ever it is fit for him he will come If he should come sooner he would come too soon if afterward it would be too late He is the best discerner of times and seasons that can be and therefore wait his leasure If thou want comfort humble soul whatsoever thou art wait his leasure certainly he knoweth the best time and when the time is come he will come He that will come shall come there is no question of that Now as he sent her in all hast preferring it before any Complement to his own person so it is a constant love as it is a quick love that God bears to his Children so it is a constant invincible love They had dealt most unbrotherly with him for every one had forsaken him and Peter had denyed him yet go tell my Brethren One would think this water would have quenched this fire this unkind and unbrotherly dealing would have quenched this love in Christs breast It is true if it had been the meer love of man it had been something but it was the love of an infinite person that took our nature out of love and therefore it was a constant and invincible love nothing could conquer it not the thoughts of their unkind dealings no not their denying and forsaking of him But still go tell my Brethren Love is strong as death Death could not hold Christ in the grave but love held him on the Crosse When he came to the work of our Redemption love then held him on earth but when he was in the grave it brake through all there Indeed it was stronger then death in Christ Why is Christs love so constant so invincible that nothing can alter it The ground of it is it is free love He fetcheth the ground of his love from his own heart not from our worthiness or unworthiness but from his own freedom and Gods eternal purpose God hath purposed to save so many and those and no more he giveth to Christ to save And God looketh on his own purpose and Christs free love and that is the ground of all And therefore whom he loveth he loveth to the end because he looked on us in his election The Lord knoweth who are his the foundation is so sure if once we be Gods we are ever Gods For Christ looks on us in Gods election therefore if ever he sheweth his love to us once his love and for ever his love If any thing in man could hinder it it would have hindered it at our first conversion when we were at worst even enemies if nothing could hinder it then what can hinder it afterwards as the Apostle reasoneth strongly Rom. 5. 10. If we be reconciled by his death much more will he save us by his life If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son now much more being reconciled shall we be saved by his life If when we had no goodness but opposition and rebellion in us we were saved by his death Christ is much more able to save us now by his life triumphing over death and being glorious in the Heavens Oh but saith the poor soul I am a poor weak Creature and ready to fall away every day I but Christs love is constant whom he loveth he loveth to the end What saith the Apostle Rom. 8. neither things present nor things to come shall be able to separate us from the love of Christ and therefore be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might do not trust to your selves nor trouble your selves for things to come If thou be free from guilt of former sins never question time to come God is unchangeable in his nature unchangeable in his love He is Jehovah I am alwayes not I was or will be but I am alwayes If ever he loved thee he will love thee for ever You see the constancy of Christs love go tell my Brethren now when they had most deeply offended him they were Renegadoes having all left him and then when he had most need of their comfort being in greatest extremity and yet go tell my Brethren Beloved let us not lose the comfort of the constancy and immutability of Christs love Let us conceive that all the sweet links of salvation are held on Gods part strong not on ours the firmness is on Gods part not on ours Election is firm on Gods part not on ours We chuse indeed as he chuseth us but the firmness is of his chusing so he calleth us we answer but the firmness is of his action He justifieth we are made righteous but the firmness is of his imputation Will he forgive sins to day and bring us into Court and damn us to morrow no the firmnesse is of his action We are ready to run into new debts every day but whom he justifieth he will glorifie The whole chain so holdeth that all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth cannot break a link of it whom he calleth he will justifie and glorifie therefore never doubt of continuance for it holds firm on Gods part not thine God imbraceth us in the arms of his everlasting love not that we imbraced him first When the Child falleth not it is from the Mothers holding the Child and not from the Childs holding the Mother So it is Gods holding of us knowing of us imbracing of us and justifying of us that maketh the state firm and not ours for ours is but a reflexion and result of his which is unvariable The sight of the Sun varieth but the Sun in the Firmament keepeth alwayes his constant course so Gods love is as the Sun invariable and for ever the same I only touch it as the foundation of wonderful comfort which they undermine that hold the contrary The next point is that Christ chose Mary to go tell his Brethren and under the sweet title of Brethren to deliver this sweet message I am going to my Father and your Father to my God and your God He telleth them the sweetest words in the worst times This point differeth from the former thus The former was that Christs love is constant and alwayes the same but now Christ most sheweth his love when we are most cast down in the worst times if our casting down be with repentance He never said Brethren before but reserved the tearm of Brethren for the worst time of all The sweetest discoveries of Christ are in the worst times of all to his Children Mothers will bring out any thing to their Children that is sweet comfortable to them in their sicknesse though they frowned on them before yet the exigency of the Child requires it when there is need any thing cometh out that may please the Child The poor Disciples were not only in affliction being the scorn of the world the Shepheard being smitten and the sheep scattered but their inward grief was greater they were inwardly confounded and
he hath called us effectually when we answer Gods call when he biddeth us believe he giveth us an influence of power to be able to say I believe Lord help my unbelief We may know he loveth us when we reflect love again and love him we may know he compasseth us when we imbrace him we may know he delighteth in us when we can delight in him and his Servants Whence is the strength of this Argument from hence All good things whatsoever we do from God is but by reflection God shineth on us first God owneth us for his first and God must do so in the order of causes God being the spring of all goodness he must begin we love him because he loved us first else we could never love him therefore if we love him and his truth he loveth us that is sure VVhat have I in Heaven but thee and in earth in comparison of thee surely he owneth us because in order of causes we can have nothing but from him first 2. And then again out of the nature of conscience if we can go boldly to him as a reconciled God notwithstanding guilt of conscience it is a sign he hath obtained peace of conscience because it is the nature of conscience if it hath not peace from God not to dare to appear in Gods presence So then when there is inward peace and love answering to Gods love choice answerable to Gods choice apprehending of him answerable to his apprehension this reflection and return and rebounding back to God is an invincible argument that God hath first shined upon that soul God sometimes will let us see things in the effect and hide them in thecause Perhaps he wil not perswade bâ— his spirit that he loveth us hath chosen us and that we are his but he will work something in our hearts because he will have us search our spirits what good thing he hath wrought what love what choice of the best side are in any of these surely then God is theirs though there be not an open voice yet we may know God hath loved this soul and spoken peace to that soul because we can return nothing to God but he must shine on us first Therefore beloved let us make use of this and let us take heed of sacrilegious usurpations that we do not usurp upon Gods house or God in a peculiar respect Indeed we may come to God as his Creatures we are the workmanship of thy hands and say the truth though we be in a wicked course of life but to say thou art my God in Christ I am thine thou hast chosen me for thine when we have not chosen him for our God nor loved him nor his cause nor sided with him nor have any stamp of him on the soul have nothing but common favour that castawayes have as well as we and the Devils as well as we for the Devilâ— go beyond all men in parts and yet to usurp the prerogative of being Gods in a peculiar manner and to be bold with the holy things of God as if we were of his family this is a dangerous usurpation take heed of it And therefore they that live in courses of rebellion and resolve not to mend they take the holy things of God as the Psalmist speaks Psal 50. in an holy indignation what art thou that takest my word in thy mouth since thou hatest to be reformed Thou art an enemy to God and goodness and wilt be so thou art in a course of rebellion and wilt be so The Devils works you do and will do can we not take the word of the Covenant into our mouths and shall we take the seal of the Covenant therefore resolve to amend else have nothing to do with God do not add one sin to another It is Childrens food and not for Doggs it belongeth to them of the family If thou be none of the Family what hast thou to do with them If thou be of the Family whatsoever thy infirmities are thou maist come boldly for the seals are to strengthen our weak faith When the Father is Father of a Child the Father will not cast away the Child for breaking out with deformity or lameness when God hath taken us into his Family infirmities cannot discard us But I speak of them that in a wilful opposite course of sin shew they never had to do with God in familiar entercourse God never gave them a spirit to alter their natures Propriety and proportion and suitableness of disposition go together propriety joyneth with suitableness where God owneth any man he makes them like himself by his