtesies therefore do them still But we cannot honour God more then from former experience to looke for great things from the great God We have have waited for him he will save us we have waited for him and we will rejoyce in his salvation That which a child of God gives thanks for rejoyces in and labors for is more more experience of his salvation We wil rejoyce in his salvation There is not a stronger word in all the Scripture nor in nature he doth not say rejoycing in this or that benefit but in his salvation that is in deliverance from all evill we will reioyce in his perservation when he hath delivered us we will reioyce in his advancement of us and we will reioyce in his salvation And therfore when the wisedome of heaven would include all in one word hee useth the word Jesus all happinesse in that word that pregnant full word a Saviour So that Gods carriage towards his children is Salvation He is the God of Salvation or a saving God And God sent his name from heaven and the Angels brought it the name of JESUS Therefore looke to the full sense of it We have a Saviour that will answer his name as he is Jesus so he will save his people from their sinnes And therefore we will reioyce in his salvation God dealt with us like a God when he delivered us from all misery from all sinnes and advanced us to all happinesse that nature is capable of As he said before he will wipe away all teares from all faces and take away the rebukes of all people He will punish the wicked with eternall destruction And if he advanceth a people he will be salvation then which he can say no more And this sheweth that the children of God rejoyce more then in any thing else in salvation because it is the salvation of God and because God is salvation it selfe Heaven were not heaven if Jesus and God in our nature were not there And therefore the Apostle saith I desire to depart not to be dissolved and to be with Christ for that is better The sight of God specially in our nature God the second person taking our nature that we might be happy will make us happy for ever In loving God and joying in God and enjoying God makes full happinesse but that is not the cause of joy in heaven but the cause of all is Gods influence into us Here in the world happinesse is mediate in Gods revealing of himselfe to us by his holy spirit in the use of meanes in his dealings and deliverances letting us see him by his grace to see him and joy and delight in him for ever It is no good love that resteth in any blessings of God for themselves It is an harlottry affection to love the gift more then the giver So the Saints of God they doe all desire to see him as they may and to joy in God and enjoy God himselfe and to see God in our nature and to be with him for ever Before he spake of a feast and if the Feast-maker be not there what is all In a Funerall feast there is much cheere but the Feast-maker is gone In heaven there is joy but where is God where is Christ he that hath done so much suffered so much for us that hath taken possession of heaven and keepeth a place for us there What is heaven without him salvation severed from him is nothing We shall say when we are there Loe here is David Abraham Saint John here the Martyrs I but here is Christ here is God here is our Saviour the cause of all and the seeing of him in them that he will be glorious in his Saints that maketh us rejoyce We shall see all our friends in heaven there we shall see the excellency of the happinesse of Christ his love his grace his mercy The words are expressed with a kind of glorying Loe this is our God So that the joy of a Christian endeth in glory and in the highest degree of glory As you have it Rom. 5. We glory also in tribulation we glory in hope of glory nay we glory in God as ours reconciled And if we glory in him now as a God reconciled what shall we doe in heaven Can a worlding glory in his riches his greatnesse his favour from such a man as Haman did And shall not a Christian glory in his God and make his boast in his God And therefore in this world wee should learne to glory before we come to that glory in heaven specially when we be set upon by any thing that is apt to discourage us glory then in our head perhaps a Christian hath no wealth no great rents to glory in I but he hath a God to glory in let him glory in him The world may take all else from him but not his God As the Church in Cant. 5. The virgins put the Church to describe her beloved what is thy beloved more then another beloved My beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest of 10000. Then she goeth on in particulars my beloved is thus and thus and if you would know what my beloved is this is my beloved So a Christian that hath a spirit of faith should glory in God here for heaven is begun here and he should glory in Christ is Saviour and should set Christ against all discouragements and oppositions if you will know what is my beloved this is my beloved the chiefe among ten thousands Psal 115. Our God is in heaven and doth whatsoever he pleaseth in heaven and earth and the deepes yea we make our boast of God saith the Psalmist when there is occasion this is the Lord this is our God we have waited for him specially in times of afflictions and what is the reason This will hold out to eternity This is our God As in the Revelations It is a plea and a glory for ever for God is our happinesse As the School-men say he is our objective happinesse and our formall happinesse he is our happinesse as he is ours And he is ours in life and death and for ever so there is alwayes ground of glory onely God doth discover himselfe to be ours by little and little as we are able to beare him he is ours in our worst times My God my God why hast thou forsaken
