and not another though my Reins be consumed within me And thus joyntly of the Head and Members Christ and every Believer is my Text verified and rightly understood and accordingly I shall apply it Therein is declared the Assurance which Christ had and every Believer together with him and by reason of his Union with him hath of three things 1. That God will shew them the Path of Life 2. That in his Presence there remains to them the Fulness of Joys 3. That at his right hand they shall have Pleasures for evermore Of these in their order with what Utterance the Almighty shall vouchsafe me though the Argument be such as neither the Minds of Men or Angels can comprehend nor their Tongues express I. OBSERVATION That Christ and Believers are assured of having the Path of Life made known to them For the distinct handling hereof we are to consider 1. What Life it is the Path of which both are assured of having made known to them 2. What is the Path of this Life or what are the Ways of this Life 3. How God hath and will make them known or shew them 4. Why he did assure Christ and why he doth assure Believers thereof I. What Life it is the Path of which they are assured shall be made known to them Life is the manner of Living things existing and is the Excellency of their Beings whereby things animate differ from things inanimate Of Life there are sundry degrees or kinds made by Philosophers 1. Vegetative in Plants and things which being rooted in the Earth suck their Nourishment from it and so grow thereby and yield Fruit and Seed to propagate their Kind 2. Sensitive in those living things that move and have Sense more or less though they perceive onely such things as concern their Sustenance and Self-preservation but can neither discern Spiritualls or Universalls nor reflect on their own Actions nor discourse as Man though some of them have admirable Sagacity as Experience hath shewed in Elephants and divers other Animals 3. Rationall in a Man whereby he is enabled not onely to know what concerns his Food and Necessaries to uphold his Corporall Being but is also capable of Counsell and Instruction in things pertaining to his Obedience to his Creatour and Peace with him and Comfort in his well-doing 4. There is yet an higher Life to wit that of Angels who need no Food to sustain their Being nor Members to move them but are of a subtile active and intelligent Nature yet much short of the Father of Spirits with whom is the Fountain of Life as it is said Psal 36.9 who hath all Fulness of Life in him not capable either of diminution or privation and is the universall Cause of all Life in other Beings which he imparts to all living things in that way and measure as he thinks best to appertain to them Now the Life of Men or Angels may note the bare Duration or Existence of their Being and so the Devils live and the Souls of the Damned have Life and the uncleanest Sodomites while they walk up and down on Earth have Life though in a morall sense they are dead while alive they have also in some things a bene esse or well-being to wit in respect of such things as pertain to Nature or outward Condition among men as Abraham said to the Rich man in Hell Son remember that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things Luk. 16.25 But this is not the Life the Path which Christ and his Members assure themselves God would make known to them though it be not excluded for doubtless David assured himself and therein rejoyced that God would uphold his Soul in Life deliver his Soul from Death his Eyes from Tears and his Feet from Falling that he should walk before the Lord in the Land of the living as he speaks Psal 116.8 9. And Christ understood by the Life which he expected from his Father that he would bring his Soul and Body together again and restore that Life he lost by Death And the Saints believe and expect the Resurrection of their Bodies from the Grave and in the expectation and assurance hereof they endure the greatest Tortures that Tyrants can inflict on them as it is said Heb. 11.35 Women received their dead raised to life again and others were tortured not accepting Deliverance that they might obtain a better Resurrection But this Resurrection to Life is not the mere Conjunction of Soul and Body together for that may be onely the Resurrection of Damnation as our Saviour speaks Joh. 5.29 which befalls them that have done Evil and is there opposed to the Resurrection of Life which they onely that have done Good shall be partakers of The Resurrection of Damnation though it be with Restitution of the Being those Wretches had before they died so as that they shall come out of the Graves hear the voice of the Son of man and in a sort live stand before the Tribunal of Christ and hear their Sentence and so continue in their Being everlastingly yet it is not termed Life but Death or the Second Death it being to a Copartnership with the Devil and his Angels with whom they are sentenced to be in Torments as they were guided and ruled by them while they conversed with men on Earth But the Life which the Scripture vouchsafes to term Life indeed as being the onely Vita vitalis the lively Life is that which is with God and according to God termed therefore the Life of God Ephes 4.18 God being their God therefore they live to God who is the God of the living as our Saviour's expression is Luk. 20.38 they live and reign with Christ as it is Revel 20.4 It is an holy and happy Life and therefore simply termed Life by way of excellency in opposition to Hell-fire Mark 9.45 If thy Foot offend thee cut it off it is better for thee to enter into Life halting then having two feet to be cast into Hell into the sire that never shall be quenched Vers 47. it is termed the Kingdom of God And if thine Eye offend thee pluck it out it is better for thee to enter into the Kingdom of God with one Eye then having two Eyes to be cast into Hell-fire It is by our Saviour often called Eternall Life of which the Regenerate Believers have the beginning here they have it inchoate with a Right to it Verily verily I say unto you saith our Saviour Joh. 5.24 He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting Life and shall not come into Condemnation but is passed from Death to Life 1 Joh. 3.14 We know that we have passed from Death to Life because we love the Brethren he that loveth not his Brother abideth in Death 1 Joh. 5.11 12. And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal Life and this Life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath Life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not Life Joh. 3.36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting Life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see Life but
propounded to you will sweeten all Death it self though the King of Terrours is to them that are in Christ as a Serpent without a Sting which you may handle without Danger without Fear it will but as the Poets feign of Medea's Medicaments let out your old Bloud and beget new Life When I consider the voluptuous and worldly Life of most it pities me to think that Men made to live like Angels should chuse to live more Pecudum a Life not higher then the Life of Beasts that those who are made for God for Christ for Heaven to live there should terminate their Thoughts Affections Endeavours on things on Earth on Money gay Cloathing Mirth Riot Pomp State Favour of men Vain-glory and such like momentany things which must pass away and likely lead men to Hell and end in a Life with Devils Oh follow Christ I beseech you If you value your Souls cast them not away on Trifles Learn the Path that Christ chose to Life follow him and you shall live with him Let I beseech you the serious Warning of Christ Matth. 7.13 14. take impression on you Enter ye in at the streight Gate for wide is the Gate and broad is the Way that leadeth to Destruction and many there be which goe in thereat But streight is the Gate and narrow is the Way which leadeth unto Life and few there be that find it Let your drowzy spirits heed S. Paul's monitory Alarm Eph. 5.14 Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee Life Amen LAVS DEO GOD's PRESENCE Fulness of Joy Part II. The Twenty-second SERMON PSAL. xvi 11. In thy Presence is fulness of Joy and at thy right hand there are Pleasures for evermore THIS Psalm is a Golden Psalm of David and the words which I have read to you make the Close of it which whether they are meant of Christ or of David or both and so are applicable to Christ and his Members hath been formerly considered In reference to both the First Proposition in them hath been already handled and therein the Encouragement which Christ had and all Believers have in their Sufferings by God's shewing them the way of Life hath though much short of what so precious an Argument deserved been somewhat unfolded to you That which is yet farther to be insisted on is the latter part of the Verse in which I told you are contained two more Observations 2. That in God's Presence there is Fulness of Joy or Satiety of Joys before his Face to Christ and all Believers 3. That at his right hand they shall have Pleasures for evermore or Pleasures at his right hand to perpetuity This latter S. Peter omits in his Citation of this Scripture Act. 2.25 c. Yet it is not improbable but he alludes to it vers 33. where he useth these words Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and that the Holy Ghost intended it for a Prediction of Christ's Ascension and Sitting at the right hand of God and so it is applicable both to Christ's Exaltation and our sitting together with Christ in heavenly places of which S. Paul speaks Eph. 2.6 But the former is expresly mentioned with some little difference in the Reading Thou shalt fill replenish or make me full of Joy or Gladness with thy Countenance Face or Presence And it is alleged as being the Cordial that strengthned and restored the Spirits of Christ in his Agony at his Death which is intimated in that speech of the Authour to the Hebrews 12.2 Looking unto Jesus the Authour and Finisher of our Faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross despising the Shame and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God which shews that both in the Garden and on the Cross our Saviour had his Eye on the Joy that was set before him as the Prop and Basis that did support him in those extreme Passions and heavy Burthens which no other Shoulders but his could bear so as not to sink under their pressure And S. Peter tells us 1 Epist 1.11 That the Prophets searched what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signifie when it testified before-hand the Sufferings of Christ and the Glory that should follow or the Glories after them Which shews that the Prophets did testifie before-hand together with the Sufferings of Christ the Glories after them which no doubt was done in Isa 53. Psal 22. and in many other places of which number I question not but these words of my Text are by S. Peter's alleging them Act. 2.28 My II. OBSERVATION I shall consider in these Four Propositions 1. That there are Joys in God's Presence or with his Face or Countenance 2. That there is a Fulness in these Joys 3. That these Joys in their Plenitude or Fulness belong to Christ and those who believe on him to eternal Life 4. That the Assurance and Expectation of these Joys was the grand Encouragement and Support of Christ in his Obedience active and passive and is so still to all the Holy Saints who doe and suffer according to the Will of God I. PROPOSITION That there are Joys in God's Presence or with his Face or Countenance The same is in other words taught us Psal 36.9 For with thee is the Fountain of Life in thy Light that is in the Light of thy Countenance we shall see Light that is Joy and Gladness according as it is explicated Psal 97.11 Light is sown for the Righteous and Gladness for the Vpright in heart To like purpose is that passage Psal 30.5 In his Favour is Life Weeping may endure for a night or in the evening but Joy cometh in the morning Though in the Night-time or Evening when the black Veil of Death covers their Faces there is Sadness and Weeping even to the Righteous yet Joy comes in the Morning of the Resurrection when the Sun of Righteousness shall appear with Healing in his wings Mal. 4.2 and they shall see the Face of God The better to conceive this we must consider 1. What Joy is 2. What Joys are in the Presence of God 3. And from what Cause or Motive they come I. What Joy is Joy is that Affection of the Soul whereby it embraceth some present or future Good For there is a Rejoycing in Hope as the Apostle speaks Rom. 12.12 Abraham rejoyced to see Christ's day and he saw it and was glad Joh. 8.56 Now of all Affections this is the sweetest to a man's self as Love is the sweetest to others Joy is that which chears the Spirits enlargeth the Heart which is shrivell'd up and contracted like a Purse by Grief and Fear It makes the Countenance lightsome the Feet and other Members lively and nimble furthers the Concoction of our Meat makes our Sleep which refresheth the body sweet to us And therefore Joy is most sutable to the Will of man and if the Mind be in its
