Lucani he that lent money to an idle person was to loose it Among the Corinthians the sloathfull were delivered to the Carnifex saith Diphilus Oh! the deadly sins the deadly temptations the deadly judgements that idle and sloathfull Christians are given up to therefore be active be diligent be abundant in the worke of the Lord. Idlenesse is the very Source of sin Standing pooles gather mud and nourish and breed venomous Creatures and so doe the hearts of idle and sloathfull Christians c. Now the second thing that we are to doe for the further opening of this Point is to shew you The speciall Ends that the Gifts and Graces that God ha's bestow'd upon Believers should be exercised and improved to And they are these that follow FIrst They are to be improved and exercised to the honour 1 Cor. 10. 31. of God to the lifting up of God and to the keeping up of his name and glory in the world He that improves not his gifts and graces to this end crosses the grand end of Gods bestowing such royall favours on him Graces and gifts are Talents that God hath given you to trade with and not to hide in a Napkin The idle servant Mat. 25. in Christs account was an evill servant The idle soule in Christs account is an evill soule and accordingly Christ will deale with him Seneca calls sloath The Nurse of beggery the Mother of misery and sloathfull Christians find it so Christians God ha's given you grace that you should give him glory His honour should be dearer to you then your Jewels then your Crownes then your lives I then your very soules Thou livest no longer then thou livest to his praise It is recorded that Epaminondes the Commander in chief of the Thebanes That he did not glory in any thing but this that his father whom he dearly loved and honoured was living when he won three famous Battells against the Lacedemonians Plutarch in his Morals that were then held for their valour to be invincible regarding more the honour and content his father should receive of it then his owne Shall a Heathen thus strive to honour his earthly father And shall not Christians strive more to honour their heavenly father with all the gifts and graces that he ha's confer'd upon them But you will say How should we honour the Lord I answer First By a free and frequent acknowledgement that all your graces flow from the Lord Jesus the fountaine of grace 1 John 16. Of his fullnesse we all receive grace for grace Jam. 1. 17. Every good and perfect gift comes downe from above c. Thou must say O Christian I have nothing but what I 1 Cor. 4. 7. have received I have no light no life no love no ioy no peace but from above The Jewels that hang in my breasts and the Chaines of Pearle that be about my neck and the golden Crowne that is upon my head and all sparkling Diamonds Ezek. 16. 11 12 13 14 15. Psal 45. 8. ult in that Crowne are all from above All those Princely Ornaments by which I am made more beautifull and lovely then others and all those beds of spices and sweet flowers by which I am made more desirable and dilectable is from above Say I am nothing I have nothing of my owne all I am and all I have is from on high We have given thee of 1 Chron. 29. 14. thine owne sayes David So doe thou say Lord the love with which I love thee is thine owne and the faith by which I hang upon thee is thine own and the fear by which I feare Deus nihil coronat nisi dona sua Aug. before thee is thine owne and the joy which I rejoyce before thee with is thine owne and the patience with which I wait upon thee is thine owne c And therefore say as David did upon the receipt of mercy Blessed be thou Lord God of Israel our father for ever and ever Thine O Lord is the greatnesse and the power and the glory and the victory and the Majesty for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine Thine is the Kingdome O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all Both riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all and in thine hand is power and might and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all Now therefore our God we thanke thee and praise thy glorious name Secondly You must honour him By acknowledging the dependancy of your graces upon the fountaine of grace And that your strength to stand lyes not so much in your graces as in their dependancy upon the fountaine of grace as in their conjunction with the God of grace A man by his arme may do much but 't is mainly by reason of its union and conjunction with the head 'T is so between a Christians graces and Christ The stream does not more depend upon the fountaine nor the branch upon the root nor the Moon upon the Sun nor the Child upon the Mother nor the effect upon the cause then our graces doe depend upon the fountaine of grace Ps 138. 3. Phil. 4. 12 13. Now that our very graces doe thus depend upon the fountaine Though our graces be ouâ— best Jewe's yet they are imperfect and as the Moon shines by a borrowed light so doe our graces iâ— it were not for the Sun of righteousness all our graces would give â—o light c. of grace and that our strength to stand lyes not so much in our graces as in Christ is clear by this That the graces of the Saints may and doe most faile them when they have most need of them Mark 4. 40. And he said why are yee so fearfull How is it that you have no faith When the wind was high their faith was low when the storme was great their faith was little So Luke 8. 25. And he said unto them where is your faith Are you now to seek it when you should use it Peter denyed Christ when he had need by faith to have confessed Christ Moses faith fail'd him when it should have been most serviceable to him Nu. 20. 12. And Davids courage fail'd him when it should have been a buckler to him 1 Sam. 21. 13 14. And the Disciples love fail'd them when it should have been most usefull to them John 14. 28. And Job's wisedome and patience fail'd him when they should have been greatest supporters to him By all which 't is most clear that not onely our selves but also our very graces must be supported by the God of grace the fountaine of grace or else they will be to seek when we most need them Though grace is a glorious Creature it is but a creature and therefore must be upheld by its Creator Though grace be a beautifull Child yet 't is but a child that must be upheld by the fathers armes This Christians you
