heart Vse 2. I told you the second reason was because every godly man sets his heart upon God The Uses arising out of this Reason serve first for information to let us see the reason why Gods children enjoy such precious peace of conscience and rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory namely because they set their hearts on God and their entire love to him will assure them of his eternal love to them Prov. 8.17 I love them that love me now this is the principal ground of true peace and joy worldly favour makes carnal people merry outwardly and feeds them with vain hopes it makes them build Castles in the air and puts them into a fooles paradise but the assurance of Gods love fills the heart of the upright with such joy as no man can take from them John 16.22 wicked men may take their lives from them their estates from them their liberty from them but true peace and joy they cannot take from them for they set their hearts on the God of hope who fills them with joy and peace 2. It may inform us one reason why Gods children will not be drawn away from him and his wayes because their hearts are set upon God and they account it their best way to draw near to God all the wealth and honour of Egypt could not draw Moses from God and his People the King of Babylon with all his power terrour and pollicy could not make the three Children worship his Idol nor restrain Daniel from praying to God 3. It serves to exhort you all to get your hearts fixed on God let out all your love to him in as ample a manner as you can let your love be so hot as many waters cannot never quench it nor flouds drown it To move you to it consider first how infinitely amiable and perfect God is when you understand that from everlasting to everlasting he is God without beginning mutation and end strive to love this eternal God when you consider that God fils heaven and earth yea inhabiteth eternity no place can comprehend his incomprehensible essence set your selves to love this omni-present God when you see how easily powerfully and wisely God made heaven and earth with all things else strive to love this omnipotent God when you see how God pitties releives and succours his people in their misery and gives them help in their time of need O set your heartiest love upon this merciful God 2. Consider how eternally and unchangeably he hath loved thee Jerem. 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasting love before thou wast born he loved thee yea when thou wast his enemy he loved thee and he will love thee for ever nothing in this world nor in the world to come shall separate thee from his love 3. Consider what comfort thou shalt have by loving God 1 John 4.16 God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him happy is that soul that hath such a guest for God will make any place a heaven to it Prov. 8.17 I love them that love me thy true love to him will assure thee of his love to thee which worldly wealth and honour cannot do Psalm 91.14 Because he hath set his love upon me therefore will I deliver him God will be thy defence against danger he will be a wall of fire about thee Rom. 8.28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God nothing shall fall out amiss to thee but God by his wisdom and power will give thee an holy comfortable use of all mercies with an holy use of and a comfortable issue out of all miseries Vse 3 I told you the third Reason was because the godly man indeavours to do every thing that God commands him The Uses springing out of this reason serve first to inform us the reason why the godly man is a man after Gods own heart namely because he sets himself to do all Gods will for this cause David was so called Acts 13.22 I have found David the son of Jesse a man after mine own heart which shall fulfil all my will O that every one of us had an heart to do all Gods will then we should be such as God would have us to be a hypocrite doth but some part of Gods commands therefore he is not a man after Gods own heart 2. It informes us one Reason is why God so willingly heares and grants the prayers of his people that is because they indeavour to do all Gods commands 1 John 3.22 And whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his commandement and do those things which are pleasing in his sight Humanity teacheth friends to grant one anothers suits when they please one another much more will the God of nature grace and glory graciously answer the prayers of his people that study to please him 2. It serves to exhort us to endeavour to do all that God requires us to do Motives 1. All his commands are holy just and good Rom. 7.12 Prov. 30 5. Every word of God is pure though carnal nature may cavil against some of Gods commands because they crosse it yet there is no defect in them but the Law of the Lord is perfect 2. To do all Gods will is the ready way to prosperity Job 36.11 If they obey and serve him they shall spend their dayes in prosperity and their yeares in pleasures God is the best Master to serve his work is the best and his pay is the best And above all Gods commandements I exhort you all to keep