word and spirit that their natures shall be even and agreeable to holy things shall have a tast of holy things And where there is not suitableness of holy things there is no propriety Will God own a man and not make him suitable will God take his friend and not give him a friendly nature he will not for he first fitteth our natures for communion with himself else there can be no propriety Let us not deceive our selves but if vve find some beginnings of grace and can say without arrogancy or usurpation doubtless thou art our Father our God we be not worthy to be thine but we be thine If we finde something that cast-awayes cannot have some grief of heart for sin some faith some little measure of love some love of truth and inclination to the best things then we may come boldly to increase our familiarity and communion with God but otherwise it is dangerous to come to God we approach a consuming fire who shall dwell in everlasting burnings say they in Isaiah and if God be not in covenant with us oh he will be consuming fire everlasting burnings and we but stubble it will increase spiritual judgment in us hardness of heart and going on from sin to sin till we be accursed for sin therefore it is a fearful thing to be given up to hardness of heart they that do continue in sin God giveth them up to hardness of heart to be insensible of his dealings with them Vse 3. If we can in any degree make it good that God is our God and we his people then let us make use of it for our comfort in all times that we have a God to go to though we have no friend in the world yet we have him in whom all friends meet If we have no comfort here yet we have him in whom all comforts meet for all concenter in him He hath Father and friends and worth and grace and peace and comfort in him and all is in him if we go to him we shall find a confluence of every thing that is good suitable to any necessity of ours And therefore let us learn to single out of God whatsoever may help us to be in covenant with him He having made himself over to be ours let us learn this wisdom to single out
again from the dead our Lord Jesus the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting Covenant By the blood of Christ there is an everlasting Covenant God will be our God to death and in death and for ever For this relation being on Gods part extendeth it self from forgiveness of sins to life everlasting It is alwayes the blood of Christ is the blood of an everlasting Covenant I will marry thee to me for ever It holdeth sure on Gods part Let us therefore labor to maintain this assurance of salvation from Gods love 2. But for our comfort we must do our parts too though it begin with God It beginneth on Gods part He loveth us first and imbraceth us first and we must love again and imbrace again We must desire of God grace to answer relation Therefore I will prescribe some rules how we may say God is our God with comfort That we may have the comfort of it by making good our interest in him to make it good that we are Sonnes as well as to call him Father that we are his people as well as to call him our God his spouse as well as call him our Husband And because this cometh from God joyn this withall our endeavors Lord thou must begin I desire to shew my self as a spouse to thee but thou must discover thy self to me I desire to love thee but discover thy love first all I can do is but reflection Thou must shine on me first so desire God to reveal himself more and more in Christ Jesus and then we cannot but carry our selves to him as we should do in our Relation This day we must perform the relation on our sides there be two words that go to this heavenly bargain The Covenant consisteth of two parts Now deâ—ire God by his grace to inable us to do our part for he doth both And desire him according to his promise to teach us to love him and to write his Law in our hearts to do what is good and circumcise our hearts and give his holy spirit We aske no more then he hath promised and so go boldly to him Lord thou hast made a Covenant with us we cannot keep it without thee thou hast not only promised grace and gifts but the grace to perform the Covenant on our parts must come from thee And this God will do therefore in the use of means attend upon him and looking to him we shall have grace to do our parts and then maintain this assurance without which we cannot live as Christians should live That we may further maintain this Relation that God is our God Let us labor to get into Christ for it is in him that God is our Father and to grow up in Christ to growe more and more to grow up in faith and in all grace A gratious Christian never wanteth arguments of assurance of salvation It is the dead-hearted Christian the careless Christian therefore labor as to be in Christ so to grow up in the knowledge of Christ And so to know God in Christ labor to see the face of God in Christ for in him are all the beams of his love as the beames of the Sun in a glasse are gathered so the beams of all Gods love meet in Christ So lovely is God in Christ whatsoever we have in Christ it is from God in Christ And whatsoever we have from God it is through Christ therefore growe in the knowledge of Christ in faith in Christ To this end are the Sacraments that we might growe up in him and be fed into Christ And then we may make right use of it as the Ordinance that God hath sanctified for this end And as God doth take us out set a stamp upoÌ„ us so labor to make choyce of God more more choice of God in Christ for there be the 2. objects of our faith love Chuse God for our God esteem him above all and renounce all other and resign our selves wholly to him for all is ours when God is ours He setteth us apart from other men taking us out and appropriateth us to himself chuseth us for his Jewels I beseech you labor daily to chuse God to be your God If we say we are Gods let us make choyce of him at the same time and appropriate him with our choyce He is mine in particular there is renunciation of all others I have served other Gods heretofore the world and the flesh and the favor of man have been my God but they shall be my God no more If we chuse him not and appropriate him as ours and renounce all other and give our selves to him we cannot say he is our God this we should practice every day In the solicitation of sin or despair for sin make use of this choice and appropriation and resignation If we be tempted to any sin why I am not mine own I am Gods I have chosen him to be my God I have appropriated my self to him I have renounced all other I have offered my self to him therefore what have I to do with sin with this temptation I have taken the Sacrament on it that God is mine and Christ is mine with all his benefits therefor e if there be any solicitatioÌ„ to sin make this use of it so we shal grow in assurance of our interest in God when we can make use of it on all occasions If when we be moved to any sin by Satan or our own flesh which is a Devil within us this is contrary to my Covenant this is contrary to the renewing of the Covenant so often renewed in the Sacrament therefore I will not commit it It is contrary to the State I am advanced to and contrary to my relation God is my Father and my God and therefore I must be his and what have I to do with sin what hath pride to do with a heart bequeathed to God what hath lust and filthiness what hath injustice or any thing else that is sinful to do in a heart that hath dedicated and consecrated it self to God who hath given up himself and all he can do and to whom we have given up all we have and shall we give our strength to sin and Satan his enemies Thus we should grow in assurance exercising the increase and knowledge of our interest I beseech you therefore let us use these and the like things to make God our God And if any temptation for sin be joyned as Satan cannot but solicit to sin so he laboreth when we have sinned to tempt to despair for sin for they be the two wayes by which Satan prevails Now fetch comfort against both from hence God is my God and my Father and Christ teacheth them to call him so and therefore notwithstanding sin I may go to God and call him Father The Disciples though their sin was great yet on their humility they were to
presently 4. But to go on you see here again that Christ must begin to us before we can answer him He began to Mary and then she said Rabbony all the passages of salvation are done by way of Covenant by way of commerce and entercourse between God and man but God begins first In election indeed we choose him but he chuseth us first And he knoweth who are his and we know him but he knows us first And in calling we answer I but he calleth first and we do but eccho to his call in justification forgivness of sins we accept of justification and submit to the righteousness of Christ and Gods purpose of saving man that way but he giveth faith first for faith is the gift of God We glorifie him here on earth but it is from a result of Gods glorifying us in Heaven some earnests we have but they are of Gods giving All we do is but reflexion of his love first or his knowledge first The Christian soul saith thou art my God I but he saith first I am thy salvation As Augustine saith non frustra dicit anima Deus salus tua when God saith I am thy salvation it is eaâ—ie for the soul to say thou art my God And this may teach us in our devotions when we are to deal with God when we are to bring to him any request to desire him first to reveal himself to us desire Christ to reveal himsâ—lf by his spirit to us It is an errour in he case of mens devotions they think to bring something of their own strength and to break in as it were upon God without his discovery first But Paul saith Gal. 4. 