that be when every one shall be glorious himselfe and shall put downe the Sunne in glory in his body and soule and when there shall be such a world of them so glorious If every Starre be beautifull how beautifull are all in their lustre when so many Saints shall be gathered together they shall be farre more glorious then the Sunne in his Majestie and this glory is reserved till all be gathered together God said of the creatures severally they were good but when hee looked on them together they were exceeding good so the severall soules of Christians are glorious but at the day of Judgement when all shall be gathered together there shall be an exceeding glory It is reserved I say for the gathering together of the Saints when Christ who is the head shall have gathered all by his word and ministery out of this sinfull world which are scattered here and there then they shall come to perfect glory Then there shall be perfect union betweene the body and soule then there shall be a perfect union betweene us and all that are dead together then there shall be a perfect union betweene us and Christ then we shall have the perfect fruition of God of Angels of all the blessed company in heaven Oh! what a blessed time will this be and this shall be at the glorious appearing of Christ. Christ shall appeare in glory himselfe as verily as he appeared in his first comming and wee shall appeare with him in glory Why should wee doubt of it is not that which is greater done already hath not God himselfe become man hath not God dyed and God beene abased in his first comming Is not that more wonder then that man should become like God in his second comming whether is greater for God to become man or for men to be raised out of their graves and become glorious certainely this is the lesser why should we doubt of it Let us rayse our hearts with this that as verily as he came in abasement to worke our salvation so verily hee shall come and rayse us to glory and this is a lesser worke then the former But to come nearer to make some further use of this surely these are maine points and should bee oft thought on O! that the hearts of Christians were exercised with them Could wee be dead either for grace or comfort if wee did oft thinke of this with application Let us oft warme our selves with these things let us bring our selves to the light let us thinke of the blessed times to come could we be unfruitfull This made Saint Paul adjure Timothy and the Thessalonians I beseech you by the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ c. I shall need no greater argument to presse you then as verily as Christ shall come in glory and as you shall be gathered to him so heare what I say So Saint Paul chargeth Timothy 1 Tim. 6. 13. I charge thee before Christ who at his comming c. Keepe this Commandement This will moove a mans conscience and carry him to duty if nothing else will Let us thinke seriously Christ will come with thousands of his Angels in glory and majestie and all shall be glory then there shall be nothing but glory glorious in his company glorious in himselfe glorious in his enemies he shall trample them under his feet by a glorious confusion there shall be nothing but glory in heaven and earth then And wee shall come to the same glory the Spouse shall partake of the glory of her husband Let us thinke of this it will quicken and inspire all our courses with a spirituall kind of light to all actions it will enliven and quicken them And it will put a kind of manner upon all our actions that they shall be acceptable to God For how should wee performe all that comes from us All should be done in sincerity and constantly and abundantly chearefully readily and willingly for God requires these qualifications in what wee doe now what stirres us up to do all in this manner acceptably to God but this consideration What stirres us up to doe things sincerely to Christ He will appeare in glory therefore let us doe things that may stand with his judgment It is no matter what the reprobates of the world judge let us doe things so as wee may stand before Christ at that day A Christian studies to arraigne himselfe before Christ that he may doe that that may approve him to him that shall be his judge ere long And so let us hold out we shall receive a reward what will make us constant but this what makes a man sowe his seed that he scarcely can spare but the hope of a harvest what makes a man runne but the victory and the Crowne so what makes a man worke but the hope of reward be constant for in him yee shall receive the reward if yee faint not And so for abounding in good workes your labour is not in vaine in the Lord what made Saint Paul presse the abounding in good workes Finally my brethren be stedfast and unmooveable alâ—…y abounding in the work of the Lord why for your labour is not in vayne in the Lord your bodies shall rise againe ere long in glory when Christ shall appeare you shall appeare and be glorious with him Therefore abound in the worke of the Lord sow to the Spirit and you shall reape glory they that sow sparingly shall reape sparingly What mkes men abound in workes of mercy and love but this appearing of Christ If their love be perfect they have comfort in this appearing and if they abound in mercy Christ will appeare in mercy to them And so for chearefulnesse that God also requires in every action what inlargeth the heart of a man in Gods worke what puts fire into his affections but this that Christ will come and appeare in glory ere long that he will come and crowne every good worke that we shall not loose a good word that hath beene spoken in a good cause not the least good action not a cup of cold water but all shall stand on our reckoning at that day when Christ shall come to be 〈◊〉 in his Saints This makes us doe things sincerely constantly abundantly and chearefully I beseech you consider from what ground these things come for these are principles that should be grounds of faith they are pregnant and spred themselves through the whole course of a Christians life and therefore are worthy to be thought often on Againe why doth God reveale these things before hands that wee shall appeare in glory in our body and soule in our whole man As it shewes us our duty and the manner ofit so it is a ground of comfort in all estates A Christian may thinke Now my life is a hidden secret life I passe under censures it is thus in the world and thus with me well there will a time come the time of Resurrection that will make amends
for all for this sickenesse of body and disquiet of mind and all annoyance and adversity and it is revealed before hand for our comfort that there shall be such a time that wee may make use of it that we may ground our patience upon it When Saint Paul exhorts to patience saith hee The Lord is at hand and Saint Iames saith The Iudge standeth at the doore Let us be patient in infamies and sufferings it will bee otherwise ere long Christ is at hand Againe that wee might continually be breathing out thankefulnesse to God Our whole life should be spent in thankefulnesse to God Even as the Angels in heaven that stand in the presence of God and the blessed spirits in heaven they spend that vigour that is in them they spend all that is in them in praising God in thanks and laud to God and sing Glory glory so before-hand knowing that ere long we shall appeare with Christ and appeare in glory let us thank him before hand As Saint Peter saith Blessed be God that hath begotten us againe to an inheritance immortall undefiled c. reserved in heaven for us Let us blesse God before-hand as if we were in heaven already Certainely if we hope to be with those that shall sit in heavenly places in heaven to prayse God we will begin it on earth for the life of heaven is begun on earth we are Kings now we are Priests now wee are conquerours now we are new creatures now we must praise God and begin the imploiment of heaven now for what they do perfectly that we begin to do In heaven we know there is no ill company we will abstaine from it now there is no defilement of sinne wee will conforme our selves to that estate wee hope for There is nothing but praising of God as much as may be wee will warme our hearts with the moditation of what God hath done what he doth and what he hath reserved for the time to come with that we have in hope The best things of a Christian especially are in hope for that which we have by Christ principally is not in this world therefore considering that the best things that Christ died for are in hope let us rejoyce in hope and in rejoycing have our hearts inlarged with praysing of God for that we hope for And be comforted in all the changes of this life all the changes for the time to come and in death it selfe which is the last change are not all degrees to make way for that glorious appearing with Christ for the soule at death goes to heaven and the body shall come after why should wee be loath to die when death is nothing but a change from misery to happinesse a change from the danger of sinning to an impossibility of sinning from a vale of misery to a place of happinesse from men to God from sinfull persons that trouble our peace and quiet to better company in heaven from actions that are sinfull to actions altogether free from sinne It is a glorious and blessed change every way wee shall have better company better place better imployment all glorious then till the time come that all the Elect be gathered together and then body and soule shall be for ever with the Lord 1 Thess. 4. Why then should we feare changes when all changes shall end in that that is better Is a labouring man loath to have his hire or a weary man loath to have rest is a King loath to be crowned is a partie contracted loath to have the marriage consummate why should wee bee loath to die Wee should be ashamed of our selves that we have bin so long in the Schoole of Christ and yet have not learned to unloose our affections from earth to beter things that wee stand in feare of death that makes way to the glory of the soule now and the eternall glory of body and soule after In a word wee are exhorted in the beginning of the Chapter to have our minds in heaven where Christ is and wee are exhorted after the text to mortifie our earthly members two necessary duties to have our conversation in heaven before we be there and to mortifie our earthly members to dye in our affections to earthly things before wee dye indeed would wee have strength put into our soules to performe both these Let us oft meditate of the things that are betweene these verses Let us consider that we are dead so we should bee more lively to God Consider that our life is hid with Christ that Christ shall appear ere long and wee with him in glory Wee should raise our thoughts to be with Christ and draw our souls up to Heavenly things for the more our affections are upwards the lesse they will bee below our affections are finice the more we spend them on heavenly things the lesse they will run on earthly As a man in a trance his thoughts are taken up with one matter that he is dead to other things so the soule which is taken up with the glory to come and with Christ it is dead to earthly things only it takes them for necessary use as having use of them in our travell but it useth the world as if it used it not And this issues from this principle that wee shall ere long appeare with Christ in Glory There is no man but will drowne himselfe too much with the things of the world that hath not this to raise up his soule I shall appeare ere long with Christ in glory and then these things will be consumed The last point is how these depend one upon another that because Christ shall appeare in Glory therefore we I will touch it a little because it is a point of faith that helpes our judgement a little It is a ground of Divinity that whatsoever is in us that are members it is in our head first for God is first and then Christ mediator and then we whatsoever is good is in us or shall be to us it is in Christ first He is justified from our sinnes for he was our surety for sinne hee was abased for them first therefore hee shall appeare then without sin to Glory Our sin was but imputed to Christ he became our surety for sin and he must be abased therefore we cannot bee glo rious here because of our corruptions Christ was surety for our sinnes in his first comming now his resurrection shewed that hee had satisfied for our sinnes the second time he shall appear in glory why are we justified from our sins because Christ our surety was acquitted We ascend gloriousâ—… to heaven where is the ground of it he ascended first and we ascend for him and in him We sit in heavenly places why because he is in heaven before hand as the Husband takes up a place for his wife why doth she goe into the countrey and take it up after because her husband hath gone before and taken it Our
ascension riseth from his and our sitting at the right hand of God from his And so at the day of judgement our being glorious it comes from his He then shall appeare in glory as the head and husband of his Church and shall shine upon all his members He as the Sun shall cast a lustre and beauty and glory upon all that are his and then they shall reflect that glory they have from him upon him againe and he upon them againe so he shall be glorious in them and they in him but the ground of all is he is first in glory he shall appeare in glory and then we in him I speake this the rather because I would have humble consciences to make use of it in times of desertion when God seemes to bee a God that hides himselfe when they find no life nor comfort yet if they have but grace to believe they may comfort themselves in this well I have it but from Christ and he is perfect in glory he is ascended and I shall ascend and rise and be glorious because hee is so Put case now I feele no such matter it is no matter I live by faith in Christ that hath all in fulnesse and what hee hath done for me hee will doe in me if I believe in him Let a troubled soule comfort it selfe with this it is as impossible that he should be damned that believes in Christ as that Christ should be damned because hee believing in Christ is one with him and as verlly as Christ is in heaven hee shall bee there for Christ rose for all his The little finger lives the same life as the hand or the foot doth so a weake christian that hath little grace he lives by the same faith in Christ that is in glory as well as they that are stronger Let us strive and fight with this encouragement as S. Paul saith fight the good fight of Faith Oh! but shall we be alwayes fighting and striving No saith hee lay hold of eternall Life and then wee may well fight against doubts and despaire Let us therefore labour to fight so that we may lay hold on eternall life which Christ keepes for us and keeps us for it and ere long we shall partake of that wee hope for FINIS THE REDEMPTION OF BODYES In one Funerall Sermon upon PHIL. 3. 2â—… BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE 1 COR. 15 44. It is sowne a naturall Body it is raised a spirituall body LONDON Printed by E. Purslow for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queenes head Alley in Pater-Noster-Row 1639. THE REDEMPTION OF BODIES PHIL. 3. 21. Who shall change our vile Body that it may bee fashioned like unto his glorious Body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himselfe THE Apostle was now in prison yet hee had a spirit of glory resting upon him for he speakes as if he were entred into Heaven as if he were there before his time and therefore in Chap. 1. saith he I desire to bee dissolved and to be with Christ which is best of all And I account all dung in comparison of Christ as he saith in this Chap. and here in the former verse Our conversation is in Heaven from whence we looke for the Saviour Iesus Christ who shall change our vile bodyes c. God reserves abundance of comforts to the fittest times as we see here in Saint Paul in this place Now he brings in his owne example to good purpose as opposite to false Christians and false â—…eachers that he had mentioned before There are many walke of whom I have told you oft c. they are enemies to the crosse of Christ that mind earthly things c. verse 18. But saith hee our conversation is in heaven he regards not which way they went hee tooke an opposite course to the world and swims against the stream As we see the stars they have a motion of their own opposite to the motion that they are carried with So S. Paul had a motion of his owne opposite to the course of the world their end is damnation but our conversation is in Heaven A christian hath his conversation in Heaven while hee is on earth hee rules his life by the lawes of heaven There are alway in the visible Church some that walke contrary wayes who make their Belly their God whose end is 〈◊〉 There were some that were christians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…achers of Christians many of them yet he saith their end is damnation their God is their belly carnall Christians say wee have all 〈◊〉 the sacrament c. Alas we may all partake of this common privilege and yet our end may be damnation St. Paul looked on them with a a spirit of compassion I tell you weeping So it may be with us in our Gosheâ—… here there may be a spirit of cast-awayes in many and in the abundance of meanes there may bee many dead souls But S. Paul regards not what their course was for saith he our conversation is in Heaven From whence we looke for the Saviour c. That shewes why his conversation was in heaven because his Saviour was in heaven and therefore his hope was in heaven Where the treasure is the heart will be Having entred into this blessed discourse he goes on still who shall change our vile bodies and fashion them like his glorious body He brings it in by way of answering an objection If our conversation be in heaven why are our bodies yet subject to such afflictions and basenesse in this world It is true they are but the time shall come that Christ shall change these vile bodies of ours and fashion them like to his glorious body I but this requires a great deale of power and strength and we see not how it may be Therefore saith he he shall doe it by that almighty power whereby he is able to subdue all things to himselfe therefore he shall subdue death the last enemy he will not doe it perhaps according to thy fancy and conceit but according to the working whereby hee is able to subdue all things to himselfe we must not regard our weake conceits in great matters but Gods power yee erre saith Christ to the Pharisees not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Saint Paul then in these words and in the verse before sets downe three reasons why his course is opposite to the course of wicked men in his time First my City is in heaven and my conversation is answerable I take a contrary course for I am a citizen of another City And then another reason is his hope and expectation of a Saviour from heaven the Lord Iesus Hope faith which is the ground of hope carry up the soule where the thing hoped for is Our conversation is in
in the â—…ane time before a man come to enjoy and â—…eive what hee looks for Faith gives God 〈◊〉 glory of all his attributes the glory of his â—…th he hath spoken and therefore hee will â—…ke it good The glory of his wisedom that 〈◊〉 hath found out such a course for us to walke 〈◊〉 The glory of his mercy that hee hath â—…de such promises to such wretches so all â—…er attributes faith gives glory to therfore â—…od glorifies faith and the speciall act of â—…ith is waiting If I tarrie long waite thou â—…nd we have need of patience Faith stirs up â—…tience to helpe and assist it as wee see here â—…ese waited seven dayes Remember thereâ—…re to exercise faith in continuall dependance â—…pon God take heed of being short spirited â—…ough God deferre the rewarding of the â—…ighteous and the punishment of the Wicâ—…ed yet hold out still hee that hath promiâ—…d will come in time and make good that that â—…e hath said in due time Give God the glory â—…f appointing the fittest time Hee is the best â—…iscerner of opportunities Our times are in â—…is hand all kind of times therefore let us deâ—…end upon him for that only labour to have a â—…trong spirit of faith that wee may waite his good leisure And to helpe us doe but consider what if wee waite a few yeares what is that to Eternitie I might inlarge the point what great matters faith will doe both in heaven and earth every way Wee see here faith shakes the very earth God he is the Lord of heaven and earth The earth is the Lords because these wals were built upon Gods earth we see here one puffe of God blowes them all down and faith laying hold upon this casts them downe though faith doth it not immediatly yet God doth it because he is laid hold on by faith Let us labour therefore to have faith above all other graces It is the Mother Grace it is the Grace that is the spring of all Graces if we woâ—…ld have patience and hope and love and perseverance and constancie together let us labour to have faith strengthened and to feed our faith the more let us looke to the word of God make it familiar to us the Spirit goes together with the word to strengthen and increase our faith and that being strengthned all is strengthned whatsoever Now the way to try whether we have this faith or no not to speake largely of the point but as the Text leads me is if we humbly attend upon the meanes that God hath appointed though they seeme base to carnall reason As how doe we know that these Israelites had faith when they went about the wals of Iericho because they have humbled themselves to use the base means that God had appointed though they were very unlikely Naaman out of the pride of his heart saith he what are the waters of Iordan have not wee waters that can doe as much but if the servants had not beene wiser then the Master hee had gone home a Leaper as he came so when men hear the word preached they thinke cannot wee reade good bookes at home and for the Sacrament it is a poore Ordinance what is there but wine and bread and such like Take heed of a proud heart God will have weaker meanes to try us whether we will humble our selves to his vvisedome or no vvhere there is true faith it will be carefull to use all good meanes or else it is a tempting of God and not a trusting of him when wee doe not use the meanes that he hath sanctified And where there is faith as there will bee a carefull use of all meanes so there wil be a care in the use of meanes not to depend upon the meanes but to trust in God There will bee a joyning of both together faith doth not take away the use of means nay he that is most certaine of the end should strive to be most careful of al means used to that end There ought no man to be more diligent in using the means then he that is most certaine of the end because hee is incouraged to use the meanes knowing that he shall not beat the aire that he shall not loose his labour so if we by faith lay hold upon God for the destruction of Antichrist and that God would subdue our corruptions and that they shall fall before the Spirit by little and little if by faith we lay hold upon this that God will perfect the good worke hee hath begun in the use of good meanes this will stirre us up to use all means with chearfulnesse and constancie There are none that are more carefull of the means then those that are most sure of the issue Those that are carelesse of the meanes let them pretend what they will they are presumptuous persons they have no faith for that will stirre us up to use the meanes and in the use of meanes to depend upon God so carefull is faith to use the meanes as if without them God would doe nothing and yet in the meanes it is so carefull to depend upon God as if the means could not doe any thing without God Thus faith walkes betweene the means and the great God Let us goe on constantly in living the life of faith and using all the blessed means that God hath sanctified God haâ—…h sanctified the preaching of the Word to beat downeal these spirituall wals let us goe on all our life time and at length the last Trump shall sound another Trumpet shall sound and then not only the wals of Iericho but the wals of heaven and earth shall fall downe and then wee shall enter into that heavenly Canaan both body and soule In the meane time let us exercise faith and to quicken our faith the more let us have those blessed times in the eye of our soule let us see them as present It is the nature of faith to apprehend things to come as present let us see heaven and earth on fire see Christ coming to judgement let us see â—…ll the wals downe the Graves open whatsoeâ—…er opposeth and stands betweene us and gloâ—…y see all gone let us see our selves at the â—…ight hand of Christ and triumphing in heaâ—…en For the Scripture speakes of that that is â—…o come as if it were past Wee sit in heavenly â—…laces with Christ and we are saved by faith and â—…ee are glorified Thus the Spirit of faith â—…eakes of the glorious times to come when â—…ll enemies shall be trodden under foot Saâ—…han and all enemies whatsoever shall goe to their place the opposite Church shall bee no longer when the last Trump shall blow wee shall all stand together at the right hand of Christ and be for ever glorious with Him THE VNPROSPEROVS BVILDER A Sermon preached upon the 5th of November in remembrance of Our Deliverance from the Papists Powder-Treason BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr. of KATHERINE Hall
the covenant betweene God and â—…em was made before they have given up â—…emselves to GOD and committed their â—…ules to God before for a Christian gives â—…p himselfe every day he commits himselfe â—…ule and body continually to God as a blesâ—…ed sacrifice of a free-will offering so hee â—…arns to die daily daily labours to live in the â—…state he would die in he ought to doe thus â—…nd many Christians doe thus therefore notwithstanding these distempers the covenant â—…etweene GOD and the soule remaines still â—…nd he dies in faith It is said here they all diâ—…d in faith he saith not they all died in feeâ—…ing A man may die in faith and yet not die â—…n feeling and sometimes the strongest faith â—…s with the least feeling of Gods love Feeâ—…ing may be reserved sometimes for heaven â—…et notwithstanding wee must not take it so as 〈◊〉 there were no feeling where there is faith for there was never faith yet but upon the â—…ouch of faith the soule drew some strength â—…nd some inward feeling though it be not discerned of the soule in regard of the immodeâ—…ate desire of the soule to have more yet there is alway so much feeling and strength and comfort that supports the soule from despaire take the childe of GOD at the worst Therefore when I speake of feeling I speak of a glorious demonstration that God sometimes takes away from his children They died in faâ—…th though not alway in feeling of 〈◊〉 they died in faith though not alway by a faiâ—… death or in a comely manner outwardly 〈◊〉 the applause of the world it is no matter for that they all died in faith and that is sufficient It is the desire of Gods Children that they may dye in faith and die in Christ as they have lived in faith and lived in Christ. Faiâ—… is a blessed grace by it we live by it we stand by it we conquer and resist by it we indure by it we die by it we do all those worthy matters we doe in spight of the devill and his kingdome this is that excellent grace of faith by which we live and by which we die These all died in faith For they lived as they died and died as they lived It is a usuall generall rule as men live so they die he that lives by faith dies by faith he that lives prophanely dies prophanely If we suffer the devill to lead us and abuse us all the time of our life we must thinke God in just judgement will give us up that he shall delude us and abuse us at the houre of death Carnall confidence disposeth men to thinke they shall step our of their filthy blasphemous course of life out of their sinfull cursed condition to leape to heaven presently it is no such matter Alas heaven it must be entred into on earth there must bee a fiting and preparing time on earth for heaven we must looke to die as we live There is but one example of a man that died by faith that did not live by faith that is the good thiefe and yet that little time of life we see how fruitfull it was but the rule is all that will die in faith must live in faith and usually men are affected and disposed and their speeches and carriage are on their death bed as they were when they lived GOD in just judgment giving them up to that course Many wish that they may live in popery and enjoy the liberty of that carnall religion but they would not die by that religion they live by that religion and die by ours when they have had the sweetnesse and liberty that is given them there to sin and then open all in confession and be cleane and then sin againe and such easie courses they have that betrayes thousands of soules to damnation Now this is their course when conscience is awakened they flie to savation by CHRIST if they understand any thing at all or else they die desperate if they looke to be saved by that religion as they live by it if we look to die by faith we must live by it These all died in faith not having received the promises For God promised them Canaan and they died many hundred yeares before their posterity came into Canaan hee promised them Christ and they died long before Christ came he promised them heaven and they entred not into heaven till death so they received not the promises that is they received not the things promised for else they received the promise but not that that was promised they received not the type Canaan not the things typified Christ and heaven This is added as a commendation of their faith that though they received not the things that they looked for yet notwithstanding they had such a strong faith that they continued to live by faith and died in faith The promises here are taken for the blessed things promised This should teach us this lesson that Gods promises are not emptie shells they are reall things And then whatsoever God promiseth it is not barely propounded to the soule but in a promise it is wrapped up in a promise hee gives us not emptie promises nor naked things but hee gives us promises of things which we must exercise our faith in in depending upon him for the performance of them till we be put in possession For here all the blessings they looked for is wrapped up in the name promises they received not the promises the meaning is they received not Canaan they received not Christ in the flesh not life everlasting Now the believing soule it lookes upon all the good things that it looks for from God not nakedly but as they are involved and wrapped and lapped up in promises it must have a word for it it looks to GODS word For the soule looks not now immediately as it shall doe in heaven it looks not to God and to Christ directly but it lookes to Christ and heaven and happinesse as it is in a promise It dares not expect any thing of God but by a promise Alas the guiltie soule how dares it look God in the face but by a promise except he have ingaged himselfe by promise and he hath ingaged himselfe by promise that he will doe it he hath pawned his faithfulnesse that he will doe it and then the soule lookes to the promise and in that it looks to Christ and grace and heaven and happines and all good things A presumptuous idle person that knowes not what God is that he is a consuming fire he rusheth into Gods presence Faith dares not go to God but first it pleads his word to him it pleads his promise to him it lookes on God by a promise The very phrase inforceth this upon us that we should make great account of the promises because we have all good wrapped in them The promises are the swadling clouts Christ and Heaven is wrappped in them And when wee have a promise let
