fighting the good fight and endeavouring to do all things commanded us through Christ that strengtheneth us More Reasons might be given but these are sufficient not only to clear the Divine Wisdom and Goodness of all Imputation but also to make them appear eminently in such Dispensations towards his best and most beloved Servants When I first entred on this Discourse I intended to have taken in the two following Verses not thinking that this one would have furnished matter enough for a Discourse but you see how far the handling of it hath carried us and how without digressing from the Purpose of the Text or doing Violence to the Words thereof several material and important Observations have been drawn From which we may see as St. Chrysostom observes the fullness of the Scripture and that an inexhaustible Treasure of Wisdom and Knowledge is contained in it when one single Verse and so barren at the first Appearance can afford so many and so useful Instructions If one Verse can do such what may the whole do Surely It is able to make us wise unto Salvation and beyond all Question is profitable for Doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works God grant that this Word of his may dwell in all Christians richly in all Wisdom but especially in the Ministers of the Gospel whose Office it is to instruct others therein Amen FINIS Snake in the Grass A General Call to all Persons Joh. 5. 40. Isai. 55. 1. Rev. 22. 17. Why all Men are said to Labour and to be heavy Laden I. Because of Afflictions II. The Emptiness and Vanity of Life Ezek. 24. 〈◊〉 2. Isa. 29. 8. Eccl. 1. 5. 9. 2. 17. 4. 2 3. III. The fear of Death IV. Sin Psal. 38. 2. Prov. 18. 14. How Christ giveth rest I. From Sin Matt. 9. II. From the fear of Death Rev. 3. 7. III. Under the Vanity of this Life IV. From Troubles and Afflictions The necessary Qualification to the rest Promised I. Coming to Christ is 1st To follow his Counsel 2d To believe in him Heb. 11. 6. 2 Cor. 4. 3. Heb. 3. 12. 3d. What Faith is 1 John 5. 9. Chap. 2. 22 23. II. Taking the Yoke Gal. 5. 1. Gal. 5. 13. 1 Pet. 2. 16. III. Learning of Christ. John 13. 15. Phil. 2. I. The Scope and Coherence of the Text. II. The Truths contain'd in the Text. III. The perverse disingenuity of the Socinians in their Explication of this Text. 2 Pet. 2. 1. Hydra Socinianismi Tom. 2. Praef. * Naked Gospel IV. Of Iesus Christ his Pre-existence and Deity V. Of his humane Nature and Humiliation VI. Inferences from the Nature and Quality of Iesus Christ. 1st Admiration 2d Love III. Comfort against Tentations and Afflictions I. Of Iesus Christ his Person Nature and Quality Gal. 4. 4. Isa. 7. 14. 9. 6. II. His Actions and Sufferings They were voluntary Joh. 10. 17 18. What his Humiliation referrs to His great Obedience His Death III. Why Iesus abased and humbled himself For the Glory of God and Man's Redemption To demonstrate God's Love and Mercy His Iustice and Authority The heinous Nature of Sin The Dignity of Humane Nature The Perfection of it The Exaltation of Iesus Christ. Eccles. 7. 2 3 4. I. The Womens Behaviour A Comfort to Women An Example in dangerous times The Greatness of the Womens Sorrow The Cause of it Lam. 1. 12. II. Our Lord's Check to the Womens Sorrow The Prohibition not absolute The glorious Effects of Christ's Death III. Why Iesus Christ requireth us to mourn rather for our selves than him Is. 5. 3 4 5. IV. The dreadful Effects of the death of Iesus Christ upon the Impenitent Iesus may be Crucified again V. The Application I. The Author of our Happiness God Jam. 1. 16 17. God and the Father * Qui 〈◊〉 udam Dei Majestatem extra Christum mente concipiunt Idolum habent Dei loco sicut Iudaei Turcae proinde quisquis verum Deum verè cognoscere cupit hoc patris Christi titulo ipsum vestiat nisi enim quoties mens nostrae Deum quaerit Christus occurrat vaga confusa errabit donec prorsus deficiat Calvinus in locum II. The Motive which induced God His abundant Mercy * Posset Apostolus saith Fulgentius vasa misericordiae potius vasa justitiae nuncupare Sed si vasa justitiae vocarentur forsitan ex seipsis habere justitiam putarent Nunc autem cum vasa misericordiae dicit proculdubio quid ipsi fuerint non tacuit quare quid eis à Deo collatum sit evidenter ostendit Lib. de Praedest p. 58. III. The Benefits conferred Begotten again A lively Hope An Inheritance Incorruptible Undefiled It fadeth not away In the Heavens IV. The ground of Assurance Iesus his Resurrection I. Iesus Christ is the Son of God Philip. 2. 9. 10 11. II. What is meant by Having the Son True Faith described Matth. 7. 22. Cor. 10. 5. Gal. 2. 20. Heb. 11. Rom. 10. 17. 2 Cor. 4. 3. III. Life explained 1 Tim. 4. 8. 1 Cor. 15. 19. Why Heaven and the future State of the righteous is called Life 1. Cor. 15. 31. Mad. Antonia Borignian and some others 1 Cor. 2. 9. Revel 21. 23. 22. 5. Rev. 7. 16. 1 Cor. 15. Philip 3. 21. 1 Cor. 13. 12. Luke 19. 36. Iesus Christ the Discoverer of this Life 2 Tim. 1. 10. John 1. 7. And the Author of it Rev. 3. 7. Rev. 2. 10. IV. Faith gives a right and title to Life Joh. 5. 24. 3. 18. Joh. 6. 56. John 17. V. Practical Inferences 1. 2. Heb. 12. 2. Rom. 8. 18. 3. Rev. 2. 10. 