former times when God judged them wee may well expect the same fearfull judgments to fall upon us Vnfruitfulnes threatneth a judgment upon a people when God hath bestowed a great deale of cost and time hee lookes wee should answer his expectation in some measure The figge tree in the Gospell had some respite given it by reason of the prayers of the vine dresser but afterward when it brought forth no fruite it was cut downe and cast into the fire Beloved who amongst us would indure a barren tree in his Garden That which is not fit for fruit is most fit for fire wee can indure a barren tree in the Wildernesse but not in our Orchards when God the great husbandman of his Church sees that upon so great and continual cost be stowed upon us wee remaine yet unfruitfull he will not suffer us long to cumber the ground of his Church Againe decay in our first love is a signe of judgement approaching God threatned the Church of Ephesus to remove his Candlestick from among them for their decay in their first love that having surfetted of plenty and peace he might recover her tast by dyeting of her decay in love proceeds from disesteeme in judgement and God cannot endure his glorious Gospel should be slighted as not deserving the richest streyne of our love the Lord takes it better where there is but little strength and a striving to be better then when there is great meanes of grace and knowledge and no growth answerable but rather a declining in goodnesse I beseech you lay these things to heart The Lord is much displeased when Christians are not so zealous as they should be when there is not that sweet communion of Saints among them to strengthen and incourage one another in the waies of holinesse as there might be when there is not a beauty in their profession to allure and draw on others to a love liking of the best things when there is not a care to avoid all scandalls that may weaken respect to good things and bring an evill report on the waies of God when they labour not with their whole hearts to serve the Lord in a cheerefull manner c. The very not serving God answerable to encouragements is a certaine signe of ensuing danger Therefore I beseech you let us looke about us whether these be not the times wherein wee live that judgement must begin at the house of God The Lord complaines in Ieremy that the Turtle and other silly creatures knew the time of their standing and removing but his people did not know his judgements Doe the creatures know their times and seasons and shall Christ complaine that we know not the day of our visitation what a shame is this I beseech you let us know and consider our times If wee have a time of sinning God will have a time of punishing And have wee not just cause to feare that judgement is not sarre from us when wee see a great part of Gods house on fire already in our neighbouring Countryes wee have had lesser judgements and they have not wrought kindly with us wee neede a stronger purge If wee looke to the carriage of men what sinne is lesse committed now then formerly How few renew their covenant with God in sincerity of Resolution to walke closely with him And what the judgement will be wee may probably foresee for usually the last judgement is the worst wee have had all but warre the worst of all for in other judgements wee have to deale with God but in this wee are to deale with men whose very mereyes are crueltiâ—s The sword hath a long time been shaken over our heads a cloud of warre hath hung over us to affright us but we rest still secure in our sinfull courses and thinke to morrow shall be as to day and that no evill shall come nigh us c. Oh the frozen hearts of Christians that thrust the evill day farre from them doe wee not see the whole world in a manner in a combustion round about us and wee as the three young men in the fiery furnace untouched Beloved we have out-stripped them in abhominable wickednesses and however the Lord is pleased that wee should onely heare a noyse and rumour of warre yet wee in this Land have deserved to drinke as deepe of the cup of the Lords wrath as any people under heaven What course should we take to prevent the Judgement of God and keepe it from us Labour to meete God by speedy repentance before any decree be peremptorily come forth against us As yet there is hope to prevaile For blessed be God as wee have many things to feare so we have many things to incourage us to goe unto God with comfort wee have enjoyed a succession of gracious Princes that have maintained the truth of God amongst us wee have many godly Magistrates and Ministers together with the Ordinances many other experience of Gods love vouchsafed unto us We have yet time to seck the Lord let us not deferre till the very time of judgement come upon us for that is but selfe love Assure thy selfe thus much thou canst have no more comfort in troubles and afflictions when they doe come then thou hast care to prevent them before they come answerable to our care in preventing now will be our comfort then Therefore if wee would be bid in the day of Gods wrath if wee would have God to set his marke upon us and write us in his booke of Remembrance and to gather us when hee makes up his jewels If wee would have him to owne us then looke to it now Get now into Christ be provided now of a sound profession of Religion and that will be as an Arke to shelter us in the evill day What wee know let us doe and then wee shall be built on a Rocke that if waves or any thing come wee shall not be stirred Usually God in dangerous times leaveth some ground of hope which worketh differently with men Such as are carnall grow presumptuous hereupon but the Godly are drawne neerer to God upon any appearance of incouragement the good things they injoy from God worke in them a more earnest desire to please him It is the custome of the spirit of God to make doubtfull imperfect and as it were halfe promises to keepe his people still under some hope whence we reade of these and such like phrases in Scripture It may be God will shew mercy and Who knoweth whether he will heare us c. Againe examine and try upon what ground thou professest Religion whether it will hold water or no and stand thee in steade when evill times shall come Beloved it neerely concernes us all seriously to consider and narrowly to search upon what grounds wee venture our lives and soules try graces our knowledg repentance faith love c. of what metall they are
Or 2. to Gods children and so they are moderate corrections and therefore the Prophet so often urgeth Correct us ô Lord in judgement c. God alwaies moderates afflictions to his owne children but as for the wicked he sweepes them away as doung as drosse and as chaffe c. Againe it is a comfort to Gods children that he beginnes with them first rather then God will suffer them to perish and be condemned with the world hee beginnes with them here they have their worst first and the better is to come This likewise is some comfort that the time when God corrects his children is most seasonable â—it for them God pruneth his trees in the â—ittest time A plant cut unseasonably dieth but being cut in due time it flourishes the better All the works of God are beautifull in their season Every Châ—istian may truly say God loves me better then I doe my selse hee knowes the best time of purging and visiting his people This is the time of lacobs trouble c. therefore we should lay our hands upô our mouths kisse the rodd and stoope under judgements as côsidering Gods time to be the best time and that hee knowes better what is good for us then wee doe our selves Thus you see though we have cause of fearing Gods judgments yet there is something to comfort us in the midst of all God mingles our Comforts and Crosses together whilest we are here both to keepe us in awe of offending his Majesty and to incourage uâ— in well-doing Therefore let us alwayes looke what matter of feare and what matter of hope wee have for both these are operative affetions Oh that I could stirre up this blessed feare in you it is that which preserves the soule and God hath promised that hee will put his feare into our â—earts that wee shall not depart from hiâ— I beseech you plie the thronâ— of grace and desire the Lord that it may bee to every one of your soules according to his good word Labour likewise â—or iâ—câ—urâ—gement in the waies of holinesse blessed be God yet wee have a time of respite God forbeares us with much patience goodnesse Answerable to our good courses that we take nâ—w will be our comfort in the evill day If wee carelesly goe on in sinne thinke it time enough to renew our covenant with God then when his judgments are abroad and ready to ceasse upon us we doe but delude our owne soules expose our selues to inevitable dangers Marke what the Lord saith Because I called and you would not heare c. therefore will I laugh at your destruction Is it not strange that the mercifull God should laugh at the calamity of his poore creatures yet thus it is with every wilfull sinner that dallies with God and puts off his repentance from time to time God will take pleasure in the ruine of such a man and laugâ— when his feare cometâ— because those that seeke him then doe it not out of any love or liking of God and the waies of goodnes but merely out of selfe-love and respect to their owne well-fare THE VNGODLIES MISERY SERMON II. And if it first beginne at us what shall the end of those be that obey not the Gospell THESE words are pâ—opounded by way of admiraâ—â—â— as if the Apostle had beene at his wits end could not certainly set downe how great the judgment should bee of those that obey not the Gospell it was so terrible and unavoydable The points considerable are these 1. That the seeming prospâ—rity of the wicked shall have an end 2. That it is wisedome to conâ—ider the end of gracelesse persons 3. The description of them in these words they are such as obey not the Gospell It is naturally in the hearts of carnall persons to thinke it shall be alwaies well with theÌ„ whereas the Prophet saith the happinesse of a wicked man is but as a candle that ends in â— snuffe or like a Rose the beauty whereof suddenly fades and nothing remaines but the prickles The favours of men for which theyso much offend God shall have an end their strength shall end their pleasure shall end alas they are but pleasures of sinne for a season their life it selfe the foundation of all their comforts that shall have an end but their sinnes by which they have offended God shall never have an end See what a feareful judgmeÌ„t followes every wicked wretch that which he sinnes for his honor riches delights all shall vanish and come to nothing they shall not be able to afford him one droppe or dramme of comfort at his dying day but the sinne it self the guilt of that and the punishment due to the same shall indure for ever to torment his soule without serious repentance turning to God in time But secondly if the happinesse of wicked men shall have an end and their misery shall have no end let us not bee dazeled with their present happinesse so as to imâ—tate their evill waies let us tremble at their courses whose ends we tremble at if we walke in the same path shall wee not come to the same end All wicked men that delight in the company one of another here are brethren in â—vill and shall bee like a company of tares all cast into hell fire together hereafter It is pitty they should be sâ—vered then that will not be severed now Those mens courses therefore which wee follow here of their judgmeÌ„t wee shall participate eternally afterwards Let this admonish us to have nothing to do with sinfull persons nor to bee troubled with their seeming prosperity They stand in â—lippery places God lets them alone for a while but their pleasure will end in bitternesse at last all their riches shall end in poverty beggery They shall not have a drop of â—ater to coole their tongues All their honour and greatnesse shall end in conâ—usion and shame and lie in the dust ere long In deed we should rather pitty them if wee consider their latter ends Alas what shall become of them ere long The fall of there wretches shall bee so terrible that peter could not set it downe but leaves it to the admiration of the Reader What shall the end of such be c. One difference betwixt a wise man and a foole is that a wise man considers his end and frames his life sutable therunto therefore if we would be truly wise let us consider the end of those things in this world which wicked men offend God for and set so light by Heaven and everlasting happinesse for the procurement of Alas whatsoever is here shall have an end A Christian should frame his course answerable to eternity that when his happinesse shall end in this world it may beginne in the world to come els wee may out-live our happinesse This is the misery of wicked men that their soules are eternall
failed them So when a man sets up a righteousnesse of his owne neglecting the righteousnes of Christ it is impossible he should ever be saved living and dying in that errour Therefore I beseech you take heed of disobeying the Gospell of Jesus Christ in any kinde whatsoever for of all sinnes this is the greatest as shall appeare by these reasons First bâ—cause sins against the Gospel are sins against those Attribâ—tes wherin God wil glorifie himself most as his grace mercy loving kindnes c. Therfore the Gospel is called grace because it publisheth offers and applies grace Now sinnes against â—â—rcy are greater then sins against justice for God hath made all things for the glory of his mercy Even among men are not sinnes against favours the greatest sinnes To wrong a man whether hee deserves well or ill is an offence But what man will have his courtesies rejected though never so meane Love deserves love Favour deserves respect againe But now when weâ— obey not the Gospell wee neglect and dispise the goodnesse and mercy of God Oh what excelleÌ„t blessings doth the Gospell reveale if wee had hearts to value them Doth not the Gospell bring salvation Is it not the word of grace the word of life the word of the Kingdome Beloved I beseech you lay these things to heart for whensoever your refuse the Gospell of Christ you refuse with it the word of grace of the Kingdome of Heaven and eternall life and all therefore the sinnes of the Gospell must needs bee the greatest sinnes Againe sinnes against the greatest light are most sinnefull What makes sinne out of measure sinfull but this when it is committed against a great measure of light What makes a man fall foule It is not when he falls in a mist or in a darke night every one will pitty him then alas he wanted light but when hee falls at noone day Beloved had we lived in former times when the light was not powred forth so abundantly as now it is our sinne had beene the lesse but now in this cleare Sunshine of the Gospell for us to live in sinnes condemned by so great a light either in our judgmeÌ„t or practice it must needs make our sinne the greater If I had not come and spoke to them saith our Saviour they had had some pretence for their sinnes but when Christ had once spokeÌ„ all excuse was takeÌ„ away they could not theÌ„ say they knew not the will of God and this is the reason of that speech of the Apostle Now you are in the light walke as children of light