strength of love of ours it is his own free grace and love which is shed by the holy Ghost and springs only from his own goodnesse and loving nature and not from us at all this is Grace It must be distinguished from the fruits of it as the Apostle doth distinguish them Rom. 5. 15. Grace and the gifts of grace There is favour and the gifts of favour which is grace inherent in us Here especially is meant the fountaine and spring of all the favour of God with the manifestation of it with the increase of it with the continuance of it He wisheth these things the favour of God with the manifestation of it to their souls that as God would be gracious to them so that he would shew his Grace that he would discover it and shine upon them and to that end that he would give them his holy Spirit to shed his love into their hearts This shining of God into the heart this shedding of the love of God into the heart is the Grace here meant Gods favour with the manifestation of it to the soul and with the continuance of it and the increase of it still Grace unto you As if he should have said I wish you the favour of God and the report of it to your souls that as he loves you through his Christ so he would witnesse as much by his holy Spirit to your souls And I wish you likewise the continuance of it and the increase of it and the fruits of it likewise for that must not be excluded all particular graces which are likewise called Graces They have the name of favours because they come from favour and favour is the chief thing in them What is the chief thing in joy in faith in love they are graces they cannot be considered as qualifications as earthly things in us they proceed from the grace and love of God and have their especial value from thence So I wish you the manifestation the continuance and increase of favour with all the fruits of Gods favour especially such as concern a better life The word is easily understood after the common sence Grace is the loving and free respect of a superiour to an inferiour the respect of a Magistrate to such as are under him such a one is in grace with the Prince we say we mean not any inherent thing but free grace So in Religion it is not any inherent habitual thing Grace but it is free favour and whatsoever issues from free favour This must be the rather observed this phrase against the Papists we say we are Justified by Grace and so do they what do they mean by being justified by Grace that is by inherent Grace we say No we are justified by Grace that is by the free favour of God in Jesus Christ so is the acception of the word But to come to the point that which I will now note is this that A Christian though he be in the state of Grace and favour with God yet still he needs the continuance of it He stands in need of the continuance of God St. Paul here prayes for Grace and peace to those that were in the state of Grace already Why The reason of it is that we run into new breaches every day of our selves as long as there is a spring of corruption in us a cursed issue of corruption so long there will be some actions and speeches and thoughts that will issue that would of themselves break our peace with God or at least hinder the sweet sence of it therefore we have continual occasion to renew our desires of the sence and feeling of the favour of God and to renew our pardon every day to take out a pardon of course as we have now the liberty to do so oft as we confesse our sins he is mercifull to forgive us and to win his favour we have need every day still still of Grace I list not to joyn in conflict here with the Papists concerning their opinion I will but touch it by the way to shew the danger of it They will not have all of meer Grace but Christians are under Grace while they are in this World as St. Paul saith all is Grace Grace still nay at the day of judgement The Lord shew mercy to the house of One siphorus at that day at the day of judgement Grace and mercy must be our plea till we come to heaven They stand upon Grace to enable us to the work and then by the work we may merit our own salvation and so they will not have it of Grace of gift but as a stipend a thing of merite Directly contrary to St. Paul Rom. 6. ult Eternal life is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word comes of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of gift The gift of God a free gift through Jesus Christ our Lord. So from the first Grace to Eternall life which is the complement of all all is Grace As for the New Testament it is the Covenant of Grace the whole carriage of our salvation is called the Covenant of Grace because God of Grace doth enter into Covenant with us He sent Christ of Grace who is the foundation of the Covenant The fulfilling of it on our part is of Grace he gives us faith Faith is the gift of God he puts his fear in our hearts that we should not depart from him And when he enters into Covenant with us it is of Grace and love It was of Grace that he sent Christ to be the foundation of the Covenant that in the satisfying of his justice he might be gracious to us without disparagement to his justice Of Grace he fulfils the condition on our part we are no more able to believe then we are to fulfil the law but he inables us by his word and spirit attending upon the meanes of Salvation to fulfil the Covenant And when we have done all he gives us of Grace Eternal life all is of Grace There is nothing in the Gospel but Grace therefore in the Ephes. 1. it is stood upon by the Apostle To the praise of the Glorie of his rich Grace From Election to Glorification all is to the Glorie of his Grace We ought to conceive of God as a Gracious Father withholding his anger which we deserve to be poured upon us by the intercession of Christ withholding that anger and the fruits of it And notwithstanding we are in Grace if we neglect to seek to God the Father if we neglect to seek to Christ who makes intercession for us then though we be in the first Grace still we are not east away yet we are filii sub ira sons under wrath we are under Anger though not under hatred Therefore every day we should labour to maintain the Grace of God with the assurance of it It is a great matter to carrie our selvs so as we may be under the sence and feeling of the Grace of God It
hath all to do again Another man sees an end of his work but in this the Devil and corruption hath undone all again We enforce good things on people on the Lords day but within one day ill company and imployment in worldly businesse overthrowes all the Sea banks are down they must be new repaired Therefore there is a necessity laid on us of the Ordinances to our lives end till our soules be in heaven there is a necessity of repairing them We cannot be too diligent in our places And those that have the oversight of others let them make conscience of it it is needful And mark here in the next Point the language of Canaan the language of the Spirit of God that he puts the name of Grace upon every benefit especially those that concern a better life Grace usually we take to be nothing but a gracious frame of heart the new creature as we call it but indeed in the language of the Holy Ghost every free gift of God that concerns our soules any way is a grace The very Ministery is a grace It is the grace and free love of God to give us the Ministery The very heart to imbrace it and to hear it is a grace The very heart to give almes is a grace saith S. Paul 2 Cor. 9. Thanks be to God for this unspeakable gift for this unspeakable grace that you had a heart to give so that every thing that is good it is a Grace a gift of God Saint Paul conceived of his coming to them as a grace Indeed the Grace of God moved and directed S. Paul to come to them It is Grace that God directs the Preacher to speak to the people It is a grace that the Minister speaks gracious things It is a greater grace when you close with and entertain that which is spoken all is of Grace Your ready minds to do good it comes of God it is a grace your acceptance of God as well as eternal life all is of free grace The ground of it is this as Austin as I said defines Predestination well It is a destinating and ordaining to a supernatural end to everlasting salvation in the world to come and a preparing of all means to that end Why now as it is a grace that God pulls oft some men to an eternal estate of salvation in heaven to a supernatural estate that they could never attain without his especial Grace so the preparing of all means to that end it falls within the compasse of Predestination within the grace So when we have any means prepared to bring us to that end the offer of the Word and the Spirit of God disposing us to imbrace the Word this preparing of the means to that end it falls within the compasse of Predestination we may gather our Election by it when we see the Word sent in favour and have gracious hearts to receive it this is a preparation wrought to bring us to heaven a man may know his Election by it all is of grace that falls within the decree of grace When God decrees to bring a man to heaven all that helps to the main must needs be grace The Minister is a grace the Word a grace opportunities to do good a grace the communion of Saints a grace all that helps a man forward is a grace A gracious heart sees God in every thing it sees Gods love in every thing it considers of every thing that befalls it as a Grace Why From this disposition especially because with the grace there is grace to make a blessed use of and to improve every thing If this be so let us look upon every benefit that concerns salvation though it be remote even the very direction of good speeches to us account it a grace It is the grace of God that I have this opportunity especially the publick Ministery Saint Paul calls it a grace let us think of it as a grace And as we do in Clocks we go from the hammer that strikes to the wheeles and from one wheel to another and so to the weights that make it strike we go to the first weight the first wheel that moves all and leads all So when we see good done look not to the good done onely but go to the wheeles to the weights what moves it and makes it strike what sets all a going The grace and free love of God when good things are spoken when any good is done go higher to the first wheel that sets all a going to the grace and free love of God This is the language of the Scripture and of the Spirit of God thus we must speak and think to the end that God may have the glory of his grace in whatsoever good is done or offered When Abigail met David and diverted him from his bloody intention to kill Nabal and gave him counsel another way O blessed be God and blessed be thou and blessed be thy counsell So when opportunities are offered to do good and to hinder us from evil intentions O blessed be thou and blessed be thy counsel When a benefit is done if it be a benefit of this life take it as a grace coming freely from God So a poor man his almes is a grace Thanks be unto God for this unspeakable gift saith S. Paul It is grace in him that hath it that God should respect him so much as to relieve him It is grace in the party that gives it that he hath a heart enlarged to do it So when any thing outward or spiritual is done that is good look on it as a grace put that respect on it and that will make you holy-minded to give God his own Our life should be a praising and blessing of God we should begin the employment of heaven while we are on earth How should we do that In all things give thanks Every good thing from God take it as a grace as a largesse not as due not as coming by chance but as a grace and this will make us improve it as a grace for the best it will make us to give God the glory and improve it to our own good when we are thankful for grace that we may have cause to account it a grace Our hearts would not be so full of Atheisme and our tongues so full of blasphemies if we had learned this lesson our lives would be a praising of God And that we may not want matter to feed a thankful spirit alway consider what good things we have are of grace we deserve not so much as a crumb of bread therefore we pray Give us this doy our daily bread Every thing is a Grace especially the things of a better life How shall I know that the Minister is a grace or a good speech from a Minister to be a grace as S. Paul saith here I intended you a second grace that is to speak gracious thing to you I shall know it if by that
assistance this is the disposition of a modest Christian. You see in Psal. 2. how the Psalmist there insults over those that threaten to do this and that Why do the Heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing c. against the Lord and against his anointed As if they would swallow up the Church and Christ the anointed why do they do this and that God that sits in heaven he laughes them to scorn You see the grounds of lightnesse so far forth as is needful I will name no more The way to prevent it may be in observing these grounds of constancy Especially this Stablish your thoughts with counsel for the time to come consult go not rashly and headlong about matters It is not with our common life as with those that run in a race for their swiftnesse gets all but in matters of government in Common-Wealth there the most staid get all those that weigh things and then execute upon mature deliberation that ripen things first and go not rawly and indeliberately about it this every man takes for granted but it is not thought on Then again labour to suppresse passion in any thing that comes from us speak nothing in passion for one of these things will follow If we execute it we are in danger for the things in passion and inconsiderately spoken if not we shall have the shame of being frustrate we undergo the shame of lightness that we speak that in our passion and heat that we retract after One of these inconveniencies will follow either you will do it and then it will be dangerous or you will not do it and then you will be ashamed a fit reward of rashnesse God gives us passions to be guided and ruled and not to rule us they are good servants and onely servants that should be raised up and stirred up onely when reason and judgment raiseth them and not otherwise But to go on Another cure of this rashnesse is holy dependance on God by prayer and by faith to commit our wayes to him our thoughts to him for the time to come leave all to him entertain nothing wherein we cannot expect his gracious assistance the best Christian is the most dependant Christian. That is the first thing the Apostle declines What is the second thing Or the things that I purpose do I purpose according to the flesh They thought he was a Politician as this is the lot of Gods Children sometimes if so be that God hath given them parts either of nature or breeding carnal devillish men that are led altogether by plots themselves esteem them by themselves The things that I purpose do I purpose according to the flesh He propounds this interrogatory to their conscience not idly but he knew that they had a prejudice in them by his corrivals false Apostles therefore he labours to wipe away that imputation likewise that he did not purpose and consult of things according to the flesh What is flesh here Flesh is the unregenerate part of man whereof fleshly wisdome is the chief for that guides the old man that is the eye of old Adam Carnall wisdome it is the fleshes counsellour in all things therefore especially he means that But why is it called flesh For many reasons among many this is one that the soul so far as it is sinful it is led with things that are fleshly that are outward and thereupon a man is called flesh and the soul it self is called flesh because it cleaves in its affections and desires to earthly things And because the poor understanding now which ruled all and should rule all is become an underling to the carnal will and carnal lusts Therefore it self is called flesh likewise The wisdome of the flesh is enmity with God For now it is swayed even which way carnal fancy and opinion and the flesh lead it The reason is it is betwixt God and heavenly things and betwixt earthly things And if it were in its right original as it came out of Gods hands being a Spirit it should be led by God and by Gods Spirit and Gods Truth by better things then it self as every infirm thing is guided by that which is better then it self as brute creatures are guided by men and weaker persons by Magistrates that are or should be better but now since the fall without Grace renew a man the understanding part of mans soul instead of lighting its candle from heaven it often lights it from hell and is ruled by Satan himself and takes advice even from things meaner then it self and plots and projects altogether for things worse then it self It was not given for that end God knows that give it this soul of ours to proul for earthly things for the ease and honour and profits and pleasures of the world That excellent Jewel that all the world is not worth it was not given for that end no it was given to attain a higher end then this world to attain communion with God but now since the fall it is thus with it that it is a slave Carnal wit is a slave to carnal will and that carnal will is drawn by carnal affections affections draw the will and the will drawes the wit and makes it plot and devise for that which it stands for for carnall lusts and affections which whet the wit that way therefore the whole soul is called flesh even reason it self And hereupon wicked men are called the world why the world because they are led with the things of the world with the guise and fashion of the world A man in the language of the Scripture is termed by that which he cleaves to therefore if the heart and soul cleave to the flesh and the things of the flesh it is flesh if it be led with the world and the things of the world it is called the world Wicked men are the world because the best thing in them is the love of worldly things and their wit is for worldly things all the inward parts of their soul are spent upon worldly things therefore they are called flesh and the world And sometimes Satan himself a man as far as he is carnal is called Satan yea good men Go after me Satan saith Christ to Peter A man as far as he yields to any thing he is named from that which he yields to when fleshly things rule a man he is called flesh when worldly things rule him profits and pleasures a man is the world when a man yields to Satan he is Satan This should make us take heed by whom we are led under whose government we come Saith S. Paul Do I purpose according to the flesh that is according to the profits and pleasures and honours which the flesh looks after are those my advisers my intelligencers my counsellours in the things I take in hand what may make for my honour my pleasure my estate my worldly ease here No saith he I
Christian. Doct. Prayer a means to convey all good and deliver from all ill Reason 1. It is for Gods glory Reason 2. For our good 1. To shew our dependance on him 2. It exerciseth our graces We must pray though God know our wants Doct. 2. Gods Children can pray for themselves Reason Because they are Children Use. Not to put off prayer onely to others Doct. Christians ought to help one another by prayer A general desire in Heaven Reason Gods children cannot so well pray for themselves sometimes As in sicknesse People to pray for the Ministers For what to pray for them Reason Christians 〈◊〉 not the Spirit of prayer all times a like Prayer not a work of gifts but of Grace Diverse gifts in Prayer Reason To humble great Christians Reason To raise up weâ—… Christians Use. Let no man slight his own prayers Use 2. None to be idle in the profession of religion Doct. 4. Prayer prevails with God Reas. 1. It is obedience to Gods order Reason 2. It sets God on work Instances of prevalencie of prayer To pray for the Church abroad How to present the Church in our prayers to God Use. Not to grieve the spirit in any Quest. How to know whether our prayers help the Church Answ. 1. When we help them otherwise as we are able To leave evit courses 3. To hearken to Gods Word An ill condition not to be able to pray What to pray for for the Ministers Health a gift Against merit All other blessings uncomfortable without health To blesse God for health Quest. Answ. To beg the prayers of others in sicknesse Comfort from the prayers of others Object Sol. Object Answ. Obser. Praise followes prayer Ingratitude a horrible sin Praise of many acceptable To be in love with publick meetings Use. Encouragement to union To stir up others to praise God To praise God for others To be good to many that many may give thanks for us Praise wherein it consists 1. Taking notice of blessings 2. Remembring them 3. Estimation 4. In words 5. In doing good Directions to thanksgiving To look what we have cause to be thankful for 2. Dwell on them in meditation 3. Consider our unworthinesse 4. Consider the misery of our selves and others in want of blessings 5. Keep a Catalogue of Gods mercies Motives to thankfulnesse 1. It is Gods tribute 2. It invites God to bestow new blessings 3. It is the begining of heaven 4. None unthankful but divells Reall thanksgiving To shame our selves for our unthankfulnesse It was a Sacrament day Doct. The more eminent men are the more to be prayed for Doct. Christians driven to make apologies Use. Not to think strange if we be driven to it Quest. Answ. Life the best Apology but not enough sometimes A man may speak in commendations of himself 1. For thankfulnesse 2. For example 3. For defence Question Answ. How a man may glory of the graces in him Doct. Christians have their joy Use. To labour for a temper that we may glory A Christians joy 1. In Election 2. In justification 3. In sanctification 4. In the hope of glory A Christian only can stand to his joy Wicked men labour to hide the ground of their joy A Christian not ashamed of his joy 1. It is well bred 2. It is permanent Pride against all the commandements Conscience what 1. The soulit self 2. A faculty 3. an Act. An Atheist can have no conscience Conscience above reason Three things joyned with conscience 1. It is a knowledge with a generall rule 2. Of our own actions 3. A knowledge with God God hath set up in man a Court wherein conscience is 1. Register 2. Witnesse 3 Accuser 4. Judge 5. Executioner Sympathie between heart and brain Conscience Gods Hall Judgment of conscience a forerunner of the great judgment Conscience beareth witness Josephs Brethren Conscience 〈◊〉 witnesse 1. Faithful 2. Inward Use. Not to sin in hope of secrecy Use. To labour that conscience may witness well Good witness of conscience two-fold 1. Labour for good rules An Ignorant man cannot have a good Conscience Why men have bad consciences Papists cannot have a good conscience why 2. To apply them Doctrine The witnesse of a good conscience a ground of joy 1. From the office of conscience 2. It witnesseth with God 3. Without selves A good conscience breeds joy 1. In life In good estate 2. In cvil estate 1. In false imputations A good man looks more to Conscience then to fame 2. In sicknesse 3. In Crosses and losses 3. At the day of judgement Objection Answer Why a good conscience doth not alway witnesse Comfort Directions to joy in the witness of conscience Obser. A man may know his estate in Grace Object Answer Use. To labour for a good conscience that we may have joy Nothing worse then an ill conscience Evangelical conscience The way to have a good Conscience Question Answer Cautions for glorying in grace Difference of simplicity and sincerity Question Answer Saint Paul's conversation in simplicity Simplicity what Simple without mixture Simplicity 1. Not defect 2. Not rudeness 3. Not credulity Why called the simplicity of God Manby nature prone to double The ground of it Ground of dissimulation Of simulation Aggravation of this sin Simplicity opposite to curiosity Simplicity opposed to lying and equivocation Object Answ. All sorts of lies unlawful Lying opposite to society Motives to simplicity 1 It is comely's 2. Doubling inconstant 3. It is part of Gods Image 4. It brings comforts Doubling a great sin The more will and advisedness in sin the greater sin Doubling with men Some persons more prone to doubling then others Some Callings Merchants Lawyers Man naturally prone to dissemble Simile How to get simplicity 1. To consider one day all will be laid open Simile 2. Labour for faith Sincerity what Sincerity of God Doctr. A Christian that looks for joy must have his conversation in sincerity Sincerity in good actions 1. To know all that is good 2. Universal obedience Sincerity looks at God that commands all 3. Performance of lesse duties 4. Uniformity 5. Humble in performance 6. Humble and thankful after 2. In ill actions 1. He intends none 2. He is grieved for them 3. Careful to avoid personall sins 4. Hatred of all sin 5. Care to avoid sinfor the future 3 Sincerity in actions indifferent Actions of calling 2. Recreations Motives to sincerity 1. All else is nothing Why many men of parts die uncomfortably 2. It gives acceptance to all we do 3. It makes us grow to perfection Use 2. Direction Means to get sincerity 1. Get our hearts changed 2. Get assurance of Gods love 3. Labour to mortifie our earthly affections 4. Do all things as in Gods eye 5. Look to the heart the spring of all our actions Use. Exhortation to labour for sincerity Object Answ. Sincerity all that we can plead It will comfort against Temptations at death It comforts in life Not offend against sincerity Sinning against
