more then any thing in the world they are then an effectuall part of divine worship But else they are flat and dead and dull if we waken them not with consideration The heart followes the judgement the braine and the heart simpathize when we see cause and reason to love and feare and worship God we must love God with all our mind that is with our best understanding we must see reason why we doe so Therefore let us labour to use our understanding more this way Is our understanding and judgement given us to plot for the world to be judicious for the things of this life onely No but to be wise for the maine end to glorifie God to save our soules to get out of the corruption of nature to maintaine our communion with God every day more and more The end of our living in the world is to beginne Heaven upon earth So to live here as that we may live for ever in Heaven whatsoever is done in order to this end is good but nothing can be done to this end but upon due consideration Let us improove our judgements for that end they are principally given us not for particular ends to get this or that mans favour to get wealth c. but to use all as they may serve the maine we know not how short a time we shall enjoy these things and further then they serve for the maine wee shall have no comfort of them ere long Our projects should be to gaine glory to God and to bring our selves and others to Heaven there is excellent use of this consideration this way it is one maine way to repentance we see here No man repented because no man said What have I done Now if we would practise this duty we must labour to avoid the hinderances The maine hindrances of this consideration are 1. The raâ—e of lusts that will not give the judgement leave to consider of a mans wayes but they are impetuous commanding and tyranous carrying men as we shall see in the next clause As the horse rusheth into the battell We see many carried to Hell that never enjoyed themselves but are alway under some base pleasure when the Divell hath filled them with one pleasure then they project for another and never take time to say What have I done Oh the tyranâ—y of originall corruption Jf wee had in our eye the vile picture of out nature that carries us to things present to profits and pleasures and gives us not liberty and leisure to bethinke our selves would wee doe as wee doe Alas wee see some men so haunted with their lusts that they cannot be alone they cannot sleepe and when they are awake they must have musicke as that King when hee had massacred a world of men hee could not be quiet a whit conscience raged so When men follow their pleasures they rob them of themselves Therefore they are said in Scripture to be mad men and fooles without wit they are so taken up with the rage of their lusts that they have not liberty to enjoy themselves they have no time for consideration And then another hinderance is too much businesse when men are distracted with the things of this life they are overloaded with cares with Martha's part and so neglect Maries part this makes men toile and droile for the vvorld and never consider vvhere they are nor whether they goe hovv it shall be with them vvhen they goe hence hovv the case stands vvith them before God whether they be gotten out of the cursed state of nature that vve are all borne in they never thinke of this but all the marrovv and strength of their soules is eaten out with the world Those that in their youth followed their lusts when they come to yeares are taken up with the world and slight religion their mindes are imployed how to get the favour of this man and that and so have not leasure to consider what will become of their soules Therefore too much distraction with the things of the world is joyned with drunkennesse Bee not overcome with the cares of this life with surfetting and drunkennesse saith Christ. Then it is a secret and hard action because it is to worke upon a mans selfe It is an easie matter to talke of others to consider other mens waies You shall have mens tongues ready to speake of other men they doe so and so and thus they feede themselves with talking of other men and in the meane time neglect the consideration of their owne state And againe it is a plausible thing hee that talkes of other mens faults gives an intimation that he is innocent and he had neede be so It is easie and plausible men glory in it it feeds corrupt nature to talke of other mens faults But to come home to a mans selfe that is a hard thing it is without ostentation or applause the world doth not applaud a man for speaking of his owne faults Men are not given to retired actions they care not for them unlesse they have sound hearts and this being a retired action that hath no glory nor credit with it men are loath to come to it Then againe it is not onely hard and secret but this returning upon a mans selfe it presents to a man a spectacle that is unwelcome If a man consider his owne waies it vvill present to him a terrible object Therefore as the Elephant troubles the vvaters that he may not see his owne visage so men trouble their soules that they may not see vvhat they are they shall see such a deale of malice and self-selfe-love and feare and distrust that they would not have others in the vvorld to see for any thing but it is good to see it For repentance and consideration it is physicke it is sharpe but vvholesome It is better to have the physicke a day then to have the sicknesse and disease all the yeare so this consideration and repentance though it be sharpe yet take it downe for it will prevent Gods eternall judgement as the Apostle saith If wee would judge and condemne our selves we should not be condemned with the world What an excellent thing is this that vve may keepe sessions in our owne soules and so need not be called to Gods assises Men are called to that because they slubber over and neglect this Men will not keepe this sessions in their owne hearts vvhich they might doe not onely quarterly but daily and thereby they make vvorke for God is it not better now to unrip our consciences by consideration and repentance then to have all ripped up then vvhen the Divell shal stand by to accuse us who will say this vvas done by my instigation and it is so and our owne consciences shall take part with the Divell and accuse us also It will be little for our ease to make God our judge we might save the labour by putting conscience to its office now to
Heathens were hardened and given up to destruction The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against them because they lived in a course of rebellion against the light of nature shall you that have the light of nature and the word of God and the motions of his Spirit too thinke to live in rebellion and not be accomptable for it It shall be easier for them that never heard of the word of God where God hath magnified his mercy he will exalt judgement those that are lâ—ft up to Heaven in priviledges shall be cast downe to hell Woe unto thee Capernaum c. The more in priviledges the more in judgement if they be abused Againe another particular sin whereby wee may discerne a judgement comming is unfruitfulnesse under the meanes as the fig-tree when it was digged and dunged and yet was unfruitfull then it was â—eare a curse Jn Heb. 6. the groud that is tilled and manured and hath the raine falling on it it is then neare unto cursing if it bring not forth Perhaps a Heathen a Pagan if hee were under the meanes would bee fruitfull therefore there might be hope of him but those that are under the meanes under the Sun-shine of the Gospell under the influence of it the Spirit working on their hearts and yet they live in the sin of unfruitfullnesse it makes way for judgement The axe is laid to the roote when men are taught then the instrument of vengeance is laid to the roote and downe they goe if they bring not forth good fruit Sinnes of omission when that all hath beene taught are sufficient to bring a man to judgement At the last judgement you have not visited me in prison you have not releeved the poore c. will be evidence enough to cast a man into hell And the like may be said of the omission of other duties when a man is called to place when he hath opportunity to doe good hee hath a price in his hand and yet hath no heart to lay it out to his power God hath made him a steward and yet he is unfruitfull and labours to undermine and ruine the state of others What can such a man looke for but the judgement of God to light on him first or last if not present judgement on his body yet to be given up to hardnesse of heart and so to hell which is worst of all Nay more decay in our first love is a forerunner of judgement when we love not God as we were wont In Rev. 3. I will take away thy Candlesticke because thou hast left thy first love Is there not such a plenty and depth in good things especially of the Gospell whereby our sinnes are pardoned and grace is given is there not that sweetnesse in them whereby to gaine our love more and more Is there not a necessity to renew our peace Why should we decay in our love The things of the Gospell are so excellent and so necessary that when God sees them undervalued it is a forerunner of judgement let us take heed of decay in our affections When there is no zeale for the truth it is an ill signe Jt is a good signe for the present that God hath some blessing for us that now in our publique meetings there is regard to Religion and that in the first place there is some zeale for the cause of God against those that would wrong the cause of Religion wee have some cause to hope in respect of that And let every one laboâ—r to stirre up the Spirit of God and study how he may doe and receive good and be fruitfull and warme in his affections considering what excellent blessings we enjoy in the â—ospell What is the glory of the kingdome we live in above Popâ—ry our religion that wee have the sun-shine of the Gospell now the riches of Christ are unfolded wee have the key of Heaven Heaven opened what glorious times are those The glory of the times is the manifestation of the Gospell and shall we grow in the decay of our love â—s there â—ot cause to grow in love to the Gospell when God hath taken it from others and hath given â—â— to us Now Jdolatâ—y is where true Religion was and the Masse is said where God was religiously worshipped in other places and countries Shall God deale so with us and shall we not