sentence of condemnation upon them within them is conscience gnawâ—ng like the worm that dieth not because it is full of the guilt of sin without them all damned souls are howling and yelling and on every side the whole world is burning What shall a wretched sinner now do that carrieth the guilt of his sins with him to this great day of judgement how can his heart bear these fearfull perplexities What way will he take to escape this dreadfull judgement to go back it is impossible to go forward is intollerable death will slee from him the grave cannot hold him the hills cannot cover him but there he must stand as a miserable forlorn and desperate wretch untill he receive this dolefull and irrecoverable sentence Go ye cursed into everlastingfire the thought of these things cannot be but most terrible Now it concerneth every one to set his heart in an holy frame of fear and reverence and to humble his soul greatly before God when he intendeth to ruminate upon the glorious Majesty of this great Judge or upon this great and terrible day when a most severe account shall be required of every one of whatsoever they have done in this life whether it be good or evill also when they meditate on the fearfull sentence which shall then be pronounced against all offenders and executed upon them to all eternity without any hope of ease or remedy This is not to deter or afright us from an holy pious Meditation of these things though they be every sad and dolefull to naturall men neither is it to drive us into despair as if there were no hope to stand before this Judge with comfort at that day or to avoid that dreadfull sentence of condemnation but it is to stir us up to use all care and diligence to make our peace with God in time and to get a modest and a sober assurance of the pardon of our sins by repentance and that by a true and lively faith we may be united unto Christ our blessed Saviour and Redeemer who shall be then our Judge This consideration must needs comfort us much if we have any clear evidence that we belong unto Christ To this end u Mark 13. Christ foretold his disciples the fearfull manner of his coming to judgement that they should watch and pray that so it might not come suddenly upon them to finde them sleeping in security or unprepared for it and what he said unto them he saith unto all that we should also watch and pray to escape the great danger of that terrible day and to stand with confidence before the throne of the Son of Man at that time When x 2 Pet. 3. 10 11 12. Peter had described with what terrour the Lord would come to judgement he exhorteth us to an holy conversation and to godlinesse looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God and therfore to be diligent that we may be found of him in peace without spot and blamelesse Thus we may meet the day of judgement with comfort if we can earnestly long after it and can heartily desire to meet our Lord Christ when he cometh in the clouds unto judgement which we cannot do untill we find by due examination that we are in the state of grace and that by faith we are invested into the new Covenant and have lived unto God and not unto our selves Wherefore thus saith the son of Sirach y Eccl. 18. 20. Before judgement examine thy self and in the day of visitation thou shalt find mercy And as Paul saith z 1 Cor. 11. 31. If we would judge our selves we should not be judged This trying and judging of our selves must be done in this life for after death there is no faith no repentance and no reformation of life if we die in our sins they will follow us unto judgement and accuse us before the great Judge of heaven and earth and they will cry in the ears of God for the sentence of condemnation to be passed against us which also will presently be put in execution to the utter destruction of our souls and bodies in everlasting burnings How to Meditate comfortably on God IF we desire to make our Meditations on God to be comfortable to our souls we must not look onely upon his greatnesse but also upon his goodnesse for our shallow Meditations cannot reach so far as to draw any true comfort to our selves from the consideration of of his greatnesse and power unlesse we do also look upon his goodnesse to us in Christ which doth open a fountain of true consolation to us not onely in our Meditations of him but also in our sufferings for him So likewise if we look onely upon the justice of God without any relation to his mercies in Christ we shall find little comfort in our Meditations of him for we cannot but quake and tremble at the severity of his justice because we have broken all his commandements and have transgressed his Law and therefore we lye under the curse and penalty of it Also if we look vpon our selves altogether as we are by nature polluted and stained with the guilt of sin both originall and actuall without any relation to the blood of Christ by faith it will make us ashamed to come into the presence of God and afraid to think upon him because he is a sin-revenging God and will not suffer sin to go unpunished But thus we shall have comfort in our Meditation of God if we look upon him in Christ by faith for then we shall see that Christ hath wrought our reconciliation with him by his death that he hath made an atonement for us that he hath satisfâ—ed his justice and the penalty of the Law by the merit of his blood and that he hath taken the guilt of our sins upon himself and hath nailed it to his own crosse a Rom. 3. 24 25 26. and therefore we are justified frâ—ly by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnesse that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus Wherefore as John saith b 1 John 2. 1 2. If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the prepitiation for our sins and not for ours onely but also for the sins of the whole world The same John doth expresse the wonderfull love of God to us in these words c 1 Joh. 4. 10. Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins Now we may receive plenty of spiritual comfort when we meditate on God either in his greatnesse or in his goodnesse in his justice or in his mercy for by this atonement which Christ hath made for us God doth not now look upon us as his enemies or
10. then they were sore afraid and cryed out to the Lord. And Moses said unto the people Fear ye not stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which he will shew to you to day Then the Lord made a way for them through the sea and saved them from their enemies but the sea drowned all the host of the Egyptians that pursued after them The Prophet Gad came to David and told him the Word of the Lord b Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land or wilt thou flee three moneths before thine enemies while they pursue thee or that there be three dayes pestilence in thy land This put David into a great strait but he cast himself upon the mercies of God and did choose to fall into the hand of the Lord and not into the hand of man for he knew that his mercies were great c â—hil 1. 23 24. Paul was in the like strait for he knew not whether to choose to live which was more needfull to the Philippians or to dye which was far better for himself Sometimes God suffers the devill and wicked men to lay their traps to ensnare his own servants if he seeth them secure and carelesse of their wayes and though they do maliciously intend and purpose their hurt and d 1 Cor. 10. 10 13. destruction yet God by his wise providence will make a way for them to escape the danger of them all that he may magnifie his own glory thereby Sometimes also God doth suffer his servants to be pinched with want and scarcity to be long under afflictions and under the crosse and for some ends best known to his Divine wisdome he doth long defer to manifest his Providence to them for their succour and comfort which is a very great tryall of their faith hope and dependence upon God and many of Gods dear children have complained that he did not help and relieve them and that he suffered his enemies so long to triumph over them Thus saith the Psalmist e Psal 94. 3 Lord how long shall the wicked how long shall the wicked triumph Thus David complaineth f Psal 42. 9 I will say unto God my rock Why hast thou forsaken me Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy Also thus Asaph complained when he was in great distresse g Psal 77. 7 7 8 9 10. Will the Lord cast off for ever And will he be favourable no more Is his mercy clean gone for ever ever doth his promise fail for evermore hath God forgotten to be gracious hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies And then he doth confesse that it was his infirmity to question the good Providence of God But some do repine and murmur against God and against his wise Providence through unbelief if they have not their wants necessities supplied at their pleasure and if they have not deliverance out of their troubles and tribulations when they expect it These are ready to say with Jehoram that wicked king h 2 Kin. 6. 33. Behold this evill is of the Lord what should I wait on him any longer Holy David doth expresse in diverse of his Psalmes how he waited for the Lord from day to day how he rested on the Lord and how patiently his soul waited for him If we thus wait upon God i Isa 30. 18 then the Lord will wait that he may be gracious unto us and therefore we ought to wait for him But if our Faith in God can reach no further than humane sense or reason can carry it we dishonour God by our unbelief though we have formerly had great experience of his good Providence to us and we shall provoke him to wrath as the Israelites did in the wildernesse when they said k Psal 78. 19 20. Can God furnish a Table in the wildernesse Behold he smote the rock that the waters gushed out and the streams over flowed can he give bread also can he provide flesh for his people Thus they believed not in God and rested not upon his Providence though they had seen so many of his great wonders which he had wrought for them Wherefore now let this be the desire of our hearts and souls l Eph. 3. 17 that our faith may be rooted and grounded in the love of God to us in Christ who with him hath given us all things The glorious creatures in heaven are comfortable to us by our interest in Christ and all creatures here below are for our use and at our command and service because we have right to them by faith in Christ without which we can have no comfort in them and no assurance that they belong unto us If our faith be well rooted it will then be fruitfull in all good works and it will never decay because it doth spring from a Divine Principle and is continually watered with a spirituall dew from heaven Also there is great need that it be well grounded and built upon a sure rock because we shall meet with strong assaults and temptations which like boysterous windes and billowes will seek to overturn it and we cannot comfortably injoy the good creatures of God if we do not injoy them in Christ our Saviour which must be onely by faith in him God himself will sometimes try our faith to the utmost by afflictions and crosses by suffering our enemies and wicked men to vex our very souls or by withdrawing his assisting grace from us by clouding the light of his countenance or by deferring the manifestation of his Divine Providence when we are in any strait or in any necessity which we could not shun and cannot tell which way to turn our selves because we have no means of help comfort and salvation but onely to cast our selves upon the Providence of God which we cannot comfortably do if our faith be not well grounded in Christ the rock of our salvation For if it be grounded upon any sandy foundation as upon our naturall endowments upon common grace or upon any earthly thing it will fall at every gust of temptation at every wave of affliction and it will not endure the fiery tryall it doth rest more upon the arm of flesh than it doth upon God and it seeks rather to secondary means for help and succour than it doth unto God and in the end it will deceive us In the last place God is wonderfull in his works of justice and in his Works of mercy both to the just and and to the unjust but in a farre differing manner to them both and to a farre-differing end For God will not suffer sin to be unpunished wheresoever he findeth it If his own children offend he will chastise them with a fatherly correction in much love and tender compassion and to bring them to better obedience but his loving kindnesse he will not take from them according as he said to David m 2 Sam. 7. 14 15. If thy
The Lord knoweth them that are his The second reason is drawn from the vertue and strength of the Covenant of Grace A Covenant between man and man is an ingagement of great force and the servants of God did alwayes exactly keep it how strong then is that Covenant which God himself hath made with us which his own dear Son hath sealed with his bloud and which God hath made of his own free grace and favour to us poor miserable sinners which Christ hath procured for us h Gâ—â— 9. God made a Covenant with Noah and he hath kept it to this day Also God made diverse Covenants with Abraham and he performed them all i Gen. 21 Abraham made a Covenant with Abimelech and did precisely keep it This new Covenant is for ever and it is so strongly confirmed that we cannot question the performance of it on Gods part whom in his own Esence is immutable and unchangeable and though we cannot perform our conditions to God yet Christ hath performed them for us and will also stablish us in the fear of God that we shall never depart from him Thus saith the Lord by his Prophet k Jer. 33 34. I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people and they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them even unto the greatest of them saith the Lord for I wil forgive their iniquity and will remember their sin no more And again thus saith the Lord l Jer. 32. 40 And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Wherefore seeing we have this Covenant of grace from God and thus confirmed with the seal of Christs bloud we may rest confident that if we are ingrafted into Christ by a true and lively Faith we are then invested into this New Covenant and every condition and Promise therein contained shall be performed to the uttermost which doth give us an holy assurance that we shall never totally and finally fall away from God The third Reason for the stability of the Faithfull is grounded upon the power of God for as Peter saith m 1 Pet. 1. 5. We are kept by the power of God through Faith unto salvation The Lord Jehovah is our keeper the Lord is our defence all power is from him and no created power can take us out of his hand Christ is also our good Shepherd and we are his sheep though we go astray and wander out of the way in the Wildernesse of this world yet Christ will not loose us but will seeâ— us up and bring us again unto his fold n John 10. 28 29. Christ knoweth his sheep and will give unto them eternall life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck thâ—m out of his hand My father saith he which gave them me is greater then all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand Wherefore if there be any confidence to be put in the Almighty power of God if any trust in the care of Christ over his flock or any truth in his promises to his sheep we need not doubt of our perseveâ—ance in grace and in the truth we need not fear the malice the cunning or the power of the Devil that he can overthrow our Faith or destroy the habit of it that is planted in our hearts by the holy Ghost Fourthly the stability of our Faith is firmly grounded upon the faithfulnesse of God according to this of Paul o 1 Thess 5. 23 24. And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Faithfull is he that calleth you who also will do it Also thus he saith p 1 Cor. 1. 8 9. God shall also confirm you unto the end that ye may he blamelesse in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ God is faithfull by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Thus saith Moses to the children of Israel q Deut 7. 9. Know therefore that the Lord thy God he is God the faithfull God which keepeth Covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his Commandements to a thousand generations Holy David had great experience of Gods faithfulnesse to him and therefore he saith r Psal 36 5. that the faithfulnesse of God reacheth to the clouds And again he saith Å¿ Psal 119. 90. Thy faithfulnesse is unto all generations thou hast established the earth and it abideth We may therefore rest upon the faithfulnesse of God as well as upon his power for the keeping of his Covenant for the performing of his Promises for his aid and assisting grace in all our temptations t 1 Cor. 10. 13. for God is faithfull who will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able but will with the temptation also make away to escape that we may be able to bear it Also in all our afflictions miseries and calamities that we suffer in a good Cause God will keep and preserve our souls from hurt and therefore thus saith Peter u 1 Pet 4. 19 Let thâ—m that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faithfull Creatour Thus saith the Lord unto his People u Hos 2. 19 20. I will betroth thee unto me forever yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousnesse and in judgement and in loving kindnesse and in mercies I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulnâ—sse and thou shalt know the Lord. If we are thus betrothed unto God in faithfulnesse in judgement and in righteousnesse then we cannot be quite separated from him and our Faith in Christ which is the instrument of our betrothing cannot be quite lost The fifth reason why the Faithfull cannot finally fall away from God is taken from the love of God x John 13. â— for those whom he loveth God loveth to the end Love is essentiall in God and he can as well deny his own Being as deny his love to those that are united unto Christ by Faith and his love to them endureth for ever y Rom. 8 39 For noâ—hing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Thus saith John the beloved Disciple of Christ z 1 John 4. 10 16. Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins Again he saith thus And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us God is love and he
such an High-priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled separate from sins and made higher than the heavens When Christ did offer up himself a sacrifice to God his whole humane nature was bound to the altar of his Divinity with the cordes of unseparable union and love e Isa 53. 10 and his soul was made an offering for sinne as well as his body which was crucified and his precious blood which was poured out upon the Cross f Heb. 7. 27. This sacrifice though it were but once offered was sufficient to satisfie the justice of God to appease his wrath to blot all our sins out of his book of remembrance and to perfect for ever them that are sanctified This is also piously to be considered g Rev. 1. 6. that Christ by his eternal Priesthood hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father h 1 Pet. 2. 5 and an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ These sacrifices are our prayers our praises thanksgivings and a broken and a contrite heart for our sins i Phil. 4. 1â— also our deeds of charity to the poor members of Christ are and odour of a sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable an well pleasing to God Paul did beseech the Romans k Rom. 12. 1 to present their bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is their reasonable service so that whatsoever we offer unto God it must be offered with a sanctified heart which is washed and purified in the blood of Christ by faith and indued with sanctifying grace from above and then our sacrifice will be clean and accepted of God Though our prayers and praises be imperfect and come farre short of that which they ought to be yet if they proceed from a sincere heart and are offered up by Iesus Christ our High-Priest then he will perfect them with his own righteousness and present them to God his Father for us and we may rest assured that God will be pleased to accept them graciously Wherefore seeing Christ hath made us Priests unto God because we belong unto him we must offer up our prayers and oblations to God and not to Saints or Angels for he is the author and the giver of every blessing and mercy that we receive he provideth for us food and raiment and whatsoever is needful both for this present life and for that which is to come he doth protect us from dangers he doth support us in our tribulations and delivereth us out of our distresses when we cry unto him with a faithful heart We have therefore great cause to ascribe all honour and glory unto him and thankfully to acknowledge that God is the sole author of all our good to whom we must return all praise and thanks for it Also if our prayers and oblations have no relation unto Christ by faith they cannot be accepted neither can we confidently hope to receive a gracious return of them with a blessing except we believe that Christ our Advocate will present them to God his Father If we did duly consider how much we stand in need of Gods helping hand and of his assisting grace to carry us on through all the troubles and dangers that we shall meet with in this life also how God doth continually follow us with his tender mercies and loving kindness we would not be so slack in our prayers and praises unto him and if we did consider that our prayers must mount up even to the throne of Gods Majesty they would not be so cold so dull and so much clog'd with worldly cares and sinful thoughts as commonly they are which doth hinder their swift ascent up to heaven but we would labour to be more heavenly minded and to put more holy zeal and fervency into them and to send our faith along with them which will soon bring them unto Christ and then he will present them unto God for us So likewise if we consider how careless we are in the worship and service of God how ready we are to fall from him how imperfectly our best duties are performed what sins we dayly commit and what wrath and fury we do justly deserve for them we should then be more humble more affected with godly sorrow and more carefull to renew our repentance every day our sighs and groans for our sinnes would proceed from our hearty contrition and from true compunction of spirit and then our faith in Christ will give us a firm assurance of the pardon and forgivness of them all for thus saith the Lord l Isa 66. 2. To this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word Also m Isa 57. 15 Thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones Wherefore now if we think to have our wants and necessities supplied by our industry in our callings without prayer if we think to be supported in our troubles or to be delivered out of our miseries with prayer to be nourished at our tables or refreshed in our beds without prayer and to be eased of our paines or recovered of our diseases without prayer we shall either miss our desires or else we shall have them without a blessing We cannot conceive how prevailing faithful prayer is with God if it be presented to him by Christ Thus saith James n Jam. 5. 15 16 17 18 The prayer of faith shall save the sick and if he commit sins they shall be forgiven him And again The effectual servent prayer of a righteous man availeth much Elias prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six moneths and he prayed again and the heaven gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit o Gen. 20. 17 At the prayer of Abraham God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maid servants and they bare children p 1 Sam. 1. By prayer Hannah obtained a sonne q Exod. 32. 11. Moses by prayer did stop the flud gates of Gods fury that were ready to be poured out upon his own people for their idolatry in worshipping the golden calf By prayer we may obtain any blessings from God and escape any judgement that he hath threatned Likewise our interest that we have in Christ by faith will make our praises and thanksgivings to God for blessings received to be accepted and will also make them not to return empty again into our bosomes If our repentance for our sinnes be without faith in Christ it will give us no good assurance of pardon though we do express all the outward signes of true humiliation and though we break our hearts with grief yet we can
