affected wisdome of the world without either miraculouâ— signes or scientifical demonstrations either of which would much perswade men Fourthly and lastly It 's the perpetual invariable means God hath appointed to the worlds end When the Ministery and Preaching shall cease then shall all this world with the things therein cease Thus Eph. 4. it 's there said to continue till Christs coming and Paul's direction about the Ministery must be kept till the coming of Christ The former dispensation is altered he hath taken away Priests and Levites the sacrifices and Altars but he will never take away Pastors and Teachers and Sacraments and these must abide as long as there is a Church on the world Vse of Examination It 's the Ministery this is the ordinary necessary appointed menans for faith and other graces Why then is it that it hath not been so to thee Oh it would be an heavy trouble to thee thou wouldst think God had some extraordinary jugement upon thee if thou couldst have no cloaths to warm no food to nourish thee no creature be that to thee for which it is appointed But behold a greater judgement then this no Ministery doth convert thee no Preaehing begets faith or repentance in thee In the Apostles times What multitudes were converted by the Word Yea in the first times of Reformation from Popery How many did not only receive the truth in their minds but grace in their hearts they were not only converted from Popery and superstition but from prophaness and impiety But now alas to whom is the power of God made known Certainly the Word is the same Gods arm is as strong as ever but men by their wilfull ignorance by their unthankfulness and rebelling against the light have sinned away the presence and power of God from the Ministery and then if God go not along with us Alas what can we do Oh that you who are hearers would deeply lay these things to heart God saith his Word is an enlightning Word a sanctifying cleansing Word Why is it not so to thee Why art thou no more reformed then where there is no Preaching no Ministery at all The same cursing swearing the same lusts pride covetousness and ignorance Is not all this because God doth not appear in his own Ordinances Oh men without hope How desperate is such mens condition for if the Ministery cure thee not what will cure thee Woe be to thee if the Word that is so effectual and operative to others be not also to thee Who is Paul and who is Apollo but Ministers by whom ye believed even as the Lord gave every man The third thing in order to be discust is the noble Effect whereof the Ministry is said to be an Instrumental Cause viz. Ye believed Faith is one of the most eminent Common-places in Divinity It 's the Sanctum Sanctorum in this spiritual building It s the fat in that spiritual Sacrifice we offer to God And because of the spiritual and most sublime nature of it it is least understood by the natural man I shall not at this time handle all the main particulars about it because the holy Ghost intends it not in this place Onely take notice that in stead of all the work of grace repenting reforming he nameth believing because this is Initial and Introductory to all the rest The word Faith or Believing is of a very large and fruitfull signification but it 's impertinent at this time to trouble you with it Observe That Faith is the great and eminent grace which God by the Ministry works in some hearers Thus upon Christ and the Apostles preaching still this is recorded And many believed Insomuch that Faith is said to come by hearing Rom. 10.17 The Scripture indeed sometimes speaks of faith as prerequisite to make the Word profitable Who hath believed our report And the Word profited them not because it was not mixed with faith Heb. 4.6 Here we see unbelief doth obstruct and hinder the savoury effect of the Gospel But that is finally in those that pâ—rish but in those that shall be saved God in his due time will by the Word preached work faith viz. enlighten their minds and open their hearts to entertain it To open this Doctrine Let us consider the Nature of Faith and that is usually said to consist in three acts whether they be all essential or some only I shall not here determine The first is Knowledge and understanding This is eternal life to know thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent John 17.3 Yea it 's a strong and powerfull conviction of the mind Hence it 's called The substance and evidence of things Heb. 11.1 Believing in the soul is compared to the corporal seeing of the body To say a blind faith is as great a contradiction as to say a dark Sunne or a cold fire If it be faith it doth see the ground of its belief Indeed faith cannot comprehend the matter we believe the Doctrine of the Trinity the Incarnation of Christ are like the dazelling Sunne to our Bats-eyes but though faith cannot comprehend the matter believed yet it knoweth the ground why it doth believe in those places of Scripture and the testimony of Gods Word which saith It is thus and thus Oh then How farre are many from being believers For ignorance covers their souls as darknesse did the Chaos at the first The very principles of Religion the total ignorance whereof doth damn a man yet is like a veil upon most mens eyes Oh then consider that knowledge and understanding is the necessary way to let in faith or rather is a beginning and part of it If thou hadst lost thy eyes or wert smitten with corporal blindnesse How much would it affect thee But now thou hast unbelief and spiritual blindnesse yet it doth not break thy heart Say no more thou believest in Christ thou believest in God if thou knowest not what Christ and God is Though ignorant people are full of their devotion yet because it 's without knowledge and faith it 's as abominable as a Sacrifice without eyes Secondly But knowledge is not all How many Atheists are there that know much and understand the points of Religion yet believe not Therefore the second Act of Faith is to Assent to give credit to them as true and this indeed we mean and Scripture also means this most commonly when it speaks of believing the Word of God that is giving a firm and sure assent to it as true Hence that expression Faith is the substance Heb. 11.1 that is by faith we make those things that are future really subsist as it were in our souls as if present Thus Faith makes Heaven and Hell present The Apostle excellently describes it They behold not the things temporal or seen but the things eternal which are not seen 2 Cor. 4 18. Thus Moses is said to have an earnest eye of faith fixed upon the reward and that is an act
of faith Heb. 11.26 And in this respect most fail They do not firmly assent to the Doctrine of Gods Omnisciency of a Day of Judgement of giving an account of every evil word Did they believe these things as the Word of God which cannot deceive which cannot be false how dared they live in such professed impieties But the fool hath said in his heart there is no God Psal 14.1 No Judgement no Heaven no Hell If an humane faith can set men so much on work when yet all men are lyars what shall not a divine faith do Thirdly That which is the compleat and formal act of faith is a resting on Christ a receiving of him a coming to him Hence are those emphatical expressions which are in no humane Authours 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To believe in God in Christ and this act of faith is expressed by words of resting rolling the soul waiting and expecting by receiving imbracing A godly man is called a member of Christ and faith is the ligament and that which uniteth a branch in the Olive-tree faith is that whereby we receive fatnesse of it So that the power and life of faith lieth in this that it gives up the soul to Christ and receiveth Christ in the soul hereby it is said Christ dwels in our hearts by faith Ephes 3.17 And this act is only in the godly This is the difference from all hypocrites they are said to believe they know they give credit to many things and this works some slighty affections but they are not united to Christ they cleave not to him so as to to be made one with him They receive him not both as a Mediatour and as an Head to whom they will conform and live as Members answerable to such an Head This then is the marrow and the soul of faith when a man so knoweth so assents as thereby he is incorporated into Christ receiving of his virtue and influence so that all is Christ as it were I no longer live but Christ in me and the life I live is by faith in Christ saith Paul Gal. 2.20 Now this faith thus described hath glorious Effects and also many Properties we will select some of many As First The noble effect of Faith ad intra is to receive the righteousnesse of Christ and thereby to make it ours by which means faith is so often said to justifie and we are justified by faith And Paul did so exceedingly desire to be found not in his own righteousnesse but by that of faith in Christ Phil. 3.9 This is the hand to put on those glorious Robes to cover our nakednesse This is the eye by which we look upon that exalted Serpent to be healed It 's not repenting sorrowing reforming no nor martyrdom it self that hath this honour which faith hath neither is this for any dignity or worth of faith but because it 's an instrument to receive the righteousnesse of Christ which no other grace can be So that as the child new born presently moves it lips and mouth for the brest to be sucking there So the new born spiritual Infant immediately goeth out of its own works it 's own righteousnesse and desireth to be found in Christ onely This way of believing is very paradoxal and hidden to a guilty conscience Cain did not know it Judas was not acquainted with it and thereupon eternally perished A second Effect of Faith ad intra is to receive virtue and power from Christ to subdue our corruptions to conquer our sinnes so that faith is the instrument of Sanctification as well as Justification Thus we are Members and Christ is the Head branches and he the Vine and as these are nourished and enlivened bringing forth fruit by having sap and virtue from the head or tree so are we supplied with virtue and efficacy for all imperfections by faith from Christ In so much that the excellent ready way to conquer any sinne to subdue any passion or unruly affections is by Faith to apply Christ to the soul If the branch would flourish it must not depart from the tree but still be ingraffed closer to receive power and thus thy way to overcome any noisome temptation is not to keep off from Christ to be discouraged by unbelief but the more sensible thou art of thy weaknesse and infirmities to lay the faster hold on Christ But oh how hard is it ere many of the children of God come to learn this good way They lie discouraged in their combate and conflict with sinne they are ashamed of their hypocrisie their guile Oh they are so unworthy and so wretched that they dare not come neer Christ and this hinders them Even as Peter out of a preposterous humility would not let Christ wash his feet but saith Christ If I wash thee not thou shalt have no part in me John 13.8 And then Peter saith Not my feet but my whole body also Oh when thou comest to know how acceptable it is to God and how comfortable to thy own self In the midst of all weaknesses and failings still to catch hold on Christ then thou wilt be inamoured with it saying How foolish and ignorant have I been Even like a beast and an enemy to my own good Therefore if thou art at any time overtaken with a sinne cast not away thy faith also That is as if a souldier because he hath received a blow should throw away his weapon by which he might offend his enemy If by thy doubts and diffidence thou art kept off from Christ how canst thou ever get power against sinne But let us come to the Effects ad extra For all say they believe all are confident in Christ for their salvation there is no man though prophane and abominable but he saith he believeth in Christ with all his heart Therefore there are Effects of faith ad extra in the outward man from which this Faith can never be separated no more than heat from fire or light from the Sunne As First It purifieth a man inwardly and outwardly from all filthiness He that truly believeth he cleanseth himself from all filthiness of flesh and Spirit Having these promises let us cleanse our selves 2 Cor. 7.1 and we have not them to make use of but by saith especially that is to our purpose Act. 15.9 Purifying their hearts by Faith which is seen in a great manner by cleansing away that dross that mudde which is in every mans heart every mans heart is a filthy poisoned noisome fountain and faith cleanseth it purifieth it Thus John also He that hath this hope which is a necessary companion of faith purifieth himself even as God is pure 1 Joh. 3.3 Come then thou who speakest of thy faith What is thy heart thy life are they clean Thy heart men cannot enter into that may be a cage of unclean birds that may be a den of thieves their pride covetousness uncleanness may lodge and none in the world condemne thee for
rejected Tit. 3.10 Those then are nearest to perdition who after Admonition and Information do still continue refractory Lastly Of all those who defile the Temple and are marked out for perdition Antichrist it is and his party that are the great defilers of Gods Temple He is alled The man of Perdition 2 Thes 2.3 both actively and passively Actively because he is a means to destroy so many thousand souls and passively because he is appointed by God to remarkable destruction Take heed therefore thou art not found in the number of that Antichristian society which is marked out by God for destruction Come out of Babylon least you be partakers of her plague Rev. 18.4 If you ask why God should be thus provoked by corruptions in truth or worship the Reason is plain Because his Glory is more immediately interrested in these things Practical godlinesse and obedience are acceptable but his truth and his worship are that which immediately relate to him Herein his jealousie is said to be drawn out Vse of Admonition Pray and take heed you fall not from your stedfastnesse and be led aside with the errours of the wicked You see here is no dallyance no wantonnesse allowed in this matter God will destroy Art thou not afraid of Gods wrath of Gods vengeance If it were but the anger of a man or the persecution of a man it might be endured but God who is a consuming fire he will never bear this He will not endure this This Text would be like a flaming sword to keep men from false and erroneous waies if duly considered This is that which undoeth us people are either very sottish and stupid not regarding any thing of Religion at all or if they do they do not with that sobriety that humility that fear and trembling addresse themselves to know Gods truths as they ought to do There is a prophane proud unmortified frame of heart upon us and then then no wonder we defile his Temple Him shall God destroy This is the punishment threatned to the Temple-defilers and though but two words God destroy yet both have their weight There are many evils and calamities that yet are not a destruction that is the utmost of all paenall evils and then it 's a destruction from God whose wrath is like himself Incomprehensible It 's not man but God shall destroy Now what this destruction is we have told you not an annihilation of soul and body as Socinians would have it not a Physical destruction but moral viz. depriving the wicked man of all happinesse and comfort We have handled this relatively already as it is the Portion of the Temple-defilers I shall now consider it absolutely Eternal wrath and damnation is described here under the name of destruction which is the reward of every wicked impenitent man whether his sinnes be intellectual or bodily And the Doctrine I shall raise is That Eeternal Damnation is the Destruction of a man It 's the undoing of a man for ever This Doctrine or Truth hath a sting in it and because men are generally so bruitish and feared in their evil waies I do the rather pitch upon it because truths that are of a more sublime nature do not so easily penetrate Let us then improve this Eternal Damnation is the Destruction of a man It 's the eternal undoing of a man To clear this consider First That it is the Scriptures way to represent Hell and Damnation under all those evils that are most terrible to sense as on the contrary Heaven is described by such nams as do usually delight most men Hence it 's called a Kingdom and a Crown of Glory and a City paved with precious stones These are condescending expressions to us who are apt to apprehend nothing great and admirable but what is so to sense and were not our natural corruption so greatly prevailing over us such Scripture baites would soon take us As it is thus for Heaven so for the contrary Hell and eternal damnation is described by all such terrible Objects that the very naming of them should fill us with great horrour and do not think these are vain scare-crows no these expressions do no more represent to the full the torment and pain of the damned indeed then a painted fire doth a reall burning fire Whatsoever the Scripture saith of this destruction of wicked men doth not arise up in the least manner to the torment indeed Therefore that the meditation and preaching of this subject may be profitable set Faith on work believe there is such a state of destruction coming upon impenitent men that all the undoing we can have in this life is nothing to that eternal undoing Let Faith warm and heat thy heart with this and it will work wonderfully to thy reformation If to die be a thing of terrour what is eternal death What is eternal destruction If skin for skin and all that a man hath he will give for his life how much rather for this eternal life Secondly This destruction consists in two things The good it 's privative of And The evil it 's positive of Schoolmen call it the punishment of losse and the punishment of sense The Scripture brings in God inflicting both in that terrible sentence at the Day of Judgment Depart from me into eternal fire Mat. 25.41 Depart from me there is the privation of all good Into eternal fire there is the position of all evil and misery Divines have disputed which is the greatest evil of these two but Chrysostome answers The privation of Gods face is farre worse then all the torments in Hell That Depart from me is more terrible then eternal fire Certainly seeing such a destruction is coming how much doth it concern all to watch and pray about it Descendamus in infernum viventes ne descendamus morientes said Bernard Let us descend into Hell while alive by meditation lest we really descend thither when we die But singularia sunt quae pungunt Let us therefore consider What losse it is First that this destruction doth consist in And First It 's the losse of God in whom only is all happinesse Depart from me At his right hand are pleasures for evermore Psal 16.11 To be with God and to enjoy him is that happinesse which eye hath not seen nor can the heart of a man conceive For such as God himself is such is the enjoying of him He is the bonum in quae omnia bona bonum quo nihil melius cogitari potest The Jehova The beings of all created comforts that are scattered up and down and parcelled in creatures with their several imperfections are united and conjoyned in him in transcendent perfection only To represent what God is and the enjoyment of him would be to empty the Ocean with a shell Then do we best esteem of him when we judge him inestimable Now our destruction lyeth in being deprived of all that good which God would have been to us Oh
to come in this life they are of two sorts Either 1. Mercifull and good things Or 2. Grievous and sad things For God can quickly turn a fair day into thunder and tempest Job felt a suddain alteration upon himself which was from the richest in the East to become the poorest in a moment Now both these kinds are the godly mans mercy No evil that is truly so can befall him But I shall not pursue these particulars for that will coincide with the former matter I shall therefore treat of it in a more general way Observe That all things which are to come or may fall out hereafter are a godly mans mercy and advantage This Doctrine speaketh the height of happinesse and comfort to the godly for there is no greater temptation we are subject unto then to be tormented about what may fall out hereafter Though for the present it be never so well yet we forethink our possible miseries as David One day I shall fall by the hand of Saul 1 Sam. 27.1 So that many times needlesse troubles about what is to come takes away the enjoyment of the present mercies we have But here we see the Text giving such a cordial to the godly that he may go and take his rest wholly relying upon the Lord for come what can come or will come nothing can come amisse it will be a mercy an advantage to him Now that this Doctrine is true I may prove à posteriori from such signes and effects that do evidently demonstrate the people of God are quietly to sit down with this conclusion Though the Lord only knoweth what will come upon me yet I know it will be only for my good For First It appeareth by this The Scripture commands the godly to avoid all distrustfull and distracting cares about what will be that he should quietly compose himself committing all to his heavenly Father who knoweth all he hath need of So that as little children are cheerfull and play never troubling themselves how they shall subsist and what if such miseries arise Thus ought the godly Matth. 6.34 Take no thought for to morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of it self q.d. God will then provide when other conditions other exercises come Do not thou distract thy self God will then upon any new trial or exercise come in upon thee to help and deliver See here then the blessed estate of a godly man he is commanded to shut out all distrustfull cares for the future he is to cast his burden upon the Lord whatsoever shall befall it will be well with him Secondly They are to perswade themselves that nothing shall fall out that can separate from Gods love And what a support is this Rom. 8. Paul there is triumphing and that not for himself but for all the people of God who are justified What shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Shall things present shall things to come vers 38. Is not this to bring the people of God up into the Mount of transfiguration Whatsoever shall befall thee before thou diest yet nothing shall separate between Gods love and thee Though it should come about that no friend love thee none in the world will own thee yet God will own thee Certainly this may rejoyce the heart of the godly if any thing hereafter might divide between God and thee might deprive thee of God and part thee from him then thou mightest tremble and quake fearing the worst is not past but when all is thus provided afore-hand that thou art sure to be in Gods love be thy estate never so disconsolate this may keep up thy heart Thirdly The godly concerning all future things may thus also conclude That there is no evil no temptation that shall fall upon them but he will give strength to bear and give a way to escape You have a Text more precious than the gold of Ophir to this purpose 1 Cor. 10.13 God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but with the temptation will make a way to escape Doth not this Text speak to the heart of some godly people Oh they lie under sad temptations heavy exercises are upon them such as the world knoweth not and they are afraid these will overwhelm them they shall never get out it will undo them But what saith the Text God will not suffer you to be tempted above measure and he will make a way to escape See then thy fears thy unbelief makes thee go contrary to the Text. Thou sayest thou shalt never be able to bear it God saith I will lay no more upon thee then thou art able Fear saith I shall never escape this never overcome this Faith saith he will make a way to escape Now whether wilt thou believe God or thy own fearfull heart Oh then let the godly that are tempted and lie in deep waters that are like Jonas swallowed up in the whales belly take this Text and hide it in their heart so they will not fear what will be to come Fourthly For things to come they have this promise That in all outward things God will never leave them nor forsake them Thus things to come are theirs for they have this promise And Heb. 13.5 the Apostle urgeth this against covetousnesse and to be content with what they have God will never leave thee nor forsake thee Now this temptation many times troubleth at least some godly persons they are afraid they or their posterity may be brought to wants they fear poverty may come upon them as an armed man especially they know not what they shall do in old age if God should let them live till they should lose their sight or their limbs or their parts what should become of them To live a burden to themselves or others Aristotle hath a wicked Position That all decrepit old men should be thrown down a steep hill headlong and be killed as being a burden to a Commonwealth Old people are many times a burden to wicked young people Therefore God commands us Not to despise our mother when she is old Prov. 23.22 Now we shall see David himself tempted about his old age Psal 71.19 When I am old and gray headed forsake me not Thus you see what wants or straits especially what decayes of grace the godly may fear they shall not have the same vigour and strength not the same memory and judgement But the Scripture gives a good promise Psal 92.14 They shall bring forth fruit in old age So Isa 46.4 To your old age I am he and even to hoary hairs I will carry thee He will have as much care of thee as a mother of a child in her arms Well then you see in that God hath said he will never leave or forsake us we need not fear poverty want the diseases and miseries of old age for these things are ours Fifthly The people of God may be perswaded of their
