come to speak of the second truth supposed in the Text. That the Word of God is the Saints darling and delights not only their delight but in the plural number their delights that is as our Annotations say a Saint doth greatly delight in Gods Law or as Junius All the delight of a Saint is in Gods Law Gods word is the center of his delights Nisi lex tua erat omnis oblectatio mea Many were the troubles and sorrows of Davids life but against them all hee found as many comforts and delectations in Gods Word therefore he saith vers 29. Thy Testimonies are my delights c. and 143. Trouble and anguish have taken hold on mee yet thy Commandements are my delights And in the Text unless thy Law had been my delights c. Whilst others delight in vanity and iniquity whilst others take pleasure in hunting hawking carding dicing eating and drinking the Saints of God can Reasons why the Saints take so much delight in Gods Law say with Austin Sacrae Scripturae tuae sunt sanctae deliciae meae Thy holy Scriptures are my holy delights Quest Why do the Saints of God tale such delight in the Law of God Answ 1 Because they are spiritually illightened their eyes are opened to behold the glory and beauty and to understand the deep mysteries of the Law therefore David prayeth vers 18. Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law As the Apostle saith of the Jews 2 Cor. 3. 14 15 16. That to this day there is a vail over their hearts when Moses is read and when they shall turn to the Lord this vail shall bee removed So it is with Christians when a wicked man reads the word there is a vail over his eyes and over his heart and over the Scriptures The God of this world hath so blinded his eyes that hee cannot behold the beauty and glory of them but the True Saint hath this vail removed Christ hath anointed his eyes with his spiritual eye-salve hee seeth a surpassing excellency in the Word of God and therefore cannot but delight in it 2 Because they are not only illightened but regenerated And as children new born by the instinct of nature have a natural appetite to milk for conservation of their life so the new born Saint by the instinct of grace hath a spiritual appetite to the Word of God according to that of Saint Peter 1 Pet. 2. 2. As new born babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word that you may grow thereby The Word of God is the Saints food and as it is impossible for a child unborn to desire food so for a man unregenerated to hunger after and take true pleasure in the Word and as it is impossible for a new born child not to delight in Milk so it is as impossible for a regenerate Christian not to delight in the Law of God 3 Because a true Saint hath the Law of God written in his heart according to that precious promise of the Covenant of grace Jer. 31. 33. I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts A Saints heart is the counterpane to Gods Law The Law is within his heart Psal 40.8 and as it is in the Hebrew in the midst of his bowels in medio vtscerum God hath infused a principle of grace into his inward parts whereby hee is not onely inclined but inabled to walk in all the Commandements of the Law blameless A true Saint hides the Law in his heart as a choice Jewel in a most precious Cabinet as David saith verse 9. I have hid thy Law in my heart Hid it as a rare treasure So doth every Saint and therefore cannot but delight in it 4 Because the same holy Spirit that wrote the word dwelleth in every true Saint It is certain that all Scripture is of Divine Inspiration and that the holy men of God spake as they were guided by the Holy Ghost And it is as certain That the same Holy Ghost dwelleth in every Saint Rom. 8. 11. And by vertue of the in-dwelling of the Spirit they are sweetly and powerfully drawn to make the Law of God their chiefest delight 5 Because it is Gods inditement and invention This reason is brought in the Text Unless thy Law c. It is the Law of that God in whom they delight It transcribes the minde and heart of God A true Saint seeth the Name Authority Power Wisdome and Goodness of God in every letter of it and therefore cannot but take pleasure in it It is an Epistle sent down to him from the God of heaven It is one of the greatest Love-tokens that ever God gave to his Church There are two great gifts that God hath given to his people The Word Christ and the Word of Christ Both are unspeakably great But the first will do us no good without the second 6 A true Saint cannot but delight in the word of God because it is his Inheritance vers 111. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever for they are the rejoycing of my heart Therefore they were the rejoycing of his heart because they were his everlasting Inheritance 7 Because hee findes a sweetness in it Delight is nothing else but a passion of the soul arising from the sweetness of the object that we enjoy Things that are good present suitable and sweet are the object of our delights such is the word of God to every true Saint It is sweeter than the hony and the hony-comb Psal 19. 10. So also Psal 119.103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste yea sweeter than hony to my mouth A Saint must needs delight in it it is so suitable and so sweet 8 Because hee loves the Law Now that which wee love wee cannot but delight in when wee come to enjoy it A true Saint doth not onely love the Law but hee loves it exceedingly Psal 119.167 My soul hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly A true Saint can say with David Psal 119.97 Oh how do I love thy Law and vers 127. I love they Commandements above gold yea above fine gold and vers 72. The Law of thy mouth is better to mee than thousands of gold and silver Now because the Saints of God are so inamoured with the Law of God therefore it is that they cannot but delight in it as David saith Psal 119.47 I will delight my self in thy Commandements which I have loved Hee that loves the Commandements as all Saints do cannot but delight in them Use This shews that there are but few true Saints amongst us There are many bastard Saints and nominal Saints but few true and real Saints Wee live in an age wherein there were never more Saints and never fewer never more by outward Profession and never fewer by a holy Conversation It is the property of a true Saint to make the word of God his darling and delights But where
and a Conduit to conveigh God and grace into his soul In a word hee delights in it because it is holy and pure hee can say with David Psal 119.140 Thy word is very pure therefore thy servant loveth it This no wicked man can truly say 8 The delight that a godly man takes in the word is without any reservation or distinction Hee delights in the whole word of God in the commanding and threatning word as well as in the promising word hee beholds God and his wisdome and goodness in every verse and therefore hee can say with Hezekiah Isa 39.8 Good is the Word of the Lord. He hath the whole Law written in his heart and rejoyceth in every tittle of it But a wicked man hath his reservations and distinctions hee may delight in the promising word but hee undervalues the commanding word and turneth a deaf ear to the threatning word It is said of the Jews That they rejoyced in the light of John Baptist but it is not said They rejoyced in his heat Hee was a burning and a shining light they rejoyced in his shining but not in his burning It is hardly possible for a wicked man remaining wicked to rejoyce in the burning zeal holiness and strictness of a John Baptist But a godly man delighteth both in the light and heat of the word 9 It is an abiding delight 2 Thess 2.18 Everlasting consolation Joh. 16. 22. Your joy no man taketh from you It is as a fixed star But the delight of a wicked man in the word is as the crackling of thorns upon the fire and as the Corn that grew on the stony ground which quickly sprung up and as quickly withered Job 27.8 Therefore it is said of the Jews Joh. 5.3 They rejoyced in his light for a season In the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for an hour A wicked mans delight in the word is but as a blazing star which is quickly extinguished Hee may rejoyce in the word while hee is hearing of it but it quickly vanisheth away Hee is like to a man that comes into a pleasant Garden and is delighted with the smell of it while hee is there But a childe of God makes a Posie of these Flowers to refresh him when hee is out Hee delights to read and to keep the Law of God continually for ever and ever Psalm 119.45 Let us I beseech you labour with all labour for this superlative well-rooted powerful spiritual sin-excluding grace-increasing and abiding delight in the whole word of God Quest What must wee do that wee may be inabled thus to make the Law of God our delights Answ 1. You must seriously study the excellency of Gods word this made David prize it so much and love it so much Psalm 19.7 8 9 10 11. The word of God hath God for its Author and therefore must needs bee full of infinite wisdome and eloquence even the wisdome and eloquence of God There is not a word in it but breathes out God and is breathed out by God It is as Ireneus saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an invariable rule of faith an unerring and infallible guide to heaven It contains glorious revelations and discoveries no where else to bee found It hath a manifesting convincing soul-humbling soul-directing soul-converting and soul-comforting power and efficacy in it as appears by these Scriptures Heb. 4.12 1 Cor. 14.24 25. 1 King 21.29 Psalm 119.105 2 Cor. 3.6 Psalm 119.50 And therefore to delight in the word and the God that made it is not only our duty Psal 37.4 But it is recorded in Scripture as our priviledge and as the great reward that God would bestow upon those that keep holy the Sabbath-day Isa 58. 13 14. Then thou shalt delight thy self in the Lord. This shall bee thy great reward 2 You must fixedly ponder the necessity of practising this duty For if you delight in Gods Law God will delight in you If the Law bee your beloved you are Gods beloved If you take no pleasure in his word his soul will take no pleasure in you 3 You must pray for the grace of Illumination Whensoever you take the Bible in your hand to read in it pray Davids prayer Psal 119.18 Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law Philosophers observe that Lumen est vehiculum influentiae Light is the Chariot of influence as it begets the flower in the field the gold in the mineral so the foundation of all regeneration is illumination Pray that God would open your eyes that you may understand the Scriptures as hee did to his Apostles Luke 24. 