be in love with that truth Since we have had the truth what peace and plenty have we had And if ever we loose it it will goe with other things if God take away the truth away goes our peace and prosperity he will not take it away alone it came not alone and he will not take it away alone Doubtlesse it must needes make way for judgement when our love to so precious a jewell as the Gospell shall beginne to die and decay when we shall begin to slight and disregard it And so for any particular man that hath had good things in him if they now begin to decay it is an ill signe that God is fiting him for judgement Well but what shall we doe when judgements are comming Wee see judgements are like to come nay are in part come the Plague of pestilence hath ceazed on us already and then warre is threatned and that by enemies that have beene foyled before Foyled enemies are dangerous enemies if they bee proud Now wee have proud enemies that have beene foyled and Idolatrous withall and what mercy can wee looke for from them God fought against them for us from Heaven in some measure and they being cruell provoked enemies are the lesse likely to shew any mercy God is indeed so mercifull to us yet that he hath taken us into his owne hands rather then to give us up to the malice and fury of Idolatrous enemies But yet those that can lay things together and consider the times they shall see there is more cause of feare then is taken to heart Well and in this case what shall we doe First in the interim betweene the threatning and the execution there are some judgements in the cloud and the storme seemes to hang oâ—ver us and the sword of the pestilence is drawn over our heads by the destroying Angell though he hath not yet striken us in our particular now in the time betweene the threatning and the execution Oh improove it make use of this little time get into Covenant with God hide your selves in the providence and promises of God make your peace deferre it no longer And secondly mourne for the sinnes of the time that when any judgement shall come you may be marked with those that mourne Take heed of the errours and sins of the times least when a judgement comes you bee swept away in the generall judgement but let us rather have our part with those that mourne that God may give us our lives for a prey And thirdly be watchfull practise that duty we have the plague to put us in
was a Type of Christs sacrifice Now that Christs sacrifice was so acceptable to God there is a direct place for it in Ephes. 5. Walke in love as Christ hath loved us and hath given himselfe an offering and a sacrifice to God of a sweet smell And indeed how many sweet savours were there in the sacrifice of Christ offered on the Crosse was there not the sweet savour of obedience he was obedient to the death of the Crosse there was the sweet savour of patience and of love to mankind therefore God delighted in him as God as Man as Mediator God-Man in his doings in his sufferings every way Doth God delight thus in Christ in his person or considered mystically I answer both God loves and delights in Christ mysticall that is in Christ and his members in whole Christ This is my Beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased not onely with whom alone by himselfe but in whom in him as God in him in body and soule in him as head of the Church in him mystically in all that are under him any kind of way God delights in him and all his Is it possible that hee should delight in the head and refuse the members That he should love the husband and mislike the Spouse O no with the same love that God loves Christ he loves all his he delights in Christ and all his with the same delight there is some difference in the degree That Christ in all things may have the preheminence but it is the same love therefore our Saviour sets it downe excellently in his owne prayer he desires that the same love wherewith his Father loved him may be in them that are his that they may feele the love wherewith his Father loves him for hee loves him and his members him and his Spouse with all one love This is our comfort and our confidence that God accepts us because hee accepts his Beloved and when he shall cease to love Christ he shall cease to love the members of Christ they and Christ make one mysticall Christ. This is our comfort in dejection for sinne wee are so and so indeed but Christ is the chosen servant of God In whom he delighteth and delights in us in him it is no matter what we are in our selves but what we are in Christ when we are once in him and continue in him God loves us with that inseperable love wherewith hee loves his owne Sonne therefore Saint Paul triumphs Rom. 8. What shall seperate us from the love of God in Christ Iesus This love it is founded in Christ therefore neither things present nor things to come as he goes on there gloriously shall bee able to seperate us you see what a wondrous confidence and comfort wee have hence if we labour to be in Christ that then God loves and delights in us because he loves and delights in Christ Jesus And here is a wondrous comfort that God must needs love our salvation and redemption when he loves Christ because hee powred out his soule to death to save us doth not God delight that wee should bee saved and our sinnes should bee forgiven when hee loves Christ because hee abased himselfe for that purpose What a prop and foundation of comfort is this when the Divell shall present God to us in a terrible hideous manner as an avenging God and consuming fire c. indeed out of Christ he is so let us present to our selves thoughts of God as the Scripture sets foorth God to us and as God setâ— forth himself not only in that sweet relation as a Father to Christ buâ— our father I go to my Father and your Father to my God and your God having both one God and love and care There is none of us all but the Divell will have a saying to us either in the time of our life in some terrible temptation especially when any outward abasement comes or at the houre of death and all the cordials wee have gathered out of the Word will then be little enough to support the drooping soule especially in the houre of temptation Oh Beloved what a wondrous stay and satisfaction to a distressed conscience doth this yeeld that Christ in all that hee hath wrought for us is Gods chosen servant whom he loves and delights in and delights in him for this very worke that hee abased himselfe and gave himselfe for us that hee wrought Gods worke because he wrought reconciliation for us If we can believe in Christ wee see heere what ground of comfort wee have that God loves and delights in us as he doth in his owne Son And what a comfort is it now in our daily approach to God to minister boldnesse to us in all our suites that we goe to God in the name of one that he loves in whom his soule delights that we have a friend in Court a friend in Heaven for us that is at the right hand of God and interposeth himselfe there for us in all our suites that makes us acceptable that perfumes our prayers and makes them acceptable his intercession is still by vertue of his service dying for us he interceeds by vertue of his redemption if God love him for the worke of redemption he loves him for his intercession therefore God must needs regard the prayers made by him by vertue of his dying for us when he loves him for dying for us Bee sure therfore in al our suites to God to take along our elder Brother take our beloved Brother take Benjamin with us offer al to God in him our persons to be accepted in him our prayers our hearing our works and al that we do and we shal be sure to speed For he is one in whom the soule of God delights There must be this passage and repassage as God looks upon us lovely in him and delights in us as wee are members of him all Gods love and the fruits of it come to us as we are in Christ and are one with him then in our passage to God againe we must returne all and doe all to God in Christ be sure not to goe to a naked God for so he is a consuming fire but goe to him in the mediation of him whom he loves and in whom his soule delighteth And shall God love him and delight in him and shall not our soule delight in Christ This therefore should stirre up our affections to Christ to be faithfull in our conjugall affection as the Spouse of Christ to say My Beloved is mine and I am my Beloveds Christ calls his Church My Love and my Dove Doth Christ delight in us and God delight in Christ and shall not we delight in Christ that delights in us and in whom God delights In the 1. Cor. 16. ult the Apostle is bold to pronounce a bitter curse Anathema Maranatha upon him that loves not the Lord Christ Jesus a most bitter curse when Christ shall become a
servant to do our worke for us to suffer for us to beare the burthen of our sinnes upon the tree to become our husband to bestow his riches upon us to raise us to the same condition with himselfe and withall to be such a one as God hath chosen out to love and delight in as the best object of his love and most capable of it and for us not to solace and delight our selves in him that God delights in when God delights in him for our sake God loves and delights in him for the worke of salvation and redemption by his blood and shall not wee love and imbrace him for his love which is for our good What good hath God by it but onely the glory of his mercy in saving our soules through Christ Therefore if God love him for the good he doth to us much more should we love him for the fruit of it that wee receive our selves It should shame us therefore when we finde dullnesse and coldnesse upon us that wee can heare of any thing better then of Christ and arguments concerning Christ are cold to us alas where is our love and joy and delight and when we can make no better but a carnall use of the incarnation and other benefits by Christ we should therefore desire God to shed the love of Christ into our hearts more and more that we may feele in our soules the love that hee beares to us and may love God and Christ againe for that that hee hath done for us Hence we have also a ground of estimation of Christians to be excellent persons doth God valew poore sinfull soules so much as to give Christ for them to become a Saviour doth he delight in Christ for giving himselfe for them and shall not we love one another whom God and Christ so loves But if God love and delight in those that are in Christ with