case with Dauid and his posterity including intending all his children with them in their generations that suppose Psal 89. or admit that on their part all might be ill in regard of their rebellion and vnfaithfullnes against him and that he or his should breake his law neglect his loue forget his statutes faile in much good fall into much euill yet for all this saith the Lord I will not faile or forget or neglect him or them well I may scourge them and make them smart for their desobedience but my faithfullnes shall remayne my covenant shall not be broken I will not alter the word that is gone out of my lips c. with very much more there added and enlarged by the Lord of purpose to confirme this truth that he wil be glorifyed in the fruit of his owne grace without any worth of ours at all that he may be honoured of vs in his most worthy excellency of compassion and favour so freely and so fully cast vpon vs. But this we spake of before And soe we did of the poore prodigall too who could not discerne any worth in himself but saw and was convinced of his base and most vnworthy estate yet resolues not to let goe or give over but to rise and goe to his father with all expedition in hope to finde some favour and compassion and to say to him I am not worthy to be called thy son Loe he was so farre from building any thing vpon his worthynes or to cast himself downe by want therof that he will plead he is not worthy even then when he hopes of acceptation and entertainement And of this we also spake in our former point therefore spare to vrge it more largely now It is the faith fullnes of God not the worthines of man that is the evidence of any good vnto vs and that is every where pressed by the Apostle vpon Gods people He is faithfull who hath promised God is faith full who will stablieh you and the like in many places but one aboue all I commed vnto your consideration 2. Tim. 2.13 to wit that to Timothy Though we beleeue not yet he abideth faith full he cannot deny himself note here how the Apostle pleadeth Gods faithfullnes against our fayling and vnfaithfullnes and would haue vs know that though on our part there should be want of faith yet on his there neither is nor can be any want of faithfullnes Though we beleeve not that is not as we would not as we should though our graces want weight and measure yet his grace is the same to wit infinite and aboue measure the meaning is not though we had no faith at all or did not at all beleeve for then might pagās infidells flesh themselves and gather hart here noe the Lord never made them any such promise nor spake any word in his whole booke to joy them in the least but only to his owne who having got a graine of faith doe beleeve yet wanting much more then they hauc doe not beleeve as they would or should and to those the Apostle saith let them be of good cheere and know that though much want be in them there is infinite fullnes in God he abideth faithfull he aboundeth in faithfullnes and it is as sure that his children shall finde and acknowledge it to their comfort as it is ceartaine that God cannot deny himself which clause as it confirmeth his favour fully to his owne soe doth it clearely exclude all jmpious persons who beleeve not at all for vnto these cannot God deny himself in this sence because he never acknowledged them or made any promise of grace vnto them Soe that we now see our want wil not make God wanting to vs he props vp our harts and applyes our happines from the faithfullnes he hath not from the worthynes we haue Besides we may further see what a silly plea this matter of vnworthynes is whenas they who alledge it to this ende doe make the favour and loue of God farre inferiour to mans It is not ordinary with men that die to bequeath money to give legacyes and to cast kindnesses vpon very abject and vnworthy persons nay not only vpon the poore who have no worth in them to challeng it by but it may be vpon malefactors in goales and prisons who have much wickednes and vilenes in them and are so farre from being worthy of any thing that they are most vnworthy of every thing and deserve punishment rather then releife justice rather then kindnes Yet is it vsuall with men to consider the state and supply the want even of these persons And were any of them or any other soe simple in this as you are sinfull in the other to cast off refuse and reject all because they were not worthy of that which was given and to deny the receit because they had no desert sure I thinke no age can yeeld an instance of any such egregious folly that any one of these was ever heard to say I am not worthy of this legacy therefore I dare have nothing to doe with it And shall we as by this our allegation we doe make our God lesse loving lesse liberall then man shall they give to infants who could deserue nothing to poore men who have deserved nothing to vile persons who haue deserved no such thing and shall the Lords hand be shorter then ours Againe shall all these accept and take home what is given them and not vrge any thing of their owne to depriue themselves of it shall we offer that to God which was never offered by any to men and be more fooles and jdiotts for our soules then ever any were for their bodyes what shame what sin were this to vs before God and men How jdely doe wee extoll the loue of God to be in conceivably infinite in words whenas in deedes we deny it and make the world thinke it comes short of that which may be found in men yea in such men it may be as were never beloved of God for even many wicked men are in their generation thus kinde to those in whome no worthines can be found The jujury and dishonour of God is not a litle herin the Lord will looke you should doe him right as you haue thus haynously wronged him by repentance for what is past and reformation hearafter that now you leave vrging your owne vnworthynes to any such end as this and never leave lauding his goodnes and proclayming his favour all your dayes If you will as indeed you ought to discover your owne want of worth to the full doe it but beware of eclypsing his worthynes by it Nay you must be soe farre from that that you must endeavour rather that his worthynes may shyne more clearely through your basenes Throughout the scriptures the greatest glasse and glory of Gods infinite goodnes to vs hath beene our want of worth to receive it from him Let this then carry
all his petitions as it may be obserued every where but because it would be tadious to particulate every instance we may take a taste in two or three that are pregnant to this purpose In the. 16. Psal 16 1.2 Psalme he begin's with prayer for his preservation now because he knew Gods promise pertayned to none but his owne therfore in the next verse he addeth his interest saying thou hast sayd vnto the Lord thou art my God this he brings to joy cheere himself with hope of being heard suitable to that which in another Psalme he saith to the same end I am thyne oh saue me Psal 119.94 Againe in the 18 Psalme he intending soe to speake that he might speed he laye's hold on the Lord in all respects and entitle's himself to him every way my strength ver 1.2 my rock my fortresse my deliuerer my God vers 3. my buckler c. having thus made sure worke that God is his in all these regards in the next verse he resolue's to make his suite assure's himself of being answered ver 6. nay he avoucheth plainely a litle after that he was heard In my distresse I called vpon the Lord I cryed vnto my god he heard my voice c. The like we might note out of the 22 Psalme which he begin's thus my God my God And the same is to be seene in more then twenty psalmes more if we should vrge all particulers none was more feruent in prayer with God nothing was more frequent in all the prayers he made to God then this very thing And haue ye ever heard of any petitioner that sped better or that prevayled more then he did nay may we not think that he was a great gayner by this course when herevpon he exhorteth others out of his owne abundant happy experience in this particuler to powre out emity their harts wholy to vnlade lay them opē before the Lord which no man you know will doe but to him in whome he hath more then ordinary interest and with whome he is exceeding intimate familiar Thus you see the point is most plaine in his practise who is a singuler praesidēt vnto vs herin no man ever layd more clayme to god in prayer no man ever obtayned more comfort from god by prayer doth not this assure vs thē that it is most true that he that goeth to the Lord with most right shall come from him with most rejoycing I did the rather chuse Dauid to giue evidence in this matter because he was a man so inward with god so excelling in this practise that we cannot finde many to match him yet if we should take notice of other holy men of god we should soone discerne the same carriage in them but we will spare to multiply any or to nottfy more examples let vs come to consider the reasons of the point and they are these that follow Reason 1 First the ground and evidence of our consolation in any thing is our right we haue in the same wherwith may we bolde but with our owne what is any thing nay every thing to vs if it be not ours our right is our rejoycing our cōfort in all things come's from the clayme we can lay to them The dimme light of nature and reason saw this where no illumination of grace or religion did shyne as yet Jonah 1. in those poore perplexed Pagans whose course in their owne persons and whose counsell to the Prophet proues this point ver 5. for themselues the text tels