heart and this is a matter of great consequence that the husband be soundly carefull of the discharge of his dutie The well-being of the family and the well-doing of both man and wife depends much upon the husbands right behaviour If the head be out of order how can the bodie be well and the wife being the image of the husband what shall she learne of him if he give an ill patterne If the eye be darke how can the bodie be light If the Pilot of the Ship be ignorant and carelesse what safetie can the Ship be in Besides what a world of hurt will the ill example of the husband doe in the family eyther in children or servants Quest. 2. But why are husbands charged with so few wordes Ans. Because it is to be supposed that they have a larger knowledge of Gods will And besides in that tender age of the Christian world the Apostles in discretion said lesse to superiours to avoide provocation of irreligious husbands and the better to allure them to the Christian faith when they should see their wives so largely instructed in their behaviour towards them And further ever the shorter their lesson is the more shame for them not to learne it and shew themselves exact both in the understanding and in the practise of it Yee Husbands God speakes to them in the second persons to import that they should heare these words as if God were present to speak to them in his owne person withall to teach them that the right hearing of this doctrine is for everie man to heare it as spoken directly to himselfe God doth single them out to heare their charge and speakes to them as if he named them in particular Husbands The persons charged are Husbands and the word is a terme that imports that speciall relation in which God bindes one man to one woman investing the man in prerogatives of a superiour in that union Before I come to the dutie charged upon Husbands it will not be unprofitable by way of Preface to use some motives to such husbands as will make conscience of their wayes to perswade them to be verie carefull of their charge The reasons used in the Text afterwards I will not now meddle withall but only put them in minde of some few things which ought to be effectuall to perswade them The motives may be drawn from foure fountaines 1 From commandement and there let them consider who commandeth them and how Who commandeth them and so let them marke first that God himselfe hath given them their law of walking They are not tyed by mans lawes but by Gods owne law Secondly God speakes to them by the Ministerie of great Apostles it was one part of the Commission of those high Ambassadours sent into the Christian world to give husbands their charge Thirdly it should somewhat the more move them that S. Peter was himselfe a married man and therefore did practise what he taught them and did know by experience that a husband might with comfort undertake this taske And then it should much move them to observe how God hath given his commandement to them hee first chargeth their wives before hee chargeth them And besides he hath given a long charge to the wives and but a short charge to them 2 From their relation to their wives They are their wives heads and therefore should be carefull how they order themselves They are the life of their lives as it were God hath made the wife to depend upon them for comfort and direction and preservation 3 From their prerogatives God hath given them great power more than the wives They are heads to their wives and besides they are images of Iesus Christ they shew in the family what Christ is in the Church they doe as it were act Christs part and resemble him in his relation to the Church and therefore they had need to thinke of it how they carrie themselves They are types of Iesus Christ and will they shame him by acting folly passion pride and dissolutenesse Did Christ doe so to the Church Besides it should much move him that God hath in the most things left the husband free from the lawes of men Hee hath no man to controule him in his office and hath not God made him both King and Priest in his family His household is a little kingdome or a little Church where hee is of soveraigne power and hath great supremacy and if the world acknowledge not the glory of his place yet it is acknowledged in heaven 4 From the manner of his comming into this relation he was not borne a husband but made so and made so by the gift of God for God gave him his wife as hee did Eve to Adam yea let him consider that God gave him the wife that was of his owne choosing and whom with so much desire he longed after and it may be praied for But especially let him consider that God hath bound him to his wife by covenant yea that he hath bound himself to God by covenant for this thing yea that the oath of God is upon him he hath sworne before the Lord to do his duty Thus of the generall motives Further in that he said Husbands indefinitely hee shewes thereby That all husbands