shall come to the Church with full tide and stream of lust lifting up his head puffing at God glorying in his sin and shame Nay perhaps Come with purpose to contemn to scorn the Dispenser And to see this man return home by the Ministery of a weak man wounded slain laid upon his back crying out with the Publican God bee merciful to mee a sinner or with Paul Lord what wilt thou have mee to do I am willing to do any thing to suffer any thing c. Here is a wonder well may wee say in the voice of the Prophet What ails thee thou Jordan that thou art driven back Thou sea that thou fleddest And as the birth of a Christian so 2 In the life 2. The life of a Christian in grace is wonderful It is a mysterious life A life hid from the world for 1. The seat of this life is hid and secret 2. The principle and spring of this life is secret and mysterious 3. The Nourishment mysterious 4. The conveyance of nourishment 5. The comforts of this life All wonders Nothing in Grace but wonders 3 In Perseverance 3 When God shall hold up a mans heart to fear him to seek him to beleeve in him in times of darknesse and temptations Here is a wonder All the workings of Faith are wonders but especially in temptations and Desertions 1 That a man by Faith should conquer a troop of fears silence an Army of doubts answer a throng of disputes and carnal-reasonings overcome all the powers of darknesse to chase ten thousands Devils before him which all the power of earth cannot do Here is a wonder 2 That a man by Faith should hold up his head under the burden and guilt of many thousand sins the lest of which would sink the soul if Faith did not cast all this upon the Lord. 3 That a man by faith should bee a rock in the midst of a storm and stand immoveable when the winds blow and the billows rage when heaven and earth seem to come together as you see David did Psal 27.1 2 3. and Psal 46.1 2 3. I will not fear though the earth be removed though the mountains bee hurled into the midst of the Sea 4 When God shall keep alive a little spark of grace in the midst of a sea of corruptions hold up his own work in the mids of all Counter-workings and oppositions of sinne and Satan Here is a wonder 5. When God shall make a man willing to sacrifice his goods liberty life rather than to wound his Conscience and offend his God This is a wonder which without the power of God could not bee wrought 6. VVhen God shall bear up the spirits of the Saints with joy and comfort in the absence of all created comforts as you see Hab. 3.17 Although the fig-tree shall not blossome nor shall fruit bee in the vine c yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation Nay in the presence of all created discomforts to stand up and rejoyce under the frowns menaces scorns scourges prisons persecutions of men imbrace the stake kiss the chains smile on the terrors of death rejoyce with Stephen under a shower of stones Here are Wonders 7 When God doth turn all the afflictions nay all the sins of his Church and People to the good of his People to humble them more cast them out of themselves cast them upon the hold of Faith the exercise of Prayer make them more watchful more careful more exact Here 's a wonder Secondly God works wonders for the body for the outward condition of the Church for the good of his people 2 Gods Wonders for the Body in regard of the outward man 1 God doth often restrain the wickedness and malice of men against his Church that though they bee never so full of Hell and fury yet they shall not bee able to vent it against the Church and People of God Thus you see it was with Rabshakeh when hee came with purpose to destroy Jerusalem yet God put his hook into his nose and his bridle into his lips Hee restrained him as you see in 2 King 19.28 32 33. And this made David to say when the Princes took counsel together to take away his life My times are in thy hands Psal 31.15 Though they bee never so full of malice their designs bee never so bloody yet my times are in thy hands they shall not bee able to hurt mee though they consulted yet hee knew they could not act God could restrain them God hath the Devil much more wicked men in a chain and they cannot go a jot further than hee gives them chain and that shall bee no further than for his own Glory and the good of his Church as hee tells us Psal 76.10 Surely the wrath of man shall turn to thy Praise and the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain Though wicked men bee never so full of wrath and fury against the Church yet they shall vent no more than what shall turn to the Glory of God nay the Praise of God so much as his People shall have cause to praise him for The remainder of wrath though never so full hee shall restrain They shall burst before they shall vent any of it to the hurt of his People And this is a great wonder His setting bounds to the fury of men as hee doth to the raging of the Sea Hitherto shalt thou go and no further restraining the malice of men against the Church is as great a wonder as to see a Milstone hang in the Air and not fall down 2 God doth often calm and still the raging fury of wicked men against his Church and People Hee doth not only bound them but still them And thus you see it was with Esau Hee came forth with rage and bloody-purposes against Jacob to bee revenged on him for all But you see how God calmed him In stead of killing him hee falls upon his neck and kisses him It was God that did it And therefore it is said Gen. 33.10 That Jacob saw the face of Esau as the face of God It was not Esau but God that hee saw in Esaus face Hee saw God appearing in the wonderful changing and calming of his spirit who came with such fury against him And this was the fruit of his wrestling and praying the night before 3. VVhen God doth carry on great purposes with weak and contemptible Power makes weak means successful to do great purposes and effects This is a wonder and a wonder God often doth as you see in Asa 2 Chron. 14.11 It is nothing with thee to help whether with many or with them that have no Power As the Mariner can turn about the greatest ship with the smallest Rudder So God who ever sits at the Helm and steeres and governs all can bring about his own purposes by weakest means As hee brought Jeremy out of the dungeon with old rotten rags good
shall not bee VVee read that Ulisses when hee was to pass the Coast of the Syrens hee caused his men to stop their ears that they might not bee inchanted by their musick to destroy themselves But for himself hee would only bee bound to the Mast that though hee should hear yet their musick might not bee so strong as to allure him to destroy himself and leap into the Sea There are some of Gods people who are weak in Faith And when they see Gods outward proceedings of Providence seemingly contrary to his Promises they are apt to bee charmed from their own stedfastness Now as for these it were good for them to stop their ears and to shut their eyes to the works and look altogether upon the VVord of God But there are some that are stronger and therefore may look upon the outward proceedings of God But withall let them binde themselves fast to the Mast the VVord of God lest when they see the seeming contrariety of his proceedings to the Promise they bee charmed from their own stedfastness to the wounding of their own souls God hath promised that Antichrist shall fall Hee hath promised to make his Church glorious And though in outward proceedings hee should seem to uphold the one and evil intreat the other yet let not this weaken our Faith in beleeving the truth of what God hath promised If you put a streight stick into the water yet sense will render it to bee crooked it will appear so to the eye but reason corrects it and tells you though it appear to bee so yet it is not so you put it in streight and so it is Doth reason prevail against sense and why should not Faith prevail against Reason when to outward appearance God seems to bee against us why should not wee by Faith conclude that God is for us even for us when hee seems to bee against us The outward face of things may bee such as may possesse the Church with fear when God hath a purpose to do great things for his Church So you read in Joel 2.21 Fear not O Land bee glad and rejoyce for the Lord will do great things for you It was a time of Joy in respect of Gods purpose and yet a time of fear in respect of their present apprehensions God had a purpose to do great things for them and yet the face and outward appearance of things were such as did at that time possesse the Church with fear It was so but it should not have been so You see what Christ saith in Luk. 21.25 There shall bee signs in the Sun in the Moon in the Stars and upon the earth distresse of Nations the Sea and Waters roaring mens hearts failing them for fear and for looking after the things that shall come upon the Earth for the Powers of Heaven shall bee shaken Could there bee a sadder appearance And yet saith Christ when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh Here you see Christ doth turn the saddest and sorest perplexities that ever the world shall see into a Doctrin of Comfort to his Church because all these things were but a preparatory to the redemption of the Church One would think this to bee a strange consequent deduced from such an Antecedent A Consequent so comfortable from an Antecedent so terrible that so terrible a Doctrin should afford us an use of Consolation Yet so it is Bee the premises what they will the conclusion is good Bee his Providences what they will his Promise is good and those promises shall turn all those Providences to good And this is the admonition I give you that whatever oppositions whatever troubles whatever evils wee meet withall in the way of deliverance Bee not troubled let not your hearts bee discouraged for this is the way whereby God will do you good making all your evil and trouble subservient to good VVhat the Apostle saith of his Bonds I may say of all oppositions Phil. 1.12 The things which have happened to mee have fallen out to the furtherance of the Gospel His prison was the Gospels liberty his straits and bonds the Gospels inlargement his abasements the Gospels advancements As wee say the choicest blessings come out of the fire of afflictions so the greatest deliverances come out of the greatest oppositions And thus much for that VVee will now come to Application Uses First of Information and that of diverse particulars 1 Information touching the greatness of God 1 It informs us of the greatness of our God 1. Of his Power 2. Of his Wisdome 3. Of his Mercy 4. Of his faithfulness toward his people For all these Attributes are visibly declared in every wonder God doth for his Church 1 His Power 1 God discovers the greatness of his Power in every wonder hee doth for them If a man were able to do it it were no wonder Hence hee is said to make bare his arm to reveal his Power And it is attributed to his right hand to his out-stretched arm c. 2 His Wisdome 2. God discovers the greatness of his Wisdome 1. Wisdome in the Manner In relieving in such a way as could not bee conceived 2. Wisdome in the Time In helping in such a time when things are desperate or in such a time when hee gets himself most glory and doth us most good 3. Wisdome in the means by relieving of us 1. By such means as wee never thought of or 2. By such as if wee had thought of would have been judged too small to have wrought so great a deliverance 3. Or by such which wee should rather have judged a means of ruine than of raising us yet Gods wisdome seeth more than wee can 3 Gods Mercy 3 God discovers abundance of Mercy yea and Free Mercy Every deliverance of his Church being wrought out of his own bowels and compassion Psal 136. which is a Psalm of praises for wonders You see at the foot of every verse a declaration of Mercy Hee brought his People out of Egypt for his Mercy indureth for ever Hee divided the Red-Sea for his Mercy indureth for ever Hee overthrew Pharaoh and his Host for his Mercy indureth for ever 4 Gods Truth 4. God discovers his Truth and Faithfulness to his Church God hath ingaged himself by many precious promises to do wonders for them And all the deliverances of God they are performances of promises They may bee all subscribed at the foot of the promise as so many particular instances and experiences to prove the truth of the promise and to discover the faithfulness of the Promiser to us They are so many witnesses to both By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall bee established saith the Apostle It is true it is spoken of the word or man not of the Word of God God is Truth it self You may beleeve him without a witness But yet God hath not
hath still support from him David Job Heman they wanted the Comforting-presence of God for a time but yet they had his Quickening and they had his Supporting presence As hee told Paul so hee did for all His strength was seen in their weakness and his Grace was sufficient for them Sufficient to bear them up in the tryal and sufficient to bring them out of the tryal So much for the second Conclusion 3. Conclusion God may forsake his People for a time not for ever It is but a Temporary not a Final not an Eternal forsaking Isa 54.7 8 9 10. For a moment have I forsaken thee but with everlasting kindness will I gather thee have mercy on thee For the Mountains shall depart and the Hills shall bee removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee And thus much shall serve for the answer of the Objection And notwithstanding that the Conclusion is firm That if the Heart of Christ bee once taken with his Church and People hee will never take it off hee will never clean forsake them And as God will not forsake his Church as Forsaking hath relation to Spiritual cases Soul-distresses So I might shew you at large to prevent another Objection That hee will not forsake his Church as Forsaking hath relation to temporal and outward distresses You may take his word for it Josh 1.5 I will not leave nor forsake thee It is true it was a promise made to Joshua in particular but belongs to the whole Church of God in general General promises may have particular applications and particular general As general promises belong to every paticular Member so particular promises may belong to the whole body And therefore though it was a promise to Joshua yet the Apostle who knew the mind of God makes it ours as well as his Hee brings it into the Common-stock and shews it part of our riches Heb. 13.5 Let your Conversation bee without Covetousness for hee hath said Hee will never leave thee nor forsake thee In brief Hee will not forsake his Church 1. Either hee will protect them from dangeâ—â— 2. Or hee will deliver them out 3. Or hee will support them in 4. Or hee will sanctifie all to them Which is the third Conclusion which flows from this Doctrin 3. Consectary If the Heart of Jesus Christ bee taken with his Church then all the passages of Gods providence in the World are for the good of his Church and People All the dealings of God in the world not a step God takes in the World but hee walks towards his people in it 1. All the passages of Gods Providence to the Church in general 2. All the passages of Gods Providence to any member of the Church in particular they are all for good 1. For the first All the passages of Gods providence to his Church in general they are for good Bee they sad or bee they joyfull they are all for good Are they sad it is to humble them to quicken them to purge them to purifie them to blow away their chaff This is certain Whatever is done in the World is done either by Gods Permission or by Gods Approbation God must either permit or allow of what ever is done in the World And assure your selves God would never permit much less would hee ever allow and approve of any thing to bee done in the World which should not bee for the good of those hee loves so dearly Whatever wind blows bee it North or South good or evil all is for the Churches benefit As the Physitian ordereth poisonous and destructive ingredients unto usefull services the health of the Patient So God turneth those things which in themselves are evil and destructive to the good and comfort of his Church and People Hence is it that Christ turneth the sadest and sorest perplexities that ever the World shall see into an use of Comfort to his Church Luk. 21.25 26 27 28. There shall bee signs in the Sun and Moon and Stars distress of Nations with perplexity c. Mens hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are comming on the World for the Powers of Heaven shall bee shaken and then shall they see the Son of Man comming in a Cloud with Power and great Glory When these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your Redemption draweth nigh One would think this were a strange consequent deduced from such an Antecedent A Consequent so comfortable from an Antecedent so terrible It seems strange that such a terrible Doctrin as this should afford an use of Consolation Yet so it is Bee the Premises what they will the Conclusion is good Bee his Providences what they will his Promises are good and those Promises shall turn all his Providences to good at the last 2. As all the passages of Gods Providence to the Church in general So every passage of his Providence to any Member of it in particular is for the good of the Church 1. All your Injoyments they are love You may read the Heart of Christ the image of a friend ingraven upon all you have You may behold the impress of love the good will of God circled about all you do injoy All that wicked men do injoy is but from the Hand of God Ex largitate that is the highest tenure they can shew even his general Providence which causeth the Sun to shine upon the good and bad And this Tenure may bee cut off at pleasure But all that you do injoy is from the Heart and good will of God They are expressions of his good will to you and you may read Love in all Nay they are the Earnests of further love You may see and read Heaven and Glory in all you have Wee may well say whatever the People of God do injoy They are 1. The fruits of Prayer 2. The performance of Promises 3. Expressions of Love 4. Incouragements to beleeve 5. Inablements to obey 6. Earnest pennies of Heaven and Glory 2. All your wants as well as all your injoyments are mercy are love There is an Expedit in all the sad passages of Gods providence to you They are Expedient to try you Expedient to humble you to exercise you to winne you to wean you c. Whatever thy condition is it proceeds 1. From the best God 2. From the best of God his Heart and good will 3. It is the best for thee Wicked men have a curse hid in their best things a curse in their gold a curse in their silver a curse in their health But Gods people have a blessing hid in the worst things You have a blessing in poverty a blessing in sickness a blessing in crosses a blessing in death it self Riches are not in the Promise but Mercy is in the Promise Though Poverty yet Mercy though Afflictions yet Mercy And you can all tell mee A cross in Mercy is better than a comfort in wrath
weary of the exercise of his Mercie and therefore hee goes on to adde Mercy to Mercy Wee say the Bee gives Hony naturally the sting only when shee is forced to it So God it is natural to him to shew Mercy but hee is provoked to exercise Judgement Hence hee is called the Father of Mercies begets Mercy Mercy is the Issue of God most natural to God and being so hence Mercy pleaseth him Actions of Nature are Actions of Delight God is never so well pleased with any carriage towards his Church as those which are in the wayes of mercy Nay if hee do afflict his Church it is to shew Mercy Mercy is the end of all his dealings towards his Church and therefore Mercy being so natural so pleasing and that the Mercy of God is the ground of his expressions of love to us as it is though our sins may draw out the expressions of his Justice yet his Mercy doth arise from himself Hence wee may have a ground to expect yet greater things than ever 6. Consectary If the heart of Christ bee so much taken with his Church Then see with what confidence wee may pray for the good of the Church of Christ Christs heart is taken with it A man may pray for himself and doubt of hearing because hee is not able to make out his particular interest in Gods Love But if a man pray for the good of the Church hee is sure to have hearing because the heart of Christ is taken with it Let us then make use of all our interest and acquaintance in Heaven in the behalf of the Church at this time 1. It is a thing which God commands 2. A thing which God expects 3. A thing which God rewards 4. A thing which God threatens the neglect of Much might bee said to move you Your good and your evil lies in the Churches As Jeremy used this as an argument why to pray for the civil estate of Babylon because in the peace thereof they should have peace if theirs in Babylons how much more ours in Sions 7. Consectary If the heart of Christ bee so much taken with his Church Then what will become of those who are enemies to his Church and People Is the heart of Christ so much taken with his Church and People Then woe bee to them that offend his Church If you touch them you touch the apple of his eye Gods People are dear to God They are his Spouse his Children his Members purchased with the price of his bloud his inheritance his Portion all his commings-in Those hee dyed for shed his bloud for one drop whereof is worth a thousand Worlds And therefore those whom hee was content to shed his bloud for certainly hee doth more esteem than all the World besides Wee say whiles the Iron is in its own nature you may handle it and meddle with it but if once the nature of fire bee added unto it if you touch it it will burn you So whiles the Children of God are but the Children of men you may deal with them as with other men but if once the nature of God bee stamped on them the Image of Christ bee drawn upon them it will bee dangerous for you to meddle with them least fire break out of their mouth to devoure you Wee read Zach. 12.3 God said hee would make his Church a burthensome stone c. St. Jerom on that place saith it was a Metaphor taken from the custome of the Jews who to try their strength had at the gates of the City great stones if they could lift them well and good but if not they crushed themselves with them So God will make his Church a burthensome stone Whoever lifteth at it shall crush himself whoever seeks to hurt it shall ruine himself You see it in Pharaoh Haman Achitophel Julian Haman lifted so long at this stone that it fell on him at last and crushed him Pharaoh followed the Children of Israel so long that hee could not return at last but was overwhelmed in the Waters Julian attempted it so long till at last himself was overthrown Hee that shoots in a Peece over-charged strikes down himself not that which hee aimed at Hee who intends evil against the Church shoots in a Peece over-charged and is sure to bee struck down with his own recoil Wee see it in our dayes They who have digged pits for us have fallen into them themselves They who laid snares for us in them is their own foot taken They have but made Rods for their own backs paved a way to their own destruction digged graves to bury themselves in seeking our ruine The Scepter of Christ hath been too strong for the Principality of Satan hee hath a Rod of Iron a Scepter of Power Eris sub pedibus an arm of strength to crush in peeces all his enemies And therefore as Pilates wife said of Christ Have nothing to do with that just man So I to thee seest thou a godly man beware of having any thing to do with him by way of offence For their Angels alway behold the face of their heavenly Father 8. Consectary If the heart of Christ bee so much taken with his Church Then see here the Ground of Acceptation of the services of his people God being taken with the Persons is taken with the performances of his People Hee had respect to Abel and then to his Offering Christ his heart was taken with the person and then with his performance Hence Christ saith to his Church Cant. 2.14 Let mee see thy Countenance let mee hear thy voice for thy Countenance is comely and thy voice is sweet Indeed if Acceptation should arise from the worthiness of our duties wee should never look to bee accepted There is so much sin in our services so much evil in our good so much coldness in our best heats so much formality in our chiefest power so much deadness in our best life so much of the World so much of our earth in our imployments for Heaven And if Acceptation should arise from any worth in them wee should bee sure to miss of it But arising from his good will and Mercy to us his heart being first taken with us is taken with our performances Hence the Assurance of Acceptation Nay and not only of our purest and perfectest services but even of our poor and imperfect duties such as wee throw away for dead and cast prayers Cant. 5.1 Hee drinks the Milk as well as the Wine Wee look upon a prayer accompanied with deadness distraction as a cast prayer Oh! say wee how can God accept of such impure imperfect services But hence it ariseth not from the excellency of your prayers but from the indulgency of his Grace It is the voice of his Spouse though never so weak It is the cry of a Member of his though never so faint And hee can put his odours his incense to them though never so impure and make them acceptable Rev. 8.4
the Church Cant. 3.4 Christ had withdrawn himself Shee makes inquiry after him but could not hear of him At last after all her trouble Christ appears to her soul And you may read there how exceedingly her heart was taken with his return I found him whom my soul loveth I held him and would not let him go untill I had brought him into my Mothers house Cant. 3.4 3. When the soul doth sit down to contemplate and read over the beauties and loves of Christ when it is in the contemplations of those surpassing excellencies and admired sweetness which is in Christ And Christ whiles the soul is busy in feeding on these thoughts doth make a discovery of himself to the soul makes the soul to see a vision of his glory Oh! how is the heart taken with him it is even drowned and sunk in a Sea of glory Ah! what clasping what imbraces what loves are there then betwixt Christ and the soul It is impossible for mee to express or for mee or you to conceive It is a vision of glory the porch of Heaven 4. When the soul is under outward pressures afflictions prison sickness upon death-bed Then a visit of Christ a discovery of himself doth exceedingly ravish and take the heart Here is kindness indeed riches for the poor liberty for a prisoner a cordial for the sick Here is all in Christs manifestation Well then wouldest thou know whether thy heart bee taken with Christ dost thou know Christ didst thou ever see the face of Christ in a promise what apparitions hath Christ made to thee what manifestations within thee in the work of Grace what manifestations to thee in the beginning of glory You who know not Christ cannot love Christ 2. Sign An heart taken with Christ is not excessively taken with any thing else The sweetness of Christ doth overcome all the sweetness in other things in the Creatures Vincit dulcedo dulcedinem As it is nothing but ignorance which makes men admire any thing here on earth if men knew the excellencie of other things they could not admire such trifles as they do So here it is nothing but ignorance of better things which makes us dote upon things here below Did wee see his beauties all the World would bee blackness Did wee see his fulness all the World were but emptiness I say did wee but know the excellencies and beauties of Christ and the satisfying-sweetness of his love Nothing should have a room in our hearts save hee only The higher wee ascend toward Heaven the lesser will the things on earth appear If you go to the top of the Mountains men would appear but small but if it were possible to go up to the Sun the Mountains would appear nothing The love of Christ hath a raising-raising-power working our hearts as high as Heaven and being there all things here below are of no account and esteem to the soul So saith Paul a man on fire with the love of Christ Yea doubtless I count all but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ And do count them but dung that I may win Christ Phil 3.8 Well then they whose hearts are taken with the Creature taken with the World taken with sin and vanity These are too gross to bee taken with spiritual loves 3. Sign What the heart is taken withall the soul seems to live more in it than in it self Do but examine it in any thing the heart is taken withall whether your comforts your delights your happiness lies not in them The Worldling hee lives in his possessions The Voluptuous man in his pleasures And can no more live out of them than the Fish out of the water the Salamander out of fire So here If thy heart bee taken with Christ then thou livest more in Christ than thou doest in thy self I live yet not I but Christ saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 Thou canst no more subsist without him than the Beam without the Sun than the spark without the fire Nay no more live without him than the body without meat nay the body without the soul Christ is to the soul as the soul is to the body Now as the body cannot live without the soul So the soul cannot live but in Christ who is Anima Animae the Soul of the Soul for mee to live is Christ I say if thy heart bee taken with Christ thou livest in Christ more than in thy self Thy life thy comforts thy happiness they are all folded up in him As Judah said of Benjamin Jacobs life was bound up in the Lads life Gen. 44.30 So the Soul of Christ my life my joyes my comforts they are all bound up in thee All my fresh springs are in thee saith God of his Church Psal 87.7 And whom have I in Heaven but thee and in earth in comparison of thee Psal 73.25 saith the inamoured soul of God his heart was taken with God and hee lived in God more than in himself It was the speech of Luther who being in a great distress and spirituall trouble had writ about the walls and table in his study in great letters Vivit A friend comes to him and demands the reason Hee replies Vivit Christus si non non optarem unam horam vivere His life was in Christ Hee lived more in Christ than in himself Which makes the life of a Christian so safe none can hurt him and so sweet too being a life in Christ out of himself The best of others lyes in themselves but the best of a Christian those precious things in him lies out of himself and lies in Christ 4. Sign What the heart is taken withall that the comforts of the life are upheld by from day to day Wee have many a weary step to go and can no more go without comfort than Elijah without food Comfort is to the soul as the soul is to the body As the body without the soul is dead so is the soul of men without comfort Now would you know what your heart is taken withall see what the comfort of your life is upheld by from day to day Is Jesus Christ the comfort of your life is hee the joy of your hearts Ex quovis fonte Wicked men have varity of springs If one bee drye they go to another But the Saints have but one Christ And if hee bee gone all is gone 5. Sign An heart taken with Christ hath high appretiations and valuations of Christ It values and esteems him above all the comforts and contentments in Heaven and Earth Psal 73 25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee and in the Earth in comparison of thee Here is the breathing of a soul taken with Christ Hee prizeth Christ above all the comforts and contents in the World For the better unfolding of this sign there is 1. Something considerable in the Act. 2. Something in the Object Christ prized 3. Something in the Measure above all the comforts contents c. 1.