what a great punishment it is when the Ministers of God are removed from their places and the people fit in darknesse and left to ignorance and spirituall blindnesse or else to such teachers as cannot shew them the right way to heavenly happinesse But it is a punishment above all other when God will take away his Word and Gospel from a Nation or people because they despise it and will not learn instruction by it Christ thus threatneth the Church of Ephesus p Rev. 2. 5. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works or else I will come unto thee quickly and I will remove thy candlestick out of his place except thou repent Darknesse of understanding was one of the curses which God threatned to bring upon his people if they would not obey his Law q Deut. 28. 28 26. The Lord shall smite thee with blindnesse and thou shalt grope at noon-dayes as the blinde gropeth in darknesse and thou shalt not prosper in thy wayes Among the sins of the Jews which the Prophet reckoneth up this was one r Isa 59. 7 9 10. that they made haste to shed innocent blood Therefore saith he is judgement far from us neither doth justice overtake us We wait for light but behold obscurity for brightnesse but we walk in darknesse We grope for the wall like the blinde and we grope as if we had no eyes We stumble at noonday as in the night we are in desolate places as dead men All this was truly verified in the Jews at this time when they shed the innocent blood of our Saviour Christ upon the Crosse It is therefore a fearfull judgement when God doth bereave us of the means of knowledge and understanding of his will Hear what the Lord threatneth by his Prophet Å¿ Amos 11 12. Behold the dayes come saith the Lord God that I will send a famine in the land not a famine of bread nor a thirst for water but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea and from the North even to the East they shall run to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord and shall not find it Miserable are the people that are in such a case for they have no means to come to the knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ by whom they must be saved Now let us Meditate with faithfull hearts on the wonderfull goodnesse of God who hath continued still unto us the light of his Gospel and his Word of truth to be a Lanthorn to our feet and a light unto our paths and to guide us into the way of true peace and heavenly felicity whereas our sins have justly deserved that he should remove our Candlestick from us Let us also study all thankfulnesse to him for so great a blessing and labour to improve it to the glory of God and to the edification of our souls to eternall life t 1 Sam. 3. 1 In the dayes of the Judges untill Samuels time the Word of the Lord was precious there was no open vision Wherefore while we do injoy it we should highly prize it and imbrace it with pure affections as the means which God hath appointed for our salvation In the last place consider that as it was the good pleasure of God to humble his onely Son so low before he had finished the work of our redemption as that the Sun seemed to mourn at the sight of it so likewise God is sometimes pleased to bring his dearest servants from the highest degree of honour to the lowest condition of men for some end and purpose which he in his secret wisdom doth intend either for his own glory or for their good It may be our case to be brought from plenty to penury from pleasure to pain from health to sicknesse from credit and honour to shame and disgrace but we need not repine at Gods Providence herein for as he can advance his own glory by our condition how mean soever it be so he can and will sanctifie our condition to our comfort and for our good though it be among the lowest degrees of men if we do meekly submit to his will and pleasure We cannot be brought so low as our gracious Saviour was we cannot suffer so much of Gods fury as he did for he drank a full draught and the very dregs of the cup of trembling at Gods hand but we have a very small portion measured out to us and the bitternesse of it will soon be out of our tasté u Psal 30. 5. for the anger of Godendureth but a moment in his favour is life wéâ—ping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning Our cup of affliction is tempered and measured out by Christ according to our strength and it is sweetned with many comforts that we may willingly take it and be able to bear it Christ hath had full experience of our sorrowes and he will compassionate us in our miseries If we are oppressed under the crosse he will ease it in his good time if we are perplexed for our sins he will present our condition to his Father and the merit of his blood to procure our atonement with God that the bright beams of his grace and favour may again shine upon us If we do seriously meditate on these things we may faithfully believe that Christ the Sun of righteousness will at length come with healing in his wings and dispell the black cloud of afflictions which hath long overshadowed us Of the Death of our SAVIOUR CHRIST COnsider now with all pious devotion to what weaknesse both of spirit and body our dear and precious Saviour was brought when he was upon the Crosse for his blood was wasted his Spirits were spent the moisture of his body was dryed up and the time of his dissolution was now at hand Now was fulfilled that of the Prophet a Zech. 13. 7 Awake O sword against my shepherd and against the man that is my fellow saith the Lord of hosts smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered When Christ was in this extremity of weaknesse a little before his death b Joh. 19. 28. he said I thirst by all which he did shew the truth of his humanity This thirst was not so much for wine or water to refresh his fainting spirits as it was to have our redemption finished that God might be glorified in the salvation of mankinde Then the barbarous people that had no humanity in them gave him Vinegar in a spunge to drink which they did out of malice to increase his pain and misery but the Lord did so order it that it was to fulfill this saying of the Psalmist c Psal 69. 21. They gave me also gall for my meat and in my thirst they gave me Vinegar to d Joh. 19. 30 drink When Christ had tasted it he said It is finished because all the
nor his parents had sinned but it was that the works of God should be made manifest in him Lastly God doth sometimes visit us with afflictions to stir us up to more frequency and fervency of prayer untill we are delivered out of our troubles Howsoever or to what end soever God doth visit us our faith in Christ will stand us in great stead to support us in our sufferings and tryals and to make the right use of all Gods dealings with us that our soules may receive profit and comfort thereby If we did live in sad and mournful times when we could scarcely see any thing but oppression injustice rapine and wrong k Ps 82. 2 3 when the Judges judge unjustly as the Psalmist saith and accept the persons of the wicked and doe not defend the poor and fatherlesse nor doe justice to the afflicted and needy when the Church of God is under affliction and torn in pieces by persecutors and spoilers with sects and scismes and the sincere Word of God corrupted with humane inventions or else troden down by the authority of unjust men then were the time to live by faith and to strengthen our faith with firm hope that God will arise as the same Psalmist saith and judge the earth and will send deliverance to his Church in his good time and that he will awake as a Gyant out of sleep to avenge the desolations thereof and the oppressions of his people In the mean time we should remember those that suffer in our prayers and comfort our selves with faith in the promises of God waiting with patience for the salvation of God when he will visit his people in mercy and remember what his Church hath suffered and by whom to render to every man according to his works Among many calamities that God doth sometimes bring upon a nation or a people to humble them for their sinnes to rouse them up out of security to pull down their pride and to break their stubborn hearts this is one of the greatest when he doth take away the pillars of his Church and doth suffer it to be underpropt with weak meanes for though it may stand for some short time yet it cannot continue long for if the winds doe blow or the billows of the sea rise against it they will shake it and much indanger the fall of it This was Davids request unto God in the like case l Psal 12. 1. Help Lord for the godly man ceaseth for the faithfull fall from among the children of men When we see these things come to passe we had need cry mightily to the God of our salvation for his help for they are fore-runners of great calamities But we trust that God will not bring such visitations upon us but that he will pitty us as a father pittieth his child upon his submission to his will though by reason of our sinnes and rebellions against his sacred Majesty we have deserved no pity Now then if these things be well considered thou wilt find that whatsoever thy condition of life be that sorrows and troubles will daily attend thee that the corruptions of thy nature will break out upon thee to make thee fail of thy duty to God to make thee yeild to sinful motions and to fall sometimes into grosse sinnes and so to loose the sense of Gods grace and favour which doth more perplex the soul of a true Christian than to suffer the greatest miseries but here is thy comfort that if thou hast faith in Christ thou wilt rest upon him for he will support thee in all thy sorrows he will free thee from all thy sinnes and will procure thy pardon upon thy true repentance and he will bring thee again into the favour of God by the merit of his bloud Nothing can make thee so unhappy and so comfortlesse but that true faith well grounded upon Christ and upon the promises of God will take away the apprehension of thy unhappinesse and will give thee true consolation in the assurance of the love and favour of God to thee in Christ Sixtly Faith will give us comfort in all the pious actions of our life for by our union with Christ God will accept for his sake both of our persons and of our works whether they be works of piety to God or works of charity to our neighbour That our works may be such as God requireth first the Word of God must be our rule to teach us to frame our actions according to the will of God and not according to the conceit of our own fancie Secondly Our works must be such as come within the compasse of our calling either publick or private otherwise we have no ground to believe that God will accept them m â— Sam. 6. 7 Vzzah was stricken dead for staying the Ark when it was shaken in the cart because he had no calling for it God requireth that we should teach instruct and admonish our children and servants in the wayes of godlinesse but if we presume to execute the office and function of the Minister without a lawfull calling thereunto God may set his mark upon us for our presumption n 2 Chro. 26. as he did upon King Vzziah for going in to the Temple of the LORD to burn incense upon the Altar which pertained not unto him to do Thirdly we must take the time and opportunity that God gives us for any good action and not to put it off with delayes for that is the time which he will accept God hath set a part one day in seven for his peculiar service and for good works which is the Lords Day and that day must be wholely sanctified to him Fourthly our Adoption by Faith in Christ will strongly move us to perform good works and holy duties out of a filiall love to God and not out of a slavish fear to do them willingly in obedience to Gods command and not upon constraint also with an holy zeal and not with a blinde devotion o Acts 17. 24. like the Athenians who worshipped an unknown God p 1 Chro. 18. 9. David did counsel his son Solomon to worship God with a willing minde for God accepteth free-will offerings But if we are forced to the service of God like slaves for fear of punishment our service will not be well accepted Fifthly Faith will make us do all our religious duties with chearful hearts and pure affections to the glory of God q Psal 35. 15. for the Lord considereth all our works Thus God saith by Solomon r Prov. 23. 26. My son give me thy heart And thus saith the Apostle Å¿ 2 Cor. 9. 7. God loveth a chearfull giver Lastly Faith will make us constant in well-doing which will crown all our good actions with gracious acceptation so that we have respect t Psal 119. 6. as holy David had to all Gods Commandements then if we do our best endeavour in Gods service though we fail of our
will still molest and trouble us and there is no evill in our afflictions and sufferings because the nature of them is changed into Fatherly chastisements which conduce to our good and not to our hurt Also we may draw great consolation from our Adoption if we Meditate upon the right which we have thereby to all the promises of God to all his holy Ordinances to all his blessings to whatsoever is good for us or we stand in need of and also to an heavenly inheritance after this life is ended If we consider the mercies of God to us in Christ they will afford us matter enough of comfortable Meditations for if we search the Scriptures m Zech. 13. 1. we shall find a fountain of mercy that God hath opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for nucleannesse wherein we may wash away all the guilt and stains of our sins if we can apply the streames thereof to our hearts by faith this Fountain is the blood of Christ which the holy Ghost here meaneth n Joh. 4. 10 In Christ we shall finde water of life to refresh our panting souls when we are in any distresse or lye languishing under the sense of our sins o John 6. 48. 58. Christ is also the bread of life whereof if we eat by faith we shall live for ever p Col. 3. 11 Thus Christ is made all in all to us by faith q 1 Cor. 1 13. for he is made unto us wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption His wisdome will teach us the way of truth it will guide us in it and it will dispose of all things for our good His Righteousnesse is a garment of salvation to us his Spirit of grace will inrich us with all heavenly endowments to lead an holy and sanctified life and conversation Also r Psal 103 3 4 by his redemption all our iniquities are forgiven all our spirituall diseases are healed our life is redeemed from destruction and we are crowned with loving kindnesse and tender mercies Let us consider also for our further comfort in our Meditations on God Å¿ Eph. 3. 17 that Christ the eternall son of God doth spiritually dwell in our hearts by faith and he doth not come to lodge with us as a guest or to sojourn there for a time and then to be gone from us but he cometh to abide and to dwell with us for ever he hath taken up his habitation there and our faith will cleave so close to him that he will never depart from us neither will he suffer us to depart from him We read that Ittai the Gittite one of Davids worthies would not leave the King when he fled from his son Absalom but he answered the King in this manner t 2 Sam. 15 21 As the Lord liveth and as my lord the King liveth surely in what place my Lord the King shall be whether in death or life even there also will thy servant be Thus close doth our faith cleave unto Christ for it will not suffer us to leave him neither will he leave us but our faith will be still with Christ both in life and in death O happy is our condition if we have such an Inhabitant in our hearts if Christ hath setled his abode there he wil execute his Priestly Office to make intercession to his heavenly Father for us u 1 Pet. 2. 3 and he wil make us a royall priesthood to offer up ourselves and our prayers unto God and to present unto him our spirituall sacrifices and oblations our thanks and praises for blessings and mercies received and a broken and contrite heart for sins committed which sacrifices God will not refuse Christ will also execute his Propheticall Office in our hearts to teach and instruct us the right way to true holinesse and godlinesse of life and conversation and how to attain unto eternall salvation in the life to come So likewise Christ will rule and reign in our hearts as King by his Spirit of grace to order and govern us in all our wayes and actions to over-rule and subdue all the Spirituall enemies of our salvation to protect and keep us from all perills and dangers to provide for us what is needfull for our good and also to comfort us in all our sorrowes and in the anguish of our souls to keep us out of the power of the devill at the hour of death and u 2 Tim. 4. 8 to give us a crown of righteousnesse which he hath laid up for us at the day of his appearing Here is yet more matter of comfort to be drawn from Christ in our Meditations of him when he doth spiritually dwell in our hearts and that by faith we do injoy his sacred society for he doth cloth us with his own Righteousnesse for our justification and he doth endow us with the graces of his Spirit for our sanctification that through him we may be able to overcome the world the flesh and the devill and so to over-power the corruptions of our nature that our sinful lusts and the evill concupiscence of our flesh shal not have dominion over us x Rom 8. 16 and his spirit will bear witnesse with our spirits that we are the children of God Christ will also put a spirituall light into our understanding to discern the things of God which a naturall man cannot do and to know our own condition from whence we are fallen and how to be recovered he will give us grace upon the sight and sense of our sins to be truly humbled for them to repent and turn to the Lord for he delighteth to dwell with those that are of a broken and a contrite heart according as he speaketh by his Prophet y Isaiah 57 15 Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity whose Name is holy I dwell in the high and lofty place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones Christ will also change the perversenenesse of the will to put it into a frame of conformity to the will of God and he will take off the immoderate affections of our hearts from all earthly things and will raise them up to heavenly contemplations to study holinesse of life to love that which Christ loveth to delight in his Commandments and in his Ordinances and to practise with a willing minde all holy duties which he requireth both to God and to our neighbour in Publick and in private at home in our families and to others upon all occasions Then we shall find heavenly joy and spirituall consolation when we set our hearts to Meditate thus on God in Christ Wherefore the consideration of these great benefits and comforts which we have by Christ should be strong and prevalent motives to us to prepare our hearts to receive him to inlarge our
end shall be comfortable to thee according to this of David x Ps 37. 35 37 38. Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace But though the wicked are in great power spreading themselves like a green bay tree yet they shall be destroyed together and their end shall be cut off If we have these benefits and comforts and much more by the operations of the holy Ghost we must then study how to be thankfull to him for his goodnesse and how to expresse it by our conformity to his will and by our ready obedience to his holy motions Also we must have recourse unto him by fervent prayer for what we want as it may stand with his good pleasure to grant But we must take heed with what heart and with what affections we make our addresses unto him for if there be any secret or darling sin lurking in us he will easily find it out he can search into the most secret corners of our hearts and nothing can be hidden from his all seeing eye If our hearts are more set upon carnall pleasures or worldly profits than to meditate on his gracious operations and how to enjoy him he will soon discover our hypocrisie and it will stop the current of his graces to our hearts but if he findeth truth and sincerity in our inward parts he will then plentifully bestow his heavenly gifts and graces upon us for he will give us more meeknesse of spirit more patience in our troubles more comfort in our sorrowes and more grace to cleanse and purge away the leprosie and filth of our sins Also he will put our hard and stony hearts into a gracious condition fit to receive the print of his own image to seal unto us the assurance of our salvation No duty then in the service of God can be hard to us if we are guided by this eternall Spirit and nothing that we suffer can be bitter to our souls if this heavenly comforter hath made his abode in our hearts In the last place we must consider that no saving and sanctifying grace can be wrought in us but by the holy Ghost and we can discern nothing of the deep things of God for our comfort if we have not a spirituall light from him he worketh faith in us to unite us to Christ and to make application to our selves of the merit of his sufferings for our redemption he works repentance to assure us of the pardon of our sins and to manifest the power of Christs death and resurrection in us by the mortifying and killing of the power of our sins and by the quickening of us up unto newnesse of life The holy Ghost worketh our filiall love to God our hope in his promises our Christian patience in bearing the crosse with a meek and a contented minde our Christian fortitude and courage in all our spirituall combates and tryalls and our constancy to hold out untill we have obtained victory He gives us the assurance of our justification the sanctification of our lives ability to pray unto God and to meditate on him as we ought and he worketh the renovation of the whole man in us These heavenly graces are as so many precious jewells to adorn our souls that we may be all glorious within y Psal 45. 13 like Solomons Queen to be espoused unto Christ for if we be decked with these ornaments of grace and cloathed with the righteousnesse of Christ to cover the shame and the deformity of our sins then God will accept of our persons and of our offerings and will hereafter wed us to his own Son Wherefore when we come into the presence of God to partake of his Divine Ordinances or to perform any holy service unto him we must humbly crave the assistance of the holy Ghost to give us understanding hearts and sanctified affections and to put an holy zeal into our prayers and Meditations that they may mount up above all earthly things and ascend up to the throne of grace where they shall be heard and graciously accepted z Acts 7. 30 32 33. When Moses perceived that God was in a flame of fire in a bush he trembled and durst not behold untill he had put off his shoes from his feet because the place where he stood was holy ground So likewise a Josh 5. 13 14. though Joshua was so valiant as to withstand a man of war that stood over against him with his sword drawn in his hand yet when he understood that he was the captain of the host of the Lord even God himself he fell on his face to the earth and did worship and losed his shoe from off his feet because the place whereon he stood was holy Thus we ought to appear before God with fear and trembling and to come with all due reverence into his Presence when we perform any holy duties unto him also to put off all our filthinesse and to put on the righteousnesse of Christ by faith because we come into an holy place where God himself is present who will not suffer any unclean thing to come near unto him If we can thus Meditate on the holy Ghost we shall find much sweetnesse and comfort in our Meditations Now let thy heart Meditate freely on this blessed Comforter with an holy devotion and pure affections when thou art in any sorrowfull or afflicted condition or when any anguish of spirit doth seize upon thee for true consolation is no where to be found but onely in him Let thy heart also ruminate upon those severall resemblances of the holy Ghost which will help thine understanding to discern how he worketh in thy heart to purge thee from thy corruptions to instruct thee in the wayes of godlinesse to confirm thee in the Truth to change thy sinfull disposition into a sanctified condition to seal the assurance of thy Redemption to thy soul to blow away all vain and sinfull cogitations out of thy minde and to give thee all spirituall abilities meet for a Christian warfare in this life that thou maist have a Crown of righteousnesse in the life to come How to Meditate upon the Works of God IF we consider and look well upon the works of God in the Creation of the Heavens and of the Earth how he hath beautified and adorned the Heavens with innumerable glorious bodies and replenished the Earth with all varietie of Plants and fruitfull trees and with all kindes of living Creatures both great and small also how he hath filled the bowels of the Earth with rich and precious mineralls and the seas with fishes of all kindes we cannot then but admire the Omnipotent Power the infinite Wisedome the transcendent glory and the wonderfull Goodnesse of God the great Creatour who hath made them all for our use and service and that he might be glorified by them This consideration will help our understandings in the knowledge of God and to raise up our hearts