therein lyes their glory and perfection Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldnesse in the day of judgement because as he is so are we in this world As he so are we The Child is not more like the father then then we are like our Saviour The Child is the father multiplied the father of a second edition Our Summum bonum consists in our full communion with Christ and in our full conformity to Christ Oh if men were more universally conformable to Christ in their affections ends designes and actings c. they would have abundantly more clear full and glorious evidences of their interest in Christ A more full conformity to Christ in heart and life will make your lives a very Heaven c. Fourthly Interest Christ in the glory of all you injoy and in the glory of all you doe This is a precious way to have your interest in Christ more 1 Cor. 10. 31. and more evidenced to your owne soules Such as are good at this as are much in this will find Christ every day a clearing up more and more their interest in himselfe 'T is not usually long night with such soules O Christians interest Christ more and more in the glory of all your graces interest him in the glory of all your duties interest him in the glory of all your abilities as Christ doth interest you in himselfe in John 1. 16. Rev. 1. 5 6. 1 Pet. 2. 9. his spirit in his graces in his riches in his Titles in his dignities in his offices Ah Christians did you interest Christ more in all you have in all you are and in all you doe you would never be so full of feares and doubts and questions about your interest in Christ as you are Your interessing of Christ in all you have and doe will speak out not onely the The mother that strongly loves her child dâ—es not question the truth of he love to her child truth of your love but also the strength and greatnesse of your love and where men love much where they love strongly there they doe not question the truth of their love The Heathen Gods were contented to divide their honours amongst themselves and hence the Senate of Rome rejected Christ from taking him to be a God after that they had consulted about it For said they if Christ come to be acknowledged a God he will not share with the rest he will have all himselfe And so upon this reason they refused him Christians Christ will not have any competitor he will rather part with any thing then with his glory Isa 42. 8. I am the Lord that is my name and my glory will I not give to another neither my praise to graven Images Christ will rather part with his life then with his honour therefore let every Christian say as David does 1 Chron. 29. 11 12 13. Thine O Lord is the greatnesse and the power and the glory and the victory and the Majesty for all that is in the Heaven and in the earth is thine Thine is the Kingdome O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all Both riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all And in thine hand is power and might and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all Now therefore our God we thanke thee and praise thy glorious name And cleerly friends the more your hearts are led forth to interest Christ in all you injoy and in all you doe the more clear and glorious evidence you will have of your interest in Christ let his honour and glory lye nearer and nearer to your hearts and you shall see that he ha's set you as a seale upon his arme as a seale upon his heart The fifth meanes to gaine the knowledge of your interest in Christ is By cleaving to Christ and whatsoever is deare to Christ in the face of all miseries difficulties and dangers It 's nothing to cleave to Christ in faire weather when every Psal 44. Acts 5. Heb. 11. Dan. 3. Acts 21. 13. one cleaves to Christ when every one professes Christ but to cleave to him in a storme when every one runs from him this speaks out a child-like disposition it speaks out a Jacob's spirit Surely he must needs have much of Christ that nothing can take off from cleaving to Christ When the soule sayes to Christ as Ruth said to Naomi Whither thou Ruth 1. 15 16 17 18. goest I will goe and where thou lodgest I will lodge thy people shall be my people and thy God shall be my God The Lord doe so to me and more also if ought but death part thee and me When neither the frownes of men nor the reproach of men nor the contempt of men nor oppositions from men can take the soule off from cleaving to Christ it will not be long before Christ speaks peace to such a soule Psal 63. 8. My soule followeth hard after thee thy right hand upholds me In the Hebrew 'tis My soule cleaveth to thee or Dabka naphshi is glewed to thee as Jonathan's soule cleav'd to David and as Jacob's soule cleav'd to Rachel in the face of all difficulties and troubles Doubtlesse when the soule cleaves to Christ in the face of all afflictions and difficulties this carries with it Shaâ—nma one of Davids Worthies stood and defended the field when all the rest fled very much evidence of its interest in Christ In temporalls men cleave to persons and things as their interest is in them and so 't is in spirituals also Christ cannot Christ will not throw such to hell that hang about him that cleave to him Sixthly and lastly If you would know whether you have an interest in Christ Then be very much in observing what interest Christ ha's in you Observe whether he ha's the interest of a head a husband a father or no Christ ha's a generall interest in all creatures as he is the Creator and Preserver of them And he ha's a heads interest a husbands interest a fathers interest onely in them that have a saving interest in him The interest of the head the husband the father is the greatest interest 't is the sweetest interest 't is a commanding interest 't is a growing interest 't is a peculiar interest 't is a lasting interest and really if the Lord Jesus hath such an interest in you you may be as confident that you have a reall and glorious interest in him ' as you are confident that you live And thus much for the means whereby you may come to know your interest in rich Jesus Before I close up this discourse give me leave to speak a few words to poore sinners who to this very day are afar off from this Jesus who is so rich in all excellencies and glories A VSE of Exhortation to Christ-less soules Ah poore hearts you have heard much of the riches of the Lord