me in mine Integrity and settest me before thy face for ever Faith in God's sustaining Grace is the onely sure Preservative against falling into Sin and thereby into Misery Thou wilt keep him in perfect Peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee saith the Prophet Isa 26.3 He that trusteth in his own Heart is a fool but whoso walketh wisely shall be delivered saith Solomon Prov. 28.26 He that leaneth on his own Free will his own good Purposes his own Reason his own good Merits shall be sure to fall S. Peter when he was confident of his own Strength that he should die rather then deny his Master and was so venturous thereupon as to go into the High Priest's Palace was so affrighted with the words of a Maid that he not onely denied him but forswore him Israel which followed after the Law of Righteousness attained not to the Law of Righteousness Wherefore Because they sought it not by Faith but as it were by the Works of the Law for they stumbled at the Stumbling-stone saith the Apostle Rom. 9.31 32. We are like little Children we love to be on our Feet not knowing our own Weakness and then we venture without God to guide and stay us and so we fall and wound our selves Our safest way is to distrust our selves to work out our Salvation with fear and trembling as knowing that it is God that worketh in us to will and to doe of his good pleasure Phil. 2.12 13. And accordingly to betake our selves to him as David did here that he may keep our Feet from falling having the same designed End that he had that we may walk before him in the light of the living Which leads me to the Third Part of my Text David's Aim in his Commemoration and Postulation but time will not now permit the handling of it Onely an Application of what hath been already spoken remains to be added APPLICATION What you have heard David did it concerns you to doe You that are here now alive may say God hath delivered your Souls from Death I wish I might say truly that God hath delivered your Souls from the Death of Sin that God hath given you Repentance unto Life that you were none of you such as should die in your Sins but by believing in Christ should see the light of Life I wish that he were to you the Resurrection and the Life so that though you were dead yet you might live that living and believing in him you might never die as our Saviour said to Martha Joh. 11.25 26. I hope the best of you However while you are yet alive especially you that have been in danger by reason of the Contagion of late endeavour to walk in the steps of David Remember what your Prayers were in your Perils what Vows and Promises you made when you expected Death what Perplexity and Anxiety seized on you when the Remembrance of your Sins filled you with Horrour when you looked for Death to attack you and cast your Body into the Grave and perhaps your Soul into Hell when you expected a Summons to the Bar of God's Judgment there to be tried and to have your Doom passed on you Call to mind I beseech you what secret Meditations what Purposes you had what pass'd between God and your Souls in those Streights you were in And then resolve as David did here to address your selves to God as he did saying Thy Vows are upon me O God I will render Praises unto thee for thou hast delivered my Soul from Death O remember what God hath done for you in giving you your Lives in bringing you back from the depth of the Earth again When thousands have fallen on your right hand and on your left hand yet the Evil hath not come nigh you If it have entred into your Houses lighted on your Persons yet it hath not taken away your Breath so that though the Lord hath chastened you sore yet he hath not given you over unto Death Chiefly if God have awakened you that slept that you might stand up from the dead and Christ might give you light O then rejoyce in God's Goodness to you let the Remembrance of it make the Thoughts of God delightfull to you quicken you to run the ways of his Commandments mind you to perform the great Duties of Reformation of your Lives and new Obedience to God that preserved you according to all the Vows Resolutions and Engagements which were upon you when you were in Trouble Yea if you were then insensible of your Condition and thought not on the accursed estate which would have befallen you if you had died in your Sins now at least begin to lay it to heart Sure though you have escaped out of the hands of Death now yet it will overtake you at last All the means you can use all the Advantages all the Privileges you have cannot avoid it or exempt you from going the way of all flesh Oh then that you would now become in your Life-time what you would willingly be found to be at the hour of Death If you would not be found of Death Swearing Lying Deceiving or engaged in any ungodly and unrighteous way then be not so now If you would then be found Praying Meditating on God's Word Praising God inure your selves to such Exercises now It will not be easie to doe it then if you be not accustomed to it now You will then have the Comfort of a happy Death if you be acquainted with the practice of a holy Life now If your Remembrance of God's Goodness towards you puts you on such Resolutions the Remembrance that you have tasted how gracious the Lord is how he hath redeemed your Souls from the nethermost Hell by the Bloud of his Son which you are to remember with the greatest Thankfulness when you come to receive the Holy Communion and preserves you from the second Death you will then be animated to expect of God that he will keep your Feet from falling Take heed that you stumble not at the Prosperity of the wicked so as to approve and chuse their ways Take heed that Christ be not a Stone of Stumbling and a Rock of Offence to you that you stumble not at the Word disbelieving the Gospel being disobedient to the Precepts of the Word lest ye be appointed unto Wrath and not to obtain Salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ Take heed of ordering your Steps by your own Reason by the imagined Light within you which is for the most part an Ignis fatuus a dangerous Meteor that will bring you into Pits and Bogs Take heed of trusting to your own Free will your own good Purposes they will prove but a broken Reed which when you lean on them will run into your hands and pierce them Get your Feet shod with the Shoes of the Preparation or as it may be well read the Pavement of the Gospel of Peace as firm ground upon which you may
the wrath of God abideth on him But Jus in re or the Consummation and full Possession of this Life is after the Resurrection in the World to come which therefore Christ by way of Excellency terms eternall Life Mark 10.30 And this is that Life in the assurance whereof Christ laid down his Life with so much quietness when he commended his Spirit into the hands of his Father Luk. 23.46 And upon the promise of Life which is in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 1.1 not onely of the Life that now is but also of that which is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 S. Paul did both labour and suffer Reproach vers 10. In hope of this eternall Life Tit. 1.2 he exposed himself to daily danger of Death which he terms dying daily 1 Cor. 15.31 as being sensible as he saith vers 19. if in this life onely he and other Christians had hope in Christ they were of all men most miserable Now in hope and assurance of this Life Christ duram serviit Servitutem underwent the hardest Service that ever was undertaken he emptied himself took upon him the form of a Servant was made in the likeness of Men and being found in fashion as a Man he humbled himself and became obedient unto Death even the death of the Cross Phil. 2.7 8. Though the Cup he was to drink of were a very bitter Cup a Cup of deadly Wine such as had in it the Dregs of God's Anger and was mingled with the Sins of men for whom God made him Sin or a Sacrifice for Sin yet he drank it off yielding to his Father's Will as knowing it to be true which he himself taught the two Disciples that Christ must suffer these things and rise from the dead the third day and so enter into his Glory Luk. 24.26 46. And the Promise of this Life animated all the Holy Apostles Martyrs and Saints in their severall Generations to give all diligence to deny themselves to take up their Cross and so to follow Christ even to Death not counting their own Lives dear to them but being zealous to doe and suffer for Christ though with the Loss of all as having learned that whosoever will save his Life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his Life for Christ's sake shall find it Matth. 16.25 What things were gain to me saith S. Paul Phil. 3.7 8 9 10 11. those I have counted Loss for Christ Yea doubtless and I do count all things but Loss for the excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord for whom I have suffered the Loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him that I may know him and the power of his Resurrection and the fellowship of his Sufferings being made conformable unto his Death if by any means I might attain unto the Resurrection of the dead Which occasions them to seek the Path of this Life which is the next thing enquired into and is now to be considered II. What is the Path or what the Ways of this Life The Ways or Path of Life is a Metaphor taken from Travellers who have a certain Track in which they are to tread and by going in which they are guided to the place to which their Journey tends and by its direction are ascertained of coming thither if they hold on their Motion Here in this passage it can be taken for no other then the Means of assurance of their attaining this Life Which in respect of Christ are 1. On God's part the Engagement of his Father to him Isa 53.10 11. that when he should make his Soul an Offering for Sin he should see his Seed he should prolong his days and the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hand He should see of the travail of his Soul and be satisfied Christ undertook the great Business of doing his Father's Will which was written in the volume of his Book by offering that Body which his Father had prepared him upon a Contract between them when he came into the world as it is described Heb. 10.5 7 8. And this was that he should so lay down his Life as to take it up again as Christ himself declareth Joh. 10.18 I have power to lay down my Life and to take it up again this Commandment have I received of my Father Which thing made it impossible that he should be holden of the pains of death Act. 2.24 And therefore it is said He foresaw the Lord always before his face as being on his right hand that he should not be moved with the fear of Death vers 25. being firmly assured by his Father's Covenant upon which he put himself on that great Expedition of Coming into the world to save Sinners by the offering of himself that he should not lose by his Adventure but should after his Sufferings enter into his Glory To which is to be adjoyned the Love that his Father bare to him for this reason as he expresseth it Joh. 10.15 17 18. As the Father knoweth me even so I know the Father and I lay down my Life for the Sheep Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my Life that I might take it up again No man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self This unparallel'd Dutifulness of Christ to his Father in yielding so freely to his Self-exinanition and Humiliation unto Death did obtain a singular Love from his Father to him and engage his Truth and Power to revive and superexalt him 2. On Christ's part his ready Obedience to his Father's Will was the Path to Life which therefore he allegeth in that Prayer of his wherein he opened his Bosome to his Father Joh. 17.4 5. I have glorified thee on Earth I have finished the Work thou gavest me to doe And now O Father glorifie thou me with thine own self with the Glory which I had with thee before the World was In respect of Believers the Path of Life to them is 1. On God's part the free Love of God in chusing them to Life termed the writing their Names in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world Rev. 17.8 which because they are given to Christ is said to be the Lamb's Book of life Rev. 21.27 and our Saviour tells them their names are written in Heaven Luk. 10.20 Hereby is Christ engaged to give Life to them as he himself testifieth Joh. 6.39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day And accordingly he saith Joh. 17.2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternall Life to as many as thou hast given him Hereby it is that Christ is
become the Path of Life to them as at several times he declares Joh. 14.6 Jesus saith unto Thomas I am the Way the Truth and the Life no man cometh to the Father but by me Joh. 11.25 Jesus said unto Martha I am the Resurrection and the Life And indeed Christ is the Way of Life 1. As he is the Exemplary Cause of it All whom his Father hath foreknown being predestinated to be conformed to the Image of his Son that he might be the first-born among many Brethren Rom. 8.29 Wherefore Christ told his Disciples Joh. 14.19 Because I live ye shall live also The Life of Christ which he recovered by his Resurrection is the efficacious Pattern or Copy according to which God hath contrived our Life He is risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleep For since by Man came Death by Man came also the Resurrection of the dead For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive 1 Cor. 15.20 21 22. Hence the Apostle tells us Col. 3.3 that we are dead and our Life is hid with Christ in God it is deposited as a Treasure in Christ's hand who is the Trustee to whom our Life is conveyed ad opus usum nostrum for our use and behoof as the Lawyers use to speak he hath Livery and Seisin given of Life on our behalf and so his Life is the Pledge and Path of our Life 2. As Christ is the Way of our Life as he is our Pattern Depositary and Pledge so is he the Way of our Life as the procuring Cause thereof He is the Prince of Life Act. 3.15 the Cause or Authour of eternall Salvation Heb. 5.9 and that many ways First by his Preaching which moved S. Peter to say Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the words of eternall Life Joh. 6.68 The words saith Christ that I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are Life vers 63. The Preaching of the Law was but the Ministration of Death of the Letter that killed 2 Cor. 3.6 7. but the word of the Gospel is the word of Life Phil. 2.16 Secondly by his Death for so he tells us Joh. 6.51 I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven if any man eat of this Bread he shall live for ever and the Bread which I will give is my Flesh which I will give for the Life of the world And indeed it was for this very cause that as the Children were partakers of flesh and bloud so he also took part of the same that by Death he might destroy him that had the power of Death to wit the Devill and deliver them that through fear of Death were all their Life subject to bondage Heb. 2.14 15. As by the Offence of one Judgment came upon all men to Condemnation even so by the Righteousness of one better rendred by one Righteous deed to wit his Obedience unto Death the free Gift came upon all men unto Sanctification of life That as Sin hath reigned unto Death so might Grace reign through Righteousness unto eternall Life by Jesus Christ our Lord as the Apostle saith Rom. 5.18 21. His Death procures our Life both removendo Prohibens by taking away the Sting of Death Sin disarming Satan of his Power and by meritoriously purchasing our Life by paying a Price for us Thirdly by his Resurrection whereby he becomes as the First-fruits that sanctifies the rest of the Lump and so obtains Resurrection and Life for those that are Christ's As also he is impowered to give Life upon his Resurrection as himself saith All Power is given to me in Heaven and in Earth Matth. 28.18 As the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them even so the Son quickeneth whom he will Joh. 5.21 Hereupon the Apostle argues thus Rom. 5.10 For if when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his Life Fourthly by his Ascension whereby he is become an High Priest not on Earth but such as is set down on the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens Heb. 8.1 He is not as the Priests of the Law who were not suffered to continue by reason of death but continueth for ever and hath an unchangeable Priesthood or a Priesthood that passeth not from one to another being made not after the Law of a carnal Commandment but after the power of an endless or indissoluble Life and therefore he is able to save them to the uttermost or evermore that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them Heb. 7.16 23 24 25. Fifthly He is the Prince of Life or Cause of our Life by shedding forth his Spirit after his being glorified which was as Rivers of living water as his own words import Joh. 7.38 39. This Gift of the Spirit of Christ is that whereby we are born again to a Spiritual Life That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit saith Christ Joh. 3.6 It is the Spirit that quickeneth the Flesh profiteth nothing Joh. 6.63 Neither indeed had Christ's Preaching or his Dying availed to bring us to Life had he not given us of his Spirit And therefore herein was the Prerogative of the Gospel above the Law that whereas that gave the Command but could not give the Spirit being a dead Letter by the Ministration of the Spirit or the Law of the Spirit of life Rom. 8.2 Christians are made alive 2 Cor. 3.6 The Gospel is become the Ministration of Righteousness vers 9. If Christ be in you the body is dead because of Sin but the Spirit is Life because of Righteousness But if the Spirit of him that raised up Christ from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you Rom. 8.10 11. Sixthly Christ's Appearing shall consummate the Life of a Believer Though he now be dead in Appearance to the World to their Rites Practices Hopes Injoyments and his Life is now onely hid with Christ in God yet when Christ who is his Life shall appear then shall he also appear with him in Glory as the Apostle speaks most comfortably Col. 3.3 4. 2. On our part the Path of Life is 1. In our Union to Christ which is by Faith whereby he is our Head and we are his Members and therefore partakers of his Life I live saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the Life that I now live in the flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Joh. 11.25 26. He that believeth on me although he were dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die The Life of a Christian is conjoyned with Christ's as that of a Child with the Mother's 2. In our Conformity to