but that is not absolutely considered For the Devils cannot trust â—n him neither may wicked men yet God is able to help them to save them but relatively as a Father as reconciled Therefore Christ Mat. 6. makes this the ground of all the trust his Disciples must have because their heavenly Father is in Heaven So that till we have these perswasions of God as a Father we are but as so many vagabond Children that know not where to have relief The Child because he hath a Father never takes care what he shall eat or drink or put on because his Father will provide all these for him Fifthly We adde That this Faith must depend on God in a lively and strong manner as David's was at this time or Abraham's when he considered not the dead Womb or did so much as stagger within himself For if thy Faith be weak if it be fainting and languishing though thou maist have support yet not such prevalent peace within thee Thou art in a Combate not in a Triumph David at another time is like Sampson without his strength he saith All men are lyers He thinketh God had forsaken him So that unlesse Faith be very vigorus though thou maiest be preserved in thy afflictions they shall not quite overwhelm thee yet thou wilt not have this peaceable frame Now the Children of God should think it not enough to rub through their troubles with agonies and Combates but with joy and quietnesse Grieve because thy heart is so much as disquieted say Oh weak wretch that I am that I cannot be as much at ease as if I had no affliction at all There remain two more Propositions to explicate this Doctrine And First When we say Faith doth thus quiet and compose the soul you must take two Cautions to season this First That Faith doth not this principally of it self for that is but a grace or habit created and infused into the soul And therefore as all other graces needs the continual quickning and asistance of Gods Spirit so likewise doth Faith Hence our Saviour prayed for Peter that his Faith might not fail Implying that grace of it self would wither and decay as well as any other if God did not preserve it Therefore the Apostle Peter doth fully expresse the manner of Faiths Influence into this Perservation 1 Peter 1.5 It 's the power of God that doth principally and efficiently keep us only it 's through Faith We are not then to conceive as if Faith of it self had such an inherent efficacy that by it's sole jurisdiction it would command the soul and say as God did at the first Let there be light and there shall be light No Faith it self needs the daily quickening of Gods grace as well as other graces Yea this grace would sooner decay then others because of the hearts contrariety to it making a man to live above the Principles of sense and common reason Insomuch that it 's no wonder to see a man love God be patient in afflictions these though not wrought by the power of nature yet have a conviction from the light of nature but so hath not Faith The second Caution is That we do not think as if we could believe it our selves as if by our own humane strength we could obtain such a peaceable frame of heart No If it could be so then David at other times and that it may be in farre lesse extreamities would not have been dejected as he acknowledgeth himself to be Neither would that man have prayed to Christ to Help his unbelief if he could have helped it himself And the experience of the godly doth abundantly confirm this in what agonies they are plunged how grievously tormented Oh how desirous to quiet their hearts They Pray they Meditate they Read and all cannot compose their souls Now if their hearts were subject to their power as the Winds and Waves are to Christ they would never endure such Conflict within This argueth therefore that it 's not in mans power to put forth such strong vigorous Acts of Faith no more then we can command the Heavens to give rain It 's God that must both plant and water and give the encrease Lastly The truth of this Doctrine doth extend even to those great Afflictions and Calamities we are in and that because of our sinnes We can evidently see what sinnes they are that have provoked God to give such a bitter stroke our own hearts testifie unto us and this argueth the greater work of Faith For happily it might be granted That in such Afflictions and Temptations which befall us for Gods cause and for righteousnesse sake we may be full of such joy and sincerity as the Apostle saith James 1. Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations And thus the Martyrs they could and did with David lay themselves down to sleep in their dark Dungeons and that the very night before they were to burn at the Stake But you will say How can this joy and confidence hold in such Calamities as fall upon us wholly because of our sinnes we behold Gods anger and our folly hath brought this on us Now in such troubles If we humble our selves unto the Lord for our sinnes and bewail them we may have such Calmes of spirit For this was David's case The Prophet had told him afore-hand that this should fall out Because of his Adultery and Murder his conscience cryed aloud in the midst of his military noise yet for all that he could thus set himself to his quiet rest How the vigorous Actings of Faith do quiet the Heart These things premised Let us consider How these vigorous actings of faith do thus quiet and appease the heart And First In that faith doth in the first place carry us out to rely on Christ as a Mediatour whereby all our iniquities and sinnes are done away If then sinne and guilt be removed out of the way there cannot be any trouble For as if there had not been sinne the earth would not have brought forth briars and thornes So neither were it not for iniquity eating into the conscience there would not be the least fear and trouble upon the heart This is the wind that makes so dreadfull an earthquake at last Wonder not then if Davids faith did compose his soul in respect of that outward danger for it had before removed a greater evil the guilt of sinne was now blotted out David is not in that case as when he cryed out that his bones were broken and that God sets his sinnes before him Oh that is a wofull condition when the guilt of sinne and afflictions both meet together when outwardly we have no hope and inwardly no hope But this faith doth in the first place It obtaineth reconciliation with God it seeth Pharaoh and his great host drowned in the sea and then it doth easily over-look other afflictions for the favour of God is able to sweeten all calamities Thus it was with Paul he
can be expected from a Church consisting of such Men speak of Houses where the Devils walk where spirits haunt men dare not dwell there I tell thee That a Family where ignorance and prophaneness is nourished is an house not only haunted but even possessed by Devils And how canst thou eat sleep and live in such a place Fourthly In the primitive times there were a rank of people that were called Catecumini as we said before Candidati or Competentes such who being converted from Paganism were not yet fully instructed in the matters of Religiâ—n and therefore they had time to get knowledg before ever they were admitted to Church-Communion And answerable to this there was a Catechist one whose work and office it was to instruct such before they were Baptized Thus you see how carefull in Antiquity they were that they might have no ignorant persons among them And certainly as in all Arts there are Principles which must be learned before they can come to Conclusions so it 's here in Religion And oh that we could see this Knowledge brought in amongst people To be a Christian is to be anointed and this Vnction teacheth us all things Joh. 2.20 viz. necessary to salvation Fifthly Principles of Religion largely so called are of two sorts either Corrupt Idolatrical and Heretical or true Sound and Consonant to the Scripture Now there are many in the world are too forward to infuse poysonous and dangerous Principles so great a matter is it to consider what men are seasoned with at first either privately or publiquely Thus many are infected with Popish and superstitious Principles many with erroneous and false Doctrines and these foundations being laid it 's very difficult ever to remove them As the vessel is first seasoned or the tree at first planted so it is likely to continue The Apostle cals those Jewish Ceremonies the beggerly elements Gal. 4.9 or Principles of the world Why so because the superstitious Teachers made them the first Elements the Principles the foundation of all and therefore they thought all Religion was taken away if they were removed And thus you have divers persons they have indeed some Principles of Religion but they are Popish and Superstitious such as put out the Knowledge of Christ and the Scriptures And It 's a two-fold labour as Socrates said to a perverted Disciple of his to teach them for they must first be untaught their erroneous Principles and then must be instructed in the truth Oh then look to this that thy Principles about Religion be not false ignorant and superstitious ones Sixthly The true Principles of Religion are reduced to severall heads and are both short and easie but necessary to be known The Doctrine about God and Christ and our selves which is the Credendum The Doctrine about Faith and Repentance which is the Agendum And about things to come which is the Sperandum About God we are to believe That he is and a rewarder of those that seek him About Christ This is eternal life to know Jesus Christ Joh. 17.2 and the holy Ghost for we are Baptized in his Name About our selves the desperate pollution of our natures the hainousness of sinne the aggravation of the curses of the Law The things to be done are Repentance which driveth out of our sins and Faith which driveth out of our own righteousness But because these are Divine Works therefore a man must be regenerated and born again And this Principle Christ insisted on to Nicodemus Joh 3. The things to come are The Resurrection of the Body The immortality of the Soul The Day of Judgment The Heâ—ven and Hell provided for the godly and the wicked These Principles are plain and easie not to flesh and blood but in respect of the manifestation of them They are laid down clearly in Scripture None without horrible impudency can deny them Indeed there are many sublime Disputes about the Trinity and about Christs Incarnation but these are not necessary to be believed by every one Oh then how great is thy ingratitude God hath made the necessary things easie and plain and yet thou art not acquainted with them If God had commanded some greater matter of thee If he had required all thy time all thy study thou wast obliged to have done it How much rather in things of so easie apprehension But now when we say These divine Principles are easie you must take heed of two mistakes 1. We do not mean that the divine Faith and Belief of them is easie to flesh and blood no but they are easie supposing the grace of God in respect of other particulars in Religion For otherwise To believe with a Divine Faith viz. by the Spirit of God inabling upon divine Authority which is only true Faith is the immediate work of Gods Spirit Therefore Faith though it be but Historicall and not saving is the gift of God When we desire a Knowledge and Faith of these Principles we mean not such a Faith as most men have a Faith of custom and humane education a Faith because they are brought up in such a Religion but upon Judgment and Knowledge grounded upon the Scripture That which is usually called the Colliars Faith To believe as the Church believes Is the Husbandmans and the Tradesmans and the rich mans and the poor mans Faith too much in the world So that as Christ saith His yoke is easie and yet also it is very hard Easie to the heart sanctified but grieveous to the unregenerate So it is here The Principles of Religion are easie and plain to the mind inlightned but they are either foolishness or absurdities to the greatest Scholar that is if hâ—s heart be not opened And thus Paul found himself derided and called a Babler amongst the Athenians 2. We do not mean that the bare saying of the Principles of Religian by heart and rote is the true believing and knowing of them As the Child is not said to be fed with milk unless it swallow it down and be nourished by it So neither can they be said to believe the Principles of Religion unless they do with understanding apply them and receive them into their hearts But this is all that most attain unto they can tell you God made them That Christ is their Saviour That they must repent of sinne But these things are by meer rote They learn them as formerly in Popery they learned their Prayers in Lattin they knew not what they prayed for so neither these what they do believe Now the Grounâ—s for Instruction in these Principles are First Because God accounts of no zeal nor devout affections if they be not the fruit of Knowledge Thus Christ told the woman that was so zealous for her Fathers worship Ye worship ye know not what Joh. 4 22. Though God once accepted bruit beasts as a Sâ—rifice to him Yet now saith the Apostle let 's offer up our selves a reasonable Sacrifice Rom. 12.1 The Jew had a zeal but
it but Faith would quickly dispossess these and make it clean for Christ to dwell in And then thy life How pure is that Dost thou talk of believing in Christ when thou hatest purity makes a scoff and a taunt at it I tell thee if thou didst believe thou wouldst be pure and strict also As Saul that went with no good will to the Prophets when he came to them the Spirit of God sell on him and he prophesied also Thus thou that art a malicious enemy a prophane scoffer at purity and holiness should the Spirit of God once fall upon thee thou wouldst become pure and strict also Know then a man can no more carry faith in his heart and this not reforme his life then oyntment about him and that not discover it self Secondly Where there is a true lively Faith that will make a stout though wise confession of the truth when God doth require it Rom. 10.10 With the heart man believeth with the mouth confession is made to salvation and the Apostle We believe therefore we speak 2 Cor. 4.13 Indeed there is a faith about some disputable poinâ—s in Religion that are not essential to salvation that the Apostle bids a man have it to hâ—mself Rom. 14. but for the main points the owning or not owning whereof is the owning or not owning of Christ Our Saviour speaks terribly to the not confession herein He that shall not confesse me before men though before a croâ—ked and perverse generation him will not I confesse before my Father nor the holy Angels Mark 8.38 Thirdly Where faith is there it will carry a man out to the ready performance of all obedience justice temperance liberaâ—ity equity and every good worke The Apostle James Jam 2. doth at large shew That that man is but a vain man and an hypocrite one who cousens his own soul that thinketh by faith to be saved when this is not incarnated and manifested in all godly conversation Yea faith puts all graces on working as Heb. 11. That seemeth to be the great wheel that sets all others on going Lastly He that doth truly believe is not discouraged from his duty because of any trouble or persecution in the world Christ prayed for Peter That his faith might not fail him No danger no fears could have drawn him into sinne had faith been active It was faith made Moses chuse reproaches and persecutions rather than the glory of Aegypt A man that liveth by sense and by worldly advantages he cannot but with the Chamelion turn into every colour of that object which is by him because worldly fear reigneth and ruleth in his heart but Faith that overcomes the world If it conquer Devils and Hell much more the world Yea it makes a man rejoyce in tribulations Vse of Examination Hath the Ministry had this effect to make you believe Oh you will say Who doubts of that Are we Atheists Do you make Pagans and Infidels of us Consider there is a great difference between the Title Name and Profession of a Believer and the reall Efficacy of it It 's said Simon Magus believed because he outwardly professed so yet he was in the state of gall and bitterness It 's said John 2. ult That many believed but Christ would not commit himself to them because he knew what is in man Therefore Do you really believe all that the Scripture saith And if so How darest thou lie swear deal unjustly No you flatter your selves The Faith of these things would make you tremble yea roar out Oh! What shall I do to escape this great wrath Therefore set Faith more on work from day to day I am no Atheist I am a Christian I believe a Day of Judgment Why then live I thus But Ministers by whom ye belived even as the Lord gave to every man We are come to the last Particular observeable in this Verse and that is the Efficient Cause of this Ministry and Service in the Church with the variety of the Gifts of those that are employed therein Even as the Lord gave to every man This the Apostle addeth still to take off all from the Instruments and give it to God They are indeed Pipes to conveigh Gods grace but they can no longer runne then this Fountain fils them They are indeed spiritual Trumpets to give warning of Gods wrath approaching but they cannot breathe forth any sound but what the mouth of the Lord doth first breathe into them So that although the Church of God in respect of the several Gifts God bestoweth on her Officers be like the Queens Daughter cloathed all in needle and embroidered work Even as the Kings Daughters were wont to go in parti-coloured cloathes Yet all this Ornament and comeliness is put upon her by God alone So that every Minister hath a peculiar Gift yet so as all comes from above from God to him Doct. That God hath given several Gifts and Abilities to the Ministers of the Church and thereby makes use of them all for his glorious ends The Apostle doth in many places delight to compare the Church to a mans body where there are several parts and every part hath its peculiar Office There is the eye the hand the foot and though all are not equally eminent yet all are equally necessary But 1 Cor. 12.4 5. you may see this excellently described I here are diversities of Gifts and of Administrations but all from the same Spirit the same Lord and all is for the same end The manifestation of the Spirit is to profit withall Whatsoever Abilities and Gifts God hath given they are not for vain ostentation They are not for humane applause but for use to profit withall Insomuch that if any man should should use his parts his abilities to propagate errour or to strengthen men in wickedness they did greatly abuse the good Gifts of God and turn wholesome meat into poyson To open this Doctrine you may consider That the Gifts of God to the Church are as to our purpose of two sorts Sometimes the very Office and Function it self is called a Gift To be an Apostle to be a Pastour to be a Teacher is a Gift Thus Ephes 3. Yea Christs Ascension He gave Gifts to men As Kings at their Coronations distribute large and plentifull gifts And what are these Gifts Apostles Evangelists Pastours and Teachers Thus the very Office is a Gift and that a great one too More then all temporal mercies though the ungratefull world cannot think so Thus the Psalmist speaking of the Word of God and the Ministry given to the Jews he addeth He hath not done so to every Nation Psal 147.20 Alas for temporal mercies he had he gave them peace quietness and plenty all aboundance and filled them with good things but this was nothing to the Ministry of the Word And certainly no plenty no quietness no abundance is a mercy equall to the Gospel Therefore Amos threatned the famine of the Word as more terrible
