temptations which hefail us in our pilgrimage A man in his pure natu rals will swell against this doctrine because he feeles no such thing and thinks what is above his measure is hypocrisie He makes himselfe the rule of other Christians to walke by and therefore values and esteemes others by his uncertaine condition but the heart of a Christian hath a light in it the Spirit of God in his soule makes him discerne what estate he is in In a naturall man all is dark hee sees nothing because his heart is in a Dungeon his eye being dark the whole man must needs be in blindnesse All is alike to him he sees no difference betweene flesh and spirit and therefore holds on in a doubting hope in a confused disposition and temper of soule to his dying-day But a Christian that labours to walk in the comforts of the holy Ghost cannot rest in such an unsetled estate he dares not venture his eternall welfare upon such infirme grounds What to depart this life and be tossed in uncertainty whether a man goes to Heaven or to Hell What a miserable perplexity must such a soule needs be in Therefore he is still working out his salvation and storing up of grace against the evill day And well may this condition challenge all our diligence in labouring for it because it is neither attained nor maintained without the strength and prime of our care for the sense of Gods favour will not bee kept without keeping him in our best affections above all things else in the world besides without keeping of our hearts constantly close and neere to him which can never bee done without keeping a most narrow watch over our loose spirits which are ever ready to stray from him and fall to the creature It cannot be kept without exact walking and serious selfe-deniall But what of that Can wee spend our labours to better purpose One sweet beame of Gods countenance will requite all abundantly A Christian indeed undergoes more trouble and paines especially with his own heart than others do but what is that to his gaines One day spent in communion with God is sweeter than a thousand without it What comforts so great as those that are fetched from the Fountaine Oh woe to him that savours not these heavenly but lingers after carnall comforts It cannot but grieve the holy Spirit when the consolations of the Almighty are either forgotten or seem nothing to us But why doth the Spirit thus establish and seale us and conveigh grace to our soules why doth that doe all Because since the fall we have no principles of supernaturall good in us and there must be a principle above nature to work grace in our barren hearts Againe there is still remaining in us an utter aversnesse to that which is spiritually good in the best therefore there must bee somewhat to over-power their corrupt disposition But why the Spirit rather than the Father or the Sonne Hee comes from both and therefore is fit to witnesse the love of both the Holy Ghost is in the breast of the Father and the Sonne hee knowes their secret affection towards us A mans spirit is acquainted with his in most thoughts the blessed Spirit is privie to the hidden love of God and of Jesus Christ to us poore creatures which we are strangers unto therefore none so fit to cheere and revive us Indeed the love originally is from the Father but in regard of application of what is wrought by the Sonne all proceeds from the Holy Ghost he receives grace from Christ for us It must needs be so because no lesse than the Spirit of God can quiet our perplexed spirits in time of tentation For when the conscience of a guilty person is affrighted what man can allay its feares That which must settle a troubled spirit must be a spirit above our owne It being no easie thing to bring the soule and God together after peace is broken we have both wind and tide against us in this businesse grace being but weak and corruption strong in the best of us We should labour therfore for heavenly spirits get somthing more than a man in us There can never be any true peace attained till the Spirit from above settle it in our souls An unsanctified heart is an unpacified heart If there be a neglect of holinesse the soule can never bee soundlyquiet where there is not a cleare conscience there cannot be a calm cōscience that is a generall rule Sinne like Ionas in the ship will raise continuall stormes both within and without a man Take away God once and farewell all true tranquillity Spirituall comforts flow immediatly from the Spirit of Comfort who hath his office designed for that purpose But how shall we know that we have the Spirit How may a man know that hee hath a soule by living and moving by actions vitall c. Even so may a man know hee hath the Spirit of God by its blessed effects and operations it is not idle in us but as the soule quickens the body so doth the Spirit the soule Every saving grace is a signe that the Spirit is in us Wheresoever the Spirit dwells hee transformes the soule changes the party like himselfe to be holy and gracious this is an undoubted symptome of the Spirits habitation Secondly all spirituall graces are with conflict for that which is true is with a great deale of resistance of that which is counterfeit the flesh still lusts against the spirit and Satan cannot endure to see any man walk cōfortably to heaven What thinks hee such a base creature as this is to have the earnest of salvation to live here as if hee were in heaven already and to defie all opposite powers sure hee shall have little peace this way I will disquiet and vex his spirit if he will goe to heaven hee shall go mourning thither This is the reasoning of the cursed spirit whereupon hee labours to shake our assurance and follow us with perplexities The grace and comfort of a Christian is with much conflict and tentations not only with Satan but with his owne heart which so long as guilt remaines wil ever be misgiving and casting of doubts there must therfore be a higher power than the soule of man to quiet and allay its owne troubles Thirdly the Spirit enables us to the practise of those duties which by nature wee are averse unto as to love an enemie to overcome our revenge to be humble in prosperity and contented with any estate It drawes our affection heavenward and makes us delight in God above all as our best portion Hee that hath the Spirit joyes in spirituall company and imployment he hates sinne as being contrary to that blessed earnest which hee hath received He looks on things as God doth and approves of the same as hee is made more or lesse spirituall thereby and so is brought neerer to that fountaine of
justice truth faithfulnesse providence wisedome and all-sufficiencie All which shall ever work together for the best to them that love his appearing So for Iesus Christ the eternall Sonne of God All his glorious titles and attributes serve like wise for the everlasting comfort of his poore Saints on earth Hee is called the Husband of his Church to cherish and maintaine the same His love unto his Church is farre above the love of any husband to his wife Hee is called the Saviour of the World because hee so loved the world that hee gave his life for it and hath promised that whosoever beleeveth on him shall not perish He is called the Fountaine of life the Well of life the Water of life the Bread of life the Way the Truth and the Life because that in him is our life and by him wee are fed and nourished to eternall life here in him wee obtain the life of Grace and in the World to come shall for ever enjoy the life of Glory So likewise for the Holy Ghost what heavenly attributes are ascribed to him in the Scriptures He is called the Comforter of Gods servants The Sealer of the Redemption of Gods children in their hearts he teacheth the Elect to call God Father hee beareth witnesse with their spirits that they are the Sons and Daughters of God he teacheth them to pray as they ought hee fills them with peace that passeth all understanding And refreshes their spirits with such unspeakable joy as eye hath not seene nor eare heard the like He that is instructed by the Spirit knoweth the things of God which a naturall man is ignorant of The holy Ghost doth call to rememberance the doctrine of God taught unto his servants writes the same in their hearts so that the operations of the blessed Spirit are all appropriated to them that love God and they alone have their right in them The direction comfort teaching and guiding of the Spirit of God doe serve entirely and peculiarly to order and work all things together for the best to the Godly Yea the Angels themselves are called Messengers and ministring