And This is the condemnation that men hate light not that men for want of light stumble but that men love darknesse more then light It is not the sinne it selfe but the love liking of sinne which aggravates mens wickednesse when as the malice poison of their hearts rebells against the discovery of Gods good pleasure in Christ. No people oâ—t of the Church are capable of this sin for how can they sinne by infidelity and unthankfulnesse for the Gospell that never had it And therfore Negative infidelity is as it were no sin in comparison If I had not come among them they had had no sin saith Christ. Negative I call that when as men beleeve not having no meanes as infidells and Heathens c. And therefore as they sinne without the Gospell so they shal be damned without the Gospel the rule of their daÌ„nation shal be the law of Nature writteÌ„ in their hearts for this is an undoubted truth No man ever lived answerable to his Rule therefore God hath just ground of daÌ„nation to any man even from this that hee hath not lived answerable to the rule of his owne conscience so that we need not flie to reprobation c. Againe an other aggravation of sinnes against the Gospell is that they are against the better covenant The first covenant was Dâ—e this and live â—gainst which wee all sinned and were uâ—der the curse But now wee are under a more gracious covenant a covenant of mercy Beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ and wee shall be saved therefore sinnes now must needs bee more heinous for if we sinne against the Gospell either by presumption or despaire or els by prophanenes professing the Gospell but denying the power of it c. there is no remedy left for us If a man sinne against the Laâ— against Morall honesty and Civill Righteousnesse there is a remedy in the Gospell for him but when a man sinnes against the sweet love and goodnesse of God in rejecting the Gospel of his deare Sonne Mercy it selfe shall not save such an one That must needs bee a strange sinne that makes a man worse then a sodomite yet wee reade it shall bee easier for Sodome and Goâ—â—rrha in that day then for those that heare the Gospell the blessed allurements and invitations to beleeve and to lead an holy life answerable to our faith and calling and yet live in sins against conscience despising the precious bloud of Christ. Herod was a wretched man yet notwithstanding it was said hee added this to all he put Iohn in prison a Preacher of the Gospell sinnes against the Gospell in a loose malignant Professor are many times worse then all the rest Oh therefore take heed of sinning against the favour and goodnesse of God for this will confound us aâ— the day of judgment when we shal think What was so great mercy offered me did I slight it in this manner Have I lost the favour of God eternall life and the glorious company of the Saints in Heaven for a base pleasure of sinne for a seasâ—n to gratifie a bruitish lust Have I lost Christ and all the Good by him for ever only to satisfie my sinfull disposition to please a carnall friend c. Oh how will this lie heavy upon the soule another day we shall not need accusâ—rs our owne hearts shall justifie the sentence of God against us bee it never so sharpe that we have resused mercy so often tendred to us in the bloud of Christ. Marke what Saint Paul saith The Lord Iesus shall bee revealed from heaven in flaming fire taking vengeance upon those that know not God and obey not his glorious Gospell he saith not only on those that are swearers and prophane persons but ignorant sots that care not to know God though they bee not open sinners Hâ— saith not those that persecute the Gospel or oppose it shall bee punished with eternall destruction froÌ„ the presence of God which is true but those that sin in a lesse degree sâ—ch as obey not the Gospell that value not this inestimable jewell that sell not all to buy this pearle unto whom all the world is not drosse and doung in respect of the glorious Gospell of Christ Jesus how shall they escape which neglect so great salvation Oh say some this concernes
but will bee ruled partly by carnall wisedome and partly by the Spirit it leaves them at last altogether 3. But some there are who give up themselves wholly to the government of Christ to be ruled in all things by his blessd Spirit highly esteeming the treasures of heaven and comforts of a better life above all the fading outward felicities which this world can afford who would not to gaine any earthly thing hurt their consciences or once defile themselves with unfruitfull workes of darknesse fearing lest they should in any thing dishonour Christ or grive his good Spirit and to such only hath the Gospell come in power Therefore I beseech you seriously coÌ„nsider of this truth if you would not disobey the Gospell disobey not the Spirit accompanying the same deale faithfully with your owne soules Which of you al hath not some time or other had his heart warmed with the sweet motions of Gods Spirit Oh doe not resist these holy stirrings within you give way to the motions of the blessed Spirit of God second them with holy resolutions to practise the same let them sinke deepe into your hearts roote them there and never give over the holy meditation of them till you make them your owne till you come to see Grace and the state of Christianity to be the most amiable and excellent thing in the world sin carnall courses to bee the most accursed thing in the world worse than any misery than any beggery tormeÌ„t or disgrace whatsoever Beloved til we have our spirits wrought upon to this high esteeme of good things to a base undervaluing of all things else we shal rebell against Christ first or last for untill such time as the heart of maÌ„ is overpowred with Grace hee cannot but disobey the Gospel either by shutting it out altogether or by making an evill use of what he knoweth thereby turning the grace of God into wantonnesse or else by revolting from the truth received altogether When times of temptation come unfound Christians wil do one of these three either despise refuse or revolt from the truth Therefore I beseech you let your hearts be cast into the mould and fashion of the Gospell of Christ let it bee soundly bottomed and ingrasted in you that so you may grow more and more obedient to the truth revealed and so your end shal not be theirs here which obey not the Gospell of Iesus Christ. But how may I come to obey the Gospell Begge earnestly of God in the use of the meanes else prayer is but a tempting of God that thy soule may bee convinced of what evill is in thee and what evill is towards thee unlesse thou repent Labour for sound conviction for you shall not need to stirre up a man that is condemned to seeke out for a pardon or a man that seeles the smart of his wound to get balme to cure it oh no when our hearts are once truly humb'â—d and pearced with a sight of our sinnes then Christ will bee Christ indeed unto us mercy is sweet at such a time any thing for a Saviour then and not before Therefore labour every day to see more and more into the venemous filthy nature of sin make it as odious to thy soule as possibly thou canst hearken to the voyce of conscience give it full scope to speake what it can that so thou maist fly to Christ. Consider how God plagueth us in this world for sinne how it fils us with feares and horrors causing our consciences to torment us and fly in our faces consider what threatnings are denounced against sinne and sinners for the time to come Consider the fearfull judgements of God upon others for sinne how it cast Adam out of Paradise the Angels out of heaven being so offensive to God that it could no otherwise bee expiated then by the death and blood shedding of the Lord Jesus I beseech you let your hearts dwel upon these things and consider with your selves how bitter you have found it to offend God though now it be a time of mercy Secondly coÌ„sider how the Gospell layes open Christ unto us this is his coÌ„mandement that we beleeve in the Lord Iesus he that coÌ„mands us to doe no murther not to â—teale c. commands us likewise to beleeve in Christ Hee commands us to love our owne soules so much as to take the remedy which may cure them so that now it is our duty to be good to our poore soules and wee offend God if wee bee not mercifull to our owne soules Oh what a favour is this that God should lay a charge upon me noâ—â—o reject my owne mercy as it is in Ionah They who follow lying vanities forsake their owne mercies If I doe not love my owne soule and accept of mercy offered I make God a lyar and offend his Majesty Againe consider how God allures those that might except against mercy Alas I am laden with sinne will some poore soule say why Come unto mee all you that are heavy â—aden and I will case you But I have offended God I have broken my peace c. yet I beseech you be reconciled to God though you have offended yet there is hope do but consider how ready God is to helpe you how continuall his mercies are and how he stretcheth out his hands to receive us Consider further what a sweet regiment it is to be under Christ as a King and as an Husband will hee not provide for his owne family for his owne Subjects Beloved it is not meere dominion that Christ stands upon he aymes at a Fatherly and Husband like soveraignty for the good of his children and Spouse it is their welfare he lookes after therefore I beseech you be in love with the government of Jesus Christ and his blessed Spirit oh it is a sweet regiment the Spirit of God leades us quietly inlightning our understandings upon judicious grounds what to doe by strength of reason altering our natures and bettering us every way both in our inward and outward man it never leaves teaching and guiding of us till it hath brought us to heaven and happinesse To conclude marke what the Apostle saith here What shall bee the end of those that obey not the Gospell he cares not what they know Many say we have heard the Word and wee have received the Sacrament c. it is no matter for that how stands the bent of your soules what hath your obedience beene this is that God lookes after every man can talke of religion but where is the practice a little obedience is worth all the discourse and contemplation in the world for that serves but to justifie Gods damning of us if we live not answerably value not your selves therefore by your outward profess oÌ„ neither judge of your estate in grace by the knowledge of good things nothing but the power of godlinesse expressed in our lives will yeeld reall comfort
no matter God will pardon all I care not so I may have my wish this is the heart of many gracelesse persons that are not led with heavenly respects But take a Christian and he had rather beg doe any thing in the world than doe a thing unworthy his profession unbeseeming the Gospell or that high calling whereunto hee is called Shall such a man as I doe this hee will not and therefore his care is to take heed of ill workes for then he is sure to have God his friend who hath riches and honour enough for him because the earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof this is the care of a judicious wel instructed Christian But marke the Extent from every evill worke Saint Pauls care is not for one or two but that God would keepe him from every evill worke Why so Because he that truly hates one sinne will hate all the kinds of it both come from the same love of God he that loves God as he should will hate whatsoever God hates and have respect to all Gods Commandements as the Psalmist speakes partiall obedience is indeed no obedience at all for he that obeyes one and not another obeyes not simply because of the Commander to yeeld obedience unto him but onely to satisfie his owne corrupt nature picking and choosing what pleases himselfe which belongs not to an inferiour but to a superiour to doe And therefore such make themselves gods in that they single out easie things that doe not oppose their lusts which are not against their Reputation c. and therein perhaps they will supererogate and doe more than they need onely because they will have a compensation with God that he should quit with them for other things I have done that and therefore he must beare with mee in this Oh but there is no compensation here a man is never so straitned but he may escape without sinne there is no pretence will serve but we must abstaine from every evill worke Satan keepes many men in his snare by this and so he hath them safe in one sinne hee cares not therefore he will suffer them to heare read and pray c. holding them fast in one raigning sinne wherein hee will let them alone till the time of some great affliction or death and then he will roare upon them Oh beloved wee cannot provide worse for our owne soules than to cherish a purpose of living in any one sin for that is enough for the devill to hold his possession in us by and at the houre of death to claime us for his owne If wee regard any iniquity in our heart the Lord will not heare our prayers I beseech you therefore let us labour to have cleare consciences freeing our selves from a purpose to live in any sinne that in all our slips and failings we may say with an honest heart My purpose was not to do this but to refraine from wickednesse Againe he speakes of this for the time to come the Lord will deliver me from evill A true Christian is as carefull to avoide sinne for the time to come as to bee freed from the guilt of sinnes past Iudas may desire to have his conscience freed from former sinnes but Indas cannot desire to be a good man for the time to come Nothing argues a good conscience more than this The most wicked wretch that breathes may desire to have his conscience stilled and yet never have any purpose or power to abstaine from sinne but like a dogge after he hath disgorged himselfe returne to his vomit againe True Repentance is a turning from former evills to a contrary good Our griefe no further yeelds comfort of sound repentance then it hath care attending for prevention of sinne according to that which Christ said to the woman taken in adultery Goe and sinne no more and as David prayes Purge me O Lord and cleanse me but withall establish me with thy free spirit for the time to come As if hee should say Lord I know it is not in man to order his owne wayes I desire not the forgivenesse of my sinnes that there by I might with more liberty offend thy Majesty but with pardoning grace I begge preventing grace No false heart can move such a desire as this to God A gracious heart that prayes aright prayes as well that God would preserve him from future sinne as forgive him his former sinnes It is a ridiculous thing of the Papists to make confession of a sinne which they meane to commit as some late Traitors confessed such and such things which they were to act were straight absolved for it So your cursed duelists that will pray and repent when they meane presently to fall one upon another Is this repentance when a man is inveigled with the sin hee meanes to commit and cannot overcome himselfe in the case of revenge Doe these men thinke they repent No certainely repentance is of sinnes past and the carriage of every true Christian is to avoide evill for the time to come Againe it is here a perpetnated Act the Lord will deliver me still from every evill worke whence you see that In every evil worke we are tempted to we need delivering Grace as to every good worke assisting Grace Indeed our whole life if we look upwards is nothing but a deliverance but if we looke to our selves it is nothing but danger and a warfare and therefore wee have need of a deliverance How little a temptation turnes over a great man as sometimes a little winde turnes over your mighty gallies We see this in David and Salomon and if God leave us to our selves even the strongest man in the world how soone is he overturned in the midst of sinsull occasions how ready are wee to joyne with them and betray our owne soules But from the whole take it as it comes from God altogether the truth is thus much that a Christian who is privy to his own soule of good intentions to abstaine from all ill for the present may presume that God will assist him against all ill workes for the time to come I say a Christian that hath his conscience telling him that he meanes to be better and is not in league with any sin may beleeve this for the time to come that God will keepe him from evill workes I speak this because many who are yet sinners thinke it in vaine to strive for they shall never bee better What doest thou talke man hast thou a minde to be better God will meet thee one time or other is thy will at liberty he that gives thee the will will also give thee the deed is not this the Promise that God will deliver thee from every evill worke and therefore away with all discouragements O but There are sonnes of Anak mighty Giants that molest mee my sinnes are as so many Giants to stop my proceeding I shall never beâ— better Say not so nay rather