the Lords day holy because he in the fourth Commandement bids us remember to keep it holy 2. Because in Isaiah 58.13 14. he makes it an excellent way of honouring him and promiseth spiritual and temporal prosperity to such as do it but if that place be meant of an extraordinary Sabbath that is a fast appointed by man then doubtless the Lord would have us much more keep holy the ordinary Sabbath appointed by God If any object Col. 2.16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of an holy day or of the new moon or of the Sabbath dayes verse 17. which are a shadow of things to come c. I answer he meanes he would not have them observe the Jewish ceremonial Sabbaths of dayes as the three great feasts Passover Pentecost and Tabernacles and the feast of blowing the trumpets and the feast of expiation he would not have them observe the Sabbath of yeares which was every seventh year Levit. 25,4 5 6. nor the Sabbath of sevens of years the Jubile verse 8 9 10 11. which returned every fiftieth year but he speaks not here of the Sabbath day that is morall 1. Because the word is in the plural number Sabbaths 2. If he had meant the moral Sabbath and consequently the Lords day now observed then it would follow that it is unlawful to observe the
midst of the Sea It may be thy sins are bloudy sins of a crimson colour and of a scarlet die yet Christ can make thee by his merits pure and white as any snow and wool Isaiah 1.18 there is more merit in Christ than sin in thee for his merit is the merit of him who is God man but thy sins are the sins of man onely Remember for thy comfort thou contrite in spirit that Christ pardoned as great and it may be greater sinners than thy self he purchased pardon for Paul a bloudy persecutor for Magdalen a strumpet it may be thou hast never committed such great sins as these now these are written for thy learning that thou through patience and comfort of the Scriptures mightest have hope and confidence in thy Redeemer I told you in the second place that Christ is everlasting meat by his sacred word this Use still serves for comfort to all such as love Christ dearly and labour for him they are in a blessed condition for their soules however it goes with their outward man this holy word of God will be unto all such a special guide a shining light to their feet it will be unto thee that lovest it dearly a blessed stay in adversity David said If my delight had not been in thy Law I had perished long since in mine afflictiō this word does good to you that walk uprightly it will resolve your doubts raise you being dejected guide you when you wander comfort you when you are perplexed and at last will lead you straight to heaven the Prophet said Psalm 73.24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory All the commands and directions in the word will teach thee thy duty to God and man and lead thee in the right way the threatenings of the word will keep thee in awe of God and restrain thee from presumptuous sins the exceeding great and precious promises in the word are Yea and Amen to thee through Christ 2 Corinth 1.20 they will give thy faith sure hand-hold in all straits whereby thou mayest overtop all difficulties they will delight thee more than honey and the honey-combe 3. I told you in the third place that Christ is everlasting food by the Sacrament of his last Supper this Use still serves to comfort all gracious soules who hunger and thirst after him in that Ordinance it is a seal of righteousness and of Gods love to them Hear this you true beleivers that discern the Lords body you receiving the Sacrament do renew your fellowship with your Saviour he will strengthen your faith and hope in him and will nourish your soules unto everlasting life there you may by the eye of faith discern his bloud poured out and shed for the remission of your sins you may come to this spiritual banquet with much delight and joy for your blessed Redeemer proffers himself to you This sacred Ordinance is an emblem to thee of thy future estate with Christ in heaven while it is so sweet to tast how gracious he is here in his Ordinances how unspeakably sweet will it be to thee to enjoy Christ immediately in heaven without these Ordinances and signes your journey to heaven is long and full of difficulties yet this bread of life will nourish and enable you to hold out to the end 4. I told you in the fourth place that Christ is everlasting meat by the saving graces and comfort of his holy spirit this Use still serves to comfort all such as earnestly labour for and hunger after the saving graces of Christ his Spirit Blessed are you that hunger and thirst after these you shall be abundantly satisfied Christ will satisfie you with the fatness of his house and make you drink of the river of his pleasure he hath done much for thee to beget in thee such fervent desires after grace for its a sign thou art born again and it will much conduce to spiritual growth as a little babe the first year after his birth by reason of his daily sucking and sleeping grows exceedingly so the more thou desirest the graces of the Spirit the more fruitfully