vs they cryea euery one to his owne God and when the Prophet being found a sleepe in this distresse is awaked and exhorted to pray he is willed to pray to his owne God cal vpon thy God ver 6. and doe not both these make it most manifest that a man can haue no hart to pray noe hope to speede vnlesse he haue interest in that God to whome he prayeth These silly men could see that it was booteles for them to pray to his God or he to theirs if any benefit may be expected it must be from our owne and none els And this is our first reason Reason 2 Secondly God himself doth comfort cheere vp men vpon this ground that he wil be theirs and they shal be his So we finde once Gen. 15.1 and againe in his appearance to Abraham when he will harten him against all harmes he saith thus Feare not Abraham for I am thy Buckler and thyne exceeding great reward it had beene small happines to him to know that god had beene a buckler or any thing els Gen. 17.1.2.4.7 but to be his is the thing wherwith the Lord joye's his very soule So againe at another time God will binde him to proceed persevere in his vprightnes now because that exact carriage of-times bring 's men into calamity the Lord to quicken him doth not only tell him how able all-sufficient he is to doe him good but that he wil enter into covenant with him become his God and this covenant of God is that which hath comfort enough in it to carry him currantly through all discomforts whatsoever And intruth he that hath the Lord to be his may wel account himself a most happy man because then all the infinite and vnspeakable perfections of God are ours and we may goe with boldnes freedome to beg that mercy which is aboue the heavens that wisdome which is vnsearchable that providence which is vnvtterable that Power which is vnresistable and all that goodnes and kindnes and those compassions which are inconceivable that we may haue the benefit of these excellencies for our best good is not this a comfort when a man may know that all that heauen hath nay all that the God of heauē hath is ours a man may goe to both as to his owne Assuredly if we can but beleue that god is wise enough to giue vs a sufficient reason of soūd consolation able enough to make that good which he giue 's as a reason to vs to wit the interest of himself then haue wee reason to acknowledg that he may pray comfortably that hath power to make this clayme to him all that is in him And this is our second reason Thirdly Reason 3 in that excellent prayer of our Lord Iesus Christ cōtayned in the 17 of Ioh Joh. 17. cōtinued through the whole chapter let vs consider that when he powre's out those his most sweet suplications for vs he doeth as it were presse and vrge his father with argumēts to heare him for vs and to accept vs in him among many other jnducements of that kinde he doth principally pleade this which we haue now in hand even the interest his father had in vs and this he doth once and againe ver 6. ver 6. I haue manifested thy name vnto the men which thou gavest me
apprehend perswade himself might be a maine motive with God to obtaine what he asked And the sequell did well shew that this supplication was of force with the Lord to doe them good for whome he prayed It were most easy to produce the practise of many more even of all the saints of God who haue received the earnest of the spirit and are sealed to be his but we will let goe all other and take knowledge of one for all euen of Iesus Christ who is Lord over all ought to be all in all vnto vs. Mat. 26. Let vs goe into the garden and heare him pray there loe he besought the Lord three times and in every request this shal be added ver 39. and not omitted in any one O my father if it be possible let this cup passe and the second time ver 42. ver 44. O my father if this cup may not passe c. and yet againe the third time the same words saith the Evagelist that is to say words to the same purpose and of the same sence note though not of the same syllables for we finde them something varied by the other Evāgelists Marke Luke as touching the letter From thence let vs follow him to his crosse and there we shall finde him in the same kinde calling vpon his father my God my God mat 27.64 and this he did in his vtmost extreamity when he was vnder the full weight of his fathers infinite indignation and at such a time and in such a straight every one will endeavour to vtter that which may be most effectuall to moue them to whome we make our suites and our saviour thus using this doth therby make it evident to be of excellent and singuler jmportance to prevaile with the Lord in the heaviest estate wherin we can be vnder heaven Nay let vs not looke only on what he did in his owne practise but what he doth comād vs to doe in ours when he would teach his disciples and with them all christians so to pray that they might be happy after they had prayed he will haue them begin with their interest mat 6.9 say Our father c this must stand in the forefront as the first most forcible thing to set vpon God withall shewing clearely that he can haue no comfort to pray who cannot thus begin his prayer if a man cannot make his title good in the first place all wil be but vaine and jdle that follewe's it is but folly to seeke the face of God if we doe not know him to be our father cannot boldely soe call him when we call vpon him And it is well to be noted Rom. 8. that the apostle tell 's vs that the same spirit that assure's vs we are the childrē of God doth not only embolden vs as was remembred before to cry Abba father but in case it stand soe wit vs ver 15. that through any extreamity of body or impotency distresse of minde we cannot pray which was once Dauids case Psa 77.3.4 may be the condition of any true tender harted christian I say this spirit doth pray and preferre our requests for vs our very assurance it self will speake for vs through we could not speake for our selues Even this that we are Gods is if we could vtter no more enough to harten vs in the hope of being heard as we finde by him who sayd this and no more Psal 146.6.7 I sayd vnto the Lord thou art my God heare my prayer o Lord and further O Lord God of my saluation c. Nay not only in prayer but in the whole worship of God are we cheered by this same reason soe saith the spirit of God Psa 95.6 Come let vs worship c for he is the Lord our God we are the people of his pasture and the sheept of his hands so that if vpon any tearmes a man will come to the Lord this must be one one of the mayne things he must mention before the Lord. Thus our consolation come's vpon vs in regard of our prayers when we can goe to God as to our owne it matters not how Satan may otherwise entwitte vs as long he cannot overturne our title And the joy and comfort of this consideration will yet shyne more clearely vpon vs if we marke well how wicked men when they come to speake to God doe not once offer to vtter one word of interest but still come with generall appellation without any speciall or particuler impropriation of God to themselfs mat 25.11 or of themselues to him all that they say is Lord Lord open vnto vs it may be to blinde vs withall they dare being themselues blinded by the God of this world presume and be jmpudently overbolde with the Lord 2. Cor. 4.4 call or rather miscall him theirs but when the great day shall come wherin they shal be detected and discerne their owne estates standing before their judge the mighty God speaking immediately to him they shall feare and not once dare to offer the pleading of any interest they shall stand without cry houle to him who being none of their Lord doth condemne and cast them into internall infinite damnation of soule and body Oh that their soules could consider this who thus forget both God and themselues Psal 50.22 and now before men fawne vpon him with prophane tongues and hypocriticall harts speaking of him as of their sweete Iesus and their deare sauior whenas before his owne face they dare not at all entitle him soe who seeth not but that their former prayers were vile being hypocritically presumptuous and these latter vayne and themselues reprobated of God for pretending a title before men and wanting it when they appeare before himself But of this we shall haue better occasion to speake more in our next vse In the meane time this want of interest in them is that which debarre's them of all present comfort and brings them vnder Gods eternall curse all their suplications be cast away first and themselues also at last because they haue it not And what can be the consequence herof to the saints of God but this that they by vertue of this their right in through Christ shall haue both their persons and petitions accepted of God to whome they may goe with all solace and rejoycing of soule and spirit notwithstanding many other miserable faylings because all the infinite compassions of God Psal 103.13 are to be exercised only vpon his owne whome he hath promised to spare forbeare as a man doth his son whome he loueth And this is the first comfort that flow'es from our interest Psa 34.15 that our prayers shall haue happy issue with him who is our God and whose we are For his eyes are vpon the righteous and his cares are open to their cry our clayme doth out-cry our corruption