the same love and delight that he hath in him how shall I know that I am in Christ and that God thus delights in me Briefly a man may know that hee is in Christ if he find the Spirit of Christ in him for the same Spirit when Christ tooke our nature that sanctified that blessed masse wherof he was made when there was an union betweene him and the second person the same Spirit sanctifies our soules and bodies there is one Spirit in the head and in the members therfore if we find the Spirit of Christ in us we are in Christ and he in us Now this Spirit is renewing Whosoever is in Christ is a new creature all is new old things are done away the old manner of language the old disposition old affections old company all old things are past all is new and if a man be a new creature hee hath right and title to the new heaven and new earth let us examine the worke of grace in us if there be no change in us we have no present interest in Christ we have to do with him because he is still woing us to be in him but as yet we have no title to him The very beholding of Christ is a transforming sight the Spirit that makes us new creatures and stirres us up to behold this servant it is a transforming beholding if wee looke upon him with the eye of faith it will make us like Christ for the Gospell is a mirrour and such a mirrour that when we looke into it and see our selves interessed in it wee are changed from glory to glory a man cannot looke upon the love of God and of Christ in the Gospell but it will change him to be like God and Christ for how can we see Christ and God in Christ but we shall see how God hates sin and this will transforme us to hate it as God doth who hated it so that it could not bee expiated but with the blood of Christ God-man so seeing the holinesse of God in it it will transforme us to be holy when we see the love of of God in the Gospell and the love of Christ giving himselfe for us this will transforme us to love God when wee see the humility and obedience of Christ when we looke on Christ as Gods chosen servant in all this and as our surety and head it transformes us to the like humility and obedience those that find not their dispositions in some comfortable measure wrought to this blessed transformation they have not yet those eyes that the Holy Ghost requireth here Behold my servant whom I have chosen my Beloved in whom my soule delighteth I will put my Spirit upon him Now wee come to the qualification of Christ for his calling in these words I will put my Spirit upon him that is I will cloath him with my Spirit I will put it as it were upon him as a garment Now there were divers degrees of Christs receiving the Spirit at severall times for hee was conceived by the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost did sanctifie that blessed masse whereof his body was framed in the wombe of the Virgin he was quickned in the wombe in his conception by the Holy Ghost and he was graced by the Holy Ghost and led by the Spirit in all things before his Baptisme but afterward when he came to set upon his office to be the Prophet and Priest and King of his Church that great office of saving mankind which he did not solemly set upon till hee was thirty yeares old then God powred upon him a special portion of the Spirit answerable to that great calling then the Spirit lighted upon him Christ was ordained to his office by the greatest authority that ever any was ordained from the beginning of the world for at his Baptisme when he was ordained and set apart to his office there was the Father from heaven uttered an audible voice This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased and there was Christ the partie baptized and installed into that great office then there was the Holy Ghost in the forme and shape of a Dove it being a matter of the greatest consequence that ever was in the world greater then the Creation it was fit it should be done with the greatest authority and so it was the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost being present at the admission of Christ into his office this is especially here intended though the other bee included I will put my Spirit vpon him that is I will annoint him as it is in Isaiah 61.1 The Spirit of the Lord is upon mee saith Christ because the Lord hath annointed me to preach good tidings to the meeke to binde up the broken hearted to proclaime liberty to the captives to open the prison for them that are bound to proclaime the acceptable yeare of the Lord that is the yeare of Iubile for that was a Type of Christ to preach the Gospell deliverance to all that are in captivity servitude and thraldome under Satan and sin this was
no Spirit of Christ at all I will not be large in the point onely I speake this by way of tryall to know whether wee have the Spirit of Christ in us or no if not we have nothing to doe with Christ For Christ saves us not as he is out of us onely Christ was to doe something of himselfe that wee have no share in onely the good of it is ours hee was to redeeme us by his blood to bee a Sacrifice the title to Heaven and salvation was wrought by Christ out of us but there is somewhat that he doth not onely for us but hee works in us by his Spirit that is the fitting of us for that he hath given us title too and the applying of that that he hath done for us Whosoever therefore hath any benefit by Christ he hath the Spirit to apply that to himselfe and to fit and qualifie him to be a member of such a Head and an heire of such a Kingdome whosoever Christ works any thing for he doth also worke in them there is a Spirit of application and that spirit of application if it be true it is a Spirit of sanctification and renovation fitting us every way for our condition Let us not abuse our selves as the world commonly doth concerning Christ they thinke God is mercifull and Christ is a Saviour Jt is true but what hath he wrought in thee by his Spirit hast thou the Spirit of Christ or else thou art none of his Romans 8. Where ever Christ is he goes with his Spirit to teach us to apply what Christ hath done for us and to fit us to bee like him Therefore let those that live in any sinnes against conscience thinke it a diabollicall illusion to thinke God and Christ is mercifull I but where is the worke of the Spirit All the hope thou hast is onely that thou art not in Hell as yet for the time to come but for the present I dare not say thou hast any thing to doe with Christ when there is nothing of the Spirit in thee the Spirit of Christ conformes the Spouse to bee like the husband and the members to be like the Head therefore begg of Christ that hee would annoint himselfe King in our hearts and Prophet and Priest in our hearts to doe that that he did to know his will as a Prophet to rule in us as a King and to stirre up prayers in us as a Priest to doe in some proportion that that he doth though it bee in never so little a measure for wee receive it in measure but Christ beyond measure wee must labour for so much as may manifest to us the truth of our estate in Christ that we are not dead but living branches Now Christ gives and conveyes his Spirit especially and most of all since his ascention and sitting at the right hand of God for after his resurrection he declared his victory over all his enemies and therefore was able to give the Spirit without opposition and upon his resurrection death and hell and the anger of God were overcome and our sinnes were satisfied for now Christ was Head indeed having trod all his enemies under his feete now he was enabled to give the Spirit but upon his ascention into Heaven and his sitting there he was more enabled for even as the Sunne being so high above the Earth doth convey his light and heate and influence upon the inferiour bodies So Christ being so highly advanced is fitter to infuse his Spirit and grace heere below since his exaltation therefore the Church is fuller of grace and grace hath beene more spread and diffused since the ascention of Christ then before and the Evangelist gives it as a reason The Spirit was not yet given because Christ was not ascended intimating that after his ascention there was a more full portion of the Spirit given God being fully appeased by the death of Christ and Christ staying the advantage that was fittest to give the Spirit now God the Father gives the Spirit with the Sonne so in both regards there was a greater fullnesse of the Spirit Therefore the Prophets speaking of the times of Christ especially of his exaltation shew that then they should be filled with the Spirit that the Spirit should be povvred out upon all flesh more aboundantly then before And that is the reason that the Apostles so differed from themselves before and after Christs ascention what a wondrous alteration was there Peter before hee flies even at the voice of a maide and they were full of contention and vaine glory but after we see when the Spirit the Holy Ghost came downe after Christs ascention into Heaven how couragious and valarous they were that they accounted it a matter of glory to suffer any thing and indeed we have more or lesse valour and courage the more of lesse Spirit we have now they having received more abundance of Spirit hereupon they were more couragious and undaunted at one time then another and this abundance of the Spirit comes especially since Christs advancement But how or by what meanes doth Christ give his Spirit to us This Spirit that is so necessary for us it is given by the ministery of the Gospell which is the ministery of the Spirit received ye the Holy Ghost by the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith preached when the love of God in Christ and the benefits by Christ are layed open in the preaching of the Gospell to us God gives his holy Spirit the Spirit of Christ. Now God in Christ would save us by a triumphant and abundant love and mercy and the Spirit of God never goes but where there is a magnifying of the love and mercy of God in Christ therefore the ministery of the Gospell which onely discovers the amity and love of God to man-kinde being now reconciled in Christ it is accompanyed with the Spirit to assure us of our part and portion in those benefits for the Spirit is the fruit of Gods love as well as Christ Christ is the first gift and the Spirit is the second therefore that part of the word that discovers Gods exceeding love to man-kinde leaving Angells when they were fallen in their cursed estate and yet giving his Sonne to become man and a curse for us the discovery of this love and mercy of God and of his Son Christ to us is joyned with the Spirit for by the Spirit we see our cursed estate without the love and mercy of God in Christ and likewise we are convinced of the love of God in Christ and thereupon we love God againe and trust to his mercy and out of love to him performe all chearfull obedience whatsoever we doe else if it be not stirred by the Spirit apprehending the love of God in Christ it is but morallity A man shall never goe to Heaven but by such a disposition and frame and temper of soule as is wrought by the Holy Ghost