and affections perswade their Hearers for it was about Civil and Moral matters about which men had understandings naturally able to perceive and wils naturally able to choose the things perswaded But Preaching is about those things to which man hath no understanding to believe nor no heart to receive But God must give the hearing ear and the seeing eye else we miscarry So you are not to come to Sermons as to humane Orations Your own understanding your own natural Parts are enemies and Adversaries to good and holy things of God There are two Parts of wisdome said Lactantius The former to understand what things are false 2. The second to know what things are true We are to be untaught undeceived before we come to know heavenly things So that all is of God both the Word to be heard and the Ear to hear Both the Word to be believed and the heart to believe In the next place Let us consider the Ends Why all increase must be of God only And that is To preach Humility both to the Preacher and to the People The Apostle carrieth it wholly for this end That he that glorieth may glory in the Lord. And That no flesh should glory in his presence First The Minister That Peter who had so many thousands converted by his Sermon that Paul who was so exalted by God that he might not be lifted up above measure For alas What have they done It 's God that gives the increase It hath been the rock upon which many have splitted themselves that they have had followers and admirers The Manichees said their Master did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pour out Manna The Donatists would swear By the head of Donatus as people do solemnly By God to shew how they reverenced him Now that man though greatly exalted by God may be humble he hath reserved all success to himself It 's not thou that hath made the blind to see or the lame to go It 's God that teacheth to profit And it 's said They shall be all taught of God Joh. 45. viz. Converted because man he gives the Ministry and outward service only Hence it is that God makes many eminent Preachers as he did some eminent Women go barren They see not the fruit of their labours they have spent themselves in vain They go Childless to the grave They cannot say Behold me and the Children whom thou hast given me Again Secondly It teacheth the People also to glorify God not to rest in the parts and gifts of men As Michal said Now God will bless me because I have a Levite in the house So we are apt to say Now we shall go to Heaven Now we shall have salvation because we have such Preaching It is not enough to be affected with and admire the gifts of Ministers They may ravish you they may greatly move you but you resting on these meerly find no success at all As it is said We do not know Christ after the flesh 2 Cor. 5.16 After humane considerations So neither are we to know the Ministry or preaching after such carnal respects That is admirable preaching that is an excellent Sermon which God makes spiritually to prosper in thy soul Thirdly Therefore God only gives the success that so we may seek and pray to him and do all those things that God may be pleased with We may easily provoke God to turn Bread into Stones and a pleasant Poole into a Wilderness Now that God may give increase do these things First Bewail by-past unthankfulness and unfruitfulness O Lord How often have I been an hearer How long have I gone to Sermons Yet What a barren wilderness is my heart I say bewail this For nothing provokes God more to curse the Ministry unto thee then unfruitfulness The ground that often receiveth rain and bringeth no fruit is nigh unto cursing Heb. 6.7 Why is Isaiah sent with that dreadfull Message Isa 6. To make mens eyes blind and their hearts fat that they might not be converted but because seeing they did not see and hearing they did not understand Secondly Love that Preaching which will more discover thy self to thy self Which will acquaint thee with thy own deformities As sore eyes are afraid of the light so many men have so much guilt within and live in so many secret corruptions that they dare not have the Word come with all its might upon them No wonder then if God bless it not with increase when thou lovest it not and bringest it not home to thee Can the plaister cure if thou art afraid to lay it to the sore They that are delivered up to Antechrist were so punished because they did not receive the truth in the love of it 2 Thes 2.10 Yea the very Heathens were delivered up to those unnatural lusts because they detained the truth in unrighteousness Rom. 1. How then will God punish thee who hatest and kickest at those things that would convert thee Am I become your enemy because I tell you the truth saith Paul Gal. 4.16 Those things that have the best operation have many times the unpleasant taste Oh say then let the Sermon smite me let it tell me of all that ever I did I shall love it the better Thirdly If thou wouldst have God give the increase come not prâ—possessed with thy own righteousness with thy own good heart Our Saviours preaching had no success though in him were the Treasures of all wisdome because his Hearers were those that justified themselves The humble he will teach his way Laodicea that thought she wanted nothing was furthest from cure Do not think I am well enough already I need no change Say oh my soul What art thou come hither for to day Is it not to see that evil and folly in thy flesh thou never perceivedst Art thou not yet to lay the very foundation of godliness It makes all out of order Use 1. Is it God that giveth the increase Then we Ministers are not to be inordinately cast down if people receive no diuine stamp on them If we water not If we plant not then wo be to us But when both is done yet if there be no increase that is our misery not our sinne God will give to every Minister according to his work not according to his success I have laboured more aboundantly saith Paul He doth not say he had success more then all others Did not the Prophets yea Christ himself complain for want of this spiritual increase It cannot but grieve us to see people damn themselves Yet How can we hinder a wilfull people from destruction Vse 2. To the people Sigh and mourn unto God in earnest Prayers for this increase How terrible will it be if the want of profiting be in your selves You do not what God would have you If the Patient distemper himself wilfully all the Physick in the world cannot cure him Know there is some heavy curse why after all the planting and watering yet God gives
in vain are taken up in the New Testament as well as the Old And experience teacheth us That where Christ is preached and the Gospel in a glorious manner promulged yet it 's but dead preaching to many This voice doth not make them come out of the grave of sinne onely herein the Law and the Gospel differ that the matter of the Law pressed will condemn us none being ever able to fulfill it Yea the godly cannot do all things the Law requireth and so the Law is a killing letter to him But the Gospel that comes with a moderation where the graces of Gods Spirit are though weak and imperfect there through Christ their weaknesse is forgiven So that the preaching of the Gospel to a soul oppressed for sinne is like the year of Jubilee to poor servants and indebted prisoners Howsoever then the preaching of the Gospel is said to be the ministration of life and of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3. yet that is not to be understood simply of it self but as accompanied with the power of God Hence the Gospel is said to be the power of God to salvation Rom. 1.16 the power of God not of man It 's not mans wisdome that our faith is grounded on Thus much for what the Apostle meaneth not What he positively meaneth or inferreth are First That it 's not in the power or choise of the Minister to make it effectual He cannot bid or command the Word to work as he pleaseth for then the guilt of all mens souls and the damnation of all would lie upon us As our Divines say to the Papists when they brag The Pope hath the Keyes of power above all things not only in earth but in purgatory Why then doth he suffer those souls to lie tormented there as he doth So it would be here Why are any damned Why do any lie in their sinnes if the Ministry by its own power could convert them No the Ministers of God they can only pray they can mourn and grieve in secret to see the miscarriage of the Word and the wilfull resolution in men to destroy their own souls they can mourn over the dead but they cannot recover them to life Secondly The Apostle by this intends that both the Ministers and the people should keep themselves in their due bounds The Ministers though never so eminent though never so much applauded by a numerous company of Disciples yet they cannot make one black hair white They cannot say of any people obeying the Gospel That we by our own power have made such believe It 's true they are said to be Fathers and to beget men to the truth but that is only instrumentally and metaphorically by external application of the Word not internal power for so we have onely one Father in Heaven Pride and ambition do easily breed in the most eminent parts as worms in the sweetest fruit but when they shall consider that they are nothing and God is all this is a good way to humble them and then the people hereby are also taught much moderation Some mens persons they are apt to admire Not such a man in the world Oh but what a great God is there in Heaven without whom this man is nothing This is spiritual Idolatry and that worship which is to be given to Christ only you give to instruments Lastly In making the Ministry nothing and God all The Apostle would have both Minister and people in their Ministry to have our hearts and eyes up to Heaven As the Bird after every drop of water it sips looks up presently to Heaven so shouldst thou Lord what the Minister hath spoken what he hath pressed oh set it home with a blessing Cause it to come like rain upon the new mowed grasse Oh the carelesse and prophane hearing that is every where This makes God give no increase you matter it not you believe not you tremble not under it you do not earnestly pray about it If a man have a leg or arm to be cut off oh you desire all you meet with to pray about it Why because it may cost him his life How much rather about every Sermon every Duty that is preached shouldst thou pray and again pray Oh it may be the damning of my immortal soul to miscarry therein Quest But how may we addresse our selves to hear and to the Ministry so that God may make them something to us Answ To be made something is when the Word doth greatly wound thy heart or comfort thee when it makes a noise and a pain at thy very bowels when it makes thee sick at the very heart when it makes thee cry out Oh me a wretched sinner what have I done Whither shall I go Ah wretch that I am In what a wofull condition am I plunged Sinne is on one side hell on the other the wrath of God above me and all the curses of the Law round about me Then it 's something then our words fall like hot burning coals upon your consciences you cannot sleep nor rove but tremble under it Now this will be done these wayes First Make it a real and conscientious matter to pray unto God to give increase As to the woman our Saviour said According to thy faith so be it unto thee So according to thy prepared prayer saith God this Sermon and this duty shall be blessed unto you As your cruise is fitted so will God pour in oil If we then complain that the Ministry works no more notable effects that it makes no more transcendent alterations judge whether the blame lie not on thy own self Prayer is that which moveth with God Prayer is that in which the Sermon rolled produceth sutable operations The Word of God is a two-edged sword but prayer maketh it penetrate that sets God on work and God sets his Word on work A man much in prayer is alwayes much in profiting As the Preacher is to pray Christ prayed much in the night as he taught much in the day so the hearer he also must pray much Secondly Exercise strong and divine acts of faith this will make the Ministry something to thee The Word profited not because it was not mingled with faith Heb. 4.2 or as some interpret because by faith they were not mixed as it were with the Word they were not incorporated into it and who hath believed our report Rom. 10. Faith is that which comes at first by hearing and then afterwards makes hearing profitable The Atheism and unbelief which is on mens hearts make the Word without efficacy such are prophane mockers As you see they despised the Prophets that often said The burden of the Lord the burden of the Lord. Men believe not the things preached to be Gods truth that they are Gods word that they will be made good whether they will or no they are living words and sure words and faith only layeth the first foundation of this spiritual building believe the threatning and thou darest
farre surpasseth all their morality First then let us shew Wherein the faith of a Christian commanded by the Scripture doth farre surpasse all humane knowledge and science which men by nature do glory in And First Faith doth surpasse all humane sciences in the dignity of the subject The matter about which a Christians faith is exercised doth farre transcend all that about which humane knowledge doth exercise it self For the highest that they could reach unto is only to the knowledge of natural effects produced by natural causes And if any could prove these by the former this they called a demonstration Though some men say No man ever yet gave a demonstration à priori quoad se but quoad nos So then all the excellent wisdom of the world hath been only to consider the nature of sublunary things or to discourse about the nature of the heavenly bodies and their motions and if they did arise to consider of a God the Maker of these it was in a very uncertain doubtfull way Hence the Apostle speaks of them Acts 17.27 that they were as men in the dark feeling after a thing to find it as the Sodomites smote with blindnesse felt for the door This is all our humane wisdome can help us to but now by faith we have the supernatural mysteries of salvation revealed unto us The Scripture tels us Of a God in Christ reconciling man to himself of mans original misery of Christ the Mediator Alas how poor and contemptible are the highest notions even of Plato though called Divine when you come and read Paul There are such admirable and heavenly truths revealed in Gods word that all humane wisdome was no more able to find or apprehend such things then a dwarf could reach to the Heavens If we then consider the dignity and worth of that subject which the Scripture revealeth and faith is exercised about dirt is not more inferiour to precious pearls than humane knowledge to faith Secondly Faith differs from all their humane science in respect of the excellency of the end For the end of all Scripture wisdom is to bring us to eternal life The Scriptures are able to make us wise to salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 The things of Christ are said to be written That believing we might have eternal life John 20 31. There was never any humane knowledge could teach a man to be eternally happy Platoes Divinity and Aristotles Morality though they have the words of happinesse and have large discourses about it yet wanted the thing it self Oh then let us blesse God for Scripture-wisdome for the treasures of knowledge revealed there Learn of David How wonderfully was he affected with Gods word What light and wisdome did he attain unto thereby The Scriptures will teach thee such a blessednesse and such a way to blessednesse that could not enter into thy heart to conceive before the light thereof came into thee Thirdly Faith doth surpasse all humane knowledge in its certainty and infallibility A man that believeth the truths of God revealed in the Scripture hath more certain knowledge then all the more wise and learned men of the world For the object of faith being Gods testimony and his Divine Authority it 's as impossible for faith to be deceived as it is for God to lie Hence it 's called The full assurance of hope Heb. 10.22 And we believe therefore we speake 2 Cor. 4.13 How could the holy Martyrs witnesse those divine truths even to death had they not been possessed with full and sure knowledge of those things they died for whereas if we look into all humane knowledge there is very little certainty insomuch that some have expresly affirmed Nihil scitur yea that that also was not known and what little certainty they have appeareth by the contrary and different opinions in all their main points Fourthly Faith doth more establish settle and quiet the heart of men then all humane wisdome Solomon observeth a vanity and vexation of spirit even in all humane knowledge but now faith doth establish settle and satisfie the soul Heb. 11.1 It is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen Those that want faith are said to be double-minded men Jam. 1. inconstant as the waves of the Sea Oh the anxiety and perplexities that meer humane knowledge hath cast men into And so those who have no other bottome than the Authority of Church or the power of men to believe These are reeds shaken up and down with every wind Their faith is upon ambulatory and moveable considerations wheras faith makes a man like Christ The same yesterday and to day and for ever Lastly The Christian faith is above all philosophical knowledge Because of the strong and mighty effects it hath to convert the heart and reform the life Acts 15 9. Purifying their hearts by faith How can ye believe when ye seek glory one of another said our Saviour John 5.44 Yet these humane Gnosticks did only aim at glory though Philosophers call them the Liberal Arts yet they could not set them free from their lusts whereas Christ John 8.32 said If my Word abide in you you shall be free indeed Never did humane knowledge make such wonderfull converts and work so great a reformation as the Christian saith hath done And although we have now too many who say they do believe and yet do such things as many of the Gentiles would be ashamed of yet these men have not faith indeed but the name and title of it for as much as faith though but like a grain of mustard-seed would bid such mountains of lusts be removed into the Sea In the next place The moral or practical wisdome of the world cometh farre short of Scripture-wisdome For First The most knowing men were ignorant of original sinne which yet is the fountain of our calamity The Heathens indeed bewailed the mortality and misery of man but they know not our natural pollution the ground of all Yea we see Paul himself though a Pharisee was not acquainted with that Law of sinne within him till inlightned by the Word Rom. 7. Now if men know not their disease or the cause of it they can never be cured So that whatsoever precepts about living well they delivered yet they built on a sandy foundation they did not dig deep enough Secondly All humane wisdome and prudence knoweth not how to mortifie and forsake sinne upon true grounds because they were ignorant of Gods Spirit Rom. 8.13 If ye through the Spirit do mortifie sinne They did not crucifie the body of sinne nor bewail it because it was sinne but for humane respects as it did hinder the publique or as it was prejudicial to their glory and fame but they overcame one lust by another Thirdly All earthly prudence cometh short of this wisdome because it 's circumscribed within the bounds of this world and this life It looketh out no further whereas the Scripture giveth directions for
tryumphs over all imaginable adversaries but why is he thus confident Because there is no condemnation to such as are in Christ Jesus If then the Sunne arise the dark night will be quickly dispelled and so if the light of Gods favour doth arise the feares and troubles which arise from outward exercises are quickly dissipated If then thou complainest thy strength is so small every temptation is ready to blow thee down as certainly the least puff will hurl a man down if faith be not lively the Damsels charging of Peter to be of Christs company made him curse and swear and fearfully apostatize here was no such great cause he was not arraigned imprisoned sentenced to die but this temptation blew down a strong Oak which teacheth us that a little calamity may throw us to the ground if faith be not lively and a great one cannot if faith be vigorous If I say thou complainest of thy weakness thy feares Let faith in Christ as a Mediatour be more powerfully put forth Secondly Faith doth quiet and compose the spirit by impetration or obtaining of God such a spirit For as you heard seeing it lyeth not in the power of man to give himself such a sweet blessed frame No he would give a world for it if it lay in his power it can only be obtained by application unto God Now that which most prevaileth with God is faith Whatsoever you ask believing you shall have it It 's faith only that makes the omnipotent God work for thee and in thee so that when we say faith makes the heart thus still and quiet you must not think it comes from faith as a natural cause as the fire burneth but morally by prevailing with God This is the grace that God doth so honour if we trust on him if we rest on him then God promiseth to give rest and peace to our soules Insomuch that it 's a Christians duty above all things to keep up the grace of faith to attend to that lest the whole kingdome be lost when that is lost for God is to us as we believe so God works for us as we trust in him so that our distrust makes God to be as no God or as an Idol-god having eies not to see us or hands not to help us Gods power will not communicate it self but upon believing as Christ told Mary Said I not unto thee if thou wouldst believe thou shouldst see the glory of the Lord That glory was to make Lazarus dead your dayes and stinking in the grave to live again Now no less glorious alterations and changes will God work upon thee if thou trust in him for hereby Gods fidelity goodness and power is engaged and he will never deceive those that wholly rely upon him You see then why faith put forth in a lively manner can thus quiet the soul Because it 's the condition to which God doth make glorious promises Thirdly Faith doth instrumentally compose the soul because by it other graces are also set a work and so the more purified and cleansed the soul is from all corruption the clearer the heart is As the clearer the spring is then though it be moved and stirred yet for all that the streames will be pure Thus it is with a godly man when his heart is sanctified cleansed and adorned with grace then though he is plunged into tribulations instead of discontent impatience grudgings and murmurings instead of dejections and disquietness there is joy thankfulness and heavenly mindedness as if Juniper or sweet herbs be thrown into the fire the fiâ—e draweth out their sweet smel or as the wind blowing upon the sweet flower makes it smell more fragrantly Thus also when afflictions fall upon the godly faith having purified their hearts there do runne forth admirable and sweet breathings of the soul That faith exciteth other graces appeareth Heb. 11. Where all those glorious acts of grace which those Worthies abounded in are attributed unto their faith Lastly Faith lively exercised must thus serene the heart of a man because it doth suggest many noble and excellent arguments which do abundantly quiet and establish the soul Faith is argumentative it is very ingenious to find out all those Considerations which the Scripture affoards Now the Scripture is like the Apothecaries shop that can furnish with all cordials As First Faith argueth from Gods giving of Christ every thing else that is as necessary for us as Christ is Thus the Apostle Rom. 8. If he hath given us Christ how shall he not with him give all things else He doth not say some things but all things and then the expression how shall he not implyeth that it is a most absurd and irrational thing to think otherwise Now then faith doth thus quiet the soul Be not afraid or troubled the God that afflicts thee is he that hath given Christ to thee Now if ever God would have refused thee it would have been in this Know then that these afflictions these troubles they are good for thee they are necessary to humble thee to make sinne bitter they are as necessary in their kind as Christ was in his kind It cannot be want of love that these exercises are upon thee for is not Christ the great pledge of Gods love to thee Therefore faith turneth the heart of a man from that which is grievous and vexing to that which is pleasing and comfortable Though God giveth not this or that outward mercy yet he giveth Christ the fountain and original of all Secondly Faith represents God out of his word in some Attributes chiefly above others insomuch that the heart of a man being thereby lifted up to heaven to God himself it cannot be disturbed by things below As the Bird while soaring aloft in the heavens is not skared with this fear and that noise so while faith beareth up the heart to God and makes abode with him it 's not disquieted It 's the looking upon the waters that make giddy if we look up to the heavens they cannot disturb the brain Now these things in God doth faith powerfully improve First The wisdome of God that whatsoever the Lord doth it cannot be done wiser Therefore he is called the only wise God Now what wonderfull comfort may be suggested from hence That there is no affliction no temptation though never so heavy but it cometh and is ordered by infinite wisdome If thou hadst the disposing and ordering of all things it could not be done more wisely then it is nay thy own love to thy self if wise would order this affliction to come upon thee For do not you see a man whose parts of body are gangreend yet because he is wise though he loveth his ease yet willingly resigning himself to have those parts cut off for the good of the whole So that is one of the most comfortable considerations which faith supplies the heart with that whatsoever temptation is fallen upon thee the wise God hath ordered it so