not only say but shew to be a truth both from that euidence of Gods word against which Satan may cauill but the truth therof he shall never cancell and from that happy experience in such of his holy ones as haue found that from his hand which to comfort our harts they haue left vpon sacred record for ever Let vs take some taste of both that we may see how good the Lord is to his owne though they be euill before him yet ever with this caution that what we shall speake doe harten no man to commit the least sin but to encounter Satan when he would haue vs adde infidelity to our jmpiety and make our state desperate now which was but distressed before Nothing is more sure then this that God never gaue any man any assurance of this good who doth therby abett himself in any euill A caution it is to arme vs against temptation not to encrease corruption that the Lord reavealeth this truth He that soe peruert's it hath no propriety in God at all But let vs come to the point our interest in our God is good armour of prooffe against the feircest assaults of Satan when he vpbraideth our sin against God to oppose our consolation in God To doe thus is the fruit of his mallice but many a saint of God hath made better vse of their right and haue relieued their consciences with that which hath beene wrested against them to rob them of their best comfort When David had fallen fouly in the matter of Vriah multiplying one fearfull sin vpon another soe as that a man would wonder whith what face he should offer or dare to looke the Lord in the face we finde nothing more encouraged him to goe nothing carryed him but this that yet the Lord was his soe we perceiue by his owne words Deliuer me from blood c O God Ps 51.14 who art the God of my salvation God was yet his God and that hartened him to seeke his pardon The same was the prophet Ionahs course he was in as bad a case as a good man might be standing guilty of grosse rebellion against the Lords expresse comaund given vnto him and for the same persued apprehended and punished strangly by that hand of God that would haue protected and rewarded him in his obedience Now being in such a close prison as wherinto never man came but he that for such an egregious fact what hope can he haue of ever coming neere God againe or if he haue any hope wheron is or may it be grounded why even hervpon that yet at the worst he is the Lords and can soe assure himself as we see he doth once and againe in that prayer that he make's where we are certified by the holy Ghost that Ionah prayed vnto the Lord his God Jonah 2.1 ver 6. out of the fishes belly and further thou hast brought my life from the pit o Lord my God Beholde though he had miserably fayled before God yet his right in God fayled not God doth acknowledg himselfe to be his Ionah can challeng this interest and pray therevpon and soe pray that the Lord is pleased both to heare and to helpe as we see he did both in releasing him from his present affliction and in receiving him into his former favour and entrusting him the second time in that service about which he had employed him and wherin the prophet had so wretchedly rebelled before The same may we see in the poore prodigall in the gospell Luk 15.18 who is the image and representation of vs all euen of all the faith full that offende what had he to pleade or to put him into any hope that he might returne and be received againe into that house from whence he had of his owne accorde so foolishly departed and that he who had given him a childes portion already would ever know him for his childe more seing he had run through all and spent it so ryotously and lewdly in such base and rebellions courses as he had followed why this he had and this was all and fully enough to give him hopefull assurance of happy entertainment that yet for all this he from whome he feed and against whome he did offend was his father This was that which cheered him against all his misery and impiety and that enabled him first to purpose his returne home and afterward to practise the same he is my father therefore I will goe to him though I have fayled against him But what should we stand vpon particuler persons let vs see what comfort the Lord hath promised to all his owne 1 King 8.46 in this case When Salomon dedicated the temple and prayed most divinely therin he presupposing as well he might for it was too sure that Gods people might and would ceartainly sin against him and by sin so farre provoke him against them that they might either be cast out of their land into captivity or have some other heavy judgment inflicted vpon them herevpon he is a suitor to God for them that he would even in this their sinfull estate be gracious to them and what saith he that might moue the Lord to commiserate them in this their calamitous condition even this very thing for they are thy people and thine inheritance c ver 50.51 if any man would know what God sayd to this request of his he may read it in the next chapter I haue heard thy prayer and thy supplication c. cap. 9. â— Now this being vniuersall for all the people of God it giueth assurance from God to every one who hath any assurance in God that notwithstanding their miscarriages they are capable of his kindnes and favour And herof Nehemiah tooke good notice whenas Neh. 1. many a day after this he living to see that fullfilled which Salomon foresaw and feared betooke himself to God on the behalfe of the Jewes now having offended and being captivated ver 5. and he remember's God of this prayer of Salomon and this promise of his and repeateth the covenant wherin was contayned and enclosed the interest betweene God and them vrging him with his owne truth thou that keepest covenant and mercy c. and with the peoples interest Now these are thy seruants and thy people c. ver 5. ver 10. and having thus faith fully dealt with God God could not but deale most graciously with him and them as the sequell shewed Nay shall we see what God proffers in this case of his owne free accord and out of infinite and most gracious favour to all his offending saints surely if we coulde see it as we ought it would even swallow vs up into admiration and amazement for such and soe inconceivable is his kindnes to his owne herin that he doth not only encourage them to pray for all their impiety but doth also teach them how to entreat him and put 's words into their
taken them neere oh how sweete vnto me are thy words c. And lastly ver 103. not to be too tedious in instancing he doth lay a downeright clayme vnto them as his owne land intayled to him and never to be taken from him Thy testimonies haue I claymed as myne heritage for euer ver 111. for thy are the joy of my hart Thus doth good Dauid bestirre him herin and goe's before all Gods people whose commendation and comfort it would assuredly be to trace him in these steps But we neede not stand on particuler persons for we finde that whole churches have done the same in the dayes of their sorrowes So we reade of the church Haue respect to thy covenant and againe The Lord will not cast of his people Psal 74.20 Psal 94.14 micah 7.20 nor forsake his inheritance and yet againe Thou wilt performe thy truth to Iacob and thy mercy to Abraham which thou hast sworne to our fore-fathers of olde In all these and many the like which we spare to vrge we see the saints carriage and practise whether we coÌ„sider them apart or combined together into one body And now is it a small thing that this threefolde corde should be soe lightly broken wherwith the Lord would binde his people to this practise shall himself his law and his holy ones be all so slighted of vs Have we soe many worthy jnducement to draw vs on and soe many worthies that have gone before us and shall we lye behinde and not once striue or stirre that way nay which is yet worse run a cleane contrary course and fly from our owne comforts to the fearfull aishonour of God and danger of our owne soules through this desperate infidelity Oh deare Christians whervnto will this come what shall we say vnto you â— Cor. 4.21 how shall we intreat you let vs demaund the apostles question shall we come among you with a rod or with the spirit of meeknes when we have to doe with you for this fault well I know we must be wonderfull wary when we have to doe with wounded consciences we will not be too tart with the Lords tender lambes but endeavour since reprooffe must have place here to mixe reprehension and commiseration together inasmuch as we have to doe with afflicted soules and humbled spirits which speake not according to the truth in a setled resolution but according to the distraction and terror of some present temptation wherwith their adversary the divell doth so feircely assault and soe furiously fight against them that they are not able to stand vnder his stroakes but faint and sinke because he is so violent and they soe impotent fayne they would be better perswaded and beleeve professe otherwise if they could but their enemy aboundes with outrage and they are voyd of courage and hence it is he overules them and having captivated the power of Gods spirit in them for the present he make's them speake according to his owne the truth is that the people of God in their perplexity are the divels parhots and by him made to vtter that evill which many times he knowe's not well how to vent otherwise Oh that these poore soules the true most proper subiects of all good mens pitty and prayers did but well know and were throughly convinced that it is not they that doe it but sin yea Satan dwelling in them that the Lord will of his especiall grace discharge them of it and charge it as well he may vpon him who is both his adversary and theirs But the divell is so subtile in dealing with Gods sorrowfull saints that he will be exceeding loth to be seene in this or knowne of it but rather layes it vpon God and provokes