Church Vse 2. Of Exhortation to you the people Hath the Ministry been usefull to bring you effectually to Christ himself This is that Paul desired You may hear much you may pray much you may be much affected with the matter preached and yet all this while not close with Christ to receive him as a Saviour and to obey him as a Lord. A woman may have many Letters and Tokens of love from him whom she loveth and be much affected to him yet not married to him nor enjoy him as her Husband And so thou maist have some affections and good desires but thou art not yet united to Christ The work of the Ministry is not done till we can leave you in the arms of Christ Till we have prepared the way for Christ to lodg in your fouls Who then is Paul and who is Apollo but Ministers by whom ye believed The former part of this Text hath been considered Paul's modesty and sincerity in gaining people to Christ and not to himself Now let 's consider in what order or rank of Causes the Apostle puts the Officers of the Church and that is in the Instrumental Causes Wherein you may Observe the Effect viz. Faith 2. The Manner of working it it is by Ministery They are not principal Agents They are Ministers by whom you believed The Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deacons And this is sometimes used for a special Office in the Church for those who had the care of the poor Thus the Elder and the Deacon are sometimes used for the setled Officers in the Church but in this place and many others the word is used largely for any Ministry or service And so the Apostles and Elders and Pastours may be called Deacons in this large sense viz. Such who by their labours and pains serve the Church and its good Observe that this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as almost all the rest of the Greek words that denote the duty and quality of Church-Officers signifie no dignity or honour but care diligence and all solicitude Thus the most glorious creatures have Names signifying their Ministry and service The Hebrew word for the Sun comes from a root that signifieth to serve as also for an Angel to be sent by way of ministration So the simple word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesychius makes to signify to make haste to runne to the markes end also as a man by this much striving stirreth up dust 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is dust like that of Virgil Pulverulenta fugâ Rutuli dant signa per agros So that the word in its native signification denoteth that earnest labour and striving which men that runne to some mark usually make by stirring up so much dust that doth even obnubilate the aire and from this it doth metaphorically signify that labour pains yea agony and striving which the Ministers of God ought to have in their work As Paul expressed it I have fought a good fight I have finished my course 2 Tim. 4.7 Thus the word is opened and it doth as we told you denote the quality and condition of the Officers of the Church in respect of their Auditours They are Ministers Instruments by which God works Faith in the Hearers Doct. That the Ministery in Gods Church is the Meanes and Instrumental Cause he hath appointed to work Faith and all other Graces in the Hearers This Point hath its good use for this will teach you what you should expect pray and hope for by the Ministry How doth it beget and increase Faith in thee How doth it wash thee and make thee clean But let us be more particular And 1. We shall shew you how it 's not an Instrumental Cause And 2 How it is Only take Rom. 10.14 for an eminent place to confirm this Truth where observe the excellent Gradation Paul makes None can call upon God or pray without Faith and none can believe unless they hear and none can hear unless they have a Preacher and none can be a preacher unless he be sent See what a dependence here is and how strong a place it is to prove the necessity of the Ministry This premised we go to the method proposed First When we say it 's the instituted meanes or Instrumental Cause it 's not to be understood as if the Ministry or Peaching of the Word by any inward natural power of it self can work grace in the hearts of the Hearers no Experience witnesseth that after ten thousand Sermons men remain as ignorant and as bruitish as before The words reach only to the ear but they make no forcible impression upon the soul So then the Ministry doth not beget grace as the fire burneth or the hatchet cutteth which are Instruments that work by their own inward dispotion and power to pruduce their effects This is good to observe that so still our hearts and prayers may be up to God who works in and by the Ministry Secondly Because it 's not a natural Cause therefore it doth not also work necessarily these Divine Effects in every subject but where and when God is pleased to apply it The Sunne shineth every where upon one thing as well as another The fire burneth alwaies every where in one place as well as another But the Ministry doth not so that is successfull in one place and not in another That works upon one Congregation and not upon another And herein Gods wisdom makes a wonderfull difference The most unlikely the most indisposed many times find the Ministry inlivening and quickning of them when others are blinded and hardned So that though we should have the Ministry of Angels and of the most eminent men that ever lived still we must take heed that by our unthanfulness negligence prophaneness we do not provoke God to withdraw his power and presence in the Ministry For if it be so as it is to be feared it is so to too many people then the Ministry is but a shadow or if a body a body without a soul It 's but a dead letter Yea not only the Law but the Gospel and all preaching is but the ministration of death and condemnation when without Gods Spirit and power As Elias servant though he had his Masters staff yet that could do no good to raise the dead Child till Eliah came himself Oh then say Lord be thou in their Sermons in their Ministry In the next place let us shew how it 's a Cause or Instituted Meanes And that is thus First God hath appointed the constant and diligent use of this in the Church and the peoples constant and diligent attending on it 2 Tim. 4.2 Preach the word in season and out of season That signifieth the diligent dispensing of the Word And then the people they are commanded to be swift to hear James 1.19 And As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word 1 Pet. 2 2. So that God hath indispensably commanded all people of what degrees
Christ the Pâ—llar and foundation of all his boldnesse and acceptance of grace through him Eph. 3.12 In whom we have boldness and free access We cannot inherit or obtain a blessing unless we come in our elder Brothers cloaths as was even now said before He is made unto us wisdom righteousnesse and sactification yea we are made the righteousnesse of God through him 2 Cor. 4. ult Which expression first used by Ambrose but found in Calâ—in by Pighâ—uâ— was a means to bring him off to imputed righteousnesse And Paul throweth away all his own works as dâ—â—g in comparison of the righteousness through faith in Christ Phil. 3. Thiâ— iâ— a special foundation few are acquainted with this Gospel foundation Theâ— build on their works on their duties they rest on them as a foundation nor making Christ all in all He is the Altar from whom the incense of the Prayers of the Saints is accepted As Jacob said Let not me see your face unless you bring Benjamin Thus God saith Pray not but in the name of Christ Give not thanks but through Christ What a Mystery was this to the seduced Belivers even in the Apostles times The Epistle of the Romanes and especially to the Galathians is wholly to settle this foundation That it was not the righteousâ—ess of the Law iâ— their own persons or â—f works they were to seek after but a righteousness of Faith through Christ Yet where is the Christian to spiritual so Gospelized as to go out of all his duties resting on Christ only He is diligent and carefull in the use of them but leaneth on Christ only We are the circumcision who worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus only Phil. 3.3 Sixthly Christ is to be preached as the foundation of all fulnesse for all our necessities and spiritual wants The people of God they sit dejected through theâ—r nakednesse and poverty Oh they would have better hearts more fruitfull lives and they complain and complain but they do not make use of Christs fulnesse for all their wants He is the fountain their streams are to be replenished by him Of his fulness we all receive grace for grace Joh. 1.16 That is aboundance of grace as some or grace answering the grace in Christ And Col. 1. It pleased God that in him should all fulness dwell So that the soul cannot be cast into such straights as not to know where to be supplied There is the fulness of the fountain and therefore the vessel may well be filled This is the fulness in the Head therefore the members may thrive and flourish It 's a sad thing to consider how unacquainted even the godly are in this point They do not improve Christ They do not go to his fulness As the Mothers breasts are filled for the Child and it 's an ease to the Mother to have the Child to suck them Thus Christ received the fulness of grace as an Head for us and by Faith we sucking of it do exceedingly please and honour Christ Vse of Instruction What it is to preach Christ even to set him up in all this glorious fulnesse To represent him in all these Offices and Perfections for us It 's true indeed there are few people that can prize him that can see the glory of these Properties They admire nothing but the pleasure of siâ—ne and the glory of the world Therefore our work is not so often to set forth the beauty of Christ as the foulness of sinne and the torments of Hell We like John Pâ—pâ—ist are to prepare a people for Christ to cast down high mountains to wound and break the heart of sinners to take them off from all false foundations The ignorance stubbornnesse and stupidity of most hearers do call for the two-edged sword to wound and cut not for balm and oyl to be poured in their wounds But yet certainly this is our main work to preach Christ in this his heavenly glory Although to speak properly as is to be shewed in time to preach Christ is to preach also all the duties all the threatnings all the Commands Christ required To preach Repentance is to preach Christ but we take it most strictly in this place Oh then that our Auditories were such to whom Christ in all his glory might be displayed such as we might have into this Wine-celler every day such as might be invited to this Banquet and heavenly Feast that the Gospel hath provided A people that know the the need of Christ that desire and thirst after Christ That say with the Church I will hold him and will not let him go Bernard did not like to read Tully's Works in all his eloquence because he did not find Christ there How shouldst thou in all prayers duties conference still desire to enjoy Christ Saying with the Church I am sick of love The Ministers of the Gospel are to lay no other foundation but Christ Jesus If ye are branches he is the Vine If ye are the body he is the Head If ye the building he the Foundation He is the Rock He is the Root Heb. 1.3 He upholdeth all things by the Word of his power in Creation much more in Redemption Two or three Particulars more we are to instance in by which it may appear in what Christ is laid a foundation And Seventhly He is to be preached as the Fountain of all the happiness joy and spiritual content the godly hearer can have We are to preach Christ as the center in whom all the lines of your hope love and desire are to meet Thus Paul himself I determined to know nothing but Christ crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 The Greek words are comparative Christ crucified rather then any thing else There is no Doctrine no Opinion there is no outward or earthly advantage that I desire to know but Christ And in many other places you have Paul despising and renouncing all priviledges To be a Jew was nothing Circumcision was nothing To be an Apostle to be a pure Roman all these were nothing with Paul in respect of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Therefore it is that Christ is compared to our King to our Husband to our Head because all our affections desires and inclinations should be towards him And this is so necessary a foundation that no man can be Christs Disciple that doth not attain to this that doth not hate Father and Mother and Children for his sake Oh then consider Where is thy joy thy love Upon whom is thy heart set If it be on any thing but Christ thou errest in the Foundation Oh but how hard a thing is it thus to Disciple our Auditours Some have the world for Christ some their lust for Christ and thus instead of building gold and precious Stones they build dung and silth Eighthly Christ is to be preached as the person with whom we are to close in all Ordinances We are to look for Christ and enjoy him in every Prayer in every
loquere quod velis said Austin Some have observed in the Old Testament the Prophets in their Sermons were more severe Thus saith the Lord and they never call their Auditors Brethren but in the Gospel a dispensation of love there is often Brethren and I beseech you by the mercies of Christ Secondly There is the Matter of the Complaint I could not speak unto you This phrase I cannot in Scripture doth not signifie a plain absolute impotency for no question Paul being full of spiritual gifts might if he would have preached to them though carnal but it denoteth either some inward affection in our selves or outward occasion from others that makes us suspend our actions Thus The world cannot but hate you â—iz because of the inward venemous affection against God How can I do â—â—is and sinne against God viz. because of his inward love to God Mark 6. it is said Christ could do no miracles there because of their unbelief and so here I could not that is my prudence my wisdome hindered me you were not a subject capable according to that Rule Illud possumus quod jure possumus Thirdly The Object of this complaint the Corinthians described first Negatively not as spiritual then Positively but as carnal Of these in their proper place Fourthly The Explication of that phrase Carnal which might seem to provoke them much As babes in Christ Many profitable points are in this verse And first from that phrase I could not speak to you Observe That the ignorance and sinfulness of a people are a just cause why faithfull and wise Ministers of the Word do not sometimes preach of the more sublime and excellent points in Christianity Paul desired not only to lay a good foundation but also to build an excellent superstruction but the rudeness and ignorance of his hearers restrained him Even as the Husbandman doth not sow his best seed wheat and the like because his ground is so barren and lean that it will not bear it As the Schoolmaster teacheth not his choisest notions because the Scholar cannot receive them See how sadly Paul complaineth Heb. 5.12 13. they were not such who could receive strong meat therefore he presseth them not to rest alwayes in the first principles and elements of Religion but to be carried on to further perfection Ministers are compar'd by Paul to Nurses 1 Thess 2.7 if they should give bread and meat to young Infants this were not to nourish them but to choak them Our Saviour to this very purpose shewing that beginners are not prepared for lofty and more spiritual truths excellently instanceth in old bottles receiving new wine Luk. 5.36 which presently break not being able to bear the strength of it To open the Doctrine consider That in Christianity and so in our preaching there is a two-fold kind of matter 1. That which is Fundamental plain necessary and easie being the first principles of Religion the total ignorance whereof damneth 2. There are admirable Consâ—quences and Conclusions to be deduced from and improved out of these unto which the godly are to grow not resting in the former but greedily desiring the later The fore-named place Heb. 5.12 evidenceth this where he tels us of first principles such as every one must learn Repentance from dead works Faith in God the Resurrection of the dead and eternal Judgment so these be principles and foundations and it is as impossible to build up towards Heaven without these as to build an house without a foundation The Apostle compareth these to milk and the other to strong meat Now as it is a shame for a child alwayes to suck so it is not only a shame but a grievous sinne for a people to be capable of nothing but milk To be children alwayes And if Paul was so offended at it What cause have the Ministers of God in these dayes to burn with zeal because of the general ignorance upon most people Alas how many do not so much as understand the first principles How many have not laid a foundation We cannot preach to them no not as babes much lesse as grown men they are even bruitish Pagans almost for their ignorance in religious things But of that more hereafter This is to shew you That Christs school hath many forms and it is a sinne and a shame to be alwayes in the Alphabet For further prosecuting the Doctrine Consider first How Ignorance doth restrain the Ministers abilities And 2. How sinfulness for both these are in the Doctrine And both these Paul intends in calling them carnal Ignorance is an impediment to our preaching in these particulars First The more eminent and sublime mysteries of the Gospel about Christ and his righteousnesse we cannot so frequently preach upon but these things which may be known of God by the natural light of conscience and by the works of Creation There are things known of God partly by natural light of conscience especially if furthered with Education and things by supernatural Revelation and Authority of the Scripture meerly such is the whole Doctrine about Christ and his Offices Now this later sort of matter which is the marrow and life of all preaching many of our Congregations as they now stand corrupted with blindness and ignorance are not prepared to receive it For generally people know no more than what may be known of God by the common principles of reason and what their Parents have taught them by tradition but for acquaintance with the truths of the Gospel which are revealed to us in the Scripture they have but a glimering about them if any apprehension at all When Peter had made that Confession of Christ Thou art the Sonne of the living God Christ saith Flesh and blood had not revealed this to him Mat. 16.17 Now most people have no more knowledge no more apprehension in matters of Religion than what flesh and blood revealeth to them We that are Ministers and have occasion to enquire into the knowledge of people have cause thus to complain Heb. 5.19 a notable place Every one that is a babe is unskilfull in the Word of righteousnesse that is in the Mystery of the Gospel so that to preach much of Christ till people be prepared by knowledge or fitted by principles for him is to throw seed on the ground before it be plowed Secondly As those sublime mysteries cannot be often preached on though sometimes we must because we are debtors to the wise as well as the foolish and there are spiritual as well as carnal in our Congregations so likewise That growth in knowledge and increase more and more in heavenly light and knowledge cannot be pressed where grosse ignorance is You shall see this much pressed in Scripture not to rest in foundations to grow in knowledge Yea one main end of the Ministry is to carry us unto a full stature in Christ Ephes 4 13. Now alas how can our Ministry be for growth to such who are not so much