I. OBSERVATION That Afflictions Persecutions yea Death do not extinguish the Being of Saints who wash their Robes and make them clean in the Bloud of the Lamb. It is the saying of our Lord to Martha Joh. 11.26 Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die It is true that believing Lazarus her Brother was then in the Grave and had been dead to her apprehension four days insomuch that she made no other account of him but as of a putrefied stinking Carkase yet even then Christ avoucheth him to have been alive And in like manner he judged Abraham and Isaac and Jacob though buried many Ages before yet even then when he conversed on Earth to be alive and so to continue for ever God being their God and he not being a God of the dead but of the living they must by consequence live unto him Luk. 20.38 Be the Dissolution of the Bodies from the Souls of the Saints never so violent their Flesh and Bones never so much consumed by the most vehement Flames torn and devoured by the most greedy and ravenous Beasts be they never so much putrefied and wasted with Sickness yet in their Dust and Ashes there is a Seed of Life It is with their Reliques as it is with Seed that is sown which though it be buried under the clods of the Earth and in appearance to men annihilated yet hath it a seminal Life which shall spring up again and flourish This Job was assured of when he said Job 19.26 27. Though after my Skin Worms destroy this Body yet in my Flesh shall I see God Whom I shall see for my self and mine Eyes shall behold and not another though my Reins be consumed within me But this is not all The Spirits of men even when their Bodies have onely a seminal Life have an actual Life they have a Life of Sense and Understanding they neither have their Life extinguished nor laid asleep without Feeling or Cogitation Though the Dust return to the Earth as it was yet the Spirit returns to God that gave it The Spirits that were sometimes disobedient when once the Long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the Ark was preparing were in prison when S. Peter wrote 1 Epist 3.19 20. And it is the saying of the Authour to the Hebrews Chap. 12.23 Ye are come to the Spirits of Just men made perfect When Lazarus was raised from the Grave he had not a new Soul created which was not existent before but the same Soul brought back into his Body Neither at the Resurrection are other Souls joyned to the Bodies then those that before had lived in them For otherwise not the same Soul which had done good or evil should be rewarded but another When Act. 7.59 S. Stephen called upon God and said Lord Jesus receive my Spirit he being full of the Holy Ghost was assured that though his Body were buried yet his Spirit should be with Christ And when the Apostle Paul expressed his willingness to be absent from the Body yet his expectation was to be present with the Lord 2 Cor. 5.8 It was his choice and option to depart and to be with Christ as being far better Phil. 1.23 He had learned that Christ was in Death Life that he that believeth on him hath everlasting Life that his Life was hid with Christ in God that the Spirit of God that dwelt in him was Life because of Righteousness and therefore he counted not himself to live but Christ in him And as Christ did commend his Spirit into the hands of his Father when he gave up the ghost being assured he should be in Paradise so doe all the Saints that have the Spirit of Christ even when they lie down in their beds of Earth they yield up their Spirits into the hands of their Father as assured to be with Christ who is the Way to the Father And this brings in the II. OBSERVATION That when Saints are removed from Men below they are placed before the Throne of God Though God be a Spirit dwelling in that Light unto which no man can approach whom no man hath seen nor can see yet the Holy Scriptures express him to us under the Similitude of a glorious King suppose a Solomon in all his Glory sitting on a Throne or Seat of Royal Majesty and that in the Heaven of Heavens where his Son termed the Lamb in this Chap. vers 9 10. hath his Throne also at the right hand of God for being ascended into the Most holy place as an high Priest he is set on the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens Heb. 8.1 There the Angels who are ministring Spirits unto him and the Elders all the Apostles Prophets Martyrs Confessours as Kings and Priests unto God stand round about the Throne attending upon and beholding the King of Glory the number of whom is said Revel 5.11 to be ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands Now this place is by Christ termed Paradise Luk. 23.43 and by S. Paul 2 Cor. 12.2 4. said to be the third Heaven where is a place of Rest an Abraham's Bosome into which Lazarus is said to be carried by the Angels Luk. 16.22 Now though that were a great Happiness for a Beggar that lately lay at the Rich man's gate full of Sores and empty of Bread glad to have been fed with the crums which fell from the rich man's Table as the Dogs were who had more Compassion then the rich man for they licked his Sores when the rich man disdained to look on him or to pay for his Cure And though it be to all that undergoe sore Travail great Wants and Persecutions a very great part of their Blessedness that there remains a Rest for the people of God Heb. 4.9 and to the Saints which keep the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus after their patient Sufferings that a Voice from Heaven is heard saying Write Blessed are the dead which die in or for the Lord from henceforth Yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours Yet that is not the total Summe which completes their Felicity there is more in that which follows that their Works follow them so as to be approved in Heaven Their Persons are welcomed and entertained with Triumph over their Enemies they have the Crown of Righteousness conferred on them by the Righteous Judge of all the World their good Fight of Faith is applauded with an Io-Triumph as an Heroical act of the most gallant Fortitude by the Acclamation of the Celestial Quire of Angels and blessed Spirits they are cloathed with white Linen the Righteousness of Saints they are arrayed with the most sumptuous Apparel feasted with the Light of God's Countenance reign with Christ on his Throne are designed to be solemnly married to Christ and to be Judges of the World as Co-assessours with Christ at his Coming in the expectation of which they most delightfully see God
some Persons more intensive then in others yet in all that believe in Christ it was and is bottomed upon the same Ground a Fruit of the same Faith shewing it self by the same Expressions of Thanksgiving and Love Praising God Following Christ and Loving all his Members So that we may say All Abraham's Children by Faith rejoyce to see Christ's Day they see it and are glad And thus my Text comes home to you all APPLICATION You profess your selves Believers in Christ and Abraham to be your Father if you be in truth such then it will concern you to walk in the Steps of the Faith of Abraham who rejoyced to see the Day of Christ and he saw it and was glad I deny not that in this time of Advent there uses to be much Rejoycing pretended to be in Remembrance of Christ's Nativity yea that many long for this Time as the Time in which they are wont to rejoyce nor do I except against Rejoycing at this Time But is our Rejoycing such as was in Abraham a Rejoycing at Christ's Day out of Faith a Rejoycing at the Performance of the Divine Promise for the bringing of Light and Salvation into the world whereby all the Nations of the Earth should be blessed Is the sense of the Spirituall Blessings in Heavenly things I mean the Knowledge of God's Counsell the Mystery of his Will in Reconciling the World to himself by Jesus Christ not imputing their Trespasses unto them the Adoption of us Gentiles into his Family with other Riches of his Grace the grand Motive of our Joy Are the Expressions of our Joy like those of the Shepherds who glorified and praised God of the Blessed Virgin who brake out into her Magnificat Anima mea My Soul doth magnifie the Lord and my Spirit hath rejoyced in God my Saviour like those of Zacharias in his Benedictus Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people like those of the Heavenly Hoast who sang Glory be to God in the highest These Hymns I acknowledge are sung in our publick Meetings and it is the Wisedom of the Church that you are prompted to remember them But what is done in your Houses Is any such Spiritual Rejoycing there any such Praising of God for sending his Son into the world that you might live by him Are not rather your Rejoycings carnal more like the Heathen Saturnals full of Looseness vain Sports and Debauchery Are not your Feasts like the Riotous Bacchanals rather then Christian Festivals Yea is not impious profaning of God's Name more frequent there then holy Conference of such as are filled with the Spirit of God singing and making Melody in your Hearts to the Lord If it be so I may say to you as Christ did to the Jews If ye were the Children of Abraham ye would doe the Works of Abraham If Abraham were your Father indeed if you did believe in Christ as Abraham did you would rejoyce in the Remembrance of Christ's Day as Abraham did you would rejoyce in Christ as born a Saviour from Sin a Teacher sent from God to direct you in your way to eternal Life that so you may live as Abraham did as Pilgrims on Earth as those that seek a City to come even an heavenly Heb. 11.10 13 16. Oh that your Faith your Joy in Christ might be such a Fruit of the Spirit of God as may make your Conversation such as becomes the Gospel of Christ not such as is more like theirs whose Belly is their God whose Glory their Shame who mind Earthly things Let our Conversation be in Heaven from whence we look for Christ to change our vile Bodies into Bodies of Glory like his and to give us an Inheritance above Which God of his infinite Mercy grant unto us all for the Merits of his Son To whom with the Blessed Spirit be ascribed c. Amen LAVS DEO ABRAHAM's PILGRIMAGE The Thirty-first SERMON GENESIS xij 1. Now the Lord had said unto Abraham Get thee out of thy Country and from thy Kindred and from thy Father's House unto a Land that I shall shew thee THAT after so great a Defection of the World from God as was upon the Dispersion of Mankind occasioned by the Giant-like Attempt of building the Tower of Babel God might have a Race of men who should own and adhere to him he singled out Abraham from his Fathers who dwelt on the other side of the Floud and served other Gods as it is Josh 24.2 3. And having removed him with his Father from Vr of the Chaldees where it is likely the Sun was worshipped in stead of God unto Charran his Father being dead he translated him into the Land of Canaan which he promised to give him for a Possession as it is in S. Stephen's Oration Act. 7.4 5. consonant to the words I have now read to you Now the Lord had said unto Abraham Get thee out of thy Country c. Sundry ways God used to speak to the Ancients by Prophets Dreams and Visions So Gen. 15.1 The word of the Lord came unto Abram in a Vision and Gen. 17.1 The Lord appeared unto Abram and speaking of this very Precept here given him S. Stephen saith Act. 7.2 The God of Glory appeared unto our Father Abraham Some kind of glorious Apparition there was then when God gave Abraham this Mandate The Business no doubt being as in After-ages so in Abraham's days most famous God would have it begun by an illustrious Manifestation of himself that he might be known to be the God of Glory and all the Gods that Abraham's Fathers served to be but Vanities and Lies not Numina but Nomina not Gods though so called And that there might be the firmer Impression on Abraham thereby God thus shews himself and speaks However God speaks to us we are to hearken be it in a Dream or by a Prophet if it be God's Voice it must be obeyed But then most heed is to be taken when God makes known his Pleasure in an illustrious Apparition This Command to Abraham was doubtless of very great Concernment both to God's own Glory and Abraham's and all Believers Advantage And therefore it is of no small importance for us to consider the Charge which God here gives to Abraham Get thee out of thy Country and from thy Kindred and from thy Father's House unto a Land that I shall shew thee Wherein we have 1. A Journey or Motion commanded him Get thee or Goe thou 2. The Terminus à quo of this Motion or the Place whence he was to goe Out of thy Country c. 3. The Terminus ad quem or the Place whither he was to goe Vnto a Land that I shall shew thee 1. The Journy or Motion which is here injoyned Abraham is a Transmigration expressed thus in the Hebrew Lec Leca as if it were Vade tibi Goe thou or Goe to thy self which is by some conceived a Pleonasm or Redundance of speech
