and for time to come and all little enough It was Davids course thou art my God from my mothers wombe and upon thee have I hanged over since I was borne faile me not when I am old Goe along with Gods favours and use them as arguments of future blessings As former victories are helps to get the second victory Every former favour helpeth to strengthen our faith In the next God is an inexhausted fountaine and when we have to deale with an infinite God the more we take of him the more we offer him It is no good plea to say you have done courtesies therefore do them still But we cannot honour God more then from former experience to looke for great things from the great God We have have waited for him he will save us we have waited for him and we will rejoyce in his salvation That which a child of God gives thanks for rejoyces in and labors for is more more experience of his salvation We wil rejoyce in his salvation There is not a stronger word in all the Scripture nor in nature he doth not say rejoycing in this or that benefit but in his salvation that is in deliverance from all evill we will reioyce in his perservation when he hath delivered us we will reioyce in his advancement of us and we will reioyce in his salvation And therfore when the wisedome of heaven would include all in one word hee useth the word Jesus all happinesse in that word that pregnant full word a Saviour So that Gods carriage towards his children is Salvation He is the God of Salvation or a saving God And God sent his name from heaven and the Angels brought it the name of JESUS Therefore looke to the full sense of it We have a Saviour that will answer his name as he is Jesus so he will save his people from their sinnes And therefore we will reioyce in his salvation God dealt with us like a God when he delivered us from all misery from all sinnes and advanced us to all happinesse that nature is capable of As he said before he will wipe away all teares from all faces and take away the rebukes of all people He will punish the wicked with eternall destruction And if he advanceth a people he will be salvation then which he can say no more And this sheweth that the children of God rejoyce more then in any thing else in salvation because it is the salvation of God and because God is salvation it selfe Heaven were not heaven if Jesus and God in our nature were not there And therefore the Apostle saith I desire to depart not to be dissolved and to be with Christ for that is better The sight of God specially in our nature God the second person taking our nature that we might be happy will make us happy for ever In loving God and joying in God and enjoying God makes full happinesse but that is not the cause of joy in heaven but the cause of all is Gods influence into us Here in the world happinesse is mediate in Gods revealing of himselfe to us by his holy spirit in the use of meanes in his dealings and deliverances letting us see him by his grace to see him and joy and delight in him for ever It is no good love that resteth in any blessings of God for themselves It is an harlottry affection to love the gift more then the giver So the Saints of God they doe all desire to see him as they may and to joy in God and enjoy God himselfe and to see God in our nature and to be with him for ever Before he spake of a feast and if the Feast-maker be not there what is all In a Funerall feast there is much cheere but the Feast-maker is gone In heaven there is joy but where is God where is Christ he that hath done so much suffered so much for us that hath taken possession of heaven and keepeth a place for us there What is heaven without him salvation severed from him is nothing We shall say when we are there Loe here is David Abraham Saint John here the Martyrs I but here is Christ here is God here is our Saviour the cause of all and the seeing of him in them that he will be glorious in his Saints that maketh us rejoyce We shall see all our friends in heaven there we shall see the excellency of the happinesse of Christ his love his grace his mercy The words are expressed with a kind of glorying Loe this is our God So that the joy of a Christian endeth in glory and in the highest degree of glory As you have it Rom. 5. We glory also in tribulation we glory in hope of glory nay we glory in God as ours reconciled And if we glory in him now as a God reconciled what shall we doe in heaven Can a worlding glory in his riches his greatnesse his favour from such a man as Haman did And shall not a Christian glory in his God and make his boast in his God And therefore in this world wee should learne to glory before we come to that glory in heaven specially when we be set upon by any thing that is apt to discourage us glory then in our head perhaps a Christian hath no wealth no great rents to glory in I but he hath a God to glory in let him glory in him The world may take all else from him but not his God As the Church in Cant. 5. The virgins put the Church to describe her beloved what is thy beloved more then another beloved My beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest of 10000. Then she goeth on in particulars my beloved is thus and thus and if you would know what my beloved is this is my beloved So a Christian that hath a spirit of faith should glory in God here for heaven is begun here and he should glory in Christ is Saviour and should set Christ against all discouragements and oppositions if you will know what is my beloved this is my beloved the chiefe among ten thousands Psal 115. Our God is in heaven and doth whatsoever he pleaseth in heaven and earth and the deepes yea we make our boast of God saith the Psalmist when there is occasion this is the Lord this is our God we have waited for him specially in times of afflictions and what is the reason This will hold out to eternity This is our God As in the Revelations It is a plea and a glory for ever for God is our happinesse As the School-men say he is our objective happinesse and our formall happinesse he is our happinesse as he is ours And he is ours in life and death and for ever so there is alwayes ground of glory onely God doth discover himselfe to be ours by little and little as we are able to beare him he is ours in our worst times My God my God why hast thou forsaken
and life goeth together with a christian as Christ saith he is the light of the world and the life of the world First light for life commeth with light and light conveyeth life All grace is dropt into the will through the understanding and wheresoever Christ is life he is light because true knowledge is a transforming knowledge but if religion be not knowne to purpose it hardens and makes worse We are now by Gods good providence come to farther businesse to partake of these mysteries yet it should be the desire of our soules that our eyes may be opened that in these divine and precious mysteries he would discover hidden love which is not seen with the eyes of the body they may see and taste and relish his love and goodnesse in Jesus Christ that as the outward man is refreshed with the elements so the inward man may be refreshed with his spirit that they may be effectuall to us that we may justifie the course God takes so farre as to come charitably and joyfully to them THE Fourth Sermon ISAIAH 25. 7 8. I will destroy in this Mountaine the face of the covering cast over all people and the vaile that is spread over all Nations He will swallow up death in victory c. WE have heretofore at large spoken of the spirituall and eternall favors of God set out in the former Verse In this Mountain will the Lord of Hosts make a Feast of fat things While our soule is in the body it is much guided by our fancy spirituall things are therefore presented by outward and conveyed to the soule that way onely we must remember that there is a farre greater excellency in the things themselves than in their representation for what is all Banquets fatnesse with Marrow Wine on the Lees to the joy and sweetnesse of Religion begun here and accomplished in the world to come In Christ there is nothing but all Marrow and sweetnesse in Religion that may refresh a man in the lowest condition if hee can but have a taste of it Now because the spirituall things of Christ doe us no good as long as they are hid therefore the Holy Ghost setteth downe a Promise That God will take away the covering cast on all people and the vaile spread over all Nations But there be some things that will dampe all mirth Now here is security against them that our joy may bee compleat and this in the next verse to which I now come Hee will swallow up death in victory hee will wipe away teares from all faces The Prophet having spoken of a great Feast before an excellent Feast sets forth here the services of that feast what is it that accompanies it First of all there shall be light to discover the excellency of the feast the vaile is taken away and a knowledge given to know divine things in a spirituall manner Then which will damp all feasts the feare of death is taken away He will swallow up death in victory and wipe away all tears that is all sorrow the effect is put for the cause This is an excellent promise an excellent Service in this spirituall banquet Suppose a man were set at a Feast furnished with all Delicates royally attended Cloaths suitable and had a Sword hung over his head ready to fall upon him it would cast such a dampe on his spirit as would spoile the joy of this feast So to heare of Spirituall excellencies and yet death and hell and damnation comming along alas where is the comfort you speake of And therefore to make the feast more perfect there is not onely light and knowledge but removall of it ever may dampe the feast So this must needs come in to comfort all the rest He shall swallow up death in victory and wipe away tears from all faces Death is here represented to us under the word victory as a Combatant as one that we are to fight withall a Captaine And then here is the victory of him Christ overcomes him and overcomes him gloriously It is not onely a Conquest but a swallowing of him up Usually God useth all sorts of enemies in their owne kinde he causeth them that spoile to be spoyled them that swallow up to be swallowed up So Death the great swallower shall be swallowed up Beloved Death is the great King of Kings and the Emperor of Emperors the great Captaine and ruling King of the world for no King hath such Dominion as Death hath it spreads its government and victory over all Nations he is equall though a Tyrant As a Tyrant spares none he is equall in this he subdueth young and old poore and rich he levels Scepters and Spades together he levels all there is no difference between the dust of an Emperor and the meanest man he is a Tyrant that governeth over all And so there is this equity in him he spares none He hath continued from the beginning of the world to this time but he is a Tyrant brought in by our selves Rom. 5. Sin let in Death it opened the doore death is no Creature of Gods making Satan brought in sin and sinne brought in death So that we be accessary our selves to the powerfull stroak of this prevailing Tyrant And therefore sinne is called the cause of death Sinne brought in death and armeth death the weapon that death fights with and causeth great terror it is sinne The cause is armed with the power of the wrath of God for sinne the feare of hell and damnation So that wrath and hell and damnation arming sinne it bringeth a sting of it self and put as venome into death All cares and feares and sorrowes and sicknesses are lesse and petty deaths harbingers to death it selfe but the attendants that follow this great King are worst of all As Rev. 6. I saw a pale horse and death upon it and after him comes hell what were death if it were not for the Pit and Dungeon that followeth it So that death is attended with hell and hell with eternity Therefore here is a strange kind of prevailing There is no victory where there is no enemy and therefore death must needs be an enemy yea it is the worst enemy and the last enemy Death is not planted in the forlorne hope but it is planted at last for the greatest advantage and is a great enemy what doth death It depriveth us of all comfort pleasure communion with one another in this life callings or whatsoever else is comfortable The grave is the house of oblivion Death is terrible of it selfe even to nature as Augustine saith where it is not swallowed up of Christ for it is an evill in it selfe and as I said armed with a sting of sinne after which followes Hell Now this death is swallowed up When the Scripture puts a person upon death it is not uncomly for us to speak as the Scripture doth The Scripture puts a persouupon death and a kind of triumphing spirit in
