that they may not Blemish their Holy Calling but Pay an inviolate Obedience to God's Commands do so Confess and Glorify their Lord before men that Christ has Promised to Confess and Honour them before his Father in the Day of Glory Matth. 10. 32. Luke 9. 26. 6. By Walking Orderly and Uprightly in out several Relations Callings and Conditions God has Placed and Ordered every one in the World in their Particular Stations and by his Word and Providence Appointeth them their Work that so in their said several Capacities and Relations which are the Sphere of their Activity they may Serve the Common Good Accordingly God and Religion are Honoured by us in them when we are not only Contented with the Places Providence has Assigned us but do Faithfully Discharge all the Relative Duties of them by Studiously Endeavouring to Promote the Holiness and Happiness of the Societies whereof we are Members As for Instance when Masters and Parents Walk in their Houses with a Perfect Heart and Instruct Govern and Guide their Families so as they may be a Means to Command their Children and their Housholds after them to Keep the Way of the Lord Gen. 18. 19. And when Children and Servants Honour Love Serve and Obey their Parents and Masters in their Places as doing the same unto God in them Eph. 6. 1 5 9. Col. 3. 20 21. 1 Pet. 2. 18. When Husbands Walk in Love to their Wives Guiding them in Knowledge and Holiness and Wives live Piously Obediently and Peaceably When Neighbours so Perform their Offices of Love and Help to one another as to Provoke each other to Love and to Good Works When Ministers Carefully Oversee and Skilfully and Duly Feed their Flocks being Ensamples unto them in Holiness Peace and Self-Denial as Longing for and Earnestly Seeking the Conversion and Salvation of Souls And lastly When Magistrates and All in Power and Authority either as Supream or Subordinate Governors Zealously Use their Power and Authority for God from whom they have it by Discountenancing in those under them Whatever Tends to God's Dishonour and the making Men Miserable and Promoting by All Due Means the Service of God and the Happiness of Men When Rulers Set themselves to Advance Christ's Kingdom by Impartially Administring Justice for the Protecting of Innocence and Punishing and Preventing of Wickedness Violence and Disorder as well as by Beautifying and Fortifying of Goodness by their own Personal Piety and Temperance they Act as God's Ministers Appointed by Him for the Terror of Evil-Doers and the Praise of them that Do Well And by such their Providing that Persons under them may Live a Peaceable and Quiet Life in all Godliness and Honesty they truly Represent and Highly Honour their Supream Master and Heavenly King When I say All Persons in their Proper Places and Distinct Relations thus Endeavour to Fill them up by Doing the Business Allotted to them in the Same they Credit Religion and Glorify God And thus too will and must God have Honour Done him by us in All our Callings and every Estate and Condition of Life even by Diligence and Faithfulness in our Imployments Abhorring Idleness Gluttony Drunkenness Pride Contention and Evil Speaking and being Strictly Juâ— and Sincere in all our Concerns with all Men ever Doing by Others as We would be Done by Giving every Man his Dues and Parting with our Own Right for the Sake of Love and Peace or when our neighbour's Greater Good Calls for it Once again as Tradesmen must Honour God by their Righteousness So as God hath Distributed to every Man as the Lord hath Call'd every 1 Cor. 7. 17. Man so let him Walk and Act in and according to his Circumstantiated Condition as v. g. If Wealthy let him Glorify God by Humility and being Rich in Good Works If Poor by Patient Submission Uprightness and Diligence If in Honour by Making it Subservient to the Honour of Religion c. 7. By Industriously serving the Cause of Love and Peace among All that are Worthy of the Christian Name God is Love and Dwelleth in them and they are his Children and Christ's Disciples whose True Practical Effectual Love to All True Christians Appeareth in all the Course of their Life 1 John 4. 7 11 12. John 13. 35. We are all Required as much as in us Lieth to Live Peaceably with All Men 1 Cor. 1. 10. And Rom. 15. 5. To be like Minded One towards Another according to Christ Jesus i. e. to have so much Grace and Charity as to make us Imitators of Christ and of the Love and Condescention of Christ and to Bear with Others and Do by them as we would be Born with and Used our selves And for what should this be Why v. 6. That we may with one Mind and one Mouth Glorify God Dividers in the Kingdom of Christ Disserve Him who is the Prince of Peace and only Serve their own Bellies and Fleshly Interest in some Carnal Design Rom. 16. 