son commit iniquity I will chastise him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men but my mercy shall not depart away from him But God punisheth the sins of the wicked in anger and with much severity for their destruction his own children are reformed by their corrections but the wicked are more hardned in their sins by their punishments This of the Prophet is verified in them n Jer. 5. 3. O Lord thou hast stricken them but they have not grieved thou hast consumed them but they have refused to receive correction they have made their faces harder than a rock they have refused to return God doth also bestow his mercies and blessings upon them both he doth commonly give more of his temporall blessings to the wicked than he doth to the godly to leave them without excuse and to give them means and ability to glorifie God but they abuse them to sin and uncleannesse to excesse and riot o Eccl. 5. 13 This is that evill which the Preacher did see under the sun namely riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt But God hath speciall gifts and blessings which he bestoweth onely upon the godly and these are the saving and sanctifying graces of his Spirit which are peculiar onely to them and reserved for them Wherefore now if we seriously ruminate upon the Works of God we shall finde much matter for our instruction and for our spirituall consolation The knowledge of the creature is a ready way to bring us to the knowledge of the Creator and the due observation of the Works of God will bring us to the love of him to the fear and dread of him and to the obedience of his commands We have dayly experience of the Works of Gods Providence and of his goodnesse to us in Christ which should strengthen our faith hope and confidence in him though he doth sometimes bring us into great straits and layeth great tryalls upon us and it should keep us from murmuring and repining though he doth long delay to send us help and comfort in time of need Also it should keep us from carking care and from immoderate seeking of earthly things because God will provide for us and will not suffer us to lack any thing that is good We should therefore wait upon him and wait patiently for his salvation in all our wants and necessities in all our troubles and tribulations and in all straits and distresses which the malice of the devill or wicked men can bring upon us for God can and will by his wise Providence turn that to our good which they intend and purpose for our hurt How should we then delight to meditate on God in all his Works seing p Psal 145. 17. the Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his works What comfort can we want in the saddest times seeing God watcheth over us by his Divine Providence for our good what need we fear the malice or power of our spirituall enemies seing we have Gods Protection to keep and defend us from them If we â—ay up these things in our hearts our souls will have the comfort of them in all the sadnesse and sorrowes that we shall meet with in this life Concerning the Creation of Man NOw we come to the Principall piece of Gods Workmanship which he wrought here upon earth and that is the Creation of man in which great Work the three Persons in the sacred Trinity did agree with one consent and gave him such a body as should be capable of immortality and such a soul as should receive the impression of the image of God for thus saith the Lord a Gen. 1. 26 Let us make man in our image after our likenesse Man must needs then be created in innocency in righteousness and true holiness without spot and blemish or any imperfection either in his soul or body There was no perversnes in his wil no folly in his understanding no corruption in his heart for God gave him ability and a willing minde to obey him and a wise and an understanding heart able rightly to know God his Creator and to worship and serve him as he ought to be served Also he did know the nature of all the beasts in the field of all the fowles in the air and the vertue of all herbs and Plants and God made him presently fit for that rule and soveraignty which he gave him over the creatures God did also set his love upon him and crowned him with glory and honour according to the words of the Prophet David b Psal 8. 4 5 6. What is man that thou art mindfull of him or the son of man that thou visitest him For thou hast made him a little lower than the Angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour Thou maâ—est him to have dominion over the work of thy hands thou hast put all things undâ—r his feet For he was created in his full perfection fit to rule and govern the creatures whom God had made for his use and service As God did shew his wonderfull wisedome and power in the creation of Man because he made him such an excellent creature of the dust of the earth so he now sheweth no lesse power and wisdome in fashioning him in the womb for thus saith holy David c Psal 1 39. 1â— 15. I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvelous are thy Works and that my soul knoweth right well my substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth The Preacher also saith d Eccl. 11. 5 That we know not how the bones do grow in the wombe of her that is with child There are more wonders in man than there are parts and members of his body and every one of them calls for due consideration The eye is but a little member and yet the best oculist cannot finde out all the wonders that are contained in it Who can discover the windings and turnings of the brain how it worketh upon whatsoever it apprehendeth It is troubled with visions and dreams in the night it is at no quiet all the day man hath no command over his own thoughts but they flie swiftly from the East to the West and they bring back to remembrance things that were long past and gone So likewise there are such secret corners in the heart that no man is able to discover what is hidden there God only that formed it knoweth the breadth and deepth of it his all-seeing eye can search into it and nothing that lurketh there can be hid from him Who can declare the wisedome of God in the Creation of man in the faculties and endowments of his soul in the structure of his body and how he is fashioned in the womb we may admire at these things but we cannot comprehend them Now let us bring down our thoughts
true end for which we were created Now we may take a view of our own condition and we may see in what state we stand with our God For if if we do principally attend to the true end of our Creation that our studies endeavours and all our actions are chiefly bent for the glory of God and that we can truly say with good Hezekiah e 2 Kin. 20. 3 I have walked before the Lord in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in his sight or as holy David said f Psal 26. 3 Judge me O Lord for I have walked in mine integrity I have walked in thy truth Also if we can truly say g Phil. 2. 12 That our whole course of life hath tended to the working out of our salvation with carefulnesse fear and trembling then we are most happy we steer our course to the right end and we shall at length attain to that Kingdom of eternall glory which we desire and hope for But if upon a diligent search we finde our selves to be in a contrary course to sit with vain and prophane persons to have fellowship with hypocrites and dissemblers to love the society of evil doers and to delight in earthly vanities all which will easily corrupt us by their evill example and sinfull wayes then the course of our life is not tending to the glory of God but it is dishonourable to him and destructive to our own souls Thus we are brought into a perillous and dangerous way that leadeth directly into perdition if God in mercy doth not bring us into the right way Wherefore it doth greatly concern us to raise up our thoughts to God our Creator to fix the Meditations of our hearts upon him h Isa 51. 7 to look unto the rock whence we are hewen and to the hole of the pit whence we are digged to look unto Adam our first parent as he was in the state of innocency before his fall that we may labour for his purity that we may follow after his righteousnesse and seek the Lord with pure affections and study how to serve and please him in all things as Adam was then able to do Also it behoveth us to consider how dangerous it is to conform our selves to the common errour of the world that man was born to be for himself and for his ownn ends which errour we must carefully avoid and then we shall labour to sâ—eer our course the right way and we shall bestow our time to the right end i Mat. 6. 33 First to seek the Kingdome of heaven and the righteousnesse thereof and then those things that shall be needfull for this present life shall be added unto us Concerning the fall of man MAn had power and ability given him to stand and continue in that perfect and blessed condition wherein he was created but he did soon fall from God by transgressing his command in eating the forbidden fruit whereby he brought himself and all his posterity that were then in his loyns and came out from him by naturall propagation under the severe curse that God laid upon him for his sin and this was the Originall of sin to all his posterity By this meanes Adam defâ—ced the bright image of God that was stamped upon his soul for he lost the perfection of his understanding the liberty of his will and the integrity of his heart Also the earth was cursed for his sake and the creatures became rebellious to him he is now a slave to the devill and to his own sinfull lusts and he hath no power to redeem himself out of that captivity and bondage onely he hath a possibility by Christ to be restored again to his former happinesse whereas the Angels that kept not their first Station but sinned against God and were thrust out of heaven have no possibility to be again restored Adam also hath made himself and all his posterity lyable to all outward crosses and sorrowes of body goods and good name to all inward troubles of minde and anguish of spirit to all temporall plagues and punishments and to all eternall pains and torments This was our condition in him we did also fall from God with him and our losse hereby is as great as his was our misery as much as his he did eat of the forbidden fruit and our teeth are set on edge so that now we have great cause a Isa 38. 1 2 3. to turn our faces toward the wall with good Hezekiah and to weep with great weeping to be ashamed of our selves and to be confounded in our selves for the sentence of eternall death is pronounced against us and we are now under the curse of the Law and under the fierce wrath and fury of an omnipotent Judge because we have sinned against God our Maker b Psal 137 2 3. we may now hang up our harps on the willowes for we can sing no more the joyfull songs of Zion we are cast out of paradise and out of the favour of God and we are now captives in a strange land under the tyranny of the devill We have not now that sweet familiarity with God which we had in the loynes of Adam before his fall we cannot now injoy the light of his countenance nor look upon him with comfort for all the beauty of our first holinesse is stained and polluted with sin and uncleannesse the pure image of God is defaced in us we have no knowledge in heavenly things no holy zeal in our hearts no purity in our affections and no readinesse of will to obey God We have lost all those precious Ornaments of grace of righteousness and true holiness of heavenly wisdom understanding and fear of God which made us lovely in his sight and now we are wholely naked c Ezek. 16 like a wretched infant that cannot help it self and we are void of all goodness and of all help and comfort in our selves If we look further into our condition we shall see how we are plunged into the depth of all misery for we are now slaves to every vanity and to every base sinfull lust and our servitude and bondage under them is very miserable because they tyrannize over our souls and yet we do willingly submit unto it which make us not able to break those chains of sin wherewith we are bound We have lost our right to the creatures and our dominion and soveraignity over them the earth will yeeld us no increase without excessive labour and toyl we ly open continually to all our spirituall enemies to all kinde of perills and dangers to all sorrows aad miseries in this life and to eternall burnings in the life to come Whatsoever we want in spirituall or temporall blessings and whatsoever we suffer by outward afflictions or inward troubles of minde is the fruit of sin and should make us call to minde and with much grief and sadnesse of heart to think upon our fall in
But in the Redemption of man Christ Jesus the second Person in the sacred Trinity laid aside all his celestiall and heavenly glory which was his due from his first incarnation and from eternity and came down from his Throne of Majesty in heaven and humbled himself to the meanest condition of life here on earth and to the basest and most accursed death even to the death of the crosse that he might Redeâ—m us from the lowest degree of misery and advance us to the highest degree of happinesse even above the blessed Angels in heaven This will be exceeding great joy and comfort to us if we have an holy perswasion of our Redemption by faith in Christ for hereby we have a near relation unto God being made his sons by adoption in Christ and then our souls will so delight in him that nothing will will be hard to us that we shall suffer for his sake and nothing will be too dear for him that he shall require and it will be the desire of our hearts to do his will and the joy of our souls to be joyned nearer and closer unto him also we shall willingly part with our dearest sins rather than our sins shall part us from our God This holy perswasion if it be well grounded will make us fear no adversary power and our spirituall enemies shall not daunt us for we will flee unto Christ as our best refuge in all our troubles and sorrowes we will crave his protection in all our perills and dangers for he is our Redeemer and our Saviour he is the Rock of our salvation in whom we must trust he will give us strength of grace to endure our tryalls to fight his battels and to stand for the truth against all opposition We may safely rest upon Christ and put our confidence in him for comfort and succour when any calamity doth oppresse us for help and deliverance when any spirituall enemy doth assault us for he will be our hiding place in times of danger and our comfort in all our sorrowes and afflictions k Eph. 1. 20 21 22. For God hath set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places farre above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named noâ— onely in this world but also in that which is to come and hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the Church Wherefore let the consideration of all these benefits which we have by our Redemption stir us up with all care and diligence to perform that duty and obedience which we owe unto Christ and to expresse all filiall fear and reverence all love praise and thankfulnesse to him for our Redemption which Work neither God nor man could effect for us but onely Christ who was both God and Man The time of grace GOd is the sole Disposer of Time and he keeps that precious Jewell in his own Cabinet to give to the sons of men what time he pleaseth and he appointeth every one to improve their time for the gaining of the grace and favour of God and of those things that do conduce to the kingdom of heaven and not to spend it vainly sinfully and licenciously To some he giveth more time and to some lesse and all must imploy it to the glory of God and to the good of his neighbour God doth measure out our life by time and some have a longer measure than others and this measure is dispensed to us by moments for we cannot recall the time that is past and we do not injoy the time that is to come so that we have onely the time that is now present which is but a moment and when one moment of time is gone God doth give us another until the measure of time that God hath allotted us be fulfilled If we look upon an hour-glasse we shall see how swiftly one grain of sand runneth after another and so continueth untill all be run out Thus it is with the moments of our life one moment followeth swiftly after another which God would have us duly to consider that we may not waste our time in vain things but imploy it to that end for which God gave it and that is to the working out of our own salvation that God may be honoured and glorified thereby and therefore about whatsoever we spend our time if it doth not conduce to that end it is but lost and vainly spent God hath given us a time for all our necessary occasions here upon earth that all things may be done in their season For as the Preacher saith To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven â— Eccles 3. 1 2. A time to be born and a time to dye a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted and we do observe the times and seasons of the year when to till the ground and when to sow our seed when to reap our harvest and when to gather in the fruits of the earth The Coelestiall Bodies know their times as the Psalmâ—st saitâ— b Psal 164 19. He appointeth the Moon for seasons the Sun knoweth his going down Also the fowles of heaven and the birds in the air have their times appointed for thus God upbraideth his own people by his Prophet c Jer. 8. 7. The Stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times and the Turtle and the Crane and the Swallow observe the times of their coming but my people knoweth not the judgement of the Lord. We are wise enough to know our times for earthly things but we have no care to observe the times of grace how and when we may gain the grace and favour of God that he may accept of our persons and of our holy oblations that we offer unto him and also when we may obtain from him the saving and sanctifying graces of his most blessed Spirit The time of our life is the generall and longest time of grace that God hath given us wherein we should seek his gracious acceptance of us in Christ and wherein he doth work grace in the hearts of all his Elect by his Spirit Now if we measure this time of grace by the length of our dayes accoâ—ding to the course of nature or according to the health and strength of our bodies or by our own foolish fancy that measure is very uncertain for who knoweth whether his dayes shall be many or few Are we not dayly subject to casualities and to sudden death if we be strong and have our health to day we may be weak and sick to morrow though we dream of long life yet it is but a dream for we have no assurance of it If we thus measure the time of grace we shall put it off with delayes untill God doth suddenly bereave us of all time But we must measure out our dayes by the Rule of Gods Word and then we
shall see d Gen. 47 9 that our dayes are few and evill as Jacob said unto Pharaoh and holy David will tell us e Psa 144. 4. that man is like to vanity his dayes are as a shadow that passeth away also f Psal 39. 5. that our dayes are as an hand-breadth and our age is as nothing before God And in another Psalm he saith thus g Psal 103. 15 16. As for man his dayes are as grasse as a flower of the field so he flowrisheth for the winde passeth over it and it is gone and the place thereof shall know it no more Thus saith holy Job h Job 7. 6. 7 My dayes are swifter than a weavers shuttle and are spent without hope O remember that my life is winde If our life be winde how soon then is it gone how little then is the time of grace and yet upon this little moment dependeth our eternall happiness for when this life is ended there is no more time for grace or to seek the favour of God Wherefore it is extream folly to lose any part of this precious time without some gain of grace or to spend it to any other end than to the glory of God then much more to waste it in sinfull pleasures to the great dishonour of his Name and to the destruction and losse of our own souls Though we be in the State of Grace yet through the corruption of our nature and the frailty of our unregenerate part we are subject to many slips and failings and sometimes we do so dangerously fall that God will hide his face from us and eclipse the bright beames of his gracious countenance for a time so that we shall have no sense nor apprehension of his Grace and favour to us and the fruits of his Spirit will seem to us to be withered and dryed up But God hath his speciall times of grace when he will be found of us and when he will graciously accept us and will manifest again the fruits of his holy Spirit and his sanctifying graces shall again shine forth in us when God hath wrought his own work in our hearts and hath humbled us for our sins with his rod he will then call to us saying i Psal 27. 8. Seek ye my face and our hearts must presently answer with David Thy face Lord will we seek for to answer presently to Gods call is the time of gracious acceptation thus saith David I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said k Ps 32. 5 6. I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found Also when we seek with all faithfull diligence unto the Lord in our tribulations and sue unto him with all our hearts we shall find him gracious and propitious to us as the Lord himself saith by his Prophet l Jer. 29. 12 13 14. Then shall ye call upon me and ye shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken unto you And ye shall seek me and finde me when ye shall search for me with all your heart and I will be found of you saith the Lord. But the holy Ghost sets down a more particular time of grace m Heb. 3. 7 13. To day if ye will hear his voice harden not â—our hearts and he giveth this reason lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin for God doth call to us every day by some meanes or other to seek his face and his favour Wherefore we must not put off the time of grace untill the morrow for as James saith n Jam. 4. 14 Wâ— know not what shall be on thâ— morrow For what is our life It is even a vapâ—r that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away It is now plain and evident that the principall time of grace is when God is pleased to offer it and when he doth give us the means to attain unto it for God keeps the gift of grace in his own power to give it to whom and when he pleaseth and except God doth offer it we cannot receive it The very first desires of seeking grace is Gods free offer of it to us for he doth incline the will and works those holy desires in our hearts by the operation of his own Spirit Sometimes the holy Ghost doth work them in us upon the true sight and sense of our sins and thereby moves us to make our peace with God by true repentance according to this of the Prophet o Isa 55. 6 7 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is near Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon The holy Ghost doth also work thus in our hearts upon the sense of our wants and necessities and upon the sense of our afflictions and tribulations to humble our souls before God that our hearts may be prepared to seek his love and favour by fervent prayer Thus saith the Prophet p Isa 26. 16. Lord in trouble have they visited thee they powred out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them If we do duly consider these thiogs and ponder well upon them in our hearts it will teach us highly to prize that time which God doth lend us here in this life for the gain of Grace that hereafter we may attain to eternall happinesse in the kingdom of heaven also not to refuse any offer of Grace that God shall make unto us First because oâ—r time is short and momentany and we know not how long we shall enjoy it Secondly because our little time is transitory and passeth swiftly away and we cannot recall one moment that is gone Thirdly because it is the time which God hath appointed for Grace and the time of his gracious acceptation Fourthly because the eternall salvation both of our souls and bodies dependeth upon this short time of our life Lastly if we lose any opportunity of grace that God doth give us we shew great unthankfulnesse to God and we know not whether he will give us another opportunity for it Wherefore we should not spend our time idly or unprofitably but we must with all care and diligence improve it to those ends for which God hath given it to make our calling and election sure by faith in Christ to make our peace with God whom we have offended and to regain his love and favour when we have lost the apprehension of it by our sins Many heavenly comforts we shall finde if we listen to Gods call and receive Grace when he doth offer it First God will be found of us if we seek him with pure affections and in the uprightnesse of our hearts Secondly he
from the Lords own mouth that it is the property of a good shepheard t Ezec. 34. 3 4 to feed the flock to strengthen the diseased to heal the sick to bind up that which is brokâ—n to bring again that which is driven away to seek that which is lost and to protect his flock from the danger of the wolf Isaiah did prophesie thus of Christ u Isa 40. 11 He shall feed his flock like a shepheard he shall grather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosome and shall gently lead those that are with young This tender care Christ hath over every lamb and every sheep that belongeth to his fould If we are then his sheep u Ioh. 10. 3 4. we know his voice we will hear it we will follow him and obey his voice Thus saith David x Iâ—sal 23. the Lord is my shepheard I shall not want If the Lord be our shepheard then surely our shepheard is the Lord Iehovah under whose shadow we shall be preserved and from whom we shall receive all sweet consolation and refreshing Thus saith the Lord by his Prophet y Eze. 34. 23 And I will set up one shepheard over them and he shall feed them even my servant David which is Christ the Lord. Fourthly Christ is resembled z Rev. 2 2. 2. to the tree of life which did bear twelve manner of fruits and yielded her fruit every moneth and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the Nations Now then a Cant. 2. 3. if we sit down under the shadow of this tree we shall find great pleasure and delight we shall be preserved from the heat of Gods wrath we shall be refreshed thereby in the scorching heat of afflictions and fiery tryals and under this shadow the burning heat of our sinful lusts will be cooled and asswaged If we feed upon the fruit of this tree by faith which is the body of Christ crucified upon the Cross and his blood powred out it will be sweet and pleasant to our spiritual tast b Iohn 6. 5â— for it will â—e the bread of life to make us live for ever c Ioh. 4. 14. and his blood will be a fountain of living water which will spring up in us unto euerlasting life The leaves of this tree are his gracious promises which will heal and cure all the spiritual diseases and wounds that our sins have made in our souls if we do apply them to every particular wound by faith Lastly Christ is resembled to a bridegroom and then the whole Church of God and every true believer is his spouse and his bride That is that which Iohn the Baptist said d Iohn 3. 29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom which he then spake of Christ Now there is a wonderful joy and rejoicing between the bridegroom and the bride and the Prophet expresseth Gods rejoicing over his people by this mutual joy that is between them e Isa 62. 5 As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride so shall thy God rejoice over thee Who can describe the perfect love of Jesus Christ to his spouse who can declare the loving affections of the bridegroom towards his bride what excellent benefits doth he bestow upon her of his own bounty and grace without any of her deservings though she hath many spots blemishes yet he will not forsake her but will sanctifie her and make her holy chast and pure fit to be his spouse being adorned with his own ornaments of grace This doth evidently appear in that excellent song of Solomon where the admirable love of Christ to his spouse is expressed and also the intire affection of the Church unto him This is Christ our gracious Redeemer and these are some of the heavenly comforts that we shall enjoy by him if we can imbrace him by faith as our blessed Saviour and bridegroom of our souls We may now draw much comfortable matter from these several resemblances of Christ for the strengthning of our weak faith and for the supporting of our drooping spirits also they will afford us excellent matter for our instruction to teach us how to demean our selves towards him and where to find true comfort in time of need If we are branches of this vine we shall draw grace and vertue from him to make us fruitful in all good works to walk uprightly before God and to live comfortable in what estate or condition soever we be If Christ be our head we will be directed by him in all our wayes we will seek unto him for protection against all our enemies for preservation from all casualties and dangers and for deliverance out of all our troubles also that we may receive from him some influence of spiritual grace without which we cannot move one step toward heaven If Christ be our shepheard then we must be harmless and meek as his lambs our ear must be open to his voice we must follow him and none but him f Psa 2. 2. 3 for he will make us to lye down in green pastures he will lead us forth beside the waters of comforts and will bring us forth in the paths of righteousness and will also plentifully provide for us though his rod of correction or his staffe be upon us yet they shall be for our great benefit and consolation So likewise if we can shroud our selves by faith under the shadow of this tree of life it will greatly refresh our souls and we may find cure for all our spiritual diseases by applying the promises of the Gospel and the merit of Christs sufferings to our selves by faith But above all if we can feed upon the blessed fruit of this tree by faith in the hearing of the Word preached in the worthy receiving of the Lords Supper and in our devout and zealous meditations on Christ crucified for us it will nourish us up to eternal life Lastly if we are betrothed unto Christ by faith he will then rejoyce over us to do us good he will make us pure and holy and will hide all our deformities of sin under the robe of his own righteousness out of Gods sight and will adorne us with his own spiritual and heavenly graces that we may be lovely in his sight and fit to be wedded unto him for ever hereafter in the Kindome of heaven We are also bound by vertue of this our union to love Christ with pure affections to honour him above all and to keep our selves from spiritual fornication thaâ— the may delight in us to do us good and never to leave and forsake us The consideration of these things is well worthy our serious and devout meditations because hereby we shall the better know Christ our Redeemer and we shall draw neerer into communion with him who is the fountain of all true consolation and the onely meritorious cause of our salvation by that redemption which he hath wrought for us This knowledge of