me yet my God still He is our God to death and hee is ours in heaven This is our God we will rejoyce in him And therefore well may we boast of God because in God is everlasting Salvation If we boasted in any thing else our boasting would determine with the thing it self but if we rejoyce in God we rejoyce in that which is of equall Continuance with our soules and goeth along with the soule to all eternity And therefore we should learne to rejoyce in God and and then we shall never be ashamed It is spoken here with a kind of exalting a kind of triumphing over all oppositions Loe this is our God Beloved this that God is our God and Christs is ours is the ground of rejoycing and of all happinesse All joy all comfort is founded upon this our interest in God and therefore we must make this good while we live here that God is our God and that we may doe so observe this Christ is called Emanuell God with us God in the second person is God-man and so God with us and the Father in Emanuell is God with us too So we are God the Fathers because we are his All things are yours saith the Apostle whether Paul or Apollo things present things to come why because you are Christs I but what if I be Christs Christ is Gods So we must be Christs and then we shall be Gods if Christ be ours God is ours for God is Emanuell in Christ Emanuell God is with us in Christ who is with us God is reconciled to us in God and man in our nature And therefore get by faith into Christ and get union and get communion by prayer open our souls to him entertaine his speeches to us by his word and spirit and blessed motions and open our spirits to him and so maintaine a blessed entercourse Make it good that God is our God by dayly acquaintance These speeches at the latter end are founded upon acquaintance before This is our God Grace and glory are knit together indissolubly If God be our God here he will be ours also in glory if not here not in glory There is a Communion with God here before communion with him in glory and therefore make it good that God be our God here first by union with him And then maintaine dayly acquaintance with him by seeing him with the eye of faith by speaking to him and hearing him speake to us by his spirit joyning in his ordinances And then he will owne us and be acquainted with us in heaven we shall say Loe this is our God We have had sweet acquaintance one with another He by his spirit with me I by my prayers with him Our Saviour Christ will not be without us in heaven we are part of his mysticall body and heaven were not heaven to Christ without us With reverence be it spoken we are the fullnesse of Christ as he is the fullnesse of his Church And if he should want us in some sort he were miserable he having fixed upon us as objects of his eternall love In what case were he if he should lose that object And therefore as we glory in him he gloryeth in us Who is this that cometh out of the wildernesse who his beloved And woman is this thy faith he admires the graces of the Church as the Church admires him This is the Lord. The Church cannot be without him nor he without the Church These words are spoken with a kind of admiration Loe this is the Lord we will rejoyce in him So I say as there is thanks and joy so their is admiration loe behold This is a God worthy beholding so he wonders at the graces of his Children Beloved there is nothing in the world worthy admiration Sapientis non est admirare It was a speech of the proud Philosopher A wise man will not admire for he knoweth the ground But in heaven the parts are lifted up so high that there is nothing but matter of admiration things that eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor hath entred into the heart of man to conceive of They be things beyond expression and nothing is fit for them but admiration at the great things vouchsafed to the Church And as with admiration so with invitation that is the nature of true thankfullnesse there is no envy in spirituall things no man envyeth another the light of the Scriptures but loe behold with admiration and invitation of all others This is the Lord. Let us therefore rejoyce beforehand at the glorious times to come both to our selves and to others be stiring and exciting one another to glory and rejoyce in God our salvation And therefore learne all to be stirred up from hence not to be offended with Christ or with Religion Be not offended saith Austin with the parvity of Religion Every thing to the eyes of the world is little in Religion A Christian is a despised person and the Church the meanest part of the world in regard of outward glory but consider with the littlenesse and basenesse and despisednesse of the Church the glory to come Time will come when we shall rejoyce and not onely see but boast with admiration to the stirring up of others Loe this is the Lord. And therefore say with our Saviour Christ happy is he that is not offended with me nor with Religion there is a time coming that will make amends for all Who in the world can say at the houre of death and day of judgment Loe this is my riches this my honours alas the greatest persons must stand naked to give account all must stand on even ground to hold up their hands at the great barre We may say to the carnall presumptuous man loe this is the man that put his confidence in his riches And none but reconciled Christians can say loe this is our God Therefore take heed of being offended with any thing in Religion Againe if time to come be so transcendently glorious let us not be affraid to dye let us not be over much cast downe for it shall end in glory And let us be in expectation still of good times waite for this blessed time to come and never be content with any condition so as to set up our rest here We may write upon every thing Hic non est requies vestra Our rest is behind these things are in passage And therefore rest content with nothing here Heaven is our centre our element our happinesse and every thing is contentedly happy and thriveth in its Element The birds in the aire the fish in in the sea beasts on the earth they rest there as in their center And that that is our place for ever it is heaven it is God The immediat injoying of God in heaven that is our rest our Element and we shall never rest till we be there And therefore he is befooled for it in the Gospell
