a watch O Lord before my mouth keep the door of my lips Psal 141. 3. but also to think any thing that is evil Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in thy sight Psal 19. 14. So Deut. 15. 9. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart the seventh year the year of release is at hand and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother c. So Ezek. 7. 10. Let none of you imagine evil against his brother in his heart So Job 31. 26. If I beheld the Sun when it shined or the Moon walking in brightness ver 27. and my heart hath been secretly entised or my mouth hath kissed my hand c. You see by all this that where there is true softness or tenderness of heart there is a singular fear to sin against God or to offend him Fourthly Zeal against sin A soft and tender heart is a zealous heart a heart Zeal against sin earnestly and inflamedly set against sin not coldly and faintly but stoutly and couragiously And that First Against our own sins a person of a tender heart is zealously carried against his own sins which appears thus 1. By the impartial opposition of them he will not hide and spare any one sin in himself neither pleasant nor profitable nether great nor small neither open nor secret but he hates every false way Psal 119. yea he hates all vain thoughts and cleanseth himself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 7. 1. 2. By the deep and deadly persecution of them It doth not suffice that he disallows and condemns sin in respect of his judgement not that he abstains from sin in respect of his practice but he strives after the utter extirpation of sin He layes the Ax to the root of the tree Matth. 3. 10. Crucifies the flesh in the affections thereof Gal. 5. 24. And mortifies the members of sin Col. 3. 5. 3. By the Irreconcilable resolution against them He will never admit of league or friendship or have any peace with them but loaths and hates and resists and conflicts and fights with them all his dayes and if at any time he be surprized and foiled he riseth again and renews the war more firmly against them by calling in all the helps and powers that make against his sins the power of Christ and the power of the Spirit and the power of the promises and the power of grace 4. By cutting off all the Succors of sin in occasions and temptations yea many times denying himself the use of lawful things lest by them he should be accidentally overcome by sin 5. By watching his deceitful heart and binding it with special vows and Covenants from starting aside and hearkning unto sin in the motions of it any more Secondly Against the sins of others A soft and tender heart would not sin itself nor would that any other should sin against God and offend him and therefore in a proportion to its sphere it will act against sin wheresoever it finds sin Sometimes by entreating as Lot unto the men of Sodom I pray you brethren do not so wickedly Gen. 19. 7. Sometime by directing Judah saith unto his brethren What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceale his blood Gen. 37. 26. Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and let not our hand be upon him for he is our brother and our flesh and his brethren were content ver 27. Sometimes by reproving as Elijah to Ahad I have found thee because thou hast sold thy self to work evil in the sight of the Lord 1 King 2. 4. And Nathan to David thou art the man 2 Sam. 12. 7. and Job to his wife thou speakest as one of the folish women speaketh shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil Job 2. 10. Sometimes by vuthoritative opposing and punishing domestically in the family as David Psa 101. 7. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight Publique in the state and for this remember three admirable instances of zeale against sin by godly persons of publique place and authority The first in Asa who removed Maacha his Mother from being queen because she had made an idol in a grove 2 Chron. 15. 16. The second in Josiah who burnt all the vessels made for Baal and put down the idolatrous Priests and Groves and brake down the houses of the Sodomites defiled Topheth beat down all their Altars and high places and images and all old reliques of I dolatry The third in Nehemiah See the history of his zeal Nehem. 13. 15. In those dayes saw I in Judah some treading wine-presses on the Sabbath and bringing in sheaves and lading Asses as also Wine Grapes and figs c. and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals c. ver 17. Then I contended with the Nobles of Judah and said unto them What evill thing is this that ye do and profane the Sabbath day ver 21. I testified against the Merchants and sellers Why do ye lodge about the wall if you do so again I will lay hands on you From that time forth came they no more on the Sabbath ver 23. In those dayes also saw I Jews that had married wives of Ashdod of Ammon and of Moab ver 24. And their children spake half in the speech of Ashdod c. ver 25. And I contended with them and cursed them and smote certain of them and pluckt off their hair and made them swear by God ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons nor take their daughters to your sons or for your selves c. Fifthly Special cares and requests to be kept and blessings when kept from sin Psal 18. 23. I kept my self from mine iniquity Job 31. 1. I made a covenant with mine eyes why then should I look upon a maid Psal 39. 1. I said I will take Special requests to be kept fâ—om sin heed unto my wayes that I sin not with my tongue I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me Psal 119. 11. Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee Psal 119. 133. Order my step in thy Word and let not any iniquity have dominion over me and so for blessing when kept from sin 1 Sam. 25. 32. David said to Abigail Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who sent thee this day to meet me ver 32. And blessed be thy advice blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood and from avenging my self with mine own hand So when the ten Tribes and an halfe returned the rest blessed God that they were kept from sinning Josh 22. 33. Sixthly Restlesnesse under the commission of sin and importunity for the pardon Restlestnesse under the commission of sin of it and
him so c. 3. Of Condescention that is he knows your wants and desires and he will help you and he will supply you Your heavenly Father knows that you need all Of condescention these things Matth. 6. 32. What is that that is he will supply your need according to his riches and glory so Exod. 3. 7. I know their sorrows This is explained in verse 8. And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that Land unto a good Land so Nahum 1. 7. The Lord is good a strong hold in the day of trouble and he knoweth them that trust in him that is He will do them good they shall finde him to be as good as his word and he will help and deliver them 3. The Omniscience of God is a comfort unto you against all your enemies counsels plots reproaches injuries Jer. 8. 23. Lord thou knowest all their counsels against me to slay me Psal 69. 19. Thou hast known my reproach and my shame The omniscience of God is comfort a gainst all our enemies and my dishonour mine adversaries are all before thee Isa 37. 28. I know thy aboad and thy going out and thy coming in and thy rage against me And how doth the Lord know your enemies and their plots c. even with detestation and derision and opposition and judgment and destruction 4. The omniscience of God is a comfort unto you in this respect that it is a foundation and fountain of all saving knowledge in you God knows you and you shall It is comfort as it is a fountain of all saving knowledge know him I will betroth thee unto me in faithfulness and thou shalt know the Lord Hosea 2. 20. They shall all know me Jer. 31. 34. He knows you for his people and you shall know the Lord for your God 2 Tim. 2. 19. The Lord knoweth who are his they shall know that I am the Lord their God Ezek. 28. 26. so Ezek. 39. 22. He perfectly knows you and the time shall be that you shall perfectly know him you shall know even as you are known 1 Cor. 13. 12. 5. Another Attribute of God is this He is a wise God mighty in wisdome God is a wise God And we are better for his wisdome Our wise God orders every thing that befalls us for our good Job 36. 5. God onely wise Rom. 16. 27. and this God is your God and you are the better for his wisdome For 1. Your wise God guides and orders every thing that befalls you for your good omnia bona or in bonum all things shall work together for good unto them that love him Rom. 8. 28. Sometimes you have abundance and that shall do you good sometimes you have wants and that shall do you good sometimes you have honour and respect and that shall do you good sometimes you have dishonour and reproach and that shall do thee good sometimes you have enjoyments and they shall do you good and sometimes you have losses and these shall do you good sometimes you have liberty and that shall do you good and sometimes you have afflictions and crosses and they shall do you good Though there be diversities and contrarieties as to the outward condition yet the tempest and the calme the Winter and the Summer all that befalls you shall fall out for good because all that befalls you comes from your wise God who orders and guides all your contigencies for your good and his own glory 2. You shall not faiâ—e or misse of any good whatsoever God hath promised you in You shall not faile or misse of any good in its season its season the appointing and choosing and hitting of seasons peculiarly belong to wisdome Therefore Solomon saith A wise mans heart discerneth both time and judgment Eccles 8. 5. And all things are beautiful in their season when a good word is spoken in season and when help and deliverance comes in season and when any mercy comes in the right season it is more precious and the more acceptable The Lord hath undertaken all the conditions of all his people he hath promised peace to their afflicted consciences and comfort to their mourning souls and help unto their distressed spirits and audience to their fervent prayers and strength unto their fainting hearts Now though the Lord doth a while delay you though he doth not presently give you what you ask though he takes a time before he speak though he doth not take your time yet because he is a faithful God therefore he will take a time and because he is a wise God therefore he will take the best time He will answer you he will help you he will succour you in an acceptable time in the right season which is the best part of time 2 Cor. 6. 2. He saith I have heard thee in a time accepted and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee 3. He will give you the best counsel and advice because he is a most wise God He will give you the best counsel and advice wisdome it self can counsel best Jer. 32. 19. He is great in counsel and mighty in works Isa 28. 29. He is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working Rom. 11. 33. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of God! we are many times in straits in difficulties and in Jehoshaphats case we know not what to do it is not in man that walks to direct his steps we grope as in the dark and oft times are dead in our own thoughts and want wisdome what course to take and what way to resolve on but now if you be the people of God this is your comfort your God is a wise God and he can direct and counsel you Psal 73. 21. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterwards receive me to glory ver 32. 8. I will instruct thee and teach the in the way which thou shalt go I will guide thee with mine eyes Isa 30. 21. Thine cars shall hear a word behinde thee saying this is the way walk ye in it James 1. 5. If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him The wise God can resolve all your doubts and clear up unto you all your paths and shew you the path of life and shew you all the ways how to finde peace and rest for your souls 4. He will be too hard for all your enemies in all their cunning plots and devices He will be too hard for your enemies in their cunning plots Our Saviour saith that the Children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light they are too cunning two crafty for them but yet God is too hard for them his wisdom is beyond all their policy Job 5. 12. He disappointeth the devices of the crafty
God and thou becamest mine 4. That the Lord doth love his people with a most tender love therefore he is With a most tender love said to betroth them unto himself in loving kindnesse and in mercies Hosea 2. 19. Loving kindnesse is a most affectionate love and mercies are tender bowels of love his love is more tender than the tenderest love of the mother to her sucking childe Isa 49. 15. yea his love is such to his people that he delights in them Isa 62. 4. and rejoyceth over them ver 5. and doth rest in his love Zeph. 3. 17. 5. That the Lord doth love his people with a love from everlasting With a love from everlasting to everlasting and to everlasting Jer. 31. 3. Yea I have loved them with an everlasting love Hosea 2. 19. I will marry thee unto my self for ever in loving kindnesse Certainly the Covenant 'twixt God and his people must hold and continue for ever it must last for ever where there is such a love of God to his people viz. such a love to them as to Christ himself such a love from which nothing shall be able to separate such a love as depends only upon his own love and which is so tender and so affectionate and is everlasting If a Covenant made only by love and if a people brought into that Covenant only by love and loved at such a rate and height even to the giving of the Sonne of God to save them I say if yet such a Covenant may be broken and if such a people may be cast off then is the truest and faithfullest love and bond never to be trusted more neither can be sure if this love be not sure 3. The power of God in relation to his people in Covenant which is a securing The power of God which is A securing power and preserving power 1. A securing power it secures their union with and relation unto Christ and that for ever peruse that excellent place in John 10. 27. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me Ver. 28. And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand Ver. 29. My Father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand Here is a description of such as are believers and are in Covenant they are called the Sheep of Christ and such as he knows and owns to be so and they hear his voice and follow him here is also a description of their sure and safe condition they shall never perish they shall never be parted from Christ ver 28. and here is a description of the cause or reason thereof viz. the greatnesse of the power of God He is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my hands as if he had said If these should misse of heaven and if these should perish it must be for want of power in me that I am not able to keep them some other power there must be which is stronger than the power of God by whose hand they are held and kept but my Father is greater than all and none is able to pluck them out of his hands therefore they shall never perish but they shall have eternal life and if so then the Covenant 'twixt God and his people is an everlasting Covenant 2. A preserving power that God preserves his people the Scripture doth abundantly A preserving power testifie unto us and if I can make it evident that he by his power preserves them unto everlasting glory I think then that the everlastingnesse of the Covenant will appear unto you and for that see 1 Pet. 1. 5. who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation Mark he speaks of the people whom ver 2. he calls the elect of God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit and ver 3. begotten again and of those he saith that they are kept by what power by the power of God by what means through faith unto what unto salvation untill they come to receive that incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that fades not away which is reserved in heaven for them ver 3. 2 Tim. 4. 18. The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me to his heavenly Kingdome 2 Thess 5. 23. I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blamelesse unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Ver. 24. Faithful is he that callâ—th you who also will do it why what can more clearly demonstrate the everlastingnesse of the Covenant with the people of God than this that they are kept by the power of God unto salvation that they are preserved unto his heavenly Kingdome that God will preserve their whole spirit and their whole soul and their whole body blamelesse unto the coming of Christ 4. The presence of God with his people he is so present with his people The presence of God with his people that he is said to be nigh unto them and to be with them and to go along with them and to hold them in his hand and to hold their hand and to bear them up nay so as to dwell in them and walk in them and this presence it is a watchful presence Isa 27. 3. I the Lord do keep it I will water it every moment lest any hurt it I will keep it night and day and it is such a powerful presence you need no other and no more but Gods presence if he be with you who can be against you I will tell you Gods presence is enough to comfort you and it is enough to strengthen you and it is enough to uphold you and it is enough to raise you and it is enough to protect you and it is enough to save you If God be present with your hearts this is enough to make your graces to act If God be present with your graces this is enough to strengthen them and enough to preserve them Now God is present with every one of his people as to their bodies as to their souls as to their graces and in a special manner and for ever I will never leave thee nor forsake thee the Lord is round about his people for evermore c. 5. The promises of God these also do cleare the everlastingnesse The promises of God God promiseth to work in his people what mâ—kes them stâ—dfast as A real work of grace of the Covenant which I shall shew unto you in six particulars 1. God doth promise to work in his people whatsoever conduceth on their part to the perpetuity or everlastingnesse of the Covenant There are five things which will make us stedfast and firme in Covenant 1. One is a real work of grace on the heart when the heart is indeed changed or renewed though counterfeit grace will faile yet real grace is permanent And God
possesseth and he is poor and dreams that Christ is his and died for his sins and made his peace but he is deceived there is no such matter at all Now there are foure things which do manifestly declare that the confidence That confidence is but a delusion Which is contrary to the Word which some men have that Christ dyed for them is but a delusion 1. When that confidence is contrary to the Word Every true and sound perswasion of our interest in Christ and in the benefits of his death is conformable to the testimony of the Word and every false perswasion or confidence is contrary to the Word as it hath no word of God to bottom upon so it hath the Word of God to unbottom and contradict it You are confident that Christ dyed to save you and to purchase the pardon of sins c. And yet you remain an ignorant and impenitent a disobedient and unbelieving sinner you still love your sins and will not forsake them your heart is hardened in sin and you mourn not for sin you despise the Gospel of Christ and truth of Christ and calls of Christ and paths of Christ and subjection to Christ and communion with Christ And yet you are confident that Christ died effectually 〈◊〉 for your salvation And what warrant have you thus to lay claim to him and to his benefits The Word saith Whosoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 16 36. And he that believeth not shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him And you believe not on him where is now your confidence the Word saith be converted and repent that your sins may be blotted out Acts 3. 19. And Christ saith that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his Name Luke 24. 47. But you repent not you do not you will not forsake your sins The Word saith that Christ is the Author of salvation to all that obey him Hebr. 5. 9. But you will not obey him he calls you off from your sins and he calls you off from the world and he calls you to fellowship with himself and he calls you unto holinesse but you will not obey him in any of these calls therefore your confidence in the benefits of his death is a meer presumption and delusion it is not warranted by the Word nay the Word is expressely contrary unto it 2. When that confidence is but natural and easily believed The right confidence Which is but natural and easily believed that Christ dyed for us it is supernatural and difficult we cannot give it to our selves it is a perswasion given unto us and it costs us many prayings and many tears and many bearings and many waitings upon God before we can attain unto it But a deluding confidence that is natural and easie the person never gets it by prayer never wrestled with God for it never attended the Word for it never conflicted with doubts and fears was never at any cost for it but was confident all his days no antecedent conflict no present conflict presumption is a work of our own a meer fancy of our own and a meer delusion of our own Thirdly When that confidence is fruitlesse and loose it produceth no love Which is fruitlesse at all to Christ nor fear to offend Christ nor care to please Christ nay instead of these there is a boldnesse to sin the more and to continue impenitent because Christ dyed for sinners and his death is sufficient to expiate the greatest transgressions whereas a right confidence of the benefits of the death of Christ makes men more holy and obedient 1 John 2. 3. We know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Ver. 3. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure Fourthly When that confidence or assurance is easily swept away in time of Which is easily swept away in time of tryal tryal either by conscience or by afflictions or by sicknesse or by the approachings of death His confidence shall be rooted out of his Tabernacle and shall bring him to the King of terrors said Bildad in Job 18. 14. A deluding confidence usually ends in a despairing diffidence but so doth not a right and well-grounded confidence it will hold out in all afflictions and tryals whatsoever Rom. 8. 38 39. I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor heighth nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yea it will hold out in death it self when all the hopes of the hypocrite shall perish 2 Tim. 4. 6. I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand Ver. 7. I have fought the good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith Ver. 8. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day From all this let us learn carefully to try our very confidences of our interest in Christ and in the benefits of his death remember but three things 1. Your interest is never the more for all your confidence confidence gives no propriety though sometimes it follows it 2. Your interest is the lesse if your confidence be false A troubled and doubting Christian may be brought in to Christ and partake of him and of his benefits when the bold confident presumptuous sinner keeps off and hides himself even because he is boistrously confident 3. You will certainly be lost if you rest in this confident delusion it is a broken bottome and a dream which will destroy you Case 2. What a person should do who as yet cannot certainly affirme What a person should do who as yet cannot certainly affirme that Christ dyed for him that Christ dyed for him and that he hath any interest in the benefits of his death Sol. This is the case of many troubled souls and their exceeding burden and fear unto whom I would commend 1. A few Cautions 2. A few Directions 1. Cautions Cautions to such Do not cashiere your title 1. Do not cashiere your title Though all this while you cannot clear your interest although you cannot conclude for it yet do not conclude against it nor yet despair for 1. This dark condition is incident to most if not all weak believers who are baptized in a cloud though they drink of the rock i. e. Christ indeed is theirs although they do not see him to be theirs and the blood of Christ was shed for them although the assurance thereof be not shed abroad in their hearts yea and pardon of their sins is sealed although as yet it be not revealed to them they do not finde this in a sensible experience but yet they
people in Covenant he gives them only upon account of his graciousnesse in Covenant he will and doth give them not for any worthinesse in them but only upon the account of his own graciousnesse In this Chapter you have God undertaking all sorts of mercies for his people and it is observable that both Antecedently and Consequently he disclaims all worthiness of them on his peoples part Ezek. 36. 22. Thus saith the Lord God I do not this for your sakes O house of Israel but for mine holy Name sake ver 32. Not for your sakes do I this saith the Lord God be it known unto you Deut. 7. 7. The Lord did not set his love upon you nor chuse you because ye were more in number than any people for ye were the fewest of all people ver 8. but because the Lord loved you and because he would keep the Oath which he had sworn unto your Fathers hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of bond-men from the hand of Pharaoh King of Egypt Consider all the blessings of the Covenant for soul or body for this life or for the next life Spiritual or temporal the reason of them lies not in our worthiness but only and altogether in Gods graciousness not in the receivers but only in the giver See it in these particulars First That God loves us and makes a Covenant with us this comes to pass not God loves us from his own graciousnesse for our worthiness but from his own graciousnesse Ezek. 16. 6. When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live ver 8. Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was a time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakednesse yea I sware unto thee and entered into a Covenant with thee saith the Lord God and thou becamest mine Secondly That God gives his Son Jesus Christ this respects no worthiness in God gives Chrâ—st of his oâ—n graciousness us but his own graciousnesse Rom. 6. 5. For when we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly ver 8. God commendeth his love towards us that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Joh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son c. Thirdly That any man is effectually called unto Christ this doth not arise from Effectual calling is from Gods graciousness any dignity in us but only from Gods graciousnesse 2 Tim. 1. 9. who hath called us with an holy calling not according to our own works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began Fourthly That any man is Sanctified and renewed by the Spirit of Grace this So is Sanctification comes not from the account of any thing in us but only from the account of Gods graciousnesse Tit. 3. 5. Not by works of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour 5. That any man is Justified there is no reason for this in our works but in And Justification his grace Rom. 3. 23. For all men have sinned and come short of the glory of God ver 24. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. Isa 43. 25. I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgivenesse of sins according to the riches of his grace Sixthly That any man is Saved and comes to the enjoyment of eternal life this depends not upon our worthiness but on Gods graciousnesse Ephes 2. 5. By And salvation grace ye are saved ver 8. By grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God ver 9. Not of works least any man should boast Rom. 6. 23. The wages of sinne is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Seventhly Nay all our temporal blessings do flow not from our worthiness but from his graciousnesse Rom. 8. 32. He that spared not his own Son but delivered And all temporal blessings him up for us all how shall he not also freely give us all things 2 Sam. 7. 21. For thy Word sake and according to thine own heart hast thou done all these great things to make thy servant know them For the further discussing of this Point I will shew unto you 1. That God doth not enjoyn on his people nor expect from them any worthiness God doth not enjoyn nor expect any worthiness as a reason of his blessings Three Demonstrations of it as a reason of his blessings 2. Why all his blessings are given unto us upon the account of his own graciousness First That God doth not enjoyn on his people nor doth he expect from them any worthinesse as a reason of any of his blessings Indeed he doth command his people to â—eek unto him and to trust upon him for all that good which he promiseth to give unto them But for any personal worthiness as a reason of his goodness and bounty unto us this he neither requires nor expects For First A personal worthinesse of the blessings of the Covenant is impossible on our part we are in an absolute incapacity of meriting any good from the hands of A personal worthiness on our part is impossible God Dan. 9. 7. O Lord Righteousnesse belongeth unto thee but unto us confusion of face as at this day O Lord to us belongeth confusion of face c. Isa 64. 6. We are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags Consider either our best doings or our greatest sufferings no merit or worthiness is to be found in either of them For our doings when we have done all that we can Christ saith that we must say and confess that we are but unprofitable servants Luke 17. 10. For our sufferings the Apostle saith Rom. 8. 18. I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the which glory shall be revealed in us But let me now punctually demonstrate this Assertion that there can be no worthiness or meriting from us for any good thing 1. No gift of God can really merit for us any good from God but all the good that we have is the gift of God Ergo. The fiâ—st Proposition is clear because in receiving what is only given an Obligation rests only upon us but none upon the giver and therefore we merit nothing Simile no more than a beggar can merit from us by receiving an almes