17 18. Wherefore the Holy Ghost's Warning v. 17. should be Regarded viz. Of Marking Such as Cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine Taught and Avoiding them in their Sinful Dividing Offensive Ways Quarrels and Discords and Factious Divisions in the Members of the Church are Scandalous and Reproachful to the Christian Cause But His Disciples Living in Love and Concord as One in him Greatly Glorifieth Christ and His Gospel Live therefore in an Abhorrence of Love-Killing and Dividing Opinions and Ways Shunning all the Causes and Means of Hatred But Love and Pursue all the Good Causes and Means of Love and Peace 8. By being Abundant in Acts of Mercy and Beneficence God Entrusts Persons with Estates and Wealth as the Stewards of His Bounty to Communicate to such as are in Want Wherefore Visiting the Sick Feeding the Hungry Cloathing the Naked Ministring to the Necessities of the Saints are an Odour of a Sweet Smell a Sacrifice Acceptable well-Pleasing to God Heb. 13. 16. And such a Free spending of what God giveth us is Call'd by the Holy Ghost an Honouring of the Lord with our Substance Prov. 3. 9. 9. We must Glorify God our Glorious Deliverer by Placing our Whole Hope and Trust in Him for time to Come Ingaging his Presence with us and Blessing on us by Serious Prayerâ— So did David Resolve Because he hath Inclinâ—â— his Ear unto me therefore I will Call on him as long as I live And in Isa 26. 4. We are hidden to Trust in the Lord for ever for that in the Lord Jehovah is Everlasting Strength It was the Sin of Israel of old That they Forgat the Wonders God had Wrought for them And should we that have seen His Wonderful Works of Mercy toward us Suffer Future Difficulties or Dangers to Disarm Us of our own Experiences and God's Promises Should the Senâ—â— and Strength of his Great Mercies and Deliverances Stay but a little time with us and be iâ— Forgotten by us on the Approach of New Evils
By Renouncing All other Lords and Masters with their Contrary Interests and Services and Impropriating our Selves to God's Holy Use alone 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. Ye are not your own therefore Glorify God in your Body and in your Spirit which are God's We being Wholly and Solely of and from God and from nothing else should Honour Him by being Wholly and Solely at His Beck and Command and fâ—â— nothing else All our Parts and Powers should be Piously Imployed and Exercised only in Ways of Purity 2. By Converting and Improving All the Blessings also which our Bountiful Delivering God has Bestowed on us for the Furthering the Service of his Holy Name As God gives us Leave to Draw out the Sweetness and Help of Deliverances and other Mercies for 〈◊〉 own Comfort and Refreshment So His Chiefâ—â—â— End in them all is That He may have the Honour and Glory of them by their Improvemeâ—â— to His Service Not Attending to the Lord's Goodness and Aim in our Enjoyments but Valuing and Using Outward Mercies of Peace Safety Estate Friends c. only as Provision for and to the Service of the Flesh and the Satisfaction of Sensual and Inordinate Desires is wretchedly to Pervert the Divine Bounty and to Affront and Dishonour God with His own Gifts But Looking on and Esteeming His Favours as Necessary Provision for our Duty in the Way to Heaven and Injoying and Using them as Helps in the Serving of God and Saving our Souls is to Answer the End of the Bounteous Author and truly to Glorify him by them 3. By Paying or Living up to the Religious Vows that we mâ—â—â— in our Times of Straits and Dangers In the Ver. preceeding our Text Offer unto God Thanksgiving and Pay thy Vows unto the most High Job 22. 27. Thou shalt make thy Prayer unto him in evil-days and he shall Hear thee and thâ—â— shalt Pay thy Vows When under Pressing Fears we Invoke God we are apt to Ingage our Selves in a more than Ordinary Solemn Manner to Thankfulness if God will Appear for us Wherefore as the Blessing Received on such Vows and Invocation do strongly Oblige us to Pay what we so Solemnly Promised so a right Payment of the Same is a right Thank-Offering and Expressive of God's Praises and Honour Thus Thought and Acted Holy David Psal 56. 12 13. Thy Vows are upon me O God I will Render Praises unto Thee for thou hast Delivered my Soul from Death And Psal 66. 11 12 c. Thou Broughtest us into the Net Thou laidst Affliction upon our Lions thou causedst men to Ride over our Heads We went through Water and through Fire e'n the very Case of these Kingdoms t'other Day but thou broughtst us out into a Wealthy Place i. e. into a State of Liberty and Prosperity therefore I will go into thy House with Burnt-Offâ—rrings I will Pay thee my Vows which my Lips have Uttered and my Mouth hath Spoken when I was in Trouble 4. By Frequent Due Attendance on All the Parts of God's Worship and Performance of Religious Duties and all Devotional Work unto Him in a truly Reverent and Spiritual Manner The Lord putting an End to the Jewish Sacrifices by which He was Honoured of Old Instituted in their stead the Attending on His Holy Ordinances Praying Preaching Hearing Sacraments as Spiritual Sacrifices Acceptable through Christ to be in the Christian Church Acknowledgments of Our Homage unto Him So the Holy Spirit tells us That the Honour Due to God's Name cannot be All Paid Hâ—m without Worshipping the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness His Glorious Sanctuary the Place of His Holy Ordinances and Worship Psal 29. 