that setteth up his rest here whosoever saith I have enough and will now take contentment in them he is a foole There is a rest for Gods people but it is not here Neither rest in any measure of grace or comfort What is faith to sight we have hope an Anchor and Helmet that keepeth up many a soule as the Cork keepeth from sinking What is this hope to the fruition of what we hope for Here we have love many love tokens from God I but what is love to union Ours is but a love of desire we are but in motion here we lye in motion onely and our desires are not accomplished what is this love to the accomplishing of the union with the thing beloved for ever Here we have Communion of Saints but what is this communion of Saints to Communion with God for ever We have infirmities here as others which breedeth jealousies and suspition I but we shall have Communion in heaven and there shall be nothing in us to distast others but everlasting friendship yea our Communion shall be with perfect soules Our Communion of Saints here is our heaven upon earth but it is Communion with unperfect soules Peace we have I but it is peace intermixt It is peace in the midst of enemies There we shall have peace without enemies Christ doth now rule in the midst of enemies In heaven he shall rule in the midst of his friends So that we can imagine no condition here though never so good but it is imperfect And therefore rest not in any thing in the world no not in any measure of grace any measure of Comfort till we be in heaven but waite for the time to come and rejoyce in hope by which we are saved Wait still and though we have not content here yet this is not our home this is a good refreshment by the way As when the Children of Israel came from Babylon they had wells by the way as in Michae they diged up wells So from Babylon to Ierusalem we have many sweet refreshments But they be refreshments far off the way God digs many wells we have brests of Consolation to comfort us I but they are but for the way And therefore let us answer all temptations and not take contentment with any thing here It is good but it is not our home Cui dulcis peregrinatio non amat patriam If we have eternity love heaven we cannot be over much taken with any thing in the way And so for the Church let us not be over much dejected for the desolation of the Church but pray for a spirit of faith which doth realize things to the soule and presents them as present to the soule seeth Babylon fallen presents things in the Scripture phrase and in the words Babylon is fallen for as much as all the enemies of the Church fall Mighty is the Lord that hath spoken and will performe it And as the Angell saith it is downe So time will come ere long when it shall be said It is downe The Church shall be gathered and then Loe this is our God It was the comfort of the beleeveing Jewes that the Gentiles should come And why should it not be the comfort of the Gentiles that there be blessed times for the ancient people of God when they shall all cry and say Loe this is our God We have waited for him long and he will save us Therefore be not over much discouraged for whatsoever present desolation the Church lyeth under If it were not for this we were of all men most miserable as Paul saith But there be times to come when we shall rejoyce and rejoyce for ever and make boast of the Lord if it were not we were of all men most miserable Howsoever happinesse is to come yet of all persons he is most happy that hath Christ and heaven The very fore-taste of happinesse is worth all the world the inward peace of conscience joy in the Holy Ghost the beginings of the Image of God and of happinesse here is worth all the injoyments of the world Aske of any Christian whether he will hang with the greatest worldling and be in his condition he would not change his place in grace for all his glory And therefore set heaven aside the very first fruits is better then all the heaivest of the world Let us therefore get the soul raised by faith to see her happinesse we need it all for till the soul get a frame raised up to see its happinesse here specially in the world to come it is not in a frame fit for any service it will not stoop to any base sinne where the affections are so possest they look upon all base courses as unworthy of their hope What I that hope to rejoyce for ever with God in heaven that am heir of heaven that have the Image of God upon me that am in Covenant with God to take any beastiall course to place my happinesse in things meaner than my selfe that have God to delight in a God in Covenant that hath taken me into Covenant with himselfe So I say in all solicitations to sinne get our selves into a frame that may stand firme and immovable In all troubles let us know we have a God in Covenant that we may joy in him here and rejoyce with him in heaven for ever hereafter FINIS AN ALPHABETICAL TABLE A. APPETITE page SPirituall Appetite how it may be gotten 16 17 18 19 B. All is of the best in Christ 8 BOUNTY Gods Bounty cause of promises 111 Wee should honour Gods Bounty 29 C. Great is the Cheare at Gospell-Feast 8 Spirituall chearefulnes 25 CHURCH The Church is an excellent society 3 Compared to a mountaine 4 Christian 's estate best 27 Holy Company 20 Comfort of the Scriptures 101 Controversies judged by Word of God 100 Scriptures are preserved from Corruption 103 God can effect things by Contraries 154 D. Spirituall Digestion 23 DEATH Death King of Feares 56 Spares none ib. is arm'd by sinne ib. attended on by Hell ib. is terrible to wicked men 64 a friend to the godly 66 Death of Christ hath conquered Death 59 60 Death is conquered though a Believer dye 63 64 Duillists their sinne and folly 65 E. Divine Efficacy of Gods Word 101 Emnity between two seeds 91 Emptinesse of soule fits for Christ 32 Of spirituall Exercise 19 Experience of Gods Word that its true 102 F. Gospell is a Feast 5 God is Founder of this Feast 6 Christ in the Jewish Festivals 15 Spirituall Famine 20 Feare of Death unbecomes a Christian 62 63 67 G. Guests invited to the Gospel-feast 7 Christs righteousnesse our wedding garment 12 H. Largenesse of heart fit for this Feast 16 In Heaven full performance of promises 122 123 124 Hopes upholds the heart in wayting 125 I. Ignorance on all men naturally 35 Infidelity shamefull 105 Interest in God cause of joy 160 161 162 Joy in God 158 159 Joy and griefe