where wee find the saints professing and avowing their hope in God most confidently But say they yet for all this wee are uncertain of our Love But consider I pray you that S. Peter being demanded by our Saviour concerning his love to him answereth most confidently Thou knowest that I love thee Thou that knowest all things knowest that I love thee So S. Augustine in his 8. book of the Trinitie 7. chap. saieth That wee more certainlie know the love that we carrie to our brother then our brother himself They answere to this That wee may know indeed certainly that there is in us a love and affection to God and our neighbour but yet say they we cannot know for what end and upon what motive wee love him and consequently whether our love be such as it ought to be But they should consider that the Apostle saieth 1. Cor. 2. â—1 That the spirit of a man knoweth the things of a man and that wee haue received the Spirit of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God Hence a most learned Romanist Vega in his 9. book of â—ustificat 39. chap. granteth That wee may know not only our own inward actions but also for what end and upon what motive they are exercised by us and consequently that we love God above all things and that wee are ready to suffer the losse of all things rather then to offend him and that wee have truly sorrowed for our bypast sinnes But to leave this let us mark here That it is not without great cause that DAVID intending to blesse exalt God mentioneth particularly this his assurance that God was his God that he had a particular interest in him This as we touched before is a most singular benefit from which many excellent fruits do spring For first hence floweth a boldnesse toward God a boldnesse to come in his presence and a confidence to be heard of him in our praiers If our heart condemne us not we haue confidence towards God 1. Iohn 3. 21. A son that is perswaded of his fathers love is bold to come to him and to present his sutes unto him when occasion serveth so wee being perswaded that God is our God and Father are confident to poure out our hearts in his bosome and to expect a gracious answere from him I have written unto you saieth S. Iohn 1. 5. 13. 14. 15. that ye may know that ye have eternall life And this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us And we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him Where first wee have the knowledge of eternall life then confidence to be heard to have our petitions granted If wee have to do with a man of whom wee know not whether he loveth us or not we can have but small hope to obtain our sutes from him but if wee be assured that we have his favour wee are confident to obtaine our requests according to that degree of favour which we perswade our selves to enjoy so if we be perswaded that God is our God and Father we cannot doubt of obtaining from him that which is good If ye that are evill can give good things to your children how much more will your heavenly Father give his good Spirit and all good things to them that ask him He that gave to us his own Son when we did not pray to him how much more with him will he give to us all things which wee pray for Secondly This assurance that God is our God and that we are in his favour maketh us to go on cheerfully in the obedience of God It enlargeth our heart with comfort so that wee runne the way of Gods Commandements There is nothing that will make a good servant cheerfull in doing his Masters will so much as to know that himself and his service is well accepted so nothing more fit to stirre us up to alacritie in well doing then to know that our persons and works are acceptable to God This is a notable spurre to a good life Hee that hath this hope purgeth himself that he may be holy as God is holy saieth S. Iohn I have hope towards God of the resurrection of the just and unjust saieth S. PAUL Acts 24. 16. And herein do I exercise my self to have alwayes a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Thirdly This assurance that God is ours and that we have his love breedeth to us peace that passeth understanding and joy unspeakable and glorious even amidst all our worldly troubles S. Paul having said Rom. 5. 1. being justified by faith wee have peace with God subjoyneth That we rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God and that wee rejoyce also in our tribulations For being at one with God the peace of God keepeth our mindes Philip. 4. 7. It guardeth and defendeth them as a wall or garrison so the word signifieth It guardeth I say not only our bodies or estats always but also our minds that we sink not through the weight of our afflictions nor fall away from our stedfastnesse by any crosses For he that is in this estate can reason thus Though my wealth and preferment be taken away though my friends have forsaken mee though want and troubles sease upon mee Yet Christ is mine God is mine heaven and the inheritance of the joyes of it is mine These outward troubles can do no more but batter without and at the most pull down the earthly house of this bodie but That building which is without hands in heaven they cannot reach unto These troubles may take away my outward joyes but that joy which is within which is in God even my God is beyond the power of Life or death of height or depth of principalities or powers of things present or things to come Rom. 8. 38. This comforted Iob in the midst of all his grievous sorrowes I know saieth he that my Redeemer liveth and that with mine eyes I shall see him This comforted the godly Hebrews chap. 10. 34. Yee took joyfullie the spoiling of your goods knowing in your selves that ye haue in heaven a better and an enduring substance Hence hope which is grounded upon this assurance is compared to an Anchor Heb. 6. 19. An Anchor holdeth the ship firme and stable that it be not driven hither and thither or overwhelmed although the sea bee stormie and tempestuous even so our hope setleth our soules in the midst of tribulations that wee bee not swallowed up thereby So it is compared to an helmet 11. Thess 5. 8. For as an helmet securing the head putteth courage in a Souldier to fight so hope securing us of the maine point our eternall safety giveth courage and confidence to us in all our troubles I come now to David his last expression of that which he intendeth to praise and blesse That is the
before whom wee stand guilty till he speak peace ther is no solid calmnes in our minds Beside our hearts naturally are full of trouble and tormoyle and therefore cannot have peace unlesse it be created in them Now this is the proper work of God who saieth Isai 57. to this purpose I creat the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is a far off Lastly so long as sinfull corruption is not healed in our soules their wound remaineth greene which suffereth us to have no rest Now it is God alone who can healâ— the soule and therefore it is he only who can give peace to it Thus the working of this peace in us is the peculiar work of God If he stand by no man nor angell can give it Hence DAVID even after the tydings of peace brought unto him by NATHAN cryeth yet to God for peace and joy Make me to heare the voyce of joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Upon the other part as it is God alone who giveth this peace so for our comfort wee are to know that hee can easily give it and keep and preserve us in it It costeth him no more but a word if be but speak peace wee are sure to have it I will heare what the Lord God will speak hee will speak peace unto his people If he but speak the word it is done To this purpose we have a notable place Isai 44. There the Lord is thus descrived The Lord who saieth to Jerusalem be thou inhabited and to the cities of Judah be yee built that sayeth unto the depth be dryed up that saieth to Cyrus his servant thou art my sheepherd and shalt perform all my pleasure So the Lord needeth no more but a word to build Judah to make Jerusalem inhabited to remove all impediments out of the way of his people to perswade the heart of Cyrus an heathen man to be their nursing father Thus Psal 44. the PROPHET saieth to God Thou art my King O God command deliverance for Jacob. If God but send forth his Commandement it shall be obeyed When the sea is most raging and the waves greatest if Christ say be still there shall be a great calm This serveth exceedingly for our comfort that our God whom we serve is able so easily to give us peace and calmnesse in all our troubles and distresses Yee found this latlie by your own experience When yee looked for the help of man yee were disappointed and felt that the Arme of flesh is a vaine thing to trust into but when your Troubles wer come to the hieght your 〈◊〉 desperate then the Lord spake peace to you and whâ—â— hâ—â—aid was performed Would God that yee were sensible of â—his his goodnes and O that yee may be alwayes mindfull 〈◊〉 that by the consideration of so great a benefite yee may 〈◊〉 alwayes stirred up to praise him and to trust in his mercie 〈◊〉 much of the benefite Now I come to the description of them to whom it belongeth Whose minde is stayed on thee c. The words in the originall signifieth the minde or thought is stayed and by some are referred to God by others to the godly Learned CALVIN writting upon this place referreth the words to God thus The counsell and purpose of God whereby he hath decreed to preserve the peace of his servants is unchangeable and therefore he will keep them in peace There can no alterations fall out in this world which may change his immutable minde so there is a secret opposition