To read much and practice nothing is to hunt much and catch nothing Suetonius reports of Julius Caesar That seeing Alexanders statue he fetched a deep sigh because he at that Age had done so little Ah! what cause have most to sigh that they have heard so much and read so much and yet done so little Surely 't is more honourable to doe great things then to speak or read great things 'T is the doer that will 'T was a saying of Augustine one thousand two hundred years agoe That we must take heed least whilst we fear our exhortation being cooled prayer be not â—amped and pride inflamed be most happy at last John 13. 17. In vitae libro Scribuntur qui quod possunt faciunt si quod debent non possunt Bâ—rn They are written in the Book of Life that doe what good they can though they cannot doe as they would I have read of a good man coming from a publick Lecture and being askt by one whether the Sermon was done answered with a sad sigh Ah! it is said but not done My third Request is this That you will pray over what you read Many read much and pray little and therefore get little by all they read Galen writes of a Fish called Vrana Scopos that ha's but one eye and yet looks continually up to Heaven When a Christian ha's one eye upon his Book the other should be looking up to Heaven for a blessing upon what he reads When one heard what admirable Victories Scanderbeg's Sword had wrought he would needs see it and when he saw it sayes he This is but an ordinary sword alasse what can this doe Scanderbeg sent him word I have sent thee my Sword but I have the arme that did all by it Alasse what can Christs Sword Christs word doe without his arm Therefore look up to Christs arme in prayer that so his Sword his word may doe great things in your soules Luther professeth That he profited more by prayer in a short space then by study in a longer as John by weeping got the sealed Book open My fourth Request to you is this That Ingratitude say some is a monster in nature a solicisme in manners and a Paradox in grace damning up the course of Donations Divine and humane if by the blessing of the Lord upon my weake endeavours any leafe or line should drop myrrhe or mercy marrow or fatnesse upon your spirits that you will give all the glory to the God of Heaven for to him alone it does belong Through grace I know I am a poore Worme I am nothing I have nothing but what I have received The Crowne becomes no head but Christs Let him who is our all in all have the honour and the glory of all and I have my end Pliny tells of some in the remote parts of India that have no mouths and yet live on the smell of Hearbs and sweet Flowers But I hope better things of you even such as accompany salvation My fifth Request to you is this That you would let me lye neere your hearts when you are in the Mount especially 1 Thess 5. 25. 2 Thess 3. 1. Heb. 13. 18. Col. 4. 3. Phil. 1. 19. â— Cor. 1. 11. Acts 12. 5. O pray pray hard for me that the spirit of the Lord may be redoubled upon me that his word may prosper in my mouth that it may run and be glorified and that I may be high in my communion with God and holy and unblameable in my walkings with God and that it may be still day with my soule that I may live and dye in the joyes and comforts of the holy Ghost and that when my Sun is set my glasse out my work done my race run I may rest in the Rev. 14. 13. everlasting armes of Divine love c. My last and least Request to you is this That you will please to cast a Mantle of love In every Pomgranate there is at least one rotten kernell to be found said Grates the Philosopher over the mistakes of the Presse and doe me that right and your selves the courtesie as before you read to correct any materiall faults that you shall find pointed at in the Errata Gods easie passing over the many and daily Errata's of your lives cannot but make you so ingenuous as readily to passe over the Errata's in this Book You are choice Jewels in my eye you lye neer unto my heart I am willing to spend and be spent for your sakes My earnest and humble desire is That my service and Rom. 15. 31. labour of love may be accepted by you and that it may worke much for your internall and eternall welfare And that an abundant 2 Pet. 1. 11. Ch. 1. 8. entrance may be administred to you into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ And that you may be filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory and with that peace that passes understanding This is and by grace shall be the Prayer of him who desires to approve himselfe faithfull to Christ his truths his interests and his people and who is Your soules servant in all Gospel Engagements THOMAS BROOKS THE Contents THE words opened Page 1 2. The first Doctrine Those that are lowest in their owne esteem are highest in Gods estem Proved 3 c. Eighteen Properties of an humble soule 6. to 27. Five Reasons of the Point 27 30 Eight Motives to provoke persons to be humble 31 41 Nine Directions and Helps to keep us humble and low in our owne eyes 41 49 The dangerous Nature of Pride held forth in nine Propositions Also six wayes wherein Pride shewes it selfe 49 58 The second Doctrine All Saints are not of an equall cize and growth in grace and holinesse 58 59 Twelve things by which soules weake in grace are discovered and deciphered 59 75 Twelve Supports and Comforts to uphold Weake Christians Wherein also you may see how Christ and they are sharers 75 96 Six Duties that lye upon weake Siants And in the opening of them severall weighty Questions are propounded and answered 96-124 The Duties of strong Saints to the weake shewed in eleven particulars 124-136 The third Doctrine That the Lord gives the bests gifts to his best beloved ones 136 137. What those best gifts are that Christ bestowes upon his dearest ones shewed in ten particulars 137-147 The Difference between Christs giving and the worlds giving shewed in six things 147-149 The Excellency of those gifts that Christ gives above all other gifts that the world gives shewed in five things 149-151 Six Reasons why God gives the best gifts to his dearest ones 151-157 Eight Inferences or Vses made of this Point 157-165 A Word to Sinners 165-168 The fourth Doctrine That the gifts and graces that God bestowes upon his people should be improved imployed and exercised by his people This Point proved and opened 168-170 Twelve Reasons why gracious soules should exercise
