and perswading the things concerning the Kingdom of God Luke 24.32 Did not our hearts burn within us whilest he talked with us and opened unto us the Scriptures 5. The Lords Table where he feasteth his Friends as Cant. 5.1 and bids them welcome saying Eat O Friends Drink yea drink abundantly O Wel-beloved I appeal to the consciences of many sincere Christians when they have taken most pains with their own hearts to get them into frame against a Sacramental day when they have been deeply humbled in self-abhorrency broken in confessions with sighs and groans that cannot be uttered if God have not spoken peace to their souls Son daughter be of good chear thy sins be forgiven if their hearts have not danced for joy as David did before the Ark 6. The Lord's People his faithful Members are they thy friends thy companions of thy intimate society dost thou prefer them to others Psal 16.3 as the only excellent ones 119.63 I am companion to all that fear thee to all even to poor Saints as well as rich despised as well as honourable dost thou relieve them in want succour them in misery visit them if in Prison and therefore because they belong to Christ have much of Christ in them This he taketh kindly Mark 9.41 because they belong to Christ 7. Dost thou love the Day of Christ's appearing which though it be black and gloomy a terrible day to the proud and all ungodly enemies of Christ yet is it a day much to be desired by all that love the Lord who may rejoyce and lift up their heads in joyful hope of this Dayes approach their Redemption draweth nigh now is their Salvation nearer than when first they believed now shall the Elect receive the end of their Faith and Hope and Prayers and Tears and Sufferings 2 Tim. 4.8 It is made a character of the righteous that they love the appearing of Jesus Christ Heb. 5. ult Unto them that look for him Tit. 2.13 Looking for c. Not only looking for but hasting to the coming of the Day of God 2 Pet. 3.12 3d. Note is in Christ's own words John 14.15 If ye love me keep my Commandments all one as well as another hard as well as easie John 15.14 Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you Abraham is called the Friend of God and his friendship was tried and approved by his obedience to those hard Commandments of leaving his Country and offering up his only son his son Isaac whom he loved The partial obedience of most people is no obedience at all argueth no sincere love to Christ 4. To suffer for Christ to part with our dearest interests for him argueth sincere love to him Jacob endured a hard service of seven years for Rachel which though long because hard yet seemed to him but as a few dayes for the love he had unto her Jonathan endured his father's displeasure for David whom he loved and was well content to part with his hope in the Kingdom because he loved him as his own soul The Martyrs Rev. 12.11 loved not their lives unto the death The Apostles went away rejoycing they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the Name of Christ If we dare not adventure to suffer the spoyling of our Goods dare not hazard the frown or displeasure of a Landlord dare not suffer the loss of Name or Reputation for Christ and his Gospel how dwelleth his Love in us 5. Who love the Lord in sincerity will not easily part with Him his Comforts his Graces his Presence and Power of his Ordinances Exod. 21.5 The servant that loved his master and the family would not go out free Love prevailed above Liberty which is very desirable To sincere Christians the absence of Christ is grievous how they mourn to part with Ordinances in which they have found sweet communion with Christ David in the Wilderness how he longed after God! Psal 63.1 With sorrow and weeping tears the Disciples take their leave of St. Paul Acts 20. ult when they were to see his face no more Those people that with those Jews Acts 13.50 expel Ministers out of their coasts or with them Luke 4.29 thrust Christ out of their City or with the more mannerly Gadarens who besought him to depart from them who can be content to suffer a famine of the Word rather than be at the cost of maintaining a Preaching-Minister they will not buy the Truth so dear who are well enough pleased to see their Ministers removed burning and shining Lights put under a bed or a bushel Teachers driven into corners do give a plain demonstration how little love they have to Jesus Christ it is evident they prefer their Swine their Gain their Money to Jesus Christ Now I beseech you Brethren take a little pains to try the truth of your Love to Christ It will be the greatest comfort to your souls of any thing in this world if upon good ground it may appear you are of them that love the Lord in sincerity What bonefires of joy may such Christians make in their hearts in the saddest times and darkest night of affliction Psal 112.4 To the upright ariseth light in darkness If you love Christ be sure ye are of him beloved Prov. 8.17 I love them that love me To you he will be a never-failing friend in trouble in sickness in all afflictions in life and death and at the day of Judgement to them he will pronounce that heart-chearing sentence Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom c. But if by the foregoing Evidences taken out of the Scriptures of Truth the contrary do appear and we be not found amongst Christs real Friends but however we may flatter our selves among his enemies and of them that hate Him then shall we from his mouth hear that heart-breaking doom Depart from me ye cursed c. I never knew you And if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha SERMON