14 15. Friend I do thee no wrong is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own The fulness of the Earth and all is his and therefore though others have better trading and finer Apparel and be more amply provided for than we are God is Soveraign and will give according to his Pleasure and you must be content 2. Nothing is deserved and therefore certainly every thing should be kindly taken If a Man be kept at free-cost and maintain'd at your Expence you take it very ill if he murmur and dislike his Diet. Certainly we are all maintain'd at free-cost and therefore we should with all humble Contentation receive what ever God will put into our Hands 3. God knows what Proportion is best for us he is a God of Iudgment and knows what is most convenient for us for he is a wise God It is the Shepherd must chuse the Pasture not the Sheep Leave it to God to give you that which is convenient and suitable to your Condition of Life A Shoe may be too big for the Foot and a Garment too great for the Body as Saul's Armour was too large for little David 1 Sam. 17. God will give you that which is convenient that which is agreeable to you A Garment when too long proves a dirty Rag we may have too much and therefore God he carves out our Allowance with a wise Hand 4. God doth not only give suitable to your Condition but suitable to your Strength such a Portion as you are able to bear God layeth Affliction upon his People and he gives them Mercies as they are able to bear if they had more they would have more Snares more Temptations You find it hard for a rich Man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 19. 24. A Man may take a larger Draught than he is able to bear so God proportioneth every Man's Condition accâ—rding to his spiritual Strength every Man is not able to bear a very high prosperous Estate Heb. 13. 5. Let your Conversation be without Covetousness and be content with such things as ye have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor for sake thee then you will live upon the Promise But when Men set God a Task and he must maintain them at such a rate that ends in Mischief and Distrust Psal. 78. 19. Can God furnish a Table in the Wilderness c. 5. Contentation is one of God's Gifts that we ask in this Prayer Give us this day our daily Bread that is we ask to be contented with our Portion Contentment and quietness of Mind with what we do injoy it 's a great Blessing Ioel 2. 19. See what the Lord saith there by his Prophet I will send you Corn and Wine and Oil and ye shall be satisfied therewith The bare and simple Blessing doth not speak so much of God's Love as when we are satisfied when we have Contentment in it that 's the greater Blessing When our Minds are suited to our Condition then the Creature is more sweet more comfortable Your Happiness lies not in Abundance but in Contentment Luke 12. 15. This doth not make a Man happy that he hath much but this that he is contented he hath what God will give him All spiritual Miseries may be referred to these two things a War between a Man and his Conscience and a War between his Affections and his Condition 6. There may be as much Love in a lesser Portion as in a greater There 's the same Affection to a small younger Child though he hath not so large an Allowance as the elder Brother yet saith he my Father loves me as well as him not that I have a double Portion but I have as much of my Father's Love So a Child of God may say God loves me though he hath given another more and me less Be content with what falls to your share and with your Allowance by the wise Designation and Allotment of God's Providence Thus much for the first Point A Word of a second viz. Doct. 2. In asking temporal things Christ hath stinted us to a day Give us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this day our daily Bread God in an extraordinary manner fed his People in the Wilderness the Mannah stank if they had kept it another day they had it from day to day What 's the Reason Christ saith Give us this day 1. That every day we may pray to God Therefore it is not give us this Month or Year but Day because every day God will hear from us 1 Thess. 5. 17. Pray without ceasing God would not have us too long out of his Company but by a frequent Commerce he would have us acquainted and familiar with him This is required that you should not let a day pass over your Head but God must hear from you for your Patent lasts but for a day you have a Lease from God of your Comforts and Mercies but it is expired unless you renew it again by Prayer How much do they differ from the Heart of God's Children that could be contented like the High-Priest of old to come to the Mercy-seat but once a Year now the Lord would have us come every day to the Throne of Grace 2. Every day because there should be Family-Prayer for all that taketheir Meat together are to come and say to God Give us this day our daily Bread It is not said Give me but Give us Therefore you see how little of Love and Fear of God is there where Week after Week they call not upon God's Name 3. To make way for our Gratitude and Thankfulness Our Mercies they flow not from God all at once but some to day and some to morrow for we take them day by day alltogether they are too heavy for us to weild and manage Psal. 68. 