Spirits appointed by God to attend and wait upon his servants Hee gives his Angells charge over these to serve them in all their wayes and to pitch their tents round about them whensoever God pleaseth to call any of his out of this world the Angels are a safe conduct to carry their soules into Abrahams bosome And at the last judgement the Lord shall send forth his Angells to gather his Elect from one end of the world to the other that they may fully enjoy that which they have long waited for even eternall blisse and glory Vnder the Angels all other creatures are likewise made serviceable for his peoples good Princes in authority are called in Scripture nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers unto the Church of Christ the end of all magistracy being that we might live religiously and peaceably in all the wayes of God Ministers also are stiled in the Word by the names of Watchmen and Seeds-men and spirituall Fathers to beget men againe to the kingdome of Heaven they are called Gods Husbandmen to manure and till his ground They are called Gods lights and the Salt of the Earth both to enlighten the Church with the light of the glorious Gospell whereof they are Ministers and to season them with such savoury and sweet instructions as may make them wise to salvation this being the very end of all Gods giving gifts to men that they might build up the Church of Christ here below So also the Word of God is called the savour of life the power of God unto salvation It is the seed of God which being sown in the hearts of Gods children springeth up in them to everlasting happinesse Gods Word is a light and a Lanthorne to guide and direct us in all his wayes it is the Sword of the Spirit to arme us against sin and to maintaine us in grace The Sacraments likewise are the Seales of life and pledges of our salvation in Christ and Ex communication though it bee rough and the extreamest censure of the Church and therefore ought to be undertaken upon weighty grounds yet the end of it is to save the soules of Gods people and to make them by repentance turne unto him So all outward gifts as beauty strength riches and honours these are given by God to serve for the good of his children As the beauty of Hester was an instrument of her preferment whereby she became a preservation to Gods children and an overthrow of her and their enemies Iosephs outward honours and wealth were made by Gods disposing hand a meanes of the preservation nourishment of the Israelites in the time of their great extremity and famine the like may be said of learning and other naturall acquirements all which do often tend to generall and publike advantages Yea the outward gists of God which are bestowed upon reprobates are still for the good of his for they who had skill and knowledge to build Noahs Ark though they themselves were not saved therein yet were they the meanes of Noahs preservation and so it many times falleth out that men of excellent parts and great abilities without grace though themselves are not profited thereby yet God so useth them as their gifts much conduce to further and build up the Church of Christ. Even outward favour of Princes oft tend to Gods servants good A just man as the Heathens could say is a common benefit And so a true Christian whatsoever good he hath it is communicable to all the faithfull and therfore S. Paul saith of him selfe that he was a debtor to all men both Iewes and Gentiles and that hee became all things to all men that he migh twin some But here the maine question will be and the difficulty arises how all ill things can work together for the best to Gods children I shall therefore demonstrate 1 The truth of this how it can be so 2 The reasons why it is so 3 Observe a caution that it be not abused 4 Let us see the sweet and comfortable use of this Doctrine That this may the better appear we must know that all evill things are either 1 Spirituall evill things 2 Outward evill things And for spirituall evill things they are either First Sinne. Secondly That which hath a reference to Sinne as being evils following after sinne The first sin of all which hath gone over whole mankinde and is spread abroad in every one of us this by Gods mercy and our repentance prooves to al beleevers a transcendent good for the fall and sin of the first Adam caused the birth and death of the second Adam Christ Jesus who notwitstanding he was God took upon him the nature of man and hath made us by his comming farre more happy than if we had neverfallen neither would God have
must be in one that is first beloved hereupon comes the ground of the promises to be in Jesus Christ all intercourse between God and us must be in him that is able to satisfie God for us The Almighty Creator will have our debts discharged before he enters into a covenant of peace with us Now this Christ hath perfectly done and thereby reconciled lost sinners hereupon the promise immediately issues from Gods love in Christ to beleeving soules He must first receive all good for us and we must have it at the second hand from him The promises in Christ are as the spirits in the body they runne through al the ages of the Church without him there is no mercy nor comfort to be had God cannot look on this cursed nature of ours out of Christ and therefore whosoever apprehends any mercy from God he must apprehend it in Christ the promised seed To make it clearer our nature since the fall is odious to God a sinfull cursed nature remaines in the best of us and therefore that God may looke peaceably upon it he must looke upon it in him that hath it undefiled in him whom he loves even his only Son like unto himselfe that hath taken our nature upon him Now our nature in Christ must needs be lovely and acceptable and if ever God love us it is for Christ alone who was predestinated before all worlds to be a Sacrifice for us to be the Head of his Church he was ordained to doe us good before we our selves were ordained Christ is the first Beloved and then we God loves us in his beloved one This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased As if the Lord had said I am pleased in him and in all his in his whole mysticall body Christ is the Son of God by nature we by adoption what ever good is in us is first principally in him God conveighs all by the naturall Son to the adopted sonnes therefore all the promises are made to us in Christ he takes them from God for us He himselfe is the first Promise and all are Yea and Amen in him they are not directed to us abstracted from him but we are elected in Christ sanctified in him acquitted frō sin through him by his stripes we are healed If Christ had not satisfied the wrath of God by bearing our iniquities upon the crosse wee had beene liable every moment to condemnation If he had not been free from our sins we had for ever lyen under the burthen of them You are yet in your sinnes saith Saint Paul if Christ be not risen We are freed from our debts because Christ our surety is out of prison he is in Heaven and therefore we are at liberty The Promises are a deed of gift which wee have from and by Christ who is the first object of all the respect that God hath to us Why are the Angels attendants on us Because they attend upon Iacobs Ladder that is upon Christ that knits Heaven and Earth together So that the Angels because they attend upon Christ first become likewise our attendants we have a promise of eternall life but this life is in his Son God blesseth us with all spirituall blessings in him and makes us sons in him the naturall Sonne whatsoever prerogative we enjoy it is in Christ first and so belongs to us but no further than we by faith are made one with him How darest thou think of God who is a Consuming fire and not think of him as he is pleased and pacified with thy person in Christ who tooke thy nature upon him to be a foundation of comfort and a second Adam a publique person satisfying Divine Justice for all that are members of his body Wee may think upon God with comfort when wee see him appeased in his Christ. As long as hee loves Christ hee cannot but love us Never think to have grace or salvation or any thing without Christ. Doth God love mee doth hee doe good to my soule for my owne sake abstracted from his Sonne no surely then should I flie from his presence But he looks upon me in his beloved and in him accepts of my person therefore our Saviour prayeth I desire thee bles sed Father that the love wherewith thou lovest mee may be in them and I in them This should direct us in our dealing with God not to goe directly to him but by a Promise And when