hath a Crowne every perticular grace hath the promise of a Crowne if there be severall Crownes a Crowne of righteousnesse and a Crowne of Starrs a Crowne of glory a Crowne of immortality a Crowne of life then feare not but God is able to make the Crownes answerable to the number of your passions And by how much mens sufferings have beene greater as Chrysostome sayth well by so much the more the Crowne shall be more bright and splendent as St. Austin sayth well every Saint that God the more buffets and conflicts he hath endur'd the greater shall be his reward and more ample of glory This for the multitude of tribulations if they be many Admit in the last place that tribulations and sufferings be long though there be nothing long in this World there is nothing long that comes to a period for there is nothing long that is temporary All tribulations and sufferings are temporary That is too much to say they are temporary they are all momentary that is lesse St. Paul sayth so that which is momentary cannot be long What is shorter then a moment St. Paul was able to judge he endured many and long tribulations But our life is but a moment to eternity our life is but as yesterday sayth the Psalmist they can last but this life and that may noâ— last to the next moment They are temporary nay they are momentary admit they were not yet that Crowne will recompence it the Crowne of life is immortall here is that that will recompence it You know the sufferings of this world are but momentaine as I said and yet worldly men take a great deale of pains to decline them On the other side the pleasures of the world are momentaine what pains doe worldly men take to enjoy them how much trouble is there and what care doe they take to heale a finger if it be out of frame or out of joint or for the curing of any part of the body if there be but any passion upon that nay further not onely the care of the flesh but what a great deale of care doe worldly men take to fulfill their lusts How much will wicked men suffer to enjoy their lusts what will they not suffer then as Demosthenes stirred up himself to follow his studie the more earnestly by the example of a Smith that was at his work before he was at his study it is a shame for me saith he to be in bed and the Smith to be at work this was Demosthenes argument so it may for Christians shall wicked men endure so much to fullfill the pleasures of sin and shall not we endure something to attain the Crowne of life and immortallity for the attaining of heaven Si tanta c. If the soul saith St. Austin he content to suffer so much to enjoy things that are made to perish how much should we be content to suffer for that that cannot perish If men will suffer so much for the flesh what should we suffer for the immortality of the soul for the gaining of Heaven for the crown It was the argument of the devout Hermite when he saw a Harlot spend some hours in attiring of her self he fell bitterly on weeping being asked what was the reason Saith he because I cannot bestow so earnest pains in adoring my soul as that creature doth in decking of her body that was his argument And St. Paul he gives such an argument whereas worldly men strive for a corruptible Crowne shall not we strive for that which is incorruptible Shall not the children of light be as zealous for Heaven as the children of the world are for pleasures Shall not spirituall men be as zealous to attain glory as carnall men are in momentaine things the pleasures of sin that endure but for a season O listen listen to St. Paul he pus all these together I told you of the levity and shortness and paucity of tribulations he sums them up well and concludes thus These light afflictions that are but for a moment they work out a farr exceeding eternall weight of glory It is worthy all to be written in Letters of gold there is never a word but it is full of emphasis there were never words almost that dropt from any mans mouth so full of excellency as these words For first if you mark it he moderates the quantity with the quality these light afflictions Then againe he moderates the quality with the quantity they are short afflictions if they be great and many they are short and momentaine then he moderates both with the comparisons that follow light afflictions but a weight of glory momentaine afflictions but an eternall weight of glory And this eternall weight of glory exceeding in quality and quantity St Paul would not have us think his afflictions long and sharp and great and many they are nothing so that God sends but if they were so shall we not endure them If God should afflict us all our life if we should live as long as the Patriarcks he mingles them with comforts though there were no comfort a thousand yeares tribulation were nothing to the glory that shall never come to an end Jacob thought 7. years service a short time that he might enjoy Rachel when his eye was upon Rachell his Pearl then he thought 7. years and 7. to them but a small time Did Jacob account so many years a small time and shall not we account 7. dayes 7. howres short Admit it be more it is but tribulation for a short time if we have Rachell if we have Heaven in our eye fix our eyes upon immortallity upon heaven and then all tribulation will seem not onely light but nothing and not onely short but as if they had never been but as yesterday are 10000 years to eternity The world gives nothing but what is corruptible God gives that which is eternall all desire long life God offers not onely long life but eternall life not only long life but a glorious life expressed by the best words