a farre more excellent eternall weight of glory wherefore let us not rest satisfied with a face of profession but let us labour to make inquiry into our owne heart and see what discoveries God hath made to us of the creatures emptinesse and his owne fulnesse 2. Vse We may from the Doct. delivered see the reason why the Lord many times is pleased to strip his owne people naked of creature comforts it is that so the Lord may discover to his people the emptines the flittingnes of thè that so they may see more fulnes yea even all fulnesse in himselfe and therefore though the world misconster Gods meanings to his Saints in his carriages towards them in the passages of his providence in saying they are poore and meane and the off-scouring of the world and God regards them not let not the servants of God misconster his meaning too this will but aggravate their sorrow but let us see what the Scripture saith and consult with it 2 James 5. Harken my beloved brethren hath not God chosen the poore of of this world rich in Faith and heires of the Kingdom This is a thing worthy of serious attention that God should chuse poore nothings of this world to be rich in faith and heires of the Kingdom and this is most usually found that the meaner the Saines conditions are in the world the fuller and richer are they in faith and in Communion with Iesus Christ and therefore if God be pleased to take away Wife or Children or friends or liberty or estate if God be pleased to take away any of these from us and to empty us of these we should labour to make that use of it which the Lord expects we should namely to see more fullnesse in him from whom we have all our mercies The third thing laid downe in the words is the fruit or effect that the meanes wrought upon her expressed in these words then shall she say I will go and returne to my first Husband where we may take notice under what consideration she returnes home to God and that is here declared under the consideration of a husband she doth not say I will returne to my Saviour and so expect salvation from him but to my husband to him to whom I desire to yeeld subjection and obedience as a loving spouse ought to doe from whence we may observe thus much That Iesus Christ is the onely head and husband Lord Law-giver of his Church and People for proof of which let us examine the Scriptures 1 Ephe. 22 23. and gave him to be the head of all things to his Church which is his body the fullnesse of him that filleth all in all that fullnesse the body hath it hath from the head 4 Ephs. 15 16. where the Apostle exhorts them that they would not be tossed up and downe with every wind of Doctrine by the flights of men that lye in waite to deceive and that they might prevent this evill he layes downe a meanes in these 15. 16. verses but speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ from whome all the body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplieth according to the effectuall working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the body to the edifying it selfe in love 5. Ephes 23. Christ is the head of the Church and the Saviour of his Body and so in the 1 Col. 18. 33. Esa 22. Now for the reasons how it comes to passe that Iesus Christ is the only head and husband Lord and Law-giver of his Church 1. Rea. Because the Church of Christ is sprung up from the loynes of Christ they have beene taken out of the very sides of Christ for alas this we are all to know that though we were glorious in the loynes of our first Parents in the day of our creation though God made man righteous yet he sought out many inventions Eccles 7.29 The creature man soone lost his glory and became vile and miserable and so had continued had not Iesus Christ stept betweene the misery of the Creature and the wrath of his Father and by his owne blood made up that great breach which sinne had made betweene the creature man and the great Creator the Lord of Heaven and Earth had it not bin for Christ there had not so much as the name of a Church of God bin heard of upon the face of the Earth therefore as Adam claimes propricty in Hevah because she proceeded from his side saying this now is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh She shall therefore be called Woman So may Iesus Christ claime a propriety and interest in the Church to be Lord and husband of it because it proceeds from his very loyns his very sidâ—s 2. Rea. Because Iesus Christ hath bought his Church they are the travell of his soule the glory of his Mediator-ship are there not all the reasons that possibly can be seeing Iesus Christ hath travelled for his Church by his travels brought forth a glorious deliverance to his Church that now his Church should be subject to him and yeeld obedience to his lawes seeing Christ hath satisfied God his Father by his owne blood is it not reason that we should live to his praise and honour is it reason that when a mother hath undergone sore travell and pain with a Child and at last when the Child is through many difficulties and hazards of the Womans life brought forth that another Woman that stands by when the Child is delivered should snatch it up and say this Child shall be subject unto me and owne me for its mother and what I command it so it shall doe and what I command it to weare it shall weare would not this be compted injurious dealing with this poore Woman that hath suffered so much in bringing it forth that now she should be deprived of the comfort of bringing it up and is it not as injurious dealing with Iesus Christ that seeing he hath travelled for his Church and brought forth his Church that now other men should arrest it of his hands and prescribe lawes to them which they would force their consciences to be subject to and therefore by way of use in the first place this serves to reprove all these persons that so doe certainely Iesus Christ will one day be even with all those persons sure it is that the Church being the glory of his Mediator-ship he will not give his glory to any other nor his praise to graven Images but though mâ—n do now labour to dis-throne Christ yet there is a time comming wherein Iesus Christ will dis-throne all his enemies and will raigne gloriously in the despight of them all he will make his enemies his footstoole the mountaine of the House of the Lord shall be established in the tops of the mountaines therefore let all men for the time to come take heed
concerning Christ 1 Cant. 12. a bundle of mirth â—s my well Beloved to me he shall lye all night betweene my brests Oh saith the soule Christ shall have the chiefest seate of residence in my heart and his lawes shall beare sway in my life what though I am imprisoned reproached disgraced counted a fectious person one that troubleth the State yet this is no trouble at all unto such a heart for he looks up to Christ desiring with him to indure the Crosse and despise the shame but on the contrary mens hearts being set upon the creature their desires being set upon excelencies here reject the excelency of Iesus Christ and the profession of his truth 3. Rea. And last why men in an externall Covenant with God those that God ownes as his may fall back degenerate is because that men nay and they which have more in them then men even the Saints of God themselves doe neglect their spirituall watch they suffer their spirits to wander and then it s no marvell that he who wanders up downe the whole earth seeking whom he may devoure doth meet with this wandring spirit and turne it out of the way and so we see Davids eye was wandering upon Bathsheba Sathan soon caught him in a snare as you may see in 2 Sam. 11.2.4 these with many other reasons might be laid downe for the confirmation of this truth but I judg these may suffice The second thing observable from the words is the meanes it selfe used by God to reduce them to their former state laid downe in these words though she seeke after her Lovers she shall not come as them as if he should say I will take a sure course with them to reclaime them to my selfe though she do goe a whoring after her Lovers and followes other Gods and loveth so to doe she shall not find them that is she shall find no content nor satisfaction in them as formerly she hath done from whence we may observe That when God intends to do any soules good either to reclaime them from a falen condition or to bring persons to the knowledge of himselfe the usuall way that he takes herein is to discover to them the emptinesse and insufficiency of all things that is here below as not being able to give any content or satisfaction to the soule there is something of this truth me thinks appearing in the 14. vers of this Chapter where the Lord saith I will bring her into the Wildernes now we know a Wildernes condition is a condition distitute of all helpe nothing is to be found therein but wild Beasts ready to devoure no help is to be expected in the Wildernes from it so indeed when men are brought into a Wildernes condition having neither penny nor pennies worth as the Prophet saith Esai 55.1 Then is God pleased to speake comfort to his People and then doth he cause them to look upwards but for fuller proof 3 Ierc. 23. see there the ground of their returne to God truly say they the hope of hâ—ls is but vaine nor the multitude of mountaines what then but in the Lord our God is the health of JSRAEL when they were brought to see the strength of all things to help them was but weaknes then they cry in the Lord our God is the health of Israel So in 1 Ecles 1.2 Solomon after his setting his heart to find out content in the creature and after his following other Gods and forsaking the Lord who had appeared twise unto him you shall find upon his returne this is the accompt that he leaves behind him all is vanity and vexation of spirit the reason why God takes such a course with men is because while the soule sees any fullnesse in any thing in heaven or earth whereby to leane to besides Christ it will fasten at the hornes of that Altar be it what it will and never make any further search or inquiry after Christ the cariage of the soule in this case is like the cariage of Iacob in an other for while ther was corne in Canaan Iacob never thinks nor mentions going into Egypt but when there was none there then saith old Iacob Gene. 42.2 why gaze ye one upon another seeing there is Corne in Egypt so in deed while there is any food to be got for the soule here below it looks no higher and therefore it is that the Lord is pleased to out off all springs of comfort and peace to be had from any thing here below that so the soule may see Iesus Christ to be he who has all the Well-springs of comfort and peace and joy and refreshment to the soule 1. Vse Let us a little from the consideration of this Doctrine examine our spirits and see how our hearts stand affected or what our Spirits is fraught with whether with high conceits of the world of the excellency and fulnes and glory of it Or whether with the excellent fullnes goodnesse that is in Iesus Christ certainely this is an undoubted truth that