a dead member and wants that spiritual life that feeds and maintains the power of Godliness in the Soul for if he be acquainted with the Spiritual Birth and if his Soul be alive for God he cannot be without love to his Brethren Therefore sayes the Apostle in another place Beloved let us love one another for love is of God and every one that loveth his Brother is Born of God and is acquainted with the Lord. Therefore let this Doctrine of the Kingdom perswade us to continue and abound in this fruit of the Spirit and seeing we profess our selves to be all Partners in one Kingdom let us be all Partners together in Love and Affection Thus much for the first word of Exhortation But again Secondly 2. If it be so that the Lord hath provided and prepared a Kingdom for his People and will one day Crown them with Eternal Glory Oh! then let us be exhorted to bless and praise the Lord for his goodness towards us and to magnifie his Glorious Name for this his unspeakable Love Oh! the exceeding Riches of his Grace in this very particular doth mightily engage us to celebrate his praise to the utmost of our power both in word and action Oh! how are we bound to set forth his Glory and to magnifie his Mercy and to speak well of his Goodness for this his tender respect to his People yea all his Attributes shines and shews themselves beautifully in the accomplishment of this our great and wonderful Priviledge and loudly calls for a thankful Return at our hands Oh! how are we engaged to the Lord for his Goodness and how are we bound to praise him for his rich Grace To consider that we even such poor Creatures as we even when we were in a lost perishing state lay polluted in our Blood in an undone Condition that then the Lord should vouchsafe to cast his Eye upon us and pitty us and manifest his Love and Goodness so far unto our Souls as to find out a way for our Recovery and to bring about our Redemption by the death of his own Son and to put us into a capacity of Salvation that we might be honoured with the Dignity of Adoption and enabled to call him Father through faith in his only Begotten That so we might be partakers of a Heavenly Glorious and Unmoveable Kingdom Oh! what unspeakable Love and excellent Kindness is this Oh! what rich Grace and infinite Mercy is here extended to our Souls How do we stand engaged to the Lord for his infinite Goodness Pray let 's consider how it is in natural Cases If in case that we were poor and miserable and wanted relief and comfort for our outward Man and could not tell where nor which way to find any succour And now if a rich Man that hath fulness about him should take our Condition into consideration and meerly out of Love and Pitty towards us should hand forth Relief and Comfort to us and plentifully supply all our Wants and put us into a happy Condition and after all this make us Heirs of a Rich Inheritance Oh! how should we be engaged to esteem such a Courtesie as this And how should we be engaged to prize such a wonderful Kindness Oh! how would this bind us to acknowledge his Love and draw forth our hearts with thankfulness towards him Or else if we did not almost every one would be ready to condemn us for our Ingratitude And besides we should even give our Friend just occasion to cast us out of his favour and take our Inheritance from us Well but now the Lord hath done abundance more for us than all this and he hath extended his Love towards us in a wonderful manner even beyond comparison yea he hath done that for us that all the men in the World and all the Angels in Heaven could never have done by their greatest power and he hath provided and prepared such a Rich and Glorious Portion for us as all the World is not comparable thereunto Oh! then consider how are we bound to prize and esteem this infinite Kindness of God and thankfully to acknowledge his unspeakable Love And how are we bound to bless the Lord for his Goodness and to shew forth the Praises of him who hath thus called us out of Darkness into his marvellous Light Therefore seeing the Lord hath been so much enlarged in his Love and Goodness towards us Oh! let us endeavour to be enlarged in our thankfulness towards him lest we give him occasion to withdraw his Love from us for our gross Ingratitude and deprive us of our Portion for our ill improvement of his great Love Therefore you shall find that the Apostle himself makes this use of this very particular 1 Pet. 1.3 4. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant Mercy hath Begotten us again unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead to an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled which fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for us Mark The consideration of Gods Goodness manifested in our hope of Glory and the consideration of our reserved Inheritance is that which doth here occasion him to bless and praise the Lord and exceedingly draws forth his spirit with thankfulness towards him and causeth him to acknowledge and admire his abundant Mercy towards us who hath Begotten us to a lively hope of such a Heavenly Inheritance Therefore saith the Apostle Paul Col. 1.12 13. We do not cease to give thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light who hath delivered us from the power of Darkness and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son Oh! therefore let the consideration of our Heavenly Portion dwell upon our hearts and exceedingly draw forth our souls with thankfulness towards our Heavenly Father and let us mightily endeavour to set forth the Praise and Glory of him who hath provided and prepared such an Excellent Kingdom for his People Thus much for the second word of Exhortation I shall now come to the Third and last word of Exhortation and so conclude 3. Seeing the Lord hath provided and prepared such a Glorious and Heavenly Kingdom for his People Oh! then let all those that professe an Interest in this Kingdom walk worthy of God who hath called us to such a Glorious Inheritance Let the consideration thereof mightily engage us to a Holy and a Heavenly Conversation Oh! let us be sure to walk suitably and answerably to such an Honourable and Heavenly Profession as becomes those that are Heirs of a Kingdom and as becomes those that have an Interest in such an unspeakable Portion Oh! let 's consider what a Glorious Profession we bear and what a Heavenly work we are called unto and let us be sure to walk so as that we may honour our Profession with a suitable Conversation and answer the end of our