9. We know God or rather are known of him We must desire that he would make known his heart to us first and then we shall know him again that the would speak to us by his spirit and then we shall answer to him again That he would say to our souls he is our salvation and then we may lay claim to him he is our God Desire the spirit of revelation to reveal his bowels and love to us in Christ by his holy spirit for certainly in every return of ours to Christ God begins to us all in all though not so sensibly but we ought to pray every day more and more for a sensible revelation that God would reveal his love to us in Christ And we cannot but answer if Christ saith Mary Mary cannot but answer Rabboni But you will say then it is not our fault but Christs fault if he must begin If God begins we shall answer I answer briefly That God doth alwayes begin to us and is before-hand with us in all dealings with our selves He giveth us many motions and never withdraweth himself from us but when he is despised and slighted first therefore let us take heed that we labour to answer Christs call vvhen he doth call If vve slight it then in a judicious course he ceaseth to speak further to us if vve slight his beginnings of revelations There be many degrees and passages to faith and assurance if vve do not observe the beginning hovv God begins to reveal himself to us by little and little speaking to us by his spirit in our hearts vvhen he begins then in a spirituall judgement sometimes he leaves us to our selves And therefore let us regard all the motions of the spirit and all the speeches of the spirit of Christ for he begins by little and little else our consciences will say afterward we are not saved because we would not be saved We would not yield to all the passages of salvation but when he was beforehand with us and offered many sweet motions yet we loved our sins better then our souls and so repelled all Therefore I beseech you do not refuse the sweet messages from Heaven the gracious and sweet motions of the spirit of Christ make much of them God hath begun to you be sure to answer Learn it of Mary when Christ began she set not her heart and infidelity against it but she opened her heart and said Rabboni learn therefore the duty of spirituall obedience when God speaks speak Lord for thy Servant heareth Do not shut your eares to the motions of Gods blessed spirit do not harden your hearts against his voice but open your hearts as she did Rabboni Our Saviour Christ here saith Mary but when after he had concealed himself from her a long time It is not presently Mary nor Rabboni He had coÌ„cealed himself a great while Christ doth not usually open himself fully at first though at first he doth in some degree but he observeth degrees as in the church in generall You see how that he discovers himself in his gracious promises by little and little darkly at first and at last the Sun of righteousness ariseth clearly So the day-Starre ariseth in our hearts by degrees It is a great while before Mary heareth the satisfying speech of Christ Mary But why doth Christ thus conceal himself in regard of his fuller manifestation It is partly to try and exercise our faith and other graces and therefore God doth seem to withdraw himself in the sence of his love 1. To see whether we can live by faith or whether we be all together addicted to sense as the world is who live altogether by sense and not by faith 2. He would have our patience tryed to the utmost he would have patience have its perfect work she had much patience to indure all this but her patience had not a perfect work till Christ spake 3. Christ will stir up and quicken zeal and fervency in his Children and therefore he seemed to deny the woman of Cnnaan first he giveth no answer but a harsh answer A Dogge And she works upon it though I am a Dogge yet Dogs have crumbs All which denyal was only to stir up zeal and earnestness And therefore though Christ doth not manifest himself to us at first yet it is to stir up zeal and affection to seek after him more earnestly A notable passage there is of this Cant. 3. 16. The soul sought Christ and sought long and sought in the use of all means but at length she waited and in waiting she found him 4. Christ doth this for to set a greater price upon his presence when he comes to make his presence highly valued when he doth discover himsâ—lf Desiderata diu magis placent Things long desired please more sweetly And things when wanted are ingratiated to us as warmth after cold and meat after hunger and so in every particular of this life And therefore God to set a greater price on his presence and that he would be held more strongly when he doth reveal himself he defers a long time That is one reason why he did defer revealing himself to Mary that she might have the more sweet contentment in him when he did reveal
as are taught of God Who can take away the opposite disposition of mans nature to goodness but God by his spirit who can shine into the soul and quicken the soul but Christ by his spirit who is above the heart and conscience but Christ by his spirit therefore take heed of formality submit your hearts to the great Prophet of the Church that Moses speaketh of Deut. 18. who shall be the great teacher of the Church lift up our hearts to him that he would teach our hearts and remove the naturall disposition that is in us that he would take off the veil from our hearts and teach not only what to do but to teach the very doing of them Teach us to hate what is ill teach us to believe and to resist all Satans temptations who can teach this but the great Teacher whose Chair is in Heaven therefore take heed of depending on formall things Lift your hearts to God that he would joyn his teaching with all other teaching This cannot be too much stood upon I beseech you therefore take it to heart Give me leave to add a few things more If Christ speaketh in generall to Mary she answereth in generall And when he speaks aloof to her she answereth aloof to him a far off and never gave him a direct answer till he gave a direct word to her When he said Mary she gave him a direct answer Rabboni not before I beseech you therefore let us not rest in generall promises and the generall graces that be so much stood on by some That God hath a like respect to all Trust not to that we must not enter into his secrets but let us obey his precepts and Commandements And withall remember this When we hear of a generall mercy and Commandement for all Nations to believe and that Christ came to save a world of sinners alas what is that to me unless thou by thy holy spirit speakest to my soul and saist in particular I am thy salvation and speakest familiarly to my soul Generalls are in some degrees comfortable But if I find not particular interest by the witness of thy holy spirit to my soul if thou sayst not to my soul I am thine and thou art mine all is to little purpose Therefore in the desires of our souls in prayer let us desire the Lord to reveal himself in particular We trust too much in Generalls God is mercifull and Christ came to redeem the World They be truths and good foundations for to sound faith upon but they will not do the deed till by daily prayer vve seek to the Lord that he vvould in a particular manner reveal himself to us This doth Paul pray for Ephes 1. That God would vouch safe to them the spirit of Revelation And this is the office of the holy Spirit his speciall office is to reveal to every one in particular his estate and condition to God-ward The Holy Ghost knoweth the secrets in the brest of God and in our own hearts Now the Holy Ghost only can reveal the particular love that lyeth in Gods brest to our particular souls And therefore we should desire God that the holy spirit may be sent to seal to us our particular salvation and never be quiet till we be sealed in particular assurance that we be they whom Christ came to save This we ought to labour for if we labour for it we shall have it sometime or other for God loveth to be familiar with his Children He loveth not to be strange to them if they seek his love but to reveal himself first or last And few seek it but God revealeth himself by his spirit to them before they die if he doth not they are sure of it in Heaven And therefore they that be against particulars they are enemies to their own salvation Mary regarded not while Christ spake of generalls But when he came to particulars then Rabboni and not before Jesus saith unto her touch me not I am not yet ascended to my Father c. This verse containeth Christs Prohibition or Christs Commission or Charge His prohibition Touch me not and his reason for I am not yet ascended to my Father His Charge Go to my Brethren And then directeth what to say to them I ascend to my Father and your Father to my God and your God The words be very naturall and need no breaking up to you But I shall handle them as they follow one another Jesus said to her touch me not Touch me not Why he would have Thomas not only touch but to put his finger into his side that is more then touching him But our Saviours intent is to meet with a disposition in Mary something carnall something low and mean in regard of this glorious occasion Christ being now risen and glorified for his resurrection was the first degree of his glorification And therefore touch me not She came with too much a carnall mind to touch him when we said Rabboni it was not satisfaction enough for her to answer Rabboni but she runneth to him and claspeth him and clingeth about him as the affection of love did dictate to her But saith he touch me not in such a manner this is not a fit manner for thee to touch me in now I am risen again In a word she had a thought to converse with Christ in as familiar a manner as before when she powred oyntment on his head He was the same person but the case is altered that was in the dayes of his humiliation now he was risen again and it was the first degree of his glorification There was another manner of converse due to him and therefore touch me not Thou thinkest to touch me as thou didst before but thou must not do it She was too much addicted to his bodily presence 1. It is that that men will labour after and have laboured for even from the beginning of the world to be too much addicted to present things and to sense They will worship Christ but they must have a picture before them They will adore Christ but they must bring his body down into a peece of bread they must have a presence And so instead of raising their hearts to God and Christ in a heavenly manner they pull down God and Christ to them this the pride and base earthliness of man will do And therefore saith Christ touch me not in that manner It is not with me now as it was before We must take heed of mean and base conceits of Christ What saith Paul 2 Cor. 5. I know uo man now according to the flesh no not Christ himself now he is risen Christ was of such a Tribe Stature had such gifts and qualities What is that to me Christ is now Lord of Lords and King of Kings He is glorious in Heaven and so I conceive of him I know no man after the flesh no not Christ himself I forget what