Ashes on our heads creep to a Cross whip our selves naked go on Pilgrimage to Jerusalem to weep at Christ's Sepulchre this would make but a palliated Cure our Wound would not be healed at the bottom but it would fester and break out again and gangrene and become mortall And therefore VI. PROPOSITION The Penitent pious person in the sense of his Sin and Misery bemoaneth himself to God confesseth and bewaileth his Sin humbleth himself before him deprecateth his Wrath and earnestly seeketh by Prayer and Supplication for Forgiveness of Sin Healing and Peace from God which is the last Conclusion deduced from the Vocality of David's Weeping vers 8. The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping There was a Prayer in David's Tears and that God heard And we may see how effectual this course is by the example of Manasseh King of Judah who did evil in the sight of the Lord like unto the Abominations of the Heathen whom the Lord cast out before the Children of Israel yea he made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to erre and to doe worse then the Heathen And the Lord spake unto Manasseh and to his people but they would not hearken And the Lord brought upon them the Captains of the hoast of the King of Assyria which took Manasseh amongst the thorns and bound him with fetters and carried him to Babylon And when he was in Affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers and prayed unto him and he was intreated of him and heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his Kingdom Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God 2 Chron. 33.2 9 10 11 12 13. By which Instance we may perceive what is the right course to be taken by any one whom God afflicts for Sin he is to seek the Lord to humble himself greatly and to make his Supplication also how efficacious a way this is to remove the greatest Evils from the greatest Transgressours Nor is this Case of Manasseh a singular Case but such as other passages of Holy Scripture warrant us to make a common Rule of both for Duty and for Success For Duty thus saith Jeremiah Lament 3.39 40 41 42. Wherefore doth a living man complain a man for the punishment of his Sins Let us search and try our ways and turn again unto the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the Heavens We have transgressed and rebelled and thou hast not pardoned For Success thus speaks Elihu Job 33.27 28. He looketh upon men and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not He will deliver his Soul from going into the Pit and his life shall see the light For both the Prophet Joel speaks thus 2.12 13. Therefore also now saith the Lord Turn you even unto me with all your heart and with fasting and weeping and with mourning And rend your heart and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindness and repenteth him of the Evil. Whence may be gathered 1. That Complaints of our Punishments without Complaint of our Sins are vain and fruitless It was to no purpose for living men to complain of the Evils they felt while they were insensible of the Evils they did for in so doing they justified not God in his Judgments on them nor shewed any hatred of their own evil ways but either were insensible of their Afflictions as from God's hand and so gave him not the Glory of his Avenging act or being sensible hated God as an Enemy dealing unrighteously with them as not deserving it and fretting against the Lord in heart or blaspheming his Name because of their Plagues as those mentioned Revel 16.11 2. That the wisest and most successfull course that any can take in the time of God's Scourge upon them is to search and try their ways that is to find out their Sins which till they be discovered will be like Achan's Theft which caused Israel to fall before the Canaanites For if God set our Sins before him and we do not set them before our selves his Anger will burn us like fire and we know not where to cast water to quench it I confess there are some Errours that we cannot find out Psal 19.12 Who can understand his Errours And for those though we understand them not we may escape Vengeance if we know them in general are sensible that we have a vicious or imperfect Nature ignorant and heedless of what we should know and doe Yet those we should not be ignorant of nor slight them as Peccadillo's Venial sins in their own nature S. Paul doubtless cried out of these even the first motions of Concupiscence without Consent his very Lustings which he hated The Evil he would not doe that he did the Law in his Members warring against the Law of his Mind as a body of Death which made him wretched and of which he enquires Who shall deliver me from it When David speaks of his Sins as exceeding the hairs of his head doubtless he comprehends his Omissions his imperfect Performances of Duties Praying with distraction Praising God with coldness Hearing without attention of mind giving Alms with self-respect the Mixtures of Evil with what was Good his Vanity of thoughts his Ignorance Incogitancy Excess in words Jests Merriments and thousands of such Failings which though each of them be little yet the Multitude of them made them too heavy a Burthen for him Though Sand be but a small thing yet Heaps of it may sink a Ship So though Sins of Errour be but small yet being many they are to be known at least in the general though we be ignorant of each particular And accordingly David when he had said Who can understand his Errours adds Cleanse thou me from secret Faults These the Penitent must crave Pardon for and therefore take notice that he is guilty of them though he cannot make a particular Confession of them S. Austin often urgeth against the Pelagians that no man in this life is perfect without Sin because Christ teacheth us to pray as for our daily Bread each day so for Forgiveness of Sins each day thereby intimating that in the best who call God Father there are Peccata quotidianae incursationis Sins of daily incursion as Tertullian called them which have need of Pardon and that this must be begg'd of God Pelagian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Sinlesness Popish Merit and keeping of the Law Monkish works of Supererogation Quakers imagined Perfection are all proud and arrogant Dotages contrary to Christ and his Gospel We are to charge our selves with Sin in our daily Actions yea to count all our Righteousness as an Unclean thing yet that which we should especially consider should be our open and scandalous Sins as bringing most Dishonour to God and being most pernicious
forgiven So indeed it falls out sometimes that mens Transgressions when they have sinned presumptuously against Conviction of Conscience within and Warnings without do so stare in their faces that they affright them with terrour and astonishment their Spirits are wounded they apprehend the Devil haling them to the infernall Prison expect nothing but Hell and Damnation cry out of God as Cruel of themselves as Damned wretches Such a View of Sin as thus tends to Despair that eyes onely God's Justice and their own Desert that begets Hatred of God as a Tyrant no Address to him as a Gracious Prince is indeed very dangerous Humble Penitents do not so set their Iniquities before them This is the manner onely of despairing Saul's revolting Spira's such as have sinned wilfully with an high hand and continue in their Apostasie from the Truth that say There is no hope we have loved strangers and after them will we go Jer. 2.25 But returning Sinners remember their Sins and they are ever before them in another manner and to another purpose They present their Sins to themselves that they may shame themselves and give Glory to God in acknowledging his Righteousness without deniall of his Grace They look not onely on the foulness of their Trespasses and the greatness of their Debts but also on the riches of God's Grace the fulness of Christ's Obedience the inexhaustible fountain of Christ's Bloud the infallible Assurance of the New Covenant the ample Promises of the Gospel and accordingly with Confession of Sin they adjoyn Prayer for Pardon Faith in Christ's Bloud and plead God's declaration of his own Properties his former dealing with great Transgressours and in the same manner as David did here V. OBSERVATION The true Penitent tells God of setting his Iniquities before him to induce God to relenting Compassion towards him and gracious Condonation of him In the Penitentiall Psalm De profundis 130.2 3 4. the Penitent Sinner thus bespeaks God Let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my Supplication If thou Lord shouldst mark Iniquities O Lord who shall stand But there is Forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared Even the wicked Ninevites had so much apprehension of the possibility of God's mercifull Clemency that after Jonas's Proclamation of their approaching Ruine they resolved to cry mightily to God upon this apprehension Who can tell if God will turn and repent and turn away from his fierce Anger that we perish not Jon. 3.9 'T is true they that worship the Devil and pray to him doe all out of Fear as looking for nothing but Cruelty from unclean Spirits But Jonas in his froward fit Chap. 4.2 acknowledgeth that the Lord is a gracious God and mercifull slow to Anger and of great Kindness and repenteth him of the Evil. Even by the experience of them that know not God this is found true which made even Infidels cry unto the Lord in their Distresses and confess their Sins in hope of Help The believing Penitent knows both by experience and from the Nature Works and Word of God that when he sets his Sins before him God casts them behind his back that God looks upon men and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not He will deliver his Soul from the Pit and his Life shall see the Light Job 33.27 28. They have learned that he that hideth his Sins shall not prosper but he that confesseth and forsaketh them shall have Mercy Prov. 28.13 That if we confess our Sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our Sins and the Bloud of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all Sin 1 Joh. 1.7 9. They judge that what David found they shall find I said I will confess my Transgressions to the Lord and thou forgavest the Iniquity of my Sin And therefore For this shall every one that is Godly pray unto thee in a time that thou maist be found Psal 32.5 6. And consequently it is their course as being best for them to set their Sins before them so as to humble them and to set them before God that he may pardon them APPLICATION And now I beseech you lay all that I have said to heart as of greatest concernment to each of you What David did what all the Saints have done in all Ages you should doe in this their Practice should be your Pattern It is necessary to be done though it be much against the spirits of men Most men are quick-sighted in viewing the Faults of others but blear-eyed when they are to look upon their own Crimes Censuring and Judging others is very frequent Self-judging is very rare They that would take a Mote out of their Brother's eye will not take notice of the Beam in their own Few are willing to have their Sins set before them by others and themselves are far from setting them before them of their own accord A free Reprover is accounted intolerable Men hate them that rebuke them Yea a Minister who by Office is bound to doe it though he doe it to save their and his own Soul yet he is not endured for it but declined and persecuted They that cannot deny their Sins yet put off the Faultiness of them to some other Cause They that acknowledge their Sins to have been from themselves yet excuse and extenuate them Scarce a man confesseth his Sins that are hidden from men if he do confess them to God it is but slightly What a Beast was I saith the Drunkard God forgive me saith the Swearer though the one wallows in his Intemperance day after day and the other profanes the Name of God every hour Thus Sin is slightly acknowledged by the Sinner without any sense of the Iniquity of his Nature or the Love he hath to his Sin which are the Causes of it without any Compunction of heart without Remorse of Soul without Bemoaning it to God in Supplications bewailing his Folly his Naughtiness and earnestly humbly begging Pardon Yea when God sets mens Sins by his Judgments on them in order before them they will not set them before themselves to give him the Glory of his Justice when his Hand is lifted up they will not see when he makes their Hearts ake their Eyes weep by his Strokes for their Sins they fret with Anger but weep not out of Sorrow for Sin No marvel that men find not the Comfort of God's pardoning Grace when they slubber over this great Business which the Godly have always found to be the right and onely way to Mercy in so dull and negligent a manner as if they could deal with God as with an Idol that hath neither eyes to see their Impenitency nor hands to punish their Sins and so carry themselves as if they could mock God with a few words of course without any serious or hearty Sorrow for their Disobedience to God's Law and Provocation of his terrible Majesty Oh that you would in time repent throughly of
gave it Which He grant c. Amen LAVS DEO THE WEAKNESSE OF A Wounded Spirit Part II. The Ninth SERMON PROV xviij 14. But a wounded Spirit who can bear THE Life of man on Earth consists of Action and Passion of Doing his Work and Bearing his Condition And in both these there are innumerable Difficulties so that it becomes a hard Task either to doe what we ought or to suffer as it becometh us In Doing our Work we are commonly unskilfull and slothfull In Bearing our Burthens we are querulous and unquiet Man is born like a wild Asse's Coli saith Zophar Job 11.12 If you drive him he will not goe rightly if you put Burthens on him he will throw them off if he can if he cannot remove them he will wince and kick especially when his Back is sore his Mind galled in which case this of Solomon is by much experience found true A wounded Spirit who can bear So we reade but the Vulgar Latin hath it Who shall be able to sustain the Spirit that is easy to be angry But the word is more general and signifies not so much the Passions of one to be born by another in which case it is a truth That the Wrath Envy Insolency of some mens Spirits is intolerable as it is Prov. 27.4 Wrath is cruel and Anger is outrageous but who is able to stand before Envy But it is rather to be understood of the person's Spirit who is to bear Who of all men can bear his own Spirit when it is wounded or broken so as in that case his own Ability and all other mens is insufficient to bear up such a wounded Spirit Such a man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Greek expresseth it one that hath but a little life in him It is onely God that revives the Spirit of the humble and revives the Heart of the contrite ones Isa 57.15 Now the Spirit is wounded or broken either by worldly Sorrows By Sorrow of the heart the Spirit is broken saith Solomon Prov. 15.13 and S. Paul 2 Cor. 7.10 Worldly Sorrow causeth death or else it is broken by the sense of Guilt and the fear of Wrath. In respect of which David complains that his Bones were broken Psal 51.8 and more fully Psal 38.2 c. Thine Arrows stick fast in me and thy Hand presseth me sore There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine Anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my Sin For mine Iniquities are gone over my head as an heavy burthen they are too heavy for me to bear My Wounds stink and are corrupt through my foolishness I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I goe mourning all the day long For my Loyns are filled with a loathsome disease and there is no soundness in my flesh I am feeble and sore broken I have roared by reason of the Disquietness of my heart In both these sorts of Wounds Experience hath proved the Imbecillity of mens Spirits to bear them or of any other man to keep them from falling untill there appear Deus è machina Divine help from Heaven So that I am to demonstrate to you That in the great Pressures of Spirit either through worldly Afflictions or by reason of the Conscience of Sin no man is able to hold up himself from sinking nor can any other support him besides God with the Reason hereof That God onely makes up the breach and closes the Wounds in the Spirit and how he doeth it That worldly Crosses break