labour to get assurance of another a better country for what made these holy men confesse themselves strangers and pilgrims here They saw the promises a farre off and were perswaded of them and imbraced them and in that measure they were assured of a better condition they carryed themselves as strangers and pilgrims here To wind up all in a word you see here their disposition I beseech you make this text your patterne to be molded into you see how these blessed men long agoe lived in faith when their light was lesse then ours is and they died in faith and will welcome us when we shall come to heaven we shall goe to Abraham Isaac and Iacob and the rest of the Patriarchs and holy men It will bee a blessed time when all the blessed men that have gone before shall welcome us to heaven If we looke to be happy as they are we must live as they did and die as they did though we cannot so strongly as they did see that with the eye of faith that no eye else can see yet let us desire God to perswade us of these truths more strongly then the devill of our own lusts shall perswade us to the contrary let us desire God to set on his truths so strongly that all other things may not hinder us that we may imbrace them with our best affections of love of desire of contentment that we may witnesse all this by our demeanour to earthly things by our base esteem of them and carry our selves as pilgrims and strangers on earth If we do thus live in faith and die in faith we shal live with Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the kingdome of heaven eternally FINIS THE HIDDEN LIFE In two Funerall Sermons upon COL 3. 3 4. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE 1 JOHN 3. 2. Beloved now yee are the Sonnes of God and it doth not appeare what wee shall bee LONDON Printed by E. Purslow for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queenes head Alley in Pater-Noster-Row 1639. THE HIDDEN LIFE COLLOS 3. 3 4. For yee are dead your life is hid with Christ in God When Christ who is our life shall appeare then shal yee also appeare with him in glory THE dependance of these words in a word is this The Apostle after he had laid the grounds of some Doctrines hee doth frame the building of a holy life and conversation It is in vaine to believe well unlesse a man worke accordingly hee that lives against his faith shall be damned as he that believes against it Thereupon in this Chapter hee comes to raise their affections to be Heavenly minded and stirres them up to subdue what soever is contrary to Heavenly mindednesse And because it is a duty of great moment to be heavenly minded and to subdue base affections he inserts weighty reasons betweene If yee bee risen with Christ seeke those things that are above And among other reasons theâ—… 〈◊〉 this yee are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God And therupon he forceth seeking of the things that are above and the mortifying of earthly members For the duties of Christianity â—…e to be applyed two wayes to be heavenly affected to subdue that which is contrary to be heavenly minded to mortifie our earthly members Now how shall we doe both For yee are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God c. You see the first proposition yee are dead with whom with Christ in God A Christian is dead many wayes He is dead to the law to the morall law he lookes not to have comfort and salvation by it by the law he is dead to the law and so flyes to Christ. A Christian is dead also to the ceremonâ—…ll law now in the glorious lustre of the Gospell what have we to doe with those 〈◊〉 element that were for Children A ceremoâ—… disposition is opposite to the glory and lustre of the Gospell as the Apostle speakes in the former Chapter He is dead likewise to sinne having communion with Christ when he dyed for sinne hee is dead to sinne He that hath communion in the death of Christ hath the same affection to sinne that Christ had Christ hated it infinitely when he suffered for it so every Christian thinkes that Christ dyed for my sinnes and by union with Christ he hath the same affection to it he is dead to it And because this is but an inchoation and beginning a Christian is not perfectly dead to sinne hee stands in need of afflictions and in regard of afflictions he is dead they must help the worke of mortification And because no affliction can sufficiently worke mortification but death it self which is the accomplishment of mortification we are dead in respect of death it selfe which is the accomplishment of all though we live here for a time we are dead in regard of the sentence that is passed on us as wee say a man is dead when the sentence is passed on him in that respect wee are dead men for our life is but a dead life besides the sentence that is passed upon us death siezeth upon us in the time of our life in sicknesses c. And so they prepare us to death thus and many other wayes we are dead The second proposition is Our Life is hid with Christ in God We are dead and yet we have a life A Christian is a strange person hee is both dead and alive he is miserable and glorious he consists of contraries he is dead in regard of corruption and miseries and such like but he is alive in regard of his better part and he growes two wayes at onâ—… it is a strange thing that a Christian doth hee growes downewards and upwards at the same time for as he dyes in sin and misery and naturall death approaching so he lives the life of grace and growes more and more till he end in Glory This life is said to be a hidden life It is hid with Christ in God The life of a Christian which is his glorious spirituall life it is hid among other respects It is hid to the world to worldly men because a Christian is an unknown man to them because they know not the Father that begets therefore they know not them that are begotten as S. Iohn saith they know not the advancement of a Christian he is raysed into a higher ranck then they Therefore as a beast knowes not the things of a man no more doth a carnal man in any excellency know the things of the spirit for they are spiritually discerned therefore it is a hidden life in the eyes of the world a wordly man sees not this life in regard of the excellency he passeth scornes and contempts of it of folly and the like A Christian in respect of
body of our blessed Saviour now in heaven is wondrous beautifull and so shall our bodyes be how deformed soever they be now Let us not stand therefore upon any present deformity of our bodyes now with yeares or sicknesse or other meanes they shall not alway be so we shall have beautifull bodyes Nay more then so the third indowment is we shall have glorious bodyes as we see Christ in the mount when hee was transfigured and Moses and Elias were with him his body was glorious they could hardly behold him And Christ in Revel 1. he appeares as the Sunne in his full strength his body is wondrous glorious now in Heaven and so hee is represented there If the very representation of him while he was upon earth was so glorious in the mount what is it in Heaven S. Paul could not endure the light that shined to him Act. 9. So shall our Bodies bee like the glorious Body of Christ. What a glorious time will it be when the glorious body of Christ shall appeare and all the Saints shall appeare in glory what a reflexion of beauty and glory will there be one shining upon another when Christ shall come to be glorious in his Saints Oh! the glory of the body of Gods children it shall put downe all created glory all the glory of the Sunne and Moone and all the glory of these inferiour bodies are nothing to the glory of the body of a Christian that doth abase his body here for Christ and the Churches sake You see then these bodies shall be perfect and beautifull and glorious bodies in regard of the Iustâ—…e of them And likewise in the fourth place they shall be immortall bodies bodies that shall never die unchangeable bodies there shall be no altoration no death no sicknesse all teares shall be wiped from our eyes they shall be immortall bodies that shall never die as Saint Peter saith Wee shall have an inheritance undefiled immortall c. This is cleare therefore I will not stand in the inlarging of it In the next place our bodies shall be powerfull and vigorous now they are weake as Saint Paul saith 1 Cor. 15. Our bodies are â—…wen in weakenesse but then they shall be able to ascend and descend they shall be strong even as the body of Christ wee shall have strong bodies as all imperfection so all weaknesse shall be taken away In the sixth place they shall be spirituall bodies that is they shall not stand in need of meat and drinke and sleepe and refreshings as now they doe but Christ will be all in all to them he will be instead of meat and drinke cloathes yea and in stead of the Ordinances that we stand in need of here the Word and Sacraments he will be all in all And our bodies shall be spirituall in another regard because they shall be subject to the spirit whereas now our very spirits are flesh because the flesh rules and tyrannizeth over them so our soules follow our bodies the soule of a carnall man is flesh but then out flesh our bodies shall be spirituall not that they shall be turned into spirits that is not the meaning but spirituall bodies obedient and obsequious to the very guidance of the soule to a sanctified and glorious soule these shall be the indowments of our bodies They shall be perfect bodies beautifull glorious shining bodies immortall unchangeable bodies powerfull strong and vigorous bodies ready to moove from place to place and spirituall bodies they shall stand in need of no other helpe and they shall be obedient altogether to the spirit You see now how these vile bodies draw away our soules then all imperfections shall be taken away wee shall have purged bodies and purged soules Thus you see wherein the glory of the body shall consist Let us therefore often seriously thinke of these things and let me renew my former exhortation let us be content to make our bodies here vile for Christs sake that they may be thus glorious Let us abase them in labour and paines in our calling in suffering we doe no more then he did for us first Was not his body first vile and then glorious and doe we thinke that our bodies must not be vile before they be glorious not onely vile whether we will or no but we must willingly make them vile we must be willing to be disgraced for Christs sake to carry his death about us to die daily in the resolution of our soules How was he abased before he was glorious hee tooke on him our bodies at the worst not in the perfection as it was created but hee tooke the body of man now fallen Againe what paines did hee take in this body and how was he disgraced in this body that sacred face was spit upon those blessed hands and feet were nayled to the Crosse that blessed head that is revereâ—…ced of the Angels it was crowned with thornes How was his body every way in all the parts of it abased and made vile for us he neglected his refreshings for us it was meate and drinke to him to doe good If he became vile for us if he abased his body for us certainely wee should be ashamed if wee be not content that our bodies should be made vile for him that afterwards they may be made like his glorious body Away with these nice Christians that are afraid of the wind blowing on them or the Sunne shining upon them that are afraid to doe any thing or to suffer any thing and so in sparing their bodies destroy both body and soule Consider whoever thou art this is not a life for thy body this present life is a life for the soule we come now to have the Image of God in our soules in this life especially and to have in our soules the life of grace here but the life and happinesse of our body is for this second comming of Christ the glory of the body this life is not a time for the body doe what wee can it will be a vile body cherish it set it out how thou canst those painted sepulchres that would out-face age and out-face death and by colours and complexion c. hide those furrowes that age makes in the face they are but vile and age and death will be too good for them to dust they will Why should we regard our bodies this life is not for them though we 〈◊〉 dainty of them Let us use this body here so as it may be glorious in the world to come we should suffer our soules to rule our bodies and to doe all here that both body and soule may be glorious after For indeed all that the body hath here it is beholding to the soule for why therefore should it not be an instrument for the soule in holy things doth not the soule quicken it hath it not its beauty from the soule when the soule is gone out of the body where is the life where is the
Court As the Devill is a Lyar and a Murtherer so is this Sonne of the Devill who is led by the Spirit of the Dragon in disposition they are alike In course of life they are alike The Dragon is said to draw the third part of the stars of heaven downe to the earth that is to draw men which were as the stars of heaven to make them deny their Religion So this Dragon this Pope the instrument and vassal of Sathan hee drawes the third part of the stars from heaven and hee drawes men from the love of the truth by preferment and honour men that are learned men that are otherwise of excellent parts hee drawes them from heaven to earth that is hee drawes them from the knowledge of the truth and goodnesse to earth and lower then earth too if they do not repent even to hell it selfe from whence hee came Thus I might goe on to shew that this Beast is Rome under the Pontificality and not Rome under the Heathen Emperours likewise that this Beast is acted lead and guided by the spirit of the Dragon by reason of the resemblance which it holds parallel with him in these and other things So much for explication of this Beast But why is the state of Rome called the Beast Daniel first knew the great Empires the one of Babylon called a Lyon the Persian Monarchy a Bear the Grecian a Leopard but here in this Chapter is a strange Beast that hath all the cruelty and fiercenesse of all those Monarchies Called therefore a Beast for her fiercenesse and cruelty Gods Church they are sheepe and lambes Christ himselfe the Lambe of God the opposite Church of Antichrist a Beast acruel Beast If you go to plants Gods Church are lilies the opposite kingdome are thornes If you goe to Fowles Gods Church are Doves Turtles mild and gentle the opposite Church are Eagles and birds of prey But I say they are called Beasts for their cruelty The state of Rome under those heathenish Emperours was a Beast and in those ten persecutions the Emperours are rightly called Beasts so likewise Rome Papall is a Beast Our Religion true Religion entertained makes of Beasts men the true knowledge of Christ alters their natures turnes Lyons into Lambes as the Prophet saith Isa. 11. But the Popish religion it makes of men beasts makes them worse then themselves For these Gun powder-traytors many of them as they were by birth Gentlemen so their dispositions were gentle and mild divers of them not of the worst dispositions only that bloody Religion made them worse then their nature was So I say Papall Rome is a Beast and popish religion makes men beasts Well I will not inlarge my selfe in the uses of this point because I shall speake of it afterward if the time will give me leave only this have nothing to doe with this Beast keep out of her pawes keepe out of her clawes A Lion or a cruell Beast may seeme to bee calme for a while but a Lyon will as we say shew a Lyons trick once a yeare Meddle not therefore with this Beast it is a Beast so much for that what the Beast is the state of Rome under the Bishop of Rome For God hath put into their hearts to fulfill his will and to agree to give up their kingdomes to the Beast Whose The Angell sets down in the verse before the ten Horns the ten Kings the ten western Kings whether it be a certaine number for an uncertain or whether it be a certain number I wil not dispute of now but take it so as it cannot be disputed against a certain number for an uncertaine A number of the VVesterne Kings gave up their kingdomes for a while to the Beast untill the Word of God should bee fulfilled But marke the phrase God put it into their hearts to give up their kingdomes to the Beast Wil God put into their hearts to give up their kingdomes to the Beast why then the Pope of Rome need not pretend Constantines donation that he 300. yeares after Christ gave unto them many territories about Rome But they may depend upon a higher donation God put it into the hearts of the Kings to give up their kingdomes to the Beast Here is a higher title then the donation of Constantine But we must know that this is not meant as if God gave him a right by putting into the hearts of the Kings to give up their kingdomes to the Beast but God seeing these ten Hornes these ten Kings to be in a sinfull estate who deserved to be left of him and to bee given up to further illusion and by with-drawing his grace to give them up to the occasions of sin to this seducing Beast and Whore he put into their hearts to give up their kingdomes to the Beast But this must be a little cleared Is God the Author of sinne God put it into their hearts he did not only rule the events but he put into their hearts c. I answer The phrases of the Scripture are well enough knowne in this kind God gave them up to a reprobate sense Rom. 1. 12. The falling of the people from Rehoboam it is said it was of the Lord And God bad Shemei rayle divers such phrases there are in the Scripture How must these bee understood thus Not that God doth allow or command any thing that is evill much lesse that hee doth infuse any evill into men so that when it is said he put these things into their hearts here is neither an outward command nor an inward infusion what is it then Here is a finding of them in an evill and sinfull estate and God useth that evil and mischiefe and wickednesse that he finds to his owne end and purpose He infuseth no malice or evil but finding of it he useth it to his owne particular end and purpose makes way and vent for it upon particular occasions These ten Kings he infuseth no love of superstition into them but finding them evill and not as they should be Subjects of his kingdome and misliking his sweet government it was just with God to give them up to be slaves to the Beast by consequence to the Devill himselfe that spake and wrought by the Beast So I say God tooke away the impediments and opened a way to their evill disposition He used their evill disposition to this or that particular thing even as a Workeman that finds an ill piece of timber he makes not the timber ill but when he finds it ill hee useth it to his owne good purpose and as a man it is Luthers comparison as a man that moves a Horse that is lame hee doth not put lamenesse into the Horse but useth him to his owne purpose being lame so God finding these men evill in the generall he directs this ill into particular courses to worke it selfe this way and not that in this particular action not in that For God although he be not the
in his time that is it is as sure to fall as if it were fallen already the word of God hath said so the power of man cannot hinder it He that put it into the heads hearts of the Kings to betray their Kingdomes he shall also put it into their hearts and heads to hate and burn the Whore with fire at the last It must be so the Angell said it was done as if it were done already it is as sure as if it were done therefore let us never take scandall at the flourishâ—…ng state of the enemies of the Church abroad let us never dislike our Religion for that Babylon is fallen the time will come when it shall be done Heaven hath concluded it and earth cannot hinder it no nor Hell neither God hath said it and shall not he doe it It is the word of him that is Lord of his word because hee is Lord of hosts and Lord of the Creatures It is the word of him that is Lord of Lords that is Lord of heaven and earth Lord of all things He hath said that Babylon is fallen and therefore it must be so he being Governour and Lord of all things and of his word too that can make all things prove serviceable to his purpose Let us comfort our selves therefore as if it were present and not take offence at the state of the Beast and the Whores flourishing but present him to your selves as hee is set out in the Text see him growing see him rising see him decaying and at last see him cast into the bottomlesse pit to burne in the Lake of fire for ever It is you see the word of God from heaven that he is fallen and cast into the earth as a Milâ—…one and shall never â—…ise againe He shall never quicken againe Heathen Rome was quickned by Papall Rome the Pope quickned the former Beast But there shall never be Beast after this Rome and therefore he is said in this Chapter To goe into destruction that is he and his state and all without repentance shall so go into destruction that there shall never be other Beast And that that shall helpe this destruction forward shall bee the course that themselves take God as he hath decreed their destruction so hee hath appointed that their owne plots which they have devised for their owne maintenance shall turne to their confusion Doe you not thinke that the ruine of the Pope will be by the Iesuits who are growen by their pressing themselves and by their pragmaticall medling into Princes affaires by their drawing and assuming all busines to themselves and by their striving and bringing all to their profession to such hatred of the world that even these meanes which they themselves take will be the meanes of the overthrow and downefall of Popery As the counsell of Achitophel was the meanes to infatuate him so their owne courses will cause their own overthrow In the Powder-treason they thought they had been made for ever but God turned their wickednesse upon their owne heads And now in these later times we may see that God takes his cause into his owne hands and you know who spake it by observation Hamans wife If thou begin to fall thou shalt not prevaile but shalt surely fall before him so if God take the matter into his owne hands as hee hath done already let them feare For they shall surely fall and not prevaile untill he hath wrought his worke in Sion untill he hath thorowly purged his Church they shall prevaile there is a little time alotted them but it is nothing let us see by the eye of faith what this Book saith of them that they shall be destroyed and let us looke on the courses they themselves take which wil cause their destruction was there ever any thing that weakned Popery so much as this desperate attempt that we now celebrate this day Indeed if wee goe to an ignorant Papist and tell him what doctrine they teach and what upholds their doctrine tell him of the Powder treason aske him concerning the traytors he will mince the matter oh they were unfortunate Gentlemen c. But how did Sixtus Quintus mince the matter when they had successe in the massacre in France when many thousands of people weâ—…e slâ—…ine against the Law slaine under pretence of being married and bidden to a marriage He was so farre from disallowing the act as that he caused it to be pictured in his Palace So if these had achieved this they had not been unfortunate Gentlemen they had beene made they had beene sainted as some of them are Saint Garnet S. Devill if the Devill himselfe will helpe them and further Popery hee shall be sainted and if they be never so base yet for their Rebellion and destruction of Kings they shall be sainted by them will not this provoke men to hate the Beast and the Whore to make her desolate and naked and to eat her flesh and to burne her with fire Well the time is past I cannot finish the Text as I thought to have done To speake to the particular occasion I need not it is yet fresh And what should we speake of the Gunpowder-treason the Iesuits and Priests having the Devill for their Mid-wife they are big of such like plots Hell Rome and Sathan and the Iesuits those Frogs of the Bottomlesse pit they are full of devising such attempts But I rather thought to speak against Popery against the Beast and her Religion at this time then Rhetorically to amplifie that act of theirs when indeed we are ready to have a new one continually for they are alwayes plotting and devising I meane those Iesuits Our comfort is to looke to the Scripture to looke here what shall bee the end of these Frogs and of the Beast ere long they shall be cast into the burning Lake Let us blesse God that we live under this government of so Gracious a Prince that hath more weakned the Pope by his learned Writings then ever any Prince did So much for this time THE RVINE OF MYSTICALL IERICHO A Sermon preached upon the 5th of November in remembrance of Our Deliverance from the Papists Powder-Treason BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr. of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE IOSH. 6. 10. And it came to passe when the people heard the sound of the Trumpet and the people shouted with a great shout that the Wall fell downe flat c. LONDON Printed by T. B. for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster-Row 1639. THE RVINE OF MYSTICALL IERICHO HEB. 11. 30. By faith the Wals of Iericho fell downe after they had beene compassed about seven dayes THIS Verse suites somewhat to the occasion therefore I have made choâ—…se of it at this time This Chapter containes the triumph of Faith in the hearts and soules of
other things that stand between us and heaven all the wals of Iericho all opposition let us set upon them with a spirit of faith in the use of meanes for hee that hath overcome for us as I said will by little and little overcome in us These corruptions of ours shall fall before the Spirit of God by little and little And as Hamans wife could tel him If thou begin to fall before that people thâ—… shalt certainly fall so if the worke of Grace be begun in us that corruptions begin to fall undoubtedly and certainly they shall fall they cannot stand before the Spirit For grace is in growing and corruption is in decaying continually in a Christian. Why doth not God all at once subdue these wals of Iericho in us but by little and little God will exercise our faith and patience wee are Warriers here in this world our life is a warfare and he will exercise grace in us hee â—…ill have us combate with enemies these inâ—…ard enemies among the rest Againe he will let us see what he hath done â—…r us If we were not exercised with enemies â—…e should not be thankfull sufficient for victoâ—…e over the Devill When we have bin vexed â—…ith the Devills temptations then blessed be God and Christ that at last these troubles are â—…ased How much are wee beholding to Christ that hath freed us from the danger of â—…hese we are only annoyed with the trouble â—…his will make us thankfull when wee have â—…arted This keepes us likewise from soule devourâ—…g sins lesse infirmities in us keepe us from â—…ide and securitie God hath many ends â—…ut to cut off other things because the point 〈◊〉 large I only give a taste Let this comfort us that the wals of Ierichoâ—…hat â—…hat is to say whatsoever opposeth us in â—…ur comming out of the state of nature and â—…ur entrance into the state of heaven whatsoeâ—…er opposition is between shall fall Therfore â—…et us strengthen our faith in the use of means How shall we strengthen our faith this way Faith is strengthened by the knowledge of â—…he attributes of him whom we lay hold upon â—…hose power doth all the more wee know â—…im the more wee shall trust him Let us laâ—…our to know God in Covenant to be our Faâ—…her and to know Christ as he is in his nature and offices what he is to us to know his wisedome and power and truth that there may be a bottome for faith to build on the more wee grow in spirituall knowledge the more wee shall grow in faith and the more wee grow in faith the more we shall grow in other graces whereby we overcome all our enemies that set against us Againe let us make use of all former experience to strengthen faith Hath God begâ—…n the worke doe the wals of Iericho begin to fâ—…ll He that hath begun a good worke will finish it to the day of the Lord. Let us take in trust the time to come by experience of Gods truth for the time past for the worke of the Spirit is a continued worke The Spirit of God in subduing our corruptions he would not have begun if he had meant to have left off and interrupted the worke The Spirit suffers us to fall sometimes but it is to teach us to stand better afterward he turnes our very fals and slips to our good Let us strengthen faith therfore from former experience as David did we have overcome the Beare and the Lyon therefore let us set on the Philistine And as Ioshua set his foot on the necks of the tenne Kings and said Thus shall the Lord thy God destroy all thine enemies so hath the Spirit of God set his foot as it were upon some corruptions thus shall God deale with all corruptions and temptations at length and never leave the blessed government of us till hee have subdued all Let us rise from one experiâ—…ent to another to strengthen faith God is â—…like in all truths You know in Iudges 5. saith â—…he holy woman Deborah So let all thine eneâ—…ies perish The heart of that blessed woman â—…as as it were enlarged prophetically when â—…ne fals they shall all fall there is like reason See how gloriously Hannah in her Song enlargeth her faith by Gods power and goodnesse â—…ecause she had experience in her selfe so exâ—…erience in our selves or others will-inlarge â—…ur faith to looke for greater matters stil from â—…ur gracious powerfull God thus we ought â—…o labour to strengthen our faith And the third thing to helpe faith in all spiâ—…ituall oppositions that we meet with is daily â—…xercise in using it to make it brighter contiâ—…ually every day by working with it upon â—…ur enemies And in the state of Grace to live by it both for this present life to depend upon God for all things and likewise for necessary grace As the Disciples when they were enjoyned a hard dutie Lord increase our faith say they they goe to exercise their faith upon it If that be increased all is increased And so in our callings exercise it by dependâ—…ng upon God for strength and successe Saith Peter to Christ Lord at thy word I will cast out the Net though it were very unlikely it should doe any good they had fished all day and catched nothing but yet he would wait and goe on still At thy word I will cast out the Net He did it and the Net brake with the multitude of fish Let us exercise our faith in daily obedience to God depend upon him in the use of meanes And learne this to wait in the exercise of our faith as they that went about the wals of Iericho they did it seven dayes Put case they had done it sixe and no more the wals had stood still He that hath ten miles to goe and goes but nine she shall never come to his journies end When God hath set downe such a time so long thou shalt waite and use the meanes and depend upon me by faith in the use of the meanes if we be short spirited and lengthen and strengthen not our faith in the use of the meanes wee shall never attaine our desire therefore let us labour to wait Here is the difference betweene Christians and others there is no man but he would be happy if so be it were not for this waiting If a wicked man should see Hell open would hee commit sinne if hee should see it present If hee should see Heaven open and Christ comming with his reward with him hee would be godly there is not the vilest wretch in the world but hee would be so if these things were present but because it is only discovered in the word of God and faith must beleeve and wait for the reward and faith must waite all the time of our life here is the trial So that a Christian differs nothing from a worldly man but in a Spirit of faith and waiting and continuance of that faith