as his Word was at the first in the creation of the World it hath a creating Power he raiseth an excellent frame in the heart of a man he scatters his natural blindnesse he sets in order his natural confusion that a man becomes a new creature and an heire of a new World Let no people despair nor no person for God hath his Church in Corinth But what is become of this Church now Why alas it is under the slavery of the Turks it is under miserable captivity at this day At the first Corinth was overthrown by Numeus a Roman Captain for the abusing the Roman Ambassadors it was ruinated for the unfit carriage to the Ambassadors who would not suffer themselves to be contemned nor the Majestie of the Roman Empire But Augustus Caesar afterwards repaired it And now for neglecting of Gods Ambassadors the Preachers of the Gospel it is under another misery but Spiritual it is under the bondage I say of that Tyrant What is become of Rome that glorious City It is now the habitation of Devils a cage of unclean birds What is become of those glorious Churches which St. John wrote those Epistles to in his Revelation and which St. Paul wrote unto Alas they are gone the Gospel is now come into the Western parts And shall we think all shall be safe with us as the Jewes did crying the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord Jer. 7. No No unlesse we respect Christs blessed Gospel of Salvation except we bring forth fruits worthy of it except we maintain and defend it and think it our honour and our crown and be zealous for it if we suffer the insolent enemies of it to grow as vipers in the very bosom of the Church what is like to become of us If there were no forraign Enemies to invade us we would let slip the glorious Gospel of Salvation God will not suffer this indignity to this blessed Jewel his truth he will not suffer the Doctine of the Gospel to be so disrespected You see the fearful example of the Church of Corinth Let those whom it may concern that have any advantage and authority let them put in for Gods cause put in for the Gospel labour to propagate and to derive this blessed truth we enjoy to posterity by suppressing as much as they may the underminers of it It is an acceptable service To the Church of God at Corinth And all the Saints in Achaia COrinth was the City Achaia the country wherein Corinth was There were then Saints holy men in all Achaia And St. Paul writes to All Saints to weak Saints to strong Saints to rich Saints to poor Saints because every Saint hath somewhat that is lovely and respective in them somewhat to be respected The least grace deserves respect from the greatest Apostle And all have one head all have one hope of Glory all are redeemed with the same precious blood of Christ and so I might run on The many priviledges agree to all Therefore all should have place in our respect To all Saints that the least should not think themselves undervalued weaknesse is most of all subject to complayning if it be disrespected Therefore in heavenly wisdom and prudence the Apostle puts in All Saints In all Achaia whatsoever Besides the mother City the Metropolis of that Country which was Corinth there were Saints scattered God in heavenly wisdome scatters his Saints As seed when it is scattered in the ground it doth more good then when it is on heaps in the barn so God scatters his Saints as Jewels as the lights of the World here he will have one to shine and there another here he will have one fruitful to condemne the wicked world where they are and by their good example and their heavenly and fruitful conversation to draw out of the wicked estate of nature those with whom they are Therefore he will have them scattered here and there not onely at Corinth but Saints in all Achaia besides scattered in other places But we must know by the way that these Saints had reference to some particular Church for though it be sufficient to make a Christian to have union with Christ there is the main the head yet notwithstanding he must be a branch he must be a member of some particular Congregation therefore we have it in Act. 4. God added to the Church such as should be saved Those that are added to salvation must be added to the Church a man must be a member of some particular Church So though these were scattered they were members of some Church Gods children are as stones in some building and there is an influence of Grace comes from Christ the Head to every particular member as it is in the body God quickens not stragling members that have no reference to any particular Church that I note by the way To the Church of God at Corinth and all the Saints in Achaia Saints The Apostle calls them Saints all believers are called Saints Are they so are all in the visible Church Saints Yes say some and therefore they say that our Church is not a true visible Church because many of them are not Saints say some that went out from among us I Answer all are or should be Saints St. Paul wrote here to those that were sacramental Saints and such as by outward covenant and profession were Saints not that they were all of them inwardly so but all should be so done he calls them so to put them in mind of their duty To cleare this point a little Sometimes the Church of God in the Scripture hath its name from the commixtion of good and bad in it so it is called a field where there is a mixture of good and bad seed so it is called a house wherein there are vessels of honour and vessels of dishonour because there is such a mixture in the visible Church Sometimes the Church hath the name from the better part and so it is the Spouse of Christ the love of Christ a peculiar people a holy nation and Saints as it is here Not that all are so but it hath the denomination from the better part all should be so and the best are so and it is sufficient that the denomination of a company be from the better part As we say of Gold Oare though there be much earth mixed with it yet in regard of the better part we call it Gold we give it that name so in regard that the best are Saints and that all should be so therefore he calls them all Saints should all in the visible Church be Saints by profession and by Sacrament should all that are Baptized and receive the Communion enter into a profession of sanctity What say you then to a prophane atheistical Generation that forsooth make a shew of holinesse and therefore we must look for none of them I say all prophane persons are grosse Hypocrites why
hypocrite in many respects but in this one mainly that a true Saint of God is altered in the inward frame and qualification of his soul he is a new Creature therefore there is a spring of better thoughts of better desires of better aimes in him then in other men And he labours more after the inward frame of his heart then after his outward carriage what he is ashamed to do he is ashamed to think he is ashamed to lust after what he desires to do he desires to love in his heart he labours that all may be true in the inward man because grace as well as nature begins from the heart from the inward parts An hypocrite never cares for that all his care is for the outward parts he is sale-work so his carriage be acceptable to others all his care is taken he lives to the view therefore he looks not to the substance and the truth but to the shadow and appearance Now I come to the Salutation it self VERSE 2. Grace be unto you c. GRace doth enter into the whole conversation of a Christian and doth sweeten his very Salutations Which I observe because many men confine their Religion to places to actions and to times there is a relish of holinesse in every thing that comes from a Christian in his Salutations and Courtesies St. Paul salutes them Grace and peace from God c. And the use of holy Salutations are To Shew Love Win To shew love and respect therefore he salutes them and by shewing love to gain love for there is a Loadstone in love And thirdly the use of salutations is by them to convey some good for these salutations are not meer wishes but prayers nay blessings Gods people are a blessed people and they are full of blessing they carry a blessing in their very speeches What is a blessing A blessing is a prayer with the application of the thing prayed for it is somewhat more then a prayer Grace be with you and peace It is not onely a meer wish I desire it nay my desire of it is with an applying of it grace shall be with you and peace and the more because I heartily wish it to you It is no light matter to have the benediction and salutation of a holy man especially those that are Superiours for the Superiours blesse the Inferiours there is a grace goes even with the very salutations with the common prayers of a holy man It is a comfortable sign when God doth enlarge the heart of a holy man to wish well to a man And surely the very consideration of that should move us to let them have such incouragement from our carriage and demeanour that they may have hearts to think of us to the throne of Grace to give us a good wish to give us a good desire for every gracious desire every prayer hath its effect when it comes from a favourite of God especially from such a man as St. Paul was from a Minister a holy man in a calling a man of God they have their efficacy with them they are not empty words Grace and peace The Popes think it a great favour when they bestow their Apostolical benediction and blessing their blessing is not much worth their curse is better then their blessing but surely the blessing of a man rightly called those that are true Ministers of Christ they are cloathed with Power and efficacy from God Grace be with you and peace it is no idle complement And here you see likewise what should be the manner of the salutation of Christians as they ought to salute to shew love and to gain love so all their salutations should be holy There is a takingthe name of God in vain in salutations oft times God save you c. and it must be done with a kind of scorn and if there be any demonstration of Religion it becomes them not that which should become them most What should become a Saint but to carrie himself Saint-like and yet men must do it with a kind of scorn with a kind of gracelesse grace that which in the religious use of it is a comfortable and sweet thing and is alway with a comfortable and gracious effect in Gods Children Either it hath effect and is made grace to them to whom it is spoken or returns to them that speak it As Christ saith to his Disciples when you come into a house pronounce peace to them and if the house be not worthy your peace shall return to you So the salutations of a good man if they be not effectual to the parties if they be unworthy rebellious creatures they return again to himself they have effect one way or other Let it not be done therefore with a taking the Name of God in vain in a scornful manner but with gravity and reverence as becometh a holy action There is some limitation and exception of this Salutations in some cases may be omitted As in serious businesse salute no man by the way as Christ saith to his Apostles A neglect sometimes is good manners when respect is swallowed up in a greater duty As it was good manners for David to Dance and to carry himself as it were unseemly before the Ark because he was to neglect respect to meaner persons to forget the respect he was to shew to men being altogether taken up with higher matters it was a kind of decencie and comlinesse And overmuch scrupulousnesse and nicenesse in lesser things when men are called to greater is but unmannerly manners in these cases these lesser must give way and place to the greater Salute no man by the way dispatch the businesse you are about that is if it may be a hindrance in the way salute not this is in respect of time And as for time so for persons a notorious incorrigible Heretick salute not to salute such a one would be as it were a connivence or an indulgence to him salute him not The denying of a Salutation many times hath the force of a censure the party neglected may think there is somewhat in him for which he is neglected in that manner In these cases salutations may be omitted sometimes But I go unto the particulars Grace be unto you and peace These are the good things wished We see the Apostle a blessed man that had been in the third heaven wrapt up that had been taught of Christ what things were most excellent and had himself seen excellent things which he could not utter when he comes to wishes we see out of heavenly wisedom and experience he drawes them to two heads all good things to Grace and peace If there had been better things to be wished he would have wished them but Grace and peace are the principal things What is meant by Grace here Grace in this place is the free favour and love of God from his own bowels not for any desert or worth or
is not sufficient to be in the Grace of God but to have the report of it to our own hearts to have it shine upon us How should we carry our selves so that we may be in state of Grace that is in such a state as we may find the sweet evidence and comfortable feeling continually that we are Gods Children First of all there must be a perpetual daily practise of abasing our selves of making our selves poore that is every day to see the vanity of all things in the world out of us to see the weaknesse of Grace in us to see the return of our corruptions that foile us every day that so we may see in what need we stand of the favour of God Considering that all comforts without are vanity and that all the Graces in us are stained with corruption considering besides the staines of our Graces that there is a continuall issue of corruption these things will make our spirits poor and make us hunger and thirst after the sence and feeling of free pardon every day This will enforce us to renew our patent to renew our portion in the Covenant of Grace to have daily pardon This should be our daily practise to enter deeper and deeper into our selves This is to live by faith As God is continually ready to shew us favour in Christ not onely at the first in acquitting us from our sins but continually doth shew us favour upon all occasions and is justifyng and pardoning and speaking peace continually to us so there must be an action answerable in us that is depending upon God by faith living by faith This we do by seeing in what need we stand of Grace God resists the proud but gives Grace to the humble Then again that we may walk in the grace of God and in the sence of it let us every day labour to have our souls more and more enriched with the endowments and graces of Gods Spirit that we may be objects of Gods delight Let us labour to be affected to things as he is affected two cannot walk together except they be agreed Let us hate that which God hates and delight in that which God delights in that we may have a kind of complacency and be in love with the blessed work of the Spirit of God more and more Let us labour to delight in them that grow in grace as the nearer any one comes to our likenesse the more we grow in familiarity with them Labour also to preserve a clear soul that God may shine upon us God delights not in strangenesse to us his desire is that we may walk in the sence and assurance of his grace and favour How shall we know that we are in state of Grace with God I Answer that we do not deceive our selves we must look to the work of Gods grace Gods grace is a fruitful grace his favour is fruitful it is not a barren favour it is not a Winter Sun The Sun in the Winter it carries a goodly countenance but it heats not to any purpose it doth not quicken but Gods grace it carries life and heat where it comes therefore if we be in state of grace and favour with God we may discern it But in times of desertion though a person be in grace and favour with God yet many times he thinks he is not so It is true then we must not alway go to our feeling at such times and the enlargement of our hearts by the Spirit of comfort but go to the work of grace for where grace and favour is there are the graces of the Spirit As it is nor a bare favour in regard of comfort so it is not a barren favour in regard of graces for every heart that is in favour with God hath some graces of the Spirit God enriches the soul where he shewes favour his love-tokens are some graces therefore if the witnesse and comfort of the Spirit cease in case of desertion let us go to the work of the Spirit and by that we may know if we be in grace with God For Gods people are a peculiar people and Gods children have alwayes some peculiar grace some Ornaments some Jewels the spouse of Christ hath which others have not Therefore examine thy heart what work of God there is and what desire thou hast after better things what inward hatred against that which is ill what strength thou hast against it go to some mark of Regeneration of the new Creature and these will evidence that we are in a state of grace with God because these are peculiar favours And though we feel not the comfort yet there is a work and that work will comfort us more then the comfort it self will do And this is one thing whereby we may know we are in favour with God when we can comfort our selves and can go to the throne of grace through Christ when we can go boldly to God it is a sign of favour when we can call upon him when we can go in any desertion to prayer when in any affliction we can have inlarged hearts it is a sign of favour with God A meer hypocrite or a man that hath not this peculiar grace he trusts to outward things and when they are gone when he is in trouble he hath not the heart to go to God his heart is shut up he sinks down because he relyed upon common matters he did not relie upon the favour of God and the best fruit of it which are graces but upon common favours therefore he sinks in despair But a sound Christian take him at the worst he can sigh to God he can go to him and open his soul to him by Christ we have an entrance to the Father Ephes 3. 12. We have boldnesse through faith Every Christian hath this in the worst extremity he hath a Spirit of prayer though he cannot enlarge himself yet he can sigh and groan to God and God will hear the sighes of his own Spirit they are loud in his ears David at the worst he prayes to God Saul at the worst he goes to the Witch and from thence to his swords point But usually the usual temper and disposition of a man in the state of grace is joy for as one saith Grace is the begetter of joy for they both have one root in the Greek Language there is the same root for favour and for joy so favour is usually and ordinarily with a sweet enlargement of heart we may thank our selves else that do not walk so warily and so jealously as we should The reward that God gives his Children that are careful is a Spirit of joy Rom. 5. 1. Being Justified by faith we have peace of God and joy in tribulation For even as it is in humane matters the favour and countenance of the King it is as a shower of rain after a drought it comforts his subjects there is a wonderous joy in the
Esay 28. you have made a covenant with hell and death with Gods judgments but hell and death hath not made a covenant with you You make a covenant think you shall do well but God is terrible to such his wrath shall smoak against such as make a covenant with his judgments and treasure up wrath against the day of wrath Take heed if the proclamation of mercy call thee not in if thou stand out as a Rebell and come not in but go on still then justice layes hold on thee Gods wrath shall smoak against thee As we see in Prov. 1. I will laugh at your destruction speaking of those that would not come in Chidas it is in Esay 27. 11. He that formed them and made them will have no mercy on them nor shew them favour He will have no delight in them They are Ignorant sotts and will not labour to know God and his will to do and obey it he that made them will have no delight in them and he that formed them will reject them It is a pittiful thing when God that made them and formed them in their mothers womb whose creatures they are shall have no delight in them when he that made them his heart shall not pittie them Ezek. 18. 18. he that goes on in a course of sin presumptuously and doth not repent Gods eye shall not pittie him he that made him will have no delight in him Therefore the Apostle because we are disposed and prone to abuse the goodnesse and long suffering of God and the mercies of Christ he saith Be not deceived be not deceived he oft presseth this for neither the covetous nor licentious persons shall enter into heaven Though God be mercifull if thou live in these sins be not deceived thou shalt never enter into heaven God will not be mercifull to the most of those that even now live in the bosome of the Church because they make mercy a band to their sinful courses God will harden himself he will not blesse such he hath no mercy for such to such he is a God of vengeance His mercy is to such as are weary of their sinful courses as I said he is mercifull but so as he is wise What Prince will prostitute a pardon to one that is a Rebell and yet thinks himself a good Subject all the while he is no Rebell cares he for a pardon And shall he have a pardon when he cares not for it Those that are not humbled in the sight and sence of their sins that think themselves in a good estate they are Rebells that have not sued out their pardon there is no mercie to them yet He that made them will not pittie them because they are Ignorant hardned wretches that live in blasphemy in swearing that in corrupt courses in hardnesse of heart that live in sins that their own conscience and the conscience of others about them know that they are sins devouring sins that devour all their comfort and yet notwithstanding they dream of mercy mercy Hell is their portion and not mercy that make an Idol of God Thus it is with us we are prone to presume upon Gods mercy I speak this that we should not surfet of this sweet doctrine that God is the father of Mercies He is so to repentant sinners to those that believe to those mercy is sweet We know oyl is above all other liquors Gods mercy is above all his own works and above our sins But what is the vessel for this oyl this oyl of mercy it is put in broken vessels it is kept best there a broken heart a humble heart receives and keepes mercie As for proud dispositions as all Sinners that go on in a course of sin the Psalmist terms them proud men he is a proud man that sets his own will agaist Gods command God resists the Proud it is the humble yeelding heart that will be led and lured by God that is a vessel to receive mercy It must be a deep vessel it must be a broken vessel deep with humiliation broken by contrition that must receive mercy And it must be a large vessel laid open capable to receive mercy and all mercy not only pardoning mercy but healing mercy as I said out of that Psalme That forgiveth all thy sins and healeth all thy transgressions Therefore those that have not grace and mercy to heal their corruptions to dry up that issue in some comfortable measure thay have no pardoning mercy and those that desire not their corruptions to be healed they never desired heartily their corruptions to be pardoned those mercies go together He is not the Father of mercy but of all mercies that belong to salvation and he gives them every one and he that desires the one desires the other Let us consider how the sweet descriptions of God and how his promises work upon us If they work on us to make us presume it is a fearful case it is as bad a sign as may be to be ill because God is good to turn the Grace of God into wantonnesse But as we are thus prone to presume so when conscience is awaked we are as prone to despair therefore if they work with us this way there is mercy with God therefore I will come in therefore I will cast down my weapons at his feet I will cease to resist him I will come in and take terms of peace with him I will yeeld him obedience for the time to come therefore I will fear and love so good a God If it work thus it is a sign of an elect soul of a gracious disposition And then if thou come in never consider what thy sins have been if thou come in God will imbrace thee in his mercy Thy sins are all as a spark of fire that falls into the Ocean that is drowned presently so are thy sins in the Ocean of Gods mercy There is not more light in the Sun there is not more water in the Sea then there is mercy in the Father of mercy whose bowels are opened to thee if thou be weary of thy sinful courses and come in and imbrace mercy In the Tabernacle we know there was a mercy Seat we call it a propitiatory In the Ark which this mercy Seat covered was the Law now in the Law there were curses against all sinners The Mercy-Seat was a Type of Christ covering the Law covering the curse though thou be guilty of the curse a thousand times God in Christ is merciful Christ is the Mercy Seat come to God in Christ there is mercy in Israel notwithstanding thy great sins If we cast away a purpose of living in sin and cast away our weapons and submit our selves to him he is the Father of mercies that is he is merciful from himself he is the spring of them and hath them from his own bowels they are free mercies because he is the Father of them For he is just by our fault he is severe
from us he takes occasion from our sins but he is merciful from his own bowels he is good from himself we provoke him to be severe and just therefore be we never so miserable in regard of sin and the fruits of sin yet he is the Father of mercy of free mercy mercy from himself mercy pleaseth him Micah 7. he is delighted in it Now that which is natural comes easily as water from the fountain comes without violence and heat from the fire comes without any violence because it is natural A Mother pitties her child because it is natural there is a sweet instinct of nature that moves and pricks forward nature to that affection of love that she bears to her child So it is with God it is nature in him to be merciful to his because they are his Mercy is his nature we are his we being his his nature being merciful he will be merciful to all that are his to such as repent of their sins and lay hold of his mercy by a true faith His word shewes likewise his mercy there is not one attribute set down more in Scripture then mercy it is the name whereby he will be known Exod. 34. where he describes it and tells us his name what is the name of God his long suffering and mercy c. there is a long description of of God in that place David in Psal. 3. besides that which is in every Prophet almost hath the fame description of God to comfort Gods people in his time in Psal. 86. 103. 145. there is the same description of God as there is in Moses he is merciful and long suffering c. he describes himself to be so and his promises are promises of mercy At what time soever a sinner repents and without limitation of sins all sins shall be forgiven the blood of Christ purgeth us from all sin If there be no limitation of persons whomsoever of sins whatsoever or of time whensoever here is a ground that we should never despair God is the Father of mercies It is excellent that the Prophet hath in Isai. 55. 7. to prevent the thoughts of a dejected soul Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and return to the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon I but I have abused mercy a long time I have lived in sin and committed great sins well notwithstanding that see how he answers it My thoughts are not your thoughts you are vindictive if a man offend you you are ready to aggravate the fault and to take revenge c. But my thoughts are not as your thoughts nor my wayes as your wayes saith the Lord for as far as the heaven is above the earth so are my thoughts above your thoughts and my wayes above your wayes We have narrow poor thoughts of mercy because we our selves are given to revenge and we are ready when we think of our sins to say can God forgive them can God be merciful to such c. My thoughts are not as your thoughts nor my wayes as your wayes It is good to consider this and it is a sweet meditation for the time undoubtedly will come that unlesse Gods mercy and Gods thoughts should be as him self is infinite unlesse his wayes should be infinitly above our wayes and his thoughts infinitly above ours in mercy certainly the soul would receive no comfort The soul of a Christian acquainted with the word of God knows that Gods mercy is as himself is infinite and his thoughts this way are as himself is infinite Therefore the Scripture sets down the mercies of God by all dimensions There is the depth of Wisedom but when he comes to speak of love and mercy as it is in Ephes. 3. Oh the depth and bredth and height of this Indeed for height it is higher then the heavens for depth it fetcheth the soul from the nether most-deep we have deep miserie out of the deep Icryed to thee yet notwithstanding his mercy is deeper then our misery O the depth of his mercy there is a depth of mercy deeper then any misery or rebellion of ours though we have sunk deep in rebellion And for the extent ofthem as I said before his mercy is over all his workes it extends to the utmost parts of the earth The scripture doth wonderfully enlarge his mercie beyond all dimensions whatsoever These things are to good purpose and it is a mercy to us that he sets forth himself in mercy in his word because the soul sometime or other when it is awakned as every one that God delights in is awakened first or last it needs all this it is all little enough God is merciful to those that are heavy laden that feel the burden of their sins upon their souls such as are touched with the sence of their sins God still meets them half way he is more ready to pardon then they are to ask mercy As we see in the prodigall when he had wasted all when he was as low as a man could be when he was come to huskes and when he had despised his fathers admonition yet upon resolution to return when he was stung with the sence of his sins his father meets him and entertains him he upbraids him not with his sin Take sin with all the aggravations we can yet if we repent and resolve uppon new courses there is comfort though we relapse into sin again and again if we must pardon 10. times 7. times as Christ saith certainly there cannot be more mercy in the Cistern then there is in the fountain there cannot be more mercy in us then there is in the Father of mercies as God is Take sin in the aggravations in the greatnesse of it Manasses sin Peters denying of his Master the thief on the crosse and Pauls persecution take sin as great as you will he is the father of mercies If we consider that God is infinite in mercy and that the scripture reveals him as the Father of mercies there is no question but there is abundance a world of comfort to any distressed soul that is ready to cast it self on Gods mercy For those that are converted that are in the state of Grace Is God the father of mercies Let this stir us up to imbrace mercy every day to live by mercy to plead mercy with God in our daily breaches to love and fear God because there is mercy with him that he might be feared It is a harder matter to make a daily sweet use of this then it is taken for Those that are the fittest subjects for mercy they think themselves furthest off from mercy Come to a broken soul who is catched in the snare whose conscience is on the rack he thinks alas there is no mercy for me I have been such a sinner God hath shewed me mercy before and now I have offended him again and again those that are the
