Christians in the time of the Gospel that are eminent should live as Angels Angelical lives and the weakest of all should be as David Indeed considering what we have revealed in the Gospel we should be ashamed that our hearts and lives should come short in spiritualness and heavenliness of any that lived in the times of the Law see in the 119. Psalm how you find Davids heart taken and ravished with the Word of God Oh how sweet was the Law of God to him sweeter than the honey and the honey comb He doth not mean there the Law in opposition to the Gospel but the whol Word of God Now you should consider this what part of Gods Word had David there he had not many of the Prophesies he had but the Books of Moses and some other Books the Book of Job was then and some of the Chronicles some part of the Kings and the Book of Judges but most part of the Kings he could not have for he was the second King therefore what little part of the Word of God was written at that time and yet how sweet was the Word to him as sweet as the honey and the honey comb and how he did delight in it above Gold and Silver And then for the Ordinances of God O how was he taken with them though in comparison of ours they were but carnal In the 84. Psalm he did envy the very birds that were in the Temple of God How aimable are thy Courts O Lord saith he now do but compare those Scriptures he had with these that we have The five Books of Moses and Joshua and Judges and Job which were the chief Scriptures then extant and do but compare them with the History of the Gospel in particular the Sermons of Christ from the fifth Chapter of Matthew to the eighth So those remarkable places from the fourteenth to the eighteenth of John and so on O what heavenly things are there let down amongst us What Heavenly truths we have study and reade over Pauls Epistles which are several holy Letters sent from Christ to His Saints here on earth Oh what spiritual transcendant truths What great mysteries and depths of God are opened and revealed there beyond what there is in Genesis or Exodus or Leviticus or Numbers c. And yet the Word of God was dearer to him than al the world and he profest he did meditate in it day and night Now we have that word in two Testaments that doth reveal abundance more of God in Christ than ever he had and therefore our Conversations should rise higher in holiness than the Converstions of those that were under the Law we should endeavor to be more exemplary in holy walking than they were And thus much for the second head Now for the third which is the chief of all If you would have your Conversations to be such as becomes the Gospel it must be suitable to what the Gospel holds foâ—â—h unto you Now this is a greâ—t point and it will serve for two ends First To hold forth unto you the principal things in the Gospel Secondly To shew you how you should sute your Conversation to those things that are in the Gospel And we shall abide upon this head somewhat long The first and principal thing in the Gospel It is the holding forth unto us the infinite love of God to man-kind this is the very end of the Gospel that God might declare what an infinite love he hath unto the children of men yea unto men rather than unto Angels you know that Scripture in John 3. â—6 So God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life And indeed that one verse hath more of God in it than all Creatures in Heaven Earth the whol frame of Heaven and Earth hath not so much of God in them as that one verse hath So God loved the world that he sent forth his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life It is as if God should say when he comes to reveal the Gospel I will have a way wherein it shall appear to men and Angels for ever what the greatness of my love is unto these poor creatures unto the children of men And to that end I send my Son the second Person in Trinity to take their natures upon him to come to be their Mediator there will I manifest what my love is that shall be the great fruit of love It is the similitude of a learned Divine saith he the love of God in all other things in comparision of the love of God in Christ reveal'd in the Gosspel it is a little spark of fire in comparison of the heat in a furnace when a furnace is heated red hot it may be a few sparks of fire fly out but what is one of those sparks of fire that fly out in comparison of al the heat that there is in the furnace so saith he all the fruits of the love of God to man-kind in all the works that ever God did do are but as that one spark only excepting this of Christ and the love of God unto mankind in Christ is as it were the heat of the furnace there 's burning love indeed the love of God in Christ this is the great scope of the Gospel the great aim of God the great design that God had in the Gospel to make known the infinitness of His love unto the children of men Now then if so be that God in the Gospel doth reveal what there was in His heart from all eternity to man-kind for so it is that 's the scope of the Gospel there was in the heart of God infinite love burning toward man-kind God from eternity saw man-kind before him and there was that strong inclination of his heart towards them in love as did even burn in his heart Now in time God reveals this in the Gospel in the Doctrine thereof He doth open His heart to the children of men when ever the Gospel comes to be preached in any place God doth look upon that place and hath these kind of workings in Himself Well that love of Mine that I have had burning in my Bosom from all eternity towards these poor creatures now it shal be opened now it shal be revealed just as it was with Joseph that had his heart so warm in love unto his Brethren that though he kept it in a while he could not keep it in long but at length it breaks out as fire his bowels yerned towards his Brethren and he weeps tears of love over their necks So in the Gospel of Christ look upon God towards poor creatures as Joseph towards his Brethren and God as it were keeping in his heart towards them for a long time but now when the Gospel comes among them God opens his very heart to them now therefore there must be a Conversation that
of this world John 8. 23. Are all the good things that the Father hath to cōmunicate of this world and not Christ Himself of this world Let me tell you Christ is the greatest gift that ever was given or possibly could be received and yet Christ is not of this world therefore there is somwhat else besides the things of this world that God hath for some of the children of men that He intends good unto Ninthly The Saints are said not to be of this world Joh. 15. 19. 17. 14. If they be not of this world then their happiness is not here God hath other happiness for them than that which is here Tenthly The Scripture makes it to be a sign of a child of wrath that he walks according to the course of this world in 2 Joh. 2. this is enough to describe a child of wrath Eleventhly It 's made a sign of one that is an enemy to God and that 's hateful before God that is a lover of this world Jam. 4. 4. And 1 Joh. 2. 15. He that loves the world the love of the Father is not in him and the friendship of the world is enmity to God saith the Holy Ghost in those two Scriptures If so be that in the world there were the special things that God hath to communicate to the Children of men certainly then God would have his people to love the world He would say Love these things for these are the fruits of my favor and love these are part of the riches that I have to communicate to those that I intend good to and therefore delight in these expatiate your heart in these Oh me saith the holy Ghost whosoever loves the world is an enemy to God And if the love of the world be in you the love of the Father is not in you surely then here are not the things that God intends for the children of men Twelfthly The world is that that shall be condemned 1 Cor. 11. 32. That ye may not be condemned with the world that notes that God intends to condemn this whol world all these things are under the sentence of death and all the men of the world are condemned before God and therefore these are not the things that men should so much look after to make them happy Thirteenthly Take all the world together the Scripture speaks by way of supposition That a man may gain the whol world and yet his soul be lost for ever If one man could get all the world in to his possession and thereby lose his soul it would be an ill bargain the world then hath no such excellency in it as we should place our happiness in it God hath something else for His people than these things that are at the best under Moon-vanities Fourteenthly If Christs Kingdom is not of this world then certainly those that are of the world are not of His Kingdom for these two cannot stand together that Christs Kingdom should not be of this world and yet that these that are of the world should be of his Kingdom if such as are of the world are none of his kingdom then certainly a worldly man or woman is not of the kingdom of Christ Christ owns them not as under His kingdom they are Vagabonds and Runnagates not under the protection of Jesus Christ not partakers of any priviledg of Jesus Christ Quest You will say to me How should one know when a man is a man of this world The Scripture makes a plain distinction of some that are of this world and some not the best of all you will say they have hearts worldly enough and they desire to have the comforts of this world as well as