though stated upon contemptible persons those that suffer tribulation First they are blessed that is the generall and then in perticular they shall receive the Crowne of life SERMON III. JAMES 1.12 Blessed is the man that indureth temptation for when he is tried he shall receive the Crowne of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him HAVING done with the two principall parts I am now to come to those parts that are accessâ—ry The speciall are the two descriptions I told you of before The description of the persons that the promisâ— is made unto all under the notification of one The man that iâ— every man that endures tentation And the description of the reward it selfe that is the other set downe under two notions There is the generall notion which comprehends all other termes it is blessednesse And there is the particular notion which is subordinate to it the thing that is promised is a
our selves and all that we have see his goodnesse that whereas we are debtors to him he condiscends to make himselfe by promise and stipulation debtors to us as St. Austin very well Vt sicut c. That as we should praise God as the Donor of all the good we have so we should depend upon him as the holy debtor of all the good we look for to testify this great goodnesse he gives it first â—y promise and that because it is a long time before we come to possession God staies our stomacks by a promise as a bit before the heavenly supper When that Supper comes then we have fruition and because we may have desires hot towards Heaven and our stomacks sharp God staies them and gives us a little of the first fruits and these are in the promises And then there is good reason if we consider our selves The reason that we are so fraile and weak in faith and have so much trouble and conflicts and agonies in our spirits is because we doe not converse with the promises we treasure not up these The promises are a great support of three graces First they are the great support of faith faith would sinck and lag unlesse it were for the promises The promises are to faith as Aaron and Hur were to Moses Moses hands were feeble and then Aaron and Hur bring a stone and set it under When Moses had the stone under and Aaron and Hur supported his hands then Israel prevailed Moses was strengthened The promise is as that stone it brings the Rock Christ it makes us look to the Rock that is higher then our selves It brings the Rock and sets it not onely above us but under us The promise undersets faith and keeps the building from tottering Nothing can support it more then the promise For in that the promise supports it God supports it and all in all his attributes There is somwhat of all the attributes of God in the promise of his wisdome of his truth of the power and justice of God all these support saith A man hath enough if he have but one Attribute to support him in any exigent How strong is he that hath all these in the promise Because God is faiâ—hfull and just and true the promise it is the support of faith As it is the support of faith so it is of hope and of patience There is no grace that hath so great correspondency with the promise as hope and patience The promise teacheth hope to live by Providence whereas every man can live by the present the promise supports hope and makes it live by the future by reversion it instructs hope to live by providence not onely in temporalls but spiritualls And as it instructs hope so it doth patience it is a great cherisher of patience Patience is the grace that waits and so doth hope hope is patience Sister or if you will Patience is the Daughter of hope and the promise is the supporter of both The promise will teach hope and patience to depend upon God not onely for the thing he gives but for the time there is a great deale of comfort in the time it will make it submit to Gods order and method What is Gods method This before he gives possession he gives reversion the promise is the reversion the promise is the support of hope and patience there is a great deale of comfort comes to a Christian this way A worldly man is all for the present he cares not for the future if he can be happy for the present that is the pitch he goes to A worldly man desires to take if it be possible his wages before hand he cares not for taking any thing at the last day He is nothing for reversion he would take all as much as he could before That is the reason he is left voyd of comfort at the howre of death because he took up all he knowes not where to take up more as Christ saith He hath his reward he hath his portion in this life he hath no more to take unlesse it be that Son remember thou in thy life-time receivedst pleasure and likewise Lazarus paine now he is comforted and thou art tormented he cannot take it and expect it A godly man contrary he desires not to work for present payment but he works to a day he knowes that God is a good Pay-master he would not have all for the present he knowes the lesse he hath now the more he shall have after because he lives by the promise he lives by hope and hope makes him patient and the promise supports them both It is the grace of hope that sets a man in Heaven when he is on Earth and the promise sets hope in Heaven Hope cannot goe to Heaven but by the promise A Christian could not goe to Heaven on Earth and take a spirituall flight but for hope The promise brings downe Heaven to the heart it inverts that Speech of St. Paul he sayth While we are present in the body we are absent from the Lord. But hope turnes it and makes it while we are in the body it teacheth us how to be present in