and praying and doing good and abstaining from evill the Law of the Spirit of life frees us from the Law of sinne and death I beseech you inlarge these things in your thoughts They bee things wee must all have use of beforehand against the evill day It should bee comfortable and usefull to us all to heare that our enemy our greatest enemy Death is swallowed up in victory And yet there 's more comfort in the Text. THE Fifth Sermon ISAIAH 25. 8. And all teares shall be wiped away from all faces NOt only death shall be swallowed up in victory but God will wipe away all tears from all eyes Religion shall be religion good things shall be good things nothing shall go under false notions all tears shall be wiped away we have now many causes of teares In the world there is continuall raising of clouds that distill into drops of teares had we nothing without us to raise a vapour to be distil'd in teares we are able to raise up mists from our owne mists from our owne doubts and conflicts within As we should weepe for our owne sinnes so for the sinnes of others as wee may see in Jeremy where the Prophet saith Oh that my head were a fountaine of teares that I might weepe continually for the sinnes of my people And indeed good men are easie to weepe as the heathen man observeth they are easie to lament not onely for their own sinnes but the sinnes and misery of another Our blessed Saviour himselfe we never read that he laughed wee have heard that he wept and for his very enemies Oh Jerusalem Jerusalem He shed teares for them that shed his bloud Teares were maine evidences of Christs sweetnesse of disposition as that hee would become man and a curse and die for us and that he would make so much of little children and call all to him that were weary and heavy laden that hee never refused any that came to him Hee that wept specially for the miseries and afflictions this shewed his gracious and sweet disposition And that in heaven he is so full of sympathies in glory that when Paul persecuted the Church Why dost thou persecute me So though he is free from passion in heaven he is not free from compassion from sympathie with his Church And so every child of God is ready not onely to grieve for his own sinnes and the miserie that followeth them but the sins and miseries of others Mine eyes gush out with rivers of teares saith the Prophet David when hee saw that men brake the law of God whom he loved A true naturall child takes to heart the disgrace of his father if we be not grieved to see our father disgraced wee are bastards not sonnes They that make a sport of sinne what are they Alas they have not one sparke of the spirit of adoption they are not children who rejoyce at that at which they should grieve So Saint Paul I have told you often and now tell you weeping there be many enemies of the crosse of Christ When he saw some men preach against and others enemies of the crosse of Christ whose end is damnation hee telleth them of it weeping Wee have cause therefore to mourne for the sinnes of others and for the miseries of others whether we respect God or the Church or our selves First the love of God moveth us to weepe when wee see him dishonored If we love the Church we should mourne for any sinnes that may prejudice their salvation Doth it not pitty any man to see an Oxe go to slaughter to see a man of parts otherwise by sinning against conscience going to slaughter to see an ordinary swearer an uncleane person a prophane wretch covering himselfe with pride as a garment scorning God and the world and all Can a Christian looke upon this see flesh and blood like himself under the Gospell under a cursed condition unavoidable without serious repentance and not be affected with it Can a man see a poore Asse fall under a burthen and not helpe to take it up and yet see man falling to hell and not be affected with it Thus we see wee have cause enough of teares And as there is cause so we should be sensible we ought to take to heart the afflictions of Joseph hee is a dead man that hath not sense in this kinde If wee go to the body and state or any thing about a man there is cause of griefe hath not every member many diseases and is not our lives a kind of hospitall some sicke of one thing some of another But as there is cause wee should bee sensible of it wee are flesh and not stones therefore it is a sottish opinion to be stockish and brutish as if to out-face sorrow and griefe were a glory When our Saviour was sent into the world Christi dolor dolor maximus there were no patience without sensiblenesse away then with that iron that flinty Phylosophy that thinks it a vertue to be stupid And as the Apostle saith Romans 1. 31. without naturall affections He counteth it the greatest judgement of God upon the soule yet they would have it a vertue Why should I smite them any more saith God they have no sense no feeling The proud Phylosopher thought it was not phylosophicall to weepe a proud stoicall humor but Christians desire it And therefore we ought to labour to be more sensible that we might make our peace and reverence the justice of God and be more sensible of him afterwards It is most true that Sapiens miser plus miser the more wise any man is the more sensible of misery And therefore of all men the best men have most griefe because they have most quicke senses they be not stupified with insensibility and resolutenesse to beare it bravely as the world but they apprehend with griefe the cause of griefe And as they have a more sanctified judgement than other men so they have a more wise affection of love and a quicker life of grace where life is there is sense and where there is a cleare sight or cause of griefe there is most griefe Therefore the best men have most griefe because they be most judicious most loving Then they have most grace to beare it out of all others therefore considering there is cause in our selves and in others of griefe continually wee ought to labour to be sensible of it else it were no favour to have teares wiped away So that there is cause of teares and teares is a duty of Christians sensible of the cause both of sinne and misery upon one and another And as it is an unavoidable griefe so it is good wee should grieve we must stoope to Gods course we must bring our hearts to it and pray that since our necessities and sins doe call for this dispensation that we must under correction he will make us sensible of his rod that
griefe be right or no There be teares God hath no bottle for Thou puttest my teares into thy bottle he makes much of them they be Vinum Angelicum as he saith God is an Angell to his people to wipe away their teares but some teares God hath no bottle for hypocriticall teares Dalilahs teares teares of revenge and anger Esaus teares And therefore the true teares that God will wipe away are such as first of all follow our condition here our misery God will wipe them away If wee speake of teares from a judiciall ground the spring of true teares is the love of God and of Christ and of his Church and the love of the state of Christianity Teares spring from love these teares specially O a Christian takes to heart that God should be so ill used in the world that Christ the Saviour of the world should finde such entertainement that he should have any thing in him that should offend such a Saviour this unkindnesse stingeth him to the heart he takes it grievously that God should be abused Laetitia habet suas lachrimas there is not onely griefe that is the immediate cause of teares but another cause before hand that is love Joy likewise hath its teares though they be not here meant specially Againe teares are good and sound when wee weepe for our owne sinnes as well as the sinnes and miseries of others And I will adde more wee must weepe for the sinnes of others as well as for our owne For it is a greater signe of the truth of grace to take to heart the sinnes of others more then our owne You will say this is a kind of paradox for often a man may take to heart his owne sinnes as matter of terror of conscience not his sinnes as contrary to God having antipathy to him being opposite to the state of the soule not as sinne is properly sinne but to be grieved and vexed for sinne as it hath vexation and terror of conscience When a man can take to heart the sinnes of another and that truly as it is an offence of his good God and a crucifying againe of his sweet Saviour these be true teares indeed It is more signe of grace then to weepe for a mans owne sinnes Some are taken up with terrors of conscience that let their children family and friends alone their heart is eaten up with selfe love and they be neer eaten up with their owne terrors of conscience but here is true griefe and an hatred of sinne in a right respect when it exerciseth it selfe upon others as well as upon our selves Againe teares arise from the right spring from true griefe when wee can weepe in secret O saith Jeremy if you doe so and so My soule shall weepe in secret for your pride here was a good soule indeed many will have teares of comfort in publicke c. I but when they can weepe in secret for their owne sinnes and the sinnes of others it is an evidence of a right spring of griefe Againe when teares tend to reformation of what they grieve for for else they be Steriles lachrimae barren teares doe they tend to reforme what wee weepe for doe they tend to action Affections are then good when they carry to action as griefe love joy they are all for action when wee weepe and grieve and reforme withall it is a good signe I will name no more you see then that griefe is sound when it springeth from the love of God and is for the sinnes of others as well as our owne and our owne as well as others when it stirres up to reformation when it is in secret and therefore let us examine our griefe by these and the like evidences it will be a good character of a gracious soule Then God will carry himselfe as a sweet nurse or loving mother to her child that sheddeth teares God will wipe away all these teares O the transcending love of God his love is a tender love the love of a mother the love of a nurse it is not love but the bowels of love the bowells of mercy and compassion how low doth he stoope to wipe away the teares of his children God will wipe away all teares I will propound one question more and then proceed But wee are bid to rejoyce alwaies why then is it required that we weepe and mourne can two contraries stand together I answer very well for wee may grieve as wee have matter of griefe and are in a condition of griefe And we may rejoyce and ought to rejoyce as we look to the promise that God will wipe away all teares When we thinke of the present cause wee cannot but grieve but when wee looke beyond all troubles we cannot but joy it hath influence of joy into our heart nay for the present we may joy and grieve without looking to eternity sometimes If we consider that we have offended God done that that grieveth his spirit that is matter of griefe but when we consider wee have Christ at his right hand that speaketh peace for us and makes our peace by vertue of his mediation that giveth comfort So that wee have cause of joy and cause of griefe about the same things at the same time Wee are never in such a state of griefe here but if we looke about us looke foreward looke upward A Christian that is a good Christian is a person that hath many things to looke after that he may mannage his estate of Christianity wisely He is to looke to himselfe and his sinnes to the mercies of God in Christ to the constancie of it that it is answerable to the fruit of it in peace and joy here and happinesse hereafter which are constant too his grace as himselfe is constant the fruits of it constant Therefore rejoyce evermore And saith the Apostle I know what I say I am well advised evermore rejoyce So that the life of a Christian is a mixed life nay the ground of our joy is our sorrow and griefe and joy is sowne in griefe If we will rejoyce indeed let us mourn indeed true joy ariseth and springs out of sorrow I proceed to the next And the rebukes of his people shall be taken away from of the face off the earth Another benefit that makes the Feast sweet and comfortable is this Hee will take away the rebukes of his people And here is the same method to be used that Gods children his Church and people are under rebukes and under reproach We need not stand to prove the truth of it It is true First the head of the Church and the Church it selfe and every particular member they goe under rebukes For the head of the Church we should spend the time to no purpose to prove it what was Christs life it was under a vaile he appeared not to be what he was you know he was esteemed the chiefe of Devills an enemy to