others well though there are some yet we had need look to our selves to examine whether we be of the world yea or no for there lies thus much upon it that if we be of the world we are not of the kingdom of Christ now I would give you but these three notes of a man of the world Answ The first is this One that is a man of the world is such an one as could be content if God would let him live here in this world and enjoy what he doth he would be content for to live here for ever and could be satisfied though he never enjoyed any thing from God but what he hath received here if he might alwaies bold it Here 's an evident Argument of a man of the world I mean such a man as hath health of body in this world he hath for outwards as much as the world can afford any man that for the properness of his body his comliness his health he hath as much as the world can give he hath convenient dwelling with all accommodations belonging thereunto and he hath the comings in of the world as much as his heart can desire he hath his wife and children about him in which he hath a great deal of delight and content now I would but put it to this man What sayest thou would not this satisfie thy heart if thou mightest alwaies be here alwaies have thy house and gardens and walks and these comings in that thou hast now that thou mightest fare deliciously every day and have the sweet and fat of the world would it not satisfie thy soul though God should never give thee any thing else but this I beseech you in your own thoughts answer even to God this question and seriously look into your hearts for you may know very much of your hearts upon the answer to this question you may come to know what is like to become of you for ever even from the answer that your consciences would give to this question That man or woman whose conscience tels them that this would satisfie then we may conclude that surely that man or woman is of this world because the things of this world would be enough for his portion But now take a man or woman that is chosen out of this world that is of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ unto whom the Lord hath made known the things of another world and the excellencies of Jesus Christ and such a one though it had ten thousand times more than it hath though it had what possibly can be imagined it would say Lord it 's true I am unworthy of the least crum of bread that I eat or of the least drop of water but yet it is not all the world nor ten thousand worlds can satisfie my soul for the portion of it It is nothing but thy self the unsearchable riches in Jesus Christ those blessed things that thou hast revealed in that glorious kingdom of thy Son it 's only that that can satisfie my soul for the portion of it and if thou shouldest say well thou shalt have all the things in this world for thy portion and enjoy them for ever I should account my self in a miserable condition for thou hast revealed better and higher things to my
2. may prove to be your portion it is spoken of Doeg This is the man saith the Psalmist that did not make God his trust but trusted in his great riches this is the man So you may be pointed out one day This is the man Doeg was a great Courtier and because he was an Officer of King Sauls and because he had his favour he trusted in the favour of the King and in his riches and what did he care for David Yea by the Text it appears he was one that made some shew of Religion too in the 1 of Sam. 21. 7. He was detained before the Lord Tremelius thinks either out of some Religious vow or to keep the Sabbath or somewhat concerning the Law he was detained before the Lord and yet he was a vile Malignant against David and all because he trusted in the great countenance he had at Court Now this is the man that made not God his trust but that trusted in his great riches the Lord forbid this Scripture should be made true of any of you I leave this Text with you that are rich men take heed you trust not in your great riches I leave this Text with you that are in places of dignity and honor take heed you have not your portion in this world I leave this Text to Voluptuous men given up to pleasures take heed you hear not one day this Son remember in thy life-time thou hadst thy pleasure I leave this with those that dare not trust God for a portion to come And above all I leave this with all Hypocrites let them take heed it be not said to them Here is your reward Consider what hath been said and the Lord give you understanding in all things FINIS THE ALPHABETICAL TABLE A ABuse see Body Adam First Adam what he was and what he should have been had he stood Page 43 The state of Adam compared with the state of the Saints 44 Admiration Admiration of Saints and Angels 90 Adrian Adrian the Pope his wofull death 339 Alexanders rebuke 349 Angels Angels are the Saints keepers 155 Angels see Love Honor Anger Anger must be avoided 38 Arbitrary Arbitrary Government and the differences of it 324 Antichrist Antichrists great design 49 Argument see Gospel B Beginning Beginings of sin to be feared 83 Beleevers Beleevers draw strength from Christ 45 Beleevers should manifest Christ in their actions Ibid Beleevers cannot fall away 46 Beleevers are not without mixture of evil ib. Beleevers under the Law were as children under age 100 Beleevers under the Gospel are children of full age ib Beleevers must not be of earthly hearts and why 270 Beleeve The manner how to beleeve 76 Bishops see Prelats Blood The Blood of Christ takes us off from vain conversations 98 Body The body of sin must be mortified 39 The body of sin is unknown to Nature 40 Abuse not your bodies and why 92 Boldness see Saints Boniface Boniface his answer 288 Bowels Bowels of mercy beseem the Gospel 71 Branch see Christ C Canaan The Land of Canaan a type of Heaven 47 Carelesness see Profession Christians Carnal Carnal worship opposeth the soul of godliness 49 Carnal see Weapons Heart Ceremonies Ceremonies condemned and why 97 Chastisement Chastisements for sin what they are 148 Children see Beleevers Christ Christs love known in the Gospel 69 Christ is the mercy of all mercies 70 Christs kept the Law and why 78 Christs self denial 93 Christ is the Root and we are the Branches 103 Christs is a great King 116 Christ God-man governs all things and why 136 Christs Rule 139 Christs Law ibid See Dependance Subjects and Peace Christians Christians must be carefull of their families 19 Christians should eye those whose Conversations are above them 29 Christians subject to grow careless by degrees 31 Church Church of God as a City 3 Circumvent We must not circumvent one another 275 Citizen A Citizen's wretch'd speech 320 Civil Civil mens worship of God 35 Companions see Tribulation Compulsion see Persecution Conscience Liberty of Conscience the way to procure it 22 Contentment Motives to contentment 349 Conversation The meaning of this word CONVERSATION 3 What Conversation becomes the Gospel 5 Our Conversation must be looked to after conversion 7 Conversation becoming the Gospel 57 How our Conversation should be manifested 350 What Conversation becomes the Gospel 115 See Image Wanton Cook Cook his opinion of the Martyrs 308 Covetousness Covetousness unbeseeming a Saint 270 Customs Old Customs an hindrance to spiritual worship 100 D Daies Difference between daies of fasting and thanksgiving and holy daies 99 See Observing Danger see Help Deceivers Self Deceivers how 13 Dependance No dependance between the Kingdom of Christ and this world 284 Design see Gospel Despair The reason of despair 75 Despise Despise not the meanest of men 92 Difference Difference which the Gospel makes 122 Difference betwen Saints and worldly men 312 Divisions Divisions whence they come 105 Duty see Time Dying Dying one for another becomes the Gospel 58 E Elevation Elevation of spirit upon what ground 91 Enmity How enmity against God is kept up 15 Epistle The Saints should be the Epistles of Christ 113 Eternal life Little mention of Eternal life in the Old Testament 110 Excellency The Excellency of a Saints portion wherein it consists 354 Eyes The eyes of all are upon Professors 23 What the eyes of a Christian should be set upon 354 F Faith Faith acts upon Christ as a King aswell as a Savior 135 Necessity of living by faith 285 Fleshly-lusts Fleshly lusts unsutable to the Gospel 102 G Gentils see Partition German The speech of a German Divine 137 God Gods willingnesse to be at peace with man 63 See Hatred Love Glory People Mercy God is full of goodness 64 How the utmost of Gods glory is manifested 90 Godly Why godly men are willing to live 2 Gospel What the Gospel is 3 Gospel-Conversation what it is 38 Gospel Obedience proceeds from love 40 Difference between the Law of Adam and the Gospel 41 Those that live under the Gospel must live in an higher way of holiness than those that lived under the Law 42 The great Design of the Gospel 54 The Gospel cals for love 58 Gospel-arguments are the strongest arguments 69 Difference between the Gospel the light of Nature 73 See Law Mallice Christ Conversation Dying Bowels Wanton Worship Beleevers Power Government see Arbitrary Great ones see Religion H Hard-hearted see Monster Hatred Gods hatred of sin how to know it 81 Heart Carnal hearts will not trust God 351 Help Helps against the danger of the times 24 Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost dwells in our bodies 90 Honor How the honor of Religion is kept up 15 More honor put upon Men than upon Angels 89 I Jewes The error of the Jews about Christs Kingdom 117 See Partition Image How man holds out the Image of God Injustice A remedy against Injustice 77 Institution Whereon institution of Worship depends