19. Who daily loadeth us with Benefits Our Mercies they come in greater Number and a greater Measure then we are able to acknowledg make use of or be thankful for Therefore this is the burden of gracious Hearts that Mercies come so thick and fast they cannot be thankful enough for them but to help us God distributes them by Parcels who loadeth us daily some to day some to morrow and every day that we may not forget God but may have a new Argument to praise him 4. To shew us every day we should renew our Dependance upon God for temporal things There is no day but we stand in need of the Lord's Blessing of Sanctification of Comfort that they may not be a Snare that there is still need of new Strength new Grace and new Supplies 5. Again Give us this day that we may not burden our selves with over-much Thoughtfulness that we might not solicitously cark for to morrow Mat. 6. 34. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof Every day affords Business Trouble Care and Burden enough we need not anticipate and pre-occupy the Cares of the next day God would not have
wicked Wretch takes advantage against David and rails at him yet David forgives him when restored to his Crown He shall not die 2 Sam. 19. 23. Nay he sware to him So his Estate When a Debtor is not able to pay and yet submits So Paul bids Philemon to forgive the Wrongs of Onesimus Put it on my Score Philem. Vers. 18. that is for my sake forgive this Wrong 3. We must be ready to perform all Offices of Love to them Luke 6. 27. Love your Enemies do good to them which hate you Mark do not only forbear to execute your Wrath and Revenge upon them but do good to them yea tho they be Enemies upon a religious ground tho Religion be made a Party in the Quarrel and so engage us to the greater Fury when that which should bridle our Passions is the Fuel of them Pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you Mat. 5. 44. Miriam when she had wronged Moses yet he falls a praying for her Numb 12. 13. that the Lord would forgive the Sin and heal her For the Reasons why those that would rightly pray to be forgiven of God must forgive others It should be so it will be so there is a Congruency and a Necessity 1. The Congruency it should be so It is fit that he that beggeth Mercy should shew Mercy it is exceedingly congruous For this is a general Rule That we should do as we would be done unto and therefore if we need Mercy from God we should shew Mercy to others and without it we can never pray in Faith He that doth not exercise Love can never pray in Faith why His own revengeful Disposition will still prejudice his Mind and make him conclude against the Audience of his Prayers for certainly we muse on others as we use our selves And that 's one reason of our Unbelief why we are so hardly brought to believe all that tender Mercy which is in God because 't is so irksom to us to forgive seven times a day we are apt to frame our Conclusions according to the Dispositions of our own Heart Can we think God will forgive when we our selves will not forgive A Man 's own Prayers will be confuted What is more equal than to do as we would be done unto And therefore it is but equal if he entreat Mercy for himself he should shew it unto others Look as the Centurion reasoned of God's Power from the Command that he had over his Souldiers Mat. 8. 9. I am a Man under Authority and I say to one Go and he goeth and to another Come and he cometh Those things we are accustomed to they are apt to run in our Minds when we come to think of God Now he that kept his Souldiers under Discipline that if he said Go they go he reasons thus of God Surely God hath Power to chase away Diseases So accordingly should we reason of God's Mercy according to the Mercy that we find in our selves Therefore it is very notable that when Christ had spoken of forgiving our Brethren not only seven times but seventy times seven the Disciples said unto the Lord Increase our Faith Luke 17. 