included in Christ Aske of him and yee shall obtaine even the forgivenesse of your sinnes peace of conscience and communion of Saints Aske of Christ as of one invested with all priviledges for the good of others but yet this is by his death he is the feast it selfe he is dished out into promises have you a promise of the pardon of sinnes it is from Christ wouldst thou have peace of conscience it is from Christ justification and redemption it is from Christ the love of God is derived to us by Christ yea and all that we have that is good is but Christ parcelled out Now I will shew why Christ with his benefits prerogatives graces and comforts is compared to a feast First in regard of the choice of the things In a feast all things are of the best so are the things we have in Christ whatsoever favours we have by Christ they are choice ones they are the best of every thing pardon for sin is a pardon of pardon the title we have for heaven through him is a sure title the joy we have by him is the joy of all joyes the liberty and freedom from sin which he purchased for us by his death is perfect freedome the riches of grace we have by him are the only lasting and durable riches take any thing that you can if we have it by Christ it is of the best All worldly excellencies and honours are but meere shadowes to the high excellencies and honour we have in Christ No joy no comfort no peace no riches no inheritance to be compared with the joy peace and inheritance which we have in Christ whatsoever we have by him we have it in a glorious manner And therefore he is compared to fat to fat things full of marrow to wine to wine on the lees that preserveth the freshnesse of it the best wine of all that is not changed from vessell to vessell but keepeth its strength And indeed the strength and vigour of all floweth from Jesus Christ in covenant with us The love of Christ is the best love and he himselfe incomparably the best and hath favours and blessings of the choisest Againe as in a feast besides choice there is variety so in Christ there is variety answerable to all our wants Are we foolish he is wisdome have we guilt in our consciences he is righteousnesse and this righteousnesse is imputed unto us are we defiled he is sanctification are wee in misery he is our redemption If there be a thousand kinds of evils in us there is a thousand waies to remedy them by Jesus Christ Therefore the good things we have by Christ are compared to all the benefits we have in this world in Christ is choice and variety Are we weake he is meat to feed us that we may be strong he will refresh us he is the best of meats he is marrow so are our spirits faint he is wine thus we have in Christ to supply all our wants he is variety There is a plant among the Indians called by the name of Coquus the fruit thereof serveth for meat and drinke to comfort and refresh the body It yeeldeth that whereof the people make apparell to cloath themselves withall and also that which is phisicall very good against the distempers of the body And if God will infuse so much vertue into a poore plant what vertue may we expect to be in Christ himself He feedeth our soules to all eternity puts upon us the roabes of righteousnesse heales the distempers of our soules there is variety in him for all our wants whatsoever He is food physicke and apparell to cloath us and when we are cloathed with him we may with boldnesse stand before the Majesty of God He is all in all He is variety and all There is something in Christ answerable to all the necessities of Gods people and not only so but to their full content in every thing Againe as there is variety in a Feast so there is sufficiency full sufficiency We beheld the only begotten Son of God full of grace and truth And being full of grace He is wise and able to furnish this heavenly banquet with enough of all sorts of provisions fit for the soule to feed upon Ther 's abundance of grace and excellency and sufficiency in Christ And it must needs be because he is a Saviour of Gods owne sending Labour not therefore for the meate that perisheth but for the meat that the Son of God shall give you for him hath God the Father sealed That is sent forth for this purpose to feed the Church of God As there is an all-sufficiency in God so in Christ who by the sacrificing of himselfe was able to give satisfaction to divine justice Therefore saith he My flesh is meate indeed and my bloud is drinke indeed That is spiritually to the soule he is food indeed and can satisfie Gods justice If we consider him as God alone he is a consuming fire or as man alone he can do nothing But considered as God-man he is meate indeed and drinke indeed And now the soule is content with that which Divine justice is contented withall though our consciences be large yet God is larger and above our consciences Therefore as there is variety of excellency so is there sufficiency and fulnesse in Christ what he did he did to the full He is a Saviour and he filleth up that name to the full His pardon for sinne is a full pardon His merits for us are full merits His satisfaction to divine justice a full satisfaction His redemption of our soules and bodies a full redemption thus all he did was full A Feast is for company it is convivium there is converse at it So Cicero preferres the name of convivium among the Latines before the Greeke name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this Feast is not for one we are all invited to it the excellency of Christs Feast consisteth in the Communion of Saints for whosoever takes part of it their spirits must agree one with another Love is the best and chiefest dish in this Feast the more wee partake of the sweetnesse of Christ the more we love one another Christ by his spirit so works in the hearts of the children of men that bring a thousand together of a thousand severall nations and within a little while you shall have them all acquainted one with another if they be good there is agreement of the spirit and a sympathy between them there is a kindred in Christ He is the true Isaack the death of Christ and the bloud of Christ is the ground of all union and joy and comfort whatsoever the bloud of Christ sprinkled upon the conscience will procure that peace of conscience that shall be a continuall Feast unto the soule This Feast must needs be wonderfull comfortable for we do not feast with those that are like our selves but we feast with God the Father and
reason why carnall men cannot relish a pardon for sinne and justification and sanctification and holinesse nor goe boldly to God It may be they have good sweet notions of these but they have no spirituall taste or relish of them and all because they want spirituall life None but a Christian can have spirituall taste answerable to a spirituall life Taste is a kind of feeling one of the most necessary senses and a Christian cannot be without relish and feeling yea it is the very beeing of a Christian to have a taste of spirituall things Of all other senses there is a stronger application in taste the other senses fetch their objects afarre off but as for taste there is a neer application in it and therefore most necessary every life is maintained by tast Taste and see how good the Lord is Now taste doth two things it doth relish that that is good and disrelish the contrary there must be a spirituall taste to discerne of differences There can be no spirituall taste but it must know what is good and profitable for the soule and what is not because God will not have our tastes to be wronged yee see what course he takes First the eye seeth what things we taste on and if the eye be displeased so also is the smell Thus God layeth before us spirituall things knowledge of good and bad and giveth us many caveats and all because he would not have us to taste things hurtfull for the soule nor poison instead of meate Now when we have tasted that which is good let us take heed it be not a taste onely lest we fall into the sinne against the holy Ghost Againe beside taste there must be a disgesting of what we taste and that throughly in our understandings when we apprehend a thing to be true and good it must be disgested throughly into the affections Love to the best things must be above all other love whatsover yet this must be disgested Men oftentimes have sweet notions but alas they are but notions they doe not disgest them into their affections It is the last disgestion that nourisheth and when any spirituall truths are understood throughly then comes in spirituall strength and hereupon the soule comes and suckes in that virtue which is for the nourishment of it thus it is in the soule upon disgestion there is nourishment Againe there must be a faculty to retaine what wee have received that it maybe disgested yee have many that love to heare but they do not disgest If there be nothing in the soule nothing can be extracted and therefore we must learne to retaine necessary truths that so upon occasion they may come from the memory into the heart though indeed they are not in their proper place when they are in the memory only yet notwithstanding if they are there they may with ease be brought down into the soule Then we must labour to walke in the strength of spirituall things For what is the use of this Feast but to cherish both soule and spirit the use of spirituall things which we have through Christ is to cherish and enliven It conveyeth strength to us that we may walke in the strength of Christ as Elias did fourty daies in the strength of his food And consider though in our consciences and conditions we have variety of changes yet in Christ we have severall comforts suitable to all our severall conditions If so be our sinnes trouble us wee should watch over our selves that wee be not overmuch cast downe but feed upon spirituall things in consideration of pardon for sinne in the bloud of Christ this is the grand issue of all that Christ hath traced out in the forgivenesse of sinnes He is not he cannot be divided where he pardons sinnes he sanctifieth where he sanctifieth he writes his law in their hearts so that there is a chaine of spirituall favours where the first linke is all the rest follow where forgivenesse of sinne is there is the spirit and that spirit sanctifieth and comforts and is an earnest of everlasting life therefore feed especially upon the favours of God and get forgivenesse of sinnes and then all the rest of the chaine of grace and spirituall life will follow Sometimes wee stand in need of present grace and comfort and we are undone if comforts and grace are not at hand never considering the promises that are to come as that promise of Christ I will be with thee to the end of the world feare not No temptation shall befall us but we shall have an issue out of it and it shall worke together for the good of all those that feare God This is Aquavitaeâ—o â—o the soule of man therefore the gracious promises of Christ and his holy Spirit wee should ever remember to get into our soules for when all other comforts faile then commeth in the comforts of the Spirit who will be with us and uphold us in all extremities if we had nothing in this world to comfort our spirits yet let us rejoyce in hope of glory to come Our life is hid with Christ wee have the hidden Manna in him we rejoyce in hope of glory Rom. 5. 2. And the way to maintaine a Christian holy life is to make use of all the privileges of christianity and of those promises that convey these privileges to our soules Now that we may the better do this observe continually what it is that hinders us that we cannot feed upon spirituall things as we should doe whatsoever it is we must labour constantly to remove it Now what must follow after this Feast why spirituall chearefulnesse if we finde this in our duties of Christianity it is a signe we have fed upon spirituall things the nature of a spirituall Feast is to empty the foule of sinne and to fill it full of gracious thoughts and actions instead thereof it moderates all things it makes us use the world as if we used it not when wee can do this we may certainly know that our soules have tasted of abundance of benefit by this Feast A man that hath no spirituall joy is drowned for the most part in the contentments of the world drowned in riches and honours and these are like to strong waters immoderately taken instead of chearing the spirits exhaust and kill them He that hath the joy of heaven here by faith is mortified to all other base delights he only mindeth the things above where Christ is Col. 3. 1. And therefore the exhortation or rather command Seeke the things that are above hath this promise in fit method annex'd unto it and then all other things shall be cast in upon you Riches and honours in the world and if not them yet so much as is necessary and mortification of our sinnes and the lusts of the flesh Againe if we have fed upon spirituall things for our soules we shall be thankfull that man that hath tasted how good