it hath in Adherence Ask any who are weakest in Faith whether they would sell their part in Christ for a World whether they would deny Christ to gain a World and they will quickly answer it with an earnest Negative as Naboth did Ahab when hee would have bought of him his Vineyard 1 King 21.2 3. Whereas a temporizing Faith doth hold to Christ for want of a temptation as the Weather-cock that stands this way for want of another wind A true Faith though weak will hold to Christ out of Love nothing shall take it away in the midst of all temptations It is of the Nature of true Faith though never so weak to adhere and cleave to Christ Rom. 3.8 Thou hast but a little strength yet thou hast kept my Word and hast not denyed my name A little Strength a little Faith will hold to Christ will not give up Christ I say not but Gods people may fall and in some respect forsake Christ as Peter did But this may arise from the violence of temptation the strength of corruption which over-powers Faith It is as said of the Nature of Faith to cleave to Christ Well then to conclude with a word to them that are weak you that can clear this to your own hearts that You have Faith though it bee weak Bee not yee discouraged bee not troubled though it bee weak Consider 1. That the smallest degree of Faith is true is saving Faith as well as the greatest A sparkle of fire is as true fire as any is in the Element of fire A drop of water is as true water as any is in the Ocean So the least grain of Faith is as true Faith and as saving as the greatest Faith in the World 2. Though it bee weak yet it is a growing Faith As all the works so all the Graces of God begin in weakness The tallest Cedar was at first but a sprig The strongest Oak at first was an Acorn The greatest fire at first was a spark so the greatest measure of Faith at the first was but as a little seed It had a beginning Those things God intended not for growth hee made perfect at first as the Sun the Moon c. But those hee intended for growth hee at first makes imperfect as Men Beasts Plants c. Christ compares Faith to a grain of Mustard-seed Not to a stone but to a seed Stones are not capable of growth but seeds are Hee compares it to a Mustard-seed which though it bee the least of seeds yet grows up highest And such a seed is thy Faith Though it bee small though weak bee not discouraged the Mustard-seed will grow 3. The weakest Faith doth give the Soul Union with the strong Redeemer as well as the strongest The smallest measure of Faith if never so little if it bring but the soul over to Christ it ingrafts thee into him as well as the stronger makes thee a Member of this Body a Branch in this Vine 4. The weakest measure of Faith gives thee Communion with Christ as well as the strongest Wee know the least bud draws sap from the Root as well as the greatest bough so the weakest measure of Faith doth as truly ingraft thee into Christ and by that draw life from Christ as well as the strongest The weakest Faith hath communion with the Merits and Blood of Christ as well as the strongest hath communion with the Spirit of Christ the Graces of Christ as well as the strongest Though thou art weak Christ is strong His strength is thine as well as the strongest Thou art impure Christ is pure His Purity is thine as well as others Thou art ignorant Christ is wise His wisdome is thine Thus the soul hath a communion with Christ in all his Graces The least Faith marries the soul to Christ And where there is this union there is a communion also with all of Christ The least Faith ingrafts into Christ and being once ingrafted the soul draws sappe and spiritual life sense and motion from Christ 5. Aequè licet non aequaliter The weakest Faith hath as equal share in Gods Love as the strongest Wee are beloved in Christ And the least measure of Faith makes us members of Christ The least Faith hath equal right to the Promises as the strongest And therefore let not our souls bee troubled discouraged for weakness There is difference betwixt Want and Weakness canst thou clear this to thy soul That thou hast Faith though it bee a weak Faith Yet therein rejoyce and bee comforted The least Faith sets as wide a difference between thee and unbeleevers as is between Heaven and Hell And therefore study to bee thankful for the least degree of Faith if it bee true Faith Do not so much look as to over-look So look for more as to over-look what thou hast received Neglect not that Comfort your present Faith affords by reaching after more Now having thus laid down the Evidences of a weak Faith wee shall now proceed to lay down the Evidences of a strong Faith Now where there is a strong Faith there is 1. An high prizing of Christ which yet a weak Faith partakes of 1 Pet. 2.7 Unto you that beleeve hee is precious The soul doth rate and value Christ above all the Comforts and contentments Riches and Happiness in Heaven and Earth Thus you see David Psal 73. Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none in the Earth that I esteem in comparison of thee Though hee esteemed of other things yet Christ was the first figure The estimate which his soul set on Christ did infinitly exceed the rate which hee set upon any thing besides Christ As Paul said They were all but drosse and dung in comparison with Christ The most excellent things were loss and vile in respect of Christ There are two things which make Christ precious to a man 1. The Knowledge of Christ 2. The Apprehension of our Interest in him 1. The Knowledge of Christ and that 1. Of the Want of Christ 2. Of the Worth of Christ 1. The Want of Christ When the soul apprehends the Necessity of Christ in respect of Pardon Purging Grace Glory When the soul sees hee is under the guilt of sin and stands in need of Christ for Justification Hee is under the filth of sin and stands in need of Christ for Sanctification Hee is under the power of sin and stands in need of Christ for the subduing and mortification of sin His person and performances are unclean and filthy and stands in need of Christ to wash and sprinkle him This makes Christ precious sets a rate upon Christ 2. The Knowledge of the Worth of Christ It is not the worth of things that makes things precious to us but our Knowledge of the worth of them What is it that doth commend the Jewel to the Lapidary but his knowledge of the worth of it By others that know it not it is not valued nor esteemed So that
him but positively inflicting of his displeasure upon his soul yet all that Satan could do by himself all that hee could do by his friends who joyned with Satan in the battel could not make him unsay what his heart and the Spirit of God had so often said nothing shall make him to eat his own words Nothing shall cause him to deny his integrity The root of the matter was still in him and hee will live and dye with this in his heart with this in his mouth that notwithstanding all this God is his God God is his Father his heart hath been sincere before him And this was a strong Faith that would bee thus resolute in beleeving when hee had so much reason on the other side to bear him down 4. A strong Faith will trust in God in difficulties in difficult cases in exigents Here is the tryal of Trust It will trust in God 1. With small means 2. Without means 3. Against means 1. With small means Strong Beleevers know full well bee the means never so small if God bid them to bee effectual they shall do the work As Jeremy was drawn out of the Dungeon with old rotten Raggs so God can make use of weak and contemptible means to effect his own purposes to draw thee out of the Dungeon of affliction Faith knows God can help with few as well as with many with a small hand as well as with a great all is one to him It was that that Asa said to God when Zera the Ethyopian came against him with such a great hoast that hee seemed to bee but a Centry in the midst of a large circumference 2 Chron. 14.11 Lord it is nothing with thee to help with many or with few Help us Lord for wee trust upon thee and in thy name wee go out against this great multitude And the day was theirs But in another hee was overthrown when the difficulty was less because hee trusted not on the Lord. The like wee read of Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20.1 2 3 4. and many others 2. Strong Faith will trust in God without means Zeph. 3.12 I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people a people stripped of all means and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. So 2 Cor. 1.10 11. Wee had the sentence of death in our selves wee saw no help no means and all this was That wee should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead 1 Tim. 5.5 Shee that is a Widdow in deed and desolate Trusts in God c. Thus you see strong Faith will trust in God in the absence of means when all means are wanting It knows God is able to do his purpose without as well as with means A strong Faith makes God all its confidence And therefore when all means fail when all props are taken away yet confidence is not Unbelief will trust God no further than it sees means to bring about the thing it desires You see the unbeleeving Noble Man when the Prophet Elisha told him in that great famine that the next day there should bee such great plenty What! saith hee If God could open the windows of Heaven how could this bee Though there were a famine on earth hee had no reason to think there was a dearth in Heaven God was able to do it his hand was not shortened But here it was Hee saw no means whereby this might bee effected and therefore hee could not beleeve it God may work wonders and yet in an ordinary way You see here in this Famine A wonder it was that they should have such plenty in so short a time And it was too big for the noble mans Faith to beleeve But yet you see it was a wonder wrought in an ordinary way The like you see in the Israelites Psal 78.19 20. Can God furnish a Table in the Wilderness Indeed hee smote the Rock and the waters gushed out But can hee provide flesh for his people also One would have thought that the former experience of Gods power should have satisfied them in this that they that granted the one could not have denyed the other that God was able to do that also But the former was over and here was a new strait they were in and they saw no means how it should bee effected therefore they could not beleeve it The like of Ahaz Isa 7.11 12. God told him that his enemies that were come against him should not prevail against him God would fight for him And that hee might bee certain of this hee bids him Ask a sign in Heaven or in the deep for the confirmation of his Faith But saith Ahaz I will not tempt God What 's that I will provide for my self I will not trust in the want of means I should tempt God in so doing And many such Ahazes wee have in the World They think to trust in God in the absence of means is to tempt God What say they doth God work wonders that hee should do this without means Why God can do wonders and yet in an ordinary way Thus strong Faith will trust without means God is not trusted at all if not trusted alone If wee take in any thing with God in our trust wee trust not God at all as wee ought When men are brought to the lowest strait they are nearest to the highest God And then will Faith work best when it works alone and then is God nearest to help when mans strength is small Mans extreamity is Gods opportunity The ancient Tragedians when things were brought to that pass that they saw no possibility of humane help they used to bring down some of their Gods Hence that Proverb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not much unlike that Proverb among the Jews In the Mount of the Lord it shall bee seen 3. A strong Faith will trust against means in the opposition of all means Such know that hee that can help without means can help if hee please against all means Is any thing too hard for the Lord Thus Moses trusted in God when the Red Sea was before them the Egyptians behinde them and the Mountains on each side of them Fear not stand still behold the salvation of the Lord c. Thus David when the people would have stoned him The Text saith David comforted himself in the Lord his God Thus Daniel and the Three Children Abraham also both in the receiving and offering of his Son Isaac 5. Strong Faith is accompanied 1. With much Peace 2. With much Joy 1. VVith much Peace Strong Faith lives in the upper Region above all storms There 's much variety of weather here below now calms now storms but if a man were above there 's a continual serenity and clearness Strong Faith lives in Heaven above all storms and therefore there 's nothing but calmness and quiet Rom. 5.1 Being justified by Faith wee have Peace with God Isa 26.3 Thou wilt preserve him in perfect Peace whose mind
seems to hide himself or withdraw himself from our souls withholding either his quickening or his comforting Spirit yet trust still You that walk in darknesse and see no light Trust in the Name of the Lord and rest upon your God Isa 50.10 Trust in God in the darkest night of Desertion cast anchor there as the Apostle did What though the soul were as dark as Hell yet God can make it as light as Heaven That God that caused light to shine out of darkness can also shine into our dark hearts What though there bee nothing within thee nothing without thee nothing round about thee to comfort thee yet there is something above thee Cast anchor in Heaven there 's an Almighty God to stay thy soul upon The Name of the Lord is a sufficient prop and rock to rest upon in any condition The Name of the Lord is a strong Tower the Righteous flye to it and is exalted Prov. 18.10 or is in safety There 's safety in the Tower when all other sorts and Bulwarks are gone when Out-works are taken and Walls are scaled there is yet safety in the Tower So here when all Out-works are gone when all our Evidences seem to bee gone when nothing appears to comfort us yet the Name of the Lord is a strong Tower to flye to a rock to rest on whereupon being exalted wee are delivered from danger and set out of gun-shot Hence wee read the Name of the Lord opposed to all staies and props which Faith had to rest on Isa 50.10 Hee that walks in darkness and hath no light let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God Here is such a bottom for Faith to rest upon that if Faith should fail All God would fail with it His Mercy His Truth His Wisdome His Power c. Let us then cast anchor here and wait till the time of refreshment come wait till all storms and clouds bee blown over Light is sown for the Righteous and joy for the upright in heart But wee must wait with the Husbandman with patience till the crop bee throughly ripe Thou must not look for clear day so soon as thou hast taken shelter nor a calm so soon as thou hast cast anchor but there thou must abide ride at anchor wait till the time of Refreshment shall come from the Lord. Godly security and apprehension of safety do not ever attend the act of Faith at the heels To trust is the act of Faith and apprehended security is the fruit of beleeving and therefore comes not till afterwards Here is thy comfort as was said before if thou diest whilst thou lyest at anchor having anchored on this rock thou dyest in the ship not in the Sea thou dyest in the Covenant and there is safety though the storm never cease Thy condition is safe and secure though thou do not yet apprehend the safety and security of it Never soul miscarried in a trusting way There is not one example in the Word no not one in the World where ever man trusted in God and was ashamed Psal 22.4 5. Our Fathers trusted in thee They trusted and were delivered God hath ingaged himself hee hath not only set the Sun and the Moon and Stars to pawn not only Heaven and Earth but even himself too Hee hath ingaged his Truth his Mercy his Promise his Wisdome and Power to save and keep them who trust in him All Heaven would sink if that soul that truly leans and trusts in God should miscarry 6. In case of outward Calamity not only Personal but National Other Nations God hath dealt withal as with Jerusalem Hee turned them upside down as a Dish and wiped them 2 King 21.13 Indeed wee have injoyed Peace and Plenty Peace with Plenty and Plenty with Peace How many ships deep laden with Mercy hath the stream of the Gospel brought to our shore But yet our sins may give us occasion to suspect the water heating for us Rods are preparing for us except wee return Would you then bee safe in the evil day Trust in the Lord. Hee that trusts in the Lord Mercy shall compass him about Psal 32.10 Hee shall bee begirt with Mercy Mercy shall imbrace him on every side As Faith doth compass Mercy so Mercy compasseth Faith As the Beleever imbraces Mercy so Mercy imbraces him Hee shall bee begirt with Mercy And not Mercy only but all Gods attributes are for him As whilst a man is an Unbeleever all God is against him All the Power of God the Wisdome of God the Justice of God is against him so if one bee a Beleever all is for him Faith makes all God ours his Mercy ours his Power his Justice c. As Jehoshaphat said to Ahab I am as thou art and my people as thy people 2 Chron. 18.3 So God to a beleeving soul all hee is or hath is for its use Faith doth initiate us into Covenant with God And there being a Covenant All God is for us Well then Let this exhort us all to bee resolute and peremptory in beleeving as Esther If I perish I perish in a beleeving way 3. Let this exhort us to grow up in Trust to grow to Perfection There is a Perfection 1. Of Nature 2. Of Degrees All Beleevers have the same Perfection of Faith for kind but all have not the same Perfection of degrees Well then You have that Perfection in the kind labour for this Perfection of degrees also Grow up from trust of Affiance to the trust of Assurance Let us not ever bee staggering and doubting but come to some grounded perswasion of Gods Love labour to bee rooted and grounded in love labour to work out all doubts and fears whereby wee dishonour God wrong our selves 1. Weakening our Faith 2. Hindring our growth 3. Disabling our selves to work 4. Discouraging our selves in our Christian way 5. Gratifying Satan And let us labour to grow up to higher measures in Beleeving Many incouragements might bee named 1. The more thou growest in Faith the more thou growest in the love and favour of God the more thou win'st his Love There is nothing in the World doth so much win Gods favour as a great degree of Faith Abraham was therefore called the friend of God And therefore though thou mayest bee saved with a less degree yet if thou wouldest grow more in Gods favour grow more in Faith 2. The more Faith the more Grace the more love of God the more Hope the more Patience the more Courage Obedience Repentance Humility Thou weak Christian if thou desirest more brokenness of heart for sin more love to God c. Why the way is to strengthen thy Faith 3. The more Faith the more spiritual Comfort the more Peace Joy and consolation These are the fruits of Faith 4. The more Faith the more strength to prevail with God in Prayer And therefore let this put you on to labour for the increase of Faith Grow from Faith to Faith In Temporals
the world Thou wouldest think it no mercy if God should grant thee what thou prayest for Thou prayest for Faith but wouldest thou have it no such matter why faith purifies the heart faith sanctifies the soul it will not suffer one corruption one lust to bee in thy heart and now dost thou desire faith no such matter Assure your selves if at any time you desire grace it is not grace under a right notion of grace It is not grace in the extent of grace nor grace in the power of grace It is again not a spiritual but a naturall desire of grace thou desires it but in some present distresse it may be when thou lyest on thy death bed and seest there is no comming to heaven without it Thou cannot desire it for it self 2 Thou prayest for the subduing of thy lusts 2 In desire â—â— Power against lust and corruptions but dost thou desire what thou praiest for wouldst thou think it if God should answer thee to be a mercy I am confident that till thy heart bee changed thou wouldst think the answer of such a request no mercy Would the Drunkard think it a mercy to bee rid of his cups The Covetous man would hee think it a mercy to be rid of his Mammon of unrighteousnesse No there is no such matter I dare be bold to say there is not that lust which a wicked man would think it a mercy to be rid of Alas Thou dost not desire to be rid of thy lusts thou canst not live without them thou canst not subsist without them when thou dost pray against them thou dost but dissemble with God there is no such matter thou dost not desire it If at any time thou dost desire it it is when thou hast done with it or it is in a storm only and then not because thou hatest it Non sub inâ—uitu mali sed minoris boni but because thou darest not keep it as you know the Merchant casts away his goods not because hee judgeth them evil in themselves but because if hee keeps them he cannot preserve a greater good his life Hee doth not part with them out of hatred to them for he even throws over his heart with them but because hee sees the keeping of them cannot stand with his present safety for after the storm and danger is over hee would bee glad to get them again if he could There are many who thus part with their sinnes as the Merchant with his wares only in a storm when they lye on their sick beds or under some wrack of Conscience for fear of hell or as Jacob parted with Benjamin because otherwise hee should starve necessity drove him to it or as Phaltiel parted with Michal because otherwise hee should loose his head hee did not part with her out of hatred but out of fear the King sent for her and if hee had detained her it might have cost him his head therefore out of fear hee parted with her though hee wept after her 3 In desire of heaven Extrema Christianorum desiderantur quamvis non Exordia 3 You Pray for heaven and one would think you did desire this wee say the end of a Christian is desirable though not the beginning the rest though not the labour you see Balaam hee wished hee might dye the death of the righteous though he had no heart to live their lives So that one would think they did desire heaven But indeed as long as thy heart is corrupt and unregenerate thou dost not desire heaven if thou knowest what heaven is If a man should ask thee thou who sayest thou desirest heaven what dost thou think heaven is it would I think pose thee But it may bee thou wilt say thou conceives heaven to bee a place of pleasure and delight a place free from all miseries and troubles and the like For this is the utmost heaven thou canst desire Thou lookest on it and desires it A place free from paenal not from sinful evils as a place of peace and rest not of grace and holiness If I should now tell thee that heaven is to be rid of all thy lusts and corruptions I beleive heaven would not be so desirable to thee Thou desirest heaven but t is under a false notion a heaven suitable to thy self and that 's the least of heaven I have told you not long agoe abstract and take from heaven what a corrupt heart doth see and think to bee heaven and that 's heaven indeed to a godly man To what I have said of another subject I will now adde this That didst thou know the company of heaven Heaven not desirable to corrupt hearts for its 1 Company the imployments of heaven the injoyments of heaven thou canst never desire heaven thy heart being corrupt 1 The company of heaven shall I tell you there 's none of your mind there And it is no great happiness to bee in such a place where they are all of different minds from you Two cannot walk together saith the Prophet they cannot-live together take delight together unless they bee agreed Now there is no agreement between the company of Heaven and thy spirit as it is corrupt See what the company of Heaven is enquire what they are First There is God and do you think there is any agreement betwixt God and you why hee is holy and thou art unholy hee is pure thou art impure c. and without holiness no man can see God Secondly There is Christ there are the glorious Angels all these are thine enemies as thou art in a natural condition Thirdly There are the blessed Saints and those are such as thou hast despised such as thou hast persecuted here in the World such as thou couldest never indure upon Earth but flye from and avoid is this company desireable in Heaven no such matter If they bee now hatefull to thee while they have something of thy self in them they have corruptions in them as well as thou though not under the power of them as thou Oh how hateful would they be when these corruptions are removed when they are better and thou worse But what 's this to torment thee in comparison of the presence of God in them is but the spark of holiness in God those eternal fires of holiness and if the spark bee a torment what is the fire As the Prophet speaks Who shall dwell with everlasting fires 2. Look upon the imployments of Heaven 2 Imployment and see if those bee desireable to thee in thy natural estate There is keeping of an eternal Sabbath there is praising and glorifying God to all eternity and would not this bee a tedious thing to thee canst thou indure to praise God for ever when now a staff of a Psalm is burdensome to keep an eternal Sabbath when a duty is tedious to thee 3. Adde to this the injoyments of Heaven 3. For its injoyments and here I can name nothing
it and you came trembling to this Ordinance fearing lest you should prophane it and by that eat and drink your own Condemnation But now the custome of prophanation hath taken away the terror of prophaning this Ordinance now you come and tremble not So for the word time was when Conscience was green and tender that the word came with more majesty more authority on your spirits Every command came with power every threat came with trembling but now you can sit under the most powerful quickening convincing awaking dispensations of it and your souls never moved And hence is it that your custome with the Ordinances in a customary way takes off the life and power and workings of Ordinances As custome in sin doth harden the heart and makes the heart more difficult to bee wrought upon so custome in duty if it bee done in a formal customable way I would rather deal and should have more hopes of doing good to him who is openly prophane notoriously wicked than such a man who lyes soaking under Ordinances and goes on in a formal and customable performance of these dutys without any spirit or life in the doing of them Thus you see the first 't is a difficult cure 2 It is a painful cure It is a painful cure It will cost thee much pain many gripes and greifs many Prayers and tears much humiliation and sorrow before it can be wrought Nay t is a cure wrought by undoing all that thou hast done thou must unravel all unpray thy prayers undo thy services Thou must not go forward in the way wherein thou art but must come back all the way thou hast gone and go another way if ever thou come to heaven And this will cost a man some pain Suppose a man were going to some place and had gone much of his journey were now come as hee thought near his journeys end and one should come to him and tell him Sir you are clean out of the way you must go back again unride all this way you have come c. O! how irksome how hardly would this down with a man at the end of his journey especially the way being pleasant wherein hee was and full of delight but the other rough and foul in which hee was to go Alas would hee say is there no way but turning back is it not possible to strike over this is irksome Why so is it with a man here it may be thou hast set out for heaven and thou hast gone all thy life in a fair smooth way and art now come as thou thinkest even to the end of thy journey And will it not bee a hard thing for a man to turn back to begin in another way and that a straiter a rougher and a deeper way Why I tell thee this must bee done before ever thou come to heaven It is with a sound Christian and an Hypocrite as it is with two men at the top of two houses in a narrow street one would think that they could easily come to one another easily reach but the truth is hee must come down the height where hee is before hee can go up to him A grosse and open sinner is nearer to him than a formal hypocrite As Christ saith Easier for Publicans and Harlots c. And now judge is it not a very hard thing and difficult for a man to undoe all hee hath done to give up all for lost to come down from the height to which hee hath attained not without much pains To turn back that way wherein hee hath ridden with much difficulty This is a hard thing c. what flesh and blood can bear this So that it is not only a difficult but a painful cure 1 In respect of the medicines that are to bee applyed hard physick humbling lancing cutting dismembring cutting off right hands c. 2 In respect of the distemper wherewith these medicines are to encounter 3 In respect of the pains gripes griefs you must endure in the cure But this I cannot insist upon The truth is the cure is so painfull that your spirits would rather continue the disease than submit to the plaister But now though the cure be difficult 't is possible 't is easy with God though hard to us And if God have given thee a heart to desire a cure and a spirit willing to submit to any means may bee used it is a fair way towards the cure Well then to come to the cure it self Having searched thy spirit and upon diligent search discovered Hypocrisy Means of cure 1. Labour to convince thy heart of the evil and mischief of an unsound spirit It is a thing which makes thy person thy performance odious unto God hee hates thy person hee hates thy prayers as you see Isa 1.14 Your new Moons and your Sabbaths and your appointed feasts my soul hateth them which yet were high extraordinary services And now judge what a fearful thing it is to stand under the hatred of the great God of Heaven and Earth What dost thou think will bee the end of thee why you shall see Matth. 24. and the last Thou shalt bee cast into the lake which burnes with fire and brimstone and not only cast in but into the hottest place where there shall not bee a drop of water to a lake of fire For it is said of all other sinners that they shall have their portion with Hypocrites The Hypocrite shall have the largest portion hee is the top of that black crew of damned souls For the present thou losest all the good in Earth which others do injoy and for the future thou losest all the good in Heaven which others shall injoy Nay and thou gainest sorer sharper more unsupportable damnation than others shall have Thy duties thy prayers thy hearings which would have ministred comfort to thee if they had been right do now aggravate and increase thy torment being unsound Every Sermon Prayer Duty is but as another stick carried to that structure of fire to make it hotter and greater for thee because done with an unsound spirit 2. Consider there is a God 2. Means Atheisme is a great ground of Hypocrisy and there is no man more an Atheist than an Hypocrite Well then think there is a God I tell thee the very beleef of this would strike down many base ends which thou hast in thy service of him And think him to bee such a God as hee is That this God is an all-seeing God one who searcheth the heart who tryeth the reins One who knows the secret turnings and windings of thy deceitful soul Though thou mayest dissemble it with men bee one thing upon the stage another thing in the tyring house one thing in action another thing in heart and affection Yet thou canst not dissemble with God before whom thou liest open cut up to the back bone anatomized all thy internals are seen as the Word signifies in Heb. 4.13 This thought brought home and