envious man would think thus would I have God no better to me then to such an one Should I be willing to have the Lord deal with me as I desire to others this might change him It 's related of Nero an envious cruel man That he would sometimes bewail there were none of those terrible judgements in his time as in former ages That there were no suddain earthquakes no violent plagues and such sore demonstrations of Gods wrath well might be called clay and blood mingled together 2. It opposeth that admirable goodness in Christ Oh come with admiration and read and consider the life of Christ and his death and you will see envy is as direct contrary to him as the Serpent to the Dove Consider what he was and yet how debasing himself for our sakes He thought it no robbery to be equall with God Phil. 2. for it was his due being of the same essence with him so that he might alwayes have declared that infinite Majesty but he willingly doth obscure this Sunne in a cloud this Divinity in a vail of flesh and when he doth not take the nature of Angels but man even then he doth act the condition of the great and mighty and honoured men of the world but of the most contemptible a worme and no man yea see how good to us to those that hated him envied him how destitute of a place to lay his head in that supported all the world by his power at his death how abused scorned reproached and handled in the most ignominious and scurrilous manner Oh admire all this you that hear and believe Had there been any gall in this Dove any envy in Christ would he have emptied himself thus to make thee full Would he have become poor to make thee rich Oh then if envy at any time stirre in thy heart say Did Christ do thus Was he of this temper and it must need fill thee with confusion 3. The grace of love and charity is often prayed for and that by Christ himself that his people might have it he prayeth for nothing so earnestly as that It is made the sign and symptome of Christs Disciples not by miracles not by prophesies but by love shall all men know Christs Disciples It is a duty enjoyned also for faith hath the preeminence in the upper region of justification so love in the lower of sanctification now the nature of the grace of love is to have idem velle and idem nolle to make all good things and all bad things common yea the soul of the lover is not where it animateth so much as where it loveth Love seeketh not her own love envieth not love is not puffed up 1 Cor. 13.4 5. Oh then if as in the Temple every thing was covered with gold so among Christians every word and action should be covered with love Let all your things be done with charity 1 Cor. 16.14 Then what a damnable sinne is envy which breaks these silken cords when these hellish motions of envy stirre in thee cry out for the Spirit of love Oh say this is none of Christs Spirit this is not a Gospel Spirit As love is the fullfilling of the law so envy is the dissolution of it and as Moses and the Prophets hang upon love so they do all fall to the ground where envy is if then there were but these three objects to look on God Christ and Charity it might make a man to abhorre to take this toad of envy in his breast But Secondly There is still further abomination in this sinne for it 's the very lively image of the Devil There is nothing so like the Devil as an envious man with his hornes to push at every one and his cloven foot to make divisions and wranglings This you heard this wisdome viz. whereby men make strifes and envyings is said to be divelish Jam. 3.15 Oh then What accord hath Christ with Belial Why art not thou ashamed to look God or good men in the face that hast this divelish temper in thee As the Bafilisk doth so hate man that they say he will take the very picture of him if he can Thus the envy and malice of the Devil is so great against God that because he cannot vent himself upon God therefore he doth upon man made after Gods image and although it be no profit to him yea an encrease of his torment to tempt man to sinne and to damne him yet he delights to do it Other sinnes of Drunkeness and Uncleanness turn men into Beasts but this of envy doth into Devils insomuch that an envious man in the constant full power of it I speak not of motions and temptations is farther off from godliness then a beastly prophane man Thirdly This sinne of Envy is a mother-sinne a fountaine-sinne There is no wickedness in the world but this sinne will conceive it and bring it forth Through envy they stoned Paul through envy they murdered Christ all the persecutors of Christians did burn with envy themselves before they burnt the Martyrs at the stake Hence Jam. 4.5 the Apostle alledgeth that place The spirit within us lusteth to envy aiming at that Gen. 6.5 The imagination of the thoughts of the heart are only evil and that continually Now he nameth not the general but particularizeth in envy as that which is the cheif cause of many sinnes For where envying and strife is there is confusion and every evil work Jam 3 16. Nay not only personal private evils are in the womb of this but all publique miseries commonly begin from this spark of envy A Commonwealth is made a field of bloud through the envy of ambitious men the Church is cut inpeices like the Levites wife through envy of ecclesiastical persons insomuch that we may say all Kingdomes and Churches in some respects have died of this disease this hath cut all the nerves whereby any society is compacted together Oh therefore pray we that God would have out this incendiary and Boutefeu from all Churches and States The Devil is called the enemy Mat. 13.15 and therefore the envious one that came and sowed tares so that all the tares of discord dissensions and different opinions are sowed by the envious one that grudgeth at our peace and unity Fourthly This sinne is a just torment to him that commits it When a sinne is a sinne and a punishment it 's the more deadly sinne now this of envy it 's a very gibbett a very rack to him that is moved with it he is like one possessed with the Devil that formeth that is thrown into fire and water his heart is a very hell he hath a torturing within him as if so many Devils were pulling of him The Heathen observed it saying That the greatest Tyrants that ever were never found out a greater torment And certainly if the motions and stirrings of envy in the godly be like so many Scorpions stings in them what are they to wicked men where envy
truly love one another because the Motive of it is the Image of God The cause of it is Gods command And the end of it is to do good temporal and spiritual to one another Hence this is called love in the Faith Tit. 3.15 and in the Spirit Col. 1.8 And therefore if the people of God at any time quarrell and strive one with another there is so much manifestation that their love was not because they were godly but for other ends For if so then because they are the Children of God still they are such as have grace They are such as God hath cast his love upon therefore thou darest not but love them still How darest thou but be reconciled with him to whom God the Father through Christ is reconciled The Apostle doth very frequently urge this duty of love and that without dissimulation knowing the corruptions and falsehood that would be even in the godly did they not take heed But as for the wicked the very Heathen said Amicitia nisi inter bonus esse non potest Friendship can only be upon grounds of goodness and honesty Therefore if you see any man agree upon evil grounds because others are wicked like themselves or for matter of profit or matter of pleasure here is no sure Concord But are as dogs playing together in the room while bones are cast amongst and then they snarle and fight with one another Take all the wicked men that are though they are never so great yet matter of pleasure or profit will presently divide them So that it 's no wonder if Herod and Pilate cannot agree unless it be against Christ Wicked men never joyn together unless it be to oppose godliness In the second place take notice there is a two-fold Striving or Contention First That which is good and laudable Thus Jude commands to contend for the Faith once delivered To be in an agony for it vers 4. And we must in our places strive and ever zealously quarrell with wicked men for the honour and glory of God Now though this Contention and Striving be not intended here yet I shall speak a little to it in the close because there are those who account all zeal and fervency for God to be quarrelling and making tumults As Jer. 15.10 Wo is me that my mother bear me because I am a man of contention Why so He reproved them for their sinnes He spake contrary to their carnal humours and thereupon he was thought to be the only troubler of the Kingdom But Secondly Their is a sinfull and ungodly Striving And that may be about a two-fold Object Either in Civil worldly things quarrelling and wrangling about them or in Religious matters Their is a desire in some to be cavilling against the Truth and to be gain-saying those Duties that are commanded or needlessly striving with idle Disputes that make not for godliness Of which the Apostle speaketh fully Tit. 3.7 A great disease in these times Now le ts briefly speak to both these And we will First Shew the Sinfulness of the Causes Secondly The Effects wherein they manifest themselves And Thirdly The Aggravation of the sinne The Cause in the general is That bitter poisonous fountain of corruption within every man Man by nature is a Spider a Toade He can spit nothing but venome He is a bramble that tears every one that cometh near him Thus Gal. 5. strifes and Contentions are made the manifest works of the flesh It 's not a doubtfull or an hard matter to determine whence they come All thy jangleings clamours and evil speakings they come from that gall and wormwood in thee James 4.1 Whence come wars and fightings He cals that strife amongst them a Warre Do they not come from the lusts that warre in your members See here There is no man striveth and brawleth with another but he hath a lust in his heart which striveth and fighteth against his soul Thou seekest to be wronged to undoe another but that anger in thy heart will undoe and damn thy own soul But the Particular Lusts are 1. Pride Where pride is there is Contention Prov. 13.10 A proud man he cannot but strive no more then fire cannot but set all on a flame where it is All the Divisions and Troubles that are either publique or private come from Pride Every man would have his will to be done Whereas humility and lowlimindedness that keeps all in peace and quietness The Chimny that is higher then other parts of the house puts out all the smoak and dark vapours and those sometimes that would exalt themselves above others they must needs evaporate their loathsome stomack against others 2. Ambition and vain glory Which comes near to Pride When men are ambitious for great earthly power or the high places in the Church this maketh many quarrels Absolom's ambition for the Kingdom what a terrible shake did it make in Israel This ambition is an huge Whale that quickly will swallow up all the good and welfare of others and it 's no less dangerous in the Church Have not the Divisions thereof been through the ambition and vain-glory of some who have inordinately loved applaus and many followers This hath alwaies been like a Sword in the side of the Church that hath brought out both blood and water 3. Malicious froward dispositions There are some of that rancorous turbulent natures that they cannot be quiet but in the disturbing of others Salamanders that can live no where but in the fire never at rest but when they are in brawlings or contentions that have not only their tongues as James saith but their hearts also set on fire from hell Jam. 3.6 As these are dangerous persons in a Kingdome for they do to it as the Devil to the possessed body throw it sometimes in the water and sometimes in the fire so they are also in Families and in Townes These are cursed men For as Peace-makers are blessed so strife-makers and quarrel makers are cursed men 4. Covetousnesse and sinfull love to the things of the world that makes men quarrel and brawl So that some say those two Pronouns Meum and Tuum make all the strife that is in the world an unjust covetous desire to have more than is thy own or lusting after other mens or discontent at thy own condition This makes thee fill the world with quarrels Lastly Impatience when men know not how with patience and godly wisdome to passe by many injuries and wrongs The Scripture bids us overcome evil with good and if a man strike on one cheek to turn another Luke 6.29 He doth not there forbid a lawfull resistance of evil before a Magistrate or a defence of his right but all private revenge and impatience of spirit whereby we are ready to resolve As he hath done to me I will do to him Oh no! Christ teacheth us a spirit of meeknesse of patience to pray for those that persecute and hate us Now the
or rankes soever To hear and depend upon the Ministry To wait at the gates of wisdome To obey and submit themselves to such guides Heb. 13. Let no man think himself too great or too wise and learned or too holy and godly These are soul-destructive waies For as it is a wo to us if we preach not the Gospel so it must be a wo to you if you hear it not For the same command that commands the diligent dispensing of this Word of life doth also command to the constant receiving of it Thus you see God hath commanded it It is not indifferent whether you will hear or no He hath not given any exemption to any Secondly As God hath thus commanded so he hath also graciously promised to go along with it So that the Word works by reason of the Promise God speaks a word of command to the Ministry Let it pull down sinne Let it build up grace And then it prevaileth against all opposition Thus when Christ gave his Apostles Commission to make Disciples and to preach to all men he encourageth them with this That he would be with them to the end of the world Mat. 28.20 Thus in this Chapter Paul plants and Apollo watereth but God giveth the increase So then God hath commanded this way those meanes and hath promised to be powerfull in them And therefore it 's God that sanctifieth God that begetteth us God that saveth by the Word As you see the Husbandman he prepareth the ground he throweth in seed but he cannot make it grow In the Apostles time and the first age of the Church how wonderfull and admirable was the Word in propagating Faith In converting men from their sinne and lusts And all because God was mightily with them Thirdly The Ministry is a meanes to beget Faith and Conversion as it is accompanied with Arguments to convince the understanding and Consciences of men as also with Arguments of terrour or joy to move the affections For this you must know that although the Ministry works not by any inward power as natural Causes yet it is very sutable to work upon men by propounding Arguments and Motives And these being powerfully set home by God make a wonderfull alteration by conjunction of the judgment So we may read of Paul that he did by severall Arguments prove and demonstrate that Jesus was the Cstrist So that they could not gainsay him Whereupon they did either believe or prove obstinate opposers If you aske then How comes the Ministry to be thus Instrumental The Answer is By a potent and strong conviction of the Conscience declaring Grounds out of the Scripture So that the Ministry is called the Candlestick which holds out the light The Word indeed is a two-edged Sword dividing into the inwards But there must be an hand to weild and govern it The word is an hammer but there must be an arm to strike it home And certainly it 's a wonder of wonders that people should be led in such captivity and slavery to their lusts that though they sit and hear and are convinced yet they believe not How often have we demonstrated out of the Word that