and gracious the Lord hath bin to him in this world and how full of joy and comfort he will be to him in another world in consideration of this his soule cannot choose but be thankfull to God Here we see how to make this spirituall food fit for our soules that Christ provideth for us And if there be such joy as we have said there is in spirituall things what use should we make further of them but labour from hence to justifie the wayes of godlinesse against our owne false and carnall hearts and against the slanderous imputations of the world when our hearts are ready to be false to us and hanker after the contentments of the world and are ready to say the best contentment that they can enjoy is in the things below Let us answer our base and false disputing hearts that the waies of wisdome the waies that God directs us to they onely are the waies of pleasure And Religion is that that makes the hearts of the children of men joyfull and a good conscience onely makes a continuall feast so long as man liveth but especially at the houre of death when all the comforts of the world cease then conscience standeth our friend But the worlds objection is that of all kind of men in the world those that professe Religion are the most melancholy But if it be so it is because they are not religious enough their sinnes are continually before their eyes they have pardon for sinne and freedome from the guilt of sinne but know it not they have good things and doe not know them And so in regard of spirituall comforts Gods people may have spirituall joy and inward consolation and yet not know of it there may be such a time when they may be sad and droope and that is when they apprehend God doth not looke pleasantly upon them but the true character of a Christian is to be cheerfull none else can be truly chearefull or joyous Joy is usurped by others there is no comfort in them that can be said to be reall All the joy of a man that is a carnall man is but as it were the joy of a Traytor he may come to the Sacraments and feast with the rest of Gods people but what mirth or joy can he have so long as the Master of the Feast frownes upon him Where Christ is not there God is not reconciled no joy like that joy of him that is assured of the love of God in Christ A man may sometime through ignorance want that joy that belongeth to him Rejoyce ye righteous and be glad it belongeth to those that are in Christ and to the righteous to rejoyce for joy is all their portion They onely can justifie the waies of God against all reproaches whatsoever but the eyes of carnall men are so held in blindnesse that they can see no joy no comfort in this course As it is said of Austin before his conversion hee was afraid to turne Christian indeed lest he should want all those joyes and pleasures that the world did then afford him but after he was converted then he could cry Lord I have stayed too long from thee and too long delayed from comming in to tast of the sweetnesse of Jesus Christ Take a Christian at the worst and he is better then another man take him at the best The worst condition of Gods children farre surpasseth the very best condition of gracelesse persons The issue of things shall turn to his good that is a member of Christ a child of God an heire of heaven The evill of evils is taken away from him take him at the worst he is an heire of heaven but take the wicked at the best he is not a child of God he is a stranger to God he is as a branch cut off and as miserable a wretch as ever Belshazzer in the midst of his cups trembling and quaking with feare and astonishment when he saw the writing on the wall When a man apprehends the wrath of God hanging over his head though he were at the greatest feast in the world and amongst those that make mirth and jollity yet seeing vengeance ready to seize upon him it cannot but dampe all his joy and all his carnall pleasures and therefore only a Christian hath a true title to this feast I beseech you let us labour earnestly to have our part and portion in the things above but what shall they doe that as yet apprehend no interest in Jesus Christ why let them not be discouraged for all are compelled to come in to this Feast both blind and lame the servants are sent to bring them in The most wretched people of all God doth invite them all are called to come in to this Feast that are sensible of their sinnes and that God requires at our hands or else we can have no appetite to taste of this feast God saith come all I but saith the poore sinfull soule I have no grace at all why but yet come buy without money the feast is free Gods thoughts are not as thy thoughts are but as heaven is high above the earth even so are his thoughts above thy thoughts Poore wretch thou thinkest thou hast led a wicked life and so thou hast I but now come in God hath invited thee and he will not alwaies be inviting thee therefore come in and study the excellencies of Christ When such persons as these see they need mercy and grace and reconciliation and must either have it or else be damned for ever now they are earnest to study the favour and love of God in Christ now they bestirre themselves to get peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost now they see salvation to be founded onely on Christ and all other excellencies belonging to Christianity and therefore he goeth constantly provided with grace and holinesse so in this life that he may not lose his part in glory in the life to come Think of this and pray for it as they in the Gospell Lord evermore give us of that bread here is hope that thou maist be saved because thou art invited to come in to what end is the ministry of the Gospel but to intreat thee to be reconciled Oh let this worke upon our soules when we heare of the excellencies of these things and together with them consider of the necessity that is cast upon us to obtaine them and that we must have them or else be damned eternally Wee must doe as the Leapers did who said one to another Why sit we here till we die if we say wee will enter into the City why the famine is in the City and we shall die there and if we sit still here wee shall also die now what course tooke they They said one to another let us enter into the campe of the Syrians there is meat to feed us So saith the soule if I goe into the City
bloud and in that the love and mercy of God in Christ in giving him to death for us and Christs love to give himself to satisfie Divine Justice these be the things intended which onely the soule sees and apprehendeth And so all things in the Church indeed are mysteries the incarnation of Christ the union of both natures that Christ should save the world by such a way as he did that he should bring us to glory by shame to life by death to blessing and happinesse by being a curse for us it is a mystery to bring contrary out of contrary That so glorious a person as God should be covered with our weake and sinnefull nature it was a mystery the Jewes stumbled at it light came and the darkenesse could not comprehend the light And as Christ was a mystery himselfe so the Church is a mystery that God should so much delight in a company of poore men the off-scowring of the world to make them temples of his holy Spirit and heires of heaven men that were under the scorne of the world this is a mystery so all is mysticall the head the members the body the Church and every particular point of Religion there is a mystery in repentance no man knoweth what sorrow for sin is but the true gracious person no man knowes what it is to believe but he that hath an heart to believe no man knoweth what peace of conscience and joy of the holy Ghost is but those that feele it so that is a mystery And therefore great is the mystery of godlinesse saith the Apostle not onely in the points themselves but even the practice of Religion is a mystery too Repentance and Faith and new obedience and love and the comforts of Religion are all mysteries there is a vaile upon them in all these points that a carnall man cannot see them You see then in what sense there is a vaile of the things and in what sense there is a vaile on mens hearts that is either the things themselves are hid or if the things be open they want sight and light of knowledge and they want faith to believe Beloved we live in times that the object is cleare to us the things themselves are made cleare as who knoweth not what Christ is and the notion of the incarnation and of the union with him wee know them notionally they be opened and revealed to us very clearely all the articles of faith and misteries of Religion so that there is no obscurity in the object the things are cleare specially in these places of knowledge But yet notwithstanding there is a vaile upon the soule The soule of every man that is not graciously wrought upon by the spirit of God hath a vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe First of all of Ignorance There is a vaile of ignorance in many and in all men naturally a vaile of ignorance of spirituall things for unlesse they be revealed they can never be knowne to Angels themselves The Angels themselves know not the Gospell till it be opened and therefore they be students in it continually and the best men in the world know nothing in the Gospell further then it is revealed but there is a vaile of ignorance upon them that know these things notionally because they do not know them as they should know them they doe not know them in propria specie spirituall and heavenly things as spirituall and heavenly things they doe not know spirituall things as spirituall things they have a humane knowledge of spirituall things Those that want grace they know the Grammer of the Scripture and Divinity and they know how to discourse as Schoolemen doe from one thing to another and to argue they know the Logicke and Rhetoricke of the Scripture but they sticke in the stile there is something they are ignorant of That is they have not an eye of knowledge as wee call it they doe not see the things themselves but onely they see things by another bodies spirit and they have no light of their owne And so no man knoweth naturally but the children of God what originall sinne is what corruption of nature is nor knowes sinne in its owne odious colours to be filthy and to be dangerous as it is to draw the curse and vengeance of God upon it this is not knowne but by the spirit revealing the odiousnesse of sinne that the soule may apprehend it as Christ did when he suffered for it and as God doth A gracious man seeth it as God seeth it because by the spirit of God hee seeth the filthinesse and odiousnesse of it and the danger it draweth after it And so in any points of Religion naturally a man sees not them spiritually as they are and as God sees them but he seeth them by a humane light hee seeth heavenly things by a humane light notionally and meerely to discourse of them he seeth not intritively into the things themselves he seeth them sub aliena specie under another representation then their owne onely a godly man seeth spirituall things as the spirit of God and seeth them as they are knowes sinne as it is knoweth grace to be as it is and knoweth faith what it is to believe what it is to have peace of conscience and the pardon of sinnes he knoweth these things in some sense intritively though not so as he shall doe when he shall see these things in heaven when he shall see face to face There is a great difference in it hee sees them intritively in respect of the knowledge of other men though he sees but in a glasse in regard of the knowledge hee shall have in heaven As Saint Paul saith for wee see but as in a glasse but he that sees in a glasse seeth more life then he that sees the dead picture of a man So though we see but in a glasse heavenly things yet wee see them better then those that see them in a dead notion though it be nothing to the knowledge wee shall have in heaven yet it is incomparable above the knowledge of any carnall naturall man upon the earth Againe naturally men have vailes of ignorance upon the most divine things of spirituall things such as is union and as is the communion between Christ and us and the mystery of regeneration in the new creature such as is the joy in the holy Ghost the inward peace of conscience I will not name the particulars to insist on them but give you onely an iustance though they know the notion of these things yet they are altogether ignorant of them their knowledge is a meere outward light it is a light radicated in the soule It is not as the light of the Moone which receiveth light from the Sunne but it is a light radicated and incorporated into the soule as the light of the Sunne is by the spirit it is in the soule it is not onely upon the soule but in the soule the heart sees