are bound to observe this charge all alike God chargeth rich learned wise godly husbands asmuch and aswell as poore unlearned and ill disposed men Two uses may bee made of this point for first hereby wee may see cleerly that outward things make no difference before God when God gives a law he gives it to all men as if they were but one man Civill difference of blood nations calling condition or common gifts makes no exception from any when God gives his law Secondly such husbands as finde an outward difference from other husbands either in their gifts or greatnesse of meanes or highnesse of office or calling should lay aside all thought of such things and shew as much respect to their wives as any other men that have no such things to boast of And yet one thing more I may adde to such hearers as heare this doctrine seeing God chargeth all they should take heed of that common fault of thinking of other husbands and how the doctrine will fit them and so neglect application to themselves Dwell with them The duety charged upon husbands is contained briefly in these words and under this phrase of dwelling with them is comprehended in effect all essentiall matrimoniall dueties For it imports 1 Not only cohabitation but also 2 Separation from all the world to a speciall fellowship with that woman 3 Communion of goods They that must be partners of Gods treasures in Heaven must bee partners in all outward blessings All things should bee common so as the husband must provide maintenance for his wife and that not onely while he lives with her but he ought as he is able to provide for her maintenance after he is
the knowledge of Prophets or Apostles on earth The fift difference is in the effects of our Knowledge for from our knowledge and this celestiall light flowes righteousnesse peace and joy in the holy Ghost which the Apostle Paul makes to bee the parts of the kingdome of God and so both in this life and in heaven Rom. 14.17 And unto these three heads may bee referred all things that concerne the glory of eternall life and all these are held with great difference in each degree of eternall life For though wee have righteousnesse and peace and joy now in the truth of them yet we have them not as wee shall have them in heaven as will appeare if we consider of them distinctly First for righteousnesse Here it is the greatest burthen of life unto the godly that they are not able to serve God as they desire the imperfections of their gifts the corruption of their natures the daily infirmities that discover themselves in their conversations make life many times more bitter than death would be to them as appeareth by Saint Paul Rom. 7. But there all that is imperfect shall bee done away there shall be no danger of displeasing God for wee shall be made perfect in all parts and degrees of holinesse our nature shall be perfect like the nature of God our members shall never more be servants unto unrighteousnesse and our soules shall exactly resemble God in all perfection of goodnesse and gifts Here the glory of mans inheritance lyeth in the goodnesse of things without them there it shall consist principally in an everlasting goodnesse confirmed upon themselves We shall be without spot and wrinkle Eph. 5.27 Wee shall be as hee is in holinesse 1. Ioh. 3.2 Here is our griefe that our hearts cannot be so filled with the love of God and the godly as they should bee there our hearts shall burne with an eternall inflamation of affections towards God and the blessed ones without any interruption or decay wee shall never more be troubled with hardnesse of heart discouragement feare distractions inordinate desires and perturbations Yea our holinesse shal be better than Adams in Paradise for he had a power not to sinne but we shal have no power at all to sin Yea in relation to Christ it shall be better with us then than it is now for now we are reckoned just men only by the benefite of Christs righteousnesse imputed to us but then we shall be made so perfectly holy by inherent righteousnesse that wee shall stand everlasting righteous before God by the righteousnesse that is in us Imputation shall there cease for ever when Christ hath delivered up the kingdome to God the Father and when Faith shall bee done away Lastly the difference in this point may further appear in the freedome of our will In this life many times our wills are not free to desire to doe the good we should doe and most an end want power to execute what we desire but there shall be all libertie so as we shal never want either desire or power to accomplish what may be for Gods everlasting glory or our owne felicity Secondly for peace there is great difference for first in this life we have but little peace in respect of the miseries of life Somtimes we have but little inward peace our hearts being unquiet with fear or grief or discouragement or passions or else our consciences are unquiet eyther because God