ashamed to see Christ come to such an end they were full of unbelief though Christ had told them he would rise again they could not believe and so what with fear and what with doubt and what with grief for their using of Christ so unkindly and leaving him certainly they were in a perplexed and disconsolate condition yet now go and tell my Brethren We see then that after relapses when we be in state of grace to deal unkindly with Christ must needs be matter of grief and shame yet if we be humbled for it and cast down even then Christ hath a sweet message for us by his holy spirit Go tell my Brethren In the Canticles The Church the spouse of Christ had dealt unkindly with Christ by losing him and forsaking him Chap. 3. 5. In the third Chapter she had lost him and sought him on her bed but found him not she rose and went to the watchmen and then went through the City but found him not at length she found him whom her soul loved Then Christ speaks most sweetly and comfortably to her in the beginning of the fourth Chapter but especially in the sixth Chapter after she had dealt most unkindly with Christ He standeth at the door knocking and waiting till his locks dropt with rain in resemblance of a Lover that standeth at the door and is not suffered to come in Afterward he leaveth her for this unkindnesse yet not so but that there was some sweet relish left upon the door God alwayes leaveth something in his Children to long after him and at length after much longing Christ manifesteth himself sweetly to her Chap. 6. 4. and breaketh out Thou art beautiful O my love as Tirzah comely as Jerusalem terrible as an Army with banners turn away thine eyes from me for they have overcome me thy hair is as a flock of Goats c. and so goeth on my Love my Dove my undefiled one He could not satisfie himself in the commendations of his Church being as it were overcome with love And this sheweth that after we have dealt unkindly with Christ and our consciences are ashamed and abashed with it as it is fit they should yet if we will wait awhile and be content not be desperate nor yield to temptation if we stay but a while Christ will manifest himself to us and shew that he valueth and prizeth the hidden graces we cannot see he can see gold in oare He can see hidden love and hidden faith and grace that we cannot see in temptations and he will manifest all at length and shew his love when we stand most in need of it We see it in David who was deeply humbled for his folly with Bathsheba for there was not one but many fins as murder and adultery c. yet being now humbled God sent him and Bathshebah wise Solomon to succeed him in his Kingdom He forgetteth all and so you see our Saviour Christ forgetteth all their unkindness he biddeth her not go tell my Renegate Disciples that owned not me they care not for me I care not for them I am above death and all and now will use them as they did me oh no but go tell my brethren without mentioning any thing that they have done unkindly What is the reason it is sufficient to a gracious soul that it is thus It is the course of God but there be reasons to give satisfaction First the love of Christ to a poor disconsolate afflicted soul is most seasonable when they have relaps'd and dealt unkindly with Christ then Christ not only forgiveth but forgets all nay and calleth them under the tearm of Brethren which is more then forgiving and forgetting Oh now it is seasonable for there is a wonderful dejection of spirit after unkind usage of Christ in a soul that knowes what Christ means It is as a shower of rain after great drought it falleth weighty upon the soul Secondly The freedom of Christs love most appeareth then when no desert of ours can move it for is not that love free when we have dealt unkindly with him and joyned with the world and with the flesh and dealt slipperily with him that then he will speak kindly to us and make love to us Lord if I had had my due what would have become of me If he had sent them word according to their deserts he might have said go tell the Apostate base people that have dealt unworthily with me whom I will send to Hell Oh no but tell my Brethren his free love appeareth most at such times when our souls are most dejected Thirdly Satan roareth then most then he most of all sheweth his horns when we are relapsed oh saith he if thou hadst never found kindness it had been something but thou hast dealt unworthily that hast had so many favours and dost thou so requite the Lord of glory Now this love of Christ doth exceedingly confound Satan and trouble his plots he knoweth then that God leaveth men and he joyneth with a guilty conscience and a guilty conscience maketh them to fear all they have deserved shall I look God in the face Christ in the face when I have used them thus shall I receive the Sacrament and joyn with Gods people now Satan doth joyn with guilt of conscience and carrieth it further and when God seeth them dejected and humbled for this he speaketh more comfort to them then ever before There is none of us all I can except none but had need of this have we dealt so unkindly with Christ since our conversion have not we dealt proudly and unkindly and carlesly with him and if we have the love of Christ in our brests it will shame and abash us Now if we have joyned with a temptation Satan will say will you go to God and to prayer that have served God thus shall I yield to this temptation if we can shame our selves and say Lord I take all shame to my self I have dealt most unworthily with thee we shall hear a voice of comfort presently And therefore whatsoever our condition be be invited to repentance though thou hast fallen and fallen again I have dealt unkindly did not Peter so and yet go tell my Disciples and tell Peter The Pope will have him head of the Church I am sure he was head in forsaking of Christ and indeed Christ ever upbraided Peter with forsaking of him now only he biddeth him feed feed feed that he might take more notice of it but he was so kind that he never cast it into his teeth Obj. But saith the poor drooping soul if I had never tasted of mercy it had been something Answ But object not that for though Peters offence was great yet his offence was great and though thy sins be great yet if thy repentance and humiliation be answerable thou shalt have most comfort of all And therefore let no man be discouraged If we
these things shall be that is the commendations of a man and the excellency of a Christian above another man Another man doth all by sense but the Christian will trust God on his word I ascend saith Christ We must not think of the ascâ—nsion of Christ as a severed thing from us but if we would have the comfort of it we must think of it as our selves ascending with him Think of Christ as a publick person and a surety for us and then we shall have great comfort in that that he saith I ascend God prepared paradise before he made the Creature he would have him to come into a place of honour and pleasure And so God before ever we were born provided a place and paradise for us in Heaven that we might end our dayes with greater comfort We may be streightned here many a good Christian hath scarce where to lay his head but Christ is gone to prepare a place for them in Heaven And this may comfort us in the consideration of all our sins for sin past and for corruption present and for any sin that we may commit for time to come for any thing that is past if we confesse our sins to God he will forgive them the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sins even for the present corruptions that attend on us We have one that stands between God and us as a surety he will give us his spirit to subdue our corruptions and at length make us like himself a glorious spouse If we were perfect men we needed not a Mediator and this may teach us comfort rather because we are sinners and daily subject to offend God We have one to make our peace for time to come if we sin we have an Advocate When Christ taught us to pray forgive us our daily tuespasses he supposed we would daily run into sins We have an Advocate in Heaven every day to stand between God and us to answer God to undertake that at length we should cease to offend him and for the present we are such as he shed his pretious blood for and he appeareth for us by vertue of his death which is a marvellous comfort We think if we commit sin there is no hope but what needs a Mediator but to make peace between the parties disagreeing If all things were made up between God and us what need of an intercessor but God knoweth well enough we run into daily sins by reason of a spring of corruption in us which is never idle And therefore we may daily go to God in the name of our Advocate and desire God for Christs sake to pardon and desire Christ to intercede for us let us therefore shame our selves There is not a Christian but will be in himself apprehensive of being thrown into Hell every day There is a spring of corruption in him and should God take a forfeiture of his daily rebellions his conscience tells him it were just And therefore we must every day live upon this branch of his priestly office his mediation We must live by faith in this branch of Christ and make use of it continually for this will keep us from hell And therefore if we sin every day go to God in the name of Christ and desire him to pardon us This is to feed on Christ and therefore we should more willingly come to the Sacrament When we be in heaven we shall need a Mediator no longer for we shall be perfectly holy We cannot think of these things too much they be the life of Religion and of comforts and it may teach us to make a true use of Christ in all our conditions Poor souls that are not acquainted with the Gospel they think God will cast them into hell for every sin and they live as if they had not an high Priest in Heaven to appear for them The matter of the message is Christ ascendeth to God as a common Father and God to him and them He doth not say I ascend to the Father that were no great comfort for what were that to them or to my Father only neither doth he say I ascend to our Father for that is true in the order of it for he is not in equal respect the God and Father of Christ and the God and Father of us And therefore he speaks of himself in the first place I go to my God and your God For he is first and specially Christs Father and Christs God and then ours as we shall see in the particulars We have a common Father and a common God with Christ God the Father is Christs Father by eternal generatioÌ„ as he is God and man we have therefore the nature of Christ ashe is God and man There is this difference