subjects of mercy that are the nearest to mercy when their conscience is awakned they think themselves furthest off and we have need to presse abundance of mercy and all little enough to set the soul in frame There is none of us all but we shall see a necessity of pressing this one time or other before we die David when he had sinned he knew well enough that God was merciful oh but it was not a slight mercy that would satisfie him as we see Psal. 51. how he presseth upon God for mercy and will a little serve him No according to thy abundant mercy he presseth mercy and abundance of mercy a multitude of mercies and unlesse he had seen infinite mercy abundant mercy in God when his conscience was awaked with the foulness of his sin there being such a crie for vengeance his sinne called and cried if the blood of Christ had not cried above it mercie mercie and abundance of mercy multitudes of compassion the soule of David would not have been stilled So other Saints of God when they have considered the foulnesse of sin how odious it is to God they could not be quieted and comforted but that they saw mercie and abundance of mercie As the Apostle St. Peter saith 1 Pet. 1. 3. Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who of his abundant mercie hath begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ to an inheritance immortall c. God is the Father of mercies For faith will not have sufficient footing but in infinite mercy in the time of despaire in the time of torment of conscience in the time of desertion it must be mercie and the Father of mercies and multitudes of compassions and bowels of love and all little enough for faith to fix on the faith of a conscience on the rack but when faith considers of God set out not as Satan sets him forth a God of vengeance a consuming fire when faith considers God pictured out in the Gospel it sees him the Father of Christ and our Father and the Father of mercies and God of comfort faith seeing infinite mercy in an infinite God and seeing mercy triumph against Justice and all other attributes here faith hath some footing and staies it selfe or else the converted sanctified soul seeing the odiousnesse of sinne and the clamorousness of sinne such that it will not be satisfied but with abundant mercy and God must be presented to it as a father of mercie and compassion before it can have peace Therefore if so be at any time our conscience be awakened and the Devill layes hard to us let us think of God as he hath made himself knowne in his Word as a Father of mercies and God of comfort represent him to our soules as he represents himself in his Word Times of desertion when we seeme to be forsaken of God will enforce this times of desertion will come when the soul will think God hath forgotten to be merciful and hath shut up his love in displeasure oh no he is the Father of mercie he never shuts up his bowels altogether he never stops the spring of his mercie He doth to our feeling but it is his mercie that he doth that it is his mercie that he hinders the sence of mercy he doth that in mercy it is to make us more capable of mercie afterward Therefore saith the Father when he comes to us in his love and the sence of it it is for our good and when he takes the sence of his love from us it is for our good for when he takes away the sence of his love from us it is to enlarge our soules to be more capable of mercie after to prize it more to walk warily and jealously to look to our corruptions better Therefore in the time of desertion think of this when God seemes to forget us Can a Mother forget her Child Isa. 49. 15. Suppose she should be so unnatural as to do it which can hardly be believed that a Mother should forget her child Yet notwithstanding I will not forget you you are written upon the palmes of my hands that is I have you alway in my eye So that if there were no mercies to be found in nature no bowels to be found in a Mother where usually they are most abundant yet notwithstanding there is mercie to be found in the Father of Mercies still Therefore in such times let us make use of this And another thing that we ought to learne hence is this if God be so in Christ Jesus for we must alway put that in for he is mercifull with satisfaction and yet it is his mercie that he would admit of satisfaction his mercy devised a way to content justice his mercy set all on work mercy is above justice in the work of Salvation justice hath received contentment from mercy but that by the way to make us have higher thoughts of mercy then any other attribute of God in the Doctrine of the Gospel in that Kingdom of Christ it is a Kingdom of Grace and mercy if we have hearts to imbrace it Let this incourage us to come to God and to cast our selves into the arms of this merciful Father If we have lived in other courses before let the mercy of God work upon our souls In Rom. 2. it is pressed there excellently This mercy of God should lead us to repentance it should encourage us What makes a Thief or a Traitor come in when there is proclamation out against him If there be a pardon sent after him it makes him come in or else he runs out still further and further while the hue and cry pursues him but hope of mercy and pardon will bring him in again So it is that that brings us in again to God the very hope of mercy and pardon if we be never so ill or have been never so ill do not put off but take this day now Now is the time now while it is called to day take the present time Here is our error if God be the Father of mercy I will cry him mercy at the hour of death I thou maiest go to hell with mercy in thy mouth he is merciful to those that truly repent but how dost thou know that thy repentance on thy death-bed will be true It is not sorrow for sicknesse and grief for death and fear of that but there must be a hatred of sin and how shall conscience tell thee now thou hast repented that it is a hating of thy sinful courses rather then the fear of damnation that is rather from the sence of grief Conscience will hardly be comforted in this for it will upbraid I now now you would have mercy We see by many that have recovered again that have promised great matters in their sicknesse that it is hypocritical Repentance for they have been worse after then they were before It is not a sufficient matter to yeeld
might have kept himself out of this trouble I would ask such a party had not Christ as much wisdom as thee He was the wisdom of the Father did he keep out of reproaches was he not reproached as a troublesome man as an enemie to Cesar and taxed for base things as a wine bibber c. and one that had a divell and many other waies Was not St. Paul as discreet as we are who in our understanding and conceit are ready to conceive distastfully of men that suffer any thing for the Gospel and yet notwithstanding all his wisdom kept him not from the crosse but the crosse abides me saith he every where The Divell and the crosse follow Gods Children wheresoever they go all their wisdome and holinesse cannot keep them from it because God hath decreed it and called them to it and they must be conformable to Christ. Therefore let us take heed that we do not suffer men to suffer in our conceits when they suffer in a good cause the crosse of Christ reproachful things base death c. Afflictions are therefore called the crosse because there is a kind of basenesse with them and as it is so so carnal men esteem it presently with the suffering there goes a taint and an abasing in their conceit of those men that suffer in a good cause there is a diminishing conceit goes in carnall men of that which should be their glorie our crosses abound but what ought we to judge of these crosses They are the sufferings of Christ. Why Christ suffers nothing he is in heaven in glorie how can he suffer This is to disparage his Glorious estate to make him suffer any thing I answer the sufferings of Christ they are two-fold the sufferings of Christs person that which he suffered himself which were propitiatory and satisfactory for our redemption and the sufferings of Christ in his mystical body which likewise is called Christ. For Christ in scripture is taken either for Christ himself or for the members of Christ why persecutest thou me saith he to Saul or for the whole body mysticall with the head 1 Cor. 12. so is Christ Christ head and members is called Christ. Now when he calls the sufferings of the Church the sufferings of Christ he meanes not the sufferings of Christ in his own person for he suffers nothing he is out of all the malice of persecutours they cannot reach to heaven to Christ but he means the sufferings of Christ in his mystical body these are called the sufferings of Christ. Why are these called the sufferings of Christ Partly because they are the sufferings of mystical Christ the body of Christ the Church for the Church the companie of true belevers are the fulnesse of Christ they make up the mystical body of Christ therefore when they suffer he that is the head suffers Again they are called the sufferings of Christ those that his members and Children suffer because they are for Christ they are in his quarrell they are for his truth for his cause and by his appoyntment he calls us to suffering it is for his cause in our intendment we intend to suffer for Christ to maintain his cause they are the sufferings of Christ likewise in the intent of the opposites and enemies they persecute us for some goodnesse they see in us they persecute the cause and truth of Christ in us so they are the sufferings of Christ both waies Especially they are the sufferings of Christ by way of sympathie because Christ doth impute them to himself The sufferings of Christ. It is a phrase that springs from the near union that is between Christ and his members the Church which is as near or nearer then any natural union between the head and members hereupon it comes that we are said to suffer with him to die with him to be crucified with him to ascend with him to fit in heavenly places with him to judge the world with him to do all with him by reason of this union and he is said to suffer with us to be afflicted in us to be reproached with us he was stoned in Stephen he was persecuted by Saul he was beheaded in Paul he was burned with the Martyrs he was banished with the Christians and he suffers in all his Children not that he doth so in his own person but because it pleaseth him by reason of the near communion that is between him and us to take that which is done to his members as done to himself therefore they are called the sufferings of Christ he suffers when we suffer and we suffer when he suffers The difference is all the comfort in our sufferings it comes from communion in his sufferings because he is our surety for why are we encouraged to suffer by way of sympathy and communion with him because he in love died for us and was crucified for us and abased for us and shamed for us And when is the soul encouraged to suffer afflictions for Christ when it hath a little felt the wrath of God that Christ suffered for it Oh how much am I beholding to God for Christ that endured the whole wrath of God They are the sufferings of Christ this is a wondrous comfortable point and it is a notion that doth sweeten the bitterest crosses that they are the sufferings of Christ not onely that we are conformable to Christ in them we suffer as he did but they are the sufferings of Christ he imputes them as done to him he suffers with us And another reason why they are the sufferings of Christ it is because he not onely takes it as done to himself but he is present with them he was with St. Paul in the dungeon he was with the 3. young men in the firie-furnace there were 3. put in and there was a fourth which was Christ the son of God he goes with the martyrs to the prison to the stake he is with them till he hath brought them to heaven he is present with them when they suffer Here I must before I come to make use of it distinguish between the crosses and sufferings of Christ and of ordinary sufferings as men Something in this vale of misery we suffer as creatures as being subject to mutability and change because this is a world of changes In this sublunary world there is nothing but changes thus we suffer as creatures all creatures are subject to vanity and complain and groane under it Somwhat we suffer as men it is the common condition of men this nature of ours since the fall is subject to sicknesses to crosses and pain and casualties every day brings new crosses with it this we suffer as men Now the sufferings of Christians as religious holy men those are here meant those are the sufferings of Christ. Yet notwithstanding the sufferings as men by the Spirit of God helps our conformity to Christ by them the
flesh is purged and the Spirit strengthened and weaning from the world is wrought and a desire to heaven By the daily crosses we suffer as men not for Religion we are much bettered and those in some sort may be called the sufferings of Christ because by them we are conformed to Christ more in holinesse we grow more out of love with the World and more heavenly minded This distinction is necessary to know which are best the sufferings of Christians as good men It is a point I say of wonderous comfort that we should be conformable in our sufferings with our Head Christ Jesus our Glorified head in heaven is it not a wonderous comfort Nay is it not a glory It is a wondrous glory that God will set us apart to do any thing that God will take any thing of us much more that he will single us out to be Champions in his quarrel and more that he will triumph in us that the comfort shall abound To give an instance if a Monarch should redeem a slave a Traitor from Prison and take him to fight in the Quarrel of his own son to be his Champion were it not an honour so the very sufferings for Christ are an encouragement the disgraces and whatsoever they are that we suffer in a good cause they are ensigns of honour they are badges of honour of Christian knighthood If a Golden Fleece or a Garter or such things be accounted so highly of and glorified in because they are favours c. much more should the sufferings for Christ be glorified in as ensigns of the love God and of our Christian profession when we fight under Christs Banner we are like to Christ we are conformable to him he went before and we follow his steps and if we suffer with him we shall be Glorified with him Therefore be not discouraged that which we think to be matter of discouragement it should be our Crown it is our Crown to suffer reproach in a good cause It is a sign God favours us when he takes our credit our goods or our life to honour himself by Is it not an honour to us doth he take any thing from us but he gives us better he takes our goods but he gives us himself he takes our liberty but he gives us enlargement of conscience he takes our life but he gives us heaven if he take any thing from us for to seal his truth and stand out in his quarrel as Christ saith he gives an hundred fold in this World that is a gracious spirit of contentment and comfort We have God himself hath not he more that hath the spring then he that hath twenty Cisterns Those that have riches and place and friends they have Cisterns but he that suffers for God and for Christ he hath Christ he hath God he hath the spring to go to if all be taken from him he hath God the spring to go to if all particular Beams he hath the Sun It is durable wondrous comfort to suffer for Christs sake Therefore let it encourage us in a good course notwithstanding all the opposition we meet with in the World let us here learn what is our duty let the malicious world judge or say or do what they will if God be on our side who can be against us And if we suffer any thing for Christ he suffers with us and in us and he will triumph in us over all these sufferings at last I will add no more to set an edge upon that I have said then this they are the sufferings of Christ we should be many wayes encouraged to suffer for him For did not he suffer for us that which if all the creatures in heaven and earth had suffered they would have sunk under it the wrath of God And what good have we by his sufferings are we not freed from Hell and Damnation and have we not Title to Heaven hath he suffered in his person so much for us and shall not we be content to suffer for him and his mystical body that in his own body suffered so much for us Again when we suffer in his quarrel we suffer not only for him that suffered for us but we suffer for him that sits at the right hand of God that is glorious in heaven The King of Kings and Lord of Lords Our sufferings are sufferings for him that hath done so much for us and for him that is so able now to over-rule all to crush our enemies for him that is so able now to minister comfort by his Spirit This is a notable encouragement that they are the sufferings of Christ that is so glorious as he is and that will reward every suffering and every disgrace we shall be paid well for every suffering we shall lose nothing And will not this encourage us likewise to suffer for Christs sake because he will be with us in all our sufferings he will not leave us alone it is his cause and he will stand by his own cause he will maintain his own quarrel he will cause comfort to increase Is it not an encouragement to defend a Princes quarrel in his own sight when he stands by to abet us it would encourage a dull mettle When we suffer for Christs cause we have Christ to defend us he is with us in all our sufferings to bear us up he puts his shoulder under by his holy Spirit to support us We cannot live long in this world we owe God a death we owe nature a death the sentence of death is past upon us we cannot enjoy the comfort of this World long and for favour and applause of the World we must leave it and it will leave us we know not how soon and this meditation should inforce us to be willing however it go with us for any thing here for life or goods or friends or credit and reputation or whatsoever to be willing to seal the cause of Christ with that which is dearest to us If we suffer with him we shall be glorified with him The very sufferings of Christ are better then the most glorious day of the greatest Monarch in the world that is not a Christian it is better to suffer with Christ then to joy with the world The very abasement of St. Paul was better then the triumph of Nero. Let Moses be judge he judged it the best end of the ballance the very sufferings and reproach of Christ and of Religion is better then the best thing in the world the worst thing in Christianity is better then the best thing out of Christ. The best thing out of Christ is the honour of a King the honour of a Prince to be a Kings Son c. but the reproach of Christ for a good cause is better then the best thing in the world I say let Moses be judge if we will not believe it our selves till we feel it the worst day of a Christian is better then the best day of
a Carnal man for he hath the presence of Gods Spirit to support him in some measure Therefore let us not be afraid before hand fear nothing saith the Apostle that thou shalt suffer And with Moses let us not be ashamed of the rebuke of Christ but Let us go out of the Campe with Christ learning our reproach And because we know not what God may call us to let us entertain presently a resolution to endure whatsoever in this world God calls us to to passe through thick and thin to passe through all kind of waies to the hope of our Glorious calling if by any way by any meanes saith St. Paul I may attain the resurrection of the dead If by any meanes I may come to heaven by fair death or by violent death he scorned reproach if by any means he might be happie And for others it is a wondrous quailing to the spirits of men that offer any wrong if it be but a disgrace a scoffe is a persecution to a Christian for a good cause when wicked men oppose a Christian in a good cause and course let us learn what they do they kick against the pricks Do they know what they do when they reproach Christians it is the reproach of Christ. What was Ishmaels scorning a persecution Christ is scorned in his members will he endure this at their hands When good causes are opposed Christ is opposed and Christ is scoffed This doth enable our suffering being an abasing of it self that Christ accounts it done to him Base men of the world they think when they scoffe at goodnesse and wrong the Image of God in his Children they think they deride and despise a companie of weak creatures that they scoffe at silly persons meaner then themselves but they are deceived they scoffe Christ in them and he takes it so Saul Saul why persecutest thou me The foot is trode on on the earth and the head speaks from heaven It is the reproach of Christ and it will be laid to thy charge at the day of judgment that thou hast scoffed and persecuted and reproached Christ in his members it will be a heavy indictment Men should not regard what they conceive of things but what he that must be their judge will conceive of things ere long and he interprets it as done to his own person It is true both of good and ill whatsoever good we do to a Christian as a Christian to a Disciple in the name of a Disciple Christ takes it as done to himself Matth. 25. In as much as you have done it to these you have done it to mee It should animate us to do good offices to those that are Christs what we do to them we do to Christ. Let us be willing to refresh the bowels of Christ in his members at home or abroad as occasion serves to maintain the quarrel of Christ as much as we can to relieve Christ he comes to us in the poore and asks relief he that shed his blood for us he that dyed for us he that hath given us all asks a little pittance for himself that we for his sake would be so good to him in his members as to do thus and thus that for Jonathans sake we would regard poore lame Mephibosheth his son Christ though he be gone he hath some Mephibosheths some poore weak members and what offices we do them he accounts done to himself it runs on his score he will be accountable for every good word we speak in his cause for every defence for every act of bountie It is a point of large meditation to consider that the Crosses and Afflictions of Christians they are the sufferings of Christ. Do but consider the spirit of God intended in this phrase to dignifie all disgraces and indignities that are put upon us in a good cause and quarrel could he have said more in few words he calls them not disgraces or losses or death but he puts such a comfortable title upon them that might make us in love with suffering any thing and set us on fire to endure any thing in a good cause they are the sufferings of Christ. As the sufferings of Christ abound so our consolations c. The third general point is That our consolations are proportionable to our sufferings Our consolations abound We suffer in this World that is hard I but they are the sufferings of Christ there is sweetnesse And then another degree is our consolations abound as our sufferings abound Consolation is as I shewed before in the unfolding of the word an inward support of the soul against trouble felt or feared and it must be stronger then the grievance or else the action of comfort will not follow There is a disproportion between the agent and the patient in all prevailing actions or else there is no prevailing if the comfort be not above the maladie it is no comfort And therefore no comforts but divine comforts will stand at length because in all other comforts sedet medecinum morbo the maladie is above the remedie they may make glorious pretences as the Philosophers do Plutarch and Seneca and the rest but they are as Apothecaries boxes they have goodly titles but there is nothing within Alas when there is trouble in the conscience awakned with the sight of sin and the displeasure of God what can all those precepts compose and frame the soul in petty troubles They have their place and surely the neglect of them many times is that that makes the crosse heavier but alas in divine troubles in terror of conscience it must be divine comfort it must be of like nature or else the effect of comfort will never follow and those be the comforts that he meanes here As our troubles and afflictions abound so our consolations our divine supports they abound the point is this that Our comforts are proportionable to our sufferings What did I say proportionable it is above all proportion of suffering As it is said Rom. 8. the afflictions of this life are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed And indeed in this life the consolations abound as the sufferings abound For God keeps not all for the life to come he gives us a taste a grape of Canaan before we come to Canaan as the Israelites they sent for grapes to taste the goodnesse of the land and they had them brought to them by the spies by which they might guesse of the fruitfulnesse and sweetnesse of the land it self so the taste and relish that Gods Children have of that fulnesse which is reserved in another world it is answerable and proportionable to their sufferings and in the proportion the exceeding part is of comfort there is an exceeding if not for the present yet afterwards The Ark did rise together with the water and comforts rise together with matter of suffering But what is the reason of the proportion why the greatest comforts follow the greatest sufferings