in the day of tryall And wee should labour that our obedience bee free and cheerfull alwayes upon the wing as we say for that is Euangelicall obedience Gods people under the Gospell are a voluntary ready people zealoâ—s of good workes Oh beloved did we but consider what GOD hath done for us here and what hee meanes to doe for us in another world how would our hearts be inlarged in duty to his Majesty did wee but consider of his inestimable love in the Lord Christ pardoning such wretches as wee are and not onely so but accepting our service and us to life everlasting taking us from the lowest misery to the highest happinesse from the lowest hell to the highest heaven of traytors to be Sonnes of slaveâ— to bee heires of the Kingdome c Oh did wee but seriously consider and beleeve these things how would they warme our hearts and make us plyable and constant to every good worke and way The Apostle having tasted the sweet favour of GOD in Christ might well use it as a motive to quicken others I beseech you by the tender mercies of Christ c. He knew this was a powerfull argument and if that wrought not upon mens hearts nothing would Let our obedience therefore be cheerefull for now wee are not in the oldnesse of the letter we have not a Legall Covenant since Christs comming but wee serve God in the newnesse of the Spirit that is coÌ„sidering that the Spirit is given in more plenty since his ascention wee should bee more spirituall and heavenly in our service of God considering that our Head is already entred into that high and holy place and wee ere long shall bee present with him having but a spot of time to passe here below how ready and zealous should wee bee in obedience to Gods will and not suffer a heavy lumpishnesse and deadnesse of spirit to cease upon us in holy performances but I hasten to the second Amplification THE DIFFICVLTY OF SALVATION SERMON III. If the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the wicked and ungodly appeare BY righteous here is meant that Euangelicall righteousnesse which wee have in the state of the Gospell namely the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to us for Christ himselfe being ours his obedience and all that hee hath becomes ouâ—s also and whosoever partaketh of this righteousnesse which is by faith hath also a righteousnesse of sanctification accoÌ„panying the same wrought in his soule by the Spirit of God whereby his sâ—nfull nature is changed and made holy for if any man be in Christ hee is a new creature The same Spirit that assures us of our interest in Christ purifies and clenseth our hearts and worketh a new life in us opposite to our life in the first Adam from whence flowes new workes of holinesse and obedience throughout our whole conversation There must bee an inward inherent righteousnesse before there can bee any workes of righteousnesse an Instrument must bee set in tune before it will make musicke so the Spirit of God must first worke a holy frame and disposition of heart in us before we can bring forth any fruits of holinesse in our lives for we commend not the works of grace as we doe the workes of Art but referre them to the worker all that flowes from the Spirit of righteousnesse are workes of righteousnesse When the soule submits it selfe to the spirit and the body to the soule then things come off kindly Take a man that is righteous by the spirit of God hee is righteous in all relations he gives every one his due he gives God his due spirituall worship is set up in his heart above all hee gives Christ his due by affiance in him hee gives the holy Angels their due by considering hee is alwayes in their presence that their eye is upon him in every action he doth and every duty hee performes the poore have their due from him those that are in authority have their due if he be under any hee gives theÌ„ reverence and obedience c. He will owe nothing to any man but love hee is righteous in all his conversation he is a vessell prepared for every good worke I deny not but hee may erre in some particular that is nothing to the purpose I speake of a man as hee is in the disposition and bent of his heart to GOD and goodnesse and so there is a thread of a righteous course that runs along through his whole conversation the constant tenure of his life is righteous he hungers and thirsts after righteousnesse and labors to be more and more righteous still every way both in justification that he may have a clearer evidence of that as also in sanctification that he may have more of the new creature formed in him that so hee may serve God better and better all his dayes Now if this man shall scarcely bee saved where shall the sinner and ungodly appeare where you have two branches 1. The righteous shall scarcely be saved 2. The terrible end of sinners and ungodly Where shall they appeare c. Now in that the righteous man thus described by me shall scarcely be saved consider two things 1. That the righteous shall be saved 2. That they shall scarcely bee saved What doe I say the Righteous shall be saved he is saved already This day is salvation come to thine house Iaith Christ to Zacheus Wee are saved by faith and are now set in heavenly places together with him wee have a title interest to happinesse already there remaines onely a passage to the Crowne by good workes We doe not as the Papists doe worke to merit that wee have not but wee doe that wee doe in thankfulnesse for what we have because we know we are in the state of salvation therefore wee will shew our thankfulnesse to God in the course of our lives How can we misse of salvation when we are saved already Christ our Head being in heaven will draw his body after him What should hinder us the world Alas wee have that faith in us which overcometh the world as for the flesh you know what the Apostle saith Wee are not under the law but under grace the spirit in us alwayes lusteth against the flesh and subdues it by little and little neither can Sathan or the gates of hell prevaile against us for the grace we have is stronger then all enemies against us GOD the Father is our Father in Christ and his love and gifts are without repentance when once we are in the state of salvation Hee will preserve us by faith to salvation and wee are knit to God the Sonne who will lose none of his members the marriage with Christ is an everlasting union whom he loves he loves to the end As for God the Holy Ghost saith Christ I will send the Comforter and hee shall bee with you to the end The blessed Spirit
conceit a latitude and breadth in their courses that they may doe so and so and yet doe well at last but who tells them this Is it not a spirit of illusion Indeed punishment is often deferred it comes not like thunder and lightning all at once yet as sure as God is true sinne will be bitternesse in the end when the hony is gone the sting will remaine To conclude this point when we are tempted to any hurtfull designe let us look upon Christ and that great project for our redemption undertaken by him and reason thus with our selves Hath he plotted and wrought my salvation and shall I plot against him in his members I beseech you stirre up your hearts to conceive and bring forth good purposes Satan is an enemy to all strong resolutions and masculine conceptions indeavoring to kill them in the very birth Alas how many good thoughts are conceived whilest the word is hearing which yet prove abortive and sticke in the birth How few actions come to their due ripenesse and perfection I am sure our incouragements to good are farre more than our incouragements to evill we serve a better master and for better wages they may prosper for a time but nothing is more wretched than the happinesse of wicked men it first hardens them and then destroyes them Our onely way is 1. to get into Christ the true vine then wee shall take and beare fruit presently and draw and sucke out of him the same disposition 2. And then lay up good principles and looke with a single eye to the maine end of our life and see that all the particular passages of our life tend to that It is an arguement of a narrow heart to bewise in some particular businesse for some particular end and yet to bee carelesse in the maine Other creatures are carryed by a particular instinct to some particular thing A spider is witty to catch flies a bird to build nests c. As man hath larger parts so hee should have larger aimes That which we should especially labour for is 1. to bee good in our selves and 2. to doe all the good we can to others even as God our father is good doth good and the further our good extends the more we resemble our Father Such as we are such are our thoughts such are our devices A good man wil devise of liberal things c. Every vermine can doe mischiefe we see some are never in their element but when they are plotting or working mischiefe as if they were borne for no other end but to exercise the graces of men better than themselves It is a poore commendation to be counted a cunning person for selfe-ends alas the heart of man which is deceitfull above measure hath abundance of turnings and windings in it and can suggest trick enough to circumvent the best of us I come in the third place to our duty which is to Behold the ordinary beakon kindled to discover some extraordinary thing But what is here to bee beheld Behold the subtlety malice and restlesse indeavour of the enemies of goodnesse Is it not a matter with griefe to be beheld that one member should teare another that one professing the same religion should study to supplant and devoure another behold likewise their bootlesse enterprise they bring forth a lye But especially behold the mercy of God to his children his wisdome in discovering his justice in confounding the mischievous practises of their enemies making them the workers of their owne ruine The things which especially deserve our beholding are either 1. things excellent and so are all Gods works in their reason yea Iustice it selfe or 2. Things rare as comets and eclipses or else 3. Great things as starres of the first magnitude c. Even such and much more is Gods mercy to his children and justice against his enemies Behold what great things hee hath done for them Shall the heathen say so and shall not Israel much more Beloved wee ought to seek out Gods workes and shall wee not take notice of them when they are offered to our view this is especially the duty of the Saints of God All thy workes praise thee and thy Saints blesse thee saith David The workes of God praise him by our mouths by our tongues Were it not for some few that by a more divine light and spirituall eye see more of God than others doe what glory should God have in the world God hath not brought us on the stage of this world to be meere gazers but to extract something out for our owne use and to give him the glory of his excellencies But we are too wise to admire any thing it is a matter too meane for our parts to take notice of God and his workes you have some that can see nothing in the workes of God worth the admiring and yet they will have mens persons in admiration in hope of some advantage by them Wee are apt to admire any outward excellency like the disciples before the Holy Ghost came upon them who stood admiring of the goodly stones of the temple When our mindes are thus taken up it were good if we heard Christ speaking to us as he did to them Are these the things you wonder at Beloved it is our duty to observe speciall occurrences not out of any Athenian curiosity but to begin our employment in heaven now whilest wee are upon earth to take occasion from thence to blesse God We should compare the ruâ—e and the event together and observe what truth or attribute God makes good by that which is so fallen out see how God commenteth upon himselfe by his owne actions and from observation of particulars it is good to rise to generals as Deborah from the destruction of one enemy to the destruction of all So let all thy enemies perish O Lord This was Moses song and Hannah's and the Virgin Maries c. they mounted from a consideration of their owne particular and had their thoughts inlarged with the mercy and instice of God to others in succeeding generations And among all Gods works wee should more take notice of his mercy to the Church than of his iustice towards his exemies because his justice is as it were a foile to give lustre to his mercy God delighteth more in mercy as being his proper worke issuing from his owne bowels than in works of â—ustice that are occasioned by the malice of men God is wonderfull in his Saints and more in saving them than in destroying his enemies Considering therefore that mercy beares the chiefe office in the great workes of God we ought to dwell most in consideration thereof and feede our thoughts more with the meditation of his saving workes to his Church than of the ruine of his enemies We pray hallowed be thy name unlesse wee practise what wee pray for we mock God and deceive our owne soules Let not God lose any glory