betwixt Gods thought and ours My thoughts are not as yours Isai 55. neither are my wayes as your wayes but as high as the heaven is above the earth so high are my thoughts above your thoughts and my wayes above your wayes The minde and the counsell of God is immutable whereas our thoughts are changeable every moment upon the least occasion He is the Lord and changeth not and therefore wee are not consumed Secondly The words may bee referred to the godly thus Their minds are stayed and fixed on God and therefore he will keep them in peace Our Interpreters have so expounded the words and this seemeth best to agree with them But yee will ask what is this to have our minds stayed on God I answere unto this first is required that our hearts bee withdrawn from all things else Wee cannot have our minds on God and the creature both for Wee cannot serve two masters Hence our blessed Lord requireth of his disciples that they deny themselves and telleth them that none can be his disciple except he hate father and mother wise and children c. So it wee would have our hearts stayed on God they must settle upon nothing besids him This is necessarie for the obtaining of our peace which wee cannot enjoy so long as our hearts are fixed upon any creature The reasons are cleare First the creatures are transitorie and changeable and therefore the heart set upon them must needs change with them 2. While as the heart is inordinatly set on the creature the affections are contrarie to sound reason and our actions are contrarie to God and his Law so during this inordinat love we have a warre which standeth not with peace 3. As long as the heart doth cleave inordinatly to any creature there must needs bee a continuall feare which is contrarie to the Peace of the minde For either wee feare that wee shall not obtaine that which wee love or that wee shall losse it when it is obtained or that we shall not recover it when it is lost Either we feare that our will shall be crossed or suppose our desires second us in all things yet our guilty conscience accuseth and tormenteth us 4. There is no creature how perfectly soever enjoyed by us that can give satisfaction to out soules without which they can haue no peace Such is the nobilitie of our soule such is the excellencie of our minds and wils that a world yea a thousand worlds known beloved and possessed cannot give them rest contentment Either the Object delighted in is unproportionated to the soule as the sound to the eye or the colour to the eare or at least is unable to equall the infinite desire of it This none can do but God O LORD thou hast made us for thy self saieth holy AUGUST and our hearts are restlesse till they rest in thee Thus when ever we would have peace or have our hearts on God wee must withdraw them from the creatures The next thing that is required for staying our hearts upon God is that we joyne unto him by sincere love and by humble submission of our desires wills to his so that we love nothing but in him or for him desire nothing but his Glory and the accomplishment of his will This is the solid way to Peace when men will and nil the same things then there is true
is not from the earth but from heaven and if he give life to them that are dead he may be justly called The bread of life 3. He addeth these words to comfort Beleevers and to terrifie unbeleevers For no greater comfort can be to them that receive him by a true and lively faith then the assured hope that they shall be raised up by him from death to a glorious and immortall life and on the other part it is matter of exceeding terror to the unbelieving and wicked that they shall not be partakers of this blessed resurrection but they shall be raised up to shame and confusion This point is urged diverse times hereafter by our LORD and therefore it may be we shall have occasion to speak of it more fully Only now consider that this is a point which we should at this time deeply meditate upon He who calleth us and offereth himself unto us is no lesse then he who hath power of life and death even of eternall life and of eternall death If wee answer him and embrace his Calling we may look to have confidence joy and glory at our death and resurrection but if we do otherwayes we can expect nothing but terrour sorrow and confusion Though we think little now of death and resurrection yet they wil come It is appointed for all men once to die and after death cometh judgement The soul will be called out of the body the body will be called out of the grave and both will be called before the Tribunall of GOD. If thou hearkned devotly and obediently to his Calling here Thou shalt lift up thine head then being confident that thy redemption draweth near When GOD sayeth to thy soul at death Come out thou shalt encourage it and say Go 〈◊〉 my soule fear nâ—t it is the Voice of my Beloved calling not to destroy but to save thee It is the voice of him who hath often called me before and whom I have answered by his Grace It is the Voice of him that I was longing for He said to me before Behold I come I have answered even so Amen LORD Iesus come But on the contrary if thou hast despised his gracious and mercifull Calling here thy terrour shall be unspeakable at death and at the resurrection He shall call when thy Lamp is not prepared and albeit thou would not be drawn by his Mercy his Justice shall draw thy soule out of thy body at death and thy body out of the grave at the resurrection although thou call then he will not heare but will say Depart from me I know thee not Long have I cast open the doore of my Mercy unto thee but thou would not enter and now it is shute O how terrible shall this Calling or rather Drawing of iustice be to the disobedient soule body Faine would they draw back into that very nothing out of which they were brought Therefore the wicked shall say then unto the hills and to the mountains fall upon us and cover us from the Face of him that sitteth upon the Throne and from the Face of the Lamb. Let us therefore while we have time thinke both upon his Mercy Justice These are the two armes of his Providence whereby he draweth to good and from evil MERCY is as it were his Right-Hand which is alluring and comfortable justice his Left-Hand which is terrifying and dreadfull Let us labour That his left hand may be vnder our head as the Spouse speaketh and that his right hand may embrace us that is let us thinke upon his gracious Promises that we may be allured to obey him and withall consider his dreadfull terrours that we may stand in awe to despise his invitations I will speake no more of this Now I proceed It is written in the prophets And they shall be all taught of GOD c. Here he confirmeth and cleareth what he said of the drawing of men to him by the Father He confirmeth it by the testimony of scripture It is written sayeth he in the prophets they shall be all taught of GOD. This testimony is expresly set down Isaiah 54. 13. Where the PROPHET speaking of the happy estate of the Church of the new Testament sayeth to her All thy children shall be taught of the LORD and great shall be their peace According to the sense it is also to be found else-where especially in the 31. 33. of Iâ—r where the LORD speaking of the Church of the new Testament sayeth After those dayes it shall come to passe that I will put my law in their hearts writ it in their inward parts and they shall be my people and I will be their GOD and they shall not teach every man his brother and every man his neighbour but they shall know me from the highest to the least sayeth the LORD For clearing of this yee are to understand that to be taught of God is nothing else but to have our minds enlightned by the knowledge of him and to have his love â—â—â—ed abroad in our hearts so that we obey him and that not out of the fear of punishment but out of the love of righteousnes Of this teaching the Prophet spake when he said Psal 94. 12. Blessed is the man whom thou chastisest and teachest out of thy law and when he said againe Teach me to do thy Will O GOD for it is good This our Saviour manifesteth in the next words wherein he explaineth what it is To be taught by GOD saying That such an one heareth and learneth of the Father and cometh to him that is he that is so taught understandeth and beleeveth that which the Father revealeth and embraceth it by sincere love and affection and so cometh to Christ by faith by hope by love and obedience Hence S. AUGUSTINE in his book of the Grace of Christ 12. and 13. chapters inferreth That this doctrine of the Father is nothing else but his heavenly Grace communicated to us whereby he maketh us not only to know what we should do but also to do what we know whereby he maketh us not only to beleeve that which should be loved but also to love that which we beleeve This is the doctrine of the Father whereby from on hye by his unspeakable Power inwardly he manifesteth his truth and communicateth to us the love of himself This also is manifest as S. AUGUSTINE observeth there from the 1. Thess 4. 9. where S. PAUL sayeth As for brotherly love yee have not need that I should write unto you for yee are taught of GOD to love one another So the Teaching of GOD maketh us not only to know what should be done but also to do that which we know And he that knowes and doeth not is not caught by God He is not taught according to grace but according to the law he is not taught according to the spirit but according to the letter Secondly Yee are to consider that our Saviour by urging