comforted then it is most terrible at the hour of death we should have most comfort if we had any wisdom when earthly comforts shall be taken from us and at the day of judgment then an ill conscience look where it will it hath matter of terrour If it look up there is the Judge armed with vengeance if it look beneath there is hell ready to swallow it if it look on the one side there is the divell accusing and helping conscience if it look round about there is heaven and earth and all on a fire and within there is a hell where shall the sinner and ungodly appear If the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the sinner and ungodly appear at that time O let us labour to have a good conscience and to exercise the reflect power of conscience in this world that is let us examine our selves admonish our selves judge our selves condemn our selves do all in our selves Let us keep court at home first let us keep the assizes there and then we shall have comfort at the great assizes Therefore God out of his love hath put conscience into the soule that we might keep a court at home Let conscience therefore do its worst now let it accuse let it judge and when it hath judged let it smite us and do execution upon us that having judged our selves we may not be condemned with the world If we suffer not conscience to have its full work now it will have it one day a sleepy conscience will not alway sleep if we do not suffer conscience to awake here it will awaken in hell where there is no remedy Therefore give conscience leave to speak what it will perhaps it will tell thee a tale in thine ear which thou wouldest be loath to hear it will pursue thee with terrours like a blood-hound and will not suffer thee to rest therefore as a bankrupt thou art loath to look in thy books because there is nothing but matter of terrour This is but a folly for at the last conscience will do its duty it will awaken either here or in hell Therefore we are to hope the best of them that have their consciences opened here there is hope that they will make their peace with God that they will agree with their adversary while they are in the way If thou suffer conscience to be sleepy and drowsie till it be awaked in hell wo unto thee for then thy estate is determined of it will be a barren repentance Now thy repentance may be fruitful it may force theeto make thy peace with God dost thou think it will alway be thus with thee Thou besottest thy conscience with sensualitie and sayest Go thy way and come another time as he said to St. Paul I will tell thee this peace will prove a tempest in the end Conscience of all things in the world deserves the greatest reverence more then any Monarch in the world for it is above all men it is next unto God and yet what do many men regard the honour 〈◊〉 their friends more then conscience that inward friend that shall accompany them to heaven that will go with them to death and to judgement and make them lift up their heads with joy when other friends cannot help them but must needs leave them in death Now for a man to follow the humours of men to follow the multitude and to stain conscience what a foolish wretch is he though such men think themselves never so wise it is the greatest folly in the world to stain conscience to please any man because conscience is above all men Again those that follow their own humours their own dispositions and are carried away with their own lusts it is a folly and madnesse for the time will come that that which their covetous base lust hath carried them to that shall be taken away as honours riches pleasures which is the fuel of that lust which makes them now neglect conscience all shall be taken away in sicknesse or in the time of despair when conscience shall be awaked Now what folly is it to please thy own lust which thou should'st mortifie and subdue and to displease conscience thy best friend and then when thy lust is fully satisfied all that hath been fuel to it that hath fed it shall be taken away at the hour of death or some special judgement and conscience shall be awaked and shall torment thee for giving liberty to thy base lusts and to thy self And those eyes of thy soul that thy offence delighted to shut up there shall some punishment come either in this life or in that to come that shall open those eyes As Adams eyes were opened after his sin why were they not open before he had such a strong desire to the apple he did not regard them but his punishment afterward opened those eyes which his inordinate desire shut So it shall be with every sinner therefore regard no man in the world more then thy conscience Regard nothing no pleasure no profit more then conscience reverence it more then any thing in the world Happie is that man that carries with him a good conscience that can witnesse that he hath said nor done nothing that may vex or grieve conscience if it be otherwise whatsoever a man gains he loseth in conscience and there is no comparison between those two One crack one flaw in conscience will prove more disadvantagious then the rest will be profitable Thou must cast up the rest again they are sweet bits downward but they shall be gravel in the belly We think when we have gained any thing when we have done any thing we shall hear no more of it as David said to Joab when he set him to make away Uriah Let not this trouble thee So let not this ill gain let not this ill speech or this ill carriage trouble thee thou shalt hear no more of this We take order to stop and silence conscience thinking never to hear more of it oh but remember conscience will have its work and the longer we defer the witnesse and work of conscience the more it will terrifie and accuse us afterward Therefore of all men be they never so great they are most miserable that follow their wills and their lusts most that never have any outward check or inward check of conscience but drown it with sensual pleasures As Charles the 9 th who at night when conscience hath the fittest time to work a man being retired then he would have his singing boyes after he had betreyed them in that horrible Massacre after which he never had peace and quiet And as Saul sent for Davids Harpe when the evil spirit was upon him So wicked men they look for forreign helps but it will not be for the greatest men with their forreign helps are most miserable The reason is because the more they sink in rebellion and sin against conscience the more they sink in terrours it shall be the
good we have is it not from him And the nearer you come to him the more your happinesse is increased the more you are striped of earthly things the more you have in God Hath not he mens hearts in his hands when you think you shall endanger your selves thus and thusby plain direct dealing without doubling if you be called to the profession of the truth c. Hath not he the hearts of men in his hands to make them favour you when he pleaseth In Pro. 10. He that walketh uprightly walketh boldly He that walketh uprightly not doubling in his courses he walketh safely God will procure his safety God that hath the hearts of men in his hand as the rivers of water he can turn them to favour such a man A mans nature is inclined to favour downe-right dealing men and to hate the contrary You see the three young men when they were threatened with fire come what will O King we will not worship the Image of Gold which thou hast set up They would be burned first What lost they by it Howsoever if we should lose as it is not to be granted that we canlose any thing by direct dealing For the earth is the Lords the fulnesse thereof and the hearts of men are his But suppose they doe yet they gain in better things in comfort of conscience and expectation and hope of better things Faith is the ground of courage and the ground of all other Graces that carrie a mans courage in a course of simplicitie in this World Therefore if we would walk simply and have our conversation in the world in this grace let us labour especially for faith to depend upon Gods promises to approve our selves to him to make him our last and chief end and our communion with him and to direct all our courses to that end This is indeed to set him up a Throne in our hearts and to make him a god when rather then we will displease him or his Vicegerent his Vicar in us which is conscience that he hath placed in us as a monitor and as a witnesse we will venture the losse of the creature of any thing in the world rather then we will displease that Vicar which he hath set in our hearts This I say is to make him a god and he will take the care and protection of such a man S. Paul here in all the imputations in all crosses in the world he retires home to himself to his own house to conscience and that did bear him out that in simplicity he had had his conversation in the world The next particular is In Sincerity The Apostle addes to simplicity this Godly sincerity and he may well joyn these two together for plainnesse and truth go together a plain heart is usually a true heart Doublenesse and hypocrisie which are contrary they alwaies go together he that is not plain to men will not be sincere to God Simplicity respects our whole course with men sincerity hath an eye to God though perhaps in matters and actions towards men Sincerity is alway with a respect to God and so it is opposed to hypocrisie a vice in Religion opposite to God Now this Sincerity that the Apostle speaks of it is A blessed frame of the soul wrought by the Spirit of God whereby the soul is set straight and right in a purpose to please God in all things and in endeavours answerable to that purpose and to offend him in nothing I make a plain description because I intend practice there may be some nicer descriptions But I say It is a blessed frame of the soul wrought by the sincere Spirit of God whereby the soul is set straight and right to purpose and to endeavour all that is pleasing in Gods sight and that with an intention to please God with an eye to God or else it is not sincerity It is such a disposition and frame of soul that doth all good that hates all ill with a purpose to please God in all with an eye to God And therefore it is called sincerity of God or godly sincerity and it is called so fitly because God is not onely the authour of it but God is the aim of it and the pattern of it for he is the first thing that is sincere that is simple and unmixed God is the pattern of it it makes us like to God and he is the aim of it A man that is sincere aimes at God in all his courses wherein he aimes not at God he is not sincere It comes from God and it looks to God For naturally we are all hypocrites we look to shewes therefore sincerity is from God And it is the sincerity of God especially because where this sincerity is it makes us aime at God in all things it makes us have respect to him in all things as the creature should have respect to the Creator the servant to the Master the sonne to the Father the Subject to the Prince The relations we stand in to God should make us aime at him in all things The Observation from hence is this A Christian that hopes for joy must have his conscience witnesse to him that his conversation is in the sincerity of God As the Apostle saith here This is the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation c. Now to go on with this sincerity and lay it open a little Sincerity it is not so much a distinct thing as that which goes with every good thing Truth and sincerity it is not so much a distinct vertue and grace as a truth joyned to all graces As sincere hope sincere faith sincere love sincere repentance sincere confession It is a grace annexed to every grace it is the life and soul of every grace and all is nothing without it Therefore it behoves us to consider of it I say not so much a distinct thing from other graces as that which makes other graces to be graces without which they are nothing at all so much sincerity so much reality So much as we have not in sincerity we have nothing to God it is but an empty shew and will be so accounted In Philosophy you know that which is true onely hath a being and consistence all truth hath a being all falshood is nothing it is a counterfeit thing it is nothing to that it is pretended to be An Image is something but S. Paul calls it nothing because it is not that which it should be and which the Idolater would have it to be he would have it to be a God but it is nothing lesse All is nothing without sincerity Therefore let us consider of it And that we may the better consider of it let us look upon it in every action All actions are either Good Ill. Indifferent How is Sincerity discovered in good actions Sincerity is tryed in good actions many waies First of all a man that is
and quickens and enlivens all duties What are all duties but love Christ reduceth all to love It is a sweet affection that stirres up and quickneth to all duties it carries us along to all duties all are love What need I stand on sincere patience sincere temperance sincere sobriety c If a man have sincere love to God it will carry him to all duties remember this order Especially every day enter into your own soules and search impartially what sin there is there unconfessed and unrepented of and make your peace with God by confession And then go to sincere dependance on God by faith in the Promises And then stirre up your hearts to love him and from the love of him to love one another in sincerity not in hypocrific Thus we have the manner of the blessed Apostle's Carriage in the world whereupon his rejoycing was founded Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity We have had our conversation in the world I will speak a little of those words before I come to the negative part Not in fieshly wisdome Our Conversation By Conversation Anastrophe he means the several turnings of his life in what relation soever he stood to God to men as a Minister as a Christian as a friend as a neighbour at home or abroad in all estates in all places and at all times his Conversation was in simplicity and sincerity In the world That is wheresoever he had lived And mark how he joyns them together his conversation in the world amongst men it was with sincerity to God It was that that did rule his conversation in the world And so it should be with us wheresoever we are or whatsoever we do in the world our carriage here must be directed by a higher aspect The Ship while it is tossed in the Sea it is ruled by the Pole-starre that must guide it so in our conversation in the world the stuffe of our conversation may be the businesse we have in the world but the rule the regiment of all must be from heaven with an eye to God I touch that from the knitting of these together Now where he saith That his Conversation was in simplicity and sinceriy you may see here then that all the frame all the passages of his life were good This makes good that which I touched before which hath its proper place here That Sincerity extends it self to all the frame of a mans life He that is sincere is sincere in all places and at all times in all the turnings and windings and passages of his life or else he is not sincere at all His conversation must be sincere wheresoever he lives or whatsoever he doth in prosperity or adversity at home or abroad The veriest hypocrite in the world hath he not pangs sometimes Take an oppressour he thinks that he should not die so he thinks I must be called to an account if I do thus Doth not Ahab lie upon his sick bed sometimes Is not Herod sometimes troubled in conscience hath not a wicked man sometimes twitches of conscience which the world sees not secret checks of conscience Oh yes there is not the vilest man living but he hath his good fits he hath pangs of goodnesse but what is this to a conversation Our conversation must be in sincerity in all the turnings and passages of it God judgeth us by the tenour of our life and not by single particular acts a good man may be ill in a particular act and an evil man may be good in a particular act but I say God doth not judge us by a distinct severed passage but by the tenour of our life Uniformity equability and evennesse of life it is an undoubted evidence of a good man Because he is a new creature and being a new creature he hath a new nature and nature works uniformly Art works differently and enforcedly Teach a creature some what that is against nature it will do something but a Lion will have a Lions trick and a Wolf will have a Wolfes trick teach them never so much a Lion will be a Lion in all places a Wolf will be a Wolf and an Eagle will be an Eagle Every creature will observe its own nature and be like it self A Christian as far as he is good as far as he is a Christian is uniform his conversation is good he is like himself in all places in all times upon all occasions in prosperity in adversity The very Word shewes that the universality of a mans course must be in sincerity wheresoever he is God is every where and sincerity hath an eye to God it makes a man good every where or else it doth nothing to God Doth not God see every where abroad and at home in our closets If we plot villainy there ses he it as well as abroad therefore if I do it any where I regard not the eye of God Again where he saith Our Conversation it implies constancy as well as uniformity he was so in all places and in all times but that I noted before therefore I passe it Our Conversation In the world That is amongst other men wheresoever I was and have lived whence we see That Christianity may stand with conversing abroad in the world Men need not be mued up in a cloyster as the foolish Monks in former times they thought that Religion was a thing confined to solitarinesse Whereas oft-times it requires greater strength of grace to be alone then to be in company we know the proverb Woe to him that is alone A good Christian converses in the world and that in simplicity and sincerity We need not I say cloyster our selves up to be good men to be sincere Christians We may converse in the world in sincerity if we have Saint Paul's spirit But that which I will presse more is this that True Religion where it is in strength doth carry a man in the world and yet he is not tainted with the world Saint Paul conversed in the world in sincerity The world is an hypocrite as he said of old the whole world acts a part it is an hypocrite and a cruel opposer of sincerity and truth Saint Paul lived abroad in the world amongst men that had aimes of their own and abused themselves in the world and yet he walked in simplicity and sincerity he was a good man for all that A man that is not of the world but begotten to be a member of a higher world he may carry himself in the world without the corruptions of the world he may carry himself so in the world that he may not be carried away of the world we see S. Paul did so Noah was a good man in evil times a good man in his Generation Henoch in evil times walked with God In Act. 13. David in his Generation served the purpose of God and his Generation was none of the best for you know
higher rule of life What then shall become of a Christian when he hath renounced that which is in him by nature when he hath denied his wit and his will when he hath renounced a bad guide shall he have no guide at all Yes For a man is never lawlesse he is alwayes under some guide or other a man is alway under one Kingdome or other when he ceaseth to be under the Kingdom of Satan he comes under the Kingdom of Christ and when he is not led by the flesh he is led by the Spirit Gods Children when they have renounced natural carnal wisdome they have not renounced all wisdome they are wise still but they are wise by a supernatural light they are wise in supernatural things yea and in natural things after a supernatural manner They are new creatures advanced to a higher ranck and order of creatures so their wisdome is a gracious wisdome when they are Christians When a Christian hath renounced carnal wisdome God leaves him not in the storm in the world as a ship without a stearn he leaves him not as having no pole star to guide his course by but he gives him better direction he hath the Word of God he hath the Spirit of God he hath the Grace of God to guide him Therefore after the negative here Not in fleshly wisdome the holy Apostle tells us how the Child of God is led in his own person but By the Grace of God It is good for Inferiours alway to be under the Government of Superiours and so God hath framed the world for beasts because they have no wisdome of their own they are led and guided by men and man because he is as I said before a beast by his own knowledge and hath but a finite a limited understanding he is guided by a larger understanding he is guided by God if he be good And it is the happinesse of the creature to be under the guidance of a better wisdome All things in the world are guided to their end things without life are guided to their end without their privity We see there is an end in every thing there is nothing in nature but it hath its end whereupon comes that saying of the Philosophers which is good That the work of nature is a work of deep understanding not so much as the leaves but they serve to shelter and cover the fruit from the Sun and the stormes that it may thrive the better there is nothing in nature but it is of great use the work of nature is a work of deep understanding Now man because he hath a principle of understanding in himself he is so guided by the wisdome of God to his end as that he understands his own end himself he is so led by the wisdome of God as that God hath created a work of wisdome in himself that he together with God is carried to his end Now as I said when we are out of the regiment and government of the flesh we come under the gracious Government of God Therefore the Apostle saith here Not in fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God The holy Apostle means here especially the particular grace opposite to fleshly wisdome that is spiritual wisdome But why should the Apostle here not say thus Not with fleshly wisdome but with spiritual wifdome why should he not say so rather then thus Not with fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God why should he put Grace instead of Wisdome I answer he doth it for heavenly ends First to shew that that wisdome whereby we are governed it is not from our selves but it is a grace he considers wisdome not so much as it is in our selves in the Conduit but as it is in the Spring in the free love of God It is a Divine consideration to consider all habituall graces in us not as they are streams derived to us and resting in us but as they are knit to a Spring which is never drawn dry which besides is a free Spring therefore they are graces And that is the reason of the comfort of a Christian he knowes he shall never be destitute of necessary strength of necessary comfort of necessary direction and grace to lead him to heaven because those things that are necessary in him he considers them as graces not as habits as it was the proud term of the Philosophers to call them We must consider them not as things in us invested in our nature but as things that have their Original from the free constant and eternal love of God as what is so free as Grace So a Christian looks on his disposition wrought by Grace and on every particular grace he hath as Love Wisdome Patience he looks to all as Graces as they come from the free love of God that is constant for whom he loves he loves to the end And his joy is more in the spring then in the stream it is more in the Sun in Christ himself then in grace from him therefore the Apostle instead of the abstracted distinct grace of wisdome or any such thing he saith Grace There is a savour in the very terms of Scripture a sweet taste in the very language of the Holy Ghost And then to shew that we are not onely governed by wisdome but by other graces to shew the connexion of it with other graces therefore he saith We have had our Conversation not in fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God To shew likewise that where wisdome failes in us it is supplyed by Grace for the wisdome of God for us is larger then the wisdome of God in us The wisdome that God works in us by his Spirit it teacheth us to avoid dangers and teacheth us how to lead our lives but we are led by a higher wisdome the Grace of God for us it is higher then that which is in us The wisdome of God for us it watcheth over us it keeps us from more evil and doth more for us then that which is in us although that be spiritual and heavenly Therefore the Apostle here he names not distinctly gracious wisdome which he mainly intends as we see by the opposition Not by fleshly wisdome but by gracious wisdome why doth he not say so but by Grace Because our Christian conversation it is not onely by wisdome in us but by grace and love partly in us and partly for us For indeed there is a watchful providence there is a waking love about the guiding of a Christian in his course to heaven that keeps him him in more then any Grace that is in him And a Christian at the hour of death and at the day of Judgment will be able to say with experience That the wisdome of God for me hath been more then any wisdome he wrought in me though by the wisdome in me he inabled me to discover many discouragements to see many wants and to take many good courses that he blessed for
that one God will be worshipped his own way There is one God one Truth And that one Religion must needs be that in which that one God discovers and reveales himself and not that which man deviseth For will any Master be served with the device of his servant And will God suffer his creature to devise a Religion to serve him Therefore there is of necessity as one God so one Religion and that one Religion must be that which that God hath left in his Word Therefore those that are to govern States as they will answer to that one God they are to establish that Religion that he hath left to the world in his Word and not any Religion not that which men have devised To go a little further In that one Religion that is left by him there must be a care had that the people live by the rules of that one For this is a rule in nature nothing in Religion will help him that will not live according to the rules of it therefore it concerns all that are not atheists to labour to stablish one Religion and obedience to that one And every particular man as he looks for good by his Religion is not to live by the rules of fleshly wisdome but by the rules of Religion And here a man might deplore the misery of poor Religion above all other things above all other Arts and Trades In other Arts and Trades he is accounted no body that works not according to his Trade and that hath not besides some speculative skill and rules in his head that hath not skill to work he is accounted no body but a talker except he doth But in Religion men think it is enough to know practise it goes under base names Any common conscience any common care and obedience to the rules we must be saved by is reproached and rejected Religion will not do a man good except he be ruled by it Wherefore serves the rule but to bring things to it But I will not stand on this point longer There is a necessity of wisdome And this wisdome may be had and this wisdome it leads not onely to salvation but it reacheth to the State and it leads every man in his calling Well we may see to touch that by the way In the third place True Wisdome toucheth Conversation My Conversation hath been by the Grace of God that is in wisdome he puts the general for the particular there was other graces besides but together with them there was this wisdome So wisdome tends to conversation Mark what I said wisdome is not in word but in work A man that will be Master of his Trade must work when a man can work well he is Master of his Trade and not till then Religion tends to practice You know what Christ saith If you know these things happy are ye if ye do them He intailes happinesse to doing If you know these things he saith not you are happy if you know them no If you know these things happy are you if you do them For indeed true wisdome is not onely speculative This wisdome understanding and knowledge when it is true and spiritual it alway tends to practice and practice is never sound but when it springs from wisdome from things known Every Article in the Creed it tends to practice in a Christians life and quickens practice every Article so wisdome tends to conversation Now besides that main wisdome which properly concerns salvation there is another wisdome which is more particular that tends to conversation which is called Spiritual Prudence for particular actions This comes from the Spirit of God I Wisdome dwell with Prudence Wheresoever there is wisdome to salvation there is prudence to the guidance of a Christian's life But in a word if so be that wisdome tend to conversation and is joyned with it You may see that all naughty livers are no bodies in Religion they are fooles in Religion wherefore serves knowledge wherefore serves light but to walk by wherefore serves an instrument but to work by wherefore serves wisdome but to guide our lives by Is it to be matter of discourse and talk Therefore this doth demonstrate clearly to any man that thinks there is any Religion or any heaven who be the best Christians even those that by the Spirit know the wisdome that God hath revealed in his Word and apply it in their lives and conversations to be ruled by it to work to that end Wisdome prefixeth an end alway and those that work to that end they are wise men he is a wise man that works to attain his end Now there is no man that can attain his end by meer knowledge he attains his end by working by doing therefore the wisest Christian he sets himself to converse wisely and holily and he shewes his religion in his particular calling in every thing If any man be Religious let him shew it in holy Conversation let him be unspotted of the world So much for that But by the Grace of God To give a little further light to the words Grace is either the free favour of God in himself issuing from his goodnesse whereupon we have forgivenesse of sins and acceptation through Jesus Christ to life everlasting This is grace resting in the breast of God but is onely entertained of us and works no change in us of it self Or else grace is something from that favour from that free grace of God wrought in us And thar grace wrought in us is First the grace of a whole universal change for whomsoever God accepts graciously to life everlasting he gives them the gifts of grace with his favour he changeth their nature that they may be fit to entertain fellowship with him For when by grace he accepts us to favour if he should not alter our natures alas what a case were we in were we fit for communion with God No therefore that we may have communion with God he alters our dispositions that we may be holy as he is holy this change is the first change in Christianity Now in this gracious change which is a work of the gracious Spirit derived to us by Christ in whom our nature is filled with all grace and in whom we receive grace for grace there are graces wrought as First a heavenly light to see a further end then ever we saw before a heavenly convincing light to see the love of God to see life everlasting to see glorious things And withal comes the grace of Love to carry the whole inward man to the things that we see Then there is the grace of Hope to expect and Patience to indure all till we be possest of that which our understandings are enlightned to see And Faith perswades the soul where to have it and relies on the Promise so particular graces are wrought Therefore that is one reason why the Apostle names not wisdome in particular when