many a distracted saint that is not himself to surmize that it is no small jmpiety against God to appropriate the promises And the better to seduce them therin he puts such pretences into their mindes and mouthes as they dreame and jmagine to be of God against whome they thinke they should fearfully offend if they should clayme these heavenly comforts to theÌ„selves Which pretences of his seing they are the maine impediments which hynder the happines of Gods people let vs take such knowledge of them as may make them apparantly knowne to be infernall therefore in no wise to be beleeved but alwayes abborted Among many other two to my obseruation are most vsuall doe prevaile vpoÌ„ the faithfull soe afright them that they dare not meddle but doe in some sort forsake their owne mercy He suggesteth into the dejected soules of these afflicted saints to make their harts the more fearfull 1. that the promises of God are not assigned to them by name how then can they have any interest in them 2. that they are soe vnworthy of them in regard of their wickednes that they dare not owne them or have any thing to doe with them These are the sear-crewes the bug-beares wherwith he make's them to forbeare and put off all But you that thus speake according to temptation now speake according to truth and shame the divell the father of lyes who suborne's these fruitles things against you to rob you of the riches of Gods vnspeakable grace Iob. 28.2 Spake out I say and tell me Is not this to darken the truth of God by words without knowledge which no man ought to doe Is not this to disparage his truth and faithfullnes who is Amen Reu 1.2 Cor. 1.20 the true faithfull witnes that faith that all his promises are yea and Amen vnto us that we might be rooted in the assurance of them Is not this to be beyond all Gods boundes to be besides ones self in our spirituall estate being overcome of a mysticall frenzy to cast of all affiance in the Lord Iob. 9.16 â—7 speaking stroÌ„gly in this distemper as Iob did if I had called vnto him and he had answered me yet would J not beleeve that he had hearkened to my voyce And shall we stand on that which we see will not beare vs but let vs fall nay throw vs downe and make vs fall for soe will these aforesayd pretences doe No be it farre from vs to doe soe And that it may be soe let vs come neerer to a more straight and narrow inquisition touching them which that we may the better doe we will set vpon them seuerally and soe set them out before you that we may shew them and you may see them to be the base subornations of Satan and by him bent to abuse God and beguile you of your blessednes and these two are all his only ends For the first which stiâ—ks so much with many Pretence and wherat they stumble to wit that because they are not named they dare not intermedle they know not that they are mean't or may make bolae with that which is written and wherin others are by name interessed You tell
vs that you finde these good words in Gods booke and doe nothing doubt of the truth of them no question but the Lords minde was that Abraham David and those other whose names are recorded with these comfortable sayings should rejoice in them and if their harts did not leape at them they were too blame seing these consolations were directed personally to them had they beene soe to vs we could have beene happy had we beene the men it had beene our consolation also but alas who are we to them where are our name 's to be founde But what a poore and pittifull plea this is Evindeces against it how idle and empty of all good evidence to proue any thing either directly or by consequence to this present point or any other good purpose will quickly appeare if we once come to looke into it and as we discover it we shall see there is nothing worth looking vpon in it Only here by the way before we set vpon it we may discerne a subtilty of Satan wherby he doth notoriously abuse you as once in another case he did divers others For when as there was some question made of Pauls doctrine Act. 18.14 Gallio told the Iewes that if their motion were a matter of weight and substance he would have hearkened to them but being but of words and names as he thought it was not worth the hearing The truth was that that matter was of more then words or names or such triviall stuffe even of the foundation Iesus Christ and the truth of the Gospel but the divell deluded that Gallio as now he doth many a man to thinke slightly of the great things of God but here he doth contrary for this which we haue in hand is but a question of wordes and names and no more and he strikes this jmpression deepely as if all the happines of a christian and all the hope of heaven lay vpon it Thus doubly deales the diuell to a wicked man the mayne truth of God shal be a matter of no weight and to a childe of God that which hath no weight at all in it shall overbeare the mayne truth of God But this by the way to shew how SataÌ„ befoole's both sorts I would all Gods people were as wise in this which is of no moment as wicked Gallio was in that which he thought to be soe And that they may be soe we will now lay open the nakednes of this matter of names in particuler and that so clearely I hope that hereafter it shall not be soe much as once named among christiaÌ„s when they shall once see the notable vanityes nay the notorious jmpieties that will follow vpon the pressing of it to this purpose And that they may be seene how sinfull they are we will set some of them downe in order before you wherof you shall doe well seriously to consider for you shall finde them exceeding grosse 1. Euidence coÌ„futed First it thwarteth manifestly overturneth Gods most wise and gracious manner of speaking by his spirit throught out the scriptures in this point of the application of his heavenly truth His course and order of speaking is this VVhen any diuine truth of his is reuealed it is soe vttered as it may most plainely appeare that he did intende and meane the application of the matter and substance therof except in some personall circumstance as well to every true Christian not named as vnto any to whome it was directly spoken and particulerly directed And that this is an vndeniable truth may be made very evident by many allegations both out of the olde testament and the new In the olde testament such as speake by Gods spirit spake thus David for one applyeth to himself that which is common to all Christians It is written of me Psal 40.7 that I should doe thy will O God where is this written more of David then of any other man many things were spoken to him by name from God but this was no more to him then to vs yet you see he assumeth and applyeth it to himself as written to him because he could not but know that obedience to the will of God did as directly appertaine to him and would be as exactly required of him as of any other man If this had beene sent by name to him from God he could have sayd no more then he doth and thus much you see he saith though no mans name be mentioned because he knew that euery man was meant The people of God in another Psalme doe the same as we may read and it very good for vs to note Psal 66.6 He turned the sea to dry land they passed through the riuer on foote thâ—re did we rejoyce in him marke how the people of God speake here of a thing long since past a mercy shewed to their fore-fathers yet the benefit and favour is acknowledged to God and he magnified for it as if it had bene done to them selues the change of the person is worth observation they passed through c there did we rejoyce Another like vnto this we finde in the prophet Hosea where that which is intreated off is spoken personally of Iacob to wit of his wrestling with God but the people of God in that time take it home and apply it vnto themselves soe the words inferre Hos 12.4 He had power over the Angell and prevailed he wept and prayed he founde him in Bethel there he spake with vs. The gracious consolatory words given by Christ called here the angel as being the angel of the covenant to Iacob touching his prevailing with God and Gods benediction of him are here said to be spoken to them there he spake with vs they claime them as if the Lord had blessed them as he did him Thus haue Gods people in the olde testament done And they in the new haue done likewise if we consider a few examples it will easily appeare Our Lord Iesus Christ is cleare in this case when he doth apply those very words of God as spoken to the Iewes that then were which were vttered to their progenitors many a yeare before Haue yee not read that which was spoken to you by God mat 22.31.32 I am the God of Abrahâ—m c see he aske's them why they did not make vse of this as spoken to themselues Exod. which yet by voice from God was sayd to Moses out of the middest of the bush that burned but consumed not Haue yee not read saith Christ as of he should say it is your negligence that you have not if you haue read it is your ignorance that you know not that thus you ought to apply the words of God if you have read what was spoken to Moses in this matter and imagine that God meant it to no more but him you erre it is an erroneous reading of Gods word and argue's we want knowledge when wee make that peculiar to anyone which the Lord