4. I. Misery and Trouble not peculiar to a state of Christianity Job 18. 20. Isai. 57. 20. II. They are Common to the state of Mankind in this World Eccl. 4. 23. III. Christians and Good men more liable to be miserable in this Life than others And the Reason why it is so Mat. 10. 37. Luke 14. 26 27. 2 Tim. 3. 12. 1 Thes. 3. 3. 1 Tim. 4. 8. Psal. 37. 16. IV. The Force of St. Paul's Argument for the Proof of another Life V. Inferences First Second Third 1 Cor. 4. 16. Rev. 7. 16 17. Fourth Joh. 3. 36. I. All Christians are concerned in this Advertisement II. Of Hearing It s Necessity The manner of doing it Whom we should hear III. Of Overcoming Christianity is a Warfare The Nature of the Christian Warfare What Christian Victory is No Victory so honourable Prov. 16. 32. IV. Of the hidden Manna It is an Allusion to the Custom of entertaining Conquerours and to what the Iews fed upon in the Wilderness The Nature and Quality of the Entertainment appointed for Christian Conquerours Joh. 4. 13. Iesus Christ is the hidden Manna V. Of the white Stone Ovid Metam Lib. xv Psal. 32. 1. Rom. 8. 1. VI. Of the New Name VII How these words No man knoweth but he
us to draw near to God But if so much real good as thus accrues by drawing near to God be not Motive enough to engage us to do it I pray consider the Danger of neglecting it which is no less than utter Misery and certain Destruction for lo they that are far from thee shall perish saith the Psalmist thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee It may certainly be matter of Astonishment how Men can rest be merry or enjoy any Quietness while they live in Enmity with God and have no Assurance of Peace with him Men are troubled if they understand any Alteration of their King's Favour toward them nay if but some Difference fall out between them and some Favourite of the Court though the King's Anger may be many ways avoided and that before the Sun hath finished his Course twice the Favourite may be turned out of Court and put in a Condition which obliges him as much to depend on others as others now on him But however is the Wrath of frail mortal Man so much to be feared Is their Displeasure so carefully to be avoided And should the Wrath of God be little regarded How much more Reason have we to fear God than Man There is no concealing ones self if he search out nor is there any resisting his Power if he be resolved to punish and who may stand before him if his anger be kindled but a little Ye who will not be perswaded to draw near to God how think ye to save your selves how can ye escape if ye neglect so great Salvation as is now tendered you Can you muster Forces equal in Strength and Number unto God's And if you cannot why do you not seek Peace before he come in Wrath to revenge himself for the Affront you have done him in rejecting so great Love and Kindness as he hath proffered by his own Son Ye Atheists and Prophane who now laugh at Religion and make a mock at Sin what will ye do or say for your selves when God enters into Judgment with you Do you think to put on then your present Boldness and unmannerly Impudence or will you make God retire by your Prophane drolling and jesting as you use now to affright all sober and modest persons from your Company Then your Tongues will be bound up your Wits will fail shame shall cover your faces you shall stand trembling and shall feel that power to your confusion which at present you scorn and little regard Ye who cannot find time to seek God who have no leisure to Pray to read the Scripture or to attend God's Publick Worship or Ordinances how do ye think to come off will ye say that ye had your Business to wait on that ye were taken up with the pursuit of Honours and Riches that ye were drawn away with Pleasures with Gaming and Sporting That is to tell him plainly you loved him not you preferr'd all things before him and thought it time enough to seek him when you had nothing else to do Or do you imagine to bribe him but he will not be brib'd and tho' he could what would you give you have nothing you leave all behind you you pass naked into the other World There is no Remedy then but submit you must and you can expect no Mercy for it is out of time and when it was offer'd you contemn'd it O consider this ye that forget God lest he tear you in pieces when there shall be none to deliver Now is the acceptable time now is the day of Salvation now you may have Peace be wise therefore and let not such opportunities slip but seek the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is near Draw near to God and he will draw near to you Cleanse your hands ye sinners and purifie your hearts ye double minded I have now spoken to the Exhortation and proposed what may make it take effect and I hope you are thereby moved to draw near to God It follows next that we consider the manner how we should draw near for this we should also look to otherwise we will be disappointed of Peace with God He is ready and willing to accept of any who come aright as they ought He that cometh to me I will in no ways cast out Joh. 6. 