the world that desireth not that every Saint should be gathered in and the whole body of Christ perfected in the whole members of it before Christ come to judgment None must be neglected every beleever must frame his will to the will of God God hath revealed that the number must be gathered in and when it is so Christ will come and gather all together under his wing Now the Saints of God think not much that the number should be gathered in they are well contented with it So likewise God hath revealed his will that though he be exceeding patient to wicked men yet he is not forgetful of his promise God will be contented though he be provoked every day infinitely by the highest sins of the world patiently to endure all this and to offer conditions of peace and mercy even to the worst to shew himself rich in mercy and so full of goodness that he makes offer even of goodness to the worst Now the Saints of God here frame their will to Gods and are content still to wait because God still putteth forth his patience and still offereth Conditions of mercy and peace to those that are wicked and out of the way whereby some are converted and others convinced and prepared for the work of Gods justice So this question need not trouble men or hold them off from a chearful and fruitfull expectation of Christ though he come not in our age as he hath not in others before The use of the Point is this First if this be the property of the godly to wait and earnestly to expect the coming of Christ then we may observe the general ungodliness of the World by the general want of this expectation And if ye say but who is there that doth not expect the second coming of Christ and who doth not beleeve that he shall come to judge the quick and the dead I answer notwithstanding that every man confesse this Article of faith with his mouth yet every man beleeveth it not with his heart for every man frameth not himself according to the faith of it Very few are those faithful servants that wait and prepare for their Masters coming Christ when he cometh he shall scarce find faith on the earth What a number of Men and Women are there though they hear these things and they are beaten upon them upon many occasions and they are in their judgments convinced that it must be so yet notwithstanding the faith of their hearts apprehend it not they do not beleeve it they do not listen and frame to it We like Caleb tell them of the good Land and the fat of the Land and the fruit of the Land and the fulness of the Land of Canaan but generally men like the unthankful Israelites murmure and repine and rebel and scarce hear us or if they do they do not beleeve it For if men did beleeve it it could not be that men should live like Saduces as they do that neither beleeve the soul nor immortality neither that there are spirits nor Devils nor resurrection nor nothing the lives and conversations of men plainly bewray that they beleeve not this Doctrine though they can profess with the mouth that Jesus Christ shall come again to judge the quick and the dead but like the Cardinal of whom we read that profest he would not give his part in Paris for his part in Paradise so men live as if they would not give their part here on earth for a Childs part in Heaven Like that wicked Pope that we read of when he was about to die now saith he I shall know that which I never beleeved whether there be a Heaven or Hell an immoatality of the soul or no. So men live as if they never meant to know those things or beleeve them till they come to the tryal and experience of them And besides what a number of men and women are there that can profess these things with their mouth but they cast themselves into a fast sleep in sin and security and sleep on both sides Gods Messengers and Ministers cannot awake them but as though their souls were to sleep everlastingly so they sleep on in their lusts and sins and will not be awakened And my brethren who doth not observe that it is not the fashion of men even of those that profess themselves Christians to say come Lord Jesus till they be on their death-beds and till they be scarce able to speak or breath out a word they never say come Lord Jesus till they know not what to do with themselves till they can enjoy their lusts and the World and their sins no longer they cannot tell how to bequeath themselves longer to the service of sin and unrighteousness till then they never call after the Lord Jesus to come to them and when they do it is not out of love and affection to Christ but out of self-love to help them out of the hands of death that is too strong for them and to fetch them out of that misery they are too weak to sustain Therefore they call Lord Jesus but as I said it is far from the love of him in their hearts for were these men to live over their lives again and to be restored to health again it would be the last breath of their lives still to call the Lord Jesus My brethren where these things are and we find them too general every man that looks into his own heart may find himself in some measure touched therein certainly it cannot be that this same lively desire of a Christian can be there and these persons can have little comfort in themselves they have few arguments to prove themselves Elect of God having the Spirit of God or to be those that hear the promises with faith or those that thirst after Christ there is no argument in them that they are Christs because they long not and desire after him But therefore in the second place since this desire is so rare let us try our selves a little even those that profess better things and hope well that they are indeed the Spouse of Christ Let us try and search our selves whether this expectation be with us or no that we may find comfort in our estate and in our union and conjunction with Christ For tryal of this Point first we must know that a necessary attendant and companion of this expectation of Christ and waiting for him is sighing and longing and a vehement desire after him It is no slight no superficial desire but an inward vehement desire a sighing and panting after Christ as those that see the need of him And therefore as the Wise man saith hope deferred paines the heart the godly desires of the soul bring pains to the soul for want of Christ in the absence of Christ And as the Apostle expresseth it in Rom. the 8. We sigh in our selves saith he wayting for the redemption of our bodies We sigh in
Nation or Kingdom it is an infallible sign of judgement falling upon it And is must be so and there is great reason for it If we either consider the causes of security whence it cometh or the concommitants that accompany it or the fruits and events of it it must be that great judgements must befall men and places when they are under this carnal security First look to the causes Whence is it that men that are not at peace with God yet flatter themselves that they shall do well It proceedeth from that unbelief and infidelity that is in the hearts of men therefore they flatter themselves and pride themselves in things that will not hold them up in the end I say infidelity is the cause that men are so secure Did men beleeve the word of God that every threatning that goeth out of the mouth of God against any particular sin should certainly fall upon the head of the sinner durst they go on in a course of sinning against God Durst they add drunkenness to thirst one wickedness to another No certainly In that measure a man hath faith in that measure he feareth God and his judgements that he hath threatned See it in Noah Heb. 11. By faith Noah being warned of God moved with fear prepared an Ark. He beleeved the word of God was faithful that had threatned a judgement upon the world he beleeved the word of God that commanded him to provide an Ark for the safety of him and his house and therefore he feared the Deluge to come and prepared an Ark. So likewise Josiah when he read the book of the Law and saw what was threatned against the sins of the people his heart melted within him and why because he beleeved that this was the word of God he beleeved that God would be as true as his Word therefore his heart melted within him at the sight of those sins wherein the people had continued so long a time Nay it is made a discription of a beleever in Isa 61. That he is one that trembleth at Gods word On the other side what is the reason why infidelity doth presently bring judgements upon men The cause is apparant infidelity it draweth men from God An unbeleeving heart departs from the living God And when a man departs from Gods presence God pursueth him with his judgments All the judgements of God are upon that place where Gods presence in his graces is not If I go faith David to the uttermost parts of the earth thou art there if I go into the deep thou art there And how there Not only as an observer but as a punisher that is when men come to this point to flie from God Now unbeleef is a drawing of the soul from God to the creature therefore it provokes God for it sets up an Idol in the heart of man and Idolatry exceedingly provokes God and therefore he bringeth judgements upon it Beside that marke the threatning of the word against this Deut. 29. When a man heareth the words of this curse and blesseth himself and saith I shall have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my own heart the Lord will not spare that man but the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against him and all the plagues that are written in this book shall be heaped on him When is that when is the time that the wrath of God shall smoak At that very time and instant when he flattereth himself with his vain conceits that he shall have peace though God threaten judgement then at that very instant the wrath of God shall fall upon such a man In this manner did God deal with the Israelites in Isa 6.9 10. Make the heart of this people fat make their ears heavy and why so that they may see and not perceive that they may hear and not understand lest they should be converted and I should heal them How long shall this be saith the Prophet till the Cities be wasted without inhabitant and the houses without man and the land be utterly desolate When God giveth over a people to be regardless in hearing the Word that they hear and do not hear ken they hear and do not regard they do not comforme and reform according to the doctrine delivered then God intendeth to sweep them away by judgement that they may be utterly left desolate as the Text saith You see then it must needs be a grievous fore-runner of a judgement upon a place or City or people or nation when they remain impenitent in their sins and yet cry peace Again secondly If you marke the concommitants what accompanies that carnal security in the heart of men and it will appear then that it must of necessity bring a judgement upon a Land and place What is that that accompanies it A disposition slighting of God himself When a man I say heareth the Word the judgements threatned heareth the Law warning him to take heed of wrath the Gospel alluring him to repent and yet all moveth him not but still he flattereth himself I say here is a disposition slighting God himself God in all his Attributes is slighted His power his wisdom his justice his truth is slighted yea his mercy and patience and long-suffering all are slighted when a man in the course of sin goeth on in carnal security Especially amongst the rest this is a slighting of Gods patience and long-suffering and forbearance of men Wherefore do men harden themselves against exhortation to repentance but because they presume upon the continuance of Gods long-suffering toward them Mark how the Lord takes notice of this The forbearance and long-suffering the goodness and mercy of God should lead thee to repentance and therefore God hath forbore thee all this while that he might bring thee to repentance But what if he do not Thou after thy hardness and impenitent heart heapest up as a treasure to thy self wrath against the day if wrath What day is that The day of the revelation of the righteous judgement of God As if he should say Now you obscure Gods justice and righteousness from others and from your selves Well God therefore will take a time to declare his righteous judgement for that purpose God hath a day of wrath and thy daily going on in sin against the long-suffering and patience of God it doth but add wrath to that day Thus it is when God hath borne with a man his own self So it is likewise when God warneth a man by his patience toward others What hardneth men in security Do we not see God hath been merciful to many sinners why may he not be so to me too He gave them repentance after many sins committed why may he not do so to me Mark what Solomon faith Eccles 8.11 Because sentence against an evil doer or an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is set in
overcoming of all sin and by the vertue of Christ he shall prosper in this I beseech you therefore set your selves awork about this great business to get Repentance and Faith and New Obedience it is much more needful then sleep then meat then attire there is nothing in the world so requisite for thy welfare as these things Scrape thou riches together in the same quantity that Solomon did and ten thousands times more yet thou shalt see Death once within a hundred or half a hundred years Get wisdome yet thou shalt see Death after a few years Take pleasure with as much greediness as he did once when he forgat himself for a space yet thou shalt see death These things that the foolish world hunts after with so much earnestness of desire will not secure thee from the sight of the King of feares Death as Job calleth it But if thou once get Faith and Repentance and new obedience then thou hast obtained that that all the riches and honour and pleasures and learning or whatsoever seemeth desirable in the world will not help their possessors to What will you do brethren Grovel still on the earth and still be mad after back and belly Or will you now begin to think I must die I must shake hands with that dismal enemy pale-faced Death that is able to strike terrour into the strongest heart and amazement into the stoutest soul that is not well confirmed and if this Death find me destitute of true Repentance and Faith and New Obedience it will seize upon me and dragg me before the Judgement seat of God where I shall be Henced away with a malediction and curse and be forced to take my place with the Divel and his Angels in unquenchable flames Oh what shall I do then to secure my self from the great from the strong arme of death I will repent now I will begin Lord draw me help me that I may do it I will beleeve now Lord do thou work Faith that requirest it I will obey Lord inable me to preform such needful duties as thou commandest me Shall this be your practice when you come home Will you thus study to practise Repentance and Faith and Obedience and study to cry and call for it and use all your endeavour Or what will you do will you be as idle and careless as negligent and slothful in making after these graces as before Will you be as greedy of the transitory vanities of this life as in former times Oh abuse not the word of God If thou go out of the Church without a full purpose to apply thy self from hence forward either to begin or to proceed in the practise of the saying of Christ Cursed be thou in thy hearing cursed be that hour that thou hast spent and cursed be thy misbestowed labour thou dissembling hypocrite But if thou labour to practise this of Christ namely to keep his sayings the Doctrine of the Gospel to repent to beleeve and to obey blessed art thou in thy hearing and in thy doing and in thy obedience happy is the time and the place and all things that concur together to draw thee to so needful a work I pray Brethren set not your labour upon gold and silver and money and trash not upon the pleasures and delights and contentments of the world not on any other thing but mainly and principally above all things let your chief care be for Faith and Repentance and Obedience If you strive for these things earnestly and heartily and constantly as sure as the Lord is in heaven he will bestow them upon you and with them the benefit of benefits Freedome from Death And now I shall speak comfort to those few that are in the world that keep these sayings of Christ Let them be of good comfort if their capital enemy the King of fears and the King of Afflictions be held from a possiblity of doing them harm nothing can harme them He that Death cannot hurt paine cannot hurt poverty and disgrace cannot hurt nothing can hurt him You know if the King of an Army be reconciled to a place he will keep his Souldiers from spoyling and burning and destroying that place If Death be put out of power to do thee hurt and God be reconciled in Christ because thou keepest the saying of Christ nothing can hurt thee thou art the happiest man under the Sun Why should the poor sad afflicted grieved mourning lamenting Saints of God envie them that are rich and jolly and merry worldlings any of their pleasures and profits any of those things wherewith they like Idiots make themselves laugh at What hath not God given thee better things then he that thou shouldest murmure and whine and weep for want of them art thou still complaining for want of them Remember what Saint James faith Let the brother of low degree that is abased and dispised in the world rejoyce yea rejoyce with great boasting and glory in his Exaltation This is the exaltation of the Saints Christ writing his sayings in their hearts and inclining them through the operation of his Spirit and the powerful work of his Word to repent and beleeve hath freed them from the danger of Death and interessed them into eternal happiness and that blisse that no tongue can expresse nor no heart conceive This is thy happiness it is not to be rich or to be great for these cannot deliver the owner from the hurt of Death natural nor from the danger of Death eternal But to have Faith and Repentance and Obedience this is riches and exaltation for he that hath them shall not alone escape the Dungeon of eternal darkness but be advanced to the Palace of everlasting felicity The Saint is the happy man the penitent beleever and true practiser of Christian obedience he is the sole and only happy man under the Sun for whatsoever storme he suffereth in this present world he shall certainly escape Death and obtaine Glory Blesse God and bless thy self in God magnifie him rejoyce in him take comfort in thy lot and portion Death that devoureth Kings that destroyeth Emperours that conquers Captaines and men of valour shall not be able to approach thee for thy hurt for thou keepest the saying of the Lord Jesus Christ Rejoyce I say in this magnisie him that is the Authour of it and account thy self happy that thou hast receâ—…ed from him so excellent a gift as to be in some measure inabled to keep his saying Yea if it were so may some Christian heart object then I should esteem my self the happiest man alive â—… but alas where is this Repentance you describe where is this New Obedience in me that still still find my self captive and thral to passion to this and that and the other lust and divers corruptions Where is I say that Repentance when I find so much fin Where is that Faith when I find so much wavering and quaking so much aptness to distrust and almost
lively and active in the service of God yet there are many discouragements and temptations to draw him out of the way again that it may be he may fall if he have not somewhat to support him and hold him up therefore the consideration of the judgment to come it hath kept the hearts of Gods servants in a good frame when they have been in it Saith the Apostle be constant and immovable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15. As if he had said You know this that there will a time come when it will appear that you serve not God in vain therefore for the present be constant in the good you are in Hold fast that thou hast till I come saith Christ to the Church of Philadelphia and let no man take thy crown Rev. 3.21 Christ will come and it is but holding fast a-while and then the Church shall have a crown and the servants of God shall have a crown of glory an abundant recompence of all that they have done in the service of God therefore hold fast Hereupon Jam. 5. the Apostle exhorts co patience because they should meet with many persecutions and oppositions be patient for the coming of the Lord draws neer Bear the injuries that you suffer for the present and the indignities and the unkind usage of men for the coming of the Lord draws neer when you shall have a plentiful harvest so he goes on illustrating this by a comparison taken from a Husbandman that waits for a harvest and then he shall have a plentiful crop and increase for all his pains in Winter and in seed time so saith he the Lord will come and then you shall have a plentiful increase A word or two for the Use of this Since this is the Use that the servants of God have made and that we should make of the Judgment to come therefore to be more careful in the duties of obedience and holiness so to speak and so to doe as those that shall be judged It first shewes the cause of the discouragements of Gods servants and the prophaneness of the world is because they perfectly beleeve not the judgment to come The hearts of Gods servants would not droup so they would not be so faint so dejected and discouraged if they beleeved that there were such a judgment to come wherein Christ will abundantly recompence all their sorrows and labours wherein he will bring his reward with him plentifully Again the wicked world would not be so prophane as they are drunkards and swearers and Sabbath-breakers and all sorts of wicked persons they would not give themselves so to sin as they do if in truth they did perfectly beleeve there were a judgment to come when all their words and actions their company their time and every thing shall be brought to account I say the cause of all prohaneness is this here it begins men beleeve not the judgment to come The Apostles were troubled with these kind of scoffers Where is the promise of his coming So they hardened themselves upon the observation of the continuance of the seasons upon the face of the earth in like manner from the beginning Well saith the Apostle God is not slack as men count slackness but is patient and forbearing that men may repent but at the last he will come and come with flaming sire So this is certain whatsoever you think and put the evil day far off from you yet there is a judgment coming wherein all your actions and affections and speeches and your whole conversation shall be scanned and brought to the rules of this law that you have despised Therefore let men take heed and know it is a device of Satan to harden their hearts either to think that the law is a dead letter I mean in respect of the directing use of it that it is of no use to direct them it is a device of Satan to put them off for they shall find that that law will judge them that now should direct them And then again for men to think that there shall be no Judgment or not such proceedings according to the law this is a trick of the Divel to keep men in prophaneness and hardness of heart Therefore secondly if we would grow up in holiness in the fear of God Let us prefect and strengthen our faith in assenting to this truth that there is such a judgment to come wherein our words and actions and all shall be brought to account Therefore so speak and so do as those that shall be judged Thou art now in company and thou speakest amongst men but thy words are with God they are written in thy conscience as it is in Jeremy upon the Table of thy heart there they are written the words that thou hast for gotten seven years agoe it may be twenty years agoe and never tookest a course to get them blotted out by repentance there they are written and these words shall be brought to judgment and so many actions as thou hast neglected therefore look to it First bewail those words and actions past as things that else will come to judgement if thou judge not thy self before-hand And then again for the time to come set on a resolution to walk daily as one that may die every day and then shall be brought to judgment Therefore judge thy self daily renew thy Covenant settle thy peace on a right ground daily and perfect holiness in the fear of God daily as one that expectest a Judgment Saint Jude condemns those that feasted without fear They were at their Tables companying and feasting as men without fear S. Jerome speaks of himself that whatsoever he was doing he had a fearful apprehension of the day of Judgment Alwayes saith he whether I eate or drink or whatsoever I do I here the Trumpet and the voyce of the Arch-Angel saying Arise ye dead and come to judgment Well I say do thou so let this be thy serious thought and do it not slightly but think that this may be thy last word and thou must be brought to judgment for it this may be thy last opportunity and thy last action and thou must be brought to judgment for that Do things in this manner as those that so speak and so do that they must be judged Wouldest thou be content to have thy oaths brought before Christ in judgment if not take heed of swearing for it is judged already by the law therefore judg and condemn thy sins in thy self and forsake them that thou maist find mercy Wouldest thou be found guilty of Sabbath-breaking at the day of Judgment if not repent of thy former guilt and be more conscionable of sanctifying the Sabbath after And so I may say of every sin Wouldest thou be found an Usurer a Deceiver unrighteous in any course a scoffer a prophane person Wouldest thou appear
thing or other and therefore it was thus with him Nay Christ himself the censure of all men was thus much concerning Christ himself We did esleem him stricken smitten of God and afflicted The intent of the phrase is as one smitten for his own ill as if God had now manifested that he did not acknowledge him to be so holy and righteous So thus you see the inclination in the heart of man to uncharitable jndging of those that God hath cast down and suffers to be exercised under many afflictions and troubles Let us learn then spiritual wisdome let us learn love and spiritual mercy to judge more favourably of the state of those whom we see troubled in spirit Many times God infeebleth and distresseth the spirits of his best servants to abate the pride of men that none might exalt himself before God Nay in the very thing wherein they have excelled in the same thing he sometimes abaseth them you see Abraham he is called the Father of the faithful his excellency was his faith yet faithful Abraham is detected in Scripture of much unbelief in some particulars Who would think that he should expose Sara as he did to save himself that he should do it that was called the Father of the faithful you have heard saith the Apostle James of the patience of Job the very excellency of Job was his patience who would think that ever patient Job should utter such things as he did sometime even cursing the very day of his birth David a man of a chearful spirit a man full of the praises of God a man wonderous large when he comes to speak of the glory of God at several times A man would have thought him of an invincible fortitude and courage yet nevertheless you shall have David so cast down as that he thinks the Lord had forgotten him and that the Lord would shew no mercy upon him that the Lord had hid himself from him and that he would never regard him more who would think that ever David that abounded so in the comforts of the spirit sometimes should be so dejected at such times as those were when he was in such a conflict Why doth God do this To shew thus much that the very best of his servants in the chief of their excellencies are dependant on him still they have nothing of themselves or from themselves Therefore they shall sometimes seem to want that they have that the very having and using of it may be ascribed to his glory Then let us now reason thus when we see the servants of God in trouble exercised under disquiet Let us conclude now God is glorifying himself This the Apostle infers He will rejoyce in his infirmities because the power of Christ is manifested by it For our selves it should teach us according to the intent of this place above all things to labour that our hearts may be kept in that blessed plight of spiritual joy that we may be strengthened with freeness of heart to serve God in our inward man Let not your hearts be troubled How should this be done The Text tells us here and so I come briefly to the second thing observable in the Text the means you beleeve in God saith he beleeve also in me As the words are read in the translation they seem to be uttered by way of concession as much as if Christ had said since yon already beleeve in God now beleeve in me The Syriack seems to express it otherwise and so render it by way of command and to make here an intimation of two duties as a help of quieting the heart and so it reads it Let not your hearts be troubled beleeve in God beleeve also in me propounding a twofold object where-about faith should be exercised that the heart may be quieted in the time of any trouble The first is God considered in the Trinity of persons in the unity of Essence The second is Christ Mediator God and Man Now saith he beleeve in God that is the first rest upon God Then the second is beleeve in me also as one that is the Mediator between God and you now making your peace with God So the second part seems to be the prevention of an objection For when he saith Let not your hearts be troubled beleeve in God they might say Alas shall we beleeve in God that are sinful men The sinners in Sion cry out Who shall dwell with consuming fire c. Therefore saith Christ beleeve also in me that is know that God will be your God in and for my sake he is reconciled and well pleased with you Therefore in all your approaches to God take me with you look up to God pray to him depend upon God through me still keep me as a Mediatour between God and you and this will preserve your hearts in peace The time would not serve if I should go over things particularly and in a full way Therefore I will touch the heads of things and it shall be thus much that A special means to preserve the heart of man from excessive sorrow and fear from trouble and disquiet of spirit is faith Let not your hearts be troubled But how shall we help it Beleeve in God beleeve also in me And this we shall see through the Scriptures David found it thus Psal 40. he speaks to his disquieted soul Trust in God I will wait on him he is my God Jehoshaphat in that excellent speech to his Souldiers that were now troubled for the multitude of their enemies against them Beleeve in God and you shall prosper beleeve his Prophets and you shall be established that is the way to stablish the heart to beleeve in God revealing himself in his Word It is noted of Moses in Heb. 11.27 He therefore endured all that he did because he looked on him that is invisible And those three companions of Daniel Dan. 3. Our God say they whom we serve is able to help us but if he will not we will not worship thy golden Image There was matter of trouble and disquiet in the heart to be put to such a plung that they must either worship or be cast into the Furnace heated seven times hotter Well this eased them of all trouble and disquiet they knew whom they have trusted and he was able to keep that that was committed to him to the coming of Christ As Saint Paul expresseth it with which he also rested abundantly satisfied On the other side the want of this hath been the cause of that perplexity and disquiet that hath been upon the hearts of Gods servants at all times That was the reason that Abraham was so disturbed and disquieted in that fear of what should be done to him in Egypt certainly he failed in this in resting upon God Moses was wondrously troubled when the Lord bad him go to Pharaoh and deliver Israel out of Egypt saith he Lord send by him whom thou shouldest send I am a