5. How dotâ— this come in In the 4 th Verse Christ had spoken that they should forgive not only seven times but seventy times seven and they do not say Lord increase our Charity but our Faith implying that we cannot have such large thoughts of God when our own Hearts are so straitned by Revenge and our private Passions 2. In point of Necessity as it should be so so it will be so for God's Mercy will have an Influence upon us to make us merciful All God's Actions to us imprint their stamp in us his Election of us makes us to choose him and his ways his Love to us makes us love him again who hath loved us first so his forgiving of us makes us to forgive our Brethren There is an answerable Impression left upon the Soul to every act of God why for a true Believer is God's Image The new Man is created after God Eph. 4. 24. and therefore he acts as God Certainly if there be such a Disposition in our Heavenly Father it will be in us if we have an Interest in him Look as a Child hath Part for Part and Limb for Limb answerable to his Father tho not so big in Stature and Bulk so hath a Child of God which is created after God he hath all the Divine Perfections in some measure in his Soul And this Consideration is of more force because the New-Creature cannot be maimed and defective in every Part but is entire lacking nothing And therefore if God forgive others certainly the Godly will be inclinable to forgive too Vse 1. Here 's a ground of Tryal whether we are pardoned or no. Is our revengeful Disposition that is so natural and so pleasing to us mortified That 's one Trial or Evidence whether we are forgiven of God can we freely from the Heart forgive others Object But it may be objected against this Do you place so much in this property of forgiving others It doth not agree only to pardoned Sinners because we see some Carnal Men are of a weak and stupid Spirit not sensible of Injuries And on the other side many of God's Children find it hard to obtain to the perfect Oblivion of Injuries that is required of them Answ. As to the first part I answer We do not speak of this Disposition as proceeding from an easy Temper but as it proceedeth from Grace when in Conscience towards God and out of a Sense of his Love to us in Christ our Hearts being tendered and melted towards others to shew them such Mercy as we our selves have received from the Lord that 's the Evidence And again we do not press to judg by this Evidence single and alone but in Conjunction with others when they are humbly Penitent and confessing their Sins and turn to the Lord which is the great Evangelical Condition Job 33. 27. If any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not Then will he restore light to him When a Man is soundly touched with remorse and seeth the folly of his former Courses and asketh Pardon of God then is God gracious to him But this is that we say that this Disposition of Pardon in Conjunction with the great Evangelical Condition of Faith and Repentance it helpeth to make the Evidence more clear 2. As to the other part of the Objection which was this it will be a great weakening of the Confidence of God's Children who cannot get such a perfect Oblivion of Injuries they have received but find their Minds working too much this way I answer As long as we live in the World there will be Flesh and Spirit Corruption as well as Grace there will be an intermixture of the Operations of each Carnal Nature is prone to Revenge but Grace prevaileth and inclineth to a Pardon
And it is encouraging in this respect because he hath experimented this Duty he knows how soon human Strength is spent and put to it for he himself hath been wrestling with God in Prayer with all his Might His submitting to these Duties gave him Sympathy he knows the Heart of a praying Man when wrestling with God with all Earnestness therefore he helpeth us in these Agonies of Spirit Again his praying is an Encouragement against our Imperfections Christians when we are alone with God and our Hearts are heavy as a Log and Stone what a Comfort is it to think Christ himself prayed and that earnestly and was once alone wrestling with God in human Nature Matth. 14. 23. and when the Enemy came to attach him he was alone striving with God in Prayer he takes all occasions for Intercourse with God and if you have the Spirit you will do likewise 3. I might argue from God's end in pouring out the Holy-Ghost wherefore hath God poured out his Spirit Zech. 12. 