37. But yet every drawing near will not find acceptance some come and are rejected not for the want of good will on God's part but for the want of those Qualifications and Conditions on their own which are necessary and requisite to recommend them to the favour of God Now what these are the Apostle shews you here The first is a true Heart The Heart is not made mention of with a design to exclude the Body for that is also required as appears by what follows But because God is a Spirit who searcheth the heart and trieth the reins who knoweth the inward Thoughts of Man the inward Temper and Disposition of their Minds and with what Designs and Affections they present themselves before him therefore the Heart is in the first place mentioned that Men may not presume to mock God by outward Fawnings and Caresses whiles in their Hearts they have no true Kindness for him nor sincere Love to him God will not value the Bowings and Prostrations of Mens Bodies their sad Looks mournful Tone fair Words and Professions if these proceed not from the Heart and be not the real intimations of the inward Purposes and Affections of their Soul But if in the midst of these they retain any secret aversion to God his Will or his Ways or if there lurks with them some love and inclination to what offends him then he will abhor them and all their Offers and Services This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips but their heart is far from me therefore saith God in vain do they worship me There is no true Friendship where there is not an Union and closing of Hearts Indeed sometimes Enemies will meet shake hands and make many fair Protestations and yet their old Grudge and Quarrel will continue which cannot be reckoned a cordial reconciliation it 's only a patcht agreement to please some third Person or to shun some present inconvenience which will never last But as there is nothing to oblige God to patch up a Peace with us against his Will or contrary to his Honour so there is no Peace with him who is the Father of Spirits but when it is with the Heart neither will he look favourably upon any heart except a true heart that is a sincere heart free of Hypocrisie and Deceit he who draws near to God must be like Nathaniel a true Israelite in whom there is no guile that is who sincerely and in good earnest loves and desires that which he professeth and pretends to seek One Man may deceive another he may make him believe what is not in his
all his Promises Yea and Amen Why art thou perplext Why art thou cast down O my Soul Wouldst thou be reading thy Destiny in the hidden Books of Fate Wouldst thou fain know what these secret Decrees say of thee O foolish Soul Why so curious to know things too high for thee which are hid from thee and therefore hid because the Knowledge of them is of no Use to thee nor would it give thee any Satisfaction Whatever be the secret Decrees they do not they cannot contradict those Eternal and Immutable Purposes which are revealed viz. That they who repent and believe and obey the Gospel shall be saved this Sentence cannot be reversed Believest thou this if you believe do accordingly and there is no Cause of Fear whatever come of others you are surely predestinated to Eternal Life If thou canst believe all things are possible Blessed are they who believe for there shall be a performance of those things which are told them of the Lord. Some are not contented with this Assurance That God has certainly declared his infallible Purpose of accepting returning Sinners but they would be infallibly assured that they themselves are actually accepted and justified which I confess would be a great Comfort neither do I doubt but some Men have this Infallible Assurance but it is an unreasonable and preposterous thing for any to expect it at their first Approaches to God or in the beginnings of their Conversion This were to ask Fruit before the due time as if one should seek Fruit on the Tree he hath but newly planted This Assurance never goes before our Reconciliation to God though sometimes of his extraordinary Mercy it may follow after and therefore we cannot expect it let us desire it never so much until we have really performed the Conditions here required If thy Assurance be built on another Foundation 't is not to be trusted to and if thou knowest that this Foundation is laid if thou canst say that in all Sincerity thou hast done what was sought of thee what makes thee not to have a rational and comfortable Assurance All Doubts of our Salvation should only arise from our Doubts of performing our part And if upon a strict and impartial Examination of our selves we find that we have performed our part then we ought to have such a comfortable Degree of Assurance as may quiet our Consciences and support us against our natural Fears because God cannot but perform his most gracious Promises But that particular infallible sort of Assurance which some Men cannot be satisfied unless they have is an extraordinary Gift which God is pleased sometimes to give tho' he is not bound to give it He hath sometimes refreshed the Souls of Martyrs and Confessors with it to support them in the midst of their Torments but it is not of ordinary Dispensation and therefore not to be expected because it is a miraculous Gift which is not to be asked