you have descrived Exod. 30. The similitude is remarkable First brotherly love wherof concord and peace is the fruit is like anoyntment An oyntment maketh souple and active and Love maketh us prepared and readie to every good work 2. It is like unto the Priestly oyntment That was an holy and an sacred thing so brotherly love consecrateth us to God and is not to be found but among the godly Peace is the fruit of the Spirit and springeth not but from him that is rooted in Christ the peace of the wicked is no true peace It is either not sincere but corrupted by some by respect of gaine or pleasure or not grounded upon the right foundation which is God 3. This Concord and Peace is not like to any oyntment poured on the Priests but like to that precious oyntment that was poured on the head of Aaron the High Priest and poured in suth aboundance upon him that it did runne down to his beard and to the hemme of his garment sending forth a most sweet smell wherby all that were present were refreshed so is the peace and love among brethren It is in it self a most excellent thing and most pleasant and comfortable to all that perceive it Wo to that man whom this sweet smell offendeth he cannot be but miserable The second comparison followeth As the dew of Hermon and as the dew c. Here also an excellent comparison The similitude is taken froÌ„ the dew dew descending on the mountains even the mountains of Hermon and Zion which were in the holy Land among the people of God the one upon the one side and the other upon the other side The dew is not onlie a pleasant but also a most profitable thing Rayn is somtimes harmefull but dew is never hurtfull On the contrarâ— it is most profitable to the earth especially to the mountains upon which the rayn lyeth not but tunneth down to the valleyes so Peace and Concord is a most fruitfull thing Wher it is preserved Religion learning justice wealth all good things abound 2. He compareth this Concord to dew upon the mountains and to the oyntment upon the head running thence to the beard to signifie that this Concord and Peace should be carefully keeped by those who are Heads and Rulers of people either in the Church or in the state that thence it may be convoyed to them that are inferiours If these that are most high and eminent be at variance what wonder that those who are lower follow their example but if they be joyned in Vnitie the like may easily be found among others 3. The dew cometh from heaven the earth hath no power of it self to bring it forth so this brotherly Concord is the gift of God It cometh from heaven and from heaven it must be earnestly sought by them who would have it But why I pray you doth all this good accompany brotherly Concord and Vnitie The reason is set down by the PROPHET in the next words For the Lord hath coÌ„manded a blessing there c. Here is the Fountaine whence all that good floweth which accompanyeth Peace God hath commanded his blessing to attend it where his blessing is there all good is for what he blesseth shall bee blessed indeed Hee hath commanded not only the blessings of this life to attend this unitie and love of brethren but even life for evermore which is begun in this life by that peace of God which passeth understanding that keepeth our hearts and mindes through Christ Iesus and shall be accomplished by that eternall peace which shall be in the sight of God for ever in the heavenly Ierusalem which signifieth as much as the vision of peace He that is united to his brother in God shall be blessed with that blessed union with God and he that is divyded from his brother to whom he should adhere in God shall be separated from God himself Hee will say to him Depart from mee ye cursed c. Thus David hath given us a short but a divine portracture of brotherly Concord wherby we may also perceive what Discord Division is If we look to brotherly Concord and behold her as hee comemndeth her Nothing in her face but beautie and sweetnessee nothing in her heart but love The songs of joy are in her mouth Wheresoever shee goeth shee sendeth fourth a sweet smelling savour like precious oyntment or like a field which the LORD hath blessed Her stepps drop fatnesse Shee is from heaven heavenly blessings attend her whersoever she goeth and in end Eternall blessing crowneth her One the contrar Division is as an horrible and hellish Monster Hatred is in her heart furie in her eyes horror is in her face destruction is in her hands shee sendeth forth most filthie and noysome smell both to God and man wheresoever shee steppeth there is desolation Did shee meete with the fields of Ninâ—ve or Babylon wher the garden of Eden was shee can make it a Wildernes can make grasse to grow in the streets of the most populous cities It is no blessing but a curse that followeth her and which will presse her down to eternall perdition In a word The very wicked spirits themselves abhorre this Monster of division among themselves and labour as much to hold her froÌ„ themselves as they are earnest to place her among others For if Satans kingdome were divided it could not stand saieth our Saviour From all this observe first the corruption of our nature which is such that we stand in neede to be exhorted to a thing so good so pleasant so blessed as brotherly unitie Neither need wee onlie to bee exhorted to it but the Spirit of God also thought fit to use reasons for this effect taken from our own utilitie and pleasure Hee might have said This is a thing that is righteous and which God hath commanded but he saieth to alluire us to this excellent good How good how pleasant is it for brethren to dwell together in unitie It is like the precious ointment like the fruitfull dew is accoÌ„panyed by assured blessing All this argueth our corruption pronnes to dissention which we should labour to be sensible of that we may strive against it that wee may earnestly beseech God whose gift this is as we said to send down this heavenly dew on our soules Our corrupt cankered nature striveth against it the divell laboureth by al means to deprive us of it It is well remarked by S. August in his book of the profit of fasting That the divell careth not much for the dissention of them that worship a false god because he hath them alreadie but he is most earnest to divide them who are the worshippers of the true God and have rejected his service he seeth he cannot divide the true God nor put an idoll in his place to make them to worship it and therefore he laboureth to make herefies and schismes and
contentions among them that so at least he may overcome them Beside all this our manifold sinnes deserve at Gods hands that he should suffer us to cast away this blessing of Peace and therefore in all these respects we ought carefullie to take heed to it to humble our selves under the hand of God to turne from our sinnes Drunkennesse whoredom profaning of the Lords Day Pryd malice and others our abominations and fervently to pray That the Lord yet would spare his people and 〈◊〉 give his inheritance to reproch and yet of his great goodnes continue peace in our Church in our State and in this citie among ourselves Secondly Observe that in so farre as we are exhorted to Vnitie and Concord which should bee among the saints in the Church of God wee are also exhorted to follow these vertues without which it cannot be obtained nor preserved and to â—lee these vices which fight directly against it or tend to the overthrow of it What are these yee will say I shall give you but two Humilitie and Meeknesse First Humilitie is necessar For by pride cometh contention saith the wise-man Let nothing be done through strife or vaine glorie saieth S. Paul exhorting to unitie Philipp 2. But let each one in humilitie think of another better then of himself So our Saviour saieth Learne of me for I am meek and lowlie in heart Alace if wee had this humilitie our contentions might soon be at an end it would make us think lesse of our own thoughts and not to despyse others Men that are given to trouble would consider that they are also men that they may erre aswell as others To erre in nothing saieth S. AUGUST is angelicall perfection to be deceived in somthings is a thing incident to humane infirmitie but for a man to love his own opinion so that for maintenance of it hee would fall in heresie or schisme is a divelish presumption saith he in his 2. book of Baptisme against the Donatists What came the Word of God from you or came it unto you only saieth S. Paul 1. Cor. 14. 36. Secondly Meeknesse is required Our Lord the Prince of peace requires this also in the place before cited The servaÌ„t of the Lord saieth S. Paul 2. Tim. 2. 