wee have a Promise look to Christ in whom it is performed If we ask any thing of God in Christs name he will give it us If wee thank God for any thing thank him in Christ that wee have it in him What a comfort is this that wee may goe to God in Christ and claime the Promises boldly because he loves us with the same love he beares to his only beloved Sonne If we get fast hold on Christ and cleave there God can assoone alter his love to him as alter his love to us his love is every whit as unchangeable to a beleeving member as to Christ the head of the body The Promises are as sure as the love of God in Christ is upon which they are founded and from which nothing can separate us For Promises being the fruit of Gods love and Gods love being founded first upon Christ it must needs follow that all the Promises are both made and made good to us through him If a Prince should love a man and his love should be founded upon the love he beares to his own Son surely such a one may have comfort that love will never faile him because it is an affection naturall and therefore unalterable he will alwayes love his Sonne and therefore will alwayes delight in him in whom his Son delighteth Now Christ is the everlasting Sonne of the Father his deare and only Sonne in whom hee is ever well pleased and through whom he cannot be offended with those that are his So surely as God loves Christ so surely hee loves all that are united to him There is nothing in the world can separate his love from his owne Sonne neither is there any thing able to separate his love from us that are one with him God loves Christs mysticall body as well as his naturall body hee hath advanced that to glory at his right hand in heaven and will hee think you leave his mysticall body the Church in a state of abasement here on earth No certainly God loves every member of his Son for as he gave us to Christ so Him hath he sealed and annointed to be a Saviour for his people This is the reason why God looks upon us with a forbearing eye notwithstanding the continuall matter of displeasure hee finds in us hee looks on us in his Sonne his love to us is grounded on his love to Christ. And hereupon comes our boldnesse with God the Father that wee can goe to him in all distresses with comfort say Lord look
grace he improves his abilities to glorious uses esteeming things below too meane for him Grace is a wondrous pleasant thing offensive to none but to wicked men that have no savour of God or goodnesse it sweetens the soule makes it delectable for Christ his holy Spirit to lodge in as in a Garden of spices A gracious man that hath subdued his corruptions is wondrous amiable both to himselfe and to the Communion of Saints his heart is as fine silver every thing is sweet that comes from him grace is full of comfort to a mans own conscience the sense of which enlargeth the soule to all holy services Fourthly an ointment hath another property it consecrates persons to holy uses Anointed persons are raised above the ordinary ranke The graces of Gods spirit elevate men above the condition of others with whom they live Anointed persons are sacred persons they are inviolable Touch not mine anointed and doe my Prophets no harme we wrong the apple of Gods eye we offer indignity to Christ himselfe if we hurt these Indeed nothing can hurt them but God by his over ruling power turnes all for their good Lastly an ointment is a royall liquor it will bee above all so the graces of Gods Spirit where they are will be uppermost they will guide and governe all As if a man have excellent parts grace will rule these and make them serviceable to Christ his truth and members If we have weaknesse and corruption grace will subdue it by little and little and never leave conflicting till it hath got the victory What are our souls without Gods anointing Dead stinking offensive to God to good men and to our selves we cannot see with peace the visage of our owne soules who can reflect seriously into his heart and life without horror that hath no grace A man that sees his conscience awakened without this anointing what is he surely as the body without the soule it is not all the excellencies of the soule laid upon a dead body or all the goodly ornaments that bedeckt it can keep it from stinking and being a loathsome object because it wants the soule to quicken and enliven it to good imployments of it selfe it is but a peece of earth all the vigor and life that the body hath is communicated from the soule they are beholding to our soules for many things Put the richest ornaments whatsoever upon the body and not the Spirit of grace upon the soule to cherish and refresh the same that it may appeare lovely in Gods sight all is to no purpose Likewise this anointing hath relation to the persons anointed Kings Priests and Prophets Christ is primarily anointed and all our grace is derived from him hee teacheth us divine things by a Divine light The poorest Christian in the world whose heart is right with God sees good things with such convincing love that he imbraces them and ill things with such a convincing hatred that he abhors them A man that lives without God in the world may talke but he cannot doe he may speak of death but he dares not die he trembles to thinke of the last tribunall and of resigning his soule into the hands of his Maker such an one may discourse of suffring but when it comes to the point his heart failes him oh how he shrinkes when danger approacheth what indirect courses will hee take to save his skin how hardly is corrupt selfe brought under how heavily doe men come off in this point of doing and suffering for Christ laying downe all at his feet and resolving to be disposed of at his pleasure in every thing Men speak much of patience and selfe-deniall but they do not practise them these vertues shine not forth in their conversation which is the shame of Religion only a true Christian hath the right knowledge of the doing of things and is able to speak a word in due season to reprove to admonish to comfort every member in the communion of Saints hath some qualification for the good of the whole body A faithfull man is likewise spiritually anointed a Priest to stand before God Almighty he poures out his soul for himself for others having Gods eare open at all times to his suits Every sincere Christi an is a favourite in heaven he hath much credit there which hee improves for the welfare of the Church here below And hee keepes himselfe as a Priest unspotted of the world a true Christian is taught of God and knowes the meaning of that Law of his which prohibiteth Priests so much as to touch defiled things therefore he studies innocency he runs not after the course of the multitude neither is carried away with the streames of the times he will not converse familiarly with those that may staine him but so farre as his calling leads him lest he should therby contaminate his spirit A Christian Priest hath his heart alwayes to the Holy of Holies that so he may offer up thankes and praise to God and offer up himselfe a sacrifice to him his endeavour is to kill and slay those beasts those lusts that lurk in his heart contrary to the Almighty Lastly he that is anointed by the Spirit is a King in regard of his great possessions for all are ours things present and things to come life and death prosperity and adversity all help us to Heaven Evill things are ours in advantage and successe though in disposition they be not ours but have a hostil disposition in thē God over-powers the evil of things and gives a Christian a living principle of grace to suck sweet out of sowre draw good out of evill What a King is this that even the most terrible things are at his command and work for the best unto him He conquers and brings under his greatest enemies and feares neither death or judgement nor the vengeance to come knowing God in Christ to bee his reconciled Father he rests assured all things else will be will be at peace with him Others have Kingdomes out of themselves but in thēselves they are slaves Every lust leads them away Captive A Christian is such a King as hath a Kingdome within himselfe hee hath peace and joy and rest from base allurements and terrours of conscience hee walks by rule and therfore knowes how to governe all the glory of his Maker is the chiefe thing hee eyes and to that hee referres every action Who hath annointed us and sealed us Annointing and sealing goe together the same God annoints us doth also seale us Both are to secure us of our happy condition Now Christ is the first sealed Iohn 6. Him hath God the Father sealed God hath set Christ a part from others hath distinguished him and set a stamp upon him to be the Messiah by the graces of the spirit whereof he was richly beautified and by many miracles whereby he shewed that he was the Sonne of God by his resurrection from the dead by his calling of