God do wonders for his Church Then let us fall down and adore this God who can do wonders for us Who would not fear thee O King of Nations saith the Prophet Jer. 10.7 It was the speech of an Heathen King when hee had seen the Wonders that God had done Let all men fear and tremble before the God of Daniel Dan. 6.26 When Christ had done that great wonder in calming the rage of the sea the Text tels us They all fell down at the feet of Jesus and worshipped him Gods wonders for us call out for our Worship of him Fall down then at the feet of this God and Worship him Fall down at the feet of his Power and dread it Fall down at the feet of his Mercy and adore it Fall down at the feet of his Wisdome and admire it Admiration is sutable to Wonders It is said Hee shall bee admired in his Saints When wicked men tremble do you fall down and admire and blesse that God adore that God who alone doth wonders 7. Use Doth God do wonders for his Church 7 Use and are wee now in a sad condition A people that shall bee made a wonder unlesse God do a wonder for us Oh! then let us carry our selves in such a deportment and demeanour as is sutable to such who are expectants that God should do wonders for us Oh! that wee could put our selves in a posture fit for mercy and deliverance Seeing you look for a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness saith the Apostle what manner of persons ought you to bee So seeing you look you expect that God should do wonders for you Oh! What manner of persons ought you to bee in Holiness of Life how holy how humble how spiritual ought you to bee in all manner of conversation Oh! take heed of sinning in the face of mercy in the face of deliverance Lye not swear not c. It was a sad aggravation of Israels sin They provoked God at the Red-Sea even at the Red-Sea it is doubled to put a greater Emphasis on it Psal 106.7 It is nothing but our sins which hinders the current and stream of Mercy if these were removed mercy would come amain Whereas on the contrary sin will not only make our but even the good purposes of God to become abortive to us You see it in Jer. 18.9 10. At what time I shall speak concerning a Nation or a Kingdome to build and to plant it If it do evil in my sight that it obey not my voice Then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them Many buds and many blossoms of future deliverance have appeared Oh! it were a sad thing if our sins should blast all these and rob us of the fruit of our hopes of our prayers and tears Our sins put obstructions to all Gods proceedings of Mercy And therefore you see when the Temple was to bee built and great things were to bee done for them The Prophet by way of necessary preparation exhorts the people to repentance to cast away their sins Hag. 1.6 knowing this that though God had begun yet if they continued their sins they would quickly make a stop of Gods mercy God would soon repent of his mercy to them God had brought Israel out of Egypt and brought them near Canaan yet their sins comming betwixt them and Canaan turned them back again into the Wildernesse and there they walk in a Round forty years before they could finde admission into Canaan God is gone out before us triumphing in the greatnesse of his strength preparing a way hewing down difficulties levelling mountains turning all our oppositions into good But if you do not leave your sins you will make God quickly to leave you so to work your own confusion Well then You are all expectants of Mercy let every one of you labour to put himself into a posture fit to receive mercy Let every one walk and demean himself as such as looks for great things from God And then that God that hath begun will assuredly make an end Hee that hath laid the foundation and is laying stone after stone upon it every day will not desist till the building bee perfected 8 Use 8 Use Is it so that God doth wonders for his Church then learn 1. To trust in God You see Hee is a God doing wonders And as Christ said Learn 1 To trust in God Mark 9.23 If thou canst but beleeve All things are possible to him that beleeveth Wonders are possible There is nothing too hard for God to do if there bee nothing too hard for you to beleeve There is nothing difficult but to beleeve Hee that hath conquered and overcome his own unbeleef hath done all All things are possible to the Beleever Do not you stick at beleeving and God will not stick at doing wonders for you Heb. 11.33 34. By Faith they subdued Kingdomes stopped the mouthes of Lions quenched the violence of fire c. As Unbeleef doth imprison Gods power mercy and goodnesse It is said Hee could not do much because of their unbeleef And they limited the holy One of Israel So Faith sets God at liberty sets the power of God at liberty Nay it puts on the power and mercy of God Therefore exercise Faith The time of our trouble should bee the time of our trust As Mordecai said to Esther God set her up for such a time as that So I may say of Faith God set up Faith for such a time as this When means fail when there is nothing but weaknesse below when sense and reason are put to it then is it Faiths work to come in And therefore exercise Faith Let not any difficulty undermine Faith Let not any seeming discouragement come between your souls and the promise Zach. â— 6 Things marvelous to you are familiar with God things wonderful to you are easy to God You have Bibles Oh! that you had Faith to make use of them you would there finde all things are possible with God and therefore nothing impossible to Faith 2. Bee incouraged to Prayer This is the great work of our times 2 To pray to God Faith and Prayer will do wonders Faith and Prayer have had an hand in most of the wonders that ever were done in the Earth These will set the great God on doing wonders for us A Prayer made up of promises and put up by Faith will shew wonders in Heaven and in Earth You read what wonders Gods people have wrought by Prayer They have dryed up the Sea Exod. 14.21 brought fire from Heaven 2 King 1.10 Caused the Sun to stand still Josh 10.13 Vanquisht the enemy Exod. 17.12 Praying-Moses did more than fighting-Joshua The day would fail to tell you of all See what wonders followed upon Davids Prayer Psal 18.6 In my distress I called upon the Lord I cryed to my God hee heard my voice out of his Temple my cry came unto his
are on the Body the Estate the Name but this is An Inward Evil. An evil upon the Soul which is the Greatest of Evils 2. All other evils are but of a temporal nature They have An End Poverty Sickness Disgrace all these are great evils but these and all other they have An End Death puts the conclusion to them all But This Evil of sin is of an Eternal nature that shall never have end Eternity it self shall put no period to this 3. All other evils do not make a man the subject of GODS wrath and hatred A man may have all other evils and yet be in the Love of GOD. Thou maist be Poor and yet Precious in GODS esteem thou maist be under all Kinde of miseries and yet Dear in GODS thoughts to thee But now this is an evil that makes the soul the subject of GODS wrath and hatred As the Absence of all other goods the Presence of all created evils will not make thee Hateful to GOD if Sin be not there So the Presence of all other goods and Absence of all other evils will not render thee Lovely if sin be there 4. All other Evils do but oppose your well-being nay and your well-being for present for they cannot rob you of future happiness But this opposeth your well-being for ever For you cannot be Happy if you be not Holy Nay this opposeth your Being It brought Death you would sin your selves into Nothing again if GOD did not hold you up To be that you might Be miserable for sin 5. All other evils are but Destructive to a mans self fight but against Particulars But this is contrary to the Universal Good contrary to GOD and as far as it may Destructive to the very Being of God As I shall shew hereafter 6. All other evils are GODS creatures and so far good He owns all the rest he is the Author of all the rest Is there any evil in the City that I have not done Amos 3.6 meaning All the Evil of Punishment Penal not Sinful Evil But this is the Devils Creature yea and worse than he being All sin 7. All other Evils are Gods Physick and used as Medicines either 1. For prevention of this Or 2. For the cure of this 1. For prevention of this That you might not be condemned with the world he lays afflictions and evils upon you 1 Cor. 11.32 He suffered Satan to tempt Paul and gave him up to his buffetings which yet is the Greatest Evil in the world next to sin the Greatest penal Evil in the world And all to prevent sin as the Apostle himself saith 2 Cor. 12.7 God sent a Messenger of Satan to buffet him And what was the reason why it was to prevent sin Lest he should be exalted above measure that is left he should be proud And as he useth all other Evils for Prevention So 2. For the cure of sin And you know no Medicine can be so bad as is this Disease Now all other Evils God hath laid upon his people for the cure of sin or for the recovery of them out of the state of sin And to speak as much as I can at once There is not so much evil in the Damnation of a Thousand worlds of men for sin As there is evil in the Least sin the least sinful thought that riseth upon your spirits inasmuch as the good of these falls short of the good and glory of God Thus you see by Collation and Comparison of this Evil with others in which I might much more inlarge my self that Of all Evils Sin is the greatest Evil We will now come to 2. The Demonstration of the Point 2. Demonstrations 1. Demonstration 1. That which fighteth against and opposeth the greatest Good 1. Demonstration or Reason Sin opposeth the greatest good 1. God must needs be the greatest Evil But now Sin opposeth and fighteth against the greatest Good Hence a Father calls sin Dei-cidium God-slaughter that which strikes against the Being and Essence of God that which were it strong enough were it Infinitely evil as God is Infinitely good would labor to Un-Be God God is Summum Bonum and indeed Non datur Summum Malum sin cannot be infinite If Sin were as evil as God is good that is Adequately and Proportionably if Infinitely evil as God is good sin would be Too hard for God to pardon it would be Too hard for God to subdue Too hard for God to Conquer Sin would endeavor to conquer God Indeed there is more evil in the least sin than there is good in any nay all the Angels of Heaven and therefore you see it conquered them spoiled all their goodness made them Devils which it could not have done if the good in them had been greater than the Evil in sin And though it be not able to conquer God to overcome him there is more goodness in God than Evil in Ten Thousand Hells of sin and so it cannot overcome the power of God the mercy of God the holiness of God yet it fights against God and makes party against him every day It musters up all its strength against God and comes into open field to Bid Defiance against him every day Nay when it is beaten out of the open field by the power of God and his Ordinances then it hath strong Holds as the Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 10.4 and from thence fights against him and opposeth him there it lusts against him it wills against him the heart riseth against him When sin is beaten out of the field yet a long time it will be before it be beaten out of strong Holds When sin in Practise is overcome and conquered yet sin in Affection is hard to be overcome That Contrariety that is between God and your Heart is hard to be conquered It will cost you many a battel many an assault before you can conquer sin in its strong Holds overcome sin in the Heart Though sometimes it may seem to be overcome and to render up all yet afterwards it gathers together again and will make new and fresh assaults upon you to weaken and to wound you Nay and herein lies the Malignity the poysonous and venemous nature of sin that though God hath conquered it though it be never so weakned yet will it act against God spit its venome still An Emblem of it you have in the Thief upon the Cross that when he was nailed upon the Cross his hands and feet made fast and had but one member loose yet that one member could spit its venome at Christ revile Christ so though God hath crucified sin yet so long as there is any life in it it will act it self and spit venome against God which shews that Great Contrariety betwixt God and sin And this Contrariety and Opposition of the Chiefest Good must needs shew sin to be the Greatest Evil. 2. Demonstration â— Demonst sin universally evil All evil 2. That which is Universally Evil all Evil
that Act of his patience no less than his power Now I beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken The Lord is long-suffering c. where you see he makes his patience his power And so it is indeed if you consider what sin is Shall I say no more of it than this which God saith Levit. 26.21 It is contrary to God 1 It is contrary to the works of God 1 Sin contrary to Gods works As soon as God set up and perfected the frame of the world sin gave a shrewd shake to all it unpin'd this frame and had like to have pull'd all in pieces again And had it not been for the promise of Christ all this frame had fallen in pieces again If a man should come into a curious Artificers shop and should with one blow dash in pieces a Piece of Art which cost him many years study and pains the contriving of it How could he bear with it Thus sin did and yet that God should forbear Oh! Omnipotent patience 2. But yet further It is Contrary to Gods nature 2 Sin contrary to Gods Nature God is holy sin unholy God is pure sin is filthy and therefore compar'd still to the most filthiest things in the world to the Poyson of Aspes to Ulcers Soars c. If all the Noysom Pollutions in the world met in one common Stuk it would never equal the Pollution of sin God is good perfect Good Sin is evil universally evil There is good in all other things Plague Sickness Hell it self in a kinde hath a good in it None in sin Sin is the Practical-blasphemy of all the name of God It is the Dare of his Justice the Rape of his Mercy the Jeer of his Patience the Slight of his Power the Contempt of his Love It is every way contrary to God 3. It is contrary to the will of God God bids us Do this 3 Sin contrary to the will of God Sin saith I will not do it Sanctifie my Sabbath I will not sanctifie it Here is Contradiction And who can endure Contradiction It is set down as a great piece of Christs sufferings Heb. 12.3 That he indured the contradiction of sinners against himself certainly it was a great suffering How can a Wiseman indure to be contradicted by a fool And here that Christ who was The Wisdom of the Father should bear with such contradiction from fools here vvas a great piece of Suffering Now sin is a contradiction of God Sets Will against Wisdom and the Hell of a wicked Will against an Heaven of Infinite Wisdom And that God should bear vvith such sinners here is a Wonder You knovv in all the Creatures Contrariety makes all the Combustion It makes all the War in nature it causeth one Element to fight against another Fire against Water Water against Fire It will make very Stones to sweat and burst asunder Travel through the vvhole Creation and you shall not see Any Creature that can bear vvith its Contrary And that God and Sin should be Contrary and yet the Sinner live in the World Here is a Wonder a VVonder of Patience 2 Admire Gods mercy in pardoning sin 2. Is sin so Great an Evil Let us then fall down and Admire the greatness of Gods mercy in pardoning sin You see how the Prophet cryes out and Admires Mic. 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee That pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the Transgressions of the remnant of his heritage It is one of the Greatest works that God doth in the world To pardon sin A work in which he declares All his glorious Attributes His Wisdom his Power his Justice his Mercy his Holiness c. in pardoning sin Men that have cheap and slight thoughts of Gods Pardoning-Mercy have thereby an evident sign They never had a pardon never knew what it was indeed To have a pardon If ever any work in the world did put God to it then this of the Pardon of sin And if ever God do intend thee any good he will instruct thee and rectifie thy judgement in this Touching the Pardon of sin Therefore doth God humble men at their Bringing-in To raise up their esteem of a pardon To advance the greatness of his own Mercy in Pardoning sin And indeed we should not need such great Preparations and Humiliations in coming to Christ if we had but Greater thoughts of the Pardon of sin Men make no more of a Pardon than to Cry God Mercy Swear an oath and then say God forgive me Or say Lord have mercy on me when I dye It was said of Lewis the 11. King of France that He wore a Crucifix in his hat and when he had sinned he would but kiss his Crucifix and then all was done And so the Papists make it no more but a Crucifix and a Confession Ah! my Brethren if ever God mean good to you he will make you Know what a Pardon is Isa 55.7 when God would draw men up to Shew them a Pardon he calls them Above all the World My thoughts are not as your thoughts nor your ways my ways saith the Lord. If they were then I could not multiply Pardons But as the Heavens are higher than earth so are my thoughts above your thoughts and my ways above your ways I am infinite If Gods Creating-mercy were so great as David vvith doubled Admiration sets it out Psal 8.1 and the last verses O Lord our Lord how wonderful is thy Name in all the world who hast set thy Glory above the Heavens What is then his Pardoning Mercy 3. Lastly Is sin so Great an Evil Then see What cause we have to humble our souls before God this day That vve have had such slight thoughts of sin vvho hath thus judged sin to be the Greatest of all Evils What slight thoughts have vve of sin vve can svvallovv it vvithout fear vve can live in it vvithout sense vve can commit it vvithout remorse All vvhich shevvâ— vve have but slight thoughts of sin vve do not apprehend sin to be such an evil as indeed it is Nay Hovv faulty are Gods people themselves here What mean thoughts have they of sin They are not so watchful against it not so Burdened vvith it not so troubled for it as they ought to be All vvhich shevvs that though sin do appear to them to be A great Evil and The Greatest of all other Evils yet they do not apprehend it to be so Great an Evil as it is Now that you may be able to have some suitable conceptions of sin to the greatness of it that you may be able to see sin exceeding sinful I will briefly present it to you in these Six Glasses 1. Look upon it In the Glass of Nature which though it be but a Dim-Glass a Blown-Glass Sin hath dimmed it yet is this able to discover a great deal of the evil of sin The very Heathen themselves have seen and judged many
Peculiar Pure-Mercy a mercy that came from the Bowels of mercy the Heart of Mercy 3. This is the Freest Mercy of all other Pardon of sin 1. There was nothing to ingage God to do it 2. Nor was there any thing we could do to purchase it All our Prayers our Tears our Services could not purchase the Pardon of one sin If for the Active Part we could do as much and for the Passive part we could suffer as much as all the Saints put together have done from the beginning of the world to this day If we should weep as many Tears as the Sea holds drops if we should humble our selves as many days as the world hath stood minutes from the creation c. All this were Too short to purchase us the Pardon of one sin though vve did all vvithout sin But Alas All that ever vve can do is so far from striking off any Former score that we do but set our selves further in debt thereby So far are we from purchasing a Pardon that we do but increase our Treason Operamur non in justificationem sed ex justificatione we must not work that we may be justified but we are justified that we may work So that it is the Freest-Mercy And therefore in Scripture you read it all attributed to Grace Tit. 3.7 We are justified freely by his Grace Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his Grace Rom. 4.5 God justifies the ungodly There is no motive in us All is from God And you shall see it plain one place for two In Isa 43. Verse 23 24 25. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money nor hast thou made me drink with the fat of thy Sacrifices But thou hast made me serve with thy sins thou hast wearied me with thy iniquities I I am he that putteth away thy iniquities for my own names sake and will not remember thy sins Would a man have expected this this sheweth freeness when not onely no deservings as it is v. 23. and former part of v. 24. Thou hast not c. but contrary deservings Thou hast wearied mee with thine iniquities Oh infinite oh freest mercy God is mercifull only because hee will bee mercifull 4 It is an Intituling Mercy A Mercy that Intitles you to more Good than I am able to express or you able to conceive It is a Mercy that doth interest you in all other Mercies It Intitles you to all the Good on Earth to All the glory of Heaven Nay it is a Mercy-making-Mercy A mercy that makes all other things Mercy to you 1. Good things are mercies Your Riches your Greatness your Possessions your Husbands your Wives Children c. all these things are no Blessings till they be joyned with a Pardon and that makes them all blessings Nay not onely Good things But 2. Evil things are Mercies to you Pardon of sin makes Poverty Afflictions Sickness Death it self a Mercy Like the Unicorns horn it takes away the venome and poyson of every Water Like the Philosophers-stone it turns All into Gold So saith the Apostle All things work together for good unto them that love God A Sanctified-Cross is better than an Unsanctified Comfort A loss in Mercy is better than an enjoyment in Wrath. You are never able to make it good that God doth bestow any thing in mercy till sin be forgiven Guilt of sin upon you doth turn the nature of things and makes those things which are good in themselves evil to you 5. It is an irrevocable-mercy God may give in other mercies and call for them again Indeed other things are rather lent than given Lent Husband Lent Wife c. Hence they are said to be but Talents in our hands and we Stewards of them for a time God may call for them when he pleaseth or we may forfeit them and lose them How often do we forfeit and lose good things because of our unworthy walking in the enjoyment thereof Hos 2.8 9 I will take away my corn in the time thereof my wine and my flax in their season Mine It was Gods And would you know the reason see in the former verse Because they did not acknowledge him as the giver of them but bestowed them on Baal as though he had given them But now this Mercy is an irrevocable Mercy A mercy that God never recals A Mercy God never repents of The gifts and graces of God are without repentance And it is a Mercy never forfeited We may forfeit the sense of a pardon we may forfeit the comfort of a pardon nay we may forfeit the knowledge of a pardon I say you may sin away the sense the comfort the knowledge of a pardon as it was with David But we shall never forfeit a pardon Quod Scripsi Scripsi If all this foreseen could not hinder God from giving out a pardon neither can it make God repent of a pardon when he hath given it Now the Stability of the Mercy is that which addes a great deal of worth to the Mercy As things that are Evil so much more things that are good are heightned from the consideration of the continuance of them the Stability and Lastingness of them Now this is a Stable Mercy Take but one Place Isa 54.8 9 10 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth So have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee Yet further For the mountains shall depart and the hills shall be removed but my kindeness shall never depart from thee nor shall the Covenant of my peace be removed This is the difference betwixt the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace The one is Temporary the other is Eternal It is a Temporary Covenant though an Eternal Rule The other is Eternal and Immutable 6. Pardon of sin is an Universal Mercy the Womb of Mercy a Productive-Mercy all other mercies grow upon this Tree of Forgiveness of sin It is a Tree the Root whereof is in Christ and the Fruit thereof are All good things on Earth and Glory in Heaven There are Seven glorious Fruits of Pardon of sin which I will but name and so come to the Last Use 1. Reconciliation with God 2 Cor. 5.19 Admission into his favour He who before was an Enemy is now become thy Friend for nothing makes God an Enemy but sin And such a Friend he is who will be a Friend in life a friend in Death when all other Friends forsake and a Friend after death 2. Adoption of Children which followeth upon our pardon in justification 3. Access to God as to a Father with childe-like boldness Sin was that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that great Gulf betwixt God and us Sin the Partition-wall betwixt God and us now sin being pardoned this Partition-wall is taken down and there is Access to God and Access with boldness 4. Acceptation of our Services Till sin be pardoned