but with great Submission to the Will of God who knows when it is fit for the Support and Consolation of a pious Soul But to proceed The Third Qualification here is that we have our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience which with what follows is the inseparable Effect of the two former they cannot be first and the other cannot be without them we must have true and believing Hearts before we can be sprinkled from an evil conscience or have our bodies washen but once having this the other will follow for Light and Heat may be as well disjoined from the Sun as Purity of Heart and Holiness of Life from true Faith and a sincere Mind to God Many pretend Faith but the tree is known by its fruit hereby may it be known whether thy Faith be good if so be thy heart be sprinkled from an evil conscience In this Speech the Apostle alludes to the Rites and Ceremonies under the Law 't was the Custom then to sprinkle both the Priests and the People in their Solemn Approaches to the Lord sometimes with Blood sometimes with Water Oyl or Ashes But now these legal Ceremonies are laid aside yet the thing signified by them is still required viz. What the Apostle makes mention of here that our hearts be sprinkled from an evil conscience By the heart is meant the Soul or inner Man by the evil conscience those things which pollute the Soul which keep one from having a good conscience void of offence towards God and Man such as brutish Lusts inordinate desires unworthy Passions evil Thoughts and sinful Inclinations whether born with us or contracted afterwards All these must be mortified and purged out before we can be throughly reconciled to God for as Iehu said to Ioram when he ask'd Is there Peace what peace so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Iezabel and her witchcrafts are so many So I say to those who draw near to God how can they look for Peace from him while their Pride Vain-Glory Malice Wrath Covetousness and other filthy and ungodly Lusts live and reign in them God is willing to be reconciled to our Persons but not to our Sins we must part with them or if our Sins and we cannot be separated we must give up Fellowship with God Truly God is good to Israel but 't is to such only as are clean in heart He cannot love foul polluted Souls he cannot chuse but loath and hate them for he is not a God that hath Pleasure in Wickedness neither shall evil dwell with him As therefore when we entertain great Persons we use to remove all things nasty and unhandsome and whatsoever may readily offend them or shame our selves and are careful to have all things about us decent and fashionable so being to approach the holy Presence of God let us lay aside every thing offensive and unsuitable viz. the Love and Inclination to every Sin for he is of purer eyes than that he can behold iniquity he naturally abhorrs it and let us give all Diligence to adorn our Souls with holy Thoughts and heavenly Dispositions for the righteous Lord loveth righteousness his countenance doth behold the upright But if this be wanting we can have no Acceptance If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me saith David Psal. lxvi 18. Even David shall be rejected if he regard Iniquity Some will say if the Case be thus none can have Hopes or who can say their Heart is clean 'T is true in our present State our Hearts cannot be so clean as to have no Blemish there will be ever some Remainders of Sin in us and now and then perhaps some sinful Motions will arise in the best but this will not be imputed to us neither hinder our Reconciliation with God unless we regard them with Love and Delight cherish and follow them If we look on these Irruptions of our corrupt Nature with Sorrow and Regret if we take care to prevent and suppress them and are filled with Grief when they
rescue him I will go and return unto my place till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face In their affliction they will seek me early EPHRAIM is put here for the whole Ten Tribes who revolted from the House of David and embodied themselves into a distinct Kingdom Under Iudah is here comprehended also the Tribe of Benjamin which two Tribes as they kept close in Allegiance and Expressions of Loyalty to their lawful King so they made Profession of Serving the One true God in that way and after that manner prescribed by his Word By the Sickness of Ephraim and the Wounds of Iudah is meant those Afflictions and Calamities which God sent upon the several States because of their Sins and Transgressions And by considering this Prophesie and the History of these several Nations we find the Judgments they were visited with and which are here especially pointed at to have been a withdrawing the Necessaries and Comforts of Life Factions and Divisions within and Oppressions from Neighbours without By Ephraim going to the Assyrian and Iudah sending to King Iareb The same thing is understood by all Interpreters for they make Iareb either the proper Name of the King of Assyria then reigning or an Appellative title given to all the Kings of that Nation as Pharaoh was the title of the Kings of Egypt and Coesar or Augustus of the Roman Emperours or it is thought to be the Name of a City in Assyria where the Kings resided and that he is called King Iareb because he lived there or finally considering the Etymology of the word some will have the King of Assyria so called because the Iews and Israelites expected he should have vindicated and defended them wherefore the Translators of the Bible have put into the Margin Or to the King that should Plead But which soever of these ways be taken all conclude that Assyria is meant and that respect is had to what we read 2 Kings xv 19. xvi 17. 