but seldome that he envyeth such a man because this denoteth a thought that such a man is Superiour to him and that is against the natural pride in every man Secondly Those are subject to this sin of envy who are in a similitude of condition estate trad or profession or where there is any competition for one thing and both cannot have it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 One tradesman envyeth another of the same trade or profit thus one Scholler one Gentleman one Favourite another one Co-partner in Government another The reason why Lycinius grew so desperately mad against the Christians whom he had formerly defended was because Christians in their meetings prayed for Constantine and not him the ground of Saul's envy and hatred to David was because the women sang Saul slew his thousands and David his ten thousands Phil. 1.19 Some preach Christ out of envy These were teachers that out of envy to Paul who had all the glory took the occasion now he was imprisoned and could not preach to set forth Christ and they thought Paul like themselves ambitious of glory and esteem and therefore that this would grieve and vex Paul but such was his grace that he could rejoyce in it Thirdly Such are subject to Envy who because they cannot abide the good of others they therefore study all the wayes to disparage and obscure the name and excellency of such If they have any failings if there be any weaknesses they rake in them talk of them neglecting the good as the Kite that flyeth over the pleasant meadows and delights upon the dunghills and Carrion therefore an envious man discovers himself by his talk his words though such a man hath never so much worth and excellency in him yet that he will never mention or if he do it 's only craftily that others may not think he doth it out of envy Thus where charity covereth a multitude of sinne envy covereth a multitude of graces Vse 1. Of all envyings take heed of that which is against men because they are godly because they live more holily then thou dost their lives condemne thy life their purity thy uncleanness their pure worship of God thy superstition and this makes theâ— as full of poyson as a Serpent Oh if there were an opportunity Never did Paul once or Bonner or any persecuter more greedily destroy those that fear God then thou couldst Never comfort thy self that thou dost not envy or hate them for their godliness but thou condemnest them for this fault and that fault for the Pharisees that were so moved with envy against Christ they said it was not for his good works they pretended he spake blasphemy he broke the Sabbath you see they had religious pretexts Take heed of this sinne that bordereth so near upon the unpardonable sinne it's too rife it 's too common amongst men if God give thee not grace to be godly thy self if God give thee not a heart to be holy yet let not the Devil so farre fill thy heart as to make thee envy rage and blaspheme at godliness in other Oh there is a great deal of difference between that sinner whom carnal pleasures or love to the world doth keep from godliness and that sinner whom envy and a secret rancour against godliness makes keep off from the practise of it Vse 2. You that are godly especially take heed of this How contrary is this spirit of envy to that love Christ hath put into you He prayed most earnestly as the great thing before his death that the godly might be one How then comes envyings and bitter thoughts among you you that ought to have one heart one mind yea to lay down your lives for one another How comes this divelish sinne to be in you How come doves to have gall Christ that thought it no robbery to be equall to God yet became in the forme of a contemptible man for the godlyes sake and hast thou so much glory or honour to deny thy self in as he had Grudge not one against another or sigh not as the Greek is no godly man should have the least bitterness or inward sighs and discontentedness against another Jam 5 9. Let us in the next place consider the aggravation of this sinne and howsoever the heathenish Poets have described it in such an ugly loathsome and deformed shape that all may see the unloveliness of it yet they being matter only of fancy and witty invention we shall draw the pourtraiture of it from the Word of God which is a two-edged sword and every arrow from this quiver may justly strike to the heart of it First The wickedness of this sinne may be excellently illustrated by that admirable good it is opposite to for this is a rule That privation is the worst whose habit is the best that is the greatest evil which is opposite to the greatest good Now there is a three-fold good that envy doth oppose as fire water and darkness light 1. The infinite goodness in God 2. The inestimable goodness in Christ 3. The admirable goodness in the grace of love or charity So that if you would know how great an evil envy is say it is as great an evil as God is good as Christ is good it opposeth Gods goodness so that phrase implyeth Is thy eye evil because God is good Mat. 20 15. that is not intensively but privatively for envy doth take God and Christ from me my neighbour from me and my self from my self it maketh Gods goodness and thy neighbours goodness to be his evil who envyeth this bitterness upon thy heart is because God is such a fountain of goodness that he communicates his mercies freely Were envy able to fall upon that pure and spotless Majesty of God he would not have created the world nor made such glorious Angels nor give such excellent perfections to some in the world for many times God loseth his glory by this meanes when they do not praise him but dishonour him yet for all this behold the goodness of God that doth so liberally diffuse it self though his glory be obscured thereby Oh! if it lay in an envious man to make men great or admired or despicable and contemptible how quickly would he make the world a poor Hospital that he might have all the glory Behold then the venemous poison of this sinne of envy which doth grudge and repine at the glorious Attribute of God his bounty and liberality that which David is so ravished with himself and calls upon Angels and other creatures to praise God for viz. His mercy which endureth for ever this the envious man is vexed at There was a seed of this bitter wormwood in Jonah how discontented and grieved was he that God did not destroy that populous City of Ninevâ—h on a suddain and how patiently did God expostulate with him and confute him by his own Gourd that he was troubled at because consumed by a worme on a suddain Jon. 4.10 Oh if an
envious man would think thus would I have God no better to me then to such an one Should I be willing to have the Lord deal with me as I desire to others this might change him It 's related of Nero an envious cruel man That he would sometimes bewail there were none of those terrible judgements in his time as in former ages That there were no suddain earthquakes no violent plagues and such sore demonstrations of Gods wrath well might be called clay and blood mingled together 2. It opposeth that admirable goodness in Christ Oh come with admiration and read and consider the life of Christ and his death and you will see envy is as direct contrary to him as the Serpent to the Dove Consider what he was and yet how debasing himself for our sakes He thought it no robbery to be equall with God Phil. 2. for it was his due being of the same essence with him so that he might alwayes have declared that infinite Majesty but he willingly doth obscure this Sunne in a cloud this Divinity in a vail of flesh and when he doth not take the nature of Angels but man even then he doth act the condition of the great and mighty and honoured men of the world but of the most contemptible a worme and no man yea see how good to us to those that hated him envied him how destitute of a place to lay his head in that supported all the world by his power at his death how abused scorned reproached and handled in the most ignominious and scurrilous manner Oh admire all this you that hear and believe Had there been any gall in this Dove any envy in Christ would he have emptied himself thus to make thee full Would he have become poor to make thee rich Oh then if envy at any time stirre in thy heart say Did Christ do thus Was he of this temper and it must need fill thee with confusion 3. The grace of love and charity is often prayed for and that by Christ himself that his people might have it he prayeth for nothing so earnestly as that It is made the sign and symptome of Christs Disciples not by miracles not by prophesies but by love shall all men know Christs Disciples It is a duty enjoyned also for faith hath the preeminence in the upper region of justification so love in the lower of sanctification now the nature of the grace of love is to have idem velle and idem nolle to make all good things and all bad things common yea the soul of the lover is not where it animateth so much as where it loveth Love seeketh not her own love envieth not love is not puffed up 1 Cor. 13.4 5. Oh then if as in the Temple every thing was covered with gold so among Christians every word and action should be covered with love Let all your things be done with charity 1 Cor. 16.14 Then what a damnable sinne is envy which breaks these silken cords when these hellish motions of envy stirre in thee cry out for the Spirit of love Oh say this is none of Christs Spirit this is not a Gospel Spirit As love is the fullfilling of the law so envy is the dissolution of it and as Moses and the Prophets hang upon love so they do all fall to the ground where envy is if then there were but these three objects to look on God Christ and Charity it might make a man to abhorre to take this toad of envy in his breast But Secondly There is still further abomination in this sinne for it 's the very lively image of the Devil There is nothing so like the Devil as an envious man with his hornes to push at every one and his cloven foot to make divisions and wranglings This you heard this wisdome viz. whereby men make strifes and envyings is said to be divelish Jam. 3.15 Oh then What accord hath Christ with Belial Why art not thou ashamed to look God or good men in the face that hast this divelish temper in thee As the Bafilisk doth so hate man that they say he will take the very picture of him if he can Thus the envy and malice of the Devil is so great against God that because he cannot vent himself upon God therefore he doth upon man made after Gods image and although it be no profit to him yea an encrease of his torment to tempt man to sinne and to damne him yet he delights to do it Other sinnes of Drunkeness and Uncleanness turn men into Beasts but this of envy doth into Devils insomuch that an envious man in the constant full power of it I speak not of motions and temptations is farther off from godliness then a beastly prophane man Thirdly This sinne of Envy is a mother-sinne a fountaine-sinne There is no wickedness in the world but this sinne will conceive it and bring it forth Through envy they stoned Paul through envy they murdered Christ all the persecutors of Christians did burn with envy themselves before they burnt the Martyrs at the stake Hence Jam. 4.5 the Apostle alledgeth that place The spirit within us lusteth to envy aiming at that Gen. 6.5 The imagination of the thoughts of the heart are only evil and that continually Now he nameth not the general but particularizeth in envy as that which is the cheif cause of many sinnes For where envying and strife is there is confusion and every evil work Jam 3 16. Nay not only personal private evils are in the womb of this but all publique miseries commonly begin from this spark of envy A Commonwealth is made a field of bloud through the envy of ambitious men the Church is cut inpeices like the Levites wife through envy of ecclesiastical persons insomuch that we may say all Kingdomes and Churches in some respects have died of this disease this hath cut all the nerves whereby any society is compacted together Oh therefore pray we that God would have out this incendiary and Boutefeu from all Churches and States The Devil is called the enemy Mat. 13.15 and therefore the envious one that came and sowed tares so that all the tares of discord dissensions and different opinions are sowed by the envious one that grudgeth at our peace and unity Fourthly This sinne is a just torment to him that commits it When a sinne is a sinne and a punishment it 's the more deadly sinne now this of envy it 's a very gibbett a very rack to him that is moved with it he is like one possessed with the Devil that formeth that is thrown into fire and water his heart is a very hell he hath a torturing within him as if so many Devils were pulling of him The Heathen observed it saying That the greatest Tyrants that ever were never found out a greater torment And certainly if the motions and stirrings of envy in the godly be like so many Scorpions stings in them what are they to wicked men where envy
we urge commandements of men if we come in our own name and not in Gods if the Word of God command not that which we command then it may be neglected but when we bring you clear Scripture and say Thus saith the Lord then how great is your disobedience Consider that Heb. 12.25 The Apostle aggravates the sinne of those that refuse Christ now speaking from heaven above those that refused Moses You may say who refuse Christ speaking from heaven Even such as obey not the Word delivered by the Ministers of God unto them How often hast thou heard Go away and sinne no more curse no more swear no more but yet thou hast not submitted to this 4. All this hearing love and obedience must be to them for the works sake This the Apostle urgeth and there is a greater matter in that Have them in all respect for their work sake 1 Thes 5 13. For many may carry it fair and respect the Ministers of God for other ends but it 's nothing if it be not for their workes sake now their work doth mainly consist in instruction and reproof and this is very distastfull and thankless to prophane and wicked men there is nothing men desire so much as to be pleased in their sinnes that we should heal their wounds slightly saying peace when there is no peace Now if we dare not do these things but discharge our work faithfully we are had in no respect and that for our very works sake so that the work of the Ministery informing reproving and powerfully terrifying for sinne and wickedness that ought to be esteemed by you 5. You ought to shew your spiritual respect and entertainment to the Ministery in avoiding all those evil and wicked wayes which may grieve and make sad the hearts of godly Ministers When Jeremiah saw his people walk so disobediently he said His soul should mourn in secret for them Jer. 13.17 Did not Christ weep over Jerusalem because she refused the Prophets that were sent to her And Paul pressing beleivers to unity and godliness he useth this Argument Fullfill ye my joy Phil. 2.2 and again We live if ye stand fast 1 Thes 3.8 So that all the impieties and errours that any of you shall runne into are like thornes in the eyes of a godly Minister this will make them give their account with greif as the Apostle saith Heb. 13 17. Oh that these wicked actions which greive the Spirit of God which greive the hearts of godly men and godly Ministers should not also greive thee Now let us consider when this respect may degenerate into sinful admiration And First When we set up the gifts and persons of men so as to neglect Christ working in and by them If it be so great a sinne in temporal and outward things to take of the glory due to God and attribute it to instruments how much more is this in spiritual things Therefore observe the Apostle he to cure this desease amongst them takes them off from instruments and bids them look up to God What is Paul and what is Apollo saith he but instruments by which ye beleive and God he only giveth the encrease though others may plant and water and that is the reason say some why in the first Chapter of this first Epistle he doth so often name Jesus Christ to take them off from instruments and to look more to him not that the instruments are to be excluded but God the principal agent is to be owned and honoured Rest not then upon excellent parts and powerfull preaching for it's God that worketh by these Secondly Then men sinfully admire when they set up the gifts and abilities of one to the contempt of others No doubt but God giveth variety of gifts and some are more eminent then other yet none are so to preferre the excellent as to contemne and discourage the weaker What the Apostle speaketh about the several members of the Church some are more excellent and honourable then others yet the meanest is not to be dispised is also to be done about the several gifts and parts of Ministers Thirdly Then men sinfully admire when their failings and errours they will follow and defend If these Corinthians that were for Peter should have been led aside as he did many to Circumcision this was their infirmity In primitive times Origen a famous and eminent man proved a great temptation to the Church for men had rather erre with him then think the truth with others Thus among the Sadducees and the Pharisees whatsoever the grandees of their sect taught them though it were that the left hand was the right yet they thought themselves bound to beleive it But of this more hereafter Let us make Vses First of exhortation to receive the Ministery of God with that spiritual respect as you ought to do The best praise and love you can have to the Ministers of God in their work is to turn all that is preached into practice there is no sinne for which God will sooner be avenged then this contempt of the Ministry What is a greater contempt then to be often invited often exhorted to forsake thy sinnes yet to retain them still You do not despise or reject men but God himself God did for many yeares bear with Jerusalem and was unwilling to give her up to total destruction till his Prophets were slighted and abused then they that would not have Ged rule over them had the greatest tyrants and proudest enemies to trample over them Now there are divers Motives to give this spiritual entertainment to the Ministery For 1. They are the Embassadours of God they come from God and declare his will Do not thou then harden thy self presumptuously against this way of God 2. The Ministery will judge thee at that great day You must give an account of all the pains and labour that hath been taken to reform thee 3. If you receive the Word you receive not that alone but all blessings with it When Obed-Edom hath the Ark then Gods blessings do manifestly accompany it Vse 2. Of Instruction Why the Devil in all ages hath still set himself against the faithfull Ministery It is because that is the great engine to destroy his kingdome As also this may informe us who are his instruments in this matter Even such as feel not the benefit of these Ordinances there is nothing that maketh a man to love the Ministery upon good grounds but the spiritual good they receive by it When these Corinthians slighted Paul and doubted about his call he proveth it by experimental works on them Conclude it therefore that all those men who cavil and oppose the Ministery they are such who know not what it was to get any spiritual good by that office For while one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollo are ye not Carnal These words you have heard prohibit a sinfull admiration of any mans person or gifts though he be an