man of a stammering tongue saith the Lord I will be with thy tongue He bids him quiet his heart in that perplexity and rest on him that made the tongue to be with his tongue And because there was another secret that troubled him the Lord knew his heart God saith go the man that sought thy life is dead as if he should say Moses though thou wilt not confess it I know what troubleth thee thou art afraid that the men that sought thy life are alive in Pharaohs Court and that therefore when thou comest thither thou shalt be executed No saith he they are dead he would have him rest on him and that would revive his heart that he should not be troubled and disquieted So you may see in other servants of God that this was alwaies the reason of any indirect course they took Jacob and Rebecca in that case why did Rebecca use that device in getting the blessing with Jacob Because she failed in her trust in God she saw how she was perplexed with the daughters of Heth Esaus wives and many troubles that way And Isaac was dim-sighted and had many weaknesses upon him she knew not how he might mistake and give the blessing to the other therefore she deviseth a way to get the blessing but she got many sorrows you know what a hard service it cost Jacob and how many evils it exposed him to and all was because through fear and disquiet of heart he cast not himself upon God in his way but they would find out wayes of their own It should teach us in all disquiet of spirit to look principally to the strengthening of our faith This is called a shield Eph. 6. when all the darts of temptation that fire the soul and perplex it many wayes are cast upon a man here is a shield to preserve and keep him safe Therefore let us ever have this for our use whose and found You shall find that even the servants of God have so far been in a comfortable estate as they have been in the exercise of their faith Take David for an example when Ziglag was burnt and his Wives and servants and goods and cattel were all carryed away and the Souldiers in the rage of their hearts and discontent began to think of stoning of him yet faith the Text Then David comforted himself in the Lord his God When there was no comfort in his Souldiers about him or in those that were neer him every thing was taken away at this time David comforts himself in the Lord his God So Job see how quiet his heart is and well satisfied when he rested on God in the greatest occasions and troubles his goods was carried away his sons were slain all added to Jobs misery but he comes to this The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Lord when he can look above the creature to God and settle his heart upon this rock he finds comfort in it On the other side the servants of God are never out of trouble and disquiet when they neglect this as the Disciples in the tempest upon the Sea Math. 8. they cry out they are utterly undone Save Master saith Christ Oh ye of little faith The not exercising of their faith did so perplex and disquiet them as it did and if you look upon all the complaints of the lives of men for the loss of such friends and the decay of trading for the ill dealing of Customers for sickness c. Men are always complaining What is the reason Because they place too much hope and confidence in the creature they look not above these things with the eye of faith and hence comes that disturbance and disquiet if the outward means be taken from them they look not upon that God that hath all means and opportunities in his own hand You beleeve in God beleeve also in me They that would have their hearts quiet by beleeving in God should especially exercise faith in resting on Christ Beleeve in me saith Christ for the heart of man flies off from God Alas the Lord is holy and I am a sinful man he is righteous and I am sinful who shall come before this holy and righteous God Now when faith can look upon Christ and set him between God and me and look on God through him now the soul rests he looks on God as a Father through Christ his Son when the soul looks on Christ as my husband married to me as my head and I am united to him as a member as my Lord that hath taken me into his protection when the soul thus looks on Christ now it looks upon God in all his attributes wondrous glorious and comfortable to the soul This is the thing that I can but touch at this time There are two things considerable in it First there is no ground of reposing the soul upon God but by beleeving in Christ he is the Mediatour Therefore in John 8.24 saith Christ Except you beleeve that I am he whom the Father sent you shall die in your sins The Jews they did beleeve in God they were the children of Abraham and worshipped the God of their Fathers and beleeved in God but saith he except you beleeve in me that I am he that God hath sent as Mediatour you shall die in your sins And so in this Chapter I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh to the Father but by me there is no other way to the Father That as the high Priest under the law was in all things pertaining to God he was between God and the people So Christ our great high Priest is in all things that concern the glory of God and the salvation of man and the acceptance of a sinner in all things between God and us Here is the first thing Secondly it is worth our consideration how Christ comes to be thus he was willing to die a cursed a shameful and cruel death of the Cross and to be despised and abased and all this for man and yet Christ crucified is despised and scorned in the world therefore if ever you will have acceptance of God beleeve in me In me that am now going from you that am to be taken away by a cursed ignominious death Here is another truth then They that believe in Christ must believe in Christ abased and Crucified as well as in Christ in Glory That is a thing that flesh and blood despiseth indeed all the World speaks well of the profession of the Faith and believing in Christ when Christ is in triumph Conquering to conquer every man glories in Christians but when Christianity and profession is cryed down in the world when Christ is Crucified when all the World speaks ill of the wayes of Christ and of the obedience of Faith now to obey a crucified scorned despised Christ in the sight of the world to rest on him in the midst of his abasement this will comfort the
the Clergy that dejected sinners may with safety lodge their grievances in their breasts let me desire them That as the Lawyer and the Physician are true to their Profession so they would be faithful in their Ministery that poor souls may fly to them with confidence for comfort in their sad conflicts for sin and with sin This makes so many Christians to carry their sin with them to their graves rather than they will disclose it because they dare not repose any trust in those that ought to be as true to them as there own hearts If we find a man truly penitent for his sins let us cover them with the vail of Charity and onely declare his repentance to the world that God may be glorified and good Christians on Earth as the Angels in Heaven rejoyce in the conversion of a sinner I have much to speak but am willing to contract my self as knowing you are fully satisfied in that faithful Testimony I have already given you Be not so uncharitable as to think I might be mistaken in this good Gentleman I was often with him and had frequent converse with him and the freedom to speak and I found him alwayes in the same humble frame and temper of spirit and I must profess this I have not often received more satisfaction from any man in respect of the fruit and comfort of my endeavours than from him I met with an humble and tractable spirit willing to hear of the wrath of God due to sinners and careful and solicitous how he might avoid it truly sensible of the weight of his sins much dejected with the thought of them and so far the sense of his sins had humbled him as that I may say Malice it self could not judge worse of him than he did of himself And that which made me believe the truth of his humiliation for sin was this That I found no presumptious thoughts arising in his heart of Gods mercy but when I sought to cheer him with the hope of Gods mercy to penitent sinners he told me He was not yet humbled enough to partake of it I was much satisfied in this answer as knowing the deeper the foundation is laid the surer is the building the more humble we are the firmer will our confidence be in Christ And from that time I strove to comfort him with the precious Promises of the Gospel and told him he might upon the word of Christ challenge an interest in them Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Such as are truly penitent and onely such might claim a special Title to the Promises of Christ This did revive his fainting spirit and the thought of Gods mercy in Christ did as much cheer him as ever the sense of sin had dejected him Then he began to feel the comfort of Gods love glowing in his breast soon after he felt the heat of it and his affections were so enflamed with the love of God as that his thoughts were restless till he enjoyed him whom his Soul loved and this made him to count every minute too long to be parted from Christ his Saviour Therefore being now fit for heaven and weary of the world and desirous to enjoy God in a better place the last words I heard him utter were these Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly Christ cannot come too soon for that heart that is ready to receive him The Lord makes us fit for his coming and we shall be happy whensoever he comes And now after all this that I have spoken you will say I have said nothing for the honour of this good Knight I have not buried him like himself I have strew'd no flowers of Commendation upon his Herse befitting his quality and Degree and the House he came from I confess all this As he desired all vain pomp and oftentation should be laid aside at his funerals For what have I done said he that I should deserve it so have I declined all pomp and vanity of words in the Pulpit which is no place to shew our quaint and lofty strains of Oratory but our zeal to Gods glory and the edification of his people I came not so far to sawn and flatter but to testifie my pious respects to the memory of the Dead and my unfeigned affection to the Souls of the Living But what Is not this that he dyed a good Christian that he loathed his former Vanities that he was truly humbled for his sins and rested upon the Mercy of God in Christ for the free pardon of them If you value not these things pardon me if I think there is nothing to be valued in you but vanity and what the value of that will be you will know at the hour of Death God grant you may know it sooner and then you are happy when you will find that piety in the heart is more to be accounted of then all the wealth and honour in the world I think I have said enough to honour this Noble Knight at his Funerals that he dyed a true Child of God and left a goodly Inheritnance on Earth to be possessed of a better in Heaven There have I a good ground to believe he rests in peace and joy and there I hope we shall all meet at the last And thus in an holy intention to Gods glory a zealous desire of your good and an honourable respect to my Friend I have now run through the duty of this day not aiming God knows my heart at the least applause from you nor yet valuing the censure of malevolent spirits who shake off all Charity to the Dead and to the Living I have endeavoured to approve my self faithful to God in speaking nothing but the Truth faithful to my self in the discharge of a good Conscience and faithful to my Friend in publishing the truth of his Conversion to the world Thus have I sought to honour God to right your worthy Neighbour and in so doing I hope I have not wronged my self And now it is my earnest prayer to God for you not that I may injure the Dead but in love to your Souls that all of you may have the grace to live better than he did And this I wish again from my heart hoping the best of him and fearing the worst of some of you that ye may obtain the like Faith and Repentance to die no worse than he did His Soul now rests in Bliss and joy do ye that survive labour to enter into that rest which remains for the people of God in the glorious Mansions of God the Father Now bestir your selves and do your best for heaven while ye have time and opportunity work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling shew all diligence by Faith Repentance and Obedience the old and sure tract and road to Heaven to make your calling and election sure live holily that ye may die comfortably Learn to number
's the reason of this but that man may come to this conclusion with himself that he may bring his own heart to a reckoning for his former carriage This is that the Apostle faith for this cause many are weak and sickly among you and many sleep some were taken with sickness upon others there was a consuming weakness and others were strucken with death what is the end that God propounds in all this For this reason that we should judge our sevles for if we judge our selves wee shall not be judged of the Lord but when we are judged wee are chastned of the Lord that we should not be condemned of the world As if he should say God now calleth you to a reckoning in this life to the end you may prevent that heavy and grievous one that comes after this life Againe when outward afflictions prevail not God hath spiritual afflictions to awaken men Thus David when he was in a deepe sleep of securitie God awakned him with a spiritual judgment see his speech in the 32 Psal When I kept close my sinnes my boues were consumed and I roared for the disquietnesse of my soul what followed God by this means brought him to confession I will confesse my transgressions to the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquitie of my sinne Thus God in this life calleth men to a reckoning sometimes by the preaching of the Word sometimes by judgments upon the outward man or by terrours upon the soule But if all this prevaile not to make a man reckon with himselfe in this life then God hath another reckoning after this life where every man must give an account and cannot avoid it and there he must abide the sentence of the Judg that would not prevent it before That there is such a Judgment to come it appeareth By the Equitie of it By the Necessitie of it In respect of God In respect of the Saints In respect of the wicked First I say in respect of God there is a necessitie of it That his Decree may be fulfilled and executed Hee hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteousnesse And his counsell shall stand and he will doe all his pleasure Secondly it is necessary that Gods honour may be vindicated Now things seeme to go in some confusion and disorder in the world good men the children of God are not alwayes best in the place of judgment I have seene saith Solomon an evil under the Sunne that in the place of judgment wickednesse was there and in the place of righteousnesse that iniquitie was there this observation Solomon makes therefore I said God will bring to judgement every thing both good and evill for there is a time for every work and every purpose God hath a time to doe that great work that he hath now purposed What is that work that is to bring every work to judgement whether it be good or evill I say if we consider this it is necessary that there should come a judgment that shall set all right againe It is necessarie likewise in respect of the Saints The very tribulations of the Saints in 2 Thes 1.5 are called Indigma an evident demonstration or a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God There is a necessitie of it in respect of them in two regards First that there innocencie that is traduced here may be manifest They undergoe many disgraces and hard censures amongst men the world accounts them proud hypocrites singular foolish vaine-glorious and I know not what now saith Iob my witnesse is in heaven and saith Saint Paul I care not to be judged of you or of mans judgment he that judgeth me is the Lord. The Word in the Greek is mans day as if he should say Men have their day here but God hath a greater day after the Lord will judg in another manner and upon other grounds than men doe Secondly it is necessary also That their works may be rewarded When we speak of reward wee meane not the reward of merit wee meane the reward of grace called a reward because God is tied to it by his promise The servants of God though they serve him with all care they have not the fatt of the earth as sometimes the Ishmaels of the world have they doe not abound with outward things as many others doe nay sometimes they are in the worst condition and that makes Gods wayes the more despised as if God were not able to maintaine his servants in the world in his wayes and worke God therefore hath a time when his servants shall have full measure heaped up pressed down shaken together and running over When God shall make up his jewels as he saith in Malac. 3. then shall yee discerne between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not Marke yee shall discerne God will make it appeare to the whole world in the day when he makes up his jewels that not withstanding his servants are dispised and lie here under divers pressures yet that they are a people whom he delights in and accounteth as his treasures Thirdly it is necessarie in respect of the wicked too that is First that Gods righteousnesse may fully be manifested Secondly that their unrighteousnesse may fully bee punished First I say that Gods righteousnesse may fully bee manifested therefore the day of Judgment in Rom. 2.5 is called a day of wrath and revelation of the righteous Judgment of God As if he should say As God will manifest his wrath against the vessels of wrath so he will make it appear to the world that he proceedeth in a right manner and by a right rule in judging For wee must know that howsoever God cannot bee unjust and how soever that the ungodly men in this life contend with their owne consciences such is the hardnesse of their hearts and abundance of corruption that they would faine justifie themselves amongst men and againe howsoever it bee true that the soule when it is departed out of the body is under Gods particular judgment by an intelectuall elevation of it that it may receive the sentence of the Judge by an illumination and by such a spiritual and contemplative discourse and observation and understanding of Gods actions as that by reflection upon it selfe it may know it selfe to be accursed or acpuitted and accordingly is entred into the possession either of happinesse or miserie Yet all this is secret in the world till the day of Gods tribunall come wherein secret things shall be made manifest and things that have beene done in darknesse shall appeare before men and Angels Secondly Gods justice must be cleared and fully manifested so the wicked and unrighteous must be fully punished They are not fully punished when they are under the sense of Gods wrath in this life or when the soule is judged at death there must be yet a
comforts are gone So if a man love honour and applause amongst men it ceaseth in the grave all honour there is laid in the dust contempt is cast upon Princes this is that that affecteth men exceedingly that they shall lose their honours and pleasures and acquaintance and business and all when they come to the grave and that because mens hearts are set too much upon these things That is the second reason There is a third thing which is a sinful cause of this fear of Death and that is the want of Assurance There be two things that a man not being assured of makes him fear Death and these may be in the children of God and as they are more in any one so the fear of death is more in them The first is when they are not assured of reconciliation with God that God is at peace with them pleased with them in Christ The want of this assurance makes death fearful for now they look upon Death as a Sergeant as a Jaylor either it is a Sergeant to take them off their present comforrs or as a Jaylor to hold them under those bonds and fetters that they would fain escape Now when a man looks upon Death either way it is terrible As a Sergeant so the rich man in the Gospel This night they shall fetch thy soul from thee they shall come to thee as a Sergeant to a Debtour to require a debt they shall require thy soul of thee Now we all know that a man that is in debt and either hath not to pay or is unwilling to part with that he hath such a man cannot indure the sight of a Sergeant above all men because he cometh to fetch that from him that he would not part with Or if he look upon Death as a Jaylor so Christ saith Agree with thy adversary quickly lest he deliver thee to the Judg and he give thee to the Jaylor and then he holdeth thee in prison from whence thou shalt not go out till thou hast paid the utmost farthing Now when a man looks on Death as a Jaylor that holdeth all in the grave till the great Judg of heaven and earth calleth for them at the generall day of Assizes that great day of appearance when all the world shall be gathered together and every prison shall give up their prisoners The sea and the grave shall give up their dead I say when a man standeth thus as unreconciled to God or at least as one that doth not apprehend this reconciliation is not perswaded of this that God is reconciled to him it is no marvel if Death be terrible to him Therefore in the sixth of the Revelation The Kings and Captains and the great and mighty men they cryed to the mountains to fall upon them and to hide them from the presence of the Lamb because the great day of wrath was come and who could stand So we see in 33. Isa 14. there is crying out concerning the coming of God the sinners in Sion the hypocrites are afraid what is their fear who shall dwell with everlasting burnings and who shall remain with cousuming fire when they shall see nothing but terrour and wrath in God fire and consumption when they see nothing but such terrible things then feare cometh upon them Now mark hypocrites stand all together unreconciled and therefore it is no marvel if they be afraid and the Saints of God so farre as they are defective in the assurance of Gods love so farre they conceive themselves in the state of Hypocrites and therefore they are so full of fears Again a second thing that they stand unresolved of is concerning the future estates of their souls and bodies after death they are not sure of this that there is a better condition afterwards this is that great question Whither go we I go now out of the body and whither then I go out of the world and whither then I am going out of the company of men and whither then shall I go to Angels and Saints or to divels shall I go to Heaven or to Hell shall I have a beeing or not in misery or in happiness They know not what shall become of them they are unresolved of this point of their own state to come whether they shall be in happiness or horrour after death and therefore Death is terrible You have the point opened I will answer an objection or two and then come to the use It may be objected It seemeth the servants of God are not kept under the fear of death all those that are in the state of grace have faith faith that spendeth these fears and therefore since they are in the state of beleevers how can they be held under the fear of death To this I answer briefly there is faith in all the children of God that are effectually called but we must know that Faith is considerable two wayes first as it is in conflict and secondly as it is out of conflict Now the Faith of Gods servants in conflict so sometime it is in conflict with fear and sadness of spirit Why art thou cast down oh my soul why art thou disquieted within me c. Sometime it is in conflict with reason and sense thus the people of Israel when they came into the Wilderness they looked for nothing but dying and destruction of nature for sense presented it to them therefore saith Moses which is the voice of faith Stand still and see the salvation of God c. Now in this conflict the success is doubtful sometime as it was between Amalek and Israel fighting together Amalek prevailed and Israel had the worst sometime Israel prevailed and Amalek had the worst so somtime Faith prevaileth against sense and those fears that arise from sense and sometime again carnal fears and Sense prevaileth against Faith now accordingly are those effects in the hearts of Gods children But secondly sometime Faith is out of conflict it now triumpheth in assurance it is come now to full assurance of Faith as it is called in the Scripture and then there is nothing so comfortable and desirable as death it self to the servants of God So we see David in the 23. Psal Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear none ill for thou Lord art with me And so the Apostle Saint Paul triumpheth over all things Nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ neither principalities nor powers nor life nor death nor things to come nothing shall do it the Apostles faith now was out of conflict it had got the field the day of Sense and now he looks on Death with comfort So that I say in that measure that Faith works in that measure fear of death ceaseth Secondly it may be objected But we see the servants of God are said to love the appearance of our Lord Iesus Christ and the Apostle Paul is said to