the world 157 2 Because he delights to exercise the graces of his Saints ib. 3 That his power and wisdom may appear the more glorious 158 Application Use 1 There is a happiness beyond the things of this world 159 Their world called 1 An evil world 160 2 The Devil is called the god of it ibid 3 The pomp of it is not of the Father ibid 4 Its glory is but darkness ibid 5 It knows not God 161 6 It lies in wickedness ibid PSALM 17. 14. TEXT Opened 295 Doctrine There are men to whom God gives some outward good for a while and this is all they are like to have 298 Arguments of Gods love to Saul 1 He was chosen by God Himself c. 300 Explication 1 Why God deals out something to wicked men 304 1 They are His Creatures ib 2 Their time of life is Gods patience ibid 3 It is their day 305 4 They do something for God here ibid 5 To shew them what little good is in this world 306 6 He hath time enough to manifest his justice upon them hereafter 307 7 He shews what great things He hath reserved for His Children 308 8 God fetcheth glory from hence ibid 1 To harden their heart 309 2 To chasten his own people ibid 9 Because he would have no argument of love or hatred drawn from outward things ibid 2 Here is all they are like to have 310 1 Because their names are not in the book of life ibid 2 They are vile in the eyes of God ibid 3 Because they chuse it themselves 311 4 They are sutable to them 313 5 They abuse the portion they have 314 6 They have no interest in Jesus Christ ibid 7 They are no sons 316 8 The manifestation of Gods patience is ended ibid 9 They must have imediately to deal with God 317 3 Corrollaries flowing from hence 1. This is the reason why worldly men are so cunning in things of this world 318 2 This is the reason why so many great ones regard Religion so little 319 3 This is the reason of the stir that is in the world to maintain this their Portion 328 4 What kind of Portion this is that the men of the world have 1 What poor things they are 329 1 They are but imaginary ibid 2 Of a low nature 330 3 But a poor pittance 331 4 It will vanish 332 5 It will stand with the hatred of God 333 2 The tenure by which thou boldest them 335 Opened in 4. things ibid 3 There is a great deal of mixture in what you have 336 1 Of trouble ibid 2 Of curse ibid 4 What Portion thou losest by it 337 1 It is fit for the Spouse of Christ ibid 2 Sutable to an Heir of Heaven ibid 3 It is the height of happiness 338 4 It is Gods great design in making Heaven and Earth ibid 5 It requires the infinite power of God to support a creature in it ibid 6 It remains to eternity ib 5 What is like to be thy end ib 1 Perplexity of spirit when death comes 339 2 You 'l be called to account for all 340 3 A dreadful Portion at the day of Judgment ib. 5 Who the man is that hath his Portion in this world 1 God gives him nothing but what belongs to this life 341 2 By the working of your hearts about your Portion 342 1 Whether your hearts terminate in what you enjoy ibid 2 Whether they go out in full strength to them 343 3 How the loss of them take thy heart ibid 4 Whether they only be sutable to thy heart 344 5 What thou accountest thy cheefest good ibid 6 What you strive to make most sure 346 7 What thou most admirest men for ibid 8 What thou art careful to lay up for thy children ib. 9 Examine thy services in 3 Particulars 1 Are they slight 347 2 Hypocritical 3 Forced 10 Doest thou draw back in Religion ibid 11 Doth God for the present curse thy portion ibid 12 Doth God convince thee of what stops the current of his mercy ibid 13. He spends his daies without fear of being put off with the things of this world 348 6 Exhortation 1 To those that have evidences of a better portion 349 1 Bless God for it 349 2 Be content with it ibid 3 Envy not wicked men ib. 4 Mind higher and better things 350 2 To all to put on for another Portion 351 Motive 1 Ye are capable of it 352 2 Ye are in a fair way for it ib Means 1 Be stir'd with the fear of God 353 2 Take off your hearts from outward comforts ibid 3 Set the glory of Heaven and Eternity before your eyes 354 4 Honor God with your substance here ibid 5 Let your services be choice services 356 6 Be willing to cast away what you have sinfully got ibid 7 Be willing to joyn with those that suffer for God 358 Conclusion ibid READER Thou hast here the Names of the Books that are lately published of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs As also the Texts of Scripture upon which they are grounded VIZ. 1. An Exposition with Practical Observations on the 4 5 6 7. Chapters of HOSEA 2. A Treatise of EARTHLY MINDEDNES Wherein is shewed 1. What Earthly-mindedness is 2. The great evil thereof on Phil. 3. part of the 19. verse Also to the same Book is joyned a Treatise of Heavenly-mindedness and walking with God on Gen. 5. 24. And on Phil. 3. 20. 3. The rare JEWEL of Christian CONTENTMENT on Phil. 4. 11. Wherein is shewed 1. What Contentment is 2. It is an holy Art and Mysterie 3. The Excellencies of it 4. The evil of the contrary sin of Murmuring and the Agravations of it 4. GOSPEL-WORSHIP on Levit. 10. 3. Wherein is shewed 1. The right manner of the Worship of God in general 2. And particularly in Hearing the Word Receiving the Lords Supper And Prayer 5. GOSPEL-CONVERSATION on Philip. 1. 27. Wherein is shewed 1. That the Conversation of Beleevers must be above what could be by the light of Nature 2. Beyond those that lived under the Law 3. And sutable to what Truths the Gospel holds forth To which is added The Misery of those Men that have their Portion in this Life only on Psal 17. 14. All which are published by Thomas Goodwin Sydrach Simpson William Greenhil William Bridge John Yates William Adderly All printed by Peter Cole at the Printing-Press in Cornhil at the Royal Exchange in LONDON GOSPEL Conversation PHILIPPIANS 1. 27. Only let your Conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ THE Apostle in the 23. verse of this Chapter we find to be in a straight what to do whether to be willing to live or to die for his own inclination or desire it was rather to die because then he should be with Christ which was best of all A notable Scripture to prove the Immortallity of the soul For if so be the soul did die with the body it
bitterness that original corruption and this makes me cry out Oh wretched man Oh wretched woman who shall deliver me from this body of death and Oh that I could find this mortified in me this is that that is the strength and endeavor of my soul to get this bodie of sin to be mortified I this is as becomes the Gospel so to live in your Conversations as it may appear that you are not content meerly to keep from actual sins though in secret but it is your great care and endeavour to mortifie this verie bodie of death that is within you and by this a great manie of your Civil men and meer moral men will or at least may be convinced that their Conversations comes short of that that becomes the Gospel of Jesus Christ for they are not acquainted with this Lastly If you would have your Conversations such as becomes the Gospel of Christ you must not only think to make conscience of secret sins but that which you do you must manifest that it doth proceed out of Love not only that you do obey but that you love the Commandement that you do obey Now this neither any hypocrit or meer moral man doth if you take it universallie one Commandement as well as another Obj. You will say Love is a secret thing Ans But as you may know in your family the difference between your childrens obedience to you and your servants so there may appear a difference between the obedience of one that is meerly moral or doth it out of conscience and the other that doth it out of love therefore you must know that you do not rise beyond the light of Nature except that you do love the Command as well as obey the Command and so carrie things in your Conversations as you may make it appear that all those waie of God that you make conscience of that you likewise have a love unto them and do them out of a principle of love and thus you come beyond the light of Nature and in some measure it is as becomes the Gospel of Christ And that 's the first thing how we should walk in our Conversations as becomes the Gospel of Christ But now this is the lowest of all The second is That our Conversations must be such as is beyond such as live under the Law for the Law of God goes higher than the light of Nature for there 's more reveal'd there than in the light of Nature It 's true that that you call the moral Law the light of Nature if it be cleer it is sutable to it to the most part of it only there is some part that is positive but most part is but sutable to the principles of Nature if they were cleer and pure but now because since the fall of Man the light of Nature is darkned and the principles of Nature are much corrupted therefore God hath given His Law that is as it were a glass of His Will that is the cleer glass of what was written in the heart of man in Innocencie that 's the Law Only there is that of the limitation of the seventh Day particularly from the Creation that hath somewhat positive in it but take all the other and I say it is nothing but as a glass of what was written in the heart of man in the time of Innocency There was written in mans heart to keep some solemn time for the worship of God only the specification was by revelation but the substance of all those ten Commandements I say is the glass of what was written in the heart of man in Innocency And because God saw that this writing was so much blotted out almost all obliterated therefore God wrote it in Tables of stone whereas it was written in the Table of mans heart at first But now when He comes to bring men to the Gospel there He writes over that Law again in the Tables of their hearts At first it was written in the heart of Adam but he falling doth blot it out in a great measure then God writes it over fair again but how He writes it over in a fair Copie but it is in Tables of stone but when God receives any soul in the Gospel He writes it over again in the Tables of their hearts Now this gives you a little hint of the difference between the Law and the Gospel between the Conversations of men that were meerly Legal and the Conversation that is Evangelical but the opening of it to shew the difference between the Law and the Gospel in reference to this and to shew how low the Conversation was that was meerly Legal and how high raised the Conversation of a Christian ought to be if he would make it Evangelical such as becomes the Gospel of Christ would ask more time and therefore we must defer that to the next day SERMON III. PHIL. 1. 