between Gods being Christs Father and the Father of any else First of all God is Christs Father from eternity God had a being and was a Father from all eternity There is no man of equal standing with his Father he is born after his Father cometh to be a man but Christ is of God from all eternity his generation is eternall and therefore there is a grand difference Then Christ is coequal with the Father in glory and majesty every way The Sun is not coequal with the Father but Christ is with his Father Again the Son in other Generations comes of the Father and is like the Father taken out of his substance but of a different substance from the Father but Christ and the Father both the persons are in one substance in one essence The essence of the Father differeth not from the essence of the Son We must remember this to give Christ the prerogative and preheminency that God is his Father in another manner then ours He is his Father by nature ours by adoption What he is by nature we are by grace though Christ was intent upon his ascension yet he forgetteth not this grand differrnce here but mentioneth it Go to my Brethren We must not call him brother again we may think of him as our Brother but my God and my Lord as Thomas saith If the greatest person should call us Brother yet it is most behoveful for the inferior to say my God my Lord to acknowledge Christ as a great person and to make use of his love to strengthen our faith not to diminish our respect to him in any way It is his infinite mercy to tearm us Brethren but when we go to him we must have other tearms Thus we see how to conceive of Christ after his Resurrection When he hath triumphed over all his enemies and reconciled God by his death then I go to my Father and your Father Then he is a common Father by virtue of Christs satisfaction to divine wrath and justice and victory and triumphing over all his enemies So we must not conceive of God as our Father but in reference to Christs victory over death God is our
be severe I but that is the greatest part of their weakness if they have any goodness in them For who was more indulgent to the Disciples then Christ who saw their weakness He bore with all their infirmities Where we see any goodness let us bear with many weaknesses we ought to be peaceable men Beati sunt pacifici they that be appeased in their consciences in sense of their own pardon are ready to shew mercy to others Busie contentions quarrelsom dispositions argue they never found comfort from God himself If God be a Father and we are Brethren it is a levelling word it bringeth Mountains down and filleth up vallies All are Brethren take them in what condition you will if they be great in the world Brethren of an high degree yet brother levelleth thē If they be of low degree yet it filleth them up raiseth thē to the height in this brotherhood And therefore go tel my Brethren tell them all for they be all equally Brethren If I were to speak to persons of quality and great parts as I am to speak to mean let them be put in mind of their condition Nothing should raise us up so high as to forget the everlasting relation of Brother Infirmity should not so far prevail with us as to forget that which the Children of God have to eternity And for other persons more eminent if he be a King let him not so mind that as to forget all other For all relations determine in death and must be laid in the dust all must stand on equal ground before Gods Barre and they that have most to answer for have the highest accompt of all and therefore it is ground of humility to all Let them that are in greatest eminency consider this Paul after conversion could say henceforth know I no man after the flesh There is a great deal of humanity in the World complement is very ordinary which is the Picture and out-side of humanity but Christian love which is a degree above humanity the Apostle calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 brotherly love that is the scorn of the world They will own a Brother in office but owning them in the sweet bonds of Brotherhood as they are the Sons of God here is Heaven make much of them in that kind that is a strange thing in the world but we must know what it meaneth before we come to Heaven we must respect a Christian be he what he will be under all his infirmities if he hath a good spirit in him which God the Father seeth and Christ seeth We must bear love to all Saints Some will make much of an eminent man that hath excellent parts because there may be some countenance from such persons but here is sincerity that beareth love to all Saints He wraps them up all in the general tearm Go tell Peter amongst the rest that hath offended more then the rest If you will know whether you be true Brethren or no or Sons of God or no make a use of tryal by what is formerly delivered I shall inlarge my self in that point because all dependeth upon it God is the Father of all by creation he is the Father in a general Covenant of all that receive the Sacrament and are baptized But if they have no other relation to God but so they may go to Hell as Judas and others did therefore we must know whether we may claim this relation of Father on good grounds or no else it is an usurpation 1. Those that belong to God the spirit of God witnesseth to them that they are Sons They that are adopted have the spirit of adoption in some degree God sendeth his spirit into their hearts that assures them that they be Gods Children And howsoever this is the first yet God giveth some intimation by his spirit that they look to God in another familiar manner then before and he looks on them in a Fatherly manner so there be some intimations and insinuations and hints though the spirit of adoption witnesseth not fully and gloriously to the soul always because we are not fitted for it but sometimes in great afflictions and desertions Where the spirit of God is there is Communion with God in the spirit of adoption And when the voice of the spirit of adoption speaks not lowdly yet there is a work of the spirit there is something in us renewed by the spirit there is something of the new Creature When a Christian cannot hear God say to his soul I am thy salvation yet a man may see a work of grace there is a love to God to the Ordinances to the people of God a mourning because he cannot mourn a sighing because he hath not an heart plyable He is discordant with his condition when he is disconsolate so that there is a work of the spirit helpeth him in his worst condition Besides there is a spirit of supplication in some measure though he cannot make set discourses to God yet he can in a sweet manner lay open his sorrow and grief to God and leave them in his bosom They be broken words perhaps but God can pluck sense out of them God knoweth the meaning of the sighing of his own spirit though broken speeches So that where there is any tongue for God in a man there is a spirit of prayer there is not a strangeness of God to go altogether by but the spirit hath a kind of acquaintance with God and it goeth to God in a familiarity and layeth forth grief and putteth forth Petitions in another manner then the World doth Again a Christian in the worst condition God not only shineth on him through the Cloud but there is a spirit in him that sigheth to go through all thick Clouds to God There is a spirit of supplication and of love in some degree for that is promised The spirit shall help our infirmities when we know not how to pray the intercourse and Communion with God is never broken off where there is any spirit of adoption Therefore Jonas and David and the rest though they could not pray yet they sighed to God and would not leave him If they could not imbrace Christ they would touch the hem of his garment They will not yield to the stream altogether but strive against it And though they be carried away with the strength of the stream and see no goodness in themselves yet they that be with them shall see a spirit striving to another condition then they are in Something of Christs something of Gods spirit there will be in them And take them at the worst they will appear better then the civil man that thinks himself a glorious man though he hath nothing but for shew and fashion who would be in such a mans condition without some brokenness of heart some sighs 2. Likewise we may know it by our sympathy and Antipathy Our sympathy with them that be good and antipathy
to that which is naught There is a love of that which is good So things good things are connatural to a good man There is a relish in good Company and good things As there is sweetness in the best things so there is something in the Children of God that is answerable to the God whom they serve He is never so out of tast but he findeth his chief comfort in this thing and he is never himself so much as when he is conversant in these things though in different measure sometimes more and sometimes lesse There is an inward antipathy to God in a proud carnal man that hath not his heart subdued by grace there is a contrariety to the power of that grace which outwardly he professeth and a sympathy with the world and the spirit of the world Take a good Christian at the worst he is better then another at the best I beseech you therefore examine our dispositions how we stand affected to things of an higher nature then the things of the world to spiritual things how we can relish spiritual things Gods Ordinances any thing that is holy surely if there be the life of God and Christ in us there will be a kind of coÌ„naturalness suitableness of taste to the sweetnes that is in holy things To come to the next mark the order here Go to my Father and your Father We are the Sons of God at the second hand God is the Father of Christ first and then ours He is his God first then our God This is a weighty point for directing of our devotion that we may know in what order to look on God See God in Christ see all things in Christ first and then in us Look upon him as Father to Christ and then to us Look on him as a God to Christ first and in Christ a God to us Look on him as having elected us but elect in Christ first See our selves justified but see Christ justified first from our sins and his justification declared by his resurrection See our resurrection and ascension and glorification in Heaven not directly but in Christ our head who is in Heaven and taketh up place for us See God loving us but look on it in Christ who is Sedes amoris The next thing to God is his Son and he loveth none