to send us to heaven and make us partakers of that we desire most First wee desire that God will be with us here and secondly that we may be with God in heaven they make Gods children partakers of their desires by killing of them Let Tyrants and all persons that have a malignant disposition to the Church of God and are armed with power let them doe their worst the cause must stand impregnable Christ will have a Church and Kingdome in the world and their spirits will be impregnable against them they may kill them but they cannot hurt them they may kill them but they cannot kill their courage As we see in the Martyres there was the Spirit of God in them above all the dealings of of the persecutors there was a fire of Gods Spirit in them above all outward fire whatsoever You see it must be taken for granted that the Church of God and every particular Christian hath many enemies against them as it is Psal. 129. From my youth up saith the Church they have fought against me but they have not prevayled From my youth up from Abel to the last Saint that shall be in the world there will be alway some against Gods people yet their comfort is that none shall be against them to prevaile either over the Spirit of God in them or over the cause that they manage First of all you see then that the state of a Christian in this world is an impregnable state and a glorious condition Here is glory upon glory from this clause to the end of the Chapter If God be with us who shall be against us If God gave his Sonne for us shall hee not with him give us al things else there is another glorious speech Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods people another glorious triumphant speech another glorious speech Who shall separate us from the love of God founded in Christ Hee loves Christ first and us in Christ as members and as he loves him eternally so he loves us eternally too Therefore you see every way the state of a Christian is a glorious condition Who can be against us You see the state of Gods people it is an impregnable and glorious condition Then by this meanes those that are strange Paradoxes to flesh and blood yet they agree in a Christian. He is never alone when hee is alone God is with him the Father Son and Holy-Ghost are with him Angels are with him God is not only with him but his guard is with him and Gods Spirit is with him and in him victoriously both in grace and comfort Christ saith to his Disciples when they thought to leave him alone saith hee you cannot leave me alone My Father is with me and Saint Paul towards his latter end that had deserved so well of the Christian world All forsooke me saith he but the Lord forsooke me not but delivered me out of the mouth of the Lion So a Christian is not alone hee is not left to the mercy of his enemies but God is with him and who shall be against him to prevayle over him Againe though a Christian be a worme a person trampled upon for so the Church is the most afflicted part of man-kind yet Feare not thou worme Jacob. The world accounts them as wormes and they account themselves so they are trodden on as wormes they are wormes upon earth yet they have a glorious head in heaven and a glorious guard about them strange things agree in a Christian therefore let us not stumble though wee see not these things presently the life of a Christian is a mysterie Againe hence we see that a Christian profession to be a sound Christian to have true faith in Christ to be one with Christ and to be taken out of the state of nature this condition and the happinesse of it it hath the strongest foundation of any life in the world Christianity is founded upon the strongest and the greatest reasons that can bee Faith stands with the greatest reason that a thing can doe Why The comfort of a Christian is that he hath no enemy that shall prevaile over him and what is the ground of that God is with him God the Father Son and Holy Ghost Faith is that that layes hold upon that presence and promise and covenant of God and is not faith well bottomed A Christian that carries himselfe valiantly and couragiously is not his course grounded on sound reason Is not God with him God the Father is his father God the Son is his Redeemer God the Holy Ghost is his Comforter There is no other men that have strong reason for their course for that choise that they make of their Religion and of their wayes they prove but fooles in the conclusion onely the sound Christian that by the Spirit of God hath his eyes open to see the cursed estate he is in by nature and what it is to be in Christ and by a Spirit of faith is made one with Christ hee is the truely wise man in his faith and affiance that the world mockes at that hee hath no common supports in the world which hee cares not for if God be on his side hee cares not what man can doe against him as it is Psal. 118. you see on what ground it is founded God is with him and none can be against him Let us labour to lay up these principles wee worke according as our principles are Principles are the foundation of all conclusions that arise from them As our grounds are so are we in our faith and working and grace and comfort every way if wee have rotten principles if the grounds of our comfort bee rotten our course will be rotten and uncomfortable in the conclusion Let us build upon the Rocke to be well bottomed and founded that our principles and grounds bee strong and that they be so to us for what if God be with his if he be not so to us Let us labour to lay up sound grounds Grounds have influence into the whole course of our lives this one Text hath influence into all the parts of our lives in doing in suffering in all conditions I know not a more pregnant fruitfull principle in the Scripture than this If God be with us who can be against us It is like a pearle little in quantity few in words but strong in sence large in the fruit that issues from it Therefore as wee may carry pearles or precious things wheresoever we go because there is a great deale of worth in them and they be small in quantity so wee may carry this principle with us let us bee sure to lay it up and make use of it There be these two That there is a God and that God is with his children and so with his children that hee will subvert and overthrow all their enemies and all their plots and endevours a principle of wonderfull comfort If
comes I say from selfe-love and not from any change of heart As in the the humility of wretched persons a little before the judge comes though they haue carried themselves as rebels before yet then they will humble themselves not out of any hatred to their courses but out of feare of the judge So it may be now thou art arraigned by Gods judgements thou forsakest thy sinnefull courses not out of the hatred of thy sinnes for if thou couldest thou wouldest sinne eternally and that is the reason sinners are punished eternally Because they would sinne everlastingly but thou seest thou art in danger to be pulled away by Gods judgements It is not out of love to grace it is not from any change of nature that thou desirest to be a new creature that thou admirest grace to be the best state but it is to avoid danger not that thou carest for the face of God to be reconciled to him but to avoid the present judgement And what a staggering will this be to conscience when a man shall deferre his repentance till Gods judgements seaze upon him We see it is false for the most part Because such persons that are then humbled when they recover they are as bad or worse then ever they were Therfore an Ancient saith well He that is good onely under the crosse it never good it comes not from any change that God works but meerely from selfe-love Therefore presently let us repent of those waies that God convinceth our conscience to be evill wayes God may strike us suddenly Those that forget God and care not for him now it may be just with God to make them forget themselves to strike them with frenzy to take away the use of their memories then and when sickenesse comes wee shall have enough to doe to conflict with sicknesse we shall have enough to doe to answer the doubts of conscience Oh it would upbraid then We shall thinke it a hard matter then to have favour from God whose worship we have despised the motions of whose Spirit we have neglected and resisted Conscience after long hardening in sinne will hardly admit of comfort it is a harder matter then it is taken for Therefore even to day presently you that are young now in the daies of your youth now in the spring of your yeares repent you of your sinnes before old-age comes which indeed as Salomon describes it is an ill time to repent in Alas then a man can hardly performe civill duties as we see in Barzillai he complaines that in his old-age he could not take the comfort of the creatures Therefore put not off this duty till then And all both young and old now when the judgements of God are abroad in the world take the advantage returne to God renew your covenants make your peace now now this danger doth warme our hearts a little let us strike the Iron now while it is hot let us take the advantage of the Spirit now avvakening us vvith this danger Our hearts are so false and so dull we have need to take all advantages of withdrawing our selves from our sinful courses And to incourage us to doe it let us consider if we doe this and doe it in time wee shall have the sweetnesse of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts You will say wee shall loose the sweetnesse of sin I but you shall have a most sweet communion with God One day of a repentant sinner that is reconciled to God is more comfortable then a thousand yeares of an other man that is in continuall feare of death and judgement Oh the sweete life of a Christian that hath