is no Grace in Christ appertaining to our sanctification in general which is not in some weak degree fashioned in us And hence the work of Grace and Regeneration is called a forming of Christ in the soul And whiles wee behold him wee are said to bee changed into his likenesse 2 Cor. 3.18 And wee are said to have the same Spirit in us that is in Christ Rom. 8.9 If any man have not the Spirit of Christ hee is none of his And the same Mind is in us that is in Christ Phil. 2.6 There is a bastardly holiness a painted false beauty which is spun out of our selves wrought out of our own Principles with which wee shall lye down with sorrow at last Sparkles of our own kindling But the true holinesse flows from Christ and is imparted from Christ to his Church whereby shee is beautifull with his beauties adorned with his Graces And being thus the Heart of Jesus Christ must needs bee taken with her Thus you see the second Reason why the Heart of Christ is so much taken Because shee is adorned with his Beauties cloathed with his Righteousness adorned and beautified with his Graces which ingageth the Heart of Jesus Christ Hee that loved us in our own blood cannot chuse but love us as wee have his beauty put upon us hee cannot but love himself and delight in himself where-ever hee doth behold himself why these beauties are peeces of himself part of his beauty his rayes wherewith hee himself is adorned And hee cannot look upon any soul cloathed with his Righteousness and beautified with his Graces but his heart is exceedingly taken with them Cant. 6.4 5. Turn away thine eyes from mee for they have overcome mee Christ seems as not able to bear the view of such a beauty Turn away thine eyes c. 2. Because they are the persons upon whom God intended to advance the great design of glorifying the Riches and Freeness of his Grace and Mercy Now those whom God hath intended for so great purposes as these are which are the greatest Purposes that ever came upon his heart his heart must needs bee taken withall You know the more glorious and excellent the End to which any thing serves the more precious is that thing in our eyes Now wee serve for no other End but the expression of his Mercy the advancement of the Glory of his Free-Grace which are Ends as high as himself Purposes as great as himself And therefore God is not only taken with the expression of it but with the persons upon whom hee doth expresse it Therefore I say is the Heart of God so exceedingly taken with his Church Indeed God may single out some men for the purposes of expressing the glory of his Power and Justice the advancement of them and yet God hate the men as you see it plain in Pharaoh who for this cause was set up to advance his Power But God never singled out any to bee the subjects on whom hee doth intend to advance the Riches of his Grace and Mercy but his Heart is exceedingly taken with them Those who serve to such high purposes as these and are designed to such high ends as these The advancement of the Glory of his Grace and Free-Mercy which is the most precious attribute of God and which some think is called his Glory Exod. 33.18 Let mee see thy Glory and if the 19. verse may interpret it that Glory was his Mercy and his Mercy his Glory and therefore such must needs bee precious in his esteem Now his People are they whom God hath singled out for these great purposes for the Expression of more Mercy than wee can express nay than wee can conceive nay than wee can beleeve at all times but weakly at best And therefore the Heart of Jesus Christ must needs bee taken with them My Brethren If God had not singled out some to express himself thus upon God had not been known in the World for there is nothing so much reveals God to bee God as his Mercy and Grace And therefore God singled out a few upon whom hee would advance the riches of his Grace that his Mercy and in that himself might bee made known in the World As Paul saith of himself 1 Tim. 1.16 that hee obtained Mercy that hee might stand up a Pattern of all long-suffering As if hee had said Wee should not have known how patient God is wee should not have apprehended how long-suffering God is to sinners if hee had not had such an example of patience such a pattern of all long-suffering as I was So wee should not have known how Mercifull how Good God is if the choicest attribute of God had been lost to us like as if a great River had run under ground not discerned if God had not singled out some upon whom hee might have expressed the Riches of his Mercy And those whom God doth intend to bee the subjects upon whom hee may advance so high designs so great purposes must needs bee exceeding precious to him My Brethren you that are the People of God are such as hee hath intended to advance his Mercy and Glory of Free-Grace upon You are they hee sent Christ to dye for the greatest work that ever was wrought in the World You are they whom hee reared the fabrick of Heaven for You are they in whom hee intends to delight and with whom hee will solace himself for ever And God looks upon us now not as wee are but what he intends to make us Hee sees to the utmost of his design on you to eternity and loves you now with that love If God should look upon us as wee are hee might see enough in us to withdraw his heart from us or if not yet enough to cool and quench his affections towards us being there is so much blacknesse with our beauty so much deformity with our comlinesse so much corruption with our Graces Nay so much blacknesse and so little beauty and so much corruption and so little Grace But hee looks upon us not as wee are in our selves but as wee are in Christ and not what wee are for present but what hee intends to make us in Christ Hee looks to the end of his design even to that which hee hath designed us to When wee shall bee presented without spot or wrinkle or any such thing holy and without blemish Ephes 5.27 When wee shall bee satisfied with his likeness Psal 17.15 When wee shall bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like to the Angels nay like unto God Glorious with his Glory as now Gracious with his Grace And therefore God having intended us to such high purposes and looking upon us for present what hee purposes to make us and what hee hath designed us to needs must the Heart of Jesus Christ bee taken with us Thus having shewed you what it is to have the Heart of Christ taken with the Church and proved unto you that the Heart of Christ is
In the Act of prizing Christ that wee do not mean a bare and naked Estimate of Christ in the Understanding but such an one as prevails with the soul and commands the spirit of a man to do actions consonant and agreeable to that rate the Judgement set on Christ I say by prizing of Christ wee do not mean a bare acts of Dijudication what a man in his Judgement may conclude Christ to bee worth Many bee that will tell you they conclude Christ to bee worth a World who yet will not part with any thing for Christ. But I mean such an act of the understanding as brings up the Heart and the affections to close with Christ in that height which the Understanding rates him at I say such an Act of Appretiation as prevails with a man to do actions consonant and agreeable to the rate it pretends to set on Christ As you see the wise Merchant Hee did not barely judge that the Pearl was worth all hee had but hee did Actions consonant and agreeable to it Seeing hee could not injoy the Pearl without parting withall hee had to compass it hee sells all to compass the Pearl That is the first A soul taken with Christ doth not only barely judge and esteem Christ worth all but will part with all for the compassing of Christ 2. Here is something considerable in the Object Christ prized 1. Wee do not restrain and limit this only to the Person of Christ There is something in the Person of Christ which may prevail with an Unbeleever to esteem of him The dignity of his Person being God-Man having all beauties and excellencies in him This may raise up a kinde of esteem of Christ in the hearts of unbeleevers 2. Neither do wee limit it only to the Benefits of Christ and the great things which hee hath done for man in general in his humiliation death passion c. But wee are to take Christ in the extent of Christ Christ in his whole Latitude Christ in his Holiness Christ in his Laws Christ in his Government Christ in his Truth Totum Christi the whole of Christ Hee that prizeth not Christ in his whole latitude and extent doth not prize Christ at all as hee ought to do As wee say of Faith it doth not eligere Objectum it doth not chuse its Object single out what it will esteem and what not but prizeth of Christ fully in the latitude and extent of Christ of Christ in his Person Christ in his Beauties Christ in his Laws in his Holiness Truth Government And so highly that they sold themselves to gain a Truth lost themselves to save a Truth They have made this brave adventure thrown away themselves that they might keep up a Truth as you see it in Queen Maries daies in point of Transubstantiation So that is the second The soul taken with Christ is taken with All-Christ As all in him is lovely so the soul loves all and prizes and esteems of all of Christ 3. That which is considerable in the Measure is That a soul taken with Christ doth prize Christ above all comforts and contents in Heaven and Earth This Christ commands Mat. 16.24 If any man will come after mee let him deny himself If any It is set down indefinitly Not only you who are poor and have little to lose and deny your selves in but they who have most You that are rich you that have lands possessions have Crowns and Scepters If any poor any rich any beggar any Prince c. Hee must deny himself Not only in things unlawfull but lawfull Hee must yeeld up his sins as a snare his comforts estate and all as a Sacrifice for Christ if hee call for them Mat. 10.37 Hee that loves Father or Mother more than mee is not worthy of mee These relations are expressed but under these are comprized all the comforts and contents on earth And this was not only commanded but it is practised by those whose hearts are taken with Christ You see in Abraham who left all in Moses who prized more of the reproach of Christ than all the treasures in Egypt in David Psal 73.25 Whom have I in Heaven but thee or in Earth in comparison of thee As the World would bee nothing else but Angiae stabulum a noisome sink a prison to a godly man were it not that hee injoys something of Christ here So Heaven it self were but a gaudy Pageant Vanity if God and Christ were not there The Heaven which carnal men do fansy is a Turkish-Heaven an heaven of pleasures delights comforts but fleshly outward They conceive of it according to their Principle But the Heaven of a godly man it lies in God it lies in Christ Indeed That is not Heaven which is by God but that is Heaven which lies in God to a godly man It was the meditation of one Not Heaven O Lord but God Non coelum Domine sed Deus Christus and Christ Rather ten thousand times Christ without Heaven than Heaven without Christ Thus doth the soul that is taken with Christ prize Christ above all the comforts contentments of Heaven and Earth 6. Sign An heart taken with Christ the thoughts are taken up with Christ Such a man hee thinks Christ and hee speaks Christ hee lives Christ You know whatever a mans heart is taken with it is never off his thoughts never off his heart hee is never well but thinking and speaking of that hee loves The thoughts are the character of what the heart is taken withall If thy heart bee taken with Christ thy thoughts are taken up with him Christ is alwayes upon thy thoughts hee lies next to thy heart when thou goest to bed hee is with thee Cant. 1.13 and when thou awakest hee is with thee as David saith Psal 139.18 Indeed Gods people may have swarms of other thoughts but they are not entertained they are not welcome to them they are their burden and trouble They come in as Intruders and are not entertained as Guests A wicked man entertains them as Guests as friends but they come into a godly man as intruders never invited nor finde they welcome This is that Jeremiah speaks Jer. 4.14 How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee in a wicked mans heart they are Lodgers and entertained as Guests hee keeps doors open spreads a Table for them makes them a bed bids them welcome But in a godly man they crowd in and finde no entertainment And as the Thoughts are taken up with Christ so the Tongue Hee thinks and hee speaks Christ When Christ is in the heart the tongue will discourse and speak of him Whatever is in the heart and the heart is taken withall that a mans discourse is most taken up withall As Psal 37.30 The mouth of the Righteous speaketh wisdome and his Tongue talketh of Judgement And why because the Law of his God is in his heart vers 31. So here on the same ground Thy talk
shall bee of Christ of his beauties his love c. because Christ is in thy heart What the heart is taken withall the Tongue will discourse on 1. And indeed wee cannot have a fuller Subject to discourse on Other Subjects they are empty subjects quickly barren Talk of what you will you will bee quickly at an end The bottome of other things are quickly sounded But Christ is a full Subject Whatever you fall upon is fulness in Christ An everlasting spring which affordeth fresh supplies of matter New and unconceiveable discoveries do arise afresh to bee matter of supply to all eternity 2. You cannot have a sweeter subject Christ is All-sweet A Rose without prickles A Rose for sweetness without prickles for content And nothing is so but Christ All the things of the world since the fall have been Roses beset with thorns Though there bee many sweets in the World yet they are not all-sweet they are beset with thorns crosses with comforts and afflictions with affections Christ is All-sweet and nothing but sweet Tota pulchra as hee said of his Spouse Thou art all-fair Beauty without spot Sweet without prickles Hee is a Garden full of flowers full of sweets You can light of none but you may lade your thighs and go home satisfied 3. You cannot have a more delightfull subject Christ is the delight of all both in Heaven and Earth Hee is Gods delight his heart is taken with him hee lies in his bosome And his Son in whom hee is wel pleased hee is the delight of the Angels whose delight it is to study Christ and desire to learn and hear further discoveries of Christ by his Church as Peter hath it 1 Pet. 1.12 4. You cannot have a more profitable subject A subject which in conversing upon wee are transformed into his Glory 2 Cor. 3.18 into the glory of him who is the subject of the discourse Have you not been kindled with heavenly fire have not your hearts burned in the converses of him as well as in the converses with him Indeed wee cannot converse of him aright but in some measure wee converse with him Doth it not sometimes fetch up your souls to glory and leave you in Heaven Do you not finde it profitable to quicken you to raise you to comfort you to inflame you to humble you to melt you to transform you Doth not a discourse of his love quicken you when you are dead comfort you when you are dejected raise you when faln humble you when proud inflame you when cold Inlarge you when straitned and pent within your selves Oh! That such worthless subjects should so often take up our Tongues and Thoughts And Christ so full so sweet so delightfull so profitable a subject which shall bee matter for our souls discourse to all Eternity shall bee thrown aside as if not worth taking up You whose hearts are taken with Christ declare it to your own comfort and the good of others In this let your thoughts bee taken up with him let your discourses bee more of him shew your selves to love him by thinking Christ speaking Christ living Christ more 6. Sign An heart taken with Christ thirsts after communion with and nearer conjunction to Christ You know whatever your hearts are taken withall you desire and thirst after communion and converses withall So it is here betwixt Christ and the soul The soul taken with Christ longs to bee with him and thirsts after communion with him 1. In Grace here 2. In Glory hereafter 1. In Grace here Oh! How the soul once taken with Christ desires converses with him in prayer in hearing in meditation Isa 26.8 9. The desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee With my soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within mee will I seek thee early And this is the Genius of a soul taken with Christ that duty doth not content him if hee finde not Christ in duty If the end of a duty have left him on this side Christ it hath left him so far short of comfort Others indeed though they do a duty yet as their hearts seek not Christ in the duty so their souls can rest content without him when the duty is done but it is otherwise with a right-born-soul 'T was the speech of Bradford that hee could never leave a duty till hee had found communion with Christ in the duty till hee had brought his heart into a duty-frame Hee could not leave confession till hee had found his heart touched broken and humbled for sin nor Petition till hee had found his heart taken with the beauties of the things desired and carried out after them nor could hee leave thanksgiving till hee had found his spirit inlarged and his soul quickened in the return of praises And it was the happiness of Bernard a Heaven upon Earth that hee saith of himself I never went from thee without thee Nunquam abs te absque te recedo Coelum extra Coelum Hee found God in every duty hee had communion with God in every prayer which indeed is Heaven on this side Heaven Thus hee whose heart is taken with Christ thirsts after communion with him and no duty contents him wherein hee hath not found either his quickening or his comforting-presence either communion with his Grace or communion with his comfort 2. As hee thirsts after communion with him here in Grace so doth hee desire communion with him in Glory To bee with the Lord as the Apostle Whiles the soul is here it sees the distance too great betwixt Christ and it that shee cannot injoy that sweet communion with him As the Apostle saith Whiles wee are present in the flesh wee are absent from the Lord. And therefore the soul breaths after him desires to bee with him Cupio dissolvi saith the Apostle I desire to bee dissolved and to bee with Christ The like of David Psal 42.1 2. As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God My soul thirsteth for God for the living God When shall I come and appear before God! Hee had tasted the sweetness of Christ and did not fear the bitterness of death Vitam in Patientia mortem in Desiderio Hee had Life in Patience Death in Desire because by death hee should bee carried to more sweet and intimate conjunction with Christ It was the speech of Augustine Lord I will dye that I may injoy thee Eja Domine mortar ut te videam nolo vivere Volo mori I will not live but I will dye I desire to dye that I may see Christ and refuse to live that I may live with Christ And this disposition you see in the Spouse here Her heart being taken with Christ shee could not brook the distance betwixt Christ and her and therefore cryes out Cant. 8.1 Make haste make haste my beloved Though in one sense it is true hee that beleeves makes not haste
yet here hee that beleeves most and loves most makes most haste The more the soul beleeves and the more the heart is taken with Christ the greater are the desires to bee with him Till Simeon had gotten Christ into his armes hee was unwilling to dye but after hee had Christ in his armes Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for my eyes have seen thy salvation Indeed here are but the Espousals between Christ and the soul Some Broken-Rings Contracts Espousals betwixt Christ and us But then is the great Marriage-day the Solemnization of our Nuptials to all eternity Here wee do see him but dimly and darkly at the best and there are oftentimes clouds come in and interpose themselves between Christ and us but then wee shall see him face to face and never shall there cloud come between Christ and us to all eternity There wee shall see him in his Glory his full discoveries Here wee injoy him but in part The distance is great betwixt him and us All which distance doth arise from that within us Were it not for sin wee might bee in Glory even in Grace But then wee shall injoy him in fulness Heaven is the place which God hath intended to set forth himself to his People in his Glory to all eternity Where there shall bee no fears no sin never smoak of distrustfull thoughts shall arise more Where there shall bee no sorrow no tears All sighing and sobbing shall pass away and nothing but joy shall keep the house Wee are now the Sons of God But it doth not yet appear what wee shall bee for wee shall see him as hee is 7. Sign A heart taken with Christ thinks nothing too much to do nothing â—â—o much to suffer for Christ You know Love cannot bee posed Wee say there is no difficultie in Love Things impossible to others are easie to them who love And things burthensome to others delightfull to them who love If once thy heart bee taken with Christ thou wilt think nothing too much to do nothing too much to suffer for him As Christ thought nothing too much for us because his heart was taken with us neither shall wee think any thing too much for Christ Wee read how prodigal the Saints have been of their Riches their Blood their Lives for Christ because they loved him 1. They have not accounted their estates too dear for him Heb. 10.34 They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods 2. They have not accounted their lives too dear Rev. 12.11 They loved not their lives to death for him If they must dig in Mines or be cast to bee devoured by Wild-Beasts for Christ as it was the usual sentence of Christians Christiani ad nâ— talla ad Ecstias in the primitive times they were willing to do and suffer it See this in the Virgin of whom Basil speaks who was condemned to death because shee would not worship Idols And the like of old Polycarp and others This is certain A soul taken with Christ knows no difficulty in its love It loves him with an unlimited an uncircumscribed love which no duty no difficulty can pose 8. Sign A heart taken with Christ is exceedingly cast down with the withdrawings and absence of Christ The comforts of the soul are laid up in Christ and when hee is gone all is gone Comfort gone Joy gone the Heart gone with him As Mephibosheth said Take all now my Lord is come back so the soul saith Take all take the World take Riches take Heaven and Glory so far as Heaven and thou are two things That my Lord may return with my soul Datkness is terrible to the soul and this is thick darkness and therefore saith with Absolom let mee see his face mea non prosunt sine te nothing besides thee can either satisfie or profit mee 9. Sign A heart taken with Christ is fully content and satisfied with the injoyments and possession of Christ The possession of the thing beloved doth content the soul so far as there is satisfaction and contentment with it The reason why wee do not meet with full contentments and satisfactions here in the possession or our loves is because they want of fulness But now it is not so with Christ Hee is able to brim the soul to satisfie the spirit to answer all the desires of the heart and therefore the heart taken with him needs must rest satisfied and contented with him Such a gulf of desire is in the soul of men that if God should cast in a thousand worlds there would bee no contentment except Christ bee cast in And Christ is so full contentment that if God bestow him they will neither need nor desire any more And thus much shall serve for the use of tryal wee will now come to an use of Exhortation and conclude this Use of Exhortation 1. To them of his Church 2. To them who are not of the Church 1. To them of his Church Is it so that the heart of Christ is so much taken with his Church and People 1. Direction to them of the Church 1. Walk suitably to this love Dignities and suitable walkings to dignities must go together Now this suitable walking wee will express in these five things 1. Walk chearfully 2. Walk thankfully 3. Walk humbly 4. Walk watchfully 5. Walk obediently 1. Walk chearfully Walk as Heirs of such a Mercy Here is a truth speaks comfort when all the world speaks nothing but terrour 2. Direction to them of the Church 2. Beware of abusing this love Precious things are committed to us by a word of Caution This is a precious Truth and therefore let mee adde to it this word of Caution Beware of abusing this Love of Christ Christs Love are his bowels and hee will never indure to have his bowels injured his love abused You know a man will not have his Love injured the abuse of his power of his wisdome greatness doth not touch a man so nearly as the abuse of his Love This is an injury men cannot indure So to speak after the manner of men Christ can least indure his Love should bee abused There is no abuse like it Therefore beware of it Now this Love of Christ is injured these wayes and beware 1. When wee slight the intreaties reject the tenders cast aside the offers and beseeches of his Love When love stoops to you when the mercy and goodness of Christ doth as it were come on its knees to you and intreats you to do this or not to do that And yet you will stop your ears pull back your shoulder slight the intreaties This is an abuse 2. When the Love of Christ doth slacken our hearts to duty loosen our ingagements makes us more remiss to or in service This is to abuse his Love Wee should reason from Mercy to Duty and not from Mercy to Liberty Abundance of Grace calls in for abundance of Duty The Love of Christ should constrain us as
indeed there had been any thing in us which should have been the ground of the performance of this Promise to us wee had been lost long ago If God had put us upon the condition of Obedience and had given us Grace as hee did Adam yet the Law is strict requiring an exact Personal Universal and constant obedience And every failing would have lost us undone us for ever But now When our Righteousness is in Christ A Righteousness not wrought by us but wrought by Christ himself And freely given to us upon the alone condition of Faith This makes our condition sure 3. That the Promise might bee to all the seed not to them of the Law only but to them who were strangers to the Law of God God had made a promise to bee the Father of Abraham and of his seed Now this Promise could not have belonged unto us If God had not provided a way that wee might bee of his seed Now according to the flesh this was impossible That wee should bee of Abrahams seed and therefore by consequence wee could have had no interest in this Promise And therefore God hath made Faith to bee that Grace which makes us spiritually to bee the Seed of Abraham that so the Promise might belong to us If God had made the Law the condition of the Promise Or if hee had made the Law and Faith together yet then wee had never come to bee of Abrahams Seed Because wee were not under the Law But God having made Faith the Grace which doth make us the Children of Abraham Hence is the Promise to us as to his seed not to that part which is of the Law but to that part which is of the Faith of Abraham who is the Father of all that beleeve Though wee are never so far from the Law and the kindred of Abraham in the flesh yet God hath provided security for us that wee might bee his Children and bee inheritors in the Promise which is by Faith Therefore God chose Faith that the Promise might bee to all the Seed not to the flesh only for then wee should not bee of his seed but to the Spirit 4. The fourth Reason is Ephes 2.9 That no man might boast That is That no man might have cause to glory in himself or rejoyce in himself Now if it had been by any other way by any thing done by us wee should have gloried And therefore God chose this way that wee might glory alone in him 1 Cor. 1.30 31. That no flesh might glory in his presence Christ is made Wisdome Righteousnes Sanctification and Redemption that hee that glories might glory in the Lord Isa 45.24 25. In mee you shall have Righteousness and strength and in mee you shall glory God is exceeding chary of his Glory As in our Salvation hee aimed at the manifestation of his Glory So hee hath had care to bring it about in such a way wherein there may bee the Preservation of his Glory Now if God had pitcht it in any other way than in the way of Beleeving his Glory could not have been preserved wee would have been sharers with God wee should have divided the spoils of Glory with him And therefore God chose this which is A mean Grace in it self And so his Glory shall not bee obscured but more perspicuous as 1 Cor. 1. Nay such a Grace as doth throw a man out of himself empties a man of himself and casts him upon another It is such a Grace as makes the Soul all in another nothing in it self Rich in another poor in it self found in another lost in it self Saved by another damned by it self I live saith Paul yet not I but Christ in mee I live by the Faith of the Son of God or Faith in the Son of God Gal. 2.20 It is such a Grace as makes a man stand upon anothers bottom live by anothers life Rich by anothers riches cloathed by anothers Apparel fed by anothers meat A poor beggarly grace in it self And therefore God chose this It is such a Grace as gives God all the Glory As it was said of Abraham Hee gave glory to God by beleeving Rom. 4. Hee gave glory to his Truth to his Power to his Wisdome to his Mercy So this Grace in the Justification of a sinner it gives God all the glory it robs him not of any peece of Glory it gives him the glory of his Mercy of his Truth Hee that beleeves puts to his seal that God is true It sets up God makes him Alpha and Omega the beginner and finisher of all And therefore it being a Grace that honours God above all therefore God honours it above all other making it the Instrument of Justification And therefore my Brethren if ever you would have pardon from him give him the glory of his own Free-Grace Here is the controversie between God and man to this day God is willing to save us if wee will give him his Glory But our proud hearts will not yeeld to that That God should bee all in all Every man would willingly bee something in himself stand upon his own bottom God is willing to give us a Righteousness wrought out for us But wee would have a Righteousness of our own making Wee love the Spiders motto Mihi soli debeo To owe nothing to any but to our selves Wee are too like that proud Papist who said Hee would not have Heaven Gratis wee would merit it God is willing to give us objective worthiness worthiness in another in Christ But wee would have subjective worthiness A worth in our selves But this will not bee allowed God will have us poor in our selves empty in our selves cast out of our selves unbottomed of our selves Hee will have us poor and blind and naked before hee will bestow mercy on us God will not have us bring our penny to his purchase One dram to this fulness one shred to this garment of Christ. Hee will have it by Faith that so it might bee of Grace that not wee but hee might have all the Glory This is one Reason I am perswaded of the enlargement of our troubles of spirit and breakings Because wee will not let God be all in all wee will not let God have all the Glory Glad we should bee to bee sharers in our own Salvation Glad to do something We would have it of Debt not of Grace of Works not of Faith of Merit not of Mercy God would forgive us our debâ—s but wee would pay them wee are loath to bee proclaimed Banckrupts unable to pay God would willingly cloathe us but wee would make a garment of our own God would give us Heaven but wee would deserve it God would give us pardon upon beleeving that so wee might not glory in our selves but in him But wee would have it by way of working That all or at least something might bee attributed to our selves But you see God hath aimed at the Magnifying of his own Glory and