45. That hee would take away the vail that is upon your hearts 4 Pray that hee that made you creatures would make you new creatures that as new-born babes you may desire the sincere milk of the word 5 Pray that God would fulfil that excellent promise Jer. 31.33 That hee would put his Law in your inward parts and write it in your hearts and then you cannot but heartily delight in it 6 Pray to God to give you the same Spirit that wrote the word to inable you to delight in it 7 Pray for a spiritual palate that you may not onely delight in spiritual things but have a spiritual delight in spiritual things It is said of the Lioness that when shee hath once tasted of the sweetness of mans flesh shee is never satisfied till shee hath more of it Hee that hath tasted of the good word of God and not onely tasted but eaten it and digested it into good nourishment hee will not onely delight in it but he will delight in it above gold yea above fine gold and hee will never bee satisfied till hee bee filled with the fulness of that God that made it The End of the second Sermon THE Excellency and Usefulness OF THE VVORD SERMON III. PSAL. 119. 92. Unless thy Law had been my delights I should then have perished in mine Afflictions NOw I come to speak of the Proposition that is clearly held forth in the Text. Doct. 3 That the VVord of God delighted in is the Afflicted Saints Antidote against ruine and destruction Unless thy Law had been my delights I should c. The Word of God is the sick Sâ—â—â—ts salve the dying Saints cordial a most precious medicine to keep Gods people from perishing in time of affliction This upheld Jacob from sinking when his Brother Esau came furiously marching to destroy him Gen. 32. 12. And thou saidst I will surely do thee good c. The promise of God supported him This also upheld Joshua and inabled him couragiously to fight the Lords battels because God had said Hee would never leave him nor forsake him Josh 1. 5. Melancthon saith that the Lant-grave of Hessen told him at Dresda that it had been impossible for him to have born up under the manifold miseries of so long an imprisonment nisi habuisset consolationem ex Verbo divino in suo corde but
not according to that hee hath not 2 Cor. 8. 12. 3 That though hee cannot in his own person perform all that God commands yet Jesus Christ as his surety and in his stead hath fulfilled the Law for him and that God will accept of Christs perfect as a cover for his imperfect righteousnesse That Christ hath redeemed him from the curse of the Law being made a curse for him That the threatnings of the Law are Serpents without a sting and that Christ hath taken away the power and force of them Did a broken-hearted and wounded sinner ponder and meditate on these things they would fill him full of joy and comfort Hee would flye from the Covenant of works to the Covenant of grace from his own unrighteousness unto the righteousness of Christ and from the commanding and threatning word unto the promising word hee would say Lord Thou commandest mee to walk in thy statutes and to keep thy Laws This I cannot do of my self but thou hast promised to cause mee to walk in thy wayes and to write thy Law in my Domine da quod jubes jube quod vis Aust heart Lord give mee power to do what thou commandest and then command what thou wilt 2 A presumptuous sinner is alwaies The second difference studying the promising Word to bolster up himself in sin but hee never studies his sins and iniquities to repent for them and from them Hee meditates on the Promises to harden his heart in sin but not at all on his sins to humble himself for them and to turn from them But now on the contrary A poor distressed Christian pores upon his iniquities and corruptions but never mindes himself of the Promises and this makes him live so dejectedly and disconsolately A wicked man studieth his corruptions too little A distressed Christian too much If hee did study the Promises as much as hee doth his corruptions hee would not walk so uncomfortably Wherefore if ever you would make the Word of God a conduit of comfort in the day of your distress you must not only meditate on the commanding and threatning Word but on the promising Word The Commandements and threatnings must drive you to the Promises you must not only study your corruptions to humble you but also the Promises to comfort you I do not say you must not study your corruptions but you must joyn the study of the Promises together with them If Abraham had minded only the deadnesse of Sarahs womb and of his own body he had never beleeved c. but hee was strong in Faith and staggered not because hee considered not his own body now dead when hee was about an hundred years old nor the deadness of Sarahs wombe but was fully Rom. 4. 19 20 21 perswaded that what God had promised hee was able to perform If Sarah had considered only that shee was past age shee would never have beleeved that shee should have a childe but shee eyed the Promise and judged him faithful who had promised and that Heb. 11. 11 made her beleeve If a Saint of God looks only downwards upon the deadnesse of his heart and meditates only upon his sins and infirmities hee will never bee comforted in the day of his distresse But hee must also look upwards unto the Promises seriously ponder and fixedly study them which will bee as strong Pillars to support him and keep him from falling into despair in the hour of tribulation Q. What are the Meditations which wee must have in reference and relation to the Promises in the day of our distress Ans I will rank them into nine particulars 1 You must meditate upon the three great truths already mentioned The first meditation about the Promises 1 That God commands nothing as our duty which hee hath not promised as his gift 2 That God in the Covenant of grace will accept of lesse than hee requires in the Covenant of works 3 That if wee truly beleeve in Christ God will accept of his righteousness as a satisfaction for our unrighteousness 2 You must meditate upon the excellency and preciousness of the Promises The second Meditation meditate on the preciousness of the Promises 2 Pet. 1.4 The Promises are precious in five respects 2 Cor. 1. 20. they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exceeding great and precious Promises They are precious in five respects 1 Because they cost a great price even the blood of Christ to purchase them They are all made to us in Christ and for Christ they are in him yea and in him Amen The Covenant which is the Pandecta and Cabinet of all the Promises was sealed with his blood 2 Because they assure us of great and precious things they assure us of our interest in God of our justification reconciliation adoption sanctification and glorification Heaven it self is nothing else but the injoyment of the Promises Heb. 6. 12. The Promises are Heaven folded up Heaven is the Promise unfolded For the Promises are nothing else but the eternal purposes of God towards his children made manifest The purposes of God are his concealed Promises and the Promises are his revealed purposes The Promises are the kisses of Jesus Christ they discover his dear love and when hee discovers to us our interest in them then hee kisses us with the kisses of his mouth and fills us with joy unspeakable and glorious They are made by God and they make over God to us as our portion and Christ as our Saviour and the Spirit as our Sanctifier and all good things both here and hereafter as our inheritance and therefore may well bee called exceeding great and precious Promises 3 Because they put a price upon the New Testament for wherein doth the New Testament exceed the Old unless it bee in this because it is founded upon better Promises Heb. 8. 6. and bringeth in a better hope Heb. 7. 19. 4 Because they put a price upon all the blessings of God A little mercy reached out to us as a fruit of a Promise is more worth than a world of blessings comming to us meerly by way of providence A man may receive blessings from God upon a double account either ex largitate or ex promisso either by way of providence or by way of Promise 1 By way of Providence Thus God gives the earth to the sons of men Psal 115. 16. Thus hee gave one hundred twenty and seven Provinces to Ahashuerosh Thus hee sets up the basest of men to rule over Nations Dan. 4. 17. 2 By way of Promise Thus hee gives health wealth and all outward comforts unto his children For godlinesse hath the Promise of this life and that which is to come 1 Tim. 4. 8. Now you must know that a little blessing comming to us as a fruit of the Promise is more worth than a thousand blessings comming to us only by way of Providence And therefore David saith A little that the righteous man hath is