unbeleeving men hee is pleased to condiscend to our weaknesse hee stoops to the lowest capacity and frames his speech to the understanding of the simplest soule for which purpose this terme of earnest is here borrowed In these respects the Spirit of God together with the graces of it and the comforts it brings for they are not divided is called an earnest And thus having cleared the point we will observe this doctrine for our further instruction That a Christian ought to be and may be assured of his interest in God because as I said before an earnest is given not so much for Gods sake as for our sakes this then must needs follow from hence Either none have this earnest or else those that have it may be assured of their comfortable condition Otherwise God is fickle and playes fast and loose with his children which is blasphemy to affirme Besides if none have this earnest then the Apostle speaks false when he saith God hath stablished us and given us the earnest of his Spirit which is horrible impiety once to conceive If this be so then either such as have this seale and earnest of the Spirit may be assured of their estate in grace or not And if not where is the fault Will not God really and truly vouchsafe unto his people this earnest of the Spirit in their hearts Vndoubtedly he will he is desirous that wee should be perswaded of his love in all things and therefore we may and ought to bee assured of his favour towards us S. Iohns whole Epistle containes little else but sundry markes evidences how we may know that wee are the children of God wherefore was Christ himselfe sealed of the Father to the Office of Mediatour wherefore did he die and rise againe and wherefore doth hee still make intercession for us in Heaven that wee should doubt of Gods love when as he hath given us that which is greater than salvation yea greater than al the world even his owne Sonne no certainly can we desire a more ample testimony of his favour than he hath already bestowed upon us Is it not the errand of all Gods mercies to bring us neerer to him selfe that we should not doubt of his love but rest securely upon him why then doe we distrust the Almighty who is truth it selfe and never failed any Yet we must know that Christians have not at all times alike assurance of their interest for there is an infancy of grace where in we are ignorant of our own condition And there is a time of desertion when as God to make us looke better to our footing leaves us a little as if he would forsake us quite when indeed hee onely withdrawes his assistance for a while to make us cleave the closer to him There be also certain seasons wherin though we are assured of Gods favor yet we have no feeling or apprehension of the same which differeth in Christians much according as they are more or lesse sensible of their estates Some againe use not that care and diligence in the use of meanes which God requires whereupon they are justly deprived of that inward peace and comfort which others enjoy There is a difference likewise in growth and continuance in Christianity some are strong Christians and some weak answerable whereunto is the difference of assurance of Gods love usually in the hearts of his people Nay it s possible that for a long time the Lords Iewels his redeemed ones may want this blessed comfort For wee must conceive there is a double act of faith First an act whereby a poore distressed sinner casts himselfe upon God as reconciled to him in Christ. Secondly there is a reflect act whereby knowing that wee rely upon the truth and promise of the Almighty we have assurance of his favour Now a man may performe the one act and not the other many of the Saints sometimes can hardly say that they have any assurance but yet notwithstanding they will daily cast themselves upon the rich mercy and free grace of God in Jesus Christ. Besides there are many things which may hinder this act of assurance because together with beleeving God may present such things to my minde as may so damp and disquiet my soule that I cannot have any definitive thoughts about that which God would especially have mee to thinke upon As when God will humble a man he takes not away the Spirit of faith wholly from him but sets before such a sinfull creature his anger and sore displeasure together with the hellish torments and paines of the damned as due to his soule which makes him for the present to be in an estate little differing from the Reprobate so that he is far from saying he hath any assurance at that time yet notwithstanding he doth not leave off nor renounce his confidence but casts himselfe upon Gods mercy still Though the Lord kill him yet will he trust in him although he sees nothing but terror wrath before him This God doth to tame our presumption and prepare us for the enjoyment of his future glory If we feele not sense of assurance it is good to blesse God for what we have Wee cannot denie but God offers himselfe in mercy to us and that hee intends our good thereby for so we ought to construe his mercifull dealing towards us and not have him in jealousie without ground Had wee but willing hearts to praise God for that which we cannot but acknowledge comes from him he will bee ready in his time to shew himself more cleerely to us We taste of his goodnesse many wayes it is accompanied with much patience and these in their natures should leade us not only to repentance but to neerer dependance on him we ought to follow that which God leads us unto though he hath not yet acquainted us with his secrets These things we must observe that we give not a false evidence against our selves though wee have not such assurance as wee have had yet alwayes there is some ground in us whereupon we may bee comforted that wee are Gods children could we but search into it Let us not then be negligent in labouring for the same and in the Lords good time we shall certainly obtaine it it is the prophanenesse of the world that they improve not those helpes which God hath afforded for this purpose Nay they had rather stagger and take contentment in their own wayes saying If God will love mee in a loose licentious course so it is but I will not give diligence to make my calling and election sure I will never barre my selfe of such profits and delights nor forsake all chiefly to minde spirituall things Whereas wee ought constantly to endeavour for assurance of grace that God may have honour from us and we the more comfort from him againe that we may live in the world above the world and passe cheerefully through the manifold troubles and
none are damned in the bosone of the Church but those that set a bar against the Spirit of God in their hearts such are damned because they will bee damned that say the Preacher what hee will think it better to bee as they are than to entertaine such a guest as will marre and alter all that was there before Take heed therefore of resisting the Spirit in the least kind sad not his blessed motions but make much of the same by yeelding subjection thereunto lay thy soule often before the spirit suffer thy selfe to be moulded and fashioned by his gracious working Oh consider how high the slighting of a gracious motion reaches even to the contemning of God himselfe certainly as we use these so would we use the Spirit himselfe were he visible to us And converse not with carnall company for what wilt thou gaine there but sorrow to thine heart if thou belongest to God and as holy Lot vex thy righteous soule with the uncleane conversation of these Sodomites it is an undoubted signe of a man destitute of grace not to care at all what company he frequents Fourthly seeing the Holy Ghost is promised to them that aske it beg earnestly for it at Gods hands this is the good th-ing that GOD gives Christ seemes to insinuate as much saying What can I give you better than the Holy Ghost Yet this will I bestow on them that ask it for indeed that is the seed of all grace and comfort A world of promises are included in the promise of giving the Spirit Labour therefore above all gettings to obtaine this high prerogative the comforts of the Spirit are above al earthly comfort and the graces of the Spirit enable to incounter the greatest tentations whatsoever A man that hath this stands impregnable God may withdraw his favour for a time to humble