VI. Ephes 6.24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity VVE come now to speak to the second Doctrine which is this Doct. 2. The best thing in the world is Grace not gifts parts which are Gratiae gratis datae of an inferiour nature which the Apostle elsewhere wisheth for his Corinthians 1 Cor. 14.5 But here being to take his leave of his People wisheth for them saving Grace such as Faith Remission of sins Fellowship with all Saints in the general Resurrection So Haimo in locum That Grace is so excellent a thing appeareth in this That the Apostle in all or most of his Epistles both begins and ends with it His first salutation in the entrance is Grace be unto you and Peace to which he sometimes addeth Mercy Grace to renew our nature Peace of conscience Mercy for pardon of sin If we find sin pardoned our persons accepted our natures altered then may we comfort our selves c. saith Dr. Sibbs In
Tokens into the midst of Egypt upon Pharoah and upon all his Servants Why did he smite great Nations and slay mighty Kings Sion King of the Amorites and Og King of Bashan and all the Kings of Canaan Psal 135.8 9 10 11. Was it not because he had chosen Jacob unto himself and Israel for his peculiar treasure ver 4. And again I gave Egypt for thy ransom Ethiopia and Sheba for thee Since thou hast been precious in my sight thou hast been honourable and I have loved thee therefore I will give men for thee and people for thy life Isa 43.3 4. God in his Love thinks nothing too good nothing too great to be done for his Church and People He not only gives famous Kings and potent Nations up to ruine for his Peoples temporal deliverance but in the stupendiousness of his Love hath given his Son for their eternal Salvation John 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life and in and by him hath made a full compleat and abundant provision all things needful for your Salvation He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Rom. 8.32 The faithful apprehension and application of this Love will steel you against all sufferings and make you Reproach-proof and Persecution-proof that you shall not be ashamed of a despised Gospel a reproached Religion and a persecuted Christ and Hope maketh not ashamed because the Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts Rom. 5.5 This Love will comfort you against all temptations concerning sin in doubtings concerning Gods presence perseverance in Faith and assurance of Salvation I am perswaded saith the Apostle that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jâ—sus our Lord Rom. 8.38 39. To these add the dearness strength constancy and inviolableness of God's Lewe unto his Children dearer than a mothers to her swâ—â—etest babe Isa 49.15 stronger than the mountains Isa 54.19 more constant than the courses of Heaven Jâ—r 31.35 36. 33.20 21. it is as sure as God him self is sure Psal 89.34 35. And for a People to be committed to such a Love is ground of security and comfort When Ministers are taken from you this will â—bide with you 2. To commit you to God is to commit you to the tenderest mercy Mercy is the best refuge to the miserable Whither shall the malefactor flee for pardon but to the mercy of his Prince whither shall the captive go for safety but to the mercy of his Conqueror The pity of an armed Conqueror is better safety than the flinty-heartednes of a naked captive Compassion unarms the Armed blunts sharpened swords enfeebles the strong and sinewy arms when an astorgy arms the unarmed sharpens the sword addes strength to weak arms and blocks up all wayes and means of securiâ—y and comfort A man's pity subdues him when the valour policy strength and weapons of his enemies cannot conquer him and makes him a security to his adversary This encouraged Benhadad to humble himself to Ahab whom and his Kingdom he had twice before attempted to destroy by two formidable Armies Behold we have heard that the Kings of Israel are merciful Kings let us we pray thee put sackcloth on our loins and ropes on our heads and go out to the King of Israel peradventure he will save thy life and it was so 1 Kings 20.31 c. And shall the Kings of Israel have mercy to save their enemies and shall not the KING of the Kings of Israel have mercy on his Children Mercy makes the tender heart partaker of the misery of him that is distressed Misericordia quasi miseria cordi it translates the misery of another into the heart of the merciful and enclines them to relieve and succour them It is pity that makes you to bind up the wounds of the wounded to wash Lazarus his sores to cloath the naked to feed the hungry to refresh the thirsty Now the God to whom I leave you is the God of pity and Father of mercies 2 Cor. 1.3 all the pity and compassion in the creatures is derived from him and were it all contracted into one yet it were but a drop to his Ocean and as the mercifulness of tender Parents causeth them to pitty their sick Children so God like a tender Father pitties them that fear him Psal 103.10 yea he sympathizeth with them in all their sufferings accounting their sufferings his Are they reproached so is he are they persecuted so is he are they imprisoned banished tormented put to cruel deaths he accounts it as done to himself and whatsoever Satan doth to you in tempting you to sin to dispair in buffeting you filling your hearts with heaviness your mouths with sighs and complaints your eyes with showers of tears he takes it as done to himself In all their afflictions he was afflicted Isa 63.9 And as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we from our own suffering learn more