God hath the supream power of life and death Then we must know againe that children â—…re part of their Parents God punisheth the parents in their children and it is a heavier punishment oft times in their esteeme then in themselves for they thinke to live and continue in their children now when they see their children tooke away it is worse then death men oft times live to see things worse â—…hen death as those that see their children killed before them as Zedechias and Mauritius the Emperour for indeed it is a death oft A man dies in every child this man hee died in his eldest son and he died in his youngest son he died in regard of the apprehension of death it was more sharpe in apprehension then when he died himselfe So it is a heavie judgement to be stricken in our children God when hee wil punish he punisheth oft times in posterity As we see it was the most terrible judgement of all upon Pharaoh that in his First-borne God drew them all to let Israel goe out when He smote their First-borne It is a heavie judgement for a man to be stricken in his First-born either when they are dissolute and debauch ed and lawlesse for God hath judgements for the soule as well as for the body or else when they are taken out of the world But thirdly which is very likely another reason that moved God that we may justifie God in all our sentence that we give of him hee tooke them away because they imitâ—… their father in ill and God hath a liberty 〈◊〉 strike when he will when there is cause and whom hee will he will spare for so many Generations You will say why doth he light on such 〈◊〉 Generation and why not on such a place It is his liberty and prerogative when 〈◊〉 deserve it and hee lights upon one and 〈◊〉 upon another we must not quarrel with God but leave him to his liberty it is a part of 〈◊〉 prerogative Who art thou oh man that disâ—…test Why God when all are equally 〈◊〉 strikes one and not another why he execâ—… judgements in one age and not in another there may bee reasons given of it but it is 〈◊〉 mysterie that must not be disputed but I cannot stand on these things Hee shall lay the foundation thereof in his First-borne and in his youngest Sonne set up the Gates thereof This terrible sentence wee see executed 〈◊〉 1 King 16. 34. In Achabs time there was one so venterous as to build Iericho againe There is an accent to be set upon that that it was in Achabs time Hiel would needs build Iericho againe and why should hee build it Hiel no doubt saw it a wondrous commodious place to found a Citie being near to Iordan And then he saw and considered that it was accounted a famous thing to be founder of a â—…itie And then no doubt he thought that â—…hab would not only permit him to doe it but â—…ould gratifie him wicked Ahab which had â—…ld himselfe to worke wickednesse that was 〈◊〉 abhominable Idolater himselfe and counâ—…nanced Idolatry and had set up the false â—…orship of Bâ—…al it was likely enough in his â—…me that Iericho should bee built and thereâ—…ore no doubt but he did it partly to insinuate â—…imselfe with Ahab And to shew how little â—…e cared for Iosua's or Iehova's threatning as â—…sually such impudent persons that are grown up with greatnesse that have sold themselves to be naught that have put off all humanity and modesty they are fittest to carry wicked and desperate causes being agreeable to them so this wicked person was a fit man to doe this and he thought to please Ahab by it Man is a strange creaâ—…ure especially in greatnesse of riches or place c. A piece of earth that will be puffed up if he have flatterers and sycophants about him and a proud heart withall hee will forget and dare the God of heaven and trample under foot all threatnings and menaces whatsoever As this wicked Hiel rather then he will misse of his will hee will breake through thick and thin and redeeme the fulfilling of his will with the losse of his owne soule and of his children his First-borne and his last and all Mens mihi pro regno let a man be happy in his will hee cares not for all the world if he may have his will 〈◊〉 all goe upon heapes this is the nature of maâ—… One would thinke that this threatning mighâ—… have scarred a man that had loved himselfe 〈◊〉 his posterity but nothing would keepe hiâ—… hee would venture upon it as wee see in 〈◊〉 place 1 King 16. Thus wee have passed ovâ—… the words To come to handle the words by way of Analogie how they may agree to other thingâ—… by way of proportion and in a spirituall mysticall sense There are divers degrees of men that venter upon curses and thereupon grow to be cursed themselves even as this man ventered upon the building of Iericho so there be many thaâ—… doe the like in a proportionable kind I shall name some few God did determine that the Iewish Ceremonies should determine and have an end and period Now in Saint Pauls time there were many that would put life into them and joyne them with the Gospel Saint Paul tels them Christ shall profit you nothing Those are they that build Iericho againe that revive and put life into that that God hath determined should never revive againe When the Iewish Ceremonies were honourably interred and laid in their graves these men would raise them out of their graves againe and so venter upon Gods curse and bee excluded from Christ. These are one sort of men that raise Iericho againe And so afterwards in the Church â—…here were those that would build up Iericho â—…hat would still retaine Iewish Ceremonies â—…nd Heathenish in the Church and some at the â—…irst with no ill minds But then afterwards as Augustine complaines they so pestered the Church with Iewish and Heathenish Ceremonies that the Iewes condition was better then theirs for these things should have beene buried Gerson that had many good things in him though he lived in ill times Oh saith he good Augustine Dost thou complaine of those times what wouldest thou have said if thou hadst lived now What is Popery but a masse of Iewish and heathenish Ceremonies besides some Blasphemies that they have I speake concerning what they differ from ours which are decent and orderly what a masse of Ceremonies and fooleries have they to mislead men that are taken away with fancies to distaste the truth of God and to have respect to fancies to outward pompe and gorgeous things rather then the Gospel These men build up Iericho againe and bury the Gospel as much as they can There are another sort of men that raise up Iericho that revive all the heresies that were damned to Hell by the ancient Councels The heresie of
open to his and our â—…nemies Therefore let us make use of this â—…ay especially to stirre us up to thankfulnesse To goe on For the building of the wals of Iericho what should I speake of Popery and the like We should labour to overthrow that Iericho All of us have vowed in Baptisme to fight against the world and the Devill and the maine Enemy of all that is within us that is our flesh we could not be hurt by them wee betray our selves as Sampson betrayed himselfe to Daliâ—…ah Those that are baptised and especially that have renewed their vowes by solemn fasting and renewed their Covenant in taking the Communion as there are none of us all but have vowed against our corruptions and sins in Baptisme and have renewed their solemne vowes in the Communion and in publike fasting Well when wee goe about to strengthen our corruptions and the corruptions of the times in the places where we live what doe we goe about to build the wals of Iericho againe what doe we goe about but to strengthen that that God hath cursed There is nothing under Heaven so cursed as this corruption of ours that is the cause of all the curses of the creatures of all the curses that ever were or shall bee even to the last curse Goe yee Cursed to eternall destruction This Pride and Sensuality and secret Atheisme and Infidelity that we cherrish and love more then our owne soules this is that that many goe about to build and oppose all the wayes that are used to pull downe Iericho and haâ—…e nothing so heartily as the motions of Gods Spirit and the meanes that Gods Spirit hath sanctified to pull downe these wals of Iericho Must not this be a cursed Indeavour when wee goe about to build that that wee our selves have vowed to pull downe when wee goe about to raise that that we have formerly destroyed by our owne vowes As Saint Paul saith Gal. 2. If I againe build the things I have destroyed I make my selfe a transgressor Indeed when we goe about to build the things that we have vowed their destruction wee make our â—…lves transgressors Let us take notice of the wondrous poyson â—…nd rebellion of the corruption of our hearts â—…n this kind Hath not the Lord threatned â—…urse upon curse against many particular sins â—…ursed is the man that cals evill good and good â—…vill have we not many that doe so In Deuâ—…ronomie there is curse upon curse to those â—…hat mislead others And in the New Testa â—…ient there is curse upon curse Saint Paulâ—…hreatneth â—…hreatneth that such and such shall not enter â—…nto the Kingdome of Heaven yet not withâ—…tanding the Curse we goe about to build Ieriâ—…ho againe to set up that that God hath pronounced a Curse upon Wee cry out against Popery and well wee may when the Scripture directs curses against their particular opinions as where it â—…aith If an Angell from Heaven shall teach other doctrine let him be accursed The Counâ—… cell of Trent hath cursed those that sâ—…y tradi tions are not of equall authority with the Scriptures and so they set curse against curse Wee wonder at them that they are not af aid of the curse of God nay to countercurse God as it were when he curseth disobedience to curse the practise of obedience to him And then there is a curse to those that shall adde or take away from the Scripture Saint Iohn seales the whole Scripture with a Curse Cursed is hee that adds or takes away c. Now they adde to the Scripture that that is no Scripture and they take away what they list as the second Commandement and the Cup in the Sacrament I say wee wonder at them thaâ—… they will run upon the curses that they wil be stricken through with so many curses more then Absalom with Iavelins or Achaâ—… with stones Cursed is hee that worshippeth graven Imâ—…ges besides particular things that are cursed in Scripture Wee wonder at them that they are so desperately blind to run on But are noâ—… wee as ill are there not many curses in the Scripture and denunciations of being excluded from the Kingdome of God against the courses that are taken by many men and yeâ—… wee venter on it Will a negative Religion bring any man to Heaven to say he is no Papist nor no Schismatick No certainly therefore prophane persons that maintain corruptions and abuses and abhominations against the light of conscience and nature and Scriptures they raise up Iericho againe and they are under a curse Let mee aske any one why Christ came The Apostle saith and they will be ready to say To dissolve the cursed workes of the Devill It should seeme by many notwithstanding especially at these times that he came to establish the workes of the Devill for what good we doe in the Ministerie in three quarters of a yeare it is almost undone in one quarter At the time when wee pretend great honour to Christ wee live as if he came to build up the â—…ursed wals of Hell to breake loose all Whereas hee came to destroy the workes of â—…e Devill Hee came to redeeme us out of the â—…ands of our enemies that wee might serve him â—…ithout feare in holinesse and righteousnesse all the â—…ayes of our life He came to redeeme us from â—…ur vaine conversation nay many live as if â—…ee came to give liberty to all conversation â—…s not this to raise Iericho to raise a fort for â—…athan to enter into our soules and keep posâ—…ession in us to beat out God and his Spirit â—…o fight against our knowne salvation when we reare up courses contrary to Christs comming in the flesh and to the end of Christs dying for us which was to free us from our â—…aine conversation and to redeeme us from the world that we should not be lead as slaves to the customes of the world Therefore let us consider what we do what â—…our course of life is if it be a proceeding and â—…edification and building up our selves more and more to Heaven a growing in knowledge and in holy obedience to the divine truths we know if it be a pulling downe of sinne more and more a going further and further out of the Kingdome of darkenesse and a setting our selves at a gracious liberty to serve God oh it is a happy thing if it be so if our life be a taking part with Christ and his Spirit and his Ministerie to grow in grace and piety oh it is an excellent thing when wee grow better the longer wee live in the world and this cursed Iericho the corruption of nature which if wee cherrish will bee the cause of an eternall curse after if it goe downe and we râ—…ine it more and more and we suffer the word to beat downe the forts of Sathan those strong Imaginations c. But if our life be nothing else but a living answerable to our lusts that as wee are dead and cursed by
nature so wee make our selves twise dead a hundred times dead by sinne and bring curse upon curse by our sinfull conversation wee are then under Gods broad seale cursed Wee are all borne accursed til we get out of the state of nature to free us from which Christ became a curse if wee get not out of this but goe on and feed our vanity and corruption what will bee the end of it but an eternall cursr afterwards Therefore let us consider what we doe when we maintaine and cherish corruptions and abuses in our selves and others We build that that God hath cursed wee build that that wee have vowed against our selves And how will God take this at the houre of death thou that art a carelesse drowsie hearer of the word of God and a liver contrary to the word of God how will God take this at thee at the houre of death when thy conscience will tell thee that thy life hath beene a practise of sin a strengthning of corruption The old Adam that thou hast cherished it will stare and looke on thee with so hideous a looke that it will drive thee to despaire For conscience will tell thee that thy life hath bin a strengthning of pride of vanity of covetousnesse and of other sins thy whole life hath beene such and now when thou shouldst looke for comfort then thy corruptions which thou shouldest have subdued they are growne to that pitch that they will bring thee to despaire without the extraordinary mercy of God to awaken thy heart by repentance Why therefore should we strengthen that that is a curse and will make us cursed too and will make the time to come terrible to us the houre of death and the day of judgement How shall men thinke to hold up their faces and heads at the day of judgement whose lives have beene nothing else but a yielding to their owne corruption of nature and the corruptions and vanities of the times and places they have lived in that have never had the courage to plead for God that have beene fierce against God Who ever was fierce against God and prospered When men make their whole life fierce against God against the admonitions of his word and Spirit and their whole life is nothing but a practise of sinne how can they thinke of death and judgement without terrour Now it were wisedome for us to carry our selves so in our lives and conversations that the time to come may not bee terrible but comfortable to thinke of that wee may lift up our heads with joy when wee thinke of death and judgement but when we doe nothing but build Iericho when we raise up sin that wee should ruine more and more what will the end of this be but despaire here and destruction in the world to come You may shake off the menaces and threatnings of the Ministers as Hiel shooke off Iâ—…suah's he was an austere singular man and it is a long time since Iericho was cast downe and God hath forgotten hath hee so hee found that God had not forgotten So there are many that thinke that words are but wind of men opposite to such and such things but though our words may bee shooken off now and the word of God now in the preaching may be shooke off yet it will not when it comes to execution When wee propound the curse of God against sinfull courses you may shake off that curse but when Christ from Heaven shall come to judge the quick and the dead and say Goe yee cursed that were borne cursed that have lived cursed that have maintained a cursed opposition to blessed courses that have not built up your owne salvation but your corruptions you that loved cursing Goe yee cursed to Hell fire with the Devill and his Angels for ever will you shake off that No no howsoever our ministeriall in râ—…aties may be shaken off yet when God shall come to judge the quicke and the dead that eternall threatning shall not be shaken off Therefore I beseech you consider not so much what wee say now but what God will make good then What wee bind on earth cut of the warrant of Gods booke Shall be bound in Heaven and God will say Amen to that wee say agreeable to his word Thinke not light of that wee speake for God will make good every word hee is Iehovah he will give being to every word Hee is not only mercie but justice we make an Idol of him else and wee must feaâ—…e him in his justice He loves to dwell with such as are of a contrite Spirit that tremble at his word It is said of David that when Vzzah was stricken he trembled Hiel and such kind of persons regard not the threatnings of God but goe on and treasure up wrath It is a signe of a wicked man to heare the menaces and threatnings and not to tremble To end all with two places of Scripture saith Moses He that heares these things and blesseth himselfe my wrath shall smoke against him Gods wrath shall smoake and burne to hell against such a one as blesseth himselfe that knowes he is cursed under the seale of God that doth ill and yet hee blesseth himselfe in doing ill therefore take heed of that adde not that to the rest Gods wrath will smoake against such a one And you know what Saint Paul saith Rom. 2. If thou goe on and treasureup wrath thou buildest Iericho that thou hast vowed the destruction of Every time thou takest the Communion thou treasurest up wrath against the day of wrath For there will be a day of the manifestation of the just wrath of God and then these things will be laid to thy charge Let us every one labour to get out of the state of nature to breake off our wicked lives and to get into Christ the blessed seed and then we shall be blessed we shall be made free free from the curse of nature and of sin Let us renew our Covenants against all sinne and make conscience to bee lead by the Spirit of Christ that wee may gather sound Evidence every day that wee are in Christ and so out of the Curse THE SVCCESSEFVLL SEEKER In tvvo Sermons on PSALME 27. 8. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr. of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE 1 CHRON. 16. 11. Seeke yee the Lord and his strength seeke his face continually LONDON Printed by T. B. for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster-Row 1639. The Successefull SEEKER PSAL. 27. 8. When thou saidst seeke yee my face my Heart said unto thee thy face Lord will I seeke IN the former Verse David begins a prayer to God Heare oh Lord have mercy upon me and answer mee This Verse is a ground of that prayer Seeke yee my face saith GOD the heart answers againe Thy face
that once the heart hath enough from heaven-ward it hath enough from heaven God hath said and promised it then the heart by a worke it hath of it selfe speaks to it selfe and to the whole man to seeke God The heart will not stoop without reason the heart of an understanding man but when it sees the command first seeke my face then it answers thy face Lord will I seeke So that this command of God and this incouragement and warrant from God Seeke yee my face it was in Davids heart it was written and set and grafted in his heart and then his heart being awed with the command of God God hath said thus the heart goes again to God thou hast said thus Lord Thy face will I seeke See the depth of Davids speech when hee faith Lord thy face will I seeke It came from his heart root not only from the heart but from the heart grounded upon the command and incouragement of God Seeke my face there is the ground the heart digesting this thorowly this is Gods Command I understand it and understand it from God I see the authority from whence itcomes therfore I wil stirre up my selfe Thy face Lord will I seek I shall have occasion to speake somewhat of it afterwards in the next thing his obedience therefore I goe on Thy face Iehovah will I seeke Here is his returne againe to God that he will seeke the face of God I will seeke thy face in all my necessities then I will seeke to thee and in all thine ordinances I will seeke to thee whereinsoever thy presence is discovered thy presence is in all places especially in thine ordinances thy presence is in all times especially in the time of trouble and need in all times of need I will seeke to thee in all exigences I will seeke unto thee and in all thiâ—…e ordinances wherein I may find thee I know I may meet with thee there thou givest thy people meetings in thine ordinances it is thy walke therefore thy face Lord will I seeke where I may be sure to meet thee in thine owne way and ordinances So much for the meaning Thy face Lord will I seeke Here is first of all an Application and obedience from Application they be words of particular Application Thy face will I seeke God had given him a ground Seeke yee my face his heart makes the Application Thy face I will seeke applying the generall incouragement to himself in particular So that you may observe hence that The ground of all obedience of all holy entercourse with God is a Spirit of Application Applying the truths of God though generally spoken to our selves in particular It is spoken here in the plurall number Seeke yee my face but the generall implies the particular as London is in England Seeke yee my face all yee that are the people of God but I am one of them what though I be not named that tenent in Popery is against sense when a man is condemned by the law is his name in the law It is against such a fact hee is a Malefactor And so the particular is included in the generall Seeke yee my face David knew that reason taught him that and not Religion Now the ground of Application of divine truths to our selves in particular is this that the truth of God setting aside some circumstantiall things that arise sometimes to particular persons that sometimes limit the command to one person or the promise to one person cut off those distinctions all comfortable truths agreeto Gods people in all ages while there is a Church in the world Al truths are eternall truths die not as men doe David is dead and Moses is dead but this truth is not dead Seeke yee my face Paul is gone and Peter is gone we are the Davids and the Mose's the Peters and the Pauls now those truths that were good to them are good to us Whatsoever was written before was written for our comfort There is an eternall truth that runs through all ages of the Church that hath an everlasting comfort God hath framed the Scriptures not to be limited to the times wherin they were written as the Papists idly speak Bellarmine and others as if they were occasionall things that the Scriptures were written by occasion of such and such men and concerned only those times but the Scriptures were written for all times and it concernes a times to apply all truths to themselves setting aside those circumstances that are applyed to particular men which are easie to discern in Heb. 13 that that was said to Iosua Ios. 1. the Apostle applies it to the Church in his time and to all Bee not afraid I will not faile thee nor forsake thee it is a generall truth And Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse that whosoever beleeves as Abraham is a sonne of Abraham These truths are universall and concerne every one as well as any And so many other places of Scripture The promise of the blessed seed the beleeving of it runs from the beginning of the world in all ages to the comming of Christ. All other promises were but an inlargement of that that was the Mother-promise that is the ground of Application that the generall truths agree to all the Churches The truth of God is the portion of every child of God he may claime every promise and ought to follow the direction of every command The reason is because al the Church of God are Heires alike Heires of the Promise Children of Abraham Heires of salvation they have interest in Christ-alike in whom all the promises are Yea and Amen in whom all the promises have their making and their performance And by reason that there is an indifferent equality in regard of the maine things of all the children of God they have interest alike in all the benefits by Christ in all truths in all substantiall duties to God and all favours from God that is the ground of the equity of Application But if you will have the ground of the necessity of it nature will shew that for the truths are food if food bee not taken what good doth it doe without application The word of God is a sword what will a sword doe if it hangs up in a mans Chamber or if it be not used when the enemy approacheth The Application of the sword of the Spirit gives the vertue to it it is to no purpose else divine truths are physick if it be not applyed what use is there of physick There is a necessity if wee will obey God of a Spirit of Application there is nothing that will doe good but by application neither in nature nor in grace There must bee a virtuall application at least the heavens worke upon the earth there is no Application bodily the heavens are too high but there is a virtuall Application there comes light in and influence to these inferiour bodies therefore we