which followes The Lord will deliver me from every evill worke Whence from the forme of the argument observe that We ought to reason with God from former experience to future yea it is a binding Argument with God he loves to be sued and pressed from former mercies and suffers them to be bonds unto him men will not doe so because their fountaine is soone drawne drie But God is a spring that can never be emptied as he was able to helpe in former time so hee is also for the time to come He is alwayes I AM JEHOVAH alwayes where he was his Arm is not shortened what hee hath done heretofore he can do now We should therefore register Gods favours â—hich is the best use wee can put out memories to and make them so many arguments to build upon him for time to come as David The Lord that delivered me saith he out of the pawe of the Lion and out of the pawe of the Beare will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine Oh were we but acquainted with this kinde of reasoning with God how undaunted would we bee in all troubles we should bee as secure for the time to come as for the time past for all is one with God Wee doe exceedingly wrong out owne soules and weaken our faith by not minding of Gods favours How strong in faith might old men be that have had many experiences of Gods love if they would take this course every former mercy shoâ—ld strengthen our faith for a new as conquerours whom every former victory incourageth to a new conquest So old favours should helpe us to set upon God afresh But what is the limitation here from every evill worke which words we will first touch a little severally and then consider more particularly of them Sometimes God speakes of duties as they issue from man because indeed the will is mans from whence the duty comes and therefore the Scripture speakes as though the duty came from us because the powers are ours from whence they spring Sometimes the Scripture speakes of holy duties as they issue from a higher power from God so here The Lord will deliver me from every evill worke he meanes that God would stirre up his heart to a care to avoid evill workes We are agents and patients in all we doe we are agents because the powers are ours we are patients because the Lord doth all Now it is the language of the holy Ghost for the most part when he speakes of good duties to goe to the fountaine especially when faith is to bee strengthened But how doth God deliver By keeping us from occasions or by ministring strength if occasions be offered by giving occasions of good and by giving a heart to entertaine those occasions He preserves us from evill works by planting the graces of faith and of feare in us whereby wee are preserved and by peace which guards our soules from despaire and tumultuous thoughts yea hee preserves us from evill workes through faith unto his heavenly Kingdome In a word God preserves his children by making them better by weakning corruptions by his Spirit stirring up a cleare sight and hatred of the same in them and by withdrawing occasions which might prevaile over us and by keeping us from betraying our selves unto them by chayning up Satan untill our strength be such as may incounter him a great mercy it is though little thought on that God lettetâ— not loose Satan upon us every moment how should this stirre us up with David to thankfulnesse and dependance upon God He delivers also wicked men from dangers not out of any love to their persons but because he hath some base service for them to undertake to exercise the patience of his children and vexe others better than themselves which is not fit for godly men to doe They are onely gods Rod and their deliverance is no preservation but a reservation to worse mischiefe it is not a bettering deliverance But God delivers his graciously not onely from danger but from those evill workes they are subject to fall into in their danger it is not ill to suffer ill but to doe ill For doing ill makes God our enemie suffering ill doth not doing ill staines and defiles the soule and blemisheth the Image of God in us suffering ill doth none of this doing ill â—inders communion and acquaintance with God suffering ill doth not God is more immediately acquainted with the soule in suffering ill Doing ill is the cause of all iâ—s suffering ill comes from doing ill the ill of sinne is the ill of ils because it is evill it selfe and the cause of all other evills whatsoever We may thanke our ill in doing for our ill in suffering and therefore the Apostle is well assured what he sayes The Lord will deliver mee from every evill worke not from every inward infirmity and weaknesse but from every evill worke that is scandalous and offensive to him It is an aggravation of ill when it is manifested for then it either taints orgrieves others Indeed so soone as the resolution of the soule hath passed it when the will resolves on such a thing it is done both in good and evill before God But in regard of the world and of the Church we live in the bringing of the worke upon the stage as it were is an aggravation of evill because besides the hurt which is done to evill men good men are either hurt or vexed at it Therefore the Apostle saith The Lord will deliver me from every evill worke This a Christian should especially labour for that God in all things would keepe him free from sin Yea this differenceth a Christian from another man take a carnall man when hee is like to fall into danger he studies how to get out of suffering evill not how to prevent doing evill hee plots devises and intangles himselfe in his owne wit and makes the matter worse by equivocation and such like sinfull courses as we might learne from the Papists if we had not enough from our owne breast But Pauls care was to be delivered from evill workes For a man indeed is never overcome let him be never so vexed in the world by any till his conscience be crackt If his conscience and his cause stand upright he prevailes still In all these things wee are more than conquerors saith the Apostle The meaning is sufferings cannot quell our courage they cannot staine our conscience they doe not hurt the cause but it gets victory in despight of them so that our courage is undaunted and our conscience abides unstained let it be our care therefore to take heed of evill workes Looke into the world and see what is the care of most men we converse with oh if they can get such a place if they can get such an estate I but it cannot be had without finful abasement without cracking of conscience and unlawfull engagement O say they it is
will deliver him To glorisie God here is the end of all ends to praise God happy wee when Gods end and our end meet together Hee hath made all for his owne glory and when wee with a single eye can ayme at that too what a sweet harmony is there To direct us in this duty in praising God let us with Paul for I goe no surther than the text leads me seriously meditate on Gods mercies both past and to come nothing moves thankfulnesse more than this A Christian when hee lookes backwards hath comfort and when he lookes forward he sees comfort still for preservation and Kingdomes and Crownes abide for him If a man would praise God therefore let him consider how graciously God hath dealt with him Hee hath delivered me already by Jesus Christ from sinne and eternall wrath and he will deliver mee from every evill worke to come that may indanger my salvation Thinke of these things and see whether your hearts can bee cold and dead or no see if your spirits can be streightned Certainely both heart and mouth will be full thou canst not but say in the apprehension of Gods mercies To him bee glory for ever 2. Consider the kindes of favours thou receivest they are either positive or privative spirituall or temporall Positive the Lord will preserve me privative the Lord will deliver mee from every evill worke Temporall the Lord in this life will keepe me spirituall he will deliver me from the power of sin Eternall Hee will preserve mee to his heavenly Kingdome Thinke forward or backwards outward or inward spirituall or temporall where ever you looke tell me if you can doe otherwise then breake out with the holy Apostle in the praises of so good a God And 3. Thinke of the greatnesse of all these the greatnesse of the deliverance from sinne and damnation The Apostle to make himselfe the more thankfull saith he was delivered out of the mouth of the Lion he had large apprehensions of Gods goodnesse So should we beloved consider the greatnesse of the misery we are in by nature being slaves of Satan in danger to slip into Hell every moment and when God hath secured us from this thinke of the greatnesse of the benefit a heavenly kingdome When we think not only of the benefits but of the greatnesse of them it is a wondrous incouragement to bee thankfull Labour then to have a due and high esteeme of every mercy God hath brought us out of darknesse into marvellous light saith the Apostle Great is the mystery of godlinesse and the unsearchable riches of his grace he had not words bigge enough to expresse Gods goodnes Oh the heighth and bredth and depth and length of his love When we consider these dimensions our thankfulnesse must be answerable Againe if you would bee thankfull Labour to have humble spirits to see God in all things and then you will sacrifice to him alone not to thy parts and graces friends abilities c. the meeke are fit to pray to God Seeke the Lord yee meeke of the earth and an humbled meeke soule is the fittest to praise God of any other he that knowes he is worthy of nothing will blesse God for any thing he that knowes he hath nothing in himselfe will be thankfull for the least measure of grace an humble soule is a thankfull soule We see it was Pauls disposition here he gives all to God which makes him so breake out in praising his name Againe if wee would bee thankfull as Paul here and beginne Heaven upon Earth Labour to be assured of salvation and perseverance in thy Christian course The Papists that speake against Assurance and Perseverance kill prayer and praising of God Shall a man praise God for that which he doubts of I cannot tell whether God will damne me or not perhaps I am but fitted as a sheepe to the slaughter c. how shall a man praise God for any blessing hee enjoyes when these thoughts are still with him how shall a man praise God for salvation when perhaps he shall not come to it how shall a man praise God for that which perhaps he may fall from before hee die when perhaps hee is Gods to day and may be the Devills to morrow How can there bee a hearty thankes but when a man can say The Lord will deliver me from every evill work that by mine owne weaknesse and Satans malice I may occasionally fall into betwixt this and Heaven Therefore if we would praise God as we should let us worke our hearts to labour after assurance of Gods favour let us redeeme our precious time and every day set some time apart to strengthen our evidences for heaven which will set us in a continuall frame to every good worke Thus wee see out of Pauls example how we should be disposed here to be in heaven before our time For undoubtedly he who praiseth God is so much in Heaven as he is given to thankfulnesse for hee is in that imployment now which shall be there altogether But how long doth he desire that God should have glory For ever and ever A Christian should have the extent of his desires of Gods glory carried to eternity Upon what ground because God intends him glory for ever and ever a Christian that is assured of his salvation is assured that God will eternally glorisie him He knowes that Christ is King for ever He knowes that Christ is a Priest for ever He knowes that the state and condition that he is kept for is everlasting It is an inheritance immortal and undeâ—iled that fadeth not away and therefore he saith Hath God eternall thoughts of my good and is Christ an eternall head an eternall King to rule me both in lise and in death Surely I will extend my desires of his glory as farre as hee extends his purpose to doe me good Now his purpose to doe mee good is for eternity and my desire that he may have glory shall be â—or eternity world withont end This is the disposition of a gracious soule not that God may be honoured by him alone but of all To whom be praise not by me but by all I am not sufficient enough to praise him To him be praises in the Churches throughout all ages for ever David had not largenesse enough in himselfe to blesse God and therefore hee stirres up his spirits and all within him to praise his holy name as if all were too little to set out the glory of Gods infinite goodnesse mercy wisedome and power those gracious attributes that shew themselves glorious in bringing man to salvation and in governing the Church Learne this duty therefore If we will make good to our owne soules that we are in the state of grace we must plot for eternity and indeavour to lay a ground and foundation that the Church may flourish for eternitie No man can warrant himselfe to be a good Christian but he that labours to
farre better And is it much farre better to die that we may be with Christ than to live here a conflicting life Why should we then feare death that is but a passage to Christ It is but a grimme servant that lets us into a glorious pallace that striks off our bolts that takes off our rags that wee may bee clothed with better robes that ends all our misery and is the beginning of all our happinesse why should we therfore be affraid of death it is but a departure to a better condition It is but as Iordan to the children of Israel by which they passed to Canaan it is but as the red-sea by which they were going that way therefore we have no reason to feare death of it selfe it is an enemy indeed but now it is harmelesse nay now it is become a friend amicable to us a sweet friend it is one part of the Churches joynture death All things are yours saith the Apostle Paul and Apollos life and death death is ours and for our good it doth us more good than all the friends we have in the world it determines and ends all our misery and sinne and it is the suburbs of heaven it lets us into those joyes above It is a shame for Christians therefore to bee affraid of that that Paul here makes the object of his desire But may not a good Christian feare death I answer Not so farre as a Christian is led with the spirit of God and is truly spirituall for the spirit carryes us upward but as farre as wee are earthly and carnall and byassed downward to things below wee are loath to depart hence In some cases Gods children are affraid to die because their accounts are not ready though they love Christ and are in a good way yet notwithstanding because they have not prepared themselves by care as a woman that hath her husband abroad and desires his comming but all is not prepared in the house therfore she desires that he may stay awhile so the soule that is not exact that is not in that frame that it should be in saith Oh stay awhile that I may recover my strength before I goe hence and bee no more seene but as farre as wee are guided by the spirit of God sanctifying us and are in such a condition as we should be in so farre the thoughts of death ought not to be terrible to us nor indeed are they Beloved there is none but a Christian that can desire death because it is the end of all comfort here it is the end of all callings and employments of all sweetnesse whatsoever in this world If another man that is not a Christian desire heaven he desires it not as heaven or to â—e with Christ as Christ he desires it under some notion sutable to his corruption for our desires are as our selves are as our aymes are no carnall worldly man but hath carnall worldly aymes a worldly man cannot goe beyond the world it is his spheare a carnall man cannot goe beyond the flesh therefore a carnall man cannot desire heaven a man that is under the power of any lust can desire nothing but the satisfying of