us but to quench the worke of the Spirit once wrought in the soule all the power of all the Devils in Hell cannot stirre it This will carry us through all oppositions and difficulties in our Christian race Let a man never baulk or decline a good cause for any thing that hee shall suffer for the seale and earnest of the Spirit is never more strong than when we are deprived of all other comforts save that alone What makes a man differ from himself and frō other men but this Take a Christian that hath the earnest of the Spirit you shall have him defie Death Satan the World and all take another that is carelesse to increase his earnest how weak and feeble will you finde him ready to be overcome by every tentation and sinck under the least burthen The Apostle Peter before the Holy Ghost came upon him was astonished with the voice of a weak Damosell but after how forward was he to suffer any thing Labour not then to bee strengthned in things below neither value thy selfe by outward dependances Alas all things here are perishing If thou hast grace thou hast that which will stand by thee when these faile the Comforter shal never be taken away What are all friends in the world to the Holy Ghost This will speake to God for us when no creature dares looke him in the face The Spirit will make requests with sighes and groanes in our behalfe and wee may be sure we shall bee heard when that intercedes for us What Prison can shut up the Spirit of God Oh gaine this what ever thou losest preferre it to thy chiefe treasure The very earnest of the Spirit is far more pretious than the creatures full quint essence If the Promises layd hold on by faith quicken and cheare the soule what shall the accomplishment of them doe If the giving a taste of Heaven so lift our souls above all earthly discouragements how glorious shall we shine forth when the Spirit shall be all in all in us This will make us more or lesse fruitfull more or lesse glorious in our profession and resolute in obedience through our whole course If we want this we can never be thankfull for any thing for it is the love of God that sweetens every mercy to us and indeed is more to be valued than any blessing we enjoy besides which if we eye not or are ignorant of what can we expect but wrath and displeasure in all that befals us Oh it is sweet to see favours and benefits issuing from grace and love they doe not alwayes proove mercies which men oft times esteeme to be so We can have no sollid comfort in any condition further than God smiles upon us in it What a fearefull case must that then be wherein a man cannot be thankfull for what he hath Every condition and place we are in should indeed be a witnesse of our thankfulnesse to God we must not think life was given onely to live in Our life should not be the end of it selfe but the praise of the giver thereof It is but fit that we should refer all that is good to his glory who hath joyned his glory to our best good in being glorified in our salvation which while we question and doubt of it is impossible ever to bee cheerfull towards him Besides how can a man suffer willingly that knowes not that God hath begun any good work in him How lumpish and dead is he under the crosse without this assurance It is worth the considering to see two men of equall parts under the same afliction how quietly and calmly the one that hath interest in Christ will beare his grievances whereas the other rages as a foole and is more beaten A man will endure any thing comfortably when he considers it proceeds from his Fathers good pleasure This breeds a holy resigning of our selves to God in al estates as Eli the wil of the Lord be done his will is a wise will and ever conduceth to his peoples good Fearest thou danger cry unto God I am thine Lord save me I am the price of thy Sons blood let me not be lost thou hast given me the earnest of thy Spirit and set thy seale upon me for thine owne let mee neither lose my bargaine nor thou thine Hence it is that Gods childe can so easily deny himselfe in tentations and allurements which others sinck under Oh saith he the Holy Ghost hath sealed me up to the day of redemption shall I grieve and quench the same for this base lust It is a great disparagement to preferre husks before the provision of our Fathers House when we give content to Sathan and a wretched heart wee put the Holy Ghost out of his Office Againe without this we can never comfortably depart this life hee that hath the earnest of the Spirit in his heart may laugh Sathan in the face and rejoyce at deaths ap proaching as knowing there will be an accomplishment then of all the bargaine then the Marriage will bee perfectly consummate then shall be the great yeare of Iubilee the Sabbath of rest for ever hee that
to be exalted when we are poore then are we most rich and when we are dead then doe wee live For God worketh all by contraries hee lets men see his greatnesse and his goodnesse that so they may admire his works and give more glory to him he worketh without means and above meanes and against meanes out of misery hee bringeth happinesse and by hell bringeth men to heaven Which as it manifesteth Gods glory to his creatures so it serveth for the confusion of mans pride that hee may discern he is nothing in himselfe but is all that he is in the Lord. The third cause why all things work for the best to them that feare God Is Gods covenant with his Church when once this gracious covenant is made that hee will be their God and they shall be his people that he will bee their Father and Protectour must not all things then needs serve for their good When as God tells Abraham I am thy God All-sufficient only walk before me be thou perfect Doth not this engage him to set his power mercy his wisedome and providence all on work for the happy estate of Abraham When once God by his promise is become our God there is a covenant betwixt us and the creatures yea and the stones in the street that nothing shall wrong us but all conduce to our good The Angels are ours their service is for our protection safety welfare Heaven and earth is ours and all things in them for our behoofe Christ himselfe and together with him all things else are become ours in him we are heires of all What a wondrous comfort is this that God hath put himselfe over to be ours whom to enjoy is to possesse all things and to want is misery unexpressable Had we all the world without God it would prove a curse and no blessing to us whereas if we have nothing and enjoy God we have happinesse it selfe for our portion If we have no better portion here than these things wee are like to have hell for our portion hereafter Let God be in any condition though never so ill yet it is comfortable He is goodnesse it selfe And indeed nothing is so much a Christians as God is his because by his being ours in covenant all other things become ours and therefore they cannot but cooperate for our good When thou art in the fire and water I am with thee saith God And Thou art my Buckler my Glory and Shield therefore I will not be afraid though ten thousand of people shall be set me round about saith David for salvation belongeth unto the Lord. And if God be on our side who can bee against us If God justifie us who shall condemne us Can any thing hurt us when hee is become our loving Father Neither death nor life nor things present nor things to come nor principalities nor powers nor any thing whatsoever can separate us from his love toward us A fourth ground why all things fall out for the best to the Saints is The foundation of this covenant of God with his Church which is Christ Iesus who by his bloud hath purchased our peace hee being God became man and is the sole Author of all our comfort Without Christ God is a consuming fire but in him a most loving Father and ever well pleased God promiseth in Christ his Sonne to marry his people unto himselfe for ever Yea saith he I will marry thee unto me in righteousnesse and in judgement and in mercie and everlasting cōpassion Now upon this blessed contract made in Christ to his Church what followeth In that day saith the Lord 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 Israel and I will have mercy upon her that was not pittied And I will say unto them which were not my people thou art my people And they shall say thou art my God Where wee see what is the reason of all their happinesse even this that God will marry them to himselfe So that this marriage worketh all our blisse our conjunction with Christ and reconciliation through his death is the cause of all our comfort in him wee have the adoption