fights against us to try us or to humble us or we fight against our selves through ignorance unbeleef or distresse for sin Somtimes when our spirits are quiet and there is a truce from inward warre we then want outward peace eyther men are unreasonable molest us without cause in our estates or names or else God afflicts us in body with paine and weakenesse or in estate sometime with easie crosses like small raine sometimes with greater crosses like some fierce stormes Now in heaven there shall be an eternall cessation of all miserie there shall be no curse and affliction shall be cast into the Sea Rev. 22.3 Secondly our Sabbath or dayes of rest which God hath consecrated and blessed to us as the chiefe joy of our lives proves many times dayes of sorrow and affliction because eyther our bodies are molested with paine or our soules distressed for want of powerfull meanes or for want of abilitie to keepe a Sabbath unto God or for want of joy in our soules But in heaven we shall have an eternall Sabbath not one day in seven but all our dayes rest without labour and solace of heart without any difficultie in our selves or interruption without us God and the Lambe will be an eternall Temple to make our rest for ever glorious We shall be freed from all the labours of life from all pain difficultie in serving God and our workes shall be all easie and full of delight even the praising of God for ever Rev. 14.12 Heb. 4.9 Thirdly for Ioy there is great difference both in the causes and in the measure and in the continuance of it The causes of our Ioy shall be the highest can befall a creature Here while we are present with the bodie and the blessings of life we are absent from the Lord the infinite life of our lives but there we shall enjoy him as fully as our hearts can desire 2. Cor. 5.8 Here we want our crown whatsoever else we enjoy but there our honour and glory and majestie shall be so great as if all the Kings of the earth did bring their glory to one man it would not equall what every one shall have there 2. Tim. 4.8 Revel 2.24 3.21 wee shall raigne in life Rom. 5. And this Crowne is the more glorious because it shall not consist of some precious thing without us but of royall excellency with which our soules and bodies shall shine as the Sunne in the firmament our very bodies in qualitie being altered to such an expression of majestie and beautie and angelicall excellencie as now exceeds all mortall language being rather like spirits than earthly bodies And for the measure now we have but little tastes of joy and if these tastes be unspeakeable and glorious what are those rivers of joy at Gods right hand Psal. 16. ult And for continuance they are for evermore as the Psalmist there speakes whereas now they are gone from us like lightning in an instant and our lives are afterward assaulted almost continually with causes or occasion of sorrow so as the world in the best place is but like a vale of teares but there shall be no sorrow no death no crying nor paine but God shall wipe away all teares from our eyes for ever Revel 21.4 6 Thus of the differences of life on earth and life in heaven What men must doe that they may enter into life followes And about this point our Saviour tells us two things beforehand First that the way to
to the use I must put you in minde of a limitation that concernes this doctrine We must be of one minde but then it must be according to Christ Iesus Rom. 15.5 that is this consent in judgement must be in the truth and in such truth especially as may further the edification of the mysticall body of Christ else agreement in judgement is a conspiracie rather than unitie The use may be both for instruction and reproofe for instruction and so we should all be affected with a great estimation of unitie in judgement and strive by all meanes to attaine to it and keepe our selves so all of us that we do live in unitie with the Church of God Now that wee may doe thus 1 We should beseech the God of patience and consolation to give us to be like minded even to worke in us the unity he requires of us Rom. 15 5. 2 We must take heed of private interpretations Men should with much feare and jelousie heare or reade of such opinions or interpretations of Stripture as have no authors but some one or few men Of such authors of doctrines wee should say with the Apostle What came the word of God out from you or came it unto you only 2. Cor. 14.36 Especially men must take heed of receiving opinions from meere private persons that are not Ministers of Gospell for I suppose it cannot be shewed from any place of Scripture that ever anie truth was revealed to or by a private man that was unknowne to all the Teachers of the Church yea if the authors of diverse and strange doctrines be Ministers yet that rule of the Apostle should hold that the spirits of the Prophets should be subject to the Prophets Such doctrines as may not be approved by the grave and godly learned that are eminent in the Church must not be broached 1. Cor. 14.32 And this rule hath one thing more in it viz. that men should not expresse difference of opinion without open and manifest Scripture Avoide doubtfull disputations Rom. 14.1 Esa. 8. 