that lust heaven is no place for such none but a child of God can desire that For if we consider heaven and to bee with christ to be perfect holines can he desire it that hates holinesse here can he desire the Image of God upon him that hates it in others and in himselfe too can he desire the communion of Saints that of all societies hates it the most can he desire to be free from sinne that ingulfes himselfe continually in sinne he cannot and therefore as long as he is under the thraldome and dominion of any lust he may desire heaven indeed but it is onely so farre as he may have his lusts there his pleasures honours and riches there too if he may have heaven with that he is contented but alas brethren heaven must not be so desired S. Paul did otherwise he desired to be dissolved to be with Christ hee desired it as the perfection of the Image of God under the notion of holinesse and freedome from sin as I said before Which is farre better Againe we see that God reserves the best for the last Gods â—aâ—t workes are his best workes the new heaven and the new earth are the best the second wine that Christ created himselfe was the best spirituall things are better than naturall A Christians last is his best God will have it so for the comfort of Christians that everyday they live they may think My best is behinde my best is to come that every day they rise they may thinke I am nearer heaven one day than I was before I am nearer death and therefore nearer to Christ what a solace is this to a gracious heart A Christian is a happy man in his life but happyer in his death because then he goes to Christ but happiest of all in heaven for then hee is with Christ. How contrary to a carnall man that lives according to the sway of his owne base lusts he is miserable in his life more miserable in his death but most miserable of all after death I beseech you lay this to heart mee thinkes considering that death is but a way for us to be with Christ which is farre better this should sweeten the thinking of death to us and we should comfort our selves daily that we are nearer happinesse But how shall we attaine this sanctified sweet desire that Paul had to die and be with Christ Let us carry our selves as Paul did and then we shall have the same desires S. Paul before death in his life time had his conversation in heaven his minde was there and his soule followed after there is no mans soule comes into heaven but his minde is there first It was an easie matter for him to desire to bee with Christ having his conversation in heaven already Paul in meditation was where he was not and he was not where he was he was in heaven when his body was on earth 2. Againe S. Paul had loosed his affections from all earthly things therefore it was an easie matter for him to desire to be with Christ I am cruciâ—ied to the world and the world is crucified to me c. If once a Christian comes to this passe death will be welcome to him those whose hearts are fastened to the world cannot easily desire Christ. 3. Againe holy S. Paul laboured to keepe a good conscience in all things herein I exercise my selfe to have a good conscience towards God and men c. It is easie for him to desire to be dissolved that hath his conscience sprinkled with the blood of Christ free from a purpose of living in any sinne But where there is a stained defiled polluted conscience there cannot be this desire for the heart of man naturally as the Prophet saith
sweete that Christ was forsaken as a surety for mee Christ overcame sinne death Gods wrath and all for mee in him I triumph over all these what welcome newes is this to a distressed sinner â— when ever thy souâ—e is truly humbled in the sense of sinne looke not at sinne in thy conscience thy conscience is â— bed for another to lodge in but â—t Christ if thou bee a broken-hearted sinner see thy sinnes in Christ thy Saviour taken away see what hee hath indured and suffered for them see not the Law in thy conscience but see it discharged by Christ see death disarmed through him made an entrance into a better life for thee whatsoever is ill see it in Christ before thou seest it in thy selfâ— and when thou beholdest it there see not only the hurt thereof taken away but all good made over to thee for All things worke together for the best to them that love God The Devill himselfe death sinne and wrath all helpe the maine the poyson and mischiefe of all is taken away by Christ and all good conveyed to us in him we have grace answerable to his grace Hee is the first seate of Gods love and it sweetens whatever mercy wee enjoy that it comes from the fountaine God the father through Christ unto us I beseech you imbrace the comfort that the Holy Ghosâ— affords us from these sweet considerations Againe in that Christ waâ— forsaken and not onely so but indured the displeasure and immediate wrath of God seazing upon his soul filling his heart with anguish at this time wee may learne hence 1 In what glasse to looke upon the ugly thing sinne to make it more ugly unto us Beloved if we would conceive aright of sinne let us see it in the Angelsâ—umbled â—umbled out of heaven and reserved in chains of darknesse for offending God see it in the casting of Adam out of Paradise and all us in him see it in the destruction of the old world and the Iewes carryed to captivity in the generall destruction of Ierusalem c. but if you would indeed see the most ugly colours of sinne then see it in Christ upoÌ„ the Crosse see how many sighâ—â— and groanes it cost him how bitter a thing it was to his righteous soule forcing him to weep teares of blood and send forth strong cryes to his Father My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee If sinne but imputed to Christ our surety so affected him that was God-man and lay so heavy upon his soul what will it doe to those that are not in Christ certainly the wrath of God must needs burn to hell he wil be a consuming fire to all such See â—inne therefore chiefly in the death of Christ how odious it is to God that it could bee no otherwise purged away than by the death of his beloved Sonne Al the Angels in heaven and all the creatures in the world could not satisfie divine iustice for the least sinne If all the agonies of al creatures were put into one it were nothing to Christs Agonie if all their sufferings were put into one they could not make satisfaction to Divine Justice for the least sin Sinne is another manner of matter than we take it to be see the Attributes of God his anger against it his justice and hâ—linesse c. Beloved men forget this they think God is angry against sinne indeed but yet his Justice is soone satified in Christ. Oh we must thinke of the Almighty as a Holy GOD separated from all staine and pollution of sinne whatsoever and so holy that he inforced a separation of his favour from Christ for becoming our surety and Christ underwent a separation from his Father because he undertooke foâ— us so odious is sinne to the holy nature of God that hee left his Sonne while hee strugled with his wrath for it and so odious was sinne to the holy nature of Christ that hee became thus a sacrifice for the same And so odious are the remainders of sin in the heaâ—ts of the Saints that all that belong to God have the Spirit of Christ which is as fire to consume and waste the old Adam by little and little out of them No uncleane thing must enter into heaven Those that are not in Christ by faith that have not a shelter in him must suffer for their transgressions eternally Depart yee cursed into everlasting fire so holy is God that he can have no society and fellowship with sinners Doe you wonder why GOD so much hates sinne that men so little regard not onely the lewd sort of the world but common dead-hearted persons that set so little by it that they regard not spirituall sinnes at all especially hatred malice pride c. cloathing themselves with these things as a comely garment Certainly you would not wonder that God hates sinne if you did but consider how sinne hates God what is sinne but a setting of it selfe in Gods room a setting the devill in Gods place for when wee sinne wee leave God and set up the Creature and by consequence Sathan that brings the temptatioÌ„ to us setting him in our hearts before God Beloved God is very jealous and cannot indure that filthy thing sinne to bee in his roome sinne is such a thing as desires to take away God himselfe Aske a sinner when hee is about to sinne Could you not wish that there were no God at all that there were no eye of heaven to take vengeance on you Oh I with all my heart and can you then wonder that God hates sinne so when it hates him so as to wish the not being of God oh marvell not at it but have such conceits of sinne as GOD had when hee gave his Sonne to dye for it and such as Christ had when in the sense of his Fathers anger hee cryed thus My God my God c. The deeper our thoughts are of the odiousnesse of sinne the deeper our comfort and joy in Christ will bee after therefore I beseech you work your hearts to a serious consideration what that sinne is that we cherish so much and will not be reproved for and which wee leave GOD and heaven and all to imbrace conceive of it as God doth that must bee a Judge and will one day call us to a strict account for the same If Christ cryed out thus My God my God why hast thou forsaken me as being our surety for our sinnes we may see what to conceive of sinne and of GOD the better But above all things I desire you to see often in this glasse in this booke of Christ crucified it is an excellent booke to study the mercy of God and the love of Christ the heighth and depth and bredth of Gods love in Jesus Christ which hath no dimensions What set God on worke to plot this excellent worke of our salvation and redemption by such a surety was it not mercy did not that awaken wisdome
to reconcile justice and mercy to Christ But what stirred up this wisdome of God Oh bowels of compassion to man he would not have man perish when the Angels did without remedy Therefore let us desire to be inflamed with the love of God that hath loved us so much All the favors of God in Christ tend next after satisfaction to justice to inflame our hearts to love him againe wherefore else are the favours of creation and Providence How sweet is God in providing for our bodies giving us not onely for necessity but abundance withholding no comfort that is good for us c. But chiefly in his Master-piece God would have us apprehend the greatest love of all other because there hee hath set himselfe to glorifie his mercy more than any thing else therefore wee may well cry with the Apostle Oh the height of his love c. I beseech you fixe your thoughts on this think not now and then sleightly of it but dwell on the meditation of the infinite love of God in Christ till your hearts be inlarged and warmed and inflamed with the consideration thereof and then love will set you forward to all good workes what need we bid you be liberall to the poore to bee good subjects just in your dealings c all this may bee spared when there is a loving heart And when shall we have loving hearts when they are kindled and fired at Gods fire when they are perswaded of Gods love then the apprehension of his love will breed love in our hearts againe and that is the reason why the Apostles are not so punctuall as heathen Authors in particularities of duties they force upon men especially the love of God and the ground-points of religion as knowing when the heart is seasoned with that once it is ready prepared to every good duty Thinke seriously of this The love of Christ constraineth mee ◠there is a holy violence in love there is a spirituall kinde of tyranny and prevailing in this grace One thing further wee may learne from this forsaking of Christ viz. that It is no strange thing for GODS deare children to bee forsaken To have the apprehension of their sinnes and the wrath of God to bee forsaken in regard of sense of all comfort doe we not see it done in the naturall sonne and shall we wonder that it is done in the adopted sonnes Wee see this forsaking was in the natur all branch and shall wee wonder that it is done in the grafted branches It was done to the greene tree and shal we wonder if it be done in the drie no certainly The whole Church complaines Psal. 44. Of drinking Gall and Wormewood that God was hid in a cloud c. both the head complaines and the body too as wee see in David Iob and other Saints so that there is a kinde of desertion and forsaking that the childe of God must undergoe What is the ground and end of it First Gods prerogative is such that sometimes when there is no great sinnes to provoke him to withdraw comfort yet will he leave holy men to themselves to shew that hee will doe as pleaseth him Another ground is our own estate and condition wee are here absent from the Lord strangers on earth now wee would take our pilgrimage for our Countrey if wee had alwayes comfort and new supplies of joy Againe our disposition is to live by sense more than by faith wee are as children in this wee would have God ever smile upon us that we might walke in abundance of cōfort and I cannot blame Christians for desiring it if they desire the work of grace in the first place if they desire the worke of God in them rather than the shining of comfort by the Spirit for that is the best worke Now because Christians desire rather to live by sight than by faith wherein they might honour God more he leaves them oftimes Sight is reserved for another world for the Church triumphant there wee shall have sight enough we shall see God face to face Sometimes Gods Children are negligent and keepe not a holy watch over their soules they cleave to the creature too much and then no wonder though God forsake them since they will have stolne waters of their owne and fetch comfort else-where But one maine ground is conformity to Christ he suffered for our sins and God will conforme the members in some measure to their head though Christ dranke the cup of Gods wrath to the bottome yet wee must sip and taste a little that we may know how much we are beholding to Christ and there are few that come to heaven few that truly belong to GOD but they know what sinne is and what the wrath of GOD is first or last the wrath of God is the best corrosive in the world to eate out sinne A little anger of GOD felt in the conscience will make a man hate pride and malice and all sinne whatsoever But for what end doth GOD leave his children as he did here our blessed Saviour 1 In regard of himselfe 2 In regard of his Children In regard of himself he leaves them that he may comfort them more afterwards that hee may bring more love with him and that they may love him more than before there will after a little forsaking be a mutuall reflection of love betweene GOD and a Christian God delights to shew himselfe more abundantly after a little forsaking and the soule inlargeth it selfe after it hath wanted the love of God for want inlargeth the capacity of the soule and want makes it stretch it selfe to receive more comfort when it comes God doth this for the increase of his love to us and of our love to him againe he both drawes nigh to us and goes away in regard of feeling for our good That wee may bee more watchfull over our hearts for the time to come that there may bee a more perfect divorce and separation wrought in us to the creatures our adulterous hearts have stolne delights that GOD likes not and therefore when wee have smarted for it in the anger and displeasure of God a divorce will bee wrought It is hard to work a separation from sinne sinne and the soule being so nearely invested together yet God therefore uses this way of spirituall desertion to effect the same Likewise to make a Christian soule ransacke and search the ground of all the comforts that are left him by God It wil make him rifle and search all the Scriptures Is there any comfort for mee poore wretch that am troubled with sinne It will make him search the experience of other Christians Have you any word of comfort for me It will make him regard a gracious man as one of a thousand it will make him stretch his heart in all the degrees of grace Have I any evidence that I am the Childe of God and not a cast-away It will make him