thy lusts and dissoluteness are sinnes And how often at the same time doth thy conscience joyne with the Word that thou art convinced It 's thy case and thou art the man yet thou art obstinate and dost not reforme Doth not the Word bind thee up take away all thy cavils stop thy mouth thou hast nothing to say yet thou wilt be wicked because thou wilt be and so the Word is instrumental to beget grace because it worketh upon the affections by the Ministery There are Arguments of fear and terrour on one side there are Arguments of love glory and immortality on the other Now if humane Oâ—tours have been able to perswade their Auditours and Rhetorique hath made such changes in mens minds insomuch that some Heathens made Hercules so famous for strength the god of eloquence as if that were his his great might what shall we say of the Arguments and power of Gods Word which is above the hearts and consciences of men so that the Word workes faith and conversion by convincing the judgement and enflameing the affections As it is meanes or instrumental in this manner so there are these four Properties of this instrumental cause First The Ministery is the only ordinary way that God hath appointed either for the beginnings or encrease of grace For the beginnings Thus Faith is said to come by hearing Rom. 10.17 And God hath begotten us by his Word Jam. 1.18 And for the encrease Eph. 4. You may there see it is for the compleating of us in a full stature in Christ Thus as the ordinary way for a mans life is by outward food and sustenance so the ordinary meanes of all spiritual life is by the Ministery of the Word Indeed some propound particular cases as of Infants whâ— cannot hear or of deaf men or of some persons by unexpected calamities cast where no Ministery is to be had but we do not now speak of extraordinary wayes we know God did feed the Israelites with Manna from heaven when they could have no ordinary food but in Gods ordinary way unless thou expect a miracle the Ministery is the instrumental publique meanes Indeed the godly example of others and afflictions these may much prepare the heart but the Ministery that is the proper instrumental cause Secondly Because it 's the ordinary meanes therefore it 's the necessary meanes to which all are tied We cannot be without it if a man enjoy it not his soul becomes like a barren wilderness yea like a noisome dunghill Hence the Ministers are compared to those servants that distribute convenient bread to others As a house or family cannot be without bread so neither can the Church without the preaching of the Word The Ministery is frequently compared to rain the same word in its root for to rain and to teach and the preaching of it to the plentifull seasonable showers that came upon the parched ground so that as â— Land or Kingdome cannot subsist without the rain from heaven so neither people without these meanes Isa 5. When God commanded the clouds to rain no more upon his vineyard his meaning was he would take away the Pastor and the Teacher from them and then woe be to that land Thirdly This instituted means is very unlikely for such glorious effects to a carnalâ—â—ie Hereupon it 's very despicable and contemptible to humane reason The Apostle calls it the foolishness of preaching 1 Cor. 1.21 not that it is so indeed for â—t ' the wisdome of God to salvation but the Apostle calls it so according to the principles of humane wisdome For whether you do regard the matter or manner of preaching it 's both very unlikely ever to produce such effects The matter is high paradoxal incredible to flesh and blood The manner of delivering is plain without the
no more gainsay it Thirdly Lay aside all superfluity of naughtinesse Jam. 1 21. If Aristotle thought not a young man a fit Auditour for his Ethicks much lesse is a propane beast wallowing in his filth fit for the Word The ground must have all the bryars and thorns pulled up ere the seed sown can bring forth any fruit No lust no sinne lived in hath ears to hear When the Law was to be promulged what washings and preparations were there for several dayes together Thou that comest to the Ministry with all thy goar and filth upon thee thou art a loathsome and an abominable object Do men use to sow in bogs and quagmires So neither doth the Word thrive in men of loose and dissolute lives The Prophet in an indignation at the sinfulnesse of his people crieth out Hear ô Heavens and hearken ô Earth Isa 1.2 as if those insensible creatures would more attend than some men Vse of Exhortation Labour to find the Ministry something some great thing some terrible thing some comfortable thing to thee Oh how many are there to whom it 's nothing They make nothing of any Sermon they hear yea and people generally delight in such a Ministry that brings nothing to them They love not when it is like fire like a two-edged sword they love not when it troubles and disquiets them for sinne the more it 's nothing and passeth away as nothing the more contented they are Oh people prepared for destructon Oh people hated by God! For wherein doth God shâ—w his love more to a people then by causing the Word to be like fire in the bowels Those whom God loveth they find the Ministery efficacious and vigorous they find it to come with power and autority they cry out great is the power of the Lord. Oh how it searcheth how it tryeth how it convinceth how it conquers nothing an stand before it Verse 8. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one THe Apostles scope is as you have heard to prevent factions and divisions both in Preachers and hearers to unite them together in love and agreement for which he hath used several Arguments And this eighth Verse beginneth a new Medium to prove the necessity of concord both among the Ministers themselves and the people What is said of men joyned in earthly power Erunt insuperabiles si inseperabiles the same is true both of the Officers and members in the Church of God Now the Argument the Apostle presseth is to this effect Those that are one ought not to be divided either by themselves or by their hearers But all the Officers in Godâ— Church whether those that plant or water they are one Therefore they ought not to be divided So that you see though there is diversity of gifts and employmenss yet they all agree in one it 's unity therefore among Ministers and the people that is made the ground of concord This would be a very necessary subject in these times of multiplyed divisions it being very hard now a daies to say He that watereth and he that planteth are one But I shall pass it over briefly in one Sermon Now this phrase They are one is not to be understood essentially as if they were one nature in which sence 1 Joh. 5. it 's said There are three that bear witness is heaven and these three are one Nor secondly are they one in respect of labour and worth No Paul laboured more abundantly then they all and as the starres differ from one another so do the Ministers of God in worth and ability Therefore the Apostle prevents such thoughts by the words appendant Every man shall receive according to his own labour Vnum sunt non individuo non gradu non donis non vocatione non autoritate non tempore non labore nec non maerore saith Baldwin on the place But they are said to be one in regard of the scope and end for which the Ministery is appointed viz. to gather a Church unto God and to build them up in saith and godliness Observe That although there is diversity and variety in the gifts of the Ministers yet they all ought to agree in one They are to have the same mind the same ends the same mouth Hence is that expression According as he hath spoken by the mouth of his holy Prophets which were from the beginning Luk. 1.70 All the Prophets ever since the world began had but one mouth He doth not say the mouths but the mouth To shew there was no contrariety no opposition but all agreed in this Thus it should be the mouth of the Ministers of Christ they should go the same way one should not preach contrary to the other one should not destroy what the other affirmes Hence our Saviour did so earnestly pray That his Disciples might be one Joh. 17. For what a scandal and offence would it have been if they who were to be Teachers of the Word and to lay the foundation of the Gospel should not have agreed among themselves So that whereas the Apostle pressing unity Eph 4.4 5. doth reckon up several kinds of unities One body one spirit one hope one Lord one faith one Baptisme so we may adde one Ministery so that divisions are a great argument of weakness and of errour foâ— truth cannot be divided is not contrary to it self as errour is not that unity is a note of the true Church as Papists plead who yet have little cause to boast of it especially not unity in matters that are not fundamental and necessary The Apostle supposeth that when he saith If any be otherwise minded the Lord will reveal even this also to him Phil. 3.15 To open this The Ministery ought to be one First In respect of doctrine and true doctrine that is the soul and life of all 1 Tim. 1.3 Paul layeth a charge that they do not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 teach another doctrine Oh it 's a sad prognostique of ruine when some Ministers preach one doctrine as necessary to salvation others another now the true doctrine is revealed in the Word and whatsoever is another from that is not grounded there that is to be rejected Yea the Apostle would have us anathematize an Angel from heaven that should bring any other doctrine Gal. 1.8 And John would not have us so much as receive them in the house or bid them God speed 2 Joh ver 10 11. and who doth so he saith is partaker of all his evil deeds So then the Ministery ought to be one in respect of doctrine to preach one God one Christ one Faith one way to heaven for they are not to be inverters but keepers only of heavenly doctrine Keep that good thing committed to thy trust said the Apostle 2 Tim. 1.14 Secondly There ought to be unity in regard of their end and scope They all ought to shoot at the same mark which is two-fold 1. The glory of God to set up God and
inflamed affections to God Fervent in spirit serving the Lord Rom. 12.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 boyling over that argueth the fire of zeal is under every duty I have something against thee saith Christ because thou hast left thy first love Revel 2 5. she had not lost all her love she was not bereaved of all but yet because she had not such degrees such fervency as she had God reproveth her Have not many of Gods own people lost their first praying first hearing their first zeal and affections to good things Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord negligently Jer 48.10 Here is no reward but a curse to such who in Gods work are negligent and carelesse and it 's a great dishonour to God that thou shouldst be fervent and active in the pleasures of sinne in the service of Satan and not in Gods work 4. The work to be rewarded is that which is constantly done with perseverance holding out to the end Mat. 24.13 He that endureth to the end shall be saved If a righteous man leave his righteousnesse and commit iniquity c. all his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not be remembred Ezek. 33.13 There are those who begin in Gods work and end in the Devils There are those who by the knowledge of God escape the pollution of the world and then return again to their vomit The later end of such is worse than their beginning 2 Pet. 2. Take Judas for a dreadfull instance he leaveth all and followeth Christ he preacheth the Gospel he worketh miracles he casts out Devils from others but he proveth an Apostate himself the Devil enters into him at last and so all those seeming good works perish Oh that those who have an aguish goodnesse some good fits in time of danger of diseases Then they will call upon God then they will speak of God and do what is good Oh that such had an heart alwayes to do so Blessed is he whom his master when he cometh shall find so doing Matth. 24.46 5. The work to be rewarded is that which is done fully and plenarily There is a full measure of grace to be heaped over The Scripture speaking of Caleb as one that followed the Lord heartily saith in the Hebrew He fulfilled to go after the Lord Deut. 1.36 that denoteth his whole heart was in it Now there must be a three-fold fulnesse in the work of the Lord 1. A fulnesse of the Subject The united strength of the heart must be joyned together not to serve God with distractions an heart for him and an heart for the creature 2. A fulnesse of the Object every work of the Lord. They are to be prepared for every good work You read of many that did many good things Joash Amasiah Herod but because they were not fully for every good work they lost this reward Now of all works those that do more immediately relate to God to the Gospel his truth any work looking this way will be rewarded Hence a Cup of cold water given to a Prophet in the name of a Prophet Mat. 10.41 in reference to this work shall have a Prophets reward And lastly Fulnesse of degree They are to abound in the work of the Lord to adde one grace to another to be rich in faith and other graces Vse Will a good work thus circumstantiated be sure to be rewarded Then take heed of two contraries to this work of the Lord 1. Of idlenesse unprofitablenesse and unfruitfulnesse The way to Heaven is a way of labour the work of faith the labour of love and the patience of hope saith the Apostle 1 Thes 1.3 Every grace is laborious and therefore we are commanded to strive to enter in at the straight gate Luke 13.24 Oh set it down for a principle such a jolly loose and secure life that I live can never be happy Christianity is compared to running in a race 1 Cor. 9.26 27. to fighting and wrestling the subduing of sinne to mortifying and crucifying of the flesh What then will become of thy carelesnesse thy negligence Oh fear lest God curse thee as the barren fig-tree lest he say Cast that unprofitable servant into everlasting flames 2. Take heed of the other contrary upon which the greater wrath of God will fall and that is To do the Devils work Our Saviour told the Pharisees They are of the Devil and his works they did John 8.44 What were those works To oppose Christ in the Ministry to rebell against that glorious light of the world Men are possessed with the Devil in their souls as well as in their bodies Thus the Devil is said to enter into Judas heart and to fill Ananias heart and when they are thus then they only serve him and fulfill his lusts Lying that is the Devils work Malicious opposing of godliness and good men that is the Devils work Yea all sinne is in some sense the work of the Devil 1 Joh. 3.8 Therefore Christ is said to come into the world to dissolve the works of the Devil Take heed then lest while thou share with him in his works that thou do also in his punishments Lâ—st it be said Depart into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels as also his fellow workers Having considered what the work is now let us consider and admire at the Reward And before we come to shew what Reward it is take notice of a distinction or two First There is an Essential Reward and that is The enjoyment of God in full Assurance and Delight This all that work for God are sure to have All that are made happy have the same God and the same Christ They all agree in this The dwarf and the gyant are both equall in this as the Apple of the eye in a Child as well as in a grown man is able to see the same great Mountain Secondly There is an Accidental Reward and that is Some Degrees of Glory Because of greater labour and sufferings for Christ one may partake of more Glory then another For though all the glorified Saints are compared to Stars yet as one Star differeth from another in Glory so it 's here In Justification all the godly are equall though some men have more sinnes pardoned then others yet the acceptation of them through Christ is equall So that intensively though not extensively all are alike justified But in salvation there are Thrones prepared for some above others Neither in that ambitious Petition of the Mother of Zebedees Children did our Saviour deny there were chiefer places then other in his Kingdom but he rebuked their carnal apprehensions about such things Mat. 20.33 Thus you have a Prophets Reward spoken of as a greater Reward then others because of their choice work for God and the manifold contradictions they endure from sinners because of their labour Secondly It 's lawfull to encourage a mans self in working for God by this that there is a Reward There is a lawfull
