set God saith David at my right hand that I might not sin against him that is I will keep God in my eye The Eye of God is a meanes to keep a man from sin for who will sin in the eye of God therefore saith God to Abraham walk before me and be perfect The Servant may doe ill behind his Masters back but walk before me and then thou wilt be upright therefore when men sin they are said to leave God but saith David I have set God at my right hand that I might not sinne against him I will alway see God as I see a man that walks at my right hand Thirdly if there be such a sight of God to be Use 3. Highly to prise the preaching of the Gospell enjoyed in this world and that by his word and Spirit me thinks this might teach you highly to prize and esteeme the preaching of the Gospell the word of Christ Truly beloved if you doe not look on the Gospell with a spirituall consideration to a carnall eye it is the poorest and driest and most beggarly thing in the world for there are none that have more weaknesses then the dispensers of it It is a thing that should fill men with admiration to consider what it is to have poore creatures to doe the work of God that have a world of weaknesses more then other men who are more exact in their wayes as Lawyers and Tradesmen c. To a carnall eye the preaching of the Gospell is a dead drousie thing a man shall heare many things that he heard before and be taught till he sleep and be tyred out unlesse he look on it with a spiritual eye As the East-India Merchant when he sees such a shell he considers what is in it there is a glorious Pearle in it and for that he goes many a Mile So doe you consider that the preaching of the Gospell by poore and weake meanes it is that shell that Cabinet wherein these glorious treasures are found therefore esteeme it and prise it highly look on it with reverence look for the Pearle in it prise it and praise God for it It may be some of you that are sleepy Why men see not the excellency in the Gospel creatures may say I cannot tell that there is any such thing in it others are so sottish to this day that they no more know nor understand what we have bin doing in the preaching of the word these 12. moneths then a Post It is not because the treasure is not here but you shal see the reason 2 Cor. 4. 4. the reason why you see it not is because The God of this world hath blinded your eyes that the light of the knowledge of the glory of God should not shine upon your Soules God shines upon one mans Soule and not upon another another sees nothing but a poor Preacher full of weaknesses so he gos away remembers little or nothing or it may be sleeps all the while Beloved for the Lord Jesus sake trifle not It makes me tremble to consider seriously how those decrees that are infinite and innumerable that were before the beginning of the world are to be opened when we preach the word yonder man and yonder woman we know not whether of them belong to God or the Devill but when we preach the decree is opened there is a poor man or a poore woman that belongs to life it makes him a new creature another is as very a Sot at the yeares end as at the beginning who would not tremble when God threatens to seale up your condition by it O! it is a glorious thing the Gospell Look to it you sottish people that are like the Foole in the Proverbs that tell him a tale and when you have done he will aske what is the matter or as a man asleep that knows nothing what he hath been doing For the Lords sake consider what we are doing and what the Gospell is and what it is to have one day of the Son of man it is a very strange word in Luk. 17. 32. consider of it thou poore sottish creature When Christ was demanded of the Pharisees when the Kingdome of God should come he answered them The Kingdom of God commeth not with observation Neither shall they say lo here or lo there for behold the Kingdome of God is within you or among you And he said unto his Disciples the dayes will come when ye shall desire to see one of the dayes of the Sonne of man and ye shall not see it And yet he saith after they shall see the day of the Son of man We are to consider the sonne of Man the Lord Jesus Christ hath two sorts of dayes He hath one 2 Sorts of dayes of the Sons of man day that every wicked man shall see when they shal be eating and drinking as in the dayes of Noah When the Son of man shall come to judge according to my Gospel as Paul preacheth according to the Gospel The day of judgement that you have here preached That is one day of the Son of man And thou that wilt not receive Christ thou shalt have thy belly full of that day it will be a terribble day a day of blacknes and darknes when the earth shall reele as a drunkard and the heavens shall be gathered together as a scrowle and the world shall be on fire and thou shalt be at thy wits end it will be a terrible day the Lord deliver thee from that day But the Son of Man hath another day that is The day of grace the day of grace the day wherein the Son of man in the preaching of the Gospell would bestow grace upon thy Soule Why doth he call that the day of the Son of man more then the other He delights more in it he delights not in the death of a sinner This is that sweet day that Jesus Christ delights in to offer himself to thee and to lay before thee life and salvation by his death These things were not written for them only but for us also Remember the day will come when thou shalt desire to see one day of the son of Man but shalt not see it Thou wilt say O that I had one such day as we have now in this place when the Preacher told me of seeing God and Christ O that I had but one day but one motion in my heart by the Spirit that I had then and yet I sotted it out and did forget it O that God would smile as he did then but it shall not be Therefore the Lord help you that you doe not trifle out your salvation as abundance in this Nation and in this Citty doe between sottishnes and formalitie Abundance of People heare the word but here is abundance of formalitie few men consider with whom they have to do when they heare the word of God and what the busines is but in a trifling manner
and when peace comes there will then be a discovery of rotten hearts then much more then in these times yet in these times there are abundance of rotten hearts discovered that were not knowne before The Lord comes near the quick of our profession in these times there are abundance that have been professors that now jeere the Saints and dishonour God and imbrace the VVorld but in times of mercie there will be more the sun makes the Traveller put off his cloake when the wind cannot But to open it to you as I did the former that which I shall doe shall be to discover to you what the carriage of a humble heart is and what our carriage should be when God shewes mercie to us when the Lord deales kindly with us in the way of his mercy What is the posture of a humble heart then I answer First of all a humble heart he can be 1. A humble heart content to be denyed any mercy content that the Lord should denie him any mercie let it be never so deare or pretious to him though he prize it high and pray earnestly for it and wayt long for it yet if God come at last and say thou shalt not have it he can be content patiently and meekly to take a denyall from God and goe away contented if it must be so Indeed there is a kind of earnestnesse that should be in us and in a sence we should take no deniall from God we should not be easily put off As we see in Mat. 15. That Woman of Canaan when Christ put her off shee comes again and again and again But if God say say no more it shall not be so rhen a man should quietly submit himselfe to God though like Hannah he desire Children and pray earnestly and seek God againe and againe and seeme to be near towards it sometimes but at last if God come and say thou shalt never have a child then sayth a proud heart Give me children or I die I will give you an instance or two of this in 2 Sam 15. 