to pitty others in the like distresse so Christ's experiences of the worlds hatred and persecution of Satans rage and temptation doth cause Christ to pitty his suffering Members more We have not an high Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all things tempted as we are yet without sin and in that himself suffered being tempted he is able to succour them that are tempted Heb. 4.15 chap. 2.18 Here is a rise of Compassion according to the degree of suffering How do the screechings of a sick Child the deep sighs and groans of a sick tormented Child make the bowels of the Parents roul within them and melt their affections into tears The Harlot whose the living Child was could not endure to suffer and see her Babe to be cut asunder but denied and acquitted her interest in him because her bowels yearned towards him 1 Kings 3.26 God's Pitty to his People is the most intensive when their Afflictions are the most increased His soul was grieved for the Misery of his People Israel Judg. 10.16 It grieves God to see his lie laden with Iron-fetters to lye in long and loathsome Imprisonments under cruel Tortures and Tormenting Deaths When you are buffeted with Satan bewailing your sins and miseries God's Bowels of Compassion are moved towards you Jer. 31.18 19 20. Surely I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised c. After I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth Thus Ephraim bemoaned himself and God heard him and marked his expressions weighed the sorrow and burden of his spirit and pittieth him Is Ephraim my dear
you both to will and to do But mark it this holy fear commended to us in the text is so far from disturbing or excluding peace of conscience and a particular perswasion of our good estates as that it most directly conduceth unto and likewise secures and senceth the same As Calvin well observes Facit nostri dissidentia ut fortius reclinamus in Dei misericordiā The more we distrust our selves our own strength the more we shall see a necessity of relying on the Grace of God the way to establishment We cannot stand of our selves on our own legs yet is there no danger of our falling while we are careful to lean on the Grace of God and Christ There are many things I must omit and pass by to come to the main Doctrine which may be the last Doctrine I shall ever have liberty to preach to you Doct. The great business we have in this world which requires our constant and chiefest care is the working out of our own Salvation Note when I say this is the great work we have here do I do not mean as exclusive of but as including our glorifying God As God's glory and our happiness are linked together in Adamantine chains and cannot be separated In seeking the advancement of God's glory we should certainly provide for our fouls everlasting welfare as on the other hand if we have no care of our own souls it 's impossible we should make it our work to advance God's glory Now in the prosecution of the Point I shall first briefly open and then apply it Explication To shew what it is to work out our Salvation 1. It is implyed here that we must have an Holy Calling We must be partakers of the heavenly calling Else there is no possibility of working out our Salvation As the Apostle speaks Heb. 3.1 Wherefore holy brethren partakers of the heavenly calling We must give diligence to make our calling sure as we are exhorted 2 Pet. 1.10 O that I were able to say that of you all which the Apostle says of the believing Corinthians Ye know your calling brethren Indeed there is a bare external calling many that have this I say there are many that have an external calling and profession but this is not enough you may have it and yet break and be undone for ever Again there is an internal and effectual calling when a man is not only willing to take up a profession of Christianity but hath his heart and will drawn over to Christ And this sets the soul in a state of Salvation Rom. 8 30. Whom he did predestinate them he also called And this is indeed a prerequisite here We must first be savingly wrought upon before we can work out our Salvation O Sirs I beseech you take heed of resting in a civil conversation or a meer external profession For in the Name of God I testifie unto every one of you this day that there is no calling in the world on which your souls can live but that inward effectual calling It 's not a Ministers calling that will save him though that be something higher then being called a Professor Judas his Apostleship which was the highest degree of the Ministry could not save him So a man may be a Preacher of the Word and yet in the end prove a cast-away Then think it not enough that thou art a Professor But as it is in 2 Tim. 1.9 who hath saved us and called us whith an holy calling as ever you would be saved look after this Holy Calling 2. Again As we must have an holy Calling so we must see that we follow our Calling As it is not enough that a man hath a calling but if he would live by it he must follow his calling So Christians that would work out their Salvation must daily exercise themselves unto Godliness must follow after Righteousness Faith Love Patience Meekness We must be daily at work with our hearts to get them into a more holy and heavenly frame Be continually employing and laying out that stock of Grace the Lord hath put into our hands We should follow on to know the Lord after he hath made himself known to us And labour to walk worthy of Him who hath called us unto His Kingdom and Glory Herein should we exercise our selves continually to have consciences void of offence both towards God