11 12 13 14. I will pour out the Spirit of Grace and of Supplication c. He poureth out the Spirit that it may break out by this Vent the Spirit of Grace will presently run into Supplication the whole House of Israel shall mourn there 's the Church they have the Benefit of the pouring out of the Spirit and every Houshold hath benefit that he and his Family may mourn apart and every Person apart that we may go and mourn over our Case and Distempers before God and pour out our Hearts in a holy and affectionate manner This Argument I would have you to note that this was God's end in pouring out his Spirit for a double reason both to take off Excuses and to quicken Diligence Partly to take off Excuses because many say they have no Gifts no Readiness and Savouriness of Speech and how can they go alone and pray to God Certainly Men which have Necessities and a sense of them can speak of them in one Fashion or other to God but the Spirit is given to help Such is God's Condescention to the Saints that he hath not only provided an Advocate to present our Petitions in Court but a Notary to draw them up not only appointed Christ for help against our Guilt and unworthiness but likewise the Spirit to help us in Prayer When we are apt to excuse our selves by our Weakness and Insuffâ—ciency he hath poured out the Holy-Ghost that we may pray apart Partly to this end the more to awaken our Diligence That God's precious Gift be not bestowed upon us in vain to lie idle and unimployed he hath poured out the Spirit and therefore we should make use of it not only that we may attend to the Prayers of others and joyn with them but that we may make use of our own share of Gifts and Graces and open and unfold our own Case to God 4. That it is a necessary Duty I plead it from the Practice of the Saints who are a praying People O how often do we read in Scripture that they are alone with God pouring out their Souls in Complaints to him nothing so natural to them as Prayer they are called a Generation of them that seek God Psal. 24. 6. As light Bodies are moving upward so the Saints are looking upward to God and praying alone to him Daniel was three times a day with God and would not omit his hours of Prayer though his Life was in danger Dan. 6. 10. And David seven times a day do I praise thee Psal. 119. 164. And Cornelius 't is said that he prayed to God always Acts 10. 2. not only with his Family but alone in holy Soliloquies He was so frequent and diligent that he had gotten a Habit of Prayer he prayed always Well then if this be the Temper of God's People then to be altogether like them when we have no delight in these private Converses with God or neglect them it gives just cause of Suspition 5. Our private Necessities shew that is a necessary Duty which cannot be so feelingly spoken to and exprest by others as by our selves and it may be are not so fit to be divulged and communicated to others we cannot so well lay forth our Hearts with such largeness and Comfort in our own Concernments before others There 's the Plague of our own Hearts which every one must mourn over 1 Kings 8. 38. As we say no Nurse like the Mother so none so fit humbly with a broken Heart to set forth our own Wants before the Lord. There is some Thorn in the Flesh that we have cause to pray against again and again For this I sought the Lord thrice saith St. Paul 2 Cor. 12. 7 8. We should put Promises in suit and lay open our own Case before the Compassions of God It is a Help sometimes to joyn with others but at other times it would be a Hinderance we have peculiar Necessities of our own to commend to God therefore must be alone Secondly This Closet and Solitary Prayer as it is a necessary Duty so it is a profitable one 1. It conduceth much to Iâ—largement of Heart The more earnest Men are the more they desire to be alone free from Trouble and Distraction When a Man weeps and is in a mournful Posture he seeks Secreâ—y that he may indulge his Grief They were to mourn apart Zech. 12. and Ier. 13. 17. My Soul shall weep sore for your Pride in secret Places So here when a Man would deal most earnestly with God he should seek Retirement and be alone Christ in his Agonies went apart from his Disciples When he would pray more earnestly it is said He was withdrawn from them about a Stones cast Luke 22. 41 44. it is said He went apart Strong Affections are loth to be disturbed and diverted therefore seek Retirement And it is notable Iacob when he would wrestle with God it is said Gen. 32. 24. And Jacob was left alone and there wrestled a Man with him until the breaking of the Day When he had a mind to deal with God in good earnest he sent away all his Company A Hypocrite he finds a greater flash of Gifts in his publick Duties when he prays with others and is the Mouth of others but is slight and superficial when alone with God if he feels any thing a little overly matter serves the turn But usually God's Children most affectionately pour out their Hearts before him in private where they do more particularly express their own Necessities there they find their Affections free to wrestle with God In publick we take in the Necessities of others but in private our own 2. As it makes way for Enlargement of Heart on our part so for secret Manifestations of Love on God's part Bernard hath a Saying The Churches Spouse is bashfull and will not be familiar and communicate his Loves before Company but alone The sweetest Experiences which God's Saints receive many times are