cast of the care of both soe desperately And this is our sixt and last evidence against this first pretence I might prosecute this particuler much more plentifully but I will not hopeing that that which is sayd will hunt it out of their harts who see the sin and jmpiety of it which thus farre we haue endeavoured to discover that we might once learne for ever to abandon and abhorre to speake after Satan If in the laying out of this any haue thought me too long let him know that the evill is exceeding grosse and hath you see soe much jmpiety in it that too much cannot be spoken against it The Lord and his sacred truth and his poore saints are the loosers by it the divell the pope and the prophane they gaine abundantly al take their advantageâ— against God from the mouthes of his owne people the inferences and consequences of whose pretence in this thing doe produce in finite euills as you have heard in the particulers aboue mentioned wherevnto we will adde no more now but proceede to the examination of that which they further pretend in the second place And that is their vnworthines of the promises Preten ∣ ce 2 and favours of God promised Oh say they wheÌ„ we presse them to apply the good words of God we are no way worthy of these comforts and kindnesses and therefore may not imagine them to be ours Well be it graunted we will most willingly yeelde it that you are not nor cannot be in your self worthy nothing is more true it were extreame pride and vnspeakeable presumption for any man to conceit there were any worth in him at all by which he might merit or make clayme to the least comfort he can receive But what of all this what followes hence or what is it you would couclude here vpon Is this it that you have no worthines therefore you can have no comfort you have no desert therefore you have no right to the favours of God Know then that these inferences are as injurious to God as offensiue before him as the former were in your first pretence which we have fully frustrated That you are not worthy is vndeniable but that therefore you may not medle is damnable Evidences against it the antecedent is Gods the consequent is the divells who drawes evill out of good as God doth good out of evill And dare you yoake Gods true propositions the diuells false conclusions together It seemes you dare because you doe but because we are perswaded that your darâ—ing and doing the impiety of both doe proceede from Satans vehement temptation working as in the former vpon your ignorance infidenlity and want of informatten we will therefore doe our best to instruct you herin and vnsolde the fearfull consequences of this corrupt conceit that you may see and resist them for if you well advise concerning them it will manisestly appeare that the evill of this second pretence is no whit inferiour to that which we haue detected in the first To begin then Eviden ∣ ce 1 our first evidence against this second pretence is the contradiction it hath with the other for if there be any strength in this there is none in that which went before and if that be sounde this is sight For why what auaileth it for one to haue his name in Gods booke and himself to be directly spoken too if he be not worthy of any thing promised to him and if a man be worthy then by this reasoning his nameing or not nameing is a matter of nothing Thus these two Satanticall conceits doe cut one anothers throates any man may jmagine they are not of God I ceause they agree not with one another it is for the father of lyes thus to confute yea confounde himself in that which he suggesteth The God of truth never speake's any thing which will not well consert with it self there is a heavenly harmony in all that the God of heaven saye's But the divell being himself a destroyer suborne's that wich will both destroy it self and vs yet we are soe vnwise as not to know it But let vs note it more narrowly now take good notice of in this pretence compared with the former That which was vrged before did as we haue shewed nullify Gods truth to all except such as were named this which is pretended now doth make their title voyd too before you thought Abraham David c. happy men for being named they might apply the promises now vnlesse they were worthy their nameing doth not helpe soe that what the first pretence did leaue but to few this second doth take from all and now no Patriarch Prophet or Apostle is in better case by this allegation then one of vs for vnlesse they have worth in them they can have no warrant to apply the comforts of God soe that now even these holy men are as sarre to seeke of their consolation for want of worthines as wee weere for want of names That the best of them was not worthy I thinke you beleeve it is evident they were not by their owne acknowledgment they that have had most grace from God have beene most abased in their owne eyes and have ever disclaymed with all deadly detestation and defiance the entertaynement of any such proud conceits The man we have soe often named and of whome our text doth intreat even Iacob who here doth as you see soe comfortably entitle himself vnto these promises of God and so powerfully apply them he in the next verse to our text renounceth all worthines and freely confesseth he is lesse in worthynes then the least of all Gods mercyes not worthy of any one noe not of the least of any of them and surely all the servants of Jacobs God are of the same minde Yet you see he many more whome we have notifyed did take home the truth of God with warraÌ„t enough from God though they founde no worthines therof in themselves Now then seing you see whervnto this come's that what is pleaded in this doth devoure and make voyde what was vrged in the other and that these two cannot by any meanes agree with one another you haue good reason to agree to neither but notwithstanding we haue neither names in Gods booke nor worthynes in our selves let vs apply the promises of Gods loue savour to our soules for they doe not depend vpon any such things as these Noe childe of God ever had any worthynes yet every one hath had the interest and benefit of his blessed promises This is our first evidence against this second pretence Secondly Eviden ∣ ce 2 it doth set vp and advaunce our owne thoughts of our selves aboue and beyond Gods thoughts of vs as if what we apprehended of our selves were all in all what the Lord thought of vs were nothing at all whereas the truth is that it must goe with vs and be with vs according as our God is minded
towards vs. All the hope and happines and all the seare and misery of a man doth wholy consist in that which God conceiveth of him His good opinion of vs doth assure vs to be in a good nay a most excellent condition but it is wofull with the man of whome the Lord thinks ill he is indeede in a hard case of whome he hath a hard conceit If our owne conceites of our owne estates might rule the roaste and beare all before it what sure grounde of any safety could we have in any thing being subject to such grosse aberration in all our apprehensions for through the force of temptation we are diuersly and for the must part erroneously opinionated of our selves sometimes too presumptuously as Dauid when he thought he should neuer have beene mooued Psal 3 v. 6 Ion. 2.4 sometimes to dejectedly as Ionas when he gave himselfe quite ouer for a cast away our ignorance and Satans mallice working with it make's vs many times proud and praeposterous many times slavish 〈◊〉 base ever amisse never in the right for our owne estates therefore there is nothing to be gathered from this false ground of what we imagine seing the Lord who knowes our thoughts long before they come into our harts hath tolde vs that the imaginations of our harts are evill continually Gen. 6.5 Nay which is yet more we may not measure our future estate in this manner vpon those good and warrantable thoughts we have of our selves as when God commandeth and his spirit enlighteneth vs to see our vnworthines and to thinke meanely of our selves as we ought to doe in regard of our sins desert we may not hence collect any such conclusion as we would here inferre For the divell doth abuse vs by double pollieye both in causing vs many times to misse the true apprehension of our estate and if at any time the spirit of God lead vs into a true vnderstanding of the same he perverts the consequence therof and make's that false We being then so subject to this twofolde miscarriage either of false opinion or false conclusion by him suggested vpon our true perswasion let it be farre from vs to frame or enforce any thing concerning our finall condition vpon what we thinke for the present God never built any thing at all that belonges either to our present state of grace or our eternall state of glory vpon this hay stubble chaffe of our apprehensions It is the Lords approbation or disallowance which all the world must stick to for by it all men either stand or fall sinke or swimme liue or dye are condemed or justified for ever Our right and part in himself and all his promises lyes herevpon He cannot erre or be misguided touching vs being the most righteous judge both of Angells and men the elect and reprobate of both as he sayes all is and soe it must be for ever and ever Isa 55.8 Hence it is that the Lord sendes the Iewes word that his thoughts are not as their thoughts as if he should say it matters not what you thinke what I thinke is the thing you must depend vpon ver 9. and that he explanes vnto them in the very next verse where he affirmeth his thoughts to exceede theirs as farre as the heavens sur passe the carth which are every way much more high and excellent What then though you thinke your selfe vnworthy if the Lord thinke you worthy it is well enough you are bounde to the one he is free to the other though it be your duty to account meanely of your