GODLY ADVERSITY Far better than WICKED PROSPERITY OR The Rage of the Wicked should not Hinder the Race of the Godly Being a few Comfortable Reasons or Encouragements against the Fear and Terrour of Man Very Seasonable Sutable for the Consideration of God's People in this Day of Tryal to Fortifie them against all Troubles and Oppositions whatsoever Together with a Heavenly Discourse concerning the Saints in their Kingdom Wherein is Discovered the Excellency of the Kingdom it self and the Wonderful Glory and Happiness of the Saints in their Heavenly Habitation By Edward Noble an unworthy Servant and Prisoner of Jesus Christ Isa 41.14 Fear not thou Worm Jacob and the few Men of Israel I will help thee saith the Lord. Rev. 2.10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt Suffer Behold the Devil shall cast some of you into Prison that ye may be Tryed And ye shall have Tribulation certain Dayes But be thou Faithful unto Death and thou shalt receive a Crown of Life Matth. 5.10 Blessed are they which are Persecuted for Righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven London Printed by S. Dover in Christophers Alley in Martins near Aldersgatè 1661. To his Dear and much Respected Father according to the flesh FRANCIS NOBLE one of the Lords faithful Servants and Stewards of his Houshold And one of the Right Honourable Society of Saints in the Faith of the GOSPEL Dear and Well-beloved Father NOt only the Bonds of Nature and the knot of Relation betwixt us but also the great Cord of Affection and Christianity hath drawn me forth and induced me to Dedicate these my weak fruits of Labour and Love unto your serious and pious Consideration judging it may be a great Manifestation of my Duty towards you and a signal Token of that tender Love and Respect which your Deserts through Grace calls for at my hands It is not Silver nor Gold Money nor Riches that I have here to present unto you or to accommodate you withal but such as my Heavenly Father hath out of his abundant treasures bestowed upon me It is not Earthly shadows of a Temporal Concernment but Heavenly Substance of a Spiritual Nature Therefore what I have Received I freely and cordially impart unto you hoping it will be an acceptable Token unto you Your Aged Years I Honour and your Gray Hairs I Reverence especially being found in the Path of Righteousness for give me leave to tell you that it's Vertue and Piety that makes Age truly Honourable and Precious more than Treasures of Riches where Godliness is wanting It 's no small Joy unto me when I Consider you not only as my Father in the flesh but also Related to me in the Spirit That there is a nearer Relation betwixt us than what is outward and a more excellent Affinity between us than that of Nature Our Natural Relations are but shadows and husks and of a momentary standing but Spiritual Affinity is a fountain of Joy that abides for ever the former will perish and cease from being but the latter shall continue and never have an end It 's matter of great Rejoycing to me when I Consider how you press forward and persevere in the wayes of God even to your latter dayes and in the midst of Troubles that you are not frighted from the Truth by the frowns of men but still you continue faithful to the Purity of the Gospel notwithstanding the threatning ruine and spoil that attends it Oh! how many have run well in their young dayes and gone on eminently for God in a Day of Prosperity and yet in the time of Persecution or else in the time of old Age have grown weary of God and declined his wayes and Worship and have minded their own ease and Interest more than the Glory of God! But blessed be the Lord it 's otherwise with you it is not length of time that hath diminished your Love to God nor Changes of Providences that hath abated your zeal to the Truth nor Alterations in Church and State that hath altered your Resolutions in the Work and Service of your Heavenly Father Dear Father You have lived to behold sundry and various Dispensations of God and you have seen much of the out-goings and in-comings of the Lord in this Land of our Nativity and you have experienced much of the Power and Goodness of mighty Jehovah in several Conditions both in Prosperity and Adversity in Sickness and in Health yea in the midst of Discouragements you have received Comforts from God and in the midst of Troubles you have received Strength from the Lord You have seen the Churches of Christ flourishing and shining in these Nations and the Enemies thereof confounded and brought to shame Your eyes have beheld what a Wall of Defence the Rock of Ages hath been to his People and how he hath made their Enemies though more and Mightier to become Tributary and Servants to them and how he had placed men fearing God in great Places of Trust and those that followed Vertue and Piety in Places of great Affairs by which means Magistracy became a Terrour to evil-doers a Praise to them that did well and Religion Vertue and Holiness was Countenanced Upheld and Maintained by a face of Authority in these Nations in your dayes But now you have lived to see a mighty Change and a wonderful Alteration another World as it were flowing with sin and Iniquity wherein the Church of Christ is very low poor and contemptible and the Vineyard of our God hath been laid open to ravenous Beasts the Boar out of the Wood hath laid it waste and they have through their Subtilty caused many tall Cedars to fall and by their Power have Crushed and Oppressed the tender Plants and Vines and a great Inundation of Sin and Prophaness over-flows the Nation Well our God is at Work and he will certainly do great things for Sion and will in his due time turn all things to his own Glory and his Peoples great Good and Benefit Whether you may live to see the Redemption of Sion or the Churches flourish again in this Nation I cannot tell But of this I am perswaded That you will one Day enjoy a far better state of Joy and Perfection without mixture or Changableness and therefore as a Cordial to your Soul in this earthly Pilgrimage I have briefly set before you a glimpse of that Glory and Happiness which the Saints shall enjoy in their Father's Kingdom which Portion I doubt not but you can claim an Interest in and I hope you will assuredly enjoy and possess it when the Earth and Heavens shall be no more Indeed Considering your day is drawing to a period and the great Troubles Calamities and Afflictions which you have seen felt and undergone I did judge that I could not present unto you a more serious sutable and seasonable Subject than this And Considering the Troubles of the Day and the Rage of the Adversary I have here drawn
from their Callings and casting them into Prisons and Dungeons and keeping of them there by Hundreds and Thousands for nothing but because they are Godly and because they love the Lord Jesus Christ and dare not sin against the Lord Surely the Hand of the Lord will one Day take hold of Judgement for these things and he will assuredly render Vengeance to his Enemies and reward them that hate him for the Arrows of the Lord are ordained against the Persecutors Deut. 32.41 42. Psal 7.13 Therefore though the enemies of God may now flourish and prosper for a while and lye upon Beds of Ivory and stretch themselves upon their Couches and eat the Lambs out of the Flock and the Calves out of the Stall and drink Wine in Bowels and annoint themselves with the chief Ointments yet when the Lord comes to Plead with the Nations for the Controversie of Sion Then they will be ready to run and hide themselves in the Dens and in the Rocks of the Mountains and call to the Mountains and Rocks to fall on them and hide them from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Therefore under this Consideration let 's not faint nor be discouraged in our Progress towards Heaven for if the Lord be on our side we need not fear what Man can do unto us Reas 3. Because our greatest and our worst Adversaries I mean our Persecutors are but Men that shall die poor vile sinful mortal men whose Breath is in their nostrils whose Lives are uncertain and whose greatest