made his peace with God! he is fit for all conditions for life for death for every thing now by this wee shall have this grace and favour of God the Lord will say unto us by his Spirit I am your salvation And besides you shall have his grace renewing and altering and changing you framing you to a better course of life And he will be so farre from misliking any for their former sinnes that hee will give them cause to love him the more as wee see Luk. 7. Shee loved much because shee had much forgiven her Christ we see upbraided not any of his followers with their former sinnes hee regarded nor what they had beene formerly Zaccheus the extortioner Mary Magdalen Matthew the Publican Peter that denied him wee never heare that he upbraided any of them hee doth not onely vouchsafe mercy to Peter repenting but advanceth him to his former office Apostolicall so sweete a God have we to deale with let this incourage us Againe it is the way to prevent Gods judgements as wee see in Nineveh and others Put case we repent not we cannot goe fafe in the citie nor any where but God may meete with us and strike us with his arrow The onely way to prevent his judgements is to meete him speedily by repentance This is the way not onely to turne away the wrath of God concerning eternall damnation but outward judgements as wee see Ioel. 2 and many other places Then againe should we be stricken if we have made our peace with God if we have repented all shall be welcome all shall be turned to our good wee know the sting is pulled out If the sting of death be pulled out if the malignity and poison of any sicknesse be it the plague or whatsoever be pulled out why should we feare it Jt comes in love and shall be turned to our good and in the meane time God sweetens it Here is a grand difference betweene the children of God and others If the judgement of God light upon a repentant person it comes from favour and love to correct him for his former sinnes it is turned to good and in the meane time it is sweetned with love and mixed with comfort and moderated as it is Isa. 27.7 hath hee afflicted thee as I afflicted others No hee moderates his judgements to his children and not onely moderates them but sweetens them with comfort Jf God doe correct a repentant person hee is no looser by it nay he is a gainer It is good for mee that I have been afflicted Oh the blessed estate of that person that repents and turnes from his evill wayes But if a man doe not repent but live still in sinne what a state is hee in God cares not for his prayers If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not heare my prayers and what a state is a man in when his prayers that should beg for blessings and avoid judgements and procure deliverance are not heard but shall be turned into sinne When God that is a God hearing prayer shall not regard his prayer What a case is this Yet if we regard iniquity in our hearts if we repent not of our sinnes God will not regard our prayers Then besides that there is a noise of feare in the
wretches our consciences would be inthralled to a world of snares Last of all From the daies of the Baptist and so forward the Kingodme of Heaven did suffer violence because from that time forward the Spirit begaÌ„ to be more plentifully given Christ comes with his Spirit which is the soule of our soule and the life of our life the Spirit it is like a mighty winde that mooves the ship in the water The ship is becalmed it cannot moove unlesse there be a winde so the soule cannot moove to that which is good without the Spirit Now there is more abundance of the Spirit since the comming of Christ. Christ who is the King of his Church the Lord of Heaven and Earth he reserved the abundance of the Spirit till his owne comming especially till he entred into Heaven then the Spirit came in abundance It was powred upoÌ„ al flesh it was but as it were dropped before but then it was powred out Then the Gentiles came in and the Apostles received the Spirit in abundance therefore no wonder that there was violence offered to the Kingdome of Heaven then hence we may observe That the more clearely Christ and the blessed mysteries of Christ are opened the more effectuall the Spirit is and the more heavenly men are and more eagerly disposed to spirituall things The reason and ground of it is in nature the affections follow the discovery of the excellency of things When first the necessity of being in Christ is laid open that there are but two Kingdomes the Kingdome of Christ and the kingdome of the divell and that a man must either enter into the Kingdome of Christ or bee of the Divells kingdome still And when secondly together with the necessity the excellencie of Christs Kingdome is discovered that it is a state that will make us all Kings a state wherein we shall at length overcome all opposition of hell sinne death the wrath of God that whereas earthly Kingdomes are opposed and inthralled and one dash against another the Kingdome of Heaven is a state that subdues all that is against it by little and little as Christ overcame death and the wrath of his Father and now rules in Heaven in his person so all his members shall overcome all in time when the excellencie of this Kingdome is laid open to the understandings of men is it a wonder that their affections are set on fire will any thing doe it more then such a Kingdome Then in the third place when it is hopefull too when together with the necessity and excellency of it there is assurance given us that we shall obtaine it if we strive for it when it is offered freely even grace and glory and wee are intreated to receive grace Come unto mee yee that are weary c. nay we are threatned if we doe not come and we have example of the worst sort of people of Zaccheus and the poore woman out of whom the divels were cast of Peter that denied Christ of Paul that persecuted him such as had beene wretched persons that have come out of Satans kingdome when these things are propounded and understood and apprehended men that are in their wits that are not besotted by the divell men that are not in love with damnation and hate their owne soules they will imbrace them When they see a state discovered in Christ wherein they are above Angels in some sort above death and hell that they triumph over all in Christ that because it is as sure that they shall bee crowned Conquerors with Christ in Heaven as if they were there alreadie When it is propounded thus hopefully who would not offer violence to this Kingdome When Iohn Baptist laid it open so clearely to them this is the Lambe of God that takes away the sinnes of the world it made them offer violence to it And this is another reason why in the latter the second spring of the Gospell for there was a Winter in the time of Popery it being a Kingdome of darknesse keeping people in ignorance so many nations so suddenly imbraced the truth Luther was a man that was wondrously exercised and afflicted in conscience this made him relish the doctrine of justification by grace in Christ and thereupon to lay open the mysteries of Christ and the bondage of Poperie and this being once a foot the peoples mindes being prepared out of the sence of their former bondage whole kingdomes came in presently As in the Spring time when there comes a fine Sunne-shine day the prisoners are let loose out of the earth after a cold winter So after the winter of affliction and persecution inward and outward came the Sunne-shine of the Gospell and made all come foorth and flourish presently Wheresoever Christ is taught powerfully and plainely and the excellency and necessity of the staâ—e we have by him and that men may partake of it if they be not false to their owne soules there is alwaies violence offered to these things because where the riches of Christ are opened the Spiriâ— goes with it and goes with violence that it carries all before it Hence againe we may see that Popish spirits are witty in opposing the unfolding of the Gospell in the Ministery especially where there is conscience and skill to unfold Christ plainely they know when Christ is opened all their fopperies and inventions will grow base the more Christ is unfolded the more people will grow in hatred of Antichrist the more they sâ—e the light the more they will hate darkenesse for this cause they oppose the unfolding of the Gospell to the understanding of the people they would keepe people in ignorance that they may make them dote upon them It argueth a disposition dangerous that shall never taste of the good things of God to be in a bitter temper against the unfolding of the Gospell of Christ For we see here the discovery of it makes it wondrous effectuall Iohn Baptist laying open Christ clearer then he was discovered before the Kingdome of Heaven suffereth violence Here we are instructed what way we should take if we would bring our selves or others into a temper fit for Heaven to an earnest temper after holy things not to beginne with dead outward actions but to beginne as becomes the condition of reasonable men as God deales with man befitting the nature of man beginne with the understanding Let us meditate seriously of the truth of Christs comming in the flesh of the end of his comming To dissolve the works of the Divell to bring us out of the state of nature to a better condition meditate of the excellency of the state of grace of the eternity and excellency of the state of glory Let us warme our hearts with these things when a man hath once these things and believes them let him be cold and dull if he can And so if we would gaine others to a fit disposition for Heaven let us labour to