therefore hee hath chosen Faith to bee the Grace whereby wee should bee Justified And if ever you would bee justified if ever you would have Glory give him Glory 4. The fourth thing at first propounded to bee cleared was How Faith justifieth For the clearer answer whereto wee will lay down these two Distinctions 1 Faith may be considered 1. Either formally as an inherent Grace of God in us 2 Or instrumentally as that whereby wee receive Christ In the first sense it hath nothing to do with Justification The Papist because wee deny Faith to justifie in respect of its own worthiness say that we make it titulum sine re as it were a matter of nothing whereas in respect of Justification wee acknowledge it the only instrument and that is much to bee said of it 2 Faith is considered 1. Either absolutely as a Habit or Act of ours 2. Or Relatively as it hath relation to Christ and makes us one with him In the former sense again it hath nothing to do with Justification but in the second sense as it is related to Christ and brings us over to Christ so it is said to justifie us because it brings us to him by whom wee are justified Act. 13.39 By him speaking of Christ all that beleeve are justified by him but not by Faith absolutely but only as relating to him Indeed wee are said to live by Faith as well as by Christ Gal. 2.20 to have remission of sins by Faith Act. 10.43 as well as by Christ Ephes 1.7 to bee justified by Faith Rom. 3.28 as well as by Christ Isa 53.11 to have peace with God by Faith Rom. 5.1 as well as by Christ Col. 1.20 to bee sanctified by Faith Act. 15.9 as well as by Christ 1 Cor. 1.30 to overcome the World by Faith 1 John 5.4 5. as well as by Christ John 16.33 To bee the Sons of God by Faith Gal. 3.26 as well as by Christ Ephes 1.5 to have eternal life and to bee saved by Faith John 5.24 Ephes 2.8 as well as by Christ Math. 1.21 John 3.17 1 John 5.11 But now you must consider that none of these are spoken of Faith absolutely considered as either an Habit or Act of ours but only relatively as Faith brings us to Christ and makes us one with him by whom alone wee are justified adopted sanctified c. for between Christ and Faith there is such a Relation that as Justifying Faith is called the Faith of Christ or Faith in Christ or Faith in his blood so again the Righteousness of Christ by which wee are justified is called the Righteousness of Faith And so wee conclude this point that Faith doth not justifie as absolutely considered in it self but relatively as it hath relation to Christ the object and as it brings the soul over to him makes us one with him by whom wee are justified have remission of sins salvation c. 5 What are the Royalties and Priviledges of Faith First Royalty 1. Royalty of Faith It s an heart-clearing Grace 1. Faith is an heart-clearing Grace When wee are under the guilt of sin Faith doth justifie us And it is one of the Royalties of Faith one of the Peculiars of Faith that Faith alone doth justifie As the Apostle Rom. 3.28 Therefore wee conclude that a man is justified by Faith without the deeds of the Law And this Faith clears the heart of the guilt of sin 1. By procuring a sufficient Pay-master Christ who hath satisfied Gods Justice to the full answered all Bills Bonds paid our debt to the utmost farthing Hence John 16.10 I will send the Spirit and hee shall convince the World of Righteousness because I go to my Father and you shall see mee no more That is hee shall convince the World That Perfect Righteousness is wrought for them That Gods Justice is compleatly satisfied But how shall wee know that Because I go to my Father and you shall see mee no more That is you shall see mee no more in this kind you shall see mee no more to come to suffer or satisfy for sin for I have done that already I have compleatly satisfied Gods Justice for sin And therefore you shall see mee no more in this kind Indeed If Justice had not been compleatly satisfied If there had been but one sin upon the file unsatisfied for wee should have seen him again Heaven could not have held him But now seeing hee is gone and wee see him no more an humbled a suffering-Saviour this shews all is done To this I might adde Col. 2.14 Hee hath blotted out the hand writing of Ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and hath taken it out of the way and nailed it to his Cross where by hand-writing of Ordinances is not meant the Ceremonial-Law only but whatever did binde us over to the Curse whatever did binde us over to death All which Christ hath removed by his death And the Apostles Gradation is observable here In the 13th verse hee had set down that our sins were forgiven Yea but that is not enough may some say Though the debt bee discharged yet the writing is to shew No saith the Apostle The Hand-writing of Ordinances is blotted out But may some say again it is not so blotted out so defaced but it may bee read and put in suit again a new quarrel may arise No saith the Apostle It is taken away Oh! But you will say it is not so taken away but as it is laid aside for a time it may be produced hereafter No saith the Apostle there is no fear of that it is nailed to the Cross it is torn in peeces it shall never be seen again never shall a new quarrel arise for the same Christ hath not only paid the debt but canceld and torn in peeces whatever might witness or testifie against us If a Debtor did know his Debt were answered yet if hee have his Bonds and Bills uncall'd in hee is still in fear But when hee hath all things which acknowledged his debt crossed torn in peeces made utterly void then hee is safe hee knows there is a discharge Why Christ did not only discharge our debt but defaced and abolished all such things as made acknowledgement of our debt hee left nothing that might witness against us untaken away And this is the first way whereby Faith doth clear us viz. by producing and bringing forth Christ who hath cleared all who is called a Suerty Heb. 7.22 Not only in passing his word for us but paying the Debt for us answering all and cancelling all that was against us But Faith doth not clear us only by producing of a sufficient Pay-master but 2. By making us one with Christ by which this payment is ours is all for us So that wee may say with Ambrose Pro me natus pro me vixit pro me mortuus Faith will say hee was born for mee hee lived for mee hee dyed for mee for mee hee fulfilled all
Righteousness satisfying both Gods Commanding and his Condemning Justice doing my services bearing my scourges Hence hee is called Jehovah Tsidkenu The Lord our Righteousness by Faith having communion with this Righteousness as if it were our own a Righteousness wrought by us Hence Job 33.26 God shall render to man his Righteousness that is the Righteousness of Christ which is called ours by Faith and is as much ours to justifie and save us as His to glorifie him Hence the Apostle Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ that is to such as are Beleevers for they are all one And why no condemnation They are sinners as well as others It 's true they are And therefore the Apostle doth not say There is nothing worthy of condemnation in them But There is no condemnation Because Christ hath taken away the guilt and condemning power of sin hee hath answered all our debts canceld all Books satisfied for all our sins which did binde us over to condemnation and wrath of God So that wee may say There is no condemnation to such As for the Law it cannot condemn us because wee appeal from the law to the Gospel from the Court of Justice to the Court of Mercy So that the Law hath nothing to do with us And as for the Gospel that cannot condemn us because wee are Beleevers The Gospel doth not require what sinners wee have been what sins wee are guilty of but whether the appealer do beleeve whether wee bee Beleevers or no which being once cleared wee are justified You see this in the poor Publican Hee was dragged forth into the Court of Justice and was there cast Yet the sentence took no hold of him because of his appeal to the Throne of Grace the Court of Mercy where by Faith pleading nothing but Gods Mercy and his own misery God bee merciful to mee a sinner hee went away justified saith the Text Luk. 18.14 And this is the first Royalty of Faith It is an Heart-clearing-Grace which it doth by producing one who hath cleared all and by making us one with him in all hee hath done giving us an interest in all Second Royalty Second Royalty of Faith It s an Heart-cleansing-Grace 2. Faith is an Heart-cleansing-Grace An Heart-purifying and purging-Grace Hence Act. 15.9 it is said Their hearts were purified by Faith Faith opens a way for a stream of blood to run through the soul whereby the soul is washed not from the guilt of sin only but from the filth of sin also The Blood of Christ doth cleanse us from all sin not only from the guilt but from the filth of sin Hence the Apostle If the blood of Bulls and Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinkled upon the unclean did purifie the Flesh How much more shall the Blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself without spot purge and cleanse our Consciences from all dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9.13 14. And Faith doth cleanse the Heart 1. Argumentatively 2. Operatively 1. Argumentatively By way of Argument where in Faith takes up Arguments 1. From God 2. From our selves From God and that 1. From his Nature Hee is an holy God and therefore hee will have an holy People A pure God and therefore hee will have a pure People Hence Lev. 11.44 Ye shall be Holy for I am Holy I the Lord your God am Holy The like Lev. 19.2 And Peter urges the same 1 Pet. 1.15 16. As he which hath called you is Holy so be ye Holy in all manner of Conversation For it is written Bee yee Holy for I am Holy 2. From his Mercies 1. In Redeeming us 2. In calling us 3. In Justifying us 4. In promising to glorifie us 1. In Redeeming us Hath Christ dyed for mee and shall not I live to him Hath hee shed his Blood for mee that I should bee Holy and clean And shall I delight in uncleanness Pro me filius Dei jugulatus and filthiness was hee slain for mee and shall I delight in sin Hath hee suffered so much to purifie mee and shall I bee unclean still hath hee done so much to wash mee and shall I bee filthy stil 2. In calling us 1 Pet. 1 15 16. As hee which hath called you is Holy so bee you Holy in all manner of Conversation it is an holy Calling 2 Tim. 1.9 that calleth us to Holiness and Faith a purged ear that hearkeneth to that call 3. In Justifying us Hath hee freed mee from the damning Nature of sin and shall I delight in the defiling nature of sin hath he freed mee from the guilt of sin and shall I love the filth of sin Hath hee done so much to wash mee and shall I bee filthy still Hath hee suffered so much to purifie mee and shall I delight in uncleanness still Hath hee made mee a Member of Christ and shall I bee a filthy Member of so holy a Body Hath hee made mee a Branch and shall I be a polluted-Branch of so holy a Stock Hath hee lifted up the light of his Countenance on mee and shall I ever countenance sin hath hee smiled on mee and shall I ever smile upon sin 4. In Promises to glorifie us 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore such precious promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God As if hee had said Seeing God hath been so mercifull and gracious to us to make us precious Promises let this put us on self-purging and self-purifying Thou look'st for an holy-Heaven and wilt thou not bee holy Thou hopest for Salvation and wilt thou not purifie thy self Hee that hath this Hope purifies himself as God is Pure 1 Joh. 3.3 Thus doth Faith take up Arguments from God his Nature his Mercies 2. It takes Arguments from our selves 1. From the necessity of being cleansed 2. From the conveniency thereof 1 From the Necessity Because otherwise wee can have no assurance of Justification They who are freed from the guilt of sin are freed from the filth of sin They who partake of the Blood of Christ for pardon partake of the water of Christ to purge Christ came by Water and Blood They who will have him a Redeemer must have him also a Refiner to take away their Swiniâ—h nature to wash them inwardly not outwardly for so may a Swine bee 2. Because otherwise wee can never have Assurance of Salvation They who look for new Heavens must have new hearts They who look for Glory must have Grace First Grace then Glory For without Holiness no man can see the Lord. No unclean thing shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven hee that hath this hope will fit himself for the Place hee will labour to bee a pure person as hee desires to injoy a pure place Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God A pure God a pure Heaven a pure Place requires a pure
Being justified by Faith wee have Peace with God Rom. 15.13 Now the God of all hope fill you with joy and peace in beleeving An unbeleeving-heart is a stormy heart an unpeaceable-heart All things Above us Within us Quae supra nos Intra nos Infra nos Contra nos Below us are all against us whilst wee are Unbeleevers 1. Above us wee have an angry and displeased God 2. Within us wee have a stormy and troublesome Conscience threatning nothing but death like the troubled Sea casting up mire and dirt as Isaiah speaks Isa 57.20 There is no Peace saith my God to the wicked 3 Below us we have there all the Creatures our enemies ready upon Gods commission to execute his displeasure upon us But now being Beleevers all is at Peace 1. All above us is at Peace The Controversy betwixt God and us is ended Faith takes up the quarrel betwixt God and us Wee have Peace with God Rom. 5.1 2. All within us is at Peace A peaceable God makes all at Peace Tranquillus Deus Tranquillat omnia when once our Peace is made in the Court of Heaven which is upon the first act of beleeving Then follows Peace in the Court of Conscience Peace which passeth all understanding Phil. 4.7 Our rest is to behold God at rest our Peace is to see him at Peace Eum quierem aspicere Quâ—â— esceâ—e est 3. All below us are at Peace with us Wee have Peace with all the Creatures All are now our Friends Job 5.23 The stones of the Field shall bee at league with thee the Beasts of the Field shall bee at peace with thee c. Thou shalt know that Peace shall bee in thy Tabernacle Prov. 16.7 When a mans wayes please the Lord hee will make his enemies to bee at peace with him When before upon our Rebellion with God all the Creatures were our enemies now being reconciled all are made friends 1. Faith makes us the Servants to the God of Peace in whose service there is Peace Prov. 3.17 All his Paths are Peace Every step of Godliness hath Peace with it And the reward of whose service shall bee Peace Psal 29.11 The Lord will bless his people with Peace Psal 85.8 The Lord will speak Peace to his people at the last though they meet with much trouble for the present war within and war without war with lusts war with Satan yet the God of Peace shall tread down Satan under our feet at last and put an end to this war Rom. 16.20 They shall have a Peace in the Conclusion And a Peace after war is the surest and most setledst Peace Psal 37.37 Mark the upright man The end of that man is Peace Though there bee stormes and troubles in the way yet the end of the journey that shall bee Peace A calm after stormes and never shall there arise storme more to all Eternity 2. Faith makes us subjects to the Prince of Peace unto Christ who is called our Peace Ephes 2.14 And our Peace hee is 1. Not only meritoriously by shedding his Blood for the purchase of our Peace Col. 1.20 Christ is our Peace having made Peace through the Blood of his Cross So Isa 53. The chastisement of our Peace was upon him Or that chastisement which did meritoriously procure our Peace was upon him God directed all the war against him that wee might have Peace As Jonah was thrown into the Sea that the storm might cease so Christ upon the Cross into the Grave that God and wee might bee at peace together But Christ is not only our Peace thus meritoriously by procuring Peace for us But also â— Efficiently by working of Peace in us Christ hath not only wrought Peace for us but hee works Peace in us Pacifying our Consciences calming our stormy spirits setling and establishing his Peace in us Christ is called the Prince of Peace as the King is the Fountain of Honours and bestows them where hee will so Christ is of Peace and bestows it when and where hee pleaseth Wee read that Moses was a man of Peace but hee was not a Prince of Peace Hee could not bestow Peace hee could not instill peaceable and calm affections into the mutinous Israelites But Christ hee is not a man of Peace but King of Salem Prince of Peace who is able to bestow Peace who can calm the most stormy and troublesome spirits with as much ease as hee did the Winds and Waters which was but with a word Peace and bee still Now Faith makes us one with Christ who is the Prince of Peace Christ joyned God and us together and Faith joynes Christ and us together in whom wee have Peace John 16 33. â— In mee yee shall have Peace Faith makes us subjects to this Prince of Peace whose Kingdome and reign over his people doth not consist in meat and drink but in Righteousnesse and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost 3. Faith doth interest us into the Covenant of Peace and therefore being Beleevers wee must needs have Peace I say Faith doth interest us into the Covenant of Peace the Gospel of Peace the alone condition whereof is beleeving Whosoever beleeveth shall bee saved Time was that Hoc age do this was the condition of life do this and live So ran the old Covenant But now Crede Beleeve and bee saved The Law required works It 's called a Covenant of Works but the Gospel Faith It s a Covenant of Grace Made out of meer Grace and performed of meer Grace wherein God promiseth pardon of sins upon meer Mercy and Grace 4. Faith doth instate us into the conditions of Peace Faith gives us the grounds of Peace Justification Reconciliation with God pardon of sin and Sanctification of the whole man As there is no Peace where God is not propitious so there 's no Peace where the sinner is not sanctified A Beleeving heart is an holy heart and an holy heart is a peaceable heart Grace and Peace and Righteousnesse and Peace are still coupled together To shew that where there is no Grace there is no Peace and where there is Grace there is Peace though not ever in the Possession Gratia est bonum initiale Pax est bonum finale and sensible injoyment yet ever in the hope and assurance of the promise of Peace Grace is the root and Peace is the fruit A good Conscience is a continual Feast They who do the work of God shall have the Peace of God Gal. 6. They who walk according to this Rule Peace shall bee on them c. Hence the Psalmist Psal 119 165. Great Peace have they that love thy Law They which love the Law of God shall have the Peace of God Object But you will say Many have Peace who yet are not Beleevers Object And many are Beleevers and yet want Peace Therefore Peace is not a Fruit of Faith Ans Now to meet and to resist this Objection Answ which like a two-edged-sword
Parent The Master to the Servant The Servant to the Master c. Faith is the great Task-Master of the Soul But it is not like Pharaohs Task-Master to command burdens and afford no help To require the Tale of Brick and give no Straw This indeed the Law doth It is an hard Task-Master It commands but gives no ability Jubet fed non juvat Efficit quod imperat Jubet juvat But not so Faith It commands and laies in strength to do It gives what it commands by going over to Christ and fetching strength from him whereby the soul is inabled to obey what it is commanded It is said of Christ That His Government shall bee upon his shoulders Not only in his hand having a Scepter only to command but upon his shoulders wherein there is support to obey commands So it may bee said of Faith which governeth from Christ and by Christ Its Government is upon its shoulder inabling the soul to do what it commands 1. Faith begets Soul-inabling-Principles Principles in the soul suitable to the things commanded whereby a man is inabled to obey All strength for new Obedience ariseth from a new Nature And this new Nature is nothing else but that conformity to the Law of God whereby a man is not only able to obey but willing to obey when Principles are wrought in our hearts suitable to the Precepts when there is a Law within us answering to the Law without us It will be meat and drink it will be natural to obey it is not now hard to pray to clear The yoak is easy the burden is light These things are not tasks but delights not medicines but meat not physick but food Psal 40. I delight to do thy Will saith David and what was the ground Thy Law is in my heart There were Principles agreeable to the Precepts and that made him not only to obey but to obey with delight 2. Faith supplies a man with Soul-inabling-Strength from without Wee have need not only of preventing but assisting Grace not only of operative but cooperative strength not only of inherent but of assistant the continual succours aids and supplies of the Spirit of Christ And Faith doth supply the soul with strength from him without whom wee can do nothing and through whose might wee are inabled to do all things Faith laies in supplies of strength from Christ wherewith wee are inabled for any service It calls in for all the strength of Christ the aids of the Spirit whereby wee are strengthened 2. Faith doth furnish a man with Soul-inabling-considerations 1. From God the mercies of God the goodness and sweetness of God All which do incourage and inable the soul to obey A loving Master makes a diligent Servant A mercifull God a working Christian Nothing doth so prevail with the heart as love The Love of Christ constrains us When Faith shall discover to the heart what we were what we are what God might what God hath done with us it will break out with David with a Quid Retribuam c. What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits I will take the cup of Salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows c. Psal 116.12 This overcomes the Soul with Love That heart that is overcome with the sweetness of mercy is prepared to overcome any difficulty of service My heart is prepared my heart is prepared 2. From the work Faith furnishes a man with soul-inabling-considerations from the excellency of the imployments hee sees a peece of Heaven in tem hee sees these services full of beauty sweetness desireableness No service to the service of the King Oh! what then is the service of the King of Kings 3. From the rewards which God hath promised to obedience And these rewards Faith makes use of to quicken and stir up the soul to Obedience to bee spurs and incentives to us as they were to Moses who had an eye to the recompence of the Reward as they were to Christ himself who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross and despised the shame Heb. 12.2 and Heb. 11.26 All which have a mighty influence into the soul to inable and quicken it to Obedience 2. Faith inables the Soul to suffer Yea and to suffer the sufferings of the greatest magnitude You see Heb. 11. Through Faith they were stoned they were sawn asunder were slain with the sword 1. It puts the soul into a suffering frame It deadens a mans heart to the world mortifies a man to to the world and makes a man alive to God A man dead to the world doth not much care either to leave the world or any thing in the world now Faith deadens a mans heart to the World 1. Faith puts the Judgement into a right frame It makes the Judgement lightly to esteem of earthly and highly to esteem of Heavenly things lightly to esteem the favours and frowns of men highly to value the favour and fear the frowns of God 2. Faith prevails with the Will to chuse God above all and to part with all the leave all if they come in competition with God This Faith doth habitually in habituall preparations in the work of Grace when first the Will chuseth with Christ Thus Faith inables the soul to do actually when ever it is brought to tryall 3. Faith works upon the Affections to love God above all to delight in God to fear him c. A man who loues any thing chuseth any thing prizeth any thing above God is a man unfit for sufferings hee is not in a sufering frame If God and these things come in competition they with Demas will forsake God and cleave to the present world Men whose hearts are too much ingaged to the World whose affections are too much set upon the Creature men whose wills chuse any thing more than God whose Judgements do prize and esteem of any thing more than God to whom God is little and the world is great these men are unfit for tryals And therefore this is the first way whereby Faith doth inable the Soul by putting it into a suffering frame 2. Faith doth furnish the soul with suffering Resolutions A beleeving heart is a resolved heart Nothing causeth a suspension in the Will more than Unbeleef Hee that doubteth is like a wave of the Sea sometimes going this way and sometimes carried back again Whereas Faith doth resolve the heart makes the soul resolve as Peter but in a better strength I will dye rather than deny thee Faith doth cloathe the soul with suffering resolutions to go through a Sea through a Wilderness through the hottest Skirmishes the hardest Tryals for Christ You see it every where in Scripture In Michaiah in Jeremiah in the three Children in Daniel in the Apostles And to these I might adde many more As that of old Polycarp when hee was perswaded to deny Christ rather than to dye for Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