enough to Pilate thus it hath bin and will be to the end of the world Therefore we had need to be wise that wee be not misled Men will never leave to speake ill till they have learned to speak better till the spirit of God hath taught them Now it is said that Christ will take away the rebukes of his people That is the promise as they are they shall be knowne to be he will set all in joynt againe Harmony is a sweet thing and order is a sweet thing time will come when things that are now out of order to appearance shall be all set in their due order againe Those that are basest shall be lowest and those that be excellent shall be highest this is a working and framing now In this confusion we must looke to the catastrophe the conclusion of all hee will take away the rebukes of all God is the Father of truth and truth is the daughter of time time will bring forth truth at last And those that be honourable indeed shall be honourable It is as true as God is just for goodnesse and holinesse are beames of God and will he suffer it alwaies to passe under a falfe vaile There is not an attribute of God but shall shine forth gloriously even all his excellency and dignity There is nothing shall be above him and his excellency noe though he seemes for a a while not to rule in the world or have power but fers them to goe away with it that are his enemies he is working another thing by suffering them he is working the glory of his children and confusion of his enemies There is nothing in God but shall gloriously shine and nothing in his children no beames of God but shall gloriously shine to the confusion of the world They that are good shall be knowne to be good God will bring their righteousnesse to light The Witnesses that vexed the world and had base entertainement they were slaine and disgraced but they rose againe and were carried to heaven as Elias So there will be a resurrection of name a resurrection of reputation That that is good shall be good and that that is bad shall be bad it shall be knowne to be as it is This is for comfort You hear therefore what course to take under disgrace what shall wee doe when the Church passeth under disgrace as it is now A Protestant is worse then a Turke or a Jew amongst the railing Papists Among our selves wee see under what reputation the best things goe it is too well knowne to speake of And the scandall taken from hence doth extreamely harden it keepes men from religion it draweth many from religion that have entred into it because they have not learned so much selfe denyall as to venture upon disgrace And surely where no selfe-denyall is there is no religion Christ knew what doctrine he taught when he taught self-denyall in this respect What shall wee doe therefore Labour first of all for innocency that if men wil reproach they may reproach without a cause Then labour for a spirit of patience to serve Christ with great is your reward when men speake evill of you for a good cause It is the portion of a Christian in this life to doe well and suffer ill Of all certainely they are best that out of love to goodnesse are carried to goodnesse without looking to rewards or disgrace that followes with a single eye Labour therefore for patience and not onely so but for courage for the Moone goeth its course and lets the dog barke Wee have a course to runne let us keepe our course constantly passe through good reports and bad reports be at a point what the world thinkes wee seeke applause at another theater then the world Againe then labour for sincerity under rebukes that wee have a good aime such an aime as Paul had If I be mad and out of my wits he being earnest for his Master Christ they count him out of his wits If I be out of my wits it is for Christ If I be sober it is for you the love of Christ constraineth me to be so Get the love of Christ and that will make a man care for nothing If I goe beyond my self it is to God As David said when he was mocked by Micholl It is to the Lord when he danced before the Arke Bonus ludus a good dance where Micholl scoffeth and David danceth where gracious men magnifie God and have Micholls to scoffe at them it is bonus ludus God will looke upon them for it is to the Lord. Labour that our aimes be good and it is no matter what the world judgeth of them And when all will not doe commend our credits to God by prayer as wee commend our soules and conditions so or reputations that he would take care of them that hee would bring our righteousnesse to light that it should shine out as the noone day So David doth hee complaines to God and commendeth all to him prayeth him to take part against his enemies to right his cause and when wee have done that wee have done our duty yet with all hope for better things be content to passe under the world as unknowne men and to be inwardly worthy and passe as unknown men Rich men if truly rich they will applaud themselves in their bosomes though the world disgrace them yet at home I am thus furnish'd And so a Christian that knoweth his worth that he is a child of God heire of heaven that he is attended upon by Angels that hee is a jewell to God in his esteem to be absolutely the best thing in the world Hee knoweth the worth of a Christian and his owne worth as being a Christian he applauseth and comforteth himselfe in that he knoweth he hath a hidden life a state of glory hidden in Christ Now it is covered with disgrace and disrespect in the world scorned and reproached but what is that to him it is an hidden life and for the present he knoweth his owne excellency and therefore can passe through good report and bad report I care not for mans day saith Paul there is another day to which I must stand And thus if we do as Peter saith There is a spirit of glory shall rest upon us The ground wee have of comfort under rebuke and disgrace there is a spirit of glory what is that a large spirit inlarging our hearts with inward comfort inward joy inward love of God A spirit of glory shall rest upon you and shall continue with you as long as disgrace shall continue hee opposeth this to all disgrace he meeteth with in the world God putteth sometimes a glory and excellency upon his children under disgrace and ill usage in the world that he will daunt the world as Stephens face did shine as the face of an Angell which came from a spirit of
minde to mankinde and make knowne what he will have us to doe and what he will doe to us but onely his goodnesse is the cause of all And therefore the end of promises in Gods intention is to comfort us in the way to heaven that we may have something to support us they are promissa quasi praemissa They are promises and premises and sent before the thing it selfe Now here it commeth that the glory to come is tearmed the joy of heaven and the glorious estate to come You have need of patience that you may get the promises heaven and happinesse is called the promises because we have them assured in promises The blessings of the New Testament are called promises as the children of the promise yea the heires of glory because all is conveyed by a promise therefore all happinesse is conveyed by a promise Now the promises are of good things They are for the spring of them free from Gods free goodnesse for the measure of them full for the truth of them constant even as God himselfe that promiseth And therefore wee may well build upon them Before I goe any farther I beseech you let us account the promises of the good we have to be our best treasure our best portion our best riches for they be called precious promises not onely because they be precious in themselves but because they are from the precious love of God in Christ to us They are likewise for precious things they are laid hold of by precious faith as the Scripture calleth them and therefore they are precious promises Let us not onely account of our riches that wee have for what is that we have to what wee speak of to that wee have in promise A Christian is rich in reversion rich in bills and obligations Christ hath bound himselfe to him and he can sue him out when he pleaseth In all kinds of necessitie he can sue God for good hee can goe to God and say Remember thy promise Lord wherein thou hast caused me thy servant to trust and can binde God with his own word But I take this onely in passage as the foundation of what I am to speak From the mouth of God you see the great promises delivered and now we have waited for them That which answereth promises is expectation and waiting The second thing therefore between the promises wherein God is a debter and the performance is that there is a long time a long day oftentimes God takes a long day for performing of his promise as 400 yeares Abrahams posterity went to be in Egypt And it was 4000 yeares from the beginning of the world till the comming of Christ which was the promise of promises the promise of the seed a great long day And therefore Christ is said to come in the latter end of the world Abraham had promise of a sonne but it was not performed till he was an old man Symeon had a promise to see Christ in the flesh but hee was an old man ready to yeeld up the ghost before it was performed God taketh a long day for his promises long to us not to him for to him a 1000 yeares are but as one day The promises of God are long in performing for to exercise our faith and our dependance to the full to take us off from the creature and to indeare the things promised to us to set the greater price upon them when we have them Many other reasons my be given if I intended to inlarge my selfe in that point A Christian hath a title to heaven as soon as he is a Christian he is an heire to heaven perhaps he may live here twenty or fourty yeares more before God takes him up to glory why doth he defer it so long The reason is God will fit us for heaven by little and little and will perfume us as Esther was perfumed before she must come to Ahasuerus there were many weekes and moneths of perfuming So God will sweeten and fit us for heaven and happinesse It is a holy place God a holy God Christ is that holy one and for us to have everlasting communion with God and Christ in so holy a place requireth a great preparation And God by deferring it so long will mortifie our affections by little and little and will have us die to all base things here in affection before we die indeed David had title to the Kingdom as soone as ever he was anointed but David was fitted to be an excellent King indeed by deferring the performance of the promise till afterward So in our right and title and possession of heaven there is a long time betweenl Our Saviour Christ was 34 yeers before he was taken up to heaven because hee was to worke our salvation And he was willing to suspend his glory for