we humble our selves before God Alas I am dust and ashes I abhorre my selfe as Iob and Abraham said lay all proud apprehensions of our selves aside and all good workes especially in one kinde in matter of justification all is dung in comparison of Christ. All must be sold for the pearle the Righteousnesse of Christ. There is no reckning must be had of good works by way of merit in justification and our title to Heaven What gives us title to Heaven and frees us from Hell The death of Christ the obedience and satisfaction of Christ. God by it hath redeemed us perfectly without any thing in ourselves and accepts us to life everlasting onely by the Righteousnesse of Christ therefore it is called Gods Righteousnesse because it was done by Christ it was wrought by God Our righteousnesse is as a menstruous cloath it is spotted and stained and defiled it will not doe the deed it will not satisfie conscience much lesse the exact piercing judgement of God that is the righteousnesse that must stay our soules in life and death and we must oppose it to all temptations as a satisfying thing that will set downe conscience to be quiet it must be the Righteousnesse of God-Man nothing else will doe it All our righteousnesse is as filthy raggs that is the confession of their sinfull actions The next thing he confesseth is sencelesnesse There is none that calls upon thy Name that stirreth up himselfe to take hold of thee There be other words betweene concerning the complaint of their miserable estate but I will handle them that concerne their sins first There is none that calls upon thy name In a word he meanes that none worshipped him because prayer is put for the whole worship of God as indeed it may well be put for the whole for it exerciseth all the graces of the Spirit What one grace is not set on worke in prayer it is put for all the inward worship of God Jf it be faith prayer is the flame of faith when there is faith in the heart there will be prayer in the mouth The knowledge of God prayer is grounded upon a Promise so it comes from that part of spirituall worship Hope hope makes a man pray no man would powre out his supplications but to him that he hath hope in And for Love Gods love and mercy drawes us into his presence and joy and delight in the presence of God drawes us to pray We give God the honour of all his attributes in prayer of his truth of his goodnesse of his mercy of his presence every where c. So it sets all graces on worke and gives God the honour of all It is the worship of God every way for though it be an outward verball worship of it selfe yet it expresseth the worship of God inward it gives God the honour of all Therefore those that pray not what kinde of persons are they Wretched persons The sicknesse is now among us Jf a man should aske now what Family is likeliest to have the vengeance of God on it though I speake not to censure those that have it but I speake in Gods ordinâ—ry course surely those that doe not exercise the duâ—y of prayer Powre out thy wrath upon those that call not upon thy name Those families that call not upon God humbly morning and evening or that person that doth not morning and evening reverently call upon God they are fit objects for the vengeance of God for the plague or the like Powre out thy wrath upon the families and persons that call not upon thy name insinuating that the Lord will spare us if we doe call upon his name and humble our selves If thou wilt needs powre out thy vengeance let it be on them that have not grace humbly to call upon thy name Let us make conscience of this duâ—y except we will prove athiests and lie open to all the vengeance of God There is none that stirreth up himselfe to take hold of thee He represents God to us as a great person that would bestow some benefit and is ready to turne away himselfe yet none layes hold of him or desires him to stay so saith he there is none that laies hold on God to keepe him that he should not goe away Therfore when he saith None calls upon thy name or stirs up himselfe to take hold of thee he meanes there are none that pray earnestly Incense was to be burnt or else it cast no sweet smell our prayers must have fire and zeale in them our prayers must be cries that must pierce Heaven Out of the deepe have I cried unto thee Lord. Wee must stirre up our selves wee must waken our selves to waken God indeed before we can waken God we must waken our selves There is none stirreth up himselfe to take hold of thee Insinuating that if we would lay hold of God he will be staied To speake a little more particularly of this God is so gratious that he will be staied even by prayer the way to stay God in his judgements and to lay hold of him and to keepe him among us it is prayer Let us take notice now of the hand of God upon us what is the meanes to stop his hand that he come not among us with his publick judgements It is prayer The way to stop God and the Angell that hath his sword now drawn over our heads it is prayer God so condiscends that hee will be stopt by prayer as we see in Exo. 13. he saith to Moses let me alone Moses prayed and alleadged arguments to God that he should not confound his people Let me alone saith he insinuating that prayer binds Gods hands So powerfull is prayer that it binds the Almighty it makes the omnipotent in some sort impotent hee cannot doe that he would he cannot execute his wrath prayer binds him when a company of Christians lay hold on him by prayer he cannot doe that he threatneth the onely way to lay hold of God is by prayer In Ezek. 22. there is a complaint that none stood in the gap insinuating that if any had stood in the gap when the vengeance of God was comming abroad they might have prevented the wrath the way to stand in the gap and to keep God is to pray and to pâ—ay hearâ—ily Now that God may be held by our prayers they must be strong prayers every prayer will not hold God they must be strong prayers that must bind such a Sampson that hath his strength therefore there must be a stirring up of our selves he saith here There is none that stirreth up him selfe to take hold of thee So it is the duty of Christians to stirre up themselves in these times How shall we stirre up our selves First by considering the danger we are in danger felt or feared it will make a man lay hold When a child feeles the smart of the rod he layes hold upon his father or his mothers
all Our iniquities like the winde take us away he meanes here they were blowne out of Iury to Babylon It was a strong blast that blew them out of their owne Country May not we say Our iniquities have blowne us away What hath blowne us from our callings and imployments Is it not the Pestilence and what brings that Is it not our iniquities So that wee may all complaine of this Our iniquities have blowne us away We see here he layes the blame upon their iniquities did not the Babylonians carry them away Alas they were but Gods instruments God was displeased by their sinnes his wrath blew them away So you may see here the child of God in all judgements lookes to his sinnes he justifies God he murmurs not and saies this and that no but it was my sinnes We have sinned against the Lord Micah 7. I will beare the wrath of the Lord because I have sinned against him and Lament 3. Man suffers for his sinnes and every one of us may say it is our iniquities have taken us away A gratious heart justifies God and condemns it selfe The children of God may complaine sometimes of Gods hand but they will never censure Gods hand they justifie God alway though they may complaine of the bitternesse of his hand Here they complaine of the bitternesse of the judgement they were blowne into another country into capâ—ivity they doe not complaine of God God will have us complaine but as he will have us complaine so we must justifie him and condemne our selves just are thy judgements An Hypocrite thinkes God is beholding to him for his outward performances and when judgements befall him he â—rets and censures God either he thinks there is no God or he frets and fumes against God he is discontented but a Christian justifies God and condemns himselfe Our iniquities have blowne us away our sinnes keepe good things from us Therefore let us now lay the blame where it is search out our sinnes personall and particular and complaine of them they have a hand in this plague God is no tyrant he delights not to confound his creatures but sinne makes him out of love with his creatures the workemanship of his owne hands it is our sins Therefore let us lament the sinnes of the times so farre we may without Hypocrisie and ought to take to heart and mourne for the sinnes of the times that we heare by others and see our selves and mourne for our owne hearts that we cannot mourne we must mourne for the sinnes of the times as Daniel and Nehemiah and all the blessed men of God have done It is not the plague that hurts us that is but Gods messenger sinne doth us more harme then all the Divels in Hell and al the plagues in the world it is not outward evils we need to feaâ—e let us feare sinne and lay hold on God he is the Lord of Hoasts he hath all the creatures at his command let us get sin away that doth us all the mischiefe it is that that makes bate betweene God and us and then God makes a controversie betweene us and the creatures it is our sins And that is the reason of the necessity of humiliation for our sinnes because sinne breeds a seperation betweene God and us and betweene the creatures and us When God is offended the creatures are infected let us see our sinnes by them we infect the ayre by our vaine specches and oathes and our filthinesse Our sins infect the ayre and that breeds infection in our bodies Our sinnes cry they have a voice to cry to God if our prayers doe not out-cry them Therefore let us cry to God to heare the cry of our prayers and not of our sinnes How many voices have crying sinnes There is the voice of the people oppressed the voice of filthinesse c. sinnes clamour in Gods eares they clamour for wages due and the wages of sinne is death sinne cryes though it say nothing in words it cries in Gods eares and it will not rest till he hath powred out his vengeance The filthinesse and oathes and athiesme and profanenesse the suffering of the dishonour of his name these sinnes of the times are those that pull miseries upon us Our iniquities have taken us away as the wind So much for that For thou hast hid thy face from us and we are consumed because of our iniquities Sinne makes God hide his face from us and then we are consumed because of our iniquities We melt away in the hand of our iniquities as the word is Indeed sinne is a cruell tyrant when God leaves us in the hand of our sinnes hee leaves us in a cruell hand Christ came to redeeme us from our sinnes our sins are they that torment us it is very significant in the Originall We are melted we melt away as wax before the fire as snow before the Sunne because of our iniquities when God gives up men to bee handled as their owne sinnes will handle them Nations melt before the hands of sinne and Kings and Kingdomes and all Let God give up men to delight in sinne Kingdomes or persons they melt and molder away in the hand of their sins But to speake a little more of