of Sonnes Hence it is that we are at peace with God and have freedom from all harmes Christ in his greatest reproach and deepest humiliation had his greatest triumph and exaltation In his death on the Crosse he vanquished Death and entred into eternall life When Christ came into the world and took upon him our nature even then the greatest Monarch in the world Augustus Caesar was at his command whom he so ordered as that by his causing all the world to bee taxed Christ was manifested to be borne at Bethlehem in Iury. How commeth it to passe that death which is fearefull in it selfe cannot hurt us The reason is Death is swallowed up in victory by his death It is Christ that sanctifieth all crosses afflictions and disgraces to the Saints advantage The evill of them all is taken away by him and turned to his peoples good How commeth it to passe that the Law cannot hurt us which pronounceth a curse against every one that abideth not in all things written therein to do them The reason is Christ was made a curse for us he was made under the Law that hee might redeeme us who were under the Law and thus is Christ a meritorious and deserving cause of procuring all good to us and removing all ill from us He doth not only overcome evill for us but also overcommeth evill in us and gives us his Spirit which unites us to himselfe whereby wee have ground to expect good out of every ill as knowing that whatsoever Christ wrought for the good of mankinde he did it for us in particular In Outward favours grace makes us acknowledge all the blessings wee have to be the free gifts of God and invites us to returne the glory to him Gods servants take all occasions and opportunities of doing good by those gifts and abilities wherewith they are endowed When Hester was advanced to great honor Mordechay told her that God had conferred that dignity upon her for his peoples welfare that she might be a means of their safety Whereas on the contrary a proud heart destitute of the Spirit of Christ ascribes all to it selfe waxeth more haughty and growes worse and worse the more good he enjoyes A gratious soule upon the sight of the evill of sin in it selfe is more deeply humbled before God and with S. Paul crieth out of his wretchednesse A heavenly minded man being smitten for his wickednesse laboureth for subjection under the hand of the Almighty and saith I will patiently abide and endure thy correction because thou Lord hast done it When the gracious man is held under the crosse and suffereth bitter things he saith It is good for me that I am afflicted for
and prophanenesse and yet for all this say they love God Is it possible that the love of God and the love of sinne shold ever stand together Proceed wee now to some reasons and directions for the attaining of this grace And first let us not rest in an inferiour degree of this affection but rise up therin and labour that it may have full assent There are degrees of assent as when we love God because we love our selves a naturall man may doe so but this is not enough for if wee love God for our selves we make our selves our God Where the heart is truly set upon God it delights in him only for himselfe and takes comfort in no condition further than he sees God in it He never affected Christ in truth that is more taken with the benefits and priviledges that come by him than with the excellency of his person What friend will bee content that a man should only love him because he doth him good We must love our selves and all other things in and for God Moses and Paul rejoyced to honour the Lord though themselves were accurfed and deprived of happinesse and if wee could so love Christ as not to desire heaven it selfe if Christ were not there This were truly to affect him for indeed if Christ were not there heaven should not be heaven unto us Wee must love our happinesse no further than we can have with it Gods good leave and liking Againe we shall know our love to God whether it be sincere or no by our abstaining from sinne If wee avoid evill for feare of punishment or hope of reward only our love is unsound but when we so love God that wee will not doe any thing contrary to his spirit it is a speciall signe Such a man if there were no hell to punish him nor place of blisse to receive him yet would not breake with God upon any termes For the meanes to attaine this love we must in the first place labour for an humble empty soule Blessed are the poore in Spirit saith Christ for such only apprehend their misery without Christ and their need of him which occasions an holy rejoycing in the Lord and unfained love to him What is the reason that some are so ravished with the favours of the Almighty Is it not for that they were so formerly stung with the sight and feeling of their sinnes the more loving Christian ever the more humble Christian. Mark it when you will and you shall find this disposition manifest in every true convert they are daily humbling themselves for the least offence A second direction is to tast of the love of God in Christ. When the beams of his favour once shine into our hearts we cannot but reflect upon him againe We love him saith the Apostle because he loved us first Mary therefore loved much because shee had experience of Gods love in forgiving her many sinnes When a broken humble soule truly savoureth the goodnesse of the Lord it cannot but be enflamed with desire after him A Christian after hee hath had a taste of the love of God hath another manner of judgement of justification than before Taste and see saith David how good and gracious the Lord is A man that rellishes the sweetnesse of a thing can better judge of it than hee which never tasted it A third direction is to see what motives and reasons wee have from the love of God in Christ to exercise our understanding this way Wee know heat commeth from light and there is a sympathie betweene the braine and the heart the braine must make a report to the heart before that can bee enflamed with affection therefore seriously search into the grounds of thy affection The first ground is goodnesse in God God is goodnesse it self in whom all good is involved if therefore wee love other things for the goodnesse which wee see in them Why doe wee not love God in whom is all goodnesse All other things are but sparks of that fire and drops of that Sea seest thou any good in the creature remember there is much more in the Creator leave therefore the streames and goe to the well-head of comfort Another reason of love is our affinity with God our Father and friend who is unto us in all degrees of neerenesse both our head and our husband were not the Sonne ours what fellowship could we have with the Father having such a Mediator with God that is bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh why should we feare to go unto him He hath taken upon him these comfortable relations of Shepheard and Brother to possesse us of his acquaintance with our infirmities and readinesse to releeve us For shall others by his grace fulfill what hee calls them unto and not he that out of his love hath taken upon him these relations so throughly founded upon his Fathers assignment and his owne voluntary undertaking How doth the tender Mother sympathize in the anguish of her child notwithstanding all its froward aversenesse and shall we think there is more bowells in our selves than in God can there be more sweetnesse in the streame than in the spring If the well of consolation be alwayes open and the fountaine of living water bee never shut up let us teach our hearts to suck and draw comfort from these rivers of refreshing What a shame is it that men should hunger at such a feast Consider likewise the benefits which wee have bestowed upon us and the end why God vouchsafes us so much favour Benefits win love even from bruit creatures therfore wee are worse than beasts if we love not God for his benefits The Oxe knowes his owner and the Asse his Masters Crib what are wee indeed but an heap of Gods benefits All our faculties of soule and body are the blessings of God Whatsoever wee have or hope to have is from him Our breath life and being subsists in God who hath promised that heaven and earth men and Devils crosses and blessings sinne and death all shall be turned by his over-ruling power to our good Consider what now we are what a happy condition God hath made us capable of hereafter Is it a small matter that wee should be regarded above the Angels that fell And that he who knew no sin should be made sinne for us nay become a curse to free us from the curse It was strange that the three Children being cast into the hot fiery Furnace should not burne So likewise it is a wonder that Christians being in the midst of the flame of Gods love should be so cold and dead hearted it is not only the guilt of sin that we are freed from but the unsupportable vengeance of the Almighty due for the same and is this a small matter If we regard the manner of bestowing his benefits it will much advance Gods goodnesse towards us and raise up our spirits to love him againe Doth not