27. Only let your Conversation be as becomes the Gospel of Christ A Conversation becoming the Gospel of Christ it must be beyond what the Law can inable one to attain to or else it doth not become the Gospel I have shewed you already what the Gospel of Christ is But now we are upon the point of Conversation That it must be higher than can be by the Law those that live under the Gospel must live in a higher way of holiness than those that lived under the Law Now for this we are to consider of the Law under these two considerations First As it is a Covenant of works for life so it was made at first to Adam It was a Covenant of works for eternal life to Adam and so to man kind in him Secondly We are to consider the Law as in the Ministration of it by Moses Take it either of these two waies Those that live under the Gospel and profess the Gospel must live in a more holy Conversation or aim or endeavour at least after a more holy Conversation than that Conversation could be that was under the Law As now I say thus the Law as the Covenant of life to Adam But what was his Conversation First It was obedience to God meerly as Creator no further Adam in innocency he lookt upon God as Creator of al things as the First being of all and so Adam tendered up his service to God meerly as the Creator and First-being That was his obedience Secondly The Law to Adam had promise only of natural things of a natural life to be continued We do not reade of Gods promising Adam to live in Heaven if he had obeyed but Do this and live that was the Tenour of the Covenant with him that is he should have continued in Paradise and so have lived a natural life but yet continued eternally God would have upheld that natural life of his that 's all we reade of that ever God promised to Adam if he had stood by vertue of that Covenant of the Law That 's the second thing considerable in
becomes the Gospel as becomes this great thing in the Gospel that is the chief thing indeed that the Gosspel holds forth in every line of it and discovers his eternal love towards them in particular in the Son of his love Christ Jesus in whom he is well pleased Quest You will say What is it that becomes this thing in the Gospel Ans Surely love answerable love that we should return love for love he that dwels in God dwels in love God Himself is love Reade but the first Epistle of that beloved Disciple John what abundance of love is there made known of God every letter thereof is a character of love and what commendations of love in heavenly expressions But you reade no such thing in the Scripture before the Gospel was revealed in that cleerness as it was then now nothing but Love love and how it called for love Then there must be this conversation Love to God as God to us And that must be real as Gods love in Christ was Quest How did God manifest his love Answ A Conversation becoming the Gospel must be a manifestation of our love in some proportionable way So God loved the world as He gave His only Son that is as if he should have said thus God so loved the world so dearly as that which was the dearest thing unto God he gave for a testimonie of his love to man-kind The dearest thing What 's that His Son If God should have said That I might testifie my love to mankind as I have made one world for them I will make ten thousand more yea I will make so many worlds as every one of the children of men shall have a world to possess you would think this were very much Oh this were nothing in comparison of that expression So God loved the world as He gave His Son the Son of God is infinitly dearer to God than ten thousand thousand millions of worlds are Now a conversation that becomes the revelatio of such love must needs be this Whatsoever then is dearest to our souls let that be given up to God As it was a testimony of the love of Abraham to God Hereby I know thou lovest me Why Because he gave up his Isaac to God he would not spare his only Son whom he loved so God shewed his love to us we may say Lord hereby we know thou lovest us that thou hast given thine Isaac thine only Son for us and hereby Lord shal men and Angels know that we love thee that whatsoever is dear to our souls thou shalt have it we will offer it up to thee in way of sacrifice this is a conversation that becomes the Gospel So that when God cals for anything never think it much Oh this is hard and costly and dear to me and how shall I part with this Is this becoming the Gospel to stand with God for any thing for thy love must be somewhat sutable to Gods His love was such as he gave the dearest to thee and thy love therefore if it runs paralel with his must give the dearest to him And then if we be acted by love for that 's the conversation that becomes the Gospel to be acted in all that we do with love to God to be in a flame of love continually as the Salamander they say doth alwaies live in the fire so should we do in the fire of love not in the fire of contention But now Love hath no need of any argument to do any thing but only this this thing will be pleasing unto him that I do tender it unto it will please my Father that 's argument enough for Love that if I do such a thing it will please my beloved therefore never stand arguing thus Such a thing is a duty but is it necessity Must I do it Cannot a man be saved unless he do it Be all damn'd that do not this These are arguments from base sordid spirits but here 's enough for love here 's a thing would please God if we did thus we should please God better than in not doing it Therefore that place that you had before in the first of the Colossians Walk worthy of the Lord to all pleasing let the heart presently spring upon this There 's such a thing propounded out of the Word at such a time and I heard it would be well pleasing to God if I did this If we put but this upon you you that do not set up the worship of God in your families Do not you think that it would please God better to set up his Worship in your families than not Is there no Conversation that your consciences tell you would please God better than that Conversation which you live in Would it not be more pleasing to God ask but your conscience now if your hearts were acted by love you would presently fall upon that which your consciences tel you would be more pleasing to God And then Love This is a maxim of Love Love never knows when it hath done enough it knows no such thing as too much for men to say What need we be so strict as to walk circumspectly what need we do so much why must we be so holy This is a base kind of reasoning Is this as becomes the Gospel If thou wert acted by Love then thou wouldst never think that thou hadst done enough for God Oh thou wouldst rather think had I ten thousand thousand times more strength than I have Lord thou art worthy of it all what soever I have whatsoever I am whatsoever I can do thou art worthy of it all never stand arguing thus what need so much is the thing a good thing love never knows any such thing as too much We know love It cannot bear with dishonor done unto those that we do love if any wrong any one that we love if our hearts be inflam'd with love we know not how to bear it such strike us in the apple of our eye Oh that 's a Conversation that becomes the Gospel that when we see the Name of God dishonored our hearts rise more against any thing that is done against God than it doth against any thing that is done against our selves we are inflam'd for God when we see any thing done that is a dishonour to the Name of God And love we know it will make us mourn and melt for any offence to those that are beloved of us So that 's a Conversation that becomes the Gospel when we manifest melting hearts and mourning spirits Love makes us delight in the presence of those that we do love so that 's a Conversation that becomes the Gospel when we manifest that there is nothing in the world that we delight in more than to be in the presence of our Beloved Oh to be alwaies with God in the arms of Christ it is our Heaven on Earth And then a Conversation that becomes this Gospel It is to be of a loving disposition towards