and towards man O Christians follow your callings You have two callings your particular Callings which I meddle not with at this time as there is no need to press many of you to follow them you are at them early and late some of you so that you leave little time for God you suffer your particular Callings greatly to entrench upon the other which is your General Calling your Calling as Christians as Saints O Sirs now see that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called That it may appear you have not received the Grace of God in vain Be holy in all manner of conversation Deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world Labour daily to grow in Grace go on in the work of Sanctification and thus your vocation would be evidenced to be saving and effectual O we beseech you Brethren and exhort you by the Lord Jesus that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God so ye would abound more and more For this is the will of God even your Sanctification 1 Thes 4.1 3. 3. One thing more I must add here which the Text indeed doth more directly point at We must ever abide in this our calling must hold on in the course and practice of Christianity to the end To allude to that in 1 Cor. 7.20 Let every man abide in his Calling What ever we do we must never lay down this our heavenly Calling Work out sayes the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not simply work but work out Thus we must never give over our work till we can say it is finished till we come to the end of our work the end of our Faith the Salvation of our souls We should fear being like to Israel there Hos 8.3 Israel hath cast off the thing that is good Or like those Apostates 2 Pet. 2.20 21. who after they had known the way of Righteousness turned again from the holy Commandment delivered unto them after they had escaped the pollutions of the world were again entangled therein and overcome whose latter end was worse than their beginning It is not enough only to have begun well but we must press forward towards the Mark for the price of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus Phil. 3.14 He that is righteous let him be righteous still and he that is holy let him be holy still We must see that we never be ashamed of our profession not a shame to our profession And the God of all Grace who hath called us into his Eternal
God did we see him to be an alsufficient unchangable faithful God it would help us to hold out to follow him fully 4. Again eye His Omnisciency His eyes are upon the wayes of man and He seeth all his goings Job 34.21 He telleth all our wanderings When Peter was turning his back on Christ his Lord and Master looked on him all the while As he beheld guile-less Nathaniel under the Fig-tree So he likewise beheld Peter halting in the High Priests Palace 5. His Omnipresence O that we had Moses eyes to see him that is invisible Doubtless he is not far from any of us No fleeing from his presence Psa 139.7 c. That we cannot sin but in the face of our Judge What are ye not afraid to turn aside from God his Truth his Commands while the Lord himself stands by and observes all our carriage 6. His Holiness Justice and Severity against sin If any draw back his soul can take no pleasure in that man Only such as are upright in the Way that are his delight Pro. 11.20 As God is displeased at mens halting before him so he is ready to manifest his displeasure And what a fearful thing is it to fall into the hands of the living God even as to fall into a consuming fire Such of God's Attributes as these last mentioned would very much awe us make us fear to depart or turn aside in the least from him But so much of the eighth Direction 9. Look to Jesus as your best guide And strive to follow his steps Observe how Christ carried in this world He did no sin neither was guile found in His mouth His love to man without dissimulation His zeal for God free from the least mixture of self-seeking He had the wisdom of the Serpent and the Doves innocency most exactly contempered duly proportioned in him He knew how to converse with sinners without the least communicating in their sins He was one and the same in all places at all times Far from studying a compliance with a corrupt and sinful generation rather he made it his work to do all that might be to change and amend it to set a crooked generation streight He was ever more careful to discharge duty than to provide for his own safety here In doing the work his Father sent him about into the world he wav'd and set aside self-respect John 5.30 8.49 50. The Truth and Honour of God was dearer to him than his own life O Christians follow this your Guide If we are Christians we ought to walk as Christ also walked 1 John 2.6 We are unworthy of the name of Christians if it be not our care and indeavour to follow Christ Now wherein we are followers of Christ we may be confident we go right so far we halt not in our course Therefore observe and eye Christ more Consider how he carried upon earth And where you are at a stand think if you can how Christ would have carried what he would have done in the like case with yours 10. Reckon upon troubles in this world Expect to meet with crosses in your Christian course As Paul and Barnabas confirmed the souls of the Disciples and exhorted them to continue in the Faith and that through much tribulation we must enter into the Kingdom of God Acts 14.22 When we look to meet with the Cross in our way we shall not so soon stumble at it On the contrary the Disciples were offended at Christs passion and shrunk away from him being in a great measure surprized