17. Rom. 8. Faith and Hope what they are and of what use Heb. 11. 1. Division of the Promises Temporal promises conditionall Mark 10. 20. Vse Object Answ. Deut 28. 16. Quest. Answ. How to get in Christ. Quest. Answ. Iohn 17. 3 Quest. Answ. Phil. 3. 8. Phil. 3. 8. The stability of a Christian having promises Heb. 13. 5. 1 Tim. 4. 8 Psal. 88. 4. Psal. 91. Psal. 112. 7 Psal. 12. Psal. 119. Obser. 1. A Christian needs stablishing grace Obser. 2. The life of a Christian fullof dependancy Mar. 16. 17 18 19 Vse 1 Sam. 2. 9. Prov. 3. Psal. 115. Object Answ. How to discerne establishing grace Helpes to obtâ—ine confirming grace Object Answ. Psal. 9. 10. Sue the Promises in Prayer Quest. Answ. Why troubles are so irksome Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. Psal. 105. 15 The Spirits sealing Quest. Answ. What our sealing is and the use of it Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. Ephes. 1. 13. Answ. Quest. Quest. Answ. Quest. Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. Psal. 42. 13 Vse Psal. 45. Psal. 116. Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. In want of comfort what is to be done Quest. Answ. Why the Spirit is called an earnest Quest. Answ. God meanes truly in giving his earnest Assurance of our estates not alwayes alike A double act of faith to work assurance Things hindring our assurance Sense of Gods love how preserved Quest. Answ. Quest. Quest. Answ. Symptomes of the Spirits inhabitation out of Rom. 8. Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. How the Spirit is grieved Parts of the Text. Psal. 119. Quest. Answ. Doct. All good things 1 God the Father 2 God the Sonne 3 God the Holy Ghost 4 Angells Psal. 34. 5 Magistrates 6 Ministers 7 The Word 8 Sacraments 9 Outward gifts 10 Outward gifts of Reprobates 11 Favour of Princes 1 Sinne. 2 Corruption of nature 3 Inward and outward grosse sins 1. Doubtings 2 Anger covetousnesse c. 3 〈◊〉 sinnes 4 Carnall sinnes Gal. 6. 6. 5 Sins of others of Gods children Vse Vse 4 Desertions Psal. 6. 5 Wounded Spirit Luke 4. 1. 6 Blasphemous thoughts 7 Continuance in sinne 8 Outward evils 9 Slanders 10 Evils of body 11 Death 12 Death of friends Afflictions 14 Devil and Hereticks Causes why all things work together for the best 1 Gods Decree 2 Gods maner of working 3 Gods covenant 4 Foundation of the covenant Gal. 4. Object Answ. Iob 3. 25. 2 Chron. 31. 33. Object Answ. Simile Object Answ. Evils not to be done that good may come thereof Matth. 4. 4 Danger of wilfull sinning Note 1 God 2 Creatures 3 Good gifts 4 Truth of God 1 Iustification 2 Châ—istian liberty 3 Mor ality 1 Cor. 4 Gods patience 5 The Word Evill things 1 Spirituall ill things 2 Outward evils and crosses Causes Vse Vse Obser. 1. Salvation certaine Obser. 2. Gods particular providence to be observed Obser. 3. Observ. 4 Observ. 5 2 Cor. 6. A ground of understanding the promises A direction to pray for temporall blessings Vse 1. Vse 2. Vse 3. Psal. 34. Psal. 24. Double eye A Christians joy And contentment Vse 5. Holy boldnesse Prov. 29. Prov. 28. 1 Vse 6. 2 Persons to whom this prviledge belongs Excellency of love Christianity not a bâ—re title only Comfort not to be preached to all Ground of love Nature of the love of God 1 Branch Triall whether we have made a right choice 2 Triall Rom 8. 3 Triall 2 Branch Desire to please the beloved True love rejoyeeth in suffering 3 Branch Love covets union 2 It adviseth with the party loved 3 And fits it selfe for his appearing And hungers after God Psal. 4â— 4 Branch Psal. 77. Psal. 4. Psal. 51. Psal. 18. Psal. 71. Quest. Answ. Psal. 26. Directions unto love 2 Direction Meanes to attaine the love of God Psal. 34. 1 Grounds of our love to God Motives to stir up exercise in the love of God
on thy Son whō thou hast given for us and in him behold his poore members now before thee In our selves we have dread but in thy dearly beloved wee have joy in thy presence If we come in the garments of our Elder brother wee are sure to get a blessing but in our selves God cannot endure to behold us If we bring Benjamin to our Father if wee carry Christ along with us then come and welcome Upon what unchangeable grounds is the love of God and the faith of a Christian builded How can the gates of hell prevaile against the faith of a true beleever when it is carried to the promise and from the promise to Gods love the love of God to Christ shall as soone faile as the faith of a sincere Christian shal be shaken The promises else should bee of no effect they should be Yea and Nay and not Yea Amen If the promises could bee shaken the love of God and Christ should be uncertain Overturn heaven and earth if we overturne the faith of a true persevering Christian. There is nothing in the world of that firmnesse as a beleeving soule is the ground hee stands upon makes him unmoveable Our union with the Lord Jesus makes us like Mount Sinai that cannot be shaken But wee must know there are three degrees or steps of love whereof a promise is the last 1. Inward love 2. Reall performance 3. A manifestation of performance intended before it bee done Love concealed doth not cōfort in the interim therfore God who is love doth not only affect us for the present and intend us mercy hereafter but because hee will have us rest sweetly in his bosome and settle our selves on his gracious purposes hee gives us in the mean time many rich and pretious promises Hee not only loves us and shewes the same in deeds now but he expresseth his future care of us that wee may build on him as surely as if we had the thing performed already By this wee see how God loves us he hath not only an inward liking and good wil to us in his brest but manifests the same by word hee reveales the tendernesse of his bowells towards us that wee may have the comfort of it before-hand God would have us live by faith and establish our selves in hope because these graces fit us for the promise If there were no Promises there could bee no faith nor hope What is Hope but the expectation of those things that the word saith And what is faith but a building on the promise of God Faith looks to the word of the thing Hope to the thing in the word Faith looks to the thing promised Hope to the possession and performance of it Faith is the evidence of good not seene making that which is absent as present to us Hope waits for the accomplishment of that good contained in the word if we had nothing promised what need hope and where were the foundation of faith But God being willing to satisfie both that wee may bee heavenly-wise in relying upon a firme foundation and not as fooles trust in vanity in mercy gives us promises and seales them with an oath for our greater supportment That love which ingaged the Almighty to bind himself to us in pretious promises will furnish us likewise with grace needfull till wee be possessed of them He will give us leave to depend upon him both for happinesse and all quieting graces which may support the soule till it come to its perfect rest in himselfe Now these gratious expressions of our good God may be reduced into divers rankes I will but touch some few particulars and shew how wee should carry our selves to make a comfortable use of them First there are some universall Promises for the good of all mankinde as that God would never destroy the World againe c. Secondly there are other Promises that more particularly concerne the Church and these are Promises 1. Either of outward things 2. Or of spirituall and eternall things of Grace and Glory In the manner of promising they admit of this distinction All the Promises of God are made to us either Absolutely without any condition so was the Promise of sending Christ into the world and his glorious comming againe to judgement let the world be as it will yet Christ did come and will come againe with thousands of Angels to judge us at the last Or 2. conditionall As the Promise of Grace and Glory to Gods children that he will forgive their sinnes if they repent c. God deales with men as wee doe by way of commerce one with another propounding mercy by covenant and condition yet his covenant of grace is alwayes