in general so that there should be love even towards all from the knowledge of the Gospel Oh that it might be said of men and women that were of rugged harsh and malitious dispositions before yet since it pleased God that they came to the Ministry of the Gospel and heard the Truths of the Gospel opened to them Oh since that time their hearts have been altered and changed Oh of what sweet dispositions they are of now the husband towards the wife and the wife towards the husband in a family there was nothing but harshness and brawling but now nothing but sweetness and love and this from the knowledg of the love of God in Jesus Christ that love will be a Divine grace indeed that 's raised in the hearts of men and acted from this principle of the knowledg of the love of God in Jesus Christ This is the first thing and the great thing that is held forth in the Gospel namely the love of God to man-kind I 'le but name one or two things more now and the next is this The infinite willingness of God to be at peace and to be reconcil'd unto those who have offended him yea to his enemies what is the scope of the Gospel the eternal love of God to man-kind in Christ That 's the first thing Then the second thing is the infinite willingness that there is in God to be at peace to be reconciled to such as have offended him this is held forth in the Gospel the Gospel is the Ministry of reconciliation now what Conversation should be in us becoming this in the Gospel that is held forth And then the infinite mercy of God in the Gospel in delivering poor creatures out of a depth of misery that 's a main thing in the Gospel and many other particulars as the infinite hatred that God hath against sin and the great price paid for souls that 's held forth in the Gospel too with divers other things that might be spoken of But I beseech you consider of the point that we are about namely to shew you what the Gospel holds forth to us and then what Conversation becomes all these things and is sutable to them If God would but be pleased to go along even with this one point that we are now upon we hope it may lighten the Conversation of Christians and withal may commend this word of grace to those that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and may if God will say Amen unto it in some measure recover the dishonor that hath been cast upon the Gospel of Christ in these latter times by that loose and uneven walking amongst professors themselves which hath very much darkned the glory of this marvellous great light Which should be a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their paths Oh that Jesus Christ from whose hand and heart this Gospel came would now preach it home to every heart of us that the truths thereof may be turned into grace spirit and life in the midst of us so that our lives and Conversations may be a daily practical sermon of holiness in particular That we love one another as becomes the Gospels SERMON IV. PHIL. 1. 27. Only let your Conversation be as becomes the Gospel of Christ WEE closed with this the last day that we should love one another This holds forth unto us not only the love of God the Father but the infinit love of Jesus Christ the second Person in Trinity and this cals for love one to another And I 'le hint unto you one or two Scriptures more about this there is union of Christian hearts in one bend of love No duty more inculcated in the new Testament next unto Faith that great engin of the Covenant of grace than Love and love one unto another and upon the consideration of the infinit love of God and of Jesus Christ unto us Ephesi 3. 19. compared with Ephesians 4. 1. And to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all fulness of God Then in the beginning of the 4. Chapter I therefore here 's an inference with the use of it the prisoner of the Lord beseech you That you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called You are called to Christ to the Gospel and there you have the love of Christ made known How shal they walk worthy of this vocation with all lowliness and meekness with long-suffering forbearing one another in love Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace He prayed before that they might know the love of Christ therefore upon that he doth exhort them and builds his exhortation or rather his beseeching that they would with all lowliness meekness and long-suffering forbear one another in love for you are called to the profession of the Gospel and there you have the love of the Father and of Christ set forth unto you now would you walk worthy of this calling then let there be much meekness and forbearing one another in love In Ephes 5. 2. And walk in love as Christ also hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Walk in love as Christ hath loved us that is sutable as if the Apostle should say would you walk sutable to the Gospel of Christ that you profess Walk in love then as Christ hath loved us this is a principal thing In the Gospel you come to know the love of Christ otherwise than other men do know it therefore walk in love Walk in love as Christ hath loved us make the love of Christ to be a pattern for your love there is nothing as I told you that is more unbeseeming the Gospel of Christ than a hateful malitious rugged dog star disposition than for Christians to be tearing one another falling out one with another as those beasts at Ephesus that Paul complains of Oh this is infinitely unbeseeming the Gospel of Christ Do you know what the love of God means in Jesus Christ are you sensible of the love of Christ Oh this love should sweeten your hearts that there should be no more bitterness in you but you should live in this Element of love Saith an Ancient what doth beastly fierceness and cruelty and savigeness do in the breast of a Christian it is unbeseeming the name of a Christian Therefore let your Conversation be as becometh the Gospel of Christ that holds forth love Oh let there be much love in you be you acted by love in all your waies so that they that run may reade this new Commandment which Christ left unto his followers That they love one another in deed and in truth Secondly The Gospel of Christ it holds forth this The infinit willingness of God to be at peace with man-kind to be reconciled unto man unto those who have offended him yea to those who are enemies unto him This is the
those that have any reference unto God Reade over the Epistles where so much of the Gospel is revealed for indeed there 's the chief of the Gospel though we call those four Evangelists the Gospel because they are the story of Christs coming into the world and his Actions yet there is more of the Doctrine of the Gospel in the Epistles for the time of the law was not fully expired till the destruction of the Temple which was after Christs death and therefore though the Gospel began to shine forth yet till after the time of the destruction of the Temple there was not so much of the Gospel and therefore reade I say the Epistle and you shall find there is no one particular duty that the Gospel so calls for from men besides faith in Jesus Christ as it doth love in Christians one towards another yea love to all if you reade the Epistles of Paul divers places in the Romans and in the Ephesians and Philippians and Colossians continually still they are beating upon love and especially in the Epistles of John that was the beloved Disciple and lay in the bosom of Christ nothing so much as love because this indeed is the Conversation that becomes the Gospel for the main thing in the Gospel it is the declaring of the love of God and therefore Christians that would live as becomes the Gospel they must live so as acted by love And so in the story of the Acts presently as soon as you reade of any that the Gospel did prevail withal they had one heart and one mind Oh how did they cleave one to another their hearts were one And so we find in the stories of the Primitive times I remember Tertullian saith that that was the way that the Heathens and persecutors did use to find out who were Christians for the Christians did meet at nights for fear of danger did as wisely as they could to keep themselves from their persecutors but they found this by experience that when they were converted to Christian Religion then there was another kind of spirit in them that did act them and especially a spirit of love one to another there was another kind of love of Christians one towards another then than of any other society of man kind the Heathens saw this and wondred at it and it was by this that they found out who were Christians if they saw any people beginning to have a spirit of love more than before they would think surely these have heard of this Christian Religion and they begin to be Christian this was the glory of Christian Religion in those times that there was such intire love and union of hearts amongst them The Apostle John would have such love as that Christians should be willing to die one for another and they did so in the primitive times Oh this were becoming the Gospel indeed But Oh how far how far are we from such a Conversation in such times as we live in now as if so be that the Gospel were gone from us we speak of the Gospel as if it were reveal'd more now than ever and much concerning free grace in the Gospel but look upon the Conversations of men they were never more unsutable to the Gospel and in this particular in respect of the sincere love in the hearts of Christians My brethren malitious dispositions are extreamly unbecoming the Gospel hateful and malitious dispositions What doth a beastly brutish savigeness do the