the promise of Jesus Christ Of God being our God and of the holy Ghost Others are derivative depending and rivolet-promises as the promises of all outward comforts here and of eternal life hereafter Now it is our duty to take notice of every ray of gold to meditate upon all the Promises both spiritual temporal and eternal both conditional and absolute both of grace and to grace both general and particular but especially of the Original and fundamental Promises the Fountain-promises from whence all others as so many streams and rivolets are deduced and derived 8 You must meditate on the usefulness and profitableness of the promimises The eight Meditation meditate on the usefulness of the Promises I have already shewed you that they are the conduits of grace and comfort that they have a soul-sanctifying and a soul-comforting-power Give mee leave to adde That the Promises are 1 The breathings of divine love and affection 2 The life and soul of Faith 3 The Anchor of Hope 4 The Wings of Prayer 5 The Foundation of Industry 6 The Raies and Beams of the Sun of Righteousness and upon all those accounts are very useful and advantageous 1 They are the breathings of divine The Promises are the breathings of divine love love and affection It is an Argument of Gods wonderful love to his children that hee is pleased to enter into a Promise and Covenant to bee their God and to give them Christ and in Christ all blessings here and hereafter Wee read Gen. 17. 2 3. when God told Abraham that hee would make a Covenant with him hee fell on his face as astonished at so great a mercy and as thankfully acknowledging the goodness of God towards him The like wee read of David When God by Nathan made a promise to him hee 2 Sam. 7. 11 18 19. goes into Gods house and prayes Who am I O Lord and what is my house that the Lord my God should do this c. The Promises are the Cabinets of the tender bowels of God they contain the dear and tender love of God towards his elect children God by promising makes himself a debtor to them Now that God who is bound to none no not to the Angels of Heaven should enter into bonds and binde himself to give grace and glory to his elect children this is love above expression And there is nothing moved God to do this but as I have said his free grace and mercy For though God bee now bound out of justice and faithfulness to fulfil his Promises yet nothing moved him to make these promises but his love and mercy as David saith of what God had promised to him 2 Sam. 7. 21. According to thine own heart ex mero motu voluntatis and according to thy Word not for any thing in mee For what am I O Lord c. Thus you see how the promises are the breathings of divine love and affection and upon this account are very useful and profitable For love is loves loadstone therefore the Apostle saith Wee love him because Magnes amoris amor 1 Joh. 4. 19. hee loved us first The sense of Gods love to us will kindle a love in us to God Even as the beams of the Sun reflecting upon a Wall heats those that walk by the Wall So the beams of Gods love shining into our souls warms our hearts with the love of God The love of God constrains us as saith Paul 2 Cor. 5. 14. There is a compulsive and constraining power in love What did not Jacob do for the love of Rachel How was Mephibosheth affected with the love of David 2 Sam. 9. 8. It is our duty to love those that hate us but not to love those that love us is more than heathenish and brutish 2 They are the life and soul of The Promises are the life and soul of Faith Faith Faith without a Promise to act upon is as a body without a soul as a dead flower which hath no beauty or sweetness in it But faith grounded upon the Promises will inable a Christian to advance in all manner of holiness What made Abraham forsake his Country and his Fathers house and go hee knew not whither Nothing moved him to this but because God had promised to make him a great Nation and hee beleeved it Of all graces none so causal of holiness as the grace of Faith It is a world-over-comming heart-purifying life-sanctifying wonder-working grace and therefore the Promises must needs bee very useful because they are the life and foul of Faith 3 They are the Anchor of Hope The Promises are the anchor of Hope Heb. 6. 9. Hope is called an Anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast But the Promises are the Anchor of Hope All Hope of Heaven which is not founded upon a Promise is presumption and not Hope Presumption is when a man hopes to go to Heaven upon no ground or upon an insufficient ground But true Hope is a Hope grounded upon a Scripture-Promise And Hope bottomed upon divine Promises will mightily avail unto purity and holiness Abraham Isaac and Jacob lived as pilgrims and strangers upon earth because they looked and hoped for a City which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God The Old Heb. 11. 9. 10. Heb. 11.35 Testament Saints would not accept deliverance upon sinful termes because they hoped for a better resurrection The Papists and Arminians are much mistaken in teaching that the assurance of salvation is an enemy to godlinesse The Scripture saith the quite contrary 1 Joh. 3. 3. Hee that hath this Hope purifieth himself even as hee is pure The true Hope of Heaven will make us live heavenly 4 They are the Wings of Prayer The Promises are the wings of Prayer Prayer is a divine cordial to convey grace from Heaven into our souls It is a key to unlock the bowels of mercy which are in God The best way to obtain holiness is upon our knees the best posture to fight against the Devil is upon our knees and therefore Prayer is not put as a part of our spiritual armour but added as that which must bee an ingredient in every part Ephes 6. 18. and which will make every part effectual But now The Promises are the Wings of Prayer Prayer without a Promise is as a Bird without Wings And therefore wee read both of Jacob Gen. 32. 12. and Jehoshaphat how they urged 2 Chron. 20. 8 9. God in their prayers with his Promises And certainly the prayers of the Saints winged with divine promises will quickly flye up to Heaven and draw down grace and comfort into their souls And upon this account it is that the Promises are so useful to a Christian because they are so helpful in prayer When wee pray wee must urge God with his Promises and say Lord hast not thou said Thou wilt circumcise our hearts to love thee thou wilt subdue our sins Thou wilt give the
shall wee finde such Saints It is easie to finde out men that can say Eating and drinking is my delight carding and dicing is my delight reading of vain and trifling books is my delight to satisfie the lusts of the flesh is my delight But where is the man that can truly say as David doth The Law of God is my delights and the joy and rejoycing of my heart for ever Austin professeth of himself that before his conversion hee took no pleasure in the word of God His proud heart as hee saith would not stoop to the humble expressions of it After his conversion hee was ravished with the beauty and excellency of the Scriptures but before his conversion hee saw no excellency in them Policarp though a great Schollar yet a notorious Atheist professeth most blasphemously that hee never lost more time than in reading the Scripture And it is reported of Plato that when hee had read the first Chapter of Genesis hee said Hic vir multa dicit sed nihil probat This man saith many things but proveth nothing Where shall wee finde the man that puts a due estimation upon the word of God That prizeth it above gold yea above much fine gold That rejoyeeth in thy word as much as in all riches vers 14. That can appeal to God and say as David vers 159. Consider Oh Lord how I love thy Precepts and verse 97. Oh how do I love thy Law There are some men that can delight in any thing but in God and his Word and his Ordinances They can delight in the creatures of God but cannot delight in the Ordinances of God They can delight in the gifts of God in riches and health and honours But they cannot delight in the God of these gifts They can delight in books of Philosophy and humanity but they cannot delight in the word of God Mark the sad condition that these are in It is a certain sign that there is a vail over their eyes and hearts that they are not yet anointed with Christs eye-salve that the God of the world hath blinded their eyes that they cannot see the glorious excellencies of the Law of God It is certain that they are not born anew for if they were new born babes they would desire the sincere milk of the word It is certain that the Law of God is not yet written in their hearts and that the Spirit of God doth not dwell in them It is certain that they have no part nor portion in the word of God that they never tasted the sweetness that is in it and that they have no true love to God nor to his word It is a true saying Qui regem amat legem amat hee that loves a King will love his Law And I may say Qui Deum amat legem Dei amat Hee that loves God will love the Law of God which is nothing else but his Image and his Picture his last Will and Testament his blessed love-token And therefore if you delight not in the Law of God it is evident you do not delight in the God of this Law And if you delight not in God hee will not delight in you unless it bee to laugh at your destruction as it is Prov. 1.26 Q. But how shall I know whether I do delight in the word of God or no Answ You shall know it by these notes 1 Hee that delights in Gods Law will bee very frequent in meditating and reading of it and very often in speaking of it Thus saith David Psal 1.2 His delight is in the Law of the Lord and therein hee will meditate day and night And Psalm 119.97 Oh how do I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day So also vers 15 16. 23. Hee that takes pleasure in the Law hee will bee often thinking of it as Christ saith Matth. 6.21 Where the treasure is there the heart will bee also If the word of God bee thy treasure thou wilt meditate on it Cogitatione crebrâ longâ profundâ Thou wilt frequently think of it and when thou beginnest to think of it thou wilt dwell upon the thought of it as a Bee dwels as it were upon the flower to suck out the sweetness that is in it and thou wilt think of it with deep and serious meditations and contemplations thou wilt dive into the unsearchable riches and treasures that are in the Word And as thou wilt meditate on it so thou wilt bee often and unwearisome in reading and perusing of it and discoursing about it A man that delights in hunting is never weary of talking of hunting and he that delights in the world of speaking about the world and if you did delight in Gods word you would be very frequent and indefatigable in discoursing of it 2 If you did delight in the Word of God you would delight in the Ministers and Ambassadors of the Word lawfully commissionated by Christ For the great work of the Ministry is to expound and apply the Word and therefore if you dis-respect the godly learned lawful Ministry of the Word you take no delight in the Word 3 They that delight in the Word will bee at any cost to bring the Word to their congregations they will part with thousands of gold and silver rather than with the Word Hee that esteems the VVord above thousands will bee willing to part with hundreds for the Words sake Hee will account a famine of the Word more bitter than a famine of bread by how much the soul is better than the body by so much will hee bee more troubled for a soul-famine than a bodily 4 Hee that delights truely in the Law will sincerely labour to obey it and bee much grieved when it is disobeyed 1 Hee will sincerely labour to obey it hee will make the Word of God the man of his counsel vers 24. Thy Testimonies are my delight but how doth hee prove that in the following words and my counsellers Hee will make the Word a Lamp to his feet and a light to his paths verse 105. In all his undertakings hee will inquire what God would have him to do and hee will make Gods Word his compasse to sail by and pray with David verse 35. Make mee to go in the path of thy Commandements for therein do I delight 2 Hee will bee much grieved when others transgresse the Law of God Thus David vers 53. Horror hath taken hold upon mee because of the wicked that forsake thy Law and vers 136. Rivers of waters run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law And therefore you that delight in sin you cannot bee said to delight in the Word and you that are not pained and grieved when others sin you are not amongst the number of those that take pleasure in Gods Law or in whom God takes pleasure Use 2 Let us make it appear that wee are Saints indeed and in truth not only Saints in Mans but in Gods Calender by following the