24. must be gentle apt to teach patient In meeknes instructing them that are contrarie minded if peradventure God will give them repentance The good orthodox fathers of old dealt even so with those that were hereticks schismiticks Optatus Milivitan ' a godly ancient father in his first book against ParmeniaÌ„ calleth the Donatists brethren albeit these Donatists would no wayes acknowledge him and his fellowes for brethren S. Augustine in his 14. sermon upon the words of the Apostle speaking of them that were infected with the Pelagian errour Wee would gladlie wish that our brethren would not call us hereticks wee call them not so albeit it may be saieth he wee have reason wee beare with them in the bowels of pittie that they may bee healed and instructed They go too farre and it is hard to beare with them and a matter of great Patienâ—eâ— Let them not abuse the patience of the Church but be amended wee eâ—hâ—rt as friends and do not contend as enemies They reproach 〈◊〉 but wee beare with it They misregard Rules but cannot prevaile against the trueth And thus we have touched how Peace Vnitie should be preserved if in humilitie meeknes we subject our hearts unto it that the peace of God may rule in our hearts To conclude I beseech you to think highly of your Vnitie and to maintaine it carefully and earnestly Yee have seene for a long space blessed be God How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unitie Yee have found it as a most precious and sweet smelling ointment and as a most refreshing dew and God hath made many blessings to accompany it among you I beseech you to take heed that ye deprive not your selves of this benefit by hearkening to those that would make Division among you As for us that are your Pastors as we have preached truth so wee have preached alwayes this unitie and peace Wee have troubled the peace of none nor have meddled with any that belong not to us Wee are sorie for the divisions that we see elswhere Yee know that God who is the God of peace and love is grieved thereby that good men are displeased therewith that weak ones are offended and that to our adversaries this is great matter of rejoycing Wee heartly wish peace everie where and continually pray for it and are readie to promove it so far as we can with a good conscience But wee must not as it is well said by Gregorie Nazianzene in his 32. Oration affect peace with prejudice of truth that we may be called gentle and meeke Wee can do nothing against the truth but for the truth which wee are most willing to follow and maintaine in love The Lord open the eyes of all that they may see the truth and unite all our hearts that we all with one heart one soule may say Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unitie The Lord grant this and that for the merits of Christ to whom c. A SERMOM of Thanksgiving Upon LXV Psalme Novemb. 5. 1637. Vers 1. Praise waiteth for thee O God in Zion and unto thee 〈◊〉 the vow be performed 2. O thou that hearest praier unto thee shall all flesh come BEside the ordinarie service of this day wee are by Gods grace to offer to God an extraordinarie sacrifice of Praise and Thanksgiving for the benefite of Fertilitie wherewith hee hath blessed this yeare For this benefit I say which this land stood in so great neede of and whereof we were likly to be deprived by the tempestuous weather in the begining of harvest For the right performance of this duty I have made choise of a part of this most sweet divine psalme and song of Thanksgiving indyted by God to David and that as some think to be a paterne to the Church of God whereby her praise and thanks should be directed The blessed Prophet shortly compriseth in it the chief benefits bestowed upon man by God First he setteh down benefits spirituall namely the choising of men to be his people the hearing of their prayers the pardoning of their sins the sealing of them with his Spirit by the light wherof they know him and by the sweetnes whereof they are refreshed and satisfied in his house that is his Church 2. He considereth the goodnesse of God in establishing and defending the civill Estate against the furies of the divell and tumults of men that humane societie may be maintained and flowrish in honestie and peace aswell as in pietie 3. He expresseth the benefit of the fertilitie fruitfulnes of the earth redounding to the comfort both of man and beast which
and evil expediencie and inexpediencie that is in every thing and therefore not subject to any errour or change Hence I am chap. 1. 17. calleth him the Father of lights with whom is noâ— variablenesse neither shadow of turning Hence the Lord himself sayeth of himself Malach. 3. 6. I am the LORD I change not therefore yee sons of Iacob are not consumed Num. 23. 19. God is not as man that he should lie neither the son of man that he should repent hath he said and shall be not do it or hath he spoken and shall he not make it good To this same purpose David psal 102. speaking to God sayeth thou art the same and thy years shall have no end Thou art not now one and now another but alwayes one the same Thus we see his being is the same alwayes so are his decrees the counsell of his heart standeth and his thoughts throughout all generatioÌ„s Thus we see his unchangeablnes by reason whereof the PROPHET sayeth here Thou O Lord remainst Hence we may perceive that no change which we see in the creatures doeth any way affect God he made this world all things in it he changed them froÌ„ nothing to this being which they now have but without any change in himself When the shadow of thy face appeareth in a glasse there is no change in thy face from that which was before when thy foot leaveth an impression or mark in the way thy foot is nothing altered now what is the creature but as it were the shadow of the countenance of God A footstepe impression or smal resemblance of that perfection which is in him proceeding from him without any alteration of him at all so without any change he ruleth and governeth this world which he hath made albeit ther be innumerable changes or alterations in it yet he is touched with no new affections no new thought or counsel aryseth in his mynde Whatsoever counsell or purpose love or hatred lyking or disslyking is now in him was in him from all eternitie and what was in him is yet and shall be for all eternitie Once for al before the foundations of the world even froÌ„ everlasting he conceived and decreed what he would have done or permitted to be done in al succeding ages and by vertue of that his eternall decree all things come forth in their own times he remaining fixt and firme immutable in his most simple Unity and prime estate suppose that this world have its being and all the creatures especially men angels concurre to serve to worship to praise and enjoy him this addeth nothing to his inward joy or blesse or to any his inward perfections He had in himself without them the infinite fulnes of that he made them not to ripe any comfort or gaine by them but to communicate the super aboundace of his goodnes to make them partakers of his riches so far as they are capable On the other part Suppose the whole world al the creaturs therin should perish it would diminish nothing of the joy blesse of God For he hath infinite happines in himself which cannot be impaired as we haue shewn all the creatures ar in him in a most excellent manner in his wisdom in his power for in himself he beholds them and delights in them aswell as in themselves But it may be some man will say it seemeth that there may be some change in God since the scripture ascriveth repentance to him Gen. 6. 6. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth And the PROPHET expostulateth with him for forgetfulnesse I Ans That the scripture ascriveth these and the like things unto God condiscending to the weaknes of our capacity not to signifie that there is any such thing in God properly but to signifie that such effects come from him as use to proceed from repenting and forgetfull men Repentance properly taken in men presupposeth an errour or fault for the which the Penitent is grieved So Wrath includeth the flame of an incensed minde Mercie importeth the misery of a condoling heart Jealousie some inward dispite and envy Thus it is that these things are ascrived unto men but in God it is far otherwayes His Wrath Aâ—g 1. book against the Adversary of the Law and Prophets chap. 20. is nothing else but the revenge of sinne His Mercy is a succurring goodnesse His Jealousie in his Providence whereby he will not suffer them to go free or unpunished who love that which he forbiddeth so his Repentance is nothing else but an unlooked for clearing of things that are in his power IT importeth no change in him but in the outward effects which he altereth without any change in his Will or purpose Hence in 1. Sam. 15. 29. It is said The strength of Israel will not lie nor repent for he is not a man that he should repent albeit it be said a little before in that same chapter That he had repented that he had set up Saul to be King So when he repenteth he changeth things but is not changed when he is angriâ— he revengeth but is not moved when hee sheweth mercie he helpeth but is not grieved and when he is Jealous he afflicteth but is not afflicted In like manner when hee is said to remember or forget The speech is borrowed from men His Remembrance importeth his Love his Care and Protection and his Forgetfulnesse signifying that he leaveth or seemeth to leave men exposed to dangers This much of his Vnchangeablnesse Secondly It is to be observed That the PROPHET ascriveth this Vnchangeablnesse to God as proper to him and competent to no other Thou O Lord remainest as if he would have said This is thy prerogative O Lord thou and none but Thou remainest All other things whatsomever are changeable This World we see is full of changes alterations and nothing more certain then the uncertaintie of it and therefore the Apostle 1. Cor. 7. 31. compareth it to a Shew upon a stage where suddenly all things are altered The fashion saith he of this world passeth away So it is with our selves our bodies our soules and the whole man Our bodies are exposed to a perpetuall change Now they are in health incontinent in sicknesse now in strength and againe in weaknes All flesh is grasse and the goodlinesse therof as the flower of the field Isai 40 6. so that Every man this way in his best estate is altogether vanitie When God with rebukes corrects us for iniquitie he makes our beauty whatsomever is desirable in us as Davids word importeth Psal 39. to melt away or to consume like a moth Our soules albeit of a more excellent nature being spirituall and heavenly ar in like manner tossed to and fro with changes now they know now they are ignorant now againe they forget now they are moved with one affection againe with the contrare somtimes with love