of Christ to him then ever when it was in the body So then here is a cessation of baser actions and imployments to give place to more noble and heavenly and excellent actions wherein the soul shall be employed in heaven There is then no losse of actions neither Again there is no losse of company This is a thing that troubleth men husband and wife to part friends to part But we lose no company by death howsoever we lose the company of men that we cannot assure ourselves friends indeed for of all the friends we speak of in the main point when they come to be tryed there are few to be found to be friends But then we go to them whose love is perfect than you may be sure of and have the truth of their love Again how little comfort nay how little have you company with those friends you desire Is not much part of our life spent without any sight of our friends Is not half of it spent in sleep in the night and the other half in businesse and pleasure Alas how little time have we to enjoy our friends we rest on But then we shall perfectly enjoy them when there shall be no need of sleep when there shall be perfection of love and freedom from distraction and imployment when the servants of God shall fully and freely and sweetly and comfortably enjoy one the other Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and the meanest of the Saints shall meet in the expression of love in such a perfection as we cannot speak of And this is certain you shall go to many Who can tell the dvst of Jacob Now you have some one or two or three or a few men or women that you account friends and dote much upon but then you shall have ennumerable company a world of friends of men and women multitudes they cannot be numbred they are as the stars of heaven for number I say there is no losse of company by this means Again you shall lose no pleasures by death it may be you shall lose some few sensual bruitish pleasures a few mixed corrupt pleasures pleasures that have the mixture of sorrow and fear in them that imbitters them to the soul of a man but it shall not be so then you shall be freed from imperfect pleasures and have perfect ones at Gods right hand for evermore pure pleasures Again you lose no necessary convenience neither the rich man loseth no riches by death he loseth his money doth he lose his riches therefore No The Angels are rich but they have no money the Saints are rich they want nothing but they have no money It may be thou losest a child thou shalt find a Father it may be thou losest a weak friend that loveth not long or it may be not so truly as thou thinkest he doth and thou findest friends that are many and perfect and pure in their love that love with a perfect heart And what then are all those losses when you enjoy that which shall make the soul happy for ever Thus I say you shall rectifie your opinions concerning Death look upon it aright have true apprehensions of it Get an intrest in Christ and look on death through him get faith and then all these things that I have spoken shall be your advantage so the Apostle concludeth Christ is to us in life and in death advantage If we live he is gain to us in life and if we die he is advantage to us in death And death is reckoned amongst the special favours and priviledges Christ hath given to his Church All are yours what all life and death things present and things to come all are yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods So we see that Death is amongst the priviledges that Christ hath given his Church therefore rectifie your opinions concerning Death make good that I spake before and you shall find this good that I now speak And for the last the unacquaintance with Death let not that trouble you none come from the dead to tell you what is done there but look on the servants of God before and when they die and you shall find enough how they apprehended Death when they have looked on it in the glasse of the Gospel Look upon them before death Jacob being to close up his dayes with blessing of his children Lord saith he I have maited for thy salvation He looked upon Death through Christ the Saviour of the world that he should be saved by him and though it be true that there is a further meaning for the Tribes in those words of Jacob yet this was proper to Jacob himself he looked upon Death now approaching as that that he was delivered from and set into that freedom purchased by Christ So old Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen thy salvation Jacoh accounted it his salvation old Simeon a departure from a worse place to a better from worse company and comforts to a better A change for the better still and a departing in peace Again secondly look on the servants of God in death see what they have said too Josiah a man that was upright in heart he went to the grave in peace he was gathered to his fathers in peace that he should not see the evill that should come upon his people here is all it was but a peaceable taking of him away from a more troubelous condition if he had lived longerâ—… Beloved he died in war yet it is said he was gathered in peace he had inward peace with God though he failed in that particular action And the Apostle in the 2 Cor. 5.4 This is our desire that we may be clothed upon not that we would be unclothed but clothed upon that mortality may be swallowed up of life A strange speech he counteth death life to him he counteth the death of this life to be the death of mortality by laying aside this earthly tabernacle as he said in the first verse mortality is swallowed up of life And therefore you give wrong names to things for while you live you die because your life it is a dying condition and while you die you live because then the cessation of life it is as the river Jordan to the people of Israel no more but a passage to Canaan not a floud to drown them so it is with the servants of God death is but a passage to heaven it is not destructive to them So that if men did but rectifie their opinions of Death as I told you before when their hearts are right set when they are humbled and not lifted up with worldly things when their faith is strengthned and setled in them when they are made watchful in a holy course looking for Death when they are established with the assurance of Gods favour then I say they may find that all these natural fears of death were upon mistake they did
and commands us to seek these are Armour of proof against all the blows of death he that hath them shall never be hurt of Death because he shall never taste of the second death he hath only to wrestle with the first Death and there is no terrour nor terribleness it that if a mans heart be secure by these Graces Faith whereby we depend on Christ and on him alone for grace and salvation bringing hope whereby we expect and look for salvation of our souls by his blood according to his promise and working charity whereby we love him for his goodness and his servants for his sake If it be charity not only of the lip to speak well but that that produceth wel-doing I say this is that makes us that death cannot separate us from Christ but the further we are from life the neerer we are to him for when this outward tabernacle of our house is dissolved we have a building with God eternal in the heavens and death to such a man is nothing but the opening of the door to let him out of the dungeon of the world and to place him happily in the Pallace of eternal blisse I pray enter into consideration how ye have behaved your selves in the course of your lives whether as Heathens or as Christians A man that takes no care to prepare for death though he come to the Church from Sunday to Sunday and partake of all Gods ordinances yet if the consideration of death be not so imprinted in him that it become a motive to him to labour for Faith and hope and charity and to endeavour to edifie himself in these graces he liveth as a Heathen or an Infidel and when death cometh to him it will do him more hurt then it will an Infidel because by how much God hath given him more means to escape and by neglecting those means as his sin is greater so shall his punishment be Secondly if ye have been careless for to prepare for this enemy Now be ashamed of it and sorrow for it let your hearts now smite ye and ake within you Oh foolish man or woman say I have lived twenty thirty forty fifty years and some more I have laboured against other enemies if men had any thing against me I would be sure to take order I have laboured for the things of this life for riches and friends and give my self leave for to enjoy pleasures and taken pains to doe good to my body but all this while it never came into my heart seriously to think I must die and after that comes Judgement that I must stand before Gods Tribunal and give account of my wayes I have not laboured to beware of Death and of sin nor to kill my corruptions I have not laboured to increase in Faith and hope and charity I have left my self unarmed against the last and worst enemy Oh what folly is this to live in the world many a long day and never to consider that there will be an end of all these dayes and the end of those the beginning of another life and a life that will be infinitely more miserable then this If this beloved have been any of your faults to be carelesly forgetful of your latter end not to consider of your departure hence if the world have so tempted you and pleasures have so enamoured you that you have forgotten your latter end blame your selves it is the greatest of all follies And that I may disgrace this folly and make you ashamed of it Consider a little That this is to be like children The Apostle biddeth us not to be like children in understanding but he that forgetteth Death and is careless to prepare for it is a very child A little one never thinketh he shall ever be a man himself and maintain himself and live in the world by his own labour or by that he shall have from his friends he careth for nothing butmeat and drink and sport and pastime we blame their folly andlaugh at it as rediculous and therefore by our diligence we prevent that ill that might else come upon them Is it not thus with many of you ye live and build houses and raise your names to be glorious and to make a fair shew in the world but to get grace and to get faith and hope and love and repentance none of your thoughts almost run that way scarce any of your thoughts are so bestowed Is not this to be children in understanding Again he is a foolish man that knoweth he shall meet an enemy and will not prepare If a man should hear of twenty or thirty thousand souldiers were gathered against the City and besieged it to destroy it He would not be so foolish and so simple then as to bestow himself in his trade and to follow his business and to give himself to merrimeut but he would get his weapons and he would look about him help to arm the City and to make it strong Why do ye not consider that your soul is as a City Death will come against it and batter you with sickness with pains and at last will certainly take it and if the soul be not prepared will carry it to Hell fire Why will you be so retchless and sensless to eat and drink and labour to grow rich to bury your selves in eatrthly labours and never think how to escape how Death may be kept out that will destroy soul and body I presume you are ashamed of this folly by this time I hope ye will go away with remorse and sorrow for so carelesly neglecting a thing of so great importance to be provided for In the third place therefore I entreat you begin this great work this day Consider if you have not begun the enemy lieth in wait for thee oh man or woman if thou be never so young thou maist meet with him before night if thou be old thou must meet with him ere long Prepare for him betime think what an enemy may encounter thee in the way If a man be to travel though he be not assured to meet with an enemy yet he will strive to get good company and weapon himself he will carry his sword something he will do that if a theef come to rob him he may be able to prevent the danger Beloved think that there is an enemy that way-laies us as we go along in the world one time or other he will be sure to come upon us therefore stir up your selves begin this day to prepare for this enemy How shall I prepare for Death I told you before it is not amiss in a word to repeat it Get Faith in Christ and Hope and Charity and repentance These will be means to prepare and help thee against Death Therefore if hitherto thou have not lament and bewail the sinfulness of thy nature and life Assoon as thou art out of this place get thee into a solitary room fall upon thy knees lament thy
Zacheus his offer was but half of his goods Lord half of my goods I give to the poor For ought I can perceive and understand above half of her estate she hath given to charitable uses I say no more of her These works of her will praise her in the gates She died in the Country And I am sorry that I had not information as I did desire of her behaviour in her sickness I have it not I can say nothing of it but thus much It was not possible that such a creature that lived thus as we know she did in obedience to God in repentance in faith with invocation of Gods mercy in Charity in Peace but that her death was blessed She that lived in the Lord no question but she died in the Lord and she is blessed for Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord. Good Lord teach us to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts to wisdom and grant that as we grow in years we may grow in knowledge of thy truth in obedience to thy will in faith in thy promises in love toward thee and toward our neighbours for thy sake that when we come to the end of our dayes we may come to the end of our hope the salvation of our souls through Jesus Christ to whom with thee oh Father and thee oh holy Spirit three Persons but one true and immortal and only wise God be given both from us and all thy creatures in heaven and in earth continual praise honour glory dominion and power now and for evermore Let all those that hear the word of God depart from iniquity Now the God of Peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepheard of the sheep through the bloud of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect to do his will working in you that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ Amen THE CHRISTIANS CENTER OR HOW TO LIVE TO GOD. SERMON X. ROM 14.7 For none of us liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself for whether we live we live to the Lord and whether we die we die unto the Lord whether we live therefore or die we are the Lords THese words contain an Argument or reason which the Apostle useth to prove that the weak Christian should be born withal and that men should not judge because of the difference of meat amongst them He sheweth that they did not with the neglect of the knowledge of any truth keep themselves ignorant in this particular but it was their weakness The strong should bear with the weak and the weak should not censure the strong the reason is because they agree in one end they propound one general end to themselves that guides them in all their actions they walk in one way and in one path and therefore they should in these things agree together The general end at which they all aymed in their doings is the Lord He that eateth faith he eateth to the Lord he that eateth not to the Lord he eateth not that is still he propoundeth God as his end and the pleasing of God in his actions as the rule of them That he may prove this unto us that they stand thus affected both of them notwithstanding this difference he bringeth in this as the general reason where to every particular of their lives may be reduced All their life is ordered by the Lord they live to the Lord they die to the Lord so that whet her they live or die they are the Lords Therefore all their particular actions are to the Lord. Whether we live we live to the Lord and whether we die we die to the Lord. Now this general reason he propoundeth two wayes First Negatively None of us living to himself and no man dieth to himself Secondly Affirmatively which consisteth of two parts Their duty to God Gods acceptance of them and protection over them Their duty to God if we live we live to the Lord and if we die we die to the Lord. Gods acceptance of them Whether we live or die we are the Lords That which we shall now insist upon is the former part the negative expression and proposal of this general reason none of us liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself Now when the A postle affirmeth this of the beleevers of those times he therein intimateth thus much that it is the course of beleevers in all times It is a duty belonging to all others of which they must make account not to live to themselves but to the Lord. Therefore though he speaks generally here yet there is in his speech a kind of particular universality a generality with a restraint He saith none of us he saith not none in the world live to themselves for there are many in the world live to themselves and not to the Lord but none of us none of those that we rank our selves with that are in the condition of beleevers none of those concerning whom we speak in this question none of us live to our selves Life in general is nothing else but that power whereby we act or move As we read Gen. 2. God breathed into man the breath of life and he became a living soul he gave him the power whereby he acted The acting of this power is the exercise of that life whether the action be of the mind or of the body And so as there is a donble life there are two sorts of actions of life there are natural actions of a natural life and there are spiritual actions of a spiritual life When the Apostle speaks of living he intends both these We live not that is we do not the actions of life whether natural or spiritual to our selves but to the Lord. No man liveth to himselfe By himself he meaneth not only a mans person either soul or body but all those advantages that conduce to the well-being of a man No man of us so ordereth the actions of his life with reference and respect to our selves as the uttermost end we do not make our own well-being or well-fare the uttermost end of our actions none of us live to our selves You have the sense and meaning of the words which being a patterne to other Christians a thing which the Apostle supposeth is or should be in every beleever it giveth us this point of instruction whereupon we shall insist at this time That is No Beleever none that are in Christ should make themselves the end in their actions None should live that is spend their time and strength and endeavour ayming at no higher end then themselves No Christian should so spend his time as to seek himself only in the actions that he doth None of us liveth to himselfe But here it may be objected for the clearing of the point May not a Christian seek himself in the things that he doth When they do good things that which God commandeth that
as it is in the Revelation that the time is now come too neer He that is filthy let him be filthy still that is let him go on to the end It is evident and apparent that sin is increased since the sickness it is apparent that our sins are aggravated though they are dayly cryed down And now at this time as if we would defie God to his face and call upon him to hasten his judgments upon our Land upon our Families and persons every one strives as it were who shall outdare him most in our excesses in impenitency in hardning our selves in a course of sin These things convince us of our security There are many more that might be named if the time would permit But put these together and they may shew us our wretchedness When we consider how little we have profited by judgments how little we have profited by the ordinances how full of vain confidence and idle dreames how notwithstanding all these we abound still in wickedness and there is no reformation of our hearts and lives what may we not conclude against ourselves If ever people were drowned in a drunken security we of all people under heaven are at this time For of all people under heaven we are in a manner the last God hath spared us to the last We have had warning by judgments inflicted upon others for many years together It hath come neerer to us hy degrees it began a far off in Bohemia and then in the Phalatinate and in Germany The Lord would have us see how he cometh to us by degrees by steps that at the last we may meet him by repentance But where is the man that yet gets out of the bed of security that cometh out of his sleep to meet the Lord that comes with a broken heart to beg for forgiveness of his sins past and to beg for mercy for the time to come Well now since it is so that we are convinced by these signs that we are in a carnal and sinful security we see then so many of us at least that are children of the light and of the day what cause we have to be awakened and to do that for others which they will not do for themselves to be more earnest in prayer more frequent in humbling our souls for our own sins and theirs that God may lay aside and cast away his judgments and displeasure that either are feared or lie upon us Is it not a fearful thing that when the Lyon roareth the beasts of the Forrests tremble Yet the God of heaven roareth against the world at this day and the proud hearts of men do not tremble before him Shall the beasts of the forrests be afraid of the Lyon more then the poor worms of the earth of the mighty God of heaven and earth But this is the horrible Atheisme and Infidelity that is in the hearts of men that they beleeve not Gods power and justice nor his threatnings I beseech you let every man be exhorted to stirre up his soule to this business to awaken himselfe in his own particular person Consider that there are others that are awake that may bring you sorrow enough be you awakened to prevent those miseries Sathan is awake to tempt you Be sober and watchful saith Saint Peter for your adversary the devil goeth about seeking whom he may devoure Sathan is busie and watching to make you his prey watch you therefore that you enter not into tentation Your own Corruptions are alwayes awake The concupisence and depraved disposition of the soul it is awake still to further every evill motion to draw you aside by its tentations Therefore saith the Apostle I beseech you abstain as pilgrims and strangers from fleshly lusts that war against the soule Do as men in warre when they know that they have a waking enemy against them they will be sure to keep their Watch. Beloved you cannot but know that your corruptions are awake you may perceive it in your sleepes and dreames take heed that you be not found in a spiritual sleep that corruption prevail not over you Besides these the enemies of the Church are awake Heretiques are awake every where to bring men from the faith to pervert the faith of many oh be awake to prevent those Besides others are awaken to ransack houses to destroy Cities oh be awake that you may be at peace with the Lord of Hosts the God of Armies that hath all power in his hand to keepe you safe Againe secondly consider the evil of this security you are in of this disposition of heart when you cry peace peace to your selves in the middest of Gods displeasure It is an evil disease a spiritual lethargy That disease we know in the body it takes a man with sleep and so he dieth Oh how many are in this spiritual lethargy in this deep sleep of sin at this day the Lord awaken them It is the more dangerous because it is a sensless disease a disease that takes the senses from the soul and diseases we know that take away the senses are dangerous for it is not only a sign that nature is overcome by the disease but besides it draweth men from seeking for cure Thus it is with the spiritual lethargy it shews not only that sin hath prevailed in the heart that it hath overcome grace and thereupon you have yeelded unto it to your pride and covetousness and vanity as those that are subdued under a disease but it hindreth you from seeking the means to escape out of it Thou saist saith Christ to the Church of Laodicea that thou art rich and needest nothing and that was the reason she sought not to Christ It is our condition we have knowledg enough therefore we care not for the Ordinances of God We have faith enough and therefore we care not for increasing it though none of us say thus with our tongues yet most of us beleeve thus with our hearts As David saith of the ungodly man the wickedness of the wicked saith in my heart So may I say the neglecting of the ordinances the carelesness of men in the use of the means of salvation saith in my heart that there is abundance of security that they are in a spiritual lethargy that leadeth to death As it is an evil disease so it causeth much evil It is that which driveth away the Spirit of God It is the counsel of the Apostle Grieve not the Spirit quench not the Spirit When we neglect the motions of the Spirit the Spirit withdraweth it self Doth not your own experience tell you this Consider a little what motions you have had how God by the checks of your consciences somtime by secret incitements as it were a spur upon your hearts hath moved you to duty and to leave your sins How have these moved you you have had purposes it may be to perform these duties to walk in the wayes
OR THE DESIRE OF THE FAITHFUL SERMON XV. ISAIAH 26.8 9. Yea in the way of thy Judgements O Lord have we waited for thee the desire of our soul is to thy Name and to the remembrance of thee With my soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within me will I seek thee early for when thy judgements are in the earth the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness THis Chapter is a sweet Song of the Prophet if I mistake not concerning the restauration of the Jews And the words of the Text are the sweet Swan-like Song of our deceased Sister which she desired might be her Funeral Song her Funeral Text at this time and desired it long ago before any thing that is now fallen out came to pass And I have accordingly pitched upon it not onely to satisfie her desire in a just thing but especially because I approve her choice of a fit Text there being not in the whole Scripture a portion that will afford a fitter Character in my apprehension for her person as you shall understand in the close to which therefore I shall deser the speaking to the present occasion The truth is I have handled a good part of this chapter formerly and in this place but now we shall clean go another way than then I did and than I usually do I shall only desire to present so much one of these words without any curious observation or division as may represent to us a perfect character of a sweet Christiin-minded man or woman which may be of singular use and very profitable There be only two things that I shall observe in the whole words I shall but go them over briefly taking out the main points as I conceive for that purpose I shall mention them We have here propounded to to us the compleat duty of a Christian And we have here some effectual motives intimated to stir Christians up to the preformance of that duty There is a general duty to begin with that first that belongeth to Christians at all times And there are some special duties which concerne Christians in some special times Both contained here The general duty I shall not as I said handle it in my former way of observation but only explicate the very words of the Text and that will be enough for me The general duty I say of a Christian and what should be the temper of his heart and spirit at all times we may find expressed at least intimated very sweetly with some excellent directions in the Text in the so thâ—…e circumstances First we may see here what is the true Object upon which a Christian soul should be fixed Secondly we may see the Latitude of the Acts which a Christian must exercise upon that Object Thirdly we may take notice of the manner and of the degree in which every one of these Acts must be exercised I shall but touch these briefly out of the words and then come to the special duties belonging to special times First to begin with the Object The desire of our soul is toward thee and to the remembrance of thy Name God and the name of God is that which should be printed in the heart of a Christian 〈◊〉 should be that to which the Byâ—… and stâ—…am of his whose soul runs First I say it should be fixed upon God We are here in the world placed as it were between heaven and earth Now all the manner is how our Byas is set which way that turns As the Byas is of the heart so the man is Our hearts may be turned downwards to the earth and to earthly things and so we shall run a course of ruin and destruction our hearts again the Byas of them may be settoward heaven and heavenly things and so we shall run the right course that we ought It is God that our souls should breath after Fecisti nos Do nine propter te faith a Father thou hast made us O Lord for thy self and our souls are restless till they return again to thee As they say of Circles The Circle the round figure is the most perfect figure and the most capacious figure because there the line that beginneth in one point goeth round till it return into the same again So this is the greatest perfection of a man when he returneth to his beginning he had all from God and when he reflects himself altogether back again unto God he attaineth his greatest perfection And indeed there will be no more rest for the soul in any thing out of God then there is for a stone or a weighty body in the liquid ayre Hang a stone in the Ayre and do but once remove the force that holds it there will it nill it give but a way to it and it will cut through and never rest till it come to a sollid substance till it come to the earth if it may to the Center of the earth It is so with the soul of man try it in all the fortunes and states and conditions in the world as a great Emperour said I have run through all things and my spirit will rest in nothing and as Solomon giveth us this observation out of all his travel and experiment that he had made Vanity of vanity all is vanity and worse then vanity too vexation of spirit this is the sum of all fear God and keep his commandenents as he concludeth This is the Object upon which our soul should be set we should have an eye to God labouring to approve ourselves to him making our approaches and adresses and returns to him that our soul may rest with him that we may enjoy the light of his countenance here and the fulness and brightness of his glory hereafter This is the first thing in the Object Now if a soul be carried toward this Object toward God and we can out-go and out-grow these worldly things look above them and look down upon them with scorne then the very name of God will be sweet and precious to us To thee and to thy name Every thing which is a memorial a remembrance of God Every thing by which God may be known will be taken notice of All his Attributes his Word and Ordinances and all other things which come within the compass of his Name as I suppose there are not many here but know according to the ordinary explication of Divines of the third Commandement Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain and the first Petition hallowed be thy name What is meant by the name of God When the heart I say is set upon God it even will leap for joy at the very name of God the very name of God will be sweet to him To enjoy God is sweet and to have but a glimpse of him to have him but represented by name is sweet too As it is reported of a