made the Spouse of Christ Christ doth en-noble his Spouse Christ doth adorn and beautifie his Spouse Ezek. 16.10 11 12 13. I cloathed thee with broidred work and shed thee and covered thee with silk I decked thee with Ornaments c. Wee shine with the beams of his Justice Holiness Riches Graces Christ is made to us Wisdome Justification Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 Of his fulness wee all have received and Grace for Grace Joh. 1.16 Nay 5. Faith makes us the Members of Christ who is such an Head as doth en-noble his Members Christ throws more Glory and Honour upon the meanest Member of his Body than all the World is able to make us heirs of It were better to bee the meanest Member of Christ than to have all the Glory of the World out of Christ better to bee the meanest twig in this Vine Meliùs non â—â—se quà m sine Christo esse than to bee the most glorious branch in the World out of Christ Better it is not to bee at all than not to bee in Christ 3. Faith puts us upon Soul-in-nobling imployments It puts a man upon Prayer Holy exercises Communion with God which are noble Imployments above the World Faith makes the soul live high above the World above the Earth Faith carries the soul to Heaven makes it live were it had its First breath and being makes our way to lye above our Conversation to bee in Heaven our joyes to bee there our affections there our hearts there By Faith Enoch walked with God hee conversed with God had to do with God daily the great God of Heaven and Earth daily in supplications and meditations and holy conversation All which are noble imployments The higher the person wee have to do withall the more noble are the imployments And they are such as do in-noble the Soul No man hath to do with God in any way but hee is in-nobled by it Moses face shone when hee had been conversing with God God doth shed Glory upon all those who have to do with him None have to do with a glorious God but are made glorious None with an Holy God but are made holy If you have to do with him in Prayer or any of his Ordinances hee sends you still better away 4. Faith doth intitle us unto a Soul-in-nobling Inheritance unto Heaven unto Glory It makes us not only Sons of God but Heirs Every Son is an Heir nay and a Joint-Heir with Christ unto that eternal inheritance of Glory Rom. 8.17 Hence the Apostle 1 Joh. 3.2 Now wee are the Sons of God but it doth not yet appear what wee shall bee but wee know when hee shall appear wee shall bee like him for wee shall see him as hee is Then when Christ who is our life shall appear wee shall also appear with him in Glory Col. 3.4 Wee shall bee Citizens of Heaven Faith doth intitle us to Crowns of Glory To that House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 To an inheritance incorruptible and that fadeth not reserved in Heaven for us 1 Pet. 1.5 To a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory 1 Cor. 4.17 Which Inheritance is so certain by Faith to Beleevers that the Apostle saith Wee sit together with him in heavenly places Ephes 2.6 wee sit now with him in respect of our Union by Faith and shall sit with him hereafter in our Communion with his Glory when wee shall bee invested with those Royal Robes of Glory Thus you see Faith is a Soul-in-nobling-Grace It makes God a Father Christ a Brother Angels fellow-servants Heaven our Inheritance It brings a man into a noble kindred a noble family the family of Heaven and makes all the family of Heaven our kindred It brings a man unto noble acquaintance puts a man upon noble imployments intitles a man unto a noble inheritance invests us with in-nobling Priviledges and begets us a noble spirit a spirit suitable to all these suitable to our Father our Kindred our Acquaintance our Imployments our Inheritance The whole frame of Christianity turns upon the hinge of Faith As the Bloud through the veins so Faith runs through every vein of the whole body of Religion It is the staff of our strength the support of all our comfort and the life of our soul In my discourse of which I have though indeed the Priviledges of Faith requires an Angel rather than a Man to make relation of it yet I say I have adventured to lay down diverse Royalties and Priviledges of this Grace wherein all that I have said or can say falls short of the excellency of it When I have told you what I can you may say as the Queen of Sheba when shee found the Truth to exceed the Relation that the one half hath not been told you Coelum Deus so Coelum fides non patiuntur Hyperbolen I cannot here Hyperbolize I cannot play the Mountebank to set down more in the Bill than is in the Physick more in the Relation than is in the Balsome All I can say will fall short of the preciousness of Faith Yet mistake mee not whatever I have said or shall say of Faith I speak not of Faith absolutely but of Faith relatively The Act with its Object Wee will not make a Christ of Faith nor raise up Faith any higher than wee may set up Christ with it by it above it Well then to proceed wee have laid down diverse glorious Priviledges or Royalties of Faith wee have yet more remaining such as these Twelfth Royalty 12. Faith is a Soul-fatning-Grace The beleeving Christian is the thriving Christian 12. Royalty of Faith In a Soul-fatning-Grace It is such a Grace as doth nourish and strengthen the soul It weakens corruption but strengthens Grace It starves the flesh but fattens the spirit It is indeed a sin-starving-Grace Faith will not feed and fuel lust It will neither entertain nor maintain corruptions Faith will abridge sin of that nourishment those dainty bits which it met withall in an unbeleeving heart It will not lay in provision for lust Unbeleef is the Caterer and the Provider for sin Sin hath its full desire in an unbeleeving heart whatever it lusts after it shall have nothing shall bee wanting to feed lust If a man bee addicted to the lust of uncleanness there is nothing the lust doth desire but an unbeleeving heart will make a supply of It shall have Books Ballads Plaies for the purpose It shall have obscene objects and pictures to gaze upon There shall bee nothing wanting for the fomenting and cherishing of the corruption nothing shall bee denied that may oile and increase the flame of lust All a man hath all his power all his riches his estate shall bee laid out for the fewelling of his corruption and so I might shew in other lusts But now Faith it starves sin it will not hold out the dugg to nourish a corruption It will not provide
live more in the Heaven of Promise they would not bee so much cast down The more trust the less Trouble Faith would bring Christ into the Soul and there is chear enough with Christ Faith would bring Heaven into the soul and there is Comfort enough in Heaven Faith would open a way for the Love of God to enter and that would thrust out all other grievances But I will not go about to excuse uncomfortable walking with God Why should I give indulgence to mens Passions Gods people are to bee exceedingly blamed for their unchearful walking with God They are the shame of a good God and give occasion to men to think hee is an hard and rigid Master They wrong a good Cause and discourage the hearts of others from entring into the wayes of God Sure I am There is no Condition that Gods people can bee in but they have alwayes ground and cause of Rejoycing Either A Rebus exhibitis from things bestowed Or A Rebus promissis from things promised Either From things in hand and possession Or From things in hope and promise And therefore how blame-worthy are they who disquiet themselves with needless perplexities and lay the burden of sorrow on themselves which God doth not Let us examine the grounds of these sorrows and arraign them before the Bar of right Reason What is it that troubles thee 1. Is it thy former sins why should these trouble thee God hath pardoned them And wilt thou bring the old guilt upon thy conscience again which God hath cleared and pardoned wilt thou binde when God hath loosed condemn when hee hath absolved 2. Is it thy present Corruption God hath promised to subdue it Sin shall have no more dominion over you Hee hath promised to purge to purifie Hee came with Refiners fire and Fullers sope Mal. 3.3 3. Is it thy Imperfections That there is so much formality so little power so much coldness so little heat c why God hath promised to pass by infirmities to hide and cover imperfections 4. Is it because thou art in some present Afflictions why hee hath promised that All things shall work together for good to them that love God and are chosen according to his purpose 5. Is it because thou art under some present Temptations why St. James saith Count it exceeding joy great joy when yee fall into diverse temptations There is matter of Joy as well as of Sorrow if by Faith thou wouldest but see what God aims at 1. It may bee for trial of Grace as in Abrahams and Jobs case whose temptation was of purpose to try and justifie his Graces 2. It may bee For exercise of Grace of Faith of Patience c. 3. It may bee for discovery of sin nay for destruction of sin 4. It may bee to make us more humble as Paul more prayerful c. 6. Is it because thou art under some present Desertion Yet if by Faith thou look upon the firmness of the Promise the stability of the Covenant in the absence of sense thou shalt finde matter of Comfort Thus you see David did Psal 77.10 Hee was in a great Desertion hee cryes and prayes Hee prayes and cryes Hee renews his former evidences and experiences yet gets hee no comfort At last By Faith hee looks upon the truth of Gods Promise and the stability of the Covenant And then his soul revived I remembred the dayes of old the years of ancient times I called to minde my songs in the night I communed with my own heart my soul made diligent search Will the Lord absent himself for ever c And I said this is my infirmity Yet I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High c. Do but in this sad condition behold these dealings of God as the waies of a Father to thee which are alwaies of Love of Mercy and Truth to them that keep his Covenant and his Testament Whether Gods end bee for Chastisement as it was in David Or for Tryal as it was in Job Or whether it bee for Prevention as it was in Paul lest hee should bee puffed up yet all is in love and therefore cause of rejoycing So that there is no condition so sad but Gods people have still cause of rejoycing in it Thou canst think of nothing if thou bee a Beleever that can minister just cause of trouble to thee And therefore why art thou so cast down If there were more Trust there would bee less Trouble I dare bee bold to say that all the troubles all the disquiets of Gods people do arise from want of Faith Were there more Faith there would bee more Comfort And therefore as David physicked his soul when it was cast down and discouraged Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within mee Trust in God So let us exercise our Trust and all our Troubles will vanish all our disquiets will dis-appear and bee gone Let Faith come in and discover the Promises of God made to thee in this thy sad condition Hee hath promised it shall not bee too great 1 Cor. 10.18 There hath no temptation taken you but what is humane and God is faithful and will not suffer you to bee tempted above what yee are able but will with the temptation give an issue that you may bee able to bear it Hee hath promised it shall not bee too long Rom. 16.20 The God of Peace shall tread Satan under you feet shortly Hee will not contend for ever Hee hath promised to deliver us when in the day of trouble wee call upon him Psal 50. Seventeenth Royalty 17. Royalty of Faith It s an Heart guiding-Grace 17. Faith is an Heart-guiding-Grace Faith is the eye of the soul to direct and guide us Faith is to the soul as the Pole-star to the Mariner to direct the Mariner which way to steer his course And the soul is like the Needle in the Compass which ever looks towards God for direction It is as it were the Pillar of fire to us in the Wilderness of this World to direct our steps to our Heavenly Canaan Our life is called a Way And not only a strait Way but a difficult Way Wee shall meet with many turnings in this Way And if Faith doth not guide us wee shall either stand still and not go forward or wee shall go into wrong wayes the way to Death My Brethren wee shall meet with many exigents in our way to Heaven And if Faith do not guide wee are sure to go amiss You see what an Exigent Esther was put unto Either to neglect duty or to endanger her life Shee put her life in her hand for the good of the Church of God If shee had now consulted with flesh and blood if shee had followed the guidance of Reason shee had been mis-led No doubt but sense and Reason would have told her that it had been best not to hazzard her self and put her life in jeopardy but
calls it And of all terribles the most terrible as the Philosopher speaks Unbeleef doth slay the heart with fears A man that knows not what shall become of his soul to all eternity no marvel if hee bee afraid to dye When a man shall lye upon his death bed and knows not whither hee shall go Quo vadam nescio As it was said of Aristotle I go I know not whither Or when a man shall look upon death and Hell behinde it upon the Pale Horse and Hell behinde as wee have it Rev. 6. no marvel if hee bee afraid to dye But when by Faith wee can look upon God a Father Christ a Saviour and can say God is my God Christ is my Christ Heaven is my Inheritance Glory is my portion no marvel then if death bee not terrible no marvel then if hee bee ready to meet death and say with Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in Peace Or with Paul sigh out Cupio dissolvi I desire to bee dissolved and to bee with Christ Men that have not assurance of a better life it is no wonder if they bee loath to leave this they know not where to mend themselves Earth in Possession is better than Heaven in Reversion But when God hath given a man the assurance of a better life when a man hath his hope in his hand his evidences sealed Oh! then death is not terrible There will bee a willing Resignation of the soul into Gods hands I'ts true in some case Hee that beleeves maketh not haste but here the more wee beleeve the more haste wee make to bee with God 4. Faith Stablisheth the heart against the Fear of Hell Faith knows who was in pretium as well as in premium and beholds Christ not only in Premium to intitle us to Heaven but in pretium as the price of our Redemption to free us from Hel. As by his Active Obedience hee answered Gods commanding and remunerative Justice So by his Passive Obedience hee answered Gods condemning and vindictive Justice freeing us from that wrath and misery which otherwise wee should unavoidably have fallen into 5. Faith doth establish the heart against the Fear of Judgement There shall bee no condemnation to such as are in Christ Jesus such as are Beleevers The Judge is our Advocate our Saviour Hee to whom wee are to answer hath answered for us Hee to whom wee are to give satisfaction hath satisfied for us Hee is our Redeemer who hath laid down his life for us Faith knows Christ will bee All in All to the soul not only in life to preserve it but in death to comfort and in Judgement to absolve thee and save thee 2. Faith doth establish the heart against falling 1. Against Total Apostacy 2. Against Final Apostacy 1. Against Total There is not a Total Apostacy Though the Saints fall sadly yet not Totally 1. A Child of God may lose all the comforts of spiritual life yet not spiritual life it self Hee may bring himself into such a sad condition by sin that hee may sin away all the comforts of this life Thus David Psal 51. Restore to mee the joy of thy Salvation Hee had not lost life but the comforts of it and desires they may bee restored A man may out-live the comforts of life this is a sad thing to out-live comforts here but Faith at least layeth the grounds of those comforts that are endless 2. A man may lose all the Vigorous and Powerful Operations of Grace and Life yet not life it self It may bee with a Child of God as with a man in a dead Swoon though there bee life in him yet the operations of life are but little discerned It 's not with him as it was wont to bee Hee thinks to go out as sometimes Sampson in prayer c. but his strength is gone from him as his was But his life is hid with Christ in God as the Apostle hath it Col. 3.3 3. A man may lose some measures and degrees of spiritual life yet not life it self Hee may suffer a great decay in his Faith a great abatement in his Love and Zeal c. and yet life is not lost Thus it was with the Church of Ephesus Rev. 2.5 Remember from whence thou art fallen and repent and do thy first Works Wee are not to think that the Church was fallen from Grace but only from some measures and degrees of Grace And concerning the same Church Rev. 2.4 when it is said Shee had lost her first love it is not meant that shee had lost the Grace of Charity you see the fruits of it in the second and third verses But shee had lost the degrees It was not extinguished but cooled only The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies not that shee did altogether Amittere lose it but somewhat Remittere remit and abate of the fervency of it As one saith of Peter Motum fuit i◠co spiritualis vitae robu◠non amotum con cussum non excussum Gratiam fidei remisit Actum intermisit Habitum non amisit The strength of spiritual life was moved in him but not removed shaken 't was but not shaken off Hee remitted the Grace of Faith intermitted the act of Faith but lost not the Habit. Isa 6.13 Hee shall bee like an Oak whose substance is in him when it casts its leaves so the Holy seed shall bee the substance thereof Like to that is that of 1 Joh. 3.9 Whosoever is born of God sinneth not for his seed remaineth in him neither can hee sin because hee is born of God It may bee with him as 't was with Nebuchadnezzar The Tree may bee hewn down but the stump is bound with a bond of Iron 2 Faith establisheth the heart against final Apostacy Though they fall foulely yet not finally They have the Prayer and Intercession of Christ the Power of Christ the Merit of Christ the Promise of Christ Faith produceth all these Wee are said to bee established by Faith to live by Faith to stand by Faith to bee preserved by Faith as with a guard 1 Pet. 1.5 Wee are kept by the Power of God through Faith unto salvation By Faith wee are said to subdue the flesh to have victory over the World to quench the fiery darts of Satan to bee saved by Faith c. Indeed all ages give reports to us of many who have been eminent in Profession and yet have come to nought Some fallen from Grace to basenesse some fallen from Grace to bitternesse some from Grace to vitiousness some from Grace to malitiousness But these were never true Beleevers A Star fallen is not a Star Stella caden◠non est Stella They went out from us because they were not of us for had they been of us they would have continued with us 1 Joh. 2.19 It is the evil heart of Unbelief that causeth them to depart from the living God Heb 3.12 Where there is true Faith
souls that they are Beleevers go with a spark in stead of a flame And as you live so you will dye without Comfort if you do not take care to evidence this to your souls And this were a sad condition Whatever a man hath in this life yet when hee comes to dye hee would willingly have all the Comfort possible Though a man may bee content to go Quarter-sail and Quarter-wind here in this life yet when hee comes to dye hee would willingly go Full-sail to Heaven Lesse Comfort may serve a man to live by than to dye by because whiles a man lives other things come in to make up the want of Comfort every thing casts in something to make the soul a stock of Comfort But if this will not do if a man cannot peece up his Comforts with other things yet whiles a man lives there 's hope and expectation still of more Comfort But when a man comes to dye that hope is gone There 's no hope then of ever getting more And this is a sad condition And My Brethren It is a thing which God doth often deny at death because wee have been no more solicitous to clear our Evidences in our life I say God doth now withhold the Comfort of Faith because wee have neglected to clear our Evidence of Faith which is a sad condition Though the condition of the soul bee never the less safe yet the condition is less comfortable to our souls 2. It 's necessary in respect of our more lively obedience The knowledge of this will make us lay out our selves for God It will make us industrious and active in all holy Obedience It will make us burn out not smother out wear out not rust out It will make a man a Volunteer in Gods work to sweat and take pains in the Vineyard of the Lord. It 's false what the Popish Doctors say That the knowledge of our good condition should slack the hand make a man Supine and remiss in holy Obedience As much as it will make a Travailer slack his pace because hee knoweth hee is in his way and that by making speed in it hee shall come to the end of his journey Oh then Is it a thing possible to bee attained Is it necessary why then are wee so injurious to our selves to rob our selves of that Comfort which the Knowledge of our Faith would contribute to our souls afterward Do you delight to know all things else and bee ignorant of your selves will you prove all things else and not your selves you will prove your Gold you will prove your Silver you will prove your Evidences and will you not prove your selves There 's nothing of worth that a man will take upon trust without tryal Do you delight to bee kept upon the rack of fears and perplexities of spirit do you delight to hang between Heaven and Hell As Absolom between Earth and Heaven and not know what shall become of your eternal souls to all eternity Why if you do not thus then take some pains in the search and examination of your selves Prove your selves whether you are in the Faith or no Thus having premised this upon which I have on purpose insisted the more largely in respect of the Necessity of this duty of Self-Examination wee will now come to lay down some Rules whereby wee may discover to them who are willing to take pains in the search of their own hearts whether they have Faith or no. In the laying down of which that I may not erre I shall desire to go by these two Rules 1. The grand Rule is the Word of God The Book shall try you That Book that shall save or damn you at the last day shall try you now whether you have Faith or no. And I hope if the Word convince you that you have not Faith you will subscribe to the conviction If the Word say it I hope you will conclude it But whether you will or no That which the Word saith is true That conviction which the Word doth fasten upon you shall lye upon you at the great day if now you get it not off 2. The Second Rule I shall desire to go by is this to lay down such Evidences as are universal and belong to all Beleevers weak as well as strong the least degree of saving Faith as well as the highest measure of it I shall desire so to comfort the strong as not to discourage the weak so to satisfie the strong as I may also establish the weak For I conceive There 's a great Error committed in the laying down of Evidences to take an Evidence from the highest degree of Faith As when wee should lay down an Evidence of Faith wee take our Evidence from Assurance This is a great Error By this means wee shall cast out many thousands who are true Beleevers and yet want Assurance And yet my care shall bee as not to quench the smoaking flax so not to cherish a false flame as not to discourage the meanest so not to encourage the strongest if false as not to discountenance a true so not to countenance a false But that the false may have no Comfort the true no discouragement Now the Method that I will observe to evince this to your souls whether you have Faith or no shall bee some Evidences taken 1. From the usual manner of Gods working of this Grace of Faith in the hearts of Unbeleeving men 2. From the Grace it self wrought in the soul 1. From the manner of Gods working this Grace which is this 1. God doth use to discover sin to the soul Awakens a mans conscience makes a man to see his sin and his misery by reason of sin that hee lies under the wrath of God by reason of sin and that there 's an utter impossibility in him to winde or free himself out of this condition This is the first work Men will not beleeve nor come over to Christ till they first bee humbled till they see and feel the want of Christ. This you see in the Prodigal in the Woman with the Bloody Issue It was Misery brought them home Men must bee cut off their own stock before they can bee ingrafted upon another Thrown off their own bottom before they can cast themselves on Christ the true Foundation The Termes of Mercy are too hard the Yoke of Christ is too strait for such men who were never humbled What! To deny themselves to cut off their right hand to forsake their beloved sins But Mercy upon any Termes to the humbled is desireable No Potion can bee too bitter for the Recovery of a dying man No hard hold too sharp for a drowning man to take hold of So no Termes too hard for an humbled sinner Whereas before a man bee humbled the Proposition of Mercy and Pardon is but all lost labour Hee makes Light of Mercy Light of Christ Light of a Pardon as they did that were invited to the Supper It 's said They made
as it was said of the sending of Christ that universal Mercy that summum genus of Mercy when the fulness of time was come God sent his Son So when the fulness of time is come God will send us our desires bestow the Mercy And therefore hee can wait A weak Faith is quickly worn out it cannot wait if God come not presently it is cast down and can wait no longer You see this in the Two Disciples going to Emmaus Wee hoped that this should have been hee that should have delivered Israel but hee is dead and this is the third day They might have waited a little longer they were too quick and hasty what though the third was come it was not yet expired great things might have been done yet before night But weak Faith is impatient of delayes This evil proceedeth from the Lord shall I wait on him any longer was the voice of that wicked King 2 King 6.33 Every vision faileth Ezek. 12.22 so they and too often many better than they But now a strong Faith will hold out in delaies yea and pray more earnestly As you see David did who though his Eyes failed his Flesh failed though his Heart failed yet hee renewed his supplication from day to day The like in Daniel in the Woman of Canaan in Hannah and in the Blind man hee was blamed for his importunity and was yet the more importunate Such a man knows that hee who hath any thing from God must continue in Prayer Jacob all night David day and night Jonah three dayes and nights Daniel one and twenty dayes and nights Moses forty dayes and forty nights God often defers his people to inhance and raise up the price of mercy to make them more fit for mercy more thankfull for mercy And therefore hee can wait 2. Strong Faith cannot only take long delaies But denyals well It can submit to denials as well as to grants You see it in David Hee had strong desires for the continuance of the life of his Child God denyed it See how calm how submissive hee was in the denyal insomuch that hee was a wonder to all his servants A weak Faith doth faint and is discouraged at the denyals of requests It cannot tell how to take a denyal of God but a strong Faith can take denyals as well as grants A strong Faith is clear in this that God is a Father and therefore his denyals are in mercy all is for good hee knows if God hear him not according to his will Etsi non ad voluntatem tamen ad sanitatem yet according to his good A strong Faith submits to Gods wisdome and Gods will who is the only VVise Wee may desire a thing at Gods hand and in our wisdome may judge it to bee good But God in his Wisdome who knows the issue of things sees it will bee for our hurt and therefore denies it And Faith submits to his wisdome and follows him as a blinde man his guide Wee may ask some things too earnestly which are more profitably denyed then granted As Solomon said of Adonijahs request so I may say of many of ours Wee ask our lives wee desire our Bane such things as would hurt us and undo us And are not those things mercifully denyed which without hurt cannot bee granted This is to cross us with a Mercy A child desires a knife of the Father The Child sees no hurt in it but the Father doth And shall wee not then submit to the Wisdome of our Father A man may desire this evil to bee taken away this cross this affliction to bee removed this temptation this corruption to bee taken away God denies it seeing it best for a man to bee exercised with them And Faith will submit Again a man desires this outward mercy it may bee Riches may bee Honours the great things of the World And thinks it may bee if God did raise him hee would raise God if God would make him great hee would make God great But now God denies this God sees it is better that thou want them than injoy them And Faith submits to Gods Wisdome Voluntas Dei optima si optima optima vult and to Gods Will in it Gods Will is his will and saith Not my will but thy will bee done Gods will is the best and being best wills what is the Best both for his own glory and our good Again thou desirest some spiritual mercy from God Perhaps thou desirest Perfection of Grace in this life and God sees it is better that corruptions should dwell in thee as the Lees among the Wine to keep the Wine sweet to humble thee or that they might bee as pricks in thy eyes and goads in thy sides to make thee more forward and fervent in holy performances Perhaps thou desirest a great deal of Knowledge with Saul to bee higher by the head and shoulders than thy fellow Christians Or with David to bee wiser than thy Teachers God denies it and Faith takes the denyal knowing all is for the best It may bee it might beget pride this would puff up it would bee too great a sail for so smal a Boat and rather over-turn thee than set thee forward Perhaps thou desirest to injoy the continual light of Gods countenance to bee like the Island of Rhodes in perpetuo Sole in continual Sun-shine But God denies it thou art sometimes in the valley of tears as well as sometimes in the Mountain of Joy Thou hast cloudy and clear dayes calmy and stormy seasons And Faith submits to this denyal It sees all is for the best That wee should not have our Heaven upon Earth This might occâ—sion spiritual Pride as you see in Paul It might occasion a common esteem of so great a mercy And therefore submits Thus you see how a strong Faith is strong in Prayers can take long delaies and submit to denyals too from God My Brethren this is the strength of Faith that can bee so strong in Desires so patient in Delayes so submissive in Denyals Here is strong Faith 10. Strong Faith hath strong desires to go to Christ by death and that Christ should come to him by Judgement 1. To go to Christ by death A Beleever hath Vitam in Patientiâ Mortem in Desiderio Hee hath Life in Patience Death in Desire Life is his Sea where hee meets with nothing but storms Death is his Harbour Life is his way his Inne at the best But Heaven is his Home There his best Friends are there his chief businesse lies there is his abiding-place and thither hee desires to go A weak Faith is loath to dye is afraid of death hee hath not yet gotten his Evidence sealed his hope in his hand But when this is done then with Paul I desire to bee dissolved Or with Simeon when hee had once gotten Christ into his armes Lord Now lettest thou thy servant depart in Peace for my eyes have seen thy salvation You hear how