also hurtfull whereas imploying our time aright we might treasure up to our selves a good fundatiō against the time to come to lay hold upon eternall life Secondly This should teach us not only to abstain from vain things but also earnestly to apply our hearts to the doing of these things which may further us to the obtaining of this eternall Kingdom Wee cannot come to this glorious Kingdome unlesse GOD reigne here in our hearts by his Grace and Spirit moving us to subject our selves to his Will and Commandements Who had better right to the Kingdom of God thē his own chosen and peculiar people the Jews They are called the children of the Kingdom Math. 8. 11. The promise of it was made to them The means of attaining it were so liberally offered unto them that they were in a manner already in possession of it and yet our Saviour sayeth That many shall come from the East and from the West and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdome of Heaven Whereas the children of the Kingdome shall be cast out To wit for disobedience to the will of God When they ceased to hallow the Name of God saieth S. CYPRIAN God continued his Kingdome no longer with them Let us not therfore flatter our selves with a vain hope of this Kingdom if wee walk not in the high way of wel-doing which leadeth unto it If God reign not in our hearts by his Grace here we shal never reign hereafter in Glory with him Good reason it should be so If we do otherwayes we but advance the Kingdome of Sathan his enemie what is drunknesse whordom malice pride oppression c. But the pillars of the devils kingdom when we follow after these things we set up his thron in our hearts howsoever we professe our selves to belong to the Kingdome of God say daylie with our mouths Let thy Kingdome come No wonder therefore that he deprive such of his Kingdome and give them their portion with him whose subjects or rather slaves they have been The Lord make us mindfull of these thing that for the merits of Christ Iesus to whom c. A SERMON UPON the XXVI Chap. of ISAIAH Vers 3. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee Vers 4. Trust yee in the Lord for ever for in the Lord IEHOVAH is everlasting strength THese words are a part of a song endyted by Gods Spirit to ISAIAH and delivered by him to the people of God not only for the comfort of them who were then but also for the comfort of all them who in following ages should bee in like manner distressed The PROPHET had foreseen and had foretold also that great calamities were to come upon the people of the Jews then Gods Church Namly that they should be lead in captivitie to Babylon there should be forced to endure what the furie of a cruel enemie pleased to inflict The consideration of this before it came to pass much more the feeling of it afterwards might have swallowed up that people with griefe dispair Therfore the holy PROPHET endyts to thē this song of thanksgiving not only that they might praise God after this māner when they should be delivered but also that in the time of their distresse their hearts might bee comforted and strengthned by the gracious Promises set down here their childrē might be brought up in this hope both the one the other though banished and as it were dead men might espy as it were Light in Darknes and Life in Death that their comfort might be the more full He praiseth God he she weth Gods gracious Purpose towards his people instructeth them what to do and exhorteth them to the performance of these duties which were required upon their part to make them partakers of the Promises All this he setteth down be way of a song that it might be the more easily learned the more firmly retained the better remarked by all posteritie There is nothing in holy scripture which is not excellent both for matter and words But the songs of it especially excell and of this kind there is none in all ISAIAH but this and that of HEZEKIAH in the 38. chap. for that which is called a song in the 5. chap. though it have the matter yet hath it not the forme and style of a song as this and that other before mentioned This much shortly for the generall I am come now to the words Thou will keep him c. In these words first is set down a gracious promise with an eye to the calamitees of the Jews that wer shortly to ensue as was said Thou wilt keep him c. 2. we have an exhortation to them and to all the godly to put their confidence alwayes in God Trust ye in the Lord Jehovah for ever c. To returne to the first we have in it first the benefit promised to wit That God will keep in perfect peace secondly the description of them whom he will so preserve even them whose mind is stayed on him that trust in him For thou wilt keep him c. First a little of the words then of the matter The words are pregnant peace is doubled in the originall Thou wilt keep him in peace peace c. In the hebrew language Peace is used to signifie not only that which we call so but also the aboundance and affluence of all the good which we can wish the word is redoubled in this place to signifie the Greatnes or Perfection the Continuance and Perpetuetie of this Peace Secondly it is not said only that God will give this peace but that he will keep a man in it and the word is pregnant signifying to preserve to defend to confirme that every way the joy of the godly may be full But let us now come to the matter First Peace is promised Peace is all that which a man desireth All the endevours all the actions of men bend to this even of them who are most turbulent by fire sword they seek for that Peace which is pleasant in their eyes Everie one that followeth his own will doeth or undoeth what seemeth good to him persueth after preferment riches pleasurs but seeking Peace and Rest which he imagines he will obtain when he gets that which he desireth Wherefore doth the greedie man toile and tormoile day and night but that he may say in end with the Rich man in the gospell Soul take thy rest thou hast much laid up c In a word the desires of our souls ar as it wer their motions and their Love their weight whereby they are still poused and moved in the persure and seeking of that which will give them Rest and Peace which if they could obtaine they should be happie for let the heart of man have once true Peace and Rest and it needs no more But what
they shall be forced to remember and that remembrance shall be one of their greatest torments What greater torment have the damned then to remember how often and how willingly God called upon them yet they refused to hearken unto him What greater torment then to remember how easilie they might have escaped these infinite and eternall torments and how easily they might have attained unto eternal joyes Let us therefore take heed than we forget not Christ and if we have forgotten him let us call to minde againe as S. Peter did whose remembrance was most fruitfull for He went out and weept bitterly There was bitternes and grief in his heart and aboundant tears in his eyes Neither at that time only did he weep but as it is reported by Clemens as long as he lived He weept when he heard the cock crow so that at last his tears drew furrows in his cheeks We reade not his words which may bee were chocked with aboundance of his tears but no doubt since he called to minde his sinne repented fruitfully he had thoughts or inward words both of sorrow and confidence When he thought upon his sinne we may well thinke he said within himself Alace miserable man what have I done How do I yet live who have denied him who is the life what wonder though the earth should swallow me up who have denied my Lord and redeemer O wicked mouth how could thou deny that thou knewest him who hath bestowed so many benefits upon thee cursed tongue how could thou abjure him who hath showed so many tokens of his love unto thee In like manner while he thought upon these words of Christ I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not we may think that he hath said within himself I will turne to him who hath turned to me I will look to him who hath looked to me It is he that hath said As I live I love not the death of a sinner I will cast my self down at his feet and say Master and LORD I have sinned against the heaven and against thee and am no more worthy now to be called thy Son Would God we would imitate the Apostle in these tears of unfeigned sorrow Nothing more pleasing to God No face so beautifull in his Eyes as that which is bluddered with tears The teares of a penitent are the pearles which he delighteth in Nothing more profitable to us Hast thou lost thy goods thy tears will not recover them againe Hast thou lost thy children thy tears will not bring them back againe Hast thou lost health thy tears will not make thee better but rather worse But if thou hast lost GOD and his Favour the tears of unfeigned sorrow can bring him back againe and who would not for recovering of so great a good with Peter here weep bitterly with Mary Magdalen wash his feet with tears and with DAVID make his bed to swime with them But it may be ye will say to me I would do so if Christ would turne and look upon me Is not Christ turned to thee when he speaketh to thee in his Word and inviteth thee to come to him doth he not turne and look unto thee when he offereth to thee his own Body and his Blood Look therefore unto him and look unto thy self Look to him sweating his own Blood crowned with thorns scourged buffetted denuded of