Father that was a godly man and a Martyr in his time that he was so frequent in roling the name of Christ the name of Jesusin his mouth that when he died it is reported that in his heart there was ingraven and written the character of that Name in golden letters And as Saint Austin speaks of himself Time was faith he that I found infinite sweetness it was honey to me to read a piece of Tully there was so much eloquence in it but after I came to be a Christian to be acquainted with God and with Christ then me thought the leaves were dry and the beauty withered I found no such sappe nor rellish in them And he giveth the reason Because faith he I did not there find the Name of my blessed Lord they did not bring to my remembrance they were not Vehicula instruments to convey to my soul something of my God Therefore all that Eloquence vanished and it was but an empty sound like a Cart that runs with speed rattleth and makes a great noise when it is empty so all the goodly sound of words when there is nothing of God carried along with it that puts us in mind of God it will have but little savour and relish to a pious heart But I must not dilate upon things lest I prevent my self in what I more intend This is the first thing that I note here the Object upon which we should place our hearts and souls they should be toward God and toward his Name But then secondly here is intimated in these words nay and directly exprest the Acts which a Christian should exercise upon the Object There are three Acts that are here mentioned for the whole soul must be taken up and carried with full stream toward God in all the parts and faculties of it and so we have it here clearly exprest First here is an act of the Understanding the intellectuall faculty mentioned Our rememberance is toward thy name There is a remembrance of God and his name And this should be one thing which a Christian should take special care of Our memories should not be like sieves to let out the clear water and to return the grains and the dreggs We should not have that treasury to preserve rubbish but to preserve our Jewels as when there was a dispute before Alezander that great King concerning a rich Cabinet that he took among his spoils when he had overthrown Darius King of Persia the richest Cabinet of the most costly Jewles that the world had then seen there was a dispute before him to what use he should put it and every one having exprest their minds according as their fancies lead them the King himself concluded that he would keep that Cabinet to be a treasury to lay the books of Homer in I am sure the richest Cabinet that is is in the soul of a man the memory which is the treasure-house where we lay up all that we know and learn it is a rich Cabinet I confess and therefore the fitter for the richest Jewel to lay up the word of God there as Mary treasured up those things she heard in her heart to lay up the remembrance of God there often to think upon God It is a very sweet saying of a learned and godly Father A man should oftener remember God then he doth breath As the Common-wealth is maintained by exportation and importation of commodities so is our life maintained by a continual exportation and importation of the Ayre passing to and fro breathing out the Ayre when it is too hot in us and fetching it in cool again to refresh and supply the spirits our life I say is maintained by it and God is the very fountaine of life to us even as the soul is the life of the body so is God the life of the soul therefore we should alwayes be remembring of God so ost as we breath breathing out prayers to him or praises of him in return of his mercy Our memories I say should be exercised in thinking upon God in remembering of God Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy youth faith Solomon We should begin betimes and we should never be weary of this The memory is one of the brittlest parts and we are most apt in age to grow to oblivion and forgetfulness as that great Oratour did sometime it is reported of him that his memory which was incomparably excellent before failed him so much before he died that he forgat his own name We cannot forget God but we must be worse then he and do that first forget our own name that we are Christians that we are sons and daughters of God Therefore this should be a thing that we should often inure our selves unto not to put the thoughts of God from us or think they are too sad and serious and so to account them as unwelcome guests but we should rather often bath our selves in these sweet delights in the meditation and remembrance of God That is one thing And then secondly besides the act of the understanding I will go according to the words of the text there is an act of the will and of the affections one onely named as a taste of all the rest for indeed where one is all are they are so linked and chained together that they cannot be separate And here is a sweet act of affection mentioned The desire of our soul is toward thee This should be one part of a Christians character that his desire should be alwayes breathing out and flaming up towards heaven that if he cannot at least obtain the highest pitch of full sayls of love and of a full perfection in vertue and grace yet whatsoever he cometh short in otherwise to make it up with abundant desires ardent longing desires not to come short in that to be sure that will make an excel lent supply And indeed it is that that poor and weak Christians must trust to many times must relieve themselves with thoughts of they often find themselves exceeding short and defective in performances if they did not find some desires working in them there would scarse be any symptome of life As it may be in the body a man can see sometimes but little motion in the body scarse any symptome of life the pulse is very weak and faint and scarse moveth at all that can be discerned but yet it may be there is some kind of breath stirring or else we conclude the party dead so it is in this case desire is that if there be truth in it be it the lowest degree of it which is an evidence of spiritual life there cannot be truth of grace where there is not unfeigned and hearty desires toward God desires to approve our selves to him desires to walk with him in our whole course desires to be defective in nothing and that is in some sort true as you know Divines have determined it and if it be not
Election God hath elected them to it Secondly in respect of vocation they are begotten again to a lively hope They have now the Word which giveth them a promise of heaven They have now the spirit which is the seal of their inheritance you are sealed by the spirit of Promise to the day of redemption Eph. 1.13 Secondly in regard of possession they are now already in present possession not in full possession but in present possession A possession not in themselves but in Christ by vertue of the union and communion they have in him By the union and contract that is between Christ and the soul Christ is become the Husband the Christian the Spouse So that as a Wife if her Husband should travel into a far Countrey and in her name should take possession of those lands that were left her by her Father the Wife now is possest of those lands in her Husband who in her name hath taken possession of them so Christ entring into heaven hath took possession of heaven which is given to us by the will of God It is your Father pleasures to give you a kingdom Christ hath possessed it in our name I go faith he to prepare a place for you and it is my will that they be where I am I go to my Father and your Father to my God and your God All that Christ hath in heaven He hath it for us He is gone before that we may follow after we cannot possibly lay claime to heaven we cannot hope hereafter fully and personally to possesse it if Christ had not first taken possession of heaven for us The Use of this in a word shall be to stir up every one to look to his hope of heaven It is usual for men to profess their hope to be saved and scarse any but they will say they hope if they die they shall go to heaven Yea but thou must now possesse it if ever hereafter thou mean to enjoy it and thou must possesse it first in Christ thou must be united to him by faith and love those are the bonds whereby the Spirit of God tyeth us unto Christ therefore Christ is said to dwell in our hearts by faith Which shewes the horrible presumption of many and how they add to their other sins this that they presume that they have right and title to heaven and yet are not united to Christ by faith as if a man should give out that he were the heir apparant to a Crown or the son of a King and yet nevertheless should indeed be the son of a Beggar and have nothing to shew for his pretended title to the Crown and Kingdom what would this be accounted but high treason against the King What a height of sin is this that is in many men which to their other sins add a presumptuous claim to heaven when they have no right to it I Remember that in the time of Ezra we shall read of many that laid title and claim to the Priest-hood but Ezra searched the book of the Genealogies and finding none of their names Registred there he presently concluded that they were none of the Priest-hood therefore they were accounted polluted and put from the Priest-hood If any man lay claim to heaven God will search his book of Genealogies as it were he will search the Register of heaven and if he find that his name be not inrolled there if he be not found to have interest in Jesus Christ all will be nothing he shall be cast out to his greater confusion This should therefore stir up every one to make good his claim to heaven now either now to be possest of heaven now to sit in heavenly places with Christ ore lse look not to come to heaven afterward But to leave this and to come to that I mainly intend namely the Argument or reason or ground of the Apostles heavenly conversation Our conversation is in heaven from whence we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ The Apostle observeth here a kind of speech and that which seems not so Gramaticall that he may thereupon build a sound and substantial truth in Divinity He had said before Our conversation is in the heavens in the Plural number but now when he speaks of Christs coming thence he speaks of it in the Singular number Our conversation is in the heaven from whence from which particular place We look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ Of purpose to shew us thus much that though Christ in respect of his Deity and divine nature he be in all places filling heaven and earth yet in respect of his bodily presence he remaineth now and so will till his second coming which the Saints look for in heaven Against those Ubiquitaries that will have the body of Christ to be every where In Heaven say they visible in this place invisible The Papists hence build the Doctrine of Transubstantiation they will have the body of Christ even that very body that was born of the Virgin to be now Bread and the bread turned into it The Lutherans will have the same Body about the bread No faith the Apostle there is no such matter from thence from that very place that very individual particular single place from the third heavens where the body of Christ is We look for the Saviour he remaineth there and so will continue till his coming to Judgement So again in another place Collos 3.1 Set your affections on things above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God Above that is in heaven where Christ sitteth and continueth and will remain till his second coming Our Saviour told his Disciples in the dayes of his flesh that the poor they should have alwayes with them but me faith he you shall not have alwayes If this be true that they say then Christ hath not said true for he is still in respect of his bodily presence and hath been alwayes with us But I let pass that The thing I note hence is this That that which most soundly and effectually settleth the heart of a man in a heavenly conversation upon earth is the looking for the Saviour of the world even the Lord Jesus Christ to come from thence I say there is nothing that so settleth the heart of a man in a heavenly conversation upon earth nothing that makes him so heavenly minded nothing that ordereth him in so heavenly a course as this if he rightly look for Christ to come from thence That you may conceive this the better you may please to take notice that there are two things included in this point First that all the Saints of God while they are on earth their continual expectation is for Christ to come from heaven Secondly that nothing is so effectual to settle a man in a holy course while he liveth on earth as this expectation These two things I will open to you at this time The
first I say is that the Saints and servants of God while they are on earth do continually expect and look for the Saviour of the world even the Lord Jesus Christ to come from heaven By the coming of Christ you must understand his second coming to judgement For there is a threefold coming of Christ A twofold coming in his Body and one by his Spirit The first was the coming of Christ in the flesh when he came to take our nature upon him and to be born of a Virgin The second is the coming of Christ by his Spirit so he cometh continually and daily in the hearts of men in the preaching of the Gospel in vertue and efficacy His last coming and his second coming in respect of his body is when he shall come to judgement Never look for the coming of Christ in his body upon earth in the sight of men till that great day come when the Lord Jesus shall come with thousands of his Angels in the glory of his Father Now then this being the meaning of it we will prove it And first that it is the continual expectation of all the Saints of God and the continual desire of their hearts their continual waiting is for the second coming of the Lord Christ As it was before the first coming of Christ in the flesh so it shall be before his second coming Before the first coming of Christ after the promise was made to Adam all the expectation and hope of the Fathers and Beleevers was this when the great Messias would come and therefore faith Jacob I have waited for thy salvation and David I have longed for thy salvation meaning Christ the Saviour of the world and the Church groweth to a kind of holy impatiency Oh that thou wouldest break the heavens and come down And immediatly upon the time of Christs coming there were alwayes holy men in those times that were stirred up with a continual expectation of it and therefore it was made a mark of a good man in those dayes It is said of Joseph of Arimathea and Simeon and of divers good women as of Anna and others that they waited for the consolation of Israel they continually waited and expected when the great comforter and Saviour of his people would come So shall the second coming of Christ be from the very time of his Ascension into heaven to the time now and to the time of his last coming to Judgement all the eyes of men will be towards him When I am lifted up faith our Saviour I will draw all men after me which though it be there particularly understood of his lifting up upon the Cross yet it is intended in general of his Ascension into heaven So that as after the promise was given of the Spirit The Disciples waited for the receiving of the gift of the holy Ghost So it is now and will be since the holy Ghost is already given there remaineth nothing to be looked for but Christ himself in his second coming to finish all these dayes of sin And that this is the disposition of all the servants of God appears by divers places of Scripture 2 Tim. 4.8 faith the Apostle there Hence forth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not to me only but unto them also that love his appearing The Apostle here makes a description of all those that shall be saved and he faith they are such as love the appearing of Jesus Christ now that which a man loveth he desireth and looks and longs for And in Heb. 9.28 Christ died once for many and unto them that look for him shall he appeare the second time unto salvation Salvation is brought to whom to all those and only to those that look for the appearance of Christ Therefore it is said of all the Beleevers in Heb. 12. That they saw things that were invisible and that they had an eye to the recompense of reward and that they saw the promise a far off They looked still for those things that were to appear by Christ This I suppose is sufficiently confirmed by the Scripture let us therefore make some use of it Try now what comfort thou hast in the expectation of that great appearance of the Lord Jesus here spoken of This is the most infalible ground and undoubted evidence and testimony of the truth of grace now and assurance of glory hereafter if God have now stirred up thy heart in faith and holy affection to look for and to long and waite for the appearance of Jesus Christ Without this there is little love to Christ The Church in Cant. 1.2 sheweth her love to Christ Draw me saith she and we will run after thee And chap. 2.4 Stay me with flaggons comfort me with apples for I am sick of love and chap. 5. If you find him whome my soul loveth tell him I am sick of love If thou be of the disposition of the Church thou wilt out of love to Christ desire nothing so much as to enjoy the presence of Christ The Spirit and the Bride say come and let him that heareth say come the Spirit faith come and the Bride because she is stirred up in the same affection by the Spirit she faith come too Christ faith to his Church I come and the Church she faith again Come Here is the agreement between Christ and his Church and the same disposition is in all the members of Christ a waiting and longing and desiring for the coming of Christ There are many that pretend they wait and desire for the coming of Christ When a man is under any affliction or in any trouble then Oh that Christ would come and end these troubles You shall here a man that is abused and wronged by the oppressions and injuries of others and by the unrighteous dealings of wicked and ungodly men crying out Oh that Christ would come and put an end to these evil times Yea but if thou hast this desire of Christs coming that is in a man of a heavenly conversation It will appear in these three things First it will appear by the Ground of it What are the grounds of thy desire what are the motives that incourage thee to long for the coming of the Lord Jesus That which is the ground of faith is the ground of hope that is the promises Faith is the ground of things hoped for and the Word and Promise are the warrant of Faith Faith and Hope look both on this the free promise of God so it is said of Abraham that be beleeved above hope because be knew that be that promised was able to do it There is the first thing then Faith is the ground there is none but a true beleever that can indeed aright wait for and desire the coming of Christ But this will appeare more in the second thing and that is by the companion
of this expectation of Christs coming when it is right and as it should be in the soul of a Beleever The first companion of it is Patience If we hope for that we see not then do we with patience wait for it faith the Apostle Rom. 8.25 If we have hope and expectation of Christ coming if it be right it will stay the heart and calm and quiet the spirit in the middest of all injuries and crosses and afflictions in the world it will make us to wait with patience He that beleeveth will not make hast When a man beleeveth that there is a time when Christ will put an end to all these things it is that which mortisieth and subdueth the rising of his spirit and discontentedness in afflictions it makes him possesse his soul in Patience There is a kind of impatient waiting of men in the middest of discontent and revilings and evil speakings and threatings of others and then Oh that Christ would come But when Faith works kindly in the soul of a man there is a calm composedness of heart a submission to God in the present tryal and yet nevertheless a rejoycing in hope of the coming of Christ and of that glory that shall be revealed That is the first thing there is Patience accompanying it The second thing that accompanieth it is Love No man can in truth and aright hope for and wait for the coming of Christ but he that loveth Christ and his coming Now this Love must be grounded on our taste of Gods love Not that we loved him but that be loved us first faith the Apostle no man loveth Christ but first he is loved of Christ no man loveth God but first he is loved of God and the taste and relish of Gods love in my soule works love to God again as from the heat that cometh from the Sun there is a reflection that boundeth back again to the Sun so Gods love in us reflects love to God again This Love will appear in the secret sighings of the heart All the creatures groan yea we also sigh in our selves faith the Apostle waiting for the adoption even the redemption of our bodies There is I say a secret sighing of heart and that not only in the time of trouble and affliction but in the time of comfort and prosperity when a man hath abundance of outward things about him yet then because his love is set upon Christ and the perfection and end of love is the fruition of the object loved therefore there is a sighing a holy discontent as it were a kind of yearning of the heart toward Christ When shall I come and appear before God faith David how long Lord how long faith the Church in the Revelation If a man love Christ and his coming only because it shall end those miseries and those troubles that are upon him in this life this is not so much love of Christ as love of a mans self of his own ease and peace and rest But the love of Christ is this when for the injoying of himself I long for the fruition of him whom my soul loveth and I account nothing amiable in comparison of Christ nothing delectable nothing comfortable nothing sweet to Christ this is it that putteth the soul out of taste and relish with any thing makes it sigh as it were under the enjoyments of all the comforts of this life and long for the appearance of Christ because then he shall he perfected in the perfect enjoyment of Christ himself This is that love of Christ that is accompanied with Faith in a Christian and hope and expectation of his coming Now then if thou wait for Christ in truth how cometh it that thou dost not love him thou caust not wait for him aright except thou love Christ himself and for himself And if thou love Christ it wil appear by thy care to walk in Christ to derive virtue from him in all holy actions to derive all heavenly wisdom all heavenly disposition of heart from him to please Christ in all thy waies to do that whereby thou maist approve thy self to God in Christ This is the disposition of a heart loving Christ and this is that loving of Christ for himself and in himself that giveth me assurance that I love the appearance of Christ That is the second companion of this waiting for Christ if it be right there is a love to Christ The third and last companion of a mans waiting for Christ is the continual affection of the heart those same ejaculations that intercourse that holy and heavenly communion which the soul hath with Christ here First in his ordinances having a holy communion with him in them waiting at the Posts of the door of wisdomes house to here what Christ who is wisdome it self will speak to us waiting if that he will come now in the ministry of his Word in his Spirit whom we hope to enjoy fully in glory Waiting for him likewise in the Sacraments to receive a further confirmation of our faith in him waiting for him also in prayer to receive further consolation and strength from him Thus Annah it is said that She was one that waited for the consolation of Israel and served God in the Temple in prayer day and night So where there is a waiting for Christ there will be a continual intercourse of the soul with Christ a heavenly and holy communion with him in duties Dost thou wait for Christs coming and yet run from Christs ordinances How can these stand together There is no man that can ever wait with comfor for Christs coming in glory but he that now waiteth upon Christ in his ordinances If thy delight be in holy duties in the worship of God and that in such religious performances thou waitest for a further conveyance of the Spirit of Christ into thee thou hast warrant to wait for and to expect with comfort the second coming of Christ Try your selves therefore by these things It is not every one that faith I would that the Lord Jesus would come or I would that these dayes were full and finished It is not every one that saith thus that rightly looks for or desires the coming of Christ But he that thereby becometh patient and stayes and composeth his heart in a calme and quiet temper in the middest of all crosses and troubles and afflictions that befal him and that upon this ground because Christ will come and put an end to my sin as well as to my sorrow therefore I will wait with patience till he come And again he that loveth Christ that sigheth for his coming and he that now delighteth in his ordinances this man only waiteth for the coming of Christ There is yet a third Tryal and that is the effects and fruits of our waiting for the coming of Christ And that is threefold to go no further then the Text. The first is a heavenly conversation The second is
avoids the corruptions that are in the world through lusts But this looking for the second coming of Christ This Argument John the Baptist used to press upon his hearers the Doctrin of repentance because the king dome of God was at hand This is that upon which Saint Peter groundeth his exhortatoin unto the people Acts 3.18 Repent saith he and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord Therefore repent and return unto God do away your sins because there will a time of refreshing come and you had need then to be found in another hue in another state then in your old rotten withered condition and sinful lusts This is the Argument that the Aposte used to the Athenians to bring them from Idolatry to serve the living God because God hath appointed a time to judg the world in righteousness by that man whom ho hath ordained Even for that reason because God hath appointed a time to judg the world in righteousness therefore they should turne from their Idols to serve the living God There is nothing that doth so unbottome the heart nothing so shakes and looseneth a mans hold of sin and unrighteousness as the consideration of Christs coming to Judgment What will it boot me will the soul reason to keep my sins when Christ will come to judg me for my sins What shall I get by going on in a course of sin when I can look for nothing then but a sentence of wrath to be denounced against me This then is that that doth settle a man in a holy conversation in that respect Nay fourthly this is that also which quickneth a man to the practise of all holy duties in his place both in his general and particular Calling It is the very argument which the Apostle Saint Peter useth to stir us up to holiness of conversation Seeing saith he that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness looking for the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat As if he should have said Look now about the whole world and see what it is that now can comfort you if you be such as go on in a course of sin It may be you will say I fear not much for I have many friends Yea but all these shall die It may be thou hast store of lands but all that shall be burnt with fire It may be thou hast many pleasures but then there shall be nothing but Judgment The coming of the Lord that shall then put an end to all these and turn the course of things the expectation thereof is a special means to take us off from a course of sin and put us on to a course of obedience to make us walk in another kind of fashion while we are in the world Therefore the Apostle Saint Paul when he would â—…ir up Timothy to the work of the Ministry what is the Argument that he useth I charge thee before Christ who shall judg the quick and the dead As if he should say there shall be an appearing before the Lord and therefore if thou wilt give thy account up with joy at that day I charge thee to look to thy Ministry So may I say to every man in his place I charge thee that art a Master of a Family look to the business of thy family to the salvation of the souls of thy people I charge thee that art a father or a mother to look to the salvation of the souls of thy children I charge thee that art a Christian to look to the salvation of thy own soul And how is the charge I charge thee before the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judg the quick and the dead Because there shall come a time when both thou and they shall be present before Christ at his appearing therefore if thou wilt have comfort in them and in thy self and in Christ be careful to do the duty that concerns thy place Looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus So then you see in this respect also there is nothing so forcible an Argument to settle a man in a holy conversation in a heavenly course as this for a man alwayes to look for the second coming of Christ Lastly there is nothing fixeth a man so constantly in a holy course as this Our conversation faith the Apostle is alwayes in heaven We alwayes walk on earth as those that aspire to heaven because we alwayes look for the coming of Christ Wert thou carefnl to serve God yesterday do it to day also it may be Christ may come now and take thee away by death to day and there is no preparation for judgment afterward Little children saith Saint John now abide in him that when he shall appear we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming What is it that giveth a man boldness and takes away shame from him at the coming of Christ What is the reason that a man hath not that spirit of fear and trembling upon him that shall be upon the hearts of all those that go on in sin when they shall cry to the mountains to fall upon them but this that he hath continued in a holy conversation and constantly walked before the Lord with an upright heart I have finished my course saith the Apostle I have fought a good fight I have kept the faith hence-forth is layd up for me a crown of righteousness which Christ the righteous Judg shall give to me and to all them that love his appearing Still the servants of God have incouraged themselves to persevere in a holy course from the expectation of the coming of Christ that will give them a reward for their constancy in his service It is the Argument that the holy Ghost useth to the Church of Philadelphia Rev. 3.11 Hold fast that thou hast and let no man take thy crown As if he should say There is a time coming when Crowns shall be given but to whome to those that hold out that persevere in a godly course Be thou faithful to the death and thou shalt receive a crown of glory This is that I say that will make a man go on will make him that is good in youth be good in age also because whensoever he dieth he shall receive his Crown This will make a man that he shall not begin in the spirit and end in the flesh this will make him that having put his hand to the plough he will not look back because he no further looks for comfort in the appearance of Christ then he hath had care to walk on constantly in a good course Thus you see the point proved to you that a Christian soul hath a main benefit by his looking for the second coming of Christ