self yet it is his mercy to accept you as worthy of his best favours and your estate must be conceived of according to his not your owne estimate So God relleth his people by his prophet Ieremiah Ier. 29.11 I know the thoughts that I have thought concerning you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evill to give you and expected end Ioe according to his thoughts soe is it vnto vs by his thinking thus of vs we attaine an expected end Indeede to be but meanely conceited of our selves is no other then we ought to be and if we could thinke ill of our selves without any further such ill consequence concluded thervpon it were well with vs and a sure signe that God thought well of us as we might instance in many particulers vpon whome it hath well appeared that Gods thoughts of them have not beene as their owne have beene Iob 40.4 cap. 42.6.7.8 Jer. 31.18.19.20 Iob thought himself vile but God accounted preciously of him as he that readeth may see â—phraim blamed himself exceedingly and layd much to his owne charge God acquited him yea commended and comforted him abundantly And the same might we say of many more but one shall serve for all and that is Paul who laye's out himself at large in regard of that wickednes which made him vtterly vnworthy of any mercy but most worthy of Gods greatest vengeance and sury He doth freely confesse his foule offences past his blasphemy against God his tyranny against his saints c. And in regard of these we may conceive that he thought himself for ever vtterly vnworthy to intermedle in that holy ministration of the Apostleship and much lesse worthy of any interest in Gods kingdome of glory but did he thence as you doe conclude that he should never receive any consolation because he was vnworthy Noe but the cleare contrary he measured his estate not by his owne estimation of himself but by the Lords approbation of him 1. Tim. 1.12.13 marke his words And I thanke our Lord Iesus Christ who enabled me for he counted me faithfull and put me into his service Consider well the power of this truth in this holy Apostle there was good reason he should judge himself vnworthy yet no reason that he should therefore esteeme himself incapable of Gods favour he settle's his soule and rests his hart as vpon a rock on that which the God of heaven did conceive of him and as God did account of him so was he comforted in himself All the thoughts of his owne worthlessnes could not debarre his blessednes but Gods accounting of him worthy made him blessed And this is our second evidence against this pretence Thirdly Eviden ∣ ce 3 this pretence intimates that our vnworthynes is the only barre of our interest and benefit in Gods promises and soe consequently that our worthynes is our evidence to clayme them by and neither of these have either any truth or true comfort in them but much presumption is in the one and foule falshood in both For why it is more then manifest that the Lord never meant to founde his favours vpon any such ground in vs but only and meerely vpon his owne free grace loue and faithfullnes that in these he might be magnisied of vs. Doe we not vnderstand thus much plainely by that which the Lord saith when he putts the
oyle is good to glad your harts and to make you to have a cheerefull countenance nay which is an invalable benefit a cheerefull conscience Open your mouthes wyde yea as wyde as you can and he will fill them extende dilate enlarge your hart to the vttermost there can be no just feare of want of grace in him all the doubt is that you will want place to receive it make as much roome as is possible and the Lord will powre it in freely even till it overflow as David tell 's vs he did vnto him when he confessed that his cup did run did over and the apostle Psal 23. when he also acknowledgeth further that the Lord can doe unto us exceeding abundantly aboue all that we can aske or thinke Eph 3.20 and both these sayings doe shew apparantly that the Lord hath more to giue them we can either aske or receive We cannot want so much as he can spare nor beg soe much as we may have Well Psal 115.15 and worthily might the Psalmist say yee are the blessed of the Lord who can deeme you lesse that see 's all the blessednes that is written in Gods booke and reserved with God in the highst heavens to be intended and appropriated to you by the Lord himself Now then inasmuch as you see Gods favour let him see your faith set that grace a worke on this goodnes of his Doe not suffer your selves to be deluded any more by him who in all his endeavours meane's no glory to God no good to you but mischiefe to both by labouring to cancel his truth to you and to make voyde your faith towards him Grace him not soe much as to give him the hearing of any thing he offreth to whisper into your harts Cast off all his suggestions with contempt and scorne let him see himself despised and his sabttityes abhorred Jam. 4.7 that is the next way to be rid of him if we resolutely resist him And let vs strive now and ever to cleaue to our God who can comfort and doe vs good his voyce hath sweetnes and vertue in it as well to worke good in us as to speake good to us it is all one to him to give vs good things as to give vs good words If he say it it is done why then doe we not as he saith and lende our best attention to his consolatios Craue we pardon for our perversnes past and power against it fortime to come that nothing may for ever heareafter hinder the sounde application of Gods saving truth vnto vs. And thus we have now at length finished our first vse which concerneth both the righteous reprehension and the gracious consolation of the saints of God who have now had the double portion we promised them We are now to put on to the second use of the same Vse 2 to wit that which cometh to wicked men from the consideration of this instruction to wicked men reprehēsion of the application of Gods truth Which being a duty wherevnto all men are bounde they also are enwrapped within the cordes of this doctrine and tyed to take home that part of Gods holy truth which doth concerne themselves And if thus they doe as it is their duty and their not doing of it wil draw downe heavy vengeance vpon them then will their misery and feare flow apace vpon them even so fast that they shall not be able either to escape the swiftnes of it but it will come to them nor to withstand the rage and violence therof but it will seize them in spight of all their cursed security and presumption whereby they often put their evill farre from them Nay whether they doe take it home or noe it will take yea overtake yea and overturne them too according to Gods owne fearfull threatning by Moses All these curses shall come vpon thee and overtake thee Deut. 28.15 till thou be destroyed So that a wicked mans evill is every way open before him assured to him let him turne himself which way he will he is in an ill case if he apply not Gods truth he incurres double danger for the Lord will both plague him for disobedience to this doctrine and the truth of God in the terror therof wil apply it self and fasten vpon him whether he will or noe and if he doe according as God hath sayd in the lesson before named then must he also know that there is no good at all appertayning to him but all the evill thath Gods booke reveale's Nothing is more plaine then that the Lord never meant any good to any vngodly man any good did I say oh it were well with them if that were all but to speake as the truth is and as they shall feele from God in case they continue in their jmpiety and prophanes he doth not only intend them no good but he intendes them nothing but evill and all evill of every kinde which is writtē all the curses comminations heavy sentences wofull sayings all miserable misceivous messages either of present justice or future vengeance whatsoever it be that the wisdome of God hath revealed from heaven or the justice of God hath reserved to be executed either here on earth in part of payment in temporall curses or fully and finally in hell in that infinite vengeance which is jmmeasurable and everlasting all this in every jot and tittle therof is theirs and they must drinke off this whole cup of the Lords wrath and enraged jndignation to the bottome in all the bitternes of the same Goe ye sinners and vngodly persons of all sorts reade over pervse every part every page of Gods sacred booke and in what leafe or line soever ye meete with any thing that favours of confusion or sounde's like a curse or sentence of comdemnation say to your selues as our Jacob doth here Thou Lord saist this to me this part of Gods truth is my portion and belongeth to me my jmpiety applei's this to me my wickednes doth draw me vnder this wofull censure But because Gods booke is so laden fraught with dreadfull threatnings hence now I thinke of it may a man give a great guesse at the cause reason why vngodly persons have no delight or pleasure to reade the scriptures but preferre every vaine pāphlet before those divine words which were inspired by Gods spirit a filthy play booke invented by the divell and by him prompted and put into the brayine of some base impiont varlet whose hellish tongue and hand he doth imploy to pronounce and pen it hath more readers more acceptance and attention then those blessed words which God hath breathed into those holy men who spake from himself vnto vs and why is this why is it thus surely a more eminent reason of this jmpiety cannot be rendred then this that the Lords booke boade's them no good every word is a woe vnto them therefore they take no more pleasure therin then a fellon