not rob God of any honour It was a proud term the Philosophers had as I said sometimes they called their moral vertues habits and if we consider them meerly as they are in the person they are habits but indeed they are graces the Scripture gives them a more heavenly term Grace those things that we guide our lives by as Wisdome Love Temperance Sobriety Grace is a fitter word then habit because then we consider them as they come from God freely they are graces they come from grace and favour And when men differ one from another in wisdome they differ in grace and favour he gives more light he opens the understanding of one more then another Therefore S. Paul was wise and careful this way when he speaks of that he had done himself lest he should rob God Not I oh not I 1 Cor. 15. but the Grace of God that was in me that was all in all For indeed we are what we are and we do what we do by Grace Even as by our selves we are men we are what we are and we do what we do by our soules by our reason and understanding so it is with spiritual grace we are what we are out of our selves by spiritual grace and we do what we do by spiritual grace And when that ceaseth when God suspends the blessed motions of his Spirit to humble us alas we are dark a man is a confused creature he is at a losse he is in darknesse for the particular managing of his life he knowes not what to do he knowes not what to speak he is puzzled in every particular action And therefore when he hath spoken or done that which is fit he should consider it is a grace My Conversation hath been in the Grace of God saith the Apostle Therefore let us sanctifie God in our hearts this way And when we stand in need of any direction desire God of his grace to give us wisdome and to give us the grace that we stand in need of That is for the phrase The point as I told you was this That All wisdome comes from Grace And God is ready to give us his Grace For saith S. Paul My Conversation hath been in Grace which God did minister to me and hath ministred to me to lead my life by The Reason is this Christ hath undertaken to give us grace if we be his Men under grace shall never want grace to lead a Christian life For Christ hath undertaken to be our Head to be our Husband to be our guide in our way to heaven As our head he is to give us motion to move us as his members As he is our Shepherd as he saith I am the good Shepherd so he is to lead us in our wayes and passages in his paths to conduct us to happinesse And as he is our husband so he is to be the head of his wife to guide us it is his office And he works according to his own office He is a King to subdue in us whatsoever is contrary to his good Spirit to subdue our rebellions and to bring all our Imaginations under his Spirit as well as to be a Priest to make peace between God and us He is a King to rule us and to over-rule in us whatsoever is ill And he is a Prophet to teach us and to guide us He is the Angel of the Covenant the great Counsellour that hath the Spirit of Counsel in him Esay 9. 6. not for himself onely but for his Church Therefore as all the things that we need come from grace and from the favour of God so we need not doubt of the grace of God in Christ being reconciled he is willing to give us grace This I observe to cut off all cavils of flesh and blood and to arm us against all discouragements There are two things that greatly hinder us from a Christian course Presumption and Despair Presumption to set upon things without asking grace of God without depending upon his direction by the strength of naturall parts of naturall wit And then Despair when a man saith What should I go about these things I shall never bring them to passe No First consider thy standing thy place and calling and then consider the abilities that God hath given thee consider thy parts consider thy duty that thou art to do And beg of God assistance and strength and if it be a thing that belong to thee go on set on all the duties that belong to thy place in this confidence that thou shalt have grace Go to the Fountain to Christ for grace for the direction of thy life he is the light of life he is the Way he is all in all to bring us to heaven Wherefore serves all the Promises not onely of life everlasting but even of grace but to encourage us to set on holy duties in confidence that if we have a will to be out of Satan's Kingdome and if we have a will to be out of fleshly wisdome God will take us into his Kingdome and into his Government He will give the Spirit to them that ask him Now the Spirit is a Spirit of direction a Spirit of assistance a Spirit of strength and comfort it serves all turnes How many Promises are wrapped in that promise of the Spirit In want of direction he shall be our Counsellour in want of strength to assist us In perplexities when we know not which way to turn us to advise us In extremities when we are ready to sink to comfort us He will give us his holy Spirit to supply all our defects in a fit time if we ask him If we find our need and if we will renounce our carnal wisdome Therefore set on those duties that God calls you to And withall do as S. Paul doth here he sets the negative before the affirmative renounce carnal wisdome be not guided by that trust perfectly to the Word of Grace and to the Spirit of Grace for the Word of Grace and the Spirit of Grace go together and then you shall find that God will do abundantly above all that you are able to ask or think Luther when he set on the work of Reformation those that saw him at the first might have said Get thee into thy Cloyster and say Lord have mercy upon thee for thou settest on a work impossible But he saw the parts that God had given him that he had wit to understand the abuses of the times and he had given him courage he saw by his profession he was called to be a Divine his conscience was awaked to see the abominations of the times and he set on to discover these things Did Christ leave him No he did not but gave successe to him to be admired of all When all the world was set against one man yet he prevailed against them all even because he walked as S. Paul did here in sincerity and simplicity that is he looked
own particular one way and gain to the State or Religion another he considers not what will it advantage me but what is it for Religion It is the chief prevailing reason how he may gain to Religion and the glory of God he will not redeem his life to impeach the glory of God and Religion This is a man that leads his life by grace Again where grace is there graces are together there is a sweet linking of them therefore S. Paul instead of wisdome names Grace of God all grace A man therefore may know that he is led by grace when there is no solitary grace for where grace is solitary it is not at all it is but a shadow For there is not one grace but it is of special use in the managing of a Christians life and conversation therefore S Panl instead of wisdome puts grace here For instance there is a great necessity of seeing by a light above nature things above nature If a man lead a life above nature there is a necessity of heavenly illumination and conviction that there is a better happinesse then the world affords And then there is a need of love to carry the soul to that happinesse that is discovered But then there are a world of impediments between us and heaven and happinesse that is discovered to us in the Gospel by Christ Jesus there must be heavenly wisdome therefore to discover the impediments and to remove them And there are many advantages how to attain our end we must use this and this meanes these and these helps that God hath ordained here must be heavenly wisdome to use the advantages and to avoid the hindrances But there are a world of troubles between our end and us between heaven that is discovered and us therefore saith the Apostle Ye have need of Patience And patience that is sustained by hope hope casts anchor in heaven and assures us of happinesse there and then patience sustains us in whatsoever befalls us in this world Therefore the Apostle saith not I lead my life by wisdome but by grace by wisdome as it hath a connexion with all other graces Therefore a man that out of hearing of the Word or reading c. hath it discovered that there is a better way then he takes and yet notwithstanding hath not love to carry him to it nor wisdome to remove the impediments he works not towards his end there is no grace at all there is illumination but it is not sanctified illumination but a meer common work of the Spirit because where true wisdome is there is love and patience and hope and all other graces to carry the whole soul to that happinesse that is discovered Therefore by this you may know a gracious wise man he works to his end alwayes another man heares and wishes Oh it were well if I could attain heaven but carnal policy and base affections hold him in a beastly course of life that he works not to that end onely he hears such things and thinks God will be merciful and Christ hath dyed and when he cannot enjoy the world longer he will have good words that way but that will not serve the turn a man must lead a life in grace that will dye and be saved by grace he must work and carry the whole man with it and not onely have knowledge but faith and love and all a man must work with it Who is a wise man in outward matters is he a wise man that only talks of States matters out of Books he hath read No but he that when he comes to a businesse to negotiate in the world can remove hindrances and attain his end and overthrow the plots of his enemies when it comes to particular actions here is a wise man that can attain his end by working that doth work to his end till he have attained it So he proves graciously wise in Religion that works to his end or else he is a foolish man a foolish builder As Christ saith If ye know these things and do them not you are as a man that builds on the sands your profession will come to nothing Again a man may know that he is guided by Grace that he doth every thing by gracious wisdome when he doth provide for himself best in the best things out of a sanctified judgment when he doth judge aright of differences when he considers that there is a difference between the soul and the body between this life and eternal life there is a main difference between the glorious eternal life in the world to come and this fading life which the soul communicates to the body in this world when a man judgeth the difference between true riches and these things that we are so set upon that are but lent us for a little while When he judgeth between the true honour to be the Child of God and the fading honours of this world that shall lye down in the dust with us and shall all depart and be gone it appears then he hath a sanctified judgment he discerns of things that differ And according to this if he lead his life in gracious wisdome he makes his provision he makes his provision as his judgment leads him his judgment leads him to the best things therefore he provides for the best things As Christ saith of the Children of this world they are wise in their courses in their Generation they provide against beggery they make friends before-hand as we see in that unjust steward So a Christian provides for his soul he looks to that he makes him friends of his unrighteous Mammon he makes him friends of his earthly things that is he doth deserve well of men that they pray for him and so help him to heaven He daily makes his account ready he cuts off impediments that he meets with in the way he troubles not himself with impertinencies he spends not more time then needs about worldly things he useth them as they may help his work to be better and better in grace to be fitter and fitter for glory As he discerneth differences so he makes his provision answerable he provides for the best in the first place Or else he were a foolish Merchant a foolish builder a foolish man every way the Scripture saith he is no better that cannot discern the difference and provide well for himself when other things fail The Scripture doth well call wicked men fooles they have no judgement they do not provide for themselves they prefer these things say what they will before better things they are fooles in their provision Achitophel he made provision he set his house in order and what became of him after he hanged himself He made much provision for the world and at last he knew not how to forecast and provide for his soul. The Scripture calls the rich man in the Gospel a fool he was wise enough to contrive for himself yet he was but a rich
year as a good parenthesis in an unlearned and unwitty speech A good parenthesis is unseemly in a wicked speech and a good piece is unseemly in a ragged garment so their lives that make a good shew then and there are few that do so they are scarce among us men are such Atheists that there is not outward reformation but if there be if they give themselves leave to be Civill and to respect holy things a little time afterward they return to their loosenesse again Doth this patching out of a holy life please God No no I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous Statutes saith David And S. Paul I have resolved to be so to the end I will be my self still So where grace is there is a resolution against all sin for the time to come If you entertain not this resolution to walk in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of your life acknowledge no benefit by Christs redemption and come not near the holy things of God This is the honest heart that the Scripture speaks of that receives the seed deep into it that hates sin above all miseries and ills and that loves grace above all other good things therefore if any infirmity come he can say it is against his resolution I purposed not this I plotted it not I do not allow my self in it here is an honest heart the Word is fixed deeply in such a heart it comes with an honest resolution If you come to the Sacrament and purpose to live in sin you prophane the holy things of God the Word of God will do you no good it will never take deep root to save you So much for S. Paul's resolution for the time to come I trust 〈◊〉 shall acknowledge to the end VERSE XIV As also you have acknowledged us in part that we are your rejoycing even 〈◊〉 ye are ours in the Day of the Lord Jesus YOu have acknowledged us in part now since you have repented for when he wrote the former Epistle to them they had many corruptions among them in Doctrine and in conversation about the Sacrament many corrupt opinions they had and in conversation they endured the incestuous man among them without casting of him out and many of them doubted of the Resurrection Now when he wrote the first Epistle it took a blessed effect in their hearts they repented and began to acknowledge S. Paul notwithstanding they were disasted of him by reason of the bad information of some presumptuous Teachers saith he now again You have acknowledged us in part that now we are your rejoycing c. Observe this which I touch by way of coherence It is a sign of a repentant man of a man that hath repented of his sins and is in a good estate to acknowledge him that hath told him of his sins to acknowledge his Pastor For a false heart swells against the reproof if the Corinthians had not been sound hearted they would never have endured S. Paul's sharp Epistle but now he tells them their own plainly as indeed it is a very sharp Epistle in many passages yet now they acknowledged him to be a good and gracious man a faithful Teacher Let it be a Trial of your estate can you endure a plain a powerfull an effectual Ministery More particularly can you endure a plain effectual friend that brings that which is spoken by the Minister more particularly home to your hearts It is a sign of a good heart of a repentant heart that would be better But if not it is a sign you have a reserved love to some special sin that will be your bane it is a sign your soules have not repented As you see after in another Chapter of this Epistle where he sets down the fruits of repentance And here is one sign Tâ—… have acknowledged us in part c. In the words First There is the thing it self acknowledgment Secondly the object matter of it That we are your rejoycing and you are ours There is a mutual entercourse of rejoycing And then the time is set down The Day of the Lord Jesus The second coming of Christ. To speak a little of Acknowledgment Acknowledgment is more then Knowledge for knowledge is a bare naked apprehension and acknowledgment is when the will and affections yield to the entertaining and the owning of the thing known As a father not onely knowes his son but acknowledgeth him a King acknowledgeth his Subjects and the Subjects their Prince It is not onely a knowledge of such men but an acknowledging of them acknowledging a relation to them So you acknowledge us that is in the relation we stand to you to be faithful and good Ministers and good men too What doth S. Paul mean by saying You have acknowledged us doth he mean himself No not altogether but you have acknowledged me in my faithful preaching of Christ to you Wheresoever the Minister is acknowledged as a Minister Christ is acknowledged For what are we We are but the Ministers of Christ no more nor no lesse Saith S. Paul Let a man esteem of us as of the Ministers of Christ. If they think of us more then Ministers that we can make and coyn things of our own they think too much of us If they think meanly and basely of us they think too little of us Let a man think of us as of the Ministers of Christ no more nor no lesse it is enough that they acknowledge us so as the Ministers of Christ. So they are never acknowledged but Christ is acknowledged by them for they have a relative office they are the Ministers of Christ. How shall we know then whether we acknowledge the Minister or no If we acknowledge Christ first by him How shall we know that we acknowledge Christ To acknowledge Christ God-man in his natures that we have a great deal of love to him that he would be born for us and a great deal of reverence in that he is God We must not think-of him but-with a great deal of reverence and meddle with nothing of him but with much love he is God-man God incarnate He acknowledgeth Christ in his Priestly Office that doth not despair that doth believe his full satisfaction to God and doth not mingle other things Popish satisfaction and Purgatory for venial sins He acknowledgeth Christs Priestly Office that goes boldly to God through Christs intercession-in heaven and boldly trusts in the satisfaction of Christ in the clamours of conscience and the accusations of Satan This is to acknowledge Christ a Priest in our boldnesse and liberty to God and confidence in our conscience of the forgivenesse of sins To acknowledge Christ as a King is to yield subjection to his Word and to suffer him to rule us To acknowledge him as a Prophet to be instructed and guided by him But now such as are ruled by their own lusts and by the examples of others and care
being out of prison he being risen again But all this must be opened to us and offered to us and applyed to us by the Ministery what Christ hath done and what he will doe it must be opend to us and offered to us to receive Christ thus graciously bringing us to God And faith must be wrought in us to joyn us to Christ and this is by the Ministery Now in the next place when the Ministery doth this it doth teach us that God is reconciled by the satisfaction of Christ and teacheth the nature and offices of Christ and the benefits we have by Christ it unfolds the unsearchable riches of Christ. The Ministerie offers Christ and God by his Spirit works Grace in the Ministerie to believe and to walk worthy of Christ. Hereupon comes glorying in the Ministery in the preaching of Christ faithfully crucified and risen and teaching us to walk worthy of Christ. So it is not that any man should glory in the Minister for himself but in that he brings us to Christ which Christ brings us to God in whom is all our glory So we see the ground of it how S. Paul was the rejoycing of the Corinthians because he brought them to Christ. The Office of the Ministers is to be wooers to make up the marriage between Christ and Christians soules now herein is the rejoycing in a good Minister when we are brought to Christ and then see the riches of our husband unfolded by the Ministery here is matter of joy especially at the day of Judgment then we shall joy indeed that ever we knew such a Minister that ever we knew such a holy man that was a means to bring us to Christ and to God Hereupon it is that the Ministers are said to be a special gift of God Ephes. 4. Christ when he ascended on high he led captivity captive gave gifts to men What gifts Some Apostles some Prophets some Pastors some Teachers to the end of the world for the building of his Church Christ when he went in triumph after his Resurrection when in his Ascension he went triumphantly to heaven as the great Emperours on the day of their Triumph they scattered money so he scattered gifts and they were not mean gifts money and such trifling things but when he went in his Triumphant Chariot to heaven he had no better gifts to leave to the world then to give such kind of gifts as these he left Ministers Apostles to found a Church he left Pastors and Teachers to the end of the world These were the gifts that Christ gave when he went in Triumph to heaven therefore well may they joy in the Ministers as a special gift of God So there is a notable place Jer. 3. 14 15. there is a Promise if they would turn to God and be a gracious people what he would do I will giveyou Pastors according to my own heart and feed you with knowledge and understanding insinuating that it is a special blessing it is a blessing above all blessings in this world indeed none comparable To live in a place where all solaces are where all worldly contentments yet to be there where the sound of the Gospel is not where the best things are not it is but a dead place What is it to be fatted to destruction what life to the life of Grace and how is the life of grace begun and strengthened but by the meanes of salvation When God gives Pastors according to his own heart to feed his people with understanding and judgment it is a great blessing and so it is matter of rejoycing and glorying For may not the soul reason thus Who am I that when thousands sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death God should send his Ambassadours to me to offer Christ Jesus with all his riches to me and by his holy Spirit effect it by such and such a Ministery working grace in me to give me the first fruits of glory the pledge of salvation the beginning of grace here when millions of other people sit in darknesse Thus a Christian rejoyceth in God first and then rejoyceth in the Minister he rejoyceth in every thing that is an occasion to bring him to heaven What is the reason God brings us to heaven by the Ministery of men and doth not send Angels or do all by his Spirit without help Amongst the rest this is one he would have one to glory in another he would tie one to another therefore it ties one man to another this relation to see the need of Gods Ordinance And that people might rejoyce one in another as the gift of God Therefore he calls man by man to knit man to man And that they may see Gods love to them in men They saw Christs love to them in S. Paul Saint Paul saw Christs love to him in them in their obedience this is the reason that God useth men to call men Therefore those that neglect the Ordinance of God let them never think of glory by Christ that glory not in the Minister that brings them to Christ. Therefore 2 Cor. 5. 19. they are excellently joyned together God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself What then what need the Ministery if God be reconciled to the world in Christ God is mercifull and Christ dyed and there is an end No he hath put to us Apostles and after us to Pastors and Teachers the Word of reconciliation and we as Ambassadours intreat you in Christs stead to be reconciled to God So there is no word of reconciliation effectual to any but we must have the efficacy of it by Ambassage it must be offered by the Ministery This Ministery contemned by the world must be the meanes to bring us to Christ we have no benefit brought to us from God unlesse it be by the Word of reconciliation Neglect the Word neglect reconciliation it self Therefore it is called The Word of the Kingdom the Word of Grace the Word of life insinuating that if we neglect the Word unfolded by Gods Ordinance in the Church we neglect Grace we neglect life we neglect Kingdome and all because we see they are joyned together I will not be long in this point in this place Onely this when God doth vouchsafe any abroad wheresoever or to any of us to partake of his Ordinance in an effectual holy manner to joy in it As Solomon saith Prov. 19. 14. Inheritance comes by parents but a good Wife is the gift of God So a good Minister or a true Christian friend is the gift of God that he bestowes on men a speciall gift because it is in order to eternall happinesse it is such a gift as Christ gave when he ascended into heaven So much for that point We are your rejoycing As also ye are ours There is an entercourse of joy we are your rejoycing and ye are ours in the day of the Lord. How were they S. Paul's
to their Childrens good I come to bestow a grace on you How this is observed I list not to speak therefore I leave it and come to that which concerns us all I was minded to come to you To bestow a grace on you We see then That The Preaching of the Gospel is a special Grace It is a free and bountiful benefit of God Gracce implies freedome and mercy and bounty It is a free mercy of God to have the Gospel Why Because this is the means to work all that is savingly good in us This is a means to open to us Gods love in Christ and to work in us a disposition answerable to his love therefore it must needs be a grace Heaven is a grace life is a grace reconciliation a grace and such like therefore the Word must needs be a grace by which all these are communicated Therefore the Word hath the name of these things It is the Word of the Kingdome of heaven It is called the Kingdome of heaven the preaching of the Gospel because it puts us into the state of the Kingdome of heaven and the Word of reconciliation because by it we know our reconciliation with God it is offered and wrought in our hearts and faith to apply it by this Word It is the Word of life Act. 20. the life of grace and the life of glory all come by this Word I commend you to God and the Word of his Grace saith the Apostle All grace and spiritual life is wrought in us by the Word therefore the Word preached it is a special grace and favour of God Saint Paul here calls his coming to them to strengthen and confirm them a grace For all means come under the same decree of Gods eternal love with the decree it self When God out of grace resolves and sets down that he will bring such a one to heaven of his free love he doth out of the same grace fit him with opportunities of persons and means he accommodates him with all means for he intends in such a way to bring him to heaven And therefore S. Austin doth well define Predestination it is an ordaining to salvation and a preparing of all means tending thereto Therefore all fall in the compasse of grace both the free favour of God setting a man down to make him happy and likewise by sending men that have an outward calling and inwardly furnishing them with gifts and whatsoever all is of Grace The preaching of the Word is a grace It concerns us therefore so to esteem it Do not many sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death Is it not a grace therefore that we partake of the means of salvation What is in us by nature better then in Turks and Pagans or then many other people under Satan and under Popish Teachers and so rot away in their Ignorance nothing we differ onely by the grace of God therefore let us esteem it as a grace How shall we esteem it as a grace Receive it thankfully as a largesse and bounty and free grace of God receive it as a bounty with thankful hearts Grace begets grace it begets thankfulnesse so to receive it as a grace is to receive it with thankful minds to be more thankfull for the means of salvation then for any outward thing How shall we come to be thankful Never unlesse we find some grace wrought by the Word of Grace Therefore to receive it as a grace is to receive it as a free loving gift of God and to yield to it when by it holy motions are stirred in our hearts not to suppresse and quench holy motions but to yield to them Not to quench and resist the Spirit but to yield our selves pliable to the Word This is to acknowledge it a grace to be thankfull for it because you find your hearts wrought to holy obedience by it Give it way in your soules that it may be an ingraffed Word that all the inward and outward man may be seasoned with it and relish of it that the Word may season your thoughts and speeches and desires and season your course of life that what you think may be in the relish and strength of the Word in the strength of some Divine truth and the guide of your actions may be Divine truth or some motives from it Then you will give thanks for what is wrought on you when it is an ingraffed Word in your soules and all relish of it your speeches and actions and your whole course when a man may know by your carriage that there is something invested and ingraffed in your soules that gives a blessed relish to all the expressions of the outward man Such a one indeed will account the Word a special grace by a sweet experience wrought in his heart I will not presse that Point any further Again whereas S. Paul saith he would come to bestow a second grace on them we see here That Those that are in the state of Grace already they need a second grace Those that have initial grace to be set in a good course they need confirming and strengthening Grace S. Paul had planted them before I but he must come to water them there is alway somewhat left for the Minister to do till he see their soules safe in heaven he hath alway somewhat to do to the Christian soules under him For he must not onely get them out of Satans Kingdome into a good estate but he must labour to build them up he must water them and fence them and strengthen them against all discouragements A man is never safe till he be in heaven therefore he saith I will come to you but I will come to bestow a second Grace on you you have need of it and my love is such to you that you shall have it To enforce this a little because we set termes to our growth and go on plodding in a course and many years after we are no better then we were at the first and some out of a prophane fulnesse out of a Laodicean temper they think they have enough they are rich when indeed they are empty and miserable and wretched and poor and if temptations set upon them they have nothing in them To let you see that we stand in need of a second grace and of a third grace and a fourth grace that we need continual building up First look within what opposition there is to saving goodnesse within what rebellion of lusts what Ignorance and blindnesse and darknesse and indisposition what head the flesh makes in us against the Word of God Let a man a little continue out of the means and he shall see what growth of corruptions there will be a distasting of all means that a man shall be ready to begin anew with them almost having a double principle in them of grace and corruption there needs continually strengthening and stablishing Grace Consider outwardly what discouragements from the ill
