overcome when thou art judged or dost judge God forceth the Jews to acknowledge this when he puts the question to them Your Fathers where are they and the Prophets do they live for ever But my words and my Statutes which I commanded my servants the Prophets did they not take hold of your Fathers They returned and said Like as the Lord of Hoasts thought to doe unto us according to our ways and according to our doings so hath he dealt with us Zech. 1.5 6. 4. The Justice of God as well as the Veracity of God engageth God to inflict Anguish on men for Sin His eyes are upon all the ways of the sons of men to give to them according to their ways and according to the fruit of their doings Jer. 32.19 He is the Judge of all the World and therefore must needs doe right as Abraham pleaded Gen. 18.25 That be far from thee that the Righteous should be as the Wicked So in like manner we may say That be far from God that the Wicked should be as the Righteous Yea God complains Mal. 2.17 thus You have wearied the Lord with your words yet ye say Wherein have we wearied him When ye say Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord and he delighteth in them or Where is the God of Judgment And again Mal. 3.13 Your words have been stout against me saith the Lord yet ye say What have we spoken so much against thee He tells them vers 15. Ye call the proud happy yea they that work Wickedness are set up yea they that tempt God are even delivered See how God counts himself blasphemed when he is charged to favour Evil men by not executing Justice on them Justitia est perpetua constans voluntas suum cuique tribuendi saith Justinian in the beginning of his Institutions Justice is a perpetual and constant will of giving to every one his own And sure as Praise is due to them that doe well so Vengeance to him that doeth evil As Powers be ordained of God in his Ministers to reward well-doing with praise and to be revengers for wrath upon him that doeth evil Rom. 13.4 so God whose Deputies they are and bear his name will render to every man according to his works 5. It is from the Power of God that such Anguish befalls men for Sin as I have asserted He is great in power and will not at all acquit the wicked saith the Prophet Nahum 1.3 Moses therefore having bewailed the great Devastation of mankind by God's Anger that carries them away as with a Floud breaks out into these words Psal 90.11 Who knoweth the power of thy Anger even according to thy fear so is thy Wrath. Whereby he plainly intimates that the Power of God makes God's rebukes for Sin extreme and intolerable 1. Because they reach to all parts of a man He can punish Soul and Body yea and cast both into Hell-fire Matth. 10.28 2. He can make all or any of the Creatures his Instruments of Punishment he can arm the least Worm for Vengeance yea and that which makes it most unsupportable he can make a man 's own Spirit his Sword to wound him and this is of all the sorest it being true which Solomon saith Prov. 18.14 The spirit of a man will sustain his Infirmity but a wounded spirit who can bear 3. There is no way to escape from it or to avoid the Affliction he will bring on a person there being neither hiding-place where he cannot find a man nor remote place whither his hand cannot reach nor any auxiliary power to match or withstand him nor any Remedy but by him Qui vulnera fecit Solus Achilléo tollere more potest Which brings in the Second Observation II. PROPOSITION That Beds and Couches and other bodily Refections little avail to ease a Conscience or a Person that is oppressed with the weight of God's Stroke for Sin This Job found 7.13 14 15. When I say My Bed shall comfort me my Couch shall ease my Complaint Then thou scarest me with Dreams and terrifiest me through Visions So that my Soul chuseth strangling and death rather then life And the like we may say of any other Creature-help All the Artists Oratours Divines Angels and whatever there is in the Universe to cure or alleviate an afflicted Spirit are no more able to redress its Malady without God then the old World was to stay the universal Deluge or Sodom to prevent its Burning with fire and brimstone from heaven It is God's Prerogative to kill and to make alive to bring down to the Grave and to bring up to raise the Fiend of an awakened Conscience and to lay it again He that made the Spirit can by the Spirit and his Son's Bloud quiet and purge the Conscience from dead works to serve the living God and he alone APPLICATION To apply this then to your use 1. It should deterre you from sinning against God Though Sin may smile upon you before you commit it it will bite you when you have acted it It may sing you a fair pleasant Song like a Siren but it will destroy you if it entice you thereby S. James tells you the true brood of Sin 1.14 15. Every man is tempted c. Though the Pleasures of Sin be delightfull yet they are poisonous Quisquámne Venenum vult in Auro Will any man venture to drink Poison in a golden Cup You that are given to drink excessively consider while the Cup is at your mouth that there will be a Cup of Wrath given you to drink the Venome whereof will set your Bones on fire and drink up your Spirits You that are given to unclean and unlawfull Lusts of the body if you be not afraid of the Morbus Gallicus yet fear the Wrath of him who will judge such persons and burn you with a more unquenchable Fire then that which consumed Sodom and Gomorrah You that so love the Mammon of Iniquity that you serve it that regard not how you get Wealth per fas per nefas by right or wrong Rem Rem quocunque modo Rem Money any way though by Sacriledge publick Robbery Grinding the face of the Poor by Bribery Extortion Perjury Over-reaching in bargaining Defrauding Theft or any other way think of Zechariah's flying Roll the Curse Zech. 5.4 which God will bring forth and it shall enter into the house of the Thief and into the house of him that Sweareth falsely by his Name and it shall remain in his house to cut off or torture the Inhabitant and to consume the Materials of the house You that are profane Scoffers that deride the Word and Service of God or close Hypocrites that counterfeit Godliness know that God will not be mocked and cannot be resisted Let me say to you or any other Sinner who goes on in any sinfull way insensible of the Sting which is in the Tail the Terrours of Conscience and Wrath of God these will
which God himself used in his most blessed Declaration of himself when he proclaimed of himself Exod. 34.6 7. The Lord the Lord God mercifull and gracious long-suffering and abundant in Goodness and Truth keeping Mercy for thousands forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin To which it is very likely he had an eye and that he made that Proclamation the rise of his Hope That though his Sins were great yet they were not any other then God had proclaimed of old he did forgive and after in his New Covenant he more fully assured the Condonation of them Jer. 31.34 Heb. 8.12 2. The thing David requesteth of God and that is full Remission expressed in three terms 1. Of Blotting out his Transgressions a phrase used by the Prophet Isa 43.25 and 44.22 And it intimates that his Sins were written by God in his Remembrance as in a Book of Records in the sense that Job said 13.26 and 14.17 God did write bitter things against him and sealed up his Iniquity And the blotting it out is the putting it out of his Remembrance so as not to charge it upon him nor condemn him for it as it is explained Isa 43.25 2. Of Washing him throughly from his Iniquity a term noting frequent or abundant washing that is Absolution meant by Ablution 1 Cor. 6.11 where it comprehends Justification as well as Sanctification And so it is said Revel 1.5 Christ hath washed us from our Sins in his own bloud alluding 't is likely to the cleansing of men from their Leprosy and other Legall Pollutions in the Mosaicall Law 3. The third term is Cleanse me from my Sin by Emundation meaning Emendation purifying his Heart from the love of his Sin and his Life from the practice of it any more as it is expressed Isa 1.16 17. Wash ye make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to doe evil learn to doe well 3. The Third thing considerable in David's Petition which is indeed the Hindge on which all turns is the Loving-kindness or Benignity of God the Multitude of his tender Mercies such as are in the Womb or Bowells of a tender Mother towards her Child And this Loving-kindness and Multitude of tender Mercies is urged by David as the Motive the impulsive Cause or sole Reason of granting his Request of blotting out his Transgressions washing him throughly from his Iniquity and cleansing him from his Sin In the same manner as Moses pleaded with God for Israel Num. 14.17 18 19. after whose Copy this Petition seems to be framed and is an exact Pattern according to which a Penitent Supplicant is to address himself to God for Ease from under the pressure of his Sins teaching us these Points 1. That the Remembrance of his Sin is the greatest Grievance to a Penitent Sinner David complains not of other Evils incident to him and his but his own Sin 2. That a Penitent Sinner doth not mince or lessen his Sin but setteth it out or confesseth it to God in its greatest Aggravations in variety of odious Appellations when he betakes himself to God for Redress 3. That the Blotting out of our Transgressions the Washing throughly from our Iniquity the cleansing from our Sin is to be sought from God 4. That we are to beg earnestly not onely for Blotting out our Transgressions but also for through Washing and Cleansing from Iniquity and Sin not onely by Condonation of them but also by Emendation and Amendment of life 5. That it is Loving-kindness and multitude of tender Mercies which is the Motive whereupon God blotteth out Transgressions washeth throughly the guilty Sinner from Iniquity and cleanseth him from his Sin 6. That the onely way to obtain these things is to beg them of God upon this consideration and no other You see a large field and copious matter is before us in which I might exspatiate far and prosecute a long time but I will endeavour to abbreviate and end with the time I. OBSERVATION That the Remembrance of his Sin is the greatest Grievance to a Penitent Sinner This is evident from their penitential Complaints In the many mournfull Elegies of David the great Pressure of his spirit lay in the Remembrance of his Sin Psal 38.3 4 5. There is no rest in my bones because of my Sin For mine Iniquities are gone over my head as an heavy burthen they are too heavy for me My Wounds stink and are corrupt because of my Foolishness And again Psal 40.12 Innumerable Evils have compassed me about mine Iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up they are more then the hairs of my head therefore my heart faileth me It is true Afflictions are hard to be born Poverty and Disgrace and Imprisonment and Pains of body are very heavy upon many persons Discontents and Fears of trouble Griefs and Sorrows for loss of Friends Wife Children do often quench mens spirits and sink them into the Grave Nor is it to be denied but that many times they cause men to prefer death before life and to chuse strangling before breathing Job 7.15 But upon the sense of Sin when the Conscience feels the weight of it when God shoots his Arrows into a man and haeret lateri lethalis Arundo the deadly Arrow sticks in his side then the Venome thereof drinks up his spirit is as the stinging of a Scorpion or fiery flying Serpent it tortures like Hell and is more bitter and terrible then Death it self The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity saith Solomon Prov. 18.14 but a wounded spirit who can bear In other Afflictions there is some Remedy from Reason or Faith if not to comfort yet to quiet the Soul but in the sense of Sin committed till Pardon thereof be apprehended no Argument can be fastned but will be rejected Men in these Wounds of Conscience doe like persons in extreme Anguish who tear off their Plaisters that should ease or cure them so do wounded Consciences reject all Allegations of Scripture brought to allay their Anguish as if they belong'd not to them as Spira and others have done And that which is the Sting of Sin that most of all makes it deadly poisonous is the apprehension of God as angry as an Enemy unappeasable till it be acknowledged to be what it is an evil and bitter thing that we have sinned against the Lord and that his fear is not in us as the Prophet speaks Jer. 2.19 Which leads me to the II. OBSERVATION That a Penitent Sinner doth not mince or lessen his Sin but sets it out or confesseth it to God in its greatest Aggravations in variety of odious Appellations when he betakes himself to God for Redress So David besides the variety of terms he here paints out the Deformity of his Sins by adds also vers 3 4. I acknowledge my Transgressions and my Sin is ever before me Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this Evil in thy sight
necessary and are always made by those who are wise-hearted in all Generations for the very best of Men or People can never acquit themselves from being guilty of such Iniquities as might justly expose them to greater Wrath then they feel There is not a Just man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not saith Solomon Eccles. 7.20 Who can say I have made my Heart clean I am pure from my Sin Prov. 20.9 Holy Job of whom God testifieth that he was his Servant none like him in the Earth a perfect and an upright man one that feared God and eschewed Evil Job 1.8 though he still avouched his Integrity yet when he is to speak of his Afflictions as they come from God he is crest-fallen le ts down his Plumes speaks in such forms as these How should a man be just with God If he will contend with him he cannot answer him one of a thousand If I justisie my self mine own mouth shall condemn me if I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse If I wash my self with Snow-water and make my hands never so clean Yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch and mine own cloaths shall abhor me Job 9.2 3 20 30 31. He makes no such plea for himself as the proud Pharisee that trusted in himself that he was Righteous and despised others nor doth he out of meer Modesty speak thus of himself but out of the sense of the verity thereof he confesseth concerning all the Sons of Adam Job 14.4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean not one The Septuagint reads vers 5. No though his life be but one day upon earth and after them the Ancients Though he be but Infans unius diei an Infant of one day We reade of Hezekiah Isa 38.3 that he deprecated the Sentence of his Death in these words Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect Heart and have done that which is good in thy sight Yet when the Sentence was reversed he doth not ascribe it to his own desert but vers 17. he thus speaks to God Thou hast in love to my Soul delivered it from the Pit of corruption for thou hast cast all my Sins behind thy back He doth not like a proud Pharisee impute his Recovery to his own Righteousness nor like some boasting Frier brag of his own Merits or Works of Supererogation Such language of Self-justitiaries such Conceits of men puffed up with arrogant Self-esteem were far from him He speaks like an humble Penitent not like a vain Glorioso He assigns as the cause of his Recovery not his own Merit but God's pardoning Mercy Nor can any People justly reckon their own Innocency as the cause of God's sparing them but must if they will speak truth acknowledge they have deserved to be consumed Though David when the Pestilence was upon Israel said Lo I have sinned and I have done wickedly but these Sheep what have they done 2 Sam. 24.17 yet that there were Iniquities in the People which occasioned David's Sin is plain from vers 1. where it is said that the Anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel The Churches of Christ in the Primitive times were the purest yet S. Paul 2 Cor. 12.20 21. saith he feared lest when he came to Corinth he should not find them such as he would and that he should be found unto them such as they would not lest there be Debates Envyings Wraths Strifes Backbitings Whisperings Swellings Tumults lest when he came again his God would humble him among them and that he should bewail many which had sinned already and had not repented of the Vncleanness which they had committed In Christ's Survey of the Seven Golden Candlesticks the Seven Churches of Asia though golden or pure by his Acceptance yet he finds much drossy stuff their Light but dim and almost wasted and ready to go out such Imperfections such Errours such Decays such Practices of evil savour as were enough to move him to extinguish their Light quite and to remove the Candlesticks except they repented It is by reason of man's deceitfull Heart that God finds even in the best Men and Churches sufficient matter against them to consume them which yet he permits by his own just Decree and wise Counsel that he may hide Pride from man and none might glory in himself but that his Mercies might the better be discerned Which leads us to the III. OBSERVATION That there are Mercies and Compassions in God towards his People It is true Mercy and Compassion as they are in Man are Perturbations which do disquiet them Compassion in them is a dolorous Passion arising from some appearing Evil that is destructive or otherwise grievous which happens to a man undeservedly And it is occasioned by a sense of the common Condition of men and a possibility of the like Accident befalling themselves as Aristotle describes it in the Second Book of his Rhetorick But in God who is without Body Parts or Passions as the First Article of the Church of England speaks there is no such Perturbation no afflicting Affection But Compassion in him is a sweet calm and gracious Inclination of his Will whereby he hath regard to the Defects and Miseries of his Creature This Attribute is asserted by himself in that most majestick Proclamation of his when he shewed his Glory and made all his Goodness to pass before Moses Exod. 33.18 19. descended in a Cloud passed by him and proclaimed the Name of the Lord The Lord the Lord God Mereifull and Gracious Long-suffering and abundant in Goodness and Truth Exod. 34.5 6. The same hath been by many of the Holy Writers attested it being the great engaging Property of God whereby all his Creatures chiefly his Elect are eternally obliged to be his Thus he is styled by the Psalmist Psal 116.5 Gracious is the Lord and Righteous yea our God is Mercifull by S. James 5.11 a God very pitifull and of tender Mercies or of much Bowels of Compassion by S. Paul the Father of mercies and the God of all Consolation 2 Cor. 1.3 rich in Mercy Eph. 2.4 And therefore Mercy is most truly ascribed to him so that as Christ said There is none Good but one that is God Mark 10.18 so we may say There is none Mercifull or compassionate but one that is God understanding it of the most intensive Degree quoad Affectum in respect of the disposition of his Will to help and of the most extensive Latitude quoad Effectum in respect of the Effect and working of it for so it is universall Psal 145.9 The Lord is good to All and his tender Mercies in some kind are over all his works Thy Mercy O Lord is in the Heavens and thy Faithfulness reacheth to the Clouds Thy Righteousness is like the great Mountains thy Judgments are a great Deep O Lord thou preservest Man and Beast Psal 36.5 6. And Christ sets out
if although it be through many Tribulations yet we at last enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Now to the end we may walk before God 1. It will be necessary that we inquire into and observe the Ways and Places wherein God walks and where he delights to meet with us The Church in Isa 64.5 thus speaks to God Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh Righteousness those that remember thee in thy Ways There are indeed Ways of God that are unsearchable and Paths past finding out The ways of God's Election and Reprobation are secret things belonging to the Lord our God and cannot be found out by us but onely à posteriori by observing how he works in our own Hearts and thus far onely we are to observe them so as to give all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure that by doing such things as may improve the Work of God's Spirit in our Hearts we may never fall The Works of God's Providence in the World and his Works of Creation we are to inquire into that we may admire and magnifie him that maketh all But his Ways of Judgment we are to observe and his Ways of Precept and Promise We are to take notice of his Corrections when we go astray of his Mercy and Truth when we walk uprightly how he meets us with a Rod in his hand when we wander out of his Paths with Embraces with refreshing Provision when we walk uprightly before him This was David's practice as he tells us Psal 18.21 22 23. I have kept saith he the Ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God For all his Judgments were before me and I did not put away his Statutes from me I was also upright before him and kept my self from mine Iniquity 2. As we are to observe God's Ways so we are to prepare our own Ways before him as it is said of Jotham 2 Chron. 27.6 As he that is to walk with another must provide all things in readiness that he may keep him company so must he that would walk with God he must awake and stand up from the dead as the Apostle speaks Eph. 5.14 awake to Righteousness 1 Cor. 15.34 He is not fit to walk with another that is drowzy and loves to slumber so the person that will walk before God must be wakefull listning to God's Call ready when he shall send for him and require his attendance he must be attentive to all the Motions of his Spirit be prepared to go with God whithersoever he will have him Thus it was with Abraham Heb. 11.8 By Faith when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an Inheritance he obeyed and went out not knowing whither he went He that will walk before God must not sit down in that place and state in which he is and say with the Rich man Luk. 12.19 Soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thine ease eat drink and be merry but must count himself as Abraham did a Pilgrim and Sojourner upon Earth he must not take this Earth to be his resting-place but go after Christ bearing his reproach he must learn to deny himself and take up his Cross and so follow him A Heart that thinks of nothing but how he may injoy the Good things of this Life that is so minded as Peter was in the Mount that thinks it is good to be here and cries Let us build us Tabernacles below is not fit to walk with God He that will walk with God must follow him fully as it is said of Caleb Num. 14.24 that he had another Spirit then the rest of the Spies and followed God fully What way God will have us to take that we must take where he will have us to be there we must be contented to be what estate his Providence shall allot to us that we must embrace what he will have us to doe we must be willing to doe We must not imagine that we are to walk before God as our Equall our Fellow but as our Lord and Master and accordingly must be attentive to what he saith to us and be ready to submit to his Pleasure 3. To right Walking before God it is necessary that we should get the Staff of Faith in our hand It was that which enabled Abraham to walk with God and Noah and Enoch and all the Saints He that will walk before God must not onely believe that God is but also that he is near unto and a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11.6 He must apprehend God with him while his Heart is towards God For indeed nothing will animate us to walk with God but the assurance we have that God will be with us while we be with him that if we seek him he will be found of us if we forsake him he will forsake us as the Prophet told Asa 2 Chron. 15.2 As many as mean to walk with God must hold fast this Staff of Faith to stay themselves in Precipices and slippery places to remove what would cast them down to support them when they grow feeble and faint to clear themselves of all Incumbrances that may clog them in their going to beat down all Assaults in a word to stay their Minds so as that by no Inveiglements or Difficulties they may be put out of their way 4. He that will walk before the Lord must have low thoughts of himself as Abraham Gen. 18.27 I have begun to speak unto my Lord who am but Dust and Ashes He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to doe justly and to love Mercy and to walk humbly with thy God Mic. 6.8 It is an humble Heart onely that is fit for God's Company As he is not fit to wait on a Prince that is of a sawcy and malapert Disposition that thinks as well of himself as of his Master that will take upon him to controll him that is proud and stubborn not flexible and pliable that will not stand bare observe the Ceremonies of his Court give him his due Titles nor perform those Rites and Observances which belong to his Highness So neither is he fitted to walk with God who is not of a lowly submissive spirit who is not ready to stoop to God to perform his Worship to give him that Honour and Glory which belongs to him who will glory in himself and not magnifie his Lord. To walk in the Name of the Lord Mic. 4.6 is to worship him and that is done by low Thoughts of our selves and high Thoughts of God He that walks wisely will chuse low ground to walk on And he that places himself in Imo suo in his low Condition is fittest to exalt God in ipsius Summitatem into his Height Though the Lord be high yet he hath respect unto the lowly but he beholdeth the proud afar off Psal 138.6 he will not have him in his