glory is but perishing vanity and when they are at their greatest strength and in their greatest Pride The Lord can but put forth his hand and touch them and lo they become as nothing and the Lord can but put forth his voice and call for their Breath and lo they become but dust and meat for Worms Therefore great Reason why we should not be afraid of their greatest Terrour For alas they may threaten great things against the People of God yea and be ready to Swear it may be that such and such things shall be done unto them the next Week or the next Month when it may be the next day they themselves are summoned to their Graves and so never live to see their wicked Designes accomplished Therefore see how the Scripture Reproves Persons under this Consideration for being afraid of man Isaâ— 51.12 13. Who art thou that thou shouldst be afraid of man that shall DYE and of the Son of man which shall be made as GRASSE And forgettest the Lord thy Maker that hath stretched forth the Heavens and laid the Foundations of the Earth and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the Oppressour as if he were ready to destroy and where is the fury of the Oppressour So that it is below the Spirit of a Saint to be afraid of any perishing Creature it is a shame for a Living Saint to be afraid of a Dying Sinner it is a great dishonour to God for Saints to be afraid of a mortal man and forget the fear of the living God it 's a shame for a Saint whose strength is in the Lord to be afraid of a man whose greatest strength is weakness it 's a shame for a Saint whose hope and Confidence is in the God of Jacob to be afraid of a man whose Expectation shall perish it 's a horrid thing that Saints should be more afraid to serve the Lord then wicked men are to serve the Devil Therefore let us hold fast the Profession of our Faith without wavering and never fear what man can do unto us Rea. 4. Because though we may be troubled and disturbed on every side by man yet we have Peace and Favour with God and though men may account us as the filth and the off-scouring of the World yet the Lord doth esteem us as his Jewels and his peculiar Treasure And this may be sufficient to bear up our Souls in the greatest of troubles to consider That though the World may hate us with cruel hatred yet the Lord loveth the Righteous and taketh pleasure in his People and though the World may be our Enemy and frown upon us yet the Lord is our Friend and will smile upon us with the Light of his Countenance and refresh our Souls with the choice manifestations of his Spirit and presence and though in the World we may have Tribulation and Sorrow yet in God we may have Peace and Comfort and Joy in the Holy Ghost through Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore see where our Saviour Christ makes this a great Reason against Fear Joh. 14.27 where he speaks thus Peace I leave with you my Peace I give unto you not as the world giveth give I unto you for alas the world many times giveth Peace and presently takes it away again it may give Peace and rest a little to Day and it may be Sorrow and Trouble to Morrow But now sayes Christ I give not Peace after this manner But my Peace ILEAVE with you that is it shall continue and Tarry with you and none shall be able to take it from you Well what then suppose it be so why let not your hearts be Troubled neither let them be afraid for though your Enemies may Rob and Deprive you of your outward Comforts and outward Enjoyments yet they shall never be able to east you out of my Favour nor Deprive you of that inward Comfort and Spiritual Refreshment that I will give unto you and leave with you Therefore be not afraid of their Terrour neither let your hearts be Troubled And so likewise see the Apostle Rom. 5.1 3. Therefore being Justified by Faith we have Peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord So that now we do not onely Rejoyce in the hope of Glory But we also Rejoyce and Glory in all our Tribulations and are filled with Comfort in all our afflictions 2 Cor. 7.4 Therefore let us endeavour to keep in the Love and Favour of God and then we need not fear what man can do unto us Rea. 5. Because all our Sufferings which are for Righteousness sake work together for our good and great advantage and will add to our future Glory and happiness there is no misery that can befall us upon the account of Godliness but it will prove an addition to to our Eternal Happiness Every step we trace in sorrow will be to the increase of our Eternal Joy Therefore this may be another great Reason why we should not fear the worst that man can do unto us for alas whatever they do unto us they cannot hurt us if we keep close to God they can do us no Injury at all Nay the more they Persecute us if it be for Christ the more it will conduce to our Good and Benefit Oh what a glorious Encouragement is this for poor Persecuted Saints to hold out in a Day of Tryal and to bear up their Souls
Jerusalem what ever it Costs him Therefore said he in his Answer to his Disciples What mean you to Weep and to Break my heart As much as if he should say what mean you to be thus earnest to hinder me from the Work of the Lord away with all your Entreaties and away with all your Perswasions for I am more afflicted and wounded in heart at the Consideration of your perswasions in this Case than I am at the Consideration of all my Sufferings at Jerusalem For I would have you to think that I am Ready not onely to be Bound but also to Dye at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus Oh that this valiant Spirit of Pauls were but Seated and Grounded in the hearts of all Professors at this Day how would it Glorifie God and make his Truth and Gospel shine in the World and mightily amaze and astonish the hearts of our Enemies and exceedingly Engage the Lord to Crown us speedily with Victory and Deliverance Therefore now let us seriously weigh these things and lay them to heart And let us Rouse up our Dull Spirits and be Valiant for God and the more our Adversaries increase in their Rage and Fury against us the more let us increase in our Zeal and Courage for Christ and let us Remember the Lord is with us and for us and if we continue Faithful to him he will never leave us nor forsake us But continually Support us and Comfort us and in his due time deliver us out of all our Troubles and Afflictions Therefore to conclude this point Let us be strong in the Lord and in the Power of his might and take unto our selves the whole Armour of God That we may be able to stand and withstand in this evil Day That so having fought a good Fight and having finished our Course and kept the Faith we may at length receive that Crown of Righteousness and that Eternal weight of Glory which is laid up for all those that love the Appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ I have done with this point of Doctrine and shall now come to the last Branch of the Text wherein is comprehended the third and last Observation which I raised from the words I shall now endeavour to Manage and Prosecute that as the Lord shall direct me Therefore I proceed and say That it is the good pleasure of Almighty God to provide and prepare a Kingdom for his People The Lord hath so much Love and Affection for his People as that he takes Delight and Pleasure in