example of holy David set down in the Text. Let us make the Law of God our joyes and our delights Let mee speak to you in the words of the Apostle Col. 3. 16. Let the VVord of God dwell richly in you c. not only with you but in you And in the Words of Christ John 5. 39. Search the Scriptures for therein you hope to finde eternal life The Greek word signifieth to search as men do under ground for treasures or to search as men who dive under water for something that is at the bottom Let us with Job 23. 12. Esteem the VVord of God above our necessary food Let us love it above gold yea above fine gold let it bee dearer to us than thousands of gold and silver sweeter than the hony and the hony-comb You that are Gentlemen remember what Hierom reports of Nepotianus a young Gentleman of Rome qui long â assiduâ meditatione scripturarum pectus suum fecerat bibliothecam Christi who by often and assiduous meditation of the Scriptures made his breast the library of Christ Remember what is said of King Alphonsus that hee read over the Bible fourteen times together with such Commentaries as those times afforded You that are Schollars remember Cranmor and Ridley the former learnt the New Testament by heart in his journey to Rome the latter in Pembrook-hall walks in Cambridge Remember what is said of Thomas a Kempis that he found rest no where nisi in angulo cum libello but in a corner with this book in his hand And what is said of Beza that when hee was above fourscore years old hee could say perfectly by heart any Greek Chapter in Pauls Epistles You that are women consider what Hierom saith of Paula Eustochiam and other Ladies who were singularly vers't in the holy Scriptures Let all men consider that hyperbollical speech of Luther That hee would not live in Paradise without the VVord and with it hee could live well enough in Hell This speech of Luthers must bee understood cum grano salis Qu. May not a wicked man delight in the VVord of God is it not said of Herod Mark 6. 20. that hee heard John Baptist gladly and of the stony ground Luk. 8. 13. that it received the Word with joy Is it not said of the Israelites remaining wicked that they delighted to know Gods waies and took delight in approaching to God Isa 58. 2. and of the Jews Joh. 5. 35. that they were willing for a season to rejoyce in the Light held forth by the preaching of John Baptist Answ There is a wide and vast difference between the joy and delight which a true Saint takes in Gods Word and that which may bee found in an hypocrite 1 The delight of a godly man is orderly and seasonable It is the consequent of conviction and humiliation For though Joy bee the great work of the Spirit yet it is not the first work First The Spirit by the Word convinceth and humbleth and then comforteth therefore Christ saith Mat. 5. 4. Blessed are those that mourn for they shall bee comforted and David saith Psal 126. 5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy But the joy of an hypocrite is unseasonable and disorderly It is his first work It is said of the stony ground that when they heard the Word they received it immediately with gladnesse Mark 4. 16. It is not said they received it first with sorrow and then with gladnesse Here is mention of joy without any antecedent humiliation Nay the Text saith expresly Luk. 8. 6. it lacked moisture and therefore it withered away There are many Professors in our daies that skip from sin to joy at first that all in an instant are in the highest form of sin and in the highest form of comfort that skip out of the lap of the Devil into the lap of joy These are as the stony ground These are wanton Christians They sow before they plough they know not the bitternesse of sin and therefore in time of temptation fall away 2 The delight that a godly man takes in the Word is a well-rooted delight It is rooted in an humble good and honest heart as is said of the good ground Luk. 8. 15. But the delight of an hypocrite is shallow and superficial as his graces are sleight and formal so are his delights Therefore it is said of the seed that fell upon the stony ground that it had no root Luk. 8. 13. and Matth. 13. 5. it wanted depth of earth and therefore when the Sun arose it was scorched The Apostle hints this Heb. 6. 4. and have tasted the good Word of God The delight of a wicked man in the Word is but a tasting and sipping no soaking a floating aloft in the river of Christs blood no diving down to the bottom A man may taste a thing and not like it taste and like it and yet not come up to the price of it as the young man Matth. 19. 22. Hee was very desirous to injoy eternal life but hee would not part with his possessions for the obtaining of it A Cook tasteth of the meat hee dresseth but they only that are invited eate of it Tasting doth not imply habitual grace A man may taste that which hee never digesteth nor concocteth The Israelites tasted of the first fruits of the Land of Canaan and yet did not enter into Canaan Such is the joy of the hypocrite It is outward and superficial But the delight of a true Saint is inward solid and substantial Jeremy saith that the Word of God was the joy and rejoycing of his heart and that hee did eat it Jer. 15. 16. hee did not only taste it but eate it And Paul saith Rom. 7. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inward man His delights had depth of earth they were well digested and concocted 3 It is superlative and overtopping A godly man delighteth more in God and his Word than in any worldly thing whatsoever Lord lift thou up saith David Psal 4. 6 7. The light of thy countenance upon us thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their corn and their wine encreased So also Psal 43. 4. unto God my exceeding Joy Psa 137.6 If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief Joy And Psal 119.72.127 The delight of a Saint in Gods Word overtoppeth all his creature delights and injoyments and for the joy he findes in it he will fell all hee hath to purchase it Matth. 13. 44. But the joy of a wicked man is of an inferior nature hee rejoyceth more in Corn Wine and Oil c. And when it comes into competition hee will leave his spiritual and heavenly rather than lose his creature and carnal pleasures Thus Herod rejoyced in the word that John Baptist preached but hee rejoyced more in his Herodias and when it came to the tryal hee chose to behead John Baptist rather than to part with Herodâ—as 1
The stony ground when persecution arose parted with all its joy and faith rather than it would lose its estate or life As a godly man rejoyceth in worldly things as though hee rejoyced not 1 Cor. 7. 30. So a wicked man rejoyceth in spiritual things as though hee rejoyced not In the old Law those Fouls that did both flye and swimme were unclean A wicked man would many times flye aloft in spiritual delights but hee would also bathe himself and swimme in carnal pleasures and his heart is more affected with worldly advancement and bodily-recreations than with heavenly and this is a sign that he is an unclean Christian and that his delights in God and his Word are not right because they are not overtopping and superlative 4 It is powerful and soul-strengthening full of life vigour and activity it will inable the soul to do and suffer any thing for God it turns a prison into a Paradise it makes Martyrdome to bee as a bed of Roses it is armour of proof to steel us and make us fit to indure Afflictions both for God and from God therefore David saith in the Text. Unless thy Law had been my delights I should then have perished in mine Affliction His delight in the Law supported him from sinking It is like Oil to the VVheels like Sails to the Ship and wings to the bird but the delight that a wicked man hath in the Word is a powerless dead fruitless and strengthless delight It is as a paper helmet and a painted fire it will not support him in the hour of adversity The persons represented by the stony ground fell away notwithstanding their joy assoon as ever persecution arose for the Gospel But the joy of a true Saint is soul-supporting and soul-upholding The joy in the Lord is their strength Ne. 8.10 5 The delight that a godly man hath in the Word is sin-excluding It cannot consist with a delight in any sin therefore David saith Psal 119. 11. Thy VVord have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee Sin is as a woodden window to shut out the true joyes of the Spirit But now a wicked man though hee may delight in the VVord yet hee also delights in sinning against the VVord Although Herod heard John Baptist gladly yet hee kept his Herodias And though the Israelites delighted to know Gods waies yet they did not delight to walk in his waies They were as a Nation that did righteousness hee doth not say they were such but quasigens c. as a Nation that did righteousness And though they delighted to approach to God yet they did not delight to obey that God before whom they approached they took pleasure in sinning against God as well as in serving of God Isa 58. It was not a sin-excluding joy and therefore it was false and counterfeit 6 It is grace-increasing The more a Saint delights in the VVord of God the more careful hee will bee to obey the VVill of God and to grow and increase in the grace of God therefore David saith Psal 119. 167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies for I love them exceedingly And Psal 40. 