mad merrimemt he is a mad man that rejoyceth in that for which except he betake himself to serious and bitter mourning he cannot be saved Thirdly the inordinateness of the joy of young men may appear in this because they rejoyce excessively in lawful things for any joy when it is inordinate and excessive it is carnal It is lawful to rejoyce in recreations a whetting is no letting as the Proverb goeth But for a man to let out himself to the hinderance of the service of God to the disturbance of his duty to men it is unlawful It is lawfull to delight in the blessings and comforts of God that he affordeth us we read of the Joy of harvest in Isa 9. But for a man to delight in the gifts of God more then in the giver it is unlawfull Now if young men examine themselves they shall find their hearts mount not up to God in their joy and jollity and that they are excessive in the joy of the creature but altogether cold without joy of the Creatour Fourthly the carnalness of the Joy of young men may well appear in this because they terminate and conclude not their joy in God This followeth on the former for it is impossible that what beginneth not in God should end in God Now when Joy beginneth in sin it cannot end in God but in the Divel Secondly let young men take notice of themselves how they walk after their own hearts The heart that saies Come put away pensive thoughts trouble not your self about the day of reckoning and Judgement enjoy the time present what need this strictness of conversation zeal is but rashness there is no need of it take thy sill of pleasures thou hast goods laid up for many years Thus they Judge and thus they walk after their carnal heart This heart is as no heart as we read of Ephraim in Hosea 7. He was a silly dove that had no heart Certainly the heart that doth not guide men in the right way and direct men to the fear of God it is no heart For as the eye that will not lead us in the right way that performs not its office is no eye so the heart that leadeth not men to God and to goodness it is like the heart of Ephraim it is as no heart Again in the third place Let young men take notice of themselves how they walk after the sight of their eyes That is they stand gazing on things temporal and neglect things eternal they see a beauty and lustre in these outward things and perceive no glory and brightness in Christ Jesus and in his precious Ordinances Beloved if we follow our own heart and our own eyes it will be thus We should rather labour with Job to make a covenant with our eyes Oh how few young men are there that make a bargaine and agreement with their eyes that they Oh how few young men are shall not be as open Casements to let sin into the soul there that like Jeremy have their eyes as fountains of water to weep day and night for the afflictions of the people of God Oh how few yonng men are there that with Moses have an eye to the recompence of reward that they may suffer affliction with the people of God rather then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season Now I beseech you take a survey of your selves in these things These are the vices and sins and deformities of young men to be seen and lamented by all those that hope to dwell in Gods holy Hill The second use of this point is for exhortation to young men they should labour to be reformed in their affections and hearts And away away with this carnall joy we ought to cast it out of us Carnal Joy will you know what the event of it will be It will end in carnal sorrow and without repentance in hell it self Wo unto you faith our Saviour Christ that laugh now you shall weep and mourn The triumphing of the wicked saith Zophar in Job is short and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment though his excellency mount up to the heavens and his head reach unto the clouds yet he shall perish as his own dung they which have seen him shall say where is be He shall fall away as a dream and shall not be found yea he shall be chased away as a vision of the night But not to give you this only in Precept but also to shew you how to reform your selves in these vices that Solomon speciâ—…eth bo bear sway in young men let me lay you down these few directions First you must betake your selves to mourning for you sins as Saint James saith Be afflctied and weep and mourn let your laughter be turned into heaviuess If we be not reconciled to God if we have not assurance that we are interested in Christ there is no time for us to rejoyce we should rather betake our selves to bitter mourning for the wrath of God is due unto us and we know not how soon it may fall upon us In the second place Consider how vain all things are in which youthfull persons rejoyce If young men rejoyce in human wisdome and understanding this is a vain thing For first it is gotten with a great deal of trouble and vexation of spirit so faith Solomon Eccles 1.13 I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven this sore travel hath God given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith And verse 18. in much wisdome is much grief and he that increaseth knowledg increaseth sorrow God doth so punish the pride and boldness of the wit of men even from the fall of our first Parents Secondly this human wisdome it must needs be a vain thing for Eccles 1.15 that which is crooked cannot be made straight and that which is wanting cannot be numbred by human wisdome The meaning is this that the natural wisdome of man cannot supply the defects of nature which are innumerable much lesse can it furnish the soul with grace or salvation Thirdly it is but vexation of spirit Solomon though he had gotten wisdome and understanding and had experience more then all the Kings of Jerusalem that were before him yet faith he Behold this is vexation of spirit Again God will abolish this human wisdome 1 Cor. 1.19 I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent Where is the wise where is the Scribe where is the disputer of this world Hath not God made foolish the wisdome of this world Besides all your human wisdom it shall not go down to to the Grave it shall leave you when you die There is no work nor device nor knowledg nor wisdome in the grave whether thou goest Eccles 9.10 This is the first thing in which young
deal less then a man For what was he hark what David faith in his person I am a worm and no man the very off-scouring of men the out-cast of the people there was no glory in his first appearing But now his second appearing shall be in glory it shall be every way glorious First his Person glorious And then his Throne glorious he shall come and sit upon the throne of his glory And then his attendants glorious the Angels thousand thousands ministring to him ten thousand thousands standing before him and all glorious Again his administration of justice shall be glorious for if he got himself glory on Pharaoh when he drowned him in the Sea What glory will he get when he shall throw the Divel and wicked men into hell fire there is glory in his administration of justice Then glory in his Saints as the Apostle I Thes 1.10 faith that God shall be marvellous glorious in his Saints For when Christ that is our glory shall appear then we also shall appear with him in glory Here is the glorious Epiphany of Christ a glorious appearing But of whom The great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Some there are that would make these two to be two persons The great God say they that is God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ that is God the Son Thus the Arrians thus the Semi-Arrians and thus which I wonder at Erasmus and thus some others But first of all you never find in the New Testament of the Epiphany of God the Father that same glorious Epiphany is ever of the Son Then the Greek makes it plain me-thinks for had there been two persons the Apostle should have said thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there should have been two Articles but here is but one Article it is apparant to them that understand the Greek it is but one Person that same person is the mighty God the great God and the Saviour Jesus Christ The great God First Christ is God I need not stand to prove that now among you And that same incommunicable Name of Jehovah by which I find him called in Scripture and those incommunicable properties of the Divine Nature Immortality Immutability Immensity Omnipotency Omniscience which are all ascribed to Christ And then those names that are proper only to God as The Creator The Governour of the World And then the worship that is due to God alone is given to Christ in the Scriptures ipsius est solus est all these being given to him prove him to be God And lest you should think he is God now by participation of the Divine Essence in which sence the Angels are called Elohim Or as Majestrates are Gods by representation you shall find by what Epithites he is called God The true God 1. Ioh. The mighty God Isa 9.6 God blessed for ever Rom. 9.5 and here the great God And so he is great God great not in bodily bulk but great in Essence Great in Majesty great in power And this may first be a wondrous comfort to Gods children Doth thy heart condemn thee hark what S. John faith God is greater then our he art Again doth the Divel terrifie thee hark what our Lord faith No man shall be able to take them out of my hand He is able to keep us to the day of Salvation a great comfort to Gods people A great matter of terrour to wicked men that this Judge shall be the great God for who is able to stand before him when he is angry Do you remember when the band of Souldiers came to apprehend him in the Garden he said no more but Ego sum it is I faith he and presently they fell down to the ground they were beat down with the very breath of his mouth as a man is sometimes with the wind of a bullet or as the walls of Jericho with the found of the trumpets of Rams horns The very word Ego sum it was no more they fell all to the ground Now I may say with that Father what shall he do when he comes to Judge that was able to do thus when he was to be judged Quid regnatores patuerit c. what shall he do when he comes to reign that was able to do thus when he was to die But alas you will say if he be so great a God so glorious how shall such a poor wretch as I stand before him I confess my self a poor wretched and grievous sinner how shall I stand before him Oh mark here he that is called the great God he is called the Saviour Jesus Christ Here is the comfort he is a Saviour he came to work the work of Redemption He was made like us in all things sin excepted that he might be mereiful And it is wondrous comfortable that in that very nature he shall be our Judge in which he stood before the Judge at the judgement seat of Pilate God hath appointed a day faith Saint Paul in which he will judge the world in righteousness by whom by the man Jesus Christ Act. 17.31 O but what a comfort of comforts is that indeed I pray mark our Lords words John 5.27 God the Father faith he hath given all authority to his Son to judge Why Mark his reason because he is the Son of man He doth not say he hath given him power to judge because he is his Son but because he is the Son of man It made sweet Saint Bernard cry out O verum Patrem misericordia c. O true Father of mercies that wouldest have men judged by man he hath been a man and lived he knew no sin he knew temptation he knew what is was to be tempted he knows that we are tempted and he knows that we are but men he remembreth that we are but dust Thus I have gone over the words briefly There is a general Doctrine to be touched which I can but touch in a word it is this Every true Christian must so live as a man that waites and looks for this blessed hope at that glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ The holy men that lived before Christs first Epiphany his first coming here in the flesh they are described thus to be men that looked for that coming After his coming Anna the Prophetess the Scripture faith she spake of Christ to all that looked for redemption in Jerusalem Luke 2.36 and in verse 25. it is said that old Simeon a devout man and one that looked for the consolation of Israel And the like is said of Joseph of Aremathea he was a just man one that feared God and looked for the redemption of the people of God he looked for the kingdom of God There was looking then And the Children of God now in the New Testament they are all described by this looking for the second coming of Christ Gods children
comparatively describes it and sets it forth he saith It is like a vapour that appeareth for a little while and vanisheth away According to the method that the Apostle hath laid down so shall my Discourse go on and first I will say something of the question he layeth down And then I will say something of the words of the Text. First to let us see what a poor uncertain thing we trust to when we build upon life the Apostle throws out this question Your life saith he What is your life Where first the Apostles phrase he speaks in is worthy to be observed your life not ours yours that make such accounts and reckonings as these promise to your selves what you will do in following your worldly business and increase your worldly gain What is your life The life of Worldlings the Apostle would secretly tax as some Expositers collect noting a difference and disparity between Christians in their wayes and Worldlings in theirs Worldlings are altogether for this Life and the things of this Life they never dream of any other to come Post mortem nihil c. as the Epicure in the Poet. Death that is an anihilation and after death there comes nothing Therefore all their projects and practices draw downwards they project for a worldly Life their buyings and sellings and markettings and profits these are the things they mind and seek after all the thought of their hearts are bent upon these cares all the dayes of their Lives are spent upon these things but there is another manner of Life that Christians look for There is a life hid with Christ in God they know there is another Life to come after this therefore their hearts are set upon other manner of objects They are not such as have their affections set upon the World they make not account of themselves as men of this World Plato being asked the question what Country-man he was he said he was a Citizen of the World a Christian is not so he is no Citizen of the World but a Citizen of Heaven therefore it is said We have our conversation in Heaven Phil. 3.10 The Greek word properly signifieth Citizens or Burgesses therefore Saint Jerome in his Epitaph upon Neapotian renders it so and Beza pertinent to the sense though not proper to the Text We carry and behave our selves like Citizens or Burgesses or Free-men of Heaven they have all their affections 〈◊〉 all their thoughts and desires bent that way if they can obtain that they have as much as they desire to crown their wishes withall they care for no other buying but of the truth they fear not selling but of their Souls they wish no gain but Heaven And indeed this Life doth only deserve to be called a Life this Life which the Saints which Christians live the Life that they live to God and this Life is that that must prepare them for a better Life the life in Heaven Of any other Life but this we may ask the question in the words of the Apostle What is it what is it It deserves not so much as the name as he saith though in name it be a life indeed it is a death but pretermit the disparity and difference between lives some are comparatively and other simply considered The Life simply considered is the subject of the Apostles question What is your life Questions alway in the Scripture are emphatical whether they tend to magnifie and advance or to the villifying and abasing of what they aim at this here is most emphatical to shew us how poor and base a thing Life is like that question in Job to shew how poor and base a thing man is Job 7.17 Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him or settest thy heart upon him So David Psalm 8.4 Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man that thou desirest him He shews how poor and base a thing man is and he himself gives the answer to it Psalm 114.6 Man is like to vanity Nay more plainly in Psalm 39.6 Surely man is vanity nay surely saith the Prophet man in his best estate is altogether vanity What could have been more emphatically spoken there is not a word there but it hath its force Man is vanity Every man is vanity Every man in his best estate is vanity Every man in his best estate is altogether vanity and then there is a word of asseveration by which he seals and buckles up all Surely every man in his best estate is altogether vanity If the Apostle had but barely and nakedly said what he had to say concerning the uncertainty and shortness of mans life it had been sufficient if he had said thus Your life is a vapour that appears for a little while c. but he fetcheth it in with a Quere he puts it to a question as if he would demur and have us to pause and consider of it he brings it in with a What is your life By the Apostles leave we may be bold to quit another question with him what the Apostle means to express it thus Surely it is to inculcate that into us more throughly and to make us pause upon that more seriously such questious as these make a great stop in a mans way as Amaza's body in 2 Sam. 12.12 it stopped the passage of the people that they could not get forwards so the interposing of such questions as these make a stop in our wayes and proceedings they make us take new thoughts and think again they make us enter into new cogitations whether it be better for us in that we are doing to persist or to break off Let the consideration of it teach us wisedome especially in perusing and foreknowing of our worldly business when we are about it let us ponder and pause and suppose and put the question whether do I well to do thus or what is it that I thus eagerly pursue what is it that I seek after Is it honour that I am ambitious of why what is our honour but a breath a height that many are raised to out of favour rather then desert like Phaetons Chariot or Icarus Plumes a Pinacle of honour upon which he that stands must expect advancement or ruin to some it is a cloud of smoak that the higher it mounts the sooner it dies Is it riches that we set our hearts upon let us ask the question what is riches but thick clay as Habakuk tearms it red and white earth as Bernard faith or the baggage of the earth as another expresseth it as baggage is to the Army so is riches to men it cannot well be left behind but alwayes hinders the march and sometime loseth the battel in the getting of them there is a great deal of labour in the keeping of them a great deal of care and in the foregoing of them a great deal of sorrow a man may have them and not be happy a man may
partly out of love to God and partly out of fear of punishment this is acceptable to God For a man must love himself in subordination to the love of God and therefore he may look to the avoiding of evil and to the getting of good eternal to soul and body Now these fears we may consider of them thus The natural fear may be accompanied with the Spirit but it comes not from the Spirit that must be ordered by the word of God Secondly carnal fear comes not from the spirit nor is accompanied with it this is ever to be mortified this we must take heed of and this fear Abraham is exhorted against here Thirdly the fear that is servile it comes from the spirit but it is not accompanied with the spirit As the dawning of the day the Sun is the cause of it yet the Sun is not present when the day dawns but some glimps goes before him this we must cherish so as we bring it to filial fear and then we deal aright in that Lastly for filial fear we must cherish that at all times we must labour to get still a more reverent respect of the Majesty of God So I have briefly shewed you what fear is And what fear we must labour to be freed from all slavish and carnal fear in regard of the world or any thing in the world any ill that may befall us or any good that may be taken from us Now you see that a Christian is such a man as may live without all fear that is carnal Fear not them that can kill the body And in Isaiah 8.12 Fear not their fear What is the ground of this I will tell you briefly Christ came into the world to deliver us from all our enemies that we might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness Luke 1.47 So then the ground is this that man that hath no enemies that man that cannot possibly be molested with any evil what need he fear For there is no evil in the world that can surprize a man that is in covenant with God that labours to keep his covenant but by the power of the Spirit he may conquer it For only evil and evil future is the object of fear Now if there be no evil that can befall a child of God but such as may be conquered he should contemn it and not fear it Now all the enemies of a Christian are either reconciled or conquered and foyled and what then need he fear them For God that is an enemy to every man naturally he is reconciled Christ hath made our peace with God he hath made our attonement we need not fear him slavishly though we may and must fear him with a filial fear we must not be afraid of him with horrour as to run from him but we must so love him as to reverence before his foot-stool Again in regard of the evils of the world they are enemies too but how Christ hath been pleased to sweeten these to us all things in the world saith the Apostle speaking of afflictions Rom. 8. they work for good to them that fear God Shall a man be afraid of his own good Nay there is nothing in the world that more works our good then afflictions and losses and crosses we might spare any thing better then them shall we be afraid of that that works our good Death it is reconciled and made our friend It was the greatest enemy Christ hath pulled out the sting and changed the nature of it he hath made it the birth-day of eternity a sweet passage to a better life Death brings not evil to a man that is in covenant with God but rather terminates all evil that he is molested with in the world So then some enemies are reconciled and made our friends and these we have no reason to fear Again there are some that are irreconcileable and they are conquered and overcome The Divel will never be friends with us therefore Christ hath spoyled principalities and powers and trampled Satan under-feet and now if he walk about yet he is in his chain he can bite but he can hurt none but those that willingly betray themselves into his hands For sin it is of a condemning nature but those that are in covenant with God and walk with him it is removed as far from them as the East is from the West it is thrown into the bottomeless sea of Gods mercy so that it shall never anger God or hurt us any more then if we had not committed it Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect Nay more God hath bestowed his Spirit whereby he hath freed our hearts and whereby if a man labour to stir up the grace of God in him and to walk comfortably as he might in the presence of God he might through the power of God free his heart from these horrours and fears for faith the Apostle ye have not received the Spirit of bondage to fear again but ye have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father The Spirit of bondage casts down the soul mith horrour and fear but we have the Spirit of God to assure us that we have God for our Father reconciled in Christ and so by consequent that our sins are pardoned that death is overcome that Principalities and powers are spoyled and all things in the world though contrary in themselves yet they shall work for our good So you see the ground of it a Christian hath no enemies some enemies are reconciled and others are trampled under foot that they cannot hurt him And we receive this freedome by the Spirit of God that if we would stir it up and labour to walk as becometh Christians we may make our lives very comfortable Briefly for Application First let us all take notice of the command that God gives to Abraham of this incouragement and make use of it to our selves and know that the power of grace and Religion must reflect upon a mans self He beloved shall be accounted the best Christian before God and in the sight of judicious men whose Religion is practicall and reflects upon himself Now there are many busie ones in the world that meddle with the conversations of others and are still talking and complaining of things without themselves but surely he is a happy man that reformes himself and that sets in tune his own affections and passions as this in particular to labour to be without slavish and inordinate fear Alas we may complain of many that find fault with many things but if they look within there is a combustion of a great many unruly affections and passions and these are the things we never complain of we find not fault with our selves as we should we should take notice of the Law of God that it is spiritual to set in order our hearts and minds and souls as well as our tongues and hands The law of man reacheth but