25. David there was in a poore condition he was pursued by his enemy by Absalom his owne son and David David had the Arke and Zadock the Preist But sayth the King to Zadock carry back the Arke of God into the City if I shall finde favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and shew me both it and his habitation But if he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here I am let him doe to me as seemeth good unto him As if he had said I am in a miserable condition but I will not trouble thee or indanger the Arke if I have found favour in the eyes of God he will bring me again to my house and to his but sayth he if he thus say I have no delight in him Behold here I am let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eyes God will bring me back to Jerusalem if I have found favour with him but if God say David I have no delight in thee thou shalt never see my house more Loe here I am let him doe as seemeth best to him This is the posture of a humble soule that desireth this and that and the other mercy yet if God say I have no delight in thee I will doe none of these things he can say here I am doe as it seemeth good in thine eyes I will give you one instance more in Deut. 3. 24. You have Moses there praying and he desires a great request and that earnestly of God Moses O Lord thou hast begun to shew thy seruant thy greatnesse and thy mighty hand for what God is there in Heaven or in Earth that can doe according to thy might I pray thee I pray thee Lord see how familiar he is with him Let me goe over and see that good land that is beyond Jordan and that goodly Mountaine and Lebanon Moses was going towards Canaan that was a type of the Kingdome of grace under the Gospell and a type of Heaven and they had travelled forty yeares in the VVildernesse I pray thee sayth he let me goe over and see that good land and see Lebanon that goodly forrest But sayth he the Lord was wroth with me for your sakes and would not heare me and the Lord said unto me let it suffice thee speak no more unto me of this matter Let it suffice I will heare no more concerning this thing Get thee up into the top of Pisgah I will give thee leave to looke on it but thou shalt not goe over Now in the Chapter following Deut. 4. 21. Sayth he The Lord was angrie with me for your sakes It was for their sakes that God denyed him And he sware that I should not goe over Jordan and that I should not goe in unto that good land which the Lord thy God hath given thee for an inheritance but I must die in this Land It is a broken speech I must die he doth not say it in passion must I die must I lead this people forty yeares and when there is any good to be had I must be cut off he spake it not on that fashion but sayth he I must not goe over but you shall goe over and possesse it He submits to Gods will and rejoyceth that they should goe over though it was for their sakes that he was crossed And he shewes them how they should carry themselves there A proud heart would have sayd you may get you over if you will and if it had not been for you I might have gone too but I may thanke you that I must stay and die here But sayth he God hath sayd I shall speake no more of that matter it is my lot I submit So in all the mercies of God to thee if thou canst quietly as Moses and David submit in silence when he denies thee any mercy though it be never so deare it is a signe thou hast a humble heart Truely some godly men are of opinion that a Saint can come to this to be content that God should deny him everlasting Salvation for his soul I have read of one and I have spoken with another I have knowne two godly men in that posture the one was so and the other seemed to be so by his writing that if after all the meanes used he cannot come to beleive as others doe that he can have no assurance or hope of life from God but that God almost in every Ordinance doth as much as tell him thou shalt be damned yet he can be content to goe to Hell it selfe I have seen a glorious Saint that hath said that if God should tell him he should be damned yet he could submit without murmuring Such a thing may be but I think it is not ordinary neyther Grace crosseth not principles of nature doth God expect it because grace never crosseth the ground principles of nature and of all this
is weake there is so much weaknesse and earthinesse and frailty sometimes a mans heart is right for God yet his head akes or his stomack is full of wind or he is weary and wants sleep there is some frailty or other This is all earthly Adam all this shall be gone and this kind of body and soule shall be altered and changed to the Image of the blessed second Adam we shall put off our earthynesse as well as our sinfulnesse and have his blessed compleat Image Now how glorious that shall be as you never The glory of Saints in Heaven unspeakable saw the first Adam but onely by hear-say and by reading of the Word of God so you have not seen the second Adam but you may partly know by the manifestation of his glory on earth you have heard much of his glory We saw his glory as of the onely begotten Son of God we shall then see him Phil. 3. 19. Our conversation is in Heaven from whence we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile bodies He meanes vile not onely in respect of sinfulnesse but of dustinesse of earthynesse and weaknesse that they may be like his glorious body according to his mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himselfe that is according to his usuall manner of working he can doe what he will in Heaven and Earth We cannot conceive what an Imnge we shall have upon our bodies and soules but according to his wisedome and mighty power whereby he is able to subdue all things he will doe it Therefore let me tell you this I finde few or Saints formerly had more lively expectations of glory by Christ none that have those live by expectations in these times of that glory that is to be revealed that the Saints of old had See how they speake of it What manner of love is this that we should be called the Sons of God But yet it doth not appeare what we shall be for we shall be like him And gird up the loynes of your minds be sober and watch for the glory that shall be revealed The Saints heretofore more then halfe their hearts were in Heaven before hand That is the meaning of that Our conversation is in Heaven Just as you see men that goe a long journey or as you see people that have been plundered that are returning to their owne homes their conversation is there halfe a yeare before their hearts and their thoughts are there and they wish they were there and think the time long and are thinking what they will doe and what they will be when they come there So our conversation is in Heaven the Saints doe so long after the glory that is to be revealed in the day of adoption and redemption of our bodies that the most part of them is there already Now we doe not consider of this because the new Jerusalem is not yet come into our hearts We have not that Gospel-temper and frame of spirit that the Saints had before That which remaines is a little to shew you what your duty is that the Lord hath brought up to walk according to the spirit And two or three words I have to shew you how you should every one endeavour to attaine to it or to attaine it more and more But I shall leave that till the after-noone SERMON V. Rom. 8. 