doth divide the whole Ministerial employment in two parts planting and watering so it attributeth the cheifest and noblest of all to God without whom the other abilities are in vain The fat in the offerings was to be given to God and God gives the fat to us in spiritual services the soul and life of all is expressed in this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is one word in the Greek but our English Translatours and so the Latin read it giving the encrease The Metaphor is easie As the Gardiner sets his herbs waters them but he cannot make them grow he cannot make the least flower that is though he hath never so much skill Thus it is here though they be Ministers of Seraphical affections and Cherubinical knowledge yet they cannot make the Word to prosper and to encrease in the hearer it 's God doth that Isa 55.10 Isa 61.11 There you have such similitudes so that this latter part is an admirable direction to look above the abilities above the parts and gifts of men We think Oh if we have such a Ministery all would be well whereas Apollo and Paul cannot give encrease Observe That it's God only who can and will give encrease and spiritual success to the Ministerial labours in the Church God that at first said to the earth which had no more natural power of it self then a stick or peice of wood Increase and bring forth fruit doth also speak to such exhortations instructions to convince and convert when there is no inward strength in them and therefore howsoever the preaching of the Word be compared often to rain that falls on the ground and makes the grass to grow yet there is this difference The rain workes by a natural power as a natural cause but the Word of God only as an instituted and appointed cause by him Did it work naturally all that hear would be converted every Sermon would work like those of the Apostles that brought home so many To open this Consider First That though God only gives the encrease yet it is only in and through the Ministery We must not make such cavils What use is there of Preaching What need of the Ministery Men will be as prophane and as ungodly as ever till God change the heart for you may as well urge What needs the Husbandman plow or sow or prepare the ground it 's God only that blesseth it No God hath instituted means to which he hath bound us and those that will not hear Paul planting or Apollo watering may justly expect God will give no encrease Therefore the Apostle foresaw that great evil of forsaking the Assemblyes the Ordinances and bids them take heed as the forerunner of Apostacy Heb. 10.25 26. If you take a tree from the River side where it grew and brought forth fruit and plant it in a wilderness it will quickly wither Secondly As God giveth the encrease only so the time when and the persons on whom is wholly at his good pleasure The Lord makes the Word prosperous at one time and not another sometimes it cometh like fire into the bosome it burneth thee all over at another time thou findest no operation To some people it 's like the leaves of the tree in the Revelation it 's the healing of the Nation it 's the healing of people it makes the ignorant to know the prophane to become holy it mollifieth the hard heart it turneth a wilderness into a garden But to another people it 's like salt that hath lost its savour or that maketh a place more barren it maketh no relish no tast no alteration You would wonder a people should sit so long under the beames of the Sunne and be no more coloured by it preaching and no preaching is all one to him this is the Lords doing it should be not only marvellous in our eyes but dreadfull to our ears To some it is given to know and understand but to others not Mat. 13.11 Now let us consider why God only giveth the encrease and then the ends that God hath in this First God only can give the encrease because he only hath a soveraignty and power over the heart Others may speak to the ear propound Arguments to perswade but to change the heart to perswade the heart indeed that God only can who made the heart Thus Noah prayeth or prophesieth God perswade Shem to dwell in the tents of Japhet God perswade him or God will perswade him we translate it enlarge as if he should say all the men of the world all Arguments cannot till God overpower his heart Gen. 9.27 So Ezek. 36.36 I will take away the heart of stone and give an heart of flesh No Potentate no Emperour can say I will give a man another heart He may force the body but not change the heart Hence it is that the Scripture atttributes all the work of grace to Believe to Repent only to God Oh then lift up your hearts on high in every Sermon Look up to those Hils to Heaven from whence comes Conversion When the Apostles wrought Miracles they looked up to God and the people they glorified God They were convinced none could do such things but God And so we Ministers are to look up to God and you people that God may be glorified Secondly God only can give the Increase because the Increase is of spiritual and supernatural consideration It 's altogether Heavenly Now there is no proportion between humane abilities and heavenly graces There is no disposition Inter ordinem naturae ordinem gratiae The order of nature and the oder of grace All that the most able Ministers can do is within the compass of nature but the fruits being Heavenly must come otherwise As in man though a Child hath his body from the Father yet the soul comes immediately from God because it 's of an immaterial and immortal substance Thus also Faith and Repentance being immaterial Graces though the Minister may prepare and dispose the Subject yet the working of them is only from God It 's true indeed that the Parts and Abilities of one Minister may be objectively better for Conversion and more likely for profiting then another They may propound stronger Arguments to convince the Conscience They may set those Arguments home with greater life and vigour as Apollo was said to be potent in the Scripture Thus one Minister may exceed another in Glory as one Starre doth another Yet God only is the efficient Cause of every good and perfect Gift Thirdly Therefore God only giveth the increase because of the deep pollution that is in every man who is not only blind and deaf but dead Now to what purpose is an eloquent Pathetical Oration to a dead man David that did with so much affection weep over dead Absalom yet could not bring him to life So that the Preachers of the Word differ from all the humane Oratours Greek and Latin They might by their eloquence
no increase Oh! consider thy account is drawing on Thy decay and the Day of Judgment is approaching God will not let his Word fall to the ground It will be for life or for death Sigh then and strike upon the breast and thigh Cry out Oh! my leanness my leanness My barrenness my barrenness Help Lord for I am perishing Pray to God that the Blessing upon man kind to Increase and multiply may be fulfilled on every Sermon for thy good But God gave the increase We have out of the former part handled the two-fold ministerial Imployment of Church-Officers to Plant and Water We continue a further amplification of the peculiar Operation attributed unto God in all this with that opposite distinction But God gave the increase The Metaphor as you have heard is taken from natural things where though the industry and skill of the Gardener and Husbandman is required yet God gives all the Increase As is more to be shewed Now this followeth à minori ad majus If in natural things the Husbandman cannot make an Apple or Cherry or the least grain of Corn much less in spiritual things can he make the nature of Grace and goodness He cannot work the heart to believe though he make a sound in the ear Yea it 's good to observe that God in this spiritual industry doth more give the Increase then in natural For in all the fruit and profit of natural things God doth not exclude nature from some kind of co-efficiency as the earth hath some inward power to help to the producing of the fruit thereof But in this spiritual increase God doth wholly exclude all natural ability Grace doth not fructify by the Ministry as Herbs and Corn do in the ground for the ground is the Mother and hath a kind of vivifical influence into them But here God works all and solely So that neither the Ministry without or the natural power and freewill of man within hath any joynt efficacy with God And although the Apostle saith We are workers together with God 2 Cor. 6.1 that is not to be understood of the immediate efficiency of grace for that cometh from him only as the Beames of light comes immediately from the Sunne But in respect of the outward Ministry they make the external application of the remedy but the power of grace giveth the quickning Even as men may say on the contrary by sinne Original corruption that plants sinne temptations they water it and the Devil he giveth the increase So then it 's not the learning the eloquence the efficacy of the Ministers words but Gods secret and invisible power which doth accompany it that makes a glorious change From whence observe what was formerly taken notice off but further to be enlarged That it is God only who makes the Ministry and all Spiritual Meanes of Grace successfull and prosperous If God cloathe the grass of the field and make the Lillies to grow how much more doth he cause the Ministry to fructify and bear fruit At the first creation God gave the word of Command which worketh to this very day Increase and multiply So it is here God doth all from the beginning to the end of Grace If we cannot turn the colour of an hair much less the torrent and custom of lives If this had been in the Prophets power Jeremy Isay and others they had not made such complaint for their barren Ministry as they did To clear this Consider Wherein this work of God to give Increase doth consist And First In that spiritual Revelation and Illumination or opening of the eyes whereby the mind understands and perceiveth the things of God The word is compared to light only God by this works above all light For the Sunne though it gives light yet it doth not give a blind man eyes He that cannot see the Sunne the Sunne though never so visible will not give him eyes But now God by the Word doth not only propound light but gives inward light That the soul cryeth out with more joy then that blind man cured by Christ For now it knoweth what it did not know Now he seeth terrible objects before his eyes as Balaam at last did If he had gone further he had perished in the pit irrecoverably A greater work then it is and mighty from God the Father of Spirits when a man can say O Lord I was as blind as senseless as obstinate as any Yet Oh! the glorious light of the Gospel that hath shined in my dark heart This then is a part of Divine Increase when God maketh the morning Starre to rise in thy soul Thou that once didst not perceive thy own misery or Gods mercy Thou didst not either know thy Disease or the Remedy Hast now found God saying Let there be light upon the dark confusion of thy soul Should thou hear a thousand and thousand of powerfull Sermons yet thou perceivest knowest and understandest nothing at all experimentally till God give this seeing eve Therefore you must know the Scripture speaks a strange Paradox to humane reason Having eyes they see not ears they hear not hearts they perceive not That which the Scripture attributes to dumb Idols it applieth to every natural man Hath God given thee a spiritual sight Art thou not rather like the Owle that seeth in the night but not in the day Thou hast understanding in worldly earthly things Thou canst tell how to make thy wealth and earthly advantages to good but thou hast no knowledge in spiritual things Who would think it possible under so many Instructions Informations Convictions that thou shouldst be so blind so sottish but God hath not given any Increase to thee Oh! though God give thee outward increase he maketh the Lands and the Cattell and the Corn to yeeld increase but if not the Ministry to be likewise so to thee though thou blessest thy self yet God curseth thee Secondly Gods giving increase lyeth in removing the negative incapacity and the positive contrariety in all mens heart to the Word preached As the Husbandman he first prepareth the ground by stocking up all those Bryers and thornes and removing all the stones that lie in the way whâ—ch would hinder the Corns growth So it is here God takes away all that cursed and serpentine nature which is in thee Thou art naturally a Beast a Devil and till God change thy nature thou shewest thy self no better to the Meanes of Grace Look upon the Prophets and Apostles in their Ministry Were men any better then mad Dogs and Lyons against them till God changed them The Prophets did plough and sow upon rocks till God made their Hearers the good ground The Ministers of God cannot do otherwise All mens hearts are rocks You may sooner get water out of hard flints then any godly sorrow or compunction out of their hearts No wonder then if God only give the increase because he only can alter the nature of mens hearts He maketh the stony
heart melting and bleeding He makes the rough and violent tame and mild Oh then in all our Preaching and soul-Administrations look up higher still cast your eyes upon God! Man doth not live by natural bread but by the Word of Gods mouth So neither by the Spiritual Bread O Lord make our hearts other hearts our affections other affections Thirdly God giveth the increase when he makes the Word preached to take root and setling in mens hearts Our Saviour purposely takes notice of this in his Parable of the Sower that went out to sow and the miscarriage of the most hopefull crop was because it had no rooting Mat. 13. While the Word is in the ear or floating only in the affections it 's like seed on the grounds Surface there will be no good of it till it take inward rooting This is called dwelling in a man Let the Word dwell in your hearts Col. 3.16 Let not our Sermons be as you your selves are pilgrims and strangers God many times threatneth the people of Israel to root them out of the Land as men do Trees and Plants which is an irrecoverable destruction when the root is pulled up there is no hope And one main cause was because the Word of God did not take any deep rooting in them Think it not then enough to hear it no nor to write it or repeat it or conferre of it but let it be rooted in thy vital parts If the ground you till and sow should yeild no more increase then thy heart doth to God thou wouldst give over thy labour as a vain thing And one main reason of this barrenness is those things go not home to your hearts they reach not to the inward parts Fourthly God giveth increase when he makes this rooted Word to grow For as there is in Corn first the blade and then the eare it comes to perfection by degrees So it is here the Word carrieth a man up by degrees towards Heaven he is first a dwarf then a gyant first a babe then a man first carnal then spiritual Oh! it 's much that thy profiting should no more appear But we see God even when he hath planted a Vinyeard hedged it in made the Clouds to drop on it yet it may bring forth wild grapes for grapes Isa 5.4 Oh! how angry is God with our Assemblies that doth not give this increase The Church sadly complained Why Gods angâ—r did smoak against the Sheep of his Pasture because of temporal dâ—solation Psal 74.1 But this is more terrible Now this growth that God giveâ—h it may be either Intensive or Extensive Intensive so God giveth increase when those graces that are already planted in the soul are made more lively and fervent This may be called a particular personal Increase Men are not only to enquire how God giveth increase in the general but how in particular to their souls Art thou made more believing more holy more humble then before The Children of God do not with that fear and trembling consider Whether God gives the Ministry such increase to their particular or no. Oh it 's a sad thing to see the decayes and abatements that are even of godly mens graces When God is the same God the Word is the same Word there is as much cause to grow as ever Consider lest thou live in such sinnes that make God cause the Ministry to be barren to thee Or else it may grow extensively and so God giveth increase when the Word spreads it self further to moe persons or Nations Those that do not mind or regard heavenly things do now lay them deeply to heart and the people that sate in darknesse have now light shining on them Thus our Saviour compared the Gospel to a grain of mustard-seed Mat. 13.13 the least of all seeds which yet in time grow very great and Gods power and goodnesse hath been very remarkable herein making the Word to thrive and prosper in those parts and amongst that people where the earthly or material sword could make no entrance In these respects God giveth the increase The work may be of men but the successe is of God Now the Grounds Why God onely giveth increase may be First Because even in natural blessings and outward mercies successe is attributed to God not to men much more in spirituals Thus the Psalmist attributes to God That the ridges are full of corn that cattel are fruitfull and do not miscarry God he keeps the key of Heaven and gives earthly blessings as he pleaseth Thus the blessing of the Lord that makes rich Prov. 10.22 And the battel is not many times to the strong or the race to swift or wealth to the wise Eccl. 12.9 but all is as God orders it If then these ordinary mercies which are wholy natural are only by God he gives life he gives wealth he gives strength how much more doth this hold in supernaturals Secondly God only can give increase Because he onely hath the supream power and dominion over mens hearts We are teachers to the ear God is a teacher of the heart God is the onely searcher of the heart he knoweth the thoughts and inward affections of men and so God only maketh and fashioneth the hearts of men Let us then look up with more earnest prayer to God that his Spirit would move upon these waters Not only the Law but the Gospel is but the letter meerly and the administration of death if the Spirit of God doth not enliven it Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not died saith she to Christ So Lord if thou art in the Sermon thy power and thy presence then it had not so often miscarried Object But you may say If God give the increase Why then doth not the Word bear fruit in every place Are any hearts too strong for the Lord Cannot he turn a wildernesse into a Paradise Hath not he the key to open the hearts of men and none can shut them Answ I answer A people by their sinnes may provoke God to depart from his Ordinances The Temple in Jerusalem was dedicated unto God and he made a gracious promise to be there present yet the Jews did so long rebel against him that he wholly left the Temple and would no more answer them by Vrim oâ— Thummim Lay then the blame where it is say not If we had lived in the Apostles dayes had seen their miracles certainly we should have increased in all grace but we have not such preaching as then was we have not such miracles we have not Apostles Oh it was not those great things that wrought grace but God by them and the same God can do it by weak and unlikely means Conclude then If the Word then be not a Word of life a soul-saving Word to thee t is for some sinne or other upon thee Thou hast grieved the Spirit of God God is angry with thee and therefore thou art like the mountains of Gilboa upon
it 's not seeking Gods face in vain 1 Cor. 15.58 Alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as you know your labour is not in vain Oh it 's comfortable to be found alwayes doing Gods work for we are sure that will have a good end there will come eternal profit by it To clear this Consider First That there are no persons be they never so mean so poor so contemptible but they are in their way and calling to do Gods work Do not think that onely Ministers and men in publique place Onely rich men and great men they have the Lords work to do Thou deceivest thy self herein For the service of God is required of a poor man of a coâ—tager as well as those in great places Matth. 20. and Matth. 25. you have two excellent Parables to this purpose to shew That God gives to every one more or lesse Talents none are to stand idle but to labour in Gods vineyard God at the day of Judgement will call these labourers together and see how they have improved all things and the idle servant or unprofitable hath a dreadfull sentence upon him To be cut in pieces and to have his portion with hypocrites All idlenesse is a kind of hypocrisie because it deceiveth the expectation as it were of God who looked for fruitfulnesse and behold barrennesse Know then whosoever thou art thou art called to labour in Gods vineyard thou hast thy peculiar service whether married or single bond or free rich or poor and thou must abound in this work Secondly There is a two fold doing of Gods work either the work of his providence as passive instruments or the work of his commands as active instruments This is a necessary distinction God hath raised up many men as instruments to bring about the works of his providence but because they did not know God or propound godly ends in doing so therfore though they did the work of the Lord yet they shall meet with no reward in Heaven You have a notable instance for this Isa 10.5 6 7. where the King of Assyria is called a rod or a staff in Gods hand God did use him as an instrument to scourge the Israelite howbeit he meaneth not so he thinketh it not in his heart here he was a passive instrument he did Gods work without any heart or love to God and therefore vers 12. When I have performed my whole work saith God against Jerusalem I will punish him Here you see a man may do Gods work and yet be punished for it So Jehu he was immediately raised up by God to destroy Ahab and his whole family and God tels him He had done all that was in his heart a great expression yet Hos 1.4 God saith he will be avâ—nged upon the house of Jehu for all that blood he had shed For though he did the work of Gods providence yet because he did it upon ambitious and sinfull grounds not keeping close to Gods way therefore was he punished Thus you see there is a great difference between doing the work of Gods providence and the work of his command out of faith and obedience to him For this later is when we do not only the matter God commands but out of love and obedience to him with that godly frame of heart that is acceptable unto him In the next place therefore let us consider What is the acceptable doing of Gods work which will be rewarded And First That onely is Gods work which is commanded and willed by him We are often commanded to understand the good and acceptable will of God Many think they are doing Gods work when it 's the Devils because they look not for warrant of it in Scripture By the knowledge of Scripture a man is made perfect or prepared for every good work 2 Tim. 3.17 So then that is Gods work which is appointed by him approved and commanded by him of which a man can bring Scripture and say Thus saith the Lord. All that superstitious worship which the Pharisees so multiplied and for which they thought to be more accepted with God than others It was none of Gods work It was not acceptable coin it had none of Gods superscription upon it And our Saviour speaks of cruel persecutors that they would think they did God service in killing his own sheep John 16.2 This is an heavy and a dreadfull delusion for men to take the works of the flesh and the works of the Devil for Gods work If therefore thou wouldst not be deprived of a reward be sure out of the Scripture that it be Gods work for the matter of it Secondly It 's acceptable labouring when it is done in such a manner For God doth not accept of any labour for him meerly from the painfulnesse of it For if a man give his body to be burnt and have not love to God it 's nothing worth Not I say from the painfulnesse or length of time but from other quaâ—iâ—â—cations and they are these 1. It 's profitable working when the persons are first made the Lords when they are justified and sanctified Make the tree good and then the fruit will be good The person must be first sanctified ere any work can be acceptable He is an unclean person till then and all things are unclean To the defiled all things become defiled Tit. 1.15 Oh that people would attend to this They only look to the good matter of the work they pray they give alms they live soberly but they have no knowledge about the root thereof Are their persons justified their natures sanctified without which no work of God can be done acceptably 2. A Reward is due to that work only which is done for Gods sake out of love to him The Pharisees praying and other acts of Religion have a terrible verdict by Christ upon them Verily I say unto you they have their reward Mat. 6.2 O words of terrour and horrour They did all those acts to be seen of men to be applauded by men and they have their reward this is all they shall have our Saviour useth that affirmation Verily I say unto you when he speaks earnestly and would have men diligently mind what he saith Verily they have their reward Oh what will the praise and glory of men avail thee when thou and thy duties shall be cast away Know then this worm will devour thy gourd vain glory carâ—al ends and designs upon Gods works will make all to be thrown away When the Devil cannot keep thee in the works of darknesse and of wickednesse that thou wilt do them then he indeavours to marre thy good works by throwing some dead flie in this box of ointment vain-glory and self-advantage 3. That work will onely have a reward which is done with that measure and degree of love and fervency that it ought to be Every Sacrifice was to be offered up with fire and every duty is to be performed with much zeal and