but in him When we consider of any spiritual blessing say with the Apostle Blessed be God who hath filled us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Otherwise we do not know our selves nor God Whatsoever is derived from God to us is through Christ all promises are his first they are made to him and to our nature in him and they are performed for his sake he taketh them from God the Father and they be performed for his sake He is the true Aaron we are but the skirts the Oyl that is powered upon his head runneth down to his skirts it runneth to the meanest Christian but the Oyntment of grace is first powred on his head Of his grace we receive grace for grace and of his fulness The first fulness is God himself the second receptacle of all is Christ God-man the third are we we have it at the third hand God emptieth himself into Christ as Mediator In him are the fulnesse of all riches the treasures of all wisdom and knowledg we are compleated in him and in him we are full His is not only a fulness of the Vessel as ours is but a fulness of the Fountain And it is for our comfort that it is so that Gods love is to Christ first There is a firm foundation when God loveth us in his Son and we are Children in his natural Son in whom we are adopted then our state is firm Oâ—r first state in the first Adam was not firm but now our nature is taken into the unity of the second person it is firm So that the love and care and Fatherly disposition of God towards us it is sweet to us because it is tender to his Son It is eternal to us because it is eternal to him He can as soon cease to love his Son as cease to love us For with the same love he loveth all Christ mystical head and members There is not the least finger of Christ the least despised member of Christ but God looketh on him with that sweet eternal tenderness with which he looketh upon his Son preserving the prerogative of the head Oh this is a sweet comfort that now all the excellent priviledges of a Christian are set on Christ and then on us and therefore we should not lose them for Christ will lose nothing When the favour of a Prince is founded on his Son whom he always loveth the affection is unalterable on the Son and therefore the case is good So Gods favour to us is foâ—nded on his love to his Son therefore unalterable and eternal we should therefore look up to God in his son put up all our PetitioÌ„s to him in his son expect all from him in his sonne He is in Heaven for us to do that that belongeth to us Expect all from God through Christ and do all to God through Christ love God in Christ and Christ in God our selves in Christ and our selves in the love of God Christ is in God and God is in Christ God and Christ are in us there is a marvellous sweet relation and communion between God and us and Christ and us It is a sweet communion and mysterious to us How sweet is the communion between the soul and the body the soule being so spiritual and the body a peece of earth But what is this to the mystery of mysteries when God takes clay and dust into unity of his person and all this is for this union The great and glorious union of Christ to our natures is that he may take us into his mystical body and so make us one with himself and one with the Father He took our natures that he might convey his Fatherly goodness and love and spirit to us The sweet union of the two natures of Christ is to confirm union between the Father and us and Christ and us And we are never happy till we be assured thaâ— we are one with Christ which is the issue of his excellent prayer John 17. Our blessed Saviour fetcheth the comfort of our Father from this that God is his Father first and so to joyn both together That God is our God because he is his God first It is a point very considerable That whatsoever comfort we look for from God and in God we must see it in Christ first before we see it in our selves because we be but Sons by adoption and we have all we have from God through Christ Whatsoever we see in Christ think this will belong to us And whatsoever we look should belong to us see it first in him As verily as he ascended we shall ascend As verily
Gods enemies Now there be two sorts of enemies that we are especially to have nothing to do withall if we side with God enemies within us and enemies without us Sin within us we must take part against our sins take Gods part and the spirits part against corrupt motions and affections Divinity must begin from within else it is faction without It is not Religion but faction if the Religion begin not in our hearts and if we hate not sin in our selves Where there is true antipathy the nearer any thing is that is opposite to our nature the more hateful it is He that hateth a Toad hateth it in his bosom most of all And he that hates sin as sin hates it in his own heart most of all And therefore they that will pretend Religion and be naught in their own particular it cometh not from a true principle for they that will side with God side with God in their own hearts and be good men in their own particulars therefore I beseech you try your selves by this Likewise 〈◊〉 men estâ—em sinne Gods enemy wâ—â—â—esoever they see it and so far as their authority and power reacheth they will take Gods part in themselves against themselves and in the world too I will not inlarge the point because it cometh in by way of tryal and I cannot but touch it as a tryal Thus you see how we may know whether we be Gods or no by owning his cause and siding with him you have some expressions in Scripture to this purpose Micah 4. 5. All people will walk every one in the name of his God and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever Every man will walk and converse in the name of his God they will own their God and take part with him and we will walk in the name of our God for ever and ever and own his cause at all times and constantly for ever and ever And likewise in Esay 44. speaking of gratious times there when men shall be bold for the Lord as in all times some men will One shall say I am the Lords and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob and another shall subscribe with his hand to the Lord and tearm himself Israel God shall have his tongue his hand and all He shall say I am the Lords he shall call himself by the name of God he shall subscribe to it and own the cause 4. Again if we would know whether God be our God we must know whether we may lay just claim to our God as a peculiar God to us or no and that way in which God sheweth himself to be a God in peculiar respect to us Now how doth God shew himself a God in a peculiar respect to his Children He sheweth himself to have a peculiar respect to them 1. By peculiar gifts when he gives to them that which he giveth to none else shall we imagine God to be our God by common gifts and common graces no for thou comest to hear the word so Herod did Thou receivest the Sacrament so did Judas so did Simon Magus Thou hearest the truth with some joy so did the third ground Thou hast excellent partâ— so hath the Devil himself But thou art in such a place of the Church teachest others so did Judas Are these evidences to try whether we be Gods or no what then is the peculiar gift and love-token that God bestowes upon his favorites they be the graces of his spirit especially in regard of God an humble broken heart and a believing heart and a lowly heart that goeth out of it self that goeth unto God by faith and towards man full of love which argueth a great deal of self-denyal when a man can love others with denyal of his own profit and ease He that hath a humble believing lowly heart hath more then all the world besides for he hath Gods peculiar gift Many poor souls complain as if God had no regard to them and yet in the mean time they have humble broken hearts which is more then if they had all the wealth and worâ—h that the world hath which have proud hearts never broken The return of these favours will be comfort in death and glory in Heaven What will the fruit of a believing heart be he hath God and Christ if he hath a lowly large heart to do good he doth that which in the issue shall further his accompt at the day of judgement and there is the love of God shewed in his special favour 2. So the love of God especially shall be a special peculiar comfort that the world is ignorant of especially in times of extremity Inward peace of conscience inward joy and inward comforts these are signs of love that God bestoweth upon a man when he will own him in the worst times and speak peace to his soul when nothing in the world will speak peace When the Lyons roar the great Lyons of the world roar in extremity he hath inward peace and joy and comforts of the holy Ghost that inward intercourse of God with the soul is a sign of Gods peculiar love when God speaketh peace to the soul when he sheweth the light of his countenance which David in the 4th Psalm prefers before all outward comforts whatsoever Gods revealing of himself as the Scripture calleth it When God revealeth himself to his to be theirs with peace and joy and comfort accompanying it this is peculiar 3. Again a peculiar favour and love-token of God as to have seasonable and sanctifying correction To have corrections when they be seasonable when we be in a way of straying and God will bring us home by correction and when we have sanctifying correction we find by experience that all is turned to our good If I find any thing turn me to my God I know I am his if my Crosse be seasonable and sanctified he is my God for he takes that course with me which he takes with his own people These be singular signs of Gods love when he bestoweth the graces of his spirit his comforts peace and joy though not largely yet so much as shall sustain the soul And then when he seasonably meeteth us and will not suffer us to thrive in an evil couâ—se Oh it is a judgment of judgements to be hardned in sinful courses of life how can it but end in desperation at length and therefore it is a great favour to be chastized it sheweth we are Sons and not Bastardâ— Thus we see how we may lay just claim to this that God is our God in a peculiar manner 5. To name but one more to distinguish a spirit of presumption from a spirit of faith and truth that God is our God is this 1. If we have grace to answer his dealings towards us When we can eccho to Gods dealings God hath chosen us if we have grace to chuse him for our God We may know