that Wisedom excelleth Folly as far as Light excelleth Darkness The Wise man's eyes are in his head he avoideth many Dangers takes prosperous Courses by reason of his Prudence in discerning between things hurtfull and things helpfull to him for want of which the Fool walketh in Darkness stumbles often and falls into Pits and Precipices Yet as he saith vers 15 16. as it happeneth to the Fool so to the Wise as the Fool dieth so dieth the Wise Neither doth Wisedom in Sciences Arts Policy Cunning in Trading or any such Skill as men are most applauded for Civil or Military secure a man from Dangers without or Fears within common Calamities or particular Miseries Death or Damnation But the Wisedom that is from above whereby we know God's Will know the things of the Spirit of God which are freely given us of God arms us against Temptations Fear of Death and Judgment to come and comforts us in Tribulation It is that which is able to make us wise unto Salvation as the Holy Scriptures did Timothy It brings us to God as it comes from God Which leads us to the II. OBSERVATION That the Vnderstanding of God's Law and Will is the Gift of God and to be sought from him Every good and every perfect Gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of Lights with whom is no Variableness neither shadow of turning And therefore if any lack Wisedom he is to ask it of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not James 1.5 17. Job after his inquiry Where shall Wisedom be found and where is the place of Vnderstanding resolves The Depth saith It is not in me and the Sea saith It is not in me Destruction and Death say We have heard the fame thereof with our ears God understandeth the way thereof and he knoweth the place thereof He declareth it prepareth it and searcheth it out Job 28.12 14 22 23 27. And indeed it is he onely that gives it and in such a measure as pleaseth him All Understanding is God's Gift he makes the wise and the foolish He can give Solomon Wisedom turn Achitophel's Counsel into Folly make foolish the Wisedom of the wise As they that trust to their own Wisedom lean to their own Vnderstanding do follow an Ignis fatuus that will lead them into Bogs and Precipices so they that seek Counsel of God Wisedom from him in all their Undertakings that fear themselves and work out their Salvation with fear and trembling are most prosperous It was Solomon 's Happiness that he asked Wisedom of God and it was his Unhappiness that he gave his Heart to injoy Pleasure and Mirth and so doted on his Wives that they turned away his Heart from God to set up Idol-service And therefore by Solomon 's Example we should beware of abusing our Knowledge by turning God's Grace into Wantonness and perverting our Understanding to the Service of our Lusts But which is the III. OBSERVATION When we understand God's Laws we should observe them The Observation of God's Law consisteth in two things 1. In Considering what it requires or makes known The word we translate keep signifies the Observance of a Watch-man who is intent on what he sees and attentive to what he hears And this should be the disposition and exercise of every one to whom God speaks I will hear what God the Lord will speak saith the Psalmist Psal 85.8 There is nothing more concerns a man then to have his Ear for God and his Eye on God All our Happiness is from him and therefore all our Thoughts should be towards him As a Servant that depends on his Master will have his eye on him and his ear open to him so should it be with us our Ear should hear and our Heart should consider what God speaks or acts The Blessed man's Delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth he meditate day and night Psal 1.2 And what-ever God does in the world especially towards us whereby he either answers our Prayers or rebukes us for our Sins either warns us of our evil Doings or encourages us in doing well should be observed by us for by so doing we shew we have an Heart to please God and cause him to take pleasure in us 2. In Doing of God's Law according to what we understand whether it be by departing from Evil or doing Good Vnto Man he said Behold the Fear of the Lord that is Wisedom and to depart from Evil that is Vnderstanding Job 28.28 As God's Precepts cannot be observed without learning them so are they not well learned unless they be observed Theology is a practical Science for Action as well as Speculation If ye know these things saith Christ happy are ye if ye doe them Joh. 13.17 Practice is the end of Knowledge and increase of Knowledge is the fruit of Practice If any man will doe the will of God he shall know of the Doctrine of Christ whether it be of God Joh. 7.17 A good Vnderstanding have all they that doe his Commandments Psal 111.10 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doeth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven He that heareth these Sayings of mine and doeth them I will liken him to a wise man that built his house on a Rock And the Rain descended and the Flouds came and the Winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell not for it was founded upon a Rock And every one that heareth these Sayings of mine and doeth them not shall be likened to a foolish man which built his house upon the Sand And the Rain descended and the Flouds came and the Winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell and great was the fall of it Matth. 7.21 24 25 26 27. That Servant which knew his Lord's will and prepared not himself neither did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes Luk. 12.47 To him that knoweth to doe good and doeth it not to him it is Sin James 4.17 Sin in a higher degree Majoris est Criminis Legem spernere quà m nescire said Salvian In Ignorance there is Sin in Contempt of God's Law in Stubbornness much more in Hypocrisie most of all Which brings us to our IV. OBSERVATION That God's Laws are to be kept by us with our whole Heart And indeed God's Law is not kept unless the Heart keep it as well as the Tongue His Service requires the Inward parts as well as the Outward Apply thine Heart to Instruction and thine Ears to the word of Knowledge My Son give me thy Heart and let thine Eyes observe my ways Prov. 23.12 26. The Mouth of the Righteous speaketh Wisedom and his Tongue talketh of Judgment The Law of his God is in his Heart none of his steps shall slide Psal 37.30 31. It is the Heart that is the Principle or Fountain of good or bad A good man out
To whom those are near of kin of whom S. Paul speaks in his Farewell-Sermon to the Ephesians Act. 20.29 30. I know this that after my departing shall grievous Wolves enter in amongst you not sparing the Flock Also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away Disciples after them All which perverse Proceedings are much aggravated by the Opposition in them not onely to the Law but also to the Gospel For as the carnal Mind is Enmity against God in that it is not subject to the Law of God Rom. 8.7 so it is much greater Perverseness in a man's Ways to neglect so great Salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him God also bearing them witness both with Signs and Wonders and with divers Miracles and Gifts of the Holy Ghost according to his own will Heb. 2.3 4. And therefore our Saviour saith Joh. 3.19 This is the Condemnation per Eminentiam the great Condemnation that Light is come into the World and men loved Darkness rather then Light because their deeds were evil It is also so much the greater Perverseness and renders it incurable unpardonable for men after their profession of the Truth after Vows to God of adhering to Christ after they have been once enlightned have tasted of the heavenly Gift and been made partakers of the Holy Ghost have tasted of the good Word of God and the powers of the World to come then to fall away so that they crucifie the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame Heb. 6.5 6. This is the most contumelious way of Despising the Lord among all the sorts and degrees of Perverseness in our Ways as may be discerned in answering the Second Quaere II. How he that is perverse in his Ways despiseth the Lord. Despising saith Aristotle in the Second of his Rhetoricks in the Chapter of Anger is the Act of Opinion in not shewing any regard of a thing or person And it hath its Effects in divers degrees Sometimes there is onely Slighting making none or little Esteem of either Sometimes Damnifying daring to harm because there is so mean a Thought thereof as not to fear any Revenge Sometimes there is insolent Scorning thereof as of no value And in all these degrees a person is despised when the Contempt is offered either immediately or directly as when a King is reviled to his face his Person kicked spurned derided openly or mediately when any such Usage is shewed to that which doth more peculiarly pertain to his Dignity as when his Image Coin Laws Son Friends Servants Officers Embassadours are vilified or abused The Contempt of whom though it be first terminated on them yet when it is offered for the King's sake out of Enmity to or Disesteem of him or Affront to his Government the Relation to him being known it is either actually or by interpretation a Despising of the King himself Now as the Prophet Malachi hath it 1.14 I am a great King saith the Lord of hoasts and my Name is dreadfull among the Heathens He is the true God the living God and an everlasting King Jer. 10.10 There is none like unto him he is Great and his Name is great in might vers 6. According as his Name is glorious and fearfull Deut. 28.58 so are all the things pertaining to his Essence and to his Greatness there is some Reverence due to them And God is despised not onely when he is disclaimed as he was by Pharaoh Exod. 5.2 or not minded as by those wicked ones who through the Pride of their countenance will not seek after God God is not in all their thoughts Psal 10.4 or when he is reproached and blasphemed as he was by Rabshakeh Isa 36.20 or when his Worship is neglected as it was Mal. 1.6 7. or his Providence denied as when it was asked Where is the God of Judgment Malach. 2.17 But also when his Works are undervalued He that mocketh the Poor reproacheth his Maker saith Solomon Prov. 17.5 Specially when his Children are despised He that despiseth despiseth not Man but God who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit 1 Thess 4.8 In like manner to slight God's Laws his Threatnings his Judgments is an high Contempt of God But God is most of all despised when the Gospel the Grace of God in Christ the Embassadours that bring it the Son of God himself the Image of the invisible God are contemned and the Spirit of God despighted He that despiseth you despiseth me saith Christ and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me Luk. 10.16 And in this respect he that is perverse in his Ways despiseth the Lord because he despiseth God's Commands his Gospel his Messengers but most of all his Son in whom he is well pleased and his Spirit of Grace the chiefest of all the Gifts that he communicates unto men Whence may be discerned III. What is the Evil of such Despising of the Lord. Of which in a word All Indignities offered to a King are high Misdemeanours to rebell against his Crown to speak evil of his Person are Crimina laesae Majestatis amount to High Treason and are usually avenged by the most shamefull and tormenting Death Doubtless the Perverseness of his Spirit who is obstinate in his Ways and despiseth God's Statutes and his Judgments is no less High Treason against the Heavenly Majesty his Crown and Dignity chiefly when his Grace is rejected his Son is not kissed his Spirit is despighted there being no greater Affront to him who is the blessed and onely Potentate King of Kings and Lord of Lords then when his Grace in Christ is rejected when men will not have Christ to rule over them but prefer the Prince of this World before the Lord of Glory the Prince of Life and in stead of welcoming the Spirit of Life embrace the accursed Fiend the Authour of Death This makes the Wrath of God hot so that they perish from the way when his Wrath is kindled but a little Psal 2.12 Such men make God a Liar 1 Joh. 5.10 And that doth in effect un-God him and dethrone him By despising the Riches of his Goodness after their impenitent hard Heart they treasure up to themselves Wrath against the day of Wrath and revelation of the righteous Judgment of God Rom. 2.4 5. Which can be no less then fiery Indignation which shall devour the Adversaries who tread under foot the Bloud of the Son of God count the Bloud of the Covenant wherewith persons are sanctified an unholy thing and doe despight to the Spirit of Grace Heb. 10.27 29. APPLICATION Oh that these things were seriously pondered and laid to heart by you How many thousands of holy Monitions to turn from your evil Ways have some of you had How often hath God spoken to you by his Judgments from Heaven on your selves or others How often hath Christ stood at the door of
as the holy Apostles and Martyrs were after Christ's Ascension and therefore bemoan their exclusion out of the Land of Canaan and their privation of naturall Life more passionately then seems to agree with the quietness and rejoycing which the Saints since Christ's Ascension have expressed in their Death 2. A Second Cause of David's excessive Grief is intimated here vers 7. Mine eye is consumed because of Grief it waxeth hold because of all mine Enemies and vers 10. Let all mine Enemies be ashamed and sore vexed let them return and be ashamed suddenly It seems he apprehended they would or knew they did if God took away his Life insult over him and reproach him for his often profession of trusting in God if God did not help him So Psal 42.3 My Tears have been my meat day and night while they continually say unto me Where is thy God vers 9 10. I will say unto God My Rock why hast thou forgotten me why goe I mourning because of the oppression of the Enemy As with a Sword in my bones mine Enemies reproach me while they say daily unto me Where is thy God The vilifying of his God and the deriding of his hope in him was more grievous to David then his Exile or Sickness or Death it self 3. Nor are we to doubt though it be not expressed in the Text that those Groans and Tears of David were also Penitentiall occasioned by the Remembrance of his Sins for elsewhere is the like Complaint Sin is that poisonous Herb which made his Affliction bitter and deadly to him like the wild Gourd that made the Sons of the Prophets cry out Mors in Olla There is death in the pot 2 Kings 4.40 Thus Psal 38.2 3 4. Thy hand presseth me sore There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine Anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my Sin For mine Iniquities have gone over my head as an heavy burthen they are too heavy for me Psal 40.12 Innumerable Evils have compassed me about mine Iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up they are more then the hairs of my head therefore my heart faileth me Psal 41.4 I said Lord be mercifull unto me heal my Soul for I have sinned against thee Where he expresseth his Misery he doth often declare his Sin to be the Cause of it as he prays for the removall of the one so for the pardon of the other and as he complains of the one so he bewails the other And therefore it is to be so conceived here where he describes the vehemency of his Groaning and the redundance of his Tears which is confirmed by that which he saith here vers 8. Depart from me all ye workers of Iniquity for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping which implies a penitential frame of spirit to have been in David when he made this Prayer he abandoned the society of the workers of Iniquity which is one principal part of Repentance shewing displicency with our selves for Sins committed and resolution to avoid the Occasions of Sin to which we may be tempted there being no sign more evident of loving Sin then conforting with the workers of Iniquity nor any means more necessary to avoid it which is the chief part of Repentance then to shun the company of the practisers of Evil. And that his Tears were penitentiall is intimated in that it is said they had a Voice a praying Voice to God which what other can it be deemed to be then Confessing of Sin to God Complaining to him of his Misery be reason of it Deprecating of his Vengeance as vers 1. he expressed himself O Lord rebuke me not in thine Angor neither chasten me in thy hot Displeasure Sutably hereto he speaks Psal 39.8 10 11. Deliver me from all my Transgressions make me not a reproach to the foolish Remove thy stroke away from me I am consumed by the blow of thy hand When thou with rebukes dost correct man for Iniquity thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth Surely every man is vanity So that hereby we may well conclude without much straining of the Text That those Groans and Tears were mixt partly from the sense of Affliction and in that respect involuntary partly Penitentiall from the sense of his Sin and in that respect voluntary and that he mourned propter malum Culpae as well as propter malum Poenae for the Evil of Acting as well as the Evil of Suffering for both together as being concatenate and the one following the other And accordingly we may hence infer these usefull Propositions 1. That when God visits for Sin the Pain is extreme and intolerable 2. That Beds and Couches and other bodily Refections little avail to ease a Conscience or a Person that is oppressed with the weight of God's Stroke for Sin 3. That the want of opportunities of glorifying God is very grievous to a Godly man when he is under Affliction 4. That it aggravates his Affliction when by reason of his Suffering Reproach is likely to be cast upon God 5. The Groans and Tears and Disquietness of an Holy person are as well or more for his Sins then his Sufferings 6. In such sense of Misery or Sin the pious Penitent bemoans himself to God confesses bewails his Sins humbles himself before him deprecates his Wrath and earnestly seeks by Prayer and Supplication for Forgiveness of Sin Healing and Peace from God I shall consider each of these as they are placed I. PROPOSITION That when God visits for Sin the Pain is extreme and intolerable Be it Sickness Exile Restraint or whatever other Affliction the Almighty brings a man's Sin to remembrance by it will fetch Groans and Sighs from his Breast Tears Rivers of tears from his Eye The Anguish the Venome of his Indignation will drink up his Spirits Though as Solomon saith Prov. 14.9 Fools make a mock of Sin It is a sport to a fool to doe mischief Prov. 10.23 yet the conclusion will be when God visits for it Indignation and Wrath to them that are contentius and obey not the Truth Tribulation and Anguish upon every Soul of man that doeth evil Rom. 2.8 9. When Abner and his men and Joab and his men met by the Pool of Gibeon Abner said to Joab Let the young men now arise and play before us but when they had a while been at the sport Abner calls to Joab and says Shall the Sword devour for ever knowest thou not that it will be Bitterness in the latter end 2 Sam. 2.14 26. A man never thrives by Sin he may for a while be in great Power flourish like a green Bay-tree but in the conclusion Terrours take hold on him as waters a Tempest stealeth him away in the night saith Job 27.20 The lips of a strange woman drop as an hony-comb and her mouth is smoother then oil But her end is bitter as wormwood sharp as a
Ashes on our heads creep to a Cross whip our selves naked go on Pilgrimage to Jerusalem to weep at Christ's Sepulchre this would make but a palliated Cure our Wound would not be healed at the bottom but it would fester and break out again and gangrene and become mortall And therefore VI. PROPOSITION The Penitent pious person in the sense of his Sin and Misery bemoaneth himself to God confesseth and bewaileth his Sin humbleth himself before him deprecateth his Wrath and earnestly seeketh by Prayer and Supplication for Forgiveness of Sin Healing and Peace from God which is the last Conclusion deduced from the Vocality of David's Weeping vers 8. The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping There was a Prayer in David's Tears and that God heard And we may see how effectual this course is by the example of Manasseh King of Judah who did evil in the sight of the Lord like unto the Abominations of the Heathen whom the Lord cast out before the Children of Israel yea he made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to erre and to doe worse then the Heathen And the Lord spake unto Manasseh and to his people but they would not hearken And the Lord brought upon them the Captains of the hoast of the King of Assyria which took Manasseh amongst the thorns and bound him with fetters and carried him to Babylon And when he was in Affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers and prayed unto him and he was intreated of him and heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his Kingdom Then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God 2 Chron. 33.2 9 10 11 12 13. By which Instance we may perceive what is the right course to be taken by any one whom God afflicts for Sin he is to seek the Lord to humble himself greatly and to make his Supplication also how efficacious a way this is to remove the greatest Evils from the greatest Transgressours Nor is this Case of Manasseh a singular Case but such as other passages of Holy Scripture warrant us to make a common Rule of both for Duty and for Success For Duty thus saith Jeremiah Lament 3.39 40 41 42. Wherefore doth a living man complain a man for the punishment of his Sins Let us search and try our ways and turn again unto the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the Heavens We have transgressed and rebelled and thou hast not pardoned For Success thus speaks Elihu Job 33.27 28. He looketh upon men and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not He will deliver his Soul from going into the Pit and his life shall see the light For both the Prophet Joel speaks thus 2.12 13. Therefore also now saith the Lord Turn you even unto me with all your heart and with fasting and weeping and with mourning And rend your heart and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindness and repenteth him of the Evil. Whence may be gathered 1. That Complaints of our Punishments without Complaint of our Sins are vain and fruitless It was to no purpose for living men to complain of the Evils they felt while they were insensible of the Evils they did for in so doing they justified not God in his Judgments on them nor shewed any hatred of their own evil ways but either were insensible of their Afflictions as from God's hand and so gave him not the Glory of his Avenging act or being sensible hated God as an Enemy dealing unrighteously with them as not deserving it and fretting against the Lord in heart or blaspheming his Name because of their Plagues as those mentioned Revel 16.11 2. That the wisest and most successfull course that any can take in the time of God's Scourge upon them is to search and try their ways that is to find out their Sins which till they be discovered will be like Achan's Theft which caused Israel to fall before the Canaanites For if God set our Sins before him and we do not set them before our selves his Anger will burn us like fire and we know not where to cast water to quench it I confess there are some Errours that we cannot find out Psal 19.12 Who can understand his Errours And for those though we understand them not we may escape Vengeance if we know them in general are sensible that we have a vicious or imperfect Nature ignorant and heedless of what we should know and doe Yet those we should not be ignorant of nor slight them as Peccadillo's Venial sins in their own nature S. Paul doubtless cried out of these even the first motions of Concupiscence without Consent his very Lustings which he hated The Evil he would not doe that he did the Law in his Members warring against the Law of his Mind as a body of Death which made him wretched and of which he enquires Who shall deliver me from it When David speaks of his Sins as exceeding the hairs of his head doubtless he comprehends his Omissions his imperfect Performances of Duties Praying with distraction Praising God with coldness Hearing without attention of mind giving Alms with self-respect the Mixtures of Evil with what was Good his Vanity of thoughts his Ignorance Incogitancy Excess in words Jests Merriments and thousands of such Failings which though each of them be little yet the Multitude of them made them too heavy a Burthen for him Though Sand be but a small thing yet Heaps of it may sink a Ship So though Sins of Errour be but small yet being many they are to be known at least in the general though we be ignorant of each particular And accordingly David when he had said Who can understand his Errours adds Cleanse thou me from secret Faults These the Penitent must crave Pardon for and therefore take notice that he is guilty of them though he cannot make a particular Confession of them S. Austin often urgeth against the Pelagians that no man in this life is perfect without Sin because Christ teacheth us to pray as for our daily Bread each day so for Forgiveness of Sins each day thereby intimating that in the best who call God Father there are Peccata quotidianae incursationis Sins of daily incursion as Tertullian called them which have need of Pardon and that this must be begg'd of God Pelagian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Sinlesness Popish Merit and keeping of the Law Monkish works of Supererogation Quakers imagined Perfection are all proud and arrogant Dotages contrary to Christ and his Gospel We are to charge our selves with Sin in our daily Actions yea to count all our Righteousness as an Unclean thing yet that which we should especially consider should be our open and scandalous Sins as bringing most Dishonour to God and being most pernicious
Conscience exagitate him when he went out from the Presence of the Lord and dwelt in the Land of Nod as a Renegado from God and one that was pursued by his own Bloud-guiltiness Nor is the Case of Judas less pregnant to demonstrate how furious and inevitable is the pursuit of a guilty Conscience He had sold his Master the Lord of Glory for thirty pieces of Silver but his Mony was as Fire in his Bosome the remembrance of his devillish Act did so envenome his Spirit that he could find no Rest till he had disgorged his Money and rid himself of his Life too So that of him was verified what Zophar spake of others who sin in like manner Job 20.12 13 14 15 16. Though Wickedness be sweet in the Mouth though a man hide it under his Tongue Though he spare it and forsake it not but keep it still within his Mouth Yet his Meat in his Bowells is turned it is the Gall of Asps within him He hath swallowed down Riches and he shall vomit them up again God shall cast them out of his Belly He shall suck the poison of Asps the Viper's tongue shall slay him How many Myriads of men have there been in the Ages of the world who have ventured upon Sin without Fear have blessed themselves in the Success of their unrighteous Projects have delightfully for a season satiated themselves with the enjoyment of their prohibited Lusts yet in the conclusion the Remembrance thereof hath been as a Fire in their Bones as a heavy Burthen that neither their own strength nor the help of other men could support them under And the Reason hereof is Because to them that obey Vnrighteousness there is Indignation and Wrath from God and consequently Tribulation and Anguish upon every Soul of man that doeth evil Rom. 2.8 9. And this is that which makes the Heart to be affected as Belshazzar's was When he saw the finger of a man's hand writing over against the Candlestick and upon the plaister of the Wall of the King's Palace his Countenance was changed and his Thoughts troubled him so that the Joynts of his Loyns were loosed and his Knees smote one against another How shall thy hands be strong saith God to the Jews Ezek. 22.14 when I shall deal with thee The Sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulness hath surprized the Hypocrites who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings Isa 33.14 Therefore the Lord saith I will not contend for ever neither will I be always wroth for the Spirit should fail before me and the Souls which I have made Isa 57.16 Which leads us to that which is intimated OBSERVATION That though the Spirit of man when it is wounded with worldly Sorrows or with Conscience of Sin cannot sustain it self from sinking yet the Lord can and doth support it This is verified by experience in holy Job then whom none was ever more sorely handled except our Lord Christ when he bare our Sins in his Body on the Tree insomuch that he complained Job 6.4 For the Arrows of the Almighty are within me the poison whereof drinketh up my Spirit the Terrours of God do set themselves in array against me yet did the Consolations of God so support him that he could allege Behold my Witness is in Heaven and my Record is on high Job 16.19 so as that he could never be drawn to disclaim his own Uprightness or God's Righteousness Holy Paul though he were abundant in Sufferings so that he had the sentence of death in himself yet he would not relinquish his Trust in God whom he found the Father of Mercies and the God of all Comfort so as that with the abounding of his Sufferings he had also abounding Consolation After the like sort was it with Christ Jesus who though he was in great Agony in the Garden so that his Soul was heavy unto death in the days of his flesh he offered up Prayers and Supplications with strong Crying and Tears unto him that was able to save him from death yet he was heard in that he feared Heb. 5.7 David after he had committed that Sin against Vriah the Hittite when Nathan had discovered the Evil thereof His Bones waxed old through his Roaring all the day long Day and night the Hand of God was heavy upon him His moisture was turned into the drought of Summer His Bones his Soul were sore vexed Innumerable Evils compassed him about His Iniquities took hold upon him so that he was not able to look up therefore his heart failed him yet God restored unto him the Joy of his Salvation upheld him with his free Spirit took away his Sackcloath and girded him with Gladness The waies that God takes to sustain the Spirits of men in their Infirmities are various Sometimes by allaying the Sharpness of their Afflictions sometimes by a mixture of outward or inward Refreshings sometimes by moderating their Temptations not suffering them to be tempted above that they are able but with the Temptation making a way to escape that they may be able to bear it making it short though it be sharp But the chief way whereby the Lord supports the Spirit when it sinks of it self is by giving to some the tongue of the learned that they may know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary Isa 50.4 whose business it is first to humble to search the Wound and then to pour in Oil first to discover the Malady and then to apply the Medicine This method is described at large by Elihu Job 33. from vers 15. to v. 29. When God hath spoken to man in sleep and otherwise to open his ears to seal his Instruction to withdraw him from his purposes to hide Pride from man He chasteneth him upon his Bed and the multitude of his Bones with strong pains so that his Soul draweth near unto the Grave and his Life to the Destroyers Yet if there be a Messenger with him an Interpreter one among a thousand to shew unto man his Vprightness to make known to him the Atonement which is made by the Bloud of the everlasting Covenant when he washeth himself with penitentiall Tears and sprinkles his Conscience with the Bloud of Christ by Faith Then he is gracious unto him and saith Deliver him from going down to the Pit I have found a Ransome He shall pray unto God and he will be favourable unto him and he shall see his face with Joy for he will render unto man his Righteousness If when God looks upon men they say We have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited us not He will deliver their Soul from going into the Pit and their Life shall see the Light Thus did Hezekiah find it as he acknowledgeth Isa 38.16 17. O Lord by these things men live and in all these things is the life of my Spirit that is by God's undertaking for him vers 14. so wilt