2 Chron. xxviii 16. Where we see how both Iudah and Israel entered into a League with Assyria and studied by Money and Presents both to procure his own Peace and also Assistance to curb and restrain others who infested them And when it is said he could not heal you nor cure you thereby it is represented how ineffectual this Method was for their relief for they were not put in a better state by his means so far from that that even he from whom they expected Ease became an Instrument of more Mischief and Trouble unto them as the Sacred History plainly shews The reason hereof is given in the 14th Verse to wit because God was angry with them and resolved to punish them he was determined to be as a Lion to Ephraim and as a young Lion to Iudah to tear them and take them away That is as these Beasts are strong to catch their prey and when they have set upon it do devour it and it is in vain to think to get it safe out of their clutches so God being incensed he will shew himself able and strong to punish those who had done it And it was a most foolish thing to think by Men or any other Means to prevent the Mischief he certainly determined It was like the offering to take back a prey from the Jaws of a hungry and raging Lion Who can rescue out of his Hands When he declares War who can make Peace Men may fight with Men but it is in vain to strive against God or to think that any Means or Projects will prosper where he is the Enemy And as these Savage Beasts when they have catch'd their prey and eaten it up use to retire to their Dens and Coverts and lurk there so in allusion to this God saith in the last Verse he will return to his place that is as it were shut himself up in Heaven that the Earth should no more feel his gracious Presence or the comfortable Effects thereof He would so leave them and forsake them by withdrawing the favourable Expressions of his Providence as that they should be tempted to think he had confined himself to Heaven and would no more visit the Earth nor the Children of Men. But all this God did not so much out of Wrath and for Destruction as out of Love that he might at last save them and make them Partakers of his great goodness They were so perverse as to resist his gentle Methods so stubborn as not to be wrought upon by his former Acts of Kindness that he was provoked and if it were proper to speak so of the Almighty constrained to take up the Rod and to deal with them thus roughly and severely But still his intent was not to cut them off utterly from him but rather to bring them into a stricter Union with him afterwards He let his anger out now upon them that they might afterwards be made capable of his Love to wit when they became sensible of their Sin and Folly in forsaking the Commands of God and resolved to seek him seriously in all time coming This saith he I will do till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face And as God had this end before him in their Punishment so there is here a gracious intimation that the Punishments laid upon them should be effectual for this purpose In their afflictions they will seek me early which words are not so much a Prediction of what probably they would do as a Promise what he would then by his Grace make them do Afflictions have indeed some natural tendency to soften Men to render them tractable and obedient but then only this is truly effectuated when God sanctifieth Afflictions and giveth his Grace with them And when Afflictions produce this when People are so happy as to be converted by them then God layeth aside all Quarrels he putteth off his anger and putteth on Bowels of Love and Compassion he hideth his Face while Men continue in their Sins and Transgressions All the time they are going astray from God he retires within his Place as is here said But when they begin to acknowledge their Offences and in all sincerity seek his Face then he comes forth of his Place and lifts the light of his Countenance upon them and speaks comfortably unto them his going forth is prepared as the Morning and then he cometh unto us as the rain as the latter and former rain unto the Earth which both refresheth it and maketh it fruitful Thus I have explained the words and given you the genuine Scope and Purport of them In the next place I intend to propose plainly such Instructions as they afford and as I judge them both useful and seasonable so I pray God they may be candidly heard meekly received seriously considered and carefully observed First then We may read and discern here the Cause and Occasion of all the Evils and Mischief which come either upon private Persons or on publick States viz. SIN This