mens Spirits so as that they are weary of their Lives is evident in the instance of Ahitophel who was counted so wise a man that his Counsel was reputed as if a man had inquired of the Oracle of God yet barely because he saw his Counsell was not followed by Absalom God so over-ruling the heart of Absalom that he hearkened to Hushai rather then to himself his Spirit could not bear this Disappointment of his Design to be the grand Minister of State under Absalom but in stead of dissembling his Grievance he saddled his Ass got him home to his City put his house in order hanged himself died and was buried in the Sepulchre of his Fathers 2 Sam. 17.23 Many more such Examples of men eminent in respect of Wisedome Dignity Power Wealth who upon some unexpected Loss Fear perhaps but the angry Looks of a Prince the Expulsion from Court or Deprivation of an Office have been impatient of their Lives and turned Executioners of themselves may be found in Histories or known by our own Experience And the Reason hereof is from the extreme Folly that is in men who lay so great a stress of their Happiness upon worldly things that when they fail them their case seems deplorable they have no Buttress to keep up their Spirits How great a number are there that trust in uncertain Riches and not in the living God And therefore when the Prop of their Wealth is gone then all is gone with them their Hearts are faint and they cast away their Life as if it were an unsupportable Burthen to them How many are there that depend on the Prince's Favour and make such account of Preferment by it that all their study is to get and keep it though with the loss of God's Favour But that being changeable and their Hopes thereupon frustrated there is no Acquiescence in God's Will but violent Impatience till they have dispatcht themselves How many have so set their Affections on some particular person as Amnon on Tamar that they wax lean from day to day because they cannot obtain their desire Yea the Inconstancy of their Mistress the miss of the hoped Match shortens their Lives brings down their heads with Sorrow to the Grave And it is just with God it should be so that those things should be cursed to us be as blasted Trees from which we seek that Fruit that Content and those Enjoyments which alone are to be had in God's Favour When our Hearts wander after some Creature and make it as our God love it trust in it in stead of God himself he will not brook it but remove it or make it our Vexation make it become our Perdition which was the means of our Corruption This is much more true when the Spirit is wounded by the Conscience of Sin against God In the former there is defect of Love to God in this express Enmity against him and therefore it is more intolerable Cain's Complaint Gen. 4.13 verifies this whether we reade My Punishment is greater then I can bear or Mine Iniquity is greater then that it may be forgiven How dolefull was his complaint when he said Behold thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth and from thy Face shall I be hid and I shall be a Fugitive and a Vagabond in the earth and it shall come to pass that every one that findeth me shall slay me vers 14. How terribly did the Sting of
Conscience exagitate him when he went out from the Presence of the Lord and dwelt in the Land of Nod as a Renegado from God and one that was pursued by his own Bloud-guiltiness Nor is the Case of Judas less pregnant to demonstrate how furious and inevitable is the pursuit of a guilty Conscience He had sold his Master the Lord of Glory for thirty pieces of Silver but his Mony was as Fire in his Bosome the remembrance of his devillish Act did so envenome his Spirit that he could find no Rest till he had disgorged his Money and rid himself of his Life too So that of him was verified what Zophar spake of others who sin in like manner Job 20.12 13 14 15 16. Though Wickedness be sweet in the Mouth though a man hide it under his Tongue Though he spare it and forsake it not but keep it still within his Mouth Yet his Meat in his Bowells is turned it is the Gall of Asps within him He hath swallowed down Riches and he shall vomit them up again God shall cast them out of his Belly He shall suck the poison of Asps the Viper's tongue shall slay him How many Myriads of men have there been in the Ages of the world who have ventured upon Sin without Fear have blessed themselves in the Success of their unrighteous Projects have delightfully for a season satiated themselves with the enjoyment of their prohibited Lusts yet in the conclusion the Remembrance thereof hath been as a Fire in their Bones as a heavy Burthen that neither their own strength nor the help of other men could support them under And the Reason hereof is Because to them that obey Vnrighteousness there is Indignation and Wrath from God and consequently Tribulation and Anguish upon every Soul of man that doeth evil Rom. 2.8 9. And this is that which makes the Heart to be affected as Belshazzar's was When he saw the finger of a man's hand writing over against the Candlestick and upon the plaister of the Wall of the King's Palace his Countenance was changed and his Thoughts troubled him so that the Joynts of his Loyns were loosed and his Knees smote one against another How shall thy hands be strong saith God to the Jews Ezek. 22.14 when I shall deal with thee The Sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulness hath surprized the Hypocrites who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings Isa 33.14 Therefore the Lord saith I will not contend for ever neither will I be always wroth for the Spirit should fail before me and the Souls which I have made Isa 57.16 Which leads us to that which is intimated OBSERVATION That though the Spirit of man when it is wounded with worldly Sorrows or with Conscience of Sin cannot sustain it self from sinking yet the Lord can and doth support it This is verified by experience in holy Job then whom none was ever more sorely handled except our Lord Christ when he bare our Sins in his Body on the Tree insomuch that he complained Job 6.4 For the Arrows of the Almighty are within me the poison whereof drinketh up my Spirit the Terrours of God do set themselves in array against me yet did the Consolations of God so support him that he could allege Behold my Witness is in Heaven and my Record is on high Job 16.19 so as that he could never be drawn to disclaim his own Uprightness or God's Righteousness Holy Paul though he were abundant in Sufferings so that he had the sentence of death in himself yet he would not relinquish his Trust in God whom he found the Father of Mercies and the God of all Comfort so as that with the abounding of his Sufferings he had also abounding Consolation After the like sort was it with Christ Jesus who though he was in great Agony in the Garden so that his Soul was heavy unto death in the days of his flesh he offered up Prayers and Supplications with strong Crying and Tears unto him that was able to save him from death yet he was heard in that he feared Heb. 5.7 David after he had committed that Sin against Vriah the Hittite when Nathan had discovered the Evil thereof His Bones waxed old through his Roaring all the day long Day and night the Hand of God was heavy upon him His moisture was turned into the drought of Summer His Bones his Soul were sore vexed Innumerable Evils compassed him about His Iniquities took hold upon him so that he was not able to look up therefore his heart failed him yet God restored unto him the Joy of his Salvation upheld him with his free Spirit took away his Sackcloath and girded him with Gladness The waies that God takes to sustain the Spirits of men in their Infirmities are various Sometimes by allaying the Sharpness of their Afflictions sometimes by a mixture of outward or inward Refreshings sometimes by moderating their Temptations not suffering them to be tempted above that they are able but with the Temptation making a way to escape that they may be able to bear it making it short though it be sharp But the chief way whereby the Lord supports the Spirit when it sinks of it self is by giving to some the tongue of the learned that they may know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary Isa 50.4 whose business it is first to humble to search the Wound and then to pour in Oil first to discover the Malady and then to apply the Medicine This method is described at large by Elihu Job 33. from vers 15. to v. 29. When God hath spoken to man in sleep and otherwise to open his ears to seal his Instruction to withdraw him from his purposes to hide Pride from man He chasteneth him upon his Bed and the multitude of his Bones with strong pains so that his Soul draweth near unto the Grave and his Life to the Destroyers Yet if there be a Messenger with him an Interpreter one among a thousand to shew unto man his Vprightness to make known to him the Atonement which is made by the Bloud of the everlasting Covenant when he washeth himself with penitentiall Tears and sprinkles his Conscience with the Bloud of Christ by Faith Then he is gracious unto him and saith Deliver him from going down to the Pit I have found a Ransome He shall pray unto God and he will be favourable unto him and he shall see his face with Joy for he will render unto man his Righteousness If when God looks upon men they say We have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited us not He will deliver their Soul from going into the Pit and their Life shall see the Light Thus did Hezekiah find it as he acknowledgeth Isa 38.16 17. O Lord by these things men live and in all these things is the life of my Spirit that is by God's undertaking for him vers 14. so wilt
thou recover me and make me to live Behold for Peace I had great Bitterness but thou hast in love to my Soul delivered it from the Pit of corruption for thou hast cast all my Sins behind thy back Thus he creates the fruit of the lips Peace Peace to him that is afar off and to him that is near and heals them Isa 57.19 Men sin and then God scourgeth they cry and God sends his Messenger to teach them they are humbled for Sin and fly to the Bloud of Christ for Peace Believing in him they obtain Reconciliation being reconciled the Spirit of Christ as the Comforter is given them to make known the things that are freely given by God hence comes Joy in believing and Hope of the Inheritance of life by which they are supported which I was to demonstrate APPLICATION And now this belongs to you that so many of you as have by proof found the truth of this may be thankfull so many as do or shall need these directions may wisely make use of them You are all of you yet in the Body and this Body you bear about you is a Body of Sin and Death and perhaps you have been affected as S. Paul was when he cried out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver men from the Body of this death Rom. 7.24 If you have not found it already you may expect such a sense of your Infirmities as may perhaps make you tremble and quake bemoan God's Absence from you and from the words of your Roaring you may find Wounds in your Spirit and Breach in your Bones Conscience of Sin sense of God's Rod on your backs may make you cry out in the bitterness of your Soul for Ease and Help If any of you have already found your selves in this Case you are able to tell how weak your Spirit hath been either to avoid or bear the Blows of God's Hand Onely they are happy in such a case who can truly say I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Sure all others are Physicians of no value It is in vain to imagine any solid Comfort to your Spirit by a Pope's Pardon or a Priest's Absolution or any other Remedy which either your own Mind or others Wit can minister to you for your Ease or Recovery It is onely the Balm of the Gospell the Physician of Heaven that can make a perfect Cure Without these some Mountebanks may make a palliated Cure but the Sore will break out again Oh then be sure to take home with you this Receipt write upon it Probatum est No Medicine like God's Favour obtained by sound Humiliation true Repentance unfeigned Faith in the Bloud of Christ to heal your Plagues whether from God's Judgments or your own Fears Keep this as the onely Plague-water make use of it toties quoties as oft as you find need in life and death And when you have found Refreshing in your Spirits by it forget not to lift up your eyes to the Father of Spirits both by acknowledgment of what Support you have had and by seeking such farther Comfort from him as you may need I shall dismiss you with S. Paul's prayer 2 Thes 2.16 17. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting Consolation and good Hope through Grace comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work To whom with the Blessed Spirit be ascribed c. Amen LAVS DEO PIETY THE DESIGN of PARDON The Tenth SERMON PSALM cxxx 4. But there is Mercy or Forgiveness with thee that thou maist be feared THIS Psalm is one of the Fifteen which are intituled Songs of Degrees For what reason they are so called is variously conjectured but not certainly determined It is also one of the Seven termed Penitentiall Psalms The matter of it is Supplication with a declaration of the Psalmist's Resolution or Practice v. 5 6. and an Exhortation to wait and hope in God as he did with assurance of God's Graciousness and Mercifull intention to Israel vers 7 8. The Supplication expresseth the state he was in De profundis Out of the Depths that is deep Mire or Waters by which are signified great Calamities Psal 69.2 14 15. such as those are in that are put into a Dungeon as Jeremiah was Jer. 38.6 or that are cast into a deep River Sea or Lake in which they are like to be overwhelmed It notes some great Affliction whether inward or outward private or publick is not certain though the words in vers 3 4. seem to intimate it to have been inward out of the sense of Sin and terrour of Soul by reason of it In this condition he saith he called or cried to God and his Cry was 1. In generall for Audience Lord hear my voice let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my Supplications vers 2. 2. With Confession of his Guiltiness vers 3. If thou Lord shouldst mark Iniquities 3. With imploring and confident application of Forgiveness in my Text But there is Mercy or Forgiveness with thee that thou maist be feared Whether the word be read Mercy or Forgiveness it is not much material saving that this latter is more agreeable to the words and to the Coherence with vers 3. and better expresseth the particular Mercy meant here The Greek hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with thee is Propitiation or Appeasing which is either the same with Forgiveness or connexed with it Nor is it of any moment whether we reade For or But save that this latter is more apposite to the matter And it is all to one purpose whether we reade with thee or from thee the Hebrew particle signifying both save that this latter is more expressive of the sense And the meaning is the same with that in Daniel 9.9 To the Lord our God belong Mercies and Forgiveness though we have rebelled against him The latter part of the verse is otherwise read by the Greek and Vulgar Latin upon mistakes which Learned men in their Annotations take notice of Doctour Hammond on this place But the reading according to the Originall is for thy fear which is all one with our Translation that thou maist be feared that is reverenced worshipped and obeyed which are usually comprehended under the Fear of God The Truths included in this passage are 1. That there is Forgiveness with or from God 2. That this Forgiveness engageth or encourageth men to fear him Of these in their order I. OBSERVATION That there is Forgiveness with or from God That God is a pardoning God is the Assertion of God himself in that Proclamation in which he told Moses he would make all his Goodness to pass before him which was thus delivered Exod. 34.6 7. The Lord the Lord God mercifull and gracious long-suffering and abundant in Goodness and Truth keeping Mercy for thousands forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin Conformable whereunto in that Prayer of Nehemiah 9.17