durationis He that hath a soft heart mourns and grieves 1. For his own sinnes Ezek. 7. 16. They that escape of them shall escape and shall be on the mountains like Doves of the valleys all of them mourning every one for his iniquity David that man of a soft heart how mourning and lamenting for his sin My sin is ever before me Psal 51. 3. I water my couch with my tears Psal 6. 6. Those in Zechary mourning as one mourneth for his only son And in bitternesse as one that is in bitternesse for his first born Zech. 12. 10. Mary Magdalen weeping and washing the feet of Christ with her tears Luke 7. 38. Peter remembred the words of Jesus who said unto him Before the cook crow twice thou shalt deny me thrice and he went out and wept bitterly Mat. 26. 75. The Penitent Corinthian so mourning for his sin that Paul writes unto the Church by all means to forgive and comfort him least he should be swallowed up with over much sorrow 2 Cor. 2. 7. Now by the way observe that persons whose hearts have been really soft and tender they have mourned not only for their gross sins but also for their lesser sins not only for corporal sins but also for their spiritual sins for pride hypocrisie vain-glory unbelief not only for outward sins but also for inward sins not only for the sins in life but also for their sins in heart for the sin of nature original sin and the secret motions thereof not only for his sinful doings but also for his sins which do accompany his best doings not only for the sins which they have committed alone but also for the sins which they have caused others to commit either by their perswasion or by their evil example Not only for their sins of knowledge but also for their sins of ignorance as he prayed Lord forgive me my known sins and Lord forgive me my unknown sins so c. not only for present sins but for sins long since committed and pardoned 2. For the sins of others as well as for his own sins Psal 119. 136. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes because they keep not thy law Ezek. 9. 4. Go through the mid'st of the City through the mid'st of Jerusalem and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the mid'st thereof Jer. 13. 17. If you will not hear it my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride Exod. 32. 31. Oh this people have sinned a great sin and have made them Gods of gold Luke 19. 41. When he came near he beheld the City and wept over it The sins of others do grieve the Lord Fourty years long was I grieved with this generation Psal 95. 10. and dishonour him and how can a tender heart endure to see his God and Father grieved and dishonoured but his soul must grieve and mourn be afflicted and troubled Paul reproves the Corinthians because they grieved not for the sin of the incestuous Corinthian Thirdly Fear to sin True tenderness of heart alwayes breeds the greatest care to please God and the greatest fear to displease God where there is no Fear to sin fear to sin there is no tendernesse of heart and where there is true tendernesse of heart there is an exceeding fear to sin against God Prov. 23. 17 Be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long Act. 9. 31. The Churches walked in the fear of the Lord. There is one who sets out seven degrees of fear which are to be found in every truely tender-hearted child of God viz. 1. He is afraid to commit grosse sinnes though never so secretly as you finde in Joseph when tempted by his Mistris O saith he How can I do this great wickednesse and sin against God! Gen. 39. 9. And in David when he was strongly tempted to take revenge of his mortal enemy and had an opportunity also put into his hands yet he durst not do it and why because he durst not sin against God! Who can stretch forth his hand against the Lords Anointed and be guiltless 1 Sam. 26. 9. 2. He is afraid to commit little sins what a small matter had it been for Daniel and the three children being brought into Babylon to have eaten of the meat and to have drunk of the wine which Nebuchadnezzar appointed for them but Daniel saw it was such meat as was contrary to the Ceremonial Law then in force and therefore he would not defile himself with it Dan. 1. 8. 3. He is afraid to omit the least duty Moses was commanded to fetch the people of Israel with their cattel and substance out of Egypt Pharaoh consents for the people and their little ones but he would have the Flocks and Herds stayed by no means saith Moses Our Cattel also shall go with us there shall not an hoof be left behind Exod. 10. 24 26. So in the setting up of the Tabernacle and in all other Services commanded by God he was faithfull in all things he durst not leave out one knop not one tach not one pin which the Lord prescribed about the Tabernacle c. 4. He is afraid to serve the Lord carelesly and negligently Awake Psaltery and Harp I my self will awake early Psal 108. 2. With my whole heart have I sought thee Psal 119. 10. Not slothful in businesse fervent in Spirit serving the Lord Rom. 12. 11. 5. He is afraid to do any thing that is of evil report which though in itself it may be lawful yet if advantage may thereby be taken to cause Religion or the profession to be reproached and evil spoken of he is afraid to do that thing 1 Cor. 6. 1. Dare any of you having a matter against another go to Law before the unjust and not before the Saints And why might they not do so what unlawfulnesse was there in that Is not civil Magistracy ordained of God 't is true but though all things are lawful all things are not expedient 1 Cor. 6. 12. At that time such applications would have exposed the Christian Religion and Profession unto scorn and contempt amongst unbelievers c. Give none offence neither to the Jews nor to the Gentiles nor to the Church of God he speaks it concerning things indifferent 1 Cor. 10. 32. 6. He is afraid not only of apparent evils but also of the appearance of evil 1 Thes 5. 22. Abstain from all appearance of evil if it hath the look or shew of evil it is enough to a tender heart to avoid it and abstain from it If it looks like pride if it looks like unchastity if it looks like unbefitting service of God if it looks like persecuting of the Gospel c. like error idolatry c. 7. He is afraid not only to do any thing that is evil Let not any iniquity have dominion over me Psal 119. 133. nor only to speak any evil Set
this God doth promise to give unto his people Zech. 12. 10. They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him as one that mourneth for his only son c. Ezek. 7. 16. They shall be on the mountains as the Doves of the valleys all of them mourning every one for his iniquity Psal 97. 10. Ye that love the Lord hate evil Rom. 12. 9. Abhor that which is evil This also is promised Ezek. 36. 13. Then shall ye remember your own evil wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations Ezek. 18. 30. Turn your selves from your transgressions Hose 14. 1. Return unto the Lord All this is likewise promised to be given unto the people of God Isa 30. 22. Ye shall defile the covering of thy graven images of silver and the ornaments of thy molten images of gold thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth thou shalt say unto it Get thee hence Jer. 24. 7. They shall return unto me with their whole heart Seventhly The Lord commands his people not to suffer sinne to reign in them Rom. 6. 12. Let not sin reign in your mortal body And he promiseth that sin shall not reign in them Rom. 6. ver 14. Sinne shall not have dominion over you Eighthly And he commands his people to make to themselves a new heart and a new spirit Ezek. 18. 31. Make you a new heart and a new spirit and he promiseth to give these Chap. 36. 26. A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you Ninthly What shall I say now The Lord commands his people to walk in his statutes 1. Impartially 2ly Willingly 3ly Affectionately 4ly Uprighlty 5ly Sedfastly And all this he doth promise to cause them to do 1. Impartially Deut. 30. 8. Thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord and do all his Commandements 2. Willingly Psal 110. 3. They people shall be willing in the day of thy power 3. Affectionately Isa 60. 9. Who are these that flee as a cloud and as the Doves to their windows Zech. 8. 21. The inhabitants of one City shall go to another saying Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of Hosts I will go also 4. Uprightly Jer. 31. 9. I will cause them to walk by the Rivers of water in a strait way wherein they shall not stumble for I am a Father to Israel c. Isa 61. 8. I will direct their work in truth Zech. 8. 3. Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth Isa 30. 21. Their ear shall hear a word behind them saying This is the way walk ye in it when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left 5. Progressively and stedfastly Job 17. 9. The righteous shall hold on in his way and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger Isa 40. 30. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint 2ly The parallels 'twixt Gods promises and experimental instances Parallels betwixt Gods promises and the Saints experiences wherein you may find that God hath enabled his people there to walk as he hath promised First He hath enabled them to know him Gal. 4. 9. After that you have known God or rather are known of God 1 Joh. 5. 20. He hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true 1 Joh. 2. 21. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth but because ye know it Secondly They are enabled to trust upon him Psal 9. 10. They that know thy Name will trust upon thee Psal 18. 2. The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer my God and my Strength in whom I will trust Psa 22. 4. Our Fathers trusted in thee 25. 2. My God I trust in thee 31. 1. In thee O Lord do I put my trust 52. 8. I trust in the mercy of God Thirdly They are enabled to fear him I fear God said Joseph Gen. 42. 18. One that feareth God said God of Job Job 1. 1. They that feared the Lord spake one to another Mal. 3. 16. I fear the Lord thy God said Jonah Chap. 1. 9. The Churches walked in the fear of the Lord Act. 9. 31. Fourthly They are enabled to love the Lord so David Psal 116. 1. I love the Lord. And Psal 18. 1. I will love thee O Lord my strength Fifthly And they are enabled to pray unto him and to call upon him David Hezekiah Daniel Paul and to mourn for their sins David Peter and Mary Magdalen and to hate sin David Paul Psal 119. 104. I hate every false way and to forsake sin Hose 14. 8. And 1 Thes 1. 9. Ye turned to God from Idols to serve the living aad true God and Rom. 6. 22. Seventhly And so for all the rest of the Particulars you have clear instances that the people of God have been enabled to walk willingly constantly affectionately uprightly and stedfastly in his waies 3ly The several wayes how God doth cause or enable his people to walk in his Statutes and to do them He doth cause them to walk in his Statutes How God enables his people to walk in his statutes First By giving unto them his Spirit who doth 1. Change their hearts and infuseth into them all Holy and Heavenly Graces which are so many inward principles enabling them to acts or works of obedience as our sinfull and corrupt principles make us willing and ready to walk in the wayes of sin so holy and spiritual principles do make us willing and ready to walk in paths of righteousness 2. Excite and quicken their hearts and stir them up to works of obedience by secret motions and workings and by setting the Commands and Promises of God upon their hearts with strong impressions by which they are led out unto a willing and cheerfull and upright performance of obedience 3. Comes in with his Special and Immediate Assistance to all the works which they are to do he helps their infirmities and guides their feet and strengthens their hands The servants of the Lord are strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man Ephe. 3. 16. In the day when I cried unto thee thou heardest me and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul Secondly By giving faith unto them and enabling of them to live by faith in all their particular walkings and workings Beloved there is a living by faith for mercy and there is a living by faith for duty A man lives by faith for duty when he goes out of himself as insufficient to afford him strength to perform it and applies himself unto and relies upon Jesus Christ and the promise to give him the ability because this and that duty oâ— work of
If a man put away his wife and she go from him and become another mans shall he return unto her again Surely if a woman commit adultery it is a meer act of favour if her husband accepts of her again We brake the Covenant of our God and therefore the Lord might have given us a bill of divorce for that transgression but instead thereof to offer termes of life and love oh this was this very mercy and this very grace 3. Nay more than this when we had thus sinned and injured God and Yet God gives us a better estate upon better termes forfeited all deserving nothing but rejection and curse then for God to draw a Covenant which continued a better estate for us and upon better termes for us what is mercy and what is grace if this be not SECT I. 3. THis Covenant of grace is such a compact wherein God promiseth That In this Covenant God promiseth to be our God and that we shall be his people It is a Covenant of promise he will be our God and that we shall be his people Here are three things observable 1. That this Covenant is a Covenant of promise altogether of promise God therein promiseth all that doth concern himself or us There are many things in it which do concern himself and many things which do concern us and they are all of them under promise The rewards if I may so call them on his part of life and mercy and grace and salvation they are all promised and the services qualities duties on our part in reference unto him as our God are also promised by him What he will performe and what we are to performe although they be different things yet in this Covenant both of them are promised He promiseth to love us and he promiseth that we shall love him He promiseth that he will forgive our sinnes and he promiseth that we shall repent of our sinnes He promiseth that he will help us and he promiseth that we shall walk in his Satutes He promiseth that he will save us and he promiseth that we shall believe to the saving of our souls In the other Covenant of works there God promiseth life and man promiseth obedience God was to perform his part and man was to perform his part and mans performance depended upon his own strength But in this Covenant God promiseth all and he undertakes all He undertakes to give all that he promiseth and promiseth to give all that he requireth I will give a new heart I will cause you to passe into the band of the Covenant I will cause you to know me to trust in my Name to love me to feate me to walk in my Statutes and to do them He will subdue our iniquities c. 2. In this Covenant he promiseth that he will be our God I will establish He promiseth to be our God my Covenant betwixt me and thee and thy seed after thee to be God unto thee and to thy seed after thee Gen. 17. 7. This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel c. I will be their God c. Jer. 31. 33. And I will be their God 〈◊〉 11. 20. They shall say The Lord is my God Zachariah 13. 9. This one thing which God promiseth I will be your God it is as one Paraeus in Gen. 17. rightly speaks Anima foederis the very soul of all the Covenant It is summa Foederis the excellency the very quintessence of it It is farre more than that I will pardon you than that I will help you I will blesse you or that I will save you As Christ spake concerning that command of loving the Lord with all thy heart this is the great Commandment So may we say of this part of the Covenant of this promise I will be your God it is the great part of the Covenant it is the great promise of the Covenant of grace Indeed it is the summe of all All is contained in it and therefore David said Happy is that people whose God is the Lord Psal 144. 15. Quest But some may demand What great matter is comprehended in this What is comprehended under it when God saith in the Covenant I will be your God I will be a God to you Is he not the God of the whole world Is he not a God to all the people of the earth Sol. I answer That he is so he is the God of the whole earth and there is no God besides him He is a God to all the creatures in respect of their production they were all made and formed by him they are the work of his hands And in respect of preservation In him we live and move and have our being Act. 17. 28. There is a Relation betwixt him and all creatures But this is inconsiderable in comparison of this Covenant-relation unto his people wherein he saith I will be a God to you or your God This relation is of all other the highest and nearest as when a man promiseth unto a woman I will be a husband unto you this takes in love and nearnesse and care and maintenance There are four things comprehended in this Four things comprehended in it Reconciliatiō 1. Reconciliation unto you I will be your God i. e. I will be reconciled to you I will never be an enemy to you All enmity betwixt you and me is at an end I accept of you into a state of love my love is towards you you have found grace in my sight I will marry you unto my self in loving kindnesses my love shall rest upon you 2. Donation of himself I will be your God i. e. I will bestow my self upon Donation of himself you you shall have a propriety in me I am God even thy God Psal 50. 7. This God is our God Psal 48. 14. He gives himself as it were into your possession into your hands As when the Indenture is drawn and sealed the land falls into your pocket and therefore whensoever you find him covenanting you find him as it were giving away himself granting a right unto himself and a possession and enjoyment of himself After the Lord had made a Covenant with Abraham he thereupon stiles himself the God of Abraham and so the God of Isaac and of Jacob and of Israel and thus making a Covenant with all the faithful he thereupon is theirs their God and their Father They have as much right unto him and propriety in him as the wife in and to the husband who becomes hers by a Covenant of Marriage My Beloved is mine and I am his This is a wonderful truth that God in the Covenant of grace gives himself Consider God 1. Either Essentially in his eternal self-sufficient holy blessed infinite glorious Being and Attributes as thus considered he is yours makes all over unto you really 2. Or Personally as a Father He is your Father John 20. 17. I am a Father to
God and you There are four acts which God doth expresse when he becomes our God in Covenant 1. There is his choosing act he makes choyce of us before any other to be his people The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all the people that are upon the face of the earth Deut. 7. 6. 2. There is his loving act When I passed by thee and looked on thee Behold His loving act thy time was the time of love And I sware unto thee and entred into Covenant with thee and thou becamest mine Ezek. 16. 18. 3. There is his engaging act He bindes himself to be our God by Promise His engaging act and by Oath Ezek. 16. I sware unto thee 4. There is his imparting act He doth in this Covenant bestow himself and His imparting act all that he hath or can do upon us I am thine and I will blesse thee and do thee good And all these acts are free not compelled and they are also fixed acts never will he reverse or alter them Answerable unto these acts of God are the Acts in such who are the people of On our part God by Covenant What God acts towards them they do act by the instinct of his Spirit towards him They do also 1. Choose him before all other to be their God You have chosen you the Lord to serve him Josh 24. 22. Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God We choose him Deut. 26. 27. As the wife owns the husband this is the man on whom her heart is set and none but him 2. Love him I love the Lord said David Psal 116. 1. Thou shalt love the Love him Lord thy God Deut. 11. 1. We loved him because he loved us first 1 John 4. 19. Oh how dear is his presence and his favour to them how sweet are their mutual communions 3. Engage themselves unto him Many Nations shall be joyned to the Lord in Engage our selves to him that day and shall be my people Zech. 2. 11. They yield themselves unto the Lord or as it is in the original they give the hand unto the Lord 2 Chron. 30. 8. As the custome is when men make a Covenant or Agreement they strike hands or take one another by the hand arguing hereby their consent and engagement as the people in Ezra 10. 19. gave their hands that they would put away their wives So in covenanting with God we give out the hand unto him i. e. we give up our selves unto him and binde our selves unto him 4. Impart themselves and all that they have or can do unto him their hearts Impart our selves to him and lives and gifts and services that God may have all and draw out your All All your hearts all your graces all your parts and lives and estates Josh 24. 17. The Lord is our God Ver. 24. The Lord our God will we serve Rom. 14. 7. None of us liveth to himself Verse 8. Whether we live we live unto the Lord c. Now is it thus with us have we indeed chosen the Lord to be our God and are we engaged unto him and love him and own him and are become his and none but his and have we made over our selves and all that we have unto him and count nothing no not our lives too dear for him The Lord hath passed by thousands and hath set his heart on you and have you passed by all others and set your hearts only on him But are you sure that you have not chosen some other Object with him or before him only the Lord God is chosen by you and set up by you No sinful object and no earthly object is set up And are you so become his as that you will be his for ever you are bound to him you cleave unto him nothing shall part you and your God no outward preferments afflictions and crosses do you count it your only happiness to enjoy him and your only unhappiness to be deprived of him do you say None but God none but God as the Martyr said None but Christ. But are you so his that he is the greatest desire and the greatest delight and the greatly beloved of your souls Whom have I in heaven but thee There is none on earth that I desire besides thee Psal 73. 25. Nay but may the Lord make use of you as his If he should say I must use your wisdome or your power or your authority or your zeal or your estate or your lives for the service of my glory Can you now answer O Lord I am thine I am thy servant all that I have is thine and all that I can do is thine thou shalt command my heart my parts my estate my life my All c. 2. You may know whether the Lord be your God and you be his people By our mutual interests and properties By your mutual interests and proprieties inclusively and exclusively God hath an interest in you and you have an interest in God he hath a propriety in you and you have a propriety in him in all that he hath you have an interest and in all that you have he hath an interest what he is he is for you and what you are you are for him he is only for you and you are only for him None hath that interest in you as God hath if indeed he be your God Nay you have not such an interest in your selves as God hath in you you are not your own you are wholly his if indeed he be your God and you be his people No Sinne can say You are mine and no Creature can say You are mine only God can say You are mine As in the Covenant of Marriage none but the Husband can say This woman is mine So if God be our God in Covenant none can say You are mine but God only Levit. 20. 26. You shall be holy unto me for I the Lord am holy and have sever'd you from other people that you should be mine Ezek. 16. 8. I entered into Covenant with thee and thou becamest mine Cant. 2. 16. My beloved is mine and I am his O sirs these two words mine and thine make up the Covenant Nay if I may be rightly understood this one word mine makes up the Covenant when you summe up all it is in this God is mine he is my God he is my Lord he is my Father he is my friend he is my mercy he is my wisdome he is my counsel he is my rock he is my help he is my comfort he is my hope he is my salvation he is my portion he is my life he is my happiness Domine ubi sunt omnia mea tuscis said Paulinus And when God looks on any person in Covenant with him he can say This person is mine he is my child and my friend and my servant I have all his heart and all his love and
so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise ver 13. He taketh the wise in their own craftinesse and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong did not the wise God do this to Pharaoh to Balack to Saul to Achitophel to Haman did he not exceed them and disapoint them 5. He will proportion your trials temptations and afflictions for he is a wise He will proportion your tryals God therefore he will debate with you and correct you in measure neither will he lay upon you more than is right Esay 27. 8. Job 34. 23. A father will not give the childe as much physick as he can poure into the cup only so much as is fit for his recovery And no heavier burden will he lay on than his childe is able to bear So the wise God he keeps time and measure you shall never have an affliction but when you need it nor shall any temptation befall you but God will inable you to bear it for he is a wise God 6. He means you no hurt in any particular denials or in any particular removals He means you no hurt in any particular denials of outward blessings He hath his reasons for them both and those very strong and sufficient to satisfie you you wonder sometimes that God deals so with you as never to accomplish such a desire of yours or presently to take away such a comfort of yours O but your God is a good God and he is a wise God he knows that you know not what ye ask when you ask to be so rich and to be so great And he knows the danger into which you may fall by a long enjoyment of an earthly comfort what a loss to his glory and to your own souls and he knows how to set your hearts upon himself by breaking off your hearts from poor vain earthly and sensual comforts 7. Your wise God will finde means and ways to bring in unto you all the good Your wise God will finde meanes to bring all your promised good to passe Your wise God will give you wisdome which he hath promised unto you your when and your how fall within the compasse of your wise God that is the fittest time and the best way and means of your enjoyments the golden Candlestick had seven lamps and seven pipes 8. Your wise God will give you wisdome and make you wise spiritually wise wise for salvation and wise in your conversation and walkings wise in Christ 1 Cor. 4. 10. Wise Stewards Luke 12. 42. Wise Virgins Matth. 25. 2 4. Wise to know the day of your visitation to redeem the time to remember your latter end to choose the better part and the best paths and to look at eternity and to prefer things eternal before temporal to make sure of Christ and Grace and Glory 6. A sixth Attribute of God is Omnipotency your God is Elshadai God Almighty God is omnipotency above seventy times is he stiled so in Scripture Psal 62. 11. God hath spoken once twice have I heard this that power belongeth unto God 1 Chron. 29. 11. Thine O Lord is the greatnesse and the power ver 12. In thine hand is power and might Job 37. 23. Touching the Almighty we cannot finde him out he is excellent in power Psal 132. 2. The mighty God of Jacob Psal 147. 5. Great is the Lord and of great power Psal 45. 3. Most mighty Matth. 19. 26. with God all things are possible This Omnipotency is a divine Attribute whereby God is of himself alone infinitely able to do whatsoever he will do and whatsoever he undertakes to do and whatsoever is possible to be done We have God is an infinite essence and therefore of infinite power a true saying that Poâ—entia sequitur essentiam there is alwayes a commensuration twixt the essence of a thing and the power of it A limited essence hath but a limited power and therefore every creature hath but a limited power because it hath a limited essence The fire and water can do some things as such Elements but more they cannot do The Sun and Moon and the rest of the Stars can also do many things in their Sphere and without that they can do nothing So men and Angels they are able to do much but still their power is contracted and bounded according to their essence but God is of an infinite essence there He is a most perfect essence and therefore must needs be omnipotent are no bounds unto his being and therefore he is of infinite power Again there cannot be any imperfection and want in God The divine essence is a most perfect essence and therefore it must needs be Omnipotent If there were any thing which God could not do or perform there should then be some insufficiency and defect and weaknesse in his nature And besides all this there would be an uncertain foundation for our faith to rest There would be an uncertain foundation for our saith to rest on if God were not able to supply all upon God If there should be any thing concerning us or his Church to which he were not able to help and supply them in or to accomplish This being a certain truth that the people of God do principally stand in need of those things which do require even an Omnipotent God to produce or cause them their graces and comforts exceeding all created power to effect them I could adde more reasons for the demonstration of Gods Omnipotency viz. 1. The Creation of the world wherein that which was not at all was immediately formed into a being and that formation depended only upon his Word 2. The providential upholding or sustentation of the whole world and guidance of every creature in every motion 3. The wonderful works wrought by God exceeding all created power 4. And the Conversion of the hearts of sinners but those already mentioned are saâ—isfying and sufficient to our purpose Quest. But now you may reply What comfort is this to the people of God that What comfort is this that our God is omnipotent their God he that sayeth in his Covenant I will be to you a God is God Omnipotent Sol. There are six choice comforts from this unto you who have the Omnipotent God to be your God 1. You may cast all your care upon him whatsoever your wants be for soul or You may cast all your care upon him body be they never so many and never so great and never so often your God who is Omnipotent is able to supply them Ephes 3. 20. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think you ask many things and you think of many things and you need many things and your God is able to supply you in all these able yea abundantly able abundantly able yea exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think his power exceeds all your wants There are some wants that your friends can help you