4. Who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit IT is the Foundation of all our happinesse to have the righteousnesse The foundation of a Christians happinesse of the law fulfilled in us for thereby we are exempted from all misery freed from all our enemies and therby we are made capable to enjoy all happinesse and blessednesse For all the misery that man suffers here and hereafter is because he hath not a righteousnesse to fulfill the law And therefore whatsoever man or woman it is that the Lord hath bestowed this great priviledge upon they must needs be in a blessed condition Now that we may know whether we are of that number the Apostle tells us that they that have this priviledge they walk not according to the Flesh but according to the spirit which was the last thing I was upon I told you what was meant by walking after the flesh and what by walking after the spirit I gave the Reasons of it and made two or three Uses There are two things remaine which I shall endeavour to speake of at this time First you that have received the spirit of God Vse 4. Exhortation to those that have the spirit how to walke and in some measure doe walk according to the spirit and not according to the flesh that the new-Jerusalem from Heaven is in some measure come into your hearts I will give you a few Exhortations from the Lord how you should carry your selves That is the first thing I shall doe and that shall be in four or five short words The first is this that the Lord having called 1. Not to abuse this liberty you to this glorious free estate to this free condition that you would take heed of abusing your liberty that you would take heed of turning the grace of God into wantonnesse as many doe And by that I meane but two things That you would take heed of using your liberty as an occasion for the flesh And Secondly of using your liberty so as to give offence to your Brethren or indeed to any I say first beware of using your liberty for an occasion 1. Not to use it as an occasion to the flesh to the flesh That you shall have Gall. 5. 13. For Brethren sayth the Apostle you have been called to liberty only use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh but by love serve one another The Apostle shewes them in that Epistle the glorious condition and estate that they were in through grace And here in this Verse there are two things that he tells them the one is implied it is worth observing yee are called to liberty That The Gospell brings liberty is there is a freedome there is a liberty in the Gospell in diverse things that did seeme to be sinfull when ye were under the law for else what sence can you make of this ye are called to liberty onely use not your liberty for an occasion to the flesh For we find that the people under the law eyther they made the law stricter or looser then it was And there is no man in the World that walks according to the law but he makes many lawes to himselfe that Christ hath not made Now when the Gospell coms in clearly all those lawes that you made of your owne head vanish Ye are called to liberty that is you see more freedome you are not bound to every thing that before you were Before you must not smile it was a sin if you seemed to laugh or smile and a hundred such things Now
heare not Many times a man heares a sound and is neare enough yet hearing he heares not so it is with many among us the Lord pittie them my heart is readie to burst every day more and more to consider and think of it hearing they heare not all the yeare long there is not one notion or exhortation from the word that sticks on their soules the reason is they mind not they mind the things of the Flesh they are feeding some lust they are providing for some fancie or when they are best they are contemplating to set up a way of justification by works and all because they mind not these things Therefore saith the Lord I say 1. Heare O Heavens and give eare O Earth I may well say so of diverse among us heare O Heavens and give eare O Earth for the Lord hath spoken I have nourished and brought up Children and they have rebelled against me The Oxe knoweth his owner and the Asse his Masters crib but Israelld oth not know my people doth not consider Heare O Heavens and hearken O Earth As if he had said I expect that Heaven should heare and that Earth should heare as soone as this people and yet there is nothing further from hearing then Heaven and nothing dulier then the Earth and yet the Prophet would Preach to Heaven and Earth before he would to this dull peoplo and saith he The Oxe and the Asse know their owners but my people have not knowne me Why They doe not consider they doe not mind So you doe not mind what we spake before that you that are drunkards and Whoremongers and Swearers that wast your Estates and soules and bodies in the service of the Devill that you are under the curse of God and must perish that there is nothing that you doe that is pleasing to God till you be borne againe did you ever mind these things and lay them to heart Did you ever say yonder man speaks really and tells us the truth But you goe home when Sermon is done and say there was a great Company a throng and he Preached a little too long and we must goe to him againe after Dinner and so you mind not the Lord Jesus pittie you that is the reason that you are ignorant and will be World without end because you mind not spirituall things And this is the reason also why you have carnall VVhy people care not for Gods Ordinances people that care not for the ordinances of God they care not to use those meanes of grace that the poor Saints doe why they mind not spirituall things they are like Gallio he cared not for those things he was busie about naturall things It is likely he was a wise judicious man but he cared not for these things So to heare Sermons or discourses or conference of thy Neighbors or at thy table of spirituall things thou art like Gallio thou carest not for them and therefore thou respectest them not Therfore desire the Lord to put his Law in thy mind O! the maine misery of a man is in his mind the man is nothing but his mind in a manner the maine happinesse of a man is in his mind if the Law of God be there Therefore before ever thou canst have thy heart good or thy wishes or prayers good thou must get a good mind desire God to put his Law in thy mind for there is the first and maine worke So also for the poore Saint this is the reason VVhy the Saints take injuries patiently why the people of God are so weaned from the world those that are spirituall Christians you can easily cozen and cheat them and take away all from them and they beare it very well Why so they mind not earthly things fleshly things Let the Devill come with all the policie and power of hell to cheat them in spirituall things to take away their peace and crack their communion with God they will see be wise and resist but come and cheat them in worldly things poore creatures they are quiet and part with them as it is the manner of many of you that are rotten Professors and self-seekes you make it a trade to abuse them but they are quiet they mind spirituall things As a cut-purse that comes into your shop and a man minds other things he may easily steale So the poore Saints are made poore and suffering because they mind God and heavenly things or else I tell you if their minds were not imployed elsewhere a Saint could be as cunning and as wise and worldly as thou but thou mayst easily steale any thing from him and cheat and cozen him because his mind is upon other things it is upon heaven and those blessed things Therefore learne that one thing learne to understand that the maine of thy happinesse or misery is in thy mind beg of the Lord to give thee a good mind to write his Law in thy mind without knowledge the mind is not good Therefore when the Lord gave the people of Israell up it is said the misery came upon their minds blindnesse of heart is hapned to Israell that is blindnesse of mind there was the maine And there is the excellency of the Saints When Paul saw nothing but flesh yet he rejoyced in God in the law of his mind therefore look on it as the fountaine of all good and evill if thy mind be fleshly and carnall thou wilt mind fleshly things and love fleshly things and walke fleshly but if the Lord sanctifie thy mind the Lord will give thee sanctified affections SERMON VII Rom. 8. 