unsearchable are his Judgments and his ways past finding out Even in this desperate State when Iniquity was at the height when the Sins of men were ripe the Harvest come to its full growth when they lay weltring in their own bloud he said unto such out-cast helpless sons of Adam Live he hath swaddled washed nourished decked married to his Son such forlorn Creatures done the greatest Good to the worst of men he so loved the World that he gave his onely-begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have Life eternal Jesus Christ came into the world to save Sinners even the chiefest though it was foreseen which is next to be considered II. OBSERVATION That corrupt Hearts will be apt upon this gracious dealing of God to harden themselves by continuance in Sin The Apostle Jude in his Epistle vers 4. tells us of some ungodly men in his time who turned the Grace of God into Lasciviousness But it is an Abuse not peculiar to those onely it is a Disease which is hereditary How many are there who presume on God's Mercy though they persist in their Impenitency Is it not a frequent thing with many that profane the Name of God by an hourly Abuse of it in vain Swearing that spend a great part of their lives in Debauchery so as to become more like Beasts then Men to live more Pecudum or more Ferarum as Sensualists rather then Religious persons as Devils rather then Saints yet to feed themselves with imaginations of God's Grace as if God would be mercifull to such Christ died for All God would damn None to bolster up themselves in Sin deluding themselves with Conceits of Pardon if at last Gasp they can but cry Peccavi when they love their Sin as much as they did and grieve onely that they cannot still commit it or that God awards Hell to the Actours of it and cry God mercy in a faint Miserere mei God be mercifull to me when they have neither acquaintance with his Promise nor any lively sense of his Love in Christ How great a part of the sons of men expose themselves to Temptations and give way to sinfull Compliance in Errour or unrighteous Practices out of a fond hope of future Repentance and easie Pardon Not onely notorious ungodly persons who walk in the Stubbornness of their heart adding drunkenness to thirst say in their heart they shall have Peace when God saith he will not spare them Deut. 29.19 bless themselves when God curseth them but also others who have a Form of Godliness without the Power shelter themselves from Wrath upon a mistake of God's abundant Grace Yea somewhat of this Leaven is hidden even in Good mens Hearts which is apt to sour their Spirits to puff them up with high conceits of their Happiness and Interest in God so as to make them secure in some goings astray Which is a foolish and pernicious Abuse of God's superabundant Grace to be next considered III. OBSERVATION That it is a foolish Conceit that we may securely continue in Sin and expect Favour from God because of his superabundant Grace in Christ This is manifest because it is a groundless and vain Presumption there being no Promise or other Declaration of God which assures his Grace to such persons Promise of Pardon of Sin is made onely to the Penitent Mercy to him that confesseth and forsaketh his Sin Onely a working Faith that is in Christ operative by Love avails with God to the Justification of a Sinner New Obedience is requisite to the Continuance of our Peace with God a holy Life to eternal Life We reade of David's Forgiveness and we reade also of David's Confession he acknowledgeth his Sin before Nathan tells him The Lord hath put away thy Sin We reade of God's Mercy to Manasseh but the same Story tells us of his humbling himself first Saint Paul was saved though the chief of Sinners but not till he was converted and thereby made a real Saint Were it so that Grace were bestowed on hardned Sinners it would be in effect a cherishing of Rebellion When a Prince pardons a Traitour he will first have him an humble Supplicant lay down his Weapons and fall prostrate at his feet Else he should maintain Enemies not secure his Dominion he should in the event destroy himself by saving his Foe such Pity to them would prove Cruelty to himself It is so in God's Royall Government Should he shew himself facil and forward in bestowing his most beneficial Grace on open Sinners that persist in their Provocations or on secret Hypocrites that are false-hearted he should in stead of upholding his Kingdom ruine it in stead of gaining good Subjects nourish Vipers in his bosome It is a Maxim with him in his Holy Polity That when the Righteous turneth away from his Righteousness and committeth Iniquity his Righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned in his Trespass that he hath trespassed and in his Sin that he hath sinned in them shall he die Ezek. 18.24 This is the way of God which he counts as it is indeed most equall it being altogether incongruous to God's Holiness to abett Evil. For that would foster such Conceits in men as those were in him of whom God saith Psal 50.21 These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thy self Then which there is nothing more opposite to his pure Nature nothing being more repugnant to him then Sin Such Imputations therefore are the greatest Disparagements of God the foulest Reproaches the most hainous Injuries the most monstrous Indignities that can be cast on the Divine Majesty it being all one as to metamorphose him into a Devil All Sin is from the Devil and therefore for God to bestow his Grace on him that continues in Sin were to countenance the Devil's Actings to breed up his Brats in stead of destroying the works of the Devil such Indulgence would promote them God should be an egregious Dissembler he should in word forbid Sin in deed command it he should take to himself the name of a Righteous God and act as the Authour of Sin he should threaten Sinners as if he were in jest not in earnest give liberty and allowance to a dissembling Hypocrite to mock him to his face while he makes a shew of honouring God when he sues for his Grace and yet in Heart derides the Word of the living God The Intention of God in exhibiting his surpassing Grace is to draw the Hearts of men by the Chords of love to him the more abundantly that as it is said of that woman Luk. 7.47 that her Sins which were many were forgiven for she loved much much Love might be the fruit of much Grace Whereas the Continuance in Sin out of the fancy of superabundant Grace is indeed to abuse the Love of God to the increase of Hatred against him Spider-like to suck Poison out of that Flower
him and hide him from the Face of him that sitteth upon the Throne and from the Wrath of the Lamb For the great day of his Wrath is come and who is able to stand Rev. 6.16 17. Now then Deliverance from Death must needs deserve Praise and Thanksgiving Deliverance from the greatest Evil should be received with the greatest Gratitude Deliverance from natural Death causeth Holy persons to bless God but Deliverance from Sin the cause of Death from the Wrath to come eternal Death much more This makes the Deliverance most compleat and the Thankfulness should be most ample To which is to be added 2. That the Deliverance is by God it is He that delivers the Soul from Death Now what comes from God's hand is most acceptable to them that love God A Deliverance from Death by a man doth ingage our Affections to him we think our selves obliged to him while we live who hath preserved our Life especially if he be a person of great Quality To have our Lives saved by the King whom we had provoked to be pardoned our Treason exceedingly heightens our valuation of the Benefit There is much more cause to magnifie the Goodness of God who saves his people from Death by pardoning of their Sins by advancing them to Nearness with himself who so saves from Death temporal as to give Life eternal Behold saith Hezekiah Isa 38.17 for Peace I had great Bitterness but thou hast in love to my Soul delivered it from the Pit for thou hast cast all my Sins behind thy back The Forgiveness of Sins which occasioned Death is a greater Benefit then the prolonging of Life And then it is Happiness accumulated to the height when there is not onely length of days on Earth but eternal Life in Heaven conferred upon the saved Bless the Lord O my Soul saith David Psal 103.1 2 3 4. and all that is within me bless his holy Name Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his Benefits Who forgiveth all thy Sins and healeth all thy Diseases Who redeemeth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with Loving-kindness and tender Mercies All which Mercies are the more joyfull to the believing Soul because they are not so much the fruit of our Prayers as of God's free Grace in Christ The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ so loved the World the sinfull World even when they were Enemies to him that he gave his onely-begotten Son to death even the death of the Cross that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting Life This Deliverance from Death proceeding from God's special Love that great Love wherewith he loved us when we were dead in Trespasses and Sins quickening us together with Christ saving us by Grace is that which makes it incomprehensibly welcome and encourageth the Soul to expect farther Preservation as David doth here which brings me to the Second Part of my Text now to be handled viz. II. David's Postulation Wilt thou not deliver my Feet from falling The Expression seems to be expostulatory but is to be conceived to include a Petition He demands of God Wilt thou not c not as one that challenged it as his due desert but as assured of the Continuance of God's Goodness He deprehends in God a Fountain of Love which is still running over flowing down in farther Streams of saving Mercy We have an exact and ample Paraphrase upon the words of my Text in that passage Psal 36. from vers 5. to the end where having set out the Wickedness of men and his own Danger he breaks forth in extolling God's Goodness in an assurance of a constant Current of Mercies and then is instant with God for the Continuance of his Preservation This part of my Text is a most precious passage of great Use for your Meditation in times of Danger by reason of Pestilence or War and it shews this to be the customary practice of Holy persons to gather Arguments of Assurance of future Help from God from their experience of his former gracious Deliverances So did David 1 Sam. 17.37 when he was to fight wïth Goliah he argued thus The Lord that delivered me out of the Paw of the Lion and of the Bear he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine And after him S. Paul 2 Cor. 1.9 10. We had the sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God that raiseth the dead Who delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver in whom we trust that he will yet deliver In his former Deliverance he perceived the Power of God that he could deliver from Death he deprehends his watchfulness over him in the Continuance of his Deliverance his Love to him and Care of him which confirms him in the expectation of farther Help for the future As they say all Vertues are concatenate in Prudence so all Mercies are linked together in God's Love and Care of his Servants And indeed so the Apostle inferrs Rom. 8.32 He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things He that preserves our Lives will keep our Feet Thou hast delivered my Soul from Death wilt thou not also deliver my Feet from falling Surely thou wilt But then this Deliverance must be sought for at his hands which is also implied in this Expression When Christ cured the lame Cripple he bade him take up his bed and walk God when he saves our Life from death expects that we should walk before him Our Life is a Pilgrimage we walk from one Stage of it to another as the Sun runs its course so doth Man The Emanations of our Minds the Actions of our Members are our Steps If we walk not uprightly if we heed not what we think what we speak what we act our Feet will quickly fall first into Sin and then into Mischief The Psalmist Psal 73.2 tells us out of his experience of himself that his Feet were almost gone his Steps had well-nigh slipt He had stumbled at the Stumbling-stone to wit the Prosperity of the Wicked This begat Envy in him and that drew him on to a kind of Affection to their ways to a condemning of his own Course and offending against the generation of God's Children And had not God mercifully caught him when he was falling by directing him to the Sanctuary of God where he might see the End of the wicked that however they stood on smooth yet they were but slippery places they walked on Ice which would suddenly break under them and then they would sink for ever he had certainly perished Therefore he recovers himself and applies himself to God vers 23 24. and stays himself on the Manutenentia Divina Thou hast holden me by my right hand Thou wilt guide me with thy Counsel and after receive me to Glory As for me saith he in another Psalm 41.12 thou upholdest