their Glory and Happiness therefore he will be sure to have so much Care and Tender Respect towards them as to provide a Reward for his Flock And their Reward shall be no less than a Crown and Kingdom I say it is the good Pleasure of Almighty God to provide an Eminent Reward for his People yea to prepare a Kingdom for his despised little Flock Fear not little Flock for it 's your Father's good Pleasure to give you the Kingdom Though possibly now they may not be counted worthy of a poor contemptible Cottage by the Men of the World yet the Lord himself will one Day count them worthy of a Crown and Kingdom though now it may be they are not counted fit to have a being in the World yet the LORD will one Day count them fit to have a Being in a Glorious Kingdom though now it may be they are so much despised by the World as that they are not counted worthy to dwell amongst Sinful Men upon Earth yet they are so much honoured by the Lord as that he will one day count them worthy to dwell with Glorious Angels in Heaven though now it may be they are poor and despised and trampled under Foot yet they shall one Day be Rich and Honourable and sit upon Thrones Though now it may be they are cloathed with Reproach and covered with shame yet they shall one Day be cloathed with Majesty and Crown'd with Glory though now it may be they are tossed to and fro and have no certain dwelling place yet they shall one Day enjoy a City which hath Foundations whose Builder and Maker is God Here 's a Glorious Portion laid up in store for the poor despised Flock of Christ Here 's that which will abundantly make them amends for all their Sorrow and Travel in their Earthly Pilgrimage though now possibly they are counted the filth and the off-scouring of the World yet the very poorest and meanest of God's People shall one day be promoted and advanced to an Honourable Kingdom I say a Kingdom shall one Day be the Portion of the poorest and meanest of Gods People yea even those that are the most despised and most abused are no less than Heirs of a Kingdom they have it now in promise and they shall assuredly one Day have it in possession But for the better Confirmation of this Glorious Truth I shall endeavour to give you some Scripture-Testimonies which strongly bear witness thereunto See one in Mat. 25.34 Then shall the King say to them on his right hand which is his little Flock being then Separated from the Goats Come ye Blessed of my Father A Glorious Invitation indeed he doth not onely invite them to come But come ye BLESSED Why what 's the matter Wherein doth their Blessedness consist See the next words and you shall find Inherit the KINGDOM prepared for you from the Foundation of the World Herein doth their Blessedness consist and herein are they Blessed Persons indeed It was the good pleasure of Almighty God to provide and prepare a Kingdom for them now they are called to come and possesse it therefore this is one clear Scripture Testimony to prove the Truth of this Proposition namely That it is the good pleasure of Almighty God to provide and prepare a Kingdom for his People See another in Mat. 5.10 Where our Saviour Christ speaks this Language Blessed are they which are Persecuted for Righteousness sake for theirs is the KINGDOM of Heaven Mark Blessed are they which are PERSECUTED for Righteousness sake Though in a PERSECUTED State yet in a BLESSED State though in troubled Condition yet in a happy Condition Why so How doth it appear that they are Blessed in a Persecuted State Why here 's the business there is a Kingdom-Portion prepared to make them amends for their Suffering-Portion therefore though they may be Persecuted and Reproached and evil spoken of yet their Condition is blessed and happy Because their Reward shall be great in the Kingdom of Heaven Alas now we are but strangers and Pilgrims Travelling towards our Fathers house and we must expect to meet with many Rubs and difficult steps in our Journey we must expect to meet with many Storms and bitter Blasts in our way to Heaven and to climb over many troublesome stiles before we come to the Land of Rest But when we come home to our own Country and Arrive at our continuing City Then we shall
things except we our selves have an interest in them and can call them ours It will do us little good to hear of the Saints happiness if we our selves are miserable Therefore I say let us take heed and diligently examine how it is with us lest any root of bitterness spring up in our souls and defile us and make us unfit for this Glorious Kingdom for no unclean thing nor no unrighteous person shall ever inherit this Heavenly Kingdom There 's none shall be blessed with the visions of God in the Kingdom of Heaven but such as have clean hands and a pure heart and are cleansed from sin and iniquity There 's none shall receive the Kingdom which cannot be moved but such as serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear There 's none shall dwell in the presence of God in his Heavenly Habitation but such as are humble and upright in conversation There 's none shall be happy in Heaven but such as are holy and heavenly minded on earth for without holiness no man shall see God and to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace Therefore let us not flatter our selves with vain fancies nor satisfie our selves with a bare profession of Godliness nor proclaim peace and safety to our selves with sin in our bosoms for if we do we shall be deceived and undone for ever For God cannot be mocked but whatsoever a man soweth that he shall also Reap And his servants ye are to whom you yeeld obedience Therefore sayes Christ Not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Mark Not every one that professeth his Name and calls him Lord but he that lives in obedience to the Will of God There must be a walking with God as well as a talking of God There must be a DOING the Will of God as well as a SPEAKING the Will of God It is not enough to say that Jesus Christ is our Lord but we must make it appear by our actions and by our obedient conversations that he is Lord of our hearts and that he Rules and Reigns in our Souls for there are a great many that can call Jesus Christ Lord Lord with their tongues and yet work iniquity with their hands and intend mischief in their hearts But alas such shall never find acquaintance with God at the last day nor never be entertained nor received into this Heavenly Kingdom For every one that names the Name of Christ must depart from iniquity and abhor that which is evil or else they must expect to be denyed by Christ and to depart out of his presence as workers of iniquity and all their profession will be so far from doing them any good as it will rather rise up in Judgement against them and condemn them at the last day Therefore it highly concerns us all to examine seriously how the case stands with us and to give all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure by an humble walking with God and by a constant persevering in the pure wayes of the Lord lest we should deceive our own souls and miss of his Glorious Reward in this Heavenly Kingdom And if upon Examination we find our selves to be in Gods way standing upon a sure foundation then we may rejoyce in the goodness of God and satisfie our souls at this Heavenly Fountain and so