self-seeking viz. of immortality and honour and glory Rom. 2.7 This is good to be observed because some tender people have been much troubled as if they were gone no further then hypocrites because they find such desires of Heaven and Glory moving them in their duties Oh! they think this is to serve God for their own ends Did not Christ live and die for me though he got nothing by me and why should not I for him Now two things we say to this 1. It 's true in every godly man there is such an ingenuous Principle of grace in him that he loveth God and Christ for their own sakes Though there were no Heaven no Hell yet such is his spiritual constitution that he cannot but love God and hate sinne The reason is because he is made a new Creature hath a Divine nature And that is a spontaneous free and willing principle to what is holy without any outward motives As a dutifull Child loveth his Father though poor though he hath no Inheritance to give him As the Mother loveth her Child and takes all that care about it from an inward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when there is no hope of a reward Hence the motions of grace are compared to thirsting and hungering Now you know we do not use to promise a reward to an hungry man if he will eat And thus you may see David often in those pure strains of love and longing after God making him the Object of his delight he loveth God that he may love him more And he loveth him because he loveth him If he said of humane love that it was a nescio quid burning in a mans breast it 's true of Divine love But yet 2. It 's lawfull for all this to stirre up a mans heart to this duty because of the glorious Reward God hath promised both by Precept and Example Precept For in several places the Scripture exhorteth to our duty Because our work will not be in vain 1 Cor. 15 ult We judge these afflictions light saith the Apostle while we behold the things that are not seen 2 Cor 4. ult Christ sheweth his Disciples the glory of Heaven that thereby they might not be discouraged in doing or suffering for him Now the Word of God must stirre up an unlawfull coveting in the heart if seeking thus for eternal Glory were a sinne And then we have the Example of Christ himself He in all his Sufferings had aâ— eâ—e to the joy that was seâ— before him which made him endure the Cross And of Moses it is said Heb. 11.26 He had respect to the recompence of the Reward He did mark it diligently as the word signâ—fieth We must therefore distinguish between Amor mâ—rcâ—dis and Amor mercenarius a loue of the Reward is not presently a mercenary love but then when it 's only for that when there is no inward change of the nature and frame of a man Thirdly The reward of godliness or working for God is again two-fold Either Temporary here in this life or Eternal in that come Godliness hath the promise of this life 1 Tim. 4 8. No promise of any temporal mercy is made to a wicked man God indeed by his Providence dâ—sposeh many of those outward mercies to them but they are not by the promise to them They are Ismael's not Isaac's For all the Promises are Yea and Amen firm and suâ—e in Christ 2 Cor. 1. God indeed gave Nebuchadnezar a temporal reward for his service in destroying Tyre And Austin saith That that earthly dominion the Romanes had in the world was a reward of their Civil Justice But these things are not still the fruit of a gracious Promise Therefore they have them not in special mercy neither are they sanctified to them They have a right and dominion concerning them but not a sanctified use They are to them as Saul thought Michall would have been to David to his utter ruine and ensnaring of him Otherwise Godly men only have the Promises of all the good in the world No good thing will he withhold from them that fear him Psal 84.11 But the Reason why these Promises are not alwaies made good to them is Because this would hindâ—r the grand Promises that are for theâ—r spirituâ—l good These things explained let us consider Wherein lyeth this reward of working for God either in this life or in the life to come And truly in this life if there were no Heaven no Happiness no Enjoyment of God there is enough to put us on it As First There is a great deal of Peace and Comfort of Consâ—ience in doing what is good The very Heathens observed that Virtus est sibi praemium Vertue is a reward to it self It brings such quietness such tranquilâ—ty such comfort that it 's desirable to be doing Gods work if there were nothing else When David with the people offered so willingly unto God what a deal of comfort and joy did David find in the very duty it self Who are we that we should be able to offer so willingly 1 Chron. 29.14 For as on the other side sinne hath a sting and carrieth a torâ—ment with it filling the Conscience with fear and trembling and horrour as in Cain and Judas None rationally would have the pleasures of sinne for a season for the tortures and torments of it which are perpetual Thus on the contrary Faith and other Graces they are accompanied with joy in the holy Ghost When a man keeps a good Conscience towards God and man he hath a continual Feast better then Dives he fareth diliciously every day Pindar a very Heathen Poet called a good Conscience The sweet Nurse in old age yea in young age and all ages Not but that the godly themselves may be many times in great trouble of spirit You see David often crying out upon his soul because it was so cast down and calling upon himself to trust in God But this disquietness in the godly is caused partly by their own fault and partly by the Devil he is a roaring Lyon he disquiets their peace though God indeed suffer him for his wise ends as you see it was to Job Oh then that you would alwaies be doing Gods work If you did but know how comfortable and how sweet it is above the labour for worldly things your hearts would be enamoured with it Secondly When we do Gods work he further rewards with more spiritual strength and enlargeth our Abilities so that the more we work for God the more we may Thus in the Parable He that had five he gained ten Luk. 19 16. To him that hath shall be given And the promise is That the godly shall not be faint or weary but renew their ctrength like an Eagle Isa 40.31 Yea as they grow so they shall persevere and overcome and be established in what is good Now this is a great Reward in a godly mans account though the wicked regard it not That
was for his eternal torment They call such things the blessing of God and so indeed in themselves they are but to wicked men they are curses For as the godly mans afflictions come from Gods love Whom he loveth he chasteneth Heb. 12. so wicked mens mercies come from Gods anger Had God loved thee thou hadst had it may be more afflictions more wants and exercises Secondly Wicked men have not the world Because they are overcome by it the world hath them rather Therefore they are called as you heard the world as if their very souls as well as bodies were made of the dust of the earth whereas the godly have the world as if they had it not they have God and the world too they have Heaven and Earth too they do not prâ—â— the worse their duties are not the more thinne and distracted As Abraham and David these were rich and great men in the world yet if you reade Davids Psalmes you will finde his heart set on God above all these things Thirdly Wicked men have not the world Because they do not own and acknowledge God as the giver of all neither do they live to him but the things of the world are instruments to draw out their lusts to make them the more wicked They take the good creatures of God and abuâ—e them to wickednesse Therefore Rom 8. The whole creation is said to groan under them as being weary of them The very Air the very Earth is weary of them yea the timber in the house and the stones of the wall do witnesse against them they are by the things of the world made more wicked Lastly They have not the world Because they have not an holy contentation of mind They are not quiet or satisfied in their condition they have no true peace notwithstanding all their abundance and the reason is because they have not pardon of sinne and enjoyment of Gods favour with these and they are only blessed who are so Matth 5. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth You see the whole earth is promised to a meek humble contented spirit whereas a wicked man is compared to the Sea that is alwayes foaming and never lieth still The Vse is two-fold 1. Of Comfort and Exhortation to the godly Comfort in what distresse and strait soever thou art in Say not I have not this I want this I am poor and miserable for thou hast Heaven and Earth onely set faith on work This is the hand to receive those treasures This faith is not a fancy it 's not a foolish imagination but a real investing of thee with all things But it 's of Exhortation also to have the world for thy spiritual use Take heed of the wickednesse of it We have not received the spirit of the world 2 Corin. 4. Oh it 's an excellent thing not to have the spirit of the world but of God! Vse 2. Of Instruction To shew the power and miserable estate of the richest and greatest men in the world that want godlinesse none is so poor so miserable as they Thou sayest this is thine and that is thine Alas because Christ and the Promise are not thine nothing is indeed thine If they be thine they are thy poison thy destruction thy damnation and thus they are thine Or Life We proceed to the third thing in order and that is the several Conditions or Estates we are in Life is yours and Death is yours Chrysostome and Grotius after him limit this to the life and death of the Ministers in the Church If they live enjoying their liberties and outward comforts it 's for you If they die if they lose their liberties and lives it 's for the Churches sake As Paul said He was willing to be a Sacrifice offered up for the Philippians faith Phil. 2.17 This is indeed a truth but as the world is a general so there is no reason but that we should take Life and Death in as General a sense And indeed this limited one may well come under the first enumeration Paul and Apollo all are yours At this time we shall treat of Life The Scripture speaks of a three-fold Life 1. Animal which is in beasts 2. Humane belonging to men as rational And 3. Supernatural or an heavenly life which onely deserveth the name of it The other being but shadows and dying lives Now we shall especially speak of this humane life being perfected with that supernatural life Observe That Godly men do onely live or The Godly onely doe make a spiritual use of their life Life is only theirs 1 Pet. 3.10 He that loveth life and would see good dayes let him refrain his tongue from evil let him eschew evil and do good Here you see the only way to live and to have good dayes is to avoid all evil and imbrace all good Hence Christ John 6. cals himself The bread of life and he giveth the water of life none liveth till they be united to him We shall insist on these things 1. That only godly men live 2. That wicked men though in the midst of all their jollity yet the Scripture doth not account of them as living persons And First The godly man only liveth Because he is united to God and Christ the fountain of life David doth often style God The fountain of life Psal 36.9 And in his favour there is life And in the New Testament especially by John Christ is made the Author of all life He is therefore compared to the Head and to the Vine If the members or branches be separated from these they die and wither presently as John 15. This is so frequent an assertion that we need not dilate on it If not a member of Christ there is no life in thee Aut es in membris aut in humoribus said Austin Thou art either among the members or the humours of the body of the Church Gal. 3.20 Paul said He no longer lived but Christ in him and the life he lived was by faith in the Sonne of God What did not Paul eat and drinke and enjoy the common Aire as we doe Yes this he doth not call his life Oh they live who no longer live but Christ in them Thy sense thy carnal reason thy corrupt affections thy worldly inclinations these no longer live but Christ in thee and his graces Secondly Onely the godly man liveth Because he hath a spiritual and a new life added to his animal life For as the soul is the life of the body so grace is the life of the soul Hence our Saviour cals all wicked men dead men Let the dead bury the dead Matth. 8.22 That is a strange expression but very true No dead corpse is more destitute of life and apprehension than their souls are of any heavenly motions any spiritual hungrings or thirstings All the merry and jolly men in the world they are dead men if living in their sinnes Therefore among the Pythagoreans who kept strict
a curse a punishment and so can be no more for good then hell and damnation can be Insomuch that to the wicked man death and hell are both alike they are of the same nature He can take no more comfort from one then from the other when death is approaching then also is hell and everlasting torments This is decreed immutably for every man once to die It was a vain boast of Paracelsus to think That if he had had the ordering of himself from his birth he could have preserved his life alwayes These are mad delusions Where sinne is there death followeth and it would be an excellent Antidote against sinne to consider what followeth it When thâ—u entertainest any sinne thou biddest death also come in at the door as pleasant and as delightfull as it is yet it brings death Thirdly Though death be in it self thus a curse and cometh as a punishment to wicked men yet unto the godly it is of a clean contrary nature The guilt and curse of it is taken away It 's no more the execution of that dreadfull sentence Thou shalt die but the chastisement of a loving Father because God loveth his children therefore they die death is made like Jacob's Chariot as the old man rejoyced when he saw that because it would carry him to see Joseph whom he so much longed for Thus doth death to the godly man It 's the glad messenger that comes to carry him to his Father to eternal glory It 's true the godly man dieth as well as the wicked he hath the same diseases the same paines but the Nature of them is farre different one is a curse to the wicked a beginning of hell and torments The other is a mercy to the godly and a passage to eternal glory Even as the afflictions which befall the godly they come from Gods love Whom I love I chasten Heb. 12. Thus it is also with death it self Lastly The ground why death is thus altered to the godly man why he should thus differ from the wicked men is wholly from Christ and his death as appeareth 1 Cor. 15.54 O death where is thy sting Death is swallowed up You would think the grave swalloweth up the godly man but his body swalloweth up the grave The sting of death is sinne if that be taken away the Snake cannot hurt now the guilt of sinne is removed by Christ Do not then think it impossible that ever such a terrible thing as death should be made lovely and the thoughts of it sweet and comfortable Yes by Christ all the terrour is done away As death had no power over him so neither shall it have over the godly These things premised Let us consider in how many particulars death is a godly mans it 's for his benefit and comfort And First In this respect Because by death he gaineth he is invested with greater glory joy and happinesse than this world can afford All the while a godly man liveth in this world he is a loser he is kept from his best treasures he is not enjoying his best blessings which will be vouchsafed to him This the Apostle you have admirably expressing Phil. 1.23 Paul is there in a great strait he knoweth not how to be content to live he can hardly satisfie himself to be kept from Christ so long To die is gain saith the Apostle and to depart and to be with Christ is farre better Paul is willing to live for the Churches good but yet that is not so good to him as to die Oh if a godly man could raise up his heart to such faith as Paul had he would even think this world an Aegypt this life a prison it 's to my losse to be here I might have better company better glory better joy every thing transcendently better Indeed we reade of Elisha and Jonah desiring death from impatiency because of the vexations upon them but that was sinfull But to long for and hasten the coming of Christ to be above the love of life and all outward comforts above the fear of death because of the heavenly affections the soul is transported with to Christ this is admirable Oh then that we were not such worms but like Larks could rise out of the earth and soar up into Heaven with holy joy and delight of spirit then death would be as a gain to us and life as a losse Yet this is not so to be understood as if death in it self were to be desired or to be prayed for for in it self it is a natural evil and so is only to be submitted to patiently not desired but the consequent of it viz. eternal glory this is to be prayed for as the Apostle doth fully expresse it 2 Cor. 5.4 We would gladly be cloathed with immortality yet to put off this mortal body is grievous as little children cry for their new garments and yet cry while they are putting them on Secondly Death is a godly mans Because it putteth a period to all those miseries and troubles he was here exercised with It 's the haven after all the tossings he had in this world If we had hope only in this life saith Paul 1 Cor. 15. we were of all men most miserable therefore death is that which makes them happy Alas were it not for death their reproaches would be eternal their persecutions would be everlasting Insomuch that death must be as welcome to them as the divisions of the waters of Jordan were to the Israelites to come out of Aegypt Mat. 24. Lift up your heâ—d for your redemption draweth nigh And Christs coming not only at the Day of Judgement but at the particular death of every godly man is the coming of the Bridegroom Then all tears are washed from their eyes Their happinesse doth not begin till death arrests them Now in this world for the most part the godly have the bitter things thereof Dives had the good things of this life when Lazarus had the bitter Besides the hatred and opposition in the world They groan under the guilt of sinne under the power of sinne Now death puts a stop not onely to worldly troubles but all spiritual diseases This flux of blood will run no more they shall have no more pride no more unbelief no more doubting about the pardon of sin in a moment their souls will be made like a paradise like the upper region no clouds no fears at all Thirdly Death is theirs Because it 's the finishing of all their worke and servâ—ce and by that they come for their wages How doth the labouring man long for the end of the day or the week that he may come to receive his wages Thus is death God putteth all his children on work he giveth them all talents and he takes them not away till they have done their work for which he appointed them Thus Moses Gods servant dieth Thus David served in his generation Thus Paul finished his course When they have done all their