his Property of Mercifulness He is very pitifull and of tender Mercy Jam. 5.11 He is not like a cruel Tyrant that delights to destroy but like a gracious King that is glad to save Est piger ad poenam Princeps ad praemia velox Quique dolet quoties cogitur esse ferox It is for a Sicilian Tyrant to invent Torments or rather for a Fiend of Hell to rejoyce in doing hurt I am the Lord which exercise Loving-kindness Judgment and Righteousness in the Earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord Jer. 9.24 Who is a God like unto thee saith the Prophet Micah 7.18 19. that pardoneth Iniquity and passeth by the Transgression of the remnant of his Heritage he retaineth not his Anger for ever because he delighteth in Mercy He will turn again he will have Compassion on us he will subdue our Iniquities and thou wilt cast all their Sins into the depth of the Sea And then the Prophet adds vers 20. that which is my Second Reason why God forgives 2. Thou wilt perform the Truth to Jacob and the Mercy to Abraham which thou hast sworn unto our Fathers from the days of old This is the Reason why he hath raised up a Horn of Salvation and gives the knowledge of Salvation for or by the Remission of Sins to perform the Mercy promised to our Fathers and to remember his holy Covenant the Oath which he sware to our Father Abraham Luk. 1.69 72 73 77. And for this Reason the Bloud of Christ is termed by himself the bloud of the New Testament which is shed for many for the Remission of Sins Matth. 26.28 And the Covenant of God is alleged as witnessing the effect of Christ's Sacrifice wherein God said Their Sins and Iniquities will I remember no more Heb. 10.16 17. For which reason S. John saith that God is faithfull and just to forgive us our Sins and to cleanse us from all Vnrighteousness 1 Joh. 1.9 His Mercifull nature prompts him to forgive Sins his Wisedom hath directed him to doe it by the Bloud of Christ his Truth to keep his Covenant and the End is that he may be feared Which brings me to the Second Point in my Text. II. OBSERVATION That God's Forgiveness engageth and encourageth men to fear him It is objected against the Jews Jer. 5.23 24. that they had a revolting and a rebellious Heart because they said not in their hearts Let us now fear the Lord our God that giveth Rain both the former and the latter in his season he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the Harvest Which evinceth this to be an Evil That men fear not God notwithstanding his Providences to them for good and therefore God's Care of us should engage us to fear him And it is prophesied that the Children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God and David their King and shall fear the Lord and his Goodness in the latter days Hos 3.5 Which intimates that God's Goodness is to be feared and that it is both an engagement and encouragement to fear him that he is good O fear the Lord ye his Saints for there is no want to them that fear him Psal 34.9 Now of all parts of his Goodness this is the chief his Forgiving Sins It is that which shews the greatest Kindness and Condescension in God Therefore when David blesseth God he puts this in the first place Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his Benefits Who forgiveth all thine Iniquities Psal 103.2 3. And it is the greatest Blessing to us Blessed is he whose Transgression is forgiven and whose Sin is covered Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not Iniquity Psal 32.1 2. This Favour then requires Fear in the greatest degree Not a tormenting Fear which consisteth not with Love and which is expelled by Love 1 Joh. 4.18 such as is in Devils that fear and tremble Jam. 2.19 but a dutifull Fear which makes us wary how we offend God and studious how to please him makes us fear him not as an Enemy or Tyrant from whom we expect nothing but hard Usage and sore Tasks but as a good Master or a loving Father whom we fear as our Superiour that may punish us yet love for his Goodness Bounty and Indulgence to us This Fear is usually termed a filial or reverentiall Fear which is manifested 1. in our Worship of him with reverence and godly fear Heb. 12.28 where the Fear of God is put for his Worship as Isa 29.13 2. in our Obedience to him both active in doing his Will and passive in submitting to his Correction Now to this Fear God's Forgiveness engageth us 1. Because such Forgiveness should and doth beget Love To whom many Sins were forgiven she loved much saith Christ Luk. 7.47 What Rebel is so hard-hearted as not to love his Prince that hath forgiven his manifold Treasons We have been more treacherous to God and yet he forgives us and shall we not then love him and fear to offend him 2. There is no greater Security can be given to draw our Hearts to God then the Forgiveness of Sins This is that Loving-kindness that draws us to God Jer. 31.3 the Chords of a man the Bands of Love that tie us fast to God Hos 11.4 And therefore there is no more expedite more rationall more sure way to maintain perpetuall Amity between us and God to devote us to his Service to bring us into Communion with him then the Preaching and Believing the rich Grace of the Gospel in the Remission of Sins by Jesus Christ according to the New Covenant in his Bloud But I see the time will not permit me to enlarge on this precious Subject I shall now apply that which hath been said in some necessary Uses and so end APPLICATION 1. First then If there be Forgiveness with God and that of the greatest Sins let no drooping Soul sink under the sense of his Sins though they have been Scarlet or Crimson Sins yet there is Pardon to be had It is true as now-a-days things go the greatest Sinners are most hardened in Security there is an Atheistical Spirit that makes men bold in Sinning Whether it be from the subtle Insinuations of some Seducers who like Balaam of old instill into mens minds those Principles which make them as audacious as Zimri and Cozbi of old were so that they declare their Sins as Sodom and hide them not ungodly men crept in among us turning the Grace of God into wantonness or from their doting so much on Nature as they call it that they forget the God of Nature so magnifying Naturam naturatam that they heed not Naturam naturantem as they barbarously speak in the Schools or that the Miscarriages of hypocriticall Professours of Religion induce them to think all Zeal in Religion is but from Fancy not God's Spirit and that all zealous persons are Fanaticks or men not in their right wits not soberly wise
So it is that the greatest part either openly commit the most horrid Sins monstrously Swearing as if they would dare God to his face Scoffing at the practice of Piety making no scruple of Deceiving spending their time in Drinking prodigally wasting their Estates by Luxury and the like which should be imployed to good Uses for the Relief of others and the publick benefit or they secretly practise some or all these Sins or worse if it may be under Disguises of Religion and other Vizors without Fear They that complain most of Sin are usually they that are most fearfull of Sin Yet to both it is needfull this Doctrine be taught of God's Forgiveness The most hardened Manasseh may be taken in the Thorns and humbled the most audacious Sinner among you may be awakened and his Eyes opened to see how evil and bitter a thing it is that he hath sinned against the Lord and his Fear hath not been in him Poverty Imprisonment Sickness or Death approaching may open his Ears to Discipline and make him remember God If these things happen let him remember though but then that there is Forgiveness with God And for any other perplexed person let him never forget to have this Cordial in the Closet of his Heart which may revive him in his Agonies and Faintings of spirit That there is Forgiveness with the Lord. But then 2. Let them not forget how and by what means it is obtained to wit by Repentance Confession Forsaking of Sin Faith in Christ's bloud humble Supplication to God new Obedience to him and Forgiveness of our Brother There must be another Heart a heart of Flesh not a heart of Stone in him that shall obtain Forgiveness He shall have Judgment without Mercy that shews no Mercy You must take heed of seeking Forgiveness by Popes or Priests supposed power to forgive Sins by their Authority by others officiating for you or by your own Satisfactions Works of Penance Fasting Alms or other laborious Works imposed or undertaken by your selves as meriting or procuring your Absolution But you must wholly rely on the Death and Intercession of Christ in Heaven and the Covenant in his Bloud Though in the mean time you are not to omit other Duties which I have shewed to be required of God in their place 3. Be sure not to forget to magnifie the Grace of God with whom is Forgiveness Stand and admire that infinite Goodness that after all the Sins of thy Progenitours Adam's Sin in Revolting from God his Maker and Benefactour the Sins of thy Pagan Ancestours in their horrid Idolatries and other Provocations the Sins of thy Popish Ancestours in their perverting the Gospell of Christ imitating the Vices and Superstitions of Pagans corrupting Christianity and destroying Myriads of holy Souls who in their Generations opposed their Abominations and contended for the Truth of Christ besides thy own Sins of Idleness Pride Wantonness Envy Covetousness Ungodliness Profaning holy things living without God in the world he should yet have Mercy on thee pardon thy Sins and save thy Soul Oh say with David Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name Psal 103.1 4. Forget not to fear him for the time to come It is the End of his Forgiving that thou shouldst fear him If God miss his End thou wilt lose thy hopes of Forgiveness Mark what our Saviour saith Joh. 5.14 Behold thou art made whole sin no more lest a worse thing happen unto thee Surely saith Elihu Job 34.31 32. it is meet to be said unto God I will not offend any more That which I see not teach thou me if I have done Iniquity I will doe no more If pardoning Grace do not better thee it will leave thee more inexcusable and thy Damnation more certain and just If thou become not obsequious to God and mercifull to others thy Pardon will be null'd Oh do not forfeit thy Pardon by After-disobedience but as thou hast God to remember thee in Mercy be sure to remember him by Dutifulness to him all thy days That when thou shalt meet with thy Father in Heaven thou maist be ravish'd with his Grace and he may welcome thee as his obedient Son into his everlasting Joy Amen LAVS DEO THE EFFECTUAL REMEDY The Eleventh SERMON PSAL. lxxix 8. O remember not against us former Iniquities let thy tender Mercies speedily prevent us for we are brought very low THE Message which was sent from Hezekiah that good King of Judah to the Prophet Isaiah This Day is a Day of Trouble and Rebuke Wherefore lift up thy Prayer for the Remnant that is left Isa 37.3 4. is by His MAJESTIE's Proclamation sent to us We are minded by our Gracious King That this Day is a Day of Trouble such as that we may call it Magor-Missabib Terrour round about us a Day of Rebuke wherein the great Correctour of the World rebukes us in his Anger and chastens us in his hot Displeasure Haeret lateri lethalis Arundo The Arrow of the Almighty flies by day and night among us sticks fast in us and drinks up our Spirit so as that we are consumed by his Anger and by his Wrath we are troubled And therefore it is now a Time for us to lift up our Prayer for the Remnant that is left and to betake our selves to our Litany in good earnest From Plague and Pestilence good Lord deliver us Hitherto are we led by this Precedent which I have read to you O remember not against us c. The Argument of the Psalm sufficiently intimates the Time and the Occasion of penning it The first Verse being a Complaint to God that the Heathen were come into God's Inheritance that is the Land of Judaea had defiled or profaned his holy Temple by casting it to the ground and had laid Jerusalem on heaps Which was done by none but Chaldaeans when this Psalm was composed and therefore it was composed after and upon occasion of the Demolition and Conflagration of Jerusalem and Solomon's Temple by Nebuchadnezzar's appointment of which we reade Jer. 52. which moved either Ezra or Daniel or some other Holy person of that Time to address himself to God with Complaint Expostulation and Petition in the words of my Text O remember not against us c. Wherein are 1. A Deprecation O remember not c. By former Iniquities some understand their Idolatry in making the Golden Calf in the Wilderness concerning which the Jews have a Tradition That in all the Miseries which came upon that People there was some Remembrance of that Sin according to that which is said in Exod. 32.34 Nevertheless in the Day when I shall visit I will visit their Sin upon them But more probably are meant the Sins of Manasseh and other Kings whereby they polluted the Temple with Heathenish Abominations filled Jerusalem with bloud brake their Oath to Nebuchadnezzar were obstinate against all the Warnings of the Prophets whom they mocked despising
their words and misusing their persons which stirred up the Wrath of God against his people so as there was no Remedy 2 Chron. 36.16 These were the Sins that Daniel meant in his Supplication which either symbolized or was contemporary with this Dan. 9.5 6. Now God is said to remember Sins when he doth actually punish persons for them and this is deprecated here simple Forgetfulness being a thing impossible to befall God who is uncapable of any defect but hath all things past present and to come in his view throughout all Eternity 2. Here is a Petition for Help Let thy tender Mercies speedily prevent us Wherein the thing desired is the coming of Aid for their Deliverance from their Captivity and the restoring of their City and Temple and that to be hastened the time seeming long to them in which they were oppressed by the Babylonian Kings and kept from the Land of their desires And this is begged as a product of God's tender Mercies or Bowels of Mercies by which Expression such Mercy as is wont to be in Mothers towards the Children of their womb whose Bowells earn towards them is attributed to God Though to speak exactly as the Schoolmen say Mercy is not in God secundùm Affectum he hath not any formal Dolour or Sympathy so as to be grieved with our Evills as we are when we pity others but secundùm Effectum in respect of the Effect because God in our Misery doth as we doe when we have Compassion on others afford Succour and Relief to those whom he is said to be mercifull to 3. The Petition is enforced with the mention of their low Condition For we are brought very low impoverished or made thin that is we are poor in Purse thin of People much diminished every way spoiled debarred of our Liberty of our Religion of our Peace burthened with imperious Commands heavy Yokes of the Lordly Tyrants of Babylon persecuted with a fiery Furnace for not adoring their Idol in danger of casting into a Den of Lions for calling upon the Name of our God destined to a Panolethry or a total Slaughter by wicked Courtiers proud Haman and his Complices and have none to help us but our God and therefore we pray Let thy tender Mercies speedily prevent us or as in the Verse next my Text Help us O God of our Salvation for the Glory of thy Name and deliver us and purge away our Sins for thy Name 's sake From whence though the occasion of the present business be somewhat different we may deduce these Observations usefull for this Day 's work 1. That it is God's Remembring of Sins which is the reason of the Calamities that befall a people 2. That the Removing of them is an effect of his tender Mercies 3. That God's Time of Help is the low Condition of Supplicants 4. That Bewailing of Sins and humble Supplication for Mercy are the proper and effectual Remedies against the Calamities which are incumbent on God's people Of these in their order I. OBSERVATION That it is God's Remembrance of Sins which is the reason of the Calamities that befall a people It is the Maxim of the Apostle Rom. 6.23 That the Wages or Stipend of Sin is Death Death and all the Evils tending to it were at first the adjudged Pay for Sin against God and Sin is still the Egge out of which all the venomous brood of Mischiefs incident to mankind are hatched By one man Sin entred into the world and Death by Sin and so Death passed upon all men for that all have sinned Rom. 5.12 Adam opened the Floud-gate whereby a Deluge of all sorts of Miseries hath drowned the world But though his Sin were the Fountain of all Calamities yet as Rivers swell by much Rain and overflowing cause particular Inundations of some places so it is with Man by reason of Sin besides the First man's Transgression there is such an increase of Sin in his Posterity that it provokes God sometimes to inflict such remarkable Plagues and Vengeance as are different from the common Death of all men The Uncleanness and Cruelty of the Old world in Noah's days brought the universal Floud on the world of the Vngodly The excessive Pride Filthiness Riot Bestiality of the Sodomites brought down on them from Heaven Fire and Brimstone to consume them The Oppressing of Israel with the Hardness of Pharaoh's Heart caused the drowning of him and his Army in the Red sea Yea the remarkable Sins of those who have been owned as God's own People have caused particular Judgments Achan's Sin made Israel fly before the Canaanites Saul's Sin caused three years Famine Hophni and Phineas by their profaning the Offering of the Lord brought on Eli's House the Loss of his Sons the Loss of the Ark and the Deprivation of his Posterity from the Priesthood Yea David's Sin in numbring of the people moved God to send a Plague on Israel which swept away seventy thousand men But when Manasseh had filled Jerusalem with Witchcraft Idolatry Cruelty and added an obdurate Heart against God's Messengers the Desolation by Nebuchadnezzar seized on them in a far greater measure But worst of all when the Jews killed the Lord Jesus and their own Prophets and persecuted the Apostles of Christ not pleasing God and being contrary to all men forbidding the Apostles to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved to fill up their Sins always then Wrath came upon them to the uttermost as S. Paul speaks 1 Thess 2.15 16. Yea were there no words of Holy Scripture to inform us whence wasting Wars Inundations of water great Famines consuming Pestilence and other effects of Divine Vengeance come on a Nation yet the Histories of such people as knew not God the Observations of considerate men the extorted or free Confession of notorious Sinners in all Ages were abundant evidence to inferrre that it is God's Remembrance of Sin that is the Source of Calamities it being usual for all sorts of Sinners to accuse themselves their own Consciences bearing witness against them when Evils are upon them Adonibezek could remember his Cruelty when the Lex talionis took hold on him Judg. 1.7 And Joseph's Brethren could then acknowledge that God had found out their Iniquity when they were in Distress themselves Gen. 42.21 and 44.16 Any remarkable Affliction that is not ordinary and common wrings out from guilty Consciences such expressions as that of the Widow of Sarepta 1 King 17.18 O thou man of God art thou come to call my Sin to Remembrance and to slay my Son Consonant hereto are God's Declarations of himself Isa 59.1 2. Behold the Lord's Hand is not shortned that it cannot save neither is his Ear heavy that it cannot hear But your Iniquities have separated between you and your God and your Sins have hid his Face from you Perditio tua ex te Israel O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self Hos 13.9 Your Iniquities have turned away these things and your
any Preaching could never hear God's Voice And they that have admitted it into the Ear without opening of the inner Door of the Heart want the enjoyment of it It was Lydia's happiness that when she heard S. Paul the Lord opened her Heart that she attended unto the things which were spoken Act. 16.14 They are unhappy to whom the Lord vouchsafes not the opening of the Ear to hear his Voice but they are most unhappy and accursed to whose Ears the Voice of God comes but their Hearts are not opened to receive it No Curse more direfull then that which our Saviour saith was fulfilled in his Auditours By hearing they heard and did not understand and seeing they did see and not perceive For this people's Heart is waxed gross and their Ears are dull of hearing and their Eyes have they closed lest at any time they should see with their Eyes and hear with their Ears and should understand with their Heart and should be converted and I should heal them Matth. 13.14 15. For this reason as the absenting from hearing of God's Voice is a damnable Sin they that come not to hear with their Ears shew their Contempt of God's Grace so much more damnable is the hardening of the Heart whereby the Voice of God is wilfully kept out of the Understanding Memory Conscience Will Affections so as it cannot be seated in them nor they guided and ruled by it Which thing comes to pass by the Deceitfulness of Sin as our Apostle tells us Heb. 3.13 Love of any Sin adherence to any Errour opposite to God's Voice will harden the Heart so as neither to admit the enlightning Brightness of it into the Eye of the Mind nor the softning Virtue of it into the Will to make it pliable Pride and Self-dependence were two of the chief Causes of the Jews hardening their Hearts against the Voice of God in the Preaching of the Gospell by Christ and his Apostles How can ye believe saith our Saviour Joh. 5.44 which receive honour one of another and seek not the Honour which cometh from God onely Rom. 10.3 They being ignorant of God's Righteousness and going about to establish their own Righteousness have not submitted themselves to the Righteousness of God Rom. 10.3 Thus at this day do Popish Justitiaries who place their Righteousness in their own good Merits All ignorant people who are wedded to vain Superstitions harden their Hearts against the Voice of the Gospell so as not to be humbled for Sin as the penitent Publican but to boast themselves as the proud Pharisee They receive not Christ joyfully with sinfull Zacchaeus but reject the offers of Grace like those who judged themselves unworthy of eternall life Act. 13.46 In like manner the Cares of this World the Deceitfulness of Riches the Pleasures of this life with other Lusts choak the word of the Kingdome so as that it becomes unfruitfull Matth. 13.22 Luk. 8.14 Hence it is that worldly-minded men and voluptuous livers harden their Hearts against the Warnings of God's Word slight the Tender of the Gospell imploy their wits to discredit it hearken to Seducers which foment their Lusts and pervert their Understanding As redundance of Choler in the Stomach makes it cast up the best Meat as unsavoury so where the Heart is filled with sinfull Lusts or erroneous Principles they make the most precious Truths of the Gospell to be loathed and refused Vicious minds expell holy Doctrines and therefore till the Heart be softned the Motions of God's Spirit will not be entertained APPLICATION Let me now intreat you Brethren to descend into your selves and examine whether it be not so with you The Voice of God in the Gospell of Christ hath been so evidently demonstrated to the world that never was there any thing which was published with more manifest proofs and Divine infallible assurance of its Truth And to take away all doubt of Imposture in the Publishers Testimony hath been given to their Sincerity therein by their relinquishing all outward desirable Advantages even with the sacrificing of their own Lives And to you of this Nation it hath been held forth with much Perspicuity pressed with much Earnestness But do you hear it do you perceive this to be the time of your Visitation your Day Do you not harden your Hearts as in the Provocation Do not your proud Spirits think it below you to stoop to it May we not say as once the Jews did Which of the Rulers believe on him Do we not find the Poor receive the Gospell when the Rich are sent empty away Surgunt Indocti rapiunt Coelum the Unlearned rise up and take Heaven by violence when the reputed Wise goe on in their waies to Perdition Do we not love the Praise of Men more then the Praise of God Do not your love of Pleasures and the Cares of this world choak the Word and make it unfruitfull I come not to accuse you but would have you judge your selves as knowing that you shall be judged by the Lord and if you prevent it not by self-judging condemned with the World Take it as a warning out of a most ardent desire I have to save your Souls that I tell you that there are shrewd Symptoms of the Hardness of your Heart and Averseness from hearing God's Voice in that places of Pastime and Pleasure houses of Good-fellowship are so much frequented as they are and the Church of God neglected in that Romances profane Histories yea Discourses savouring of Atheism are bought up and read with more delight then the Bible or any other Holy Writings we take more pleasure to furnish our Fancy then to rectify our Conscience Are you not sensible that God hath limited you a certain time to hear his Voice that your daies are numbred and your months that you cannot pass that while the Gospell is preached is your Day of Salvation that if the Sun of your Life be set the Day of the Gospell darkned over you there will be no time left to make your Peace to save your immortall Spirits that if you harden your Hearts there remains nothing after this Day but Hell and eternall Judgment Think seriously then upon your Condition and while it is called to day provide for Eternity Hear God's Voice readily and constantly Harden not your Hearts by Pride Luxury Covetousness Superstition or any other evil Lusts Submit your Understandings to God's Wisedom Retain his Word in your Memory and Conscience Believe him against your own Fancies Conform your Wills to his Receive his Truth in the love of it and you shall be saved by it Which he grant c. Amen LAVS DEO THE DANGER OF Abusing Grace The Thirteenth SERMON ROM vi 1. and part of 2. What shall we say then shall we continue in Sin that Grace may abound God forbid TO acquit the Gospel which he preached from the Exceptions and Obloquies which it and the Preachers of it were obnoxious to and to demonstrate the Wisedom