5. For they that are after the flesh doe minde the things of the flesh but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit IN the former Verse I told you The scope of the Apostle the Apostle holds forth unto us a great priviledge the greatest that I know that a man can have that the righteousnesse of the law might be fullfilled in us For it doth protect a man from all evills for all evill is founded upon this that a man hath not a righteousnesse to fulfill the law and he that hath this priviledg it doth lead him to the enjoyment of all good for if a man hath a righteousnesse to fulfill the law then there is nothing that can keepe the Creature from a full enjoyment of his Creator Now this priviledg being so great the Apostle shews us who they are that are Partakers of it who have the actuall enjoyment of it for the worst Fleshly carnall man may come to be a Partaker but he shewes who are for the present and saith he they are those that walke not after the flesh but after the spirit That is a sure way to know and distinguish them but it is a generall way and therefore the Apostle drawes downe some particulars from this generall that are more known and easie to be discerned As in 1 Joh. 5. 1. You shall see there
will and be it little or much yet it is all amiable in the eye of a Saint and operative in his soule my meaning is this you are not to conceive as though it were the glorious priviledge of a Saint to see one side of God as it were and not another but that that is most terrible in God to wicked men that is also I say amiable and lovely in the eye of a Saint As the power of God the greatnesse of God the Justice of God Even these things that the wicked abhorre and hate the Lord useth to reveale them to his Saints in Excellent Glory That is an other thing 3. God sheweth himself variously Then thirdly God doth shew himselfe to his children by various manifestations My meaning is this God doth not alway shew himselfe in the same manner and fashion to his child God as it were comes in a new dresse every day to the Soule of his Child all the dayes of his life in this world and for ought he knowes for ever in the world to come As it is unspeakable to say how God appeares to the soule of a Saint so the manifestations are innumerable the strange ways that God comes to the soule he shews himself to day this way to morrow after another and the third day after another The Lord manifests himself variously That is another thing Then fourthly it is by various means also that God 4 By various meanes comes in by You must understand he comes alwayes through Jesus Christ but then for other lower meanes he chooseth what meanes he pleaseth he comes in somtimes by afflictions and corrections somtimes by common providence sometimes in the word preached sometimes in meditation sometimes in prayer some times one way sometimes another The Lord can take any way any creature any providence any thing to convey himselfe by to the Soule of his Child in a saving way 5 It is not constant Then lastly this sight of God which is the priviledge of the Saints it is not constant for ought I know to any Saint no not under the New Testament much lesse under the Old but the Saints have their desertions in the new Testament God hides his face though not as oft as he did in the old Now let me desire you to lay up these things because they will be necessary when we come to speak of the other doctrine So much concerning the manner how God reveales himself to his children I shall now come to the Uses of this and then way will be made for the other point to shew how this sight of God doth truly kindly and savingly humble us For the Use of this First this shews the happy estate Use 1. The happy estate of a Saint in this world of a Saint in this world that he hath as it were a heaven upon earth because he sees God If thou wouldest consider seriously that there is such a glorious priviledge as this thou wouldest say blessed is the man that hath it and cursed and unhappy is the man that hath it not it is our Saviours word in the beginning of his Sermon Math. 5. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Now purity of heart is not the blessing properly but the seeing of God He that is pure in heart is a blessed man saith Christ for he shall see God So that if thou wilt believe Christ Jesus If thou be a Saint and see God and canst say the Lord hath revealed his glory to my soule in Jesus Christ then oppose that to any miserie that can be in this world Put any miserie that makes a man unhappy in this world in the one scale and that priviledge of seeing God in Christ in the other scale and surely thou wilt see that thou art a blessed and happy man As suppose thou art a poore man a plundred man a persecuted man or a sick man or woman be it what it will if thou canst see God in the face of Jesus Christ if thou wilt believe Christ who is the truth thou art a blessed man a blessed woman Suppose a man were sick and should never see health suppose he were weake and should never see strength suppose he were poore and should never see wealth suppose he were banished and should never see his Countrey or his Friends Nay suppose a man were starke blind and should never see the naturall Sun yet if he have a pure heart he shall see God and if thou wilt believe Christ Jesus thou art a blessed man or woman All the blessednesse in this world put together all that mankind ever enjoyed from the creation is not worthy to be compared with one glance of that sight that a Saint hath thousands of in his life of the glory of God in Jesus Christ We are wont to say that there is this difference The beatifical vision in this life and only this difference betweene heaven and earth that glory differs from grace but only in degrees that glory and grace are the same and that glory is the perfection of grace That is very true I deny it not for we shall be clothed upon with glorie But some conceive that the beatificall vision that blessed sight is not in this world we shall not have it till we come to Heaven It is true we shall not fully and perfectly but it is not true any otherwise then as the part differs from the whole For here even in this world a Saint in some measure hath it he sees God as truly and rightly as ever he shall hereafter in Heaven therefore you may see what it is to be a Saint If God should take a poor Drunkard or Swearer and but shew his Soule as it were through his fingers or through a gold ring one glance of this sight he would never be a Drunkard or Swearer he would never be a Railer and live as a Sott againe all the dayes of his life No it is a glorious condition that a Saint is in Therefore meet God and labour to know his glory in Christ And for shame be not discouraged for every trifle in the world When you heare that wicked men prosper that they have wealth and they see their children before their eyes and their Bull gendereth and their Cow calveth as it is in Job envy not their quality one glance of this blessed sight is worth more then all that ever they had or shall have therefore pitty them Nay if thou wert in prison to night and shouldest dye to morrow the most cruell death that ever was yet if the face of God shine on thee thou art a blessed man it is a glorious condition thou mayest say with David My lot is fallen in a good ground I have a goodly heritage The Lord hath denyed me worldly things wit and wealth and honour and credit but God hath been pleased to bestow this the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Therefore