Fifthly Present good things are a godly mans Because they are accompanied with the love and favour of God which is infinitely more than the good things themselves Non tam donis quam à Deo datis That all these good things are the effects of Gods favour and gracious reconciliation through Christ this makes them ours in an eminent manner When God gave Abraham such large worldly revenues and withall said He himself would be his great reward Gen. 15.1 This was the fulnesse of happinesse And so you may see David accounting it when he esteemeth more of Gods favour the light of his countenance and justification of his person more than all his victory and successe which he had To have these good things and Christ also to have these mercies and the light of Gods countenance is to have the fulnesse of earth and Heaven also And this is the reason why a little that a righteous man hath is better than great treasures of the wicked because he hath Gods favour and his love with it A good conscience is a continual feast Now no man hath a good conscience but he who is reconciled with God through Christ and doth enjoy the pardon of his sinnes which is evidenced by his repentance and forsaking of them but no wicked man is thus he may have a stupified conscience not a good conscience he may be at ease not be tormented and disquieted within but yet have no solid joy Lastly These prosperous events are theirs Because God giveth contentation of spirit The blessing of the Lord maketh rich and he addeth no sorrow with it Prov. 10.22 Many men have these outward mercies but then many thorns grow up with them There is so much gall in their honey that all the sweetnesse is gone This contentation is also accompanied with a faithfull dependance and stedfast trusting in God for present provision Hence we are directed to pray for our daily bread which implieth a present provision fit for us in every state We come now to the second sort of present events and those are tribulations and afflictions There are none of these present troubles upon thee though grievous and burdensome but it is for thy good Though the Apostle saith No affliction for the present seemeth joyous but grievous Heb. 12.11 Yet truly for the very present though not to thy sense yet to thy judgment it ought to be joyous Hence Jam. 1. we are commanded To count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations Now they may well be called ours First Because they come from Gods gracious love to us That same love which is the fountain of all thy earthly comforts is also the cause of all thy earthly afflictions It 's the same hand that doth stroke thee and strike thee What a comfortable passage is that Heb. 12.6 Whom I love I chasten and if ye were without chastisement ye were bastards and no children David also affirmeth Ps 119.15 Out of very faithfulnesse thou hast afflicted me So that in this dead Lion thou mayest find honey Even out of this Rock may come refreshing waters What a stay should this be to thee Why art thou dejected Why doest thou cry out that none is like thee Thy trouble thy blacknesse thy tribulations are for thy advantage as much as all the mercies thou ever enjoyedst Go to the fountain from whence they came and that is nothing but precious love Secondly They are thine for the blessed and heavenly effects they work on the godly so that they could not be so well without them Now of many excellent effects Consider 1. They are to humble us for sinne to make us feel how bitter it is to go out of Gods way And is not this lesson of great consequence Mich. 7.9 I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him And I opened not my mouth because thou Lord didst it Psal 39.9 So that the bitternesse of sinne makes it terrible and grievous to them Now they cry out What have I to do with sinne any more What profit have I of such sins that now do so wound me 2. Another end is To make us more vigilant for the future to preserve us against future temptations We have been burnt already the rod of the Almighty hath been already on our backs and can we entertain such stinging vipers again Oh they remember the wounds the desolation and darknesse of soul they were plunged in Thirdly These afflictions are ours Because they are exercises to draw out our graces our faith our patience our heavenly mindednesse and thereby our crown of glory is greater Thus the Apostle saith These light and momentany afflictions work an eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 And afflictions are called The precious trial of our faith 1 Pet. 1.7 As gold to the fire as winnowing to the corn as washing and rinsing to the foul cloaths the same are tribulations to a godly man These are the file to get off all their rust These are the waters of Noah to raise the Ark up higher to Heaven Thus you see the bitterest event every day is thy good and happinesse thou art blessed full and blessed empty blessed laughing and blessed mourning blessed having all things and blessed having nothing Vse of Terrour to wicked men They are in such a state that whatsoever befals them makes them more sinfull and so more miserable Thy good things thy evil things they all tend to make thee more evil It 's like drink to the Dropsie It 's like oyl to the flames if God give thee plenty and abundance of these things Oh then judge not your selves happy by having these things but by the sanctified use of them Every night thou mayest make up thy accounts and say my soul is the worse for this and that to day Wicked men will not believe that all things are thus a snare to them but the event will shew it Vse 2 Of Comfort and again of comfort to the godly Whatsoever is come upon thee though never so sudden never so great and terrifying this is from love and with love Or things to come all are yours We now come to the last particular in the last Enumeration Or things to come By things to come Some we told you understood the Revelations and Prophesies that were about things to happen in after ages But we are to take it as largely as the words beare Now the things to come are of two sorts First What is to come in this life For no man knoweth what may befall him ere he dieth or at death which made the Heathen say that knew not this Text Ante obitum nemo foelix c. Or else they may be future things in the world to come For God doth keep the best wine till the last The godly have but clusters of grapes here they come into the Land of Canaan it self hereafter Now of both these future things we are to speak and for the things that are
to come in this life they are of two sorts Either 1. Mercifull and good things Or 2. Grievous and sad things For God can quickly turn a fair day into thunder and tempest Job felt a suddain alteration upon himself which was from the richest in the East to become the poorest in a moment Now both these kinds are the godly mans mercy No evil that is truly so can befall him But I shall not pursue these particulars for that will coincide with the former matter I shall therefore treat of it in a more general way Observe That all things which are to come or may fall out hereafter are a godly mans mercy and advantage This Doctrine speaketh the height of happinesse and comfort to the godly for there is no greater temptation we are subject unto then to be tormented about what may fall out hereafter Though for the present it be never so well yet we forethink our possible miseries as David One day I shall fall by the hand of Saul 1 Sam. 27.1 So that many times needlesse troubles about what is to come takes away the enjoyment of the present mercies we have But here we see the Text giving such a cordial to the godly that he may go and take his rest wholly relying upon the Lord for come what can come or will come nothing can come amisse it will be a mercy an advantage to him Now that this Doctrine is true I may prove à posteriori from such signes and effects that do evidently demonstrate the people of God are quietly to sit down with this conclusion Though the Lord only knoweth what will come upon me yet I know it will be only for my good For First It appeareth by this The Scripture commands the godly to avoid all distrustfull and distracting cares about what will be that he should quietly compose himself committing all to his heavenly Father who knoweth all he hath need of So that as little children are cheerfull and play never troubling themselves how they shall subsist and what if such miseries arise Thus ought the godly Matth. 6.34 Take no thought for to morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of it self q.d. God will then provide when other conditions other exercises come Do not thou distract thy self God will then upon any new trial or exercise come in upon thee to help and deliver See here then the blessed estate of a godly man he is commanded to shut out all distrustfull cares for the future he is to cast his burden upon the Lord whatsoever shall befall it will be well with him Secondly They are to perswade themselves that nothing shall fall out that can separate from Gods love And what a support is this Rom. 8. Paul there is triumphing and that not for himself but for all the people of God who are justified What shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Shall things present shall things to come vers 38. Is not this to bring the people of God up into the Mount of transfiguration Whatsoever shall befall thee before thou diest yet nothing shall separate between Gods love and thee Though it should come about that no friend love thee none in the world will own thee yet God will own thee Certainly this may rejoyce the heart of the godly if any thing hereafter might divide between God and thee might deprive thee of God and part thee from him then thou mightest tremble and quake fearing the worst is not past but when all is thus provided afore-hand that thou art sure to be in Gods love be thy estate never so disconsolate this may keep up thy heart Thirdly The godly concerning all future things may thus also conclude That there is no evil no temptation that shall fall upon them but he will give strength to bear and give a way to escape You have a Text more precious than the gold of Ophir to this purpose 1 Cor. 10.13 God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but with the temptation will make a way to escape Doth not this Text speak to the heart of some godly people Oh they lie under sad temptations heavy exercises are upon them such as the world knoweth not and they are afraid these will overwhelm them they shall never get out it will undo them But what saith the Text God will not suffer you to be tempted above measure and he will make a way to escape See then thy fears thy unbelief makes thee go contrary to the Text. Thou sayest thou shalt never be able to bear it God saith I will lay no more upon thee then thou art able Fear saith I shall never escape this never overcome this Faith saith he will make a way to escape Now whether wilt thou believe God or thy own fearfull heart Oh then let the godly that are tempted and lie in deep waters that are like Jonas swallowed up in the whales belly take this Text and hide it in their heart so they will not fear what will be to come Fourthly For things to come they have this promise That in all outward things God will never leave them nor forsake them Thus things to come are theirs for they have this promise And Heb. 13.5 the Apostle urgeth this against covetousnesse and to be content with what they have God will never leave thee nor forsake thee Now this temptation many times troubleth at least some godly persons they are afraid they or their posterity may be brought to wants they fear poverty may come upon them as an armed man especially they know not what they shall do in old age if God should let them live till they should lose their sight or their limbs or their parts what should become of them To live a burden to themselves or others Aristotle hath a wicked Position That all decrepit old men should be thrown down a steep hill headlong and be killed as being a burden to a Commonwealth Old people are many times a burden to wicked young people Therefore God commands us Not to despise our mother when she is old Prov. 23.22 Now we shall see David himself tempted about his old age Psal 71.19 When I am old and gray headed forsake me not Thus you see what wants or straits especially what decayes of grace the godly may fear they shall not have the same vigour and strength not the same memory and judgement But the Scripture gives a good promise Psal 92.14 They shall bring forth fruit in old age So Isa 46.4 To your old age I am he and even to hoary hairs I will carry thee He will have as much care of thee as a mother of a child in her arms Well then you see in that God hath said he will never leave or forsake us we need not fear poverty want the diseases and miseries of old age for these things are ours Fifthly The people of God may be perswaded of their
my self but he sent me But especially John 7.16 My Doctrine is not mine but his that sent me he that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory Here you see Christ acknowledging that the Doctrine he preached as a Minister and Mediatour was not his Yea if we speak of his humane Nature that invented it not because that was a finite creature though united personally to an infinite Person Oh what an admirable instance is this of modesty Christ speaks not preacheth not of his own but from the Father How should we Ministers then not preach our own fancies our own imaginations but the Doctrine delivered in Scripture How would this bridle up a deal of bold ignorance now in the world Men would not be so forward to teach before they have well learned themselves Christ speaketh nor of himself And consider that connexion vers 18. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory When we are not contented with Scripture-doctrine with truths delivered there but bring of our own it 's only to seek vain glory and applause in the world Thirdly That Christ is wholly Gods appeareth in that as the Doctrine he preached was the Fathers So he sought not his own glory did not exalt himself but the Father John 8 29. I do alwayes those things that please him And vers 54 If I honour my self my honour is nothing So John 17.4 I have glorified thee on earth Thus in all that Christ did and suffered it was only to glorifie and advance God his Father For alas in respect of himself he was of no reputation Under what reproach contempt and scorn did he live So that all might easily see it was not his own glory he looked at but the glory of the Father And this also is an excellent President for humility and modesty and self-denial The Apostles also when they did work wonders so as the people were ready to make Gods of them They rend their cloaths because of such blasphemy and say It is not they but Christ who inabled them to do these things Act. 14.11 Yes how ready are we to say these are our parts our gifts Fourthly That Christ is wholly Gods appeareth In that obediential resignation of himself to do Gods will Let I come to do thy will O God And he would be baptized because hereby he would fulfill all righteousnesse And John 17.4 I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do Insomuch that Christ is said to become under the Law So John 6.38 I came down from Heaven not to do my own will but the will of him that sent me Therefore John 18.18 Gods will laid upon him to die for his people he cals it a Commandment And John 12.49 He gave me a Commandment So that we see the duty of a Mediatour to do and suffer what was required of us was laid on Christ by Commandment and it was truly and properly Obedience that which he did in fulfilling of it Now in all this truth there are these things admirable First The love of God and the love of Christ God so loved the world So The Apostle could not give an How it was such a So that could not be expressed When Abraham offered his only sonne for a Sacrifice God said Now I know thou lovest me How much rather when we see Christ dying and suffering all those agonies and miseries for us may we say now we know God loveth us Shall the Psalmist so admire Gods love in giving man the beasts of the field that he crieth out What is man that thou art so mindfull of him Psal 8.4 How much rather may man stand astonished at this love of God in giving Christ Well may God be said to be love it self for he is the fountain of all this honey Who may if repenting though a Blackmoor sinner doubt of Gods love in pardoning when he hath done the greater Which is greater to give a Christ or to pardon sinne And then The love of Christ is no lesse admirable for him to give his life for us sinners and enemies herein he did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 set forth his love in a most exemplary manner Jonathans love to David is much commended but what is that spark to this flame Oh how can the poor doubting and unbelieving sinner question forgivenesse doubt whether Christ will accept of him or no when he seeth Christ do so much for him already Fear not the worst of death and hell is over Secondly In this admire the self-denial of Christ that he layeth aside the exercise and manifestation of all that divine glory he had and became contemptible of no reputation for us The Apostle aggravateth this Phil. 2. When it was no robbery to be equal with God yet he became such a worm and no man for us This is so great a mystery viz. Christs condescension for our good that the Angels though he be not their Mediator though he took not their Nature on him yet they desire to look 1 Pet. 1.12 and search into this truth as being ravished with it Oh what an example is here for us of self-denial and preparednesse to part with all at his command Lastly In this it 's admirable The humble and ready obedience of Christ Doth Christ any way gain-say this commandment of God Doth he murmur at it Doth he begin to repent of his undertaking No but in all things giveth up himself to be a willing Sacrifice he bids the Law in its curses and the wrath of God in all the effects fall upon him As Saul runne his Spear at David but missing him it stuck in the wall Thus the anger and wrath of God emptying it self violently misseth us and fals on Christ What a willing expression is that Loe I come to do thy will O God! Heb. 10.9 Vse 1. Is Christ thus Gods Then we see that the Mediatory Kingdome of Christ is for a further end it is that at last God may be all in all Not but that Christ shall alwayes remain God and man and all glory shall be given to Christ who hath brought us into Heaven but this actual administration shall then cease The damned in Hell can no more plead Christ they cannot urge his death any more for now that gracious dispensation is ceased there is no more oil no more water to refresh It 's now as desperate as if there never had been a Christ thy estate and the Devils is now both alike Oh then let wicked men that need Christ awaken and look about them while a Christ may be had while a Christ is ready to do good the time will be when he shall not actually as a Priest or Prophet or King dispense such mercies any more 2. Is Christ thus wholly Gods Then what self-denial what humility and modesty should we learn hence Shall Christ not seek his own glory Shall not he seek to please himself Shall not he exalt his own will Why then are we so apt to magnifie our self-glory