2. Thâ—â— Holy David Knew and Did his Duty in Psal 116. beginning Having Received a Great Deliverance from God he Professed That â—e would thenceforth Devote himself to the Worship and Service of God Ver. 9. I will Walk before the Lord in the Land of the Living for so much the Phrase of Walking before the Lord doth Import 4. We must Honour God with our Lives By being Zealously Active for His Interest and the Cause of Christianity in the World As the Tree is made for Fruit so are * Non solùm Nobis Nati aut Renati sâ—mus We Created Redeemed and Sanctified for Doing Good in serving our Generation according to the Will of God our Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier Acts 13. 36. Our Christianity which is our Absolute Devotedness to God in Christ Bespeaks our Honouring of God in Furthering the Good and Welfare of Others as the Chief Trade and Business we Live for In Giving up our Names to Christ we Disclaim being any more our own and are Listed for the Publick Service and Receive our Charge Gal. 6. 10. To do Good unto All Men as we have Opportunity Especially unto them who are of the Houshold of Faith God is Dishonoured and the Publick Wronged by Persons Carrying on Selfish Narrow Private Interests and Ends of their own We are as Steward 's Intrusted by God with many Gifts Talents and Opportunities for His Use and Honour and therefore areto make them all Tributary and Subservient to His Glory by a Zealous Prudent Trading with them for the Promoting His Kingdom and Holiness in the World to the Utmost of our Power 1 Cor. 12. 7. 1 Pet. 4. 10. We must not therefore Live to or for our selves but as always Preferring the Common Good before our own and as Seeking our own in the Common Welfare Despising Selfish Regards for the Benefit of Others Thus to Do will be to Imitate like Dear Children our Heavenly Father who is Good and doth Good to All making his Sun to Rise and his Rain to Fall on the Evil and on the Good and to Act like our Blessed Saviour who Pleased not himself but Spent his Life in Going about and Doing Good Rom. 15. 3. Acts 10. 38. God has Ordained the Fruitful Lives of Christians to be a Means for the Winning over of Sinners and Glorifying His Great Name in the World And they that are not Zealous to Do Good as well as to Get Good have not the Peculiar Nature of Christ's Flock and Members Titus 2. 14. 5. By not being Ashamed of Persecuted Christianity but Openly Appearing for the Lord and His Cause against All Opposition When we will not Deny our Saviour to Escape Shame or Suffering but Vindicate His Great Name and Own and Honour His Ways as Fearlessâ—y Trusting in Him amidst all Dangers In such an Evil Time Christ is ill Spoken of and Dishonoured by the Reproaches of the Scoffing and Persecuting Malignants but Glorified by the Fortitude and Fidelity of them who Patiently Suffer Reproach for his sake 1 Pet. 4. 14. Such as with Paul make it their Care to Magnify the Lord in their Bodies whether it be by Life or Death Phil. 1. 20. Who can Deny their Carnal Selves and Worldly Interests and Cheerfully Undergo Losses Crosses and Wants that Touch the Flesh and Suffer even Death it self
Strength will I Sing for God is my Defence and the God of my Mercy Well then Creating Redeeming Sanctifying Upholding and Delivering-Mercy and Goodness Challenges and Requires us to Glorify God To which I might Add that He being very Jealous of His Glory as also it being All the Homage and Tribute He Expecteth from us for All He has Made us Given to us Done for us and further Promiseth to us we should Readily Diligently Thankfully Continually and with our Utmost even with All our Soul with All our Thought with All our Might cum omni Valde nostro Yeild it to Him Application Now to Improve the Whole of what we have Heard concerning the Lord's Gracious Delivering of us and His Expecting Returns of Thankfulness to the Glorifying His Name And I. It may Serve for Conviction and Reproof against All those amongst us who instead of being Thankful for the Wonderfull Appearances of the Almighty in the Rescuing these Kingdoms from accursed Idolarty and Slavery and in Preserving the Lives Properties and Religion of All True Protestants in them have been Grieved at their Heart for and with an Implacable Opposition Endeavoured to Hinder the Progress and Accomplishment of so Glorious a Deliverance O the Vile Malignity of their Natures and Poisonous Disposition of their Unhallowed Hearts who 't is like would never have been so Base and Viper-like had not God been so very Kind and Merciful 'T is sad that any of the Offspring of those Miscreants Sanballat and Neh. 2 10. Tobiah who were Grieved Exceedingly that there was but a Man that Came to Seek the Welfare of the Children of Israel should be Found among us Yet such there be whose Spirits are Troubled and Hearts Fret and Rage for the Welfare of God's Cause among us We read in Ez. 8. That among the