3 A great respect must be had to the Churches peace so as such doctrines as are likely to breed eyther scandall or division in the Church are eyther not to be received or not uttered except in some speciall case Yea moderate Christians that make conscience of unity should hold themselves in conscience bound to be affraid to depart from the judgment of the Church in which they live unlesse it bee when doctrine is brought in with great demonstration to the Conscience To preserve the unity of the spirit we must haue great respect to the bond of peace Rom. 14.19 1. Cor. 14.33 Eph. 4.3 We must greatly reverence the forme of doctrine in the Church where wee live Rom. 6.17 4 That wee may be of one minde every Christian must be sure to know the truth which is given to the Churches and to make himselfe fully perswaded in his mind about such truths as are fundamentally necessarie to salvation 2. Tim. 1.13 5 Private Christians in receiving opinions should have great respect unto such Teachers as have beene their fathers in Christ God hath bound them to a speciall reverence towards them which they should shew by reverencing their judgements more than any other men in meet comparison 1. Cor. 4.15.16 11.1.2.4.5 Phil. 3.15.17 6 To preserve a further unity it should be the care of such as have gifts of knowledge and utterance to helpe forwards such as are weake in judgement to comfort the feeble minded left they being neglected become a prey to deceivers of mindes 1. Thes. 5.14 and to warne such as are not of the same minde Philip. chap. 4. Lastly wee should marke such as cause divisions and offences contrary to the Doctrine which wee have learned and avoide them Rom. 16.17 18. The second use may be for the reproofe of multitudes of Christians in all places that offend greatly against this Doctrine by their dissenting in opinions without due respect of the former rules There is almost no Congregation in the kingdome but is disquieted with this sinne yea many times the glory of such as professe religion is greatly obscured by this sinne and the sincerity of religion much exposed to contempt and the prophane reproach of the wicked And this sinne is the greater 1 When men not onely bring in new opinions but also bring them in with an opinion that they are more holy and more spirituall than such as receive them not or resist them 1. Cor. 14.37 2 When the opinions are meerely new and unheard of before in the Christian world 3 When they are brought in by private persons that goe from house to house to inferre upon others the singularity of their conceits 4 When themselves are doubtfull inwardly of the truth of what they affirme and are not fully perswaded but doubt both waies and yet take to that side that differs from the generall judgement of the Churches Rom. 14.5 1. Tim. 1.6.7 5 When men urge their dissenting so violently that a Schisme is made in the Church or Christians are divided from the exercise of brotherly love and mutuall fellowship 1. Cor. 1.10.11 6 When men are vaine talkers will have all the words and by their good wills will talke of nothing else and so hinder edification in profitable doctrine and such as is out of question Tit. 1.10 11. and when men lust to be contentious and are like Salamanders that live alwaies in the fire and know no zeale without contention 1. Cor. 11.16 7 When men differ in judgment in the very points of foundation and erre against such truths as must be beleeved to salvation 8 If men be so light headed and variable that they are tossed to and fro and carried about with every winde of doctrine sometimes of one opinion and shortly after of another especially when men are so new fangled as in every place to receive almost any doctrine that is new and diverse Eph. 4.14 9 When men quarrell so earnestly about things of lesse moment contrary to the custome of the Churches as about praying or prophecying bare or covered or about eating the Sacrament full or fasting 1. Cor. 11. or about such indifferent things as may be used or not used with Christian liberty Rom. 14. or about Genealogies 1. Tim. 1.4 and such like And that this reproofe may enter the more deepely upon the hearts of some Christians it will be profitable to consider of the ill causes of dissenting which are these and such like 1 Ignorance of the Scripture if they had more true knowledge they would not disagree And this ignorance yea somtimes palpable ignorance may bee found in some that thinke themselves to have more knowledge and to be more spirituall than a multitude of those from whom they disagree Mat. 22.1 Tim. 1.7 6. 1. Cor. 14.37 38. 2 Want of love to those sound truths that more concerne sanctification causeth God in his justice sometimes to