8. I delight to do thy VVill O my God yea thy Law is within my heart because the Law was written in his heart therefore hee delighted to do it Hee that delights to keep Gods Law God will give him more grace to keep it according to that remarkable Text Psal 119. 55 56. I have remembred thy Name O Lord and have kept thy Law this I had because I have kept thy Precepts What had David for keeping Gods precepts Hee had power to keep his Law that is to grow and increase in keeping of it As the Prophet Hos 6.3 speaks of the knowledge of God Then shall wee know if wee follow on to know the Lord that is if we industriously labour to know God wee shall have this reward to bee made able to know him more So may I say of the grace of God Hee that delights to keep Gods Law shall have this reward to bee inabbed to keep it more perfectly A true delight in Gods Word is Grace increasing Grace is the Mother of all true joy Isa 32 17. and joy is as the Daughter and the Mother and Daughter live and dye together True spiritual delight ebbs and flows as grace ebbs and flows As the wood is to the fire oyl to the flame the shadow to the body so is joy to grace Quantum crescis in gratiâ tantum dilatâris in fiduciâ But now a wicked man though hee may have a kinde of delight in Gods word yet it is not a delight of the right kinde It doth not argue that hee hath true grace in him An hypocrite is all joy and no grace a Giant in joy and not so much as a dwarf in grace like a green bough tyed to a dead tree Hee is in the highest form of joy and not so much as in the lowest form of grace 7 The delight that a godly man hath in the word is not onely a delight in spiritual things but a spiritual delight grounded upon spiritual aimes and reasons But the delight of a wicked man though it bee in spiritual things yet it is but a natural delight As a godly man spiritualizeth carnal things So an ungodly man carnalizeth spiritual things Austin before his conversion rejoyced much to hear Ambrose preach but it was because of his eloquence as hee saith not upon a spiritual account A wicked man may follow a Preacher and delight in his preaching because of his elegant words and Rhetorical expressions because hee is unto him as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voyce c. as it is Ezek. 33.32 Or out of novelty because newly come as the Israelites delighted in Manna at first but afterwards loathed it or because hee loves his person or out of a desire to obtain a form of knowledge in heavenly things The Pharisees delighted to do many spiritual things out of vain-glory John delighted to do the will of God but it was for his own ends Pauci quaerunt Jesum propter Jesum Stella is of opinion that the Devil perswaded Herod to hear John Baptist gladly and to reverence him and to do many things that so hee might hold him the faster in his possession The Devil had him sure by one sin and therefore hee provoked him to do some good things that so hee might rock him asleep in presumption and by his good things hee might quiet his conscience and put a fair gloss upon his incestuous practices A man may rejoyce in spiritual things upon sinful grounds and reasons But now a true Saint delights in the word upon a spiritual account because it is Gods word and God would have him delight in it because it is his guide to glory the way by which he is sanctified It is both concha canalis A Cistern to contain the glorious mysteries of salvation
for the comforts of the Scriptures in his heart There are eight things may be said amongst many other in commendation of the Word of God 1 It is the Magazin and storehouse of all comfort and consolation There is no condition but one that a man can bee in but hee may finde soul supporting comfort for it our of the Word Indeed if thou resolvest to go on in sin the Word cannot comfort thee it threatneth hell and damnation to all such If the God of Heaven can make such miserable they shall bee miserable But excepting this one there is no condition so miserable but a man may fetch a cordial out of the Word to support him under it Art thou as empty of riches and as full of diseases as Job under the Old Testament and Lazarus under the New Testament are the sins with which thou art willing to part many and great Is thy conscience exceedingly wounded and disquieted doth the Devil roar upon thee with hideous temptations let thy condition bee never so sad the Word of God is able to afford thee comfort under it For it is the Word of that God who is the God of all consolation There is no kinde of true comfort but here it is to bee had here are cordials of all sorts Comforts under bodily troubles and comforts under soul-troubles There is no Monarch can furnish his table with such variety of delicates as God hath furnished his Word with variety of comforts 2 The Word of God is not only the Magazin of all true comfort but the Fountain from whence it is derived All the comfort that you receive by reading of good books is fetcht out of this book All the refreshings that the Ambassadors of Christ administer to you are borrowed from this Fountain As the King of Israel answered the woman that cryed out saying Help my Lord O King If the 2 King 6. 26 27. Lord do not help thee whence shall I help thee So will all the true Ministers of Christ say to any distressed soul that cries out for comfort How can wee comfort you if the Word of God doth not comfort you All our comforts must bee fetcht from thence 3 It will comfort us at such a time when no outward thing can comfort us And that is when wee are under soul-agonies and when our soul sits upon our lips ready to depart when wee are sailing into the Ocean of eternity then even then the promises of the Word will comfort us When gold and silver Father and Mother friends and Physitians are miserable comforters then will one promise out of the Word fill us full of joy unspeakable and glorious 4 The Comforts of the Word exceed all other comforts for they are pure and purifying sure and satisfying they are soul-supporting soul-comforting and soul-ravishing they are durable and everlasting The comforts of the world are not worthy to bee named that day in which wee speak of the comforts of the Word They are not consolationes but consolatiunculae At best they are but bodily unsatisfying and transitory Many times they are sinful and soul-damning 5 The Word of God is not only a Magazin and a Fountain of comfort but also a touch-stone by which wee must trie all our comforts whether they bee true and real or no. All joyes hopes and assurances must be tried by the Word and if not rightly grounded thereupon are false and soul-delusions 6 It is as an Apothecaries shop or a Physitians dispensatory out of which wee may fetch all manner of Medicines to cure all the diseases of our souls Art thou spiritually lame blinde or dumb c. The Word will open blinde eyes make the dumb to speak and the lame to walk If dead in sins and trespasses the Word when it is the sword of the spirit will quicken thee It is as a corrasive to eat sin out of thy heart therefore David saith I have hid thy Word in mine heart that I might not sin against thee 7 It is a spiritual Armory out of which wee may fetch all manner of weapons to conquer the Devil and his temptations 2 Cor. 10. 4. It is that little brook out of which every David may fetch five smooth stones to destroy the Devil These five smooth stones are five texts of Scripture three of these Christ took out of the brook of the Word by which hee subdued the Devil Matth. 4. 4. 7 10. 8 It is the Sun of the Christian world As the Sun is the light of the natural world and without it the world is but a Chaos and a dungeon full of darkness So is the Word of God the light of the spiritual world without which a Christian is under an eternal night Therefore David saith Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path Psal 119. 105. What would all the world avail if no Sun to illighten it and what comfort would all the wealth of it afford us if no word to instruct and counsel us For this is the Christians compass to sail to Heaven by his staffe to walk withal to Heaven his spiritual bladders to keep his soul from drowning The Cork to keep up the net of his soul from sinking Afflictions are like the lead of the net which weigheth it down but the Word is as the Cork which keeps it up that it sinks not So saith David in the Text Unless thy Law had been my delights c. Use If the Word of God bee of such invaluable excellency absolute necessity and of such admirable use 1 Let us bless God exceedingly for revealing his will unto us in the Word Use 1 It was a great honour and priviledge to the Jews that to them were committed the Oracles of God Rom. 3. 2. And it is our great happiness that wee have not only the same Oracles of God which they have but an addition of the New Testament for the clearer discovery of the mysteries of salvation unto us If God bee to bee praised for every crumme of bread wee eat much more for giving us his VVord which is the bread of life and the only food of our souls Blessed bee God who hath not only given us the book of the Creatures and the book of Nature to know himself and his will by but also and especially the Book of the Scriptures whereby wee come to know those things of God and of Christ which neither the Book of Nature nor of the creatures can reveal unto us Let us blesse God not only for revealing his will in his word but for revealing it by writing Before the time of Moses God discovered his will by immediate revelations from Heaven But wee have a surer word of Prophecy 2 Pet. 1. 19. surer to us than a voice from Heaven For the Devil saith the Apostle transforms himself into an Angel of light Hee hath his apparitions 2 Cor. 11. 14. and revelations hee is Gods ape and in imitation of God hee appears to his