their profit he heareth them as one well said according to their profit though not according to their wills so he delt with Moses concerning his request of entring into the Land of Canaan Again the Lord is pleased to keep his people many times in a low condition and in mean estate to put them into bare commons and hard pastures while others are grazing in full meddows it is with respect to their profit to teach them the more to depend upon him to enable them the better to live by Faith Again for this purpose he takes from his servants dear blessings the Wife from the Husband the Children from the Parents as we see verified this day in this place concerning our friends here the mournful survivers and attendants upon this sad occasion but in these administrations he intendeth his peoples profit as we may see in the case of Job the Lord takes away all his children but saith the Apostle ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord he was no looser in the conclusion but God returned at length all into his bosome again nay double In a word for this very purpose it is even for their profit for alas it is not Gods own benefit he seeks after but his peoples in all his administrations that they live that they do that they suffer that they die their death is in order to their gain as the Apostle saith to me to live is Christ and to die is gain To make some application of this and so to proceed First let us here take occasion as many as are the called of God according to his purpose and implanted in this glorious relation of children to a father let us learn to advance his name and according to his name let his praise be in all the Congregations of the Saints Truly as Moses said once their Rock is not as our Rock So may we say other fathers are not as this Father our Father is set for the good and profit of his children The devil 〈◊〉 a father so our Saviour speaks you are of your father the devil he hath children and he studieth nothing so much as that they may live all their dayes in pleasure striving to lead his followers altogether in pleasant paths But alas he hath no aim at their profit it is their loss he seeks and therefore at last he makes them pay full dear for all their pleasure and content But now God he is a wise Father and in all his dispensations to his children though they seem for the present unpleasant he hath an aim at their profit Let this be for his praise Secondly let us labour to beleeve this that God in all his dealings and administrations towards us hath an eye to our profit How hard soever the condition be that he putteth us into if he take from us the desire of our eyes the delight of our hearts our liberties our estates our children yet be perswaded of this that God doth it for my good and benefit And thirdly labour to reap the fruit and benefit that God aimeth at and intendeth and would have us receive from all his administrations When we are called together to give attendance upon the preaching of the Word then think what am I come hither for is it not for my profit would God have me trifle out my time surely the Lord would never have singled out a day of seven for himself but that he might likewise make his people partaker of spiritual advantages and heavenly benefits and therefore I lose a day and never hear well except I hear to profit And thus what I say of this Ordinance I might likewise speak of the rest before named And so for this present occasion the Lord now you see is pleased to call us to the house of mourning Was it think ye the purpose of God that we should meet together here in a customary complemental manner to do things in a common garb only to eat together and drink together No the Lord calleth us to a house of mourning for our profit that we might consider the end of all men and that we that are living might lay the thing to heart And for you that are in present distress in regard of this particular affliction reckon upon this that God hath done this for your profit labour ye therefore to reap the fruit of it be not so much poring upon the affliction and altogether complaining of the bitterness of the cup but follow on after the profit and benefit that God intendeth you thereby And let every one labour to improve all administrations of God to this purpose that as he in them all intendeth our good so let us pursue after the benefit Secondly let it instruct us further concerning our duty even to walk worthy of such a God as namy of us as are in relation to him as children to a Father and servants to a Masler How should this first of all win us over to such a Father to such a Master and to make it our highest ambition to be the people of such a God the children of such a Father that is devoted to the profit and advantage of his children and servants This is the gracious goodness of God he takes pleasure in the prosperity of his servants their profit is his pleasure Let us therefore walk worthy of such a Father of such a Master And seeing he intendeth our profit and that we cannot profit him let us labour to walk in all well-pleasing We cannot profit him let us labour to please him Lastly here is a word of instruction for Ministers we should in this case as those that are intrusted with the sacred ordinances of God labour to put on the mind of God so the Apostle we have saith he the mind of Christ We in the course of our Ministery as God aimeth at his peoples profit so should we not aim at our own praise and at our profiting by them but that we might profit their souls O blessed preaching when people profit by our preaching when they are by that increased in knowledg in love in faith in every grace Such a Preacher was Saint Paul I please all men saith he 1 Cor. 10. ult but how not seeking mine own profit but the profit of many that they may be saved Oh labour to preach profitably that our people may thrive under our ministery This is that which God aimeth at and this is that which we should aim at too And thus I have done with the first and more general proposition arising from the words of the Text. I come now to the second and more particular thing that we are to consider hence and that is that As God graciously setteth himself to procure his peoples profit in all his administrations so this is that he aimeth at in all the afflictions and chastisements he exerciseth them withall It is no pleasure for him to be lashing and
heart of a man in the times of the greatest trouble there is great reason it should be thus For Christ is the Almighty Glorious God in the midst of his abasement his Divinity was not a whit abated nor his Divine Excellencies diminished by all his Sufferings you see Christ in the dayes of his flesh he cast Devils out of men and they obeyed him The Devils were subject unto him when he conversed among men in the body nay on the Cross he saved the Thief that confessed him in the sight of all his Enemies when he was a crucified Christ at that instant he triumphed on the very Cross and saved a sinner that believed at that time to shew that he was as mighty on the Cross as he is now at the right hand of the Father Now I say is not Christs glory a whit diminished in his abasement why should our belief be abated for all the scorn and despite of the world that is cast upon the profession of the Faith of Christ Now briefly some Application of this and so to take in the rest withont amplification because the time is past It should teach us in all disquiet to know what course is to be taken every one will say I rest upon God there is sufficient in him to make me happy But how shall I come to have interest in God The well is deep where is the bucket what is the means to relieve my Soul and to supply my wants Believe in me saith Christ let the Soul look on Christ immediatly as the Mediator between God and us this is that I should have spoken of and a word of Exhortation to the purpose You will say what is it to believe in Christ The first thing that is done in this is receiving Christ upon Gods offer of him God offers Christ in all his Offices as King Priest and Prophet as a Lord and Saviour to the Church and he would have men take whole Christ or no part of him Now if the Soul answer to this offer of God he shall be my Lord to rule me my Prophet to instruct me my Saviour upon whom my Soul shall rest for Salvation this is the answer of the Soul to God this is the receiving Now you must know there must be a right propounding and a right apprehending of Christ You must know first what it is to receive Christ as a Prophet as one that will instruct us in the truths that are contrary to natural principles in the corrupt understanding of man he will lead you now in the way of the Wilderness in by-pathes in crooked rough wayes he will teach you to deny your selves The first rule that he gives is for a man to deny himself as if he should say that is the first work he dyed to pull down all the old frame and to set it up again for what is the understanding of man but a frame of false principles for the natural mind of man it is nothing but a habit a heap a pile of false principles that every man perisheth by the delusion of his own understanding now the first work of Christ is to dissolve this frame and to blot out these rules whereby men walk when they are lead by sence and natural reason and observation of the world now these must all be taken away and a man must resolve all now into the authority of Christs speaking A word of Christ is enough against a thousand examples in the world and against a thousand reasons of a mans own corrupt heart This is to receive Christ as a Prophet when I will not walk by the rules of my deluded reason and corrupt mind after which I was carried before but the Word of Christ shall carry me in all things here is obedience of Faith in matter of Doctrine And so to receive Christ as a King would you know what a King he is he is a holy King whose laws are all right the Law of Faith is a righteous Law and the obedience of Faith must be obedience to righteousness that is righteous obedience wherein a man labours more and more to perfect holiness in the fear of God Hence comes all that care to mortifie corruptions and to frame the inward man to conform to those rules that are taught by Christ as a Prophet the soul receiving Christ as a King gives it self to obey all the rules and directions that Christ in his Word as a Prophet hath lest and this it doth in faith that is looking upon his authority that hath commanded it for that is properly an act of faith when things are done upon this ground upon the authority of him that hath revealed it I believe it to be his will because he hath revealed it and it is my duty because it is his will Thus the soul resolves all to Christ as a Prophet and a King And then it rests on him as a Priest and comforts it self in Spirit now for a man when he wants comfort he must not separate the offices af Christ and say I will rest on Christ as a Priest these are errours and delusions Shall a man be saved by a half Faith by a peece of Faith To look on Christ in one office and to think to be saved only by that without concurring and concomitating in the other offices Beloved as Christ is entire in all his offices so the faith of a believer is entire looking upon all his offices therefore we must receive him as King Priest and Prophet that he may be wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption that he may be all to the believing soul for present and for future happiness else if Christ be not all he will be nothing men must not please themselves to look upon one office of Christ and to neglect all the rest When this is done come to the main matter the soul is beaten off as when a man is in a Boat getting to land after shipwrack there comes a storm and beats him back again when he thinks he is even at the shoar but still he takes hold on the Boat and keeps his eye upon the shoar So the soul when it comes to this to be beat off again still it keeps the shoar in its sight and directs it self towards Christ that should be the end and aim of all a mans endeavours the true object of faith I beseech you consider this point But a man will say though I be careful to receive him I speak of weak Christians or of strong Christians that are weakned by temptations Alas what hope have I in Christ Christ is in heaven and I am upon the earth Did Christ when he was upon the earth so tender the trouble of his servants at that time as that when he himself was to suffer yet he took care to comfort them be not you troubled but believe in me As if he should say though I be exposed to a world of trouble and at this time my
soul is heavy unto death yet be not troubled was he so careful when he was in his own troubles on earth to comfort them and will he not now be so in heaven when he is in blessedness certainly the soul that hath recours to Christ shall not return empty therefore see how Christ is exprest in heaven Matth. 25. Come ye blessed c. For what you have done to these you have done to me he is in heaven and so Saul why dost thou persecute me he is in heaven yet in respect of his Church he is below therefore be assured that Christ hath not put off the bowels of love to his people he will be the same if thou receive him as a Lord and Saviour as ever he was to his Disciples But it may be objected we are exposed to many uncertainties though we beleeve in Christ and we find not the comfort of it here Therefore Christ saith rest not upon things present here you are in Tents but you shall come to your fathers house there is a place provided for you between which and this there is as much difference as is between a house and a Tent between a mans own mansion and an Inn. And though you have hard entertainment in the world yet you shall have an abiding place after But you will say indeed there are mansions but there are abundance to receive them what shall we do There are many masions therefore look as there are many children to be brought to glory so there are many places to receive them in glory and to settle them there we see what a vast body the Sun is and the Stars are yet they seem but little sparks in comparison of the heavens above us but what is the heaven of heavens that contain all these infinitely beyond in its own compass there are many mansions But how shall we come to heaven Saith Christ I go to prepare a place for you as if he should say all that I have done is for your sakes I die and ascend and sit at the right hand of God for your sakes I will come at the day of judgment to bring you to glory all that Christ doth now as God-man as Mediator between God and us all is for our sake But when Christ is taken from us how shall we get thither Saith he I will come and bring you with me I will come in glory at the day of Judgment in the clouds and inable you to meet me and thence bring you to those heavenly mansions in my fathers house never doubt how these things shall be done I will do them all Thus Christ would confirm their faith there is the greatest happiness and comfort in this wherein he would have them setled this should stir us up to settle our hearts this way But the time is past this shall be sufficient for this time FAITHS TRIUMPH OVER THE GREATEST TRYALS SERMON XXXII HEB. 11.17 By faith Abraham when he was tried offered up his son Isaac and he that had received the promise offered up his onely begotten son THis Chapter doth speak in the commendation of the Faith of many of the Patriarchs and Abraham among the rest is brought in with a manifest testimony of his Faith there be two things observable which Abrahams Faith strengthened him to act one was to give up his Country the other was to give up his Son to give up his Country in verse 8. By Faith Abraham when he was called of God to go out in a place which he should after receive for an inheritance obeyed and he went out not knowing whether he went To leave our friends our parents to take our journey we know not whither to live among we know not whom and all this upon a bare word this was not an easie thing to part with good Land for some good words this was a hard matter sence derides it and reason contemns it and will not hearken to it but Faith can see more in Gods promise than sence can find Abraham will leave his Country when God calls him to it but never shall lose his inheritance by beleeving and obeying no man did ever yet hazard his estate who could part with it upon obedient terms A second thing that he is to part with is with his Son his only son his first begotten son in this Act of faith Abraham sails against wind and tide where he breaks through the contentments of the world not only of sence and reason but of natural affection The story in a word is this God after many years patience at length gave Abraham a son in his old age he was the child of many prayers and of many teares the parents delight and to Abrahams thinking an heir of life because a child of the Promise he had not long spent his gray hairs in a strange land but God on a sudden calls upon Abraham to give back his son his very son Isaac as we may read in the 22 of Genesis Now what doth Abraham do how doth he behave himself doth he expostulate with God Any thing Lord but spare my son Isaac Nay the Text saith he offered up his son Doth he murmure and grumble against God in this manner Lord why dost thou single out this delight of mine why dost thou seem to envy this blessing of mine No he offered up his Isaac as if the Text had expressed Ahrahams language thus O Lord my God what is it that thou callest for whom is it that thou callest for is it for my only son Isaac the son of my love the son of thy promise the son of my age verily Lord thou shalt have him it is true I love him dearly well but I love thee better I got him by beleeving and I shall never lose him by obeying if Isaac were a thousand sons thou shouldest have them all though I am a father yet Lord thou art a God if I give him he is a sacrifice acceptable and though I kill him yet thou canst quicken him and raise him again I shall never lose my Isaac though I part with my son for thou hast said in Isaac shall thy seed be called Now the parts of these words are two First we have Abrahams great tryal Secondly we have Abrahams acquitment First his tryal Abraham was tried when he offered up his son Secondly his acquitment by Faith Abraham offered up his son In the former we may observe three particulars First the person that is tried Abraham Secondly the Person that tried him God Thirdly the thing wherein he was tried it was no ordinary thing it was to part with a part of himself to offer up his dear son Isaac In the latter part two things are observable First his quickening up himself in his obediential act he offered up Isaac saith the Text. Secondly the powerful cause which did inable Abraham to so difficult a work By faith Abraham when he was tried offered up his
and greatly amaze us when out affection is placed and setled in a designed object in a person that we neerly love and now to take away that comfort and as it were to diverse the heart from the heart O this goes neer us this doth exceedingly trouble a person Fourthly the strength of a tryal may consist in the suddenness of it to enjoy a comfort and on a sudden to have it taken away as it were in a mans sleep such a thing that he did not dream of when he did not expect that such a thing would befal him if a man had heard something before hand he might have been better fitted for it When the Prophet saw the Cloud ascend out of the Sea being warned of abundance of rain he hastened to escape So if a person have fore-notice of such a cross that would fall upon him he might be somewhat armed and prepared he might in some measure be able to bear his tryal like a little Boat well mannaged may meet with lofty waves but when the affliction shall take a man at unawares when it takes us before we can gather our selves together before we can put out our selves in prayer for a man to go forth and come home and find a wife dead and for a Woman to go forth and come home and find her Husband dead for a tender Mother to kiss her child and lay it down to rest and the next turn to find her child dead this is a great tryal Fifthly the strength of a tryal is in the successiveness of a tryal the repetition of a tryal when Jobs messengers come with news of one affliction having scarse delivered their message and their errand but another comes when there is a course of tryal one after another Thou O Lord hast set me as a mark saith Job Why a mark why God had as it were singled him a man for sorrow and tryal one arrow had no sooner lighted on him but another comes and pierces him Now this doth deeply prove our patience and makes us sometime wonder that the Lord should give us no rest when one affliction shall succeed another without any Cordial when the handkerchiff shall no sooner wipe off one tear but presently another distills down Herein is a great strength of tryal the heart is wonderfully cast down Sixtly the strength of a tryal may consist in the strangeness of our obedience to it as when a matter is put upon us as a duty to be obeyed and hath some contradiction to the precept of God when a tryal doth cross the precept of obedience and jussle against the promise of God that a man can hardly obey God but he must make God a lyar Abraham could not have obeyed God in killing his Child but he must run against that other command forbidding murther he could not defer it but he must violate his faith Now this doth exceedindly distract the Soul with a great tryal the more contrary the tryal is to the precept of obedience the greater is the tryal and the more neer to the person But I proceed to the next question Why the Lord doth impose great tryals upon great Christians the reasons of it may be these First great grace will be obscure and will scarce shew it self unless there be great tryals and therefore S. Paul when he was lift up to the third heavens lest he should be exalted above measure there was given him a thorne in the flesh he is beaten down with temptation that the grace of God might the more appear God doth hereby prevent our fall and doth hold great grace in great conflicts that the soul might have little leisure to admire its own fulness Secondly great tryals for great Christians because who is more able to sustain grear tryals then great Christians God is wise in all his actions and as Paul speaks in another case there was milk for babes and meat for strong men so when he imposes any affliction he considers the person and so proportions the affliction he imposes the greatest burden upon the greatest Christian a little blast is enough for a tender oak but a well grounded one may endure the strongest winds a poor weak Christian a little tryal will cast him down but a well experienced Christian that hath inriched himself with the promises of God that hath hardned himself with the receit of singular comforts one that knoweth the life of faith that hath gotten singular patience he can endure a hard storm he can go through great tryals with great comfort He can say with Job though thou dost kill me yet will I trust in thee he will be able to go through many sad nights and great tryals his faith will make him conquer all I come to the second point and that is this that Faith will make a man acquit himself in great Tryals Though Abraham is put upon it in a great tryal in offering up his son yet by faith Abraham acquits himself and offers up his beloved son The meaning of the proposition is this that faith will inable a man to give back his dearest comfort again to God though Isaac lie in Abrahams bosome though Isaac lie at Abrahams heart yet Abrahams faith upon Gods call will take him thence and present him to that God who gave him Faith makes a man resign up willingly unto God his dearest comfort as Job did The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord. Beloved remember this faith can take a mercy and be thankful and faith can part with a mercy and be content Paul he had learned how to abound and how to be in want and this lesson was the lesson of faith faith makes a Christian take from Christ what it injoyes like one of the blessed Martyrs his condition was if God gave him any mercy he was chearful if the Lord take away any mercy he fits down with contentment quieting his soul in patience if God give him any mercy he was not swoln with pride if God take away any mercy he was not cast down with sorrow Dost thou remember me O Lord saith faith Lord I am unworthy the least of all thy mercies and goodness Lord dost thou call for this blessing back again why here it is Lord do what thou pleasest like an honest debtor saith he if you can spare me a little I will thank you but if you will have it here it is as the blessing is a gift of Gods kindness so neither doth faith account of any mercy but a borrowed a lent good which God may require when he pleases There is a double acquitting of our selves one is a necessary acquitting and the other is a pious and Christian acquitting there is this difference between a godly man and another when God calls for any one of thy comforts it must be restored God is the Lord of life and whether we are willing or not when he calls the comfort and
being so common and we apt every moment to fall under some trial or other There be four vertues and special effects that faith works in the soul which will inable us to go through great trials and therefore we should labour to get this grace of faith into our souls First faith gets assurance Secondly breeds submittance Thirdly dependance and lastly conveyance First faith gets assurance it can eye God as our God though the storms be very great yet God can quiet it When a man though he sees his outward comfort dead yet Faith sees it in the hand of a living God Faith assures the soul God will put an end to the trial though there be a changeableness in the outward condition yet there is safety in God and setledness in God Though a man may look with a dull eye upon his loss yet if he can look upon God with the eye of faith as his God the absence of a poor creature cannot so much trouble him as the presence of a gracious and a glorious God can comfort and support him Secondly submittance is another effect of faith which faith works in the soul our outward condition is subject to many changes and many times we meet with them and we are hindered in our comforts and naturally we grow impatient and murmur and quarrel with Gods providence but now there is a vertue in faith it fashions the heart and the mind to the condition faith makes a man submit to God in all estates to make us stoop to our burthen it is the Lord saith Eli. 1 Sam. 3. let him do what seems good unto him and in the 39. Psal saith David I was dumb and opened not my mouth because the Lord did it Observe this unbelief makes a man dumb and faith made David dumb Zachary because he beleeved not the word that the Angel spake he was dumb and David because he beleeved the word of the Lord he was dumb unbelief procures dumbness as a judgment from God but faith makes a Christian dumb from complaining it quiets the soul in silence from murmuring against God it doth not make a person dumb as not to pray and to praise God but dumb in complaint Good is the word of the Lord saith Faith A third effect of Faith is dependance it will make a man trust God in frowning dayes though he kill me yet will I trust in him saith Faith we can never lose any outward comfort but Faith can find a better in God though an outward loss may come yet Faith can make it up in God in the want of an outward comfort it will trust God Lord what wait I for saith David truly my hope is in thee Though the Christian estate may be at some time moanful yet at no time it is hopeless A fourth effect that Faith works is conveyance it can convey something to inable the soul to bear it up in all trials as Faith is an active grace to inable the soul to the performance of duty so Faith is a passive grace to strengthen the soul to suffer and bear affliction To you saith the Apostle it is given not only to beleeve but also to suffer for his Name Faith will call in strength enough to bear affliction we see many times a poor Christian by the strength of faith is able to bear a great loss and undergo a great trial God is pleased to exercise a Christian with great affliction but Faith carries the soul along through all remember this Faith bears Gods trials with Gods strength there is a power in Faith which exceeds all outward crosses and losses Faith draws strength from the Promise for there is no cross nor affliction but Faith can find a support in the promise of deliverance Faith makes a man see the affliction as it were come out of the hand of the Lord out of the hand of Mercy Faith can convey comfort to the soul in affliction by making it see the chastisement delivered from the hand of a wise and loving Father that our chastisement is for our profit for our future advantage and that this is sent for our personal good if thou couldest get but a sensible denyal of thy self and by faith see all things measured out by the Lord this would make us with patience take from God what he imposes upon us Faith will make a man conquer himself it will silence all murmuring and make the Soul bear its cross with patience THE PRIVILEDGE OF THE FAITHFUL OR The Joint-Inheritance OF ALL BELIEVERS SERMON XXXIII 1 PET. 3.7 As Heirs together of the grace of life TO let pass all by-passages you have in this Text the priviledge of Women which is the very same with that of Men especially in relation to the greatest priviledge that belongeth to either of them The very priviledge it self as at the first view of the Text may appear to you affordeth a fit Theam for such an occasion as this is which is the solemnization of the Funeral of a Grave pious and prudent Matron who was indeed while she lived a Mother in Israel in the Church of God who in her life-time testified much love to the Saints of God and in that respect I may say deserved now she is taken away this respect of Gods Saints and Children which by you is now shewed to her in accompanying her to her bed of rest The forenamed words of my Text doth branch it self forth into two parts One setteth out the priviledge it self The other the partakers thereof The Priviledge therein you may observe two points First the kind of it Life Secondly the ground of it grace The partakers of this priviledge are set forth in a compounded Article Joynt-heirs Co-heirs heirs together having relation to Women The simple consideration of the Word shews the right they have to the forenamed priviledge they are heirs The compound shews the extent of it Co-heirs one with another Men and Women heirs together of the grace of life That yet you may a little more distinctly discern the scope of the Apostle in this Text in a word note the inference of it upon that which goeth before or the connection of it therewith Lift up therefore your eyes but a little higher to the words going before and you may observe the Apostle giving a direction to men to honour Women notwithstanding they are the weaker vessels Vessels they are therefore capable of that which God shall be pleased to infuse into them his grace they are weak vessels so are men also they are earthen vessels these are the weaker these comparatively may be said to be as glassie vessels and yet notwithstanding you have a common saying that a glass with good keeping may last as long as an earthen Pot but both brittle Now notwithstanding this Sex be brittle and the weaker yet to be honoured and that upon this ground because partakers with Men and as well as Men of the greatest priviledge the grace of life Were