therefore they labour to be voluntarie It is a good saying there is no vertue in men that doe things against their wils for that is vertue and grace that comes from a man from his owne principles from cheerfulnesse God loves a cheerfull giver I might inlarge this but I doe but take it as it may strengthen the point our obedience to God it must be pliable and cheerfull and voluntary Againe obedience if it be true it is perfect and sincere looking to God Thy face Lord will I seeke we must eye God in it and Gods commandement and not have a double eye wee must not looke to our own selves it must be perfect obedience that is opposite to that which is hypocriticall that is the best perfection for the perfection of degrees is not to be attained here but this perfection of soundnesse is to be laboured for as wee see here it was a sound obedience Thy face Lord will I seeke I will not seeke thy favours and blessings so much as thy face It was perfect obedience as perfection is opposed to unsoundnesse It was likewise a professed obedience before all the world in spight of Satan Thy face will I seeke let the devill and the world doe what they can let others doe as they will but as Iosua saith If you will worship other Gods if you will fall away doe But I and my house will serve the Lord what if his house will not serve the Lord If my house will not serve the Lord I will So wee should all be of Iosua's mind I and my house will serve the Lord let the world goe which way it will In blessed Saint Pauls time oh saith he There are many of whom I have told you often and now tell you weeping who are enemies to the Crosse of Christ whose end is damnation who mind earthly things What doth Paul in the meane time oh but our conversation is in heaven we swim a contrary way we care not to let the world know it our conversation is another way So our obedience must not only be present and pliable and perfect but a professed obedience that is to breake through all the oppositions of the Devill and the world with an invincible resolution to bâ—…eak through all difficulties and scandals and examples of great persons and of this and that if we will goe to God and say truely Lord thy face will I seeke Let other men seeke what they will let them seeke the face and favour of others thy face will I seeke thou shalt be in stead of all to me as indeed hee is Againe as it is a professed so it is a continued a perpetuall obedience hee is resolved for the time to come Thy face will I seek not onely now and then turne my back upon thee afterwards but I will seeke thy face till I see thee in heaven I see thy face in thine ordinances in the word in thy people where two or three bee gathered thou are among them I will see thy face as I may till I see it in heaven so here is a perpetuall resolution Thy face I will seeke Lastly theâ—…e is one thing more in this obedience and answer to Gods command that his answer to God is an answerable answer that is the answer and obedience is sutable to the command Gods command was seeke my face his answer is thy face Lord will I seeke So the point is that Our obedience to God must be proportionable to that that is commanded It must not be this or that devised by men when the Lords eye is on you in this place and gives you a charge to doe thus the obedience must be sutable when he saith seeke my face wee must obey thy face Lord will wee seeke Therefore it may in some poor sense be compared to an Eccho we returne obedience in the same kind the Spirit of God teacheth the children of God to doe so to answer God in al the things hee doth I know not a better evidence of a child of God then this answering Spirit How shall I know that God loves me I love him againe therefore I know hee hath loved me first it is an undoubted argument How shall I know that God hath chosen mee I chuse him Whom have I in heaven but thee and what is there in earth in comparison of thee It is an undoubted Argument shall I be able to single out God to be instead of all to me and hath not hee chosen me first Can there bee any thing in the Current that is not in the Spring before It is impossible I know God I looke on him as my father certainly he hath shined on me first I have said to him thou art my God certainly he hath said before thou art my servant If I say to him thou art my God certainly he hath said before I am thy salvation hee hath begun for this is the order God begins he saith Seeke my face then if wee have grace to returne answerable obedience to God Thy face Lord will I seeke when thou biddest me Lord I will love thee I will chuse thee and delight in thee thou shalt bee my God if we have this returning spirit back againe we cannot have a better argument that God loves us then by answering Gods course This is that that Saint Peter hath in 1 Pet. 3. that that doth all in Baptisme it is not the washing of the filth of the body but the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the answer or the demand of a good conscience but answer is better the answer of a good conscience cleanseth in Baptisme What is that In Baptisme dost thou beleeve saith the Minister in God the Father Almighty I doe beleeve that was the answer dost thou beleeve in God the Son I doe beleeve dost thou beleeve the Forgivenesse of sins the Resurrection of the body and the life everlasting I doe beleeve dost thou renounce the Devill and his workes I renounce them that is the answer of a good conscience where that is from the heart there God hath spoken to that heart before and there is obedience to purpose Thy face will I seeke it is that that brings comfort not the washing of the water it is not the eating of the bread and drinking the wine and hearing the word of God when there is not the answer of a good conscience when we say we beleeve and we will doe this to doe it indeed Lord I will beleeve I will goe out of the Church with a purpose to practise what I heare Here is the answer of a good conscience when wee mingle what we heare with faith and labour to practise it or else it will doe no good Our obedience must be sutable and answerable as I said before if it be a direction to follow it if it be a command to obey it if it be a threatning to feare it if it be a comfort a promise to rest upon it Let
come to heaven they must bee a generation of Seekers Heaven is a generation of Finders of Possessors of Enjoyers Seekers of God but here we are a generation of Seekers wee want somewhat that we must seeke when we are at best we want the accomplishment of our happinesse It is a state of seeking here because it is a state of want we want something alway But to come more particularly to this seeking the face of God or the presence of God The presence of God and the face of God where is it to be sought for Know that first for a ground The presence of God it is every where but that is not the thing here purposed There is a face and presence of God iâ—… every thing in every creature therefoâ—… every creature hath the name of God some times a Rock because as God is strong soâ—… Rock is strong So likewise a shield as a shieâ—… defends so God defends us there is somâ—… resemblance of God in the creature therefore God hath the name of the creature but thâ—… is not here meant The presence of God meant here is that presence that hee shewes in the time of need and in his ordinances Hee shewes a presence in need and necessity that is a gracious presence to his children a gracious face As in want of direction hee shewes his presence of light to direct them In weaknesse hee shews his strength In trouble and perplexity he will shew his gracious and comfortable presence to comfort them In perplexity he shewes 〈◊〉 presence to set the heart at large answerable to the necessity there is a presence So in need God is present with his children to direâ—… them to comfort them to strengthen them if they need that And in the issue of all busines there is a presence of God to give a blessing for there is a presence must be even to the end of things when we have all wee would have yet God must give a blessing so you see there is a presence of God answerable to the necessity of man as it hath reference to this place Thy face will I seeke to direct me by thy heaâ—…enly light when I know not what to doe as â—…ehosaphat said we know not what to doe but our â—…yes are towards thee And so in weakenesse when we have no strength of our owne then goe to God to seeke the face of God that he would be present with us So when wee are comfortlesse goe to God that comforts the abject The God of all comfort goe to him for his presence for helpe And when wee are troubled in our hearts about successe what will become of such and such a businesse goe to GOD that gives successe and issue to all Thus we see a presence of God answerable to every necessity of man There is a gracious presence of God likewise in his ordinances that is the chiefe presence next to heaven the presence in Gods Ordinances that is in the unfolding of the word in the administration of the Sacraments in the communion of Saints Indeed in the Ordinances God is graciously present Where two or three are gathered together I will be in the midst of them Therefore in Rev. 1. It is said that Christ walks in the middest of the seven golden Candlestickes that is in the middest of the Church There is a gracious presence of of Christ in the middest of the Candlesticks he takes his walkes there Christ hath a speciall presence in his Church in the ordinances and that David aymes at here too not onely I will seeke thy face introuble and necessitie when I need any thing from thee but Thy face will I seeke in all thine ordinances to inable me for the other For it is in vaine for a man to thinke to seeke God in his necessity and exigence if he seeke not God in his ordinances and doe not joy in them So you see where the face and presence of God is to be sought in necessities of all kinds and in the ordinances Now in our seeking the presence or face of God there is foure or five things that I will touch the heads of First of all seeking implyes observance seeke my face that is observe me respect me as a God Thy face I will seeke I will bee a follower of thee As in English an observer is a follower a creature It is a proud word as if man could make a man of nothing And indeed they are creatures in that kind they are raysed of nothing To seeke a man is to observe him there is a notable place for it Prov. 29. 26. Many seeke the rulers favour In the Greeke translation the Septuagint the word is to observe and respect a man which is translated seeking Many observe the ruler but every mans judgement commeth from the Lord. You see those that thinke to rise by the favour of such or such a man they will be his followers as I said and observe him they studie men as those that rise by favour that way they study not bookes so much as men what may delight such a man what hee respects surely they will serve him at every turne A base Atheist makes a man his god that he may rise he will deny God and the motions of Conscience and honesty and all to observe the face of a great man whom hee hopes to rise by but a true Christian observes the great God the greatest preferment comes from him so it signifies to observe In Psalme 62. there you shall see the ground of observation is that power belongs to God I have heard once nay twise Hee heard it twise by the meditation of it by going over it in his heart againe I have heard once nay twise that is I thoâ—…ght againe and againe on it that is hearing of it oft We may heare a truth a hundred times that is by meditating of it I have heard once nay twice that power belongs to God that is riches and power to advance a man Atheisticall men thinke all belongs to the creature but power belongs to God That is one thing that is meant by seeking diligent observing of GOD and respect to him and his will and commandements in all things If so be that a person of great place should say observe me and I will prefer you I hope men would bee ready enough they need no more words Here is the Atheisme of our hearts God saith I will doe all good for you the greatest preferment is to bee the child of GOD here and the heire of heaven after What preferment is there to that of Christianity and he saith seeke my face observe me respect me let the eye of your soules be to me as it is in the Psalme As the eyes of a mayd are toward the hand of her Mistris The obedience of a servant is toward the eye of the Commander so the obedience of a Christian is toward the
eye of God to see what God commands we should be more serviceable to God It is an argument of the atheisme of our hearts to take more incouragement from a mortall man that can raise us and doe us a pleasure then fâ—…om God himselfe But to let that goe that is the first branch Seeke my face that is observe me Then seeke my face that is depend upon me to seeke Gods face is to depend upon him for all it argues dependance for him that we observe we observe him for something we depend upon him to be our rayser and maker so seeke my face seeke my countenance and favour depend upon me and it shall bee sufficient for you Then in the third place Seeke my face that is seek my favour and grace favour appeares and shines in the face Seeke my face observe me depend on me for what for my favour What is that It is all if we have the grace of God we have all for the grace of God is in every thing that is good to us If we have the graces to salvation they come of free grace every good gift is the grace of God Children are the grace of God So if we have the grace of God we have all for our good we have all in the spring of good which is the grace and favour of God As men if they be graced from a great person they studie not this and that particular thing they think I have his favour and that favour of his is ready for all exigences And therefore in way of complement they say I seeke not this or that but your favour The favour of God it is a store-house and spring and fountaine better than life it selfe as the Psalmist saith The loving kindnesse of the Lord is better than life When life failes the favour of God never failes life will faile and all earthly comforts but the favour of God is better than life it selfe it is everlasting and eternall In Psalme 4. you see how worldly Atheisticall men rejoyce when their Corne and Wine and Oyle increase And who will shew us any good Who It is no matter who any good any hope of preferment it is no matter what way and it is no matter what any good and let them but shew it and wee will woâ—…k it out we have wit enough O saith he but your wit I stand not upon nor your courses but Lord let thy face shine upon me lift up the light of thy countenance and that shall be instead of all honours and preferments So in seeking we must observe God and depend upon him and for what for his favour especially for the face and favour of God let me have a good looke from thee oh Lord let me have thy favour and love for other things I leave them to thy wisdome thou art wise enough only let thy face shine on mee Oh this favour and face of God it is a sweet thing this presence of God What is heaven but the presence of God there Let God be present in a dungeon it will be a paradise let God be absent Paradise it is as a hell or dungeon as it was to Adam after he had sinned he runne to hide himselfe What is hell but the want of Gods presence Gods face and favour is not there What makes hell in the heart of a man God is not there but leaves the heart to its owne darknesse and confusion oh therefore the face and favour of God seeke that especially Againe to seeke the face of God is to pray to him to put this in execution in prayer every where in Scripture it is all one to pray and to seeke Gods face it is called the spirit of prayer which because I have spoken of at large out of another Scripture I will now say nothing of it Likewise in the next place to seeke he face of God is to attend upon the presence of God wheresoever he reveales himselfe to attend upon the word and ordinances is to seeke the face of God It is said that Caine went from the face of God when he went from the worship of God in his fathers house hee went out from God Where God is worshipped there God is present and when we leave the place where God is worshipped we leave Gods presence God is more especially present there therefore seeking the face of God is to attend upon Gods ordinance I will seeke thy face that is wheresoever there is any presence of thee I will seeke thee Christ when hee was lost hee was found in the Temple that hath a literall sence but it is true in a spirituall sence if we loose Christ and have not comfort from Christ we shall find him in the Temple the sweetest presence of his spirit is there His body is in heaven and his spirit is his Vicar in the world if we want comfort and direction from Christ we shall meete him in the Temple there he gives us sweet meetings by his spirit there we have the comfort and direction and spirituall strength that wee wanted before wee came There is the best meeting As in the Canticles Christ goes into the Garden of spices He goes among his children that are as a watred garden and as so many plants of righteousnesse and beddes of spices he delights to be there Christ is in the communion of Saints in the ordinances Therefore Thy face will I seeke especially in the Tabernacle and Temple after especially in the Church and communion of Saints there thy face will I seek Thus we see the unfolding of this promise of a gracious obedient respective heart Thy face will I seeke I will adde no more but come to the use of it And in the first place by way of direction That we may seeke the face of God that is observe him and depend upon him and enjoy his favour and meet with him in his ordinances we must first get The knowledge of God Our selves Get the knowledge of God for they that know him will seeke to him they that know his riches his power his sufficiency in a word his all-sufficiency for all things they will seeke to him And they that know themselves that know their wants their inability to supply those wants and know the greatnesse of those wants and that they must be supplied they will out of themselves They that have nothing at home will seeke abroad The knowledge of these two therefore of the great God the all-sufficient God and of our selves the unsufficiency of our selves every way either for direction or for protection 〈◊〉 for comfort in distresse or for strength in 〈◊〉 tie to goe through businesse or for issue when we are about any thing They that know that the way of man is not in man as Ieremie saith they would certainely out of themselves Therefore let us grow in the knowledge of God and of our selves of our owne wants and necessitie And especially know
God now in Christ's For there is enmity betweene the nature of God and the nature of man of sinfull man but that Christ hath taken our nature now and made it lovely to God and God lovely to us Christ Emanuell God and man God with us hath made God and us friends therefore now we must go to God in that Emanuel in Christ that Ladder that joynes heaven and earth together See Gods face shining in Christ his gracious face and this will incourage us to go to God together with our wants goe not to absolute God a god without a mediator for then God is a consuming fire In the next place when we goe to God and seeke to God be sure to seeke his favour and grace in the first place If we want any particular thing protection or direction or comfort in distresse goe not for that in the first place but let us see in what tearmes God and we are let us be sure that reconciliation and peace be made For if we seeke to God in our particular wants and have not made our peace before but have sought to other gods to men and to our shifts God may say you seeke to me Goe to the gods you have served to the great men you have served to the riches you have trusted unto goe to your shifts Therefore first make peace and reconciliation with God before you seeke other things If a man have offended a great person he doth not goe and seeke particular favours till first he have made peace and taken up the quarrell Let us take up the quarrell between God and us by repentance and a promise of new obedience get reconciliation that way and then seeke for particular favours after For what if God give you particular favours if they bee not from his grace and favour what will they doe us good What will all that a reprobate wretch hath doe him good What will his favours his riches and honours and preferments doe him good when he dies when hee shall conflict with the anger of God when he shall see hell before him and see heaven shut Hee seeth he hath all from a generall providence and as a reward for his care in this world God answereth him with a civill inlargement for his civill obedience but he hath his reward heaven he hath not hee cared not for it what will all doe without the love of God in Christ therefore I beseech you let us first seeke the favour and mercy of God in Christ. And then for particular things goe to him as the exigence is for in God there is a supply for all turnes and that is the ground of seeking for our seeking it must be a wise seeking now it were not wise unlesse there were a supplie in God for every want whatsoever it is If the creature could doe any thing without God we should upon good ground make that God If any thing could raise us without God I mean to comfort we might seeke to them and make them God upon good reason but what can they doe In anger God may let a man enjoy favours as the fruits of his displeasure but what can they doe without him They can doe nothing Therefore it must be the supreame cause the highest cause the great wheele that turnes every little inferiour wheele in the world they turne with the great wheele of divine providence and goodnesse therefore goe to him as the first cause Againe in seeking the favour of God we must search our consciences to come with pure and cleane hearts to God to seeke him If we regard iniquity in our hearts God will not heare our prayers Wee come to God with a purpose to offend him if we come not with a purpose to leave our sins why do we come God will not regard our prayers We must come with pure consciences to God as it is excellently set downe Psal. 24. 3. Who shall assend into thy hill O Lord who shall stand in thy holy place He that hath cleane hands and a pure heart And then he saith after This is the generation of them that seeke him those that have cleane hands and a pure heart Thou hast foule hands thou art a briber a corrupter thou hast an impure heart thou art a filthy creature thou hast lived in such and such sins cleanse thy hands and thy heart This is the generation of them that seeke him If a man seeke the pure and holy GOD with an uncleane heart and uncleane hands if he be corrupt in his hands and in his heart that is the fountaine he may seeke God long enough before hee finde him and if he see GOD it is in anger Againe if we would seeke the face and favour of God let us study the word hard study the promises as I said before bind him with his own word thou hast said thus I alleage thy owne word Iacob when he wrastled with God Genesis 32. then he saw God he called the place Penuell that is the face of God because of seeing God Vpon wrastling when the heart by faith wrastleth with God by the promise Lord thou hast done this though I feele no comfort yet I will rest upon thee that place will bee Penuell The face of GOD will bee there GOD will shew himselfe And let the extremity be what it will seeke God in extremity alleage the Word of God in extremity What word have you for extremity In the mountaine God will bee seene His face will be seene in the mount that is when there is no other help whatsoever God is a present helpe in trouble Psal. 46. He is the God that comforteth the abject that none else can comfort And he that is in darknesse and sees 〈◊〉 light let him trust in the name of the Lord. And though I were in the valley of the shaddow of death if the Lord be with me I will trust in him Psal. 23. And though thou kill me yet will I trust in thee saith Iob. In extremity seeke God then and find out words and promises then as the Scripture is large in that kind for then there is most need of seeking God Lord if thou help not now none can help And this is the difference betweene a true Child of God and another in the time of extremity Saul seekes to the witch but David seekes to God as here Lord thy face will I seeke Many things upbraided David no question with his sinne and the affliction he was in Thou seeke God thou hast offended him and now thou indurest some signe of his displeasure a heavie case beloved somtimes especially in the time of extremity then conscience saith I am in extremity and withall God followes mee with such and such sins a guiltie conscience meetes me in my prayers to God and upbraids me thou hast done so and so that if there be not faith and a word of God to lay hold on in extremity
be over much cast downe peace will preserve you And if we doe not seeke the face of God now when we may enjoy his presence weâ—… shall never see his face in glory hereafter 〈◊〉 must now be acquainted with him or else we shall not when we would Therefore as we may injoy the presence of God in his Ordinances so in all our affaires let us seeke his face and blessing let us have what we have and doe what we doe in his blessing and assistance and not in the strength of wit and shifts Let us do what we do by divine strength and in confidence of his blessing That that we do by his strength we may expect his blessing on we cannot doe so by our shifts Let us in ure our selves in these courses and we shal find much peace and by long acquaintance with God we shall be able to commit our soules to him we shall be able to looke him in the face at the houre of death He that lookes God iâ—… the face often in prayer and seeking him may looke death in the face These things may be made effectuall if your hearts be prepared as the Scripture phrase is And because I mentioned preparing that is a word in Scripture that is set before seeking Rehoboam did not thrive he did not prepare his heart to seeke God Iehosaphat was blessed of God hee prepared his heart to seeke the Lord. Therefore let us come prepared to seeke God prepare our hearts to seeke him Thinke when I goe to the congregation I goe to seeke Gods face therefore come in humility and subjection And in all the courses of our lives let all of us prepare and set our hearts in frame to seeke God in all things and let us set upon nothing that we cannot depend on him for assistance and looke to him for a blessing And when wee cannot injoy his favour and blessing in any thing we were as good be without it as have it This is the way to have our wills in all things Christ the truth it selfe hath left â—…s this one sweete promise Seeke yee first the kingdome of God He speakes there of seeking our owne good what is the best thing wee should seeke for Seeke ye first the kingdome of God of grace and of glory the favour of God and the fruit of his favour grace Seeke those best things in the first place what then It is the way to have all things else as farre as they are for our good But we would have more we thinke if we seeke to God and depend upon Gods divine principles and rules it is a way to beggery and disgrace Oh no It is the way to have our owne desire in all things as farre as is for our good Let us seeke first the kingdome of God that God may rule and raigne in us and we shall raigne in the kingdome of God For other things God will bring it to passe I know nothow they shall be cast upon us He that is fâ—…ll for heaven and happinesse GOD will make him full for the world and successefull as much as he sees 〈◊〉 to bring him to heaven if God see any thing that would hinder him he must leave that to his wisdome Therefore let us labour to bee able from truth of heart to returne to the commandement and promise of God this sweete and gracious answer of the holy man David when God saith generally or particularly Seeke my face Thy face Lord will I seeke FINIS FAITH TRIVMPHANT In five Sermons on HEB. 11. 13. By The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr. of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE LUKE 7. 50. And hee said to the woman thy faith hath saved thee goe in peace LONDON Printed by T. B. for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the guilt Bible in Queenes-head Alley in Pater-noster-Row 1639. FAITH TRIVMPHANT HEBR. 11. 13. These all died in faith not having received the promises but having seene them afarre off they were perswaded of them and imbraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on earth THis Chapter is a little booke of Martyrâ—… it discovers the life and death of the holy Patriarchs and by what meanes Gods Children are brought into possession of that that they have an interest and right unto upon earâ—…h it is by faith by faith we do and suffer all that we doe and suffer all that God hath ordained us to goe through till he have brought us and invested uâ—… to heaven which is prepared for us In the former part of the Chapter there is an induction the instances of perticular blessed Patriarchs and after he had named diverse particulars he summes them up in this generall All these died in faith In this verse there is First the generall set downe All these died in faith And then the particular unfolding of this They received not the promises having scene them a-farre off and were perswaded of them and imbraced them and confessed they were strangers and pilgrims on earth He sets downe their faith particularly hereby setting down what might hinder it and yet did not hinder it the not receiving of the promises They received not the promises and yet they beleeved the promises that is the things promised they were afarre off and yet they saw them They saw them that is the first degree They were perswaded of them that is the second They imbraced them that is the third They confessed they were pilgrims and strangers that is the fourth All these died in faith There is one faith from the beginning of the world as there is one Christ one salvation so there is one uniforme faith for the saving of our soules wee hope to bee saved by Iesus Christ as they were I doe but touch that Then againe here is implied a continuance and perseverance in faith All those died in faith that is they lived in faith and by saith till they died and then they died in faith Faith first makes a Christian and then after he lives by faith it quickens the life of grace and then he leades his life by that faith he continues in it till he come to death which is the period of all and then he dies by that faith But of perseverance to the end and the helps to it I spake at large upon another occasion therefore I omit it All these died in faith Faith carried them along all their life time till death it selfe Now that faith that helped them through all the difficulties of this life that faith by which they lived in that faith they died They dyed in faith In the faith of the Messias infaith of Canaan in faith of heaven For the Patriarchs they had not Canaan till many hundred yeares after it was a type of heaven they had not Christ till some thousands of yeares after So they died in faith of Christ of