buâ— shew the worlds glory yet to shew here is to give to enjoy to make them to partake of it As Psal 60.3 Thou hast shewed thy people hard things which was the making of them to drink the Wine of astonishment Even as to see Heaven to see death is to partake of them Observe That no Natural or Vnregenerate Man can lift up his heart any higher then unto a worldly Happinesse and content in the Creature When you have in the most powerfull and moving manner discovered spiritual duties and the necessity of Conversion to God yet they matter it not they will say Who will shew us any good That as it is with the Swine though Pearles and precious Flowers be thrown unto her yet she trampleth them under her feet and desireth her draffe and the loathsome mire so it is with them To bring this coal of fire into your bosome let us consider several Propositions First That herein lyeth the general Character of those two Citizens which Austin speaks of one who builds up Babylon and the other who builds up Jerusalem That the one doth frui utendis and uti fruendis but the other is clean contrary The whole world consists of two sorts of men the one who are of the world the other though in the world yet not of it As John 17. Believers are said to be given to Christ out of the world As a man may be in England who is not yet an English-man he cannot speak the language he cannot conform to the custom and manners of the Nation Thus it is here the godly they are indeed in the world and are of it also in respect of natural propagation but not by divine Regeneration As the Fowles though at first God created them out of the waters yet they fly up into the Heavens and delight to be soaring in the air Thus it is with the Regenerate man he is now made a new creature old things are past away and his affections are set upon things above This earth is turned into fire But the wicked man he like our body of the earth is earthly even his very soul is in a spiritual sense so and their love to the creature is the predominant quality and so like a stone he falls into this center Now Austin of old did fully expresse the contrary inclination of these two That the wicked man doth frui utendis that is he doth enjoy as his utmost end and terminateth his appetite in such things as his utmost happinesse which only he is to use as meanes to a further end As if the Israelite should have made the Wildernesse instead of the Land of Canaan to him This is the crooked and perverse inclination of the soul wholly contrary to that Image of God which man was made in So that the very Heathens could observe that though God made man with a countenance caelumque tueri yet they cried out O curvae in terris animae caelestium inanes The body is upright but the soul is bowed down like the bodies of beasts like wormes and Serpents that crawle on the ground And therefore the wicked are the Serpents seed not only because of enmity to the godly but because they lick up and live upon the dust of the earth even upon earthly things Every wicked man he makes some creature or other to be as a God and so the ultimate end to him To clear the hainousnesse of this wretched temper consider Secondly That all the good things which the creatures do afford unto us they are but as meanes to carry us to a further end They are but as the rounds of the Ladder not to stand upon but thereby to ascend higher even to Heaven So that as the world is a Glasse to represent the invisible Attributes of God his Wisdome Goodnesse and Power thus all the comforts we can have by any creature they are to be as so many mementâ—es that there is a better and more universal good and that we have the creatures to use only not to enjoy Thus the Apostle 1 Cor. 7. They that buy as if they bought not they that use the world as not abusing it Some expound abuti as it is sometimes taken for valdo uti but howosoever he abuseth it that doth not use it as if he used it not with an holy weaned affection from it Hence then to enjoy any creature setting it in Gods room in the heart is a direct breach of that first Commandement Thou shalt have no other gods besides me And for this reason covetousnesse is called Idolatry Col. 3 5. Insomuch that every natural man hath one thing or other on which he commits Idolatry and therefore doth as highly offend God as he that worships stocks and stones giving divine adoration to them The Scripture cals that The abominable thing Thus it is when the heart of a man is fastned upon any creature as the ultimate scope and end of his desires we may say to him Oh do not this abominable thing Yea this Idolatry is more dangerous by how much it is the more secret and hidden in the heart And as the Papists have invented a world of subtile distinctions to make their Idolatry lawfull no lesse subtile is the heart of man in this soul Idolatry Thirdly Take notice that there is an higher and grosser sort of unregenerate men then happily this expression will comprehend and that is those who make such things as are formally and expressly evil the good things they would have shewed to them Such are all grosse and prophane sinners who live in the daily practice of some loathsome sinne These are a degree higher in wickednesse then those in my text though they may be reduced to them for here the Psalmist speaks of such things as are lawfull and good in themselves Honours Wealth humane greatnesse comfortable Relations these are good things in themselves and to say Who will shew us them in a mortifyed and subordinate manner to God had been no sin But when they come in competition with Gods favour they had rather have them then Gods light of his countenance this demonstrateth impiety But as for the prophane man his appetite is more corrupted for he cals evil things good he loveth those things excessively which he is not to love at all The other loveth Honey but he eateth too much of it and that kils him this eateth Poyson and feedeth of that one drop whereof is immediately mortal But to these I shall not enlarge my self Fourthly Consider this That the Schoolmen do well place in every sinne a a two-fold respect There is the Aversion from God and the Conversion to the creature For seeing the soul cannot like the earth hang upon nothing but it must have some Object or other to satiate it self with if it hath not God it hath the creature Now as soon as ever it turneth to the creature it turneth its back upon God I speak of the sinfulnesse of man
in this respect that he turneth to the creature too much leaving God Now as there is this in our corruption so in our Conversion or Regeneration there is the clean contrary there is aversion from the creature and conversion to God It doth not only make a man cast away his sinnes but also all creatures so farre as they hinder the love of God for now they are risen with Christ And as if a worm should be made a man it would no more crawle and creep on the ground thus when a divine Nature or a Nature from above is bestowed upon us Not only love to sinne but love to Father Mother or life it self is inconsistent with the grace of God in our hearts when it 's excessive Fifthly It is acknowledged by all that there is imbred in a man an appetite or desire after felicity and happinesse This Aristotle and others do abundantly confirm Man by nature hath such a capacious heart and the souls appetite is so vast that it 's more then the Horseleech or the Grave that sayeth alwaies Give The soul hath a Sheoll that is alwaies asking and never satisfyed Now then if there were a good regulated desire after this ultimate good where and in whom it was this were to be encouraged If the meaning of these in my text had been Who will shew us that which is indeed the chiefest and most reall good they might have been encouraged like those that asked what they should do to be saved But though there be in the generall an inclination to such a blessednesse yet wofull and dreadfull is the misapprehension and blindnesse of all men naturally about it so that mistaking the main end for which they came into the world it 's no wonder if at last they fall into the pit irrecoverably There were above an hundred Opinions amongst the Heathens in what true Felicity did consist but though some were not so grosse as others yet all come short of the true end That knowing of the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent in the knowledg of whom is eternal life Neither are many Christians much better then the Heathens in this respect for although they know that God is the chiefest good in the enjoying of whom through Christ is only blessednesse yet practically in respect of their hearts and lives some place their happinesse in Riches some in Honours and some in Pleasures and these to whom David speaks here that did love vanity that cryed out for earthly comforts they were not Heathens destitute of the knowledge of the true God but such who lived in the Church of Israel only they were destitute of the sanctifying power of God within There is then acknowledged in all men some innate appetite whereby they would have a full and chief good which might compleatly satiate and fill the soul Sixthly The perswasion of what is the best good and which is chiefly to be desired is wounderfully diversifyed according to the several inclinations humours and conditions of men So that some place it in one thing and some in another One saith Give me this good there is none like that Another saith Give me that good there is none like that So that these many in the text do not all desire the same yea one matters not that which another would go through fire and water to obtain The voluptuous man he doth not matter wealth or riches let him enjoy his pleasures and he envyeth no rich worldling the earthly worldly man he matters not honour and credit let him get riches and he regards not a good Name Populus me sibilat at mhi plaudo The Apostle is thought to bring all that an earthly heart can desire into these three heads 1 Joh. 2.15 16 17. For speaking there terribly against the disposition of these in my text that they should not love the world he brings an Argument from the contraries The love of the Father cannot be in such an one They can be no more together then Dagon and the Ark The hand filled with dirt and stones cannot at the same time be filled with precious Pearles He that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit with him and he that is joyned to the earth is made earth with it Si terram amas terra es said Austin And hereupon the Apostle giveth some examples and instances of the things of this world that are like Jaels milk to Sisera fairly inticing but afterwards mortally wounding and although some think there is not an exact and full partition yet others do judge so And by the lust of the flesh they understand all pleasures and delights by the lust of the eye all earthly and covetous desires as Achan saw the Babylonish garment and wedge of gold which made him sinfully covet it and the pride of life that is all ambition all proud and high desires after the great things of this world Haec tria pro trino numine mundus habet This is the worlds Trinity and there is no man inordinately addicted to any creature comfort but it may be comprehended under one of these three heads Now when the Apostle had given us an Instance of these things he giveth another Argument against immoderacy after them This world passeth away They will rot in the grave when holinesse will abide for ever Seventhly That the preferring of the creature above God though it be the sinne of all man-kind and as large as Original sinne it self yet like that it is hardly discerned and discovered It 's almost unperceivable unlesse we are enlightned by Gods Spirit when we set up the creature above him It 's true there is a grosse manifest and palpable way which is seen in every covetous and ambitious or lustfull man these do so plainly make either their belly their god or their gold their god or their preferment their god that all men can easily condemn them for it because what is in their heart empties it self into foul and shamefull practises But then there is the mentall and soul deifying of the creatures when the heart is secretly stolen away and doth insensibly depend on or excessively love such a thing and this is hardly to be discerned No doubt but the third kind of hearers and so Demas were farre from thinking that they loved the world more then God So that as the nature and operations of the soul are in their Physical consideration little known much lesse in their Theological Now although the tendencies of the soul may be various and multiforme some to one Object some to another yet self is that great Diana self is the Belzebub all things in Religion even God himself is referred to self till a man be sanctified So that the heart being herein thus desperately deceitfull we are often and often to commune with our own selves whether self be renounced whether self be subordinated to God whether we can say as Mephibasheth to David Let Ziba take all
so that the King be safe Thus let honours creatures self and all perish so that God and Christ be exalted Every man even he that seemeth to be the best hath cause to search whether he be yet above creatures as well as sinne The Demonstrations of this Truth that no man Vnregenerate can ascend any higher then to some earthly content and Happinesse And first This will palpably evidence it that every man by nature hath lost the Image of God which only did elevate man and made him qualified for the enjoyment of God as his suitable Object God made man after his Image which was righteousnesse and true holinesse so that as he made a woman like man for man to delight in so man was made like God to delight in him Then Adam desired no other good but God While he continued he was above the creatures in his affection as well as in dominion He that had power given him to rule over all creatures could also rule over all his affections He did not over-love any creature or delight in it but subordinately to God Oh glorious and blessed estate But now we have lost all this this Image is defaced Now Sampson hath lost his hair Now the Bird is deprived of her wings Now we are not able to lift up our hearts to him Hence is that expression of Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 17.6 His heart was lift up in the waies of the Lord. You see even a regenerate man hath much adoe to raise up his dull frozen and earthly heart to enjoy God in Christ He doth like the Artificer that with some Engine and great drawing gets a peice of timber up to the top of that House he is a building such heaving and pulling and tugging is a godly man forced to use to get his heart up to God An unregenerate man then who hath nothing of this Image of God repaired in him no wonder if he hath an heart like Nabal's even a very stone that sinketh down heavily within him This losse of Gods Image is that which beateth downward and makes the earth to swallow us up as it did Dathan and Abiram As the body deprived of the soul presently falls flat to the ground and there it lyeth thus doth every man destitute of Gods Image Secondly This Image of God being thus lost in the room thereof succeeds Original pollution For this light cometh an universal darknesse and confusion Now this native pollution that is a depravation of the whole power and all the faculties of the soul puts the soul off its hinges it takes off the Charriot Wheeles It makes man love where he should hate rest where he should move It makes Princes go on foot and Servants ride In a word the soul is now turned upside down God the Object whom he should with all his soul and might delight in now he loveth not at all and what he is allowed to love in measure and subordination that he doth over-love So that who so doth duely consider what disorder and confussion Original sinne hath put the heart into he will see it cannot be that God should be duely honoured and esteemed by a natural man This curious Watch is now broken all in pieces And as you see a Paralitical hand is weak and quaking not able to fasten upon any thing so is now the soul of man towards God Insomuch that Ambrose complained of it as our great misery that Cor nostrum non est in nostrâ poâ—estate our heart is not in our own power but is carried hither