that way for which thou didst receive them The time may come wherein you may desire to do good but cannot wanting an estate and opportunities whereby to do it Mark what Solomon faith Wilt thou trust in a thing of nothing for Riches have wings as an Eagle and fly away toward heaven It is the vanity of men that they still forbear and stay while their estates increase pretending that then they shall be better able to do good and extend themselves more largely or that they may keep their wealth and wait for a better opportunity But why with thou trust in a thing of nothing Thou seest a fowl in her flight and now it may be thou perceivest it but instantly it vanisheth out of thy sight Why riches have wings faith Solomon Thou hast them now in thy possession and retainest them fast in hold but presently they are departed they fly as an Eagle out of thy sight And the same wise man when he exhorteth men to cast their bread upon the waters He gives them this reason Thou knowest not what evils thou knowest not what judgments and calamities God intends to bring upon that Nation where thou livest upon the City upon the Family where thou dwellest upon thy person or estate Thou knowest not what evils God will bring upon the earth And so likewise charge rich men in this world that they be not high-minded and that they trust not in uncertain riches but in the living God that they be ready to distribute and to communicate and to do good works What is it that hinders men from distributing and communicating Because they trust in uncertain Riches For if they would now learn not to trust in uncertain Riches but account them uncertain as they are and put confidence in the living God who can provide for them when those outward means which they so much rely on fail their expectations they would then be more liberal and bountiful and ready to do good and to communicate So then here is the meaning of the point Take the opportunities of life That is first take the time of life while you may do good and then take the means the wealth and estate which is the time of your means For this observe Jobs case he goes on discoursing of this very point he was now a man stript of all he had but the other day the Richest man in the East the Sabeans and Caldeans had carried away his goods his cattel and his children and all things were taken from him Yet there was one thing that administred comfort in the day of his adversity and his affliction And it was this faith he If I have made the eyes of the poor to fail or if I eat my morsels alone or if I have not relieved the fatherless c. If I have not done thus and thus then let the Lords fiercest judgment fall upon me But herein consists my comfort my conscience bears me witness that when I had wealth and estate and enjoyed the goods of this life I did good I was father to the fatherless a foot to the lame and eyes to the blind I did all the good that lay within the compass of my power to do when I had means to do it I say little do you know beloved whatsoever thou art whatsoever estate thou hast though thou be as a nail fastned in a sure place and thinkest thou shalt never be moved from this condition Thou knowest not how soon God may turn his hand upon thee when thou maist be as Job was on the dunghil deprived of all comforts What will be thy consolation then that when thou hadst wealth thou didst good with it It will add to thy affliction that thou hadst great possessions and didst neither glorifie God nor do good to men So much for the opening of the point I come to apply it First then it serves for the reproof of many to whom God hath given the price in their hands But they want hearts to embrace the opportunities of doing good They pretend to do good and have a mind inclining to good But they have no heart to take the opportunities and advantages of times and means which God hath bestowed on them for the same purpose they want hearts to embrace those Remember what Solomon faith Say not to thy neighbour go and come again to morrow If it be now in thine hands to give him The Lord will not only have a man not deny to do good but besides that he would not have him delay to do good put him not from thee till to morrow if his help remain in thine hands to day yea though thou have a purpose to do it to morrow if it be in thy power to day do it and defer it not till to morrow But what shall we say to those who do not only delay their purposes but by protracting lose their purposes There is nothing more ordinary then in some cases for men not only to purpose truly but to promise heartily to God that they will perform these and these acts of mercy if God will deliver them from such fears and dangers as they at such times are incompast with A man that endures extremity of weather in a tempestuous Sea if happily he may attain the land in safety a man that is diseased with sickness if now he may recover his health again or one that suffers imprisonment if he may procure his liberty or a man that is in fear of the loss of his estate by the means of some unhappy casualty if now he may escape that loss he will bestow a great deal on God and on the servants of God nay he promises and vows unto God in his extremity But how many of those promises as well as those other purposes come to nothing they have liberty they receive health they enjoy safety and have the full fruition of all their desires but alas how short come their vows of performance not one of many of them but turns God away without his bargain Remember how the Lord taxeth the people of Israel In the day of their distress and the Lord reckons up divers and sundry troubles they were in then they speak good words to God they would cleave to him and promised to do thus and thus But thus faith the Text They flattered the Lord with their lips and were false in the Covenant with God Is it not it so beloved with many of us Oh that your hearts might smite you this day before the Lord for many purposes and promises that you have made of doing this or that for the glorifying of God and the discharge of your duty One man hath promised restitution of unjust gain another to become more liberal and bountiful toward others And the Lord hath waited week after week moneth after moneth and year after year and yet nevertheless you continue the same men either unsensible or careless to accomplish your promise to God or
clay and then to sum up a large Bill of the particular goods he intends to Religion for Churches and for Hospitals and the poor with other such like benevolences makes but a simple satisfaction for thy unjust courses in procuring such wealth to the prejudice and detriment of others this is nothing to thy advantage all this while thou art a thief and givest stoln goods Nay thou maist further assure thy self that Hell shall be the greatest recompence of thy charity because thou bestowest that which is not thine Thou oughtest first to have made thy estate clear and have restored the things that belonged unto others and reserved thine own by it self and then to give free scope to thy charity to the doing of any good action which time and occasion could propound This is the first duty of any man that will do good in giving he must give justly Secondly he must give wisely too it is made the marke of a man fearing God He considers wisely of the poor and he orders his affairs with judgment What is that Judgment hath a twofold respect it hath respect to the quantity of a mans gift and to the quality of the person to whom he gives There must be a judgment a wise ordering of things in respect of the quantity which a man bestowes according to that expression of the holy Ghost in Acts 11.29 They gave according to their abilities they kept within the limits of their estates and exceeded not So must thou or else another man may perchance lose by thy liberality Again there must be respect had to the quality of the person to whom he gives My goodness extends to the Saints that are on earth to the faithful ones as the Text faith here to the houshold of faith It is not necessary to give to every one that comes next to hand There be some persons I told you before that are not to be releeved except in case of extream necessity We must extend our Benevolence to those of the houshold of Faith Give unto Christ and to the naked and hungry members that belong unto him and thou shalt not want a sweet and comfortable return of thy charity Again as it must be done justly and wisely so if we desire to do good in releeving we must do it simply In the simplicity and plainness of our hearts Let him that distributes do it in simplicity faith the Apostle What is that simplicity when a man looks up to God with a single eye as the eye may be said to be single when it viewes but one object at once so the heart is small when it respects God onely in this action of charity and makes no other reckoning of any outward object A double-minded man he looks up to God and yet carries some respect to the outward honour which he expects of the World and more often times to the World then to God at least he joynes them together But if a man be desirous to bestow his benevolence with a purpose to receive recompence from above let him do it for his sake that commands it and reflect upon God in all things This is the testimony of our Conscience faith the Apostle that in simplicity and sincerity we have had our conversation among you not affecting the praise of men but aiming to approve our selves to God in that we do This is that which Christ advised the Pharisees that they should not admit their right hand to know what their left hand did Lastly as it must be simple so it must be chearful God loves a chearful giver And this is a perfect sign of chearfulness when a man doth not only give without grudging upon all opportunities but when he will be careful to prevent them in his willingness to seek them as I said before So much for the second point the duty it self Now I proceed to the last thing that is the description of the persons to whom this must be done First generally All and then particularly The houshold of faith First generally Do good to all It is as I have told you to all that endure such wants and necessities as that it may be a work of mercy and no transgression of the rule to releeve them for those that live unprofitably and become burthens to the Common-wealth except in case of extream necessity it loses the name of mercy to relieve them and deserves neither reward nor commendations Yet if they live in extream necessity then take the Rule of the Apostle Do good to all even to them also We have the Parable of our Saviour to direct us in this path where the good Samaritan lends his assistance to the Jew that fell among theeves We cannot but know of the opposition and enmity between the Samaritans and the Jewes yet we see that in case of extremity the Samaritan helps the Jew Therein our Saviour teacheth us that every man in this case is a mans neighbour and therefore the same law that commands to love thy neighbour as thy self intends we should do good to all if necessity require The Reason is in regard there is the same maker of one as of another We have all one Father saith the Prophet and hath not one God created us Then by Creation we are all alike Children though not by Adoption and especial Grace and as they are the Creatures of God and bear the Image of their Maker there ought to be some consideration extended toward them in case of extream necessity Again there dwels a part of Gods Image in all man-kind and that resemblance makes us alied to each other by the bonds of Nature then if we love not our brother whom we see daily how shall we love him whom we never saw faith the Apostle To make some use briefly of this Is it so that doing of good is to be extended to all when necessity requires it Then let it teach us without all evasion and protraction of those duties commanded to embrace every object and occasion that may invite us to do good and to be merciful But some man may reply in this fashion my intent is very plyable that away of goodness I could willingly extend it toward such a man but he is a stranger unto me and one with whom I was never acquainted What is this but the churlish reply of Nabal to the servants of David there are divers men abroad whom I know not there are some servants that are run from their masters shall I give my bread and that I have provided for my shearers unto them Nabal was his name and folly was with him Abigai did truly interpret his nature to be answerable to his name which signified a man of folly for if his conditions had been otherwise he would not have sent them empty to their Master knowing their absolute necessity in which case a stranger ought to be relieved and we cannot thrust
to duties and incouragements by promise were likewise inserted therein that I am perswaded I cannot do better then to commend this duty to the practice of all the servants of God that when they come to peruse the Scriptures they would furnish themselves with pen and inke and then upon all occasions they may be noting down somewhat for their own advantage that they may have a manual or little book of observations for their guide and direction in the course of their lives She was a hearty hater of sin and of all evil and the appearance thereof being careful to do good so far as she was convinced in any thing to her revealed and willing to receive instructions and to be informed in those things that were not revealed Those that knew her may well witness with me that she never neglected the smallest occasion conducing to the improvement of her soul in the wayes of goodness But for the second the main intent of this Text and the reason for which I took it in this particular duty I may resolve you as it is said of the vertuous woman and may speak truly in the simplicity of an honest heart Many daughters have done excellently but thou surmountest them all I never knew any woman in my life more active and ready to do the works of charity according as opportunity and her ability made way for the same Not only of her own wherein she took her Husbands consent with her But where she prov'd unable of her self to supply the necessities of others her labours and endeavours to incite and stir up others made full satisfaction in the room of her benevolence and she became an industrious Christian in that kind That I have observed herein she was ever large and boundless sowing her seed in the morning and her hands ceased not in the evening she gave a portion to seaven and also to eight and as any came in her way that were in extream necessity she became a present helper of every of them according to their several necessities She was very tender hearted and that which she bestowed to relieve others was done in compassion of heart towards those that endured misery But as she saw any of the houshold of Faith and the servants of God which she took notice of by some infallible sign she did not only relieve them with her Purse but receive them into her heart which was still open and enlarged to give them entertainment She was not straitned in her bowels toward them but was large hearted and large handed full of Almes when that might help and when it could not she provoked others to exercise the like charity Besides she had other wayes to succour them in speaking for them and stirring up others to speak for them when words might availe them and do them good relieving them with money and provoking others thereunto when such contributions were needful and therein she would not let slip the least opportunity but would take the advantage of great and solemn meetings seasoning those feasts which she frequented with some acts of mercy before they parted that the company and society she conversed with might savour of this sweetness of mercy as a precious oyntment and become good examples unto others and improve the gifts and abilites which God had given them to the same purpose She was not only mindful of those at home but her goodness extended to the Saints abroad And not in respect of Nature only because they were come into the Countrey where she was born I speak now of those that live in distress and exile of the Palatinate and Germany but in respect of Grace She was wondrous industrious and laborious to procure all the means that might be to send over to help them and even refreshed the bowels of the Saints that I may truly say the loynes of the poor blessed God for her in many places In what place hath she lived and hath not left a savour behind her nay almost in what company hath she conversed but this particular duty hath been as a precious oyntment to sweeten the conversations of all that were about her and to work in their minds a vertuous intention and propenseness to this duty Beloved here you have her in her carriage and example What she was in her behaviour towards her Husband and her Children I need not speak there are enough can witness it she carried her self as became a Wife to him and a helper of the servants of God with prayers and desires and often provocations and incitings that way But for her Children she seem'd to undergo a second travaile with them till Christ were formed in them being full of earnest desires and petitions for the working of Grace where it was not begun and for the persecting thereof where it was newly entred She rejoyced exceedingly in any expression of good and more for that of Grace then any other inclination or respect Beloved this was obvious and common to all and any man might take special notice thereof daily and observe it constantly In her servants as there appeared the more grace in any so much the more respect she extended towards them In the poor as she perceived the more grace in any the more reliese they received from her c. I say nothing what in all this she suffered those that were acquainted with her disease know what paines she under-went in respect of her body and with what patience she submitted to the hand of God in all things And many know the wrong she endured from the World for her desire and care to do good when she obtained opportunity Some thought her over-bold some too busie others thought her proud and vain-glorious because of her often frequenting of company and speaking openly for the provoking of others to the exercise of goodness The Lord smite their hearts that are guilty of mis-judging that which we are to suppose in respect of her forward disposition is this She was naturally of a free spirit which being sanctified with Grace and sharpned with love and zeal for the glory of God made her the more resolute and familiar in frequenting good company not to magnisie her self by their society but that her continual conversation with them might give her the better occasion to incite and stir them to goodness Let those that are guilty of misprision leave to censure her Vertues and convert them into an example for themselves to walk in if they do not the neglect will load their souls with more woe for such contempt then she hath received joy for her labour What concern'd her in her sickness briefly I have not much to say in that they which were about her daily know more then I can relate She did not only express a satisfaction and assurance of heart that her reconciliation was made with God in Christ but besides that a willingness and desire to be dissolved for that reason that she might be with Christ A
this life yet in death thy hands must open â—…emselves and let it go thou must not hold the world above thy life nor thy life beyond the day of death no we cannot alway have that which we desire we must certainly part with what we most esteem of Secondly what comfort is this to a good soul If we had hope only in this life faith Saint Paul we of all men are most miserable 1 Cor. 15. Death is a happy change to a holy person First it is a change which shall put a period to all his changes in this life his outward condition how oft doth it change sometime by joy and sorrow sometime by comfort and misery by health and sickness by abundance and want but when Death comes all sorrow shall fly away for ever thou shalt never be more troubled with a sick body with a sad estate with common losses but the change of a temporal life shall set thee in a full and settled possession of an heavenly His inward condition how oft doth it change sometime free anon distressed now a sweet view of heaven anon darkned with fear now rejoycing in Christ anon buffeted with Sathan now blessing God for grace anon distracted with the insolent workings of remaining corruptions but when death comes then comes a change of all this it will release thee for ever of sin and Sathan after death sin shall be a burden no more and Sathan shall be a tempter no longer but thou shalt be as happy as thou canst desire and shalt enjoy thy God and thy Christ without fear of trouble in glory in felicity in eternity all the cruel insolencies of tyrants shall come short of thy soul thou shalt be above their malice and beyond thy self Secondly it is a change and no worse then a change just as Joseph changed his garments and went into Pharaoh so thou shalt put off thy body and go into glory put off thy mortality and go into immortality Oh what terrour to wicked men a day of change will befal them Why didst thou say Oh David there is no bands in their death and they are not in changes like other men Verily I should have checked thee hadst thou not recanted it presently thy self Psal 73.4,17,18,19 and reported it to us that they are set in slippery places and are brought into desolation and cast down into destruction in a moment and utterly consumed with terrour Good Lord what a change is that to them they judged with insolent and unrighteous judgment the Children of God now but death will change this the unjust steward shall be called to a an account and he that beat his fellow servant shall be eternally judged by a righteous God and their honour shall sinck in the dust neither shall their riches deliver them from wrath but they shall see him whom they have peirced and persecuted and shall not be able to escape his presence A dismal thing will this be that a man shall have his honour die and the great God put disgrace upon him a dismal change indeed when a man shall see all his power changed into impotency his pleasures into torment and wrath put upon his soul when God shall seperate thee from his presence thou shalt not have a drop of ease nor any friend to assist thee nor any hope of comfort thou shalt be stript of them all in a monent shall a change of all this be O consider this if there be any here that forget God least he tear you in pieces and there be none to help remember and consider your latter end and apply your hearts to wisdome Last of all shall there be a change that shall befal every son of man then Oh that this people were wise as Moses faith that they would remember their latter end all the dayes of our appointed time to wait till our change come What do you think of servants to whom you had committed servile imployments till you came home and if when you come home they were absent and you found one in the street drunk another in a chamber with a strumpet how would you take this Brethren think upon it we are Gods servants or should be two things are imposed upon us one to honour God another to save our own souls if he find us doing the works of the Devil and the flesh and find us in the works of the world how will he take this Come faith God I have lent you a life thus many years I told you what you should be and what you should do and what have you been doing all this life what have your works been what courses have you taken are these the fraits of your wayes to have a life run over with ignorance with prophaness c. Alus when a man at that time shall have nothing to say but Loâ—…d I have lived in such a sin all my dayes I have fulfilled my own desires thou hast for me in this World and I have laboured to get a great estate all my dayes Another may say I have spent my time in 〈◊〉 society c. What will God say to these men are these the endings of thy life the fruits of thy opportunities where is the repentante I called for at thy hands where is that godly sorrow that I called for for the sins of thy life did not I send thee into the world for this end to get Grace to get Faith to make up thy accounts with me thy God and hast thou no regand to it Well thou hast been foolish inconsiderate for the time that is past yet now understand that a day of change will besal thee O let us be perswaded I beseech you be perswaded to it in this our day to know the things that concern our peace whilest it is called to day not to hearden our hearts whilest it is called to day not to deser our repentance thou art not assured of any more time then present Death may meet with thee as thou sittest in thy feat as thou goest out of the Church doer and thou knowest thy heart hath been wicked oh why wilt thou set thy eternal estate upon so small a point as it were the cast of a Die Remember what Daniel said to Nabuohadnezzar let it have acceptance with thee break off thy sine by repentance c. Seeing we must die and appear before the judgment feat of God what manner of persons ought we to be in all holiness of life and conversation as soon as we are we begin to sin and as soon as we are we begin to die let us look upon our account and be faithful to our souls perhaps thy accounts are yet to make oh be sure to let it be the first thing thou doest and give thy self no rest till thou hast done it and when thou hast done this labour to clear it with the bloud of Christ labour by humble confession and hearty repentance to turn unto the Lord go on