in you may go to such a friend and say unto him Lend me so much money to pay a debt and he is able to help you and yet there are some wants that no friend nor man can be a help unto you in them When the famine was very grievous in Samaria a woman cryed to the King of Israel Help my Lord O King and he said If the Lord do not help thee whence shall I help thee out of the barne-floor or out of the wine-presse 2 Kings 6. 26 27. As if he had said In this thy strait I am not able to help thee Beloved our wants may quickly rise above the power of man but they can never rise above the power of God every spiritual want exceeds the power of all creatures but no corporal or spiritual want exceeds the power of God you need knowledge your God is able to give it and you need wisdome your God is able to give it and you need mercy and grace and comfort and strength and deliverance and faith patience love meeknesse joy peace and friends and bread and house c. God your God is able to supply every want that is present or that is possible We read of the Israelites that being in bondage they wanted liberty and God gave it them and being near the Red Sea they wanted salvation and God gave it and being in the Wildernesse they wanted water the Rock is smitten and water is given and they wanted bread and God rained down Manna and they wanted flesh and God sent them Quailes c. If any man had such a friend who had power enough for all sorts of supplies let his wants and straits be what they may be yet he were able to help all O saith he I am well I have a friend who can help me in all my wants and straits Such a friend amongst men cannot I confesse be found but such a God may be found who can perform all things for you who hath power enough to help against all temptations and against all corruptions and in all afflictions and in all necessities yea and in all extremities 2. He alone can do you good you need none but your God to do you good He alone can do you good Omnipotency is of it self sufficient for all your helps and supplies as it can do all things so it can do all things from it self No creature is alone able or sufficient to be an help unto you without God but God alone is able to help you without any creature for he is omnipotent Suppose you be in danger God alone is able to deliver you suppose you be under trouble of Spirit God alone is able to comfort you suppose you need mercy God alone is able to pardon you suppose you be under outward wants God alone is able to supply you Omnipotency needs the help of none unto your help it can create salvation and command loving kindnesses and deliverances and any good 3. When God will do you good none can hinder him or you from the enjoyment When God will do you good none can hinder him of that good If he will blesse you you shall be blessed is there any power able to hinder Omnipotency as the Apostle spake in another case 1 Cor. 10. 22. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousie are we stronger than he So say I Will any contend with the Almighty God Can they binde his hand Are they stronger than the Almighty and Omnipotent God Isa 46. 9. I am God and there is none els I am God and there is none like me verse 10. My Counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure Isa 40. 15. Behold the Nations are as a drop of a buckâ—â— and are counted as the small dust of the balance ver 17. All Nations before him are as nothing and they are counted to him lesse than nothing and vanity Beloved you cannot put any supposition as a prejudice unto Gods Omnipotency you cannot say were my Adversaries not so many or mighty were my temptations not so high and strong were my distresses not so deep and low were my wants not so many and great then God could do me good and help me These are vain and weak suppositions in reference unto God for although the power of men and divels and the greatnesse of want and distresses may exceed out power yet nothing is too hard for God there are no difficulties there are no impediments unto the Omnipotent God If God be for us who can be against us saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 31. As if he should say if God will preserve you you shall be safe if God will blesse you you shall be blessed if God will do you good none can hinder 4. Then all his promises shall be accomplished unto you Those promises All his promises shall be accomplished unto you which are so many and so great and so precious which are your treasures your munition of rocks your hopes and confidences and the bonds and security which God gives unto you they shall certainly be performed unto you There are three things concerning God which do assure you of the performance of his promises First His Will the will of his goodness is in the making of all his promises and the will of his resolution is for the performing of them Thou wilt performe the truth to Jacob and the oath to Abraham Micah 7. 20. 2. His unchangeablenesse or unfaithfulness I will not suffer my faithfulnesse to faile Psal 89. 33. My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips Verse 34. He is faithful that promised Heb. 10. 23. 3. His Power or Omnipotency being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able to performe Rom. 4. 21. Beloved your God doth never over engage himself unto you his goodness doth not surpass his ability he promiseth unto his people in general riches of grace and glory and he hath promised to some of his people in particular such blessings as exceeded all the possible capacities of reason and yet he easily brought all about he performed all for he is an Omnipotent God infinitely able to do c. 5. He can then raise and advance the work which he hath wrought he can He can raise and advance the work which he hath wrought bring forth judgment unto victory as it was said of Zerubbabel the hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house his hands also shall finish it Zach. 4. 9. Or as the Lord spake about the house of Eli 1 Sam. 3. 12. when I begin I will make an end So say I hath God begun in your hearts any work of grace hath he sowen the seed in rhe field hath he planted the Vineyard he is able to finish his work he who was able to give grace is able to make all grace to abound he that planteth grace is able also to water it and to increase it and to bring
the sickle and to reap with joy As yet thou hast not such a mercy such an help such a desired and promised blessing the reason is because it is not the season for the rain to fall it is not yet the week of thy harvest therefore still seek and trust and wait for there is an appointed week for the harvest and then thou shalt reap all the good which thy God hath promised and which thy soul hath desired 10. They are sufficient inducements and encouragements to pray unto God They are sufficient encouragements to pray to God and to depend on him and to depend upon God May you not come to your God who is good in himself and who hath promised to do you good May you not trust him who is faithful in all his promises 2 Sam. 7. 28. O Lord God thou art that God and thy words be true and thou hast promised this goodnesse unto thy servant Ver. 29. Now therefore let it please thee to blesse the house of thy servant that it may continue for ever before thee for thou O Lord God hast spoken it and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever So David The promises as they are Gods assurances to help us so they are secret inducements to us to depend upon his help 11. They are powerful pleas The best and the strongest Arguments to plead with God Your worthinesse is no argument to use with God your necessity They are powerful pleas is an argument to move him we know not what to do said Jehosaphat c. But Gods promises are your best and strongest pleas Do me good O Lord though I deserve it not but yet do me good because thou hast promised to do me good Thou saydst I will surely do thee good said Jacob Gen. 32. 12. Remember thy word upon which thou hast caused thy servant to hope said David Psalme 119. 49. Remember break not thy Covenant with us said the Church Jer. 14. 21. 12. They are satisfying answers To all our fears to all our thoughts to all difficulties to all improbabilities to all silences to all contrary times to all They are satisfying answers delayes yet God hath promised to hear and help and do me good Isa 50. 10. He that sits in darknesse and feeth no light let him trust on the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God Psal 73. 26. My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Though you do not know when God will do you good though you do not know what way God hath to do you good though you see no proâ—ability in all the world for your good though you see every thing still contrary to your good yet if God hath promised you any needful good it shall certainly fall into your possession even because God hath promised it He alone is sufficient to make all good to be yours whatsoever he hath promised unto you SECT XII 7. A seventh comfort for you who have God to be your God in Covenant is If God be ours then all the immunities and priviledges annexed to the Covenant are ours this Then all the immunities and priviledges annexed to the Covenant of grace for the people of that Covenant they are yours I will speak something unto both these this day that you who are the people of God may see more of your happinesse in having God to be your God 1. The immunities or liberties by the Covenant of grace for such as are in Covenant Ten immunities by the Covenant From the revenging wrath of God They have ten excellent and most comfortable liberties by it 1. They have immunity from the revenging wrath of God There is you know Ira patris ira judicis A paternal anger or wrath from this they are not free In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Isa 54. 8. A judicial anger or wrath which consists in two things 1. In a resolution by no means to cleare the wicked to acquit to passe by offences to be pacified 2. In a pouring forth the vials of his just vengeance upon transgressors according to the demerits of their sinnes and wickednesses There is a cup in the hand of the Lord and the wine is red it is full of mixture and he poureth out of the same but the dreggs thereof all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out and drink them Psal 75. 8. This judicial wrath of God it is expressed against sinners partly in this life in the dreadful terrours of conscience and in the dreadful destruction of ungodly men who are consumed by the wrath of God as the dry stubble is by the flaming and devouring fire and partly in the life to come which is called Gods reserved wrath and his prepared wrath and the day of wrath Rom. 2. 5. Nahum 1. 2. He reserveth wrath for his enemies Matth. 25. 41. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels From this judicial wrath of God whither present or future are all the people in Covenant with God freed and delivered by Christ who is their Atonement Rom. 5. 10 11. Propitiatiâ—n 1 John 2. 1. Rom. 5. 9. Much more being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him 1 Thes 1. 10. Jesus who delivered us from the wrath to come 1 Thes 5. 9. God hath not appointed us unto wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ Now this our immunity is a singular comfort unto us It is a great matter to be delivered from the wrath of man what is it then to be freed from the wrath of God! You may observe in others how dreadful the expectation of future wrath is unto sinners and how unsupportable the burden of it is unto their consciences how it turns all their delights into gall and wormwood how it shakes the foundations of their souls and fills them with restlesse amazements and horrours and despaires And you read of that hell of his wrath on them in hell which makes the damned to gnash their teeth to cry out and roare to curse and blaspheme which they cannot endure and which they cannot escape But you who are the people of his Covenant as you shall never fall under the power of that future wrath of God so you shall never taste one drop of Gods judicial revenging wrath any one moment of your present life whatsoever your troubles and crosses and sadnesses may be yet there is no judicial wrath in them Christ hath fully drunk off the cup for you and satisfied the justice of God who by his blood is reconciled and well-pleased with you 2. They have immunity from the dominion of sinne Sinne shall not have dominion From the dominion of sin over you for you are under grace
for the good of his people and makes thâ—m serviceable thereunto All those choice gifts which he bestows on Ministers 〈◊〉 Apostles or others they are bestowed on them for the good of his Church And all the things of the world whatsoever good they may afford they are to let out the same for the good and comfort of the people of God and all the conditions and states of things are for their good life shall do them good and dâ—â—th shall be for their good and all the vicissitude of things are for their good the present postute of things and the future state of things whether of prosperity or adversity all occurrences whatsoever are for their good Rom. 8. â—â— We know that all things work together for good to them that love God to thâ—â— that are called according to his purpose As if you consider ungodly and wicked men who are none of the people of God there is nothing in all the world that doth them good The Ordinances of Christ by reason of the unbelief of their hearts do them no good they are the favour of death unto dâ—â—th â—nto them and not the savour of life 〈◊〉 life the blessings of God do thâ—m no good they prove curses unto them 〈◊〉 table is a sâ—â—â—e unto them and their richâ—◠〈◊〉 thorns 〈◊〉 them and their prosperity is a ruine unto them the judgments of God do them no good they learn not righteousnesse by them they harden their hearts under them and grow more obstinately wicked Wherefore should ye be smitten any more ye revolt more and more So on the contrâ—ry all the dispensations of God either of the world or in the world they are for good to the people of God Outward mercies are blessings to them they eat and drink and rejoyce and praise and blesse the Lord their God Outward afflictions are mercies to them they do them good It is good for me that I have been afflicted said David Psal 119. 71. By these things men live saith Hezekiah he chastiseth us for our profit or good saith the Apostle Heb. 12. 10. Wants and enjoyments honours and dishonours sicknesse and health smiles and frowns life and death all doth them good There are four things which I beseech you who are the people of God to remember 1. All the good in the World is in the Fathers hands it is the Fathers for possession All the good in the world is in the Fathers hands he is the possessor of Heaven and Earth Gen. 14. 22. and for Dominion The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof Psal 24. 1. Both riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all and in thy hand is power and might and in thy hand it is to wake great and to give strength unto all 1 Chron. 29. 12. 2. When God makes a Covenant with you he doth also take in all the creatures God makes a Covenant with the creature to be serviceable for your good and layes a bond of special command upon them to be serviceable to your good he doth not leave them out but covenants with them to do you good This is I confesse a strange expression that God should make a Covenant with other creatures for the good of service unto his own people and yet this you may expresly read in Hos 2. 18. In that day will I make a Covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of heaven and with the creeping things of the ground and I will break the bowe and the sword and the battle out of the earth and will make them to lie down safely ver 19. And I will betroth thee unto me for ever ver 21. And I will hear saith the Lord I will hear the heavens and they shall hear the earth ver 22. And the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and the oyle and they shall hear Jezreel There are two choice things observable in these words 1. One is that God makes a Covenant with his people to bring them into a near and sweet relation unto himself this you finde in verse 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever 2. A second is That God makes a Covenant for his people and that is two-fold 1. For their security to secure them against all danger and evil and this you finde in verse 18. I will make a Covenant for them with the beasts of the field c. No creature shall do them hurt neither the beasts of the field nor fowles of the aire nor the creeping things of the earth nor no wicked enemies who bend the bow and draw the sword and prepare to the bottle As when a Covenant is between Nation and Nation all the people are thereby bound up from all acts of hostility and mischief so the Lord by making a Covenant with the beasts and fowls c. he doth therein binde them up from being prejudicial to his people A second is for their prosperity and this you may finde in verse 21. 22. I will hear the heavent and the heavens shall hear the earth and the earth shall hear the â—â—rn and the wine and the oyle and they shall hear Jezreel As if all the creatures when we are in covenant with God were so many supplicants and Petitioners unto God entreating of him that they might be used for a blessing unto us The heavens do as it were beg of God that they may send down seasonable showers and seasonable influences and the earth doth as it were beg of God that it may be made fruitful by those influences of heaven c. And God doth promise to hear every one of them for Jezreel 3. All the creatures are in the hand of the Father and as all creatures are All creatures are in a subordination to the will of your God brought into the bond of the Covenant for you so all the creatures of the world are in a subordination and a necessary submission unto the will and pleasure of your God If he saith to any of them Go it goeth or to any of them Come and it cometh your God hath an over-ruling Providence over them all their power and operations and motions are at the sole will and command of him they act as God will have them act and when God will have them act and for them for whom God will have them to act and shall not all this be for you for your good who are the people of his Covenant and the children of his love If all this cannot satisfie you then know that as God hath the command of all As God hath the command of all good in the creature so he hath engaged to settle it upon you creature good and comforts so he hath engaged himself unto you to settle that kind of good upon you Though the earth and the things of the earth be not your only portion and be not your best portion yet it is a part of your portion Psal
heart Faith 4. A fourth is Faith Faith is a receiving grace therefore believing is stiled receiving To as many as received him he gave this dignity to be thâ— Sonnes of God even to them â—hat believe on him Faith receives Christ and receives mercy and receives love and receives righteousnesse and receives blessings and receives all the gifts of God Though God hath all to give yet you have no hand to receive untill you get faith 3. Is the Covenant a giving Covenant Is it such a Covenant wherein the Lord undertakes to give all the good mentioned therein This then yields Comfort to the people of God Hence they may conclude manifold comfort to the people of God who are in Covenant with him 1. If God undertakes to give all then certainly he undertakes to finde all good for us If he undertakes to give a Christ he must finde out that He will find all good for us Christ and if he undertakes to give you mercy he then must finde out that mercy c. 2. If God undertakes to give all then he must finde all from himself and And find all from himself of his own Men many times give away that which is none of their own but God gives nothing but what is his own but what comes out of his own stock and treasury 3. If God undertakes to give all in the Covenance then you shall be surely helped You shall be surely helped you have good reason to expect it for your Father hath all to give How much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask will not a father give to his poor child Certainly your God is an infinite God a most gracious and glorious God and perfectly al-sufficient he hath heaven and earth in his own possession he hath all the good to dispose of which is good he must needs be infinite in mercy who can give all mercies and infinite in grace who can give all grace and infinite in glory who can give all glory c. For as this shews his infinitenesse that he hath all good to give so this shews his perfection that when he hath given all this yet there is no diminution made in his stock at all 4. If God undertakes to give you all that is in his Covenant then unquestisnably Then he doth unquestionably love you he loves you Indeed he gives many things to the wicked his enemies whom he hares but to undertake to give all the good in the Covenant this proceeds from his great love and from his special love Doth not God love you who is willing to give you his love and to give you his Christ the Son of his love and to give you all the graces of his Spirit the fruits of his love Then God will not deny the least mercies 5. If God undertakes to give you all even the greatest of mercies can you reasonably imagine that he will stick with you for the least of necessary mercies and blessings How shall he not with him freely also give â—â— all things SECT IV. A fourth property of this Covenant is this It is a free or gracious Covenant It is a free and gracious Covenant By grace are ye saved Ephes 2. 5. By grace are ye saved Verse 8. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father who hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace 2 Thes 2. 16. Being justified freely by his grace Rom. 3. 24. I will love them freely Hosea 14. 4. Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely Revel 22. 17. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely Revel 21. 6. He freely forgave them both Luke 7. 42. The things that are freely given unto us of God 1 Cor. 2. 12. This Covenant is gracious or free in three respects 1. For the constitution of Free in three respects it 2. For the reception into it 3. For the donations from it 1. For the exceeding framing out or constituting of this Covenant when For the constitution of it in respect of was it and with whom was it and whence was it All these will plainely demonstrate that this Covenant is a very free and gracious Covenant 1. Consider the time when it was made and set forth why immediately upon The time when it was made the fall then when man-kinde had sinned and transgressed the first Covenant then when God might have glorified his justice upon all sinners yet then was the time that he promised this Covenant The seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head Gen. 3. 15. Surely this must needs be gracious then to set up a Throne of grace when sinful man was to receive his sentence at the Bar of Justice 2. Consider the persons with whom this Covenant is made It was made not The persons with whom the Covenant is made with fallen Angels but with men why not with them as well as with us no answer can be given but this of grace I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy Nay and why with fallen men at all no answer can be given for this neither but only the grace of God and his own good pleasure so it pleased him and so it seemed good unto him 3. Consider whence the making of this Covenant did arise Did it arise from Whence the making of this Covenant did arise any goodnesse in any man O no All the world was found guilty before God and every mouth was stopped by reason of sinne Rom. 3. 19. Or did it arise from any desire or entreaty of man not at all but as man first brought in sinne and death so God first thought of mercy and life He is found of them that sought him not Isa 65. 1. O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in â—â— is thy help Hosea 13. 9. The Lord set his love upon you to take you into Covenant c. because he loved you Deut. 7. 7 8. 2. For the reception into this Covenant here the graciousnesse or freenesse of it For our reception into it will also manifestly appear Consider the persons taken or brought into this Covenant either absolutely in The persons taken into the Covenant considered themselves or respectively in their dealing towards God or comparatively with others As to all these considerations this Covenant is a very gracious and free Covenant 1. Consider the persons now taken into Covenant what they were is themselves In themselves The Prophet tells you what they were in Ezekiel 16. 3. Thy birth and thy Nativity was of the Lord of Canaan thy Father was an Amâ—rite and thy mother an Hittite Ver. 4. Thy navel was not cut neither wast thou wasted in water to supple thee thou wast not salted at all nor swadled at all Ver. 5. No eye
pitied thee to do any of these unto thee to have compassion on thee but thou wast cast out into the open field to the loathing of thy person in the day that thou wast born Ver. 6. And when I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live Ver. 8. Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee be hold thy time was the time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakednesse yea I sware unto thee and entered into Covenant with thee saith the Lord God and thou becamest mine Yea and the Apostle tells us what persons they were whom yet God took into Covenant Titus 3. 3. We our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another Ver. 4. But after that the kindnesse and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared Ver. 5. Not by works of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us In these places we see that there can be nothing found in us either as to our natures or as to our works which might move God to take us into Covenant but enough in both for him to reject us and yet notwithstanding both he is pleased to enter into Covenant with us and save us This must needs be grace and mercy 2. Consider the perâ—ons taken now into Covenant in their former respectivenesse of state and actions towards God The Apostle saith That whiles we were In their former respectivenesse of state and actions towards God yet enemies Christ dyed for us And when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne Rom. 5. 8 10. Surely mercy shewn to enemies must needs be free mercy and to receive enemies into favour this must be gracious favour yet to do this to enemies even in theiâ— hostility for God to take his enemies into his hands of mercy and become a singular friend to them even in the time of their raging and fighting against him this must needs be of grace It was remarkable favour in David to spare the life of Saul his enemies much more in God not only to spare the lives of sinners and enemies but to give them their souls and his Christ and his mercy and his salvation You read of those in Acts 2. 23. they were men who had by wicked hands crucified and slaine the Lord Jesus and verse 13. at the present were â—â—â—â—king at the Apostles as if they had been a company of drunkards These men are full of new wine Yet these men and at this time and in this posture God laid hold on by his grace and convinced them and humbled them and gave them faith and brought them into this Covenant with himself as you may see from verse 37. to 47. The like you read of Saul when he was raging and waxing â—â—d and breathing out persecutions against Christ and against the Church of Christ Being in this woful wretched posture the Lord takes hold of him and left him not untill he had brought him into this blessed Covenant of grace and mercy 3. Consider persons comparatively with other persons you shall finde that the Comparatively with other Persons taking of any person into Covenant is gracious and free in comparing of persons with persons ordinarily God passeth by those on whom we should six admiration and look at some cause and reasons of pre-acceptation and chooseth those and brings in those in whom nothing at all is to be pre-supposed Sometimes he passeth by the greater persons and takes in the meaner persons he passeth by the wise and takes in the foolish he passeth by the mighty and takes in the weak he passeth by the noble and takes in the base 1 Cor. 1. 2â— Not many wise after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called Ver. 27. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world and the weak things of the world Ver. 28. and base things of the world and things which are despised and things which are not Ver. 29. that no flesh should glory in his presence So sometimes of persons whereof some are more notorious and wicked and vile and others are not so abominable he is pleased to leave the lesser sort of sinners and to bring in the vilest of sinners Publicans and Harlots were brought in into the Kingdome of God when the superstitious and righteous Pharisees were excluded Paul the chiefest of sinners was taken in and others were left Mary Magdalon was brought in and others past by and why doth God do this but that men should acknowledge that it is no worthinesse of the sinne that brings him in nor any unworthinesse of the sinner that shuts him out but all springs from the grace of God alone that he brings not in any sinner upon his own account but onely upon the account of free grace 3. Lastly the Covenant is free as to the dispensations and donations of it what Free as to the dispensations and donations of it is that that is all that drops out of this Covenant all that good flowing from it and running down upon us are only gracious flowings only free bounties and gifts The Papists talk of a meritum de congruo whiles we are in the state of nature and of a meritum de condigno after we are in the state of grace But we know no merit but that of sin which deserves damnation and the merit of Christ which deserves salvation All our standing and all our expectation it the grace of God that is the reason of all our enjoyments God doth not give us Christ because we deserve a Christ but because he is pleased freely to bestow Christ upon us God doth not forgive our sins for our own sake but for his own Name sake God doth not love us for any thing in us but he loves us freely because he is pleased to love us God doth not save us for any works of ours but he saves us for his mercies sake God doth not blesse us for our goodnesse sake but he blesseth us only for his Christs sake and his promises sake God doth not justifie us for the sake of our own righteousnesse but he justifies us freely by his own grace through the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus Romans 3. 24. Objection But some may say God is not free in doing of his people good because he hath by promise bound himself to do them good Solution I answer 1. It was the freenesse of his grace to make all those promises 2. Though he bindes himself in promises to do us good yet he doth not accomplish those promises upon the reason of our goodnesse or deserts but upon the account of his own mercifulnesse and goodnesse and graciousnesse Obj. But he promiseth many things conditionally and lets