the next words Thou hast hid thy face from us That is thou hast hid thy comfort from us God hath a double face a face that shines on our soules in peace and joy and comfort when he saith to the soule I am thy Salvation And his face that shines on the outward estate that keepes misery and sicknesse and danger from us and bestowes good things on us And God takes away his face from us in regard of the inward man when he gives us no peace but leaves us to spirituall desertion In regard of the outward man God hides his face when he gives us up to Pestilence and warre and sicknesse and miseries in this life when he gives us up to outward desertion Sometimes God shines on wicked men in outward things but he hides his face for peace of conscience and sometimes Gods children have his face shining on their conscience but he hides his face in respect of outward things sometimes he shines in neither of both as at this time he neither shined on these blessed men in outward favours for they were in captivity nor in the sence of his love and favour for they were in desolation and ecclipsed every way The face of God it is as the Sunne to the creatures when the Sunne hides his face what is there but darkenesse and night What makes the night but the absence of the Sun What makes Winter but the absence of the Sunne when he growes low and cannot heate the earth So what makes winter in the soule deadnesse and darkenesse and dullnesse in Gods service The absence of the face of God God shines not on the soule What makes night in the soule when the soule is benighted with ignorance that
of death It is a going to our fathers But then wee must take heed what fathers wee imitate here take heed who are our patterns while we live for if wee do not imitate them here wee cannot live with them in heaven when wee are dead Therefore it is a very necessary item in Heb. 13.7 Look to them that rule over you that speak the word whose faith follow Considering the end of their labour Let us look before what kind of men those have beene that wee desire to live with in heaven and mark the end of their conversation for such as we delight in and frame our carriage to here such we shall live with hereafter We must not think to live with Nero and die with Paul to live Epicures and die Christians to live dissembling and falsly in our places and to die comfortably and to go to the blessed soules at the houre of death and at the resurrection No God will gather our soules with wicked men if wee fashion our carriage to wicked men such as wee delight in and live with and set as patterns before us with such we shall live for ever hereafter Hee was gathered to his fathers One signe of a man that shall be gathered to beleeving fathers to his good fore-fathers besides imitation is this to delight in the congregations of just men here A man may know he shall go to the congregation of perfect soules in heaven if he delight in the congregations of Gods Saints here for surely he that hath a confidence to bee in the proper heaven heaven that is so blessed he will have a care while he lives as much as he can to be and delight in the heaven upon earth Now the chiefe heaven upon earth is the Church of God Oh how amiable is thy dwelling place oh Lord where many soules meet together to joyne in speaking to God and in hearing God speak to them Those therefore that delight not in the congregations that delight not in the service of God what hope have they to bee gathered to the congregation of the faithfull when they are gone so much for that he was gathered to his fathers And he saw Corruption IT is an Hebraisme for he felt Corruption he had experience of Corruption All other senses are attributed to sight that being the principall of all the senses they have their terme from it because sight is the most excellent the most capacious and quick sense therefore I say the actions of all the other senses are attributed to it as wee say see how he speaks and so here he saw Corruption that is he had experience of it because sight is a convincing sense He could not properly see when he was dead but the meaning is he had experience of Corruption the truth is this in a word that The best and greatest men in the world when they are gone they are subject to corruption David was a King and a Prophet a man after Gods owne heart yet this could not keepe Davids body from Corruption The reason is wee are but dead men here this is not the life that Christ hath purchased for us wee are going to death our naturall life is but Cursus ad mortem a continuall going to death We are alive now but alasse our life is nothing but a continuall dying every day cuts off a part of our life It is a statute that all must die And it is our perfection to die we cannot otherwise see God enjoy our Crown Death indeed is nothing but misery but when we die we go to live The best must see Corruption Therefore this should bee an argument to support the soule when we think of the rottennesse in the grave and of that place and time of horrour when wee shall bee no more here upon earth It is no otherwise with us than it hath beene with the best in the world they all saw Corruption in their time Again considering we have but corruptible bodies here bodies that must see corruption let us take care for the better part He is a mad man that having two houses one free-hold the other a rotten tenement ready to fall about his eares that shall take delight in that and neglect his owne inheritance which is a goodly thing it is for want of wit and it is as much want of grace when we having a double life the life of grace that ends in glory the life of the soule the life of God as Saint Paul saith and then the life of the body which is communicated from the soule to the body which is corruptible our bodies are but tabernacles of clay whose foundation is in the dust for us to take care of this vile body as the Apostle calls it Phil. 3. Who shall change our vile body and make it like to his glorious body according to his mighty power to take care of this vile body and to neglect our precious soules It is the care of most such is the carnall breeding of men and they follow those that bred them in this brutishnesse as if they had no soules as if there were no life after this their care is what they shall eat and what they shall drink and put on what to commend themselves by in the outward man to the view of others all their care is for their outward man Alas what is it but a corruptible vile body it is but the case of the soule they forget the Iewell and look all to the Casket which is a base body take it at the best while we are here And take heed we be not ensnared with the bodies of others This is the corruption of men to gaze in this kind You see wise Salomon and others were much troubled with temptations in this kind Consider that body that thou dotest on now and which is made by the Divell a snare to thee what will it bee ere-long so noysome that thou wilt not indure the presence of it it is but a flower and it is fading fresh in the morning and dead at night All flesh is but grasse it is a corruptible body If thou wilt needs love bee acquainted with such as have excellent spirits that shall live eternally Oh there is an object of love indeed that is the true love and acquaintance that is spirituall Many things may be lovely in the outward person but see that there be a heavenly spirit that is mounting up that savours of good things a spirit that hath life begunne in it that shall be for ever happy in heaven unlesse there bee this there cannot bee a fit ground for the love of any wise man To end all you see here a short story of a good life and a blessed death let us make this blessed man of God exemplary to us in both Let our whole life be nothing but a service of God and let us consider the generation wherein wee are to take
2 67. R Reason Different conclusion of Gods Word and carnall Reason 2 135 Redemption Gods love greater in Redemption then in Creation 1 12 26. Reflect Man can Reflect upon his actions 1 100. Repentance Late Repentance seldome true 1 92. Benefit of lively Repentance 1 95. See Sinne. Reproach Reproach not to be regarded 1 â—45 Resolution Ground of Resolution 2 219. Riches To carrie our selves answerable to our Riches 1 48. Rule Properties of a Rule appliable to Gods Word 2 190. Rule how to bee applied in particular actions 2 194. See Word S Salvation Christ as man chosen to Salvation 1 19. Saints To delight in the communion of Saints 2 225. Sanctuarie Benefit of entring Gods Sanctuary 2 135. Satan When we are under Satan 2 10. Scripture How to understand the Scripture 2 164. Sealing Seâ—ling of Christ what 1 201. What use to make of Christs Sealing 1 204. How to know Christ is Sealâ—d for our good 1 205 209. Sealing threefold 1 206. Sealing of thâ— Spirit what 1 207. Servant Service Christ a Servant how 1 7. Comfort that Christ was a Servant 1 17. To offer Christ in our Service to God 1 20. Danger of deferring Gods Service 2 184. God the object of our Service 2 186. Service what 2 188 203. Common actions a Service of God how 2 â—12 Qualification of our Service of God 2 214. See Life Shaken Gods children Shaken why 2 141. Secret Secret will of God no rule 2 190. Security Security a forerunner of judgement 1 119. Sight Sin takes away the Sight of it selfe 2 21. Sinne. The hurt we have by Sin 1 90. Particular Sins foreshewing judgements 1 121. Naturally we are under Sin 2 5. Sin threefold Ibid. Justice of God to give men up to Sin 2 8. Misery to be under Sin 2 9. Fruit of thraldome to Sin 2 16 Men not given up to all Sinne alike 2 22. Wee should see death in our Sins 2 28. See Generality Death Leprosie Iudgement Sleepe The death of the godly a Sleepe 2 220. Society Society with carnall men to be avoided 1 151. Soule The Soule chiefly to bee cared for 2 228. Spirit How to know wee have the Spirit 1 30. Degrees of receiving the Spirit 1 32. The Spirit put on Christ how 1 33. Spirit given and received by Christ how 1 38. Three things wee receive by the Spirit 1 42. How Christ gives the Spirit 1 55. Spirit in Christ how 2 36. Meanes to get the Spirit 2 123. See Ascention Gospell Stirre See Hold. Strength God the Strength of a Christian 2 79. Successe Succession Christians indeavours Successefull 1 255. There is a Succession of men 2 172. Sufferings Service of God in our sufferings 2 209 214. Supply Our Supply whence it is 1 46. T Table Service of God in obeying the second