sees more comfort and joy and matter of benefit and blessing to the soule in the promises and in the word of God then in Isaac that is then in the dearest thing in our owne account that we have that the faithfull soule had rather part with all then with God it will not part with his promises for all that is in the earth not for the dearest thing in this world Isaac shall goe rather Then for their light to goe by it was but little what a little light had they Answ. Promises they saw things in types and glasses a few promises and what was that they sought A heritage farre off Wee on the contrary have all set nearer hand that may helpe us but wee have a weaker faith One would thinke it should greatly help us to lead our lives till we come to heaven for that that we believe is nearer heaven is nearer how little a time is betweene us and the day of judgment how little a time betweene us and the glory that is to be revealed For the clouds that we have betweene they are none in comparing our light with theirs How many promises have we discovered before hand we have Christ come in the flesh and risen again we have the Gentiles called and all these things we have light upon light we have larger promises and a larger unfolding of divine truths the Canon is inlarged the Bible is enlarged more than it was then there are many books added and the New Testament Now how doth it come to passe that we see not so well as they nor so strongly as they I answer the reason is this their light was lesse but their sight was stronger we have more light and lesse sight we have things nearer but our sight is weaker the more shame for us A strong eye may see a farre off by a little light When a weake eye cannot see so farre by a greater light The eye of their soule the eye of faith was stronger and more light some the spirit of God was stronger in Abraham but his light of revelation was lesser he had fewer promises for he desired to see Christs day and saw it not So it is with Christians sometimes when there is a great strength of faith yet it may be there is not so much light a weake Christian may have more light but he hath a weaker eye and he in that respect sees better then a stronger To a stronger God doth not discover to him so much outwardly sometimes sutable to his inward Gods dispensations are diverse in this kind Now to helpe our sight to heaven this sight of faith that wee may every day ascend with the eye of our soules with this blessed sight Let us take heed of the God of this world Satan that hee doe not with the dust of the world dimme our sight what is the reason that many cannot see the glorious things of GOD The God of this world saith the Apostle hath blinded their eyes hee casts dust in their eyes they are covetous they are blind in their affections they have darke soules The soule when it is lead by affections and lusts when the affections will not suffer it to see it covers the eyes of it And then the outward things of the world they are cast into the eyes we must take heed of these inward and outward lets take heed of Sathan that he doe not with outward objects bewitch us For as it is in prospective glasses you know such glasses some are of that nature they represent to a man things that are a farre off as if they were neare so faith it is a kind of prospective glasse it presents to the soule by reason of this super naturall light things that are farre off as if they were neare Now as God hath his prospective glasses to see a farre off so the Devill hath prospective glasses that when things are neare he makes them seene a farre off as such glasses there are too when death and danger and damnation are neaâ—…e When a man carries the sentence of damnation in his bosome when he carries a stayned defiled conscience the devill with his prospective glasse makes him see death and destruction as a farre off I may live so many yeares and enjoy my pleasure and my will Now this is but a false glasse the devill abuseth them for your life is but a death and when we begin to live we begin to die why should we account therefore of the time to come death and life goe in equall pace one with another everyday we live so much is taken from our life and then the cutting off of all is uncertaine let us take heed that Satan blind us not And withall desire God to open our eyes every day to take the scales from the eye of our soules that we may see the promises that we may see Christ that we may see God shining on us in Christ that he would take away the vaile from the things by exposition that he would open the truth to us by his Ministers and that hee would take away the vaile from our hearts that our hearts may joyne with the things That when by ministeriall meanes the things are cleare that there may not be a vaile of infidelity on our hearts but that our hearts may sweetly joyne with them Let us begge daily that GOD would take away the things that hinder inward and outward that we may see the things a farre off that we may not be as Peter saith mop eyed that wee cannot see a farre off but that we may set heaven before our eyes and the judgement and the happinesse to come that we may see and view and eye those things by faith and that wee may square our lives answerable Then againe to helpe our sight of Christ and happinesse let us get a fresh sight of our corruption and sinne every day let us every day look on that terrifying object of our corruption of nature hang it in the eye of our soules as an odious object to humble us Let us see every day what a corrupt heart we carry about us see how odious these things are to God how it offends him see how it exposeth us to the wrath of God if he should take us in the middest of our sinnes and corruptions let us have these things fresh in our eyes every day and that will cleare our sight Men are loath to looke in the booke of their consciences because they are loath to be disturbed from their pleasures Let us see what need we stand in of Christ the view of our corruptions will make us glad to see a better object it will make us turne our eyes to CHRIST to the promises and all things that we have by Christ we shal be glad to look to him What is the reason we have no more delight to see the glorious things afarre off We see not the dimension of our corruptions for then
por ion in them and not bee transformed to a spirituall state and frame of soule to love and delight in holy things and to despise that which is contrary And when he is in such a state what is all the world to him What cares he for riches or pleasures or honours when the soule sees incomparable better things Whom have I in heaven but thee and what doe I desire on earth in comparison of thee saith David When hee had a little meditated of the vanity of earthly things and saw the goodnesse of God to his children It is good for mee to draw neere unto God It is a speech of conviction the soule is convinced that it is good and best to draw neare to God in holy meanes and in holy duties to keep close to him and then it cries out whom have I in heaven but thee Therefore let us never rest in such a knowledge of holy things as doth not convince us of the goodnesse of them and of our interest in them so farre as may draw and worke upon our affections to imbrace those things When we finde our hearts and affections wrought on that holy things as they are excellent in themselves so they have an answerable place in our hearts that as they are holy and high and best so they have a high place in our hearts then a man is in the estate of a Christian or else a man may very well doubt of his estate when he can heare of heaven and happinesse and of the excellency of the children of God that they are heires of heaven c. and his heart bee not affected with these things he may well question himselfe doe I believe these things here are rich and precious promises but where is my precious faith to close with and to imbrace these things doe I believe them If Idoe how is it that I am no more affected with them and so let us stand in the meditation of the excellencies of Religion so long till our hearts be affected and warmed with them This will follow affections a desire to thinke oft of them as David joynes both together Oh! how doe I love thy law it is my meditation continually That that a man loves hee oft thinks of that stirres up love and love makes him oft consider of it and when it is thus with a man hee is in such 〈◊〉 condition as these holy Patriarchs fit to live and die by his faith They saw them and were perswad of them and imbraced them Therefore I say we may know whether we have this spirituall light whether wee have true faith or no if we have these imbracings if wee be so perswaded of them that wee imbrace them with delight and desire and love and joy if we make choyse of them and esteeme them highly and cleave constantly to that which is revealed to us then it is a divine light and perswasion because wee imbrace them Certainely there is nothing in religion divine unlesse the affections bee carried with it True faith carries the whole soule to whole Christ out of a mans whole selfe It carries the understanding to see and the will to chuse and to cleave it carries the affections to joy and delight and love it carries all Therefore those that when holy things 〈◊〉 discovered they have not a high esteem of them that they priâ—…e them not above earthly things that they cleave not to them with a disesteeme of other things that they joy not in them as their best portion that they doe not imbrace them there is no true faith at all for where there is true faith there is this imbracing God hath made the soule as I said for these heavenly things and when the soule and they close together there is a sweet imbracing then the soule is raysed above it selfe the soule is quieted and stilled and satisfied There is nothing in the world else will better the soule but the imbracing of these things nothing else will beautifiâ—… and adorne the soule in Godâ—… sight our soules are made forthem our desires are made to imbrace them our love and oâ—… joy to delight in them our wills to cleave to them and â—…ke choyse of them above other things We abuse our soules they are not made 〈◊〉 close and graspe with the world they are noâ—… made for thâ—…se things that are baseâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selves we abase our soules A coveâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 himselfe wo sethan â—…is 〈◊〉 he is called the world because hee hath nothing in him better than the world If we imbrace Christ and the promises of salvation the things of anotherlife the imbracing of these rayseth the soule to bee excellent like the things and it doth 〈◊〉 and rest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but in its 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the heavic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the middle pâ—…int of the earth and light bodies rest 〈◊〉 to their 〈◊〉 So the soule it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 faith resting in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 soule â—…rying it to the thing it is made for 〈◊〉 these holy men in all the â—…yles and 〈◊〉 bles of tho world in all confusions thâ—… soules of these blessed 〈◊〉 rested in Christ. We may say of all earthly things as 〈◊〉 hath this sentence of them Micah 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hence here is not your rest so we may say to the soule concerning riâ—…hes and honours and friends here is 〈◊〉 yours rest You were not made to imbrace and to cleave to these things Our rest is in Christ and in the good things we have by him These good 〈◊〉 imbraced him with their whole soule This shewes that many men have not faith they know not what it meanes Where there is trâ—…e faith there is alway love and joy and delight in the things believed it carries the soule with it In what measure we apprehend the goodnesse of a thing in that measure our love is to it In what measure wee apprehend the greatnesse and fitnesse of a thing in that measure our affections are carried to it The understanding reports it to the affections of love and liking and they are naturally carried to that which the soule makes report of to bee usefull the understanding makes them follow it therfore it is a signe our understandings are not perswaded our eyes are not opened when wee love not good persons and good things when wee cleave not to them above all things Those that do not imbrace and cleave in their will and affections to good things let them say what they will they doe not believe If there were but a light conjecture in men if there were but a guessing that there were such a happinesse and that there were such horrible â—…orments for sinners that live in sinne they would live otherwise then they doe Therefore deadnesse in the affections discovers Atheisme in the judgment and heart it shewes there is unbeliefe for how is it possible that a man
should not be carried in his affections to a good that he is perswaded of and how is it possible he should not loath ill and dest 〈◊〉 things If he were perswaded that hell were such as it is and that these courses lead to hell and destruction and estrange him from the favour of God whose loving kindnesse is better then life it self if men were perswaded of 〈◊〉 things in any strength their soules would not be affected as they are Therefore if wee would know whether nature be corrupted or no we may do it by this You have some men that are conceited especially when they are in their ruffe and have all things plenty Divines talke much of the corruption of nature and such things they think all is well O! but do but lay these things together the excellency of the things promised and the terrour of the things threaâ—…ed and our â—…ndisposition to these things in regard of perswasion that we live as if we did not think these things to be true What a disposiâ—…on oâ—… soule is that that cals divine truths into question To believe the lies of our owne hearts and the temptations of the devill and the world that lies in mischiefe before the 〈◊〉 ved truth of GOD it selfe that is sealed 〈◊〉 the oath of God And yet the heart of man 〈◊〉 naturally carried to believe these things moâ—… than God himselfe Witnesse the lives of meâ—… who have dead carâ—… base affections 〈◊〉 regard of heavenly things they shew 〈◊〉 they are not perswaded of them notwithstanding all the sweete arguments and perswasions that the Scripture hath They doe not professe that they call them in question yet they live as if they made no doubt that they are all false It is a folly not to believe those things that are sealed by so many evidences as divine things are but it is more desperate folly to live as if wee did not believe them at all If these things were digested they would make us out of love with our owne naturall estate and to labour for a spirit of faith to perswade our soules both that those things are so indeed that God hath revealed and to get assured perswasion of our part and interest in them Indeed a dead faith is no faith at all it is the effect of the whole Epistle of S. Iames that it is no faith that is dead it doth not worke upon the heart and affections nor the life and conversation a dead faith is no faith at all Let us shame our selves therefore Lord doe I professe I see things above nature that I see Christ in heaven and see my selfe there and do I professe that I am perswaded that the word of God is true and am I no more affected where is my love where is my joy where is my comfort doth my heart runne after other things that professe my selfe to bee perswaded of better things Let us never rest but bee angry and wroth with our hearts and affections for they are made for these promises our precious faith is made to imbrace precious promises and to carry the whole soule to them And let us helpe this with complaining of our selves and with prayer Lord thou hast discovered excellent things in thy word and hast perswaded me Lord open my heart the heart is thy throne the heart and will and affections thou dealest with especially Lord incline my heart inlarge my heart The LORD hath promised in the new covenant to teach our bowels to love Lord teach my heart to love thee Thou hast opened my understanding to conceive holy things or else I had never beene able to understand thee and thy truth teach my bowels also to love teach them to cleave to the things take off my love my joy and delight from earthly things and plant them where they should be inlarge them the right way fill my heart with thy selfe as thou hast made it for thy selfe This should be our desire What be the affections wherby the soule imbraceth these good things it is perswaded of The soule imbraceth these things in the affections of faith and hope in the first place for faith is an emptiegrace in it selfe it is carried to somewhat out of it selfe that it imbraceth and layeth hold on and hope is with faith alway Together with the work of faith and hope there is a sanctifyed affection of the imbracing soule there is a love of the things promised which is imbracing and a love of the meanes and likewise joy and delight in them expressed by thankfulnesse As you see the Patriarchs in the story of Genesis when God discovered holy things to them aâ—…resh that he would give them the land of Canaan and the Messias to come and all that happinesse there was thankfulnesse presently they built Altars to God And which alway accompanies thankfulnesse humility As Abraham Genesis 17. 3. downe he falls when God made him such a large promise he fals downe on his face as if he were unworthy of such a thing so this disposition alway accompanies a soule that imbraceth together with faith and hope that leads the affections after them there is love expressed in a constant obedience and care of duty to God many wayes As it is an affection that will not bee concealed And joy and delight with thankfulnesse and humility considering the excellency of the things and our unworthinesse that we cannot but have this disposition alway thankfulnes and humility And likewise contentment to end our dayes a disposition that followes imbracing in faith for where imbracing of faith and love is in an imperfectestate there will be joy when that comes that makes way to full imbracing that is in heaven it selfe as Simeon rejoyced when hee imbraced Christ in his armes what did the old man thinke we when he came to heaven when Christ and he met there And Abraham rejoyced to see CHRISTS day with the eye of faith and likewise imbraced it with faith and that wrought joy What did Abraham then when he came to heaven when he see all ended there I say death that makes way to full enjoyning and imbracing in this very respect it is not only patiently entertained of Gods children but comfortably as letting them in to the good things that they esteeme above all the world besides to the possession of Christ to heaven and happinesse Let us consider of these things To come to direct us a little about this imbracing in faith and hope and love and joy and the whole soule when the soule as it were goes out to the things wee are perswaded of How shall this be wrought upon the soule This imbracing wee see it followes upon perswasion and perswasion followes seeing they saw them farre off and were perswaded of them and thereupon they imbraced them Therefore let us labour for a cleare understanding of divine things That which the eye sees the heart grieves for in ill and that that
the eye sees the heart imbraceth in good And in what measure our eye sight of heavenly things is clearer and our perswasion stronger in that measure our imbracing is lovely and full of joy and delight Therefore let us labour to grow in knowledge in supernaturall spirituall knowledge and that our perswasion may be stronger every day more and more for answerable to that our affections will grow and will be carried to the things discovered And there is nothing more effectuall to commend knowledge to us then this that it is a meanes to work a holy and heavenly disposition and temper in us especially if it be spirituall And let us meditate upon what wee seeme to know and are perswaded of let us dwell upon things still to work them upon the will and affections let us dwell upon them till our hearts bee warmed well with the things knowne and that we professe our selves to be perswaded of And joyne with it an enquiry upon the soule are these things so doe I know these things and am I perswaded of these things that they are so how is my disposition answerable then am I so affected as I should be is my love so hote and my joy so working and spiritly and quicke as it should or no and hereupon take occasion to stirre up our selves and to checke our owne soules Alas that I should have such things discovered and that I should see such things in such a strong perswasion in the booke of God and professe my selfe to be perswaded of these things and yet be so dead at all times And if we find our affections any thing working that wee are disposed to imbrace these things then wee cannot but be in an excellent temper and blesse God that vouchsafed together with the excellency of the things themselves to shew us our portion by his holy spirit to enlighten our understandings and to perswade us let us blesse God for this for it is a worke above nature And withall because the soule cannot close with and imbrace these things but it must let loose other things for you know in imbracing there must bee a letting goe of those things that were formerly within the gripe if we would gripe these things in our affection and will we must have them only we must not think to graspe the world and them together the things here below and them together as wee shall see after in that point they accounted themselves strangers to earthly things Therefore this is one way to come to this imbracing to come to the sight of the vanity and insufficiency of all things in comparison of Christ and the happinesse wee have by Christ. To see in matter of judgment the insufficiencie of workes and merit and such like in the matter of justification the insufficiency of all such trash as the popish religion abuseth the world withall And so in matter of conversation to see the insufficiency and empâ—…nesse and vanity yea the vexation of all things besides these good things here offered the good things that Gods spirit offers to the eye of our soules that he offers to our wills and affections what are all to these and effectually thinke so thinke what should draw a mans affections after it beauty or strength consider what will become of these ere long And then withall consider the excellency of the estate of the body and soule in heaven if we carry our selves as wee should doe and preserve our selves in our spirituall condition let us lay these things together and then wee shall see how infinitely the one is beyond the other If it be for honour and favour of the world consider the vanity of them and how short a time wee may enjoy them and the things themselves are subject to alteration And withall consider the constant excellency of the favour of GOD in Christ Iesus which will comfort us in life in death and for ever And so for riches and possessions in this world consider how soone all here must be left and how the soule is larger then all these things if wee had a thousand times more abundance then we have and that our soules that are more large and more excellent they are not made for these things but for better and what use we shal have of better things when these faile the soule being immortall and eternall This will make us let goe earthly things in our affections and hold them in their place in a secondary place as things serviceable in the way to heaven and not to graspe them in our affections for then they pierce the soule to death and damnation And if we would be affected as we should be to good things let us keepe our affections tender and keepe them cleare from the guilt of any sinne that may work feares and doubts for together with sin goes feares and doubts they are bred in sinne naturally therefore if we would maintaine this imbracing oh let us keepe our soules as we keepe our understandings cleare so keepe our affections tender by all meanes and keepe our consciences unspotted that so our affections of joy and delight and love may bee ready prest to good things even to the best things Another way is in particular to meditate of the love of Christ the love of GOD in Christ and of his imbracing of us For wee must know that our imbracing is upon perswasion of Gods imbracing of us We imbrace not the promises of Christ as a man imbraceth a dead post that cannot returne imbraces to him againe this imbracing of Christ and heaven it is a mutuall imbracing and it is a second reflexive imbracing wee imbrace God and Christ because we find God in Christ imbracing our soules first in the armes of his love therefore we imbrace him again in the armes of our affections because we find Christ imbracing us in the armes of his affections Therefore let us attend upon the meanes upon private reading of the word and upon the ministry for what are the ministers but to contract Christ and the soule together they are friends of the Bridegroome to discove CHRISTS love to us and his lovelinesse his lovelinesse in himselfe his riches in himselfe and his love to us to allure us againe to CHRIST the ministery is for this end especially to draw Christ and the foule together And what is the Scripture in the intent and scope of it but to discover to us the excellen ciâ—… of Christ and the good things we have by him his love good intention to our soules Now hearing these things in the ministery they are effectuall together with the spirit to draw our affections backe againe to him And naturally wee cannot but love those that love us Now when we are perswaded of Gods love tous in Christ and Christs love to us God having made our soules for love to himselfe and friendship with himselfe and the nearest and sweetest conjugall friendship now therefore the more his
as some idle persons doe in a bravery we are but strangers here and we must be gone c. Though I say they doe not speake thus as some doe that never thinke so yet notwithstanding their carriage bewrayes it their course and company and conversation shewes that indeed they confesse themselves pilgrims and strangers Now the order of the words is this strangers and pilgrims there is little difference betweene these two Strangers shewes our absence from home that we are abroad in another country that we are in another place And Pilgrims shewes our carriage to our country our going home a pilgrim or traveler is he that is going homeward They confessed themselves that they were not at home but they were going toward that that was their home toward heaven to that Citty whose builder and maker was God himselfe Wee are strangers to shew what we are here on earth In regard of heaven we are strangers on 〈◊〉 and not meere strangers that rest and doe nothing but such strangers as are passing home toward their country we are strangers and pilgrims on earth the one implies our absence the other implies our moving to the place of our abode The points considerable are first this Thâ—…s Gods children upon earth here are strangers and pilgrims They are not at home but are travelling toward their country The second is this that They prosesse themselves to be so They know they are so and they confesse that they are so they are not ashamed of it For the first It is the disposition of him that hath truly interest in better things though but in faith and hope to bee a stranger and a pilgrim in regard of all things here below And this followes the other for where the eyes of the understanding are opened and a man is perswaded there is an imbracing of better things as our proper good things there is a considering of all other things as things that doe not belong to us in a manner we are strangers When faith apprehends Christ and heaven and happinesse to be our own and our country to be above faith apprehending and grasping these things and imbracing them at the same time it is to be supposed and necessarily followes that we are strangers It followes out of the necessity of the thing it selfe for upon the very consideration that a man is an heire of heaven that he hath another country and condition out of the necessitie of the thing it selfe though there were no other reason for it the affections of the soule will be closed up as it were to other things and he will consider of other things in an inferiour condition as they are For the things though they bee good in their kind and order both the things above and the things below yet there being such a difference in these good things and the things here below the contentments here on earth being so meanely good and so short in continuance and so weake in their satisfaction of the soule that they cannot bee possessed together with the blessed assurance of better things but with the affections of strangers and pilgrims this followes I say from the nature of the thing that in whose eyes heavenly things are great in his eyes earthly things are meane They are accounted as they are secondary meane things of the way to help him forward home If a man were on the top of a great mountaine he would see the things below to be very little and the things above would appeare greater to him so when the soule is raised up to see great things though they be a farre off as these did with the eye of faith at the same time his soule looking to things below must needs apprehend them to be little in quantity as indeed they are If a man were in body lift up to heaven and should looke upon the earth what were the earth but a pooresilly point the whole earth iâ—… selfe much more a mans owne possession so when the soule is lifted up to heaven by faith which sets a man in heaven before his time when it looks from thence to the earth and earthly things it must of necessity consider them as they are to bee poore meane things Therefore this followes that being perswaded of the promises that is of the good things promised in religion in the word of God to earthly things they were strangers and pilgrims He that is from home and hath another home which he is not at he is a stranger but Christians have another home For first they are bred from heaven they are borne from heaven they are borne in Ierusalem that is from above they are borne in the Church by the seed of the word and spirit now as they are from heaven so their 〈◊〉 is to heaven againe for every thing naturally riseth as high as it springeth As we say of water it mounts as high as the head of it is so our affections mount as high as the spring of them is Now a Christian being borne from heaven he tends to that in his affections that is his country It is his country because his father is there in his glory and his Saviour is there and a great part of his kindred are there the soules of perfect men and the glorious Angels in a most glorious manner though they be in their attendance upon the earth there is his country his Citie his house there is his happinesse his home I shall not need therefore to prove that the godly are strangers If heaven be his country earth must needs be the place of his pilgrimage there is no question but that followes It is said here they were pilgrims and strangers upon earth Vpon earth Because where ever a Christian is if it be upon any place upon earth he is a stranger and a pilgrim if he be in his owne house he is upon earth and therefore he is a stranger in his owne house if he be in his owne possession he is upon earth and therefore he is a stranger in his own possession As David confessed though he were a King I am a stranger and a pilgrim here as all my fathers were 1 Chron. 29. 15. A King in his kingdome is upon Gods earth and therefore he is a stranger in his own kingdome here As Austin saith very well quisque domus suae c. every man is a stranger in his owne house wee are strangers here on earth therefore It is not any condition on earth that exempts a child of God from being a stranger when the greatest Kings in the world have confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims so that all Christians of what condition Ioever they are from the highest to the meanest they are all strangers upon earth it is a cleare point And it must needs be so for the head of Christians was a stranger his love made him a stranger for he left his fathers bosome his love drew him