outward ministration of it to make it profitable and comfortable to our souls Examine now thy self what impression the doctrine of Christ hath made in thy heart which thou hast often heard sincerely preached and how thou hast been profited by it what knowledge thou hast gained in heavenly things how thou art confirmed in the truth of Gods Word how thy faith in Christ is established what hope thou hast of eternal salvation and how firmly thy faith is grounded upon the promises of God Also how thou art humbled for thy sins and what reformation of life it hath wrought in thee what patience and meekness of Spirit thou hast in thy sufferings what zeal for the glory of God what constancy in thy tryals and what love thou bearest to thy neighbour these and the like benefits thou maist have by the Word of God if thou art a profitable hearer of it If upon due examination of thy self thou doest find any of these operations of the Spirit of God in thee it is a sure evidence that he hath made thee a profitable hearer of his Word Many did hear Christs doctrine from his own mouth and yet they received no good by it so thou maist hear his holy Word and be no whit the better for it if it be not preached as wel to thy heart by the Holy Ghost as it is to thine ear by his Ministers Oh consider how many worthy sermons thou hast heard without profit what thou hast been taught and yet not edified nor reformed because thou didst hear them with uncircumcised ears and with a poluted and unbelieving heart for thy heart is naturally unfit to receive the heavenly doctrine of Christ until rhe holy Ghost doth prepare it and season it with grace that it may bring forth fruit unto newness of life o Hos 10. 12 There is so much fallow ground in us which is barren and unfruitful that the good seed of the Word of God cannot be sown to us in righteousness to reap the fruits of it in mercy untâ—l the holy Ghost breaks up this fallow ground with the power of his sanctifying grace neither can we seek the Lord that he may come and rain righteousness upon us Wherfore p Ier. 4. 4. we must be circumcised to the Lord and the foreskins of our hearts must be taken away and the vail that is upon our understandings must be removed and we must be purified by faith before we can be made fruitful in an holy and vertuous conversation by the Ministry of the word Wherefore imbrace the holy doctrine of Christ with pure affections lay it up in a clean heart and ruminate upon it in thy serious meditations that it may abide with thee to make thee grow dayly in grace vertue and godliness until thou comest to a full stature in Christ Consider therefore and observe how thou art inwardly affected when thou hearest it what delight thou hast in it and what impression of grace it makes in thy heart for if thou delightest in the Lords Sabbath and rejoicest when his Word soundeth in thine ears q Luc. 5. 41 as the babe did leap for joy in Elizabeths wombe when she heard the salutation of the Virgin Mary because Christ was then in the Virgins wombe thou art then in a blessed and comfortable condition r Isa 58. 13 14. and thy soul shall delight in the Lord who shall feed thee with the heritage of Jacob. Christ doth also teach us what we ought to do by his works that we dayly see both of justice and of mercy which are his silent Preachers and therefore they ought to be carefully regarded for there is no act of his but is intended for our instruction Noah was many years in building the Ark which was a long sermon to teach the world of the ungodly what God intended to do God Å¿ 1 Pet. 3. 20 waited then for their repentance and conversion an hundred and twenty years while the Ark was a preparing t 2 Pet. 2. 5 Noah also was a Preacher of righteousness to them all that time and did warn them of the wrath of God which did hang over their heads for their sins Thus doth God also deal with us for he doth visit us with sickness he doth teach us thereby to prepare our selves for the hour of dissolution and to perfect our account which we must make to the great Judge of heaven and earth at the last day that so we may willingly resign up our selves unto God when death shall part them from our bodies When God suffereth us to fall into temptations then he calls us to pray for his assisting grace for strength of faith and for constancy to stand out against the devil to the end that he may give us the crown of victory If he doth visit us with losses troubles or afflictions it is to teach us patience and meekness and to humble our selves under the hand of God until he doth deliver us If he doth chastise us for our sins it is to bring us to repentance When God bestoweth his blessing upon us or removeth the cross from us u Ps 50. 15 then he calls for a thankful remembrance of his mercy and goodness to us howsoever God dealeth with us either in judgement or in mercy it should teach us to glorifie him as well in our sufferings as for his blessings Thus God doth teach and instruct us what we should do and how to obey his will both by his Word and by his Works and as our ear must be open to his Word that it may be conveyed to our hearts by the holy Ghost so we should dayly observe the Works of God and how he dealeth with us that our hearts may receive instruction and our tongues may blesse his great and glorious name Wherefore we ought to listen to Gods voice in them that our hearts may return an answer of obedience agreeable to his will Of Christs Priestly Office GOd did also ordain Christ to be a Priest accord-to this of David a Ps 110. 4. The Lord sware â—nd will not repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck He was anointed to his office not with the material oyl of the sanctuary but with the spiritual unction of the holy Ghost when he was baptized and he did execute it partly by his prayers which he did frequently offer up to God his father for all his elect in the dayes of his flesh and partly by that sacrifice which he offered up upon the cross at his death b Heb 7. 24 25. Christs priesthood is unchangeable and eternal for he is still our High-priest and ever liveth to make intercession for us and therefore he is able also to save us to the uttermost that come unto God by him c Heb. 8. We have such a High-priest who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heaven d Heb. 7. 26 27. For
be overthrown it may be shaken with his boistrous and violent temptation but it shall never be cast down because our faith is built upon a sure rock which is Christ Iesus our King and head If sorrows and crosses breaks in upon us which we could not prevent nor avoid we need not fear for we shall see the salvation of Christ either in our strength and patience to bear them meekly or in our deliverance out of them or else he will sanctifie them to our good We need not cark and care for the things of this life but when we have done our best indeavour in an honest and lawful calling we must leave the event and success to God which peculiarly belongeth unto him and then he will have a care of us Å¿ Deut. 8. 3. for man liveth not by bread onely but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord. t Luc. 12. 24 God feedeth the young ravens when they cry unto him then much more will he feed us for it is part of his Kingly office to provide all things that are needful for those that belong unto him Shall not the head provide for the members of the same body and shall not Christ provide for us who have neerer relation to him by faith Now try and examine thy self search into thine own soul to see if Christ hath set up his scepter of righteousness in thy heart to bear rule in thine affections to regulate thy crooked and perverse will and to bring unto his subjection whatsoever resisteth or rebelleth against the Spirit of grace If thou dost find the fruits of sanctifying grace in thee then make a further scrutiny to see unto what measure of grace thou hast attained What corruption hath it mortified in thee what strong holds of sinful lusts hath it beaten down how is the body of sinne dismembred and weakned how strong is thy faith to rest and depend upon Christ in all difficulties and dangers canst thou joyfully bear the scandal of the Cross canst thou meekly bear the loss of thy friends of thy liberty or estate for his sake hast thou faith and patience to suffer afflictions persecution sword or famine for him and canst thou resist unto blood if Christ thy King shall call thee to it then it is an evident sign that his Kingdome of grace is well established in thy heart and hereafter thou shalt have a large inheritance in his Kingdome of glory Pet. 1. 10 Wherefore give all diligence to make thy calling and election sure that thou mayest be invested into his Kingdome of grace here which will bring thee hereafter to eternal blessedness in the Kingdome of heaven Now set thy mind and the meditations of thy heart upon Christ as he is thy King and resolve with an holy resolution to submit thy self to his rule and government to be directed by him in all thy wayes and to expres thy thankfulnes to him for his great care of thee who by his divine providence disposeth all things for thy good If troubles and calamities follow thee like the billowes of the Sea Christ will calm them if they are ready to overwhelm thee then even then will Christ take thee by the hand u Mat. 14. 31 as he did Peter upon the sea and will keep thee from sinking If God looks angerly upon thee for thy sinnes Christ will appease his wrath and make intercession for thee If death looks upon thee with a grim countenance and is ready to bereave thee of thy soul and to expose thy body to the worms yet know with holy Iob x Iob 19. 25 that thy Redeemer liveth also y Luc 6. 22. that he will give his Angels charge to carry thy soul up into Abrahams bosom and at length he will raise up thy body out of the dust and will make it a glorious and incorruptible body fit to live and raign with him for ever Thus and much more will Christ do for all those that have any relation to him by faith or that belong to his spiritual Kingdom for the honour of his great Name and for the eternal good of his Church Of the Passion of Christ. VVHen Christ had finished his Prophetical office in his Ministry and had wrought so many miracles as seemed good to his divine wisdome the time was then come that he must offer up a sacrifice to God for our redemption which was his whole humane nature soul and body for our sins then a Rom. 4. 25. God delivered him up to the power of the devil and into the hands of his enemies for our offences because the guilt of all our siâ—nes was charged upon him For before this very time neither the devil nor his deadly enemies had any power against him this was the time which God had decreed in his secret counsel that Christ should submit himself to their malice and power that the work which God had sent him to do might be finished and when that work was perfectly wrought then God delivered him out of their power by his resurrection and ascension Wherefore we ought to prepare our hearts for holy and devout meditations upon the Passion of Christ which was most bitter to his humane nature because the wrath of God was poured out upon him for our sins and the powers of darkness were let loose against him like so many wolves to worry this immaculate Lamb of God or like so many fierce mastifes against the Lion of the Tribe of Iuda but the innocency of Christ did carry him through his whole Passion and by his own power he overcame the sury of all his enemies though they were permitted to torment and torture him at their pleasure even to the death Christ suffered nothing for himself but it was for all those that were of the election of grace the guilt of whose sins he did take upon himself and to pay their debt to satisfie the penalty of the Law for them by his death and the justice of God by the merit of his blood also it was to cloth them with his own righteousness that they might be justified in the sight of God Therefore let no circumstance of his Passion pass without due consideration b Lam. 1. 12 Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto his sorrow which was done unto him wherewith the Lord hath afflicted him in the day of his fierce anger How was the perfection of beauty stained How was the Sun of righteousnesse clouded How was the bright morning starre darkned How was the Lord of glory contemned blasphemed scorned and spightfully used How was perfect holiness and innocency accused rejected condemned cruelly tormented and most shamefully killed And how was Truth it self despised and troden under foot Can we think upon his Passion without tears and mourning if we belong unto him Can we ruminate upon it and not accuse and condemn our selves who were the cause why he suffered these things and much
God that doth purge our consciences from dead works to serve the living God Also Iohn saith g Rev. 1. 7 that the blood of Christ the Son of God clenseth us from all sinne so that no spots no staines no guilt of sinne shall cleave to our souls to our condemnation and as he in himself according to his divine nature was infinite so the price which he paid at his Passion for our redemption was of infinite worth and the benefits that we receive by him are likewise infinite If we are clensed from the guilt of all our sins by the blood of Christ then the sting which sin hath put into all things that we possesse is taken away and we may comfortably use them to the glory of God and Christ by his resurrection and ascension hath sanctified them to us for our good riches shall not make us proud or ambitious nor steal away our hearts from God want and penury shall not make us repine or murmur against the providence of God to make us forsake him but all things shall work together for our good death shall not be terrible but advantage to us and we shall sleep quietly in our graves until the general resurrection because no guilt of sinne will lie down with us in the dust to follow us unto Judgement Though sinne hath wounded our souls i Mal. 4. 2. yet if we fear his Name the Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings to cure it for k Luc. 10. 34. Christ like the good Samaritan will pour in wine and oyl to clense and heal it Though sinne doth sometimes over-power us yet Christ by vertue of his death will subdue and kill it in us and by the power of his resurrection he will quicken us up to newness of life and he will make our unruly passions and sinful desires to be tributary and servants to us by the power of his Spirit and of his sanctifying grace l Iosh 9. 23. as Ioshua made the Gibeonites hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of God Lastly m 1 Thes 1. 10. Christ hath delivered us by his Passion from the wrath to come and from all the punishments that are due to us for our sins Christ did not begin his Passion until he had fulfilled all righteousness in his life and doctrine that the Law required though his whole life was a life of suffering and of sorrow But when he knew that the time was at hand when he must offer up his body a sacrifice to God for the sinnes of the world n Mat. 26. 21 he told his disciples that one of them should betray him into the hands of his enemies o Joh. 16. 32 that they all should be scattered from him and also what he should suffer in his Passion notwithstanding he did not shrink from it but did willingly undertake it because it was his Fathers will to have it so Wherefore he did arm himself with divine patience and meekness to suffer whatsoever was appointed in Gods decree should be put upon him and he prepared himself by prayer for that great work This is to teach us to submit with all meekness of spirit to the will of God in all our sufferings how to prepare our selves for them and how to demean our selves in them God hath appointed every man some work to do and when one work is finished he hath another ready for him for God requires that we should be diligent and painful in our callings frequent in holy duties and industrious in his vineyard p Mat. 20. 6 The good Housholder in the Gospel rebuked those that did stand all the day idle q Eze. 16. 49 Idlenesse was one of the sins of Sodom which brought down fire and brimstone from heaven upon it This is one of the properties of a good wife r Pro. 31. 27 that she looketh well to the wayes of her houshold and eateth not the bread of idleness God doth not appoint to every one their work alike for Paul had more work appointed him than any of the Apostles Å¿ 2 Cor. 11. 28. for the care of all the Churches came dayly upon him Abraham had harder work to do when he was to offer up his onely Son to God than any of the Patriarchs If God appointeth much work he will give time to doe it if his work be hard strength and ability to go thorough with it Wherefore if God shall call us to any hard service which is not pleasing to our nature or may seem impossible to humane strength we ought not to consult with flesh and blood what to do but to be obedient to the will and pleasure of God though we can expect no outward help nor support in it for if we rest upon God he knoweth how when to make us able to perform what he commandeth and to bear what he layeth upon us If we believe that God will assist us in his own work we shall set upon it with good courage and Christian fortitude That we may the better do any work that God commandeth we must prepare our selves for it by faithful prayer and then rest upon the assisting grace of God with stedfast hope that he will both help us in it and will bless and prosper our indeavours to his glory and to our comfort Thus we should do every day in the works of our calling but chiefly on the Lords day when we should spend our whole time in his worship and service Now let our hearts faithfully meditate upon the Passion of Christ and upon every particular that he suffered for our sakes and then we shall find the bitterness of it for the wrath of God was in every part of his sufferings and followed him from place to place even to mount Calvary until divine justice was fully satisfied for all our sins then we shall imbrace him with hearty affections and our souls will rest comforted in the assurance of our redemption thereby of Christ's Agony in the garden THe hour is now come when Christ must pay the whole debt to God his Father which he did undertake for us now is the time when the justice of God must be satisfied for our sinnes now doth God deliver up his dear Son to the powers of darkness now doth he cloud the bright beams of his glorious countenance from him and leaves him to himself to encounter with the devil because be saw the guilt of all our sins upon him and now doth the devil take a double advantage against our dear Saviour and with all his power and malice he doth fiercely set upon him in a single combate thinking now to prevail because God did seem to discountenance him and also because there was sin and that very great which was laid to his charge for the guilt of all the detestable and abominable sinnes of all the elect of God was imputed to him and the devil knew how odious and
be not conveyed to our hearts by faith as it iâ— to the ear and to the hand by the Minister also if the holy Ghost doth not give us a spirituall appetite to it that our heartâ— may spiritually feed upon it it will not be the sweet savour of life unto life unto us but rather the savour of death unto death If the devill can bereave us of the benefites that come by the meanes of Grace and make us lose the opportunity of it and can keep us from the true knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ as he did Judas he will then lead us on in a sinful and wicked course of life until he doth bring us to eternal perdition Thus by degrees he brought Judas from infidelitie to hardness of heart after he had taken possession of him until at last he fell into despair and became his own executioner for his damnable treason against his Lord and Master for presentlie after he hanged himself y Act. 1. 8. he burst asunder in the midst and all his bowels gushed out Thus did God give him his just reward for his horrible sin and impiety against Christ and yet he was one of his Disciples and had as much means of grace as the rest had and also as many common and external gifts of the Spirit as they had and did see the great works that Christ had done And thus will God shew his justice and judgements upon impenitent and notorious offenders that are so hardned in their sins that no meanes of Grace can bring them to Repentance Now examine thy self thou that dailie seest the wonderful works of God if thou canst look beyond nature and see his power and wise providence in them if thou canst discern the finger of God when great men are brought down and men of low degree are exalted also if thou canst see how God will bring to pass his own designs against all opposition of wicked men and that he can discover the hellish plots and maginations of the Devil and his instruments z Plal. 7. 15. and will make them fall into the same pit which they have digged for others a Esth 1. 10. as he did unto wicked Haman If thou seest these and the like things come to pass thou must believe that it is the work of God for his own glory and the good of his Church Peter did see the great works of Christ he did believe that they were wrought by the power of his divine nature Judas did also see the same works but he could not discern the divinity of Christ in them If thy condition be like unto that of Peter that thou canst see a divine power in the great works that are wrought here upon earth and that God by his wisdom and providence can dispose of all the troublesome chances and changes that happen here either in Church or State to his own glory to the good of his people and to the confusion of his and their enemies then thou doest rightlie understand the waies of God by a spiritual illumination that is in thy heart But if with Judas thou canst no discern Gods divine power in his works on earth to over-rule all adversarie power b Psal 2. 2. though they rage in fury and take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed then thine understanding is blinded and thou liest open to all kind of dangers and distractions of mind Search again into thine own heart thou that livest where the Gospel of Christ is sincerely preached and his holie Sacraments rightlie and duly administered and examine thy self with what affections thou doest come to those holie Ordinances of God what grace is wrought in thee and how thy faith is strengthened by them how much sin is weakned and how thy life is reformed Also examine what spiritual life thou hast what fruits it doth bring forth what care thou hast to nourish it by thy profitable hearing of the Word of God and by thy worthy receiving of the Lords Supper if thou canst give a good account that thou hast spent thy time profitably and hast improved the means of grace to the best advantage then thou art a faithful servant to thy Lord and Master Jesus Christ as Peter was But if this heavenlie food will not please thy palate it cannot nourish and comfort thy soul because thou hast some secret corruptions or some beloved sin that keeps the sweet influence of grace from thy heart and then thou wilt reap as little benefit by the Word of God and by his holie Ordinances as wretched Judas did though he heard Christ himself preach to him Surely God doth still send down this heavenlie Manna blessed be his holie name for it and thou maiest gather it for the nourishment and comfort of thy soul if thou wilt but if thou canst find no spiritual sweetness in it thy taste is not then spiritual but it is dulled with worldly cares or sinful pleasures which must be purged out of thy heart by the blood of Christ before thou canst with Peter take pleasure and delight to hear the words of Christ c John 6. 68 which are the words of eternall life and before thou canst make it the joy of thy heart to meditate on the Statutes of God How canst thou hazard thy life for Christ as Peter did and for the truth of his Gospel if thou art not well instructed and a good proficient in his School And how canst thou live a spirituall life to God if thy heart hath not sucked vertue and power from Christ by faith who is the fountain of this water of life and of this coelestial food to nourish thee up to everlasting life Look now a little upon Peters zeal for his Masters safety he resisted those that came to apprehend him d John 18. 10 11. and smote the high Priests servant but Christ cured the wound and rebuked Peter for it because his zeal was not well grounded for he did endeavour to hinder him in the work which God had appointed him to do concerning mans redemption and therefore Christ said unto him The cup which my father hath given me shall I not drink it This may teach us to drink willingly any cup of affliction that our heavenly Father shall give us for it must needs be good and profitable to us if we receive it from God as from the hand of our Father Also that holy zeal or fervency of spirit in Gods Cause is a duty which he requireth and his servants do practise it yet it must be regulated according to knowledge and to the glory of God for blind zeal will lead us into many errours Davids zeal was rightly regulated e Psal 119. 139. My zeal saith he hath consumed me because thine enemies have forgotten thy words f Num. 25. 11 12. Such was the zeal of Phinehas in the matter of Zimri and Cozby which turned away the wrath of God from the