Glory and then our Profit for the End is the first thing intended by any rational Agent 2. As we are the Children of God by Adoption The great Duty of Children is to honour their Parents God pleads for Honour upon this account Mal. 1. 6. If I be a Father where is my Honour So that if you consent to the Preface and say Our Father then the next request will be Hallowed be thy Name If we would own our selves in such a Pâ—lation then we must make it our chief desire and care that God might be glorified by our selves and others Every kind of Honour will not serve the turn of our Heavenly Father He must not be honoured as an ordinary Father in a common Notion but as an Inâ—inite and Eternal Majesty and to prefer any thing to his Interest or Glory or to equal any thing to him it is to make an Idol of him and to renounce him to be our Father The case of earthly Parents is not always so But now you renounce God when an Idol is set in the Throne when any Interest or Concernment of yours is preferred before God and before his Interest and Concernment 3. That which is of most value and consideration should be sought first Now God's Glory it hath an inâ—inite Excellency above all other things The Glory of God is of more worth than all Creatures than their Being and Happiness The End is more worthy than that which serveth and conduceth to the End Meats and Drinks they were made for the Body therefore are not so good as the Body Who would dig for Iron with Mattocks of Gold The Means or Instrument is better worth than the Purchase Now no matter what becomes of us so God may be glorifyed As it is said of David Thou art better than ten thousand of us therefore tho they exposed their Bodies to hazard they thought it not safe for him So is God better than the whole World of Men or Angels Our first care must be that he may be glorifyed then let other Things succeed in their place 4. The Example of Christ shews how much the Glory of God should be cared for and preferred before the Creatures Good Joh. 12. 27 28. Father save me from this hour There was the Innocent and sinless Inclination of his Human Nature But For this Cause came I unto this Hour Father glorify thy Name He doth not so earnestly insist upon that but submits all his Human Concernments tho exceeding precious that they might give way to the Glory of God and he had no respect to his own Ease or to the innocent inclination of his Human Nature or to the felt Comforts of the God-head Now Christ's Example it is the best Instruction he taught us how we should behave our selves to our Heavenly Father and therefore we should learn to prefer the Honour of God before our own ease And if God but get up tho we be kept low and poor yet we should be contented Look as all natural Things will act against their particular Inclination on for a general Good as to avoid a Vacuity the Air will descend and the Water ascend that there may not be a Confusion or Dissolution of the Frame of Nature So hath Christ taught us still to prefer a general Good Father glorify thy self that is it we must insist upon tho it be with our Loss Suffering Trouble yea sometimes with our trouble of Conscience we must be content 5. From the Nature of Prayer The whole Spiritual Life it is a living to God Gal. 2. 19. I am dead to the Law that I might live unto God The whole Tendency and Ordination of all acts of the Spiritual Life they are to God Even the Natural Life is over-ruled and directed to this End there is an Eating and Drinking to God the Meat and Drink we take if God be not the last End of it it is but a Meat-Offering and a Drink-Offering to our own Appetite and a Sacrifice to Moloch Now much more in acts of immediate Worship there God will be principally regarded for their respect and tendency is mainly to God In our whole Life we are God's dedicated to him Every Godly Man is set apart for God A Man that is a Christian must Be holy in all manner of Conversation 1 Pet. 1. 15. A Christian must look upon himself as one that is dedicated to God when he is at his Meals in his Trade and Calling and Grace is to run out in every Act. But much more is this tendency of Grace to bewray it self in our solemn Sequestration of our selves when we make our nearer approaches to him Lev. 10. 3. I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me and before all the People will I be glorified What is it to sanctify God A thing is sanctified when it is set apart And God is sanctified when we set apart our selves wholly for him when he hath more than common Affections and common Respects And therefore in Prayer in the firstâ— place we should go to God for God and surely in such a Request we are likely to speed 6. Love to God if it be unfeigned and hath any Strength in the Soul will necessarily put us upon this Love seeks the good of the Party beloved as much or more than its own Those which love have all things in common between them and one counts it done to himself what is done to the other So it is in the Love between us and God Look as Christ loves the Saints and counteth what ever you do to them it is done to him because done to those whom he loved Mat. 25. So reciprocally the Saint which loves God what is done to God is done to us when God is honoured we are comforted as much or more than with our own Benefit And when God is dishonoured we have the Grief and Sorrow Psal. 69. 