from heaven to earth and here he conversed as a stranger he dwelt in his body here as a tabernacle which he layd aside for a while to work the worke of out redemption and then after to dwell in it for ever He was the prime stranger of all strangers he that makes us all strangers here and Citizens of heaven he was a stranger on earth He was not indeed a stranger for hee was Lord of heaven and earth yet in regard of his state of exaltation that was to come after in regard of dispensation he was here as a servant he lived here as a stranger And indeed he was as strangely used for hee came among his owne and his owne knew him not as it is in Iohn 1. he was not knowne among his owne Countrie men the Iewes hee was a stranger on earth He conversed with us here and was among us as a stranger you see how his speech and carriage and conversation on earth it was as a strangers He was talking alway of his fathers house and of the kingdome of heaven When he speakes of the estate of the Church which is the only company of people here in whom God rules by his spirit yet because they are ordained for the kingdome of heaven he calls them strangers here and termes them by that that they are ordained to All his minde was of the kingdome of heaven we see after he was risen the matter of his discourse as the Gospell tells it was of the kingdome of heaven he talked of things that belonged to the kingdom of God all his speeches were that way and his comparisons were fetched that way The kingdome of heaven is like to such a thing and such a thing And all his worke was to draw men from the earth As it was his grand work to redeem men from the earth that is from hell and from their cursed condition so the matter of his teaching was answerable to his work to draw men to heaven all the paines that he tooke before and after his death till he was taken into heaven it tended that way He came from heaven to earth to wooe us to be a spouse to himselfe he came from heaven into a strange countrie to take us for his spouse to take our nature and in our nature to winne us to die for us he carried himselfe as a stranger every way he regarded not earthly things Now answerable to our head Christ must all Christians bee in their affections and dispositions we must be conformable to him we must be strangers as he was All that looke to die in the faith of Christ and to be happy for ever they must witnesse their believing and loving of better things by an answerable carriage to all things here below they must have the affection of strangers and travailers Faith doth enforce this It is the nature of the soule from a principle and ground of nature that when the soule is carried up one way it is shut another when it cleaves unto and imbraceth better things when it is open to heaven the point of the soule is shut to the earth and wee looke upon these things as strangers and pilgrims only for necessary use These holy men the Patriarchs were strangers Strangers in their owne esteeme As Abraham and Iacob they confesse they were sojourners and David though he were a King yet he saith he was a stranger as all his fathers were So all the Patriarchs they professed themselves to be strangers and sojourners and they did it not in word only but in deed they shewed it by dwelling in tabernacles and tents poore things fit for strangers heaven was their house Tabernacles are moveable weak things that have no foundation So they knew their life was like a tabernacle here And their manner of life shewed what they looked for they carried themselves as those that hoped and looked for better things They were strangers in their dispositions they affected things above and cared no more for these things then for necessary use to helpe them to serve God in their places and those that are strangers in their dispositions they desire to be at home Againe they were strangers in GODS esteeme God termed them so and so it is with all that believe in Christ when we once believe and are new creatures new borne to a better inheritance presently at the same time we are strangers here Strangers likewise in the esteeme of the world The world used them as strangers strangely When a man leaveth the world and cleaveth to God presently the world setteth on him by reproaches and all they can because they think he will disgrace them by his change therefore they labour to make him as black as they may that way they use all strangely that breake from them God will have it so because he will have his children not to love the world therefore he will have the world hate them So they are strangers in that respect they think it strange that they doe not as they did formerly that they doe not as they doe wicked men thinke it strange that they runne not with them into the same excesse of ryot so they are strangers in the esteem of wicked men So they are strangers in regard of their place heaven is their hope they are begotten to an inheritance immortall undefiled c. they live in a place where they are strangers they are every way strangers But you will say wicked men are strangers and pilgrims too I answer they are indeed so for in regard of the shortnesse of their lives and the uncertaintie of the things they injoy for they out-live all their happines here they are snatched hence before they bee aware therefore they are but travellers here but they goe from ill to worse yet in regard of their affections they are no strangers but account themselves at home from a spirit of infidelity and pride and earthlinesse Therefore they are called men of the earth and those that dwell on the earth in the Revelation because they looke no furtherthen the earth and here they roote and fix their affections upon this earth they do not fix their hearts and affections upon the things above they looke not after them they care not for them they value them not nor esteeme them Therefore answerable to their thoughts and bent of their soule and mind is their discourse their speech and carriage and thereupon they are called men of the earth and called the world because they love nothing but the world they are as it were changed into the things they love they are earth as the Prophet saith Oh earth earth c. and they are the world because their affection of love joynes them to these earthly things The Church in the Revelation is called heaven but the beast is said to rise out of the earth for that which bred the carnall religion of Popery it was nothing but earth and
earthly respects Therefore how ever they are strangers here that they cannot be here long and they have soules that are of an everlasting continuance yet because their affections and the bent of their soules are all here they account themselves at home here and here they plant themselves and their posterity therefore though in some sence they be strangers yet not in that sence that the children of God are Every Christian is borne from above and borne to things above and hee is a stranger here All his course from his new birth till he come to the possession of his inheritance in heaven it is nothing but a travailing he never sits down but is alway in his motion and passage Every good work is a step of his way he is in motion still he takes degrees from better to better from grace to grace from knowledge to knowledge till he come to his home Let us make a tryall of our selves how our affections stand to these things whether our hearts bee weaned from earthly things undoubtedly if we have imbraced Christ we shall use the world as though wee used it not We shall be transformed into the Image of Christ and he used the things of this world as a stranger only to comfort him in the way we shall have the same mind that he had We shall carrie our selves as strangers as those that hope for a country in heaven Therefore I will name some particulars to shew the condition and carriage of a stranger First of all a stranger is travailing to another country to joyne both in one for the one followes the other he that is a stranger that apprehends what he is and apprehends that he hath a countrie to goe to hee travailes toward it A stranger that is travailing homeward he is content with his present condition for he knowes he shall have better at home In Iere. 45. God by Ieremy speakes to Barâ—…ch a good man I will destroy all these things and dost 〈◊〉 seeke great things for thy selfe If a Christian did consider Iam going to heaven to God what do I seeking great things here which God will destroy What will become of heaven and earth and all things here ere long And if the time be long ere heaven and earth be destroyed yet what will become of me ere long I shall be turned to earth and shall I seeke great things here upon earth Shall I not be content with my portion certainely a stranger is content with his present portion he that is a traveller when he comes to his Inne if perhaps things be not so cleane if his usage bee not so good he thinkes it is but a night and away it is no great matter this is not the maine he will not be over much discontent and quarrell at any unkind usage in the way for he knowes he shall have better usage when he comes home Therefore as he will bee content with little be it what it will be he knows it is not the maine So he will be patient if he meete with unkind usage hee will not stand quarrelling by the way and so hinder himselfe in his journey he will be patient in the injuries and wrongs in this life If a Prince be mis-used in another country he is contented and thinkes with himselfe I have a country where I shall be more respected and therefore he beares it the more willingly So a Christian is a King he is an heire and being a stranger he shall meete with dogges in this world as who doe dogs bark at but at strangers now being strangers we must looke for dogged usage It is no wonder that dogs barke at strangers it is their kind they consider it is the disposition of wicked men to doe so they doe but their kind Would a man have dogs not to barke and would we have wicked men that have evill tongues not to scorne that they know not to doe otherwise is to forget their kinde A Christian knowes they doe but their kind he pitties them and he doth not stop his journey and his course for it He will not be scorned out of his religion by a company of prophane spirits hee will not be laughed out of his course he knowes what he doth better than they they are madde and fooles he knowes it and they shall know it themselves ere long He knowes that he is in a serious judicious course that he can approve and they cannot theirs therefore he will not be scorned out of his course Thus faith in Christ makes him that is a stranger here content and patient He whose soule hath imbraced Christ is contented with any thing any thing is sufficient to his soule that is filled with better things Nothing will content a covetous earthly man a man of the earth such men think themselves at home they make a league with hell and death the men of the world they thinke they shall live here alway but a Christian that imbraceth a better life with Christ in happinesse to come he knowes he shall not be here long hee is here but as a stranger and shall shortly bee at home and therefore he is contented with any thing Likewise the knowledge of this that we are strangers and pilgrims it will make a man not only content and patient but thankfull for any kindnesse he finds in this world that God sweetens his absence from heaven and his pilgrimage on earth what that God should love me so not only to give me heaven but to give me contentments on the earth to sweeten my way to heaven what a mercy is this He is thankfull for any contentment hee is thankfull to the world to those that doe any thing for him that afford him any courtesie here that may helpe him in his pilgrimage and make it lesse troublesome and cumbersome to him All the Saints in former time were wondrous thankfull for that they had for what can a travailer look for but discourtesies and hard usage and if he find any thing better he will be thankfull certainely it is more then I â—…ooked for saith he When a man is bent toward heaven hee cannot but looke for hard â—…sage from the world We see when Christ did but look toward Ierusalem the Samaritans â—…ad enough they began to maligne him why his face was toward Ierusalem So when base worldlings see that a man will to heaven and leave their company and courses they cannot digest this A man of an ill conscience when hee sees another oppose that course that he resolved to sticke to he sees he confutes his course he sees his face is toward heaven and therfore labours to disgrace him As the wench said to Peter Thou speakest as one of Galile thy speech bewrayes thee So when a man is going toward heaven every base person the veriest rascall of all hath pride enough to scorne Religion So wee see they make not much of the world nor the world
away his goods are not of that place so in all confusions of the world a Christian hath good things of another world the good things he carries with him are not subject to losses or crosses they are not subject to the misusing of the world when all things shall bee on fire a Christian hath his treasure laid up in heaven in a place where no earthly creature hath power of it it is not subject to any ill and that make him in all estates contented and patient Let heaven and earth goe together a Christian when hee hath imbraced better things a Christian thinks himselfe a stranger that is going home therefore in all his life he carries himselfe as a stranger To goe on a little further A travailer in his way must of necessitie have refreshings by the way or else he will faile therefore sometimes he sings and somâ—… suseth other refreshings Now what saith David Thy statutes have beene my song in the house of my pilgrimage that is when I want other comforts they are my song my joy and delight A travailer must needs have comforts that may revive him in his â—…ainting he must have some pleasant walks for meditation Let us therefore when wee grow weary refresh our selves in walking in holy meditation take a turne there to thinke of the vanity of all earthly things and how soone they come to an end and of the excellency and eternity of our glorious condition and estate when we come home and then think of the helps and comforts by the way and such like The Art of divine meditation is an Art for this end that since wee are all travailers that wee are from home and that we are going home we may walke in wisdome Let us learne that art to feed and strengthen our soules with such meditations as may cleare them by the way to set some time apart when we grow dull and indisposed in religion then let us think how to cherrish and refresh our soules with those excellencies that are indeed above our comprehension our hearts cannot conceive of it it is set out in the word of God to our conceite but as it is wee cannot conceive here what is reserved for us when wee shall come home therefore let us doe as travellers often thinke of home and what is at home for us and that will make us when we are in the way and any comfort would draw us out of our way to think O these are good comforts but this is not my home I have betterat home then this and this will stay mee from home Therfore the crosse is necessary for travailers that they may know they are not at home that they may imbitter his comforts This consideration that he is not at home and that this is not his country as it will keepe a Christian from temptations so it will draw him on to constancy in his love and in going on for a travailer sits not downe to stay there hee thinkes here I am and home I must goe and I shall not come home by sitting here So the oft thinking of home it will both sweeten our troubles and likewise the comforts that wee meete with in this world it will make us that wee shall not bee ensâ—…ared with them because though they be comfortable things yet alas what are these these indeed are fit to make a man forget home to forget heaven as a man that sees goodly things goodâ—…e houses these things saith hee are they that make a man unwilling to goe out of the world But he that is assured of a country and knowes that he hath a better home then all these earthly things that are shaddowes and vanity he thinkes these are very goodly things but what are these to that that is reserved and if I sit downe by these if a travailer sit down by delights and gaze upon things by the way when shall he come home Let us think oft of home there are many uses to thinke and meditate of that blessed day this among the rest that it drawes us on forward and forward still that we shall not sit quiet but goe on still and not rest till we come home And the nearer we are home the more busie and the more chearefull wee should bee as a traveller when he comes neare home hee is more chearefull when hee hath home in his eye when he sees the smoake of his country he rejoyceth As these Patriarchs they saw the promises a farre off As men when they see the toppes of steeples and houses they thinke now wee have them continually in our eye we see some thing of home and the nearer they come the more they see and the nearer they come still the more they see so the longer a Christian lives the nearer and nearer he comes home if he understand himselfe and have any assurance in any degree it makes him more joyfull towards his end Thus it was with Gods people when they were nearer their end then they sung sweetly the Swannes song and then they were inlarged in their spirits as Iacob when he was dying we see what a will he made what legacies to his children And Ioseph when he was dying and Moses the man of God The song of Moses and David the sweete singer of Israel The last words of David what sweete words they were And Saint Paul when he was to go out of the world I have fought the good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth is laid up for me the crowne of righteousnesse c. And our blessed Saviour toward his end wee see how heavenly he was in his prayer And good Simeon Lord now let thy servant depart in peace c. when he had grasped Christ once he was loath to live any longer so it should be with Christians as it is with travellers the nearer they are home the more and more comfortable they should be still It is a shame for old men to feare when they come neare their end when they are neare the haven then to feare It is as if a man in a storme should feare the haven or a man that travâ—… and sees a Citie to be afraid of his own house whereas hee should rejoyce and thinke hee is nearer his happinesse then other men as Saint Paul tels the Romans your salvation is nearer now then when you first believed So we should thinke our salvation and happinesse in heaven is nearer now then when we first believed and therfore the lesse time we have to travaile here with incumbrances in the way to heaven the more joyfull we should be The nearer wee are to death the nearer to our preferment the nearer to our country and our home These are the advised thoughts of a Christian and when other thoughts come into a man when he is stricken in yeares surely they are not in him as a Christian but as he is weak and wants faith and assurance of salvation Oh let us therefore
predestinate to be his members he is the sonne of Gods love wee are beloved in him hee is full of grace of his fulnesse we recieve grace for grace hee rose and we shall rise because hee rose first Hee ascended into Heaven by vertue of his ascention wee shall ascend into heaven too Hee sits at the right hand of God inglory and by vertue of his sitting we sit there together with him in heavenly places Whatsoever is graciously or glo riously good that is in us it is first in our blessed and glorious Saviour Therefore let us looke to him and be thankfull to God for him when we thanke God for our selves let us thanke God first for giving Christ who is the patterne to whom wee are conformed Let us give thanks for him as S. Peter doth Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ if he had not bin his Father hee had not bin ours Wee cannot stand before God of our selves but in one that is perfect in himselfe God-Man Therefore when we blesse God for grace and glory that belongs to us let us blesse him for giving Christ that in him we are happy he conformes us in grace here and in glory hereafter in body and soule to our glorious Saviour And as it is a ground of thankfulnesse to God for Christ so it yeelds us a rule for meditation when we would thinke of any thing in our selves let us goe to our head to Christ in whom we have all we have and that wee hope to have of his fulnes we receive not only grace for grace but glory for glory of all the glory he hath we have answerable to him and surely it is a transforming meditation to think of Christs glory and to see our selves in him to thinke of grace in Christ and of our interest in grace in him we must not thinke of him as an abstracted head severed from us but thinke of his glory and our glory in him and by him he is glorious and we shall be glorious likewise Againe you see here that how soever our bodyes are vile for the present yet they shall not be so for ever they shall be glorious bodyes like to CHRISTS Body the point then is that As Christ is the patterne of the glory of our body so our body undoubtedly shall bee glorious as his body is This vile body shall bee glorious even like Christs glorious Body I need not stand to proveit I proved it before What should this affoord us Then ◅let us use them to a glorious end let us not use these base bodyes to base purposes Let every member of this vile body while we live here bee a weapon of a sanctified soule a weapon of righteousnesse ready to doe good Let us put honour upon these bodyes that shall be thus honoured let us use them for honourable purposes Let us lift up our eyes to Heaven let us reach forth our hands to good workes let our feet that have carried us to ill heretofore carry us to the service of God for these very vile Bodyes shall bee glorious bodyes The very same eyes that have bin lift up to God in prayer those very hands that now are instruments of good workes those very knees that are humbled to God in prayer and those feet that have carried us to holy exercises and those spirits that are wasted and spent in holy meditation even these this vile body that is thus holily used shall be a glorious body therfore let us use it answerably And labour to lay it downe with honour in the dust to leave it with a good report to the world considering it shall be so glorious afterward Doe those thinke of this that use their bodyes for base purposes whose eyes are full of Adultery whose hands are full of rapine whose feet carry them to base places where they defile themselves whose bodyes every member is a weapon and instrument of sinning against God How can these dare to thinke of that glorious day wherein our vile bodyes shal be made like the glorious body of Christ can they hope that those hands and those feet of that body shall be made glorious that have bin defiled that have bin instruments to make others likewise sinne can such a body looke for glory let us not deceive our selves this vile body indeed shall be a glorious body I but it must bee used accordingly unlesse wee have a presumptuous hope This body shall bee glorious this very vile body this corruptible shall put on incorruption the same body as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 15. I believe the resurrection of this body as we say in the Creed S. Paul pointed to his own body this body this mortall shall put on immortality If this body shall be glorious how base soever it be in this world then againe let us honour poore Christians though we see them vile and base and honour aged Christians and deformed alas looke not on them as they are but as they shall be as they are in the decree of Christ and as they shall bee ere long by the power of Christ hee will make them like his glorious body Let us not despise weake or old or deformed persons these vile bodies shall be glorious those that died in martyrdome whose bodies were cast into the fire and cast to wild beasts c. they shall be glorious bodyes The Emperour Constantine wold kisse the very holes of the eyes of those that had their eyes pulled out that had bin martyrd So even our vile bodyes when they are used in the service of God in suffering they shall bee glorious bodyes let us honour our bodyes or theirs that suffer for Christ. S. Paul made it his plea and a ground of his confidence because his body was vile for Christ. I Paul a prisoner of Iesus Christ and I carry in my body the marks of the Lord Iesus The dying of Christ that the life of Christ might bee manifest He carried Christs marks in his body making this an argument of respect that he was a prisoner so when any are abased for Christs sake let us think these are such as shall have glorious bodies how ere they are esteemed of the world But to enlarge the point a little further these bodyes shall be made like the body of Christ. Wherein shall this Glory of our bodyes consist Especially in these six indowmēts our bodies be now vile and perhaps imperfect they want a member a sence or a limbe our bodyes then shall be perfect even as Christs body is Those martyrs that have bin dismembred shall then have perfect bodyes Let us not bee asrayd to lose a limbe or a joynt for Christ or a good cause if our bodyes bee made vile for Christ they shall be made perfect afterward Then again our Bodyes then shall be beautiful Adam in his innocency had such a beauty in his body that the very creatures reverenced him he was awfull to the very creatures so the