his garments and all for thee Canst thou look upon this sight without tears what are the tears of thine eyes to the Blood of his sacred Body and to the sorrowes and travailes of his Soul look upon thy self consider thy ungratitude the filthines and defilment of thy soul and body how thou art exposed by thy sinnes to his dreadfull and eternall wrath If thou can consider this aright it will make thee to say with the PROPHET O that my head were waters and that my eyes were fountaines of teares that I might weep day and night Blessed are they that so sow in teares they shall reap in joy but â—o to them that will needs laugh now for they shall mourne and that without comfort for ever The Lord make us wise in time and that for the merits of Christ to whom with the Father c. A SERMON UPON the XV. Chapter of MATTHEW Vers 21. Then Iesus went thence and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon Vers 22. And behold a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cryed unto him saying Have mercy on me O LORD thou Sonne of David my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil Vers 23. But he answered her not a word And his disciples came and besought him saying Send her away for she cryeth after usâ—â— Vers 24. But he answered and said I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel Vers 25. Then came she and worshipped him saying Lord help me Vers 26. But he answered and said It is not meet to take the childrens bread and to cast it to dogs Vers 27. And she said Truth Lord yet the dogs eat of the crumbes which fall from their Masters table Vers 28. Then Jesus answered and said unto her O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt And her daughter was made whole from that very houre I Have made choise of these words at this time which containe a most notable historie and most fit for the worke which we have in hand this day for in it is set before us an exact paterne teaching us how to pray and how to wrestle with God so as we may prevaile and have a blessed successe as the woman here mentioned had who prayed with such faith confidence humilitie and invincible constancie that not only obtained she her desire but much more O woman said our Saviour unto her great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt The historie is very easie and and plaine and requireth not so much to be explained as to be remarked and applyed Three things are chiefly considerable in it First the description of the person so much commended here Secondly her carriage toward Christ and his behaviour toward her Thirdly the obtaining of her suite and praise of her faith To come to the first The person that was here a supplicant to our Lord was a woman One of the weaker sex by which the devill first prevailed against man expelled him from paradise and the joyes of it Secondly she was a gentile or a heathen woman as S. Mark telleth us she was none of the peculiar people of God but a greek as it is in the original which according to the phrase of scripture is as much as a gentile and so a stranger from the Common-wealth of Israel and had her being among them who worshiped the devil in stead of the true God Thirdly yet more she was a Canaanite as S. Mathew calleth her S. Mark calleth her a Syrophenician both which agree
blessed as his Angels and as himself is This is our salvation and this is our last end the right way leading to it is to know GOD here to Love Him to Reverence Praise and Serve Him in holinesse without which none shall see His Face To help us forward to this end GOD hath made these inferiour creatures and hath given us the use of them They all proclaime to us the Perfection and Excellencie of their Maker and invite us to know and love Him in Whom these Perfections are infinitely greater then in them and who hath given them these Perfections more for our good then for theirs They are appointed as means to help us to serve our LORD to save out selves and that this might be done the more effectually and cheerfully He hath made so many so beautifull so admirable creatures serving not only for necessity but also for delight Hence the beauty of colours harmonie of sounds pleasantnesse of odours sweetnesse of meat and drinke softnesse of rayment plenty of fruits preciousnesse of gold silver and jewels c. All this I say is not that our hearts may go a whoring after these things but that by them we may be furthered toward our last end to wit GOD Himself This if we attaine unto happy are we We have obtained the true good in which there is no mixture of evil the perfect good in which there is no defect and in which is all perfection GOD is an Infinite Ocean of Goodnesse Able to satisfie our desires in all things In Him is infinite Light Beauty Truth Love Power Safety therefore in the possession of so infinite a good there is an unspeakable joy and perfect peace but on the contrary if we losse this true and last end we have lost all true good all joy all peace and in stead thereof incurre Damnation and Eternall Torment Hence followeth That if we would be truly wise and eschew this damnable folly we should take heed that our affection be not inordinate in any thing whether in our wealth or pleasure or health or life These things should be desired of us only so far forth as they are able to procure our salvation promove us in the way to our last end It is therfore neither health nor sicknes nor riches nor poverty nor honour nor dishonour that we should seek but that which is most fit to bring us to our true end so much of that as God knoweth to be expedient for true wisdome teacheth not to take more of the means then is convenient for the end Secondly Hence followeth that nothing in true wisdom should be extreamly shuned but that which is contrary to the obtaining of this our end That which directly crosseth it is neither sicknesse nor poverty nor basnes of birth nor disgrace nor rudnes of knowledge for a man may have all these and yet be saved but it is sinne By this directly we go out of the right way we deny GOD in effect and place our last end in some of the creatures and therefore S. PAUL sayeth That the belly of the glutton and the gold of the covetons is his GOD. So give a man all the world let the whol countrey think him the wisest man therin if he sin against God he is a foole if he have no other thing else yet if he serve him he is truly WISE Who is wise and he shall understand who is prudent and he shall know these things Hos 14. 9. But let us now come to the Sentence of GOD. This night c. He proveth his folly from the effect of it as if he would have said behold thy folly and imprudence thou thinkest to live many years to enjoy thy goods but thou shalt not live so much as to the morrow For this night c. This night This she weth that his consultation was in the night time the care of his riches bereaved him of sleep and made him anxiously to be thinking on them when he should have been at rest This is not one of the least evils of riches that the care to gather preserve and imploy them spend so much time unto us which is a thing most precious so that often they give us no leasure to naturall refreshment and farrelesse to do that which belongeth to the Service of our GOD salvation of our souls THEOPHYLAC addeth That it was sitly in the night that he had such thoughts for the desire of his riches had blinded him and had made him to be in a night of grosse darknes whence all his thoughts and consultations were but dreams of felicity Observe here how dreadfull is the Sentence of GOD against this man 1. His death is sudden even that same night It is a fearfull and dangerous thing to be taken away in a moment Iob 34. 20. To be snatched away suddenly there is none but would shune this and therefore it hath been one of the petitions of the christian Church in her service From sudden death LORD deliver us To die leasurely is more painfull indeed for the body somtimes then to be despatched suddenly but very advantagious for the soul It giveth a man time to call himself to just account of things past it giveth him leasure to censure unpartially the pleasures of sinne and vanities of this world to detaste them and to mourne for them and so to perfect repentance The Joyes of heaven have leasure also to present themselves unto our minde and thus a man by means of departing at leasure may exercise noble acts of faith love hope and patience By means of it he may also do great good to others It giveth him occasion to advise prudently of bestowing charity It giveth opportunity of giving instruction and comfort to others of prayer for them and in a word of teaching men how to die a right Thus Moses Joshâ—ah and David died and so all good men would wish to die but this was denied to this wretch he is snatched away suddenly even away that night Secondly He dies in his folly which was yet farre more fearfull If a man be in a right and wise course though death come suddenly yet it cannot prejudge his salvation but to be seized upon by death in the very hight of our folly is a very dreadfull thing The godly want not their own folly but they perceive and amend it in time This is the misery of the wicked that they perceive not their folly till they be taken in it and feele the smart of it by death and judgement This should teach us to pray to God to give us respet at death if it be his Will and howsoever that death take us not in the midst of our folly but that in respect of our prepared minds it never be sudden for this cause we should be ever on our guarde alwayes carefull to shune that folly which migh prejudge our souls if death should overtake