9. The Reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me Or if they hear God's Name rent in pieces and Men dishonour him by their filthy Lives it goeth to their Hearts for God and they have but one common Interest Nay they prefer God's Interest before their own or any others Ioh. 21. 15. Simon Son of Jonas lovest thou me more than these By the Worlds Maxim Love should begin at home but by Christ's Direction it beginneth with God They are more tender of God's Glory than their own Lives and outward Comfort I count not my Life dear to me saith Paul Thus you see what reason there is why our main Care and Thoughts should be taken up about the Concernments of God and about the Glory of his Holy Name Vse 1. To reprove us that we are no more affected with God's Glory O how little do we aim at and regard it in our Prayers We should seek it not only above the Profits and Pleasures of this Life but even above Life it self yea above Life present and to come But alas since the Fall we are
the Covenant of Grace Christ hath taken a Token from us and left a Token with us He hath taken humane Flesh carried our Nature to Heaven that he might be mindful of us and hath left the Spirit with us Now there will be a longing looking and waiting for this Day of Solemn Espousals And as he is Lord so he is Jesus a Saviour With what melting Wishes doth the Captive long for a Saviour and Redeemer Now we look for a Saviour from Heaven Christ is a Saviour now but not a perfect Saviour to the uttermost never till then Therefore the Day of Judgment is called the Day of Redemption Eph. 4. 30. There is something left that every Coming of Christ might bring some Benefit something of Misery left upon us to the last Day Here we have Enemies within and without Within mighty Lusts and therefore his Coming is like a Refiner's Fire Mal. 3. 2. and Fullers Sope. His first and second Coming we find oft in the Old Testament put together His Coming is to present us holy without spot and blemish Eph. 5. 27. Our present State is but a Convalescency a Recovery out of Sickness by degrees there is some Fruit of Sin left upon the Body until the Day of the general Resurrection that we may have new Matter of glorifying God just as we are entring into Heaven Therefore that every Coming of Christ might bring us a new Benefit the Body is to die the old Adam is not quite abolished until God be All in All. And so for Enemies without us Here we dwell among wicked Men whose Sins are a Grievance to us and whose Injuries are a very great Molestation and Trouble We live here like Lot in Sodom His righteous Soul was vexed with their ungodly Deeds their filthy Conversation But then there will be a perfect Separation between the Sheep and the Goats Here we are exposed to many Persecutions here Antichrist is but consuming there he shall totally and utterly be abolished II. If we respect the Persons desiring this Coming there is something in them to move them to it There is 1. The Spirit of Christ. 2. Certain Graces which do necessarily issue themselves into this Work 3. Certain Experiences they have which put thâ—m upon this longing 1. There 's the Spirit of Christ The Spirit and the Bride saith Come Rev. 22. 17. The Holy-Ghost breedeth this Desire in the Church Nature saith It is good to be here but this is a Disposition above Nature the Spirit in the Bride The Flesh and corrupt Nature saith Depart but the Spirit saith Come The great Work of the Spirit is to bring us and Christ together he comes from the Father and the Son to bring us to the Father by the Son All he doth is to bring Christ and the Spouse together therefore he enkindleth in the Hearts of God's People a strong and earnest desire of his Coming 2. There are Graces planted in us Faith Hope Love Zeal Faith that is the ground of this Desire Christ saith he comes quickly and this provokes and draws up the Desire to believe Christ will be as good as his Word Iohn 14. 