Disciples and makes them beleeve it is God that appears and not the Devil Thus hee appeared to Saul in the likenesse of Samuel And if God should now at this day discover his way of worship and his divine will by Revelations how easily would men bee deceived and mistake diabolical delusions for divine Revelations and therefore let us bless ' God for the written word which is surer and safer as to us than an immediate Revelation There are some that are apt to think that if an Angel should come from Heaven and reveal Gods will to them it would work more upon them than the written word but I would have these men study the conference between Abraham and Dives Luk. 16. 27 28 29 30 31. Habent Mosen Prophetas c. They have Moses and the Prophets if they will not profit by them neither would they profit by any that should come out of Hell or down from Heaven to them For it is the same God that speaks by his written Word and by a voice from Heaven The difference is only in the outward cloathing and therefore if Gods speaking by writing will not amend us No more will Gods speaking by a voice O bless God exceedingly for the written Word let us cleave close to it and not expect any Revelations from Heaven of new truths but say with the Apostle Gal. 1. 8 9. Use 2 Let us prize the Word of God Use 2 above gold yea above fine gold Let us read it diligently reverently praying to God to give us the same spirit that wrote it to inable us to understand it and conscienciously to practice it Let us make it the joy and rejoycing of our heart and as it is in the Text Let us make it our delights but of this I spake in the former point The only motive I shall now use to perswade you to make the Word your delights shall bee this in the Text. Because it will keep you from perishing in the time of your greatest affliction It will comfort you when you have most need of it that is under heart-sinking afflictions and at the hour of death and it will comfort you when all outward comforts and creatures fail It will bee food to strengthen your weak Faith physick to cure the remainders of corruptions it will bee a cordial to revive your drooping spirits and fainting souls It will make you more than conquerors over all temptations and distresses Quest But now the great question is How a child of God ought to manage and make use of the word of God so as to make it a conduit of support and comfort in the day of his greatest afflictions Answ To bee able to do this there is a great deal of spiritual wisdome and understanding required For the word to many people is like Sauls armour to David which was so cumbersome to him that hee could not wear it There are many know not how to use the Word so as to bee comforted by it As the woman of Samaria told Christ Joh. 4. 11. The well is deep and thou hast nothing to draw with So may I say The word of God is a deep well Isa 4. it is a well of salvation but it is deep and the deeper the sweeter but most people want buckets to draw with they want a spiritual Art to fetch out of these wells of salvation divine supportation and consolation and therefore to help you in this great work you must know That the word of God may bee divided into three parts Into Commanmandements The word of God divided into the commanding threatning and promising Word Threatnings and Promises And though a Christian must not neglect the commanding and threatning word yet if ever hee would make the word a channel of divine comfort hee must study the promising word for the promises are a Christians magna charta for Heaven All comfort must bee built upon a Scripture promise else it is presumption not true comfort The promises are pabulum fidei anima fidei the food of faith and the soul of faith As faith is the life of a Christian so the promises are the life of Faith Faith is a dead Faith if it hath no promise to quicken it As the Promises are of no use without Faith to apply them so Faith is of no use without a promise to lay hold on And the great reason why the people of God walk uncomfortably in their afflictions is because they do not chew the promises they are rare cordials but as a man cannot taste the sweetness of a cordial unless hee chew it no more can wee receive any spiritual refreshment from the promises unless wee meditate on them The promises are as a Mine full of rich treasure but as Mines unlesse wee digge deep into them wee can never get the gold and silver hid in them no more can wee injoy the soul-ravishing comfort of the promises unlesse wee digge into them by a serious consideration of them They are as a garden full of rare flowers able to sweeten any condition But because wee do not walk in this garden and pick out these flowers hence it is that wee live so disconsolately and dejectedly under our afflictions There are many rare stories declaring the comfort that some of Gods Saints have received from the promises in the day of their distress Mr. Bilney that blessed Martyr was much wounded in conscience by reason of the great sin hee committed in subscribing to the Popish errors but hee was much comforted by reading those words 1 Tim 1. 15. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of which I am the chief Beza was supported under his troubles by the words of Christ John 10.27 28 29. Mr. Bolton tells us of one that was upheld under great affliction and comforted from Isa 26. 3. Of another from Isa 57.15 I knew a young maid that went triumphantly to Heaven by the refreshing shee found in that well known Text Matth. 11. 28. and many that have been wonderfully cheared by reading the eight chapter of the Romans and by that Text 1 Joh. 3. 14. VVee know that wee have passed from death unto life because wee love the Brethren The truth is there is no promise but if God bee pleased to illighten it and shew us our interest in it will afford a harvest of joy It is with promises as it is with Sermons That Sermon which once heard did not at all work upon us the same Sermon heard at another time may exceedingly affect us And the same Text of Scripture which sometimes doth not at all comfort us may at another time convey much comfort to us Two men troubled in conscience may both of them read the same chapter and hear the same Sermon and one of them may have his troubled minde pacified and the other continue troubled and the reason is because the Spirit of God makes the Word
end and Faiths end But a Religious Christian lives upon Promises and not upon Creatures and therefore when Creatures fail hee hath the Promises to live on Hee labours to taste the sweetness that is in them Hee lives upon Promises when Providence seems to run cross to Promises They are his fiery Chariot to carry him up to Heaven If then these insuing Sermons inflame thy affections with a greater love to the Promises and a greater care to meditate on them and to get an interest in them thou hast cause to bless God and to pray for Thy unworthy Servant in Christ E. C MEDITATE ON THE Promises SERMON IV. PSAL. 119. 92. Unless thy Law had been my delights I should then have perished in mine Affliction HEe that would improve the Promises so as to make them spiritual bladders to keep him from being drowned in the deep waters of affliction must not only make a Catalogue of the Promises but hee must also 2 Fixedly and seriously meditate on them first hee must treasure up these We must not only make a Catalogue of the Promises but meditate on them Jewels in his heart and then unlock them by meditation first hee must make his Nose-gay and then smell of it The Word of God as I have said is as a Garden full of excellent Promises as so many choice flowers And it is our duty to walk often in this Garden to gather up all the flowers that lye scattered in it into several Nose-gayes to binde them together if I may so speak with the threed of Faith and then every day to smell of them The Promises are the Saints Legacies left them by Christ in his last will and Testament The Saints are called the heirs of the Promises Heb. 6. 17. And if they would bee filled full of joy in the day of their distress they must bee frequent in reading these Legacies The Promises are as it were the breasts of God full of the Milk of grace and comfort And it is our duty to bee sucking out by meditation the milk of grace and comfort contained in them That which the Prophet saith of the Church of Christ may as truly bee said of the Promises of Christ Rejoyce O yee people of God and bee glad all yee that have an interest in the Promises Rejoyce for Isa 66.10 11. joy all yee that are mourners in Sion that yee may suck and bee satisfied with the breasts of their consolations that yee may milk out and bee delighted with the abundance of joy and comfort contained in them The Promises are the Saints aqua vitae as one calls them the Saints cordials the Saints plank to swim to Heaven upon the Saints fiery Chariot to carry them up to Heaven And the great reason why they walk so uncomfortably so disconsolately and so unbeleevingly in the time of their tribulation is because they do not smell of these Nose-gayes they do not chew these cordials they do not read over these spiritual Legacies they do not by serious meditation and consideration suck out the comfort comprehended in them For as fire will not warm us unless wee tarry at it and a Bee cannot suck out the hony that is in a flower unless shee abide upon it no more can any child of God receive supportation and consolation from the Promises in the hour of temptation unless hee seriously and solemnly ponder and meditate on them There is a double difference between a presumptuous sinner and a poor humble distressed child of God 1 A Presumptuous sinner studieth The difference between a presumptuous sinner and a true child of God in relation to the Promises nothing but the promising Word Hee sleights the commanding and the threatning Word The Word commands him to keep holy the Sabbath day not to love the world not to lust but hee turns a deaf ear to it The Word threatneth to wound the hairy scalp of every one that goeth on in his wickednesse but because God is patient and long suffering therefore he regards it not But as for the Promising VVord hee snatcheth at it he doth not truly lay hold on it but snatcheth at it before it belongs to him and spider-like sucks the poison of sin out of it and makes of it a cradle to rock himself asleep in sinful courses Because God hath promised that whensoever a Sinner turns from his sins which hee hath committed hee shall surely live and not dye therefore hee delaies and prorogues his turning from sin But now a poor distressed humble Christian fails on the contrary part hee pores upon the commanding and threatning Word but never ponders the promising VVord God saith hee commands mee to love him with all my heart and soul to wash my heart from iniquity to love my enemies to cut off my right hand and pluck out my right eye c. But I cannot perform these commands therefore surely I shall never bee saved God saith hee hath threatned to curse every one that continueth not in every thing that is written in his Law to do it and therefore surely I am accursed But hee never studies nor ponders the promising Word for if hee did hee Three observeable things about the Promises would quickly know three things for his everlasting comfort 1 That there is nothing required by God in his VVord as our duty but God hath either promised to bestow it upon us as his gift or the Saints have prayed to God for it as his gift God commands us to love him but hee hath promised to circumcise our hearts to love him c. Deut. 30. 