Abominations which the Lord Shewed the Prophet One was a Company of Wâ—men that Sate Weeping for Tammuz even for the Loss of their Shamefull Idoll So these Grieuâ— to Part with the Sorest Plague on the True Church of God an Idolatrous Tyrant that Jeroboaâ— like would have Forced Us on Sin and Miserâ— Some tell us That Aromaticall Smells that are Refreshing to All others will Drive Tygers into a Rage And Oecumenius Writes that the Fragrantia Unguenti boni Columbam Vegetat Scarabaeum Necat Fragrancy of Precious Ointment which is Whâ—â—some for Doves does yet Kill the Beetle To like to such Tygers and Beetles do they Express themselves who under the Name of Protestants and Professing the Reformed Religion Repine as the Re-establishment of the Protestant Cause and Interest and the Depression of those whose Principles Constrain them to Seek the Utter Ruin of the Reformed Religion upon Pain of Damnation The Lord in Mercy Convince such Dangerouâ—â— Deluded Souls and Effectually Heal and Cure their too Serpentine-like Natures My only Counsel to them is To Repent of this their Imligious Perfidiousness lest they out-do the Vile Traitour Judas for even he after he had Betrayed his Master seeing What was done Repented him II. I Apply it for Advoie and Caution As God's Own People of old were too Prone to Misbehave Deut. 6. 10. 11 12. ch 8. 10 11. themselves upon the Receiving of Greaâ— Mercies and therefore were Warned by God aâ— such times to Take heed and Beware so it is too Easy for Us who have not Walked so Closely with God under Afflictions when the Rod was on our Back as we should it is I say but too Easy for us to Forget our selves and our God when our Condition Seems more Safe Wherefore let us Look Well to our selves lest after God's having Glorified His Power and Goodness in Shewing Us Manifold and Rich Mercy both Positive and Privative We do not Dishonour His Great Name by Sinning against Him hereupon Let us Fear the Provoking Sin of Ingratitude and Giving the Lord Evill Requitals for All His Kindness See we that we Reproach not the Lord and His Goodness either in Thought Word or Deed. Let not our Hearts Dishonour him by Forgetfulness or Unworthy Thoughts of God and His Benefits by being Listed up with Pride Arrogating to our Selves God's Glory by Security and Discontentedness or Unsuitable Affectedness to his Grace Let not our Tongues Offend against Him by Dâ—nying Him his Praises by Speaking Irreverently of His Majesty or Diminutively of His Favours or as Depreciating and Dishonouring his Holy Name Ordinances and Servants or by Murmuring Nor let us Lead our Lives Reproachfully before Him by Debasing the Divine Bounty to the Gratifying a Fleshly Course and Pleasing our Lusts by Growing Wanton or Riotous or any ways Diverting God's Blessings to Other Ends than for which they are Given III. By Way of Exhortation Consider Whaâ— Great Things He hath Done for you and Givâ— unto the Lord the Honour Due unto his Name Psal 29. 1 2. And here now Who can Set forth either iâ— Number or Weight the Exceeding Goodness of the Lord to Us which we are most Thankfully to Commemorate This Day and Live henceforth to the End of our Days to His Honour O what Catalogues of Most Valuable Mercies might be Readily Presented to us How Many have we in Common to these Three Kingdoms with other Kingdoms How Many in Common with the Kingdom which has been Priviledged above All Others that we Know of How Many in Common with the Places of our Abode and the Sâ—cieties to which we Belong And how Many Uncommon and Distinguishing Ones Peculiar to our Selves both in Soul and Body in our Families and Relations Callings and Conditions What Deliverances too beside Other Benefits and those Publick and Private upon both Civil and Spiritual Accounts Deliverances I say which are not Single Favours but Every One of them a Comprehensive Mother Blessing â— Saving us from Manifold Evils to Much God and such are those that we are to Own and Bless God for after a Solemn Manner viz. His Rescuing Us from the Enslaving Tyranâ—y of a Bigotted Papist and Overthrowing his Fumidable Army of Popish-Irish-Cut-throats His Driving hence the Soul-Destroying Idolatry of a Bloody Religion His Filling the Throne with a War-like Prince of Unexampled Zeal and Succour for the Trâ—â— Religion and Preserving Him Safe amidst the Iâ—numerable Perils of Private Plots and Open War And now at last Crowning of Him to be the Instrument of a Long-Desired Peace for the Security of our Religion Liberties and Properties that are Restored to Us with Great Advantages With All of These that are Each of them Most Fruitfull Blessings full of Goodness and Pregnant with Various Reviving Mercies are we Covered and Compassed round about as the Earth is with the Environing Heavens and should not such Divine Grace well Affect Us Heaven-ward But further let us View them in their Amiable and Greatening Circumstances and so if we Consider the Excellent Needfulness Convenience and Seasonableness of them to what a Low Ebb our Hopes and Helps were Brought and under what