search his heart in regard of corruption Is there any sinne that I am not willing to part with c. Beloved God many times leaves us and not only leaves us but makes our naked conscience smart for sinne oh this is a quickening thing A child of God that is of the right stampe will not indure to be under Gods wrath long oh it is bitter he knowes what it is to enjoy communion with GOD he will not endure it therefore it stirres him up to all manner of diligence whatsoever But is there no difference betweene Christs sufferings and smart for sinne and ours Yes the sufferings of Christ came froÌ„ the vindictive and revenging hand of God as a just Judge but ours proceed from him as a loving Father for God when wee are in Christ is changed hee layeth aside the person of a Iudge having received full satisfaction in Christ he is now in the relation of a sweet father to us Againe there is difference in the measure we take but a taste of the cup sweetned with some fort and moderated but Christ dranke deepe of the same 3 In the end and use the sufferings and forsaking of Christ were satisfactory to divine Justice but ours are not so but only medicinall the nature of them is quite changed they are not for satisfaction for then wee should die eternally disable the satisfaction of CHRIST they are crosses indeed but not curses whatsoever we suffer in soule or body is a crosse but not a curse unto us because the sting is pulled out they are all medicinall cures to fit us for heaven whatsoever we suffer in our inward or outward man prepares us for glory by mortifying the remainders of corruptions and fitting us for that blessed estate 4 All other mens deaths are for themselves as Leâ— saith Singula in singulis they are single deaths for single men but it is therwise here for all the Children of God were forsaken in their head crucified in their head and dyed in Christ their Head Christs death was a publike satisfaction no man dyeth for another let the Papists say what they will only Christ dyed for all and suffered for his whole body And thus much of the first generall that Christ was forsaken The second is this Christ was very sensible of it even to complaint and expostulation My God my God c. Why should it be thus betweene the Father and the Sonne betweene such a Father and such a Sonne a kinde loving Father to his naturall obedient and onely Sonne the word is strong beloved hee was not onely forsaken but exposed to danger left in it being very sensible of the same every word heere expresseth some bowels he doth not say The Iewes have foraken me or my beloved Disciples and Apostles that I made much of have forsaken me or Pilate would not doe the duty of a true Iudge my feete are pierced my Head is wounded my body is wracked hanging on the Crosse c. he complaines of none of these though they were things to be complained of and would have sunke any Creature to have felt that in his body that he did but that which went nearest to him was this Oh my God why hast thou forsaken me I stand not upon others forsaking but why hast thou forsaken me I stand more upon thy forsaking than the forsaking of all others Christ was very sensible of this it went to his very heart But what speciall reason was there that Christ should take this so deeply First of all because the loving kindnesse of the Lord is better than life it selfe as David the type of Christ well said the forsaking of God being indeed worse than death the loving kindness of the Lord is that that sweetneth all discomforts in the world the want of that imbitters all comforts to us If we be condemned traitors what will all comfors doe to a condemned man The want of Gods love imbitters all good and the pre sence thereof sweetneth all ill death imprisonment all crosses whatsoever therefore Christ having a sanctified judgement in the highest degree judgeth the losse of this to be the worst thing 2 The sweeter the communion is with GOD the fountaine of good the more intolerable and unsufferable is the separation on from him but none had ever so neare and sweet a communion with God as Christ our Mediatour had for hee was both God and Man in one person the beloved Sonne of his Father now the communion before being so neare and so sweet unto him a little want of the same must needs bee unsufferable Things the nearer they are the more difficult the separation will be as when the skinne is severed from the flesh and the flesh from the bones oh it is irk some to nature much more was Christs separation from the sense of his Fathers love Those that love live more in the party loved than in themselves Christ was in love with the person of his father and lived in him now to want the sense of his love considering that love desires nothing but the returne of love againe it must needs bee death unto him Another ground that Christ was thus sensible was because hee was best able to apprehend the worth of communion with God and best able to apprechend what the anger of God was hee had a large judgement and a more capacious soule than any other therfore being filld with the wrath of God he was able to hold more wrath than any man else hee could deepest apprehend wrath that had so deepe a taste of love before Againe in regard of his body the griese of Christ both in body and soule was the greatest that ever was for hee was in the strength of his yeares hee had not dulled his spirits with inteÌ„perancy he was quick and able to apprehend paine being of an excellent temperature Was Christ so exceding sensible of the want of his Fathers love though it were but a while I beseech you then let us have mercifull considerations of those that suffer in conscience and are troubled in minde oh it is another manner of matter than the world takes it for it is no easie thing to conflict with Gods anger though but a little It was the fault of Iobs friends they should have judged charitably of him but they did not take heed therefore of making desperate conclusions against our selves or other when the arrowes of the Almighty sticke in us when we smart and shew our distemper in the apprehension of the terrous of the Lord seizzing upon our soules God is about a gracious worke all this while the more sensible men are of the anger of GOD the more sensible they will bee of the returne of his faâ—our againe There are some insensible stupid creatures that are neither sensible of the afflictions they sâ—ffer in body nor of the manisestation of Gods anger on their soule notwithstanding hee followes them with his corrections
will bee our trouble and the more wee doe the will of God and strive against our corruptions the more will make holy duties delightfull to us but if wee favour and cherish corruption it will make Religion harsh for the wayes of wisedome are wayes of pleasure in themselves and to the regenerate c. I come now to the second clause Where shall the sinner and ungodly appeare By sinner he meanes him that makes a trade of sinne as wee say a man is of such a trade because he is daily at worke of it and lives by it so a man is a trader in sinne that lives in corrupt courses for it is not one act that denominates a sinner but the constant practice of his life Now this qâ—estion Where shall the ungodly appeare implyes a strong denyall He shall bee able to appeare no where especially in these three times 1. In the day of publike calamity when God judgements are abroad in the world the wicked are as Chaffe before the winde as waxe before the Sun as stubble before the fire when God comes to deale with a coÌ„pany of gracelesse wretches how will he consume and scatter them and sweep them away as dung from the face of the earth he will universally make a riddance of them all at once where shall a Naball stand when judgement comes upon him alas his heart is become a stone Where shall Balthazar appeare wheÌ„ he sees a hand-writing upon the wall Oh how the wicked tremble and quake when G O D comes to judge them in this world though they were a terrour to others before But where shall they stand in the houre of death when the world can hold them no longer when friends shal forsake them when GOD will not receive them when Hell is ready to devour them c. And lastly Where shall the sinner appeare at the day of judgement that great and terrible day of account when they shal see al the world in a combustion rouÌ„d about them and the Lord Jesus comming in flaming fire with his mighty Angels to take vengeance on such as obey not the Gospell how will they then call for the Mountaines to cover them and the Hills to fall upon them to hide them from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lambe c. Beloved I beseech you let the meditation of these things sinke deepe into your hearts dwell upon them remember that they are matters which neerly concerne your soule and no vaine words touching you and your welfare THE SAINTS SAFETY IN EVILL TIMES SERMON IIII 1 PET. 4. 19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit their soâ—les to him in well doing as to a faithfull Creator THough Divinity be cleare in other differences from carnall or naturall reasons yet it hath homâ—geniall reasons and grounds Of its owne whence come inserences as naturall as for the tree to beare fruit or the Sunne to shine so upon the former divine grounds for it is a matter of suffering wherein wee must have pure Divinity to support our soules The Aposlle comes to bring a spirituall inference sutable to the same in the words read unto you Wherefore concluding all to bee true that was said before Let them that suffer c. Wherein consider 1. That the state and condition of Gods children is to suffer 2. The dispensation of that suffering they suffer not at all adventures but according to the will of GOD. 3. Their duty in this estate namely to commit the keeping of their soules to God In the duty we have these particulars comprehended 1. An action To commit 2. An object what wee must commit the soule 3. The person to whom to God 4. The maner in well doing Lastly the reason which should move us hereunto implyed in these words as unto a faithfull Creator Whatsoever may support the doubting of a godly man in any trouble and inforce upon him this duty of committing his soule to God is briefly coprised in this that God stands in that near relatioÌ„ of a Creator yea of a faithfull Creator to us this is the scope of the words Observ. 1. That the state of Gods children is to suffer yea to suffer of God for sometimes hee seemes to bee an enemy to his dearest servants as unto Iob but chiefly they are in a militant estate and condition here Because they live among those that they cannot but suffer from wheresoever they live Suppose they live among Christians yet there are many Christians in name that are not so in deed there hath beene secret underminers in all ages and what else may they looke for but suffering from these All that ever truly â—eared GOD and made conscience of their wayes have found afflictions among false brethren It was never heard of that a Sheepe should pursue a Wolfe They must suffer also in regard of themselves for the truth is the best of us all have many lusts to be subdued and a great deale of corruption to bee purged out before wee can come to heaven that pure and holy place into which no uncleane thing can enter Though a Garden he never so fruitfull yet after a showre it will need weeding so after long peace the Church of God gathers Soyle and needes clensing But some carnall wretch will say I thanke God I never suffered in my life but have enjoyed peace and prosperity and my hearts content in every thing Then suspect thy selfe to bee in a bad estate for every true Christian suffers in one kinde or other either from without or within sometimes Gods children are troubled more with corruption than with affliction at other times their peace is troubled both with corruption within and with affliction without at the best they have sufferings of sympathy Shall the members of Christ suffer in other countries and wee professe our selves to bee living members and yet not sympathize with them wee must bee conâ—â—rmable to our Head before wee can come to heaven But the dispensation of our suffering is according to the will of God where note two things 1. That its Gods will be should suffer 2. When we suffer we suffer according to his will To passe briefly over these as not being the thing I ayme at Gods will concerning our suffering is permissive in respect of those that doe us harme but in regard of our patient enduring injuries it is his approving and commanding will wee are enjoyned to suffer and they are permitted to wrong us It seemes then there is some excuse for those that persecute the Saints they doe but according to Gods will and if it bee so who dares speake against them It is not Gods coÌ„manding will but his suffering will hee useth their malice for his owne ends God lets the rayne loose upon their neckes as a man is said to set a dogg upon another when he unlooseth his