Heaven Here is the benefit of hope and because of hope therefore of the promise Therefore if we would looke for comfort let us look to the treasuring up of the promises the promises support There is no condition that befalls a Christian in this life but there is a promise for it there is some promise for it whither it be of prosperity or adversity of life or of death of falling of want there are promises for all and the promise will still keep the head above water what ever the affliction be it will still keep life and soul together If there be no bâ—ame of comfort appeare yet the promise will support in the middest of all distresse If a man grasp but a promise he is well enough If the soul be in perplexity and doubting it will settle it if it be in affliction the promise will comfort it if it be in any distresse the promise will afford consolation therfore make much of the promises If salvation be promised to believers it is hope that presently grasps and layes hold of it it doth it by the promise If forgivenesse be promised to the penitent hope looks after it and layes hold of it and it doth that by the promise If it be the Crowne to â—erseverance hope looks after that too and layes hold of it it doth it still by the promise Hope is the Watch-man or the Sentinell among the graces as a Watch-man upon a Tower will discover before all others that are below when day breaks if there be but the breaking of any day light any beame of comfort to be seene hope will discover it and pick it up Though every grace be as an eye and hereupon the Apostle sayth that the Saints in the Revelations are full of eyes before and behind It is not
the Table of the Lord we should bethink our selves what strength we bring what stature we come with Much more when we appeare before God in Heaven there shall be no appearing before God in Heaven unlesse there there be a perfection of competency Heaven is made for the perfect Paul dares not think of Heaven till he have finished his course and Christ calls to God to glorifie him when he had done his work I have done the work that thou gavest me to doe glorifie thy Son We must not look to appeare before God in glory unlesse we goe through these degrees of grace then we shall appeare before God when we are come from strength to strength Then there is a word of distribution it is not all of them but every one The universall collective would have done it Paul sayth We shall all appeare before the judgement seat of Christ But it is more emphaticall Every one each man in the whole and each one for himselfe Every one comes and appeares before God In these Courts of his House though it be in a Crowd God observes every mans carriage and proficiency God takes speciall notice when there are thousands as if there were but one but all here are present before God Much more when we come into his presence of glory then every one shall appeare God will take account of every one what Oyle he hath in his Lamp what improvement he hath made of his Tallents Then there shall be notice of each mans state and measure of every mans height what growth he is come to and according to his stature shall be his reward and Crowne The higher stature the higher measure of glory to him that hath gained five Talents shall be given five Citties to him that hath gained two two Citties to him that hath gone through many degrees of vertue and strength and hath glorified God by an habituall practise of piety there shall be a high reward to them that have gone From strength to strength there shall be an addition of glory to glory THE Vigilant Servant DELIVERED IN TVVO SERMONS BY That Learned reverend Divine RICHARD HOLSWORTH Doctor in Divinity somtimes Vice-Chancellour of Cambridge Master of Emmanuel Colledge and late Preacher at PETERS POORE in LONDON 2 Chron. 20.12 We know not what to doe but our eyes are upon thee LONDON Printed by M. Simmons in Alders-gate-streete 1650. SERMON I. PSAL. 123.2 Behold as the eyes of Servants looke unto the hand of their Masters and as the eyes of a Maiden unto the hand of her Mistresse So our eyes wait upon the Lord our God untill that he have mercy upon us FOR the satisfying of your expectations I have therefore made choise of this Text at this time as being very agreeable whither I look to the parts of the Auditory or the whole or to the time or to what circumstance soever For the lower part Servants may learne their duty For the upper Masters may have the understanding of theirs And for all your conditions are such that you are those that have been held a long time between hope and feare with doubtfull news and ambiguous and neutrall expectations And I may well presume it of you because I measure you by my selfe I my selfe that am wavering have beene wearied and tortured both with good and bad tidings as desirous as you to reap the comfort if they be good or at least to know the certainty if they be bad I have for severall dayes gone through Texts for both parts of the day because I was resolved to proportion my Meditations to the times however things fall out but at length finding no true ground to proceed by no certainty in this World of any thing almost we are not certaine of our selves therefore I did resolve and pitch upon this Scripture that I might yet at least raise your expectations a little higher and bring you from these neutrall thoughts to setled thoughts of Heaven that I might bring you from these carnall dependencies upon man by the eare to a sweet and comfortable resting and setling and fixing and waiting with your eyes upon God And that cannot be done better then by this Scripture