the most highly prized and esteemed of God doe set so low a price upon themselves And then the Use Iob 1. 8. Job was a none-such in regard of those perfections and degrees of grace that he had attained to beyond aâ—ny other Saints on earth Job was high in worth and humble in heart Job 42. 5 6. Humilitas animi sublimitas Christiani 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A me me salva Domine Aug. Deliver me O Lord from that evill man my selfe 2 Cor. 12. 1. 7 vid. Bezim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wordless words such as words are too weak to utter Isa 6. 1. 5 6. compared The clearest sight vision of God does alwayes give a man the fullest sight of his own emptinesse sinfulnesse and nothingnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a I am out off Luke 5. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man a sinner a very mixture compound of dirt and sin For the first That this is so I shall give you most clear proofs and open them to you See it in Job no man ever received a fairer or a more valuable Certificate under the hand of God or the broad Seale of Heaven for his being a soule famous in grace and holinesse then Job as you may see Job 1. 8. And the Lord said unto Satan hast thou considered my Servant Job that there is none like him in the Earth a perfect and an upright man one that feareth God and escheweth evill And yet no man could speak more undervaluingly of himselfe then Job did Job 42. 5 6. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now mine eye seeth thee I abhor my selfe in dust and ashes This expression is the deepest act of abhorrency Abhorrency strictly taken is hatred wound up to the height I abhor my selfe the word that 's rendred Abhor signifies to reject to disdaine to contemne and to cast off Ah sayes Job I abhor my selfe I reject my selfe I disdaine my selfe I cast off my selfe I have a vile esteem of my selfe So our blessed Apostle who had been caught up into the third Heavens and had such glorious Revelations as could not be uttered yet he accounted himselfe lesse then the least of all Saints Not that any thing can be lesse then the least the Apostles holy Rhetorick doth not crosse Aristotle's Philosophy but the Originall word being a double diminitive his meaning is that he was as little as could be therefore he put himselfe downe so little as could not be lesse then the least Another proof you have Isa 6. 1 5 6. As Paul among the Apostles was the greatest so Esay among the Prophets was the clearest and choycest Gospel-Preacher and holds out more of Christ and of his Kingdome and glory then all the other Prophets doe Isa 6. 1. he sees the glory of the Lord in a Vision and this makes him cry out vers 5. Wee is me for I am undone because I am a man of uncleane lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of uncleane lips for mine eyes have seene the King the Lord of Hosts I am undone the Hebrew is I am cut off I am a forlorne man why For I have seen the King the Lord of Hosts Here you have the highest and choycest among the Prophets as you had Paul before among the Apostles abasing and laying low himselfe So Peter Luke 5. 8. Depart from me for I am a sinfull man O Lord. When he saw that glorious Miracle wrought by the Lord Jesus he cryes out as one very sensible of his owne weaknesse and sinfullnesse Depart from me for I am a sinfull man Ah I am not worthy to be neer such Majesty and glory who am a meer bundle of vice and vanity of folly and iniquity Take another cleer instance Gen. 18. And Abraham answered Gen. 18. 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gnaphar vae pher dust and ashes i. e. base vile worthles Solemnly think that thou art dust and ashes and be pâ—oud if thou canst Isa 6. 1 2. Gen. 32. 10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I am lesse then all meretes to wit in worth or weight c. and said Behold I have taken upon me to speake unto the Lord who am but dust and ashes Here you have the Father of the Faithfull the greatest Believer in the world accounting himselfe dust and ashes Dust notes the basenesse of his Originall and Ashes notes his deserving to be burnt to ashes if God should deale with him in justice rather then in mercy The nearer any soule drawes to God the more humble will that soule lye before God None so neere God as the Angels nor none so humble before God as the Angels So Jacob Gen. 32. 10. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant c. Jacob a man eminent in his prevailing with God a Prince that had the honour and the happinesse to overcome the God of mercy yet judges himselfe unworthy of the least mercy Ah how low is that soule in his owne eyes that is most honourable in Gods eyes David you know was a man after Gods owne heart a man highly honoured much beloved and dearly prized by the 1 Kings 15. 5. Lord yet 1 Sam. 26. 20. He counts himselfe a Flea and what 1 Sam. 26. 20. Psal 22. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tolagnath An humble soule is a little little nothing in his owne eyes is more contemptible then a Flea In Psal 22. 6. I am a worme saith he and no man The word that 's there rendred Worme is a word that signifies a very little Worm which breedeth in Scarlet a Worme that 's so little that a man can hardly see or perceive it A Worme is the most despicable Creature in the world trampled under foot by every one Sayes he I am a despicable worme in my owne eyes and in my enemies eyes And thus you see the point proved that the most holy men have been alwayes the most humble men The second thing that I am to doe is To shew you the Properties of humble soules I confesse when I look abroad in the world and observe the carriage of all sorts of men my heart is stirr'd to speak as fully and as home to this point as Christ shall help me 'T is very very sad to consider how few humble soules there be in these dayes Ah the damnable pride that reignes and rules in the hearts lives of most men God loves to heare this as a parcell of his praise Paâ—cere subjectis debellare superbos to spare the lowly and strike downe the proud Isa 23. 9. I think 't is far greater then hath been knowne in the Generations before us Ah England England what folly what damnable wickednesse is this that thou shouldest be a lifting thy selfe up in pride when God is a staining the pride of all glory and bringing into contempt the honourable of the Earth and a