our selves generally well in all our sufferings 2. In particular Wee must doe well to them that doe us wrong First I say in afflâ—ction our carriage must bee generally good in respect of God by a meeke behaviour under his hand without murmuring against him 2. In regard of the cause of God that wee betray it not through feare or cowardise through base aymes and intentions c. but indeavour to carry it with a good conscience in all things when wee make it cleare by managing any thing that wee are led with the cause and conscience of our duty it works mightily upon them that wrong us 1. It winnes those that are indifferent and 2. CoÌ„founds the obstinate and stops their mouthes Therefore let us carry our selves well not onely before but in suffering we may not fight against them with their owne weapons that is be malicious as they are malicious and raile as they raile Beloved this is as if a man should see another drinke poyson and hee will drinke too for company he is poysoned with malice and thou to revenge thy selfe wilt bee poysoned too What a preposterous course is this Ought wee not rather to behave our selves as befits the cause of Christ as becomes our Christian profession and as befits him whose children wee are Wee should have an eye to God and an eye to our selves and an eye to others and an eye to the cause in hand so wee shall doe well Wee must not commit our soules to God in idlenesse doing nothing at all nor yet in evill doing but in well doing We must have a care if wee would suffer with comfort not to study how to avoid suffering by trickes so to hurt the cause of Christ this is to avoid suffering by sinne to leape out of one danger into another Is not the least evil of sinne worse than the greatest evill of punishment What doth a man get by pleasing men to displease God perhaps a little ease for the present Alas what is this to that unexpressible horrour and despaire which will one day seise upon thy soule eternally for betraying the blessed cause and truth of Christ How can wee expect God should own us another day when we will not owne him in his cause and his members to stand for them now thinke on that speech of our Saviour Whosoever shall be ashamed of me or of my words in this adulterous and sinfull generation of him shall the Sonne of man be ashamed when hee commeth in the glory of his father Therefore avoid not any suffering by sinne see how blessed S. Paul carried himselfe in this case The Lord saith he hath delivered me and will deliver mee from what from death no from every evill worke What will God keepe him from evill sufferings No for immediately after he was put to death what then why hee will preserve mee from every evill worke that is from every sinfull act which may hurt the cause of Christ or blemish my profession this was it Paul chiefly regarded not whether hee will preserve mee from death or trouble I leave that to him but this I hope and trust to that he will preserve me froÌ„ every evill work to his heavenly kingdome Thus should it bee with every Christian in the cause of religion or in a cause of justice c. for there is not any good cause but it is worth our lives to stand in if wee bee called to it It is necessary wee should be just it is not so necessary wee should live A Christians main care is how to doe well and if hee can goe on in that course he is a happy man But I cannot doe well but I shall suffer ill Labour therefore to carry thy selfe well in suffering evill not only in the generall but even in particular towards those persons that doe thee wrong endeavour to requite their evill with good there is a great measure of selfe-deniall required to bee a Christian especially in matter of revenge to pray for them that carseus to doe good to them that persecute us c. and so heape coales of fire upon our enemies heads How is that There are 1 Coales of Conversion 2. Coales of Confusion You know Coales doe either melt or consume if they belong to God wee shall heape coales of fire to convert them and make them better by our holy carriage in suffering If they bee wicked gracelesse wretches we shall heape coales of fire to consume them for it will aggravate their just damnation when they doe ill to those that deserve wel of them Some will say Christianitie is a strange condition that enforceth such things upon men that are so contrary to Nature It is so indeed for we must be new moulded before ever wee can come to heaven wee must put off our whole selfe and he is gone a great way in Religion that hath brought his heart to this passe None ever overcame himselfe in these matters out of religious respects but hefound a good issue at last It is a sweet evidence of the state of grace none better when a man can love his very enemies and those that have done him most wrong it is an argument that such a man hath something above nature in him What is above nature if this bee not for a man to overcome himselfe in this sweet appetite of revenge Revenge is most naturall to a man it is as Sugar as the Heathen saith and for a man to overcome himselfe in that it argues the power of grace and godlinesse in such a one As Christianity is an excellent estate an admirable advancing of a man to a higher condition so it must not seeme strange for those that are Christians to bee raysed to a higher pitch of soule then other men Sâ—e how our Saviour dealt in this particular Father forgive them they know not what they doe and so likewise Stephen being led by the same spirit of Christ desired God not to lay this sinne to their charge and so all the Martyrs in the first state of the Church when the blood of Christ was warme and the remembrance of Christ was fresh were wont to pray for their enemies committing their soules to God in well doing I beseech you let us labour by all meanes possible to bring our hearts hereunto if any thing overcome this will doe it to suffer well The Church of God is a company of men that gaine and overcome by suffering in doing good Thus the Dove overcomes the Eagle the Sheepe overcomes the Wolfe the Lambe overcomes the Lyon c. It hath beene so from the beginning of the world meeke Christians by suffering quietly have at length overcome those that are malicious and have gained eveÌ„ their very enemies to the love of the truth What shal wee thinke then of the greatest part of the world who never thinke of suffering which is the first lesson in Christianity but study their ease and
free us from the hands of Sathan and bring us to an eternall estate of communion with himselfe in heaven for all the old heaven and the old earth shall passe away and the old condition of creatures and a new life shall bee given them God that made the new heaven and the new earth hath made us for them Considering therefore that God gave us our first being and when we were worse thaÌ„ naught gave us a second being in regard of our new creation how should it stirre us up to coÌ„mit our soules unto him especially if we consider that in him wee live and move and have our being that there is not the least thought and affection to goodnesse in us but it comes from God wee are what wee are by his grace What is the reason that love descends so much Because a man lookes upon that which is his owne and loves it now God lookes upon us as upon those into whom hee hath infused mercy and goodnesse and hee loves his owne worke upon us and therefore having begun a good worke will perfect the same Doe not men delight to polish their owne worke As in the first creation God never tooke off his hand till hee had finished his worke so in the second creation of our soules he will never remove his hand from the blessed worke of grace till hee hath perfected the same therefore wee may well commit our soules to him But suppose a man be in a desperate estate and hath no way of escaping Remember that God is the same still he hath not forgot his old Art of creating but is as able to helpe now as ever and can create comforts for thee in thy greatest troubles As in the first creation hee made light out of darknesse order out of confusion so still hee is able out of thy confused and perplexed estate to create peace and comfort Thou knowest not what to doe perhaps thy minde is so troubled and disquieted why commit thy soule to God hee can raise an excellent frame out of the Chaos of thy thoughts therefore be not dismayed consider thou hast God in covenant with thee and hast to deale with an Almighty Creator who can send present helpe in time of need Doest thou want any grace doest thou want spirituall life goe to this Creator hee will put a new life into thee he that made all things of nothing can raise light out of thy darke minde and can make fleshy thy sâ—ony heart though it be as hard as a rocke Therefore never despaire but frequent the meanes of grace and still thinke of God under this relation of a Creator and when hee hath begun any good worke of grace in thee goe confidently to his Majesty and desire him to promote and increase the same in thy heart and life Lord I am thy poore creature thou hast in mercy begun a blessed worke in mee and where thou hast begun thou hast said thou wilt make an end When thou createdst the world thou didst not leave it till all was done and when thou createdst man thou madest an end Now I beseech thee perfect the new creature in my soule as thou hast begun to inlighten mine understanding and to direct my affections to the best things so I commit my soule unto thee for further guidance and direction to full happinesse THE SAINTS SAFETY IN EVILL TIMES SERMON V. 1 PET. 4. 19. Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit their soules to him in well doing as to a faithfull Creator I Am now to treate of that other Attribute of GOD which should move us to trust in him namely as hee is a faithfull Creator Now God is faithfull 1. In his nature Hee is I AM alwayes like himselfe immutable and unchangeable 2. In his word Hee expresseth himselfe as he is the word that comes from God is an expression of the faithfulnesse of his nature 3. In his workes Thou art good and doest good as the Psalâ—ist saith God being faithfull in himselfe all must needs bee so that proceeds from him whatsoever Relation God takes upon him hee is faithfull therein As hee is a Creator so hee preserves and maintains his owne worke as hee is a Father hee is faithfull in discharging that duty to the full for his childrens good as bee is our friend hee likewise performes all the duties of that Relâ—â—ion c. And why doth God stoope so low to take these Relations upon him but onely to shew that hee will certainly accomplish the same to the utmost Whence is it that men are faithfull in their Relations one towards another that the father is faithfull to his childe is it not from God the chiefe Father That a friend should bee faithfull to his friend is it not from God the great friend All his wayes are mercy and truth they are not onely mercifull and good and gracious but Mercy and Truth it selfe If he shew himselfe to bee a father hee is a true father a true friend a true Creator and Protector as one saith Shall I cause others to feare and bee a Tyrant my selfe All other faithfulnesse is but a Beame of that which is in God Shall not hee bee most faithful that makes other things faithfull Now this faithfulnesse of God is here a ground of this duty of committing our selves to him and wee may well trust him whose word hath beene seven times tryed in the fire there is no drosse in it Every word of God is a sure word his truth is a Shield and Buckler wee may well trust in it therfore wheÌ„ you read of any singular promise in the New Testament it is said This is a faithfull saying c. that is this is such a speech as wee may trust to it is the speech of a faithfull Creator Considering therefore that God is so faithfull every way in his promises and in his deeds let us make especiall use of it Treasure up all the promises we can of the forgivenesse of sinnes of protection and preservation that hee will never leave us but be our God to death c. and then consider withall that hee is faithful in performing the same when we are affrighted by his Majesty and his justice and other Attributes then thinke of his mercy and truth He hath cloathed himselfe with faithfulnesse as the Psalmist saith In all the unfaithfulnesse of men whom thou trustest depend upon this that God is still the same and will not deceive thee When we have mans word wee have his sufficiency in minde for mens words are as themselves are What will not the word of a King doe If a man bee mighty and great his word is answerable This is the reason why wee should make so much of the word of God because it is the word of Ieâ—ovah a mighty Creatour who gives a being to all things and can onely bee Lord and Master of his word we know Gods meaning
no otherwise than by his word till we come to the knowledge of vision in heaven wee must be content with the knowledge of Revelation in the Word And in every promise single out that which best suiteth with thy present condition If thou art in any great distresse thinke upon the Almighty power of God Lord thou hast made me of nothing and canst deliver mee out of this estate behold I flie unto thee for succour c. If thou art in perplexity for want of direction and knowest not what to doe single out the Attribute of Gods wisedome and desire him to teach thee the way that thou shouldest goe If thou art wronged flie to his Iustice and say O God to whom veÌ„geance belongeth heare and helpe thy servant If thou be surprized with distrust and staggering then goe to his truth and faithfulnesse thou shalt alwayes finde in God something to support thy soule in the greatest extremity that can be fall thee for if there were not in God a fulnesse to supply every exigent that wee are in he were not to bee worshipped he were not to be trusted Man is lighter than vanity in the Ballance Every man is a lyar that is hee is false we may bee so and yet bee men too but God is essentially true hee cannot deceive and bee God too Therefore ever when thou art disappointed with men retire to God and to his promises and build upon this that the Lord will not be wanting in any thing may doe thee good With men there is breach of covenant Nation with Nation and man with man there is little trust to bee had in any but in all confusions here is comfort A religious person may cast himselfe boldly in to the armes of the Almighty and goe to him in any distresse as to a faithfull Creator that will not fortake him Oh let us bee ashamed that we should dishonour him who is ready to pawne his faithfulnesse and truth for us If wee confesse our sinnes God is faithfull to forgive them hee will not sâ—ffer us to bee tempted above that which wee are able When we perplexe our selves with doubts and feares whether hee will make good his promise or not wee disable his Majesty Doe wee not thinke God stands upon his truth and faithfulnesse undoubtedly hee doth and wee cannot dishonour him more than to distrust him especially in his Euangelicall promises wee make him a lyar and robb him of that which hee most glories in his Mercy and Faithfulnesse if wee rest not securely upon him See the basenesse of mans nature God hath made all other things faithfull that are so and wee can trust them but are ever and anon questioning the truth of his promise Wee may justly take up Salvians complaint in his time Who hath made the earth faithfull to bring forth fruit saith he but God yet wee can trust the ground with sowing our seed Who makes man faithfull who is by nature the most slippery and unconstant creature of all other but God onely yet wee can trust a vaine man whose breath is in his Nostrils and looke for great matters at his hands before an Al-sufficient God that changeth not Who makes the seas and the winds faithfull that they doe not hurt us but God and yet wee are apt to trust the winde and weather sooner than GOD as wee see many Sea-men that will thrust forth their goods into the wide Ocean in a small Bark to shift any way rather than trust God with them Yea let Sathan by his wicked Instruments draw a man to some cursed politique reasons for the Devill doth not immediatly converse with the world but in his instruments and hee will sooner trust him than God himselfe so prone are our hearts to distrust the Almighty to call his truth in question and to trust the lyes of our own hearts and other mens before him Let us therefore lament our insidelity that having such an omnipotent and faithfull Creator to relie upon yet we cannot bring our hearts to trust in him There are two maine Pillars Of a Christians faith 1. The Power of God 2. The Goodnesse of God These two like Aaron and Hur hold up the armes of our prayers Let our estate be never so