themselves sutable to his Dignity so as not to disgrace him by their slovenly Habits And thus the Apostle requires that we should walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 13.13 that is in good fashion decently or honestly as we would say and our Translation reads it after the Court-fashion of Heaven We should walk before God in white like the heavenly Courtiers cloathed with white Linen fine and clean which is the Righteousness of Saints Rev. 19.8 that is with holy Habits and Dispositions of mind They that walk before God must have clean Hands and a pure Heart He that hath not lift up his Soul to Vanity nor sworn deceitfully Psal 24.4 enters into God's holy Hill As Kings love Purity of heart and grace in the lips Prov. 22.11 so doth God much more He is of purer Eyes then to behold Evil he cannot look on Iniquity with any good liking Such as be foolish shall not stand in his sight he hateth all workers of Iniquity he will destroy them that speak leasing c. Psal 5.5 6. No impure-spirited man that hath vain Imaginations of God that fears him not neither is God in all his Thoughts can stand before him If Solomon would not permit any such about him neither surely will God Rectitude of Heart is the chief Requisite when we appear before him Blessed are the pure in Heart saith our Saviour Matth. 5.8 for they shall see God As long as a man retains erroneous Opinions in the things of God as long as vain Thoughts fraudulent Designs unrighteous Projects evil Counsels lodge in his Heart and bear sway in his Actions he cannot walk acceptably with God As to Walking well bodily the chief thing is the Locomotive faculty so in Spiritual Walking before God the main thing is to be moved by a right Principle a due Apprehension of God as he is Most high 2. God must be set before us not onely as Maximus but also as Optimus not onely as the Greatest but also as the Best not onely as one that can punish us but also as one that can and will reward us as Best in himself and good to all that seek him He that shall apprehend it in vain to serve God and that there is no profit in walking mournfully before the Lord of hoasts that there is no profit in keeping his Ordinances as those mentioned Mal. 3.14 will never walk pleasantly before God Such a Servant as looks upon God as a hard Master that reaps where he doth not sow and gathers where he did not strew will shun God and his Service as much as may be hide his Talent in a Napkin rather then imploy it to improvement for his Master He that walks before God must walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exactly as the Apostle speaks Ephes 5.15 circumspectly and diligently As Courtiers that expect Benefits from their Prince will be carefull to accommodate themselves to his Humour diligent to prosecute his Business to the utmost of their skill and power so is it with those that walk before God they expect Preferment from him and therefore are studious to answer his Expectation And when they find God's Favour towards them they prize it as their Life Psal 30.5 yea better then Life it self As the Prince's Favour refresheth a Servant that attends on him is as the Dew upon the tender Herbs which makes them spring up fresh and give a sweet Savour so the Favour of God makes his Servants walk diligently before him with all readiness and alacrity doing his Will So saith David Psalm 26.3 Thy Loving-kindness is before mine eyes and I have walked in thy Truth And indeed this is the chief Encouragement to a man that walks before God that he does all for a Prince that is not onely Deliciae generis humani the Love and Delight of mankind as Titus Vespasian the Roman Emperour was styled but that he serves a God who is Love it self Joh. 4.16 in whom there is not onely a River but an Ocean of Love not a Pond but a Fountain of Love All his ways are Love to his Holy ones He loved them with an everlasting Love and with Loving-kindness hath drawn them to him This was it that made David to aim at walking before God because he had found God's Love to him in delivering his Soul from Death and his Feet from falling Thus God encouraged Abraham to walk before him because he had assured him that he was his Shield and exceeding great Reward Gen. 15.1 It is good for me to draw nigh unto God saith the Psalmist Psal 73.28 But above all the Manifestations of God's Love that which is the grand Motive to encourage our walking before God is that there is now a new and living Way whereby we may draw nigh to God even through the Veil of his Son's Flesh That now the Enmity betwixt us and God caused by Adam's Sin and Satan's project to alienate Men from God is taken away That now there is on Earth Peace and Good will towards men That now the Son of God is made the Way the Truth and the Life whereby we may come to the Father That now we are assured that however it be that we travel through a Wilderness through a dry and barren Land where we meet with fiery Serpents and many Wants yet we have Manna from Heaven to feed on and we drink of the Rock which Rock is Christ Spiritual Meat and Spiritual Drink That as the Serpent was lifted up upon the Pole so the Son of man was lifted up that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life That now we have the Cloud by day to shade and guide us and the Pillar of fire by night to direct us we have not the Shadows of the Law but the clear Light of the Gospel to inlighten us with the Light of Heaven That we have the Spirit from on high given us to be a Spirit of Inlightning a Spirit of Regeneration to beget us again a Spirit of Life to quicken us and make us new Creatures in Christ a Spirit to comfort and refresh us a Spirit to intercede for us And that which is the upshot of all there is a Rest which remains for the people of God not in an earthly Canaan but in the Heavenly Jerusalem where we shall rest in Abraham's Bosom in the presence of the Holy Angels and glorified Saints in the Arms of our Husband who hath espoused us to himself by the greatest demonstration of Love having purified us to himself by his Bloud and joyned us to himself by his own Spirit That we shall behold the Face of our Father which is in Heaven in whom is all Beauty all Worth and all Love everlasting Joy shall be upon our heads and Sorrow and Misery shall fly away we shall be Kings and Priests unto God our Father and that for ever So that it will be abundant Recompence to us that we have walked before God in the light of the living
Creatures are good God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good Gen. 1.31 Another in genere Moris a Good which makes the person truly good Such is the Goodness of God who is good and doeth good Psal 119.68 even by communicating Good to all Act. 14.17 And indeed He is the chiefest Good He is most transcendently perfectly originally Good from whom every good and every perfect Gift cometh James 1.17 And therefore rightly is it said by our Lord Christ Matth. 19.17 There is none good but one that is God And this Good we are to be Followers of Be ye Followers of God There is also a derivative Goodness from him which is communicated primitively to his Son concerning whom it is the Father's pleasure that in him should all Fulness dwell Col. 1.19 The Spirit is given him without measure Joh. 3.34 While he was upon Earth he went about doing good Act. 10.38 He might truly say I am the good Shepherd Joh. 10.11 And from him Good is redundant to us He hath plenitudinem Fontis and not onely Vasis With him is the fountain of Life and in his Light we see light Psal 36.9 Now the Good we are to be Followers of is also this Good which is in and from Christ the Good of his Word to know it the Good of his Example to imitate it the Good of his Gifts the Gifts of his Spirit to be zealous after them 1 Cor. 12.31 the Good of Righteousness and eternall Life which is from God by Jesus Christ to injoy it the Good of God's Favour in Christ to obtain it the Good of Communion with the Father and the Son to embrace it But though these sorts of Good are to be followed yet that which we are here required more specially to be Followers of is not so much Bonum Beatitudinis the Good of Blessedness for our selves as Bonum Sanctitatis the Good of Holiness whereby we may be like unto God be holy as he is holy 1 Pet. 1.15 16. and Bonum Justitiae the Good of Righteousness towards our selves and others such as may consist with a good Conscience and a good Conversation in Christ the Good of Innocency that we may be blameless and harmless the sons of God without rebuke Phil. 2.15 the Good of Benevolence and Beneficence willing and procuring good unto all Gal. 6.10 as we have opportunity doing good to all especially unto them that are of the houshold of Faith We must endeavour after the good Heart that may out of its Treasure bring forth good things Matth. 12.35 after the good Tongue that speaketh Wisedom and talketh of Judgment Psal 37.30 that uttereth that which is good to the use of Edifying that it may minister Grace to the hearers Eph. 4.29 after the good Hand that may work the thing that is good that it may have to give to him that needeth v. 28. In summe we must labour to become Vessels unto honour sanctified and meet for the Master's use and prepared to every good work 2 Tim. 2.21 created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them Eph. 2.10 II. How this Good is to be followed 1. Universally all the Kinds of it are to be pursued not onely the Good of Religion towards God but also of Love towards Man The End of our Deliverance from the hands of our Enemies is that we might serve God in Holiness and Righteousness before him all the days of our life as it is in the Benedictus Luk. 1.74 75. The Grace of God hath appeared to all men teaching them that denying Vngodliness and worldly Lusts they should live righteously soberly and godly in this present world Tit. 2.11 12. We know it is S. James his determination 2.10 Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all Vertues are chained together the Law is copulative Bonum non nist ex integra causa He that is not intirely good is not good at all He that is all for the practice of Religious Ordinances but no whit for Charity he that is devout at Church but proud vain wanton uncharitable unrighteous intemperate at home is no Follower of that which is Good but an Hypocrite a meer Pharisee or painted Sepulchre And he that is much for Alms and Abstinence from Excess or prohibited Pleasures yet careless of Prayer Reading Hearing God's Word in publick and in private is a profane person be he never so much esteemed by men yet is he abominable before God 2. Nor must we be Followers of all Sorts of Good onely but also of all kinds of Good in the most eminent Degree What the Apostle prays for in the behalf of the Colossians Col. 1.9 10. should be the aim of every sincere Christian that he may be filled with the knowledge of God's Will in all wisedom and spiritual understanding that he may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being faithfull in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God So what he prays for in behalf of the Philippians Phil. 1.11 that he may be filled with the Fruits of Righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God that he may be abundant in the work of the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 As he is unjust that lets not the Buier have his full Measure so is he that doth not afford God the utmost of his Service that doth not love him with all his Mind with all his Soul and with all his Strength In this an Emulation is good which is implied in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as some Copies have it in my Text and it is so rendred by Beza We should vie one with another as desirous to outstrip each other like Runners in a Race that strive who shall run fastest Yea in this it is good to be singular If ye salute your Brethren onely saith Christ Matth. 5.47 what singular thing or more then others doe ye intimating that a Christian that exceeds not a Philosopher or a Jew is not worthy of that name He must not onely doe good to them that love him but even to them that hate him vers 44. Though we own no Popish Evangelical Counsels no Monkish Vows as putting a man into a state of Perfection no Merit or Works of Supererogation yet he that will approve himself to God must endeavour to doe those Good works that are commanded to the utmost Extensivè Works of all Kinds and Intensivè in all their Degrees according to his ability 3. And this we are to doe sincerely as before God not as pleasing Men but God that trieth the heart 1 Thess 2.4 Not like the Pharisees who gave Alms Fasted Prayed that they might be seen of Men and therefore did all with Ostentation but in secret and private as well as in publick we should be Followers of that which is Good looking onely at God's Glory our Obedience to him
Christ 1. In Dying with him and that First to the World If ye be dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the World why as though living in the world are ye subject to Ordinances Col. 2.20 God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ whereby the World is crucified to me and I unto the World Gal. 6.14 Secondly to Sin Rom. 6.6 7 8. Knowing this that our Old man is crucified with him that the body of Sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve Sin For he that is dead is freed from Sin Now if we be dead with Christ we believe that we shall live with him Thirdly by Suffering with him It is a faithfull saying If we be dead with him we shall also live with him if we suffer we shall also reign with him 2 Tim. 2.11 12. If so be we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together Rom. 8.17 2. In his Resurrection and that First by walking in Newness of Life Like as Christ was raised from the dead by the Glory of his Father even so we also should walk in Newness of Life and thereby be planted together in the likeness of his Resurrection Rom. 6.4 5. Secondly by living to God As Christ in that he liveth liveth unto God so those that have put on Christ reckon themselves to be dead indeed unto Sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord they yield themselves to God as those that are alive from the dead and their Members as instruments of Righteousness unto God Rom. 6.10 11 13. Thirdly in seeking the things above as their Treasure as the Apostle inferrs Col. 3.1 2. If ye be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God Set your Affections on things above not on things on the Earth I have insisted the longer on this Point of the Path of Life because it is the main thing that concerns us to know III. How God makes known or shews this Path of Life to them This Question is not hard to be resolved from that which hath been already said God shewed Christ the Path of Life 1. By his Promise to him mentioned before at his coming into the world 2. By his Providence he make it known experimentally to him when he was raised from the dead by the Glory of the Father To us he makes known the Ways of Life 1. By his Son 's Appearing and his Gospel who hath abolished Death and hath brought Life and Immortality to life through the Gospell 2 Tim. 1.10 2. By his Spirit which he gives whereby we are assured that through it mortifying the deeds of the Body we shall live Rom. 8.13 We have received the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given us of God 1 Cor. 2.12 IV. Why God doth shew them this Path of Life The Reason of God's making known the Way of Life to Christ and to us is one and the same That as thereby Christ was to be strengthened in all his Temptations in all his Sufferings animated in all his Obedience to his Father's Will by having an eye to the Life which was propounded to him so should all the Disciples of Christ be confirmed in all their Sufferings encouraged in all their Actings for Christ by their Assurance of Life with Christ that they may live by Faith and not be of them who draw back unto Perdition but of them that believe to the saving of the Soul Heb. 10.38 39. That with Moses they may chuse rather to suffer Afflictions with the people of God then to injoy the pleasures of Sin for a season esteeming the Reproach of Christ greater Riches then the Treasures in Egypt as having respect unto the recompence of the Reward Heb. 11.25 26. Wherefore Christ assures Believers in his Epistle to the Church of Ephesus Rev. 2.7 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the Tree of Life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God To the Church of Smyrna vers 10 11. Be thou faithfull unto death and I will give thee a Crown of Life He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second