gives the soule is Soule-filling glory glory that fills the understanding with the cleerest and the Psal 16. ult Psal 17. ult 2 Coâ— 12. 1 to 6. Pericula non respicit Martyr coronas respicit saith Basil brightest light glory that fills the will with the greatest freedome glory that fills the affections with the choycest joy and delight Againe the glory he gives is Incomparable glory Rom. 8. 18. I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us The Greek word Logizomai that is here rendred I reckon is not a word of doubting but a word of concluding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ready to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on us I conclude by Arguments that our present sufferings are not worthy to be compared to that illustrious and glorious glory that is ready to be revealed on us as 't is in the Greek I have cast up the account saith the Apostle as wise Merchants use to cast up theirs and I find in the ballancing of the account that there 's nothing to be compared with this glory that shall be revealed Againe the glory he gives is Vnmoveable glory all worldly glory is tottering and shaking Princes Crownes hang now but upon one side of their heads The Lord of Hosts hath Isa 23. 9. purposed it to staine or pollute the pride of all glory and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth The Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jegnâ—sah hath purposed it or as 't is in the Hebrew The Lord hath consulted it And the councell of the Lord shall stand It is agreed upon in heaven that the pride of all glory shall be stained and polluted or throwne downe as some polluted filthy thing that is trampled upon and trodden under foot Oh! but this glory that Christ gives is unmoveable glory Heb. 12. 28 't is permanent glory 't is glory that cannot be changed stain'd nor polluted Againe the glory he gives is suited glory 't is glory that Jo 14. 1 2 3. is suited to the backs hearts hopes desires and capacities of his servants Againe the glory he gives is never fading glory 't is glory that fadeth not away When a man hath been in heaven 1 Pet. 1. 3 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the proper name of a Flower which is still â—â—esh and green Isa 40. 6 7 8. as many millions of years as there be Starres in heaven his glory shall be as fresh and as greene as it was at his first entrance into heaven All worldly glory is like the Flowers of the field but the glory that Christ gives is lasting and durable like himselfe c. Tenthly and lastly He gives Himselfe and verily this is a gift of gifts indeed John 6. 51. 63. So in Ephes 5. 20. A Saint may say me thinks I hear Christ saying to me as Austin prayes Lord saith he what ever thou hast given take all away onely give me thy selfe Eschines said to Socrates Others said he give thee silver and gold and precious Jewels but I give thee my selfe So the soule may say One friend gives me bread and another gives me cloaths and another gives me house-roome c. Oh! but thou givest me thy selfe Christ put into the ballance will out-weigh all other gifts that he bestowes upon the sons of men Christ is the richest gift Oh! there are Unsearchable Riches in Christ as hereafter I shall shew you He is the choycest and the rarest gift he is a gift given but to a few rich and rare Jewels are not commonly but more rarely given so is Christ Though Israel be as the sand of the sea yet a Rom. 9. 27. remnant onely shall be saved A garden inclosed a spring Caâ—t 4. 12. Luke 12. 32. shut up a fountaine sealed is my well-beloved Feare not little little flâ—cke it is your fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdome Christ is a drawing gift a gift that drawes all other gifts along with him If he have given us his Son how shall Rom. 8. 32. he not with him freely give us all things Christ is a drawing gift When God the father hath cast this incomparable Jewel into a mans bosome he can't deny him any thing Such a soule may well say Hath he given me a Christ and will he not give me a crum Hath he given me his Sonne which is the greatest mercy and will he stand with me for lesser mercies surely no. In a word Christ is of all gifts the sweetest gift As the Tree Exod. 15. 25. sweetned the bitter waters so this gift the Lord Jesus of whom that Tree was a Type sweetens all other gifts that are bestowed upon the sons of men he turnes every bitter into sweet and makes every sweet more sweet And so I come to the second thing propounded and that was The Difference between Christs giving The Difference between Christs the worldâ— giving and the Worlds giving And this I shall shew you in the following Particulars FIrst The world gives but they give grudgingly But 2 Cor. 9. 7. when Christ gives he gives freely Isa 55. 1. Ho every â— Peâ— 4. 9. No Offrings to free will Offrings one that thirsteth let him come and buy wine and milke without money and without price So in Rev. 21. 6. I will give to every one that is athirst of the water of life freely To doe good and not to doe it freely handsomely is nothing A benefit given with grudging is a stony loaf onely taken for necessity Secondly The world they give but they give poorly Saul had buâ— five pence to give the Seer the Seer after much good cheer gives him no lesse then the Kingdome 1 Sam. 9 8. 10. So God deales with his nigardly but Christ gives plenteously richly 1 Tim. 6. 17. Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertaine riches but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy When Caesar gave one a great Reward This saith he is too great a gift for me to receive but saith Caesar 'T is not too great a gift for me to give So though the least gift that Christ gives in some sence is too much for us to receive yet the greatest gifts are not too great for Christ to give 'T is said of Araunahs that Noble Jebusite renowned for his bounty That he had but a subjects purse but a Kings heart But the Lord Jesus hath not onely a Kings heart but he hath also a Kings purse and gives accordingly Thirdly The world give but they give tauntingly they give upbraidingly they hit men in the teeth with the gifts they give I but the Lord Jesus Christ gives and he gives willingly he upbraids none with the gifts he gives Jam. 1. 5. If any man lack wisedome let him aske it of God that gives liberally and