we must swear by him And indeed it is a service of God and to good purpose when Christians swear to stablish and determine truths that otherwise are doubtfull They were doubtfull of S. Paul's doctrine and his person saith he To put you out of doubt of the truth I speak to you I dare call God to witnesse it is true and sound The Apostle doth so once after in this Chapter therefore I reserve the further handling of an oath to verse 23. because the word there is more infallible I call God to record upon my soul c. The next thing I observe hence is this That The believing that Gods Word is Gods Word and is certain it is a matter of great consequence It is of great consequence for Gods people that look to be saved to be stablished in their opinion and judgment of Divine truth that it is certain and not flexible and mutable according to our wills and conceits and dispositions but is yea alway the same as God himself the Authour of it For laying this for a ground that I said before that S. Paul takes God to witnesse he would not enterpose an oath but in a matter of great consequence therefore it is a matter of great consequence to be setled in this that the Scripture is Divine truth unalterable and unchangeable An oath is never good as I said but when it is necessary It must not onely be in truth but there must be a necessity It must not only be taken in righteousnesse but in judgment a man must do it in discretion when the thing is not determinable any other way Therefore it is a matter of great consequence that men take the Word of truth not to be as the Oracles of Apollo and of the Devill true one way and false another The Devil would escape the imputation of a lie though he be a liar but Gods Oracles be Divine they be yea And it is good that we think them to be so to be constant undoubted certain and unmovable Therefore the Apostle seales it with an oath he would not seal a slight truth by an oath but saith he As God is true our word to you was not yea and nay c. And Saint Paul saw a disposition in them to suspect the truth of God as indeed we are proner to believe the lies of our own hearts and the suggestions of Satan and the counsell of Politicians of carnall friends then to believe God himself Therefore partly for the indisposition in us and partly for the great exigence and necessity of the thing to believe that Gods Word is his Word that it is truth he seales it with an oath God is true It is a point of great consequence The reason is God can have no service else and we can have no comfort If we do not believe the Word of God to be undoubtedly true in great temptations and assaults what armour of proof shall we have we can have no comfort nor grace For sometimes subtile and strong temptations to evill come if the Word of God be not more undoubted to me then the present profit or pleasure or whatsoever if the temptation be ready and I be not built on and settled on some grounded truth that I know to be true as God is true when the temptation is strong and our faith weak where are we a man presently yields to base lusts and temptations And so in matter of danger and despair when a man is tempted to despair if he cannot build on this God is true and his Word is as true as himself he will not the death of a sinner c. here a man is swallowed up It is no matter how strong the foundation be if the building on that foundation be weak If a strong man stand in a slippery place down he falls if a man stand slippery and have a weak standing on a strong place on a strong foundation if he have a weak building on a strong foundation he shall soon be cast off So the Word of God is true in it self but if we be not perswaded so that it is infallibly true that it is alway yea we shall be shaken with temptations When we are tempted to sin the temptation is present we are sure of the temptation if we be not more sure of somewhat against the temptation somewhat out of the Word to beat back the darts of Satan when we are tempted to sin and to despair for sin down we go and therefore it is a matter of infinite consequence to be perswaded of Divine truth What makes many as they are in courses that are corrupt in their callings nothing but this they stagger whether it be true or no that there shall be a Judgment they stagger whether it be true or no that the Scripture saith if they were perswaded that it were yea as true as God is in heaven as true as they have soules so their soules must be called to Judgment for that they speak and do would they do as they do Therefore S. Paul stablisheth them by an oath God is true and as God is true our Word to you was not yea and nay Therefore take in good part with thankfulnesse the means that God hath ordained to strengthen our faith and assurance of the Word of God and the Promises of God Therefore he hath appointed the Sacrament for that purpose I say there is nothing in the world so strengthened as the soul of a Christian if he give himself to Gods truth to be ruled by it For if we will believe God we have his promise That Whosoever believes in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life rich promises precious promises as the Scripture calls them We have not onely promises but they are sealed with an oath Now an oath is an unchangeable thing Heb. 9. 16. we have promises and oath that we might have strong consolation whatsoever might secure man we have Besides his oath we have his seal his Sacrament It was his love to condescend to make any Covenant with sinfull creatures that upon any terms he would give them life everlasting It was a higher degree of love to set Christ to be the foundation of this peace and of this Covenant that now God and we may be at peace with satisfaction to Divine Justice that he is the foundation of the peace between God and us Now God may be mercifull without wrong without impeachment to his Justice that is a higher degree of mercy to enter into Covenant and to give Christ to be the foundation of all And then it is a higher degree then that to secure us of the Covenant that Christ is ours to seal the Word with an oath and with the Sacrament which is the seal of the Covenant what could God do more What a horrible sin therefore is unbelief that we should tremble at to call Gods love and truth in question But yet we are prone to it
what he preached among them and we have in them these particulars briefly to be unfolded First That Christ Jesus in his nature and his offices is the chief and main object and subject matter of preaching Secondly That to make him profitable to us he must be preached Thirdly That consent of Divines and Preachers helps faith Fourthly That Jesus Christ being preached by the Apostles is an undoubted yea that is an undoubted ground and foundation to build on in all the uncertainties of this life in all the uncertainty of Religion Jesus Christ pteached by S. Paul and other holy men of those times was not yea and nay but yea First Christ Jesus is the main object of Preaching It were impertinent here to stand on particulars to shew you how Christ is the Son of God for he is brought in here as the object of preaching Onely in a word we must of necessity believe that Christ Jesus is the Son of God For how wondrously doth this stablish our faith when we believe in a Saviour that is God the Son of God Jesus Christ by eternal Generation In a word here are these prerogatives of Christs Generation from all other sons whatsoever Other fathers are before their sons this Son of God was eternal with his Father Other fathers have a distinct essence from their sons the father is one and the son another they have distinct existences but here there is one common essence to the Father and the Son Other fathers beget a son without them but this Father begets his Son within him it was an inward work So it is a mystical Divine Generation which indeed is a subject of admiration rather then of explication that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Son of man This was typified in the Ark the Ark was a type of Christâ—… the Aâ—… had wood and gold that covered that wood Christs humane nature was the wood and his Divine nature that contained it that is the gold But I should be too large besides the scope of the Text if I should unfold this Point I only touch it by the way Christ Jesus in his natures as he is God Man and in his offices as Jesus Christ that is anointed as King Priest and Prophet and in his estates of abasement and advancement is the main subject matter of preaching For what can we say but it must be reductive and brought to Christ If we open mens consciences by the Law and tell them what a terrible estate they are in what do we but drive them to the Physician what is the law but as John Baptist was to Christ to prepare the way to level the soul to pull down the high thoughts and imaginations to make way and passage for Christ And then in Christ when we preach Christ we preach his natures God and man and his Offices as King Priest and Prophet as he is predestinate and sealed and anointed by God the Father for that purpose that we may have a strong Saviour strong in himself and authorized by his Father And we preach his estates of abasement as he was crucified and suffered for our sins and his estate of exaltation as he arose and ascended into glory These things belong to the preaching of Christ. And then the benefits we have by him reconciliation to his Father by his death and peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost and such like wondrous benefits we have by him And then our duty to him again which is faith and a conversation worthy To imbrace all that is offered by Christ that it be not lost for want of apprehending Christ Jesus is the subject matter of our preaching in his natures in his offices in the benefits we have by him in the duties we owe to him in the instrument of receiving all faith For in preaching that faith which we require to lay hold on Christ is wrought For preaching doth not onely manifest the benefits we have by Christ but is a potent instrument of the Spirit of God to work this qualification to make Christ profitable to us Now all that we preach of holy duties is either to humble us if we have them not to make us flye to Christ by faith or when we believe to make us walk answerable to our faith So whatsoever we preach is reductive to Christ either to prepare us or to furnish us to walk worthy of Christ. Indeed Jesus Christ is all in all in our preaching and he should be so in your hearing of all things you should desire to hear most of Christ. The apprehension of your sinfulnesse should drive you to Christ. The hearing of duties should be to make you adorn your Christian Religion you have taken on you Naturally men love to hear flashes witty conceits and moral points wittily unfolded but all these in the largest extent do but civilize men it must be Christ unfolded and Gods love and mercy and wisdome in him reconciling mercy and justice together The wondrous love of God in Christ and his justice and mercy and the love of Christ in undertaking to work our redemption and the benefits by Christ his offices estates and conditions these things work faith and love these things do us good All other things take them at the best they do but fashion our carriage a little but that which enlivens and quickens the soul is Jesus Christ. Therefore we should of all other things be desirous to hear of Jesus Christ. It is a point that the very Angels are students in For the Ark which I named before it had the Law and the Mercy-seat in it the mercy-seat to cover the Law Now Christ hath satisfied the Law and reconciled his Father he hath freed us from the curse of the Law and hath given full satisfaction to the Law he is the Mercy-seat by whom we have accesse to God the Father Now the Angels were upon the Mercy-seat interviewing one another and prying down upon the Mercy-seat insinuating that the reconciling of Gods Justice and Mercy by that infinite wisdome of God in Christ that our sins should be punished in him and yet he be merciful to us that he should punish our surety for us that he should joyn these attributes together that all the creatures in heaven and earth could not devise it is a matter for Angels to pry into the very frame of the Ark signified this and shall not we be students in those mysteries that the Angels themselves desire every day to behold If Christ be the main thing we are to stand on Let us labour more and more to understand Christ and him crucified let us see our nature in him advanced now in heaven to make us heavenly-minded let us see our nature in him punished let us see our sinful nature in him cleansed and purged by his death and abasement let us see our nature in him enriched Let us consider him as a publick person and
distinction is good faith looks to the Word of the thing and hope looks to the thing in the Word faith looks to the Word promising hope looks to the performance of the thing promised Faith is the evidence of things not seen because it sets the things that are absent as if they were present hope is for the accomplishment of that If there were no promise to hope what needed hope and where were a foundation for faith Now God being willing to exercise faith and hope feeds them both and satisfies both that we may be heavenly wise in trusting and believing and not foolish as men in the world Therefore God hath given us promises and sealed them with an oath as we shall see afterward Now all promises coming from love what love can there be in God to us since the fall but it must be grounded on a better foundation then our selves If God love us it must be in one that is first beloved hereupon comes the ground of the Promises to be Jesus Christ God-man For all intercourse between God and us it must be in him that is able to satisfie God God will so in the Covenant of Grace entertain covenant and league with us as that he will have his Justice have full content he will be satisfied and therefore he that will be the foundation of intercourse between God and us he must be God-man perfectly able to satisfie Divine Justice he must be a friend of Gods and a friend to us hereupon the Promises must come from Gods love in Jesus Christ and he must first receive all good for us and we must have it at the second hand from him Hereupon it is said here that All the Promises of God in him are Yea and Amen It is a rule The first in any kind is the cause of all the rest Now Christ is the first beloved thing therefore in Coloss. 1. 3. he is called the Sonne of Gods love Christ being the only begotten Son of God he looks on him first before he looks on any thing else and whatsoever is lovel y he looks on it as it is in him in whom his love is first because he being his onely begotten Son he is the first object of all the respect that God hath therefore whatsoever is beloved it is as it hath a consistence in Christ. Therefore Christ he must first be loved and then we in him Consider him as the Son of God Consider him as man he is the first beloved being a holy man above all other men for the nature of man hath a subsistence in the second person in Christ therefore Christ as man is beloved before all others having a subsistence in his Godhead which is first beloved he is the prime and most excellent creature as man God looks first upon Christ as his onely begotten Son and upon Christ as man secondarily Upon the Church in the third place as united to Christ and all other creatures in reference to the Church and therefore there was never any thing in the world nor shall be that ever was or shall be loved but in the first-beloved Christ Jesus Again Christ is first because Christ is the Mediatour between God and man by office Consider what relation he hath between God and man and we may easily see that God first respects him and us for him For Christ being God and man and Mediatour therefore between God and man he is loved of both he is a friend to both to bring both together he is first regarded as Mediatour and then we for whose cause he is Mediatour Then again Consider Christ not as he is between God and us but as he is to us so he is first beloved To God he is his first begotten to God and us a Mediatour To us a head to us a husband to us a brother a head from whence there is all influence of life and motion a husband from whence we have all riches he is all in all to us in the relations he stands in to us therefore he is first in all things as the Apostle saith In all things he must have the preheminence and it is fit it should be so Especially since the fall leave the consideration of Christ and this may be a reason consider us since the fall as we are in the masse of corruption are we fit objects for Gods love are we not fuel for consuming fire is not he a consuming fire and we stubble for his wrath is not our nature defiled and tainted and can it otherwise be amiable then considered as knit to him that is first amiable that is Christ it cannot be So look to Christ as the Son of Gods love whether as God or as man look to his Office as Mediatour look on him as in relation to us as our husband and head look on us without him you may see that Gods love is first founded in Christ and then in us I mean in regard of execution in the passages of our salvation For at first it was a free love that gave Christ to us and us to Christ So God loved the world that he gave his Son that was the first that set all the world in execution but in the execution from predestination to glorification before all worlds he loved us in Christ to everlasting from the everlasting in election to everlasting in glory all is in Christ in regard of execution We subsist in him we are sanctified in him we are justified in him his righteousnesse is ours we are glorified in him we are loved in him God blesseth us with all spiritual blessings in him Ephes. 1. 5 6. God hath made us accepted in his beloved In him who is his beloved Son in whom he is well pleased not onely with whom but in whom in him and all his in him as mystical Christ head and members God now looks upon our nature as it is united to the person of his onely begotten Son and thereupon our nature is lovely in the eyes of God and enriched and honoured and advanced in Christ. Even as a base woman by marriage with a great person is advanced so our nature being mean of it self taking our nature when it was defiled with sin though that particular masse was sanctified by the Holy Ghost it was much advanced and ennobled by having a subsistence in the second person so God looks on us in Jesus Christ and loves us in him and bestowes all spiritual blessings in Christ. Therefore whatsoever we have Christ must have it first for us whatsoever is done to us must be done first to Christ. Christ is first predestinate as it is 1 Pet. 1. he is the predestinate Lamb of God he was ordained before all worlds to be a sacrifice for us and to be the head of his Church he was ordained before we were ordained Christ is first beloved and then we are beloved in his beloved He is well pleased in him and
of Christ why He hath nothing but present things with a great deale of addition of misery and his greatnesse makes him more sensible of his misery it makes him more tender and apprehensive then other men The other he wants many comforts of this life he wants the performance he is rich in bills and bonds God is bound to him he hath promised he will not forsake him but he will be his God in life to death and for everlasting he hath title to all the promises Godlinesse hath the promises of this life and of that which is to come 1 Tim. 4. Happie man he hath so much performance for the present as is usefull for his safe conduct to bring him to heaven he shall have daily bread he that will give him a Kingdom will not deny him bread he that will give him a countrey will give him safe conduct And besides that he hath here by performance he hath rich and precious promises and they are all Yea and Amen they are certain His life is uncertain his estate in the world is changeable here his life is as a vapour and the comforts of life are lesse then life when life it self the foundation of these comforts is but a vapour so uncertain what are all the comforts of life yet a Christian hath comfort here the promises are invested into him and lodged in his heart and made his owne by faith Faith hath a wondrous peculiarizing vertue it makes a man own that which is generally propounded in the Gospell Now faith making the promises his own and they are certain a Christian take him at all uncertainties he hath somewhat to build on that is Yea and Amen that is undoubtedly constant and certain that will stick by him when all things fail him I speak this to commend the estate of a believing repentant Christian to make you in love with it In all the changes and varieties in this world a Christian hath somewhat to take to And likewise in all the dangers of this life he hath a rock to go to a hiding place God hath chambers of Providence as it is Isay 26. he bids the Church come into thy Chambers God hath a hiding place and secret roomes to hide children in when it is good for them in the time of Pestilence and War in the time of publike disturbance when there is a confusion of all things Come into thy Chambers God is a resting place and a hiding place he is stiled so every where in the Psalmes Psalme 18. My Rock and my shield as if David had said I have many troubles in the world but in God is my defence for he is my Rock my Shield and all whatsoever is defensive I have it in him What a comfort is this in all dangers a Christian knowes either he shall be safe here or in heaven and therefore he doth rest He dewells in the secret of the Almighty Psalme 91. that is in the love and the protection of God Almighty and as Moses saith Psalme 90. Thou art our habitation from everlasting to everlasting that is God is a dwelling place for him that builds on his promise for God and his Word are all one Thou art our dwelling place c. He saw they dropped away in the wildernesse by the wrath of God as we do now by the Pestilence and Moses made that Psalme he took occasion to meditate of the frailty of mans life We are as grasse as a tail that is told but what is our estate in God in the promises Thou art our habitation from everlasting to everlasting We dwell not long in the world sicknesse may come and sweep us away but thou art our habitation we dwell in God when we are dead when we are out of the world we dwell in God in Christ for ever Our estate in Christ is an everlasting estate Therefore in Psalme 112. the Psalmist saith of the righteous man there That he is not troubled for ill newes He is not senselesse he is very sensible but yet notwithstanding he is not shaken from his rest from his rock and stay for no ill newes or tydings why The Psalmist gives the reason his heart is fixed upon what foundation upon the promises and providence of God God hath promised to provide for him he is his Father and therefore he is not afraid of ill tydings What a blessed estate then is it to be in Christ and to have promises in Christ to be protected and preserved here so as is for our good and to have such a state in God for him to be our habitation and hiding place from everlasting to everlasting If our hearts be fixed here let us hear of ill tydings of war of this sicknesse and contagion let it be what it will if our hearts be fixed blessed men are we But if we have nothing to take to when trouble comes we are as I said before as a man in a storme without a hiding place Now every Word of God saith the Psâ—…lmist is a tried Word as silver tryed in the fire The promises are tryed promises that we may rest on them and as we are Christians what are we but men of promise the best is behind and what is our comfort in this world God lets down his love to us in gracious promises and he gives us a taste of the performance as Children have somewhat of their inheritance in their nonage to keep them so somewhat of heaven to comfort our soules we have but the main is to come and the performance is left till then therefore we cannot too much consider of this comfortable point Consider how many promises we have in the Word the certainty of them that they are Yea and Amen and in whom they are founded in him that is Amen himself for Christ is Amen the true and faithfull witnesse Revel 1. these are comfortable considerations Are the promises of God in Christ Yea and Amen Let us divide men who may make any use of them all men they are either such as are in Christ or such as are not in Christ. All the promises being made in Christ what comfort or what good can those that are not yet in Christ have by the promises I answer till they be in Christ none at all for a man out of Christ is out of the favour of God God cannot look on such a man but as the object of his wrath and as fuell for his vengeance and therefore there is no hope for such a man till he be in Christ. All other things in the world cannot comfort such a man for alas his being in the world his being rich his being in favour with such or such what are they fading beings that fail and himself with them he stands on the Ice they slip and he slips with them What are all beings in death ifa man have not a more stable being in Jesus Christ What comfort is there then for such a man by