and thither up and down as the force of original corruption doth drive it How abominable then are those Doctrines that advance the power of nature Some determining that a man is able by nature to love God above all things and that it 's as easie to do things in reference to God as the creature If saith Molina no mean Jesuit I have power to throw my money into the Sea why cannot I as well give it to a poor man out of love to God Such presumptuous Doctrines as these arise from the ignorance of that horrible confussion and disorder which is now upon all by nature Thirdly If a godly man though regenerated and partaking of the Divine Nature do yet grapple and conflict with this sinne of creature affection above God then certainly an unregenerate man is over-mastered with it For this we may conclude on that what all the regenerate men are combating with that is victorious and predominant over all natural men It 's true the regenerate men differ in their fightings and conflicts some do find it a greater difficulty to loose and wean their affections from one thing more then from another and so the natural man one is more easily captivated to one earthly good then another yet in the general As â—here is no unsanctifyed man but one creature or other reigneth or ruleth in his heart so there is no godly man but something or other it is that he can hardly mortâ—fie some secret and subtile motions of soul he hath So that did not grace check and withâ—tand that creature that object would damn him at last If Eve though in a state of Integrity could be tempted by an object alluring sense how easily then may we be ensnared You read when our Saviour spake that amazing sentence That a Cammel might as well go through the eye of a needle as a rich man be saved they made this unversal exclamation Who then can be saved What rich man might have been a proper consequence but they say in the general Who then implying there is no man no not a godly man but if God should not keep down that Cammels bunch he would have some creature or other to be as affectionately and prejudicially to his salvation carried out unto as the rich man to his wealth I then the godly man can so hardly say Whom have I in Heaven but thee and in earth in comparison of thee no wonder if the earthly man fall down to the ground as the Aegyptians like a stone into the Sea That which is fighting and active in a regenerate man must needs be conquering in an unregenerate Fourthly That sinfulnesse which cannot be rooted out and conquered by those things that are above nature and are in the next degree to grace that certainly will abide prevalent till grace it self come That which Elisha's Servant nor his Staff will do but Elâ—sha must come himself that is hardly cured Now thus it is an unregenerate man may have great abilities may have the common gifts and graces of Gods Spirit he may be admirable in the whole way of Religion and yet this man who hath God and Christ so often in his mouth may have the world and creatures more in his heart So that he may in his heart say Who will shâ—w me any good when yet at that time he may say Lord lift up the light of thy countenance For this latter is not
God Doth not God require we should love him with all our might all our strength So that he will not allow any love to any thing else but him Indeed when we desire any creature in subordination to him as a meanes of glorifying him and thereby brought nearer to God this is not a-against God The Schoolmen say That it 's the same gracious habit of love that carrieth us out to love God and our neighbour because of him and so it is of every creature else As we say such a great House is such a mans Now though he have many servants dwelling there yet we say it 's his House not the Servants because they are for and under him Thus if God do chiefly dwell in our hearts then though we love other things yet because this is wholly in reference to God we may truly say We love none but him But now when the love of the creature opposeth God makes us contrary to him or makes us love him or holy duties the lesse then we are to conclude That this cannot stand with godlinesse So that not only grosse sinnes practised but any creature habitually and excessively delighted in above God is also incompatible with it Thirdly Take heed of this estate because it 's a wofull snare and temptation to thee He that is inordinately affected with any earthly comfort this will upon all occasions bring him into the foulest sinnes that can be imagined He will do any thing damn his soul over and over to obtain it As Judas because he was immoderately set upon gain he betrayeth Christ though he was admonished of it though he was told in particular he was the man Though heard what a fearfull condition such a man was in that should betray Christ yet nothing can stop him but he will satisfie that corrupt appetite of his Oh then take heed again and again of such an inordinrate appetite It will be thy poyson and damnation It will one time or other put thee upon such horrrible actions as will make the hearts of others to tremble when they hear it yea such as thou wilt abhor before they are committed As it was in Hazael Am I dog said he that I should do so And truly it is very sad when God by his Providence shall suffer such advantages for thy lust to fall out us Judas had a bagge Hazael a Kingdom all which were like spaâ—kes to that tinder The Devil findes the room then garnished and swept for him Let a man professe never so much love to God and be never so forward in Religion yet if he be not mortifyed to every creature there will come a fire from without and consume this bramble Fourthly This is a fearfull estate because the word of God though preached never so powerfully and pressed over and over again yet it cannot do any good while such a temper is on thee This is the Dalilah that will alwaies entice thee Intus existens prohibet alienum You see even in our Savious preaching though none ever taught as he did Though this was accompanied with astonishing Miracles yet the Pharisees who loved the world and the glory of men they derâ—ded him Yea our Saviour told the very Disciples themselves Joh. 5.44 How can ye believe if ye seek glory of one another And therefore at another time he took a little child setting him before them that if they did not become like such they could never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven As long therefore as any thing sits too close to our hearts we cannot be Christs Disciples You see those hearers that went so farre as to receive the Word with joy and to bring forth some fruit yet it was the deceivablenesse of riches that did choak all Never then expect that any Ministry or any Preaching should ever do good to thee while this or that creature is so enammouring of thee Fifthly Take heed of this creature-affection because it 's a tormenting sinne It is not only a sinne but a torment and vexation withall Some sinnes bring a sweetnesse with them though they leave an Hell hereafter but this sinne for the most part brings an Hell with it What man is there inordinately afected to any thing that you may not call the Devils Martyr he endureth and suffereth so much He is under many vexations and through many tribulations he goeth to Hell In what a fiery Furnace was Haman though exalted so high above others And doth not Solomon the wise man pen an whole Book to inform of this that all is but vexation of spirit And what the Apostle speaks of one particular is true of all 1 Tim. 6.9 Those that will be rich they fall into many temptations and peirce themselves through with many cares They are as one Martyr in Gods cause that was by his Scholars stabb'd all over to death by Penknives Thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Insomuch that if you could see the naked soul of any man inordinately affected to the creature you would see it all over wounded and scourged full of tormenting cares and fears never in any quiet or safe content at all Oh then consider what an enemy thou art to thy self Godlinesse would be great gain to thee It would make thee glad and rejoyce in the Lord It would teach thee how to have all things and how to want but while thy heart is vassalized thus to the creature no quietnesse can be in thy bones And what a folly is this to be miserable here and miserable hereafter Sixthly They are miserable who are thus craving after worldly good things because the Scripture represents all these things but as vanity As that which is a meer lye Called therefore often a Shadow which the foolish child catcheth at as some reall substance when it is but as was said a black nothing Therefore you see Solomon expostulating after this manner Why dost thou set thy eyes upon that which is not Prov. 23.5 That which at another time the wise man saith It answereth all things and calls it a defence yet here he saith It is not Even as the whole Creation may be said to be non ens comparatively to God And therefore God is called Jehova He is said to be I am what I am All creatures have not a being comparatively to him If then the best and most usefull of creatures be such a nothing to God even whole Nations are but as a drop or dust yea they are said to be lesse then nothing Isa 40.17 What folly is it to leave the Fountain of all happinesse and to catch after the shadow Oh then let the godly soul which enjoyeth God when tempted by the creature to immoderate love say as the Fig-tree and Olive-tree Shall I leave my sweetnesse Shall I part with my happinesse and blessednesse I have in God and go and tear my self with bryers For so indeed when we seek to the creatures for refuge in any distresse we do with the
directly argue from Gods love to chastisements Heb. 12.6 which is again mentioned Rom. 3.19 Insomuch that thou who art never afflicted hast greater cause to fear lest Gods wrath be upon thee The Physician administers no Physick to such who are incurable Oh the wonderfull and blessed effects which the godly find by afflictions when sanctified Doth not David say Before he was afflicted he went astray Psal 119.67 2. If it should be granted that these temporal mercies thou aboundest with come from the light of his countenance yet it is only in temporal things If we do suppose that they from Gods love to thee yet this is but a common and general love It doth not at all make to thy peculiar happinesse neither doth it tend to the special favour of God It may not be denied but God from a common love to men who have been just and diligent in their waies may bestow some outward mercies as a temporal reward Thus Austin thought the Romanes had that great Dominion given them because of their justice And so the Scripture saith A diligent hand maketh rich Prov. 10.4 But what is this common love without a special What is it for God so to love thee as to make thee strong healthy wealthy and not to give Christ and Heaven to thee Oh therefore rest not in the enjoying of these outward mercies but look to that which is the chiefest of all If thou hast grace pardon of sinne and Christ thou canst not be damned but if thou have the great things of this world thou maiest have also the great torments of Hell hereafter As Ismael had of Abraham some rich gifts but not the Inheritance As Luther said of the great Turkish Empire which God hath given to wicked and ungodly men it 's but mica canis a crum that the dog may have but not the Childrens Bread 3. Let it be given to wicked men thus from a common love yet it is withall from Gods anger and hatred if you do regard them in a spiritual consideration For they are not sanctified to them they are not thereby made more holy or drawn nearer to God They do become snares and occasions of sinnes to them so that they will at the Day of Judgment even curse the day that ever they had such abundance They will cry out Oh that they had been poor miserable deformed That they had been under any calamity then that they had such abundance for that hath made Hell seven times hotter That hath been like oyl poured into the flame which hath made the fire burn more terribly That which Solomon observed of wealth Eccl. 5.13 is true of all other outward mercies Beauty Strength Honours How often are they given to the hurt of them that have them Thus David's imprecation is fulfilled in them Let their Table become a snare unto them As too much blood indangers the body especially these outward mercies are sure to be a snare to them because they hinder and oppose all those Christian Qualifications which are absolutely necessary to every Disciple of Christ Thus it 's required that a man must love Christ more then Father or Mother or life it self that he must deny himself and take up his Crosse All which cannot be because of immoderate love to these outward mercies This is the Camels bunch This is that which choakes the Word The Pharisees because they were covetous derided Christ If then you comfort your selves because God hath given you all outward fulnesse examine how these are sanctified to you What spirituall effects do these mercies bring upon you Do you not pray the worse hear the worse Are not your hearts the more distracted and divided Doth not the earth make you forget Heaven Oh then be afraid and tremble at these things rather then confidently rejoyce in them Did not Abraham tell Dives He had received good things in this life but for eternity he was not to receive so much as a drop of water Pray unto God that all thy good things be not given thee here and thou have nothing hereafter A second sort of persons who mistake about the light of Gods countenance is Such who have a quiet untroubled and eased Conscience They commonly argue thus God loveth them for they have no trouble in their hearts they have no fear or disquietnesse in their souls but they put their whole trust in Christ Such as these that die as a Lamb so people expresse it they make no doubt but this is the favour of God They thank God God loveth them and they love God They never doubted of Gods love to them They are fully assured of it Thus they take a secure and sometimes a scared conscience for that which is quieted and made peaceable through the blood of Christ And this is the condition of very many they do even rejoyce in this That they never doubted They think the godly who have often fears and doubts who are in sad temptations to be the worst of men and that it is for their wickednesse they are so Even as the wicked thought Christ to be smitten for his own sinnes and that God did in such a peculiar manner bring him to that accursed death for his high impiety Thus do the prophane men of the world censure the generation of the godly who have many times sad dejections of spirit and walk without any sense of Gods favour at all yea ready to cry out They are damned and that God hath forsaken them But to search into the bottom of this Disease which is Epidemicall First Consider There is a great difference between a stupid senslesse conscience and a serene conscience made so by the light of Gods countenance shining upon it This is not a quieted conscience by the Promise and through Christ but a stupified one which the Apostle calls a seared one that cannot feel that cannot apprehend It is with thee as mad men that conceit such and such great things to themselves when alas it 's for want of their wits and sobriety that they have such foolish imaginations Thus when thou presumest of Heaven and salvation Oh thou art sure thou shalt go thither Whence is all this but because thou hast no spiritual life or feeling within thee Oh if thou wert in thy spiritual senses if thou didst understand aright thou wouldst quickly cry out and tremble at that cursed condition thou art in Who were more abominable to God then the Pharisees yet who justified themselves more Who put more trust and confidence in the workes they did Therefore do thou search into thy heart more Whence comest thou to be thus secure and confident Is it not because thou art delivered up to a reprobate sense Is it not because thou art dead in sinne And as dead men cannot feel any pain or torment so neither canst thou Therefore if you see men that lived wickedly yet die peaceably and confidently this is not the light of Gods favour upon them