unstable soules An heart they have exercised with covetous practices cursed children they break all Promises and Covenants with God and man as Sampson did the new Ropes So in Prov. 19. 19. A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment for if thou deliver him yet thou must doe it againe The Hebrew word Tosiph signifies to adde sayes he thou must adde deliverance to deliverance for he will still be a adding sin to sin So the radix Jasaph is used Deut. 29. 19. and in severall other Scriptures Such sinners make God a God of clouts one that will not doe as he sayes Ahab after he was threatned with utter rooting out begat fifty Sons as it were to crosse God and to try it out with him Let God thunder Jer. 9. 3. in his judgements yet he will add sin to sin he will proceed from evill to evill till he comes to the very top of evill viz. to be hardned in sin and to scoffe at holinesse c. The old Italians were wont in time of thunder to shoot Wiâ—nesse Ahab Hamaâ— Jehu Jeroboaâ— the soâ—le in the Gospel and those in Mat. 23. 14 15 16. off their greatest Ordnance and to ring their greatest Bells to drowne the noyse of the Heavens So let God thunder from Heaven yet wicked men will so improve their wicked principles that their consciences may not hear the noyse of the Thunder-claps of Divine displeasure The covetous man will improve his earthly Principles and the ambtious man his ambitious Principles and the voluptuous man his voluptuous principles and the unchast man his unclean principles and the erroneous man his erroneous Principles and the blasphemous man his blasphemous Principles c. Ah Sirs shall wicked men thus improve their wicked Principles to the uttermost against God Christ and Religion and against the prosperity peace joy and happinesse of the Saints And shall not Saints improve their graces to the uttermost for the honour of the Lord the advancement of Religion and the mutuall profit and benefit of each other Seventhly The more high and excellent any man is in grace the more highly he shall be exalted in glory Oh therefore exercise your Grace improve your grace as you would be high in Heaven labour to improve your graces much while you are here on earth for glory will be given out at last according to the exercise and improvement of your grace The more high and improved a mans graces be the more that man will doe for God and the more any man doth for God the more at last shall he receive from God 1 Cor. 15. last Therefore my beloved brethren be ye stedfast unmoveable Darius before he came to the Kingdom received a Gaâ—ment for a gift of one Sylosâ— and when he became King he rewarded him with the command of his Countrey Sanus c. alwayes abounding in the worke of the Lord forasmuch as you know that your labour is not in vaine in the Lord. So Gal. 6. He that sowes sparingly shall reap sparingly but he that sowes liberally shall reap liberally The more any man hath improved his Grace the more that man will be able to bare and suffer for God and the more any man bears and suffers for God the more glory shall that man have at last from God Mat. 5. 11 12. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evill against you falsly for my sake rejoyce and be exceeding glad or Leap and dance for joy Why so For great is your reward in heaven God is a liberall Pay-master and no small things Chaireâ—e kai agalâ—iasthe Leap skip for joy c. can fall from so great and so gratious a hand as his The more excellent any man is in Grace the more he is the delight of God Psal 16. 3 4. My goodnesse extendeth not to thee but to the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight Now this is spoken in the person of Christ for the Apostle applies these words to Christ Now saith Christ My goodnesse reaches not to thee oh father Acts 2 25. The sa he delights in all his Children yet somtimes he delights more in one then in another c. but to the Saints and to the excellent in whom is all my delight And doubtlesse they that are his greatest delight on earth shall be possest of the greatest glory in Heaven If fathers give the greatest portions to those Children in whom they delight why should not Christ Is it equity in the one and iniquity in the other Surely no Christ may doe with his owne as he pleases Againe The more any man improves his Grace the clearer sweeter fuller and richer is his injoyments of God here There 's no man in all the world that hath such injoyments of God as that man hath that most improves his Graces 'T is not he that knows most nor him that hears most nor yet he that talkes most but he that exercises Grace most that hath most communion with God that hath the clearest visions of God that hath the sweetest discoveries and manifestations of God Now certainly if they that improve their graces most have most of God here then without controversie they shall have most of God hereafter Doubtlesse a man may as well plead for equall degrees of Grace in this world as for equall degrees of glory in the other world Againe If those who are most gracelesse and wicked shall be most tormented then certainly they that are most gracious shall be most exalted in the day of Christ But the more wicked any man is the more shall he be tormented in the Mat. 23. 14. Luke 12. 47 48. day of vengeance Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for ye shall receive the greater damnation The darkest the lowest the hottest place in hell is provided for you therefore it roundly followes That those that are most gracious shall at last be most glorious And thus much for the Motives that tend to provoke all the precious Children of Zion to make a through improvement of the Gifts and Graces that the Lord ha's bestow'd upon them I shall now come to the resolution of a weighty Question and so conclude this Point which I have been the longer upon by reason of its very great usefullnesse in these dayes wherein men strive to exercise any thing yea every thing but grace and holinesse c. Now the Question is this When may a soule be said to be excellent in Grace or to have highly improved Grace Now to this Question I shall give these following Answers First A soule that 's high and excellent in grace that hath improved his Graces to a considerable height will keepe humble and unspotted under great outward injoyments 'T is said of Daniel that he had an excellent spirit and herein Many are seemingly good till they come to be great and then they prove