in respect of lust and sin and the world and the Devill yet it creates and begets in the soule a greater thirst for more of that apprehension Therefore we see clearely Phil. 3. where Paul runs a race as it were after the knowledge of God in Christ See what the Apostle saith I account all as Dung and Drosse for the Excellency of the Knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord for whom I have suffered the losse of all things and account them Dung I have lost all and I am not sorry for it And why is all this That I may know him and the power of his resurrection Now Paul was a Preacher and did he not know Christ there had been a blind Preacher He was an Apostle and Doctor of the Gentiles and did he not know the resurrection Yes but the meaning is this He forgate that which was behind as we see after that is all that apprehension he had of God in Christ he forgate it in regard of the affection to desire more he did not eye what he had Therefore saith he I say not as though I apprehended but I desire to apprehend him by whom I am comprehended to see the glory of God that comprehends me in Jesus Christ I speake not saith he as though I had attained as if he had said I know nothing in comparison of the insatiable desire I have to know more And that is the reason why Hypocrites are very loath to dye when danger and death approacheth Hypocrites loath to dye Why whereas a right Saint is wondrous desirous to dye Why so Saith the Apostle That I may be with Christ Phil. 1. Whereto compare that in Joh. 17. that I may see God and have the same glory with Jesus Christ Therefore thou mayest trie thy selfe by this if thou hast something that is like the apprehension of God I speak not to dull creatures that are altogether in the world all the yeare long but if God work on thee in his word and there is some light come in and some sweetnesse yet if thou be glutted with this and when thou commest home thou throwest God away and thou lookest after thy lust and after thy sin thou never yet hadst a right appresion of God For if thou see God aright thou wilt looke for more and more and for ought I know thou wilt have more and more world without end Thirdly and lastly these apprehensions are precious 3 They are accompanied with transcendent joy because there is a transcendent super-excellent exceeding joy and delight in the enjoyment of them Abraham saw my day and rejoyced saith Christ He did not see his day as an animate creature but he saw the misterie of God that should be fulfilled in those dayes that is the meaning so Araham saw my day and rejoyced So there is a very pregnant word concerning this in Isa 35. The Desart shall rejoyce and the VVildernes shall be glad By the Wildernesse and Solitary place is meant the barren Soule the Wildernes of thy heart where God will dwell The VVildernes shall be glad and the Desart shall rejoyce O! that God would make it so to us It shall blossome abundantly and rejoyce with singing The glory Lebanon shal be given unto it c. Why is all this They shall see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God This makes the sad Soule rejoyce and makes the barren heart blossome as a Rose when they see the glory of the Lord and the Excellency of our God Nay it is such a joy as he saith after that The Eyes of the blind shall be opened and the Eares of the deafe shall be unstopped then the lame Man shall leap and the Tongue of the dumb shall sing It is such joy as will make a dumb man sing it will make a mellancholy heavy mopish creature that naturally never smiled God manifested in Christ will make him sing and the lame man to leap for joy it is a transcendent exceeding high joy and this joy it will be the same joy Joy of Heaven What in Heaven that we had on Earth It is not Eating and Drinking and Marrying and Buying and Selling that will be the joy in Heaven but the great joy will be the beholding the Glory of God in Christ that will be the great Joy Therefore thou mayst know by this it may be thou hast a little joy Thou rejoycest in the hearing of the Word but is there not some other Joy that thou preferrest Art thou not more glad when thou hast a good bargaine or when thy affaires Psal 137. goe on in the World What is thy chiefe joy As David saith If I prefer not Hierusalem to my chief joy If this apprehension worke in thee a joy transcending all the joy in the world and make all other joyes to vanish it is a right apprehension So you see these apprehensions are First cleare Apprehensions Secondly precious Apprehensions Thirdly they are Perpetuall they are lasting Apprehensions 3 Perpetuall apprehensions By that I doe not meane that they are lasting alwayes but that they may be somtimes dimme and sometimes darke but I meane they goe not utterly out as it is said Job 21. How oft is the Candle of the wicked put out The Candle of the Hypocrite goeth out it may be he hath a little apprehension of God and then it is out it may be for half a yeare and in time it infallibly goes quite and cleane out Therefore in Heb. 6. the Hypocrite for the Apostle lays down there the estate of Hypocrites after they were enlightned c. they fell away The light was gone it only blazed a while and there was an end of it But it is not so with a Saint though God may for a moment hide his face yet as Mr. Calvin saith that light that came first into the soule of a Saint that that came first it leaves such a sent and a savour that a man can never forget it it is never quite out He may forget that he hath done naturall things We may forget what wee did twenty or thirty yeares agone we may forget where we were and may forget our Friends c. But when God reveales himselfe first to the Soule If a man could live in this World a thousand yeares the apprehension that he had of God at the first it would be as fresh as ever it was because it is an eternall thing it is a thing that we shall have more and more in Heaven it is not crruptible Triall of apprehensions by their lasting and therefore it goes not out Now it may be thou hast been a Professor before and God hath stamped a great deale of joy on thee and now it is gone and thou art poor wretch a poore drie creature as drie as a Chipp and a man can scarce see any thing in thee to distinguish thee from a carnall man trie thy self by this These apprehensions if they be right they
Dew of Heaven never sinks so deep as to come to that root Therefore as it is said in 1. Joh. 3. A man that is borne of God cannot sinne Why Because the Seed of God abides in him he hath a root in him So on the other side an Hypocrite he can doe nothing to purpose because there is a seed of sin in him there is a root there is a Coare at the heart that the Dew of Heaven never toucheth Therefore it is a signe that thou seest God aright when the impressions of it in thy Soule goe through and through that they soak into thy very soule as I may say and fetch out thy inward lusts Thirdly and lastly and there I shall leave at 3 They are universall this time these impressions are universall An Hypocrite or a wicked man in time may have some impressions upon his soule of some one thing of God or some few things As for instance Judas had an impression upon his heart and a sad one too of the Justice of God it made him goe and hang himselfe And so Saul and Pharaoh and others but that was but of one thing But now a Saint he hath impressions of all that is in God that is there is nothing in God but he hath a heart to answer it he hath as it were to speak with reverence a Coppy of God written on his soule he hath an impression of the love of God as well as of the feare of God of delight and trust in God and the like This is the difference betweene a Saint of God and an Hypocrite Therefore in Exod. 34. When Moses was so desirous to see God O Lord saith he let me see thy glory God revealed his glory and told him his name The Lord God the Lord mercifull gracious long suffering abundant in mercy keeping mercy for thousands Forgiving iniquity transgression and sin and that wil not cleare the guilty visiting the sins of the Fathers upon the Children God tells him of visiting of wicked People What was this to Moses God would not tell him halfe his name but all Therefore he tells him what he was to the Saints The Lord gracious and mercifull long suffering abundant in goodnesse and truth keeping mercy for thousands And then he tels him what he would be to the wicked he would have the impression of the whole name of God upon Moses It is a signe thy apprehensions of God are true though they be weake and small when they be reall and thorow and universall The third thing is The Expressions or Effects of it but that I must leave till another time SERMON 3. Isaiah 6. 