tremble stand and bee astonished stand and bee amazed Lord who is hee that shall bee saved May men do thus much and yet fall short of Heaven what will become of thee that dost nothing what will become of thee thou Drunkard what will become of thee thou Swearer thou prophane Person Worldling if it bee thus with the green Tree what will become of the dry Tree if it bee thus with them that appear to bee good what will become of them that appear to bee evil Thus you see the astonishing height which yet an unsound spirit may reach unto How much may bee done by a man and yet bee unsound here and fall short of Heaven hereafter So that now I shall trouble you but with one Doctrin And I beleeve before I have done it it will trouble you And that shall bee from the general the whole body of the Text together and it is this Doct. It is possible for a man to do much in the wayes of God even to abound in all outward Performances and yet bee false at the heart and yet have an unsound spirit here and miss of Heaven hereafter This Doctrin you see the Text speaks plainly To this I will adde but one Instance more which may prove the whole Doctrin and that you have Matth. 19.16 to 23. You read there of ones comming to Christ. A young man a rich man one who had great Possessions and a Ruler too as Luke expresseth it Luk. 18.18 All which was rare A young man a rich man a Ruler to come to Christ you shall read there his business also Hee came not to tempt him Non animo tentantis sed voto discentis to insnare him aothers did but to learn and be instructed by him And the thing hee desires to bee instructed in is not some frivolous trifling matter which others came to Christ withall But that which was the matter of his inquiry was a matter of eternal concernment viz. What hee might do that hee might bee saved that hee might inherit everlasting life Here was something here in this A young man a rich man a Ruler to come to Christ with desire to bee instructed how hee should come to eternal life You shall now hear Christs answer vers 17. If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandements There was some special reason why Christ makes him such an answer for in Joh. 6.28 29. Christ answers the same question in another manner Quaerebat opera Christus ostendit mandata But Christ did here consider the quality of the Person who demanded Hee was a Work-monger and Christ puts him to working Christ gave him Physick sutable to his distemper Christ puts him to the Commandements that hee might convince him in that to bee imperfect wherein hee thought himself to bee perfect and would make that his foil which hee thought to bee his greatest glory Well Christ having put him upon the Commandements the young man demands which of the Commandements as if hee had said There is none of them but I have already done Christ you see puts him to the Moral Law Seeing hee will have Heaven and bee justified by Moses Moses shall bee his Judge and there rehearseth diverse Precepts of the second Table The young man you see makes answer in vers 20. All these things have I kept from my youth what lack I yet Hast thou any more to command Is there any more to bee done This was now much hee said If wee may beleeve him 1. Hee obeyed Hee was not only one who did know the Commandements but one who kept the Commandements 2. Hee obeyed universally not some but all All these things have I kept 3. Hee had obeyed constantly All these things have I kept from my youth And sure there was much of truth in what hee said For it is said upon this Christ looked upon him and loved him as Mark relates Mark 10.21 No question hee had obeyed the letter of the command there was none could detect him but Christ however hee failed in the Spirit of the command Hee did not break them in the outward action though hee did not keep them in the inward affection And yet for all this this man was unsound as hee discovers himself to bee afterward for all this this man fell short of Heaven And yet alas How far doth this man excel a thousand of us So that you see the Doctrin plain in the gross in the bulk scil That it is possible for a man to do much in the wayes of God and yet to be unsound at heart to abound in all outward Performances and yet to miss of Heaven in the end But wee 'l come to clear it to you in the Particulars And wee will follow this Method in these four Particulars 1. Wee will clear it to you in diverse instances from the word that it is possible so to do 2. Wee will shew how this may stand both 1. With Gods ends 2. With Satans ends 3. With mans own ends To do much to abound in duty and yet not to bee sincere 3. Wee will shew you the grounds whence it ariseth that a corrupt heart may abound in all outward Performances 4. Wee 'l shew you where the fault is how it comes to pass that all this may bee done and yet the heart still remain unsound In which I shall desire that they who are men and women of tender spirits would not presently make conclusions against themselves and by so doing gratifie Satan discourage their own souls grieve Gods Spirit and wound and weaken themselves in the wayes of Grace But hear all for I cannot say all at once and then spare not but come to conclusions with your selves I shall desire so to cast down the unsound as not to weaken the sincere And to bring in those that are without as not to cast down those that are within So to help the one as that withall I hurt not the other 1. For the first then Wee will clear it in some particulars that it is possible for a man to do much to go far in outward performances of duty and yet to bee rotten at heart c. 1. It is possible for a man to hear the word nay and hear it often nay and abound in hearing time after time Sabbath after Sabbath Nay and yet more to hear it with affection too and yet not to bee sincere 1. That hee may hear the Word This is plain and needs no proof 2. That hee may hear it often abound in hearing This you see here in the Text and Ezek. 33.31 32. where the people frequented to hear Ezekiel They did not only sometimes but they heard him often They did abound in hearing 3. They may not only hear and hear often but hear with affections Wee read of these four Affections which were stirred in the hearing of the Word and that in such who were unsound 1. The affection of wonder and astonishment which indeed is the
Pharisees 1. They did something yea they did much They fasted they prayed they paid Tithes of all that they had c. But they did not all There were other Commands which they gave liberty to themselves in They could oppress defraud bee unjust And they failed in the Second too That their Obedience did not extend it self to the spiritualness of any command As you see Christ chargeth them Matth. 5.21 They did not Murder they did not commit Adultery but they gave way to Unjust Anger to Adulterous Thoughts Unchast Glances Contemplative Wickedness Speculative Uncleanness c. And so in all the rest This is the first maim in his Obedience 2. Hee is faulty in the Manner of his Obedience Though for the Matter of his Obedience hee do not fail Hee doth Pray Hear do Duties which others do yet hee is faulty in the Manner of his Obedience Hee doth not pray in Faith pray with affections Hee confesseth sin but a broken spirit doth not run through the confession of sin His heart is never touched with sin Hee prayes for Grace but his spirit is never touched with the Beauties of Grace nor carryed after it with desires for it Hee looks perhaps to the Matter but neglects the Manner Hee looks after the substance but neglects the Circumstances This is the difference between the gross Hypocrite and the close Hypocrite The gross Hypocrite looks after the Circumstance not after the Substance Though indeed they are not such Circumstances as these are they are but outward not inward The close Hypocrite hee looks after the Substance but neglects the Circumstances Hee prayes but never mindes to pray in Faith If a man pray and pray not fervently if hee hear and hear not faithfully if hee obey and obey not willingly if hee shew Mercy and not chearfully if hee keep the Sabbath and not with delight all his services are nothing worth 3. Hee is faulty in his Aims and Ends His Ends are corrupt His Aime is as his own Ends his own Profit Gain Pride Ostentation Himself is the end of his Obedience some way or other A man never wrought out of himself must needs work to himself And obedience which ariseth from a mans self is terminated in a mans self again It must bee a Principle from Christ which carries the soul to Christ A man can go no higher than his Principle And therefore having Principles no higher than himself his Obedience must needs bee terminated in himself As all Rivers they run to the Sea They came from the Sea and therefore return back again to the Sea so all those duties which arise from a mans self must needs bee finished in himself Such a man hee is the God himself whom hee serves Hee makes himself the end of all his service though hee look as far as the end even to Heaven in his service Here then is the third thing wherein hee is faulty Hee makes himself the end of all his Obedience Hee hath not a single Eye to the Glory of God His service is neither begun in God nor wrought by God nor finished to God Neither begun by his Grace nor finished to his Glory 4. Hee is faulty in this that hee rests upon what hee doth and looks no higher Hee looks upon all hee doth as upon so many bribes for a pardon as so much good monies laid out for Heaven Hee weaves a web of Righteousness to cloathe himself withall Hee never looks out for another Righteousness to bee justified by but rests upon that which hee himself hath wrought Which being not only imperfect but impure a rag and a filthy rag hee must needs miscarry in it If this had been enough to have brought men to Heaven God might have spared a great deal of labour Christ a great deal of blood by giving man ability to do duties and then all had been done But there was an infinit wrath to bee born an infinite justice to bee satisfied which none but Christ can do And here you see the Scribes and Pharisees failed also They did much but they looked out for no other Righteousness than their own In this they rested for Life and Justification 5. They make duty it self their Obedience which should quicken their Obedience They rest upon the bare performance of the duty and never look to the end of Duty So they rest upon the bridge and never go over Duty serves an unsound spirit for Obedience But Duty doth but quicken and strengthen and inable a godly man to Obedience 6. But the sixth and the main Crack is here These spiritual Performances do not arise from spiritual Principles from an heart principled from above from an heart universally sanctified Here is the Bane of all Here are new works but an old heart New Practises but a mans old Principles You see this Isa 1.10 to 16. But I will now instance in the fifteenth only When you spread forth your hands to Heaven I will hide my eyes and when you make many Prayers when you abound in duty adding Prayer to Prayer as the Word is I will not hear Your hands are full of blood They were unregenerate unsanctified They were new practises but the old heart still The like you see of the Scribes and Pharisees They fasted prayed did much in the wayes of God But their hearts were not changed they were unregenerate still were not principled from above This you see plain Joh. 3. where Nicodemus one of the chief of the Pharisees knew not yet what Regeneration meant Christ tells him of Regeneration and hee replies How is it possible that a man should bee born again when hee is old Can hee enter into his Mothers womb again By which you see though hee did all those things reported of the Pharisees as Fasting Praying Tithing c. yet â—â—s hee a stranger to this great work of Regeneration change of Nature hee knew not what it meant So that you see here is the great fault of all A man walks in new Practises with an old Heart an Heart never truly throughly spiritually changed There is a fourefold Change 1. A change from good to evil This is a fearfull change 2. A change from evil to good This is a blessed change 3. A change from evil to evil from one to another 4. A change from some evil to some good I will express it in these four words There is 1. A Moral Change 2. A Partial Change 3. A Formal Change 4. A Spiritual Change 1. There is a meer Moral Change When a man changeth from sinfull notorious wayes to Morality Temperance Justice Equity Patience Contentation And sticks there and goes no further And here thousands who lye in the bosome of the Church stick and perish 2. There is a Partial Change wherein men leave some particular sins and practise some particular duties This is a particular Conversion When men were Drunkards Swearers unclean persons c. And now are perswaded to leave these particular sins and betake
way As the wind sometimes it blows up rain sometimes it blows away rain So the Spirit of God which bloweth where and when and how it listeth sometimes blows up rain comes into the soul in an heart humbling and breaking way And sometimes it blows away rain and comes into the soul in a cheering and heart comforting way In both these the soul hath communion with God in joys and tears in mournings as well as comfortings And that in the general to answer the mistake of weaker Christians Quest And now to the answer of the question How a man shall know when he hath had communion with God in a duty 1 I Answer 1 In general then thou meetest with God and hast communion with God in duty when God hath inabled thee to act grace in a duty An unregenerate man may act parts and gifts in a duty but he cannot act grace hee hath none to act If then God do inable thee to act grace in a duty to act thy faith to close with promises to act thy repentance for sinne to act love to God All or any of these graces thy soul hath then communion with God in duty 2 Again When the performance of a duty doth lead the soul in better frame a more humble frame or in a more watchful frame when the heart is more quickned or more broken When the heart is farther set against sin more resolved to walk with God and obey him when the frame of a mans spirit is changed or bettered in any of these ways it is a sign that thou hast had communion with God in duty though God hath not come in with fulness of comfort with chearings or joys In this life most of our communion lyes in quickning grace In the life to come our communion is risen up to full comfort our life then is all joy And so much shall serve for the third Character and the answer to the Objection 4. Character A heart sincere in Prayer doth rise up praying from Prayer hee goes away with the affections of and affections to prayer after the Prayer is done The Duties of an unsound heart they come but from a cistern his devotion is a stinted devotion When the Prayer is done his affections are done also the water is all run out his affections are then done also perhaps before But the Duties of a godly man they arise from a spring a fountain and his heart is not runne out with his Prayer hee hath affections of Prayer when the Prayer is done hee riseth up praying from Prayer The much hee hath done is but a little of that which his soul desires to do An unsound mans actions are as big as his heart perhaps larger but for a sincere spirit the heart is still bigger then the action all he doth is but a little of that hee desires to do I say where there is sincerity there is a desire of more all is but a little of that abundance that is in his heart When hee hath mourned for sinne hee wisheth still he could mourn more Hee hath an affection of sorrow within him larger than any expression of sorrow hee can shew So you see David Rivers of tears runne down mine eyes because men keep not thy law Not that David had so much moisture within him as to swell a river poor man hee had not so much moisture in him but he had such an affection of sorrow that if hee had had as many tears as would have swelled a River made a Sea they should all have been laid out for sin And indeed if a man had wept a sea of tears and his affections of mourning did end with his expressions of sorrow hee had not yet wept at all nor shed one true tear of godly sorrow for sin So again when hee hath prayed still his heart is above his action and hee riseth up praying from prayer with a praying spirit affections when the Prayer is done This was that which made Christ commend the poor Widdows charity shee gave but two mites and yet hee saith shee had given more than all the rest Her heart was bigger than her action her affections than her expressions of charity Others they gave but their purses were larger than their hearts they emptied their hearts but not their purses Shee her heart was bigger than her purse shee emptied her purse but not her heart thus shee gave more So this is the fourth a sincere heart is larger than his duty hee riseth up praying from Prayer all hee doth is but a little of that hee desires to do but a little of that abundance that is in his heart Others their actions are as large nay larger than their hearts they have little heart to the duty and their heart is gone hath done before the duty bee done A wicked man doth sin out of the abundance of his heart as Christ saith out of the abundance of the heart come c. Mat. 12.34 Hee is never weary of sinning hee hath a fountain for that but though hee sin out of the abundance of his heart yet hee doth not pray out of the abundance of his heart his heart â—s done before his Prayer is done if not they end together Well think of it hee who yet hath not this Principle which I speak of hath not yet a Gospel Principle though hee do neveâ— so much hee is not yet under the conditions of Grace and Mercy These are the lowest terms of the Gospel 5. Character A heart sincere in Prayer doth eye it self in Prayer it is a heart that diligently observes it self in the duty views all the workings of the soul and takes notice of all the imperfections of the spirit in duty As to gather comfort and praise God if right so to bee humbled and afflicted if amiss And indeed our sincerity is as much discovered in lamenting the imperfections of a work as in the most perfect performance of it Where then the heart is sincere the soul takes notice of the imperfections that do accompany it and when the duty is done falls a lamenting the imperfections of its Faith of its sorrows the deadness of its desires Ah! it now laments that hee hath beheld so much sin with no more sorrow looked upon so many abominations with no more mourning That hee hath had no more Faith to close with the Promises of pardon of Grace of purging That hee hath had so barren so shallow so sleight thoughts of Gods love That hee hath been so cold in his affections again towards God That he hath had so sleight conceptions of sin and no more sorrow for it That his heart hath been no more affected with the miseries of others nor no more inlarged to seek God for them That there hath been so much earth in Heaven so many carnal thoughts so much distractions in his spiritual imploiment Ah! my Brethren a good heart sits down when duty is done and goes and mourns over all his Prayers weeps over all
which thou wouldest think it a mercy to injoy Them wee branch into four particulars 1. Shall I say you shall injoy God there 1. God who though happiness to a gracious heart yet a torment to a corrupt spirit I have read of the Irish Earth that no venemous creature can indure to live upon it that if a man should make a circle of Irish Earth and put a little English Earth in the midst of it for a center if a Toad or any venemous Creature were upon the English Earth it would dye there rather than come upon the Irish ground I tell thee the Irish Earth will better brook a Toad than Heaven a sinner or a sinner Heaven 2. You shall injoy freedome from sin never sin more 2. Freedome from sin Not to sin is here our Law hereafter it shall bee our Nature And is this a mercy to bee rid of sin sin which is meat and drink now what can the Drunkard be willing to be rid of his cups the unclean person of his Dalilah the covetous man of his bags can hee think an eternall divorce from such things hee loves so dear a mercy 3. You shall injoy perfection of Grace to bee swallowed up with holiness 4. An eternal Sabbath And these are things which certainly a corrupt heart doth not desire And so you see it is possible for a man to pray for those things which hee hath no desire were granted Therefore the Character is firm that it is the sign of a sincere heart in prayer when hee doth truly desire the thing prayed for And thus much for the sixth Character 7. Character The seventh and last A sincere heart in Prayer doth not only desire but truly indeavour the compassing of the thing prayed for Oculum ad sidus manum ad clavum As the wise Mariner hee hath not only an eye to the Star but his hand also upon the Helm or as the Plow-men of Sparta they had one hand up to Ceres whom they feigned the Goddesse of Corn and the other upon the stilts of the Plow they joyned plowing with praying So here a sincere heart hee doth not only pray lift up his heart to Heaven but hee puts also his hand to the work to compasse what hee prayes for doth hee pray for pardon of sin hee labours to get his Faith more strengthened in assurance of pardon Desires hee subduing of corruption hee makes use of Christ c. Desires hee grace hee is carefull in the use of all means c. Psal 5. I will direct my Prayer and look up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The words are very emphatical there are two military words used in that place the first to set or put an Army in array So hee would order his Prayers and then hee would look up and stand sentinel Gods power and grace must not exempt us from the use of the means but make us more diligent in the use of all means to have our desires accomplished Exod. 17. Wee read that Joshuahs sword and Moses prayer were to go together if the sword had gone out without Prayer if they had fought and had not prayed they had not prevailed for God will not bee neglected if the Prayer had gone up and the Sword had not gone out had they prayed and not fought they had not had successe for God will not bee tempted but both these went together and then Gods blessing was on them So here should wee indeavour and not pray wee can look for no good wee go out in our own strength and cannot prevail and should wee pray and not indeavour wee may expect the same successe God will neither bee tempted nor neglected But if wee joyn them both together if the hand back the heart indeavours second our desires wee may expect Gods blessing on us This is the last Character A sincere heart is conscionable in the use of all means for the accomplishing the things prayed for 3. Part. Clear sincerity in matter of mourning There is yet a third Particular wherein to clear the sincerity of your hearts and that is in matter or mourning I told you that it was possible for a man not only to pray but to seem to mourn too and yet his heart bee unsound You read of the Israelites they did not only pray but they joyned fasting to prayer as you see in the next words to my Text but more plainly Zach. 7.5 When yee fasted and mourned in the fifth Month did you at all fast to mee saith the Lord There was fasting and mourning joyned to fasting yet hearts unsound There is false mournings as well as true Crocodile tears false tears as well as false prayers And therefore it behoves us to try the sincerity of our hearts in mourning for sin Wee will lay down these Characters of it 1. Character Characters of sincere mourning A sincere mourning is a deep mourning a sad and serious sorrow for sin Such a sorrow as doth deeply affect the heart with the thoughts and apprehensions of the burthen and bitterness of sin A sincere mourner hath sad and deep apprehensions of the nature demerit and filthiness of sin he looks upon sin as an offence against a just a pure a holy God as the breach of a pure a holy and an eternal Law as a wounding and crucifying of Christ as a grieving and sadding of the spirit of Grace as a wounding and undoing his own soul for ever Which deep and inward thoughts of the nature of sin work deep and inward mourning for sin The heart is wounded the soul humbled and grieved his spirit melted and peirced within him for sin which hee hath committed against God It is not his tongue only that repents in expressing and confessing his eyes in weeping but his heart in deep and inward mournings for sin Another may make more noise more cryings roarings howlings but his sorrow is more inward more secret more still and yet more deep As you know the deepest waters run the stillest so the deepest sorrow makes least noise So that is the first a sincere mourning is a deep mourning An Hypocrite his mournings are but shallow mournings hee hath but shallow and fleeting thoughts of the nature and demerit of sin hee may say with Pharaoh I have sinned or cry out in a strait Lord have mercy upon mee or hang down his head like a bulrush for a day or roar upon the present rack of trouble for a time but he never hath any deep and serious thoughts of sin as sin His prayers are howlings and his mournings are roarings Gods people they mourn like Doves wicked men they bellow like Bulls under the apprehension of sin 2. Character A sincere mourning is an universal mourning hee mourns for all sins A sincere mourning is an universal mourning hee mourns for all sins As hee hates all small and great so hee mourns for all yea for such sins is his heart affected which another mans light doth