is implied viz. what the husband will doe and this is imported in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 While they behold While they behold The originall word signifies to observe and prye into a thing to finde out the secrets of it and so it notes That carnall men such as these husbands were doe watch and marke the conversations of such as be religious to observe all they can in them that professe true religion Thus they watched David and Christ and Daniel and so doe they all the godly and thus they imploy themselves in spying and marking the waies of the godly sometimes out of the naughtinesse of their hearts supposing godly men to be like unto themselves and therefore hope to finde out wickednesse in their practise sometimes out of malice lying in waite to finde out any fault in their carriage of which they may accuse them and vilifie them in the world and sometimes they doe thus as compelled by the force of their naturall conscience which gives glory to the graces of God in the conversation of true Christians while they observe in them that holinesse which they finde not in themselves or other carnall men And therefore the use should bee to teach all that professe religion to looke carefully to their waies and walke circumspectly that they give not occasion of offence but rather carry themselves so as to make proofe of their sincerity and good conversation by their workes Secondly from hence wee may gather also That a Christian must looke to his justification before men aswell as to his justification before God for as God beholds his waies so doe men and he is bound to seek his justification from men aswell as his justification from God And therefore as the Apostle Paul had taught the justification of a sinner before God so the Apostle Iames urgeth the justification of the godly man before men which this Apostle imports in this place when he requires such a conversation as may compell carnall men to say they are justmen So our Saviour Mat. 5.16 Quest. What can carnall men see in the conversation of the godly to make them give glory to God or the truth Answ. By the good conversation of true Christians they gather the goodnesse of the law or religion which they professe And besides they thence gather that they are not hypocrites but are religious indeed whence they see what power their religion hath over them in all their waies And further the scandall of reproches cast upon the godly is often by the observation of their conversation utterly removed in the hearts of such carnall men as set themselves throughly to observe and marke the course of the godly Your chast conversation The word here translated Chast. in all other places of the new Testament is translated Pure and so shewes that it ought to be accepted here in a larger sense than the word chast doth import yet so as chastity is a part of the purity of a Christian. Doct. A pure conversation is required in all true Christians yea even in women aswell as men That purity is required is manifest by divers Scriptures yea to bee examples in purity 1. Tim. 4.2 It is the chiefe fruit of the wisedome is from above Iames 3.17 A pure heart required 1. Tim. 1.5 and a pure conscience 1. Tim. 3.9 and pure hands 1. Tim. 2.8 And that it may be had is apparent for our Saviour saith Ye are all pure Iohn 15.3 Quest. How can a man in this world be pure can any man be without sinne Answ. No there is no man that sinneth not In many things wee sinne all Iames 3.2 Who can say I have made my heart cleane and am pure from my sinne Pro. 20.9 And if anie man say hee hath no sinne hee is a lyar and the truth is not in him 1. Iohn 1.10 And yet though in that sense no man is pure yet in other senses the godly man may be called pure and is bound even by the Gospel to purity as 1 In respect of some particular offence A godly man may be so pure as to abide the triall of God himselfe as David wills God to judge him according to his righteousnesse and the innocency of his hands meaning in that point of false or treacherous dealing against Saul which was charged upon him Psal. 3.4.5 18.15 2 In respect of imputation every beleever is perfectly pure All his sinnes are as if they had never beene and Christs righteousnesse is his and in that righteousnesse of faith he is perfectly pure before God himselfe Rev. 19.8.14 3 In respect of men he may be pure in conversation though not in respect of God and so he is pure when hee is unrebukeable and unblameable amongst men And this ought to be found in the conversation of every Christian to live without offence and without rebuke Phil. 2.15.16 4 There is a pure conversation in respect of God not that we can converse without sinne but God is pleased for Christ his sake to account our conversation pure when it hath divers prints and markes of his true grace in us And so Christian purity hath in it many things 1 Separation from impure