long as we continue faithful to God in purity of soul we may challenge an interest in this Heavenly Portion and call the Kingdom and all its glory ours and all the Promises of God in Christ Jesus are Yea and Amen to us that by them we might be encouraged to continue and persevere in Holiness and Righteousness all the dayes of our lives to the praise and glory of him who hath called us to this Heavenly Kingdom But now give me leave to intermix a word of Caution into this Use of Examination and that is this If upon right Examination we find that we have an interest in this Glorious Kingdom Then let us take heed that we do not turn aside out of the wayes of God and travel again in the paths of iniquity and so lose our interest and be deprived of that Kingdom which once we had a right unto Let us take heed that the Devil do not beguile us with his golden baits of sin and iniquity and so rob us of our Heavenly Portion Let us take heed that we do not fell our Heavenly Birth-right for a little worldly pottage nor change our Heavenly Kingdom for a little earthly profit or worldly advantage I say let us take heed of these things lest there should spring up some Root of Bitterness in our souls and cause us to depart from the living God and grieve his holy Spirit with our evil wayes and give him occasion to swear in his wrath That we shall never enter into this Heavenly Rest for it is not every one that begins well But he that endures to the END shall be saved not every one that follows Jesus Christ for a little season and so leave Him that shall receive the Reward But he that continues and abideth faithful unto DEATH shall receive the Crown of Life it is not every one that begins to fight well that shall obtain the prize But he that overcometh shall inherit all things Therefore let us take heed that we do not grow weary of well doing and so faint before we Reap Neither let us give place to the Devil lest he deprive us of our Eternal Harvest and plunder us of our Heavenly Treasure but let us continue and persevere all our dayes in the work and service of our Heavenly Father and never turn again unto folly for Alas we had better never begin well except we continue so and end well For if after we have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Jesus Christ we are again intangled therein and overcome then our latter end will be worse than our beginning for it had been better for us never to have KNOWN the way of Righteousness than after we have known it to turn from the holy Commandment delivered unto us 2 Pet. 2.20 21. Therefore now let us take our last leave of every evil work and wholly apply our selves to the work and service of God and make it our meat and drink to do the Will of our Heavenly Father And as the Lord hath called us to a Heavenly Kingdom so let us exercise our selves in heavenly things and be no more in love with the beggerly things of this life but let us alwayes be found acting suitable to our Profession and walking in such wayes as become those that are Heirs of a Glorious Kingdom confessing that we are but Strangers and Pilgrims here on earth having our affections estranged from the things of this world That we may declare plainly that here we have no continuing
man to Salvation which they are not in a Capacity to perform nor he never Commanded Impossibilities Well having now shewed you Negatively VVhat is not the Reason I shall also endeavour to shew you Affirmitively VVhat is the Reason why the Flock of Christ is but Little And the First Reason I judge may be this Reas 1. Because the Reward which Christ hath promised to his Flock is in another World it is not to be found here below on this side the Grave but it is to be enjoyed in another Life And men generally love present things and are much taken with that which is of a present enjoyment Therefore it is that most men are so Careful and so desirous after the things of this World because the Benefit and Pleasures of the things here below are of a present enjoyment but the Benefit of Holiness and the Reward of God's People is not to be enjoyed in this Life but in the World to come Therefore it is that men do so little regard the Service of God because the reward seems to be at a great distance from them For I am very much perswaded That if the Reward of Godliness were but of a present Enjoyment there would be abundance of Godly People and Christ's Flock would be the greatest Flock in the World As for Instance Go to a Covetous Worldly-man and Exhort him to Charity and desire him to lay out great part of his Estate for the good of the Poor and tell him That he shall be sure to Receive a Hundred fold for it about a Week or a Fortnight hence and if he were but really Convinced of the Truth of this I am perswaded he would presently become a Charitable Person and would easily be drawn to part with his Money willingly upon this account But if you should go to him and bid him Sell all that he hath and give it to the Poor and come and follow Christ and tell him That he shall be sure to have Treasure in Heaven and be eminently Rewarded at the Resurrection of the Just Oh! how little would this be Regarded by him Oh! How little would this prevail upon him Oh! The Reward seems to be such a great way off that he durst hardly part with his Money upon such terms Yea I am perswaded that he would be so far from embracing your Counsel as that he would rather be troubled and grieved at you for speaking such Language to him So that I judge this may be one great Reason why the Flock of Christ is but Little and the Number of the Elect but few But Secondly Another is this Reas 2. Because the Flock of Christ must expect to meet with Troubles and Tribulations in their journey towards Heaven They must expect to carry a bitter Cup of Afflictions along with them in their Christian Progress They must not expect to spend their dayes in Pleasure and Pride of Life to promote their own Honour and Reputation in the World but rather Troubles and Afflictions Tryals and Temptations must be their daily Portion in this Life Yea All that will live Godly in Christ Jesus must suffer Persecution Therefore this I also judge to be another Reason why so few follow Jesus Christ because his way is attended with Sufferings and men generally seek after their own Pleasure Ease and Worldly Advantage and do not love to Travel in a Suffering-Path nor walk in a Way that is attended with Straits and Difficulties Now you shall find most men are very willing to be saved if they could be saved upon their own terms by walking in Pleasures and in the vanity of their own minds but they are not willing to go through Sufferings to Salvation they are not willing to go to Heaven upon God's terms nor to follow the Lord Jesus Christ no further than it consists with their own carnal Interest Advantage Most men are willing to are the Death of the Righteons but they are not willing to live the Life of the Righteous They are very willing to receive the Reward of the Righteous but they are not willing to Run the Race of the Righteous They are very willing it may be to Reign with Christ and wear the Crown but they are not willing to suffer with Christ and bear the Cross They are very willing to accept of the Crown of Glory and drink Wine with Christ in his Kingdom but they are not willing to accept of the Crown of Thorns and drink Vinegar with Christ upon the Cross Therefore this may be one great Reason why so few walk in the way of the Gospel because it is attended with Persecution Therefore sayes Christ There are some which hear the Word and receive it with joy and keep it and continue in it for a while so long as the world smiles upon them but when Tribulation or Persecution ariseth for the Gospels sake then presently they fly off and leave the Gospel and by and by are angry and offended with it for bringing Troubles upon them Matth. 