of God whatsoever is peculiar to our present condition for considering he hath made himself a God to us he is all-sufficient for every turn therefore out of his all-sufficiency take out whatsoever is fit for any particular exigency Lord I am now in a straight and want wisdom thou in Christ hast abundance of wisdom Christ hath in him all treasures I now want friends I want counsel I want help I want strength God hath a fulness of all this for his Children He hath it not only to content himself and look on his own happiness but for his friends that be in covenant with him that be in covenant with him that be so near him that he will own him to be their God If you aske what is Religion it is to know God to have all-sufficiency in him for my good and then to make use of him by dependance on him for that good and by advancing of him in giving him the due honour and thanks of it And therefore we deserve not the names of religious persons if we do not study what he is to his Creatures in the Covenant of grace Then make use of it by a spirit of dependency and alwayes giving praise and thanks This is our whole man and what is all else nothing but trouble and vanity Get our bonds sealed that he is our God and then break with all the world beside come what can come or what will come we are sure to be safe It is a comâ—ort of wonderful large extent The use of the Sacrament is to seal that God is our God in particular and that Christ is ours as verily as the Bread and Wine are ours And let us desire the Lord to seal to every one of our souls that are to have communion with him in particular that he in Christ is ours Christ with all his merits and the fruits of them forgiveness of sin and life everlasting as verily as the outward man partakes of the outward seals and then we shall come and go away with comfort and be made partakers of that end and use of the Sacrament for which our blessed Saviour instituted it Having spoken before of common favours which Devils and Castawayes may have as well as we I shall inlarge my self a little in this because it is a point of concernment As in other sins we be like the Devil so in this sin a man is worse then the Devil himself if a man will be a common swearer and opposer and malitious against goodness being only in love with some idle conceipt of his own which he will have God himself stoop to else he will not to Heaven he will not be saved but by his own foolery A man that hath a bitter spirit against the power of grace that is a common blasphemer that carrieth a spight against Religion for him to say God is his God the Devil will as well say so He will say of Paul and Sylas these are the people of God but he will not say himself is For a man to live in sins against Conscience defend them oppose all that opposeth his sins and yet claim an interest while that disposition standeth in him it is more then satanical impudency and it is extream hardening of the heart against all goodness for how many thousands in the Church perish and sink to Hell under this presumptuous conceipt I am Gods and God is mine when the title is false and the evidence false And therefore is is a point deserving throughly to be examined continually what those evidences of graces be that we venture our souls and salvation upon I will not stand much to presse the point But you see the necessity of it consider therefore I beseech you whaâ— I have sâ—id If God be ours there will be a separation where there is an owning of God for our God There will be a separation from all that is not his as well as a gathering to them that be his The work of Gods spirit in his Children is like fire which hath two properties to sever all heterogeneal and strange stuffe and drosse and the like and gather all the homogeneal stuffe of one nature And so the works of the spirit gathereth to the soul so much as is good and refines that and severeth that which is contrary That spirit of God that telleth them that they be Gods it is is a severing spirit and a uniting spirit it severs contraries and it uniteth things of the same nature there is a joyning to what is good and a separating of what is evil I will add this farther that wheresoever on good title we can say I am Gods there is a reflect act of the soul to say God is mine God hath put a light of reason and friendship into man Now friendship standeth in mutual office of duty and gift where this is not there is no friendship no reconciliation no owning on good tearms The end why God saveth a company of men and bringeth them to Heaven the body of Christ which we call the Church it is that he may have eternal communion with them in the Heavens as he hath with the blessed Angels and in Christ a nearer communion then he hath with them Now how can this communion be unless we turn to God unless we have something to answer Gods love Again note God is ours because Christ is ours the Covenant is first made with Christ and then with us Whence we see a ground of particular application of that which we call particular faith a ground of particular application by a spirit of faith of God to us and Christ to us that God in Christ is my God and your God The ground of this is as God offereth himself we must apprehend him but Christ offers God and he knoweth how to offer him He teacheth us how God is to be presented and he presenteth him as our God and our Father and therefore let us entertain him as ours Thus you see a good ground of particular application of God the Father and Christ to us in particular in two respects not only that every one in particular ought to have a particular faith and not to think a general faith is enough to believe as the Church believeth but to have a particular faith of the object not only of the subject but of the object that that is his in particular I go to my Father and your Father God is the Father and the God of all the Elect and only the Elect and of every one of the Elect as we say in solidum that is said to be in solidum when every one applieth the whole to himself without diminution of any part The sum is in solidum to every one that will make use of it to inlighten every Creature that shutteth not his eyes As a common Fountain is no mans in particular for no man can say this is my Fountain alone and yet every man
acknowledge God to be their Father and their God And therefore answer Satan I ought not to abuse and break off and deny my interest in God as my Father and my God for any sin because the Disciples did not so and Christ hath taught how to make use of God and to acknowledge him for my comfort We cannot have a better guide then God and therefore never think of God but as our God and our Father and labor to answer all Satans temptations in that kinde from hence 3. Again this assurance that God is our God in Christ and our Father is wrought by the sealing of the spirit and sanctifying of us therefore take heed we grieve not the spirit of God Gods spirit moveth our hearts often times in hearing the word or reading or praying when we have any good motions or when we entertain them and therefore do not grieve the spirit of God whose office is to seal us to the day of redemption to assure us God is our God and our Father in Christ Grieve him not least he grieve us by reaching and tormenting our consciences and that is the way to maintain our interest Take heed of crossing the spirit especially by any sin against conscience Conscience is Gods Deputy grieve not the spirit grieve not conscience for Conscience is God Deputative it is a li ttle God within us And therefore if we will not alienate God from us to whom we have given our selves if we be true believers do nothing against his Deputy and Agent the spirit that sanctifieth us and sealeth us to the day of redemption This is the way to maintain assurance that God is our God For men may be led with a spirit of presumption and say God is my God But if Conscience telleth them they live in sin against Conscience and the motions of the spirit and suppress them and kill them as birthes that they would not have grow in their hearts then they cannot say God is my God but conscience telleth them they lie And therefore I beseech you labor for an holy life That faith that maketh this claim that God is my Father and my God is a purifying faith It is a faith quickening the soul a faith purifying a faith cleansing Faith is wonderfully operative especially having these promises what promises I will be your God and your Father Having such promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit and grow up in all holiness in the feare of the Lord. And therefore labor for that faith that layeth hold upon this priviledge God is our Father and our God make it good by this that it be a purifying faith an operative faith that worketh by love that sheweth it self in our conversation The more we labor and grow this way the more we growe in assurance of salvation Beloved favor cannot be maintained with great persons without much industry and respect and observance of distance A man that will maintain the favor of great persons must be well read in their dispositions must know how to please them and yield them all observance and respect And shall we think then to preserve respect with God without much industry and holiness It cannot be And therefore give all diligence not a little to make your Calling and Election sure It requireth all diligence it is worth your pains We live on this that he is our God and will be our God to death and in death for ever more That God is our God to everlasting that he is of an equal extent with the soul he liveth to fill it and make it happy Our souls being of an eternal subsistance therefore it standeth us upon to give all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure else it will not be maintained Why do not Christians injoy the comforts of this that God is their God in Christ more then they do the reason is they be negligent to maintain intercourse between God and them We must know our distances there must be reverent cariage to God A loose Christian can never injoy the comforts of God He is so great and we so mean we ought to reverence him we ought to love him with fear and rejoyce with trembling Humble thy self to walk with thy God where there is a great deal of humility it maintaineth friendship We cannot walk with God as a friend as Abraham is said to be Gods friend We must acknowledge our selves to be dust and ashes know him in his greatness and our selves in our meanness if he will maintain this to our hearts that God is our God If we be careful to maintain this surely he that delighteth himself