Death To the Church of Sardis Rev. 3.5 He that overcometh I will not blot his name out of the Book of Life APPLICATION I may say now with Moses Deut. 30.15 19. See I have set before you this day Life and Good Death and Evill Chuse therefore Life and take hold of the Paths of it Life is a thing naturally desired It is true in extreme Anguish men chuse Strangling rather then Life In his Fits of sore Pain Job was in such a mood as to desire Death most earnestly and to abhor Life Yet simply every living thing would fain live it struggles and strives what it can to keep Life men spare no cost to continue it though it be but for a while and that not without a mixture of Sorrow and Trouble to which the best Life on Earth is obnoxious Life we say is sweet nor is the Devil taken for a Liar in this when he saith Skin for Skin and all that a man hath will he give for his Life Job 2.4 But alas this Life is too much prized and that is the reason why a greater Death is consequent upon the immoderate affecting of it because they would still live here many die for ever in Hell That Life the Way of which was shewed to Christ and now to you is indeed worthy your knowing worthy your embracing and pursuing It is a holy Life a happy Life a safe Life an eternall Life If you live in Christ you shall live with Christ if you live in the Spirit you shall be quickened by the Spirit if you live the Life of God you shall live in his Presence In a word if you walk in the Paths of Life which I have this day shewed you you shall live not the Life of Men onely but of holy Angels you shall live a Life as far beyond the Life of Kings as Heaven is above the Earth The Life of the best and happiest Kings hath been attended with much Care and many Dangers nor is any Prince's Life-time so splendid but that the Day is sometimes darkened over him and Storms beat on him and perhaps his Sun sets in a Cloud 'T is otherwise to be conceived of this Life when once attained it is never darkened never eclipsed never ended Oh that you would then learn to die with Christ to Sin to the World to live by the Faith of the Son of God to be conformed to him by putting on the same mind that was in Christ to live to God to doe not your own will but the will of your Father which is in Heaven to commit your Souls in well-doing when you suffer for him as to a faithfull Creatour Is the Loss of Credit Goods Peace Liberty Life terrible to you Why the Life
13.22 Which is the great Scope of him that walks in his Uprightness and consequently a proof of his owning God's Sovereignty and uniting of his Heart to fear his Name 3. A man's Walking in his Uprightness proceeds from that Faith whereby the Believer presents God to himself sets him before his face sees him that is invisible as Moses did Heb. 11.27 which begets Fear of God takes away servile Fear of others keeps him in even and constant Obedience as Enoch Noah Abraham and all the Holy Patriarchs who walked with and before God without Fear of their Enemies in the Fear of God depending on his Protection and subjecting themselves to his Direction which engaged the Lord to be their God III. What Advantage accrues to him that walketh in his Vprightness and feareth the Lord. Of which very briefly The Psalmist tells us in few words Psal 84.11 that the Lord God is a Sun and a Shield the Lord will give Grace and Glory no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly Psal 97.11 Light is sown for the Righteous and Gladness for the Vpright in heart And after him the Apostle Gal. 6.16 As many as walk according to the Rule of the new Creature in Christ Jesus Peace be on them and Mercy and on the Israel of God Whence it is rightly inferred that all such as walk in their Uprightness out of a Fear of the Lord are assured of Light to guide them Protection to preserve them Peace to quiet them Supply of good things to chear them Assistence to help them Favour to comfort them and Glory to advance them APPLICATION And now what remains but that each of us as the Prophet minds the Jews Hag. 1.5 consider our Ways whether we have chosen the Way that leads to Life or that which is the Path to Destruction whether we walk uprightly in the Fear of God or perversly in Compliance with Satan All of us have a Journey to goe here we have no continuing City We may say as David 1 Chron. 29.15 We are Strangers before God as were all our Fathers our days on the Earth are as a Shadow and there is none abiding no expectation of a settled Mansion here We must arise and depart for this is not our Rest because it is polluted Mic. 2.10 Oh then how much doth it concern us to heed which Way we take whether the tendence of our Course of life be to walk in our Vprightness as those that fear the Lord or our Conversation be in the Lusts of our Flesh fulfilling the desires of the Flesh and of the Mind whether we devote our selves to the Fear of God spend our lives imploy our time and estate to please him to doe his Will or our Walking be according to the course of this World according to the Prince of the power of the Air the Spirit that worketh in the children of Disobedience If you say you fear God and expect Heaven you must manifest it by departing from your sinfull Ways by serving him in Holiness and Righteousness before him all the days of your life They must walk before God in their Uprightness here who would stand before God in Happiness hereafter Not Words but Works not a Form of Godliness but the Power of it prevails with God Be not deceived saith the Apostle Gal. 6.7 8. God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he reap For he that soweth to his Flesh shall of the Flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap Life everlasting Follow therefore Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Walk with that Company here with which you would have your Lot hereafter Walk not in the way with them with whom you dread to be associated at last Take heed of Complying with the World in your Life with whom you would not be condemned at your Death Consider the End of your Life and follow their Faith whose End you would purchase at the greatest rate Remember the Advice of the Prophet Jerem. 6.16 Thus saith the Lord Stand in the ways and see and ask for the old Paths where is the good Way and walk therein and ye shall find Rest for your Souls I direct you not to follow any New Lights neither to seek any new Ways but I advise you to goe to Christ that you may find Rest for your Souls to take his Yoke upon you and to learn of him to receive him and to walk in him rooted and built up in him and established in the Faith as he hath taught you abounding therein with thanksgiving Believe in the Light that ye may be the Children of Light Walk as Children of Light and walk as such while you have the Light Casting off the works of Darkness and putting on the Armour of Light walk honestly as in the day not in Rioting and Drunkenness not in Chambering and Wantonness not in Strife and Envying But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the Flesh to fulfill the Lusts thereof To all which let me adde that of the Apostle Eph. 5.1 2. Be followers of God as dear Children and walk in Love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an Offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour Amen LAVS DEO THE IMPIOUS CONTEMPT Part II. The Twenty-eighth SERMON PROVERBS xiv 2. But he that is perverse in his Ways despiseth him OF all Points of Wisedom this is the Inlet and as it were the Door to fear the Lord and of all Ways of Folly this is the greatest to despise him The one is demonstrated by a man's walking in his Vprightness of which I have already spoken the other by Perverseness in a man's Ways which is now to be considered II. PROPOSITION He that is perverse in his Ways despiseth the Lord. Concerning this three Quaere's are to be answered like as there were in handling the former Proposition 1. Who is meant by him that is perverse in his Ways and when a man is said to be so 2. How such an one despiseth the Lord. 3. What is the Evil of such Despising the Lord. Of which in their order I. Who is meant by him that is perverse in his Ways By Ways as hath been already said are meant the Actions of a Man as he is a Rational Being whose Motions should be ordered by such a Rule as his Creatour hath made known and should tend to his Maker's Honour For God at first made Man upright or simple so as that he had no other Way but that which was God's but they have sought out many Inventions saith Solomon Eccles. 7.29 Whence it comes to pass that there are many and various Ways in which men now walk contrary to God's Way that is his prescribed Will which is the Way that every man should walk in and then he walketh in his Vprightness But when he chuseth any Invention of his own to direct the
abundantly satisfied with the Bread of Life drink of the River of his Pleasures with whom is the Fountain of Life and in his Light they see Light they find in God's Presence there is Fulness of Joy and at his right hand Pleasures for evermore APPLICATION And thus have I presented unto you a Shadow of that most desirable Light which is the Inheritance of all the Saints A comprehensive View of which is not attainable except there be afforded such a Sight as was to the Three Disciples at Christ's Transfiguration in the Mount or to S. Paul at his Rapture into Paradise till we be absent from the Body and present with the Lord and then we shall behold his Face in Righteousness and when we awake shall be satisfied with his Likeness In the mean time while we walk by Faith and not by Sight let us be such in our Choice in our Affections in our Endeavours as the Saints have been with Patience waiting for what we see not and running so as that we may attain it This will be our Comfort our Support when we come to the end of our Race that we have not run for a corruptible Crown but an incorruptible that we have not contended for an Earthly Portion with the men of this World but for an Inheritance laid up in Heaven for us that we have as the Saints have done parted with all to buy this Pearl laid up our Treasure not in Earth but in Heaven negotiated to be rich towards God and not to have Treasure here onely for our selves You that would be before the Throne of God must wash your Robes in the Bloud of the Lamb keep your Garments clean have your Conversation such as becometh the Gospel you must cast off the Works of Darkness and put on the Armour of Light walk honestly or decently as in the day as Children of Light not in Rioting and Drunkenness not in Chambering and Wantonness not in Strife and Envying but put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the Flesh to fulfill the Lusts thereof Dream not that you can serve Sin here and yet serve God before his Throne in his Temple that God will walk with you and dwell with you if you yield your Members as Weapons of Vnrighteousness unto Sin that if you affect the Ways of Sinners walk in the Counsel of the Vngodly sit in the Seat of the Scornfull and joyn with the Congregation of Evil-doers you shall at last have your Portion with the Saints Apply then your time and studies and abilities to purifie your selves as God is pure if you hope to see him as he is And notwithstanding all the Sufferings and Opposition you may meet with with Patience possess your Souls Let this animate and strengthen your Hearts against Fainting and Backsliding that if you suffer with Christ you shall also reign with him Which the Lord grant c. Amen LAVS DEO THE PATRIARCH'S JOY The Thirtieth SERMON JOHN viij 56. Your Father Abraham rejoyced to see my Day and he saw it and was glad AMong other Sufferings which Christ underwent the Antilogy that is the Contradiction of Sinners the Controversie which he had with cavilling and perverse Opponents or Disputers against his Sayings was not the least which therefore Heb. 12.3 is propounded to us to analogize that is consider and ponder upon that we may not faint or be tired in our spirits when we meet with such wrangling Gainsayers In this Chapter we have a Specimen of such Sophistry in the Jews who exercised Christ with their perverse Arguings to the intent they might hinder the Reception of his Testimony of himself and the Doctrine which he was sent to teach them which he terms the Truth vers 32. that would make them free This they disdainfully except against as glorying that they were Abraham's Seed never in Bondage and therefore scorned his offer of Freedom To both which our Saviour replies refuting their vain Brags of their being Abraham's Seed and free in reference to men sith they were the Servants of Sin and utterly unlike to Abraham in their Spirits who was far otherwise affected towards him then they were For saith he Your Father Abraham rejoyced to see my Day and he saw it and was glad whereas my Day is that which you spurn against as galling and vexing your Spirits To understand which it is requisite that I unfold 1. What is meant by Christ's Day 2. How Abraham is said to be their Father whereas vers 39. Christ had said If ye were Abraham's Children ye would doe the works of Abraham which imports they were not 3. How Abraham is said to have rejoyced to see Christ's Day 4. How it was true that he saw it 5. What matter of Rejoycing this was to him and how he was glad in such seeing 1. Concerning the First It is agreed on by most that the Day of Christ here is meant of his Advent or Coming in the Flesh which we at present celebrate Though some refer it more specially to his Passion or Suffering But the Jews understood it of his Birth and the Space of his Life on Earth which usually is termed a Man's Day in the Hebrew expression and in respect of Christ the Days of his flesh Heb. 5.7 2. As for the Second He terms Abraham their Father as they gloried by way of Concession acknowledging them vers 37. to be Abraham's Seed by natural Generation But yet he denies them to be Abraham's Seed in respect of their Minds and Spirits there being so great a Dissimilitude and Contrariety betwixt them and him therein that they were more truly begotten of the Devil whom in Lying and Cruelty they so much resembled 3. As for the Third The word rendred Rejoycing signifies such a Joy as is accompanied with Leaping or other Gesticulation as when a man is superlatively affected with a thing which he hopes for hath some tidings and assurance of its futurity and apprehends it as a Beatitude And it is conceived Abraham thus rejoyced when upon God's Promise of Sarah's Conception and the Blessing consequent thereupon wherein Christ's Coming was included he fell upon his face and laughed and said in his heart Shall a Child be born unto him that is an hundred years old and shall Sarah that is ninety years old bear Which was spoken by him not dubitativè by way of Doubting for the contrary is asserted Rom. 4.16 17 18 19 20. but out of Admiration as over-joyed at the news So it is said of John Baptist in the Womb that at the presence of Christ's Mother and her Salutation the Babe leaped or skipped in exultation for Joy in the Womb of his Mother 4. As for the Fourth Quaere It is true there be that understand the Seeing of Abraham of his beholding of Christ when with two Angels he appeared to Abraham in a Humane shape and Abraham saw him eat and talked with him as with the Judge of all the Earth which was