13.20 21. So that it 's the Tribulation of the Gospel that many times keeps Persons at a distance from the Gospel and makes many fall away from it after Professing of it And this we can too clearly evidence and witness by experience at this day That many Persons could very willingly follow Jesus Christ in his own way and walk in the true Order of the Gospel according to God's Appointment but for fear of Trouble and Persecution they dare not For they think if they should embrace the Truth as it is in Jesus and walk in Obedience thereunto then they may come to lose the Love it may be of Father or Mother or some other Relations and all their former Friends will now turn to be their Enemies and hate them And those that use to speak well of them formerly will now Mock and Reproach them and do them what mischief they can and so by this means they may come to expose themselves to a great many straits and difficulties And therefore under this Consideration they stand off at a distance and dare not obey the Gospel nor come into the Fold of Christ Hence it is There are many Persons that if you should say unto them and ask them Are you willing to go to Heaven and dwell with God to all Eternity in the Kingdom of Glory They will be ready to Answer Yes Oh! with all my heart It is the desire of my Soul to be with God in the Kingdom of Glory But if you tell them That they must go through much Tribulation and suffer much Persecution if they will enter into the Kingdone of God Then they will be ready to ture their backs of the Kingdom and satisfie themselves without it rather than expose themselves to so much trouble about it So that I judge this may be another great Reason why Christ's Flock is but little But Thirdly Another is this Reas 3. Because there are but a very few great Men that
shall be like unto Jesus Christ in Splendour and Beauty Their Bodies shall be cloathed with glory and Majesty like unto the Body of Jesus Christ As Christ is Glorious and Beautiful so shall the Saints be Glorious and Beautiful and as Christ is fair and comely so shall the Saints be fair and comely and as Christ is pleasant and altogether Lovely so shall the Saints be pleasant and altogether Lovely and there shall be no spot of Deformity in them nor no Infirmity nor Blemish upon them But they shall shine in Beauty like the brightness of the Firmament and exceed the Stars in Lustre and Purity Here 's another Excellent Priviledge and a lovely Branch of heavenly Happiness wonderful to consider of and Marvellous pleasant will it be to enjoy the same It 's counted a great Honour and a high Priviledge amongst the People of the World to be but a little Adorned with Earthly Beauty or to have but a comely Face Garnished with a little Natural Brightness yea many times it is so highly esteemed and counted such a Rare Priviledge as it makes many Persons proud and high-minded Because of their Earthly Beauty and because of a comely Face but alas this is nothing in comparison of that Glory and Beauty which the Saints shall be Adorned withall when they enjoy this Heavenly Kingdom this is not worthy to be named in comparison of that Purity and Comeliness which shall be the Saints Portion in their Fathers Kingdom they shall have greater Honour than to be Adorned with Earthly Beauty and Natural Comeliness for they shall be Adorned with Heavenly Beauty and cloathed with Celestial Majesty yea they shall be Equal unto the Angels for Splendour and like unto Jesus Christ for Glory Therefore sayes the Apostle Phil. 3.20 21. Our Conversation is in Heaven from whence also we look for our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile Bodies that they may be fashionod like unto his GLORIOUS Body according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself Though now they are vile bodies attended with earthly corruption yet then they shall be precious Bodies attended with Heavenly GLORY though now they are defiled Bodies attended with many Infirmities yet then they shall be Lovely Bodies attended with perfect Purity and mightily Adorned with Excellent Beauty Therefore says Christ Mat. 13.43 Then shall the Righteous SHINE forth as the SUN in the Kingdom of their Father Mark here 's glorious Beauty and wonderful Brightness Here 's Eminent Purity and Heavenly Splendour the Righteous shall Shine like the SUN in the Kingdom of their Father even whilst others are weeping and wailing in a Furnace of Fire Oh what unspeakable Glory and Excellent Majesty is here prepared for poor despised contemptible Creatures Oh! how happy and blessed will all those be that shall be counted worthy of this Kingdom and Glory All the Pleasure and Glory on Earth is not worthy to be compared with one Branch of this Heavenly Happiness All the Honour and Beauty under the Sun is not able to Parrallel the least Glimpse of this Heavenly Glory See one notable Text more for this and so I shall leave this Particular and proceed to another 1 Joh. 3.2 Where the Apostle is giving a short discovery of the Honour and Dignity of the Saints both here and hereafter Beloved saith he now we are the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be Mark Though we have so much Honour and Dignity conferred upon us now at present as to be called the Sons of God and though the Lord is pleased to extend his goodness so far towards us now at present as to make us his Children by the Spirit of Adoption yet it doth not yet appear what we shall be and yet this is such a wonderful Priviledge as it makes the Apostle exceedingly Admire at the Consideration thereof Crying out BEHOLD what MANNER of Love is THIS that we should be called the Sons of God! He was mightily filled with Admiration to consider of this wonderful Dignity but yet for all this it doth not yet appear what we shall be for we know that when he shall appear we shall be LIKE him Mark we shall be like unto Jesus Christ Blessed as he is Blessed Beautiful as he is Beautiful Glorious as he is Glorious Every way Adorned with Heavenly Happiness like unto Jesus Christ This is also another Excellent Priviledge or a fourth Branch of that Happiness which the Saints shall be made partakers of in this Glorious Kingdom Fifthly Another is this 5. They shall have wonderful Glorious Company and blessed Society they shall be continually honoured with Heavenly Company and blessed with Glorious Companions The meanest and worst of their Companions shall be Blessed and glorious Angels Though now it may be they are so much despised by the World as that they are not counted worthy to dwell in the Society of wicked Men yet they are so much honoured by the Lord as that they shall one Day be counted worthy to dwell in the Society of Blessed Angels and THEY shall be their meanest Companions This is another Glorious