fierceness of beasts do in the breast of a Christian Oh it is infinitely unbeseeming a Christian to have an unloving disposition a hateful disposition to be hating one another and to have a spirit of opposition and contradiction and frowardness one against another there is nothing more unbeseeming the Gospel of Jesus Christ than this I remember I have read even of one of the Heathen Emperors that being convinced somewhat about Christ and hearing much of him saw two that professed the name of Christians to fall out bitterly one with another which as soon as he perceived he cals them to him and gives a straight command that they should never afterward presume to call themselves by the name of Christians No saith he you do not do according to your Master that you profess your life is unsutable to your Master even one that was but a Heathen himself speak this Oh if we profess our selves Christians let our Conversations be as becomes the Gospel in point of love and make that to be the argument of love the love of God revealed in the Gospel there are a great many arguments of love from humane society from reason that men that live together they should love one another as men and that there comes a great deal of hurt from frowardness and bitterness and that it is against the rules of society and that men cannot live quietly except there be some way of sodering by love these arguments are somewhat and yet these would be among Heathens Oh but now those that profess the Gospel of Christ have one argument that is infinitely beyond all arguments that can be imagined and that is in John 3. 16. before named So God loved the world loved the world that he gave his only begotten We hear how the love of God that was in the heart of God from all eternity is brought forth and revealed in the Gospel Oh let this inflame our hearts with love Oh that there might be never a Christian that professes the Name of Christ but that it might appear in him that his heart is sweetened with love and that he doth live as it were in the very element of love and acted by love in all that he doth O this would beautifie your Christian profession more than all your talking of this and the other things Oh that it were come again that this becoming Conversation of Christians were come again into the world I remember I have heard a speech of Dr. Whittacre rebuking the Conversation of the Scholers in Cambridg he had this speech Surely saith he this that we preach is not the Gospel or otherwise we are no Gospelers because our Conversation is so different from the Gospel and so we may say of this one particular in respect of love either it is but a fansie that we hear so much of the love of God in Jesus Christ in the Gospel or otherwise we are no Gospelers we are no true Professors of the Gospel whatever profession we make of the Gospel yet except there doth appear divine love to act us in all that we do God will not own us for Gospelers for certainly it is a main scope that God hath in the revealing the Gospel to sweeten the hearts of men with love either deny the profession or walk more lovingly than thou hast done towards those that make the same profession yea thou shouldest walk lovingly towards thy enemies for the Gospel reveals much of Gods goodness even towards the whol world
scope of the Gospel a principal scope I say God would in the Gospel make known to all the world his infinite willingness to be reconcil'd to such as have offended him Indeed without the Gospel we might apprehend this that the Lord is a God that is full of goodness that He is good and doth good that all good is in him but to apprehend God to be such a God of peace so infinitely set upon it as I may so say to be reconciled to such as are enemies could never have been known but by this Gospel of Christ herein we find that though there was an infinite difference between God and man between Heaven and Earth through our sinning sin yet the Lord was willing to be reconciled yea though the offence of man was exceeding great so that it cried for vengance yet he was pleased wonderfully to condescend to make a peace with him Yea though the Lord had man under his power and could do what He pleased with him He had His enemy under His feet and might have broken him all to pieces with His iron-rod as a Potters vessel which when it is broken can never be made whol again yet He was willing to be reconciled Thirdly Though God had no need at all of us He was infinitly blessed in himself who is perfection and blessedness it self Sometimes we are willing to be reconcil'd to our enemies either because we have them not under our power or because we have some need of them but God that had us under his hand and might easily have destroyed us and had no need at all of us yet was desirous to spare us as a father spareth his only son whom he loveth Fourthly The Gospel holds this out to us That the Lord He begins the work of reconciliation He first loving us the infinit God seeketh to us his creatures to come in to be reconciled therefore he sends his Ambassadors of peace to beseech us in Christs stead to come in to be reconciled to him to accept of His Propositions of Peace which make so much for our everlasting salvation Fiftly Though reconciliation must cost God very dear that God must be at a great deal of costs and charges to reconcile His creatures to himself it cost no less than the blood of his only begotten Son and yet he is willing to be reconcil'd saith God my heart is set upon this work and let it cost what it will if it were ten thousand worlds yet my heart iâ— so upon it that I will bring them in that they may be reconciled to me and made one with me Sixthly and lastly The Gospel reveals this That God is so set upon reconciliation and is so reconcil'd to such as do imbrace the Gospel as he will never be at enmity with them again Being once reconcil'd he wil never suffer such a breach to be made between Man-kind and Himself any more He wil be their Father in Christ and ye shall be his Sons and Daughters through Him to all eternity in Christ Jesus our Lord. Who shall separate us from the love of God Thus the Gospel holds forth not only reconciliation but such reconciliation as this is which men and Angels can never sufficiently admire and bless God for This is a Second beam as I may so say of the Gospel Then what manner of persons ought we to be our conversations must be as becomes this Gospel of Christ in this great thing that the Gospel holds forth unto us Surely then this cals to us al aloud to love peace O love peace Is God so set upon peace as he is and is he willing to be at so great cost for peace Oh let us love peace let us follow peace le ts pursue peace let 's seek peace let us do what we can possibly for peace If it be possible as much as lieth in you live peaceably with all men Let us account peace never bought too dear with any thing but sin The Lord Christ would not sin to purchase peace if it could possibly have been conceived that any sin should have bin committed Christ would never have purchased peace that way but if it be by any way of suffering by his being willing to leave the Heavens for a while to take upon him the form of a servant yea to have the sence of the influences of the love of his Father ecclipsed for a time he was willing to endure yea to be made a curse whatsoever he suffered in his Name he was willing to endure any thing to make peace between God and man to reconcile the World to Heaven Oh! let us love peace that 's becoming the Gospel of Christ for our hearts to be set upon peace And the exhortation that you have in the Ephesians before mentioned it is likewise built upon the consideration of Christs working so for our peace Ephes 2. 14. For He is our peace who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us having abolished in Hiâ— flesh the enmity And then in the 16. verse That He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the Cross having slain the enmity thereby So that this Scripture holds forth not only that Christ is our peace in respect of God and he died for that end to make peace between God and us but likewise that Jesus Christ did die to make peace between man and man it was one fruit of His death to break down the middle wall of partition between us and to slay the enmity he doth not say to kill our enemies but to kill the enmity it 's self the meaning is this that Christ died to take down the partition wall between Jew and Gentile there was an enmity between the Jew and Gentile that they might not one converse with the other now it was a fruit of the death of Christ to take down the partition wall and to slay the enmity between them that so there might be but one sheep fold that He might reconcile both unto God in one body Now was this the end of the death of Christ not only to reconcile us to God but one unto another in one body Jew and Gentile Certainly there cannot be such a distance between one Christian and another as there was between Jew and Gentile and Christ did so love unity and peace in the world especially among those that made any profession of his Name that he would die to that end He would lose His life that He might procure peace between Jews and Gentiles and bring them into one body And truly so it should be with us we should be willing and those whose hearts are right I say cannot but be so sensible of the breaches that are among us and the unpeaceableness of mens spirits as if they could by the laying down of their lives procure peace they should be willing to do it every Christian should make it appear that he is so set upon peace that if