that I have read to you It was penned for this very purpose for the sustaining of the Church in doubtfull exigents or any great extremity That this is the intendment of the words appeares by the very scope of the Psalme which is nothing but this a Psalme of confidence for the Church of God when she should be in any state of affliction And if the scope of the Psalme were silent yet the very time would speake how it corresponds it is the fourth of the fifteen that are called Psalmes of Degrees because they were sung upon the fifteene ascents that were to goe to the Temple and so many ascents I have had in doubtfull expectation it is now fifteene dayes since the first heavy tidings came to our eares and yet we are not certaine Therefore now since we cannot find any part of truth on Earth let us have recourse to Heaven we shall be sure to find them there And the whole Book of God is nothing else but tidings brought from Heaven to Earth from God to his Creature Evangelion the good tidings That was the course of the Saints in all exigents still to have recourse to God by praying to him so we shall be sure to understand the end of these thing if we wait upon God for the issue he will send it in good time if we follow the example of the Prophet David here as good Servants to abide his leasure till he have mercy upon us I shall handle the other clauses but I shall dwell upon the last because I shall have opportunity to remember your of that duty that otherwise I had not spoken of but that the Text 〈◊〉 on it That this is the drift at which the words 〈…〉 Verse demonstrates for there is somwhat in every Verse In the first two Verses there is somwhat of our comfort or lifting up our eyes to God the waiting upon God in Prayer In the last two Verses thâ—re is somewhat of our affliction We are filled with contempt in Vers 3. Our soul is filled with the scornefull reproach of the proud Vers 4. Is not this our case If not your souls have not your eares been filled at least some of you with the scornefull reproaches of the proud that have asked where is now your hope And your help Give them leave to enjoy themselves but remember it is not so much for them to boast in a state flying as those that are in hope of pursuite But let them support their tottering ruinous cause by insolent Questions the Psalmist hath taught us both what to doe and what to answer Our hope and help stands in the name of the Lord. There is our answer As the eyes of Servants are to the hands of their Masters so our eyes waite upon the Lord our God
there is a continuance of the Scriptures through all ages to the Church therefore he adds here they are an Heritage for ever for ever as noting the perpetuity Mary hath chosen the better part that shall not be taken from her He makes it such an Heritage as he will not part with he that sells all to get Heaven will not part with Heaven to get all For ever that makes us have interest If it were so in Davids time it is in ours now to us still an inheritance That we may see we have interest in it as well as David the Apostle tells us God hath called us to it as an inheritance Colos 4. He hath called us to the inheritance of the Saints in light He doth not say the inheritance of the Saints in Heaven because he would let us see that the wrrd is an inheritance Heaven is an inheritance in light in the light of glory and in the light of grace in the light of the testimonies the word here Here is the scope of the word used by David to shew his high esteeme of the word he calls it his inheritance What is the use of it First Of comfort that seeing God hath given it to his Servants as a Heritage if at any time there be a Famine of the word of the Lord eyther in our hearts or in the Church upon this ground we may lay claime to it as long as God continues a Church he will continue the Scriptures so long as there is any to be gathered into the fold he will have his word whereby they may be converted as long as there are any Saints on Earth he will lend them this their portion Then it is a Use of contentation being that is our Heritage whatsoeuer portion we have besides make this the cheife if we have none yet we are those that are richly endowed There is no man but may take comfort and contentment now in this frame of the Psalmist if he can bring his heart to Davids temper Rich men that have possessions on Earth here is one possession that will be better to them then all Poore men that have no inheritance that it may be as Stephen sayth of Abraham Act. 7. that have not so much as a foot in the world not one foot to live in though they have seaven foot when they are once dead but though his inheritance be not so much as one foote here here is that that makes amends for all the heritage of comfort that is in the word of God here and of glory afterwards He may say of it as the Psalmist sayth in another Psalme My Lot is fallen in a faire ground I have a goodly heritage He that hath this portion this ground of comfort to himself he is abundantly rich and rich with the riches of Heaven 3. There is a Use of excitement to stir us to frame and work our hearts to this temper of the Psalmist Labour to get that esteeme of the word of God that he had If there were nothing else to move us to it this name and appellation that is given it were enough There are none of us all so much mortified to the World and so much withdrawn from the pleasures profits of it but we are ready to startle and to rouze up our selves at the name of an inheritance If a man heare that an inheritance is befallen him what paines will he take to goe and see it As him in