God and if once the divell be master of our eare and haue it at command what can be soe corrupt or accursed which he will not convay into vs How much better and more happy were it for vs to hearken to the heauenly voyce of God though that he saith should seeme heauy to vs. The worst he speaketh is to make vs good and to further our best estate He doth wish us well in the most wofull sentences he vtters against vs. Let him that hath an eare to heare heare what the Lord saith which if we will doe we shall many time heare him complaine against his people and giving this one jmpiety as a principall cause of thier wonder ful misery But they would not encline their eare And when he wished and meant them all good he saith Oh that my people would haue heard then saith he I would haue comforted them and crush't their enemyes but he complayneth mournefully against them but my people would not heart c therefore I gaue them up to the hardnes of their owne harts that they might be perverted by their owne counsells and soe come to sinall confusion through this perversenes Seing then this sin makes the Lord to giue ouer men now let every man that woull not be giuen ouer of God giue ouer this sin and for ever resolve to lay home the Lords truth to himself that it may liue in us and we may liue in it and by it before the Lord Put we on that resolution vnfaynedly Ier. 42.5 which the Iewes in Jeremies time did dissemblingly professe when they sayd The Lord be a true and faithfull witnes betweene thee and us if we doe not according to all things for which the Lord shall send thee to us ver 6. VVhether it be good or evill we will obey the voyce of the Lord thâ—y Good c. Let our deedes be as good as their words were here and it shal be wel with vs. Take the truth the Lord intends thee and it shall assuredly be well with thee And this is our second use of this point to sinfull men Vse 3 We goe on now to the third and last use and that concerneth all men information both saints and sinners holy and prophane one or others it is matter of information to them all and to every of them to betake themselves forthwith to doe according to this truth of God which now we have made manifest vnto you to know You see it is Gods minde that all men should apply his word Motiues you see also how farre it concerneth both Gods owne and all others soe to doe Let vs now endeavour to conforme both of some of those many good motives and considerations that may the better carry the ony and the other to the practise of this doctrine of application Gods people had neede of some provocations and vngodly persons had neede of some spurres herevnto To the godly both are too backward as we haue largely heard let vs doe our best to further them both herevnto We will begin with the best first and let the saints see what a multitude of mighty inducements they have to draw them thus to doe A few we will presse in particuler by which it will appeare vpon serious consideration how it stants them vpon to apply that now which till now they haue soe groyssly neglected and let alone First therefore Motiues 1 I pray you consider and vnderstand that if you doe not apply the promises of God you nullify and frustrate them you make them vtterly voyde of all truth and vertue Thinke throughly of it for it is thus and no better you doe thus and no otherwise And that you may see that soe it is remember and call to minde thus much God never meant his promises to any but to his owne people for their sakes alone himself did reveale and his pen-men did write them it never came into his hart that any man else shoull meddle with them he call's them precious promises because it should be knowne they are not commen meate for every man but foode only for the faithfull whome he hath chosen to be a precious and peculiar people to himself Now if this were his minde and meaning whervnto shall these promises serue if you receive them not to whome shall they goe if you take them not home if thus the case stand that wicked men must not haue them and you will not what shall become of them to whome or to what shall they appertaine what may be the vse or benefit of them It is not Gods minde to give them to sinners it is not yours to take them to your selves what shall they doe when they are vsefull to neither are they not voyde to both and soe become as a cancell'd writing wherin no man hath right wherof no man can have good Oh that you could lay this to hart and well ponder this evill of yours is it a small thing to anihiliate the greatest part of that wherof rather then one whitt shall perish Reu. 22.19 heaven and earth shall fayle and from which whosever doth detract or diminish in the least the Lord will diminish of his happines that is abolish him from all hope of being happy and encrease his curses vpon him This is the first evill of your refusall and it is fearefull and the manifestation of it should move you more then a litle to feare that practise which may and will pull you into such horrible impiety and also pull such heavy plagues vpon you But this is not all it is but the first and not the worst of some other that follow as infailliblely vpon this practise as this doth Secondly then Motive 2 consider that your refusall to take the promises of God vnto you doth not only actually make them voyd to you being a great part of Gods gracious truth but which is yet more sinfull and â—â—â—â—â—full it doth occasionally make all the rest of the scripture voyde which concerneth wicked men and soe the whole truth of God a thing which I tremble to vtter I say the whole truth of God is frustrate and through vs become nothing or as a thing of nought by our sinfull refusall of our part And this wil be as palpably evident as the former if you take knowledge that the divell who drawe's you to deny your portion doth by you draw others to doe the same make your refusall the occasion of theirs Let any childe of God who digesteth not Gods promises speake to a wicked man in case of any impiety or rebellion against God and bestow a reprooffe vpon him out of Gods word in vttering some curse and commination against his swearing drunkenes or any other evill the divell doth prompt him presently and put into his head what to reply and stop your mouth withall why saith the godles wretch should I tremble or trouble my self with these words of God that concerne me when you are not
we cannot once conceave neither can the infinite immeasurablenes of it enter our harts in any measure But in what he was and should further have beene in what he had and should further have enjoyed we see enough to assure vs of this truth sufficiently And as true as it was to him he being the roote of all mankinde and in the steade of vs all so true had it beene to vs all had he and we stood in that state of integrity and incorruption wherin he was created Nay that we may yet see the vnmoveable goodnes of God that he is still of the same minde though we are not the same men though we fayle in our obediēce he faile's not in his kindnes Beholde he is God changeth not immutable in favour constant in his compassions a sure freinde to a faithfull man a well-willer to a well-doer still and ever that howsoever we have offended against him provoked greived him enforced him to deprive vs of our happy estate yet hath he raysed vs againe brought vs into such a blessed condition as wherin yet we may be made most happy partakers of the truth of this instruction Passe we from Adam to Abraham and we shall soone see it to be still true The Lord bidd's him goe out of his countrey and leaue all behinde him as now he will have Iacob returne into his and take all with him and now let vs looke vpon the condition and tearmes of his obedience Gen. 12.1.2 cap. 35.1.2 what is promised to him in the text why even this I will blesse thee thou shalt be a blessing and againe I am the buckler thine exceeding great reward was not all this performed to him in truth was not God as good as his word with advantage yes that he was as we all know True it is never any was put to greater matter of obedience and it is as true that never any was crowned with more precious favours and abundant mercyes from God his name is as famous for Gods kindnes to him as his is for obedience to God We reade of the faith of Abraham wherin he was so famous that he is enstyled the father of the faithfull and Abraham is honoured not onely in his graces before men but also in his extraordinary prerogatives receaved from God he being called the freinde of God which honourable appellation was not by name given to any in all the olde testament but yet it is vouchsafed to all the faithfull by Christ in the new I call you no more seruants but freinds and againe Joh. 15.14 Gal. 3.14 yee are me freinds if yee doe whatsoever I command you and the blessednes we have by Christ is entituled the blessing of Abraham that the blessing of Abraham might come vpon the Gentiles c. Now what happines Abraham found in yeelding himself to God to doe as he would have him in all things the same founde his posterity also and generally not to insist vpon any more particular instances the Lord hath entailed our welfare to all his precepts as we may finde in all and every of them that nothing is more frequent then the promises of his grace annexed to the promise of our obedience still the Lord fasten's and tye's the one too the other every where Moses is most abundant in many places in this particuler Deut. 5.29.33 cap. 6.18.24 cap. 10.13 cap. 12.28 cap. 16.13 almost in every