men Psal. 1.1 2. Cor. 6.17 2 The desire of purity in the perfection of it God accounts his servants pure because they desire to be as pure as he would have them to be 3 Sound mortification and judging of our selves for what impurity we finde cleave to our workes 't is Christian perfection to judge our selves for our imperfections 1. Iohn 3.3 4 Freedome from the grosse impurities and vices and vanities of the time God accounts us pure when our spot is not as the spots of the wicked and when wee are not infected with the corruptions which are usually in the world 1. Tim. 5.22 2. Pet. 1.4 5 Freedome from the raigne of hypocrisie in the heart and from hypocriticall courses in the life Thus Saint Iames accounts the heart to bee pure when men are not double minded Iames 4.8 And in conversation hee is a pure man that is like Iacob a plaine man without fraud trickes or dissimulation 6 Precisenesse circumspection or exactnesse of conversation when a man sheweth respect to all Gods commandements and makes conscience to avoide lesser sins aswell as greater Eph 5.15 Mat. 5.19 7 Devoutnesse and zeale in matters of religion and Gods worship and glory and so a pure conversation is a religious conversation that expresseth zeale and conscience in the things of Gods service in a speciall manner seeking Gods kingdome first and above all other things 2. Tim. 2.22 Tit. 2.14 8 Chastity in keeping the heart and life cleane from the impurities condemned in the seventh commandement is one great part of Christian purity But before I come to entreat of chastity in particular I would apply this doctrine of purity in generall first to the Text and then to the times As for the Text a pure conversation is here considered onely
rather to women than to men especially in the new Testament as 1. Tim. 2.9 1. Pet. 3.3 The use may be first to give vs occasion to magnifie the power and mercy of God His mercy that dispiseth not his weake creatures but bestoweth the grace of life upon them His power in that he keepes them in life and preserveth his owne worke of grace vnto the possession of eternall life Secondly it should stirre up women so much the more to use all the Ordinances of God and all helps to make themselves strong in the power of the gifts of grace especially they should get a strong faith in God that they may trust in the power of God that giveth strength to the weake Esay 40. 29 31. 1. Pet. 3.5 It will bee their greater glory if they can overcome their naturall weaknesses especially if they can excell men in the things of the kingdome of God as many times it comes to passe Thirdly all Christians should have those women in great estimation that have overcomne their frailties and doe excell in knowledge and piety and mercy and trust in God Fourthly all women should bee therefore the more humble and apt to feare and judge themselves and more willing to be taught or admonished and more frequent in praier to God to helpe them and keepe them and in particular they should be the more willing to bee ruled by their husbands as knowing it is a mercy of God considering their weaknesse to give them husbands to support them and provide for them and finally they should bee the more faithfull and diligent to doe all the good they can in domesticall affaires seeing by nature they are not fit to manage the greater and more publike services of God The third doctrine concernes Husbands and so they are taught from hence to give the more honour to their wives because of their naturall weaknesse For as it is in the naturall body those members of the body which we thinke lesse honourable upon them wee bestow the more abundant honour 1. Cor. 12.23 24. so it should bee in the Economical body for the wife is unto the husband bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh and this honour he should give her and shew it both by taking the more care to provide for her and by cherishing incouraging her the more by hiding covering her frailties as much as he may by not exacting more from her than she is able to performe by helping her all he can by instruction or otherwise Only we must note that he is not bound to honor her the more for sinful infirmities but for naturall defects How he must carrie himselfe towards her in respect of sinfull infirmities or personall faults hath beene shewed before in the manner of his carriage towards her as a man of knowledge And thus of the first reason As being heyres together of the grace of life In these words is contained the second reason taken from the generall dignity of Christians which also extends to Christian wives And concerning the dignitie of Christians five things may be noted out of these words 1 The title of their dignitie They are Heyres 2 What they inherite Life 3 What the cause of this dignitie is viz. Grace 4 In what maner they possesse it viz. Together 5 The persons capable of it Women as well as men From the coherence we may note