the Gospell If any of us be allyed to a rich man that hath no Children what meanes and course will we not take to be thought worthy to be his heire To succeed him in his inheritance And this is but in temporall things The man in the Gospell comes to Christ and thought to have drawne this benefit from him Master bid my Brother divide the inheritance He comes to Christ to suck out temporalls he might have had spiritualls he comes for half an inheritance he might have had a whole one We are like the Children of Israel that would take their portion on this side Jordan earnest we are for temporalls Heavenly things we relish not It occasioned that Speech that was used of old and will be used rich men though they have no Children never want Heires there will still be those that pretend Heire-ship to their inheritance Shall not we have that apprehension of things celestiall that worldly men have of things temporall God is richer then all he comes to us with offers of riches laden with all riches riches of the spirit and sets open that treasurie to us in his owne Son whom he hath sent into the World and made knowne what riches is in Christ by the word of God though we see such abundance of indeficient riches yet we are so stupid and insensible that we are not at all affected with it there are very few that look after the spirituall inheritance or the comfort of it And if we get it we are not so choyse to part with it as men are of temporalls Naboth thought it unlawfull to part with his inheritance though it were to a King God forbid that I should sell the inheritance of my Fathers There is no Christian but if he understand himselfe aright in the way of Heaven will be of Naboths resolution and Naboths temper he will never rest till he have gotten interest in the comfort of this inheritance that is both in the word of God and leads to Heaven and when he hath got it he will not part with it for all the World besides That he may truly value Heaven he will set a valuation upon the word of God and work himselfe to Davids temper here is his profession of himselfe Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever That is the first generall part Davids profession The next is Davids Motive therefore I call it his Motive because it induced him to be of this Opinion because They are the joy and rejoycing of my heart Nothing will induce a man sooner to have a good Opinion of any thing then to have joy and comfort by it we value and prize every thing that affords rejoycing if it afford true joy it affords all For joy is the flower that springs from every good and is as the Crowne and contentation of all therefore it was his motive It runs thus if we take it in due order Thy testimonies have beene the rejoycing of my heart therefore I have taken them as an heritage for ever It was Davids motive and it was a good motive However worldly men think it is but a soure distastfull work to be alway Poreing in the word of God they think Christians are but Melancholly Creatures and the continuall excercise and study of the Scriptures to be but a drie and distastfull work yet the Saints of God that have comfort from it they know how precious that excercise is how much joy it brings that the life of a Christian is a life of joy
more gladnesse in my heart then when their Corne and Wine and Oyle increased God puts gladnesse in the heart the world puts gladnesse in a mans lips and countenance God stablisheth the heart where it shall be durable where it is substantiall joy In that it is sayd to be in the heart he expresseth it to the full it is enough to have joy there That is the second Proposition the joy of a Christian is true and substantiall and right seated joy They are the rojoycing of my heart There is a third Proposition from both these This true substantiall joy it doth not spring from any other head it comes not any other way then by the word of God there we must find it We shall never find joy in Heaven unlesse we first find it in the Scriptures here joy begins the glorious joy The grace of God as the Apostle sayth being begun here must be perfected after it cannot be perfected unlesse there be preparations and beginnings these preparations are those that are wrought by the Word of God and here they are conteined In worldly things we cannot find these and a Christian man doth not make temporall things his joy Rejoyce not in this that the Spirits are subject to you That is rejoyce not in Miraculous gifts But rather rejoyce that your names are written in Heaven in the Book of Life and if it be there it is written upon the promises it is written in the Book of the Scriptures as Hilarie speaks well A Christian knowes not what belongs to other joy to secular joy he cannot fetch his joy from any other Fountaine or Spring but from hence If at any time he rejoyce in temporall things it is in a subordinate reference to spirituall iâ— he rejoyce in them it is but when he forgets himselfe it may be sometimes they may affect his heart but in the end temporal things leave us in the lurch they cannot continue that joy to us we cannot carry that joy of the World to Heaven A godly man should be so far from rejoycing in that he is to be mortified to the World he Sacrifices himselfe to the pleasures of it doe you think he wil take a pride to delight in it no the joy that he sucks to himself he draws from the promises of salvation conteined in these testifications these testimonies of the Lord he drawes them from the Scriptures So here the word of God onely affords true joy so it doth in all the references and considerations of it If it be the word