about him are very bad Some say that Roses grow the sweeter when they are planted by Garlick Verily Christians that have gloriously improved their Graces are like those Roses they grow sweeter and sweeter holier and holier by wicked men The best Diamonds shine most in the dark and so doe the best Christians shine most in the worst times Sixthly Such turne their principles into practice They turne their speculations into power their notions into spirit their glorious inside into a golden outside Psal 45. 13. Seventhly Such as have made a considerable improvement of their gifts and graces Have hearts as large as their heads Whereas most mens heads have outgrowne their hearts c. Eighthly Such are alwayes most busied about the highest things viz. God Christ Heaven c. Phil. 3. 2 Tim. 4. 8. 2 Cor. 4. ult Rom. 8. 18. Ninthly Such are alwayes a doing or receiving good As Christ went up and downe doing good Mat. 4. 23. Chap. 9. 35. Mark 6. 6. Tenthly and lastly Such will mourne for wicked mens sins as well as their owne O the teares the sighes the groanes Psalm 119. Jer. 9. 1 2. 2 Pet. 2. 7 8 9. that others sins fetch from these mens hearts Pambus in the Ecclesiasticall History wept when he saw a Harlot dressed with much care and cost partly to see one take so much paines to goe to hell and partly because he had not been so carefull to please God as she had been to please a wanton Lover I have at this time onely given you some short hints whereby you may know whether you have made any considerable improvement of that grace the Lord hath given you I doe intend by Divine permission in a convenient time to declare much more of this to the World I shall follow all what ha's been said with my prayers that it may help on your internall and eternall welfare EPHES. 3. 8. The Vnsearchable Riches of Christ NOw the next Observation that we shall begin with is this That the Lord Jesus Christ is very Rich. And the second will be this That the great businesse and worke of the Ministry is to hold forth to the people the Riches of Christ We shall begin with the first Point at this time namely That the Lord Jesus Christ is very rich For the opening of this Point we shall attempt these three things 1 To demonstrate this to be a truth That the Lord Jesus is very rich 2 The Grounds why he is thus held forth in the word to be one full of Vnsearchable Riches 3 To shew you the Excellency of the riches of Christ above all other Riches in the world And then the Use of the Point For the first That the Lord Jesus Christ is very rich First Expresse Scripture speaks out this truth He is rich in goodnesse Rom. 2. 4. Or despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse that is ready to be imployed for thy internall and To chreston His native goodnesse c. eternall good c. Againe He is rich in wisedome and knowledge Col 2. 3. In whom speaking of Christ are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge Christ was content that his riches should be hid from the world therefore doe not thou be As man is an Epitome of the whole world so is Christ of all wisedome and knowledge c. angry that thine is no more knowne to the world What is thy one mite to Christs many millions c. Againe He is rich in grace Ephes 1. 7. By whom we have redemption through his blood the forgivenesse of sins according to the riches of his grace Againe He is rich in glory Ephes 1. 18. That ye may know what is the hope of his calling and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints So in Chap. 3. 16. That he would grant unto you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthned with might by his spirit in the Nec Christus nec coelum patitur hyperbolem Neither Christ nor heaven can be hyperbolized inner man So in Phil. 4. 19. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus The riches of glory are unconceiveable riches Search is made through all the bowells of the earth for something to shadow it by The riches of this glory is fitter to be believed then to be discoursed of as some of the very Heathens have acknowledged But secondly As expresse Scripture speaks out this truth That Christ is very rich so there are eight things more that doe with open mouth speak out Christ to be very rich First You may judge of his riches by the dowry and portion his father hath given him In Psal 2. 7. Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee aske of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession He is the heir of all things all things above and below in heaven and earth are his Heb. 1. 2. God hath in these last dayes spoken to us by his Son whom he hath appointed Heire of all things Christ is the richest Heire in heaven and earth Men cry up this man to be a good match and that and why so but because they are great Heires Ah! but what are all the great Heires of the world to this Heire the Lord Jesus Joseph gave Portions to all his brethren but to Benjamin a Portion five times as good as what he gave the residue So the Lord scatters Portions among the Sons of men he gives brasse to some gold to others temporalls to some spiritualls to others but the greatest portion of all he hath given into the hands of Christ whom he hath made the Heire of all things Rev. 11. 15. And the seventh Angel sounded and there were great voyces in heaven saying The Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reigne for ever and ever So in Chap. 19. 11 12. And I saw heaven opened and behold a white Horse and he that sat upon him was called faithfull and true and in righteousnesse he doth judge and make war His eyes were as a flame of fire and on his head were many Crownes Mark that what are Princes single Crownes and the Popes tripple Crowne to Christs many Crownes Certainly he must be very rich that ha's so many Kingdomes and Crownes waite but a while and you shall see these Scriptures made good c. Secondly You may judge of his riches by his Keeping open house for the reliefe and supply of all created creatures both in heaven and in earth Crassus was so rich that he maintain'd a whole Army with his owne Reâ—enues â—ut what is this to what Jesus does c. Psal 145. 16. You look upon those as very rich that keep open house for all commers and goers why such a one is the Lord Jesus Christ he keeps