beauty where is any thing the body is a loathsome carkasse Now therefore while the soule is in this body looke to the soule especially that when the soule shall goe to heaven the soule be mindfull of and speake a good word for the body as Pharaohs Butler did for Ioseph that the soule there may thinke of the body that it may thinke of the paines of the suffering as the soule doth it hath an apetite in heaven a desire to be joyned againe to the body which it useth to labour in to pray to God in which it used to fast in which it used as an instrument to good actions Let us use it so here that the soule may desire to meete it againe that Christ at that day may bring body and soule together to be glorious for ever That it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body We see here then that the best is to come the best change after which there shall be no change is to come The weakest is the first and the second is better the second Adam is better then the first and the second life shall be better then the first our bodies as they shall be glorious shall be better then they were in the first creation they shall be glorious bodies like unto Christs Oh! the comfort of a Christian there is nothing that is behind nothing to come but it is for the better there shall be a change but it shall be a change for the better A Christian is a person full of hope he is under a glorious hope under a hope of glory of soule and body he is alway under hope the hope of glory therefore he joyes under this hope Rom. 5. 1. That it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body But how shall any Christian know that his body shall be like to the glorious body of Christ I answer hee may know it from this The change of a Christian begins in his soule Christ begins the change of our soules to be like his full of love and obedience to God full of pitty and compassion to men full of industry to doe good our soules will be like Christs soule first looke to thy soule what stampe that beares is there the Image of Christ on thy soule certainely he that hath transformed this soule to be gracious he will transforme the body to be glorious like his glorious body Looke to thy soule then if thou art the child of God by adoption if thou hast the spirit of adoption and grace and findest peace of conscience and joy in the Holy-Ghost thou maist know thou shalt have the adoption of thy body thou hast the first adoption in thy soule thou art the child of God know that thou shalt have the second adoption spoken of Rom. 8. Wee wayte for the adoption of our bodyes If thou partake of the first resurrection that thy soule is raysed from sinne thou shalt partake of the second resurrection at the day of Judgement For Christ is a perfect Saviour hee saves not onely the soule but the body though hee begin with the soule he ends with the body He tooke our bodies as well as our soules and hee will glorifie our bodies as well as our soules and if wee find the worke of grace a Spirit of glory in our soules undoubtedly wee may know that our bodyes shall be glorious Againe thou maist know that thou shalt partake of this glorious estate that thy body shall be like the glorious body of Christ by the use that this body is put to how doest thou use this vile body for the time thou livest now dost thou use it to the base services of sinne doest 〈◊〉 beat thy braine and thy breast and thy spirits doest thou take up thy time and all to provide for the flesh whither doth thy feet carry thee what dost thou â—…eddle with in the world are all thy members weapons of an unsanctified soule to offend God and to fight against thy soule to cherrish lusts that fight against thy soule and against thy Maker and Redeemer then know this that thou hast no hope of glory He that hath this hope purgeth himselfe and is pure as hee is pure This hope where it is found it is a purging a cleansing hope and all the members of the body will be used to a sanctified purpose a man will not sacrilegiously use those members that are dedicated to Christ that are Temples of the Holy-Ghost that are fellow heires as Saint Peter saith concerning the wife and the husband the body is a fellow-heire with the soule of glory he will not use it to the base services of sinne Hee that shall have a glorious body will esteeme so of it here What shall I use the Temple of the Holy-Ghost that that is a fellow-heire of heaven with my soule that is the Spouse of Christ a member of Christ as well as my soule shall I use it to these and these base services It cannot be if a man have the new nature in him he cannot it will not suffer him to sinne in this manner hee cannot prostitute his body to base services those that doe so how can they hope that their bodies should be glorious like unto Christs Saint Paul gives three Evidences in one place to know our interest in this glory of our bodies in 2 Cor. 5. 1. saith hee wee know that when this earthly house or Tabernacle shall be disolved wee have a building c. We know we have a glorious building a double building heaven and our bodies wee have two glorious houses heaven and these bodies shall be a glorious house But how doe we know this Saith he in the second verse we groane earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon there is a wondrous desire after this cloathing Rom. 8. The creature groaneth much more wee that have the first fruits of the Spirit There will be a sighing for this glory awayting for the blessed comming of Christ for Christ to redeeme soule and body perfectly that is the first signe a desire and groaning earnestly In the fourth verse there is another evidence He that hath wrought us for the same things iâ—… God He that hath wrought us for the blessed estate to come is God so whosoever hopes for a house in heaven when this Tabernacle is dissolved he is wrought for it that is he is a new creature for it God hath wrought his soule and body for it God fits our soules here to possesse a glorious body after and hee will fit the body for a glorious soule so both shall be glorious a glorious soule and a glorious body he hath wrought us for the same If a man therefore find the beginning of the new creature that it is begun to be wrought in him he may know that he shall partake of this glory of the body because He is wrought for it The third is Who hath also given us the earnest of the Spirit whosoever finds in
them the Spirit of God sanctifying their soules and bodies stirring them up to holy duties guiding and leading and mooving them to holy actions they may from the sanctifying Spirit that is an earnest to them know what shall become of their bodies Hee hath given us the earnest of the Spirit To confirme this there is an excellent place in Ro. 8. 10 If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his If Christ bee in you the body is dead c. It is a vile body it as good as dead it hath the sentence of death already it is dead in regard it is sentenced to death for sinne as a malefactor that hath his sentence But the Spirit is life in regard of righteousnesse What then if the sanctifying Spirit of Christ dwell in you Hee that raised Iesus from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies The same Spirit that sanctifies these soules of ours our bodies and quickens them to holy duties the same Spirit shall raise our bodies As the same Spirit that sanctified the blessed masse of the body of Christ that he carryed and raised his body the same Spirit that sanctifies our soules shall raise our bodies The Spirit of God when hee hath begun to sanctifie us he never leaves us hee goes along in all changes in life in death to the grave as God said to Iacob I will be with thee there The Spirit of God he will mold our dead bodies and make them like the glorious body of Christ the Spirit of God never leaves our soules or bodies Therefore if wee find the earnest of the Spirit if we find the worke of the Spirit or the comfort of the Spirit which is the tearme the Scripture gives Ioy in the Holy-Ghost and peace of conscience together with the Spirit sanctifying us especially in the time of trouble when God sees his Children have most need they have the earnest of the Spirit the beginnings of grace and joy the beginnings of heaven upon earth by this they may know as the first fruit is so likewise is the harvest as the earnest is even so is the bargaine as wee have it now in our soules so we shall also have it in our bodies and soules hereafter These three grounds Saint Paul hath why his hope of heaven was a good hope wee groane for it and wee are wrought for it wee are fitted for it There is no man can hope to be glorious in his body but his soule must be fitted for it it must be a fit jewell for so glorious a casket a fit inhabitant for so glorious a Temple as the body shall be the body shall be fitted for the soule and the soule for the body they are wrought for it And then hee hath given us the earnest of the Spirit What need I quote further evidences the Scripture being thus pregnant I beseech you often consider your desires whether you be content to live here alway or no to satisfie the vile lusts of your body or whether you desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ when you have done the worke that God sent you for into the world if wee be content to abase our selves for God here who hath provided so much glory for us hereafter and when the time comes we can desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ it is a good signe if wee have the beginnings of the new creature yee are wrought for it that our soules are fitted for a glorious body we have the earnest of the Spirit the same Spirit that sanctifieth our soules and that quickens our soules with joy and peace the same Spirit shall raise our bodies Comfort your selves you that are Christians though you bee weake with this that if you have but the earnest of the Spirit undoubtedly you shall have a glorious house instead of this tabernacle of dust Christ will change these vile bodies that they shall be fashioned like his glorious body I beseech you therefore oft thinke of this think of the time to come comfort your selves with things to come In 1 Thess. 4. Saint Paul would have us talke one to another often of this this should be the matter of our conference not onely the state of the Church and our owne estate here but how it shall be with us when we are gone hence how it shall be with us world without end hereafter we should conferre and speake and oft meditate and thinke of these things What can be grievous what can be over burdensome to that soule that knowes it hath the pledge and earnest of glory hereafter How doth it quicken the soule to any indeavour when once we know that how soever we abase our selves here yet we shall have glorious bodies hereafter It will quicken us to any indeavour to any thing for Christ therefore let us oft thinke of our estate to come let us set our thoughts foreward to the time to come Let faith make the times to come present and that will make us heavenly minded What made Saint Paul converse as if he were in heaven faith made the estate to come present and hope which is grounded on faith it lookes to Christs comming to change our vile bodies so faith and hope they make the soule looke upward they make it heavenly minded Our soules are dull and our bodies are dull in this world but as Iron if it be touched with a Load stone up it will so if wee get faith and hope to looke foreward what shall be done to us for the time to come the spirit of faith and hope if it touch the soule will carry our dull bodies and our dead soules upward Therefore let us cherish our faith and hope by often meditation of the blessed estate to come and thinke of these two things of the excellent estate of our bodies and soules then for if our bodies shall then be glorious like the body of Christ our soules much more the inhabitant which is the speciall part the soule shall be much more glorious Let us thinke oft of this glory as it is described in the Word it transcends our thoughts wee cannot thinke high enough of it and our interest and assurance of it And daily search our selves whether our hope be good or no that we have sound evidence that our title is good to glory Let us examine our selves by those signes I named before Where are our desires what worke hath the Spirit of God in us how doe we use these bodies of ours As we use them now wee must looke they shall be used hereafter Let our tongues be our glory now and they shall be glorâ—…ous tongues afterward to praise God in heaven their bodies that have beene glorious here shall be glorious in heaven Wee may read our estate to come by that we are here those that carry themselves basely and filthily and dishonourably here we may know what will become of them hereafter Let us oft thinke of the estate
partake of the meanes of salvation and yet live in sinnes against conscience they get knowledge by the Ministery and by good bookes and acquaintance and such like they have a savour in the use of good things something they have some little apprehension of the estate of a better life Againe for another end God reveales to them the excellent estate of his children sometimes to keepe them in better order to awe them that they be not open enemies to the Church but may doe good service for conceiting that there is such a happinesse and that perhaps they may partake of it they will not carry themselves malignantly against those that are true professors There are severall degrees of wicked men some are well-willers to good things though they never come farre enough Some are open malicious persecutors Some againe are better then so they have a hatred to goodnesse but they doe not openly shew themselves as hypocrites c. God reveales these good things to wicked men to keepe them in awe The net drawes bad fish as well as good so the net of the Word it drawes wicked men it keepes them from violence and open malice besides even the Majesty of the word and the convinction of that excellente state that belongs to Gods Children it keeps them from open malice and persecution This is another end that God aymes at what may we learn hence Seeing this is so it should teach us that we refuse not al that ill men say they may have good aprehensions give good counsel It had bin good for Iosiah to have followed the counsell of wicked Pharaoh a heathen God oft enlightens men that otherwise are reprobates refuse not Gold from a dirtie hand do not refuse directions from wicked men because they are soandso refuse not a pardon from man a base reature We ought not therfore to have such respect of persons as to refuse excellent things because the person is wicked But that which I intend to presse is this If this be so that wicked men may have illumination whereby they discover an excellencie and likewise may have desires raysed up to wish and desire that excellencie It should stir vs up to goe beyond wicked men shall we not goe so farre as those goe that shall never come to heaven we see here Balaam pronounceth the end of the righteous to be happie This should therfore stir us up to labor to be in a different estate from wicked men Let vs therfore consider a little wherein the difference of these desires is the desires that a Balaam may have and the desires of a sound Christian wherein the desires of a wicked man are failing These desires first of all they were but flashes for we never read that he had them long they were meere flashes as a sudden light that rather blinds a man then shewes him the way so these enlightnings they are not constant Wicked men oft times haue sudden motions and flashes and desires oh that I might die the death of the righteous oh that I were in such mans estate but it is but a sudden flash and lightning They are like a torrent a strong sudden streame that comes suddenly and makes a noyse but it hath no spring to feed it The desires of Gods Children they are fed with a spring they are constant they are streames and not flashes Againe this desire of this wretched man it was not from an inward principle an inward tast that he had of the good estate of Gods Children but from an obiectiue delight and admiration of somewhat that was offered to his conceite by the holy-ghost at this time It was not from any inward tast and rellish in himselfe that he speakes but from somewhat outward as a man that saw and heard excellent things that ravished him with admiration though he had not interest in them himselfe Againe in the third place this desire of the happinesse of the estate of Gods children it was not working and operative but an uneffectuall desire it had only a complacency and pleasing in the thing desired but there was not a desire to worke any thing to that end This wretch therefore would bee at his journeys end before he had set one step forward to the journey It was a desire of the end without the meanes It was not an operative effectuall but a weake transient desire Where true desires are they are not only constant and proceed from an inward interest tastof the thing desired but they are effectuall and operative they set the soule and body the whole man on worke partly to use the meanes to attaine the thing desired and partly to remove the impediments for where desire is there will be a removing of the impediments to the thing desired as hee that intends a journey hee will consider what may hinder him and what may helpe him in it he that sets not about these things hee never meanes it for a man cannot come to his journeyes end with wishing we can attain nothing in this life with wishing There is a working I say that tends to remove impediments as farre as we may and tending to use all means to effect and bring the thing to passe We see then there is a maine difference betweene the desires of this wretched man Balaam and the desires of the true Church of God To goe on and follow the point a little further Where desires are in truth the party that cherisheth those desires will bee willing to have all helpe from others to have his desire accomplished If a man desire to demolish a place if any will come and helpe him downe with it or if any man desire to weed his ground he that will helpe him he will thanke him for his paines Where there is a true desire there is a willing closing with all that offer themselves that the thing desired may be brought to passe Where there is a desire of the happy estate of Gods children there will be a willing entertainment of any helpe Let a man come to a man that desires grace and glory and discover his especiall sins that hinder him you must weed out this and you must pull downe this he will thankfully imbrace all admonitions because he truly desires the end therefore hee desires the meanes that tend to the end hee desires the remooving of the hindrances hee will be thankefull therefore for any helpe that he may have and especially that of the ministery that it may powerfully enter into his soul and rip him up why because hee desires to please God in all things and he would not cherish a motion or desire contrary to the spirit of God therefore the more corruption is presented and made odious to him the more the inward man is discovered the more hee blesseth God and blesseth the blessed instrument and of all meanes he is willing to attend upon such Where there is swelling and rising against the
blessed meanes either in private admonitions or publike teaching let men pretend what they will there is no true desire of grace and to be in the estate of Gods people for then they would not be contrary to the means This wretched man Balaam when the Angell stood in his way with his sword drawne to stoppe his way yet notwithstanding he goes on still he was so carryed with covetousnesse and so blinded that neither the miracle of the beast speaking nor of the Angell in his way nor God in the way could stoppe him alas where was this desire then No no the glo ry of earthly things dazeled the glory of the estate of Gods people therefore wee see hee goes against all meanes that was used to stop him in his journey If a man desire to be good and to leave his sinnes he will not stand against the meanes Have wee not many that stand against the Ministery of Gods Ministers are Gods Angels they stand in the way and tell people if you live in this course you shall not inherite heaven if you live in oppression and base lusts unlesse you be changed you shall all perish They come to particular reproofes and hold forth the sword of Gods Spirit yet men breake through all and wreake their malice upon Gods Messengers Is here a true desire when they are not willing to have the hinderances removed when there is not respect of the meanes that should be used Againe true desires of grace they are growing desires though they bee little in the beginning as springs are yet as the springs grow so doe the waters that come from them so these desires they grow more and more still They grow sometimes in Gods children that they will have no stop till they come to have their sull desire to have perfect union and communion with God in heaven The desires of a blessed soule they are never satisfied till it come to heaven Let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth saith the Church oh let mee have nearer communion with Christ. It desires in the vord and sacraments to come nearer and closer to God and in death then Come Lord Iesus come quickly And when the soule is in heaven there is yet nearer union a desire of the bodies resurrection that both may be for ever with the Lord. Till a Christian be perfect in body and soule there is desire upon desire till all desires be accomplished they are growing desires as S. Peter saith As new born babes desire the sincere milke of the word that yee may grow thereby It is a desire that is never satisfied because there is alway somewhat to be desired till we be perfectly happy And then they are desires that will not bee stilled A child if it have not strong desires it will be stilled with an apple but if the desires be strong nothing will still it but the dug so Gods Children if their desires be strong it is no bauble they desire nothing but grace and inward comfort will quiet the inward man It is a desire that is growing and strong it will not be staid with any thing in this world but wil break through all impediments as a strong stream it will never rest till it have communion with God And therefore the desires that men think are good and earnest enough that goe on plodding in a constant course and never labour to grow they are no desires at all no sanctified desires from a supernaturall principle of grace The desires of a Christian grow and are never satisfied till hee have perfect happinesse The three worthies of David brake through the host and got the water of Bethel for David oh that I had of the water of Bethel So where there are strong desires they are like Davids worthies they carry the soule through all impediments they grow stronger and stronger and are never satisfied till they come to the water of life Let us consider these things whether we have this desire or no if we have but sometimes flashes inconstant ineffectuall desires desires that grow not that are soone satisfied and are stilled with any thing alas these desires the spirit of God never kindled and bred in the heart they are ordinary flashes that shall serve for our deeper damnation Therefore let us take heed and not rest in a cast-awayes estate let us not rest in Balaams state but labour that the desires of our souls may be as they should Desires I confesse are the best character to know a Christian for workes may be hypocriticall desires are naturall Therefore wee ought to consider our desires what they are whether true or no for the first thing that issues from the soul are desires thoghts thoghts stir up desires This inward immediate stirring of of the soule discovers the truth of the soule better then outward things Let us oft therefore examine our desires And let me adde this one thing to the other let us examine our desires by this besides the rest whether we desire holinesse and the restauration of the Image of God the new creature and to have victory against our corruptions to be in a state that we may not sinne against God to have the spirit to be new born as well as we desire happinesse and exemption from misery Balaam desired happinesse but hee desired not the Image of God upon his Soule for then he would not have bin carried with a covetous divell against all meanes No his desire was after a glympse of Gods childrens glory only A wicked man can never desire to be in heaven as he should be for how should we desire to be in heaven to be freed from sinne that wee may praise God and love God that there may be no combate betweene the flesh and the spirit Can he wish this No his happinesse is as a swine to wallow in the mire and he desires to enjoy sensible delights as for spirituall things especially the Image of God and the vision of God they are not fit objects for him as farre as it is a freedome from sin but as hee hath a conceit oh there are goodly things to be seene c. So it corresponds with his disposition but to bee free from Sin and from the conflict of the flesh and spirit and to be set at liberty to serve God alway he cannot desire it so Tell him of heaven he loves it not there is no gold there is not that that he affects therfore he cares not for it he cannot relish it he is not changed Therefore it is a notable Character of a true Christian to desire heaven to be freed from sinne to have communion with God in holinesse other prerogatives will follow this Let us therefore consider what our desires are how they are carryed for desires discover what the soule is As a spring is discovered by the vapours that are about it so is this hidden state of the soule discovered by the
breaking out of desires They are the breath and vapour of the soule Let us consider what is set highest in our soules what we desire most of all Oh! a Christian soule that hath tasted of the loving kindnesse of the Lord accounts it better then life it selfe It is not Corne and wine and oyle he desires but Lord shew me the light of thy countenance The desires of his heart are large to serve God and to doe good more then for the things of the world He desires earthly things but as instruments for better things and this is the desire of every sanctified soule in some measure Let us hence make a use of convinction of the folly of base men that live in the Church and yet come not so farre as Balaam that come not so farre as those that shall goe to hell They turne over all Religion to a Lord have mercy upon us and Christ dyed for us and we hope we have soules to God ward as good as the best and to a few short broken things They turne Religion to compendiums to a narrow compasse and make the vvay to it wide and broad and complaine of Preachers that they straiten the way to heaven This is the disposition of worldlings whereas alas there must be a righteousnesse that must exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharises there must be a righteousnesse from an inward principle there must be a strong constant desire of righteousnesse more then of any thing in the world before we can be assured of our interest and part with Gods people Let us take heed that we delude not our selves this way But to come to an use of direction How may we so carry our selves as we may have a spring of blessed desires a spring of holy desires that may comfort us that we may have our interest and portion in the state of Gods people That we may have these desires let us desire of God the spirit of revelation desires follow discovery for desires are the vent of the soule upon the discovery of some excellency it beleeves Therefore let us beg of God the spirit of revelation to discover the excellent estate of Gods people And because this is given in the use of meanes let us present our selves with all diligence under such means as where we may have somewhat of the Kingdome of God that the riches of Christ being unfolded our desires may be carryed to such things for there is never any discovery of holy and good and gracious things to a Christian soule but there are new desires stirred up Our soules are like a mill that grinds what is put into it so the soule it workes upon the things that are put into it if it have good desires and good thoughts put into it by good meanes used and by prayer it feeds upon them let us alway therefore be under some good meanes that good thoughts may be ministred unto us that may stirre up gracious desires for the soule to worke upon Let us be in good company Saul among the Prophets we see hee prophesied and the heart is kindled and enflamed when we are among those that are better then our selves especially if their hearts be inlarged to speake of good things but to come nearer That we may have holy and gracious and constant desires let us take notice and make tryall continually of the state and frame of our soules which way for the present they are carryed in what current our desires run If they runne the right way to heavenly things it is well if not take notice what drawes and diverts and turnes the streames of our desires the false way let us thinke what the things be and the condition of those things that drawes our desires downe and make us earthly and worldly whether the pleasures or profits or honours of this life The way to have better desires is to weane our selves from these things by a constant holy meditation of the vanity of these things that the soule is carryed after Salomon to weane his heart from these desires from placing too much happinesse in these things he sets them before him and saith they were vanity and vexation of spirit Let us set them before us as nothing as they will be ere long Heaven and earth will passe away the world will passe away and the concupiscence and lust of it Let us consider the basenesse ficklenes and uncertainety of things that our soules are carryed after and this will be a meanes to weane them from them And the soule being weaned from earthly things it will run amaine another way Let us study therefore to mortifie our base affections and study it to purpose to cut off the right hand and to pull out the right eye spare nothing that God may spare all that God may have mercy upon us and spare us let us spare nothing These lusts they fight against our soules And as I said before feed our soules minister unto them better thoughts continually Those that are governours of those that are yong season them while they be yong with good things for while the soule is not filled with the world and while covetousnesse and ill lusts have not wrought themselves into the soule good things and good desires are easily rooted and planted and grow up in the soule As letters graven in the body of a tree they grow up with the tree and the fruit of the tree growes up with the tree and therefore the twigs breake not with the greatnesse of the weight of it because they grow up together so plant good things in those that are yong inure them to know good things to hate ill wayes plant in them blessed desires and inure them to holy exercises and good duties that good exercises may grow up with them as the fruit wth the tree We see what 〈◊〉 hard matter it is to convert an old man to draw the desires of a carnall worldly man to heaven when we speak of good things to him his soule is full of the world what is in his brain the world what is in his heart the world So he is dry and exhausted of all good things and that that is in him is eaten up with the world It is a great improvidence in those that governe youth that they labour not that their desires may be strong to the best things And let us all both young and old labour for heavenly wisedome that when good things are ministred to us from without or good motions stirred up by the Spirit of God to close with them and not to quench those motions and resist the Spirit but to imbrace those motions and cherish them till they come to resolutions and purposes and actions If we have a motion stirring us up to repentance let us ripen it till it come to perfect repentance till we repent indeed and have turned from all our evill wayes and turne to God with full purpose of heart