preached it affords joy Act. 8. it is said of those of Samaria There was a great deale of joy in that Citty because of the Preaching of the word If it be the word practised It is the joy of the righteous to doe good as wise Solomon speaks if it be the revolving of it by meditation the meditation of it begets joy The word of God as it multiplies notions so it multiplies rejoycing so here is the way to true comfort and joy if any goe about to find it in the World there is nothing that we can take delight and joy in If any man would have this Water of Life he must with the Woman of Samaria carry his Paile to Jacobs Well Here is the Balme of Cilead for every Wounded Samaritan as St. Chrysostome speaks the Scriptures have Physick and Medecines to heale all the Wounds of the Soul it is so profitable that David sayth Except thy Law had beene my Delight I had perished in mine afflictions He was in afflictions but he had a Cordiall he made Gods Law his delight and that kept him from Sinking and from being Overwhelmed with sorrow They are the Waters of comfort the still Waters of comfort of which the Psalmist speaks in another place they are to be found in the word of God Here is the Treasurie and Store-house of all joy and comfort if we will fetch it from any place we must come hither and here we are sure to find it It is true joy of it selfe is a naturall affection but spirituall joy is not naturall it is not from nature to know what belongs to spirituall joy it is onely the Word of God that can teach us what it is and what belongs to it Seneea himselfe had some glimps of it Whereas every man sayth he thinks it is an easie thing to be Merry what more easie No it is a hard thing to be joyfull though it be easie to be Merry Joy is not so wanton a thing as the World takes it joy is a severe thing in true joy there is severity and gravity it is an excellent vertue that way Therefore in his Epistle to Lucelius above all if thou wouldest make thy life happy learne how to joy aright it is a Lesson hard to be learned Aristotle in his Ethicks layes it as a Foundation and ground of a good life there is no greater argument of proficiency then this for a man to rejoyce as he ought and in what things he ought He hath gotten a great mastery of himselfe and a great victory over the World and is come to a high pitch of knowledge and to a high pitch of the practise of Piety that knowes how and in what to rejoyce aright If we will learne that we must learne it from the word of God it is our joy and teacheth us to rejoyce aright that is not to rejoyce in the things of the World not to rejoyce in the pleasures of sin Heare what devout Prosper sayth of them although it be a great good to rejoyce yet to rejoyce amiss in the things of the World is a great evill that seperates the heart from Heaven If not in the things of the world then not in the pleasures of sin as now a dayes many take pleasure in nothing but onely in doing mischiefe whereas Charity rejoyceth not in iniquity but rejoyceth in the truth Piety rejoyceth not in sin nor in the World but what doth shee rejoyce in In God and in Christ in the hope of Heaven and in making use of the word of God It rejoyceth in this that piety is her practise and Heaven her hope and Christ her Saviour and the Holy Ghost her Comforter and the word of God her perpetuall Companion If we will learne to rejoyce in these things we must labour to get holy Davids temper David was a man as much perplexed with sorrow as any man in the World he had his Tribulations but as he was a man of sorrow so at the same time he was a man of rejoycing a man of joy and those joyes he still had out of the meditation of Gods testimonies so great joy that in one place he saith Thy Statutes have been my song in the house of my Pilgrimage and here he sayth they are my rejoycing and the rejoycing of my heart Thy testimonies have I claimed as an Heritage for ever for they are the rejoycing of my heart DAVIDS DEVOTION DELIVERED IN ONE SERMON BY
Verb to his owne comfort and a better he cannot then this And that this word must be added appeares by the next words Till he have mercy upon us To looke till he have mercy on us is to wait so there is good reason why this word is added If we look to the thing begged mercy it is so precious that we may wait for it It was Servants that he mentioned and it is their duty to wait upon their Masters they wait upon their Trenchers at meat they wait when they goe to bed and when they rise they wait in every place therefore because he had mentioned the first word he takes the proper duty there is nothing more proper to Servants then waiting and if we are the Servants of God we must wait There is good reason in that respect because it is a word so significant therefore the Spirit of God varies it he keeps not exactly to the line so doe our eyes looke but so doe our eyes wait Thirdly why he makes another variation so doe our eyes wait upon the Lord He writes not after his Coppie for there it is As the eyes of Servants looke to the hands of their Masters It should have run So doe our eyes wait on the hand of the Lord he sayth not so but varies it So doe our eyes wait on the Lord. What is the reason It would have been too strait Though we must wait on Gods gracious hand both of power that orders all things and of bounty that distributes all things yet it would have been too strait some would have imagined that there were nothing in God to be waited on but for his bounty and power No he shews that we must at large wait upon the Lord in all that belongs to him if we have respect to his glory and honour we must