31. Then had the Churches rest throughout all Judca and Galilee and Samaria and were edified and walking in the feare of the Lord and in the comfort of the holy Ghost were multiplied The more their graces were increased the more their comforts were augmented If one drop of the joy of the Holy Ghost should fall into hell it would swallow up all the torments of hell saith Austin Oh! who would not then labour to increase in grace that he may abound in joy c. The Promise lyes most fair before their eyes that are rich in grace their interest in it is most clear and rarely that they goe without it unlesse it is by taking part sometimes with Satan against their interest in Christ or somtimes through the power of unbelief which indeed cuts off all the comfort of the soule or by looking after other lovers or by not hearkning to the voyce of the Comforter c. Christians you often complaine of the want of joy and comfort oh doe but abound in grace and you won't complaine of the want of comfort Without delight the soule cannot live saith one take away all delight and the soul dyes Let this that ha's been spoken provoke every Christian to labour to be rich in grace c. But secondly Consider this You have singular opportunities and choyce advantages to be rich in grace There is a price put into your hands but where are your hearts In former times God gave out grace by drops but now by Flaggons Opportunities if not improved will as Cant. 2. 5. that sword that Hector gave Ajax be turned into your owne bowels This will be a sword in thy bowels that there hath been soule-inriching opportunities and thou hast neglected them and turned thy back upon them The thoughts of this will one day be the Scorpions that will vex thee the rod that will lash thee the thornes that will prick thee and the worm that will gnaw thee The Storke saith the Prophet knowes Jer. 8. 7. his appointed times and the Turtle and the Crane and the Swallow observe the time of their coming but my people know not the judgement of the Lord. The Market for your soules is open slip not your season least with the foolish Virgins you Mat. 25. goe to buy when 't is too late The Merchant will not slip his opportunity of buying nor the Saylor his of sailing nor the Husbandman his of sowing and why should you slip yours of growing rich in grace Many men loose their soules as Saul lost his Kingdome by not discerning their time to be spiritually rich Tamarlen at first hung out a white flagge but if they slipt Such â—here have been who by giving a glasse of water opportunely have obtain'd a Kingdome as you may see in the story of Thâ—umâ—stus and King Agrippa c. that opportunity then a red and so death and destruction followed c. The Lord Jesus hangs out the white flagge of mercy in these dayes to intice soules to come in and to share with him in his glorious and unsearchable riches in the riches of his grace and mercy but if you stand out Christ hath a red flagge and if that be once put out you are lost for ever Thrice happy are those that take the first opportunity of closing with Christ and of subjecting themselves to Christ Plutarch writes of Hanniball That when he could have taken Rome he would not but when he would have taken Rome he could not When many men may have mercy they won't and when they would have mercy they shan't Mercy and Prov. 1. 24 â—l Rev. 3. 20. grace is sometimes upon the bare knee Christ stands knocking at sinners doores he is willing to come in and make sinners rich and happy for ever he calls upon soules to open to him Lift up your heads O ye Gates and be ye lift up ye everlasting Prov. 24. 7 8 c. doores and the King of glory shall come in who is the King of glory The Lord strong and mighty the Lord mighty in Battell The King of glory comes not vacuis manibus empty-handed no he comes with his hands and heart full of rich and royal Presents and blest and enricht for ever are those that open to this King of glory c. Thirdly Consider this Soules rich in grace shall have their names immortall Every man naturally would have if it were possible his name immortal now there 's no way in the world to have your names immortal like this of growing rich in grace A man that 's spiritually rich shall live and his name shall live when he is dead In Nehem. 7. 2. 't is said of Hannaniah that he was a faithfull man and feared God above many Or He feared God above multitudes as the Hebrew hath it His Merâ—bbim from Rabâ—b name lives though his body for many hundred years hath been turn'd to dust So in Acts 7. 55. Stephen was a man full of the Holy Ghost Though Stephen were stoned yet his name lives his memoriall is precious among the Saints to this very day So in Heb. 11. 38. They were such of whom this world was not worthy And in the third Epistle of John the six first Verses compared with vers 12. Gaius and Demetrius Ego si bonam faâ—ram servassâ— sat dives ero If I may but keep a good name I have wealth enough said Plaâ—t who were rich in grace have Crownes of honour set upon their heads their names live and are a sweet savour to this very day c. So in Psal 112. 6. The righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance but the name of the wicked shall rot The great mans name and the rich mans name shall rot saith he but the name of the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance The Persians use to write their Kings names in golden Characters so the Lord writes the names of soules rich in grace in golden Characters Their names are alwayes Heires to their lives believe it there 's no such way in the world to have immortall names like this of growing rich in grace One man thinks to make his name immortall by making himself great another by heaping up silver and gold as the dust of the A good name yields a fragrant smell over Towne Country it puts a shining lustre upon the countenance it fitteth to any publick employment in Ministry or Magistracy it stops many a foul mouth and it makes men live when they are dead earth or the stones of the street and another by doing some strange exploites c. But for all this the Lord will make good his word The name of the wicked shall rot if God be God his name must rot but the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance they leave their Names behind for a blessing Isa 65. 15. 'T is sad to consider what many poor carnall Creatures have done and suffered to make their names immortall