hath promised this unto his people Ezek. 36. 26. A new heart will I give you and a new Spirit will I put within you 2. Another is a sincere heart though hypocrisie be vanishing yet sincerity A sincere heart will continue there is faithfulnesse and stedfastnesse in sincerity and God hath promised to give this heart unto his people Ezek. 11. 19. I will give them one heart and one way Zach. 8. 3. Jerusalem shall be called a City of truth and ver 8. They shall be my people and I will be their God in truth and righteousnesse Isa 1. 22. Then shalt thou be called the City of righteousnesse the faithful City 3. A third is entire and exceeding love this will hold out unto the death yea Intire love it is stronger than death and this hath God also promised to give his people Deuteronomy 30. 6. The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul 4. A fourth is the fear of himself which is the beginning of wisdome and The fear of God the deliverance from sinne this also God promiseth to give unto his people in that Covenant Jer. 32. 40. I will put my feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from me 5. A fifth is sound faith 1. Of union 2. Dependance both these he Sound faith promiseth They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion which cannot be removed but abideth fast for ever John 6. 45. They shall be all taught of God every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the father cometh to me Zeph. 3. 12. And they shall trust in the Name of the Lord. Hab. 2. 4. The just shall live by his faith 2. God doth expresly promise to keep his people from falling away from him God promiseth to keep his people from falling and that he will never leave nor forsake them 1 Sam. 12. 22. The Lord will not forsake his people for his great Name-sake because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people Psal 37. 24. Though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand Ver. 28. The Lord forsaketh not his Saints they are preserved for ever Psalme 94. 18. When I said my foot slippeth thy mercy O Lord held me up Hosea 14. 4. I will heal their back-slidings 2 Thess 3. 3. The Lord is faithful who shall stablish you 3. God doth expresly promise to strengthen and increase their grace The righteous God promiseth to strengthen and increase their grace shall hold on his way and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger Job 17. 9. The path of the just shall be as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day Prov. 4. 18. He will make all grace to abound he will work in us to will and to do of his own good pleasure Those that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God they shall still bring forth fruit in old age 4. God doth promise to confirm his people unto the end and to finish the work God promiseth to confirm his people to the end which he hath begun in them 1 Cor. 1. 8. He shall confirm you to the end that ye may be blamelesse in the day of our Lord Jesus Phil. 1. 6. Being confident of this very thing that he which hath begunne a good work in you will perform it will perfect it he will carry it on untill the day of Jesus Christ 5. God doth promise to break down all which might else cause his people to God promiseth to over-power whatsoever may make his people tâ— break Covenant break off the Covenant There are but five causes supposable for the breaking off that Covenant on our part and God removes every one of them from his people 1. One is the power of sin but God hath promised to subdue our iniquities Mic. 7. 19. And sin shall not have dominion over us Rom. 6. 14. 2. A second is the power of Satan but God hath promised that he will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape 1 Cor. 10. 13. He hath promised that the gates of hell shall not prevail against his people Matth. 16. 18. He hath promised that the seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpents head Gen. 3. 15. and that he will bruise Satan under our feet Rom. 16. 20. and resist the devil and he shall flye from you James 4. 7. 3. A third is the power of the world but said Christ to his Disciples John 16. 33. Be of good chear I have overcome the world and 1 John 5. 4. Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world even over faith 4. A fourth is the supposed liberty and inconstancy of mans will that a man if he will he may cast off his God and give over to be one of his people but this God promiseth to remove by giving of his own Spirit which shall cause us to walk in his Statutes and to keep his Laws and to do them Ezekiel 36. 27. and Jeremiah 32. 39. I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever 5. A supposition that God will substract or with-draw his grace from his people Neither shall this be for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance so Rom. 11. 29. And Mary hath chosen the good part which shall not be takâ—n from her Luke 10. 42. 2. A second Argument to demonstrate the everlastingnesse of the Covenant 'twixt God and his people shall be taken from several considerations of Christ From several considerations of Christ and believers and believers who are the people in Covâ—nant 1. Christs suretiship 2. Christs Mediatorship 3. Christs union with them 4. Christs love 5. Christs intercession 6. Christs promises and preparations for them 1. The suretiship of Christ in Heb. 7. 22. Christ is said to be made a surety The suretiship of Christ of a better Covenant so I conceive the word should be rendred viz. Covenant and not Testament for a surety is not of a Testament but of a Covenant A surety is one who is engaged and stands bound for another and is responsable for him as Judah for Benjamine Gen. 43. 9. I will be surety for him of my hands shall they require him And in matters of contract 'twixt person and persons a surety is taken in for this very end That the contract may be made sure and good may not faile but be truly and perfectly performed and the surety is a distinct person undertaking and engaging in the behalf of him who is of himself the more weak and insufficient contractor As to this consideration Christ is stiled the surety of the
of his grace and mercy unto his people Now there are foure things which magnifie God in these First his graciousnesse freely to make us to be his people A second is his goodnesse in the plentiful blessing of his people And thirdly his faithfulnesse that he will surely blesse his people And fourthly his everlastingnesse that he will never forsake his people and never will turn away from doing of them good Why this exalts his mercy indeed that it endures for ever and his love indeed that it continues for ever and his grace indeed that as it is free so it is everlasting In respect of his people The everlastingnesse of the Covenant is a just reason of perfect thankfulnesse 2. There are reasons for this in respect of his people I will mention a few of them 1. The everlastingnesse of the Covenant is a just reason of full and perfect thankfulnesse Psal 100. 4. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his Courts with praise Be thankful unto him and bless his Name Verse 5. For the Lord is good his mercy is everlasting Psal 136. 1. O give thanks unto the Lord for hâ— is good for his mercy endureth for ever 2. His people have cause now to trust on him for ever Isa 26. 4. Trust ye in His people have now cause to trust in him for ever the Lord for ever for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength Psal 62. 8. Trust in him at all times ye people pour out your heart before him God is a refuge for us Selah Vse 1 Is the Covenant which God makes with his people an everlasting Covenant then that opinion is very false which delivers out unto us such a Covenant of grace as is mutable and alterable and may be broken off and cease between God For confutation of that opinion that the Covenant is mutable and alterable and his people That a man may be made a child of God and yet may become the child of the Divel that he may be graffed into Christ and yet may be broken off from Christ that he may have true faith and grace and yet he may lose true faith and grace that he may finde love and mercy from God and yet may so sinne as actually to forfeit and that for ever all the love and mercy of God Certainly this is a very sad assertion that any person should be translated from death to life that he should be delivered from the power of Satan and translated into the Kingdome of Christ that he should be effectually called and become a believer and thereupon a Sonne of God and heire of glory that he should for a while believe and rejoyce in his God and be sealed with the holy Spirit of promise and yet upon a sudden notwithstanding all the love and promises and engagements of God unto him in Covenant his Sun should set at noon-day he and his God should part and be utter enemies again that he should cast off God from being his God and God should forsake and cast him off from being any of his people and as it is a sad opinion so it is an opinion utterly inconsistent with this truth of the everlastingnesse of the Covenant of grace A relation which ceaseth to be that relation is not everlasting and that agreement or Covenant which is broken and frustrated that Covenant is not everlasting to be temporary and to be everlasting are questionlesse inconsistent neither will that evasion of a temporarinesse on our part and everlastingnesse of the Covenant on Gods part any way patch up the businesse because there is no such Covenant of grace which God hath made with his people Jer. 31. 31. Behold the dayes come saith the Lord I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah Ver. 32. Not according to the Covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the Land of Egypt which my Covenant they brake although I was an husband unto them saith the Lord Mark the place God makes no such Covenant as shall be broken on our part but such a Covenant as shall hold and be kept on our part as well as on his part verse 33. But this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those dayes saith the Lord I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people c. And cap. 32. 40. I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me The principal if not the onely ground of this breaking and falling opinion is a supposition of a power in the will of man according to the pleasure and use whereof the Covenant of Gods grace must stand or fall must continue or break off And to speak plainly according to the Arminian doctrine all the stability and state of a sinners salvation is made to depend upon the will of a sinner the election of God the conversion of a sinner the beneficial Redemption by Christ the perseverance in Christ and grace all of these do lie at the mercy of the will of a poor sinner and truly I must confesse that if the Covenant of grace had no surer foundation then mans wâ—ll it may quickly cease to be an everlasting Covenant But we read of other and better foundations for the perpetuity of this Covenant thâ—n mans will we read that it is grounded on the immutable counsel of God and on his absolute promises and on his Oath and on the blood of Christ confirming and establishing of it and on his power and intercession and presence and love and Spirit and faithfulnesse But as to the opinion of these men which indeed is none other but that of the To state the stability of the Covenant upon the will of man Pelagians and Papists and Arminians Give me favour to speak a few words 1. It is very improbable that God would make a new Covenant with us and state the stability and everlastingnesse of it upon the will of us sinners for hereby 1. There should be no difference as to the ground of safety and certainty Is very improbable 'twixt this Covenant of grace and that of works for if Adam had improved the power and liberty of his will he had continued and had enjoyed the life which God promised unto him Now wherein doth the grace of this Covenant exceed the other of Works if eternal life be left unto the pleasure of our will as formerly it was to Adams 2. Nay it should be harder and more unsafe for us to be in the Covenant of grace than it was for Adam to be in the Covenant of works because in that condition Adams will was created with a perfect righteousnesse and conformity and sufficiency to have continued in that Covenant but we are fallen with him and
is reconciled to us There is no mention in all the Scripture That God is reconciled to us though 3. Doubt indeed frequently we are said by Christ to be Reconciled unto God Answered Sol. 1. If we do find that we are reconciled to God this is enough to evidence that God is reconciled unto us As if we know such a woman is married unto such a man we need not be solicitous to prove that such a man is married unto such a woman Or supposing Paul and Barnabas have been at difference if Barnabas be reconciled to Paul we may well conclude that Paul is reconciled to Barnabas Reconciliation 'twixt different parties is in the very nature of it a conciliation or accord of both parties if either of the parties stand off and will not yield it cannot be called a Reconciliation of them or between them 2. But secondly the Scripture will give in testimony enough for Gods being reconciled unto us Ezek. 16. 36. That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord Here God himself is said to be pacified towards them and what is it for God to be pacified but to be reconciled Exod. 30. 10. Aaron shall make an attonement upon the horns of the Altar once in a year with the blood of the sin-offering what doth this Typifie but the Reconciliation made by the blood of Christ for our sinnes and with whom is this attonement made with God who is displeased with us because of our sins c. Isa 54. 9. I have sworn that I will not be wrath with thee nor rebuke thee Isa 57. 16. I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwayes wrath Vse 3 Is Reconciliation with God the fruit and effect of the blood and death of Christ then consider seriously of three things Information How efficacious is the blood of Christ 1. How powerful and efficacious the blood of Christ is It hath done that which all the righteous men on earth and which all the Angels in heaven could never do If all the righteous men on earth should have come forth and offered their lives their souls and bodies unto God and have said Lord take all these at our hands so that thou wilt be reconciled and at peace with such a sinner they could not have made his peace Yea if all the angels in heaven had offered themselves to God and said Lord we are content to be put out of Heaven so that this may satisfie thy justice and so that this may make peace for sinners neither would this have took up the difference and made peace There cannot be found in any creature sufficiency enough to be a Peace-maker to be a Dayes man betwen God and sinners to take off the wrath of God due to a sinner No no it is not our tears nor our confessions nor our repentance which can make reconciliation it is Jesus Christ only He was only able to open the book and he only is able to shut the book None but Christ and nothing but the blood of Christ is able to satisfie and to pacifie God His blood was the blood of attonement or reconciliation and the chastisement of our peace was upon him The debt was so great and the provocation by sin was so high and the wrath of God against sin was so infinite that nothing could discharge that debt and pacifie that wrath but the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ 2. How much are we beholding to Jesus Christ who by his blood reconciled God to us How much are we beholden to Jesus Christ and us to God and hath made peace O said Luther concerning the 118. Psalm I am more beholding to this Psalm than to all the Potentates of the world This Psalm hath done more for me in my distness than all the world could do for me we may much more say that of Jesus Christ we are more bound to Christ than to all the world besides for Christ hath done more for us why because he hath reconciled us to God we had laine under the wrath of God for ever had it not been for Christ and we should never have seen the face of God had it not been for Christ He hath pacified his wrath and brought us into favour and friendship again O sirs ponder it well what I am about to speak unto you that you may know how much you are beholding to Christ What a miserable unhappy creature is the sinner who is separated from God and at variance with him and whiles he is separated from God! God only is happiness and nothing can be our happiness but the enjoyment of him and therefore the falling away from God and the separation from him is an infinite losse and misery and infelicity Cain thought it a peculiar curse I shall be hid from thy face And the Church cries out he bides his face from us why I cannot express the darkness the losse the curse the death the hell of this that the sinner is fallen out with God he hath forsaken God and God hath forsaken him he is none of Gods and God is none of his he is an enemy to God and opposeth him and God is an enemy to the sinner and doth abhor and will curse him but besides this consider also how terrible the wrath of God is and how dreadful it is for a poor sinner to be a child of wrath and to live under the wrath of God On the wrath of God it is a consuming fire and who can stand before his wrath If his wrath be kindled but a little saith David How doth the conscience tormented with the apprehension and sense of Gods wrath make men cry out and roar and tremble and quake and be restless and easeless and hopeless But now Jesus Christ by his blood hath reconciled us and God he hath quenched this devouring flame of fire he hath slain enmity he hath saved us from wrath from that wrath which is so infinitely dreadful and which otherwise would have burned and consumed us for ever and ever and ever And besides that he hath made us nigh and hath made us one again we may now with the Prodigal come back again unto our Fathers house and be kindly accepted and received Well! If you know the Scriptures and if you know what a just and wrathful God is and if you know what a sinning creature is or what sin is Then bless God for Christ and bless Christ for himself and for his love and for his blood and for his death who hath taken up the greatest controversie that ever was as he took up the nature of the different parties into his own Person so he took off the differences twixt them by his own blood Father said Christ I will die I will shed my blood so that thou wilt be friends again with these poor sinners and enemies
to become his in a peculiar way of relation and possession and so as to be made Kings and Priests unto him Highest Dignities and Imployments which if I mistake not is expounded in 1 Pet. 2. 9. Ye are a chosen generation a Royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people By all which is meant that high and heavenly estate with all those excellent Enjoyments and Graces and Dignities and Priviledges and Communion derived unto us by the Redemption of Christ In one word that estate purchased for us by the blood of Christ our Redeemer is Grace and Glory eternal happinesse and all that brings us thereunto A new Relation a new Spirit Mercy Peace Joy Calling Justifying and Glorifying And whiles we live on earth all the good things thereof which are necessary for us But of these perhaps I shall speak more ere long 2. The degrees of Redemption by Christ I call them so not simply as to the work and purchase of Christ who at once The degrees of this Redemption fulfilled the same in the once offering of himself and laying down the price of his blood but respectively unto us in respect of our manner and order of participating of that his Redemption in respect whereof Redemption is partly imperfect and partly perfect and compleat In this life our participation of it is in some respects imperfect but at the last day it shall be consummate and perfect when we shall enjoy all and all fully which the Redemption of Christ comes unto It is true that in this life we have such a Redemption by Christ as that thereby we are ransomed and delivered from the servage or slavery of sin and Satan and death sin shall not reign in us and Satan shall not hold us captive and act and command us at his pleasure And we are freed from the wrath of God and damnation Nevertheless there still cleave unto us many sinfull corruptions and we are beset with many temptations and are straitned with many corporal miseries from which we are not and shall not actually be delivered untill our Redeemer comes with his last and perfect Remdepâ—ion therefore Christ said Luke 21. 28. Lift up your heads for your Redemption draws nigh Vses I cannot slip off from this great effect of Christs death viz. Redemption without making some Use of it unto our selves 1. Value your soules set a higher rate on them the Redemption of which did Set a high rate upon your soules cost Christ so dear Many men do despise their soules and make light of them and cast them away for every base lust They swear away their soules and whore away their soules and drink away their soules and play away their soules and idle away their soules Every sin is a venturing of your soule it is the pawning of the precious soule which cannot be redeemed but by the blood of Jesus Christ Our soules deserve more regard from us they are of more worth than we are aware of We were redeemed saith the Apostle not with corruptible things as silver and gold But with the precious blood of Christ Therefore value your soules more and be not so prodigal of them to throw them away for every base lust 2. Look after your soules in what condition they are whether in bondage still Look after your soules in what condition they are or under Redemption Naturally every man and every soule is in bondage whatsoever ye do do not suffer your soules to lie and rot in prison O that we did all see in what a Spiritual bondage our soules do lie and under the sense of it could cry out as Paul once O wretched men that we are who shall deliver us If thou hadst a child taken by the Turk and made a Gally-slave and tormented with cruelty every day in the Goale thy heart would yerne for him and request would be seriously made and followed to ransome that poor imbondaged child why then be as merciful and pitiful to thy captivated soul as thou art to thy captivated child Thy soul naturally is in the worst and heaviest and saddest of all bondages it is under the wrath of God and under the power of sin and Satan and under the curse of the Law Do not do not let it rest thus but make in by faith unto Christ and beseech him to redeem thy soule O Lord saith David Deliver my soule So do thou O Lord Jesus redeem my soule deliver me out of the hands of all mine enemies Alas why are we satisfied with other things with this friend and with that honor with this profit and with that pleasure what of all these if our precious and immortal soules have yet no portion in Christ nor in the Redemption by Christ As long as we are in the hands of Gods justice and in the hands of Satans commands and in the hands of our reigning sins and in the hands of our raging Consciences and in the hands of a sentencing condemning cursing Law Is this a condition to rest in you rest in it because you are not sensible of it were you indeed sensible of it you would make out to Christ who is a Redeemer of our soules and you would not be satisfied untill Christ were made of God unto you Redemption 3. Value the Lord Jesus Christ more then ever you have done even for this reason because he did shed his most precious blood to redeem you When you had Value the Lord Jesus Christ more brought your selves into such a miserable bondage as nothing was price enough to pay your ransome and to purchase your liberty then did the Lord Jesus Christ come down on earth to break all the bonds of your distresses He took your sins upon himself to deliver you from your sins and he was made under the Law to redeem you from the Law and he was made a curse to redeem you from the curse and he bare wrath to deliver you from wrath and he suffered death to deliver you from death and he conflicted with Satan to deliver you from the power of Satan and he fell into the hands of Justice to ransome you out of the hands of Justice And he laid down his soul that he might ransome and redeem your soul Methinks such a Friend and such a Christ and such a Redeemer should be more esteemed and be more loved and be more entertained and more thanked If it should cost one many thousand pounds to ransome you out of prison or out of bondage and after this when he comes to your house you would shut the doors against him and not give him the least entertainment what a barbarous ingratitude were this It is much worse and more base that after it hath cost the Lord Jesus Christ so much as his precious blood to redeem us yet we will not give him any entertainment in our hearts and affections 4. By all meanes accept of the Redemption by Christ Be not like that foolish Hebrew servant who when
the year of Jubile was come and he might have Accept of the Redemption by Christ gone free yet he chose rather to be a servant So when Christ hath wrought Redemption for us and offers that plenteous redemption unto us now to refuse it and not accept of it But to say I had rather serve my sins still and I like my bondage better why If you will not be perswaded to accept of deliverance and redemption by Christ but your Spiritual slavery and captivity doth better please you then remain as you are But woe unto you if you do so for within a few years or weeks or dayes when God and Conscience and Death and Hell fall upon for your sins you would give ten thousand worlds if you could command them that you had accepted of of your Redemption by Christ but then it is too late 5. Then you who take your selves to be Christ's and to be the Redeemed of Carry your selves like Redeemed ones the Lord Carry your selves like redeemed Persons and walk worthy of the Redemption which you have by Christ 1. Give way unto your Redeemer suffer him to rule youâ— hearts and to order Let your Redeemer rule you your wayes for you are his by a right of Redemption As the men of Israel spake to Gideon Judg. 8. 22. Rule thou over us for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midean So say you to Christ Lord Jesus Rule thou over us for thou hast redeemed us from the hands of all our enemies Thou hast bought us with a price and we are not our own but thine 2. Give not way to any works of bondage retuâ—n not to Egypt again but walk Give no wâ—y to any works of bondage on strait in the way to Heaven and abound in all good works Tit. 2. 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works 3. Spend not your dayes in vanity neither fashion your selves unto the present Spend not your dayes in in vanity course of the world why so will you say because Christ hath redeemed you Why is this contrary to our redemption by Christ it is so whatsoever you you may think 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. You were redeemed from your vain conversations with the precious blood of Christ Not only iniquities but vanities fall under our Redemption by Christ Gal. 1 4. Who gave himself for our sinnes that he might deliver us from this present evil world according to the will of God 6. Long for the day of your full and perfect Redemption by Christ Be not so Long for the day of your full Redemption afraid of death nor of the coming of Christ to judgement Death will nothing disadvantage you nor will the coming of Christ to judgement any thing prejudice you No no that is the day of perfect Redemption both in point of deliverance and in point of possession Then shall your bodies also be wholly ransomed from the grave and in soule and body shall you be glorified for ever with the Lord your Redeemer Be thankful 7. Be â—xceeding thankful if you be brought into Christ and do partake of Redemption by him O sirs what mercy is this Redemption think a little of it what a mercy it is that your sins shall never damn you that the curse of the Law shall never fall on you that the wrath of God is taken off that your sinful lusts which you formerly served and which ruled you are broken down and you will serve them no more nor shall Satan command you as heretofore c. that you are brought into a state of Spiritual liberty He that lies in bondage and would be Redeemed let him by faith look up to Jesus Christ 8. If any poor soul lying in bondage and groaning for deliverance would be redeemed then let him by faith look up to Jesus Christ for he only is the Redeemer Do so For 1. Whatsoever your bondage may be Jesus Christ is a suitable Redemption Perhaps your bondage is under sin pehaps it is under Satans temptation perhaps it is under slavish fear of wrath and death but Christ is perfect Redemption and full and plenteous Redemption 2. He is made of us unto God Redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. God hath set him up and raised him up to be your Deliverer 5. A fifth singular benefit depending upon the sufferings of Christ as our Mediatour is his Meritorious purchase or Acquisition His Meritorious purchase The sufferings of Christ had a double aspect 1. One unto the Evils under which we lay and to which we were obnoxious In which respect his sufferings were a satisfaction 2. Another unto the good which we did need and would enjoy and in this respect his sufferings were a purchase Jesus Christ did suffer not only to deliver us from an evill and miserable condition but also did restore us into a good and happy condition And his sufferings were not only a price of payment to get off our debts but they were also a price of purchase to procure and that Meritoriously all blessedness for us Where sin abounded Grace did abound much more Rom. 5. Ephes 1. 11. In whom we have obtained an inheritance There are six things which Jesus Christ our Mediatour hath purchased Christ hath purchased by his death 1. All the Elect They are his by way of Donation Thine they were and thou All the Elect. gavest them me Joh. 17. 6. And they are his by way of purchase The Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood Acts 20. 28. 2. Everlasting life which is called the purchased possession Ephes 1. 14. And Everlasting life the gift of God through Jesus Christ Rom. 6. 23. The blood of whom is worth Heaven it self We have no right unto the heavenly and glorious inheritance nor any hope thereof but by Jesus Christ Grace reigns through Righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 5. 22. 3. Nearnesse of Relation Adoption of Sons we who were in bondage Nearness of Relation who were strangers who were enemies are now made nigh by the blood of Christ Ephes 2. 13. and do by him receive the adoption of Sons Gal. 4. 5. To redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the Adoption of Sonnes 4. The Holy Ghost In his graces assistances and comforts Not one grace nor The Holy Ghost comfort nor answer which you have but it is the fruit of Christs purchase Jesus Christ hath purchased and obtained this Joh. 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever verse 26. But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he is made unto us sanctification 1 Cor. 30. 5. The forgivenesse of our sins Your sins are forgiven you for his Name-sake 1 Joh.