that it may be a motion to purpose If it be a motion to faith let us never leave cherishing of it by the promise till our hearts be rooted in faith If it be a motion to any other good thing let us cherish and follow them to purpose And imbrace every motion as an Angell sent from heaven from God to a good end to put us in mind to invite us to good and to drive us from ill And because desires are fickle and fading of themselves unlesse there be some art in helping of them therefore let us adde to these things a daily course of renewing of our covenants with God that this day as God shall enable me I have a constant purpose against all sinne I will regard no iniquity in my heart I will have respect to all good wayes discovered Renew our covenants and resolutions of old saith David I have swâ—…rne and will performe it that I will keep thy statutes And as we determine and resolve so make particular vows sometimes against particular hindrances to abstaine from such things What needs all this adoe saith the wicked athiest will not lesse serve the turne but there must be these vowes and purposes and resolutions No God values us by our resolutions and purposes and not by uneffectuall glances and wishes will wishing helpe us take a journey or to doe any thing in this world and can we not doe any thing in this world with wishing and can wee for heaven No certainly there must be resolutions and covenants and purposes c. What is the difference betweene a Christian and another man A Christian unlooseth his heart from base desires nothing shall tie him to the base world but his conscience tells him that he is free from living in sinnes against conscience and as for infirmities he labours and resolves against them therefore he is fit to die and to resigne his soule Whensoever God shall take him hee is in a good way in good purposes and resolutions God values us according to our purposes and resolutions David did not build the Temple Abraham did not offer Isaack but they resolved upon it and it was accounted as done This is our comfort that God takes the resolution for the deed and the perfection of a Christian is that God accepts of these resolutions when hee determines on the best things till he bring his heart in some measure to that estate What is the reason that many men at the houre of death will admit no comfort The reason is their hearts were naught they respected some iniquity in their hearts they were in bad wayes and allowed some reigning sinne and till these be mortified we can minister no comfort It is onely the resolved Christian that is a fiâ—… subject for comfort But to answer an ordinary let or two that the Devill casts in mens wayes in these things But doth not God accept the will for the deed put the case I have a good will to doe a thing though I doe it not God accepts that I answere Gods accepts the will for the deed onely where the impediments and hindrances are impossiâ—…le to be remooved as put the case a poore man would be liberall if he had it God accepts the will for the deed because he wants opportunity But it never holds when a man can doe it God accepts not the will for the deed when a man hath a price in his hand to get wisdome and yet is a barren plant and not a tree of righteousnesse it is a signe of a naughty heart Oh! saith another God quencheth not the smoaking flax therefore though I have weake desires all shall be well It is true God doth not quench the smoaking flax but he doth not leave it smoaking but blowes the sparke that in time it comes to a flame where there are beginnings of goodnesse imbraced it will grow from smoaking flax to a flame they are growing desires as I said before Therefore flatter not thy selfe that Christ will not quench the smoaking flax It is true if there be a desire of growth for then I must speake comfort to a poore Christian that cannot be so good as he would but desires it and complaines oh that my wayes were so direct that I might keepe thy statutes with his desires he complaines that he cannot do it and useth the meanes to grow it is a good signe God will not quench the smoaking Flax till he have brought corruption into subjection in us Let every good soule comfort it selfe with this if thou have these blessed desires God meets with thee for he desires thy salvation and Christ desires thy reconciliation and it is the desire of thy heart and thou usest the meanes thou wilt not live in sins against conscience be of good comfort wee that are the ministers of God and I at this time bring the newes of pardon Christs desire and thine meet in one Let us enlarge these things in our own deep and serious meditation Alas for want of serious meditation in our hearts of such like truthes as these men perish and sinke suddenly to hell There is but a steppe betweene ordinary prophane persons and hell and yet they never thinke of renewing their covenants with God and entring into the state of grace but content themselves with that which comes short of thousands that are now in hell that have had more wishes and desires Men put all upon empty things God is mercifull c. No God will not be mercifull to such as blesse themselves in ill courses his wrath shall smoak against such as I said for in thus reasoning they make a covenant with hell and death as much as they can They that doe thus forget God and good courses and God will forget them they treasure up wrath and God treasures up wrath against them Let us take heed of Balaams wishing and labour to have such desires as may bee accepted of God and comfortable to us FINIS THE FAITHFUL COVENANTER In two Sermons upon GEN. 17. 7. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE NEHE 1. 5. O Lord God of Heaven the great and terrible God that keepeth Covenant and mercy for them that Love him LONDON Printed by E. Purslow for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queenes head Alley in Pater-Noster-Row 1639. THE FAITHFVL COVENANTER GEN. 17. 7. I will establish my Covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting Covenant to be a God to thee and to thy seed after thee GOD having framed man an understanding creature hath made him fit to have communion and entercourse with himselfe because hee can by his understanding discerne that there is a better good out of himselfe in communion and fellowship with which happinesse
seed shall all the Nations of the earth bee blessed That 's the fundamentall promise all other promises the promise of the Land of Canaan the promise of the multiplying his seed as the starres of Heaven they were all but accessary this is the grand promise in thy seed in Christ shall all the Nations of the earth bee blessed So it is a sure Covenant because it is established in the Messiah Christ God-man And Christ being God and man is fit to be the foundation of the Covenant betweene God and man for he is a friend to both parties as man hee will doe all that is helpefull for man and as God he will doe nothing that may derogate from God and so being God and being God and man he brings God and man together comfortably and sweetly and keepeth them together in a sure and firme agreement For first of all hee takes away the cause of division that was betweene God and us because by his sacrifice and obedience he did satisfie Gods wrath and that being satisfied God and us are at peace and friendship for God till then though he bee a fountaine of goodnesse yet he was a fountaine sealed the fountaine was stopped by sinne but when there is a satisfaction made by Christ and we believing on him the satisfaction of Christ is made ours it is a sure Covenant because it is established in Christ the blessed seed And as it is a sure Covenant so thirdly it is an everlasting Covenant I will make an everlasting Covenant with thee so it is set downe here Everlasting in these respects For when wee are in Christ and made one with him by faith hee having satisfied Gods wrath for us and made him peaceable then God is become our father and he is an everlasting father his love to us in Christ is like himselfe immutable For even as Christ when hee tooke upon him our nature he made an everlasting Covenant with our nature married our nature to himself for ever and never layeth aside his humaine nature so he will never lay aside his misticall body his Church As Christ is God-man for ever so misticall Christ the Church is his body for ever As Christ will not lose his naturall so he will not lose his misticall body I will marry thee to my selfe for ever saith God in the Prophet so then it is everlasting in respect of God hee being Immutable I am God saith he Mal. 3. 6. and I change not and Christ the foundation of the covenant is everlasting And then againe it is everlasting in regard of us because if wee bee not wanting to our selves wee shall bee for evermore in Grace heere and in Glory for ever the fruites of Grace in us that is the work of the Spirit it is everlasting for howsoever the graces we have be but the first fruits of the spirit yet our inward man growes more and more till grace end in glory till the first fruits end in a harvest till the foundation bee accomplished in the building God never takes away his hand from his owne worke Everlasting also in regard of the body of Christians God makes a covenant with one and when they are gone with others alwayes God will have some in Covenant with him he will have some to be a God to when we are gon so long as the world continueth So that we see it is in every respect an everlasting covenant God is everlasting Christ is everlasting the graces of the spirit are everlasting When we are dead he will be a God unto us as it is said I am the God of Abraham of Isaac and of Iacob their God when they were dead he is the God of our dust of our dead bodies he will raise them up for they are bodyes in Covenant with him I am the God of whole Abraham and not of a piece therefore his body shall rise againe It is an everlasting Covenant That is the third quality Lastly it is a peculiar Covenant I will be thy God and the God of thy seed All are not the children of Abraham but they that are of the faith of Abraham God is in Covenant only with those that answer him that take him for their God that are a peculiar people It is not glorying in the flesh but there must be somewhat wrought that is peculiar before we can be assured we are of Abrahams seed and in Covenant with God And we may know that we are Gods peculiar by some peculiar thing that wee can doe what peculiar thing canst thou doe to speak a little of that by the way thou lovest and art kind but saith Christ what peculiar thing canst thou doe A heathen man may be kind and loving but canst thou overcome revenge canst thou spare and doe good to thine enemies canst thou trust in God when all means faile what is the power of the spirit in thee doth it triumph in thee over thy naturall corruption canst thou doe as Abrams did hee left all at Gods command canst thou doe that if need should be canst thou leave children and wife and life and all at Gods command Canst thou sacrifice Isaac as he did canst thou more trust in the promise of God then in the dearest thing in the world yea then in thy own feeling of grace whatsoever is not God canst thou be content to be without canst thou relye upon God when he appeareth to be an angry God Abraham knew that there was more comfort in the promise than in Isaac if thou have comfort in the promise more than in any thing else then thou art one of Abrahams seed thou hast sacrificed thy Isaack never talke of Abraham else never thinke that thy portion is great in God be what thou wilt by profession if there be no particular thing in thee which is not in a naturall man if thou art covetous as gripple for the world as very a drudge in thy calling as licentious in thy course as carnall men are thou art none of Gods peculiar ones thou art none of Abrahams seed Gods people have somewhat peculiar that the world hath not It is a peculiar Covenant Thus you see the qualities of this Covenant it is a free Covenant a sure Covenant stablished in the blessed seed the Messiah it is an Everlasting Covenant and it is a peculiar Covenant To make some vse of this in a word Heere then you see is another Spring of blessed comfort opened to a Christian. If hee findeth God though this assurance bee little to be his God in regard of peculiar favours let him remember it is an everlasting favour his love is everlasting the foundation is everlasting the graces of the spirit are an everlasting spring alwayes issuing from Christ our head grace is never drawne dry in him God is our God to death and in death and for ever all things in the world will faile us friends will faile us all comforts will faile us life will faile us ere long but this
meanes wee shall want degrees perhaps but in the covenant of grace it is not degrees that brings us to heaven but truth Now in our renewing the Covenant with God let us not despaire of his performance let not that hinder us from comming to the Sacrament but come cheerefully and know that hee that hath made the Covenant with thee to be thy God and to give thee all particular grace in the use of all good meanes will performe it Hee will performe it if wee come in sincerity of heart If wee come to daube with God and after to follow our sinfull courses this is to mocke God This made David take it to heart so much that his familiar friend that eate at his table lift up his heele against mee May not God complaine of us that we come to the communion to his table with false Iudas hearts and afterwards betray him hee may say my familiar friends they came and eat with me yet they have lift up the heele against me they are rebellious they will leave no finne that before they were enthralled to so instead of a blessing wee bring a curse upon us a just reward of our disloyalty Oh remember that it is a great aggravation of sinne after the Sacrament I speake not this to discourage any but to encourage us rather if wee come with sincere hearts and with resolution to please God wee may looke for all the promises from God all that hee hath promised hee is ready to performe if wee in faith can alleadge the promise Lord remember thy promise wherein thou hast caused thy servant to put his trust FINIS THE DEMAND OF A GOOD CONSCIENCE In one Sermon upon 1 PET. 3. 21. BY The late Learned and Reverend Divine RICH. SIBBS Doctor in Divinity Mr of KATHERINE Hall in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYES-INNE 2 COR. 1. 12. For our reioycing is this the testimony of our Conscience c. LONDON Printed by E. Purslow for N. Bourne at the Royall Exchange and R. Harford at the gilt Bible in Queenes head Alley in Pater-Noster-Row 1639. THE DEMANDE OF A good Conscience 1. PET. 3. 21. The like figure whereunto even Baptisme doth also now save vs not the putting away the filth of the flesh but the answere of a good Conscience toward God by the resurrection of Iesus Christ. THe dependance of these words upon the former is this The blessed Apostle had spoken before of those that were before the flood and of Noahs saving in the Arke whereupon he mentions Baptisme The like figure whereunto is Baptisme which also saveth vs. Christ was Yesterday to day and the same for euer Hee was the same unto them before his Incarnation and the same to them that lived in his time and to us that shall be for ever All were saved by Christ and all had severall sacrifices that were types of Christ. As there were two Citties of the world from the beginning of the world figured out in Caine and Abell the beginners of both so God hath carried himselfe differently to the Citizens of both he always had a care to save his Noah's in the middest of destruction he had an Arke alway for his Noah's God knoweth how to deliuer his sayth the Apostle Peter It is a worke that he hath practised a long time since the beginning of the world and for the other that are not his that are of Caines posterity God carries himselfe in a contrary way to them he destroyes them But to come to the words The like figure whereunto even Baptisme doth now save vs c. The saving of Noah in the Arke was a correspondent answerable type to Baptisme for as Baptisme figures Christ so did the saving of Noah in the Arke they are correspondent in many things As all that were without the Arke perished so all that are without Christ that are not ingrafted into Christ by faith whereof Baptisme was a seale they perish And as the same water in the floud preserved Noah in the Arke and destroyed all the old world so the same blood and death of Christ and his sufferings it kills all our spirituall enemies they are all drowned in the red Sea of Christs blood but preserves his Children There were three maine waters and deluges which did all typifie out Christ. The flood that drowned the old world the passing through the red Sea and the waters of Iordan in all these Gods people were saved and the eneâ—…ies of Gods Church destroyed whereunto Micah the prophet alludes when he saith he sâ—…al droâ—…ne â—…r sins in the bottoâ—… of the Sea he alludes to Pharoah and his host drowned in the bottome of the Sea they â—…unck as lead so all our sins which are our enemieâ—… if we be in Christ they sinke as lead As Noah when he went to make the Arke and to get into it was mocked of the wretched world so all that labout to get into Christ and to be saved they are derided Yet notwithstanding Noah was thought a wise man when the flood came so when destruction comes then they are wise that get into the Arke that get into Christ before many such resemblances there be I name but a few because I goe on The like figure whereunto baptisme also saveth us c. Here first of all in a word is a description of the meanes of salvation how we are saved Baptisme saveth us Then there is a prevention of an obiection not the putting away of the filth of the flesh the outward part of Baptisme Then he sets downe how Baptisme saves us But the answere of a good Conscience And then the ground of it by the resurrection of Iesus Christ. The former I passe over that I may come to that which I specially intend I come therefore to the prevention of the objection which I will not speake much of but somewhat because it is a usefull point When he said that Baptisme saves us he saith not that Baptisme which is a putting away the filth of the flesh insinuating this that Baptisme hath two parts there is a double Baptisme the outward which is the washing of the bodie the inward which is the washing of the soule the outward doth not save without the inward Therefore he prevents them least they should thinke that all are saved by Christ that are Baptised that have their bodies washed outwardly with water The Apostle knew this that people are naturally prone to give too much to outward things The Devill in people is in extreames he labours to bring people to extreames to make the Sacraments Idolls or Idle to make the outward Sacrament a meere Idoll to give all to that or to make them Idle signes the Devill hath what he would in both The Apostle knew the disease of the times especially in his time they attributed too much to outward things Saint Paul writing to the Galathians he is faine twice to repeat it Neither
the knowledge of being in a good estate 1 To humble us Quest. Answ. How to know Gods children in losse of assurance Psalme 73. Vsually Gods children have particular perswasion Quest. Answ. If perswasion be not supernaturall 1 There will not be obedience 2 No holding out 3 No fruitfulnes Quest. Answ. Perswasion wrought by the spirit Quest. Answ. How the spirit perswades The manner of working this perswasion 1. Sweetly 2. strongly A strong work to perswade the soule Deut. 29. Use. To labour for spirituall perswasion 2 Cor. 2. 10 11. To begge the spirit Luke 11. Use. To desire God to perswade us God perswades with enlightning Evidence that we are not perswaded Faith makes much of what it hath Imbracing followes perswasion Triall of our estate by imbracing 2. Branches of faith To trie our està te by our affections Faith carries the whole soule The soule made for heavenly things Love of earthly things abaseth the soule What quiets the soule Micah 2. Want of faith scene by want of affections How to know nature is corrupted To shame our selves in want of affections To pray for affections Quest. Answ. What affections imbrace good things Gen. 17. 3. Quest. Answ. How this imbracing is wrought 1. By supernaturall knowledge To let goe other things Keepe the affections tender To meditate of Gods love in Christ. The excellency and necessitie of the good we hope for The hopefulnesse of them Iohn 17. Case Sol. Why the affections of Gods children are somtimes dead Scope of the words Difference betweene pilgrims and strangers Doct. Gods people strangers on earth Christians borne anew from heaven Heaven a Christians Country 1 Chron. 29. 15. August Christ a stranger on earth Iohn 1. We must have affection of strangers The Patriarchs strangers 1. In their owne esteeme Psal. 39. 12. 2. In Gods esteeme 3. In the worlds esteeme Object Answ. Wicked men how strangers here The carriage oâ—… him that is a stranger 1. He is going toward his country 2. Hee is contented Jerem. 45. 3. Patient 4. Thankefull The way to heaven smoother to some 5. He is glad of company 6. They minde their journies end 7. Though he step out of his way he comes in againe 8. He provides for all incumbrances 9. Inquires of the way 10. He useth things as they may help in his journey Indifferent things Apparent sins I Peter 2. 11. Hâ—… values not himselfe by outward things Dependance of the words A Christian dead how Life of a Christian hidden Psal 73. 7. Object Answer Question Answer 2 Cor. 4. Question Answer Iohn 17. 2 Thess. 1. 10. Rom. 8. Quest. Answer 1 Cor. 15. Quest. Answer Simile 1 Tim. 6. 13. 2 1 Pet. 1. 1 Thess. 4. Simile Simile Simile Iohn 14. 1. Quest. Answer Revel 1. Act. 9. 1 Cor. 15. Rom. 5. 1. Quest. Answer Rom. 8. 2 Cor. 5. 1. 1 Thess. 4. Observ. 1. The righteous die as well as the wicked Vse 1. To improoveâ—… the short time of life Vse 2. To use the world moderatly Observ. 2. The soule continues after death Life of the soule double 1 Reason It crosses the desires of the bodie 2 Reason It operates most in the bodies weakenesse 3 Reason It projects for the time to come Vse To use our soules to the end they were given Worldly men out live their happinesse Observ. 3. Great difference between the death of the godly and the wicked 1 The godly happy in life 2 In death 1 In disposition 2 In condition * See the Sermons on Philip 3. 21. 3 After death Three degrees of life Vse Who truly wise Godly mans end what Vse 2. To labour to partake of this happinesse Righteous man who A wicked man may know the happy estate of Gods children Reason 1. To justify God in their condemnation Reason 2. To restraine their malice Degrees of wicked men Vse Not to refuse all that ill men say Vse 2. To go beyond wicked men in our desires Difference of desires in true Christians others 1 They are notâ—… constant 2 They are not from an inward principle 5 They are not growing desires Cant. 1. 6 They are not strong Desires the best character of a christian 7 They desire happines not holinesse Wicked men desire not heaven aright Simile Conviction of such as come short of Balaam Directionshow to have holy desires 1 Beg the spirit of revelation Simile See what hinders good desires To â—…cherish good motions To renewe our covenants Question Answer Quest. Answer Why men want comfort in death Objection Answer When God accepts the will for the deed Objection Answer God leaves not good desires Gal. 2. Zach. 13. Gen 15. 1. Psal. 84. 1. The Arke a figure of Baptism in divers respects 2. Parts of the Text. 2. Parts of Baptisme The Devill carries to extreames Men prone to give too much to outward worship Psal. 50. Isay 1. Isay ult Reason outward performances easie and glorious 2. They dawbe Conscience Vse To performe inward service 2 Tim. 3. Vse 2. Ministers duty Christ the foundation of the Covenant of Grace Observ. There must be somewhat in us to make use of that is in Christ. Reas. 1. From the nature of the Covenant Reas. 2. Where agreement is there is a like disposition Vse To search our hearts for the evidence of our estate Covenant of grace why so called Demand of conscience proceedes from the answer of it Good conscience what Three degrees of a good conscience A troubled good Conscience 2. A peaceable good Conscience 3. A gracious good Conscience Heb. 13. Double ground of comfort Quest. Ans. How to know a good Conscience though troubled 1. If it answer God in trouble 2. By allowing Gods truth 3. By acknowledging Gods goodnesse Psal. 73. Quest. Ans. A man may know when he doth things graciously Ans. How to know what we doe from a good Conscience 1. It answeres towards God 2. From an inward principle Object Ans. Why Children are Baptised Simile Baptisme binds when we come to yeares Covenant in Baptisme Those that live in sins against Conscience renounce their Baptisme Exhortation to get this answer of a good Conscience Marke 9. Cant. 6. Psal. 51. How to get the answer of a good Conscience To make use of our Baptism 1. Against temptations to sin 2. In temptations to discouragment Ier. 3. 2. To distrust Comfort from the answer of a good Conscience Levit. 26. Verse 5. Psal. 41. Gal. 4. Psal. 109. Colos. 3. Simile Prov. 12. 18.
doe it sometimes because he is gracious and good he will be good to the children though their parents bee naught as Ioshua and Caleb came into Canaan though their parents were rebels and died in the wildernesse Yet it is a discomfortable thing when parents are naught they may looke that God should punish their sin in their Children There is a great deale of care taken by carnall parents here in the City and every where too but in the City especially by covetousnesse a reigning sin they will not make God their God but the wedge of Gold to be their God They labour to make their children great if they can leave them rich men great men in a parish to beare office to come to honour that is their maine endeavour for this they drudge and neglect heaven and happinesse But alas what is this Thou mayst leave them much goods and the vengeance of God with them thou maist leave them much wealth and it may be a snare to them it were better thou hadst left them nothing Looke into the state of the City those that are best able in the City doe they not rise of nothing and they that have bin the greatest labourers for these outward things that they may call their lands after their owne names God hath blowne upon them and all hath come to nought in a short time because they have not made God their portion Of all things parents should labour to leave them God for their God to leave them in Covenant with him lay up prayers in heaven for them lay the foundation there sowe prayers there that may be effectuall for them when you are gone And this likewise should bee a comfort to poore Christians that have not much to leave their children I can leave my childe nothing but I shall leave him in Covenant with God for God is my God and alwayes hath bin and ever will be he will bee the God of my seed I shal leave him Gods blessing and a little well gotten goods that the righteous hath is better then a great deale ill gotten God addeth no sorrow with that There is no fearefull expectation another day as there is of that which is ill gotten when the father and childe shall meet in hell and curse one another when the sonne shall say to the father you insnared your selfe to make me happy and that turned to my ruine this shall make wicked wretches curse one another one day A poore Christian that cannot say he hath riches to leave his children yet he can say God is my God and I am sure he will be their God though I have but little to leave them else I shall leave them Gods blessing Good parents may hope for a blessing upon their children because God is their God and the God of their seed For the sacrament a word The Sacrament is a seale of this Covenant that God is our God in Christ and wee are his people God to his word addeth seales to help our faith what a good God is this how willing is hee to have us believe him one would thinke that a word from him a promise were enough but to his promise hee addeth a covenant one would think a covenant were enough but to that hee addeth seales and to them an oath too I have sworne to David my servant Thus hee stoopes to all conditions of men he condescendeth so farre to use all these meanes that hee may secure us You know that a promise secures us if it be from one that is an honest man wee say that wee are sure to have it because of his promise but when wee have his Covenant then wee are assured more because there is somewhat drawne Now wee have Gods covenant and his seale the sacrament and then his oath If we will take him for our God and renounce our wicked courses wee shall lose nothing by it wee shall part with nothing for God but we shall have it supplied in him If we lose honour wealth or pleasure we shall have it abundantly in him What doe we heare in the sacrament doe we come only to receive his love to us No we make a covenant with God in the Sacrament that hee shall be our God and wee promise by his grace to lead new lives hence forth wee have made a Covenant with God at first in Baptism now we renew it in taking the Sacrament and it is fit for if he renew his covenant oft to us in love to be ours we should renew ours oft with him to take him to be our God Seaven times in Gen. he renewed his covenant to Abraham because hee would have him trust what hee said then we should seven times that is oft come to the Sacrament and renew our Covenant with him to take him for our God and remember what tiâ—… to sin after the receiving the sacrameÌ„â—… Sins against conscience break off a covenant renewed sin hath an aggravation now you that mean to receive if you sin willingly after 't were better you had not received what makes adultery worse theÌ„ fornication saith Mal T was the wife of thy covenant adultery breaks the covenaÌ„t of marriage it is worse then fornication where there is not a covenant So you have made á covenant with God in your Baptisme and now you come to renew it if you sinne now it is an aggravation of the sinne it is adulterie it is disloyaltie against God Remember therefore that we doe not onely take here Gods kindnesse sealed in the Sacrament but we repromise back againe to lead new lives All must resolve by his grace to obey him henceforward and to take him for our God The way therefore will be to put this into the condition of your promise now and prayer after Lord I have promised this but thou knowest I cannot performe the promise I have made and the condition thou requirest of my selfe but in the Covenant of grace thou hast said that thou wilt make good the condition thou hast promised to give the spirit to them that aske him thou hast promised to Circumcise my heart thou hast promised to teach me thou hast promised to delight over me for good thou hast promised to Wash me with cleane water thou hast promised to put thy feare in my heart thou hast promised to write thy Law in the affections I would feare thee and love thee and trust in thee and delight in thee thou knowest I cannot fulfill the conditions thou art able and willing thou art as able to make me doe these things as to command me to doe them Thus we should desire God to give the grace that he requires in the use of the meanes for that must not be neglected we must attend upon the Ordinances use the parts that are given us and in that to him that hath shall bee given thou shalt not need any necessary good to bring thee to heaven if thou wilt clayme the promise of the covenant in the use of