with it for as many fair warnings and express items as they had from our Saviour to prepare for his sufferings yet they would not let those sayings sink down into their hearts still their thoughts were upon Christs reigning here as an earthly King and on some great worldly advancement which they expected under Christ 11. Be going forward The way of the Lord is strength to the upright Though I do not determine this to be the sense of the place yet it is a truth if we take it thus The further we go on in the ways of God the more strength we shall find to hold out and continue in them The way of the Lord is strength to the upright The Righteous shall hold on his way and wax stronger and stronger Here they that run fastest are least weary Whereas if we sit still we shall soon grow lame and stark O take heed of standing still Be going forward Grow in Grace Let it be your care to grow in Grace as you fear to fall from your own steadfastness Weaklings are aptest to stumble and fall Therefore let us be going on from strength to strength It is a good thing indeed that the heart be established with Grace Heb. 13.9 Where note it is one property of Grace to establish the heart And the more Grace the more inward establishment Adde to Faith Vertue sayes the Apostle Peter Let these things be in you and abound And if ye do these things ye shall never fall 2 Pet. 1. Here I might instance in sundry particular Graces that you should be growing in especially You heard before what corruptions especially and most frequently are a cause of halting Now strengthen those Graces that are opposite thereunto Labour to increase and excel in Faith By Faith Enoch walked with God By Faith Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the People of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin In sincerity Being really what we seem to be The more truth in our inward parts the more Evenness and Uniformity in our outward Conversations In self-denial They that would follow God fully as Moses did must deny themselves as he did who refused to be called the Son of Pharaohs Daughter that he might be found the faithful Servant of God In an holy contempt of the world Labour to sit looser in your affections to the world if you would stick close to God Demas falling in love with this present world and affecting its embraces shook off holy Paul once and as some tell us turned Priest afterwards in an Idols temple Though others suppose he fell not so far but soon recovered again However the danger was very great see 1 Tim. 6.9 10. Many alas stick fast in the world stick fast here so that they know not how to take a step how to set a foot forward in the way to Heaven In love to God his Truth and Wayes This would cause you to cleave to him In Patience We have great need of Patience too that we be not wearied nor faint in our minds We must run with patience the race set before us Without patience we should soon be run out of breath 12. Lean ever upon Christ As you would not halt in your course lean hard upon Christ While we desire to grow in Grace yet we should fear to trust to Grace received It was the cause of Peters foul and shameful fall his self confidence conceiting that he was
in God 1. The foundation of this Interest is laid in the free Love of God to their souls We can shew no other ground of all those rich heavenly priviledges Believers enjoy but only this because God loved them from eternity this is the bottom of all every one of our priviledges is laid in God's love Whom God loved from eternity them he chose from eternity to be a People nigh unto him that should have interest and propriety in him Hence it is Believers are called Elect and Chosen ones Eph. 1.4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world 2. ' T is ratified and made sure by the Covenant of Grace When God having brought the soul over to himself and enriched it with Faith and other Graces comes actually to strike covenant with him than is this interest and propriety in God established and made firm this appears from the very tenour of the Covenant of Grace Jer. 31.33 This shall be the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those dayes saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my People God hath given his People an interest in himself and he hath confirmed this by Oath and Covenant he hath sworn that he will be the Believers God Come we to apply this Doctrine 1. Have Believers an interest in God We may here stand and wonder at the honour that is bestowed upon Believers Surely the outward glory of Solomon fell short of this to be a People near to God is a high honour to be related to him is a great dignity but to have a right to God and all in God is a priviledge not to be fathomed by humane arms and yet this honour have all the Saints though in their outward condition never so poor and contemtible t is the greatest honour in the world to be able to say My God If David was filled with admiration that he should be son in law to the King How may the hearts of Believers run over when they consider what honour they have in being Sons of God! 2. Have Believers an interest in God Then in vain do Satan and his Instruments labour to make them miserable Can any man be miserable that hath an interest in God Men would have judged David a miserable man but he hath a friend to stand by him in whom he encourageth himself Will God forsake his People will he suffer men to spoil his Jewels No they do but polish them if Satan and his instruments could dissolve this interest and pluck Believers out of God's arms than were their misery at hand but this they