Mercies 2. By the Indesiciency of them Though men fail in their Duty though they fail in their Obedience though they be wanting in Returning to God though their Prayers be consumed yet his Compassions are not consumed and therefore they are not consumed And this is here alleged as a Door of Hope to the prophet that God would restore that People for to that end are these words brought in this place as that which follows in four Verses of this Chapter plainly shews From hence then this Explication of the words being premised these Observations do arise 1. That the Lord in Punishing of his People doth not consume them 2. That Holy persons ascribe not the Mitigation of God's extreme Severity in his Punishments to any promeriting Cause in themselves but confess their own Sins deserve utter Consumption 3. That there are Mercies and Compassions in God towards his People 4. That these Mercies fail not 5. That the Non-consumption of God's People is to be ascribed to this 6. That the apprehension of this encourageth them to hope and wait on God for a Consummation of their Health and Peace Of these I shall speak in the order propounded and then apply them to the present state of things and so conclude I. OBSERVATION That the Lord doth not in Punishing of his People consume them This is equivalent to what God speaks in the Prophet Isaiah 57.16 I will not contend for ever neither will I be always wroth And he gives this Reason For the Spirit should fail before me and the Soul which I have made It is true the Devil is a roaring Lion that goes about seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5.8 He is the Apollyon the Abaddon the Thief that comes not to save but to steal and to kill and to destroy Joh. 10.10 because the Sheep are not his own He made nothing nor hath any Love to any thing and therefore seeks not to help any but to marre and doe mischief to all that God hath made But the People of God are the work of his hands and the Sheep of his Pasture Psal 100.3 and therefore he will have a desire to the work of his hands Job 14.15 What is our work we are loth to pull down So God doubtless doth not delight as Children to make a house of Sticks and then kick it down again As he made Man after his own Image so he is not easily induced to break him He that accounts it an hainous Injury to himself to curse Man with the Tongue who is made after his Image Jam. 3.9 and is so severe against what-ever shall destroy him that it is his strict Determination for Preservation of Mankind after the Floud that he will not let the killing of Man go unrevenged but enacteth this Law among his Precepts to Noah Gen. 9.5 6. And surely your bloud of your Lives will I require at the hand of every Beast will I require it and at the hand of Man at the hands of every man's Brother will I require the Life of man Whoso sheddeth man's bloud by man shall his bloud be shed for in the Image of God made he man He doubtless is so chary of Men as not to consume them himself utterly till Iniquity is grown so daring as that there is no Remedy His own People it is true do sin and provoke God and he often brings them low yet he doth not make an utter end of them because they are not onely his Creatures as others but also his Redeemed and Chosen people Thus the Prophet Samuel told the Israelites 1 Sam. 12.20 22. Fear not ye have done all this Wickedness yet turn not aside from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your heart For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great Name 's sake because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his People That which a man hath purchased for himself he will hardly let it be taken from him with much more reluctancy will he cast it away Though Michal had been given to another and was defiled yet David would have her again 2 Sam. 3.13 because he had espoused her to him for an hundred Foreskins of the Philistines How much less will God let go those whom he hath purchased by his Son's Bloud He will not have him destroyed by our Meat for whom Christ died Rom. 14.15 If any through the Watchman's failing to warn them perish their bloud will he require at the Watchman's hands Ezek. 3.18 Which shews that he hath a Fatherly Care of his own People that they be not consumed And though they provoke him so as to cause his Anger to wax hot against them yet in the midst of Judgment he remembers Mercy He chastiseth as a Father doth not exterminate or extirpate as an Enemy If they break his Statutes and keep not his Commandments Then he will visit their Transgression with a Rod and their Iniquity with Stripes Nevertheless his Loving-kindness he will not utterly take from them nor suffer his Faithfulness to fail Psal 89.31 32 33. Though he make a full end of all the Nations yet he will not make a full end of them but correct them in measure yet will he not leave them wholly unpunished Jer. 46.28 Wherein he manifests a mixture of Mercy and Justice And therefore in the next place II. OBSERVATION Holy persons ascribe not the Mitigation of God's extreme Severity in his Punishments to any promeriting Cause in themselves but confess their own Sins deserve utter Consumption This was the acknowledgment of Ezra Thou our God hast punished us less then our Iniquities deserve Ezra 9.13 Though the Punishment of the Jews were exceeding great insomuch that our Prophet Lament 4.6 compares it to the Punishment of the Sin of Sodom and aggravates it as secundùm quid in some respect greater then it yet to speak simply and absolutely there was an ingredient of Mercy that did allay it and therefore they acknowledge their Sins to have deserved greater Evils then they felt Whence in all their Addresses to God they ascribe Righteousness to their Maker and take all the Blame of their Sufferings on themselves In the same Chapter vers 15. O Lord God of Israel saith Ezra thou art Righteous for we remain yet escaped as at this day But most fully the Prophet Daniel Chapter 9.11 12 13 14. We have sinned against the Lord our God And he hath confirmed the words which he spake against us by bringing upon us a great Evil for under the whole Heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem Yet made we not our Prayer before the Lord our God that we might turn from our Iniquities and understand thy Truth Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the Evil and brought it upon us for the Lord our God is Righteous in all his works which he doeth for we obeyed not his voice See also vers 5 6 c. of the same Chapter And indeed such Acknowledgments are
stand not your own Good works or your own Merits As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him rooted and built up in him and established in the Faith as ye have been taught abounding therein with Thanksgiving as the Apostle exhorteth Colos 2.6 7. Still pray that God would keep your Feet from falling and order your Steps in his Word that no Iniquity get dominion over you And then you may with assurance say I shall not die but live and declare the Works of the Lord and you shall obtain David's desire to walk before God in the light of the living But sure we walk contrary to God in the Darkness of this World else why is it that God hath called to contend against us by Fire It was not long agoe that we rejoyced because we had prevailed upon the Waters and now the Scene is altered and we mourn because the Fire hath prevailed upon our houses at Land Sure we rejoyced not with trembling we were sensible of God's Hand on others but not sensible we deserved his Indignation on our selves God warned us by Signs in the Heavens but we amended not he sent the Pestilence but we reformed not we were embroiled in War but nothing bettered Preachers cried out against our Sins but we cried not to God for Pardon the Lord's voice cried to the City but we were not men of wisedom to see his Name Our Sins cried to Heaven for Vengeance and the Lord's Vengeance hath from Heaven fallen upon us We observed days of Fasting formally but did not really repent in Dust and Ashes and now God hath really reduced our Great City unto Dust and turned it into Ashes Hath not God by his Judgment resembling that of Sodom pointed out the Sins which procured this Judgment Pride Fulness of bread abundance of Idleness not strengthening the hands of the poor and needy Wantonness and Unrighteousness Were not the Souls of many as Lot's in Sodom vexed from day to day in hearing and seeing mens unrighteous deeds and wicked conversation perhaps having a Form of Godliness but denying the Power of it But are we better then they Are we not all under Sin liable to the same Condemnation We may we ought to bemoan the Calamity which is come on others The lifting up of God's Hand should affright us the Blow of his Hand on our Brethren should afflict us We out of Sympathy with them out of Dread of God's Anger should bewail the Burning which the Lord hath kindled Jeremiah's Lamentations are sutable to this Occasion We may take up those Wailings Alas Alas our great Neighbour City is burnt in a short time is her Judgment come But that which most befits us which is most likely to benefit us and them is to be affected with God's Visitation to look upon this as a Forerunner of a greater Fire magnum futuri Judicii Praeindicium an Example of the Vengeance of eternal Fire Let us be awakened by it out of our Security as considering that we have the like Sins and may expect the like Punishment that God's Burning there is our Warning here that however it were in respect of men yet in respect of God it is as a Beacon fired to alarm us that we may prepare to meet our God by Fasting and Prayer and Amendment of life lest if we repent not we likewise perish It becomes us not to be Censurers of others but to judge our selves that we be not judged we must not insult over them but pity them If we have our Houses spared it is that we may receive them that are destitute if our Goods be preserved it is that their Wants may be supplied In a word we should take heed of Edom's Sin who rejoyced in the day of Jerusalem's Calamity take heed of promising to our selves increase of Trade or other worldly Advantages most of all take heed of Flattering our selves as if we were better more safe more in God's Favour then they Let us rather fear God's Judgments tremble at his Word search our own ways turn unto the Lord with our whole Souls pray for them that have suffered help them what we can that their Breach may be repaired our Tranquillity may be lengthened and our Souls delivered from the Wrath to come Which the Lord vouchsafe for his Son's sake Amen LAVS DEO DAVID's PIOUS RESOLUTION Part II. The Sixteenth SERMON PSAL. lvi 13. That I may walk before God in the light of the living AS God is the Alpha the Beginning of all things so he is the Omega or End of all things as he is the Father of Lights from whom every good and perfect Gift cometh so should he be the Scope of our Lives as he was here of David's according to the last Particular observed in this Text of Scripture viz. III. The Aim and End of David in his Commemoration and Postulation That I may walk before thee in the light of the living To this End he both commemorates what God had already done for him in delivering his Soul from Death and petitions with expectation of speeding that he would yet doe more for him in keeping his Feet from falling He doth not desire this Stability of his Feet that he might sit still or sluggishly keep his Bed or lie on his Couch but that he might walk Walking naturally is a progressive motion of the Body from one place to another performed by the Feet with the help and direction of the Eyes for the acquiring or effecting something And it connotes a Way in which a person is to walls and a Terminus ad quem to which it tends By this Metaphor of Walking the Scripture understands the Motions of the Mind and Actings of the Members as they are subject to a Rule which is the Way in which a person walks If it be right it is God's Law if it be wrong it is the Devices of mens own Minds the way of a man 's own Heart or the Course of the World or the Wiles of Satan which are mentioned as the crooked ways men walk in Eph. 2.2 3. All these are ways of Darkness wherein men depart from God and walk after Satan But David's Aim is to walk before God in the light of the living Walking before God here denotes not onely a doing or thinking so as that the Action or Thought would still be in God's presence as if David meant no more then this that God would see him or his Walk would be in his sight whether he would or no But it means also such a Walking before God as to eye his presence what-ever he should doe or think with an aim to please him And therefore walking before God is rendred often pleasing God as when it is said Gen. 5.24 Enoch walked with God in the Greek it is Enoch pleased God which the Authour to the Hebrews follows Heb. 11.5 Enoch before his Translation had this Testimony that he pleased God And so it notes not onely his apprehension of God's
themselves sutable to his Dignity so as not to disgrace him by their slovenly Habits And thus the Apostle requires that we should walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 13.13 that is in good fashion decently or honestly as we would say and our Translation reads it after the Court-fashion of Heaven We should walk before God in white like the heavenly Courtiers cloathed with white Linen fine and clean which is the Righteousness of Saints Rev. 19.8 that is with holy Habits and Dispositions of mind They that walk before God must have clean Hands and a pure Heart He that hath not lift up his Soul to Vanity nor sworn deceitfully Psal 24.4 enters into God's holy Hill As Kings love Purity of heart and grace in the lips Prov. 22.11 so doth God much more He is of purer Eyes then to behold Evil he cannot look on Iniquity with any good liking Such as be foolish shall not stand in his sight he hateth all workers of Iniquity he will destroy them that speak leasing c. Psal 5.5 6. No impure-spirited man that hath vain Imaginations of God that fears him not neither is God in all his Thoughts can stand before him If Solomon would not permit any such about him neither surely will God Rectitude of Heart is the chief Requisite when we appear before him Blessed are the pure in Heart saith our Saviour Matth. 5.8 for they shall see God As long as a man retains erroneous Opinions in the things of God as long as vain Thoughts fraudulent Designs unrighteous Projects evil Counsels lodge in his Heart and bear sway in his Actions he cannot walk acceptably with God As to Walking well bodily the chief thing is the Locomotive faculty so in Spiritual Walking before God the main thing is to be moved by a right Principle a due Apprehension of God as he is Most high 2. God must be set before us not onely as Maximus but also as Optimus not onely as the Greatest but also as the Best not onely as one that can punish us but also as one that can and will reward us as Best in himself and good to all that seek him He that shall apprehend it in vain to serve God and that there is no profit in walking mournfully before the Lord of hoasts that there is no profit in keeping his Ordinances as those mentioned Mal. 3.14 will never walk pleasantly before God Such a Servant as looks upon God as a hard Master that reaps where he doth not sow and gathers where he did not strew will shun God and his Service as much as may be hide his Talent in a Napkin rather then imploy it to improvement for his Master He that walks before God must walk 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exactly as the Apostle speaks Ephes 5.15 circumspectly and diligently As Courtiers that expect Benefits from their Prince will be carefull to accommodate themselves to his Humour diligent to prosecute his Business to the utmost of their skill and power so is it with those that walk before God they expect Preferment from him and therefore are studious to answer his Expectation And when they find God's Favour towards them they prize it as their Life Psal 30.5 yea better then Life it self As the Prince's Favour refresheth a Servant that attends on him is as the Dew upon the tender Herbs which makes them spring up fresh and give a sweet Savour so the Favour of God makes his Servants walk diligently before him with all readiness and alacrity doing his Will So saith David Psalm 26.3 Thy Loving-kindness is before mine eyes and I have walked in thy Truth And indeed this is the chief Encouragement to a man that walks before God that he does all for a Prince that is not onely Deliciae generis humani the Love and Delight of mankind as Titus Vespasian the Roman Emperour was styled but that he serves a God who is Love it self Joh. 4.16 in whom there is not onely a River but an Ocean of Love not a Pond but a Fountain of Love All his ways are Love to his Holy ones He loved them with an everlasting Love and with Loving-kindness hath drawn them to him This was it that made David to aim at walking before God because he had found God's Love to him in delivering his Soul from Death and his Feet from falling Thus God encouraged Abraham to walk before him because he had assured him that he was his Shield and exceeding great Reward Gen. 15.1 It is good for me to draw nigh unto God saith the Psalmist Psal 73.28 But above all the Manifestations of God's Love that which is the grand Motive to encourage our walking before God is that there is now a new and living Way whereby we may draw nigh to God even through the Veil of his Son's Flesh That now the Enmity betwixt us and God caused by Adam's Sin and Satan's project to alienate Men from God is taken away That now there is on Earth Peace and Good will towards men That now the Son of God is made the Way the Truth and the Life whereby we may come to the Father That now we are assured that however it be that we travel through a Wilderness through a dry and barren Land where we meet with fiery Serpents and many Wants yet we have Manna from Heaven to feed on and we drink of the Rock which Rock is Christ Spiritual Meat and Spiritual Drink That as the Serpent was lifted up upon the Pole so the Son of man was lifted up that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life That now we have the Cloud by day to shade and guide us and the Pillar of fire by night to direct us we have not the Shadows of the Law but the clear Light of the Gospel to inlighten us with the Light of Heaven That we have the Spirit from on high given us to be a Spirit of Inlightning a Spirit of Regeneration to beget us again a Spirit of Life to quicken us and make us new Creatures in Christ a Spirit to comfort and refresh us a Spirit to intercede for us And that which is the upshot of all there is a Rest which remains for the people of God not in an earthly Canaan but in the Heavenly Jerusalem where we shall rest in Abraham's Bosom in the presence of the Holy Angels and glorified Saints in the Arms of our Husband who hath espoused us to himself by the greatest demonstration of Love having purified us to himself by his Bloud and joyned us to himself by his own Spirit That we shall behold the Face of our Father which is in Heaven in whom is all Beauty all Worth and all Love everlasting Joy shall be upon our heads and Sorrow and Misery shall fly away we shall be Kings and Priests unto God our Father and that for ever So that it will be abundant Recompence to us that we have walked before God in the light of the living
that I desire besides thee My Flesh and my Heart faileth but God is the strength of my Heart and my portion for ever It is good for me to draw near to God I have put my Trust in the Lord God Such Apprehensions as these do affect the Spirits of a man as the breaking out of the Sun doth the Eyes after it hath been overcast with thick Clouds in the day or concealed by the Darkness of the night Then the Light is sweet and it is a pleasant thing to behold the Sun So it is with the Soul after such Perplexities and Affrightments and Disconsolations of Spirit as are incident to the most holy Saint by reason of the seeming Disorders and dismall Occurrences in the world which are obvious to him When he recollects himself and determines against all Arguings ad oppositum that the Lord God is a Sun and a Shield the Lord will give Grace and Glory no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly O Lord of hoasts blessed is the man that trusteth in thee Psal 84.11 12. then he delights himself in the Lord as the most pleasant and eligible Good thing as his Sun and his Shield and accordingly fixes his Contemplations on God quickens chears confirms raises up his Spirits in the remembrance of him expresses himself in holy Hymns in devout Prayers in wise Observations of his Doings in commemorating of his Works and his Word in holy Conferences and such like ways as shew that none is so amiable to him as God none to be adhered to in comparison of him none to be glorified like unto God Conformably hereto he delights in the Consideration of God's most excellent Being that he is not like the Vanities of the Nations that he is the living God and an everlasting King that in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting Strength that there is none holy as the Lord no Rock like unto our God that great is our Lord and of great Power his Vnderstanding is infinite that he is mercifull and gracious abundant in Goodness and Truth He delights also in the beholding and observation of his Works which however they are not minded by them who are alienated from the Life that is in God yet to the Godly enlightned Soul they appear Great so that in Admiration of them he is affected like the Psalmist Psal 8.1 O Lord our God how excellent is thy Name in all the Earth who hast set thy Glory above the Heavens Psal 104.24 In wisedom hast thou made them all and rulest all He is holy in all his Ways and righteous in all his Works and therefore are they sought out of all them that have pleasure therein His Work is honourable and glorious and his Righteousness endureth for ever And hereupon the Psalmist resolves Psal 104.34 My meditation of him shall be sweet I will be glad in the Lord. Nor is his Delight less in God's Word then in his Works I will praise thy Name saith David Psal 138.2 for thy Loving-kindness and for thy Truth for thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name And thus he often professeth that the Word of God his Judgments were more to be desired then Gold yea then much fine Gold sweeter then Hony and the Hony-comb that not onely his Word of Promise was his Comfort in his Affliction for by it he was quickened but that he greatly delighted in God's Commands they were the Joy of his heart And Holy Job 23.12 I have esteemed the Word of his mouth more then my necessary Food But Holy mens greatest Delight in God is when by Faith in Christ they apprehend God to be their God and they his People that he dwells in them they are his Temple that they are made by him Kings and Priests to him by his Spirit that he is their Father through Christ they his Children that they have access to him by the Faith of Christ and are assured of an Inheritance above with him When they understand this that Christ is All to them they delight in the Almighty and lift up their face unto God with Joy as it is Job 22.26 Now this indeed is best for the Godly thus to delight themselves in the Lord even in their own lowest Conditions and their Oppressours highest because the greatest Good that Evil men have is but vain Be it Plenty Peace Honour Liberty Power Pleasure or what-ever else is valued by men that have their Portion in this life it is but an imperfect fading vexing Good much of it is such as Beasts injoy more fully then they who have more Delight in their Food and sensitive Pleasure then Men have Applause Honours Wealth are but Toys such as Childish persons delight in rather then wise Men. Philosophers by the Light of Nature have censured them as empty of reall Worth not good because they made not the Possessours of them good Wisedom and Vertue are by them preferred before them Yea they bring often much Vexation in stead of Delight In acquiring and Using them is much Vanity In the midst of Laughter the Heart is sorrowfull Solomon styles it Madness But Delight in the Lord is the most rationall exquisite durable Delight far above not onely Epicurus his Pleasure and Zeno's Vertue and Seneca's Tranquillity of mind but also Solomon's Glory his Wisedom his Knowledge of the Properties of Natural bodies and what-ever Excellency short of Acquaintance with God he was endued with He confesseth as much in the close of his Penitentialls and before him his Father David Psal 4.6 7. There be many that say Who will shew us any Good Lord lift thou up the light of thy Countenance upon us Thou hast put Gladness in my Heart more then in the time that their Corn and their Wine increased This makes the Saints delight in Prayer and Praise and other Worship of God it being their Privilege as well as their Duty to delight themselves in the Lord Isa 58.14 and according to the Desire of their Heart Which brings me to the II. OBSERVATION That they who delight themselves in the Lord shall have their Hearts Desire and in fine speed better then they who are in the most illustrious estate of Wicked men The principal Desire of one that delights himself in God is to glorifie God that is the main End of such as glory in God that they may doe all to his Glory Therefore are they taught to make this their first Petition Hallowed be thy Name and to that end to pray Thy Kingdom come Thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven Even in God's most severe Dealings with them they say with those Isa 26.8 Yea in the way of thy Judgments O Lord have we waited for thee the desire of our Soul is to thy Name and to the Remembrance of thee To which that of the Apostle Phil. 1.20 is consonant According to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed but that with all boldness as always