That if women will have their husbands to honour them they must be religious women and true Christians that have grace as well as worldly portion God requires religion and grace in all wives And the rather should they bee carefull to get grace and become truely religious because it was long of their sexe that sinne came into the world and as by one womans bearing of a childe salvation was brought againe into the world so should they everie one in particular strive to recover their honour by expressing the sound power of a religious life in all faith and charitie and holinesse and sobrietie 1. Tim. 2.14 15. And besides what shall it profite wives to get them jointures on earth and husbands to provide for them while they live here if their soules and bodies perish when they dye and lose the inheritance in heaven and perish they will if they get not true grace And further if they be gracious women if their husbands be so profane as not to make much of them yet they shall be greatly set by of God as was shewed vers 4. But on the other side if they be ignorant and irreligious women it is just with God to deprive them of the comfort of this life and to let their husbands neglect them or abuse them For though their husbands sinne in so doing yet God is just in permitting such a thing for their punishment Secondly another doctrine may be noted from the coherence and that is That in heaven there shall bee no difference betweene husbands and wives but they shall bee all one in Christ alike heires of eternall life Which is to be noted the more to perswade them to submit themselves and endure to be under the rule and authority of their husbands in this world for that estate of inferiority shall not last ever for in heaven God shall be all in all they shall be ruled by God and the Lambe Thus from the Coherence The first thing to be observed about the dignity of Christians in generall is That they are heires Heires The doctrine is That all true Christians are heires Now for the opening of this doctrine two things must be considered 1. How they come to be heires 2. What their glory is in being so For the first Christians are not borne Heires I meane not heires to God as is intended in this place but have it by the grace of adoption God hath but one Heire by generation and that is Christ all his other heires are by adoption such as hee chooseth of his meere Grace and makes them his heires Now the mystery of our adoption must be considered of in this manner A Christian by the Gospell is made a Believer Now faith after an unspeakable manner engrafts him into the body of Iesus Christ Now being engrafted into Iesus Christ who is Gods Sonne hee thereby comes to the power to be the sonne of God and to be an heire with Christ. Christ is Gods Heire and so is all that is grafted upon Christ Ioh. 1.12 Now there is a double Adoption the one imperfect in this life the other perfect which wee shall have after the Resurrection of the dead By the one we have the promise of inheritance and by the other wee shall have full possession Of the first is mention made Rom. 8.15 of the other Rom. 8.23 the first adoption is meant here For the second Adoption is called a glory by an excellence because there is no glory like to it even the adoption to bee heires as it is in this life is the greatest
will witnesse for him to his singular joy 2. Cor. 1.12 The daily encouragements of a good conscience are like a continuall feast within 3 From God and so they have Gods blessing certaine and this is a great inheritance and hath so much happinesse in it as it should swallow up all the grievance of afflictions and the contempts and scornes of the world It is enough if wee have Gods blessing Now that this point may bee distinctly beaten out wee must understand that true Christians may be said to inherite Gods blessing first in a more restrained sense and then in a more large sense In a restrained sense blessing may here be taken for Gods comfortable speaking for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifies blessing by words so it answers to the coherence If they will use good words to men God will speake good words to them And in this sense we may hence gather That Gods naturall language to the called of Iesus Christ is blessing or comfortable words God will speake to his people peace Psal. 84.5 and therefore hee gives a charge to his Ministers to speake comfortably to Ierusalem Esay 40.1 2. Secondly that Gods elect never finde this till they have their calling Thirdly that it is a great inheritance in this life to have God to speake well to us Fourthly that if the fault be not in us we shall never have God speake otherwise It is our inheritance to comfort us against all the miseries of life And therefore Ministers that are the mouth of God should studie comfort much and those Christians that desire to have the fruit of their inheritance in this thing should provide to live in such places where God speakes to men And those Ministers have a great account to make that set themselves to speake disgracefully and terribly to such as feare God striving to discourage their hearts and to strengthen the hands of the wicked Thus of the restrained sense onely note by the way That God speakes good words both for his people behinde their backes and to his people before their faces They inherite Gods good word for them in their absence Thus God speakes excellently in the praise of Iob to the Divell before the Angells Iob 1. 