cannot do God feels the blows which Believers receive Saul Saul Why persecutest thou me He is touched with all their injuries and surely he is able to save them 3. Have Believers an interest in God Then hath God also an interest in them and this Believers must know and remember this propriety is mutual betwixt God and his Saints as he is theirs so they are his not their own This must put us in mind of our duty that we do not altogether dwell upon priviledges and forget duty We must not boast of our propriety in God and serve our selves and our own lusts As God in his Covenant sayes I will be their God so he adds and they shall be my People and for this end he promiseth to put his Laws in our inward parts and write them in our hearts that so we may yeeld him Covenant-obedience Remember Christian thou art not thine own but God's 't is not for thee to serve love and please thy self but God As we have right to all God hath and can do so hath God right to all we have and can do our gifts parts strength time and estates must be laid out for God 4. Have Believers an interest in God then let them pity such as have not and strive to bring them under this happiness let our souls bleed within us to consider how many thousands are strangers yea and enemies to God and without God in the world Canst thou call God thy God there are many thousands in the world that cannot do this Canst thou call God Father O how many are there that cannot do this in Faith Pity such and pray for them yea labour by all means to bring them home to God See whether there be no such in your families or amongst your kindred and neighbours Are not many of these in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity if so pity such souls and labour to pray them in to God that they also may have an interest in him 5. Have Believers an interest in God This speaks exceeding great joy and comfort to Beleivers such as can say with David The Lord my God If we knew God better we should understand more of this great consolation The serious thought of this interest in God is able to make a Believers joy to exceed all bounds The consolation will empty it self into these four chanels 1. If God be thine thou then art Gods and he will own thee he will preserve thee he will provide for thee thou needest not torment thy self with carefulness who hast such a God to care for thee There is as much comfort in that last branch of the Covenant they shall be my People as their is in the former I will be their God 2. If God be thine then is his Christ thine thou hast an interest in Christ and all his Sufferings his Merits and Righteousness He is made of God to us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption whole Christ is thine Christ and all that he hath done Christ and all that he hath suffered Christ in his Person and in his Portion thou maiest say of him with the Spouse My Beloved is mine and I am his 3. If God be thine then is his Spirit thine to lead thee into all Truth the Comforter to abide with thee the Spirit of Grace to sanctifie thee the Witness to testifie thy Sonship to God and to seal thee unto the day of Redemption this Spirit is thine if God be thine 4. If God be thine then is his Kingdom thine his Glory thine T is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom a Glorious Kingdom whose builder and founder is God an Inheritance incorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for you such as can call God theirs shall be sure one day to Reign with their God in the Kingdom of his Glory Proceed we to the second Observation from the words which was this 2. There is enough in God to encourage a Believer when greatly distressed 'T is clear from this instance of David he was greatly distressed as you have heard yet he encouraged himself in his God Follow him from hence to the 23. Psal the 4. ver and there you may find him insulting over the
Calls his Sheep hear his Voice and know not the voice of strangers give him your eye look unto him and be saved give him your hand and feet to do what he commandeth and come when he calleth give him your knee to bow to him not meerly in a complement but to submit to his Laws and obey him as King and Lord especially give him your hearts let him be enthroned there Lift the everlasting Doors that the King of Glory may enter With the tongue you must confess and with the heart believe that you may be saved And take him for yours for ever abide for him for many dayes Beware of Apostacy by which Judas lost the Blessing and went to his own place You see Brethren al blessings are to be expected only through Christ I beseech you go home and work these things on your hearts by meditation wrestle for a Blessing say Lord Jesus who blessedst thy Disciples bless me even me also I will not let thee go unless thou bless me cry to him as the blind lame and diseased cryed when he was on earth Jesus have Mercy on us and believe that he is able willing and ready to bless you As for me God forbid I should cease to pray for you that the Lord would put his Blessing on you One thing further let me mind you of That you be much in blessing God for his Love and Faithfulness in giving his Son and ascribing Blessing and Praise to the Lord Jesus for all spiritual Blessings and for going to Heaven blessing his People Especially I charge you be careful to spend the Lords Day which is precious time which he hath sequestred and set apart for himself in a thankful Commemoration of Jesus Christ his Grace and Compassion to poor sinners and not in sports and past-times study what you shall render to him in lieu of such superlative and incomparable