so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body whether it be by life or by death That which is said by David but most truly verified of our Lord Christ is true of all that delight in the Lord Psal 40.8 I delight to doe thy Will O my God yea thy Law is within my Heart And this their Desire God always grants so that however he that delights in the Lord be assaulted with Temptations be benighted in his Apprehensions of God's Favour though Heaviness may endure for a night Joy shall come in the morning though he miss of his Way yet he shall find his Errour and return into it again The Steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way Though he fall he shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand Psal 37.23 34. Next unto these ultimate and supreme Ends the Desire of his Soul who delights in the Lord is to see God How earnestly did Moses beg the sight of God's Face How often doth David bemoan his Absence from God's Worship at his Temple As the Hart saith he panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my Soul after thee O God My Soul thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appear before God Psal 42.1 2. And in the next Psalm vers 3. O send out thy Light and thy Truth let them lead me let them bring me unto thy holy Hill and to thy Tabernacles So Saint Paul Phil. 1.23 I desire to depart and to be with Christ which is best of all And this Desire God will give them at last who delight in him Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Matth. 5.8 Now are we the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 Manutenentia Divina God's supporting Grace here and Visio beatifica the Fruition of God hereafter are two grand Desires of Souls that delight in God these they petition for and he will grant them both There are other Desires which they have as the Prosperity of God's Church the Downfall of their Enemies which the Lord will also at last accomplish though not without much Contention and long Waiting They shall overcome the Powers of darkness and the World they shall see the people of God above their Enemies by the bloud of the Lamb and by the word of their Testimony though they lay down their Lives for it Other Desires of outward Blessings God grants not always in the kind but often in some Equivalent He repairs that which they lose for Christ and his Gospell by inward Comfort and Spirituall Strength Though they be in Want or under Persecution yet they know how to abound in that they have learned in whatsoever estate therewith to be content They can doe all things through Christ that strengtheneth them If they have a Thorn in the Flesh a Messenger of Satan to buffet them and it still molest them yet the Grace of God is not denied them and it is sufficient for them his Strength is perfected in their Weakness Many Desires of particular Blessings are granted them and this one comprehensive Privilege belongs to them that all things work together for good to them who love God Rom. 8.28 APPLICATION It remains then that we learn this way of Thriving by delighting our selves in the Lord. Self-love is naturall every man desires his own Good but all take not the right way to attain it God made Man upright or simple but he hath sought out many Inventions Many ways are devised by men for the attaining their Ends and many Ends propounded by them The Desires of men are almost as various as their Faces and their Designs and Courses are almost as manifold as their Heads So many Men so many Minds Among you who are my present Auditours though you meet here about the same Business the Serving of God yet how few in truth do desire to know him aright or to serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind Even in this very Action how few mind God's Glory How many observe onely the Custom in coming to Church or perhaps some worser Motives bring them hither and sinfull Thoughts possess them here And no marvell then if they grow not in Knowledge and holy Obedience are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth yea grow worse and worse because they delight not themselves in the Lord but aim onely at the feeding their Eyes or the tickling their Ears or some other sinister Ends of their own As these mens Hearts are not towards God so neither is God's towards them they have no Pleasure in God nor God in them How many of you are there of whom those things are verified which we reade Isa 58.2 They seek me daily and delight to know my ways as a Nation that did Righteousness and forsook not the Ordinance of their God they ask for the Ordinances of Justice they take Delight in approaching to God and yet for want of reall Delighting in God it may be your lot at last to hear Christ say to you I know you not depart from me you workers of Iniquity Is it not true of you which the Prophet said of his Hearers that they came and sate before the Prophet as God s People and they heard his words but they would not doe them for with their Mouth they shewed much Love but their Hearts went after their Covetousness The Prophet was unto them as a very lovely Song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an Instrument for they heard his words but did them not Ezek. 33.31 32. A Sermon is to most but as an Oration in Schools the Delivery the Composure is observed and perhaps censured but the Matter is not learned their Hearts not bettered their Ways not amended God not glorified After Dismission yet neither the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ nor the Love of God nor the Communion of the Holy Spirit remains in them but worldly Projects earthly Designs carnall Practices are still prosecuted Yea their Hearts are more hardened more estranged from God and the Life that is in him and their Wisedom remains earthly sensuall and devillish No marvell if such find no Incomes of Grace no Consolation in Christ no spirituall growth in Godliness Oh that you would ask your selves whether this Guilt lie not on you and that you would now at last apply your selves throughly to delight your selves in God especially in these great Duties of Prayer and Hearing his Word lest when you would have your great Desire of seeing God's Face in the great Day of Christ's appearing ye be shut out of his Presence and be cast into outer Darkness where is nothing but weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth Delight in the Lord now that he
Creatures are good God saw every thing that he had made and behold it was very good Gen. 1.31 Another in genere Moris a Good which makes the person truly good Such is the Goodness of God who is good and doeth good Psal 119.68 even by communicating Good to all Act. 14.17 And indeed He is the chiefest Good He is most transcendently perfectly originally Good from whom every good and every perfect Gift cometh James 1.17 And therefore rightly is it said by our Lord Christ Matth. 19.17 There is none good but one that is God And this Good we are to be Followers of Be ye Followers of God There is also a derivative Goodness from him which is communicated primitively to his Son concerning whom it is the Father's pleasure that in him should all Fulness dwell Col. 1.19 The Spirit is given him without measure Joh. 3.34 While he was upon Earth he went about doing good Act. 10.38 He might truly say I am the good Shepherd Joh. 10.11 And from him Good is redundant to us He hath plenitudinem Fontis and not onely Vasis With him is the fountain of Life and in his Light we see light Psal 36.9 Now the Good we are to be Followers of is also this Good which is in and from Christ the Good of his Word to know it the Good of his Example to imitate it the Good of his Gifts the Gifts of his Spirit to be zealous after them 1 Cor. 12.31 the Good of Righteousness and eternall Life which is from God by Jesus Christ to injoy it the Good of God's Favour in Christ to obtain it the Good of Communion with the Father and the Son to embrace it But though these sorts of Good are to be followed yet that which we are here required more specially to be Followers of is not so much Bonum Beatitudinis the Good of Blessedness for our selves as Bonum Sanctitatis the Good of Holiness whereby we may be like unto God be holy as he is holy 1 Pet. 1.15 16. and Bonum Justitiae the Good of Righteousness towards our selves and others such as may consist with a good Conscience and a good Conversation in Christ the Good of Innocency that we may be blameless and harmless the sons of God without rebuke Phil. 2.15 the Good of Benevolence and Beneficence willing and procuring good unto all Gal. 6.10 as we have opportunity doing good to all especially unto them that are of the houshold of Faith We must endeavour after the good Heart that may out of its Treasure bring forth good things Matth. 12.35 after the good Tongue that speaketh Wisedom and talketh of Judgment Psal 37.30 that uttereth that which is good to the use of Edifying that it may minister Grace to the hearers Eph. 4.29 after the good Hand that may work the thing that is good that it may have to give to him that needeth v. 28. In summe we must labour to become Vessels unto honour sanctified and meet for the Master's use and prepared to every good work 2 Tim. 2.21 created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them Eph. 2.10 II. How this Good is to be followed 1. Universally all the Kinds of it are to be pursued not onely the Good of Religion towards God but also of Love towards Man The End of our Deliverance from the hands of our Enemies is that we might serve God in Holiness and Righteousness before him all the days of our life as it is in the Benedictus Luk. 1.74 75. The Grace of God hath appeared to all men teaching them that denying Vngodliness and worldly Lusts they should live righteously soberly and godly in this present world Tit. 2.11 12. We know it is S. James his determination 2.10 Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all Vertues are chained together the Law is copulative Bonum non nist ex integra causa He that is not intirely good is not good at all He that is all for the practice of Religious Ordinances but no whit for Charity he that is devout at Church but proud vain wanton uncharitable unrighteous intemperate at home is no Follower of that which is Good but an Hypocrite a meer Pharisee or painted Sepulchre And he that is much for Alms and Abstinence from Excess or prohibited Pleasures yet careless of Prayer Reading Hearing God's Word in publick and in private is a profane person be he never so much esteemed by men yet is he abominable before God 2. Nor must we be Followers of all Sorts of Good onely but also of all kinds of Good in the most eminent Degree What the Apostle prays for in the behalf of the Colossians Col. 1.9 10. should be the aim of every sincere Christian that he may be filled with the knowledge of God's Will in all wisedom and spiritual understanding that he may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being faithfull in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God So what he prays for in behalf of the Philippians Phil. 1.11 that he may be filled with the Fruits of Righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God that he may be abundant in the work of the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 As he is unjust that lets not the Buier have his full Measure so is he that doth not afford God the utmost of his Service that doth not love him with all his Mind with all his Soul and with all his Strength In this an Emulation is good which is implied in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as some Copies have it in my Text and it is so rendred by Beza We should vie one with another as desirous to outstrip each other like Runners in a Race that strive who shall run fastest Yea in this it is good to be singular If ye salute your Brethren onely saith Christ Matth. 5.47 what singular thing or more then others doe ye intimating that a Christian that exceeds not a Philosopher or a Jew is not worthy of that name He must not onely doe good to them that love him but even to them that hate him vers 44. Though we own no Popish Evangelical Counsels no Monkish Vows as putting a man into a state of Perfection no Merit or Works of Supererogation yet he that will approve himself to God must endeavour to doe those Good works that are commanded to the utmost Extensivè Works of all Kinds and Intensivè in all their Degrees according to his ability 3. And this we are to doe sincerely as before God not as pleasing Men but God that trieth the heart 1 Thess 2.4 Not like the Pharisees who gave Alms Fasted Prayed that they might be seen of Men and therefore did all with Ostentation but in secret and private as well as in publick we should be Followers of that which is Good looking onely at God's Glory our Obedience to him
and the pleasing of him as our End Insomuch that if we can acquit our selves so as to have his Favour and good Liking of us we must not care what we lose or what Obloquy Censure or Disgrace we incurro from men Our Righteousness and Holiness should not be in shew but in truth Eph. 4.24 4. In Following of that which is Good we should doe it zealously with our Minds our Affections and our Studies We should give all diligence and study that we may abound in Faith Vertue Knowledge Temperance Patience Godliness Brotherly love Charity 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7. We should follow Peace with all men and Holiness Heb. 12.14 pursue after it as Hunters after a Prey or Enemies after Enemies This one thing I doe saith the Apostle Phil. 3.13 14. forgetting the things that are behind and reaching forth unto those things that are before I press or pursue towards the Mark for the price of the high Calling of God in Christ Jesus A lazy slack Following of Good is ineffectual such a Seeking as the old Saints are said to have used is that which is required of them that will inherit the Promises Heb. 6.11 12. 5. Yea we should not onely follow that which is Good our selves but animate others to follow it too He loves not God nor his Brother that seeing him in Want doth not relieve him when it is in his power so neither doth he follow God that seeing his Brother erre doth not as he hath opportunity endeavour to convert him from the Errour of his ways that doth not lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees Heb. 12.12 that doth not avoid giving such Offence as may cause the Lame to fall in the way or to turn out of it that doth not encourage others in that which is Good comfort and heal the sorrowfull Spirit and lead others by Example Instruction and Prayer Such as are of God doe good even as he doeth who benefits all invites all is Bonum universale an universal communicative Good 6. Our following of Good must be with Constancy We must always be zealous in a good thing Gal. 4.18 all our days in youth and age in all Companies in all Estates on all Occasions not by sits and starts We must cleave to that which is good Rom. 12.9 as a Wife adheres to her Husband as Ruth did to her Mother-in-law We should be stedfast and unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord as knowing that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 Which brings me to the other Particulars propounded to be considered in which I shall be very brief III. The Harm that they who are zealous Followers of that which is Good are secured from This is indeed all sorts of Evils the chief whereof are the Wounds of Conscience and the Wrath of God While men follow that which is Good they are not obnoxious to those Lashes of a guilty Conscience which are consequent upon the remembrance of lewd Pranks in youth Deceits and Covetous practices in age cruel Murthers horrid Perjuries unjust Bribes Purloining Stealing and such other Evils as do vastare Conscientiam violently torture the Mind and are as scorching Heat in a man's Bones Gall and Wormwood in his Belly as when God wrote bitter things against Job and made him possess the Sins of his youth These Tortures were resembled in the Poets by the Affrightments of Furies and are Forerunners of Hell-Torments Nor shall those who follow what is Good be liable to the Indignation and Wrath Tribulation and Anguish which God inflicts on them that are contentious and obey not the Truth but obey Vnrighteousness Rom. 2.8 9. These are indeed the grand Harms that are like the stinging of a Scorpion but my Text intends likewise all Afflictions incident to us from mens Injuriousness and Malignity such as are Reproaches Derision Slanders privation of Liberty Livelihood Life which though they be but Flea-bitings in comparison of the other yet are they very harmfull as being extreme trouble-some and grievous Yet by Following of that which is Good there is Security from them if not altogether at least in a great measure if not from the Feeling of them yet from the Oppression of them if not from the Buzzing and Disquieting of them as of Flies yet from the Sting of them as of Scorpions if not from the Molestation of them yet from the Deadliness of them which will be better discerned if we consider our next Particular IV. Who they are from whose Harming they are secured They are either Men or Devils neither of whom can mortally and eternally wound us Fear not them saith our Lord that can kill the Body and when they have done that can doe no more but fear him that can cast both Soul and Body into Hell-sire Matth. 10.28 Luk. 12.4 Men and Devils may interrupt our Peace but cannot damn our Souls Neither Tribulation nor Distress nor Persecution nor Famine nor Nakedness nor Peril nor Sword neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor Height nor Depth nor any other Creature can separate them that follow that which is Good from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. But in all these things they are more then Conquerours through him that hath loved them as S. Paul saith of himself Rom. 8.35 37 38 39. Yet are they sorely assaulted by both these Enemies insomuch that the Apostle tells us there vers 36. for God's sake they are killed all the day long and are counted as Sheep for the slaughter They are as Sheep among Wolves who are ready to worry them Satan casts some into Prison ten days that they may be tried Rev. 12.10 He goes about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5.8 There is a spitefull Spirit in all that are of the Wicked one yet sometimes God restrains the remainder of their Wrath. He cuts off the spirit of Princes he is terrible to the Kings of the earth Psal 76.10 12. He rebukes an Abimelech in a Dream so as that he dares not touch them Gen. 20.6 He suffers no man to doe them wrong he reproves Kings for their sake saying Touch not mine Anointed and doe my Prophets no harm Psal 105.14 15. When a man's ways please the Lord he maketh even his Enemies to be at peace with him Prov. 16.7 Sometimes the Luster of a Good life doth either attract the favourable Aspect or dazzle the Eyes of those with whom they live Sometimes the benefit of Laws and Government secures their Peace they are Ministers to them for good Rom. 13.4 By these and many more means are they that follow that which is Good indemnified whenas his own Iniquities take the Wicked himself and he is holden with the Chords of his Sins Prov. 5.22 V. When it is that they are secured But then this is not perpetually so it falleth out sometimes otherwise When
Conspiracy to kill him nor for escaping by being let down in a Basket from Damascus though he would not bribe Felix nor remit any whit of his Profession A person may be over-wise and over-righteous and so destroy himself as it is Eccles. 7.16 Therefore run to the Name of the Lord as thy strong Tower and follow that which is Good but withall take Solomon's Counsell Prov. 27.12 A prudent man foreseeth the Evil and hideth himself If God shut thee up in Streights so as there is no escaping learn what follows my Text vers 14 15. be sure to suffer for Righteousness sake and then be not afraid of their Terrour neither be troubled but sanctifie the Lord God in your Hearts Brethren it pleaseth the Lord still to continue our Fears upon us the Angel of God still draws his Sword and cuts down many the Sword of the Enemy is held over our head and we know not but that an overflowing Stream of Bloud may reach even to us No marvel while the Fogs of Sin are in our Consciences if an Earthquake of Trembling is in our Hearts It is a sign that we are not Followers of that which is Good because God raiseth up against us so many Evils It is time then that we should turn unto him that smiteth us and that we should seek the Lord of Hoasts that while we go against our Enemies we should keep our selves from every Evil thing lest the Anger of God be not turned away but his hand be stretched out still Could we cease to doe evil and learn to doe well we need not fear either God's Rod or Mens Rage Till then we can expect no withdrawing of either Oh then be so wise as to avoid Sin if you would prevent Harm Arm your selves with all the Armour of God above all the Shield of Faith that God may be your Sun and Shield Amen LAVS DEO THE WAY OF LIFE DISCOVERED Part I. The Twenty-first SERMON PSAL. xvi 11. Thou wilt shew me the Path of life In thy Presence is fulness of Joy at thy right hand there are Pleasures for evermore THESE words are the Close of a Psalm which is thus entituled Michtam of David that is A golden Psalm of David or David's Jewel or notable Song Cethem is fine glittering Gold from whence this word Michtam may be derived for a golden Jewel and so note the Excellency of this Psalm The like Title is before other Psalms viz. 56.57.58.59.60 Nor is the Title unfit for the Matter or unbeseeming the Authour The Matter being most precious containing that Gold tried in the fire which Christ gives and with it enricheth his Church to all Eternity that Aurum potabile that cures and preserves Life for ever Congruous to David's Spirit who was a man of much Acquaintance with God and of Heavenly Meditations But that may be demanded concerning this Psalm which the Eunuch asked of Philip Act. 8.34 Of whom speaketh the Prophet this of himself or of some other man There are that conceive this Psalm wholly meant of Christ and not of David others that part is meant of Christ onely and not of David others that all is meant of both others that part is meant of David onely and not of Christ at all I will not interpose in this matter It is sufficient for my present purpose that S. Paul Act. 13.35 36 37. makes the tenth verse of this Psalm proper to Christ and S. Peter Act. 2.25 26 27 28. makes the four last verses thereof to be a Prediction of Christ's Resurrection not applicable to David who saw Corruption as his Sepulcher then remaining witnessed Now of those my Text is cited as a part and therefore it may be safely interpreted as the Speech of Christ in an Address to God his Father in which he opened his very Heart declaring the Reason why he was not moved by that Tempest and terrible Storm of Evils that he was to feel how he was kept from sinking notwithstanding those Flouds and Waves that were to goe over his head why he despaired not in that great Earthquake that threw the Temple of his Body to the ground to wit Because he set the Lord or foresaw the Lord always before him or before his face that he was at or on his right hand that he should not be moved Therefore did his Heart rejoyce and his Glory or Tongue was glad his Flesh should rest or dwell confidently in hope he being by Faith assured that his Father would not leave his Soul in Hell in the place or state of the Dead though he descended into it nor suffer or give his Holy one so dear to him to see Corruption but had made known to him the ways of Life or would shew to him the path of Life in raising him up to Life and that he would make him full of Joy with his Countenance as S. Peter reads it or as it is in our Version according to the Hebrew that in his presence was fulness of Joy at his right hand there were Pleasures for evermore Word for word it may be rendred Thou wilt make me know the way of Life Satiety of Joys before thy face Pleasures at thy right hand to perpetuity In which sense the words are to the same effect with what the Authour to the Hebrews speaks 12.2 Looking to Jesus the Authour and Finisher of our Faith who for the Joy that was set before him endured the Cross despising the Shame and is set down at the right hand of the Throne of God And thus secondarily these words might be David's and every Holy Believer's in a qualified sense as being assured of Restitution from Hell of freedom from Corruption of their Flesh of finding the Path of Life of Satiety of Joy with God and Perpetuity of Pleasures at his right hand in like manner as Christ found in his Refurrection they being quickened together with him raised up together and made to sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus Eph. 2.5 6. and thereby animated under all Persecutions and Sufferings to persist in their Adherence to their God unmovably as being assured of Christ's Resurrection and thereby of their own of his being in Fulness of Joys in God's presence and so of their own being of his being at the right hand of God with Pleasures which endure for ever and consequently that it shall be so with them Of which we have a most admirable Example in Holy Job who though under extreme Pains of Body and Anguish of Spirit yet thus expresseth himself Job 19.23 24 25 26 27. Oh that my words were now written Oh that they were printed in a Book that they were graven with an iron Pen and Lead in the Rock for ever For I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth And though after my Skin Worms destroy this Body yet in my Flesh shall I see God Whom I shall see for my self and mine Eyes shall behold
and not another though my Reins be consumed within me And thus joyntly of the Head and Members Christ and every Believer is my Text verified and rightly understood and accordingly I shall apply it Therein is declared the Assurance which Christ had and every Believer together with him and by reason of his Union with him hath of three things 1. That God will shew them the Path of Life 2. That in his Presence there remains to them the Fulness of Joys 3. That at his right hand they shall have Pleasures for evermore Of these in their order with what Utterance the Almighty shall vouchsafe me though the Argument be such as neither the Minds of Men or Angels can comprehend nor their Tongues express I. OBSERVATION That Christ and Believers are assured of having the Path of Life made known to them For the distinct handling hereof we are to consider 1. What Life it is the Path of which both are assured of having made known to them 2. What is the Path of this Life or what are the Ways of this Life 3. How God hath and will make them known or shew them 4. Why he did assure Christ and why he doth assure Believers thereof I. What Life it is the Path of which they are assured shall be made known to them Life is the manner of Living things existing and is the Excellency of their Beings whereby things animate differ from things inanimate Of Life there are sundry degrees or kinds made by Philosophers 1. Vegetative in Plants and things which being rooted in the Earth suck their Nourishment from it and so grow thereby and yield Fruit and Seed to propagate their Kind 2. Sensitive in those living things that move and have Sense more or less though they perceive onely such things as concern their Sustenance and Self-preservation but can neither discern Spiritualls or Universalls nor reflect on their own Actions nor discourse as Man though some of them have admirable Sagacity as Experience hath shewed in Elephants and divers other Animals 3. Rationall in a Man whereby he is enabled not onely to know what concerns his Food and Necessaries to uphold his Corporall Being but is also capable of Counsell and Instruction in things pertaining to his Obedience to his Creatour and Peace with him and Comfort in his well-doing 4. There is yet an higher Life to wit that of Angels who need no Food to sustain their Being nor Members to move them but are of a subtile active and intelligent Nature yet much short of the Father of Spirits with whom is the Fountain of Life as it is said Psal 36.9 who hath all Fulness of Life in him not capable either of diminution or privation and is the universall Cause of all Life in other Beings which he imparts to all living things in that way and measure as he thinks best to appertain to them Now the Life of Men or Angels may note the bare Duration or Existence of their Being and so the Devils live and the Souls of the Damned have Life and the uncleanest Sodomites while they walk up and down on Earth have Life though in a morall sense they are dead while alive they have also in some things a bene esse or well-being to wit in respect of such things as pertain to Nature or outward Condition among men as Abraham said to the Rich man in Hell Son remember that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things Luk. 16.25 But this is not the Life the Path which Christ and his Members assure themselves God would make known to them though it be not excluded for doubtless David assured himself and therein rejoyced that God would uphold his Soul in Life deliver his Soul from Death his Eyes from Tears and his Feet from Falling that he should walk before the Lord in the Land of the living as he speaks Psal 116.8 9. And Christ understood by the Life which he expected from his Father that he would bring his Soul and Body together again and restore that Life he lost by Death And the Saints believe and expect the Resurrection of their Bodies from the Grave and in the expectation and assurance hereof they endure the greatest Tortures that Tyrants can inflict on them as it is said Heb. 11.35 Women received their dead raised to life again and others were tortured not accepting Deliverance that they might obtain a better Resurrection But this Resurrection to Life is not the mere Conjunction of Soul and Body together for that may be onely the Resurrection of Damnation as our Saviour speaks Joh. 5.29 which befalls them that have done Evil and is there opposed to the Resurrection of Life which they onely that have done Good shall be partakers of The Resurrection of Damnation though it be with Restitution of the Being those Wretches had before they died so as that they shall come out of the Graves hear the voice of the Son of man and in a sort live stand before the Tribunal of Christ and hear their Sentence and so continue in their Being everlastingly yet it is not termed Life but Death or the Second Death it being to a Copartnership with the Devil and his Angels with whom they are sentenced to be in Torments as they were guided and ruled by them while they conversed with men on Earth But the Life which the Scripture vouchsafes to term Life indeed as being the onely Vita vitalis the lively Life is that which is with God and according to God termed therefore the Life of God Ephes 4.18 God being their God therefore they live to God who is the God of the living as our Saviour's expression is Luk. 20.38 they live and reign with Christ as it is Revel 20.4 It is an holy and happy Life and therefore simply termed Life by way of excellency in opposition to Hell-fire Mark 9.45 If thy Foot offend thee cut it off it is better for thee to enter into Life halting then having two feet to be cast into Hell into the sire that never shall be quenched Vers 47. it is termed the Kingdom of God And if thine Eye offend thee pluck it out it is better for thee to enter into the Kingdom of God with one Eye then having two Eyes to be cast into Hell-fire It is by our Saviour often called Eternall Life of which the Regenerate Believers have the beginning here they have it inchoate with a Right to it Verily verily I say unto you saith our Saviour Joh. 5.24 He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting Life and shall not come into Condemnation but is passed from Death to Life 1 Joh. 3.14 We know that we have passed from Death to Life because we love the Brethren he that loveth not his Brother abideth in Death 1 Joh. 5.11 12. And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal Life and this Life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath Life and he that