such a time that he might doe it to suspend his glory due to him from the first moment of his conception For by vertue of the union glory was due to him at the first but because he had taken upon him to be a Mediator out of love hee would suspend his glory due to him that he might suffer And so God by way of conformity will suspend the glory due to us that we may be conformed to Christ Though wee have right to heaven as soon as wee are borne yet God will suspend the full performance of it because he will by correction and by length of time subdue by little and little that which maketh us unconformable to our head And can we complaine for any deferring of heaven when wee are but conformed to our glorious head who was content to be without heaven so long But to goe on As there be gracious and rich promises and they have long time of performance to us and hope deferred makes the soule languish So God vouchsafeth a spirit to fit that expectation of his a spirit of hope and waiting And this waiting hath something perfect in it and something imperfect it is a mixt condition There is good because there is a promise for a promise is the declaration of Gods wil concerning good But because it is a promise of a thing not performed there is an imperfection So there is a mixture in the promise and a mixture in the grace hope and expectation and waiting is an imperfect grace That there be glorious things it is perfection of good that we have them not in possession that is the imperfection So that hope is somthing but it is not possessed a promise is something but it is not the performance A seed is somthing but it is not the plant Thus God mixeth our condition here of perfection and imperfection hee will have us in state of imperfection that wee may not thinke our selves at home in our Countrey when wee are but in our way Therefore he will have us in a state of imperfection that wee may long
homeward yet hee will have it a state of good that we may not sinke in the way And not onely promises for in the way to heaven God keeps not all for heaven he lets in drops of comfort oftentimes in the midst of misery hee doth reveale himselfe more glorious and sweet then at other times there is nothing reserved for us in another world but wee have a beginning a taste an earnest of it here to support us till wee come to the full possession of what remaineth Wee shall have full communion of Saints there wee have it here in the taste of it Wee know what it is to be acquainted with them that be gracious spirits Wee have praising of God for ever there we know the sweetnesse of it here in the house of God which made David desire this one thing that hee might dwell in the house of God to visit the beauty of God c. There wee shall have perfect peace here we have inward peace unspeakable and glorious a peace that passeth understanding in the beginning of it There we shall have joy without all mixture of contrariety here we have joy and joy unspeakable and full of glory There is nothing in heaven that is perfect that is sweet and good and comfortable but we have a taste and earnest of it here The spirit will be all in all there there is somthing of it in us now more light in our understandings more obedience in our wills more and more love in our affections and it is growing more and more And therefore all is not kept for time to come we have somthing beginning here besides promises there is some little degrees of performance so that the state between us and heaven is a state mixt of good and imperfection Now God hath fitted graces suitable to that condition and that is expectation or waiting a fit grace and a fit disposition of soule from imperfect condition that is afterwards to be perfected for fruition is the condition of perfect happinesse not of waiting for waiting implieth imperfection This waiting carrieth with it almost all graces waiting for better times in glory to come it hath to support it It is a carriage of soule that is supported with many graces For first we wait for that we believe we have a spirit of faith to leade to it And then we hope before we waite and hope is the anchor of the soule that stayeth the soule in all the waves and miseries of the world it is the helmet that keeps off all the blowes This hope issues from faith for what we believe we hope for the accomplishment of it So that all graces make way for waiting or accompany it The graces that accompany the waiting for good things in time to come are patience to endure all griefes between us and the full possession of heaven Then long suffering which is nothing else but patience lengthned because troubles are lengthned and the time is lengthned So there is patience and patience lengthned which we call long suffering and then together with patience and long suffering there is contentment without murmuring at the dispensation of God something in the soule that he would have it to be so Hee that hath a heart to rise because hee hath not what hee would have hee doth not wait with that grace of waiting that issueth from a right spring God reserveth joy for the time to come for our home wee should be content to have communion with God and the soules of perfect men and not murmure though God exerciseth us with many crosses here And therefore the Scripture calleth it a silence In silence and in hope shall be your strength The soule keepeth silence to God in this waiting condition and this silence quells all risings in the soule presently As David my soule kept silence unto the Lord. It will still all risings of the heart issuing from a resignation of the soule to God to doe as he will have us to doe So it implieth patience and long suffering contentment holy silence without murmuring and repining And then it implies watchfulnesse over our selves till wee come to the full accomplishment of the promises that we carry not our selves unworthily in the meane time That wee should not spend the time of our waiting in wickednesse to fetch sorrow from the devill and the world to comfortus or to be beholding to Satan This is no waiting but murmuring and rebellion when in crosses and discomforts we cannot be content but must be beholding to the Devill so there must bee watchfulnesse and not onely so but fruitfulnesse in waiting For he waits that waiteth in doing good that waiteth in observance hee waiteth for his Masters comming that is doing his duty all the time in a fruitfull course of observance and obedience else it is no waiting waiting is not meerly a distance of time but a filling up of that time with all gracious carriage with obedience and with silence with long suffering and contentment and watchfulnesse wee take not any ill course and observance and with fruitfulnesse that wee may fill up times of waiting till performance with all the graces that we may have communion with God It is another manner of grace then the world thinks What is the reason of all the wickednesse of the world and barrennesse and voluptuousnesse but because they have not learned to wait They heare of good things and precious things promised but they would have present payment they will have somthing in hand As Dives sonne sonne thou hast had thy good things here they will have their good things here And what is the reason of wickednesse but because they will have present pleasures of sinnes Wee must preferre the afflictions of Christ before the pleasures of sin Now that shortnesse of spirit to have reward here is the cause of all sinne They have no hope nor obedience nor expectation to endure the continuance of diuturnity where then is patience and hope and contentment The character of a Christian is that he is in a waiting condition and hath the grace of waiting others will have the pleasures of sin their profits and contentments else they will cracke their consciences and sell Christ God heaven and all A Christian as he hath excellent things above the world so he hath the grace of expectation and all the graces that store up and maintain that expectation till the performance come And therefore it is an hard thing to be a good Christian another thing then the world taketh it to be For marke I beseech you what is between us and heaven that wee must goe through if ever wee will come there Between us and heaven the thing promised there be many Crosses to be met withall and they must be borne and borne as a Christian should doe Through many afflictions we must enter into the kingdome of Heaven Besides crosses there be scandalous offences
that be enough to drive us from profession of Religion without grace Sometimes good men by their failings and fallings out they fall into sinne and fall out and that is a scandall to wicked men Oh say they who would be of this Religion when they cannot agree among themselves This is a great hinderance and stop It is a scandall and rubbe in the way not so much in themselves wee are full of scandall our selves catch at any thing that we may except against the best waies there is a root of scandall in the hearts of all because men will not goe to hell without reason Now because wee are easie to take offence rather then wee will be damned without reason it is not easie to hold out Besides this Satan plies it with his temptations from affliction and from scandall he amplifies these things in the fancy who would be a Christian Yee see what their profession is And so hee maketh the way the more difficult And then againe looke at our owne disposition to suffer to hold out to fix there is an unsetlednesse which is a proper infirmity in our natures since the fall we love variety wee are inconstant and cannot fix our selves upon the best things and wee are impatient of suffering any thing Wee are not onely indisposed to doe good but more indisposed to suffer any ill the spirit must helpe us over all this which must continue all our life long till wee be in heaven something or other will be in our way now the Spirit of God must helpe us over all these afflictions We shall never come to heaven to overcome afflictions and scandals and temptation which Satan plies us here withall And then to overcome the tediousnesse of time this needeth a great deale of strength now this grace of expectance doth all And therefore it is so oftentimes stood upon in Scripture in Isaiah and in the Psalmes how often is it repeated Psal 77. last Wait on the Lord if he tarry wait thou The Lord will wait for them that wait for him and it is the character in Scripture of a Christian Moses he saith such as waited for the consolation of Israell before Christ came in the flesh such a one is one that waiteth for the consolation of Israell To have a gracious disposition and a grace of waiting was the character of good people Now since the comming of Christ the character of the New Testament is to wait for Christs appearance There is a Crowne of glory for me and not onely for me but for all them that love his appearance That is an ingredient in waiting when we love the thing we wait for And so Titus 2. last The grace of God that teacheth to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live holily and justly and soberly in this present evill world looking for and waiting for this glorious appearing of Jesus Christ So that looking with the eye of the soule partly on the first comming of Christ which was to redeeme our soules and partly upon the second which is to redeeme our bodies from corruption and to make both soule and body happy it makes a man a good Christian For the grace of God on the first teacheth us to deny ungodlinesse and looking for Christs appearing maketh us zealous of good workes You have scarce any Epistle but you have time described for looking for the comming of Christ As Jude Preserve your selves in the love of God and wait for the comming of Christ So that as there be gracious promises and a long day for them God vouchsafeth grace to wait for the accomplishment of them Now as God giveth grace to wait so he will performe what wee waite for As they say here wee have waited that is the speech of enjoying God will at length make good what hee hath promised and what his truth hath promised his power will performe Goodnesse inclineth to make a promise truth speakes it and power performeth it As you shall see here Wee have waited c. In God there is a mouth of truth a heart of pitty and an hand of power these three meeting together make good whatsoever is promised Hee will fulfill the