Love and in a due Sanctification of the Lord's Day endeavour that the Name of Christ may be remembred through out all Ages The third and last Use is Consolation for I would not leave you comfortless 1. Here is abundant Encouragement to poor sinners to come to Christ you that have trembling hearts and dare scarce look up to Christ by reason of your sins lest he call you Dogs and cast you out who are ready to say There is indeed Consolation in Christ and he hath Blessings enough to bestow but they are not for me let me tell you it is good to be humble and sensible of your own vileness but not to be faithless and unbelieving for unbelief is highly derogatory dishonourable to Jesus Christ and wrong to your own souls a rejecting of your own mercy I could also tell you it is the most unreasonable thing for you to question Christ's pitty and tenderness towards poor heavy laden sinners after that he hath from Eternity had his delights with the sons of men Prov. 8.31 And in Noahs time he was preaching to save souls would they have believed and obeyed He sent all his Prophets of old to testifie remission of sins to all that believe in Him Acts 10.43 The Prophets testifie his tenderness Consult Isa 55. the seven first verses Ho every one that thirsteth He will abundantly pardon Isa 40.11 He shall gather the Lambs and carry them in his bosome Isa 42.3 A bruised Reed shall he not break Isa 61.1 2 3. He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted Ezek. 18.23 Have I any pleasure that the wicked should dye Psal 72.12 13 14. He shall save the souls of the needy You have his own Testimony John 6.37 Them that come to me I will in no wise cast out You have the Experiences of the Saints recorded for your encouragement The Apostle Paul who was a Persecutor and confesseth himself the chief of sinners yet he obtained Mercy The thief upon the Cross though before he reviled Christ yet praying obtained a very gracious Answer Nay consider what Christ hath done to shew himself in good earnest to save souls He knew what a bitter Cup he must drink yet Loe I come he became our Surety and longed to have our debt paid and his People redeemed Luke 12.50 He was wondrously straitned till his Baptism of Blood was accomplished He hath sent his Apostles after such signal Manifestations of Grace to testifie it And in his Name my Beloved I am this day declaring to you That he is very willing and ready to receive any that will come to him and would gather you as a Hen doth her Chickens under her wings never did any find him backward nay He is more willing to bless you than you are to receive his Blessings It 's some satisfaction when men will come that he may see the travel of his soul Isa 53.11 He taketh it ill that we are so backward in coming He loved the young-man that came running kneeling enquiring Good Master what shall I do c. and had the young-man liked the terms the match had been made the breach was not on Christ's part Nay Luke 15. he sheweth there is joy in Heaven over one repenting sinner in three Parables Draw near then thou drooping dejected soul come and see not only the Hands and Feet of thy Saviour put not only thy hands into his pierced Side But behold the heart of thy Redeemer behold thy Lord lifting up his Hands and Blessing and see if there be not ground to cry out My Lord and my God Had you seen Him after sweating drops of Blood for you ascending with such Expressions of hearty Love could you have doubted Had you seen his Hands lifted up in blessing his People on Earth at his last farewel could you doubt of his willingness to bless you 2. Here is Comfort for the People of God amidst all the Curses and Persecutions of the world Be not afraid no matter who curse so Christ bless Psal 109. Let them curse but bless thou Christ's Blessing is your Pavilion from the strife of tongues For first Christ blesseth effectually Psal 37.22 when Christ will bless men cannot let Secondly Irrevocably When Christ blesseth men cannot reverse it Balaam could not curse Israel when God had blessed The Blessings of Christ are without Repentance Men now cry Hosanna anon crucifie but they whom Christ blesseth shall be blessed everlastingly Thirdly he blesseth such as bless his Servants and curseth them that curse them Gen. 12.3 Fourthly He blesseth his People for mens cursing 2 Sam. 16.12 Fifthly He turneth the Curse into a Blessing Deut. 23.5 Sixthly He hath variety of Blessings Blessings of the Dew of Heaven and of the Deep Esau cryed Hast thou but one Blessing bless me also O my Father But Christ's Blessings are an Ocean never exhausted He is a Sun full of Light after so many thousand years emanation of Blessings and irradiation of the World therewith he is as full as ever He is a Fountain always flowing and ever full He hath national Blessings pardon of sin