to me a sinner but they think not of a way of Gods shewing mercy so as yet he may have the glory of infinite justice God seals the forgivenes of sin in the Court of Justice as well as in the Court of Mercy few think of this and that 's the reason why people are ready many times to despair because a great while they having but slight thoughts of God they hope Christ will be merciful to them yet in time of temptation when the Devil comes and doth set before them the dreadfulness of Gods justice that God is a most just God as well as merciful this makes their hearts to sink like a stone within their breasts But now the soul that sees the way of God in the Gospel sees that God is infinitly set upon mercy and likewise sees a way how Gods infinit justice may be satisfied and seeing both these this is a mighty help to faith now let there come never so many temptations when the soul is catching hold upon Gods mercy I but saith temptation God is a just God as well as merciful and dost not thou presume No saith the soul the way of mercy that my soul rests upon I see there is in it a way of satisfaction to infinite justice as well as a way for the manifestation of mercy and therefore though God be a righteous God and a just God yet here I see a way for my soul to be sav'd yet for Divine Justice to have no wrong neither and therefore I can beleeve and venture my soul upon this It 's impossible for a sinner to venture his soul upon any way of mercy if it comes to understand with what a God it hath to deal except it comes to know God in Jesus Christ in that way wherein infinit justice is satisfied to the utmost farthing which is declared in the Gospel Now what Conversation is sutable to this Hence let there be that Conversation in you that may manifest that you do not turn the grace of God into wantonness Oh a wanton Conversation is infinitly unbeseeming the Gospel Oh there is infinite mercy and free grace treasured up here and what wilt thou be wanton and vain and loose therefore there is infinite grace but what way doth God take to manifest infinite grace Is it not in a way wherein the dreadfullest Justice of God appears too Is not the grace of God let out to you through the blood of his Son wherein the most dreadful fruit of Gods justice is manifested that ever was since the beginning of the world or ever shall be manifested to the end of the world if so be thou shouldest see all the damned in Hell the chambers of death unlocked under the wrath of God there flaming out in fire and brimstone it would not be such a dreadful sight as to see Jesus Christ made an offering for sin and lying under the vials of the wrath of his Father falling down upon the ground grovelling and sweating out great drops of water and blood and crying out upon the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me This is the way of the purchase of thy mercy therefore there is infinit justice together with infinite mercy Oh be not wanton then do not turn the grace of God into wantonness but rejoyce in Gods mercy yet rejoyce with trembling and with fear and reverence of the Name of God When thou speakest of the free grace of God and when thou comest to beleeve in the free grace of God in the Gospel thou maiest come cheerfully and boldly I but come with reverence and holy humble fear I do not mean despairing fear nor servile slavish fear but with awful reverence of the glory of God that doth appear in the Lord Jesus Christ I need not send you to the Law to cause fear in your hearts there is enough in the Gospel to cause your souls to tremble before God as well as to beleeve in God Even our God is a consuming fire Oh what was he to Jesus Christ I need go no further to lift up God to make him an object of my fear but to look upon him in his dealings with his Son and therefore those Christians that walk loosly and altogether upon slight thoughts of mercy without any fear to ballast their hearts Oh certainly their Conversations are not Gospel Conversations for if thou didst understand the way of Gods mercy in the Gospel thou wouldest see that that should fill thy heart with fear and reverence all the daies of thy life And as to take heed of wantonness so to reverence Gods Justice even the dreadfulness of it so as the Gospel holds forth to think that God would only have you to have your thoughts about his mercy and not to have your hearts to give glory to his justice it is certainly a vain conceit and I fear it will cause the Gospel to vanish into little in the hearts of men when men apprehend the Gospel so as not to apprehend the dreadfulness of his justice as if so be that God would not have the glory of his justice Christ hath satisfied that Hath Christ satisfied that consider what thou saiest when thou saiest so do but consider how much of the glory of Gods justice doth appear in what Christ hath done and suffered I desire to hold forth no further the glory of justice than by holding forth Jesus Christ to thee Doest not thou think that God would have thee to sanctifie in thy heart and life all the Attributes of God that doth appear in Jesus Christ Now the glory of justice doth appear as much in Christ as the glory of mercy doth then thou that doest profess the Gospel thou must sanctifie this Attribute of God as well as the other thou sanctifiest them both in honoring Gods justice I do not say that thou shouldest have a despairing heart nay it will keep thee from despairing or that thou shouldest have a servile spirit but that thou shouldest sanctifie it with reverence And another thing that is very considerable What is God so set upon the glory of his Justice in the Gospel Oh labour you to be just in all your Conversations you see how God prizes justice that he will rather have his Son die and be made a curse than justice should not have honor Oh take heed of injustice the sin of injustice is a sin unbeseeming the Gospel and here 's an argument against injustice a stronger than I know any in all the Book of God or can be imagined by men and Angels which is this That in the Gospel I find that God hath His heart so set upon justice that rather than justice shall not be satisfied he will not spare his Son one farthing as the Scripture saith He spared not his own Son but His Son must pay to the uttermost His Son must bear his very wrath and all that God may shew his infinite love to justice Oh then let Christians love justice
dishonor upon him yet this Saul had mighty power over his Spirit he was very meek and a quiet man in the first of Samuel 10. 27. the text saith He held his peace when the Children of Belial said What have we to do with him 4. Though he were quiet in his own cause yet he shewed himself to have an excellent spirit of Government in him in a publick cause he was full of anger when it was for the good of the people that he was a Governor over though quiet in his own in the first of Samuel 11. 6. When he heard of a dishonor done to the people of Israel the Text saith that his anger did rise within him an excellent pattern for all Governors for all in publique places to be very silent and quiet self denying putting up wrongs in their own cause but to be full of zeal for the publick cause to reserve their spirits for a publick good Many there are in publick places that when they are anger'd in their private cause how full of Spirit they are and they spend their Spirit there so much that they have no spirit at all when it comes to a publick cause Saul went beyond them in this 5. Saul was one who was much troubled at the sin of the people against God not only had a spirit to vindicate a publick wrong but when he saw the people sin against God his heart was much troubled at their very sin and seemed to be grieved for it and mighty solicitous and careful about it to prevent sin in the people this you shall have in 1 Sam. 14. 33. they told Saul there That the people had sinned in eating with blood upon that Saul shews himself displeased Come saith he and do not sin against the Lord roul a stone to me hither and so he would see with his own eyes that they did slay the Cattel and they did powr forth the blood that they might not sin against God in eating blood this was his care 6. Saul he was very careful to enquire of God what he should do in businesses of great consequence in the 37. ver of that 14. chap. of the 1 of Samuel there he would not go out till he had first enquired of God Yea more than all this 7. He was a man that had a very reverend esteem of the Prophets of God when Samuel came to him in the 1 of Samuel 15. 13. O thou blessed of the Lord saith Saul to Samuel Yea yet further than this 8. When Samuel shewed unto him what his sin was in the 30. ver of that 15. chap. he comes and confesses it before the people and saith I have sinned I have sinned against the Lord meerly at the conviction of one Prophet Yea yet more than this 9. God seemed to be with Saul very much and to shew great respect unto him to make him an Instrument of much good to Israel He granted unto him as glorious a victory as ever man had in this world for so we may cal it and if there be any outward thing in the world might be gathered as an argument of Gods love then such a remarkable victory as he had over his enemies the victory you shall find in the 1 of Samuel 13. 