2 3. I go to my Father and will come again to receive you to my self Christ hath ever been plain-hearted with us he saith I come and the Church saith Amen in a way of Faith Even so come If Christ had gone away in discontent and with a Threatning in his Mouth that we should never have seen his Face more then we could have had but cold Hopes and faint Desires but he parted in Love and left a Promise with us The Church and the believing Soul saith I have his Word for it He hath ever been punctual hitherto and kept his Word to a tittle and hath said I will come again This upholdeth the Hearts of Believers during his Absence For they reason thus What need had Christ to flatter or deceive us or promise more than he will perform Would we flatter a Worm that we can easily crush He can strike us dead if we do not please him He hath been true in all things and we have ever found him plain-hearted Then there is Hope planted in the Saints Hope is Faith's Handmaid it looks for that which we believe Faith determines the Certainty of the Thing then Hope looks for it This Grace was made on purpose that we might reach out to Heaven and see if our Beloved be coming that we might expect our full and future Happiness God not only provides a glorious Estate for us but Grace to expect it he works this Hope in us that we might look after it 1 Pet. 1. 3. He hath begotten us again unto a lively Hope Then there is Love in the Saints to Christ. This is an Affection of Union it desires to be with the Party beloved he desireth to be with us and we with him Love awakeneth earnest Longings O come come why is his Chariot so long a coming As a loving Wife stands upon the Shore as ready to welcome her expected Husband So doth Love in the Saints they desire to be with Christ therefore they long for the Kingdom of God coming to themselves out of Love Phil. 1. 23. I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ. And upon the same ground they desire the general Resurrection of the Church Especially is this inflamed with the thoughts of Christ's Love to us He hath removed his bodily Presence from us yet he cannot be satisfied until he and we meet again John 14. 3. I will come again and receive you to my self that where I am there ye may be also And John 17. 24. And that you may be there with me to behold my Glory Christ is not satisfied in his glorious Estate until we be with him till he hath our Company and we be beatified with the sight of him Before his coming in the Flesh he delighted to be with the Saints before the World was Prov. 8. 31. And when the World was made before his Incarnation he took pleasure to come and appear in the fashion of a Man and converse with his People in humane Shape In the Days of his Flesh he delighted to spend his Time and busy himself among them that are faithful And when he was to go from us he did assure us of returning and cannot be quiet until we be with him So reciprocally and according to our measure doth Love work in us we cannot be without Christ therefore we long to be with him Then Zeal is planted in the Saints and a Tenderness for his Glory It is not their Interest only which makes them desire his Coming but that the King may sit upon the Throne that Christ may reign in the most perfect manner that the Day of Manifestation may come that all Mists and Clouds which are upon his Person may vanish The Saints that love the Glory of God as well as their own Salvation nay above their own Salvation are longing
better security to their worldly Interests than possibly thorow Christians could have Now to avoid both these the Apostle when he presseth Christians to all those Graces which are necessary he presseth them to Temperance and Patience 2 Pet. 1. 5 6. Add to Knowledg Temperance and to Temperance Patience Both these are Armor of Proof against worldly Temptations Temperance against the Delights and Patience against the Evils and Troubles of the World It was never yet so well with the World but that Christians those that are so in good earnest that mean to go to Heaven and keep a good Conscience will be assaulted on both sides 6. That there is no avoiding either of these Snares and Temptations as long as any Carnal Affection remaineth unmortified For until a Man be dead to worldly Comforts and hardned against worldly Sorrows he doth but lye naked and open to Satan 1 Tim. 6. 9. He that will be rich falls into Temptation and a Snare And what is said of Riches the same is true of Pleasure he that is vehemently addicted that way will soon come to put God out of the Throne and make his Belly and his Pleasure his God 2 Tim. 3. 4. Lovers of Pleasures more than Lovers of God Any Lust that is cherished and indulged will betray us As for Honour John 5. 44. How can ye believe which receive Honour one of another and seek not the Honour that cometh from God only True Faith cannot be planted in that Heart that is not purified until there be a prevailing Interest established for Christ over all Carnal Affections Grace bears no sway in us and hath no power over us The ambition and love of respect from Men will necessarily make us unsound in the profession of Godliness Well then it stands us upon to allow and cherish no secret Sin but to observe what are the tender parts of our Hearts or which way our Corruptions lie where subjection to God is most apt to stick with us Psal. 119. 