desires of them that feare him The desires that God hath put into his Children they be kindled from heaven and he will satisfie them all out of his bowells of pitty and compassion hee will not suffer the creature to be allwaies under the racke of desire under the racke of expectation but hee will fulfill the desire of them that feare him And therefore learne this for the time to come Though wee waite God will performe whatsoever wee waite for And therefore loe wee have waited for him As there is a time of promising so there is a time of performing as there is a seed time so there is a time of harvest There is a succession in nature and a succession in grace as the day followeth the night and the Sabbath the weeke and the Jubile such a terme of yeares and as the triumph followeth the warre and as the Consummation of Marriage followeth Contract so it is a happy and glorious condition above all conditions here on earth Therefore in this text you have not onely the seed time of the Christian wee may sow in teares and an expectation as in sowing But here is likewise the harvest of a Christian as there is time of sowing so there is time of reaping as time of waiting so of injoying Wee have waited and now loe we have what we waited for But why doth not the Holy Ghost set downe a certain time but leaveth it indefinite In that day God keepes times and seasons in his owne power the point of time in generall he leaveth it There is a day but the point and moment of time he keepeth in his owne power It is enough to know there is a day and a day that will come in the best season Gods times is the best time When judgments were threatned upon the wicked they say Let us eate and drinke for to morrow wee shall die So Saul to morrow thou shalt die and was he the better So where there is a certain time of Gods comming in judgement godly men would not be the worse and wicked men never the better Thetefore God reserveth it indefinite In that day There is a day and it is a glorious day a day of all dayes a day that never will have night a day that we should thinke of every day That day by way of excellency And before that day there be particular dayes in this world wherein God sheweth himselfe and fulfills the expectation of his children to cherish the grand expectation of life everlasting As in times of trouble they expect of God and wait for deliverance in Gods time and they must be able to say Loe wee have waited Because it is a beginning and pledge of the great performance that shall be consummate at that
great day and of all the miseries that shall then be removed So there is a day when the Jewes shall be converted and the fulnesse of the Gentiles brought in and the man of sinne discovered and consumed by the breath of Christ And when the Church of God seeth them they may say Loe we have waited for the Lord and loe hee is come that we looked for is now fulfilled So that God reserveth not the fulfilling of all the promises to the great day of all dayes but even in this life hee will have a that day And it were very good for Christians in the passages of their lives to see how God answereth their prayers and delivereth them Let them doe as the Saints in the Old Testament that gave names to places where they saw God As Penuell hee shall see God and Abraham God will be seen in the Mount So Sampson and others they gave names to places where they had deliverance that they might be moved to bee thankfull A Christian taketh in all the comforts of this life to believe the things of the last great day Loe we have waited for him That shall be a time of sight and fruition of full power and full joy which is reserved for heaven then we shall say Loe behold this is the Lord. The more we see God here the more wee shall see him hereafter There be many wayes of seeing so as to say Loe this is the Lord. We may say from the poorest creature Loe this is the Lord here are beams of his Majesty in the works of his Justice and Mercy Loe here is the Lord. The Lord hath brought mighty things to passe the Lord is marvailous loving to this Children Behold and see the salvation of the Lord. We may say Loe here and see something of God in every creature no creature but hath something of God The things that have but meere being have something of God but the things that have life have more of God And so in some there is more in some lesse of God But in the Church of God specially wee may see his going in the Sanctuary Loe this God hath done for his Church And in the Sacraments we may say I have seen the Lord and felt the Lord in his Ordinance by his holy Spirit Wee doe all this before we come to see him in heaven but that is not meant specially We shall say Loe this is the Lord when we shall see him in heaven all sight here leadeth to that sight Faith hath a sight here but it is in the Word and Sacrament and so imperfect but the sight in heaven is immediate and perfect and therefore opposed to faith VVee live by faith and not by sight in heaven we shall live by sight not that we live not by sight here in some degree for the lesser sight leadeth to the greater sight But in comparison of sight in heaven there is no sight The Scripture speaketh of sight of God comparatively Moses saw God that is more than any other And Jacob saw God that is comparatively more than before but not fully and wholly VVee can apprehend him but not comprehend him as they say wee may see something of it but not wholly but in heaven we shall have another sight of God and then wee shall say Loe this is the God we have waited for wee shall see Christ face to face Beloved that is the sight indeed And if yee will aske me whether wee shall see God then or no Consider what I said before this is the God wee have waited for in obedience and fruitfully If we shall be ravished with the sight of God surely if we see him here we may see him there VVe see him with the eye of faith we see him in the Ordinance wee have some sight of God that the world hath not God discovereth himselfe to his children more than to the world And therefore they say thou revealest thy self to us not unto the world A Christian wonders that God should reveale his love and mercy and goodnesse to him more than to others And therefore if wee belong to God and shall see him hereafter wee must see him now as we may see him we must have some knowledge of him And if wee see God any way all things in the world will be thought of no request in comparison of the Communion of God in Christ As Isaiah 14. We have seen the Lord and what have wee to doe with Idols The soule that hath seene Christ growes in detestation of sinne and loatheth all things in comparison And then againe if we shall ever see God in glory in this glorious and triumphing manner This is the Lord This sight is a changing sight There is no sight of God but it changeth and alters to the likenesse of God When he calls to look up to him and he looks on us in favour and mercy The best fruit of his favour is grace of peace and joy for these be beames that issue from him grace as beames from the sunne But where-ever God lookes with any favour there is a conformity to Christ a gracious humble pittifull mercifull obedient disposition which is an earnest of the Spirit of Christ And there is a study of purity of a refined disposition from the pollutions of the world The pure in heart shall see God they that hope to see God for ever in heaven will study that purity that may dispose and fit them for heaven And there is such a gracious influence in it that they that hope for heaven the very hope must needs helpe to purifie them As there is grace suitable to waiting so there is an influence from the things hoped for to give vigor to all grace As all the graces of a Christian fit and inable him for heaven so hope of heaven yields life to all grace There is a mutuall influence into these things God vouchsafeth discovery of these glorious things to helpe us to wait to be patient and fruitfull and abundant in the work of the Lord. And the more wee wait fruitfully and patiently and silently the more wee see of heaven So that as in nature the seed bringeth the tree and the tree the seed so in the things of God one thing breeds another and that breeds that againe so that waiting and grace fit us for heaven and the thought of heaven puts life and vigor into all the graces that fit us for heaven What is our faith to those glorious things we shall see hereafter what is patience but for consideration of that what is hope but for the excellency of the object of hope And what were induring of troubles if something were not in heaven to make amends for all They help us to come to glory and the lively hopefull thoughts of those things animate and enliven all the graces that fit for heaven If ever we shall hereafter possesse heaven and say Loe this is he we have waited
consistent 88 Wee must justifie God in all 25 K. KNOVVLEDGE True knowledge is transforming 52 Desires to know more 51 Practise what wee know 49 L. LIGHT Naturall men want light 36 Naturally their light without heat 39 M. Majestie of the Scriptures 101 Christ compared to Manna 13 Religion makes not melancholy 26 Why Christians are melancholy 26 Christians have a mixture here 82 Church compared to a Mountaine 4 Mysteriousnesse of Scriptures 101 P. Plenty at the Gospell-feast 11 Preparation for this feast 16 Wee must purge the soule of sinne 16 Practise of what we know 49 Of Gods promises and their performance 107 Promises free and full 112 Promises long before performed why 113 114 Promises shall bee surely performed 121 152 Time of performance in Gods hand 152 Gods time best of performmance 154 Reason of Gods performance 152 R. Of the Rebukes of Gods people 89 Christ and his Members subject unto Reproaches 90 Christ will rowle away Reproach 93 How to carry our selves under Reproach 94 15 How wee must Relish the Word 22 Scriptures may bee proved to be the word of God by Reason 103 Christ a Rock 14 S. Sacrament of Lords Supper a feast 15 Sense of sinne 17 Soule hath her senses 21 Men naturally want sight 36 We must not judge by sight 79 Scandals against Religion 92 Holy Scriptures Word of God 99 Are supreame Iudge 100 Searching power of the Word 102 Spirit indited and interprets the Word 106 Sinne greatest cause of Sorrow 85 No Sorrow in heaven 84 Comfort in Sufferings 81 Naturall men see not things spiritually 38 Spirituall things are mysterious 35 36 Church excellent society 3 Wee must walke in the strength of Spirituall Refreshment 23 T. Of spirituall Taste 22 Wee have but a Taste here of what wee shall have hereafter 115 TEARES vide WEEP God will wipe away Tears 77 78 Signes of right Teares 86 87 88 Thankfulnesse to God for removing vaile 25 for Christs Conquest over Death 62 for accomplishment of promises 156 Gods Time of performance set best 154 Types of the Gospel 12 13 14 15 V. A Vaile over mens hearts 35 Unbeliefe is that Vaile 40 God onely can take away the Vaile 42 43 Meanes to have the Vaile removed 46 47 There is variety in Christ 10 Unbeliefe in every sinne 41 Christs victory over death 55 57 W. Of WAITING Our duty to waite upon God 115 It s hard to wait on God 118 Waiting overcomes all 119 120 Many graces exercised in waiting 116 117 Why God will have us to wait 150 151 Incouragements to waite 153 154. Good men apt to weepe 72 73 74 75 Though wee cannot weep yet wee must mourne 86 Spirit witnesses that the holy Scripture is Gods Word 101 Gods Word is to bee heard as the Word of God 104 God will make all his VVord good 16 FINIS The principal subjects handled in these Sermons 1. Of the Marriage-feast between Christ his Church Prov. 9. 2. Matth. 22. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isai 55. 1. Rev. 22. 17. Gen. 49. 20. Super omnia vultus accessére boni 2. Of the vail of ignorance and unbeliefe and the removall of it 3. Of Christs conquest over Death Heb. 2. 14 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hos 13. 14. 4. Of the Christians teares and the wiping them away 5. Of the Rebukes and Reproaches of Gods people and the taking of them away 6. Of the Promises 7. Of the holy Scriptures and the divine Authority of them 8. waiting upon God Isai 26. 8. Isai 8. 