this means they who are indeed of this building of this field they are more happy then all others in the world for God is in covenant with them To them only God is their God and they his people And when the Psalmist had spoken of all external felicity saying Happy are the people that are in such a case he addeth Yea happy are the people whose God is the Lord Psal 144.15 So then we cannot name a greater Prerogative and Priviledge then to be in such a relation all that God hath is their's his wisdom power and goodness Only by the way take notice that many are externally of this husbandry this building that are not internally and therefore such have not the Promises made good to them in all respects How hardly can we say of many people They are Gods building Yea they are rather the Devils Den and his Hell But more of this hereafter Fourthly It supposeth care love and protection This floweth from the other Propriety causeth care and love among men What cares a man for another mans Field another mans Corn but he looketh to his own He weedeth that he fenceth that he keepeth that from all violence And this certainly should encourage the godly in their conflict with sinne Oh! they complain of the weeds thornes that grow up in their heart that choak the good seed let them remember they are Gods as well as their own and it belongs to him It 's for his honour and glory to have these thornes pulled up It makes for Gods praise that thy heart be a room swept and kept clear for him to lodge in Oh! urge this in Prayer O Lord am I not thy husbandry Is not my soul thy building Why then lieth it thus ruinous Why is it neglected by thee It 's not only my comfort my happiness but thy glory and honour is interested in this Come we in the next place to consider the several similitudes And First Ye are Gods Husbandry Take notice that he doth not here speak of the invisible and mystical Church of Christ but as they were a visible Church at Corinth As there was a visible company of men openly and publiquely professing the Faith of Christ and joyning together in an external Communion in holy Ordinances Here is much in this for it sheweth how all our particular Congregations should be what manner of Societies even such as are Gods Husbandry Gods Tillage Building and House This is the great truth that people should hearken after that they walk worthy of such glorious Titles and Relations This Relation of being Gods Husbandry implieth something on his part and many things on ours On his part First That he finds all people of themselves like a barren wilderness and fruitless desert The Curse upon the ground is fulfilled in them to bring forth nothing but briers and thornes All the things of grace and godliness are not only above our natures but contrary to them Even as if a man should see a piece of ground like the very rocks that no Husbandry could ever do any good on it The same are all people when the Word comes at first to them In other expressions it 's called raising up Children to Abraham out of stones And as wild beasts delight to be in the wilderness that is their habitation Thus are all men till converted by the Word so many wild beasts carried away with bruitish lusts in the wilderness of the world which makes the Scripture compare them so often to such things Oh then bewail the roughness and obstinacy in thy heart to what is godly Secondly It supposeth that grace and godliness is wholly planted by God in their souls for this floweth from the other Seeing we are such a barren wilderness what fruit can ever be expected from us All the fruit then of righteousness and godliness doth come wholly from him We of our selves stand like so many rotten fruitless trees to be cursed by God and cut down for the fire but it 's the grace of God that works the beginnings and increase of all godliness in them Marvell not then if you see a people under the sweetest and best seasons of grace to be yet barren and unprofitable for this fruitfulness is only of God Oh we would wonder that a people who know so much who hear so much that have clouds so often raining on them should yet be like so many stones and rocks Oh this is the wrath and judgment of God to be trembled under it For he makes one to grow and not another He causeth grace to spring up in one and not another Thirdly This supposeth that God likewise giveth all the seasons and opportunities of growth and fruitfulness As the Gardiner he looketh to his times when he must water the Plants lest they die The season of the year helpeth to grow as well as the nature of the soil Annus non ager fructificat Hence God when he is angry he threatneth that he will command his clouds not to rain Isa 5. God threatens it as the greatest judgment to deprive a people of the Ministry and sâ—ason of grace how low and slight thoughts soever people have of it Observe that place Ezek. 7.26 Mischief shall come upon mischief one calamity upon another And what then They shall seek for a Vision of the Prophet but the Law shall perish from the Priest Thus Amos 8.11 When God will make a people a barren and desert Nation then he makes those spiritual heavens like brasse and iron Oh then know that as the natural seasons and times are of his appointment so much more the gracious ones On our parts who are the field to be tilled there are these things First A willingness to have the Word of God prepare and wound our souls even tearing our heart to pieces that so the Word as seed may fructifie This is that the Scripture cals plowing up the fallow ground Jer. 4.3 That is when the Law and Threatnings of the Word enter into our very bowels is like the Plough that makes deep furrows in the heart Oh then that the secure confident and quiet heart that hath thus many years layen quiet and at ease feeling no grief nor trouble may at last be wounded and cut assunder This is not an acceptable pleasing work to you but very necessary it is Could the ground be sensible it would feel the plow making torments and rents in the bowels of it Thus it is here the Law of God the Word of God that comes like a two-edged sword in thy bowels that bloweth like a strong tempest and shakes thy sinnes at the very root Oh expect not healing and peace and comfort till you have been thus disquieted Do not then quarrell at the Word of God but rather bless him for the power of it when it changeth the whole face of a Congregation filleth thee with many sad and anxious thoughts sends thee home enquiring Lord what shall I do What will
Castles and strong holds are said to be taken Numb 21.32 And thus it denoteth such who by their worldly craft lift up themselves and grow insolent in their counsels against God such God doth beseige as it were and straigthen them taking them at his pleasure 2. The word is sometimes used in a judicial sense to take men in their sinnes as Joshua 7. Acha◠is said to be taken in his theft And thus God takes the wise men of the world in all their hidden and secret counsels of malice and brings them to light to their confusion 3. The word is sometimes applyed to nets or fetters in which Malefactors are bound Thus God he binds and ensnareth men by their own counsels and thoughts as so many chains that they cannot stirre 4. Some make it a Metaphore from Hunters that use to lay snares and nets to take their beasts in Josh 44. Thus God layeth snares and pits in the way which the most Argus eyed in the world do not see or escape All these expressions have their peculiar efficacy In the Greek Erasmus makes the word properly to be used of the laying hold upon one that is running away from us and making him to turn back again Thus all he thoughts and purposes of crafty men whereby they runne from God and his waies thinking to accomplish contrary to his will God layeth hold on them and brings them back whereby the things done contra voluntatem are not yet preter Thus you have Gods Efficiency the next thing is the Subject of this The wise in their craft 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Though the word sometimes be used in a middle or indifferent sense yet here it is in an evil one It 's called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because crafty subtile men turn themselves into all shapes and formes and they are commonly very active and busie they sleep not till they have accomplished mischief Now when he saith God takes them in their craft that may be taken either as the matter in which God overpowereth them and destroyeth them Or it may be taken instrumentally as sometimes the word is by their very craft and wisdome God layeth hold upon them and overwhelmeth them Thus you have the words explained Observe That God delights to take the earthly wise men of the world in their own craft These Spiders are hung in their own webs See Isa 19.13 a notable instance of the wise men of Aegypt Now many waies doth God take the wise ones of the world First In dissipating their counsels that they cannot attain their ends They attempt again and again and are alwaies repulsed As 2 King 46.11 the King of Syria had many times intended to intrap the King of Israel in such a place and he was alwaies disappointed which made the heart of the King troubled saith the text It 's not as mens counsels or purposes are but the counsel of the Lord that shall stand The hearts of Kings of the greatest of powers in the world Julian's great purpose was to root out the Christian Religion he would not have them named Christians but Galileans he would not have them brought up in humane learning he put all the discouragements upon them would let them enjoy no benefits of the Law or the Courts of Justice and yet he was taken in his own craft He was so strangely killed that to this very day Historians cannot tell the true manner of it Thus God scatters all their counsels and their plots whereby they are confounded Secondly God when he doth ruine them he doth it no other way but by their own wisdome by their own craft And this is the greatest conquest that can be when God overcometh them by their own weapon as it was said of Goliah's sword None like that because by that he cut off Goliah's head whose sword it was So there are no Providences of God so remarkeable and glorious as those which make the very craft and wisdome wicked men have to bring about their confusion We see this fulfilled first in the Devil who is called the old Dragon or Serpent Rev. 12.9 because of his great subtilty as well as poisonous enmity Now wherein was he overcome by his own craft even in this respect He used all the Instruments he had to bring Christ to be crucified He enters into Judas his heart and he had filled the hearts of the Jews and Priests before and so at last obtaineth his plot Christ is crucified but then he riseth again and is ascended and thereby he conquers the Devil and all his power So that by that very death which the Devil so much laboured for the works of the Devil were destroyed We see this also in Joseph's Brethren how politique and crafty were they in their malicious designes against Joseph and all was That he might not reign over them And all those means they took to hinder it were ordained by God to further it Thirdly He takes the wise men of the world so that they are entangled in their own counsels and are brought to such snares that they cannot go forward or backward Nullum magnum ingenium sine aliquâ mixturâ dementiae There is no great wit without some mixture of madnesse Thus you heard the original did imply That they were taken in their counsels as so many fetters and chains They were as a wild Bull in a net Eliphaz speaks admirably to this Job 5.14 They meet with darknesse in the day time and grope at noon day as at midnight See here into what a wildernesse and perplexity they are brought And so Isa 19.14 They are said to be drunk and reel up and down Are drunken men fit for to advise to counsel to carry on any work of consequence and yet such are the wise men of the world delivered up unto I might instance in more Particulars but the next words will have the same occasion I come to answer an Objection How is this true you will say that God taketh the wise in their craft Doth not David often make mention of his bloody and deceilfull enemies How often doth he complain of their lying in wait to shoot at the upright in heart And doth not the experience of all Ages both in prophane and sacred Histories shew that earthly crafty and wicked policy hath accomplished many destructive things and that to Gods own Church and people Hath not Antichrist by subtile deceiveable waies prevailed over the Church of God Do not the crafty Foxes and subtile Wolves many times worry and devoure the poor innocent Sheep All this must be granted and yet the observation is true For First This is many times done and we through our ignorance take no notice thereof The works of the Lord are great and sought out of those that have pleasure therein Psal 111.2 We many times take not such delight in observing the works of God in the world and so for want of consideration we come not to admiration The
Apostle upon a serious consideration of Gods power and wisdome in the matter of electing some and leaving others he cryeth Oh the depths of the wisdome of God how unspeakable are his waies and past finding out Rom. 11 33. Thus it is also in Gods governing and ordering of the whole world His waies are above our waies He taketh wise men besotteth crafty men and we not being affected or studious to observe the motions of his Providence take no notice of it So that the fault may be in us But Secondly We limit God to time and places and persons and so because he doth not at such a time in such a way as we think therefore we are apt to think God hath forsaken the earth and regards not what is done below Now by judging in such a narrow limited manner we are prone to mis-judge of God The people of Israel are said to limit the holy One of Israel Can he provide bread in the wildernesse Psal 78.41 Thus we think that if in such and such times God doth not confound the thoughts of the wise enemies to Gods Church all is undone But the wisdome of the Lord knoweth the best seasons the most fit opportunities As he cannot do any thing but what is most perfect so also what is most wise We should both for particular and publique things resolve all into Gods wisdome Thirdly If God let worldly wisdome prevail and prosper a while it is that the overthrow and confusion of it may be greater As Pharaoh was suffered to go into the Sea and the waters did not immediately overflow it was dry land to them as well as the Israelies for a while but they were suffered to go so farre that their destruction might be the surer Jannes and Jambres did for a while resist Moses but at last their folly was made manifest God therefore to make their shipwrack the more remakeable suffers them to go to the very Haven almost and there to be undone Thus they are thrown from a Pinacle that their downfall may be the more terrible In the building of Babel God suffered them to go on a great way and they built very high but God came down before they had finished it and this made to their greater reproach and scorn As we see by that Parable of our Saviour men would by way of scorn say This builder began and was not able to make an end Luk. 14.30 As Joshua did to the men of Ai gave them hopes and made as if Israel did flee away and all was that their overthrow might be the more universal But not only the Scripture even Heathens gave some probable Answers to this Objection Come we then to shew the ground why God doth thus delight to infatuate and blast all earthly wisdome And First It is that hereby his Soveraignty and ruling Power may be the more manifest When we see that wisdome and power and earthly greatnesse doth not carry it hereby we gather that God is therefore only to be trusted in and depended upon That the Starres and Moon have no light of their own at least not conspicuous makes more to the glory of the Sunne that filleth them all God will have these tall Cedars and high Oaks fall to the ground that we may look up to Heaven the better These earthly great things make that God is not so great and excellent and dreadfull to us as he ought to be Secondly God doth it hereby to vindicate his own Glory and Cause and Name For all the worldly wisdome that ever was hath either mediately or immediately set against God As there was at first an enmity between the feed of the Woman and the Serpent so that hath descended to all Generations insomuch that all the policy wisdome and craft of all men hath been one way or other against God therefore it is time for God to oppose such Hence it is said He resisteth the proud James 4.6 Such sinners more then others because they immediately oppose God and God is to speak with reverence to defend his Name his Glory his Church his People against them Vse How secure the People and Church of God may be Though they be weak poor and contemptible yet they have the wisdome and power of God on their side and all earthly craft and power that they are so apt to fear and dread is but so much folly and weaknesse to God Our God will arise like Sampson and tare these green cords Oh it 's sweeter then the Honey and Honey-comb in the midst of all confusions troubles and perplexities to consider how wise God is and by Faith to comfort and inflame our hearts It must not be a transient thought or a barren speculation but let thy heart dwell upon Gods wisdome and this will be like David's Harp to drive out every evil spirit 2. It 's of Direction Not to fear any thing but God for he is the only wise God How fearfull was David to have Achitophel against him because he was a wise man but it is more terrible to have Gods wisdome against us And who hath that even every wicked man whosoever goeth on in any impenitent way He provoketh this wise God to be against him He knoweth waies to torment thee He knoweth the times to make it more terrible He knoweth all the secret and hidden shifts and excuses of thy heart therefore fear him Verse 20. And again The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise that they are vain THis Verse containeth a second Testimony which the Apostle alleadgeth to prove the foolishnesse of all earthly wisdome before God It 's taken out of Psal 94.11 where the Psalmist proving the Providence and Omniscience of God argueth from his Efficiency of all things He that made the eye to see shall not he see Shall not the cause have more in it than the effect God framed our hearts and therefore he must needs understand them As he that makes a Clock or Watch must needs understand all the secret motions of them Now saith the Psalmist he doth not only know the thoughts of men but also how vain foolish and unprofitable they are So that the Apostle doth pertinently alledge this place to prove how vain and foolish all mens thoughts are especially in matters of Religion though never so wise otherwise Only here is one thing to be taken notice of The Psalmist speaks in the general The thoughts of men but the Apostle mentioneth a particular The thoughts of the wise Doth not the Apostle here wrest the words to his own purpose No for if the Psalmists universal be true the thoughts of man quâ man be vain then of a wise man as well as a fool Yea to speak properly there is no real wise man but the godly man whose mind is enlightned by grace Or 2. The Psalmist doth there more especially intend the wise men of the world and therefore the Apostle expresseth it Now mark the aggravations The Lord knoweth he that is
there is nothing which would be for their good that God denieth them Whatsoever is in all the world if it be good for the godly man he shall have it No good thing will he with-hold from them that fear him Psal 84.11 Now the godly mans good is two-fold either that which is Absolutely and Necessarily good so that it cannot be evil nor it cannot do a godly man any hurt to have them such as Christ is Pardon of sinne and Heaven and these are bestowed on all godly men There is no man that feareth God though he may say I want riches I want health I am without this or that that can say he is without Christ and justification and the Covenant of Grace 2. There is a limited Good that which in its self is good but doth not make good those that have it yea it may be turned to evil As wine is good but give it to the feavourish man you hurt him And thus it is with all the temporal good things of the world they do not make the possessours good yea they may be turned to sinne and increase thy corruption And then it 's no wonder if God out of his love to thee with hold these things from thee If they were as necessary and as good as Christ is and Heaven is thou wert sure to have them Rom 8.32 If he hath given us Christ How shall he with him but give us all things else Now this very particular should rebuke all the winds and waves of fears and discontent within thee Art thou repining and carnally muttering thou hast not this thou hast not that Oh look Hast thou godlinesse Hast thou the fear of God in thy heart than thou hast all things because there is nothing that is good for thee that God keeps from thee Do not thou blame God but thy own corruptions if thou wantest such temporal mercies say rather God seeth I should make them a poison to my soul I should grow drunk with this sweet wine Secondly A godly man may be said to have all things Because he hath a right and a claim to the Covenant of Grace wherein is a deed of Gift of all things both spiritual and temporal The Covenant of Grace lieth in this That God will be our God giving remission of sinne healing of our corruption and blessing us with all temporal blessings This God made with Abraham and so with all believers Therefore Godlinesse is said to have the promise of this life and the life to come 1 Tim. 4.8 All heavenly and earthly things are by promise made to the godly only heavenly things absolutely earthly things conditionally and with subordination and exception So then it is with thee as some man who hath all his estate lying in Bonds and Covenants though for the present he cannot command such a summe of money yet he is rich in Bonds Thus the godly man hath sure Bonds and Promises even of Gods own making who cannot lie or deceive and therefore he may be as much supported as if he had the things themselves Hence ariseth that life of faith Habakkuk and godly men have in their great extremities and necessities Thirdly All things are the godly mans Because he hath God for his God who hath all things Qui habet habentem omnia habet omnia He that hath the Sunne hath the light of all the starres He that hath the Ocean hath all the streams Deus meus omnia as he said Hence our happinesse is said to be in this if we have the Lord for our God David in all his exigencies supported himself with this That God was his portion and his inheritance Now he is such a portion that there is nothing else good beside have him and ye have all Though a child hath not money and raiment at his command yet because he hath a rich father who can procure all these things therefore he may be well said to have them all Thou shalt not want as long as God hath it If God have it thou shalt have it and what can be more desired Fourthly A godly man may be said to have all things Because godlinesse worketh such an holy contentation and satisfaction of spirit that in what estate he is he is as well pleased as if he had all things as if he had the whole world Therefore it 's called Godlinesse with content 1 Tim. 6 6 viz. which worketh and causeth contentment it is the proper effect and fruit of it Thus Paul I have learned to be content in all conditions I have all things I want nothing Phil. 4 11 12 That which pride and presumption putteth some upon to say they wanted nothing for which God severely reproveth them here true grace puts the godly upon Here is a godly Dives that may say Soul take thy spiritual ease for thou hast not many but all good things laid up for thee Thus all things are theirs because through contentation they have all things Fifthly All things are the godly mans Because they were made finaliter for him They are all for his spiritual use If you regard the Offices and Ordinances in the Church they are all for the Church either to begin increase or consummate grace If you look upon the whole Creation there is no creature therein but the godly thereby do or ought to glorifie God and to draw nearer thereby unto him If every thing thou lookest upon thou hearest thou treadest upon doth not make thee more godly thou losest the good use for which they were made Every gift is given to profit withall 1 Cor. 12.7 And every creature was also made to profit withall At the first we see the whole world with all things therein were made for man which made the Psalmist spend an whole Psalm in the admiration of Gods goodnesse and bounty What is man that thou art thus mindfull of him Psal 8.4 yet that was chiefly because the starres in Heaven and the creatures on earth were made for him But with what praises may the mouths and hearts of Gods people be filled with in that not only the things of the world but that all the Offices and Ordinances of the Church are made for them But this excellent point will be more improved in the particular enumeration Let us now consider Why God should make all heavenly and earthly things for the godly And First We need not wonder at it if we consider That Christ himself took our nature upon him and did undergo that shamefull death and those terrible conflicts with Gods wrath for his Church he gave himself for his Church So that Christ being theirs no wonder if all things else be theirs If ever God would have denied any thing would have with-held any thing it would have been his only Son in whom he was so well-pleased But this he parts with for his Church Yet we cannot say Christ is ours as Paul and Cephas and other things therefore he addeth We are Ghrists and