desperate yet God is a Creator still let our sinnes and infirmities be never so great yet hee hath power to heale them Oh how should this cheare up our soules and support our drooping spirits in all our strivings and conflicts with sinne and Sathan that wee yeeld not to the least temptation having such an Almighty GOD to flye unto for succour Cursed is that man which makes flesh his arme he that we trust in must bee no lesse than a Creator Cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils saith God hee is a poore creature as thy selfe is raised of nothing and shall come to dust againe If wee would beetrusting as wee needs must for we are dependant persons and want many things whilest wee are here let us goe to the fountaine and not to broken Cisternes for comfort It is no small priviledge for a Christian to have this free accesse to God in times of extremity be we what wee can bee take us at our worst in regard of sinne or misery yet we are his Creatures still I am the Clay thou art the Potter I am a sinfull wretch yet I am the workmanship of thy hands O Lord thou hast framed mee and fashioned mee c. No wicked person in the world can upon good ground plead in this manner though they may say to God I am thy creature yet they have not the grace in their troubles to plead this unto him Why Lord though I bee a rebellious sonne and am not worthy to be called thy servant yet I am thy creature though a sinfull one Surely had weâ— faith wee would take hold by a little I he soule of man is like the Vine 〈◊〉 windes about and fastens upon every little help faith will see day at a little hole and where it sees any thing it will catch at it as the woman of Canaan Christ cals her Dog why be it so Lord I am a dogg yet I am one of the family though I be a Dogge therefore have mercy on me Oh it is a sweet reasoning thus to cling about God and gather upon him it is a speciall art of faith Though a carnall man may reason thus as having a ground from the truth of the thing yet hee hath not grace to reason out of an affectioÌ„ thereunto though hee should say Lord I am thy Creature yet his heart tels him thus if hee would hearken to it I am thy creature Lord but I have made all my members that I have received from thee instruments to sinne against thee and I purpose not to reforme My tongue is an instrument of swearing lying and prophane speeches my hands are instruments of bribery and violence continually working mischiefe in thy sight my
carnall policy or others to knit our selves to that for I beseech you doe but think what is true in all Stories not onely in the Scripture but elsewhere the most infortunate meÌ„ that ever were otherwise wise enough were alwayes too confident of themselves The greatest Swimmers you know are often drowned because relying overmuch on their owne skill they cast themselves into danger and are swallowed up of the deepe Even confidence in wit is usually unfortunate though it bee great let Salomon bee an example you see how hee strengthened himselfe by carnall supports but what became of all alas it soone vanished and came to nothing the Iewes would runne to the reed of Aegypt and that ranne into their hands in stead of helping it hurt them GOD takes delight to overthrow the ripenesse of all the carnall policy of man that advanceth it selfe against his word and Gospell Take heed of confidence in prosperity in wit in strength take heed of whatsoever hinders the committing of our soules to God and alway remember that bonestic is the best policy and that GOD reconciled in Christ is the best sanctuary to flee unto The name of God is a strong Tower saith Salomon the righteous flee thereto and are safe Let Christians therefore have nothing to doe with carnall shifts and politique ends for they have a strong Rocke and a sure hold to goe to the Almighty is their shield Beloved God will bee honoured by our trusting of him and those that will bee wiser than God and have other courses distinct and contrary to him must looke for confusion in all their plots A Christian should thus thinke with himselfe Let God beâ—wise for me his wisdome shall bee my direction his will shall bee the rule of my life hee shall guide me and support me I will adventure upon no course that I dare not commit my soule with comfort to God in Oh beloved if we tender our owne welfare let us shun all unwarrantable courses and adventure upon no action whatsoever wherein we cannot upon good grounds desire the Lords protection It is a fearfull estate for a man to undertake such courses as that hee cannot if hee were surprized by judgement suddenly commit him selfe to God in The throne of iniquity shall not abide with God hee will not take a wicked man by the hand nor owne him in a distressfull time Study therefore I beseech you to bee alwayes in such a blessed condition as that you may without tempting of God in a holy boldnesse of faith resigne up your soules to him A guilty conscience cannot seeke the Lord naturally it runnes away from him peace is not easily gotten nor the gapp soone made up therefore preserve conscience cleare and unspotted if thou wouldest have God thy refuge in time of need Adam when hee had sinned ranne from God Peter when our Saviour discovered more than an ordinary Majesty in his miracles said Lord depart from mee I am a sinfull man It is the worke of flesh and blood to depart from God but when a man goes to God it is a signe hee hath more than flesh and blood in him for this cannot bee done without a supernaturall worke of faith which alone will make a sinfull conscience flie to God and looke to him as a father in Christ and desire him by his Almighty power whereby hee created heaven and earth to create faith in the soule And when thou hast cast thy soule into the armes of the Almighty labour to settle it there and to quiet thy selfe in the discharge of thy duty say thus Now I have done that which belongs to mee let God doe that which belongs to him I will not trouble my selfe about Gods worke but in well doing commit my soule to him and let him alone with the rest Christians should not out-runne Gods Providence and say What shall become of me this trouble will overwhelme mee c. but serve his Providence in the use of the meanes and then leave all to his disposall Especially this duty is needfull in the houre of death or when some imminent danger approacheth but then it will be an hard worke except it be practised aforehand Labour therefore for assurance of Gods love betimes get infallible evidences of thy estate in grace that thou art a renued person and that there is a through change wrought in thy heart that God hath set a stampe upon thee for his owne and that thou hast something above nature in thee then maist thou cheerfully say Father into thy hands I commend my spirit I am thine Lord save mee c. otherwise having no interest in God how canst thou expect any favour from him Oh the sweet tranquility and heaven upon earth which those enjoy who have God to be their friend This layes a heavy prejudice upon Antichristian Religion which maintaines a doctrine of doubting affirming that wee ought not to labour for assurance of Gods favour Oh beloved what deprives a poore Christian soule of coÌ„fort more than this Alas how can a man at the houre of death commit his soule into the hands of Almighty God that staggers whether he bee his childe or no and knows not whether he shall goe to heaven or hell Therfore it should bee our dayly indeavour as wee would have comfort in the time of resigning and giving up our soules to God to gather evidences of a good estate that wee are in covenant with him that hee is our Father and that wee are his children in Christ Jesus For will a man trust his Iewels with an enemy or with a doubtfull friend how can the swearer commit his soule to God how can loose livers and your filthy uncleane wretches that live in continuall enmity against the Lord commit themselves with any comfort unto him They pray Leade us not into temptation and yet runne daily into temptations into vile houses and places of wickednesse wherein they feed their corruptions and nothing else They say Give us this day our daily bread and yet use unwarrantable courses seeking to thrive by unlawfull meanes Beloved a man can coÌ„mit his soule with no more comfort to God than hee hath care to please him If a man knowes such a one hath his Evidences Leases and may hurt him when hee list how carefull will hee bee of provoking or giving offence to such a man Suppose wee knew a man that had the keeping of a Lyon or some cruell beast and could let it loose upon us at his pleasure would wee not speake such a one faire and give him as little cause of discontent as may bee Beloved God hath Dâ—vils and wicked men in a chaine and can if we offend him set loose all the powers of darknesse upon us he can make Conscience flie in our faces and cause us to despair and sinke All our evidence and assurances of 〈◊〉 are in Gods hands 〈◊〉 can bring us into a state â—ll of discomfort and misery and make
the soule Being justified by faith wee have peace with God Those that are hurried in their life with false doubts and perplexities What shall become of mee what shall I eate and what shall I drinke c Though they use lawfull meanes yet commit not themselves to God as they should for where there is a dependance upon God in the use of meanes there is an holy silence in the party All stubborne and tumultuous thoughts are hushed in him My soule keepe silence to the Lord saith David and trust in God why art thou so vexed within me still there is a quieting of the soule where there is trust Can that man put confidence in God that prowles for himselfe and thinkes he hath no Father in heaven to provide for him Doth that childe trust his father that besides going to schoole thinkes what hee shall put on how he shall be provided for and what inheritance he shall have hereafter Alas this is the Fathers care and belongs not to him Wheresoever these distractions are there can be no yeelding up of the soule to God in truth There be two affections which mightily disturbe the peace of Christians 1. Sinfull cares and 2. Sinfull feares to both which we have remedies prescribed in the Scripture 1. Feare not little flocke saith Christ for it is your fathers will to give you a kingdome As if he had said Will not hee that gives you heaven give you other things In nothing be carefull saith the Apostle that is in a distracting manner but doe your duty and then let your requests bee made knowne to God and the peace of God shall keepe you and therefore were we redeemed from the hands of our enemies that wee might serve him without feare all our dayes A Christian should keepe an inward Sabbath in his soule and goe quietly on in doing all the good hee can what a fearfull thing is it to see men lie groveling in the earth and live without God in the world troubling and â—urmoyling themselves how to compasse this thing and that thing as if they had no God to seeke unto nor no promise to relye upon Againe where this committing of a mans selfe and his soule to God is there will bee a looking to God onely in all a man doth not fearing any danger or opposition that may befall him from without as the three yong men said to Neâ—ucâ—adnezar Our God can keepe us if he will But what if hee will not Yet know O King that wee will not worship nor fall downe before thy Image So it is with a Christian foreseeing some danger disgrace or displeasure of this or that man which may befall him he resolveth notwithstanding in despight of all to commit himselfe to God in doing his duty come what will whether God will save him or no hee will not breake the peace of his conscience or doe the least evill hee is no foole but foresees what may befall him for well doing this inconvenience may come that trouble yet he sets light by these he hath an eye to heaven and sees more good to himself in the Creator that gave him his beeing of nothing and more good for the time to come that will make him a blessed Saint in heaven then there can be ill in the creature therefore come what can come his heart is fixed to trust the Lord and rather than hee will displease him desert his honour and his cause or doe any unworthy action he will commit himselfe to God in the greatest dangers The ground hereof is this A Christian is the wisest man in the world and hee understands well enough that God is Alsufficient hee sees there is a greater good in God than hee can have in the Creature and counts it madnesse to offend God to please the creature because there is a greater evill to bee expected from God than from the Creature though it were the greatest Monarch in the world considering therefore that he hath his best good in his union with God and in keeping his peace with him hee will not breake with him for any Creature And thus hee doth wisely for hee knowes if hee lose his life he shall have a better life of God than hee hath in his body for God is his life God is his soule and his comfort and hee hath his beeing from God hee is his Creator and hee hath a better being in God when hee dyes than he had when he lived for our beeing in God makes us happy and therefore Christ saith He that loves his life before God and a good cause hates it and hee that hates his life when Christ cals for it loves it for hee hath a better life in him wee give nothing to God but hee returns it a thousand times better than we gave it Let us yeeld our lives to him wee shall have them in heaven if they be taken away on earth Hee will give us our goods a thousand sold we shall have more favour in God then in any Creature and therefore a Christian out of this ground commits himselfe to God though hee foresee never so much danger like to fall upon him Againe if we doe in deed and not in pretence commit our selves to God as to a faithfull Creator we will not limit his Majesty as many carnall hearts doe oh if God will do so and so for them then they would trust him if they had but so much to live on a yeare and sâ—ch commings in c. then they would depend upon God but they must have a pawne and so much in hand first What a shame is it that wee should trust the vilest man in the world as farre as wee see him and yet unlesse wee have somewhat to leane on we will not trust God Beloved when a man limits God in any thing such a one may talke but hee trusts him not at all Indeed wee should indent with God and tie him to looke to the salvation of our soules but for other things leave them to his owne wisedome both for the time for the manner and measure doe what hee will with us Suppose it come to the Crosse hath hee not done greater matters for us why then should we distrust him in lesser If times come that Religion flourish or goes downward yet relye on him still hath hee not given his Sonne to us and will hee not give heaven also Why doe wee limit the holy One of Israel and not cast our selves upon him except hee will covenant to deale thus and thus with us A true Christian hath his eye alwayes heaven-ward and thinkes nothing too good for God O Lord saith he of thee I have received this life this estate this credit and reputation in the world I have what I have and am what I am of thee and therefore I yeeld all to thee backe againe If thou wilt serve thy selfe of my wealth of my selfe of my strength thou shalt have it If