bonds and when he pleaseth he can sue his bonds and God is well pleased with it Therefore indeed there is little difference between a Christian in poverty and a rich Christian onely the one hath more for the present but God is the riches of the other As for a worldling he hath but a Cistern when he hath most the other hath the spring he hath God in Covenant and Gods promises Let us therefore consider every day the exigents we are in whether in want of grace or want of assistance and necessaries or want of comfort and according to that let us consider what we are to do are we at our wits end now is there no hope for this in Israel Yes God hath left us rich and precious promises let us look to them In the next place then from our wants look to the Promises and proportion the promises to our wants ranck the promises it were a good work Oh that we should have so many promises and yet have them to seek when the Devil besiegeth us he layeth siege to shake our consciences and we are to seek in the time of temptation Let us remember the promises answerable to our necessities If we be troubled with sin call to mind the promise of forgivenesse If we be troubled with want call to mind the promise of supply If we be troubled with fear for the time to come call to mind the Covenant of grace the marriage for everlasting God whom he loves he loves to the end God loves us in Christ he loves Christ for ever therefore he will love us for ever So as I said before suit the promises to our present estate And from the promises have a higher rise yet go to him in whom they are made they are rich promises indeed good promises but how shall I know they shall be performed in whom are they made In whom God loves thee in Christ. What is he God and man he is God and therefore able to perform them he is man and therefore he loves thee as his own flesh and therefore he will perform them He is the Son of Gods love God for his sake as Mediatour will perform them heaven and earth shall conspire for thy good rather then thou shalt misse of the performance of the least promise Therefore from thy wants go to the promises and from the promises go to Christ and consider him he is anointed of God for thee he is anointed that he might be thy Christ and thy Jesus that he might be thy Saviour Immanuel God with us that he might reconcile God and us that in office he might be so that he might bring God and us together Consider him And then go to God and consider what relation in Jesus Christ God hath put upon him In Christ God is a Father and what can a Father deny to his adopted son in Christ whom he looks on in his natural Son Christ Yea and to settle our minds the more let us consider the relations that God and Christ have put upon them and the relations we stand in and the many promises we have in Christ who is anointed and sealed by God the Father to be our Saviour and to bestow good upon us God is become our Father what a world of promises is in that word Father what will a father deny to his son What if God had not left particular promises in Scripture if he had left but the relation of a Father it had been promise enough what can a father deny his child And then Christ what relation hath he taken on him he is our Husband what a world of promises is there in that what can a loving husband deny his spouse that he hath given himself for He hath taken upon him to be our head what want of influence can there be from such a head that hath taken all upon him for the body the head sees and hears and doth all for the body so Christ heares and sees and doth all for us What a world of promises is in this relation of a head if there were no particular promise Again Christ stiles himself sweetly our brother what a world of promises are in these relations God the Father is ours Christ is ours here is the grand Promise I will be your God and will give you my Son And then in the third place he hath promised his Spirit he will give his Spirit to them that beg him what a world of Promises is in that promise of the Spirit It is a comforting Spirit a sanctifying Spirit a quickening Spirit a strengthening Spirit all is in the Spirit As our soul doth all that the body doth so it is by vertue of the Spirit all the grace and all the comfort we have God hath promised himself and Christ and the Spirit the whole Trinity There is the grand Promise I will be your God Christ shall be your Christ and I will give you my Spirit If we had not other promises what a world of comfort have we in these Now in what relation stand we to these We are children we are heires we are Temples of the Holy Ghost c. put case our memories do not serve to call to mind particular promises in the time of trouble Consider in Christ how God loves thee he is thy God in Christ how Christ loves thee he hath taken thy nature on him to be thy husband he makes love to thee and desires thee to be reconciled And the Spirit is given thee by Christ he hath promised to give him if thou ask him the holy Spirit is the Spirit of Promise Think therefore of the general of the Covenant of grace and these relations that have the force of promises for sometimes particular promises may not come to our mind perhaps and these will stablish a man against the gates of hell and against all particular temptations This course we ought to take then to feed our thoughts with the promises the promises are the food of faith let not our faith languish and famish for want for want of meditations of God and Christ what relations they have put upon them and for want of meditating on particular promises in all kinds How well thriving might our faith be if we would oft think of these things And to make us the more to think of these things consider that all other things alas what are they when we have not a promise of them in Christ They are all vain fading things they will all come to nothing That which we have by promise grace and comfort and glory they are ours for ever God is ours for ever Christ is ours for ever the Spirit is ours for ever the relations we are in are for ever all other things are nothing they will come to nothing ere long This course we ought to take then that we may have comfort by the Promises Again in the next place if we look to the
When a man is without grace he goes lumpishly and heavily about the service of God he is drawen and forced to prayer and to hearing and to conference and meditation he is dead and dull and frozen to good works but when a man hath received this sweet anointing of the Spirit his heart is enlarged to all duties whatsoever he is prepared to every good work Again oyl makes chearefull so doth grace it makes chearful in adversity chearfull in death chearful in those things that dismay the spirits of other men so much grace so much joy for even as light and heat follow the fire so the spirit of joy doth follow this spiritual anointing Conscience of the interest he hath in the favour of God in Christ and the evidences of grace stamped upon his heart an assurance of a better estate in the world to come wonderfully enlarge the soul with spiritual joy that which makes a man lumpish and heavy and earthly is not the Spirit of God the Spirit of God is a Spirit of joy and it puts a gracious chearfulnesse in the heart of a Christian if there be mourning it is that it may be more chearful for light is sowen to the righteous sometimes in mourning God loves a chearful giver and a chearful thanksgiver all must be sweetened with chearfulnesse now this comes from the Spirit of God and he that is anointed with the Spirit in some measure partakes of spiritual joy and chearfulnesse Againe ointment you know is of a healing nature as Balme and other sweet ointments have a healing power and vertue the Scripture makes mention of the Balme of Gilead so grace hath a healing power repentance that is of a purging spiritual joy of a healing nature there must you know be first a cleansing and then a healing and strengthening so some graces are purgative and cleansing some againe are strengthening and healing repentance is a good purgation it carries away the malignant and evill matter but the Cordial that strengthens the soul is joy The joy of the Lord is your strength Nehem. 8. and so the grace of faith and love tend to cherrish and corroborate the soul so that I say these graces this Balme of the Spirit hath a special Soveraign power to heale us to heale us both from the guilt of sin and from the dominion and rule and filthy stain of sin it hath both a purging and a Cordial vertue Thus you see that upon good grounds the graces of Gods Spirit that he communicates to the Elect and only to them that are in Christ they are called anointing and they will have the effect of an ointment in us if we receive this anointing Let us therefore try our selves by these whether we be anointed or no what chearfulnesse is there what joy what strength what nimblenesse to that which is good what soveraignty hath grace in our hearts you have a company that professe Religion but make it serve their owne turne that make heaven to come under earth that make the service of God to stoop to other ends Beloved grace it is a superiour thing and Religion makes all subordinate Grace and Religion wheresoever it is in truth is of a ruling nature and so it is sweet and it is strong wheresoever it is it is curing and purging and cleansing wheresoever it is therefore I beseech you let us not deceive our selves I need say no more of the Point you may enlarge it in your own meditations I come to the persons As this anointing hath reference to the ointment so it hath relation to the persons that were anointed Now the persons anointed were first dedicated by anointing they were consecrated to God and separated from the world And as they were dedicated and separated so they were dignified by this anointing it raised them above the common condition And likewise with this anointing God gave them qualifications suitable You have three eminent persons that were anointed and so raised above the common condition of other men Prophets to teach the people Priests to offer sacrifice Kings to govern them Now Christ is principally all these He is the principal Prophet of his Church the Angel of the Covenant He is Logos the Word because as the inward word the mind of a man is known by the outward word so Christ is called the Word because as a Prophet he discovers his Fathers mind and makes known his Fathers will unto us And he is the great high Priest he makes atonement between God and us he stands between his Father and us And he is the great King of his Church that rescues it from all its enemies to protect and defend it But as Christ hath received this anointing primarily and above his fellows yet as I said before he hath received it for his fellows Every Christian hath his anointing from Christs anointing all our graces and all our oyatment is derived from him He saith the Appostle Rev. 1. hath loved us and washed us in his blood he loved us first which is the cause of all and then he washed us in his blood he did not onely shed his blood for us but he washed us in his blood he hath applied his blood to our souls and by applying that and sprinkling it upon our souls he hath made us Kings and Priests to God his Father And indeed the great King of heaven and earth he is and will be attended upon by none but Kings and Priests he hath no servants but such as are anointed he is followed of none but eminent persons such as are separated from the world and dignified above all other people for the glory of his followers tends to his honour therefore those whom God chuseth to be his atendants he qualifies them gives them the hearts of Kings royal qualifications and the hearts of Priests and the hearts of Prophets But this in the general To shew it therefore in particulars A Christian is anointed he is a person severed from the world dedicated to God and dignified above others and that from good reason because God hath given him an inward qualification which is the foundation of all And first he is a true Prophet for he hath received the anointing of the Spirit 1 Joh. 2. whereby he is enabled to discern of things he knowes what is true honour to be the child of God he knowes what is true riches Grace he knowes what is true Nobility to be born of God what is true pleasure Peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost he can discern between seeming and reall things and onely he that hath received this anointing of the Spirit And again as a Prophet he knowes not onely the things but the doing of the things he hath with the anointing of the Spirit ability to do that which he knowes the grace of God teacheth him not onely the duty that he should live justly and soberly and godly but teacheth him to do the things for God writes his Lawes in
witnesse to the soul that we are the sonnes of God Secondly a voyce or speech in us again to God causing us to have accesse to the Throne of grace with boldnesse Thirdly a work of Sanctification Fourthly Peace of Conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost By these four wayes we may know the sealing of the Spirit after we believe and that our faith is a sound belief and that we are in the state of grace indeed First I say the Spirit speaks to us by a secret kind of whispering and intimation that the soul feeles better then I can expresse Be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee saith he to the soul I am thy salvation there is I say a sweet joyning a sweet kisse given to the soul I am thine and thou art mine God by his Spirit speaks so much there is a voyce of Gods Spirit speaking peace to his people upon their believing And then secondly the Spirit of adoption stirres up the speech of the soul to God that as he sayes to the soul Because thou believest now thou art honoured to be my child so the Spirit stirres up in the soul a Spirit of prayer to cry Abba Father it can go boldly to God as to a Father for that Abba Father it is a bold and familiar speech There are two things in a prayer of a Christian that are incompatible to any carnal man there is an inward kind of familiar boldnesse in the soul whereby a Christian goes to God as a child when he wants any thing goes to his father a child considers not his own worthinesse or meannesse but goeth to his father familiarly and boldly so I say when the Spirit of God speaks to us from God and tells the soul I am thine I am thy salvation thy sins are forgiven thee be of good comfort and when the soul again speaks to God when it can pour forth it self with a kind of familiar boldnesse and earnestnesse especially in extremity and in time of trouble and can wait in prayer and depend upon God this spiritual speech of God to the soul and of the soul to God it is a seal of the Spirit that indeed we are true believers because we can doe that that none can do but Christians God speaks to our souls he raiseth our souls and by his Spirit he puts a spirit of supplication into us and helps our infirmities for we know not what to ask but he helps our weaknesse and enables us to lay out the wants of our soules to God these are evidences of the presence and of the seal of the Spirit In the third place this sealing of the Spirit after we beleeve is known by the sanctifying work of the Spirit for as I told you before in the unfolding of the Point the Spirit seals our spirits by stamping the likenesse of the Spirit of Christ on us so that when a man finds in his soul some lineaments of that heavenly Image of Christ Jesus when he finds some love he may know by that love that he is translated from death to life when he finds his spirit subdued to be humble to be obedient when he finds his spirit to be heavenly and holy as Christ was when he finds this stamp upon the soul surely he may reason I have not this by nature naturally I am proud now I can abase my self natureally I am full of malice now I can love I can pray heartily for mine enemies as Christ did naturally I am lumpish and heavy now in afflictions I can joy in the Holy Ghost I have somewhat in me contrary to nature surely God hath vouchsafed his Spirit upon my believing in Christ to mark me to seal 〈◊〉 to stamp me for his I carry now the Image of the second Adam I know the Holy Ghost hath been in my heart I see the stamp of Christ there Know you not that Christ is in you except you be cast awayes saith the Apostle so upon search the Christian soul finds somewhat of Christ alwayes in the soul to give a sweet evidence that he is sealed to the day of redemtpion The fourth evidence that the Spirit of God hath been in a mans heart is the joy of the Holy Ghost and peace of conscience sanctification is the ordinary seal that is alwaies in the soul this is an extraordinary seal peace and joy when the soul needs incouragement then God is graciously pleased to superadd this to give such spiritual ravishings which are as the very beginnings of heaven so that a man may say of a Christian at such times that he is in heaven before his time he is in heaven upon earth but especially God doth this when he will have his children to suffer or after suffering after some special conflict after we have combated with some special corruption with some sinfull disposition with some strong temptation and have got the victory To him that overcometh will I give of the hidden Manna and a white stone and a new name that none can read it but he that hath it that is he shall have assurance that he is in the state of grace and the sweet sense of the love of God and that sweet heavenly Manna that none else can have thus God dealt with Job after he had exercised that Champion a long time at the last he discovered himself in a glorious manner to him so it is usually after some great crosse or in the middest of some great crosse when God sees that we must be supported with some spiritual comfort we sink else then there is place and time for spiritual comfort when earth cannot comfort thus St. Paul in the middest of the dungeon when he was in the stocks being sealed with the Spirit he sang at midnight Alas what would have become of blessed Paul his spirit would have sunk if God had not stamped it with Joy in the Holy Ghost and so David and the three young men in the fiery furnace and Daniel in the den God doth then even as parents smile upon their children when they are sick and need comfort so above all other times God reserves this hidden sealing of his children with a spirit of joy when they need it most sometimes in the middest of afflictions sometimes as a reward when they come out of their afflictions sometimes before so our Saviour Christ had James and John with him upon the mountain to strengthen them against the scandal of suffering after so God when he hath a great work for his children to do some suffering for them to go through as an encouragement before-hand he enlargeth their spirits with the joy of the Holy Ghost and some times also after a holy and gracious disposition in the Ordinances of God God doth adde an excellent portion of his Spirit a seal extraordinary for indeed God thinks nothing enough for his children till he have brought them to heaven seal upon seal and comfort upon comfort and the more we depend upon him
in the meanes of salvation and the more we conflict with our corruptions the more he increaseth the sweet comforts and the hidden Manna of the Spirit Thus we see how the Spirit seals I beseech you therefore let us examine our selves by that which hath been spoken after we believe God seales those that do believe we honour him by believeing he honours us by sealing us with his Spirit Hath God spoken to thy soul by the witnesse of the Spirit and said I am thy salvation thy sins are forgiven thee doth God stirre up thy spirit to call upon him especially in extremity and to go with boldnesse and earnestnesse to him surely this boldnesse and earnestnesse is an evidence of the seal of the Spirit for a man that hath no seal of the Spirit he cannot go to God in extremity Saul in extremity he goes to the Witch and Achitophel and Judas in extremity go to desperate conclusions a man that hath not the Spirit of God speaking peace to his conscience to whom God hath not given the Spirit of Adoption to cry Abba Father in all manner of exigents he sinâ—…ks as lead to the bottom of the sea so heavy is the soul that is not raised by the Spirit of God he hath no consistence till he come to the Centre to hell Did you ever feel the sweet joy of the Spirit after conflict with corruptions and getting ground of them and in holy duties c. it is a sign that God hath sealed you But you will say How can that be a seal that is not alwaies a seal cotinues with the thing Gods children find not peace alwaies the joy of the Spirit comes after the work of the Spirit how then can this be a seal I Answer Yes for howsoever it be or not alway sensible yet it is alway a seal though we have not alwaies the joy of the Spirit yet we have the Spirit of joy a Christian hath not the joy of the Spirit at all times for that is moveable but he hath alwaies the Spirit of joy which Spirit though it be not known by joy yet it is known by operation and working there is the work of the Spirit where there is not alwayes the joy of the Spirit and therefore when that fails go to the work of sanctification and see what stamp and resemblance of Christ there is see if thy heart be humble and broken if thou have a loving disposition in thee like to Christ that thou hatest that which Christ hateth that thou seest a division in thy self I say when the joy of the Spirit ceaseth go to the work of the Spirit and to this work of the Spirit viz. the voice of the Spirit canst thou cry to God with prayer and supplication and if thou canst not pray with distinct words canst thou mourne and groan to God this sighing and groaning is the voice of Gods Spirit and God knowes the voice of his own Spirit But for the question propounded the soul of a Christian knowes that when it findes not extraordinary comfort from Gods Spirit that Gods love is constant It can reason thus Though I find not the comfort of the Spirit yet I have the Spirit of Comfort because I had the Spirit in former times and Gods Spirit is unchangeable and therefore though it be not with me now as in those ravishings of the Spirit yet the love of God is the same though my feeling be not the same because though I be off and on and my feeling ebb and flow yet his love is not so and here upon the extraordinary feeling of the Spirit which is superadded as an extraordinary seal it may be a sound seal of Comfort from the constancy of God who gave it and he gave it for this end that we might have recourse and retire back in our thoughts and argue it was thus and thus with me then we remember the times of old as David saith Psal. 77. and help our selves with our former feelings he that alway hath life is not alwaies alike stirred Christ may be begotten and live in us but he stirs not alwaies alike so though the Spirit of sanctification be in us and stir in us yet his stirring is not alike so sweet and the stirring of the Spirit though it be not alway yet the Spirit is alway there so the soul may have recourse to that which is unchangeable and constant even God himself and his love is as himself But to take a Christian in his worst time in the worst and greatest afflictions how shall he know then that he is sealed of the Spirit when corruption temptation and affliction meet together in the soul when temptation is joyned with our corruption and afflictions yield ground to temptations for Satan useth the afflictions we are in as temptations to shake our faith Canst thou be a child of God and be so exercised is this grace so affliction is a weapon to temptation for Satan to help his fiery darts with Now how shall a man know that God hath any part here He may know that he is sealed by the Spirit of God if he have a spirit to thwart these if he row against the stream if he go contrary to all these if he find a spirit resisting Satans temptations and raising himself above afflictions and standing against and combating with his corruptions and checking his carnal soul when it is drawing him down Why art thou discomforted O my soul saith David Psal. 42. 43. He found corruptions and afflictions and Satans temptations working with them depressing his soul downwards hereupon having the Spirit in him saith he Why art thou disquieted within me trust in God He first chides his soul Why art thou so and then he layes a charge upon it trust in God So I say when this is in the soul in the greatest extremity when I can check my soul Why art thou thus yet trust in God whatsoever is in the world yet there is hope in heaven though there be little comfort upon earth this is a sign that I am sealed with the Spirit of God and thus in the worst temptations that can come and so in the worst times a man may know that he is in the state of grace One use of a seal I told you before was to distinguish if a man therefore find in himself a distinguishing from the errours of the times Many walk saith the Apostle of whom I have told you oft their end is damnation their belly is their god they mind earthly things but what did S. Paul in the mean time what did the Spirit work in him But our conversation is in heaven saith he The whole world was overspread with a deluge of sin but what was Noah and his family God by his Spirit distinguished them they went a contrary course to the world and Lot in Sodom so a man may know that he is sealed when the Spirit leads him another way that he is not led with the
errours of the times Thus we have unfolded to you the sealing of the Spirit and you see the Spirit of God not onely anoints but seales Now we should labour to have our hearts thus sealed by the Spirit Can we desire and never be at quiet till our Instruments be sealed till our acquittances till our Charters be sealed and shall we be patient not to have our soules sealed Let us labour by all means to have the Image and likenesse of Christ stamped upon our soules especially that is wondrous comfortable when we can find somewhat in us like to Jesus Christ. To encourage us to this let us consider that death and Judgment will come and God will set none at his right hand but his sheep that have his mark those that he sets his stamp and Image upon those he will set on the right hand in the day of Judgment And how comfortably in the hour of death can the soul commend it self to God when it sees it self stamped and sealed by the Spirit of Christ when he can say to Christ Lord Jesus receive my soul that thou hast redeemed by thy blood that thou hast sealed by thy Spirit and that thou hast set thine own stamp upon acknowledge thine own likenesse though it be not as it should be what a comfort I say hath the sealed soul at the hour of death and so in all other extremities and in times of trouble and danger those in whom God sees his own Image and likenesse he will own and to those he will alwayes shew a distinct and respective love in hard times What a difference is between that soul and others in the time of affliction as in the time of pestilence and war the soul that is sealed knowes that he is marked out for God for happinesse in the world to come whatsoever befalls him in this world and he knowes that God in all confusion of times knowes his own seal those that are sealed God hath a speciall care of I say therefore in Ezek. 9. they are said to be marked in their foreheads not that there was any visible mark on them but it is a phrase to signifie what speciall care God had of his people specially in times of destruction God will as it were set them out in those times and make special provision for them thus Josiah was taken away from the evill to come and Lot was taken out of Sodom when fire and brimstone was to come from heaven and Pella a little Village was delivered when the general destruction came upon Jerusalem So that I say God hath a speciall care of his little ones in this life and if he take them away yet their death is precious in his sight He will not part with them but upon special consideration he sees if they live it will be worse for them he sees it is better for them to be gathered to himself and to the soules of men made perfect in heaven And as he hath a special care of them in regard of outward miseries and calamities so in regard of spiritual contagion and infection as Rev 7. there Gods holy ones were sealed so many of such a tribe c. which is to signifie to us that God hath alwayes some that he will keep and preserve from the universal infection and contagion of Antichrist in the worst times God hath alwayes a Church in the worst times in the obscurest ages of the Church eight or nine hundred years after Christ especially nine hundred years when Egyptian darknesse had overspread the world and there was little learning and goodnesse in the world God had alwayes sealed ones marked ones that he preserved from the danger of dark times and so he will alwayes have a care of his own that they be not led away with that soul-hurting errour Popery another manner of mischief then men take it for The Scripture is more punctual in setting down the danger of those especially in lighter times of the Church that are carried away with that sin then any other sin whatsoever they have a contrary mark those that have the mark of the Beast it is contrary to the mark of Christ it is far from being the mark and seal of the Spirit that implicite bloody faith Theirs is the bloody Church pretend what they will and they stand out to blood in the defence of all their cruel superstitious and bloody decrees Those persons I say that are deeply died in Popery that have the mark of the Beast they are in a clean opposite condition to those that are marked with the Spirit that Christ marks for his Let us not fear therefore I say if we have the Spirit of God stamped upon us though in a little measure if it be true let us not fear death Christ knowes his own mark even in death and out of death And let us not fear afflictions nor evil times Christ will know his seal He hath a book of remembrance for those that are his Mal. 3. for those that mourn for the sins of the times and when he gathers his Jewels those shall be his he will gather his Jewels as a man in his house gathers his jewels he suffers his luggage to burn in the fire so God in common calamities he suffers luggage wicked men to go to wrack but he will free his own Let us labour therefore for this seal to have our soules stamped with the Spirit of God to have further and further evidence of our state in grace that in the time of common calamity we may be free from danger free from errour and destruction But you will say What shall I account of it if there be but a little sign of grace Be not discouraged when the stamp in wax is almost out it is currant in Law put the case the stamp of the Prince be an old coyn as sometimes we see it on a King Harry groat yet it is currant money yea though it be a little crackt So put tbe case the stamp of the Spirit be as it were almost worn out it is our shame and ought to be our grief that it is so yet there are some evidences some pulses some sighes and groans against corruption we mourn in our spirits we do not joyn with corruption we do not allow our selves in sin there is the stamp of the Spirit remaining though it be overgrown with the dust of the world that we cannot see it Sometimes Gods children though they have the graces of the Spirit in them yet they yield so much to their corruptions that they can read nothing but their corruptions when we bid them read their evidences they can see nothing but worldlinesse nothing but pride and envy c. though there be a stamp on them yet God holds the soul from seeing it so that they can see nothing but corruption this is for their negligence God gives them up to mistake their estates because they will not stirre up the graces of the Spirit