not discover to bee sins Peccata vastantia conscientiam An unsound heart may mourn for some greater sins such as have made great wounds and gashes in his conscience but for sins quotidiana incursionis for omissions and common frailties wandring of thoughts imperfections in duty deadness coldness unbeleef these gnats can hee swallow his light doth not discover these to bee sins Nay yet further A sincere mourning is not only an universal mourning that hee mourns for all sinnes of his own but hee mourns for other mens sinnes as well as his own he hath a fountain within him which runnes over to the good of others Wee have read of some who have mourned for their own sinnes and yet have been unsound You see Pharaoh Ahab Judas But wee never read of any who were grieved with and have mourned for the sinnes of others as well as his own but their hearts were sound Lot his righteous soul was grieved for the sinnes of Sodome and yee know his heart was sound hee s called Righteous Lot David hee mourned for the sinnes of others yea such as were his enemies Ps 119.139 as hee saith Rivers of tears runne down mine eyes because mine enemies keep not thy Law And you know David was sincere God tells us hee was a man after his own heart and the heart of David was single and sincere with God The like I might tell you of Moses of Samuel of Daniel Nehemiah and others hee that mourns only in relation to guilt and hell that mans Cistern runnes out only for his own house Hee mourns for sinne no farther than it doth reflect upon himself and so not for sin as sin but sin as it is evil to him as it binds him over to the wrath of God and eternal damnation But hee that mourns for sinne in its own nature as an offence to an holy pure gracious God his fountain runs over to the use of others hee goes and mourns over other mens sins as well as his own Wee read the Angels they rejoyce at the conversion of a sinner What is the ground do they receive any further addition of good thereby no they are full but therefore do they rejoyce because God is further glorified And if joys were capable of sorrows heaven of tears they would upon the same ground mourn for the sinnes of mee because thereby God is dishonoured And if wee could see God as they do our hearts would bee filled with grief our eyes with tears to see the God so great so gracious so holy to bee abused and wronged by wicked men though wee no way guilty of their sinne Thus a sincere heart hee mourns for other mens sinnes as well as his own he is grieved when his enemys do break Gods laws not so much because they hurt or wound him but because they dishonour God and wound their own souls It troubles him to see men swear and lye to joyn hearts hands together against God his cause his Church his people his Ministers not because they hurt him but strike against God and so but beat themselves against a rock and break themselves do that which will turn to their own shame and sorrow at the last which is the best end that can bee expected of sin 3. Character 3 Sincere mourning is a mourning for sinne a sorrow for sin Sorrow is like Mercuries influence good if joyned with a good Planet bad if it bee joyned with a bad Planet It was good in Peter it was naught in Judas good in David naught in Ahab In the one it was worldly in the other it was a godly sorrow the one was a sorrow for the evil of punishment thâ— other for the evil of sinne Flagella dolent quare flagellantur non dolent The one roared under presenâ— lashes the judgement and punishment of sinne as Augustine saith They lament the evil caused not the evil causing the evil of puâ—â—â—hment the present lashes not the evil of sinne You shall see the difference of it in Pharaoh and David God you see punished Pharaoh for sinne plague upon plague judgement upon judgement and hee crys under the lashes the present judgement Oh! take away this plague take away this death also take away these lice these Caterpillars c. but there was not a word of sin But I have sinned saith David 2 Sam. 24. to 27. I beseech thee take away the iniquity of thy servant One would have thought hee should have prayed to have the plague removed which was then on the people But hee saith take away this sinne not this plague nay in the 17th vers Continue the plague if thou please against mee and my fathers house only pardon mine iniquity Why thus because hee saw sinne a greater evil than the plague and therefore desires rather to be rid of the sin than the punishment of it Here was now a vast difference between the sorrows of the one and the other Take away this plague saith Pharaoh but continue the sinne Take away the sinne saith David though thou continue the plague The one hee mourned under the present lashes the other under sinne Sincere mourning is a mourning for sinne and not for sinne as clad with wrath but for sinne abstractly sinne in its own nature not for sin in its damning but for sin in its defiling nature 4. Character 4 Sincere mourning is a proportional mourning there are two proportions of sin First of the measure Secondly Of the merit of sin Where the heart is sincere it is proportionable 1. To the measure of Sin Great sins must have great sorrows thou hast abounded in sinning thou must abound in sorrowing Thus you see it was with Manasses hee was a great Sinner and a great sorrower hee was humbled greatly saith the Text. So Mary Magdalen a great sinner and shee is a great sorrower It s true I grant Non ex gradu â—t mensura paenitentiâ—â— c. That Sincerity doth not lye so much in the measure as the truth of mourning there may bee godly sorrow in a drop in one tear when there is not godly sorrow in a Sea of Teares But this I say withall that sincere hearts doe ever labour to carry a proportion between their sinnings and their sorrowings between their repentings and their revoltings and though a man may bee justified in heaven without such a measure of sorrow yet hee will scarce bee justified or get peace in the court of his own Conscience without it That 's the first 2 The second Proportion is To the merit of Sin Sincere mourning is proportionable to the merit of sinne Non actu sed affectu as the demerit of sin is infinite so sorrow for it must bee an infinite sorrow infinite I say not in the act and expression yet in the affection of the soul As it is said of a wicked man if hee should live for ever hee would sinne for ever in respect of his desire and will to
instance you see here it was the practise of Moses The former Chapter tells you of his Dangers and Fears The Egyptians pursued him vers 8 9 10. Together with Moses behaviour and demeanour in these straits vers 13 14 15. Where first you see his Faith vers 13 14. And the 15th verse implies his Prayer Though wee read of none expressed yet there is one implied The Lord said unto Moses wherefore cryest thou unto mee speak unto the Children of Israel that they go forward By which is implied that Moses his spirit did mightily wrestle with God in Prayer although wee read not of any words hee there uttered And in this Chapter you may read of his praises for that great deliverance which God had wrought for them No sooner was hee come to shoar but hee singeth forth the praises of God both for their own deliverance and the enemies destruction So that these words that I have read unto you they are a part of a Psalm of Thanksgiving for the glorious and wonderful deliverance of the Children of Israel from the host of Pharaoh The summe of all you shall see in the 9 10 11. verses where you may read these three things 1. Mans purposing 2. Gods disposing 3. The Churches retribution 1. Mans purposing in vers 9. which was bloody enough 1. The Enemy said I will pursue 2. I will overtake 3. I will divide the spoil 4. My lust shall be satisfied upon them 5. I will draw my sword 6. My hand shall destroy them Here was a bloody purpose and all was done in their thoughts 2 Wee have God disposing in the next vers Thou didst blow with thy wind the sea covered them and they sank as lead in the mighty waters And then 3 Here is The Churches Retribution set down in a way of Admiration of God excellencies Who is like unto thee O Lord among the Gods Who is like unto thee glorious in Holinesse fearful in Praises Doing wonders Here is the Church Riding in Tryumph in a majestick solemnity admiring of God and triumphing in him as she doth still in all her songs of praises for Deliverances See Judg. 5. and 1 Sam. 2. at the beginning and most elegantly in Isa 25.9 Lo this is our God we have waited for him and he will save us This is the Lord we have waited for him and wee will bee glad and rejoyce in his salvation Wee will hold you no longer in the Preface that which I shall commend unto you from the words is this Doct. The Wonderfull God doth do wonderfull things for his Church and people Hee doth not only do wonders simply but great wonders Psal 136.4 nay mighty wonders Dan. 4.3 Amazing astonishing wonders for his Church and people In the prosecution of this doctrin wee will go through these five things We will shew you 1 The truth of it That God doth do wonders 2 The ground and reason why God doth such wonders 3 What those wonders are which God doth 4 When is the time that God doth these wonders 5 Whether God will do a wonder for us 1. Quere 1 For the first of these That God doth do great wonders for his Church even such things as are above our thoughts above our hopes above our expectations above our reason to conceive above our faith to beleeve The whole Scriptures are but the Annals or the records of the wonders which God hath done for his Church and people You can all tell me what wonders God did for his people in Egypt The Psalmist tells you so Psal 78.12 Marvellous things did hee for them in the sight of their fathers in the land of Egypt And you know what wonders hee did for them at the Red-sea when there was nothing but death before them death behind them they were surrounded with death Yet then God unbared his arm and caused the Red-sea to divide it self Vehiculum Sepulchrum which became a passage to the one and a grave to the other And wonders hee did for them in the wilderness Not a day without a wonder Every day was the Birth of a wonder Hee gave them bread from heaven he gave them water out of the rock Read the 78 Psalm at your leasure and the 9. chap. of Nehemiah and in them you shall see a little Chronicle of the great wonders which God hath done for his Church and people But to the Doctrin That God doth do wonders for his Church and people 1 God hath wonderfully disappointed great plots and desperate counsels and designs against them Wee will give you an instance of this in Hamans time Haman had a desperate plot for the ruine of the Church and people of God you may read it in the 3d. of Esther 8 9 10. to the end In brief it was this To overthrow and put to death all the Jews upon pretence that they kept not the Kings laws Here was their plot The disappointment of it you shall read in the 6. 7 8. Chapters The means whereby this design was broken was but small and therefore the greater was the wonder the more visible was the hand of God The breaking of the Kings sleep was the breaking of this design as you read Elish 6. beginning The King could not sleep well what then Could hee not lye still in his bed No he must have a book and that book the book of Chronicles and that Book must bee opened where accidentally though surely guided by Providence hee opens and reads that passage recorded concerning Mordecai where was registred his faithfullnesse in discovering and disappointing of a murther intended against the King Wherupon God set this act of faithfulness so close upon the Kings heart that hee could not rest till Mordecai was rewarded for it And this reward must be Hamans ruine his advancement Hamans abasement And this was the rise of Hamans disappointment The like you have Dan. 6.4 5. There was a great design the Nobles had against Daniel They saw Daniel was faithfull to the King and they could find no way to insnare him unlesse it were in something that concerned the law of his God And therein if they could find any thing in his obedience to God that might render him disobedient to the King they should then have their desire of him And therefore their Plot was this To make a Decree that who ever should ask any Petition either of God or man for the space of thâ—â—â—y dayes save only of the King he was to be thrown into the den of Lyons Well the Plot took according to the Desire of their hearts for notwithstanding this decree Daniel made his Prayers and supplications to his God three times a day as you see in the 10 11. verses Upon this they go and tell the King Hast not thou O King made a Decree that none should ask any Petition of God or man save of thee c. Here is one Daniel of the Captivity who regards not thee O King nor the decree thou hast
hand of man that they may fall into the hand of God The Justice of men that the Justice of God who is a punisher of sin a consuming fire might at once bee revenged of them But I shall only give you two things to consider of Consider then 1 The Persons against whom they are 2 The Persons who are against us 1 The Persons against whom they set themselves And that is against his Church his People his Saints his Mourners his Sighers his Prayers his Members his Treasures his Jewels Such as are as dear to him as the apple of his eye such as hee hath said hee will give men for and people for their life Yea and therefore are they enemies to these because they are friends to God because they run not out with them in the same excess of Riot as the Apostle saith 2. Look upon the persons who are against us They are such as are declared to bee Papists Atheists scorners and contemners of God and his waies such as are proud prophane cruel and bloody-minded-men haters of God blasphemers of his Name by new and hel-born oathes such as have made themselves obnoxious to the stroak of Justice Many of whom have escaped the hand of man that they may I hope fall into the hand of God and the justice of man that the justice of God might discover them and finde them out who will bee a sad avenger of these things Thus doth the wickedness of the enemy speak deliverance to the Church of God when the Devil drives his servants so furiously it is a sign they will quickly bee at their journies end VVhen Satans rage is violent it is not long Rev. 12.11 Woe bee to the Inhabitants of the Earth that is to the wicked and the ungodly But rejoyce yee Heavens that is yee Saints and People of God why For the Devil is come down having great wrath But can this bee a matter of rejoycing Yea saith the Text Because hee hath but a short time VVhen the Devil comes down with great wrath it prognosticates his time is not long VVhen men are grown so hellish in their malice their oathes and Blasphemies that they are become an abhorring and abomination to men Then will God certainly ease himself and unburden a Nation of them You have something to this 2 Tim. 3.8 9. when their wickedness of whom the Apostle speaks there was abhorred of all men Then saith hee they shall proceed no further Object But you will tell mee that this will not bee enough to perswade with us that God will do a wonder for us For wee sometimes read that God hath given up the godly into the hands of wicked men to bee punished as you read ordinarily in Scripture And Habakkuk complains of the like Hab. 1.17 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than himself Answ It is true God hath sometimes given up a people to others who have been greater sinners than themselves Hee hath given up one wicked Nation to another that was more wicked than they But wee do not read that God hath given up the good of one to the evil and wicked of the same Nation But then 2. VVhen God hath done this it hath been when hee was highly displeased with his people after hee hath sent Prophets to warn them to humble and reform them and yet they would continue obstinate in their evil wayes and would not bee reformed as hee tells us at large 2 Chron. 36.15 16. 3 VVhen God hath done this it hath been when his own people have been so involved and inwrapped with them that there was no separating between them And thus oftentimes the Saints may bee involved in the same general calamities with the bad because of that politick union and conjunction that is between the Members of a state and Common-wealth So in a Common-wealth universally sinful a few righteous men may as parts of that sinful society bee justly subject to those temporary evils which the sins of that society have contracted upon them 4 VVhen God hath done this it hath been when his own people have had communion with the sins of them with whom they live VVhen there is a communion with the evill of sin wee must look for a communion with the evil of punishment Oneness of sin brings Oneness of sufferings But none of these are our case For 1 VVee are not to bee delivered up to another Nation but to those who are Vipers in our own and the good to the bad 2 Though wee were involved together yet they have separated themselves from us which if it had not been done wee might suspect that such Jona's would raise storms Indeed the way for wicked men to bee preserved is to body themselves with the Saints is to abide by them whiles the VVheat and â—ares grew together the Tares were preserved The Tares had not been preserved if they had not been in the field with the Wheat But being there God would not pluck up the Tares lest the Wheat also should bee destroyed But when the Wheat is gathered in or if the Tares shall separate themselves from the Wheat bundle themselves together against the Saints it is the ready way to their own destruction that is the way to have no mercy when God may deal with them single and there bee none with them to bear off the blow 4. Gods People have not communion with them in their sins 1. They do not approve of them in their Judgements 2. They do not consent to them in their wills 3. They do not act them in their lives This is to have Communion No but further 1. They are grieved with them as Lot was his soul was grieved with the sins of Sodom 2. They are grieved for them not only with them but for them They are matter of their mourning Thus David shed rivers of tears because the wicked kept not Gods law Ezek. 9.4 A mark was to bee set on the foreheads of them who were Sighers and mourners for the sins of Jerusalem 3. They are not only grieved with and grieved for but they Pray down Preach down mourn down live down the sins of this sinful Common-wealth which may bee an argument to us that God will preserve us from that overflowing scourge that devouring deluge which he may bring upon wicked men 5. Argument 5. The fifth Argument to induce us to hope that God will now do a wonder for us is taken from the Consideration of those great things which God hath promised to do for his Church and People in this latter end of the world Indeed God hath done much for his People in all ages of the World you may see his Wonders upon record But all these are nothing in comparison of those which hee hath ingaged himself to do for them hereafter The World
therefore as Pilates Wife said to her Husband Have nothing to do with that just man so I say to you Have nothing to do by way of offence against the Church and People of God you will but ruine your selves in seeking their ruine Gods Church is both too heavy and too hot for you see them both Zach. 12.3 There God saith of his Church That hee would make it a burthensome stone who ever lifteth at it shall bee crusht in peeces though all the Nations of the world be gathered together against her yet all will be to no purpose For God will make his Church a burdensome stone that whosoever lifteth at her shall be crushed in peeces Hee doth not say whoever lifeth it up for that cannot bee but whoever lifteth at it whoever seeks to hurt it shall crush themselves Their very attempt shall bee their destruction Haman lifted so long at this stone that it fell on him at last and crushed him to peeces Pharaoh followed the Children of Israel so long that there was no return at the last he was buried in the waters Julian attempted evil against the Church so long till at last God from heaven struck him slew him The Church God makes too heavy for his enemies and too hot too As you see in the 6. verse of that 12th Chapter of Zach. In that day will I make the Governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood and like a torch of fire in a sheaf and they shall devour all the people round about All the encounters of wicked men against the Church is but like a sheaf of straw encountring with a torch of fire that burns themselves Whiles the iron is in its own nature you may handle it and deal with it but if once the nature of Fire be put to it then ware your fingers if you prove so bold and hardy as to touch it Wee say He that shoots in a peece overcharged strikes down himself not that hee aimed at There was never man who levelled peece against the Church but hee shoots in a peece overcharged and shall be sure at last to be struck down with its own recoil They shall but lay snares to take themselves dig graves to bury themselves in make rods for their own backs and pave a way for their own destruction at last Isa 54.15 16 17. Behold the enemy shall gather himself but without mee whosoever shall gather himself in thee against thee shall fall Behold I have created the Smith that bloweth the coals in the fire and him that bringeth forth an instrument for his work and I have created the destroyer to destroy No weapon made against thee shall prosper every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement shalt thou condemn This is the heritage of the Lords servants c. God will work wonders for the deliverance of his Church and for the destruction of the wicked at last Let this bee for caution therefore to the wicked persecutors 3. Use Let this bee for incouragement of Gods People 3 Use of Incouragement to the People of God in these Times of danger and trouble Though our condition bee very sad at this time Our enemies strong we weak they full of rage and bitterness against us yet there is no cause of fears nor of discouragement 1 There is no cause of fear seeing wee have a God on our side and such a God as is able to do wonders for us You may set God against all the strength and provisions of the Arm of flesh Thus you see David did Psal 20.7 Some trust in Charriots and some in Horses but we will remember the name of the Lord our God He set God against all Alas what are Castles and Forts what are multitudes of men what are riches what is Provision of horse the Psalmist tells you Psal 33 17. A Horse is but a vain thing to save a man Isa 31.3 Their Horses are flesh and not Spirit Prov. 21.31 The Horse is prepared against the day of battel but safety is of the Lord. All this and whatever an adversary may have to glory in is but an arm of flesh but you have a God and a God that can do wonders for you I will boast in God saith the Prophet all the day long Give not way then to sinkings of Spirit you have no cause of fears if you look above as well as below if you converse with Heaven as well as with Earth Indeed if wee look below God for the relief of the weaknesse of our Faith hath stirred up the hearts of our worthys and People to afford so willing a concurrence in the service of the King and Kingdome at this time But this is not our strength Look above and you have a God who can who will do wonders for you Fear is utterly unbeseeming 1 A Christian who is the souldier of Christ 2 Religion which is the Cause of Christ 1 It is unbefitting a Christian For the Righteous should be bold as a Lyon Let the sinners in Zion be afraid not you who have so great a God as can do wonders for you Luthers spirit doth well befit a Christian especially in these days who when hee was disswaded from going to Wormes about some extraordinary businesse of the Church because of some Plots laid against him he makes reply Vocatus ingrediar etsi scirem tot esse Diabolos Wormatiae quot sunt tegulae in aedium tectis I am called to it and though every tile in the City were a devil I would go This was Resolution and courage befitting a Christian who is a souldier of Christ And 2 Fear is unbeseeming Religion which is the cause of Christ A good cause should have a good courage It was the speech of Luther to Melancthon who was an holy though a fearful man when Melancthon had discovered his fears to him If our cause be not good let us desist and leave it If it bee good let us go on couragiously Christs cause and a Cowards heart are ill coupled together Gods People are too apt to this And therefore doth Christ steel the heart of his Disciples against it Fear not little flock Though a little flock yet there is no cause to fear having so strong a Shepheard And fear not worm Jacob though a worm and weak apt to bee trod upon yet fear not Isa 41.13 14. I will help thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer the holy-one of Israel And Who art thou that are afraid of a man that shall dye and forgets the Lord thy maker Arguing if they had not forgotten God they would not have feared man VVhat though they bee carried on with all head-strong violence to seek our ruine what though their purposes be cruel God can 1 Calm them still them as hee did the Sea Peace and bee still as he did Esau when he came against Jacob. 2 Stop them in their way Hee that Sets bounds to the Sea and saith hitherto shalt thou come and
ears See what followes vers 7 8 13.14 Then the Earth shook and trembled The Lord thundred in the Heavens and the highest gave his voice Hailstones and coals of fire Hee sent out his arrows and scattered them hee shot out his lightenings and discomfitted them And an excellent place you have Isa 54.15 When the enemy shall come in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him That is shall both defend from his violence and put him to flight And it is an observable phrase The Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard That is saith one The Spirit of Prayer is lift up When trouble and evil are threatned the enemie comes like a flood irresistably then the Spirit of the Lord stirring up Prayer in his peoples hearts shall lift up a standard against them bee your defence and chase them away When God doth intend to bestow great things on his People first hee gives them the Spirit of Prayer the Harbinger and Forerunner of mercy Jer. 3.19 But I said How shall I put thee among the Children and give thee a pleasant land As if hee had said I have purposes of mercy to thee I have thoughts of deliverance I think to bring thee into thy own land again and do wonders for thee But what way shall I go to effect and bring about this And I said thou shalt call mee my Father As if hee had said I have now bethought mee of a way I will poure a spirit of Prayer upon thee and thou shalt call mee Father and so I will put thee among my Children 3. Bee incouraged to hope as well as to pray Hope 3 Incouragement to hope in God Heb. 6.19 it is called the anchor of the soul sure and stedfast that takes sure hold and then breaks not in the greatest tempest at such an anchor wee may ride in the most overgrown storm They say Clement was cast into the Sea with an anchor fastened to him and could not drown wee shall not in the deepest Waters if wee bee fastened to this anchor for God delights in them who hope in his Mercy Psal 147.11 and whom God delights in enemies shall not delight over his mercy shall prevent their utterly undoing-misery Hope is the Daughter of Faith therefore when Faith hath brought forth the birth of Prayer let it bring forth the other Twin also of Hope And then also 4. To wait on God 4. Bee incouraged to wait For as long as we hope we will wait and no longer as long as you expect and hope your friend will come to you so long you will stay and wait for him but give over hoping once and then you will together give over waiting Hope hath two acts it expects that a Mercy will come and then it waits till it do come as it is confident of Gods goodness and truth that in his due time hee will shew mercy so it is conscious to its own duty and therefore humbly and patiently waits Gods leisure till that time come and this although many cross Providences and greatest dangers should come between yea in the way of thy Judgements O Lord have wee waited for thee saith the Church Isa 26.8 and well they may seeing by experience they ever finde that the Lord is good unto them that wait for him to the soul that seeketh him Lam. 3.25 And then when you have learned these lessons of trusting in God praying hoping and waiting on him Then you shall say with the Church Isa 25.9 Loe this is our God wee have waited for him and hee will save us This is the Lord wee have waited for him wee will rejoyce and bee joyful in his salvation There are many glorious wonders which God is now to do at the latter end of the World for his Church This time is reserved for a time of Wonders And who knows but this may bee one of the Wonders which God now doth for his Church at this time Could wee but remove 1. Our Unbeleef 2. Our Unthankfulness 3. Our Neglect of Duty 4. Our Unworthy Walking Could wee but 1. Beleeve more Strongly 2. Pray more Fervently 3. Live more Holily And God would do Wonders for us I tell you the way to ingage God to do Wonders for England is 1. To Beleeve more 2. To Pray more 3. To Reform more 1 Would you ingage God to do Wonders for England Beleeve Set Faith on work and you will work in the bowels of a Promise nay in the bowels of God pitch Faith upon God Let Faith have her full and perfect work And there is No Temptation so strong but Faith will conquer No Affliction so great but Faith will master No Prison so strait but Faith will open No Danger so great but Faith relieves us in No Misery so unsufferable but Faith will deliver us out Do but beleeve saith Christ and thou shalt see the wondrous works of God As if hee had said God will do no wonders John 6.4 if you will not beleeve Indeed God can do wonders as Christ said Hee could not do much because of their unbeleef Though unbelief take no Power no Wisdome from God For as the Apostle saith God is faithfull whether men beleeve or no So I may say God is Powerfull God is mercifull God â—â— Wise c. though wee beleeve not But though our unbelief do not weaken the Power of God yet it straitens and limits it Though it rob God of no mercy yet it robs us of all Though he hath mercy yet hath he none for us Well then that is the first Beleeve You have to deal with a God and this God is a God of Power and this God and this power is yours in Covenant And by vertue of that all for your good Let Faith now stirre Mark 9.23 If you can but beleeve all things are possible wonders are possible To Beleeve is difficult but to him that Beleeveth nothing is impossible If you had but faith as a grain of mustard-seed say to this mountain bee thou removed hence and bee cast into the sea and it shall bee done Though Faith bee but weak though but small A grain yet if it bee but lively if a grain of Mustard-seed Acris Fervida if it have Acrimonie and Vivacity in it as Mustard-seed hath one grain shall bee able to remove a mountain That is whatever may bee to the glory of God and the good of his Church be it never so difficult the least Faith if true Faith will effect it and bring it about You shall read in Heb. 11.33 what wonders Faith hath wrought It hath the same Power and the same God of power to deal with still Incouragements to Faith I have given you diverse in the former discourses from the Power from the love of God from all those former experiences that both ourselves and generations before have had of Gods goodnesse As I have shewed at large 2 Would you ingage God pray to