133. Order my Steps in thy Word and let not any Iniquity have dominion over me Though we seem to have a Zeal in other things yet if one Lust be indulged we shall soon swerve from our Duty True Obedience to God is inconsistent with the Dominion of any one Lust or corrupt Affection I say though a Man out of some slender and insufficient touch of Religion upon his Heart may go right for a while and do many things gladly yet that corruption which is indulged and under the power of which a Man lieth will at length draw him off from God and therefore no one Sin should have dominion over us When doth Sin reign or have dominion over us When we do not endeavour to mortify it and to cut off the Provisions that may feed that Lust. Chrysostom's Observation is The Apostle doth not say Let it not tyrannize over you but let it not reign over you that is when you suffer it to have a quiet Reign in your Hearts 7. The more we sin upon the meer impulsion of the Flesh and without an external Temptation the more hainous is our Offence for then the Heart is carried of its own accord to sin Ezek. 16. 33 34. They give Gifts to all Whores but thou givest thy Gifts to all thy Lovers and hirest them that they may come unto thee for thy Whoredoms And the contrary is in thee from other Women in thy Whoredoms whereas none followeth thee to commit Whoredoms and in that thou givest a Reward and no Reward is given unto thee therefore thou art contrary These are Expressions to set forth their Idolatry But that which is intended there is this That they were not desired or solicited but meerly carried to sin by their own proper Motion which exceedingly aggravateth Sin Why for then it is a sign the Heart is carried of its own accord by its own weight as a heavy Body is moved downward not by the impression of outward Force but by its own natural propension Now when do Men thus meerly sin upon the impulsions of the Flesh I 'le instance in three Cases 1. When the Temptation is so small and inconsiderable that it should not sway with any reasonable Man It is said in Amos 2. 6. They sold the Poor for a pair of Shoes And for a piece of Bread will that Man transgress Prov. 28. 21. When Pleasure and Profit is so inconsiderable as that it could not rationally make up a Temptation then Men sin meerly upon the Corruptions of their own Flesh. When the Devil hath to do with great Souls such as Christ was he propounds the Glory of all the World Mat. 4. O! but a lesser price will serve the turn with those that are deeply engaged already that are byassed with their own propension for instance a little ease and carnal satisfaction a slothful Humour is enough to take them off from the sweetness of Communion with God and the pleasure and contentment that they might enjoy with him in holy Exercises Look as in general it is a great aggravation of all Sin that for such paltry Trifles we turn the back upon God and his Grace all Sinners do so they part with all their Hopes by Christ for a Mess of Pottage for a little present Pleasure that 's prophaneness indeed Heb. 12. 16. So in particular things when the smallest Temptation seems to be strong enough to draw off our Hearts from our Duty to bring us to a Sin of Omission when it is needful to go and converse with God in secret a little ease and sloth hangs upon us and we cannot shake it off or when we are drawn to a Sin of Commission by an inconsiderable Matter by the smallest worldly Interest as can be mentioned for a piece of Bread and a pair of Shoes 2. When Men tempt themselves or provoke Satan to tempt them As those which make provision for the Flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof Rom. 13. 14. that cater for their Lusts and contrive how to feed them and how to cherish those inordinate Affections in their Hearts that run into the Devil's Quarters that bespeak a Temptation or as it is Iames 5. 5. That nourish their Hearts as in a day of slaughter To nourish our Hearts is to feed our Lusts to put strength into the Enemy's Hand When a Commander sent to his Prince to know how he should keep such a rebellious Town in order He sent him this Answer That he should starve the Dog and strengthen the Clog that he should weaken the City and strengthen the Garison that was his meaning Truly what was his advice in that outward Case that 's the Duty of a Christian to weaken his Lusts and still to be strengthning Grace He should be increasing the better Part and putting the Spirit in heart by godly Exercises by treasuring up Promises getting Arguments and fresh Encouragements against Sin and by weakning the Flesh starving and cutting off Provisions for the Flesh. But on