God alone with that but above all beg of God that he would encrease in us and renew the Earnest and the stamp of the Spirit that we may have somewhat in our soules wherein we may see the Evidences of a Christian estate I might adde many things to this purpose but this is sufficient to any Judicious Christian to encourage us to labour for the Spirit above all things in the world all other are but grasse but fading but grace and glory grace and peace and joy nay the very Earnest of the Spirit is better then all earthly things for the Earnest of it is joy unspeakable and glorious and peace that passeth all understanding If the Promise and the Earnest here be so I beseech you what shall the accomplishment of the promise be if the Promises laid hold on by faith so quicken and cheer the soul and if the giving a teste of heaven lift a Christians spirit above all earthly discouragements what shall it be when the Spirit shall be all in all in us if the Earnest be so comfortable But I go on to the next Verse VERSE XXIII Moreover I call God to record upon my soul that to spare you I came not yet to Corinth IN this Verse the Apostle labours to remove suspition of levity and inconstancy there were jealousies in the minds of the Corinthians which were also fomented by some vain-glorious Teachers amongst them that laboured to undermine S. Paul in the hearts of the Corinthians as if he had not loved the Corinthians so well as they did therefore he is so carefull to clear himself in their thoughts from suspition of inconstancy and want of love to them because suspition grounded upon the lightnesse in his carriage might reflect upon his doctrine He knew well enough the malice of mans nature and therefore he is very curious and industrious to make a clear passage for himself into the hearts of these Corinthians by all means possible as we heard in part out of the 17. Verse Moreover I call God to record c. Saint Paul is here purging himself still to clear himself First he labours to clear himself from the suspition of inconstancy and want of love to them in not coming Secondly he sets down the true cause why he did not come I came not to spare you You were much to blame in many things and among the rest of the abominations among you you cherished the incestuous person and many of you doubted of the resurrection I should have been very severe if I had come therefore I came net to spare you hoping that my letter would work upon your spirits so that I need not be severe to you therefore do not suspect that for any ill mind I came not for it was to spare you that I might not be forced to be severe Then the third thing is the sealing of this speech with a serious oath I call God for record upon my soul that I came not to spare you So here is the wâ—…ping away of suspition And the setting down the true cause why he did not come And the ratifying and confirming it by an oath he makes his purgation here by an oath These three things I will briefly touch First of all you see here he avoids suspition of lightnesse which the Corinthians had of him partly by the false suggestion of proud Teachers among them who fomented their suspitious dispositions because they would weaken S. Paul's esteem among the Corinthians they had a conceit he was an uncertain man he promised to come and did not now here he declines that suspition Where first Observe these two things briefly First that the nature of man is inclined to suspition And secondly that it is the duty of men to avoid it as much as may be and to wipe it away if it cannot be avoided Mans nature is prone to suspition Mans nature is prone to suspect ill of another though never so good Christ could not avoid it because he conversed sociably with other men he was thought to be a Wine-bibber a companion of sinners And God himself was suspected of Adam in innocency the Devil is so cunning that he calls God himself into question as if he had not meant so well to him What will that impudent spirit do that will bring the creature in suspition of him that is goodnesse it self God knowes that when you eat your eyes shall be open and you shall be as Gods knowing good and evil Do you think that he intends you any good in forbidding you to eat c He did not spare Christ innocency it self cloathed with mans flesh and will he spare to bring uncharitable suspitions upon others surely he will not And then mans nature of it self is prone to suspect and think ill of another From many grounds Sometimes out of experience of the common infirmities thnt men meet with in the world out of the experience of the falshood of men they are many times prone to suspition But most commonly it is out of guiltinesse that men think ill of others because others have cause to think ill of them none are so prone to suspition as those that are worst themselves because they judge others by their own hearts The better sort of people think of others as they are and as they deserve themselves but others because they are naught they think others are so because they deserve ill they think others have deserved an ill opinion of them so many times it comes of guilt because we are not as we should be Then again it ariseth from a guilty conscience in another respect we think because men have cause though they have no wrong to themselves yet because our own hearts tell us we are ill we suspect them So from an uncharitable disposition and guiltinesse of conscience it oft-times comes Then again sometimes from the concurrence of probabilities the suiting of circumstances that makes things somewhat probable whereupon suspition may be fastened Sometimes when there is a concurrence of probabilities of the likelihood of things there suspition is prone to rise for suspition is not a determining of a thing it is but a slight kind of conceit it is more then a fear and lesse then judgment of a thing It is more then fear for he that fears suspects not suspition is a degree to judgment it doth not fully judge for then it were not suspition it is more then fear suspects not but fears It conceives slightly that such a thing should be done and yet he dares not say it is done Suspition is nothing else but an inclination of the soul to think and imagine ill of another a looking curiously under a thing or person As we use to say Envy pries into things an envious person searcheth so a suspitious person looks under to see if he can see matter of ill to fasten his ill soul upon So it inclines the soul to think
ill upon slight grounds Now this oft-times ariseth and is fed with seeming probability Christ conversed with wicked men here was some colour for them to conjecture him so We say things have two hands a right hand and a left now suspition takes hold of the left hand alwayes if things will admit of a double construction suspition alway takes hold of the worst suspition takes hold of the ill part That is the nature of a diseased soul to take things by the wrong hand We see then it is a disposition that we are subject unto naturally and it is cherished by Satan and Satans instruments wicked men And why doth the Devill so cherish suspition and a jealous disposition Oh it hath been wondrous instrumental to Satan I dare say there is no disposition or frame of soul that hath been the occasion of more blood-shed of more unjustice in the Church and State from the beginning of the world then a jealous disposition especially in great ones Therefore the Devil labours as to breed jealousies of God so of Gods Church and Children from the beginning Was it not ever the disposition of ill-minded men to put jealousies into the hearts especially of those that were in authority concerning men far better then themselves Was it not Hamans policy when the Jewes had angred him Oh they are a people that care not for the Laws c. perhaps they were more obedient then himself had it not been the occasion of their ruine if God had not been more merciful Herod had a jealousie and suspition that Christ when he was born would turn him out of his Kingdome and all Jerusalem was in an uproar Alas Christ came to give a heavenly Kingdome and not to take away earthly yet this jealousie cost the lives of the poor Infants So in the Primitive Church there were wicked men put jealousies concerning the Christians into the heads of the Emperours when alas they reverenced the Emperours next God above all yet alway there were wicked instruments that sought to domineer and have their own ends under the Emperours they conveyed jealousies and thence came so much blood-shed In later times in Popish Countreys if a man read the stories whence came that blood-shed This was one chief cause jealousies and suspitions cast into the heads of Popish Princes by wicked men about them set on work by Satan himself O they are such as will turn you out of your state a people that are rebellious and unquiet This was the policy among us in former times we may consider of later times to see the disposition of a man that was a great States-man in his time and a man of great parts and learning but of a very fierce and cruel disposition I mean Stephen Gardiner The chief hurt that was done in that magnanimous Princes time it was done by him And how By jealousies as appears by his Letters c. Oh if these things prevail this and that will come he cast such jealousies that did affright thas great Prince Oh other Princes will fall out with you if you maintain not these things they will break with you And so upon his death-bed this doctrine of Justification if the people once know it all is gone God shewes that all these jealousies are but follies for all that he feared came to passe In good Queen Elizabeths time Religion that he was so jealous of was established and she cared not for Princes correspondency that were of other Religions further then might stand with reasons of State and did not she flourish and her people in quiet all her time notwithstanding all former jealousies as if Religion established could not stand with peace So that the event proved what kind of jealousies these were Do we think then that a great deal of hurt is not done among particular persons when in States there is such a world of hurt done by Satan and his instruments Well let us take notice therefore of our disposition and of the inclination of men this way that we may the better prevent it and that will appear in the second thing That We should labour by all means to avoid suspition and to decline it as much as we can It should be the care of Ministers and others it generally belongs to all Christians to free themselves from any ill suspition in the hearts of others as much as they can as S. Paul did here the suspition of inconstancy and lightnesse and want of love to them that he did not come among them Suspition is a Canker that eats into the soul where it is and it will consume and waste all love It is the very venome of Love and friendship A little thing will breed it but will not work it out Therefore we ought first of all to take great heed that we give no ground of suspition at all or if we do that we be careful to get it out as soon as we can for usually where it takes place it boyls till it break out into words and then words when they are discovered breed strangenesse and that breeds other inconveniences And the rather we should labour to avoid it because Quod suspectum c. that which is suspected is made unprofitable for a man when he unwarrantably suspects another thing it is unprofitable to him We take little good by those that we suspect are ill or ill-affected to us and then we do little good to them for love is much danted by the ill conceit we have taken against them A man cannot do that good that he might when he is suspected there lies a barre in the way ill suspition in the other party which is an obstruction between him and the good he might do Therefore even for the love of others we ought to avoid suspition as much as may be that they may receive good from us As we ought not uncharitably to suspect others that we may do good to them so we ought to avoid by all means suspition from them left it be a barre for that good we might do towards them Let us labour to clear our selves from all suspition of want of love and ill carriage what we may that so there may be nothing between our spirits and theirs that may hinder the good that might come from us to them but that all may passe clear You see how curious holy men have been in all times to avoid suspition as much as they could Even God himself we cannot have a more glorious pattern what course hath he taken from the beginning of the world with mankind he hath condescended and stooped to mans weaknesse to clear himself of suspition of unkindnesse to man that man might not cherish suspition that he doth not love him For there is that poyson in the cursed nature of man that do God what he can he will lay imputations upon God to bear himself out in stubborn courses as if God delighted not in him
with a spiritual holy affection and a spirit of love though with severity for there is a severity of love and gentlenesse it will prevail when it comes from such a spirit But if there be a discovery of flesh not only in Ministers but in those that deal with others flesh will rise against flesh A man may sometimes find fault with another with greater corruption then the thing he finds fault with in another he may be more to blame for his dealing then the other for his fault I came not to spare you Therefore when Ministers are plain in discovering the danger of the times the danger of the persons and places where they are to deal people must hear them as they love their own souls If they have any quarrel let them quarrel with their master for what we speak is from the Word of God we come as his Ambassadors and servants and should be considered as Ambassadours therefore considering whose message we bring they must take it in good part to be told of their sins in a good manner As S. Austin saith very well Christ saith he speaks to the Sea and it was quiet Christ said Be still the Sea heard and the waves were still but he speaks to us in the Ministery to stay our violent courses in sin and we puffe and swell when we are told of our faults is this good think you No if we do so it is a sign that God intends to seal us to destruction As we know Elies sons when they did not hearken to their Fathir God had appointed them to destruction Those that will not hearken to Ministerial reproof it is a sign God hath sealed them over to destruction If we would not have either Ministers or others to be severe in telling us let us be severe to our own sins first Men are like to children first they foul and defile them selves and they cry when they are washed so men soil themselves with sin and cry when they should be purged from them If we cannot endure to be told of our faults how shall we endure to be tormented for our faults in hell Those that are so tender that they will not endure a word contrary to their dispositions how will they endure that sentence Go ye cursed when they shall be turned into hell Consider what will come of it if we live in sin I beseech you therefore suffer the Word of exhortation at our hands Our salvation lyes upon it if we discover not the danger of the sins of people to whom we speak if we discern them we shall perish for it because we are unfaithful in our Ambassage Therefore for your own souls and likewise that we may discharge our duty as we should patiently and quietly fit under exhortation and reproof not only publick but private if occasion be O Beloved at the latter day it will be a matter of vexation that we were cherished too much in our courses Do you not think that the damned spirits in hell wish O that we had been told O that we had been dealt with violently that we had been pulled out of this flame There is an excellent place in Judes Epistle Have mercy upon some Use some gently that are of tractable dispositions and pull some out of the fire with fear with threatning eternal damnation with terrible courses that they may have cause to fear first with admonitions and if that will not prevail with suspension with further censure and if that will not prevail with excommunication cast them out of the Church as this incestuous Corinthian that their souls may be saved in the day of the Lord. There is a threefold correction or finding fault that are gradual one after another and they should be of vigour in the Church in all times First a friendly telling of a fault between man and man if we see any thing dangerously amisse Then when a man takes another man before company when he takes him before those that he respects when privately he will not amend Then correction if admonition of friends will not do tell the Church rather then suffer his soul to perish These steps and degrees were observed in the best times of the Church and if they were observed now many souls would be saved This is that that S. Jude speaks of Save some pulling them out of the fire that is snatch them out by violent means by excomunication that their souls may be saved in the day of the Lord. Those that are in hell wish that they had been pulled out with fear with violent courses O that we had been told of our filthy courses of our sâ—…vearing of our iâ—…justice that we had had violence offered us rather then to have come into this place of torment O those will blesse God another day for that gracious violence And those that are let alone will curse all another day Ministers friends and parents they will curse all that there were not more violent courses taken with them to stop them in their way to hell to deal plainly with them it is the best mercy that can be shewed to be faithfull in this kind Therefore while it is time suffer the word of Exhortation and reproof the time will come else that you shall condemn your selves that you were so impatient and shall wish O that we had had those that would have dealt more violently with us It is cruel pitty as can be in Ministers to be flatterers and to daub or in parents and governours of others to dissemble with them in their courses and not to tell them of it it is the most cruel pitty of all it is betraying of them to eternal torments For sin as I said it must be judged and censured here or hereafter if it be not here there is more reserved for the time to come when God will open the treasures of his wrath We put into his treasury fast enough and the time will come of opening all the treasuries of his vengeance when he will pour out the vials of his wrath upon sinners that are not reformed So much for that Point I call God for a record upon my soul. S. Paul to purge himself from suspition seals all this with an oath Herein he doth shew his great love to them and his care over them that he would so seriously purge himself to gain their love and good opinion of him Is was an argument of the great esteem he had of them he was willing they should think he was very desirous of their love and of their good opinion for whose sake he would sweare and clear himself by an oath As God esteems mans love much when he will condescend so far as to seal his love and promise with an oath God would have us to think that he values and esteems our respect very much so S Paul would have them think he esteemed them much that he would make such a solemn oath for their
part of happinesse in this world and in the world to come Now the end of the Ministery is to set the peoples hearts into a gracious and blessed liberty to bring them into the Kingdome of grace here and to fit them for the Kingdome of glory to help forward their joy This is the end both of the Word and of the dispensation of the Word in the Ordinances of salvation in the Sacraments and all that our joy may be full as our blessed Saviour saith These things have I spoken that your joy may be full It is the end of all our communion with the Father Son and Holy Ghost and with the Ministery and one with another as it is 1 Joh. 1. These things have I written that your joy may be full you have communion with the Father Son and Holy Ghost and with us that your joy may be full all is for spiritual joy We are helpers of your joy The meaning is we are helpers of your faith from whence joy comes more especially for he doth not repeat the word again We have not dominion over your faith but are helpers of your faith but instead of that he names joy as that that doth accompany true faith The Points considerable in this clause are these That joy is the state of Christians that either they are in or should labour to be in because the Apostle names it for all happinesse here All that have given their names to Christ should labour to rejoyce either they do rejoyce or they should labour to come to it that is supposed as a ground I will be the shorter in it The second is That the Ministers are helpers of this blessed condition The third is They are but helpers they are helpers and but helpers they are not authours of joy but helpers We are but helpers of your joy saith the Apostle These three things I will speak of briefly out of these words First Joy is that frame and state of soul that all that have given their names to Christ either are in or should labour to be in For this Doctrine is fetched from the principle of nature We do all with joy all in our callings is done with joy What do men in their Trades but that they may have that that they may joy in when they have it It is an old Observation of S. Chrysostome We do all that we may joy Ask any man why he doth take so much pains and be a drudge in his place it is that he may get somewhat to rejoyce in in his old dayes So out of the principle of nature this ought to be the scope of all to joy Now those that are Christians God requires it at their hand as a duty Rejoyce alway again I say rejoyce And he doth prepare and give them matter enough of joy to those that are Christians For whether we consider the ills they are freed from the greatest ills of all they are freed from sin and the wrath of God they are freed from eternal damnation they are freed from the sting of death from the greatest and most terrible ills Or whether we regard the state that God brings them in by believing being in the favour of God they enjoy the fruits of that favour peace and joy in the Holy Ghost And then for the life to come they are under the hope of glory The state of a Christian is a state of joy every way whether I say we regard the ill he is freed from or the good he is in for the present or the hope of eternal good for the time to come A Christian which way soever he look hath matter of joy God the Father is his Christ is his the Holy Ghost is his Comforter the Angels are his all are his life or death things present or things to come all are his Therefore there is no question of this that every one that hath given his name to Christ is in a state of joy if he answer his calling or he should labour to be in it he wrongs his codition else Why should they labour to be in that state Among many Reasons one is That God that gives them such matter of joy may have glory from them For what should the life of a Christian be that is freed from the greatest ill and advanced to the greatest good his life should be a perpetual thanksgiving to God and how can a man be thankfull that is not joyful Joy is as it were the oyl the anointing it makes a man chearful it makes the countenance of his soul to be chearful it makes him active in good when he is anointed with the oyl of gladnesse Now every man should have a desire to be good to be diligent and expedite in all that is good Therefore we should labour for this spiritual anointing that we may be ready for every good work Vessels of mercy prepared for every good work And then for suffering we have many things to go through in this world how shall a man suffer those things that are between him and Heaven with joy unlesse he labour to bring himself to this temper of joy And then for others every man should labour to encourage others We are all fellow-passengers in the way to Heaven therefore even to bring on others more chearfully we ought to labour to be in a state of joy Those that do not rejoyce they bring an ill report upon the way of God as if it were a desolate disconsolate way As the Spies brought an ill report upon the Land of Canaan whereupon the people were disheartned from entring into it So those that labour not to bring their hearts to spiritual joy they bring an ill report on the wayes of God and dishearten others from entring into those wayes which way soever we look we have reasons to encourage us to joy That God may have more glory and that we may do him more service that we may endure afflictions better and encourage others and take away the reproach of Religion from those that think it a melancholy course of life which indeed do not understand what belongs to the state of a Christian for the state of a Christian is a state of joy And if a Christian do not joy it is not because he is a Christian but because he is not a Christian enough because he favours the worse principle in him he favours himself in some work of the flesh God in the Covenant of grace is all love and mercy he would have us in our pilgrimage to heaven to finish our course with joy and he knowes we can do nothing except we have some joy It is the oyl of the soul as I said to make it nimble and fit for all actions and for all sufferings It gives a lustre and grace to whatsoever we do Not onely God loves a chearfull performer of duties but it wins acceptance of all others and makes the worker himself wondrous