2. 12. In him ye have Redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins The forgivenesse of sins Ephes 1. 7. 6. What shall I say more He hath purchased all for us all is ours because Christ is ours God himself becomes our God by Christ and his Love and Mercy All for us and Promises and Peace and Joy and Hope Heaven it self and all that brings to heaven Christ in you the hope of glory Col. 1. 27. Use 1 Why this is wonderfull comfort unto us that the sufferings of Christ were a purchase That there was such a dignity in them as paid all our debts and such a Comfort to us from this purchase value in them that amounted moreover unto a purchase of all blessings and blessedness They were not a meer Legael Debitum but also a Superlegale Meritum There are three choice comforts in this purchace by Christ 1. You are begotten again to a lively hope There is now good hope through You are begotten again to a lively hope Christ that a poor sinner may see the face of God again and that his poor soul may at last be found in Heaven and that in the mean time he may partake of Grace of the Divine nature and of all that will bring to salvation why so Because Jesus Christs blood and sufferings were a purchace and a purchace of all You have a right to the things purchased these 2. You have now a right to all these things and a sufficient plea Indeed you have no right or title of your own you cannot say Lord I expect and challenge Heaven upon mine own obedience upon mine own righteousness this I am and this I have done and this I have suffered therefore thou owest me heaven and therefore mercy is due to me No no if God should give you no more than what you deserve you should have nothing but wrath and damnation But though you have no right or title of your own yet you have a right and title in and by the purchase of Christ As a stranger hath no title of his own yet if he be adopted to be a Son upon this adoption there falls in a right or title Or as if a poor Beggar should have an estate of Inheritance bought for him by another and setled upon him by another he may now expect and plead for that Inheritance It was purchased and bought for me So may we now go to God and press him humbly and believingly Lord shew me mercy forgive me all my sins give me thy Spirit give me eternal life why saith God who are you and what right and title have you and what have you to shew for such heavenly lands and possessions Lord I have nothing of my own to shew but yet I have the blood of Christ to shew he bought me and he bought all these at thy hands for me it cost him dear even his precious blood therefore give me these things for his Names sake 3. You shall assuredly possesse all that good which Christ hath purchased for You shall assuredly possesse them you The Lord is faithful and just he will not deal injuriously with his Christ nor with us It was expresly concluded in the Agreement 'twixt him and Christ That if he would make his soule an offering for sin he should then see his seed and of the travel of his soul that he should be the Head of the Church and that all that come in to him should have mercy and grace and glory Now the Lord by no means will deal deceitfully with Christ he will not put him to sorrows and deliver him to death and after all his bitter agonies and sufferings deny him what he hath so dearly bought No there is no possession more sure and safe than that which depends upon the purchase of Christ And if that reason of Gods inviolable compact with Christ will not convince you of it Then let this also help to strengthen your weak faith viz. That Jesus Christ who hath purchased and merited all for you He himself is God equal with the Father and as God will himself bestow and settle what as mediatour he hath bought and purchased Joh. 17. 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me that where I am they may behold my glory Are the sufferings of Christ a Meritorious purchase Then strive for two things Vse 2 1. To believe them to be so This is not an easie work but this is a necessary work Though we do not perhaps at present so fully weigh it yet ere long Strive to believe the sufferings of Christ to be a purchase we shall see great reason to think on it when we come to dye when we come to the parting way when we come to our last and behold an eternal hell before our eyes which we do deserve and an eternal heaven before our eyes which we deserve not and when our title and right comes to be scanned two things at that time will be extreamly necessary One is to believe that Jesus Christ hath made a purchase of glory and happiness Another is to believe that Jesus Christ hath made this purchase for our soules Object But you will say We do believe both the one and the other Sol. I am afraid that many do not so although they say they do so and I Many do not believe it will give you four reasons for what I say 1. If you do indeed believe that heaven depends upon the purchase of Christ and forgivenesse of sinnes depends upon the purchase of Christ Why then Why else do they depend so much upon themselves do you depend so much upon your selves upon your own righteousness why are not your hopes only fixed upon Christ but you hope to be saved for your good meanings and for your devout servings of God and for your alms and good works Do you believe that salvation is to be had only upon the account of Christs purchase when in the mean time you do set up your own righteousness and deny the righteousness of Christ and place confidence in your selves and not only in Christ 2. If you do indeed believe that salvation and all saving good properly depends Why do you slight Christ so much on the sole purchase of Christ Why then do you slight Christ so much and minde him so little If you do indeed believe that there is salvation in no other Name and mercy in no other Name and peace in no other Name whence is it that your soules are all this while destitute of Christ himself and that he cannot perswade you to hearken unto him so as to come in and obey him that your souls may live Tell me plainly Is not this your fancy that you may have the portion without the Person the blessings which Christ hath purchased though you never give up your hearts unto Christ who makes the purchase But you are mistaken and shall one
from us The second Proposition is as clear That all the good we have or can do is from God Every good and perfect gift comes from him Jam. 1. 17. What hast thoâ— that thou didst not receive 1 Cor. 4. 7. We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God 2 Cor. 3. 5. By the grace of God I am what I am 1 Cor. 15. 10. It is God which worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 2. 13. Vnto you it is given to believe Phil. 2. 29. If God will give them repentance 2 Tim. 2. 25. 2. No debt which we owe to God hath merit or worthinesse in it Doth any man merit ought at any hand by paying unto me what he ows unto me Simile But all the good we have or can do is a debt which we owe to God Ergo cannot merit any thing from him Doth not our believing fall under a Divine Precept This is his Commandment that we believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ 1 Joh. 3. 23. Doth not our repenting fall also under a Divine Precept But now God commandeth all men everywhere to repent Act. 17. 30. Doth not praying likewise fall under a Divine Precept Call upon me Psal 50. Pray without ceasing 1 Thes 5. 17. Do we any thing but what we ought to do when we believe or repent or pray or walk in newness of obedience and if no more be done by us than what ought to be done by us where is our merit or worthiness 3. If we fall short in the best and most that we do then we cannot merit by any thing that we do but we do fall short in the best and most that we do the line which we write may be written fairer the good that we do may and should be done better Domine said one lava lachrymas me as yea so short that we need mercy for our best performances and Christs Mediation and Intercession for them Aaron was to bear the iniquities of the holy Offerings Exod. 28. 38. And the prayers of the Saints were to go up with the Incense of the Altar Rev. 8. 3. Nehem. 13. 22. Remember me O my God concerning this also and spare me according to the greatnesse of thy mercy Secondly A personal worthinesse for any good from God is inconsistent with a A personal worthinesse is inconsistent with the Covenant of grace Covenant of Grace and likewise with the Office of Christ the only Mediatour of that Covenant It is inconsistent with the Covenant of Grace for according to that Covenant all is given and all is freely given in that we are freely loved and freely justified and freely blessed and saved yea the worthiness of our works and the riches of Gods grace do one destroy and remove the other Rom. 11 16. If by grace then it is no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace but if it be of works then it is no more of grace otherwise work is no more work And with the Mediatorship of Christ who alone is the merit and purchase And with the Mediatorship of Christ of all grace and glory of all blessings and blessedness Hath Christ merited all or hath he not If his Alsufficiency hath not can our insufficiency do any thing or where do you find any one word in Scripture that Jesus Christ hath left any thing for us to merit or that any of our works gain so much of his Prerogative as to merit by his merits the merits of Christ do make our good works accepted with God but they do not make our works to merit for he himself had not merited had he not been both God and Man â—hirdly There is in us an indignity or unworthinesse of any mercy and God Theâ—e is in us an unworthiness of any mercy would have us to acknowledge so in our Requests for and Receits of his blessings First An unworthiness of any mercy Gen. 32. 10. I am not worthy of the least of all these mercies and all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant Luke 15. 19. I am no more worthy to be called thy Son Secondly And God will have us to acknowledge our selves unworthy Deut. And God will have us acknowledge our selves unworthy 26. 3. Thou shalt go unto the Priest that shall be in those dayes and say unto him I professe this day unto the Lord thy God that I am come unto the Country which the Lord sware unto our Fathers for to give us Ver. 4. And the Priest shall take the basket out of thine hand and set it down before the Altar of the Lord thy God Ver. 5. And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God A Syrian ready to perish was my Father and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there with a few â—nd became there a Nation great mighty and populous c. Deut. 8. 10. When thou hast eaten and art full then thou shalt blesse the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee Ver. 17. Beware least thou say in thine heart My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth Deut. 9. 4. Speak not thou in thine heart after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out from before thee saying For my Righteousnesse the Lord hath brought me in to possesse this land Ver. 5. Not for thy Righteousnesse or for the uprightnesse of thine heart c. Ver. 6. Vnderstand therefore that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possesse it for thy righteousnesse for thou art a stiffe-necked people Thirdly And rejects us pleading of our own worthinesse looks on it as pride And rejects us pleading our own worthinesse and vain-glory as the Pharisee who insisted on his own worthinesse And thus you see that our worthiness is not admitted as any Reason or Cause of Divine blessings whence it must necessarily follow that God then gives them unto us upon the sole account of his own graciousness Quest 2. And what the Reasons thereof are is the second particular to be spoken unto viz. Why all blessings are given unto us upon the account of Reasons of it Gods graciousness Sol. The Reasons briefly are these First This way of giving suits best with a Covenant of grace In which the reasons of our mercies as well as the mercies themselves are to be found nay the This way of giving suits best with a Covenant of grace reasons of our mercies do most of all illustrate this Covenant of grace and do principally constitute it for with reverence be it spoken this Covenant would lose the nature of being a Covenant of grace if the mercies or blessings promised were not given unto us upon the reason or account of Gods graciousness alone Gratia est nullo modo quae non est gratuita omni modo Secondly This way of giving suits best with God
of them is proper to him Secondly Because unto whom the power of death and condemnation authoritatively belongs unto him also the power of life and absolution doth belong but the power of condemnation belongs only to God Ergo. These are acts seated in the same power Thirdly Because the forgivenesse of sin takes off the infinite desert of sin reaching even unto eternity of punishment eternal punishment is deserved by sin and who can relieve us from that but God alone Fourthly Because our consciences might have a resting place which they could never have if God himself did not forgive sins What if all the men in the world did forgive you if God did not clear you but still held you guilty What though all the lower Courts absolve a Malefactor as long as the Supreme Court condemns him what though the Malefactor forgive himself if the Judge do not forgive him Simile But here lies the comfort that God himself who is the Supreme Judge who hath the Soveraign Power to save or to destroy to remit or binde to acquit or to condemn whose sentence none can reverse if he will pardon our offences and sinnes against him now there is peace with him and peace in our own Consciences Secondly As forgiveness of sins solely appertains to God so God undertakes the same by way of promise which shews that he is willing to forgive sins and God undertakes it by promise that he engageth himself to forgive sins and that he will certainly forgive sins Jer. 31. 34. I will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sin no more Pro. 28. 13. Whosoever confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall finde mercy 2 Chro. 7. 14. If my people shall turn from their wicked wayes then will I forgive their sins Isa 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and turn unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and abundantly pardon 1 Joh. 1. 9. If we confesse our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins Quest Now if any should demand why God contents not himself with a Declaration Reasons of it only that he is a God who forgives sin but also he makes a promise that he will forgive sins Sol. I suppose these Reasons may be given of it First Because this is a greater relief to the troubled conscience A promise of forgivenesse is a more hopeful foundation to work upon than a meer Declaration that God hath power to forgive and it serves to answer our fears and doubts more fully You would not imagine how powerful and dreadful the guilt of sin is and how strongly working when a conscience is awakened and wounded with the sence of it How great is the apprehension of Gods wrath how amazing is the curse threatned how hard is it to look toward the Mercy seat through all the threatnings and through all the terrors how difficult is it to settle it with any apprehensions of mercy And therefore the Lord is pleased not only to declare that he is a God forgiving sins but also he makes promise that he will forgive sins for Christs sake this is apt to preserve troubled sinners from despair and to breed some hopes in them that perhaps they may find mercy for who can tell but that a merciful God and a God who promiseth mercy to poor sinners may at length shew mercy to them and forgive their sins Secondly Because this is a stronger Obligation and Argument to prevail with sinners to repent of their sins and to turn unto the Lord. Beloved I beseech you mark what I say 1. The greater inevidence and improbability there is of forgiveness of sins the more indisposition and averseness there is unto repentance If a person apprehends mercy as impossible he then looks upon repentance as unuseful either he grows despairing or desperate For saith he to what end should I repent and come into God who I am sure will shew me no mercy 2. Again the greater hopes that a sensible sinner hath of mercy the more easily and kindly is his heart wrought upon to Repent to come off from his sins to God Hos 14. 2. When taking away of sin is hinted then ver 3. Ashur shall not save us neither will we say to the works of our hands Ye are our gods for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy so Jer. 3. 12. Return thou back-sliding Israel and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord. Ver. 22. Return ye back-sliding children and I will heal your back-slidings behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Mark how this insinuation of mercy bowed in their hearts Psal 103. 4. There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared Now when a sinner sees forgiveness of sins in a promise this appears with more evidence of hope for him I may yet have mercy so great is Gods goodness and why should I stand out any longer and why should I for lying vanities forsake my own mercies I will home to my Fathers house for there is bread enough and to spare c. Thirdly Because this is the surest ground for faith you know this is the great scruple But may I find mercy and what ground have I to expect mercy Suppose I do repent what assurance have I that God will forgive my sits Why having Gods promise for the forgiveness of your sins in this case you may be confident that if you come to him and rely upon him he will unquestionably be as good as his word he will shew mercy to you Jer. 31. 18. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself Ver. 20. I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Ezek. 18. 21. If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed c. he shall surely live and not dye Ver. 22. All his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him SECT III. 3. I Now come to the third part of the Proposition of forgiveness of sins viz. God promiseth the same to all his people That God promiseth the same unto all his people all his people in Covenant Psal 85. 2. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people Isa 33. 34. The people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity Micah 7. 18. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage Note Of the people of God some are sooner in Covenant and some are later in Covenant for some are called at one houre and some at another houre as Paul spake of Andronicus and Junia Rom. 16. 7. who were in Christ before me that may we say of people some are in Covenant before others but as soon as any of them are brought into Covenant they are pardoned immediatly their sins are forgiven unto them Again of the people of God some have been greater sinners and some have been lesser sinners but as soon as
Thirdly Because it is a mercy which doth exceedingly concern afflicted and It is a mercy doth exceedingly concern afflicted consciences distressed souls Beloved remember three things 1. All the men in the world do need forgiveness of sins for who is he that liveth and sinneth not and what sinner is there who needs not to have his sins forgiven 2. All the people of God do see the need and worth of it how earnest have they been to attain to it David in Psal 51. prays ten times for it so the Church Remember not iniquity Isa 64. 9. Take away iniquity Hos 14. 2. 3. Afflicted and distressed souls they infinitely prize it and thirst for it and their soul will sink and fail without it Take me any soul whatsoever as soon as ever it comes to be a wounded and distressed soul presently it cries out what shall I do what will become of me without Christ and without forgiveness of sins if God forgives not these sins I am a lost man O that I might have mercy when shall I find mercy May I look for mercy is there any hope of mercy I tell you Sirs the wounded sinner apprehends wrath and condemnation and feels sin with such a weight and terror in conscience that if some hope of mercy did not presently appear Isa 57. 16. the spirit would fail before him it would be consumed with despair therefore no marvail that God is pleased in the first place to hold out this golden Scepter of forgiveness of sins whereby to relieve all broken-hearted sinners SECT V. Vse 1 IS forgiveness of sins one of the mercies first in promise by God unto all his people in Covenant O how dreadful then is the condition of such who refuse to How dreadful is the condition of such as refuse to be in Covenant with God be in Covenant with God! The doctrine of forgiveness of sins is not so comfortable unto the people of God but it is as dreadful to all those who refuse to be the people of God For the managing of this Use I will lay down these three conclusions 1. Some there are who do refuse God to be their God in Covenant and do refuse to be a people in Covenant with him 2. All these are an unforgiven people their sins neither are forgiven nor shall they ever be forgiven unto them 3. Because their sins are unforgiven therefore they are in a most miserable and dreadful condition First There are some who do refuse God to be their God in Covenant and do refuse Some refuse to be in Covenant with God to be his people in Covenant Job 21. 14 They say unto God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways Ver. 15. What is the Almighty that we should serve him and what profit should we have if we pray unto him Prov. 1. 24. Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hands and no man regarded Ver. 29. For that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. Ver. 30. They would none of my counsel they despised all my reproof c. But more particularly there are four sorts of men who refuse God to be their God in Covenant and to be his people 1. Such as refuse the authority of God to rule and guide them by his Will and Laws Such as refuse to be guided by his Laws When God is a God in Covenant there he is acknowledged as Lord and Law-giver the Lord is our Judge the Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King Isa 33. 22. nay he will be so acknowledged or else he will not be a God in Covenant with us see Lev. 26. 14. If ye will not hearken unto me and will not do all these Commandments and ver 15. If ye shall dispute my Statutes and if your soul abhor my judgments then ver 17. I will set my face against you c. Psal 81. 11. But my people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me Ver. 12. So I gave them up unto their own hearts lusts and they walked in their own counsels If any man hath a nature which is at enmity with God and will not be subject unto his Will and Law how can there be a Covenant between them and God for in forming up of a Covenant there must be an agreement between the parties but if we set up our wills against Gods will that we will do not what comes from his mouth but what comes from our own hearts not what he commands but what our own proud lusts do like assuredly God neither is nor will be in Covenant with such a people for hereby he should lose the glory of being a Lord and we should not submit to his righteous will but he should subject himself unto our ungodly lusts 2. Such as maintain a contrariety and incompliance with the glorious nature of God Such as maintain a contrariety to the glorious nature of God This is the glory of the Divine nature that it is holy Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty Rev. 4. 8. and this is that about which God insists with all persons whatsoever whom he will own for his people in Covenant Ye shall be holy for I am holy Lev. 11. 44. For there must be a similitude 'twixt God and the people of God and as he declares his choice love to them so must they be a choice generation and an holy Nation to shew forth his praises therefore such persons as are not only unholy in a privative way but also hate holiness and cannot endure to be made holy in a positive adherency of holiness God neither is nor ever will be a God in Covenant with them nor can they be a people in Covenant with God for what communion can there be 'twixt light and darkness and what Covenant can there be made 'twixt the holy God who hates all unholiness and ungodly persons who do likewise hate and abhor all holiness 3. Such as refuse to let go their sins and will hold fast their iniquities who will spare Such as refuse to let go their sins them and not forsake them as Zophar speaks Job 20. 30. who refuse to return as the Prophet speaks Jer. 8. 5. God is no God in Covenant with these neither are they nor can they be a people in Covenant with him Psal 50. 16. Unto the wicked God saith What hast thou to do to declare my Statutes or that thou shouldst take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my word behind thee Josh 24. 23. Now therefore put away the strange gods which are among you and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel Ver. 25. So Joshua made a Covenant with the people that day If a mans heart be set on his sins I will love them I will serve them I will not forsake them it cannot be that there should be a Covenant made up 'twixt God
given him yet he may lose the comfortable sight and feeling of it either by some great transgression or by his pride or by his covetousness c. O but do not lose the hive which hath so much honey by all means so preserve this favour and this mercy that still you may fetch joy and comfort and support from it and therefore when you have attained unto the forgiveness of your sins learn then 1. To walk humbly with your forgiving and reconciled God the more is forgiven the more cause of humility confessing still your unworthiness of so great a mercy and that God did forgive your sins not for your sake but for his own Name sake be not lifted up at all but remember still your own sins which God hath forgiven as Paul did and upon what gracious terms God forgave you Who am I said David I am not worthy of the least of thy mercies said Jacob. 2. To walk exactly before your forgiving God David saith in Psal 32. 1. Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven Psal 32. 1 2. Blessed is the man in whose Spirit there is no guile and Psal 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the way of the Lord. Ver. 3. They do no iniquity they walk in his wayes O that my wayes were so directed that I might keep thy statutes 3. To walk stedfastly with so good a God O that we could but attain one thing viz. to keep up that frame of spirit and that path or practice of walking which we found in our selves when God was pleased to let into our hearts the news that our sins were forgiven and that we could still continue so to walk with that thankfulness with that humbleness with that tenderness with that delightfulness with that enlargement then would our Sun still shine with strength then would our forgiveness still appear in sight and would afford unto us a long harvest of joyes and living springs of lastâ—ng comfort Fourthly Improve the forgiveness of your sins so as to be able in your distresses Improve it in distresses and tryals to draw comfortable conclusions from it and tryals to draw out and maintain such Conclusions every way as that mercy is a ground and Foundation for Quest You will say What might one conclude from this that God hath forgiven his sins Sol. I will mention some Conclusions which may infallibly be drawn from it viz. First You may conclude the seasonable enjoyment of lesser mercies because God hath forgiven your sins which is the greater mercy if he fulfils his promise in the As The seasonable enjoyment of lesser mercies greatest blessings surely he will not fail you in the least blessings as the Apostle argued He that spared not his own Son but delivered him to death for us all how shall he not with him freely give us all things Rom. 8. 32. So say I hath the Lord freely pardoned thy sins questionless he will freely give thee other things will he deny thee food and rayment who hath given thee Christ and forgiveness if his love extend to the greatest of mercies will it fail and fly off for the least of mercies Secondly You may conclude that certainly you are his people and that the Lord That you are Gods people and he is your God is your God that you do stand in a near Relation unto him and that he stands in a near Relation unto you why so because forgivenesse of sins is the portion only of the people of God of such who are in Covenant with him A Prince may forgive a Malefactor and yet there be no Covenant between them But God forgives none unless such as are first in Christ and by Christ are in his Covenant of mercy and peace Thirdly You may conclude that in all your changes and losses certainly you are That you are still under grace and love still under grace and love that the Lord hath set his love upon you that his favour is towards you Because forgiveness of sins is an act of special grace and favour and no man is forgiven but the Lord doth love him with an exceeding great love in and by Christ Object I but I am chastened and afflicted Sol. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth Heb. 12. 6. Fourthly You may conclude certainly that God is reconciled and that his wrath is off and shall never redound unto you and that the accusation and condemnation God is reconciled of the Law are stopt and superseaded c. Fifthly You may conclude that at length your souls shall go to heaven for your And you shall be saved sins are for that end forgiven that you might be brought to glory c. Fifthly Having your sins pardoned in Gods promise rest not untill you have got the notice and assurance of this in your own hearts and consciences Here let me Rest not till you have got the assurance of your pardon God doth sometimes pardon sin and not give the assurance of it speak briefly unto two things First That God doth sometimes pardon sins and yet doth not presently notifie or make the same manifest or evident unto the person pardoned no not though he truely repents As it is clear in David whose sin God did put away and yet it was a long time before David could get the evidence and assurance thereof in his own heart I grant that upon true repentance sin is forgiven and it is as true that sin may be forgiven and yet the forgiven sinner not be assured thereof Whether the Reasons of this may be 1. Because the manifestation of pardon to us is a meer act of grace and divine liberty 2. Or because God would teach us hereby that it is not so easy a matter to get the voice of joy after we have sinned and provoked him and should therefore fear to â—n any more 3. Or thirdly because it is so difficult to believe the forgiveness of sins though promised by God himself when the Conscience hath been previously troubled for sin c. Secondly That the assurance of our own hearts and consciences that God hath pardoned oer sinnes is a mercy much to be desired and would be of great advantage Yet it is a mercy much to be desired and of great advantage for our Setling Satisfying to pardoned sinners For 1. This would exceedingly settle our hearts and put an end to all our hard suspicions and fears and jealousies 2. This would abundantly satisfie the longing desires of our soules to see our great discharge and relief and acquittance under the hand and seale of God Returne O my soule unto thy rest for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee 3. This would admirably enlarge our hearts in the praises of mercy Psal 103. 1 2. Enlarging 4. This would wonderfully inflame our hearts in the love of God the sense of love begets love 1 Joh. 4. 19. We love him because he loved us Loving first 5.