6. God commands us to fear him to turn our Ezek. 18. 31. selves from our transgressions and to make our selves a new heart and a new spirit But hee hath promised to give Ezek. 36. 26. Jer. 32.40 us a new heart and a new spirit to put his fear in our hearts that wee shall never depart from him and to turn us Mic. 7. 19 Rom. 6. 14. from our evil waies The Saints of God also have prayed unto God for this as the fruit of his free mercy Jer. 31. 18. Lam. 5. 21. There is nothing commanded in the Covenant of works but God hath promised in the Covenant of grace in some measure to work it in us for hee hath promised to work all our works in us and to write his Law Isa 26.12 not one Commandement of it only but the whole Law in our hearts and to put it in our inward parts and to cause Jer. 31. 33 Ezek. 36. 27. us to walk in his waies 2 That God under the Covenant of grace will for Christs sake accept of less than hee requires in the Covenant of works Hee requires perfection of degrees but hee will accept of perfection of parts hee requires us to live without sin but hee will accept of our sincere indeavours to do it If there bee a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and
the Promises if hee hath no share in it There are three sorts of professors of Religion 1 Some lay claim to the Promises when they have no right to them such are your presumptuous sinners who take it for granted that the Promises belong to them who presume themselves into Hell by a false hope in the Promises who make a Feather-bed of the Promises upon which they sleep securely in sin As Thrasilaus a mad Athenian laid claim to every Ship that came to Athens though hee had right to none So a presumptuous sinner laies claim to every Promise though hee hath right to none he inlargeth them beyond their bounds and maketh the conditional Promises to bee absolute and such as belong only to those that are in Christ to belong to him though hee bee not in Christ Hee sucks the poison of sin and security out of the sweet flower of the Promises 2 Some have an interest in the Promises and know their interest These live in Heaven while they are upon earth these rejoyce in tribulation and are more than conquerors over the greatest afflictions These are secure from perishing in the day of distresse That man who taking the Bible into his hand can say upon right grounds All the Promises in this Book are my portion and I have a right and title to them this man is happy above expression 3 Some have an interest in the Promises but do not know their interest and therefore dare not in the hour of trouble apply them for their supportation and consolation Such are your broken-hearted wounded distressed and deserted Christians Such can receive no comfort from the Promises in the day of affliction When they begin to apply them for their support the Devil suggesteth to them and their own doubting hearts tells them that they mis-apply them and that they belong not to them When a godly Minister whose office is to speak a word in season to those that are weary Isa 50. 4. indeavours by the Application of the Promises to comfort them their souls refuse to bee comforted they exclude themselves from having a right to Christ and his Promises though Christ would not have them excluded They groundlesly contest that their names are written in the black book of reprobation and that all the curses of the Law are their portion hence it is that they live so uncomfortably and disconsolately in the time of affliction Now then for the help of such persons who have a true title to the promises but know it not who walk in darkness and see no light who beleeve they are Hypocrites when they are not and that they are not in Christ when they are that I may bee Gods instrument to inable such to make Application of the precious promises unto their own souls in particular in the hour of trouble for their everlasting supportation and consolation I shall lay down these ensuing Rules and Directions Rule 1. 1 Whosoever in a Gospel-sense doth obey the commanding word of God hath The first Rule for the right Application of the Promises a real interest in the Promising word of God Though thou canst not perfectly obey the will of God yet if thou dost truly desire and industriously indeavour to obey it in all things If God hath written his Law in thy heart and given thee a Gospel-frame inclining thee to the obedience of all his commandements sincerely though not perfectly this is an infallible evidence that thou hast a right and portion in all the Promises This is that which God saith Exod. 19. 5. If you will obey my voice indeed then yee shall bee a peculiar treasure c. If yee will obey my voice indeed not only in word and in shew but in deed and in truth Thus Jer. 7. 5 7. If yee thoroughly amend your waies if yee thoroughly execute judgement c. then will I cause you to dwell in this place c. If yee thoroughly amend c. not only in some things but in all things not only outwardly but inwardly also This Rule is expresly delivered by the Apostle 1 Tim. 4. 8. Godlinesse hath the Promise of the life that now is and that which is to come If thou beest a godly man in a Gospel-sense that is one who truly and sincerely indeavoureth to bee godly If thou makest Gods will thy Rule to live by and not thine own Gods glory thy end and not thy own carnal interest Gods love thy Principle If thy Rules Aims and Principles bee godly all the Promises of this life and of the life to come belong to thee It is worth observing that all the Promises of life and salvation are conditional Happiness is entailed upon Holiness Glory upon Grace You shall read in Scripture of the blessings of the Covenant and of the bond of the Covenant of the blessings of the Promises and of the condition Ezek. 20. 37. of the Promises If ever you would assure your selves of your interest in the blessings of the Covenant you must try your selves by your sincere performance of the condition Thus Christ is promised to none but such as beleeve pardon of sin to none but such as repent and Heaven to none but such as persevere in well doing Tell mee then Canst thou say as in Gods presence that thou hast respect to all Gods Commandements though thou failest in all yet thou hast respect to all that thou obeyest God in deed and in truth and that thou sincerely labourest to bee godly This is a certain sign that all the Promises are thy portion but you that are ungodly and do not thoroughly amend your waies you that sleight undervalue and despise the commanding Word you have no part no portion in the promising word But it may bee a distressed Christian though without just cause will say that hee is afraid that hee doth not sincerely obey the commanding word and therefore dares not apply to himself the promising word wherefore I adde Rule 2. 2 The more thou art afraid lest thou The second Rule for the right Application of the Promises shouldest have no right to the Promises the more right thou hast in all probability to them This I speak only to the distressed Christian not that I commend his fear But this I say This fear which thou art possessed withall is a probable sign that thou hast an interest in the Promises For a presumptuous sinner never doubts of his right to them but takes it as a Maxime not to bee denied that they belong to him It is a comfortable saying of Mr. Greenhams When thou hearest the Promises and art in a cold sweat and hast a fear and trembling seizing upon thee lest they should not belong to thee doubt not but that they do belong to thee For Christ hath said Come unto mee Mat. 11.28 all yee that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest And the Prophet Isaiah calls upon those who are of a fearful heart to bee
to himself and rule over mee as to bee my High-Priest to make atonement by offering up of himself for mee and washing mee in his blood by which I must bee justified 6 The Lord brought mee to see a soul-satisfaction in the Lord Jesus Christ alone and I think I should bee as fully satisfied with Christ alone as my heart can desire If I know my heart it panteth after Christ and Christ alone None but Christ none but Christ The whole world in comparison or competition with Christ is nothing to mee But in him I see full contentment To see and know my interest in him and to injoy communion with him is that which if the Lord would bestow upon mee I should with Jacob say it is enough and with old Simeon Now let thy servant depart in peace for my eyes have seen thy salvation Now I desire to set down some other Scripture Evidences that I finde upon search and examination of my heart by laying it to the Rule The Word of God My Second Scripture Evidence is Evidence Second taken from Mark 2. 17. Where Christ saith They that are whole have no need of the Physitian but they that are sick and hee came not to call the Righteous but sinners to repentance Now through Gods mercy I can say that I am a sin-sick-sinner the Lord make me more sick I am not righteous in mine own eyes but a Sinner and see my self undone for ever without the righteousness of Christ bee imputed to mee and therefore I hope I am amongst the number of those whom Christ was commissionated by his Father to come to save From Matth. 11. 28 29. I am weary Evidence Third and heavy laden now Christ hath promised to give ease to such And I am willing to take his yoak upon mee and would fain learn of him the lesson of meeknesse and lowlinesse and therefore am invited to come unto him I can say with David that my sins Evidence Fourth are a heavy burden to mee they are too heavy for mee Psal 38. 4. and I can say that I mourn because I cannot mourn no more for my sins now Christ saith Blessed are they that mourn for they shall bee comforted Matth. 5.4 From Matth. 5. 3. I think if my Evidence Fifth heart do not deceive mee I am poor in spirit now theirs is the Kingdome of Heaven saith Christ From Matth. 