become the Path of Life to them as at several times he declares Joh. 14.6 Jesus saith unto Thomas I am the Way the Truth and the Life no man cometh to the Father but by me Joh. 11.25 Jesus said unto Martha I am the Resurrection and the Life And indeed Christ is the Way of Life 1. As he is the Exemplary Cause of it All whom his Father hath foreknown being predestinated to be conformed to the Image of his Son that he might be the first-born among many Brethren Rom. 8.29 Wherefore Christ told his Disciples Joh. 14.19 Because I live ye shall live also The Life of Christ which he recovered by his Resurrection is the efficacious Pattern or Copy according to which God hath contrived our Life He is risen from the dead and become the first-fruits of them that sleep For since by Man came Death by Man came also the Resurrection of the dead For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive 1 Cor. 15.20 21 22. Hence the Apostle tells us Col. 3.3 that we are dead and our Life is hid with Christ in God it is deposited as a Treasure in Christ's hand who is the Trustee to whom our Life is conveyed ad opus usum nostrum for our use and behoof as the Lawyers use to speak he hath Livery and Seisin given of Life on our behalf and so his Life is the Pledge and Path of our Life 2. As Christ is the Way of our Life as he is our Pattern Depositary and Pledge so is he the Way of our Life as the procuring Cause thereof He is the Prince of Life Act. 3.15 the Cause or Authour of eternall Salvation Heb. 5.9 and that many ways First by his Preaching which moved S. Peter to say Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the words of eternall Life Joh. 6.68 The words saith Christ that I speak unto you they are Spirit and they are Life vers 63. The Preaching of the Law was but the Ministration of Death of the Letter that killed 2 Cor. 3.6 7. but the word of the Gospel is the word of Life Phil. 2.16 Secondly by his Death for so he tells us Joh. 6.51 I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven if any man eat of this Bread he shall live for ever and the Bread which I will give is my Flesh which I will give for the Life of the world And indeed it was for this very cause that as the Children were partakers of flesh and bloud so he also took part of the same that by Death he might destroy him that had the power of Death to wit the Devill and deliver them that through fear of Death were all their Life subject to bondage Heb. 2.14 15. As by the Offence of one Judgment came upon all men to Condemnation even so by the Righteousness of one better rendred by one Righteous deed to wit his Obedience unto Death the free Gift came upon all men unto Sanctification of life That as Sin hath reigned unto Death so might Grace reign through Righteousness unto eternall Life by Jesus Christ our Lord as the Apostle saith Rom. 5.18 21. His Death procures our Life both removendo Prohibens by taking away the Sting of Death Sin disarming Satan of his Power and by meritoriously purchasing our Life by paying a Price for us Thirdly by his Resurrection whereby he becomes as the First-fruits that sanctifies the rest of the Lump and so obtains Resurrection and Life for those that are Christ's As also he is impowered to give Life upon his Resurrection as himself saith All Power is given to me in Heaven and in Earth Matth. 28.18 As the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth them even so the Son quickeneth whom he will Joh. 5.21 Hereupon the Apostle argues thus Rom. 5.10 For if when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his Life Fourthly by his Ascension whereby he is become an High Priest not on Earth but such as is set down on the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens Heb. 8.1 He is not as the Priests of the Law who were not suffered to continue by reason of death but continueth for ever and hath an unchangeable Priesthood or a Priesthood that passeth not from one to another being made not after the Law of a carnal Commandment but after the power of an endless or indissoluble Life and therefore he is able to save them to the uttermost or evermore that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them Heb. 7.16 23 24 25. Fifthly He is the Prince of Life or Cause of our Life by shedding forth his Spirit after his being glorified which was as Rivers of living water as his own words import Joh. 7.38 39. This Gift of the Spirit of Christ is that whereby we are born again to a Spiritual Life That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit saith Christ Joh. 3.6 It is the Spirit that quickeneth the Flesh profiteth nothing Joh. 6.63 Neither indeed had Christ's Preaching or his Dying availed to bring us to Life had he not given us of his Spirit And therefore herein was the Prerogative of the Gospel above the Law that whereas that gave the Command but could not give the Spirit being a dead Letter by the Ministration of the Spirit or the Law of the Spirit of life Rom. 8.2 Christians are made alive 2 Cor. 3.6 The Gospel is become the Ministration of Righteousness vers 9. If Christ be in you the body is dead because of Sin but the Spirit is Life because of Righteousness But if the Spirit of him that raised up Christ from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you Rom. 8.10 11. Sixthly Christ's Appearing shall consummate the Life of a Believer Though he now be dead in Appearance to the World to their Rites Practices Hopes Injoyments and his Life is now onely hid with Christ in God yet when Christ who is his Life shall appear then shall he also appear with him in Glory as the Apostle speaks most comfortably Col. 3.3 4. 2. On our part the Path of Life is 1. In our Union to Christ which is by Faith whereby he is our Head and we are his Members and therefore partakers of his Life I live saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the Life that I now live in the flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Joh. 11.25 26. He that believeth on me although he were dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die The Life of a Christian is conjoyned with Christ's as that of a Child with the Mother's 2. In our Conformity to
right wits is always desired Now Joys are of several sorts according to the variety of the Objects Motives and Means of Rejoycing There are Objects of Joy within us and without us matters carnal or spiritual temporal or eternal present or future from faith or sight hoping or feeling natural and acquired longer or shorter in duration which make our Joys either more pure or mixed greater or lesser with great difference in degrees upon variation of Circumstances different apprehensions of the Object and the Good that accrues by it either comparatively with the precedent Evil felt or feared or absolutely as the thing is good in it self and its own nature or in respect of our Interest in it good to us Should I here make a Philosophical discourse of this Affection and exhibit to you a Scheme of the several kinds degrees properties and effects of this one Affection I might spend more then an hour upon this Subject But I pass to the next Head II. What Joys are in the Presence of God Those Joys are the best which spring from the embracing of the best and most lasting Good with least Defectiveness and greatest Latitude And such are the Joys that are in the Presence of God or with his Face and Countenance For therein there is 1. a perfect Freedom from all Evil 2. an entire Enjoyment of all Good in its Purity and Resplendency 1. The Evils a man is delivered from do much enhaunse his Joys He that is delivered from Dangers and Fears doth rejoyce and the Joy is the more if the Dangers were great and apparent the Fears of Evil imminent and oppressing still more when the Evils have been felt and that with much Anguish and long Continuance How do men rejoyce when they have overthrown their Adversary in a Law-suit in which if they had been cast they had been undone in their Estates How do men rejoyce when they have overcome their Enemies in Battel to whom if they had been Captives they had been led into Exile from their own Country How do Slaves rejoyce when they are redeemed from Turkish Bondage and in stead of rowing in their Gallies are returned to live with their own Masters in their own Families How do Prisoners condemned to the Gallows rejoyce when the King sends them a Pardon and they escape the hands of the Executioner These Deliverances do cause much Joy and Exultation in men and sometimes much Glorying though perhaps they be not long free from the Fear and Danger of their Evils but in the Change of Fortune fall into the same or greater Mischiess or if they escape them yet their Victory Pardon or Redemption though it bring them Liberty perhaps reduces them to Poverty and a low estate And which is worst although they overcome their Adversary on Earth yet the Devil their Adversary prevails against them though they get the Victory against their other Enemies yet they are led captive by their own Lusts which sight against their Souls though they be without Wounds by a Sword in their Bodies yet they have sore Wounds in their Consciences by their Sins though they be pardoned by the King yet they are condemned by the King of Kings though they are redeemed from Turks yet not from Hell And sure a Holy heart that prospers in the one and not in the other finds his Joys damped so as that he can scarce think those Deliverances worth the rejoycing in A Holy heart rejoyceth indeed with hearty Joy when he prevails against his Adversary the Devil and his Temptations when he is cured of the Wounds of his Spirit when he hath gotten power over that Body of death that makes him cry out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from it They are the Desertions of God the Domineering of his Corruption the Absence of God's Spirit his Decay in Prayer his Doubts of his Interest in God's Grace his Backslidings Inconstancy in good and such like Spiritual Evils that do most annoy him eclipse his Joys beget in him Lipothymies Fainting fits cold Sweats Trembling of Heart Fearfulness and Dejection of Spirit These break his Bones envenome his Spirits make him loathsome to himself as a man whose Wounds stink and are corrupt And therefore there is no Joy to such an one till he have the Joy of Salvation from God till in the multitude of the thoughts of his Heart the Comforts of God refresh his Soul till he finds the Presence of God accepting him till he sfinds that God prepares his Heart to Prayer and then inclines his Ear to hear till God speaks Peace to him sprinkles the Bloud of Christ on his Conscience and frees him from his Fear of God's Wrath and Condemnation till there be a Messenger an Interpreter one among a thousand to shew unto him his Righteousness till God be gracious unto him and saith Deliver him from going down to the Pit I have found a ransome till he pray unto God and he be favourable unto him and he see his Face with Joy as Elihu speaks Job 33.23 24 26. He is not till then free from Anguish of Spirit and Anxiety of Soul In the day of my Trouble saith Asaph Psal 77.2 3 7 8 9. I sought the Lord my Sore ran in the night and ceased not my Soul refused to be comforted I remembred God and was troubled I complained and my Spirit was overwhelmed Will the Lord cast off for ever and will he be favourable no more Is his Mercy clean gone for ever doth his Promise fail for evermore Hath God forgotten to be gracious hath he in anger shut up his tender Mercies Thus mournfully also speaks Heman the Ezrahite Psal 88.3 6 7. My Soul is full of Troubles and my life draweth nigh unto the Grave Thou hast laid me in the lowest Pit in darkness in the deeps Thy Wrath lieth hard upon me and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves And then expostulates vers 14 c. Lord why castest thou off my Soul why hidest thou thy face from me I am afflicted and ready to die while I suffer thy Terrours I am distracted Thy fierce Wrath goeth over me thy Terrours have cut me off They come round about me daily like water they compassed me about together Such Complaints are frequent in the Psalms Job and Hezekiah's Song In the Penitentials of Holy men in the Relation of the Lives of Godly persons of tender Consciences Men and Women of former and later days we meet with such Apprehensions of their Sins dangers of Temptations want of God's Spirit hiding of his Face as benight their Souls take away their Joys fill them with Pensiveness Horrour and Fear of Divine Vengeance of Hell-sire of Apparitions of Devils that they can neither feed pleasantly in the day nor rest quietly in the night but look ghastly with dejected Countenances and goe mourning in the bitterness of their Spirit all their days But when these Clouds are seattered this Darkness taken away so as that
they can say with that Martyr He is come He is come Glover in Queen Mary's days burnt at Coventry when they can discern the Light of God's Countenance shining upon them can see him reconciled in Christ can hear the voice of Christ speaking to them Son be of good chear thy Sins are forgiven thee when they find the Spirit enabling them to pour out their Souls before the Lord when their Souls can send this Challenge to the Gates of Hell Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect it is God that justifieth Who shall condemn it is Christ that died or rather is risen again who also sitteth at the right hand of God making Intercession for us Who shall separate us from the Love of God Then there is rejoycing indeed then they rejoyce with Joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Pet. 1.8 Though they be in much Affliction they can sing in the Fire and clap their hands at the Stake in a poor Cottage in a Prison they can be as merry as if they were in a stately Palace for then they are delivered from their greatest Enemies and their greatest Fears Now the Joys that are in the Presence of God are for Deliverance from these Evils from all of them bodily and spiritual from unrighteous Sentences of men violent Captivity forcible restraint of Liberty Sickness Losses Sorrows Death and which is more from all Corruptions within Temptations to Sin from without from the Malice of men the Power of Satan the Hiding of God's Countenance the Absence of his Spirit the Fear of Hell They that are with God in his Presence doe as the Children of Israel did when they saw the Egyptians dead on the Sea-shore they triumphantly glory in their Deliverance they sing as it were a new Song before the Throne they sing the Song of Moses and of the Lamb with the Harps of God saying Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy Ways thou King of Saints Rev. 15. v. 3. There they with the greatest glorying and magnanimity of Spirit take up the speech of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.55 56 57. O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory The Sting of Death is Sin and the Strength of Sin is the Law But thanks be to God that giveth us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 2. The Joys that Believers have in God's Presence are not onely because of Freedom from all the Evils which in their life-time did annoy them but also by reason of the entire injoyment of all Good in its Purity and Resplendency Many things there are which men rejoyce in on Earth and if but in one single Excellency they find themselves goe beyond others how do they glory in it as if others were not to be named the same day with them Some rejoyce in their Descent and Parentage as Pharaoh I am the son of the wise the son of ancient Kings Isa 19.11 Some in their Beauty as Absalom that gloried in his unblemished Body and goodly Head of hair Some in their Wisedom and Skill their Riches and Prosperity as the King of Tyrus that had his Heart lifted up and said I am a God I sit in the Seat of God in the midst of the Seas Behold thou art wiser then Daniel there is no Secret that they can hide from thee With thy Wisedom and with thy Vnderstanding thou hast gotten thee Riches and hast gotten Gold and Silver into thy Treasures and thine Heart is lifted up because of thy Riches Ezek. 28.2 3 4 5. Some in their Honours as Haman did in King Ahasuerus his promoting him Esther 5.11 Some in their Righteousness as the Pharisee that boasted he was not as other men are nor as the Publican Luk. 18.11 Yea some can rejoyce in their unsociable Cynical sowr austere Deportment though it be but a Delusion if they conceive Holiness in it as Monks Anchorets Quakers and such like have done and doe at this day All these and many more things the Hearts of men can rejoyce in though they be some of them but vain things some but petty good things yea if they were enjoyed in their Confluence as Solomon enjoyed them who had Wealth and Wisedom and Beauty and Dominion and what-ever the carnal Heart of man affects and yet after his ample experience of the Sweetness of them gives this account of them Eccles. 1.2 Vanity of Vanities all is Vanity yea Vexation of Spirit they produce but a forced Mirth Sardonium Risum notwithstanding which in the midst of Laughter the Heart is sorrowfull and the end of their Mirth is Heaviness As it was with Belshazzar Dan. 5.6 He was in his Royall Palace at Babylon carousing in gold and silver with his Wives and Concubines praising his Gods when on a sudden upon a Hand 's writing on the Wall the King's Countenance was changed and his Thoughts troubled him so that the Joynts of his Loins were loosed and his Knees smote one against another That which is worth rejoycing at indeed as begetting a permanent and genuine Joy sutable to the Spirit of a man is his Acquaintance with God his Knowledge of him God's Adopting him to an Inheritance with him his Relation to the Son of God the Habitation of his Blessed Spirit in him the Holiness of his Heart the Beauty that is in the hidden man of the Heart which is in the sight of God of great Price the hearing of his Prayers the accepting of his Works the glorifying of his God the Love of his Saviour In these things are the Joys of the Saints So saith S. Paul We are they that rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh Phil. 3.3 God forbid that I should rejoyce in any thing save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ whereby the World is crucified unto me and I unto the World saith the same S. Paul Gal. 6.14 Many there be that say Who will shew us any Good Lord lift thou up the light of thy Countenance upon us Thou hast put Gladness in my heart more then in the time that their Corn and their Wine increased saith David Psal 4.6 7. And again I have rejoyced in the way of thy Testimonies as much as in all Riches Psal 119.14 These things do indeed beget the most solid Joys which enlighten the Eyes and chear the Heart under many Wants many Dangers many Persecutions many Expectations of future Evils And yet these Joys are eclipsed to the most Holy man Sometimes by his own Sins and the Withdrawing of God's Spirit from him as the case was with David Sometimes by reason of Calamities and the sinfull Practices of his Children as it was also with him Sometimes from his Doubting of his own spiritual Estate from the want of such Feeling as once he had of the Efficacy of God's Grace in his Heart by the Motions of it to holy Exercises to Prayer Praising God and heavenly Meditations in the
besides him yea when there are very many very potent very malicious Enemies against them yet even then God makes them dwell in Safety and Confidence The Lord saith David Psal 27.1 2 3 5. is my Light and my Salvation whom shall I fear the Lord is the Strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid When the Wicked even mine Enemies and my Foes came upon me to eat up my flesh they stumbled and fell Though an Hoast should encamp against me my Heart should not fear though War should rise against me in this will I be confident For in the time of Trouble he shall hide me in his Pavilion in the secret of his Tabernacle shall he hide me he shall set me upon a Rock The many Experiences he had of remarkable Evasions and Deliverances when he was as it were in the Lion's mouth how he killed Goliah alone with a Sling and a Stone and cut off his Head with his own Sword how he slew the Lion and the Bear how he avoided Saul's Javelin cast at him escaped Apprehension in his Bed by his Wife Michal's Cunning Saul's Fury by his Rapture and Prophesying at Ramah the Treachery of the men of Keilah the Malevolence of the Ziphims the Design of the Philistines in the Court of Achish King of Gath these made him full of Confidence of God's Assistence in the greatest imminent Perils though he were Single and had none that he could trust to It was no news to David that God's Power is no whit abated by the Multitude of Enemies and the want of Helpers Abraham's Victory over the Kings that took Sodom Pharaoh's Overthrow at the Red Sea Sampson's Slaughter of the Philistines with the Jaw-bone of an Ass his carrying away the Gates of Azzah Shamgar's slaying of 600 Philistines with an Ox-goad Jonathan and his Armour-bearer's Victory over the same People were such Examples as made his Heart to be fixed and not to shrink at evil Tidings The like Assurance of God's Might made Asa when he was invaded by Zerah the Ethiopian with an Army of a Thousand thousand and 300 Chariots to cry unto the Lord his God Lord it is nothing with thee to help whether with many or with them that have no power 2 Chron. 14.11 And of this Deliverance then Hanani the Seer minds him when he let go his Faith in God and relied on the King of Syria Were not the Ethiopians and the Lubims a huge Hoast with very many Chariots and Horsemen yet because thou didst rely on the Lord he delivered them into thine hand For the Eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole Earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose Heart is perfect towards him 2 Chron. 16.8 9. Elisha was not dismaied at the Army of the Syrians which besieged him in Dothan he knew there were more with him then against him though his Servant's eyes could discern none to be present but Enemies Hezekiah was not terrified by the proud Vaunts of Rabshakeh or the reviling menacing Letter of Sennacherib He knew that the God of Israel was the Lord even he onely that the everlasting God the Lord the Creatour of the ends of the Earth neither fainteth nor is weary there is no searching of his Vnderstanding that he giveth Power to the faint and to them that have no Might he increaseth Strength Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their Strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint as it is Isa 40.28 29 30 31. The same Spirit in a more ample measure was in the Holy Apostles when they were brought before the Jewish Sanhedrim S. Paul when it was foretold by Agabus that he should be bound at Jerusalem when he was brought before the Council of the Jews the Roman Governours Felix Festus and King Agrippa knew in whom he believed that he was able to keep the Depositum that which he had committed to him When he received the Sentence of death in himself he trusted in him that raiseth from the dead Thus S. Stephen when stoned commended his Spirit into the hands of his Saviour and fell asleep And this brings me to the III. OBSERVATION That in Assurance that God onely makes them though alone and destitute of Help from any else to dwell in Safety Confidence or Hope Holy Believers can quietly take their Repose lie down and sleep though environed with Enemies even the chiefest Hell and Death and him that hath the power of Death to wit the Devil This frame of Spirit Holy David did discover in many of the Psalms especially in the 31. where having avouched God to be his strong Rock and his House of defence to save him vers 2. he thereupon without any Commotion of mind deposits himself with God Into thine hand saith he I commit my Spirit Thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of Truth vers 5. He was assured that he was his God that his Times were in his hands that great was his Goodness which was laid up for them that fear him that he would hide them in his Presence from the Pride of man that he would keep them secretly in a Pavilion from the strife of Tongues that he preserveth the Faithfull and therefore exhorts them to be of good Courage and God should strengthen the Heart of all them that hope in the Lord vers 14 15 19 20 23 24. But in none was this Composedness of Soul so eminent as it was in our Lord Christ who though it pleased the Lord to bruise him to put him to Grief though he were injured more then any man he was inclosed with the assembly of the Wicked they pierced his Hands and his Feet though his Heart like wax was melted in the midst of his Bowells and he cried out O God my God why hast thou forsaken me why art thou so far from helping me and from the words of my Roaring though his Soul was made an Offering for Sin yet did he then pray for his Enemies Father forgive them for they know not what they doe and when he had cried with a loud voice he said Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit and so gave up the Ghost Luk. 23.46 He did no Sin neither was Guile found in his mouth when he was reviled he reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously 1 Pet. 2.22 23. The same Tranquillity of mind did S. Stephen shew at his death And after the Example of the chief Shepherd of their Souls and the Protomartyr of the Christian Profession have the Holy Martyrs and Confessours in all Ages with the greatest Fortitude and Undauntedness of spirit conjoyned with Serenity and Calmness of mind unconquerable Patience and Submission to God's Will far beyond the Philosophers Insensibleness or Roman Stoutness which