thou growest in grace for Christ will fill the hungry with good things that is with saving graces and satisfactory comforts Object But thou wilt say Alass I feel little or no growth in my self me thinks I am as dead-hearted as I was my knowledge and other gifts are very poor and weak Answ I answer look upon thy self and compare thy self now even this day with what thou wast a week or a moneth since and it may be thou shalt find very small growth in goodness and small strength against corruptions but compare thy self now with what thou wast two or three years or four or five years since and thou maist find through Gods blessing a sweet fruitful growth formerly thou was extreamly ignorant hadst no gift of prayer didst not delight much in Gods service wa st not very hungry and greedy after grace couldst not mourn much for thy failings but now God hath been gracious to thee he hath given thee some insight into his wayes he hath poured the Spirit of grace and supplication upon thee he hath given thee delight in his Worship he hath indued thee with an appetite and thirst after grace and holiness and he hath melted thy heart with godly sorrow for thine imperfections now these are good beginnings of eternal life in thee and though thy beginning be small yet thy latter end shall greatly increase he that hath begun this good work in thee will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ thou art a living stone built upon the cheif corner stone all the powers of darkness can never pull thee out of the spiritual building thou art Christ his spouse Satan can never alienate his heart from thee nor divorce thee from him thou art a branch of Christ the true Vine and root thine enemies can never cut thee off thou art a member of his mistical body nothing shall separate thee from his love Vse The last use serves for direction and exhortation joyntly I told you in the first place that Christ is everlasting meat by the merit and efficacy of his person this Use serveth to direct us how to labour for the comfort and benefit of his merits 1. First we must renounce all confidence in our own merits and righteousness alass we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags our goodness is as a morning cloud and as the early dew it passeth away Phillip 3.9 we see the Apostle durst not confide in his own righteousness for to be justified by it 2. Rest upon the merits of Christ onely for justification as St. Paul did Phillip 3.9 But that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith his merits are of infinite value to justifie thee in the sight of God and to procure acceptation in his sight he is the
for he will for ever supply his people with his Spirit Nextly there is a thirst proceeding from a spiritual delight in Christ and this all true Saints have 1 Peter 2.2 3. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious Where the latter is the ground of the former if they had tasted how gracious sweet and pleasant the Lord Jesus is they would exceedingly desire the pure milk of his word and more intimate communion with him for there is such a deal of soul-satisfying delight in Christ that the more a sanctified soul tasteth and enjoyeth the more earnestly it desireth and longeth after him and is never at rest untill it enjoy him in heaven the words in the originall are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 very earnestly desire the reasonable milk without deceit where he shews what kind of desire we must have after Christ his word not a weak desire for a short fit but an earnest desire above all things desire it as David did Psal 42 1 2. As the Hart panteth after the water brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God My soul thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appear before God The Apostle also shews the nature of the Word it is like milk for sweetness and nourishment then it s sincere without the poysonous dregs of errour it s without deceit it will not deceive any that rely upon it this double thirst is by the learned thus exprest sit is totalis indigentiae sitis spiritualis complacentiae such then as eat and drink Christ shall have the fountain of consolation in them Reas 2. Because such as spiritually feed on Christ have eternal life in them Iohn 6.51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven if a man eat of this bread he shall live for ever and in verse 54. Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my bloud hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day such have one foot in heaven already they shall never enter into condemnation yea they have a heaven upon earth they have in them Christ the Author of eternal life they have through him the precious graces and consolations of his Spirit 2 Branch The second branch of the point is We must labour for Christ this everlasting food the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports we must work and take great pains for it Mathew 6.20 but treasure up for your selves treasures in heaven so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports which is all one in sense with this to labour for this everlasting food he that laies up a treasure for himself is very studious and industrious how he may compass it the like pains care and study must we take for Christ Reas 1. Because Christ this durable meat will give us full satisfaction this David shews Psal 36.8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures Psal 63.5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness See likewise what satisfaction the Church took in Christ Cant. 2.3 4 5. I sat down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet to my taste He brought me to the banquetting house and his banner over me was love Stay me with flagons comfort me with apples for I am sick of love Where we see the holy Ghost compares Christ in his Ordinances to marrow which is very fat sweet and nutritive so is Christ to true beleivers more fat than marrow more sweet than wine more nutritive than any food the Holy Ghost also compares his Ordinances unto a banquetting house wherein are plenty of wine to comfort and strengthen and refresh a drooping soul and that true beleivers might with spiritual security and joy feed their soules with these heavenly dainties the Holy Ghost assures them that Christ displaies the banner of love over them There were four special uses of the banner 1. By the sight of the banner displaied every souldier might know how to repair to his proper colours Numbers 2. so Christ in his Gospel sets out his love to us he displayes the banner of love that we may know how to be gathered to him as to our General it teacheth us how to follow Christ the Gospel is the displaying of the love of Christ Isa 11.12 And he shall set up an ensign for the Nations and shall assemble the out-casts of Israel and gather together the dispersed of Iudah from the four corners of the earth which is meant by his Gospel 2. Another end of the banner was to be a terror to the adversaries Cant. 6.10 Terrible as an Army with banners Revel 6. in the second verse he compares Christ displaying the banner of his Gospel to a Warriour upon a white Horse then verses 4 5 8. he shews how Christ punisheth his enemies that will not obey him with warr verse 4. and with famine verse 5 6 7. and with death verse 8. 3. The next use of the banner was to add courage and confidence to the souldiers when they see their coulours so doth Christ his love in the Gospel add invincible valour and undaunted courage to his true hearted souldiers Rom. 1.16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that beleiveth Acts 20.23 24. The Holy Ghost witnesseth in every City saying that bonds and afflictions abide me but none of these things move me neither count I my life dear unto my self so that I may finish my course with joy and the ministery which I have received of the Lord Iesus to testifie the Gospel of the grace of God 4. The last use of the banner was to be set upon the tower or wall of the City or Hold which was taken by conquest that all passers by might know that such and such a people were now possess'd of that place Psal 20.5 And in the name of our God will we set up our banners Psal 60.4 Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee that it may be displaied because of the truth Selah That is thou hast manifested thy love to thy people that thou mayest glorifie thy truth in making that good which thou hast promised Nextly in this place Cant. 2.5 the Church cries Stay me with flagons comfort me with apples for I am sick of love having tasted of Christ she was sick of love to him nothing could satisfie her but more inward fellowship with him she compares his love to flagons of wine so Cant. 1.1 Thy love is better than wine this would revive her fainting spirits and would please her better than any delicate spiced wine She compares his love in his Ordinances to apples for the comfortable tast smell and relish that apples have some say he alludes to the tree of life whith they say was
an apple-tree however as apples are comfortable to the stomack so is Christ in his Ordinances to a sanctified soul most comfortable and sweet insomuch that such as enjoy him may say with more comfort than Esau said to Iacob I have enough Reas 2. Because this enduring meat is of infinite worth and excellency its worth all our labour pains and care we may repent our pains and care for worldly food but we shall never need to be sorry for our pains for Christ We may say of him as the Israelites did of David he is worth ten thousand of us and as the Church Cant. 5.10 He is the chiefest of ten thousand Prov. 8.11 Wisdom is better than Rubies and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it in which place by wisdom Divines understand Christ and truly if we could view him with the eye of faith we should admire his transcendent lustre and excellency as Plato said if one could see the form of vertue it would wonderfully excite men to the love and study thereof Reas 3. Because this everlasting food is not easily obtained gold and silver will not purchase it Simon Magus could not buy the gifts of God with money Isai 55.1 Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without money