are required at our hands we may be sure that we have spiritual life in us we may build upon it that Christ dwelleth in our hearts by faith and that we live in him by grace 3. Our benefit by them is manifold in this life and the life to come In this life peace of conscience their soul shall dwell at ease 2. Good success in all we undertake what soever we do it shall prosper 3. The service of the creatures for all things work for the best to them that love God Lastly a comfortable pass out of this world we are sure our end shall be peace In the life to come the benefits are such as never eye hath seen nor ear hath heard nor ever entred into the heart of man God grant therefore our heart may enter into them quia Aristoteles non capit Eurispum Eurispus capiat Arist otalum because we cannot comprehend the joyes of heaven let them comprehend us You expect something to be spoken of our dear Sister deceased and much might be said and should by me in her praise but that one of her chiefest commendations was that she could not endure praise Laudes quia merebatur contempsit quia contempsit mag is merebatur becanse she deserved praise she desp ised it and because she despised it she the more deserved it Silent modesty in her was her crown in her life and modest silence of her was the charge at her death Her life was well known to most of this place and her death was every way answerable to her life all that visited her in her sickness might behold with sorrow a pittiful anatomy of frail mortality and yet with joy a perfect pattern of Christian patience and a heavenly conversation and though she were full of divine conceptions and she had a spring by her of the waters of life in the devotion of her dearest helper especially in the best things yet when I came to her she desired she might be partaker of some of my meditations they were her own words and when I prayed with her and for her she joyned not so much with me with her tongue as her affections and answered more in sighs and tears then in words often she complained of her tuff heart that would not yeeld to her dissolution and long long she thought it till she should come to appear before the God of Gods in Sion Her last words were sweet Father help me and she had her request for presently he helped her both by the zealous and most feeling prayers of her Husband and by the holy spirit assisting her in her own prayers with sighs and groans that cannot be expressed and immediately her sweet Father released her of her pangs and received her to himself on his own day On the Lords day morning before the morning watch I say before the morning watch she entered into her rest and began to keep her everlasting Sabbath in heaven where she reapeth what she sowed and seeth what shebelieved and enjoyeth what she hoped for and is now entred into those joyes which never entred fully into the heart of any living on earth nor shall into ours till we with her be made perfect and all of us come to Mount Sion and the heavenly Jerusalem and innumerable company of Angels and to the Congregation of the first-born whose names are written in heaven and to the spirits of just men and women made perfect Whither the God of peace bring us in our appointed time who brought again from the dead the great shepheard through the blood of the everlasting Covenant To whom with the holy Spirit c. FAITHS ECCHO OR THE SOULES AMEN SERMON XLVI REVEL 22.20 Amen Even so come Lord Jesus THese words they afford to us a comfortable and sweet argument to be conversant in From the sixt verse of this Chapter is set down to us the confirmation of the whole Prophesie and Book of the Revelation partly by the affirmation of God as likewise of Jesus Christ and of John himself that heard and saw all these things and likewise of the Church of God in verse 17. It is likewise confirmed by the promise of Blessing and Happiness pronounced upon them that shall do all these things and shall faithfully expect the accomplishment of them This Verse a part of which I have read to you is the Repetition in few words of all that matter that goeth before from verse 6. to it and hath in it First an attestation of our Lord and Saviour Christ in the former part of the Verse Behold I come quickly Secondly an acclamation of the Church in the latter part these words I have read to ye Amen even so come Lord Jesus In the attestation of Christ he promiseth he will come to his Church he will come shortly both for the accomplishment of all his promises and likewise for their safety and deliverance from all enemies and all miseries and molestations whatsoever To this the Church makes an acclamation and saith Amen even so come Lord Jesus In this acclamation of the Church to which we must now come we are to consider First the person of the Speaker whose words they be Secondly what is the matter or substance contained in them Ye shall see whose words they be if ye look back but to the 17. verse of this Chapter there ye shall find that first it is said the Spirit saith Come By the Spirit is not meant the third Person in Trinity the holy Ghost because he is not subject to these passions to these desires but he resteth himself in the execution and present disposing and dispensing of things according to his own will and pleasure Neither by Spirit here is meant any wicked spirit or Angel for they do with fear and horrour expect the same coming of our Lord and Saviour Christ because his coming shall be the accomplishment of their misery and eternal infelicity But by Spirit here is meant the spirit in all the Elect and holy people of God in whomsoever the Spirit of God is that Spirit doth say come and doth wish the accomplishment of all these most gracious promises For this is not the desire of the flesh or of nature but an earnest and vehement desire of the Spirit of God in the Elect that saith come Again secondly the same verse telleth us that the Bride saith come That is the Church of God in general the Catholick Church the whole Church of God being now hand-fasted to Christ and entred into a spiritual contract with him She desireth the consumation of the Marriage the solemniation of the Marriage which is already begun in the contract of it and not only every particular member of the Church in whom the Spirit of God is saith come but the Church of God in general the Bride saith come the whole Church saith come wishing and desiring the accomplishment of the Marriage which is already begun In the third place the same verse
your dayes to spend your time aright to Gods glory and in his service Count it your honour to honour God your only freedom to serve your Maker Be wise for Eternity desire of God to keep your hearts upright in his fear to give you fixed Spirits in tottering Times and in the end to guide you all the right way to Heaven and happiness to make you true Accountants for Heaven and to value the least minute of your time and in this I will joyn with you in Prayer both for my self and you in the words of my Text Lord so teach us c. Amen Amen THE JUST MANS FUNERAL SERMON LI. ECCLES 7. verse 15. All things have I seen in the dayes of my vanity there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness THe World is a volumne of Gods works which all good people ought studiously to peruse Three sorts of men are too blame herein First such as observe nothing at all seeing but neither marking nor minding the daily accidents that happen with * Gallio the secure deputy of Achaia They care for none of these things Secondly Such as observe nothing observable these may be said to weed the world If any passage happeneth which deserveth to be forgotten their jet memories only attracting straws and chaff unto them registreth and retaineth them sond fashions and foolish speeches is all that they charge on their account and only empty cyphers swell the vote-books of their discoveries Lastly such who make good observations but no applications With Mary they do not ponder things in their heart but only brew them in their heads and presently breath them out of their mouth having only a rational understanding thereof which renders them acceptable in company for their discourse but never suffering them to sink into their souls or make any effectual impression of their lives But Solomons observations were every way compleat he mark'd what happened wel he might who advantaged with matchless wealth might make matchless discoveries could afford to dig out important Truths with mattocks of Gold Silver what he mark'd was remarkable and what was remarkable he not only applied to the good of his private person but endeavouring it might be propagated to all posterity in the words of my text All things have I seen in the dayes of my vanity there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness In the handling of Solomons observation herein we will insist upon these four pâ—…rts to shew 1. That it is so 2. Why it is so 3. What abuses wicked men do make because it is so 4. What uses good men should make because it is so First that it is so believe Solomons eyes who professed that he saw it But here it will be demanded how came he to behold a righteous man with what rare and new eye-salve had he anointed his eyes to see that which his father David having a more holy though not so large a heart could never discern Enter not into judgment with thy servant O Lord for no flesh is righteous in thy sight It is answered though such an one whose righteousness is Gods justice-proof never was is nor shall be in this life Christ alone excepted being God and man yet in a Gospel or qualified sense he is accounted righteous who juxt a propositum juste vivendi is so intentionally desiring and endeavouring after righteousness with all the might of his Sonl Secondly who is so comparatively in reference to wicked men appearing righteous in regard of those who have no goodness at all in their hearts Thirdly righteous imputatively having the righteousness of God in Christ imputed unto him Lastly righteous inhesively having many heavenly graces and holy endowments sincere though not perfect or evangelically perfect pro hoc statu bestowed upon and remaining within him Such a righteous man as this Solomon saw perishing in his righteousness But in the second place it will be inquired How could Solomon patiently behold a righteous man perish in his righteousness and not rescue him out of the paws of oppression Could he see it and could he suffer it and be only an idle spectator at so sad a tragedy Did his hand sway the Scepter and was his head invested with the Crown contentedly to look on so sorrowful a sight Could he only as in the case of the harlots call for a sword to kill a child and not call for it to defend a righteous man He that is not with us faith our Saviour is against us If it hold in private persons much more in publick Officers They persecute who do not protect destroy who do not defend slay who do not save the righteous man who have power and place to do it It is answered in the first place Solomons observations were not all confined to his own country and kingdome though staying at home in his person his mind travelled into forraign parts in the neighbouring countries of Egypt Edom Syria Assyria c. might behold the perisning of the righteous and long flourishing of the wicked Secondly his expression I have seen relates not only to his ocular but experimental discoveries What Solomon got hy the help of History Study and perusal of Chronicles He that was skil'd in natural Philosophy from the Cedar to the Shrub was no doubt well versed in all civil occurrences from the Prince to the Peasant from Adam to the present age wherein he lived so much as by any extant records could be collected To set humane writers aside the Scripture alone afforded him plentiful presidents herein Open the Bible and we shall find almost in the first leaf just Abel perishing in his righteousness and wicked Cain prolonging his life in his iniquity To omit other instances Solomon by relation from his father might sadly remember how Abimelech the High Priest perished in his righteousness with all the Priests inhabitants of the city of Nob whilest Saul who condemned and Doeg who executed them flourished long in their iniquity So much for the proof that it is so Come we now to the reasons why it is so These reasons are of a double nature some fetcht from nature others from religion For the present we insist only upon the former reserving the rest till we shall encounter the Atheists in the sequel of our discourse First Because good men of all others are most envied and maligned having the fiercest adversaries to oppose them With the most in the world it is quarrel enough to hate a good man because he is a good man Saint Paul faith of himself I press towards the mark And the same is the endeavour of every good man Now as in a race the formost man who is nearest the mark is envied of all those which come after him who commonly use
safety be confest by the hearers then exprest by the Preacher in his place Answ I have three things to return in answer hereunto First grant the Objector speaketh very much of truth herein yet if the times be so bad as he complaineth their badness will serve for a toyl to set off his goodness and render it the more conspicuous making him Phil. 2.15 to shine the brighter as a light in the World in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation Alas thy little faith would have made no show hadst thou lived in the age of Abraham thy Patience would have seemed but a dwarf to the Gyant patience of Job hadst thou been his contemporary thy meekness had appeared as nothing if measured with the meekness of Moses had you been partners in the same generation Whereas now a little Faith Patience Meekness and so of other graces will make a very good presence in the publick if the Age thou livest in be so bad as thou dost complain and others perchance do believe Secondly I suspect this to be nothing else but a device of thy deceitful heart thereby to cozen thine own self The Objection speaks the state of thy soul to be much like the temper of the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 23.30 If we say they had been in the dayes of our Fathers we would not have been partaker with the blood of the Prophets Yet these pretended pittiful persons were indeed more cruel then their Ancestors Their Fathers killed the Men they the Master their Fathers the Servant they the Son their Fathers murdered the Prophets of God they the God of those Prophets so far forth as he was murderable in his humane nature and it is vehemently to be suspected that if thou beest bad now thou wouldst not have been good had the time of thy Nativity answered thine own desire It is a shrewd presumption that he who behaved himself as a Woolf in his own generation would not have been a Lamb in what Age soever he had lived Lastly Beggars must be no choosers thou art not to serve the generation before thee nor the generation after thee nor any other of thy own election but thy own generation wherein Divine Providence hath been pleased to place thee Saint Paul saith Ephesians 5.22 Wives submit your selves unto your own Husbands Some will say had I such an one to my Husband I could willingly obey him he is of so meek mild and sweet a disposition but mine is of so morose and froward a nature it goes against my nature to be dutiful unto him However though she hath not the same comfort she hath the same cause of submission obliging in conscience to Gods command husbands must love their own wives wives obey their own husbands husbands and wives with David must serve their own generation But now that my sword may cut on both sides as hitherto we have confuted such who are faulty in their defect and will not serve their generation so others offend in the excess not being only servants but slaves and vassals to the age they live in prostituting their consciences to do any thing how unjust soever to be a Favourite to the Times Surely a cautious concealment is lawful and wary silence is commendable in perilous times Amos 5.13 It is an evil time therefore the wise shall hold their peace And I confess that a prudential compliance in Religion in things indifferent is justifiable as also in all civil concernments wherein the conscience is not violated but wherein the will of the times crosseth the will of God our Indentures are cancelled from serving them and God only is to be obeyed There is some difference in reading the precept Rom. 12.11 occasioned from the similitude of the words in the original though utterly unlike in our English tongue some reading it serving the Lord others serving the time I will not dispute which in the Greek is the truer Copie but do observe that Davids precedent in my Text is a perfect expedient to demonstrate that both Lections may and ought to be reconciled in our practise He served his generation there is serving the times but what followeth by the will of God there is serving the Lord this by him was by us must be performed Saint Stephen Acts 7.2 began his Sermon to the people with these words Men Brethren and Fathers which words I thus expound and apply By Men he meant young folk which had attained to the strength and stature of men and were much younger then himself By Brethren those of his own standing and seniority in the world probably forty years old or thereabouts and therefore he saluted such with a familiar Appellation as a badge of equallity Thirdly Fathers being aged people more ancient then himself as appeareth by his term of respect addressed to persons distanced above him This distinction will serve me first perfectly to comprise then methodically to distinguish all my Auditors in this Congregation I begin with you men which are of the Generation rising it being bootless for me to address my self to children not arrived at their understanding concerning whom I turn my preaching to them into praying for them and wish them good success in the name of the Lord. It is your bounden duty to omit no opportunity to inform your selves both in Learning and Religion from those that living with you are of more age and experience and demean your selves unto them with all reverence and respect O let them go fairly their own pace and path to their graves Do not thrust them into the pit with your preposterous wishes Filius ante diem O when will he die and his name perish rather endeavour to prolong the dayes of your Parents by your dutiful deportment unto them stay but a while and they will willingly resign their room unto you in earnest whereof those superannated Bazzilbaes do contentedly surrender the lawful pleasures of this life 2 Sam. 20.37 to you their Chimchams their sons and successors to be by you with sobriety and moderation peaceably possessed and comfortably enjoyed You Brethren who are pew-fellows in the same Age with my self who are past our vertical point and are now entred into the Autumn of our life give me leave to bespeak you with becoming boldness familiarity beseeming those of the same form together there is a new Generation come upon let us therefore think of going off the Stage endeavouring so to Act our parts that we may come off not so much with applause from man as approbation from God If we live long we shall be lookt upon as the barren fig-tree that combereth the ground we must make room for succession as our fathers have done for us And set this be our greatest care to derive and deliver Religion in all the foundamentals thereof in as good a plight and condition to our sons as we received it from our Fathers O let us leave Gods house as tenantable as
through Christ that strengthens me Phil. 4.13 partly also this is proved from one principal end of the spirits Donation his being given us namely That we may know the things that are freely given unto us of God and to co-witness with our spirits that we are his Sons and Daughters 1 Cor. 2.12 Rom. 8.16 1 John 5.13 Thirdly from the duties required of us upon this account as Thank fulness Ephes 1.3 Col. 1.12 13. What wise man will give thanks for that which he hath no certainty that he doth enjoy this were for a man to boast of a false gift as of a cloud without water so likewise of Love we love God because he first loved us 1 John 4.19 in so freely giving his Son to us John 3.16 and together with him all things that do accompany salvation Rom. 8.32 even to the Author of life and salvation unto all that obey him Heb. 5.9 And how come we to know of all this love but by that experimental proof thereof that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us Rom. 5.5 And lastly by the examples of Saints that have had this assurance in themselves as Job 19.25 〈…〉 and here in my Text Saint Paul which eminent Saints were not set forth in Holy Writ as Wonders meerly to be gazed at but as Patterns of imitation and though ordinary Christians and Saints cannot reach to the same steps yet they may walk in the same path and may possibly attain though not to the same measures yet to the same soundness of perswasion and indeed as a reverened Divine observes its firmness rather than fulness of assurance namely in respect of adherence or of recumbency that the Saints in this life arrive unto but to this firmness they may come by the use of the ordinary and of the right means as here St. Paul did by fighting the good fight by finishing his course and by keeping the faith hereby as by the ordinary means be concluded therein likewise shewing us an example that from henceforth there was a Crown of Righteousness laid up in Heaven for him yea and for all others with himself who loved the appearing of the Lord Jesus But though it be cautionately understood thus possible notwithstanding it is very difficult and hard to be attained and that for many weighty and important reasons As First in regard of the difficulty to put a distinction between seeming Vertues and real Graces which are the signs and fruits of Election and which give the best evidence of glory so that there needs much discussion and an exact Spirit of Discerning to put a Difference and to discriminate the one from the other yea we are to take notice that there are many Vices neer of kin to many Vertues and carry in semblance a near affinity as it were with them There is faith devout Bernard à à minium vertutis a certain kind of Vermilion wherewith Satan paints over the outside of Vices and makes them shew like Vertues and but by an Eâ—… and an Heart exercised in piety hardly discernable each from the other thus â—…ttery sometimes carries the stile of affability Covetousness of Frugality Rashness of Fortitude a Divellish Matchiavelisme of a lawful policy excess and ryot of good fellowship and under this mistake of judgment that is taken for zeale which is nothing but an impetuous headiness or a fiery kind of vehemency that instead of heating the house is apt to burn it Thus in short presumption passeth often for Faith this being the guile of our hearts and Satan complying with it who can tansform himself into an Angel of Light and set a fair gloss upon naughty wars making the tinsel of Hypocrisie to pass for the Silver of sincerity we must not too much â—…ely upon our own Judgments in this matter but bring things to the beam of the Sanctuary and there prove and weigh them the Word of God ever giveth a right Judgment the searching hereinto John 5.39 and examining of these matters hereby requiring great deliberation this makes the assurance difficult when the Evidence is perplexed and not presently cleared Secondly its hard in regard of the plenty of Lusts and of the works of the flesh which too much over-grow and abound in every mans Heart but graces are but rare and come up thin much chaff and little solid grain our graces are like Gidâ—…ons Army but a handful in comparison but our fins are like Midianites Innumerable as Grashoppers Hipps and Hawes faith one grow in every hedg when choycer fruits are but in some few Gardens and every soyle almost yeilds stone and rubbish but Gold and precious stones are found in very few places now Saint Peter who exhorts to give diligence to make Election sure exhorts also 2 Pet. 1.5 6. to add to Faith Vertue to Vertue Knowledge c. a large enumeration induction of graces is required to clear up this assurance and certainly that is a matter of no ease Thirdly that I may hasten this is difficult in regard of the great progress that an Hypocrite or a Cast-away may make in the wayes of Christianity and yet never attain to this assurance He may have some degrees of Illumination Heb. 6.4 much like a Coruscation that a suddain flash of Lighting maketh in the Ayre He may have good wishes as Balaam Numbers 23.10 A sight of sin as Cain had Gen. 4.13 Confess sin as Judas did Mat. 27.4 have zeal as Jebu had 2 Kings 10.16 in these and in like other gifts may a very Cast-away make a great progress But no child of God can have any real comfort in any thing wherein he cannot say he hath yet therein gone beyond a Cast-away and yet but in the ground or rule or end of doing these things are hardly discernable each from other All which and much more that might be added to the same purpose shew though not the utter impossibility yet surely the very great difficulty of attaining unto the assurance that a man can say as S. Paul doth here in a particular application unto his soul Christ loved me and gave himself for me and henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness There yet remains but one Pearl more in the Cabinet of this Text which I shall onely offer to your short notice and so conclude it is that due qualification which renders other Christians as well as it did S. Paul capable of the Crown of Righteousness they must be such as who do love the Lord Christ's second appearing in the day of Judgment And indeed it is the property of none but Saints to love it and long for it See Phil. 1.23 Rev. 22.20 Amen even so come Lord Jesus Some cautions notwithstanding must be here remembred sith it 's possible that times may fall out when we tremble at the thought or mention of it as when conscience is
fear is Kinds off fear 1 Natural 2 Carnal fear 3 Servile fear Act 2. 4 Filial fear Isa 8 12. Reas We are delivered from our enemies either Luke 1.47 1 By reconciliation 2 By conquest Vse 1. The power of grace must reflect on a mans self Vse 2. Possible to live without fear Psalm 23 Vse 3. Reproof for inordinate fear 1 We fear too soon 2 Too much 1 It brings a great deal of ill Isa 66.4 2 It unfits the heart to bear evils It hurts the body It doth hurt to the soul 1 Natural 2 Spiritually Fear the ground of most sins Vse 4. To sence our hearts against it No cause of fear 1 Of spiritual enemies 2 Of worldly evils Ier. 46.28 Object Answ Object Answ Quest Answ How to get the conquest of fear 1 Labour for the spirit 2 Keep covenant with God 3 Strengthen faith 4 To place our love aright August Simile Doctr. Both words and actions shall be called to account Matth. 5.22 Iude 13.14 Reas 1. The Law binds men in speeches Reas 2. Words injure God and man Levit. 24.11 Act. 8. Vse To condemn those that make light account of words Pal. 39. Psal 131. Doctr. God will proceed in judgement according to his Law Ioh. 12.48 Object Answ All men judged by the Law The Law not alike expressed to all Rom. 2 14. Reas 1. The Law is Gods scepter that he ruls by Reas 2. Because the law is a rule Vse 1. Reproof of those that neglect the law Quest Answ To despise Gods commandement what Matth. 25.41 Vse 2. Admonition to observe the Law 1. For direction 2. For tryal Doctr. The consideration of the day of Judgment should move to holiness 1 It hath drawn some to obedience Eccles 11.9 1 To forsake the world Phil. 3.7 2 Disposing the heart to obedience Eccles 12.10 Heb. 12. Rev. 14â—… 2 It quickens to actions of obedience 1 Of particular calling 2 General calling 3 It confirms in obedience Vse Shewing the cause of the worlds prophaness and the Saints dejectedness 2 Pet. 3. Vse 2. To strengthen faith of the judgment Jerome Parts of the Text. Meaning of the words Doctr. Death due to sin as wages Quest Answ What death due to sin 1. Temporal Object Answ How Adam died a natural death as soon as he sinned Object Answ How Christians freed from temporal death Christians undergo temporal death why Simile 2 Eternal death Answ Sin infinite three wayes 1 In respect of the object 2 The subject 3 The sinners desire Vse 1. Original lust a sin Basile Vse 2. Confuration no sin in it self venial 1 Joh 3.5 Sins mortal and venial how Vse 3. In spectacles of death to see the heinousness of sin Vse 4. To deterre us from sin Similles Joh. 2. 1 Sam. 14. Vse 5. To be humble and thankful Life twofold 1 Natural 2 Spiritual 1 In this life Job 17.5.2 In deathy 3 Afterth e Resurrection A thing eternal three wayes Doct. Salvation the feee gift of God Quest Answ Austin Quest Answ Joh. 3. Vse 1. Confutation of merit Rom. 8. Vse 2. To humble us Vse 3. Comfort Vse 4. Thankfulness Isa 45 24. The Analysis of the Chaper Propos 1. God is pleased to set himself to procure the profit of his people Proved by instances 1 In his instituting Ordinances in the Church 1 The preaching of the Word Act. 26.18 2 Tim. 3.16 2 The Sacrament of the Supper 3 Prayer Unprofitable living under the ordinances a taking the name of God in vain 4 Sending of Christ into the world in our nature 2 In his command and injunction Deut 10 13. Matth. 5.29 3. In his several administrations 1 Permitting sin to remain 2. To prevail 3. Withdrawing his presence 4. Suspending his answer to their prayers 5. Denying their particular suites 6. Deprives them of their dearest blessings James 5.11 Use of exhortation Vse 2. Of instruction Propos 2. Gods aim in afflicting his children is their profit Gen 41.52 Afflictions they are profitable The blessed fruit of afflictions 2 Chron. 33.12 Deut. 8.15 Isa 27.9 Hab. 1.12 The Saints of God have walted for the profit of afflictions 2 Sam. 16.12 2 Sam. 16.12 Isa 37.4 Vse 1. For reproof Gods children prone to misconster the intent of God in their afflictions 1 Sam. 27.1 Esa 6.5 Lam. 3.16.18 Isa 49.14 Vse 2. For comfort Isa 10.57 Simile Isay 12.12 Vse 3. Exhortation to a patient expectation of the fruit of affliction Object Answ Iob 17.4 The sum of the words Division Explication Simile Doct. 1. Ground 1 From God Psal 84. Why God withdraws the light of his counâ—eâ—ance from his people 1 For correction of their former abuse of his mercies 2 Of the neglect of their duty Cant. 5. 3 Of their carnal security 3 To teach them wherein their present comsort and happiness consifts Simile 3 For prevention 1 Of pride 2 Of considence in the creature or in habits of grace Ground 2 From Satan How Satan causeth trouble in the hearts of Gods servants 1 By stealing out of thest hearts the promises of the Gospel Heb. 12. Matth. 13. 2 By presenting to the soul the truths of God in false glosses Ground 3. From our selves From some distemper of the body 2. Prevailing of some strong lust Heb. 12.1 3 Inordinate passions Heb. 1. Vse 1. To teach us compassion toward those that are in trouble Isa 53.4 God suffers his servants to be in inward distress and why Doctr. 2. Faith is a special means to quiet the soul 2 Cron. 20.20 2 Tim. 1 12. Vse Doctr. 3. Faith that quiets the soul must be pitched upon God in Christ Doct. 4. Vse Quest Answ What it is to believe in Christ What it is to receive Christ as a Prophet As a King As a Priest Quest Answ Object Answ Quest Answ Quest Answ Quest Answ Devision of the words Doct 1. Strong trials befall strong Christians 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Job 1.8 Wherein the strength of a trial consists Why God laieth strong tryals on strong Christians Reas 1. Reas 2. Doct. Faith acquits a man in great tryals Reas 1. Reas 2. Reas 3. Reas 4. Reas 5. Vse 1. 1. 2. Vse 2. The sum of the words Parts of the Text Coherence The first branch of the Text Explication 1 What life it is that is here meant Eternal life proper to the Saints Begun in this world Gal 2.20 Heb 2 3. Consummated in the world to come Phil 1.21 1 Thes 4.17 Joh. 5.26 Joh. 6 33. Vse 1. For instructiou Vse 2. For demonstration 1 Tim 5.6 Ephes 2.1 Vse 3. For consolation 2 Tim 3.12 Act 14.22 Mark 5.26 Eccles 9 4. Job 2.4 Phil. 1.7 Rom. 14.17 2 Cor. 12.2 1 Cor. 2.9 Rom. 8.18 2 Cor 4.17 The second branch of the Text. Eternal life cometh from divine grace Tit. 3.7 Eph. 2.8 Reas 1. Reas 2.2 Cor. 3.5 Vse 1. For confutation Vse 2. For Consolation Vse 3. For Instruction Vse 4. For exhortation The third branch of the Text. The