Priviledge excellent Dignity for the People of God in this Heavenly Kingdom they shall never have cause to complain of their Company nor never have cause to be weary of their Society for their meanest Company shall be glorious Angels and their worst Society shall be Heavenly Spirits And indeed this is a Priviledge which is very acceptable and delightful unto God's People and highly esteemed and much to be desired amongst good men now upon earth I mean godly Society for indeed those that truly fear God do count it a great Priviledge to enjoy the Society of good People and would reckon it a great Happiness to be wholly and altogether freed from evil company that they might alwayes enjoy the Society of godly People Therefore saith David Psal 16.3 My goodness extendeth not only unto thee O Lord but unto thy Saints and excellent ones in whom is all my DELIGHT But now in this Heavenly Kingdom they shall not only have the Society of Saints and enjoy Communion one with another without any mixture of Evil But they shall also enjoy it with God and fellowship with Jesus Christ and have the Society of blessed and glorious Angels Therefore saith the Apostle Heb. 12.22 23. Ye are come unto Mount Sion and unto the City of the living God the Heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable Company of ANGELS to the general Assembly and Church of the First-born and to God the Judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect Here 's Glorious Company and Heavenly Society here 's pleasant Companions and beautiful Partners here 's honourable Equals and lovely Objects and all to attend the People of God to encrease their Happiness in their Father's Kingdom So that this is also another excellent Priviledge or a fifth Branch of that Happiness
Reward shall be SURE and NEVER be removed Their Joy shall ALWAYES continue and NEVER be taken away But as they are glorious and beautiful at first so they shall be glorious and beautiful for EVER and as they are rich and honourable at first so they shall be rich and honourable for EVER and as they are blessed and happy at first so they shall be blessed and happy for EVER ALWAYES rejoycing in fulness of Glory and praising the Lord to ALL ETERNITY Therefore sayes the Psalmist Psal 16.11 In thy presence is fulness of joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for EVERMORE So also the Prophet Esay in Chap. 61.7 For their shame they shall have double and for confusion they shall rejoyce in their portion they shall inherit the Land for EVER and EVERLASTING Joy shall be unto them Mark Not only Pleasures but Pleasures for EVERMORE not only Joy but EVERLASTING Joy They shall not only have double Glory for all their Shame and a joyful Portion for all their Confusion but it shall be of an EVERLASTING nature and shall continue for EVER There 's nothing shall be able to diminish their Joy nor nothing shall be able to put an end to their Glory for the portion of Righteousness shall be Peace and the effect thereof ASSURANCE for EVER Therefore sayes Christ Mat. 25.46 The wicked shall go into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life ETERNAL Again Whosoever shall leave or lose any thing for the sake of Christ shall be sure to receive a hundred fold and shall inherit EVERLASTING Life Mat. 19.29 They shall not only have a living portion and a plentiful reward for all their losses and crosses in this life but their portion shall be an EVERLASTING Portion and their Reward shall continue for ever and ever Therefore sayes the Apostle Gal. 6.8 He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap Life EVERLASTING Here 's an Excellent Priviledge and a wonderful Portion here 's a blessed Reward and a happy Inheritance who is able to express the Heavenly happiness of glorified Saints in this eternal and unmoveable Kingdom They shall not only be filled with joy and crowned with glory but they shall so continue for ever and ever and enjoy the same to all ETERNITY So that all these things seriously considered do exceedingly discover the wonderful Happiness which the Saints shall be made partakers of in this heavenly Kingdom of glory Consider all these branches briefly in order together and then judge whether you have not great cause to admire the goodness of God towards his now Despised Saints and People Although indeed all that I have spoken concerning it is but a glimpse as it were of that Glory and Happiness which they shall enjoy when they shall come to receive the fulness of it in their Fathers Kingdom But yet in a Glass behold their Happiness First They shall dwell in a heavenly glorious unmoveable Kingdom Secondly They shall be altogether holy and pure without sin and iniquity Thirdly They shall be wholly freed from all manner of sorrow and trouble of what nature soever Fourthly They shall dwell in the presence of God and of the Lamb and see them face to face and behold their Glory Fifthly They shall have glorious bodies full of splendor and beauty like unto Jesus Christ Sixthly They shall have altogether glorious company and blessed society their meanest companions shall be heavenly Angels Seventhly They shall have fulness of unspeakable joy and be exceedingly crowned with unspeakable happiness Lastly And all this shall be eternal even for ever and ever Oh tast and see that the Lord is gracious blessed are all they that put their trust in him Thus having given you a discovery in some measure of that Glory and Happiness which the Saints shall enjoy in their Fathers Kingdom I shall now come to make a little Use or Application of this comfortable Doctrine and so conclude this Heavenly subject Well then is it so That God is pleased to provide and prepare a Kingdom for his People Then in the next place by way of Discovery this will serve to discover two things to us concerning the People of God First It discovers the excellency of Gods People for if it be so That the Lord hath prepared such an excellent Kingdom for his People and accounts them worthy to enjoy such an excellent Reward Oh! then it must needs be true that the People of God are an excellent People and that they are wonderful high in Gods esteem And if it be so that the People of God shall be crowned with Glory and cloathed with Majesty in a heavenly Kingdom Oh! then it must needs be true that the People of God are a glorious People and wonderful precious in Gods account And if it be true that the People of God shall be counted worthy to dwell in his presence and behold his Glory then it appears that the People of God are an honourable People and wonderful famous in the sight of God Though it may be they are much despised and trampled under foot by the men of this World yet be it known unto all That there 's none in the world so excellent as they And though they are much reproached and branded with shame by the men of the world yet of a truth there is none in the world so glorious as they And though they are counted the filth and the off-scouring of the world by ungodly people yet there is none in the world so honourable as they For pray consider The poorest and meanest of Gods People are Princes of Heaven and they that are most despised are now Heirs of a glorious Kingdom and joint heirs with Jesus Christ It 's counted a great honour and dignity amongst men to be an earthly Prince or an Heir to an earthly Kingdom and he that is Heir to an earthly Crown is counted an excellent Person and worthy of honour and great respect But the meanest of Gods People are far more excellent than he for they are all the Sons and Daughters of the living God and Heirs with Christ to a heavenly Crown and Kingdom And they are so lovely and honourable in the sight of God as that he accounts them his Jewels and esteems them his peculiar Treasure and tenders them as he tenders the Apple of his own Eye This is such an honour and dignity as all the Kings on earth are not able to reach unto nor all the Princes great men under the Sun are not able to claim an interest in such an Excellent Priviledge I mean not by vertue of their earthly power and greatness except they are such as belong to the number of Saints and so invested with glory from Heaven Therefore the meanest Saint in the world is far more excellent and honourable than the greatest Monarch on Earth Therefore sayes David Psal 16.3 My goodness extendeth not unto