suppresse the violence of our passions though we be naturally inclined thereunto Lastly Faith will strengthen us against all doubtings and distrust when Gods corrections are upon us b Heb. 12. 6 7. for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and he scourgeth every son whom he receiveth If we endure chastening God dealeth with us as with sons Thus saith Eliphaz to Job c Job 5. 17. Behold happy is the man whom God correcteth therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty Why then should we mistrust the love and favour of God when we are under his visitation Why do we not put more confidence in his power to defend us more trust in his care to preserve us and more hope in his promises to save and deliver us from our enemies and out of troubles and dangers Wherefore if we do piously meditate upon these things it will be a great strengthening to our Faith and exceeding comfortable to our souls in all our temptations sorrows and sufferings Consider in the next place that as Christ appointed the crowing of the Cock to be Peters remembrancer of his sin so likewise God in much mercy hath many waies to put us also in minde of our sins and to call us to speedy repentance for them which we ought with all care and diligence to mark and observe If God doth forbear and suffer us to go long unpunished for our offences d Rom. 2. 4. his goodnesse herein should lead us to repentance But if he doth give us any check of conscience or layeth any affliction upon us they are as so many warnings to make us remember our sins with grief of heart and to bring us to repent of them that we may escape the evill which otherwise our sins would bring upon us But when the holy Ghost doth touch our hearts as he did Peters he will work with unresistible power to make us think upon our sins with godly sorrow with true contrition and compunction of spirit with hatred and detestation of them he will make us confesse and acknowledge them before God and earnestly to crave the forgivenesse of them by Faith in Christ and to have an holy assurance of it by our true and sound repentance But if we remember our former sins with delight and approbation we sin them over again and this remembrance is sinfull and it proceedeth from our corrupted nature and not from grace which will never bring us to forsake them or to repent of them When Peter came to himself and remembred his unthankfulnesse to his Lord and Master and did see from whence he was fallen he was wounded to the very soul and presently went out to seek a place where he might ease the grief of his heart with his bitter teares Consider now with all pious devotion how dangerous it is and what advantage we give the divell if we reiterate any sins as namely swearing lying uncleanness drunkennesse Sabbath-breaking or the like for it will fasten the guilt of that sin closer to our souls which will not be removed without bitter teares but will press us down to the pit of destruction Consider also that great and crying sins require loud cryes deep sighs and grones and many teares which we cannot pour forth untill we do abandone all our wicked and lewd companions and all former occasions that did intise or provoke us thereunto and untill Christ doth look upon us and touch our hearts with his Spirit to let us know that he doth take notice of them e 1 Cor. 16. 13. We should therefore watch and stand fast in the faith that we depart not from Christ but support our faith with stedfast hope and assurance that he will stablish us with his free Spirit never to fall away from him totally and finally But thou wilt say as sometimes Peter did that though thou shouldst dye with Christ yet thou wilt never deny him nor forsake him but do not trust too much to thine own strength though thou art in the State of grace for if Christ doth not uphold thy faith the power of Satans temptations will prevail against thee thine own heart will deceive thee and the devill will be too cunning for thee f Ezech. 33. 31. Thou maist honour Christ with thy lips and yet in heart thou maist deny him for if the power of a Christian life goeth not along with thy outward profession thou dost then dishonour his holy Name dost forsake Him in thy heart If there be such unfaithfulnesse in thee to Christ thy Saviour and if there be such hypocrisie hidden under a fair profession then every rumour of trouble or danger for Christ every alluring vanity and every delightfull sin will make thee turn aside from him g Psal 78. 57. like a deceitfull bow because thy heart is not well seasoned with grace to make thee stand firm and stedfast unto Christ and to his truth against all opposition If this be thy fidelity to thy Saviour and if thou dost repose so little confidence in him then surely he will not regard thee though thou dost howle and call unto him day and night when thou art in any distresse or misery The Lord complaineth of his own people h Hos 7. 14 that they had not cryed unto him with their heart when they howled upon their beds for they did still rebell against him Wherefore let there be truth and sincerity in thy heart that thy heart and thy tongue may go together in thy Prayers in thy vowes and in all thy services to God and man let thy heart and thy hand go together in thy almes to the poor and in all thy works of charity for if thy heart be not faithfull to God thy best services and duties cannot be accepted Also keep thy heart closely knit to Christ by faith and then he will cast an eye of mercy upon thee as he did upon Peter if at any time through humane weaknesse or upon the violence of any passion or strong temptation thou shalt fall away from him Thy heart is that which Christ requireth for thus he saith by Solomon My son give me thy heart i Prov. 23. 26. give not thy heart therefore to the pleasures and vanities of the world nor to carnall lusts and delights but onely unto God Now Meditate seriously upon all the circumstances of Peters fall and thou wilt find thy self likewise subject to the like provocations and to the like frailties and failings and learn instruction thereby not to be secure because dangers and temptations do every where attend thee and not to presume upon thine own strength for that will not preserve thee but labour to be well rooted in the truth and well grounded in the faith and love of Christ and then no spirituall enemy shall prevail against thee and the cunning stratagems of the divell shall not hurt thee no fear of perills and dangers shall make thy faith in Christ to fail and no afflictions or troubles shall
make thee out of hope of the love and favour of God in Christ but thou wilt resolve still to be faithfull to thy Saviour and to keep thy heart sincere and upright towards God and then Christ will restore thee if thou fallest he will heal thee by repentance as he did Peter if thou art wounded and whatsoever thou fearest shall not dismay thee Christ will be thy comfort in all thy sorrowes thy hiding place in all dangers and he will be thy defence against all thy spirituall enemies that they shall not overthrow the salvation of thy soul Christs sufferings under Pilate NOw we come to consider what Christ suffered under Pilate and how the immaculate Lamb of God was hurried from the wolfe to the lyon and from thence to the bear and back again to the lyon and so to the shambles where he must be slain For the more his Divine graces did shine forth in the purity of his life and Doctrine the more did the divel rage and the malice of the Jews increase against him He is now brought before Pilate a Luk 23. and thither did the chief Priests and Elders come with their false accusations against him They likewise follow him from Pilate to Herod before whom also they falsly accused him with much vehemency yet they rest not there but they returned again to Pilate with their hearts full of envy and malice and their mouthes full of opprobrious speeches and blasphemies against the innocent Lamb of God to put him to death Thus they persecuted the Lord of glory our gracious Redeemer and yet these wicked dissembling Rulers did hide and cover their grosse hypocrisie and their divilish malice under the pretence of sanctity and holinesse b Joh 18. 28 for they refused to go into Pilates judgement-hall lest they should be defiled but that they might eat the Passeover for this was the preparation day What holinesse can there be in a malicious heart How can the heart be prepared to serve God aright when the conscience is stained with the guilt of sin and how durst they eat the Passover when there was so much soure leaven of hateful malice in them but they did stand more upon the outward form of godlinesse then to perform it with pure affections and with a good conscience Now we may easily see what Satans drift is against the servants of God for if he did stirre up all his instruments to persecute Christ Jesus our Head with deadly hatred he will not spare us that are his members and he will set upon those that are most eminent in grace with his strongest assaults Thus he assaulted Job with many and great afflictions one upon the neck of another to overthrow his patience c 1 Chro. 21. 1. Thus he strongly tempted David to number the people to make him trust in the arm of flesh and to weaken his confidence in God d 2 Cor. 12. 7. and thus he buffeted Paul with his temptations and many sore afflictions But this is our comfort that he can do no more than God doth permit him he cannot exercise his power according to his malice for God will not suffer him to assault his weak servants with strong temptations and though he doth sometimes permit him violently to set upon those that are rich in grace and strong in faith yet he will order and dispose his attempts for their good and not for their destruction as the divell doth maliciously intend God will make them serve for the triall and manifestation of their graces for the preventing of spirituall pride and for the confirmation of their faith and affiance in God by that experience of his assistance and gracious deliverance which hereby they have gained From hence we may learn how to be prepared when we come to the Lords Table to eat of his holy Supper how to come to the hearing of his Word and how to addresse our selves unto Prayer and to pious meditations If we come to these holy Ordinances with polluted hands and with hearts defiled with the guilt of sin as these Rulers did to eat the Passover what holinesse soever we pretend we do but dissemble with God we delude our own soules and God will neither hear us nor accept us Wherefore we must cast out the leaven of sin and purge our consciences from dead works by faith in the bloud of Christ before we come into the presence of God that our affections may be quickned and raised up to these heavenly and Divine Ordinances of God But if our sins do stick close to our soules by our delight in them they will binde us over to judgement and to condemnation and therefore we must not seek to hide them or to colour them over with fair pretences as if God could not see them but we must confesse them and lay them open before God from a truly humbled and penitent heart that so we may come before him in sincerity and in truth for e Psal 44. 21. God knoweth the secrets of our hearts But if we will hide our sins quite out of Gods sight we must hide them under the righteousnesse of Christ for there is no other hiding place for sin but under this robe Thus the guilt of our sins may be hidden from God if we can apply to our souls Christ crucified and his righteousnesse by faith Also if we have a true assurance by our repentance that our iniquities are forgiven we may then and not before draw near unto God with comfort and we may partake of his holy Ordinances with much profit for they are appointed for us if we are thus prepared for them and bestowed onely upon such as have interest in Christ by faith We come now to look upon the innocency of our blessed Redeemer who was without spot or stain of sin both in the sight of God and in the sight of man otherwise he could not have saved us from our sins Thus saith God himself of him f Luk. 17. 5. This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased g John 8. 46 Which of you saith Christ to the Pharisees convinceth me of sin Pilate and Herod did strictly examine him and yet they could find no fault in him h Luk. 23. 14. Pilate himself did freely confesse that Christ was blamelesse and therefore he sought meanes how to release him Also i Mat. 27. 19 his wife sent to him saying Have thou nothing to do with that just man for she was much troubled that night by some revelations concerning him Though Christ was accused of many things yet nothing could be proved against him notwithstanding Christ was willing in obedience to his Fathers will to suffer the utmost that God had appointed for mans redemption for if any part of this great Work had been left unfinished he could never have procured our atonement and reconciliation with God Wherefore here is matter of great comfort for our hearts to meditate upon for
though the guilt of all our sins was imputed unto Christ yet he was not defiled therewith and though he suffered for sin yet it was not for his own but for the sins of all the Elect of God which he took upon himself for the perfection of his purity and of his righteousnesse did still remain unspotted and undefiled that we might be cloathed therewith by faith to hide our nakednesse and the shame of our sins when we come into the presence of God to perform any holy service unto him but specially when we shall appear before his dreadfull Tribunal at the last day From hence also we may draw much consolation when we are falsely accused spitefully used or cruelly persecuted for the Profession of the truth and for a good conscience for our dear Saviour hath suffered the like in our Nature and for our sakes that these and the like sufferings might be sanctified to us and that we should follow Christs example of patience and meekness when we are under them We need not therefore be dismaid when we are thus unjustly dealt with for Christ hath taken away the evill of these sufferings and hath taught us how to demean our selves under them and if we wait patiently upon God he will in due time make our innocency break forth like the Sun out of a cloud to his own glory and to our great comfort Consider now and admire to see how the malice and cruelty of the chief Priests and Scribes did increase against Christ for when they perceived that Pilate had cleered his innocency and was willing to release him their rage and fury was the more inflamed k Mat. 27. 20. insomuch as they moved the people to desire that Barrabas might be released to them who raised sedition in the City and was also a Murtherer and that JESUS might be crucified which kinde of death was most ignominious most shamefull and accursed Though they knew by their own Law what a crying sin in the eares of God the shedding of innocent blood was yet no blood could satisfie them but innocent blood Pilate offered them the blood of Barrabas but that would not content them for they thirsted after the purest blood that ever was spilt even the most precious blood of the eternall Son of God because he laid open their corrupt doctrines and discovered their hypocrisie to all the people The cruell Jews did shed the blood of the Prophets that were sent to them and now they do eagerly hunt after the blood of Christ whom they could no way convince of any sin Thus doth their divelish envy and malice carry on to the highest degree of rebellion against God and against his Anointed Now let us meditate with an holy zeal and pious devotion upon the price of our Redemption l 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. for we were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from our vain conversation but with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot who was both God and Man so that the Jews crucified him that was m 1 Cor. 2. 8. the Lord of glory and the blood which they spilt was the blood of that Person who was God as well as Man according to this of Paul n Act. 20. 28 That God hath purchased to himself a Church with his own blood Wherefore o 1 Cor. 6. 20 seeing we are bought with such a price we ought to glorifie God in our bodies and in our spirits which are Gods p Heb. 6. 5 6. and not to fall away when we have tasted of the good Word of God and of the powers of the world to come seeing thereby we crucifie to our selves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame by our new committed sins after repentance Also we must ruminate upon the transcendent worth of the blood of our crucified Redeemer with pure affections for it was an infinite price to satisfie the justice of an infinite God We cannot conceive much lesse expresse the incomprehensible goodnesse of Christ who of his meer love hath given up himself and his whole nature both Divine and Humane to purchase our redemption with his own blood His Deity of it self could not suffer either hunger or thirst pain or torment for these and all other his sufferings did properly belong to his humane nature but by the personall union of his humanity with his Deity the Divine nature of Christ did suffer together with his humanity by a nearer simpathy than is between the members of the naturall body and the head or between the members of the mysticall body of Christ and himself who is their Head for these members both naturall and spirituall are but knit and united to the head by firm ligaments but the humanity of Christ was taken up into his Deity and so made one Christ Saul persecuted Christ when he did persecute his Church for thus saith Christ unto him q Act. 9. 4 5 Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And he said Who art thou Lord And the Lord said I am Jesus whom thou persecutest for he persecuted him in his members he being their Head How much more then did the Deity of Christ suffer throughout his whole passion by simpathizing with his humane nature not onely as r Cor. 11. 3 God is the Head of Christ but chiefly because his humane nature was personally united to his Deity this is the cause why the blood of Christ his sufferings and his death is of so great merit and of such an infinite price If it be so that Christ did give himself in his whole nature for us that his blood should be spilt his body mangled and tortured his soul tormented his Glory clouded with ignominy and shame and that his Deity should be blasphemed and spitefully dishonoured for our redemption and if we were bought with so great a price we have then as great cause as ever David had Å¿ Psal 103 1 2 3 4. to blesse the Lord and to stirre up all that is within us to praise his holy Name for all the benefits of our redemption for he forgiveth all our iniquities he healeth all our diseases he redeemeth our lives from destruction and he crowneth us with loving kindnesse and tender mercies For if we can apply to our selves by a true faith Jesus Christ and him crucified for us t Gal. 2. 20 as Paul did he will fasten the guilt of our sins to his own crosse that it shall not cleave to our souls and he will remit the punishment that is due to us for them also he will heal and cure all the spirituall diseases of our souls by powring clean water upon us and by sanctifying us with his grace and holy Spirit unto newnesse of life which is a sure evidence of the pardon of our sins and then he will imbrace us with the armes of his love and will crown us with everlasting peace Consider yet
and sought opportunitie to betray him unto them Then he stirred up the chief Preists and Elders against him who out of malice and envie did persecute him and falslie accuse him before Herod and Pilate because the people did so much resort unto him Pilate condemned him out of fear and flattery to keep his grace and favour with Caesar and to please the people for he thought he did it for Caesars honour The Souldiers crucified him for a reward and to make a spoil of his garments Thus they are all the devils instruments to put the immaculate Lamb of God to a most shameful and cruel death for their own wicked ends But God did over-rule them all by his gracious and wise providence and made all their purposes and actions to serve for the furthering of his most loving and merciful end which was decreed from eternitie From hence we may draw sweet meditations for our comfort upon the power and goodness of God who can and will over-rule the power of the devil and of all wicked men and will so dispose of all their plots and devices which they intend for the hurt of his servants that they shall all serve for his own glorie and for their good he can frustrate their wicked intentions and can bring about his own end to effect his own work by them God hath this provident care of his people that whatsoever their enemies do maliciously intend or devise against them shall be brought to nought or else he will make it serve for their advantage and gain Though our enemies be as strong as c 1 Sam. â—â— Goliah was and though we are as unfit to encounter with them as David was to fight with that great Gyant yet if we put our confidence in God as David did and keep close unto him by faith in Christ he will direct a stone to beat out their brains And though they be as cunning and as subtile d 2 Sam 17 as Achitophel was yet God can confound them in their own craft and policy Mark now and consider it well how God in justice did revenge the treachery and cruelty that was used in betraying and in murthering of his dear and onely Son and how he brought their wickednesse upon their own heads for Judas was given up to a reprobate minde e Mat. 27 5 and immediatly after he hanged himself God did severely punish the whole nation of the Jews for this most horrible fact and laid the innocent blood of his Son upon them and upon their posterity which doth stil rest upon them because they did wilfully without cause and out of malice shed it Pilate also was soon after cast out of Caesar's favour and banished into France and the Devil was hereby quite vanquished and overcome so that now he hath no power to hurt the meanest of Gods Saints Thus will the Lord deal with all those that have their hands stained with the blood of his Anointed ones and with all such as are Actors in any wicked Design They may hide their counsels in the dark yet nothing can be hidden from God for he hath an All-seeing eye to discover what they go about and he will bring the evill of their doings upon themselves or upon their children Wherefore have thou no hand in the blood of Gods servants and partake not with the wicked in their evill designes for the guilt of their sins will cleave to thee and God will not suffer it to go unpunished for if thou art partaker of other mens sins thou shalt also partake with them in their punishment Therefore f Eph. 5. 6 7. Paul adviseth the Ephesians not to be partakers with wicked men because the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience for their sins God calleth his people out of Babylon saying g 1 Rev. 18. 4 Come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues But it is a blessed thing to partake with the children of God in his holy Ordinances in all holy duties h 2 Cor. 1. 5 7. and in the sufferings of Christ Because we shall also partake with them in the consolation that is by Christ Thus the servants of God should mutually joyn together in the worship and service of God that they may also mutually have the benefit and comfort of those services here and also partake together with them of the glory that afterwards shall be revealed Of the penitent Thief NOw we come to consider that Christ was crucified between two thieves according to this of the Prophet a Isa 53. 12 He was numbered with the transgressors one of them had no remorse of conscience nor grief of heart for his offences but began to rail upon Christ to revile him and blasphemously to taunt him saying b Luk. 23. 39. If thou art Christ save thy self and us But the other was touched by the holy Ghost with a godly sorrow and a relenting heart for his sins and did freely confesse that they two did justly and deservedly suffer death for their offences but he did justifie our beloved Saviour for his blameless innocency and he rebuked his fellow saying Fearest thou not God seeing thou art in the same condemnation Then he turned to Christ to implore his mercy and made this short and sweet Prayer to him Lord remember me when thou shalt come into thy Kingdom To whom Christ immediatly gave this gracious Answer Verily I say unto thee This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Surely these gracious words of Christ did much mitigate and asswage the sorrowes of his perplexed minde and much eased the bitternesse of his torments and this blessed Promise gave him good assurance that after his present sufferings and pains he should injoy rhe blessed society of Christ in the heavenly paradise For as Faith wrought in his heart a true contrition to Repentance and opened his mouth to make a good confession of his sins and to vindicate the innocency of Christ from the aspersions of his fellow Malefactour and also to present his humble request unto Christ his Lord for some gracious rememberance of him so no doubt it sealed such an holy assurance of future happinesse to his sorrowfull soul and wounded conscience that he did stedfastly believe the promise and faithfully lookt for the performance of it whereby his fainting Spirits were much comforted and the cruell torturings of his body which he suffered were sanctified and sweetned to him Here set the Meditations of thy heart upon the free love and mercy of Christ to poor sinners he choseth whom he will and whom he will he refuseth his gifts of grace are free his love and favour is not necessitated to any c Gen. 25. 2â— There were twinnes in Rebâ—ccas wombe d Rom. 9. 13. God loved the one and he hated the other Two men may be in one bed God may take the one and he may leave the