5. For mine eyes have seene the King the Lord of Hosts YOu remember the Lesson I doubt not that we are upon that The Saints have a peculiar priviledge above all others that they can even in this world see God They can see God in Jesus Christ I did open this and proved it and shewed you the last time how by the Word of God you might know whether ye have ever seene God in this manner whether God have ever bestowed this glorious priviledge upon any of you Three waye I tooke to shew it to you The first was by your apprehensions of God The second was by the impressions that those apprehensions of God have upon you The third thing which I am now to come to is by the Expressions of them or by their Effects If you would know whether you have seene God aright 3 By the expressions of them which are or no I say you may know it by the expressions of it How doth it set it selfe forth in thee It works something upon thee and that vents and shewes it selfe some way in thy heart and life Therefore I finde in Scripture especially in the Epistles of John where much is said of seeing God he brings the Saints usually to know the sight of God by outward expressions Because though it be cleare as I said yet it is so small that a St. cannot alway see it unlesse he consider the workings of it also upon his heart and life as well as his single apprehension Therefore saith he in one place by this you shall know that you have seene God if ye confesse Christ And in another place If yee love the Brethren c. Now there are these foure or five cleare things in Scripture that demonstrate a man to be one that hath seene God The first is this If thou hast seene God certainly the Lord hath purified thy heart the Lord hath given thee a pure 1 Purity of heart heart For saith Christ in his first Sermon Blessed are the pure in heart For they shall see God And in Heb. 12. Without holinesse it is impossible to see God Matthew 5. that is a cleare generall rule And therefore I say thou mayest then read if thou or I be a Man or a Woman to whom God hath not given a pure heart if God have not purified thy heart certainly as yet thou hast not seene God For if any man saith he hath seene God or that he walke in the light and yet live in sin he is a Lyar and there is no truth in him at all you are to give no credit to him at all al his apprehensions are but fancies Now the question will be what is the purifying of the heart Or how may I know that BELOVED according to the language of the What meant by a pure heart Scripture I find that by a pure heart is meant two things First by a pure heart is not ordinarily meant as 1 The conscience purified from guilt of sinne you take it for the killing of sinne in the soule I say not ordinarily But the chiefe meaning of the purifying of the heart is to have the conscience for the heart is taken for the conscience to have the conscience purified and washed from the guilt of sinne Therefore in Act. 15. say the Apostles and Elders Why should we doe thus and thus with them Seeing their hearts are purified by faith as well as ours That is seeing they believe in Jesus Christ and thereby have peace of conscience setled in their hearts To cleare and open this a little to you There Conscience purified What are three expressions that the holy Ghost useth in Heb. 10. that open this Heb. 10. 2. A pure heart in this sence is a man that hath no conscience of sinne that is the Scripture language one that hath no conscience of sinne Not as it is commonly in your sence one that makes no conscience of sinning one that continues in sinne But one that hath no conscience of sinne That is one whose conscience is not stained with the guilt of sinne but by the bloud of Christ there is a perfect peace setled within him Peace and joy in believing For that it is to have conscience of sinne when alway upon the least infirmitie there is guilt heaped upon the conscience of
while thou livest and to let Christ be wisedome in thee that thou wouldest be a poore infirme fraile creature and let Christ Jesus be thy righteousnesse that thou art content to walke in raggs and let Christ be thy riches This is one thing In that place Rom. 10. 3. It was the pride of the Jews that kept them from salvation by the righteousnesse of the Gospell they would not submit to the righteousnesse of God they were a proud people So that is it that keeps many a soule that hears the word it is that that keepes you weake What it is that keepes men in inward trouble and full of woe and sorrow all your dayes You thinke it is the want of this grace and the want of that grace and other things but it is nothing but your owne stubborne heart that you will not submit to the righteousnesse of Christ You would have this grace and that grace that is you would fill up every corner of your owne shop and you would amend your owne trading but you would not shut up shop and be journey-men as I may speake with reverence to Jesus Christ That is one thing Then againe the second particular I have to demonstrate 2. To take the righteousnes of Christ on his bare word that whether you be humbled or no is this whether the Lord have brought you to be content to take the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ upon his owne bare and naked word Whether now you can say there is Jesus Christ full of righteousnesse for me and my own righteousnesse is full of raggs What evidence have you for it Here is a word Jesus Christ is come to dye for sinners I find nothing in me but here is a bare word and hereupon I am content to take his righteousnesse and throw away mine owne I doe not say but that a good Christian may Christians may make use of signes make good use of signes and marks even in earthly things Christians see the love of God by temporall outward things for God useth what Pipes he pleaseth to convey his love But the question is in matter of believing whether I should not throw away my owne righteousnesse and wholly believe in Jesus Christs righteousnesse before I see any grace or any signe A humble heart can doe it and is content that marks should come after he believes after I believe God will sanctifie me and worke grace and then I shall see his love more But the first bargain betweene God and me is his bare word therefore that Rom. 10. is glorious and cleare and comfortable The Apostle lays downe the difference betweene salvation by the Law and by faith saith he the Righteousnesse of the Law speaketh on this wise The man that doth these things shall live by them but the righteousnesse which is of Faith speaketh on this wise say not in thy heart who shall ascend into Heaven or who shall descend into the Deepe but he that believeth shall be saved Marke it this is the straine and streame and language of the Gospell that is salvation by Jesus Christ and whosoever believeth on that salvation shall not be ashamed he shall be sure of it But how shall we come to believe and to be sure of this salvation Say not in thy heart who shall goe up to heaven or who shall descend into the deep but what saith it the word is nigh thee that is God