thee O Lord but to the Saints that are in the earth and to the EXCELLENT in whom is all my delight But as touching the wicked this is his language concerning THEM Dogs have compassed me about the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me they are altogether become filthy and abominable their POYSON is like the POYSON of a SERPENT they are like the deaf ADDER and the filthy BOAR. Therefore I will not know a wicked person but I will say unto them Depart from me ye evil doers for I will keep the Commandements of my God From hence you may observe That wicked persons though never so great in the eyes of the world are loathsome and abominable persons and very contemptible in the eyes of good men but the meanest Saint is excellent and honourable and very pretious both in the sight of God and in the account of his People Therefore little do the foolish world think what they do when they mock and reproach the People of God And when they strive to persecute and afflict the Saints they little think that the Lord takes it as done unto himself and when they villisie and abuse such as are godly they little think that they are a trampling under foot the Jewels of God and fighting against the Lord Oh! what enmity do such poor souls manifest against the God of Heaven Oh! how contrary and opposite such persons are to the living God For pray consider they hate them but God loves them they reproach them but God honours them they abuse them but God vindicates them they afflict them but God comforts them they frown upon them pronounce them cursed but God smiles upon them and proclaims them blessed they rob and spoyle them and endeavour to deprive them of their earthly being but God takes care of them and satisfies their souls with his goodness and will one day crown them with a heavenly Kingdom Thus the Persecutors of Sion do set themselves against the Lord and oppose the mighty God of Jacob. They count them odious and filthy but God counts them excellent and honourable And all this is their priviledge now in this life before they come to their Crown and Kingdom So that this is the first thing that I gather from this Doctrine of the Kingdom It informs us that the People of God are an Excellent Glorious and Honourable People But Secondly 2. It discovers the Happiness of Gods People The People of God are not only an Excellent People but also a Happy People for if it be so that the Lord hath prepared such a glorious Kingdom for his People and accounts them worthy of such a blessed Reward Oh! then it must needs be true that the People of God are a happy People and wonderful high in the favour of God And if it be so that the People of God shall have fulness of joy and unspeakable glory in a Kingdom eternal Oh! then it appears that the People of God are a blessed People and mightily concerned in the love of the Lord. There 's no condition in the world can make them miserable they are alwayes happy though in the midst of troubles they are alwayes blessed though in the midst of difficulties they are alwayes rich though in the midst of poverty they are alwayes satisfied though in the midst of hunger they have alwayes enough to make them joyful though in the midst of sorrows they have alwayes enough to comfort them though in the midst of discouragements they have alwayes enough to support them though in the midst of weakness they are alwayes at liberty though in the midst of bondage There is nothing in this world can harm them so long as they are followers of that which is good 1 Pet. 3.13 Oh! what a wonderful priviledge is this for travelling Saints to enjoy for Strangers and Pilgrims to partake of before they come at their rest How doth this exceedingly proclaim the happiness of Gods People and the blessed condition of all those that belong to Jesus Christ Oh! how may this comfort and encourage the sorrowful hearts of many suffering Saints and bear up their souls in the midst of Tryals To consider that though the world is their enemy yet still the Lord is their friend And though the World hates them yet still the Lord loves them And though they are deprived it may be from friends and relations yet still they have an interest in God and he is their Father and he is able to make up the loss of any relation And though they may want earthly enjoyments and worldly possessions yet still they are rich in Promises and Heirs of a Kingdom and the Lord hath prepared an everlasting Portion for them Therefore now these things considered doth exceedingly discover the happy condition of Gods People whilst they are here on earth in their Pilgrim-state besides that forementioned glory prepared for them in Heaven for those that can claim an interest in this heavenly Portion are abundantly happy and continually blessed for its an excellent Fountain full of spiritual refreshment and soul-satisfaction in the worst of troubles Therefore you shall find that our Saviour Christ doth abundantly proclaim them blessed under this very consideration Mat. 5. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake for GREAT is your Reward in HEAVEN So that it seems the consideration of their future Reward in the Kingdom of Heaven is that which proclaims them blessed and happy now upon earth Though in a mourning condition yet in a blessed condition Though in a persecuted state yet in a BLESSED state whatever their condition is yet they are blessed because their Reward is great in the Kingdom of Heaven So that this is the second thing that I gather from this Heavenly Doctrine It informs us that the People of God are a blessed and happy People Thus much for the first Use by way of Discovery But Secondly by way of Examination 2. Use Is it so that the Lord hath prepared a Kingdom for his People Then let US seriously examine whether WE have an Interest in this Kingdom or no Let US search and try whether WE have any thing to do with this Heavenly Portion Or whether WE have any share in this Glorious Reward or no For pray consider seriously what will it profit us to hear of a Glorious Kingdom prepared for the Saints if we have no part nor portion there Or what will it benefit us to hear of the glory and happiness of Saints in the Kingdom of Heaven if it do not belong to us Alas it will avail us nothing to hear of these things nor to talk of these