other so likewise there were two thieves crucified with e Luk. 1â— 34. Christ and he had compassion on the one but he rejected the other for he bestowes his grace upon whom he will and when he pleaseth There is no person so vile no condition so base and no time so late as to hinder Christ from shewing mercy to a poor sinner that is truly sensible of his misery and feels the burden of his sinâ— and doth humbly acknowledge his miserable condition and his unworthinesse to him and doth earnestly sue for his grace and favour with a broken and a contrite heart as this Malefactor did Also Christ will not refuse those that renounce themselves and their own merits and rest onely upon his righteousnesse by faith for their justification also upon the merite of his death for the pardon of their sins and for the salvation of their souls for his promises of grace and mercy are made to such as sigh and mourn for their transgressions Now examine thy condition with a faithfull heart art thou a malefactour and a grievous sinner against God Doth the guilt of thy sins presse heavy upon thee Dost desire from thy heart to be eased of that burden Is the remembrance of them bitter unto thee though it be when thou art weak and faint and ready to give up the ghost Then look up to Christ with the eye of Faith confesse thy sins unto him with a penitent heart and if thine ear be spiritually opened thou wilt then hear a gracious and mercifull answer from him to thy Petitions and if thou wilt diligently search the Scriptures thou wilt find some promises of grace which will sute with thy condition that Christ hath made to such as thou art which thou must apply to thy fainting soul by true faith and stedfast hope that it belongeth unto thee then rest upon it with a firm confidence to comfort thee in the assurance of thy reconciliation unto God which will take away the evill of all thy sorrowes and the terrour of death it self which to a naturall man is most uncomfortable and death is most fearfull and terrible to such as see the hand-writing of God against them for as they have lived in sin without repentance so they dye with the guilt of sin upon their souls without forgivenesse This Act of Christ in the conversion of this poor sinner was extraordinary and it was a speciall work of mercy to manifest his power and goodnesse to him even at the last hour when he had no hope and no meanes of his salvation and when he was upon the Crosse expecting death every moment and also it was to shew that he is no respecter of persons and that he is not limited to time or meanes when or how to work repentance in the heart of a dejected sinner or to save any that come unto him with an upright heart and sincere affections though it be immediatly before they go hence and shall be seen no more For it doth not appear that this man had ever any knowledge of Christ or any opportunity to come unto him or any means of grace before this time or that he did wittingly and wilfully defer the time of his salvation or neglect the means of grace to the last hour or desperately reserve the hope of his Redemption to the time of his death But though it were late before this Malefactor was converted or had any true saving grace wrought in him or before he did believe in Christ yet his faith was true f Luk. 23. 41. and he made a good confession of his sins and did justifie the innocency of Christ in that instant of time when none of his friends durst speak in his cause and his Apostles either doubted or seemed to stagger in their faith of his Divinity Also this mans conversion was at such a time as that he could neither be baptized nor have further time for the amendment of his sinfull life Here is much matter of Spirituall comfort if we duly consider how powerfull true faith is to prevail with Christ in all our troubles sorrowes and necessities for if we rest and depend upon him and if our hope and confidence be onely in him let our condition of life be what it will he will not deceive us in our hope nor leave us without support and comfort also if he findeth faith and truth in our hearts he will deny us no good thing that we crave of him be it never so great or begged never so late for this poor sinner begged heavenly happinesse at the very last hour of his life when he had no time to expresse any thankfulness for so great a blessing and yet he had his request granted But this particular Act of Christs mercy makes no generall rule for remission of sins to those that do wilfully defer their repentance and turning to God to the last and worst part of their lives not that Christ is not alwayes ready to receive the truly humbled and repenting sinner but because late repentance is seldome sound God will not bestow this heavenly grace at their pleasure who do willingly neglect the meanes of grace and lose the opportunity that God hath given them for it and do rather choose to continue still in their sins than to leave and forsake them and to turn to the Lord with all their heart and with all their soul We cannot but dayly see what meanes the Lord useth to bring us unto Christ and to make us get an holy assurance of the pardon of our sins through him by true repentance his Law doth shew us the deformity of our sins and what we have justly deserved thereby which is a forcible means to drive us unto Christ by him to have Redemption from the curse of the Law the sense of our sins and the anguish of our Spirits for them are strong motives to make us seek to our crucified Redeemer that they may be washt away in his blood which he shed upon the crosse Also the smart of his rod in our troubles sorrowes and afflictions are speciall means which God is pleased to use to bring us to repentance but specially if we finde by the manner of his visitation that it is for some particular sins which we have committed we ought then speedily to repent of them and to seek after the blood of Christ to apply it to our selves by faith that the guilt of such sins may not cleave to our souls and consciences but that those spiritual wounds which they have made in us may be quickly healed before they come to putrid sores and ulcers and we may have a true assurance hereof by our repentance If repentance be truly wrought in us there will be such an holy change in all the faculties of our souls in all the affections of our hearts and in all the parts of our bodies that the corruptions of our Nature and the sinfull lusts of our flesh will be mortified and
life which do imbitter all our comforts here but when we shall injoy this heavenly Paradise r Rev. 14. 13. the Spirit saith that we shall rest from our labours and we shall feel no more sorrow our bodies shall sleep in the dust untill the generall resurrection but our souls shall rest in joy and happinesse for evermore Though we live a restlesse and uncomfortable life in this world it will be but for a short time but in the world to come we shall have fulnesse of joy and felicity with Christ and with his holy Angels and blessed Saintâ— in heaven which never shall have an end Consider also that Christ did presently grant his request and did suddenly perform his promise for God doth sometimes answer the desires of our hearts before we speak and he will give what we need before we ask When Daniel prayed for the restauration of Jerusalem God answered him before he had made an end of his prayers Å¿ Dan. 9. 21 and caused his Angel Gabriel to flye swiftly to touch him and to inform him of the time when Jerusasalem should be restored But sometimes it is long before we have a return of our prayers because God will try our patience and constancy in waiting his good pleasure and by his delayes to make us more fervent in our supplications for he loves an holy importunity t 1 Sam. 1. 12. Hannah continued long before the Lord in praying for a childe before she obtained her request Also God doth sometimes long delay the performance of his promise to try our faith and confidence in him as he did to Abraham for diverse years before he gave him a child by Sarah his wife and also before he delivered his people out of Egypt Wherefore faint not in thy prayers for what thou desirest neither be weak in faith if thou hast a promise from God but rest upon it with an assured hope for he will choose the fittest time to answer thâ— Prayers and to perform his promise which may most advance his own glory and be best for thy good Of the Virgin Mary NOw did the sorrowes of this blessed Virgin begin when she saw her dearly beloved Son in this lamentable condition upon the crosse and heard the blasphemies and reproaches both of the Jews and Gentiles she saw how the barbarous people did insult over him and what cruell tormens were inflicted upon every part of his body and that he was now ready in this extremity of misery to give up the Ghost a Luk. 2. 34. 35. Now was old Simeons Prophesie fulfilled now did a sword peirce thorough her soul b Isa 8. 14. he was now set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be spoken against If Christ had not strengthened her faith she had been swallowed up of too much grief and sorrow for her tender heart could not induâ—e to see the barbarous inhumanity and savage cruelty that her dear Son suffered whom she knew to be innocent and just and free from any offence For no doubt Christ had formerly revealed to her c Mar. 10. 33 34. as he did to his Disciples both by his words and by his Spirit what he should suffer at Jerusalem and it was so decreed by God his Father for the redemption of man that their faith and confidence in him might be strengthned also that God sent him into the world for this very end and purpose that he might work the salvation of all his Elect by his death And that the holy Virgin might be the better armed to bear her great afflictions at this time she knew him to be the eternall Son of the living God though he was cloathed with her flesh and therefore he was able to bear whatsoewer should be inflicted upon him and that he should suffer no more than what was decreed in the secret Counsel of God She was also fully perswaded that though they did kill him yet he would rise again the third day according to his own words in conquest and triumph over all his enemies maugre all their power and policy to prevent iâ— The blessed Virgin did ponder these things in her minde she laid them up in her heart and did faithfully believe them which did much sweeten her sorrowes and mitigate the anguish of her soul and hereby she did bear her afflictions with the more contented patience Thus will Christ arm his servants with Christian fortitude and will furnish them with spirituall abilities when they are to encounter with any hard tryall and he will give them heavenly comforts for their encouragement when they suffer any sorrowes or afflictions for his sake for they are all as dear unto him as his Mother was Wherefore if we are in any distresse or put upon any service which is above the strength of nature we must look upon the Almighty power of Christ with the eye of Faith as he is God as well as Man and upon his goodnesse and tender love to all his servants and also upon Gods eternall decree and wise providence that nothing can be imposed upon us but what was preordained foreseen by God himself for his own glory and then Christ our blessed Redeemer will fit us for it and if it be too hard for us to undergo he will direct and assist us with his Spirit in it also if the burden be too heavy for our strength to bear he will either lessen the burden or increase our strength or else he will act the part of the Cyrenian and take it off from us in his good time The best of Gods servants can claim no Priviledge from crosses sorrowes and afflictions in this life for they must passe thorough many tribulations before they come to their eternall rest in heaven God hath many gracious ends in suffering his servants to be tempted to be tryed to be buffeted and afflicted and whatsoever the instruments which he useth do intend against them yet he will frustrate their wicked designes and will effect his own work for his own glory and for their good d â— Cor. 12 â— â— 9. Paul had his temptations and his buffetings by the messenger of Satan to keep him from spirituall pride through the abundance of revelations and to manifest the power of God in his weaknesse and the grace and favour of Christ in sustaining him in his sufferings How strangely was Abrahams faith and Jobs patience tryed How was God glorified thereby And how were they rewarded for their obedience and constancy What afflictions did the Israelites suffer in the wilderness and yet they were but the corrections of a loving Father to a stiffenecked son For thus saith Moses to them e Deut. 8. 5 Thou shalt also consider in thine heart that as a man chasteneth his son so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee Holy David did often feel the smart of Gods rod and he found much good and comfort by it f Psal 119.
darkning of the Sun was also an evident sign to the Jews of their unbelief and to shew the blindnesse of their understanding the obstinacy of their will and that they were given up to a reprobate mind as a just judgement of God for their unbelief and for this their loud crying sin in which sad condition they continue even to this day d 2 Cor. 3. 13 14. for their mindes were blinded and in the reading of the Old Testament there was a vail upon their heart so that they could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished which vail is not yet taken away from them This was typified by that vail which Moses put over his face when he was come down from the Mount and from â— Exod. 34. 33. the Presence of God In the dayes of Samuel God did shew a manifest token of his high displeasure against his people for their great sin f 1 Sam. 12. 17. when he sent thunder and rain in the time of wheat harvest to let them know that their wickednesse was great in the sight of the Lord in asking them a King g 2 Sam. 8. 7. because they had rejected the Lord that he should not reign over them God will set his mark upon obstinate and rebellious sinners that will not be reclaimed and turn to the Lord as he did upon Cain and others to brand them with perpetuall infamy and shame for their impenitency God hath also severall judgements for wicked men as we may see by dayly experience in these sinfull times Some he marks for the sword some for famine others for the pestilence sudden death or the like upon whomsoever his mark is set there the judgement will fall God hath likewise his mark of preservation which he will set upon his own servants in times of mortality or of any other common calamity h Zech. 9. 4. for when he sendeth forth his destroying Angel in a general calamity to destroy thousands he will also in much mercy send forth another Angel to mark and seal those in their foreheads who are to be preserved that whatsoever the calamity be it may not hurt them Consider now how uncomfortable it is to want the light of the Sun and what little joy we can take in this life if we want the light of our eyes and then we shall see that it is much more uncomfortable to want the spirituall light of our understanding Thus saith Christ i Mat. 6. 22 23. The light of the body is the eye if therefore thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light But if thine eye be evill thy whole body shall be full of darknesse If therefore the light that is in thee be darknesse how great is that darknesse Wherefore if the Sun of righteousnesse doth not shine upon us to give light to our understanding if he doth not heal the perversenesse of our will and the sinfulnesse of our affections we shall walk in darknesse and in the shadow of death for we shall be without a guide to keep us from stumbling and falling dangerously into grosse sins wherein if we continue without repentance we may justly fear some judgement of God to fall on us or some manifest sign of his indignation to be shewed upon us for our sins We should therefore learn this heavenly wisdom to break off from our sins to day by true repentance turning to the Lord lest we be marked for destruction too morrow and we should make our peace with God by faith in Christ that we may be marked with the seal of redemption which Christ will stamp upon every true believers heart for their preservation from evill in this life and for their eternall felicity in the life to come Consider yet further how the Sun in the Firmament did mourn to see the King of glory thus abased to see the ignominy and disgrace that was cast upon him how cruelly he was used and how unjustly he was put to death This should teach us to mourn for the calamities of the Church of God for the loss of any pillar in that spirituall building We have many examples of the servants of God for this pious duty Jeremiah Ezrah Nehemiah and others mourned and lamented greatly for the first desolations of Jerusalem and of the Temple k Luk. 19. 41 42 43. Christ himself wept over Jerusalem when he beheld it because he knew the finall destruction that should shortly after come upon it When Elisha l 2 King 13. 14. the Prophet was fallen sick of the sicknesse whereof he dyed Joash the King of Israel came down unto him and wept over his face and said O my Father my Father the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof This was a full expression of the grief and sorrow of his heart for the losse of so great a Prophet who was a strong Pillar in the house of Israel Consider also that if there be no mourning and no tears for the sins of a nation or people God will make the heavens to mourn and the clouds to pour down rivers of tears to teach us what we should do when the land is over-grown with the weeds of sin If it be so that the servants of God do mourn for the miseries that his Church doth suffer and for the losse or pulling down of any polished stone in that heavenly building then whose servants are they and what master do they serve that dismember the mysticall body of Christ that pull down any Pillar of his Church or pull any polished stone out of his spirituall Temple whereby it may be in danger of ruine or to fall to decay Also they are in a sad condition that pollute deface or throw down his materiall temples to the dishonour of his Name to the suppressing of his true worship and service and to bring in sects and schismes profanenesse and superstition God will not suffer such instruments of wickednesse to go unpunished but in his due Time he will make them examples of his fury if they do not sincerely repent of their crying sins and cursed abominations By this strange darknesse of the Sun we may also learn how uncomfortable it is to a childe of God to have the light of his Countenance clouded from him m Psal 30. 7 David was much troubled when God did hide his Face from him How was Christ himself perplexed in his soul when the light of Gods countenance was withdrawen from him It made him cry out in the bitternesse of his Spirit My God my God why hast thou forsaken me As it is the greatest blessednesse to â—njoy the favour of God so it is most uncomfortable when we have no apprehension of it Thus saith David of himself n Psal 21. 6 Thou haste made him exceeding glad with thy countenance Also thus he prayeth o Psal 4. 6. Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us It doth likewise teach us
and honour wherewith God hath crowned him then our souls will feel a comfortable influence of grace from his glorious Exaltation to give us an holy assurance that he hath led captive all our spirituall enemies and hath so weakened their power that they have no ability to hurt our souls also that in his due Time he will take revenge upon all the Enemies of his Church And as he is crowned with the highest titles of honour so likewise he will crown the meanest of his Saints with honour and dignity far above the greatest Potentate upon earth This doth also give us assurance that we may receive from the fulnesse of Christ sufficient grace for the mortifying of our sins for the sanctifying of our lives and for our comfort in all tribulations he will support us in all our spirituall weaknesses he will cure all the wounds that sin hath made in our souls and he will keep us from despair because he doth binde us with the bonde of faith so close to himself that we shall not totally and finally fall away from him and he will so protect and defend us that no adversary power shall be able to take us out of his hands But if we conceive of these high honours and dignities of Christ according to our humane capacity and not according to the reach of faith as it is grounded upon the Word of God we shall too much undervalue his highnesse and disrespect his sacred Majestie we cannot confide in his power to defend us against all our spiritual adversaries neither can we rest and depend upon his goodnesse to supply all our wants to minister relief in all our necessities to heal all our infirmities and to be all in all unto us upon all occasions our frail nature will be full of doubtings and fears to weaken our faith and confidence in him for according to our esteem of him in our hearts such is our faith such is our hope and trust in him if we have no spiritual eye to discern these essential honours and excellencies of Christ we cannot then reach them with that reverence and fear with that duty and obedience as we ought and our best worship and service will come far short of that which his great and dreadful Name requireth Now then examine thine own heart and see what good evidence thou hast that Christ is dear and precious unto thee and that thou dost honour him with thy heart and soul what experience hast thou had of his goodnesse and power How hast thou performed thy duty and service to him What awful reverence and filial fear hast thou had of his sacred Majesty when thou hast been in his presence and about his businesse If thy conscience can tell thee that Christ is the joy of thy heart that he is thy Lord God thy King and Governour then he hath set up his Scepter of righteousnesse in thee and ruleth in thy heart and that hereafter he will bring thee to his eternall kingdom of glory If the holy Ghost hath thus wrought in thy heart thou wilt finde a conformity of will to the will of Christ thine affections will be squared to the glory of God to love that which he loveth and to hate that which he hateth thy sinful desires will be restrained for the fear and dread of his great Name will be alwayes before thine eyes and the love of him will constrain thee to obedience Also the hardnesse of the heart will be taken away Ezek. 36. 26 27. and it will be made tender and flexible fit to receive any heavenly impression of grace Our Advantage and gain by CHRIST in this life EVery true believer hath a peculiar Advantage and Gain by Christ more than unregenerate men in whatsoever they possesse though these have more of earthly blessings and of common graces than many of Gods servants yet it is with a great deal of difference for by Christ they are sanctified to the one not the other But there is a spirituall Gain by Christ which is onely proper and peculiar to the children of God whereof unregenerate men are not capable until faith be wrought in them by the holy Ghost to unite them unto Christ First we have this Advantage by Christ above unregenerate men a Gen. 3. 17. that the curse which God laid upon the creatures for the sin of man is taken away and he hath given to every true believer in Christ the free use of them all for his comfort and to glorifie God in their right use and by their thankfulnesse for them for Christ hath sanctified them and made them blessings to them But unregenerate men have no right to what they injoy because they have no interest in Christ and the curse still cleaveth to whatsoever they possesse for Christ hath not taken it away nor sanctified their estate unto them for their good Secondly this is our peculiar Gain by Christ that he hath taken away the guilt of sin that by nature was upon our souls and hath fastned it to his own crosse whereas naturall men have the guilt of their sins still cleaving to their souls so long as they are in that condition This is a great advantage to us that are in Christ if we do well consider it for now we may appear with boldnesse in the presence of God we need not fear the accusations of the Divell our conscience can witnesse nothing against us because we have no guilt of sin and the Law cannot condemn us b Rom. 8. 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit c Isa 53. 5 6 For Christ was wounded for our transgressions as saith the Prophet he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all Thus are our sins imputed unto Christ because be hath taken them upon himself and his righteousnesse is imputed unto us that we might appear without sin in the sight of God Thirdly This is a speciall Gain that we have by Christ above all other men that he hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law d Gal. 3. 13. being made a curse for us for it is written Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree Christ in our nature and for us hath fulfilled the whole righteousnesse of the Law by his active obedience to it and he hath suffered the penalty of it by his passive obedience even to the death of the Crosse that the justice of God might be satisfied for all our sins so that now we are not under the curse of the Law nor under the condemning power of sin but we are under grace because he hath reconciled us to God and brought us again into his grace and favour that