away all grounds of despair from the hearts of his people There are but three principal grounds of despair God takes away the grounds of despair 1. O my sins are so many that there is no hope of mercy 2. O but my sins are so high and so great that God will never forgive them 3. O but though God can and will forgive many sins and great sins yet he will not forgive my great sins My sin said Cain is greater than shall be forgiven Gen. 4. Now God answers all these Arguments and Grounds of despair which possibly may arise in the hearts of his people For 1. He promiseth that he will forgive all their sins and will cast them also into the depth of the sea 2. He promiseth to forgive their great sins though they have been as scarlet and red like crimson and though adulterers and though idolaters c. 3. This promise he himself doth make with respect unto every one of their persons as you may see here in the Text and in other Scriptures So that there remains no ground at all of despair for them Indeed there may be matter enough for their humiliation but none for desperation SECT III. 2. Vse DOth God promise the forgiveness of all sins yea of the great sins of his people Then let all the people who are sensible of any great Make out for the pardon of great sins transgression speedily and seriously make out unto the Mercy-seat for the pardon of their great sins For the managing of this Use I will 1. Premise a few Conclusions 2. Lay down some Directions what is to be done to get the pardon of great sinnes 3. Discover some Signs and Evidences by which one may know that even his great sins are forgiven First The Conclusions which I would premise as Motives to get the forgiveness Conclusions premised of our great sins are thesâ— First Even the people of God may be guilty of great transgressions both before The people of God may be guilty of great sins their conversion and also after their conversion 1. Before their conversion scarce any of them but have been guilty whâ—â— soule sins were those Corinthians guilty of before God had called them by his grace even of drunkennesse and idolatries and adulteries and Sodomies and Paul himself who seemed so unblameable in his conversation yet what great sins stood he guilty of He was mad in persecuting the Saints he had his hand in the blood of Stephen he was consenting to his death nay the Lord Jesus Christ arested him and accused him Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Acts 9. 4. Ephes 2. 3. Among whom also we had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind Titus 3. 3. We our selves were also foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hatefull and hating one another 2. After their conversion they have also been guilty of great sins Noah of drunkenness Gen. 9. 21. Lot of drunkenness and incest with his own daughters Gen. 19. 35 36. Solomon of abominable Idolatries 1 Kin. 11. 6 7. and David of adultery and murder 2 Sam. 11. 4. 12. 9. And a thousand to one but most of us have been guilty of some great sin or other either for the kind of it or for the circumstantial aggravations of it either of Omission or of Commission so that we all have cause to look after the forgiveness of great sins Secondly Their great sins do dishonor God as much nay more than the great sins of others 2 Sam. 12. 14. By this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies Their great sins dishonor God as much if not more than others of the Lord to blaspheme c. Rom. 2. 24. The Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you Yea they do exceedingly provoke God to withdraw his comfortable presence of joy from their spirits and to speak bitter things unto them and to correct them with a strong and exemplary chastisement and to suffer them to be buffeted by Satan with very heavy and distracting temptations upon this accout also they have reason to look after the forgivenesse of their great sins Thirdly Apprehensions of their great sins as unpardoned must needs fill their hearts with marvellous fears and their Consciences with unutterable unquietnesses The apprehension of these sins will fill their hearts with fears and burdens as in Davids roarings and his complaint of broken bones There is I think not any one person whose great sins have not at some time or other returned upon him and deeply wounded him Great sins of all other are certain terrors unto the Conscience and of all great sins these are so 1. The sins against nature 2. Those of grosse uncleanness 3. Those of blood and murder 4. Those of compact with the Divel 5. Those of blasphemy 6. Those against the workings of Conscience 7. Those against the Gospel 8. Presumptions 9. Relapses Any of these and any other great sins of which one hath been guilty they sit heavy upon the Conscience and do make dreadful work there and do often arise with exceeding terror and distraction so that the soul sinks under the guilt of them c. Fourthly There is nothing whatsoever which can allay and quiet Conscience troubled and troubling for the guilt of great sins but the presence or at least Nothing can allay those fears but the sense or hope of pardon the hope of forgiveness of them No earthly thing can quiet conscience in that condition David wanted not for them and yet he roared all the Day long and his bones waxed old and his moisture was turned into the drought of summer Psal 32. 34. Nay let me speak a bold word there is nothing in God which can do it but this merciful and gracious nature to forgive If the distressed sinner looks on his Justice he falls down confounded if he looks on his holiness O he is of purer eyes than to behold sinne if on his power O it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! Nothing but mercy answers this distress or gives ease to this pain and trouble Be mercifull unto me O God said David God be merciful to me a sinner said the Publican Take away iniquity said the Church Beloved In all sorts of distress there is but one thing which is a proper relief In sickness health is the only help in hunger bread is the only help in thirst water is the only help in pains ease is the only help and so under the guilt of sin mercy is the only help This is life this is deliverance this is all Fifthly Though your sins have been or are very great yet there is hope of mercy Though your sins be great yet there is hope of mercy and that for you which may appear briefly by four particulars 1. The promise of
doth so satisfie the mind and prevail upon it as to exclude all actual doubtings and fears at that time and it is a clear manifestation of Gods love and pardoning mercy with our propriety in them in particular and therefore necessarily doth quietation of heart flow from it Secondly More carefulness to walk in all well-pleasing before the Lord assurance Carefulness to walk in all well-pleasing breeds two excellent properties about holy walking and services 1. One is more alacrity O it is now no burden but a delight to do the will of God Psal 40. 8. I delight to do thy will and thy commands are my delight said David I will run the way of thy Commandments when thou shalt enlarge my heart Ps 119. 32. 2. The other is more carefulness Mark that place Psal 26. 1. I have walked in mine integrity Ver. 3. For thy loving kindness is before mine eyes Never were any more strict in paths of righteousness than those who have tasted most of Gods loving kindness I am thy servant c. Psal 116. 16. Thirdly More delight in the Word and greater appetite after it 1 Pet. 2. 2 3. As Delight in the Word new born baves desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby if so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious Fourthly More zeal for God What will not this assured Christian act and suffer Zeal he will do any service for Christ yea the highest and greatest the love of Christ constrains him 2 Cor. 14. nay he will dye for Christ but to dye for the Name of Christ Acts 21. 13. Who loved me and gave himself for me saith Paul Gal. 2. 20. What shall I render to the Lord what shall I do for my God Cant. 3. 5. I charge you stir not up nor awake my love Fifthly More fear to sin against God let me tell you a truth the assured person Fear to sin would even dye presently in the Arms of Christ that he might never sin against him any more but see Hosea 3. 5. They shall fear the Lord and his goodness Sixthly An height of heart presently the heart is above all the world the world Height of heart is nothing of no account when the Lord once gives in the assurance of his love in the pardon of our sins in the blood of Christ Quest 2. I now proceed to the second question which is this What those weak Christians and Believers should judge of their estate who never yet could attain unto this particular assurance of the pardon of their sins and what course they may take to enjoy What weak Christians should judge of their estates who could never get assurance For their support the same Sol. There are two things in this question to be spoken unto 1. One respects the support 2. The other respects the direction of such Christians as have not yet attained the assurance c. 1. For the support of those weak believers who are apt to judge heavily of themselves and of their spiritual estate because they never yet attained to the pardon of their sins I would present these four Conclusions First One may be in a justified or pardoned estate in the Court of heaven who as yet A man may be in a pardoned state who is not assured is not in an assured estate in the Court of his own conscience sins may be forgiven when yet the sinner is not assured of the forgiveness of his sins 2 Sam. 12. 13. The Lord hath put away thy sins and yet David prayed exceedingly to get the assurance thereof Psal 51. 8. Make me to hear joy and gladness c. Joh. 14. 20. At that day after his Ascension ye shall know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you Ye shall know c. yet of these he saith Joh. 15. 5. I am the Vine ye are the Branches Job 13. 24. Wherefore hidest thou thy face and holdest me for thine enemy Psal 88. 14. Lord why castest thou off my soul why hidest thou thy face from me Ver. 15. Whiles I suffer thy terror I am distracted Ver. 16. Thy fierce wrath goeth over me thy terrors have cut me off Isa 64 8. But now O Lord thou art our Father we are the clay and thou art the potter and we all are the work of thine hand Ver. 9. Be not wroth very sore O Lord neither remember iniquity for ever behold see we beseech thee we are all thy people Mark though thou art our Father and we are thy people yet be not wroth c. Secondly If one doth truly believe in Christ his condition is sure although the His condition is sure though his person have not assurance person hath not assurance true faith though weak though compassed with doubts and fears doth really make Christ to be yours and if Christ be yours then your condition is sure 1 Joh. 5. 12. He that hath the Son hath life Joh. 10. 27. My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me Ver. 28. and I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand Joh. 6. 47. Verily verily I say unto you he that believeth on me hath everlasting life Beloved neither Christ nor salvation are setled upon assurance but upon faith it is not said that Christ dwells in our hearts by assurance but by faith nor is it said Whosoever is assured shall be saved nor Whosoever is assured shall receive remission of sins but Whosoever believeth The weakest true faith is enough to make Christ to be yours and consequently it is enough to give you an interest in his Redemption and to free you from condemnation and to bring you to that purchased inheritance of life see then this is another comfort though you have not assurance yet the condition of life is sure if ye be true believers c. Thirdly A third support is this Though you have not the assurance of the forgiveness Though you have not this assurance yet you are labouring for it of your sins yet you are labouring and striving for it there are degrees of assurance some are weaker some are stronger some are more permanent some are transient Beloved though a man be not in heaven yet it is a great comfort if he be walking towards heaven though a man be not in Christ yet it is good when he is crying out for Christ and so though a man hath not as yet the assurance that his sins are pardoned it is a good sign when he is found in the ways for assurance Object But what comfort is there in this that one is labouring for assurance when as yet he never had it Sol. There is in this four comforts to them that labour for assurance First The comfort of obedience that you are according to Gods commands giving all diligence to make your calling and election sure 2
of his ways but when that comes then he judgeth of himself as he is and of his ways as indeed they are and have been Psal 73. 22. So foolish was I and ignorant I was as a Beast before thee 1 Tim. 1. 15. To save sinners of whom I am chief and for his wayes he now looks on them as ways of death and paths of hell in which who so walks shall find no rest nor peace In respect of God and his ways God is now look't upon as an only happiness and could I enjoy him for my God in Christ I were blessed for ever and his ways are righteous and good and holy and most pleasant and only safe the way of Repentance the way of faith the way of holiness the way of a godly Conversation how excellent how beautiful how desirable are all of them to an heart renewed by grace which yet in former times were judged with scorn and contempt and hatred Thirdly Where the Lord gives a new heart there he gives new cares and New cares and requests requests Before the Lord renews the heart by grace a sinner is very careful and very careless He is very careful for two things One is for the world What shall I eat and what shall I drink and wherewith shall I be cloathed Matth. 6. His heart is set on the world and he minds earthly things and his heart goes after his covetousness and who will shew us any good his affections are set on things below The other is for his fleshly lusts They that are after the flesh minde the things of the flesh Rom. 8. 5. And they make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof Rom. 13. 14. But he is very careless about his soul therefore he is said to despise his soul and not to know the day of his visitation nor the things which concern his peace and to make light of the invitations of Christ But when the Lord begins to renew the heart by grace there are new cares and new desires O how the soul is taken with the soul and for the soul Lord What will become of my poor soul and what shall I do for my poor soul if I get not Christ my soul is lost and if I get not mercy I am undone Take the world who will and take sinful pleasures who will but O Lord be merciful to me a sinner and O Lord be thou reconciled to my soul and lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Every new heart hath new thoughts and cares and desires What shall we do said they to John the Baptist Matth. 3. And What shall we do said they to Peter Acts 2. 37. And What shall we do to be saved said he to Paul and Silas Acts 16. 30. Fourthly If a new heart be given there will then be found in you the presence New principles of all new principles which are contrary to all the old principles in the old sinful heart there is not any one spiritual and heavenly principle respecting salvation but they may be found in you v. g. 1. Ignorance that is one principle of an old heart the contrary unto it viz. Knowledge is given when you come to partake of a new heart Colos 3. 10. And have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge Eph. 5. 8. Ye were sometimes darkness but now are ye light in the Lord. 2. Carnal wisdome that is another principle of the old heart the contrary unto that is given to a person when God renews his heart viz. Spiritual and heavenly wisdom a wisdom for salvation 2 Tim. 3. 15. A wisdom unto that which is good Rom. 16. 9. A wisdom to approve the things that are excellent Phil. 1. 10. A wisdome to know the times or seasons of grace and to imbrace and improve them Hebr. 3. 3. Vanity of spirit that is another old principle in the old heart an old heart is a vain heart and an old mind is a vain mind but when the Lord gives a new heart he then gives a spiritual seriousness unto the heart To work out its salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2. 12. And to serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear Hebr. 12. 28. And to give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 1. 1â— And taking heed of neglecting so great salvation Hebr. 2. 1 3. 4. Hardness this is another principle in an old heart the heart is a stony heart Ezek. 36. 26. and an heart of Adamant Zach. 7. 11 12. But when God gives a new heart there is a principle contrary unto this put into the heart namely a soft and tender and mournful heart Josiah had a tender heart 2 Chron. 34. 27. God maketh my heart soft Job 23. 16. They shall mourn as one mourneth for his only son Zach. 12. 10 5. Pride this is another old principle of the old heart Mark 7. 22. so Psal 73. 6. Pride compasseth them about as with a chain So Jer. 48. 29. We have heard the pride of Moab he is exceeding proud his loftiness his arrogancy and his pride and the haughtiness of his heart So Rom. 1. 30. Deceitful proud boasters But when the Lord gives a new heart there is a principle of humility given which is contrary unto that pride of heart Deut. 33. 3. All his Saints are in thine hand they sit down at thy feet every one shall receive of thy words Psal 131. 1. Lord my heart is not haughty nor mine eyes lofty c. Ver. 2. Surely I have behaved and quieted my self as a childe that is weaned of his mother my soul is even as a weaned childe Acts 20. 19. Serving the Lord with all humility of minde 6. Stubbornness of resistance and unyieldingness this is another principle of an old heart an old heart is a stubborn heart as for the Word which thou hast spoken in the Name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee said they to Jeremiah Jer. 44. 16. Ye always resist the Holy Ghost ye stiffe-necked and uncircumcised in heart said Stephen unto them in Acts 7. 51. But when God gives a new heart there is given a contrary principle unto this even a yielding and obedient spirit to the Word and Will of God Acts 9. 6. Lord what wilt thou have me to do Acts 10 33. We are all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee of God Isa 66. 2. To him that trembleth at my Word Psal 119. 161. My heart standeth in awe of thy Word Rom. 6. 17. Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine which was delivered you 7. Hypocrisie this is another principle in the old heart an old heart is an hypocritical heart it is full of guilt and deceit Jer. 17. 9. Deceitful above all things But when the Lord gives a new heart he gives a principle contrary to this viz. sincerity and uprightness of heart and a true heart John 1. 47. Behold
both convince Preparatively and break the heart of a sinner The Spirit by the Law doth let in the sense of sin and wrath which is irresistible upon the Conscience which is of that authority and force that it rents the heart and fills it with fear and trembling and astonishment This is that which the Schoolmen call Attrition And our Divines usually stile Legal preparation and the Scripture the spirit and bondage whereby all the powers and presumptions and confidences of the soule are shaken and the heart is made so sensible of its transgressions that it quakes and trembles and hath no rest nor peace but is filled with bitterness and terror and cries out with woful complaints I have undone my self I have sinned I have sinned and what will become of me I feel the wrath of God and what shall I do to be delivered I cannot live thus and I dare not dye thus if the Lord shew me not mercy I perish for ever Secondly The Lord takes away the hardness of the heart Effectually and this Effectually he doth when he diâ—solves and melts the stonyness of the heart It is one thing to break a stone into pieces and it is another thing to melt a stone as it were into water Simile The Lord doth by the Law break the stony and stout heart of a sinner but he melts and dissolves the heart by the Gospel and on this wise he doth dissolve and melt it 1. By revealing of mercy and hope of mercy to the broken and distressed sinner thus and thus hast thou â—â—nned against me and now thou seest and findest it to be an evil and bitter thing to slight my Word and resist my Spirit and to harden thy heart thou art now fallen into the hands of the living God and I can make all my wrath to fall on thee and to destroy thee at once for all thy rebellions But I am the Lord merciful and gracious I desire not the death of a sinner but rather that he turn and live Lo I have given mine own Son Jesus Christ to dye for sinners and I have said that whosoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3 16. Therefore go thou broken-hearted sinner go thou unto him and be saved accept of him and thou shalt find mercy to pardon all that is past he is able to save thee to the uttermost and he is a merciful High Priest O how this works on that sinner but is it possible that there should be such a surpassing goodness in God what and to such a proud and stout-hearted sinner as I have been what mercy to one who hath so often slighted mercy and Christ for one who hath so often refused Christ this begins to melt the hard heart of the sinner 2. By the offer of mercy and particular invitation of the broken-hearted sinner to lay hold on it The Lord Jesus comes as it were to the very house of this sinner and knocks at the door and saith Here dwells a broken-hearted sinner and my Father hath sent me to him that I may save his poor soul Come come unto me be not afraid I my self do call thee to come unto me And I do assure thee in the word of a Saviour that I will not reject thee but I will pity and help and refresh thee I will answer for thy sins and I will make thy peace though thou hast been very wicked I will not stand upon that and though thou art utterly unworthy yet I will not stand on that neither only receive me and I will be thine and mercy and salvation shall be thine freely and aâ—suredly 3. By the collation of Faith which makes the sinner willingly and really to close with Christ The Lord by his Spirit doth enable the broken-hearted sinner to receive Jesus Christ and to take livery and seizin of a reconciled merciful loving blessing God in and by him And now the apprehension and possession of all this rich mercy and great love and exceeding goodness of God in Christ melts and dissolves the stonyness of the heart this works in him a tenderness a mournfulness a pliableness and all that is contrary to hardness of heart Thirdly The Lord takes away the stony heart from his people successively Successively or by degrees indeed the dominion of it is taken away in an instant as soon as ever the sinner is brought into Christ as soon as he is called and converted the raigning power of hardness is taken away the man shall never have such a stubborn opposing resisting base heart any longer But yet the grudging of the stone the remaining gravel the reliques of hardness are taken away by degrees the remaining hardnesse the Lord takes away First one while by Afflictions Psal 119. 67. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have kept thy Word Secondly Another while by mercies and kindnesses Ezek. 16. 60. I will remember my Covenant with thee in the dayes of thy youth I will establish unto thee an everlasting Covenant Ver. 61. Then shalt thou remember thy wayes and be ashamed So Hose 3. 5. Afterwards shall the Children return and seek the Lord and shall fear the Lord and his goodness Thirdly Sometimes by his Word and Ordinances which are like Refining fire to melt and purge away our dross How frequently do the people of God find the Word of God to be the power of God to melt away their carelesness and their indisposition of heart and deadness of heart and backwardness and unruliness of heart Fourthly The Lord takes away the stony heart from his people perfectly and compleatly Root and Branch so that no part of it and no degree of it shall Perfectly ever be found in their hearts any more This shall be done in the very moment of death when we come to the dissolution of soul and body we shall then come to the perfect dissolution of all hardness and of all remaining sinfulness of heart Quest 2. Now to the second question why the Lord will take away the stony Why God takes away the stony heart and that by promise The Lord will do it that They may be his people heart from his people and why he himself doth undertake it by promise Sol. The Lord will take away the heart of stone from his people That First They may be his people and receive him for their God and Lord Beloved as long as hardness of heart prevails on any people it is impossible that they should become the people of the Lord they will not hearken to his voice nor obey his voice nor receive his Laws nor fall in with his offers and entreaties but will reject his Word and despise his counsel and will follow the lusts of their own hearts and therefore of necessity the Lord must take away the hardness of heart if he will have any people to be his people he must break down the pride and stoutness and resistance
and with this hedge hath our portion been secured Yet this Providential mercy and goodness of God doth not work kindly and effectually on the hearts of many men no penitential plyableness and obedience at all Hos 11. â— I drew them with cords of a man with bands of love and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws and laid meat unto them Ver. 5. But they refused to return Rom. 2. 4. Despisest thou the riches of the goodness and forbearance and longsuffering of God not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance ver 5. But after thy hardness and impenitent heart c. Nay instead of yielding unto and complying with God by reason of his good hand of blessing many sinners do therefore grow more disobedient and wicked I spake unto thee in thy prosperity but thou saydst I wilt not hear Jer. 22. 21. Deut. 32. 15. But Jesuron waxed fat and kicked then he forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed the Rock of his Salvation Secondly Gods merciful Treaties The Lord sends the Gospel unto a people His merciful Treaties and by that sets open his Mercy-seat and sets up his Throne of Grace and proclaims himself to be the Lord the Lord gracious and merciful in goodness and truth and by it reports unto sinners that he hath raised up an horn of salvation for them that he hath out of his infinite love sent his own Son Jesus Christ into the world to save sinners and that whosoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life And he offers his Christ unto sinners invites them commands them earnestly urgeth them to come unto him to receive him to believe on him and assures them of the pardon of all their sins and of eternal life nay intimates clearly that though they have no worthiness yet they may come and drink of the water of life freely O what merciful dealing is this and yet after all this the hearts of many sinners are no more stirred or drawn than the stones or Rocks Who hath believed our report saith the Prophet Who hath believed our report said Christ Matth. 23. 37. Who hath believed our report said the Apostle Sinners are not gathered and ye will not come unto me that ye might have life Joh. 5. 40. Thirdly Gods merciful Strivings what he offers by his Word he presseth the His merciful Strivings same ofttimes by his Spirit who follows our hearts with one work after another with Humiliation and then with Conviction and then with Pulsation and Excitation the Spirit of God doth ofttimes make sinners to see their sins and their need of Christ and that their life and health and hope is oâ—ly in him and in no other Name and that they shall certainly perish and be damned if they believe not nay he troubles their Consciences and sets them a work to regard Jesus Christ and to comply with his excellent self and gracious offers and yet all this is lost many sinners harden their hearts and will not put their necks into his yoke they will not have him to raign over them Fourthly Gods merciful waitings The Lord doth not presently take the denial His merciful Waitings and forfeiture but waits that he may be gracious comes to the door again renews the offer sends one servant and a second and a third gives yet more time he waits thus on sinners more than three years sometimes more than twenty years sometimes more than fourty years sometimes more than sixty years for so long and perhaps longer doth he continue his Gospel to them yet after all his patient waiting many sinners do continue as they were ignorant proud obstinate impudent and unbelieving and are not drawn either by the goodnesse or by the patience of his grace Fithly Gods merciful warnings when all this works not on sinners then the His merciful Warnings Lord gives notice unto them that if they will not hearken unto his voice of mercy he will forsake them he will give them up unto their own hearts lust and they shall perish and never enter into his rest Joh. 8. 24. If ye believe not that I am he ye shall dye in your sins Hebr. 2. 2. If the word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward ver 3. How shall we escape if we neglect such great salvation which at the first began to be spoken of by the Lord Heb. 12. 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven And yet all the warnings of God that he will not bear any longer that he will close up the day of grace that refusers of his grace in Christ shall not escape but shall receive a just recompence of reward for their disobedience I say all these move not many sinners at all but though they must die in their sins perish and be damned for their unbelief yet will they not yeild to come to Christ Sixthly Gods merciful recoilings or repentings i. e. when the Lord being so His merciful Repentings contemned and provoked by proud and obstinate sinners draws out his wrath and is now ready to execute vengeance on them that obey not his Gospel his hand is even stretched out to destroy yet his bowels work within him and his mercy prevails with his justice for a little forbearance and trial Luk. 13. 7. Behold these three yeers I come seeking fruit on this figtree and find none cut it down O Lord let it alone this year also c. Hose 11. 8. How shall I give thee up Ephraim how shall I deliver thee Israel how shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zeboim mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together ver 9. I will not execute the fiercenesse of mine anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim for I am God and not man Nevertheless though God repents of his wrath yet how few do repent of their sins they do not return to the Lord nor seek him for all this by all which it doth evidently appear that many sinners are destitute of all spiritual softness and tenderness of heart 2ly The convictions in a defective way that many persons do deceive Convictions that many deceive themselves in a false softness themselves with a false softness of heart There are six sorts of softness or tenderness of heart with which many do deceive themselves instead of this true spirituall softness of heart v. g. 1. Exigential softness 2. The Legal softness 3. The Partial softness 4. The Temporary softness 5. Worldly softness 6. The Desperate softness and tenderness First The Exigential softness and tenderness I mean that which ariseth only from fear of punishment as in Ahabs case or from that present sense of