2. and thus hee can speake in the consciences of the greatest on earth in praise of his people as Esay 41.9 Now in the generall sense Gods people enjoy this blessing many waies and that both in this life and in the life to come In this life they have his blessin 1 In temporall things of all sorts hee makes the earth blesse them and the heavens and the waters Gen. 49.25 hee blesseth them in the City and in the field in the fruit of their bodies and of the ground and of their cattell in their Basket and in their store when they come in and when they goe out yea God will command the blessing upon them in their storehouses upon all they set their hands to he will open his good treasures unto them and blesse all the worke of their hands Deut. 28.2 3 4 5 6 8 12. And if they enjoy not so much in quality of these things as some wicked men yet they have a faire portion and a good blessing because that they have is blessed both in the originall of it and in the nature of it and in the use of it and in their right to it 2 In the meanes of grace and salvation and so they enjoy the blessing of God in his house-keeping and great is thâ—â—â— blessing where with God blesseth his people in his house on his holy hill and round about The Lord hath long since promised to make all the places about his holy hill blessings Yea there Gods people doe receive showers of blessing every powerfull Sermon is as a shower of blessing every doctrine being as a blessed drop of instruction or comfort Ezech. 34.26 Exod. 20.24 Psal. 132.15 3 In the gifts of grace and so he hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly things A poore Christian carrieth about with him in his heart more treasure than all the Monarchs of the world being not true Christians can any way possesse or command Eph. 1.3 Thus of Gods blessing in this life After this life who can recount the glory of their inheritance in the blessing they shall have then from God Oh that our hearts could be enlarged to thinke of the power of these words of Christ at the last day Come yee blessed of my father inherite the kingdome prepared for you before the foundation of the world The use should be for great comfort to all true Christians They have great cause to rejoyce in their fathers blessing all their daies and the rather if they consider that Gods blessing as a Father is better than the blessing of any earthly father For an earthly fathers blessing is most an end but verball in words Gods blessing is reall in deeds A father on earth cannot derive blessing to his childe from himselfe but from God whereas Gods blessing is from himselfe Besides if an earthly father would blesse his childe yet hee wants power to give him what he desires but God our Father is almighty able to give as much as he wisheth Gen. 28.3 Finally an earthly fathers blessing may bee lost as Chams was but Gods blessing cannot be lost hee will blesse with everlasting mercy Secondly such as yet enjoy not the priviledge of Gods called ones should be greatly stirred up with desire to get this blessing even to have Gods blessing Let no man bee prophane like Esaâ— to contemne Gods blessing but seeke it while it may be had Heb. 12.17 Que. But what should we doe to get Gods blessing Ans. First you must diligently resort to Gods house for there God hath commanded the blessing Psal. 133.3 and bee carefull and attentive hearers of Gods Word for the ground that drinketh in the raine receiveth a blessing from God Heb. 6.7 the raine of instruction must soake into your hearts 2 You must turne you every one from all your transgressions if you will have Gods blessing in his Son Iesus Act. 3.26 without sound repentance Gods blessing will not be had Men must not thinke to get Gods blessing and doe after the things they doe now a daies every one that is right in his owne eyes Deut. 12.7 8. Finally wee must be all such as feare God truly Psal. 115.13 and such as will not lift up their soules to follow vanity but get cleane hands and a pure heart for such onely shall receive the blessing from the Lord and righteousnesse from the God of their salvation Psal. 24.4.5 and to this end we must carefully hearken to Gods voice and observe to doe all that he commandeth us Deut. 15.4.5.6 Lastly Gods owne children that have felt the comfort of Gods blessing must be admonished to carry themselves so as they may grow in the comforts of it more and more