going before to judgement and some mens follow after Zophar also saith thus of the wicked q Job 20. 11 His bones are full of the sin of his youth which shall lye down with him in the dust Consider also that Christ through his own death hath destroyed the Divell r Heb. 2. 14 that had the power of death so that now the Divel is most weak against the servants of God at the time of their death whereas to the wicked he is a strong enemy and will not be beaten from their beds-feet until he hath gotten their souls which are given him for a prey Å¿ Luk. 10. 22 But God hath appointed his holy Angels to attend upon his children when they depart out of this life and to receive their souls from the hand of death to carry them up into Abraham's bosome This is a great comfort and benefit to them when they are to leave this world and it is such a Gain as no naturall and unregenerate man can expect Wherefore t 2 Pet. 1. 10 we ought to use all care and diligence to make our calling and election sure and to make sure our union with Christ by faith that so we may live a sanctified life to the Lord and then let Death come how or when it will we shall undoubtedly dye in the Lord for death may come in an hour or in a moment when we look not for it it may break in upon us like a theefe in the night and take away our souls at unawares but this need not trouble us for if our life hath been holy and upright towards God our death cannot be but sanctified to us in Christ who wil keep our souls out of the power of the divel For if we have no other power to preserve them from destruction but what nature or common grace can afford us we are not able to encounter with death to make any advantage by it for the strength of nature will decay in us and common grace can give us no antidote against the sting of death it is onely faith in Christ which is the true Antidote against the terrours of death and against the power of the Divell nature can give us no balm to heal the wounds and putrid sores that sin hath made in our souls which must be cured before we go hence or else death will deliver them up in such a loathsome condition as that God will not accept them u Jer. 46. 11 But if we go up to Mount Gilead we shall finde balme there which will cure us of all our spiritual diseases For in vain we shall use many medicines if we neglect this balm which is the blood of Christ Jer. â— 22. There is balm in Gilead there is a Physician even Jesus Christ our blessed Redeemer that can recover the health of our souls and can rescue them out of the jawes of death and from the power of the Divel Now let the Meditations of thy heart be continually how to injoy Christ in thy life that thy soul may injoy him at thy death and how to make the true gain of thy time here that when death shall bereave thee of all time Christ may be then thy gain for ever If thou wilt have any hope of a comfortable death thou must labour to live an holy life unto God for a vicious and sinfull life can give thee no assurance of a blessed death and if Christ be not thy Redeemer in thy life he will not be thy Saviour at thy death to save thy soul from destruction and to bring it to eternall blisse Also if thou desirest to injoy heavenly felicity with the Saints of God thou must so live in the true fear of God that thou mayest dye in his favour and then death will open the door and give thy soul free passage to injoy it All the good that Christ hath procured for us by his death cannot be fully injoyed in this life but is reserved for us in heaven which we must come to possesse by death and therefore Christ will so prepare us for it with his sanctifying grace and will also prepare death for us that it shall not hinder us of these great benefits but be a speciall means to bring us to the full possession of them If we do well consider and faithfully believe that we shall have this gain by Christ in our death how will it strengthen us against the fears and terrours of death How will it confirm us in a stedfast hope of a joyful resurrection How will it stir up our hearts and affections to live as becometh the children of God that death may deliver up our souls unto him and how willingly shall we part with this world if we have an holy assurance to injoy a far better Inheritance in the world to come But Christ is no gain to unregenerate men in their death for as they would not know him in their life so he will not know them when they dye but will leave them to the power of death to binde them over unto judgement Death will bereave them of all their wealth and possessions it will strip them of all their rich jewels and precious ornaments it will lay their honours in the dust it will take away all their beauty strength and comelinesse which was their pride and it will leave them nothing but their winding-sheet neither will it give them any recompence for all their losses but shame and confusion pain and torment which never shall have end x Luk. 16. Thus it was with the rich man in the Gospel for death took him away from all that he had and left him not so much as a little water to cool his tongue when he was in the tormenting flames and thus it is with all rich men if they are not rich in faith and in grace But some are not willing to dye through humane frailty and weaknesse though they be in the state of grace y Mat. 26. 41. for the spirit may be ready though the flesh be weak Others have no assurance of a better life and therefore they would willingly keep this which they now injoy Some again have their hearts and affections so glewed to earthly things that the very thoughts of death is bitter to them Others also are loath to dye because they cannot provide for wife and children and they have none to take care of them Though God requires this Christian care of them yet we must not distrust the goodnesse of God whose eye of providence is upon all his creatures then much more upon those that belong unto him But when we have done our best endeavor in an honest calling to provide for them yet must leave them scant of means for their subsistance then God will have a special care of such Widows fatherles children therefore he hath given many strict commands concerning them and he hath made many promises of protection help and comfort to
Cor. 1. 3. who is the God of all comfort for thus he saith by his Prophet h Isa 51. 11 12. The redeemed of the Lord shall return and come with singing unto Zion and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads they shall obtain gladnâ—sse and joy and mourning shall flee away I even I am he that comforteth you What comfort can we then want if God be our Comforter Secondly if we delight in pleasures heaven will afford us more than our hearts can desire i Psal 36. 8 9. There we shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of Gods house and he will make us drink of the river of his pleasures for with him is the fountain of life in his light shall we see light Also the Psalmist saith thus k Psal 16. 11 God will shew us the path of life in his presence is fulnesse of joy at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore For heaven is the place of all peace and comfort of all joy and happinesse and of all glory and immortality Thirdly heaven is the place of all security as Abraham said to Dives l Lu. 16. 26 Between us and you there is a great gulf sixed so that they which would passe from hence to you cannot neither can they â—asse to us that would come from thence Also thâ—â— saith Christ m Mat. 25. 10. When the Bridâ—groom cometh and they that are ready are gone in with him to the marriage the door will be shut and theâ— none can go in and none can come out n Mat. 6. 20 â—n heaven we may safely keep our spiritual â—reasure from the moth and rust and from that arch theif the devil If this precious jewel which is our â—ouâ— be laid up in heaven it will be safely kept there for nothing can corrupt it and no theif can steal it away Lastly that which makes up the fulnesse of our joy and happinesse in the Kingdom of heaven is the eternity of it for if we should injoy it but for a time it would greatly lessen the comfort of our felicity there shall be an end of time but there will be no end of our blessed condition in heaven For thus saith the Lord o Isa 65. 17 18. Behold I create new heavens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembered nor come into minde But be you glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy And again he saith by the same Prophet p Isa 66 22 For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain bâ—fore me so shall your seed and your Name remain Thus saith John q Rev. 2 2. 5. The servants of the lambe shall be in this city of God and they shall reign for ever and ever Paul speaking of the resurrection saith thus r 1 Thes 4. 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Daniel also saith thus Å¿ Dan. 7. 18. And the Saints of the most high God shall take the Kingdome and possesse it for ever even for ever and ever Holy David saith t Psal 37. 18 that the inheritance of the upright shall be for ever Thus it is evident how great our gain shall be by Christ after death and that there shall be no end of our happinesse Consider now that whatsoever we suffer in this life is but for a short time and that the bitternesse of our sorrowes is sweetned with some comforts also that our joy and felicity in heaven is for eternity and that it is no way imbittered with any troubles or vexations that we may patiently and meekly bear whatsoever God shall lay upon us and earnestly desire to be uncloathed of this corruptible body that we may put on the glorious robes of immortality for ever Thus saith Paul u â— Cor. 4. 17 Our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternall weight of glory So likewise if we consider and believe that we have this Gain and advantage onely by Christ it will make us study and labour by all meanes to injoy him and when we have gotten some interest in him to stick close to him by Faith to love him with intire affections and to be obedient to his will and commands Wherefore now if thou hast any holy desire to be freed from all temptations from all sin and from all sorrow vexation and calamity then set the Meditations of thy heart upon the fruition of the Kingdom of Heaven where thou shalt be freed from all these evils though here upon earth they will rush in upon thee Also if thou desirest to injoy all the happinesse that heaven can afford thee and to injoy God himself for ever then look up unto Christ thy Saviour with the eye of faith who hath purchased heaven for thee with his own blood and hath made thee the Son of God by adoption that he might bestow all this upon thee whereof he hath given thee some taste in this life but thou canst not be made perfect in it untill this life is ended u 2 Pet. 1. 10. Give all diligence therefore as Peter saith to make thy calling and election sure by a lively faith in Christ and get the seal of the new Covenant which is the blood of Christ to be stamped upon thy heart that thou mayest carry it to thy grave and then death will give thy soul free passage into the mansions of heaven where this perfect freedome is to be obtained and where this gain of eternall blessednesse is to be gotten Wherefore walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit live not as a citizen of this world but live here as a free denizen of the heavenly Jerusalem having thy minde and the affections of thy heart set upon the holinesse and righteousnesse thereof that thy life and conversation may be pure and holy here upon earth and then thy soul shall live and eternally possesse it after it is dissolved from thy body How CHRIST is our Spirituall life MAn in his first creation had a spirituall life which was free from any spot or stain of sin but he soon lost it by his transgression and defaced this lively image of God that was stamped upon his soul and then in himself he had no ability to recover his lost happinesse This leprosie of sin hath infected all his posterity that proceed from him by naturall propagation which hath brought upon them a spiritual death and layeth them open to eternall death hereafter Though this be our condition by nature yet a Eph. 2. 4 5 6 7. God who is rich in mercy for his great love where with he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together in
with Christ and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus that he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse toward us through Christ Jesus b Eph. 4. 23 This renovation in the spirit of our minde is wrought in us by the holy Ghost through Christ for he was anointed with the holy Ghost for this end and purpose that by him we might be raised up from the death of sin to a spirituall life of grace according to the signification of his Name for as he is Christ he is Anointed of God and as he is Jesus he is the Saviour of the world to save us from our sins and to work salvation for us whereof we are not capable untill we have a spiritual life wrought in us Thus saith the Spouse of Christ c Cant. 1. 3. Thy Name is as oyntment poâ—red forth A precious Oyntment hath many excellent vertues d Psal 104. 15. for it maketh a chearful countenance it comforteth and strengtheneth all the parts of the body it healeth all diseases and it sendeth forth a sweet savour when it is poured out which refresheth and comforteth all the senses Thus is Christ to every true believers soul he is the Anointed of God as saith the Psalmist of him e Psal 45. 7. Thou lovest righteousnesse and hatest wickednesse therefore God thy God hath anointed thee with the oyl of gladnesse above thy fellowes f Act. 10. 38 for he was anointed with the holy Ghost and with power First by the power of his holy unction Christ doth put a spiritual light into our understanding by his Spirit that we may see how to walk in the paths of godlinesse and truth according to this of old Simeon g Lu. 2. 31 32. that God had prepared him to be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of his people Israel h Psal 97. 11 Light is sown for the righteous and the comfort and gladnesse of it for the upright in heart This Prophesie was fulfilled in Christ i Isa 2. 9. The people that walked in darknesse have seen a great light they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them hath the light shined k Eph. 5. 14 Wherefore awake thou that sleepest in fin and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light If we want this heavenly light we must needs wander and go astray from God and we have no means to obtain such a light but by Christ It is sin that hath brought this darknesse and this spiritual death upon our souls and none but Christ can take it away This is the beginning of our spiritual life when we have some light to discern the spirituall things of God for the good of our souls Secondly Christ is the food and nourishment of our souls to preserve this spirituall life in us whose flesh we must spiritually eat and whose blood we must spiritually drink by faith in the hearing of his Word preached and Sacramentally when we come to his holy Table or else we have not this spirituall life in us l John 6. 48 53. I am that bread of life saith Christ which came down from heaven who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternall life and I will raise him up at the last day for my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed Wherefore if our souls do hunger and thirst after this heavenly food and do earnestly desire to be refreshed and fully satisfied therewith it is an evident sign that there is a spiritual life in us for Christ doth freely offer himself to every empty soul that can feed upon him by Faith in his Word or in his Sacraments But if our desires and the affections of our hearts are taken up with the love of this world and of earthly vanities it s no marvell if we have no hunger nor thirst after Christ and that we feel so little want and need of him Thirdly the blood of Christ is the true balm to heal and cure all the diseases and wounds that sin hath made in our souls it is like m Lu 10. 34 the good Samaritans wine and oyl for it hath a cleansing and an healing vertue There can be no wound so deep in the soul and no ulcer so festered but this precious Oyntment will cleanse and heal it if it be rightly applyed by faith and true repentance for repentance layeth open the wound by true confession and faith applyeth the remedy to it and then repentance giveth us an holy assurance that we shall be cured This is the way and the means of recovery when our souls are sick of any spirituall disease and also to preserve that spirituall life which is in us Lastly when the heavenly graces that flow from Christ are poured out upon our soules they will greatly refresh and comfort our spirits in all sadnesse of heart and they will so persume all our actions and services which we perform unto God that their sweet savour shall ascend up unto him that he may smell it and graciously accept of us and of our offerings n Gen. 8. 21. When Noah offered burnt offerings to the Lord after the floud the Lord smelled a sweet savour and accepted his sacrifice and blessed him exceedingly Wherefore if our souls are perfumed with grace they will so perfume all our holy oblations which we offer up to God that he will in mercie accept them for his Sonnes sake o I rev 5. 8. But the sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord and they stink in his nostrils because they proceed from a corrupt and unclean heart which is not perfumed with grace how much â— Eccl. 10. 1 more when he bringeth them with a wicked mind â—o 21. 27 Sin is like dead flies in the ointment of the Apothecary which causeth it to stink for sin maketh us odious in the sight of God Wherefore take heed with what heart thou comest into the presence of God and that thou bringest no oblation to him with a wicked mind but first purifie thy heart from sinne by faith in the bloud of Christ and see that thy soul be perfumed with sanctifying grace and then come and offer thy gift and God will accept it But if there be any sin in thy bosome unrepented of or any iniquity in thy heart which thou seekest to hide from God then he cannot smell a sweet savour of thy prayers of thy praises and thanksgivings or of any duty which thou performest to him to make it accepted because thy heart is not upright before God Now we must examine our selves what spiritual life we have by Christ and we must know how he is our spiritual life if we will have any comfort thereby First q 1 Joh. 2. 20 If we have this holy unction from Christ which was poured upon him above measure that
a peculiar people zealous of good works This purification Christ worketh in us ministerially by the Preaching of his Word for thus saith Paul Eph. 5. 25 26. Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word Also he doth wash and cleanse us Sacramentally from our sins by Baptisme a Gal. 3. 27. For if we have been baptized into Christ we have put on Christ and then we are cloathed with his righteousness and with his holiness which are the garments of a spirituall life for we must be holy as well as just b Heb 12. 14 without which no man shall see the Lord. So likewise c Acts 15. 9 faith doth instrumentally purifie our hearts as it hath relation to Christ But Christ doth most effectually purifie our hearts from sin and from uncleannesse by the holy Ghost and by him doth convey this spiritual life of grace into us without whose gracious concurrence no other means can be effectuall to us unto salvation Thus doth Christ bring us to a spirituall life that our conversation may be holy and blamelesse in the sight of God d Isa 35. 8 9 The Prophet speaketh of a way of holinesse which is not for the lyon or for any ravenous beast but for the Redeemed of the Lord they onely shall walk there This is the priviledge onely of those e Heb 9. 14. whose consciences are purged in the blood of Christ from dead works to serve the living God If Christ doth not thus wash and purifie us we have no part in him f John 13. 8 9. as he said unto Peter when he refused to let him wash his feet When we are thus cleansed from our sins and have this spiritual life by grace in Christ wrought in us then we are a peculiar people to him separate from sinners and from the vanities of this world and wholely devoted to serve him then we shall with Peter desire more washing and cleansing Lord not my feet onely but my head and my hands and then we shall have an holy zeal to do such works as God hath commanded and we shall do them by faith in Christ and to the honour and glory of God that the truth of our sanctification may appear Thirdly Christ is the exemplary cause of our spiritual life for he hath recorded his own life in the Gospel g 1 Pet. 2. 21 to be a perfect pattern of holinesse to us and an example thereby to learn how to follow his steps If we desire to live according to the rule of Christs life we must be holy and righteous in all our wayes humble and lowly toward all men meek and patient in our sufferings sober and temperate in all things charitable to the poor doing good to all frequent and fervent in Prayer and alwayes seeking the glory of God This was Christs whole life and thus ought we to regulate our lives that the fruits of a spirituall life may shine forth in the integrity of our conversation Christ did shew the purity of his Ministery by the holinesse of his life and what he did Preach to others he did practise himself h Mat. 11. 29. Learn of me saith he for I am meek and lowly in heart Though we cannot attain to perfection of holinesse in this life i Phil. 3. 14. yet we must presse towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus But this is the work of grace and not of nature to follow Christ in his steps and the servants of God have their graces according to their measure for some have more some have lesse yet all have grace sufficient to fit them for the kingdom of heaven and according to their measure of grace so is the purity of their lives and conversations Abraham excelled all others in Faith and therefore k Rom. 4. 11 he is called the Father of all them that believe Moses excelled all men in meeknesse for the holy Ghost giveth this Testimony of him l Num. 12. 3 that he was very meek above all the men that were upon the face of the earth Job was renowned for his patience Thus saith James of him m Jam. 5. 15 Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord. Holy David Daniel and others excelled in Prayer and devout Meditations These and all other the servants of God had their severall graces from Christ and the streams of his fulnesse do still plentifully flow down to all that belong to the election of grace for the sanctification of their lives Lastly Christ is the finall cause of our spiritual life which is that God may be glorified thereby to this end we were born to this end should tend all our words and actions and Christ took upon him our nature that God might be glorified by our salvation Christ did alwayes seek the glory of God both in his Ministery and in his miracles both in his life and at his death Thus he saith of his Ministery n John 12. 49 50. I have not spoken of my self but the Father which sent me he gave me a commandement what I should say and what I should speak whatsoever therefore I speak evâ—n as the Father said unto me so I speak Thus also Christ glorified God by his Miracles o Joh. 5. 19 36. for he ascribeth the cure of the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda to his heavenly Father that he might have the glory of it because he sent him to finish all those works which he did God is very jealous of his glory p Isa 48. 11 12. he will not have his great Name to he polluted and he will not give his glory to another His hand hath laid the foundation of the earth and his right hand hath spanned the heavens when he calleth unto them they stand up together To what end did God make the great Fabrick of the Heavens and the earth but for his own glory Why doth God execute his justice upon the wicked but to get himself honour by their destruction q Exod. 14. 17. as he did upon Pharaoh and his host when he drowned them in the red sea Why doth God bestow his mercies and his blessings upon his servants but to be honoured for and by them And why doth Christ put into us a spiritual life but to honour and glorifie God thereby r Lu. 5. 25. If the man that Christ cured of the palsie glorified God for his cure then much more ought we so to do because Christ hath cured us of all our spirituall diseases Å¿ Lu. 18. If the man that received his sight followed Jesus glorifying God then ought we to follow Christ and to glorifie God for that spirituall light which he hath put into our understanding and for that spiritual life which he hath put into our souls