tryumphs over all imaginable adversaries but why is he thus confident Because there is no condemnation to such as are in Christ Jesus If then the Sunne arise the dark night will be quickly dispelled and so if the light of Gods favour doth arise the feares and troubles which arise from outward exercises are quickly dissipated If then thou complainest thy strength is so small every temptation is ready to blow thee down as certainly the least puff will hurl a man down if faith be not lively the Damsels charging of Peter to be of Christs company made him curse and swear and fearfully apostatize here was no such great cause he was not arraigned imprisoned sentenced to die but this temptation blew down a strong Oak which teacheth us that a little calamity may throw us to the ground if faith be not lively and a great one cannot if faith be vigorous If I say thou complainest of thy weakness thy feares Let faith in Christ as a Mediatour be more powerfully put forth Secondly Faith doth quiet and compose the spirit by impetration or obtaining of God such a spirit For as you heard seeing it lyeth not in the power of man to give himself such a sweet blessed frame No he would give a world for it if it lay in his power it can only be obtained by application unto God Now that which most prevaileth with God is faith Whatsoever you ask believing you shall have it It 's faith only that makes the omnipotent God work for thee and in thee so that when we say faith makes the heart thus still and quiet you must not think it comes from faith as a natural cause as the fire burneth but morally by prevailing with God This is the grace that God doth so honour if we trust on him if we rest on him then God promiseth to give rest and peace to our soules Insomuch that it 's a Christians duty above all things to keep up the grace of faith to attend to that lest the whole kingdome be lost when that is lost for God is to us as we believe so God works for us as we trust in him so that our distrust makes God to be as no God or as an Idol-god having eies not to see us or hands not to help us Gods power will not communicate it self but upon believing as Christ told Mary Said I not unto thee if thou wouldst believe thou shouldst see the glory of the Lord That glory was to make Lazarus dead your dayes and stinking in the grave to live again Now no less glorious alterations and changes will God work upon thee if thou trust in him for hereby Gods fidelity goodness and power is engaged and he will never deceive those that wholly rely upon him You see then why faith put forth in a lively manner can thus quiet the soul Because it 's the condition to which God doth make glorious promises Thirdly Faith doth instrumentally compose the soul because by it other graces are also set a work and so the more purified and cleansed the soul is from all corruption the clearer the heart is As the clearer the spring is then though it be moved and stirred yet for all that the streames will be pure Thus it is with a godly man when his heart is sanctified cleansed and adorned with grace then though he is plunged into tribulations instead of discontent impatience grudgings and murmurings instead of dejections and disquietness there is joy thankfulness and heavenly mindedness as if Juniper or sweet herbs be thrown into the fire the fiâ—e draweth out their sweet smel or as the wind blowing upon the sweet flower makes it smell more fragrantly Thus also when afflictions fall upon the godly faith having purified their hearts there do runne forth admirable and sweet breathings of the soul That faith exciteth other graces appeareth Heb. 11. Where all those glorious acts of grace which those Worthies abounded in are attributed unto their faith Lastly Faith lively exercised must thus serene the heart of a man because it doth suggest many noble and excellent arguments which do abundantly quiet and establish the soul Faith is argumentative it is very ingenious to find out all those Considerations which the Scripture affoards Now the Scripture is like the Apothecaries shop that can furnish with all cordials As First Faith argueth from Gods giving of Christ every thing else that is as necessary for us as Christ is Thus the Apostle Rom. 8. If he hath given us Christ how shall he not with him give all things else He doth not say some things but all things and then the expression how shall he not implyeth that it is a most absurd and irrational thing to think otherwise Now then faith doth thus quiet the soul Be not afraid or troubled the God that afflicts thee is he that hath given Christ to thee Now if ever God would have refused thee it would have been in this Know then that these afflictions these troubles they are good for thee they are necessary to humble thee to make sinne bitter they are as necessary in their kind as Christ was in his kind It cannot be want of love that these exercises are upon thee for is not Christ the great pledge of Gods love to thee Therefore faith turneth the heart of a man from that which is grievous and vexing to that which is pleasing and comfortable Though God giveth not this or that outward mercy yet he giveth Christ the fountain and original of all Secondly Faith represents God out of his word in some Attributes chiefly above others insomuch that the heart of a man being thereby lifted up to heaven to God himself it cannot be disturbed by things below As the Bird while soaring aloft in the heavens is not skared with this fear and that noise so while faith beareth up the heart to God and makes abode with him it 's not disquieted It 's the looking upon the waters that make giddy if we look up to the heavens they cannot disturb the brain Now these things in God doth faith powerfully improve First The wisdome of God that whatsoever the Lord doth it cannot be done wiser Therefore he is called the only wise God Now what wonderfull comfort may be suggested from hence That there is no affliction no temptation though never so heavy but it cometh and is ordered by infinite wisdome If thou hadst the disposing and ordering of all things it could not be done more wisely then it is nay thy own love to thy self if wise would order this affliction to come upon thee For do not you see a man whose parts of body are gangreend yet because he is wise though he loveth his ease yet willingly resigning himself to have those parts cut off for the good of the whole So that is one of the most comfortable considerations which faith supplies the heart with that whatsoever temptation is fallen upon thee the wise God hath ordered it so
is in its full power Fifthly This sinne of Envy doth deprive Christians of all exercise and comfort of common graces The people of God are as building and lively stones compacted together at the first beginning of the Gospel they were with one heart and one mind The duties of communion and relation to one another are frequently spoken of such as exhorting one another reproving comforting whetting and encouraging one another compared therefore to members of the body all which have need of another Now if one member should envy the good of another how quickly would the whole be consumed Thou hast faith to help anothers unbelief thou art strong to support the weak thou art quick to raise up him that is duâ—l grace is not only for thy self but to profit others with as coals of fire together do enflame one another Now envy that sets all at distance obstructeth the nourishment that is to go to every part and instead of helping and drawing out anothers graces it draweth out their corruptions this makes strangeness suspicions uncharitable censures so that Lambs become Tygers to one another and Myrtle-trees Brambles Lastly It 's a tenacious inbred sinne You see even in the regenerate these sparkes of Hell are alive These worms will breed in the sweetest Roses These mothes in the finest Garments So that the more contumacious and inherent this sinne is the greater cause to be afraid of it Well If it be so dangerous a sinne what Remedies may be used against it If this Viper will stick on us how may we at least order it so that it shall not stay on so as to make us fall down dead by the poison of it And First Turn Envy into Pity and this is an excellent cure Nothing breaketh Envy so soon as Pity Now their is no good thou enviest at in others but it affords meditation of Pity and Prayer for them that have it rather then Envy For if they be wicked men whose prosperity thou enviest David tels you they stand in slippery places and they are fatted to destruction Does any envy the Garlands and Crowns that were put on Beasts when they went to be sacrificed The godly who are so apt to look with an ill eye at the great abundance success and outward happiness of wicked men should remember this Their great Honours are but like oyl poured into the fire to make it burn hotter And if he be godly that hath outward mercies then he hath the greater account to give He hath received more Talents and so greater increase is expected So that he is more to be prayed for He having a greater Treasure is more obnoxious to theifts and dangers Secondly Consider That if instead of Envy thou wouldst bless and praise God for the Gifts and Graces bestowed upon others they would thereby be made thine When thou canst glorify God for the great abilities given to others and rejoyce in the success they have though thy glory be obscured this makes it accountable to thee For as he that wils and consents and delights in other mens wickedness makes theirs his so it is in good things Lastly Be contented with thy condition Envy commonly comes from discontent at what is ours If therefore thou canst bless and praise God with joyfulness of heart for what thou hast this will kill that snake of Envy in thy breast But thou maist say How shall I know a just zeal against others especially when they have applause and followers in the world though in an evil way from Envy For this may seem very hard As for Instances Numb 11. There some prophesied as well as Moses and others envied it for Moses his sake They would have him have all the glory For which they were blamed Yet when Corah and his company said Moses and Aaron took too much upon them and that all the people of God were holy as well as they Moses was enraged against them Not from Envy but Zeal In the New Testament The Pharisees were hot against Christ because all the people followed him And it 's plain Envy moved them Yet there were false Apostles that led captive silly women and had many followers Now Paul is severe against them and it is not Envy but Zeal Thus the Ministers of God may preach against false Teachers that have many followers and yet it be no Envy Now I may afterwards be larger upon this when I come to speak of the particular Factions in this Church only the difference briefly between Envy and Zeal may be First In the matter They are affected in a good thing the cause of God The others many times in a false thing Secondly True Zeal seeketh to gain followers and esteem not for themselves but to present them to Christ Thirdly True Zeal can reign in debasements and though they be accounted as nothing if the Work of God go on So cannot Envy Vse To abandon this red Dragan from your societies Let not Envy enter into your Families Let Envy be no more between neighbours especially that is most horrible when a rich man shall Envy a poor man if he get any thing Oh fear lest God bring such desolating judgments that this shall be nothing but object of pity and wo For whereas there is among you Strife We are come to the second sign specified This thorne argued them to be brambles not figs In a great measure carnal not spiritual This sinne we told you might be considered as a further degree of evil then the former Envy was a bitter affection in the heart Strife comes to words and many actions of enmity and malice Now there could not be a greater reproach and uncomeliness then to see those that were Brethren by Profession and Christianity to have that brand upon them which Paul gives to others Hating and hated of one another If the Psalmist in vehement affection cryed out How good and comely a thing is it to see Brethren live together in Vnity Psal 133.1 2. comparing it to that precious oyntment poured upon Aarons head On the contrary How bitter and wofull a thing is it to see those that are called Christians through malice uncharitableness and contentions made so many Tygars to one another Observe That Strifes and quarrelling Contentions amongst Christians argue them to be so farre Carnal It 's not from God nor his Spirit It 's not from Christ and his Word that they are given to such froward malicious and turbulent dispositions This Doctrine hath its great use For what inward rank or hath neighbour to neighbour What detraction and back-bitings have men one of another Insomuch as humanity which hath been taken for courtesie kindness and civility may be put for malice hatred and all violent unjust dealings one with another For opening this Point Consider First That the true ground of all Love and Peace all Concord and Agreement can only be upon a Motive of Godliness and honesty Only godly men can
therefore he compareth their cryes in Prayer to the howling of Beasts that want food and are ready to famish Such are like Noah's Raven that came to Noah only while she wanted food but when she had provision never came to him more Thus natural men they approach to God but it 's wholly because their hearts are inordinately set upon the creature it 's not because they delight in him Eighthly This is evident In that no natural man can truly desire the coming of Christ and the putting of an end to the fashion of this world Whereas this is made the Character of the godly to look for and to hasten the Kingdom of Christ The Church cryeth Come Lord Jesus come quickly They have enough of the world It 's to their losse to be kept so long from Heaven As the godly Patriarchs counted themselves Pilgrims and did look for a better Countrey This is or ought to be the frame of every godly man But now the natural man can no more reach this heavenly frame and desire that Kingdom of Glory might come then he can touch the bodily Heavens with his finger Hence the going out of this world that they shall not enjoy the comforts and creatures they have had is the greatest fear they are daily in bondage unto It 's true a godly man hath a great part of this unwillingnesse in him also but that ariseth partly from the natural fear of death or spiritual doubts about his condition or because earthly things are yet so much in heart but he desireth to have it otherwaies The Sinfulnesse and Wofull Aggravation of this Estate to be in the Number of these Votaries as it were in the Text. And first This is a very dreadfull and dangerous estate viz. not to be able to lift up our selves above the creature because of the insufficiency and utter inability that is in it to help us in our greatest exigencies Then when the soul hath most need then it faileth As it 's with Land-floods in Winter-time then they come when there is water enough and none needeth them but when in Summer the greatest drought is and there is most necessity then they appear not Thus every creature seemeth comfortable and helpfull when we are in our glad and merry condition but in those times when if ever they should be a solace to us then they utterly forsake us Now we may take notice of three choice times wherein if ever the soul may be in the greatest necessity As First At such times when God shall set home the guilt of sinne upon our conscience and make us to find the sting of it at our very hearts In such agonies and soul bitternesse bring him all the glory profit and pleasure of the creatures squezed together bring the quintessence of them and they will do no good Oh now the sense of Gods wrath the scorching guilt within cannot be allayed by such applications Whereas one smile of Gods favour would presently command all the waves to be still Psal 39.11 When thou with rebukes doth chasten man for sinne thou makest his beauty or that which is desirable in him to consume like a moth Oh what a change is then made His honours his friends his greatnesse can do him no good at all And this was experimentally true in Judas when the guilt of his sinne began to smart and torment him see in what a wofull agony he is and those thirty Pieces he so greedily coveted alas now he dareth not keep them he throweth them away and his great Confederates they never pitty him when he cryed out I have sinned in betraying the innocent blood for they said What is that to us look thou to it Thus all the creatures will leave thee when God shall be angry Oh look thou to it We cannot help you You might have been wiâ—er We did not force you Thus thou wilt find every creature to be a lye in the greatest time of thy anguish Secondly Another great streight thou wilt be put upon is the time and hour of Death For then if ever as we are in the greatest want so the creature we have loved should most appear for us but the Scripture tels us We came naked into the world and we shall carry out nothing with us There is not any creature thou hast inordidately desired that can accompany thee any longer All must leave thee Now what a sad condition is this to be stript naked of all The good things thou hast embraced cannot be enjoyed any longer Oh what would the soul now give for the light of Gods favour Now a world for some evidence of his love Now he cryeth out as that Cardinall once did If he had pleased God as the King or if loved God as the creature he had not been in that desolate estate So that it 's not to be mattered what content and comfort thou findest in the creature while thou art in health and mirth but when thou art breathing the last when thou shalt see the face of creatures no more Oh then think how much better had it been if I had spent my time and strength for God which I did for the creature Thirdly Another great time of exigency is When we shall be arraigned at the Tribunall of God to be judged by him for every evil and wicked way This is a time of the greatest terror and horror Then Christ as a Judge is before thy eye Then the Devils thy Accusers are all standing by Then the torments of Hell are before thee and that burning Lake of Brimestone in which thou art ready to be cast Oh now which of all the creatures thou trustedest in can give thee any help Call now to any of those that were thy props and see wat good they can do to thee Where is Dives his great wealth that could not help him to a drop of water Oh at such a dreadfull time would not the loving favour of God be more then all the world to thee Then if God should say Come ye blessed would not this be more comfort then ever thou hadst all thy life And if on the other side God shall say Depart ye cursed can any thing withstand it Can any creature say Lord he shall not go I will save him I 'le deliver him These things then being thus that there are such times when all the creatures of the world are not able to quench the fire that will consume thee what folly and wickednesse is it to mind that which will then deceive thee and not to regard the savour of God which will then be most precious and ready to help in this day of adversity that will most be seen Secondly Take heed of immoderacy to the creature for the immoderate love of that is not consistent with the love of God Thou maiest speak much and professe much to the contrary but the inordinate love of the creature cannot stand with the love of God yea it 's emnity to