good and so if they abuse the creatures to all manner of wickednesse they can do no otherwise They had them for this end to accomplish sinne thereby If every thing works to their damnation this may make them sin the more desparately But First Divines have a good distinction about Gods Will. There is a will of Complacency or Approbation and there is his will of Efficiency what he will bring about and none shall hinder Now it 's the will of Gods approbation that all things should be improved by the wicked for their good It 's his approving and commanding will that every Sermon should be received by Faith that every mercy be improved fruitfully The goodnesse of God doth invite such to Repentance The afflictions and scourges God brings on them are to humble them and make them to repent of their sinnes But if we regard the will of Efficiency so these things are the savour of death to them that perish The Apostle saith this plainly The Word was the savour of life to such as are saved and the savour of death to such as perish 2 Cor. 2.15 That their is such a will of God will appear by that instance to Pharaoh God inflicted strange and miraculous judgments upon him it was his approving and commanding will that by those Pharaoh should be humbled and repent and let the people go For this end Moses and Aaron are sent to exhort him to this duty Yet if we respect Gods will of Efficiency we see he told Moses that Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not let them go and his heart grew harder by these wonders So then Gods will of Approbation and Command is That even the wicked should make all things theirs though Gods will of Efficiency doth not bring it about Secondly If thâ—se things are poison to the wicked and snares to them they may still blame themselves for it 's the corruption of their natures not any violence God offereth them that makes them turn every thing to their own destruction Thy perdition is of thy self O Israel Hos 13 9. So that every wicked man having a corrupted nature and this wickednesse strengthened through actual impieties no wonder if every thing promote his damnation But still it 's of himself As you see poisonous creatures Serpents and Toads they turn every thing they eat to poison because of their venomous constitution So it is here wicked men turn all good things into ill Vnumquodque recipitur ad moâ—um recipientes Put the sweetest liquor into a noysome vessel it will have an ill tincture Paul sheweth this evidently The Law that was for life he found for death Rom. 7. The Law was good aand spiritual yet it stirred up all sinne in him because he was carnal It 's that within thee which defileth all without thee Wicked men sinne as wilfully and as industriously attend to pervert all things to their damnation as if there were no contracted necessity upon them to offend against God in all things The third Doubt is If all things be the Godlies Why then are they so uncomfortable so dejected complaining of wants as if nothing were theirs If this be true we would thinke no godly man should ever be in a plunge he may take up this Text and it would be an antidote against all fears and cares It can be no night with him as long as this Sunne shineth Answ It 's true it should be so but we are weak in faith we do not live upon Scripture-principles and priviledges but sensible and then we stagger and reel up and down While we are cloathed with the Sunne and have the Moon under our feet we walk in light and comfort David when his faith is lively then God is his shepherd he shall want nothing and he will lay him down and sleep because God taketh care for him But let him come from this Mountain of faith and look on the waters of afflictions below his head goeth round and he knoweth not where he is Now a two-fold faith is necessary to bear up the head and heart the one Firmly assenting to the truth of the things The other Fiducially applying them to our selves If we have not the first faith we look upon such things as meer good words as bare expressions Even as if a man should think he had such a Country because he had the Map of it Oh this divine historical faith strongly perswading our selves these things are Gods truth they cannot be a lie they cannot deceive us would greatly establish us And then Fiducial application is the hand that takes these things making them to be ours So that if you ask How all present and future things life and death are ours It 's by faith only A quiet resting and reposing of the soul upon Gods promise puts us into the possession of all these things Secondly As they want faith So an heavenly prudence and skill how to improve them spiritually Though all things be for their good yet they must have wisdome to know how to use all things Therefore Paul who said He had all things saith He was instructed in it as in a mystery Phil. 4.11 Prescribe the best medicines in the world if men have not judgement rightly to order them they can never get good What is a fountain sealed up or a Book that cannot be read though it hath never such admirable matter Thus are all things though never so usefull if thou hast not Christian wisdome There is no condition affliction or event but thou mayest say if I had heavenly wisdome I might make excellent use of it The last Doubt is How are all things the Godly mans seeing for the most part they are most wanting they are in the greatest necessities Had not Dives all things when Lazarus had not not so much as crums Doth not this Doctrine give a mock-comfort as those in Jam. 2.16 who bid some be cloathed and warmed but gave nothing Answ 1. This place doth not so much speak of the possession of all things as the spiritual serviceablenesse of them Those things which they have no possession of may yet serve for their souls good He doth not so much mean what they have as what tends to their good 2. If the godly have not all things they would that want is good for them The want of any outward mercy may sometimes be better than the having of them To lose blood when there is too much fulnesse is healthfull So then complain not saying I have not this or that good thing the not having it is good 3. Thou hast what is best for thee and that according to the wise Gods ordering Let this silence thee alwayes These afflictions these exercises these wants are the best The wise great God of Heaven doth dispense them and they come from his hand 4. Thou hast better things then any earthly thing thou wantest thou hast Christ thou hast a title to Heaven and eternal glory
in this respect that he turneth to the creature too much leaving God Now as there is this in our corruption so in our Conversion or Regeneration there is the clean contrary there is aversion from the creature and conversion to God It doth not only make a man cast away his sinnes but also all creatures so farre as they hinder the love of God for now they are risen with Christ And as if a worm should be made a man it would no more crawle and creep on the ground thus when a divine Nature or a Nature from above is bestowed upon us Not only love to sinne but love to Father Mother or life it self is inconsistent with the grace of God in our hearts when it 's excessive Fifthly It is acknowledged by all that there is imbred in a man an appetite or desire after felicity and happinesse This Aristotle and others do abundantly confirm Man by nature hath such a capacious heart and the souls appetite is so vast that it 's more then the Horseleech or the Grave that sayeth alwaies Give The soul hath a Sheoll that is alwaies asking and never satisfyed Now then if there were a good regulated desire after this ultimate good where and in whom it was this were to be encouraged If the meaning of these in my text had been Who will shew us that which is indeed the chiefest and most reall good they might have been encouraged like those that asked what they should do to be saved But though there be in the generall an inclination to such a blessednesse yet wofull and dreadfull is the misapprehension and blindnesse of all men naturally about it so that mistaking the main end for which they came into the world it 's no wonder if at last they fall into the pit irrecoverably There were above an hundred Opinions amongst the Heathens in what true Felicity did consist but though some were not so grosse as others yet all come short of the true end That knowing of the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent in the knowledg of whom is eternal life Neither are many Christians much better then the Heathens in this respect for although they know that God is the chiefest good in the enjoying of whom through Christ is only blessednesse yet practically in respect of their hearts and lives some place their happinesse in Riches some in Honours and some in Pleasures and these to whom David speaks here that did love vanity that cryed out for earthly comforts they were not Heathens destitute of the knowledge of the true God but such who lived in the Church of Israel only they were destitute of the sanctifying power of God within There is then acknowledged in all men some innate appetite whereby they would have a full and chief good which might compleatly satiate and fill the soul Sixthly The perswasion of what is the best good and which is chiefly to be desired is wounderfully diversifyed according to the several inclinations humours and conditions of men So that some place it in one thing and some in another One saith Give me this good there is none like that Another saith Give me that good there is none like that So that these many in the text do not all desire the same yea one matters not that which another would go through fire and water to obtain The voluptuous man he doth not matter wealth or riches let him enjoy his pleasures and he envyeth no rich worldling the earthly worldly man he matters not honour and credit let him get riches and he regards not a good Name Populus me sibilat at mhi plaudo The Apostle is thought to bring all that an earthly heart can desire into these three heads 1 Joh. 2.15 16 17. For speaking there terribly against the disposition of these in my text that they should not love the world he brings an Argument from the contraries The love of the Father cannot be in such an one They can be no more together then Dagon and the Ark The hand filled with dirt and stones cannot at the same time be filled with precious Pearles He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit with him and he that is joyned to the earth is made earth with it Si terram amas terra es said Austin And hereupon the Apostle giveth some examples and instances of the things of this world that are like Jaels milk to Sisera fairly inticing but afterwards mortally wounding and although some think there is not an exact and full partition yet others do judge so And by the lust of the flesh they understand all pleasures and delights by the lust of the eye all earthly and covetous desires as Achan saw the Babylonish garment and wedge of gold which made him sinfully covet it and the pride of life that is all ambition all proud and high desires after the great things of this world Haec tria pro trino numine mundus habet This is the worlds Trinity and there is no man inordinately addicted to any creature comfort but it may be comprehended under one of these three heads Now when the Apostle had given us an Instance of these things he giveth another Argument against immoderacy after them This world passeth away They will rot in the grave when holinesse will abide for ever Seventhly That the preferring of the creature above God though it be the sinne of all man-kind and as large as Original sinne it self yet like that it is hardly discerned and discovered It 's almost unperceivable unlesse we are enlightned by Gods Spirit when we set up the creature above him It 's true there is a grosse manifest and palpable way which is seen in every covetous and ambitious or lustfull man these do so plainly make either their belly their god or their gold their god or their preferment their god that all men can easily condemn them for it because what is in their heart empties it self into foul and shamefull practises But then there is the mentall and soul deifying of the creatures when the heart is secretly stolen away and doth insensibly depend on or excessively love such a thing and this is hardly to be discerned No doubt but the third kind of hearers and so Demas were farre from thinking that they loved the world more then God So that as the nature and operations of the soul are in their Physical consideration little known much lesse in their Theological Now although the tendencies of the soul may be various and multiforme some to one Object some to another yet self is that great Diana self is the Belzebub all things in Religion even God himself is referred to self till a man be sanctified So that the heart being herein thus desperately deceitfull we are often and often to commune with our own selves whether self be renounced whether self be subordinated to God whether we can say as Mephibasheth to David Let Ziba take all
desired heartly nor is he indeed weaned and set loose from other things The New-Testament is full of such sad Instances Take Judas a famous Apostle eminent in Gifts and Miracles often in communion with Christ yet he never got his heart above the bagge all the Sermons all the Prayers all the conference with Christ did not make him ascend higher So that a mans duties and expressions may be high even when his heart is as low as the earth yea when corrupt ends may put a man upon zeal and fervency It 's a creature that gives fire to all this heat Thus the third kind of hearers that received the word with joy it was the deceivablenesse of the creature that undid them Demas cleaveth to the present world and that makes him forsake Paul either totally or in some special service If then an immoderate heart to the creatures may consist with duties gifts and many inlargements and much asistance in holy duties if these are not able to cast out these Jebusites no wonder the natural man cannot Fifthly That a natural man cannot set his heart higher then upon some creature appeareth in the true nature of Conversion For that is not only turning from sinne but the creature also Excessive love to lawfull things otherwise is no more consistent with grace then to unlawfull things For if any thing have thy heart but God let it be what it will be thou art yet a natural man When the Apostle Col. 3. discovered that the godly are risen with Christ he makes these Inferences First Set your affections on things above and not on things below And then Mortify your members which are upon the earth reckoning up several sinnes No man then is converted till he goeth out of all sinnes yea and all creatures and cleaveth to God himself Therefore the Command is to turn to God even to God he only is the terminus ad quem of our Conversion If a man leave off his grosse sinnes take upon him a religious Profession yet if he be not lifted above the world as well as his former sinnes he is not Converted It 's not to God even to God So that a man must be undone not only in respect of his sinne but all worldly hopes he must with the Prodigall begin to account the whole world but an husk as that which will do him no good if God be not his Father Therefore those in the Parable though invited to the Feast yet refused to come it was not any grosse sinne hindred them it was not unlawfull lusts that did outwardly entangle them but those creatures which might have been lawfully enjoyed and yet they have gone to the Feast also I have bought a Farm I have married a Wife These were not inconsistent with godlinesse but in the immoderate desire after them Oh is not this the Millstone about many a mans neck I have a Shop I have a Trade and I cannot come Oh then set this home upon thy self Hath thy Conversion taken thee off from all creatures as well as thy sinnes thou darest not love Husband Wife Houses or life it self more then God Thou doest esteem the favour of God and the light of his countenance above all these things Thou canst truly say with David as it followeth Thou hast put more gladnesse in my heart then they have had when their best things encreased Many a man steppeth from his sinnes but into the world and so falls short of Heaven The right understanding of true Conversion makes it plain that no natural man can go beyond the creature Sixthly It may be demonstrated from the restlesse and unquiet heart of every natual man that doth like the Bee fly from flower to flower to get some Honey but stayeth not long on one place So that these in the text will every day complain Who will shew us any good Should God grant them their desire and give them the good they would have yet that would not satifie still they would be craving still they desire something more As you see Haman though he had never so much honour yet the want of something still he desired made him tormented within himself Solomon writeth an whole Book to shew that all these things are vanity and vexation of spirit and though he set himself on purpose to find out happinesse in the creatures yet he grew weary of all Now certainly if a natural man could center his heart upon God could put into that Haven he would never suffer himself to be tossed up and down in tempests and stormes as he is never having any rest There is no natural man that is contented with any creature he enjoyeth Let him propound to himself such and such a condition if he had such and such advantages when he hath them he is as far from solid contentment as at first Zacheus his shooe can never fit Goliah's foot As a man would think that the Heavens seem to touch the earth at such a distance and if he should ascend such high mountains he could go no further but when he cometh there he seeth the Heavens as far from him as before And therefore the godly man whose heart is united and hath taken God for his Portion for his Shepherd for his all as David professeth he can lie down and sleep he can take his rest fearing nothing in the world So that godlinesse drawing the heart to God is the best Antidote against all discontents whatsoever He that can say God is better then ten Husbands then ten thousand creatures he is not disquieted but is the same in all conditions because his God his Father his Portion is alwaies the same As he in the Ecclesiastical Histiory when one brought him word his Father was dead he said Desine blasphemias loqui Pater enim meus immortalis est So thy Husband thy Wealth thy Friend thy Portion is the immorâ—al God who cannot die but it 's not thus with the ungodly He is like a tree in the wildernesse and like the dust blown with every wind So that the troublesome restlesse and discontented thoughts of every natural man argueth that he doth not and cannot ascend up to God Seventhly It 's demonstrated thus that if at any time natural men make their applications to God those very approaches do declare that they love something more then God For it might be an Objection Why cannot a natural man be above the creature Do they not in distresses in times of calamity seek unto God May they not fast and humble themselves It 's granted but even these duties demonstrate they have only a natural carnal heart making use of God only to satisfie their earthly desires Hos 7.14 God there by the Prophet complaineth that they did not cry unto him when they howled on their beds They assemble themselves for their corn and wine You see they were as carnal and as earthly in their Fast-daies and publique Humiliations as in their worldly affairs and