5. and so reade on afterwards in that Chapter and the next you shall find there that the Philistims were risen up against him and Israel and there were thirty thousand Chariots of his Adversaries of the Philistims and six thousand horsmen and people as the sand of the Sea for multitude besides all this Wel here was a mighty Enemy What had Saul to oppose these You shall find in the 2. verse of that 14. chapter that there were but six hundred men with Saul here was of one side thirty thousand Chariots here was six thousand horsmen here was people as the sand of the Sea without number and Saul had but six hundred with him at this time yea and of those six hundred there was not any one of them that had a sword but only Saul and Jonathan for the Philistims were wise enough to disarm all the Malignants that they accounted so and would not let so much as a Smith be amongst them they would not only take away their Arms but they would look to them to see that they had no arms supplied unto them that was the wisdom of the Philistims yet we find if you reade afterwards in the Scripture that God was so far with Saul that he blessed him and gave him victory over all these Besides all this 10. God blessed Saul with a very gracious Child a godly son of a sweet nature Jonathan which indeed if any outward argument in the world might be an argument of Gods love that might be But now put all these things together and yet here is the man that hath his Portion in this world I now challenge the man especially one I challenge him that hath certain evidence of a mighty work of God upon him in Christ let him shew me greater arguments of Gods love to him than Saul might have done and yet it proved to be Sauls Portion that he should have only his portion in this world God herein shews that His mercy is His own and that He will let out His mercy as He pleaseth It is your Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdom The Father doles out the Portion as He pleaseth unto His Children God will let the Line of His mercy to go thus far to one and there stop and so far to another and there stop and then come in a cross line again unto them God so disposes of his mercy that there are some that shall have Heaven and Earth to be their portion and their portion is blessed indeed There are some that shall have Earth but not Heaven and their portion is poor and mean and sad there are others that shall have Heaven but not earth and their portion is good And there are others that shall neither have Heaven nor Earth and their portion you 'l say is miserable indeed Gods mercy is His own to dispose of as He will We reade that Abraham in Gen. 21. 14. He cals for Ishmael and Hagar and he gives them a piece of bread a bottle of water and sends them away there 's an end of them So Jehoshaphat in the 2 of Chron. 21. 3. He gave his other son saith the text gifts but the Kingdom he gave to Jehoram So God hath people to whom he gives pieces of bread bottles of water yea some to whom he gives great gifts in this world but he keeps his inheritance for his Isaac He keeps the Kingdom for Jehoram Esau he had his portion in this world and such a portion as he thought to be a very good portion in Gen. 33. 9. Brother saith he I have enough Most rich men are complaining they go not so far as Esau they have their portion and yet complain of it Esau hath his portion and
venture them Indeed when God comes unto His choice Mercies in Christ there he looks to have glory from them and he doth never give them to any but first he prepares them that they may give him the glory of those mercies but it is otherwise with others As suppose you see a man gathering of Crabs although Swine be under the Tree he cares not much to drive them away they are but Crabs let them have them but if he were gathering any choice and precious fruit if any Swine should come under he drives them away As for outward things Crabs the Lord suffers the Swine of the world to come grunting and take them up but when he comes to his choice Mercies in his Christ there he makes a distinction Oh! that is precious fruit A Black-smith that is working upon Iron though a great many Cinders and little bits of Iron fly up and down he regards them not but a Goldsmith that is working upon Gold he preserves every ray and every dust of Gold and a Lapidarie that is working upon precious Stones every little bit he will be sure to preserve a Carpenter that is only hewing of Timber he regards it not much if Chips fly up and down but it is not so with a Lapidary So these outward things are but as the Chips and Cinders and such kind of thing as those are and therefore God even gives a Portion to wicked men out of them Sixthly God knows that He hath time enough to manifest His Justice upon them hereafter He hath an Eternity hereafter for the Declaration of His Justice and therefore saith God Let them have somewhat for a while As you know it is natural in all when they see a man going to execution that is not like to live above an hour or two every one is ready to pity him and to be any way officious to him Oh! saith every one the man shall not have comfort long we cannot do much for him he shall have pain enough ere long and misery enough ere long and so every one pities him It is observable let a man go to execution for wickedness and then he is pitied by all but if a man should suffer for godliiness then perhaps they will not be so full of pity towards him As I remember in the Book of Martyrs there is a story of Mr. In o Frith a learned godly Minister and Andrew Hewit that were Martyrs and were to suffer for their conscience and the Story tells us that one Dr. Cook a Parson in London he openly admonishes the people that they should pray for them no more than they would do for a Dog that Charity of theirs that they talked so much of is such towards them that suffer out of conscience and as amongst Papists so amongst ungodly men let a man suffer out of conscience they will rather rail at him and when he is in his sufferings they will rather give him gall and vinegar to drink as they once did Christ upon the Cross though in other sufferings they pity men Seventhly By this that God gives to the wicked the Lord shews what great things he hath reserved for his own Children what a portion there is for them Surely if the dogs have so much the Father keeps a good house if the hang-byes may have such doles certainly there is good provision for the Children within As by the afflictions of the Saints God doth declare to wicked men and would have them draw such an argument from it that there are fearful things that are like to befal them If judgment begin at the House of God where shall the wicked and ungodly appear So by the prosperity that wicked men have in this world God doth declare to his Children and he would have them argue from thence what then hath he reserved for his beloved Ones for his Saints for his Children that are so dear unto him Eighthly God fetches a great deal of Glory from hence He fetches about His own ends very much from the portion that wicked men have as sometimes He doth it that they might stumble and harden their hearts and break their necks at it and to ripen their sins hence He lets them go on a long time and have their wills in Isa 33. 1. Wo to thee who spoilest and wert not spoiled and dealest treacherously and wert not dealt treacherously withal when thou shalt cease to spoil thou shalt be spoiled I 'le let thee go on thou shalt spoil as much as thou wilt and when thou hast done spoiling thou shalt be spoiled And sometimes God doth it to fetch about this end Namely to chastise His own people with the prosperity of the wicked And as an Ancient writer hath this Story of one that he saith by an extraordinary way from being a Monk was advanced into an Episcopal Seat and being a lewd wicked man he began to be proud of this his Advancement and being proud he heard these words in the story Ab angelo audivit Cur superbus ô infaelix non es creatus Episcopus quia tu dignus sed quia Civitas haec digna fuit tali Episcopi it was a wicked place and this was the answer Why art thou so proud Oh unhappy man for thou art not advanced because thou art worthy of this advancement but because this City is so ill it is worthy of such a Prelate to be over it In way of judgment to that place God advanced such a man And so many are advanced that they may be heavy judgments unto others God gives them such a portion not out of His love to them though they are ready to gather the Argument but out of His displeasure unto others And then He gives a plentiful portion to many to teach us all to do good unto our enemies not only humanitati as they say but homini not only to human nature but to men to men that are wicked some good must be done unto them Ninthly The Lord would shew hereby that He would have no argument of love or hatred to be drawn from these outward things and also because He would not have them to expect any more It may be many men that are ungodly prospering in this world they gather this argument That therefore God loves them and intends mercy to them Cujus contrarium verum nay you may rather gather an argument quite th' other way because God intends no further good unto you hereafter therfore it is you have so much now We use to answer men that come for their dole who have had out a dole and they will come again Why do you come again you have had your dole already So God will answer to many men when they shall cry to him for mercy at that day Why come you to me for more you have had your dole already Have you not had already more than your work comes to more than you have done you have had your part and portion already indeed men speak much