Table 2 205 207. Tast. Tast a most necessary sence 1 193. Temptation Comfort in Temptation 2 53. Thankefull See Popery Thraldome See Sin Time Times Time when especially to bee improved 1 129. Why to make use of Time 2 173. How our Times both miserable and happie 2 177. To serve God our whole Time 2 183. Gods children must serve their Time 2 218. Every mans Time allotted by God 2 219. Tirannie Tirannie of sin 2 19. V Vaine-glory Vaine-glory why to bee avoided 1 72. Valew Ground whence to Valew Christians 1 30. By what God Valews his children 2 167. Violence Violent Violence offered the Kingdome of Heaven how 1 233. Christians disposition Violent how 1 235. Ground of this Violence â— 236 To judge our estate by our Violence 1 â—41 Violence after outward things 1 242. Violent onely take Heaven 1 251. Freedome of grace inforceth Violence 1 253. Holy Violence hopefull 1 254 Pretious things require Violence 1 259. Exhortation to holy Violence 1 61. Gospell in Luthers time imbraced with Violence why 1 265. How to get holy Violence 1 271. See Wisedome Vnderstandings How to use our Vnderstandings 1.102 Vnfruitfullnesse Vnfruitfullnesse a forerunner of judgement 1 126 Vs. All good in Christ before in Vs 1 40. How the Spirit takes from Christ and gives to Vs 1 41. How the Spirit is put on Christ for Vs 1 50. What Christ did was for Vs 2 41. W Washings Washings in the Law what they signified 1 295. Watchfullnesse Watchfullnesse when requisite 1 130. Will. Will of Christ to give himselfe 1 119. Will of God knowne and not done aggravates sin 2 201. Will-worship Will-worship why forbidden 2 189. Winde Wicked men blowne away as with a Winde 1 317. VVisedome What violence may stand with VVisedome 1 244. VVisedome in man corrupted 2 21. VVisedome justified by whom 2 140. VVord Spirit given in the Ministery of the VVord 1 55. Written VVord the rule of our service 2 189. VVorld Businesse of the VVorld hinders consideration 1 104. VVorldly things to be neglected why 1 171. Christians rule of life not from the VVorld 2 138. Ill courses of the VVorld settle Gods children 2 139. VVorship Prayer put for all Gods VVorship 1 304. FINIS 1 Tim. 3.15 2 Tim. 1.14 Scope of the words Christ promised in the old testament 1 To stablish faith in other promises 2 To comfort them against their owne unworthinesse 2 Cor. 1.19 The word Behold used 1 To shew Christ as present 2 To take their mindes off from their miseries 3 To raise their mindes from earthly things Christ a servant 1 By Condition 2 By Office In respect oâ— God 1 Pet. 3.18 In respect of us Gods love to us 1 In the person thus abased Phil. 2. 4. Conjunctions wonderfull Christs abasemeâ—t tâ—e greaâ—est 2 Whence Christ was so abased Gods love in Redemption greâ—ter then in Creation 3 The fruit of Christs abaâ—ement Matter of wondâ—rment in the worke of Redemption Christ a servant by way of excellencie Vse Seeing Christ was a servant wee should bee humble Vse 2. Comfort that Christ became a servant Christ chosen of God Christ chosen to his office Christ as maâ— chosen to salvation To reâ—t in Gods choice To offer Christ to God in our services Take heed of neglecting Christ. Christ beloved of God 1 As God 2 As Man 3 As Mediator 4 In regard of the execution of his office Quest. Answ. God loves Christ mysticall Comâ—ort Gods love to us grounded on Christ. God loves the worke of our redeâ—ption Comfort in our daily approach to God To stirre us up to deligâ—t in Christ. On what 〈◊〉 to valâ—w Chrâ—stians We may know we are in 〈◊〉 1 I we have his Spirit How to know we have the Spirit Degrees of Christs receiving the Spirit What is meant by putting the Spirit on Christ Three sorts of persons annointed Three maine defects in man Supplied in Christ. In what order Câ—riâ—t performes his offices Chriests priâ—stly office the principall Object Answ. How Christ both gives and receives the Spirit All 〈◊〉 in Christ then 〈◊〉 How the Spirit takes of Christ and gives to us Three things
unrepentant persons heart wheresoever he goes he is affraid of the plague affraid of sicknesse affraid of death affraid of every body he knowes he hath his heaven here hee hath not the sting of evills pulled out therefore hee is affraid hee shall goe from the terrors of conscience to the torments of hell his conscience speakes terrible things to him what a cursed state is this How can hee looke with comfort any way Jf he looke to Heaven God is ready to powre the violls of his wrath to execute his vengeance on him If hee looke to the Earth hee knowes not how soone hee shall be layd there or that the earth may swallow him up If he thinke of death it strikes terrour to him every thing is uncomfortable to an unrepentant sinner Let all this stirre us up to this duty of repentance it is the end why God sends his judgements First he warnes us by his Word and if we neglect that he sends judgements and they â—eaze on us that is a second warning and if lesser jâ—dgements will not warne us then he sends greater and all to make us repent if we repent we give the judgements their answer and he will either remove them or sanctifie them so much for that A word of the generality No man No man repented of his evill wayes wee see then That Generality is no plea. We must not follow a multitude to doe evill we must not follow the streame to doe as the world doth will any man reason thus Now there dye so many weekely of the plague it is no matter whether I goe I will goe now into any place without any respect to my company c Will he not reason on the contrary Therefore I will take heed J will carry preservatives about me and looke to my company Selfe-love will teach a man to reason so The Infection is great therefore I will take the more heed And will not spirituall wisedome teach us the more spreading and infectious sinne is the more heed to take When all flesh had corrupted their way then came the flood Generality of sinne makes way for sweeping judgements that takes all away Therefore we have more reason to tremble when the infection of sinne hath ceazed upon all when no man repents of his wickednesse a man should resolve surely I will come out of such company as we see Lot departed out of Sodome and David in his time was as a Pelican in the wildernesse I will rather goe to Heaven alone then goe to hell and be damned with a multitude Multitude is no plea to a wise man Shall we thinke it a meanes to increase danger in worldly things and shall we thinke it a plea in spirituall things It hath beene the commendation of Gods children that they have striven against the streame and been good in evill times Redeeme the time because the dayes are evill saith the Apostle A carnall Christian saith does as the rest doe but saith David Mine eyes gush out with rivers of waters because men keepe not thy Law Doe not feare that you shall passe unrespected if you be carefull to looke to your selves this way If there be but one Lot in Sodome one Noah and his family in the old world he shall be looked to as a Jewell among much drosse God will single him out as a man doth his Iewels when the rubbish is burnt God will have a speciall care to gather his Iewels When a man makes conscience of his waies in ill times and ill company God regards him the more for witnessing to his truth and standing for and owning his cause in ill times it shewes sincerity and strength of grace when a man is not tainted with the common corruptions No man repented What was the cause of all this that they were thus unrepentant and that generallly No man said What have I done The did not say in their hearts and tongues What have I done they were inconsiderate they did not examine and search and try their waies Here we see First that a man can returne upon himselfe he can search and try his owne waies and cite and arrest and arraigne himselfe What have I done This is a prerogative that God hath given to the understanding creature the reasonable soule it can reflect upon it selfe which is an act of judgement The bruit creatures looke forward to present objects they are carried to present things and cannot reflect But man hath judgement to know what hee hath done and spoken to sit upon his owne doings to judge of his owne actions God hath erected a tribunall in every man hee hath set up conscience for a register and witnesse and judge c. there are all the parts of judiciall proceeding in the soule of man This shewes the dignity of man and considering that God hath set up a throne and seate of judgement in the heart we should labour to exercise this judgement Secondly God having given man this excellent prerogative to cite himselfe and to judge his owne courses when man doth not this it is the cause of all mischiefe of all sinne and misery Alas the vile heart of man is prone to thinke it may be God hath decreed my damnation and he might make mee better if he would But why dost thou speake thus O wicked man the fault is in thy selfe because thou doest not what thou mightest doe hath not God set up a judgement seate in thy heart to deliberate of thine owne courses whether thou dost well or ill and thy owne conscience if thou bee not an Athiest and besotted tells thee thou dost ill and accuseth thee for it An ordinary swearer that by Athiesticall acquaintance and poysonfull breeding is accustomed to that sinne if he did consider what good shall I get by this by provoking God who hath threatned that I shall not goe guiltlesse and that I shall give an account for every idle word much more oâ— every idle oath the consideration of this would make him judge and condemne himselfe and repent and amend his waies The exercising of this judgement it makes a mans life lightsome he knowes who he is and whether he goes it makes him able to answer for what hee doth at the judgement seate of God it makes him doe what he doth in cofidence it perfects the soule every way Againe whatsoever we doe without this consideration it is not put upon our account for comfort when we doe things upon judgement it is with examination whether it be according to the rule or no. Our service of God is especially in our affections when wee joy and feare and delight aright Now how can a man doe this without consideration For the affections wheresoever they are ordinate and good they are raised up by judgement they are never good but when they are regular and according to judgement when judgement raiseth up the affections and we see cause why we should delight in God and love him and feare him