12 20. I am a bruised reed and smoaking flax and therefore Evidence Sixth Christ hath promised hee will not break such a reed nor quench the smoak of grace if it bee true grace but hee will increase it more and more as hee saith until judgement break forth into victory And hee came to set at liberty them that are bruised Luk. 4. 18. Therefore I hope I am such a one as hee came to binde up and set at liberty yea and that hee was anointed and sent by his Father to mee and such as I am Isa 61. 1. From 1 Tim. 1. 15. This is a faithful Evidence Seventh saying and worthy of all acceptation saith Paul That Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners And so say I too it 's worthy all acceptation that Christ should come from the bosome of his Father who was infinitely glorious and happy that hee should come into the world to save mee mee a sinner mee the chief of sinners mee that if saved I do verily beleeve there is none in Heaven nor any that ever shall come thither that hath or will have the cause to magnifie and adore free grace as I shall have And herein doth God commend his love towards mee For if when wee were enemies wee were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled wee shall bee saved by his life Rom. 5. 10. I can say with Paul that I delight in Evidence Eighth the Law of God after the inward man and I am grieved that I cannot keep it I finde that spiritual war in mee between flesh and spirit which Paul complaineth of and I can say that Paul doth confess over my heart in his confessions Rom. 7. And I can go along with him there from vers 9. to the end of the chapter and from hence I gather that there is some spiritual life in my soul and an indeavour to walk after the spirit and therefore I hope and desire to conclude with him that there shall bee no condemnation to mee but that the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus shall make mee free from the law of sin and death I finde Rom. 8. 1 2. an earnest desire wrought in my soul to bee made like unto Jesus Christ and that it may bee my meat and drink to do and suffer his will as hee would have mee I can say that the Lord hath in Evidence Ninth some measure put his fear into my heart that I fear to offend him out of love to him and I love to fear him I can say with the Church to Christ Evidence Tenth Cant. 1. 7. O thou whom my soul loveth and if I know any thing at all of mine own heart Christ is altogether lovely and most desirable to my soul I think I can truly say with David that I have none in Heaven but thee and there is nothing on earth that I desire besides thee in comparison of thee in competition with thee Though all that is dearest to mee in the world should forsake mee yet if God whom I have chosen for my portion will not forsake mee I have enough 'T is my desire and indeavour more and more to account all things but loss and dung that I may win Christ I can with Peter make my appeal to him and say Lord thou who knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee and that it is the desire of my soul to love thee more and to love thee for thy self because thou art holy and good and gracious and the chiefest amongst ten thousand Yea God in Christ alone is worthy to be beloved and it is my highest priviledge that hee will give mee leave to love him who only can satisfie my soul and redeem it from death eternal who hath justified mee by his blood and sanctified mee by his spirit whom therefore I love with all my heart and all my soul and all my might and all my strength Finding therefore that God hath drawn out my heart to love him and make choice of him alone I from hence gather and ground my hope that God loveth mee according to that Scripture 1 Joh. 4. 19. Wee love him because hee first loved us I finde my heart much inflamed Evidence Eleventh with love to all the children of God because they are Gods children and the more I see or finde or hear of God in them the more I finde my heart cleaving to them and I think I can truly say with David that my delight is in the Saints and those that excel in grace not because they are friends to
strong and fear not and tells us for our comfort Isa 35. 4 that God will look with an eye of favour upon him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at his word Isa 66. 2 Rule 3. 3 The more sensible thou art of thine The third Rule for the right Application of the Promises own unworthiness to lay hold upon the Promises the more thou art fitted and qualified to lay hold upon them For the Promises are as I have shewed the fruit of Free-grace Nothing moved God to enter into a Covenant with his people and thereby to become their debtor but his free love Free grace brought Christ down from Heaven and it is free grace must carry us up to Heaven Christ himself is Sola misericordia deducit Deum ad homines sola misericordia reducit homines â—d Deum called the gift of God Joh. 4. 10. Moses tells the Israelites Deut. 7. 7 8. The Lord did not set his love upon you nor chuse you because you were more in number than any people c. but because the Lord loved you and because hee would keep the oath which hee had sworn unto your Fathers hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you c. God doth not love us because wee are worthy of his love but because hee loves us therefore hee makes us worthy Wee must not bring worthinesse to Christ but fetch worthinesse from Christ And therefore if thou beest sensible of thine own nothingnesse emptinesse and unworthinesse lay hold upon that excellent Promise Blessed are the poor in Mat. 5. 3 spirit for theirs is the Kingdome of Heaven Blessed are those who are sensible of their spiritual wants for to them belongs the Kingdome of Heaven as certainly as if they were already in it Rule 4. 4 Study thy interest in the main and fundamental Promise and that will The fourth Rule for the right Application of the Promises 2 Cor. 1. 20. help thee to make out thy interest in all the other The main and fundamental Promise is the Promise of Christ For all Promises whether spiritual or temporal are made to us in and thorough him God hath promised never to leave us nor forsake us and that all things shall work together for our good That is if wee bee in Christ God hath said all things are ours whether Paul or Apollos whether life or 1 Cor. 3.2 death whether things present or things to come but it is with this promise If wee bee Christs Whosoever takes any comfort from any temporal promise and is not in Christ doth but delude and cheat himself This then is thy work O Christian study thy interest in Christ make out that and make out all If no interest in Christ no interest in the promises If an interest in Christ an interest in the Promises let this then bee thy daily businesse to make it out to thy soul that Christ is thine Quest How shall I bee able to do Three things to be fludied in order to the making out of our interest in this Answ For this purpose you must diligently study three things 1 The Universality of the Promise of Christ 2 The Freenesse of it 3 The condition upon which hee is tendred 1 The Universality of the promise of First the universality of the Promise of Christ Mark 16. 15 16. Christ Christ Jesus with all his benefits is promised to every one who is willing to lay hold on him as hee is tendred in the Gospel The Apostles are commanded to go into all the world and to preach the Gospel to every creature hee that beleeveth and is baptized shall bee saved c. If thou hast a heart to beleeve bee thy sins never so great it is for the honour of Jesus Christ to pardon them As the Sea covers great Rocks as well as small so the Mercy of God in Christ will pardon great sins as well as little It will cost Christ as little to wash away the guilt of great sins as of small Christ is a great Physitian Magnus de caelo venit medicus quia magnus in terra jacebat aegroms Aug. And David prayeth pardon my iniquity for it is great Psal 25. 11. Though thy sins bee never so bloudily circumstanciated though never so often reiterated though thou beest never so loathsome yet if thou canst beleeve There is a Fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness and therefore let no man exclude himself from a right to Christ who is willing to take Christ upon Christs termes Hee that excludes himself offers the greatest injury imaginable First Unto Jesus Christ for hee makes him a lyar Christ hath said If any man come to mee I will in no wise cast him out and hee saith John 6.37 Christ will cast mee out although I do come to him Secondly Unto his own soul For hee necessitates himself unto damnation For Christ hath said expresly Hee that beleeveth not shall bee damned Object But I am afraid that I am a Reprobate and that God hath excluded mee from having any interest in Christ Ans Who told thee so It is one great sign thou art not because the Devil would perswade thee that thou art But howsoever Secret things belong to God but those things which are revealed to us and our children God hath kept the black book of Reprobation secret Hee openeth the whole book of Election to some of his children but hee keeps his black book unrevealed It is a sin for any man to think himself a Reprobate unlesse he can prove that hee hath sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost for this thought would hinder him from the use of means for his salvation and cause him to despair which is a sin of the first magnitude and therefore take heed of complementing thy self into Hell by a sinful modesty in refusing to beleeve in Christ Take heed of dallying or delaying in the great work of laying hold upon Christ upon Christs termes Remember God excludes none from Christ but such as exclude themselves by unbeleef And remember Whosoever beleeveth not the John 3.36 Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him 2 You must study the Freenesse of Study the freeness of the Promise of Christ Isa 55. 1 the Promise of Christ God promiseth Jesus Christ freely Ho every one that thirsteth come yee to the waters and hee that hath no mony come yee buy and eat yea come buy Wine and Milk without mony and without price c. Christ is offered in the Gospel sine precio sine merito sine motivo without price without merit and without any motive inducing on our parts Therefore the Holy Ghost saith Whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Rev. 22. 17. Let not then thy undeservednesse hinder thee from laying hold upon Christ as thy portion Say