chapter of Deuteronomie no one thing is so often itterated as this Take heede doe according to all that I command you that it may be well with you with your children for ever It is ordinary almost in all chapters and often found in divers verses of some one And to the end we might be sure of all absolute assurance of all this good in thus doing the Lord doth as it were put vs into possession of the same saing And all these blessings shall come vpon thee cap. 28.2 shall ouertake thee first all in generall all these blessings shall overtake you secondly every one in particuler as it is in the verses following where thy are particulated at large Neither is Moses the only man that thus speake's but the Prophets also vtter the same words very oftē speake the same language every where as it were most easy to instance in more places then time will permitt vs now to quoate Say yee it shal be well with the righteous saith Isaiah Isa 3.10 Jer. 32 29 I wil doe thus and thus saith God by Ieremiah for the wealth of them and their children speaking of his covenant of grace Testimonies you see would abound if we should muster vp all that we coulde finde in the scriptures but we will spare them and enquire after some reasons of the point and they are these that follow First if this were not a truth that Reason 1 they that wil be ruled by God shall fare well then there were not nor could be any encouragement at all to any good for what hart can any man have to be obedient to the Lord and to submit to his law if soe be we might not be sure of something for soe doing All these good words of God were worth litle and men should have small mynde to bende themselves to the best obedience of their harts and lives to please the Lord in all things if it were not for the hope herof and that they might build vpon this blessednes wherof we speake But we must know that nothing of all this that the Lord saith is any whitt in vaine neither can be but that every jott and tittle of it was and is truly intended vnto the faithfull by him who never spake any thing but seriously as he did indeede mynde and intende the same Secondly Reason 2 if this were not so the divell would prove at least semingly to the world a better pay-master then God for why he promise's and makes proffers to such as he can bewitch to doe his will of great things Mat. 4.9 Job 21. Psal 73. So he did to Christ All these things I will giue thee So the Saints complaine in Jobs and Davids dayes how well wicked men fared in all respects being the servants of sin and Satan wondering exceedingly how and why it should be or could be soe And good Ieremiah he was even at his witts end Ier. 12.1.2.3 stumbled soe shrewdly at this that he was almost cleane downe and even driven to a non-plus when he saw how well it went with wicked men Now because the Divell who although in no sense indeede he can be and yet to the blinded sence of sinfull men he seeme's to be a better master then the Lord and also to the end that no enlightened minde should once imagine any such thing God himself will have vs know that his promises and his payment too are such and soe royall that as we say in our proverbe there is no
soe over loue either my self or all the wealth vnder heaven but that I coulde have accounted my harte and state incomparably more comfortable in your service then in your kinanes in your spirituall then in mine owne temporall advantage and might I have still enjoyed my libertie among you to have honoured God and done you good I had beene in full contentment to my harts desire But I see it may not be I must out of my paradice I will not say the divell either entises or enforces me out I desire to looke only vpon the hand of God in all things as I taught you all to do doe not long since the greatest heavines of my hart is this that he seeth me not worthy or fit to abide in it because I have honoured him so litle during the time I enjoyed it And soe at his pleasure that shutts and no man opeÌ„s I now passe away as I came in when he did open and no man did shutt my soules desire is and hath beene that the Lord might have his will aboue myne and that his good pleasure might ever be predominant and overule all my desires Let vs all labour to beleeue that that is and must be our best estate which come's vpon vs from him who is God to be blessed for ever who manifesteth and magnifieth himself to be only wyse and infinitely gracious in all things that come to passe vpon his children Faith will thus judge and determine though our flesh would fasten other perswasions vpon vs. And thus considered I dare not but conceit my remoouall to be better then my resting here howbeit nature doth distaste it as a thing exceeding bitter Grace can make that truly good which corruption apprehendeth to be a heavy evill And when once sanctification hoth conquered coruption and got the vpper hand and that the Lord hath taken the scales of ignorrant and erroneous judgment from myne eyes that I may see himself clearely in this thing I know I cannot but be comforted with joy vnspeakable glorious In the meane time I now beholde you with heavines whome I must beholde no more in this heavenly duty and ministration my soule overflowe's with sorrow I am vnspeakeably affucted in my spirit that I shall not thus see your faces any more nor you mine againe in this place and service But our God shall beholde vs both and all of vs in the brightnes of the face of his son Iesus Christ and if we will strive to looke vnto him as we ought the lustre and beames of his most blessed countenance will breake through all these foggs and mist of our naturall perturbations which appeare abundantly in the mournefull teares wherwith now we doe so sorrowfully salute one another which whether they doe more breake or solace my hart is hard to say I cannot but deepely symphathize with your sorrow yet can I not but joy againe to beholde your deare regard of me expressed in these affectionâ—te significations Thus these two doe fight an eager combate within me but greife prevailes I see both in you my seâ—f for this our vnseasonable separation But now it is see that I must goe and according to the good pleasure of his will who here spake vnto Iacob assoone as I heare I desire to obey and to returne into my countrey and I desire nothing seing I must be gone but to depart in true peace as I signifyed to you all the last Lords day when we did all feast with the Prince of peace that it might appeare we parted as the children of peace in his blessing and love whose bread wine of blessing we did louingly eate drinke together I must leaue you but know he will not leaue you nor me nor any of his how soever it be soe that we must live a sunder in this world Stay you here in this land of Labans who receiue you to enrich themselves and affect you litle futher then they finde that you are beneficiall to them Be faithfull in your employments the Lord can send you home with his blessing in abundance though you might at first come over this Iorden but with your staffe or but some slender support portion in externall things My soule doth wish every one of you Iacobs wealth but with Iacobs faith his prosperity with his piety the Lord make you equall to him in greatnes goodnes also Yea the God of Abraham Isaac Jacob d ee you all good bestow his best benedictioÌ„s vpoÌ„ your Society that the body therof may ever inherit her ancient honors and aduantages and the members may share not only these common comforts but every one in particuler his owne welfare and benefit beside Of this one thing you must ever be ceartainly assured and perswaded that you cannot be more happy then Pagans may be but in the prosperity of soule body together if the Lord divide these and doe give abundance only to the owtward man this is his heavy justice these are your vnhappy riches Therefore am I and ever shal be a harty wellwiller to the wellbeing of both Gods law doth command your loue hath bounde me to be an vncessant suitor for this double mercy if accordingly I be not so farre as I may or can let me finde no favor in earth no felicity in heaven And soe I leave you to the love of God whose power guard you against all evill grace guide you vnto all good peace rule in your harts mercy compasse you about in all estates As the church of Christ I leave you to him that is head of the church and saviour of his body As my late flock I leaue you to the great shepheard of your soules As my louing freinds I leave you to him that is the helper of the freindles As christians I leave you to Iesus Christ both your Lord and myne he abide with you his graces abound in you his holy spirit be your comforter on earth your conductor to heaven I cannot make an end or give over the multiplication of my soules wishes of your soules and bodyes good I am full of matter and my spirit within me constraines me to goe on but dolour can keepe no decorum it is an ill orator and you see affection drowne's both matter and methode yet I must conquer my felfe and end vnwillingly and soe I endeavour spite of my longing hart to wish longer desiring only this one thing that what good this time will not permitt me to vtter the Lord of his goodnes may please to expresse vpon you all for ever That soe it may come to passe that in all respects states what soever wherin you are or may be considered you may in every of them be truly blessed that as men you may be faithfull as merchants you may be samous as christâ—aens you may be gracious as saints you may be glorious More then these I cannot pray for and I doe and will pray that you