if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in them let them professe what they will therefore it behoves every man to looke about him and see whether God hath ever yet made this discovery to the soule namely that all the things of the world is empry and poore weake not able to give out the least dram of trve comfort to the soule I beseech you let us againe aske our hearts this question as Christ did in the like case are we able to drink of the Cup that Christ hath drunk of And to be baptized with the Baptisme that Christ is baptised with We do not know what imployment Christ may put us upon certaine it is that that heart which is in the last ingaged to the world will never doe any great matters for Iesus Christ he will play fast and loose with Christ this we all professe to know that we cannot serve two Masters God Mammon their commands are so opposite one to each other as that if we obey the one we must reject the other wherefore let us commune with our owne hearts and see a little how our spirits stand affected to Christ do we find upon serious examination that Christ and his laws doth beare sway in our hearts that excellency that is in them doth in the eyes of our soules weigh downe all that riches and honours and pleasures and preferments of the world nay more then this do you see so much excellency in Gods wayes as that it will beare your charges with great allowance through those miserics and sorrowes reproaches and losses that you shall sustaine in this life yea even life it selfe we shall see Paul when he cast up his accompt of matters of this nature he triumphs in that glorious allowance that he saw provided for him by God 2 Cor. 4.1 saith he our light afflictions which are but for a moment they worke for us
required to keepe a man from the feare of danger then from the danger it self as for instance a little apparell will keepe a man from nakednesse when a great deale both of money and apparell will not keepe him from the feare of nakednes and therefore if yee would be kept in times of trouble from overflowing feares of trouble then keep close to God for in â—o doing you will see so much fullnesse of strength and mercy and love in God as will swallow up all other inordinate feares 1. Vse If it be so that it is best with the servants of God whè they keep closest to him let us then who professe the name of Christ and appeare to be in the number of those who are made nigh unto God by the blood of Christ let us be exhorted therefore to take heed of back-sliding and let us labour to know that first it is an easie thing to backslide if we consider the many provocations hereunto by reason of the deceitfullnesse of our owne hearts and the snares of the world with the subtleties of Sathan And secondly it s a dangerous thing to back-slide if wee do but consider 1. From whom we back slide namely God who is the fountaine of life and the giver of all mercies Secondly To what we back slide namely to that which is not able to releive us nor helpe us in any miserie or strait that we fall into Thirdly If we consider what the cariages of God hath bin and is to back-sliders you shall see its dangerous he shall be filled with his owne wayes saith Solomon and if any one draw back my soule shall have no pleasure in him saith God 10. Hebr. 38. we shall therefore for the preventing of this great evill lay downe some signes of a soule declining from God And secondly we shall lay downe some meanes of prevention The signes of declining are these first a disregarding of the truth of Christ 2 Chron. 24.20 when the minds of men grow weary of the truths of Christ and their estimations of truth which formerly hath bin slackens it 's one shrew'd signe of declining A second signe is when men begin to grow distrustfull of God and his truth when many things which God hath said in his word seemes harsh to mens spirits they cannot well relish it as they in the 6. Iohn 60. when the sayings of Christ began to be hard and harsh to them then they draw back vers 66. A third signe is unfruitfulnesse under the meanes and mercies which God bestowes 13. Luk. 7. when men shall rather turne the truth of God which they have received into notions and please themselves more with talking of truth then of practising what they know then it is a signe that truth is bidding them farewell and they it The fourth signe is love of the world when mens spirits begin to hanker after the world or the honour therof they will soone loose Christ and his truth 1 Tim. 6.10 the love of money is the root of all evill which while some have covetted after they have erred from the faith and therefore from love to Christ he that loves the world had rather loose Iesus Christ then the world and it must needs be so because he loves it Fiftly and lastly another signe is spirituall pride else-confidence For before destruction thâ— heart is haughty when a man is proud of that which is â—oâ—… his owne it s no marvell if he soone prove a spirituall bankrupt therefore I beseech you let us looke to our selves if any man thinke he stand let him take heed least he fall Therefore to prevent it let us consider of some meanes First let us labour for soundnesse of judgement in the truths of God that so we may receive nothing upon other mens judgements and reports but trying all things wee may hold fast that which is good for ignorance is the mother of error and a corrupted life doth soone follow an erronious judgement wherefore let us be often in searching the Scripture and seeking of God by Prayer that he would be pleased to unfold those glorious mysteries of his will in his word unto us by his spirit that so we may be able to judge of things that differ Secondly let us labour to receive the truth in the love of it for when truth is received by men under this consideration of love when men see an excellency in truth and love the truth from that excellency that they see in it they will labour for it you know it 's the property of love to do much and suffer much and yet it lookes upon all that it doth and suffers as little because where true love is it will produce effects sutable to it self see this in that love of God 3. Ioh. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son c. marke if once God cast an eye of love up-the creature this very love will produce an effect sutable to its nature even the giving of Iesus Christ to dye for the creature so indeed if once the love of our soules be given up to the excellency of the truth then our lives our liberties our estates or friends will follow roundly but if there be a defect in our love to the truth there will soone be a deffect in our standing to or suffering for truth The third meanes let us consider that the truth of God is the portion of the Saints if we loose truth we loose Iesus Christ where will you have comfort and where will you have salvation if you loose truth And therefore saith Salomon Prov. 4.13 keepe her for she is thy life and there fore David hath recourse upon all occasions to the word 119 Psal 49 50. Remember thy word made to thy Servant why it s my comfort in my trouble as if he should say I have no other companion in my troubles but it and so in the 92. vers of the same Psalme saith he except thy law had bin my delight I should utterly have perished in mine afflictions And therfore as worldly men compt themselves with all they have by what they have are in the world so let the servants of God compt themselves with what they have are by nothing but what they have in Iesus Christ who dwels in the truth conveyes himselfe through the truth into the hearts and consciences of his People and therefore let us labour to compt it our portion and if Naboth would rather incurre the displeasure of the King then part with the inheritance given him by his fathers 1 Kings 21.3 4. how much more should wee be willing to incurre the displeasure of all men rather then to loose any part of the truth of Iesus Christ given unto us and purchased for us at so deere a rate as his owne precious blood Now we should come to the next words expressed in this 8th vers now she did not know that I gave her Corne and Wine and Oyle and multiplyed her Silver and Gold which they have bestowed upon Baal These words seemes to be a maine reason here given by God of this peoples declining from him and that is laide downe in the generall to be the not taking notice nor observing the mercies and favours of God given unto her In which words foure things are to be considered First the mercies themselvs laid downe in these words Corne and wine and Oâ—le c. Secondly the author of these mercies under the terme I gave them that is God Thirdly the persons to whom these mercies were given they were the Children of Jsrael Fourthly the carriage of this people towards God in the injoyment of these mercies and that is here declared First they tooke no notice of them from what hand they came expressed in these words now she did not know that I gave her Corne c. Secondly in spending them it should seeme she taking no notice from whom the mercies came takes as little notice or care how they go which appeares in these words which they have spent upon Baal the words being thus considered we may observe divers things from them for our instruction and comfort 1. Obs That God is the only giver of every mercy and favour that the creature doth injoy 2. Obs That it is the duty of the Saints to take speciall notice of the mercies and favours which God gives them 3. Obs That the not taking notice of mercy and favours of God is a speciall meanes to occasion men to depart from God As concerning the 1. Observ that God is the only giver of every mercy and favour wee injoy I conceive none will deny the truth of it because it is both a dommon truth and that which all generally will acknowledge Iames 1.17 every good and every perfect gift is from above comes down from the father of lights and therefore the consideration of this truth should teach all of us to take notice of the mercy of God in all the good things we enjoy to behold God in all the passages of his providence to us that so if we have any riches any honours any friends any grace any gifts all come from God And therefore we should take heed of sacrificing any thing to our owne nets but as all mercies we receive come from God so we must give the glory of all onely to him who is â—…lly worthy of all honour and glory and praise for eveâ— These bâ—â—ng the Observations and this the substance of all the matter which God was pleased to helpe me to deliver where I was apprehended as I am publikely called by many forth to suffer for them so I am not unwilling being requested to declare them to all to such and unto any it pleaseth God by his good providence to dispose of them desiring that all persons would try all things and hold fast that which is good 1 Th. 5.21 I am not ashamed of the Gospell of Christ for it is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth 1. Rom. 16. Be not thou ashamed of the Testimony of our Lord nor of mee his prisoner but be thou partaker of the affliction of the Gospell 2. Tâ—m 1.8 FINIS