was accompanied with much inward Regret at their Sufferings Indignation against the Tyranny of them that oppressed them Vexation at their hard Destiny yea with Alacrity and Joyfulness of heart laid themselves down to sleep even in the midst of the Fire as if it had been in a Bed of Roses triumphing over the most extreme Cruelties of their violent Persecutours that were mad with Rage against the Sheep of Christ who herein followed their Shepherd who was led as a Sheep to the slaughter and like a Lamb dumb before the Shearers so opened he not his mouth Act. 8.32 This excellent Temper of spirit in Holy Believers ariseth from the Conscience of their Integrity and the vigour of their Faith A good Cause and an upright Heart are very prevalent to allay all inward Fluctuations of mind and to arm the Heart against outward though stormy Occurrences The Righteous saith Solomon Prov. 28.1 are bold as a Lion They that fear God need not fear Men or Devils Such as know the Uprightness of their Heart the Justice of their Cause especially when their Danger is for Righteousness sake for God can appeal to God with Confidence can mind God as Hezekiah did Lord remember that I have walked before thee with an upright Heart and have done that which is good in thy sight Isa 38.3 It was our Lord's Argument in that his Soliloquy with his Father that Bosome-prayer wherein he did expectorate himself open his Heart to his Father Joh. 17.4 5. I have glorified thee on Earth I have finished the Work thou gavest me to doe And now O Father glorifie thou me with thine own self with the Glory which I had with thee before the World was This was his Plea when he was to be betrayed and crucified It is so in like manner with all that doe the Will of God They know the work of Righteousness is Peace and the effect of Righteousness Quietness and Assurance for ever Isa 32.17 They know that God will keep him in perfect Peace whose mind is stayed on him because he trusteth in him Isa 26.3 Faith doth assure them that he that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep that as it is true Diabolus non dormit the Devil sleepeth not but goes about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour so Dominus non dormit the Lord sleeps not but his Eyes are open upon the Righteous He is that most vigilant Shepherd that keeps his Sheep night and day They know that if God be with them none either Tyrant or Devil can be against them That the Prince of Life hath by Death destroyed him that had the power of Death to wit the Devil and delivered them that through fear of Death were all their life-time subject to Bondage That they may take up their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Triumph-song their Io Paean O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory That he that gave his own Son for them will with him freely give them all things That he is not ashamed to be called their God for he hath prepared for them a City which hath Foundations made and built by himself in a heavenly Country where no Nero's or Domitians or Diocletians no bloudy Bonner's or Spanish Inquisitours shall come where no Infernall Spirits nor Sons of Belial shall approach to hurt None shall be able to lay any thing to their charge they have God to justifie them Christ to intercede for them And therefore neither Height nor Depth nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor any Creature shall be able to separate them from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Hereby they have that Peace of God which passeth all understanding which keeps as a Garrison their Hearts and Minds through Christ Jesus And therefore they can rest in their Beds without fear of humane Tortures or haunting Ghosts They can sleep in the dust of the Earth with expectation of a better Resurrection and after David's Example here they can resolve to lie down and sleep for that the Lord maketh them dwell in Safety and this with hope of Rising again to Life and of having Dominion over their Enemies in that Morning in which the Sun of Righteousness shall appear again from Heaven with Healing in his Wings APPLICATION And now I beseech you learn to discern between the Righteous and the Wicked How fearfull are the Minds of them that are troubled with an evil Conscience that are not armed with Faith in God! Every Report of an invading Enemy of a walking Ghost any ghastly Apparition any unusuall Noise terrifies them and takes away their Sleep Solitariness is a Terrour to them specially in the Night Cain gets him from the Presence of the Lord into the Land of Nod Caligula runs under a Bed at a Clap of thunder Adrian whines in his mournfull Ditty when he is to part with his Soul from his Body Sickness appalls others The message of Death makes a Saul fall all along on the Earth a churlish Nabal's Heart die within him as a Stone On the contrary Holy David sleeps quietly in a Cave though Saul's Army be near him he dies quietly though Adonijah go about to take his Crown from off his Head Job can trust God though he kill him S. Paul can trust in him that raiseth from the dead when he receives the Sentence of death in himself Oh then that you would consider these things to purpose Time may come wherein you may have the Name of Magor-missabib Terrour round about armed Souldiers may break into your Houses the Arrow of God may be shot into your Bodies Pestilence may enter in at your Windows sooner or later Sickness and Death will surprize you and seise on you If at that hour thy Spirit be wounded also and God call thy Sins to Remembrance if when the Decree goes forth This night shall they fetch away thy Soul from thee thou hast nothing but thy full Barns thy high Honours and Dignities the Favour of Princes to secure thee Oh how wilt thou be like Belshazzar when he saw the Hand-writing on the Wall Thy Knees will dash one against another thy Sleep will be gone thy Terrours will rush in upon thee like an armed man thou wilt feel Hell-Torments while thou art yet on Earth On the other side if thou hast Hezekiah's Uprightness and David's Faith thou wilt sleep in Peace and die with Comfort God's Grace will support thee here and advance thee hereafter He will guide thee with his Counsell and after receive thee to Glory Oh be wise then I beseech you Take heed of Sin which will defile you it will make your Bed as uneasie as if you lay on Flints or Thorns breed a Worm in your Conscience which will gnaw on you to Eternity kindle a Fire in your Bowells which will never be quenched but burn for ever produce the Sting of a fiery Scorpion which will never be cured Get
13.22 Which is the great Scope of him that walks in his Uprightness and consequently a proof of his owning God's Sovereignty and uniting of his Heart to fear his Name 3. A man's Walking in his Uprightness proceeds from that Faith whereby the Believer presents God to himself sets him before his face sees him that is invisible as Moses did Heb. 11.27 which begets Fear of God takes away servile Fear of others keeps him in even and constant Obedience as Enoch Noah Abraham and all the Holy Patriarchs who walked with and before God without Fear of their Enemies in the Fear of God depending on his Protection and subjecting themselves to his Direction which engaged the Lord to be their God III. What Advantage accrues to him that walketh in his Vprightness and feareth the Lord. Of which very briefly The Psalmist tells us in few words Psal 84.11 that the Lord God is a Sun and a Shield the Lord will give Grace and Glory no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly Psal 97.11 Light is sown for the Righteous and Gladness for the Vpright in heart And after him the Apostle Gal. 6.16 As many as walk according to the Rule of the new Creature in Christ Jesus Peace be on them and Mercy and on the Israel of God Whence it is rightly inferred that all such as walk in their Uprightness out of a Fear of the Lord are assured of Light to guide them Protection to preserve them Peace to quiet them Supply of good things to chear them Assistence to help them Favour to comfort them and Glory to advance them APPLICATION And now what remains but that each of us as the Prophet minds the Jews Hag. 1.5 consider our Ways whether we have chosen the Way that leads to Life or that which is the Path to Destruction whether we walk uprightly in the Fear of God or perversly in Compliance with Satan All of us have a Journey to goe here we have no continuing City We may say as David 1 Chron. 29.15 We are Strangers before God as were all our Fathers our days on the Earth are as a Shadow and there is none abiding no expectation of a settled Mansion here We must arise and depart for this is not our Rest because it is polluted Mic. 2.10 Oh then how much doth it concern us to heed which Way we take whether the tendence of our Course of life be to walk in our Vprightness as those that fear the Lord or our Conversation be in the Lusts of our Flesh fulfilling the desires of the Flesh and of the Mind whether we devote our selves to the Fear of God spend our lives imploy our time and estate to please him to doe his Will or our Walking be according to the course of this World according to the Prince of the power of the Air the Spirit that worketh in the children of Disobedience If you say you fear God and expect Heaven you must manifest it by departing from your sinfull Ways by serving him in Holiness and Righteousness before him all the days of your life They must walk before God in their Uprightness here who would stand before God in Happiness hereafter Not Words but Works not a Form of Godliness but the Power of it prevails with God Be not deceived saith the Apostle Gal. 6.7 8. God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he reap For he that soweth to his Flesh shall of the Flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap Life everlasting Follow therefore Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Walk with that Company here with which you would have your Lot hereafter Walk not in the way with them with whom you dread to be associated at last Take heed of Complying with the World in your Life with whom you would not be condemned at your Death Consider the End of your Life and follow their Faith whose End you would purchase at the greatest rate Remember the Advice of the Prophet Jerem. 6.16 Thus saith the Lord Stand in the ways and see and ask for the old Paths where is the good Way and walk therein and ye shall find Rest for your Souls I direct you not to follow any New Lights neither to seek any new Ways but I advise you to goe to Christ that you may find Rest for your Souls to take his Yoke upon you and to learn of him to receive him and to walk in him rooted and built up in him and established in the Faith as he hath taught you abounding therein with thanksgiving Believe in the Light that ye may be the Children of Light Walk as Children of Light and walk as such while you have the Light Casting off the works of Darkness and putting on the Armour of Light walk honestly as in the day not in Rioting and Drunkenness not in Chambering and Wantonness not in Strife and Envying But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the Flesh to fulfill the Lusts thereof To all which let me adde that of the Apostle Eph. 5.1 2. Be followers of God as dear Children and walk in Love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an Offering and a Sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savour Amen LAVS DEO THE IMPIOUS CONTEMPT Part II. The Twenty-eighth SERMON PROVERBS xiv 2. But he that is perverse in his Ways despiseth him OF all Points of Wisedom this is the Inlet and as it were the Door to fear the Lord and of all Ways of Folly this is the greatest to despise him The one is demonstrated by a man's walking in his Vprightness of which I have already spoken the other by Perverseness in a man's Ways which is now to be considered II. PROPOSITION He that is perverse in his Ways despiseth the Lord. Concerning this three Quaere's are to be answered like as there were in handling the former Proposition 1. Who is meant by him that is perverse in his Ways and when a man is said to be so 2. How such an one despiseth the Lord. 3. What is the Evil of such Despising the Lord. Of which in their order I. Who is meant by him that is perverse in his Ways By Ways as hath been already said are meant the Actions of a Man as he is a Rational Being whose Motions should be ordered by such a Rule as his Creatour hath made known and should tend to his Maker's Honour For God at first made Man upright or simple so as that he had no other Way but that which was God's but they have sought out many Inventions saith Solomon Eccles. 7.29 Whence it comes to pass that there are many and various Ways in which men now walk contrary to God's Way that is his prescribed Will which is the Way that every man should walk in and then he walketh in his Vprightness But when he chuseth any Invention of his own to direct the
your Souls and knocked that he might be let in that he might sup with you and you with him How frequently have the Preachers of the Gospel the Servants of Christ invited you to his Supper to be partakers of that Grace of God which exceeds in worth all the Treasures of the Earth all the Pleasures under the Sun which is of greater Necessity and Advantage then all the Traffick by Land or Sea and yet his Word is not believed Oxen and Farms and Wives yea that which is worse Dalilah's Idols are minded more esteemed then Christ then his Love his Spirit his Kingdome his Righteousness Where is the man that is willing to deny himself his own Contents unjust Gains unclean Affections injurious Projects yea his vain Opinions and to take up Christ's Cross after him Where is he that will suffer I will not say Loss of Life or Goods or Credit with men for Christ but even a Divorce from his Lusts that will forbear a profane ungodly Oath a devillish Revenge or undergoe so much as a Scoff or Reproach that he may follow Christ and be his Disciple If this be not Perverseness in our Ways the Despising of the Lord in the most vilifying way I know not what is I beseech you bethink your selves in good earnest what will be the End of these things Think of that Wisedom Solomon speaks of Prov. 1. v. 22. and so forwards The very reading of it methinks should awaken and affright as many of you as yet persist in your Perverseness and will none of Wisedom's Counsel but despise all its Reproof As therefore you would not be rejected by Christ despised by him in that Day when he shall bid some depart from him into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels deny I beseech you your Vngodliness and worldly Lusts obey the voice of Christ trust in him and he will then receive you and ye shall be where he is Which the Lord grant c. Amen LAVS DEO THE SAINTS Future Glory The Twenty-ninth SERMON REVEL vij 15. Therefore are they before the Throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them YOU have here exhibited to your view the most happy and glorious Spectacle which humane spirits are capable of Brave Shows as at Princes Coronations and Marriages do greatly attract the Eyes of men One of the ancient Fathers wished much to see a Roman Triumph in its greatest Glory The Queen of Sheba was so affected with the Glory of Solomon and his Court that she took a great and costly Journey to behold them and was so transported with what she saw and heard that there was no more Spirit in her But I may well say A Greater then Solomon a braver Sight then Solomon's Court or a Roman Triumph is here Here is the God of Glory on his Throne Here the Court of glorious Spirits which are made perfect have their most splendid Robes on and the Ensign of their Victory in their hands that Palma nobilis which carries to God the Offscouring of the Earth and makes them that hid themselves in Dens and Caves of the Earth to be advanced to the Habitation of God in the highest Heavens And therefore this Show is worth your beholding which I shall endeavour to present to you though not in its Splendour yet so as I hope it may raise you up as to an Admiration and Extolling of the Divine Excellency so also to an Imitation of and a Following after those glorious Saints of whom it is said in the Verse before my Text that they came out of great Tribulation and washed their Robes and made them white in the Bloud of the Lamb and in this Verse Therefore are they before the Throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them In which two Verses you have described 1. The Exploits and Estate of these noble Warriours or Combatants on Earth They had a great Fight of Afflictions They wrastled not onely against Flesh and Bloud but against Principalities and Powers against the Rulers of the Darkness of this world against Spiritual Wickedness in high or heavenly places And though they had sore Falls yet they washed their Robes and made them white in the Bloud of the Lamb and by the word of their Testimony at last they overcame Satan and the World not loving their Lives unto the death This was their gallant Fight of Faith this their glorious Victory over their proud and most treacherous Enemies 2. Their Triumph their Ascent into the Capitol their Reception into Heaven They are before the Throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them Their present State there may be seen in these Particulars 1. In the place where they are they do not as they did on Earth wander about in Desarts and Mountains and in Dens and Caves of the earth but are about the Throne of God Nor are they cloathed with Sheep-skins and Goat-skins but have Royal or Priestly Robes like the Servants of Solomon about his Throne or the Priests in their Garments at the Altar or in the Temple 2. Their Imployment is not to grind in Mills or make Brick under a cruel Pharaoh but like the Priests and Levites at the Temple they day and night serve the Great the Glorious and Blessed Potentate who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords who onely hath Immortality and dwelleth in Light incomprehensible And their Service is the most pleasant and without any Tediousness to wit to praise and magnifie him everlastingly 3. Their Company is not base sordid and vexing Men or malicious and cruel Devils but he that sitteth on the Throne the King of Glory who hath all Beauty and Loveliness who will dwell among them so as to protect them and satisfie them with his Presence I shall not have time to insist upon the description of the Conflict and Atchievement of these Blessed Saints when upon Earth though the particle Therefore referring thither might induce me to consider thereof Nor is it necessary to inquire into the Time of that great Affliction which these are said to come out of I will without limitation of it to one sort of Saints as Martyrs at one time whether in the Ten first great Persecutions under the Pagan Roman Emperours or those under the bloudy Roman Popes by Burnings and most cruel Massacres apply this to all Saints and thence observe 1. That Afflictions Persecutions yea Death do not extinguish the Being of Saints who wash their Robes and make them clean in the Bloud of the Lamb. 2. That when they are removed from Men below they are placed before the Throne of God 3. That there they serve God in his Temple in Heaven perpetually 4. That they have God everlastingly cohabiting with them Of which in their order
I. OBSERVATION That Afflictions Persecutions yea Death do not extinguish the Being of Saints who wash their Robes and make them clean in the Bloud of the Lamb. It is the saying of our Lord to Martha Joh. 11.26 Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die It is true that believing Lazarus her Brother was then in the Grave and had been dead to her apprehension four days insomuch that she made no other account of him but as of a putrefied stinking Carkase yet even then Christ avoucheth him to have been alive And in like manner he judged Abraham and Isaac and Jacob though buried many Ages before yet even then when he conversed on Earth to be alive and so to continue for ever God being their God and he not being a God of the dead but of the living they must by consequence live unto him Luk. 20.38 Be the Dissolution of the Bodies from the Souls of the Saints never so violent their Flesh and Bones never so much consumed by the most vehement Flames torn and devoured by the most greedy and ravenous Beasts be they never so much putrefied and wasted with Sickness yet in their Dust and Ashes there is a Seed of Life It is with their Reliques as it is with Seed that is sown which though it be buried under the clods of the Earth and in appearance to men annihilated yet hath it a seminal Life which shall spring up again and flourish This Job was assured of when he said Job 19.26 27. Though after my Skin Worms destroy this Body yet in my Flesh shall I see God Whom I shall see for my self and mine Eyes shall behold and not another though my Reins be consumed within me But this is not all The Spirits of men even when their Bodies have onely a seminal Life have an actual Life they have a Life of Sense and Understanding they neither have their Life extinguished nor laid asleep without Feeling or Cogitation Though the Dust return to the Earth as it was yet the Spirit returns to God that gave it The Spirits that were sometimes disobedient when once the Long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while the Ark was preparing were in prison when S. Peter wrote 1 Epist 3.19 20. And it is the saying of the Authour to the Hebrews Chap. 12.23 Ye are come to the Spirits of Just men made perfect When Lazarus was raised from the Grave he had not a new Soul created which was not existent before but the same Soul brought back into his Body Neither at the Resurrection are other Souls joyned to the Bodies then those that before had lived in them For otherwise not the same Soul which had done good or evil should be rewarded but another When Act. 7.59 S. Stephen called upon God and said Lord Jesus receive my Spirit he being full of the Holy Ghost was assured that though his Body were buried yet his Spirit should be with Christ And when the Apostle Paul expressed his willingness to be absent from the Body yet his expectation was to be present with the Lord 2 Cor. 5.8 It was his choice and option to depart and to be with Christ as being far better Phil. 1.23 He had learned that Christ was in Death Life that he that believeth on him hath everlasting Life that his Life was hid with Christ in God that the Spirit of God that dwelt in him was Life because of Righteousness and therefore he counted not himself to live but Christ in him And as Christ did commend his Spirit into the hands of his Father when he gave up the ghost being assured he should be in Paradise so doe all the Saints that have the Spirit of Christ even when they lie down in their beds of Earth they yield up their Spirits into the hands of their Father as assured to be with Christ who is the Way to the Father And this brings in the II. OBSERVATION That when Saints are removed from Men below they are placed before the Throne of God Though God be a Spirit dwelling in that Light unto which no man can approach whom no man hath seen nor can see yet the Holy Scriptures express him to us under the Similitude of a glorious King suppose a Solomon in all his Glory sitting on a Throne or Seat of Royal Majesty and that in the Heaven of Heavens where his Son termed the Lamb in this Chap. vers 9 10. hath his Throne also at the right hand of God for being ascended into the Most holy place as an high Priest he is set on the right hand of the Throne of the Majesty in the Heavens Heb. 8.1 There the Angels who are ministring Spirits unto him and the Elders all the Apostles Prophets Martyrs Confessours as Kings and Priests unto God stand round about the Throne attending upon and beholding the King of Glory the number of whom is said Revel 5.11 to be ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands Now this place is by Christ termed Paradise Luk. 23.43 and by S. Paul 2 Cor. 12.2 4. said to be the third Heaven where is a place of Rest an Abraham's Bosome into which Lazarus is said to be carried by the Angels Luk. 16.22 Now though that were a great Happiness for a Beggar that lately lay at the Rich man's gate full of Sores and empty of Bread glad to have been fed with the crums which fell from the rich man's Table as the Dogs were who had more Compassion then the rich man for they licked his Sores when the rich man disdained to look on him or to pay for his Cure And though it be to all that undergoe sore Travail great Wants and Persecutions a very great part of their Blessedness that there remains a Rest for the people of God Heb. 4.9 and to the Saints which keep the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus after their patient Sufferings that a Voice from Heaven is heard saying Write Blessed are the dead which die in or for the Lord from henceforth Yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their Labours Yet that is not the total Summe which completes their Felicity there is more in that which follows that their Works follow them so as to be approved in Heaven Their Persons are welcomed and entertained with Triumph over their Enemies they have the Crown of Righteousness conferred on them by the Righteous Judge of all the World their good Fight of Faith is applauded with an Io-Triumph as an Heroical act of the most gallant Fortitude by the Acclamation of the Celestial Quire of Angels and blessed Spirits they are cloathed with white Linen the Righteousness of Saints they are arrayed with the most sumptuous Apparel feasted with the Light of God's Countenance reign with Christ on his Throne are designed to be solemnly married to Christ and to be Judges of the World as Co-assessours with Christ at his Coming in the expectation of which they most delightfully see God
as being before his Throne and there serving him for ever Which brings us to the III. OBSERVATION That the Saints serve God in his Temple in Heaven perpetually The Service of a great and gracious Prince though but in the meanest Office about him is an Employment much sought after for the Advantages it brings of Safety free Access Esteem and other Privileges concomitant but to attend him in a higher quality is still more desirable for the Dignity and Nearness of it to such a Majesty David chose rather to be a Door-keeper in the House of God then to be as Haman the great Favourite in the Palace of Shushan with Ahasuerus King of Persia Yet these are but petty and low Advantages in comparison of what accrue by the Service of the Great God who filleth Heaven and Earth Surely it was a Happiness to be a Servant to God though but a Hewer of wood or a Drawer of water for the House of God as the Gibeonites were they were yet far more blessed that dwelt in his House as Priests and Levites to minister before him and to serve at his Altar but it is superlative Happiness to serve God in his Temple in Heaven and to doe this for ever without any intermission especially when the Service is no other then Service of Gratitude and Praising of the Great Creatour and Benefactour of the world even him who is Optimus as well as Maximus the Best of Beings as well as the Greatest even him who is the Father of Lights from whom every good and perfect Gift cometh in whom is no Variableness nor shadow of turning They that are still praising God on Earth are blessed Psal 84.4 As all God's Works do praise the Lord so his Saints do bless him they shew forth the Glory of his Kingdom and talk of his Power Psalm 145.10 11. Much more joyous and blessed a thing is it when the great Consort of Heaven do there perpetually sound forth the high Praises of their God where they have nothing else to doe but to sing Blessing and Honour and Glory and Power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever where this New Song is sung with the best Musick of Heaven concerning the Lord Jesus Thou art worthy of all Benediction for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy Bloud out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and where with a loud voice with the greatest Shout of Angels and glorified Saints this Acknowledgment is echoed forth Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive Power and Riches and Wisedom and Strength and Honour and Glory and Blessing Oh how glad are men to tell of the Good they have received by such and such Benefactours If a gracious Prince hath but admitted them to kiss his Hands hath deigned to speak kindly to them to promise them Preferment at Court how do men like Haman tell their Wives and Friends of it with rejoycing how highly do they esteem themselves what Regard do they expect from others how do they please themselves in the expectation of his Performance how thankfully do they receive any Intelligence of him any Message from him And yet it often falls out that Princes Favourites be as a wise Heathen said like Counters which one day stand for pounds another day are of no value So that perhaps whom they magnified to day him they will curse to morrow whom they gloried in one day him they are displeased at the next It is otherwise with the Saints in Heaven then with Courtiers on Earth Once in God's Favour and they never lose it They have no fear of Frowns when once before him in his Temple they have no occasion of Dislike at any of his Looks or Speeches There is all Serenity of Aspect Entertainment with perfect Friendship matter of eternal Love everlasting Preferment And therefore with the greatest Freeness and Chearfulness without Intermission or Weariness the Saints do serve God in their Hymns in Heaven and that in his Presence for he that sitteth on the Throne doth dwell among them Which was my last Observation and is now to be considered as the Top of all their Happiness securing it from all Loss Disturbance or Diminution IV. OBSERVATION That the Saints have God everlastingly cohabiting with them Among the Promises and Preferments which are by God bestowed on his Servants this is the chiefest That as they are his Jewells a peculiar people to him are as lively Stones built up a spiritual House an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to him by Jesus Christ so they become the Temple of the living God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my People 2 Cor. 6.16 The Presence of God is counted so necessary to his People that Moses had rather stay in the vast howling Wilderness among fiery stinging Serpents then goe onward toward Canaan without it Exod. 33.15 On the other side the Psalmist professeth that though he walked through the valley of the shadow of death he would fear no evill because God was with him his Rod and his Staff did comfort him Psal 23.4 And indeed the chiefest Joy of Christians as well as Safety is in God's Company When God hides his Face the holiest Souls are troubled Satan affrights them the men of the World vex them their own Consciences bring their Sins to remembrance and cause Gripings and Pain in their very Bowells But when God returns when all the Clouds and Storms are dispersed Blessed saith the Psalmist is the people that know the joyfull sound they shall walk O Lord in the light of thy Countenance Psal 89.15 How much do Holy Saints here disquiet themselves by reason of their Cohabitation with profane and unrighteous persons When they are forced to dwell with them that are Enemies they are as a Sword in their bones when reproachfully they say daily to them Where is thy God How do they long for the Christian Society of sincere Believers and heavenly-minded Christians But their chief Prayer is Lord lift up the Light of thy Countenance upon us Their Soul thirsteth for God for the living God When shall we come and appear before God A wise and single-hearted Companion is justly valued as a most precious Jewell As Ointment and Perfume rejoyce the Heart so doth such Acquaintance a man's Spirit But the best of men are imperfect the purest Churches have their Spots Christ's own Disciples had a Judas with them They are not quite free from Satan's Haunts till they be where Christ is But when they behold his Glory are in the Company of the Lamb where he is are in the House where their Father in Heaven dwells have him dwelling with them so as that they behold his Face and are in his Hand then they are filled with everlasting Joy