hath given a word and he will give a spirit of faith with it and there are but two words to the bargaine there is the spirit in thee and the word without thee and this is the righteousnesse of God the righteousnesse of faith saith so Say not who shall goe up to heaven or downe to the earth For the eyes of a fool are scattered about the world And when men come to believe in Christ they aske who shall ascend into Heaven how shall I come to know that I am a Saint and that I am predestinated The Lord would have us believe the word that Christ Jesus came to save sinners of whom I am chiefe Here is a word if the heart now could apply this by the spirit of faith That is another thing I would have you thinke on Your ordinary Professors most of them they Why ordinary professors want assurance have not assurance of salvation why They cannot believe Why so because they finde so many corruptions in them and they finde so many graces wanting and they have ill memories and hard hearts and if it were not for these things they could believe What is the meaning of it It is as if they should say I will never trust God in the righteousnesse of the Gospell upon his bare word God will have us trust him ere he will trust us we must take God upon his word God wil bring every child of his to this to take his salvation upon a bare word and he will blesse his name for it I have but one soule and if I had a thousand I would venture them all upon his word and say there my soule lyes sinck or swim or goe to heaven or hell here is the word that Christ came to save sinners of whom I am chiefe Now if there be pride in the heart it will not come and rest on a bare word The Lord make you understand these things that they may not be lost Thirdly a humble heart will be content not only 3. With a generall word with a bare word but with the least word and the most generall word A proud heart will not be content unlesse he hath a perticular word For my part I may mistake but I will tell you my opinion that those men how Christ dyed not for all ever otherwise they be godly some of them that doe hold that Christ did dye for all men and that he came to save Judas as well as Peter If Christ came to save all and yet many shall goe to Hell how come they to be saved It is a proud thought in the heart that would teach God how to speake and how to make promises and we poore wretched damnable creatures must shew him what language he shall speake in whereas now a humble heart will take the least and most generall word and thanke God as we see in the woman of Canaan Christ gives her never a word a great while but frownes and then he gives her a terrible word and bids her goe he calls her Dogg why that was something a Dogg hath some priviledge he hath the crums that fall from the Table he looks for outward mercies and therefore in that he calls me Dogg I have so much of that word that I will follow him for the crums Saith Christ to her O Woman great is thy faith be it unto thee as thou wilt So Benhadads servants when they came with Halters about their necks saith the King Is my brother Benhadad alive that was a comfortable word they harpt upon
not willing to tell him being but a child he knew by his countenance it was not good tydings yet saith he I pray thee hide not from me what God hath told thee God doe so to thee and more also if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee O Blessed man he was willing to know it though it were a sore message that the Lord would take away the Preisthood and he should breake his neck and his Sons should be slaine in the Warrs So Cornelius Act. 10. 33. When Peter came to preach Wee are here all in the presence of God to heare all things that shall be commanded us of God We are not here that we may please our owne humours and suit our owne lusts but to heare all let it be rough or smooth with us or against us we are here to heare all that the Lord will say Canst thou say so when thou commest before the Lord and hearest the Word I am here to heare all the Lord will say Beloved I wish it were so but I seare that of all the People in England there are many in this Cittie that it may be are good People abundance of them and yet we are willing to learne nothing in the world but what we like and we crumble the bread of our salvation as children doe their bread and butter who eate one bit themselves and throw the rest to the dogs So many proud carnall sprits take a part of the word and they say that was a good note of Master such a ones and such a ones and so you call mens words and that was a good doctrine and pick out this and that and goe and tell it I never saw nor I thinke never any under the Cope of Heaven such spirits that doe so basly mince the Word of God and crumble it and take one piece and throw two away Therefore looke to that an honest heart will heare all that the Lord will say and be glad too that is one thing A second thing is this a proud carnall heart 2. A proud heart makes cavils against the truth that is not truly humbled it will appeare by this that if he cannot choose but know the truths of God as many times he cannot but he must know it if he live under the word God will make some men know it whether they will or no then the next worke of a proud heart will be to raise up cavils against the word and to make Pleas against the truth of God and arguments as much as may be when it comes in unto him Just as one man saith as we doe with a common enemy it we can we will keep him out of the country and it is safest to doe so So he will keepe out the truth if he can but if the truth come and he begin to see it and sees that it is the will of God then his next course is to levy forces to raise armes and thinks to put it out he thinks to put out the light that God hath put into his soule 2 â—â—m 3. 8. Men of corrupt minds men of rotten minds that like Jannes and Jambres resist the truth There is no mention of Jannes and â—ambres in the Old Testament but it is generally thought by learned men that the meaning is this When Moses came to Pharaoh at any time to speake of the things of God and of the will of God and that the People of Israell must goe free and he did worke miracles and that light came to Pharaoh to convince him presently he sent for Jannes and Jambres that were Southsayers and made them help him get arguments against Moses and they would argue like Moses to keep out the truth So carnall People when light comes into the soule and they cannot resist it this is their ordinary course to goe to their carnall neighbours like themselves or to a carnall Priest or Minister if they have any and get as many arguments as they can and then they will say the other was a Phancie it is not right it will not hold and so never leave till they get it out of their coasts as the Gadarens dealt with Christ Thirdly and lastly if he cannot doe this if he 3. A proud heart will shift off Gods truths cannot beat it out by violence he will endeavour to escape the edge of the toole by some shift he will use his wits and goe to pollicy and see if by any shift he can escape the power of the truth If he cannot beat it off he will labour to escape the power and the edge of it As a man that is in debt that is under an execution or an outlarie if he can he will keep far enough from the Sergeants and if they come he will shut his doore and keepe them off or if they come to take him he will throw them off But if they say if you stirre we will knock you down or kill you then he will say why I meane to pay and such a man knows it and he will give them faire words that so he may avoid the power and authority of the Law from comming upon him So carnall men desire to be ignorant of those truths that all their life time are contrary to them and if truths come in upon them they consult with all their carnall Neighbours and friends to get it