iniquity of our sinnes unto Christ our Saviour and of his free grace to account us just by the imputation of his righteousnesse to us through faith So likewise hereby we have the adoption of sonnes and all the priviledges that do belong unto sonnes These are such benefits and such comforts as none can conceive but such as doe injoy them and none can injoy them but by Christ and there is no way to have them by Christ but onely by a true and a lively faith in him Secondly by faith we are invested into the Covenant of grace and all the gracious promises that are contained in it doe belong unto us also by faith we have great comfort and hope in all other the promises of God whether they concern this life or the life to come for we believe the truth of his word and his ready will to perform what he hath promised and though his promises are sometimes impossible to nature and above humane reason yet faith gives us ability to rest upon them because we believe that he is faithful that hath promised and able to perform his word Thus saith Solomon Blessed â— 1 Kings â— 50. be the Lord that hath given rest unto his people Israel according to all that he hath promised there hath not failed one word of all his good promises which he promised by the hand of Moses his Servant The promises of God are limited to the condition of faith and obedience and though they are above our capacity yet we may confide in them for he will perform them in his due time b Rom. 4 18 19 20. God made a promise to Abraham that his seed should be as numerous as the starres in the firmament when he was about an hundred yeares old and yet betâ—g not weak in faith he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but against hope he believed in hope that he might become the father of many Nations and he was fully perswaded that what God had promised he was able also to perform c Heb. 11. 11 Sarah through faith received strength to conceive seed though she were barren and past age and she was delivered of a child because she judged him faithful who had promised If we do thus rest upon the promises God in all conditions of life and in all the chances and changes that can happen to us it will fit and prepare us to receive them contentedly at Gods hands But the special servants of God may be so over-pressed with the extremity of afflictions that they are ready to distrust the truth of Gods Word and to waver in their assiance and confidence in him if he delayeth to perform his promise and to help them This was Asaphs case who thus complained d Psal 74. 8 10. Is his mercy clean gone for ever doth his promise fail for evermore But he doth presently check himself and acknowledge that it was his infirmity thus to distrust the goodnesse of God Thus saith Peter e 2 Pet. 3. 9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise for he will remember to perform it when his time is come that it will make most for his glory and for our good Wherefore f Heb. 6. 12. we must wait patiently upon God and then we shall inherit the promises g Eph. 1. 13. for by faith we are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise that we may confidently rest upon God and upon the truth of his Word Wherefore if we are well acquainted with the Scriptures we shall find many promises of grace to strengthen our faith when we are under any temptation to comfort our soules when we are in any anguish of spirit or under the pressure of any crosse or calamity And when we have found a promise that will suit with our present condition then to make use of our faith to lay hold upon it to apply it to our selves and to rest firmly upon it though it be above hope for God can and will assuredly perform it to our great consolation If God doth deferre the performance of it longer than we expect yet we must patiently wait upon him for when he hath wrought his own work in us for his own glory and our good he will not then delay to perform it a moment longer Thirdly by faith we shall receive much profit and comfort by Gods holy Ordinances without which our services to God cannot be performed according to his will The preparation of the heart to the profitable â—earing of the sacred Word of God is by faith h Act. 15. 9. because hereby our hearts are purified and cleansed from all sin in the bloud of Christ that no guilt of sin may cleave to our soules and consciences to stop the current of grace to our hearts and to hinder the free working of the Spirit of God upon our affections by the ministry of his word that it cannot take root in us for our edification and instruction to convince us of our errours to reprove us for our sinnes and to comfort us in all sorrows and sadnesse of heart It is faith that makes our hearts good ground fit to receive the seed of Gods Word that it may take deep root in us to fructifie and bring forth much fruit to the glory of God What comfort can we have by the Word of God if we doe not hear it with hearts purified from our corruptions by faith how can it profit us if there be not an holy preparation to receive it that the holy Ghost may imprint it in our hearts to be a word of power in us unto salvation and to be the Savour of life unto eternal life and how can it be fruitful in us to the reformation of our lives if our hearts are not seasoned with faith i Rom. 10. 17. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God and then it is a special meanes which the spirit of God useth to convey spiritual knowledge to the understanding holy desires to the will to study and endeavour to a godly life and also true consolation to the soul So likewise our hearts are prepared by faith to the worthy receiving of the Lords Supper for as we doe refresh our bodies with the Bread and Wine so our soules are refreshed and comforted by our spiritual feeding on the body and blood of Christ by faith Also faith will put an holy zeal into our prayers to make them fervent and effectual to prevail with God to send us a gracious answer in his good time Thus saith our Saviour Christ k Mar. 11. 24. What things soever yee desire when yee pray believe that ye receive them and yee shall have them O what comfort might we find in our prayers when we are in want sorrow or in any necessity if we did pray with zealous affections and did faithfully believe that our petitions are granted before we receive them then we would wait upon God until he is
Davids delight to Meditate on the Law of God because he found great sweetnesse in it f Psal 119. 163. How sweet saith he are thy words unto my taste Yea sweeter than hony to my mouth If we had Davids spiritual palate g Isa 58. 13. we should delight in the Lords Sabbath as he saith by his Prophet we should delight to hear his Word to come to his holy Table to meditate on his Law and to practise all holy duties to the honour and glory of his Name Also if we do set our selves to Meditate on the strength and power of his grace we shall finde that Faith will give us sufficient power against all our spiritual enemies hope will uphold our Faith in the promises of God when it is weak patience will make us bear our afflictions and tryalls with a willing minde holy zeal will make our Prayers effectual to prevail with God to grant what we desire or what is better for us and constancy will make us continue in well-doing unto the end that we may receive that recompence of reward which God of his infinite goodnesse hath promised As Faith is the Mother of all other spiritual graces so it will alwayes go along with every particular grace to make it the more effectual and powerful to help us in time of need Now we know the quicknesse of our spirituall taste by our delight in holy duties and in the Ordinances of God and we may know the strength of grace by the fruits and effects of it according to the nature of every particular grace also the truth of every grace that is in us will appear and that it is a fruit of Faith if the power of Faith goeth along with it How to increase Faith EVery man hath not alike measure of Faith he that iâ— weakest in Faith may be made stronger and he that is strong in Faith may yet have more for it is a spiritual and heavenly grace which will grow and increase if it be spiritually watered by the holy Ghost Christ did find a great Faith in the Woman of Canaan and in some others a Mat. 15. 28. O woman saith he to her great is thy faith but he did often reprove his Disciples for the weaknesse of their Faith and thus he said in particular unto Peter b Mat. 14. 31 O thou of little faith wherefoer didst thou doubt Peters doubting made him ready to sink as he walked upon the waters unto Christ and it did discover the weaknesse of his Faith and confidence in Christ as if he could not give him power to walk upon the waters as he did This is the condition of many of Gods dear servants that when they see perills and dangers ready to fall upon them and no means either to escape them or to be delivered from them then fears and doubtings will rise in their mindes to discover the weaknesse of their Faith and to make them distrust the providence of God to doubt of his Fatherly care of them and of his Almighty Power to save them For sometimes their Faith may be so weak that it cannot mount above their humane capacity they cannot see the wisdom and power of God to be far above the reach of their reason and understanding When God seeth such weaknesse in our Faith he will tenderly visite us and will give us hope by some manifest signes to strengthen our faith against all our fears and doubtings Though our faith be weak yet if it be true it is saving it is growing and it is lasting Faith is saving because it doth unite us unto Christ with an unseparable union who is the rock of our salvation and by whom onely we must be saved c Act. 4. 11 12. Christ is that stone which was set at nought of the builders which is becâ—me the head of the corner Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved Also we may grow in faith First d 1 Pet. 2. 2. if we desire the sincere milk of the Word as new born babes desire the milk of the breast that we may thereby grow in the knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ If the word of God be purely Preached without the mixture of erroneous doctrine it is the seed of grace which God soweth in our hearts by his Ministers and he will water it with his Spirit to make it increase and fructifie that we may grow in grace until we come to a full stature in Christ if we do hear iâ— with sanctified hearts and pure affections Secondly we may greatly increase our faith in Christ if we do spiritually feed upon his body and blood when we come to the Lords Table which is the true food of our souls and the heavenly nourishment of that spirituall life which we have in Christ by Faith and the oftner we do thus feed at the Lords Table the more we cherish this spiritual life and the more we increase our Faith and make all other saving graces the stronger in us Thirdly prayer is a speciall meanes for the increase of our Faith for we have the beginnings of Faith from God the increase of it also and the stablishment of it is from God and we must beg it of him by our Prayers and supplications or else we cannot obtain it Thus said the Apostles unto Christ e Lu. 17. 5. Lord increase our Faith Also thus said the Father of the dumb childe unto Christ f Mar. 9. 24 Lord I believe help thou my unbelief God is ready to hear the Prayers of his servants but specially when they make such petitions as he is willing to grant which are such as do make most for his own glory and nothing can advance the glory of God more than when they crave the increase of their Faith without which they can glorifie God in no services which they perform unto him for without faith it is impossible to please God and so consequently to honour him in any holy duty which he commandeth Fourthly Faith will grow and increase by our dayly Meditation on the Truth of Gods Word how faithfully he hath performed all his Promises how ready and how able he is still to perform them if we can rest and depend upon them by Faith If we consider that God is immutable and omnipotent in his own Essence that he is Truth it self that he will not alter whatsoever he hath decreed in his secret Counsel and that he will perform all that he hath promised in his Word it will greatly strengthen our Faith and uphold our trust and confidence in God when any difficulties or dangers presse hard upon us which otherwise would shake the foundation of our faith Fifthly the dayly experience which we have of the power of God and of his goodnesse to us in all conditions of life whether we be in prosperity or in adversity in health or in
THE COMFORT OF THE SOUL Laid down by way of Meditation upon some heads of Christian Religion very profitable for every true Christian Composed and writen by Iohn Anthony of London Doctor of Physick Psal 19. ver 14. Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be alwayes acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my Redeemer LONDON Printed for G. Dawson and are to be sold by John Mountague at the Sign of the White-Dragon in Duck-Lane 1654. I have perused these Divine Meditations Intituled the Comfort of the Soul and do find them to be so Orthodox and solide pious and profitable that I do approve them well worthy to be Printed and Published JOHN DOVVNAME To the Right Honourable Dame Elizabeth Dygby Baronesse of Geshal in the Kingdom of Ireland Grace Mercy and Peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ HAving nothing of mine own that is worthy your Acceptance to express my Cordiall respects and thankfulnesse for those many favours which I have received from you I have taken some spirituall Receipts out of Gods sacred Dispensatory which I am bold to present or Dedicate to your Honour because they are speciall Cordialls for the spirits and precious Antidotes against the evill of sad times Wherein also you will finde some Balm of Gilead for the cure of all spirituall diseases if it be applyed close to the part that is ill affected with the hand of Faith If these things do relish well with your spirituall Palate then I am confident you will take sometime to ruminate hereupon for I know it hath been your constant course to Meditate something dayly of Divine and heavenly things which did strongly induce me to present these unripe fruits of my labours to you which I gathered in mine old age for mine own use according to my first Intention Though I have thus laboured out of my Calling as I am a Physician yet I am not out of my profession as I am a Christian Now seing this Work is come to Publick view I do humbly desire your favourable construction of the frailties that are in it and that you will be pleased to vindicate it from carping spirits for I did not write it to please their curiosity but to refresh and comfort those that do any way stand in need of spirituall consolation If any thing herein can give you any reasonable satisfaction let God have the honour and glory of his own Work and I shall greatly rejoice therein and shall still remain your much obliged Servant JOHN ANTHONY To the READER COurteous Reader if thou dost live under the Crosse and art sensible of these sad times or if Gods visitation be upon thee which makes thee to sigh and groan under the burden and pressure of thy sorrowes so that thy soul desireth comfort and thy spirits want spirituall refreshing and heavenly consolation then I have written this Treatise for thee which I present to thy view wherein thou shalt finde the true way how to demean thy self under Gods visitation how to bear thy crosse with a contented patience how to make the burden of thy sorrowes more easie or how to be delivered out of them if God seeth it to be most for his glory and best for thy good also how to refresh thy spirits and comfort thy soul in what kinde soever it is afflicted Here also thou shalt finde that many of Gods dear servants have suffered as great afflictions as thou canst and yet God did send them comfort and deliverance but specially what Christ thy Saviour hath suffered for thee and what benefit and comfort thou maist have by it if thou canst draw it to thy self and make a particular application of it to thine own sorrowful condition without which it will yeeld thee but small consolation in thy miseries If thou dost meet with any thing here that will fit thy present condition either for edification or for comfort thou must ruminate well upon it to suck out the spirituall juiâ—e to imprint it in thy minde and to bring it close home to thy heart that it may comfort thy soul and cure thy wounded Spirit David found great comfort when he did Meditate on the Word of God My soul saith he shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatnesse and my mouth shall praise thee with joyfull Psal 63. 5 6 lips when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches And it must needs be so for this is a duty which God requireth and he takes speciall notice of those that do practice it to pour down his blessings upon them as he did upon Isaack who went out dayly into the field to Meditate Gen. 24. 63 64. upon the wonderfull Works of God and then at that very time God sent him a vertuous Wife If the Spirit of God goeth along with thee in thy holy Meditations they cannot but be comfortable to thy soul thou wilt then conceive aright of the secret and hidden things of God and thou wilt see the infinite wisdom ond power of God in all the Creatures his goodnesse and bounty to thee in them and a glympse of the Majesty and glory of the great Creator God Almighty His holy Spirit will also open thy heart to let in whatsoever spirituall good thou reapest by thy pious Meditations For if thou lookest upon the creature and doest not Meditate something of God in it thou dost look upon it in vain and if thou readest or hearest his Word Preached and dost not settle it upon thy affections by ruminating upon it thou canst not edifie thy heart nor comfort thy soul thereby So likewise if thou doest read any thing in this Treatise that is comfortable to poor dejected Spirits it will not comfort thee if it be not well digested in thy heart and applyed to thine own soul If thou art not acquainted with this holy Duty I have given thee some directions how to perform it and if thou doest first practise it upon thy self to meditate upon thine own condition what thou art by nature and what by grace and considerest seriously in thy thoughts what way thou walkest what steps thou treadest and to what end thy wayes do tend thou wilt not onely come to the knowledge of thy self but thou wilt also learn how to Meditate profitably and comfortably upon God thy Creator upon Jesus Christ thy Redeemer and upon the Holy Ghost thy Sanctifier and Comforter I conclude with this saying of an ancient Father Nothing is found more sweet in this life nothing is conceived more comfortable nothing doth so separate the affections from the love of this world nothing doth so fortifie the minde against temptations nothing doth so stir up man and further him to every good work and duty as the grace and benefit of Divine Meditation and heavenly contemplation Thine in the Lord Christ JOHN ANTHONY A Table of these severall Heads contained in this Book MEditation is a Duty
which God requireth FOL 1 Rules of direction for our holy Meditations 4 Holy Meditation is the Prerogative onely of a true Christian 9 How dreadfull it is to Meditate on God 12 How to Meditate comfortably on God 20 How to Meditate on the Holy Ghost 30 How to Meditate on the Works of God 48 Concerning the Creation of Man 60 To what end and purpose Man was Created 64 Concerning the Fall of Man 69 Concerning the Redemption of Man 73 The Time of Grace 80 The danger of delayes in seeking Grace 92 Of Christ our Redeemer 97 Of Christs Propheticall Office 106 Of Christs Priestly Office 112 Of Christs Kingly Office 116 Of the Passion of Christ 121 Of Christs Agony in the Garden 128 Concerning the fidelity of Peter and the creachery of Judas 141 What Christ suffered under Caiaphas 157 Peters deniall of Christ 165 Christs sufferings under Pilate 179 Christs sufferings under the Crosse 201 Who were the Agents in the Passion of Christ 211 Of the Penitent Thief 214 Of the Virgin Mary 216 The darkning of the Sun 235 Of the death of our Saviour Christ 248 What happened at Christs death 255 Of the buriall of Christ 261 A brief summe of the Humiliation of Christ 266 Of the Resurrection of Christ 270 Of Christs Ascension up into heaven 275 A brief summe of the Exaltation of Christ 279 Our Aduantage and gain by Christ in this life 282 Our Advantage and gain by Christ in death 290 Our Advantage and gain by Christ after death 296 How Christ is our spirituall life 303 How to injoy true happinesse 314 Concerning our Justification 318 The Benefits and Comforts of true Faith 322 How to increase Faith 329 How to esteem of Faith 333 The sense of Faith may be lost 341 The Stability of true Faith 346 The Conclusion of this Treatise 354 THE COMFORT OF THE SOVL. Meditation is a Duty which God requireth WE read in the sacred Scriptures that God commanded his people a Deut. 6. 8 9. to binde the Words of his Law for a sign upon their hands and to be as frontlets between their eyes to write them upon the posts of their houses and on their gates to teach them diligently unto their children to talk of them in their houses and to think upon them when they walk by the way when they lye down and when they rise up all which was to this end and purpose b Deut. 11 18. that they might lay up his Words in their hearts and in their soules to meditate upon them for their instruction for their spirituall comfort and for their direction in a vertuous life and holy Conversation This is the counsell of the wiseman c Prov. 7. 3 To binde the Commandments of God upon our fingers and to write them upon the table of our hearts that we may be familiarly acquainted with them and to meditate on them upon all occasions Paul gave Timothy diverse holy precepts concerning his life and doctrine d 1 Tim. 4. 15 and then he gave him expresse charge to meditate upon them and to give himself wholy to them that they might be well fastned in his heart to observe them Also when Moses was dead God made Joshua the chief commander of his people and appointed him to bring them into the land of Canaan and to give them the possession of it which was a work so great so difficult and so dangerous by reason of the great strength of the inhabitants of that Land as might make Joshua to shrink from it and afraid to undertake it but God did encourage him by many gracious promises of his assistance to make him able to effect it and therefore he commanded him three severall times to be strong and of a good courage not to be afraid but to rest upon his Word for strength and ability to do that work whereunto God had called him and would assuredly perform his Word if he did observe to do according to all the Law which Moses commanded him and not turn from it to the right hand or to the left that he might prosper whithersoever he went Wherefore God saith thus unto him e Josh 1. 8. This book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou maist observe to do according to all that is written therein for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good successe Have not I commanded thee This is an holy duty which ought to be fixed upon holy things and performed to an holy end for it is very usefull and profitable very sweet and comfortable to every true Believers soul if it be rightly performed The Saints and servants of God have been very frequent in the practice of this duty whose hearts were inlarged to meditate upon heavenly spiritual things they did thereby draw true consolation to their souls f Psal 63. 6 This was holy Davids exercise day and night g Psal 119. sometimes in the precepts and Statutes of God h Psal 143. 5. sometimes on his wonderfull Acts and excellent Works i Psal 104. 34 and his heart found great sweetnesse in these his Meditations Now then it is richly worth our pains to get this Art of Divine Meditation for it will increase our knowledge of God and of his Laws it will make grace more fruitfull in us and our sorrows lesse grievous It will also strengthen our faith in the promises of God to make us stout and couragious in his Cause to withstand the assaults of the divell and all the oppositions of wicked men How can we be edified by the Preaching of the Word of God if we let it depart out of our mindes and do not chew the cud and ruminate upon it in our hearts How can we teach our children and servants the Lawes of God if they come not frequently into our own meditations How can our wayes be prosperous here upon earth how can we hope to have good successe in what we take in hand if we do not meditate something concerning God day and night If we neglect this pious Duty we do then estrange our selves from God and we bereave our souls of those spirituall benefits and comforts which otherwise they might receive and we lose a great part of the comfort of our lives But this Art is not easily learned common grace or humane learning cannot attain unto it for the affections of the heart cannot be raised up to heavenly contemplations if they are not seasoned with sanctifying grace neither can they delight in spirituall things if they are clogged with earthly cares or drawn away after worldly vanities A true child of God is not alwayes prepared to meditate as he ought to make his meditations edifying and comfortable to his soul for the inward corruptions of his unregenerate part will hinder him the thoughts of his worldly affairs will distract his minde that he cannot