in the prosperity of his Servants will delight to make himself more and more known to us that we may be assured of our salvation All that hear me are such as have not yet made choice of God to be their God or have made choice Let me speak a word to both for there be many that yet have their choice to make that have other Lords and other Gods to rule over them Let them consider what a fearful state it is not to be able to say in regard of life everlasting God is my God and my Father They can say they be Gods Creatures but what a fearful condition is it` not to be able to say God is my Father will not these know whom he is not a God to in favor he will be a God to in vengeance He must be friend or enemy there is no third in God God and the Devil divide all mankind they share all If thou be not Gods and canst not say so on good titles thou art the Devils Yet God is daily pulling men out of the Kingdom of the Devil by opening their eyes to see their miserable condition yet all go under these two grand titles Gods and the Devils If thou canst not say God is thy God then the Devil is thy God and what a fearful condition is it to be under the God of the world by a worldly carnal disposition and perhaps thou maist die so if thou be not careful to get out of it If God be not our God he is our enemy and then Creatures Angels Devils are against us conscience against us word against us all against us If he be for us who is against us If he be against us who is for us a terrible condition and therefore get out of it I beseech you But how shall I doe is there mercy for such a wretch yea he offereth himself to be thy God if thou wilt come in wherefore serveth our Ministry the word of grace but to preach life to all repentent sinners He that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall have mercy And therefore God hath ordained Ambassadors of peace to proclaim if you will come in And he intreateth you to come in and he chargeth and commandeth you You be Rebels not only against him but enemies
Comfort in that Christ is our Brother Christ in glory owns his Churches Cause Use of exhortation by faith to labor to be one with Christ John 1. 16 Faiths usual work Christs calling his Disciples brethren adds much to our comfort Faith presents things to come as present Love teacheth what it knowes Humility will be instructed in what it knowes not Christ ascended into glory forgets not his people in debasement It is the highâ—st honor to be a member of Christ By faith in Christ both sin death and hell are overcome The freedom of a Christian The Christians dignity Satans Objection The Christians Reply Christ to be believed and not Satan Mother and brother in spirit is preferred before mother and brother in the flesh Christians are fruitful Trees of righteousnesse The world knowes not the excellency of Gods people and therefore regards them not The constancy and humility of Christ Christ speedy in comforting Object Christ takes his owâ— time to comfort the humble soul Christs love constant Question Resol Gods love is constant because grounded on his own eternall purpose Fuâ—damenta taâ—en stant inconcussâ— Syoâ—is Christ by death reconciles us by his life he saves us Obj. Answ Trusting in Christ takes off trouble The links of salvation hold firm on Gods part Gods love â—n Iterable In darkest times Christ is near to comfort Simile Note The Churches care to find her beloved Christs sweet and comfortab e spâ—ech â—o his beloved Christs high commendations of his spouâ—e Note Reason 1 Kindnesse shewed after dejection is very seasonable Reason 2. Christ deals not with us after our deserts Reason 3 Satan by laying guilt to our charge labors to carry us further fâ—om God Comfort to those that sh me themselves John 2â— 15 16 17 We are not so ready to come as Christ is to receive Well mâ— when Christ and the soul mâ—et together Presumptuous sinners The most humble Christian most subject to be discouraged Rom. 5. 20. Object Answ Jer. â— 1. Comforts against great sins Our comforts fail not because he is God and not man Note Difference between a carnal and a gratious heart Sin imputed to Christ as our surety Faith makes things absent present Saints look forward as Christ did Till we come to Heaven our desires are unsatisfied Simile Notes of our spiritual Resurrection Heavenly mindednesse Converse with the world be not defiled with the world Heaven injoyed on earth Quaere Reasons of Christs ascension Our enemies conquered and God appeased by Christs resurrection Victory triumph Heb. 9. 24 Christs blood speaks mercy and pardon The spirit hâ—râ— and Christ in Heaven here together His Resurrection ascension declares the Father to be satisfied to the utmost Rom. 10 6. 7. Christs intercession Apoc. 12. 9 Christ more skilful to save then Satan is to destroy The super excellent advantage of Gods people above the world 1 Joh. 21. Rom. 8. All Scriptures are for consolation The flighting of the Ministry is the havock of conscience Faith makes all present Fath the Christians priviledge Think on Christ as ascended with him Ephes 5. 20. 1 Joh. 2. 1. Mat. 6. 12. Go to God for pardon of sinners in the name of Christ To rely on Christ is to feed upon him God is first Christs God and Father and then our God Father How God is the Father of Christ Christ coequal with his Father Joh. 20. 28 1 Col. 20. God a Father All comfort is from God reconciled to us in Christ Mal. 3. 17. Father is a tearm of indulgence Luk. 15. 18 Gods infinite love to a sinful man Heb. 12. 6. A name of provision Luk. 12. 32 Luk 12 30 Father is a name of protection Pro. 18. 20 What we owe to God as a Father Fear God for his greatness love him for his goodness Gods wisdom and love God keeps the best things till the last Esay 49. 15 16. Psal 121. 4. Faith and prayer fetcheth all from God Mat. 7. 9. 10. Mat. 6. 8. God not a Father in Christ to the wicked The Hypocrite disposition To whom God is a Father Christs disposition The Character of a gratious Christian Quaere Solution No sin should hinder us from going to God as our Father The name of Father speaks no comfort to the malitious enemies of Christ Simile Rom. 1. 4. Heb. 1. 5. Gods unexpressible and wonderful love to mankind Psal 113. 6. Our nature advanced in Christ as high as can be God a Father to his discâ—nsolate Disciples Psal 117. 11. Job 42. 6. 8 Gods love to us is from his own bowels not from our goodnesâ— If mercy were not shewed to sinners none could be saved Comfort in afflictions Mat. 27. 46 God Christs Father in all his persecâ—tions The Law necessary to be teached Contentation in all conditions to be laboured for Humility a lesson to be learned from Brotherhood 2 Cor. 5. 16. Love to the Saints the highest mark of sincerity Notes of adoption God may be our God though we cannot alwayes make it Even sighs groans pierce through thick Clouds get to God Good things connatural to good men How to go to God in prayer Ephes 1. 3. 1 John 17 Mans insinite happiness by Christ Clay and dust taken into unity of the person of God Ephes 2 6. All we have or can expect to have must be obtained through Christ Use Blesse God for Christ as well as for our selves Luk. â— â—8 Christ as man the object of Gods love and predestination as well as we 1 Pet. 1. 4. How God is Christs God God our God in the state of grace 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. The Covenant of grace founded on Christ By vertue of Christs resurrection God is not only our Father but our God God our God in covenant with Christ Interest in God great comfort Even afflictions Satan himself conspires to make us happy Eccles 1. 2. Eccles 2. 17. Never rest till God be made our portion God our joy our comfort our Rock our all Examine our hearts what we make our God It is of eternalconcernment to make God our God Exo. 20. 2. Do all for God in obedience God gives us our being and wel being and doth all for us till we come to Heaven Humane nature nearer to Christ then the nature of the Angels Doct. What God is whâ—t he is able to do what he hath all is ours Answ Want it self is for the good of Gods people God all in all immediatly in Heaven Use Simile Pro. 18. 20 Go to God in things of extremity by faith and prayer Exo. 9. 28. The wicked outwardly make a shew to feaâ— God but hate him in their hearts A carnal man professes hiâ— own safety before the advancement of Religion Rom. 7. 8. The fearful condition of a wicked man at the hour of death Who are Gods enemiâ—t A Christian is a good man in his own particular Quest Answ The humble man more excellent then the proud Peace of conscience inward joy and comfort signs of love Mark 9. 24 Psal 73. 25. Arguments of Gods shining upon the soul Caution To call God our God when he is not so is an usurpation full of danger Psal 50. 16 17. Simile Propriety by â—itting our natures for communion with God Heb. 12. 29 Esa 33. 14 Comfort in our interest in God Particular exigencie supplyed by his all-sufficiency Religion is to know God â—nd to make use of him for good to honor him and to be thankful Sacrament seals God to be ours Man by some sins worse then the Devil Gods spirit both a severing spirit and an uniting spirit Friendship in mutual office of duty Doct. God to be apprehended as he offers himself Particular application of Christ how grounded Sacraments seal a particular faith Failings do not cut uâ— off from Christ If Christ hath satisfied for us notwithstanding our infirmities we may call God our God Heb. 12. 24. Mercy part of our mariage portion Object Answ Use Assurance Joy springs from knowledg Luk. 10. 20 Gods service must be performed with chearfulnesse No worldly comforts can satisfie the soul Assurance earnestly to be labored for 3 Col. 12. Grounds of assurance Assurance maintained to us on Gods part John 13. 1. Heb. 13. 20 Hos 2. 18. Ruleâ— to know how God is our God Simile God and Christ the Objects of faiâ—h and love Interest in God an argument against sin The flesh a Devil within us That God is our God â—nd our Father is ground of infinite comfort Assurance that God is our God wrought by the sealing of the spirit and the spirits sanctifying Conscience is a little God within us 1 Joh. 3. Respect with God preserved with much industry holiness 2 Pet. 1. 20 Psal 2. 11. The fearful condition of those that have not God to be their God The office of the Ministry is to prâ—ach life to all repentant sinners God preventeth us by his mercies God our comfort in the losse of all things 1. Glorie under hope of glory 2. Glory in affl ctions 3. Glory in God 2 Pet. 1. 10