out and if all will not doe then they goe to their shifts As for instance suppose a truth should come upon one of your soules that thou that art a drunkard or a whoremonger c. unlesse thou be borne againe thou shalt never enter into heaven and this truth hath seized on thee and God hath set it on thy soule that a man cannot get it out and then he goes to his shifts he saith it is true I must be borne againe or else I shall be damned but saith he I hope I was borne againe in baptisme and I hope that was a washing away of my sins And so put it on another it may be this truth comes into his soule that every man that lives in any knowne sinne shall be cast out of the Kingdome of God and of Christ 1 Cor. 6. Know ye not that neither Drunkards nor Swearers nor revilers nor extortiouers shall inherit the Kingdome of God and of Christ Suppose God set this truth home to thy soule It is true saith the man but I hope God hath given me repentance for it and all is well He hopes God hath given him repentance and he goes on in sinne then God comes and tells him that if he had repented he would leave his sinns and amend his course then saith he I hope I shall repent hereafter I shall repent sometime or other though I do not now If God tell him againe the day of salvation will be past and the doore will be shut and repentance will come too late then he shifts it off and saith I hope
proud that you cannot rule your hearts but you are lifted up with pride when you have done duties it is because every fine thing you doe from old Adam makes you proud you take all in the bulke and consider not whence you doe things you consider not how much of the old Adam or of the new there is in your Prayers and Duties Therfore let this be an universall eternall rule to know the worth of all your services and actions by whatsoever is of the flesh is flesh and whatsoever of my Preaching and of your praying and lending and giving and of your publike actions if it be not from a spirituall principle from Jesus Christ according to the Gospell planted in you it is of old Adam and it is condemned labour to leave that I shall conclude with one Word more and Vse 4. To expect the fulfilling of Prophesies and promises that is this that this beeing so that this is to walk according to the spirit Then we should long very much for the fulfilling of those Prophesies and Promises that God hath made unto us concerning the latter times There is no Saint almost now that I know but expects glorious times only one Saint thinks that the glory of the Saints shall be in this thing and another in that thing but every Saint expects continually the fulfilling of those Prophesies and promises set downe in the latter end of the Revelations and they are glorious ones whatsoever the meaning of them is and I think the cheife thing there promised which shall be the height of our happinesse that the new Jerusalem shall come downe from Heaven mistake me not though it be a consequent yet it is not cheifly and properly such a way of government this or that or the other way though it be true that Government will follow upon it yet if the meaning of it were only to reforme our Churches though that were a blessing or that Christ should come and reigne here temporally and give us Inheritances and riches and the like truly a Saint would not long much for these things But the New Jerusalem shall come downe from Heaven and abundance of blessings that shall goe along with it What is that The meaning of New Jerusalem comming downe from Heaven what it is we shall have the light of the Gospell clearly revealed unto us and we shall have Gospell principles fully put into our soules which by Antichrist by Babilon we have been seduced of these thirteene or fourteene hundred yeares For that was the mischeife of Antichrist he hath kept us all his reigne under the old Testament with Altars and Sacrifices and Preists and I know not what every thing just as they used under Moses and we are not wholly gone out of Antichrist yet But the Lord will send a light into our hearts to know the truth in the power and spirit and to square our hearts to it For that is new Jerusalem if you compare it with Heb. 12. where the holy Jerusalem the heavenly Jerusalem is clearly opposite to Mount Sinai So compare it with Gal. 4. he tells us that Jerusalem which is above us is Mother of us all that is the Covenant of grace and the principles thereof in the soules of men Therefore I wish that the Lord would set your hearts and mine a longing after that that we may have more of the spirit of the Gospel and of the Principles of the New Testament in us and then for matter of Government of Churches those things would follow For to set up Government and Discipline before this comes into the soule truely it is to build Castles in the ayre for let a man take us and frame us in the Independent or Presbyterian way in what way he will unlesse the Principles of Jesus Christ in the Gospel be spiritually planted it will be a fleshly Independent and a fleshly Presbyterian service Therefore labour chiefly for that and pray the Lord to fulfill that and then your Government whatsoever it shall be God will reveale it more fully People are now generally going to build and order Churches and I know not what unlesse the spirit of the New Testament governe in the New Testament it is a vaine thing thing for if wee have our former fleshly hearts that walke according to the Law and according to the flesh all the Government in the World will never doe us good because God hath cursed Flesh and it will never be regulated and brought to good And this also should move us exceedingly to Upon what ground to long for the comming of Christ long for the comming of Jesus Christ to glory for his comming to us or our comming to him and the reason of that you shall have in 1 Cor. 15. 49. a glorious word that hath dwelt much in my thoughts I told you the reason why every man must dye a naturall death because of that absolute grand curse that Adam did fall in as a publick person and we being from him we must dye Now here is the comfort of it a blessed word it is As we have borne the Image of the earthly so we shall beare also the Image of the heavenly that is when the redemption of our bodies comes at the day of Christ then as we have borne the Image of the earthly so we shall beare the Image of the heavenly We have borne hitherto and doe beare the Image of naturall Adam we are all his Sons and Daughters just like him in our wisedome and understandings and bodies and soules poore earthly creatures naturall fraile creatures we are and by that curse that was layd upon him we must all dye and lay downe these earthly Tabernacles these earthly creatures must be dissolved As we have borne the Image of the earthly not onely as we have borne the Image of old Adam sin and wickednesse and pride and frowardnesse so now we shall beare the Image of the new not onely in respect of grace and holinesse and righteousnesse that if I be in him all those corruptions of nature shall out and I shall have a new nature That is true but that is not all but as I wholly beare the Image and shape of old Adam his body and soule and senses and all those must dye so when these bodies shall be raised we shall as absolutely and largely beare the Image of the new Adam the Lord Jesus in our body and senses and all our whole man soule and body in respect of substance as well as quality we shall beare the Image of the second dam as lively and in as large an extent as ever wee bore the Image of the earthly Adam Therefore that is a Not onely sinfulnesse but earthynesse troubles a Christian great comfort I will tell you why because it is not onely the sinfulnesse of a Christian that troubles him but his earthinesse so many distempers and troubles that it is a misery the spirit is willing but the flesh