Matt. 13.12 It is not in spiritual as in corporal things the more you use them the more you wear and waste them but as it is with a fountain the more you draw the more it springs labitur et labetur 6. Beware of whatever may blast and hinder the growth of Grace as 1. Take heed of growing strange neglect not communion with God Gracious walking is walking with God in-disinenter cum Deo ambulavit is said of Enoch 2. Beware of all sin especially pride that blasteth Grace as humility preserveth it God resisteth the proud but giveth Grace to the humble 3. Formality barrenness in duty 4. Worldliness as shining of the Sun puts out fire so hot pursuit of the world causeth cooling and decaying in Grace 5. Ill company society of graceless persons is a great quench-coal to Grace the body is not so apt to catch the plague from persons infected as evil communications and ill conversation of lewd companions is prone to corrupt the mind and manners Who walketh in the Sun shall be tanned though he walk not for that end who is much in the Mill may discern it in his clothes who sits in the Apothecaries shop much will smell of his Ointments So he that converseth with the froward graceless sinner will learn of his wayes and be like him For the worst precepts counsels examples prevail most SERMON VII 1 Sam. 30.6 But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God THe difference betwixt the friendship of God and the friendship of men appears best in a day of adversity for then the latter proves fickle and deceitful but the former durable and lasting A notable instance whereof is represented in this portion of Scripture wherein we have David's friends and followers turning his enemies but God continuing his fast friend in whom he may encourage himself In the words we have these three Generals 1. The person concerned and that is David a Prophet of the Lord and Ruler of his People by the appointment of God David encouraged himself 2. His behaviour he encouraged himself in God comforted and strengthened himself in Jehovah his God 3. The occasion of this behaviour and that was the great distress he was in which is hinted in the beginning of the verse David was greatly distressed for the people spake of stoning him He was an Exile already driven from his Country and from his habitation by the rage and jealousie of Saul His City Ziglag was sack'd and burnt by the Amalakites his Wives and Children carried captive and which was worst of all his Friends and Followers spake of stoning him looking on him as the cause of all the misery that had befallen them this was a sore distress he had nothing left now wherein he might comfort himself God only excepted David was greatly distressed but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God Hence we may take notice by the way That God many times suffers his own dear and precious Ones to be greatly distressed David was a man after God's own heart yet David was greatly distressed This might be abundantly strengthened by the condition of the Church and People of God in all Ages And this God doth for these ends amongst many other 1. To take his People off from an arm of flesh from leaning upon humane props that they should not trust in themselves or any other but in God alone 2 Chr. 20.12 We know not what to do but our eyes are upon thee 2. Cor. 1.9 We had the sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead 2. To prove their Graces to try their Faith and Hope God will see whether we can hold out in a storm whether we can trust him without a pledge in our hands he will see whether we can encourage our selves in Him when we have no outward mercies to lead us to him 3. To magnifie his own Name by their deliverance 'T is the strongest argument we can urge to God in our troubles What wilt thou do for thy great Name The greatness of the distress greatneth the deliverance out of it and this advanceth the glory of the Deliverer But come we to the words which we have pitched upon which hold forth the behaviour of David in his distress he encouraged himself in the Lord his God Whence we may gather these two Doctrines 1. That Believers have an interest in God the Lord his God 2. There 's enough in God to encourage a Believer when greatly distressed David was in great distress sorely beset with troubles his enemies destroying on one hand his followers gathering stones to stone him on the other hand but for all this he encouraged himself in the Lord his God I shall begin with the first of these 1. Believers have an interest in God We have the Saints every-where using this phrase which holds forth their propriety in God Deut. 6.4 The Lord our God is One Lord. Josh 14.8 I wholly followed the Lord my God John 20.28 Thomas answered and said unto him My Lord and my God This interest and propriety in God holds forth these three things 1. A nearness to God 'T is the misery of graceless persons that they are far off from God But now Believers are nigh to God The Psalmist calls this one of Israels priviledges Psal 148.14 He exalteth the horn of his People the praise of all his Saints even of the children of Israel a People near unto him O 't is a priviledge indeed to be a People near to God Ephes 2.13 But now in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Believers are brought night to God they are even set under his wing of Providence and special Protection 2. A Relation to him Our God implies some very near relation to God he is the Believers Father by Grace 't is the misery of the Wicked that God is not their Father but they are of their father the Devil as our Saviour tells them John 8.44 But every Believer is related to God as a child to his father 2 Cor. 6.18 I will be to you a Father and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty We are not only made night to God but nigh in relation He that can say My God may say also My Father This relation is held out in this interest and propriety 3. A Right to God Whole God is a Believers God and all he hath all he is all he can do This is a vast priviledge My God there 's my right and title to him He is the Believers portion his inheritance his estate made sure to him he may call God his and the Power of God his the Wisdom of God his the Goodness and Mercy of God he may call it all his he hath a right to it Thus you see what is held forth in this Interest Come we now to shew how Believers do obtain this their Interest and Propriety