and without price in which words the Holy Ghost alludes to haven towns by the seaside where ships come in richly fraught and laden with excellent commodities where you may buy the best at the first hand and most cheap the Prophet saith buy come and buy in regard that we must take pains for Christ yet he saith buy without money and without price because nothing in this world no outward excellency is of equal worth and value to be given in exchange for Christ Reas 4. Because we have exceeding great need of this enduring food John 6.53 Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his bloud ye have no life in you If we feed not upon Christ we are dead in sin and are like to be undone for ever for without Christ we can have no true hope of life and peace our journey is long as far as from earth to heaven we have many dangerous enemies in the way whom we can never vanquish without the spiritual efficacy of this divine food Vse It serveth to inform us of one chief cause why true Christians do persevere and hold out in the way of grace to the end the main reason is because they are fed with this celestial meat which will renew their strength as the Prophet speaks Isai 40. last Elias walked forty dayes in the strength of the meat the Angel gave him but Christs true members feeding daily upon him do continue in his way to their lives end the same power that raised Christ from the dead the third day the same power raiseth all true Christians from death to life Ephes 1.19 20. and though we had the best food in the world yet sickness old age and death may take away our stomack that we cannot eat of it but by eating of this divine food we shall increase when nature decreaseth Psal 92.12 13 14. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree he shall grow like a Cedar in Lebanon those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the Courts of our God they shall bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing 1 Corinth 15.45 The first man Adam was made a living soul the last Adam was made a quickening spirit in which the Apostle intimates that Christ communicates life to his and confirmes them in it against final apostacy and supplies them with a continual renovation of this spiritual life unto eternal life which Adam would not do for his posterity Christ is so able faithful and careful over his members that none can pluck them out of his hands John 10.29 he nourisheth them so effectually with himself and his Ordinances and his blessed Spirit so that it is as impossible for true beleivers to perish as for Jesus Christ himself to perish for God hath loved them with the same love wherewith he loved Christ John 17.23 and hath ordained Christ to be the principal meanes for their redemption conversion justification adoption and glorification Ephes 1.2 to the 10. Galat. 3.26 Colos 1.27 therefore in Psal 40.7 In the volume of thy Book it is written of me by book there is meant Gods eternal dectee and according to the original it is properly in the head or top of thy book where the Holy Ghost imports thus much to us that the chiefest thing which God intended before the world was was that Christ should be the Saviour of his elect for his glory Vse Secondly It serves to inform us of the excellency and dignity of true Christians who onely eat of this everlasting meat Revel 2.17 Christ promiseth to such as overcome to give them to eat of hidden Manna which is himself he is hidden from others true Christians have such meat to eat as others know not of Psal 78.24 25. God is there said to have fed the Israelites with Angels food that was Manna a type of Christ but so called by way of eminency to denote with what excellent food he fed them but what 's the shadow to the substance the tipe to the truth No food in the world comparable to this bread of life an humble heart feeding daily upon Christ hath joy unspeakable and glorious when the voluptuous Epicures of this life have no solid comfort for they have no more than the creature can afford them though the righteous endure outward poverty and seem miserable by reason of many adversities yet they are better in their worst estate than ungodly men are in their best estate in regard they feed upon this divine Manna they like Daniel look better with pulse than others who feed onely upon earthly dainties Vse The next use is for reproof I shall spin the rest of the Uses out of those four heads in the first branch which will run like a thred through the web of the whole point 1. I told you in the first place that Christ is everlasting meat by the merit and efficacy of his person This serves to reprove such as labour not for Christs merits for their justification in Gods sight and these are the Papists who seek for and teach justification by works so by this meanes they derogate from Christs merits and put themselves into a miserable condition for upon this ground conceive that a Papist living and dying a Papist cannot be saved St. Paul Philip. 3.9 renounceth all confidence in his own merits in point of Justification And be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith The Papists