God Doth not God require we should love him with all our might all our strength So that he will not allow any love to any thing else but him Indeed when we desire any creature in subordination to him as a meanes of glorifying him and thereby brought nearer to God this is not a-against God The Schoolmen say That it 's the same gracious habit of love that carrieth us out to love God and our neighbour because of him and so it is of every creature else As we say such a great House is such a mans Now though he have many servants dwelling there yet we say it 's his House not the Servants because they are for and under him Thus if God do chiefly dwell in our hearts then though we love other things yet because this is wholly in reference to God we may truly say We love none but him But now when the love of the creature opposeth God makes us contrary to him or makes us love him or holy duties the lesse then we are to conclude That this cannot stand with godlinesse So that not only grosse sinnes practised but any creature habitually and excessively delighted in above God is also incompatible with it Thirdly Take heed of this estate because it 's a wofull snare and temptation to thee He that is inordinately affected with any earthly comfort this will upon all occasions bring him into the foulest sinnes that can be imagined He will do any thing damn his soul over and over to obtain it As Judas because he was immoderately set upon gain he betrayeth Christ though he was admonished of it though he was told in particular he was the man Though heard what a fearfull condition such a man was in that should betray Christ yet nothing can stop him but he will satisfie that corrupt appetite of his Oh then take heed again and again of such an inordinrate appetite It will be thy poyson and damnation It will one time or other put thee upon such horrrible actions as will make the hearts of others to tremble when they hear it yea such as thou wilt abhor before they are committed As it was in Hazael Am I dog said he that I should do so And truly it is very sad when God by his Providence shall suffer such advantages for thy lust to fall out us Judas had a bagge Hazael a Kingdom all which were like spaâ—kes to that tinder The Devil findes the room then garnished and swept for him Let a man professe never so much love to God and be never so forward in Religion yet if he be not mortifyed to every creature there will come a fire from without and consume this bramble Fourthly This is a fearfull estate because the word of God though preached never so powerfully and pressed over and over again yet it cannot do any good while such a temper is on thee This is the Dalilah that will alwaies entice thee Intus existens prohibet alienum You see even in our Savious preaching though none ever taught as he did Though this was accompanied with astonishing Miracles yet the Pharisees who loved the world and the glory of men they derâ—ded him Yea our Saviour told the very Disciples themselves Joh. 5.44 How can ye believe if ye seek glory of one another And therefore at another time he took a little child setting him before them that if they did not become like such they could never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven As long therefore as any thing sits too close to our hearts we cannot be Christs Disciples You see those hearers that went so farre as to receive the Word with joy and to bring forth some fruit yet it was the deceivablenesse of riches that did choak all Never then expect that any Ministry or any Preaching should ever do good to thee while this or that creature is so enammouring of thee Fifthly Take heed of this creature-affection because it 's a tormenting sinne It is not only a sinne but a torment and vexation withall Some sinnes bring a sweetnesse with them though they leave an Hell hereafter but this sinne for the most part brings an Hell with it What man is there inordinately afected to any thing that you may not call the Devils Martyr he endureth and suffereth so much He is under many vexations and through many tribulations he goeth to Hell In what a fiery Furnace was Haman though exalted so high above others And doth not Solomon the wise man pen an whole Book to inform of this that all is but vexation of spirit And what the Apostle speaks of one particular is true of all 1 Tim. 6.9 Those that will be rich they fall into many temptations and peirce themselves through with many cares They are as one Martyr in Gods cause that was by his Scholars stabb'd all over to death by Penknives Thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Insomuch that if you could see the naked soul of any man inordinately affected to the creature you would see it all over wounded and scourged full of tormenting cares and fears never in any quiet or safe content at all Oh then consider what an enemy thou art to thy self Godlinesse would be great gain to thee It would make thee glad and rejoyce in the Lord It would teach thee how to have all things and how to want but while thy heart is vassalized thus to the creature no quietnesse can be in thy bones And what a folly is this to be miserable here and miserable hereafter Sixthly They are miserable who are thus craving after worldly good things because the Scripture represents all these things but as vanity As that which is a meer lye Called therefore often a Shadow which the foolish child catcheth at as some reall substance when it is but as was said a black nothing Therefore you see Solomon expostulating after this manner Why dost thou set thy eyes upon that which is not Prov. 23.5 That which at another time the wise man saith It answereth all things and calls it a defence yet here he saith It is not Even as the whole Creation may be said to be non ens comparatively to God And therefore God is called Jehova He is said to be I am what I am All creatures have not a being comparatively to him If then the best and most usefull of creatures be such a nothing to God even whole Nations are but as a drop or dust yea they are said to be lesse then nothing Isa 40.17 What folly is it to leave the Fountain of all happinesse and to catch after the shadow Oh then let the godly soul which enjoyeth God when tempted by the creature to immoderate love say as the Fig-tree and Olive-tree Shall I leave my sweetnesse Shall I part with my happinesse and blessednesse I have in God and go and tear my self with bryers For so indeed when we seek to the creatures for refuge in any distresse we do with the
sheep run into bryers that consume more then shelter 1 Cor. 7. the Apostle calleth it The fashion of the world not the substance and he saith it passeth away Whereas God is said to be alwaies the same and to abide from everlasting to everlasting Therefore if thy heart were wise thou wouldest see the vanity of these things Seventhly This must needs be an hainous sinne because it 's a breach of the first Commandement it 's direct Idolatry Worse then when we worship the true God after a false and unlawfull manner yet how severely doth God punish this kind of Idolatry How often do the Prophets threaten because of this But now thou who givest thy heart licence to delight in these things below thou sinnest against the first Commandement Thou errest in the Object of thy worship and not in the manner And is God only zealous of outward worship not of inward Is he angry only when men bow the body to wood and stones and not when the soul is prostituted to the creature Maiest thou not justly expect that as God said to those Idolaters They should call and see if their Idol gods would hear and deliver them So the Lord may bid thee call to those creatures to see if they will save thee if they will deliver thee from Hell Do not then wonder at the folly of Micha who cryed They have taken away my gods If gods Why did they not save themselves And thus here it is death takes away thy gods The fire may take away thy gods Oh that men would at last be awakened out of there blindnesse and folly herein Eighthly This creature affâ—ction is a wofull condition because it 's a debasing of a mans self and making of him a slave to that which he should rule over All the creatures they are made for his use God out of his rich abundance hath provided theâ—e things liberally for thee but they are given thee only to use As the belly is for meates and meates for the belly but God will destroy both the one and the other So all these creatures that are corruptible they are for thee who art also corruptible but God will destroy both the one and the other Therefore thou sinnest against that noble End why God made thee It was to enjoy him He did not give a reasonable immortal soul and made thee the master piece of his visible creatures that thou shouldst crawle on the dust Say rather with Austin Feâ—â—sti domine cor nostrum irrequietum est Thou madest our heart and it is restlesse till it come to thee again Vse of Admonition to every unregenerate man to inform himself throughly of his wretched and undone estate Thou canst not go beyond a creature and therefore shalt never partake of that infinite eternal happinesse which is in God himself Dost thou not plainly see the vanity and uncertainty of all other things Can any creature say I will justifie thee I will glorifie thee Consider how greately it is to thy losse to leave the Sun and go to the Starres To forsake the Ocean and take up a drop Oh will these things be ever as good as a God to thee And then in the next place Consider how dearly the enjoying of these things will cost thee Doth not our Saviour say What will it profit a man to winne the whole world and loose his soul Mat. 16.26 If now the whole world thou gainest would be no advantage thou wouldest be a wretched looser for all that Oh think I get a finite good and loose an infinite I loose an eternal good for a temporary a particular for an universal This will be thy complaint in Hell to all eternity for thy madnesse herein Antidotes and Meanes against this Creature-Affection I shall now conclude this first Doctrine with giving severall directive Antidotes and meanes against this creature-affection that so being loosened from the world our hearts may be fixed on God And First Let this consideration move you That you cannot addresse your selves unto God in Prayer while thy heart is not above the world Doth not our Saviour in that direction of his to Prayer give God that description of a Father in Heaven And why so but that we should lift up our hearts and affections thither So that as in Antiquity the Deacon cryed Sursum corda that they should not rest upon the element in the Sacrament but look up to Christ himself Thus also in every duty and performance a Sursum corda a lift up your hearts is necessary Therefore upon this ground it it that we may truly say No natural man did ever pray in his whole life did ever perform any one holy duty since he was born because he could never truly lift up his heart to God Prayer is called Ascensio mentis ad Deum Now a natual man can no more ascend upwards towards God then the earth can have an ascending motion Every creature that did creep upon the earth it was unclean And thus all thy duties and religious performances which creep and crawle upon the ground which soar not up high they make thee unclean and abominable before God Now should not this Argument be like a sword in thy bowels What live such a life wherein thou canst not pray no Prayer will do any good Continue in such an estate wherein thou art not able to draw nigh to God but art the Bird tyed by the snare that would fain fly up but is pulled back again Thus thou hast some sighes and some desires but presently thou art pulled down again with those clogs of creatures that are upon thee Secondly Consider Thy heartâ— it is the choicest and chiefest Treasure about thee It is too noble for any creature Thou doest dishonour thy self in making it serve the creature We see God himself calls for the heart of a man as the best Sacrifice My sonne give me thy heart Prov 23.26 And Prov. 4.23 Keep thy heart with all diligence So that as the heart naturally considered is the principle of all life and nature hath placed a wonderfull defence about it Thus the heart spiritually also considered is the chief fountain of all our happinesse and misery Therefore it 's sure destruction to let thy heart runne out upon the creature that is to make the chiefest of thy soul subordinate to that which is farre inferiour It 's as if thou shoudest let swine or such unclean creatures come into thy choicest Chamber It was a sad calamity to Pharaoh when the frogs and lice crept up into his Chamber and he could not be quiet in his most retired room no lesse yea farre greater an evil it is when thou sufferest these fading creatures to get into the heart Keep that for God alone Nothing is to possesse that place but God himself He that filleth Heaven and earth and makes that his dwelling place doth also require thy heart Hence it is that the Apostle James calleth those who love
had never seen him they had never known him If they had they would have been enammoured with him as well as the Church And thus when natural men wonder saying Why do these men thus pray thus mourn thus long after God Why is it that they are never satisfied but in him It 's a demonstration that this experimentall work hath never been upon thy heart If it had the spirit of Prophesie as I may so say would fall on thee also Thou wouldst admire the favour of God as well as they Seventhly Such only can desire the light of Gods countenance who have the Spirit of God working in them It 's that which maketh the soul go upwards We being like that man bowed down that Christ healed till the Spirit of God thus raise us up The holy Ghost came down in fire which denoteh the activty of it When fire assimilateth any thing into it self it makes it ascend upwards And thus when the Spirit of God converts and sanctifieth a mans soul it giveth it a contrary motion to what it had before Then it made provision for the flesh then it minded earthly things but now the Spirit of God hath raised it from the death of sinne That as you see it 's the mighty power of God which will make these bodies that are now corruptible heavy and pressing downwards to be immortal spiritual and so agile that they shall meet the Lord in the aire Even these bodies will be so transformed that they shall move in the air like Birds No wonder then if Gods Spirit is able so to work upon our hearts that they shall be constantly inclining to God And indeed none are to rest till they find God thus mightily prevailing upon them This excellent frame may be given by the Spirit and the Spirit is promised to such as ask for it Mat 6. Especially the Spirit of God as adopting enabâ—ling us to call God Father rebuking legall slavish feares and filling us with a filial and evangelical frame of heart Eighthly Therefore another Property of such who do thus highly esteem Gods favour is That they are diligent in Prayer and fervent in approaches to God Prayer is the ascending of the heart to God who is in Heaven The eyes lifted up argue what the heart should be Now Prayer is of this excellent advantage if spiritually and fervently performed that it carrieth up the soul to God and thereby God also manifests his loving kindnesse to his people Even as Moses upon his Communion with God had his face shine so gloriously that the people could not behold it and Christ himself upon Prayer had his countenance changed that his face did shine like the Sunne and his garments were white as snow So that such who esteem of Gods favour they are instant in Prayer They perform that duty with watching and attending thereunto which if so discharged then many consolations many irradiations of his favour are communicated to them So that a man diligent in Prayer is like the tree by the water side whose leafe will never fade Hence we have that encouragement No man seeketh Gods face in vain And no sooner did God command this but immediately David's heart yeelded to it Psal 7.8 Thy face Lord will I seek We cannot have it without seeking for it as that which is most precious and a very infinite Treasure And withall you see the encouragement God bespeaks it he saith Seek ye my face Lastly Such as prize the light of Gods countenance they walk closely with God and keep up strict Communion with him Slothfull and carelesse walking will never be blessed with this glorious advantage You read the Church was but once carelesse and negligent when Christ proffered himself and immediately Christ withdraweth so that though she runne up and down much perplexed to see the face of her Beloved again yet it cost her dear ere she could obtain it David began to have but some proud and presumptuous thoughts Psal 301.7 And God bid his face and then he was troubled You see a little thing a word a thought may do it Therefore those who desire to enjoy it they walk circumspectly lest they should do any thing that may make him angry with them Vse 1. Of Exhortation to Gods Children To keep up a tender mollified heart to take no rest till the light of Gods countenance shine upon thee Let not lusts passions or any thing be an eclipse between this glorious Sunne and you How can you live without this May not the Devil come with seven more tormenting Devils then ever if thou provoke God to withdraw his gracious presence To whom are woes To whom are sad terrours and perplexities of spirit but to such who cry out God frowneth on them Oh they feel his anger consuming of them Vse 2. Of Admonition to natural and unregenerate men To know there is a better good then ever yet they tasted Oh that thou couldst desire God as thou doest wealth and pleasures Is not the pleasant smiling face of some great Potentate a reviving to thee What endeavours for the favour of a great man who yet is mortal Will not this condemn thee at the Day of Judgment Oh how will the face of God be then esteemed of A Consideration of some false Grounds of a Perswasion of Gods Love We have declared already the Characters of such who can truly esteem the light of Gods favour let us now consider the condition of such who are mistaken herein and take that for Gods favour which is not And First There is the rich earthly or great man of the world He who aboundeth in all Prosperity and needeth nothing this man thinketh that Gods face is towards him in mercy They gather from all the mercies they enjoy that therefore God loveth them but this is a very dangerous mistake For 1. In the Scripture we read That chastisements and afflictions are sometimes an argument of Gods love and that God is never more angry then when he lets a mans waies be smooth and prosperous As it was with Moab because he was not moved often therefore he was setled upon the Lees. And thus in Hosea when God is angry in the highest manner then he threatens He will not punish their sonnes or daughters any more Hos 4.14 They therefore have little cause to boast in this That they are not afflicted as other men they are not in such bonds as others are For David Psal 73.6 did of old observe this That whereas the wicked of the world had all encouragements they had all temporal increase yet the godly were bowed down all the day long and that in those times when Promises of temporal abundance were in a larger way proposed to them If then the godly man had this measure in the Old Testamant no wonder if he meet with it much more in the New Testament where tribulations are made the Red Sea to go through into the Land of Canaan Hence the Apostle doth
bitterness at the latter end If these pleasures would not turn into torment then it were something but as these have abounded so will thy torments and troubles also abound Thou canst not say with Agag the bitterness of death and hell are past What is the sad end of all Dives his joy Yea sometimes they are destroyed in the very midst of all their pleasures as the Philistimes and as Nabal were Fifthly The joy and gladness of a godly man is stable and perpetual because the ground and cause of it is unchangeable God never ceaseth to be his Father he shall never be cast out of the state of Justification he shall never lose his interest in Heaven now this rock alwayes abiding their joy must also be immoveable It 's true though the godly have cause alwayes to rejoyce yet they do not so actually for the present they may mourn and be in bitterness but that many times is caused by their own sinne and weakness or else God to give them more comfort afterwards doth suspend present comfort as the Sunne is most welcome after a tempestuous black storme but though this be yet the foundation of their joy remaineth sure there is the same cause why they should rejoyce alwayes Oh but thus it is not with the unregenerate man all his joy is but a blaze and all the cause or ground of it is very uncertain Every creature and condition they rejoyce in is it not mutable To day laughing to morrow crying To day cheerfull because thou hast it to morrow mourning because thou hast lost it Thus in Job Chap. 20.5 Zophar saith The triumphing of the wicked is short and the joy of an hypocrite for a moment The oil to this lamp will quickly fail thy honours thy life thy wealth these things will not last alwayes Oh then should it not be thy wisdome to lay up for such joy that will abide continually that will never leave thee Is it not evident folly to take thy delight in that which may be lost the next hour As Jonah took great content in his Gourd and within a day a worme breedeth therein and consumeth all Therefore say of thy worldly joy as thou mayest of thy life it self It is but a buble a vapour here to day and gone to morrow if thou couldest preserve all this delight continually and death it self could not rob thee of it then go on and make much of it But to thy terrour thou wilt find the instability of it as with the Sodomites The morning was fair and pleasant but fire and brimstone was upon them before night For ought thou knowest thou mayest go from laughing here to eternal roarings in hell the next moment Sixthly Spiritual joyes transcend earthly because the soul can better perceive them they are of a more spiritual and penetrating nature and efficacy The soul can receive them as the spunge doth water or the iron doth fire the soul may be filled with it but all bodily delights and joy they are more gross and thick This reason give the Schoolmen why all soul delights are above the body and much more if they be spiritual and heavenly As those sinnes which are immediately seated in the soul they are more deep and inward then bodily sinnes so that joy and delight which enters immediately into a mans soul is farre more soaking and pressing then that which is upon the body primarily For bodily joyes are like the Sunne-beames which come in at a cranny or little hole but foul delight is as when the Sunne comes in at a window or at a great door there is capacity enough to receive it Seventhly All earthly joy is to be moderated we may sinne in it we may go too farre we may over-joy Therefore the Psalmist exhorts Psal 2. to rejoyce with trembling While we take any joy in these earthly things we are to do it with trembling for then is a temptation to sinne then are we in greatest danger in the midst of heat we are subject to take cold Hence the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 7. Those that rejoyce must be as if they did not rejoyce So great a care are we to have that our joy be moderated we do not say it 's unlawfull to take delight and joy in the creatures the Scripture commands to eat and drink with joy of heart only we must not joy excessively we may quickly let this joy overflow the bankes and certainly the carnal and immoderate joy that men take even in lawfull things is no little part of their iniquity For why is it that thy heart can rejoyce in outward mercies thou canst take delight in these creatures but hast none at all in heavenly things A Fair a Market is thy delight when thou canst not call the Sabbath a delight Is not all this because thy heart over-joyeth in these things Vse of Exhortation not to be disheartned at godliness as if it were a sad melancholy mopish life Oh know thou never comest to have true joy til thou live the godly exact and precise life The closer thou walkest with God the more fearfull to commit any sinne the more unspeakable and solid is thy joy Oh call not that laughter and mirth of the wicked man joy Solomon saith it 's not joy it 's madness Do not ye see mad men they will laugh and hoot and leap with jollity when they are bereft of reason and lye in chains bound up in a dark Dungeon Such is all the worlds laughter They die laughing They go to hell laughing and is not this madness Yet who can perswade men to leave their carnal jollity and to tast how good and pleasant the wayes of God are Well go on and take thy delights thou wilt have laughing enough one day for Prov. 1. God will laugh at thy destruction and mock when thy fear cometh Of the Godly Mans Holy Security and Admirable quietnesse of Spirit as another Effect of the Light of Gods Countenance PSAL. 4.8 I will both lay me down in peace and sleep for thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety WE have heard of one glorious Effect of the light of Gods countenance upon David viz. A gladnesse surpassing all the joy that can be in the world now in this verse we have a second and no lesse noble Effect of the same cause For as the Sunne hath many severall and notable effects upon the earth it doth not only enlighten or comfort but makes fruitfull and aboundeth also in many other effects Thus the favour of God where that is perceived it is not one or two but many glorious consequents flow from thence And this in the text is an holy security and admirable quietnesse of spirit free from all sinfull distempers let his danger be never so great So that this heavenly tranquillity is a fruit of that Faith which he had in God at this time though so greatly tempted Therefore in the words you have David's godly security a fruit of his Faith