wait upon his Throne if to our vilenesse we must waite on his Footestoole If to his bounty we must wait on his hand if to his wisdome we must wait upon his providence if to his truth we must wait on his promises There is nothing in God but it is to be waited on in all his attributes and relations not onely as our Master but as our King as our Father and as our Shepheard Therefore that the Psalmist might better leave it for an enlarged supply as that a Heavenly heart might intercept it he saith not as in the former so doe our eyes wait upon the hand of the Lord but so doe our eyes wait upon the Lord. That is the reason of the third variation There are but two observable besides I shall stand a little longer on them they are materiall The fourth is why he doubles this word of excellency upon the Lord our God For one word would have served but that no word can serve to set out that excellency but having named Master before one would think it should run so doe our eyes waite upon our Heavenly Master as our Heavenly Lord but he adds the Lord our God To shew the difference between the Masters of the World and of him that is above The Masters here below are Masters indeed but they are men like our selves our Master above is the Lord our God The Masters here that have dominion are Domini but sub domino under that great Master but he is Dominans dominantium the Lord of Lords They are Masters that have their breath in their Nostrills but he is the Master that gives life and breath and motion and all things Therefore to shew that we stand in a double Obligation to God in our service and attendance he adds two words we wait upon him as our glorious Lord and as our gracious God both wayes we give him our eyes and attendance To shew this double obligation observe in the first line the prescription the Coppie there are both relations mentioned and a double notion to both relations there is Masters and Mistresse Servants and Hand-maid To note thus much by the doubling of the one that if there be any better service in the one sex then in the other we are to draw the patterne from that that we may give the purest service and attendance to God And noting in the other if there be any respect due to either of those Masters or Mistresse they should be both drowned and swallowed up in our respect to God he useth both words to shew that we should yeild all service to God St. Austin in his Commentary on the Psalmes propounds the Question and so doth Jerome if that be his he finds a double scruple he makes two Questions One Question is why we are called Ansilla in the Singular number a Hand-maid Another Question is why Christ is called not onely Dominus but Domina As the eyes of Servants wait on their Masters so doe our eyes upon Christ St. Austin gives this reason and Jerome and it is full of wit both these predications will hold for us that are Christians It is Servi sumus ancilla sumus we are both Servants and we are the Church we are Servants of his Handmaid As we are the people of God so we are called Servants as we are the Church of God so we are ancilla So for the other predication our Lord and Saviour is both Dominus and Domina He is The Lord Our Lord because he is our God and Domina he must have the duty of a Mistresse because he is the virtue and wisdome and excellency of God That is Austins and Jeromes It is full of wit but it is a little to adventerous I durst hardly to mention it if it were not theirs their wit is sweet and in their intentions full of piety but I dare not give it as a truth Yet there is reason to be given why both are exprest to shew the service that we owe to God The reason is this both words are used because no one word can set out any part of Gods excellency look in what part you will There is no one word can set out the glory of God in Heaven therefore there are two words used the glory of both lights the glory of the light of the Sun and of the Moone There is no one word can set out to us the perfection of the robe of Christs righteousnesse that he cloaths Beleivers with therefore two words are used he cloaths them with double Ornaments of the Bride-groome and of the Bride Isa 61. There is no one word can set out the propinquity of our alliance to Christ therefore Christ sets it out by two words He that doth the will of my Father is my Brother and Sister There is no one word can set out the tendernesse of the love of God therefore it is set out by the love of both Parents by the love of a Father and a Mother Can a Mother forget her Child And as a Father pirties his Child so the Lord hath mercy on them that feare him In Gods love there is the love of both
learne to admire Gods goodnesse revealed to man in Christ we are called upon in Scripture to be thankfull and to walk answerable to it and they are good Uses but we cannot make you unlesse we be stricken with admiration If a man doe not first admire Gods goodnesse in the dispensation of Christ to the Church he cannot be thankfull and the reason why there is so little thankfullnesse is because there is so little admiration that that dazles the eyes of Angells is but ordinary in our eyes because these things are daily propounded therefore since the Scripture calls upon us to celebrate Gods goodnesse and we cannot celebrate it without thankfullnesse and we cannot be thankfull without admiration if we admire we shall draw our eyes after it if we admire Gods goodnesse our eyes will be lift to those Hills so to blesse him and to pray that we may have the Comfort in our owne hearts That is the first ground and there is the first Lesson to us it was and is out