consequent upon the desire he had to see him after the Revelation made to him Gen. 12.2 3. and Gen. 15.5 and his Exultation thereupon Gen. 17.16 17. Which is far more likely to be meant then his seeing him in the Type of Isaac to be offered or a Manifestation of the time of his Coming to Abraham being dead But if the sense be of Intellectual Seeing it may be understood of a Seeing by Revelation or Vision by such an Apparition as might be peculiar to Abraham and not common to those many Prophets Kings and Righteous men to whom it was denied to see those things which the Apostles saw and to hear those things which they heard Matth. 13.17 Luk. 10.24 Sure as Abraham's Faith was singular whereupon he had the denomination of the Father of Believers so the Manifestation of Christ to him what-ever it was had a Peculiarity in respect of Prophets Kings and Righteous men And therefore both in Mary's Magnificat and in Zachary's Benedictus the Performance of God's Promise is said to be as he spake to Abraham and according to the Oath which he sware to our Father Abraham 5. As for the Last This Seeing of Christ's Day whether it were Ocular or Intellectual proper to Abraham was matter of great Joy to Abraham in a more eminent manner then to others both in that he saw that Seed which was in special manner his not onely because it descended from him for so it was also David's Seed but because it was to come of Sarah in a supernatural way and also that in this Seed and so in him all the Nations of the Earth should be blessed and he himself should be a Blessing Gen. 12.2 Which therefore produced if not for the kind yet for the degree a singular Rejoycing in Abraham such as shewed it self not onely in so ready a following God whithersoever he called him a free choice of such an Estate of being as God allotted him but also in that unparallel'd Offering up Isaac when he was tried the great effect of his Faith as it is determined to have been Heb. 11.17 18 19. Having thus opened the Meaning of this Speech of Christ that I may accommodate it to this present Time and Occasion of celebrating the Memorial of Christ's Advent we may hence observe 1. That the Day of Christ or his Coming in the Flesh was foreknown to Abraham and other Holy Believers which preceded his Incarnation 2. That it was that which they desired and waited for 3. That the Certainty of its Accomplishment was the Spring of their Joy the Basis of their Comfort the Stay and Support of their Spirits in the days of their Pilgrimage on Earth Of which I shall speak in order I. OBSERVATION That the Day of Christ or his Coming in the Flesh was foreknown to Abraham and other Holy Believers which preceded his Incarnation This is told us in Mary's Song that God remembred his Mercy as he spake to the Fathers and in Zachary's Hymn as he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets which have been since the world began Both to Holy Prophets and to Angels some though obscure Predictions and Foreshewings of Christ's Day were vouchsafed as those words of Jacob about the Coming of Shilo and the Gathering of the people to him shew Gen. 49.10 those also of Moses Exod. 4.13 when to decline the Expedition God imployed him in to Egypt he said O my Lord send I pray thee by the hand of Him whom thou wilt send likewise the many Passages in the Psalms and Prophets which were opened and explained by our Lord Christ All these I say shew that there were some though obscure Foretellings of Christ's Day And indeed that there should be a Day of Christ was made known to Simeon to whom it was revealed by the Holy Ghost that he should not see Death before he had seen the Lord's Christ Luk. 2.26 To Anna a Prophetess who upon Christ's Presenting at the Temple gave Thanks likewise as Simeon did unto the Lord and spake of Jesus Christ to all them that looked for Redemption in Jerusalem vers 38. Even the chief Priests and Scribes of the people knew that Christ should be born in Bethlehem of Judaea Matth. 2.4 5. The Woman of Samaria said to the Lord Jesus Joh. 4.25 I know that Messias cometh which is called Christ when he is come he will tell us all things Yea the Magi or Wise men of the East had intimation of his Birth and were led to him by a Star Matth. 2.1 2. Even Suetonius in his History of Vespasian's Life tells us that toto Oriente percrebuit sermo throughout all the East there was frequent speech of a Ruler that should come out from Judaea which was misapplied to Vespasian yet thereby the Foreknowledge of Christ's Day is manifest to have been far spred which caused the Desire and Expectation thereof in those Holy Believers who preceded Christ's Incarnation Which is the next thing to be considered II. OBSERVATION That this Day of Christ was by Believers of old desired and waited for If the words of Jacob Gen. 49.18 I have waited for thy Salvation O Lord do not intimate his Desire and Expectation of Christ's Day yet that Speech in the last words of David 2 Sam. 23.5 God hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my Salvation and all my Desire doth express it to have been his since there is no other thing but the Day of Christ promised to come from him that could be truly said to be all his Salvation and all his Desire As the Prophet Isaiah foretold that there should come forth a Rod out of the Stem of Jesse and a Branch should grow out of his Roots Isa 11.1 and the Prophet Micah Mic. 5.2 that the Messiah who was to be Ruler in Israel should come forth of Bethlehem whose Goings forth had been from of old from everlasting So it was confessedly expected even by the chief Priests and Scribes of the people And of him it is said Mal. 3.1 The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his Temple even the Messenger of the Covenant whom ye delight in behold he shall come and this soon after his Messenger that he sent was come to prepare his Way before him which to be meant of John the Baptist is expresly declared Mark 1.2 And that I may not be too copious in alleging Texts for proof of this even the Jews profest Enemies to Christ deny it not to have been true That the Messiah was to come of the Seed of David and out of the Town of Bethlehem where David was Joh. 7.42 Yea the words of the Prophet Haggai 2.6 7. applied to Christ's Kingdom Heb. 12.26 that God would shake all Nations and the Desire of all Nations should come and that he would fill that House they were then to build to wit the Second Temple with Glory these words I say shew that Christ's Day was the
some Persons more intensive then in others yet in all that believe in Christ it was and is bottomed upon the same Ground a Fruit of the same Faith shewing it self by the same Expressions of Thanksgiving and Love Praising God Following Christ and Loving all his Members So that we may say All Abraham's Children by Faith rejoyce to see Christ's Day they see it and are glad And thus my Text comes home to you all APPLICATION You profess your selves Believers in Christ and Abraham to be your Father if you be in truth such then it will concern you to walk in the Steps of the Faith of Abraham who rejoyced to see the Day of Christ and he saw it and was glad I deny not that in this time of Advent there uses to be much Rejoycing pretended to be in Remembrance of Christ's Nativity yea that many long for this Time as the Time in which they are wont to rejoyce nor do I except against Rejoycing at this Time But is our Rejoycing such as was in Abraham a Rejoycing at Christ's Day out of Faith a Rejoycing at the Performance of the Divine Promise for the bringing of Light and Salvation into the world whereby all the Nations of the Earth should be blessed Is the sense of the Spirituall Blessings in Heavenly things I mean the Knowledge of God's Counsell the Mystery of his Will in Reconciling the World to himself by Jesus Christ not imputing their Trespasses unto them the Adoption of us Gentiles into his Family with other Riches of his Grace the grand Motive of our Joy Are the Expressions of our Joy like those of the Shepherds who glorified and praised God of the Blessed Virgin who brake out into her Magnificat Anima mea My Soul doth magnifie the Lord and my Spirit hath rejoyced in God my Saviour like those of Zacharias in his Benedictus Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for he hath visited and redeemed his people like those of the Heavenly Hoast who sang Glory be to God in the highest These Hymns I acknowledge are sung in our publick Meetings and it is the Wisedom of the Church that you are prompted to remember them But what is done in your Houses Is any such Spiritual Rejoycing there any such Praising of God for sending his Son into the world that you might live by him Are not rather your Rejoycings carnal more like the Heathen Saturnals full of Looseness vain Sports and Debauchery Are not your Feasts like the Riotous Bacchanals rather then Christian Festivals Yea is not impious profaning of God's Name more frequent there then holy Conference of such as are filled with the Spirit of God singing and making Melody in your Hearts to the Lord If it be so I may say to you as Christ did to the Jews If ye were the Children of Abraham ye would doe the Works of Abraham If Abraham were your Father indeed if you did believe in Christ as Abraham did you would rejoyce in the Remembrance of Christ's Day as Abraham did you would rejoyce in Christ as born a Saviour from Sin a Teacher sent from God to direct you in your way to eternal Life that so you may live as Abraham did as Pilgrims on Earth as those that seek a City to come even an heavenly Heb. 11.10 13 16. Oh that your Faith your Joy in Christ might be such a Fruit of the Spirit of God as may make your Conversation such as becomes the Gospel of Christ not such as is more like theirs whose Belly is their God whose Glory their Shame who mind Earthly things Let our Conversation be in Heaven from whence we look for Christ to change our vile Bodies into Bodies of Glory like his and to give us an Inheritance above Which God of his infinite Mercy grant unto us all for the Merits of his Son To whom with the Blessed Spirit be ascribed c. Amen LAVS DEO ABRAHAM's PILGRIMAGE The Thirty-first SERMON GENESIS xij 1. Now the Lord had said unto Abraham Get thee out of thy Country and from thy Kindred and from thy Father's House unto a Land that I shall shew thee THAT after so great a Defection of the World from God as was upon the Dispersion of Mankind occasioned by the Giant-like Attempt of building the Tower of Babel God might have a Race of men who should own and adhere to him he singled out Abraham from his Fathers who dwelt on the other side of the Floud and served other Gods as it is Josh 24.2 3. And having removed him with his Father from Vr of the Chaldees where it is likely the Sun was worshipped in stead of God unto Charran his Father being dead he translated him into the Land of Canaan which he promised to give him for a Possession as it is in S. Stephen's Oration Act. 7.4 5. consonant to the words I have now read to you Now the Lord had said unto Abraham Get thee out of thy Country c. Sundry ways God used to speak to the Ancients by Prophets Dreams and Visions So Gen. 15.1 The word of the Lord came unto Abram in a Vision and Gen. 17.1 The Lord appeared unto Abram and speaking of this very Precept here given him S. Stephen saith Act. 7.2 The God of Glory appeared unto our Father Abraham Some kind of glorious Apparition there was then when God gave Abraham this Mandate The Business no doubt being as in After-ages so in Abraham's days most famous God would have it begun by an illustrious Manifestation of himself that he might be known to be the God of Glory and all the Gods that Abraham's Fathers served to be but Vanities and Lies not Numina but Nomina not Gods though so called And that there might be the firmer Impression on Abraham thereby God thus shews himself and speaks However God speaks to us we are to hearken be it in a Dream or by a Prophet if it be God's Voice it must be obeyed But then most heed is to be taken when God makes known his Pleasure in an illustrious Apparition This Command to Abraham was doubtless of very great Concernment both to God's own Glory and Abraham's and all Believers Advantage And therefore it is of no small importance for us to consider the Charge which God here gives to Abraham Get thee out of thy Country and from thy Kindred and from thy Father's House unto a Land that I shall shew thee Wherein we have 1. A Journey or Motion commanded him Get thee or Goe thou 2. The Terminus à quo of this Motion or the Place whence he was to goe Out of thy Country c. 3. The Terminus ad quem or the Place whither he was to goe Vnto a Land that I shall shew thee 1. The Journy or Motion which is here injoyned Abraham is a Transmigration expressed thus in the Hebrew Lec Leca as if it were Vade tibi Goe thou or Goe to thy self which is by some conceived a Pleonasm or Redundance of speech
company 5. He that walks before God must be of a pleasing Disposition as the Apostle speaks elegantly Col. 1.10 when he prays for the Colossians that they may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing Indeed I told you before walking with God is pleasing God this is the main thing requisite to our Converse with God that we have a care to avoid what is offensive to him as Joseph had when he said How shall I doe this great Wickedness and sin against God He that will please God must imitate God We must be Followers of God as dear Children and walk in love as he loved us Eph. 5.1 2. He that will walk with God must not be of a quarrelling wrangling but a peaceable Disposition God will not brook him to be with him that persecutes his Fellow-servants that molests his Children that is not loving and kind to them that honour him No man can walk with God that loves not them that are born of God 6. He that walks before God must affect the Life of God that is an heavenly holy Conversation he must not be estranged from the Life that is in God through the ignorance that is in him and the hardness of his Heart as those Gentiles that did walk in the Vanity of their Mind having their Vnderstanding darkened Eph. 4.17 18. He must be as an obedient Child not fashioning himself according to the former Lusts in his Ignorance but as he which hath called him is holy so must he be holy in all manner of Conversation because it is written Be ye holy as I am holy 1 Pet. 1.14 15 16. He must walk with Wisedom in the sight of the Lord not as a rude Clown but as a Courtier of Heaven If we say that we have Fellowship with God and walk in Darkness we lie and doe not the Truth But if we walk in the Light as he is in the Light we have fellowship one with another 1 Joh. 1.6 7. Our Conversation must be in Heaven we must seek the things that are above the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness we must speak the Language of Heaven expect all our Good from Heaven follow the Imployment of Heaven doe the Will of our Father which is in Heaven We must sanctifie and extoll his Name as the Angels doe if we expect to be like them hereafter we must so doe here in the light of the living as they doe in Heaven in the Presence of God APPLICATION I have run over a large Field of matter but such as is of greatest concernment to each of us to be minded of that so we may know how to walk with God God hath been with you you have been kept by him he hath delivered your Soul from death and now he looks you should walk before him You expect I presume to rest with him to stand in his Presence hereafter that in the great Day of Christ he should own you and should say Come ye blessed Oh forget not then to walk before God and be perfect They that are ungodly shall not stand in the Judgment nor Sinners in the Congregation of the Righteous but shall be as the Chaff which the wind driveth away For the Lord knoweth the way of the Righteous and the way of the Vngodly shall perish Psal 1.4 5 6. Oh then that you would bethink your selves wherefore you have your Lives continued your Feet to walk I mean your Understandings your Wills your Affections your Memories your Tongues Hands Eyes Ears Are they not made that you may set God before you and prepare your Ways before him Dream not that he will entertain you hereafter in his Heavenly Palace if you do not here endeavour to be like him If you be as brutish Swine wallowing in your impure Lust if like snarling currish Dogs of an unquiet mischievous revengefull cruel spirit you are not fit for God's Company If you be rude clownish barbarous Heaven is no place for you Learn then to be wise to know God to observe him believe in him be humble pleasing of him and heavenly-minded then will he welcome you into his everlasting Joy Amen LAVS DEO THE HOLY MAN'S MEDITATION The Seventeenth SERMON PSALM cxix 15. I will meditate in thy Precepts and have respect unto thy Ways NOT out of any vain Ostentation of seeming Holiness in himself such as Pharisees were wont to be guilty of but that he might give God the Glory of his free Grace and excite others to a blessed Consociation with him in his Praises of him the Psalmist doth in this Psalm with variety of Expressions and the best of his Skill most delightfully declare the frame of his Spirit and the course of his constant Practice In the verse before my Text he had told us the matter of his Joy that he rejoyced in the way of God's Testimonies as much as in all Riches And here he declares his Resolution sutable to his valuation of God's Testimonies that he was determined as he had chosen them for the object of his Joy so to make them the imployment of his Studies the Cynosure or North-star according to which he would steer his course I will meditate in thy Precepts and have respect unto thy Ways Wherein he declares his purpose 1. Of imploying his Thoughts and his Discourse or Talk about God's Precepts for the word we translate meditate doth also signify to speak or conferre and is so translated by some here 2. Of Eying God's Ways Which may be understood either of God's Ways which he commands us to walk in called the Way of his Precepts and then the sense is I will not onely apply my Mind to know what thy Precepts injoyn me but also I will in my Practice whatsoever I doe have mine Eye that is my intentive Consideration on them as my Rule by which to act Or else it means God's Ways which he takes in ordering and governing things which are the Ways of his Providence and so his Determination is that he will observe God in what he doeth that he may give him the Glory of his Wisedom Goodness Truth Justice in his Promises and Threatnings and accordingly fear or trust God and in all things approve himself to him From the Words taken in these senses these four Conclusions do arise 1. That God's Precepts are the Godly man's Meditation 2. That they are also the matter of his Talk 3. That in his Practice he heeds God's Direction 4. That God's Works are his Observation I. OBSERVATION That God's Precepts are the Godly man's Meditation In the first Psalm vers 2. it is said of David's Blessed man that his Delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his Law doth he meditate day and night by which the Constancy of his Meditation is expressed Which is not so to be understood as if no other Act were to be done but that that there was to be no Intermission of actuall Reading or Thinking on the words or matter of God's Law
Course of his Actions by and chiefly when he opposeth God's Will his Truth his Precepts then is he perverse in his Ways Now this may happen two ways either out of Ignorance or wittingly and this either willingly or unwillingly with a pure or a mixt Will out of Infirmity through Fear Forgetfulness Heedlesness or such like Cause as abates much of the Voluntariness of the Action or obstinately resolutely presumptuously after Conviction Warning Reproof Correction not onely actually but also habitually and incorrigibly with a high hand and contumacious mind He that fears the Lord and walks in his Vprightness may sometimes actually be perverse in his Ways out of Ignorance Infirmity through prevalency of Temptation and yet not be accounted so perverse in his Ways as to be said to despise the Lord so as Solomon here means S. Paul at Antioch chargeth S. Peter and S. Barnabas that they did not walk uprightly according to the Truth of the Gospel Gal. 2.14 because that S. Peter before certain came from James did eat with the Gentiles but when they were come he withdrew and separated himself fearing them of the Circumcision And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation Herein was a kind of Perverseness out of some Timorousness incident to a holy Saint and a Pillar among the Apostles and that in a Point which so much concerned the Truth of the Gospel and yet there was no such despising of the Lord as Solomon doth here stigmatize Nor dare I say but that David did that which was not right in the eyes of the Lord in the matter of Vriah the Hittite in the business of Ziba and of Numbring the people but that he despised the Commandment of the Lord to doe evil in his sight yet was he not so perverse in his Ways as to despise the Lord so as here is meant because it was not done obstinately impenitently habitually But Eli's Sons Hophni and Phinehas who caused men to abhor the Offerings of the Lord and persisted in their Sin after their Father Eli's Admonition were obstinately habitually perverse in their Ways and despised the Lord 1 Sam. 2.17 25 29. In like manner all such are perverse in their Ways and despise the Lord so as Solomon here means who do stubbornly and impenitently persist in any sinfull Errour or wicked Practice against the Law of God or the Gospel of Christ either not relinquishing the one after Discovery or not amending the other after Reproof but upholding the one and continuing in the other against the Warnings of God and Man Of such Perverseness of men in their Ways there are many Degrees according to the several kinds of Warnings given them the Frequency of their Actings the Stifness and Stubbornness of their Wills the Proceedings of their Practices the Excellency of God's Will which they bend themselves against and the Engagements they have to conform to it Sometimes the Lord warns men of the Evil of their ways by the Reproof of an Enemy and it is Wisedom to make use of it for our Amendment Even Plutarch hath a Treatise directing a man How to get good by an Enemie's ill will this is to make Mithridate out of Poison Sometimes a Friend shews us our Evil and then it is great Perverseness to persist in it Sometimes an authourized Pastour a Parent a Yoke-fellow admonishes with due Correction and yet persons continue obstinate Sometimes God sends Warnings by his Prophets as he did to the Israelites 2 Chron. 36.15 16. He sent to them by his Messengers rising up betimes and sending them because he had Compassion on his people But they mocked the Messengers of God and despised his words and misused his Prophets until the Wrath of the Lord arose against his people till there was no Remedy Sometimes he warns men by his Judgments either on themselves or on others expecting that when his Judgments are in the Earth the Inhabitants of the world should learn Righteousness Isa 26.9 Yet though they be iterated varied be very conspicuous and terrible men return not to the Lord as the Prophet complains Amos 4.11 Yea they are so far from being bettered by God's Judgments that as it is said Rev. 16.11 some blaspheme the God of Heaven because of their Pains and their Sores and repent not of their deeds Yea so far are God's Judgments or Mercies from turning men from their Sins that oftentimes they multiply Abominations the more which shews extreme Perverseness The same may be said of them that abuse God's Patience and Long-suffering not knowing that the Goodness of God should lead them to Repentance as the Apostle speaks Rom. 2.4 And of those that because Sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore their Heart is fully set in them to doe evil Eccles. 8.11 And according to this Stifness of their Wills there are Degrees of Perverseness in their Practices For some as the Prophet chargeth the Jews Zach. 7.11 refuse to hearken pull away the Shoulder stop their Ears that they should not hear Yea saith he vers 12. they made their Heart as an Adamant-stone lest they should hear the Lord and the words which the Lord of hoasts sent in his Spirit by the Prophets therefore a great Wrath came from the Lord of hoasts Some shut their Eyes against the Light in them by their vicious Affections darken the Light of their natural Conscience and are given over to a reprobate Sense Many hold the Truth in Vnrighteousness after it is made known to them Rom. 1.18 and not onely yield not to it but also wrangle and cavil against it Yea there are not a few who in stead of being altered by any Denunciations of Judgments from God or Convictions of his Law turn the very Speeches of the Prophets and Preachers that are sent to them into proverbial Scoffs as those that scornfully said Let him make speed and hasten his Work that we may see it and let the Counsel of the Holy one of Israel draw nigh and come that we may know it Isa 5.19 And those that tauntingly took up the Prophet's term of the Burthen of the Lord Jer. 23.38 To what height of profane Impudence and Perverseness in their Ways are they come who as if they counted it their Bravery abuse the very words of Holy Scripture even of Christ himself in their Discourses and foolish Jests though by themselves and those like them counted witty to make themselves sport and render them ridiculous who as if it were a part of Gallantry to provoke the God of Heaven glory in their outrageous Swearing and direfull Imprecations against themselves Others there are like Elymas the Sorcerer whom S. Paul Act. 13.10 terms a man full of all Subtlety and all Mischief a Child of the Devil Enemy of all Righteousness who ceased not to pervert the right ways of the Lord in seeking to turn away the Deputy Sergius Paulus from the Faith of Christ