keeps off from all the occasions thereof And from these two Consectaries do flow viz. Great peace in conscience For it is sin committed which disturbes and disquiets the Conscience and breaks up the peace of it but the more that any person is kept from sin the better doth he walk with peace and joy of Spirit Great peace have they that keep thy Law Psal 119. 165. Great confidence in access to God 1 Joh. 3. 21. If our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God And ver 22. Whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his Commandements and do those things which are pleasing in his sight Psal 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me ver 19. But verily God hath heard me be hath attended to the voice of my Prayer Job 11. 13. If thou prepare thine heart and stretch out thine hand toward him ver 14. If iniquity be in thine heart put it farre away ver 15. then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot So Zophar 3. It would be a Table-book for God to write his will upon what the Apostle It would be a Table-book for God to write his will upon spake of the Corinthians that would be affirmed of us 2 Cor. 3. 3. Ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministred by us written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God not in Tables of stone but in fleshly tables of the heart The heart of flesh is the Table on which the Spirit of God writes the will of God his will is there engraven it makes impression it admits and receives the will of God there it is to be seen and read Thy Law is within my heart said David Psal 40. 8. How kindly would the Word of God take with us how powerfully and effectually would it work upon us how easily would it prevail and rule and order us how wonderfully would it prosper amongst us run and be glorified why all our soules would be convinced and converted and allured and brought into Christ and walk in Christ and be obedient to the faith and become the servants of righteousness if we had soft and tender hearts we would no longer walk contrary to God or to his Word we would no longer hate instruction and despise counsel and resist the Spirit but would presently fall down at the feet of God and desire to be taught the wayes of God and be willing and ready and glad to walk in his paths 4. It would be a means of upright walking There are three sorts of people in the world It would be a meanes of upright walking Some that walk not at all with God as all profane Atheists who walk without God and contrary unto God by reason of the blindness and hardnesse of their hearts Some that walk unevenly with God only in some things and in some places and at some times as hypocritical and temporary believers by reason of the unsoundness and deceitfulness of their hearts Some that walk cordially and uprightly before the Lord turning neither to the right hand nor to the left keeping close to the rule in the whole course of their life Isa 66. 7. The way of the just is uprightness they are undefiled in the way do no iniquity but seek the Lord with the whole heart walk in the Law of the Lord and in his wayes Psal 119. 1 2 3. Now softness or tenderness of heart is a special means of this upright walking For 1. It raiseth in the heart an universal regard to all the Commandements of God Psal 119. 6. And ver 10. would not wander from the Commandements and to walk in all well-pleasing before him 2. It fills the heart with a hatred and fear of all sin that it may not offend the Lord in any thing nor at any time nor in any place Still seeing him who is invisible Job 31. 4. Doth not he see my wayes and count all my steps Prov. 5. 21. The wayes of man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings 3. It lifts up the glory of God that is the great end and aim and scope and motive to a tender heart he doth all to the glory of God and so that Christ may be magnified 5. It would be a means of promoting the knowledge of Christ and the power of godliness and of casting down whatsoever is contrary to sound Doctrine and unto the wayes of godliness for it would fill the hearts of men with spiritual compassion to souls with zeal and it would draw out their graces and gifts and powers in a right way for God and for the good and salvation of others If Magistrates had but as much tenderness of heart in relation to the interest of God as to their own interest they would be more quick and active for God than for themselves they would justifie the righteous and condemn the wicked they would countance the faithful in the Land and contemn the profane they would honour and exalt the truth of God and disgrace and repress the errors and blasphemies against God and his truths they would encourage every godly person and they would appear against all open ungodliness and unrighteousness of men If Ministers had more tenderness of heart they would in their places also give all diligence to make Christ known and the truths of Christ and contend for them and oppose men of corrupt minds and that which is Antichrist indeed and they would exceedingly perswade and encourage even to the knowledge of the truth and to the love of the truth and to walk in all manner of holiness and godliness and they would reprove threaten warn and declare the wrath of God against all sorts of wickednesse in all sorts of men If Parents and Masters of Families had this tender heart they would not suffer ignorance and looseness in their dwellings but on the contrary would study and take pains to instruct and teach their children and servants and would reprove and correct c. How would they pray and strive on the behalf of knowledge and faith and holiness and fear of God and of walking with God! Verily the whole Land would in a short time be made an habitation of holiness a Land flowing with knowledge and fear of the Lord had we more of this tendernesse of heart which would undoubtedly make us more zealous and industrious for the glory of God 6. It would be a special help unto stedfastness and perseverance to hold out and continue It is a special help unto stedfastness to the end Jer. 32. 40. I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me As long as fear holds stedfastness doth hold and as long as tenderness of heart continues the fear will continue Again where the heart is soft and tender it makes us to be much in Prayer and diligent and serious in our communion with God
c. Who can pray thus but he who is a child of God but he who hath the Spirit of God to shew unto him his spiritual wants to stirre up in him spiritual and earnest desires to quicken his Faith on God and to depend on his good and faithful Promises in Christ c. Fourthly I will adde one instance more concerning the power in all who have received the Spirit and that is this All who have received the Spirit have received a power to do such works as none else in all the world can do for they are able in the strength and power of the Spirit 1. To abhor the dearest lusts which have formerly been more unto them than their lives and heavenly happiness 2. To forsake Father and Mother Husband and Wife and Children and Friends Houses and Lands for Christ and an afflicted estate with Christ 3. To prize communion with God and to take more satisfying delight therein than in all earthly enjoyments whatsoever But Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Psal 4. 6. Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us Psal 73. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee c. 4. To live by faith in the times of desertion Though he kill me yet will I trust in him Job 13. 15. and in times of desolation when as creature helps and comforts fail Although the Fig-tree shall not blossom neither shall fruit be in the Vine and the labour of the Olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat and the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation Hâ—b 3. 17 18. The Lord God is my strength ver 19. 5. To be contented in every estate and to comply with it Phil. 4. 12 13. and to glorifie God under it O where is this power of the Spirit of God where are any great things or works of the Spirit within us I cannot pray saith one and I cannot leave my sins saith another and I can find and take no delight in God or communion with him saith another and I cannot trust on his Word nor wait upon his Promise c. Few men have any Spiritual power and therefore few men have the Spirit of God Fourthly The Spirit of God is the Spirit of liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty Liberty is a freedom from bondage or slavery and Gospel-liberty which principally respects the soul is a freedom accruing unto us Partly by price and purchace namely by the blood of Christ The Lord Jesus by his death hath purchased many glorious liberties for us he hath freed us from the Law as it is a Covenant of Works Gal. 3. 11 12. and from the curse and wrath ver 13. and from all condemning power of sin c. Rom. 8. 1. Partly by strength and efficacy this liberty comes unto us by the Spirit who puts forth a strong and mighty hand upon all the hearts of all the people of God and rescues and frees them from spiritual slavery under which they were held whiles they were in their natural condition The Spirit of God doth free them First From slavery to sin See Rom. 8. 2 The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death i. e. The power of the Spirit hath freed me out of the hands and power of sin so that it shall not command and rule over me as heretofore it is no longer my Lord nor am I any longer his servant I am delivered and freed from the dominion and tyranny of it and service unto it by the Law i. e. by the powerful and authoritative command and work of the Spirit upon this account the Apostle affirms that all the servants of God are made free from sin Rom. 6. 18 22. they are not in bondage they are not at the command of it sin hath lost its law and authority in them the yoke is broken by the spirit which is given unto them sin indeed will stirre and trouble and usurp but slavery unto it is taken away Isa 10. 27. The yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing Secondly From slavery to Satan Before we receive the Spirit of God we are in bondage unto the Divel who rules or works effectually in us Ephes 2. 2. and takes us captive at his will 2 Tim. 2. 26. as one that hath a bird tyed c. O what power hath Satan over a natural man how he fetters and shackles and binds him and imprisons him and makes him to drudge in the fulfilling of his motions and obeying of his suggestions and temptations But now when the Spirit of God comes into us he spoiles the strong man armed and takes from him all the armour wherein he trusted Luke 11. 21 22. For he is stronger than he 1 Joh. 4. 4. He leads captivity captive he turns us from Satan unto God Acts. 26. 18. Object But Satan still tempts and assaults never was man so tempted as I am Sol. Temptation is one thing and salvation is another he bestirred himself in tempting and we obeyed he now tempts and we resist He frees us from him 1. By making us to abhor his Kingdom 2ly By translating us out of his power into the Kingdom of Christ 3ly By arming us with the armour of God against his assaults 4ly By stirring us up to resist him Jam. 4 7. Resist the Divel and he will flee from you And 5ly By strengthening us to overcome him 1 Joh. 2. 13. Ye have overcome the wicked one Thirdly From slavish fear and a slavish spirit in working in this respect he makes us to serve God without fear Luk. 1. 74. that is without servile fear for there is a twofold fear There is Timor filialis which is grounded in the love of God as a Father and there is Timor servilis which looks upon God only as a Judge and hath a respect to fo wrath Now when the Spirit of God is given unto us we do not serve God tor fear of wrath and punishment and damnation but out of love and reverence and ingenuity Though there were no Law to curse us though there were no Conscience to terrifie us though there were no Hell to burn us yet the Lord our God and Father we will love and him will we serve Fourthly From slavish indispositions as averseness to what is good and indelightfulness in it They that are anointed by the Spirit and power of God it makes them ready and willing out of love and working out of love Fifthly The Spirit of God is a Spirit of truth Joh. 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter Ver. 17. even the Spirit of truth John 16. 13. When the Spirit of truth is come he will guide yâ—u into all truth SECT I. THere are divers
not neglect these motions do not throw them aside and do not delay or defer to act them remember it you shall be able to do much at that time when the Spirit of God stirs your hearts if you presently act upon his actings of you Simile as the ship moves the faster when the Mariner takes the wind and tide but if you neglect them the work will be more difficult and your hearts will be more untoward and backward and hardened Object But some will say It is an hard thing to know what motions are the motions How to know the motions of the Spirit of the Spirit if we could certainly know them to be his we would not neglect them Sol. You may know the motions which are stirring of you to be the motions of the Spirit of God by the conjunction of these Adjuncts First They are holy and heavenly they do resemble himself he never moves They are holy you to any evil but only to what is good and spiritual to get grace to increase it to exercise it to mortifie your sins to beware of all incentives and provecation unto sin c. Secondly They are conformable to the written Word All hâ—s motions are Agreeable to the Word but the setting on of Gods commands upon your heart and lives he moves you not and stirs you not to do any thing but what the Word of God expresly commands Thirdly They are suitable to your place and condition The spirit moves to Suitable to our place and condition do that good work wâ—ich belongs to us in our place He did not move Vzza to put forth his hand to hold the Ark nor Uzziah to burn incense It pertaineth not to thee Uzziah to burn incense unto the Lord but unto the Priests the sons of Aaron that are consecrated to burn incense 2 Chron. 26. 18. He is the Author of order and not of confusion he moves men to exercise the gifts which he hath given them in the places and callings wherein he hath set them Fourthly They are seasonable He puts in good motions not to hinder a present good work but to further it when we are sometimes praying or hearing you shall They are seasonable have many good things presented unto your minds which come not from the Spirit of God but from Satan for they are put in as diversions and distractions from that good work in hand but when they are from the Spirit they are seasonable and helpful As when you are hearing and 〈◊〉 and confessing your sins all those good motions which drop into you to humble your hearts enlarge your hearts to attend to mark and remember and to yield consent and obedience and to take delight to raise heavenly resolutions to walk according to the will of God revealed these are motions from the Spirit Fifthly They are gentle and spiritually rational men talk of impulsives and violent They are gentle motions upon their spirits for particular works for the doing of which they can give no religious account or ground Those are dangerous motions and are to be suspected and questioned but the motions of the Spirit are not turbulent nor violent though they be strong yet they are gentle they are leadings but not disquieting motions Secondly Neglect not the removings of the Spirit The Spirit of God by reason of our spiritual pride and security and formality and other sins may remove from us i. e. you may not find that comfort from him and you may not find that strength and assistance and vigor from him and you may discern a general Hatness and lowness in your graces and services they come not off with that zeal with that delight with that care with that love with that importunity with that fervency with that faith as formerly and you are more ready to fall under temptations and sinful occasions you cannot make that resistance which you were wont to do The Spirit in these cases is removing and withdrawing And it is a most dangerous folly now to sit still and to be careless and regardless If a Guard which preserves you draw off are you not in danger are you not exposed to enemies why all your strength support sufficiency safety is in the presence of Gods Spirit Therefore take notice of his removings or or withdrawings at any time and do it quickly and seriously for though his removes be not usually all at once yet the oftner he removes he removes the farther from you and the farther he removes the stronger will hardness grow upon you Quest Why what is to be done in this case Sol. I will tell you How to prevent the Spirits removoings First Search your hearts and enquire what is amiss what cause you have given unto the Spirit of God thus to withdraw from you what harndness what offence you may read in Scripture these causes 1. Pride of heart as in Hezekiah 2. Self-confidence as in Peter 3. Careless neglect as in the Church Cant. 5. 6. I opened to my beloved but my beloved had withdrawn himself See the cause of this in Ver. 3. I have put off my coat how shall I put it on 4. Foule transgressions as in David Psal 51. He had almost lost all Secondly Then repent it is the counsel given to the Church of Ephesus which lost her first love Rev. 2. 4. 5. Thirdly Cry out with David Psal 51. 11. Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me O Lord I am willing to let my sin go but I cannot be willing let thy Spirit go When the spirit is removing move after him and lay hold on him with tears and supplications and faith and say O forsake me not utterly O return in mercy revive thy work again in me and quicken and restore and establish me c. Fourthly Do not injure the Spirit Ezek. 36. 27. And I will put my Spirit within you c. SECT VI. 4. THe fourth Caution which concerns them that have the Spirit given unto Injure not the Spirit How the Spirit may be injured By bearing false witness against the spirit them is this Take heed you do not injure or wrong the Spirit Injure the Spirit will some say how can any man injure the Spirit of God A man may injure the Spirit of God four wayes First By bearing false witness against the Spirit Wicked men do injure the spirit by railing and by reviling his gifts and graces and good men do injure the spirit by denying and disowning of them upon every temptation and every weakness and upon every failing O they have no faith and no love and no sincerity of heart and the Spirit of God never wrought any Renewing work or saving work in their hearts and they cannot attain unto those joyes and comforts which the people of God do meet with But beloved why do we charge the Spirit of God thus foolishly Is it a small thing for you to weary men but
would not seem unto us a servile burden but a gracious priviledge and special favour that we might freely approach to God and be imployed as servants unto him Object Onely here take heed of a mistake that you do not look on love to God as the rule of your obedience but only as a sweet inward spring or principle of it Sol. Some who would cancel the Law as to believers would make our Love is not the only rule of our obedience love to God the rule of all our obedience to God but this is not sound doctrine For 1. That which is a part of our obedience cannot be the rule of our obedience Now love is a part of a mans obedience as well as faith and fear c. Antinomians confuted 2. No rule of mans obedience must be imperfect but perfect and full now our love is imperfect and therefore it cannot be the rule of our obedience Get humble and tender hearts Sixthly If you would walk in Gods statutes and do them then you mâ—st gâ—â— humble hearts and tender hearts Simile It is with our hearts as with mettals digged out of the earth which are impure and hard and as so of little or no use but when they are melted and purged they are then capable of being useful and being serviceable vessels Thus it is with our hearts whiles they are unbroken and hard and proud they are rebellious disobedient reprobate to every good work Exod. 5. 2. Pharaoh said Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to leâ— Israel go I know not the Lord neither will I let Israel go Psal 119. 21 Thoâ— hast rebuked the proud that are cursed which do erre from thy Commandements Jer. 44. 16. The proud men Chap. 43. 2. spake As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee But when the Lord gives unto men humble and tender hearts now they will close with and submit unto Gods statutes and to a walking in them Deut. 33. 3. All his Saints are in thy hand and they sate down at thy feet every one shall receive of thy word Lord said Paul when the pride and rage of his spirit was off and himself himself what wilt thou have me to do Acts. 9. 6. You read in James 4. 6. that God gives grace to the humble And Psal 25. 9. The meek will he teach his way c. Hence saith Christ Matth. 11. 29. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart intimating unto us that there is no taking upon us the yoke of obedience untill we first learn of him the lesson of lowliness of heart An humble and tender heart is wholly at Gods disposing and ready for his service most affraid to offend and dishonour him and most ready to give audience to every part of his will and to to do it and to bring him honour and glory in the whole course of a mans life Beseech the Lord to give you this humble and tender heart without which you will neither regard God nor his statutes 2. Quest What mistakes are we to take heed of in walking in Gods statutes or What we must take heed of in walking in Gods wayes in the performance of our duties of obedience unto him Sol. There are these things which you must take heed of in your walking and in your performance of duties First You must take heed of formality and resting in the opus operatum in the meere doing of duties commanded There are two parts of duties there is Of Formality the body of it and there is the soul of it there is the work and there is the manner of working As in Prayer there are the words of prayer and there is the Spirit of Prayer and in hearing of the Word there is the meer hearing and there is the right hearing or the spiritual hearing of the Word Now we must take heed that we content not our selves with the meer outward doing of any duty because 1. God requires more then the meer outward work My son saith he give God requires the heart me thy heart Prov. 23. 26. And Christ saith that God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth Joh. 4. 4 2. God Abhors and rejects the meer outward service Isa 29. 13. Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth and with their lips do honour me and have removed their hearts far from me and their fear towards me is taught by precepts of men Ver. 14. therefore behold I will proceed to do a marvellous worke amongst this people a marvellous work and a wonder for the wisdom of the wise men shall perish c. Now there are four things which demonstrate that men do perform duties in a formal manner and content themselves with the meer opus operatum Why do men rest in the work done It s an easie service 1. One is the facility of their obedience To perform any one duty to make any one prayer in a spiritual manner will cost us much care and watchfulness many workings of heart many workings of faith and fear but to perform duties in a carnal formal way costs a man nothing if he can but read or say his prayers this is all and there he rests 2. A second is the deadness of the services It is a service without any heart It s a dead service at all the understanding acts not and the will acts not and the affections act not in it the man confesseth sin without any grief of heart for sin and even prays for grace and mercy without any longing desires or faith in Christ or the promises to obtain it 3. A carelesness of service The formal man minds not God nor any communion A careless service with him and minds not prayer and minds nothing beyond prayer whether his own heart be right or no and whether God regards him and answers him this he minds not 4. A fruitlesness of doing Nothing comes of the formal work of duty the man saith a prayer but no good comes of it and he hears but no good comes of it A fruitless service still he prayes and still he hears and still he reads and still he is drunk and still he swears c. Secondly You must take heed of neutrality in walking in Gods statutes neutrality Take heed of neutrality is an indifferent participation of both extreams it hath something of the one and something of the other as luke-warm water hath something of heat and something of cold So the man who is guilty of neutrality in walking in Gods statutes he hath one foot in the wayes of God and another foot in the wayes of wickedness he halts between two Opinions he is not only for God nor only for Baal 1 King 18. 21. he is not altogether for Gods commands nor
to be at peace with us But these works done by us though never so penitential and holy they cannot take off our sins and they cannot be our peace O no! the provocations raised by our sins are too high and too great for any work of ours to compass Though God will not pardon your sins nor be reconciled unto you unless you do repent pray and seek his face and believe yet ' tiâ— not repâ—â—tance and 't is not prayer and 't is not faith that takes up the differences that reconciles you to God It is only Jesus Christ He is our peace Ephes 2. 14. And he is the propitiation for our sins 1 Joh. 2. 2. The chastisement of our peace was laid on him Isa 53. 5. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself 2 Cor. 5. 19. We were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Rom. 5. 10. And by him we receive the atonement Ver. 11. Object But do we not read that God hath pardoned the sinnes of his people and hath spoken peace unto them upon their humblings and returnings aâ—â— prayers Sol. Yes we do upon these works but never for these works these did noâ— make peace but Christ it was who made peace these did not purchase forgiveness of sins but the blood of Christ it was which did purchase that therefore take heed you set up none of your obediential performances in the plaâ—e of Christ perform them you must if you would have mercy and peace but do not rely on them but on the merits of Christ only to procure your peace Fifthly You must not walk in Gods statutes or perform holy duties only to We must not perform duties to still our consciences How men set up works to quiet conscience still and quiet your conscience you must perform them out of conscience but you must not perform them only to quiet conscience In two cases some men set upon works of obedience only to still and quiet conscience 1. One is the case of education and custome They have been brought up religiously and have been accustomed to read and pray and if at any time they do neglect and omit these duties conscience is upon them and upbraids and disquiets them and they are afraid to neglect them lest conscience will question and trouble them 2. Another is the case of transgression when men have committed some great sin against God thereupon conscience becomes impatient and accuseth and condemns and terrifies them and now they fall a praying and mourning and confessing and reforming but all this is to quiet conscience and they do find sometimes that under these performances their consciences are a little allayed and quieted and for that end do those take them up as a charm to allay their consciences and when their consciences are quieted then they lay aside strictness of walking in Gods statutes and all sincere care of obedience and are ready to transgress again O take heed of this this is but hypocrisie and this will end in hardness of heart at the last He that performs duties only to quiet conscience that it shall not accuse him for sin will at length venture upon a course of high transgressions against conscience and will turn his troubled conscience into a seared conscience Sixthly You must not perform your duties for any self or vain-glorious end We must not perform duties for self enâ—â— It was Ephraims folly that he brought forth fruit unto himself Hose 10. 1 It was Jehu's sin that he sought himself rather than God in what he did and it was the Pharisees hypocrisie that in their fasting and preaching and abundances they looked at the praise of men verily saith Christ ye have your reward Matth. 6 5. all that you look at is the praise of men and all that ever you shall receive is but the praise of men for their sakes you did these things and from them take your reward you did them not with a respect to Gods glory for his sake and therefore you shall have no acceptance and no recompeâ—ce from him at all 3. Quest Now follows the third Question viz. What Rules we must observe in our walking in Gods statutes so that we may please him and our obedience may be accepted of him Sol. Beloved This question is of very great use unto us It is not enough that How to please God in our obedience we do the things which God requires but we must have a care to do them so as that God may be pleased and so as what we do may be accepted Col. 1. 10. Walk worthy of the Lord in all pleâ—sing Heb. 12. 28. Let us have grace that we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear Chap. 13. 24. Make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight Chap. 15. 5. Enoch before his translation had this testimony that he pleased God Remember by the way these three hints First Many men do not mind the pleasing of God nor his acceptance in what Some mind not the pleasing of God they do they bring their gift to the Altar and there they leave it but whether God accepts it at their hands and be well-pleased with what they have done they mind it not Secondly Many think that if a good work be done God must needs be pleased with it What! God commands Prayer and yet not accepts of it nor be Others think that God must needs be pleased with their works pleased with it I answer God requires the manner as well as the matter and the work done is not accepted if it be not done aright did not the Lord command sacrifice and did not Cain sacrifice yet God had no respect to him nor his offering Gen. 4. 5. Did not God command prayer unto the Jews yet saith Isa 1. 15. When you spread forth your hearts I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not hear why so for your hands are full of blood therefore David saith Psal 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me Thirdly it is a great judgement when neither a person nor his works are accepted with God and please him not when the Lord saith my soul hath no It s a great judgement not to be accepted with God pleasure in him and I regard not his prayings nor his fastings nor readings nor hearings nor any good he doth If God regards not thee nor thy good works how doth he abhor thee and thy wicked works if he will condemn thee for them what will he do unto thee for these Many ignorant superstitious creatures have high thoughts of their good meanings and of their devout serving of God and place all their confidence upon them But when they give up their accounts they will find that none of these were pleasing to God nor accepted of him Depart from me ye workers of
David I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever then mayst thou confidenly say with him Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the dayes oâ— my life Psal 23. 6. 2ly Their great sin in Revolting and giving over walking in Gods The great sin of Revolters Statutes There is a Question which I have read somewhere of Infidels and Hereticks and Apostates which of them do sin more heinously And it is Resolved that the Apostate is the greatest sinner of them defection is a greater sin then the negation of subjection because in defection or Apostasie 1. More of God is rejected and the Apostate sins more against God Why Apostaâ—es are such great sinners 2. Having received the knowledge of God and his wayes 3. And likewise breaks asunder more bonds which lay upon him to continue his obedience And indeed the Apostle speaking of Apostates delivers three things concerning them which do set out their sins unto amazment Heb. 6. 6. First One is that its impossible to renew them againe unto repentance How great It s impossible to renew them is that sin which doth so harden the hearts of men that he doth never repent of it nay can never repent of it nay that it is impossible to renew him again to repentance A Second is that they crucify to themselves the Son of God they deal with They crucify to themselves Christ a fâ—esh Christ as the Jews did who rejected and crucified him O what a sin is this to crucify the Son God and to crucify him a fresh to pierce his heart and to shed his blood the second time The third is that they put him to open shame they themselves do put a reproach They put him to open shame and contempt upon Christ and cause others so to do as if Christ were not a master fit to be followed and his wayes were not worth our regarding and that the poor woâ—ld and our base sins are rather to be regarded and embâ—aced and followed then the Lord Jesus and his precepts and his wayes And take one thing more that never did any fall off or turn away from walking in Gods statutes but he grew far more wicked then ever he was before and likewise a desperate enemies to the wayes of God 3ly Their great danger and judgement This I shall shew unto you in three Particulars First Revolters or Apostates are judicially given up to the great power of Satan The great danger and judgement of Apostates They are given up to Satan The Lord doth in his just judgement give them over unto Satan that he should rule them and that they should be his sworn servants who will break off with God and refuse to serve him any longer Mat. 12. 44. That unclean spirit returned unto his house from whence he came out ver 45. and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself and enter they in and dwell there and the last estate of that man is worse than the first Secondly They are judicially given up to the power of their sinful lusts they And to the power of their lusts grow worse and worse they having cast away the cords and all fear of God there is no wickedness but they are ready to obey it and they do now go on in their daring wayes of bold profaness with seared consciences Thirdly They are judiciously given up to the powers of damnation therefore And to the power of damnation it is said that they draw back unto perdition Heb. 10. 39. And the soul of God hath no pleasure in them Ver. 38. O what a dreadful condition is this to forsake the path of life and heaven and to turn back to walk in the path of death and Hell Fourthly They are many times in their life given up to exceeding terrors They are oft given up to terrors of conscience and despair of conscience and despair You may read this in Judas who turned back and what horror did that poor creature fall into he forsook his Master and left the path of life for a few pieces of silver but what got he by this he lept out of the ship into the Sea he could never meet with rest or peace afterwards but conscience brake in pieces and did so pursue him with guilt and terror that thereupon he fell into absolute despair and made an end of himself Simile The like you read of Spira who revolted from the truth and the path of Evangelical obedience after clear convictions and secret warnings of Conscience but what befell him O he presently fell into terror of conscience and despair and never could recover the least hopes of mercy to his dying day Fifthly They are many times punished by some extraordinary judgement here They are oft punished with extraordinary judgements on earth Take an instance in Israel and Judah they gave up to walk any longer in Gods statutes and wayes they forsook God and his Laws and what came of this why God forsook them and gave them up to their own hearts lusts and at last overthrew them with an utter destruction and scattered them over the face of the earth So you read of Joash who did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all the dayes of Jehoiada the Priest 2 Chron. 24. 2. But afterwards Ver. 18. He left the house of the Lord and served Groves and Idols but what befell him for this you read of two great judgements that did befall him one in verse 24. That the Syrians came in with a small company of men and the Lord delivered a great Host into their hand because they had forsaken the Lord so they executed judgement against Joash The other is in ver 25. His servants conspired against him and slew him SECT II. 2. Use SHould the people of God continue proceed on and persevere in walking in Gods statutes then you who are the people of God give me leave to offer unto you 1. A few Cautions about your walking 2. A few exhortations concerning our walking 3. A few encouragements for your walking continued walking in Gods statutes 1. The Cautions about your walking You see that it is your duty to walk on to proceed to persevere in walking in Gods statutes therefore take heed unto your selves and beware of four Cautions about our walking in Gods statutes Beware of slothfulness things First Beware of slothfulness and carelesness at any time in doing the will of God or in walking in his wayes Rom. 12. 11. Be not slothful in business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord. When a man doth a business slothfully he doth it with a slight spirit he doth not put out himself not his strength he hath no care in doing of it he doth it not with a serious and diligent spirit but remisly and indifferently as one not affected about what he doth nor addicted unto it saith the Apostle Heb. 6. 11. We desire that every