speaketh This is that which the devote soule desireth in the first of the Canticles 4. Draw me and wee will rune after thee Of this drawing chiefly as I said these words are to be understood It hath sundry excellent properties whereof I shall touch but some 1. It is so necessar unto us That without it none can come to Christ as our Saviour saith here which he also mainly intends in this place If out Saviour had not called upon Lazarus when he was in his grave with a mighty Voice saying Lazarus come forth he should have remained there still untill he had returned into the dust Even so except the Voice of GOD Call and Draw us out of our corruption we can never come out of it Without me sayeth our LORD Yee can do nothing We are not sufficient of our selves as of our selves to thinke a good thought but all our sufficiency is of GOD. 2. Cor. 3. 5. Our minds are full of blindnes vanity and forgetfulnes our wills are perverse and bent to evil and our spirituall enemies are mighty Yea beside that these actions whereby we must follow GOD are sublime heavenly and supernaturall which nature of it self can never reach unto If the body of a man be able and found he may indeed walke and rune yet can he not slie because that is above the reach and power of nature even so although there were not that corruptions in us which is indeed in us yet without the speciall Assistance of GOD we could never mount up to these high heavenly actions whereby we follow Christ by believing his Truth by loving his Goodnes and hoping in his Mercy It is necessary therefore that we be furnished by him with new Strength whereby he draweth us and inableth us to follow after him He giveth us the eye of Faith whereby we may beleeve meditate contemplate these mysteries which are necessary to be known for our salvation God saieth S. PAUL 2. Cor. 4. who commanded light to shine out of darknes hath made his Light to shine in our hearts He giveth to our soules the spirituall feet or rather wings of Hope and Love by which we may follow after him They that wait upon the LORD Isa 40. 31. shall renew their strength they shall mount up as the â—agels they shall run and not be weary they shall walk not be faine Love and Hope which are the affections of the soul are as it were the feet of it whereby it moveth toward that which it apprehendeth as Good Love is the chief affection and as it were the right foot Thence ariseth desire of Good when it is absent joy of Good when it is present hatred of the contrary evill feare of that evil when it approacheth and sorrow for it when it seizeth on us Hope is as it were the least foot of the soule whereby we move toward that Good which is hard to be obtained From it ariseth boldnes courage magnanimity constancie to endure travails and troubles anger zeale to resist impediments But this Love and Hope simply considered will never leade us in the way to Christ and therefore as God giveth us Faith to be a spirituall eye so he giveth us supernaturall Love and Hope to be the feet of our soule whereby we may move and runne after Christ in the way of the obedience of these commandements which by the light of faith are manifested to us yet so as we chiefly leane to the Love of GOD and our neighbour which is as I said the right and chief foot whereby our hope is strengthened and confirmed For hope maketh us not ashamed because the Love of GOD is shed abroad iâ— our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given us Rom. 5. 5. To conclude this point then This drawing is so necessary that without It noné did ever come or shall ever come to Christ Of our selves we can with these Jews murmure at his Words disassent from them but cannot beleeve them farrelesse can we love him and trust in his mercy Without common calling spoken of before none can come at all in any measure and without this effectuall drawing none can come as he ought Secondly This drawing of the Father is not necessary only for one moment but is a continued and perpetuall assistance We cannot begin without it nor without it can wee end It is GOD that worketh in us both to will and to do Some thought that the beginning of our conversion is from our solves but most falsly There is no good thought nor good affection in us but from God till he preveene and excite us we can neither seek nor desire as we ought The devote soule had never said Draw me and we will ran after thee except in some measure before she had been drawn and excited to seek and to desire to run after Christ Therefore our LORD saieth Behold I stand at the doore I knock He knocketh before we open yea he softneth he openeth it as he did the heart of Lydia Our endevours are none at all saieth S. BERNARD except they be excited He saith Seek my Face before we answer Thy Face LORD I will seek hide not thy Face from me neither cast away thy servant in displeasure So on the other part our endevours are but in vaine if they be not still assisted accompanied by the powerfull Grace of GOD. Hence David sayeth in that same place before cited Thou hast been my help leave me not neither forsake me O GOD of my salvation I have laboured more abundantly then all the Apostles sayeth S. PAUL yet not I but the Grace of God that is within me Albeit we be set in the right way yet can wee not go a foot except Christ bee with us Except thy Presence go with us take us not hence said MOSES to the LORD Exod. 33. who answered him My Presence shall go before thee and give thee rest Whence is it that Godly men do not only follow Christ but think his yoake easie and his burden light because Christ his Grace is alwayes with them supporting strengthening comforting them Hence the deniall of themselves seemeth easie their patience sweet their humility glorious their prayers and devetion pleasant and joyfull Christ going before them also as it were from whose precious oyntments so sweet a smell proceedeth as allureth and draweth after him those that do perceive them His divine Perfections are as it were these precious oyntments especally his Mercy Wisdome and Holines all which send forth a sweet flagrant smell which is most powerfull to draw after him what are his gracious Promises and manifold Blessings his heavenly Illustrations his divine Consolations and most sweet affections of devotion but as it were the sweet and flagrant smell of his Mercy What is his word which is the word of life that discovereth to us the way of salvation but as it were the sweet savour of his Wisdome So all
this Teaching of GOD this hearing and learning of the Father doeth not condemne the outward ministrie of preaching or deny the necessity of it ordinarly For our Lord himself at this time was preaching outwardly the word and S. PAUL accordingly Rom. 10. 17. tels us That faith is by hearing for which effect preaching is needfull and therefore he with the Prophet sayeth there how beautifull upon the mountaines are the feet of them that bring glad tydings that bring glade tydings of good things Hence we reade in the 8. of the Acts that when it was the Will of God to convert the Ethiopian Eunuâ—h he miraculously sent Philip to him by an angell but he would not convert him by the Angell But you will say If man have any hand in this teaching Why is it called the teaching of God I Ans It is called so justly First Because the Word that is preached is not the word of man but the Word of God 2. Because man concurreth onely but outwardly as an instrument proposing the Word but it is God who worketh inwardly upon the soule he hath his Chayre in heaven that teacheth the heart without whose powerfull assistance all our words are but an empty sound as S. AUGUSTINE speaketh in his 3. Treatise upon the 1. Epist of S. John so writting on the same place he saieth God is the teacher of them that learne because that which is given and revealed within is from him Paul may plant and Apollo may water but it is God that giveth the increase so neither is he that planteth nor he that watereth any thing but God who giveth the increase 1. Cor. 3. 7. So then our Saviour by commending the teaching of God the bearing learning from the Father doth not exclude the necessity of the out Ministry but sheweth the power and efficacie of God Who is the principall Agent But it may be some man will yet say If no more be imported here by this teaching of God then that which hath been said it would seeme that there should be no difference in this betwixt them who lived under the Old Testament and those who live now under the New Which difference is plainly intended both by our Saviour by the Prophet There would seem I say to be no difference because God concurreth with his word preached then also and it was he that did work faith and love in the hearts of men I Ans This is true yet notwithstanding there is a great difference for the teaching of God then ordinarly was limitate to one Nation whereas now it is offered to all the world throughout al the world al the Children of the church of the Faithful are made really partakers of it 2. The manner of teaching now is more excellent because the Revellation of God is more cleare and the Love of God more aboundantly poured into the hearts of men Whence the PROPHET Isaiah Chap. 11. 