17. The connexion of the Text. 1 Observ The Church the most excellent of all societies The Church built upon the strongest foundation 2 Obs Of the visibility of the Church The Mountaine is the Church God makes a Feast for his people The Lord of Hoasts the founder of the Feast This Feast is for all people Christ the chiefe dish in the Feast Why Christ with his benefits is compared to a Feast 1. Because the favours we have by Christ are choice ones 2. There is variety of favours in Christ Christ like the Indian plant Coquus good for all things 3. There is sufficiency and fulnesse in Christ 4. As a Feast for many so Christ is a feast for the community of Saints 5. Because we have the glorious attire of Christ as men put on choice garments at Feasts 6. Because he was resembled by the Paschal Lambe which was choosen foure daies before out of the flock 2. By Manna to which Christ answers in many particulars Surely those that are spirituall taste Christ 3. By the rock in the wildernesse 4. By all the Jewish festivalls 5. By the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Use Be prepared for this Feast 1. Labour for large hearts to receive much 2. Labour for spirituall appetite First means to get appetite soure herbes sense of sin and misery Second Means Third Means Fourth Means Acquaintance with those that are good Fifth Means We know not how long wee have to live Wee should hold out against hunger to come â—… 3. Get a spirituall disposition of soul to heavenly things The soule hath her senses Two things in spirituall tast Vse 4. Wee must labour for a digestion of spirituall things Vse 5. Wee must walk in the strength of spirituall favour Consequents of this Feast is spirituall chearfulnesse 2. Thankfulnesse 3. Justifie the waies of God against carnall slanders Object Religious people are melancholy Answ It s because they are not more religious A man may be ignorant of his comforts A Christian at the worst is happier then a worldling at the best Labour to partake of this Feast All invited We are sure to perish without Christ Honour God by taking alotted comforts The Spirit of God must work us to a relish of spirituall things We must bring something to the Feast though not of our owne Wee must bring empty soules and a spirit of Faith and a spirit of Love The services of this Feast Obs There is a vail over all mens spirits by nature A two-fold vaile 1. Of the things themselves 2 Of the souls not seeing or not beleeving 3 There must be a light to make things visible All things in religion are mysterious 1. There 's a vaile of ignorance on all naturall men Naturall men know not spirituall things in their proper species A godly man sees spirituall things intritively The light of the godly is a light with influence the light of the wicked is without it Simile Simile Simile There is a vaile of unbeliefe over the unregenerate Ignorance and unbeliefe act in all sinnes 2. Obser God only can take off the vaile of ignorance and unbeliefe Reas Because of the unsuitablenes between the soule and spirituall things Foure things required in sight Foure degrees of discerning things Reas 2. Reas 3. And a disproportion also Reas 4. No creature Angels or men can bring light into the soule 3 Obs It s peculiar to the Church to have the vaile taken away It s
peculiar to the Church to know the greatest good and greatest evill 4 Obs Where the vaile is taken away there is spirituall joy and feasting Reason The same Spirit is a Spirit of Revelation and consolation Use 1. To labour to have this vaile taken off Meanes For this wee must attend on Ordinances Smile 3. Fashion not our selves after the times 4. Be carefull to practise what we know Quest Answ 5 Love what we know Use 2. Make our studies and closets Oratories for the getting of knowledge We can shut but not open our hearts to divine truths Quest How shall we know that we have heavenly light Answ 1. By a marvelling at the things of faith and the goodnesse of God in revealing them to us 2. By being carried with desire to know more and more 3. When the vaile is taken off by sanctified meanes which we can justifie by our owne experience of them Fourthly When our knowledge worketh upon us Application of this to the Sacrament Death is the great King of Kings Death spares none Death hath continued from the beginning let in by sin Sin armeth Death Hel the attendant of death Christ swallows up death in victory for himselfe and his Reas Because hee hath satisfied for sin A double kingdome of Christ 1. A kingdom of patience 2. A kingdom of power Christ conquereth for us and in us Death was conquered by Christ when he had given way to be under the power of it Use 1. First we see God gives way to his enemies for a time when he will give glorious victory Death is already swallowed up to faith Vse 2. Labour to be one with Christ crucified Vse 3. Be thankfull to God for this victory in Christ The benefits of death to a person that is in Christ Vse 4. Let those that are in Christ be ashamed of the feare of death Death terrible to the wicked They are fools that in a carnall bravery contemn death before disarmed in Christ Of Duellist Vs Of consolation to those that are in Christ Death is not only subdued but made a friend It s profitable to some to fal Satan hath advantage by our fearing death The worst the world can doe is to take away life and in that they doe the godly a pleasure Christ will draw his mysticall body to him into heaven Our comfort by Christ should make us fruitfull to Christ It s better to dye in the Lord than for the Lord. Prepare for death by getting into Christ Sin hath no Law in us to rule by * Good men easie to weepe Christ in heaven not without compassion * Psa 119. 136 * Phil. 3. 18 We have cause to weepe for the sinnes of others 1. From our love to God 2. From love to the Church and our brethren Simile Vse To condemne Stoicisme * Isa 1. 5. The best men aptest to grieve Vse 2. It s good wee doe grieve Avoid what hnders sensiblenesse The life of a Christian is a mixture of joy and sorrow Uses of joy in Christians We should picke matter of comfort out of griefe All causes of sorrow shall be removed The more teares here the more joy hereafter The Order First shed teares and then have them wiped away Reason 1. Our own necessity Simile Reason 2. For the increase of our comfort Simile Use 1. Take notice of the tender mercy of God in this that he will wipe away teares Judge not by sight for the godly here mourn most * 1 Cor. 15. 19. Be not discouraged for our own or Churches causes of griefe * Mat. 5. 4. Christians have more cause of joy than griefe and they ought to eye both This is comfortable while we live and when we die A carnall man is all joy or all sorrow The godly have a mixt condition and should have a mixt disposition Wayes are to be esteemed by their end Mat. 11. 19. Man since the fall subject to sorrow No sorrow in Paradise nor shall any be in heaven The greatest cause of the godlies mourning sin within him Rom. 7. 24. 1. A case about teares Psa 56. 8. God hath no bottle for some teares Marks of good teares 1. When their spring is the love of God 2. When wee weepe for our own sins and sins of others Truth of grace appeares more in grieving for others sins then our own 3. When our teares are shed in secret Jer. 13. 17. 4. When they tend to reformation of what they are shed for 2. Case How can a Christian joy and grieve together Phil. 4. 4. Gods people here are under rebuke and reproach Psal 137. Psal 22. 78. This text points at the conversion of the Jewes Reas There be two seeds in the world 1. Of the Serpent 2. Of the woman Carnall men would have all men thought of alike Men put a false vaile both on godlinesse and wickednesse Use 1. Take heed of laying scandal on religion Use 2. To study to be wise that wee be not misled by the misrepresentation of things The devill a lyar that he may be a murtherer Why it s the course of the world to slander Things shall be known to be as they arâ— Reason From Gods justice Revel 11. Use 1. To direct what course to take under disgrace and scandall 1. Labour to be innocent 2. To be patient 3. To be couragious 4 To be sincere 2 Cor. 5. 13. 14 2 Sam. 6. 20. 21. 5. Commend our credits to God by prayer Comfort your selfe in your own true worth 1 Cor. 4. 3. 1 Pet. 4 14. God putteth a glory upon his children under disgrace Mat. 5. 11. 12. Vse 2. For comfort to the godly their rebukes shall bee taken away God is the author of promises Use Consider God in the Promises to helpe our faith Quest How is it the the word of God sith Isaiah spake it Answ He did but write God did dictate Wee should not so much look on the Ministers as from whom they speak Quest 2. Whence hath the Scripture authority Answ From its selfe The Spirit of God in Scriptures Judge of all controversies Quest 3. How may wee know it is the Word of God but by the Chuâ—ch Answ As wee know a Letter from a friend Simile The word knowne to be of â—od 1. By its Majesty 2. Mysteriousnesse 3. Witnesse of the Spirit 4. Divine efficacy 1. In warming 2. Comforting 3. Changing 4. Casting down the soul Acts 16. 31. Adam nearest damnation 5. Searching b 1 Cor. 14 25. c Heb 4. 12. 5. The word proved to be of God from our experience 6. By reason Object The word may bee corrupted Answ The Jews lookt to the Old Testament Hereticks over the new Use 1. Let us regard heare Scriptures as the word of God Use 2. Know 1. God will make every part good Every threatning in it is ratified in heaven Use 3. Let us take shame to our selves for our infidelity in the promises Meanes To regard the word labour 〈◊〉 spirit that indited them Relishing the word makes a man a Christian indeed The points considerable Promises of God flow from Gods goodnesse Promises free and full Use Let us count promises our best treasure God taketh a long day for performance of promises Reas 1. To exercise our faith Reas 2. To waine from the creature Reas 3. To indear the things promised Reas 4. To fit us for injoyment Simile Simile A condition of waiting is a mixt condition of imperfection and perfection Wee have a taste here of what we shall have hereafter to support us Waiting is a grace whereby God sits us for an imperfect condition Waiting carrieth with it all graces 1. Patience 2. Long suffering 3. Contentment 4. Silence from murmuring 5. Watchfulnesse 6. Fruitfulnes Want of waiting the cause of wickednes Many rubs between us and heaven We are of unsetled dispositions It s hard to overcome tediousnesse of time All to be overcome by waiting God will performe promises to them that wait God keeps times and seasons in his own power There is a glorious day yet for Christians There be particular dayes of performance in this life Good to observe what dayes of performance God gives in A sight of God comparative here Absolute in heaven There 's an influence from the thing hoped for to uphold graces in waiting Simile Wee should look to the last end to fit us for it God will have us continue in a state of waiting Reas 1. It s his pleasure we should live by faith not by sight Reas 2. We are not yet fitted for sight of Glory Reas 3. Because God would have us enjoy the best at last Waiting not an empty thing Simile God fits heaven for us and us for heaven As there is a time of waiting so there will be a time of performing 1 Reas God is Jehovah Reas 2. God is faithfull Reas 3. He hath bowels of compassion towards his people Reas 4. Because the grace we have is but an earnest of what we shall have Our faith should answer Gods dealing Waiting the character of Gods people Directions to help waiting 1 Gods time is the best time 2 God will effect things though by contraries Times are in Gods hands There 's suitable action for every affection In performance of promises be much in thankfulnesse Experience of Gods performances should stir up waiting We ought to treasure up experiences God an inexhaust fountain Gods carriage towards his children is salvation Our joy and happinesse is in the enjoyment of God The joy of a Christian ends in glorying Begin to glory in God here Interest in God Christ is the ground of all rejoycing Therefore we are to make good that interest whilst we are here 1 By Union 2 By acquaintance with him The Church cannot be without Christ nor Christ without the Church In heaven nothing but in its admirable 1 Be not offended at the meanenesse of the Church 2 Nor offended with Religion for there 's a glory to come 3 Be not afraid to dye for heaven is our rest and center 4 Neither rest in any measure of grace or comfort here 5 Be not overmuch dejected for the desolation of the Church The fore taste of heaven is better than all worldly happinesse