a gratious covenant For he not onely gives the good things but helpes us in performing the condition by his Spirit he workes our hearts to beleeve and to repent Thus all Promises for outward things are conditionall as thus God hath promised protection from contagious sicknesse and from trouble and warre that he will be an hiding place and a Deliverer of his people in time of danger that he will doe this and that good for them But these are conditionall so far forth as in his wise providence he sees they may helpe to preserve spiritual good things in them and advance the graces of the inward man For God takes liberty in our outward estate to afflict us or doe us good as may best further our soules welfare Because do what we can with these bodies they will turn to dust and vanity ere long We must leave the world behinde us therefore he lookes to our main estate in Christ to the new creature and so farre as outward blessings may cherish and increase that so farre hee grants them or else he denies them to his dearest ones For we cannot still enjoy the blessings of this life but our corrupt nature is such that except we have somewhat to season the same we shall surfet and not digest them therefore they are all given with exception of the Crosse as Christ saith hee that doth for him any thing shall have a hundred fold here but with Persecution be sure of that whatsoever else he hath let Christians looke for crosses to season those good things they enjoy in this life To come now to some use of the point Are all the Promises of what kind soever whether spirituall and outward temporall or eternall are they all made to us in Jesus Christ And are they certainly true Yea and Amen in him Then I beseech you get into Christ betimes strengthen your intrest in him by all meanes out of whom we have nothing that is savingly good rest not in any thing abstracted from him so as to be accepted with God But you will say doth not God doe many good things to them that are out of Christ doth not the Sunne shine and the raine fall upon the just and the unjust upon the evill as
lives much by faith will finde it no hard matter to die in it But let a man stagger and doubt whether hee belong to God or no what a miserable case will he be in at the time of dissolution Death with the eternity of torment after it who can looke it in the face without the assurance of a happy change This makes men that see no greater pleasure than the following of their lusts resolve of swimming in worldly delights still Alas say they I had as good take this pleasure as have none at all what shall become of me hereafter who knowes FINIS THE PRIVILEDGES OF THE FAITHFVLL ROM 8. 28. Also wee knew that all things work together for the best to them that love God even to them that are called of his purpose THere are three things especially that trouble the life of a Christian or at least should trouble the same The first whereof is sin with the guilt and punishment thereof The second is the corruption of Nature which still abidesin him even after his vocation and conversion to Christ. The third is the miseries and crosses of this life which doe follow and ensue both upon sinne and the evill thereof as also by reason of that corruption of Nature still remaining in him after his recovered estate in grace For the first The guilt of sinne which doth bind men over to death and damnation that is forgiven to all beleevers in Christ Jesus the second Adam The second which is the corruption of Nature which cleaves so fast to us that is daily mortified and crucified in the Saints by the Word and Spirit of God For the third which is the grievous crosses and afflictions which doe accompany and follow the guilt of sinne and the corruption of nature still remaining in Gods children however they are not taken away yet they are made to have an excellent issue For all things work together for the best unto them that love God So that these words of the Apostle do afford us 1. A ground of Patience 2. A ground of Comfort In the former part of this Chapter the Apostle had told us That we know not how to pray as we ought but that the Spirit it selfe doth teach us how to pray and makes requests for us with sighes that cannot be expressed And therefore how ever our corruptions and miseries in this life are not quite taken away yet the evill of those evils is removed God teaching and directing us by his Spirit to seek by prayer unto him for grace to profit by them And this is the co-herence of these words with the former The parts here to bee handled may be these An excellent prerogative All things work together for the best Secondly the persons to whom this prerogative belongs To them that love God and whom hee doth call Thirdly the main cause of this blessed Prerogative Those that love God have this priviledge belonging to them because they are effectually called by his Word according to his purpose We know saith the Apostle that all things work together for the best to these He doth not say We hope or wee conjecture but wee know it assuredly We have the Scriptures of God for it David saith that it was good for him that he was afflicted for therby he had learned to reform his wayes hee knew by observation that all things would tend to his future happinesse For hee had seen in the example of Iob that notwithstanding his sore afflictions yet he had a blessed issue out of all he knew this many wayes he knew it by faith as also by experience that every thing should further the Saints wel-being We know that is we only know it who are led and taught of God and none but wee can be assured hereof which excludes the wicked who shall never know any such thing but what is it that Paul is confident of here Namely that all things work together for the best to them that love God And this may serve to be a prevention of a question which weak Christians might move in their troubles and say Never was any more afflicted than I am Why saith the Apostle bee it so yet neverthelesse all things whatsoever all thy crosses vexations and 〈◊〉 shall work together and joyne issue though they bee averse one to the other and opposite to the good of Gods children as Herod and Pilat were yet all things thus contrary notwithstanding shall work for the best unto them there is 1. A good of Quality 2. A good of Estate Now therefore what kind of Good is this the Apostle meaneth He doth not here mean the naturall or civill good estate of them that love God but their spirituall condition in grace and their glorious estate for the life to come for the furthering whereof whatsoever befalls them in this life shall help forward still And thus much for the words themselves The first point to bee spoken of is The excellent priviledge of Gods children That all things shall work together for the best both good and evill shall turne to their happinesse The reason stands thus All things shal work together for the best to them that love God Therfore all afflictions crosses and vexations whatsoever that betide such persons shall work together for their good and for this cause all Gods servants must learne patiently to beare and cheerefully to undergoe poverty or riches honour or dishonour in this world That all good things do work for the best to Gods servants is most apparent by daily proofe and experience To begin with the first chiefe good of all which is God the Father who is goodnesse it selfe and unspeakably comfortable to all his Doe not all Gods attributes conduce to our eternall welfare Is hee not set forth in Scripture under the sweet name of a Father of a Shield and Buckler of a Tower of Defence of an All-sufficient Almighty God just wise provident mercifull full of boundlesse compassion and all to support his poore creatures from failing before him As he is our Father he is carefull of us above the care of earthly parents to their children As he is a Shield so he shelters us from all wrongs As he is God Almighty and All-sufficient so his power and bounty serve to sustaine us in this world and reserve us for ever safe in the world to come His wisdome makes us wise to prevent the politick plots of the Devill or wicked men His justice and providence they serve to defend us in our right to provide for us in all our wants and prevent the evills of the ungodly intended against us His power is ours to keep us his providence to dispose all things for our advantage Every thing in God shall co-work to provide and fore-see all good for us and mercifully to impart and bestow whatsoever is behoovefull upon us So that God being our Father we have right and title to his lov emercy power