of admiration the Angells desire to look into those Mysteries as they desired in the Apostles time so still and to the Worlds end The second Radix whence this desire comes is from expectation for expectation is the Whetstone of desire so it is that Didimus Alexandrinus Expounds these words that the Angells being abundantly well pleased and contented and rejoycing in the accomplishment of those Mysteries that are already past they look to these Mysteries still out of expectation of that is behind for there is somewhat to be accomplished which till it be done the Angells themselves have not the highest pitch of their happinesse till all be gathered to the tryumphant body there is somewhat to be accomplished and that the Angells are in expectation of and out of expectation they desire looking to those things sayth Didimus that are to be done and brought to passe in the end of the World and St. Barnard expounds these words the Angells desire to look to the time of restitution that that time may hasten and come about that there may be an accomplishment of the number of the elect and all the gracious promises that God hath revealed in his word this they desire and looke to so Calvin well they desire to see the accomplishment of all those good things they have seen accomplished in the greatest part In the part that is behind they desire the accomplishment of that and out of that expectation they looke into these Mysteries That is another ground And it goes upon good reason for expectation will alway carry the eye as well as admiration alway longing breeds looking So in Judg. 5. the Mother of Sisera shee expected her Sons tryumphant returne shee looked out of the Window and said why is his Chariot so long in comming Therefore shee looked to see if shee could spie him So in that place John 8. concerning Abraham Abraham desired to see my day and saw it and rejoyced The expectation of the accomplishment of the promise made to Abraham made Abraham looke still to be carried with a holy desire that it might be accomplished So Symeon Luke 2. when Christ was present in the Temple Symeon had long waited for the consolation of Israel therefore when he came and saw Christ he could not turne his eyes off him the reason why he fixed his eyes on Christ was because he had long waited for the accomplishment of that day therefore expectation made him set his eyes on him so because the Angells are still in expectation of the accomplishment of that that is not yet finished therefore they looke to these Mysteries And the point is this it shall be the Excellency of the grace of hope that hope though it be the grace of the way yet hope in part is a grace of the Countrey hope is a glorious grace in common to us with the Patriarchs for the Patriarchs were stil in expectation of the first comming of Christ as we are of his second Nay it 's a grace common to us not onely with Patriarchs but to us with Angells the Angells themselves are still in hope there is something that is the object of hope in Angells that is the fullfilling of those Promises that Christ hath reserved to be fullfilled to the last times the second comming of Christ to Judgement that shall put an end and period to these secular days of misery in this World and turne all days into one that glorious day the Saints and Angells in Heaven are still in expectation of therefore because that is the complement the Consummatum est of all the Mysteries of Salvation therefore the Angells desire to look into them that as Christ said it is finished on the Crosse before he gave up the Ghost to the work of our redemption passive so to the worke of faith there shall be such a word pronounced at the last day till then we live by hope and we need not be ashamed Hope maketh not ashamed it is an excellent grace common with us to Angells It is a thing to be deplored in Christianity and I will take order to remedy it as much as I can that among all other graces in Christianity the grace of hope is so little spoken of when did you heare in a Sermon hope spoken of to purpose One of the three Sisters is almost jusâ—led out of the World it is the twine ofaith they hang upon each others shoulders faith makes present hope staies with patience all the comfort of a Christian depends upon hope it is lamentable that so eminent a grace should never be thought of we know not what it is to live by hope faith is that grace it is true that is to be magnified but the setting up of that excellent grace of faith hath almost drowned this grace of hope while there is any thing to be fullfilled we live by hope and we need not be ashamed it is common to us with Angells Nay it is proper to us more then to them for when we come to fruition perfect fruition hope ceaseth when there is no expectation there cannot possible be any hope there Therefore here is the Use we are to make of the point that as the Angells are in expectation and live by hope so we should labour to put in this drop of Balsome into all our comforts to know that our life is a life of expectation and much more of expectation then the Angells they are in fruition and perfect blisse there are onely some accessories to be accomplished for them yet they live by hope If they live by hope in Vision shall not we much more that are in the state of mortality and breath after fruition But this is the very ground of the Angells desire and inspection into these Mysteries hope and expectation because they are in expectation of the accomplishment of the rest that God will fullfill the remnant of the Elect and the remainder of the Promises that are not yet fullfilled This