7. speaking of this time saith That the whol earth shal be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea Now let us come to the Vses of this Doctrin First Wee may learne hence That we have no ground from this place to leane to private Revelations motions not warranted by the Word of God as if without the Meanes we might be taught by God and learne from him Some Phantastick persons in this last age have gone exceeding farre this way and by this mad conceat have stirred up horrible Confusions and have drawn many with themselves into perdition Farre be it from us to imagine any such thing God hath ordained meanes whereinto although he hath not tyed himself yet hath he tyed us to these meanes to wit his Word his Sacraments Prayer Meditation these ar as it were the conduits of his grace as it wer the veins by which we must search after the heavenly Wisdom If thou neglect the meanes thou but temptest God deceivest thine own soul And though the meanes seem to thy carnal minde base yet remember they are the Ordinances of God Nâ—aaman thought little of the the waters of Iordon he said The revers of Damascus were better thâ—n all the waters of Israel he disdained to go there and put off his clothes and waâ—h seven times in it at he was commanded but had he not used this meanâ— he had gone home as Leprous as he came forth Secondly Wee should consider That our Heart is deceatful and Sathan is subtill who can transforme himself into an Angel of light and make us beleeve that his Illusions and Fancies of our own hearts are the Inspirations of God when wee take not heed unto Gods word Many are deceived in this kind Some think their own Conceats to be the very light of God when indeed there is in them nothing but darknesse their carnal affections to bee the motions of Gods Spirit their wrath they think Zeale their pride courage c. And this deceat is commonly incident to proud and presumptuous men yea somtimes the saints of GOD are in some measure this way deceived and think the Indictment of their own spirit to proceed from God himself So we see Nathan being consulted by David concerning the building of the Temple said unto him Go and do all that is in â—hine heart for the Lord is with thee yet in the meane time the Lord had not said so as Gregory observeth For he appeared immediatly thereafter and forbade the Work albeit he approved the Intention Upon the other part men somtimes are so deceived in this kinde that they think that to bee but a Fancie of their own which is indeed the motion of the Spirit of God and so also it pleased God somtimes to exercise his own in time of temptations that they may be the more tryed and that they may grow in humility and other vertues These are like to the Disciples S. Mark 6. 49. who in the Tempest when they saw our LORD himself walking on the waters they thought it was but a Ghost Thus somtimes we take evill for good and good for evill and therefore we must not seperate the inward Word from the outward Wee must not beleeve every spirit but wee must try the spirits if they be of God Wee ought to try them by the Word of God and should have our recourse diligently to them to whom the dispensation of the Word is committed who should be more skillfull in discerning of the spirits according to Gods Word which is committed unto them To conclude this point then we ought not to despise the outward meant but should highly esteeme of them and should greatly praise GOD for the occasion which we have of them We have particular reason of thankfullnes in this respect There is no Nation under heaven with which GOD hath dealt more bountifully in this kinde then with us who live in these three NATION ES. No Nation hath the Gospell in greater plenty and purity No Nation
conceiveth for the offence of God or because he hath done that which is displeasing and hatefull to God and therefore this sorrow which is according to God is a sorrow for our sinnes Nothing offendeth him but sinne and every sinne offendeth him for all sinne is done in Thought word or deed against his eternall LAW and his eternall LAW is his supreame and eternall Reason which is nothing else but GOD himself so that whosoever sinneth shaketh off the Yoke and Obedience of GOD and turneth his enemie and in some sort trampleth his Law under foot But here it is to be observed that every Sorrow for sinne is not this godly sorrow or sorrow according to God For first a maÌ„ may be grieved for his sinnes because there is in them a repugnancy and filthines contrary to the honesty beauty of humane reason Such a Sorrow a naturall man may have but if he rise not up higher he hath not come unto that Sorrow which is according to GOD. 2. A man may be grieved for his sinnes because of the harme and damnage that he hath thereby because thereby he hath lost his credit or good name his means his health and which is most of all because thereby he hath lost eternall joyes and hath encurred endles and intollerable paines If a man in his Sorrow regard no more but this he hath not yet attained to that Sorrow which is according to GOD. If one man have offended another suppose he be grieved for that he hath done yet if in this griefe he hath no respect to him whom he hath offended that his Sorrow availeth nothing for obtaining reconciliation with the partie offended even so whatsoever he a mans griefe for his sinnes if he have not regard to God in that his Sorrow it availeth nothing Therefore this Sorrow which is according to God is not only for our sinnes but also and chiefly it is for this that thereby we have offended God and have deprived our selves of his Favour Such a Sorrow is justly said to be Godly or according to GOD for the ground of it is the Love of God which maketh us when we have him to rejoyce and to acquiesce in him as our true and soveraigne Good which we declare by a contempt of the world whileat we use the good things of it as if we used them not and rejoyce in the midst of the tribulations of it According to that In the world yeâ— shall have trouble but in me yee shall have joy And on the contrary when we losse GOD it maketh us grieved above all thing that we have offended him and are deprived of him 2. This Sorrow is justly called a Godly Sorrow for it is God that worketh it in us By nature we are blinde and see not the Offence of GOD nor how great an evil it is and we are so farre from being grieved for these things which offend him that on the contrary we take delight therein It is only God that openeth our eyes and taketh away the heart of stone and molifieth our heares that they may melt with Sorrow for the offence of him 3. This is a Sorrow according to God because we undertake this Sorrow that we may restore to God his Honour which by sinning we have impared so much as was in us and that we may pacifie him and by recovering his Favour againe may obtaine health and life unto our wounded and dead souls which life standeth in the Favour of God and in our union with him Thus yee see what is that Sorrow according to GOD here recommended to us There is no man knoweth what God and what himself is but may easily perceive how great reason sinners have to have this kinde of Sorrow GOD is Almighty whose Power none can resist What and how lamentable madnes then is it for us miserable wormes to lift up our hornes against him who can trample us down in a moment to the lowest hells GOD is Alsufficient and standeth in need of none our goodnes extendeth not to him Psal 16. How much then is it to be lamented that we who in him live and move and have our being most dayly beg from his infinite bounty all that we stand in need of should forget and despise him GOD is the rock of ages he alone hath immortality his estate is immutability He remaineth still the same and his Years change not Alace then what madnes is it for us Whose life is but a vapour quickly vanishing away who begane to be but yesterday and tomorrow are not What madnes is it I say for us so fraile creatures to provoke such in one he is only WISE Searching the heart and trying the times so that nothing can bee hid from him what folly then and what matter of Sorrow is it that we should trust so to our 〈◊〉 as if we could hide our wicked counsels and courseâ— from him â— GOD is the 〈◊〉 and supreame Lord is of all his creaâ—â—res so of us and therefore when we sinne we withdraw our selves from his Obedience 〈◊〉 against him and set up the creature in his stead Lastly He is our loving and bountifull Father who hath loadened us with BLESSINGS He hath made us and not we our selves He hath redeemed us by the Blood of his Son He upholdeth us and provideth for us every moment He hath called us to the hope of his Glory As many members as there are in our body as many creatures as there are in this world as many dayes and hours as have gone over our heads so many testimonies have we of his Goodnes and Love And what a monstrous thing then is it that we should bee so wicked children that not only we forget but do also what we can to trample under our feet so good a Father Beside all this wherefore do we offend so great a LORD and so loving a Father for some triffling pelfe or transitory pleasure We lay this in the one scale of the ballance as it were and GOD in the other and preferre this pelfe and this pleasure even to God himself Who can consider this and keep his heart from melting with Sorrow which if any attaine unto he hath obtained this Godly Sorrow or that Sorrow which is according unto GOD. Thus yee see what kinde of Sorrow we ought to have for our sinnes which if it be kindly wee will never sufficiently satisfie our selves in it Marie Magdalen had such a Sorrow and it made her to wash the feet of Christ with tears and to wipe them with the haire of her head Luk. 7. 38. DAVID had this Sorrow and it was so effectuall in him that he sayeth in the 6. Psal I am weary with my groaning all the night I make my bed to swine and I water my couch with tears So if this Sorrow wer in us It would make our eyes to run down with tears our eye lids to gush out with waters Ier. 9. 18 But alace how