obedience is still accepted that which God principally looks at in our services of him is our Sincerity is ever accepted heart My son give me thy heart Prov. 23. 26. and the uprightness of our hearts his eyes are upon the truth and he is a God that takes pleasure in uprightness 1 Chron. 23. 19. A man is sincere in obedience when 1. He intends the glorifying of God Who are sincere in obedience in what he doth 2ly When he serves God with a willing heart 3ly When he puts out all the present strength and might of his soule in doing the will of God Now although this person falls very short of perfection in his works of obedience and many failings accompany his duties yet God passes by them and God is the Father of such as are upright takes no notice of them will not reject but will accept of them and of his weak services And there are three Demonstrations of this 1. God whom he serves with his spirit is his Father and of a very merciful and gracious nature Psal 103. 13. Like as a Father pities his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him Mal. 3. 17. I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him 2. He hath made many indulgent promises to him Isa 30. 19. He will be God hath made many promises to such very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry when he shall hear it he will answer thee Chap. 56. 7. Even them will I bring to my holy Mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer their burnt-offerings and their sacrifice shall be accepted upon mine Altar c. 3. Jesus Christ bears away all the iniquities of our holy offerings and by his Christ bears away all the iniquities of such merits procures the acceptance of all our services Rev. 8. 3. He is that Angel that stood at the Altar having a golden censer who had much incense given unto him that he should offer it with prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which is before the Throne Ver. 4. And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand Now this is a singular Encouragement unto us to hold on stedfast in our walking in Gods statutes never to be weary in well doing For our labour is not in vain in the Lord not any work of obedience is lost not a Prayer not a tear not any one work performed with sincerity of heart but it is graciously accepted Fifthly There is no safety in going back from walking in Gods stautes and there is no hazard in going forward and holding on unto No safety in going back â—â—e end First There is no safety in going back from walking in Gods statutes For â—â—â—s only is the path of life and the path of salvation he that turns from it â—â—â—iseth his own soul he is lost he is out of protection out of blessings out 〈◊〉 promised good and shall be sure to meet with curse and wrath and â—â—â—â—ction â—â—condly There is no hazard in going forward and holding out un to the 〈◊〉 end You cannot hazard 1. Your souls by it for he that keepeth the Commandement keepeth No hazard in going forward his soule 2. The recompence you expect by it for he that continues to the end shall be saved 3. Your safety by it for God is a Sun and a Shield unto them that walk uprightly Psal 84. 11. The Lord is with you whiles you are with him 2 Chron. 15. 2. 4. Your honour by it Those that honour me I will honour 1 Sam. 2. 30. 5. Any outwardly blessing by it For Prov. 3. 23. The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked but he blesseth the habitation of the just Prov. 28. 10. The upright shall have good things in possession And ver 20. A faithful man shall abound with blessings There is no death but life no curse but blessing no danger but safety no loss but gain in walking in c. Sixthly Though we meet with many oppositions in the stedfast walking Many higher encouragements yet you have higher and greater encouragements to the certainty of that way There are four things which do shew that the walking on in Gods statutes is the true way to heaven 1. The holiness of it 2. The warrantableness of it 3. The aim of the traveller 4. The universal opposition made against it by Satan by all ungodly men and by the remaining corruptions in every mans heart it is the opposed and discouraged way Nevertheless you have higher and greater Encouragements to hold on your walking in the way of Gods statutes e. g. 1. The excellency of the way itself it is the way of God and the way It s an excellent way of life and the way of holinesse the way of Christ the way of peace and rest 2. The company of travellers The best men that ever were upon earth did The company of travellers chuse this way to walk in Enoch walked with God so did Noah and so did Abraham and so did all the excellent Kings mentioned in Scripture David Jehoshaphat Hezekiah Josiah and so did all the faithful Prophets of God and so did Christ and all the faithful Disciples and so do all the Saints of God who are the excellent on earth and so did all the souls which are now glorified in heaven should not this encourage you to hold on your course in walking in Gods statutes all that are now in heaven have gone on in this course and all that shall come to heaven do so It is the path of the just still the living walk in it The delight of God 3. The delight of God The Lord himself loves you and owns you and takes pleasure in you approves of you and commends you there was no King like Josiah c. Seest thou my servant job c. Psal 147. 11. The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him And 149 4. The Lord taketh pleasure in his people And Prov 11. 20. Such as are uprigh in their way are his delight 4. The promise of God O how many and how choice and how sweet The promise of God Isa 41. 10. Fear thou not for I am with thee be not dismaid for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness Ver. 11. Behold all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded they shall be as nothing and they that strive with thee shall perish Rev. 3. 8. Thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word Ver. 9. Behold I will make them of the Synagogue of Satan behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee 5. The actual comforts encouragings and refreshings from the Lord Acts Actual
exceeding great danger of self-confidence to do any good and The danger of self-confidence there are three dangers which will befal you 1. You will be but poor and barren and insufficient so as to do nothing at all as the ship lies still if the winde stirs not without me you can do nothing you will be weaker then the weakest Christian the weakest Christian trusting on Christ and the promise will be able to do much when you relying on your self-ability will be able to do nothing There are two sorts of being Two sorts of being One is absolute and of it self as God is who is of himself and can work alone by and from himself Another is depending such a being is every creature yea and every created grace which as it is by virtue of Gods grace so it acts in virtue of his assistance As a beam of the sun is made alive by the sun and it gives light by the continued influence of the sun part it and the sun it is nothing so c. 2 God will leave you at least a while unto your selves that you may be ashamed of your confidence and see your selves to be but vanity that you are indeed without strength and utterly insufficient of your selves and that you stand only and work only in the presence of his might You read that God hath left his servants in four cases In what cases God leaves his servants One when they have been idle and careless and venturing upon the occasions of sin this was Davids case A second when they have not stedfastly believed his word but have given credit to Satan upon this he left Adam and Eve unto themselves A third when they have ventured upon evil company in this case he left Sampson A fourth when they have presumed upon their own strength and sufficiency and in this he left Peter 3. And now you will not be able to do any good nay not able to withstand the greatest sins Satan will be too hard for you and so will sin we shall quickly hear you complaining of hardness of heart and of deadness of heart and of unbelief of heart and I wish these were the worst God doth some times cure the proud self-confidence and the proud self-sufficiencies of his people by leaving them to some gross and vile falls as David and Peter c. Fourthly There is indeed no self-sufficiency in you although sometimes Wherein our weakness appears you veryly imagine and fancy it and I would convince you of this by your own experience 1. You cannot pull down any one sin that troubles you by your own strength it will move and strive and tempt and follow you and do what you can by all your own strength it doth many times captivate you 2. You cannot rise out of any sinful fall unless the Lord gives you his hand to lift you up there your feet stick in the mire and every grace that you have is nonplussed repentance will not stir and sorrow will not melt and faith will not take hold unless the Lord himself comes in with new strength and assistance you cannot deliver your selves 3. You cannot many times act any one grace when your desires are so to do you finde your hearts many times hard but you cannot soften them dull and you cannot quicken them straitened and you cannot enlarge them you would mourn but cannot fetch up your tears you would believe but you cannot stretch forth one act of faith all that comes from you is Lord help my unbeliefe you would pray but are not able c. 4. If it were in your power and self-strength to act and to do any good works and to walk in Gods Statutes then 1. Why do you make your prayers to God for his help 2. Why have the people of God acknowledged their own inability It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps 3. Why do the works of obedience stick and go on so heavily when they rest on our hands 4. Why is it that they go on so freely and easily when God is pleased to put out his assistance I will run the way of thy Commandements when thou shalt enlarge my heart saith David Psal 119. 32. SECT III. 3. Use DOth the Lord promise to cause his people to walk in his Statutes What duties it may teach us and to do them this may instruct or teach us especially the people of God four necessary duties 1. To be alwayes sensible of their own weakness and infficiencie 2. Not to dispond or cast down their hearts because of the greatness of any To be alwayes sensible of our weakness work or dutie which God requires of them 3. To depend on God and to make him their strength and help for all the works which they are to perform 4. To give the praise of all to God First To be alwayes sensible of their own weakness and insufficiencie Two things are of great use unto every Christian one is still to believe Gods alsufficiencie the other is still to acknowledge his own insufficiencie When you are to do any work or dutie suppose it be to repent to believe to pray to preach to withstand a temptation to cast out a sinful corruption preserve in your hearts a sense of your own weakness and insufficiencie as Paul spake so do you Lord who is sufficient for these things 2 Cor. 2. 16. I can do nothing by my own strength here is much work but of my self I can do nothing I am not able to carrie it on There are three Reasons why I offer this advice unto you because many persons Reasons of it are not sensible of their own weakness and insufficiency to spiritual acts of obedience e. g. 1. Such â—s make nothing of the most solemn duties of communion with God they feel not the weight of those services It is all one with them to go to the Lords as to go to their own table it is all one with them to repent of sin as to commit sin it is all one with them to believe on Christ as to say that they believe on Christ it is all one with them to pray as to speak are these men sensible of their weakness and insufficiency unto any duty unto whom the performance of every duty is so easie 2. Such as are seldom in prayer when they are to do any work commanded them of God these men do not see their own weakness and insufficiency they do imagine that they are able to carry on their work in their own strength without the strength of God else they would be much in prayer to God for his help and for his assistance 3. Such as mind not the promises of God to enable them and never make use of them Surely the child thinks himself able to go alone who refuseth the hand and help of the Nurse c. Secondly Because a right sensibleness of your own weakness is a special means to
make you strong for any work of God That passage of Paul is observable 2 Cor. 12. 10. Wheâ— I am weak then am I strong this seems to be a contradiction but it is not so It is as if he had said When I find that I am weak in my self then am I made strong by the strength of Christ How so will you say How comes a man to be made strong by Christ who findes himself to be but weak I will sheâ—â—ou how this comes to pass 1. The sense of his own weakness is a means to put him upon much prayer to 〈◊〉 for strength 2. The sense of his own weakness is an occasion to put him upon faith in Christ to rely on him to make Christ his strengâ—h and to draw more grace and strength from him in whose strength he shall be able to do all things Thirdly Because the Lord hath a special compassion and a very tender regard to persons truely sensible of their own weakness The Lord hath a tender regard unto three sorts of men 1. Unto those that are sensible of their sins He bindes up the broken To whom God hath a tender regard in heart 2. Unto those that are sensible of their own unworthiness The poor Publican went home justified 3. And unto those that are sensible of their own weaknesse and insufficiency to do any good Concerning these God gives command Isa 35. 3. Strengthen the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees And Zech. 12. 8. He that is fâ—eble among them shall be as David And to these especially hath the promise in the Text a respect I will cause c. Secondly Not to despond or cast down their hearts by reason of the greatness or by reason of the multiplicity and by reason of the difficulty of the works and duties which God requires from them depth and breadth and length of mens obedience are nothing as long as there is depth and breadth and length oâ— Gods assistance I confess that these would be strong discouragements were we to traverse the wayes and works of God by our strength but they should not make any discouraging impression seeing our hands shall be made strong by the Almighty arm of God Is any thing too hard for the Lord he is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that wâ— can ask or think Ephes 3. 20. according to the power that worketh in us God is pleased to charge all the essential duties of obedience upon the weakest of his people and there is no severity or injustice in this because as the strongest cannot do the least duty by his own strength so the weakest Christian shall be made able also to do the greatest duty in the strength of God Never say If I were so strong as such or such a one then I could do much but I am weak I tell you that the strong Christian without the help of God is but weak and the weak Christian with the help of his God is strong But to remove all dispondency of heart from weak Christians about their many What weak Christians should remember and great and continual works of obedience I would desire them carefully to remember and lay up four singular Adjuncts or ingredients in that helping and assisting grace which God doâ—h promise unto them 1. Coextention as to all the parts and times of duty 2. Sufficiency as to enabling for these duties 3. Redundancy or exuberancy there is help enough and to spare 4. Infallibility or certainty of enjoying that assisting grace if they look up to God for it First Coextention The helping or assisting grace of God promised unto his people is not limited or restrained to this or that particular duty not to this or that particular time of life but it extends to all our work and for all the dayes of our life First It extends to all the duties which God requires of us what the Apostle Assisting grace extends to all our works and at all times spake in another case 2 Cor. 1. 5. As the sufferings of Christ abound in us so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ That may be said in this case As our duties and services abound so the help and strength of Gods assisting grace abounds towards us Our duties are sometimes summed up 1. Into the love of God And 2ly Into the love of our neighbour and the promise of assisting grace extends to both these For the one see Deut. 30. 6. I will circumcise c. For the other see Isa 11. 6. The Wolf shall dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid c. Ver. 9. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy Mountain Our duties are sometimes summed up into 1. Affirmative 2ly Negative the one is of the good which we are to do the other is of the evil which we are to forsake and you have the promise of assisting grace as to both of them For these see Rom. 6. 14. And Ezek. 18. They shall come thither and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof Our duties are sometimes summed up 1. Into active And 2ly into passive both these have assisting grace promised for the first Ye shall keep my judgements and do them For the second it is given unto you on the behalf of Christ to suffer for his Name Phil. 1. 39. Secondly It extends unto our duties for all the dayes of our life assisting grace is promised to come in as duties are to go on Isa 40. 31. They shall renew their strength Chap. 41. 1. Let the people renew their strength Chap. 46. 3. Hearken unto me O house of Jacob and all the remnant of the house of Israel which are born by me from the belly which are carried from the womb Ver. 4. And even to the old age I am he and even to hoary hairs will I carry you I have made and I will bear even I wiill carry and will deliver you Secondly Sufficiency There is a sufficiency in that assisting grace promised to enable the people of God effectually for the greatest and hardest duties which I shall clear by a few instances Said God to Abraham Gen. 22. 2. Take thy sonne thine only sonne Isaac There is a sufficiency in assisting grace whom thou lovest and get thee into the Land of Moriah and offer him there for a burnt burnt-offering c. Was not this a very hard and difficult work to perform against which all the strength of nature might rise yea and grace itself might have disputed the lawfulness of it nevertheless Abraham was enabled to obey this command Heb. 11. 17. Again is it not a great work for a person to leave all that he hath and then to submit himself unto a suffering condition Yet the people of God have been enabled unto this Moses left all his honor and riches and pleasure and enjoyments in Egypt and chose rather to suffer affliction with the
do much more but all those gracious experiences without any assistance and influence from God will not be sufficient unto you Secondly We should especially depend upon God for his strength and sufficiencie then when we do meet with the greatest strength of opposition to the performing of any good work or works as David in another case when the people spake of stoning him he did then encourage himself in the Lord his God 1 Sam. 30. 6. Or as Jehoshaphat when that great multitude came against him and God promised him deliverance said he Believe in the Lord your God and ye shall be established 2 Chron. 20. 20. So should we do when we meet with strong â—ppositions and hinderances when we are to work or when we are working the work or works commanded us of God we should now by faith look up to God and rest on his arme of gracious power to uphold our hearts and to cary us out unto our dutiful performances How many temptations do we many times meet with from Satan and how many threatnings and scoffs and reproaches and incounters do we meet many times with from ungodly men and from carnal parents and friends and from secret enemies of â—od and his wayes All which do tend to discourage our hearts and to weaken our hands and to interrupt or divert our feet from walking in Gods wayes and from doing of the works which God requirs of us in our places Now this is the time to look up to God and to trust on him to encourage and enable the heart to serve him to hold on in walking before him with all faithfulness wisdome zeal and patience now make use of that promise in Esa 41. 10. Fear thou not for I am with thee be not dismaid for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness Zech. 4. 6. This is the wâ—rd of the Lord unto Zorobabel saying Not by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hosts Ver. 7. Who art thou O great mountain before Zorobabel thou shalt become a plain and he shall bring forth the head-stone thereof with shoutings crying Grace grace unto it Thirdly We should especially depend on God for his strength when we are most sensible of our own indispositions weaknesses streitghtened and insufficient hearts How often do we finde these things upon us how apt are we under them to shrink to complain to give over O but our work when we are not able to do our work is by faith to look up to God to quicken and enable us to do his work Psal 119 159. Consider how I love thy precepts quicken me O Lord according to thy loving kindness Esa 45. 24. Surely shall one say In the Lord have I righteousness and strength even to him shall men come Object But I have no might or power at all to do any thing Sol. Consider now that precious promise in Esa 40. 29. He giveth power to the faint and unto them that have no might he encreaseth strength Phil. 2. 13. He worketh in us c. Object But I have lookt up with such weak desires and with such a weak faith as I have and yet finde no more strength Sol. Read on ver 31. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength c. So Psal 31. 24. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your hearts all ye that hope in the Lord. Object But did any servant of God ever finde him coming in with strength when sensible of his own weakness and calling upon him for help and strength Sol. See two places of Scripture instances for this Psal 73. 26. My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion fore ver Psal 138. 3. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul Fourthly We should especially depend on God for strength when we are called to do any work wherein the glory of God and the good of his Church and our own salvation are more singularly concerned First These are services and works of the highest and of the greatest consequence there is no work whatsoever wherein we can deal which is or can be of a higher nature for excellencie necessitie felicitie Secondly Miscarriages under these would prove very woeful and ruinous that Gods glory should faile in my hand or the good and safety of the Church in my hand and my own soul should perish by my own neglect Thirdly And of all works these do meet with the greatest opposition from without our selves and from within our selves the gates of hell are opened c. Yet for these hath God most of all engaged his power and presence and strength as you may see in the varietie of his promises and in the glory of his providences therefore when you are called to do any work which hath a neer and special respect to these things fall down and pray look up and depend as he said de deo nil sine deo we can know nothing of God without God so say I pro deo nil sine deo we can do nothing for God without God nothing for his glory without his assistance O Lord the work which I am now endeavouring thou knowest that it concerns thy name and glory the good and welfare of thy Church which is the apple of thine eye and the dearly beloved of thy soul and it respects mine own eternal salvation which thou wouldst have me work out with fear and trembling good Lord leave me not hide not thy self but appear in thy strength for the carrying on of these works come in with thy wisdom to direct me and with thy grace to quicken me and with thy spirit to lead and uphold and prosper me Fifthly When the work is extraordinary and universal of much difficultie and danger and requires more then ordinarie hight of spirit and courage and resolution now is your time not to consult with flesh and blood not to consider your own proportion of gifts and abilities but by faith to look up to him who commands the work and promiseth his assistance and presence for the work Exod. 3. 10. I will send thee unto Pharoah saith God to Moses that thou mayst bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt ver 11. And Moses said to God Who am I that I should go unto Pharoah and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt Ver. 12. And he said Certainly I will be with thee Josh 1. 5. As I was with Moses so I will be with thee I will not faile thee nor forsake thee Beloved as the weakest duties are above our strength so the greatest and hardest are below Gods strength it is not what you are but what your God is who commands you and what he will be unto you who hath promised his own power and strength Sixthly
When neer great and suddain changes do befall us as the loss of a husband wife child parent friend estate c. this is a time wherein ordinarily we are weak and do stand in need of more strength than our own to bear the hand of God with patient submission and to make a sanctified use of the same And this is a time when we should in a special manner look up to God and trust on him for his help and assistance who hath promised to be with his people in the fire and in the water Esa 43. 2. And to debatâ— with them in measure Esa 27. 8. And to wipe off their tears and to turne again in mercy and that all things shall work together for their good Seventhly When we have made solemn vows in our distresses of particular reformation or of better walking with God O if God will spare me if God will hear me then this I will be and thus I will walk c. Indeed the sin is great to answer for such works and God will certainly require them at your hands therefore when God hath answered you O begg for his grace for his strength to enable you Esa 10. 21. They shall make a vow unto the Lord and perform it Eighthly We should in a special manner depend upon God for his own strength to be revealed unto us when we have experimentally found any work or duty sticking long upon our hands and we cannot get it forward and accomplish it with our strength as many times a man resolves to leave such and such a sin and is very serious in his resolution and yet he findes himself hampered and captivated by it And many times a man resolves upon such or such a heavenly duty which is of an excellent nature and yet he cannot get up his heart unto it but he still omits and neglects it or is by carnal counsel and pleasures taken off from it In these and the like cases we should go and weep before the Lord and confess both the deceitfulness and insufficiencie of our own hearts and earnestly beseech the Lord to take 1. our hearts and 2. our works into his own hands that he would change our hearts and that he would direct our steps and that he would mortifie our sinful lusts and by his strength tread down strength that he would lead captivitie captive that he would break our bonds for us and set us at libertie by the power of his own Spirit 3. Quest Now follows the third Question How may one know that he doth How we may know that we make God our strength indeed make God his strength and doth depend or relie only upon him for all the works which he is to do to cause him to walk in his statutes and to do them Sol. If one doth indeed set up God for his strength and doth depend and relie upon him c. First He will be much in prayer unto God be will not take up or set upon any work without prayer when any duty is to be performed by him his first work is with God Lord give thy strength unto thy servant he will not first venture upon the work and then look up to God but will first call in the help of God and then attempt the work Beloved remember this that the more that any man depends upon himself the less he is in prayer to God for saith he I have wisdom enough and I have strength enough to do this work and the more that any man depends upon God the more will he pray unto God he that believes most will pray most Psal 62. 8. Trust in him at all times ye people poure out your hearts before him God is a refuge for us Because if you do indeed trust on God if you do indeed believe that God is your strength and refuge you will then poure out your heart in prayer before him Psal 116. 10. I believe therefore have I spoken Secondly He will be much in fear Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that Works in you to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2. 12 13. Quest Of what is the man afraid who acknowledgeth and relieth on God as his strength for every good work Sol. He is afraid 1. Of himself even in his best sufficiencies for not by might and by power but by my spirit saith the Lord. Zech. 4. 6 As Johoshaphat who had an army of above eleven hundred thousand men 2 Chron. 1â— from ver 14. to 19. yet when the Moabites and the Ammonites came against him he goes unto the Lord and saith 2 Chron. 20. 12. O our God wilt not thou judg them for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us neither know we what to do but our eyes are upon thee Why said he we have no might Had he not above eleven hundred thousand fighting men Were these no might No they were not self-sufficiencie is no sufficiencie and self-might is no might and therefore he feared him self in the highest of his own sufficiencies and his eyes are upon God in and from him was might and sufficiencie indeed The like you read in a spiritual case of Paul as able an Apostle and as laborious and as powerful as any of them all and one that relied as much upon the grace of God in Christ and one that had as choise and eminent abilities of knowledge and grace yet saith he 2 Cor. 3. 5. We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiencie is of God Ver. 6. who hath made us able ministers of the new testament 2. Of doing any thing which may offend his God and provoke him to withdraw himself from him How jealous was Moses when the two Tribes and an half petitioned to have their portion on this side Jordan lest they had been upon a sinful designe which might move the Lord to leave them Numb 32. 14. Behold you are risen up in your fathers stead an increase of sinful men to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord towards Israel Ver. 15. For if ye turn away from him he will yet again leave them in the wilderness and ye shall destroy all this people See how afraid Moses was lest any thing should be done which might move the Lord to leave them And so indeed it is with every one who knows that God is his strength and sufficiencie he is afraid of every thing which may move the Lord to depart from him and to leave him unto himself he is afraid of every grosse sin and of going against the light of the word and against the working of the spirit and against the checks and warnings of his own conscience as knowing that for these things God hath left his people and hath withdrawn his actual assistance from them as you may read in Sampson and David and Hezekiah and Peter 3. Of giving way to